Trinity Quarter 2016 · 2016-07-05 · 1 Trinity Quarter 2016 OundleAbout Imperial STEM...

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Trinity Quarter 2016

OundleAbout

Imperial STEM CollaborationImperial College London working with Oundle

to establish STEM Hub - pg 3

Whole School ConcertWhole School concert at Symphony Hall, Birmingham - pg 10

New Director of SportOundle appoints Danny Grewcock MBE - pg 20

OUN/015 About Oundle Trinity Quarter 2016 AW.indd 1 01/07/2016 10:36

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ENVIRONMENTAL / DofE / PASTORAL Pg 12

SPORT Pg 20

CCF PG 19

BEYOND OUNDLE Pg 24

OUNDLE SOCIETY Pg 14

COMMUNITY ACTION / CHARITY PG 16

ARTS Pg 10

OUNDLE IN PICTURES Pg 28

ACADEMIC Pg 3

CONTENTS Trinity Quarter 2016


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www.oundleschool.org.ukACADEMIC

Be Inspired and InspireFor the second year running, the School hosted the British English Olympics (BEO), a highly prestigious academic competition run jointly by Oxford International Education Group and BEO World. Almost 600 competitors and staff from thirty six different schools from as far afield as South America, Mongolia, Turkey, Russia, Portugal and Italy resided in ten of Oundle’s boarding houses. In total 100 schools from around the world, with nearly 1,400 students took part in the 8th British English Olympics which was located at six different campuses.

Striking GoldTwenty-six pupils achieved medals in The Royal Society of Chemistry’s Olympiad. Of these, three pupils, George Marshall (Sc), Winnie Liu (W) and Lower Sixth former, Kevin Law (Sc) struck Gold. In addition to the three Gold Award winners, there were eighteen Silver Awards (three from Lower Sixth Form pupils) and five Bronze Awards. After winning the Mid-Anglian regional heat of the Royal Society of Chemistry Top of Bench competition in November, a team of four pupils (consisting of Rebecca Siddall (L), Gordon Lin (C), Alice Sze (N) and Polly Brown (K)), represented the region and were placed 4th in the National Final at Loughborough University competing against thirty-one other regional winners throughout the UK. Two of the regional heat winning team (James Duckitt (G) and Will Parker Jennings (Ldr)) were unable to attend the final and so Rebecca and Polly were called in as very able and worthy replacements. Oundle has now won four regional heats since first entering the competition in 2009, with teams coming 13th, 6th, 2nd and 4th in the four National finals.

STEM CollaborationOn Thursday 28th April, the first collaboration between Imperial College London and the School took place in SciTec with a Space Challenge for sixty local Year 7 and 8 pupils. Pupils from Thomas Deacon Academy, Northampton Academy and Oundle took part in what was a very successful inaugural event.

Chemistry teacher and Sanderson fellow, James Bessent commented, ‘It is hoped that the Space Challenge will be the start of a very fruitful relationship with Imperial College London, who aim to use the School and its SciTec facilities as a regional hub for local schools for future STEM activities.’

On 12th March, the School held a ‘topping out’ ceremony on the roof of SciTec, to mark the completion of the external structure of the new SciTec development. This sees the construction of a new Mathematics department, new Science labs and a complete refurbishment of the Patrick Engineering Centre. It will link Science, Mathematics, Design, Technology and Engineering both physically and philosophically, providing state-of-the-art facilities for tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. The School is extremely grateful to all donors for their commitment to educating the scientists and engineers

of the future. SciTec will provide ‘practical hands-on experience’, with pupils able to move seamlessly from theory to practice and from pure science to the achievement of workable technology, whilst embracing new fields such as nanotechnology and mechatronics.


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ACADEMIC Trinity Quarter 2016

Literary RecognitionWith his poem, Driving Lesson, Ed Pryor (Sc) was shortlisted for this year’s Christopher Tower Poetry Competition, receiving a prize of £250 awarded at a ceremony held in the McKenna Room in Christ Church College, Oxford on 20th April. Cara Nicholson (Sn) got an honourable mention in the 2016 Hippocrates Poetry and Medicine Awards for her poem An

Unwanted Visitor. Oundle pupils took top prizes in this year’s Oundle Festival of Literature writing competition with Matilda Somerville-Cotton (L) placed 1st in the Year 7/8 Poetry, George Brettle (B) placed 1st in the Year 9/10 Poetry and Charles Willis (S) placed 1st in the Year 9/10/11 Prose.

Ask the ExpertsHead of Careers, Emma Aubury, commented ‘We are so fortunate to have such a talented and diverse parent body from which our experts generously volunteer each year. This year, our pupils had the opportunity to talk to the British Ambassador to Sweden, an Army Brigadier, the Head of Trading for Boots plc (UK and Eire) and an advertising creative director, as well as a number of representatives from a range of different aspects of the legal, medical, engineering, real estate and financial professions and academia. In addition, from more niche professions, we hosted a commercial helicopter pilot, a digital media publisher, an architect and an F1 chief engineer.’

Behavioural EconomicsThe Economics Society had the pleasure of welcoming Alison Lynch to give a lecture on the UK Tax System and her own career as a chartered tax advisor. Her talk focused on the different taxes that the government levies, how the revenue is collected, with examples ranging from Jaffa Cakes to Cornish Pasties. She also discussed the moral issues surrounding legal tax avoidance - a topical issue given the recent controversy with some multinationals. The Society also welcomed Paul Ormerod to deliver a lecture on Behavioural Economics - the concept of the behaviour of consumers in the 21st century and economics adapting and changing to our modern day ‘cyber society.’

BETT 2016On 20th January, eight Digital Leaders went to visit BETT 2016. Formerly known as the British Educational Training and Technology Show, BETT is an annual showcase for the latest in educational technology, held in the ExCel Centre in London.

Nikita Belenkov (S) commented ‘Our mission was to find the most interesting and potentially useful software or hardware that would add value to learning at Oundle - not an easy task.

We had a lot to choose from. The most interesting products were often presented by smaller companies, for example, the revision app ‘Gojimo’. It will be interesting to see if any of the products identified by the Digital Leaders will become part of the School’s developing digital ecosystem.’

Some of the companies that the School is already working with also presented their new features including iBoss, iSAMS, Firefly and Parents Reception Booking system.

Summer Learning InspirationThis year, each academic department has been putting together a departmental document which lists suggested ways that the Fifth Form could gain inspiration over the summer in the subjects they have chosen for Sixth Form. The suggestions take the form of books, websites, people to follow on Twitter, MOOCS and places to visit with the idea that pupils and also their parents, perhaps, might look at a small number of the suggestions. They will also be available electronically so that they can access them on their phones or ipads and can click on the links or even explore topics from subjects that they are not continuing with to A level but are still interested in.

Interim Director of Studies, Sara Davidson commented ‘This is intended to be something pleasurable and the aim is to encourage independent learning as well as thought and exploration of some of the areas they will be learning about next year, so that they start to get excited about what lies ahead for the next two years.’

The Wall JumperLower and Upper Sixth Germanists attended a lecture at Cambridge University given by Peter Schneider, the author of Der Mauer Springer (The Wall Jumper). Peter Schneider discussed his experiences with the Berlin Wall and reactions to it being built and then falling in 1989.

Physics ChallengeSeveral Fifth Form Physicists took part in the British Physics Olympiad’s Physics Challenge - a competition open to able young physicists studying at GCSE level designed to test understanding and problem solving skills beyond the syllabus. George Garber (S) and Arthur Thomson (StA), were among the top 3.1% of pupils entering the competition and were


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awarded Gold Certificates and book prizes. Rebecca Siddall (L) and Samuel To (S) were awarded Silver Certificates and Bronze Certificates were awarded to eleven other pupils.

Public Speaking SuccessIn January, orators from the Third, Fourth and Fifth Forms won the area heat of the ESU Churchill Public Speaking Competition for Schools. Oundle addressed the topic The Internet is a Drug and we are all Addicted. The team comprised Catherine Swanston (Sn) as Chair, William Slinger (B) as Speaker and George Brettle (B), as Questioner. George was also awarded Best Questioner of the evening. In the Regional Finals in March, the team was placed runner up to Haberdashers, narrowly missing out on a place in the Final. Will was awarded Best Speaker on the day.

Senior Debating closed its formal programme for the year with a riveting EU in/out debate between Bramston and Fisher (the winners). The proceedings of the year concluded with the formal Senior Debating dinner which was addressed by His Honour Judge Peter Morrell (Adjudicator) and at which awards were made to Presidents Will Brettle (B) and Anna Pathak (L) and Vice Presidents Annabelle Barker (N) and Kieran Marray (L) to mark their contributions to the Society. The Junior Mather Cup was won this year by New House.

iMEDIVAC Rebecca Siddall’s (L) iMEDIVAC project entry for the Talent 2030 National Engineering Competition for Girls won first prize in the 15-16 age category. iMEDIVAC was inspired by an image of infected Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey being airlifted from Glasgow to the Royal Free Hospital.

Rebecca commented ‘With life-saving treatment, courageous medics, and an isolation care ward ready in London, saving Pauline was a triumph of infrastructure and training. Don’t all victims

of such infection and contagion deserve the same level of care? The same speed of response? Emergency first aid that makes all the difference?’

Based upon her statistical analysis of a number of recent outbreaks, Rebecca identified two areas which could increase the efficiency of first response. The prize-giving event took place at the Big Bang Fair at Birmingham NEC on 19th March, where Rebecca had a stand to display the concept to experts and the public. At the awards ceremony Rebecca received £500 prize money and another £500 for the School.

Rebecca added ‘Part of the award involves mentoring and networking with professional women engineers, so I might have the opportunity to further develop iMEDIVAC.’

Best NewspaperIn June, Issue 43 (December) of the Oundle Chronicle received seven awards at the Shine Media Awards at Stationers’ Hall including Best Newspaper. Editor Tom Lambton’s (B) article on the Syrian fighter won Best Feature Article, and Tom also won an additional award for Young Journalist showing Exceptional Promise. The paper also won the BPIF Award for Exceptional Overall Promise.

Thirty Oxbridge OffersThirty pupils received offers this year to Oxford and Cambridge, with the offers evenly split between the two universities. Twenty-four of these are conditional on A level and Pre-U results, with six former pupils receiving unconditional offers. Among the offers was an organ scholarship at Lincoln College, Oxford. The number of successful applicants is higher than last year’s total of twenty seven, and the highest since 2009.

Head, Sarah Kerr-Dineen commented ‘We are delighted for all those offered a place. The growth of the non-examined curriculum at Oundle in recent years has I believe further inspired independence of thought and intellectual ambition in all our pupils, and the higher number of Oxford and Cambridge offers is a reflection of this.’

Close DefeatIn late November, Ali Mason (F), Nico Lethbridge (S), Charlie Law (S) and George Chatterton (F), won the Regional Heat of the Target Two Point Zero Bank of England and Times Interest Rate Challenge held at the Leicestershire County Cricket Club. The team narrowly missed out on a place in the National Finals, after a close defeat in the Area Finals in February.


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Advanced French ProficiencyHaving passed the DELF B2 last year, Alex Asif (F) and India Davies (N) are the first pupils to pass the prestigious DALF C1 examination. Designed primarily for adult, non-native candidates, the C1 is a specialised French proficiency examination of undergraduate level that tests not only language skills but also the ability to organise, analyse and deploy rhetoric. Approximately 125 candidates per year enrol nationally and this year only five candidates under the age of 18 enrolled for C1 in the UK. Eleven Lower Sixth pupils also passed the DELF B2 examination. In addition, thirty-eight Fifth Form iGCSE pupils also passed the DELF B1.

Gifted ScientistsSeven prep schools visited Oundle in early May to contest the Prep School Science Cup. Each school took part in three hands-on experiments across the science disciplines. Cold science, extracting DNA and rates of reaction were studied and tested with an overall winner determined by the accuracy of answers and quality of questions asked. In the end Old Buckenham Hall once again triumphed, regaining their trophy won in 2015.

Sanderson Fellow, Dr James Bessent noted ‘With the new SciTec STEM development being finalised in the coming months, we hope to expand the competition to include DT in 2017.’

Sixty ‘Gifted and Talented’ Year 5 and 6 children from nine local state schools attended a Science Day on 9th June enjoying experiments from all three sciences including painting with maggots and making cloud chambers. In June, pupils from Laxton Junior School enjoyed an afternoon of chemistry looking at how to put the fizz into fizzy drinks.

History Society2016 has seen academics address the Senior History Society on a variety of topics, including music, the papacy, medieval warfare and the English Reformation. In January, Professor Tim Blanning (Cambridge) argued for the ‘triumph of music’ in the modern world, suggesting that developments in the purpose, status, technology and performance spaces of music helped it to become the dominant art form it is today. The

Society was next addressed by Dr John Pollard (Cambridge), who provided a revealing account of the methodological and historiographical challenges of writing a history of the modern papacy, before Professor Anne Curry (Southampton) spoke on the battles of Agincourt and Bosworth. Professor Curry, a leading expert on late medieval warfare, explored the difficulties of determining the location and actions of battles, whilst placing both critical encounters within their historical and political context. The final talk of the academic year was provided by Dr Lucy Wooding (KCL), who argued persuasively in favour of Henry VIII having played an active and decisive role in the religious developments of the 16th century.

‘Tax, war and democracy’Speaker at the Oundle Lecture, on Thursday 23rd June was Mr Edward Troup (B 72), Tax Assurance Commissioner and second Permanent Secretary at HMRC. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, Mr Troup is responsible for shaping tax policy and strategy and is the Head of Profession for Tax. He also oversees and provides assurance of large tax settlements by working with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Over the last twenty years he has worked directly with Kenneth Clarke, Gordon Brown and George Osborne. More recently The Prime Minister appointed Mr Troup as Executive Chair and First Permanent Secretary at HM Revenue and Customs.

From the ArchiveA new Audio Chapel tour of the windows recorded by Mr Chris Pettit is now available on the Archive website. A rich history and explanation of each window has been written and narrated by Rev Ian Browne (School Chaplain 1997 – 2011). Also available is a new recording of the School song, Carmen Undeliense, words by Mr R F Patterson (S 1907), music by Dr C M Spurling (Director of Music 1891 – 1936). Three members of staff came together one lunchtime, to sing, play and record this anthem that is familiar to many OOs.

Young AnalystsOn Thursday 5th May, Maria Jenkins (D), Kevin Law (Sc) and Callum Rough (Sc), took part in the Regional Heat (East Anglia) of the annual Royal Society of Chemistry Young Analysts competition, held at the University of East Anglia. The team had to carry out various experiments to determine the concentration of three chemicals in Coca-Cola. Apart from using pH titration curves to estimate the amount of phosphoric acid, the pupils also had to use unfamiliar analytic technique such as refractometry and high performance liquid chromatography to find the sugar content and caffeine concentration. The team worked well together but didn’t get their readings accurate enough to be placed in the top three.

Classical LecturesThe Classics Department hosted three very well attended lectures this year: a record attendance met Dr Matthew Nicholls (Reading University) as he talked through his 3D Virtual Modelling of Rome Project, and large numbers, including members from the U3A, enjoyed Dr Angus Bowie’s (The Queen’s College, Oxford) talk about The Odyssey: echoes from the Iliad. Both speakers generously ran a master-class


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for specific sets before dinner: Dr Nicholls on the Architectural Rome of Augustus for Upper Sixth formers studying Latin and Classical Civilization, and Dr Bowie on The Plays of Aristophanes – an interpretation for the Lower Sixth studying Classical Civilization. Finally on 19th May, John Davie, of Trinity College, Oxford, gave an interesting talk on the nature of heroism in Epic, inviting pupils to reflect on what it was in the ancient world to be a hero, and what the word means to us today.

Giving GiftsA group of eight Fourth Form Germanists entered the Goethe-Institut’s Digital Days Competition and won first prize in the interview-styled ‘Reading Competition’ on the theme of Geschenke – giving gifts. Over 700 pupils from across the UK took part in the competition and almost 100 were involved in the Reading category. As the winner of the competition, the group was awarded a cash prize of £80. Forty five other pupils from Oundle who participated in the competition were also awarded presents from the Goethe-Institut to commend them for their efforts.

Figaro On Tuesday 26th January, a packed Adamson Centre hosted Dr John Leigh (University of Cambridge) to speak on Figaro. This French Society event, also well attended by History pupils, outlined why the character of Figaro – whether in the original Beaumarchais plays, or in the adaptations by Mozart, Rossini or others – helped to cause the French Revolution. The conclusion was that the play had gained more symbolic power than the character himself offers. Ending on an amusing note, the audience also enjoyed a rendition of Figaro by cartoon characters Tom and Jerry, for contrast with the high culture.

Trivium Trips!On Friday 5th February, the whole Third Form set off just after dawn on twenty different Trivium Trips - Trippium - around the country. Among destinations far afield, pupils explored the Royal Courts of Justice, the history and architecture of London, the libraries, colleges and ancient printing presses of Oxford, the fine art, controversies and quadrangles of Cambridge, the mediaeval strongholds and cathedrals of Lincoln and Coventry,

alongside modern exhibitions, debates about Kafka and piles of weaponry. Other groups closer to home toured the historic centres of Stamford and Uppingham, and one group even ended up in prison - a planned stop, of course! Pupils reported having their eyes opened to hidden corners of culture, enjoyed the off-piste day out, and thrived on the open challenge for the event to take the most eccentric picture.

‘In or Out’On Friday 6th May, the School hosted an EU referendum debate as the key vote on 23rd June approached. The event, open to members of the public, saw Alasdair Burt, Minister for Social Care speak on behalf of the ‘in’ campaign with Corby and East Northamptonshire MP Tom Pursglove arguing in favour of leaving the European Union.

Henry Phillips-Sheard (S) commented ‘I had rather been hoping for answers and a sense of conviction, but instead was left with questions, and doubts. I left the hall better-informed, but in no way more certain of the merit of either argument. Like many others, I was left with only a gut instinct that will most likely not be swayed by statistics. And I thought they were there to answer questions…’

Buy Me the SkyOn the evening of 7th January, the Needham Society was lucky to have Xue Xinran 薛欣然 (more commonly known simply as Xinran) as a guest speaker. Xinran is a renowned author, radio personality and philanthropist who has worked both in China and the UK for over thirty years. She has published books on topics as wide-ranging as the position of women in Chinese society, traditional Buddhist practices on the Tibetan Plateau and the plight of migrant workers in Chinese cities. She spoke mostly about her new book, Buy Me the Sky, which examines the effect on society of the ‘One Child Policy’. Xinran also spoke about the work of her multinational charity Mother’s Bridge of Love which works to help abandoned or adopted Chinese girls, who were unwanted simply for being female in a society that deeply values a male heir to continue the family line.


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Working with WarwickOver the past two years Helmut Schmitz and Sean Allan from Warwick University, have visited Oundle to give lectures on Brecht and Der Mauerspringer respectively. The German department has also set up a link with Final Year students at the university during Tuesday and Thursday Vols. Co-ordinated by Grit Brendecke, this gave pupils the chance to gain additional speaking practice in preparation for their Oral Examinations. It has been successful for all involved, as it allowed the university students to gain an insight into teaching and gave pupils extra support whilst preparing.

EPQ GreenpowerNext academic year, as part of a competition run by Greenpower Trust, there will be the opportunity for pupils to undertake a new EPQ with a focus on Engineering. Each team has to design and engineer a four wheeled electric vehicle to compete in an international competition. Teams have to solve various design problems from speed v endurance, to innovation v reliability. Entrants take part in a number of races lasting ninety minutes at various racing circuits including Goodwood and Silverstone. At present, within The Patrick Engineering Centre, pupils are developing Oundle’s first entry into this series, the vehicle is named Jackal and the intention is to start racing this car in the 2016-17 season. The aim of this EPQ is for a second Greenpower car to be designed, built and raced in the 2017-18 race calendar. Sixth Form EPQ pupils will have the opportunity to explore their own self-selected sub-projects as part of an interdisciplinary team. These individual research projects will then combine to form a highly efficient, competitive, ultra-fast machine.

Maths Challenges

In February over 200 Third, Fourth and Fifth Form pupils participated in this year’s UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge. This competition sees the pupils competing alongside over 200,000 pupils from across the UK, and an impressive fifty six pupils achieved Gold certificates. Samuel To (S) was awarded the certificate for the best result in the School. A number of pupils qualified for the follow-on rounds with twenty-eight pupils sitting Kangaroo papers and a further seventeen pupils taking part in the prestigious British Maths Olympiad papers, placing them in approximately the top 1,500 results in the country. George Garber (S), Jungho Lee (StA) and Sofya Paramonova (D) all achieved distinctions in the Olympiad papers and received medals. Furthermore George Garber scored an outstanding full marks in the Olympiad and has been invited to attend a National Mathematics Summer School in July. In April, First and Second Form pupils took part in the Junior Maths Challenge with twenty two pupils being awarded a Gold certificate. Vincent Yung (By) achieved the best result in the School. Earlier in the year, the Maths Department set pupils a challenge – ‘What is the largest hole you can cut in a single sheet of A4 paper?’ only using a pair of scissors (no glue, tying or stapling). Sixty pupils managed to fit through one of the holes created!

SCOOP WinnersOn 26th May, Sixth Form Germanists visited London on an educational visit, having won the SCOOP Language Business Competition a few months previously. They headed to the Independent and Evening Standard offices, where Simon Hart, a UEFA journalist and one of the judges of the SCOOP competition hosted a tour and Q&A session with one of the sports editors who talked to pupils about the ins and outs of the journalism industry. They then hopped over to Wimbledon to the UEFA offices where journalists were working hard on the UEFA social media and website.

Developing LanguagesInternational Society Vols ran for six weeks, with pupils researching cultural aspects and traditions of different countries, preparing a presentation, and discussing and reflecting on what they had learnt from their research. The topics included a comparison between festivals in India and Spain, the Martinstag in Germany and the Day of the Dead

Triple Gold in Biology OlympiadNineteen pupils received medals and highly commended certificates in the recent Royal Society of Biology Olympiad with Emilia Broadbent (L), Laura Woodrow (N) and Isaac Uwins (G) receiving Gold medals, placing them in the top 6.6% of pupils entering the competition.

Emilia commented ‘Unlike so many exams of today, rote learning of the syllabus was not required; in fact, the Olympiad is not even confined to a syllabus. We were challenged and stimulated by questions from every corner of Biology, and that is what makes it such a rewarding experience.’


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in Mexico, Traditions in America and China, a comparison between German and Japanese food and between Chinese New Year and the Russian Maslenitsa. The quality of the presentations was outstanding and it was extremely difficult to decide on the winners but the prize went to Seci Fung (By) and Anastasia Yusova (By). This year, the School has been privileged to host three new Language Assistants - Matthias Jux and Alexandre Rey through the British Council Modern Language Assistant programme, and Rebecca Perez Deito. Modern Language Assistants bring up to date language skills and use materials such as songs, news and culture to engage pupils in the language they are learning. As the Modern Language Assistants are often university students or recent graduates themselves, pupils find it easy to relate to them and develop confidence in speaking as a result.

Hugh FlyingHugh Wells (L) started flying after his 15th birthday and gained his pilot’s licence in March, shortly after his 17th birthday. He took nine flying exams followed by a practical flying skills test (during the course of which four F15s from Lakenheath Air Base flew beneath him). He flies out of Peterborough Sibson (EGSP) and has completed over seventy hours. The most exciting landing to date has been at Clacton which has an approach over the sea and a short grass strip runway which is crossed by a footpath (on which pedestrians have right of way!). Flying through London controlled airspace with commercial traffic has probably been the most complex route.

Oundle ChessChess players took part in a variety of chess tournaments throughout the year starting with the National U18 team rapid play tournament. With Oundle’s teams having an average age of only 13 they finished very respectably in mid table. The tournament was notable as Sam Herring (L) managed to beat his first player graded over 200. In December teams from both the Oundle and LJS took part in the National U13 and U11 competitions in Oxford, sadly both teams missed out by only one point in getting to the finals. They also took part in the Schools Chess Problem Solving and Team Chess Challenges. Three teams of U11 players and one U9 team qualified for the semi-finals of the English Primary Schools Chess Competition in June. The best placed U-11 team finished in 4th place with the other teams all performing well. In addition both U11 and U9 teams are presently top of the county Grand Prix Tournament series.

From Strength to StrengthThe first OSCAR broadcast of 2016 began with a sense of trepidation over whether the broadcast would run completely smoothly as it was for many in the OSCAR team, their first attempt at organising and running a broadcast since joining. However, as usual, the team pulled through and any worries the management might have had soon evaporated. The latest broadcast had many standout moments: from the final hurrah of the legendary ‘Breakfast Boys’, interviews with Mr Olver and Mr Hipperson, and the debut of many exciting new shows featuring pupils from all around the School.

Sixth Form LecturesProfessor Jane Hutton - Statistics and Ethics Sir Matt Baggott - Policing Andy Coles - The History of Radicalisation Dr Asad Sadiq - 1,000 Years of Amnesia Professor Sir Michael Marmot - Healthcare and Social Determinants Major General Professor Alan Hawley - Humanity and Conflict Matthew Craston - Finance Professor Mike Berners Lee - Green Matters

Design Museum AwardsFergus Anderson (StA), Henry Chen (G) and Henry Phillips-Sheard (S) were shortlisted for the national Design Museum competition this year. Entrants choose from five competition briefs, all linked to the theme Changing Lives: Travel, Migration and Mobility and are encouraged to consider how design can have a positive impact for people experiencing a change or a journey, challenging them to develop design ideas that celebrate movement, transition or relocation or promote a senses of togetherness and inclusion. Fergus chose to pursue a brief related to the built environment, honing in on designing a contemporary bench to be used in central London. Henry Phillips-Sheard created an interactive smartphone application based around augmented reality, allowing the user to access information about the environment around them through what they see in an application window. Henry Chen responded to the transportation element of the theme by designing an innovative micro portable smart bike made from composite materials for business commuters. The panel of judges, which included a number of very well-known and respected international designers, architects and engineers, awarded Henry Chen runner up in the 17-19 age competition, Henry Phillips-Sheard runner up in the 14-16 age category and Fergus highly commended finalist in the 14-16 age category.


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ARTS Trinity Quarter 2016

Art on Show

In the New Year, the Yarrow Gallery welcomed a diverse group of OOs who exhibited their current work in an exhibition which highlighted the breadth of talent and expertise within the creative arts. There were examples of Photography, Painting, Fashion Design and many other areas of the Arts from former pupils who have all been taught at the School. The exhibition aimed to promote the range of opportunities that are currently available within the Arts and creative industries. If you wish to be kept informed of upcoming Yarrow Exhibitions and receive invitations to Private Viewings, please email: [email protected]

The Upper Sixth Form A level show is always one of the highlights of the year in the Yarrow calendar. This year was no exception with a wide range of techniques and approaches on show. There were examples of bold expressive paintings contrasted by delicate mixed media pieces and beautifully crafted drawings. The work was bold, exciting and represented the best of the talent from this year group. From 30th September – 15th October, the Yarrow will host the annual exhibition of junior art work with examples of work from every year group in the School. On show will be a wide range of work with examples of printing, drawing, painting and sculpture.

HepburnThis year’s Hepburn Music Competition saw no fewer than 334 musicians participate in performances that spanned two weekends. The Grand Final included fifteen soloists competing for the Hepburn trophy. Oundle buzzed with the sound of practice, as pupils made use of every nook and cranny in the department and beyond, in the boarding houses. The Final encompassed the full variety of talent that Oundle possesses. A drum kit solo sat alongside the Mozart slow movement for harp and flute, Satriani on electric guitar was performed, as well as Tarrega on classical guitar, and Glazunov’s ‘Elegie’ for viola sat in stark contrast to Say’s ‘Paganini Jazz’ on the piano. The winner was a performer who showed incredible musicianship, total command and created outstanding levels of atmosphere and aura. Performing from memory, Rebecca Baker-Munton (D) played floor toms and vibraphone with two contrasting works by Zivkovic and Schmitt.

Whole School Concert at Symphony HallOn 8th March, a celebration of Oundle music was held in one of Europe’s premier concert venues, Symphony Hall, Birmingham. Every member of the School, all 1110 pupils together with staff, parents, former pupils, governors and guests, travelled to Birmingham for a concert incorporating

both the traditional and innovative elements of music at Oundle. Over 350 pupil musicians and singers performed with an emphasis on whole School and massed performance, combining string groups, bands, choirs and large ensembles. Oundle pupils last performed at Symphony Hall in 2011 and prior to that in 2006 as part of the 450th celebrations of the founding of the School.

‘The opportunity for our pupils to perform in such a magnificent location is one they will never forget. Music

for all is a central component of Oundle’s rich heritage and the occasion gave us a chance to come together in a way

we seldom do to celebrate the excellence of our musicians.’ - Sarah Kerr-Dineen, Head

Spring and Summer Stahl Events

The Easter Quarter began with a superb, StA production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys directed by Hugo Beazley. Adam Oliver impressed as the contentious, non-conformist teacher, Hector, whilst Magnus Jeffery delighted as the riotously funny Headmaster. In February, Matt Burlington directed David Farr’s UN Inspector, an imaginative re-working of Gogol’s The Government Inspector. This pacey production featured some glorious swansongs and some thrilling debuts. Tom Younger (G), and Adam Oliver (St A), both leaving this year, gave excellent performances as Martin Gammon and the President. Also in the production were Minty Kunzer (N) and Sunny Woodend (N) who made exciting first appearances at the Stahl as faithful sidekick Sammy and Maria the President’s defiant daughter. The rapier-like wit and rhetoric of the text was skilfully handled by this immensely talented ensemble cast. Reb Desmond’s striking set design, which featured an impressively intricate, hand-painted floor mosaic, provided the perfect oligarchical backdrop for the piece. The first professional production of the spring season was What I Learned from Johnny Bevan. Next, Stahl audiences were transported to the heady, hazy world of Tennessee Williams’ Deep South. The Pretty Trap, Portrait of a Madonna and I Never Get Dress ‘til After Dark on Sundays (directed by Naomi Jones, Hattie Hopper and Tim Hipperson), when performed consecutively reveal the full gamut of Williams’ experimentation with form and style. Coco Brown (W), Catherine Winterton (D) and Hermione Coke (D) played the three female leads with great power and emotional weight. The Easter Quarter was rounded off by Falling, a captivating new play from Theatre Alibi. This Land from Pentabus Theatre Company performed


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www.oundleschool.org.ukARTS

for two nights at the Stahl in May investigating the controversial issue of fracking from the viewpoint of a couple in crisis. The Stahl season was brought to a chilling end by a brilliantly staged production of Scary Play performed by the First and Second Form. Director Andrew Martens created a wonderfully eerie atmosphere, making the audience face many of the most common childhood

fears from clowns to dentists. Charlie Cobb (L), as Mal and Edward Cubitt (L) as best friend Kal were a great partnership at the heart of this cleverly crafted NT Connections text, whilst Imogen Oakey (L) made a charming and very familiar, little sister, Lou, desperate to be included. Paul Laughton designed and created some amazing puppets for the production which included a twelve foot clown!

Just weeks after receiving the Olivier Award for Best Director for Oresteia, Robert Icke led this year’s Wontner Masterclass with Theatre Studies pupils’ discussion focusing on his style and methods as a director.

String SessionsOn 24th April, seven string players had the opportunity to play alongside top musicians studying at the Royal College of Music, exposing them to a standard of musicianship and music that would otherwise be impossible to be a part of in School.

Henry Sleight (L) commented ‘We were privileged to be sharing the stage with a standard of technical ability and expression that left us sweating to keep up! It was an inspirational learning experience. This is one of many instances where the School’s partnership with the Royal College of Music comes to the fore, as it affords us the opportunity to expand the horizons of our understanding and of our playing.’

Prior to the concert, the pupils were invited to attend an Alexander Technique forum displaying methods of decreasing ‘playing pain’ - a fascinating exploration of playing habits, and potential ways to spot bad practices, and to eliminate them.

On the 26th February, three of Oundle School’s chamber music groups went to Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester to take part in the National Young String Quartet Weekend. Over the weekend they were treated to coaching sessions, lectures and concerts joining other string groups from conservatoires and music schools from around the country and Europe.

Pipers in EdinburghA quartet of Oundle’s bagpipers was once again invited to compete in the Scottish Schools’ Bagpipe Competition at Broughton High School in Edinburgh on Sunday 13th March. This is the largest event of its kind north of the border with 122 schools taking part. The standard of the Oundle pipers has been deemed worthy enough by the organisers to deserve one of the few invitations extended to a southern school.

Music for AllThe majority of wind players helped kick the 2016 calendar year into full swing, featuring everything from flute, trombone, percussion and saxophone ensembles to Oundle Brass, Concert Band and Wind Orchestra. As for the strings, performances honed in on Baroque Masterpieces in support of the Elton and Achurch Churches. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons renditions (every movement a different pupil soloist) featured in preparation for the forthcoming tour to Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Eighteen Lunchtime Concerts, four Musical Opportunity Concerts (for the younger performers), A2 recitals, a superb Take Two concert for the many younger ensembles all provided challenging and fulfilling outings for pupils and audiences alike. Guitar Madness was unleashed in a perfectly kitted Stahl Theatre before the February Long Exeat. The Jazz Bands delivered sparkling performances at St Peter’s, Titchmarsh, and Polebrook. Organ Recitals were given by Ben Horden, James Parsons, John Arkell and Elizabeth Barter, and Andrew Reid.

The House Singing was a typically zestful experience with some accomplished Part-Singing. The high-quality singing, adjudicated by the singer Joanna L’Estrange, saw trophies being earned by St Anthony for Part-Singing, Sanderson for the House Song, and Laxton for the Forbes Trophy and overall winners. A separate event was held for The Berrystead and Laxton First and Second Forms this year: a tactical ‘dead heat’ was ultimately declared!

Congratulations to pupils who gained Diplomas this year: Charlotte Ma (N) – piano ABRSM, Findlay Stowers-Veitch (L) – violin ABRSM, Francis Yiu (Sc) – violin ABRSM, Nicholas Ho (G) – violin ABRSM, Ian Ostojic (C) – trumpet ABRSM, Sam Rees (Sc) – Saxophone ATCL and Angus McRae (StA) – guitar Rock School.

Tate SuccessSix pieces of pupils’ work were submitted to a competition at the Tate Gallery London on the theme of Future. The Tate are re-opening after a huge redevelopment and the competition is to celebrate the gallery and the ‘future of Art’. All six were selected to be included in the Tate’s digital display which took place in the Turbine Hall throughout the opening weekend of the new Tate Modern on 17th June. The pupils are Ryan Wu (B), Emma O’Dea (L), Zoe Gillett (K), Clara Goodman (W), Lorne Inglis (StA) and Davide Gibson (B). Lorne’s work was also shortlisted for a prize which will see his work used as store design/artwork in Uniqlo’s flagship store on Oxford Street! See #TateModern or Future Late: www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/special-event/future-late


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Environmental / DofE / Pastoral Trinity Quarter 2016

Environmental

Energy Use – Green Dividend

Each year, the School uses over £1million pounds of energy and releases over 4,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Everything we can do to reduce this will help lessen the long term impact of climate change, and generate good habits. Throughout the Trinity Quarter 2016, each House got a chance to make a difference: electricity consumption for the Quarter was measured against the same Quarter in 2015. If it is less, each House will receive the whole value of this reduction to spend as the House sees fit.

Creating a Low Carbon WorldOundle and Laxton Junior School (LJS) once again ran their own version of Climate Week – hoping to inspire a new wave of action to create a sustainable future. The high points of the

week revolved around the visits of Mike Berners-Lee and Sir Ghillean Prance, former Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Mike delivered the annual Sir Peter Scott Memorial Lecture entitled How can Oundle help create a low carbon world? which was also open to the public. There was a series of workshops and assemblies with pupils across all year groups studying various aspects of climate in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Geography, PSHE, Drama, the Languages and History. Oundle already takes its environmental responsibilities seriously, with a robust boiler replacement programme in the pipeline; a policy of retrofitting LED lighting wherever possible and PIR/absence control; retrofitting new and often above spec insulation whenever possible (including staff housing in the future); and the Buildings department is now leading the way with a ‘zero to landfill’ policy. The School is also looking at replacing some vehicles with electric ones, and will keep considering new options as they arise.

Fairtrade Fortnight‘Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world’ Martin Luther King

As part of Oundle town’s initiative during Fairtrade Fortnight to host as many Fairtrade breakfasts as possible, the catering department considered the School’s purchasing and food habits and its Fairtrade policy, looking at good and safe working conditions, better prices and fair terms of trade for farmers and producers. Across Fairtrade Fortnight the School community sold Fairtrade items during break times and used Fairtrade coffee, tea, sugar and other products including bananas at breakfast and afternoon tea.


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www.oundleschool.org.ukEnvironmental / DofE / Pastoral

DofE

Commitment to DofEHead of DofE, Trudie Raftery attended the Buckingham Palace gardens 60th DofE Award presentations where she was presented with a plaque by celebrity guest, Jo Malone in recognition of the School’s commitment to the DofE Award Scheme.

Excellent Attitudes

At the start of the Easter holidays, thirty-nine Fifth Form pupils went to the Peak District to complete the Qualifying Expedition of their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. Prior to the expedition, each group had planned walking routes for three days, totalling around sixty kilometres. They camped for three nights, and were completely self-sufficient during the expedition. The weather was much better than the past few years, with no snow! The assessors praised the pupils for their positive attitudes throughout the expedition, and their excellent camp craft, navigation and teamwork skills. All pupils passed the Expedition section, and are now working to complete the other three sections in order to achieve their Silver Awards.

Gold DofEGold training expeditions took place at the end of the Easter Holidays. Walkers to the Peak District, Katacanuists on the Nene and, for the first time this year, a group of sailors took to the Norfolk Broads. The weather for each of these can only be described as ‘variable’. All groups had to endure freezing temperatures at night, warm sunshine, hail, and for the walkers, even some snow! The pupils learned a great deal, improving their navigation and survival skills and applying these in a real, practical context. They are all working on the other areas of their award through Voluntary, Skill and Physical activities, with some having completed their Residential Sections. They are now looking forward to their summer expeditions with hopes for slightly more welcoming weather conditions.

Bronze DofEOver 170 Fourth and six Fifth Form pupils undertook their Bronze DofE expeditions around the surrounding Oundle Countryside in June.

Pastoral

The Healthy Mind CurriculumThis year has seen continued development in the School’s approach to the promotion of positive mental health. The long-term aims in this respect have been formalised in the ‘Oundle School Healthy Mind Curriculum’, which has, as its central tenet, the fostering of a climate in which wellbeing is promoted and mental health issues are understood and non-stigmatised by all members of the School community. In support of this culture, the Clayton Rooms, as part of the Health Centre on Pavilion Drive, hope to provide a range of educational and therapeutic activities with a view to encouraging positive life skills. The Clayton Rooms are part of the Health Centre because the School sees emotional wellbeing as an important part of ensuring the all-round health of its pupils. The Rooms are home to the School Counselling Service which complements the existing in-House pastoral care. Here pupils can take time to discuss issues in a confidential setting with a team of professionals who are independent of daily School life. With the celebration of Mental Health Awareness Week in mid-May and the recent formation of a pupil body to discuss wellbeing strategies, it has been an exciting year at the School and it is hoped to build on these developments in 2016-17.


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OUNDLE SOCIETY Trinity Quarter 2016

Virtual Balloon RaceNearly 700 balloons belonging to pupils, parents, OOs and staff, spent the week competing against each other in a Virtual Balloon Race. The project, coinciding with Climate Week, allowed pupils to explore weather related topics whilst raising money for SciTec. Furthermore, a group of Upper Sixth Form pupils had the opportunity to discuss a variety of related topics live with Weather Presenter and Meteorologist for Al Jazeera English, Everton Fox. Details of the winners can be found on the Society website - www.oundleschool.org.uk/The-Oundle-School-Virtual-Balloon-Race-The-Winners

Ross Brawn Visit and RAC Club EventStaff and pupils welcomed multi-championship winning Formula 1 Engineer and Team Principal, Ross Brawn OBE, for a private visit to the emerging Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (SciTec) development. He spent time in the now partially-opened extension to the Patrick Engineering Centre, where he saw Oundle’s capabilities at first hand and spent time hearing about pupils’ experiences of engineering at Oundle. Following his visit, he spoke at the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in London on the evening of 28th April. Guests came together to celebrate the development of Oundle’s vision for the future of STEM education, and a so-far strong fundraising effort. Staff from Oundle’s Design and Technology Department were on hand to demonstrate some of the cutting edge equipment needed for the new facility and two cars, built by OOs whilst at School, were displayed in the RAC’s foyer.

International Events 2016In March 2016, Director of Development, Matthew Dear and Head of International Admissions, Caitriona Redding, visited Dubai for a dinner with prospective, current and former parents and alumni. This was followed in April by a visit to the Far East with well-attended drinks receptions and dinners in Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The Head, Sarah Kerr-Dineen, joined Chairman of Governors, Julian Tregoning and members of staff for the event. In May this year, the Normandy Battlefields Tour hosted thirty OOs and current parents for a four day tour of the WWII beaches. Later in May, an enjoyable meal was held at Grano’s Restaurant, Toronto for the ever supportive contingent of OOs and friends in Eastern Canada. It has been a very busy series of events for the Society, and thanks go to OOs and current parents who have helped in

organising these visits: Andrew Yong (Ldr 97), John Foster (Sc 51), Nigel Napier-Andrews (Sc 59), Taufik Omar (C 97), Nigel Sudborough (N 65), Nicola Chu, and Tina Atkinson.

Old Oundelian MagazineOOs may wish to receive this year’s OO Magazine in digital rather than hard copy. Those who have not yet responded to the OO Magazine Survey and would like to receive it via email should email the OO Club Secretary, Jane Fenton: [email protected]

Invictus ChoirYou may recently have seen Captain Bernard Bambury (N 93) in BBC 1’s Gareth’s Invictus Choir, a two part series featuring wounded ex-armed service personnel performing at the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida.

North East Adventure CampsToby Pease (StA 11) has established North East Adventure Camps in Northumberland, facilitating outdoor activities for children. The camps, based at Mowden Hall School, outside of Newcastle give children the chance to discover their own real outdoor adventures. Toby’s website can be found here: http://www.northeastadventurecamps.co.uk/

OO South West LunchHead, Sarah Kerr-Dineen and husband Anthony joined nearly fifty OOs and partners for the biennial South West Lunch, this year held at Taunton Race Course and organised by Chris Walliker (D 54). The venue was excellent and the racecourse was bathed in spring sunshine.

The De Angeli SalverIn commemoration of the generous legacy of Julian De Angeli (Sc 70) which provides bursarial support to boys in need in School House, the Undermaster, Tony Burrows, presented a pewter salver to the House at a dinner on Thursday 26th May. The Housemaster will, with input from members of the House, award the salver annually to a pupil deserving of recognition and who shares one or more of Julian De Angeli’s diverse passions which included natural sciences, military history, theatre, and rowing for the house.


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Over 60’s LunchAround ninety OOs gathered for their annual London lunch at the RAF Club this March. An excellent three course lunch was provided, with a talk on the Club’s activities from OO Club President, Arthur Marment (D 77). Following this, Director of Development, Matthew Dear, gave an informative address regarding the School’s development plans.

Film and Drama RolesCongratulations to George Blagden (S 08) who features in BBC Two’s historical drama Versailles this Summer. The programme is running for ten weeks between June and August this year. George, who plays the Sun King, Louis XIV, in the new drama, has previously played roles in the 2012 film production of Les Miserables, and Canadian drama series, Vikings.

Taking the High RoadRory Buckworth (Sc 11) and Philip Hunter (StA 11) have embarked on a 7000km charity cycle from Shanghai to Kathmandu to raise money to build a refuge for girls rescued from slavery and forced labour in Godwari, Kathmandu. So far they have raised an outstanding total of £36,653 of their £50,000 target

OO Sports Lunch and Multisports WeekendThis year’s Multisports weekend took place between 5th and 6th March, organised by Al Gordon (C 69) with the OO Club defeating the School 6-4 to reclaim the Multisports trophy. This was succeeded in April this year by the Old Oundelian Sports Lunch, held at the Queen’s Club, London. 100 OOs came together for lunch at the prestigious venue; the first multisports complex ever built, which hosts more than twenty five different sports.

OO 1970s ReunionOn Saturday 11th June, 2015 President, Ian Hodgson (Sc 78) and current President, Arthur Marment (D 77) held a reunion for leavers 1970 – 79. A lunch was held in the Two Acre Club, with tours of the Houses and a tea held in the J M Mills Pavilion. In addition, former staff member and Honorary OO, Vic Northwood, organised a trip down the river for ex-rowers at the School, which was enthusiastically received.

Coxless Crew Pacific CrossingIn January 2016, Isabel Burnham (D 02) became part of a world record setting team when her coxless crew arrived in Cairns, Australia, having rowed there from San Francisco, California via Hawaii and Samoa, in a 29ft boat. This is the first time that a four person rowing boat, and the first time that a team of women, has crossed the full Pacific Ocean. The team are raising money for Breast Cancer Care and Walking With The Wounded.

Edinburgh ReceptionSome sixty parents, OOs and friends north of (or close to) the Scottish Border met for a drinks reception at the New Club in Edinburgh, with those present enjoying an address by the Head against the backdrop of stunning balcony views of Edinburgh Castle on a bright May evening.

Events Calendar July – December 2016Telephone Fundraising Campaign for Bursaries – Wednesday 20th July – Sunday 7th August

OO Drinks and Links: Law sector, London – Tuesday 13th September

Donor Thank You Event – Friday 23rd September

OOGS - Annual Golf Weekend, Luffenham – Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October

OO West Sussex Dinner, Squire & Horse, Bury – Wednesday 2nd November

OO Birmingham Dinner, Copt Heath Golf Club – Friday 4th November

OO London Dinner, Honourable Artillery Company – Thursday 24th November

Christmas at The Club at The Ivy – Thursday 8th December

LinksOundle Society

Facebook facebook.com/oundlesoc Twitter @oundlesoc Website oundleschool.org.uk/society

Old Oundelian Club Facebook facebook.com/oldoundelian Twitter @oldoundelian Website oundleschool.org.uk/Oundle-Society-OO-Club

www.oundleschool.org.ukOUNDLE SOCIETY


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Record Numbers at ‘Have a Go Days’

Despite the weather, on the afternoons of Sunday 24th and Monday 25th April, over 500 visitors to the School, hosted by over 200 pupils, took part in various activities at HAGDs. This year the School’s photographers and Theatre Wardrobe team set up a Photo Booth which enabled visitors to take away a photograph, framed in a photo frame they had decorated at the art table, as a memory of their day.

‘Our pupils were, as always, great ambassadors for the School, and without a doubt put a lot

of smiles on a lot of faces over the weekend!’ - Liz Dillarstone, Head of Community Action

Horse Ride for Cancer ResearchEach week, Rupert Warre (B), Ruth Palethorpe (L), Bronwen Thomson (N) and Felix Morris (B), take Sam Sherwin (10), a young disabled boy, riding. Sam has Cerebral Palsy (CP), caused by damage to his brain following his premature birth, which affects his control of his muscles. Sam, who wanted to undertake a physical challenge to raise money for Cancer Research having met several young cancer patients during a spell in hospital, rode five miles, from Glapthorn village to Oundle, to finish, appropriately, at the Have a Go Day event which pupils were hosting that afternoon for adults and children with physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties.

Sam commented ‘I wanted to go on a long ride on Charlie to prove I could do it. Sometimes people don’t think disabled people can do things but with the help of others, often we can. I wanted to raise some money to help the boys with cancer who I met in hospital and to help cure cancer.’

Sam raised £550 for Cancer Research – considerably exceeding his initial target.

COMMUNITY ACTION / CHARITY Trinity Quarter 2016

Stahl Kenya UpdateIn October, Theatre Director, Naomi Jones visited Kenya with a group of pupils spending time with the children at Ngecho School in Gilgil, considered one of the best schools in the Naivasha District. Since 2006, classrooms, science labs, and toilet blocks have all been constructed, but one project remains incomplete: the construction of an assembly hall. Funds have now been secured to start work on a 25-metre hall where assemblies, exams and dining will take place and building is due to start at the end of January. Since October, the Stahl Theatre has been raising money to build a new performance space, complete with backstage facilities – a mini Stahl in Kenya! To make such a facility a reality £33,000 needed to be raised. Customers have been able to donate money when buying their tickets or ‘buy a block’ of Stahl Kenya. The names of people who have bought a block can be seen in the wall of the Stahl in Oundle. Thanks to the huge generosity of pupils, parents and members of the wider community the target is now in sight. To date we have raised £32,445 and a trip is planned to take a production over to Kenya in 2017 to open the new theatre space.


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www.oundleschool.org.ukCOMMUNITY ACTION / CHARITY

24 Hour Swim

Over the weekend of 27/28th February, Magnus Jeffery (StA), Ryan Ho (C), Annabelle Barker (N), Charlie Jacobson (C), Olivia Davies (L), Eliza Dundas (D), Jamie Fulcher (C), James Alley (G), Maddy Farley (L), and pupil organiser, Hugo Beazley (StA) swam in pairs in thirty minute shifts throughout the night, swimming 3314 lengths which is 114,159 metres – the equivalent of crossing from Dover to Calais almost 3.5 times and nearly double their target.

Hugo commented ‘We are raising money for ‘The Anthony Nolan Trust’ in memory of my father, Nicholas Beazley, who sadly passed away in 2013 from a specific type of Blood Cancer. ‘The Anthony Nolan Trust’ was the first charity in the world to be set up to help find a suitable, lifesaving donor match for those suffering from Blood Cancer, and they now help three people every day find their life-changing donor match. It is a true mark of friendship that this group were willing to sacrifice their weekend, strength and temporary sanity in order to help me do my bit in memory of my father.’

Charity and OCV SummaryOnce again, the School community has continued to be brilliantly charitable, with over £53,000 raised so far this year. In addition to the regular annual events the Bramston Brew stands out – a group of Fourth Form Bramston boys putting themselves out in order to raise funds for Africa Build by simply selling break time tea! The OO Committee has generously backed the Big Give project again in June, donating £2,000 to encourage informed philanthropy in the Fourth Form. Oundle Charity Ventures has seen a great new development this year, supported by a Funding Den, where the pupil groups had to ‘pitch’ for seed capital and project approval. Highlights have included playing cards and pyjamas, through silent discos and balls, to the wonderfully impressive

Fashion Show in Chapel. Special mention must be made of the support Mr John Coleman has given OCV since its inception – and his retirement from his voluntary capacity is marked by the presentation of an award in his name.

Meningitis NowFor eight years now, Sixth Form girls have joined together to play a game of rugby in memory of former pupil, Thommy Purbrook. Thommy’s career at Oundle was tragically cut short when she died from meningitis whilst on a School trip to St Petersburg in December 2008. The money raised this year will go to Meningitis Now, a charity dedicated to helping those affected with Meningitis providing vital support into the research for its treatment. This year’s match took place on Sunday 20th March and so far has already raised £4,100. 1st XV Captain, Honor Murison (Sn) and Vice-Captain Catie Gilchrist (D), each organised a team with Honor captaining a team from Sanderson and Kirkeby Houses and Catie captaining a team from Dryden, Laxton, Wyatt and New Houses. The end result of the match was a 21-17 win to Catie’s team who proudly received The Thommy Purbrook Plate from Mr and Mrs Purbrook.

Longest Day Golf Challenge In June, Oundle’s Sports Shop Manager, Stuart Fox took part in Macmillan Cancer Support’s Longest Day Golf Challenge - a charity golf event with a difference - no corporate niceties or sedate pace for eighteen holes but no fewer than seventy-two holes in a single day! The aim of this golf day was to raise awareness, and more importantly money, for the work that Macmillan Cancer Support does. Please donate by visiting: www.justgiving.com/TimboChubseyNoddyBraco or simply text: BCTN72 £5 to 70070 to donate £5 to the cause.

‘The Volunteer’Over Field Weekend, Community Action pupils were inspired to volunteer by a visit from The Volunteer, Hugo Chittenden (www.the volunteer.com), who recounted life changing stories, memories and anecdotes, teaching pupils the lessons of endurance, teamwork, leadership and humanity, as well as providing some handy tips to answer the ‘who, what, why and how’ of volunteering. An interactive croquet session took place in the Great Hall with pupils and residents from Abbott House

Residential Home taking part in a demonstration from Jiminy Wicket (www.jiminywicket.org)

Head of Community Action, Liz Dillarstone commented ‘Pupils at Oundle are already very active volunteering and in fact between them did over 16,000 hours of volunteering last year alone.’

Hugo returned in June to speak to Fourth formers who have opted for Community Action next year.


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Make A WishLast summer, Dylan Vincent (L 14) ran the 2016 Barcelona Marathon raising £1245 for the Make A Wish Foundation - a charity which helps children with life-threatening medical conditions by providing them with an experience that they could never forget.

Books2AfricaEducation rarely stands still, and reflecting the decision of the Government’s education policy to change from a modular exam system (where pupils sit a set of exams over a period of two years) to a linear system of assessment (all exams are sat in the final term of the Upper Sixth), the start of the academic year of 2015 saw this occurring with a selected number of subjects. In line with this, exam boards themselves have been forced to revise their syllabi. This has given departments an opportunity to reconsider their choice of exam board and syllabus. Due to this change, a large volume of textbooks are starting to become obsolete. Traditionally, these textbooks would have been collected and then ‘pulped’. However, the School has set itself a goal to collect as many of the old textbooks and donate them to Books2Africa – an international NGO that collects and distributes books and educational materials to equip pupils and establish libraries within classrooms, schools and communities in Africa. The aim is that the School will send its first delivery of books in September. At the time of publication, it is estimated that at least twenty 20kg boxes of textbooks have been collected. To raise the funds for the transportation costs, a silent disco was run in May raising £637.

Marathon FundraisingHarry Vestey (Sc) ran the London Marathon in a time of 3 hours 49 minutes raising just over £2,700 for the Outward Bound Trust. Tristan Tusa (S), who finished with a time of 3 hours 44 minutes commented ‘I was very happy with my time. I wasn’t expecting the last few miles to be as tough as they were but I would love to do it again. The crowds were amazing, bringing a buzz in London that really carries you through.’

Tristan was running for the PSP Association (a cruel brain degenerative disease) and between him and his brother, Seb Tusa (S 13) managed to raise just over £6300.

Mountain Trek in Memory of DTL DonnaOver the years, Oundle Porter, Neil Donaldson, has raised funds for charities dear to him and his family. His next fundraising event is to join a trek in the Carpathian mountains in August to raise funds for Macmillan.

Neil comments ‘I have lost family members and very close, dear, friends to this indiscriminate disease, and anything I can do to help fight it is a necessary endeavour. As many of you are only too aware we lost the delightful Donna Taylor (DTL Fisher, Oundle School) last year and it is particularly with Donna in mind that I will be embarking on this trek in the mountainous region of Romania. The sooner we beat Cancer......the better….’

Please donate at: www.justgiving.com/neil-donaldson5

Heartfelt FundraisingDuring the Summer, Emma Mallett (N) plans to run the York 10K in aid of CHSF. In December, Emma underwent major heart surgery at Leeds General and CHSF and Take Heart were charities which supported her recovery supplying everyday comforts to the wards alongside recliners in ITU for her mum to stay during the first night. Emma’s fundraising page is: www.justgiving.com/Emma-Mallett2

CA Round-Up

Over 320 pupils were involved in Community Action activities over Field Weekend which in addition to HAGDs, the sponsored horse ride and talks, involved pupils out and about at over fifty external venues in Oundle, Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Peterborough and surrounding villages as well as internal full day activities at the Stahl/Sign Language and Chronicle. On Monday, a group of CA pupils and Beekeepers helped out at a Community Allotment (The Green Patch) in Kettering and the CA Drama pupils took their play out to three different schools for special needs children in Peterborough and Corby. The CA year finished with a rainy ‘Garden Party’ relocated to Two Acre with prizes awarded for service in the community. This year’s CA Speech Day prizes go to Peter Christianakis (F) and James Stock (B), who have visited the elderly and worked in a special needs school respectively for the last three years.

Team LentilOn Saturday 4th June, Director of Marketing Rachel Vicary and her partner Toby, along with over thirty friends and family, completed a seventy-eight mile bike ride in aid of Leicester Royal Infirmary Neonatal Unit. They raised £8,000 for the hospital, which saved the life of their son Sebastian who was born unconscious following complications at birth. The money will go towards kitting out an ambulance with cooling incubator equipment which helps protects babies’ brains if they suffer from lack of oxygen at birth. For more information visit: www.justgiving.com/team-lentil

COMMUNITY ACTION / CHARITY Trinity Quarter 2016


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www.oundleschool.org.ukCOMBINED CADET FORCE

CCF Field Weekend April 2016The first weekend of the Trinity Quarter saw the CCF deploy in all directions around England. The Senior Service headed south to Portsmouth where the Upper Sixth Cadets took charge of a Royal Navy yacht and spent the weekend sailing around the Solent, the high point being a chilly swim off the Needles during sunset on Sunday evening. Coxswain Lawrence Ward-Lilley (B) commented that the weekend had been the highlight of his CCF career and a fitting way to end. The remainder of the Navy Section were based upon HMS Bristol and spent the time completing Leadership training and learning more about the heritage of the Royal Navy in this the centenary year of the Battle of Jutland.

The Army and Royal Air Force Sections deployed to Thetford and Barnham training areas to conduct a series of low level training exercises in chilly conditions that tested the resolve and determination of many of the cadets. For the Diving Section the conditions in Portland could optimistically have been described as testing: low water temperatures, poor visibility and a biting northerly wind when on the surface made the weekend challenging. The Fire and Rescue Section was given the opportunity to conduct a range of advanced rescue techniques which included cutting the roof from a crashed vehicle. Finally, and in their last of fifty-two Field

Weekends, Captains Walter and Margaret Holmstrom led the Adventure Training Section on a range of activities including climbing, mountain biking and kayaking in the local area.

Fourth in National FinalsOver Easter, having won the Regional Finals back in November, the RAF section’s Ground Training Squadron competed, and came in 4th place, in the National Finals of the Air Squadron Trophy Competition, competing against the winners and runners up – nineteen teams in total - from every region across the UK. There were stellar performances from all the team, with particular mention to FS Jemima Burgess (L) for her astounding score of 20/20 and a grouping size of 81mm in the Shooting Competition. This sharp shooting won Jemima the shield for best shot at the awards parade.

L/Cpl Maddy Farley (L) commented ‘Huge congratulations have to go to all the teams who participated in the competition. Their efforts and success have inspired all of us to be the best that we can be. They are not only our fellow competitors but they also are part of the CCF and this is something that we all have in common and our friendly rivalry will continue to spur us on in years to come. Fourth place is higher than Oundle has ever placed in this competition and this success is attributed to the hard work of cadets and Flt Lt Kirk.’

CCF Inspection and Passing Out ParadeThe annual Passing Out Parade for all Fourth Form Cadets was inspected on 19th May by Brigadier Felix Gedney OBE. The Brigadier conducted a tour of training and saw a selection of the activities enjoyed every week by cadets from the three single Service Sections and the two Joint Service Sections (Adventure Training and Fire and Rescue). The activities included Shooting, Diving, Kayaking, Fire Fighting, a Section Attack, Leadership training and a display by the RAF Drill team. At one point the Brigadier was so enthused by the displays that he took command of the Royal Navy Section’s four man scull and set off downstream in the stroke seat, exhorting his crew to work harder.

At the end of the afternoon the Passing Out Parade took place on the Parade Square under the Command of Cadet Warrant Officer 1st Class (RSM) Alastair Taylor (L) and Warrant Office Hamish McLay (F) commanded the Colour Party. The parade was greatly enhanced by the CCF Marching Band under the leadership of the Drum Major Cadet CSgt Angus McRae (StA), and the Band Captain, Cadet LCpl Bethany Peck (L).


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SPORT Trinity Quarter 2016

Playing for the CountyOn Sunday 24th April, eight Oundle hockey players represented Northamptonshire County at the regional tournaments. At the U16 tournament in Wolverhampton, Maya Nicholson (K) and Ella Johnsrud (Sn) played a tough set of matches both contributing to the team finishing 4th. Six girls played for the county U18’s at Burton on Trent; Issy Myers (Sn), Fran Aldridge (K), Alice Wilson (W), Miranda Joicey (W), Lara Chapman (D) and Kara Kimber (K).

Coach and Head of Hockey, Gareth Terrett commented ‘It was a very impressive achievement to come 2nd in the U18 regional tournament and receive a medal.’

ECB Disability WeekendOver the weekend of 14/15th May, Oundle hosted the England Learning Disability Squad, alongside the ECB Lions physical and learning disability cricket teams. The Lions teams trained on the Saturday, with a mixture of theory and practical sessions including a spell in Oundle’s new nets.

Enterprise Coordinator, Ollie Rees said ‘A huge thank you to all departments who assisted in making these games a success - all feedback was extremely positive with the visiting players and officials able to see at first-hand how Oundle is promoting cricket development both for its pupils and the wider community.’

New Director of SportOundle is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Daniel Grewcock as Director of Sport from the start of the next academic year. Mr Grewcock comes to Oundle from Bath Rugby Academy prior to which he enjoyed a distinguished career as a professional rugby player, with Coventry, Saracens and then Bath. He

has sixty-nine England caps, was selected for two British Lions tours and was awarded the MBE for his services to rugby. Mr Grewcock will take up the position of Director of Sport as the School progresses to the next stage with its Sports MasterPlan. The Plan incorporates the building of a new Sports Centre housing a fifty metre swimming pool, an eight court sports hall, a high-quality fitness suite and dance studios, hospitality suites, cafeteria and car parking. The current athletics track will be relocated and there will also be the installation of two additional astro-turf pitches (making a total of four), ten natural grass and ten artificial cricket nets, twelve netball and twelve tennis courts. The facilities will provide a very visible statement about the genuinely all-encompassing provision of Sport at Oundle and will enhance links further within the local community.

Mr Grewcock commented ‘I am looking forward to the new challenge that Oundle has to offer with its well-established programme and considerable investment in facilities. I will be ensuring that sport continues to be an exciting, enjoyable and

vital part of the balanced programme. I feel strongly about helping develop young athletes, and am thankful that I have the opportunity to continue doing this at Oundle.’

Working alongside the Director of Sport as Assistant Director of Sport and Head of PE will be Richard Finch. Richard is currently Director of Sport at Harrow International in Hong Kong, and was previously Head of Physical Education at St Benedict’s Ealing.

A Remarkable FeatKitty Petrides and Flo Garnett have achieved the remarkable feat of winning the House Tennis cup four years in a row for Dryden. In fact, Kitty can go one better because she has won it five years in a row, playing in her first year with Eliza Dundas, since Flo, her usual partner, was the narrator in the Third Form production of Julius Caesar, and had been excused sport for the afternoon! In 2013, they did not lose a single game in the event. This year they generously allowed Laxton and Sanderson each to get one game off them. Oundle tennis will miss them greatly when they leave this summer, but at least another House will have a chance to win the cup! Oundle Girls Tennis 1st VI have enjoyed one of their best seasons ever, being unbeaten in all matches. First pair Flo and Kitty did not lose a single set all season, showing a mixture of impressive skill and guile. They were ably supported by second pair Lucie Baker (Sn) and Pippa Bourne (L), and third pair Grace Easterbrook (Sn) and Lily Craven (Sn). They beat Uppingham 6-3, Rugby 8-1, Oakham 9-0 and Stowe 7-2, showing total dominance in all three pairs. Also unbeaten so far are the 3rds, 4ths, U16B and U15C teams – an excellent season across the board.

County Badminton ChampionsFour Fifth Form badminton players became School Games county badminton champions on Thursday 25th February, playing in the first group round against three other schools. Winning nine out of their ten games in this round, the boys, Teck Chow Cheah (Ldr), Sam To (S), James Clayton (L) and Yatlong Tse (G) progressed to the next round in Loughborough where they performed well but lost out on a place in the Finals.

Elite England SelectionIdentical twins Ben (S) and Tom (G) Curry have been selected to represent the Elite England U18 rugby side. Tom was selected to play against France, in Nantes, and Ben and Tom both played against Scotland. As well as representing Cheshire and North of England at U16s, both were capped for England U16s, Ben with England U16 Saxons and Tom England U16s.


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Tom was also awarded England U16 Player of Year (The Trevor Watton Cup) in that season.

Head of Rugby (and former England player), John Olver commented ‘Oundle has had a rich run of fortune at the Elite England level over recent years. Together with Ben and Tom, Sam Olver (F 13) (Tom and Ben’s cousin) and Josh Peters (G 14) also represented England U18s. All four

players have signed professional contracts post Oundle, with Ben and Tom Curry signing for Sale Sharks, and Sam Olver and Josh Peters already fully professional at Northampton Saints.’

Fives ChampionsTwo Oundle pupils, Jeremy Manger (L) and Tom Barlow (S) won this year’s Midlands Schools senior doubles Fives title at Bedford, overcoming Rugby School’s first pair 15-5 in the final. Jeremy also took the singles title, beating Tom two games to one in an all-Oundle final.

Lomax CupThere was an amazing atmosphere on poolside from the swimming teams and supporters in the Laxton v Berrystead First and Second Form Lomax Cup competition which saw 100% of swimmers achieving personal bests. Going into the relays it was close between the boys with Laxton on 26 points and Berrystead on 22 points but Laxton came out winners. A special mention to Collin Ng (By) who on the last leg of the freestyle relay caught up with Laxton’s swimmer making it a tight last race.

Berrystead girls had a little more work to do going into the relays and in the medley relay Laxton girls swam a strong race taking the lead and securing 1st place. With both Laxton girls and boys winning, Laxton won overall taking the cup this year from previous winners Berrystead who have held onto the Lomax cup for the last three years. Along with personal bests, three Lomax records were broken in the competition:

2L Freestyle was broken by Archie Parkinson (L) with a time of 1.06.34

1L Backstroke was broken by Evie Simpson (L) with a time of 34.67

1L Breaststroke was broken by Lucy Hembury-Gunn (By) with a time of 38.28

The Cobthorne CupThe recently refurbished basement in Cobthorne provided the venue for a new knock-out inter-house table tennis competition, with players battling it out for the Cobthorne Cup. First round highlights included the Berrystead’s fine victory over Kirkeby, with Beanie Milne (By) eventually wearing down Mya Onyett (K); a clash between Daisy Stanton (W) and her younger brother Hugh (F), and a high class encounter between Charlie Field (Sc)

and Manas Sethi (Ldr), in which the Third former eventually ran out a comfortable winner. Sidney and Laundimer had straight-forward passages to the semi-finals, but Crosby (Brian Cheng) and Fisher had to work hard to secure their semi-final berths. Both Bramston (Harry Evett) and Grafton (Will Gaynor) put up good fights. The semi-finals and final were e-streamed live. Julian Fong (S) emerged the winner of a tense encounter with Varun Sethi (Ldr). The second game was particularly close with the players locked in battle at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8 and 9-9… Fong then pounced. Stanton found himself in the final and fought hard throughout, but he found Fong’s service difficult to handle and wasn’t quite able to contain his opponent’s attacking game. Many congratulations to Sidney, winners of the inaugural Cobthorne Cup!

Sport at Elite LevelsSixth Form A level PE pupils enjoyed a visit to Loughborough University where they had the opportunity to have a tour of the facilities, undergo a variety of lab and field based fitness tests and watch a number of elite badminton players, swimmers, the England U20 rugby team, as well as some of GB’s top athletes who were training at the time. Douglas Stark (B 11) and Frankie Hall (N 13) have had the chance to make full use of the academic and sporting opportunities while at Loughborough. Douglas is the current BUCS decathlon champion and has recently competed for U20 England in this event. Frankie is now a member of the triathlon/duathlon high performance set up, aiming for GB age group qualification, and is also competing for the university cross country team.

Black BeltTwelve year old Black belt, Marcus Raudnitz (L) started Karate whilst at Laxton Junior School and trains in Kettering every Thursday in a class specifically for black belts.


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Sports DaySports Day provided a sunny afternoon of hotly contested inter House athletics. The good conditions ensured that six records were broken. Laxton won the 1st and 2nd Form boys’ and girls’ competitions with Sanderson winning the girls’ overall and Fisher the boys.

ESCCCFour Oundle pupils were selected to represent Northamptonshire in the English Schools Cross Country Championships held in Nottingham on Saturday 5th March. Whilst unfortunately George Roberts (L) was unable to compete due to injury, Archie Parkinson (L), Eleanor Macintosh (K) and Harry Evett (B) travelled to Woolaton Park. The standard was very high and with each race counting over 300 of the country’s best runners. Archie, who was a relatively young competitor within the Junior Boys age group, had an amazing race and came 20th. In the East Midlands Independent School Cross Country League Oundle teams did very well, with the Senior Boys coming 3rd and the Girls 1st overall after a series of five fixtures throughout the season.

Representing the CountyOn Sunday 8th May, Lucy Hembury-Gunn (By), Amy Ratcliffe (L), Georgina Pringle (W) and Orla McMenamin (Sn) represented Northamptonshire at the Midlands County tournament. Their first game was against Shropshire which was won 2-0. Both Amy and Orla scored, resulting in a positive start to the day. After losing to Derbyshire, Oundle drew against Worcestershire and went on to play Staffordshire to battle it out for 5th place overall.

Cricket in all WeathersOundle’s cricketers have been in excellent form winning well over two-thirds of games played from U14 to U18, whilst enjoying the new artificial net complex and bowling machines which have allowed coaches to deliver excellent sessions in all weather conditions. The 1st XI, led by Tristan Tusa (S) have achieved some notable victories. Simon Fernandes (Ldr) has been in superb form with the bat and has been supported ably by Ben (S) and Tom (G) Curry. Outstanding individual performances have also come from Freddie Heaton (Ldr), who scored an excellent century for the 2nd XI against Stamford and Doug Russell (Ldr) who took seven wickets for twelve runs for the 2nd XI against Uppingham. The senior House competition

has produced some scintillating matches and the two semi-finals were nerve-wracking affairs – Laundimer just managed to hold off St Anthony and Fisher narrowly beat Sidney to set up an exciting final scheduled for July. Squads are being selected for the OSCC’s major cricket tour next Easter to Sri Lanka.

History has been made recently with the first Oundle girls’ cricket team taking the field against OTCC ladies and girls. After numerous girls attended voluntary sessions on Monday evenings, it was a very proud moment for all when they took part in a closely-fought match which was narrowly won by the Town side.

Elite Training DayFormer England International and NatWest Schools Cup Ambassador Mark Cueto selected thirty of the best players from the U15 and U18 NatWest Schools Cup competition to experience a day in the life of an elite player. Edward Crowe (S) was amongst those selected to take part in the elite training day. Edward and the other players gathered at the official training base for England Rugby, Pennyhill Park Hotel, on Sunday 22nd May, where they were treated to a training session with three current England players. After the training session, Academy Day players gained an insight into the analytics behind the game by studying video footage of the session with the England players and a leading sport scientist.

Oundle’s RidersOundle boasts a number of proficient horsemen and women. Lucy Varley (N) is continuing to compete with her horse Hugo having qualified for the Novice and Open JAS finals held at Hartbury College in February. They are looking forward to competing in the Pytchley Hunt Pony Club teams, the Open Likit League (recently winning at Aston in April), and in the British Equestrian U18’s with the aim to represent the Midlands team in the Championships held at Frickley Park in July. Lucy has trained with International event rider Emma Forsyth and Nigel Taylor who has previously competed on the British Team.

Alice Smith (D) competes with her horse Damien at British Dressage Elementary Level, winning BD competitions at Novice level and winning the Dengie Dressage Qualifier with just under 70%. She is part of the British Young Riders Development Scheme and hopes to be chosen to represent Central Region at the Inter Regionals at the end of June. She has been training with Nikki Herbert, who is a UKCC L3 Dressage and List 2 Judge, since September 2015, and this summer has been selected to


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ride for England at the BYRDS Home Internationals and also to qualify for the Pony Club Championships at Open level which take part at Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire in August.

Maddie Price (L) competed at British Eventing Novice level this season and at her last event went double clear to finish 5th on her horse, Moss. She rode at Burghley Horse Trials team show-jumping last summer and also won at Equifest in the novice championship. During half term she was part of a team that won a 1.15 metre show-jumping team qualifier, and now heads to Hickstead in August. She is hoping to compete at British Eventing Novice level this season and also Pony Club Open level.

At the end of the last eventing season, Richard Coney (L) began riding his six year old horse Kananaskis who hadn’t evented before and won his 1st Novice (1.10m) U18 at Oasby. This year’s season started well, winning the U18 at Lincoln, 2nd at Belton Horse Trials and then winning Weston Park 1 at the end of April. The summer has been incredibly busy as he has been selected to ride at Millstreet in Ireland for England at the end of August and for the Midlands U18 team at the National U18 novice eventing Championships, Weston Park in October. At Weston Park he helped the team win the overall competition. Next year he hopes to be selected for the British U18 European eventing team. At the recent National Junior Championships, Richard finished 2nd, just 2 points behind the leader and has been long listed for the GB U18 European team for this year.

Matilda Lanni (L) has been to Hickstead and the Horse of the Year Show as well as Blue Chip with her horse Boots. At the Royal Windsor Horse Show she went clear in the RI qualifier, and next year she is going to try out for the British Children on Horses Team.

Martha Craggs (K) has been riding two horses this season (Garrybritt Coole Park and Corbett). She came 2nd and 4th in the ONU18 at Burnham Market both on double clears and 1st at Little Downham on Garrybritt Coole Park. She has also just been long listed for the U18 National championships at Frickley Park for the Eastern region with both horses.

Charlotte Fray (L) has had a good year achieving huge personal goals and improving her performance coming within the top fifteen in every British Eventing competition. Her highlight was coming 12th out of forty at Rockingham Horse trials in the BE100.

Rowing SuccessThe Boat Club entered eight crews of varying experimental combinations at the Boston Head on the 24th January with wins coming from the Junior U16 Double Scull, Junior U16 Coxless Quad and a 3rd place in the Women’s Intermediate single from girls’ captain Anna Van de Braak (L). Late in February, OSBC took a handful of crews north to the River Trent Head where they had another two wins with an outstanding row by the Women’s Junior U18 Coxless Quad of Alanna Gilmartin (L), Billie Hickson (N), Lucy James (L) and Anna van de Braak (L). The second win of the day came for the Junior U16 Coxless Quad of James Duckitt (G), Oli Chapman (Sc), Zac Freij (L) and Cosmo Davis Gimeno (F) also winning comfortably. Two of these crew later combined with Boys’ Captain Anthony Orr (F) and Jamie Hembury-Gunn (C) to race in the Junior U18 Coxless Quad event and came 2nd.

The final event of Easter Quarter saw OSBC take three crews to the National Junior Sculling Head in March. 5th place from

the J16 Quad and excellent races for the Womens’ J15 and Mens J18 finished the season off on a positive note. Later in the year saw the beginning of the regatta season following a training camp in France attended by thirty rowers. The J16 Quad started the season representing the Eastern Region at the Junior Inter Regional Regatta followed by races at Wallingford and Nottingham where the Boat Club accrued further wins from Egan Pashley (S), Tom Dudley (L), Jamie Hembury-Gunn and Jonas Volkwien (L) and a Womens’ Novice crew consisting of Florence Twiate (N), Georgia Croxford (D), Daisy Glover (N) and Holly Kunzer (N). A Fourth Form Girls’ crew consisting Alice Gadsby (Sn), Imogen Peckett (K), Poppy Stopford (D), Harriet Spencer (L) and Lizzie Martin (N) came an impressive 2nd place.

The boys’ J16 Coxless Quad, following a hugely impressive 5th place in the A final of National Schools’ and a silver medal at the Junior Sculling Regatta, now turn their focus to Marlow and Henley Royal Regatta Qualifiers. The standout result of the day for Oundle was the Mens’ Junior U16 Coxless Quad who finished an excellent 5th just seven seconds away from a National Event Bronze medal.

Oundle Netballer Selected for EnglandSienna Rushton (Sn) has been selected for the England U17 National Netball Academy Performance Programme, following a screening at the Institute of Sport in Sheffield. After joining Oundle in September 2015 as a Sport Scholar, Sienna was selected to represent Northamptonshire County Performance squad, moving up to East Midlands Regional Performance where with hard work and dedication she was nominated for the England Netball National and was successful in being selected into the National Performance Programme. Sienna is currently attending training at Loughborough University with both East Midlands Regional Performance and England National U17 Performance Squad.

Sienna’s School coach, Mrs Washington said ‘Sienna is the most conscientious and self-critical player I have worked with here at Oundle - she puts a lot of pressure upon herself - 90% shooting stats are not good enough for her!’

Sienna was part of the U14A team and with her help the team had a very successful season managing to win all their games at the County finals and Regional finals. Unfortunately the team was unable to sustain their winning ways at the National Finals.


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Umoja – Adventure with PurposeIn mid-January, Head of Community Action, Liz Dillarstone and Maths teacher, Nicola Guise embarked upon an Adventure with Purpose through Africa, visiting eleven projects, most of which are already supported by International Needs UK and/or Canada, as well as enjoying travel through Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and finishing at Cape Point in South Africa.

David Marshall, Executive Director of International Needs Canada commented ‘The journey was designed to engage and inspire people in communities around the world to embrace the idea of unity that is reflected in Umoja. People who wish to participate in the Umoja Journey will, in addition to receiving the adventure of a lifetime, find new frontiers of personal accomplishment and gain new perspectives on matters of life, legacy and other issues of social significance.’

For further information about the Umoja journey, including Umoja Africa 2017, visit www.umojajourney.com

Global Science EngagementOver February half term, twenty-two Sixth formers took part in the 15th annual trip to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference this year held in Washington DC. The theme of the conference was Global Science Engagement and the focus was on international collaboration in science and with society.

Undermaster, Physics teacher and trip organiser, Anthony Burrows commented ‘Every year the AAAS Conference never fails to impress, but the announcement of T Cell Therapy and the confirmation of Gravitational Waves made during this year’s conference, were very special and put the conference in the news across the world.’

Skiing in CormayeurIn mid-December, seventeen First - Third formers enjoyed a skiing holiday in Cormayeur. In addition to skiing pupils enjoyed ice skating, a pizza night, and shopping at a Christmas Market.

Orléans ExchangeEmily Horrocks-Taylor (L) commented ‘My exchange partner, Anne-Flavie’s family went out of their way to make this the best experience I could have. We did many exciting activities during the week, the highlight of which was definitely our trip to Paris. We also went to Center Parcs, on a high ropes adventure course, ice-skating and finally shopping in the beautiful and historic city of Orléans. This experience has vastly improved my French and by the end of the week I was even dreaming in French!’

Winter WonderlandDuring the Christmas holidays, the German department took a group of Third Form pupils on a tour of Germany that combined all aspects of German culture, including visits to die Autostadt where Volkswagen makes its cars, the town hall of Hanover and Hamelin where the group enjoyed a tour around the old city led by the Pied Piper himself.


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ImmersionImmersion has been scientifically proven to be the best way to learn a foreign language. This is exactly what happened on the German Exchange to Hamburg where pupils practised their German whilst living with a host family. Excursions included a visit to central Hamburg and Bremen as well as going to Miniatur Wunderland (the largest model railway in the world) and Dialog Im Dunkeln.

Ruben Sector (S) reflected ‘My German has vastly improved from the experience and with GCSEs only a year away I feel a lot more confident about the exam.’

Danila Mikhaylov (C) added ‘This exchange provided me with a fantastic opportunity to have a glance at Germany from a truly German perspective. Furthermore, it gave me a chance to encounter Hamburg not as a tourist, who would only visit the beautiful locations ignoring those densely populated outskirts, but as a German. This was unforgettable.’

Economic TravelsOn Friday 22nd April, during an inspiring day in London, the Lower Sixth Economists visited the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), The Bank of England, The Adam Smith Institute and Deloittes. The OBR is an independent monitor of UK public finances, created in 2010 to avoid any possible bias within the government on producing analysis of finances.

Anneka Shah (L) commented ‘The time we spent at the OBR was fascinating and showed us how some of the economic theories which we study are put into practice, highlighting the importance of forecasting in helping the government to make decisions about the economy we live in.‘

Adventure AwardsEach year travel scholarships are awarded to Lower Sixth Form pupils to encourage a spirit of adventure, exploration and physical challenge. This year the School’s Adventure Awards Committee considered applications and presentations made by twelve different groups who proposed an astonishingly wide variety of exciting, inspiring and sometimes quite quirky travel adventures. Six winners were chosen and these ranged from the most physically and technically demanding trip to the Dolomites to independently undertaking some tough and challenging climbing routes to a politically-inspired journey through London.

Thomasin Harris, commented ‘The group that impressed us the most was the Science trip to Amsterdam where the boys will be cycling around some of the city’s science centres. All are real science enthusiasts and spoke very passionately about their desire to study science at university as well as to approach science from a perspective beyond the classroom.’

Literary Tour of LondonWith Christmas a matter of days away, the English Department’s literary tour of London at the end of the Christmas Quarter began at the home of Tiny Tim’s creator. After exploring the rooms in which Charles Dickens composed the staples of English literature, Shakespeare awaited them. From the Globe, Chaucer drew them in to the City of

Westminster, and from Westminster Abbey, after passing Cleopatra’s needle, they arrived at the National Portrait Gallery for a scavenger hunt to find Jane Austen’s portrait. The British Library offered fascinating insight into Alice in Wonderland, Handel, and the Magna Carta.

PragueEarly in the morning of 12th February, forty one Third formers set off to Prague to immerse themselves in the wondrous history of the beautiful city.

Alice Broadbent (L) commented ‘As we walked, we saw so many beautiful buildings and glorious architecture including the Cyril Methodius Church, the clock tower in Old Town Square and Castle Konopiste. In Lidice, a small town outside Prague that was destroyed after Heydrich’s assassination, we saw a memorial, dedicated to the children who lived and died, as well as to all the children who have died in war. The city holds deep secrets and sins, but it is resilient and beautiful.’

Berlin Trip Isabella Wythe (N) commented ‘It is difficult to do anything more than blunder through the modern world without an awareness of the recent past. The Berlin trip gives a harsh physicality to studying the Holocaust and the Cold War. It carries an atmosphere that a comfortable, well-heated classroom can hardly convey. On foot and ruthlessly efficient public transport, we visited a combination of tourist and more off-the-beaten-track sites, each with its own ambience. The acknowledged climax of the trip was the visit to Sachsenhausen, the Nazi, and later Soviet, concentration camp. We were faced with the seemingly incomprehensible.’

Paris 2015 That a School trip was allowed to go ahead less than a month after the Paris attacks of 13th November is testament to the bravery of the History department, holding its nerve whilst almost every other school cancelled their visits on Home Office advice, which was rescinded barely a week before departure. Fifteen Upper Sixth formers stayed next to the Gare du Nord. Their first day alone encapsulates the varied approach taken during the visit, beginning in the Royal Chapel of Sainte-Chapelle and finishing beneath the Louvre pyramid. The visit was historical in its focus, and was greatly aided by Mr Mather’s near encyclopaedic knowledge of the fine arts.


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Building Blocks of MatterAt the end of March, twenty four Pre-U Physicists visited CERN, home of the Large Hadron Collider. During the visit, they discovered how CERN is helping to answer some of the most fundamental questions; how did the Universe begin? What are the basic building blocks of matter? Scientific breakthroughs such as the discovery of the Higgs boson require experimental machines on a large scale, and pupils gained an appreciation of the technical and engineering challenges that the multinational experimental collaborations at CERN face. Whilst in Geneva the group also had a tour of the Red Cross and visited the United Nations where they were provided with an in-depth look into the latest issues on the UN’s agenda.

CCF Ski Trip 2016February Exeat saw sixty-three cadets, eight staff and ten instructors head under the Channel to the Swiss resort of Siviez for the annual Alpine Ski Development Camp. Snow conditions were superb and the Cadets enjoyed six days of skiing in sunny weather on the wide range of testing runs offered by the Four Valleys region. Skiing in groups of six or seven, the Cadets received excellent instruction from an enthusiastic group of BASI instructors; some Cadets started as complete beginners, whilst Finn Moore had to be kept on short leash to prevent him trying ever more adventurous acrobatics off whatever jumps he could find. On and off the slopes the focus remained on senior Cadets to provide leadership of the group, and on younger cadets to work with each other as a team. The evenings were filled with a range of activities including a spectacular torch lit descent into Siviez on the penultimate night, and a trip to the thermal baths in Sion, which provided a refreshing and relaxing break from the slopes. The trip is all set to run again in 2017, and although all places are currently filled there is a reserve list for anyone interested.

Fun in FranceLaxton Junior School recently took their forty Year 6 pupils on a five day residential trip to Étaples in La Cote Opale, France. Over the course of the week their itinerary included learning about sea fishing, making model fishing trawlers, visiting a snail farm and tasting their produce (with mixed reactions!), visiting a wheat farm in stunning countryside where they made beautiful wheat-plaited hearts. Pupils were very respectful when they visited Étaples Military Cemetary. They also visited a bee-life education centre where they were treated to honey-tasting under a stunning wisteria-covered patio area after having made beeswax candles.

Spanish ImmersionDuring the June Exeat, a group of Fourth Form pupils headed to Spain to improve their speaking skills and acquire a greater knowledge and appreciation for Spanish culture. Pupils had Spanish lessons at the villa, with lessons focussed on conversation provided by La Janda Institute. In the afternoons they enjoyed activities such as surfing, walking to Bolonia beach and a beach Olympiad, whilst spending time in their spectacular villa, the infinity pool and on the stunning beach below. They also went on day excursions to Sevilla visiting important monuments and the water park.

Field Weekend Trips:

Exploring WalesLaundimer and New House Third Form visited north Wales to explore the underground slate mines at Blaenau Ffestiniog, using a series of zip wires, cargo nets and swing bridges. In the evening, they enjoyed marshmallows over a roaring fire on the expansive Black Rock Sands near Portmadog. The group also climbed the beautiful Mount Snowdon via the Pyg and Miners’ tracks, and endured the full range of weather. On their final day they rode The Titan, a four-lined zip course which covers over 2km.

‘Backyard’ ExperiencesOver Field Weekend, the Third Form Crosby boys acquitted themselves across a wide range of challenges: camping riverside at Wadenhoe, mountain biking through Fineshade Woods, cooking in the embers of their backwoods fires, go-karting near Weldon, day-trekking from Oundle overland to Fotheringhay to climb the ancient tower and ring the bells, then touring the chambers and playing a somehow both traditional and impromptu rugby match in the ruins of Kirby Hall, visiting the splendid Burghley House, competing in night wide games in the woods each night and enjoying a final dinner at the King’s Head, Wadenhoe. Plenty of new experiences alongside deeper experience of their own Oundelian ‘backyard’.

Team Work in YorkMia Stanton and Millie Trotter (D) reflected ‘In York we discovered elements of team work through ghost walks, ferry rides, photo challenges, rock climbing and many other fun activities. The memories that we made on this trip we will treasure and remember forever. Even through the harder


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times, for example those who were scared of rock climbing, there was always so much support from everyone and we really came together as year.’

Bushcraft and PGLThe Second Form Berrystead pupils enjoyed a ‘bushcraft’ adventure over Field Weekend, involving teepees, tribes, open fires and plenty of activities.

Abigail Slade (By) said ‘We learned a lot including how to light a fire and cook our lunch, build shelters, and practise first aid and rescue.’

Meanwhile, Berrystead First Form went on a trip to PGL Caythorpe, which involved abseiling, rafting, the High Swing and the terrifying jump from a trapeze bar.

Hilltop ChallengesFisher, Bramston and St Anthony House Third Forms went to Hilltop Outward Bound Centre in Sheringham, Norfolk for Field Weekend and had a great time doing the Airdrop, obstacle courses, mountain biking, zip-wiring and having fun on local beaches.

Lots of ExerciseLaxton First formers enjoyed a trip to the South Coast and the Isle of Wight, visiting Salisbury Cathedral and riding the Swanage Steam Train. Fish and chips on the beach were followed by Mr Hammond’s rounders match. Sunday saw the pupils along the coastal path to Old Harry’s Rocks, and enjoying the chair lift and a boat ride out to see the Needles at close quarters. A visit to Brading Roman Villa’s mosaics rounded off a trip full of new experiences and a lot of exercise. The Second Form went seal spotting, swimming and on a steam train to Sheringham in Norfolk. Laxton Third Form headed to Derbyshire and Tallington Lakes for paintballing rock climbing, abseiling, windsurfing, kayaking and tobogganing.

Katakanuing and CampingGrafton and Kirkeby Third Form gathered at the School Boat House for an adventure of katakanuing and overnight camping. The River Nene was thankfully in benign mood and the troops, who remained admirably enthusiastic (and dry), even after six hours paddling, managed to put up their two-man tents, mostly unassisted, at Sacrewell.

Adventures in the Peak DistrictThird Form pupils from Sidney and Wyatt set out to the Peak District for a residential weekend at the Hollowford Centre. Team building exercises focused on communicating, coordinating and cooperating. A hill walk was followed by charades and ghost stories around the campfire. High ropes and the leap of faith, as well as the zip wire over a lake were amongst the highlights. Pupils also enjoyed caving and abseiling, shopping in the picturesque market town of Bakewell, and a visit to Chatsworth House.

Villa and TowersThe first activity for School House was a trip to Villa Park to see relegated Aston Villa take on Southampton. The Villa fans protested loudly at the lack of quality demonstrated by the team over the course of the season but it was an entertaining game in which Southampton secured a high scoring win. The major obstacles during a long walk along the River Nene were avoiding a herd of cows and enduring some significant heat when the sun came out. It would be fair to suggest the staff dominated the ten pin bowling match later that evening. A trip to Alton Towers followed on the Monday. The park was quiet and the boys were able to go on the rides as many times as they wanted.

Culture and FunSanderson Third Form began their adventures at Chatsworth House exploring the gardens on a bright and sunny afternoon and enjoying Pride and Prejudice after a supper of pizza and dough balls. A wet and windy cycle ride was followed by an enjoyable day trip to Alton Towers.


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Oundle Beekeepers

About Oundle is edited and published by Liz Dillarstone, email [email protected] To keep up to date with the latest news visit the School website www.oundleschool.org.uk

Photos by School Photographer, Ivan Quetglas, Team Captain, Lucy Purnell (D), Tally Carter (L), Lizzie Lee (Sn), Anna van de Braak (L), Bella Cholmeley (Sn), Pavel Lipskiy (B), Stefan Rogers-Coltman (Sc), Alex Barker (N), Minna Dundas (Sn), Clara Goodman (W), Natalie Peckett (Sn), Flora Smith (N). Image of Best Newspaper on page 5 by Sophia Panteli.

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Community Action 660 Club

Chinese New Year

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Trinity Quarter 2016 · 2016-07-05 · 1 Trinity Quarter 2016 OundleAbout Imperial STEM...

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