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B R O M S G R O V E S C H O O L

FLAIR • DISCIPLINE • ACADEMIC RIGOUR

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ContentsEditorial...................................... 3

Junior Bromsgrovian................... 5

Pre-Preparatory and Nursery...... 8

Preparatory School..................... 16

Music......................................... 26

Trips and Tours........................... 28

Sport.......................................... 30 House Reports............................ 42 Staff Leavers............................... 44

Prize Winners and Valete............ 46 Senior Bromsgrovian................... 53

House Reports........................... 56

Commemoration Day.................. 78

Destination of Leavers................. 82

Staff Leavers............................... 86

Year Group Reports.................... 92

Music & Drama.......................... 96

Trips & Activities......................... 104

Sport.......................................... 118

Obituaries................................... 135

With thanks to The School Photography Company for supplying team photos.

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Editorial

Bromsgrove has for many years proudly walked the line between tradition and innovation, and it is this year more than ever that the School’s amitious development plans have caught the inspiration of both pupils and teachers. As state-of-the-art science blocks are unveiled and work begins on a sports complex worthy of the Olympics, the prospect of these new facilities have evidently had an impact on our students already; the science department has been busy experimenting in biofuel, and the sports department have witnessed unprecedented national success across the whole school.

When flicking through the pages of this year’s Bromsgrovian and comparing them to those of years gone by, it is clear that many of the School’s past successes and innovations have developed into time-honoured traditions. Once-novel events in the School calendar have now become rites of passage for our students with annual trips out and exchange visits, not to mention the yearly anticipation of Commemoration Day. Constantly evolving, these favourite occasions sit alongside new events, notably this year’s triumphant Prep School celebration of European Languages Day.

The innovations of this year will undoubtedly influence the traditions and values held by the School both now and in future years. A tantalising thought for the forthcoming editions of the Bromsgrovian!

My thanks must go to the staff who tirelessly create and maintain an impressive array of activities and opportunities for our students, with which these pages overflow with stories of success.Marion Martin

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JUNIOR BROMSGROVIAN

PRE-PREPARATORY, NURSERY AND PREPARATORY SCHOOL

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Headmistress’ Overview

This has been a very busy and often exciting year at the Pre-Preparatory and Nursery School.

Where else would one find World War 2 evacuees, jousting tournaments, Victorian school children, book characters, members of the Home Guard drilling in the driveway and a hall full of rather exotic and large rainforest creatures, but at the Pre-Prep? These exciting events are but a few of the many wonderful learning opportunities that the children have experienced during this year.

The Pre-Prep never stands still; nothing is taken for granted and the staff are continually developing ways in which to stimulate the children’s curiosity and desire for learning.

Their enthusiasm is legendary and at times can even run away with them.

During the Year 2 topic on Space earlier this year the children watched an emergency BBC broadcast on the interactive whiteboard which described an eye witness account of an alien craft seen in the skies over Bromsgrove. Then, later in the day, the children went outside to play and were amazed to discover a crash scene in the School garden. Large silver shards, springs, metal canisters and other debris festooned the lawn – it soon became apparent that the aforementioned alien ship had obviously crash landed at the Pre-Prep. Rarely have I ever seen such excitement and the work this created was quite astonishing – creative, imaginative, ambitious and fun. The children truly believed in the entire encounter and even at the end of the day when I felt that I had to explain that it had all been staged by their teachers, many plainly thought that I was simply covering up for the MOD or NASA and refused to believe me. Such was their conviction that I felt compelled to write to their parents, explaining all that had happened, just in case anyone really did think that there could have been an encounter with something beyond our world at Avoncroft.

This creativity and passion to inspire learning is common amongst all the Pre-Prep and Nursery staff. They work tirelessly to ensure that every child fulfils their potential; that every child enjoys learning and that every child is given the opportunity to do their best and to flourish within a safe and caring community.

The Pre-Prep has continued to expand and develop this year. There is now a fabulous new classroom in the Nursery, a second Forest School area has been established and the wildlife pond, created last year, has now become an integral part of our outdoor learning and Science curriculum. There were many squeals of delight during the summer term as the Year 2 children helped Mrs Finlay to remove blanket weed from the pond and in the process discovered a huge number of newts.

We look forward to next year when the Pre-Prep will combine forces with the Prep and Senior Schools to exhibit a Bromsgrove School show garden at the Spring Garden Show at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern. This is a very exciting and unique opportunity for the youngest Bromsgrovians to work with the oldest.

Our commitment to outdoor learning is has been enhanced over the summer holidays as the area outside the Reception classes has been improved in readiness for the new academic year. The construction of an outside classroom will also be an exciting project that all children will benefit from.

This year has been packed with many exciting events including Father Christmas’ annual visit, Wacky Races, a visit by a real pirate complete with a cutlass, eye patch and many gruesome stories! Trips to Warwick Castle, the theatre, Hatton Country World, the Safari Park and an evacuation on the Severn Valley Railway have all helped to enrich the learning opportunities created for the children.

From sports day to the Reception Nativity, from the whole School Advent service to the amazing Year 2 production of Jack and the Beanstalk – in which there were some very memorable individual performances, the busy life at Pre-Prep always adds value to the more academic learning that takes place within the classroom.

J Deval-Reed

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The Nursery performance of Happy Hat Land, a musical which reinforces the message that sharing is important, was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The children delivered their lines proudly and sang with enthusiasm.

Nursery Reception

The children in the Reception classes spent a week planning a birthday party for their special friends, Kipper, Dusty and Simba (the class puppets). They wrote shopping lists and invitations, made birthday cards and party hats. The highlight of the week was arriving at School on Friday in party clothes to enjoy games, dancing and a party tea with birthday cake and jelly.

We enjoyed a visit to the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, where the children helped with some of the show gardens. Pre-Prep is very excited to be involved in designing and creating a show garden of its own next year.

The children in Reception classes enjoyed a visit from two of our parents who told them all about the Festival of Diwali.

They had the chance to dress up in traditional costumes and learned about the special food and celebrations of Diwali.

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Reception enjoyed learning about ‘People Who Help Us’ and were visited by Mrs Alma who is a vet. She brought some animals with her for the children to meet and talked about her work as a vet.

We also spent a morning with one of our Pre-Prep parents who is a firefighter. He told them all about his job and taught them basic fire safety rules. They enjoyed trying on clothes and prac-tising with the water hose.

Pupils celebrated Chinese New Year at the Pre-Prep with lots of exciting activities. Mrs Lau, one of our parents, kindly visited the Reception classes to talk to them about the celebration and the children loved making and tasting Chinese noodles. The role play areas across the Foundation Stage were transformed into Chinese takeaways where the children dressed up as chefs and served Chinese food to each other.

Making dragons, lucky money envelopes and writing Chinese letters and numbers are a few of the other activities that thechildren tried their hands at.

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Year 1

ROYAL W

EDDING CELE

BRATION

Everyone was invited to visit the dinosaur museum that had been set up in the School hall by our Year 1 children.

It was a brilliant exhibition of clay models, fossils, artwork, an information desk, PowerPoint presentations and there was even a dinosaur themed café.

Year 1 had a great time on safari at the West Midland Safari Park, meeting some of the animals that they have been learning about in School. The sea lion show was a particular highlight.

Year 1 experienced a Victorian school day with ‘The History Man’. The children completed vocal gymnastics (spellings), drill (PE), Bible Stories, handwriting, arithmetic, drawing and singing.

The children all made crowns and flags to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and enjoyed a Royal Street Party as well as a day full of wedding themed activities.

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ROYAL W

EDDING CELE

BRATION

Year 2

Year 2 arrived at the Pre-Prep only to discover that the government had ordered their evacuation

to the safety of rural Highley. Each child, equipped with gas mask box, identity card and a name

label, was given strict instructions about air raids, rationing and hard work in the 1940s schoolroom

at Hartlebury Castle, before travelling on the Severn Valley Railway to Highley. To keep spirits up

the children could be heard singing wartime songs on board the steam train. This trip brought

learning about World War Two to life and gave the children a taste of what thousands of British

children endured seventy years ago.

The children were very excited when they presented Mrs Deval-Reed with a birthday cake which

they had made. Unfortunately as they had been transported back to 1940 they were very limited

with the ingredients. The children soon discovered that the 1940s cupboard contained only basic

rations. Luckily, though, a wartime recipe for ‘uncooked chocolate cake’ was found using baked

breadcrumbs, margarine, cocoa powder and a small amount of sugar and golden syrup. It is the

thought that counts!

Year 2 were transported back to the dark and dangerous days of World War Two .

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Year 2 children took part in Bromsgrove’s Day of Kindness. For their Maths homework they made cakes which they kindly gave away to the people of Bromsgrove on the High Street.

Year 2 were visited by local poet Lis Berreen for a poetry workshop. They listened to Lis read some of her poems from her latest book All Creatures Small and Smaller. Later the children enjoyed creating their own poems using rhyming couplets.

The children also had a fabulous time when they spent the day with Sir Teachalot, a Knight! Their History topic about Knights and Castles was brought to life by this hands-on learning experience. The children dressed in Medieval armour and learned about some of the weaponry used and were particularly excited to see Mrs Deval-Reed dressed in a full suit of armour, assisted by two young squires! After a jousting session outdoors the children built, then attacked and destroyed their own castle using a trebuchet.

Year 2 had a fantastic day out at Warwick Castle to support their Knights and Castles topic. They were given a tour of the castle and were taught about attack and defence techniques, including many gory details, which they particularly enjoyed learning about.

Before heading back to School, the children bravely entered the gaol where they could imagine what prisoners may have faced in Medieval times.

Back at School they also had a falconry visit.

 

Year 2

Following a news-flash report of a UFO sighting over Bromsgrove, Year 2 investigated unidentified debris found in the School garden. The scene was taped off whilst evidence was collected and examined. Back in the classroom the ‘black box’ recording was deciphered. All of the excitement that this event generated provided the children with some wonderful ideas for their creative writing.

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Year 2 had a fantastic hands-on animal encounter as a stunning start to their rainforest project.

The children bravely handled animals from each layer of the rainforest including hissing cockroaches, ‘Fluffy’, the tarantula, a carpet python and a harris hawk.

The Year 2 children had a great day at the Aegon Classic Tennis tournament at the Priory Club, Edgbaston where they were lucky enough to see some great ladies’ singles tennis matches once the rain covers came off.

After a hunt for autographs, the children took part in a superb coaching session on court and many of them demonstrated real potential.

The Year 2 children proudly performed Roald Dahl’s musical, Jack and the Beanstalk, with some memorable individual performances by Alexander Williams as Jack, Harry Richards as Jack’s Mother, and Teddy Broadhurst as the Giant. The whole year group sang with enthusiasm and spoke their lines with confidence.

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Year 2

Prizegiving Photographs

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Jack and the Beanstalk

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Steve Backshall

Steve Backshall of Deadly 60 fame gave a brilliant talk to our Year 3 and 4 children who were utterly thrilled and totally transfixed. He spoke passionately about wildlife and urged us all to go into the great outdoors to search out, enjoy and protect the incredible animal life on our planet. Despite the fact that this was his first ever talk to a group of young school children he hit the spot perfectly. He answered countless questions enthusiastically and we even managed a few autographs. He signed our Steve Backshall book, ‘To a whole school of adventurers’ – his amazing talk will doubtless inspire many a Bromsgrovian explorer.

Roald Dahl

The sun shone in Year 3 on a gloomy, wet, Wednesday morning as excited Year 3 children prepared to entertain. Each class had studied a different Roald Dahl novel. They needed to teach the other two classes about their book. Drama featured large and within an hour all the classes were fully versed in all three stories. 3JA gave a comical rendition of George’s Marvellous Medicine and 3GB’s hilarious slant on The Twits was side-splitting! 3CL’s Esio Trot featured posters, poetry and a news report to supplement the cameo performance. Huge congratulations to all the children for a magnificent hour of entertainment.

Great Egg Challenge

A dozen eggs and over four dozen eager children packaged raw eggs to keep them safe from damage as they were lobbed down a hill. Team work was of the essence in the choice of wrapping materials and the design of package. The latter might have left a bit to be desired in terms of aesthetics, but what skill when it came to the safety of the precious eggs! Not a single one broke which was a Year 3 record.

Tortoises

Year 3 invited Mrs Edwards in to Maple along with her amazing brood of tortoises!

Mrs Edwards has been breeding tortoises for many years, and the children were delighted to see and hold the tortoises, they asked many intelligent questions. Many thanks to Mrs Edwards for her expertise and inspiration, the children for being so interested and thoughtful – and the tortoises for coping with all the handling and excitement they received!

Year 3

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Ragley Hall

Year 3’s trip to experience a rural environment could not have been more exciting. Equipped with waterproofs to fend off the inclement weather, we ventured across the Warwickshire countryside to Ragley. The pupils were whisked off to play a hunting game in the rose garden, pond-dipping and a minibeast quest.

A fantastic day of Science and Maths @BRISTOL, a fabulous science centre!

Year 3 became site inspectors for the day, visiting the Spellar Metcalfe building site.

Troy Story

I felt very nervous walking on stage as the lights were dimmed and I almost tripped over my Greek gold Tunic!

I played the part of ‘King Priam’, King of the Trojans and Mrs Butler put a beard on me with make up!

My daddy was smiling from ear to ear I could see him in the audience.Jessica Rai 3GB

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Pupils have thoroughly enjoyed their time in Year 4 this year...

Year 4

Mega maths: treasure hunts are fun!

Titus Lustus: Army Drill

Science: Electricity

Book Day: Wizard of Oz

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Year 4: India Afternoon

Poetry Express: Published Poets! What a Knight: Jester

What a Knight: A group of Knights

Tudor Pomanders

Book Day: Wizard of Oz Art: Seasons Masks Bushcraft: Wilderness Survival Training!

Bushcraft: Fun and Games!

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Year 5

Young Voices In the Michaelmas term, Year 5 went to the LG Arena to take part in Young Voices. We practised all afternoon at the LG Arena with the other schools that attended. The main performance was in the evening. We got to see a number of different artists singing too, these included Dionne Bromfield and All Angels. We also got to watch the dance group Urban Stride. The Young Voices featured on The One Show on BBC 1 that evening, which was really exciting!Emily Lyle

Coughton Court

Year 5 spent an afternoon at Coughton Court. The children learned about the links between the families of the Midlands and the Gunpowder Plotters, as well the more recent history of the Throckmorton family, who still live in the house (though the opportunity to shop was regularly quoted as the ‘best bit’, as is customary!) R Whiting

The best part of the day was when we climbed all the way up the tower. It was a very narrow staircase and very long. It didn’t have any windows and the steps were made of stone. Then we got to the top, everyone looked down. We were so high up!Phoebe Long

Pizza Hut

5AR were lucky enough to win the prize for selling the most raffle tickets and donating the most items to the PA Christmas Fair. The prize was a lunchtime trip to Pizza Hut. When Mr Evans announced that we had won the prize during assembly we were incredibly excited.

Mr Ward, the chair of the PA, and his wife were waiting for us at Pizza Hut. Thank you to the PA for taking us to Pizza Hut; we had a really great time. 5AR

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Year 5

Year 4: India Afternoon

Cake Sale

Year 5 held a very successful cake sale on behalf of Charities Week this year. Year 5 took the time, along with their parents and grandparents, to make some very delicious looking cakes. The pupils then worked very hard during the bake sale and managed to sell almost all of the cakes they made. In the twenty-five minutes that the cake sale was open, Year 5 made an amazing £474.96; a total they can be incredibly proud of for two very worthy causes.

Cadbury World We went to Cadbury World as an end of year and educational trip. We toured the factory, had a basic manufacturing and packaging talk, and enjoyed many free chocolate bars and samples, such as warm melted chocolate!Elyssa Jones

Black Country Museum

Year 5 went on a trip to Black Country Museum to learn about the Victorians. We were shown the cars and motorbikes that were used in the Victorian times. We even got shown around the mine. At some places in the mine it was pitch black and we couldn’t see a thing. We went into the village and we went into a series of shops including the grocer’s, the old sweet shop and the Chapel. Also we were shown how they made a chain. The funniest part was in the school lesson where Miss Read, our Head of Year got told off for writing with her left hand, she even got the cane but it was only pretend sadly. Overall we had lots of fun and it was a great introduction for a closer look at the Victorians in Year 6. Tristan Hall

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Year 6

Aladdin

Year 6 performed their version of Aladdin to a packed house. A cast and backstage crew of seventy-four children delighted their audience with a spectacular performance. The audience sang, danced and cried with laughter throughout the night.

Widow Twankey spun on stage as the rest of the cast sang She’s So Lovely, and parents were on their feet singing Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes lead by Chop Suey and Chow Mein! It was a night of fun and laughter thanks to the children’s dedication, enthusiasm and talent. A show to be proud of.S Cadwallader

Bully Buddies’ Lunch

In May, the Bully Buddies had lunch with the Headmasters of the Senior School and Prep School and the Headmistress of the Pre-Prep. Pastoral staff from the School also came. We were asked some questions about being a buddy and how we respond to different aspects of the responsibility of being a buddy. They asked us what we had done in the year, how we had gone about different possible circumstances and how we went about solving different problems.

It was a very enjoyable lunch, and because of it, we were then asked to talk to Year 2 about moving up to the Prep School. We were happy to share our experiences!E Lightfoot

Comic Fun

Cartoonist and Comedian Kev Sutherland hosted two workshops, looking at comics that Kev had worked on including The Beano and Dr Who. Everyone then created their own cartoon and Kev drew caricatures of every pupil to have as a souvenir.

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David Whitley

Pupils from Years 6 and 7 were amazed as David Whitley, author, actor and singer, stunned us all with his talents! The presentation was to promote David’s new book, The Children of The Lost, but along the way we were told interesting facts about Cromwell’s Utopia and shown some enlightening slides from Gulliver’s Travels. Then we were invited to create our own kingdom, Jardinia, a mountainous island situated on the moon, where the inhabitants were half man half bird creatures who dined on maggots made from cheese! Our imaginations took over as we invented giant snail fights to entertain the population while little blue men in hats kept law and order.

Lots of pupils bought books and spoke to David in person. The best bit, though was when the author broke into song after fervent requests! He penned his first novel aged seventeen, which left us with a challenge: who will be the first pupil to write a bestseller? E Lightfoot

World Book Day

We celebrated World Book Day by inviting the teen fiction writer, Sarah Singleton, to speak to pupils in Years 7 and 8 about her career as a journalist and novelist, her books and creative writing tips. Sarah read us an extract from the beginning of her novel, Amethyst Child about two characters called Amber and Dowdy; this set pupils up for writing their own opening paragraphs using a bridge as a setting. Fraser Foster wrote a piece set just after the Second World War, whilst Ben Bridgman went further back in time, writing about Quintus, a Roman Centurion with a dilemma. Many pupils bought The Island and Century whilst Sarah signed them and chatted to pupils about her work. Sam Gilbert of Year 8 suggested an interesting title for Sarah’s latest book and Nandini Bulchandini of Year 5 was able to show Sarah her own book she had been working on. E Lightfoot

European Languages Day

A buzz of excitement pervaded the Prep School from start to finish on the Day of European Languages.  The quest was on to discover which European country twenty-seven staff were representing.  Each was dressed in the colours of a different European flag, wore or carried a relevant symbol or sported the national costume. The entire School, from Year 3 to Year 8, was invited to enter a competition to match teacher to country, and to find the red herring! To help in this mission, every child in the School was given a Passport to the European Union; a fabulous little book featuring the countries in the union, colourful and fascinating information about them and, dream of dreams, stickers of flags, coins and monuments for each one. Language and geography lessons throughout the School reinforced the theme with enthralling presentations and teamwork.

A huge thank you to the members of the Modern Foreign Languages department who worked so hard to make the day happen.C Leather

Comic Fun

Year 7

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Year 8

Prefects’ Lunch

Twelve of the prefects went o the Senior School to have lunch with Mr Edwards. During this lunch we discussed many topics about life at Bromsgrove School including; ‘if you could change Bromsgrove Prep School in one way what would you change?’, and ‘how do you feel about the amount of responsibility given to you in Year 8?’. We had the opportunity to ask Mr Edwards questions about the Senior School and cleared up any initial doubts about the move next year. This was a great opportunity and really made us feel part of Bromsgrove School. Sarah Ellis

Motivational Speaker

Year 8 had a motivational speaker in to talk to us about our future. Kevin Mincher showed us ways to gain success when we are older, and how to do well in our exams which are coming up soon. Many of the Year 8s really enjoyed the morning. Kevin really helped us to think about our future and changes we can make. Everyone thought he made a very good point and inspired us to be open minded. He gave us challenges to see new opportunities and there are always different ways around things. He also told us never to let anybody put us down, and always to think about the positive instead of the negative. Laurel Butler, Olivia Berwick and Anna Rogers

Youthpact

Youthpact visited RAF Cosford where we saw police riot training in action. The training consisted of a small exercise and four scenarios which the Police had to deal with. We saw how the police dealt with these situations which consisted of rebelling students, angry protesters and the press. Overall, it was a very enjoyable day and we learned many interesting facts.Clare Hill and Hemlata Limbu

On day two of the Michaelmas Term, ninety-two Year 8 pupils set off for London at the very early hour of 7am! We had two worthy destinations in mind, firstly, The Tate Britain Art Gallery where we marvelled at the Pre Raphaelite paintings we had studied in class as part of our Art and Literature theme.

After lunch, we headed for the Millennium Pier and a boat ride which took us to The Globe Theatre. The weather was bright and sunny as we watched The Merry Wives of Windsor and the antics of Falstaff. All had an excellent day. E Lightfoot

YEAR 8 GO GLOBE TROTTING TO LONDON...

R E G I

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Arabian Nights

In January 2011, a group of Year 7 pupils, accompanied by members of the Drama and English Departments, went to Stratford to watch the RSC production of Arabian Nights, adapted and written by Dominic Cooke. It was a fantastic show: vibrant, colourful, lively, enthralling. Above all, it celebrated the pure joy of story-telling and showed clearly the power that creativity and fantasy can have over the human heart and mind.

The trajectory of King Shahrayar’s feelings from the anger and hurt that he feels at his wife’s betrayal, to his rediscovery of the power of love through his gradual identification with Sharazad’s stories, reminds us that, through creative, imaginative engagement with the world, we can learn empathy with and sympathy for others. It is an important lesson.

Our pupils enjoyed the show at the RSC and the staff were inspired by it. The script was reduced and cut (with permission from the author) and rehearsals began.

Our production played for two nights in mid-February to two packed houses. Cobham Hall was literally turned on its head as the floor became the stage and the stage became banked seating. In front of beautiful backdrops, under gentle lighting, Sharazad’s stories came to life once more. Would our young actors be able to capture the vibrancy and liveliness of the RSC show? Would they be able to captivate and enthral as those professional actors had done? Of course they would.

If you saw the show, you’ll know how well those young actors did. You’ll know how hard they must have worked; you’ll have recognised the quality and strength of the teamwork that brought such a show into being. Above all, you’ll know that Drama at Bromsgrove Prep School remains in very good shape indeed.J Marks

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Music

Congratulations to Telford House who triumphed in the Prep School’s 2nd Annual House Singing Competition. All Houses performed a Michael Bublé song in a tense competition in Routh Hall.  All performed exceptionally well giving Inspector Coulson, our adjudicator, the very tough task of having to pick a winner - well done Telford!

In March, Prep School Choir visited the Norman Power Centre Care Home in Ladywood. They sang a huge variety of songs including a number of War songs which had everyone singing along. It was a fantastic morning enjoyed by all.The highlight of the musical year was our Prep School Proms in the Park concert held on the cricket pitch outside Maple. Despite the rain in the hour before the concert, parents turned out with camping chairs, tables, picnics and even candelabras! Fantastic performances from our ensembles and stunning solos entertained our audience in what turned out to be a beautiful evening. We shall definitely be holding one of these again!

The Choir took part in Choral Society’s performance of great British Anthems in the Chapel. The Choir had a fantastic time learning works by Elgar, Parry and even our own Assistant Director of Music, Richard Knight. The choir were delighted to hear a number of the anthems which we had sung being performed at the Royal Wedding later in the month.

In May, our Year 10 and Year 7 steel pan groups headed to Cutnall Green First School to perform at their School fete. Despite the wind, we had a fantastic morning, spreading cheer around the school. They also performed at Bromsgrove Preparatory School’s Fun-day in June, performing a large variety of music to entertain the crowds.

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Trips

Ardèche 2011

This year pupils from Year 6 to Year 8 took part in an adventurous activity holiday in Southern France. Situated in the heart of the Ardèche region, Labeaume is a delightful wooded campsite. Our village was set in a spacious, shaded area out of the warm (or very hot at times!) summer sun. The site lies between two beautiful rivers; the Ardèche and Labeaume, both of which were a little lower than usual, but this did not detract from any of our experiences. The unforgettable and exhilarating two day descent of the Ardèche River by open canoe was the highlight of our adventure. Navigating the river by canoe through white and flat water stretches was a challenge, but all the pupils rowed hard throughout. The amazing and rewarding experience of paddling through rapids in small teams took us past some of the most spectacular countryside in France, with 300 metre cliffs and the beautiful, clear and warm waters of the river. The night of the two day descent was spent camping on the banks of the gorge, bivouac-style, under the stars. During our descent pupils played many water based games and had the opportunity to try a few rock jumps (even some of the staff had a go at these!).

The descent was complemented by other fantastic water-based activities such as kayaking, raft building and river trekking. Pupils also participated in land based activities; these included climbing, caving, a high ropes course and team building challenges. It was wonderful to see pupils from different year groups collaborating together to complete these activities. During our stay at Labeaume we also visited the local towns of Ruoms and Vallon Pont d’Arc, giving pupils the opportunity to be immersed in the French culture and way of life. Pupils were also given a guided tour of the Orgnac Cave System where they learned about the different rock formations and how the cave system had been created over millions of years. Yet again another incredible trip to the Ardèche! I would like to say a big thank you to the pupils and staff that came this year. A Evans

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Ski Trip 2011

The annual ski trip departed much later than usual this year due to a late finish at Easter, with 76 children and 8 staff, along with 9 ski instructors, all packed into two luxury coaches. After a trouble free crossing over the channel, and the overnight journey to Switzerland, the group arrived in Fiesch mid-morning on the Saturday. The rest of the day was spent sorting out rooms, unpacking, getting to know the village and sorting out all the skis and boots. For those who had never skied before, boots and skis seem very awkward to wear, let alone carry, but fortunately we did not have to carry them very far; we left all the equipment near the cable car station overnight, and collected them the following morning on our journey up the mountain.

Fiesch is unique to the resorts we use for the School trips, in that there is a second, satellite village at the top of the cable car, and this is where we kept all the equipment and had cooked lunches during the week. This meant that there was no carrying of skis or boots at the end of the day, and also that we did not have to make and carry packed lunches. It really did make life much easier!

The weather at the start of the week was very hot, and with the worst snow conditions seen in the thirty years of running the ski trip, we wondered if the week would be any fun at all! We need not have worried however, as the local pisteurs did a superb job of keeping the slopes open and everyone had a great time!

We all enjoyed the skiing and it remains one of the biggest thrills of the trip to see the tremendous progress made by all the children and the beginners in particular. After the difficulties of the first day when progress seems a long way off, not being able to go where you tell your skis to go, not being able to stop when you tell your skis to stop, it really is remarkable to see the grinning faces as they find control at last and complete their first proper run. The instructors we take with us become part of the party, eating with us and getting to know their groups very well; they are with their group all day and the level of care, supervision and quality of instruction they provide is the main reason we have stayed with the same company for over twenty years.

There are so many memorable moments that to do justice to them all would take a book (now there’s an idea); suffice it to say that we had a couple of birthdays, several trips to the centre’s swimming pool, numerous bouts of fierce competition on the table-tennis table, laughs galore when anyone fell over (never the staff of course!), great skiing and camaraderie, all in wonderful mountain air with some of the most spectacular views you could wish for. Is it any wonder that so many come back year after year!

This year will also be remembered for the ‘surprise visit’ from Mr Ison, who travelled across without the knowledge of Mrs Ison, and then surprised her half way through the week for their anniversary! The secrecy and planning involved in keeping him out of sight until the due date was second to none and would have befitted any James Bond story!

The trip is made very much easier through the help and hard work from the staff who accompany us and I would like to thank Mrs Harris, Mrs Ison, Mrs Bowett, Mr and Mrs Whiting, Mr Evans and Mr Sutherland for all their help.

Their willingness to step in without being asked is what makes the trip run so smoothly.

I am often asked if the trip is only for those who can ski and there have been many times when people have said they did not put their name down because they could not ski. We all started as beginners once (even if it was a very long time ago for some of us!) and there are always at least one or two groups of complete beginners with us. You do not have to be especially good at sport to come and have a go; you do need to be prepared to make the effort, not to worry when you make a mistake because we all do, to be prepared to make new friends and to have great fun trying to master the long planks that have suddenly grown on your feet! As long as you have a reasonable level of general fitness, do not mind laughing at yourself from time to time, can put up with staff who do nothing but pose all week, you will have a great time!C F Harris

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Boys’ Athletics

This has been a truly exceptional year for senior boys’ athletics at the Preparatory School. Despite having only one training session a week, our athletes have performed very well indeed.

One of the biggest athletics success stories ever has been the exceptional performances of our Year 8 boys as they won the Midland A Final with a record points tally for a Midland round, then came sixth at the National A Final of the ESAA Cup.

Henry Walker, Joe Morrice and Cooper Bent represented the county at the prestigious Mason Trophy at the Alexander Stadium. Henry threw the javelin a staggering 41 m to win the county final and Joe triple jumped just under 12 m. Henry and Joe were subsequently selected to represent the county at the ESAA English Schools’ Championships in Gateshead, something that no Prep School pupil has achieved before.

We took a large team of boys from Years 6,7 and 8 to the regional IAPS qualifier at Radley College. Seven boys qualified for the National Final at the Alexander Stadium. Numerous other boys recorded several personal best times and just missed out on qualification.Well done to all our athletes who worked hard during the term and achieved personal best times.

The senior girls, made up of a team of thirteen athletes from Years 7 and 8, competed in the English Schools Athletics Championships and put in a great performance coming first and securing a place in the prestigious ‘A’ Regional round.

In the IAPS competition, we had some really special performances from the girls, notably Lauren Brown who yet again beat her own School record in the 70 m hurdles in the heats, only then to beat it again in the final with a superb time of 11.51 secs. Needless to say, Lauren won her final becoming Regional Champion and securing a place in the National Final at the Alexandra Stadium in Birmingham. Sarah Ellis qualified in the 1500 m. Alycia Nattress came second in the 100 m final with a time of 13.3 secs. Liza Welch also qualified coming first in the javelin with a throw of 23.40 m. Our U14 relay team finished the day off in style coming first with a time of 56.61 seconds.

Years 5 and 6 took part in two major competitions this year. The District Athletics Competition hosted by Bromsgrove School at the Ryland Centre, and Year 6 also competed in the IAPS Regional Athletics Competition at Radley College, Oxford.

In the District Competition, medallists from Year 6 included Abigail Saker 1st in the 800 m, Ellie Childs 2nd in the 800 m and 2nd in Long Jump, Charlotte Campbell 3rd in the 75 m final, Talia Mitchell 2nd in High Jump, Highbury Rodway 1st in the 75 m Hurdles, Megan Longden 2nd in the 75 m Hurdles, Elouise Brookes 1st in Discus, Claudia Moberley, 3rd in Discus. In Year 5: Molly Trow 1st in the 600 m, Ella Gardner 2nd in the 150 m, Elyssa Jones 1st in the 75 m final, Scarlett Fender 2nd in the 75 m final and 1st in Long Jump, Emily Gieron 1st in High Jump and Molly Trow 3rd in Long Jump.

In the IAPS competition, National finalists include Abigail Saker who came 1st in the U12 1500 m in a time of 5.23 mins and Eleanor Childs who came 2nd in the same race, with a time of 5.45mins.

Girls’ Athletics

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ESSA National Track and Field Cup Final

In what has been the most extraordinary year for sport, the boys finished off the year competing against the best twelve schools in England at the annual National Final of the English School’s Track and Field Cup at Tilsley Park, Abingdon. This was the fifth National Final the senior boys had contested this year after having won the Rosslyn Park Rugby 7s and the IAPS National Mini Hockey, coming runners up at the National IAPS Swimming and being one of only two preparatory schools nationally to have qualified for the ESAA National Cross Country Cup.

The boys got off to an amazing start with Alex Cooper and Joe Morrice both recording two new life time best performances in the 80m hurdles. Joe was within two tenths of a second of breaking the School record and was fourth fastest from the twenty four competing athletes. Next up were the 1500m runners where Charlie Kendrick ran his second fastest time of the season and James Taylor had an amazing debut run over the distance and smashed the School record with a time of 4 minutes 45 seconds when winning his heat and was fourth fastest on the day. Cooper Bent was second fastest on the day, winning his 100m in an excellent time of 12.2 seconds.

Fraser Foster recorded a new life time best performance in the 200m. David Elphinston equalled his personal best in the 400m and Alex Dew, one of only two Year 7 boys in the team, ran a new life time best in the 800m. After the track events had finished, we were in fifth position at the half way stage.

The field events started off very well with Harry Ferguson and Narcis Badea both recording new life time best performances in the shot put. Jonty Thornton, fifth best jumper on the day, and Fraser Foster both recorded new life time best performances in the long jump. Our two high jumpers performed exceptionally well with David Elphinston finishing in second place overall with a jump of 1.62 metres and Alex Cooper equal sixth best with his second best ever jump in a competition. Joe Morrice was second in the triple jump and Henry Walker third in the javelin.

When all the performances were added together we had recorded an amazing tally of 488 points. The standard this year was the highest it has ever been with the top five schools all scoring over 500 points, which has never been done before. To finish in sixth position overall in the highest calibre final ever was a fitting way for these talented boys to finish off the most successful year ever.G Jones

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Cricket

1ST XI and U13A (RW)

As records go, this was the best season for the last eight years. Following on from fine records on the rugby pitch and hockey field, this group of players continued with their previous high standards.

The team batted very well on most occasions reaching at least 200 runs every time they batted first. Henry Moberley was the most consistent batsman scoring 437 runs in total including 114 against Magdalen College in the opening game. He was ably supported by Captain James Taylor with 380 runs at an average of 54. Other notable performances were Alex Nisbet’s 98 not out against Dean Close, David Elphinston’s 60 against Kings, Worcester and Henry Walker’s magnificent 107 against Solihull.

Unfortunately, a bit of inconsistency in the bowling and fielding departments probably accounted for our only two defeats. The fact that no bowler took five wickets in a match confirms this and something the team need to work on as they progress.

2nd XI and U12A (GC)

The under 12A team have had an excellent season, losing only one match. There was some outstanding batting from Lawrence Hill who had scores of 74, 76 and 80. Tom Swift was also consistent and his top score was 82. Tom Banton had several excellent innings, including two centuries. He scored 101 against Old Swinford Hospital and a brilliant 128, including 5 sixes in an over, against King’s, Worcester in the final of the Bunbury Cup. This helped us to victory and made us the U12 Bunbury Cup winners for 2011. There was also excellent bowling in this match from Lawrence Hill (two wickets) and Finley Evans (three wickets). Another notable bowling performance was from Callum Stirrat with a three wicket maiden against Monmouth. The two bowling highlights, however, were in the last game of the season against Solihull. Connor McStay took three wickets, including a hat-trick and Himmat Bhandal took five wickets.The 2nd XI won two out of their three matches. Matthew Osborn Scored 57 against Spratton Hall and Alex Delaney-Hall hit 44 against Dean Close. Several boys took three wickets in a match. Well Done to Lawrence Hill (U12A) and Jacob Hucker ( 2nd XI) for leading their sides well.

Junior Cricket

The U11As have had a much better season than expected, winning three of their nine matches and proving competitive in most of their defeats. We were usually able to post a reasonable score but lacked real penetration to take wickets. Our fielding was good at times, indeed brilliant on occasions, but far too often we lacked concentration and gave too many runs away. They have been a great group to work with and have produced some memorable moments; none more so than the catching by Nathan Boothroyd in particular and the unbeaten stand of 118 between Sam Colebrook and Liam Holland-Bunch.

The U10As enjoyed a fantastic season winning all but one game, and showing huge improvement across the board.  James Moody was top run scorer (with over 100 runs) and six boys took more than ten wickets during the season. 

In a strong year group it was pleasing to see movement between the A and B teams, and a fantastic squad spirit.  They have proven themselves to be a true team of all-rounders.  Everyone bowls and fields in every game, with an average of nine batsmen getting some time at the crease per game. 

The U10B boys did indeed complete the season undefeated, but the most successful part of the season was that the boys played every fixture in the spirit of the game. Throughout the season many boys were promoted to the A squad, identifying the development the boys underwent throughout the season. The team had convincing wins over local rivals Winterfold, also RGS Worcester, Foremark Hall, Spratton Hall and many others, highlighting once again what a successful season the boys endured. The youngest of our junior teams, the U9s played six matches in total between them. Despite only winning one match, there is plenty of ability in this team and they can only improve with time.

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Cross Country

The Season

The U13A team played six matches, a mixture of seven and eleven-a-side, and won all six. The team has improved throughout the season and never looked out-classed in any fixture. One of the finest moments, apart from beating Dean Close, was winning the Bromsgrove Tournament.

The U12A team have had a very successful season winning four out of their five School fixtures. They also competed in an invitational tournament at Denstone College where they came third. Highlights of the term include beating Dean Close, Cheltenham College and Oakham School convincingly. All players made significant progress but those that deserve a special mention are Lauren Brown as player of the season and Jess Jaya being the most improved player.

Throughout the season the U11s have played with enthusiasm, commitment, dedication and, more importantly, played as a team. Over the season the U11s played fourteen matches against a wide range of schools, and only lost 3 matches. The A team this season have concentrated on playing in tournaments – our best results being third at Rugby, and champions at Foremarke Hall.

Throughout the season, the U10As have gone from strength to strength in terms of their ball skills, positioning and awareness on the pitch. Besides the heavy defeat at the hands of the Dragon School, the A team have either won or drawn games, and have had most of the play. Emily Lyle proved to be a very effective goalkeeper, keeping three clean score sheets. The team has had a solid defence with good, strong tackling and clearances of the ball. Emily Gieron has proved to be an outstanding Centre Half, working tirelessly and with determination every match to make a tackle and distribute the ball. This is definitely a team to look out for in the future!J Danks

Boys’ Cross Country

The senior boys have had a very successful season as a team when qualifying for the second year running for the National ESAA Final at Alnwick Castle. They also came ninth at the National Preparatory Schools Championship at Malvern. The boys trained hard during their lunchtimes and it certainly has paid off. The junior boys in Years 5 and 6 have also trained after School and finished in twentieth position out of thirty-eight schools at Malvern.

As always, a big thank you to Mr Skipp for his endless enthusiasm in coaching and supporting our athletes in all weather.G Jones

Girls’ Cross Country

The U11 and U13 girls travelled to Malvern College and enjoyed the National Prep Schools Cross Country Championships in some wonderful sunshine.  The U13 girls all finished in the top seventy-four runners with their combined points total as 149. The teams consisted of four girls running a year early from Year 7 (Lauren Brown, Libby Ball, Olivia Bond and Poppy Westwood) and two Year 8s (Sarah Ellis and Kirsty Beswick). Sarah Ellis came in fourteenth which was an excellent result. The U13 girls came ninth in the country. The U11s were outstanding coming in 3rd place (Abi Saker), 8th (Eleanor Childs), 30th (Molly Trow, who was running a year early) and Charlotte Campbell 77th. Claudia Moberley and Elouise Brookes also came in the top hundred. This put the team result as third in the country. A superb achievement and the girls should be very proud.

Girls’ Hockey

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IAPS National Champions

Having won the Midland regional finals the 1st team went to Millfield for the National Finals. Our group of pool games was not easy with Hazelgrove, Parkside and Culford being especially strong. Good performances, however, saw us win them all apart from the game against Culford which was a draw.

Our quarter final opponents were All Hallows, one of the pre-tournament favourites and this proved to be one of our toughest matches. They had players of genuine high class and they started really well, going ahead and staying ahead 1-0 at half-time. The boys re-grouped however, and the second half was a pulsating affair. We equalised from a short corner, only for Allhallows to go ahead again thirty seconds later! Still we did not give up, and soon scored another to equalise again, through a quite brilliant, solo effort from James Taylor. As the half went on it became very tense and then we scored what proved to be the winner with a goal from Henry Walker which put us into the semi-final against Greshams. This was a tight match, but one where we had the edge in terms of possession and control, eventually winning 1-0.

The final saw us once again up against Culford, and this started disastrously. Inside the first minute we were 1-0 down and had lost Tom Ford through injury. Despite this, the boys proved their fighting spirit, coming back to equalise and then go ahead in the second half where we were never really threatened. We won the final 2-1 and were crowned National Champions.

It was a magnificent team effort and every member of the squad contributed through the day. James Taylor, however, does deserve special mention for the superb performances that he put in and the way that he led the team all day. Every member of the squad can feel very proud of their efforts and it was a very happy crew of boys and staff in the coach on the way back! Particular thanks must go to Mr Dudley for all his help and expertise on the day and also to Mr Langlands and the other coaches who have worked with the boys.

U13A

In what is an extremely strong fixture list, the 1st XI have had a tremendous season. Their role of honour includes winning all of their matches except one, winning the tournament at Foremarke, winning the Midlands IAPS championships and then capping it off by winning the National Championships at Millfield! We were not always the best ‘hockey’ side, especially down at Millfield for the National finals, but speed, athleticism and a determination not to lose, saw us beat sides that probably possessed more true ‘hockey’ players. That is not to say we played bad hockey, far from it, and in James Taylor we had a player of the highest quality. One of the most pleasing aspects of our play was to see several other boys in the side really improve during the season, trying to follow the standard that James set. Most notable were Cooper Bent and Henry Walker who raised their game tremendously as the season went on, contributing in no small way to our success at the nationals.They really have set their own standard very high, and if they continue to play in the manner that they showed this year, they will do exceptionally well in the future. C Harris

The Season

The combined Year 7 and 8 Hockey teams played fifty-eight matches and won fifty-seven of them, scored 264 goals and conceded only seventeen. The U10 boys, despite being totally new to the game, made huge improvements and the U10A team gets my vote as being the most improved side after turning two defeats versus Dean Close and Cheltenham College into commanding victories in the second half of the season. The U11B team also lost to just one school. A fantastic season: well done to all the boys.

Boys’ Hockey

U13A

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The Season

This season we have yet again had a team representing us at the National Finals at Rodean School in Brighton. All four A teams from Years 5 to 8 won the District Tournaments comfortably, with Years 6 and 8 putting out B teams against all other schools in the area. Bromsgrove has hosted U10 and U12 invitational tournaments giving them an opportunity to play lots of matches against a variety of private and state schools. Overall our results from fixtures have been outstanding. Fifty-seven school matches have been played of which we won thirty-one and drew four.

The U13As began the season with Foremarke Hall. This proved to be a successful day, winning all three games in the group before going on to win the semi-final against St Anselms and the final against Bablake to claim the trophy. We then went on to play several school matches in which we remain undefeated. In the Cheltenham Ladies Tournament we played seven matches, getting through to the final where this time we were narrowly beaten by St Helen’s and St Katharine’s school. Then followed the highlight of the season – the Regional round of the IAPS - where the girls won all eleven matches.

Our defensive players should be congratulated as whilst we scored 100 goals we only conceded 22 goals over the course of the day: a fantastic achievement. Winning this tournament gave us a place in the finals at Roedean where we played against some very strong opposition but unfortunately did not make it through to the semi-finals. The girls should be very proud of their achievements from a very successful term. Four of the first team have represented the County in netball and they are Alice Vaughan, Imogen Sapstead, Georgina Horsley-Gubbins and Anastasia Brantingham who all receive their Colours.

The U12A have also been hugely successful winning all their matches. They were unlucky not to go through to the National Finals, coming third in the Regional round despite playing some excellent netball. All the girls played as a unit and pulled together when they needed to most in tight games. Everyone in the team should be congratulated but the Player of the Season goes to Lauren Brown and Most Improved Player goes to Sarah Firminger.

The U10A girls have had an excellent netball season and have really gone from strength to strength. Other than the loss against Foremarke Hall in the first game of the season, they have drawn one match and won the rest – in most cases, quite convincingly - and came third in our own tournament. Their netball season was appropriately rounded off with their superb win at the Under 10 District tournament last Wednesday. Player of the season is awarded to Emilie Gieron and Most Improved Player is awarded to Nandini BulchandaniJ Danks

Netball

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The Season

The rounders season has been fantastic in many ways this term. Firstly, the lack of rain has helped us play most matches, only one match was rained off against Packwood Haugh. Every single girl in Years 5 to 8 has represented the School at rounders at least twice so congratulations to all the girls and the teachers that have taught them. There have been some very good performances from some of our U13 girls this season. It was good to see girls stepping up their game when they were moved into higher teams on the occasions when players were needed for tennis matches.

The U12s have enjoyed four matches over this very short summer term. It was great to see all girls in the year group representing the School and a huge number coming along to squads each week. Jessica Jaya, Lauren Brown and Libby Ball improved over the season to produce some very slick fielding, preventing many potential scores from other teams. Katy Miller, Charlotte Goodall, Kate Ward, Megan Thompson and Alianne Silk were the stars of batting. Clearly their talent for tennis being a great help with hand to eye coordination to score rounders.

Congratulations to Megan Bufton who improved massively over the season going from the C team at the beginning of the season, and playing her way into the A team at the end.

The U11s played five schools this season. The girls quickly began to understand what we say when we talk about ‘reading the game’. They have worked hard on anticipating where the ball is going to rather than waiting and standing still to see where it lands. They have played some tense yet exciting rounders and have managed to gain the wins they deserve against some good opposition. Although this was a short rounders season, the Under 10As’ skills and tactical awareness have improved considerably this term. Some super rounders were scored by the team but special mention should go to Lydia Wright whose powerful strikes enabled her to reach fourth post with little threat of her being out. Well done girls – this all bodes well for the future!J Danks

Rounders Rugby

Rosslyn Park 7s

The first VII ended the season with the annual pilgrimage to Rosslyn Park for the National Schools’ Championships. With the success that the team had enjoyed already this season, hopes were high but this is a notoriously difficult competition to win as we have found on many previous occasions. The pool stages are tough, with only one team going through to the knock-out stage from each pool.

Two of our games were comfortable wins, but what proved to be the group decider was a very tough game. We were against Milburn Lodge and for much of the game we were 5-7 down and it was a piece of good fortune that then saw us score to go ahead. They then tried to run the ball from deep and an interception saw us score again to put the game beyond them. This was a game we could easily have lost, but fortunately we won 24-7!

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That took us into the knock-out stage where we were up against Kings Hall who had knocked out Caldicott and this game would see us through to the second day. After the wake-up call against Milburn Lodge, we produced a superb performance, winning 34-7. We were up against St Olave’s in the quarter final, and the produced their best performance so far. We went on to win 46-7 and drew a lot of praise from spectators from many teams watching on the sidelines!

And so we had equalled the best that any team from Bromsgrove had ever managed, in reaching the semi-final. Here we played Shrewsbury House, a big physical team, but again, the boys shut them out completely in a first half performance that was quite outstanding! Although they managed to pull one try back, the result was never in doubt and we won 31-7 to win through to the final for the first time in the School’s history!In the final we were against Bedford and they set out to make life as difficult as possible for us. Their tackling and ball retention was excellent and they dominated possession for the first few minutes.

Eventually we were able to get a tackle in and stopped them off-loading, with Alex Nisbet stripping the ball away and then powering the length of the pitch to score and to ease the pressure! Bedford continued to defend well and our flying wing Cooper Bent was well marked all game. We have never been a one-man team though, and in the end, our all-round pace and power proved too strong and we scored four more tries to win 27-0.

Chances to win Rosslyn Park are very rare; the standard is incredibly high and we have been there as favourites before, only to fall short. We have been going down there for well over twenty years and it takes a very special group of players to achieve what this squad has done, where all others have failed before. If there was a tear in the eye at the end, I make no apology and simply state that this is quite simply, the highlight of my thirty-one years at the School. The whole squad, not just the seven boys in the team in the final, have been a real credit, to themselves, the School and to the game of rugby. C Harris

1st XV

This has been a genuinely exceptional season. To go unbeaten is no mean achievement and this has only been done six times by the 1st XV in the School’s history. Their standard of play has been remarkable right through the season and they have continued to play exciting, running rugby at all times. The game against Packwood was particularly true of this where we ran in nine tries in appalling conditions, against very good opposition! I have heard the glowing comments from the opposition coaches, referees and parents at every venue and the boys fully deserve the plaudits they received. This has been true in all their games, both in domestic fixtures and on tour abroad, and it is worth noting that, in what is a very competitive fixture list, they have averaged just over fifty points a game, a quite staggering achievement! Fifteen matches, fifteen wins and 752 points for with only 30 against! It is also worth noting that despite losing the final four matches to the weather, 752 points is the highest ever scored by the 1st XV in a season!

Success was built round a very formidable pack who dominated possession. Their speed and mobility also meant that they were always in close support of the backs, linking really well to keep the ball alive at every opportunity.

This was complimented by excellent handling and pace in the backs and the tries were evenly shared by both sections of the team. Their defence has also been outstanding as shown by the fact that only five tries were conceded all season.

There are two games that stand out in terms of the quality of their performance, the first against Spratton Hall and the second against Blackrock in Ireland. Spratton were a very big side and they had also been having an excellent season of their own. Playing at Spratton, we bottled up their bigger players with some fantastic defence and they simply had no answer to our pace and running rugby. The win by 56-0 was undoubtedly the best performance of the season and their parents and staff were all very complimentary. Blackrock were our first opponents on tour in Ireland and they were a quality side who pressed us on several occasions and it took a terrific display from the whole team to win 36-0. Both these games emphasised the fact that while there are key players in the team, their success was built round genuine team play with every member of the squad playing their part.

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Swimming

1st VII

I am not sure where to start with the report of the sevens season; it is very easy to use superlatives to the point where they become a cliché, but in this instance, it is impossible to overstate the record the boys have achieved. In the four tournaments entered, the statistics speak for themselves: played 25, won 25, points for 950, against 66.

To win all four tournaments is exceptional. In the end, it was only fitting that the team should go on to win the final at Rosslyn Park, where they drew many plaudits from friends, colleagues and strangers alike, for their play and skill on the pitch as well as for their sportsmanship. This was very much a squad effort, with every member playing their full part in the team’s success. Working a system where the subs came on in most matches, we were able to go through every competition injury free, while keeping players as fresh as possible for the later stages.

We had pace throughout the side, although none more than Cooper Bent who was our leading try scorer, but this was combined with a physicality that was crucial in controlling possession, and therefore the game. Tom Ford was a key figure, always driving the team on and proving so dominant in the physical exchanges.

Tom was superbly backed up by Harry Lloyd-Jones and Jo Morrice and they ensured a plentiful supply of ball for the backs. Tom Trow, James Taylor and David Elphinston shared the half-back positions and Alex Nisbet and Cooper Bent provided the pace and power out wide. The subs were Jonty Thornton, Jonathan Howcroft, William Lockhart and Henry Walker who all played magnificently - there were no weak players in the squad!

While Tom Ford’s dynamism and James Taylor’s decision making and flair were both crucial to the success, Alex Nisbet deserves special mention. He captained the side superbly, always leading in attack and defence by example, and made sure that the team never lost their focus for a moment. It was his tackle and stripping of the ball that led to him running the length of the pitch to score the opening try in the final at Rosslyn Park, which calmed the nerves of players, spectators and coach alike!

It is a mark of his leadership and the whole team’s defence, that in the four tournaments, only ten tries were scored against us!

Well done to you all - an outstanding achievement!C Harris

Rugby

Boys’ Swimming

Twenty-five of our highest achieving swimmers took part in the National finals at K2. First on the blocks were the U10 Medley relay (Euan Vaughan-Hawkins, Pearce Childs, Samuel Osborn and Benjamin Turner). Going into the race seeded joint twelfth they managed to achieve tenth place overall.

The U12 Boys Medley relay (Alex Delany-Hall, Freddie Brown, Kieren Walker and Finley Evans) in the Medley relay finished tenth overall.

Finally the U13 Boys competed in the Medley and Freestyle relays. They achieved third in the Medley but in doing so they smashed the existing sixteen-year-old School record by 2.5 seconds. In the Freestyle relay they finished fourth overall. Well done to Jack Weston, Harry Lewis-Jones, Jeremy Turner and Henry Walker.

Overall the U10 Boys came seventh as an age group whilst the U13 boys finished joint runners-up with Bedford against Millfield who came first.

Girls’ Swimming

First up were the U11 Girls Medley relay (Rachel Weller, Talia Mitchell, Ellie Childs and Abbie Saker), realising they had tough competition from Millfield the girls gave their all and finished fourth overall with a time of 1.09.21 but in doing so they set a new School record. Next were the U13 Girls also in the Medley Relay (Georgina Lord, Sarah Ellis, Claire Hill and Paige Maddox), after a great swim from all the girls achieved fifth with a time of 1.08.58.

Next on the blocks were the U11 girls freestyle team (Ellie Childs, Rachel Weller, Niamh Donovan and Abbie Saker), this was to be a momentous battle for first place! After a very exciting race and much screaming the girls came second losing to Millfield School by only 1/100th of a second! The race was swum in a time of 1.00.25 setting a new School record.To finish the relay session the U13 girls took to the blocks in the Freestyle relay (Georgina Lord, Sarah Ellis, Claire Hill and Paige Maddox). After a brilliant swim from all the girls they achieved ninth place with a time of 1.02.42.The U11 girls as an age group finished third overall whilst the U13 Girls finished sixth.

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Tennis

ESSA Primary School Relays

Ten of our leading swimmers took part in the annual Primary Schools’ swimming relays in the magnificent venue that is Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield.

In the 4x25 m medley relay, the U11 girls’ team of Rachel Weller, Talia Mitchell, Eleanor Childs and Abigail Saker qualified as fourth fastest for the final following the heats in a new School record time. The girls went even faster in the final and finished in bronze medal position overall and broke their own School record again! In the heats the girls became the first Bromsgrove U11 team ever to swim in under a minute for this event. The girls finished in silver medal position and had for the fourth time in the afternoon broken a School record: four swims, four School records!

In the 4x25 m medley, the U11 boys’ team of Benjamin Turner, Joseph Houlcroft, Sam Osborn and Tristan Bland swam the fastest time by a Bromsgrove U11 team for two years and qualified for the B Final. The boys swam slightly slower in the final than they had done in the heats but still managed to finish in sixteenth position nationally. In the 4x25 m freestyle relay the only change in the team was that William Pearson came in for Joseph Houlcroft.

The boys swam exceptionally well in the heats and yet again qualified for the B final. The boys fared slightly better in the final of the freestyle relay and achieved a national ranking position of fourteenth overall.

This was an incredible climax to yet another hugely successful season for swimming at Bromsgrove Preparatory School, particularly when you recall that the boys were fourth at the and the girls fifth overall for all age groups at the IAPS National Finals. A huge well done to all our swimmers!

Aquathlon

The U11 and U13 boys and girls took part in the fifth annual The Downs Malvern College Prep Schools’ Aquathlon. The competitors had to swim 100m and then immediately run 800m around the grounds. This turned out to be an exceptionally good morning for our young Bromsgrovians in an event in which we have always done well. There were some fantastic individual performances, and the Bromsgrove team finished first overall. Huge congratulations to all our children who performed magnificently. G Jones and J Danks

The Season

This has been an enjoyable term for the senior girls’ tennis squads. The weather was not been very helpful this half-term with a few matches remaining unfinished because of the rain. However, it has been good to see some fighting spirit amongst the girls in their matches, notably beating Cheltenham Ladies College in both age groups. In the U13 match against Trent, the whole team fought hard to win the match by one single set.

The U11 Tennis squad have also had a good season. They played a total of three matches, overall, they drew two and lost one. The standard of the tennis was extremely high throughout with outstanding technical ability displayed in both ground stroke play and volleying. Well done to the whole squad for their effort, commitment and excellent team spirit.

Of the three matches they played, the U10 squad won two and very narrowly lost one. The standard of play from our first pair was extremely high, with good solid ground strokes and volleys. Our second pair were not quite so strong in technical ability, but made up for this in effort and determination. The whole team shows great promise for the future. Well done to all.

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Charities

It has been an extremely busy year for Charities at the Preparatory School. Our committee of Year 8 pupils worked hard to organise and coordinate many different fundraising activities throughout the year. In the Michaelmas term we took part in the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. Pupils put together 165 fantastic fun-filled shoeboxes wrapped in bright and beautiful Christmas wrapping paper. These boxes were redistributed around the world to children who are victims of poverty, war, disease or natural disaster.Also in the Michaelmas term the pupils enjoyed coming into School in their own clothes for Children in Need as well as our annual collections taking place during Harvest Festival and the wonderful carol services at Christmas. The services raised money for The Children’s Society and Primrose Hospice. Pupils have also enjoyed adorning their uniforms with poppies for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal and daffodils for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

The most exciting part of the year for our Charities Committee was Charities Week which took place during the Lent term. This year, for the first time ever, the whole School (including the teachers) had the opportunity to vote for the charities they wished to support. Eight charities were short-listed by the committee while the rest of the School used an online voting system to submit their vote. Two charities were chosen from the shortlist; The Severn Freewheelers and Make a Wish Foundation. Charities week itself was a hive of activity – we had bacon butties to eat, three huge bake sales, quizzes to puzzle both pupils and parents, a sponsored treasure hunt, a sports tournament, a fantastic fashion sale and a Rock Off to name just some of the many activities that pupils were involved in! The School managed to raise a massive £1729 for each of the chosen charities.

A special mention must go to this year’s committee; Henry Brewster, Laurel Butler, Clare Hill, Taome Jennings, Georgina Lord, Thomas Lynch, Paige Maddox and Rebecca Salhan.S Cartwright

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It must be a feature of growing older but here is another year that just appears to have flown by.

As always, the boys contributed to all aspects of Cobham House and School life throughout the year. A good number of School Prefects and Monitors and various other positions of responsibility were held by boarders.

On the sporting and Music fronts, the key word this year was participation rather than outstanding success, although there were some fine individual performances. Nearly every boy in the House had the opportunity to represent the School in one of the major sports during the year. Nearly half the House took individual Music lessons during the year which was particularly encouraging. It was nice to see Andrei Badea receive the Prize on Speech Day for the most improved musician.

The Saturday Morning activity programme provided the boys with the opportunity to broaden their experiences. Clay pigeon shooting, outdoor pursuits at Upton Warren and rock climbing all proved to be particularly popular. Sunday trips were always well subscribed with go-karting, quad-biking and laser tag being very popular. On the day of the Royal Wedding we visited the outdoor pursuits centre in Blackwell and had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon doing archery, crate stacking and zip wire.

With no inspections to look forward to this year, the main news has been the announcement that Preparatory School boarding will be moving to what is currently Mary Windsor in September 2012. This major development is a huge boost for Preparatory School boarding, confirming the commitment the School has to boarding at this age. We were lucky enough to be involved in the early planning stages and the resulting plans should ensure that all boarders in the Preparatory School have some of the best standards of accommodation in the country. It will be sad to think that next year is to be the final year of boarding in Cobham but the future is very exciting.

The strength and success of any House is down to the people and the relationships developed within the House. The boys obviously have a significant part to play in this but a dedicated team of staff also play a huge part in helping to create a safe and secure family environment. Special thanks must go to Miss Davies, Mrs Prior and Mrs Newton, who are always there in the evening to ensure the smooth running of the House and provide the continuity of care which is so vital.

As the year came to an end we unfortunately had to say goodbye to certain members of the team. Miss Welke has proved to be a popular tutor during her time in Cobham. Miss Barton has given additional support to our overseas pupils for several years. Kay, our cleaner, left after over forty years service to the School. Kay has always been one of the unsung members of the team. Departures also mean new arrivals and we look forward to welcoming Mr Cook and Mr Pover who will be joining the team from September. We hope they enjoy their time in Cobham and they can expect a warm welcome from both staff and boys alike.

It only leaves me to thank the boys for their efforts throughout the year and all parents for their continued support. We hope to make the final year in Cobham one to remember. B Newton

Boys’ Boarding

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The new structure of girls’ boarding at Bromsgrove Prep School has been a real success this year; with girls in so many different year groups, the two Houses have begun to feel more like extended families than boarding Houses. This (along with the noise level that twenty-two girls can produce during a shopping trip together!), is a fair indication of how happy they have been this year. It has been a great pleasure to see the support that the girls provide for one another in the various life situations that are usual for a group of young ladies. Mrs Whiting and Mrs Mullan have, on more than one occasion, been delighted to see the positive interactions between girls of both Houses. It is also worth noting how well our new boarders have settled in over the course of the year; the move to boarding school is a big change, but the more experienced girls have guided and helped those new to the system with admirable patience and good grace.

Life in a Bromsgrove boarding House is never anything less than busy. Since the start of the academic year, we have been to Birmingham’s Bull Ring shopping centre, to the Blackwell Activity Centre, had our own ‘Royal Wedding Breakfast’, enjoyed ice creams in the park, learned to decorate cupcakes, been quadbiking and to Waterworld, braved Drayton Manor twice, as well as fitting in numerous cinema trips and laser tag. The girls do seem to have busier social calendars than any of the teachers, with sleepovers, visits and parties to attend; both boarding Houses are a hive of activity for all concerned at the weekend. Whilst the boarding Houses have often been quite hectic and always very lively, there have also been plenty of opportunities to take part in various school activities. Every girl in Years 5-8 has represented the School in one or more sports over the course of the year. Highbury, Olivia and Rebika were also chosen to take part in the IAPS athletics team sent in the Summer Term. Bryony, Nyree and Jasmine were all wonderful performers at the inaugural Proms in the Park concert, as well as in several other musical events over the course of the year.

It is a wonder, in the midst of all this, that the girls manage to find time for the academics, but this year has produced some of the best effort grade averages ever – testament to the super attitude of our girls who really are ‘wonder women’ in training! We were also very proud to note that the Deputy Head Girl was a boarder this year; congratulations should go to Hemlata for the good job she has done this year. We wish the Year 8 leavers all the best in their new Houses at the Senior School.

Neither boarding House would run without the help and support of a very dedicated team of boarding tutors. For the first time, there are fourteen weekly tutors working across the two Houses, producing a huge number of supportive adults that the girls can call upon as well as their Houseparent. This is in addition to a wonderful weekend staff, who help with trips and other activities on Sundays. Sincere thanks should go to Mrs Ivison, Miss Purver, Mrs Ison, Miss Baker, Miss Danks, Mrs Evans, Mrs Edmonds, Mrs Martin, Mrs Lightfoot, Miss McRandal, Mrs Butler, Miss Gillett, Miss Read and Miss Cadwallader who religiously provide their care and attention for the girls during the week. And last, but by no means least, thanks should also go to Mrs Wheeler our Housemother who has been completely invaluable to Houseparents, children and parents this year, replacing more blazer buttons and sewing on more name labels than we care to mention! We are all very grateful for everything that she does for us.

There have been huge changes made to girls’ boarding this year, and with the move to the new Prep School boarding complex next September, we are certain that there are more exciting changes to come. Watch this space!E Mullan and R Whiting

Girls’ Boarding

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Staff Leavers

Jean Agnew (1990-2011)

Serene – a word which sums up Jean nicely. In the twenty years that I have known and worked with her, I have rarely seen Jean ruffled. She has always been a completely professional lady who has put her all into Bromsgrove since her arrival in 1990. She came to the School as a primary practitioner in, what was then, Lower One – now Year 3.

It is fitting that she has finished off her career in Year 3, the year group she loves and in which she is completely comfortable.

Life at the Prep School for Jean began in the middle floor of Webber. Classes were very small – often only a dozen children in each room. However, before long, numbers were expanding rapidly until the Year 3 children were, quite literally, bursting out of the doors! Thankfully Maple was finally built in 2004 and, with a sigh of relief, Jean and the team moved to the spacious new environment. Bliss!Jean has seen many other dramatic changes, notably the advance of electronic equipment. True to form, Jean has taken all this evolution on board with grace and determination. Interactive games and flipcharts, spreadsheets of pupil data, reports on eportal …. nothing fazes Jean!

Some of my favourite memories of Jean’s creativity are to do with the delightful outdoor Greek theatre and French nativity plays which were part of Year 3 for many years. Not only did Jean teach French to the Years 3 and 4 children but also German to Year 7 and 8 pupils. A multi-talented lady!

Using her linguistic talents, Jean accompanied several visits to France and Germany. She and her husband also spent many a holiday running the summer camps that took place in the School grounds.

Latterly, Jean has been Head of Year 4 for three years, a position which she undertook conscientiously and with sensitivity. She led the first ever Year 4 residential visit to Bushcraft which was a brave undertaking! The children (and staff!) enjoyed the experience so much it is likely to hold a firm place in the calendar for some years to come. Jean has assumed the honoured position, President of the Common Room, for the past four years. She has held the respect and affection of the Prep School staff and will be sorely missed.

Thank you, Jean, for your commitment to the Prep School and for your care towards countless children, parents and fellow teachers. C Leather

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Ruth Al-Nakeeb (1991-2011)

Goodbye…but not farewell…After twenty years of unstinting service to the Prep School, Mrs Al-Nakeeb is moving on to undertake a hugely challenging – but undoubtedly rewarding – job at the Senior School.

Ruth joined the Prep School as Head of Girls’ Games. She had had a varied and interesting career, having taught in such diverse places as the North-East of England, the Middle-East and even Cheltenham. She came to us as a very experienced and enthusiastic Games teacher and ran the department with flair. Her happiest memories of those times are the dance displays in which every girl in the School took part.Even as a Games teacher, Ruth always taught a set of English and some Drama. After a few years she requested a more permanent and full-time move to the English Department and, over the years, she has delighted, enthused and inspired hundreds of children with her dedication, knowledge and expertise.

Drama continued to be one of Ruth’s passions: she taught Drama at the Prep School for many years but her most visible role has been the work she has put into innumerable productions. She often appears in the programme as ‘choreographer’ but, while it is true that she has always been that, she has been so much more as well. She has directed and co-directed plays; she acts as producer, quality controller, organiser…

so many vital things, and so many of them invisible; but the most important point, again, is that she has enthused, inspired and enriched the lives of so many Bromsgrovians.

Ruth has been in charge of staff development and appraisal for the last few years. It is a role she took on with her usual dedication and she has transformed a clumsy, unhelpful system into one that is easy, unthreatening, supportive and, above all, relevant to the professional development of the Bromsgrove staff. And, to prove to us all that she can practise what she preaches, Ruth read for and gained a Master’s Degree in English Literature while she was doing all of the above.

As Ruth moves from the Prep School to the Senior School, we lose – and they gain – a teacher who is knowledgeable, inspirational, devoted to her pupils, loyal to her colleagues and the School and for whom the concept of ‘nine to five’ is anathema.

All of us at Prep School are losing a trusted and respected colleague and many of us are losing a much-loved friend. We wish her all the very best in her new role as Head of Thomas Cookes House. We know, and our Senior School colleagues will soon learn, that the oldest House in the School in is very good hands indeed.J Marks

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Staff Leavers

Mike Hill (1997-2011)

Mike arrived at Bromsgrove fourteen years ago to take up the position of Head of Mathematics. It soon became very apparent that here was a teacher whose commitment to both the School and most importantly the pupils was of the highest order. He had very high professional expectations of himself and therefore felt justified in expecting the same high standards from his pupils. This attitude was to prove beneficial to numerous children who were fortunate enough to be taught by him. He was often heard to say that he was here to ‘educate and not entertain’ and as a consequence results were high and abilities maximised. High expectations were not only expected from the pupils but also from staff teaching Mathematics within the School. Under his leadership and guidance, Mathematics became a ‘can do’ subject for many more pupils and the standards achieved at all ages and levels reflect this. Although traditional in his approach, Mike was keen to move the department forward through innovation, always keen to embrace new technologies and software. All these elements allied to his strong and decisive management ensured that the Mathematics department moved from strength to strength during his time in charge.

It was not only in the academic side of School life that Mike’s contribution was apparent. For many years, he successfully coached U11 rugby and cricket teams with notable success. He instigated the House Quiz, a now well-established whole School House event, and as part of the Saturday Morning Activity programme introduced the children to octopush.

Even during the holidays, Mike was seen to be taking an active part in the life of the School. He accompanied several School skiing trips and activity holidays for the younger pupils. His organisational skills were put to good use when he was Deputy Director of the very successful Bromsgrove Summer School.It is unlikely that even in retirement Mike will allow the pace of his life to slow down significantly. He will certainly take the opportunity to spend more time with his children and grandchildren. Foreign travel will still be enjoyed, where he can indulge his passions for skiing, scuba diving and photography. Motor bike tours and weekends away in a camper van will also become a feature of life and when at home a part time course in philosophy may help to stimulate the little grey cells.

I am sure I speak for the whole Mathematics department when I say that it has been a pleasure to be a member of the Mathematics department under Mike’s leadership. His experience and commitment to both the School and pupils will be sadly missed.B Newton

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Prize Winners 2011

Subject Prizes

Art Hatt Cup Polina Goncharenko

ClassicsTalbot Cup Nyree Williams

Creative WritingCockin Cup Imogen Sapstead

Design TechnologyHaslam Cup Jeremy Turner

DramaShowell Cup Portia Fallon and Jack Weston English Anastasia Brantingham

English as an Additional Language English, Humanities and Languages Llanwrtyd Cup Alice Vaughan

French Samuel Makar

Geography Charles Kendrick

German Nialle Slater and Lois Berwick History Joseph Morrice ICT Swikriti Bhattachan and Fraser Foster

Latin Karan Gour Mathematics Fraser Merrick Mathematics, Science and Technology Emily Smith MusicCuckson Cup Katie Moore

Most Improved MusicianHall-Mancey Cup Andrei Badea Outstanding ProgressHutchings Cup Hannah Taylor

Performing ArtsHolland Cup Archie Parker R.E Jack Weston

ScienceLee-Smith Cup Thomas Lynch

Spanish Hemlata Limbu

Special Educational Achievement Sumner Cup Kirsty Beswick TextilesWarne Cup Alexandra Evans

Sports Prizes

Bentley Cup James Taylor Staff Ladies Cup Sarah Ellis and Alice Vaughan

Pritchard Plate Thomas Trow and Sophie Greensmith

School Prizes

Walford Cup Samuel Gilbert (Social Awareness)

Webber Bowl Edward Hadlington (Endeavour)

Laura Jones Cup Clare Hill (Best All-Round Contribution)

James Cup Jeremy Turner (Best All-Round Contribution)

Donovan Plate William Bell and Nyree Williams Head Girl Clare Hill Head Boy Sam Makar

Headmaster’s Prize Henry Brewster

Aleksandra Gladkaya

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Year 8 Valete

First name, Last name, Prep School form, Senior School House, Responsibilities, Highest teams played for, Performing arts, Music etc, Competitions/Prizes won, Other achievements, Senior School form

E – Elmshurst, H – Hazeldene, Lu – Lupton, Ly – Lyttelton, MW - Mary Windsor, O – Oakley, S – School, TC - Thomas Cookes, W – Walters, WG – Wendron-Gordon

Babić, Ana; 8MB; TC; Monitor; Prefect U13A Rounders; U13B Netball; U13B Hockey; Art ExhibitionBadea, Andrei; 8MH; E; Monitor; 1st Rugby; U13D HockeyBell, Will; 8VZ; WG; Monitor; U13B Rugby; U13B HockeyBellamy, Patrick; 8MB; WG; 5th RugbyBent, Cooper; 8FM; S; Monitor; Rugby 7s; Hockey 7s; Art ExhibitionBeswick, Lois; 8PS; O; Monitor; Flute Group; Arabian Nights; LAMDABeswick, Kirsty; 8MB; O; Monitor; Prefect U13B Hockey; U13C Rounders; Arabian NightsBhandari, Amod; 8MH; WG; Prefect; Head of House; Librarian Bhattachan, Swikriti; 8MH; MW; Monitor; House Music CompetitionBrantingham, Anastasia; 8VZ; Hz; Monitor; Prefect; U13A Netball; U13A Hockey; U13A Rounders; Arabian Nights

Brewster, Henry; 8VZ; S; Prefect; Choir; 6th RugbyBridgman, Ben; 8VZ; WG; Prefect; Monitor; 1st Rugby; 1st Hockey; Hockey 7s; U13B Cricket; Arabian NightsBrown, Nathaniel; 8FM; S; Monitor; U13B Rugby; Captain U13B CricketButler, Laurel; 8VZ; Hz; Monitor; Prefect; Charities Committee Cooper, Alex; 8VZ; WG; Monitor; ESSA Athletics; U13B RugbyCroft, Sam; 8MH; W; Monitor; 5th Rugby; 5th HockeyCunnah, James; 8VZ; WG; 6th Rugby; Arabian NightsDavis, Ben; 8MB; W; Monitor; Arabian Nights; House Music Competition; MonitorDunlop, Ella; 8MH; O; House Captain; U13B Hockey; U13A Rounders; TennisDunn, George; 8MH; Lu; Monitor Dyson, Lydia; 8MB; TC; Monitor; Prefect Edwards, Will; 8PS; Lu; Youth Pact; 1st Rugby; U13B Cricket; 4th HockeyEllis, Sarah; 8MH; O; Prefect; Monitor; U13A Hockey; Tennis; U13A Rounders; IAPS Swimming; Sports Scholarship; ESSA Midlands Cross Country; ESSA Midlands Athletics; Art ExhibitionElt, Alice; 8FM; Hz; Monitor; Prefect; Art Exhibition; Arabian Nights; ChoirEvans, Alex; 8FM; O; Bully Buddy; Prefect; Prep Proms in the Park; U13B Hockey; U13C Netball; U13A Rounders; Maths Challenge; Arabian Nights

Fallon, Portia; 8MB; MW; Monitor; Prefect; Art Exhibition; Academic Scholarship; Art Scholarship; Arabian Nights; LAMDAFerguson, Harry; 8MB; Ly; Youth Pact; 1st Rugby; ESSA Athletics; 2nd HockeyFleeming, Sam; 8VZ; S; Monitor Ford, Thomas; 8MH; Ly; Deputy Head Boy; School Council; Vice House Captain; Monitor; 1st Rugby; Rugby 7s; 1st Hockey; Cricket; 1st AthleticsFoster, Fraser; 8MH; Lu; Prefect; Monitor; ESSA Athletics; 6th Hockey; 5th RugbyGeddes, Alex; 8FM; Lu; Monitor Gilbert, Sam; 8FM; W; Bully Buddy; Monitor; Arabian Nights; 5th Rugby; 5th Hockey; 5th CricketGladkaya, Aleksandra; 8MB; MW; Monitor; Art ExhibitionGoncharenko, Polina; 8FM; MW; U13B RoundersGour, Karan; 8FM; Ly; Prefect; 1st XV Cricket; 5th Rugby; 5th Hockey; Arabian NightsGreensmith, Sophie; 8MB; Hz; Prefect; Vice House Captain; Monitor; U13A Netball; U13A Hockey; Arabian NightsGurung, Osan; 8PS; E; Monitor; U13D Hockey; 5th RugbyGurung, Oscar; 8PS; E; Monitor; U13B Rugby; U13C Hockey; U13B AthleticsHadlington, Edward; 8MH; W; Prefect; U13B Rugby; Hockey 7s Captain; U13B Cricket Captain

Hegarty, Dominic; 8PS; Lu; Monitor; Arabian NightsHenderson, Abigail; 8MB; TC; Monitor; Prefect; 1st Pair TennisHill, Clare; 8MH; O; Head Girl; House Captain; Monitor; Youth Pact; Charities Committee; U13A Hockey; U13A Netball; IAPS National Netball Finals; U13B Rounders; IAPS Swimming; ESSA Midlands Cross Country; ESSA Midlands Athletics; Art Exhibition; Arabian NightsHorsley-Gubbins, Georgina; 8MH; TC; Monitor; House Captain; U13A Netball; U13A Hockey; U13B Rounders; Art Exhibition; Poetry CompetitionHowcroft, Jonathan; 8VZ; Lu; Prefect; Vice House Captain; 1st Rugby; 1st Hockey; 2nd Cricket; Brass Group; Orchestra; Rugby 7s; Arabian NightsHucker, Jacob; 8PS; W; Choir; 1st Cricket; 2nd Rugby; 2nd HockeyJennings, Taome; 8PS; Hz; Charities Committee; Prefect; Monitor; Art ExhibitionKendrick, Charlie; 8VZ; W; Bully Buddy; Prefect; U13B Rugby; U13B Hockey; 5th CricketKhajavi, Mehdi; 8MH; LY; Youth Pact; Khamcha, Prajwol; 8PS; E; Monitor; U13B HockeyLimbu, Hemlata; 8VZ; MW; Deputy Head Girl; Youth Pact; Monitor; U13B Hockey; U13B Netball; U13A Rounders; LAMDA; Art Exhibition

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Lloyd Jones, Harry; 8MH; S; Bully Buddy; 1st XV Rugby; Rugby 7s; 1st Hockey; Hockey 7s; 2nd CricketLockhart, William; 8FM; Ly; Prefect; Monitor; 1st XV Rugby; 1st XI Hockey; Rugby 7s; U13B Cricket; Arabian NightsLongden, Dylan; 8FM; Ly; Youth Pact; 1st VII Hockey; 1st XI Hockey; 2nd Rugby Captain; 4th Cricket CaptainLord, Georgina; 8PS; O; Monitor; U13B Hockey; U13B Netball; U13A Rounders; Swimming Team ALynch, Thomas; 8FM; S; Prefect; Charities Committee; Choir; String Group; Orchestra; Arabian Nights; 6th Rugby; 6th HockeyMaddox, Paige; 8MB; TC; Monitor; Charities Committee; U13B Hockey; U13B Netball; U13B Rounders; IAPS SwimmingMakar, Sam; 8PS; S; Head Boy; School Council; Monitor; Vice House Captain; 1st Rugby; U13B Hockey; U13B CricketMcLoughlin, Amelia; 8PS; TC; Monitor; U13B Hockey; U13D Netball; U13C RoundersMerrick, Fraser; 8FM; Lu; Prefect; Monitor; 5th Rugby; 6th HockeyMoberley, Henry; 8VZ; Ly; Monitor; 2nd Rugby; 1st Hockey; 1st CricketMoore, Katie; 8PS; Hz; Head Chorister; Monitor; Choir; Arabian Nights; Flute Group; Orchestra; Rock Band; U13C Rounders; U13C Hockey; U13C Netball

Morrice, Joe; 8VZ; W; 1st Rugby; Rugby 7s; 2nd Hockey; 2nd CricketMuscutt, Elliot; 8PS; L; Monitor; House Music Competition; Rock OffNattress, Alycia; 8PS; O; Prefect; Monitor; U13A Netball; U13A Hockey; U13A RoundersNg, Jay; 8VZ; E; U13B Rugby; U13C HockeyNisbet, Alex; 8MB; Ly; Monitor; House Captain; Rugby 7s Captain; Hockey 7s; Swimming B TeamOreshkin, Mikhail; 8VZ; E; 5th RugbyOsborn, Matthew; 8MH; W; Monitor; IAPS GolfOsborn-Patel, Natasha; 8FM; O; Bully Buddy; Orchestra; Brass Group; Arabian Nights; U13C Rounders; LAMDAParker, Archie; 8PS; W; Head Chorister; Monitor; Arabian Nights; 2nd XI rugby; 2nd Hockey; U13B Cricket; ChoirPlummer, Nathalie; 8FM; Hz; Monitor; LAMDA; Arabian Nights; Art ExhibitionRogers, Anna; 8FM; OSalhan, Rebecca; 8MH; TC; Monitor; Charities Committee; U13C Rounders; Arabian NightsSalmon, Jemma; 8FM; Hz; Monitor; Art Exhibition; U13B Rounders; U13B HockeySapstead, Imogen; 8MB; Hz; Monitor; Prefect; U13A Netball; U13A Hockey; U13A Rounders; Arabian NightsSlater, Niall; 8MH; Lu; Bully Buddy; Prefect; 2nd Rugby; 5th Hockey

Smith, Emily; 8MH; O; Monitor; U13A Rounders; U13C Netball; Music Exhibition; House Music Competition; Art ExhibitionSolomou, Helena; 8FM; O; Monitor; House Captain; Poetry Competition; Art ExhibitionSparkes, Victoria; 8MH; Hz; Monitor; Vice House Captain; ChoirTaylor, Hannah; 8VZ; O; Bully Buddy; Prefect; ESSA National Hockey Finals; Netball IAPSTaylor, James; 8FM; S; Monitor; School Council; 1st Rugby; 1st Hockey Captain; 1st Cricket CaptainThornton, Jonty; 8PS; Lu; Monitor; Prefect; 1st XV Rugby; 1st XI Hockey; Rugby 7s; 2nd Cricket; Arabian NightsTrow, Thomas; 8PS; W; Monitor; 1st Rugby; Rugby 7s; U13B Hockey; U13B CricketTurner, Jeremy; 8MB; S; Prefect; Monitor; House Captain; 1st Rugby; 1st Hockey; 1st Cricket; Arabian Nights; Academic ScholarshipVaughan, Alice; 8VZ; Hz; Monitor; Prefect; Vice House Captain; Form Captain; U13A Hockey; U13A Netball; U13A RoundersWalker, Henry; 8MB; E; Prefect; Vice House Captain; Monitor; 1st Rugby; 1st Hockey; 1st Cricket; Rugby 7s; Hockey 7s; Sport Scholarship

Welch, Liza; 8VZ; TC; Vice House Captain; National Hockey Finals; ESSA AthleticsWeston, Jack; 8PS; Ly; House Captain; Monitor; Prefect; 1st Rugby; 2nd Hockey; 2nd Cricket; IAPS SwimmingWilkinson, Oliver; 8PS; Ly; AthleticsWilliams, Nyree; 8VZ; MW; Choir; U13B RoundersWilliamson, Sam; 8MB; Lu; Monitor; 5th Rugby; 6th Hockey

Year 8 Valete

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Year 8 Leavers 2011

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Upper Sixth Leavers 2011

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Elmshurst

This is my fifth Bromsgrovian write up as Housemaster of Elmshurst. The boys welcomed four new tutors to the House this year, Mr Williams, Mr Fallows, Miss Barton and Miss Symonds. They have all added greatly to the fabric of the House.

The first whole House event of the year is traditionally the Unison Song Competition, where Elmshurst have been praised in the past for their enthusiasm and House spirit. This year was no exception. The boys sang Keep on Moving with Anthony Ng conducting the House with great gusto.

In School Rugby, boys from the House have again been involved at all levels. The most prestigious success was Hugh McBride playing for England, and he was also awarded his School cap. Louis Preira, Elliot Davies, Ben Tibbetts and Ben Phillips have all played for the county and have all impressed with their rugby performances this year. Brett Huxley, Louis Preira and Aleks Babic were also North Midlands finalists.

Sports Day was a perfect example of House spirit. We were third overall, and won the Under 15 competition. Andrey Ogarev won the junior Victor Ludorum. We also won all the boys’ House Relay competitions and ten individual events.

At the end of the year Brett Huxley and Oliver Strong won 1st XI cricket awards, with Oli being awarded his cap; Hugh Mcbride, Max Schwahn and Rob Sieg were awarded caps earlier in the year; Aleks Babic and Brett Huxley were awarded minor colours. One of the sporting highlights of the year was Brett Huxley breaking the School cricket batting record by scoring over 200 runs in a match, a phenomenal achievement.

On cultural and academic fronts, Tom Williams, Oli Strong and George Toft all played key roles in the School’s major dramatic production, The Threepenny Opera. Tom was awarded the prestigious Page cup for Drama. George Toft also read superbly at the Christmas Carol service. Asim Gurung and Tom Williams competed in Bromsgrove’s Got Talent. Vincent Wang, Christoph Sever and John Ng all competed in the Solo Instrumental competition. Andrew Ho received an academic scholarship.

Nischal Pun was awarded the Wattell Prize for Graphics DT and Hugh Mcbride the Jeffrey Lewins Prize for Technology. Justin Mong and Andrew Ho won Gold Awards for the Mathematics Challenge. Paul Czech and Jack Moseley were both made School monitors for next year with Paul being made the Senior Boarder.

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We thanked our departing monitor team as they left. Max Schwahn, with his deputy Tom Williams, led a team that created an extremely friendly atmosphere in the House. We also said goodbye to Mr Abrahams, who emigrated with his family to Australia. Mr Fallows will be leaving to be Assistant House Parent of Wendron Gordon House. Mr Merrick left us and is going to a day House. Miss Symonds is also leaving us to return to her university studies. I would like to thank all the above for all their hard work in helping to make Elmshurst an excellent House.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the boys, staff and parents for their support this term in making it an excellent end to the year. Particular thanks go to Mrs Pugh, whose enthusiasm and care for the boys is legendary, and much appreciated.D Perry

BRANDT, V.CHENG, I. : UVI; ‘06; School Badminton; Young Enterprise (ICT Director); Young Enterprise Adviser; Manchester University - Computer ScienceDABIRI, A.HUANG, H.KANGELDIEV, S. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; 2nd Football; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; London School of Economics - Accounting and FinanceKOFFKA, N.KWOK, S.LAU, W.LEUNG, C. : UVI; ‘09; Cross Country; Athletics Team; CERN Physics TripMCBRIDE, H.C. : UVI; ‘06; Sports Scholar-ship; School Monitor; L4 Camp Helper; Student Listener; England U18s; 1st XV & VII Rugby; Athletics Team; 2nd Football; 2nd XI Hockey; 1st XV Rugby Tour Ireland; GCSE Design Technology Prize; Exeter University - Economics & FinanceNAUMOV, S.R. : UVI; ‘06; House Moni-tor; 1st Football; 3rd XV Rugby; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Student Listener; Sports Leadership Award; City University London: Banking and International FinanceNG, A. : UVI; ‘06; Arkwright Scholarship; School Monitor; House Monitor; Senior Boarder; 3rd XV Rugby; Young Enterprise; London School of Economics - Actuarial ScienceNUGMANOV, A.PUN, N. : UVI; ‘09; School Monitor; House Monitor; 3rd XV Rugby (Capt.); Sports Tour 2011; Martin Sykes Award for DT Graphics; Young Persons Innovation and Design Competition; Northampton University - Product DesignSAWA, M. : UVI; ‘08; House Monitor; 1st Basketball (Capt.) (Cap.); Young Enterprise; Bristol University - EconomicsSCHWANN, M.SIEG, R.

STRONG, O.E. : UVI; ‘06; Open Scholar-ship; School Monitor; House Monitor; 1st XI Cricket; 2nd Football; 2nd XI Hockey; 3rd XV Rugby; Romeo and Juliet; Threepenny Op-era; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; Cricket Tour to La Manga 2009; GCSE Drama Prize; Exeter University - EconomicsWANG, N.WILLIAMS, T.D. : UVI; ‘06; Deputy Head of House; House Monitor; 3rd XI Cricket; 4th XV Rugby; My Fair Lady; Romeo and Juliet; Threepenny Opera; Malawi Expedition 2009; Birmingham University - Political ScienceWONG, C. YANG, D. ZHANG, C.ZHENETL, A.

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Hazeldene

“Enjoy yourself while you’re still in the pink, the years go by as quickly as a wink, enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think!”

This is one the best pieces of advice I have heard in a long time. You will hear it on Radio 2, or listen to the original 1949 tune; a sound reminder to make the most of each day.

Hazeldenians have certainly made the most of this year, grabbing every opportunity available, challenging themselves and continuously working hard to achieve their potential.

Once again this is all possible through the girls themselves, their support of one another and encouragement from a fantastic team of tutors, Jayne the Housekeeper, Head of House Harriet Flowerdew and her fine team of Monitors, parents and our strong PA.

Our new trophy cabinet provided by the PA started filling up very quickly at the start of the year with the girls’ triumphant success in the House Song Competition. I was transported back to the 80s with Madonna’s Like a Prayer. I have to say the girls were outstanding; backed up by worthy praise from staff and the adjudicator. Take a peek at YouTube, Hazeldene certainly has talent!

More trophies were added with the winning monopoly of our girls in the 1.2 Inter-House Relays and Cross Country. We do have the benefit of county and country runners, but Hazeldene House spirit meant that some girls who participated really do not like running, especially in mud! They entered into the spirit, and helped enormously – it’s all about team spirit and Hazeldene does it so well! We also triumphed in junior and senior rounders and junior tennis. Sports Day was the icing on the cake as we were crowned overall Girls’ Champions.

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They may not have been invited to the Royal Wedding but Christina Rasanayagam and Georgina Eales visited the Palace to accept their well earned Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards, a tremendous achievement through self motivation and a few blisters along the way. Harriet Flowerdew and Victoria Borton will be visiting Prince Philip soon, please send our regards!

We do as well on the stage as we do on the sporting field and this has been another great year for our dramatists. Starting with performances in Northern Lights and the School production of The Threepenny Opera; Hazeldenians shone. House Drama really was a highlight, with Gina Ferri and Eliza Cowen awarded best Original Adaption and Ensemble Direction. Georgina Flowerdew as ‘Alice’, Yianna Theodorou as ‘Charlie Chester’ and Alice Ruben as ‘Mrs Heartswell’, were presented with medals for Commendable Performance. Rachel Hotchin wowed the Common Room with her winning entry in the ‘Master’s Reading Prize’ and Emily Collie won her audience over with ‘Staff Reading Prize’.

The Glaze award for contribution to the House was awarded to Harriet Flowerdew. The Quaich went to Polly Geddes for overall development, the Sports Trophy was shared between Helen Brookes, Christina Rasanayagam, Vicky Borton and Georgina Eales. The Hazeldene Arts award was presented to Gina Ferri and Eliza Cowen.

I wish you and your family a peaceful and well deserved holiday, another fantastic year for Hazeldene and our extended family. We offer thanks for the opportunities we have been given.Z Leech

ASHWORTH, H.E. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Learning Mentor; Grade 7 Flute; Grade 3 Piano; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; School Ski Trip; Surrey University - Sociology, Culture and MediaBACHEM, H.BORTON, V.M.L. : UVI; ‘05; House Moni-tor; 1st XI Hockey; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; Australia Sports Tour; Sheffield University - ZoologyBROOKES, H.L. : UVI; ‘06; Deputy Head of House; Study Head; L4 Camp Helper; Athletics Team; 2nd XI Hockey; My Fair Lady; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; CCF Sergeant; French Exchange; Barcelona Art Trip; Tae Kwon Do; University of Southampton - Fashion and Textile DesignCOWEN, E.L. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Romeo and Juliet; Our Day Out; Winter of Discontent; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; Barcelona Art Trip; French Exchange; Debating; Young Enterprise; Gap Year; EALES, C. G. : UVI; ‘06; Exhibition Scholarship; Head Girl; House Monitor; L4 Camp Helper; 1st XI Hockey; 1st VII Netball; 1st IV Tennis; Duke of Edinburgh Gold award; Malawi Expedition 2009; GCSE Spanish Prize; Exeter University - GeographyFARMER, A.M. : UVI; ‘09; Exeter University - SociologyFERRI, G.L. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Our Day Out; Winter of Discontent; Romeo and Juliet; My Fair Lady; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Spanish Trip to Salamanca; Art Trip Prague; London Metropolitan Film School: Industry FilmmakingFLOWERDEW, H.A. : UVI; ‘07; School Monitor; Head of House; 1st XI Girls’ Cricket; School Rounders; 1st IV Tennis (Capt.) (Cols); Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; Malawi Expedition 2009; Australia Sports Tour; GCSE Geography Prize; Gap Year; GEDDES, P.M. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; School Ski Trip; Exeter University - Classical Civilisation

HARRIS, A.T. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Malawi Expedition 2009; Barcelona Art Trip; European Youth Parliament; Nottingham University - Geography with BusinessMACCONNACHIE, P.PEARSON, S.A. : UVI; ‘09; L4 Camp Helper; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Geography Field Trip; Biology Field Trip; Birmingham University - PsychologyPOLICARPO, G.RAINE, C.A. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Hockey; Netball; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; German Exchange; Leeds University - English and PhilosophyRASANAYAGAM, C.N. : UVI; ‘06; School Monitor; House Monitor; 3rd VII Netball; Athletics; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; Australia Sports Tour; Gap Year; SLANEY-SMITH, C.V. : UVI; ‘09; Dance Leadership Award; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Ski Trip 2009; Loughborough University - Banking, Finance and Management

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How to sum up a year in words, how to encapsulate the characters and the memories of so many outstanding young people in a page! What is truly remarkable is not only all that they have done but the way that they have gone about it. Their endless cheer, their remarkable humour, their kindness and understanding and most of all their immeasurable House spirit! It is these things that I will take from this year, the smiles traded between friends, the sight of pupils relaxing and joking on the sofa, the concern over injured comrades and the pride all have taken as being part of Housman.

It may be these things that I will remember the most from this year but there are many other things that I will never forget; the incredible girls’ House Hockey performance with the House being pipped into second place after penalty flicks, the victorious boys’ House Swimming team and the willingness of the girls to give every ounce of energy they had at House Netball and their House Swim. Nat Wilde’s inspirational Captaincy of the House Football team . . . the missed chances against WG! The girls’ Tennis team which contained almost an entire 1st team, the excellent performances at House Sports Day and seeing countless Housman Hall pupils turn out week in week out for the School representative sides.

This level of dedication and commitment has not just been confined to Sport, the sheer effort that went in to practising Wake Me Up Before You Go Go for the Unison House Song competition was inspiring and although their efforts were not rewarded with a high placing, the House knew they had given it their all.

The House Drama competition was a huge task, Bea’s Niece adapted and directed by a team under the guidance of Melissa Oezkul saw the House not only win the main prize but take many of the

other awards also, including the coveted best performance for Rebecca Hall who lit up the stage alongside Yana Ilcheva and the rest of the cast.

It would be easy for such busy pupils to focus solely on what is going on in their lives but the House has shown incredible enthusiasm and dedication to the charity work of the School and also their own in House endeavours.

Perhaps the highlight of the year on the charity front was the participation in the Bromsgrove Fun Run. Nineteen members of the House took part and nearly £900 was raised for Leukaemia research, this was a fantastic effort and brought to the attention of the games department the middle distance prowess of Jack Bruten who turned in an excellent time.

Housman Hall

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ANTONACCI, L.BAKHSHALIYEV, M.BROWN, L.H. : UVI; ‘09; School Badminton (Cols); Young Enterprise; Dance Leadership Award; Lancaster University - German Stud-ies and GeographyBURLEY, D.C. : UVI; ‘06; Head of House; 1st VII Netball (Cap.); 1st XI Hockey (Cols); School Athletics Team; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; CCF Corporal; Work - Siemens Commercial AcademyCHAN, J.CHEUNG, J. ENGEL, A. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; 3rd XV Rugby; Young Enterprise; Biodiesel Project; EngineeringENOTOV, N.FESSNER, N.D. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; Student Listener; 2nd VI Tennis; Imperial College, London - Chemistry with ManagementGRIFFITHS, T. : UVI; ‘09; Head of House; Sports Scholarship; 1st XV Rugby (Vice-Capt.); 1st XV Rugby Tour Ireland; Australia Sports Tour; County Rugby; Durham University - Business and Management MastersHA, A.C. : UVI; ‘06; Student Listener; CCF; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Queen Mary, University of London - Business ManagementHALLETT, W.HESSE, T.J. : UVI; ‘09; L4 Camp Helper; School Ski Trip; School Rugby; Debating; Bristol University - Psychology and PhilosophyHUANG, C.ILLCHEVA, Y.JITNGAMSUJARIT, K. KARADOTCHEV, V.D. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; Debating; Squash; London School of Economics - Philosophy and EconomicsKARIMOV, A.KARIMOV, R. KLEPIKOVA, K. : UVI; ‘09; RADA Bronze certificate; Goldsmith’s University of London - Fine Art with History of Art

LARIN, A. LIU, B.YU-CHIEN. : UVI; ‘09; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; First Aid Certificate; Manchester Metropolitan University - Sport ManagementLUK, L. MIFSUD, N.G. : UVI; ‘09; Air Force Trade InstructorNESTER, J. NIXON, K. OEZKUL, M. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; Stu-dent Listener; House Drama; European Youth Parliament; Dance Leadership Award; University of St Andrews - International RelationsPHAM, C.POTZSCH, M.REMPEN, S. RTISHCHEVA, E.SHEPPARD, S.G. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; 2nd VII Netball; L4 Camp Helper; Australia Sports Tour; Gap Year - British Racing SchoolTHOMAS, H.O. : UVI; ‘06; 2nd VII Netball; French Exchange; Gap Year; THOMPSON, B. : UVI; ‘07; 2nd XV Rugby; 3rd XI Cricket; County Rugby; Harper Adams University: AgricultureTLEUILIYEVA, D. ULRICH, A.I. : UVI; ‘08; Deputy Head Girl; School Monitor; House Monitor; L4 Camp Helper; 3rd XI Hockey (Capt.); 1st IV Tennis; Gap YearVOYTENKO, K. WANG, W. WHITAKER, C.E. : UVI; ‘09; 2nd XI Hockey; Athletics Team; Manchester University - Business and PoliticsWILDE, N.A. : UVI; ‘06; 2nd Football; 3rd XI Cricket; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; School Ski Trip; Loughborough University - PoliticsWONG, J.H.Y. : UVI; ‘09; Young Enterprise Director; University College London - European Social and Political Studies

WOODS, B.J. : UVI; ‘09; Sports Scholarship; Deputy Head Boy; House Monitor; 1st XV Rugby (Capt.); Ireland Rugby Tour; Australia Rugby Tour; Midlands U18 Rugby (Capt.); Worcester Warriors AcademyYANG, J.C.T. : UVI; ‘09; Student Listener; Swimming Team (Cap.) (Cols); School Badminton; Duke of Edinburgh Gold AwardYUEN, Z. : UVI; ‘08; Academic Scholarship; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; Young Enterprise; King’s College London - Business Management

In a House with so many Upper Sixth leavers it is not only the achievements and the events that catch the eye. It is seeing how the pupils have grown and how much they have cherished the School and their House. Saying goodbye to their friends at the leavers meal this year our Heads of House, Devon Burley and Tom Griffiths, summed it up perfectly when they said that most of all they have made true friends and a real home at Housman. The final words are the same as the anonymous contributor to the end of year scrap book produced by Michael Cheng which reflect that whatever happens in the future and where ever we go as Housman Hallians we may be “far in distance, but close in heart”. J Jones

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Lupton

With twenty-one new members crossing the threshold in September, Lupton made it to eighty pupils this year which only served to intensify the community spirit squeezed into the geographical confines of ‘The Cottage’. The Day Room remains the hub of House activity with all year groups integrating well around the traditional focal points of pool table, toaster, table-football and, this year, our new red and black seating area. It was Benjamin Franklin, one of the American nation’s Founding Fathers, who advised ‘Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?’ He would surely approve of the variety of opportunities taken during the course of this year by the majority of Luptonians.

One of the highlights of the Michaelmas Term is always the House Song competition and Michael Boszko’s thorough preparation for our rendition of Only You, conducted on the day by Sam Adamson, was all the more praiseworthy for our acappella performance. In terms of sporting competitions, we participated with our customary enthusiasm but more-than-anticipated success in the House Swimming. The depth of sporting talent and desire to participate was particularly evident in our juniors this year which bodes well for the future. With the A team having won their final, we were denied a clean sweep in the Junior Rugby B team plate competition.

The frozen grounds at the end of term put paid to defending the Senior Rugby competition, but this does mean that currently both Rugby trophies sit in the Lupton cabinet.

The Lent Term was also dominated by the determination of our junior teams although the seniors always competed valiantly, particularly in the Football where they lost in the semi-final. It is a fair few years since Lupton featured positively in basketball, but the juniors took another trophy thanks to a successful Jamie Tweddell free throw in the final.

The team followed this up by narrowly losing in the finals of both the hockey (0-1) and football (on penalties) competitions. Disappointment was countered by Calum Slater’s five-a-side football side winning the Plate competition. Sports Day too was added to the end of this short but busy term and provided some great collective and individual moments across the age categories.

We were just pipped to the overall trophy but came away with the relay trophy (a sensational photo-finish win for Messrs Shephard, Eastgate, Massey and Smallman) and the Intermediate victor ludorum for Josh French, who went on to compete at the National Championships.

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From the first full week back, the Summer Term was focused on external examinations, with modules being taken at different levels by every year group.

The U6 Leavers enjoyed a meal at the Ewe & Lamb and received some words of farewell at the Lupton Summer Party, at which bragging rights in the cricket went to the Dads XI against the Lads XI.

Both of these events are a reminder of the sterling support of the House PA whose calendar of events also included the Quiz Night, November Ball and Open Mic Evening, as well as subsidising the cost of the highly enjoyable (and competitive!) paintballing day with Walters.

My thanks go to the brilliant team of Tutors and our Housekeeper Angela, who are all equally as loyal to the House as the boys. Our best wishes go to the leavers for whom, as I quoted from a poem in the year’s final House Assembly, ‘the start of something new brings the hope of something great, anything is possible.’A G McClure

ABIMBOLA, W. BOSZKO, M.CARTWRIGHT, E. DUNN, W. : UVI; ‘06HARRIS, R. HARTSHORNE, J. HORNSEY, S.K. : UVI; ‘06; House Moni-tor; Student Listener; 1st IV Tennis; 2nd XI Hockey; School Ski Trip; Gap Year; Cardiff University - Mechanical EngineeringMARCUS, K.L. : UVI; ‘06; Art Scholarship; School Ski Trip; Sheffield University - Materials Science & EngineeringSHEPHARD, M. SILK, T.H. : UVI; ‘06; Head of House; House Monitor; Student Listener; L4 Camp Helper; School Guide; 1st XI Hockey; House 1st XI Hockey; House Cross Country; House 1st Football; House Swimming Team; Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award; German Exchange; Bath Hockey Festival; Australia Sports Tour; European Youth Parliament; Lancaster University - Politics & International RelationsTANNER, S.T.M. : UVI; ‘05; Academic Scholarship; House Monitor; L4 Camp Helper; Student Listener; School Ski Trip; Biology Field Trip; GCSE Chemistry Prize; Peninsula Medical School - Medicine

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Lyttelton

It seems like yesterday that the leaving U6 started as nervous, although excited, L4 but they have managed to fit a huge amount into their School careers. The U6 have a big role to play in any House and I am especially grateful to the U6 leavers for how they have led the House, the welcome they have given to new boys starting and the standards and example they have set for others to follow.A good start was made to the new academic year with the House Unison Song Competition focusing the minds in the first half term. The Lion Sleeps Tonight brought the best out of the boys who were superbly led by Jamie Hooper and the boys received a number of compliments about their performance. A House trip to see Worcester Warriors take on Bristol was also well received and we hope to put on similar trips in the future. Sport in the Michaelmas term was disrupted by weather but highlights were the Junior A Rugby team who narrowly lost in the final to Lupton and the ‘Tug of War’ team of staff and pupils who were pipped in the final by a bulkier School House team.

The House events in the Lent term came thick and fast with victories in junior cross country, junior football, senior debating and runners up in senior hockey, 1.2 relays and junior debating confirming the variety of talents in the House. Armand Lambert won the individual junior cross country, Hugh Lockhart the best time in the 1.2 relays and Niall Hegarty and Hamish Docherty both runners up in the junior and senior Staff Reading prizes.Although the Summer term was dominated by exams the junior cricket team can be very proud of their efforts in winning the Junior House Cricket competition beating Walters in the final and demonstrating fine team spirit and team work which is what we hope the House is all about.

A number of boys have also had a high profile around the School this year with Joint Head of House, Jamie Hooper, excellent as Mr Peechum in The Threepenny Opera, Sam Waltier was recognised as Player of the Tournament in the prestigious Birkenhead 7s, Freddie Alford was ‘Best in School’ in the Intermediate Maths Challenge and Hugh Lockhart had the huge honour of representing his country at U18 level playing rugby against Ireland as well as being Head Boy in the School this past year.

The Housekeeper, Jayne, remains a strength of the House and continues to build wonderful relationships with the boys who appreciate her positive outlook, sense of humour and interest she takes in each of them. The U6 depart with our best wishes and they should look back on fine School careers with some pride as they go onto the next exciting stage in their lives. The House also says goodbye to Dr Wilson who has tutored for three years in the House and his efforts have been appreciated by boys and staff alike. The House is as strong as I have known it and we look forward to next year with Dom Robinson as Head of House and George Beale as his Deputy and I know they will approach their responsibilities in just the right way.S Coates

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CLEGG, A.COOPE, B.E. : UVI; ‘06; Exhibition Scholar-ship; House Monitor; 2nd XI Hockey; Ten Tors; CCF Sergeant; Malawi Expedition 2009; French Exchange; School Ski Trip; GCSE Biology Prize; GCSE Physics Prize; 1st in Mid-lands Youth Climbing series 17-19; Imperial College - Mechanical EngineeringHOOPER, J.E. : LVI; ‘06; Head of House; Threepenny Opera; Romeo and Juliet; My Fair Lady; The Country Wife; Grade 6 Piano; Grade 5 Electric Guitar; Grade 8 Drums; Grade 5 Percussion; Nottingham University - LLB LawLEA, D.M. : UVI; ‘06; CSM in CCF; Ten Tors Team; Malawi Expedition 2009; Gap Year - Africa & South America; Nottingham Trent UniversityLOCKHART, H.J. : UVI; ‘06; Head Boy; House Monitor; Student Listener; L4 Camp Helper; School Guide; Study Head; School Forum; 1st XV Rugby (Cap.); 2nd XI Hockey; Athletics Team (Capt.); England U18s; Midlands U18 Rugby; 1st VII Rugby; Staff Sergeant CCF; Ten Tors; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; CCF Summer Camp; Malawi Expedition 2009; 1st XV Rugby Tour Ireland; Australia Sports Tour; Biology Field Trip; Geography Field Trip; Gap Year; Leicester University - MedicineMAGUIRE, J.WALTON, P.F. : UVI; ‘06; Open Scholarship; House Monitor; 3rd XV Rugby; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; German Exchange; Biology Field Trip; Geography Field Trip; ECB Level 1 Cricket Coach; RLSS Lifeguard Qualification; York University - Biological and Medicinal Chemistry

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When I look back over the year to write this review I find it hard to believe that the girls have managed to accomplish so much in such a short time.

I moved in last summer not really quite knowing what to expect but any worries were very quickly blown away by the extremely warm and friendly welcome that I received from the girls, their parents and the current staff.

The first House competition was the Unison Song. Ina Herberg made an excellent job, along with Winnie Tam and Polly Heung of organising the Mary Windsor contribution. Everyone put in a really good effort with the chosen song, Fame, and although they did not win, the

performance was perfect and they were my heroes of the night. We have many talented musicians in the House and it was a very special moment when Winnie took second place in the Piano class of the Music competition playing the Brahms Capriccio in F# Minor.

Whilst not an especially sporting House and with small junior numbers I was very pleased that the girls always managed to field a team and that House spirit and determination was legendary. In athletics Olivia Wilding won a special trophy for the senior girls 100 metres and the coveted Victrix Ludorum Under 20 trophy. She was awesome to watch – blink and you could miss her!

We have had a strong presence in the Drama studio too both for the Fourth Form play and for the main School musical. Sasha Bradley played Mrs Coulter, Rebecca Stevens was Lyra and Emma Reeves played Serafina in the production of The Golden Compass. Sasha, Hannah Featherstone, Tiffany Yeh and Catherine Tse played very convincing parts in The Threepenny Opera. The House also came third in the Inter-House Drama competition with Vicky Goodwin winning a prize for having written an original play.

Mary Windsor

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Our team of dedicated tutors were obviously doing a fabulous job as under their supervision the effort grades were always outstanding. In the Lent term over two thirds of the House were commended. Anastasia Chebotarova won a Fourth Form prize for endeavour and progress and Maria Stolyekova for Design and Technology at Mark Reading: superb academic achievements.

Vicky Goodwin and Alyssa Sripetchvandee our joint Heads of House led a very strong monitor team. All embraced the responsibility and were an excellent support to me. I also thank Chris Fletcher and Marion Astill, our Housemothers, who contribute so much to the House and individually to the girls in their care.

It is with immense sadness that we say goodbye to three very loyal and hard working tutors all of whom have become good friends to me and I will miss very much. Mrs Howard who is taking a complete turn in life to return to take up an exciting post in Hong Kong, Miss Preston although not going so far to Kent has an equally excellent post in a Gram-mar school and Miss Fuller who moves just down to road to King’s Worcester. We welcome Mrs Adams and Miss Hardy onto the tutor team in September.

I would like to thank all the girls and staff as, without exception, they have made me and my family so very welcome. As I wrote in the Leavers’ book, “The girls are inspirational – intelligent, able, successful, fun beautiful young women”. What more could we want? We wish all our leavers success and luck in all that they do.T Tweddell

CHAN, Y. : UVI; ‘09; Young Investor Challenge; Manchester University - Finance and AccountingGOODWIN, V.C. : UVI; ‘06; Head of House; Student Listener; 2nd XI Hockey; Manchester University - HistoryGOSCHIN, A. : UVI; ‘09; Biology Field Trip; Photography; University of Arts, Berlin - Economics and Social CommunicationHE, E. HERBERG, I.T. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; 1st IV Tennis; Biology Field Trip; Business StudiesJIN, A.JIN, V.SCHMITZ, C.L.M. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; Spanish Exchange; Young Enterprise; Christian Albrechts University, Germany - ChemistrySCHUPPERT, A.K. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; 2nd VI Tennis; JournalismSMITH, E.D. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Student Listener; 2nd XI Hockey; 3rd XI Hockey; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; CCF; First Aid Certificate; University of Wales Institute - Events ManagementSO, J.W.M. : UVI; ‘09; Chapel Choir; Young Enterprise (Company Secretary); Hong Kong UniversitySRIPETCHVANDEE, A. : UVI; ‘09; Head of House; Student Listener; Winner of Bromsgrove’s Got Talent 2011; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; - Bromsgrove International School Thailand U17 Volleyball team (Captain); Champion of Bangkok International School Athletic Conference 2010; Warwick University - Accounting and Finance

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My year as Housemistress in Oakley has, to use a cliché, flown by and as I leave both the House and the School, it is with much nostalgia that I reflect on this year.

Mrs Helmore left Oakley last summer, although she remained in School until October, to begin maternity leave and baby Harry was born in the middle of Michaelmas term. The girls have loved his visits to the House. We also had a number of new tutors join the House; Miss Brereton, Mrs Golightly, Miss Tyrrell and Dr Ogston. All of them have settled into Oakley and brought their own personality and enthusiasm to the House.

We had a huge number of new girls – including 20 new Lower Sixth boarders, 12 new Lower Fourth day girls and 3 new Fifth Form boarders. That’s a lot of girls to get to know and help to settle. The ‘old hands’ and the tutor team have been fantastic in this respect and as we end the year it is hard to tell who was new back in September.

No House report is complete without a reminder of the House Song competition, which traditionally brings the House together at the start of the year, and our House Music Monitors certainly had their work cut out in that particular pursuit! How do you organise 105 girls, half day/half boarding, to rehearse in a room that

isn’t big enough for a song competition which many of them have never witnessed before?! Hannah Rowsell and Stella Tsui, however, were more than ready for the challenge and led the House admirably as they sang Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven is a Place on Earth.

Oakley girls are definitely full of House spirit and if I named every girl who has represented the House in Sports, Debating, Music and Drama, or every one who has read in Chapel or Staff Reading prize or taken part in CCF this article would run to many pages.

On no occasion, this year, have I had to worry about whether we could field a team for any event; many times, indeed, I’ve had to turn people down. Our termly reports outline the wins and the losses, but in this review it scarcely matters. Our girls love their House and respect their peers and want to join in and do their best.

In running Oakley for the year, I was

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In running Oakley for the year, I was supported by both a fantastic tutor team and also a professional team of Upper Sixth monitors. Led by Clara Czech and Laura Cottrell, they have been simply amazing. Supportive, thoughtful, responsible and just a bit bossy, are some of the adjectives that spring to mind to collectively describe them. I warmly wish the monitor team, and all of the leaving Upper Sixth, the very best of success in their futures.

The reins are now handed back to Mrs Helmore and exciting times lie ahead for Oakley. I will undoubtedly be back next summer if only to look in awe at what promises to be a magnificent House. But then it always has been. On a number of occasions this year, I have heard Oakley girls proudly telling others that Oakley is the best House, because it’s not the building that makes the House, it is the people who make it great. I can only agree. A Clee

AVRAMIOTI, D.CHAN, K.COTTRELL, L.E. : UVI; ‘06; School Monitor; House Monitor; Head of House; Exhibition Scholarship; L4 Camp Helper; Student Listener; Dormitory Head; 1st XI Hockey; 2nd XI Hockey (Cols); 3rd VII Netball; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; RAF Sgt; Hockey Tour 2008; French Exchange; Spanish Exchange; GCSE French Prize; History ‘Who do you think you are’ Prize; King’s College London: French and Hispanic StudiesCZECH, C.HO, N.K.Y. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; Geography Field Trip; First Aid Certificate; King’s College London - Business ManagementKHUSNUTDINOVA, D.LAM, F.T.Y. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; Student Listener; Learning Mentor; House Music Competition Winner; House Drama; Young Enterprise; York University - PsychologyLAM, M. H. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; Choral Society; House Music Competition; Piano Grade 8 Distinction; Grade 5 Flute Distinction; Grade 5 Theory Distinction; British Physics Olympiad Bronze Medal; Young Enterprise; Biodiesel Project; First Aid Certificate; Cross Country; Athletics; Swimming; Imperial College - Biomedical ScienceLI, C.QIN, J. : UVI; ‘09; Warwick University - Accounting and FinanceROWSELL, H.M.K. : UVI; ‘06; School Monitor; House Monitor; Head Chorister; L4 Camp Helper; Student Listener; Flute Grade 8; Bromsgrove School Choral Society; Orchestra; Flute Group; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; New York Choir Tour 2010; French IB Trip Paris 2011; GCSE Geography Prize; Exeter University - GeographySUN, N.

TANG, S. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; Student Listener; Boarding Mentor; House Music Competition; Staff Reading Finalist; London School of Economics - International RelationsTSUI, S.T.M. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor;Student Listener; Learning Mentor; House Music Competition; Young Enterprise (Production Manager); Imperial College - Mechanical EngineeringWU, E. ZHANG, W.ZHAO, S.

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Term started in September with sixteen pupils new to the House and the welcome return of Mr Johnson and Mr Matthews. After initial enthusiasm and trepidation in equal measure, routine was quickly established and both new and old engaged in that new academic year pastime, apart from ‘hunt the classroom’, of practising for the House Song Competition. Never a favourite in the House the U6th had nevertheless been adventurous with their choice in Britney Spears’ Hit Me Baby One More Time and the Housemaster and tutors dusted off their ear defenders for the practice sessions. Amazingly it was all to come good on the day with a trophy being awarded for second place overall and top boys’ House. Lewis Martins’ conducting was ably supported by our musicians Declan Amphlett, Charlie Green and William Parkinson, and for the rest of the year Mr Kingston (Director of Music) insisted on referring to us as ‘the choristers’ House’.

Success in junior swimming, senior tug-of war, junior debating with Declan Amphlett and James Whitehead, the Fourth Form play with Declan Amphlett, Miles Burke and Patrick Murphy and The Threepenny Opera with Lewis Martins in a lead role ensured that for us all this was one of the our best starts to the year for a while.

A paintball trip, the quiz, and celebratory pizza courtesy of our Parents’ Association saw the first term come to a successful end.

Whilst the Lent term was not noted for silverware the House competed well on the track, the football pitch and the astro turf with Ross Johnston winning the cross country again, but this time at senior level. Our Parents’ Association organised a superb ball with Thomas Cookes’ House and it was very pleasing that due to parents’ generosity, a silent auction raised a significant amount of money for Acorns Children’s Hospice.

The Summer term saw external examinations start almost immediately for those studying the IB, then the A level and GCSE exams resulted in a somewhat quieter House and heightened focus upon academic study. This continued after half-term into Sixth Form lecture week where a number of our Lower Sixth started to explore university options for next year by attending open days. The year ended with the Leavers’ BBQ where we acknowledged our Sixth Form leavers with awards and a champagne toast, and a cricket match where Mrs Bateman amazed all with her batting ability.

In concluding, this has yet again been a superb year in School House, a House where we continue to have a multiplicity of talent and a superb ‘esprit de corps’. Our best wishes go to each of our Sixth Form Leavers led so ably by James Gilchrist (Head of House) and Nick Spencer (Assistant Head of House).

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Our thanks too to Mr Merrell and Mr Johnston who have left for new positions as a Head of Department and a new career in the oil industry respectively, who together with Miss Franks, Mr Langlands, Dr Woollhead, Mrs Bateman, Mr Matthews and Mrs Hibell have ensured that the House has continued to run so smoothly for the benefit of all.M A Stone

ALLEN, M.D. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; 3rd XV Rugby; 2nd XI Hockey (Capt.) (Cols); Malawi Expedition 2009; School Ski Trip; Gloucester Road Race; Sussex Marathon; De Montfort University - Product DesignARMSTRONG, A.R. : UVI; ‘06; Head of House; Study Head; Staff Sergeant (CCF); 1st XI Hockey; Athletics Team; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; Barcelona Art Trip; Nottingham University - Project DesignBENNETT, B.T. : UVI; ‘06; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; CERN Physics Trip; School Ski Trip; Birmingham University - Civil EngineeringBRAMHAM-SMITH, G. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Malawi Expedition 2009; Interactive Media and Game DesignDAVIES, G.N. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; Malawi Expedition 2009; School Ski Trip; GCSE Business Studies Award; Gap Year; Nottingham Trent University - Property Investment and FinanceGILCHRIST, J. : UVI; ‘09; Head of House; 1st XV Rugby; 1st Football; Athletics Team; Ireland Rugby Tour; Australia Sports TourJUKES, P.NAWAZ, M. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; 1st XI Cricket (Capt.); Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; Worcestershire Cricket Academy; Cricket Tour to La Manga 2009SKINNER, D.SPENCER, N. : UVI; ‘06; School Monitor; Deputy Head of House; 1st VI Golf (Capt.); Athletics; U16A; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; GCSE Design Technology Prize; Nottingham Trent University - Real Estate Management

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Thomas Cookes

The year has flown by. The fantastic members of staff involved with the House have kept us involved in House life, and happy during our five years here.

In Drama and Music there have been a number of performances given by the girls. Firstly we had fun preparing our House song and gave a resounding performance in true TC spirit and were placed third overall.

Sarah Morris, Holly Alsop, Georgia Meredith, Ellie Pagan, Fran Kingston and Lizzie James all performed wonderfully in The Threepenny Opera. Jess Wolinski, Fran Kingston and Georgia Meredith took part in the Words and Music evening,

and we were well represented at Pop and Jazz too. In House Drama, Harriet Matthieson-Nock, Rosie Mills and Holly Alsop directed a twenty minute sketch from Grease which was very successful. A number of TC girls entered the House Music Competition and all did the House very proud. Finally, praise must go to the members of TC who are part of the Chapel Choir, who sing beautifully each week.

This academic year has been another sporting success with several House victories, including wins in Senior House Swimming, Junior House Netball (plate competition), Senior House Netball (Plate & Cup competition), U20 Girls’ Athletics and Senior Girls’ Tennis. There were many close seconds too, including Athletics overall, Cross Country and Junior House Tennis – to name a few. Thank you to all the girls who took part: you are a credit to TC.

On behalf of the House I would like to say a huge thank you to the House tutor team. A special mention must go to Mrs Barnett who is leaving the House this year after being a member of TC for sixteen years, we thank her sincerely for everything she has done for the House and wish her all the best for the future. Thanks also to Lorraine Chance, our lovely housekeeper.

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This review would not be complete without mentioning Mrs Mackay, who stood down as our Housemistress and moved to Australia (who could blame her). Mrs Mackay was a fantastic Houseparent, militarily organised and always had the best interests for the TC girls at heart. We wish Mrs Mackay the very best for the future, and thank her for everything she did for the House.Thanks also to Miss Dick who stepped in as Housemistress for the Summer term. It was a pleasure to have her as our Houseparent; we had a very enjoyable term with her at the helm.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Mrs Al Nakeeb who takes on the role of Housemistress from September. Good luck to all of the Upper Sixth, we have many happy memories from our time in TC: I hope everyone stays in touch and looks back on their time in TC with fond memories. I would like to thank the monitor team, Kamila Rafiqi, Lucinda Hegarty, Libby Hewitt, Jess Wolinski, Becky Phillips, Sam Smith and Amy Armstrong (joint Head of House) for all their hard work and commitment to TC this year.

Thanks finally to all the girls in TC for their commitment and generosity to the House this year. The House has been a happy House, I wish you all the very best for the summer.Jennie Morris, Joint Head of House

ALFORD, H.M. : UVI; ‘06; Academic Scholarship; Learning Mentor; School Badminton; 4th XI Hockey; Commemoration Concert; Christmas Concert; Pop and Jazz; Grade 8 Flute; Grade 5 Violin; Grade 5 Music Theory; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; French Exchange; RS India trip; Barcelona Art Trip; Biology Field Trip; GCSE English Language Prize; GCSE Latin Prize; GCSE Maths prize; Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad Finalist; Biodiesel Project; Cambridge University, Murray Edwards College - Chemical EngineeringARMSTRONG, A.BANKS, A. : UVI; ‘09; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Oxford Brookes University - Animal Biology with ConservationBURTON, V. : UVI; ‘09; 1st XI Hockey (Capt.) (Cap.); WorkBURTON, V.FINLAY, D.GILBERT, C.HEGARTY, L.HEWITT, E.C. : UVI; ‘09; House Monitor; House Music Competition; Art Trip Prague; Birmingham University - English LiteratureMARSHAL, K.O.M. : UVI; ‘06; School Netball; School Hockey; School Tennis Squad; School Swimming Team; German Hockey Tour; School Guide; Nottingham Trent University - English and MediaMATTHIESON-NOCK, H.L.M. : UVI; ‘09; University of Gloucestershire - JournalismMORRIS, J.D.M. : UVI; ‘06; School Monitor; Head of House; L4 Camp Helper; 2nd XI Hockey; 2nd VI Tennis; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; Bath University - Business and AdministrationPHILLIPS, R. RAFIQI, K.S. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Conductor of House Song; Geography Field Trip; Senior House Colours; Aston University: Business & ManagementSMITH, S.THOMAS, K.L. : UVI; ‘06; 2nd VII Netball; 2nd VI Tennis; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; School Ski Trip; GCSE Classical Civilisation Prize; London College of Arts - Foundation Diploma

WOLINSKI, J.J. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Study Head; School Hockey; Orchestra; String Group; Grade 7 Piano; Grade 7 Cello; Grade 5 Singing; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; RS India trip; Malawi Expedition 2009; Spanish Trip to Salamanca; Art Trip Prague; GCSE Art Prize; GCSE English Language Prize; Housman Verse Prize; Learning Mentor; Debating; University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam College - English

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Walters

Another fruitful year saw Walters lads enjoy many noteworthy successes. The highlight of the year was probably Sports Day, where Walters won three of the four main trophies on offer, with the intermediate and senior teams winning their competitions and the House winning the overall Inter-House Athletics trophy. Other achievements over the course of the year saw the junior hockey team win the Inter-House competition and the 1.2 relay team defend their title successfully. House teams also got to the finals of the senior basketball and football competitions and the junior cricket competition. The Michaelmas term saw a hugely enjoyable Unison Song Competition, where Walters’ version of Uptown Girl was superbly practised and well performed.

The end of the Summer term saw a number of awards being handed out, including the Bromsgrove Badge Award for outstanding commitment, teamwork and leadership throughout the year, awarded to Harry Cutress. Jack Slattery and Dan Ruckwood won the U16 and U18 swimming challenge shields for commitment to swimming throughout the year.

A hugely talented group of leavers underlined why they will be sorely missed next year. Henry Morris was awarded the Janet Cockin Debating cup, Alistair Hey gained the award for outstanding contribution to Community Action and Jonathan Mear was presented the Sir David Haslam Trophy for outstanding play in Basketball over the year.

Alistair Aktas received his prize for his winning entry for the Housman Verse competition, having already won the School’s Solo Instrumental Music competition with his performance from Ravel’s Sonatine.

Joe Wilkinson, who represented the School at the highest level in all three terms, playing first team rugby, hockey and cricket, was awarded the trophy for the outstanding contribution to boys’ games. Joe also scooped the Tony Limbert trophy at prizegiving and the Paul Sawtell award for the biggest extra-curricular contribution to Walters over five years.

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The House said goodbye to two outstanding tutors at the end of the Summer Term. Mr White had only been a Walters tutor since September, but had made a real impression due to his enthusiastic and positive approach. We wish him and his wife all the best as they move to Yorkshire. Mr Challoner joined Walters seven years ago and has been a huge support to staff and boys alike ever since. We are delighted that he is taking over as Headmaster of Bromsgrove International School Thailand and wish him every success there. We look forward to his return in two years time.

Alistair Hey led Walters superbly as Head of House this year, ably supported by his deputy Aden Symonds and the rest of the Monitor team – many thanks to them all. Next year’s Head of House will be Oliver Thomas and the Deputy Head of House will be Dan Ruckwood. The boys were absolutely thrilled to learn that Daniel Young will be Head Boy from September – Walters is very proud of him. We wish the boys the best of luck with their roles next year. Many thanks to all House staff for their support for the boys over the year. D G Wilkins

AKTAS, A.K. : UVI; ‘09; Music Scholarship; Music Scholars’ Concert; New York Choir Tour 2010; House Music Competition Winner; Housman Verse Prize; Choir; Liverpool University - English LiteratureATTWELL, L.M.G. : UVI; ‘06; 1st XV Rugby; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; Chester University - Business, Management and EntrepreneurshipBANNISTER, M.J. : UVI; ‘09; 2nd XV Rugby; 1st Football (Cols); 2nd XI Cricket; Spanish Exchange; 1st XV Rugby Tour IrelandBLACK, C.V. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; 1st Basketball (Cols); Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry - MedicineHEY, A.HORRIDGE, R.G.A. : UVI; ‘06; Academic Scholarship; House Monitor; Student Listener; Threepenny Opera; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; CERN Physics Trip; Durham University - EngineeringMEAR, J.E. : UVI; ‘06; 1st Basketball (Capt.); Duke of Edinburgh Award; IMG Basketball AcademyMEYER, F.A. : UVI; ‘06; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Malawi Expedition 2009; 1st Basketball (Vice-Capt.); 3rd XI Cricket (Capt.); 2nd Football; School Fashion Shows; Gap Year - USA, Thailand, Australia; Reading University - Real EstateMORRIS, H.S.W. : UVI; ‘09; School Monitor; 3rd XV Rugby; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; School Ski Trip; Debating; Durham University - Politics, Philosophy and EconomicsPARKER, C.H. : UVI; ‘06; Student Listener; 2nd XI Hockey; 3rd XI Cricket; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Malawi Expedition 2009; Malvern Hills Decorative and Fine Art Society Biennial Competition; Gap Year; Savannah College of Art and Design, USA - Advertising

SYMONDS, A.C. : UVI; ‘06; Academic Scholarship; Sports Scholarship; Deputy Head of House; 1st XI Hockey (Capt.) (Cap.); 1st XI Cricket; Pop and Jazz; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; CCF Corporal; Cricket Tour to La Manga 2009; School Ski Trip; Hamburg Hockey Tour 2010; Bath Hockey Festival; Bristol Cricket Tour 2011; Durham Cricket Tour 2011; Loughborough University - Mechanical EngineeringTRIGG, J.R.W. : UVI; ‘07; 2nd Football; Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award; Spanish Exchange; Nottingham University - Business & EconomicsWILKINSON, J.S. : UVI; ‘06; Exhibition Scholarship; School Monitor; House Monitor; 1st XV Rugby; 1st XI Hockey; 1st XI Cricket; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; CCF Corporal; Ten Tors; Cricket Tour to La Manga 2009; Sports Tour 2011; School Ski Trip; Malawi Expedition 2009; Bath Hockey Festival; GCSE Physical Education Prize; Southampton University - Medicine

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Wendron-Gordon

Although I have only been at the School for two years, they have undoubtedly been the best years of my life. This is in no small part down to the boys and staff of Wendron-Gordon House. It was a great honour to be made Head of House for my last year and the House has had an extremely successful year, in many different aspects of School life. There were a large number of new boys in the House this year and they have all settled in well and have contributed to the House positively (Yes, even you, Arsen!).

One of the most memorable events of the year came in the first half term with the House Song Competition. I think it would be fair to say that we were not the best suited group of people to singing the Spice Girls’ song Wannabe, nevertheless the boys gave it their all and on the day we felt we were robbed of second place by School House. A special mention needs to go to Josh Gupta and Henry Lee, whose rap at the start of the song was very confident and funny.

The boys enjoyed great success in several of the other Inter-House competitions. We had a number of the 1st basketball team in our House and their experience showed in the House Basketball as they cruised through the rounds and won the final convincingly against a strong Walters team.

Paulius Kazemakitus was outstanding throughout and was awarded man of the match in the final. It was a similar situation with the House Hockey with our strong 1st team contingent showing their class and winning a hard-fought final against Lyttelton.

We went into the House Cross Country competition without, I think it’s fair to say, the high hopes and expectation that had surrounded the hockey and basketball teams. However, through a great collective effort from the eight of us, we pulled off an unlikely victory. This is in no small part down to Chi Fan Leung’s superb second place performance.

Our final Senior House competition triumph (yes I think that’s four now, Elmshurst) came in the Inter-House Football. As with the hockey and basketball teams, our team was dotted with first teamers and the team capped off some brilliant performances with a victory against Walters in the final on penalties, even without one of the first team stars, Dan Gaffney. Worth a mention was Luke Sparrow’s leadership which was ‘great’.

Although the junior teams were unable to parallel the success of their senior counterparts, the Junior Rugby team won the B competition after a thrilling final against a more experienced Lupton outfit. Each of the winning House teams were rewarded with pizzas from Mr Bell which were much appreciated.

A special address goes to Adam Robertson’s Pop and Jazz performance of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, which was truly epic.

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Finally, I would like to praise Mr Bell for his first year as Wendron Gordon Housemaster. Taking on a job which involves looking after over 100 boys is no mean feat and he has had such a successful first year in charge.

I would also like to thank Mrs Batchelor, Mrs Hibell, the tutor team and the housekeeping team for their tireless efforts in keeping this great House running smoothly.Joe Raczkowski, Head of House

ABASOV, J. : UVI; ‘07; 2nd Football; Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Royal Holloway - Business ManagementBUBENCHSHIKOV, S.CARIUS, J. : UVI; ‘08; School Monitor; House Monitor; Student Listener; L4 Camp Helper; Swimming Team (Vice-Capt.); CERN Physics TripCHEUNG, M. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; Swimming Team; 1st Basketball; Athletics Team; 3rd Football; 3rd XV Rugby; Badminton (Capt.) (Cols); Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze; Manchester University - LawCHOW, D.CHU, A.CUMMINGS, M.H. : UVI; ‘06; 1st Football; Manchester Metropolitan University - Sports ScienceEREMEEV, D.V. : UVI; ‘06; House Monitor; School Forum; Boarding Forum Rep.; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; CCF; University College London - Politics and East European StudiesGAFFNEY, D.GRAY, H.A. : UVI; ‘06; 2nd XV Rugby; CCF Sergeant; Ten Tors; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; Manchester University - Maths with Business ManagementHAN, L. HOHMEISTER, F.KLEIN, L. : UVI; ‘09; Deputy Head of House; 1st XI Hockey (Cap.); Sports Leadership Award; Australia Sports Tour; International Business and ManagementLAM, A. LEUNG, C.LEUNG, I.LONGE, C.O. : UVI; ‘09; Student Listener; 2nd Football; 3rd XV Rugby; Manchester University: Politics & International RelationsMIROZOYEV, A.NG, R.PACKWOOD, W.

RACZKOWSKI, J.R. : UVI; ‘09; Sports Scholarship; School Monitor; Head of House; 1st XV Rugby; 2nd XV Rugby (Capt.); School Athletics Team; Geography Field Trip; 1st XV Rugby Tour Ireland; Australia Sports Tour; Exeter University - Economics with EconometricsROBERTSON, A.C. : UVI; ‘06; House Moni-tor; Student Listener; Music & Drama Rep; RADA Gold; LAMDA Bronze Acting Award; Romeo and Juliet; Winter of Discontent; The Tempest; Conductor of House Song; Pop and Jazz; Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award; CERN Physics Trip; Leicester University - PoliticsSAWA, M.SCHAEFER, S. : UVI; ‘08; House Monitor; Young Enterprise; Gap Year; SPARROW, L.D. : UVI; ‘09; 1st Football (Capt.) (Cap.); 1st XV Rugby; University of Wales Institute - Sport ManagementWONG, T.

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Commemoration Day 2011

Thomas Cookes Sermon

We were delighted to welcome this year’s Preacher of the Sir Thomas Cookes Sermon – the Venerable Douglas McKittrick, Archdeacon of Chichester, who recalled a talented young choirboy and organist called Jonathan Kingston in his choir in Liverpool. He delivered a memorable sermon. It was beautifully delivered, profound and wise but so practical too in its application, especially for our Leavers. He took as his theme ‘the journey’ and spoke about the privilege of life and how we should learn from experience.

Headmaster’s Speech

After adopting the guise of various personae in his speech the previous year, the Headmaster changed tack this year and rapped his way through the annual Commemoration Day report. Once a stunned audience realised what was happening and adjusted to the cross rhythms and layered internal rhymes, they heard a unique account of a wonderful year. The School had achieved the highest academic value added scores in the region; sport was, as ever, the envy of many; music had seen Bromsgrove ensembles perform in places as varied as New York and English Cathedrals; drama had delivered a stunning Threepenny Opera; and extra-curricular activities flourished more vigorously than ever. A moving tribute was also paid to Gail and Tim Hayward whose remarkable service to the School was to be honoured by having the Housman Hall annexe named after them. Rap may not have been the obvious medium for most independent school heads, but it was strangely suited to the energy, verve and ambition that had been the hallmarks of another outstanding year.

Guest Speaker

Dr Singh gave a masterly, witty speech about Science and Mathematics, academic but accessible to everyone in the marquee, just like his books. Nor was he afraid to be controversial – about libel law and some branches of medicine. He urged our young people to challenge ideas. The story about Katie Melua and Nine Million Bicycles was a gem. His tribute to Mr Stephens – who taught him and through his good offices we were able to invite Dr Singh to Commemoration – touched many.

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Salvete ElmshurstDergachev, Sergey VEdwards, Chase JHellmann, J AlexanderHenkens, RitthikraiHoepner, Niklas RKrauel, Moritz NLangen, Jakob MMong, JustinOgarev, AndreyPhillips, Benjamin G RSemkin, MikhailSever, Christoph AStill, Keenan MTibbetts, Benjamin JTzanov, Nikolay MWalker, Benjamin CYu, Kwok Cheung

Housman HallAble-Thomas, David LAliyeva, VeronikaAndreeva, IrinaBello, Munir BBruten, Jack TBystrov, OlegChen, JunhongCheng, Michael Ka HoChou, Mon-SenChow, Tony Wai KitDong, Kevin JunliangFan, Scott HaoyuFeld, DiasFletcher, JackGordishevskaya, AnastasiaGordon, Ryan JHallett, Wilson MHossain, Nowrin MHui, Johnny Tsun YenHunt, Jonathan DKnowles, ThomasKolesnyk, VladyslavKostomyasova, VeronikaKwok, Simon Chi LongLam, Benjamin Ho TakLam, Kenneth Yun HimLauer, Theresa KLebedynskyy, ArturLiao, Michael Chun-Hao

Housman HallLiu, ZiyangLui, Anthony Wing NamMalyshev, ArtemMartins, Myles AMcLeod, Mary EMuravina, MariaNgatchu, Martha NPaschwitz, Julia MPink, Hannah RSchüßler, Louisa NSelezneva, AlisaSolakov, Ivan RSquire, StefanStäding, FeliciaWong, Justin Chun LongWong, Kevin Tung WaiXie, Abby Biying

HazeldeneCartwright, Laura CCollie, Emily GDoherty, Milicent RJeffries, Katharine AJones, Poppy AKaur, Simran

LuptonBarwell, Jack PBellamy, Sam GFrost, Harrison JGriffiths, Alexander RHarris, Clement PHunt, ElliottSingh, KarampalTweddell, James H B

LytteltonBowen, WilliamFidoe, William JGrenfell, Adam JHands, William JHegarty, Niall RLowe, Alexander CSteblyuk, IvanWarnock, Jonathan P

Mary WindsorChen, Wendy Wai TikCheng, Michelle Ho YeeDemchenko, KaterynaGu, Fiona YiHeberger, Anne-SophieKan, Kelly Wing KiKim, JuheeKwok, Janet Chiu YuLam, Jessie Yu HangLui, Angelina Hiu YanLutz, AdelinaMatsuno-Kankhetr, YuriObigwe, U EleanorRave, V RobertaReeves, Emma CRick, Anastasia MTugusheva, AdelinaWilding, Olivia CYang, Ada YuYang, Maeve Kai YiuZheng, Maggie JiaxinZheng, Shiyu

OakleyBecker, ElisabethCheng, Louisa Wing YuCox, Amelia JDang, My Vu HuongFrolova, MariaHo, Michelle Hoi YingHunt, Klara RIgnatova, InnaJin, LangKozhemyako, SophieLeung, Angel Hang LaamLeung, Vanessa Hiu ChingLiu, Ada YiMedarova, Magdalena NPrikhodko, Aleksandra SashaRathmann, NoraRusche, J ValentinaSemjonova, MariaTan, Renee HuanruiThompson, Rosie LWang, ShenruWong, Ella DinnaWong, Grace Ka YanWu, Haimi YuxiaoYu, Clare Choi SengYuen, Dawn Shui Tuen

SchoolBales, Cameron DGreen, Arthur GSmith-Maxwell, John M A

Thomas CookesEkerol, Sara MHewitt, Grace AShinner, Alice G

WaltersBeattie, Thomas WBhandal, AmardeepGrogan, Conor DHutchings, Joseph LLoughlin, Ryan PWatkins, Joshua P

Wendron-GordonBagdasaryan, ArsenBoeckel, Anton NBrenningmeyer, Stefan ACapper, Benjamin SChow, Eric Chun YinDavies, Tomos GDeng, Terry De-TianHölter, Felix HKoch-Ribeiro, Alexander LKoch-Ribeiro, Christopher SKolesnikov, MaximLindenmeyer, Alexander SLingg, JakobLloyd, Thomas JMilicevic, MarkoNg, Charles Ting ChauSchauhoff, Lenard ITaylor, James WTokmukhamedov, Syzdyk ETriay, Sergio ITu, PeiYum, Stanley Ka HoZhang, David JiahaoZubal, Richard

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Mark Reading Prize Winners 2011

Wattell Prizes

English Corrie Raine

History Melissa Oezkul

Religious Studies Elizabeth Hewitt

French Clara Czech

Spanish Lisa Antonacci

Business Studies Lennard Klein

Politics Jason Wong

Geography Hannah Rowsell

Latin Nico Fessner

Economics Franessa Lam

Mathematics Chin Fan Leung

Physics Chin Fan Leung

Art Annina Ulrich

Art (Textiles) Cameron Parker

Physical Education Thomas Griffiths

Graphics DT Nishchal Pun

Other Academic Prizes

Amphlett Prize for ChemistryHarriet Alford

William Ledbrook Prize for BiologyHarriet Alford

John Hedley Memorial Prize (CCF)David Lea

Turner Memorial Prize for MusicAlistair Aktas

Media StudiesGina Ferri

Chaytor Pepper Prize for Classics (Classical Civilisation)Polly Geddes

Alison Bramley Memorial Prize for MathematicsNico Fessner

Jeffrey Lewins Prize for TechnologyHugh McBride

The Peat Prize for Information TechnologyGrachya Shakhazizyan

Housman Verse PrixeAlistair Aktas

Staff Reading Prize (Senior)Rachel Hotchin

Special Prizes

Senior BoardersAnthony Ng and Clara Czech

Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head GirlBarnaby Woods and Annina Ulrich

Head Boy and Head GirlHugh Lockhart and Georgina Eales

Tony Limbert Memorial TrophyJoseph Wilkinson

Paul Sawtell Memorial TrophyJoseph Raczkowski

Ben Showell Memorial Rose BowlAdam Robertson

Kelly Bicknell Memorial AwardLucinda Hegarty

Cookes PrizeHugh Lockhart

Christmas 2010

English Language Polly FletcherEnglish Literatuve Emily HartshorneMathematics Winnie TamFrench Jonathan TurnerArt Emily HartshorneTextiles Angelica ChingBiology Samuel StoneBusiness Studies Michael CoxChemistry Samuel StoneClassical Civilisation Lewis MartinsLatin Elizabeth LeatherDesign TechnologyGraphic Products Olivia MorrisDesign TechnologyResistant Materials Michael CoxDrama Rosie MillnsGeography Harry HeathGerman Rachel HotchinHistory Matthew DraneMusic Winnie TamPhysics Samuel StoneRS (Full Course) Jonathan TurnerRS (Short Course) Samuel WaltierSpanish Will SarjantPE Jonathan TurnerEAL Polly Heung

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Destination of Leavers 2011

Name E University Subject

Bramham-Smith, Glenn 1 NEW College Interactive Media

Brandt, Viktor

Brookes, Helen 1 Southampton RG Fashion & Textile Design

Brown, Lindsey 1 Lancaster 94 German & Geography

Bubenchshikov, Stanislav

Burley, Devon Siemens Sponsored Emp & Uni Study

Burton, Victoria Gap Year

Carius, Jan 1 HET Zurich Engineering

Cartwright, Eddie 1 Leeds Met Product Design

Chan, Jeffrey Cheuk Hin 1 Manchester RG Business Management & Japanese

Chan, Kyna Lok Hang 1 Nottingham RG Management

Chan, Yanice Mei Yan 1 Durham 94 Accounting & Finance

Cheng, Issac Yin Cheung 1 Manchester RG Computer Science

Cheung, Jenny 1 Nottingham RG Nutrition

Cheung, Michael Cheuk Hong 1 Manchester RG Law

Chow, Dave Hou-Tsing 1 Birmingham RG Electronic & Electrical Engineering

Chu, Andrew Cheuk Hang 1 Bath 94 Pharmacy

Clegg, Adam Gap Year

Coope, Benjamin 1 Imperial RG Mechanical Engineering

Cottrell, Laura 2 Southampton RG French with Spanish

Cowen, Eliza Gap Year

Cummings, Michael 1 Manchester Met Sport & Exercise Science

Czech, Clara Overseas Study

Dabiri, Ademoluwa 1 Durham 94 Accounting & Finance

Davies, George 1 Nottingham Trent Property Finance & Investment

Dunn, William

Eales, Georgina 1 Exeter 94 Geography

Engel, Alexander 1 RWTH Aachen University Aeronautical Engineering

Enotov, Nikita 1 City Financial Economics

Eremeev, Dmitry 1 UCL RG Politics & European Studies

Numbers of students achieving First Choice place 131 (80%)Numbers of students achieving Insurance Choice place 17 (10%) Numbers of students achieving Clearing place 8 (5%)Number of students still in Clearing 7 (5%)Number of students achieving Russell Group University places 67 (41.10%)Number of students achieving 1994 Group University places 39 (23.93%)(Please note: the data in this list reflects information available on 22/09/11. We apologise for any inaccuracies).

Name E University Subject

Abasov,Jamil 1 Royal Holloway 94 Royal Holloway 94

Abimbola, Wande Overseas Study Overseas Study

Aktas, Alistair 1 Liverpool RG Liverpool RG

Alford, Harriet 1 Cambridge RG Cambridge RG

Allen, Matthew 1 DeMontfort DeMontfort

Antonacci, Lisa Gap Year Gap Year

Armstrong, Amy 1 Nottingham Trent Nottingham Trent

Ashworth, Holly 2 Nottingham Trent Nottingham Trent

Attwell, Luke 1 Chester Chester

Avramioti, Daniela 1 KCL RG KCL RG

Bachem, Henrike 2 Anglia Ruskin Anglia Ruskin

Bakhshaliyev, Murad 1 Southampton RG Southampton RG

Banks, Abigail 1 Oxford Brookes Oxford Brookes

Bannister, Matthew 1 Sheffield RG Sheffield RG

Bennett, Benjamin 1 Birmingham RG Birmingham RG

Black, Christopher C Liverpool RG Biomedical Sciences

Borton, Victoria 1 Royal Holloway 94 Zoology

Boszko, Michael 1 Sheffield RG Business Management

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Name E University Subject

Bramham-Smith, Glenn 1 NEW College Interactive Media

Brandt, Viktor

Brookes, Helen 1 Southampton RG Fashion & Textile Design

Brown, Lindsey 1 Lancaster 94 German & Geography

Bubenchshikov, Stanislav

Burley, Devon Siemens Sponsored Emp & Uni Study

Burton, Victoria Gap Year

Carius, Jan 1 HET Zurich Engineering

Cartwright, Eddie 1 Leeds Met Product Design

Chan, Jeffrey Cheuk Hin 1 Manchester RG Business Management & Japanese

Chan, Kyna Lok Hang 1 Nottingham RG Management

Chan, Yanice Mei Yan 1 Durham 94 Accounting & Finance

Cheng, Issac Yin Cheung 1 Manchester RG Computer Science

Cheung, Jenny 1 Nottingham RG Nutrition

Cheung, Michael Cheuk Hong 1 Manchester RG Law

Chow, Dave Hou-Tsing 1 Birmingham RG Electronic & Electrical Engineering

Chu, Andrew Cheuk Hang 1 Bath 94 Pharmacy

Clegg, Adam Gap Year

Coope, Benjamin 1 Imperial RG Mechanical Engineering

Cottrell, Laura 2 Southampton RG French with Spanish

Cowen, Eliza Gap Year

Cummings, Michael 1 Manchester Met Sport & Exercise Science

Czech, Clara Overseas Study

Dabiri, Ademoluwa 1 Durham 94 Accounting & Finance

Davies, George 1 Nottingham Trent Property Finance & Investment

Dunn, William

Eales, Georgina 1 Exeter 94 Geography

Engel, Alexander 1 RWTH Aachen University Aeronautical Engineering

Enotov, Nikita 1 City Financial Economics

Eremeev, Dmitry 1 UCL RG Politics & European Studies

Name E University Subject

Farmer, Abigail 1 Exeter 94 Sociology

Ferri, Gina 1 Met Film School Film Making

Fessner, Nico 1 Imperial RG Chemical Engineering

Finlay, Danielle 2 Exeter 94 History

Flowerdew, Harriet Gap Year

Gaffney, Daniel 1 Loughborough 94 Industrial Design

Geddes, Polly 2 Birmingham RG Classics

Gilbert, Charlotte 1 Oxford Brookes International Tourism & Management

Gilchrist, James

Goodwin, Victoria 1 Manchester RG History

Goschin, Anna Sophie Overseas Study Overseas Study

Gray, Harry 1 Manchester RG Computer Science

Griffiths, Thomas 1 Durham 94 Business Management

Ha, Alex Chung Lam 1 Nottingham RG Economics & Econometrics

Hallett, Wilson Virginia Art & Tech USA Liberal Arts

Han, Lin-Fei 1 Royal Holloway 94 Politics

Harris, Amy 2 Loughborough 94 Geography & Management

Harris, Rupert Strasbourg Physics

Hartshorne, Jack 1 Nottingham Trent Product Design

He, Effie Yuyu 1 Bath 94 Architecture

Hegarty, Lucinda Gap Year

Herberg, Ina Overseas Study Overseas Study

Hesse, Tim 1 Bristol RG Psychology & Philosophy

Hewitt, Elizabeth 1 Birmingham RG English

Hey, Alistair 1 Birmingham RG Chemistry

Ho, Ka Yu Naomi 2 QML 94 Business Management

Hohmeister, Florian

Hooper, James Gap Year

Hornsey, Sam 1 Cardiff RG Mechanical Engineering

Horridge, Richard 1 Durham 94 General Engineering

Name E University Subject

Huang, Chloe Ke Qi C

Huang, Howard Yu 1 Imperial RG Chemical Engineering

Ilcheva, Yana 2 Sheffield Hallam Marketing & Communications

Jin, Amy Yaoting 1 LSE RG Sociology

Jin, Vicky Yu 2 Durham 94 Mathematics

Jitngamsujarit, Kirada 1 Brighton Textiles

Jones, Ashley 1 Loughborough 94 Industrial Design

Jukes, Philip C Bournemouth Accounting & Finance

Kangeldiev, Sandzhar 1 LSE RG Accounting & Finance

Karadotchev, Veselin 1 LSE RG Philosophy & Accounting

Karimov, Azat 1 Buckingham Accounting & Finance

Karimov, Roman 2 Kingston Chemistry & Business

Khusnutdinova, Diana 1 KCL RG Business Management

Klein, Lennard Gap Year

Klepikova, Kristina 1 Goldsmiths 94 Fine Art

Koffka, Nicholas Overseas Study Overseas Study

Kwok, Sam Ho Ching 1 Birmingham RG Physics

Lam, Adrian Chi Wai 1 LSE RG Economics

Lam, Franessa Tsz Ying 1 York 94 Psychology

Lam, Maggie Hiu Yan 1 Imperial RG Biomedical Sciences

Larin, Alexey 1 Newcastle RG Mechanical Engineering

Lau, William Chun Yin 2 Toronto Canada Quantitative Analysis

Lea, David 1 Nottingham Trent Computer Science

Leung, Chi Fan 1 Cambridge RG Mathematics

Leung, Ivan Kwan To 1 UCL RG Engineering & Business

Li, Christine Yun 1 KCL RG Law

Liu, Billy Yu Chien 1 Manchester Met Sports Management

Lockhart, Hugh 1 Leicester 94 Medicine

Longe, Christopher 1 Manchester Met Politics & International Relations

Luk, Lawrence Tsun Kit C City University Hong Kong Law

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Name E University Subject

MacConnachie, Philippa 1 Leeds College of Art Art Foundation

Maguire, Joshua 1 Bristol RG Philosophy & Economics

Marcus, Kristian 1 Sheffield RG Material Science & Engineering

Marshall, Kate 1 Nottingham Trent English & Media

Matthieson-Nock, Harriet 1 Gloucestershire Journalism

McBride, Hugh 1 Exeter 94 Economics & Finance

Mear, Jonathan Gap Year GAP

Meyer, Freddie 1 Reading 94 Real Estate

Mifsud, Nicholas 1 York St John English

Mirzoyev, Adil 1 QML 94 Russian & Politics

Morris, Henry 1 Durham 94 PPE

Morris, Jennifer 2 Exeter 94 Management & Marketing

Naumov, Stefan 2 Manchester RG Banking

Nawaz, Mohammed Mannan 1 Aston Pharmacy

Nester, Jana Overseas Study Overseas Study

Ng, Anthony Wang Kit 1 LSE RG Actuarial Science

Ng, Ronnie Long Hin 1 UCL RG Electronic Engineering

Nixon, Katherine C Swansea Law

Nugmanov, Aldiyar Overseas Study

Oezkul, Melissa 1 St Andrews 94 International Relations

Packwood, William Employment

Parker, Cameron 1 Savannah College of Art USA Art

Pearson, Sophie Gap Year

Pham, Cong Thinh 1 KCL RG Business Management

Phillips, Rebecca C Glamorgan Medical Sciences

Policarpo, Gabriella 1 Nottingham Trent Media

Potzsch, Marek 1 Royal Holloway 94 Economics/Politics/Int Relations

Pun, Nischal 1 Northampton Product Design

Qin, Jian 1 Warwick RG Accounting & Finance

Raczkowski, Joseph 1 Exeter 94 Economics

Name E University Subject

Rafiqi, Kamila 1 Aston Business & Spanish

Raine, Corrie 1 Leeds RG English & Philosophy

Rasanayagam, Christina 1 Cardiff RG Medicine

Rempen, Sophie-Lotte Overseas Study Overseas Study

Roberston, Adam 1 Leicester 94 Politics

Rowsell, Hannah 1 Exeter 94 Geography

Rtishcheva, Ekaterina C Sheffield RG Economics

Sawa, Motosumi 1 Bristol RG Economics

Schaefer, Sebastian Overseas Study Overseas Study

Schmitz, Christian 1 Christian-Albrechts, Keil Chemistry/Medicine

Schuppert, Anna Overseas Study Overseas Study

Schwahn, Maximilian 1 Mannheim Business

Shakhazizyan, Grachya 1 City Finance

Sheppard, Matthew C

Sheppard, Sarah C Salford Sport Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy

Sieg, Robert Overseas Study Overseas Study

Silk, Thomas 1 Sheffield RG Business Management & Social Policy

Skinner, Daniel 1 Sheffield RG Mathematics

Slaney-Smith, Charlotte Gap Year GAP

Smith, Emma 1 UWIC Events Management

Smith, Samantha 1 Nottingham Trent Business Management & Marketing

So, Jessie Wing Man 1 Warwick RG Management

Sparrow, Luke 1 UWIC Sport Management

Spencer, Nicholas 1 Nottingham Trent Real Estate

Sripetchvandee, Alyssa 1 Warwick RG Accounting & Finance

Strong, Oliver 1 Exeter 94 Economics

Sun, Nicole Mengwen

Symonds, Aden 1 Loughborough 94 Mechanical Engineering

Tang, Simone Long Ying 1 LSE RG International Relations

Tanner, Sebastian 1 PMS Medicine

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Name E University Subject

Thomas, Hannah Gap Year GAP

Thomas, Katherine Gap Year GAP

Thompson, Ben 1 Harper Adams Agriculture

Trigg, James C Swansea Business & Economics

Tsui, Stella Tsz Man 1 Imperial RG Mechanical Engineering

Ulrich, Annina Overseas Study Overseas Study

Voytenko, Kateryna Overseas Study Overseas Study

Walton, Peter 2 York 94 Molecular Biology/Med Biochemistry

Wang, Nicholas Tianyao 1 Imperial RG Electronic Engineering

Wang, Wenyi 1 LSE RG Economics

Whitaker, Chloe Gap Year GAP

Wilde, Nathaniel 1 Loughborough 94 Politics

Wilkinson, Joseph 2 KCL RG Medicine

Williams, Thomas 2 BUWE Politics

Wolinski, Jessica 1 Cambridge RG English

Wong, Calvin Chak Hong 1 Exeter 94 Philosophy & Sociology

Wong, Jason Hin Yeung 1 LSE RG Government

Wong, Timothy Chi Wai 1 Warwick RG MORSE

Woods, Barnaby 1 CUWIC Sport & Exercise Science

Wu, Eileen Dan Yang 1 Imperial RG Material Science & Engineering

Yang, David Yue Wei 1 Cambridge RG Engineering

Yang, Regina Si Qi 1 Warwick RG Psychology

Yuen, Zita Wing Yan 1 KCL RG Business Management

Zhang, Chen 1 Imperial RG Mathematics

Zhang, Winnie Peipei 1 Bristol RG Economics

Zhao, Sophia Su 1 York 94 Psychology

Zhenetl, Aslan 1 QML 94 Business Management

Corrections from last year’s Destination of Leavers, with apologies from the Editor:

Joseph Harris – Now attending Southampton (1st choice) and currently doing a year in industry.

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Staff Leavers

Ann Grunsell (1989-2011)

Ann Grunsell joined us in 1989. Head of Department Nick Riley describes her as ‘a top quality Maths teacher who helped her students produce excellent results whether weaker brethren at GCSE or the very best Further Mathematicians. They readily say they achieved the grades they did because of Mrs Grunsell’s persistence’.

She joined the School Management Team and branched out into whole-school roles. She set up the first comprehensive special needs and curriculum support programme which has helped countless pupils and increased all our awareness. Her major, transformational role was pioneering a new role: co-ordinator of pupil programmes and progress. Houses are the heartbeat of the School but that very strength and intensity within also required someone to balance it with an academic overview across the year groups. She set up the first induction programme for new staff and the management and monitoring of NQTs, PGCE and GPT students. Chaucer said it first – ‘Mighty oaks from little acorns grow’ - and Ann took things embryonic and created proper, effective systems but not mere mechanical structures, things that have worked with great practical purpose. All now reap the benefits and that is the biggest tribute to Ann.

We will miss Ann – as a consummate professional; an outstanding teacher of Mathematics; a colleague who took forward with magnificent effectiveness several areas of School life fundamental to our pupils. We thank her for over two decades of selfless, unstinting service to Bromsgrove School. We will miss her teaching, we will miss her strong character, strong companionship and friendship too but now wish her a very long, happy retirement, with new fulfilment. It won’t be the same Common Room without her.P Bowen

Karen Mackay (1997-2011)

Karen Mackay joined Bromsgrove School in 1997 and in her fourteen years with us contributed significantly and widely to several vital areas. Joining the Business Studies department, Karen quickly established herself as a formidable classroom practioner. Always thorough and demanding in her teaching, she had high expectations of students and her results were excellent.

Karen took on co-ordination of Young Enterprise and this unique activity – much enjoyed by many pupils, especially from Asia – flourished under her inspirational leadership. We became well used to hearing about trading success at various locations and events such as the Victorian Christmas Fayre at Worcester Cathedral and seeing them at School productions at the Artrix. Each year we entered local and regional competitions and one year won it.

Young Enterprise offered a very special opportunity for those keen to practise business skills at a young age.

Karen’s most important challenge was leadership of Thomas Cookes House. For seven years she enthusiastically led the girls with great dedication and professionalism. The House enjoyed considerable success in the various House competitions (she was a constant presence and support on the touchline) but above all their pastoral care was in excellent hands. Karen was exceptionally thorough and tireless in her support and monitoring of the progress of those in her care. Expectations were high and she also led a strong tutor team.

We thank Karen for her outstanding work in the classroom, in Young Enterprise and in Thomas Cookes; she was a dedicated professional in all things and always sought excellence. Karen’s husband Rae was recently appointed to the Chair of Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Engineering at Monash University, Australia, and we wish them both every happiness, fulfilment and success in their new life ‘down under’. She will be missed. P Bowen

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Adele Clee (1998-2011)

Adèle Clee is leaving us after thirteen years of exceptional service. Whilst here she has simply thrown herself into everything – she has previously edited the Bromsgrovian, was part of the early IB team leading the Extended Essay and organised boarder trips. And for her day job she has been Head Librarian, and Head of the ICT Department and Houseparent in Oakley. As Librarian, she set up the ‘new’ LRC and integrated the IT and the traditional book bit of the library into a whole smoothly and efficiently.  As Head of ICT she has helped all pupils develop their functional skills whilst also introducing GCSE and AS options. She was a superb Assistant Houseparent in Oakley and she was the obvious candidate to take over the House in Mrs Helmore’s absence.

Oakley is a very large and its management is not made any easier by it having both a boarding and a day element. Adèle was a superb Houseparent, firm but fair. She has a great listening ear with young people and has shown practical wisdom. The girls have liked her leadership and vision, whilst colleagues found her an easy to work with professional.

Whilst we will miss her immensely, we know she will flourish at Wycombe Abbey where she will be able to focus on the pastoral role she has come to love and carried out so successfully here. P Ruben

Clare Johnson (2004-2011)

Clare joined us in 2004 from Durham University and taught Economics and Business Studies. She was a fine young teacher – enthusiastic and quick to learn – and also threw herself into the wider life of Bromsgrove School. Clare was involved in netball, sang in the Chapel Choir and Choral Society, played violin in the music group at several Chapel assemblies and played a prominent role in the CCF. She was an invaluable presence at weekly parades, in instruction of cadets and on Field Days. Along with husband Geoff, she led one of our very successful major overseas expeditions, to Central Southern Africa.

After a year as Assistant Houseparent in Oakley, Clare became Houseparent of Mary Windsor House in 2007.

She led the House with distinction for three years and was popular with the girls. Then along came baby Michael and also husband Geoff’s change of career and a move to Aberdeen and the North Sea. We thank her for a valuable contribution and wish her and the family every happiness and fulfilment in their new life in Scotland. P Bowen

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Staff Leavers

Geoff Johnson (2004-2011)

Geoff Johnson joined the staff in September 2004. Appointed to teach Chemistry, he had a degree in Geology and this gave him one big advantage over the rest of the Chemistry Department – he actually found rocks interesting. This is a rare occurrence amongst Chemistry teachers, who generally resent the introduction of Earth Science into the National Curriculum for Chemistry.During his seven or so years at Bromsgrove Geoff did a sterling job as a geologist masquerading as a chemist (and, briefly, as a physicist). In the department he was a supportive and reliable colleague and he formed good relationships with pupils he taught. Geoff played a full part outside the classroom too. He was a supportive tutor in Elmshurst, Mary Windsor and School House, and was well liked by his tutees for his approachability and his droll sense of humour.

He threw himself into the extra-curricular life of the School. He is an accomplished lacrosse player and was keen when he arrived to put Bromsgrove on the map as a lacrosse school. This didn’t happen, but he allowed himself instead to be trained up to the dizzying heights of 4th XV rugby coach, and he was well liked and respected by the boys who came across him on the rugby and cricket pitches. A colleague summed up Geoff’s contribution to the School in a simple accolade, but probably one of the best Geoff could have – “a genuine all-round schoolmaster, and one we will find difficult to replace”. The lure of geology finally became too much for Geoff to resist, and he left us in April for Aberdeen to take on new challenges looking after some of Chevron’s oil rigs in the North Sea. Our loss is Chevron’s gain. We wish him well in his new post, and Clare and Michael too as they start a new life together in the Granite City.

Ben White (2004-2011)

Ben joined the School in September 2004, having been one of the final ap-pointments made by Tim Taylor. He quickly became one of the most popular members of staff mostly due to his over-whelming enthusiasm for everything he did.

He settled into the teaching of Business Studies and Economics and very quickly confirmed that he was a very good teach-er of both subjects. He progressed to Head of Year, and eventually succeeded me as Head of Department. I would like to think that I might have been a hard act to follow; in Ben’s case, not at all. Num-bers continue to grow and he leaves the School with the department at the very top of its game: a real legacy.

As a tutor in Elmshurst and Walters he excelled. Getting to know his tutees was second nature and he dealt with parents and others really well.

Ben’s great love in the School has been his approach to School Sport. It is the football though, and the development of it that, in many ways, he will be most remembered. Not bad for a Newcastle fan but football has thrived beyond belief here. On football, he really will be a hard act to follow.

St Peter’s, York, gain massively from our loss. We wish him and Jess the very best for a great future. S Challoner

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Nancy Howard (2005-2011)

Nancy joined the International Department in 2004 bringing with her a wealth of experience in and knowledge of teaching of English as an Additional Language.

She has taught pupils in all year groups: no mean feat as this has involved working with eight-year-old beginners and preparing sixteen-year-olds for IGCE English as a Second Language exams. Throughout this period she has been attached to Mary Windsor boarding house and offered support and guidance to the pupils there. Her knowledge of the Chinese language and culture has been invaluable and on many occasions she has sorted out a misunderstanding with parents in Hong Kong or got to the bottom of a delicate pastoral issue with a pupil by careful questioning in a language he or she feels comfortable in.

Each September she has been an important member of the team who welcomes new international pupils into the School during induction. Her ability to welcome and reassure weary travellers (parents and new pupils) has been vital, as has her assistance in gathering important guardianship information.

She has annually arranged for pupils to go into local primary schools to talk about Chinese New Year: each year up to 300 local children learn how to write their name in Chinese characters and say ‘Kung hey fat choi’ before receiving their red packets.

In recent years Nancy has developed an expertise in teaching EAL through Science and I watch in awe as her board fills up with various complicated scientific diagrams and terminology. Her Year 7 and 8 pupils have made excellent progress in this subject.

Nancy is leaving us to take up a post in an International School in Hong Kong where she will continue to teach English. She will be missed. We wish her every success in the future.C Bentham

Justin Abrahams (2006-2011)

Justin joined Bromsgrove in September 2007 from Ratcliffe College. He was initially appointed as Master in Charge of Rugby to also assist with the two major sports of hockey and cricket. On his appointment to Head of Boys’ PE and Games he also took more of a leading role in organising athletics. He was instrumental in introducing the School badminton team which is continuing to prove hugely successful. Justin also showed his leadership skills in organising two very successful Lower Fourth camps. Pupils and staff both enjoyed his relaxed style of management yet knew that organisation was the key to its success.

Justin’s attention to detail, his rejuvenating ideas and his outstanding commitment to the physical education of all pupils was the mainstay of his time at Bromsgrove. Justin will be sorely missed by all – his zest for physical education and the pursuit of excellence has been second to none. He has impressed colleagues with his deep knowledge of the subject and his meticulous planning, organisation and conscientious approach. As has already been mentioned, attention to detail was to become a typical trademark of Justin’s teaching, reflecting his totally dedicated and professional approach to his work.

When Justin looks back on his time at Bromsgrove I am sure he will remember fondly the numerous tours and sports trips that he has either organised or been part of. The boarding community will definitely miss Justin’s input. He was quickly made Assistant Houseparent in Elmshurst, where the boys have seen him as an excellent role model. Pupils and staff have frequently turned to him for guidance and support, which he was always willing to provide. He has been a major leader in boarders’ activities ranging from theatre trips to barbeques and paintballing. Justin leaves Bromsgrove School to take up the position of Director of Sport at Canberra Grammar School. We wish him and his family all the best in this new endeavour and hopefully we will be able to develop further contacts between both schools.P Mullan

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Staff Leavers

Paul Merrell (2008-2011)

Paul Merrell joined the English Department in 2008, having decided in a whirlwind series of interviews that he preferred us to Malvern College (despite the lovely leather armchairs in their staff room). He quickly proved to be an energetic, dynamic and popular classroom practitioner of whom pupils spoke very favourably. Maintaining an aura of calm in the face of constant and rapid changes to the curriculum, he has taught GCSE, IGCSE, AS, A2 and IB during his time here, introducing a range of books such as Gaiman’s American Gods, De Lillo’s White Noise and Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 to an appreciative Sixth Form.

His first Fourth Form production Blackout set a benchmark for future productions; Rock and Roll Macbeth and Northern Lights were equally successful in attracting popular acclaim and a collection of nominations and awards at the BFame Festival, and he has continued to write, direct and act outside School. As if this was not enough, Paul contributed to the sporting arena in coaching both football and cricket, although both took a step back when he was suddenly sidelined due to a paintballing injury.

He has been a brilliant and supportive tutor in School House where his ‘wii’ sessions for the Lower Fourth are the stuff of legend (and apparently there is less chance of him incurring an injury!).

Paul has been a superb colleague to work with and will certainly be missed; he leaves us to take up the post of Head of English at Queenswood School and we wish him and Lucy the very best for the future.K Linehan

Lissie Fuller (2009-2011)

Lissie joined Bromsgrove as an NQT two years ago; she has certainly lived up to the promise of her wide and varied CV by contributing to many aspects of School life. Most notably she has been a valued member of the Biology Dept, teaching across the age range with great commitment and innovation; in particular her support on the field trip and her incisive and thought provoking contributions to department meetings were most helpful.

As a former boarder herself, Lissie was also ideally suited to tutoring in Mary Windsor House, where both Houseparents and tutees have greatly appreciated her experience and involvement. Her tutees will miss her home-baked cookies too!

Her fine alto voice and bubbly enthusiasm added much to the Chapel Choir, where her considerable choral experience has been of benefit to many. The adults and cadets have also enjoyed her company in the CCF; her previous service as a cadet at Wellington School served her in good stead. After a year wearing green, she decided that that colour didn’t suit her and switched it for light blue, although one suspects Navy would really have been her preference.

With only the Worcester to Birmingham canal to navigate, it is understandable why a school closer to the Severn was an attraction, bearing in mind Lissie’s passion for rowing and all things water sports. We thank Lissie for all she has done whilst at Bromsgrove, and wish her every success at The King’s School, Worcester.C Maund

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Matt Giles (2009-2011)

It is a mark of how much Matt Giles has done for the School that his stay here feels much longer than two years. Firstly, he is a fine Maths teacher with the ability to appeal to both bottom sets and further mathematicians. He enjoys using technology in his teaching and he has proved universally popular. He was a tutor in Oakley before moving into Wendron Gordon as an Assistant Houseparent. He supported athletics and persuaded a few students to complete their first marathons (and they still like him!)

He leaves to become a House Master at Milton Abbey in Dorset and we wish him and his family every success for the move and for the future.N Riley

Amy Preston (2009-2011)

Amy joined Bromsgrove in September 2009 as an NQT after graduating from Exeter University. Her experience and expertise in a wide range of activities and sports were immediately apparent. Amy has contributed greatly to the games programme of the School, running teams in all of the major sports, undertaking lunchtime and after school practices and in the past year she introduced the Fourth Form to a mixed rounders league, which proved very popular. Amy’s highlight has to be coaching the U16 girls’ outdoor hockey team to the National Finals. This is the first time in several years that a hockey team has reached the outdoor finals and an achievement for Amy to be proud of. During her two years here Amy has also led the very popular Sports Leaders Course for Fifth and Sixth Form pupils.

Amy has enjoyed teaching the Contemporary Studies aspect of AS level PE and the coaching component of BTEC where her pupils have achieved the very best academically.

During her time at Bromsgrove Amy has been a tutor in Mary Windsor House where she showed a genuine interest in the successes and achievements of all the girls. Amy has given her time freely and has guided and advised them with care. It has been a great pleasure mentoring Amy as an NQT and seeing her flourish into a very competent teacher. I know she has a bright teaching career ahead of her and I wish her all the best in her new school in Kent.E Buckingham

Lora Symonds (2009-2011)

Lora was initially appointed for two terms in September 2009 for a maternity cover. She then joined us again in September 2010, after taking time out to go travelling around Australasia and Asia, where she was employed primarily to coach girls’ games in both the Senior School and Preparatory School. However, after the departure of Justin Abrahams, Lora stepped in to teach all of his classes including GCSE lessons, boys’ core PE and BTEC. Lora took on such a role with great professionalism. Lora now goes on to do a PGCE at Birmingham University where I know the wealth of experience she has gained teaching over the past couple of years here at Bromsgrove will put her in fine stead. Lora has all the skills to go far with her teaching career and we wish her all the best for the future.E Buckingham

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Year Group Reports

Lower Fourth

This has been a superb year, packed with a variety of activities and I have been impressed by the enthusiasm and participation of the pupils.

Throughout the year, PSHCE has been delivered in some Head of Year sessions in the form of life skills. A variety of topics have been addressed with follow-up sessions allowing pupils the opportunity to explore issues in greater depth. External speakers have given presentations to the year group. These have included a representative from the Teenage Cancer Trust, the local police team and a self defence group which specialises in teaching simple, practical techniques that are effective in today’s society.

Pupils were also treated to two academic lectures. The first was a demonstration of a real World War II Enigma cipher machine in an interactive presentation on codes and cryptography. The second was a very lively ‘flash bang’ lecture delivered by a Teaching Fellow at the University of Warwick. Pupils got to see experiments using liquid nitrogen, dry ice and hydrogen and then heard about ongoing research at Warwick for example; diamond film and clever objects made by rapid manufacturing. 

Another part of the Lower Fourth programme has been talks given by senior members of the Common Room. Mr Bowen and Mrs Maund spoke to pupils on bullying. Mr Ruben gave a presentation on bananas linking it to potential Oxbridge questions and encouraging pupils to think more deeply about their answers.

Finally, I would like to thank Miss McCutcheon, my Assistant Head of Year, for all her hard work over the past year. F Diver

L4 Subject Prizes

English Ellie SakerMathematics David Zhang   French Eleanor BallGerman Aisling BrinnSpanish Henry LiChemistry Ellie SakerBiology Eleanor BallPhysics Matthew LynchHistory Klara HuntGeography Lucy SapwellDesign & Technology Graphics Maria StoleykovaDesign & Technology Resistant Materials Hannah CoulsonArt Laura Gieron Classical Civilisation William HandsLatin Alice Shinner                                      Drama Niall HegartyMusic Emily CollieReligious Studies Aisling BrinnEAL Uchan Thapa

Prizes for endeavour and progress:Sam Bellamy, Danielle Bayliss, George Draper-Barr, Erica Groves, Chloe Hannafin, Kwok Cheung Yu

Prize for the year’s best work:Ellie Saker

The Upper Fourth have experienced a wide-ranging programme of presentations this year; we have also included a lot of PSHCE topics led by Miss Leech. There have been a variety of sessions covering topics such as personal relationships, career research, alcohol awareness, study skills and a fantastic active personal safety presentation by Hopwood Self Defence. Chris Neal from Hawkeye Falconry Centre visited us in November to raise awareness of protected species by explaining the dangers of the illegal animal trade. The pupils enjoyed an interesting presentation on The Enigma Machine and how coding was used during the war. Neil Holmes gave a thought provoking lecture on global warming. The Headmaster allowed the pupils to question him about School in general as well as about the exciting new developments happening.

The various Inter-House competitions dominated the Lent term. Once again, the standard was high. I was also impressed by the range of pupils being awarded subject and endeavour prizes at Mark Reading. I would like to thank Mrs Barnett for her help and also Miss Leech for organising many sessions. Finally, I wish all the pupils well in the Fifth Form.S Dick

Upper Fourth

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U4 Subject Prizes

English Declan AmphlettMathematics Jagraj BhandalFrench Daniel GarvieSpanish Leah HillGerman Frederick FergusonBiology Natasha BatemanPhysics Lewis TurnerChemistry Lewis Turner Business Studies Elizabeth BoltonGeography Jagraj BhandalDesign & TechnologyGraphics Tara Thorpe Design & TechnologyRes. Materials Amy FosterArt Phoebe LydonTextiles Victoria EdwardsHistory Dominique FinlayMusic William ParkinsonClassical Civ. Christopher FosterLatin Alexander CoxDrama Asher HardyRS Natasha BatemanEAL Anton LarinPE Tom StokesICT Ivan TaptyginExtended Project Charlotte Head

Prizes for endeavour and progress:Anastasia Chebotareva, Ivaylo KarovBen Thornley, Lauren TownsendHannah Trow, James Tweddell

Prize for the year’s best work:Natasha Bateman

Fifth Form

This year’s Fifth Form is a delightfully impressive year group. When faced with challenges this year, they have responded admirably and shown maturity beyond their years. In the Michaelmas term they met three ex-alcoholics from Alcoholics Anonymous, who talked openly and directly about their experiences with alcohol. Far from being shocked, our pupils warmly asked questions of their visitors and expressed what an education the meeting had been. They had all become more aware of the symptoms and dangers of addiction.

In Lent, they met a successful (young) Old Bromsgrovian, Simon Bucknall (School House, Head Boy at both Winterfold and Bromsgrove School), who is in the business of public speaking. Pupils were entertainingly and enthusiastically taught to stand in front of their peers and speak confidently. By the end of the workshop, Tom Gretton awed and inspired us with his heartfelt definition of friendship. He looked confident and at home on the stage and his message was all the more effective because of this. Simon Bucknall was immediately voted one of the most popular speakers the pupils had ever seen.

Also in Lent, we were admonished by the Rev, as the Chapel was used as the venue for a rock guitarist. Reverend Hedworth came bounding over Gordon Green, to complain of the loud and devilish music that was emanating from his sacred building. Of course it was all for educational reasons, a talk by a physicist called Rock in 11 Dimensions: where physics and guitars collide. String theory. Noisy string theory.

In Summer, a local company, Hopwood International, came along to teach the Fifth Form how to stay safe using some basic self defence techniques. This pro-active and fun course taught about the power of body language and the importance of resolving conflict quickly and efficiently. Some of the Fifth Form girls were especially impressive escaping from strangle holds - something that I truly hope they never have to put into practice in real life. The most important lesson we learned was about distancing ourselves from the danger.

Well done to all of the Fifth Form. I sincerely wish you every success for results day. And good luck to Miss Williams, who will take over as Head of Fifth Form next year.J Boonnak

Lower Sixth

This year’s Lower Sixth listened and participated enthusiastically during Head of Year sessions to a wide variety of lectures, activities and workshops, including the Headmaster on The Invention of the Teenager, Mr Ruben’s lecture on The Economics and Politics of the Indian Sub-Continent, and Mr Bowen’s The rise and fall of the USA?  Our Christmas lecture this year was a poignant and personal story of the consequences of bad decision making.

Workshops included self defence and cookery (at university). There was also the House Debating Competition and a preview of the Pop and Jazz concert. Throughout the Summer term serious preparation for university applications began. Mr Barr, Head of Sixth Form (UCAS) and Miss Leech (Careers) gave excellent presentations followed by workshops.

The Lower Sixth Form are a stimulating, motivated, lively, intelligent and diverse mix of young people who will surely go onto greater things next year. It has been a privilege to work with them.  I must also thank my colleague Mrs Clee for her support and contributions through the year as Assistant Head of Year.Dr A Johns

Upper Fourth

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Year Group Reports

Upper Sixth

This is the first Upper Sixth group to progress through the Sixth form with the new horizontal structure, and our first year of A Level, BTEC and IB students coming through together, which added another dimension to the flavour of the year. They have been a dynamic group of students embarking on the final stage and taking the lead on so many areas of School life.

The Head of Year sessions hosted a number of talks and lectures on politics, religion and current affairs; some more controversial than others, as well as the House Debating and Music Competitions. A thought provoking lecture on the effect of drink driving on the lives of those involved had an impact on all of us. Life after Bromsgrove remains a focus for this year group particularly and I would like to thank the Sixth Form team, Mr Barr, Miss Leech, Dr Johns, Miss Tansley and Mrs Clee, for their support in this area, as well as the crucial efforts of the Sixth Form tutors. With government changes to university funding afoot as well as changes to the fee system the students had to consider even more this year than previously.

Lectures by both the careers department and the universities on the changing system did help to clarify some aspects of this new and evolving system.

Special thanks must go to the Heads of School, their team and the Heads of Houses for brilliant organisation and management of the year book and their fantastic help with the Sixth Form ball, which had the largest number of Sixth Form guests we have seen for many years. A superb group of Sixth Form IB students also organised a thought-provoking conference this year as their CAS project.

These talented young students have achieved some outstanding work in the last two years and we wish them all the best for continuing success; we hope that through their friendships and via Bromsgrovians Connected (alumni website) they will keep in touch and come back to offer a new Sixth Form their advice and wisdom in the future. F Bateman

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2011Pre-Prep Survivors

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Music & Drama

Choral Music at Bromsgrove

After a memorable and thrilling trip to New York in the Summer of last year, the Chapel Choir has continued to thrive. Currently numbering some fifty-five singers, they remain one of our most polished and celebrated groups. As well as their duties at School Services, they travelled to Lincoln Cathedral in February to sing Choral Evensong. Music was by Haydn, Sir John Stainer’s Canticles in B Flat, along with Herbert Sumsion’s setting of the Responses. The Choir also performed in the opening concert at the Bromsgrove Festival this year, singing three African Songs and joining with the Elgar Chorale in David Fanshawe’s acclaimed African Sanctus.

The newly formed Chamber Choir has also had a terrific start. Under the direction of Richard Knight, this select group of outstanding singers has performed at the Choral Society concert as well at St Swithun’s Church in Worcester. Music by Purcell, Elgar, Parry, and Wesley was performed, along with Robert Parsons’ sublime Ave Maria.

The Choral Society looks forward to returning to the splendour of Birmingham Town Hall in 2012, however this year chose the Memorial Chapel at School as its base. British Anthems formed the programme with Parry’s I was glad and Blest Pair of Sirens (both sung at the Royal Wedding!), Elgar’s Give unto the Lord, Wood’s Hail Gladdening Light, and Richard Knight’s Hail to the Lord’s Annointed. Written specially for the Chapel Choir’s USA tour, this was its first UK performance. The Director of Music accompanied the concert on the mighty Chapel Organ, performed two solos by Howells and W T Best, and once again the 100 or so singers were directed by Mr Knight.J R Kingston

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The Senior School once again enjoyed a varied, vibrant and exuberant House Song Competition held in Routh Hall in October. Annie Chatfield, Director of Performing Arts at Winchester House School in Brackley, came to adjudicate.

The theme this year was No.1 hits of the 1990s:

1. Wendron Gordon Wannabe (Spice Girls) Conducted by Adam Robertson

2. Hazeldene Like a Prayer (Madonna) Conducted by Philippa MacConnachie 3. Walters Uptown Girl (Billy Joel) Conducted by Aden Symonds 4. Oakley Heaven is a Place on Earth (Belinda Carlisle) Conducted by Hannah Rowsell

5. School Hit Me Baby, One More Time (Britney Spears) Conducted by Lewis Martins

6. Elmshurst Keep on Movin’ (5ive) Conducted by Anthony Ng

7. Thomas Cookes Bring it all Back (S Club 7) Conducted by Kamila Rafiqi and Jessica Wolinski

8. Lupton Only You (Flying Pickets) Conducted by Sam Adamson 9. Mary Windsor Fame (Irene Cara) Conducted by Polly Heung

10. Lyttelton The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Tightfit) Conducted by Jamie Hooper

11. Housman Hall Wake Me Up Before You Go Go (Wham) Conducted by Rebecca Hall

My thanks to all the musical directors and conductors who spurred their charges on, and my thanks to all performers for making the event so entertaining and uplifting. Houses achieved good musical results as well as a great show.J R Kingston

Inter-House Unison Song Competition Pop and Jazz 2011

The Concert of Popular Music and Jazz took place in Routh Hall on 15th and 16th March 2011.

The following pupils and staff performed individual or ensemble pieces for the show:The Big Band, Calum Cooper (Piano), Katie Vaughan, the Senior Brass Ensemble directed by Jo Hattersley, ‘Close Shave’ Barbershop led by Mr Richard Stephens, George Toft, Scott McQuaid, Jake Hunt, Simone Thompson-Smith, Emily Taylor, Indigo directed by Matt Roberts, Olivia Morris, Georgia Meredith, ‘Fellas’, Francesca Kingston, Sarah Westlake, Grace Stringer, Lewis Martins, Jazz Combo directed by Tom Bunting, Adam Robertson, Yianna Theodorou, Charlotte Collie (Voice & Bass), Emily Collie (Voice & Piano), Emma Reeves, the Piano Trio and Lauren Kim.

Thank you to everyone who assisted with Pop & Jazz this year, in particular the Music Department instrumental teaching colleagues, Mr Steve Kingston for all light, sound and stage management, Miss Clair Donnelly, Mrs Paddy Barr and Mr Philip Bowen.

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Threepenny Opera

The Threepenny Opera was a great challenge. There was much dialogue; the cast had to capture low life existence at the start of Queen Victoria’s reign; a very different language, dialect and culture to master and portray; a distinctive musical style too. It was a fascinating reworking of a great English play and our pupils carried it off wonderfully well.

They may not have had leading roles but in ensemble work, individually, the company were excellence personified - faces working all the time, utterly caught up in the action wherever and whenever one looked. The loose women were wonderfully portrayed with some great humour too; likewise the Gang who were a superb contrast to the ladies and brilliantly portrayed a motley group of thieves.

I had Mr Peachum’s irritating whiney, shrill voice in my ears after four performances. Supremely important near the start and finish in getting the audience in good humour (we even chuckled at his every entrance and exit); Simon Hotchin was brilliant.

Katie Thompson was utterly whole-hearted in her performance as Lucy; her solo was a highlight so too her fiery duet. She owned that stage with such confidence. We had a glimpse of Fran Kingston’s powerful voice near the end of the first half in the Tango Duet but she was supreme in her solo after the interval. That song was musical theatre at its best and her voice - allied to great character acting - was a highlight of the show. Tom Williams has graced our productions every year with his fine acting and rich voice. A natural presence on stage, there is always something very homely and reassuring when Tom is on stage. An intelligent, dignified actor, his excellence never wavered.

Polly Fletcher looked straight out of a soap opera – hair, brash voice, fiery, feisty, sometimes fearsome and always loud. This was a heart and soul performance. Emily Taylor as the graceful and elegant bride – was a revelation. What a voice! It verged on the operatic and that wild, hypnotic first song came like a bolt out of the blue. It called for such controlled acting, gestures towards the distant horizon, a snatch of hysterical laughter – a sublime and electrifying moment.

Jamie Hooper delivered a towering performance. Crucial to several scenes, and early on too when confidence needed to flow, Jamie gave strength to all. Here was professional acting in every moment he was on stage. The rich voice – we have heard that before – but now also in song, that authoritive, physical presence, great composure, again such intelligent delivery of lines and wit – this was such a masterly, strong contribution to the show.

So to the rogue. Last year brilliant as Mercutio, this year Lewis Martins faced another very challenging part but much bigger. At times so dominant on stage – with the gang in those scenes early on, in philosophical reflections at the close - yet at times so quietly understated. He has a very fine singing voice too, notably in the love duet and Easy Life. He captured the likeable rogue so well and the darker side too. His physical movement, timing, authority – here was a perfect Macheath.

We pay tribute to the Director of Music who rehearsed pupils in the solos, duets and chorus numbers. For some it was a big leap of faith and a totally new experience and challenge on stage; Mr Kingston gave them that self-belief by believing in them. The music was brilliantly done.

Finally, to the Producer and Director, Mrs James, who bore the greatest burden and whose vision this show was. It was a brave choice of an unusual piece of theatre, with dazzling marshalling of forces at big flowing moments, great acting throughout, a riot of colourful costumes, brilliant lighting, a simple but so effective set – all came together with admirable artistic unity into a thoroughly enjoyable, professional production. P Bowen

Music & Drama

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Cast List

Macheath Lewis MartinsJ J Peachum Jamie HooperPolly Peachum Emily TaylorMrs Celia Peachum Polly FletcherTiger Brown Tom WilliamsLow Dive Jenny Fran KingstonLucy Brown Katie Thompson

Matt of the Mint George ToftCrook Finger Jake Will Bedford-RussellFilch Simon HotchinBob the Saw Alex BlackDreary Walter Ollie StrongJimmy/Constable Rupert HarrisMolly Georgia MeredithBetty Sasha BradleyDolly Yianna TheodorouCoaxer Monti BentSmith Charlie GreenConstable/Company Richard HorridgeVicar/Company Harry Heath

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Music & Drama

Northern Lights

Mr Merrell joined forces with Mrs McKee to direct Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights. Brilliantly adapted, this was wonderfully done – outstanding acting from the Fourth Form cast, great movement, pace, timing, music, plus the splendid costumes, puppets and background slides by Mrs McKee. The talented cast, backstage crew and directors created a memorable, ingenious, atmospheric production.

Well done to Rebecca Stevens who was excellent in the lead role as Lyra; Max Griesbach brilliant as her daemon; Sasha Bradley imperious as Mrs Coulter; Josh Watkins so effective in a challenging non-speaking role; Declan Amphlett a supremely clear confident Lord Asriel; Miles Burke superb as Roger, so too Erica Groves as Salcilia; Niall Hegarty who played both The Master and Lee Scoresby with such articulation, authority and theatrical presence. P Bowen

House Drama

Housman Hall, Hazeldene and Mary Windsor all made it through to the final of the House Drama Competition this year, with entertaining and thought-provoking adaptations, directed by the Upper Sixth Drama representatives and performed to a very high standard.

Housman Hall were deemed the worthy winners, following a superbly directed and polished adaptation of a thought-provoking and tense piece of theatre touching upon the manifestation of mental-illness following the loss of a loved one. Rebecca Hall, one of the key actors in the piece, received the prize for the best performance in the competition, following a heart-wrenching and thoroughly believable characterisation in a difficult role.

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Housman Verse

Thirteen

 

I am the twisted, burning

Ass who carries books to

Class and comes back

Drained and Pained in

Lethargy.

 

And the endless line of fat,

Virile babies spouting

Loathsome, hollow hatred.

And I am the dead, dumb

Effigy.

 

Do you love me? Teacher,

Wincing behind syllabus

And ageing textbook written

With warbling pen in some strange, dead

Language.

 

But now I see all,

Like the colours in a

Stained glass window.

Awful, shrieking foetus

God.

 

In chapel, in prayer,

There is some ode,

Some dirge to kill

That inescapable fatigue and

Fervour.

 

Two years, two years,

To shape the heart agape

With mournful gait;

And deflating

Hate.

 

For of the world, you see,

There is a hopeful facture,

To remould, reshape

That head of yours that blooms in red

Plush.

 

You are an infant,

And you are the insatiable

God that yearns, and hates

And supplicates, to be

Free.

Written by Alistair Aktas

The Housman Verse is named after Old Bromsgrovian and Poet A.E. Housman

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The academic year 2010/2011 is the department’s first whole year housed in the newly refurbished Science laboratories. Pupils have excelled throughout the School within and beyond the classroom. At the time of writing twenty percent of our Upper Sixth have offers to study Science and Science related courses at university. Particular congratulations go to David Yang and Harriet Alford who have been given offers for Engineering and Chemical Engineering respectively at Cambridge University.

Enrichment

September saw the city of Birmingham host the British Science Festival. During the second week of the Michaelmas term our GCSE and A level pupils spent respective days out at the festival held at the Science Think Tank. The Lent term saw pupils from the Fifth Form visiting New Theatre in Oxford to hear, amongst others, the famous scientist Richard Dawkins, author of bestselling books The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion, as part of the BBC Live! event. In the Summer term our Fourth Form spent a day at Staffordshire University studying Robotics where pupils learned how to build and program robotics to respond to their surroundings.

Ground Breakers

Jagraj Bhandal, Freddie Ferguson, Lizzie Stone, Natasha Bateman and Jo Messore of our Upper Fourth joined a collaboration this year with four local schools know as The Ground Breakers. The initiative was set up in order for enthusiastic young scientists to explore key ‘Ground Breaking’ experiments in Science. Throughout the academic year The Ground Breakers Club visited our partner schools and other institutions to learn about and recreate scientific breakthroughs. Jagraj and Freddie also started their AS level in Physics two years early; they take their first modules this year.

CERN

The Physics department took eighteen of our Sixth Form to Geneva to the particle accelerator CERN in March of this year. Pupils spent the day touring the particle accelerator and were fortunate to meet and hear from scientists working on the world famous Large Hadron Collider. Pupils also got time to visit the UN in Geneva and tour the city.

Links with Local Universities

The department has furthered links with Birmingham and Warwick Universities. Our pupils were able to regularly attend the evening lecture programme which included subjects from forensics to the world of Quantum Mechanics. The Lower Sixth also spent a day in the laboratories at Warwick where they gained firsthand experience as life as a Physics undergraduate with the opportunity to work with current post graduate students. We are very grateful to Lynne Long and Ally Caldecote for strengthening the relations between Bromsgrove School and Birmingham and Warwick University respectively.

Prep School Science Morning

Pupils from Year 6 spent a morning at the Senior School to attend workshops in the three Sciences. They were treated to a liquid nitrogen display by Lynne Long of Birmingham University who afterwards used the low temperatures of the nitrogen to make the pupils ice-creams. Paul Carpenter brought in a variety of mini-beasts into School for the pupils to observe and hold and our own Dr Werrett also produced whizzes and bangs for the pupils in Chemistry, making bouncing custard balls.

Pre-Prep Science Club

Our DofE and IB pupils have collectively designed and delivered a curriculum for our Year 2 pupils involving the design and construction of hovering octopi, bridges, elastic cars and much more. For their promotion of Science to youngsters, Adam Clegg, Fran Kingston, Sarah Moors, Lauren Kim, Kay Sin, Peter Walton, Richard Horridge and Alistair Hey all received CREST awards from the British Science Association.

Science

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Visiting Speakers

We were again proud to host the annual Institute of Physics lecture this year which was delivered by plasma physicist and Science Communicator Dr Melanie Windridge. This was in addition to our own evening lecture programme which saw many high profile scientists visit the School to talk to our pupils. Topics ranged from the ‘Role of a Chemist in Medical Research’ to the ‘Life Cycle of a Sperm’; a particular highlight was a visit from Dr Mark Lewney - the guitar doctor – who mesmerised pupils with links between his electric guitar to the Physics of quantum mechanics and string theory. The Chapel, I don’t believe, had seen anything quite like it before.

Science & Eng. Society

We introduced for the first year our own Science and Engineering Society in our Fourth Form. It is currently twenty strong but still in its infancy; we hope to build a core of scientists who will go on to study Science at Sixth Form and beyond. Watch this space.

Physics and Eng. Society

The Physics and Engineering Society continues to extend our gifted Physicists in the Sixth Form. Both Chi Fan Leung and Stella Tsui have recently had papers accepted to the international journal Physics Education from the work they have done with us. Chi Fan, who also received Gold in the Physics Olympiad, and Stella go on to study Physics and Maths at Cambridge and Engineering at Imperial College respectively. Ben Coope, Eileen Wu, Jan Carius, Tianyao Wang and Rupert Harris also received offers to read Engineering related degrees at Imperial College London. We are very proud of all their achievements.

Biodiesel Project

The Bromsgrove School biodiesel Sixth Form project started in mid September 2010 based in the Chemistry department, but in truth it was conceived as a multi-disciplinary project with engineering, project management and financial skills being developed too. The aim was to investigate the possibility of replacing some of the hydrocarbon diesel used to fuel the Schools’ fleet of minibuses on biodiesel produced from processed waste vegetable oil.

Originally we thought the waste oil would have to be sourced from the local community but it soon became apparent that the School kitchens could provide ample waste oil of good quality for our needs.

The process itself involves filtration of waste oil and a chemical process, known as transesterification followed by ‘washing’ of the impure diesel and a final process known as polishing to produce a product meeting the appropriate European standard. Initial work involved very small scale laboratory work followed by scaled up production resulting in fifty litres being made for further testing – including use in the chemistry teacher’s car on site visits relating to the project!

After successful presentations to the Headmaster, Governors and the Bursar the next phase is to look to scale up the process to hopefully produce up to twenty percent of minibus needs. This will be the focus of the team, augmented by new members in the year ahead and, despite claims to the contrary, engines running on biodiesel do not smell of French fries! This year’s team included Harriet Alford, Marek Pötzsch, Eva Tsoneva, Paul Czech, Sophia Zhao, Alexander Engel and Maggie Lam.M Stone

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Trips

German Exchange

During the Easter holidays the first ever joint German Exchange / History trip to Berlin took place. Eighteen pupils studying German stayed with host families in Potsdam and visited various sites including the famous Prussian palaces, Checkpoint Charlie and the Jewish Museum. There was also a tour of Berlin’s local radio and television station with the opportunity to see live programmes being made. The sixteen historians stayed in a hotel in Berlin and visited many of Berlin’s important historical sites and monuments such as Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and the stadium built for the 1936 Olympic games. The pupils behaved fantastically, learned a lot and enjoyed themselves.M Beet

French Exchange

A group of Upper Fourth boys, accompanied by Mr Watkins and Miss Williams, took part in the fifth annual French Exchange with Lycée Saint Vincent in Rennes. We had exceptionally good weather throughout the week, so that visits to Mont St Michel, Nantes and St Malo were thoroughly enjoyed. They also had the chance to attend morning lessons on one day. The boys all made great efforts to speak French with their correspondants, and ate vast amounts of crêpes and galettes. R Watkins

Spain 2011

A group of pupils from Lower Fourth, Upper Fourth and Sixth Form headed off to Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava in Northern Spain. Our flight from Bristol to Barcelona landed us into some very hot weather. Shorts and t-shirts were the dress code!

On our first full day in Spain we enjoyed visits to some of the most famous museums in Spain, including the Picasso Museum and the Casa-Museu Dali which were both incredible.

Early in the week we took a day trip into Barcelona where we walked down the famous Las Ramblas and visited the old Gothic Quarter of the city. Over the weekend we climbed high to the Montserrat Monastery and the the Croscat volcano which is around 11,500 years old.

As well as having a busy time sight-seeing, we also found time to relax on the beach at Tossa and in Lloret de Mar, just a few villages down from Tossa. Overall the trip was a great success where everyone got to enjoy themselves and meet new people. I would like to thank Mrs Haycock for conducting such a well organised and brilliant trip! Alex Moore

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Lower Sixth Trip to London

Thirty-seven pupils started their day with a visit to Chelsea Football Club. They discovered the financial details for a typical match day and the key principals behind the club’s branding, sponsorship, merchandising and pricing strategies were explained. The tour encompassed the press room where it was evident that sponsorship formed an important part of the promotional mix. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed holding their own press conference followed by a visit to the changing rooms, to learn about the multi-million pounds worth of talent at the Club, and hear about stories and rituals that the players follow. The Bromsgrovians then ran down the players tunnel to be presented with spectacular views of the, impeccably maintained, pitch of the Stamford Bridge stadium.

We then braved the London congestion to reach the Bank of England. Sometimes known as the ‘Old Lady’ of Threadneedle Street, the Bank was founded in 1694, nationalised in 1946, and gained independence in 1997. Standing at the centre of the UK’s financial system, the pupils advanced their understanding of the Bank’s role in financial stability and its commitment to promoting and maintaining monetary stability as its contribution to a healthy economy. The discussions were particularly prevalent given the current climate and direct links to both AS and A2 syllabi. The pupils learned about how the Bank’s roles and functions have evolved and changed over its 300 year history and had the opportunity to hold a gold bar. Full advantage was taken of the interactive videos and games on offer at the museum. In addition, pupils received an informative presentation, followed by a question and answer session in which Tom Caswell, Bendix Persche and Michael Cox, amongst others, used their theoretical knowledge to probe for further details.

On the journey home, the aptly named ‘Economists’ team (Leo Wittek, Adam Robertson, Paulis Kazemekaitis and Marko Mililicevic) won the quiz of the day in a nail biting tie break question. All pupils were a credit to themselves and Bromsgrove throughout the day. A Brereton

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Activities

George Jacob Society

The George Jacob Society, an academic discussion group for pupils in the Fourth and Fifth Forms, has gone from strength to strength this year. More pupils have come to the Tuesday lunch time sessions than ever before and the topics discussed have been extremely varied. We have talked about all the major political parties, the arguments for and against the existence of God and various important scientific discoveries from the telescope to DNA. I have been aided hugely by guest appearances from Dr Thompson, Mr Merrick and Miss Lambert who have plugged huge holes in my own scientific knowledge. The year culminated in a trip to Cambridge where we saw much of the town and the university.

I have enjoyed running the society for the past eight years and know that it will flourish next year under the leadership of Dr Ruben.M Beet

Charities Committee The Senior School has held a number of Own Clothes Days raising money for a number of different charities including Make a Wish foundation, Cancer Research UK, St Basils and Fountain of Hope (Uganda). Our annual Bromsgrove’s Got Talent show raised money for Children in Need.Rev Hedworth

Film Club

Film Club offers the chance to watch, debate and review the best in cinema. This year we have enjoyed thought-provoking sci-fi, debated media violence and censorship in relation to action blockbusters, considered issues of voyeurism and evaluated attitudes towards women and marriage in a range of international film.R Fenn

Business and Accounting

Miss Keys took two Bromsgrove Teams to be entered in the National Business, Accounting and Skills Education Regional Heat. Over thirty teams entered this event from schools across Worcestershire and Herefordshire and both teams from Bromsgrove displayed excellent team work throughout the day, as well as delivering a professional business pitch to a panel of accountants and judges.

Both teams excelled themselves and did themselves and the School proud, achieving first and second place respectively. The winning team are now invited to the Regional Finals in Birmingham where they will compete against twenty-nine other teams from around the UK for the title of National Business, Accounting and Skills Education Champions 2011. Well done to William Sarjant, Nicholas Garvie, Emma Sellers, Harriet Jones, Lydia Cotton, Josh Hutchings.

Young Enterprise

The Magic 17 company took part in the Worcester Trade Fair at Christmas and the Redditch Trade Fair where they won the prestigious award of ‘Best Customer Service’. They also took part in the Regional Young Enterprise Presentation evening at St Augustine’s school, Redditch.

Blue Cross

Every Saturday this year, Miss Dick has kindly taken Jack, Kirstie and Paul to the Blue Cross Animal Sanctuary in Catshill. Once there, we helped out the employees to take out the dogs and socialize with the cats. It was an extremely valuable experience and it has been a fantastic year. Thank you Miss Dick!

Debating Society

The Debating Society meets weekly on Friday lunchtimes to debate issues of global importance as well as matters directly concerning Bromsgrove. 

Credit: ICAEW

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Activities

This year has seen debut debates from several promising Lower Fourths, while pupils in the Upper Fourth show consistent ability. Jake Perryman made his competitive debut this year and looks an excellent prospect for the future while Sarah Westlake will be sadly missed next year; she has contributed three outstanding years and we wish her well; she and Declan reached the second round of the Taylor Trophy, as did Freddie Ferguson and Simon Hotchin. 

At Sixth Form level the debaters have had a successful year with Will Sarjant and Henry Morris being first and second speakers on the tab at the Three Counties Debate and then going on to win the Conservative Association Debate, for which they were rewarded by a trip to the House of Commons. 

Leaving this year are the Upper Sixth debaters who have contributed a great deal; Daniela Avramioti has been a calm and reliable chair for many Friday debates as well as taking part in the difficult Debating Matters competition, while Vesko Karadotchev and Jason Wong in particular have been stalwart supporters and marvellously entertaining speakers; good luck to them all.

Bromsgrove Badge All of our Lower Fourth pupils have been given an introduction to the School’s outdoor pursuits programme through their participation in the Bromsgrove Badge scheme on Tuesday afternoons. Pupils have been involved in a range of different activities which have encompassed many aspects of outdoor education and helped to prepare them for Lower Fourth camp in June. The activities are designed to provide experiences not available during normal lesson time, helping pupils to develop a wide range of skills that will be extremely useful throughout their lives. This year pupils have undertaken activities such as rock climbing, camp craft, food technology, orienteering, photography and courtroom drama.

Lower Fourth Camp In preparation for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award, all Lower Fourth pupils spent three nights under canvas in June, staying near Symmonds Yat in the Forest of Dean. Despite variable weather, pupils had a very enjoyable time, undertaking activities such as caving, kayaking, raft building, high ropes, abseiling and completing an 18km expedition walk.

European Youth Parliament National Finals Ten Lower Sixth students spent four days at the start of the summer holidays debating European political issues at Durham University with the regional winners from fourteen areas of the UK.  They were addressed at the opening ceremony by Martin Callanan, MEP for the North-East and the leader of the Conservative Party in the European Parliament, who spoke about his work as an MEP, while Richard Hodgson, representing the Co-op chain of business, examined the impact of the democratic structure of the Co-op. 

After an energetic day teambuilding, the General Assembly was declared in session and the team threw themselves wholeheartedly into debate. 

Hamish Docherty was the first to distinguish himself, proposing their resolution on higher education reform in a purposeful exploration of the steps that EU member states should take to maintain their competitive nature in a global market.  After heated debate from the floor, Will Sarjant’s Churchillian rhetoric in calling for an innovative approach to university funding in his closing speech gained warm applause. 

Later in the day, Harry Heath gave a spontaneous, but typically detailed and methodical attack speech on the imposition of human rights sanctions in Belarus.  All ten participated fully in the fourteen debates, managing to maintain stamina and enthusiasm throughout the eleven-hour marathon of Saturday’s session, and by the time the final debate closed on Sunday, it was clear they were still very much in contention, though facing strong competition.  However, they were eventually declared the winners of the National Finals and now proceed to the International Sessions in Zagreb, Croatia, in October, where they will debate current affairs with other young Europeans from thirty different countries.  This is a tremendous achievement and we wish them well.K C Linehan

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Community Action

Community Service at Bromsgrove School has flourished this year, with many more pupils getting involved and plenty more activities have been on offer...

Residential Home Visits

This year Bromsgrove School pupils have forged even stronger links with three residential homes in the Bromsgrove area. Many pupils have benefitted from the experience of working with the elderly and for some, it has helped them to confirm that a career working with the public is for them.

Fairtrade Café

A range of pupils in the Fifth Form have been involved in running the Fairtrade Cafe this year. They have ordered stock and handled money. They have also been very pleasant waiting staff and salespeople.

Sports Leadership

Pupils have designed, resourced and taught sports lessons to Prep School pupils. This activity has enabled pupils to try out their sports teaching skills while working with a younger year group and it has benefitted our Prep School pupils in return. Pupils were continuously assessed and will be awarded with their Sports Leader Award.

Charity Shops

Our Fifth and Sixth Formers have sorted, pressed and hung clothes in two local charity shops and helped to make the stores look their best for the general public. Max Thorpe and Matt Drane so impressed one shop manager with their kindness and consideration to others, that she wrote to the School to say how pleased she was.

Charities Committee

Pupils on the charities committee have done a fantastic job this year fundraising for several charities by holding a Bromsgrove’s Got Talent evening event, and several own clothes days.

Design for Conservation

Conservation pupils have worked in the Design and Technology department to locate suitable locations for bat and bird boxes, and mini bee hives. They have then built and painted their boxes and placed them in our School eco garden.

Foreign Language Leadership

Our Fifth Form pupils, with skills in a foreign language, have worked hard this year designing lessons in French, Spanish and German for Prep School pupils. They have used ICT to make their lessons more interactive and have greatly helped some Year 8 pupils with their revision.

Schools

Pupils have attended two nurseries in the Bromsgrove area to provide assistance for the children who attend them. The pupils have been involved in caring for a range of age groups from tiny babies to children of six and seven.

Dance Leadership

A group of dancers designed, resourced and taught dance lessons to Prep School pupils. Successful pupils will be awarded their Dance Leaders Award.

St Basils

Fifth Form pupils held two events to sell high street clothing this year, one in the Senior School and one in the Prep School. The fashionable summer shoes were snapped up and the money raised went to support St Basil’s local charity which helps homeless young people.

Bromsgrove Badge

The Lower Sixth supported Lower Fourth pupils while they participated in the Bromsgrove Badge, assisting with teamwork sessions such as orienteering and research sessions about the historical significance of Bromsgrove’s buildings.

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Learning Mentors

Sixth Form pupils helped Prep School pupils in their lessons by supporting the classroom teacher. Prep School pupils read their reading books to the Sixth Formers in small groups or individually, and Senior School pupils helped with practical work and extension of the curriculum.

Boarding Mentors

During the evenings, pupils in Prep School boarding houses have a study period. Every day, pupils from the Sixth Form visited these boarding Houses to help with prep. The Prep School international pupils really appreciated the input, especially when it came from a Senior School pupil who spoke their native language.

Discussion Lunches

Gifted, talented and able Prep School pupils were invited to attend discussion lunches, where Senior School pupils assisted and prepared them to hold a discussion or debate on a topical issue.

Graphic Novel

Fifth Form pupils have been working in groups and using their art skills to painstakingly design and create a graphic novel. It is hoped that these books will be published and sold to raise funds for charities in the future.

Book Collection

No longer does the School hoard old textbooks because Fifth and Sixth Form pupils have collected them all up, and sent them off to schools in developing countries to be used by less privileged children. This year, three car loads have been sent!

Student Listeners

Fifth and Sixth Form pupils have trained as ‘Student Listeners’ this year and then used their skills to listen to the problems of younger pupils in the School, and to advise them on a sensible course of action. They have been another link in the strong and supportive chain in the School.J L Boonnak and L J Falconer

Eco-Action

From the gardener’s banquet to the Malvern Flower show, this has been another busy year for the eco-action group. The students started the year with a bumper harvest from the vegetable plots, the School’s amazing chefs transformed the produce into a meal that the finest restaurants would have been proud of; the lavender shortbread was the talk of the staff room.

The eco-action team have continued to visit Lickey End nature reserve on a number of occasions. There is now a thriving water vole community in this park and the team have been instrumental in establishing the conditions necessary for them to thrive. At the end of the year I attended a meeting with the Green Flag assessors (a nationally recognised award for excellence in parks) and they were extremely complimentary of the work that our students had done at the site.

In the garden the team have developed a beautiful wildlife area, growing most of the plants from seed. We were treated to a visit by a willow specialist who helped the students create fences and obelisks; we even have an animal in the garden which keeps evolving as the students add more willow to it! Community action day in May saw the final transformation of this area which is dedicated to Jenny Fisher, a long serving nurse in the health centre.

The number of butterflies and bees in the garden has increased significantly.

Eating the produce has been a recurring theme this year. In addition to the banquet, we enjoyed pumpkin soup in the greenhouse on the cold evening in November, which was in stark contrast to the Eton Mess that the team enjoyed in the last week of the Summer term with our home grown strawberries.

Already we are looking ahead to next year. The team are very excited about two major projects: The Malvern Flower Show and the New Conservation garden by the LRC. The School have been asked to design a flower garden for the Malvern show, this will include pupils from all three sections of the School. The theme for this year is sustainability and we will be designing a garden to promote the sustainability of bees. Planting has already begun and we are delighted that Speller Metcalfe have offered their support with the hard landscaping and planning. The IB team have been working on the plans for the new conservation garden; this will include an outdoor classroom giving a wonderful opportunity for a new learning environment. J Holden

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CCF

Overview

Changes of faces amongst CCF staff have been a theme. We welcomed Miss Roberta Keys who joined us with valuable background experience as a former cadet in the ACF. Then just days before the first Parade we learned that the Estates Manager Mr Ted Palmer was being posted elsewhere, on the brink of fledging with us his expertise as an ex-Royal Marine. At the end of the Lent Term Mr and Mrs Johnson left Bromsgrove for exciting new ventures amidst the oil emirates of Aberdeen, and in wishing them well for their future we also cast memories long over nearly seven years as stalwarts in the CCF. Flight Lieutenant Geoff Johnson stepped into the breech to fill an interregnum with the RAF in 2005, and many successes climaxed with the award of the Sir John Thompson Memorial Sword to CWO Ben Coombs (OB) in 2008. We thank him for giving so many years of stability to the RAF Section and for his friendly and wide-ranging support to the Contingent. An equal indebtedness to Lieutenant Clare Johnson is underlined by the gaps which she leaves in the Army Section as a Platoon Commander, Skill At Arms Instructor and calmly authoritative and capable manager of cadets.

At the Officers’ and Senior NCO’s Dinner in May we said farewell and thank you to the U6th who have served us with loyalty and strength over four or even five years. The OC’s Tankards were presented to Flt Sgt Caroline Hewitt who exceptionally served as an Old Bromsgrovian whilst fulfilling her Upper Sixth year, and to CSM David Lea. Excellent support throughout the year was given by S/Sgt Hugh Lockhart and Sgts Amy Armstrong and Harry Gray in the Army Section, and by Sgt Helen Brookes and Rupert Harris (also Drum Major) in the RAF. We also thanked Miss Lissie Fuller for her two years of cheerful and enthusiastic work with the Recruits and wish her well as she joins the RAF Section at King’s School Worcester. The evening’s special guest was Warrant Officer First Class Frank Byrne who has now retired as CCF Administrative Assistant for our parent Brigade in Shrewsbury. His association with the School’s cadet force lasted decades, firstly as our dedicated member of the Cadet Training Team and then in his supporting and guiding role to contingents across the area. Warm thanks were offered to Captain Maund for organising the event and to the catering department for superb presentation and fare on this and many other occasions during the year.

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CCF Outreach

The CCF has unique opportunities for outreach and bears responsibility to exercise that on behalf of the School as well as in support of our ’parent’ regular services. Starting from within the Bromsgrove community it was fitting that the welcoming party for the Old Bromsgrovians was held in the Armoury for many had memories of their times in the CCF, and several current senior NCOs officiated smartly in uniform. The theme of remembering Bromsgrove’s long history of cadet and military service formed the basis of one of the articles published to mark ‘Cadet 150’ in the Combined Cadet Force Association magazine. Some dozen cadets including new recruits were honoured to attend the special ceremony at the meeting of Bromsgrove District Council in which the Mercian Regiment was granted the Freedom of the town. Before Remembrance the keenness of the new Recruits was manifest at two sessions selling poppies for the Royal British Legion at the Jinny Ring Craft Centre, and the tradition of performing Last Post at the Oddfellows Memorial in the town, in St John’s church and at the Burma Star Memorial was superbly maintained by Trumpeter William Parkinson.

At the School Services on Remembrance Sunday wreaths were laid by Mr Richard Brookes (Governor and OB) on behalf of the Old Bromsgrovians and by S/Sgt Hugh Lockhart (Head Boy) on behalf of today’s pupils. The Escort Party consisted of CSM David Lea, Flt Sgt Caroline Hewitt and Sgts Helen Brookes and Ben Coope. All members of the U4th attended in CCF uniform to form a Church Parade. In the new year, Trumpeters William Parkinson and Ben Hesketh played for a very chilly ceremony in Sanders Park to mark Holocaust Memorial. In the Summer term the contingent offered a strong delegation at the flag-raising ceremony at Bromsgrove District Council offices to mark the start of Armed Services week, and the Corps of Drums made its mark with displays at four public events.

Michaelmas Term

A special programme rewarded those cadets who elected to continue with CCF in the Fifth Form, commencing with watermanship and high ropes sessions at Upton Warren. After completing sports fixtures in the afternoon, members of ‘A’ Company arrived as darkness fell on the Nesscliff South training area and commenced a tactical deployment in a new-style overnight exercise. Realism was ever-present during the night patrol as the woods were spookily full of Regular and Territorial soldiers also harboured up and conducting their own patrols. Early on the Sunday morning the cadets enjoyed a superb survival exercise presented by WOI Simon Jarman, a former Special Forces chef, and the food prepared in field conditions provided lunch after an excellent full-bore shooting session.

On the first Sunday in October some 140 members of the CCF stepped out of coaches into torrential rain at Swynnerton Old Park near Stoke-on-Trent to commence their Bronze D of E Expedition.

Body and spirit were thus tested beyond the usual physical and navigational challenges, but before darkness fell at 7.30 pm every single one of them had completed the trek, pitched camp and cooked an evening meal. The reward came on Monday when warm and sunny weather greeted them for the multiple activities of Field Day. A further eighty cadets joined them at the Army Field Training  Centre at Swynnerton for the ‘A’ company training circuit consisting of Battlecraft, First Aid, DCCT (laser range), Close Quarter Combat and Royal Engineer stands, this running in parallel with the Junior Circuit comprising Obstacle Course, Command Tasks, Fieldcraft, Camouflage, Signals and Orienteering.

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CCF

Orienteering Championships

The Contingent entered teams in the separate classes for CCF Boys and CCF Girls in the 143 (West Midlands) Brigade Orienteering Championships at Nesscliff. Cadets were required to navigate individually around a 6km course which posed a variety of technical challenges, and the Bromsgrove teams predominantly filled by U4 cadets showed great character and determination. The girls’ team were placed second in their class, and the boys also ran well in their event. With appetites thus whetted, a record number volunteered to travel to Yorkshire in late November for the National (LAND) event thus enabling us to field teams in all four classes. All competed superbly in raw conditions and we were delighted that both of the girls’ teams came runners-up in this national event.

Recruits Passing Out Parade

With exceptionally wintry conditions the usual circuit of Drill tests for the annual Recruits Parade was modified to allow some stands to take place in the Sports Hall. The Recruits showed tremendous self-discipline, patience and much strength of character. Of the many cadets worthy of selection for the Competition Final those chosen were Recruits Sam Adamson, Natasha Bateman, Esme Dyson, Matthew Dyson, Dominique Finlay, Amy Foster, Ben Harmer, Simon Hotchin, James Hubscher, Armand Lambert, Philip Rowsell, and Elizabeth Stone. After a nerve-wracking final performance in front of the full Parade and many top visitors the prizes were presented by the Reviewing Officer Group Captain (Retd) John Rogers (OB).

Lent Term

Two teams spent five Friday evenings practising for and competing in the Green Howards ‘Country Life’ shooting competition. As the records show, they follow a long line of Old Bromsgrovians who have enjoyed target shooting. Early in February six members of the CCF undertook the annual CCF Ex ‘Exmail’: an arduous two-day trekking and camping exercise in Somerset and on Exmoor. The first day of the expedition consisted of a trek along the full length of the Quantock Hills and then an overnight camp at the Punchbowl near Winsford. Snug in well-pitched tents some heavy rain overnight posed no problems and cleared in time for breakfast before the second day’s walk which led across the wilder parts of Exmoor to an ascent of Dunkery Beacon, the highest point on Exmoor. A week later members of the Ten Tors team gave up the first weekend of their half-term to trek the wildernesses of Dartmoor in preparation for one of the toughest challenge events for young people.

Internal Review

The ‘between years’ Internal Review affords the CCF an excellent opportunity to celebrate, to thank those who have contributed and supported it over the years and to welcome others with local connections. We were delighted that Brigadier Simon Hill OBE MPhil kindly agreed to act as Reviewing Officer, and he was accompanied by Group Captain John Rogers and Councillor Mrs June Griffiths, Chairman of the Bromsgrove District Council. The weather was kind and the Contingent looked splendid parading amongst the late flowers on the first really glorious day of Spring. The first Parade was led by Flt Sgt Caroline Hewitt, and after the formal Inspection the cadets dispersed to more than twenty training stands around the grounds. After re-forming on the Parade Ground the Band gave the first of their displays of the season before the Brigadier gave his Address to the Contingent. Coming as this did from the Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines and an Old Bromsgrovian able to draw upon deep memories of the School, this was particularly meaningful and well-appreciated by all ages present.

 

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CCF Adventurous Training  The annual Easter Adventurous Training Camp took place in Snowdonia and the late end to the term helped the weather to smile upon the cadets undertaking a Gold D of E practice or just attending to enjoy the camp life and wonderful scenery. Most of the three mountain ranges in the National Park were traversed including the length of the Carneddau, parts of the Glyders and Snowdon. Descending from the highest peak in England and Wales there was a special experience when one of Prince William’s former helicopter instructors who was assisting us with supervision on the mountains summoned a helicopter and a full simulated rescue took place!

Summer Term

With Fifth and Sixth Forms absorbed with examinations, Summer Term activity in the CCF focused upon the U4 cadets who elected to continue with CCF. Little more than a week into term they conducted themselves with great determination on a Silver D of E practice on the Long Mynd and this was followed by Field Day at Nesscliff in Shropshire which included blank firing and tactics, top-rope climbing, and shooting in the miniature range and the DCCT (laser training).

Corps of Drums

The Band was in action at Sanders Park in support of the Royal British Legion which included a number of performances and static displays. The Band performed with panache and professionalis, making a fine setting in the Park. Drum Major Rupert Harris gave a smart lead, and he was well-supported by indomitable bass-drumming by Charles Ng, crisp side-drumming led by Polly Heung, and musical playing and smartly intelligent formation-marching by the whole Band. Later the Band enjoyed playing at the Pre-Preparatory Summer Fair, and the climax of their season came when they led the annual Court Leet Bailiff’s Procession from Housman Hall to the Strand and back to the Housman Statue. The Band bade farewell to Drum Major Rupert Harris who concluded his very loyal five years of service by leading them with exemplary bearing.

CCF Summer Camp

Little over an hour after the conclusion of Commemoration the CCF set off for Longmoor in Hampshire for CCF Summer Camp. Days were busy and varied, with an intensive programme which included tactics, skill at arms, watermanship on Hawley Lake, orienteering, shooting, survival, a visit to the South Downs and a superb all-day military skills competition. The whole package aims to develop character, self–discipline and confidence and the enthusiasm and strength of the marvellous group who elected to attend led to a burgeoning sense of adult fulfilment and appetite for leadership.

RAF Section

The remarkable enthusiasm and developing capability of the rising ranks in the RAF Section compensated for the interregnum, and with good leadership by the NCOs the Junior Flights of cadets quickly advanced their skills to the extent that badges were earned.

Strong numbers attended Air Experience Flying days at RAF Cosford in all three terms and relished the opportunities to do aerobatics and to take the controls of the Grob Tutor aircraft, and two cadets also went gliding in February.

Pilot Officer Giles Bowmer came back from his qualifying course at RAF Cranwell with shining face and a uniform to match, and with the return of Flying Officer Tara Helmore from maternity in September and such a keen body of cadets, the Section seems well set to achieve higher altitudes in the future.  

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Duke of Edinburgh Award

All participants, in both the silver and gold awards, deserve great praise for their successes in the award this year. For the Gold award, participants are required to take on a five day residential project away from friends and family; for some, a very daunting adventure. This year outward bound activities in Snowdonia, cookery school, animal sanctuary on Exmoor, conservation projects and scaling Mount Kilimanjaro are listed among their projects. The most impressive pupils have been the ten members of the Upper Sixth who completed their award before leaving School, never has the School had so many Gold awards completed before leaving.

2010-11 Roll of Honour

Basic Expedition Leader award: Rupert Waters

Gold award:Current pupilsHarriet Alford, Ben Bennett, Vicky Borton, George Davies, Georgina Eales, Harriet Flowerdew, Richard Horridge, Chrissie Rasanayagam, Nat Wilde, Jess Wolinski.

Old BromsgroviansPhilip Barron, Francesca Boffey, Ben Buckley, Philippa Bussey, Rachel Johnson, Cynthia Kam, Alex Lusty, Stacey Prince, Toni Reed, Jamie Rymer, Oliver Turner, Will Weston-Smith.

Silver award:Faye Al-Nakeeb, Hannah Attley, Sophie Bales, Annabel Cox, Hamish Docherty, Ellie Harding, Rachel Hotchin, Harriet Jones, Freddy Kirk-Patrick, Gemma Lusty, Rosie Millns, Sarah Morris, Becky Noon, Daisy Perrey, Jack Roberts, Adam Robertson, Kate Rtishcheva, Kay Sin, Maddy Smith, Vicky Stokes, Katie Thompson, Jonathan Turner, Zita Yuen, Will Weston-Smith.

Bronze award:Jonathan Fleury, Becky Straw

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Silver Practice Expedition

Sixty-five members of the Fifth Form went to Shropshire for their silver practice expedition. They walked over Wenlock Edge on the Sunday, enduring particularly poor weather and set up camp in Church Stretton. Half the party should have camped in Little Stretton where a normally small stream had swollen and burst its banks, engulfing the bridge making the campsite inaccessible. Fortunately the Monday proved to be a splendid day as they scaled the Long Mynd and walked its length before descending to their rendezvous at the Lazy Trout Cafe and the bus home.

Gold Practice Expedition

Immediately after the end of the Lent term, thirty-five members of the Lower Sixth went to the Lake District for their practice expedition over four days. Starting from Patterdale they experienced some of the most challenging peaks in England, many scaling the spectacular Helvellyn. On the final day most groups enjoyed the panoramic views from Cat Bells over Lake Derwent before finishing their challenge in Keswick.

Silver Qualifying Expedition to Exmoor

71 pupils in 11 groups set out to complete their 3 day hike over the Exmoor heathland, through woodland walks and along the West Somerset coast with its views over the Severn Estuary to Wales. Six groups went from near Lynmouth, camping in the Lorna Doone valley then on to Porlock for their second night before going on to finish in Minehead. Meanwhile, five other groups went in the opposite direction from Minehead also camping in Porlock and the Lorna Doone valley before finishing in Lynmouth. They all enjoyed successful expeditions.

Gold Expedition to the Yorkshire Dales

Immediately after Commemoration Day, twenty-eight Sixth Formers went to the Three Peaks area of the Yorkshire Dales. Five groups set out from Malham Youth Hostel, to witness the splendid sights of Malham Cove and Malham Tarn en route to scaling the three Peaks, Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside over the four days of hiking and camping.

The group deserve considerable praise for their expertise in navigation and camping skills boosted by resilience and an impressive determination in poor weather over the final two days to complete a very demanding exercise with success, pride and immense satisfaction.

Eleven Lower Sixth, new to the School last September, joined the Gold award scheme as direct entrants. They have gone through their paces with a two day exercise in October, a two and a half day exercise in May and their four day practice expedition in the Yorkshire Dales. They have faced a steep learning curve in activities and expeditions and they have shown considerable character to cope with the increasing challenges.D Langlands

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Athletics

It has been an excellent year for the athletics team with very notable victories and achievements from many, as well as many personal bests being broken by most competitors. The team has welcomed the challenge the new year has had to offer and competed valiantly.Notably Josh French and Becky Straw have been selected for the English Schools’ Championships after competing in the prestigious Mason Trophy Competition. Other competitors in the Mason Trophy include Connor McBride, William Bedford-Russell, James Simpson-Stern, Matthew Gregory, Benjamin Walker, Uchan Thapa, Joshua Giles, Poppy Jones, Lydia Trow, Libby Thornton, Claudia Cardinali and Simone Thompson-Smith.

We have also seen many victories from Josh Watkins, George Smallman, Pascale Massey, Jean-Claude Massey, Freddie Kirkpatrick, Mikhail Semkin and Olivia Wilding.

Athletics is not just a sport for individuals; in the team events the intermediate boys finished the season unbeaten. The junior boys progressed well throughout the year and with a lot of boys returning next year the senior boys can only get better.

The junior and intermediate boys’ athletics team had a good season this year with the latter side remaining unbeaten throughout. Many personal bests were beaten and new School records set. The team got through the first round of English Schools Athletics Association (ESSA) regional competition and finished third in the Midlands finals. They performed well in these events, achieving eight new School records for ESAA. Boys’ athletics has gone from strength to strength this year with many pupils improving significantly, and I am optimistic that more records and personal bests can be achieved next season. G George

Not satisfied with reaching the national hockey and national netball finals earlier this year, the Senior School girls completed a hat-trick and reached the Field and Track National Athletics Finals, where they represented the Midlands. The competition is entered by all schools in the country and being a team event, the scoring system is based on points determined by times and distances. After comfortably winning the first round of the English Schools Competition before May half term, the intermediate girls went into the Midlands Finals feeling quietly confident. In the Midlands round all girls competed extremely well, demonstrated great support and encouragement for each other and pulled together well as a team.

By amassing a superb 382 points Bromsgrove beat strong competition to be crowned Midlands Champions. Our intermediate girls’ athletics squad therefore went on to represent the Midlands in the National Track and Field Athletics championships in Abingdon.

On the whole it was a great team performance at the National Finals but it must be noted that outstanding performances were recorded by Pascale Massey (200m and triple jump), Rachel Elt (100m and shot put), Poppy Jones (800m and discus) and Tara Thorpe (300m and high jump) who in their own right secured enough points to attain an individual gold award badge. The girls demonstrated great team spirit led by captain Rachel Elt but on the day the team could not quite collate as many points as they had wished for, and were placed ninth out of the twelve schools competing for the title. All in all it was a fantastic achievement to reach the national finals and to be placed ninth in the country out of the 800 schools that entered.E Buckingham

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Basketball

Bromsgrove School’s Basketball team have had a very successful season finishing with a record of 23 wins and 2 losses, including reaching the final 64 of the National Competition. Bromsgrove unfortunately came up against a very strong Gateway College in the National Competition who are consistently one of the strongest Basketball schools in the country.

There are a number of players who showed outstanding endeavour and prowess throughout the duration of the season, with captain Jonny Mear, Freddie Meyer and Paulius Kazemekaitis leading the way throughout the season. Jonny has been a member of the 1st team for four years and has shown superior dedication to the game, a key reason for his great achievements of breaking the highest score record with forty-nine points on two separate occasions. We wish him luck next year as he travels to IMG Basketball Academy in Florida to try to achieve a college scholarship. Paulius has a lot more experience than the majority of the players in the team and it showed. He was a key member of the team and was a prolific scorer despite the hindrance of back and ankle injuries. Paulius has one year left in the team and will no doubt be the primary threat if he maintains his game.

The team also has a number of up and coming players including Yushi Takeuchi who has improved immensely this season and will contribute enormously in years to come. Phillip Lam, Felix Ng, and Hinton Pun are hard workers and will all be useful members of the squad next season.

Besides the players, the three people we have to thank heartily for our great season are Stan Millington, Craig Strickland, and Mr Challoner. It is only Craig’s second year of being Head Coach and he has proved to be brilliant in this role; a great mentor who has pushed and encouraged us all. Stan claims to have retired, however he continues to come to nearly every session and stepped in when Craig was absent. Mr Challoner devoted much of his free time refereeing and organising games, he will be missed next year as he becomes the Headmaster of Bromsgrove International School of Thailand.Freddie Meyer

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The season began with a pre-season tour to Bristol. The team played three matches where, with a young and relatively inexperienced squad, they performed admirably winning all three matches against Colstons, Chipping Sodbury and Cokethorpe. However, the momentum gained from winning could not be maintained as results in the following three matches did not go our way. We missed out in a couple of nail biting affairs against RGS and Magdalen College and lost heavily against Malvern School. However the side bounced back admirably against, what was on paper, the toughest challenge of the season so far against the MCC where the match finished as a draw. The side continued to show improvements against Loughborough. However some poor batting cost us, and we narrowly lost by only nineteen runs. What followed against Kings Worcester was another nail biting encounter. Having batted first and scored a mediocre 196 all out, the onus was on them to score the runs quickly and finish the match in what should have been a straight forward run chase. However, five wickets from Mannan Nawaz and some tight bowling from Oliver Strong put us in the driving seat as they collapsed to 165/7. But unfortunately it was not to be and they agonisingly reached the target in the final over of the match.

Having now lost five out of our opening nine fixtures in the 50/50 over format, the T20 competition that followed provided us with a new lease of life, allowing us to express ourselves on the field in a new way. And we triumphed, winning three on the bounce with particular highlights an excellent sixty not out from Joe Wilkinson in just thirty balls! This set up a semi- final clash against Shrewsbury School which unfortunately we lost, although Oliver Strong’s diving catch cannot be forgotten.

The T20 competition provided the kick-start for our season as we defeated Trent College thanks largely to an outstanding 158 not out from Brett Huxley. Five late wickets from Mannan Nawaz, including a wicket off the last ball, saw us tie a game again King Edwards School, which for all money looked like we had lost. Against the V XL 40 Club we batted first and posted 341-4 declared off 50 overs, with an unbelievable 203 not out! In the run chase they only managed 222 all out in 41 overs, with Adam Clegg taking 3 for 31 and Brett Huxley 3 for 48. The 203 not out from Brett Huxley was followed by another hundred in the same week as he scored 104 against Old Swinford Hospital in what was a comfortable victory: a momentous achievement for a Fifth Form pupil. Adam Clegg also batted very well scoring 78.

The penultimate home game of the season saw us face Worcester Gents where we lost the toss and bowled first, a decision which they later regretted as we took three early wickets thanks to some good opening bowling from Adam Clegg and Oliver Strong. They then fought back strongly to reach 195/9 off their 45 overs with Luke Sparrow, the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets. In reply a poor start saw us lose four early wickets but a brilliant partnership between Alex McGarry and Brett Huxley rescued the game for us and fittingly Alex McGarry scored the winning runs as he finished 103 not out.

However subsequent losses against Marlborough College, Sedbergh School and Clifton reminded us of the up and down season we have had. Nonetheless throughout the season the team has shown tremendous character and continued to improve with every game.

Although at times results haven’t gone our way the team has continued to work hard and a big thank you must go to Mr Fallows and Mr Riley for all the hard work they have put in in helping us improve every aspect of our game. Mannan Nawaz, 1st Team Captain

Cricket

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Cross Country

The cross country team competed in the East Midlands Independent Schools Cross Country League, with matches held at Uppingham, Welbeck, Stamford and Nottingham.

The girls had a particularly successful season: in the league they won bronze medals, while Lydia Trow won individual silver for her overall performance in the matches contested. The girls’ relay team that competed at the KHVIII, which included Lydia and Hannah Trow, Alice Smith and Becky Straw, were awarded commemorative badges after finishing fourth from twenty-nine teams competing; Becky’s final lap time of 13’05’’ won her a gold medal, and was the second fastest time in the twentieth year of this prestigious event.

Becky Straw and Hannah Trow represented Hereford and Worcestershire in the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships, while Becky was also a member of the victorious England Team in the Home Nations International in Antrim, finishing seventh and winning team gold in the process.

The Senior and Colts boys’ teams, while unable to replicate the success of the girls, nevertheless performed creditably under the captaincy of George Smallman. Chi Fan finished all his races in his own inimitable style, while Ross Johnston (awarded the Halstead cup as most improved runner) was our best male competitor. At MANISCC the colts finished fourth.

Well done to all squad members for their hard work. R Watkins

The 2011 season will be remembered as the most successful football term in Bromsgrove history as they reached the semi-finals of the LB Cup, won the Northern section of the Mercian League and defeated Clifton in the Mercian League Final to become champions for the first time. After being selected by opposition coaches, Alex McGarry and Luke Sparrow also played for the ‘Northern League’ team in an inaugural representative match against the best players from the Southern League. At the end of term Luke Sparrow and Dan Gaffney were awarded their School caps.

The season started with a thoroughly undeserved 2-1 victory against the Old Bromsgrovians. The LB cup campaign started with a 2-0 victory over St Edwards, but a 3-1 defeat against Radley meant Bromsgrove and Rugby played each other to go through as group runners up. In an exciting game, a Rugby equaliser to Ryan Loughlin’s opening goal meant that Bromsgrove were going out with ten minutes left to play. However, just after an outstanding Chris Johnson save, Tom Knowles scored the winner to put Bromsgrove through. In the quarter finals at Loughborough, and 1-0 down at half-time, we saw that ‘never say die attitude’ once again as goals from James Gilchrist and Mo Abubakar put us through to the semi-finals.

The three hour coach journey to Spalding United’s ground coupled with good home support proved to be too much and a 1-0 loss against Spalding Grammar School meant the end of the cup run but a proud campaign nonetheless.

In the Mercian League three away matches resulted in an excellent 2-0 win at Oundle, followed by a 2-2 draw at Uppingham and a 2-1 win against Wellingborough. Two home draws against Denstone (2-2), and Loughborough (1-1) and a 3-0 away victory over RGS meant the final game against Welbeck would decide the title. A good game resulted in a 2-2 draw with goals from Luke Sparrow and Ryan Gordon. Bromsgrove topped the league, winning the Northern section for the first time and booking their place in the Mercian League Final!

At Ludlow Town FC, we lined up against the winners of the Southern League – Clifton College. Both teams came into the final with good defensive records and it was no surprise that a tight game remained goalless at half-time. With just two minutes of normal time left, Alex McGarry headed home a Loughlin flick-on to send the Bromsgrove players and supporters wild and the 1st XI had become Mercian League Champions. Congratulations to all who played a part in both league and cup success.

Football 1st XI

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After a difficult start the 2nd XI turned their season around with some excellent performances. Highlights included coming back from 2-0 down with 10 minutes to go to draw 2-2 against Denstone, a 4-0 demolition of Rugby school and wonder goals from Adam Clegg (v Wellingborough) and Sam Rolinson (v Denstone). There was great commitment from all the squad and key performers including Ryan Gordon, Nat Wilde, and Adam Clegg, who as captainwas unquestionably player of the season.

In a good season the 3rd XI played well with good wins against St Edwards, Wellingborough and Welbeck College. Captain Dom McGeever was inspirational in midfield with a solid back four ensuring that few goals were conceded and defeats were by narrow margins. Paul Czech too proved to be a reliable keeper with the displays of brilliance in goal. Artem Malyshev and Michael Cheung provided the artistry, pace and goal scoring ability up front.

Josh Hutchings, Vladyslav Kolesnyk, Gareth Ng and Kevin Wong at the heart of the midfield. Their sportsmanship and enthusiasm for the game was superb throughout.

Despite losing some key players to the 1st XI squad, the U16As had a pleasing season and really developed as a team over the Lent term. High scoring wins against St Edwards and Wellingborough will be remembered as key highlights although there were excellent results in other matches as well. The U16Bs also developed through the year and although they did not have as many matches as other teams, recorded two excellent victories with Alex Kock-Ribeiro, Maxim Koleshnikov and Stefan Brenningmeyer playing key roles.

The U15A team worked well and although they struggled against some of the larger football schools on the fixture list, they developed well across the season and can look forward to next year with some optimism. The U15B team played with great enthusiasm and team spirit throughout the year. Unfortunately we lost all our games but by the end of the season we were competitive and the closest we came to victory was a 3-2 defeat with goals from Igor Shcherbak and Callum Slater. B White

Football 1st XI The Season

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Boys’ Hockey

1st Team: the best in history?

This year’s first team was the most unknown quantity in the last five years after a mass exodus of Upper Sixth players last year. After the disappointment of not qualifying for the National Indoor Finals last year, the returning players didn’t disappoint this year and in the end were actually disappointed not to win the final against Oakham, having beaten Repton, Malvern, Lichfield and Denstone comfortably on the way. At the National Indoor Finals we were in a tough group, eventually losing to Whitgift and Ipswich in games of small margins. The team did win their last game 10-2 showing arguably the best hockey at the tournament.

In the outdoor season we struggled against Repton, with five of the starting line up not playing. The next match the second team did well to draw 2-2 against Ratcliffe’s 1st team. Next were Trent College where a frustrating game ended with another loss. This was the turning point of the season, from a change in personnel and a collective drive to go forward together. Wins against RGSAO, Bablake, Solihull, Dean Close, Ecclesbourne, Bridgnorth and a final draw against Oakham saw us through to the Midlands Finals.

At the regional finals we beat Newcastle, Solihull again, and KES Birmingham to make history as the first U18 boys’ team to get to both Indoor and Outdoor National finals in the same year.

Bromsgrove played Ipswich in their first game at the Boys’ U18 National Finals and competed well throughout in a game that was tighter than the 3-0 suggested. The second game of the day was against a phenomenal Whitgift side. Whitgift’s quality in front of goal led to a 6-0 defeat. Bromsgrove’s third game was against Plymstock which was very even, ending 2-2.

The boys should be very proud of their efforts for another truly fantastic season; arguably the best in history.

The U16 Boys had a tough start to the season with losses against Trent and Repton. The Midlands Zonals was the real turning point of their season, with the boys beating Uppingham 2-1 and Worksop 4-0 to qualify for Midlands Finals later in the term. A 3-0 win over Colstons and a 2-2 draw against Bloxham meant the boys went into the Midlands Finals with some confidence but with Repton and Trent in the same group it was always going to be tough. The boys lost 1-0 to Repton and beat Bablake 2-1, meaning that a win against Trent would have put Bromsgrove into the semi-finals. However they unfortunately went down 3-2 in the final minutes. The boys should be very proud of their season and were well led by Fraser Mack.

The U15A won half of their matches and some players represented the U16A cup side. Arguably the most successful side were the U15B team who won all but two of their matches which they drew.

The U14 side grew inconfidence throughout the term and peaked at the regional finals where they narrowly lost to a strong Repton side who finished 3rd at the Nationals. The U14B side went seven games undefeated after losing their first two. The U14C team only lost one side. It was also encouraging to see an U15C and U14D side playing fixtures.

The Season

1st U16

U15A

U14A

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1st Team

The squad went into this hockey term with huge confidence. They travelled away to Trent for their first game, which did not end the way they wanted, but their dedication could not be faulted throughout the season. The team also travelled to Millfield for a tough game, ending in a 4-0 loss. Following this the team bounced back to beat Kings Worcester 2-1, where Julia Paschwitz fired home the winner on a perfectly practised short corner. A win over Malvern College gave them the motivation to increase intensity at training ready for the County Outdoor Finals. Narrowly losing to Kings Worcester, they came back to beat both Chase and Malvern College, giving the team a place in the Midland Zonals. Despite missing major players owing to injury, the team worked through some hard games including Repton, playing some of the best hockey of the season.

The indoor squad set high hopes right from the start, the team worked extremely hard throughout the season. Winning all the games at Indoor County Finals gained the team a place at the Midland Indoor Finals. Brilliant indoor hockey achieved them a semi-final against Oakham.

Despite excellent play in this final stage, the game ended in a 2-1 loss, meaning the team narrowly missed their place in the National Finals. Overall, this was a season with its highs and lows, but hopefully this will inspire the girls to keep trying to achieve greater things.

The U16 hockey team had a great season, memorably getting to the National Schools Finals at Cannock in March. To get there, they had beaten strong Repton, Rugby and Denstone sides at Midlands Finals, and made noticeable progress especially whilst playing sides such as Stourport in the build up matches to the tournament.

At the tournament the team showed true potential for the future. Just getting to the tournament was a huge achievement for all, considering this was the first time in ten years an U16 girls’ side has got this far in the competition, and to perform at the standard we did was even better.

Mixed results throughout the senior teams, notable performances from the seconds beating Millfield 3rd team, the 3rds scoring well against Malvern College and Trent College and the U16Bs undefeated all season. The U15As had an excellent season losing only two of their fixtures. The squad can be proud of those that played up into the U16 National team and those that filled in places showing the depth in hockey at that age group. A highlight of the U15B season came early on with an 8-0 win over Cheltenham Ladies College.

The U14A team battled well in their first season at the Senior School; the team gained some new talent to the already strong Prep School squad and remained unbeaten until meeting the eventual National winners, Repton. The girls of the U14B team were enthusiastic throughout the season and played with pride and passion representing their School. Winning five of their nine fixtures they have made a promising start to their hockey careers.A Preston and Ellen Lockhart

Girls’ Hockey The Season

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1st Team

This season for the firsts has been a spectacular one, with excellent teamwork, dedication and spirit demonstrated by the entire team. In the regular season we played a total of thirteen matches and managed to remain undefeated right up until our final match against Trent College, where we fought hard, but unfortunately narrowly lost to a superb team 33-40.

We began in December with the annual three way match at home against RGS and Kings. These two matches were vital for us to win, as we wished to prove our strength and spirit, particularly having narrowly lost to RGS in the semi-finals of the county tournament which ended our journey to the National Finals this year. The day ended with two magnificent victories, first beating Kings 33-23 and then the game against RGS proving much closer with Bromsgrove scoring in the last seconds to win 22-21. The season has presented us with substantial wins against Stamford 50-9, Malvern College 50-20, Cheltenham Ladies College 45-15 and Rugby 28-6. Other, more closely fought, victories included games against Clifton College, Uppingham School and Oundle College.

Throughout the season we have made consistent improvement. Emily Morrice, Devon Burley and Faye Al-Nakeeb have demonstrated great defensive skills and have made each game very difficult for the opposing teams’ attacking side to score. They have provided the team with the vital interceptions down court which has created the opportunities for our attack to shine. The combination of Annabel Cox and Polly Fletcher has proved prolific in scoring against the best defences. Special mention should be made of Katie Thompson who stepped up to the mark in times of need and proved a reliable substitute in both attacking and shooting roles, whilst Gemma Sapstead has been a valuable link between the defence and attack.

The team improved consistently from game to game. With the majority of the team available again next season we all look forward to further improvement and another great season. With a skilful and committed team, we aim to reach the Nationals and hopefully go for the win. Victoria Stokes (1st team captain)

Junior Netball

Congratulations to the junior teams who also produced some sparkling performances and arguably the best set of results that the U14 and U15 teams have jointly produced for many a year.

The U15A team, captained by Abbie-May Griffiths, won seven matches and lost only three, the highlights being close victories against Cheltenham College, Trent College and Cheltenham Ladies College and reaching the semi final in a very competitive Uppingham Invitational Tournament.

The U15B team, captained by Stephanie Swatkins were the only unbeaten team in the School, winning all ten of their matches and reaching the final of the Uppingham Invitational B team Tournament. This is a tremendous achievement and the girls played a superb standard of netball consistently all term.

The U15C team, captained by Dominique Finlay, continued in the same winning vein winning six of their matches and losing only one. The U14s were almost as successful with the A team winning ten matches and losing only two to very strong Oundle and Uppingham teams. They also reached the semi-final of our own Invitational Tournament.

The U14B team also won ten matches and lost only one. Their team spirit was superb and a high standard of netball was consistently played. The U14C team were arguably the most improved junior team this season. They lost their first few matches but trained hard and stayed positive to finish the term with wins against Malvern College and Trent College.

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U16 Netball Team

National Finals Runners Up

Down on the South Coast at Southampton the U16 girls’ netball team were defending the title they won last year. After a sharp frost, conditions were perfect for netball. In the group stages we lost to Bacup and Rawtenstall 7-9 but then defeated Brighton College 14-7, Millthorpe School 21-1, St Peter’s 12-2, Newcastle Central High 19-4, Sharnbrook 10-7, Sevenoaks 13-6 and Oundle 17-6. The girls played brilliantly across the court and their sweeping end to end movement won the admiration of many. It was often a master class to watch and in the semi-final we comfortably eased past Truro School 14-8.

In the final we faced Hulme, a team we had beaten by a point in the semi-finals in 2009. It was the tensest of National Finals and at the end scores were level. In a two minute each way extra time Hulme won 16-15. Our hopes had been cruelly dashed.

What can one say? The girls were devastated to have played so well and so competitively and then to lose so narrowly. They had won national titles in 2007, 2008 (both for our Prep School), in 2009 and some had played in the U16 team which won last year. But as always there were many positives, even in defeat – they are the 2nd best in the land; we scored 140 goals with Kaya Wilson in imperious form scoring 138 with an 82% accuracy; the team showed remarkable composure and patience all day, some-times having to fight back from behind; they gave their all but were also gracious in defeat. There were smiles through the tears at the end when one of our parents (the team has built up such a loyal band of supporters over the years) paid eloquent tribute to the team. Well done to Pippa Brock, Kaya Wilson, Claudia Cardinali, Madeleine Heggett, Sophie Luckman, Montana Bent, Ellen Lockhart, Sarah Hawkley and Libby Thornton. E Buckingham

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Rugby

1st XV

With the introduction of the schools’ rugby super league and a tough new fixture list Bromsgrove 1st XV rugby fought hard for some well earned victories while obtaining competent results against some of the best sides in the country.However Bromsgrove did unfortunately lose out in some close encounters, where defensive discipline often let us down. This led to some undeserved scores that did not reflect the overall performance of Bromsgrove’s rugby.

Injury and representative honours meant key players were missed for large segments of the season. This left a relatively young side to gain vital experience which will benefit them greatly in the lead up to next year with the appointment of Tony Windo as Director of Rugby.

The regular season started with an intense training camp followed by a friendly with Cranleigh School. This seemed minimal preparation for a very tough opening game away at Llandovery. The game was lost in the second half leaving Bromsgrove to improve on some communication errors. The second encounter of the season came with midlands rivals Warwick.

Showing many signs of improvement Bromsgrove fought hard with a fine display from the forwards. Unfortunately due to some basic handling errors Warwick gained two break away tries leading to a home victory. On the back of two straight defeats Bromsgrove showed great character to beat Ellesmere in a showcase game at Sixways Stadium. After half term Bromsgrove had yet another showpiece game against Sedburgh at Sale with league positions at stake. Bromsgrove unfortunately ended up losing to the super league winners. Another stand out performance by the forwards was highlighted.

Physically drained from the demanding mid-week game, a mixed team was fielded against Denstone, but the game was narrowly lost again through defensive errors. With the highly anticipated game against Millfield, Bromsgrove went out to prove a point. The opening score a long range driving maul from an exceptional set piece set the tone for the rest of the game. However Millfield’s back three proved to have too much pace for Bromsgrove.

A win against Northampton School was a major turning point in the season.

Bromsgrove now with a new found confidence faced Kirkham Grammar. A true grudge match ensued, both sides renowned for having a strong set piece. The match lay in the balance with a missed tackle from Bromsgrove, losing them the game.

The game against Bedford Modern was a chance for younger players to take the stage, where we gained a vital win. The penultimate game against Abingdon showed an outstanding team performance with few errors and real attacking prowess.

KES Birmingham was a fitting end to the season. Bromsgrove’s eventual win tipping the balance for Bromsgrove’s win/lose ratio in this historic fixture. An out of season game against the Midlands XV showed the true form of the relatively young and promising side. This win seemed to flow into the sevens season, finishing runners up at the North of England sevens.

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U16A

The U16As had a mixed season. The highlight of the season was the retention of the North Midlands Cup. The side got off to a good start in the first round against the Corbett School, running in twelve tries. In the semi-final the side played a very competitive KES Birmingham side. However, with two tries from Eddie Philp, the boys managed to show good team defence to hold out for a win 14-12. The final against Bishop of Hereford was always going to be very tough. The boys got off to a fantastic start with captain Elliott Davies scoring under the posts just before half time to make it 7-0. Hereford continued to apply pressure but some outstanding defence led to a penalty with five minutes to go 45 m out. William Hunt stepped up to kick the penalty and take the game out of Hereford’s reach. Despite a late try from Hereford, Bromsgrove managed to hold on to retain the cup 10-5. Jamie Tweddell was man of the match on the day, something even more special seeing as he was a year younger.

The U16As 7’s preparation was disrupted due to other commitments. In their first tournament Bromsgrove travelled to Henley with a depleted squad; the boys showed real character to make the final of the plate, playing some of the best 7’s on show at the tournament. At Rossyln Park, Bromsgrove were in a very tough group alongside local rivals Kings Worcester. Bromsgrove managed to win two games in the group, including beating their local rivals, however did not qualify due to points difference.

Junior Rugby

School rugby looks to be improving all the time and with good results from the present U14s, most notably the U14As winning 50% of their matches. The U15As had a good run in the Daily Mail Cup competition reaching the third round and also enjoyed their mid season tour to Edinburgh. The U14Bs and Cs progressed well with good wins against Magdalen College and Ellesmere. The U15Bs had a very successful season winning just over half of their matches. G George

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Swimming

This year has been one of the most successful years the swimming team has had with eight wins from eight competitions and a series of medals and trophies throughout the year, most notably the return of the Dunhelm Cup. The season started with a comfortable win against Cheltenham College and two rather convincing victories over Shrewsbury School, and then another victory later in the year. This was followed up by victories against Cheltenham College and King Edwards Camp Hill. The girls’ team then enjoyed a comfortable victory against Cheltenham Ladies College and the boys over Loughborough Grammar School.

At the beginning of March, the swim team travelled to Crystal Palace, London to participate in the Bath and Otter Relays. Against the top swim schools in the country, the whole team competed brilliantly with the girls’ freestyle team finishing fifteenth and their medley team finishing a respectable tenth position. The boys finished fifth in the freestyle, but then went on to winning the medley relay, returning the Dunhelm Cup to Bromsgrove which was won four years beforehand.

Bromsgrove also attained impressive results at the Newcastle under Lyme invitational relays and the Warwick 100s.

At Newcastle, the U14 mixed freestyle team beat some top teams to receive gold, while the U14 mixed medley relay and the U18 mixed freestyle team received bronze medals. Overall Bromsgrove achieved the silver team award. The Warwick 100s was a new competition for Bromsgrove and were keen to make an impression, clinching nine gold medals, seven silver and ten bronze across all ages.

The season ended with the Stowe Invitational relays. Gold medals were won by the U14 boys, U16 and U18 girls. An equally impressive seven silver medals and two bronze medals were won with all medals being presented by the GB swimmer Craig Gibbons.

Outside of the swim team though, the School held numerous House Competitions. Housman Hall clinched victory in the Senior Boys’ Competition with Thomas Cookes winning the Senior Girls’. The Junior Boys’ Competition was closely won by School with Lupton second and Walters third, while Hazeldene won the Junior Girls’ Competition, with Oakley and Thomas Cookes taking joint second place. The 50 m backstroke Hong Kong Salver for 2011 was won by Wilson Hallet.Sophie Bales and Dan Ruckwood, Captains

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Girls’ Tennis

This season has featured some success for the 1st team tennis, however it is the team spirit that has stood out. Matches have been close and fought determinably, and sometimes only narrowly lost against schools such as Malvern College. Highlights of this season are hard to choose, but the match against Kings showed some of our best tennis, and the overall win of 4-2 was well deserved. The draw with Shrewsbury was one of the closest, and all the girls played well and hard. With the weather not always being behind us, resulting in two of our matches being cancelled, we have had to prove our abilities in our other matches, and whilst the final score has not always reflected the game itself, it is the game played by the girls that needs to be commended. With girls finishing exams at different times, the first team has constantly been dynamic, needing girls to fill spaces and play with new partners: any of the girls who have played 1st team tennis this year have truly stepped up to the bar, and exceeded any expectations put upon them.

Theresa Lauer performed at an outstanding level all term and was ably supported by Yana Ilcheva, Louisa Schuessler and Ellen Lockhart amongst others. The 2nd girls’ tennis team have fought hard this season but narrowly lost most of their matches.

The highlight of the term was most definitely a 9-0 victory away against Malvern St James School. It has been pleasing to see some of the 2nd team players play well when they have been called up into the 1st team. The most successful team have been the U15s who have won five out of their six matches, losing only to a strong Oundle side. The team has been led superbly by Abbie-May Griffiths and Amy Foster who have been a consistently strong first pair and have not lost a set all term. They have been ably supported by Dominique Finlay, Ellie Caswell, Chloe Broomfield, Hannah Trow and Stephanie Swatkins. The U14 team won their match against Malvern St James but unfortunately lost their other matches all by three sets to six. Milly Doherty, Katherine Hill, Katie Walker and Ellie Ball won the majority of their sets. Danielle Finlay , 1st Team Captain

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Hong Kong and Australia Sports Tour

On Sunday July 17th a touring party of ninety-two Fifth and Sixth Formers set off on a three week sports tour to Hong Kong and Australia. As anyone can imagine, we all looked resplendent in our new tour kit and were a visible presence at Heathrow, Terminal 3. Some of the pupils were understandably apprehensive, as it was their first experience of flying – they had eight flights in the next three weeks to get used to, with the longest being thirteen hours from Singapore back to London.

Throughout the tour we have been meeting up with Old Bromsgrovians, past Gap teachers, friends and in some cases family that people have not seen for some time.

The first destination of the tour was Hong Kong.  The girls’ hockey beat Hong Kong 3-1 whilst the boys hockey drew 2-2 with the Hong Kong team that is going to the Under 19 World Cup. On the rugby field Bromsgrove beat the Hong Kong Barbarians 77-7 and the netball 1st team beat Hong Kong 30-4 and the 2nds also won 21-7. It was really nice to see at least forty current, and past, members of Bromsgrove School cheering on the School. The tour party managed to visit Kowloon, had a tour of Hong Kong Island which included a visit to Victoria Peak by tram, dim sum lunch on a floating restaurant and shopping in Stanley Market.

A huge temperature change awaited us when we arrived in Melbourne. It was fourteen degrees instead of a very humid twenty-seven in Hong Kong. The girls played Lauriston High School, the hockey team won 3-0; the netball A won 24-14 and the B team lost 19-13. The boys teams played St Patricks Ballarat. The hockey team won 9-1 and the rugby team 80-7. The whole group watched an Australian rules football match at the MCG amongst a crowd of 80,000. It was good to meet up with Mr and Mrs Mackay who have recently emigrated to Victoria and they are very much enjoying their new life in Australia.

The tour continued with the latest city to be visited - the New South Wales capital, Sydney. All the tour party enjoyed the harbour bridge climb and a city tour that included a lunch cruise around the harbour. The weather was good enough for the pupils to sunbathe on Bondi beach. A number of pupils and staff took the opportunity to see an opera at the world famous Sydney Opera House one evening. The next set of fixtures produced mixed results for the Bromsgrove teams. The rugby team lost 24-17 against the reigning Australian school champions, Hill Sports College. The girls’ netball teams also lost against the College teams that included Australian representative players.

Both hockey teams played Gordon Hockey Club with the boys winning 3-1 and the girls losing 2-0. They enjoyed a fantastic time during the five days in Sydney. In fact, a lot of the pupils would like to return to this part of the world. In the second set of matches in Sydney the A team netball played north Sydney regional side and played very well but lost 55-34, the School B team played McKellar High School first team beating them 34-26, the girls hockey team also played McKellar (on grass) winning 5-2. The boys hockey team played North Sydney at the Olympic stadium a very memorable experience for all concerned, they played extremely well against a very strong side drawing the game 3-3, with the opposition scoring with the last touch of the game. The boys’ rugby team have been excellently hosted by Kings Parramatta and they won their game 17-8.

We then moved onto Brisbane where we stayed at the Sports Institute at Runaway Bay. The beach volleyball courts, and outdoor heated pool, were very popular. The School enjoyed great success in the latest round of fixtures at St Paul’s School in Brisbane. One of the highlights of this section of the trip was the visit to the Australian Zoo made famous by Steve Irwin. We loved being able to be up close to many of the wild animals but particularly the kangaroos and koalas.

Surfers’ Paradise was a very welcome relaxing break. On this leg of the tour all the sports matches were played in the lovely Queensland sunshine against St Paul’s School. The girls’ hockey team won 4-0; the boys’ hockey continued their winning ways with a 3-1 victory. The netball team played extremely well to beat strong opposition - with the A team winning 33-25 and the B team 38-19. The rugby team played the best rugby of the season, especially in the first half eventually winning the game 45-5.

Our final destination was eagerly anticipated, remembering that we had now been away for almost three weeks. Our stay was at Tree Tops – a lovely four star hotel with a four mile beach to play on. All five teams continued their fine form winning their last matches in Australia. Both netball teams beat Trinity Anglican School, Cairns, playing in their newly opened sports arena, the girls’ hockey team also beat Trinity 6-0. The boys’ hockey team beat a Cairns representative team 7-1 and the rugby team beat the North Queensland champions St Augustine’s 29-0. The tour party enjoyed the final day in Australia with a fantastic trip to the Outer Barrier Reef, where they snorkelled and some even went scuba diving.P Mullan

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Obituaries

Harvey Bryant was an OB and sometime proprietor of the BMC garage in Bromsgrove High Street, near the Post Office and the old premises of the Bromsgrove Messenger. During the late 1950s he took under his wing the Motor Transport Section of the Combined Cadet Force. Some of us were genuinely interested in the mysteries of the internal combustion engine, others had migrated from the Signals, having passed the radio telephony and Morse exam, but what united us was that we escaped drill and did not have to look after clapped-out WW1 Lee Enfield rifles.

Harvey gave us instruction on one evening a week in the break between tea and lock-up. Fellow MT veteran, Brian Bromwich, comments, “Harvey was a good friend during my time at Bromsgrove and I learned a lot from him about cars and driving. For example, don’t ‘tailgate’ whilst waiting to overtake because you get a much wider view of the road ahead if you hold back. A wonderful man indeed!”

On CCF afternoons we had an old Standard car, stripped to its chassis, which we used to work on and race around Middle Charford, when it could be persuaded into reluctant life. When it rained we brewed up in the lean-to behind the armoury and whiled away the time. I’m sure we didn’t have a platoon sergeant, but there may have been a lance corporal among us to provide a semblance of authority when needed. Field days were a treat; one of them we spent at Harvey’s garage in the High Street and another learning to drive a Land-Rover up and down the hill by the Church at Hagley Hall. I doubt whether we were a credit to the Corps on the latter occasion, when the reviewing brass hat was Major General Offley Wakeman. On another outing the entire MT section went to the MG car club race meeting at Silverstone.

How much richer was the life of the young in those days before Health and Safety!Provided by David McMullen (Millington 1955-1960)

We are sorry to announce that Roland died peacefully on Monday 4 April 2011 in Sydney Australia.

Born on 11 February 1923 he was educated at Bromsgrove School and had his education interrupted by the war. He joined the Tank Corp, participated in the D-day landings and finally drove his tank from France, through Europe and finally ending up in Italy for convalescence (from what we’re not sure!) and to sample the local culture.

He returned to Edgbaston after the war and became a Chartered Accountant, holding senior positions in Huntley and Palmers in Reading, and Reckitt and Coleman’s in Norwich. In the 70s he bought his own accounting practice with offices around the West Country before retiring to Salcombe in South Devon in 1982.

In 1953 he married Jean Blasdale and they continued his European escapades with long road trips all across Europe by car at a time when most holidayed in Blackpool.

Tony (Antony) and David were born in 1959 and 1961 respectively in Reading. The family spent a lot of time sailing and enjoying family holidays in Europe and especially France. In the last years of his life he moved to Sydney, Australia, living in a flat with a beautiful view over the harbour. He will be remembered for his sharp brain, great wit and relaxed approach to life. He is survived by his wife Jean, sons Tony and David and two Grandchildren, Sophie and James. Provided by Tony Hadley (son of the late Cyril Roland Hadley)

Harvey Bryant (S 1934-1939, died 26 March 2011)

Cyril Roland Hadley (E 1934-1939, died 4 April 2011)

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Derek Head came from one of those Bromsgrove families most of whose members served in the Armed Forces. He was born in Malta, where his father J S Head (S 1910) was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and when he was appointed to a post on the Naval Staff in New Zealand, Derek moved with him, becoming a pupil at Wellesley College. On returning to the UK he joined Elmhurst House in January 1939 and so had experience of pre-war Bromsgrove before the School was evacuated to Llanwrtyd Wells on the outbreak of WWII.

It was in the Abernant Hotel there that I met him and continued the generational link between our two families. Our fathers had come under the spell of R G Routh at Bromsgrove before WWI and used to join his skiing parties of young OBs at Adelboden, and one day our daugh-ters would both attend St Mary’s Hall in Brighton. While Jack Head was on active service, his wife Ruth acted as a matron in the Junior School at Llanwrtyd Hall.

Derek joined the Navy as a volunteer in 1942 and as a Sub Lieutenant in an MTB a year later was involved in raids on occupied Channel ports and provided a screen for the D Day landings. Then in the Far East he took part in the assault on an island held by the Japanese and subsequently in their surrender on 2 September 1945, in the process acquiring a Samurai sword. As RN Liaison Officer on board the Dutch cruiser Tromp, he had to deal with the bitter resentment of the liberated locals against their former colonialists. He was pleasantly surprised to be invited by the Captain on board the modern Tromp as a guest during the Royal Navy Review of 1953.

Within a month of being demobilised in December 1946 he joined his younger brother Guy in the Irish Guards. However during training he was invalided out after catching pneumonia and septicaemia. In civilian life he qualified as ARIBA, then FRIBA, and worked in the Brighton Borough Surveyor’s Department, where he met and married Anne. Their felicitous and harmonious union lasted 62 years and produced three children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

He joined as a partner the Brighton architectural practice Overton Partners, where Anne’s taste and talents were responsible for many local interiors, including Laurence Olivier’s houses. Derek as Principal developed his naval experience to become involved in the original design of the massive Brighton Marina and, after the completion of projects in Malta, Bahamas, London and Den Holder, he was recognised as an international authority, writing two books on marinas. Meanwhile his father on retirement became Bursar of Brighton College and no doubt his influence helped my application to teach Classics there in 1954. So an outpost of Old Bromsgrovians was established on the South Coast, which included Major E O Kay and on his annual visits to Sussex R G Routh used to act as generous host at a reunion lunch.

In addition to his professional achievements, Derek continued to serve in the RNVR and RNR, rising through the ranks and in 1972 becoming Captain in command of H.M.S. Sussex. He specialised in intelligence and served for a time as advisor to the Director of Naval Intelligence.

He would also don his uniform to take part in the Annual General Inspection of the Brighton College CCF, which I was commanding after my four years in the KRRC.

As an extension of his naval interests he was a skilful model maker and became a Consultant to Christie’s on model ships; he also compiled a unique collection of Basset-Lowke waterline ship models, writing a book on them and being acknowledged as a world expert. Derek’s sense of public duty led him to serve as a magistrate for twenty years, to be Chairman of the Brighton Tax Commission and to be Deputy Lieutenant for East Sussex.

In a long and quiet retirement he felt no need to leave his comfortable house and attractive garden in Hove, and in his ninth decade when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, his stoical acceptance was an example to us all. Thanks to Anne’s and his family’s devoted care he was able to be nursed at home and die peacefully in his own bed.Provided by John Page (School 1939-1943)

Capt. Derek d’Esterre Head VRD JP FRIBA RNR DL (E 1938-1942, died 28 November 2010)

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Philip J Hewitt (Lu 1931-1936, died 10 March 2011)

Philip J Hewitt attended Bromsgrove School in the mid 1930s, being one of just thirty-four day boys at the time. He was heavily involved in all sports, his name being in the Cricket Pavilion and continued this sporting connection throughout his life. Philip went on to be a Director of Cadbury Cakes. A celebration of his life was held on 22 March 2011 on a wonderful sunny and colourful day and each of the three speakers were warmly applauded as they recounted stories of separate pasts of his life. Provided by John Hewitt (Elmshurst 1967-1971)

Edward Robert Lane (School House 1940-1945, died 27 September 2011)

Edward joined Bromsgrove in 1940, when the School moved to Llanwrtyd Wells during World War II, returning to Bromsgrove in 1943. David J Walters was Headmaster during this period. Edward’s claim to fame came in 1946, when Wisdens recorded him achieving jointly the highest batting score with a certain Peter May, who went on to captain the England Cricket team.

Edward lived and worked in Herefordshire all of his life and enjoyed a successful career in farming, becoming Chairman of the National Farmers Union for Herefordshire and Chairman of the national hop growing association of his time.

Arthur Moore (Ly 1931-1936, died 22 September 2010)

Arthur (Dinty) Moore lived and farmed in Shelsley Beauchamp, Worcestershire, all his life, growing hops, and fruit, including apples and blackcurrants. Chickens became an important part of the farm as well as providing turkeys for the Christmas market for over forty-five years His father W L, brother John Moore a governor of the School and both his children David (Lionel) (1966 – 71) and Ann Banks née Moore (1972 – 74) are OBs. He even met his wife, Gill, because his father-in-law Charles Wathes was wearing an OB tie at a dinner. The Moore’s had close links with the School and R G Routh lived with the family for some years before his death. He was a keen cricketer, a member of the 1st XI, and athlete. He had great affection for Bromsgrove and attended many OB dinners many with Tony Banks, late of G Herbert Banks.

He enjoyed all country sports though his passion was salmon fishing on the river Wye. At the Thanksgiving service in his local Church there was well over 200 people to celebrate his life. Provided by the son of Arthur Moore

John was born in Cornwall but was taken to Australia in 1958. After a settling in period he started to enjoy the sporting lifestyle that surrounded him. The lure of the beaches near his Perth home was strong and he became an accomplished surfer. Conscription in the form of National Service still existed in Australia in the 1960s and John served for two years in the army, spending part of this time in Vietnam. He subsequently studied for a degree in biology and decided that he would make his career in teaching.

Armed with his degree, John decided that he should travel and see some of the world before settling down. Whilst staying in England and in order to fund his travels, he took a teaching job at

Obituaries

Ellis John Ormerod (Former Headmaster of the Prep School, died 20 August 2010)

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the Royal Wolverhampton School but became so engrossed in his job and his desire to climb the ladder that he stayed. From there he worked at several schools in Birmingham, eventually becoming Deputy Headteacher at Chad Vale JI in Edgbaston and then Headteacher of St Peter’s Junior School in Harborne. Whilst working in Birmingham, John became heavily involved in boys’ sport, particularly football and cricket and for several years he ran the Warwickshire Softball Competition for The Warwickshire Cricket Board.

John was a very keen sportsman himself. While in Australia and after leaving the army, he played Australian Rules football professionally. His great love though was cricket and he played for various clubs. He is particularly remembered by those who knew him for his bowling skills at Harborne CC.

John was delighted to be appointed Headmaster of Bromsgrove Lower School, as the Preparatory school was then known. He quickly threw himself into the role and the School flourished. John worked tirelessly to take the School forward and to develop its standing within the preparatory school world. One particular early innovation of his was the introduction of Spanish as a second modern language.

Pupil numbers grew and John was proud and pleased to be able to help plan the building of the Llanwrtyd Centre. In November 1993 a fire destroyed much of the original Cobham classroom block. John was recuperating from an operation and had only just been discharged from hospital. This did not prevent him from helping the firemen with their hoses putting out the fire.

John was an energetic and enthusiastic head, dedicated to the education and the care of the pupils in the School. Their progress was important to him and he spent many hours encouraging and helping them to succeed and where necessary giving personal attention in order to improve their academic performance. He took pupils’ difficulties seriously and always tried to set the miscreants back on the straight and narrow in order to give them a second chance. His relationship with the pupils was clearly illustrated one Christmas term. When asked why he was not able to go into his study the reply came - “I can’t because there are children in there and they are putting up decorations. It is supposed to be a surprise!”

John’s love of sport was evident and he devoted much time and energy to this area of the School’s curriculum.

Some staff will remember fondly the evenings when they watched the American Super Bowl in the Headmaster’s house into the early hours. Cricket was his passion and finding it hard to stand on the sidelines, was often to be seen in a hands on capacity helping to coach the teams. Some controversy was caused when he ruled that during the cricket season the pupils should not be allowed to play football during breaks but rather should be practising their batting and bowling techniques.

While doing his job as Head John took a Master’s degree in Education at Oxford University. He was also a keen cook and very much enjoyed creating dishes in his rare free time. Although not able to fulfil his childhood dream of becoming a vet John was always an animal lover and he enjoyed walking his beloved dog Sally around the School grounds.

Sadly the stress of the job took its toll and after a period of ill health John resigned his position at the end of December 2000. After some time recuperating John wanted to continue doing what he felt he did best and he finished his career as Headmaster of the Cambridge School in Doha. He is survived by his wife Jane, children Emily and Matthew and grandson Alfie. Provided by Mrs Jane Ormerod

Geoffrey Pitt (School 1934-1939, died 22 July 2011)

Geoffrey attended Bromsgrove from 1934-1939 in School House.

Travel featured right from the start. In his early years Geoff moved houses frequently as they tried to find clean air to help the asthma which was to influence his life. Living in Newcastle in 1941 he joined the Home Guard. He was attached to an army anti-aircraft unit and one evening they actually shot down a German bomber. Not many home guard can claim active service.

He applied for several jobs at this time, was interviewed by BOAC, got the job and was posted to Leuchars in Scotland on £2 10 a week. This was during the war and BOAC ran Mosquito’s to Sweden with 500 kilos of cargo and one passenger. This association with the airlines was to last for 30 years. Croydon, Northolt and a transfer to the very new Heathrow followed – all mud and caravans. At around this time he learnt to fly on a Hornet Moth (G-ADOT).

In 1947 Geoff joined Harold Bamberg in the early days of Eagle Aviation, work included the Berlin airlift and casualty evacuation from Korea. He worked closely on the concept and development of the company progressively with the operation of Halifaxs, Yorks, Vikings, DC-7s, Vicounts, Britannias and 707s.

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Geoffrey received an MBE in 1958 for services to aviation, primarily relating to the Berlin airlift. Following shortly after this in 1960 he went on to run Aer Lingus in London as General Manager. He was then head-hunted to Cunard in 1968 as Sales Director, just as the QE2 came into service.

Geoff had always wanted to run his own business and he bought Doug Jones travel in 1972 but after 4 years was lured back into aviation at British Caledonian.

Of course, no discussion of Geoff’s life would be complete without mentioning Skal - the club for the travel industry. He joined London Skal in 1949 and transferred to Southampton 20 years later. During this time he was proud to serve as president of both London and Southampton and also as National president. 62 years in total.

In his spare time he was a great lover of music; jazz, big band, swing, brass band all favourites.

He met and married Jo in 1952 and went on to have had 2 wonderful children, Vivien and Philip.Provided by Philip Pitt(son of the late Geoffrey Pitt)

Colin Shirley Priest (S 1932-1937, died 2 July 2011)

Colin was born in Halesowen in July 1920, the youngest of 4 sons, one of whom did not survive infancy, his 2 oldest brothers were 8 and 16 years older than him. He lived with his parents in the house which later became the Conservative HQ. in Halesowen and he went to prep school at Westfield in Edgbaston. His father was an architect and Dad was very proud that his father had designed the church at Hasbury in Halesowen.

It was in the local baths in Halesowen where he developed his love of swimming and diving. He claimed that he could dive off the top board before he could swim. He loved to swim until very late in life, especially in Rhosneigr or on the occasional overseas holiday.

He once swam at Easter but probably only because he did not want to be out done by our then German Au pair girl who apart from being gorgeous was back stroke champion in Essen.

Dad was always proud of being a ‘Halesowen mon’ although other Black country residents used to query why he talked posh. He could do the accent though and enjoyed repeating Eli and Enoch jokes. He could talk to anyone from anywhere and any background, always wanting to know where they were from. His charisma shone through.

Sadly his father died when Dad was only 12 and he joined his cousins Jack and Michael Green at Bromsgrove School, partly funded by the masons. Whom he went on to join himself at a later stage in his life . Masonry was always very important to him and he clearly enjoyed the camaraderie, he was a member of the Old Bromsgrovian Lodge until his death.

His school career was not academic. James found an old report book from School house which has several notes of punishments received by Priest in the early 1930s. But he did swim for the school. He never lost his love of Bromsgrove School and his interest in A E Housman was engendered there.

In the holidays he spent a lot of time at his cousins’ farm in Tardebigge where he and Michael rode a motorbike round the fields. He was a member of the Cadet force and at the age of 18 joined the British Expeditionary force and found himself in France in 1939, part of the phoney war. Then in 1940 he was one of the 1000s of men brought off the beaches from Dunkirk. Last year just before Dad’s 90th, someone here described him as the bravest person she knew and it has always amazed me that at 19, younger than all but one of his grandchildren. He was a Beachmaster responsible for organising the troops into the boats and ships, that had come to take them to safety. He didn’t talk about it much, typical of his generation, but he did tell us of rescuing someone who had slipped off the gang plank as they boarded HMS Veme ( the ship that he came home in)the soldier couldn’t swim and they had to grab him by his feet and haul him to safety .Later in the war he spent time in the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and finally India.

He was demobbed in 1946 and married his first wife Margaret, who tragically died in childbirth a year or so later.

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Ironically it was through her family that he met his second wife Mary. They married in September ’51 and returned to live here in Chaddesley and when I came along I was christened in this church so it was fitting that they returned here some 40 plus years later and that he never left and died peacefully at home a few hundred yards from here.

He joined the British Legion here in 1949 and rejoined in the 1990s. He worked in Sales in the Black Country first with Radiation and lastly with Benjamin Priest and Sons retiring as Company Sons ales Director of Benjamin Priest and Sons. This was a company founded by his grandfather but he had 12 children and it was passed down through the firstborn, so Daddy was just an employee though it probably helped then to have same name as the firm. I don’t imagine they envisaged paying his final salary pension for 30 years.

But it was his love of his family, garden, dogs, shooting, holidays in Rhosneigr, Anglesey where he met Mary and above all the endless Priest Like Activity or PLA a phrase coined by friends to describe the constant near disasters that often occurred in his life. We celebrate a rich and loving happy life, well lived.

Provided by Libby Harris(daughter of the late Colin Priest)

Anthony Russell Rudell, who owned Rudell the jewellers in Wolverhampton and Harborne, suffered a stroke at his Edgbaston home and was rushed to the QE Hospital but did not regain consciousness and died peacefully on Friday 20th May 2011, aged 64 years.Hundreds of mourners attended his funeral at Birmingham Jewish Cemetery on Sunday 22nd May.

Born in 1946 to Justin and Etta Rudell. “Roundy” as he was known to friends was heavily involved in charity work as well as developing his business. He was educated at West House School, Edgbaston, and then Bromsgrove School.Rudells was established by Anthony’s late father Justin on Valentines Day in 1938, selling leather and fancy goods in Wolverhampton, expanding into jewellery in 1950.

Anthony joined the business in 1966 at the age of 20 after training and working with other independent jewellers. In 1971 Anthony showed his leadership when Justin and Etta took their first ever three week holiday. The day after they set sail on their trip Anthony learnt that the adjoining premises in Darlington Street had become available allowing for Rudells to expand. There were no mobile phones around in those days, so he made the brave decision to go ahead with the purchase and proudly announced the company expansion on his parents return.

In 1981 the company expanded further when the adjoining premises on the other side of the store became available.In 1986 Anthony continued the growth of the business purchasing a second shop in Harborne Birmingham, which has now undergone similar expansion and is now three times the original size.Jon Weston the Managing Director will continue to run Rudells under the watchfull eye of Roundy’s much loved wife Ricky.

Roundy had a big heart and unlimited kindness which inspired all who were fortunate enough to meet himRoundy is sadly missed and deeply mourned by his devoted wife Ricky and his many friends.Provided by Ricky Rudell (wife of the late Anthony Rudell)

Jonathan Williams (C 1964 – 1969, died 8 February 2011)

Jon Williams, Old Bromsgrovian and Past Master of the Bromsgrove Lodge, died on Tuesday 8 February, aged fifty-seven. He was at School from 1964 to 1969, in Cookes House.

Jon was initiated into the London Irish Rifles Lodge No. 2312 and became a Joining Member in our Lodge on 19 April 1991 as a Master Mason. He was a dedicated member from the start finally rising to Worshipful Master in 2005-6. He never stinted in his duties to the Lodge despite living in Cornwall and holding down a most demanding job in shop fit-ting at locations all over the country.

His Funeral was held at North Hill Parish Church, Launceston, Cornwall on Friday 25 February 2011.Provided by David Cariss (Elmshurst 1949-1953)

Anthony (Roundy) Rudell (E 1960 – 1963, died 20 May 2011)

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John Ireland (Former Staff 1959-1990, died 20 October 2011)

John Ireland joined us in 1959. ‘All the world’s a stage…and one man in his time plays many parts’. How true of this noble character and his magnificent service to our School for three decades!

Firstly the teacher. As Head of Chemistry he had all the attributes of a great educator – a dynamic, brilliant communicator, the ability to convey the complexities of his subject and that essential passion and humour needed to engage the young. Then, the shepherd.

The role of boarding housemaster is surely the most demanding in education, to create a home from home, to guide and support the young often through the turbulence of adolescence. John first ran an overflow for a dozen or so 12 year olds in the Preparatory School and at Broom House boys felt part of the Ireland family. So to Elmshurst in the Senior School, in the mansion on New Road and later to the new building in the grounds. His enthusiasm and good humour were infectious; he respected the boys as individuals and treated them generously. He believed in government by persuasion and they responded with loyalty and vibrant house spirit. He thus left Elmshurst in a blaze of affection and gratitude and joined the pantheon of great recent house masters at our school.

He made a varied and vital contribution to the extra-curricular life of the School, above all in swimming where he was an inspirational leader for 20 years. It was a golden age for our swimmers and what quiet pride John must have felt when his beloved son Michael broke 8 school records and became Captain of swimming and Head of School. Then there was that mellow base voice. He sang in every Choral Society concert. He was a fine actor too and the perfect master of ceremonies in the Edwardian Music Hall tribute to Headmaster Nick Earle.

Remarkably In 1968 – at the height of the Cold War - John and Peter Fielden drove 8 boys to Moscow. None caused a major diplomatic incident.

In his Common Room tribute in 1990 John Gunton said ‘Long may his shadow from the wings continue to fall across the Bromsgrove scene’. It did, especially with him living a stone’s throw away. He continued teaching individuals and changing people’s lives. He was Father Christmas at Pre-Prep where he sat beneath the tree in the entrance hall, would talk to the children and ask how good they had been, distribute class gifts and then listen, enthralled, as the children sang carols to him. With his gentle manner, real beard (white of course) and polished boots even the most cynical 7 year old boy believed. Until very recently he visited us most weeks and had his regular chair in the Common Room. He took especial delight when we announced that it was 50 years since he had joined the School but then he had never really left it. It was his life.

A few years ago – to help attract the young into the noble profession of teaching – a grainy black and white advert appeared in cinemas and famous people looked at the camera and read out the name of someone who had inspired them. Then the legend ‘Everyone remembers

a good teacher’. A mighty host, in their thousands, taught and cared for by John would say ‘AJI’. One of the greatest privileges in life is to gladden the heart of the young. He did and how. He deeply touched the lives of many youngsters as they set out on the journey of life.

Here was a schoolmaster and patriarchal figure who rejoiced to be with the young and they with him. He was a good man who lived for others. We will miss him – his decency, his humanity, his magnanimity, his wise counsel, his great kindness and friendship. He was as Robert Browning said: ‘One who never turned his back but marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds would break, Never dreamed though right were worsted, wrong would triumph, Held we fall to rise, Are baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake’.

John was a man of faith and now worships on another shore of God’s Kingdom but today we give thanks for his life on earth. Well done good and trusty servant.

Provided by Philip Bowen (Deputy Headmaster)

Obituaries

143

Old Bromsgrovians who also passed away in 2010 & 2011:

John Beharrell (School 1951-1955, died 14 December 2010)Christopher David Bishop (Gordon 1957-1962, died August 2011)Dr Roger Bishton (Lupton 1945-1950, died 2009, notification of death received in 2010)Kenneth George Burridge (Elmshurst 1938-1943, died 1 July 2011)David Foster (Wendron 1947-1951)Graham Fowler (Gordon 1959-1964, died September 2010)Peter Homes (Gordon 1939-1944, died 2 December 2010)William Lewis (Former staff, died 18 September 2011)Derek A R Naylor (Gordon 1941-45, died October 2011)Geoffrey Pike (School 1941-1946, died August 2011)Hugh Seager (School 1949-1954, died 2010)John Tudor (Gordon 1944-1949)