Bede's Newsletter Spring 2015

Spring 2016

BEDE’S EARNS TOP 1% OF UK VALUE ADDED RANKING FOR SECOND YEAR

Department of Education figures released at the end of January saw Bede’s placed in the top 1% of all schools in the UK for Value Added at A Level for the second year running, with the School ranked 35th in the country and best in Sussex by over 10 places.Designed to measure how much more or less successful students have been by virtue of the school they have attended, with a school’s score declaring how much ‘value’ they have added to their pupils’ results, Bede’s outstanding rating was derived from another year of best-ever ‘raw’ exam results which saw 78% of all A Level grades and 65% of all GCSE grades at A*-B.“Independent schools in the United Kingdom have only been given a Value Added ranking for A Level in the Department of Education’s League Tables for the last two years in the past ten,” said Bede’s Head of Sixth Form Jason Henham.

“With Bede’s continuing to refuse to top-slice its pupil intake based on academic ability, this pattern of achievement implies that what we do clearly works for students, no matter their perceived level of ability.”John Tuson, Bede’s Academic Deputy Head, added, “The educational landscape is constantly changing, and those changes are genuinely exciting. “While these results act as an endorsement of Bede’s unique approach to education, we have a further-improved Sixth Form curriculum set to launch in September which will offer our students the chance to perform at an even-higher level.”Bede’s Headmaster Dr Richard Maloney concluded, “Every teacher at Bede’s works exceptionally hard to ensure that each individual pupil has the opportunity to achieve truly great things, both in their exams and in their lives beyond school. We will do everything we can to make that happen.”

Bede’s Senior SchoolUpper Dicker, HailshamEast Sussex BN27 3QH

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PREFECT ‘PUPIL VOICE’ MEASURES LEAD TO SCHOOL SYSTEMS UPGRADES

With the introduction of a new School Prefect team this year, a new set of issues were brought to the school which have enabled us to build upon the successes of previous teams. Our main focus this year has been ‘Pupil Voice’ and, as all of the Prefects had been involved with various sections of the School Council previously in their time at Bede’s, we knew what we wanted to change. We decided that the School Council in its then-state was inefficient and proposed a significant alteration; to remove the School Council entirely and replace it with a streamlined set of House Council, Subcommittee and Senior Management meetings.To make each House Council more effective in addressing the issues of the School, each Subcommittee produced a selection of leading questions that the House Councils would address during their meetings. Responses were subsequently discussed and resolved in the Subcommittees, with new ideas then taken to the half-termly Senior Management meetings where appropriate actions were taken. The School’s “MyBedes” extranet system has played a revolutionary role in this process, enabling each of the Subcommittees to have an information page through which students and staff can access minutes and participate in discussions about school life.This new initiative has helped to fully utilise and reflect the opinions of the school in relation to food, social events, life in the Houses and much more, all of which is fundamental to the ongoing success of the School.

Henry VineHead of Knights House

Five of Bede’s top achievers at A Level in 2015, Will, Anna, Meg, Hal and Abi, all of whom achieved A* grades.

TOP 10 SUSSEX SCHOOLS BY UK VALUE ADDED RANKING1. BEDE’S2. BRIGHTON AND HOVE SIXTH FORM3. FARLINGTON SCHOOL4. EASTBOURNE COLLEGE5. SEAFORD COLLEGE6. MOIRA HOUSE7. ARDINGLY COLLEGE8. HURSTPIERPOINT COLLEGE9. BRIGHTON COLLEGE10. BATTLE ABBEY

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EDITORIAL: BEDE’S AT ITS BEST

The penultimate week of this half-term saw Bede’s at its very best. Our actors, musicians and technical crew decamped for a week to Eastbourne’s Devonshire Theatre to stage ‘Into the Woods.’ There was no doubt that Mrs Lewis’s ambition in staging a Steven Sondheim musical – never easy for even professional performers – brought the very best out of everyone involved. Nobody watching the production could fail to have been moved by the colossal achievements of our pupils.Rehearsals started some six months ago (the actual casting took place before the summer break). Mrs Lewis and her team ensured the performers were coached, challenged and exhorted to reach the sublime heights in which we luxuriated last week.

The greatest compliment that can be paid is to say the show was of professional quality. At times I had to pinch myself to remember I was watching my pupils on stage in front of me. Perhaps equally impressive was the fact that those involved in ‘Into the Woods’ managed to maintain the standards of their academic work – as well as their good humour – throughout the preparation period. But this is what Bede’s is all about. Scores of pupils, supported by wholly committed members of staff, reaching for the stars. Over the last six months, there was no sense that ‘Into the Woods’ would be anything other than the best piece of work the cast could produce. The stage set, the lighting, the music: everything had to be perfect. If school is about giving pupils experiences to remember for the rest of their lives, then ‘Into the Woods’ did exactly that. And it won’t only be the pupils who remember last week for a very long time: for me, their energy, their ambition, their brilliance, will be my abiding memory of Bede’s alive in performance.

Dr Richard MaloneyHeadmaster


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ENGLISH CLASSES ATTEND ‘KING CHARLES III’

How can tradition and modernity co-exist? What kind of a place do the Royal family have in 21st century public life? Do princes really enjoy kebabs, just like the rest of us?English and Drama students took a trip to see ‘future-history’ play King Charles III to ponder questions of power, politics and performance. Throughout the play, funeral dirges, processions, proclamations and coronations reminded us, if we needed it, that wielding power is all about performance and show. Even before the interval, students spotted the full gamut of Shakespeare’s favourite motifs: ghosts pacing battlements, disguised rulers, double-dealing politicians, upstart sons and star-crossed lovers. It didn’t feel remote from us, however. Quite the opposite. We sensed something of the unease Shakespeare’s original audiences must have felt seeing thinly veiled allegories of deposition and regicide within Elizabeth’s reign. Though it felt wrong to wonder, the play forced us to ask the questions: Who rules next? What happens now? If this play makes us look back, it also forces us to look ahead to an uncertain future.The play provoked much discussion amongst students about the role of crown and constitution and proved again, to borrow Ben Jonson’s words on Shakespeare, how great theatre “is not of an age, but for all time”. Though the theatre, like monarchy, is an old idea, it can still reflect the society of today, and foretell the world of tomorrow.

Matthew OliverHead of English

SIXTH FORM FRENCH PUPILS ATTEND BFI CINEMA LECTURES

On Thursday 28th January, 15 Sixth Form A Level French pupils attended a lecture on French cinema at the London British Film Institute (BFI). Their teachers, Mrs Ganivet and Mr Pianet, accompanied the group, with Dr Emily Salines and specialist cinema teacher Albertine Fox leading the event for the BFI.A captive audience of 500 pupils from across the South East and Greater London area were escorted through decades of French cinema from the ‘Golden Age” in the 1930’s to the ‘Nouvelle vague” in 1960’s, which the latter created by illustrious directors like Francois Truffaut (Jules et Jim) and Jean-Luc Goddard (A bout de soufflé).The lecture then explored various clips from a more recent period, including “social movies” such as La Haine (1995) by controversial yet acclaimed director Mathieu Kassovitz and Entre les Murs (2008) by Laurent Cantet.Lower Sixth, Charleston House girl Eliza Hack-ett said of the event, “The lectures were fas-cinating, and the fact that the audience could join in and put forward their ideas enabled us to hear other thoughts that perhaps we would not have come up with ourselves. “Honestly, I had not expected that I would understand anywhere near as much as I did, but I came out of the lecture both with a new perspective on cinema and also feeling much

more confident with my ability to understand more complex French.”The afternoon then saw a screening of Bande de Filles (Girlhood, 2014), an extraordinarily powerful film set in suburban Paris with a cast of exclusively black boys and girls.The film provided a truly superb visual experience and was quite emotionally intense! Lower Sixth, Crossways House girl Ana Entwisle added, “The screening of Bande de Filles was very enjoyable and helped me to understand more about the different cul-tures within France and the journey through adolescence. “The whole trip was extremely beneficial for both AS and A2 students, and we definitely all learned a lot. As well as broadening my understanding of French cinema specifically, it definitely stimulated my curiosity to explore more about French culture in general.”We all came back, pupils and teachers alike, with a ballet of images and cinematographic clips in our heads; the day provided a huge amount to think about, not least the vital power of French cinema and the way it draws inspiration from France’s quixotic and frac-tious social mix.

Annie BonheurLanguages Assistant


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CHINATOWN TRIP WELCOMES IN ‘THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY’

Sunday 8 February’s Boarders’ Trip to Chinatown in London was oversubscribed three weeks in advance, with 49 pupils keen to celebrate the start of Chinese New Year while bidding farewell to the Goat and welcoming in the Monkey!Mrs Bilham, Mr Petersson, Mrs Whitehouse and I led the group through Leicester Square to the Joy King Lau restaurant where we found the top floor beautifully and especially decorated. The bamboo steamers were stacked high and colourful steaming plates were brought out as the staff hurried to serve our ban-quet of hoisin duck pancakes, Peking duck, spring rolls, noodles, prawn dumplings and many exotic Chinese desserts.

Some time later we staggered down the stairs feeling very full, after which the students had a few hours shopping and exploring central London. Many of us spent time around Chinatown’s colourful entrance gate and enjoyed seeing the district so crowded; as we walked under garlands of hanging red paper lanterns, with all the seasonal smells and sounds in the air, the atmosphere was electric. Unfortunately, we did not see any Chinese dragons, and I must confess to being slightly disappointed by that, but otherwise a great time was had by all!

Jenny ParfittSchool Office Administrator

BEDE’S ECONOMISTS ATTEND IEA SCHOOLS CONFERENCE

Tuesday 19 January saw a cohort of Bede’s Sixth Form Economics students attending an informative and thought-provoking conference organised by the influential think-tank The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) at Lancing College. Based in London, the IEA is an independent organisation which advocates for free market economics, and twelve economists involved in the IEA’s work have gone on to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, including Milton Friedman, Ronald Coase and Friedrich Hayek.The conference consisted of 3 lectures, with the first being given by IEA Fellow and Head of Health and Welfare Dr Kristian Niemietz.Dr Niemietz challenged students to consider the market for healthcare in the UK, and whether or not wider provision by the private sector would be more effective than a nationalised NHS.After a stimulating 40-minute talk, students were challenged to consider the arguments put forward and present their own ideas.Well-known author and freelance journalist Christopher Snowdon, a prominent and vocal opponent of Government intervention in matters such as alcohol and obesity, then gave the second talk.Mr Snowden’s Twitter biography states that

he is ‘not that keen on the nanny state’, and his talk questioned the effectiveness of a sugar tax in solving the problems of obesity.The IEA’s Education Director Dr Steve Davies then gave the third lecture, which was a very stimulating and challenging talk on the current crisis in the Eurozone.Dr Davies’ contention was that the Euro was a doomed currency unless there was greater political integration across the European Union to support it.Students were subsequently challenged to think about and discuss these issues while also considering issues related to the United Kingdom’s continued participation in the EU.At the end of the conference, Bede’s students talked to Dr Davies about the work of the IEA and, as a result of all that they had seen, heard and learned, several students applied to participate in the IEA’s internship pro-gramme this summer.Everyone in the Business faculty at Bede’s wishes those students the very best of luck in gaining places on the scheme, and we are now looking very much forward to hosting an IEA conference at Bede’s later in the year.

Gareth ParfittHead of Business Faculty


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FIFTH FORM SCIENCE CLASSES VISIT ‘SCIENCE LIVE’

The week before last, a group of Triple Science students attended the GCSE Science Live event at the Dominion Theatre in London. The first talk was from Dr Kate Lancaster about nuclear fusion – where nuclei fuse together and release energy. There are many benefits of using this method to generate energy, however Dr Lancaster explored the obstructions to fusion becoming widely used and emphasised the idea of our genera-tion having the potential to overcome these challenges. Next, Professor Mark Miodownik talked about the infinity of the materials that make up our everyday lives and the possibility of creating self-healing buildings in the near future. He even broached the daunting topic of bionic people and explored how our distinction between man-made and human environments is blurring. My personal favourite talk was from Professor Robert Winston, described as the ‘pioneer of IVF treatment’, who discussed his development of precision surgery in the fallopian tubes and ‘pre-implantation genetic diagnosis’. He made clear the importance of teamwork in surgery, and talked about his sense of achievement in helping people to have children.Also presenting were Dr Andrea Sella and Professor Alice Roberts, demonstrating oscillating reactions and discussing evolution. Overall, the lectures were deeply scintillating, offered insights into the endless innovations in science, and made what seemed like magic comprehendible.

Molly Fisher-NewtonBloomsbury House

PHOTOGRAPHY TALKS EXPLORE IMAGERY IN THE MEDIA

On Wednesday 27 January the Photography Department had the pleasure of inviting professional photographer Max Cisotti and Daily Mail Picture Editor Claire Cisotti to Bede’s to talk to students about photography in the media.Both Claire and Max have worked in this field for many years and they took time out of their hectic London schedules to converse with our GCSE and A Level Photography students as well as a number of English students who are interested in careers in journalism.Max opened the talk by showing a range of im-ages that he had taken over the years whilst working for huge companies and brands such as Audi and Mercedes, and rubbing shoulders with celebrities such as Madonna, Beyoncé and our very own Royal Family at parties and events.He then went on to give advice about techni-cal details in lighting set-up, lens choices and camera settings.The students were fascinated and mesmerized to hear about how Max works in the industry, selling his images to companies like Getty Im-ages and working alongside the newspapers, magazines, websites and other publications that we read day in, day out.Following on from Max, Claire then took the stage to speak to the students about her role as Picture Editor at The Daily Mail newspaper.She showed many fascinating and outstand-ing publications and spreads that she has produced over the years and talked about the

process of having a concept with her team and then trailing through thousands of im-ages in the archives picking the best photos to match her brief.The contrast between what Claire and Max had to say was fascinating, however there were also clear links that brought the different fields together and showed how both skill-sets and industries complement and depend on each other.Claire also brought in newspapers for the students to read and as a mass group we went through the pages whilst she explained the process, actions and decisions that go into each page to ensure that key stories get noticed and that imagery is relevant and grabs attention.She spoke about a number of examples of events and told us about the importance of headlines and imagery in order to make a consumer pick up a paper or magazine and want to purchase it.The Photography Department would like to thank Max and Claire for coming to Bede’s and inspiring our talented students. We now hope to welcome more professionals to come and talk to our talented and creative students, and if you are one such professional then please contact me via email on [email protected]!

Ema ExcellHead of Photography


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SIXTH FORM P.E. PUPILS VISIT BRIGHTON UNI LABS

As part of their BTEC Sport and A Level Physical Education courses, twelve Upper Sixth students from Bede’s visited the University of Brighton Sports Science Laboratory in Eastbourne last week.The pupils volunteered to take part in three physical fitness tests including the Wingate Test, a Blood Lactate Test and a VO2 Max Test, with the Sports Science Laboratory collecting data to inform the student’s studies into physical performance.“With the high calibre of our aspiring ath-letes – which include a number of County and England sportsmen and women – we hope that the tests prove as useful for the University as they do for the Sixth Formers,” explained Bede’s Head of Physical Education Mary-Jane Newbery.

“The results and the very procedures used in the tests will help to inform the pupils’ Lab Report task for Unit 2 of the Physical Educa-tion BTEC in the case of our Level 3 BTEC students and will inform the ‘Theory for Exercise Physiology’ module’s fitness testing demonstrations for our A2 Physical Educa-tion pupils,” Mrs Newbury continued.“The classes and I are very grateful that the academics at the Sports Science Lab were so generous with their time, and would like to thank the University of Brighton for continuing to enable the next generation of sports scientists to benefit from their state of the art facilities.”

Last weekend saw a team of four of intrepid Bedians travelling from HQ in Upper Dicker to the unholy terrain of Eastbourne to conduct elabourate campaigns of bloody warfare across the fiery fields of Warhammer’s broken, violent dystopia. They were, of course, playing a table-top war game in which a lot of dice are thrown and small, carefully painted plastic miniatures are the only casualties. Our expedition took place because the Bede’s Team had made it through to Heat 2 of the National Schools League competition, with these Heats normally consisting of two schools going head-to-head for a place in the Regional Finals. On this occasion, four teams were present so we knew it was going to be tough, but as points were gained for the time and effort put into

constructing and painting armies we were in a good place before the dice-rolling had even begun.Oliver Marks received praise for the quality painting of his Space Wolves and Aidan Kerr was rewarded for the assembly, modification and moulding of his unique Blood Angels, so well done to both. David Watson did brilliantly for a first-time competitor, taking home two wins and a loss with his homebrew Iron Hands sub-chapter: a superb first tournament. Will Jobling had just completed a new army and had been working hard on understanding the often complex rules of playing Eldar and enjoyed perhaps a little less luck than he might have hoped.All played their best however and battled their way through three different missions plus a quiz, which gave the team the opportunity to show off their background knowledge from the books and mythology of the Warhammer universe; our team proved to be the most well-read of the four teams present, and that result marked the end of a great day of friendly competitiveness. In spite of the boys’ best efforts, the final result saw us take second place to Eastbourne College, beating two other schools. We still therefore have a chance of being put through to the National Heats at in Nottingham, but are left awaiting word from Games Workshop as to whether Olly, Aidan, David and Will quite made the cut.

Matthew PeattieTeacher of Mathematics and

Quartermaster of Miniature Wargames Club


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BEDE’S GENERALS SEEK GLORY IN REGIONAL WARGAMES FINAL

On Monday 11th of January, the Theology and Philosophy Society at Bede’s had the pleasure of welcoming Professor John Lennox to give an evening lecture on the conflict between science and religion.The lecture initially began with a short introduction to John Lennox in which we learned of his professorship of mathematics, his MA in Bioethics, his other many academic achievements as a mathematician and much more.Professor Lennox then dived straight into his lecture by claiming that the “conflict” between science and religion cannot exist as science is a neutral study which has been developed by both theists and atheists. The conflict lies within world views, rather than within the disciplines of science and religion in and of themselves.Professor Lennox raised various other points related to this topic, including reductionism, naturalism, semiotics and quantum physics. He highlighted different types of explanations and stated that a ‘God of the gaps is not the God that [he] worships,’ while

also managing to explore the religious conflicts between creationism and evolution.Carefully explaining the concept that Christian belief actually drove the development of science, Professor Lennox explored how Nobel Prize-winning scientists throughout the ages have been both theist and atheist.“It is clear that their pursuit of science united them and that their worldviews did not stand in their way,” he said.At the end of the lecture, Professor Lennox

adroitly responded to profound questions posed by Bede’s students in a Q and A session which concluded the evening’s thought-provoking seminar.After this, a small group of Sixth Form students attended a dinner with Professor Lennox, continuing the philosophical discussions and acquainting themselves better with the world-renowned professor.

Ffion KellegherLower Sixth, Charleston House

VISITING OXFORD PROFESSOR ASKS ‘HAS SCIENCE BURIED GOD?”


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BEDE’S ‘INTO THE WOODS’

Bede’s production of Into The Woods at the Devonshire Park Thea-tre in Eastbourne last week marked a high watermark in terms of scale, ambition and sheer quality for the school’s Drama depart-ment, brimming over with wit, charm and exuberant musicality.For those less familiar with Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-award winning musical, Into The Woods sees the plots of a number of classic fairy tales, including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Jack and the Beanstalk, blended together and distorted to form a new, multi-layered narrative full of dark humour and, at times, macabre twists on familiar tales.Binding the narrative together is a Narrator, played with thought-ful poise by Theo Morse in the Bede’s production, with the character presented as a war-time evacuee whose fanciful tale offers him

escape from an otherwise bleak existence. A considerate, thoughtful performer throughout, Theo’s first appearance onstage saw the reveal of dolls through which he went on to ‘tell’ the tale, with this device being just one example of the production’s imagination and celebra-tion of craftsmanship.From some outstanding mask and puppetry work to a number of thoughtful and carefully-hewn touches in production design, includ-ing artfully-flown paper-winged birds, hidden sections of set revealed by witty lighting cues and surprising use of lowered and raised stage furniture floating down from on high, the production consistently revealed new surprises which elevated the show to the standard of a professional performance. One of the many plot threads to exploit such charming reveals was that of Jack, played both by the rubber-faced Tom McGovern and wide-eyed Max Mason, ably supported by Jody Laughton as Jack’s mother; with some outstanding puppetry in the case of Milky White, Jack’s ‘pet cow’ and ‘best friend’, expertly operated by Matt Maloney, to a golden egg-laying hen on wheels to a personified golden harp, amusingly embodied by a deadpan Grace Longden, both Tom and Max played Jack brilliantly and were a constant joy to behold.Similarly, Lily Potter’s Red Riding Hood transformed riotously from a demure and cheerful innocent in to a sarcastic (and slightly psycho-pathic) huntress care of interactions with a crooning and sinister Jonny Connell as The Wolf and the diminutive and surprisingly violent Grandma, played by Echo Abraham. Lily’s exceptional voice and pitch-perfect characterisation saw her nailing the part and she, like many others in the company, deserves sincere credit for contributing not only smiles but belly laughs.Possibly the most consistently amusing characters in the production


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BEWITCHES EASTBOURNE

came in the form of the two Princes. Played with aplomb by Louis Muston and Harvey Cole, the Princes’ interactions with one another and the rest of the cast, assisted by their deeply funny Stewards in the form of Earl Cave and Flynn Matthews, was side-splitting. Wilfully sending themselves up, the boys milked every laugh possible from the material while also making themselves the butt of their own jokes. Their duet of Agony, which included some daft and suggestive sword waving, was unforgettably fun.A great deal of the dramatic glue which holds Into The Woods’ storyline together comes from The Witch – a pivotal, challenging and less glamorous role than many. Hannah Roberts fearlessly embraced the part, which requires several show-stopping numbers alongside a genuine physical transformation; thankfully, Han-nah was a consistently engaging presence onstage, her physical performance alone being noteworthy.When she had the opportunity to sing however, the effect was electric. What a voice!Likewise, Emily Crow’s performance of Cinderella saw songs performed to a gid-dying standard. Wheeling from beautiful, charming and reserved to steely, bold and strident, Emily’s Scots lilt added a huge amount to her performance which was deep, sincere and engaging. A dancer by training,

Ms Crow here showed enormous potential for straight drama, let alone musical theatre, and it is extremely easy to imagine her forging a career in performance post-Bede’s.Finally, and possibly most notably, lead performers Joe Robson and Alice Potter personified The Baker and The Baker’s Wife with a transporting chemistry. They offered wit and physicality that enriched the production enormously and Joe’s comic timing was excellent. Sympathetic, and with enough stage-presence to fill the auditorium, he offered audiences a great deal whenever onstage.Opposite him, Alice was a sensation. Radiant, warm, friendly and bold, she gave imagination, freshness and levity to the ma-terial, truly owning the part with a delivery

which was pitch-perfect yet daring. Her vocal performances elevated the production with a richness and power that was genuinely astonishing.This talented cast was further enriched by Rhys Clarke, whose amusing turns as The Mysterious Man could not help but elicit gig-gles, Imogen Lock, whose histrionic Rapunzel tugged at the heart-strings, and a unruly ensemble performance from Ruby Moody, Jazz Scott, Georgia Myers and Jonny Keegan as the Stepmother, Lucinda, Florinda and Cinderella’s Father respectively, providing comedic horror in spades.These excellent performances were truly en-hanced by a stunning set and some singular sound and lighting work from Stage Manager Matthew Jebb, Production Manager Mr Waring and a huge backstage team. Likewise, all would have been for naught had the music not been as tight, full and characterful from Deputy Director of Music Mr Scamardella and his orchestra.Overall however, praise must go to Mrs Lewis, the School’s Director Drama. She, along with her second-in-command Kelly Goldring and Head of Dance Mrs Murphy on choreography, pulled off something extremely special this year.Like falling through a magical hedgerow backwards, only to discover yourself in a whole new world of unpredictable imagination, soaring songs and deep, dark chuckles, Bede’s production of Into The Woods was truly something to behold.

DEIS AND BLOOMS CHARITY WEEK RAISES OVER £2,500 FOR CHAILEY HERITAGE AND JPK PROJECT

While the last week of January is oftenassociated with short days, early evenings and cold weather, there was a great feeling of positivity in Deis House as we prepared for our joint charity week with Bloomsbury.We decided earlier on in the year to continue to support the Chailey Heritage Foundation in their work to assist in the education of children and teenagers with severe physical or mental disabilities while Bloomsbury were raising funds for the JPK Project.We started the week with our tuck shop that would last throughout the week which was eagerly managed by the Lower Sixth andPrefects. They clearly were more successful than Mr Driver initially anticipated as we sold out of stock by Monday lunch and the boys would continue to sell throughout the week raising just over £200.On Wednesday, Bloomsbury then made and sold Margherita and Pepperoni pizzas during a novel system whereby students were able to order Pizzas in advance and were then

texted when their pizza was ready!On Thursday the girls then staged a ‘Lip Synch Battle’ event which saw several rounds of highly amusing miming and per-formance, including Mr Burden and Reverend Buckler duelling over The Proclaimers ‘I’m Gonna Be’, Mr Potter and Mr Abrahams

battling over David Guetta’s ‘Titanium’. Over-all, that event alone raised over £500 and had many staff and pupils in stitches!That evening we hosted the Deis and Bloomsbury Quiz Night. With a huge number of donated prizes for the raffle and around 100 people attending, it was a great evening.Guests were met with live music from Joe Robson, Szofia Rosa and Jake Davidson to name a few along with Deis magician-in-residence ‘Magic Max’ Durdant-Hollamby. With ten teams consisting of parents, pupils and teachers, our fantastic quiz masters Mr Cheshire and Mr Jackson began the David Bowie themed evening with rounds including ‘worst Oscar dresses’, ‘Space Oddity’ and

covers of Bowie’s greatest hits. With the quiz over we moved onto the eagerly anticipated raffle which involved cakes, handbags and plenty of champagne.

Overall the evening was a fantastic success with Deis and Blooms raising a joint sum of £550.Then came one of the more unique charity events, Active Deis. On Saturday and Sunday, the intrepid boys of the house went out to do a variety of activities organised by them-selves to raise money. Events included 25 kilometre triathlons, cross-country running, sponsored swims and busking along with slightly less strenuous activities such as walking.The entire total of the events has not yet come through but we have already received £350 and it looks like there is still a lot more to come in.Overall, each House set out to raise over £1,000 and both Deis and Bloomsbury achieved these goals. Well done to the pupils in both Houses who contributed during the week and for their continued efforts through-out the year.

Chris BoweHead of Deis House


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DORTER HOUSE BINGO NIGHT RAISES £450

On the 5th February Dorter House held a fabulous Curry and Bingo Night in order to raise money for their House Charity, Children with Cancer.Holroyd Howe made the most delicious vari-ety of curries and popadoms for the evening which were devoured by the boarders. Then, the eagerly anticipated bingo began! Mr Henham, supported by his glamourous assistant Mr Johnson, made his second ap-pearance as a brilliant and hilarious bingo caller. Various prizes made the evening even more exciting as iTunes vouchers, boxes of chocolate, huge bags of popcorn and crisps were up for grabs.

The final game of the evening was the most intense as Mr Leggett gave a cash prize of £20 to the winner. This was finally won by our own Alexandra Kuzmina, although she had to share it with Dolly Kara-Ool who also called bingo!Everyone had a fabulous time and, most im-portantly, we managed to raise £450 for our House Charity. Thank you to all who came to support us on what was, without a doubt, a spectacular night!

Alex MurphyDeputy Dorter Housemistress

STUD CHARITY HOUSE PARTY RAISES £2,000 FOR ABC FUND

Charity events can come in many shapes and sizes; such as our House BBQ – celebrating the great Welsh defeat over England in the Rugby World Cup – to our annual Casino Night, but on 21 January 2016 the boys of Stud decided to stimulate Bede’s collective philathropy through a whacking great House Party.Hot off the back of the Stud boys winning the House Christmas Cake Competition at the end of term (sadly, the results were announced too late for inclusion in the last newsletter) the House Charity Committee suggested that our Casino Nights of years’ past were ready for fallow year, but that there was an appetite about the school for an old-fashioned boogie.

Dikembe Wilson and the Stud House Prefect Team determined that the event should be open to Bede’s Day and Boarding communities and set about publicising the event.Before we knew it, there was a buzz all about

the School!On the day of the event, the House was duly transformed and, with the use of a profes-sional sound and light system, DJ Gary Walker hit the decks and ran the playlist (I was very disappointed not to hear any Welsh classics, such as Tom Jones, during the event)…

Despite the lack of Cambric cavatina, around 300 pupils attended the Stud House Party and the dance floor was busy all evening.Joe Sparrow, Ryan Jashek and Javier Henriquez brilliantly ran our tuck shop, selling very popular glow-in-the-dark wrist bands, while Matt Maloney and Mr Walker acted as official photographers.Most importantly, the event raised £2,000 for the Stud House Charity, the ABC fund.

Katy O’HaraResident Tutor in Camberlot House

SPRING HOUSE COMPETITIONS COME DOWN TO THE WIRE

Thursday 4 February saw the latest round of House Competitions at Bede’s and, after last half-term’s competitions were washed out at the last minute, pupils from across the School seemed keen as mustard to don their House t-shirts, shrug off the rain and work towards claiming all-important House Points.

The previously delayed House Football competitions saw Junior and Senior House sides squaring off, supervised by Mr Caryer and Mr Cook, with both competitions proving fruitful for four-time House Cup winners Dicker – right up until their final moments; the Senior competition was won by Knights House and the Junior by Dorms House, both of whom beat Mr Abraham’s boys in penalty shoot-outs.This year’s House Rowing was won by Crossways in the Girls’ competition and Knights in the Boys’ while Bloomsbury,

Knights, Charleston and Dicker picked up points in the Boys’ and Girls’ Junior and Senior Squash respectively. While Charleston and Knights House emerged on top in the Junior House Circuits,and Dicker and Bloomsbury won the Senior, the House Netball out on the Multi-Use Games Area saw another set of very tight competitions supervised Head of Netball Ms Newberry. The final came down to Bloomsbury House battling Charleston House, with Bloomsbury winning the final by a single point! The Senior Girls’ Hockey was meanwhile run by Director of Hockey Mr Johnson, who had

recently returned from coaching the England Ladies U21 side in the European Championships. The competition saw some great matches and yet another tight final – this time between Crossways House and Charleston. As with the House Football, the game came down to a penalty shoot-out, with Crossways coming away victorious.Meanwhile, snug and dry indoors, Mr Chesh-ire and Mr Jackson hosted the House Quizzesin the Old Dining Room, with the Senior Quiz being won by reigning House Quiz Champions Dicker, while Mr Waterhouse quite literally jumped for joy when Knights House claimed the top spot in the Junior competition. Finally, down in the Science Centre, Mr Hiscox hosted a Bede’s staple – the ‘House Bridge-Building’ competition – which was on this occasion the single event won by a beleaguered Deis House.The points implications of these House Competitions are being announced by Dr Maloney in the first assembly back after half term, but there’s no doubt that this year’s House Cup is being hotly contested. Looking ahead to the House Cross Country, it may just be that it’s all to play for moving into the Summer Term!

Rachael WoolletCo-Curricular Deputy Head


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SPORTCRICKET

Bede’s hosted the first round of the Sussex County U15 Lady Taverners competition on 29 January, with local rivals Moira House and Gildridge House taking part in the round robin tournament of the championship in the Bede’s Sports Complex.Bede’s played Moira House in the first round scoring 119-3 in their 8 overs with Moira House making 51-4 in reply, a victory for Bede’s by 68 runs.In the second fixture, Moira House made 114 with Gildridge getting close but coming short, scoring 98.In the last match, Gildridge batted first and were restricted to 57-5 by some very disciplined bowling and alert fielding by the Bede’s girls. Bede’s went on to pass Gildredge’s score having lost only 3 wickets, going on to make 122-3 and claim victory in the tournament.

Bede’s Cricket Development Coach Neil Lenham said of the match, “The Bede’s girls have a lot to be proud of, not least for reach-ing the semi-final of the County competition for the second year running.“The bowling of Sussex County players Leilanni Nesbeth and Daisy Bean was outstanding and likewise we saw another superb all-round performances from our Girls’ Captain Ariana Dowse and Hope Ball, both of whom also play for the County, with all of our players contributing strongly throughout.”Bede’s Director of Cricket and ex-England international cricketer Alan Wells added, “This was another great team performance which represents the girls’ second tournament win in two weeks. They are showing improving skill and discipline, and looked as though they thoroughly enjoyed the day.”


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BEDE’S U15 GIRLS ENJOY TOURNAMENT VICTORIES

LEILANNI CALLED UP FOR SUSSEX CCC AND BRIGHTON AND HOVE

Earlier in January, Lower Fifth pupil Leilanni Nesbeth learned that she had been invited to join Brighton and Hove Albion’s Junior Ladies’ team at U15 level.Brighton are one of only 20 clubs in Britain that have an elite programme for girls, and Nesbeth is the second girl from Bede’s to be offered a contract by a league club in two years, following the successes of Kellie Larkin who was signed by Chelsea and began her professional contract in the autumn. A member of the Bede’s Emerging Talent Programme, which prepares top-level athletes for lives in professional sport, Leilanni’s Brighton and Hove invitation came on the back of her successful trial for Sussex County Cricket Club last term, meaning she is now enjoying success both on the cricket green and the football field.Bede’s Director of Sport Andy Hibbert said of Leilanni’s accomplishments, “Leilanni really is a one-of-a-kind. I am confident saying that there is not a single girl up and down this country who is playing at her level across two sporting disciplines.“The girls of Dorter House, where Leilanni boards, are exceptionally proud of her - as are all of her coaches.”

CRICKET AND FOOTBALL


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SPORTHOCKEYU16 BOYS WIN SUSSEX COUNTY CUP

On Monday 8 February the Bede’s U16 Hockey team played Seaford in the Sussex Cup final.With both teams already qualified from the County rounds into the Regional phases of the National competition, it was just left to see who could win the battle to become the Sussex champions.Bede’s went into the game acutely aware of the 2 very influential German imports that Seaford had at their disposal, one of which was a penalty corner drag flick specialist and a real threat.Bede’s settled into the game quicker than their opposition and took an early lead with a neat finish from Tom Gordon. Seaford equalized soon after with a well taken reverse stick shot from one of their German stars. It was Bede’s to respond next on the scoreboard though after a fine solo run from the half way line from Tommy Trenaman was blasted into the bottom corner of the goal.Two hammer blows were dealt before half time and Bede’s ended up going into the

break 3-2 down after 2 penalty corners were expertly flicked home by the influential German set piece expert and he continued to punish us after Seaford were awarded a penalty stroke which he converted early in the second half.At 4-2 down Bede’s refused to give in and pressed more aggressively higher up the pitch. Seaford managed to mount a fewcounter attacks which were ably dealt with by the sturdy defence of Fricker, Green, Steward and Muston, with Sam Leonard in goal grow-ing in confidence as the game progressed.

A penalty corner strike from Captain Lucas Green pulled the score to 4-3 and in the last two minutes he repeated this feat and we finally reached parity with the scoreboard and took the game to penalties. Bede’s had the momentum now and raced into a 3-1 lead in the penalty competition after Sam Leonard made 2 terrific saves, gaining two attempts to win the game with their last two efforts. The game had a final twist though as the Seaford keeper kept out both our last two efforts to take the final into sudden death penalties.Captain Lucas Green took the first stroke and scored and then another heroic save from Sam Leonard against the German set piece specialist to ensure that Bede’s ended up Sussex U16 Champions for 2016.After playing with intense pride andrefusing to give in when 4-2 down, the team now move on to the Regional finals in March.

Kevin JohnsonDirector of Hockey

SPORTFOOTBALL

A number of successes for Bede’s Football teams, including the 1st XI, has enabled Bede’s to earn a Top 8 ranking in the English Schools League this half of term.The Top 8 position came about primarily due to the 1sts reaching the Quarter Finals of the English Schools Cup which sees over 2,000 schools across England competing for dominance.Although the School was hoping to continue its successful ESFA run, with Bede’s having won the entire competition in 2009, Friday 29th January saw the 1st XI going toe-to-toe with Cedars Upper School from LeightonBuzzard and coming up short.With the conditions being extremely

challenging and Cedars Upper being part of the Luton Town FC Academy, goalkeeper DavidCarruthers worked hard and acted as alynchpin for the team, but the forwardsultimately struggled to make chances.Being knocked out of ESFA 3-0 in this game was obviously disappointing, but to have reached the last 8 in the country is no mean feat; indeed, the 1st XI are still in contention for two major competitions and arelooking forward to their League final on 24 February against Ardingly College and the semi-final of the County Cup on the 4 March against Thomas Bennett which will be played at Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham.Both U14s and U15s have also progressed through to the semi-finals of the County Cup, with the U14s beating Cavendish 3-2 in the quarters while the U15s won 3-0 against Imberhorne.The U14s now face Hove Park at home the first week back after half term while the U15s will face Hazelwick away, and hopes remain high that Bede’s can bring home someadditional silverware before the season’s end.

David CaryerDirector of Football


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SPRING SUCCESSES SEE BEDE’S RANKED IN ENGLISH SCHOOLS TOP 8

KNIGHTS HOUSE’S BEN IS A RUNAWAY SUCCESS

First Year Knights boy Ben Waltersrecently took part in the South East Schools Inter-Counties race on Saturday 6 February and finished in 5th out of the 11 Sussex runners.Ben earned his spot in the Inter-Countiescompetition after competing in the Sussex Schools County Cross CountryChampionship, which took place on 20th January, coming in 12th place out of a very large field.An exceptional runner, Ben had beenpreparing for these events throughout the Christmas break and during the County race encountered a long, steep, icy hill which slowed him down more than he had expected.Ben had been working with Mr Morriss to make sure he peaked for these races and has done incredibly well.

He is now waiting to hear if he will be invited to compete at the National Competition later in the year, but in the meantime everyone in Knights is excited about how he may perform at the House Cross Country next half-term.Hopes are high that he will contribute another victory for Knights in our campaign to win the House Cup!

Andrew WaterhouseKnights Housemaster


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Documents

Bede's Newsletter Spring 2015