N E W S L E T T E R - Radley College

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N E W S L E T T E R
| Radley College Cricket Club | Transforming D Social |
| Geography | Next Steps - Radleians at University |

Radley Colleg
Could there be a more opportune time to write about Radley cricket? For a short spell,
from July to that ticker-tape August Sunday at the Oval, Radleians seemed to bestride the
cricketing world: three current members of the 1 st XI – Alex Hearne (Dragon, J Social),
Nick Gubbins (Elstree, H Social) and Wilf Marriott (Farleigh, G Social) - were selected for
the England Under 15 side, Jamie Dalrymple (Ashfold, H Social) captained the England
Lions against Australia and Andrew Strauss (Caldicott, B Social) led England to the
Ashes. Strauss scored important runs, of course, but when the analysts ran their rule over
England’s victory they chose to focus on the question of leadership. Michael Henderson
reminded his Telegraph readers of the quiet authority of the England captain in rescuing
his side from the hiatus of Kevin Pietersen’s resignation and in weathering some piercing
criticism after the Headingley rout. “One could say”, he wrote, “that the Ashes were won on
the playing fields of Radley.”
The only sadness in all this euphoria
was that just ten days before Australia
succumbed, so too did one of the pillars
of Radley cricket for nearly 60 years. Bert
Robinson, once of Northamptonshire and
cricket professional at Radley 1949-2008,
a dear man and a coach who influenced
so many from Dexter onwards, died
peacefully at the age of 92 before he could
see his most recent star in his finest hour.
Right: Philip Hollis Photography
Front cover: Andrew Strauss - Getty Imiages
2 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER

Cricket Club
Many dream of winning the Ashes but
few are chosen, and I can write in all
honesty that, while we are proud to the n th
degree of our internationals, we take equal
delight in seeing all 19 of our school XIs
strut their Saturday stuff in the summer
term against our traditional foes. Good
cricket on good surfaces for all our boys
is overwhelmingly our goal, and I am
hugely fortunate in having colleagues,
lovers of the game, who will coach and
cajole these teams. This summer term 30
members of Common Room looked after
these 19 sides, led in expertise by our
outstanding professional Andy Wagner,
now in his 25 th year here. 119 matches
were won of 176 played, and in addition,
a dozen 6 th formers turned out for the
Radley Village sides in the Oxfordshire
League. I can’t promise match cricket all of
the time for all the boys, but I can try.
Our fixture card is very strong – Eton,
Tonbridge and Harrow are always
powerful opponents – but we have set
ourselves the target of playing the sharpest
cricket on the best pitches on our circuit,
and Adam King’s squares from Bigside to
Death Row are exceptional. Increasingly,
school matches are played as limited overs
games (50 or 55 overs per side for the 1 st
and 2 nd XIs, 30-35 overs per side for other
teams), and this has quickened the pulse of
every player. There is nowhere to hide in a
game where the safety of a draw no longer
exists, but we have found that traditional
batting and bowling skills are still the key.
The 1 st XI has the toughest fixture list
of all, and the step up from Colts 1 is
considerable as many school 1 st XIs are
bolstered by 6 th form sports scholars.
None of the Radley sports clubs have a
recruitment programme, and we enjoy
coaching schoolboy cricketers and giving
them the chance to play and succeed in
the top side. Our approach throughout
the club reflects this. In matches all the
decision making is left to the captains and
players, and it has been a joy to see recent
captains such as Henry Mills (Harrodian, E
Social), George Coles (Woodcote House, G
Social), Jos North (Ludgrove, B Social) and
Hector Freyne (Summer Fields, J Social)
learn to think so clearly under pressure.
To improve the technique of our 1 st XI
hopefuls we have, on Sunday mornings
over the last two winters, introduced an
Academy squad for our best 18-20 boys
from the Remove to 6.2, to develop their
skills and understanding of the game. Last
year we welcomed guest coaches such as
Toby Radford (Middlesex 1 st team coach),
and this winter’s programme began with
the Hampshire spin bowling coach, Raj
Maru.
Some of our current high fliers may play
for England and win the Ashes – I hope
they do – but above all we will keep
offering the best cricket to all Radleians.
Running our sides is not about the talent
we could buy in but about what we can
do for those who choose to come here; as
John Claughton always said, “You dance
with the girl what brung you”.
John Beasley
Head of Cricket
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 3
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 3

D Social Tr

ansformed
The opening of the new J and K Socials in 2008
established a new benchmark for boarding
accommodation at Radley. The next stage in
transforming the socials got under way even before J
and K were complete; in the summer of 2008 parts of
A Social were upgraded. And in July and August 2009
attention turned to reform and improvement on a much
more ambitious scale as F Social’s entire ground floor
was reconfigured to create new social halls and new
studies, and to remove an albeit useful but long-running
eyesore, the F Social changing room. The rest of F will
be refurbished in a couple of years’ time. The second
element to the summer’s programme in 2009 was the
transformation of most of D Social; curvy corridors
and subtle colour schemes deliberately echoing those
in J and K reflect also a fundamental principle, to try
as far as possible – within the constraints of buildings
constructed often over a century ago – to match the look
and the quality of the new socials.
Over the next three summers all the other old socials
will get the same treatment; it involves unglamorous
but essential work in modernising the utilities to make
Radley greener in its energy, and remarkable efficiency
from Radley’s own maintenance teams as well as from
the outside contractors, who have to work to extremely
tight time schedules – as Gaudy ends, so they start, and
as the new boys arrive in September so the finishing
touches are applied. By September 2012 Radley, then,
will have completed the latest chapter in ensuring
that our accommodation is always at the forefront of
boarding provision in schools.
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 5

RADLEY ACHIEVEMENTS
ACADEMIC
Radley joined Eton, Winchester and St
Paul’s in declining to publish exam results
in August, preferring to wait until all
remarks and appeals had been dealt with.
Nevertheless it is clear that the 2009 A level
cohort was within a whisker of 2008’s
record of 90.5% A/B before any remarks.
The UCAS points per candidate (433) was
the best ever, and more boys (45) than ever
before got four A grades. 65% of grades
recorded were A grade.
At GCSE this was a superb year with
c.86% of all grades being A* or A at
the outset, and with every prospect of
higher figures still once some strange
departmental results are appealed. Nearly
half the cohort (62 boys) got 10 A*s or
As. The results are the more meritorious
because Maths and Sciences entered the
demanding IGCSEs. Significant numbers of
boys in the 5th Form took AS levels early in
French and Maths and achieved A grades.
Physics Olympiad silver medal was
awarded to Sam Gundle (Dragon, j);
William Handy (Cheltenham, d) and Rory
Robinson (Twyford, f) gained silver medals
in the Physics Olympiad AS paper.
This year’s Declamations competition
was judged by Jonathan Smith, teacher and
novelist. The standard of the five years’
competition was very high, living up to
previous years. The winners were: Hugh
Petit (Cothill, k) in 6.2 reading ‘Prayer
before Birth’; Joshua Rencher (Abingdon,
d) in 6.1 recounting Dracula’s arrival
in Whitby Bay; Sam Nugée (The Hall
School, Wimbledon, h) and Ed Dillon-
Robinson (Cumnor House, e), who read
‘Greensleeves’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’
respectively, winning the 5th Form; Tommy
Siman (Abingdon Prep, h) winning the
Remove competition with ‘An Otter’ and
Henry McPherson (Malvern, d) winning in
the Shells with an extract from ‘Hamlet’.
Sir Andrew Motion OR
‘From Achilles to Alexander: the Classical
World and the World of Metal’ in Heavy
Metal Music in Britain. Dr Simon Thorn’s
work done on his sabbatical at Oxford on
the neurophysiology of dyslexia is soon to
be published. Harry Crump gained a 1st
in his Open University English Literature
degree.
Radley continues to attract
distinguished visiting speakers to talk to
6.2: parents like Rory Tapner OR, Hector
Sants of the FSA (in the week of the
collapse of Lehman Brothers), Dick Powell,
John Whittingdale MP, Charles Crawford
and David Richards spoke universally well
on their expertises. The 6.2 Conference
with St Helen’s (our 12th) was provocative
and compelling on ‘The Forgiveness
Project’, the presence of Brighton
Bomber Patrick McGee being especially
controversial. Radley’s History, Economics,
Politics, Perplexed, Literary, Classical
and other subject-based societies all had
numerous visiting speakers throughout the
year.
At the ESU Public Speaking
Competition in Oxford, Archie Manners
was adjudged ‘Best Overall Speaker’; Alex
Donger (Dragon, j) and Rob Crawford
(British School, Warsaw, h) narrowly failed
to qualify for ESU finals.
ACTIVITIES
The Wednesday Afternoon Activities
programme continued to organise 5th
Form boys to teach in primary schools, and
concert parties to entertain residents in
homes across Oxfordshire. Instant Muscle,
and other community schemes, continued
to help local villagers.
It has been another year of charitable
activity by both dons and boys. Over
£15,000 has been raised by boys and dons
for a range of charities, with two major
recipients being Radley Village Church’s
‘Beetle Fund’ and Multiple Sclerosis,
through a large number of different
fund-raising events from Chinese lantern
launches, auctions, concerts to a mystery
art exhibition and a well- supported 24
hour ‘ergo’ relay on rowing machines.
The D of E boys had a notable year:
12 boys – Humphrey Maddan (Aldro, c),
Alex Welch (Dragon, a), Freddie Bolton
(Summer Fields, g), Max Blanshard
The Earl of Wessex is shown a magic trick whilst visiting a D of E exhibition
Creative Writing under Christopher
Ellott’s leadership is flourishing; visits,
readings and workshops from poets
including Sir Andrew Motion OR (on
the last night of his Laureateship), Greg
Leadbetter, John Whitworth, Costa Award
winner Jean Sprackland, and James Harpur
have stimulated the boys to write; ‘Today
I am going to rest’ is the latest Radley
College creative writing Anthology.
Radley’s own dons give a lead in writing
and research. Iain Campbell has published
6 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER

& ACTIVITIES IN 2008/9
Mann (Bilton Grange, d) and Angus Lambert
(Maidwell Hall, b) had work exhibited at the
Mary Hare School near Newbury. J and K
Socials’ public spaces have been filled with
imaginative artwork by Shells.
The St John’s Smith Square Concert
(Cottesmore, b), Will Haldane (Ludgrove,
b), Will Storey (Cranleigh Prep, d),
Barney Hunter (Farleigh, c), Will Mitchell
(Dragon, d), George Stinton (Sandroyd,
d), James Lucas (Caldicott, g), James
Chadwick (Cothill, h) and Noah Assheton
(Cothill, h)– were awarded their Gold. 24
boys attained their Bronze Award. The
Earl of Wessex visited Radley in October
and spoke to all 30 boys manning a D of E
exhibition, before unveiling a plaque to
open the new D of E Centre in the Careers
Library.
Tom Stewart (Maidwell Hall, f),
Jonathan Quicke (Summer Fields, b) and
Charlie Palmer (Cottesmore, b) won Army
Scholarships.
Radleians continue to go out to
Romania and Kerala in their summer
holidays in large numbers to teach and to
build houses.
It has once again – despite the credit
crunch – been a year of many expeditions:
all 136 Shells marked the 65th Anniversary
of D Day with an excellent visit in
April; the Rowers went to Portugal; Art
Historians and Artists to Italy; Linguists to
France. But we are conscious of the need to
rein back on an understandable enthusiasm
to visit attractive but expensive locations.
ARTS
A strong year for Drama was marked by
an outstanding Richard III, the College Play
in November, in which Hugo Walker (The
Elms, b) gave a towering performance. The
whole ensemble, skilfully directed by Robert
Lowe, and beautifully lit and stage managed
(Matt Barker) and costumed (Lianne Oakley-
Rowland) created a remarkable production.
Three boys had great success and training
for the National Youth Music Theatre: Tom
Milligan (Caldicott, k) played a major role
in the Hired Man in August and appeared
alongside Owen Petty (Elstree, c) in a new
musical by Mark Ravenhill in London. Ben
Sheen (Westminster Abbey Choir School, c)
worked on The Hired Man as a technician,
George May’s Remove Play, The Trial, was
a taut ensemble piece of physical theatre
and the Shell Play, Tom Brown’s Schooldays
(co-directed by Ben Hatt (Lockers Park, h)
and Robert Lowe), was a real company show
highlighting narrative techniques. The Dons’
Play, The Happiest Days of Your Life, was
thoroughly professional, highly entertaining,
and brought in £1,200 for charity.
The Art Department’s work, showcased all
round College, continues to impress visitors
and give meaning to Sewell’s aesthetic vision.
Arthur Laidlaw (Dragon, h), who left last
summer, was commended by AQA for gaining
100% in both AS and A2 exams. Seb Inglis-
Jones’s (Dulwich Prep, e) magnificent drawing
of an old truck in a field has been exhibited in
Oxfordshire’s Future Artists at the North Wall,
and in the Oxford Town Hall Gallery. Ollie
The sheer amount and quality of Music this
year has been remarkable; it has culminated
this summer in a sequence of seven individual
Leavers’ Concerts which have embraced
every instrument, and ranged from countertenor
aria and show songs to Shakespearean
soliloquy and stand-up comedy. Since
September the Chapel Choir, apart from
maintaining a very high standard each Sunday,
has sung in New College and Salisbury
Cathedral; there was a concert given by over
130 musicians to 500 in the audience at St
John’s, Smith Square of an excellent standard; a
splendid Duruflé Requiem on Remembrance
Sunday; Christmas and scholars’ concerts;
a rousing Carmen in March; a concert
performance of the next big dramatic treat,
Les Miserables; regular coffee concerts; five
big instrumental competitions; and the Piano
Extravaganza. Whilst invidious to praise some
above others, there is no doubt Radley will
miss the singing of Ben Sheen (Westminster
Abbey Choir School, c), the horn playing
of Andrew Savill (King’s Hall, g), the violin
of Arthur Sawbridge (Hall Grove, e), Myles
Watkiss (KCS Wimbledon, h) and Jonathan
Wong (Dragon, a), the saxophony of Charles
Cutteridge (Highgate Junior, d), the jazz piano
and sax of Henry Mills (Harrodian, e), and
the percussion and showmanship of Freddie
Tapner (Ludgrove, f) all 6.2 leavers all this
summer.
Richard III
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 7
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 7

season, winning every match against
Wellington and Abingdon; and winning
every senior match v. Eton. The 1st VIII
came 2nd in the ISL, the top 16 schools in
Southern England. They won the RHWM
League confortably. Both 1st and 2nd pairs
reached the semis of the St George’s Pairs,
and the 1st IV have reached the Glanvill
Cup regional final.
The Rowers in Portugal
SPORT
On the rugby pitches Radley had a really
good season, the product of talented boys
and skilled coaching from 42 dons. 14/15
matches were won v. Oundle; all matches
were won (one drawn) against Abingdon;
all but one won v. St Edward’s; 13/17 against
Marlborough. The 1st XV under Jack Hibbs
won most of their games, the wins away
against strong Warwick (8-7), Oundle
(43-7) and Marlborough (12-7) being the
highlight. The bottom three years in the
school were especially impressive: Colts
1st XV was unbeaten, JC 1st XV lost but
two games, and JC2, 4, 5 and 6 were all
unbeaten.
On the river a slow start to the
oarsmen’s season accelerated dramatically
at the National Schools’ Rowing Regatta
where the 1st VIII came 4th, 16.1 4th, 16.2
won silver, 15.1 bronze, 15.2 gold, 15.3 were
4th, 14.1 won silver and 14.2 won silver.
This was a very strong team performance.
A competitive and enjoyable inter-social
rowing regatta in June showed the Boat
Club in good spirits and victories at
Marlow (J16 coxed 4 and 2nd VIII) and
Reading J16.1 confirmed this.
Junior Colts where 20/22 matches were
won. Our strength in depth in the club
is seen by unbeaten Senior 2nd, 4th and
5th XIs and unbeaten JC2, 3 and 4 XIs. A
number of junior players were selected for
Oxfordshire; Hamish Miller (King’s Hall,
a) (Captain), Tom Beasley (Abingdon Prep,
b), Angus Lowe (Cheltenham, e), Charlie
Austen (Cothill, e) for U15 and James
Murphy (Dragon, b) for U16.
The beautiful new Real Tennis court
has already brought dividends; Radley
won the National Championships, the
Senior Team and the Senior Pair, Tom
Buckley (Moulsford, b) and George Hackett
(Downsend, h), triumphing. Ed Lyle
(Sandroyd, g) and Joe Manners (Maidwell
Hall, h) won the 2nd pair Championship.
The Tennis Club had an excellent
The winners of the Senior Trophy in the National Polo Championships
In Cricket, the club won seven in
every ten games with three sides still
unbeaten. A very young 1st XI - with
four Removes - has been superbly led by
Henry Mills (Harrodian, e), and has had
mixed results but not lacked for nail-biting
finishes, and the win at Wellington was
especially pleasing. Three Remove boys
(Wilf Marriott (Farleigh, g), Alex Hearne
(Dragon, j) and Nick Gubbins (Elstree,
h)) were chosen for the England U15
Cricket team in the summer holidays, an
extraordinary achievement for one school.
Polo: in the last week of the summer
term Radley won the senior trophy in the
National Schools’ Polo Championships and
were crowned National Champions. The
captain, Josh Nimmo (Arnold Lodge, d),
was awarded the trophy for best player.
Finally, the summer holidays saw mixed
fortunes for Old Radleians. Andrew Strauss
captained England to the Ashes victory.
Michael Henderson in the Daily Telegraph
wrote that the Ashes were Strauss’s
Waterloo, “You might say that the Ashes
were won on the playing fields of Radley”.
Lt Col Rupert Thornloe became one of only
eight British commanding officers killed
on active duty since 1948 when he died in
Afghanistan in late June; Radley has the
sad distinction of having had two of these
officers, Rupert Thornloe and David Blair,
more than any other school.
Hockey and Soccer suffered badly from
the cold snap in the Lent Term; many
fixtures in the first half of term were lost to
snow and ice. Although there was a young
and inexperienced 1st XI, the Hockey Club
had a good season with 65% of matches
won. The outstanding group was that of
8 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER

GEOGRAPHY
The Geography Department at Radley has forged strong links with prep schools under the
leadership of John Harris, Head of Geography. It has also pioneered many initiatives for
the innovative use of new technology.
On a brief tour of the Geography
Department in Queen’s Court, you may
encounter a group of students clustered
in front of two newly installed plasma
monitors. They could be discussing an
animated map of the worldwide spread of
swine flu, the latest earthquake or other
breaking “geo-news”. You will see photos of
field trips to Lulworth, Studland, the Alps,
Birmingham and the Gower. Next comes a
monitor showing live Radley weather data
- pressure seems to be rising and a sunny
day is in prospect for the cricket and tennis
matches. And you have only scratched the
surface of what geography has to offer,
both within the department and beyond.
All Shell (Year 9) students study geography
and it is one of the most popular choices
at both GCSE, with over 80 students per
year, and at A level with over 30 students.
This surge in popularity is all the more
pleasing at a time of national decline in
the numbers opting for the subject. The
excellent exam results at both levels are
one reason why Radleians choose to study
geography –over 80% score A* and A at
GCSE and 90% A/B at A level. Above all
they choose geography because it addresses
crucial and relevant issues which affect us
all: the changing environment, pressure
on resources, the challenge of global
disparities and much more. Geography is
an excellent bridge between the Arts and
Sciences and many of our students go on
to study it at university. Geographers are
highly valued in the workplace for their
key skills: literacy, numeracy, ICT and
teamwork.
Geography has embraced the information
technology revolution of the last 20 years.
The department has aimed to be in the
vanguard, especially in the application
of ICT for the benefit of both staff and
students. Geography has its own computer
suite and each classroom has a PC and
digital projector. The department runs its
own website geography.radley.org.uk which
features live weather maps, satellite images,
tropical cyclones, today’s earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions and a whole host of
educational links and teaching resources
which are freely shared worldwide. The
website was awarded a 4* rating by
Schoolzone for its educational value and
usefulness.
The Radley Geography Department has
conceived and coordinated a range of
online initiatives including collaborative
internet projects such as MetLink,
Raincatch and Cloudwatch which share
data and teaching resources with schools
worldwide. A recent visit to Radley by
Andy Griggs, Head of Geography at
Peterhouse School, Zimbabwe, was one
of many examples where such contacts
have led to strong and ongoing bonds of
friendship.
The Radley automatic weather station
constantly uploads live data to the
geography website. This proves particularly
useful for those planning summer sports
and outdoor activities. The recently
opened Radley Community shop uses
the daily temperature data to investigate
and regulate energy consumption and so
minimize the carbon footprint.
We have had over ten years’ experience
of using video, data logging and GIS
(Geographical Information Systems).
Students have used GIS to plot local
land use and to investigate the origins
and modes of travel of shoppers. Photos
and field trip videos allow students to
illustrate their coursework and to use
digital media in many ways. The Shells,
for example, produce their own videos of
rock weathering, based on lab and field
experiments - the best efforts are uploaded
to YouTube.
The advent of Google Maps and
Google Earth has revolutionised digital
mapping and allows us all to be expert
cartographers. Radley students can
upload fieldwork data to Google Maps
and produce attractive and informative
PowerPoint presentations.
The Geography Department runs
geography ICT training for other schools
and the annual prep school training days
are always well attended. Recent training
has included the design of web pages,
video production, setting up a geography
weblog, GIS workshops and customising
Google Maps and Google Earth to enhance
teaching and learning.
And what of the future? Geography is
undergoing constant change. The Remove
(Year 10) students have recently embarked
on the new IGCSE Geography specification
which is both exciting and challenging.
Changes have already taken place at A
level and the Common Entrance course is
also being updated. Meanwhile the Radley
geography staff are determined to continue
pushing the frontiers into new and exciting
territory.
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 9

Next
teps
S
Radleians at
University
Ed Martineau (ex Senior Prefect), finished Cambridge
this year and is now destined for Bristol Old Vic.
Harvard University
The recession has led to substantial increases
in university applications in both the USA
and the UK (applications were up 10.4%
in the 2008 round, 8.8% in 2009): higher
education is seen both as a refuge from the
ravaged job-market, and as an investment
for the post-recession future. Inevitably
it is the most competitive and popular
courses at top universities which have seen
the biggest increases in applications (Law,
Medicine, Economics, English, History).
The more difficult it becomes for Radleians
to get an offer or place from their firstchoice
university, the more vital it is for us
to encourage them to research and prepare
the application thoroughly, and to adopt
the right strategy across the five choices
available. So far, numbers of Radleians
going to top UK universities have remained
constant for a number of years: a major
achievement in the circumstances.
Ideally a student will identify a subject or
combination of subjects, and then a course,
which corresponds with his interests and
ambitions. It is then a question of identifying
the five best such courses available at UK
universities. A much more likely scenario
however is that a student (or his parents)
identifies a small group of acceptable
universities, and is flexible enough to study
almost any course in order to get a place
at one of them. In extremis this can lead
(indeed has led) to a student applying to
five different courses at the same (highly
fashionable) university. As it happened,
the strategy worked, although the course
for which he was accepted was somewhat
esoteric: a desirable university knows how
to make the most of its status, and in such
circumstances will only make one offer, and
that for the least popular course. In practice,
most applicants steer a sensible middle
course between these extremes: they identify
their top one or two universities, choose two
or three other less competitive destinations;
they are quite clear about the course they
want, but are prepared to be flexible up
to a point (how much difference is there
between Politics and International Relations?
History and Modern History? Finance and
Accounting?).
So what are the most desirable UK
universities? Everyone knows Oxford
and Cambridge of course, and most have
heard of the Russell Group (a notional
top 20 group of the next best). In recent
years, however, a breakdown of applicant
numbers (from Radley and other leading
independent schools) suggests that Bristol,
Durham and Edinburgh have broken away
from the rest of the pack; following them
the major London colleges (KCL, UCL,
Imperial); then Exeter heading a group of
very good but more accessible institutions
including Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester.
Some really excellent universities (notably
York and Warwick) have been consistently
undervalued by Radleians in the past,
Charlie Barker and Jim Summerly chat to some recent ORs studying at Durham
10 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER

The University of Oxford
though we try to press their cases. Perhaps
this is on the grounds of their architectural
mediocrity, but actually few universities will
provide as elegant a physical environment
as Radley, and there are more important
criteria to consider. It makes better sense to
target specific courses which have a worldwide
reputation, irrespective of their perhaps
drab provincial setting. Estate Management
at Reading, French at Aston, Medicine at
Leicester: these are renowned courses with
high rates of graduate employment.
What does Radley do, through its Form
Masters, Heads of Department, Director
of University Entrance and its vast pool of
accumulated knowledge, to maximise our
sixth-formers’ chances of getting to their
first-choice university? We show them where
they can get the information they need (links
are on the college Intranet); we ensure that
the Personal Statement is course-oriented,
non-derivative, individual and striking
(particularly important for Humanities/Arts
- based courses).
And we manage expectations: steer them
away from unrealistic choices; and help them
find the course (maybe an odd combination
of subjects) at their preferred university
which gives them the best chance of success.
We encourage them to consider alternatives:
increasing numbers apply successfully to
Trinity College, Dublin (which is outside
the UCAS system); and a small but growing
number of boys apply to universities
in the USA. This is a time-consuming
and expensive process, but the logic is
indisputable: there are more universities
in the USA (more than 3,000), therefore
there are more very good universities. The
THES world league table is dominated by
American universities, some of which are
little-known in the UK. For those prepared
to invest more money in their university
education, and more time in the application
process; for those who are unsure as to what
subjects to specialise in (‘concentration’ or
choosing a ‘major’ are usually delayed until
the third year at American universities); and
for those prepared to live abroad for four
years, the American student experience is
particularly rewarding.
for which complete statistics are available
(2007); of Radley leavers going to UK
universities, 109 out of 121 went to Russell
Group universities.
This is certainly cause for satisfaction and
optimism that Radley does and will continue
to prepare its students to achieve highly in
terms of university entrance.
Jon Nash
Formerly Director of University Entrance
Durham University
Finally, consider the fact that in the last year
The destinations of Radleians over the past five years
Bristol
Leeds
Edinburgh
Oxford
Durham
Newcastle
Cambridge
Nottingham
Exeter
Other
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 11
THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 11

Ed Stuart Bourne (Fifth Form)
SWANBOURNE HOUSE AND D SOCIAL
Birdman Photography
My first experience of Radley was as a
timid 10 year old sitting the Foundation
Award. I was at my local primary school
and intended to join the equally local
Aylesbury Grammar School in the following
September. Since I obviously knew best, I
wondered why I was sitting this scholarship
when I had already passed my 11+. My
parents, however, insisted, and so I went to
Radley on a December morning, observing
all the towering boys and their strange
uniforms. I sat a few exams and returned
home, content that I wouldn’t have to do
anything like this again and sure that I
would definitely never be returning to
Radley.
I was shocked, therefore, when my parents
informed me on my coming home from
school a few weeks later that I had won a
place at Radley starting in September 2007
and would be attending Swanbourne House,
a prep school at the end of the year.
I prepared as much as I could for the prep
school experience, learning some French
and Latin. It was still a big shock when I
joined, but within weeks I felt at home.
The two years at Swanbourne passed
quickly and before long I was on D Social’s
doorstep, dressed awkwardly in a suit and a
gown. It was a huge step up, but one that I
was well-prepared for, I believe, by my two
years at Swanbourne.
I remember thinking on one of my first
days at Radley that it was a curious place,
nice to visit, but not one that I would
want to stay at. There were so many new
concepts and customs to get used to.
I’m going to fast forward now to the present
day. As a current fifth former, I believe that
I’m a very different person to the one who
stepped into D Social in early September
2007. The range of opportunities that I
radleians
have had is staggering. I’ll be heading the
D Social team for the Shells & Removes
Debating competition next week; later
today, I’ll be down at the river, rowing; in
a couple of weeks I will be running around
somewhere in Oxfordshire with a gun, as
part of CCF Field Weekend. One moment I
could be learning Ancient Greek, the next,
singing my heart out in Chapel.
Ah yes - the Chapel. We’re often told that
it’s the first place the Old Radleians ask to
go on visiting Radley (who can forget such
hearty singing?!?), and I would certainly
agree that it’s an integral part of College life.
I got confirmed in the Radley Chapel a few
months ago and since then I have realised
what a wealth of opportunities there are
for Christians at Radley - from Saint’s Day
services at 8am to Christian forum on
Tuesday night, I can wholeheartedly thank
Radley for allowing me to discover a lot
more about the Christian faith and decide
what a lot of my views are.
Most of all, Radley has given me the
confidence to try new things. Of course
the teaching is great and there are lots of
opportunities, but I think the best thing
about Radley is its involvement in turning
you from a boy to a man and the way your
character is shaped along the way by the
experiences you have.
Victor Culebras (6.2)
BRITISH COUNCIL SCHOOL, MADRID
AND A SOCIAL
It was around four years ago when, on an
ordinary weekend, the Oratory School
were facing Radley College at rugby. Given
that I was a member of the Oratory at
the time, I arrived to the Radley Campus
with the mere intention of beating their
team. Sadly for me, we lost; in fact we got
absolutely destroyed. Surprisingly, none
of the Radleians showed any signs of
arrogance or disdain towards us, instead,
they showed amazing sportsmanship and
extreme politeness which made me want
to spend the rest of my academic life in a
place like Radley. After Oratory, I did my
IGCSEs in Spain and, in the summer of
2008, this wonderful memory appeared in
my mind which made me want to become
a Radleian.
When I arrived at Radley, the college
fulfilled my expectations - I was impressed
by the welcoming atmosphere, the
companionship between the students,
the professionalism of the dons and staff
and many other aspects that make this
College such a special place. It did not take
me long to establish great relationships
with my fellow students who have always
showed a friendly attitude. Since the very
first day, Radley felt like home.
I have now been a Radleian for almost
a year, and this experience has helped
me immensely in the improvement of
both academic and personal aspects. In
the campus we are taught everything
can be achieved with determination and
that perseverance is the basis of every
achievement. The 6.1 has been a reasonably
challenging year with some A-level exams at
the end of the summer term. Taking French
and Maths modules early has not been an
easy task; however, with the help of my
friends and dons I will hopefully achieve the
results I want.
Sport has always played an important role
in my life. When I came to Radley, I was
terribly concerned by the possibility that
the academic work would leave me no time
for sport. However, I was proved wrong as
I found myself doing more exercise than
when I was at my last school. In the first
term I really enjoyed the rugby, a game at
which I had not played much and that I
found very amusing and stimulating. In the
summer, I joined the tennis club and was
struck by the high level of some Radleians;
being around such good players has greatly
helped me to improve in this game.
My time at Radley so far has been an
amazing experience which is hard to
describe with words. I expect no less from
6.2, which appears to me as an academically
challenging year in which hard work will
be the key for success. As an Oxbridge
candidate, I will have to start working
from the very first moment of the term in
order to achieve such a difficult goal. The
applications for Oxford and Cambridge start
in October so I must be prepared to get the
best out of myself.
There is no doubt that this year will involve
a lot of work, however, I am certain that I
will enjoy every moment of my future time
at Radley.
12 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER Website: www.radley.org.uk . Admissions enquiries: 01235 543174 . admissions@radley.org.uk