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April 2015Chair Head Bursar Registrar Staffroom School Office...the professional journal for Management & Staff

www.elements-europe.com/schoolsolutionsInnovative Off-Site Building SolutionsOur front page picturesIn this issue...Education Vouchers 06 ~ 08~ the 2015 pre-election debatePause for Thought 10 ~ 11~ helping the ‘always-on’ generation find some calmWhatwe doCreating Great Spaces for Bright FuturesElements Europe is a leading UK off-site buildingsolutions specialist and is a part of The Pickstock Groupof companies, an organisation with revenues of over £200million.Our mission is to deliver high quality construction solutionsto the built environment. We do this by combining our indepth knowledge of construction with our expertise in offsitemanufacturing, to deliver high quality turnkey solutionsto our clients.We have developed standardised designs that meet theEFA baseline design requirements using our volumetricconstruction systems.> Project Management> Full Design Service> Manufacturing> Delivery> Construction> Trusted Partner to theEducation Sector> Quality Product &Service> ExperiencedScience AccoladesClear demonstration of the enthusiasm for sciencein independent schools - finalists in the 2015Young Scientist of the Year Awards.Research by a St Albans School A level studentinto a protein called Asparagine that can impactmotor and brain function in humans has beenpraised by judges at the Young Scientist of theYear Awards.Ellen Piercy was selected as one of the top threefrom 2,000 original entries and 200 finalists atthe Big Bang Fair at the National ExhibitionCentre in Birmingham.While many A level students spent their summerrelaxing, Ellen spent five weeks at RothamstedResearch in Harpenden, cloning a gene in wheatin order to study the Asparagine protein. Whenthis accumulates in the grain, it can create acarcinogen when it is cooked which can affectmotor and brain function.The project was Ellen’s second stint atRothamsted after work experience at theresearch institute, and she also worked fortwo weeks in a cancer research laboratory. Shehopes to go on to read Biological Sciences atDurham University and is keen to progress intothe world of scientific research.• Meet the overall winner on page 44Pyrotechnics!Students at The Marist School, Berkshire,welcomed award winning science pyro-technicianMatthew Tosh as part of their programme ofevents to celebrate British Science Week withschool based STEM (Science, Technology,Engineering & Maths) activities.Full story and another image page 8Academy Status 14~ soft landing for fee~paying schools unable to make ends meet?Keep Taking the Tablets 17~ technology & learningSingle Sex Schools & Pupil Innocence 18~ avoiding the same old stereotypesProfile 24 ~ 25~ in conversation with Graham HawleyCosts... China...Developments in the Maintained Sector 28~ reflections from the AGBIS ConferencePlus‘Ensuring pupils flourish’ ~ conference details 09From Houseparent to Headship 12Choirs of the Year – winners revealed 16Changing Faces..Changing Places 19Design & Technology Focus Feature 20 ~ 23National newspaper prompts headmaster’s challenge 26Music & Drama Focus Feature 29 ~ 31Catering Focus Feature 32 ~ 33Sports Focus Feature 34 ~ 41Finance & Insurance Focus Feature 42 ~ 43Young Scientist of the Year 44New Products & Services; The Digest 44 ~ 46Heads Hunted 47Is Your School Mentioned? See page 47 for an A~Z listingContact Us; Editorial Advisory Board; Key Personnel; Subscription Offer ~ page 47> CAD/CAM CapabilityWhyOurchoose> BIM Modelling Serviceus?An honour to performwww.elements-europe.com/schoolsolutions01691 656 591info@elements-europe.comPart ofTECHNICALSOLUTIONS> Turnkey Design & Build

New partnershipLord Wandsworth College, Hampshire, andThe Costello School, a secondary schoolnearby, have signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding detailing a new collaborationbetween the two schools.The aim is to share best practice,resources and facilities in teachingand learning, keeping theinterests of both schools’ pupils asthe focus. The partnership aspiresto encourage pupils to considerwhat lies beyond their existingsocial, intellectual and culturalexperience. Pupils and staff insimilar roles at each establishmentwill collaborate and work togetherand leadership and followershipopportunities will be open to all.The two schools have alreadymade a formal agreement aboutextending Lord Wandsworth’sCombined Cadet Force to 16pupils from The Costello School.Teachers from The Costelloschool will be commissionedand trained as CCF officers andwill accompany their pupils toevents and activities at LordWandsworth. Costello cadetswill follow the cadet progressivetraining syllabus alongside LWCpupils.Other projects include forginglinks between academicdepartments, sharing staff inset4 Independent Schools Magazineopportunities, encouragingand facilitating pupil debate,exploring character educationopportunities, sharing experienceof house and other internalstructures and more.Fergus Livingstone, headmasterat Lord Wandsworth Collegesaid, “After several exploratorymeetings over the last fewmonths, we are really delightedto announce our new, mutuallysupportive arrangement with TheCostello School in Basingstoke.We are very much looking forwardto working together and hopethat all of our community will beenriched by our joint initiatives.”David Nicholson said, “Last yearDr Walker and a fellow researcherfrom the Jubilee Centre forCharacter Education & Virtuesvisited both our schools as partof a research project involving68 schools nationally and 10,000students. We are very muchrelishing the future opportunitiesto further develop charactereducation between the twoschools.”Pictured: David Nicholson, headteacher at The Costello School (left), FergusLivingstone, headmaster at Lord Wandsworth College (right)School joins groupSt Petroc’s School, Cornwall, isjoining the Methodist IndependentSchools Trust (MIST) in a newalliance.The 102 year old school currentlyhas nearly 150 boys and girlsbetween the ages of 3 monthsand 11 years and is said to be theonly Prep School in the country tohave both dance and surfing on itscurriculum. The Chair of Governors,Hugh Monro, said ‘this is great newsand we can now plan our futurewith confidence, as members ofa national and forward-thinkinggroup of schools, and continue tooffer a tremendous education forchildren in the North Cornwall andNorth Devon community.’The Headmaster, Dan Thornburn,explained that ‘under the MISTumbrella we will be able toplan future developments at theschool while preserving thosethings, unique to St Petroc’s,that make the education we offerso appealing to local parents.MIST were hugely impressedwith our recent ISI report andthey clearly value the excellentacademic, pastoral and sportingrecord of the school. This is avery exciting time for all involvedwith MIST and St Petroc’s.’There are 14 other MIST schoolsacross the country includingShebbear College, Kingsley inBideford, Queen’s in Taunton andTruro School in the South West.The oldest is Kingswood in Bath,which was founded by John Wesleyhimself in 1748.Biology Teacher of the Year FinalistsCongratulations to finalists forThe Society of Biology’s 2015School Biology Teacher of theYear Award.Finalists have been acknowledgedby the Society as the year’stop three Biology Teachers.The award, with the winnerto be announced later thisyear following a final stage ofjudging, seeks to identify andto recognise the very best and most inspiring biology teachers in 11-18education in the UK.The 2015 finalists are:John Graham - City of London Freemen’s SchoolElena Segalini-Bower - Hereford Cathedral School (pictured)Paul Weeks - Oxford High SchoolIn addition the following teacher was highly commended by the judges:David Teasdale - Bolton School Boy’s Division.Bene MerentiA reception was held last month(March) in honour of Mrs RosalindEdwards, who will shortly beretiring from her post as bursarof the Towers Convent School,Sussex.Former staff members andgovernors joined with currentstaff and Sisters to thank Ros forher loyalty and dedication to theschool over the last 25 years.Ros was very moved when she waspresented with a Bene Merentipapal award for her long andfaithful service to the school. TheBene Merenti Medal is an honourawarded by the Pope to membersof the clergy and laity for serviceto the Catholic Church. Originallyestablished as an award to soldiersin the Papal Army, the medal waslater extended to the clergy andthe laity for service to the church.During her time at the schoolRos has worked with threedifferent headmistresses andseen a huge number of changes.The school has prospered underRos’ financial guidance andmanagement. Although she willbe retiring from her full-time roleas bursar, she is so much a part ofthe school that they are hopingshe will still be a frequent visitorand continue to play a significantrole in school life.Paul Greenhalgh, School Captain (Head Boy)Poppy dedication to 81 old boysHeadmaster Mr Philip Britton led a moving tribute tothe eighty one Old Boys of Bolton School who losttheir lives during World War One. The ceremony tookplace in the same week, one hundred years later, thatAlbert Knowles Wilson lost his life; he was the firstformer pupil to die in the conflict, which took thelives of almost one million men from Britain.Albert Wilson was commissioned as a SecondLieutenant in the Manchester Regiment and attachedto the Indian Expeditionary Force. He was killed inaction on 12 March 1915 during the first Britishoffensive of the War. He was involved in the Battleof Neuve Chapelle which cost 11,562 casualties forSchools announce mergerThe Governing Bodies of King Edward’sWitley and Barrow Hills School, Surrey, haveannounced a merger of the two Witley Schools’foundations with effect from September 2015.The decision to merge the charities formalisesa close relationship between the two schoolsdeveloped over many years and opens the wayfor closer ties in the future. Under the jointfoundation, Barrow Hills will continue as anindependent Catholic prep school for childrenaged 3-13, while King Edward’s Witley willretain its position as a independent senior schoolproviding boarding and day education for childrenaged 11-18.Key benefits of the merger are intended toinclude:• The opportunity to maintain the affordabilityof an excellent independent school educationagainst the backdrop of rising costs in theindependent school sector.• The ability to benefit from economies of scalewithout compromising the ‘family feel’ thatpermeates both schools.• Enhanced sharing of resources includingsports and performing arts facilities and extracurricularactivities.• The ability to provide boarding (includingflexi- boarding) to Barrow Hills pupils.• The potential for parents and children tobenefit from a seamless co-educationalindependent education from the age of 3-18.Commenting on the decision, Matthew Unsworth,Headmaster at Barrow Hills said, “For some timewe have been considering how best to preserveand develop the long term future of BarrowHills in the context of considerable changesin the independent sector over the last fewyears. Joining forces with King Edward’s Witleyrepresents the natural choice to ensure thecontinued evolution of our School and bringswith it many benefits whilst still preserving thesuperb education and family ethos which havealways been the hallmarks of Barrow Hills”.John Attwater, Headmaster at King Edward’sWitley said, “Finding a way to extend ourthe gain of just two square kilometres of land. Hedied on the first day of the battle aged 25.Albert’s name, along with the other 80 names ofOld Boys who made the ultimate sacrifice, was readout by the Headmaster as Sixth Form boys and girlsplanted a poppy, which had earlier been part of theTower of London display, in a mark of respect onthe Headmaster’s Lawn. Over the coming years, theSchool will remember all 81 former pupils who losttheir lives. Later that day the whole of Boys’ DivisionSenior School joined in tributes to those that losttheir lives in a poignant Remembrance Assembly.educational ethos to a wider age group withoutcompromising King Edward’s supportivecommunity and focus on the individual has beenan item on the management team’s agenda formany years. King Edward’s has always enjoyeda great working relationship with Barrow Hillsand I believe that by formally recognising thebond that exists between us we can consolidateour core strengths to present a choice of twoexceptional independent co-educational schoolsfor the Surrey area.”L-R, John Attwater (Headmaster King Edward’s Witley), Justine Voisin (Chair of Barrow Hills Governors), Peter Estlin (Chair of King Edward’s Governors), Matthew Unsworth (Headmaster Barrrow Hills).Independent Schools Magazine 5

Should parents be given the options of i) state education ii) help towards independent school fees?continued overleafEducation vouchers ~the 2015 debateGraham Brady, an influential Tory and Chairman of the 1922 backbench committee since2010 and now seeking re-election as MP for Altrincham & Sale West, suggests giving parentsvouchers for schooling their children, which could be ‘spent’ at state-maintained schoolswith no extra on-cost, or be put towards the fees at independent schools.Such a move has been advocated over the years by many people in the independent sector,as it would make schools affordable to more families, and thereby reduce the strain on thecreaking state system.Mr Brady was Shadow Schools Minister from 2001-3. ISM asked him to expand his views,and also sought opinions from an accountant and a school head.‘Is it really too much to hope that a parent might beallowed to choose any school place, state or independent?’Devolutionis suddenlyfashionable,writes GrahamBrady.My Greater Manchester constituentsbroadly welcome more decisions andmore spending being decided locallyeven if they are wary of the possibleimposition of an elected mayor. Itis funny though, how politicianson both sides of the aisle are morecomfortable devolving powers andchoices to other politicians thandirectly to individuals and theirfamilies. I have spent a good fewyears trying to persuade DavidCameron that he should listento public opinion and scrap thelaw passed by the last Labourgovernment banning the creationof any new grammar schools.Interestingly, a ComRes poll thismonth showed that a clear majorityof Labour voters too, want to seemore grammar schools.Meanwhile, politicians fret aboutsocial mobility grinding to a halt.They wonder why the 7% ofthe population that is educatedindependently increasinglydominates the upper reaches ofthe professions, Whitehall andWestminster. There are three thingsthat we could do about this. First wecould attack the independent sector,6 Independent Schools Magazineincrease its costs and drive theremaining middle income familiesout of private schools. The dangeris that this would create moreexclusivity, not less and it would dowonders for posh comprehensivesthat select by house price. Thesecond approach is to let stateschools compete more effectivelywith the independent sector. It iswell known that the misguidedclosure of grammar schools in the‘60s and ‘70s gave a big boostto private education. It remainsthe case today that in the placeswith the best state schools (mostlyselective authorities) far fewerfamilies feel the need to opt out bypaying fees. In my own authority ofTrafford, the numbers going privateare half what they are in nearbyStockport, Bury or Manchester.The ‘third way’ is perhaps the mostradical of all. We could trust parentsto make good decisions for theirown children. We could remove thebarriers between state and privateschools and let people choose forthemselves. Of course none of thisis new. In the post-war decadesgreat schools like ManchesterGrammar were able to offer needsblindplaces through Direct Grant:bizarrely abolished by Labour in the‘70s. After that, children from lesswell-off families could attend someof the best independent schoolsthrough the Assisted Places Scheme:but that was abolished by ‘New’Labour’s first act of Parliament (Imade my maiden speech opposingthat one, so deserve credit forconsistency, at least!). Now theSutton Trust campaigns for a new‘Open Access’ scheme to extendopportunity to more children frompoorer backgrounds.Encouragingly, far from the popularmyth that independent schoolsbask in a glow of social elitism,the truth remains that many ofthese schools have a zeal forextending opportunity to childrenfrom all backgrounds. Manyteachers and heads are passionateabout widening access and manyparents and successful alumni givegenerously to build bursary funds tohelp families without the means topay. So far though, the biggest forcein education, the State, remainslargely impervious to demands toextend real choice either within thestate sector or between state andindependent schools.The building blocks are all withinreach. Parents or charities can set upFree Schools – almost independent– these state-funded schools couldbe given more freedom, includingthe freedom to select on abilityor aptitude. Independent schoolscan convert to academy status,but because the man in Whitehallknows best, if they do so they arerequired to adopt a comprehensiveadmissions policy: this should bechanged. This small step wouldn’tgreatly increase the amount ofacademic selection in the country,but it would reduce the numberof people who had to pay fees toaccess good schools.The final building block is perhapsthe most exciting. The Departmentfor Education is creeping towardsthe adoption of a National FundingFormula for schools. Eventuallythis will end the gross disparitiesin funding between some localauthority areas and others andwould mean that every pupilwould attract a per capita amount,appropriately weighted to reflectsuch factors as deprivation orspeaking English as a secondlanguage. Once this figure is known,is it really too much to hope thata parent might be allowed tochoose any school place, state orindependent, on offer to her childwithin the allocated per capitafunding? These ideas are morecontroversial amongst politiciansthan amongst the people – mostof whom have the good sense toknow that extending access to goodschools must be good for everyone.‘Tantalising though vouchers might be,financial independence remains critical’Graham Bradyis well knownfor his supportfor grammarschools andacademic selection within stateeducation, writes James Priory,head, Portsmouth Grammar School,Hampshire.It has also been interesting to seeMr Brady renewing the call for pupilvouchers just as the General Electiongets underway.His argument is direct and familiar.If Labour were willing to pay forbeds in private hospitals on an NHStariff rate, then why shouldn’t afuture Conservative Governmentallow parents to use the per-pupilcost allocated to state schools asa form of voucher for their child’seducation, even if this meanttopping up the costs of their child’seducation in a private school?In a book on selective educationpublished by think-tank Civitas, MrBrady suggests, “It is easy to see afuture when a per capita fundingformula would allow parents touse the sum of money available forthe education of their child in anyschool of their choice.”Mr Brady’s vision is shared bySir Peter Lampl, who has longadvocated the model of OpenAccess in which parents pay asliding scale of fees according totheir means, making admissionsto private schools potentiallyneeds blind thanks to Governmentsupport. The cost for such socialmobility, Sir Peter argues, wouldbe relatively modest: the averagesubsidy at Belvedere School,where the Sutton Trust piloted theapproach, was £3,200 per pupil,despite 70% of pupils receivingsome financial support.Like Sir Peter, Mr Brady arguesthat many independent schools,especially those former direct grantschools turned independent day,have the ability to offer privateeducation at an affordable level,making the voucher system evenmore attractive as a way of offeringparents choice whilst breaking downthe barriers between independentand state education.As someone who enjoyed theadvantages of a state-paideducation in a selective privateschool thanks to an Assisted Place,I am, initially at least, inclined toagree with both proponents ofimproved financial access to genuineeducational choice.As the Head of a former directgrant school, I know how influentialmy school has been as an enginefor social mobility within thePortsmouth community. I alsoknow- and I see this too as agovernor of a former direct grantschool in London- just howtransformative it can be to enablebright children to attend the schoolthrough means-tested bursarialsupport. With the demand forfinancial assistance rapidly growing,it would be surprising if a vouchersystem did not have some appeal forparents and schools alike.Mr Brady draws a parallel with thelast Labour government’s supportfor the NHS, but he could just aswell point to the combination ofstate and private funding usedby most families when accessingNursery provision for their child.Again, if vouchers can exist in theearliest stage of education, thenwhy not extend this principle toa child’s secondary educationalphase too?One of the problems, however,inherent in Mr Brady’s proposal isthe relative unpredictability of stateschool funding. The DedicatedSchool Grant for per-pupil fundingfluctuates dramatically dependingon where you live. In London,for example, the grant is currentlyas high as £8,595, whilst inLeicestershire it is as little as £3,995.Earlier this year, the Department forEducation promised that no localauthority would experience morethan 1.5% per-pupil reduction,but was careful to exclude SixthForm funding from this equation,well aware that schools in the statesector are having to accommodatesignificant cash reductions at thesame time as delivering MichaelGove’s A Level reforms.When the Chair of the PublicAccounts Committee, MargaretHodge, questioned the DfE’sapparent failure to anticipate thedemand for an additional 250,000pupil places at the start of thisacademic year, other critics werequick to blame the cost of freeschools in areas where there werealready surplus places.In its latest report, the Institutefor Fiscal Studies estimates that by2020 state school funding will havefallen in absolute terms by between7 and 12%, regardless of who winsthe election.Against such variability anduncertainty, it is powerful toreflect just how important financialIncisiveStrategyDistinctiveProspectusesStunningPhotographyEngagingWebsiteskilvington.comindependence is in enablingschools such as mine to remaintruly independent.My fear is that by becomingreliant on state funding, even ifonly partially, our independencecould easily be compromised. Thefreedom to choose IGCSE overGCSE, for example, or to adoptour current mixed economy oflinear IB and modular A Level,would be extremely difficult,if not impossible, to sustain,however valuable we believed itto be to offer such educationalopportunities to our pupils.To remain fully independent andyet still accessible, presents a majorchallenge to our sector, but Ibelieve that, tantalising though MrBrady’s vouchers might be, financialindependence remains critical if weare to continue to determine ourown identity and future as schools.AbsorbingFilmStunningPhotographyIndependent Schools Magazine 7

Should parents be given the options of i) state education ii) help towards independent school fees?Education vouchers ~the 2015 debate (continued)‘It will need a persuasive financial argument tobe made before the idea finds any traction’Renewed callsfor parents to begiven vouchers bythe Governmentfor their children’sschooling, whichthey could then spend at a schoolof their choice, independent ormaintained, is by no means a newidea, but with the recent growth ofLocal Authority (LA) maintainedschools that have converted toAcademy status, it is worth reexamining,writes Henry Briggs,senior partner of the Birminghamoffice of Haines Watts, CharteredAccountants, and a formerindependent school governor.It is useful to start with acomparison of costs. In my firm’ssurvey of the year falling into2013/14 - and I use this year as itPyrotechnic Show for British Science WeekStudents at The Marist School,Berkshire, welcomed awardwinning science pyro-technicianMatthew Tosh as part of theirprogramme of events to celebrateBritish Science Week with schoolbased STEM (Science, Technology,Engineering & Maths) activities.Matthew whose career spansteaching, pyrotechnics, andbroadcasting put on an original,creative and visual demonstrationwowing the students with severalshow stopping explosions andgiving a highly inspirationalpresentation on the science behindfireworks.Children from Upton House School,Windsor were among those toattend the event.Girls at The Marist buck thenational trend of stereotypicalis the most recent for which thedata is available for fee payingschools - the averaged cost p.a. forproviding a school place in a seniorL A maintained school was £5,636p.a. The equivalent for Academieswas £5,862. Compare this with theaverage independent day school feesof £13,476 p.a.In the same year, the IndependentSchools Council’s annual censusreported there were 511,928 pupilsat their members’ schools. So,providing vouchers to these pupilsfor the cost of a state fundededucation would cost the Exchequeran estimated £2.9 billion.Whilst we have all becomeaccustomed to big figures inGovernment expenditure, it ishard to see how any governmentcommitted to reducing the budgetexpectations and presumptionsrooted in gender by achieving adisproportionally large share ofthe top grades in Science andMaths. Consistently, in recentyears many Marist girls have goneon to read Medicine, Engineering,Dentistry and Veterinary Scienceat degree level.Headteacher, Karl McCloskeysaid: “We are delighted tosupport British Science Week andwelcome Matthew to our school.His passion for science and theperforming arts matches hisdedicated approach and attentionto his live production. Equally,his capacity to communicate thescientific concepts which underpinthe range of visual, aural andolfactory effects kept the studentstransfixed throughout”.deficit could justify spending thisfigure on subsidising those currentlyable to pay for private education.There would need to be justificationin terms of a clawback to theExchequer.If the Government were to providevouchers at a value lower than thecost of a State education, and thishad the effect of moving pupils outof state funded schools into fullfee paying ones, then this wouldprovide the State with a return.But it would have to be in suchsignificant numbers that one wouldhave to question if the independentsector would have the capacity totake the extra pupils.Another option might be to meanstest all parents of pupils beingeducated in the State sector, so theymade up the difference between thevoucher value and the actual costof their children being educated bythe State.The principle of a voucher schememay seem to be eminently fair to feepaying parents not using the stateto provide an education for theirchildren. However, it is difficult tosee how it could be achieved in apolitically acceptable way, withoutsignificant extra burden on thetaxpayer or further complication ofthe tax system.There may be many other beneficialeffects of introducing such ascheme, in widening choice andallocating resources and pupilsto the best and most popularschools, but it will need a persuasivefinancial argument to be madebefore the idea finds any tractionoutside the 1922 Committee.“Every school boasts of their pastoral care network and focus on wellbeing, resilience etc. yet toooften you hear of these schools letting young people down. There needs to be a very serious shake upacross the system and we all need to take note. Schools are very good at talking, less good at acting...”~ senior school managerEnsuring pupils flourishOver 100 delegates from in excessof 65 schools have already bookedplaces at a conference at HighfieldSchool, Hampshire, for a daycentred on emotional wellbeing.The aim is ‘to galvanise the sectorin putting this at the heart oftheir schools, being proactive inreducing the pressures on ouryoung people and promotingresilience and mental healthawareness and training’.Nicky Morgan, Secretary of Statefor Education, said: Mentalhealth issues in children havebeen a hidden struggle for toolong. It’s vital that we act andgive children’s mental health theattention it deserves; improvingprovision and ending the stigma.The statistics indicate that 1in 4 British adults experience adiagnosable mental health illness,3/4s of whom experience thisbefore the age of 18 (the peakonset age is between 8-15);1 in 12-15 people in the UKself harm; 1.4% of all youngpeople are seriously depressedand 4.4% of all young peoplehave an anxiety problem. Ratesof depression and anxiety havedoubled in the past 30 years andhalf of those with lifetime mentalhealth problems first experiencesymptoms by the age of 16.Topics covered in theHighfield conference include:Slowing Down Education | TheNeed to Talk about MentalWe can help you riseto the challenges ofschool leadership.AMiE is the only union to represent leaders andmanagers across the education sector. We providespecialist advice and guidance when you need it most.Our publications and CPD opportunities also offerinvaluable information and support for you in your roleas an employee and leader. Let AMiE take you further.Join today and save 50%Visit www.amie.atl.org.uk/joinor call 0843 783 2526(local call)Health Problems | Adolescenceand the Teenage Brain | AnIntroduction to Mindfulness inPrep Schools | Growth Mindset |Emotional Intelligence | EatingDisorders and Self Harm |Spotting the Signs of Depression| A Whole School WellbeingProgramme and approach toPastoral Care | Top Tips for aMentally Healthy School.How to book...Cost: £180 per delegate; Date: April 28thPayment can either be made by cheque payableto ‘Highfield School’ or by bank transfer (pleasecontact the Finance Office for bank transfer details,tel 01428 728 000).Alternatively, register via the following google form:http://goo.gl/forms/UQtD1Xh7zv or email:seniorhouseparents@highfieldschool.org.ukCHANGEMANAGEMENT?? ?? ??WORKLOADGOVERNANCEHEALTH& SAFETYSAFEGUARDINGPERFORMANCE?FUNDING INSPECTIONREDUNDANCYSTAFF RECRUITMENTACHIEVEMENTSTRATEGY???PAY ANDCONDITIONSCURRICULUMBUDGETSGET AHEADWITH AMiEAMiE is ATL’s section for leaders in education.8 Independent Schools MagazineIndependent Schools Magazine 9

Pause for thought...switch off, reflect, be silent...Is it time young people are actively taught how to ‘slow down and concentrate’ their mindsrather than be in a rush the whole time? Pupils tend to be full-on with their peers at schooland then full-on with them via social media in the evening. No escape in other words. Somechildren deliberately eschew social media to ‘get away’ at home, not necessarily from bullying,but just from the pressures of always being in touch with schoolmates...Finding a still small voice of calm for the ‘always on’ generationThere’s no doubt that a schoolis an energetic, dynamic and,sometimes, hectic place to be,writes Rachel Dent, Head, TheAbbey School, Berkshire.We pride ourselves on themultitude of opportunitieswe offer our students bothacademically and on the extracurricularfront. Our girls leadbusy lives, learning to organisetheir commitments and interestsalongside friendships and familylife. Amid all this there’s nodoubt that technology and socialmedia are great enablers. But aswe harness the many benefits of24/7 human interconnectivity wealso need to ensure that we arenot swamped by the tidal waveof data, shared (or overshared)emotion and demands thatcome with it. There’s a veryreal risk that for the ‘always on’generation there is nowhere toget away from it all, at least notwithout their absence itself beingcause for comment.A quick survey of our Sixth Formshowed that 98% of respondentsuse social media regularly tokeep in touch with family andfriends. Eighty-seven percentof respondents said that socialmedia was sometimes or often anunwelcome distraction from dailylife, while 65% admitted that theysuffered anxiety when they wereunable to access social media forany reason. Demonstrating thatthey appreciate the distractioncaused by networked socialising,75% confirmed that theyconsciously turn off connecteddevices when they are trying toconcentrate. Asked whether theyfelt under pressure to be alwaysavailable to respond to socialconnections the view was morebalanced, with 57% of the girlssaying they did. It is clear, anda not unexpected finding, thatsocial media is affecting the livesof students and that its effectsare not always welcome.Hitting the pause buttonEven as we teach a generationof digital natives who, let’s faceit, navigate the technical side ofsocial media far more fluentlythan we do, it is part of our rolein preparing students to leadbalanced and fulfilling lives toequip them with the skills, andthe recognition of the benefits, ofswitching off both mentally anddigitally.Encouraging students to ‘donothing’ can be quite a difficultmessage to convey in a schoolenvironment, where the primaryfocus is helping them to achieveas much as they possibly can.During our Reflection Week inthe autumn term, we asked thegirls to do just that: to simplypause and be still for five minutesat the start of each day. It waseye-opening how many struggledwith the concept that they werenot expected to ‘do’ anything orpresent a ‘result’ at the end of thereflection period. Whereas revisionfor a test has an obvious benefit,they were unsure what thisperiod of mental stillness woulddeliver. However, by the end ofthe week the girls had begun towelcome the moment of pause,the freedom to do nothing at all.As our Chaplain, Allison Hadwin,puts it: “Introducing a pause inour day reminds us that life isabout what we ‘are’ not whatwe ‘do.’ And doing should comefrom being, otherwise it is justfrenetic activity. In a school witha Christian foundation and ethos,but with a mix of girls from allthe major world faiths and none,bringing stillness into our schoolcommunity is a point of unitythat we can all be part of andbenefit from.” It’s an activity thatis also used to good effect at theJunior School, where girls fromthe age of three take a momentto ‘just be’ during assemblies.Pausing gives us perspective,a moment to step back andevaluate, to get to know ourselvesbetter. We must be very awarethat even as we become evermoreconnected we ironicallyrun a very real risk of culturalisolation, of closing our mindsto thoughts and opinions otherthan those we choose to ‘follow’and of basing our self-worth oncasually bestowed ‘likes’ – a selfesteembased on the servers ofInstagram and the availability of aphone network.While the internet makes a vastquantity of information andopinion available, the abilityto set your personal filters sothat you see only that whichreinforces your own opinions canbe very dangerous and as we havesadly seen can have the deeplydamaging result of radicalisation.Having the desire and facility tostep away from the fire hose ofinformation and opinion is a vitalskill for those who will be shapingour future world.Teaching students to pause, toswitch off and to reflect givesthem a much-needed opportunityto find that still, small voiceof calm within and releasethe pressure and expectationscontingent with being ‘always on’.Silence: the restorative power of nothingWe’ve been experimenting withsilence at my school, writes LeoWinkley, headmaster of St.Peter’sSchool, Yorkshire.Big, shared silence. Our particularshared silence involves 600 peoplesitting in stillness for short butpowerful sessions of cooperativesilence. Shared silences havebecome part of our Lenten traditionsin our thrice-weekly Chapel servicesat St Peter’s. The whole schoolgathers together four times a week:once for Head Master’s assemblyand three times for a twenty-minuteChapel service. The effects havebeen surprisingly powerful: short,sharp doses of silence seem to begood for the individual girls andboys and good for the communityof the school. Personally, I’vecome to cherish these moments ofcollective stillness. I think all of us,children and adults, could do withmore shared silence.Most of us carry in our pocketsa sleek, metallic oblong thatholds mesmeric sway over ourincreasingly jumpy minds. Weneed to allow ourselves, andour children, the chance to sitand be still. Whether this is theactive practice of mindfulness,meditation, prayer, contemplationof the beautiful doesn’t reallymatter, to my mind, from themeta perspective of what mightbe healthy for our minds. Indeed,the absence of metaphysicalcontent may be really valuable.Silence and stillness are dogmafree.They are input-free. They donot require us to respond, judge,decide, conclude.In our ‘always-on’, multiwindowworld, with its manydistractions and interruptions,there is a real danger thatwe are losing the ability topay full attention. Yet, ourconcentration is frayed and ourminds capricious. Any alertnessis perforated by the compulsionto answer constant calls on ourattention. A pervasive statusanxiety seems to feed the socialmedia conversation: the constantneed to know who’s saying whatto whom about pretty muchanything. How can we expect ourpupils to see things as they reallyare when we overload them so?No wonder the rise and riseof the Mindfulness in SchoolsProject. And hooray to the factthat more and more educatorsare creating time for their ownprogrammes for reflection andstillness. I certainly want moreof it in my school. Whateverthe slant, whatever the content,allowing youngsters to be stilland focus is hugely important.Protecting time for such anapparently non-productive use oftime appears, counter-intuitively,to be very productive.Not only does silence give usspace, its effects are likely tobe an improved sense of focusand possibility – a more positiveattitude of mind. This is boundto be helpful. And, in my shortexperience of shared silence,there is something enrichingabout being ‘together alone’with 600 other living, breathing,thinking things. It feels good:there is a gentle intensity in asincere and shared silence. In aschool, this is a powerful ‘nonstatement’of community.There are many other potentialbenefits to silence in schools. Inthe classroom, stilling exercisescan recalibrate the atmosphere ofthe room; allowing silence afteran open question can inspiredeeper thought and less relianceon teachers’ input. Requiringsilence in certain places withinthe school can create little oasesthat radiate calm. Becomingskilled in silence allows us tolisten properly to what others arereally saying to us, rather thanwhat we think they are saying.The Quaker schools were onto this many moons ago, andof course, there are numerousmonastic and contemplativetraditions that have found silenceto be the route to self-knowledge;numerous traditions that usesilence as part of the cultivationof communal loving-kindnesstowards other beings. Activeand silent contemplation of ourown breathing or simple pointsof reflection can radiate positiveattitudes and dispel cynicism andnegative mindsets.All this is very high-minded, andI can hear the seasoned doubterscoffing at all this ‘idealisticnonsense’. I can understand that.Yet, the latent cynicism I expectedat my school, simply wasn’tthere. Our children are lambastingthemselves - and each other -with information. Their shinyoblong gurus are feeding themchat, gossip, data, diversion andopinion. We adults are piling moreand more on top. The accumulatedmass of unsorted informationisn’t simply mind-boggling; it’s indanger of becoming the state ofthe modern mind itself: chaotic,unsorted, confused.Never mind the cynicism.There is, I believe, a real andsimple need for moments ofquiet emptiness. We all needit. In busy, thriving, highlycommunicative schools, we needto create moments to say - andhear - absolutely nothing.Well-beingWeek is backHelen Thorneloe presenting Nina Gunson with thank you flowersAfter the success of last year Sheffield High once again launched itsWellbeing Week, created by deputy head teacher Mrs Gunson in 2014. MrsGunson revealed that she chose last month (March) to hold the event “as thisis traditionally the grimmest period of the year when everyone feels at theirlowest point”. The thinking behind Wellbeing Week is that it will provide arange of beneficial activities for pupils and staff, to encourage them “to takea breather” to improve their physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing.Events throughout the week included a Frozen ‘sing-a-long’, Drummingworkshops, Pilates and tea/coffee for the staff served by Mrs Dunsford. TheDrumming workshops took place in the main school hall and were verypopular with both the students and staff. An amazing atmosphere of (semi)rhythmic drumming filled the hall and the event was thoroughly enjoyablefor all. Val’s Vintage Tearoom also went down a treat with staff in the seniorschool as headmistress Mrs Valerie Dunsford served tea and cakes to membersof staff dressed in her Cath Kidston pinny on Tuesday break time!One member of staff at the High School is particularly supportive of the event– last year Miss Helen Thorneloe, Senior Teacher at Sheffield High, discoveredthrough some of the tests that were available to staff that she was sufferingfrom severe liver poisoning, due to the consumption of sage. WithoutWellbeing Week, Miss Thorneloe’s condition may have never been discoveredand she may not be working with us today. On the whole, Wellbeing Weekis a time that all staff and students can get behind as it provides some muchneeded and much enjoyable distractions – whether it be in the form of foodor activity – from regular school work.Valerie Dunsford serving tea to the staff10 Independent Schools MagazineIndependent Schools Magazine 11

Advertorial FeatureFrom Houseparent to HeadshipJohn J. Taylor has been Principal of Hamilton College, a 3-18non-denominational Christian school in South Lanarkshire,since January 2015. It is his first headship. Here he reflectson the move...It used to be a relativelynormal thing, Housemasters/Housemistresses progressing toHeadships without having beena Deputy, particularly when themove is to another (often smaller)boarding school. However, it isarguably becoming more difficultfor Houseparents to make themove straight to Headship,with schools and governorsunderstandably searchingfor experienced Deputies, orincreasingly, existing Heads, to fillthat vital vacancy.With that in mind, I felt thatmy application for Principal atHamilton College was, at best,presumptuous, at worst, risible.On asking a colleague whetherthey thought I ought to apply,there was a simple two wordresponse. ‘Long shot.’ Not havingbeen a Deputy, I realised that thiswould be ambitious. I had thrownmy hat into the ring for DeputyHeadships, and they hadn’tworked out. Usually the postswere filled by existing deputies,and I turned one job down,feeling it wasn’t right for me.On the face of it, my previousposition as Housemaster at StLeonards in St Andrews couldn’thave been more different fromHamilton. St Leonards is aninternational day and boardingschool with a history extendingback to 1877, 32 nationalities,teaching GCSEs and the IB.Hamilton College is a 31 year old,3-18 Christian independent dayschool serving South Lanarkshireand teaching the Scottish system.However, both schools are asimilar size, both have a JuniorSchool and Senior School (and wealso have a Nursery at Hamilton),and as a Christian, Hamilton’sethos was appealing to me, soit felt right to apply, and havingnow completed my first 100 daysas Principal, I wouldn’t look back.There are admittedly majordifferences between my formerlife as a Housemaster and my newlife as Principal. One simple oneis travelling to and from workeach day (and knowing the alarmwon’t go off at 3am!). I spendless time registering (and havingbanter with) pupils. In some ways,these are aspects of boarding Imiss: there were advantages anddisadvantages to ‘living above theshop’. The main thing I have takenfrom my life in the boardinghouse was the deliberately blurreddistinction between home andwork. Some have said to me thatI must find that aspect difficult,but this misses the point. I neverlived at work. I worked fromhome, and although I miss theboys, who were like an extendedfamily to my wife and I, this senseof homeliness at work remains,even though I am now in a dayschool. After 10 years in boarding,first at Bradfield in Berkshire, thenat St Leonards, I can’t shake thatoff now.Raising the roofA ‘Topping Out’ ceremony took place last month (March)to celebrate a key milestone in the development of asignificant new facility at Longacre School, Surrey.The large, two storey hall is the second phase of a 20-year building strategy at the preparatory school. Thebuilding will provide a Modern Performance Space, Sportsfacilities, Creative Arts Studio and Music Practice Rooms.Alexia Bracewell, Headmistress said: “The new CreativeArts and Sports Hall will enable our children to enjoyThere are other advantages whichcome to a new Headship fromexperience as a Houseparent.Taking care of a house of boardersgives special insight into manyaspects of the whole school, fromleading tours, meeting prospectiveparents, developing marketingtechniques, leading assemblies, andacquiring a holistic view of a pupil’sinseparable academic and pastoralexperience. St Leonards offeredme many excellent opportunitiesto take part in working groupson whole school issues, and thesechances to be involved in leadingmajor change in an excellentindependent school have provenexcellent preparation for Headship.A boarding house is a microcosmof the wider school, so running ahouse bears many challenges similarto running a school. The move hasbeen an admittedly large step andthere are lots of exciting projectsto see through at Hamilton, butthe experience of Houseparentinghas made the transition a greatdeal easier. It also helps that mynew colleagues have been assupportive and encouraging to meas they clearly are to our pupils,and that our board of Governorsare incredible in the giving of theirtime, energy, expertise, support andencouragement.There were a number of ‘lightbulb’moments in my journey toHeadship. The first was a changein my approach to makingapplications, focusing on Leadership(rather than Management), wholeschool issues, and emphasising myMarketing experience. People saytrite phrases like “It’s about ‘fit’”,and “It’s tough out there”, andthey are right. However, for memy new school had to feel right,and the application process is a bitlike dating – either you are whata school needs at that moment,or you’re not. Some schools willneed experienced Deputies – eitherAcademic or Pastoral – but in somecases, governors need somethingslightly different, and are seekingan interesting alternative to theconventional route.Although it is becoming a moreand more unusual career path,appointing a Housemaster orHousemistress to the Headshipof their school can be a viableand positive option. Indeed, myexperience has been that therigour, breadth, flexibility andcommitment it takes to be a goodHousemaster is, in reality, superbpreparation for Headship. It iswell worth aspiring school leadersin boarding houses consideringapplication to Headship (if it isthe right school for them) withouthaving been a Deputy. You neverknow when the right role for youmight come along.increased performance in music and the arts, andprovide a spacious area for indoor sports includingnetball, hockey, football, badminton, tennis, basketballand trampolining.”The hall is due to be completed in May and its formalopening will be marked at an open day on 12th June.The first phase of the building programme – a multipurposeAstro sports pitch – was completed in Februarythis year.Honours boards - restored,traditional, or digital...Recognising achievements bypupils and staff has never been soimportant. Restore My Board areable to manufacture traditionalwooden honours boards or modernglass effect acrylic versions, to anyshape & size. With annual updatessupplied in an easy to apply format,additions can be carried out quicklyand economically. Our traditionaloffer covering old and newmaterials have long been our coreservice and now our new excitingdigital honours board has beenlaunched.www.restoremyboard.co.uk 01327 437160Don’t find yourselfup the creek.Our exciting digital touch screenhonours board range has beendesigned to accommodate anyamount of awards required anddisplay them in a format that is easyto read and navigate. With a cloudhosted database and WiFi enabledscreens any updates or changesrequired can be applied within amatter of hours. Updates are allcompleted remotely from our officeand sent to screens automatically.As an established supplier oftraditional honours boards RestoreMy Board spotted a gap in themarket for a modern high techalternative which would not requirea great deal of wall space. Withthe ever increasing need to displaylarger amounts of achievements& awards and the lengtheninghistorical data to be displayed,more and more wall space is beingrequired. In some cases there is notLaw At Work are your expert partners in employment law,HR and health & safety. We know that time consuming andexpensive legal issues can take your business into dangerouswaters. By delivering the high quality service you expect froma leading law firm, at an affordable, all-inclusive price, we willguide you safely through the rapids.Minding your business.lawatwork.co.uk 0141 271 5555enough wall space to display theseor the information is so small it isverging on being illegible.The Restore My Board Digitalplatform also offers a greateramount of detail to be displayedincluding pupil & staff portraitsalong with head teacher comments.Screen sizes start at 22” in sizeand go up to 55” all with wallmounted or floor standing options.The content of the screens arefully customisable with your choiceof colours & fonts and we willintegrate your crests or logos.Screens can also be further adaptedwith bespoke surrounds or graphicsto enhance the visual appearanceand encourage user engagement.This exciting development inthe world of displaying honourswill offer a greater amount offlexibility and will look sleek &modern in any building.12 Independent Schools MagazineIndependent Schools Magazine 13

2015 ATL ConferenceAcademies: more of a threat or asoft landing for fee-paying schoolsunable to make ends meet?In the week before Easter, delegates from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland gathered in Liverpool forthe 2015 Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) annual conference. Braving gale force sea-front winds, andthe fans of McBusted and Paloma Faith from the Echo Arena next door, ATL delegates emerged after three days ofvigorous debate re-energised in their mission to deliver the best education possible for all young people.Reflections from John Richardson, National Official for the independent sector...Tried and testedqualificationsfor sixth formstudentsATL General Secretary MaryBousted outlined the challengesahead, with confidence thatATL members have a clear roadmap. ATL’s Shape Educationmanifesto is our blue print foreducation: a broad inspirationalcurriculum; a supportive assessmentsystem; school collaboration, notcompetition; a positive inspectionregime; a motivated and valuedworkforce, supported by CPD andfair reward; transparent, equalaccess for all pupils to schools notrun for profit.One particular challenge Maryidentified is an imminentrecruitment and retention crisis.She stunned delegates with therevelation that the latest governmentstatistics show that 32% of studentteachers having finished theirtraining never entered the classroom,with a further 6% leaving after justone year.In calling for a contractual right to,age and subject specific, CPD for allteachers, whatever sector, Mary drewattention to ATL’s commitment toprofessional development with ATLCPD provided to 24,000 membersover the past four years.Mary said that whoever wins thegeneral election, ATL want to havea new conversation with politicians,based on respect for the profession.ATL believe that there needs tobe devolution to profession ledbodies. She welcomed in principlethe proposals for a College ofTeaching. Despite our convictionthat the inspection regime mustbe overhauled, ATL believe inprofessional accountability. A bodyis needed to hold the professionto account and to help identifyimprovement.With the removal of the role oflocal authorities, accountability andadequate oversight is sadly lackingfrom the academy and free schoolsystem. Mary gave the DurandAcademy Trust as a prime exampleof sweating public assets for privategain. Executive headteacher Sir GregMartin earns more than £200,000a year for running the schools, and£160,000 from a company set upto run the trust’s sports and fitnesscentre last year. He also set up adating site which was registeredto the trust’s address. Kevin Craig,director of Durand Academy Trust,who is also a director of a lobbyingand public relations firm which hasbeen paid £580,000 by DurandAcademy Trust for lobbying andmedia relations services. £580,000of public money not spent on theeducation of children.In his ATL President’s address, MarkBaker, highlighted the growth ofpointless bureaucracy distractingteachers from the real task ofteaching and learning, underpinnedby a barely concealed lack of trustundermining their professionalism.ATL had warned the governmentof the consequences and now wewere unfortunately seeing the resultswith many teachers leaving theprofession.So close to the election, delegateswere disappointed that NickyMorgan was unable to attendbut cheered by the promise of amore collaborative approach witheducational professionals fromTristram Hunt - should Labour winthe election.Conference welcomed Mr Hunt’sbelief that the best way to ensureprosperity for Britain is to “investand invest again” in education,and applauded the Labour Party’scommitment to protect theeducation budget from cuts.He further warmed delegates’ heartsby embracing ATL’s long and heartfeltcall for reform of the inspectionregime. Mr Hunt announced thatthe Labour party supported thegrowing consensus led by ATL forreform of OFSTED, a vision outlinedin the ATL publication, ‘A new visionfor inspection in schools’.In the conference debates, delegatesdeplored the relentless workloadcreep which, amongst other things,members believe is partly toblame for making the professionunattractive to student teachers. Inthe debate, Rod Marsden reportedthe tribulations of an exhaustedmember at an independent schoolwho works all week teaching, oftenwithout a lunch break, attendsschool sports events until 5pm everySaturday, and has evening meetingsonce or twice a week, including lastweek a parents evening to 11pm.This concern was also picked upfrom a professional perspective inthe motion calling for Time to Talk.ATL members decried the relentlessdrive to fill every hour of the pupil’slife with structured activity andconsequently filling every momentof teacher time to the extent thateducational professionals no longerhad time to talk to each other.Members from the independentsector took the lead in a numberof debates, such as Creationism isnot a science. Alastair MacPherson,Edinburgh Academy, and AlisonBradley, Stover School, successfullymoved the call to combat anynotion that Creationism is ascience and ensure that, where it istaught, it is clearly categorised asreligious belief.Tendai Mashapure, a member ofATL’s independent & private sectorgroup, IPSAG, proposed a motionon measures to try and avert theimminent threat of a teacherrecruitment and retention crisis.Conference called for the end tothe use of zero hours in schools andcolleges. These manifestly one-sidedand unfair contracts have no rolein education. Alastair MacPhersonpointed to the findings of theATL Independent School Pay &Conditions Survey 2014, when 12%of ATL members responding to thesurvey said that their school usedzero hours contracts for some staff.Outside of the debating chamber,there were numerous break-outsessions, CPD opportunities andfringe meetings. At the independentschool session, I presented a PESTLEanalysis of the sector. Amongst otherthings, I looked at the demographicchanges to the sector wroughtby the economic downturn andpublic austerity programme andposed the question as to whetheracademies are more of a threat or asoft landing for fee-paying schoolsunable to make ends meet.Independent sector members alsoplayed a leading role in a numberof the fringe meetings. Helen Porter,chair of IPSAG, facilitated a sessionon Strengthening Self-Esteem andBody Confidence.Robert Tatam ATL member andclassics teacher at Bancroft’s Schoolfor over 30 years spoke aboutthe dangers that TTIP poses todemocracy, public service provisionand not least ATL’s manifestoprinciple that schools should notbe run for profit! TTIP - TheTransatlantic Trade and InvestmentPartnership is a series of tradenegotiations being carried outmostly in secret between the EU andUS aimed at weakening consumerprotection, individual rights andgovernment sovereignty to enabletransnational companies to, amongstother things, run public services.Cambridge Pre-U is developed with universitiesand taken by students across the UK.Cambridge International AS & A Level is a flexiblequalification with AS Level counting towardsA Level, taken by students around the world.Both qualifications are recognised by universitiesand offer stability, consistency and flexibility.To find out more, join our Cambridge Advanced LearnMore event on 3 June in London. Book your placeat www.cie.org.uk/advancedlearnmoreTo find out more, visitwww.cie.org.uk/cambridgeadvanced14 Independent Schools MagazineIndependent Schools Magazine 15

Choirs of the YearGodolphin School, Wiltshire,Vocal Ensemble have beencrowned Barnardo’s SeniorSchool Choir of the Year 2015.As part of their prize, the VocalEnsemble will have a songspecially written for them, whichthey will perform in the RoyalAlbert Hall later in the year.Mrs Olivia Sparkhall, director ofthe ensemble, spoke with thechief judge, Dr Douglas CoombesMBE, after the event and herevealed that the “superb unisonsinging” had clinched it for thefive judges whose decision hadbeen unanimous.Hereford Cathedral JuniorSchool’s Junior Chamber Choirwon the Junior crown. Thechoir is now invited to sing inNovember’s Young SupportersConcert at the Royal Albert Hall,London.The choir received excellentfeedback from Douglas CoombesMBE and he has offered to writea song especially for them as thewinning choir.Miss Rachael Toolan, HerefordCathedral Junior School’s Head ofMusic said:“We were competing against 17excellent choirs within our sectionand so we were truly honoured tobe selected as the winners. We areall delighted!”Gresham’s Prep School ChapelChoir from Norfolk achievedsecond place in the juniorcategory. This is the second yearrunning that the choir had beenselected to perform in the finals.The songs they performed at this16 Independent Schools Magazineyear’s finals were, Remembered,a piece written by the PrepSchool’s Director of Music,Nathan Waring and Red BootsOn by Bob Chilcott. The choiralso performed a further piece,La Musica, at a concert held thatevening to a packed audience ofover 2000 people.Nathan Waring, Director of Musicat the Prep School, said the pupilssang beautifully in front of alarge and appreciative audienceand it was testament to their hardwork and commitment that theywere awarded second place in thecompetition.The Prep School has five choirs,but the Chapel Choir is the onlyauditioned choir made up of45 children. They have recentlysung at the Cathedrals of Ely,Peterborough and Norwich andperformed alongside the worldrenowned English ChamberOrchestra, at the premiere ofEventide, written by Gresham’sformer Composer-in-Residence,Patrick Hawes. This term thechildren have also worked withthe British vocal ensembleVOCES8. The choir had workedvery hard to reach the finals,practising four times a weekas well as leading the weeklyschool’s chapel service.Barnardo’s, who organised thisevent, undertakes life changingwork to help and supportvulnerable children exposed topoverty, sexual exploitation,disability or domestic violence inthe UK and the proceeds from theconcert went towards this charity.On a bicycle made for two...Pitsford School, Northamptonshire, has this termbecome a regional centre for the national charityCharlotte’s Tandems.Charlotte’s Tandems lend, at no cost, tandems andtag-alongs to people with disabilities or additionalneeds, who are unable to ride a bike safely on theirown, so that they can enjoy the wonders of cycling.Tandems are a fun and safe way to get out andabout as friends, a couple, family or group. CurrentlyPitsford School has two tandems available for loan,and an additional two that have been donatedWork begins on new £1.25m hallKing’s Hawford School,Worcestershire, has celebratedthe start of building work on itsnew £1.25m multi-purpose hallwhich its headmaster believeswill benefit ‘many generations’of pupils.A ceremony to mark the occasionwas attended by Douglasand Mary-Ann Garrad, whofounded the school in 1955. Themilestone comes as pupils markthe school’s 60th anniversary.The new 4,700 square-footbuilding, to be known as TheBarn, will be a contemporaryversion of a traditionalWorcestershire vernacular barnto stay in keeping with thesite’s historic buildings and thesurrounding landscape.The school’s 330 pupils will usethe timber-framed building astheir main sports hall as wellas for concerts and theatreproductions. It will also beavailable for the communityto use in the evenings and willinclude a kitchen facility tocater for events. It will featureremovable seating for up to 220spectators.Headmaster Jim Turner said:“The Barn represents a majorinvestment for us and when it’scompleted it will give a fantasticmulti-purpose sports and dramafacility for our pupils.“We are also very grateful forthe support from all our pupils’parents, who have been extremelypositive about the plans and howimportant a role The Barn willplay in the school’s future.“The Barn will be a great benefitto the school and I am certainit will be a superb facility tobe used and enjoyed by manygenerations of pupils.”Mr Turner, who has beenheadmaster at King’s Hawfordsince 2006, added that the localcommunity will also be able tohire the new building in theevenings and at weekends.but are in need of renovation before they are roadworthy. In addition there is one Weehoo tag-alongwhich was donated last month.The Weehoo is currently being borrowed by 4 yearold Ellie, who has a visual impairment. See photo ofEllie and her dad Chris on their first ride together.Mr. N. Toone, Pitsford School’s Headmaster is a keencyclist himself and can regularly be seen cycling the28 miles to Pitsford School from his home in Oundle.More information about Charlotte’s Tandems canbe found at www.charlottestandems.co.ukTechnology, learning and the vital role of schoolsKeep taking the tablets:A comment by Dr Kevin Stannard, head of Innovationand Learning at the Girls’ Day Schools Trust...Every technological step-changesets alarm bells ringing. In 1950,an American teacher bemoaned thepassing of the pencil, proclaiming:“Ball-point pens will be the ruinof education in our country”. Ofcourse it was Plato who started itall with his critique of writing – apoor substitute for the lively giveand take of oral dialogue. Writingthings down, he thought, wouldencourage forgetfulness and fail toactivate deep learning.Equally melodramatic are thosewho proclaim the death of theschool on the grounds that theInternet, Web 2.0, and mobiledevices have rendered the “factory”model of schooling irrelevant. Afterall, why do we need teachers (andschools) when we’ve got Googleand wireless-enabled cafes?In an age when young peoplelive with a plethora of devicesand unhindered access toinformation from multiple sources,Four students from WellsCathedral Senior School inSomerset have won the inauguralUltimate STEM Challengecompetition.The nationwide schoolscompetition, launched inSeptember 2014 by BP, STEMNETand the Science Museum,challenged students aged 11-14to test their Science, Technology,Engineering and Maths (STEM)skills by tackling some real-worldenergy problems.The competition, an extensionof BP’s existing Ultimate FieldTrip for university students, wasdeveloped as a result of groundbreakingresearch conductedby King’s College London,the research partner in BP’sEnterprising Science programme.schools run the risk of remainingembarrassingly analogueinstitutions in a digital age.Digital technology not onlyhelps pupils learn in new anddifferent ways, it can really engagethem by offering new ways ofcaptivating attention, buildingon prior learning, and adaptivetesting. Technology can breakdown artificial divisions between‘formal’ learning in classrooms and‘informal’ learning in other spacesin and out of school, realising thepotential of the ‘flipped classroom’.Technology in the hands oflearners can, and should, disrupttraditional, transmissive, teacherdominatedmodels of education.But isn’t there a danger that itmight distract as well as disrupt?By the age of eighteen, studentswill have spent the equivalent offour years in front of a screen.Research confirms that multitaskingslows learning and there isInaugural STEMChallenge winnersThe research showed that despite70% of school children sayingCthat they ‘learn interesting thingsMin science’ and that ‘scientistsmake a difference in the world’,Yonly around 15% ‘aspire toCMbecome a scientist’.MYWith the UK needing to produceCYtwice the number of engineersCMYwith the right qualifications to fillnearly two million job openingsKexpected by 2020, it is criticalto increase the level of STEMparticipation from a young age.Wells Cathedral Senior School’ssolution focused on how to keephydrated in extreme environments.The team developed a portableSolar Still Solution called S3. Thedevice uses solar energy to producedrinking water from salt or pollutedwater anywhere in the world.a general consensus that attentionspans are shortening.Learning is all about handlinginformation – not just findingor receiving it. Activities thatrequire bite-sized knowledge andstaccato responses underminethe link between extendedwriting – through its promotionof conjunctions and dependentclauses – and deeper thinkingthrough the connection of ideas.In embracing a digital future,schools need to avoid striving tobecome a pale facsimile version ofthe ‘real’ world. They certainly needto prepare young people to taketheir place in that world, but aseducators we have a wider, otherworldlyresponsibility. In a modular,multi-tasking, rapidly mutatingworld, where young people arebombarded with data, schools standout as privileged places which putvalue on sustained reflection andconsidered debate. Schools can be“gardens of peace”, giving time andspace for young people to exploreideas, develop understanding, makelinks between concepts and engagein a deeper, more considered andmore nuanced way than is perhapsthe case elsewhere.As teachers we must employtechnology critically, in aid ofeducational aims, and not for itsown sake. A recent study concludedthat, “the gap between ICT usein and out of school remainspersistent.” Surely the fundamentalchallenge is to ensure thattechnology in schools is encouragingof deep learning, rather than beingdistracting or worse still, irrelevant.Independent Schools May 14 135x90.pdf 1 13/05/2014 09:12:15Independent Schools Magazine 17

Single sex schoolsand ‘pupil innocence’Single sex schools allow pupils to keep their innocence for longer, accordingto Tony Little, headmaster of Eton. His comments, reported in the Telegraph,sparked a volley of opinions on everything from sex education to eatingdisorders, which only served to show that while the great British public maybe living in the twenty first century, they’re still all too ready to wheel outthe stereotypes, says Alun Jones....First we had Tony Little brandedunhelpfully as a Victorian relic.Then we had the eye-poppingheadline in Radhika Sanghani’sopinion piece ‘Sex, porn andmythical genitalia: Girls at singlesexschools aren’t that innocent’,followed by Telegraph columnistAllison Pearson claiming that girls’schools are ‘febrile and bitchy’.The truth, as they say, is out theresomewhere. As Allison Pearsonwas careful to acknowledge, “thereis no cap on female aspiration,nor any no-go subjects for girlsworried about being thoughtunfeminine” in a girls’ school. Inthat respect, the academic andconfidence-inspiring benefitsof single sex schools almost gowithout saying, though I won’tmiss this opportunity to reiteratesome of them.Do I think that single sex schoolsallow children to retain theirinnocence for longer? I thinkthat very much depends on whatwe mean by innocence. But Ido agree with Tony Little whenhe says that single sex schoolsenable children to “be themselves”.Whether this alleviates the needfor what he calls “pretty graphic”sex education at a young age is amoot point.Schools can do wonderful things,and single sex schools certainlyminimise gender stereotypedpressures on pupils when it comesto subject choice and personalconfidence. But no school –single sex, co-ed, day or boarding– exists in a vacuum. Pubescentgirls and boys are going to talkabout sex, find out about sex,and some of them are going toexperiment and even have sex,whatever kind of school theyattend. Schools can mitigate itbut they can’t prevent it, and theschools that are mindful of thisare the ones, I would suggest,that are most likely to deliver themost pertinent sex education.What single sex schools mostcertainly can do is to enablethe kind of ‘being yourself’ thatcomes from choosing to studyphysics because you like it andthere are no boys in the classto bring out the kind of genderstereotyped thinking – in pupilsor teachers – that whispers inyour ear, however subconsciously,this is for boys or I’ll let the boysanswer that one. The same is true,of course, for boys who choose tostudy English Literature.There are always exceptions tothe rule and the gap betweensingle sex and co-ed schools isless in the independent sectorthan it is in the state sector. Onesignificant study, Closing Doors * ,undertaken by the Institute ofPhysics, found both state-fundedand independent co-educationalschools that were achieving, orat least approaching, genderparity among students takingsix subjects with traditionallybig gender disparities at A-level.However, the proportions wererelatively low, i.e. 3.9 per cent ofstate-funded and 22.5 per centof independent co-educational*Institute of Physics, Closing Doors: Exploring Gender and Subject Choice in Schools, December 2013schools. The study observedthat the fact that so many coeducationalschools can be ator below average on ‘gendered’subject choices indicates thatsingle-sex schools are lesslikely to exacerbate genderimbalances. Furthermore, itconcluded: “Single sex schoolsare significantly better than coeducationalschools at counteringthe gender imbalances inprogression to these six subjects.”Do pupils at single sex schoolsneed sex education? Yes, ofcourse, and I would argue thatbeing able to discuss sex ingirls-only or boys-only groupscan be hugely beneficial. Aregirls in girls’ schools “febrileand bitchy” or subject to eatingdisorders? No more than girlsin any other kind of school. Idon’t know of any research thatpoints to single sex schools beingmore likely to engender either ofthese conditions, in either girlsor boys, and to suggest that theydo, based on nothing more thanpersonal experience of one schoolis ridiculous.Single sex schools head theleague tables year after year anddominate the group of top schoolsfor sending students to RussellGroup and Oxbridge universities.They continue to provide a hugeelement of choice for parents andstudents and I have no doubtthat means we will still be readingthe same old for and againstarguments for years to come.Alun Jones is President of the Girls’Schools Association which representsthe heads of UK independentgirls’ schools, is a member of theIndependent Schools Council and hasa worldwide associate membership.He is Head of St Gabriel’s School,Berkshire.Sea King visitsthe AldenhamFoundationA Sea King search and rescuehelicopter made a flying visit toAldenham School, Hertfordshire,and landed on the playingfields in front of an appreciativeaudience of St Hilda’s andAldenham Prep pupils. Thewindswept children cheered whenthe helicopter hovered noisily infront of them as it lowered itselfinto position.The helicopter was flown fromCuldrose in Cornwall by itssquadron of five Royal Navalofficers, especially to raiseawareness and to share theofficers’ personal experiencesof life as a search and rescuepilot and crew. Culdrose is justone of two Royal Navy basesof its kind in the country, andtogether with its partner base inScotland, saves hundreds of livesevery year as they roam largestretches of the British coastline.Their rescue missions often takeplace at night-time in pitch blackdarkness amidst violent weatherconditions. The officers take itin turn to be on call twenty-fourhours a day, seven days a week.The children were invited toexplore the helicopter in smallclass groups and quizzed theofficers enthusiastically. Thepupils, aged between fourand eleven, were struck by thetechnology of the cockpit, withone remarking that they were:“So clever to memorise all thosebuttons. I thought there wouldbe one big red button that said‘go’!” One pupil giggled as shealmost fell backwards trying onan officer’s heavy helmet. Butone thing they all unanimouslyagreed upon was that it was an‘opportunity of a lifetime’ andthat the officers were ‘very brave’.Pictured: Mr James Fowler (Headmaster ofAldenham School); Miss Sarah Styles (Headof St Hilda’s Prep School for Girls); Mrs VickyGocher (Head of Aldenham Prep School)Gillian Bowser will leave hercurrent position of Headteacher ata Community Primary School atthe end of this academic year totake over at the helm of the KingHenry VIII Preparatory School, WestMidlands.She will replace Nicholas Lovell.Mrs Bowser is from Coventry andwas a pupil at Hollyfast PrimarySchool and Coundon Court Schoolbefore graduating and qualifyingas a teacher from the University ofWarwick in 1995.Her teaching career began atCourthouse Green Primary School,followed by Pearl Hyde PrimarySchool.Whilst undertaking her Headshipqualification, she was a leadingteacher for numeracy with CoventryLocal Education Authority.She went on to be part of theleadership team that helped tobring Moseley Primary School outof special measures.The foundations for taking onher first headship at Alderman’sGreen in 2008 were cemented atWalsgrave CE Primary School whereshe spent three years as DeputyHeadteacher.Mrs Bowser is the first woman tobe appointed Headteacher withinthe Coventry School Foundation,and her appointment followson from Julia McNaney recentlybecoming the first female Chairof Governors of Coventry SchoolFoundation.Pictured: Left to right, Gillian Bowser and Julia McNaney at King Henry VIII Preparatory School.The Governorsof LordWandsworthCollege,Hampshire, haveannounced theappointment ofAdam Williams as Headmaster fromJanuary 2016.Adam is currently Senior DeputyHead at The Glasgow Academy.He has been running the Seniorschool for the past three years witha specific focus on pastoral care,the pupil voice and deepeninga boarding ethos within a dayschool.Adam was schooled at MilbourneLodge and Bradfield College; hegraduated from Durham UniversityNick Gregory hasbeen named asthe new Head ofWycliffe College,Gloucestershire.Nick waseducated atIpswich School and the Universityof Nottingham where he studiedFrench and Spanish.After eight years’ managementexperience with Barclays, Nickchose to move to a teaching career.He taught modern languageswith a degree in Geography andin his spare time he representedthe cricket and golf sides, winningnational honours. Adam hasworked at a range of boarding andday schools; he has been Headof Geography at both BradfieldCollege and Oakham School, beforebecoming a housemaster for nineyears at the latter. He is a keensportsman and singer and holds acoaching qualification in cricket,as well as having been an officer inthe CCF.Adam is also a family man; his wifeKaren grew up in Hampshire andis a consultant histopathologist.They will be joined by their threechildren; Alex (8), Charlie (6) andSophie (3).at Barnard Castle School andMerchant Taylor’s Northwoodbefore becoming a boardinghousemaster at Old SwinfordHospital.Nick is currently Deputy Head(Pastoral) at Mill Hill School. Hetherefore has a strong boarding andacademic profile. He is also a keensportsman. He is married to Helenand they have three sons. He willreplace current head Margie BurnetWard, who is retiring. He will takeup his post in September.New head atyour school?Please let us have a brief biog and image forinclusion in a future issue. There is no charge.We’ll add them to our complimentary-copymailing list too.WoodhouseGrove School,Yorkshire, haveannounced theappointmentof former pupilJames Lockwood as Headmasterfrom January 2016.James attended Hoyle CourtPrimary School and LadderbanksMiddle School (now closed) both inBaildon, before joining WoodhouseGrove aged 13 in 1986. He wenton to be Head prefect and RugbyCaptain at the school beforeleaving for University in 1992.Having completed an Honoursdegree at Manchester, he went onto gain an MA with distinctionin Education Management at theUniversity of Surrey.His teaching career began at ExeterSchool in 1996. He then spentten years at St John’s School,Leatherhead, where he was aHousemaster of a boys’ boardinghouse, Master i/c Rugby and,latterly, a member of the school’ssenior management team, withspecific responsibility for theco-curricular life of the school.Following this he moved to beDeputy Head at the Royal HospitalSchool (near Ipswich) and waspromoted to Headmaster in 2012.Felsted School, Essex, has announced that Mr ChrisTownsend has been appointed the new Headmaster as of1st September 2015.Chris, the current Deputy Headmaster at Felsted is aClassics graduate from Brasenose College, Oxford, wherehe was an Exhibitioner and won three Cricket Blues.Chris began his teaching career at Dean Close, where he was at schoolhimself, and following a three year post as Housemaster, he moved toStowe, where he was a Housemaster and Head of Boarding. In 2010 Chrismoved to Felsted as Deputy Head.HeadmistressMrs AlisonTurner hasleft her postas head ofExeter JuniorSchool, and is off to begin the nextstage of her life and career in NewYork CityHeadmaster Mr Bob Griffin said MrsTurner’s approach was characterisedfrom the outset by her kindness,her interest in, and respect for, allmembers of the community andher wish to educate her pupils inthe widest sense, instilling in themfundamental Christian values andimbuing them with her tremendoussense of fun.As an ordained Church of Englandpriest, Mrs Turner immediatelyestablished strong links for theschool with Exeter Cathedral, ledworship in the Junior School andpresided alongside the Chaplain atmany Founders’ Days.Deputy Head of Exeter School,Mr Paul Šljivic, will be taking overas interim Head of Exeter JuniorSchool for the Summer term. Heis pictured with Mrs Turner andpupils.He is very much looking forwardto getting to know Junior Schoolpupils and families better in hisnew role until the arrival of MrsSue Marks in September.18 Independent Schools MagazineIndependent Schools Magazine 19

BAE Systems engineering experience Year 8How does itIt does24It's builtIt can go howThe 4 0m long Maersk Triple Eis the largest container shipcu rently in service, ca rying18, 00 containers on globalsea routes at a sp ed of over23 knots. The size of moderncontainer ships has increasedrapidly and these new giantstructures present uniquecha lenges for naval architectsand marin engineers.We can do3D printing and roboticswi l be big parts of theUK’s future!Each team wi l be given abasic robot at the start ofthe course.It is your task to re-design,re-program and tweak thisdesign to make you the wi ningteam in the Robot Challenge!To help you on your way youwill be given an introductionto 3D printing, part design,CAD, robotics, programmingand control electronics.The ‘Helmet MountedSymbology System’ designedby BAE Systems, is highlysophisticated and letspilots ‘see’ through thebody of the aircraft, givingthem a vital advantage whenit comes to split-seconddecision-making.Our everyday life, economicvitality, and national securitydepend on a stable, safe andresilient cyberspace. Cu rentlyit is estimated that 80% of themore succe sful co mon cybera tacks are defeatable by simplebest practice.From the car you trave ledin this morning, toyour smartphone and yourfavourite pair of shoes;engin ers are responsiblefor designing, constructing,testing and perfectingvirtua ly every product youcan think of!What are the details?StudentsYear 1, 15/16 yr oldYear 12, 16/17 yr oldVenuesMTC Coventry andLoughborough UniversityDates6th – 9th July 2015Duration4 days fu l board (3 nights residential)Registration fee£275 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place o ferWhat are the details?StudentsYear 1, 15/16 yr oldYear 12, 16/17 yr oldVenueNewcastle UniversityDates20th – 23rd July 2015Duration4 days fu l board (3 nights residential)Registration fee£175 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place offerWhat are the details?StudentsYear 8, 12/13 yr oldVenueLancaster UniversityDates7th – 10th July 2015Duration4 days fu l board (3 nights residential)Registration fee£175 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place o ferCriteriaGirls in particular are encouragedto a plyWhat are the details?StudentsYear 10, 14/15 yr oldVenueUniversity of PortsmouthDates22nd – 25th June 2015Duration4 days fu l board (3 nights residential)Registration fee£ 25 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place o ferWhat are the details?StudentsYear 8, 12/13 yr oldYear 9, 13/14 yr oldVenueUniversity of BristolDates13th – 16th July 2015Duration4 days, fu l board (3 nights residential)Registration fee£125 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place o ferCriteriaThis course is exclusively for girlsIt' l be gone by26NASA sate lite imageryhas shown that thepolar ice cap i shrinkingat a rate of 9% everyten years. If this trendcontinues, su mers in theArctic wi l be ice-fr e bythe end of the century.It worksIt goes downIt doesIt can doRadar works by sendingout electromagnetic pulsesand calculating how long theytake to bounce back from atarget such as a ship oran iceberg. First inventedover 70 years ago, it isstill a vital component of amodern ship’s navigation anddetection systems.The mini submarineNautile is best knownfor its exploration ofthe sunken Titanic. Threepeople on board operate itsarms and cameras at depthsof up to 6km.A typical pe let ofuranium, which is roughlythe size of the tip ofyour little finger, weighs7 grams. It can generate asmuch energy as 50 litresof oil, 480m 3 of naturalgas or 810kg of coal.Railway engin ers designvehicles, track and controlsystems that allow fast, safeand reliable rail travel.They create trains that canreach record-breaking sp edsof 350mph and build hugefreight trains, hauling over50,000 tons, which are over3 miles in length!What are the details?StudentsYear 11, 15/16 yr oldVenueNewcastle UniversityDates20th – 23rd July 2015Duration4 days fu l board (3 nights residential)Registration feeYear 1£275 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place offerWhat are the details?StudentsYear 9, 13/14 yr oldVenueUniversity of PortsmouthDates29th June – 2nd July 2015Duration4 days fu l board (3 nights residential)Registration feeYear 9£175 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place o ferWhat are the details?StudentsYear 10, 14/15 yr oldVenueUniversity of StrathclydeDates26th – 30th July 2015Duration5 days full board (4 nights residential)Registration fee£175 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place offerWhat are the details?StudentsYear 10, 14/15 yr oldYear 1, 15/16 yr oldVenues & DatesLancaster University20th – 23rd July 2015The University of Manchester20th – 23rd July 2015Duration4 days fu l board (3 nights residential)Registration fee£225 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place o ferWhat are the details?StudentsYear 1, 15/16 yr oldYear 12, 16/17 yr oldVenue & DatesUniversity of Birmingham20th – 23rd July 2015University of Hu dersfield13th – 16th July 2015Duration4 days full board (3 nights residential)Registration fee£175 per student, payable on receiptof invoice and place o ferA plications from maintained (state) sch ols areparticularly welcome. The University of Birminghamhas generously o fered to pay the registration feefor 3 students providing they are in receipt of fr esch ol meals. Students wishing to ply for thisshould state ‘BURSARY’ on their plication form.These places wi l be provided on a first come,first served basis.Subsidised ResidentialCourses in STEM subjectsThe Smallpeice Trust is a national educational charity which offers a wide variety of residential coursesfor students in Years 8 to 12. These courses generally take place in universities, and provide real-lifework and study experiences which improve personal development, confidence and potential. For manystudents, a Smallpeice course is a first taste of life away from home or school, and provides a valuableinsight into studying at university.Course fees are highly subsidised, and include full board, all course materials, and social activities.Among this summer’s courses are:3D Printing and Polymer Technology£275 – Year 11/12MTC Coventry & Loughbrough University from 6th – 9th July 20153D printing technologyhow?Advanced marine technologyfast?work?Electronics with cyber security Year 10what?Girls into engineeringwhat?Year 1 Year 12http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/3D-Printing-Technology-2015.pdfAdvanced Marine Technology£175 – Year 11/12Newcastle University from 20th – 23rd July 2015Year 1 Year 12http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/21098_Adv-marine-tech.pdfBAE Systems Engineering£275 – Year 8Lancaster University from 7th – 10th July 2015http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/21098_BAE-systems.pdfElectronics with Cyber Security£225 – Year 10University of Portsmouth from 22nd – 25th June 2015http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/21098_Electronics-Cyber.pdfGirls into Engineering£125 – Year 8/9Universiy of Bristol from 13th – 16th July 2015Year 8 Year 9http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/21098_Girls-engineering.pdfLow Carbon Energy£275 – Year 11Newcastle University from 20th – 23rd JulyLow carbon energywhen?http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/21098_Low-carbon.pdfMarine Technology£175 – Year 9/10University of Portsmouth from 29th June – 2nd July 2015Marine technologyhow?http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/21098_Marine-tech.pdfUniversity of Strathclyde from 26th – 30th July 2015Marine Course Title technologyhow far?what?Year 10http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/21098_Marine-tech-10.pdfNuclear Engineering£225 – Year 10/11University of Manchester from 20th – 23rd July 2015Nuclear engineering Year 10 Year 1Lancaster University from 20th – 23rd July 2015http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/21098_Nuclear.pdfRailway Engineering£175 – Year 11/12University of Birmingham from 20th – 23rd July 2015Railway engineeringwhat?Year 1 Year 12University of Huddersfield from 13th – 16th July 2015http://www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/21098_Railway.pdfFor more information please follow the links above, or to request an information pack, please telephone 01926 333206www.smallpeicetrust.org.ukBoys ‘build’ school for virtual toursCreative boys from 10 to18-years-old at MonmouthSchool have taken to theirfavourite online game, Minecraft,to create a true-scale version ofthe historic buildings.Having already recreated theSchool’s chapel, library, scienceblocks, boarding houses andmain William Jones Building,the 35-strong team hope that,when it’s finished, their Minecraftrepresentation can be used forvirtual open day tours.The ambitious boys also hope toone day build an accurate versionof surrounding Monmouth tocomplete their masterpiece, whichhas united pupils from across theyear groups.Lyndsay Hope, Head ofComputing at Monmouth School,said: “We had so many boysworking on Minecraft and wewanted to give them a focus.“It began in September, and asignificant amount has beenachieved in that time.“They’ve been really careful aboutaccuracy – their attention todetail is amazing.“There is one student in charge oftexturizing blocks to make thema match for school carpets, stone,books and lockers.STEM DaysBig things happen with The Smallpeice Trust“I’m surprised at how committedand creative they have been.“I love the fact we have 14-yearoldsadministering web servers,using real world skills.“They are building differentworlds, taking care of security,making sure TNT is disabled sopeople can’t mischievously blowthe whole thing up.“Within the environment ofa game, they have developedremarkable real-world skills theywill be able to apply later in life.”The project is also helpingstudents to be more artistic andobservational, looking for newthings around the School andpaying attention to detail.All 76 names of former pupilswho lost their lives in World WarOne have lovingly been writtenout on the Minecraft recreationof the School’s war memorial.As Minecraft grows in popularity,with more than 18 millionsubscribers to date, entirecountries have been built onthe game, as well as incrediblydetailed versions of fantasy landssuch as Middle Earth from Lordof the Rings.The boys hope to have all of theSchool’s buildings complete bythe end of the year.Educational charity The Smallpeice Trust runs in-school STEM (science, technology,engineering, mathematics) activity days designed to enhance Year 8 and 9 students’aptitude for problem-solving, creativity, design and engineering.Benefits to teachers:Easy to organise, teachers can choose full or half day workshops that complementthe national curriculum and fit nicely into the school day. There is a choice of ‘designand make’ projects offering students the chance to break away from their usualroutine to work on exciting projects that really stretch the imagination!Groups of 50 pupils work together in small teams on ‘design and make’ activities.• Communication Tower• Bridge Building• Wind Turbine• Propelled Glider• SupercapacitorPowered VehicleCall 01926 333200 for prices,and to book your day.www.smallpeicetrust.org.ukHolly House, 74 Upper Holly Walk, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 4JLT: 01926 333200 F: 01926 333202 E: gen@smallpeicetrust.org.uk www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk20 Design & Technology8915 advert aw.indd 1 6/8/09 11:46:45Design & Technology 21

Advertorial FeatureThe VEX Robotics Competition UKNational Championships was heldat the Birmingham NEC in Marchand was the 4th year that thecompetition has been held in the UK.The event is the climax of thecompetition season – teamshave been competing in regionalqualifying events to securethemselves a place where theywould compete against thetop 40 teams from all over thecountry.The season began back inMay when teams were given achallenge for which they arerequired to design and build aVEX robot which can operateboth autonomously and byremote control. Robots mustconform to a strict set of ruleswhich govern factors such as thesize and number of motors thatare allowed to be used whichmeans students need to come upwith some ingenious engineeringsolutions. Robots must beconstructed entirely from VEXcomponents which are reusableyear after year so once thecompetition season is completed,the robot is dismantled and theparts used to compete in thenext one.Teams are generally formed ofup to 6 students who will takea number of different roles.A successful team will needstudents to use CAD to designtheir robot, engineers to buildit and a programmer to makesure it operates autonomously. AProject Manager may oversee thewhole process ensuring the workis documented in an EngineeringNotebook which is presented toa panel of judges as part of thecompetition.Independent Schools includingHighgate, King Henry VIII School,Nottingham High School andStowe School are already havingexcellent success with the VEXRobotics Competition.Stuart Sweetman, Head of DesignTechnology at King Henry VIIIschool in Coventry said “Thishas been our first year takingpart in the VEX Competitionand although the learningcurve has been steep the pupilshave risen to the challenge atevery set back. We attendedseveral events, with a variety ofoutcomes, and after every onethe students were buzzing inthe minibus discussing designdevelopments and improvementsto the robot. We will certainlybe back next year ready to takeon the world!” The King HenryVIII team called BotVIII lead anAlliance that made it to the finalsof this year’s competition beingnarrowly beaten by an Alliancethat included System32 fromHighgate School.The Highgate team’s performanceearned themselves a placeat the VEX Robotics WorldChampionships in Kentucky, USAwhere they will compete against400 teams from all over the globe.How competitive roboticssupports learning• Provides a specific design challenge and set of rules which mimic realworld engineering projects• Encourages students to work with students from other schools• Provides motivation for students to write better code to improve theirperformance in competition• Helps students develop teamwork by working in multi-functional groupsBuy a VEX Super Kit and get FREE toolsand VEX Robotics Competition registrationThe VEX Super Kit contains everything you need to start a VEX Robotics competitionteam. All you need to supply is an enthusiastic group of students!Order now for the 2015/16 competition season quoting VEXCOMP15 and you willreceive FREE competition registration worth £70 and a VEX Tool Kit worth £6.99as well as a 90-day trial of the ROBOTC programming software.The competition registration allows you to compete at as many regionalVEX events as you wish where your team can attempt to qualify for theUK National Championships!To find out more about competing in the VEX Robotics Competition,contact chris.calver@rapidonline.comOrder code Description Price70-6478 Classroom and Competition Super Kit £749.99www.rapidonline.com/VEXC H A L L E N G EFOR STUDENTS AGED 8-14FOR STUDENTS AGED 11-18Buy any VEX IQ Classroom Bundle and get FREEVEX IQ Challenge registrations worth up to £220These VEX IQ Classroom Bundles contain everything you need to starta number of VEX IQ Challenge teams. All you need to supply is an enthusiasticgroup of students!Order now for the 2015/16 competition season quoting VEXIQ15 and you willreceive up to 6 FREE competition registrations worth £220 as well as a 90-daytrial of the ROBOTC programming software.The competition registration allows you to compete at as many regionalVEX IQ events as you wish where your team can attempt to qualify for theUK National Championships!To find out more about competing in the VEX IQ Challenge,contact chris.calver@rapidonline.comOrder code Description No. of Kits FREE Reg. Price70-7950 Group Bundle 5 2 £1249.9970-7951 Small Class Bundle 10 4 £2399.9970-7952 Classroom Bundle 15 6 £3749.99Offers valid until 31/07/2015. Orders must be placed by phone or e-mail quoting the offer code at the time of orderwww.rapidonline.com22 Design & Technology

Born: 1964Married:Yes to Rachel and we havea 15 year old daughter and14 year old sonSchools and University Attended:Mill Hill School; Durham UniversityFirst job:1990 Freshwater Scientist forNational Rivers AuthorityFirst management job:2004 Deputy Head,Warwick SchoolFirst job in education:1996 Biology Teacher,Ardingly CollegeAppointed to current job:2014Favourite piece of music:Rachmaninov 2nd Piano concertoFavourite food:Beef WellingtonFavourite drink:Freshwater from a mountain burnFavourite holiday destination:Isle of ArranFavourite leisure pastime:Playing golfFavourite TV or radio programme/series: Test Match SpecialSuggested epitaph:Dedicated husband,father and teacherProfiletrainedIn conversation with Graham HawleyQFoundedin 1827, Loretto isScotland’s oldest boarding school,well-known for the distinctivebright red jackets worn by pupils. One of theschool’s early heads, Dr Hely Almond, disliked‘constrictive’ ties, and they are not worn to thisday. What does such tradition in attire bring toa 21st century school?ALorettonianswear their red blazerswith enormous pride and they linkcurrent Lorettonians with formerpupils right back to Almond’s era. The lack ofa tie is unusual amongst senior schools andindicates that we are prepared to be different.Not necessarily following the crowd is animportant part of education and preparingchildren for life.QDr Almond placed emphasis onthe value of “a community livingaccording to the dictates of reason’.Whole-school singing remains a popularactivity. How else does Dr Almond’s emphasison community show up in school life today?AWegather most days in Chapel andbeing a small school children knoweach other very well. An emphasison a wide co-curricular programme means thatchildren of different ages interact and the olderpupils act as positive role models. Having staffwho teach, run activities and are present inboarding houses means that children are knownvery well, both for what they are good at andfor things they are less keen on. Day childrenusually stay until after supper so the sense ofa whole school is not diluted by many childrenleaving after lessons.QOriginallyfor boys only, Lorettobecame fully co-ed in 1997. KellyCollege, where you held your firstheadship, is also co-ed; before that you wereDeputy Head at the boys only Warwick School.Such experience must have furnished you withan insight into the relative merits of single-sexand co-ed systems. Do you see any benefits inthe ‘composite’ diamond model which appearsto be increasing in popularity?AI think there are advantages anddisadvantages of all models. Theexperience of each individual childis what matters most. Happy children thrive andthis should be the goal of all models. I can seeadvantages in a diamond model although theyare likely to be best suited to larger schools.QLorettois famous throughoutthe UK and beyond for its GolfAcademy and its Pipe Band. Thesehigh-profile activities sit alongside the school’saim of ‘instilling a quiet confidence’ in itspupils. How do you manage your marketingmessages to balance the loud and the quiet?AWeare quite understated as aschool and the quiet confidenceof our pupils is an enormouslyattractive quality. Visitors are struck by the highlevel of friendliness and warmth of the pupilsand our aim is to encourage families to cometo the school; the pupils are the best ‘marketingmessage’ we have.QYoustudied Natural Sciences atDurham University, before gaininga PhD in freshwater microbiology.You spent the first six years of your working lifeconcerned with rivers and water. What and whoinspired you to switch into teaching?AIwas widely regarded as havingthe best freshwater science post inthe UK: working on the rivers andlochs up the west coast of Scotland. Ultimatelyit was too solitary to do for an entire career andas I had always loved school I thought I wouldtry teaching. I suppose I followed the best andmost simple career advice I have had, from myfather, who said that all of us have to work forvery many decades so choose something thatyou enjoy doing and it will not feel like work. IGraham Hawley has been Headmasterof Loretto School near Edinburghsince autumn 2014. He was previouslyHeadmaster at Kelly College, Devon.for a year and my first post was in theindependent sector. Unbeknown to me at thetime, the school had a reservoir 50 m outsidethe back gate and I could share my love offreshwater biology and do all the best parts ofmy professional science career with a groupof enthusiastic children. I realized that I hadnot given anything up but had added a widearray of new horizons to my chosen profession.Schools are simply fantastic environments inwhich to work.QDuringyour PhD studies yousurveyed the lakes in theHimalayas. Can you describesomething of the experience, and what itachieved for you personally and as a project?AThe project aimed to establishwhether a newly discovered typeof freshwater cyanobacteria couldsurvive the high levels of UV that exist in lakes athigh altitude. It was a marvellous environmentto explore. I spent about a month trekking in theIndian Himalaya and the scale of the landscapeis hard to describe. In fact it got me intotrouble once as I took off on my own to collecta sample of water from a lake that I thoughtwas reasonably accessible. Eight hours later,dehydrated and delirious I stumbled back intobasecamp on horse back. To this day I cannotrecall how exactly I got back.QCloserto home, you were at onetime a Chaplaincy Visitor at ExeterPrison. How did that opportunitycome about, and what do you feel youcontributed?AIcontributed great mirth the firsttime I visited because the bluestripe shirt that I was wearingwas indistinguishable from those the inmateswear. It took a little while to be released fromthe landing. The opportunity came aboutbecause my fiancee played the piano in theChapel and I went along to chat with theinmates. At our wedding some kindly senta recorded message wishing us well ...andapologizing that for obvious reasons theycould not be present in person.QThe national press have recentlyfeatured a number of articles‘talking down’ the fee-payingsector as a whole, implying in some way thatthe model is faulted socially and morally. Howcan the sector best respond to such criticismand get home its positive messages - inparticular that many families who choose tosend their children to independent schoolsare far from rich, indeed most make greatsacrifices?AOrganisations like HMC(Headmasters’ andHeadmistresses’ Conference)work hard to promote positive messages aboutthe sector and it is true that the majority ofparents in my experience make significantsacrifices to send their children to independentschools. Most independent schools provideincreasing sums of money to support meanstestedbursaries and I know of no Head whowould not want their schools to be ‘needsblind’: to have sufficient resources to offerplaces irrespective of the parents’ ability topay. Unfortunately very few schools are in aposition to achieve this, but increasing bursaryprovision is the right direction of travel.QThe examination system inScotland has undergone radicalchange in recent years, withStandard Grades in years 10 and 11, Highersfor Year 12, and Advanced Highers in Year13 all being replaced with National 4 orNational 5 and New Highers. There remainsone examining board. What is your opinionof the system north of the border comparedto the position in England, which seems to beundergoing continual confusing change and ahost of marking difficulties?AAt Loretto we offer GCSEsand A levels which are in themidst of curriculum reform.The qualifications are good ones and haveinternational currency and I believe they offerour students the best route to Universitiesall over the world and they are understoodby employers. Individual pupils and parentsare generally shielded from difficultiesbecause schools effectively manage thechange and organisations like HMC are verygood at gathering data from all the leadingindependent schools and put forward robust,evidenced-based arguments when markingstandards are unacceptable. HMC has beenextremely effective to ensure that exam boardsare held to account for any drop in standardsand all schools benefit from their intervention.QHow do you monitor what reallygoes on in the classroom? Areyou an enthusiast for reviews ofteachers by pupils?AI rely on my senior academicmanagers and I visit lessonsmyself. I think there is a role forpupil reviews and when I was teaching fulltime I always asked my classes at the end ofterm: what they had enjoyed most; what theyhad found hardest; how they could improvetheir own learning; what I could do differentlyto help them. I invariably found theirfeedback sensible and constructive.QIf a new head asked you for a fewwords of advice on his or her firstday in the job, what would yousay?ATrust your judgement; in themidst of difficult challenges, andthere will be many, rememberthat schools are about children; build in time tothink and enjoy what must surely be one of thebest jobs in the world.24 Independent Schools MagazineIndependent Schools Magazine 25

How the Daily Telegraph prompteda headmaster’s challenge...When Yorkshire’s Terrington Hall Preparatory School headmasterStephen Mulryne threw out a challenge to his pupils in a morningassembly to create something in the holidays, he could never haveenvisaged the response he would receive...It was all prompted by a callfrom the Daily Telegraph.Would Terrington Hall’sheadmaster care to comment onhow his pupils might usefullyspend their time during theforthcoming half-term holiday?The journalist was writing up apiece for the education pagesand was keen to hear what hehad to say.Equally keen to take advantageof the opportunity for somepublicity in a national newspaper,Stephen Mulryne took the call.A month later, he was somewhattaken aback when he foundhimself quoted as saying that hewas “setting up a two-day [rugbysevens] camp for local boys tohone their skills.”Mystified, his press officer firedoff an email to ask whether hewas really planning a two-dayrugby sevens camp.“I am now,” came the response.“I forgot I said that!”The rugby sevens camp,heroically organised and runat short notice by Terrington’srugby coach Alex Crockett was a26 Independent Schools Magazinehuge success. The point of thistale, however, lies elsewhere.Reading the other similarlyhastily-delivered thoughts ofprep school heads and publicschool heads from around thecountry that Saturday morning,Stephen reflected on what,actually, in all honesty, he wouldlike to see his pupils doing overthe February half-term holiday.An hour later his Wednesdaymorning assembly was written.Entitled ‘Take Time’, TerringtonHall’s pupils were encouragedfirst to take time to considersomething that they would liketo do, or create, or try out for thefirst time during the holidays. Yes,the holidays were there for rest,sleep and the occasional pyjamaday in front of Netflix, butequally important was to considerhow to use your time wisely, toappreciate the value of time.Next, they were encouraged totake action, to do somethingabout the dream they haddreamt; in a nutshell, to takeon board Kipling’s advice to hisson, “to dream, but not to makedreams your master”.The winning U18 rugby team – courtesy Adam Scott Photography“I wanted thechildren tounderstandthat whilstit’s great todream, thefulfilled lifeinvolves havingfantastical to bring in to schoolthe courage to do something(sprawling lego models, modelabout your dreams, to takebattle scenes, sandcastles).action. So many adults put theirdreams on hold whether quarter through page advert Mr Mulryne 135x90_Layout said: “I was 1 humbled 08/04/2015 16:28 Page 1fear or imagined busy-ness. by the children’s response,Fear is not a bad thing, but it’shumbled by the fact that theyimportant to “feel the fear andhad listened, taken on boarddo it anyway.”The response to that challenge,thrown out in assembly, wasoverwhelming.Within the first few days back toschool, the boardroom table inStephen’s office was overflowingwith paintings, collages, models (ofa robot, a hen coop, an aeroplane,the Eiffel Tower); woodworkprojects, basket-weaving,embroidery, sewing projects,inventions, stories, secret codes.Then there was the inbox,overflowing with virtual worldcreations and photographsof creations too complex orwhat I had said and then wentout and ‘did’.”“Then there was the touchingpride with which the childrenshowed me their creations, talkedabout their ideas and how theyhad made them happen.”“Such a simple recipe coinedfrom my somewhat carelessinitial response to a journalist:take time, think and do, or, inthe words of Andrew Hunter,Headmaster of Merchiston Castle,who gave a memorable 2013speech day address ‘Just do it!’.”Twickenham winnersBromsgrove School have won theNatWest U18 Schools trophy ina match against Dulwich Collegeat Twickenham. The match tookplace last month (March) andthe final score was 30- 18 withBromsgrove’s Captain Luke Whitethe man of the match.Dulwich College were defendingchampions, having won the Cupfor the last three years, and thisbeing their fourth successivefinals appearance. They had beenunbeaten in their previous 33matches and had scored over 50points in their semi-final match.This was Bromsgrove’s first finalfor the Schools Cup, havingpreviously made it through to thesemi finals. It was a marvellousgame played by two superb sides.Tony Windo, Director of rugbyat Bromsgrove, praised his boysfor their work ethic. “You getout what you put in, and theyworked so hard for each other.This is a life lesson for all ofthem.”The inspired prospectusis very much alive!We hear from some so calledenlightened school marketingcompanies that the prospectus isdead, writes Jon Willcocks. Sadly,too many schools have beenpersuaded that this mantra is true.However, my daughter has beentargeted to receive a number ofdirect mail clothing cataloguesthat regularly arrive in our post.Many of these are cleverly targeted,beautifully photographed, designedand produced, Boden and WhiteStuff to name a couple. Even JohnLewis is promoting their merchandiseusing ‘well designed’ books as a partof their marketing material.We live in a culture where people arehappy to buy off the web, yet, thesethree companies must have donesome serious product research andfound that the printed brochure hasan important role in their marketingarsenal. Surely if the printedbrochure was failing, then thesecompanies would be sharp enoughto implement a no brochure policy!Last week I watched the sevenpolitical party debate on ITV, andwas intrigued to hear UKIP’S, NigelFarage claim that all the parties werethe same! It is true that most ofthem would argue it would be betterfor the UK to remain in a position ofinfluence in the EU than leave. MrFarage’s view; if a party supportedmembership of the EU, then allparties were the same, clearly is awild over simplification! Of course,there are huge differences, whenit comes to analysing their policieson defence, health and education.Similarly, the prospectus designerneeds to analyse what makes aschool special so it does not merelyreplicate its competitor.Each school serves to providea breadth of educationalopportunities for each child, andthey all have different ways ofachieving this. Some are veryacademic, some specialise onhelping the less able, others majoron sport or the arts, some combineall aspects. Both parents andchildren are eager for constructiveinformation on each school tomake informed choices. The roleof the prospectus designer is tounderstand a school sufficientlywell to expose the core benefitsof the particular school they areworking with. Each school isdifferent, serving different groupsof children. Yet in spite of this, toomany prospectuses look the same.This may be driven by commercialexpediency or as is increasingly thecase, the school may have optedfor a ‘one stop shop” Apparently,a number of marketing companiesare now successfully persuadingthe school’s marketing departmentsthat they can handle the wholemarketing package, from a newbranding concept, to a web siteand the prospectus.When I left the Royal College ofArt, my first job was with architect,(Lord) Norman Foster, whoworked closely with consultantstructural engineers to “push theenvelope” in the design of hisradical architecture. Highly skilledthough Norman Foster was, he sawthe importance of collaboratingwith inspired engineers to achieve‘design excellence’. Yet in spite ofthe different disciplines, too manySchools marketing companiesare churning out bland productsbecause they fail to engage theright skills. Inevitably, their productsdo little to reflect the uniquequalities of the vibrant schools theyare supposed to represent.The skills required to put a videotogether, to set up a web site, tophotograph and design a schoolprospectus are all very specialised.My concern is that the quality ofcare in the implementation of freshdesign solutions is being eroded,and the word “excellence” canseldom be applied to the currentbatch of schools marketing media.Someone said to me only recently,‘they all look the same!”.Perhaps it is time to check outthese suppliers in terms of valuefor money. Is the companyhandling your design requirementsup to the job? Check out theirtrack record, check out with otherschools that they have workedfor. Probably one of the mostimportant questions to ask is howhappy or successful was theirinput to the school in achieving arise in the quality of applicationsto the school? Too often thesell is more compelling than theperformance, I have heard fromtoo many disillusioned registrars!I do not believe the prospectus isdead! I believe it currently playsa vital role in supplementing thewebsite in promoting the school,but only if it has been well thoughtthrough and has been designed andphotographed specifically to inspirethe reader to want to know moreabout your school!Jon Willcocks, www.jwaltd.comJonWillcocksAssociates01753 646300www.jwaltd.comA refreshing, creativecollaboration continues toraise the standard ofprospectus design andenhance the school’sprofile.Independent Schools Magazine 27

Advertorial FeatureOf costs, China, and developmentsin the maintained sector...Prisons may seem an unlikely sourceof comfort, and not one to whichindependent schools would naturallyturn but, as Lord Waldegravepointed out in his session at thisyear’s AGBIS conference, theyprovide a surprisingly useful contextin which to consider costs in theindependent sector. This was justone of the topics on the agendawhen around 230 or so peopleconvened at Drapers’ Hall in Londonlast month (March) for the 2015gathering.There was probably nothingsurprising in the range of breakoutsessions – the choice of ISIinspection updates, partnershipwith the state sector and reviewsof governance was just what wouldbe expected in light of the currentpolitical and regulatory pressures.Further sessions on handlingserious incidents, looking at therelationships between Governors,Heads and Bursars, and servingthe sector itself could have comefrom any era. It was the tone andcontent of the two big set-piecetalks that gave the conference itsparticular and definitely forwardlookingflavour – Lord Waldegrave‘From the Vision to the Strategy’in the morning, and Russell Speirswith Claire Oulton doing a doubleact on their soon-to-be publishedreport ‘Ten Trends for 2015’ in theafternoon.I have heard Lord Waldegravebefore, a few years ago at theMerchant Taylors’ EducationalSeminar, and he struck me as beinga master of disguise. He delivers inan affable, avuncular, even ratherjokey style but this very muchbelies the considerable intellectbehind the well-structured words.‘From the Vision to the Strategy’started as a consideration of thechanges at Eton (acting as proxyfor the sector – I’m not sure howreasonable that is but I suppose it iswhat he knows) between 1959 and2009. He hit many nails squarelyon their heads in talking about thecost of independent schooling andthe changing clientele of the sectorbefore moving on to a view of thefuture.I was pleased that he at least madesome attempt to counter the usualversion of the affordability story bycomparing increasing independentschool costs with both those inthe state sector and, as mentionedabove, those for prisons. The levelof fees is, of course, a serious issueReflections from the Association of GoverningBodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS)Conference by Stephen Jones, Warden ofSt Edward’s Oxford and a Governor of bothChrist Church Cathedral School and StGeorge’s School, Windsor Castle.for all of us, not least those in theboarding sector, but it was helpfulto hear Lord Waldegrave squash the“facilities arms race” argument infavour of the reality of the generalincrease in costs due to regulationand the huge expansion in thenumbers we employ. This debate isso important that it needs a fairerairing at some point rather thanthe simplistic views which tend tocharacterise popular opinion.Considering the future of theindependent sector’s existence –perhaps as a way for parents toreact against the dogmas of stateeducation, but I rather hope itis more than that – he certainlytouched a nerve when noting that,just as many Chinese parents areseeking, in ever greater numbers,the values of the all-round, creativeeducation on offer in our schools,the Government is increasinglyadvocating the dubious “virtues” ofthe Chinese education system. Hehas a point here.‘Ten Trends’ for 2015 in theafternoon was both an advert forthe full RSAcademics report dueout in April this year and a tasterof what had been learnt in theprocess of research. Affordability (atrend echoing the morning session)and the changing face of boardingwere two of the more importantitems on the list reflecting thecurrent economic climate but I wasstruck by the prominence givento changing models of schoolleadership alongside the growingconcern for pupil – and staff –well-being.Of real interest to many at theconference was the research intothe development of the maintainedsector. From our position asindependent school leaders andGovernors we live the changesin everything we do in our ownschools, but sometimes we areoblivious to the pace of changein the state sector under thecurrent Government. The growthin the numbers of “independent”academies (55% of all academies areprimary schools and around 60%of senior schools are academies, wewere told) alongside the creationof free schools, studio schools, anduniversity technical colleges meansthat the choices for parents –especially those new and innovativechoices that are not so directly underthe dead hand of the DfE – aregrowing every day. There is clearly agreat deal for us to think about…Storage essentialsAs music departments acquire more equipment,the safe storage of musical instruments,electronic devices, connecting cables and sheetmusic becomes an important consideration forseveral reasons. These reasons include, protectingvaluable equipment against damage, loss andtheft, efficient use of space and simply beingable to find things quickly.If your school has the luxury of building a newmusic centre, then storage should be consideredat the design stage when the architect is planningthe facility. By including the layout of storagecabinets at the pre-construction stage, thearchitect can allow for free movement of staff andstudents within the space, achieve an ergonomicstorage solution, ensure compliance with buildingand fire standards and create aesthetic harmonywith the rest of the building. But even if a newbuild is not contemplated, custom designedstorage can still deliver all the same benefits.A place for everythingSound-isolatingAnd with everything in its place it is not justa matter of looking tidy. Storage designedto accommodate the instruments you useensures they fit the space, are protected againstaccidental damage and are secure against theft.At the beginning, or conclusion of a class a lotof students will be accessing the storage cabinetsat the same time and it has to be said, youngstudents are not necessarily the most carefulwhen it comes to treating things with care. Inshort, instrument storage cabinets will need tostand up to some robust treatment and if youdon’t want to replace them at frequent intervalsthen you should select the supplier with care.Here are some issues to think about.• Durability – does it use bolt-throughconstruction for superior strength, are doorhinges tested to 142 Kg live load and is itbuilt from polyesterwhich won’t dent orchip, or is brittle likethe commonly usedmelamine?practice roomseducation > home > recording• Are the shelvesdesigned withrounded front corners to protect instrumentsand cases, do they have ridges incorporated topromote airflow and ventilation and above allare they virtually indestructible?• Are the compartments the correct size for theinstruments you need to store and how aboutheight appropriate to different student agegroups?• Are they secure with a 12 gauge steelpatented lock bar, grille doors tested to180Kg pullout force per weld, have a heavy-dutystrike plate and tamper resistant attachments.• Finally is the design modular, with anintegrated base and leveling glides inside thecabinet for easy access?UltraStor Instrument Storage Cabinetsmanufactured by Wenger Corporation anddistributed by Black Cat Music tick all theseboxes and have installations that have been inregular use for over 30years!Our sound-isolatingMusic Practice Roomsenable musicians torehearse in controlledconditions that limitnoise escape to theadjacent areas. Builton a modular design,the practice rooms canbe adjusted to fit thespace available.Get in touchTelephone: 0844 846 9740www.musicpracticerooms.com28 Independent Schools Magazine Music & Drama 29

Advertorial FeatureIndependent Theatre Consultantsto Schools and Colleges for over 30 YearsA new twist onHMS Pinafore!Bev King, Director of Music at Somerset’sSidcot School, describes an unusualproduction and suggests others try it too.New BuildsRenovationsConversionsUpgradesDrama StudiosRecording StudiosConcert FacilitiesDance StudiosTheatresLet us visit f.o.c. tosee how we can helpyou achieve yourrequirementsTheatretech offer thefollowing services:Architectural DesignTheatre Systems DesignElectrical DesignMechanical DesignStage LightingAudio and VideoRiggingFixed and Mobile SeatingAs Director of Music at a busySchool I get to choose along withthe Lamda teacher the schoolproductions.Over the years we have embarkedon musical productions suchas Sondheim’s Into the Woods,Schoenberg’s Les Miserables andMiss Saigon not to forget Purcell’sDido & Aeneas.This year after lengthy discussionswe decided to go with a goodstandard Gilbert & Sullivanoperetta ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’. Iordered the scripts and as I hadbeen a G & S soprano with theBristol Savoy Operatic Companywas very excited to get going onmusic that I knew well and loved.The music duly arrived and Inoticed that after the title wehad (ESSGEE) written! I realisedat that point that I had anupdated version and as I lookedthrough the score it was apparentthat this was going to be ‘HMS’with a difference! Suffice tosay that all the pupils loved theenergetic and upbeat electronicsounds and songs.The show has been hilarious frombeginning to end from ‘Sir Joseph’being able to make up his ownlyrics to the famous ‘I am themonarch of the sea’ which wentdown well in school with pupilsand staff and with ‘The Singletts’a new addition to the originalgiving the show a great three partharmony twist.Dick Deadeye does a greatrendition of ‘A British Tar’ whichgets the audience clapping along...so, if any of my Director ofMusic colleagues out there islooking for something new, funand a show that will leave theaudience smiling and tapping theirfeet then look no further.Not sure what I will pick next andhow I manage to top this show.However, what I do know is thatI will continue to inspire andenthuse the pupils to take partin musical theatre and to alwaysexpect the unexpected!Conversion successTheatretech have recentlycompleted the conversion of abuilding that used to contain apair of squash courts into a fullyequipped Studio Theatre at TudorHall School, Banbury, and added atwo storey foyer extension buildingto one side. The conversion sawthe installation of new steel portalframes that support high levelscenery, lighting and curtain trackrigging bars, and a suspendedtechnical gallery which wrapsround three sides of the studio,the fourth side having a full widthcontrol room with telescopicseating underneath. The Theatreis equipped with 48 stage lightingchannels and a 24 channel audiomixer, with facility panels forvarious audio and presentationequipment around the theatre.Theatretech have also designeda new two storey foyer buildingon one side of the former SquashCourt building, and between anadjacent existing classroom block.The front façade is fully glazed atboth levels and taking advantageof southerly views, but the rear islargely solid with the exceptionof some side-angled strip glazingto allow natural light into thefirst floor space. The ground floorcontains toilets and a featurestaircase wrapping around aplatform lift, and the first flooris a large open space that canbe used on a daily basis by theDrama department for rehearsals,individual and group studies, aswell as both floors providing aspacious foyer space when dramaperformances have audiences.Most buildings on the Tudor Hallsite are Grade 2 listed, and thisnew addition had to pass the usualstringent design appraisals. Theproject was completed on time andon budget, despite having beendesigned several years before itactually went on site. The Schoolis very happy with the result, andvery favourable comments havebeen received from the users,parents and Governors alike.For all yourmusic education& performance equipmentFREEPHONE0800 072 7799to join theeducation discountprogramme andsave money onyour purchases!Music Stands,Lights & AccessoriesMusic FoldersMusic Chairs &AccessoriesInstrument & SheetMusic StorageConductor’sEquipmentStaging & RisersTheatre ProductsAcoustic ProductsThe White Barn • Grayswood RoadGrayswood • Haslemere • Surrey • GU27 2DJTel: 01428 651 488 • Email: info@theatretech.netwww.theatretech.netThe photo shoot took place on the SS Great Britain in BristolTheatretech can be contacted at info@theatretech.net or on 01428 651488.Images of a range of educational projects can be viewed on their website at www.theatretech.netwww.blackcatmusic.co.uk30 Music & DramaMusic & Drama 31independent schools mag Ad 90x135mm MAY11.indd 1 6/5/11 13:08:41

Cadets boil up abrew for charitySenior cadets at Gresham’s School,Norfolk, Combined Cadet Force,Royal Air Force section organised aspecial tea party last month (March)where they raised £400 for the RoyalAir Force charity, the Wings Appeal.Led by Cadet Sergeant and UpperSixth pupil, Will Jones, the cadetsworked with the Royal Air ForceAssociation (RAFA) to organise “ABrew for the Few” serving up tea,coffee and soft drinks, as well aslots of delicious homemade cakes.All the cakes had been made bythe cadets and their mums andall money raised will be donatedto RAFA.32 CateringContingent CommanderSquadron Leader, David Baileysaid, “All of the organisingand publicity for the event hadbeen done solely by the cadets.The idea was to give a freshchallenge to the older membersof the section by fundraising forthe RAFA’s charity. The pupilsworked extremely hard to putthe event together and should becongratulated on their efforts.”The RAFA ‘Brew for the Few’ isa fundraising initiative for theWings Appeal charity by holdinga tea party where guests make adonation in return for a muchneededcup of tea or a slice ofcake.The Wings Appeal is the RAFA’son-going fundraising campaignthat runs throughout the yearand helps raise vital funds tosupport serving and ex-RAFpersonnel and their families.edwardsandblake.co.ukIf only lessons were this popular!Edwards & Blake have an enviable reputation across their portfolio ofeducation clients.We pride ourselves on our excellent service and ensuring every childis offered a delicious range of nutritious, balanced meals, cooked dailyand made with the freshest ingredients. Our commercial approachto the management of your facilities can also help provide additionalrevenues through external events and hospitality. Call us on 01760720201 or visit edwardsandblake.co.uk to find out what we can offeryour school.Advertorial FeatureWilson Vale expandseducational portfolioAshby-based independentcatering company, Wilson Vale,has gained a catering contractwith Fulneck School, WestYorkshire.A team of sixteen Wilson Valestaff opened the new contracton 23rd February, providing abreakfast, morning break, lunchand boarder’s tea service on aseven-day-a-week basis to 500pupils and staff. The contract wasformerly operated in-house and isworth £400K in annual turnover.Deborah Newman, principal, said:‘At Fulneck we are acutely awareof the need for our pupils to beoffered a nutritious, healthy diet,and of the impact this has onthe learning and developmentalprocess. Having reviewed ourcatering service, we made adecision to appoint Wilson Valeas our catering provider.’Andrew Wilson, co-founder andmanaging director of WilsonVale, said: Our fresh food ethosand strong operational focuscontinues to attract like-mindedclients who value qualityand consistency. We feel veryhonoured to be working witha school that places so muchemphasis on the wellbeing andsupport of its pupils and staff.’This latest gain brings WilsonVale’s portfolio of independentschools to 25, representingone third of the business. Theremaining contracts are mainlywithin business & industry andthe conference sectors.www.wilsonvale.co.ukBake Off Brendan talksto boys about bakingBoys from King Edward’s School,Birmingham have been learningabout baking from 2012 GreatBritish Bake Off finalist, BrendanLynch.The talk by Brendan, which wasorganised by two boys in theSchool’s Cookery Society, wasattended by over 20 pupils. Brendantalked about his experiences onthe popular BBC cookery show, thedifferent ingredients that he usesand the problems with modernhybridised wheat, and where hispassion for baking began.Brendan, who is a self-taughtbaker and runs baking sessions inretirement homes and the localcommunity, said: “I really want toencourage this particular age group,if I can, because I believe it’s suchan essential skill to have. We mustgo back to cooking and baking andstop outsourcing our health to thecorporates. So let’s get back intothe kitchen and start talking, andtasting and enjoying again!”Brendan was the first guest speakerfor the Cookery Society, whichwas set-up by Year 12 pupilsShiv Sarna and Chris Dillon inSeptember 2014. Shiv, said: “Wewere extremely privileged to haveBrendan as a guest speaker in oursociety, and we were delighted tohave the opportunity to listen tohis engaging tales.”Dr John Fennell, Shiv Sarna, Brendan Lynch andChris Dillon and his signature choux cygnetsAdvertorial FeatureHuge leap for school cateringWhat are your memories ofschool food? Greasy sausages?Blancmange? Tapioca? All sloppedon the plate without so much as agarnish or a smile! How things havechanged. In many schools the foodis often comparable to a high streetrestaurant and rightly so.Nutrition is criticalImportantly, there’s been a huge leapin nutritional standards. Improvedknowledge of how food influencesthe performance of both the bodyand the brain is based on good solidscientific evidence and it’s vital thatboth are given optimal nourishment,particularly in the case of children.But children have to want to eatthe food they’re presented withand the skill lies in being innovativeand making food and mealtimesappetising, fun and interesting.From nurseryto sixth formAt Culford School in Suffolk,Edwards and Blake (E&B) providesboarders and day pupils from thenursery all the way through tothe Sixth Form, with a varied andnutritious range of freshly-cookedmeals and snacks around-theclockin the main dining hall andthe separate Sixth Form Centre.Pupils and staff can choose from acontinental or cooked breakfast andan expansive choice of hot dishesand cheese, meat and vegetablesalads for lunch and supper. It’s allcooked daily and sourced locallywhere possible. “We’re committed tosourcing locally and understandingthe provenance of our ingredients.It’s not just enough to serve greatfood – we need to know where it’scome from, this is really important tous” says Shirley Edwards, Director ofEdwards and Blake.01760 720201 www.edwardsandblake.co.ukDelivering onthe contractE&B took over the cateringcontract in 2009 and expanded themenu range, significantly improvedthe quality and reduced costs.More uniquely, E&B provided atruly personal service approachthat ensured ongoing planningand delivery of their catering istailored to the needs of Culfordand its pupils.Elaine Boardley, Director ofFinance at Culford says “When weappointed E&B in 2009 we wereparticularly impressed by the timeand attention they took to get toknow and understand the particularcatering needs of Culford. As abusy boarding and day school, withchildren ranging in age from 2¾right the way up to 18, they haveworked hard to meet the nutritionalrequirements and dietary preferencesfor all our children, as well ascatering for special events such asthe annual CCF (Combined CadetForce) dinner and the Summer Ball.”Innovationand feedbackAll meal and recipe ideas originateat Edwards and Blake HQ fromFood Development Manager DanielMcClelland, a foodie to the corewho sharpened his knife in fooddevelopment at M&S. He and histeam of executive chefs are thealchemists behind Thai lemongrassand stem ginger chicken, Tenesseebacon and BBQ beef meat loafand Cajun pork with pineapple andcoriander salsa – all served alongsidetraditional favourites such as fishand chips (baked not fried!), lasagne,pizza and the local butcher’ssausages and mash.The Culford-based E&B chefs andmanagers plan the term’s mealsat the end of the preceding term.Decisions are heavily influenced bythe Culford Food Committee whichmeets once a term and includes daypupils and boarders from every yearand E&B staff.The committee’s feedback isvital in ensuring that the foodserved will be well-received andthere’s flexibility in the system toensure that changes can be madequickly if needed. Shirley Edwardscomments “It’s invaluable to havefeedback from our clients – afterall they’re eating the food! It’swonderful that the children areinvolved and working with us tocontinually innovate and improve.”Overseeing the operation and clientrelationship is a dedicated E&B areamanager who conducts a quarterlyQuality Service Audit covering foodquality, health, safety, hygiene anda host of other factors to maintainstandards and quality.Having fun onthemed daysA regular programme of themeddays through each term such asChinese New Year, Italian Day, StGeorge’s Day, ‘Smash and Serve’(Wimbledon) provide extra interestand excitement around mealtimes.Themes also reflect events beingcelebrated at the school or famousbirthdays. A recent ‘Tale of TwoCities’ menu included a RevolutionCassoulet Stew, a London PrideBeef Pie, Marie Antoinette Queen ofPuddings and a Scarlet PimpernelStrawberry Mousse to celebrateCharles Dickens’s birthday.At the weekend, boarders can enjoytheir own themed suppers and evendress up if they want to. Recentevents include a James Bond Night(lots of dark glasses), an ‘All you caneat’ Indian Bollywood buffet anda Grease night where pupils tuckedinto stacked burgers, salad and cornon the cob as John and Olivia jivedon a big screen.Sixth form provisionA recent joint development betweenE&B and Culford is the Sixth FormCentre; a modern café-style areawhere sixth formers can meet, chatand dine, away from the noise,hustle and bustle of the main diningroom. The food and beveragesreflect a street café environmentwith pasta pots, healthy filledpaninis, grab-and-go wraps,sandwiches, pudding pots, fruit andfreshly made tea and coffee.Taking a commercialapproachIn addition to the core catering forpupils, staff and school events, acommercial approach is taken tomaximising revenues to offset theoverall cost of the school’s annualcatering cost. The commercialcatering includes group lettings,weddings and corporate businessevents, delivering high end qualitymenus and a highly professionalservice to attract new clients, andyear on year repeat business.It’s all a very long way fromblancmange and tapioca!Catering 33

Advertorial FeatureChanging uniform supplierneedn’t be a headacheThere can be many reasons forchanging your school uniformor sportswear supplier. You maywant improved service, to offerparents a greater choice of waysto buy, be seeking better productquality, or a supplier to carryyour stock year-round. Whateveryour reason for change, with alittle forethought, changing youruniform or sportswear supplierneed not be painful.Howard Wilder, past chair ofthe Schoolwear Association andmanager at leading school uniformand sportswear specialist Stevensons,shares the potential pitfalls to avoidwhen switching supplier. “Firstly,having made the decision to changesupplier for whatever reason, goodplanning is essential to ensure a34 Sportsmooth transition. Secondly, schoolsshould aim to give their existingsupplier as much notice as possibleto minimise any stock write-offs.”Notice periods will depend on yourcontract but Howard suggestsOctober or November of thepreceding year is a fair amount oftime. As for the changeover processitself, Stevensons recommendsagreeing a switchover date – thestart of a new academic year – andbuilding in a changeover period,commonly 24 months. This enablessuppliers to run off their stockand also gives parents value formoney from their children’s existinguniform or sports kit.In Stevensons’ experience it isimportant to work to a deadlineof 1 March for any changes to besigned off. This allows the supplierto have garments manufacturedready for June when parents willtraditionally start shopping readyfor September. Given that theconsultation and sampling processtypically takes two to four months,it is advisable to start consultationsat the beginning of the autumnterm. Choose a helpful, capablesupplier who provides a samplingservice as standard and has strongrelationships with their factoriesto turn samples around quickly.Our recommendation is to alwayssign-off on an actual garment ratherthan a piece of paper.Take advantage of your supplier’sknowledge of fabrics, manufacturingprocesses and the supply chain toguide you and let them take awaythe headaches.One sometimes overlooked factor isensuring your prospective supplieris financially sound. “If a suppliergoes out of business all the schoolsit serves will experience significantdisruption and the rest of themarket may not be able to makeup the shortfall,” explains Howard.“But also check potential suppliersare already serving schools of yourcalibre so they understand theproduct quality, range of items andservice levels you expect.”Outstanding service is keyto successful school/supplierpartnerships so ask prospectivesuppliers to demonstrate theirperformance in meeting ServiceLevel Agreements.Other advice is to make sureyou compare like with like whenevaluating prices – consider thewhole package – fabric, countryof manufacture and quality, allof which affect cost – ratherthan simply the garment price inisolation.A good tip is to set up a small focusgroup consisting of parents andstaff to steer the changeover butbe careful not to let this becomelarge and unwieldy or it will hinderdecision-making.Flexibility and responsiveness werekey factors behind NottinghamGirls’ High School’s decision toappoint Stevensons as its uniformand sportswear provider followinga competitive tender when itwanted to update both uniformand kit design. Our XXV range ofperformance sportswear has subtlebranding, meaning there are nologos to compete with the school’sbrand identity, and as it is totallyJeremy Dunn, Director ofFinance and Operations,Nottingham Girls’ HighSchool, praised Stevensons:“We are delightedwith our newsportswear designsand our girls lookvery professionalin their new kit.”bespoke NGHS did not need tomake any design compromises. Closesupplier relationships enabled usto produce a full range of samplesin the latest technical fabrics forNGHS to trial and test, which passedwith flying colours. We now sellthe uniform and sportswear on theschool’s behalf, freeing them frombuying in bulk to sell themselves.01727 815700 info@stevensons.co.uk www. stevensons.co.ukAdvertorial FeatureNorland Team makeimpact at first PoloChampionship innew GFORCE kitThe student polo team fromprestigious Norland College inBath has recently taken partin their first championship,the National University PoloChampionship, all threeteams putting in an excellentperformance to be placed second,third and fourteenth out of overone hundred teams. Particularlyimpressive given that the teamwere only established in Octoberand train just once a fortnight.With such a strong reputation tosafeguard it was important thatthe team looked professionalin competition, so they workedwith GFORCE from Gymphlex tocreate a custom kit, worthy of thecollege’s enviable image.The polo team is sponsored bythe UK’s leading women’s weeklymagazine- The Lady, and thekit features the publication’scolours of brown and dark bluethroughout. Team Captain,second year student in BA EarlyYears Development and Learningat Norland, Poppy Godwin,comments:“We looked at a number ofsuppliers when selecting our kit,but found that none matchedthe quality of the garments thatGFORCE could deliver or thehigh standards of customer carethey offered. We have not beendisappointed. The design, thequality of the kit and the time ittook to turn it around has been0116 255 6326 www.gforcesportswear.co.ukamazing. They have been withus every step of the way, keepingus updated at every stage aboutwhere we were in the process –and I cannot fault them.This competition gave us theopportunity to wear the kit forthe first time alongside otherteams, and we really stood out.No other team had our colours,and we all thought we lookedvery smart.”The ten-strong team selected anumber of GFORCE garments;a Dye Sublimated Polo Shirt forcompetition, hooded tops andtracksuit tops, plus a trainingpolo shirt.Norland College was foundedin 1892 in order to offerspecialist training for morestructured, child centred earlyyears’ childcare. They were thefirst institution of its kind, andhave a formidable reputation forproducing nannies of the veryhighest standards which go on towork all over the world.GFORCE from Gymphlex offer ahuge variety of garments, perfectfor any sport and leisure activity.They are perfect for teams ofany size with minimum orders ofjust ten. As a family run businesswhich champion excellentcustomer care, Gymphlex willwork hard to satisfy any unusualsizes or design requests.Workshop withArsenal ladiesPupils at St Swithun’s JuniorSchool, Hampshire, were thrilledto meet two of England’s top ladyprofessional football players.England Ladies team member andArsenal Ladies player Kelly Smithand Arsenal Ladies developmentofficer and coach Ciara Allen joinedthe school for a morning assemblybefore putting players from Years3 & 4 through their paces with aselection of different exercises onthe school’s football pitches.St Swithun’s Junior School sportsdirector Roger Marshall, whoorganised the event, said “This yearwe have developed our physicalUnlimitedColourCombinationsLowMinimumOrderT: 0116 255 6326education opportunities to ensurethat our girls get the opportunityto play a variety of sports, includingfootball, pop lacrosse, netballand tennis to develop those allimportantagility, balance andcoordination skills that are thefoundation for future enjoyment.It was fantastic to get someone ofKelly’s stature in to inspire the girls.”Football is becoming a popular sportat both St Swithun’s Junior Schooland St Swithun’s School. After onlynine months of school coachingthree of the senior players recentlygained places in the South EastEngland team.St. Lawrence CollegeThe GFORCE range enables schools, clubs and teams ofall sizes to develop their own unique kit. From designto delivery GFORCE provides high quality, affordablemulti-sport teamwear with minimums of just 10!G–SUBDyeSublimationFreeDesignServicesales@gforcesportswear.co.ukwww.gforcesportswear.co.ukSport 35

Athletes picked fornational touch squadA teacher and pupil fromBeaconhurst School near Stirlinghave been selected to representScotland at the Touch World Cup2015 in Australia later this month(April).PE teacher of eight years, JenniferWright, and S5 pupil, Leia Glading,will play for one of four Scottishsquads competing in the Federationof International Touch tournamentat Coff’s Harbour, New South Wales.They will be joined by formerBeaconhurst pupils Logan Arundeland Stuart Imrie for the flagshipcontest featuring 100 teams fromaround 30 nations.Leia, who at 16 is the youngest inthe squad, says: “I love everythingabout the game of Touch and amso excited to be picked to go toAustralia and represent my country.”Jennifer says: “I was absolutelydelighted to be picked for the World36 SportCup team and have the chance tocompete for Scotland in such aprestigious competition.“We are double European Championsso this gives us an opportunity toplay opposition from a wider field.”Jennifer and Stuart, a former PEteacher at the school, will playfor the Mixed Open team in theWorld Cup.Leia is in the Women’s Open squadand Logan has been picked for theMen’s Open squad.Jennifer, 30, started playing Touch– which was developed from rugbyleague and sees the tackling ofopposing players replaced by a touch– five years ago and is now a coachat Stirling Touch Club.She taught Beaconhurst pupils thesport a couple of years ago whichis where Logan and Leia picked uptheir love of the game.Sailing to victoryThe Claires Court School, Berkshire,sailing team of Sammy Isaacs-Johnson, Will Davies, MattDavies and Peter Bradley took acommanding victory in the NationalSchools Sailing Association MatchRacing Championships. The boysdecisively won four out of their fivematches racing against teams fromRadley College, Abingdon School(two teams) and Oxford TeamRace Academy, at the event held atFarmoor Reservoir in Oxford.In the semi-finals they went on tobeat Abingdon School 2-0, takingthem into the finals where theycontinued the winning theme,beating a combined Oxford TeamRace Academy/James Allen GirlsSchool 2-0; bringing the title andglorious trophy back to Claires Courtfor the second year.Paul Robson, Head of OutdoorEducation and Sailing at ClairesCourt said, “This was a welldeservedand fantastic result forthe boys. They won all but one oftheir races, and then beat the teamthey lost to in the final. For thosenot in the know, the event usesthe same format as the ‘AmericasCup’ with only two boats battlingin each match and the teams withthe most wins progressing to thefinals. Some of the team have onlybeen competing for 18 months,so in some challenging situationsthey excelled and showed greatdetermination and a high level ofskill with their boat handling.”Sevens TrophyCranleigh School, Surrey, U18Rugby Sevens team liftedthe national plate trophy atRosslyn Park Sevens, the biggestschoolboy rugby tournament inthe world.The winning team played agruelling 10 matches over twodays to take the title in theweek-long tournament, whichfeatured 160 sides from acrossthe world and 7,000 players.Mr Andy Houston, Director ofRugby at Cranleigh School, said:“With nine out of the 14-mansquad returning next year, it wasa great achievement from such ayoung side.“Last year we lost in the cupsemi-final, so the final whistlewas met with jubilant scenesfrom a vast number of parents,pupils and staff.”Cranleigh’s 1st VII managed toqualify from the first day aftervictories over teams including NewHall and Gwyr. On the secondday, the side managed to win fivematches in a row, beating Ellesmere,Prior Park, Royal Hospital, BradfordGrammar School and then Worth inthe final by 19 points to 5.Completingthe doubleArdingly College, Sussex,completed the league and cupdouble as they beat HamptonSchool 4-1 to win the ISFA Cupfor the first time in seventeenyears. Ardingly now have won theElgin Southern League and ISFACup, making this year the mostsuccessful in the College’s history.Nick Tester, the Head of Boys’Sport, Football and Cricketsaid, “I am so very proud ofthe boys, achieving the highestaccolade in British IndependentSchool football. It proves thatelite sportspeople can be bothacademically rigorous andoutstandingly successful andthat the years of hard work,both in the classroom and onthe sports field, combined withthe humility and gamesmanshipevident in our boys, have beenmore than worth it.”Graeme Le Saux (ex ChelseaFC and England) was guest ofhonour for the match.Ardingly’s nationally reputedFootball Academy was set upthree years ago and this is thefirst batch of players that havecome through.Ardingly’s current 1st teamsquad comprise eight playersthat are representing the fullISFA national England team atU18 and U16 level – the mostof any independent school inthe country.EnglandPlaceMiss Suzy Clapp, Head of PE atBurgess Hill School for Girls, Sussex,has been selected for the EnglandHockey Squad.Miss Clapp said: “I attended four1-day trials last autumn followingwhich the selectors made a cut to35 players. I attended two moreintensive 1-day trials in Cannockand Birmingham before receivingthe amazing news that I had beenselected!”Over 60 people competed forselection for the England MastersHockey Squad. The team willrepresent England at the EuropeanChampionships in London and theWorld Cup in Australia.ISGA winA great two days of golf in sunnyWales were hosted by Monmouth(Wales) with teams from England -(Whitgift), Scotland - (Merchiston)& Ireland - (Campbell College)taking part.On paper the strongest team wasWhitgift followed by CampbellCollege. The first days play tookplace at St Pierre where playersstruggled with the bobbly greens, soscores were high. England lead by6 shots over Scotland after the firstday with Ireland a further 8 shotsbehind.The Irish team got off to a strongstart on day two. In the end theEngland team of Toby Kemp, HarveyByers, George Mullins & Alfie Fox(pictured below) extended their leadover Scotland’s Merchiston to takethe trophy.IND SCHOOLS 135x190mm.indd 1 15/04/2015 14:42Sport 37

Advertorial FeaturePitch perfectNational championsSt. Michael’s School, West Wales,Under-16 team have won theIndependent School AssociationNational Netball Tournament.Following their success in theSouth West Wales and EnglandISA regional qualifying round, StMichael’s earned themselves a placein the Independent Schools NationalFinals in High Wycombe. The girlswere undefeated during the poolround, winning convincingly againstsome very tough competition.The semi-final against PrincethorpeCollege was a major challenge.Princethorpe put points on theboard taking an early lead; however,St Michael’s fought back anddrew level at half time. After a fewtactical changes the girls dominatedthe second half achieving awell-deserved 7 - 5 win, andearned a place in the final againstthe defending champions HullCollegiate.The girls battled through the firsthalf, again drawing level at halftime. St Michael’s maintained a leadin the second half to win 10 – 9,and earn the title IndependentSchool National Champions.Accompanying the team wasDeputy Head teacher Mrs KayFrancis, who praised the girls andteam coach Miss Jo Thorley – “Iwas extremely proud of the girls,and delighted that their hard workhas been rewarded”.Headteacher Alun Millingtonadded his congratulations, saying“This is a vindication of thetremendous effort Miss Thorleyhas put in with her team this year,and the talent and dedication ofthe students at St. Michael’s.”Visit our exhibition stand at the ISBA Annual Conference 2015If you need to re-surface,and to the very highest standardsrefurbish or upgrade an existingsports pitch, S&C Slatter has theexpertise and resources to delivera complete service from conceptthrough to completion.Whether its 3G Artificial Turf forFootball and Rugby or SanddressedArtificial Grass for Hockeyand Multi-Sports, S&C Slatterare the Sports ConstructionSpecialists with over 20 years’experience in the design,construction and maintenance ofartificial turf sports facilities.If your artificial pitch needsa new playing surface, or aperformance upgrade including anew shock pad system, or even amore substantial re-engineeringof the full sub-base structure,they can help, quickly, efficientlyof workmanship and service.Dulwich College, WellingtonCollege, Bloxham School, OxfordBrookes University, EpsomCollege, Bryanston School areamong the many IndependentSchool clients who haveappointed them to re-surfaceor refurbish artificial turf sportspitch facilities.And if your need is more basedon introducing a plannedprogramme of aftercare, theirmaintenance division can providethe specialist skills and servicesyou require. This includes a Freeon-site consultation to assessand discuss the condition of yourexisting artificial surface facility,supported by a written report.Team sets new recordThe St Albans School CrossCountry team recorded its greatestwin in the Tri State Championshipsin Washington DC, winning boththe Junior and Senior races for thefirst time.In the USA all high school races arerun over 5km irrespective of ageand gender; seven runners fromeach team take part with the firstfive counting towards the teamscore. The School took part in theirseeded races, the Varsity race for itstop runners and the Junior Varsityfor the younger boys.Headmaster of St Albans School,Hertfordshire, Jonathan Gillespie,says the resounding success in thefield was added to by the excellenthosting by American families. “Itwas a thoroughly successful tripthat was a great testament to thedetermination and commitment ofour boys and the management ofKenny Everitt, the master in chargeof the Cross Country Team.”Client: Dulwich CollegeClient: Hampton School“Wewere exceptionally happy withthe service provided by S&C Slatterand have no problem recommendingthem to others.”Pitch PerfectArtifi cial Turf Pitches for over 20 yearsClient: Queen Ethelburga’s CollegiateWhether you’re looking to redevelop existing facilities or create all new pitchesand sporting grounds for your Independent School, S&C Slatter can provide aversatile, affordable, and high quality solution.At Dulwich College for instance, we were commissioned to refurbish andupgrade an existing facility to a high specifi cation with the new artifi cial turfpitch being designed to deliver International Hockey Federation (FIH) NationalPerformance Standard.A signifi cant degree of re-construction was required with new playing surfacea state of the art sand-dressed texturised monofi lament artifi cial turf, installedover a new in-situ bound rubber performance layer.We understand the Independent School Sector, we appreciate the desire forexcellence in all areas of the curriculum, and we deliver the right facilitieswith exceptional service and attention detail. We recognise that balancingthose needs with a budget can be challenging.Our delivery process provides an end-to-end solution which ensures you receivethe service, support and care needed to guarantee a successful outcome withyour sports surfacing project.Mike King - Bursar and Clerk to the Governors,With over 20 years’ experience in sports and educational sports surfaces weHampton Schoolhave an acknowledged reputation for quality and reliability.For more information contactT 01635 345210E info@sandcslatter.comwww.sandcslatter.comFirst class delivery for some of the leading independent schools38 Sport

TripleSuccess forTennis StarsNever in the history of the BritishSenior Student National TennisFinals have three teams from oneschool qualified for each category,let alone won every event. This yearStrathallan School’s tennis teamdid exactly that, winning the Girls,Boys and Mixed Doubles at the USNBolton Arena in March.Strathallan’s Tennis Academy Coach,Tommy Ogilvie said ‘I am reallydelighted for all the players. Theyprepared really well and were ableto remain focused throughout thecompetition which clearly paid off.’Master in Charge of Tennis atStrathallan, Andrew Watt added ‘Wewere delighted to have qualifiedin all three categories so to win allthree trophies is just an incredibleachievement. You can never takethings for granted at this event asthe standard of play is extremelyhigh but our players were able tofind that something extra when itmattered and won every event as aresult, I am so proud of them all.’Picture courtesy Nicholas PlantWater polo champsBolton School has shown itsdominance in water polo onthe national level with the U18s(pictured) retaining their nationaltitle and the U16s winning their agegroup’s competition.Mr Andy McGinty, who is one of theSchool’s water polo coaches, saidabout the teams’ successes: “Thisis an outstanding achievement forBolton School and a testament tohow hard the boys have worked.They have been incredible to workwith since I joined four years ago,with unparalleled dedication andcommitment to training. I amextremely proud of this set of boysand what they have achieved. I willmiss the boys who leave this yeartremendously.”Dr Mike Yates, who also coachesthe teams, said, “The standard ofthe English Schools water polocompetition has been steadilyimproving on a national level. This isdue in part to a number of schoolsemploying foreign coaches, fromcountries such as Croatia, Hungaryand Italy. The U16s final was reallycompetitive and incredibly excitingfor the neutral spectator – but nerveGirls’ polo championsracking for the coaches! The U18swere exceptional to watch, providinga masterclass of both individualtalent and team play, reflectingthe dedication to training that theplayers have shown in their playingcareers. Tribute must be made tothe commitment, nurturing andexpertise that School and nationalcoach Andy McGinty has offeredthe squad both at school and at theCity of Manchester, where all playersalso train; he must take full creditfor both teams’ success and forenabling the individuals to achievetheir potential at National level.”The School has a strong legacyof Water Polo, with many OldBoys continuing to play thesport for their local clubs. In thisyear’s Men’s British Water PoloChampionships, there is a BoltonSchool presence in four of theeight teams selected as the top inthe country to compete. Old BoyEd Grundy played for the Scottishside at the last CommonwealthGames, where he faced fellow OldBoy Ed Scott, who captained theEngland team. Ed Scott was alsopart of the 2012 Olympics GreatBritain water polo team.St Swithun’s C teamGirls’gymnasticswinnersAdcote School, Shropshire, wonthe GISGA (Girls’ IndependentSchools Gymnastics) Under10 National title, taking thechampionship by beating theirnearest rival by 1.25 marks. Thecompetition was fierce, withtwenty four teams competing atKent College.The Adcote pupils delivered asolid performance all round.Individually, Kitty Scholes-Prycetook 3rd place, Imogen Lamb 5thplace, Evee Stevenson-Lea 13th,Paige Johnson18th and DarcyFletcher 41st, out of the 80 girlscompeting. The skilled pupils inthe under 10 team, demonstratethat team work is a pivotal factorto their success and all the pupilswork very well together.Their success is due to their hardwork and dedication both fromthem and their coaches, Miss LisaNixson and Miss Louise Hudson.The choice of champions.England cricket star Matthew Hoggard and Olympic hockeyplayer Chloe Rogers know what it takes to be a winner.Skill, hard work, dedication – and sportswear that’sdesigned to help produce peak performance. That’s whythey choose Squadkit, the performance range of sports kitfrom Schoolblazer, the UK’s leading supplier of schooluniforms and sportswear to over 100 of the UK’s top schools.There’s no substitute for young talent. But it helps if theathletes of the future receive the best possible preparationto fulfil their potential. Squadkit is dedicated to providingquality sportswear for ambitious young athletes in schoolsacross the country. Technology, protection, style,Squadkit’s stylish range comprises advanced fabrictechnologies, designed to both enhance performance andoffer maximum physical and psychological protection foryoung bodies and determined minds.Like Chloe and Matthew, your students deserve the best.Help them reach their full potential, with Squadkit.St Swithun’s A teamSt Swithun’s B teamThree teams from St Swithun’s School, Hampshire, took part in the NationalSchools Girls’ Polo Tournament at Longdole Polo Club, Gloucestershire lastmonth (March). Each team played three matches each.40 SportThe novice team, St Swithun’s C team came first in their class. In theintermediate blue category, St Swithun’s B team came third. In theintermediate red class, St Swithun’s A Team came second.Squadkit exclusively available from Schoolblazer,UK leader in stylish schoolwear and sportswearCall 01832 280011 info@schoolblazer.com www.schoolblazer.com

The Marsh National Schools’ Eton FivesChampionships Attract Record EntriesA record 1,058 boys and girls frommore than 30 independent andstate schools took part in a hugelysuccessful Eton Fives NationalSchools Championships this year.Sponsored by Marsh for the 32ndconsecutive year, the championshipwas held at Eton College wherecompetitors aged 11 to 18 putin displays of the very higheststandard and the 16 courts werefull every day.In a hotly contested OpenChampionship, Eton Collegeemerged victorious, ultimatelywinning 3-0 in a hard-fought finalagainst Shrewsbury School.42 FinanceIn the Under-15 tournament, firsttimeappearances from Shrewsburyand Berkhamsted, exemplified thegrowth in the girls’ game, whichsaw a record number of girlstaking part overall, including twoUnder-18 pairs from Zuoz Schoolin Switzerland.The girls’ Under-15 final, betweenShrewsbury and Ipswich, wasanother fiercely competitive affair,with all four players performingwell. In the end, the extrapower and strong cutting of theShrewsbury pair, Nina Lange andTilly Reynolds, made the differenceand carried them to victory.The boys’ Under-12 event,meanwhile, was once again verypopular. This year it attracted anastonishing 96 pairs to Eton andbrought a first time winner, havingbeen the exclusive preserve ofHighgate School for a long time.Highgate School’s top pair wereeliminated in the semi-finals, whichleft old rivals Sunningdale andSummer Fields to battle it out inthe final. Summer Fields’ EdwardBingham and Mark Spiridonovedged a close-run first game by 14points to 12, before sprinting tovictory in the second game by an11-point margin. The result was afirst ever national schools title forSummer Fields, much to the delightof coaching team Andy Bishop andJames Woodcock.Another notable appearance camefrom Malay College in Malaysia.The college has just taken up EtonFives again after a 60-year hiatus,and its players acquitted themselveswith great distinction in their firstcompetitive championships.The end of the tournament wasmarked with a dinner attendedby 85 head teachers, bursars,teachers, coaches, and members ofthe Eton Fives Association Board.Speaking at the dinner, Jon Taylor,head of education at Marsh said:“Having worked in the sectorsince 1926, Marsh is proud toMarsh Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Copyright © 2015 Marsh Ltd All rights reservedBusiness for Children AwardsThe youngest speakers at this year’s Business for Children Awards heldin Telford last month (March) were two young members of Mini-Moreton Enterprises at Moreton Hall School, Shropshire. Lucy Rees (Year6) and Bridget Bould (Year 5), along with the senior girls of MoretonEnterprises who delivered a business overview of operations in their£50,000 business, the younger girls talked about how they are gettinginvolved in developing business ideas and bringing them to market.They commented: “We really enjoyed going to the Business forChildren Awards ceremony because it was the first time we had stoodup in front of lots of people and spoken. It was a great opportunityand lots of fun. We were really nervous about speaking in front oftwo hundred people but when we had done it we were really proud ofourselves. The best part was when we met the paralympian DanielleBrown because we got to hold her London 2012 gold medal.”support independent schools, andsponsoring these championshipsfor 32 years and counting is part ofthat support.“This event has given more than1,000 young people the chance tohave a really wonderful experiencethat they will remember alltheir lives, and is an importantinvestment in future generationsof Eton Fives players. Marsh isdelighted to have been part of itonce again.”To find out more about theMarsh National Schools’ EtonFives Championships, pleasevisit www.fivesonline.net.About MarshMarsh’s Education Practicecurrently supports more thana 1,000 schools and colleges.As an education insurancebroking specialist, we provideaccess to a wide range ofinsurances for schools, theirstaff, and pupils, includinga personal accident scheme,which protects more than350,000 independent schoolpupils and staff in the UK.For further information, visituk.marsh.com/education or jointhe Marsh UK Education Forumon LinkedIn.Pictured: L-R Melissa Hu (Year 12, MD of Moreton Enterprises), Natasha Rowland (Year12, Moreton Enterprises), Lucy Rees (Year 6), Nia Lewis-Badman (Year 12, MoretonEnterprises), Bridget Bould (Year 5)IS YOUR SCHOOL’S FIRST AID KITMISSING SOMETHING? PUPILSPROTECTED BY PERSONAL ACCIDENTCOVER AND PRIVATE HEALTH CARE?Today, nearly 850 independent schools and over 320,000 pupils areprotected by our personal accident scheme; with more than 12,000pupils covered via our private health care scheme. Are yours?To find out more, contact us today (quoting IS_APR15):( 01444 313174 * termly.schemes@marsh.com 8 uk.marsh.com/educationMarsh Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority© Copyright 2015 Marsh Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sarah crowned UK YoungScientist of the YearSheffield High School Year 13student Sarah Sobka has just beencrowned UK Young Scientist ofthe Year from a field of over 2,000other hopefuls for her work onresearch into new drugs for cysticfibrosis patients.Sarah presented her work at the BigBang Fair in Birmingham and saidshe was “really grateful to win theaward, but it was a bit of shock”.She did her research work duringa four-week period last year at theUniversity of Sheffield’s Departmentof Biomedical Science, which boaststhat it’s number one in the UKfor the impact and quality of itsmedical research in the ResearchExcellence Framework 2014 and inthe top five for its biological scienceresearch.Working as part of a team led bySenior Lecturer Dr Louise Robsonat the University, Sarah helped toexamine a drug which is commonlyused to treat women with IrritableBowel Syndrome to see if it couldbe used to treat cystic fibrosis. Thisincurable disease is one of the UK’smost common life-threateninginherited diseases, affecting over10,000 people, according to theCystic Fibrosis Trust. It affectsinternal organs, especially the lungsand digestive system, by cloggingthem with thick, sticky mucus,making it hard for sufferers tobreathe and digest food.Sarah said she had become“attached to cystic fibrosis” afterher work placement and hoped topursue a career in medicine andresearch. “I was a small part in areally big paper,” she said. “But,every small step is important. Themore we know the more help thatgives us in synthesising new drugs.Every little bit of understandinghelps.”Needless to say, Sarah has attracteda lot of media interest and hasalready appeared on BBC Breakfaston Saturday morning. A newsstory in the Independent has alsoreported her success and otherappearances have included TheUniversity of Sheffield Radio andTV stations as well as on BBC RadioSheffield and also on the BBC’sLook North programme.And to top it all, Sarah has nowbeen invited to speak to the fellowsof the Royal Society of Medicine inSeptember.Additional Facilitiesfor Performing ArtsCaterham School, Surrey, hasannounced that their PerformingArts centre will be extendedand refurbished with workcommencing in July 2015.The extended facilities willprovide an additional rehearsalroom / small theatre and anoutdoor performance space forthe Drama department. TheMusic department will benefitfrom having an additionalgeneral purpose studio as well asa Recording Studio. It will alsoprovide for an improved foyer.Headmaster Julian Thomas said;‘We believe passionately in thepower of the performing artsto motivate and inspire. Ourdepartment is already achievinggreat things but has an excitingvision for the future which willDiscover Display TechnologyNEC Display Solutions is set topresent the latest innovations inDisplay Technology, gatheringcollaborating partnersto demonstrate end-to-end solutionstailored for specific applications.Partnering with best of breedsolutions providers, the NECShowcase uniquely segments intomultiple vertical sectors, comparingdifferent Display technologies sideby side, to demonstrate real worldDisplay Solutions in various industryapplications.Highlights for this year’s Showcaseinclude:• Experience a Victorian styleclassroom scenario and directlycompare teaching techniques usingtake the performing arts evenfurther forward at CaterhamSchool: these new facilitiessupport that vision. We believethat a truly excellent educationhappens when we rememberthat fine examination resultsare a consequence of a broadeducation and not the reasonfor education. That is why Iam delighted that the Trusteesapproved this improvement toour Performing Arts area”.touch screens, interactive projectorsand a blackboard!• Join the NEC Conference andlisten to leading global brandsdiscuss the digital revolution andhow it can affect your school.• Visit the impactful NEC LEDGallery tour and determinewhich product is best suited for aparticular environment.Over 1,500 unique attendees visitedthe NEC Solutions Showcase in2014 at the Olympic Velodrome;an impressive 35% increase on theprevious year’s attendance.The NEC Solutions Showcase takesplace at Vinopolis, London on 20-21May 2015. Visitors must register onthe dedicated Showcase website:www.showcase-nec.comIndependent SchoolsYearbookThe 2015 edition of the Independent Schools Yearbook is now published.It is the official reference volume for independent schools in theassociations represented by the Independent Schools Council, namely:HMCGSASociety of HeadsIAPSISACOBISPublished and updated annuallysince 1889, the ‘blue book’ iseffectively a directory of the bestschools in the Uk and overseas. Itincludes over 1,400 school profiles,with information on contactsfacilities, senior staff, scholarships,fees, as well as academic andpastoral details.Published by Bloomsbury at £60ISBN: 9781472913357Planning new sciencelaboratories?R-I-E offer an environmental andfinancially beneficial service to tacklethe disposal of the old obsoletescience benching and furniture.During science laboratory andrefurbishment projects in general,the appointed contractors stripsand then skips the old fixturesand furniture indiscriminatelytreating it as waste. A highpercentage of this ‘waste’ is slowgrowing hardwoods, which shouldbe saved from landfill and re-usedwhere possible.R-I-E offer the followingspecialist service to Schoolsthroughout the UK.The stripping, purchase andremoval of timber waste directfrom school sites.Tel: 020 7631 5600www.isyb.co.ukThe service offered has numerousbenefits:Financial• Waste fees for the project arereduced, as less waste material isgenerated• Reclaimed timber is purchased byR-I-E• Labour costs reduced as R-I-E canstrip the material themselves• Flexible to the projects timerestraintsEnvironmental• Less waste is sent to landfill sites• The reclaimed timber andfurniture is re-used in sustainablefurniture making.• By reusing this helps to reducethe demand on internationalvirgin timber resourcesHealthMost timber found within schoolscience departments is Iroko andits dust known to be harmful andstrongly allergic, because of thisCLEAPSS has viewed the serviceoffered by R-I-E as a good idea.www.r-i-e.co.ukEnistic Helps CutEnergy Use by 65%Enistic, which has just beenshortlisted for an Ashden Awardfor excellence in the field ofsustainable energy, is workingclosely with schools to monitorenergy consumption and targetsavings, including Radley Collegein Oxfordshire and OkehamptonCollege in Devon.Okehampton has cut gasconsumption by 70%, electricity by60% and energy bills by £40,000through better energy managementfrom monitored data. Achievementsmade while the school itself hasexpanded.Using Enistic meters and software,the College created an energydashboard showing generation,consumption and cost per hour inreal-time. Keith Webber, EnergyManager at Okehampton, says that:“If you want to get energy use undercontrol, you have to be able tomeasure it in the first place.”Traka asset management lockersare helping staff at Lincoln Collegesave hundreds of hours in extra timeeach year.The college has installed threelockers holding 80 devices in itslibrary allowing students to accesslaptops at any time of the day.The new system means staff do notneed to carry out any admin workretrieving the laptops from a safeand issuing them by scanning thebarcode for each device, thus freeingup their time.Previously, the college was operatingunder a manual system scanningeach device before issuing themto students. Although there wasa record of who had been givenlaptops, it was not easy to view ormanage.With 9,000 students, of whom 3,000are full time, the facility decided toimplement a more thorough processand install Traka lockers following arefurbishment of its library.“Monitoring is always the startingpoint. You have to look at where theenergy is going to first. Then youcan identify how to make savings.”Many Independent schools have tomonitor energy in order to complywith new ESOS (Energy SavingsOpportunity Scheme) Regulations by5th December 2015.Enistic offers an Easy ESOS servicestarting with a free, no obligationscoping meeting.Tel: 0844 875 1600www.enistic.comIntelligent Lockers ReduceStaff Administration TimeThe lockers charge the laptops sothat students do not have to wastetime trying to find a power source,they increase accountability, butmost importantly, they help thecollege protect its investment andmanage the use and misuse of theequipment.If devices are broken, damaged, lostor stolen, the Traka system notifiesstaff through its database, showingwho has taken what and whether ithas been returned.The move has led to an increasein occupancy with more studentsgoing into the library and staying forlonger periods of time.www.traka.com44 Independent Schools MagazineProducts and ServicesProducts and Services 45

TheDigestPractical Training tailored to your needs• Medical & Emergency Services Trainers• Courses for teachers, students and parents• Specialist Teenage First Aid Courseswww.firstaidforlife.org.uke-mail: emma@firstaidforlife.org.ukTel: 020 8675 4036HSE & Ofqual Approved46 Independent Schools MagazineReclamationIn EducationGreen service providers for surplusfurniture & timber waste streams.Fees payed direct to EducationalEstablishment, Lower project waste fees,less waste to landfill, UK wide collections.Tel: 01271 830737 Email: info@r-i-e.co.ukwww.r-i-e.co.ukA BRAND YOU CAN TRUSTSports turf expertsSports turf constructionNatural & artificial surfacesDrainage & irrigationRenovation & maintenanceCall 01722 716361www.mjabbott.co.ukCreate a winning team with the ULTIMATE inCustom Performance SportswearVisit our website: gforcesportswear.co.ukCall our sales team on:Or send us an email at:0116 255 6326gforce@gymphlex.co.ukDesign - Construction - Maintenance - RefurbishmentExperts in natural &non-turf sport surfacesT: +44(0) 1604 864 575E: info@total-play.co.uk W: www.total-play.co.ukDESIGN : INSTALLATION : MAINTENANCEPitch Construction : Piped Drainage SystemsSand Slitting : Blec Vibro Sand BandingKoro Surfacing : VertidrainingTopdressing : OverseedingWillow Farm, Red Cat LaneBurscough, Ormskirk L40 0RFt 01257 255321 f 01257 255327e office@duncanrosslanddrainage.co.ukwww.duncanrosslanddrainage.co.ukHeads HuntedAmong the upcoming headand principal appointments:Abingdon SchoolCumnor House SchoolMilbourne Lodge SchoolMill Hill SchoolRoyal Hospital SchoolSchools featured in this issue include:Abbey SchoolAbingdon SchoolAdcote SchoolAldenham SchoolArdingly CollegeBancroft’s SchoolBarrow Hills SchoolBeaconhurst SchoolBolton SchoolBromsgrove SchoolBurgess Hill School for GirlsCampbell CollegeCaterham SchoolCity of London Freemen’s SchoolClaires Court SchoolCranleigh SchoolCulford SchoolDulwich CollegeEton CollegeExeter SchoolThe Independent Schools Magazine is read by decision-makers– Governors, Heads, Bursars, Departmental Managers – andreflects news, ideas, influences, and opinions in the independenteducation sector. A personal copy is mailed to heads and other keypersonnel in fee-paying independent schools plus opinion formersin governments, political parties and educational associations. It isalso available on the internet.Editorial Advisory BoardSubscriptions: £3 per issue, or £20 perannum (ten issues) payable in advance bycheque to Bull Nelson Ltd (please rememberto include your name and full address) to:The Independent Schools MagazinePO Box 4136Upper BasildonReadingBerkshire RG8 6BSOxfordshirewww.independentschoolsmagazine.co.ukSurreySurreyLondonSuffolkIf you would like mention made of yourupcoming head or principal appointment forwhich applications are sought please let usknow – there is no charge for a listing.News items, contributions, comments andsuggestions are always welcomed by the editor.Please email to:mail@independentschoolsmagazine.co.ukAbingdon School, Oxfordshire, sixth former Michael Dewar may have won this match againsthis Abingdon teammate Theo Brophy Clews but it wasn’t to be when his national side Scotlandplayed England in the U18 rugby international last month (March). Theo captained the Englishteam and led them to a 39-27 victory. Theo also scored and was awarded Man of the Match.Theo is the first ever Abingdon School boy to captain England against Scotland at U18. He said,“It is a unique feeling to play for England and it was a privilege to captain the side as I wasamongst a number of people who could have done it.”Michael, who was making his international debut, starting at openside for Scotland, commented,“There is a friendly rivalry between us but on the day there was definitely a serious edge.”Key Partners:Commercial – Jeff RiceEditorial – Kimble EarlProduction – Andrew WicksDirect Lines & email addresses:Editorial, Accounts, Distribution: 01491 671998mail@independentschoolsmagazine.co.ukAdvertisement Sales: 01235 838560ads@independentschoolsmagazine.co.ukProduction: Andrew WicksEmail: studio@independentschoolsmagazine.co.ukFelsted SchoolFulneck SchoolGodolphin SchoolGresham’s Preparatory SchoolGresham’s SchoolHamilton CollegeHereford Cathedral SchoolHighfield SchoolKing Edward’s SchoolKing Edward’s WitleyKing Henry VIII Preparatory SchoolLongacre SchoolLord Wandsworth CollegeLoretto SchoolMarist SchoolMerchiston Castle SchoolMonmouth SchoolMoreton Hall SchoolOundle SchoolOxford High SchoolVires per Verum – Strength through TruthThe publishers are grateful for the interest, advice and support of a distinguished Editorial Advisory Board whose members currently include:Richard Brown: Head, Dorset House School, SussexDeborah Leek-Bailey, OBE: 2008 Chair of the Independent SchoolsAssociation (ISA), Independent School representative with the NationalCollege for School Leadership and former Head teacher of BabingtonHouse School, KentTory Gillingham: General Secretary of AMDIS – the Association of Marketingand Development in Independent SchoolsAlex Beynon: Former Head of Press Relations, Independent Schools Council (ISC)Kevin Fear: Head, Nottingham High SchoolTracy Cook: Head of Press, Independent Schools CouncilPitsford SchoolPortsmouth Grammar SchoolSheffield High SchoolShrewsbury SchoolSidcot SchoolSt. Albans SchoolSt. Edward’sSt. Gabriel’s SchoolSt. Michael’s SchoolSt. Peter’s SchoolSt. Petroc’s SchoolSt. Swithun’s SchoolStrathallan SchoolTerrington Hall Preparatory SchoolTowers Convent SchoolTudor Hall SchoolWells Cathedral Senior SchoolWhitgift SchoolWoodhouse Grove SchoolWycliffe CollegeSir Chris Woodhead, formerly Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education andnow chairman of the independent schools group Cognita and a Professor atthe University of BuckinghamHenry Briggs: Senior Partner, HW, Chartered Accountants Birmingham and aformer school GovernorElisabeth Lewis-Jones: a governor of Bloxham School, Oxfordshire; 2008President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and Director of LiquidPublic Relations, a consultancy with expertise within the education sectorAll rights reserved. Any form of reproduction of this magazine in partor whole is prohibited without the written consent of the publisher.Any views expressed by advertisers or contributors may not be thoseof the publisher. Unsolicited artwork, manuscripts and images areaccepted by the publisher on the understanding that the publishercannot be held responsible for loss or damage however caused. Allmaterial, copy, and artwork supplied is assumed to be copyright freeunless otherwise advised in writing. Advertisement bookings areaccepted subject tonormal terms and conditions – see website.Independent Schools Magazine ispublished by Bull Nelson Limited.Reg in England No 2876999.Copyright Bull Nelson Ltd.Printed by Manson Group.Independent Schools Magazine 47

Express Yourself. . . what better way than through your uniform?With our flair for design and our innovative product range, we can help you createthe right image for your school that complements your school colours.“The new sportswear designs andsamples met all our requirements andwere of an extremely high quality,”Ben Evans, Head, Edge Grove“Stevensons has guided us through amajor uniform redesign with soundprofessional advice and great patience,”James Fowler, Head, Aldenham School“We made the transition to Stevensons earlier this year and their organisation has been outstandingly professionalin their approach to the supply of our uniform and sportswear.The service provided to this school and to Ripley Academy is excellent.”Carol Sheffield, Director of Services & School Day, The West Bridgford SchoolUniform partner to the top Independentand State schools in the country01727 815700 info@stevensons.co.uk www.stevensons.co.uk