Worth Insight Winter 2015

Winter 2015

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Lacrosse arrives at Worth

Worth School magazine

Butler House helping the community

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A Head for heights

An interview with Mr McPherson

22 Worth School magazine

Singing in tune with history

What’s it like to be one of the first non-Italians to gain a place in the Choir of the Sistine Chapel?MS: The history of the Sistine Chapel Choir can be traced back to about the 4th Century and at various times, in particular during the Middle Ages, it has had varying degrees of international representation. I am therefore certainly not one of the first non-Italians in the choir, but I am likely the first full-time English singer since the Reformation.

What process did you have to go through to be awarded the place?MS: It was quite by chance. I had been for a series of consultations at some of the Italian Opera Houses. In November last year, I was in Rome for coaching at the Teatro dell’Opera and it was suggested to me that I go and meet Maestro Palombella, the director of the Sistine Chapel Choir. I went to sing to him and was then placed into a daunting two-hour rehearsal (in Italian) with the Choir,

after which he asked me to return two weeks later for the Christmas and New Year services (a completely surreal experience including Midnight Mass in St Peter’s and a meeting with the Pope on New Year’s Day). I was then asked back for the Consistory in February, after which I was offered a four-month probationary contract, and then subsequently offered a full-time contract starting in September this year.

How many are in the Choir?MS: There are about 50 singers − 25 boys and 25 men.

How often does the Choir sing for the Pope? On what other occasions and for what audiences do you perform? MS: The Choir sings for all major Papal services in the Basilica, as well as special services in the Sistine Chapel, and all our services are broadcast live across the world on Vatican TV and Radio. We also sing concerts, tours and recordings. We rehearse every day regardless of

services. Unlike a cathedral choir, we don’t sing with any weekly regularity - we don’t sing every Sunday or every evening.

Is this different from other choirs in which you’ve performed?MS: Completely different to any choir I have worked with before. Partly for the reasons mentioned, but also because the connection to music history is extraordinary. When we sing in the Sistine Chapel, we sing in the same Singer’s Gallery in which over 500 years of singers (mostly castrati) have sung and signed their names all over the walls, including Palestrina, Josquin des Prez and Allegri.

We recently recorded Allegri’s Miserere. It has only ever been heard before from editions notated from the tradition of castrati ornamentation (with soaring top Cs). We recorded, for the first time, the actual notes Allegri wrote, after access was granted to transcribe his original

THERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO CATCH WORTHIAN MARK SPYROPOULOS IN THE MEDIA RECENTLY; HE’S BEEN INTERVIEWED IN THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY, ON RADIO 3 AND BBC BREAKFAST FOR STARTERS. THE FUSS IS ALL BECAUSE MARK HAS WON A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT TO SING IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL CHOIR - THE FIRST ENGLISH SINGER TO DO SO. HERE HE TALKS TO INSIGHT ABOUT HIS ACHIEVEMENT AND OFFERS SOME WISE WORDS FOR ASPIRING SINGERS AT WORTH.

3www.worthschool.org.uk Winter 15

manuscript from the Vatican archives. It was also the first ever recording (of anything) in the Sistine Chapel itself. Standing under Michelangelo’s astonishing ceiling, singing music that was written while the paint was still wet, and recording it all for Deutche Grammaphon, was unlike anything I have done before.1

Do you have any advice for today’s pupils at Worth who are singing in the Abbey Church but would like to take it further?MS: When you are in your teens you can’t rush it. This is because unlike an instrumentalist, a singer both plays the instrument and is the instrument, and will sound very different at 17 to 35. Female singers tend to start earlier, whereas male singers don’t really get going until their 30s. So what to do in your teens? Singing Mozart, Handel, Bach (especially Bach) is excellent and rigorous training. Study, learn, perform, play an instrument, conduct, compose, dance, make mistakes and learn some more, have fun, become fascinated with music generally and in its widest definition. Also acting/music theatre is great stage experience. Hold off singing Verdi, Wagner, Puccini (this music is for vocal Olympic gold medalists) but listen to great singers singing it. Explore the arts generally: theatre, ballet/dance, painting, architecture. You’ll find they’re all related and all inform everything you’re doing.


Worthians Mark Spyropoulos (right) and Tom Hammond-Davies flank Worth’s proud Director of Music, Michael Oakley, in the Sistine Chapel during his visit this summer

1 The finished CD, Cantate Domino - La Cappella Sistina e la musica del Papa, is now on sale.


In 2008 the first cohort of girls joined the Lower Sixth at Worth. Two years later, the first Year 7 girls joined the school. Isabella Enoizi (Year 12) met up with the six girls who are Worth’s first ‘homegrown’ Sixth Formers to find out about their experience.

It’s amazing to think that by 2012, a school which had been exclusively for boys since its origins in the 1930s, had girls in every Year Group. In meeting these pioneering females, of course the first thing I asked is how

much the School had changed. What is different today to when they first arrived?

All the girls said that the School had expanded massively. Comments were also made on the improvements to the infrastructure of the School site, such as the new gym and the additional classrooms.

However, the universal answer is that the number of girls has gone up tenfold during their time here. Although girls are still a minority (just), we are definitely more a part of the School now than when we first ‘intruded’ on the all-male domain.

Despite all of these changes, they all agree that the School has not fundamentally changed and that the atmosphere of community and acceptance is still very tangible.

I asked the girls what had been done to integrate females into the community? They had felt that the necessary changes to integrate them had mostly been put in place before their arrival. Going into an established House with older girls, St Anne’s, was useful in helping them to find their feet within the School. The atmosphere was very inclusive from the start but there were little

GroundbreakersTHE FIRST SET OF GIRLS WHO STARTED IN YEAR 7 ARRIVE IN THE SIXTH FORM.


things along the way that showed the School was in a state of transition. For example, some achievements were recognised by being awarded a tie - which girls were not allowed to wear. Now, a system of badges has been devised to address this.

When asked what had improved since they first arrived, girls’ sports stood out. Everyone agreed that the attitude to girls’ sport at Worth has changed immensely and the level of performance has also increased dramatically, due to the hard work and dedication of several members of the Sports department.

So what do the girls think of Austin House now being co-educational? Would this have been a good idea when they first started? The girls mostly agreed that this would have made socialising far easier at the

start as it prepares the younger boys and girls for the Senior School and allows them to forge friendships before joining a single-sex House in Year 9.

I asked the girls what one change they would most like to see at Worth. Unanimously, Gervase was singled out as being a lasting reminder that Worth was originally an all-boys’ school. The facility of a Year-13-only house for boys is a big difference between the lives of boys and girls at School. It means that day and boarding boys mix outside of classes as they return to the same building, making for a much closer community.

Finally, I ask whether being the first female students in Year 7 at Worth had been a daunting prospect. The thought, they said, was quite exciting and they left the worrying to their

parents! They revealed that they had had many conversations with their parents on the topic, but had thought of it as a challenge, which made the experience altogether more appealing.

When asked what legacy the School would leave with them, the girls all agreed that Worth has definitely changed something within each of them. The people they have met and the friends they have made will leave an impression that will endure, they said, long after they leave Worth. They will always feel that they are Worthians.

Anastasia Martin-Hindson, Ciara Brady, Sophie Steinebach, Isabella Lee, Olivia Wilson and Madeleine Chamberlain joined the School in 2010 and entered the Sixth Form this September


House Voluntary Service is something that had been on the agenda since Mr Donegan’s arrival in Butler in 2013. Mr Donegan was able to create a link with a local primary school, St Francis of Assisi, in Crawley this year with the aim of giving Year 12 Butler House students the experience of teaching young children in a school environment. Mr Donegan stated: “I created the link to give the boys in Butler House the opportunity to do something different. I wanted the House to reach out and work with primary schools in the area. It was giving the students a very big responsibility which they understood, and they went in and helped wherever they could.”

One of the highlights of the relationship so far is when Mr Donegan, assisted by Laboratory Technician, Mr David Ford and three Year 12 Worth students, put on a Chemistry demonstration for 180 of the pupils at St Francis. The hour-long lesson was punctuated with frequent gasps of delight from the children as Mr Donegan used five practical demonstrations to illustrate the properties of various gases in the atmosphere. In the grand finale the children witnessed ‘elephant

toothpaste’ spiralling all over the stage table to illustrate how oxygen can be made using hydrogen peroxide (and in this example, a bit of washing-up liquid and red food colouring!).

On other occasions, Worth students have worked with the various Year Groups from 1 to 4. There has been a range of activities from helping one class prepare for a musical concert to helping others write letters, plant trees in their new garden or answer maths questions. Student Reindert Eijkman concluded: “It was extremely rewarding to know we were making a real difference to other people and, as boarders, it was good to experience life in the local community.” The variety in roles meant that the Butler House students could figure out what they do best or, rather, what they teach best. Those who have been involved now fully appreciate and respect what primary teachers do. As one student said, “You need high energy levels to keep everyone’s attention. Being able to manage and teach a room full of 30 children is a rare skill!”

Science demo for local primary goes with a bangUNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF HOUSEMASTER CLEMENT DONEGAN, BUTLER HOUSE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI. VALENTIN SIGULLA (YEAR 13) FOUND OUT MORE.


Lacrosse arrives at WorthLACROSSE LESSONS STARTED IN SEPTEMBER AND GIRLS IN ALL AGE GROUPS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY THIS HIGHLY SKILLED AND FAST-PACED SPORT.



Watching the Year 9 and 10s practice on the Ladywood pitches, it was clear that enthusiasm for the sport is high. “I did lacrosse at my prep school” and it’s good to have it here,” said Lexie. Fellow student Ala described it as “hockey in the air but a lot more aggressive” while Anna chimed in “I really enjoy throwing with the stick. I’m used to netball which is just throwing with hands.”

The girls are joining a global trend which is the seemingly unstoppable rise of lacrosse. In the United States last year lacrosse was the fastest-growing sport in the nation at high school level. At the same time, there were an additional 10 UK universities that started a lacrosse team and England Lacrosse reports that it was rewarded by Sport England for “smashing” its participation targets in the 14-15 age group.

None of this is lost on Head of Girls’ Games Samantha Clark who is well aware of the attractions of lacrosse and said, “It is important that we offer a diverse range of sports for girls so that they can experience as many new things as possible. Lacrosse is an up-and-coming game and it will be a real attraction on our great grass pitches.”

On-site ambassadorsThe English Lacrosse Association (ELA) used Worth as the venue for its Junior England U15 and U17 Regional Academy in the summer and during the Autumn Half Term. Over 100 girls with ambitions to play at the elite level took to the Worth playing fields under the instruction of a team of coaches led by Florry Saunders who is a member of the Senior England squad and a passionate ambassador for her sport. “It’s fast and furious, “says Florry, “the rules are easy to pick up and it’s skilful, exciting and energetic which makes it a great game to watch or play.”

A bit of historyLacrosse was played as early as the 1400s among the Iroquois, Huron, Algonquin and other North American Indian tribes. In its original form, there were as many as 1,000 young men on each team and a game could last two to three days.

In 1636 a French missionary called Jean de Brébeuf was the first to write about lacrosse. Some say the name originated from the French term for field hockey, ‘le jeu de la crosse’. Others suggest that the stick used by players looked like the crosier, or le crosse, carried by bishops.

Going mainstream In the 1840s, French settlers in Canada took up the game. The first rules appeared in 1856, were revised by a Canadian dentist, George Beers, and adopted by the National Lacrosse Association of Canada when it was formed in 1867.

From Canada, lacrosse spread to the United States and onward. Today, countries with a women’s team include Australia, Czech Republic, France, Ireland, the Iroquois Nation, Israel, Italy, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden, Scotland, South Korea and Wales. There are even suggestions in the specialist sports’ press that lacrosse should be re-instated as an Olympic sport; the last medals were awarded in 1904 and 1908.

World Cup hopesThe Lacrosse World Cup is being held in England in 2017 at Surrey Sports Park and the goal for the England team is to win a medal. The England U19 team won the Bronze at July’s U19 World Cup in Edinburgh, so the whiff of medals is in the air. Let’s hope that the country’s ambition on the world stage fires up the Worth girls as they prepare for their very first fixtures.

Sticky subjectWomen’s field lacrosse is played as 12-a-side at adult level, but 7-a-side is common at school level. An iconic part of the kit is the lacrosse stick which is comprised of two parts, the head of the stick and the shaft. A shaft will usually be made from an aluminum alloy, carbon composite titanium or scandium.

There are typically three parts to every lacrosse stick head - the scoop, sidewall and pocket.

The scoop is the top of the stick that affects picking up groundballs and passing/shooting. A flatter scoop means an easier time picking up a groundball but less ball retention/accuracy, while U-shaped scoops are harder to use to pick up groundballs but have more ball retention and accuracy.

The sidewall is the side of the head that affects the depth of the head and the stiffness. More flexible sidewalls are better for groundballs, face-offs and fast movements, while stiffer sidewalls are better for those playing defence.

The pocket is the mesh of the head and the width of the head at the base. A wider pocket allows and easier time catching balls, but will also reduce ball control.

pocket

sidewallscoop

How did you get into teaching?I got into teaching in both my job in Sydney and my job at Eton for one year and in both cases it grew into a much longer period of time. In Sydney one year became 10, and at Eton one year became 15. That seems to be the story of my life - except for my marriage, which I never intended to be a one-year experiment. I didn’t set out to be a teacher; I thought I might want to go into the City. I did my teacher training in the job and found it was something that I enjoyed and wanted to do as a career.

What makes a good leader?I think that someone who is a good leader is someone who knows how to listen to the people who she or he is supposed to be leading, because you’re only as good as your communication with people. You can’t really understand what you’re leading unless you’re listening to the people who are working with you. So, listening, I would say. I think it is also about remembering what it was like to be led as a younger teacher, or as a junior in a business or a firm. To remember what you thought you needed yourself from your leaders. I also think it is very important to lead by example, to practise what you preach, not to complain and to be positive. Has the step up from being a housemaster been difficult? What have the changes been like?It is an interesting question. Being a housemaster at Eton is a really demanding job because you don’t have as much

assistance as you get as a housemaster in other types of schools. Effectively, you’re on duty six days a week and so it’s a long haul. One of the things about being a housemaster that I don’t miss is the feeling late in the evening when you would like to go to bed but you can’t. Being a housemaster is a huge amount of fun - talking to boys (in my case it was boys) in the corridor late at night is enjoyable - you develop a good relationship. The boys, mostly, understand you are the boss, but you don’t have to behave like the boss all of the time. I really enjoyed that side of the job.

Do you feel that this one-to-one relationship is lost slightly when you become the head of a school? I think there’s a danger that it can be and so I’m keen to find ways to keep in touch with the pupils of the School. Having the door open in the mornings is one way of doing that2, but also events and gatherings that the School offers are opportunities to practise what I remember of being a housemaster. But yes, it is a fundamentally different experience. Having girls in the School is a major difference between my previous two schools and here. Of course there’s a place for single-sex education, and I loved my time in single-sex schools, but being in a co-ed school feels like you are part of the real world; you can have conversations with pupils and with staff about the challenges facing young people in the real world because you are in the real world, in the sense of being males and females together under

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Head-to-head withMr McPhersonROY GREEN AND ISABELLE RITCHIE (YEAR 13) MET NEW HEAD MASTER, MR STUART McPHERSON



2 Mr McPherson’s door is open for pupils to drop in every weekday morning from 8.15 - 8.45am

the same roofs. And, clearly, a massive difference is that Worth has a monastic community here and the relationship between the School and the monastery is very central to the way the School works. The depth of Benedictine tradition here, and the way the School interacts with what happens in the Abbey, is fundamentally different to almost every other school in the country.

What would you say makes Worth unique? What was your main attraction to Worth?Everything that you say about the School, everything you say you want to do in the School, when you’re thinking about the School, you always have to test these things against the real and stated values of this place, which are wrapped up in the rule of St Benedict. There might be different kinds of schools, where values are kind of sprinkled like decoration over the top of everything the school does, but ultimately they can be dispensed with in any corner of the school because they are simply decoration. It’s not like that here: I won’t do anything that interferes with the fundamental values of the place. And there’s no guardian of that; it seems somehow to be in the bricks of the school, like tradition - which is interesting in such a young institution. I think that’s what makes it different, and that’s one of the things that attracted me to Worth. What also attracted me to Worth was the Abbey Church - my three younger children were here

on youth retreats for three years before we knew very much about the School. Although coming to Worth was, in some ways, an upheaval for the family - moving to a different part of the country and so forth - it also felt like coming to a home we already had. If you could organise a school trip on anything what and where would it be? I would like to take a group of pupils to somewhere like Jerusalem or the West Bank; somewhere they can simultaneously experience what was once the great promise of peace for the world and see how complicated the whole thing has become. To ponder solutions to these kinds of crises that cause such immense suffering. It would be great to visit the wonderful buildings of Jerusalem but, of course, you can’t do that without getting involved intellectually and emotionally in the world’s tremendous problems. Where do you see Worth in five years’ time?There’s more to co-education than just having boys and girls together in a school. Co-education is also about attitude, about language, about respect for each other. All of these things are evident at Worth, but there is work we can continue to do - it’s what the world is like. I think that a building that allows co-education to function properly at the top of the school would be ideal.

Junior pupils discover

Mr McPherson’s in-depth

knowledge of ‘Harry Potter’

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The towering BabelThe competition featured seven bands – including some younger bands new to the competition – playing music from The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Green Day to original pieces written by students. It was testimony to the way that Worth encourages a love of all music, not just the sacred and classical music for which it is so well known.

Babel’s winning programme comprised Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon, Paranoid Android by Radiohead and Gold on the Ceiling by the Black Keys. The sell-out event in the PAC raised £2,000 for the musicians’ chosen charity, The Compassionate Friends, in memory of Oscar Jefferies who was described by Cameron and Lenny as “a much loved friend to many”.

IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT FOR THE MEMBERS OF BABEL, ONE OF THE SCHOOL’S POPULAR BANDS, WHEN THEY WON THE COVETED BATTLE OF THE BANDS TROPHY.



Cameron Pring, Jake Defriend, Lenny Rush, Jack O’Hea and Will O’Hea celebrate their win.


Between them Brian Doggett (BD), James Williams (JW) and Philip Robinson (PR) have been at Worth for nearly 100 years. They were posed the following questions by Head of Geography Andy Lavis (AL).

When did you start at the School?PR - 1972.JW - 1987.BD - 1995.

John Denman (the Head of Geography prior to Andy Lavis) described his interview several decades ago as being nothing more than a gentle chat over afternoon tea at the end of which he was offered a job. Was your interview experience similar to this?PR - Yes. Mine was with Fr Dominic, the School’s fi rst headmaster, who was an urbane, refi ned man who perched on a big fi reguard and chain-smoked throughout our chat. JW - The Headmaster, Fr Stephen, chatted to me in a friendly way with no mention of education at all. The Head of Physics spoke to me about physics, but only briefl y. The Head of Science then took me to the pub for lunch! I left with nothing else being said. I heard nothing for over a week before receiving a very strange phone call from Fr Stephen. He introduced himself and asked me if I was still interested in the job. I said yes! He then said goodbye and hung up. I was still none the wiser. A few days later, I got another phone call offering

me the post! Glenn Robertson (a housemaster for many years at Worth) told me later that he had been to see Fr Stephen after my fi rst interview to tell him of the desperate shortage of rugby coaches on the staff. As he explained to Stephen; “Anyone can teach physics!”BD - No, mine was more formal. I did teach a lesson to Sixth Formers in front of the Deputy Head. The Head of Science from Winchester College was called in to quiz me on chemistry.AL - There does seem to have been a signifi cant increase in rigour when appointing staff from the 1990s onwards!

What can you remember striking you most vividly about your first term experiences?PR - The amazingly beautiful physical environment and the camaraderie of the Common Room, which included a large monastic presence.JW - I quickly realised that Worth was not a job, but a change of lifestyle. You didn’t work at Worth, you became part of it. In the staff club we had regular theme evenings. I well remember sharing a beer with Father Christopher one St David’s Day dressed as a sheep (me not him), while convincing him that beer tasted better with a daffodil in your glass. BD - I do remember having a part in a staff musical The Dracula Spectacular, which went down well. Some years later we also did a staff-student review. There is insuffi cient room in the timetable nowadays to contemplate putting on such things.

How have Worth’s facilities evolved during your time at the School?PR - Where to begin?! In the early 1970’s the following did not exist: the Church; the classroom block; the tower block classrooms; the laboratories in their present form; the sports hall; the PAC; the music school; the Chaplaincy; the art block; the hard-play area; the all-weather pitch; Gervase, St Bede’s, Rutherford, Butler, Chapman or Farwell in their present form and any of the girls’ houses at all. The list goes on!

Do any former staff stand out in your memory and for what reasons?All three interviewees named Fred Belcher. PR - Fred Belcher was the School’s fi rst Head of Maths and fi rst Director of Studies. He was universally admired and respected by both staff and students, as a superb teacher and unfailing source of wisdom and good sense. He gave magnifi cent service to Worth for 40 years (what a quitter!), and to this day remains a good friend.

Are there any particular factors that have kept you at Worth for such a long time?JW - I still enjoy the camaraderie and friendships that exist within the Common Room. This is really why I have been here so long.BD - I enjoy the company of my colleagues. I have greatly enjoyed being involved in the choir, being

(Nearly) 100 Years at WorthAS A SMALL, VENERABLE GROUP OF TEACHING VETERANS AT WORTH ARE COMING TOWARDS THE END OF THEIR CAREERS THE INSIGHT TEAM FELT THAT IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO CANVAS THEIR VIEWS ON HOW THE SCHOOL HAS CHANGED.


exposed to some wonderful music which I would otherwise have been unlikely to encounter. DofE has also been a major positive, since it enables me to interact with students and colleagues in a different way from when we are at school. Many of my students have been very enjoyable to teach, and I have learnt a great deal from them, too.

When you eventually retire what will you miss from Worth?PR - After teaching for 43 years I fi nd that nowadays, at long last, I am fi nally starting to get the hang of it, so that is what I shall miss most: teaching!

Responses have been abridged due to space constraints, but full versions of the accounts from our Worth teaching veterans will be appearing on the Worth Voices blog in due course.

James Williams, Brian Doggett and Philip Robinson in the new staff Common Room

Come in and go forth

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THE NEW-LOOK CHAPLAINCY IS HAVING A NUMBER OF POSITIVE EFFECTS AS JONATHAN KEMP (YEAR 13) DISCOVERED.


Worth as a school, it seems to me, is in constant development. This has many fantastic upsides, like the fact that it feels that we are in a current and evolving school, but also some downsides. The Chaplaincy has experienced both ups and downs in the past, and I am pleased to report that the more recent developments have been very positive.

The Chaplaincy was, two years ago now, up in the building which has become the new Austin House. It had a wonderfully cosy feel to it, and plenty of space, but was unfortunately fairly removed from the student body, and it was rare for one to just ‘stop by’ the Chaplaincy. Because of the aforementioned building developments, the Chaplaincy had to move, temporarily, to the space that has

now become St Catherine’s House. This space was, if anything, even more removed from the vast majority of students, with the exception of St Anne’s. It also, to some extent, lacked the cosiness and space that the old Chaplaincy had. Luckily, though, this was only a temporary home, and since the beginning of the academic year the Chaplaincy has taken up residence in the study block. The current position


is right in the heart of the School, positioned where the teachers’ Common Room previously was, which has allowed for a new atmosphere to the Chaplaincy, and has allowed it to become a space enjoyed by many. The Chaplaincy has also undergone a few more important changes; up until recently, the Senior Chaplain for the School, Fr Peter, was very much responsible for the vast majority of the Chaplaincy’s work. Now, however, a shift has occurred to a much more team-based Chaplaincy model. The individual Chaplains to the Houses have always been absolutely superb, and I can remember several times where I have been infl uenced by some of their wisdom, sought spiritual advice or guidance from them, or just sat down to have a piece of cake, some tea and

a chat. However, the Chaplains are busy people, so this year each House has also been allocated a Deputy Chaplain, which has been enormously helpful and has allowed students to engage with the system more easily.

Max Tew, a Chaplaincy Prefect, said: “I have loved seeing the way the new Chaplaincy has impacted all of the students around me. It allows us to work from a place with student life buzzing around at almost all hours of the day. It has been a joy to see new faces dropping by the Chaplaincy each day, and to see all of this culminating in increased fellowship and people having a greater awareness of both God and the faith that is so fundamental to the School.” Ben Blades, a student in Year 13, said: “I have really noticed the

School change since the installation of the new Chaplaincy. My friends and I often found it diffi cult to make time to go and see the Chaplains, but it has now become so much easier! Whenever we go up, we’re always greeted by a friendly face, and lots of tea and cake. I especially love sharing food while keeping in touch with the Chaplaincy team. The cake at break times is especially good, and lots of people drop by then.”

The new Chaplaincy has blessed many in the School, and will bless many more over the coming years.

Dropping by to see Fr Peter in the new

Chaplaincy


In touch with Worth RugbyBARNABY ELWES INTERVIEWS NEW HEAD OF RUGBY, TOM RICHARDSON.

When and where did you start playing rugby? TR: I grew up in the leafy Cotswolds on my parents’ farm where they breed thoroughbred racehorses. Sport has always been a big part of my life. I am one of four siblings all of whom are very sporty so there

was always someone to throw a ball around with. I started playing rugby at Cheltenham Rugby Club at about the age of six or seven. My time at school was spent at Abberley Hall Prep and subsequently Cheltenham College where sport was a prevalent part of my daily routine.

Has rugby always been your passion or do you enjoy other sports too? TR: I think, if I am honest, sport as a whole is my passion but it is cricket and rugby that have been such a big part of my life and in which I have been most successful – cricket at a


younger age and rugby from my late teens. I have always enjoyed the sense of unity and the idea that no one individual is greater than the others. What is the highest level you have played at? TR: English Universities, England Students and England Counties. With England Counties I played in the Home Nations tournament and was lucky enough to tour Japan and South Korea which was an unbelievable experience. In rugby 7s

I have played for Samurai, Marauders, the Scorpions and the Public School Wanderers with whom I went to the Tusker Safari 7s in Kenya and played against Waisale Serevi and David Lemi amongst others. What made you decide to go into coaching rugby in a school? TR: After finishing school, I spent a year coaching sport at Wynberg Boys’ High School in Cape Town, South Africa whilst also playing for the

Villager Rugby Club. It didn’t take me long to realise that coaching sport was up there with my passion for playing. I found it hugely rewarding and fulfilling to be involved in the development of young and enthusiastic sportsmen and women. What brought you to Worth? TR: Previously, I worked at Cheltenham College for many years and had been Head of Rugby for the last three. After getting married in October last year my wife, a family law solicitor in London, and I decided it was time we moved in together, following years of weekend commuting! The exciting opportunity which arose at Worth coincided with this and my desire for a new challenge. After my interview, I saw the potential that Worth has from a sporting perspective and came away with a great feel for the sense of community.

Can you articulate your vision for rugby at Worth? TR: There is no doubt that whether one agrees with it or not, schools are judged by the performance of their flagship side and therefore it is important that these sides lead from the front. To do this, you cannot just have 15 good players. Strength in depth allows you to breed healthy competition and therefore push one another to be the best you can be. My vision for Worth rugby is to have consistently competitive sides throughout all of the Year Groups and to be highly regarded amongst its peers. Do you have any comments about our teams this year and about Worth rugby as a whole? TR: I think everyone is aware that it has been a tough start to the season for the majority of the rugby teams at Worth, the 1st XV being no exception. However, with not the best preparation in the lead up to the start of the season, I have been impressed with the way the boys have responded to the adversity they have faced in the last few weeks. There has been clear development and improvement and I have no doubt that with a little more self-belief this will continue throughout the season.

Printed on environmentally friendly paper made from raw materials sourced from managed and sustainable forests.Printed on environmentally friendly paper made from raw materials sourced from managed and sustainable forests.

Insight Editorial TeamBrigit Douglas (Year 13)Simon FisherCatherine ForresterRoy Green (Year 13)Jonathan Kemp (Year 13)Andrew LavisIsabelle Ritchie (Year 13)Valentin Sigulla (Year 13) For the latest Worth School news and events,

please visit www.worthschool.org.ukFurther news and views from around the Worth community can be found at www.worthschoolvoices.co.ukWorth School, Paddockhurst Road, Turners Hill, West Sussex RH10 4SDt: 01342 710200 e: [email protected]

Registered charity number 1093914Company registration number 4476558

PhotographyImages by Emma Duggan Photography (Head Master, Chaplaincy, Groundbreaking Girls and Nearly 100 Years at Worth), Mrs Kate Oakley (Sistine Chapel), Ady Kerry Photography (Lacrosse), Sam Stevenson Photography (Battle of the Bands)

THE SECOND GIRLS’ DAY HOUSE, ST CATHERINE’S, OPENED ITS DOORS IN SEPTEMBER UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MRS ANDREA FULLALOVE AND HER TEAM.

Mrs Fullalove says that the ideas for the House crest (below) were generated in discussion with “our trailblazing girls”. The lilies are the flower traditionally associated with St Catherine of Siena who is called ‘The Peacemaker’, while the book reflects her accomplishment as a doctor of letters and the Vatican keys are a reminder of her influence with two Popes. The motto, ‘studium et diligentia’, or ‘zeal and diligence’ was selected by House vote and signifies the St Catherine’s House enthusiasm and spirit of fair play.

Our newest House crest

www.bainesdesign.co.uk A65801

Documents

Worth Insight Winter 2015