newsletter E3

THE JOHN FISHER SCHOOL 

NEWSLETTER EDITION 3: FEBRUARY 2017 

ASPIRING FOR ACADEMIC, CULTURAL & SPORTING EXCELLENCE 

1

Headmasters Update 

It is difficult to believe that one half term has already passed 

by although we have managed to achieve a lot at school. 

Some of our events this half term included our ‘Speak Out 

Challenge’ and ‘First Give’ Finals. The development of 

Oracy is something we continue to promote at John Fisher 

trying to provide the students with the opportunity to speak 

publicly. We are delighted with the university offers our 

Sixth Form students have secured and this is largely due to 

their performance on interview. In the next half term we will 

be focussing on academic progress in the build up to the 

end of year examinations in the summer term. Year 11 will 

have their pre public examinations (week beginning March 6th) and Year 8 will also 

have their important tests (week beginning March 20th). Parental involvement in 

supporting their son’s with their academic progress is essential. We look forward 

to meeting the parents/carers of Year 10 students on 2nd March and meeting the 

parents/carers of Year 9 students on 8th March. Our academic outcomes last year 

were excellent and we are looking to build on these this year. 

There are a number of ways to celebrate the success of our students in the next 

half term: 

- Monday, 20th February- Jack Petchey Award ceremony for selected students 

- Wednesday, 1st March at 7.30pm – Spring Concert 

- Thursday, 23rd March at 4.00pm – Epilogue 

Finally, I wish the students and staff members who are going on our annual ski 

trips a safe journey and a restful break for those remaining at home. 

Mr P E McCullagh 

Headteacher 

FIRST GIVE 2017 

Are we a giving nation? Are we a giving school? Yes, is the answer. 

During the course of this academic year during PSHE lessons, Year 9 have been 

involved with the ‘First Give’ project, an active citizenship project designed to 

encourage students to explore social issues within their local community. This 

then inspired students to research and support local charities focussing on a 

range of social issues including support of the elderly, those who are terminally ill, 

homelessness and those children who have suffered domestic abuse. 

First Give’s vision is to help build a new generation of motivated and switchedon 

young people who want to use their skills to support local charities and make 

the lives of others in and around their communities better. They believe in young 

people, their passion, creativity and determination and they believe that these are 

all positive qualities that can be harnessed for social change. 

First Give work to: 

• Ignite a spark of social conscience in young people 

• Develop key professional skills in young people such as: teamwork; research; 

public speaking and leadership 

• Build a culture of giving in future generations 

• Grow the commitment of charities to engage with young people for the 

good of the sector as a whole 

Following months of support of local charities and raising awareness of social 

issues, each Year 9 tutor group nominated one team to represent their form at 

the final celebratory evening held on Wednesday 1st February. It was inspiring to 

see the amount of time and effort some of our students had put into their support 

of local charities and their final presentations did not disappoint. It was a closely 

fought contest, but Newman emerged victorious winning £1,000 for their chosen 

charity Marie Curie Cancer Care. More and Challoner tied in second position both 

winning £250 for their charities, Croydon Nightwatch and The Teenage Cancer 

Trust respectively. That’s £1,500 going back into the local community to support 

those who need it. 

Congratulations to all those students involved in making a difference this year. 

#inspireconfidence 

#empowerchange 



2 3

First Give Report by Galvin Biju 9N 

Today’s First Give final was scary but at the same time very enjoyable. The air was 

filled with competition and confidence but still I was nervous. There were six judges 

who judged your performance and decided whom the money would go to. The hall 

was filled with people old and young, and I remember counting the amount - there 

were over 60 people who came to view our performance, 60 people I did not want to 

see me fail and this did not ease my colleagues and my nervousness for the big time! 

One by One the performances took place; Croydon Nightwatch, Salvation Army, Life 

train, Teenage Cancer Trust ,St Thomas Hospital and of course MARIE CURIE. All the 

presentations by the other groups were really good, the judges even said that it would 

be a tough competition. The videos improved by each performance the act improved 

each presentation and we knew that we had to up our game and we did. Our lovely 

local fundraiser Sharon McKenna gave us these very vibrant costumes which we wore, 

the surprised faces when the judges looked at us filled us with courage. Our names 

were called - our charity and we stood. Ari and me started handing out coins at the 

back - chocolate coins. Our walk to the front seemed like hours but it was minutes. 

The time when I read out my lines was the time that I dreaded but yet I looked 

forward to it. The words left my mouth like mistakes but they were not. The video that 

Ademola made felt like infinity. Then ZAP our performance was finished and we then, 

NEWMAN SOCIETY stood in bewilderment I could see it on their faces. The wait for 

the results took forever everyone anxious and worried, but at last the results were 

displayed Croydon NightWatch-3rd , Teenage Cancer Trust -2nd and Marie Curie 

-1st I jumped for joy it was so surreal winning 1000 pounds for your charity - we were 

bewildered all of us we all held the giant cheque with pride. Our hard work paid off. 

Mr Webb runs London 2017! 

We are delighted that the PE’s own Mr. Webb has secured a spot at this year’s Virgin 

London Marathon on behalf of the John Fisher Association (JFA) This is a great 

opportunity to support and sponsor a member of staff to help raise as much money 

for the School as possible. The JFA, which has charitable status, helps to fund various 

School and departmental projects each. Since September, the JFA have helped fund: 

- The new School website, which will be launched in March 

- The English departments scary stories evening 

- Departmental resources which otherwise would not have been afforded 

Without these funds, the School would simply not function to the high levels many 

students and parents/carers expect. 

Details of Mr. Webb’s sponsorship page will be shared with you directly after Half term 

The year nine NEWMAN SOCIETY: Shaun Bernadet, Ademola Oyejobi, Luca Antiri, 

Josh Desouza, Ari Xavier, Galvin Biju 

Year 9 Newman 

£1000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care 

Year 9 Newman 

£1000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care 

Year 9 Challoner 

£250 for The Teenage Cancer Trust 



4 5

Re-mortgaging? Purchasing? – Challenge us to find you a better rate! 

With rates from 1.19% (65% LTV) and 1.39% (80% LTV) why don’t you get in contact for a no obligation 

and confidential discussion? 

With Interest rates at the lowest they have ever been, now would be a great time to review your 

mortgage rate and secure a better deal. Some lenders are now able to offer six month mortgage offers, 

meaning you can lock in rates up to six months before your current mortgage product is due to expire, 

with the ability to review these rates and switch to a lower rate before your current term comes to an 

end. 

WWW.ADVIES.CO.UK 

‘Commercial partner 

of The John Fisher School’ 

Advies Private Clients have access to exclusive rates, which can beat those offered directly with high 

street lenders and are of course Independent meaning they can provide bespoke and tailored solutions 

for you. If you have an existing mortgage, are looking to invest in a new property or take your first 

steps on the property ladder then we strongly recommend you speak with them. 

Advies have a team of Independent Brokers whose expertise and experience means they are perfectly 

placed to deal with your mortgage requirements and advise you on a broad range of lending scenarios. 

For Advice on any of your 

financial requirements: 

johnfisher@advies.co.uk 

Get in Touch! 

If you would like to know more details and to find out what deals are available to you then please do 

get in touch with Advies on the contact details below to discuss further. 

For further information please also take a look at their site www.advies.co.uk. 

Direct: 0207 743 6054 

Owned by Old Boy, Conor Macsweeney, 

Advies can offer advice on all aspects of 

financial services including mortgages, 

investments and pensions. 

Email: johnfisher@advies.co.uk 

Earn Money for the School! 

Advies have kindly agreed that any referral to them that can be traced back to an initial John Fisher 

School parent/carer will also qualify for referral fees. There is no limit on the number of referrals so even 

if you have friends, family, colleagues, employees, neighbours, who have no association with the school, 

and who could likely benefit from Advies’ services, it could well be worth passing on the details as they 

too can help the school achieve our goals. So if you know of anyone that could benefit from the financial 

or mortgage advice that Advies offer then please refer them on. 

WWW.ADVIES.CO.UK 

Remember! It’s not just mortgage advice that Advies offer. They offer comprehensive advice on all 

financial areas, so whether you are looking for help with your mortgage, planning for your retirement, 

looking to invest, require help with personal or general insurances or need their advice regarding any 

commercial interests you may have they will be able to provide the relevant service for you. Whatever 

the financial scenario, it is highly likely that Advies can help. 



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Parent and Carer PSHE Day 2 

On Saturday 4th March, we are inviting all parents/carers to take part in our second Parent/ 

Carer PSHE morning which will cover a host of areas which have been highlighted by 

parents/carers in feedback this year. The first PSHE day took place in September 2016 and 

was very well received by the 120 parents/carers who attended, with one commenting, 

“This is a superb idea which really gives parents up to date information on areas which are 

specific to us.” 

Our rigorous PSHE programme already exceeds DfE requirements to meet the needs of 

every student and the school is now looking to develop sessions for parents/carers which 

help them understand more about some of the key issues their son’s face. The focus of 

this information workshop will be ‘Keeping your child safe and healthy’. These sessions 

will be held in the new block, The Sir David Lane Building. Parking will be available on-site 

via the Chapel gate. 

The sessions will be as follows: 

Each session has a limit of 30 people so it will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. In 

the event of sessions being fully booked, we will try and allocate your reserve choice. 

The outline of the day will be as follows: 

Welcome and Introduction - 9.30am 

You are invited to join the Headteacher for refreshments from 9.30am in The Sir David Lane 

Building 

Session 1: 10.00am-10.45am 

Session 2: 10.55am- 11.40am 

Refreshments and opportunity to meet members of the Senior Leadership Team, 

Governors and session hosts over refreshments. 11.45am-12.30pm 

Drugs 

E-Safety 

Teenage 

Challenges 

Road Safety 

Fitness and 

Nutrition 

Mental Health 

and Wellbeing 

This session will be delivered by The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation 

This session will give you up to date information, as well as allow time for 

a Q/A session, to help answer any questions or concerns you may have on 

drugs. The foundation was set up by Daniels parents and their story can be 

seen on their website. 

This session will be delivered by Mrs Davis. (Teacher of ICT) 

This will highlight the various ways in which students engage with the 

internet and how they use social media. Suggestions on how to monitor 

and embrace social media will be discussed with time given for examples 

and questions. 

This session will be delivered by current parents of students at The John 

Fisher School 

They will give a true insight into their thoughts and experiences of boys 

as they grow and develop through their time at John Fisher, offering 

suggestions and examples to help parents/carers cope with the changes. 

This session will be delivered by Sutton Council Road Safety Team 

This session aims to help parents/carers identify how to ensure their child is 

safe travelling to and from school and how to avoid possible road accidents. 

This session will be delivered by Mr. Street 

This session will outline how important diet and exercise are for a healthy 

child. He will be able to discuss some techniques and simple strategies to 

use with your son. 

This session will be delivered by Miss Drozd 

The session will identify the various signs to look out for in your child if you 

feel your child is suffering from mental health issues such as exam stress, 

friendship groups etc and briefly explain how important mental health is 

for our students. 

We are particularly keen to hear from any parents/carers who wish to be involved in leading future 

sessions. If you would like to attend, please complete the form below, for each person attending, 

and return it to the school reception, direct to Mr. Dean or Mr. Evans or through your son’s form 

tutor. The deadline for returns is Friday 24th February. We really hope parents/carers will find these 

sessions useful and we will use all feedback to develop this for the future. 

If you have any questions or issues, please contact us directly via the email addresses below. 

Mr A Dean 

Associate Assistant Headteacher 

Head of Business, Economics and Enterprise 

adean10@suttonmail.org 

Mr J Evans 

Head of MFL and PSHE 

jevans@suttonmail.org 

ASPIRING FOR ACADEMIC, CULTURAL & SPORTING ASPIRING EXCELLENCE FOR ACADEMIC, CULTURAL & SPORTING EXCELLENCE 


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Photos from First Give Finals 



10 11

Yr 11 half term History trip to Berlin. 

The Berlin trip is a very busy four days. Thirty two Year 11 students came on the trip this year. 

It supports the units we cover on Weimar and Nazi Germany and on the Cold War. We met at 

the school at 4am on Friday morning and arrived in Berlin, dropped off our bags and began our 

exploration of the city. A three hour walking tour took in some of the key sites; including sections 

of the Berlin Wall, Hitlers bunker, the Brandenburg Gate, the site of the Nazi book burnings and 

the Memorial to the Murdered Jews. The following day we had a guided tour of the Stasi Prison 

where we learnt about methods of control used by the authorities in the GDR. This was followed 

by a guided tour of Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Here we learnt about the brutality of the 

SS and the plight of those who either opposed the Nazi regime or did not fit with their warped 

view of an Aryan race. Sunday we began with a period of prayer and reflection at the Kaiser 

Wilhelm Church. It was particularly significant considering our experiences the previous day. Mrs 

Furlong led the reflection and spoke with the students about how escalating intolerance can lead 

to escalating violence. The Eternal Rest was said for the people killed in the Christmas massacre 

there. We then visited the Museum at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews. This focused on the 

personal stories of Jewish families who were murdered by the Nazis. In the afternoon we visited 

the Allied Museum which told the story of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift. The students were even 

given a tour of a Hastings aeroplane used in the airlift. In the evening we went up the TV tower; 

the tallest building in Europe. Monday began with a guided tour of the Olympic stadium used in 

the 1936 Olympics. Our final Museum was the Topography of Terror which looked at the methods 

of control used by the Nazis. It was a late night - In fact Miss Smith is currently writing this at Berlin 

Airport waiting for a delayed flight back to Gatwick! Many thanks to Mr Dawkins, Miss Hall and Mrs 

Furlong for coming on the trip and to Mr Fell for setting it all up and most importantly to the Year 

11 students who made the trip very enjoyable for the staff involved. 



12 13

ICT Club 

During December, Year 7 and 8 students participated in an ‘Hour of Code’ in lessons and 

programmed games in different languages. Please encourage your son to get involved in 

beyond an hour of code using this website: https://hourofcode.com/uk/beyond 

Students have been encouraged to enter the Animation 17 competition that is open to all 

John Fisher School students. Please see link for details and the attachment on the rules: 

http://animation17.cs.manchester.ac.uk/ 

Submission token: mark7roll 

Deadline: March 31st, 2017 

Higher Ability Students, in Year 7, have been selected to enter the Alan Turing Cryptography 

competition. Students will be solving problems, breaking codes and deciphering cyphers. 

To read more about cryptography, click here: http://tinyurl.com/jzrctgu 

John Fisher School MATHS RIDDLE 

The end of topic tests in mathematics are looming 

and you realise that you have spent one too many 

lunch times surfing the internet and not revising. Just 

before you log off you suddenly remember that you 

never actually logged into the terminal. Curious about 

who left the computer logged in, you discover that it 

was your mathematics teacher. 

You decide to “research” the contents of his private directory and stumble upon a file 

called, “end_of_topic_test.doc”. After checking that no one is looking, you double click 

on the filename and are greeted with a box requesting a password. 

Not to be out-done, you look through the files and discover a file called, “password.gif”. 

You cannot believe your luck! Excitedly you double click it and are presented with the 

following image: 

A computing club has started, 1:30pm – 2:00pm in Room 2. The aim is to give students 

the opportunity to develop their computer programming knowledge using microbits, html 

and python. It will also teach them how to be effective E-safety leaders and learn how to 

build computers. 

Can you discover the password? 

Mr Gamage 

sgamage1@suttonmail.org 



14 15

Tables 

selling 

fast 

v 

The John Fisher Music Department Presents 

Disney vs Musicals 

Saturday 20th May 2017 

Champagne reception: 7.30pm 

Dinner: 8.00pm 

Carriages at midnight 

Many Old boys and sporting legends will be attending including: Martyn Rooney (Triple 

Olympian) Paul Sackey (England and Wasps RFC ) and Oscar Borg (Aston Villa FC) 

Kieran Treadwell (Ulster RFC) Tim Murtagh (Ireland and Middlesex CCC) 

All profits are going to maintaining the sporting excellence at John Fisher.’ 

Dress Code: Smart evening wear 

The Surrey Nationals Golf Course, Rook Lane, Chaldon, Surrey, CR3 5AA 

Tables of 10 can be bought for £700 or individual tickets can be purchased at £70 

by emailing southafricatour2017@johnfisherschool.org 

All Parents, Old Boys and Staff are invited to attend the Sports Gala Dinner on 20th May 2017. There are 

only 200 tickets for this event, which will see some famous sporting Alumni return to share their career 

secrets. We also welcome former Leicester and Ireland Full Back, Geordan Murphy, who undertake and 

Question and Answer session. 

All money raised on this event is going directly to keeping the provision of Sport at John Fisher for all 

students to enjoy. Please do support this event. 

Wednesday 1 st march 2017 @ 7.30pm 

School hall 

Any Parent wishing to book tickets or a table should pay via Parent Pay as soon as possible. 



16 17

Old Boy Bill Dodwell joins us for talk on his 

career and life since he left John Fisher 

On Friday 27th January, John Fisher welcomed Old Boy Bill Dodwell to the School for the first time 

in many years. Having left the School in 1978, Bill has gone on to carve a very successful career 

in Accountancy, focussing on Tax Law. He spoke to a group of 40 Year 12 and 13 students who 

had all signed up to hear the talk based on their interest in accountancy and finance. Many of the 

students have, or will, apply for a University course in this area, or are progressing down the School 

Leavers Programme. Bill leads the Tax Policy Group, which manages tax knowledge, training, and 

government representations and consultations with the OECD, HM Treasury and HMRC. His clients 

are mainly UK and US headquartered companies. Bill regularly speaks to the press on tax matters 

and is vice president of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Bill has law degrees from King’s College, 

London and Queens’ College Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and 

a chartered accountant. 

In the News 

Science Support is on every Thursday lunchtime for Years 

7-11 in room 32 (on the junior playground) 12.55pm-1.20pm. 

Students can bring their lunch and eat it there. 

He spoke about the matter of Taxation in the UK, and helped break down a difficult and somewhat 

dry topic into a very interesting 45 minute talk. The students were then given the opportunity to ask 

questions. These included finding out more about his career progression, opinion on the School 

Leavers Programme and the impact of BREXIT on British Law. Bill was then kind enough to speak to 

some students individually, with those who have applied to Deloitte very keen to meet him. Bill was 

then given a tour of the School, including the Science block (which has not changed since he left) 

by the Headteacher. He commented, “This is an exceptional School and one which should be very 

proud of the all-round education it gives students.” The Headteacher was delighted to have such a 

prestigious Old Boy in to talk to students and commented, “It is great that Old Boys of the School 

want to come back and inspire the next generation. We welcome all past students and welcome their 

help in shaping our current students. Bill was an inspiration to many students today who wish to take 

up accountancy and, hopefully, achieve the same distinction he has.” 



18 19

Lend with Care 

The John Fisher Association 

Forthcoming Events 

Lend with Care – a joint Geography and Economics clubfor Year 7’s, run by Sixth Formers, 

has allowed our Students to research into the entrepreneurs who are bidding for funding 

through the website ‘Lend with Care’. This micro financing method allows the entrepreneurs 

from developing economies to access funds to help their business grow. This is then paid 

back over a period of time. Our students had to research the different options and then 

present the business they felt deserved the £500 investment (kindly donated by the JFA). 

The decision was made to invest in two entrepreneurs: 

Quiz Night – Saturday 4th March 2017 

Ha thi Thuong Hoa Binh Vietnam 

Mrs. Ha Thi Thuong is 49 years old, married with two adult 

children. Mrs Thuong grows various types of agricultural 

crops such as water rice, corn, vegetables and orange on 

3700 square meters of farm land. Apart from their farming 

Mrs. Thuong and her husband earn an additional income 

by breeding 3 cows and 22 chickens. To increase their 

crop yield, Mrs. Thuong and her husband have decided to 

take out a loan in order to purchase fertilizer and seedlings. 

They will repay in 24 months. 

St Patrick’s Night – Saturday 25th March 2017 

The Fete – Monday 1st May 2017 

Summer Fashion Show – Thursday 8th June 2017 

Bui thi Phe Hoa Binh Vietnam 

Mrs. Bui Thi Phe and her husband have been rice farmers 

for 6 years. They presently grow various types of agricultural 

products. She has been farming water rice on 1700 m2 of 

land and orange on a 2100m2 of land. To diversify her 

monthly revenue, she fattens 8 pigs and 15 chickens at the 

present. To cover the daily expenses and support for her 

4 year old child’s education better, she would like to earn 

more money by focusing on rice and orange crops. She 

intends to purchase fertilizer to increase crop productivity 

to supply the buyer’s high demand. She therefore, has 

applied for a loan to carry out this plan. She will repay in 24 

instalments. 

Summer Ball – Saturday 8th July 2017 



20 21

Introducing our new Commercial Partners: Field and Flower and Jemca 

Miss Furlong (Head of Mathematics) brought this company to our attention and we 

are delighted to be only the second School to develop this relationship. For every 

purchase by a member of our ‘flock’, the school receives a donation. 

Miss Furlong said, 

“This is a great addition to the Schools commercial partners. F&F sell wonderful 

meat which has been grass fed and kept to the highest standards. You really can 

taste the difference. We treat ourselves to a box each month and I love the fact 

that I can sit with my daughters and pick what we want each month. I always 

get excited when I get the email notifying me it is being delivered today! We 

have just ordered our Christmas Turkey from them as well. Give them a try, you 

won’t regret it!” 

Jemca, our most recent addition to the growing set of Commercial Partners, have 

generously donated money to help fund a range of activities at the School. Jemca, 

owner of the Toyota and Lexus dealerships on the Purley Way, are a company who truly 

believe in working with their local community. On top of offering discounts to staff 

and parents/carers, the students will really benefit in various ways. We are currently 

in the process of applying for a small grant towards an environmental project which 

will allow the school to invest in a new initiative of our choosing. Added to that, 

Toyota will be hosting OUR Art students in a week long art exhibition, showcasing 

the wonderful talents of our students. (More details to follow.) The money generated 

from these commercial partnerships continues to help fund key activities and projects 

within the School, allowing our students access to resources we couldn’t otherwise 

afford. 

The John Fisher School will receive a percentage of the money spent at F&F so why 

not give them a go. Simply follow the instructions on ‘How to join the JFS Flock!’ and 

then all your orders will be traced to the School. 

ASPIRING FOR ACADEMIC, CULTURAL & SPORTING ASPIRING EXCELLENCE FOR ACADEMIC, CULTURAL & SPORTING EXCELLENCE 


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Investing in the Students 

Through the relationship with Advies, Park & Bailey, 

and many sponsors and kind donations, the students 

have benefitted in many ways. The John Fisher School 

continues to be able to fund up to 23 rugby teams each 

Saturday (23 vs Whitgift) as well as Cross Country at 

Junior, Inter and Senior levels. Without kind donations 

towards Sport, we simply couldn’t afford to do this. 

We have been able to fund new basketball hoops for Year 7, as well as some great table 

tennis tables for the students to play with during lunch and break. 

We are also very excited about the new School 

website which is being designed and developed as 

we speak, ready for a March 2017 launch. This has 

been solely funded by parent donations and the JFA 

as we believe this is a key mechanism for improving 

communication with our community and showcasing 

the real strengths of the School. 

All the money raised from our commercial partners 

and sponsorship goes back into the School, and 

therefore, the students. We welcome any parents/ 

carers who wish to donate and invite you to come 

in to see the School in action and discuss where you 

wish to donate. 



24 25

‘I Love You, Mum’ play comes to John Fisher 

On Tuesday 7th February Year 9 were the chosen 

audience for the production of ‘I Love You, Mum’ which 

was delivered by the StopWatch Theatre Company. The 

story, inspired by the true events of a young local student, 

showcased a gripping and emotional message. The tour 

began on 23 January at Shirley High in Croydon, and 

visited eleven more schools and colleges over the next 

two weeks, being performed seventeen times to well over 

3,000 young people. The John Fisher students were given honest and open advice on drug 

use, shown how to deal with being offered drugs and some key information on its dangers. 

One student said, “This has opened my eyes. I didn’t realise it was as dangerous. You just 

don’t think it would happen to you”. The John Fisher School continues to do a large amount 

of work with The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, using resources in PSHE, having Daniel’s 

mother in to talk and using their ambassadors on our Parent PSHE days. A big than you to 

the cast who were brilliant, as well as Mr. Evans for arranging the visit. 

John Fisher is through to the Third Round of the United Nations 

Association Debating Competition 

After the success of the Rio Olympics, we thought we would 

ask our own Olympian to share his memories from his time at 

John Fisher. Having won Gold in Melbourne in the Coxless 

fours, Walter went to win Silver in Rome (1960) and another 

Gold and Silver in the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. 

“I came to John Fisher School in 1952, at age 16, having left 

England for Canada in 1948 after my family’s hotel in Richmond, 

Surrey had been bombed in WWII in 1944. Because of the 

difference in school curriculum between Canadian and British 

schools I could only participate in a limited number of courses. 

Upon arrival at the school there appeared to be a strong, ongoing 

sports programme, headed by Father McLean and assisted by Franz Stampfl. I participated in 

the discus and the hammer, and set the Surrey County Junior Discus record. 

John Fisher School had won the All-England School Athletic 

Championship the previous year. Father McLean wanted to 

repeat this accomplishment. I remember that I was entered in 

the hammer throw as a third-string participant, and unfortunately 

our first string contender (“Stinky” Martin) fouled out after his 

first three throws and was disqualified. I ended up getting third 

place, one of my teammates won second place, and first place 

was won by a Scottish school. However, John Fisher School 

received the All-England School Athletic Championship for the 

second year in a row. 

During my time at the school I tried to participate in cricket, because I had a fast bowling arm, 

but my accuracy was not great, and in my first contest for the school I managed to score 4 

wides, or runs, for the other team - so that was my last cricket experience. Oh well. 

I fondly remember the “weight strength programme”, started by Father McLean and Coach 

Stampfl. We used standard weights on a bar. At the time the school was undergoing an upgrade 

and there were a number of construction workers on the site. These were big men with big 

muscles, and we were all impressed. So we devised a contest (unknown to them) to see which 

one of them would be able to lift the biggest weight. We did this by loading a couple of bars 

with all the weights we could find in the room. We then invited some of the men in during their 

lunch hour to try to lift weights with us, and when they saw the weights their faces were not 

very eager to participate. As it turned out none of them could lift the weights we presented 

them with, and by the time we had reduced the weights on the bars to something they could 

lift the weights were comparable to what we had been lifting as 15 and 16- year-olds. We felt 

that we were indeed very strong and the programme was vindicated. 

Even though I was behind in my studies, given the curriculum limitations described above, I 

received an enormous amount of support from the faculty and other students. For example, 

the maths and chemistry teachers gave me individual lessons so I could keep up. I hold my 

days at the school in highest regard and I hope to be able to make contact with some of the 

other members of the Sixth Form from that year.” 



26 27

Arts Network Sutton Presents 

Youth Art Exhibition 2017 

SOUTH AFRICA 

RUGBY TOUR 

Europa Gallery 

A celebration of 

arts and crafts 

from Sutton’s 

Secondary schools 

Sutton Library 

March 14 - 26 

50 Sixth Form students going on tour to South Africa, will your son go in the future? 

Anyone who would like to sponsor the tour in any way, perhaps the tour shirt? Bags? Kit? 

Please contact: adean10@suttonmail.org 

Preview March 16 

6.00 - 8.00 

Guest Artist: 

Abel Kesteven 6.30 

Photograph: Rebecca Peter 

St. Philomena’s Catholic High School for Girls 



28 29

Thank You 

A huge thank you to all the sponsors of the School. All money raised through sponsorship 

goes directly back into providing an outstanding education with extra opportunities. 

Warlingham RFC 


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