newsletter E2

THE JOHN FISHER SCHOOL 

NEWSLETTER EDITION 2: DECEMBER 2016 

ASPIRING FOR ACADEMIC, CULTURAL & SPORTING EXCELLENCE 

1

Headteacher Welcome 

The first term of the academic year is both demanding and 

rewarding. We have also had so many additional events this 

year which require a lot of organisation. We had the official 

opening of our new building, we hosted the Croydon Deanery 

Mass, we had an extra open morning and there was also a 2 

day external review on October 3rd and 4th. I was very pleased 

with our welcome and expectation evenings for parents/carers 

this year and over 80 parents and carers enjoyed a variety of 

relevant and informative sessions led by a range of presenters 

on Saturday 3rd September. All the events our Music department have been involved 

in such as the Bonanza Concert have been fantastic. Our choir won the Sacred Class in 

the Sutton and Cheam Festival again for a third year in a row which was truly wonderful. 

Other events which have been hugely successful include the Fashion Evening and Festive 

Fireworks organised by The John Fisher School Association. On Thursday 6th October 

we had our annual Apprenticeship/Careers day which the students found extremely 

useful and we were also delighted to be involved in the Shakespeare School Festival in 

November. Our Sports teams continued to enjoy much success and our annual derby 

against Whitgift was enjoyable despite the fact we lost narrowly. We were named in the 

top 100 schools for Cricket in the country (The Cricketer) and named in ‘The Playing 

Fields of England: An A-Z Guide to the Summer Game’s Top 100 Schools’ this term. It is 

worth noting that we are also in the top 10 schools nationally for Cross Country running 

and one of our Sixth Form student’s is currently representing England. 

allows modelling of high standards and competition both inside and outside of the 

classroom. I count myself fortunate in that we have a high achieving team of staff who 

work collaboratively which facilitates success for all. We are conscious as a team of staff 

that we have to choose a different approach in a time when schools have to achieve 

more with less. Nevertheless, with intellect, guile and a compassion for doing what’s 

best for students will ensure we continue to be one of the country’s leading Catholic 

comprehensive school’s for boys. 

I wish all those connected with John Fisher a happy and holy Christmas and I look 

forward to continuing to work with you in 2017. 

Mr P E McCullagh 

Other events our students have been involved in this term include: 

• Anti-bullying week 

• Overseas Disaster Relief Challenge 

• Citizenship Foundation Mock Trial Competition 

• Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge 

The John Fisher School is an outstanding example of how comprehensive schools 

work. We cater for students with a range of ability from diverse socio economic groups 

with a range of ethnicities and special needs. We pride ourselves on being a beacon 

of inclusion and integration who is successful in achieving the best outcomes for our 

students. One of the major reasons this is possible is because we have students with 

high prior attainment as well as students from middle and low prior attainment which 



2 3

Year 9 Overseas Disaster Relief Challenge 

Peter E, Roosevelt Q, Daniel E, Joel C and I were selected to take part in 

the Year 9 Overseas Disaster Relief Challenge on Friday 18th November 

2016. We came to school in our uniform then briskly set off on the 

minibus to the Salvation Army Centre in Sutton. 

Is your 2017 Resolution to have a 

review of your mortgage and finances? 

For all aspects of financial services; 

mortgages, investments and pensions 

please contact Advies on: 

johnfisher@advies.co.uk 

When we arrived we saw that many schools were already there; Sutton 

Grammar, Wallington Boys and Wallington Girls etc. Our group sat down 

just before the hosts of the event made their presentation about the competition. We were told 

by the host that we would have to make a short, three-minute presentation about a made-up 

charity that helps with Natural hazards around the world and then it would be judged and the 

winners would be announced. Then, we were told to select a job role each, General Manager, 

Press Manager, Finance Manager, Design Manager and Publicity Manager. 

One of the judges was a man from a charity called Shelterbox. Miss Drozd explains what Shelterbox 

does to help people during natural disasters. “Currently, around 60 million people around the 

world have been made homeless by natural disasters and conflict. Shelterbox are providing 

emergency shelters and tools for families robbed of their homes by disaster. 

The aid supplies come in the form of Shelterboxes and Shelterkits. Their study green boxes 

contain family-sized tents specially designed to withstand the elements and provide people with 

temporary shelter until they are able to start the process of rebuilding a home. The boxes contain 

all of the essential tools people need to start to repair and rebuild homes straight away. A home 

is much more than bricks and mortar or tarpaulin and tent pegs therefore each kit contains items 

that help transform that shelter into a home, like cooking sets, solar lights and activity sets for 

children.” 

After everyone had established who they were going to be, we were set tasks that would 

eventually become the basis for our presentation. As Finance Manager, I was calculating the 

costs for our hypothetical charity. Soon after the lunch break we were called up to do our threeminute 

presentation in front of the judges, teachers and various other schools. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t win the competition with our presentation and left, shortly after. All in 

all, the challenge was very enjoyable and a good use of our geographical and business skills. 

By Daniel Chung 

Form 9C 



4 5

Drama this term: 

13 students in KS3 and KS4 took part in 2016 Shakespeare’s School Festival on 14th November 

Saturday 20th May 2017 

Champagne reception: 7.30pm 

Dinner: 8.00pm 

Carriages at midnight 

16 students are performing DNA on 14th December at the Shoestring Theatre for this year’s 

Croydon youth theatre project. Here they are posing! 

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 

Outstanding performance this term William Liddy, Jake O’Mahoney, Aaron O’Beirne, 

Amias Pierre, Alex Michael and Sebastian Walsh. 



6 7

As always, the Character of our Students is demonstrated by the 

two Sixth Formers below who are raising money for two charities 

The Christmas Bonanza! 

Tom Irminger 

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/thomasirmiger1 

Jack Roffey 

https://www.gofundme.com/goingbaldfortet 

The Choir singing carols at local school, St. Giles 



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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. 

Film Club will be playing Christmas films every lunchtime in 

the final week in room 100. 

Lend with Care - a joint Geography and Economics club 

for 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 judging panel of Miss Drozd, Mr Dean and the 

Sixth Formers will then have to make a decision. 

Higher ability ICT/Computing students were entered into the 

Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge on November 7th 

-8th 2016. The competition was aimed at raising awareness of 

Computer Science in a fun and rewarding way and involved 

solving problems using computational thinking skills. The 

competition was international and took place in 30 countries. 

Well done to all the students for participating. 

The results are as follows: 

Beginners GARTH HILL 

Intermediate AIDAN BARNETT 

Senior ALEXANDER ARNOLD 


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New Year’s Resolution – To have the best mortgage rate possible? 

With Interest rates at the lowest they have ever been, and lenders as willing as ever to lend, 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. 

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 including: 

• Purchase 

• Re-mortgage 

• Residential or Buy to Let 

• Let to Buy 

• International Property 

• Commercial 

• Shared Ownership 

• Help to Buy 

• Capital Raising 

• Bridging Finance 

• Equity Release 

To give you an idea of the rates available, with a 65% Loan to Value there are residential mortgage rates at 1.19% for a two year fixed rate, or 1.39% at an 80% LTV. 

Alternatively there are Buy to Let mortgage rates at 1.59% for a two year product at 65% LTV, or 2.09% at a 75% LTV. 

Why don’t you get in contact for a free no obligation and confidential discussion? 

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 

Email: johnfisher@advies.co.uk 

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

Advies’ 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. 

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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Mock Trial 

The John Fisher Association 

Forthcoming Events 

Ladies Night – Saturday 28th January 2017 

Quiz Night – Saturday 4th March 2017 

St Patrick’s Night – Saturday 25th March 2017 

On Saturday 26th November Miss Smith took fifteen Sixth Formers to the Inner 

London Crown Court at Southwark to participate in the Citizenship Foundation 

Mock Trial Competition. This is a national competition which gives students the 

opportunity to take on the roles of barristers, witnesses, clerk, usher and jury. 

They prepare two cases which are then presented before a real judge in one 

of the many court rooms in the Crown Court. Our teams performed against 

three other London state schools in three separate rounds and meanwhile nine 

other schools also participated in this heat. Our students won two rounds but 

did not score enough points to be one of the final two teams to go through. 

The students participating were Callum Henry, Alex Buchanan, Alex McColgan, 

Aaron Conmee (Barristers) Niall Slattery, Joe Brown, Enrico Ferguson, Niall 

Loughran (Witnesses), Cameron Watt (Court Clerk), Francisco Reyna (Usher), Mark 

Whiteley, Finn Peronius, Dominic O’Dea, Michael Rogan, Eoin O’Hara (Jury) It 

was a brilliant experience for all students helping them to gain an understanding 

of the legal and human rights and responsibilities underpinning society. 

The Fete – Monday 1st May 2017 

Summer Fashion Show – Thursday 8th June 2017 

Summer Ball – Saturday 8th July 2017 



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THE JOHN FISHER SCHOOL 

MUSIC DEPARTMENT 

Extra-curricular Events 

Epilogues 

All at 4pm in the JFS Chapel 

January 

Thursday 26th 

February 

Thursday 23rd 

Concerts 

All concerts have 

free entry with a retiring collection 

JFS Carol Service 

Thursday 15th December 

7pm Chapel 

March 

Thursday 23rd 

April 

Thursday 27th 

May 

Thursday 25th 

June 

Thursday 22nd 

July 

Thursday 13th 

Spring Concert 

Wednesday 1st March 

7.30pm School Hall 

Symphonia Verbum 

Wednesday 10th May 


Summer Concert 

Wednesday 28th June 


Epilogue is 20 minutes of uplifting choral music and bidding prayers perfect to 

unwind at the end of the month 



15 16

Do you or does someone you know have a talent for 

managing people and a desire to help young people 

in your community? 

5th Caterham Scout Group is a thriving, dynamic and very well-structured 

organisation of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, based at Sacred Heart Church 

in Caterham. The success of our group is thanks in no small part to the 

work of our late Group Scout Leader (GSL), Paul Lovell, whose passing 

has left a need for someone to help co-ordinate the volunteers who 

run the group’s three sections. The voluntary role is highly flexible 

and requires someone, male or female, who can liaise with: the Scout 

Association at District level, the group’s executive committee, the 

section leaders and with the church, which sponsors the group. The 

successful candidate would not need to attend the weekly Beaver, 

Cub and Scout meetings and would receive comprehensive support 

and training from the District. If you are interested in finding out more, 

please contact Peter Lovat on 01883 345749 peter_lovat@yahoo.com 

or Tim Evans on tim201@icloud.com 

Target 2.0 Article 

On Friday 25th November, Sixth Form Economists, Niall Jukes, Charlton 

Desouza, Tom Buckland and Eddie Tucker, were given the opportunity 

to compete in a national economics competition, Target 2.0, at the Bank 

of England. The students, along with six other teams from schools within 

London, had to assess the current economic conditions in the UK and 

the outlook for inflation, advising a panel of judges on the direction that 

monetary policy should take in the United Kingdom in order to achieve 

the Government’s inflation rate target of 2%. 

The team captain, Niall Jukes (Year 13), had the following to say: 

“After extensive research, we decided to alter monetary policy by 

increasing the Base rate to a level of 0.6% from its current, historicallylow 

rate of 0.25% in order to counteract growing inflationary pressures 

in the UK. We were given 15 minutes to present our case in front of an 

audience and a panel of 3 members of the Bank of England committee 

who directly advise Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England. 

After working together to present our view, the judges then asked our 

team a series of questions regarding the presentation; although the 

questions proved to be challenging, we answered them sufficiently. 

Overall, it was an insightful experience, helping to develop our 

understanding of macroeconomics and allowing us to learn from likeminded 

economics students from neighbouring schools.” 

Although the team did not progress to the next round, the boys gave a 

respectable account of themselves with the school finishing 3rd out of 7 

teams. 



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Year 8 Construction Challenge 2016 

On Tuesday 8th November 2016, a group of Year 8 students (of which I was one) 

travelled to Royal Alexander and Albert school for a maths construction, engineering 

and design challenge. The schools taking part in the competiton, each entered two 

teams – Fisher entered an X and Y team. We all experienced talks from professional 

engineers and then got down to business – making our design. 

The aim of the day was to create a bridge, able to hold 1.5kg in weight, as 

well as the bridge being a minimum distance of 1.5 metres. To give us a better 

understanding of financial awareness, we had to pay for all of the equipment that 

we used. This made it harder, as the winner was also decided on the cheapest 

bridge created. We used resources, such as nuts and bolts, paper, selotape and 

hole punchers. 

After a morning of intense work and design, the teams broke for lunch. Pretty 

quickly, however, work was back underway. After many hours of deep concentration, 

the projects were complete. Presentations of the final bridges created were made 

by the groups and this was then followed by the testing of each one, which 

involved seeing how much weight each bridge could hold. The bridge created by 

the Y side Fisher team, of which I was part, was able to hold 2.5 kg of weight. We 

finished in 2nd place – a very acceptable position. Overall, it was an enjoyable day 

and I look forward to similar events in the future. 

Ryan O’Sullivan 8K 


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Introducing our new Commercial Partner: Field and Flower 

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. With Christmas around the corner, what about a grass-fed Turkey this year? Or some special pieces of meat for 

the family? 

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!” 

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. 

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. 



20 21

Charlie Geffen (Partner of Gibson Dunn) talks to Years 

11, 12 and 13 

On Thursday 10th November, Lawyer Charlie Geffen visited John Fisher. 

A group of Year 11, 12 and 13 students were invited to meet Mr Brake 

for a special talk on a variety of topics. 

Mr Geffen began by speaking about the manner in how he became 

involved in (corporate/commercial) Law, focusing on the importance of 

a good letter and a confident interview. He continued by explaining the 

role he played in major business moves such as the growth of Madame 

Tussauds and the purchasing of Northern Rock; giving the students an 

insight into the legal complications that come with the expansion of firms. 

As well as speaking about his career, Mr Geffen spoke about recent 

events such as the US election, Brexit and the rise of populism; coming 

at them from a legal perspective. Geffen explained that the most likely 

outcome of Brexit would not be able to be described as simply ‘hard’ 

or ‘soft’ and that as the legal framework is so complex, Britain will 

likely see a fudging of both EU and UK intentions; but the geopolitical 

ambitions of the union would be a priority for the leading countries left 

in the European Union, which could prevent Britain from getting the 

best outcome. Geffen assured the students that no matter what Brexit 

may bring, London’s infrastructure and personnel will mean that it will 

stay strong. Mr Geffen spoke about the US election and the implications 

of the outcome. The students left with an insight into the legality and 

framework behind the headlines we read, understanding that things are 

far more complex than they are presented through the media. 

By Aaron Conmee Year 12 


22

Higher ability ICT/Computing students were entered into the Bebras Computational thinking challenge on November 7th -8th 2016. The competition was aimed at raising 

awareness of Computer Science in a fun and rewarding way and involved solving problems using computational thinking skills. The competition was international and took place 

in 30 countries. 

Well done to all the boys for participating. 

The results are as follows: 

Top in the School 

Beginners - GARTH HILL Intermediate - AIDAN BARNETT Senior - ALEXANDER ARNOLD 

Beginners Certificate 

of Distinction 

TIERNAN ANANDARAJAH 

BENJAMIN HUMPHREY 

NICHOLAS GRAHAM 

EDWIN LONAPPAN 

Senior Certificate 


FOLEY ETHAN 

SIMON DASIG 

Certificate of Merit 

DANIEL GREENHALGH 

ALESSANDRO POTGER 

IRVIN KSHIRSAGAR 

FINLAY DOLCE 


JONATHAN NAZARETH 

ALFONSO GREENBROOK 

AARON VIDAL 

Certificate of Participation 

JOHN HILARIO 

AIDAN SIDWELL 

PRINCE DIAFUANA 

EBENEZER PATRICKS 

DANIEL AGBOOLA 

LOUIS NLEMADIM 

ANTHONY LEONIDAS 


OLIVER SPAIN 

JAKUB BRYMER 

CIARAN CONNEELY 

Intermediate Certificate 


JESHIN MURUGIAH 

JOSHVA JERRY 

LUKE BARCLAY 

ROBBIE ASHTON 

SHAUN BERNADET 

STEPHEN BULL 

CIAN TRACY 

SHANE LIPSCOMBE 


JOMEL JOSHY 

BERNARD KYALUZI 

GERRY MORRIS 

PIOTR BRYS 

BENJAMIN GRANAT 

REECE TOMLIN 

GALVIN BIJU 

JOE BARRY 

MATTHEW CHANCE 


AARON DOMINIC 

HENRY 

MUNT 

LEWIS SO WOON YUEN 

OLIVER CASEY 

ALEKSANDER IWAN 

CARTER SPRINGALL 

JORGE 

CORRIGAN 

ZORRILLA 

AIDEN 

OWUSU 

AGYAKWA 

BENJAMIN SHAPLEY 

JEREMIAH COFFEY 

HARVEY CROWE 

ALEXANDER SAMUEL 



23 24

Rugby Performance Camp @ The John Fisher School 

Years 7 & 8 – Monday 19th & Wednesday 21st December 2016 

Years 9 & 10 – Tuesday 20th & Thursday 22nd December 2016 

10am-2pm, £50 per person, Minimum 8, Maximum 20 Students 

The Gielgud Theatre, currently home to the play The Curious 

Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - based on the book of the 

same name, also hosts The Curious Coincidence of the Maths in 

the Daytime. We took a group of Year 9 and 10 students to see 

the production which was split into two halves - one about the 

maths that features in the book and the second about the maths 

of staging the production. The first half featured explanations 

of maths in various contexts such as how probable it would be to pass 4 yellow cars in 

a row or why the number of frogs in a pond fell some years and increased in others. 

The explanations were given by 3 mathematicians: a mix of professors, authors and 

YouTube stars, who used pupil volunteers from the audience to help demonstrate the 

explanations. The pupils were all keen to participate and I was almost even tempted 

myself! After a short interval, the production resumed with a short extract from the 

play. The lighting was especially impressive and it left me wanting to see the whole 

thing! Next, we were talked through how maths is used in the music of the play and 

the design of the stage, and questions which pupils had written and left in a box 

during the break were answered by the speakers - including ‘why does maths exist?’ 

The way the maths was explained in real-life situations made it feel very relevant and 

caught the interest of pupils and teachers alike. The staging of the production was 

superb and the enthusiasm of the speakers was contagious. I must admit to feeling 

sceptical before we arrived, having never been the biggest fan of maths, but I was 

convinced - I would definitely recommend the production, even for those who don’t 

have a keen interest in maths! 

Miss Dowse 

MFL 

Hi, my name is Nick Rees. I am the Strength & Conditioning coach for The John Fisher 

School Rugby Squads. 

I have a long standing relationship with the school which has previously seen me 

support the teams’ physical development toward reaching the finals of the St Josephs’ 

Festival and twice the final of Rosslyn Park 7s nationals. 

With over 10 years’ experience in Professional Rugby (such as Head of Academy S&C 

for Harlequins Rugby Union), specialising in developing youth rugby players, I am 

bringing the culmination of my experiences together through Performance Camps 

based at the school. 

Our initial camp was in October, it focussed on educating the boys in the area of 

Strength & Conditioning and this upcoming camp will continue to do so covering: 

Speed and Agility Strength Training Cardiovascular Fitness 

Mobility Flexibility Injury Prevention Strategies 

Experiencing training and education in these areas we will be able to create, educate 

and employ individual profiles and programmes over time to best suit your son’s 

physical development and empower them with knowledge surrounding health and 

physical fitness. 

To book now, please get in touch with me directly using the contact us page at 

www.impetusfitness.co.uk and please leave a mobile contact with any enquiries. 

Champagne winner is.. 

Claire 

MacGregor 



25 26

Thank You 

A huge thank you to the businesses and parents who have sponsored or donated to the 

School this term. Without this generosity, we would not be able to invest as much in student 

facilities, sporting provision or resources. 

SOUTH AFRICA 

RUGBY TOUR 

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 

Warlingham RFC 



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