Dear Parents and Carers

The autumn term starts with a bit of a bang these days, with the 11+ exam coming so early. I approve of the newish system (where applicants have the results of the test before they make their applications) but it certainly puts pressure on the school to organise the pupil-volunteers for less than a week after they cross the threshold. As usual, the boys came up trumps and did a wonderful job, getting up early on a Saturday to help. The organisation ran smoothly – unlike the traffic in Kings Heath, which we brought to a shuddering, embarrassing halt. (Measures have been put in place to avoid the same effect next year – here’s hoping.)

The boys put on a great show again a few weeks later: our Open Days were as popular as ever, but we managed to accommodate the visitors somewhat better – so much so that a neighbour took the trouble to write and say so.

Also in September – gosh, no wonder it felt so busy – was the official opening of the new classrooms and labs. We had had access to them before the end of the summer term, so we were very much ready to hit the new floors running this term. Dr Peter Barnwell MBE was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony, and he certainly did us proud. He is an old boy of the school who was a pupil both at the school’s original site at Camp Hill and at our current site. In fact, he opened the new rooms just one day short of 60 years after he first entered this building. Indeed, the assembly he gave the next day was on the actual anniversary.

Prize Giving was the usual happy occasion – another one on which the boys can show off their talents. As well as celebrating the various successes of prize winners, we also showcase some music and public speaking. All those who took part put on a great show, but I hope they won’t mind my choosing a couple of highlights. The music was wonderful – thank you to our star trumpeters (Lucas Houldcroft and Ludo de Ventura) and to Harry Atkinson on the double bass. (Both Lucas and Harry had successful re-auditions for the National Youth Orchestra – congratulations!) And the show-stealing speech of the evening was Billy Chapman’s passionate call for greater value to be placed on the creative arts in education in this country.

In the last few days I’ve enjoyed some more musical highlights: the Christmas Concert and the Carol Service. Both were up to their usual standard – I love the contrast that they provide, covering so many aspects of Christmas. The jolly, the happy, the sacred, the hopeful. Those who were at the Carol Service will understand why I feel I have to say how much I value the welcome given by David Warbrick, the vicar of All Saints’ Church – he certainly knows how to strike exactly the right note.

In November I enjoyed the Junior Drama production of ‘Our Day Out’. Well done the 6 th Form directing team (Billy Chapman, Lewis Evans, Sunil Patel, Adam Titchen and Harry Wilson); and from the actors, I have to single out Jonathan Anderson who was really quite disconcertingly good.

I’ll pick out one more highlight and leave you to read the newsletter if you’re after a more complete run-down of a busy term: yesterday I presented 16 bronze Duke of Edinburgh badges. (Actually, technically I didn’t, since I gave out the certificates and forgot to give out the badges, but metaphorically…) It’s so exciting to see that worthwhile programme flourishing. Thank you to the AFS for providing so much financial support for the scheme; but most of all, thank you so much to Mr Downing for his tremendous work for it.

Unusually, there are three goodbyes to be said this Christmas. Miss Shah, who has been teaching physics here since September 2015, will be leaving us; so will Mrs Govin, who has been teaching RS while Miss Lamb has been producing a baby Lamb; and Mr Pitt, who has been in charge of computing since 2010, is off to teach in Edinburgh.

Have a wonderful Christmas. I hope this holiday period will give you a chance to spend time with family and friends and that 2017 will be a happy and healthy year for you.

Martin Garrod

E-NEWSLETTER - DECEMBER 2016

Brain Day 2016 – written by Leo Chanda, Nils Heising, and Will Blay

On the 5th of December 2016, Year 12 biologists had the good fortune of meeting Dr Guy Sutton, Director of medical biology and honorary lecturer at Nottingham University. As an expert in the field of neuroscience, Dr Sutton started the day by talking to us about structure of the brain, from the very neurons that allow complex thought processes to the features of the sub cortical limbic system that account for memory and emotion. As magnificent as the functional human brain is, we were also shown what happens when mistakes are made on a molecular level, with examples of rare conditions that render the brain ineffective and often have fatal consequences, truly highlighting the fragility of such a complex organ.

Dr Sutton then went on to dissect a sheep brain, allowing us a first hand glimpse of the main visible features including the right and left hemispheres, the cerebellum and the brain stem, alongside more minute features such as the gyri and the cranial nerves. The more courageous of the group were given the chance to hold the brain, determined to portray how great their future doctoring skills would be. Needless to say, this was the most coordinated they had been all day! To conclude Brain Day 2016, Dr Sutton presented some examples of how brain damage is being increasingly used to prove criminals innocent in court, and how undiagnosed conditions such as orbitofrontal brain tumors can even change the personalities of individuals. It is important to note that the study of the brain is not only useful in medicine, but plays a vital role in law, ethics and even bionics, allowing revolutionary insight into how we as humans tick. All in all, Brain Day was a fantastic experience for Year 12 biologists with a huge thanks to Dr Sutton as well as the Biology department for making this all possible, we certainly hope he can visit again to further inspire us.

Careers newsletter entry

Thank you to all the parents and friends of Camp Hill Boys who so kindly gave up their evenings to put our year 13 pupils through some pretty challenging mock interviews this term. It was an opportunity for anyone wishing to practice and those who had attended our tailored interview skills sessions for medicine, dentistry and financial careers to test out strategies. Feedback from the boys was very positive, most stating they felt more confident to tackle real university and job interviews in the future as a result of participating. In Year 11, following careers interviews, pupils are busy researching and making applications to potential work experience placements for next year, with confirmed offers beginning to trickle in. Year 10 have been amazing us with their team proposals for developing a new health drink as part of the Coca Cola Challenge – will we be successful in the national schools’ competition? Plans are well underway for the 2017 year 12 higher education morning and careers afternoon which will take place on 1 and 9 March respectively. If you are keen to share your insights into your own career sector or are a higher education professional and would like to deliver a talk on your subject area please get in touch with Kay Bevan, school careers officer.

ChessChess in the Autumn Term 2016

Chess club, which is running on Mondays and Fridays at lunchtime, is proving as popular as usual, especially with Year 7 boys. Mr. Garrod has taken over at the helm and is assisted by

some experienced chess players from the Lower 6th. (Note from Mr Garrod: that is an extremely generous turn of phrase. The boys are entirely running chess this year, and I am full of praise for their work. My role is strictly limited to carrying out tasks that only a teacher can do – for instance, the boys will pick the team, but I will send the names to the teacher-organiser of the event. Chris Marshall is proving a superb de facto Chess Secretary; his colleagues in organisation are John Hayton, Vamsi Pratapa, Primo Agnello and Shammas Tabraiz) The first and U13 teams have performed well in the Birmingham League matches, which started after the October half-term. The first team played away at Queen Mary, Walsall, and won (3.5 - 2.5) and played at home against Five Ways and also won (4 - 2). The U13 team, which gets to play twice as many games as the first team in an evening due to different rules in their division, played at home against Five Ways and won (11 - 1). These Friday after school league matches will continue into the spring term, hopefully with similarly strong results.

On Saturday 26th November, the school's first chess team took part in an all day tournament at KES. There was very strong competition, with several of the opposition teams including one or more England Junior Team players and ECF grades in excess of 200! The competition was comprised of Birmingham schools (KES A and B teams, and Queen Mary Grammar School, Walsall) and schools from further away (Nottingham High School, Hampton School and The Royal Grammar School, Guildford). KES A won the Birmingham School’s trophy, although they were 4th overall with Camp Hill following just behind having competed very strongly. The outright competition winners were Hampton School, followed by RGS Guildford and then Nottingham High.

Several boys played at the Warwickshire Junior Chess Championships, which was held at Arden School, Solihull, on November 13th. In the U12 category, Hemal Aggarwal scored 2.5/6 and Aarav Duggal 2/6. Viswamedha Nalabotu placed 3rd in the U14 group, winning a medal with a score of 4/6, and Karthik Chinnaswamy scored 1/6. In the combined U16 & U18 group, Rohan Aggarwal scored 3/6, winning a medal, Ajay John scored 1.5/6 and Chris Marshall, with 4/6, came away as the Warwickshire U18 champion.

Chris Marshall, L7

Engineering in Education Scheme.

This year, nine pupils have been chosen, to be part of the school’s representation, in this years Engineering in Education Scheme. The selection process took the form of the initial applicants been whittled down by the companies looking at their application forms and then sitting an interview in front of a panel of engineers.

The E.E.S is for Lower sixth pupils who are up for the challenge of working in a school-based team, to work on an engineering problem, set by an outside company. The two companies we are involved with this year are Roll-Royce and Eaton Aerospace. Both of the problems set; see the teams working hard to look for an engineered solution that will be acceptable to both parties. The Rolls-Royce project consists of the boys coming up with a method of reducing the amount of time required to adjust the PDCV by removing the requirement for shimming from the process and the Eaton Aerospace project to develop a modular fixture solution that can be adapted to a range of titanium brackets during manual welding. A monitoring solution to aid the operator in determining backing gas level is also required.Both teams are now gearing up for the stage where we will be attending the residential section of the scheme (stopping in the Ibis hotel on the Bristol Rd in the city centre), this will allow the teams the chance to give focused attention to their projects, as well as use Birmingham University’s engineering facilities. Oh! And of course, they will also be experiencing university life.AJN

English Newsletter The English Department have had yet another a busy beginning to this academic year. In September we held Year 7 and Year 9 Introductory Meetings for parents. These were intended to introduce the courses that our students will be following this year and were well received. We have now shared the resources from these events on the school website.As always we held our annual Readathon event just before half term. This involved, as always, students in Year 7 and 8 reading for charity. Always worthwhile, this charity continues to raise money for good causes including helping sick children in hospital and we would like to thank everyone who sponsored this event.Sticking with Key Stage 3, Miss Buckley has begun a new Creative Writing Club this year. This has increased in popularity over the term, with a core group of regular attenders. It runs at lunchtimes and is intended to provide inspiration and support for students’ creative writing. Run predominately by the Sixth Form, it includes creative writing games and students are offered help in a relaxed environment. As a consequence of attending the club, some year 8 boys are currently working on an anti-bullying video, which will be entered into a competition. Impressively, they have written a script and music for it themselves. Other pieces of writing resulting from the club have included poetry and short stories.This year, as a new initiative we have now started a Sixth Form mentoring scheme. Willing Sixth Formers have been helping a range of year groups from 7 to 11 with their English work and it has proved to be very helpful.In addition, two of our Sixth Formers: Matty Blayney and Miles Smith are working with me to reignite the school newspaper – The Sentinel. This is an online magazine and will hopefully be available on the School website before Christmas!

Furthermore, Matty and Hassan Hassan in the Lower VI are going to try to restart Intermediate and Senior debating competitions in the New Year. This weekend (at the time of writing) a group of Sixth Formers from both this school and Camp Hill Girls are going to observe the Birmingham University Student Debating competition. Theatre trips are always an important part of the English Department calendar and so far this has been no exception, with an excellent Year 9 trip to see Henry V by William Shakespeare at the Crescent. The behaviour of the students on this occasion was superb and commented on by members of the public. A little later in the term, we took the Sixth Formers studying English A’level to see ‘O’ at the Mac. This thought- provoking retelling of Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’, proved a source of interesting discussion and debate in lessons.We would of course like to thank Mr Southworth for his excellent production of ‘Our Day Out’ – this was, as always, inspirational and, as our Year 9s are currently studying another Russell play: ‘Educating Rita’ – well timed!We now look forward to another packed term, with a theatre visit to see Frankenstein for Years 10 and 11 in January, our annual Public Speaking competition and I am sure a lot more.

Gardening Club Christmas update by Ruairi Lynch and Tom Woods

This year a group of Year 7 boys were paired with some sixth formers to start a gardening club. The aim was to grow herbs, bulbs, hyacinths, daffodils and many other plants. Whilst there has not been a huge amount of growth due to the weather, it has been a highly enjoyable experience for all involved and the Year sevens have certainly developed their gardening skills under the mentoring of the older boys. As we move into 2017 our aim is to share our produce with the wider community by selling herbs and plants to members of staff and students, and gifting bulbs to local old people’s homes.

In the final week of term the Year 12 and Year 13 Geographers took off for the afternoon to visit the Lapworth Museum of Geology at the University of Birmingham which has recently undergone a £2.7million refurbishment. The boys were welcomed with a special talk from Dr. Alan Hastie who is an igneous petrologist from the university’s School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. They then undertook a rock identification exercise looking at the lithology and formation of a range of sedimentary and igneous rocks to compare their characteristics. The boys then had some time to browse the museum displays which included an impressive range of rock and mineral samples from all over the world, interactive displays and a timeline display of Britain’s geological history. Thanks should go to the staff and volunteers at the museum who made this trip possible. If you haven’t been yet it’s free entry and is well worth the trip.

D. Eckley

Maths Matters – Autumn 2016

Once again the A level and GCSE results went very well, with well over half our A2 Mathematics grades being A* or A and over 80% of our GCSE grades being A*. We said a fond farewell to the old OCR GCSE, and now enter the Brave New World of numbered grades. It’s anybody’s guess what will happen!

There were two major mathematical events this term, the Senior Team Challenge and the Senior Mathematical Challenge. The Senior Mathematical Challenge took place in early November and involved all mathematicians in Year 12, further mathematicians in Year 13 and the top set in Year 11. Altogether there were 61 bronze, 47 silver and 27 gold certificates from our 174 entries. Anthony Lim and Paul Gardner of Year 13, John Hayton of Year 12 and, impressively, Robert Hillier and Sam Stansfield of Year 11 qualified for the follow-up British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1, while eighteen boys qualified for the (slightly easier) Senior Kangaroo. We await their results with interest.

Later in November, we hosted the Senior Team Challenge which attracted 25 team entries, all of whom turned up. This is a competition for teams of four, and we entered an A team and a secret B team. KES went somewhere else and the girls’ school had a teacher day, so we hoped for the best. The A team, consisting of the aforementioned Anthony Lim, Paul Gardner, John Hayton and Robert Hillier, started impressively, scoring 60/60 in a difficult group round, while the B team, consisting of Ian Roberts, Vamsi Pratapa, Alex Byrne and Sam Stansfield, made only one mistake. Our reserve, Akaash Thao, graciously agreed to join the Aston team after they turned up with only three. Then the cross-number appeared to be

easier than usual, and many teams did very well. Lunch was described as “exiguous” by the visiting official from the UKMT. It was followed by the infamous “shuttle” round, which would have gone better if the official (who shall remain nameless) had timed it properly. Anyway, our A team got 48/60, which was enough to win the whole competition by miles. The B team finished second. The A team will now go forward to the national finals in London next term.

Mr Jack has continued taking our most promising students to enrichment classes at King Edward’s High School: many thanks to him for continuing to offer this opportunity. Next term, there’s the Intermediate Maths Challenge and its follow-up rounds, and at least one more Team Maths Challenge involving our younger students. Finally, here’s a problem for the holidays: if you pick three consecutive odd numbers, the largest of which is at least 9, how can you be sure they are not all prime?

A.M.R.

Quiz Report Autumn 2016

After getting through to the national final of the Schools Challenge last year, it was always going to be tough to maintain such levels of performance again. We went into the Lord Mayor’s Sixth Form Quiz with high hopes have been a winner on two previous occasions. In spite of a fantastic performance from both Camp Hill Epsilon and Camp Hill Zeta (Years 13 and 12) we could not overturn a fantastic performance from Bishop Vesey who showed remarkable consistency and composure throughout. Still second and fourth place were not to be sniffed at in a competition with over 40 teams from across the region. Well done to Harry Wilson, Kushal Varma, Billy Chapman, Anthony Lim, Ashar Aslam and Mackenzie Wells for their efforts in Camp Hill Epsilon.

The Schools Challenge campaign started well with both our A and B teams coming through their group rounds successfully; the A team having seen off KEHS 1 and Edgbaston High 2 and accumulating over 1000 points into the bargain, the B team overcame KEHS 2 and KES 3 on the way to the semi-finals. However, insurmountable obstacles got in the way of a repeat of last year. Hopes of an all CHB final were scuppered by an outstanding team from Shrewsbury who beat the A team 630 to 390 and the B team lost out 740 to 410 from the KES 1 team. Well done to Shrewsbury in winning the overall tournament and moving through to the inter-regional play-off. Well done to our teams of Harry Wilson, Kushal Varma, Kevin Mathew and Bhuvan Mahadevaiah and Muhammad Ali, Alfie Green, Thomas Heppel and Peter Kippax. Next term we look forward to the culmination of the House Quiz and the Junior Schools Challenge.

GNH

German Exchange 2016

On 5th October 2016, 20 boys went on a plane to Frankfurt am Main, Germany to visit their German exchange partners. In March of this year, the same boys hosted 20 German students from the school, Frankfurt am Main. We had to be at the airport in October for 7:10 in the morning so an early start was necessary. On the first day we met up with our exchange partners and were told to meet at the school the next morning. That evening, some boys met up and spent time learning the language from experts. On Thursday we were in a lesson with our exchange partners in the morning. School that day had organised a trip to the main shopping centre in Frankfurt where after a tour of the city, we were given free time to look around the shops.

The next day we again enjoyed a lesson in German and some of the boys took part in French or Italian lessons so this was even more foreign to us. Friday’s trip was to Saalburg, a rebuilt Roman fort that serves as a great example of Roman History. The guides tried their best English and gave us lots of information about the fort. That night there was an ice-hockey game that involved the Frankfurt Löwen, the local team. Several boys went to this event where fortunately the local side won and so was a great experience to be a part of. Saturday and Sunday were spent with our exchange partners who gave us a brief look at their vibrant city.

On Monday the school trip was first of all to the Helaba Tower which provided great views of the huge city. We then went to the Frankfurt zoo where we were given free time to walk around. Tuesday morning came very quickly and was the day we left for England. We woke up a bit later than on the way over but it still wasn’t the happiest of mornings. As we said goodbye to our exchange partners and boarded the U-bahn we were on our way back to England.

This was a great trip that I would recommend to all prospective German students.

Noah Lloyd

University of Birmingham – Languages Masterclass 09/11/2016

On Wednesday 9th November, fourteen boys and the head of Modern Foreign Languages, Mrs Wells went to the University of Birmingham for an exciting day of learning new and somewhat different languages.

As we left school by minibus, we reached the prestigious university soon after and we made our way to the lecture theatre where the school liaison from the university gave the pupils a presentation regarding why we should study languages in the future and in university. We all feel that we were given a new understanding of why languages are a vital aspect of future career and employment.

Next, a language taster in Russian ensued, where we learnt basic conversational Russian phrases such as: “привет” (privyet) meaning ‘hello’ and: “Очень приятно”(ochen prijatno) meaning ‘pleasure to meet you’. We were then quizzed by the Russian teacher on other, everyday objects such as ‘the park’, ‘a ballerina’ and ‘sauce’! More surprisingly, we discovered that the Russian alphabet called: “алфавит” (alphavit) was based on letters coined from the Cyrillic and Latin alphabet; again, we were educated on all of the different letters of the Russian alphabet and were put to the test where we had to discover what each Russian word meant.

Our final ‘taster’ in a different language was Chinese, or simplified Chinese. Here, we learnt how one typically greets someone. “ ” 你好 meaning ‘hello’ and “你好 ” 吗 meaning ‘how are you?’ Eventually, everyone grasped the idea as to what Chinese phrases mean what. Moreover, the Chinese teacher then educated us as to what the first five Chinese numbers were: “ 一 (yī – one), 二(èr – two), 三(sān – three), 四(sì – four), 五(wǔ – five). Then, we were taught that each symbol in the language has to be made in a certain stroke and that the accent on top of letters have to be pronounced in different ways.

In conclusion, I believe that the language masterclass at University of Birmingham provided us with a different viewpoint on languages; how they can be used for in the future and how they affect your lifestyle. In addition to this, it was an enjoyable experience for everyone; learning new languages aids your career and employment but can also be exciting… ‘xièxiè’ and ‘poka’…bye!

REPORTED BY: Neal Pankhania 10Z

On Wednesday 6th December & Wednesday 30th November a group of eager linguists set out to Birmingham University, in order to attend a language masterclass, which was being hosted by university students, as well as professors. The aim was to provide a flavour and insight into university lifestyle as well as what studying modern foreign languages at Birmingham University would really be like. It goes without saying the masterclasses were inevitably there at the forefront to improve our linguistic capabilities. On arrival, pupils were seated in a lecture theatre and introduced by the Dean of the Modern Foreign Languages department at Birmingham University.

Following this short, yet informative introduction pupils were introduced to students at the university who had been studying languages as part of their degree. One main attraction factor from the offset was the unbelievably vast number of languages on offer to study. German, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian, to name a select few. After introduction we were split into groups, depending on which language the pupil was studying, and then we were sent to rooms with professors and students, which initiated the masterclass. Speaking from my personal experience, the masterclass was great, offering subject knowledge previously unknown to students, for example, cultural aspects on Berlin. In addition to this, we studied literary texts and developed our understanding of German writing, which developed the cultural aspect of studying a modern foreign language, either in the Sixth Form or university. There was also a languages masterclass on offer, which, once again for German, comprised of revision and consolidation of grammar, something which my fellow pupils and I all found to be very useful, especially since it would aid our knowledge and technique of grammar usage on written pieces of writing. This helped tremendously as the detail regarding grammar exceeded our previous knowledge and this contributed majorly to the overall usefulness of the masterclass. On the whole, these specialised classes proved to be very useful, in the sense that they improved our language skills overall and offered revision to what we had already studied in the Sixth Form. I would strongly recommend to seize the opportunity if it arises, as it will benefit your language skills and ability amazingly. Finally, on behalf of the students in the Sixth Form, we would like to thank Mrs. Wells for her determined effort in organising these two events, and not to mention Mr. Bruten who kindly transported us on both occasions. It was an experience which won’t be forgotten any time soon.

Safee Saleem

Music – autumn 2016

We were delighted to come back after the summer to an excellent set of result in the music ‘grade’ examinations of the Associated Board and Trinity College. It’s also really good to see how many of these examinations are being passed with ‘merit’ or ‘distinction’. Many congratulations to them all!

Name Form Instrument Grade

Ibrahim Abdullah 10Z Violin 1

Kishan Sambhi 8M Guitar 1 Merit

Ojas Supe 8S Guitar 1 Merit

Daniel Elia 9J Trumpet 1 Merit

Miles Balderson 9S Trombone 1 Distinction

Udayan Nayyar 8J Guitar 2 Merit

Billy Villabroza 8J Guitar 2 Merit

Arjun Pandit 8S Violin 2 Merit

Ben Hobson-Taher 9K Guitar 2 Merit

Joel Foster 9S Trumpet 2 Merit

Ben Brown 8J Violin 3

Sicheng Li 10Z Flute 3 Merit

Judah Daniels 10W Clarinet 3 Distinction

Alexander Byrne 11Y Violin 3 Distinction

Joshua Birch 10Y Trumpet 4

Eashan Varma 8M Clarinet 4

Saksham Shah 10Z Drum Kit 4 Merit

Fintan Hogan 9J Bassoon 4 Merit

Connor Huss 8J Bassoon 4 Distinction

Matthew Anderson 8S Clarinet 4 Distinction

Tommy Ransbotyn 10W Oboe 5

Xue Bang Chen 10X Trumpet 5

Daniel Cole 11Z French Horn 5

Alex Lee 11Z Flute 5

Joseph Malt U7 Guitar 5

Jonathan Anderson 9K Clarinet 5 Distinction

Rufus Hall 9S Violin 5 Distinction

Florian Hogler 8M Bassoon 6 Merit

Deniz Yoruk-Mikhailov 9M Piano 6 Distinction

Madhav Ramesh U5 Oboe 7

Qiyuan Chen 9S Flute 7 Merit

Ravi Bange U2 Clarinet 7 Merit

Rahul Choudhary L2 Soprano Saxophone 8

Paul Gardner U1 Piano 8

Alex Byrne 11Y Piano 8 Merit

Kushal Varma U3 Flute 8 Merit

Thomas Keast U5 Orchestral Percussion 8 Distinction

We are also pleased with how many boys now participate in the excellent Birmingham City Music Service orchestras, bands and other ensembles. We now have over 50 boys playing in these prestigious groups, and a number in the top orchestra – Birmingham Schools Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to those playing in the Birmingham Ensembles we also have boys in other local Music Service Ensembles. These include Solihull, Sandwell and Walsall. We have boys in the CBSO Youth Orchestra, and in various choirs. Of particular note is that until recently we had four boys singing in the Cathedral Choir. As their voices changed, this is now two: Simeon Humphries and Matthew Anderson. Matthew also has the distinction of being Head Chorister, and this term sang an extended solo live on a Radio 3 broadcast.

Our most talented musicians have continued to do very well. Harry Atkinson and Lucas Houldcroft, following extensive auditions, once again gained places in the excellent National Youth Orchestra, the best Youth Orchestra in the country. Harry is now joint principal double bass, and Lucas is a first section trumpeter. Many congratulations to them on this fine achievement.

The Chamber Concert in November is the first large joint concert of the school year. For Year 7 pupils this is their first Camp Hill concert, and it is a chance for the String Orchestra and Training Wind Band to play to an appreciative audience. Both groups were well rehearsed, and gave enthusiastic performances. We then had a selection of accomplished smaller ensembles. This included our excellent String Quartet (Jamie Wen, William Yang, Adam Rarko and Deniz Yoruk-Mikhailov), coached by Miss Goble which gave a neat and stylish performance of the Rondo from Mozart’s String Quartet in G. The Junior Brass Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble played lively versions of popular tunes and chord patterns. Some accomplished solo performances included piano pieces by Alex Byrne and Sam Howarth, both in Year 11.

We are always pleased to work with our neighbours in the community of King’s Heath. Each year the School Choir sings carols for the All Saint’s Parish Church ‘Robin Centre’, and we also sing a carol service for Hazelwell Church ‘Hub’ Old Folks Christmas Party. This year was a special one for Hazelwell Church, as it was their centenary. The held a celebration meal and dance, and our String Quartet went along to accompany. They are Jamie Wen and William Yang violins, Adam Rarko viola and Deniz Yoruk-Mikhailov cello. I was very pleased that all went well, and we received a letter afterwards from the organiser, and past member of staff at Camp Hill, Mr Shannon Moore. He wrote: “I am writing to let you know how well the boys, in the String Quartet, played, getting our Centenary Charity Ball off to a great start. It was much appreciated by all our guests at Hazelwell Church. We have raised at least £400 for our charities.”

The Music Department often provides music for school functions, and at this term’s GCSE presentation evening the music was provided by our Year 12 A level musicians. Before the event we had a Year 12 rock band, then during the proceedings Faran Cheema and friends performed an excellent composition which he had written for his GCSE coursework, called Happy Accidents.

Prizegiving is a chance for our very best musicians to demonstrate their skills, and this year we had some particularly fine musical contributions. We are lucky to have two excellent trumpeters in Lucas Houldcroft and Ludo De Ventura, and so we prepared the first movement of the Vivaldi Double Trumpet Concerto with a small band of strings plus harpsichord. Their performance was skilled and most stylish. We then had National Youth Orchestra player, Harry Atkinson on Double Bass playing Valse Minature by Koussevitzky. This was a virtuoso performance of a very intricate piece, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

It is always good to hear news of musical Old Boys, and recently one came back to Birmingham to perform. Many will remember Aled Walker, an outstanding musician whose talents included jazz piano (in Aled and the Walkers!), trumpet and voice. He must have been the nicest person ever to have played the horrific character Sweeney in the school production of Sweeney Todd by Sondheim! Aled went to Trinity College, Cambridge to study Mathematics, and is now studying for a PhD at Oxford and also singing with the excellent Chamber Choir “Schola Cantorum of Oxford”. The choir came to Birmingham to give a concert at St Mary’s Parish Church in Moseley in September, and a number of local friends went to hear it. The choir sang at a very high standard, and we were treated to an excellent evening.

As I write this, there is still much music to come. In the last week of term we have:

On Monday, our Christmas Concert with performances by our senior and intermediate musicians, and Santa arriving in the last item Slight Ride to give out chocolates to the children present.

On Tuesday the School Choir visit Hazelwell Church (The Hub), and sing for their carol service.

On Wednesday the School Choir prepare for the school Carol Service which takes place in the evening in All Saint’s Parish Church. It is always a most enjoyable and atmospheric event.

After a long and busy term, I would like to wish all school musicians a very Happy Christmas and a well-earned rest!

SFP

RESULTS SUMMARY

TEAMS PLAYED WON DRAWN LOST FOR AGAINST

RUGBY1st XV 12 6 0 6 264 1752nd XV 10 2 0 8 128 2933rd XV 1 1 0 0 31 29U/16 6 3 0 3 148 186U/15

B135

62

10

63

322106

34495

U/14B

117

83

01

33

417197

158242

U/13BC

1394

674

000

720

344411157

36019477

U/12BCD

9544

0120

0000

9424

1309012580

27518090170

HOCKEY1st XI 11 2 2 7 17 362nd XI 10 4 0 7 18 40U/15 3 2 0 1 10 5U/14 3 1 2 0 14 2

BASKETBALLU/15 4 3 0 1 76 73U/13 2 1 0 1 56 34

FOOTBALL1st XI 6 4 1 1 24 92nd XI 1 1 0 0 4 2

BADMINTONU/16 2 1 0 1 5 5U/14 3 2 0 1 11 4

1 st XV Rugby

Six wins and six defeats would seem like a reasonable return for the autumn term; a satisfactory start, you might say. However, it could have been so much better. Ten wins from twelve was a realistic prospect with a number of matches being lost by a single score and, frustratingly, lost in the last five minutes of the game. At the same time we have gifted

leads to sides and then had to claw our way back into matches, so it’s no wonder we have struggled. You cannot give Princethorpe College a 10-0 lead, nor can you allow Bishop Vesey 17 points in the first five minutes of a game and expect to get away with it (although we nearly did in both cases).The 1st XV squad is a relatively settled one this season and, although we have had a number of high profile injuries to deal with, those who have come in to the team have performed well. For the first time in a number of years we have had a good contingent of Year 11 boys pushing for 1st XV selection from the start of the season and they have contributed very effectively. But the squad as a whole is a tight knit one and commitment, yet again, cannot be questioned.Fortunately, the doom and gloom of narrow defeats in the final minutes of matches is not the only thing to reflect upon. Whilst I will say more at the end of the season about individuals, there are some considerable team successes to reflect upon and celebrate at Christmas. Our 76-0 demolition of Solihull Sixth Form College actually says more about our dominance and high level of performance on the day than it does about our opposition; they made us work very hard for our tries, but it all seemed to come together very nicely for us. Wins over Lawrence Sheriff and Bablake were also enjoyable, if a little closer; but it was the win at KES that remains the highlight of the season so far. Away wins at KES are few and far between – I seem to recall one in 1995 – so the victory was sweet, with our kicking being the difference between the sides (well done Dylan Rogers!)So as we reach the halfway point in the season, it is with a mixture of pride and frustration. It has the potential still to be a very good season and we especially look forward to the rearranged fixture against Aston. But it is going to require a renewed effort in 2017 to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off after the disappointment particularly of the Bishop Vesey game. There are many positives to build upon, our work in training continues to have huge benefits (ask Alex Bonnor about the ‘Dynamite Ball’) and we look forward to chalking up a few more victories in the New Year. January will see us get our Captain, Ed Connolly, back from his injury hiatus which is great news. That said, his contribution and commitment from the sidelines has been exemplary and inspirational and, in Tom Haddon as Vice-Captain, we have maintained excellent on field leadership. Both of these boys have put their bodies on the line for Camp Hill rugby this year and have really shown the way. I am sure that they will help to steer the squad towards a successful and enjoyable 2017.Thank you to all who have supported senior rugby this year. There are some real stalwarts amongst our parental support at the moment and your presence on the touch line is always much appreciated. I would also like to thank Mr Barr for his patience and forbearance with me promoting his 2nd XV players at the drop of a hat – all of whom have given a really good account of themselves.So it just remains to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Players, remember that the mince pies, computer gaming, Christmas TV and boxes of Quality Street

can be countered by the odd jog around the block or trip to the gym. See you at training in January!

AJC

2nd XV First Term report

It’s fair to say that the team hasn’t had the most successful term of rugby results-wise. From the off it was clear that the loss of some key players from the team and the addition of some new faces was going to pose a challenge in the first few matches. Indeed, our disjointed performances were hardly representative of the effort many were putting in. A particular low point of the season came about against KES, as despite a strong start (including a try from Ossama Chihani in which he ran the length of the pitch) we let our heads drop following a few scores of their own. However, this was the turning point for the team. In the games that followed the results may still not have been in our favour but the performances gradually started to improve. Our first win came against Lawrence Sherriff. The wet conditions favoured a forward oriented affair with powerful running from the likes of Garen Boora and Bahawal Ali getting us over the gain line time and time again. A try from Zulficar Khan was the reward for the forwards’ hard work. That being said, when the backs got the ball they made the most of it with tries from Jake Tucker and Josh Hall – the latter following a perfectly worked move showing the class that the team possessed and were capable of producing. Following this came another noticeable performance against Aston. In this match we faced a well organised side and we knew that our defence needed to be impeccable to stand a chance. Soon after the start of the match, a charged down kick from Tom Woods deep in Aston’s half saw Josh Hall out jump two defenders to claim the ball and the first points of the match. Solid defensive work followed and constant pressure in attack from Jack Wood meant we went into half time having looked the better team and trailing only 7-5. The injury to Zulfiqar Khan just before the end of the first half was a huge blow as his presence in the back line had made a noticeable impact on the game and we therefore faced an uphill battle. Despite the eventual loss, the brave defensive performance from the whole team had given us confidence for the games to come.The last two games we’ve played have added to this confidence. The year 11s have not only cemented their positions in the side but have also played a huge role in improving elements of our play. Ed Dempsey and Henry Belai’s work in the lineout meant our set plays against Princethorpe were the best they’d been all season. The game against Princethorpe also showed huge improvements to our back line. Strong performances from Rohan Sharma (including a brilliant try from a quickly taken tap penalty) and Dan Hill allowed the team to work well as a unit, leading to scores from Bahawal Ali and Murtaza Nomani. The last minute try that we conceded was extremely disappointing but the positives from that game were built upon in our latest fixture against Bishop Vesey. A try from Andy Kavaleiros within

the first few minutes set us off to a flying start. Once again strong defensive play on our own line denied them from scoring many times in the first half and we went into the second half winning 7-5. Despite strong performances from Tom Perry, Vince Moran and Will Butler (whose kicking game and attacking running has been second to none all season) Vesey ran out as winners. However, the match has given the team huge confidence for next term and we look forward to continue improving in the games to come. Tom Woods

U15 Rugby Newsletter ReportThe start to the season has certainly been a mixed one to say the least. The U15 team began with an exciting win against Bablake 31-24, helped by two tries from Judah Daniels. Unfortunately, this was followed up by a loss against a strong Old Swinford side, 36-5. Next up was the Natwest Cup Competition. Having been drawn against Solihul School, we always knew it was going to be difficult fixture which proved to be the case. The score line of 50-5 makes it sound like we were on the end of a hammering. However, this was far from the case as we more than matched our opposition for large parts of the game, however the oppositions cutting edge in attack allowed them to win comprehensively.The U15’s bounced back from the cup exit with a brilliant 46-10 victory against King Henry VII, two tries from Michael James-Thomas and a man of the match performance from Oli Ebenezer helped ensure the victory. This fixture was followed up by a ‘one-off’ match against a Cockermouth touring side (the team we usually play against on our annual end of season rugby tour to Carlisle). Unfortunately, we couldn’t match them physically in both attack and defence and were defeated 31-12. Only a couple of days later, the U15’s team travelled to North Oxfordshire to play against Bloxham School in the Natwest Plate competition. What followed was an exhilarating 36-35 win against a very good side, the boys did themselves proud and clung onto victory with some magnificent defence in the final 5 minutes of the game. The front row were the unsung heroes on the day, mopping up any loose balls and maintaining a strong platform for the backs to play from. Pierre Lee was the man of the match on this occasion.After such a dramatic victory, the U15 team were brought back down to earth with a heavy loss against KES. However, again the score line was an unfair reflection as KES scored three tries late on to finish 55-24 winners. Up next for Camp Hill was a home draw in the next round of the Natwest Plate Competition against Princethorpe College. This game ebbed and flowed throughout but unfortunately Camp Hill eventually lost the game 30-19. The boys were emotionally drained at the end of the game knowing they were by far the better side and had the chances to take the victory. Man of the match was Michael James-Thomas who scored two excellent tries.After a disheartening cup exit the boys hit back brilliantly two days later to comprehensively beat KE Aston at home 32-15. Credit must go to Captain Josh Birch and vice-captain Joe Clark for rallying the troops and allowing the team to play some excellent, passionate rugby. The stand out player in the match was hooker Bilal Stitan who brought energy and

dynamism to the forward pack. A couple of days later the team were back in action again and played in the annual Greater Birmingham tournament consisting of all the KE foundation schools and what unfolded was a truly memorable afternoon. Camp Hill played 6 matches, won four and drew two to maintain an astounding unbeaten record within the tournament (and incidentally only conceding one try in the whole event). Camp Hill eventually won the tournament on the most amount of tries scored thanks to a resounding 37-0 victory in the final game. Credit must go to all the squad who tackled their hearts out in pursuit of victory throughout the afternoon and played with magnificent flair in attack to thoroughly deserve the winner’s crown. The man of the tournament was Louis Cooke who was a rock in defence as well as extremely powerful in attack.The U15s rollercoaster season continued with a disappointing 24-12 defeat to Lawrence Sheriff. Unfortunately for the team, it was one of those days where not much went right and a lot went wrong. Again the team emulated the season so far and bounced back to produce a well-earned 17 all draw against a strong KE Five Ways side. Man of the match on this occasion was Zaman Khan who worked tirelessly in attack and defence.The last game before of 2016 saw the team travel to Bishop Vesey to play against their B team. Camp Hill thoroughly deserved their 47-5 playing some exciting rugby in attack and defending resolutely. Tries were shared between Michael James-Thomas 1, Bradley Williams 1, Kieron Taylor 1, Joe Shalabi 1 and Man of the Match Josh Birch 3. Oliver Ebenezer continued his excellent form throughout the session kicking 5 conversions. A session mention should also be given to Judah Daniels who is top try scored at the moment with 8 tries.The team have been a pleasure to work with this season, showing an eagerness to learn, matched by a great attitude throughout. We enter the second half of the season knowing that if we continue to play the rugby we have been playing, a good finale to the season is sure to come.TJB

U14 Rugby

The year 9 rugby squad have been a pleasure to work with this term. They are a committed and able group of players and the results for both A & B sides this term reflect their progression and development. 43 boys have attended after school training, indeed it is usual for about 30 to be there on a weekly basis.The B team have won 3 and drawn 1 of their 7 games. Rajkaran Tiwana, Jamie Wen, Adam Audhali, Zak Ahmed, Ismail Awan and Jay Gallagher have been the cornerstone of the side, playing in all seven matches. To have a good second string pushing the A team has created healthy competition in the squad and seen promotions to the A team as well.The A side have enjoyed 8 wins from 11, the best of those probably the defeat of King Henry VIII, 29-5 and the biggest against Aston, 69-0, ouch! The side plays an entertaining brand of rugby and there have been nearly 70 tries to enjoy at an average of six per game. The team

is blessed with a strong pack of forwards who are complemented by a swift set of backs. To develop further in 2017 we need to improve our cohesion and develop a more assertive approach to game management, particularly against the better schools.Usmaan Nadeem has captained the side with Luke Hemmings as his deputy. Usmaan has led by example and played in each game thus far, as have Chetan Biju, Taran Sangha, Yusof Elsherbiny, Ross Evans and Richard Amoshe. Ross leads the try scoring with 17, Yusof 15, Richard 12.Ishaq Khan, Theo Kenny, Afnan Gilliani, Hateem Javaid and Abhinash Nirantharakumar have all made a name for themselves as regulars this season, having come through the lower ranks in previous years. Unfortunately Abhinash has suffered a broken leg, we wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him again before the season ends.The side has a regular contingent of supporters for which the boys and I are grateful, hopefully they will join us in Cumbria for the annual tour. My thanks to Mrs Bourne who has been my co-coach and referee, we both look forward to more rugby in 2017.

MWD

U.13 Rugby The U.13s began the term with real momentum, quickly notching up significant wins against Bablake 32-24, KES twice! 50-15 & 45-10, Old Swinford Hospital 35-10 & King Henry’s Coventry 40-27. All notable scalps on our regular fixture list. One of the victories against KES was in the cup, earning the team an unenviable next round match against Warwick School. Despite a fully committed display by Camp Hill, the difference in ability between the teams was evident from the start, Warwick eased to a comfortable 0-50 win.Although a regular sporting cliché ‘game of two halves’, the U.13 performance fits the bill perfectly. At half term, their record P6 W5 stood favourable comparison with any other Camp Hill Rugby team, but the second half of the term has seen a dramatic turnaround in results. The sequence began with a dramatic last second loss to local rivals KE Aston 42-43 and although this was followed by a hard fought 25-15 win at Lawrence Sherriff, the later matches during November and December began to follow a familiar pattern. Week after week, the team found themselves losing out to opponents who they could have beaten: KE Lichfield 15-26, QM Walsall 20-35 & KE Fiveways 15-25. In all of these performances, the team spurned attacking opportunities and then made poor tactical and defensive errors at crucial moments, thus letting the game slip out of their grasp. However, the team should console itself in the knowledge that despite losing, they really were not very far away from their opponents and could easily turn these results around next year. Indeed, the match against KE Fiveways was probably the team’s best performance of the season so far, playing with an intensity not seen in the early stages of the season.The rugby calendar in the Autumn term concluded in demanding fashion with matches against Princethorpe & Bishop Vesey which were lost 15-35 & 15-45 respectively, but ironically, as in previous losses, there were periods in these matches when the team

competed well and played some excellent Rugby. The new format of the game at U.13 level with less players on the pitch and less stoppages, puts the onus on physical fitness and committed defence. These are two aspects that the team should be looking to improve upon in 2017.A really encouraging aspect of the team’s play has been the number of players from both forwards and backs who have contributed to try scoring. Captain George Lanham, Simeon Humphries, Mustafa Shoukat & Lorcan Halstead have all made impressive contributions in the forwards during the term. They have been ably backed up by Matt Anderson, Ali Elsherbiny, Alex Newsome & Muhammed Asad. Towards the end of term saw the emergence of Adnan Choudhary who could become a useful addition to the squad as he gains more match experience. They scrummage well and are developing into an effective rucking unit.There is plenty of potential in the backs as well. Will Taylor and Karim Mehanna are developing into an effective halfback partnership. Will at scrum half, distributes the ball well; often unselfishly creating opportunities for others, but sniping for tries too. Karim also presents an attacking threat at fly half, in addition to getting his backline functioning. Joe Day at centre deserves a special mention, as the team’s top try scorer (15 tries) but his contribution goes far beyond this. It is really pleasing to see him creating opportunities for players outside him. Sam Satodia, Seth Turner, Sinai Ejechi & Emery Uzoma have posed problems for the opposition in attack and are beginning to become more disciplined in defence. At full back, Sam Morris has been a dependable full back whose impressive kicking really adds to the team. It is also pleasing to see the emergence of Hugo Mulligan as utility back.Adam Rarko and Rufus Hall have also contributed to the team, when able to play, but this has been restricted to midweek matches. Indeed, there are a number of other talented players who perform impressively in a very successful ‘B’ team, but are unavailable for Saturday sport at Camp Hill. I hope there may come a time when they will be able to play more regularly and strengthen the squad.I would like to thank Mr Eckley and Mr Taylor for their coaching input this term. Their knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm is very much appreciated. Thanks must also go to Henry Moreau Smith, Michael James Thomas & Simon Halstead of Year 10 who have helped out at training and to the loyal band of parents who support the team so enthusiastically on Saturdays.My final message is to the team. It has been a pleasure to coach you this term, have a great Christmas and come back raring to go in 2017.CMJ

U12 Rugby – Autumn Term

The first half of the term has seen significant progress from an initially inexperienced side of players, most of whom were new to the game. With new law changes to take into account

the game has become a very different one to the ordinary 15-man game played from Year 9 and up. This has presented some challenges for players as well as some opportunities. The lack of a back row (flankers and no.8) has limited the number of potential defenders on the field and made it all the more difficult for the backs to defend against opposition. The term has undoubtedly been a difficult one for the boys with only one win achieved by the B-team and one draw for the A-team. This first term is always a challenging one for the relatively inexperienced Camp Hill side, often playing against much more experienced players from other grammar schools and private schools in the region who may have played for school or club teams for several years already. It is encouraging to hear about the number of boys who after starting rugby at school have then started to attend training at various local clubs, most notably Camp Hill RFC. This will put them in good stead for the future. The final game of the term was against one of our toughest rivals, Bishop Vesey. Despite the boys’ disappointment at losing 6-5 both myself and Mr Taylor were elated at the performance the boys put in which was far and away the best of the term so far. With a full strength line-up which has only been in place for two matches this gives a glimmer of hope for the squad who up until now have struggled against their opponents. Similar performances in the spring term will undoubtedly score then some wins before the season is out. Until then the (non-alcoholic) champagne shall remain on ice. Thank you as always for the support of parents at home and away matches on Fridays and Saturdays. The spring term brings a new range of opponents on which to sharpen our skills as well as the fun of house rugby and the Greater Birmingham Tournament to round off the season.D Eckley.

2nd XI Hockey

The 2nd team began this term with a lot of promise. Fielding a new squad consisting of year 11s and some more seasoned year 12s, the team immediately began to work cohesively as a unit. Led by Captain Isara Mahalekam and other senior players, the team has been able to improve throughout this term and has led to several players rising to the challenge of a faster paced game; notably Abaan Butt with 2 goals and several MOTM awards. Umar Lakhani also showed his potential for greater things, the most considerable of these being him scoring against his own team!! Currently several of our players have scored; Tom Mansfield leads the side with a total of 4 goals while Umar Lakhani, Abaan Butt, Isara Mahalekam and Matt Sherwood have also put their effort into scoring. Although our prowess this season is in attack, this is not all we should be proud of. Our other central players of Victor Kimani and Johannes Beckett have proven their worth in both attack and defence. Easily the best goal of this term came from Johannes, who sent an unstoppable ball worthy of the 1st team into the top left corner of the goal. This would have been even more impressive if it were not an own goal. Our defence has been pleasingly consistent. Sunil Patel, Vamsi Pratapa, Craig Stewart and Pranav Thatipamula have been a dependable back four and vital in reducing the effectiveness of opposition attack. Dhyan Naik has risen to the

challenge of being a senior goal keeper and has had some impressive saves under his belt (literally) already this season. Although the team has lost some matches in the past weeks, against weaker opposition we have shown our colours and we will be able to learn from our strengths and weaknesses which will help us handle stronger opposition in the future. This team's potential is yet to be reached and so we can expect a stronger 2nd team next term.

Isara Mahalekam L5

U14 Hockey

The first practise session was very impressive, the boys seemed enthusiastic and committed albeit not experienced before. Our first match was against King Edward’s Aston and we drew 0–0, quite a feat, considering they are one of the best teams. The next match was against Old Swinford and we were brimming with confidence. After a cautious start we were 2-0 up at half-time. Then the flood gates opened as Humraaj Bhansal, Sam Gray and Haseeb Arif bamboozled the opposition and we ended up winning 12–0 !! Our last match of the term ended in a draw against a strong Queen Mary's School, 2-2. We could easily have won in fact.This is a team to watch out for in the future, we look forward to more game experience in 2017.MA

U15 Basketball Team-December Newsletter ReportThe U15 Basketball team have had a successful and enjoyable term. Having had such a fruitful season last year, the team knew they would be up against it to try to emulate their success. The team had once again entered into the Birmingham Schools Basketball Association League this year and started their league campaign well. Three out of the seven scheduled league fixtures has been completed so far, with the rest of their matches to be played between January and February of next year.The first game of the season took place against Kings Norton Boys School. Camp Hill produced a comfortable 28-22 victory. The first half was very closely matched, with Kings Norton leading 14-13 at the interval. However, some superb defensive pressure from Camp Hill allowed the home side to pull away in the second half and take the victory. Karthik Bharaduaj was the standout player for Camp Hill, scoring 11 points thanks to some fantastic shooting. Credit should also go to the whole team who once again worked tirelessly on court.The second match of the season saw the team come unstuck against a strong Shenley Academy side. The first half was dominated by the Shenley Academy allowing them to take a 20-4 lead. Camp Hill responded well after the break and battled valiantly to get back in the game. Unfortunately, Shenley Academy proved too strong and again had the better of the

second half. The final score was 27-8, meaning Camp Hill went down to their first defeat of the season. Man of the match for Camp Hill was Josh Birch who was outstanding in defence. In the next game Camp Hill bounced by with a hard fought victory against Bishop Challenor. In a low scoring game, captain Tommy Ransbotyn was the supreme player on court and was rewarded with 4 points to help Camp Hill take a 10-6 victory. Michael James-Thomas (4) and Joe Clark (2) also scored important baskets at vital times. Credit should also be given to Judah Daniels, Matt Dixon, Simon Halstead, Josh Birch, Yusuf Elsherbiny, Karthik Bharaduaj and Alec Lee who have all played an important role in the team during the season so far. So far in the league campaign, Camp Hill have won 2 and lost 1, with the culmination of the league to come after the Christmas break. The U15 team have got a lot to look forward to and the possibility of more league silverware.TJB

U13 BasketballPreparations for the season began in September with training sessions on Tuesday lunchtimes. In October they were extended to an after school session on Mondays. A total of 37 boys trialled for the team.The first taste of competitive basketball was in the South Birmingham U14 Schools Tournament. Here we faced a mix of year 8 & 9 players, some with greater experience than ourselves. We played four games and won two of them, learning a lot on the night. Results meant that we finished third and the boys were delighted with their bronze medals.Cardinal Wiseman were the first league opponents and in a close match we were edged out 22-20, Zach Hobson-Taher was our most influential player in scoring 8 points. Next up was Kings Norton and a test to see whether the boys could use their early experiences and play a more organised, controlled game of basketball. We won 36-12 and played well, using an improved discipline and spatial awareness. This led to far more shot attempts and increased scoring. Joe Day and Emery Uzoma each got 8 points.Well done to all those who have played thus far, we look forward to further matches next term.MWD

Football ReportWe’ve played 7 matches this term – that’s a good number. We’ve won 6 of them – which is another good number. We’ve scored 28 goals – another good number, and conceded 11. Our goal scorers have been Soumitra Chakravarti, Liam Garside, Aaron Kingston (4), Salekh Mahmood, Mohsin Najafi (3), Rowan Osborne (8), Zidan Salim, Hamza Umar and Cameron Walker (8).The most striking thing this term has been the authority with which captain Walker has led the team. His organisation of training sessions, with support from Zidan Salim, on a Monday afternoon has been of such a high standard that numbers attending have held up as the dark winter nights have arrived, whereas they usually drop. He has encouraged, motivated

and led by example. His efforts have transformed the team from a good one to an excellent one. His goal-scoring talent is superb.I could name many players from the squad as key to the team’s success, because they have indeed been a team. But I will pick out just a couple. Rowan Osborne has markedly improved in just one season, scoring a large number of goals and showing a growing confidence. And, talking of confidence, the defence have learnt to have complete confidence in Matthew Alleley in goal behind them: he has shown authority and strength; we have benefited from the length he obtains on his kicks, both from hand and from the floor – something we have missed in recent years. The highlight of the season was the U18 cup match against Henley College in Coventry. Henley were a strong side, with more experience than our team. An early attack through Osborne brought a penalty – expertly converted by Walker. Much of the game apart from that was played in Camp Hill’s half, and the team showed resilience and determination in hanging on to their slender advantage. Eventually, though, they cracked, allowing Henley to equalise. As it was a cup game, this meant the match went into penalties. Alleley both saved a penalty and scored one; other scorers were Walker, Kingston and Mahmood which, with a miss from Henley, gave Camp Hill an outstanding victory.Well done the team, but particularly congratulations to the captain – well done Cameron!MJG

Autumn term 2016 Swimming NewsletterThe first swimming event of the year, the English Schools’ relay heats at Warwick, saw two Year 7s make their debut for the team. George Hill and Ishan Tewari both put in impressive efforts to help the junior medley team to a 6th place finish in a tough race. In the intermediate freestyle relay, both Joe Clark and Michael James-Thomas went sub 30 seconds to help bring the team home in 4th place. However Camp Hill’s crowning moments came in the senior relays when the team managed 3rd places in both races. This was an incredible achievement considering the quality of the other teams and the fact that both times we were bested by only Warwick and Bromsgrove. An honourable mention must go to Henry Belai for his exceptional backstroke leg despite only getting to the start with half a second to spare. Hopefully the team can carry their form on to future fixtures.

Later in the term we took the Junior team to Bromsgrove. This was the first gala for many of the new Year 7 crop and special mentions must given to Zayn Alderwish, Yicheng Guo and Matteo Gianni for completing their first gala. SOM

Badminton

On Monday 28th November, Camp Hill hosted the local area round of the Nationals Badminton competition. Our U16 players were Amartya Maheshwari, Abbas Mirza. Sam Howarth and Prasanth Sathish.In the first round we faced Bishop Challoner, whose team, while enthusiastic, lacked experience. Camp Hill’s superior racket skills soon told and we enjoyed a comfortable 5-0 win without dropping a set. The second round was a very different story. KES could always be relied upon to field a team with strength in depth. Their already formidable team was boosted by being able to field at number 1 seed a former Camp Hill player. The knock on effect of this acquisition was that they were able to field stronger players against our lower seeds. The matches were played over three games so there was little chance of catching the opposition with a quick win while they were getting into their stride. Camp Hill put up determined opposition, repeatedly scoring 10 or 11 points in matches being played to 15. However, the strength of the KES side inevitably told and we lost the match 0-5. As ever, our players took victory and defeat in the same sporting spirit. They were a credit to the school. Special thanks are also due to the sports leaders who gave up their time to umpire and keep score so efficiently.At U14 CHB was represented by Adarsh Palanikumar, Jamie Wen, Zak Malik, Noah Lloyd and William Yang.The first round was played against Wheelers Lane. Their team lacked depth in play and set up too many winning shots for the Camp Hill players. We strolled to a comfortable 5-0 win.The second round followed a similar pattern. Our opponents, the University of Birmingham School were outclassed and failed to reach double figures in any of their matches. Another easy 5-0 win.Meanwhile KES were enjoying similar easy victories in their half of the draw. Inevitably we were due to meet in the final. Due to time constraints, the games were limited to 15 points and this was to prove crucial. In the first two rounds we had enjoyed easy wins without having to find top form. Against KES we would have to find this form quickly as the matches were so short. In the event, it was the KES team who hit the floor running. As we struggled to lift our game, their steady error free play gave them a lead which we did not have time to claw back. KES adapted to the limited game more quickly and were steadier in their play. On the day, they deserved their 4-1 victory. We emerged as silver medal winners. Special mention must be made of Jamie Wen who played with controlled intensity from the outset to win his match 15-5.MR

Beaufort

Another school year, another glorious opening salvo from reigning champions Beaufort House.The term began with Intermediate House rugby. Jason Tahiri was selected to lead the boys and he really didn’t disappoint. Our strong team crushed Howard (24-7) and Seymour (24-5) with relative ease. To many it was Tudor who were the stronger team on paper, but the Beaufort men stood firm and under Jason’s excellent leadership by example and aggressive play they managed to hold them at bay and finished (12-7). Excellent!The Senior Rugby was also a fine spectacle, with Beaufort wins over Seymour and Tudor. Unfortunately for the Seniors though Howard came out on top overall. A special mention is due to Numaan Amar, who made not only his Beaufort debut, but was also playing Rugby for the first time ever! Well done to all of the lads who took part.Football was next on the agenda. The Senior 11-a-side event didn’t really go to plan; three losses out of three, but at least we could claim to finish third overall since Seymour and Tudor shared second place. OK... maybe not.The annual 5-a-side tournament was held at the Futsal Arena in Handsworth. Beaufort’s glorious success in the 11-a-side tournament was emulated and we stormed home with 2 wins out of 9 games across the three age groups. This secured Beaufort the highest numerical placement possible – the big number 4(th). On a serious note though it is always good to see the healthy number of students who are keen to take part in the House competition events. This year’s Junior Football trials were over-run with eager Year 7s and 8s. Well done to everybody who volunteers or took part.Later in the term the Junior and Intermediate age boys were all looking forward to doing their Cross Country standards. While Beaufort came out in 3rd place overall on the standards, there were only 8 points between us and the first place holder. We took a very strong set of runners in to the finals and easily made up the gap from the standards.Ed Connolly and Joe Day both came first in their respective age groups and particularly pleasing results were also delivered by the likes of Peter Kippax, Sam Ankrah, Dylan Rogers, Dylan Rees, Ben Brown and Tom Heppel. This is Ed’s second year of claiming the top spot in the Senior race, even though he decided to lengthen the run by crossing the road a few extra times!Towards the end of term were held the Badminton and Basketball competitions. The Junior and Intermediate basketball teams both put on a very good show and finished 2nd overall in their age groups. The Junior team was supplemented with a crop of Year 7 students who, Mr O’Malley didn’t realise, had never played Basketball! None the less they got involved and gave it a good go. Unfortunately the Senior leg of the competition didn’t fare so well and we struggled to win a match. All in we finished 3rd overall in the basketball. Thank you to Joe Day, Humza Irfan, Michael James-Thomas and Taj Sohal for organising and leading their respective teams.

Badminton also proved tough this term. The seniors had the most success of the three age groups but overall we finished 4th. Well done to Madhav Ramesh for taking charge of the senior team.So it looks like we have had success and erm.. less success.. in equal measure this term, but it is still early days and there is still a huge amount to play for. Mr O’Malley is rubbing his hands in anticipation of the Swimming Gala next term, along with more Rugby, Hockey and Chess. Make sure to get involved, Beaufort boys!

SOM

Howard House

After the disappointments of losing out on the Championship in the summer, Howard demonstrated their great bouncebackability with a fantastic series of contributions in the opening salvos of this year’s competition. The first foray of this year was House Football, the Seniors were able to come out of the outdoor 11-a-side competition with their reputations in tact; this was then complemented by comprehensive crushing of our opponents in the Futsal Arena – it was not just a victory, but a landslide – drawing once and losing just one in the whole event. Well done to Zidan Salim who capably led the way with outstanding individual performances.

Strong aptitude was also shown in the Senior Quiz where our traditional domination got off to a good start, however a surprise win for Seymour in the final rubber meant there would be stiff competition and nothing could be taken for granted with the Intermediate and Junior rounds still to come. It was also pleasing to see Howard in second place in the rugby following the Intermediate and Senior XV campaigns, the Seniors won all three fixtures.

Towards the end of term was Cross Country where we came a creditable third having done well in standards. The Junior squad showed particular strength and finished on a point behind the winners even though our strongest runner was unable to take part. Injury also affected our ability to sustain the Badminton crown, frustratingly we were in the lead with the final rounds to go but were overcome by an excellent Tudor squad, however it was a very impressive performance from all, particular mention to Nishant Chaudhari who has been a stalwart in Badminton over the past few years.

Basketball rounded off the term’s events and again we came second thanks to a strong all-round performance, particularly from the Juniors led by Sam Morris. Many thanks to all participants in both finals and standards this term – we look forward to seeing continued stirring performance and approach 2017 with both hope and expectation.

GNH

TudorHas Christmas come early for Tudor House?It is with delight that I can announce that Tudor has already won more house competitions this term than we did in the whole of last year! Quite an achievement I think you will agree. However, we will not rest on our laurels but will continue to push ourselves onwards and upwards. My hope is that this will encourage us all to do our part for the house via the house standards and taking part in those events wherever and whenever possible. We need to look to our strengths and build on these, as well as identifying our weaker areas and pushing ourselves harder there. During this first term we worked hard at our footballing skills and it was a pleasure to see the mastery of Ahmed Ayad at the back, he might not be the quickest around the park, but his positioning sense as a thrill to watch. The seniors finished their 11-aside competition in joint 2nd place and we hoped for a set of good results in the 5-a-side football, but we only managed to finish third overall. But the juniors in their 5-a-side tournament performed well and achieved 5 points out of a possible 6, winning their age group.Our Intermediate rugby players took to the field on the Open Morning and achieved 2nd place, with two wins. The seniors didn’t fare so well in their 15-a-side tournament and finished in 4th place. We should still be aware that the rugby tournament still has a long way to go and that there are still rounds to complete, strong showing in these and who knows what might happen.Our senior quiz team tried in vain to compete with the other egg heads; therefore we will now need our younger teams get swatting if we are to improve on our current standings.The cross country final for our teams was always going to be an uphill struggle as we were already along way behind after standards. The afternoon showed that we do have some very talented runners and pride of place must go to Joe Thompson, who finished first in the intermediates with a new record time.Now for the two competition victories, these came in the last two weeks of term. They were the badminton and basketball competitions. The badminton players performed excellently and they achieved an impressive 11 victories out of a possible 15. The basketball players showed teamwork to win the overall competition. The seniors won 2 of their 3, the juniors won just 1of their games which meant that we were in joint 3rd place before the intermediate team competition. The intermediates worked well together and won all of their games- therefore meaning that we won overall by one victory. I must thank those members of the house who have worked hard, not only at their own sports, but also cajoling and encouraging others to take part as well as their help with organisation and putting teams together. I wish every member of the ‘Green Machine’ a restful and Happy Christmas.AJN