N e w s l e t t e R - Radley College

Radley
The
N e w s l e t t e r
Volume 14
| Life Skills | Admissions | Radleians |
| The Radley Year 2011/12 | Tanzania and Borneo | Astronomy |
THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER 1

Life Skills
This Summer Term, due to the effects of the Royal Jubilee celebrations and the
manner in which the majority of GCSE/IGCSE exams fell before Half Term, we
organised a wide-ranging series of activities for Fifth Formers who had finished
all or most of their papers. We called it The Life Skills Course.
For two weeks, a majority of the
year group chose to participate in:
Krav Maga self-defence training
(which taught boys how to resist
street assault, including knife
attacks); motivational coaching,
run by the inspiring Joe Sparks;
etiquette classes (which were
particularly popular and run by
international consultants, The
English Manner); gym circuits run
by the Sports Centre staff; lectures
- on diet, life in the City and the
Army and counter-insurgency
through history; a day trip to the
National Coal Mining Museum
and Yorkshire Sculpture Park; and
the expertly-run adventure camps
in Wales and Oxfordshire. On
the camps, boys were set exciting
challenges, which in many cases
helped them to achieve new goals
and conquer personal phobias,
especially vertigo. All activities
were provided without extra cost to
parents.
I was particularly impressed
with two things. Firstly, boys
were openly appreciative of all
that was arranged for them and
engaged in all activities with
real energy and a positive spirit,
despite being a little tired after
their examinations. Secondly, the
response from Common Room for
volunteers to help with the project
was magnificent, despite Dons’
very busy schedules at this time of
year. It is very likely that aspects
of the courses will be incorporated
into general Radley life in future,
such has been their success. We
note that no competitor school has
arranged a programme of post-
GCSE diversions on this scale and
it is our intention to run a similar
programme, albeit in amended
form, next year.
Finally, I would like to thank
all those who made it possible,
especially Paul Fernandez and
Will Matthews - who arranged the
adventurous training camps.
Stephen Rathbone,
Academic Director
The Youlbury Camps
The Youlbury trips aimed to develop the
pupils’ confidence, abilities and teamwork.
They navigated themselves from Radley to
Youlbury, living there in close proximity, with
communal cooking and washing-up. The
quantities of food available went down well
and the boys even came up with some new
culinary treats. A pudding of waffles with
melted marshmallows, chocolate drops and
ice cream proved popular.
Most of the time was taken up undertaking a
wide array of aerial activities, which developed
the boys’ confidence at height, with a great
deal of teamwork needed to complete tasks.
These included: the 3-G swing, an exhilarating
two-person swing, often upside-down; an
aerial trek, a series of obstacles at height; crate
stacking (how high can the pair get, balancing
on bottle crates?); Jacob’s ladder; teams of
three negotiating ever-widening horizontal
logs; archery; abseiling, both upright and
upside-down; finally, zip wire, again also
occasionally upside-down.
The boys relaxed by playing frisbee, football,
touch rugby, plus the ‘giant connect-4’ and
‘giant jenga’. They engaged with every activity
and certainly gained a great deal from their
trip.
Paul Fernandez
2 2 The THE Radley RADLEY Newsletter
NEWSLETTER

The Wales Camps
The camps in Wales were a terrific success. Radleians achieved a great deal across
two three-day camps and a total of 36 boys attended. From our base, they climbed
the highest mountain in Clwyd – Cadair Berwyn (827m); threw themselves into the
plunge pool of the highest waterfall in the UK – Pistyll Rhaeadr (80m); conquered
their vertigo on the highest rope course in the UK (a mere 21 metres high); and
learned to cook spaghetti bolognese – an essential for university life!
They enjoyed the exciting challenge of white water rafting at the sport’s National
Centre. They also made music with the Jenny Miller Band in the evenings.
Will Matthews
THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER 3
The Radley Newsletter 3

Admissions at
The number of parents registering
their sons at Radley has almost
doubled since 2003 and by 2006 it
became apparent that the school
needed a full time Registrar and
the Admissions Office was quickly
established. Based in the Mansion, the
Admissions team is responsible for all
issues regarding entry to Radley: from
when boys are first registered at birth,
until the moment they arrive on their
first day here.
The Office takes around 1,500
enquiries every year and arranges
around 600 visits to Radley – an
average of nearly thirty visits each
week in term-time. There are no Open
Days: instead all visits are arranged
on an individual basis, with parents
and boys meeting a member of Senior
Management and/or the Registrar, and
being given a full tour of the school
by a current pupil. All Radley boys are
considered well-qualified to offer a
tour; there is no system of trained tour
guides.
Radley is the only school still to take
registrations simply in date order:
i.e. from birth. Demand is higher
than ever and there is already a
waiting list for 2021. If registered
early, there is no compulsory ‘pretest’:
it is simply a question of sitting
Common Entrance at 13+, with the
pass mark currently 55%, rising to
60% in 2014. This absence of any
pre-testing at 11+ is an essential part
of Radley’s philosophy. Registrar,
Vanessa Hammond, explains why:
“Boys develop enormously between
11 and 13. We benefit from having
late developers coming to Radley
and we pride ourselves on taking a
Natasha Cooper
Natasha has worked in the Admissions Office since it was
set up in 2008. In addition to her other duties, she provides
a welcoming face to boys and parents alike, when they arrive
for Scholarships and ‘Warden’s List’ Days.
4 The Radley Newsletter
4 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER

adleians
Radley
broad mix of boys with many varying
talents.”
Offers of places are sent out three
years in advance, in registration date
order. The earlier boys are registered,
the better their chances of obtaining
a place. On receipt of a firm offer,
parents are invited to visit three
Socials of their choice and can discuss
this choice with the Registrar. Parents
can also book to meet the Warden
then. The Registrar co-ordinates
waiting lists for Socials which again
are organized in registration date
order.
Vanessa Hammond, Registrar.
Vanessa was until 2011,
Development Director at The
School of St Helen and St
Katharine, Abingdon, where she
dealt with marketing and fundraising.
She herself lived in G
Social for twelve years, being
married to Senior Master, Harry
Hammond, former Tutor there.
Anne Widdup
Anne moved from the
Foundation Office in 2010 and
since leaving university, has
gained extensive experience
in administration. Anne’s
responsibilities include
arranging visits to Social Tutors
and Common Entrance.
Around 25 places are held back for
those who register too late or who
have not registered at all, known
as the ‘Warden’s List’. Around 80
boys apply for these limited places
and come here for interviews and
assessment two years before entry
- also organised by the Admissions
Office.
There are Scholarships held in
January/February of the year of entry,
with Academic, Art, Music, Drama
and ‘All Rounder’ awards all open for
entry to registered and non-registered
candidates from the June in the
previous year. About 25 scholarships
are offered each year, which can be
supplemented by a means-tested
bursary. Generally we have around
20-25 candidates applying for an
academic scholarship; whilst up
to double that number often apply
for ‘All Rounder’ awards, reflecting
Radley’s strength across the board.
In addition, there are Foundation
Awards, which are means-tested
and intended for those currently at
maintained schools. Assessments are
held three years in advance, with the
Radley Foundation paying for two
years at prep school, followed by five
years at Radley.
Although places in the Sixth Form
are often limited, we do also hold
Sixth Form Entrance assessments
in November each year, for boys
interested in coming to Radley for the
final two years. In particular there is
the Bastyan Organ Scholarship for
Sixth Formers which is a means tested
bursary, up to 100% of the fees, for a
talented organist.
All this makes for a very busy
year for the Admissions team:
organizing advance offers of places in
Michaelmas, running Scholarships in
the New Year, co-ordinating Common
Entrance in June. And, of course,
organizing all those visits to Radley
each week….
Details of how to apply to Radley are
on our website – www.radley.org.uk
Henry Rees (Remove)
Moulsford, J Social
I’ve been at Radley for a year, yet feel as if I’ve just
arrived; the time has gone so quickly. My biggest
concern was that I had never boarded before at my
Prep School, but after a few days, it became secondnature
to me, as I was overwhelmed with activities.
Firstly, there is the ‘Games Circus’ to keep you
occupied, where you can try out all the different
sports. My favourites were squash, closely followed
by real tennis. Then you have Shell Athletic
Standards, where you compete in running, long
jump, track and field events. Even with these
sporting commitments, you have some free time,
which you can use to make friends. The Haddon
Cup is another way of making friends within your
Social, as you all work together on the same Drama
production.
The best part of Radley is the freedom given to try
out new things out and the fact that not everything
is strictly regimented. So, for example, you can play
sports, or practise music in Central Hour, an hour
long period in the middle of the day. The one thing
I won’t miss about being a Shell are the duties you
have to complete before morning lessons, such as
collecting papers or tidying up the Games Room!
At the beginning, you are put in sets based on your
Common Entrance or Scholarship results; but after
first-term exams, there is movement between these
sets. Compared with your previous schools, there
is a lot more Prep, but they do give you the time to
do this in the evening. As long as you use this time
efficiently, you shouldn’t need to work in your free
time.
Apart from duties, I have really enjoyed my first
year; it has been a great help in making me more
independent and self-reliant. It has given me lots of
opportunities: some of which only come perhaps
once or twice in a lifetime, and some I would
almost certainly not be able to do anywhere else.
THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER 5

The Radley
Academic
At time of writing (with most A Level
re-marks complete), we had seen 92.41% of
A Level results graded A* to B. At AS, which
boys sit largely with A2 in the 6.2 year, 93.42%
of grades were A/B (there is no A* at AS). A
record number of boys (76) collected 3 A*/
As or more. Eight boys gained 5A*/A grades,
of which two gained a complete row of top
grades. Finally, three boys gained 6 A*/A
grades. All this means that the vast majority
of Radleians gained entry to their preferred
university course. Indeed, some who had
exceeded expectations, took advantage of
the recently introduced UCAS 'adjustment'
system to gain an upgrade in course and/
or university. Once again, there was strong
evidence that studying four A Levels had been
very significant in gaining offers from the
prestigious institutions to which Radleians
aspire.
Our GCSE/IGCSE results were similarly
impressive, with (before re-marks) 90.5%
of grades at A*/A. This was a rise of 4.55%
compared with the previous year. Many
individual performances were quite
exceptional, with 19 boys gaining 10 A*s or
more. There was a good number of instances
where boys far surpassed their grade
predictions. Despite the increased rigour of
IGCSEs, which are now sat in many subjects,
it seems that boys and their teachers have risen
to the stimulating challenge in an impressive
way. It is also notable that while the national
share of A* grades fell by 0.5%, to 7.3%, we saw
Radley's total rise from an already impressive
43.13% in 2011, to 57% this year. This was an
enormous leap and we are very proud of
what the boys have achieved. In line with our
established policy, we shall not be publishing
the results in the national press. However, you
will agree that boys, parents and Common
Room have a great deal to celebrate.
This was the second year of boys voluntarily
taking the Edexcel Extended Project, as
the culmination of their ‘Standing on the
Shoulders of Giants’ courses in 6.1. Fourteen
boys submitted Projects on a wide variety of
subjects: over half, eight, achieved A* grades.
‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’ aims to
encourage Independent Learning at Radley;
it is clear university admissions dons like
the breadth it provides. The accompanying
Lectures, over 30 in the 6.1 year, have again
proved highly stimulating.
It has been an intensely competitive year
for university entry, but Radleians did well at
Oxbridge in December, and large numbers
have received offers from historically
demanding universities including Bristol,
Durham and Edinburgh.
Tom Saunders’ (Woodleigh, h) poem
‘Beauty’ was runner-up in the Roche Court
Poetry competition 2011; Freddy Rendall (Hall
Grove, c) was a runner-up in the Vellacott
History prize, Cambridge University’s most
prestigious History essay prize for schools;
Patrick Rogers (Ludgrove, k) was awarded
a meritorious Nuffield Bursary and spent
four weeks on a research project (Surface
Topography of Metallic Bodies); Nick
Ogilvie (Horris Hill, k) has just won
a similar award to spend time at an
engineering firm in Banbury.
Declamations 2012 was again
outstanding, judged by Dr
Paul Dean of Summer Fields.
Tommy Siman, Senior Prefect,
(Abingdon Prep, h) created
history by winning for the fifth
year running, this time the
6.2 class. Other winners were
Jamie Robinson (Twyford, f);
Alexander Johnstone
(Ludgrove, c); Ned Campbell
(St John’s Cambridge, e);
Conor Mosedale (Christ
Church Cathedral, f).
It has been another busy
year for Debating. In October,
we welcomed sixth formers
from Wycombe Abbey. Our
main team of John Warner
(Dragon, a) and Ed Stuart-Bourne
(Swanbourne House, d) then
competed in the ESU Mace at St
Helen’s, Abingdon. The Final of the
Sixth Form Inter-Social Competition was
won by H Social’s team of George Gundle
(Dragon, h), Tom Saunders and Tommy
Siman (Abingdon Prep, h). In addition, all
Shells took part in the Grand 2012 Shells
Competition, with every single boy being
a main Speaker at some stage. Finally, the
Final of the Removes/Shells Competition
was contested in June by J and E Socials, with
Alex Rae (Pinewood, j), Alex Grant (Dragon,
e) and Yannis Gidopoulos (Moulsford, e) all
impressing as excellent speakers.
Again we were fortunate to attract
distinguished visitors to the school including
John Nugee, Ziya Meral, Clive Stafford-
Smith, Lord Feldman, John Bridcut. Jonathan
Edwards came to inspire us to aim high in
Olympic year. Professor AC Grayling spoke
on New College of the Humanities and on
Philosophy. The academic and department
societies enjoyed a host of guest speakers
across the year.
The 6.2 Conference with
St Helen’s was a great
success – ‘Born
to Lead’
brought
together
David Richards,
CEO Aston Martin;
Ed Smith, writer and
cricketer; Fru Hazlitt (on Leadership
in the Media), and Commodore Jake Moores.
Creative writing has had another strong
year under Christopher and Cathy Ellott;
Creative Writing Anthologies continue to be
published regularly.
6 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER

Year 2011/12
The rebirth of the Medical Society
during Michaelmas Term produced an early
highlight as Hamish Miller (King’s Hall, a)
won a medical lecture competition against
fellow prospective medical students
from Harrow School and
Wycombe Abbey
School. Hamish
presented a
thoughtprovoking
lecture entitled
‘The Ethics of Predictive
Testing: Huntington’s Disease’.
Radley dons keep themselves fresh by
writing: Rob King’s 20th book whilst at Radley
has just been published – Revision Notes in A
Level Chemistry.
Activities
Back in September, the whole school
embarked on a sponsored walk.
Originally the brainchild of Dr Jim
Summerly, who was too ill to organise it,
Tim Lawson masterminded an excellent
day. Boys walked 20 miles of the
Ridgeway and raised £83,000. One newly
arrived Shell, Oliver Smith (Dragon, k)
raised £1,860 alone.
Ed Barber (Summer Fields, d), Tom
Stables (Ashdown House, d) and Will
Travers (Aldro, d) raised £47,500 for
A-CET and Combat Stress by cycling
from London to Monte Carlo. In
total over £200,000 has been
raised by the College and its
individuals in 2011/12.
In this Jubilee Year, 4
cadets from the CCF Royal
Naval Section, Johnny
Hayes (Horris Hill, k),
Freddie Light (Cumnor
House, h), Ben Mills
(Summer Fields, k), and
Ed Walker (Ludgrove,
k), formed part of the
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
Pageant in the Admiral
Bowyer, one of the RN
Section’s New Trinity 500
craft. Radley’s was the only
CCF crew to take part.
There was a successful
Biennial CCF Inspection
conducted by Marshal of the
Royal Air Force Lord Craig of
Radley. On November 11th we
had a moving presentation from
Harry Parker OR, badly wounded
in Afghanistan, and his uncle Edward
Parker of ‘Walking with the Wounded’.
Remembrance Sunday saw a packed
Chapel, with Sally Thorneloe in
attendance, for a special Remembrance
Sunday Service, complete with flypast
from a WW1 plane. Radley’s Armed
Forces Fund, to educate children of
service personnel injured or killed in
action, now stands at £1.23m; it was
given a great boost by the Silver Ball in
November 2011, attended by over 900
guests, and raising over £250k on the
night.
Radleians continue to do a great deal
for Community Action Projects: teaching
in primary schools, helping cub packs,
teaching visiting children and teaching
Y8/9 pupils Classics for Beginners at
the Oxford Academy, being members
of Concert Parties going out weekly to
Old People’s homes in Oxfordshire. 48
separate homes were visited. March saw
the link established with a new Academy,
Desborough School, Maidenhead,
to which Radley will be educational
advisors.
A large number of trips and
expeditions have taken place – historians
to Russia and Nomandy, classicists to
Rome and the Bay of Naples, politics
students to Washington and rugby
players to Italy.
In July 2011, thirteen 6.2 boys joined
EJT and Annette Hack for a 10 day
building project in Kerala (South India).
Working alongside local tradesmen, they
helped build homes for two families on
the island of Mankotta, whose current
accommodation dipped below the waterline
during the rainy season. Following
the project, the boys independently (in
groups of four or five) explored Kerala
and its neighbouring states.
Also in July 2011, Andrew Shouler,
Matt and Kirsty Pringle led fourteen 6.1
boys in running a summer school for
12-16 year olds in School no. 2 in Moreni,
Romania. The boys taught English,
craft and engaged in cultural exchange
activities. Bertie Johnstone (Ludgrove,
c) and Turoe Holder (Caldicott, f), in
particular, distinguished themselves
for the quality of their lessons and
preparation. This July (2012), seventeen
6.1 boys (and one 6.2) travelled to
Tanzania with MRJ, GJAH and AMH.
After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, they
met our new partner school (Gehandu
Secondary School in Mbulu) to get
involved in teaching activities and
cultural exchange. The boys’ fundraising
will provide them with school textbooks
and equipment. At the same time,
WOCM and DP took twenty 6.1 boys on
a joint trip to Borneo with Tudor Hall.
Whilst there, they completed a building
project in a remote jungle location.
THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER 7

Arts
Drama has once again had an
exceptional year. Individually the
boys have flourished and Jon Tarcy
(Shrewsbury House, g) gained a place at
the Central School of Speech and Drama,
while Henry Mcpherson (The Downs,
d) and John Warner (Dragon, a) are
preparing to direct West Side Story for
Pegasus Theatre. Jon Tarcy was a brilliant
Sweeney Todd in Robert Lowe’s excellent
production of Sondheim’s masterpiece
in November 2011. There has never
been anything like it at Radley for its
professional quality in what is musically
a fiendishly difficult work. The company,
with girls from across Oxfordshire,
sang exceptionally well; the stage and
costumes were wonderful and sell-out
audiences in all six performances were
wowed. In the Lent Term the Removes
performed The Madness of George III
with a marvellous and convincing title
role from Thor Winkler von Stiernhielm
(Eagle House, h), while 6.1 performed
‘Arcadia’ with a very strong cast. The
Shell Play, Treasure Island, was directed
by Henry Mcpherson (The Downs, d)
and Jamie Robinson (Twyford, f). The
Theatre was busy, too, with Charity
Games Shows, written and chaired by
Robert Lowe, raising £1,800 for Sobell
House, with a wonderful Leavers’ Recital
from Tommy Siman (Abingdon Prep, h)
and Jon Tarcy (Shrewsbury House, g),
and with the second year of the Milligan
Cup for Musical Theatre, won again by
Jon Tarcy.
Music, too, continues to flourish. In
the Michaelmas Term, Scholars Concert,
Ferguson Singing Competition (with
huge numbers of competitors), the
Hudson String Competition, a wonderful
and impressive Choral Evensong at
Worcester Cathedral (whose canons said
they’d never seen a choir 115+) as large
in the Cathedral, and the high quality
Carol services and Christmas Concert;
the Lent Term was marked by John
Warner (Dragon, a) and Tom Bennett
(Hall Grove, a) gaining Performance
Diplomas, only the 4th and 5th boys
to achieve that accolade at Radley, and
by Will Ford (New College, b) gaining
a Choral Scholarship to New College,
Oxford, Lawrence Halksworth (St
George’s Windsor, e) a Vocal Scholarship
to the Royal College of Music, and James
Moore (Hereford Cathedral School, e)
winning two piano competitions at the
Oxford Music Festival. Our leading
musicians came together for an excellent
Concerto Concert in February and for
an equally arresting Piano Extravaganza.
The Summer Term saw a packed Silk
Hall witnessing a varied and entertaining
Warden’s Music, and a Wharton Piano
Competition of real and rare quality. Nor
is all the music conventionally classical;
guitar playing, rock music and musical
theatre flourish.
The Art Department has struggled
manfully with the demolition of its
gallery space; once again the examination
shows were of a very high standard. The
department eagerly awaits the opening
of the new Clocktower Square (due in
Summer 2013), and boys’ work is being
prepared to adorn the huge and inviting
spaces there.
Sport
Radley is one of the strongest sports
schools in England, judged both by the
sheer number of teams it puts out – 24
Rugby XVs in Michaelmas Term,
18 Hockey XIs and 11 Soccer XIs
and 10 VIIIs in the Lent Term, 18
Cricket XIs, numerous Tennis
pairs, 10 VIIIs in the Summer
Term – but also in the success
those teams have against
strong fixture lists. It is very
rare indeed for the school
not to win the majority
of its matches in a block
fixture. And looking at the
top teams in each sport –
Rugby 1st XV won all but 2
games; Hockey 1st XI won
all but one game; Cricket
1st XI winning all but
one game; 1st VIII bronze
medallists in the National
Schools; 1st IV Tennis last
year in the top four schools
nationally. It is quite some
record.
In the Rugby, 70% of matches
were won. Against Oundle
16/17 matches were won, against
Sherborne 17/20, Bedford 14/17,
Marlborough 14/17. The 1st XV was
powerful, and in close encounters had
the strength to come through and win:
Sherborne beaten 8-7; Tonbridge 12-11
(their only defeat); Bedford 14-10. Oliver
Wynne-Griffith was an outstanding
and inspirational captain. The 5th XV,
(Stonewall) and JC4 and 5 were unbeaten.
The 1st XI Hockey had another
excellent season finishing with a record
of Won 8, Drawn 1, Lost 1 to win the
Charlie Barker trophy for the second
year running. They also won the
Oxfordshire U18 County Tournament.
Other teams to excel included the 2nd
XI, 4th XI, M4 and M5 who all won
their respective ISHL leagues. The
club as a whole set high standards and
almost 60% of matches played were
won. Individual honours went to James
Todd (Cheltenham College Junior, g),
Hugh Gordon (Winchester House, c),
James Mahon (Cothill, c) and Andrew
Pfaff (Cheam, e) who were selected to
play for Oxfordshire at their respective
age groups. Hamish Miller (King’s Hall,
a) was an excellent captain. The 1st XI
Soccer had a slow start to the season
but reached the final of the LB Cup for
the second year running,
narrowly losing to
Loughborough
Grammar
School
1-0.
The Cricket has
been led by three extraordinary
schoolboy players, Captain Wilf Marriott
(Farleigh, g), Nick Gubbins (Elstree,
h) and Alex Hearne (Dragon, j), all of
whom have had representative honours,
and have played in the XI for four years
or more. Wilf scored five centuries, and
a 50 and Nick Gubbins’ 130 v Bradfield
was one of the best schoolboy innings
8 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER

ever seen on the ground. Against Eton,
the pair scored 236-0 in their opening
partnership, and topped that by scoring
252-0 against Abingdon (Marriott 138 n.o.
Gubbins 102 n.o.). But all the cricketers
have suffered from terrible weather. Other
notable scalps have been Marlborough,
Charterhouse, Winchester and Harrow,
with really comprehensive wins at Harrow
and at Tonbridge, where Tonbridge were
dismissed for 87 when pursuing Radley’s
237. For the first time Radley
won both the Cowdrey
Cup (versus Eton,
Tonbridge,
Charterhouse
and Wellington)
and the John Harvey
Cup (versus Marlborough, St
Edwards, Winchester and Bradfield).
It has been a challenging season for the
rowers with many events cancelled due
to adverse weather conditions. The J15s
have improved steadily during the course
of the season and achieved an excellent
win in the quad event at Marlow Town
Regatta and a third place in the eight at
Wallingford Regatta. The J16s showed
good form throughout the season with a
win at Nottingham City Regatta, second
place Wallingford Regatta and a solid
fourth place in a record-breaking final at
the National Schools’ Regatta. The 2nd
VIII had a good win at Worcester Regatta
(where they also won in the coxed four
event) and have improved steadily during
the season. The 1st VIII started the season
with a fifth place in the Schools’ Head
and achieved second place in Elite Eights
at Nottingham City Regatta. They were
in an excellent record-breaking National
Schools’ final where they clinched the
bronze medal, and both the coxed and
coxless fours reached the A-final in a large
and very competitive field. At Henley they
reached the final of the Princess Elizabeth
Cup, losing narrowly to Abingdon. For
the fifth time in the past decade they
posted the second fasted time of the
whole competition, but still lost out.
Ollie Wynne-Griffith (Aldro, j) and
Charlie Shaw (Westbourne House,
j) also represented Great Britain
at the Munich International
Regatta.
On the Athletics track
history was made. Blair
McCallum (Moulsford, b)
broke school records at 100m
(10.6), 200m (21.6), helped
the 4x100m relay team to
a new record (43.1) and in
winning the Achilles Relays
4x100m (best performance
of the day award, too) and
came second in the Scottish
Senior Championships 200m.
George Gundle (Dragon, h)
broke a long standing record at
400m with 50.4. 21 boys and 20
dons/adults took part in the 50k
relay race at Radley; the team of
3-5 took between 2hrs 46 minutes
and 3hrs 41 minutes.
The Golf team also had notable
success – Tom Beasley (Abingdon Prep,
c), Johnny Wright (Summer Fields, c),
Keith Seward (Hereward House, b), Robin
Eliot (Ashdown House, b) and Charlie
Bailey (Dulwich Prep, c) won the West of
England Championships.
In Real Tennis, Ben Boddington
(Moulsford, g) and Hamish Miller (King’s
Hall, a) were schools’ National Doubles
Champions; Ben Boddington won the
National U19 dubles and Felix White the
National U15 Doubles.
The Lawn Tennis Club has gone from
strength to strength over the past few
years, largely due to the commitment and
enthusiasm of the Masters in Charge,
Harry Crump and David Cresswell.
This year the club grew to over 150
players for the first time and over 1,450
competitive sets were played against
opposition schools. The season began
with a successful pre-season tour to
Mallorca. Thereafter, the Bigside team
returned and won the ISL doubles Shield
on the second weekend of term. Strong
performances followed in the RHWM
and OXIST leagues. These achievements
were matched by a highly successful Colts
VIII who won the RHWM league and
played a leading role in the Junior ISL
team. Notable club successes were a 45-35
win against Eton and a 49-46 win against
Bradfield, where the first ever Saturday
Midgets teams won to turn the fixture in
Radley’s favour. Finally, congratulations
must go to Hamish Miller (Bigside
captain) (King’s Hall, a) who was selected
to play for the Independent School’s VI
versus the All England Club at Wimbledon
at the end of last season.
It has been the most successful season
for Rackets in many a year. Our first
pair, Hamish Miller (King’s Hall, a) and
Charlie Beardall (Moulsford, e), improved
throughout the season and beating
Harrow on their court was the highlight
which gave them No 3 seed spot in the
Public Schools’ Doubles in March. They
then went on to reach the semi-final but
were beaten by Eton, the number 2 seeds.
George Buckley (Moulsford, b) and Rupert
Boddington (Moulsford, g), however,
produced the biggest upset during the
doubles championship by beating the No
2 seeds in the Colts and reaching the final.
This success was down to the fact that
nearing the championship they found time
around all their other commitments to
practise. They reaped the rewards for their
hard work and it was thoroughly deserved.
Squash: during Michaelmas Term
Jack Roddan (Caldicott, c), Hugh Gillen-
Toon (Caldicott, j), Jonathan Backhouse
(Lockers Park, f) and Samuel Austin
(Cothill, c) played in the Oxfordshire
County Championships (closed). Sam
Austin, playing in only his second season
of squash, won the U15 Plate, and Hugh
Gillen-Toon came a highly respectable
second in the U17 group. During the
Lent Term the seniors played in division
one (after promotion last year) of the
Roehampton Schools Invitational
tournament where they competed well at
the highest level against many of the best
independent school teams in the country.
The club is sorry to be losing two of its
best contributors over the past few seasons
to retirement: Jack Roddan and Charlie
Grimshaw (Woodcote House, c) who have
represented Radley at the highest level for
many years.
THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER 9

Tanzania
Over the Summer holidays, organised parties of Radleians travelled to far-flung
places and continents, with the aim of stretching their horizons and, at the same
time, benefiting the diverse communities there. One such trip was to Tanzania.
As the sun rose over Heathrow,
a steady trickle of bleary-eyed
Radleains arrived for the journey to
Tanzania. Our destination – Nairobi –
was eventually reached at the unholy
hour of 2am.
The next day, a cramped, bumpy twoday
bus journey led us to the foot of
Africa’s highest mountain (5895m),
Kilimanjaro. We took the picturesque
Rongai route, scheduled to take seven
days. Our climbing entourage was
impressive: three guides, five assistant
guides, one cook, two waiters, four
tent crew, one camp manager, nearly
forty porters. To the battle cry of “Pole!
Pole!” (“Slowly! Slowly!”) this small
army embarked on the dusty climb.
Enthusiasm and spirits ran high. This
energy was quashed however, with
our first casualty to altitude sickness at
3400m. Temperatures plummeted to
-15°C, making the midnight toilet dash
a particularly unpleasant experience.
The arrival at Base Camp at the
Kibo hut (4700 m) saw nerves and
excitement move up a notch, as boys
and staff geared up for the final push.
At this elevation, even getting out of
the sleeping bag was an energy-sapping
endeavour and a number of the boys
were struggling. The remaining 1200m
climb to the tip of the granite titan
seemed daunting.
“The Big Push” started at midnight.
The head-lamps from our group
lit up the mountain like fireflies.
Despite the positive mood, the 5000m
boundary proved critical for many:
stomach-cramps, headaches, dizziness,
nausea, vomiting and the extreme
cold (temperatures dropped to a
low of around -25°C) resulted in six
more ‘casualties’. Of the 21 starters,
only twelve made it to the top,
demonstrating the extreme physical
demands of this expedition. Those
that did make it were justifiably
elated; those that didn’t still felt
extremely proud of their efforts.
Before long the group was swept
off on another lengthy journey over
bumpy African roads. After a brief
encounter with some serpents at
Meserani Snake Park, we arrived at
our partnership school, Gehandu
Secondary School in remote Mbulu.
Set in spectacularly dusty and
scrubby mountains, Gehandu is
a government-funded secondary
school with the same number of
students as Radley, but with only
twenty-two teaching staff and no
ground staff. Students and staff spend
two hours per day collecting water
from a hand pump at the bottom of
a valley, harvesting beans and maize
from local fields, cleaning classrooms
and toilets; all of these tasks were
essential to ensure the school remains
self-sufficient. Everyone from Radley
noted the great sense of community.
Most of our week was focused
on teaching the students, but the
Radleians also dutifully took part
in the aforementioned chores. The
boys rose to the challenge heroically:
teaching a total of 57 periods in the
space of five school days. Lessons
were a great hit with the students
and staff of Gehandu: these ranged
from writing Japanese haikus, to
understanding irony and sarcasm.
Our student-led approach excited the
Gehandu crowds and left their mark.
A huge success was the visit to the
10 The Radley Newsletter
10 THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER

neighbouring primary school, Titiwi.
Everyone was greeted by a sea of
smiling children, desperate to make
an impression on the fair-skinned
aliens. It was an opportunity to visit
local farms and homes, where the
warmth of our reception - often
provided with sugar cane, tea and
bananas - was nothing short of
extraordinary.
We were also carried away by
Tanzanian football fever during the
trip. After adjusting to the oxygendeprived
conditions at 1900m,
the Radley team (boys and staff)
achieved a respectable W 4, D 1, L
2 record against Gehandu and the
Catholic seminary school.
The highlight for many were the
safaris to Lake Manyara and the
Ngorongoro crater. We caught
glimpses of the “Big Five”: lions,
hippos, elephants, giraffes and
rhinos. Our now-legendary
encounter with the lions in
Ngorongoro was perhaps a little too
close for comfort, with a pride of
nine resting on our jeeps.
All too soon the trip drew to a
close and Gehandu gave Radley an
emotional send-off. It was made clear
that we had contributed a great deal
in a short period. Apart from helping
with the teaching and learning in
lessons (all conducted in English,
their third language), we raised
over £4000 for school resources
and donated 200kg of second hand
school textbooks from College. The
trip provided a wealth of valuable
experiences and set up what we hope
will be a worthwhile and sustainable
partnership. The boys should feel
proud of their achievements and
their significant contribution to a
disadvantaged community.
Borneo
The trip was massively successful.
It was a real adventure, without
straying into the bracket of
misadventure. We returned safe and
sound and employed safe practices
whilst there. Our comfort zones
were stretched and our minds
expanded outside the classroom.
And we successfully worked on
a sustainable and worthwhile
community and environmental
project, alongside people from
the host country and local skilled
workers, with the boys working as a
team in the process.
Along with a group from Tudor
Hall School, we helped to construct
a shelter at the Causirina site, part
of the new Pa Umor Eco‐Tourism
Trail. The Causirina Camp is the
final camp on the eco‐tourism
circuit, connecting four other
camps. All of these trekking shelters
provide accommodation and
facilities for tourists to the area. The
aim of the circuit is to link a number
of cultural sites on a journey
through the rainforest. The focus
is on eco‐tourism and responsible
and sustainable travel. Building
the camp represented a massive
challenge, because of its remote
jungle location. Personal goals
boys had set themselves were also
fulfilled: e.g. Ollie Williams’ desire
to learn about expedition medicine,
prior to university.
The Radleians remained positive
and enthusiastic throughout and
return into 6.2 with a wealth of ‘life
experience’ – something we should
benefit tremendously from as a
school.
The jungle can bring out the best
people have to offer – pupils and
adults alike. Quite apart from all the
chances to integrate with different
cultures and people, the physical
and mental challenges it provides
offers an excellent opportunity for
personal introspection.
The Radley Newsletter 11
THE RADLEY NEWSLETTER 11

Almost everybody has
looked up at the night sky
at some point in their lives
and thought about our place in
the universe and it is the ability of
Astronomy to prompt questions from
boys that makes it such a wonderful
subject. From the Shell and Remove
years, when we look at our solar
system, to the Sixth Form, when we
study exoplanets and calculate the
surface temperature of distant stars,
it is a part of lessons at all stages of a
boy’s time in the Physics Department.
But it is also a wonderful opportunity
to make links across different
departments. A recent talk on the
history of the Transit of Venus from
a Greenwich Royal Observatory
researcher and a performance of
Sousa’s Transit of Venus March are
two recent examples of this: as is the
talk in the 6.1 Lecture series about the
Copernican revolution. 6.1 physicists
visited Greenwich Observatory this
year and on clear nights, boys have
the opportunity to use the Physics
department telescopes. A new
specialist telescope will also make it
possible for boys to directly observe
the sun and so the Astronomy tradition
at Radley, stretching back to its earliest
days, will continue on into the future.
Kevin Mosedale,
Head of Physics
Astronomy
at Radley
12 THE RADLEY Website: NEWSLETTER www.radley.org.uk Admissions enquiries: 01235 543174 admissions@radley.org.uk