NewsSummer 2012

Voyages of Discovery

From the HeadmasterAs I end my first year as Headmaster of Bradfield College I have the chance to reflect on how happy and proud I am to have surrounded myself with young people and with staff significantly more talented than I am. This was never more apparent to me than at Commemoration. The tone was set by the superb address that Head Girl Emma Cole gave at the Leavers’ Service and was followed by Head Boy Matthew Lavoipierre’s inspiring speech at prize-giving. In preparing for my own speech it was humbling to go back through the year and to see all that our pupils had achieved and to realise that unless I wanted to speak for several hours then I was going to have to leave out many who deserved public recognition. It is the people in the community (especially the pupils) that make Bradfield the wonderful experience that it is. Young people achieve amazing things within a climate of high expectations in which they are inspired, listened to and trusted to take responsibility and we should all be proud that Bradfield does this so well, but also proud that we strive to do it even better.

I am very proud to be Head of a school that realises that we are sending our pupils out into a world that is changing very fast and that is looking to the future while learning from the past. I am proud that our focus is on the whole person and that we aim for all-round excellence. Academic work is at the centre of what we do, quite rightly, but life beyond the classroom is an essential part of what we offer and should complement what goes on in the classroom not compete with it. This has long been Bradfield’s philosophy and it must not be undermined, especially by those who make the mistake of thinking it’s not possible to do all these things well. It most certainly is, and we must continue to aspire to excellence in all that we do. Every one of our pupils has something that they are good at and Bradfield will seek to find that. At Bradfield we care about all of our pupils as individuals and I am proud that it’s a school where pupils don’t get lost.

Those who heard me speak at Commemoration will know that I used the word ‘proud’ forty times, quite deliberately. We should all be proud of Bradfield. Proud of what we already are and proud of what we know we can be.

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Commemoration

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Commemoration Prize Winners 2012Academic Prizes Academic prizes are awarded for outstanding progress throughout the year.

Upper SixthAksiniya Sorokina Stevens House English as an Additional Language, French, History of Art, Photography

Tristan Beardmore-Gray Army House Computing, Latin, Mathematics

Harriet Long Palmer House Business Studies, Psychology, Textiles

Thomas Lunt The Close Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics

Jessica Bancroft Palmer House History, Philosophy and Ethics

Ysabel Brown Stanley House German, Spanish

David Butler House-on-the-Hill D Mathematics, Physics

Emma Cole Stanley House Italian, Politics

Bethany Cook Armstrong House English Literature, Theatre Studies

Stuart Cummings Hillside Chemistry, Physics

Hugo Darby Army House English Language, Physical Education

Matthew Lavoipierre House-on-the-Hill D English Language, French

Kirstie Scott Armstrong House Biology, Philosophy and Ethics

Kate Ward Stevens House Biology, Economics

Charlotte Williams Palmer House Art, History of Art

Annabelle Barr Stanley House Economics

Arthur Davies Hillside History

Annabelle Farman Palmer House Economics

Matthew Farr House-on-the-Hill G Film Studies

Alexandra Fielder Palmer House Photography

Robert Gascoine The Close Design and Technology

Michael Glenn House-on-the-Hill D English Literature

Matthew Hicks Hillside Geography

Lara Hubbard Stanley House Physical Education

Damian Maib The Close Business Studies

Cyrus Lee Loyd House Art

Georgia Lewis Stanley House Film Studies

Regan Lo Loyd House Physical Education

Natalie Martin Palmer House Geography

Rebecca Masterman Stanley House Physical Education

Claire Noakes Stanley House English Literature

James Pearson House-on-the-Hill G Geography

Lara Robinson Stanley House Art

Gregor Schmidt Stone House Economics

Harry Stevenson-Smith Stone House Politics

Chatchawat Trimetsoontorn The Close Mathematics

Friederike Wegener Palmer House Economics

Natasha Winslade Armstrong House Politics

Scarlett Wright Armstrong House English Literature

Lower SixthChristopher Bailey The Close English Literature, French, History, Music

Jessica Kingsbury Palmer House Art, English Literature, Philosophy and Ethics

Diana Schoeller Stevens House Biology, English as an Additional Language, Latin

Thomas Ward Stone House Economics, English Literature, Philosophy and Ethics

Billy Baddeley House-on-the-Hill G Chemistry, Physics

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Charlotte Gooch Stevens House History, Spanish

William Hartz Hillside Chemistry, Physics

Sophie Hasdell Armstrong House English Literature, Philosophy and Ethics

Dougal Jones The Close Economics, History of Art

Michael Lavoipierre House-on-the-Hill D Design and Technology, Geography

Samuel Lerche-Thomsen Army House History, Politics

Fifth Form

Joseph Tyler House-on-the-Hill G English, French, Geography, German, History, Physical Education

William Davies Army House Greek, History, Latin, Mathematics

Freddie Larkins The Close English, Geography, History, Religious Studies

Edie Walker Stanley House English, German, Music, Physics

Lucy Baker-Smith Stanley House Biology, Chemistry, Physics

Samuel Courtier-Dutton Hillside Latin, Mathematics, Physics

Augustine Dodson Army House Biology, Geography, Drama

Emma Noakes Stanley House English, German, Religious Studies

Yi (William) Cui Loyd House English as an Additional Language, Mathematics

Hannah Gade Stevens House English as an Additional Language, French

Harry Gaff House-on-the-Hill G English, Religious Studies

Holly Hayes Stevens House Art, Textiles

Georgina Trott Stevens House Classical Civilisation, History

ShellMaia Patrick-Smith Stanley House Biology, Chemistry, French, Geography, German, Latin, Mathematics, Physics

Emily Lunt Stanley House Chemistry, French, Greek, Latin, Mathematics, Photography, Religious Studies

Adam Knowles The Close French, Information Technology, Photography, Physics

Christopher Bailey Army House Biology, Information Technology, Music

Adam Clark Army House Chemistry, English, Mathematics

Beth Higginson Stanley House English, History, Spanish

Samuel Denehy House-on-the-Hill D Art, History, Mathematics

Grace Elder Stevens House Religious Studies, Textiles

Eliza Lambert Stanley House Art, Textiles

Taylor Lawrence House-on-the-Hill G History, Physical Education

Henry Lea The Close Greek, Spanish

Arthur Norman The Close English, Religious Studies

Jamie Ostrer Loyd House Economics, Physics

Imogen Taylor Stanley House Italian, Music

Faulkner’sHannah Kelly Palmer House Biology, English, Greek, Latin, Mathematics, Music, Physics

Isabel Baddeley Stanley House Biology, Chemistry, Drama, French, Music, Physics

Christopher McCleery House-on-the-Hill G Chemistry, German, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics

Adam Robinson House-on-the-Hill G English, French, Latin

Seth Dunford House-on-the-Hill D Drama, Information Technology

Tobias Harries The Close Classical Civilisation, Drama

Alexander Krag Hillside Chemistry, Music

Anastasia Mukhlynina Stevens House Design and Technology, German

Ben Newall Stone House Design and Technology, Geography

James Palmer Hillside Classical Civilisation, Information Technology,

Alina Pravenkaya Stevens House German, History

Alana Robertson Stevens House Mathematics, Spanish

Co-Curricular PrizesAwarded to Upper Sixth pupils who have made an outstanding contribution to the co-curricular life of the school:

Jessica Burgess Stevens HouseDavid Butler House-on-the-Hill DEmma Cole Stanley HouseBethany Cook Armstrong HouseStuart Cummings HillsideMichael Glenn House-on-the-Hill DMatthew Hicks HillsideJamie Hough The CloseMatthew Lavoipierre House-on-the-Hill DBella Noakes Stanley HouseClaire Noakes Stanley HouseJake Robertson Army HouseIsabella Royds Palmer HouseSam Scott The CloseToby Webb The Close

Stephen Howard PrizeAwarded to members of the Upper Sixth who have made an outstanding contribution to the life of the College:Matthew Farr House-on-the-Hill GEleonora Tibbs Stevens House

Andrew Coleridge PrizeAwarded to a member of the Fifth Form who has made an outstanding and broad contribution to the co-curricular life of the school:

Cameron Baker Loyd HouseHugo Botting Army HouseRowena Hicks Stevens HouseLouisa Gray Stanley House

McKinnon PrizeAwarded to a member of the Lower Sixth, who is not a scholar, who has made outstanding academic progress:Sophie Hasdell Armstrong House

McMullen Prize Awarded to a pupil who has exhibited determination and courage:Annabelle Barr Stanley House Alexander Winter Hillside

Richard Adams PrizeFor creative writing:Harit Gillar The Close

Blackie PrizeWon in open competition and awarded for the best piece of creative writing:James Thomson Loyd House

Denning PrizeWon in open competition and awarded for the best piece of literary criticism: Christopher Bailey The Close

For his essay on the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy

Halsted DeclamationThis prize is won in open competition for public speaking:Sam Scott The Close

John Hills Drawing PrizeAwarded to an Upper Sixth pupil for outstanding achievement in drawing:Cyrus Lee Loyd House

Page Portrait PrizeCharlotte Williams Palmer House

Roger Wood Memorial Photographic PrizeBen Piper Hillside

The Mark Milhofer Singing PrizeClaire Noakes Stanley House

The Steel Cup Awarded for outstanding musical compositionCameron Baker Loyd HouseBenedikt Kau The Close

The Storch Cup Awarded to the pupil deemed the best performer of the year:James Thomson Loyd HouseFor his performances in Debris and Romeo and Juliet

The Lepper Plate Awarded to the best House Play Hillside for their production of One was Nude and One wore Tails

CCF Prize Awarded to the best cadet in the CCF during the current academic year:Toby Webb The Close

First Diploma in Public ServicesAnnabelle Barr Stanley HouseDavid Butler House-on-the-Hill D

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards Presented to: David Butler House-on-the-Hill DArthur Davies HillsideRobert Gibson The CloseThomas Lunt The CloseNatalie Martin Palmer HouseGiulio Pezzulli House-on-the-Hill GIsabella Royds Palmer HouseGuy Smith House-on-the-Hill GToby Webb The CloseCharlotte Williams Palmer House

Stirling Johnson Prize Awarded to promising Engineering students:Luke Dryden House-on-the-Hill DCameron Halliday Loyd HouseCharlotte Phelps Stevens HouseChatchawat Trimetsoontorn The Close

Bradfield College Parents’ Association PrizeAwarded for making a significant contribution of service to the wider community. This year jointly awarded to:Jeremy Ousey Army HouseGeorgina Sweeting Armstrong House

Clarke Senior Prefect PrizesPresented to:Emma Cole Stanley HouseVanessa Evans Stevens HouseMatthew Lavoipierre House-on-the-Hill DKate Ward Stevens House

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Reflection on the YearThere is no doubt that the Leavers of 2012 will remember Bradfield College as a place of opportunity, the place where life really began. It was an honour to have been appointed Heads of School and a privilege to have served with the new Headmaster in our final year. He greatly values pupil opinions, so more than ever we have had the chance to express the opinions of the pupil body and

put some initiatives into action. What would the year have been without Wednesday breakfast meetings, Saturday tours, the ‘world renowned’ Michaelmas Goose, those endless summer exams or Bradfield’s Got Talent – and what talent we have! This year we have got to know members of the SCR through various activities on the sports field, in the classroom and around the College and these relationships have helped build the strong bonds we have with the College. The year has been one to remember – Old Bradfieldian Society here we come! Having already

mentioned the honour of being Heads of School we should not forget to mention how much fun it was! It was a thrill that our year group relied on us and trusted us with these positions; in the end we were all contributing to make our final year one to remember. Truly, being a Head of School has been the best present for our last year here! We will miss Bradfield hugely, but this is not a farewell, only an ‘au revoir’ and good luck to Will and Olivia, the new Heads of School.

New Heads of SchoolEarlier in the term Olivia Caplan (I) and William Minter-Kemp (E) were appointed Heads of School for 2012-13. Here is what they have to say about their exciting and challenging year ahead:

William:I am keen to focus on the academic efforts and performance of the pupils at the College, especially in the Junior school. I feel that the first two years of Bradfield can really determine your approach to academic studies for the rest of your school career. It is important that pupils learn from an early stage that a strong work ethic is crucial to success.

Participation in sport is also important and particularly relevant in the Summer term when there are GCSE, AS and A level exams, which make it more difficult for pupils to juggle revision and team commitments. We

hope to heighten pupil interaction with Heads of Sport, encourage participation in sports teams at all levels, and increase support at all sports matches.

Attention could also be paid to the pupils’ social area. Blundell’s, the College’s social centre, is designed for relaxing and has this year been underused. It has huge potential to be a fantastic venue for socialising and with the help of Mrs Doole we will try to organise more events so that more pupils will attend.

Olivia:As Head Girl I feel that the Neska Society is very important in the College, giving girls a platform where they feel comfortable voicing their opinions. To broaden the Society I think that we should include Upper Sixth boys, who can hopefully resolve the misperception of it being a feminist group.

There are also Junior and Senior Forums at Bradfield, which should have full participation. We feel that these Forums are a great way of allowing pupils to voice their opinions to

the Headmaster and the Senior Common Room. We will endeavour to enhance pupil participation so that opinions are both shared and acted upon.

Head Boy and Head Girls 2011-12

William Minter–Kemp (E), Olivia Caplan (I)

Welcome to our First IB Diploma PupilsWe are very much looking forward to the start of the IB Diploma Programme at Bradfield in September. A wide range of subject combinations have been chosen by the pupils as they use the flexibility of the programme to full effect, creating interesting and personal courses of study. Below are the thoughts of four of the pupils from the first cohort.

Louisa Gray (M)Many pupils have concerns about the IB being much more of a challenge than A levels due to the number of subjects studied, namely six. At first sight it seems a little intimidating but others agree that it is an exciting programme which offers breadth and variety to our studies.

IB is a two year course so your learning is not condensed and exams take place at the end of the course rather than in each year. As IB pupils independent learning is encouraged rather than reliance on teachers. I find this aspect of the IB invaluable because it is already preparing us for academic study at university and as a result it is an attractive qualification for entry.

I know there will be new challenges in doing the IB, but I look forward to starting the course and am sure I will thoroughly enjoy it.

Rufus Horne (A)I chose to do the IB because the international aspect of the course appeals to me. I have grown up around the

world and have had many friends who have

gone through the programme; it has helped them and

separated them from the crowd despite the

workload. I also like the idea of studying a non -Ang l o c en t r i c curriculum as I plan on leaving the UK eventually. I am also excited that subjects such as History will

be studied from an international and unbiased

viewpoint. Finally, as part of the IB, I will be studying

English and Italian, two subjects that I really enjoy.

Merle Gibson (M)Choosing the IB was good for me because I was not sure which subjects I wanted to take next year or later in life; I will be able to continue studying a variety of subjects that I enjoy and therefore have more time to decide what I would like to study in the future. I am especially looking forward to the Film course, because it will enable me to continue being creative and to learn about different film cultures and genres.

Oliver Trapnell (G)I first considered doing the IB Diploma after our year group received a talk on the programme. I was really captivated by the idea and it fitted my academic preferences since I enjoy both Science and Languages. I also thought that the programme would give me more options when I apply to university and in the future.

I am looking forward to academic courses on which I can broaden my horizons and also to the trips in which I could partake.

Higher Level Standard Level

Group 1 English English Language and Literature

German Literature German Literature

Group 2 French French

Spanish Spanish

Italian Italian ab initio

German

Group 3 Economics Economics

Geography

History History

Environmental Systems/Societies

Group 4 Biology

Chemistry Chemistry

Physics Physics

Group 5 Mathematics Mathematics

Mathematics Studies

Group 6 Art

Film

Music

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The Bradfield Diploma

There will be ten key components of the Diploma that each pupil will need to complete in order to qualify for an award:1) Academic achievement and effort

2) Completion of an independent research project (culminating in a

presentation to a panel)

3) A sustained commitment to cultural pursuits

4) A sustained commitment to physical pursuits

5) Experience of public speaking

6) Taking on some position of responsibility or leadership

7) A commitment to community service or charitable activity

8) A commitment to private reading

9) An active awareness of current affairs

10) Experience of an outward bound activity

(e.g. participation in the outward bound trip at the end of the Faulkner’s year)

Pupils will accumulate credits (up to a maximum total of 60) for the completion of these components, with clearly stated criteria relating to different thresholds of success. The Diploma will culminate in awards for Gold, Silver and Bronze. The concept of the Diploma has been well received by staff, parents and the pupils themselves, many of whom will inevitably be motivated to become more widely involved in the co-curricular life of the College.

The Bradfield Diploma is an exciting new scheme which will enhance the already excellent co-curricular programme at Bradfield. It aims to increase the breadth and depth of co-curricular commitment in the junior years by rewarding individual pupils for their participation and application. All pupils in the Shell and Fifth Form will pursue the Diploma, beginning with the Shell year of 2012/13. The focus of the Diploma will be on pupil-led initiatives with pupils taking on the added responsibility of recording and reflecting on their achievements. We also expect that the Diploma will enable the pupils to develop many of the other personal attributes that the College feels are important in its ‘Bradfield Profile’.

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This year I have been studying Divisions instead of History, Geography and Religious Studies. I have found it extremely interesting as well as mentally stimulating. We have studied topics which I had never come across at prep school. Divisions has broadened my knowledge of the humanities from a different angle which allows us to see these topics with a more open mind. The whole Divisions experience has been very enjoyable and has successfully challenged and pushed me to try and reach my full potential, whether in classroom contribution or our weekly essays which have improved throughout the year.

Each week for prep we have had to write an 800 word essay on a topic we have been studying in class. My two Divisions teachers, Mr Goad and Miss Staniforth, alternated in setting the essay each week, and because of the contrast between topics studied with our two different teachers, my knowledge was broadened. The essay titles that we have been set over the year have ranged from ‘How is Apollo represented in the Iliad Book 1?’ to ‘With reference to specific examples discuss the similarities between Modern London and Ancient Rome’. The fact that we have the opportunity in Divisions to learn about such a range of topics means that we are thoroughly prepared for any of the three humanities we may be studying for GCSE. The Divisions course incorporates all three of these subjects in a more indirect but still very effective way. Divisions has also given us the chance to do a great deal of independent research which has really helped me; this was a key ingredient to our weekly essay and something that was greatly taken into account when they were marked and graded. The fact that it is necessary to do this independent research means that it gives us the chance to really engage with our work and show what we have done for ourselves outside the classroom. However, although independent work is vital in Divisions, it is particularly useful that we have been so well prepared in class throughout the week with plenty of material to refer to in our essays.

The weekly essays are extremely useful. Essay writing is a very important skill for later on in our Bradfield careers but also for the rest of our lives. The fact that we have been prepared for this in our first year at Bradfield is extremely reassuring. I have improved week by

week in my essays as I have learnt to manage my time, plan my essay, and structure it properly. These improvements, if it had not been for Divisions, would have otherwise been made next year. Not only have I developed in essay-writing but I have increasingly begun to enjoy writing them and exploring my own ideas which is something that we specifically had the chance to do at the end of this year with our Divisions extended essays.

These 2000 word essays that we produced at the end of last term gave us the opportunity to write about a topic of our choice. This meant that there was a vast range of topics as pupils wrote about their own particular interests. The longer essay helped prepare us for the extended pieces of writing that we will inevitably have to produce in the future. Also, the fact that we were allowed to choose a topic that particularly interested us meant that we could really engage with what we were writing.

I found the end of year trip to Lisbon topped off the whole Divisions experience - interesting, educational, enjoyable and stimulating. We had the opportunity to visit many of Lisbon’s fascinating cultural sites and appreciate them first hand, rather than learning about them in class. The trip was so much fun as the atmosphere was relaxed but we were still learning from it.

Coming to the end of my first year at Bradfield, I feel that I have gained a lot from Divisions. The whole experience has helped me greatly as well as being extremely enjoyable. Divisions has helped me gain the confidence to share my ideas with the class as well as having to do several presentations along the way. I have thoroughly enjoyed Divisions and I have learnt valuable lessons that I know will help me very much in the future.

Isla Beardmore-Gray (ML)

Voyages of Discovery

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Bradfield’s Greek Theatre, Greeker, has been part of the fabric of life at Bradfield since it was built in 1890, with over 1,800 pupils having taken part in plays and concerts held in its unique environment. The triennial Greek plays have been reviewed in the national and international press and served to spread far and wide the name of the College. Unfortunately modern requirements of Health and Safety dictated the closure of Greeker in 2009.

In May 2011 The Bradfield Foundation launched a campaign to Save Greeker. The vision for the future is that of a restored theatre which will not only serve to keep alive this totemic part of the fabric of Bradfield, but will also provide a unique and inspirational venue for current and future generations of pupils and staff to take forward the exciting

and innovative Performing Arts initiatives that lie at the very heart of the modern Bradfield.

Over 450 people have donated to the campaign, demonstrating remarkable generosity and pledged funds have now reached over £920,000. That stream of overwhelming generosity has flowed from a number of sources including Old Bradfieldians, staff, current parents, pupils and even from members of the public who were moved to donate by their own experiences as members of the audience at past performances.

The Foundation would like to build on this inspirational response by raising a final £130,000 to ensure an exceptional facility is created which will enhance the College’s ability to provide an inclusive and innovative

approach to the Performing Arts, as well as ensuring current and future generations of Bradfieldians can build on Greeker’s rich traditions.

Greeker

Greeker Now

Future Vision

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Parents, pupils and visitors who were fortunate enough to be in the audience for this year’s Bullen Reading Final were treated to one of the most entertaining events of the Commem festivities. Nine pupils had won through their year group heats to reach the final and all displayed outstanding skills which kept the audience attention fixed throughout. Undoubtedly the event’s tour-de-force was Freddie Johnson’s (E) reading of ‘I’m Sexy and I Know it’. He worked the audience brilliantly to the point where all were rolling with laughter. It was a stunning performance. Something of the measure of the skills of James Evans (E) and James Thomson (A), who followed Freddie, was that they also took the audience with them. Both were highly talented performers in a competition where there was little between the competitors. The winner, though, was Hugo Salter (H), whose reading of Charlie Chaplin’s final speech in The Great Dictator displayed excellent control of pace and a richness of voice of great quality. The College Warden, Martin Young, gave a brief summary of the history of the Bullen before presenting the prize. Many thanks to Abby Hatch and Mrs Young who also made up the judging panel.

We are delighted to announce that the Trustees of the Bulkeley-Evans HMC Scholarship Fund have awarded one of this year’s Scholarships for 2012-2013 to Jeremy Ousey (C).

HMC has awarded this prestigious Scholarship in support of Jeremy’s gap year project in Tanzania.

We very much look forward to hearing all about Jeremy’s time in Tanzania when he returns to speak to the Sixth Form next year.

After spending several weeks on an introduction to Shakespearean tragedy in their English lessons, the whole of Faulkner’s took over Bloods corridor on Friday 11 May, ready for the ultimate, dramatic challenge! Each class was given a scene of the play that they had been studying and only 50 minutes to come up with an original performance of that scene, with the help (or hindrance) of their class teacher.

At 8pm we assembled in the Music School Hall for the competition, welcoming guest judges, Mr Masters and Sam Scott (H). Each class rose to the challenge admirably and over the next hour we were treated to some incredibly well-performed extracts of Othello, Hamlet and King Lear. Ultimately, despite the overall quality of the pieces, there had to be a winner, with Mr Miller’s class taking first prize, Miss Pearson’s group receiving second place, and Miss Hatch’s and Ms Stables’ classes coming joint third. It was a really enjoyable evening and congratulations must go to all our fearless performers.

Bullen Reading Prize

Faulkner’s Shakespeare Evening The Bulkeley-Evans

HMC Scholarship

Hugo Salter with the College Warden

Jeremy Ousey

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At the beginning of May, Sandra Gregory, who as a young woman was arrested in Thailand for drug smuggling, was invited to speak at Bradfield College to share her very interesting story with the Neska Society. The story she told was different to anything the audience had heard before. Sandra was arrested for smuggling heroin out of the country and was consequently sentenced to death. This was later reduced to life, then 25 years due to her cooperation in court and for pleading guilty from the start. After four years she was transferred to a British jail where she stayed for another four years before the King of Thailand offered her a rare Royal pardon. This fascinating woman managed to survive her time in prison and went on to achieve a 2:1 at Oxford University studying Geography at Harris Manchester College. This was a real eye opener to the pupils and a true life lesson was learned from her story.

Upper Sixth Physics pupils recently visited The Joint European Torus (JET) Centre for Fusion Energy, an experimental nuclear fusion facility in Oxfordshire. It is currently the largest of its kind and it is researching the effectiveness of nuclear fusion as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels and nuclear fission. Fusion power has the capability to generate electricity for the whole planet for at least a thousand years without producing CO2 or other chemical pollutants.

Our group was taken on a tour around the JET facility, after receiving a detailed presentation on the behaviour and manipulation of the plasma

in the reactor, as well as the reasons why its work is important for the human race.

We were shown a 1:20 scale model of the reactor, followed by the Control Room and Villain’s Lair and a version of the reactor used for training the operators of the remote sensors. We were amazed at the thickness and weight of the protective doors: one of the steel doors had a mass of 600 000 kg and dwarfed us! A greatly interesting and insightful visit.

Sandra Gregory addresses Neska Society

Upper Sixth Physics Visit to JET

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Deep in the heart of the English countryside, in a secret facility known only as Diamond, scientists are creating the stuff of nightmares. Prepare yourself for the rise of The Mutant Earthworms! Okay, so not your average lecture then. In a whirlwind of science we explored everything from synchrotrons to silicates. A synchrotron, as we found out, is a kind of particle accelerator, an example of which is Diamond, which accelerates electrons and uses the electromagnetic radiation that they produce to look inside samples and by variously complicated bits of mathematics, you can work out what they are made of.

This is more useful than you might realise, as Professor Hodson illustrated, synchrotrons can do everything from solve the problem of how earthworms are mutating, to fixing polluted soil, and ultimately to solving the wonders of the universe! A fascinating insight into science and its applications, with thanks to Professor Hodson and to Mr Harrison for organising it.

Tom Watson-Brown (C)

On Monday 11 June, Bradfield welcomed St Anne’s Belfield School, a group of exchange pupils from across the pond in Virginia, USA. Having spent the previous week in London, and now fully acclimatised to the English weather, the American pupils and staff arrived to join the Lower Sixth in their studies for two weeks, with little idea of what a British boarding school would entail, other than the rather prestigious Hogwarts.

The group quickly settled in to life at Bradfield, enjoying their chosen A level subject classes greatly, with History and English Literature proving to be their favourites. Outside the classroom, the group embraced the concept of a ‘school being a village’, relishing the opportunity to explore Bradfield’s exceptional facilities, such as the football

fields and the tennis courts. In their Houses, they settled swiftly into boarding life, enjoying their constant celebrity status, and capitalising on their strong accents.

In the last week the group took an excursion to Cambridge, where they dabbled in the charm of the famous medieval city, ending the day punting down the river. They also took a trip with the Lower Sixth Contemporary Society to see the cinematic classic Jaws, as well as enjoying bonding with the year outside of the school environment as we dined in Tampopo. The two weeks passed quickly, and when their time to leave came, we were all sorry to see them go. We wish Bradfield exchange pupils going there this week, the best of luck.

James Robertson (A)

Congratulations to the 33 pupils who passed music theory and practical examinations last term with flying colours! Excellent results were awarded to this large group of musical pupils ranging from Faulkner’s to the Upper Sixth, many of whom gained high merits. Almost three-quarters of this term’s cohort had prepared for instrumental and singing examinations in the upper grades (6-8), and special mention should go to the nine pupils who achieved Grade Eight. These are outstanding achievements, particularly as the pupils were also studying hard for AS and A2 public exams: James Boulton (F), Emma Chamings (M), Matthew Hicks (F), Susie Ju (I), Kate McClean (I), Claire Noakes (M), Charlotte Phelps (K), Kirstie Scott (J), and Eleo Tibbs (K).

Music Exam Success

Diamond Light Source

Jamie Dellimore-Slater (A) won a runners-up prize at this year’s Newbury Young Musician of the Year Competition, held in June in Newbury. Jamie played the first movement of Beethoven’s Pathétique piano sonata and a Chopin Nocturne. He was the youngest finalist in the competition. Jamie is a keen pianist who gained his Associated Board Grade VIII piano with Distinction last year. Many congratulations on this high achievement.

Young Musician of the Year

USA Pupils Visit the College

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In the last week of term the Lower Sixth were treated to a variety of events and activities organised by the Careers Department, designed to get them thinking and planning what will happen when they leave Bradfield in a year’s time. On Monday’s “World of Work” day, the context of graduate employment was set by a very interesting talk by Carl Gilleard, the CEO of the Association of Graduate Recruiters. Pupils then learnt those all important skills of self-presentation and interview techniques in engaging interactive workshops, before going on to speak to a range of employers covering anything from the Army to Engineering, and Media and Television to Chartered Surveying. As if that wasn’t enough, the day was topped off with an interesting gap year talk by Raleigh International and an inter-house quiz arranged by our own excellent Quizmaster, Trevor Kidson.

Our “University” day contained interesting talks by the Head of Admissions from the University of Bath, the Editor of the Virgin Guide to British Universities and our Regional Director of ISCO who gave an amusing and very useful presentation about writing a Personal Statement. All in all, pupils were then very well prepared to start work in earnest on their UCAS Applications later in the day!

The “Options” day on Wednesday enabled pupils to choose between training for the Extended Project Qualification, university open days visits to the University of Leicester or the London School of Economics, or taking part in a pasta-making master class at the famous Caldesi Italian Cookery School at Bray.

The Programme culminated in a series of occupational workshops run by Opus Castra, a company of young professionals, who shared their own experiences with pupils and then set them a few industry related activities!

Andy Rishton, on behalf of the boys from Hillside, felt that it had been a really “beneficial week” and appreciated “seeing what it is really going to be like when he leaves Bradfield”.

As part of the Lower Sixth’s end of year Beyond Bradfield programme, which aims to prepare pupils for life after school, a small group of pupils took part in a pasta-making course at the Caldesi Cookery School in Bray. Having been warmly greeted with coffee and pastries, chef Giancarlo Caldesi gave them a master class in making linguine, tagliatelle, pappardelle and ravioli. Best of all they got to eat what they had made adorned with some of Giancarlo’s wonderful sauces – ragu, tomato and pesto - followed by a delicious chocolate cake with ice cream. Giancarlo certainly made it great fun and a day to remember!

Beyond Bradfield...The Lower Sixth Think Ahead

Bradfield goes Italian

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This year we have been blessed with the excellent combination of talented and motivated pupils. In all year groups we have seen tremendous progress from all pupils in all disciplines. As you can see from the work on display there is not only excellent quality but a diversity and breadth of imagination, making this year’s exhibition among the most successful to date.

The quality of the paintings, the increased number of pupils working in three-dimensions, and the introduction of screen printing facilities this year have been used to great advantage, as evidenced by the monumental photographs on the side of the Old Mill. Textiles continues to draw visitors to the exhibition after another excellent Fashion Show performance.

Many of this year’s Upper Sixth have places to continue their Art studies on a variety of courses. The department is proud of them and wishes them every success.

Art Pupils Exhibit their Talent

Our Artist in Residence, Alex Whittaker

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Our recent Bradfield Fashion Show treated the audience to an exciting and professional display of fabulous garments. The show kicked off with an amazing dance performance by Christopher Cox (A) whose upbeat take on street dance was both athletic and funky. Compères, Jasmine Hussona (M) and Rixa Fursen (K) did a superb job of introducing the garments and giving each section a fitting summary.

The Textiles pupils have been working with a variety of themes this year that were represented in the four categories under the names Nature, Regal Anarchy, A Sense of Place and Culture. The compères guided the audience through the show explaining each theme and how the ideas have been expressed in the clothes. Every Textiles exam pupil had their work represented in the show, along with a few lovely pieces from the Shell. The work demonstrated many skills such as the use of an acidic paste to produce transparency, a technique known as Devore, garment construction, pattern making, dying, printing, felting and of course sewing.

An excellent soundtrack accompanied the models as they took to the catwalk and showed the clothes off with style and panache. The expertly directed lighting was a crucial element in bringing to life the colours and texture of the work. The standard this year was exceptional and showed off the pupils’ hard work and talent. Congratulations to everyone who was involved in this wonderfully successful show.

Stepping into the World of Fashion

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This year’s summer play, The Once and

Future King, provided a fitting end to the year and a celebration of co-curricular Drama at Bradfield. The production was an interpretation of Arthurian legend and featured a cast of 48. This included Lower Sixth musicians, who composed and performed original music for the production. They were joined by Candice Bowtell, one of our Gap students, who performed on the harp. The music score was very atmospheric and the harp was particularly appropriate for the setting and style of the play.

The legend of King Arthur is an epic story and, through the rehearsal process, we developed a script which was adapted from T H White’s novel, The Once and Future

King, especially for this production. The end result was very much a group effort and the cast of pupils from the Shell to the Upper Sixth, created a unique and exciting version of this traditional tale. There were excellent

performances from some newcomers and final performances from veterans such as James Evans (E), current Captain of Drama,

who gave a heartfelt performance of Arthur as an old man.

Idle Motion, a young theatre company made up of a group of former students from The Cherwell School in Oxford, started life five years ago. Within this time they have created several pieces of physical and highly visual theatre and recently they brought their third production, The Vanishing Horizon, to Bradfield College.

Idle Motion devise their plays by collaborating collectively as a cast, and so it was particularly useful for GCSE Drama and A level Theatre Studies pupils to experience this first hand, to help in their own creation of devised pieces as part of their course.

The Vanishing Horizon tells the story of a young woman who has grown up never knowing her grandmother. She then has to go to Kenya after her grandmother dies to sort out her affairs and collect her ashes. It is a story about discovering oneself as much as discovering one’s past and as such it dealt with issues which were relevant to all.

To tell their stories, special effects such as lighting and projections were used. They showed the granddaughter’s journey by plane to Africa with lights inside suitcases which were opened to provide screens around the set. Model airplanes were moved behind the screens to show the journey from the UK to Kenya. The suitcases were a bit of a feature of this production and transformed into cupboards, seats and even the constituent parts of a car at one point.

The audience at the evening performance were very appreciative of the production, as were the Shell pupils who took part in a workshop with some of the cast members during the afternoon. We look forward to welcoming Idle Motion again in November with their excellent production of Borges and I, their first play, which they are reviving due to popular demand.

After a highly anticipated performance of The Games, pupils of the College left Big School laughing and smiling for days to come. Spike Theatre came to Bradfield in June, with the play sold out long before then. After seeing this magnificent comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2011, we could not resist asking the company to visit Bradfield to conduct a workshop and to perform for the College to enjoy. Those who took part in the workshop claimed it was “hysterical” and “very useful” in educating them about the techniques comedy actors use to prepare themselves. The show itself was a huge hit, with staff and pupils both sharing a continuous stream of laughter. The famous chocolate and shopping speeches were a favourite with our audience. All in all, The Games was a huge success and we would recommend anyone to go and see this unique comedy!

James Evans (E)

The Once and Future King

The Vanishing Horizon

The Games

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On a very warm, sunny evening Shell musicians, parents and guests gathered for a concert in the Music School. Performances included a beautiful Chopin Nocturne played by Jamie Dellimore-Slater (A), a wonderful oboe solo by Imogen Taylor (M), some lovely singing by Arthur Norman (H), Tabitha Bell (I), Jessica Boss (M) and Imogen Taylor (M); as well as sensitive piano solos by Mikey Seed (A), Colette Connell (M) and Natalie Jones (K). The audience was also treated to a performance on the guitar by Harrison Clark (A), flute playing by Christopher Bailey (C), a clarinet solo by Hamish Webb (H) and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes played on the tuba by Jack Willis (E). The programme finished with a very stylish piano duo featuring Henrietta Bamford (J) and Jamie Dellimore-Slater playing a Spanish Dance. These talented musicians are ones to watch!

Jazz on a Summer’s Evening

Shell Concert

The weather had been appalling for much of the week, the euro was lurching from one crisis to the next and the Greek elections were taking place that very day. What better refuge could there be from the current political, economic and meteorological woes of this world than the Bradfield marquee on the evening of the annual Jazz Concert? Clearly I was not alone in thinking this, and was joined by some 300 genial supporters of this admirable event who were, as I entered the marquee, pleasurably anticipating the musical and gastronomic treats in store.

I amused myself (permissible at my age, I think) with the rather juvenile challenge of matching the musical items on the programme to the bottles of wine in view. Some were genuine vintages, tested and improved by ageing, others a bit more lively, sharp or energetic; but all had real merit, contributing variety to an intelligently compiled and very well presented programme. It would be invidious to single out individuals but I would like to thank the Upper Sixth Leavers for their outstanding contribution, not just to this particular evening but to jazz and music in general throughout their time at Bradfield.

Thanks also to Roger Keeley for his dignified and entertaining compèring, to all those who helped with the logistics and, above all, to Mark Etherington for giving so many people a thoroughly enjoyable evening and, in the process, ensuring that the Thames Valley Air

Ambulance Service is now the grateful recipient of £3,000 which was raised at the event. Needless to say we retreated into a gloomy and wet evening, but well-fortified and ready to face the outside world for another week.

Colin Burgess

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“In fairy tales witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks and they ride on broomsticks.

But this is not a fairy tale. This is about REAL WITCHES.”

During the final week before Long Leave, 22 eager pupils took part in this year’s Faulkner’s play. Their version of Roald Dahl’s The Witches told the story of a little boy who is turned into a mouse on his mission to destroy all the witches of England. With convincing and committed acting the young performers transformed themselves from sweet boys and girls to horrible and disgusting witches, and the story came to life through ensemble work and physical theatre, with choreographed movements, stylised acting and lots of comedy.

Faulkner’s The Witches

Faulkner’s end of year was completed with various CCF expeditions to the Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor, Gower Peninsula and the New Forest. Despite some pretty inclement weather (especially in the Brecons and Dartmoor!), all the boys and girls have risen to the challenge of their adventure training programme. The year also drew to a close with the celebratory House Dinner Dance and with nearly 300 parents, pupils and Faulkner’s staff this was a splendid occasion to celebrate the successes and achievements of all the boys and girls. A special mention must go to Phoebe Hartz (ML) who sang so beautifully and also to our

Faulkner’s Band Monksilver with Messrs Burrowes (GL), Krag (FL), Allen (HL) and Petheram (GL).

The term has included other notable events such as the Faulkner’s play The Witches which was performed over three nights before Long Leave and was sold out on each night. There was also a parent and pupil golf and tennis evening which was very well supported.

The tennis was won by Mr Hancock and Justin (HL) and the golf by Mr Chapman and Ben (HL). There was one Athena Lecture this term from Amnesty International which was very well delivered by Eleo Tibbs (K) and the English Department ran a most exciting and enlightening Shakespeare evening with all English sets doing their bit to produce their own little part of Shakespeare!

Good luck to all the Faulkner’s pupils who will be moving on to Senior House in September.

Roger Wall

Phoebe Hartz

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A Visit to Berlin

A Trip to Puerto de Santa María

A visit to Berlin

Our trip to Berlin began with a bumpy minibus ride to Heathrow Terminal Five, but the flight to Tegel Airport was smooth, and the weather in Berlin was glorious. Having checked into our hotel, we set off on foot to explore landmarks such as the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate and the Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe.

Over the following two days the weather deteriorated severely as a freezing easterly wind came in! This did not stop us from attending German lessons at a language school, and visiting many more sights. A particular highlight was seeing and experiencing Checkpoint Charlie and its accompanying museum.

On Saturday, it happened to be Klara Fine’s (M) birthday, and we were treated to a gourmet breakfast in the world famous Café Kranzler on the Kurfürstendamm. Also on this famous street is KaDeWe, Europe’s second largest department store.

On the Sunday, we spent a sobering but interesting day at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial. We experienced an eye-opening tour and learned about the terrible conditions that prisoners had to endure. We cheered ourselves up in the evening with a visit to the cinema in the newly renovated Potsdammer Platz. Our trip was rounded off with a bus tour of the city which gave us a final experience of this wonderful place before flying home. It was an amazing trip.

Klara Fine (M) and Rowena Hicks (K)

This year’s Sixth Form Spanish trip to Puerto de Santa María in Andalucía departed at the end of term coinciding with a general strike in Spain! The weather was not on our side either, raining almost every day, but that did not stop our busy programme of Spanish lessons, cultural trips and a day of outdoor activities. The 12 Hispanists who came on the trip enjoyed all the activities with a notable highlight being our visit to the city of Seville in full preparation for Easter Week.

Whilst in Jerez we had the privilege of visiting the famous González Byass Bodega. We also took a boat to Cádiz and enjoyed a delicious paella dinner on the last day. All the pupils stayed with Spanish families and made the most of their exposure to the Spanish language and culture.

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Our current Fifth and Faulkner’s members of the CCF recently had the opportunity to experience cross country skiing in Norway. The difference between downhill and cross country skiing is quite striking. No longer did we have to contend with endless queues for chairlifts, worry about over-priced hot chocolate or deal with the endless nightmares that are ski hire shops. This was skiing as God intended it, and boy was it good!

Day One: Our first day was fun but painful; every time we tried to turn, move or in my case stand still, we fell over. However thanks to the skillful teaching and enthusiasm of our instructors we made great progress. Day Two: We completed an exhausting 14 km trek and despite a few blisters, the odd bruise and sunburned noses we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Day Three: This was a storming day, quite literally. After enduring a blizzard of razor edge snow we arrived at the Tuva Hut which was very warm and welcoming.Day Four: We were handed more challenges in the form of a 16 km trek to a downhill ski resort. Day Five and Six: Our expedition, with one night in a tent, the next in a snow hole. On the first day we went night skiing, a simply awesome experience. The following morning we set about building snow holes, a cold, wet but satisfying task, ending in a surprisingly good night’s sleep.

We all learned a great deal about cross country skiing and a little more about ourselves. A lesson that was worth more than a thousand blisters!

Tom Watson-Brown (C)

As usual the last few days of the Easter Holiday saw the opportunity to attend a three day residential shooting camp at the National Shooting Centre at Bisley. Here we were able to make use of the National Shooting Association’s 300-600 yard ranges and fire full bore 7.62 target rifles. The full bore target rifles offered us a very different, and for some, completely new and exciting shooting experience. Shooting outside meant that as well as sighting the rifles to hit the target we also had to adjust for the wind and varying distances. Despite some extremely challenging weather the camp allowed us all to get familiar with the full bore rifles, from the novices to those of us already experienced. The camp culminated in a competition at 300, 500 and 600 yards which gave us a chance to show what we had learned over the three days. The coaches who assisted throughout the week offered some first class advice which we all listened to and hopefully learned a great deal from. Shooting in the severe weather and the experience we gained gives us great confidence to perform well in anything thrown our way.

Cross Country Skiing in Norway Rock Climbing on the South Coast

Shooting at Bisley

During Summer Long Leave the Bradfield Climbing Club seized another opportunity to get outside and on the rock! Our base for the weekend was a campsite just outside of Weymouth, well located for climbing at both Portland and Swanage. The climbing was a stark contrast to the indoor climbing that we do on a weekly basis and provided some real challenges. Progress, however, was quick and towards the end of our second day many of the group had the opportunity to lead climb. We left Dorset after two exciting days vowing to return for further climbing experiences.

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Our Charity Dodgeball tournament in May proved an opportunity for many of Bradfield’s sporting and academic elite to display their athletic prowess. The event aimed to raise funds for Alive and Kicking, a charity which uses sport to improve the lives of many impoverished people in east Africa. A large number of teams from a variety of year groups turned up in costumes ranging from full lycra to bed-sheet togas, with many wanting to make the most of an opportunity to throw balls at their Headmaster. The pool rounds saw pre-tournament favourites, Globo Gym Purple Cobras, crash out of the competition having failed to notch up a single point, whilst the staff team made a good fist of things, gaining a spot in their pool’s playoff, before being beaten by Army House’s Aiming

for the Fat One (A4TF1). In the semi-finals, Team B, who had emerged as the team to beat, comfortably got past Big Croc, whilst A4TF1 overcame Mean Machine to book their place in the final.

The final itself was a hotly contested affair, with tempers fraying at every turn. Alas, for all A4TF1’s grit and determination, it was Team

B: Simkus (E), Veitch (E), Immes (F), Jurkenas (E) and von Meerheimb (E) who came out on top, winning 3-2. Many thanks to all who took part, and let us not forget the true goal of the tournament, to contribute to the work of Alive and Kicking, for whom we have raised over £200!

Leo Glover (D)

Sunday 20 May saw the annual Give it your Max tennis tournament at Bradfield College. Once again the event was a huge success and it was great to see so many people from different generations playing tennis despite the rather gloomy weather. Around 60 players entered, consisting of OBs, staff and current pupils.

Some fantastic pools were played leading to the semi-finals which involved Arthur Norman (H) and Clare, his mother, v Caroline Balzert (I) and Regan Lo (A); a fantastic match with the latter pair winning to get through to the finals. The second semi-final was between Miss Duff and Nick Geelan v Mike Stotesbury (OB) and Maria Vildavskaya (OB and ex Captain of Tennis) who originally set up the tournament in memory of Max Stotesbury. After a close match with many long rallies, Miss Duff and Nick pipped their opponents to the post.

A thrilling final was observed but eventually the title was retained by Regan and Caroline, who are also the current College Captains of Tennis. We do hope those involved enjoyed playing in the tournament and it would be great to see you again next year. The total raised for this fantastic charity was well in excess of £1000. For more information about this charity, please visit: www.giveityourmax.org

Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge!

Give it your Max

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On Sunday 24 June the new Thai Garden, designed by Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall, was opened in the Masters Tennis Court. The garden was donated by the OB Thai Community and opened by Vudhi Vajrabhaya (E 56-61), the first Thai boy to attend Bradfield. Mr Vajrabhaya was joined by a number of his contemporaries as well as current pupils, members of the SCR and Headmaster, Simon Henderson.

Thai Garden Opening

Visit to Bradfield Club in Peckham

The Bradfield Club in Peckham, founded in 1912 by Bradfield pupils held its Centenary Celebration this year. Earlier on in the term a few girls from Stanley House travelled to London with Miss Duff to join in with the festivities.

Many of the Club’s Old Boys from the ‘50s and ‘60s came for a reunion and to witness the unveiling of a plaque. This reunion was the first time many of them had been back to the Club since they had left, yet the loyalty between Old Boys and the Club was still very apparent.

Throughout the evening many of the previous Club members spoke about their memories and all the benefits that they had received through the Club. A few of the current members showed off skills learnt whilst at the Club, such as Taekwondo, singing, and beat-boxing. For them, the Club is an escape and a safe haven away from the street and gang pressures. It was a very moving experience and made us realise the importance of the link between Bradfield and the Club.

Anna Davies (M)

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Bradfield’s Got TalentThis year Bradfield’s Got Talent was held in April in aid of the Chiltern Centre, which is a charity providing essential short break services for children and young people with severe learning and/or physical disabilities.

The event was held in the Old Gym and was hilariously presented once again by Rory Andrews (F) and Harrison Charles (G). The night consisted of 15 high quality and varied acts; ranging from traditional singing and dancing to electric guitar solos and magic tricks. Each of the acts had evidently worked very hard and this was revealed in their performances on the night.

Congratulations must go to this year’s Bradfield’s Got Talent winners for the superb Barber Shop Quartet performance by Charlie Kirby (G), James Boulton (F), Chris Bailey (H) and Sam Scott (H). After a huge build up the night went very smoothly and we managed to raise an outstanding £3,392.35 from ticket sales, donations and the Kripsy Kreme sale we held earlier in the term. A big thank you to everyone who was involved!

Lucinda Black (I)

Winners of BGT, Barber Shop Quartet

Heavy Weather for Himalayan HeroesWe began our trek in the foothills of the Himalayas and after four hours we arrived in a place called Phakding where we stopped for the night. The next day we had a gruelling nine hour walk to the large destination of Namche Bazaar, well known among trekkers. In Namche an unfortunate incident took place as our guide Surej unfortunately passed out and cracked his head open. This was not all, as later that night my brother had bad food poisoning. So the next day, behind schedule, we spent at the make-shift hospital in Namche. Once our guide had been cleared to carry on we progressed onto a village called

Phangboche, a mountain village eight hours away from Namche at 4000 metres above sea level. This was amazing as you could really feel the altitude at this height.

The next morning we woke to a blizzard with severe winds and bad visibility which was a major shock to us as the previous morning the weather had been perfect. At this point we were only two days from Base Camp; as we ate our breakfast a rescue helicopter flew near to where we were staying to rescue an injured climber but had to turn round and leave the casualty further up the mountain, resulting in a fatality, as the

weather conditions were so dangerous. To add to this there was then an avalanche which killed a further ten people so, at this point, to our great disappointment, my dad had to make the decision that we would turn back. Thank you to all who sponsored me, I managed to raise £1,300 for Help for

Heroes!

Byrom Mee (CL)

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Prep Schools’ Science Olympiad

After Common Entrance we welcomed Year Five pupils from seven Prep Schools to the Blackburn Science Centre to take part in our first ever Science Challenge. Teams of four from Caldicott, Cheam, Horris Hill, Twyford, Thorngrove, West Hill Park and Yateley Manor were asked to solve a number of practical and theoretical problems in a two hour period. The event culminated in a display of what happens to a bin full of water when a plastic bottle part filled with liquid nitrogen explodes! A great afternoon was enjoyed by the pupils and congratulations to the team from West Hill Park for being our first winners.

Prep Schools’ Golf Day Bradfield College hosted the annual Prep Schools’ Golf Tournament earlier in May. The course was in excellent condition but the recent rain meant that the rough was very tough, so keeping the ball on the fairway was essential. The players all enjoyed themselves and stayed positive even when the occasional ball strayed into the rough. Shrewsbury House had a very successful day and won the tournament for the second year running. They also won the U11 individual competition (Fergus Jacobs) and U11 team competition. Zac Jenkins from Hall Grove won the U13 competition and helped his team to success in the U13 team competition. The event was played in great spirit throughout and thanks to the marshals who helped on the day and to all the parents who came to support.

Our Winners from West Hill Park

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Kwik Cricket

Prep Schools’ Golf Day

The annual primary schools Kwik Cricket tournament was held at Bradfield late in May. A week earlier Pit, our 1st XI Cricket ground looked like it could have hosted a waterpolo competition, but on the day the ground was ready to host the tournament, a testament to the hard work of our groundstaff!

Under clear blue skies the pool matches were run efficiently and after packed lunches, which included ice creams, the schools got down to the all-important semi-finals and finals. In the Festival Competition for smaller schools, Woolhampton, unbeaten in the group stages, reached the final and managed to triumph over Whitchurch by 16 runs. In the Plate Festival final, Yattendon overcame a determined Bradfield B team to win by 39 runs. In the Cup Competition for larger schools, Speenhamland, last year’s winners, came out winners of the Plate over Spurcroft B. Spurcroft A managed to get to the final, but could not improve on their B team’s result, losing to Bradfield A by just nine runs.

Many thanks go to all who helped make this festival so enjoyable.

Year Five Interactive Exhibition Tour

Year Five pupils from Hall Grove and The Oratory Prep School were invited to visit the Art Department’s Commemoration Exhibition 2012. They had the opportunity to see the work of many of our excellent GCSE and A level pupils from Textiles, Photography and Fine Art, with activities and a guided interactive tour by our Head of Textiles, Megan Purcell, to inspire their day.

The annual Sports Dinner was held on Friday 15 June in Hall with over 140 sporting pupils present. Sheena Ronan gave a review of the year from the Girls’ perspective and this culminated with two awards being presented to the Best All Round Sportswoman and the Best Sportswoman of the Year – these awards went to Yzzy Brown (M) and Emma Cole (M) respectively. In addition Dan Clark appraised the Boys’ sport and awarded the Best All Round Sportsman jointly to David Butler (D) and Matthew Lavoipierre (D).

In the delightful surroundings of Rectory on a warm summer’s day, Bradfield’s pupils gathered for the Olympian fiesta that is Sports Day. The tense competitive atmosphere was punctured only by the ringing of Mr Keeley’s dulcet tones on the microphone as he took us on a journey from Athens 1896 right up to London 2012.

We began with the hurdles, where there were some very impressive performances in such a technical discipline. Zara Bedford (JL) kept her cool to stride home in the Junior girls 80m race in a super time of 13.60s and Matthew Lavoipierre (D) wowed the crowd with a blistering 14.80s in the Senior boys 100m race. The middle distance races that followed also produced some excellent results across all age groups. Adam Robinson (GL) continued his fine form by winning both the Junior boys 1500m and 800m races. James Thomson (A) beat off a valiant last charge from David Butler (D) to win the Senior boys 1500m in a photo finish time of 4min32s. Flo

Gray (I) also set the Senior girls 800m alight, storming to a win in 2min39s.

The sprints proved an exciting spectacle as hundreds of spectators lined the track to cheer on Bradfield’s speedsters. James Bakare-Saba (FL) was victorious in the Junior boys 100m with a sharp 12.00s and Calum Miller (H) impressed in the Senior boys 200m, coming home in 23.72s. Hen Bamford (J) fought off some stiff competition in the Junior girls 100m to take the victory while Beth Wall (ML) raced away to win the Junior girls 200m in a time of 28.53s. The Senior boys 100m saw an exceptional performance from Josh Baker (E) who appeared as a guest, screaming to a convincing victory against boys three years his senior. Matthew Lavoipierre (D) also treated the crowd to an exhibition of his principle event, racing in the Senior boys 400m but with a set of hurdles to navigate along the way. Sealing the win was a memorable way for the outgoing Athletics Captain to leave his mark on the College.

Whilst the runners were in action, numerous field events were seeing some great results. Louis Agace (E) leapt to a lofty 1.70m in the Inter-House boys High Jump and James Houghton (C) dominated the Inter-House boys Javelin and Long Jump. Furthermore, Hen Bamford (J) capped off a fine day with a massive 20.99m in the Junior girls Discus and Marcus Platt (D) won the Junior boys Shot with a throw that would have won the Senior boys event!

A successful day was capped off with some highly competitive relays, the highlight of which saw House-on-the-Hill (D) win the Senior boys 4x100m event with Matthew Lavoipierre (D) pipping Mr Masters on the line to consign the staff team to second place. For each age group the highest points scorer was proclaimed the champion; Matthew Lavoipierre (D), Louis Agace (E) and Faiq Bolkiah (DL) took the boys’ award while Lucinda Black (I) and Hen Bamford (J) claimed the girls’ awards.

Thank you to all those staff and pupils who helped out on the day, especially Miss Grimshaw for organising such a wonderful day.

Sports Day

Sports Dinner

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Cricket

Tennis

In most years wins against Eton, Wellington, Winchester, Marlborough and Teddies would be considered a very successful start to the season, but so much of this short term has been lost to rain, (with 10 matches cancelled) that this talented 1st XI are still to match their early season potential. Everything had started so well in the searing heat of Dubai; the team improved in every game that they played with outstanding performances from Ryan Higgins (D) (502 runs in five innings, including three centuries), and George Simpson (E) and Curran Gaur (A) (nine wickets each).

Highlights of the season have been the 1st XI reaching the National Quarter Finals of the HMC T20 Cup and the U15s winning the Regional Finals of their Cup Competition and heading down to Sherborne for the South West finals at the end of June.

1st XI Cricket colours have been awarded to Captain George Simpson (E), as well as: David Butler (D); Jack Bransgrove (D); Hugo Darby (C); Leo Glover (D); Curran Gaur (A); Ryan Higgins (D); and Andrew Rishton (F).

Cricket Tour to Dubai The 1st XI had an excellent opportunity to prepare for their defence of the John Harvey Cup with a pre-season cricket tour to Dubai. 40°C heat, five games in seven days and the 24 hour nature of Dubai certainly tested the stamina of the boys, but they had an excellent opportunity to show the benefits of the hard work completed in the Sports Hall over

the winter. Middlesex Academy player Ryan Higgins (D) was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player with three centuries, and the whole team improved in each game finishing with two excellent wins over Sherborne and Haileybury, the other British sides on tour. Highlights of the week included Nick Farr’s (G) astonishing wicket keeping and the commitment shown by all of the bowlers in the exceptional heat.

This was a summer of outstanding individual and team performances. The boys U14 A and U15 A teams maintained a 100% win with notable victories over Eton, Harrow and Radley. The U14 B, C and D teams won their respective Aegon League LTA Berkshire Leagues. The U14 A team have qualified for the knock out stages which will be played in September.

The ISL (Independent Schools League), hosted by Bradfield College, provided another stage for our boys to demonstrate their skills. Resounding victories were had over Marlborough, New Hall and St Paul’s.

The ISTA Championships (Independent Schools Tennis Association), hosted by Eton, was the Grand Finale of the year. Our first team pair

Danny Tomlinson (D) and Matthew Slater (F) narrowly lost to a very strong Millfield pair, despite playing an excellent match and pushing their opponents hard.

Girls’ tennis at Bradfield College continues to evolve and develop. The girls 1st VI displayed grit and determination in making the final play off stages of the Aberdare Cup. The U16 As finished their season with a 66% winning record. The wonderful attitude of the Faulkner’s girls really captures the essence of what sport is all about at Bradfield College.

Here is to a successful year ahead.

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The International Lawn Tennis Club of GB v Bradfield

Earlier in May, Bradfield College followed tradition to play their annual tennis matches against The International Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain (ICGB). The ICGB was founded in 1924 to promote international goodwill through tennis. There are now 38 countries with International Clubs who play friendly but competitive matches against each other.

The membership of the IC of GB is comprised of present and former international or top county level players and others who have contributed to tennis at an international level. The ICs are travelling clubs with no premises of their own.

The IC of GB plays approximately ten international matches at home and abroad each year as well as matches against the top clubs in the UK and Oxford and Cambridge Universities. We are privileged in that Bradfield College is the only school that the Club plays.

The Bradfield match was started in 1961 by former British Davis Cup player and local farmer Henry Billington, who had two sons Tim and Tony in the College team, which also featured Chris Gorringe and Michael Stotesbury. Four of Henry’s grandchildren, George, Harriet,

Charlie and Felicity also played tennis for the College. Another grandchild, Tim Henman opened the Tennis Centre at the College in 2000. The match has been played every year at Bradfield since 1961.

After two wins, a draw and two losses, Bradfield College lost three and a half games to two and a half. Another year and another fantastic effort from the Bradfield College Tennis team.

Athletics

The College Athletics teams have had another great season with some particularly notable successes. A grand total of 23 College records have been broken during the course of the term, the most impressive being Josh Baker’s (E) snatching of the Intermediate Boys’ 100m Hurdles record with a run of 13.7s, smashing the previous record, last set in 1974! Josh was also selected during the County Championships to run in the National Competition in July.

Other successes include James Houghton’s (C) domination of several field events, particularly the Triple Jump in which he easily won the County Championships, and Adam Robinson (GL) winning the County 800m, beating the Junior Boys’ record in the process, having already broken the 1500m record earlier in the season.

Special mention should also be given to Head Boy, Matthew Lavoipierre (D), for his selection by UK Athletics into the GB U20 Athletics team for the 400m Hurdles, a huge achievement. Congratulations to all pupils who competed at every level this term for your commitment and drive. The future of Bradfield Athletics is looking very bright!

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Waterpolo v Winchester

In all my years running Golf at the College I have hardly ever cancelled a match . . . that is, until the start of this term! Golf is usually the survivor of the summer sports if the weather is against us, but even we had to capitulate in the face of the appalling conditions at the end of April. Five matches were cancelled in the first ten days of term, which was particularly frustrating since we had tried to squeeze fixtures in ahead of public exams. Nonetheless, there are two highlights of this unprecedentedly

short season: our Juniors beat five other schools in just over a week and our First Team, by now winners of the South Central region of the UK in the year-long HMC Foursomes Competition, progressed to the National Finals. So, we are off to Burnham and Berrow G.C. for three days immediately after the end of term. Whatever the outcome this is a great credit to our players who, directly or indirectly, have eliminated some of the strongest schools in the country. At least this term ends on a much more positive note than looked possible ten weeks ago!

Colin BurgessEarlier in May Bradfield’s Waterpolo team played Winchester at home. As this was only our second fixture of the season, we were all looking forward to experiencing a competitive match against another school and putting our late night training to good use. Bradfield proved to be the stronger side, with great team play and a final score of 8-4 to us. The match also highlighted areas of improvement for future fixtures later on in the term.

Special mentions go to Callum Perry (D) for some great saves, and to Spencer Hart (HL) for his contribution.

Piers Unsworth-Neil (D)

On a day which in the past has yielded costumes varying from the bizarre to the sublime, this year’s competition was remarkably restrained, apart from two people wearing what might be called an interesting array of garments, including combat shirts, an assortment of beach wear and a sombrero, and one fellow who turned up in tweed. On 29 May the Croquet Championship was host to the most exciting final with Loyd House perhaps deserving a victory after losing in the previous tournaments despite having one of the strongest teams. Loyd House powered ahead of Hillside as they went through the hoops in record time leaving their opponents three behind, but

then Hillside played the move that has deprived Loyd House the championship for three years, and in a bitter twist of poetic irony, were able to deny the final ball to get through the remaining hoops and once again take the championship. Congratulations to William Hartz Sebastian Watts, and Joshua Broadbent and commiserations to the valiant Tom Williams and Niraaj Modhwadia. Georgie Sweeting and Abby Wright of Armstrong House achieved bragging rights amongst the girls’ Houses with a fine win over Stanley. Many congratulations to all!

Inter-House Croquet Championship

Golf

Junior Golf Team

The main focus for CCF during the Summer Term has been the development of expedition skills. Over the course of three weekends 60 pupils from the Shell have successfully completed

their Bronze Award Expeditions, walking and camping independently of staff. Faulkner’s pupils have completed a programme of training on Wednesday afternoons before

participating in expeditions to Dartmoor, Brecon, Gower and the New Forest during the last week of the term. In addition to completing demanding

walking routes, Faulkner’s pupils had the opportunity to enjoy a variety of adventurous activities including canoeing, coasteering, sailing and

rock climbing. In testing weather conditions the pupils demonstrated excellent resilience and teamwork, key components of the DofE Award Programme and Bradfield Diploma.

CCF

Gabby Houseman (K) applied last September to Coca Cola to carry the Olympic Torch. Here she gives an account of how it all happened:

“I wrote about my sporting achievements to date from being Sports Captain at my previous school to being a member of the GB Fencing team. After being shortlisted, I was told in February that I had been selected. I was totally overwhelmed by this great honour and privilege.

I am starting to feel quite nervous about my run through Newbury on 11 July. However, I will enjoy the moment and it will be a day to remember forever. Many of my family and friends will come to watch me on the day and I am looking forward to sharing the moment with them.”

The prospect of a long summer break is always one of the most appealing aspects of the end of the Summer Term. However, it is also a time tinged with sadness as we inevitably have to say farewell to valued colleagues as they move on to new adventures.

Of the College staff who have left the community in recent years, none has played such a vital role in the encouragement of its academic and cultural life as Joanie Dyson, who retires this year after sixteen years as College Librarian. It is not only the building itself which owes its success to Joanie’s meticulous planning and management, but more significantly the way books – and all that books represent - have become so central to all we do. Joanie has provided a first-class learning-support service to the

academic staff, creating access to resources only dreamt of before her arrival. In recent years she and her excellent team have put in place the bedrock for the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Programme and Extended Project Qualification. Her contribution to the College has been an outstanding one and she will be greatly missed.

Nicky Williams retires from Bradfield after sixteen years service in the Admissions Department. She has seen Bradfield through any number of changes over that period, not least three Headmasters. The knowledge and experience she takes with her will be difficult enough to replace, but it will be her contribution as a colleague of warmth and humour which will make her so missed. So, too, Patricia Brims, who retires from the

Gabby Houseman carries Olympic Torch

SCR Valete

P.34Sheila Hirst, Patricia Brims and Nicky Williams

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Support and Study Skills Department with almost as long a period of service. A cultured and intellectual presence in the College, Patricia has contributed on so many fronts – from College societies to the Chapel – that to try to pigeon-hole her into one department would be to underplay her formidable impact on Bradfield life. She leaves to support her husband as he takes up his office as High Sheriff of Berkshire. Steph Stocks has been a highly-popular Matron of Loyd House for several years, where she has coped with a difficult role with a warmth and capability which will see her missed greatly by legions of Bradfield pupils. She leaves now for an exciting adventure in Paris, where she intends to work part time and master the language thoroughly - in between entertaining many Bradfield visitors no doubt! Ian Dugdale leaves us having led the Art Department with distinction for over a decade. During his period in charge the number of pupils seeking access to art colleges following their time at Bradfield rose significantly and he also gave the lead to initiatives that allow the current generation of pupils studying in the area to have access to art, sculpture, photography and textiles. Ian’s contribution to Bradfield has not only been in the classroom: he is a senior officer in the CCF and has given much of his time over the years to help support this section of the College’s co-curricular programme.

Bev Eldridge has done so much at Bradfield that it is difficult to believe she has only been

with us for some eight years. A teacher of excellence, she was also an outstanding Housemistress of Armstrong House as well as major contributor to the life of the College outside the classroom (who will forget the Bradfield ‘Knitwits’ team!). She leaves to take up a Head of Department position at Magdalen College School, for which she has our best wishes.

If there is one position in the College which fills staff with awe and trepidation it is that of Examinations Officer, so it is with some equivocation that we view the departure of Sheila Hirst, who has brought such calm and poise to the maelstrom that is the examination process. She leaves us to run a guest house in Devon, where I am sure many Bradfield visitors will be among her guests in the years ahead.

Chris Barnes’ decision to take up a Housemaster post at Milton Abbey School, deprives the College of two prime teaching talents at one stroke. Chris and Lizzie Barnes

(née Elms) have taught History and Biology respectively with distinction. They are both highly talented sportspeople and, not surprisingly, have made telling contributions to College life in that area over the years. They and their two children take with them all our best wishes as they begin their new role together as Houseparents to some seventy teenage boys.

The Biology department is also sad to be losing three further members, two to pastures new and one to maternity. Di Entwistle and Willow Bangay leave for new positions in Newbury and London respectively and Caroline Rippon makes a temporary departure to have her (and husband Mike’s) first child. She is joined on maternity leave by Fiona Laughton, who takes a break from the Music department also to have her first child.

There have been some changes in the Classics department with the departure of Mary Staniforth and Rebecca Payton, both

of whom are promoted to new roles elsewhere. Mary, an outstanding teacher, has been hugely impressive as Head of Department over the last year as well as contributing strongly to the Divisions programme. Rebecca moves on to a Head of Department role at a local school. Another teaching talent in the area of language to whom we must bid goodbye is Aggie Davis. She has taught German, French and Latin in her time with us as well as helped to support the College riding group.

One of the more enterprising departures is that of Rachel Holloway (Design and Technology), who leaves us to start up her own business in jewellery design and manufacture. We wish her well with her ambitions in this field.

We should also mention the staff who had to leave us midway through the year. Romana Hageman (Psychology) and Maureen Lenehan (English) moved on after short but successful stints at the College and it was with particular sadness we had to lose Alexis White, who over a three-year period had brought such distinction to the piano work of the Music department.

Perhaps the last word should refer to someone the pupil and staff bodies are going to miss with equal passion. After twenty years’ service packed in to just three, Missy Jenkins moves back to her home and the start of a teaching career the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Missy has given so much to the College that it would take a page and a half to document it fully. From the teaching of Maths to the running of Hockey and Tennis, her movement around the College has been something of a blur of energy, commitment and excellent example to the pupils. She will be greatly missed by us all – as will all our leavers. They depart with our gratitude for all they have done and the very best wishes for the future.

Chris, Lizzie Barnes and family

Rachel Holloway, Bev Eldridge and Missy Jenkins

Di Entwistle

Dates for the Diary Saturday 8 – Sun 9 SeptemberClosed Weekend for Faulkner’s Sunday 16 September 6.00pm Faulkner’s Parents’ Drinks Reception (Faulkner’s Dining Hall) Sunday 23 September 6.00pm LVI Parents’ Drinks Reception (Venue TBC) Sunday 23 September 8.00pm Admission of Scholars Service Saturday 6 – Sun 7 October Michaelmas Goose Closed Weekend for Shell, Fifth & Sixth Forms Sunday 25 November 7.30pm Michaelmas Concert (Old Gym)Monday 10 – Wednesday 12 December 7.30pm Carol Service

www.bradfieldcollege.org.uk admissions@bradfieldcollege.org.uk Admissions Office 0118 964 4516

Lucinda Black (I), in recognition of her hard and excellent work in organising the Bradfield’s Got Talent event.

Emma Cole (M), in recognition of her hard and excellent work in organising the Dodgeball Tournament.

Leo Glover (D), in recognition of his hard and excellent work in organising the Dodgeball Tournament.

Matthew Lavoipierre (D), in recognition of his excellent achievements on the Athletics field and in particular, his number one ranking across the UK in the U20 400m Hurdles.

David Butler (D), in recognition of his fantastic achievement in winning the Fives U18 National Singles final and for being the first Bradfieldian to win the title since 1981 and only the third in the 90 year history of the tournament.

Jamie Dellimore-Slater (A), in recognition of his winning a runners-up prize at this year’s Newbury Young Musician of the Year Competition, held on Sunday 24 June in Newbury.

BCPA Bradfield is grateful to four members of the current BCPA Committee who will leave at the end of the Summer Term along with their sons and daughters: David Hough, Chairman (two years’ service); Sarah Halliday, Treasurer (two years’ service); Ann Scott, (five years’ service) and Jo Martin, (two years’ service). We would like to thank them for their hard work in organising a varied and interesting range of events.

Headmaster’s Commendations

Confirmation

Earlier in May we gathered in Chapel for the annual Confirmation service, conducted by the Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend John Pritchard. It was a joyous and memorable occasion for the 30 candidates who were joined in a packed Chapel by their families and friends to mark an important event in their lives.

Nearly all year groups were represented amongst the candidates and this year was a first in that a parent was also confirmed. The Bishop spoke warmly to the candidates about their lives post confirmation and the service was uplifted by the performance of the choir, many of whom were singing just prior to important examinations. After the service the newly confirmed gathered in Hall for a reception where many had the opportunity to meet and chat with the Bishop. A joyous and memorable day for all involved.

David ButlerMathew Lavoipierre, Lucinda Black, Emma Cole, Leo Glover Jamie Dellimore-Slater