TheHallifordian_120pp1.18_FINAL

Autumn Highlights 

Hallifordian 

The 

2017 – 2018 

1

TheHALLIFORDIAN 

2

Introduction 

Contents 

Introduction .......................................................................................................... page 3 

Autumn Highlights.............................................................................................. page 13 

Spring Highlights................................................................................................ page 54 

Summer Highlights............................................................................................. page 67 

Art Exhibition....................................................................................................... page 97 

House Reports................................................................................................... page 108 

Old Hallifordians................................................................................................ page 116 

3


Foreword 

by The Headmaster 

It barely seems five minutes since I was delighted to receive the telephone call from the 

Chairman of Governors inviting me to take up my position as the tenth Headmaster of 

Halliford School. Now as I look back over the magnificent journey that we have been 

on as a community during the last twelve months, I am struck by just how much we 

have achieved as a School. The Hallifordian provides a chance for us all to reflect on the 

hundreds of lessons, matches, performances, presentations and school events that we 

have been lucky enough to share in as a community with fellow students, parents, staff, 

Old Hallifordians and friends over the past year. 

As always, Mr Cunningham and his team of reporters have done a magnificent job of 

bringing together the highlights of the school year into this wonderful publication. 

However, no single document can ever really do justice to such a rich and vibrant 

community as Halliford but nonetheless, as I read through this edition of The 

Hallifordian, my heart swelled with pride and joy as I was able to recall some very 

special moments that we have shared together. 

It is a real privilege to serve as the Headmaster of such an exceptional and warm-hearted 

School. I look forward to continuing to work with all members of the community in the 

coming year as we help and support each Hallifordian to become the very best version 

of themselves they can possibly be. 

Good luck for the year ahead. 

James Davies 

Headmaster 

4

Introduction 

group stage match Mr Newberry walked over to 

us and said, “Boys somehow we have managed 

to get ourselves a place in the cup final without 

winning a single match.” We jumped up and were 

celebrating like we’d won the World Cup! The 

final game came around quickly and all the boys 

were ready to prove ourselves to other schools. 

The pitch was like a mud bath with people slipping 

around – sometimes even taking out their own 

players. Despite our efforts we lost by a rather 

large margin. However, we stepped onto the 

minibus in our ‘onesies’ and headed home proud 

of the grit and determination we had showed. 

Max Zander-Holder 

Head Prefect 

My Halliford journey started when I was 11 years 

old. Nervously, I walked through the large gates 

and was confronted with a much taller man 

looming over me wearing a flashy grey suit and 

with the September sun reflecting off his shiny 

bald head. It was Mr Talbot, the previous Deputy 

Head. “Morning chaps!” he said enthusiastically 

as I and other Year 7 students walked hesitantly 

into the school. It was a cheerful, jovial greeting 

and over the years Mr Talbot was to have a big 

influence over my life here. In fact, he was an 

inspirational and key figure for me. Without his 

influence I would never have considered teaching 

as a career option but he made me understand 

that this was something I could do – and do well. 

Another important event that occurred in my early 

years at Halliford is that I met a group of boys 

whom I now call friends for life. I know I will never 

lose contact with them in the years to come. The 

many experiences we have shared has cemented 

our bonds. And really, this is something Halliford 

School seems to do so well – creating a friendly, 

caring atmosphere that encourages and nurtures 

you from Year 7 right on through to your final days 

in the Sixth Form. 

Sport has played a key part in my life at Halliford 

School. Over the years I have been involved in 

many sporting events which have resulted in 

successes and failures. In Year 8 Mr Bardgett 

and Mr Newberry took us on a Rugby 7s tour 

down to Somerset to compete in the Millfield 

7s tournament. We faced some very strong 

opponents and lost every match. After our final 

Drama is something that I am very passionate 

about and at Halliford I have been encouraged 

and supported to take part in many memorable 

productions. Doing drama has taken me out of my 

comfort zone but I would advise any student to 

give it a try – especially if you are naturally rather 

shy! In front of an audience there is nowhere to 

hide – you have to just build up your courage and 

believe that you can do it. The relief and joy you feel 

after the curtain comes down is indescribable. Like 

sport, drama is great for encouraging camaraderie 

among your fellow actors, particularly across year 

groups. 

During my time here, I have also had an amazing 

opportunity to visit New York City, with the music 

department. This unforgettable experience 

involved performing at the Ground Zero memorial, 

visiting Harlem to listen to a Gospel choir and 

standing at the top of the Empire State Building. 

I cannot end here without thanking my able and 

enthusiastic deputy Gareth Hart. Gareth has done 

a sterling job and has made my position as Head 

Prefect so much easier because of his commitment 

and willingness to get involved. I must also thank 

the teachers at Halliford School whose dedication 

has truly made a positive impact on my learning 

and my life. 

Finally, a note to all the students: believe in 

yourself and never give up. As our motto says, a 

firm path leads you to firmer things. Even when 

something seems impossible to achieve, push on, 

keep going and with effort and determination your 

dreams will become a reality 

5


Gareth Hart 

Deputy Head Prefect 

I must start by thanking Max Zander-Holder for 

his actions as Head Prefect this year. He has led 

the prefect team effectively and matured both 

as an individual and as a leader. Being Deputy 

Head Prefect has been an immensely enjoyable 

experience and has allowed me to interact and get 

to know so many boys in the lower year groups, 

which was always one of my greatest aims. You 

are the future of this school; you are the future of 

society. Always remember that. 

It certainly is bizarre to be writing my final 

piece for the Hallifordian. Over the years, I was 

extremely proud to see some of my compositions 

featured in this publication. From a questionable 

piece of travel writing in Year 8 about a trip to 

Devon to a feature on the school Science Club, I 

must thank Mr Cunningham and previous editing 

staff for allowing my contributions to be featured. 

Recently, I enjoyed reading Hallifordian issues 

from before my time at Halliford, learning a lot 

about the history of the school. I even discovered 

that former Headmaster John Crook’s retirement 

ball was held at the Runnymede Hotel, the same 

venue as our Sixth Form Leavers’ event this year. 

This school has such a great history and it has 

been a real pleasure to be a part of it. 

I have been striving to write this without featuring 

any aspects of my Speech Day speech or my final 

entry into the public speaking competition on 

the last day of term. Furthermore, I have also 

vowed not to directly quote anyone famous, but 

intend to share ideas that others have bestowed 

upon me. One of the best ways in which this can 

be accomplished is through sharing the three 

greatest lessons that the three Headmasters 

from my time at Halliford School have taught me. 

Mr Philip Cottam enlightened us in the 

classroom in Year 7 with countless stories of 

military heroics, as well a detailed insight into 

many different aspects of history. I will never 

forget an occasion when a member of my class 

threatened to fall asleep, before Mr Cottam woke 

him with the news that he would be completing 

a one thousand word essay on the history of the 

trebuchet. Staying awake in class was not the 

greatest lesson learned however. Instead, Mr 

Cottam taught us the true value of self-reflection. 

Too often in life, we travel at one million miles per 

hour, not leaving any time to think, contemplate 

or consider. I encourage you to stop for a short 

while every day. Instead of picking up your phone 

to check any new social media posts since you last 

checked five minutes ago, leave yourself instead 

with your own thoughts. 

Appealing to our love of sport, I remember 

Mr Simon Wilson speaking often of the arduous 

training sessions and dedication shown by some 

sportspeople. Most notable was their mindset 

and philosophy. Yet, the most important piece 

of guidance I received was not to self-handicap. 

Sometimes, it is necessary to politely decline 

invitations to events if you know that it will impact 

you on the path to your greatest ambitions. 

Self-handicapping is a means by which you inhibit 

yourself by allowing your time to be stolen by 

needless tasks, but provide you with an excuse 

in the event that everything goes wrong. Never 

allow yourself to find excuses for failure, look 

only at the areas in which you can improve. At the 

end, always allow yourself to be assured that you 

have worked hard enough. 

Finally, self-belief is essential in life. Mr James 

Davies reminds us often to be the best version 

of yourself that you can be. You will always 

ponder over what could have been if you do not 

dedicate yourself to becoming a better person. In 

the process of becoming a better person, never 

neglect to care for others and always work hard 

and stay humble. 

6

Introduction 

Highlights 

Editorial 

by Mr Cunningham, 

Head of Classics 

What an embarrassment of riches we 

have in this edition of The Hallifordian! 

The biggest problem I have as editor is 

not what to include but what to leave out! 

As you read through the pages here it is clear 

to see just how much we offer the students at 

Halliford School. From Shakespeare to skiing, 

chess to choir singing, there truly is something 

for everyone. As usual, what makes this magazine 

so special is the contributions by our dedicated 

team of teaching staff and, of course, the boys 

themselves. As I collate the articles each year I am 

reminded of a quotation by the American writer 

Stephen King: ‘Talent is cheaper than table salt. 

What separates the talented individual from the 

successful one is a lot of hard work.’ We are very 

lucky to have so many talented and hard-working 

students at Halliford School. The proof is in your 

hands! 

Shakespeare Extravaganza 

Page 15 

Geography Residential Field Trip 

Page 50 

Cross Country 

Page 66 

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Staff Farewells 

Mr Paul Sweeting, Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages 

retires following seventeen years of service to the School. Mr 

Sweeting joined Halliford in 2001 to teach Modern Foreign 

Languages, a rare talent for being able to offer German, French 

and Spanish has made him a highly valued colleague and I 

know that many Hallifordians owe their love of languages to 

his teaching. However, there is no doubt that Paul’s lasting 

legacy to generations of Hallifordians is the spectacular work 

he has put in single-handed to cementing our now flourishing 

relationship with our partner school the Holsten Schule in 

Neumunster Northern Germany. Every year for as long as any 

boy at the school can remember we have hosted the staff and 

students from there and made the exchange visit widening the 

outlook of many generations of Halliford Pupils. Such is Paul’s 

commitment to this venture that he agreed to remain involved 

in helping his successors with the forthcoming exchange visit 

next term. 

Mr Ian Bardgett, Director of Sport, leaves us after sixteen 

years of service. Mr Bardgett joined the School in 2002 and 

has decided to move on to a new challenge in the Prep School 

market to take over as Director of Sport at Newland House 

School. It goes without saying that he has taken our sport to 

an exceptional level here and inspired many generations of 

exceptionally talented sportsmen, including several who have 

gained national and international honours. Given the strong 

links between the two schools, we have no doubt that this is 

more of an au revoir than a farewell and we look forward to 

welcoming future generations of Newland House boys inspired 

by Ian to develop their passion for sport here at Halliford. 

Nick de Cata, Head of Media Studies and English teacher, 

retires after fifteen years of service at Halliford School. Mr De 

Cata has been with us since 2003 and helped and supported 

countless Hallifordians in so many ways both in the classroom 

and on the sports field. He has been a passionate tutor, always 

getting to the core of a pupil and understanding their feelings, 

even when they are struggling to understand themselves. For 

those of you ever fortunate to receive one of his reports, he is 

a true wordsmith and his love of words has led him to organise 

many stimulating and engaging readings for the School Carol 

Service and Easter Service. He has been instrumental in leading 

a series of incredibly poignant trips for our Year 10 students to 

Ypres in Belgium. 

Earlier in the year, Mr Tony Nelson sadly decided to move 

on from Halliford School to pursue other opportunities. Mr 

Nelson joined Halliford as Head of Design Technology moving 

on to take over and successful transition the IT department to 

Computer Science and latterly to assume the role of Director 

of Studies. 

Also during the earlier part of the academic year, Mrs Sue 

Regan decided to step down from her duties in the Art 

Department. Mrs Regan initially started her career at Halliford 

combining it with a role at Feltham Young Offenders Institute. 

Her passion for art and care for the boys here was the hallmark 

of a great teacher and we wish her well for the future. 

Mr Tim Hext-Stephens, IT Technician left us for fresh 

challenges having giving nine years of service to the School 

working particularly closely to support our students and staff. 

We wish him well on the next phase of his career. 

Ms Eliza Lagast, Director of Teaching and Learning, leaves 

us after two years of service. Ms Lagast has had to make the 

decision to take some time away from teaching to focus on 

her family abroad, she has done a wonderful job of developing 

teaching and learning ideas at the School as well as being a first 

class English teacher and we wish her and her family all the very 

best for the future. 

Mr Martin Daniels, part time Business and Economics 

teacher, leaves us after two years’ service to the School as he 

moves on to fresh challenges. 

Mr Carlos Garcia, Head of Computer Science, leaves us 

after 19 months of service. Mr Garcia has made the difficult 

decision to work closer to home for family reasons. He has 

been a magnificent colleague at the school and has endured a 

lengthy commute for the last year to offer superb teaching but 

also to be a huge part of our weekend games offering. 

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Introduction 

Welcome to New Staff 

Mrs Kate Cotton, Deputy Head (Academic) moves to this 

position following a successful interim position as our Acting 

Director of Studies since January this year. Having been Deputy 

Head at a local independent school and before that Head of Key 

Stage 4 and a Housemistress at two other local independent 

schools, Mrs Cotton has made a wonderful impression on 

the School during her short time with us and the interview 

committee were extremely impressed with her vision for further 

supporting and growing the academic focus at Halliford. 

Working closely with Mrs Cotton we are very much looking 

forward to welcoming Mr James Bown as Deputy Head 

(Pastoral). Mr Bown is currently Head of Sixth Form and 

Designated Safeguarding Lead at a local small independent 

school and before this was a Housemaster and Deputy Head 

of Sixth Form at another local independent school. He brings 

a great deal of experience to Halliford and as well as excellent 

pastoral skills, he is also a keen Geographer and sportsman 

having been a semi-professional footballer and coached first 

team football, rugby and cricket. 

Mrs Rachel Bannister, Art Teacher, joins us from 

Teddington School with an extensive depth of subject knowledge, 

technical skills and over 14 years teaching experience. Mr 

Moseley and Mrs Bannister will work closely with our students 

to continue to develop the Art Department and to offer a wide 

and exciting range of artistic opportunities to our students. 

Mrs Leila Brown, Business Studies and Economics Teacher, 

joins us from Hollyfield School with an impressive record of 

teaching experience since joining the profession in 2005. She is 

looking forward to supporting our students and will be setting 

up our first ever Young Enterprise Programme at the School as 

well as supporting a number of Sixth Form students with their 

Extended Project Qualification. 

Mr James Greggor, Director of Sports returns to us 

from Salesian School. We are very excited to be welcoming 

Mr Greggor back to the School and look forward to seeing him 

building on the department’s strengths and taking it forward 

with his impressive track record of sporting development 

within schools. 

Mr Joe McElroy joins the English Department – an Oxford 

graduate and Teach First Ambassador, Mr McElroy is looking 

forward to complementing the extensive English teaching 

provision already in place at Halliford. 

Mrs Claire Whitlam joins the Maths Department 

as a part time teacher having graduated from Newcastle 

University with a first class Masters in Mechanical Engineering 

with Mathematical Modelling. Mrs Whitlam has enjoyed 

a challenging and diverse career with the Army and within 

the teaching sector and is looking forward to re-locating to 

Shepperton. 

Mr Angus Purden joins us as Head of Psychology and 

Teacher of Computer Science from Hinchley Wood School. We 

are delighted that Mr Purden will be bringing his outstanding 

talents to establish this new department at Halliford School 

and we look forward to seeing him evolve his specialist 

area. Mr Purden also brings his experience to the Computer 

Science Department where he will bring support to the Head 

of Department with a particular passion for film and media 

technology. 

Mr Tony Lyons joins us from Glyn School as a highly 

experienced Head of Computer Science. Mr Lyons looks 

forward to working with our students and striving for success 

for each individual child. His broad experience has enabled him 

to take on and deliver the new curriculum successfully and he 

looks forward to leading the development of Computer Science 

at Halliford School as we embark on investment in new digital 

technology within the classroom. 

Mr Robert Todd joins us in the Modern Foreign Languages 

Department and to offer support with our extensive sporting 

curriculum. Mr Todd has a first class degree in Modern Foreign 

Languages and has spent several years living and working 

abroad allowing him to develop his linguistic and cultural 

knowledge. Mr Todd is also a keen rugby player and kickboxer 

and will be involved in supporting our boys on the games field. 

We are very excited to be 

welcoming such talented teachers 

to join the Halliford Community. 

9


Speech Day 2018 

Achievement Prize 

7D.............................. Matthew Sanders 

7G ...........................Cosmo Chippindale 

7R................................ Nate Broadhurst 

7W ....................................... Kajay Moss 

– Prize Winners – 

Progress Prize 

7D ..................................Harry Tuckman 

7G ....................................James Webley 

7R........................................Harry Owen 

7W ....................................... Jivraj Singh 

8D..................................Daniel Winders 

8G ........................................Max Hobbs 

8R ................................ William Jackson 

8W .......................... Paul-Louis Howard 

9D ......................................... Joe Martin 

9G ..................................... Owen Morris 

9R ..................................Max Connelley 

9W ...................................Daniel Wilkes 

10D ............................................Kai Roff 

10G ..................................... Jacob Fuller 

10R ..............................Samuel Imperato 

10W ........................ Nicholas Atherfold 

11D ....................................Armaan Alavi 

11G .......................... Sam Murray-Smith 

11R ............................... Edward Dawson 

11W ................................. Daniel Walker 

8D .................................... Oliver Grayer 

8G ..................................Dylan Keoghan 

8R .............................Federico Albertini 

8W ....................................... Ben Wittke 

9D ..................................Will McGuigan 

9G .....................................Theo Rowsell 

9R ....................................Kian McGrath 

9W ..............................Matthew Grimes 

10D .......................Matthew Katesmark 

10G .................................Jonah Peppiatt 

10R ..................................... Harry Curtis 

10W ................................... Seyon Satha 

11D .............................. Alex Debertrand 

11G .............................. Cameron Hunter 

11R ................................. Brian Okwaisie 

11W ..............................Edward Whicker 

– Year 11 Prize Winners – 

Art...................................................................... Sam Murray-Smith 

Biology................................................................. Finn Angell-Wells 

Business Studies.......................................................... Shaan Suseelan 

Chemistry................................................................ James Woodgate 

Classical Civilisation ....................................................... Alfie Edwards 

Computer Science .......................................................... Matteo Tucat 

Ken Russell Prize for Design Technology ................................ Adam Hetzel 

Drama................................................................... Louis De Schynkel 

English .......................................................................Majd Mansour 

Wendy Simmons Prize for French ....................................... Majd Mansour 

Geography................................................................ Alex McConnon 

German .................................................................... Samuel Walker 

History .................................................................. Finn Angell-Wells 

Norma Cook Prize for Latin ........................................... James Woodgate 

Mathematics ............................................................ James Woodgate 

Sally Crosby Prize for The Most Improved Mathematician............. Adam Baxendale 

Music....................................................................... Jonathan Maud 

Physical Education ................................................... Oscar Leigh-Hales 

Religious Studies .......................................................... Brian Okwaisie 

Physics ..................................................................... Samuel Walker 

Guy Valadon Prize for Science ......................................... Oliver Bradshaw 

Spanish ................................................................... Edward Dawson 

10

Introduction 

– Upper Sixth Prize Winners – 

Jonathan Hobbs Memorial Prize for Art ............................. Domenic Levett 

Biology ................................................................. Thomas Imperato 

Business Studies ......................................................... Rustam Jafarov 

Chemistry ............................................................. Thomas Imperato 

Computer Science............................................................ Harry Hulls 

Design Technology .................................................. Ben Murray-Smith 

Theatre Studies .................................................... Max Zander-Holder 

Economics ........................................................................ Tom Lee 

Neil Jones Prize for English .............................................. Jacob Walker 

Bahadur Sunderji Prize for Further Mathematics ...................... Gareth Hart 

Geography ............................................................ Charlotte Worrell 

German ....................................................................... James Biggs 

Oliver Griffin Prize for Government and Politics .......................... Kerush Ali 

John Lewis Prize for History .............................................. Charlie Block 

Mathematics .................................................................. Jack Davey 

Media Studies ............................................................... Ross Bradley 

Music ...................................................................... Harry Osborne 

Physical Education ................................................ Max Zander-Holder 

Physics ....................................................................... Gareth Hart 

Religious Studies ....................................................... Charlotte Wells 

Spanish ..................................................................... Sam Moaveni 

– School Prizes – 

Blackeney Shield for Best Newcomer ............................... Harley Reynolds 

Hardy Shield for Junior Rugby .............................................. Jack Pearce 

Etherton Shield for Outstanding Sportsman ........................... Charlie Joyce 

Nicks Plate for Sportsmanship ........................................... Adam Clarke 

Owen Cup for Rugby .................................................... Connor O’Neill 

Nauticalia Bat for Cricket .......................................... James Wooltorton 

Football Captains Cup .................................................... Charlie Allen 

Junior Music Award .................................................... Arya Shafighian 

Senior Music Award ........................................................ Richard Ashe 

Junior Drama Award ...................................................... Barny Mather 

Senior Drama Award ......................................................... Louis David 

Alexis Hitchens Prize for Creative Writing ........................... Helena Baglin 

Public Speaking Prize ...................................................... Alanah Swift 

Prefect Mentoring Prize .................................................. Luca Bertuzzi 

Shepperton Aurora Rotary Community Service Shield ......... Charlotte Worrell 

Trophy for Service to the School ......................................... Charlotte Wells 

John Crook Prize for Improvement ...................... Oliver Hackland-Crowther 

Head Prefect’s Prize ........................................................... Gareth Hart 

Headmaster’s Prize ................................................... Max Zander-Holder 

11


Upper Sixth Leavers – University Places 

Name University Course 

Kerush Ali Birmingham Geography 

Charlie Allen Coventry Sports Psychology 

Helena Baglin Nottingham Eng Literature and Creative Writing 

Nicolas Barker Portsmouth Mechanical Engineering 

Luca Bertuzzi Birmingham Mathematical Economics and Stats 

Charles Block Oxford Brookes Philosophy 

Rafferty Bowler Canterbury Christ Church Drama 

Ross Bradley Sussex English and Media 

Jack Davey Warwick Physics 

Louis David Oxford Brookes Japanese Studies 

Callum Davis Middlesex Veterinary Foundation 

Tarendeep Dhillon Birmingham City University Business Finance 

Sam Doherty Southampton History 

Max Dorrell Portsmouth Economics 

Isabelle Hardy Goldsmiths English and Comparative Literature 

Gareth Hart Cambridge – Magdalene College Natural Science 

Harry Hulls Surrey Mechanical Engineering 

Rustam Jafarov Suffolk Accounting and Finance 

Charlie Joyce Birmingham Business Management 

Domenic Levett Brighton Architecture 

Tom Lee Kingston College Business 

Tom Mazzon York Interactive Media 

Ben Murray-Smith Exeter Mathematics 

Connor O’Neill Birmingham Civil Engineering 

Shayam Suseelan York Biochemistry 

Alanah Swift Birmingham English 

Jacob Walker Oxford Brookes History 

Charlotte Wells Birmingham Philosophy, Politics and Religion 

James Wooltorton Coventry Aerospace 

Charlotte Worrell Birmingham Philosophy 

Max Zander-Holder Birmingham Sports Science 

The following students are either taking a GAP Year or finalising their future plans: 

Matthew Alexander, James Biggs, Oliver Hackland-Crowther, Sam Moaveni, Alex Muir, Alexander Ngugi and Harry Osborne 

12


Othello Review 

by Isabelle Hardy, Upper 6th 

A number of the A Level Literature students were pleased to attend a performance of 

William Shakespeare’s Othello in London during the Autumn Term. 

We met outside the theatre for the matinee 

performance; although I had arrived in London 

much earlier to take on an opportunity for some 

shopping! The seating inside the theatre was 

rather snug, not much in the way of leg room, but 

as soon as the performance began I lost myself in 

the magic of the production. 

I have always loved theatre but never considered 

myself so cultured (or brave) as to go and see a 

Shakespeare production for myself. I admit that 

I have read a number of his plays but often gave 

up in despair because at times both the language 

and plots were too convoluted for me to follow. 

However, I’m pleased to report that seeing 

Othello in performance has helped to resolve 

many of the issues I’ve experienced with enjoying 

his works so far. 

The work of the National Youth Theatre was 

completely new to me. However, I was pleasantly 

surprised by the professionalism and creativity 

displayed by the young actors. Act 1 unfolded 

with a dance scene which immediately set the 

tone for the rest of the play. For this production 

the director chose to update the action to a much 

more modern and relevant context. Thus, the 400 

year old Venetian army became a Cyprian gang. 

The inclusion of gang culture made the plot much 

more apparent for someone like myself. It gave 

the story a real sense of timelessness too. The 

costumes were modern, and whilst following 

the original dialogue, there were occasional 

contemporary modes of speech included too. 

This helped the audience to make sense of what 

was happening in the new setting, but they do 

not change the overall ‘feel’ of the piece. In fact, 

I would be surprised if a seasoned Shakespeare 

theatre goer would have felt short changed. 

The sixteen strong ensemble cast created a sense 

of real energy on stage. The aggression of the 

fight scenes were impressive enough but I must 

refer to the staging of the bedroom scene where 

Othello accuses his wife Desdemona of adultery. 

This had the audience riveted, the attention of 

everyone fully engaged. Here we saw Othello, 

tortured with jealousy, preying on his wife’s 

vulnerability like a beautiful but deadly panther. 

Director Simon Pitt really achieved the thrill and 

paranoia Shakespeare must have imagined when 

he wrote the play in the early 17th Century. 

13


Natural History Museum 

by Mr Willcox, Head of Geography 

Our annual visit to the Natural History Museum is the first whole Year 7 trip on the 

Halliford Calendar and this year had several new features added to it for November 2017. 

Not only had the Museum replaced its iconic ‘Dippy’ the Diplodocus with the enormous 

skeleton of a Blue Whale, but also we were treated to an interactive presentation in the 

‘Attenborough Studio’ on The Earth’s Structure and Tectonic plates. This presentation, 

together with the exploration of the Earthquakes and Volcanoes exhibit in the museum, 

allows our Year 7 to get a much better understanding and appreciation for the immense 

power of Earth and how Geographers are right at the heart of discovering more about 

how to plan for, predict and minimise the damage caused by various tectonic hazards. 

Here is a short report by Year 7 student Calvin Harrington: 

The thing I liked most about the Natural History Museum were the animals that we saw. I liked the dinosaur 

skeleton the most. We saw a giant whale and around it in glass cabinets were: Bears, Foxes, and many other 

species. I enjoyed the escalator which went up inside a massive globe, it reminded me of Charlie and the 

Chocolate Factory! The best exhibits in my opinion were the volcanoes and earthquakes. This was because 

all the facts were presented in an interesting way and because we had to search for them on a map. That 

experience helped me learn the four layers of the earth: the crust, mantle, outer core and the inner core. 

I would go back again to the museum because all of its interesting facts and fossils. I also would return 

because of the viewpoints on everything, explaining things in quite a lot of detail. The improvements which 

I would say are the toilet conditions, they were 

not in good shape. I would say on the whole that 

it was a wonderful experience and I would advise 

everyone to go there. 

My thanks go to Mrs Greaves, Mr King and Mrs 

Kritzinger for their support in taking the boys on 

the trip and to the boys, who were a delight to 

take and a credit to the School. 

14

Year 8 

Shakespeare Extravaganza 

by Mr Bruno, Head of Drama 

This year The English Department and I 

decided to change things with the Shakespeare 

Extravaganza. We worked together to put on 

one play in its entirety instead of three sections 

from three different plays. This came with its 

own perks and challenges and involved a lot of 

work and a synergy between the three classes. 

We had a huge task ahead of us but with the 

hard work of the Year 8 and the teaching staff 

we managed to pull off a full scale production 

of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 


Having so many different 

students playing the lovers 

was a struggle in itself and 

that’s not even taking into 

account the masses amount 

of fairy wings, donkey heads 

and wigs that were hidden 

backstage! Lucky for us 

we had some excellent 

performers on stage that 

were happy to take on the task 

of performing Shakespeare’s 

epic Comedy with gusto and 

just a touch of magic. 

Backstage was where some 

of the real alchemy took 

place! Imagine for a moment 

a costume rail filled with 

50 different outfits for the 

performers, a line of eager young men waiting to 

be transformed into fairies, (by the ever so patient 

face painters Mrs Rooke and Mrs Wilbraham), Mrs 

Butler-Smith preparing not one but four students 

into Oberon, not to mention any number of 12 year 

old boys being made over into beautiful female 

characters courtesy of Mrs Wain. 

Our backstage crew did a sterling job looking 

after fairy wings and wigs. All of this controlled 

chaos behind the scenes is part of the process to 

put on an outstanding performance that really 

showcased the acting ability of our current Year 8. 

The story was broken into three sections: the 

lovers’ storyline headed up by 8J, the fairies 

storyline by 8L and of course who can forget the 

Mechanicals lead by 8K? Our narrators helped 

lead the way and introduce each story. There were 

standout performances from Ivo Evans and Archie 

McGreggor who bounced off of each other so well 

and really tickled our funny bones! James Manzi 

was clearly born to play Bottom and the audience 

adored him. Of course a huge shoutout has to go 

to our Thisbe and Pyramus, Cameron Paul and 

Eddie Clarke, who encapsulated their roles with 

perfection. 

This was a night of magic and I am so proud of 

every young man who took part in this evening of 

magic and love. It is on these occasions I can see 

the real Halliford spirit shining through and as a 

teacher I am really proud to be a Hallifordian. 

15


A Food Lover’s Guide to a 

Geography Field trip in the Lake 

District by Mr Willcox, Head of Geography 

When one travels as part of one’s job, one needs to make the most of the culinary 

delights that can be afforded en route. As such, as part of the 5 hour drive to Grangeover-Sands, 

found in the foothills of the Lake District, we made our one and only 

Motorway service stop at the perfect time to take advantage of the switch in the 

McDonald’s Menu, allowing for us to order a plethora of McMuffin’s followed by a 

healthy volume of Chicken McNuggets… 

16


I digress, the real purpose of this week long 

expedition was to take the A-Level Geographers to 

the beautiful Lake District in order to research and 

collect data for their Independent Investigation, a 

4,000 word project contributing 20% of their A 

level. As part of this they would share their time 

between the coastal town of Morecambe, a tourist 

hub in its heyday but now suffering from some 

decline and in need of some local re-branding, and 

the Coppermine Valley, a once glaciated landscape 

not far from Lake Windermere. 

During the course of the week the beauty of the 

physical landscape was sometimes obscured by 

wet and freezing cold windy conditions, only 

to change suddenly and bring glorious views of 

stunning physical geography delights as some of 

the accompanying photographs attest to. 

On each day that we returned from a hard day’s 

data collection, students were straight back into 

the classroom to write up and analyse their data. 

Once again, Hallifordian diligence and hard work 

was displayed in spades as they worked into the 

early evening. 

Throughout the trip, food played a central role in getting us through some 

of the more energy sapping moments, especially the exercise involved in 

trekking up valleys against the wind and rain. As such, we were very pleased 

with the meals that we were provided with at the study centre, including full 

English Breakfasts and warm, hearty meals in the evening. 

Our return journey back to school even included another trip to McDonald’s! 

So much was food on my mind that on our return, my main concern was what 

I needed to buy the staff to say thank you for all the cover that they have done! 

17


WHAT HALLIFORD MEANS TO ME… 

Musical Madness! by Zeph, Year 7 

The Halliford young musician contest is where students from Years 7- 13 perform any 

piece of their choice in front of an audience, and are then judged by two judges. There 

are three categories: newcomers (Year 7), junior (Years 8, 9, 10) and senior (Years 11, 12, 

13). The reason this is my favourite moment in Halliford is because I WON! 

Lunchtime Concert 

by Mrs Head, Music Teacher 

Halliford Lunchtime concerts offer performance opportunities for individuals in an 

intimate setting with a small audience of friends, staff and parents. The concert on 

Friday 24th November featured mostly students who were about to take their ABRSM 

instrumental exams. 

Joseph Baker began confidently with The Oak 

and the Ash a traditional song set for Grade 2, 

communicating the story very effectively. Lucas 

Dallon then gave a dramatic performance at 

the piano of a Russian folk song Black Eyes 

which involves a number of tempo changes and 

accelerates towards the final cadence. Dominic 

Rose, again at the piano, played two short pieces 

he was preparing for his Grade 1 exam; the ever 

popular Asian Tiger Prowl followed by In the 

Distant Forest - a French folksong arrangement 

including cuckoos echoing between the hands. 

The rest of the concert showed just what a high 

standard our students are reaching. Cameron 

Collie took over at the piano playing a very jolly 

and characterful Piper of Dundee which was 

most apt considering his Scottish roots! This was 

followed by Robertson’s Omens of Spring sung 

bravely by Louis MacDonald who was preparing 

for his Grade 1 exam. Alex Whicker then played 

his Grade 3 piece very competently on the 

drums with a backing track. Back at the piano, 

Roddy Green and Mrs Head enjoyed playing a 

piano duet: Tango by Matyas Seiber which is 

the ensemble performing part of Roddy’s GCSE 

Music exam. 

The concert ended with Harry Osborne singing 

two of his Grade 8 pieces: the haunting Music 

for a While by Purcell and Schubert’s Du bist die 

Ruh. It was a rare pleasure to hear music of that 

Grade 8 standard performed with the utmost 

confidence and musicality. We are very proud of 

all our performers and wish them well in their 

exams. 


Motivated by The Tuck Shop! by Jai, Year 8 

My motivation to wake every day is tuck-shop. There is an endless variety – 

from pain au chocolate to sausage rolls. Hundreds of boys run down the corridors 

each day after period 3 just to get in line first. But don’t worry if you get out late – they 

always restock muffins! 

18


Halliford Song 

Contest 2017 

THE ENTIRE SCHOOL was treated to 

a feast of music during the second half 

of the Autumn Term when the Music 

Department organised the annual 

Halliford Song Contest. 

The event was compared masterfully by our Head Boy, Max 

Zander-Holder, whose relaxed but professional approach kept 

things moving beautifully. Mrs Greaves and Mr Williams from 

the music department offered their conducting skills to the 

proceedings keeping the performers relaxed yet focused. We 

were also fortunate to have such a skilled technical team working 

behind the scenes. The sound crew was led by James Woodgate 

while our resident technician Mr Abbott handled the lighting. 

It was clear that this year the standards were even higher than 

before. The Year 7 students all gave spirited performances. 7W 

gave us Mercy by Shawn Mendes, 7D Human by Rag ‘n’ Bone 

Man while 7R covered Dangerous by David Guetta. However, the 

prize in their category went to 7G who sang a heartfelt rendition 

of Something Just Like Us by David Guetta. 

Year 8 took to the stage next. It was thrilling to hear 8K revive 

that 1980s rock classic, We Built This City by Starship, while 8L 

kept their choice contemporary with Hymn for the Weekend 

by Coldplay. Finally, 8J held their nerve and performed some 

stunning harmonies in their version of Believer by Imagine 

Dragons. 

We then sat back to hear the four Halliford Houses battle it out 

for the top prize. 

For the older members of the audience Russell gave us a rousing 

rendition of Take That’s 1990s hymn Never Forget. Then it was 

back even further to the 1960s for Wadham’s cover of that 

Motown classic, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Greville gave 

us a moving performance of a song by X-Ambassadors called 

Renegades while Desborough served up a thrilling interpretation 

of Rise Up by Imagine Dragons. Both Freddie Graves and Samuel 

Walker gave sterling support on both drums and keyboard 

throughout. 

The audience was spoilt for choice and it can’t have been an easy 

decision for our judges Mr Fryer and Ms Smallbone to choose 

one group over another. However, although the voting was 

extremely close, the winning shield for 2017 went to Wadham 

House who then promptly gave us an encore! 

Congratulations to all the students who took part and the staff 

who gave their time and effort to support. It was certainly an 

afternoon to remember! 


Everyone Knows You Really Well by Emilio, Year 9 

The last year at Halliford has been very good. I have made lots of new friends and have done better than I 

usually do in exams. I feel like I’ve really progressed – particularly in some of my subjects like History and 

Religious Studies. 

What do I like about it here? Well, it’s hard to like school all the time! Some days I want to stay in bed, 

particularly in the winter, but as soon as I get here I feel ok. It’s great to socialise with my mates and get into 

the routine. I suppose it has also helped having an older brother here in the 6th Form. Even though we don’t 

see much of each other during the day it’s comforting to know he’s there. 

The best thing about Halliford is that everyone knows you really well. Even new boys fit in really quickly 

because people are so friendly 

19


Harvest Festival 

by Mr Davies, Headmaster 

Halliford School has a long tradition of philanthropy. This begins early in the Autumn 

Term with the Harvest Festival. We had a huge response from both students and staff 

and this meant we were able to give a sizeable donation to the Greeno Day Centre in 

Shepperton and the Manna Food Bank in Staines. 

One of the tragedies of this world is that there 

is enough food for everyone, this planet is not 

short of food and it is possible with modern 

communications to get food from places with 

good harvest to places with bad, to take food from 

where there is plenty to where there is hunger 

but because of war, greed, thoughtlessness, 

selfishness or lack of determination to overcome 

geographical problems the hungry continue to 

be hungry. We must work and hope that these 

barriers can be overcome. 

In the past harvest thanksgiving was a much more 

vital concern as a poor harvest meant hunger and 

possibly starvation as, alas, it still does for many 

parts of the world. We must be mindful of the fact 

that much of the produce we donate will go to 

support the work of our local foodbank in Staines 

as they help to supply the basic needs of those 

who cannot support themselves at their time of 

need. So let us remember our good fortune and 

give thanks. 

Remembering, reflecting on our good fortune 

and giving thanks is the key message for harvest 

as it always has been. In the Old Testament of 

the Bible, the Israelites celebrated harvest by 

reminding themselves of all God had done for 

them. He made them from nothing, gave them 

food, saved them from slavery in Egypt, brought 

them into their land, and protected them from 

their enemies. They remembered and gave thanks 

to God for all the good gifts they had. 

Giving thanks always involves remembering. 

When we say thank you to someone we are 

remembering what they have done – giving us a 

meal, a present, teaching us a good lesson, doing 

us a good deed or a favour. We need to remember 

to give thanks to other people, it makes both of us 

feel happy and that has to be a good thing but it is 

something we all too easily forget to do. 

The Greeno Centre is located to the rear of our 

playing fields and they offer community lunches 

freshly cooked on site to people who may struggle 

20


to feed themselves and their families, due to 

issues such as redundancy, illness, domestic 

violence, debt, benefit dispute or delay, family 

breakdown and paying for an unexpected bill or 

just an emergency situation. 

The Manna Food Bank is a local charity based near 

Staines, who work by supporting local families and 

individuals who are referred to them by agencies 

who are perceived as being in emergency need 

of food and household essentials. Once Manna 

receives a referral, they will contact the person or 

family in need and arrange a suitable delivery time. 

Manna delivers all of their food parcels in person 

which makes it easier for someone struggling to 

get the help they need and enables Manna to 

develop a relationship with them. The food parcels 

contain food and household essentials expected 

to be sufficient for seven days and the produce you 

have given will help to form an essential part of 

these food parcels. Similar to the Greeno Centre 

the Food Bank helps people such as: 

• A family where the grandchildren are now 

living with the family due to health issues with 

the parents 

• A lady whose benefit money was stolen 

• A case where a family’s disability benefits 

were stopped 

I was delighted with the generosity of the Halliford 

School community this year. Once again, they have 

shown just how much they can do for others who 

are less fortunate in our community. 

21


Oxford Trip Report: 

September 2017 

ON FRIDAY THE 15th of September 2017, fourteen Halliford Potential High Achievers 

undertook a journey to Oxford University, one of the world’s best universities to get a 

taste of what life is like living and studying at this prestigious institution. Here, four of 

our students describe their experiences of visiting the city of ‘dreaming spires’. 

On this warm September morning we boarded 

the school’s hire bus for a journey of just over 

an hour to Oxford. After arriving at St. Hilda’s 

College, we were greeted by some of the college 

tutors, and received valuable information about 

life at Oxford. Following this, we were guided 

around the campus before moving on to the 

larger Magdalene College, which included 

more extensive rooms and grounds. We were 

convinced that free ‘punting’ on the adjacent 

river in summer is one of the university’s most 

pleasurable experiences as well as taking part in 

competitions of croquet. 

At the Oxford University’s Hub area we were free 

to ask questions to the university’s tutors. When 

we arrived at Merton College we were the happy 

recipients of some delicious doughnuts, before 

being shown around the charming campus, the 

gardens of which were the inspiration for C.S. 

Lewis’s Narnia. 

After lunch we were shown around the 

magnificent library of Christ Church College’s 

– surely the inspiration behind the dining hall of 

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?! 

What a truly impressive sight it was! 

The trip has not only inspired and encouraged us 

to achieve our best at our own studies, but it has 

given us that extra motivation so that in future we 

might go to Oxford University again, this time as 

students rather than guests! 

Finley Angell-Wells – Year 11 

We were shown around the campus of a number 

of colleges. 

When the Potential High Achievers were invited 

22


to attend the Oxford University Open Day, it was 

meant to inspire ambition and show the pupils 

what it is like to attend one of the most prestigious 

universities in the world! After the trip many of us 

were full of renewed determination to work hard 

and secure a place at one of these amazing Oxford 

Colleges. We each had different courses in mind 

to study, such as Law, Physics, Maths, Computer 

Science, Economics and History. 

Due to being on a very tight schedule, we had 

to move quickly but we all got to see many of 

the colleges and were given the opportunity to 

interact with a range of students. We managed 

to visit St Hilda’s, Magdalen, Merton and Christ 

Church College which were all very interesting 

and unique in their own ways. The university 

students were all so helpful and welcoming and 

were happy to answer any questions we had, 

especially the BIG question “How do you get into 

Oxford?” 

Ben D’Azzo – Year 10 

With colleges visited and lunch eaten, Finn, Sam 

and I rather comically became a tourist attraction 

ourselves. An American questioned us about - 

and I quote - the “legends of British schoolboys 

in suits and ties”, and an Asian couple visiting 

Oxford for the day thought we were a good photo 

opportunity. 

Overall, I can honestly say it was an enjoyable 

trip. However, if I have to single out one aspect 

from a day of fact-finding, it would be the 

monumental age-old 

architecture that has 

heartened many an 

academic before us. 

The most interesting 

part of the day was 

meeting the many 

that so characterise 

a place like Oxford, 

i.e. the students. 

Meeting them and 

hearing from them 

their experiences and 

their views of Oxford, 

the colleges and the 

courses most certainly 

allowed all of us to 

gain a better picture 

of the university and 

the life that we might 

be able to experience 

one day – exam results 

permitting! 

James Woodgate 

– Year 11 

Inspired by the magnificent colleges at Oxford 

University and the friendly and accomplished 

students, the visit has lead me to focus on 

studying hard to achieve the top grades that are 

required. We came away from the trip armed with 

prospectuses and information booklets about life 

at Oxford. This enhanced knowledge has enabled 

us to focus and understand the process of applying 

to Oxford or Cambridge and what is expected of 

students. We had the opportunity throughout the 

day to talk with present students and it became 

clear that your character is just as important 

as your grades. I came across a whole variety of 

people with different interests and personalities, 

showing the diversity of the university. 

It was evident that, although studying at Oxford is 

hard work, they were clearly enjoying themselves. 

The buzzing environment of the university and city 

have really inspired me to try my best and apply to 

Oxford. The trip has made me aspire to aim as high 

as possible for my future in education. 

Sam Walker – Year 11 

23


CLASSICS PROJECT 

‘With your sword or on it’ 

Impressions of Spartan Women 

by Daniel Wilkes, Year 9 

Dear Haemon, 

My time in Sparta has been very interesting. I can honestly 

say that I have seen things here which I shall never forget! 

The biggest shock is the way the women of Sparta deport 

themselves. Compared to the Athenian ladies I am used to, 

they are very different indeed! It is not unusual to see women 

strolling about in the streets barely covered. No wonder they 

are nick-named ‘thigh flashers’! I was appalled when I 

first saw them. A woman in Athens dressing in such 

a fashion would be regarded as highly immoral. 

The city of Sparta is dominated by females as 

their men were always in the barracks preparing 

for war with nearby City States. They have 

no men to escort them! Women walk 

about freely as if they own the place. Can 

you imagine something so outrageous? 

In Athens this would never be permitted. 

Furthermore, it baffles me how these females 

can be trusted to make business decisions and yet 

they manage vast farms and estates. They 

can own land, slaves and control 

finances – they have so much 

freedom. They are also educated! 

The Spartan system gives them 

education that encourages them 

to be competitive and even to take on the superior 

male counterparts. They train naked and learn sports so that 

they can take on their male counterparts in competitions. 

Zeus himself allows it! One Spartan woman even sent a 

chariot team to the sacred Olympics and won – although 

she wasn’t allowed to attend the actual event of course. The 

women here are so brazen and outspoken. This is because 

they are trained in public speaking. How such a system could 

survive, let alone thrive is beyond me! 

Why are these women so different to our gentle mannered, 

gracious Athenian ladies? Why is physical exercise so 

important to them? Their argument is that by providing 

healthy fit women they would be more likely to produce 

healthy young boys for the Spartan army. But even then, 

they only get married at 28, not 13 like our girls. No wonder 

their population is on the small side. They don’t breed 

young enough! 

These women barely know their husbands in the early 

years of marriage. Their men-folk spend all their time in 

the barracks and only meet the wives to produce offspring. 

As soon as a woman falls pregnant the baby belongs to 

the Spartan state. At 7 years old the child is taken to 

the barracks to begin a lifetime of training. No wonder 

the army here are to be feared! There, they train, 

train and train until they become the supreme 

fighting warriors we know of legend. 

The women here are very sarcastic towards 

some of the men folk if they believe they fall 

short of their ideals. They greatly pressure 

their men into giving their all for Sparta. 

They cheer heroes and abuse cowards and 

are notorious for their insults which are 

often highly sexualised in nature. Such 

smutty talk would never be endured in 

Athens! Spartan women are very 

clear about what they demand of 

their soldiers. It is common here 

for a woman to say, ‘come back with your shield or on it’ 

which means come back victorious from battle or dead! 

They do not expect any defeated men to come back and they 

face the harshest abuse if they do. I cannot think if a single 

Athenian man who would tolerate such behaviour but in 

Sparta it is quite normal. 

Their ultimate aim of life, however, is very similar, to 

produce healthy male offspring for the Spartan army to 

use in coming wars. Our Athenian women, however, do 

proper jobs like cooking and weaving- not sports and public 

speaking. How I miss Athens, where the women are kept in 

their place. 

I’m looking forward to returning to my dear Athens. It truly 

seems like the cradle of civilisation after this strange city. 

Your Cousin, 

Eurylochu 

24


What Mufti 

Means to me 

Mufti Day for Momentum 

by Charlie Allen, Upper Sixth 

Why was mufti day so personal to me this year? Well, to put it simply I wanted to get as 

much support for the charity Momentum. This is because one of my close relatives has been 

affected by cancer recently. But who are Momentum and what do they do? 

In 2004, Bianca Effemey, Founder and 

Chief Executive, was working in the 

Paediatric Department at Kingston 

Hospital. She recognised that small 

touches could make a huge difference 

to families with seriously ill children. 

Along with two parents, she founded 

Momentum to fill a much-needed 

gap; initially buying a fridge for the 

hospital to stock ice creams for the 

children and putting families in touch 

with others who were in the same 

situation. 

Today Momentum provides so much 

to so many families. Being told your 

child has cancer or another lifelimiting 

condition is devastating. 

Day-to-day life is turned upside down. 

Momentum supports the entire 

family during times of unimaginable 

strain – the children and their parents, 

but also siblings and grandparents. 

We’re here to make sure that no 

family has to cope alone. 

The charity supports children and 

their families from all over Surrey and 

South West London. Families with 

children facing cancer or another 

life-limiting condition know the 

charity is there for the whole journey 

and the whole family for as long as 

they need it. 

The 2017 mufti day was a huge success! 

Everyone dressing up in green and 

making a real effort was amazing 

to see, with Halliford students and 

staff coming together to support 

Momentum in such a positive way. 

Without the mufti day I would never 

have reached the target of donations - 

so for that I am incredibly grateful. 

The cooperation from everyone, in 

particular our new Headmaster, Mr 

Davies - who was so helpful about 

organising the event - was very much 

appreciated and it made the whole 

process really easy. 

I was able to contribute in my own 

small way by raising sponsorship 

money to have my shoulder length 

hair cut off. This hair can be used to 

create natural looking wigs and hair 

pieces for children with cancer. It was 

a bit of a shock to have a crew cut after 

all these years but it was worth it! 

I know that the people at Momentum 

greatly appreciated the money we 

raised here at Halliford School. You 

may not always think so but it truly 

does make a difference. Thank you! 

www.moment-um.org 

25


Professor Dieter Helm Lecture – 

Eton College by Gareth Hart, Upper Sixth 

The ‘Slugs’ group ventured to Eton College on the 3rd of October and attended a lecture 

titled The End Games for Fossil Fuels and the Geopolitical Consequences. This 

talk was delivered by Professor Dieter Helm CBE, a leading economist and Fellow of 

New College, Oxford. 

Following an initial suggestion of an independent 

review in the Government’s Industrial Strategy 

Green Paper of January 2017, Professor Helm 

was chosen to carry out a review of energy costs 

and report back to the Government. He chose to 

speak about some of these points during the talk, 

which gave great insight into the thought behind 

spending and provided political context. He also 

remarked upon themes from his recent book, 

Burn Out: The Endgame for Fossil Fuels. 

An introductory statement focused on the 

attitude towards an examination of future 

generations. This is a deep-rooted talking 

point in the world of economic policy, with 

historians, politicians and economists debating 

and considering the impact of words from key 

figures such as John Maynard Keynes. Within the 

theme of Professor Helm’s talk, it is imperative 

for humans to act as stewards of the Earth and 

solve the issues associated with our impact on 

the world. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel 

on Climate Change (IPCC) strongly advise for 

action to be taken, as biodiversity is threatened 

worldwide. 

Professor Helm stated that there are ‘three 

game changers’ which will inevitably lead to the 

downfall of fossil fuels. These are the end of the 

commodity supercycle of the 2000s, a general 

decarbonisation and the emergence of new 

technologies. Using data from BP and Thomson 

Reuters, the oil price graph was evaluated, as 

the audience was directed to its 1970s spikes 

26


and its unchanged nature through significant 

wars of the twentieth century. On the contrary, a 

steady rise was observed in the 2000s. Following 

a 2011 paper which served as a critique, Helm 

affirmed that ‘peak oil’ hypotheses are nonsense. 

Countless predictions are very incorrect, as they 

should possibly be expected to be. As an A Level 

science student, I reflected upon the nature of 

prediction and certainty, as the world has such a 

sensitive dependence on a set of initial conditions 

in a given scenario. Are we able to ever truly take a 

probabilistic view of nature? 

The tendency of higher powers to swiftly move 

on from pressing issues was also touched upon 

by Professor Helm. He stated that little has been 

achieved by the Kyoto Protocol, as priorities over 

carbon consumption against production are not 

assigned correctly. Issues of this nature require 

continuous attention to ensure that resolutions 

are upheld. In terms of further international 

collaboration, Professor Helm asserted that 

globalisation will decline in the near future. 

According to the speaker, one factor that will lead 

to this is the development of 3D printing, as this 

will revolutionise the location of manufacturing. 

Constituents of the energy sector cannot only 

worry about scope of trade, but also be concerned 

with the new energy market companies which deal 

in batteries. The so-called ‘dinosaur companies’ 

are not adapting, meaning 

companies offering more 

environmentally energy 

alternatives 

will 

eventually prevail, 

which serves as a good 

to humankind. This 

will lead to a fall in 

costs, which Helm 

has mentioned in his 

Government Cost of 

Energy Review, released at 

the end of October, several 

weeks after the talk. Though, 

he warns that it is ‘implausible to 

try’ to predict how fast costs will fall. 

The conclusion reiterated that technology is the 

future. Having learned so much in such a short 

space of time, the minibus journey back to school 

was filled with great discussion and discourse. 

Having not studied A Level economics, I was 

grateful to learn more about oligarchies of history, 

as well as hearing about the uses of mathematical 

models in economics. I was able to link this to my 

studies of physics, as debate continued into the 

ideas of discontinuity in oil prices. We are all very 

appreciative of the time that Mr Slocock spent in 

arranging our visit and taking us to the lecture. 

Professor Dieter Helm, CBE 

27


YEAR 10 

Trip to Ypres 

THE ANNUAL YPRES TRIP gives the Halliford School students an 

opportunity to gain some kind of understanding of what the soldiers 

of the First World War went through. It is also a sobering reminder of 

the full scale slaughter of what was supposed to be 

‘The war to end all wars’. Here, a range of Year 10 students give an 

account of the experiences they had. 

We visited several smaller graves on the way to the youth hostel. It was a sobering 

thought to see how very young some of the soldiers were – not much older than us. I 

couldn’t help thinking, ‘What a terrible waste!’ 

The next day we boarded the coaches and drove to the site of a German trench which 

had all been destroyed by the British. From afar it looked like a perfectly ordinary hill 

but when we ascended it we realised it was a massive crater which has resulted from an 

underground explosion. We were told how the British and French dug tunnels beneath 

the German trenches and blew it up. It had taken months and months of digging 

under enemy territory but the final result was astounding. It was really shocking to 

28


see the devastation caused by the explosion. Some 

of the German soldiers were completely atomised, 

their bodies utterly destroyed. 

We then crossed the border into Belgium where so 

much of the fighting had occurred. On the way to 

our next accommodation we stopped off at some 

more war graves before reaching the hostel. There 

are so many war graves sites, so many head stones. 

At some of the sites it is like a sea of crosses. It 

really makes you appreciate the vast numbers who 

gave their lives on both sides. It also makes you 

wonder how, given the slaughter, another war 

could have broken out less than twenty years later. 

– Ben D’Azzo 

On our second evening we made a special visit 

to the Menin Gate for a wreath laying ceremony. 

Here Oliver Fisk of Year 10 laid a wreath on behalf 

of Halliford School, for all the brave soldiers who 

fought for us and our country. When you look at 

all those names on the memorial it really brings 

the losses into sharp perspective. 

The next day after eating lots of sweets 

and having not gotten much sleep, we 

made our way to the coaches to go 

and visit some actual trenches which 

were used during the conflict. These 

were fascinating. We felt like we were 

a part of history. It’s hard to imagine 

how uncomfortable it must have been 

for the men in those dirty dug outs – 

especially in bad weather. Imagine the 

boredom, the mud, the rats and the 

lice! Not only that, but having to live 

with the idea that each day might be 

your last and the despair of the call 

to go ‘over the top’ to certain death. 

I came away from those trenches 

full of admiration for their bravery, 

determination and guts. 

We explored the nearby museum which had a 

number of fascinating exhibits from the period. 

Amongst other things we saw real armour and 

shell-cases used in the war. Overall it was an 

amazing trip. 

– Elliot Howard 

After arriving in France we reached Etaples 

Military Cemetery. The enormity of the size of 

the pillars was a shock. It didn’t feel eerie but 

the sheer size and number of graves brought the 

truth and horror of the number of people, from 

all faiths and walks of life that had lost their lives 

for a peaceful world. Students even found graves 

of family members. The whole graveyard was kept 

in pristine condition which in itself was rather 

moving. 

I was mostly affected by the unnamed graves. 

These people, not much older than us, had given 

everything and still no one knew who they were. 

This will never leave me. 

29


At the Somme were the British and French graves. 

I used the compass from my phone to take me 

back to who came from which direction. The 

Germans came from the East, the Allies from 

the West. The land was still not flat, a legacy 

probably to its history. 

Dinner was steak and chips in a restaurant near 

the Youth Hostel. The holiday accommodation 

was basic but adequate and making our own 

beds showed a skill that many of us were lacking! 

Clearly we wouldn’t have made good soldiers in 

a barracks! 

After French cocoa pops and baguettes, we 

headed for the German cemetery. The feel 

of this was quite different. The grim weather 

matched the ambiance. Crosses were dark, 

graves squashed together and the respect that 

was given at the other cemetery was lacking here, 

mainly because the Germans have to rent foreign 

land for their dead. 

It was probably the Memorial Museum at 

Passchendaele that was most memorable. 

Military uniforms from across Europe were 

on show that were used at the Battle of 

Passchendaele. This was followed by an array 

of artillery. The generals got the swords with 

the majority of the others having bayonets. This 

would have meant person to person combat 

which must have been horrendous. The enormity 

of the nations involved and the horrific way that 

so many died - not just in combat but in the mud, 

trampled by their own men, fighting for survival 

was shocking. 

Walking down dark, narrow stairs we reached a 

re-creation of a dug out. Here there were bunk 

beds stacked four high. Walking further we came 

to the trench itself. It was truly awful: muddy and 

slippery with sand bags piled high but not too 

high to be shot if you were a grown man! 

The Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate gave 

Oliver Fisk the opportunity to lay his wreath, 

whilst we marvelled and the enormity of names 

to mark those missing and dead. 

After breakfast on our final day, it was time to visit 

another two museums – one large – one small, 

both equally interesting. One was interactive 

and we viewed videos of monologues about 

the conflict. There were also displays which 

included weapons and clothing and other warrelated 

artefacts. Our tour guide had plenty 

of experience in running these trips and was a 

wealth of information. At one point she showed 

us the grave of a 15 year old soldier. That’s the 

same age as many of us. He died fighting for his 

country. It made us wonder if we would be so 

enthusiastic to enlist and do the same today… 

How to relax? Among all the horrors of war you 

need to find an outlet, to be able to laugh, be 

silly. This is essential otherwise you would give 

in to morbid thoughts and become very low 

and depressed. We knew from history lessons 

that the men who fought tried to keep cheerful 

by singing and playing cards and occasionally 

‘larking about’. We were able to wind down with 

some shopping expeditions and plenty of banter 

back at the Youth Hostel. 

This impact of this trip was life changing. 

Whenever combat or war is discussed in the 

media, we have seen the consequences, the 

reality. 

– Henry Seale 

We left, early in the morning – our bags packed 

and ready to go on the coach. We were all 

exhausted from the early start, the sun had only 

started to rise, like a great gold medallion across 

the blood-red streaked sky. Our destination was 

Ypres. 

Etaples was both beautiful and depressing – 

rows and rows of stone bleached graves stood 

out before us, each like fingers clawing out of the 

ground. The mood was solemn. The graves were 

carefully engraved with the names of those who 

had died for our right to live as free citizens. 

As the day went on, we then visited The Somme, 

30


a huge stain on history, a black mark. The Battle 

of the Somme was renowned for the death toll 

and for what? A few metres of land? Not so many 

graves here, but there were thousands of names 

carved into a limestone wall. Many of these men 

weren’t even 18. 

We stayed at a hostel in Albert, our dinner was at 

a local restaurant with steak frites. On our return 

we soon fell asleep. 

In the morning, we took our lunch and went to 

the Lochnagar Crater which had been caused 

by a huge mine. This mine did not even touch 

the German Frontline but killed British soldiers 

instead. It was awesome (in the old sense of the 

world) to see what devastation the machinery of 

war can wreak. 

After this, we made our way to Vimy Ridge, a 

Canadian memorial. Here we found lots and lots 

of shell holes. We also went to Passchendaele, 

scene of a horrific battleground which was 

vital in winning the war. There were three main 

battles there: The first, second and third battle of 

Passchendaele. Gas was first used here and had 

horrific effects on men and animals alike. 

In the morning, we all packed up and went on a 

guided tour of cemeteries and battlefields. We 

even saw the grave of a soldier who was only 15 

years old. He wasn’t even old enough to drink. 

We were shown the medical outfit of the Western 

Front, and then returned to Ypres for some free 

time. 

Finally, the coach turned for the French coast and 

home. I reflected on the way back about the cost 

of war, the sheer cost of human life. How tragic 

that so many of those men and women who lie 

‘in a foreign field’ far from their homes paid the 

ultimate price. 

– Louis Mercer 

31

HALLIFORD LIFE 

Paying our respects on Remembrance Day 

Performing at the Mulberry Centre 

in Twickenham 

Movember Madness! 

Movember Madness! 

32



Singing The Messiah at 

The Royal Albert Hall 

Magical Winter Concert 

The entire Year 10 top Maths set achieved A* in their GCSE Maths exam having sat it a year early 

33


Autumn Term 

Sports Report 

by Mr Bardgett, Director of Sport 

2017 playing record: Played 111 matches W52 D1 L58 47%. 

The U12s have had an excellent first term at Halliford. Despite so many of the pupils having never played 

rugby prior to joining the School the progress shown by these keen, enthusiastic and hard working 

young men has been extremely pleasing. 

RUGBY 

U12 

A 

Played 

Won Drawn Lost 

Points 

For 

Points 

Against 

Points 

Difference 

10 2 0 Grevi 8 lle Wa103dam Wa281dam Wa-178dam 

The U12s have had an excellent first term at Halliford. Despite so many of the pupils having never played 

rugby prior to joining the School the progress shown by these keen, enthusiastic and hard working 

young men has been extremely pleasing. 

The seasons highlight for me occurred in the early stages of the term. Within two and a half weeks of 

joining the School all but one of the Year 7 pupils (a broken arm, not at Halliford, excuses this individual) 

have represented the School in the A, B or C team. We are immensely proud of this and it gives the year 

group an excellent platform on which to build. 

The A team led by the athletic and powerful James Webley have impressed with a very steep learning 

curve to become the individuals and the team that they have become. Newcomer to the game Harley 

Reynolds has been the stand out performer week in week out and promises to be an excellent sportsman. 

The pack have developed and shown that despite being smaller than some opposition that they are 

prepared to work very hard to secure ball and get the side moving forward. 

B 

Played 


Points 

For 

Points 

Against 

Points 

Difference 

9 2 0 Grevi 7 lle 124 200 Wa-76dam 

34


The B team have also put in some excellent performances. Harry Curling has been particularly impressive 

as has Harry Tuckman. The strength of the B team is particularly pleasing in such a small year group and 

many of these players will go on to represent the A team in years to come. 

U13 

The U13’s started their 2017 season with some superb numbers attending training and a friendly pre-season 

tournament at Millfield School in early September. This was a great opportunity to look at players in different 

positions and to assess what the potential starting 13 might look like. 

The first fixture of the season was away at Reading Blue Coat School and this turned out to set the standard 

for what was to come. Despite going behind in the game, the boys dug their heels in, fought with tenacity and 

never gave up in a bruising encounter. This proved critical as the boys turned over a penalty in their own 22, ran 

several phases and then using pace in the backs, created an overlap to score a try in the corner and win the game 

25-20, much to the delight of many of the parents who came to watch and continued to do so right throughout 

the season. 

A 

Played 


Points 

For 

Points 

Against 

Points 

Difference 

17 8 0 Grevi 9 lle 350 340 Wa10am 

A realisation of how tough the season would go on to be occurred a week later against Gunnersbury, where 

despite playing fantastic rugby and going 15-0 up, they could not compete with their individual size and speed as 

they conceded 6 tries without reply, 4 of them coming from the same player. 

However, this helped the boys focus in training and create a platform to go on and win 4 games in a row, including 

a Middlesex Cup qualifier and superb performances against St. George’s, City of London Freemans and Shiplake 

College. Freddie King paired up with new addition, Louie Fidler, as well as improving pack performers Max 

Hobbs, Noah Evans, Logan Harvey and Paul-Louis Howard to create a dominant set of forwards. These boys 

controlled games and rarely lost a contest which created a superb foundation for our fearless backline to create 

chances and finish off chances with ease. 

It appeared throughout the season that the boys felt a need to work that little bit harder in each game as they 

started games off slowly and took their time to find their strategy. Keaton Mengers at 10 and Jamie Hepworth 

at inside centre would finally start to communicate and then orchestrate the game plan, giving plenty of 

opportunities for Will’s Roake and Harvey, George Whicker and Eddie Clark to exploit space and secure scores. 

Unfortunately, the half-term break seemed to interrupt the successful start to the season and things took a 

dramatic turn with big losses to Hampton, Wallington and Churchers. While one player doesn’t make or break a 

team, the boys really seemed to lose confidence with the absence or talismanic captain and all-round performer 

Oscar McArdle. The boy’s determination did not waiver though and they continued to attend training in great 

numbers and put the hard work in. 

They rallied at the U13 Middlesex Schools Rugby Festival and put in some really decent performances throughout 

the day, ultimately setting the scene for a performance of pride at home against Salesians College the following 

Saturday. This was one of the most dominant performances of the season and the boys truly showed what they 

are capable of, both in attack and defence, but also with responsibility, bravery, composure and attitude. 

Unfortunately, the season finished with a loss in a courageous display against an unbeaten Epsom College team. 

Having conceded early tries, the boys had to dig deep and play for some pride in the second half, really upping 

their game and delighting the travelling parental support with some big hits and brilliant defence. 

Well played to everyone involved throughout the season and I have no doubt they will build on this as they move 

to 15-a-side next Year as a U14 Year 9 team. A special mention most go to Will Jackson playing in the 2nd row, 

Max Hobbs at 8 and Sam Stace at scrum-half, who have had outstanding seasons and continued to work hard 

in every aspect of their training, personal improvement and consistent performances throughout the season. 

The U13 B Team continued their excellent progress from Year 7 and had a dominant season, securing 7 wins 

from 9 with a significant points difference in their favour. The depth of this squad was a key factor in their 

35


development and meant that competition for places was high. The boys went from strength to strength and the 

dynamics within the team meant that boys were able to swap positions and still perform as a team to win games. 

Wednesday training sessions saw close to 30 boys attend every week and this meant that the squads were able 

to work very closely to one another and ensure that competition for places kept players on their toes and at the 

top of their game. 

B 

Played 


Points 

For 

Points 

Against 

Points 

Difference 

9 7 0 Grevi 2 lle 365 147 218 

U14 

Several players provided some outstanding performances throughout the season and despite a number of 

injuries in the middle part of the season, the ever-changing team continued to win matches with apparent ease. 

Over a dozen players progressed throughout the season and also represented the A-team at some point, so must 

be praised for their continued hard work and enthusiasm through sessions. Captain Rob Archibald, Forwards 

Oscar McLeish and Will Hodge added some excellent strength and power in both teams and earned their place 

when called upon. All of the forwards enjoyed the physical side and carrying the ball into and through contact, 

with no one standing out more than Johnny Hayward who had several tries to his name throughout the season. 

The backs also proved highly spirited but Centres Jai Toor, Jack Emery and Eddie Rabbett led the aggressive 

charge, closely followed behind by flying wingers Berkay Yalin and James Breach. The former deserves a special 

mention as he only learnt the game this season having transferred into the school and proved to be a vital player, 

scoring tries with ease in both teams this year. He will no doubt continue to develop his knowledge and skills 

with more and more game time. 

New additions to the U14A team from the likes of Jack Pearce significantly strengthened an already 

promising team. With strong individuals all contributing to a high ability, the main focus was to get 

players to work more as a team and introduce structures that will strengthen them in later years. The 

first three games did not go according to plan as the U14’s went down to King Edward (19-24), Reading 

Blue Coat (0-38) and Gunnersbury (14-24). Inspirational captain, Rhys Day, soldiered through this early 

campaign carrying a shoulder injury and, despite leading the team’s resurgent return to form against St 

George’s College in Weybridge (50-7), sat the remainder of the half term out. It was from here that the 

team really started to gel with consistently outstanding performances from Cian Healy, Ted Luckins and 

the indomitable, Jack Pearce. It was also down to astute leadership by the stalwart and hard-working 

interim captain, Chris Long, that performances against Reddam House (31-7) and Gordon’s School (40- 

15) showed a significant improvement in teamwork. The SOCS County Cup Quarter Final was against 

Harrow School. 

The view at the end of the long journey was worth the wait as players and teachers alike were in awe of 

the surroundings on offer at Harrow. Playing on their newly laid 3G pitch, it was clear from the outset 

that they would use their pace out wide to finish off any good possession that they received. In the end 

Halliford went down (0-41), not bad considering that Harrow has gone on to claim an unbeaten season 

and the county cup final, beating both Hampton and London Oratory by similar margins to us along the 

way. The biggest casualty of the fixture, however, was the loss of big Joe ‘Hair Bear’ Martin who took a 

knock to the head and had to sit out until after half term. With two significant players missing it allowed 

the ever improving Patrick ‘YK’ Wanat to stamp his authority and the team bounced back strongly 

against a confident City of London Freeman’s team (26-15) to end the half term. Rhys Day returned in 

his new position on the side of the scrum as we continued to try and build the new centre partnership 

between Henry Gulliver and Max Pillinger. The unbeaten Wellington College team was up first and it 

was a Halliford who walked away victorious in a hard fought and scrappy affair in Berkshire (19-17). This 

may have led to a little over-confidence as the U14’s faced Wallington County Grammar School in their 

next fixture. Max, unfortunately, had damaged a finger against Wellington and sat out the game. Even 

worse, the players returned to their old ways with forwards in the backs and the strength shown at the 

breakdown against Wellington missing. 

In the end Halliford tackled like Trojans and did well to keep Wallington at bay, but it was not enough to 

secure a victory as they went down 7-15. It was unfortunate that the Friday lunch time Captain run never 

36


quite got off its feet as important combinations only ever got game time to gel, but stalwarts such as 

James ‘JT’ Taylor, Chris Cole, Owen Morris, Ted Luckins, Josh Burson, Joe Baker and Archie Evans kept 

the momentum going. Churchers College, who were confident after beating teams that had overturned 

Halliford such as Reading Blue Coat were next in line. This turned out to be the game of the season. An 

A 

Played 


Points 

For 

Points 

Against 

Points 

Difference 

17 8 0 Grevi 9 lle 350 340 Wa10am 

incredible all-round performance from the whole team showcased the true potential this team has as 

individuals also stepped up to the plate. Despite illness and the loss of a couple of players, Halliford 

went on to record two outstanding victories to finish the year. Churchers (31-17) and Salesians away (31- 

7). The U14A team played the majority of the year fielding only 17 players each game, not ideal in any way. 

However the input by the boys who stepped in when needed such as Edward Ellis, Alex Clifton, Ben and 

George Holmes and Misha Edwards showcased the strength in depth that the year group possesses and 

highlights the true potential that they have going forward. Well done everyone! 

B 

Played 


Points 

For 

Points 

Against 

Points 

Difference 

7 3 0 Grevi 4 lle 141 104 37 

U15 

The U15A team have had a fantastic season. They have developed hugely as a squad and at times have 

played rugby with a structure and tactical nous beyond their years. The strength of the squad lay with the 

forwards where a strong lineout, scrum and general togetherness saw them out play every opposition 

pack. The backs were gifted front foot and quick ball all season and thrived on this scoring some well 

worked tries out wide. 

A 

Played 


Points 

For 

Points 

Against 

Points 

Difference 

7 3 0 Grevi 4 lle 141 104 37 

The season got off to a great start with the boys beating KES Southampton quite convincingly and through 

the weeks momentum gathered with the boys remaining unbeaten up to half term. The pick of the wins 

was against St Benedict’s School in the Middlesex Cup where the boys came from behind in an enthralling 

encounter to win. Half term provided some rest bite but despite early wins after the break, the boys weren’t 

firing on all cylinders, and up next were Wellington College. This was the boys’ first defeat yet despite 

the disappointment, the boys took it as a learning curve. With momentum gathering again as the term 

progressed all the attention was focussed on the Middlesex Cup final against Hampton School. Allianz Park 

was the venue and the boys were extremely excited about the opportunity. Hampton had a strong back line 

and Halliford had the dominance up front and this led to a compelling fixture. Unfortunately Hampton 

edged the game and ultimately deserved it on the day. The boys dominated possession and territory but 

B 

Played 


Points 

For 

Points 

Against 

Points 

Difference 

5 5 0 Grevi 0 lle 157 77 80 

struggled to get over the line and Hampton showed some classy hands to score when their opportunities 

arose. This was ultimately the difference. 

The boys were brilliant all season and even though it is hard to single out any individuals Conor Manzi 

captained the team fantastically well with a follow me into battle type attitude. The addition of Christian 

Tait to the squad bolstered the midfield and he was a classy performer all season. Jack Walsh at full back hit 

37


Halliford 

2nd XV 

some great lines and was a strong link between midfield and the wings. Ollie Parsons was also brilliant all 

year with his bulldozing runs and fantastic defence, as was Jed Aldridge. And a final mention must go to Tom 

Simpkin who was the most improved player 

The U15 B went unbeaten this season, and deservedly so. They were dominant in every game, putting in 

some very strong performances. The highlights were a close win over at Reading Blue Coat and a win in the 

final game against Churchers College. The team was very well led by Chris Jones, with Max Jackson and Alex 

Lindstrup scoring a number of tries between them. Up front Louis Mercer and Daniel Matoorian-Pour were 

a dominant force. The whole squad should be very proud of the efforts they have put in this season. 

2nd team rugby at Halliford School remains a relative strength. Players work hard for the enjoyment of 

the game and, in a number of instances, have pushed the first team players for position. Players such as 

Rowan Spencer, Will Fallon and Joe Sheddon, aka Demon, produced outstanding performances that led 

to their inclusion in the first team squad alongside the many fringe players already straddling the two 

sides. The core of the team, however, is where the true strength lay and players such as Toby Fuller, Calvin 

Wright, Oscar Theophilus, Ollie Winship, Tom Willingale, Jonathan Maud, Tom Boynton and many others 

performed admirably. 

Played Won Drawn Lost 

Points 

For 

Points 

Against 

Points 

Difference 

12 5 1 Grevi 6 lle 282 296 -14 

The season started on a high with an amazing draw against Reading. The opposition were far superior and 

went on to win in Super Rugby final, but the true spirit of the team shone through in this game. Whilst 

consistency of selection has been an issue due to injury, with over 30 Boys representing the School, however 

every one of them played with great determination. We competed very well in every game, making life 

difficult for all of our larger opposition. Wins this season came against Forest, Blue Coat 3XV, an incredible 

game against Forest School, albeit at the loss of a determined and hard working Archie ‘it’s probably 

just dislocated’ Jamieson. Whilst outstanding performance also meant that Leighton Park and St James 

in Ashford also succumbed to our superior athleticism. The team had three captains during the season. 

Harrison McCormack led very well, with Charlie Joyce and Cameron Gildersleve stepping up to the role 

during Harrison’s injury. The future is bright for the 2nd XV as we welcome the new Year 11 players as well 

as many staying on into Year 12 in 2018. 

38


Halliford 

1st XV 

This season the 1st XV have been less successful than previous senior teams on the score sheet however the 

spirit and commitment shown has been a superb example to all other teams in the School. It is very hard to 

play 70 minutes of rugby and lose, it is even more difficult to do this every Wednesday and Saturday. This 

did not deter these brave souls who, without exception, upheld the reputation of a Halliford 1st XV; hard, 

uncompromising and resilient. 

Max Zander-Holder has led the team with great enthusiasm and has proudly demonstrated his commitment 

in the jersey for all to follow. Max is not a flair player by any means but his industrious work-rate around the 

pitch benefits others about him to shine. He performs his role selflessly as a combative and effective lock 

forward. 

With two good wins against Forest and Gunnersbury being the exceptions the team has come very close to 

winning many more matches, this has been a team that often can score tries but has suffered at the hands 

of some far larger, quicker and more experienced individuals. As a team the shape, structure and strategy 

has been excellent and bodes extremely well with a talented year group coming up into the senior ranks 

next year. 

With a relatively young side it is appropriate to highlight the consistently outstanding efforts of the Under 

16s who often were matched up against boys two years ahead. The courage and dedication of these players 

is not underestimated by me and they should be very proud of how they have performed. 

The lower 6th students have provided the spine of the team and show good promise for next year. In 

particular Griff Williams has been most impressive at half back. 

The stand out players of the season have been an easy choice with week in week out quality both in attack and 

defence. With our team conceding many tries we quickly became masters of our own restart, dominating 

opposition with accurate kicks and excellent chases. The line was led by the outstanding James Simpkin at 8 

and Archie Laird at 7. CLFS and Shiplake College both commented on how dominant we were in that area of 

the game and how they would love to be able to boast a restart of our quality. This was great comfort which 

made the 50-0 defeats a little more bearable! 

As we look ahead I hope that many of the Year 11s feel that their hard work will make them better players - 

this is no doubt true and I am positive that we will return stronger and hungrier for success next season. For 

these players it is true to quote that ‘failure is just a bruise and not a tattoo’ albeit a bruise that has been 

hard to shift! Suggested remedy; RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. The first and last of these 

seem poignant with heightened expectations for the future following this seasons exhausting experience. 

I have been very proud of this seasons achievements which are not reflected by score-lines but by progress, 

spirit, attitude and total commitment to the cause. Thank you. 

39


Rugby Colours Ties 

Year 11 1st XV Colours ties are awarded to: Daniel Oates, Alex McConnon, Archie Laird, Sam Bullet and Will Fallon 

6th Form 1st XV Colours ties are awarded to: Will Reed, Adam Clarke, Ed Hodge, Joe Graves, Griff Williams, Jack Healey, 

Gareth Hart, Rory Fossett, James Weatherall, James Biggs, Shaan Suseelan and Charlie Joyce 

Headmaster’s Select XV 2017 

The following students have been nominated by their coach as being the most impressive performer in that particular 

position. This is always an enjoyable and lively debate amongst the coaching staff and many names were discussed/argued 

over, demonstrating the wealth of talent on show at Halliford. However only 15 can be chosen for the honour of making the 

Headmasters select XV. Congratulations to: 

Jed Aldridge 

Archie Laird 

1 2 3 

Year 10 

Year 11 

Cian McGrath 

Year 9 

4 Connor Manzi (C) 

5 Will Jackson 

6 

Year 9 

Year 8 

Jack Pearce 

Year 9 

7 

Jayden Hutchings 

8 

James Simkin 

9 

Year 10 

Year 13 

Griff Williams 

Year 12 

10 

Sam Bullet 

11 

Louie Patterson 

12 

Year 11 

Year 7 

Jack Healey 

Year 12 

Harley Reynolds 

Christian Tait 

13 14 15 

Year 7 

Year 10 

Jack Walsh 

Year 10 

Inter-House Rugby 

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 

Year 7 Russell Desborough Greville Wadham 

Year 8 Russell Greville Desborough Wadham 

Year 9 Desborough Russell Greville Wadham 

Year 10 Wadham Greville Russell Desborough 

Senior Russell Greville Desborough Wadham 

Junior Champions: n Russell 

Senior Champions: n Russell 

40


SWIMMING 

Brin Dorrell 

During this term Brin has taken part in the Swim England South East Winter Championships in November, 

he spent one week in Cyprus on an intensive swim camp and his home club, Woking Swimming Club’s 

Championships where he won a number of cups, shields and medals. Brin has also been selected by the 

National Swimming Talent Officer and Pathway Lead for British Swimming to join the Phase 1 Selection 

for the National Pathway 2017. This is a development programme that provides a pathway to support 

young swimmers in their quest to achieve senior international podium success. 

His next big meet is in December at the Swim England National Winter Championships in Sheffield. His 

age group will be the youngest competing at the competition and he will be swimming against the best 

in Britain as this championship is the final chance for English swimmers to secure consideration times 

for selection to the team for next year’s Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast in Australia. 

Halliford will proudly follow Brin as he pursues further success. 


I Didn’t Want to Come to Halliford! by Alfie, Year 8 

I didn’t want to come to Halliford in Year 7. I wanted to go with my friends to another school. At first I 

really resented being here and was a bit sulky. I tried to rebel a bit but soon I learnt to settle in and made 

some really good friends. Now I’m glad I came here. 

I have been on lots of trips and taken part in School productions. I really enjoyed doing the Shakespeare 

Festival because it boosted my confidence. Also the lessons here are only 40 minutes long so I don’t 

tend to get bored. They’re over in a flash to be honest! The teachers here are really nice because they 

really try to help you as much as they can. Also, I’ve had two really good Tutors since I’ve been here 

which has been so helpful. 

The tuck-shop sells good snacks too. 

41


TRIATHLON, 

XC AND 

BIATHLON 

Spencer Bateman 

SPENCER STARTED COMPETING in Triathlons 

aged 8 and had always been competitive even 

from an early age. Within a year of competing he 

was invited to join the London Regional training 

squad – a squad made up of individuals that had 

shown potential. 

2017 was another successful year of competing in 

Triathlons, Aquathlon and Duathlons – majority 

of the races form part of the London League 

series which Spencer finished 6th place out of a 

total of 57 boys. 

As the triathlon season finishes, XC starts. 

Racing most weekends, Spencer is in good form 

for 2017/2018 and looking forward to competing 

in the Surrey Country Champs, South of England 

Champs and the National Champs which take 

part in January and February and of course he will 

be representing Halliford at the Surrey School 

XC Champs. 

In addition to Triathlons and XC which Spencer 

has been competing in for several years, Spencer 

decided to give a new sport a go and turned his 

hand to the Modern Biathlon – a swim and run or a run and swim – both of which have a break between 

them. Spencer competed at the South West Regional Biathlon Championships and qualified for the 

British Modern Biathlon Championships in Solihull. He had a fantastic race with a PB on the run (2nd 

fastest 1600m) and a PB in the swim finishing 11th overall. He is waiting to hear whether he has qualified 

for the British Schools’ Modern Biathlon Championships next March where he will represent Halliford 

School. 

Whilst Spencer enjoys all of the disciplines and has recently found an enjoyment in swimming, his true 

love is running, he recently went sub 18 minutes for 5k and hopes to further improve his 1500m time at 

Open athletic meets in the summer. 

CRICKET 

Chris Cole 

CHRISTOPHER COLE YEAR 9 has been a member of 

the Surrey County Cricket squad from u9 level, playing 

regularly as an opening or first change bowler with 

best bowling figures of 3-23 v Hampshire in 2016. He 

has been selected into the 2018 County squad with 

winter training from January and trial games from late 

April and has been invited to trial with Scotland u15s. 

Christopher is also a talented batsmen, scoring over 

700 runs last season for Halliford, his club’s u13s, u15s, 

u17s and mens league sides. 

With cricket nets beginning in the spring term we 

look forward to watching Chris develop and will hope 

that he will help younger performers who may wish to 

follow in his footsteps. 

42

Spring Highlights 

School of Rock, 

The Musical 

JOHN CROOK THEATRE, 

HALLIFORD SCHOOL: 

8 – 10 March 2018 

A review by Mr Cunningham 

SCHOOL OF ROCK is a musical hit on Broadway and in London. Andrew Lloyd 

Webber, Julian Fellowes and Glenn Slater’s musical opened on Broadway in 2015 and 

transferred to the West End last year. 

Based on the 2003 film starring Jack Black, the 

musical tells the story of Dewey Finn, a musician 

who pretends to be his friend so he can get a job 

as a teacher. He then puts together a band with his 

pupils who enter into the Battle of the Bands. Lloyd 

Webber generously gave the rights to produce 

school versions of the show for free – something 

almost unheard of in musical theatre history! 

Naturally, a number of schools have decided to 

produce the show but I think you would have been 

hard-pushed to find a better production than the 

one presented by Mr Bruno and Mrs Greaves at 

the John Crook Theatre in March. 

Many critics have argued that School of Rock is 

Lloyd Webber’s freshest, funniest show since the 

youthful exuberance of Joseph and the Amazing 

Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats and Starlight 

Express. It marks a significant break from the lush 

romanticism of musicals such as The Phantom of 

the Opera and the sometimes maudlin seriousness 

that pervades subsequent works such as Aspects 

of Love, Sunset Boulevard, The Woman in White 

and Love Never Dies In fact, it feels as if Lloyd 

Webber has, at the age of 68, gone full circle, with 

a score boasting punchy retro-rock riffs that could 

have come straight from Jesus Christ Superstar, a 

show that premièred on Broadway in 1971 before 

arriving in the West End a year later. 

The musical relies on a dynamic central character, 

Dewey Finn and a cast of teenagers to play the 

uptight, upright students of the private Horace 

…cont 

43


Green prep school, whose academic and personal 

lives are turned upside down by a supply teacher 

with a passion for rock music, when he coaches 

them to take part in a Battle of the Bands 

competition. 

Mounting a musical is a massive task and credit 

must go to Mr Bruno and Mrs Greaves who kept 

the direction and orchestra tight. Once again, 

Mr Abbott provided a marvellously adaptable 

set and supervised Joe Farnell, Gallagher Dillon, 

James Woodgate and Charlie Poulter who made 

up the lighting and sound teams. Charlotte Wells 

ensured that the back stage crew kept every 

scene change running smoothly– not easy given 

that the John Crook Theatre has very little wing 

space! Many members of staff provided help 

behind the scenes in various capacities. Mrs Wain 

had the massive task of costuming every member 

of the cast appropriately. What a super job she 

did! 

As usual, the Halliford School P.T.A. gave their 

time generously to provide refreshments during 

the interval. In act one Oliver Chadwick gave 

us a wonderfully comic performance as the 

lead character Dewey Finn, while Jude Deeno 

assumed the part for act two. Deeno took the role 

and made it his own – not an easy task – and yet 

both kept the audience thoroughly entertained. 

The principal female role of the teacher Rosalie 

was sung with conviction by Harry Osborne and 

Oliver Hackland-Crowther. The ensemble cast 

provided strong support but special 

mention must go to both Remy 

Matthews and Arya Shafighian who 

had played the bossy but endearing 

student Summer and Tom Kerr who 

sang the heart-rending reprise solo 

of If only someone would listen. 

Mr Bruno: ‘Deciding to put on a 

musical is always a big adventure and 

one that involves a lot of work both on 

and off stage. I have been very lucky 

to have such an energetic group of 

students who have worked incredibly 

hard with their choreography and 

blocking. It has been good fun 

working on this production and as 

the play demands a cast of a younger 

age it has been heart-warming to see 

the experienced performers working 

and mentoring the next generation 

of Halliford actors. In true School 

of Rock style, the cast have been 

dedicated throughout.’ 

Mrs Greaves: ‘When we hit upon 

the idea of putting on School of Rock 

as our 2018 production, I knew we 

were onto a winner. Lloyd Webber’s 

philanthropic gesture of allowing 

schools to perform the show for free 

also galvanised our decision! 

Musically, you would have expected 

a show about rock music to be, as 

they say, ‘a synch’ – the predictable 

4 chords on a loop, a few rambling 

guitar solos and all within predictable, 

formulaic structure but Sir Andrew 

actually dishes up numerous musical 

irregularities which have kept the 

band and performers very much on 

their toes. 

As always with school productions, it 

is the journey to the end which is as 

important as the final product and 

I am so proud of our musicians and 

the staff who have supported them. 

For all five of our student musicians, 

this will be the first time in their lives 

that they have ever played a full scale 

show. The performers on stage have 

put so much time and effort into this 

show, fitting multiple rehearsals into 

their already busy schedules and it 

has been such a pleasure to work 

with them. These performances have 

shown the rewards of their labours 

and I am so very proud of them all.’ 

44


Royal Festival Hall Trip 

EIGHTEEN HALLIFORD BOYS travelled to London after school on Weds 21st February to hear the London 

Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall. With seats directly above the stage, they had an excellent 

view of the conductor and players, finding themselves fully immersed in the orchestral sound. Two Year 9 

boys describe how they enjoyed their experience: 

ON STRAVINSKY’S ICONIC The Rite of Spring: 

We were truly unaware of the amazing sounds 

awaiting us. The piece started with a beautiful 

bassoon solo only to reveal contrasting fast staccato 

string chords with occasional syncopated 

emphasis from the horns. The rest of the piece 

was atmospheric and really engaging. My favourite 

technique used in the piece was pizzicato string 

writing. Overall, the performance was unlike 

anything I have ever heard and really was astonishing. 

Going to the Royal Festival Hall to listen to 

Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was a privilege for 

all Hallifordians 

– Arya Shafighian (Year 9) 

RAVEL’S PIANO CONCERTO for the left hand 

was originally composed for a pianist who lost his 

right arm in the First World War. Benedetto Lupo, 

the soloist in this concert played with his weaker 

left hand for fifteen minutes straight, barely 

breaking a sweat. 

I have played the piano myself for almost seven 

years and yet couldn’t perform a minute of what 

he could even using both hands! Now that’s what 

you call experience! 

– Lucas Dallon (Year 9) 

45


‘Evolution of Altruism’ 

by Thomas Imperato, Upper Sixth 

AS THE PREMIERE of The Last Jedi approached, Star Wars On Saturday 24th February, the Slugs travelled up to London for a 

philosophical talk run by LSE as part of their LSE Festival Series. With three knowledgeable speakers the event inspired us to 

think about our own actions and if, subconsciously, all our morals are skewed by selfishness. Fortunately however, after some deep 

Aristotle like thoughts we had lunch at ‘The Real Greek’ in Covent Garden. The top quality humus and pitta bread was arguably the 

highlight of the day and marked the ending of one of the most interesting Slug outings to date. 


A Great Community by Seb, Year 9 

Halliford is a great community that makes you feel hopeful and the wanting to learn. 

It has changed me for the better. My favourite teachers are Mr Cunningham and Mr 

Williams. They made my experience better and more enjoyable. The lessons they do 

are fun but I also learn a lot. 

Mr Cunningham has taught me all about the ancient civilisation of Greece. It’s 

really fascinating! The Spartans were a very strange group. Learning about their 

military life has been really fascinating. Mr Cunningham is also pretty good at 

teaching Religious Studies too and this year I’ve done St Mark’s Gospel. What really 

fascinated me was how little I knew about the life of Jesus and in particular his trial – 

which was completely rigged. Whatever you believe about the man, nobody deserved 

the awful death he had. 

I love my music lessons with Mr Williams. He’s great because he knows his subject 

really well and yet is confident enough to let you experiment and take chances. I 

really feel like lots of doors have opened for me here. I’m looking forward to being in 

Year 10, although it amazes me how quickly the time has gone. 

It only feels like yesterday that I was arriving in Year 7! 

46


‘Chemistry in Action’ Trip 

by Gareth Hart, Deputy Head Boy 

COMMUNICATION is vitally important 

within science. According to a detailed 2015 

research report from the Royal Society of 

Chemistry, 84% of those surveyed felt that 

science was an important part of our lives 

that we should all take an interest in. There 

is perhaps no better way of accomplishing 

this than through listening to experienced 

speakers present their research to a largely 

non-specialist audience. On November 

6th 2017, the Halliford A Level chemistry 

students were fortunate enough to listen 

to a range of speakers present their esoteric 

research in a comprehensible manner. 

Dying to be Beautiful 

With our general lack of knowledge of beauty 

products, Dr Kathryn Harkup provided 

us with a history and analysis of ‘Dying to 

be Beautiful’. Armed with our developed 

knowledge of chemical compounds and 

structure, we were led to question the 

methods used by beauticians and amateurs 

of the past. Creating a desirable pale 

complexion, lead-based makeup was often 

used to make one appear more ‘attractive’. 

However, if lead is released into the body, it 

tends to attach to enzymes, such as those 

which create haemoglobin. The process 

of attachment inhibits the production of 

haemoglobin, causing problems such as 

anaemia. Moreover, we were informed of 

the implications of using atropa belladonna 

to dilate our pupils in order to seem more 

appealing to others. This plant, termed 

‘deadly nightshade’, is able to release 

atropine into the body. Due to a lack of 

quantitative knowledge in the Middle Ages, 

atropine’s potential as a neurotoxin was 

often not realised, leading to devastating 

consequences. Yet, Dr Harkup also informed 

us of the fact that Botox (botulinum toxin), 

is one of the most deadly poisons known 

to man. Will future generations condemn 

us for our use of this substance for vanity 

purposes? 

From Breaking Bad 

to Making Good 

As part of his talk ‘From Breaking Bad to 

Making Good’, Professor David Smith 

began by notifying us on the benefits of 

gin and tonic. Specifically, a component 

of tonic water produced in the time of the 

British Empire’s occupation of India, quinine, 

is known to prevent the malarial parasite 

from going on its reproductive cycle. The 

healing properties of a so-called ‘fever tree’ 

were also known to the Spanish, as its bark 

contains this compound, meaning it was 

able to heal and treat malaria. Professor 

Smith continued with an exploration of 

some of the brain’s major neurotransmitters: 

dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. 

This helped to link to ‘Breaking Bad’, as 

methamphetamine primarily affects 

production of dopamine within the brain. 

The synthesis route for the prized drug within 

the show was also described. This related to 

the study of chirality and enantiomers in A 

Level chemistry, as the show’s protagonist 

must discriminate between mirror image 

versions of the drug, with only one providing 

the intended effect. 

Brain Inspired Electronics 

Developments in electronics and computing 

are certainly something to be marvelled at. 

However, these successes are not possible 

without the essential input from chemistry. 

Professor Themis Prodromakis described 

the potential of new Nano scale materials 

in our everyday lives with his talk on ‘Brain 

Inspired Electronics with Metal-oxide 

Chemistries’. He suggested that surfaces can 

be optimised further to be liquid repellent, 

smart windows can be created which adapt 

to environmental conditions and computers 

can be made to mimic the brain more 

closely. The latter can be achieved through 

engineering a computer’s information 

transport devices to behave like a synapse 

in the brain. This may be possible through 

using a memristor, an electrical component 

hypothesised in 1971 and supposedly first 

developed by Hewlett-Packard in 2008. 

Chemistry is crucial to this development, 

as the correct ions and structures must be 

designed for each purpose. However as 

technology develops, a chemist’s problem 

solving ability will always be in demand. 

The Quantum World 

With her experience in spectroscopic 

techniques, Dr Steph Pendlebury’s 

talk ‘Shining a Light on the Quantum 

World’ outlined the importance of 

analysis in chemistry, as well as what 

inspired her to continue the subject at 

university. Spectroscopy is the study 

of the way in which atoms interact with 

electromagnetic radiation, such as light. 

Also studying physics at A Level, several 

of us found this especially insightful, as 

it epitomised the interdisciplinary nature 

of science. Dr Pendlebury described the 

Stern-Gerlach experiment, famous in 

science for demonstrating the strangeness 

of the quantum world. The marvels of 

quantum mechanics never cease to impress 

an audience, as they highlight the apparent 

unpredictable nature of reality and the 

unusual world that we live in. 

Indestructible Energy 

Dr Jamie Gallagher’s talk on ‘Indestructible 

Energy’ attempted to provide light relief 

from an intense day by opening a ‘Kahoot’ 

quiz for everyone to interact with on their 

smartphones. Unfortunately, our lack 

of knowledge of the energy content of a 

banana meant that we did not win the quiz. 

His talk focused on ‘Indestructible Energy’ 

and questions relating to the energy of 

everyday food were present in his quiz. 

This involved the consumption of sweets 

and marshmallows by an eager audience. 

Although quite a simple talk about our 

sources of energy, Dr Gallagher’s discussion 

about the nature of his research into 

thermoelectrics was particularly interesting. 

He suggested that through the use of 

special n- and p- type semiconductors, we 

may be able to utilise our body heat in order 

to charge our phones. 

With all Year 13 chemists pursuing STEM 

subjects at university, the talks inspired 

members of our class to research further 

into topics relating to their university 

course, such as organic synthetic routes 

or smart materials. We would like to thank 

Mrs Samarasinghe and Miss Foster for 

organising and taking us on the trip. 

47


My Spanish Exchange 

Experience by Lucas Dallon, Year 9 

THIS YEAR’S SPANISH exchange was absolutely phenomenal! It might just have been 

the most successful one so far. I say this because throughout the entire trip, we made 

many friends of both genders and countries. From the beginning it was clear that 

both the Hallifordians and the Notre Damers had much in common, as well as making 

many amazing Spanish friends as well. It was obvious that whilst there was a gap in our 

knowledge of Spanish to their English, we had just as much fun as they did here. 

The point of this trip was to learn about each 

other’s different lifestyles, and to improve at 

speaking your exchanges language, however we 

not only improved at speaking their language, but 

we also had many great experiences that built up 

to make an unforgettable trip and many memories 

to laugh about through time. We had surprisingly 

quite a lot to agree on with the Spaniard, but of 

course more to think about what was different in 

our cultures, one of the biggest differences being 

how they are much more social they are compared 

to us, which has made me think about trying to 

meet up with friends a little more often. 

Overall, we spent a lot of time outdoors and 

exploring, with everyone feeling included in many 

friend groups and everybody having a great time 

in the Spanish spring weather. All of this together 

made this trip just possibly the best week I’ve 

experienced so far in my Halliford life and I 

would definitely suggest it to all the years below 

me. Whilst it may sound like a worrying thing, 

having someone stay at your house and vice-versa, 

however it was a rare experience that doesn’t 

come often, and that’s what Halliford wants to 

provide for us. That’s why we go to this school! 

48


Spanish Exchange 

by Mr Arriandiaga, Spanish Teacher 

Many songs could be used to describe the Spanish Exchange 2018. Love is in the air was 

one recurrent tune, but Walking on sunshine was never far behind, even if the clouds 

sometimes came to try and spoil the party. Because that is what it felt like, a party. The 

Notre Dame girls and Halliford boys thoroughly enjoyed their time in San Fernando, 

learning about the area of Cádiz and surroundings, and some even travelling the short 

distance to Tarifa or Gibraltar. 

From the moment we set foot in Seville for our visit 

on arrival day, the positive attitude of the students 

from both centres made a long, tiring day into a 

very nice day out. The difference in urban design 

between our British towns and buildings and those 

in the Andalucian capital was obvious to our boys 

even in their eagerness to get some rest! We felt 

as if an England team were arriving to It’s Coming 

Home when we saw the welcome of our partners 

at the school gates in San Fernando’s Compañía de 

María a few hours later. 

Throughout the week we 

were taken aback by the 

friendliness and generosity 

of our hosts, in the area 

of Spain most affected by 

unemployment. They made 

us feel equally at home as 

the town officials toured 

us around their impressive 

castle, or as the host 

families provided the food 

for our leaving party. Not 

even the de-rigour visit to 

the local hospital with the 

usual injury stopped us from 

having fun while learning, 

but rather provided more 

entertainment! In 

between, a visit to Cádiz 

town, dance and sport 

activities, a Spanish horse 

show in the lovely Jerez 

or even a charity concert 

were several of the events 

that taught us more about 

a different culture and 

way of life. During the 

weekend, the students 

benefited from the array 

of visits organised by their 

surrogate families, always 

trying to improve their 

communication skills. 

With heavy hearts, but missing home as well, the 

time to return came a week later. We usually 

encourage the students to keep the relationships 

with their partners going. On this occasion we know 

that this will be the case, both at home and abroad… 

because what happens in San Fernando, does not 

always have to stay in San Fernando. 

49


Year 10 and 11 GCSE 

Geography Residential Fieldtrip 

BOX HILL AND SEAFORD by Mr Willcox, Head of Geography 

AS THE ACADEMIC YEAR progressed into February 2018, the Geography Department, 

with its new addition of Mr Aarons, headed out with both Year 10 and 11 students 

to a new location to undertake fieldwork to prepare students for the new GCSE 

specifications. 

So on a Wednesday morning in late February, 50 

students boarded a coach and headed to Juniper 

Hall Field Study Centre at the foot of Box Hill in 

the Surrey Hills. Upon arrival, we were greeted 

by a number of pygmy goats (wrongly identified 

as sheep by one student!) and our instructors, 

who would guide the students through both 

urban and rural fieldwork over the next two and 

a half days. 

On our first day we headed to two small 

nearby settlements in the rural-urban fringe of 

London and our boys investigated the effects 

of counter-urbanisation on the landscape. As 

part of this, students wandered around different 

parts of the settlements collecting various data 

on housing age and conducting Environmental 

Quality Assessments. Meanwhile Mr Willcox 

went around ‘vlogging’ with his new smartphone 

gimbal to add to the Geography Department’s 

YouTube presence. Teachers and students alike 

will be glad to know that this data was later put 

onto maps using a number of coloured pencils 

and so continued to propel the notion that 

Geography is simply colouring in! 

50


The students worked well into the evening, finishing their work 

at 8pm, whereupon they were able to enjoy some downtime 

before a well-earned sleep, which some of them were able to 

enjoy. 

A blast of Arctic air 

The following morning, after a hearty breakfast, we headed 

down to the coastal town of Seaford. Upon arrival the coach 

door opened and promptly greeted us with a blast of arctic air. 

This encouraged a dash for extra layers before heading out to 

the pebble beach. As we stepped out, we were welcomed by a 

stunning view of chalk cliffs and glorious sunshine (that unfortunately 

did not bring with it any semblance of heat energy 

to accompany it). The Halliford Geographers then spent the 

morning collecting beach profiles and coastal management 

while keeping out of the way of a set of large excavators and 

dumper trucks that were busy moving beach material from one 

stretch of the beach to another. 

Students and staff then enjoyed an obligatory seaside activity, 

which was ordering local fish and chips, that were all consumed 

speedily, having worked up an appetite from the morning’s 

practical fieldwork. The afternoon sunshine continued while 

we collected our final questionnaire data and pebble analysis, 

allowing for a leisurely stroll along the sea wall to return to the 

coach. 

Many of us then fell asleep on the return journey, waking up 

only to be greeted again by our friendly pygmy goat companions. 

After some free time, we once again gathered in the 

classroom to process and analyse our results until 8 o’clock. 

At this point, despite being well fed throughout the day, some 

students required further feeding and so the call was made for 

further nutritional reinforcements in the form of a Dominoes 

Pizza delivery. This appeared to be inhaled rather than masticated 

and provided full stomachs to allow for a full night of 

sleep enjoyed by all following the day’s activities. 

The Geography department pushed the students to gain full 

value for money as, on Friday morning, we once again put the 

students to work, producing summary posters to demonstrate 

their understanding of the previous days’ work. This would 

also act as a very helpful revision tool for their upcoming GCSE 

exams. 

Upon returning back to school on Friday lunchtime, students 

were welcomed back into afternoon lessons before finally 

being dismissed to enjoy a restful weekend. Thank you to all of 

the boys, who worked diligently throughout the trip, demonstrating 

great Hallifordian character. I look forward to seeing 

their hard work pay off in their upcoming exams, together with 

fond memories of their brief time away. 

My personal thanks go to Mr Sweeting, Mr King and 

Mr Duffield who accompanied us on the trip and to 

Mrs Gilbert, who kindly returned to Halliford School from 

retirement to hold the Geography fort 

while we were away. 

51


The Physics of 

Thunderstorms 

by Jack Davey, Upper Sixth 

FOR THE HALLIFORD SIXTH FORM SLUGS, The Physics of Thunderstorms proved to be an alluring 

topic, which appealed to all, not only the scientists among us, and therefore on Wednesday 21st February, 

as a group, we headed into London to find out more. My personal concern had been that the talk would 

be aimed at an audience already well versed in the subject but, fortunately, Professor Paul Hardaker 

laid the science out from basics, showing how our knowledge of weather systems has progressed in 

modern times. 

As a physics student myself, I was intrigued by 

the way he incorporated topics from the A level 

course such as electric fields into his lecture, 

demonstrating the wider applications of the 

theory we learn in the classroom. However, 

physicists and non-physicists alike were equally 

impressed by his speech. He spoke primarily on 

how we map weather systems and predict their 

movement and how we can try to minimise the 

risk posed by natural disasters of various sorts. 

However, he also went into detail on how these 

systems come to be, explaining ideas such as how 

balls of hail getting caught in a cycle of updrafts 

so that it continues to grow in size until the air 

flow can no longer lift its weight, leading to hail 

the size of footballs. Furthermore, the interesting 

new concepts didn’t end with the conclusion of 

his talk as, in the question and answer session 

afterwards, he was forced to elaborate on areas 

such as artificially manipulating the weather 

which seemed like something more likely to be 

found in fiction than real life. 

Everyone came away with a much improved 

knowledge on why the weather around us acts 

as it does and, despite severe delays and frigid 

temperatures on the journey home, we were all in 

agreement that it was an evening well spent and 

well worth the effort. 


The A Team by Freddie, Year 7 

My favourite part of Halliford was getting into the A team in cricket. This was an 

achievement to me because I love playing it and I was good at it. I like it because 

you get to smash stuff with a bat. 

52



Happy Memories! by Kyle, Year 7 

It was intense, my foot touched the cold stone floor, everyone cheering but not 

for us, but for Russell (the green house) I mounted my bib over my head. I was 

ready, I had channelled my anxiety to focus, and my eyes glinted with the sight 

of glory. We gathered together us Wadham (the red house), tactics were heard 

of but when it came to the real thing it was pass & shoot. 

The whistle went Russell started confidently, weaving the ball through our 

defence but it couldn’t match the defence of Kamil Mansour who sent it back 

out to our offense with a tremendous block. It was now our turn, the ball 

reached I was suddenly overcome by fear, my vision blurred, my hands and legs 

shivering with fear but I was destined, I shot the ball plumbing through the air 

on smack on the backboard and in. A mighty roar from our small crowd gave us 

the urge we needed to, it was given to me again on the opposite again but my 

shot floated swiftly onto the backboard and in. The Crowd woke up and it was 

now three of us plus the crowd but we were sloppy and lost a bucket, it was now 

my turn to go off. It was as good as playing the game cheering for your team. 

I came back on with little time but that hadn’t stopped me from scoring another 

three and Kajay moss stealing the ball of Russell and scored a bucket with a 

few seconds left. The familiar chorus of the whistle blew, the pitch invaded by 

supporters we had won 12-2. 

Spring Lunchtime Concert 

by Mrs Peacock 

THE SPRING TERM lunchtime concert showcased what wonderfully talented students 

we have at Halliford. Starting the concert was Sam Walker who performed Divinire by 

Einaudi, making the tinkling of the ivories seemingly effortless but obviously showcasing 

the hard work and dedication required to achieve such a high standard of 

performance. Following on from Sam, was Tom Wittke’s delightful vocal performance 

of Different from the musical Honk, the musical version of The Ugly Duckling. What a 

beautiful song, sung with style and elegance! 

Roddy Green showed his versatility and 

determination in playing two different piano 

pieces from Pam Wedgewood and James 

Breach’s skill on the violin was evident with his 

performance of Dancing in Odessa by Ros Stephen. 

Federico Albertini, having joined Halliford only 

in September, showcased his skills on the piano 

performing Preambulum by Krebs. William Taylor- 

Young then changed the tempo of the concert 

with a wonderful performance on the piano of 

the jazz number In the Groove by Mike Cornick. 

Richard Ashe finished the lunchtime concert with 

a moving rendition of Some Enchanted Evening 

from the 1947 Broadway musical, South Pacific. 

This was my first lunchtime concert at Halliford 

School and it did not disappoint. The boys all 

performed brilliantly and it was wonderful to see 

them supported by family, friends and staff. 

53


Surrey SATRO Problem 

Solving Challenge 

by Dr Brooks, Science Teacher 

In March 2018, 17 of Halliford’s inquisitive minds set off to Heathside School for the 

local heat of the Surrey SATRO Problem Solving Challenge. With the exception of 

being placed into their respective year groups, our students knew little about the 

challenge awaiting them. The brief was to design and build a gantry, a supportive 

framework for a light bulb, in a time frame of 90 minutes. The teams were to be judged 

and compared to other local schools within the same age group, from which the top 

two schools would secure a place in the final. 

Certain criteria had to be adhered to, to obtain 

maximum marks. The group was given a bulb 

and some basic instructions. The bulb could 

not be suspended more than 1 metre above the 

base and the ability to turn the bulb on whilst 

the gantry was being judged, resulted in points 

being quadrupled. All three teams took on the 

challenge, working tirelessly for 90 minutes. Due 

to heavy traffic our sixth formers were 20 minutes 

late and were up against the clock right from 

the start. On completion they sat holding their 

breath, daring not to move as their bulb faded in 

and out before the judges arrived. Despite their 

light shining on, it was not enough to secure a 

place in the final. 

Our Year 9 students did exceptionally well and 

tried every trick in the book to raise the light 

bulb an extra centimetre in the air. They scored 

an impressive 780 points, only to be pipped to the 

final by Reeds School and ACS Cobham. That left 

54


our Year 10’s holding the torch for Halliford and 

they did not disappoint. Not only did they score a 

staggering 900 points, they finished in plenty of 

time to allow Piers Bowater (Year 10) to advertise 

his 3D printing company on the gantry! Their 

efforts were rewarded as they took first place, 

beating Kingston Grammar School and Claremont 

Fan School to joint second. What a super effort! 


Tuck Shop & Bistro by Max, Year 8 

Halliford School has changed a lot since I started here in Year 7. I was lucky to have a really good tutor 

in Year 7 (Mr Cunningham). He was really funny and helped us all settle in really well. Since arriving 

here time has really gone quickly. It’s amazing to think I’m going into Year 9 in September! 

The main reason I like this School is because of the delicious food in the Bistro and the tuck shop. 

Also being a sporty person I love competing against other schools. The School trip to the Victoria & 

Albert Museum was pretty awesome as was the visit to London to watch the musical, Stomp! During 

expeditions week we went to Le Touquet in France which was good fun. All in all, Halliford is an 

amazing place! 

55


Passo Tonale Ski and 

Snowboard Trip by Mr Slocock, Head of Sixth Form 

The ski and snowboard trip 2018 found its way to the amazing resort of Passo Tonale 

in Italy. At 1,880m high and 87km of slopes there was plenty of skiing for all levels of 

skier and snowboarder. 

The trip started really early in the morning with 

our flight out of Heathrow departing at 7.30 in 

the morning. 52 students ‘bright eyed’ and eager 

held the Halliford name high as they navigated 

the maze of inconceivable check-in counters 

and security stations before a hop skip and jump 

to the resort. The accommodation was a rather 

large hotel which we shared with three other 

schools, on the plus side there was a games room, 

plenty of seating area and a fantastic buffet for 

every meal! The weather throughout the trip 

was variable as we experienced the full range of 

conditions from white outs to blazing sunny days. 

As per usual there were highlights and the trip 

created some ‘memories’ that will be recanted for 

generations to come. A few students had their trip 

cut short through injury and, in a Halliford first, 

we experienced a mini pandemic with a few lads 

coming down with a mystery lurgy. Including one 

who spent some time visiting various hospitals 

throughout the Passo Del Tonale area. 

56


All in all the trip was a resounding success as students were amazed at how 

quickly their 5 hours a day of skiing disappeared. The après ski included two 

rounds of night skiing, fun on a variety of sledges and blow up tyres and 

of course, when in Italy, eating Pizza. Mr Slocock was able to answer the 

question of Schrodinger’s cat, it is neither alive nor dead if nobody is there to 

see it. At least, that is true when talking about sliding down a black slope, on 

your belly, from top to bottom! 

Here’s to a successful trip to Obergurgl in Austria next year. 

57



School Governor and Old Hallifordian, 

Colin Squire, awarded an OBE 

Society of Heads Art Exhibition 

at the London Guildhall 

The Halliford team for the 

British Schools Karting Championship 

Taking part in the 

British Schools Karting Championship 

58


Spring Term 

Sports Report, 2018 


The U12’s have thoroughly embraced their football season this year with great numbers attending 

practice and everyone in the year group being able to represent the school. 

FOOTBALL 

U12 

Mr Morris 

Unfortunately practices and matches were inconsistent due to being severely hit with the cold, wet and 

snowy weather, but the boys battled through at every opportunity and performed valiantly. This was 

highlighted away at Glyn in the last game of the season when in blizzard conditions, 0-4 down and every 

other match being abandoned, the A-team boys made the decision to continue playing, doing so with 

outstanding determination and enthusiasm. The boys struggled at times coming to grips with a new 

formation, personnel and set of tactics, but really started coming together later on in the season. Harley 

Reynolds captained the team with enthusiasm and always led from the front with a winning mentality. 

A special mention must go to Nate Broadhurst who was outstanding as a central striker and voted as 

‘Man of the Match’ on several occasions, whilst Harry Tuckman was ever-reliable in the heart of defence 

and a player of immense quality. Player of the season must go to Harry Owen who was outstanding 

between the sticks and despite some cruel score-lines, filled the boys with confidence and produced 

some incredible saves throughout every match. 

The U12 B Team was very much an extension of the A team this year, with many of the players swapping 

teams and representing both throughout the season. Captained by experienced player Matthew 

Avery, the boys very much used him as the high standard by which to play. They had some excellent 

performances throughout the season, highlighted by a 6-0 win against local school Thamesmead. Will 

O’Loughlin was another terrific goalkeeper within the Year 7 squad and was highly reliable throughout 

the season. A special mention must also go to talented sportsman and Rugby captain, James Webley 

who performed admirably in a number of different positions and teams this year, proving to be everreliable 

and consistent. 

U13 

Mr Hodgkinson 

The U13 side struggled through a wet season and despite some valiant efforts came on the losing end of 

some very tense encounters. The boys were largely unlucky with oppositions able to take their chances 

more readily than the Halliford boys. Despite creating the chances we were just unlucky on a number 

of occasions. The most notable performance was when we encountered Latymer School, the game was 

59


Weather conditions were challenging! 

U14 

Mr Bardgett 

U15 

Mr Bardgett 

very close, and there was nothing to tell the sides apart. Unfortunately an amazing strike won Latymer 

the game. 

The whole team consistently played well, Sam Stace and Eddie Clark were stand out performers. 

The Under 14s have had a disrupted season like all other age groups. The season began with a tough 

match against Reading Blue Coat and despite performing well throughout the match RBC pulled away 

towards the end. There were lots of positives and the team improved as a result. The matches against 

Claires Court, Claremont Fan Court and Gordons were cancelled due to the poor pitch conditions. This 

halted any progress we may have made with momentum. A good performance against Radnor House 

saw the team pick up a well-deserved draw however it so easily could have been a win. The season 

finished with a character building match in snowy conditions against a strong Glyn side. Having gone 6-1 

down the team battled the opposition and the elements to finish with a respectable 6-3 loss. 

This has been a difficult season but the numbers and commitment have remained high throughout the 

term. Stand out performers have been Barney Mather in goal, Chris Cole, Ted Luckins and Theo Rowsell 

in defence and Jack Pearce and Sankaran Susselan in midfield. 

The B team, led by Owen Morris, have enjoyed their football despite suffering a number of losses. There 

is much depth in this age group and enthusiasm remains high allowing them to develop as a team. 

The season for the U15’s has been very disjointed. We played three games before half term, but only one 

after due to the Arctic weather conditions that swept the nation. 

The A team made good progress throughout the season, and got better in every game they played. Two 

narrow losses to Reading Blue Coat and Claires Court were followed by a very hard fought draw with 

Latymer. Our final game saw a loss to Glyn, who played some of the best schoolboy football I have ever 

seen. The team were very well led by Bradly Marshall, who stood out in the midfield, well supported by 

Elliot Howard. At the back Ben Cooper and Ethan Stewart worked tirelessly against some formidable 

opposition. Goals were hard to come by, but Jude Shury and Oliver Parsons, making the switch from 

defence, were always a threat whenever they had the ball. Undoubtedly the player of the season was 

goalkeeper Timmy Hamilton. He constantly pulled of phenomenal saves, and earned the praise of every 

opposition coach during the season. 

The B team had much more success and went through the season unbeaten. After a draw with Reading 

Blue Coat, thanks to a last minute wonder goal by Danny Hamilton, they secured victories over Claires 

Court and Latymer. Their season ended in extraordinary circumstances. Their match against Glyn was 

goalless at half time, when, due to the weather, the opposition left the pitch and refused to continue. 

The B Team were well led by Oscar Gammon at the back with Matthew Katesmark. William Bourne and 

Remy Matthews were constant threats in the midfield, and Jonny Davies and Harry Curtis were always 

dangerous up front 

60

Spring Sports Report 

The Senior Football season started with excellent representations of 1st- 4th Xi against Leighton Park, 

with some impressive victories. The 0-1 loss for the 1st Xi was bitter-sweet as it set the tone for what 

was to come for the remainder of the season, a solid performance that resulted in a close finish but not 

to our advantage! 

Senior 

Mr Morris 

The season was short and seemed tough considering a number of obstacles put in front of us, none least 

the wet and bitterly cold weather, closely followed by the snow. Training was well attended when held 

regularly, but proved too chaotic later in the season due to rehearsals, revision classes and university 

visits and interviews. Captain Charlie Joyce was exceptional in his organisation and ensured that a full 

squad was available every Wednesday. This meant we were able to travel with confidence and assurance 

with any necessary positional changes, with the hope that this game might end with a different result. 

The squad consisted of an equal balance of Year 13 and Year 11 students, which sometimes took a while 

to combine together in performances, but meant that experience and enthusiasm was equally weighted. 

Players such as Joe Sheddon, Alex Kiowski and Conor O’Neil worked tirelessly throughout games to 

ensure that players were constantly under pressure and this meant that Charlie Joyce, Madj Mansour 

and Alex Ngugi were able to gain a foothold in the game and play expressive football throughout. Charlie 

Allen was an experienced vice-captain and this ultimately led to our find of the season, when he became 

striker-turned-goalkeeper in our final matches and thoroughly deserving his clean sheet and man of the 

match performance. Goals seemed to be hard to come by, but Charlie Joyce and Alex Ngugi were finally 

rewarded later on in the season when both finished with a brace and helped their fellow Year 13’s finish 

their Halliford reign with a good win away at Reddam House. 

Captain Charlie Joyce’s end of season summarises the frustrating season experienced by the boys. ‘The 

first team had an unfortunate season, often being on the wrong end of many close games. The first 

game of the season against Leighton Park was a very tight loss by one goal, with Halliford creating many 

decent chances and putting the opposition under pressure. This theme of losing by one goal was very 

common throughout the season, as it also occurred against Ranelagh, LVS and Salesians. Throughout 

the season there were changes in the team in the form of a new formation and new players. As the 

season progressed and players became used to playing together, there were clear signs of improvement. 

The penultimate game of the season against an extremely strong Salesians side, boasting a 30 plus goal 

difference from 5 games, proved to be one of the tightest games of the season with a lucky goal from 

them being the difference. In the final game of the season against Reddam House, the first team played 

their best football and this resulted in a 4-0 win to finish the season positively.’ 

It was a challenging season trying to balance all of the players who showed interest and, while patchy, 

there was clearly an abundance of talent. The Year 11’s were brilliant in their commitment and were 

available whenever asked, especially those who represented a number of different teams throughout 

the season, with a special mention to Joe Sheddon, Danny Walker, Lewis Job, Cameron Hampstead and 

Archie Laird. Ever-present Year 11 1st Xi players were Alex Kiowski, Alfie Edwards and perhaps one of 

the players of the season, Madj Mansour. Assured performances from many senior players saw good 

competition for places and several players came up throughout the season and deserve the accolades 

they received representing the 1st Xi, none least than Joe Sinsbury for shoring up the defence and Alex 

Ngugi in attack. 

61


Inter-House Football 

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 

Year 7 Desborough Russell Greville Wadham 

Year 8 Desborough Wadham Greville Russell 

Year 9 Greville Russell Wadham Desborough 

Junior winners: n Desborough 

Intermediate winners: n Wadham 

RUGBY 

7’s 

Mr Bardgett 

U 12 

U 13 

This season has seen a number of competitions cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions. This 

also affected our preparation for the tournaments however a number still ran and Halliford performed 

well at a number of different age groups. 

The U12s only had one competition with the Tiffin and Surrey tournaments cancelled. At the Orleans 

Park 7s the boys had their first taste of the quicker version of the game. Players who impressed were 

Lucas Lindstrup, Harley Reynolds, Harry Owen and Captain James Webley. 

The U13s is traditionally the busiest year group with the idea that at this age group players develop 

their understanding of the game and improve their skill. The first tournament was at CLFS and the 

boys showed good improvement throughout the day. They finished 2nd in the afternoon group having 

finished 4th in the morning. They then went on tour to Millfield and Berkhamsted. On the tour the 

team continued to develop however found it hard work against quicker and more physical sides. A draw 

against Dulwich Prep and a strong win in their last match was the highlight on day one. After a late night 

in Oxford the tired team took part in the second competition of the weekend at Berkhamsted, a far larger 

tournament attracting teams from all across the UK. Once again the lack of pace and real understanding 

of the game as a team resulted in a very narrow style of play that, when turned over, found it impossible 

to defend. The Harvey twins, Will Jackson, George Whicker and Max Hobbs were all impressive 

throughout the tour. 

62


Miserable Conditions at Rosslyn Park 

The final competition for the U13s was the National 7s at Rosslyn Park. Sadly the team lost all matches 

in miserable conditions. It is very true to say that in 7s there is no substitute for pace and athleticism 

as this group have found out. Perhaps misplaced over confidence and a lack of humility has shown up 

those members of the group who have less ability than those who are prepared to listen and work hard. 

A valuable lesson I hope everyone can learn from. 

U 14 

U 15 

U 18 

The U14s had a very good season with a well-deserved 3rd place in the Orleans Park competition with 

the highlight being a last minute 2 point loss to Hampton. This knocked the wind out of the boys and 

they failed to recover for the next match which was an athletic and physical Gunnersbury side. 

In the Nationals following a bright start with two good wins we played a very physical and confident 

Blundell’s side. Sadly they had a bit more pace than we could handle and with a kick-chase tactic which 

was effective the boys were slow to adapt. Frustration and distraction sadly affected their performance 

in this game and resulted in a loss leading us into our final match against Hampton, The Re-match!! 

Sadly it was not to be despite a very spirited and workman-like performance. The boys came off 

disappointed but knowing that they are a good team and one to watch for the future. 

The U15s are undoubtedly the strongest team in the School at the moment with stand-out athletes 

across the pitch and on the bench. At the John Fisher 7s wins against Dulwich College, WCGS, RGS 

Guildford and Caterham gave the boys a final against a dominant Wimbledon College side who two 

years previously had won the National 7s. 

Having gone 3 tries to 1 down heads could have gone down, however the team battled superbly to finish 

in a very close 3 tries to 4 defeat. There is no doubt that this talented group of players have developed 

superbly and are a great example of a team that is willing to work hard together in order to improve and 

achieve success. They are a good model on which some of the junior teams should aspire to emulate. 

Halliford Floodlit 7s 

The U18 team took part in two competitions, the Society of Heads 7s and the Halliford Floodlit 7s both at 

London Irish. In the first tournament an understrength side battled hard winning one out of 4 matches. 

It was an enjoyable 

day out and provided 

us with the perfect 

preparation for the 

highlight of the 7s 

season, our very own 

floodlit 7s. 

With a victory in our 

first game against 

Bedes the team were 

confident, however 

facing a very strong 

Claires Court the boys 

performed manfully 

but went down to the 

eventual losing finalists. 

In the semi-final another stern challenge was set by the very impressive CLFS who eventually went on to 

dominate the final. This set the boys up for a final encounter with local rivals Reed’s. Despite a spirited 

and extremely well supported performance the team failed to overcome the strength and pace of the 

opposition and finished runners up in the Plate. Everyone was happy and knew that despite not winning 

silverware that the team and many of its members, having played their final match in a Halliford jersey, had 

done themselves, the supporting crowd and the School very proud. 

63


Rugby – Harlequins DPP 

Congratulations to Connor Manzi and Christian 

Tait who have been selected to join the Harlequins 

Elite development group as well as Jack Walsh, 

Ollie Parsons who is playing for London Irish, 

and Jonah Peppiat who will be playing for the 

London Irish Silver Academy. This is a significant 

achievement and one which can lead to greater 

things. 

Past students who have been selected for Harlequins and Wasps DPP 

include James Gulliver and George Edgson both of whom progressed to 

England U16. 

SWIMMING 

Brin Dorrell 

Gold Silver 4th Place 

50m Freestyle 200m Backstroke 200m Freestyle 

50m Backstroke 

100m Backstroke 

U16 Boys Medley Relay 

U16 Boys Freestyle Relay 

Surrey Age Group County Swimming Championships 2018 

Earlier in the year, Brin Dorrell took part in the Surrey Swimming Championships this month and 

achieved fantastic results. The championships were located in three different venues – the London 

Aquatic Centre, Surrey Sports Park and Crystal Palace National Sports Centre – all 50m swimming 

pools. He achieved 3 gold medals, 3 silver medals and a 4th ribbon. 

64


GREAT BRITAIN 

PENTATHALON 

Spencer Bateman 

Great Britain Pentathalon 

Spencer took part in the British Schools Modern Biathlon Championships at Crystal Palace in March. 

Spencer had a great swim and posted 

another personal best, although not 

up there with some of the super-fast 

kids he had a good swim which saw 

him finish 7th overall. Sadly this was 

just outside the trophy positions but 

he did have an added surprise of getting 

a silver medal for posting the 

2nd fastest run time. We will follow 

with interest Spencer’s progress. 


Helpful Teachers by Ethan, Year 8 

Since I joined Halliford I have had an amazing time making 

new friends. My favourite thing was going to France for the 

day as it was a fun time especially when we were on the beach. 

My favourite teacher is Mr King since he helps me with my 

homework. To be honest, most of the teachers are pretty good 

because they really try to help you. Also, tuck-shop is the best! 

65


CROSS 

COUNTRY 

Greville Wadham Russell Desborough Individual/Time 

Year 7 3rd 2nd 1st 4th H Tuckman 12:24 

Year 8 3rd 4th 1st 2nd E Clark 14:38 

Year 9 2nd 3rd 1st 4th S Bateman 13:00 

Year 10 3rd 4th 1st 2nd S Omorojor 18:32 

Senior 2nd 4th 1st 3rd J Davey 19:29 

Junior winners: n Russell 

Intermediate winners: n Russell 

66

Summer Highlights 

Silver Duke of Edinburgh 

Practice Expedition by Mr King 

Between the 27th and the 29th of April, Halliford’s Silver Duke of Edinburgh group 

embarked on their practice expedition, hoping for a comfortable trip to the Surrey Hills. 

Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas; as soon as the boys left the comforts of 

the minibus, the heavens opened depositing a torrent of water over our intrepid group. 

The cloud seemed to follow them as they trekked, quickly leaving the boys absolutely 

soaked. To say it rained is an understatement, but the boys braved the weather; equipping 

themselves with waterproofs, bright blue shoe covers and good humour. 

The group successfully squelched their way through 

miles of wet woodlands and across innumerable 

soggy fields; meeting up with the leaders at various 

checkpoints. Finally, after a day walking through 

the North Downs, they reached their campsite for 

the night. Immediately, the next challenge began 

as the boys had to set up shelters for the night 

and cook dinner over a Trangia burner. Despite our 

recommendations for bringing simple expedition 

trekking food, the boys opted for a more gourmet 

menu. Under the leadership of head chef Adam 

Baxendale, the team was able to cook an impressive 

tomato pasta, complete with sides! Others opted 

to eat raw oats and other obscure foods. After 

finishing their meal, some took themselves to bed 

for an early night whilst others enjoyed a relaxed 

evening around the campfire, swapping stories and 

planning for the next morning. 

The following day saw the boys packing up their 

camp and setting off on another hike. After a relaxed 

start, the group had to pick up the pace to cover the 

miles. After a long day on their feet, the exhausted 

group returned to the campsite, setting up their 

tents just before darkness fell. Although less wet, 

the day was cold, the sky overcast and the rain had 

turned usually easy paths into muddy quagmires. 

The boys completed a slightly shorter route on the 

final day of the expedition, returning home tired but 

successful. Nature had been against them from the 

start and they were forced to learn how to cope with 

such changeable weather. As a result, the group 

were shown a number of techniques to become 

better outdoorsmen. As well as demonstrations on 

map reading and outdoor equipment, Mr Heeney 

and Mr King were able to share some ‘bushcraft 

skills’, including traditional friction fire, spoon 

carving and how to utilise a tarp as a shelter. 

Hopefully observing some of these more advanced 

techniques first hand will inspire some to continue 

honing their outdoor skills after they complete 

their award. 

Well done to all students on a successful practice 

expedition. 

67


Halliford Model United Nations 

by Mrs Wilbraham, History & Politics Teacher 

The inaugural session of the Halliford Model UN Club was held 

just before the summer half term break and was the brainchild 

of Louis Mercer. During our meetings, students choose to be 

ambassadors of particular countries and then represent their 

country’s interests as the UN debates real world scenarios. 

Model UN Club is run by the students, who take turns to come 

up with the scenarios, brief the UN on the situation and they 

suggest and vote on action which will be taken. 

There was keen competition in the 

inaugural meeting as to who should 

represent the nations comprising 

the UN Security Council: Elliot 

Saunders won Russia’s seat due 

to his foresight in bringing along 

a Soviet general’s hat which he has 

proudly worn to all subsequent 

sessions. Louis Mercer was duly 

elected for China, Daniel Wilkes for 

the UK, Will McGuigan for USA and 

Spencer Bateman for France. 

It would be fair to say that the first 

few meetings were dominated by 

the tensions between Japan (Josh 

Burson and Dominic Rose), South 

Korea (Cormac Evans) and North 

Korea (Sebastian Maud and Joe 

Farnell). Sebastian and Joe took their 

role as a pariah nation very seriously, 

moving their table well away from 

the rest of the UN, decorating it 

with North Korean flags and posters 

of their Dear Leader and generally 

being as unreasonable as possible in 

any given scenario… 

Halliford Model UN felt that 

they had come up with some 

excellent solutions to tensions in 

the region, helped along the way 

by offers of humanitarian aid and 

mediation from Israel (Joe Baker), 

Spain (Finlay Crichard), Australia 

(Thomas Simpkin) and Iran (Danial 

Matoorian-Poor). 

Other scenarios worked through 

this term have included the crisis 

in Congo where some of our more 

68


war-mongering nations were persuaded by 

more reasonable voices including Germany (Tom 

Wittke), Kenya (Misha Edwards), Canada (Ben 

D’Azzo) and Saudi Arabia (Edward Cornew) that 

assaults by Navy SEALS were not the answer to all 

difficulties, and that education and aid might be a 

better route to take. 

The final scenario this term was the unfolding 

humanitarian crisis at the US-Mexico border 

where children as young as 8 months have been 

separated from their parents. Will McGuigan had 

the unenviable task of defending his country’s 

actions against ferocious criticism. Nations such 

as Mexico (Jethro Knight-Thompson) and Congo 

took great satisfaction in chastising the US for 

their inhumane policy and a formal motion of 

censure was passed by an overwhelming majority. 

It provoked an interesting debate when the UN 

realised that, unlike other scenarios we had 

looked at, there was very limited action which 

could practically speaking be taken towards the 

US given the geo-political realities of the world 

and that not even humanitarian observers were 

likely to be permitted to work in the country. 

The club will resume in September, and its 

members will no doubt be keeping an eye on the 

news over the summer. As the ancient Chinese 

curse says: ‘may you live in interesting times’… 


Going Solo! by Kajay, Year 7 

I remember choosing the song from an abundance of songs written on the 

board from pop to rock; but in the end we chose Mercy by Shawn Mendes. I 

was petrified something would go wrong like forgetting the lyrics or singing 

too fast. We were competing against the other Houses (I’m in Wadham). 

We had a lesson which we sang in so the teacher, Mr Williams, could choose 

our part. I was put in the opening part of the song, I’ve never been confident 

in my voice but I wasn’t going to let this opportunity slide. I pushed all my 

nerves away and decided to accept my part. I had that feeling of excitement 

and nerves. Practicing at home and in School; it came to the day. While we 

were waiting my legs were as wobbly as jelly. In front of around 150 people 

I sang afterwards I felt so relieved that I did it. 

Sadly, we didn’t win. Year 7 Greville won (blue), but we did win the whole 

House competition singing Ain’t no Mountain High Enough but I didn’t 

mind if we won or not I was just happy that everyone enjoyed the concert. 

69


Butser Farm Trip 

by Calvin Harrington and Cosmo Chippindale 

On the 15th May, the excited year 7’s boarded the coach to 

Butser Ancient Farm as part of our Latin learning. Shortly after 

our arrival, we gathered in the main iron age hut where a really 

interesting guide who knew everything about the site asked 

us to guess why the hut was designed that way and the uses of 

all the things inside. After a quick history lesson, we split into 

groups and had an opportunity to look into various aspects of 

daily life in Roman Britain. 

We attempted various activities 

such as how to weave a fence with 

hazel rods. We were really pleased 

with our efforts, which came out far 

better than we expected! We also 

learnt about ‘clunching’ which is an 

ancient name for chalk and combines 

mud, straw and water to make a mix 

to build a wall. We built a path out 

of flint and lime mortar. This was fun 

and we had to test its strength by 

having someone walk on it. We also 

learned how food was preserved 

by salting or smoking it. Thankfully 

we didn’t have to taste anything 

though. The smoke was also a clever 

way of keeping bugs out of the hut. 

That also kept the birds out who 

fed on the bugs. The birds would 

have damaged the hut by pecking at 

the straw. We then had a tour of a 

Roman villa and to finish, we visited 

the gift shop. It was a great day out 

and we had a super time! 

The German 

Exchange 

by Mr Sweeting, 

German Teacher 

Every year for the past 12 years, I have 

organised and run an exchange with 

the Holstenschule in Neumunster near 

Hamburg. 

Numbers vary year-on-year and the number 

of intrepid German boys who want to come to 

England always outstrips the numbers we can 

offer in return. 

Around the time of writing at the end of the 

summer term, we normally would have already 

made the trip to Germany and the German 

partners and their teachers make the return visit 

during the Autumn term. 

This year, however, due to extenuating 

circumstances, the German boys are coming to 

visit Halliford first, arriving on 18th September 

and our ten Halliford boys will visit them 

immediately after the Easter holidays next year. 

During their stay in September, I will take 

them to Hampton Court, the Tower of London, 

Windsor Castle, the Harry Potter studios, the 

Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, Camden 

Market and to a West End show. Quite apart from 

these specific locations, they will also see many 

of the other traditional sights of London such as 

Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Hyde Park and the 

Albert Hall to name but a few. 

When our boys visit Germany, they will be very 

actively engaged in visiting amongst others 

Hamburg, the Miniature Wonderland and the 

Science Museum and enjoying water skiing and 

the High Ropes (similar to ‘Go Ape’ but on an 

even grander scale). 

Hopefully, in the next edition of the Hallifordian, 

you will hear about Halliford pupils’ experience 

of their trip to Germany. 

70


Our Annual ‘pilgrimage’ to the 

German School London [DSL] 

by Mr Sweeting, German Teacher 

The German government, with the support of both the Austrian and Swiss governments, 

maintains in excess of 140 schools abroad which cater for the needs of ex-patriot children. 

We are fortunate to have one such school, the DSL, virtually on our doorstep on the borders of 

Ham and Petersham, not far from the centre of Richmond 

The DSL was founded in 1971 and we at Halliford have maintained 

close links with this establishment for over 10 years. 

Our links with DSL enable us to make reciprocal visits and 

indeed, on the 26th April this year Mr Sweeting, our German 

teacher, took 13 boys to spend the day with pupils at DSL. This 

was an opportunity to experience a typical German school day 

without having to leave the country. 

The chance to visit DSL was offered to both sixth formers who 

are studying German as well as GCSE students in years 10 and 

11 and, for the first time, to those pupils in year 9 who have 

wisely chosen German as their GCSE language option. 

Apart from hearing a lot of German and having a chance to 

practise their speaking, our boys were able to sit in on their 

partners’ normal lessons in a co-educational environment 

where the lingua franca is a heady mixture of German and 

English, this being a truly bilingual environment. 

On Thursday 26th April 2018, Mr Sweeting took a group of 

students to the German school in Kingston, to see what life 

in a German school was like. In general, school seemed fairly 

similar to that at Halliford – the most obvious difference being 

that German was the language being spoken, and that it was 

a mixed gender school. My guide had double French so we sat 

in that lesson to see what they covered (she was in year 11) - it 

soon became quite obvious that quite a few of these students 

had lived in France for a bit as the majority were almost fluent. 

After the lesson we had break and then we went to Physics, in 

which we at least had a rough idea of what was going on! It was 

a great trip that pointed out the subtle differences between 

German and English schools and gave us an insight into how 

the Germans spoke their language. For most of us it was our 

first time listening to fluent speakers, mostly native, speaking 

the language (excluding Mr Sweeting). I would recommend this 

trip to anyone considering it in future years. 

– Daniel Wilkes, Year 9 

71


Leadership Training Day 

by George Gulliver, Year 12 

On the 7th of June we arrived at our New Forest Campsite for our leadership excursion, 

the boys of Year 12 were eager to kick off their sliders, that were worn through the two 

hour coach journey, and change into more suitable footwear for the days ahead. The two 

days were sure to be filled with team-building activities and fraternal competition over the 

much desired Prefect positions. 

Setting up tents proved to 

be light work considering 

many of the boys had 

sufficient practice in Duke of 

Edinburgh exhibitions and 

Reading Festival campouts. 

As we gathered into the 

lecture hut to organise our 

groups, we were pleased to 

find the familiar face of Ian 

who had supervised many 

previous trips to Phasels 

Wood in Year 7 and 8. Our 

groups for the trip were 

organised briefly and we 

were assigned a task to think 

of a leader that we see as 

an idol. As we took turns 

at brainstorming our own 

individual idols, we landed 

on Nelson Mandela due to his philosophy and 

influence, and proceeded to present our thoughts in 

front of the year. 

Next, our group was told to meet our leader, 

Dawn, for our High Ropes activity. Helmeted and 

harnessed up and staring at the tiny platform sitting 

upon a wooden pole at least fifteen metres in height, 

I couldn’t help but feel the adrenaline and nervous 

excitement of what was going to be asked of us. Four 

of us were to climb up the pole and had to all stand 

on a wooden square that couldn’t have been larger 

than half a metre squared. I was up with three other 

boys with barely my toes on the platform and my 

heels dangling precariously off of the edge, when 

Mr Slocock shouted up at us to hold hands and 

lean back so the culmination of all of our weights 

would create a balance so that we relied on strength 

and trust to keep our shape and not fall off. All of 

our hands, being really clammy from the daunting 

height, could not hold on to each other for long and 

we ended up dangling from a harness like some sort 

of strange gangly fruit. 

Exhausted from climbing, it was time to settle in 

for the night and cook some burgers and sausages 

on the makeshift barbecue made out of a barrel 

that had been sawn in half. Crowding around the 

barbecue, it became a free-for-all to try and cook 

the frozen meat. Satisfied and drowsy, we dragged 

ourselves to our tents and despite the swarm of flies, 

managed to fall asleep. 

We all awakened to the banging of a spatula against a 

metal pot and dragged ourselves out of our sleeping 

bags and proceeded to get ready for the day. First of 

all, an empty beach volleyball court was soon filled 

up with young adults throwing themselves into the 

sand in a desperate attempt to keep the volleyball in 

the air. After dominating the other team, my team 

and I walked to our assault course activity. In twos 

we would race each other hurdling obstacles and 

crawling under netting to try and best one another 

and reach the finishing line in the quickest time, 

however we came for team building not individual 

glory, so the team leaders introduced a new dynamic. 

We had to carry a log through the assault course 

without letting it touch the floor. This made the 

already tiresome task exhausting. 

As our time in the New Forest 

drew to a close, I’m sure I was 

not the only one reflecting 

on what I’d learnt from the 

excursion. The atmosphere 

that radiated from all of the 

sixth form students was one 

of self-learning and fulfilment, 

although we might have 

been glad to return home 

purely because we could not 

exert ourselves physically 

for any longer. I boarded the 

coach with grazed knees and 

a newfound sense of pride 

as we made our way back 

to Shepperton 

72

PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION 

‘Problems With 

Our Education System’ 

by Will Wheeler, Year 10 


Good morning fellow students and teachers. My name is Will Wheeler and today I would like to speak to you about problems with our 

modern education system. 

I would like you to consider this quotation by Albert Einstein: “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life 

believing it’s stupid.” I believe that many students are like the fish in this analogy as some students are sporty but not academic yet 

forced to compete in a classroom and some are academic yet not sporty but forced to compete on a field. I wonder, (Do you wonder?) 

how many young people believe they are stupid because they do not excel in one particular area? It’s worth considering isn’t it? 

Here’s another point I would like you to reflect 

upon: changes in education over time. If we 

look at a phone from twenty years ago we see 

a “brick”. We regard them as museum pieces 

– worthy of wonderment and amusement. 

Now, practically everyone in this room has an 

iPhone or Android. Did you know there is more 

technology in a modern mobile phone than the 

engineers at NASA had available to them to get 

the first man on the moon! Next we have cars. 

Once upon a time cars could only reach speeds 

of 10 miles an hour. It seems incredible now 

doesn’t it? However, look at what has happened 

since then? Now we have the Lamborghini, 

Bugatti and Ferrari capable of reaching speeds 

well over 150 miles an hour! Modern technology 

allows us to communicate with people across 

the world, research online and even deliver our 

groceries! We have progressed so far in such a 

short time and in so many areas of life. But not 

education. Think about it. 

How much has a classroom changed over 

time? I ask you to pause for thought here ladies 

and gentlemen. The only change I can see in a 

classroom is that we now have a whiteboard 

instead of a blackboard. Most of the time we 

still sit in rows facing a teacher – a scene not 

dis-similar to Victorian classrooms over 100 

years ago! Is this ‘one shoe fits all’ approach the 

best way to get the best out of us? I say, NO! But 

I would go further. 

I look around at the teaching staff at Halliford. 

They are dedicated and hard-working 

professionals and I am lucky to be taught by 

so many of them who truly care about my 

well-being. They are not the problem. The real 

problem is the old way of testing. It doesn’t 

matter how hard a teacher tries to differentiate 

their approach in the classroom to make sure 

everyone is learning to the best of his or her 

ability. And shall I tell you why it doesn’t matter? 

Because the examinations we sit have barely 

changed their style since the 1950s! It seems 

incredible to me that most students still handwrite 

their exam papers! We are already 18 years 

into the 21st Century and yet still we are forced 

to scrawl away under timed conditions like 

monks in a medieval abbey. Ridiculous! 

I would argue that the only way to get the best 

out of us is to recognise that we all reach the 

top of the mountain in a different way. Some 

climb in a straight and steady purpose, some 

go around the mountain to find more effective 

footholds, others take days while some take 

weeks. Modern examinations take no account 

of our different styles of learning. They are 

as outdated as the abacus. It seems clear to 

me that the only thing examination boards 

and schools care about it the summit of that 

mountain and not how you get there. 

Frederick J Kelly was the inventor of standardized 

testing and he says, “These tests are too crude 

to be used and should be abandoned.” However 

we still use tests like these even though the 

man who organised them agrees that they are 

completely ineffective. Besides, can intelligence 

only be measured by a test? I would like to think 

there is more to me than a number between 9 to 

1. I am not simply a statistic. 

Furthermore, have you ever wondered why there 

is a hierarchy of subjects? Think about it. Why 

is Science and Maths more important than 

Drama or Art? Drama can teach you to interact 

with other people and Art can teach people to 

be creative. The ancient Greeks knew this only 

too well. Yet, in today’s system the ‘Holy Trinity’ 

of English, Maths and Science reign supreme! 

I believe every subject should be given equal 

weighting. In this way the student can focus on 

their dream and not the dream of the Minister 

of Education. 

Finland is a great example of a country who 

has completely reformed their education 

system. In Finland they have shorter school 

days, no homework and instead of focusing on 

competition they focus on collaboration. You 

would think other counties would stand up and 

take note of what is going on over there wouldn’t 

you? Look, I’m not asking for much. I don’t want 

to be ‘hot housed’ like some students in the 

Far East. I just want to enjoy learning. I want 

to discover, open doors into new worlds, take 

my time, enjoy the learning journey. Some of 

my teachers help me open those doors but too 

many of them are shut in my face because they 

don’t fit the exam criteria of today. As I enter my 

final year of GCSE I know that I am one more 

student being pushed through an outdated, 

dysfunctional and broken system. 

I would like to finish by leaving you with this 

point to consider. Remember the fish and the 

tree? If you take away the tree in the analogy 

and place a lake there the fish will think it’s 

smart. So why can’t we do this with the British 

education system and change it so every student 

can thrive? 

73


Religious Studies: 

Spirited Arts 

by Mrs Wagner-Hall, Head of Religious Studies 

This year sees Halliford pupils entering The NATRE (National Association of Religious 

Education) ‘Spirited Arts’ competition for the third year. 

Sprinted Arts, (formally ‘Art in Heaven’) is an annual competition run since 2004 for 

Religious Studies pupils from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 5. 

Halliford is proudly entering pupils across Key Stage 3 (Year 7, 8 and 9), Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) and 

we even have entries from the 6th Form. Spirited Arts gives pupils a chance to be creative and imaginative 

in Religious Studies. This year’s themes were: Holy Space, Pray, Doubt and Faith, Looking for God and 

Making Peace. 

Name: Jethro Knight-Thompson 

Theme: Prayer 

How does my picture represent the theme? 

“Praying rescues people from the 

sin of the world and brings them 

closer to God” 

Name: Anthony Robins-Kent 

Theme: Making Peace 


“My picture shows peace, 

nature and prayer” 

74


Name: Daniel Winders 



“I chose ‘making peace’ as my topic as I thought it 

would be a good idea to represent how important 

peace between different groups is. I wanted to depict 

the world with a peace symbol over it as this should 

encourage all people, no matter what their race or 

ethnicity to get along” 

Name: Lucas Dallon 

Theme: Doubt and Faith 


“I’ve represented the 5 Pillars of Islam 

supporting the worlds weight and 

they are cracking from disbelief but 

they are then healed by prayer” 

Name: William Jackson 

Theme: Holy Space 


“My interpretation was based around 

the theme of ‘Holy Spaces’. My holy 

space is not a formal space but a sunset 

with the sea in front. I, like others, 

find this scene calling and relaxing 

and this helps with mindfulness” 

Name: Luke Ingles 



“My interpretation of making peace depicts 

the Trinity and all parts have a role to play 

in making peace for the world in the form 

of a magic potion!” 

75


Science Club Report 

by Dr Brookes 

Science club endeavours to engage students in scientific investigation, stretching them beyond the curriculum. 

This year, pupils took on a number of varied tasks requiring scientific inquiry, team work skills and resilience! 

Activities varied, ranging from the use of 

levers/pulley systems for the safe passage 

of tomatoes (the Squashed Tomato 

Challenge), construction of bridges and 

investigating elastic potential energy 

through the design of a catapult. Like 

Robot Wars, catapults competed against 

one another to demonstrate their power, 

range and accuracy. 

Our space related themes explored 

creating space crafts’ resistant to the 

extreme heat of the sun. Pupils attempted 

to prevent chocolate from melting upon 

exposure to extreme heat by designing 

and building an insulated vessel for the 

chocolate. Needless to say they did 

incredibly well; the chocolate survived 

the heat but not the mastication by the 

tempted few! 

Pupils were also entered into Halliford’s 

version of ‘Have you got what it takes to 

be an astronaut?’. Under timed conditions 

and pressure, pupils piloted a drone 

through an obstacle course to reach the 

landing pad safely. Having judged their 

efforts, I can safely say one should never 

sit in an aircraft piloted by any of them! 

Their ability to recall number sequences 

backwards whilst being slightly distracted, 

was more impressive. 

Other activities during Science club 

included quizzes, hosted by a year 10 

student, Brian Okwaisie. Our younger 

pupils took on a sixth form panel and 

proved to be tough competition. 

To finish the year, we ran a Science version 

of ‘Call my bluff’. Pupils were provided 

with a set of obscure scientific words, 

which they researched and wrote down 

the correct and two additional, made-up 

definitions. The competitiveness of 

the boys shone through as the game 

progressed. 

The opportunities provided this year 

during Science Club allowed the pupils 

to show off their aptitude for Science. 

As a result, some were entered into the 

regional championship of the SATRO 

Surrey challenge. As we move forward 

with the club, I hope to see more of 

our members entered into external 

competitions to show case their talent. 

On a final note, Science club has had 

another successful year thanks to the 

regular help from our amazing sixth 

former’s. Unfortunately, they depart 

Halliford this year to head off to university. 

Both myself and the rest of the science 

club members would like to wish them the 

very best of luck. It has been a privilege 

working with the sixth former’s and 

watching them engage with the younger 

pupils during the club sessions. 

Looking forward to seeing what 2018 / 

2019 holds in store. 

76


Enterprise Day 

by William Greaves, Year 8 

Our year group took part in ‘Enterprise Day’. 

In forms, we were put into groups of four or 

five and were supposedly ‘entrepreneurs’. 

On this occasion, we were briefed and 

asked to design a chocolate bar. We had to 

state the brand name, price and wrapper, 

then pitch to judges, just like the famous 

television programme ‘Dragons Den’. 

I was put into a very successful group and 

our brand name was called ‘Break’em’Bars’. 

Our bar name was ‘Breakamel’ it was a 

chocolatey biscuit containing caramel 

and wrapped in marshmallow. I very 

much enjoyed the occasion, and think it 

should be considered an annual event for 

Halliford School. 


Some Happy Moments at Halliford 

by Calam, Year 7 

One of my favourite moments was getting into the A team for Halliford U12 (Football is my 

favourite sport). I started off in the B team for Halliford School and I was really disappointed. 

So I went to all of the training events after school on Monday. I must have done well because 

after one game I moved up into the A team. During my second game for the A team I scored 

and I was really proud of myself. 

Although I love playing home or away when I’m on the coach to a game I’m incredibly nervous. 

It’s only when I get onto the pitch that the nerves disappear and I get into the zone. 

Fridays are the best days for Year 7 at Halliford because it’s games ALL afternoon! 

Another happy memory for me here is when I took part in the Halliford Song Contest. Not 

only did we have to learn a song called Mercy by Shawn Mendes but we had to sing in front 

of the ENTIRE school! We tried our best but sadly we came in at second place even though 

we all put in a tremendous amount of effort. After that competition we had to learn another 

song called Ain’t no Mountain High Enough and we did so well that we won it, everyone was 

flabbergasted and so happy 

77


Current Affairs Club 

by Daniel Wilkes, Year 9 

CURRENT AFFAIRS CLUB is an all 

year, inclusive club that is run by Mrs 

Wilbraham on Wednesday lunch time. 

During the club we look at and discuss 

top news stories of the week (Donald 

Trump appears frequently). 

Mrs Wilbraham prepares a short list of 

topics each week prior to the club, to be 

expanded on and discussed, students 

also come with their own topics of 

interest. Each member brings their 

own bits of knowledge to the debate. 

After discussing the topics there is 

a quiz at the end, which is (at the 

moment) being run by DofE students, 

to test how informed we are about 

the news this week. The quiz covers a 

range of genres to give everyone in the 

team a chance to contribute, leading 

to a very competitive atmosphere 

between the teams – and prizes for 

the winners. 

Current Affairs Club is a great club for 

people who enjoy reading the news and 

have an interest in what is happening 

both at home and abroad. The club has 

a friendly atmosphere and helps you to 

understand the world around you. 

Star Wars Club 

by ‘General Leia’ Wilbraham 

AS THE PREMIERE of The Last Jedi 

approached, Star Wars Club had many 

questions they wanted answered. 

Would Rey turn out to be Kylo Ren’s 

sister? What role would Luke Skywalker 

play in the film? What was a Porg? 

Would Mrs Wilbraham ever manage to 

score more than a disappointing 3 out 

of 25 on Will’s fiendishly difficult Star 

Wars quizzes? 

We met weekly in the Autumn and 

Spring terms to answer these and other 

questions. The club was brilliantly 

run by the students, with excellent 

presentations from Will McGuigan, 

Aidan Saunders and Misha Edwards 

delving into the back stories of various 

characters, the production design of 

the movies and poring over the details 

of newly released Lego sets to see if 

they could give any clues as to plots. 

A bit like Luke Skywalker, we now 

are on hiatus and our members have 

returned to the broader umbrella of 

Sci-Fi Club. The as yet untitled Star 

Wars IX goes into production next year, 

when no doubt we will buckle on our 

laser blasters and dust off the lightsabres 

for more Star Wars themed 

discussions… 

78


Summer Soirée 

The glorious and prolonged warm, sunny weather contributed 

to the success of another summer musical evening, this year 

being the ‘Summer Soirée’. The setting of our own courtyard, 

once again provided our musicians with the opportunity to 

share their musical achievements with a large audience of 

parents, staff governors and friends of Halliford School in an 

evening which celebrates the work of the Music Department 

and marks the end of yet another academic year. As always, this 

event was supported by our Chef, his team and the PTA who 

provided the meal and drinks, Phil Abott with his sound and 

lighting team and, of course, our administrative staff. 

The performance repertoire covered the music of a diverse range 

of composers and song writers including classical, jazz, musical 

theatre, rock and pop and folk influenced styles. There were 

some emotional and polished performances from The Halliford 

Singers and Junior Choir and from the Year 7 and 8 Rock Bands. 

The School Orchestra performed Mozart’s Symphony No. 

40 and The Jazz Band delivered an extensive set of Jazz Funk 

Masterpieces. As always, our vocalists played a key part in the 

evening and there were some stand out solo performances. 

The evening was seamlessly held together by our compère and 

leader of the Halliford Jazz Band, Mr Jake Fryer. 


Always a Hallifordian! by Max, Year 9 

Halliford School has taught me to welcome people, how to socialise and how to feel part of a 

community. 

On my first day at Halliford in September 2015 I was as nervous as you could be. I only 

knew a handful of people and was scared about meeting other people. But when I arrived 

here I immediately felt welcomed and at home. From then on I have felt like I am part of a 

community. One thing I would say is that the time simply flies by. I can’t believe I’m already 

going into Year 10! 

I will always come back here, even after I leave and go to University. I often see ‘old boys’ 

returning for special events and I really like to see them. It helps to know that once you are a 

Hallifordian, you are always a Hallifordian! 

79


Silver Duke of Edinburgh 

Assessment by Mr King 

Halliford’s Silver Duke of Edinburgh cohort for 2018 were an absolutely fantastic bunch of 

students, and they really embraced the spirit of adventure that is so important with DofE. 

The group worked together and maintained an excellent sense of humour throughout. 

After their rainy practice expedition, they deserved some sun and they got it! Scorching 

temperatures during the expedition led to a need for the boys to be responsible and 

sensible, looking after each other and making sure they stayed hydrated throughout 

the long hike. The evenings at the campsite were relaxing and pleasant, as the sun lazily 

disappeared behind the treeline. After dinner the students came to chat with us about the 

expedition, previous trips and everyone was keen to share funny anecdotes. 

Throughout the day the boys had demonstrated 

their skills and I was truly impressed by the 

maturity of these Hallifordians. To inspire some of 

the students to continue honing their skills and 

hopefully acquire a lifelong love for the outdoors, 

we encouraged those who were interested to 

have a go at some advanced outdoors skills, such 

as friction fire, and all participants were given the 

opportunity to learn about the trees and plants they 

were passing on their routes. To tell you more about 

the expedition I have enlisted one of the students, 

Adam Baxendale, to recount his experiences: 

Our Duke of Edinburgh Silver Expedition got off 

to a slow start, with everyone convening around 

the mini bus, excited to start another enthralling 

expedition. It was all going well: the van was 

packed, rucksacks were looking sleek and organised, 

and everyone was in good spirits. Then we realised 

that it was too good to be true, we had almost 

forgotten that our most reliable member of the 

team was nowhere in sight, or even on site for that 

matter. In fact, Armaan Alavi was fast asleep, still 

tucked up in bed and oblivious to the fact that 

everyone else was waiting patiently for his arrival 

for a 20km hike! Mr Heeney became increasingly 

concerned as the minutes past and the phone calls 

were unable to connect. After a while he attempted 

to call the home phone and to our surprise there 

was an answer. Mr Heeney’s face broke into a wide 

smile and it was apparent that Armaan was in quite 

a panic, jumping out of bed and attempting to pack 

his bag. 

80


His haste has to be commended and to his credit he 

had a rucksack ready in seconds, however, speed 

isn’t everything as it later transpired that he had 

forgotten to pack the majority of his equipment. 

This humorous interlude concluded, we arranged 

to meet our sleepy team-mate at the start point, 

and soon the minivan set off so that the hike could 

get under way. 

Upon arriving in Westhumble at the starting point, 

we scanned our map, familiarizing ourselves with 

the lengthy, yet enjoyable, first day’s route. Soon 

enough, both groups set off and stormed their 

way down through Ranmore Common to Wotton 

Hatch. We efficiently reached the first checkpoint 

and continued towards our lunch stop, however, 

it was here that the cracks in Armaan’s hurried 

packing started to let him down; with limited 

food in his bag he was forced to scavenge off other 

people to form a lunch of sorts. 

Meanwhile, Sam Walker was in a dazed state 

for most of the morning due to the “early” start, 

which he claimed was made unnecessary by certain 

team-mate’s late arrivals. For a while he really did 

resemble an extra from The Walking Dead! 

Despite these minor issues the groups did not 

get lost and worked their way down to pass Leith 

Hill, having to stop regularly for water breaks 

due to the relentless heat. As we were walking, 

the teachers were rushing between checkpoints 

and water points to keep the students hydrated. 

After a busy day by all, the students and teachers 

reached the campsite almost simultaneously and 

prepared to enjoy a relaxed evening around camp. 

At the campsite jubilation was in the air as the 

teachers informed the participants that Germany 

had been knocked out of the World Cup! It felt 

like a party atmosphere and everyone was in good 

spirits. In traditional fashion we cooked over a 

Trangia stove! I wouldn’t say it was a la carte but 

we chomped down on a basic yet fulfilling meal 

of pasta, vegetarian sausage and tomato and basil 

sauce. We know how to DofE! 

The next morning passed without hitch, as did 

the rest of the second day, with the students 

successfully navigating their way through 

Holmwood Common (a particularly complex 

route through a maze of paths making this a very 

technical section). Eventually, after a day on our 

feet, we returned to the campsite celebrating 

another successful day of walking. The teachers 

allowed us to be self-sufficient and as a group 

we decided to go over to their encampment and 

socialise for the evening. Sitting round the fire 

with the teachers, everyone swapping stories and 

jokes, was a lovely end to the day and left everyone 

in good spirits for the final leg of the trip. 

The group completed the third day of the 

expedition smoothly and efficiently and returned 

home feeling DofE heroes! The trip was great; 

tiring but extremely rewarding and the group 

had really worked together over the three day 

expedition. This had seriously impressed our 

teachers and the assessors seemed to be happy 

with our progress over the adventure. 


The New Headmaster by George, Year 8 

Since I arrived at Halliford School things have changed and some things have been the same. 

We have a new Headmaster called Mr Davies. He wears a black gown in assembly and at first 

he seemed quite fierce but he’s actually very friendly when you chat to him! 

Most of the pupils have been very friendly. It’s strange when you first arrive here. Everyone is 

from different schools and you think you’ll never fit in or find friends. But that all changes really 

quickly! Now, it feels like I’ve been here forever! 

We have a wide range of sports and activities you can take part in. In games we have the chance 

to play football, rugby and cricket. The sports change over the seasons. We have different 

meals every day and they are delicious. There is plenty of choice in the Bistro but I always like to 

have a snack during first break in the tuck-shop too! 

81


Manor Mead by Charlie Block, Upper Sixth 

The academic year of 2017-2018 

was a strong one for Halliford’s 

relationship with Manor Mead. 

The 6th form had far more 

volunteers than in previous years 

offering a healthy mix of lower 

and upper 6th students. Due to 

this healthy turnout and how 

helpful the staff were to organise 

rotas and travel, we were able to 

open up the opportunity to the 

year 11 prefects for the first time. 

This meant that, for the first time 

ever, Halliford School was able to 

send eight students each week 

to play with the children, read to 

them and help them with their 

work. Although, this increased 

the difficulty of organising our 

weekly visits, the majority of 

volunteers seemed to hold a 

positive attitude. 

The Manor-Mead children enjoy 

the weekly visits from Halliford 

as it brings new and some 

familiar faces to their classes and 

playgrounds. Whilst it is easy to 

say that they have benefited from 

our visits, the truth is that the 

Hallifordians have learned more 

from their interaction with these 

young people whether reading 

to them, playing music for them, 

playing football with them or 

helping them to eat their lunches. 

Well done to everyone who 

volunteered. 


Help when you need it by William, Year 8 

Halliford School is a great place to be. Since I have been here I have done many School 

activities including competing in sports against other schools, School trips and even a School 

play. I have to say that the food here is amazing: the lunch is always healthy and at break you 

can buy croissants and snacks for a bargain price. The teachers at Halliford School are so 

kind and friendly and help you whenever you need it most. The only thing I don’t like is exams 

week. Boring! 

82

Summer Sports Reports 

Summer Term 

Sports Report, 2018 


CRICKET 

U12 

The U12 team have made huge strides forward with their cricket and finished the season strongly. With 

quite an inexperienced squad, with cricket being new to several of the boys, it was always going to be 

a tough summer. However, with the back bone of the team being made up of some talented cricketers, 

the others could lean on them for strong leadership, guidance and ultimately they learnt a lot from this 

turning into a tidy and superbly close nit squad. The opening fixture was against Salesian and proved to 

be a tough one. 

There were some encouraging bowling figures and an impressive 48 from Jivraj Singh with the bat but 

the run-rate was slow due to a tight attack. The boys needed to learn that you had to push harder and 

play more positively in order to get a good target to protect, a strategy employed by the boys going 

forward through the season. Salesian achieved the win fairly comfortably in the end. The team then got 

a hard fought win over Claremont and some fantastic fielding allowed this. Particular mention to Lucas 

Lindstrup for a brilliant diving catch at point. 

Another encouraging performance against Tiffin followed where the boys only just fell short in chasing 

123. There were certainly some signs of improvement. With the batting order not settled the U12’s faced 

St James away on a glorious Friday afternoon. The run-rate was slow and this left an easy chase for the 

opposition which they duly achieved. And then on to Churchers which was a fantastic match. They set a 

huge 151 from their 20 overs but undeterred Halliford tightened the velcro on their pads and battled on. 

A solid 43 from Ollie De Gruchy was superb but it was James Webley who stole the show. Rarely does a 

fielding team tremble and hope the ball doesn’t come their way such was the ferocity with which he was 

striking the ball. 41 he scored in a third of the number of balls but it wasn’t enough and Halliford fell 

eight runs short. Confidence gained. 

Two wins ensued and again the matches came down to the wire. Latymer fell three short of Halliford’s 

total and then a slightly more comfortable victory against Wimbledon College followed. The boys then 

had an exciting opportunity to play in a 6 a side tournament. A great experience was gained and a feast 

of cricket enjoyed and with the waterfall style of the tournament it allowed for an extremely competitive 

outing. The teams final match fell against St George’s and what a finale. The boys put on a great total 

83


of 156 on a beautiful summers morning. Jivraj Singh the pick of the batsman on his return from injury 

hitting 42. Our bowling and fielding were outstanding but some of the batting from the opposition 

were up to the challenge. In a match of twists and turns, St George’s managed to get the total with just 

four bowls to spare. It was a great spectacle and a testament to the team and how they had developed 

across the season. Notable performers through the season were Jivraj Singh with both bat (average 35) 

and ball, and Ollie De Gruchy (batting average 23) who captained the side superbly in the absence of 

Jivraj for four matches. 

The B team didn’t manage a win this season but were excellent in persistence, team work and enthusiasm. 

They developed hugely as a team and, with most new to the game, showed some good ability. Matthew 

Sanders was an excellent captain for them and was meticulously organised. Kayjay Moss was the 

stand out performer for them and actually got promoted to the A team where he became a reliable 

in-swinging seam bowler. A great season for the Year 7 cricketers and although on paper they were not 

hugely successful, if success were measured on courage, unity and resilience then they had a brilliant 

one. 

U13 

The U13 Cricket season has enjoyed some glorious summer weather and provided a wonderful backdrop 

for many games held at Shepperton Cricket Club across all age groups. Despite well-attended preseason 

Cricket nets, the season for the A-team started with a disappointingly easy loss to Salesian 

College by 9 wickets. The team didn’t ever get going with bat or ball and it was a rude awakening for 

the boys. Fortunately this was followed up by an easy win v Radnor House, with Eddie Clark scoring 

36 and Captain Sam Stace (24) before both being retired. Eddie then led from the front opening the 

bowling and finished with figures of 12/4, winning the game by 41 runs. The 3rd game of the season was 

versus Claremont and after setting an excellent team-effort score of 157, the boys were clinical with the 

ball. The bowling figures helped give the boys a winning margin of 117 and were as follows: MacDonald 

8/3; Clark 4/2; A. Whicker 8/2 and G. Whicker 2/1. The next 2 games were very disappointing. A huge 9 

wicket loss to Churcher’s College and a tight loss to Tiffin after our target of 81 was simply not enough, 

despite Keaton Mengers (41) scoring half of the runs and Euan Cole 8/2 doing his best with the ball. 

These losses reignited the boy’s passion for the game and then led to an unbeaten run for the remainder 

of the season* 

It started with a hard fought win against Claire’s Court, where Mengers was controversially given out 

in an unsportsmanlike play, but will serve as a steep learning curve. Stace had his game of the season 

with a super knock of 50 before choosing to retire and then followed this up with an impressive 4 overs 

of spin, taking a wicket and giving up a measly 7 runs. Hosting Latymer at home and using our home 

field advantage, the boys posted a great score of 137 with Max Hobbs batting at 5 and scoring 31 not out. 

The bowling was mixed when an inspirational change brought on Jack Emery and saw 3 wickets quickly 

fall in 4 balls, including 2 incredible catches to the delight of the supporting parents. With positivity 

running through the team and a good support ever-present, the boys hosted Wimbledon College on a 

Tuesday evening at SCC. Led by the batting prowess of opener Mengers, who almost managed to bat 

out until the end with a well-played inning of 53, the boys set another great target of 157. The fielding 

started well and it looked like it was going to be an early finish, but then the boys switched off and 

sloppy bowling, fielding errors and a lack of cohesion took this into the latter overs. Fortunately with 

WC chasing the game, it gave the boys energy to find their feet (and arms), as 3 excellent run-outs 

finished out a tight 11-run win. 

The boys attended the Reigate 6’s Cricket Festival on Wednesday 27th June on one of the hottest days of 

the year and competed in an excellent end of season tournament. The boys had a mixed day with some 

tight results, but performed admirably throughout their group games before narrowly missing out on 

the semi-final. An opening loss to Reeds School woke the boys up and after analysing their performance, 

came out on the attack and scored impressively in a win over KCS. They followed this up with another 

excellent performance against St. Johns, Leatherhead in the following group stage. Unfortunately a 

narrow loss to the hosts RGS meant that the boys failed to progress to the semi-final due to a rundifference 

scoring system, but should be extremely proud of their performance both in this tournament 

and throughout the season. 

The U13 B Team have produced some excellent displays when called upon during a stop-start season this 

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U14 

U15 

term. An early win against Tiffin school set the standard for which they wanted to perform this season. 

George Whicker hit a swift 18 to help set a target of 131 before taking 8/2. Paul-Louis Howard also took 

a brace of wickets for 8 runs as they held the opposition to 84 runs and completed a comprehensive 

victory. 

A strong Latymer team were the next challenge and a huge challenge it was on a sunny away day. Jules 

Wain and Ollie Powell set the tone by setting a target of 86 with some decent batting and scoring 24 and 

17 respectively, before taking a wicket a piece as well. Unfortunately the opposition reach3ed this total 

easily with 8 overs to spare but it was a battling display and the boys learnt a lot from it, taking many of 

the lessons into the next game against Wimbledon College. In the first game where the boys decided to 

opt for a run chase instead, they bowled incredibly well and restricted their batsman to 52 runs all out. 

The best of the bowling figures came from Captain, Louis Fidler 3/2 and Will Harvey 1/2, whilst the rest 

of the attack combined for the remaining wickets. Opening batsman Ollie Powell (23), Riley Wittington 

(16) and the bowling extras then combined to reach the total within 6 overs, finishing an all-round fine 

display. 

The Under 14A team led by the mercurial Christopher Cole have been very impressive with both bat and 

ball. With strong batting performances from James Taylor, Alex Donnelly, Josh Burson, Archie Evans, 

Alex Clifton and Rhys Day there have been no shortage of runs in all matches played. 

Cole has amassed over 50 runs on three occasions against Latymer Upper, Salesian College and St 

Georges College while Day scored 50 runs before retiring against Wimbledon College. The team have 

been equally impressive at times with the ball with impressive spells from Captain Cole, Alex Donnelly, 

James Taylor and Archie Evans. 

This is a very tight knit team with a good collective spirit and drive to perform well. Fielding performances 

have been energetic and pressurised the opposition consistently well. Barney Mather has kept wicket 

reliably throughout the season with his usual ‘ear to ear’ grin. It has been a great pleasure to work with 

these young men and I cannot think of a better season to be my last here at Halliford with these U14s. I 

have enjoyed every moment in their presence, even the singing in the minibus has been vaguely tolerable. 

The U14B team have also performed very well this season however their participation has been subject 

to opposition schools failing to match our enthusiasm to offer depth in each age group. 

The team led by Captain Jones have had much to celebrate with both bat and ball amassing 3 wins out of 

4 matches. The highlight being a 5 wicket victory over the notoriously tricky Churcher’s College. 

The highlight for the team, and the school in general has been the weekly delivery of a highly entertaining 

match report by Captain Jones. In the future if he is not selected to play cricket for Wales, he may well 

end up commentating on their matches. 

The B team have been regular trainers and in each session worked very hard to improve performance. 

This self-drive is impressive and shows great intent to continue to enjoy and develop their cricket. The 

attitude and commitment allows this age group to have well over two teams worth regularly being 

available to play. Numbers have never been a problem, but selection and team management has thrown 

up some interesting dilemmas. I am however, always happy to play a 12th, 13th and even 14th man if 

needs be. Well done lads- Keep working and approach each session with the question ‘What do I want 

to improve in today’s’ session?’ 

The U15’s have played 5 and won 3 games this year. They had to wait a long time for their first fixture. 

Games against Leighton Park and Claremont were cancelled by weather and opposition. We then 

travelled to Tiffin, only for the opposition not to turn up as they wrongly believed it was an afternoon 

game. This meant that the visit of Churchers College was the first game. We put in a strong batting 

performance, with Captain Chris Jones constructing a well-deserved fifty and Christian Tate showing 

what a useful addition to the side he is. The bowling was equally impressive, with wickets being shared 

between all the bowlers. This meant that the season started with a very good victory. 

This was followed by the visit of Claires Court to Vandals. We got off to a poor start with the bat, but a 

dogged partnership between Timmy Hamilton and Christian Tait got us back on track. Their effort laid 

85


the foundation for Jonah Peppiatt and Danny Hamilton to get us up to a competitive total. After Sam 

Clifton took an early wicket, Claires Court dominated the first ten overs and were on track to chase down 

our total. Thankfully however Ben Cooper took a vital wicket, followed by a couple more, as we managed 

to restrict their scoring rate, leading to a thirteen run victory. 

The next match was away at Latymer. Batting first the innings never really got going. Sam Clifton led the 

way with 27, and Harry Curtis and Christian Tate contributed 18 and 15 respectively. Tight bowling meant 

that we could never quite push on, and we ended up on 102 for 8. The Latymer opening pair got them off 

to a good start and despite wickets from Chris Jones and Sam Clifton, they chased the total quite easily, 

winning by 8 wickets. 

Only three U15’s, Captain Harry Curtis, Olly Parsons and Harry Gibbons, making his long awaited return 

to the side, made up the team to face Shiplake. This was due to a Duke of Edinburgh expedition. The rest 

of the side was made up of U14’s. Chris Cole bowled their opener first ball, but unfortunately it was a 

No-Ball. The Shiplake openers went on to punish our bowlers, but thanks to a very tight spell from Olly 

Parsons we managed to restrict Shiplake to 167 for 3 off their 20 overs. Chris Cole, 79 not out, and James 

Taylor, 12, got us off to a good start. Archie Evans, 20, played really well in a strong partnership with 

Chris. This set the foundation for a comprehensive 7 wicket win. 

On a baking hot day with very short boundaries we set about trying to keep a powerful St George’s 

team down to a gettable score. Their openers put on 75 and were looking strong until Clifton bowled 

the lesser scoring batsman. The other was joined by another big-hitter and it wasn’t until they were on 

141 that Clifton made another breakthrough. Taking the captain with a beautiful deli very which pitched 

on leg, turned sharply and clipped the top off. The y went on to make 203 for 3 from their 20 overs with 

Jones taking the third Wicket. 

We began the chase conservatively with Clifton and Hamilton being possibly too careful but Hamilton 

T. reached 10 before attempting a sharp single and being narrowly run out. Jones joined Clifton and the 

runs began to flow more freely. When Jones was out to a top edge and Tait joined Clifton, the chase was 

on. Several lusty blows later we looked like we could do it. Clifton passed 100 and we really began to 

believe. Unfortunately he fell on 101 and the innings stuttered. Eventually we finished 20 runs short 

but had enjoyed playing an almost equal part in a game that saw 386 runs scored in 40 overs. Quite a 

run-fest! 

The boys have been great company throughout the season, and I can’t wait to see how they perform in 

the 1XI next year. 

1st XI 

The 1XI have endured a tricky season this year, although this was certainly not due to a lack of enthusiasm 

and commitment. The team was very well led by Gareth Hart, who was ably supported by Vice-Captain 

James Wooltorton. 

The first game saw us travel up to Shiplake. After a very impressive new ball performance from Oscar 

Leigh-Hales and Will Fallon, James Wooltorton took six wickets with his off-spin, including a hat-trick. 

We kept them down to a reachable total, and victory looked like a possibility with the opening pair of 

James Wooltorton and Archie Laird getting us off to a good start. Tom Boynton anchored the innings, 

but despite a couple of lusty blows from Gareth Hart we fell short of their total. This was followed by a 

home and away double header against Gordons. We put together a strong batting performance in both 

matches, with contributions from Archie Laird and Aaron White in particular, however in both matches 

the same two batsmen proved too much for us, leading to two Gordons victories. 

Our next match against Tiffin fell victim to the weather. This was followed by a trip down to Churchers 

College. After being put into bat on a lively track, we fell victim to a devastating opening ball spell. 

Only our senior pro Nick Barker made any real contribution to the total. During the innings we were 

privileged to see the very rare sight of Tom Imperato batting, and his two runs received an almighty cheer 

from the boundary. Churchers chased our total fairly easily. Although we lost the match, we did win the 

warm up, the on field chat, and ball of the day for Gareth Hart’s wicket. This meant that we certainly 

came away with a moral victory. 

86


The youngest side of the season took the field against Latymer. Once again James Wooltorton and 

Archie Laird got us off to a good start, but neither could go on to capitalize on this. The middle order 

of Christian Tate and Chris Jones helped to move the scoreboard along, scoring 24 and 15 respectively. 

Tate unfortunately fell to one of two poor umpiring decisions, leading to us being bowled out for 106. 

Sadly with the ball we had no luck whatsoever. Despite some tight bowling and a good fielding display 

Latymer got off to a strong start. Despite a wicket from James Weatherall, and three from Gareth Hart 

Latymer chased down our total for the loss of 5 wickets. The atmosphere on the field was superb. The 

match ended with a seven man slip cordon, much to the surprise of the opposition and the amusement 

of us. 

The season culminated with the visit of the MCC. Their team was very strong, chocked full of Premier 

League Cricketers. Once again our side was bolstered by the addition of Halliford’s Swansea contingent; 

Harry Churchill, Tom Reed, Gavin Kinder, Ali Kinder, and Sean Ayode. The MCC batted first and Oscar 

Leigh-Hales and Will Fallon made life very difficult for the openers. They were very unlucky not to pick 

up a wicket during their opening spell, although Will got a deserved breakthrough in his second spell. 

Ali Kinder removed both openers with a very good spell of quick bowling. All the bowlers toiled very 

hard, in what was the best display of bowling and fielding all season. The MCC eventually declared on 

276 for 5. 

Our reply did not get off to the best of starts, losing two wickets to brilliant deliveries in the first over. 

Oliver Chadwick and Sean Ayode batted with good discipline to help re-build the innings. Unfortunately 

wickets fell at regular intervals, and despite contributions from Harry Churchill and Will Reed, we 

found ourselves on the end of a heavy defeat. This did not detract from what was a superb day, played 

in a fantastic spirit. 

A final record of played 6 won 0 was not a fair reflection of the effort and commitment that the boys 

have shown this season. Despite being on the receiving end of some strong opposition performances, 

the boys played with a fantastic attitude and spirit. They have been a super bunch of lads to be around, 

and it has been a very enjoyable season. 

This year Cricket Colours were awarded to the following boys: 

Year 11: Archie Laird, Will Fallon, Oscar Leigh-Hales, Tom Boynton, Lewis Job, 

Matt Ballardie, Louis De Schynkel. 

Year 12: James Weatherall, Aaron White, Oliver Chadwick. 

The Nauticalia Bat 

Was awarded to James Wooltorton. 

Headmasters 1st XI 

Congratulation to the following pupils for being selected for the Headmasters 1st XI. 

1 Archie Laird (WK) 

2 Keaton Mengers 

3 Chris Cole 

4 Sam Stace 

5 Chris Jones 

6 Rhys Day 

7 Sam Clifton 

8 Olly De Gruchy 

9 Archie Evans 

10 Gareth Hart 

11 Oscar Leigh-Hales 

87


Summer Sports Report 

1st XI Averages 

Batting 

Name Runs Innings Not Out Average 

G Hart 40 4 2 20 

A Laird 86 5 0 17 

J Wooltorton 63 5 0 13 

J Simpkin 34 5 3rd 1 9 

Bowling 

Name Overs Runs Wickets Economy Strike Rate Average 

J Wooltorton 7 29 6 44 7 5 

G Hart 12 87 4 7 18 22 

Leigh-Hales 12 73 1 6 72 73 

Fallon 13 44 3 

Inter House Cricket 

7G v 7R 7W v 7D 

7R v 7D 7W v 7G 

7D v 7G 7W v 7R 

8R v 8G 8D v 8W 

8R v 8D 8G v 8W 

8R v 8W 8G v 8D 

1st: n Russell 2nd: n Desborough 

3rd: n Wadham 4th: n Greville 

1st: n Wadham 

3rd: n Greville 

2nd: n Desborough 

4th: n Russell 

9G v 9R 9W v 9D 

9W v 9G 9D v 9R 

9D v 9G 9R v 9W 

10G v 10R 10W v 10D 

10D v 10G 10R v 10W 

10D v 10R 10G v 10W 

1st: n Wadham 

3rd: n Greville 

2nd: n Desborough 

4th: n Russell 

1st: n Wadham 2nd: n Greville 

3rd: n Desborough 4th: n Russell 

88

Summer Sports Report 

GOLF 

On Friday 25th May we held our annual Halliford Golf Tournament at Sunbury Golf Club with 16 of our 

students, all of whom performed incredibly well. The weather gods were certainly shining down on us 

and this enabled some very impressive golf to be played. The Amateur Tournament was won by Archie 

Evans. The Halliford Golf Competition was won by Max West-Cameron who beat Danny Hamilton by 

only one point, with Joe Graves a further point behind. The Inter-House was won by Greville who beat 

Wadham by just half a point. 

On Wednesday 27th June Joe Graves, Lewis Job, and Max West-Cameron represented the School in the 

National Independent Schools Competition at Burhill. On a boiling hot day the boys put in a very solid 

performance. Lewis and Joe competed well in the U18 Competition, and Max did very well considering he 

was against boys up to four years older than him. Overall we finished about half way, which considering 

the strength of the field, was no mean feat. 


A Wide Range of Clubs by Edward, Year 9 

During my time at Halliford I have met many friendly faces, from both students and teachers. 

The staff are very supportive and will always lend a hand. If you have a problem, they will be 

more than happy to help. The School helps the students become active through a wide range 

of clubs, from sports, to study sessions, to even a politics club. There’s always plenty to do. 

All members of the community are encouraged and motivated by Headmaster James Davies, 

who not only is a fine teacher but is a distinguished musician. He aims to captivate young 

minds and guide them to the future. 

89



INTER-HOUSE BASKETBALL COMPETITION 

Fixtures 

BASKETBALL 

Y7 Y8-9 Y10+ 

D v G 10 - 3 D v G 6 - 18 D v G 4 - 8 

R v W 2 - 12 R v W 4 - 4 R v W 3 - 16 

D v R 8 - 8 D v R 0 - 2 D v R 4 - 0 

G v W 0 - 10 G v W 12 - 2 G v W 4 - 7 

D v W 10 - 5 D v W 0 - 0 D v W 6 - 10 

G v R 0 - 10 G v R 7 - 10 G v R 11 - 4 

Win – 3 points, draw – 2 points and loss – 1 points. 

In the event of a tie, head to head scores count first, then overall points 

difference. 

Senior table: 

Team Wins Draws Losses Points Diff 

1 Wadham 3 0 0 9 +20 

2 Greville 2 0 1 7 +8 

3 Desborough 1 0 2 5 -4 

4 Russell 0 0 3 3 -24 

Intermediate table: 


1 Russell 2 1 0 8 +5 

2 Greville 2 0 1 7 +21 

3 Wadham 0 2 1 5 -10 

4 Desborough 0 1 2 4 -14 

Junior table: 


1 Desborough 2 1 0 8 +8 

2 Wadham 2 0 1 7 +15 

3 Russell 1 1 1 3 -10 

4 Greville 0 0 3 2 -17 

Overall Winner 

1st: n Wadham 2nd: n Greville 3rd: n Desborough 4th: n Russell 

90


The Athletics season has been blessed with incredible summer weather this term, which will culminate 

in the annual Sports Day, held on Wednesday 3rd July at the Xcel Leisure Centre, Walton-on Thames. 

Staff have witnessed some fantastic performances throughout the term from all year groups, during 

lessons, after-school practices and various school meets. 

Students have had the opportunity to participate in a number of different events during their weekly 

PE lessons and acquire skills to help them perform to the best of their ability within an individual event. 

Those who took a keen interest in furthering their knowledge regularly attended the after-school 

club, where a range of activities were offered and tailored to the students’ needs. This also helped the 

selection process for the varying meets this term, which ranged from a large number of KS3 students 

representing the school in several friendly fixtures against St. George’s held at their Athletics track or 

the KS3/4 multi-school competition events hosted by Claremont School. 

Many of the individual highlights came during the Claremont meeting, having been tried and tested at 

the more ‘friendly’ events held at St. George’s. 

Teams varied in size depending on the competition requirements, which often limited performers to a 

reduced number of events but this meant over 30 boys were able to represent Years 7 & 8, whilst almost 

20 boys represented the school at Years 9 & 10. Many athletes performed marvellously well in their 

individual events and these are detailed below, but a special mention must go to all of the boys who 

represented the 4x100m relay teams who rarely lost this year, displaying an outstanding team effort 

irrespective of the changing members or challenging opponents. 

Years 7 and 8 have seen the most progression as the students grow, develop and become more 

confident in their performances. Harry Tuckman has been a standout performer on the track for Year 

7 as he honed his skill as a distance runner. A student with a huge appetite for sporting knowledge, his 

work throughout the year has seen him establish himself amongst his peers as he won X-Country and 

followed it up with several wins on the track in 1000/1500m this term. Louie Patterson has also excelled 

this year winning many 100m and Long Jump events with apparent ease. He has been a great addition 

and runs with an effortless style and confidence, putting him in position to take advantage within his 

events. Other athletes who are to be commended and have performed admirably throughout the term, 

often participating in lesser-preferred events for the sake of the team are Kyle Fynn-Dargue, James 

Webley and Kajay Moss. 

Alex and George Whicker have developed hugely as athletes this year and were the backbone(s) of the 

squad. Offering a range of events from Hurdles to Sprints, Long to High Jump and throwing events too if 

needed meant they were adaptable and highly competitive in whatever they entered. Their commitment 

to the sport was excellent and this created a positive ‘can do’ attitude within the team, whilst ably 

supported by Jack Emery, Oscar McArdle and Louis Fidler. A special mention must go to Logan Harvey 

who is without doubt, the most-improved and standout performer within Year 8 this year. He has put 

in a tremendous amount of effort both in and out of school to develop as a sportsman and his athletic 

performances this term have been the fruition of this hard work. He has come on in leaps and bounds, 

quite literally in Long Jump and has won several Javelin events along the way as well. 

In Year 10, Sam Clifton, an established all-round athlete excelled in several events but wins in the 

100m and High Jump were key in the team finishing 3rd overall. His ‘change’ to High Jump at the 

last minute due to an injured athlete saw him calculate his entry, winning the event with only his 4th 

jump, before attempting the Claremont School record and only missing out due to fact that the relay 

event was going to start without him. Ollie Parsons also performed well on the day, comfortably winning 

the hurdles despite knocking over the first two on a mistimed jump and then coming 3rd overall in the 

Long Jump, due to the lack of his usual event, Triple Jump. Other athletes in this successful team who 

performed admirably were Conor Manzi and Christian Tait, without whom the team would have been 

significantly weaker 

ATHLETICS 

91


Sports Day Results 2018 

H12B Will Harvey 15.04 

H12A Connor Glynn 13.47 

H13B Finlay Strike 14.6 

H13A Kian McGrath 13.55 

H14B Brandon Paul 13.1 

H14A Sam Clifton 12.05 

H15B Archie Laird 12.7 

H15A James Clarke 12.15 

800M12 George Whicker 2.38 

800M13 Spencer Bateman 2.22.7 

800M14 Alfie Reardon 2.33.7 

800M15 Ed Dawson 2.18.9 

800M19 Jack Davey 2.20.3 

200M12C Theo Lloyd 32.82 

200M12B Alex Whicker 29.59 

200M12A Connor Glynn 30.27 

200M13C Rhys Day 31.13 

200M13B Joe Martin 28.91 

200M13A Sankaran Susseelan 28.75 

200M14C Ethan Stewart 28.52 

200M14B Max Jackson 27.65 

200M14A Johnny Davies 27.22 

200M15C Harry Taylor 26.2 

200M15B James Clarke 26 

200M15A Cameron Hampstead 25.26 

200M19B Jack Jesty 11.9 

200M19A Shayam Susseelan 23.66 

100M12D Will Harvey 15.4 

100M12C Will Greaves 15.28 

100M12B Alex Whicker 14.18 

100M12A James Breach 14.28 

100M13D James Tenniswood 14.58 

100M13C Sean Rustin 14.12 

100M13B Joe Martin 13.87 

100M13A Kian McGrath 12.93 

100M14D Jed Aldridge 13.51 

100M14D Jed Aldridge 13.51 

100M14C Jacob Fuller 13.48 

100M14B Brandon Paul 12.39 

100M14A Sam Clifton 12.73 

100M15D Huw Morley 13.66 

100M15C Will Fallon 13.38 

100M15B James Clarke 12.08 

100M15A Shaan Susseelan 11.97 

100M19B Jack Jesty 11.9 

100M19A Ali Kinder 11.17 

400M12B Tom Gilbert 1.16.9 

400M12A George Whicker 1.08.5 

400M13B Jack Pearce 1.08.9 

400M13A Lucas Dallon 1.10.08 

400M14B Remy Matthews 1.09.84 

400M14A Jack Walsh 1.02.5 

400M15B Shaan Susseelan 1.00.6 

400M15A Jacob Paterson 57.13 

1500M12 Eddie Clarke 5.49 

1500M13 Spencer Bateman 4.37.8 

1500M14 Seb Omorojor 5.00.0 

1500M15 Jacob Paterson 4.46.0 

1500M19 Tom Wensley 4.59.0 

R12A Wadham 59.5 

R12B Russell 1.04.0 

R12C Desborough 1.05.0 

R13A Russell 58.82 

R13B Greville 59.57 

R13C Desborough 1.03.87 

R14A Greville 50.97 

R14B Greville 56.13 

R14C Greville 1.01.41 

R15A Russell 51.69 

R15B Russell 52.87 

R15C Russell 56.06 

R19 Russell 47.25 

✸ Broke school record which was set in 1984 

✸ 

92

Sports Day 

DISC12 Oscar McLeish 14.1 

DISC13 Jack Pearce 23.21 

DISC14 Connor Manzi 26.5 

DISC15 Rowan Spencer 19.3 

DISC19 Ali Kinder 28.1 

JAV12 Alfie Starbrook 22 

JAV13 Joe Martin 20.7 

JAV14 Connor Manzi 27.6 

JAV15 Alex McConnon 29.7 

JAV19 Jack Jesty 42.6 

HJ12 Keatan Mengers 1.2 

HJ13 Raff Hollister 1.2 

HJ14 Sam Clifton 1.44 

HJ15 James Clarke 1.61 

HJ19 Ali Kinder 1.6 

LJ12 George Whicker 4.26 

LJ13 Anthony Robins-Kent 4.61 

LJ14 Sam Clifton 5.23 

LJ15 Matthew Robertson 4.8 

LJ19 Sam Cheah 6.15 

SHOT12 Oscar McArdle 7.7 

SHOT13 Henry Gulliver 8.46 

SHOT14 Will Wheeler 9.47 

SHOT15 Calvin Wright 9.57 

SHOT19 Alistair Kinder 10.98 

TJ12 Luke Ingles 8.38 

TJ13 Patrick Wanat 9.5 

TJ14 Alex Linstrup 11.92 

TJ15 James Clarke 11.25 

TJ19 Sam Cheah 12.6 

Awards for Highest Performing Athletes 

Junior – George Whicker 

Inter – Sam Clifton 

Victor Ludorum – Alistair Kinder 

93


Ultimate Frisbee club 

Halliford Ist XI play the MCC 

Phasels Wood 

94



Speech Day 2018 

Leavers Prom at Runnymede Hotel 

95


Work 

Experience 

by Mr Gale, Head of Business 

In July Year 10 undertook a week of work experience. As usual 

there was a wide diversity of placements. Students found 

placements in finance, sales, engineering, leisure, law and sport 

management to name but a few. 

The whole aim of the week is to give 

the pupils a taste of the working 

environment. It is designed to 

develop fundamental core skills 

such as problem solving, teamwork 

and communication skills. It was 

encouraging to hear such positive 

feedback from the firms about 

how well Halliford students had 

performed; below is just a flavour: 

Rocco Laverty: Rocco spent the 

week at Foster Denovo Wealth 

Management plc. Rocco worked on 

a variety of projects including data 

cleansing and marketing promotions. 

Rocco was given responsibility to 

design and lead a presentation on 

using social media to encourage the 

uptake of pensions amongst young 

people. 

Ben D’Azzo: Ben spent the week at 

Besso Insurance based at Lloyd’s 

of London. Ben was working in the 

“Casualty” team which has been 

central to Besso’s rise as a global 

broker. 

William Cannell: William had a 

fascinating week at the Dept of Civil 

Engineering at Imperial College. He 

spent most of the week designing 

new grips and working on the CNC 

machine. Brian Whiting, Head of 

Technical Services, said he was a 

‘great ambassador for the School – 

when can he start working for us?’ 

Bradley Marshall: Bradley spent 

the week at Bazeley Estate Agent in 

Shepperton. Mike, Sarah and Letitia 

showed Bradley the principals of 

good estate agency. He took part 

in valuations, meeting clients and 

marketing properties. 

Halliford is very grateful for all the 

employers who provided the pupils 

with such a valuable experience. 

Halliford Students 

receive Cardiac 

Screening in Memory 

of Former Pupil 

In June over 100 Hallifordians were screened 

by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young 

(CRY) thanks to the outstanding fundraising 

efforts of the family and friends Oliver Griffin, 

former student of Halliford School who 

tragically died from a previously undiagnosed 

heart condition in 2008, aged just 26. 

Oliver’s family and friends have been working 

hard to raise money for the Oliver Griffin 

Memorial Fund. The money is ring fenced 

by CRY to provide screenings for cardiac 

conditions in local young people. The first 

such screening took place at Halliford. 

Owen Griffin, Oliver’s father, said: “This 

particular screening was all down to the 

efforts of the Daniel Fairfax hair salon, 

Laleham, who recently raised £4,000 on 

Oliver’s behalf. We’d love to raise enough 

to arrange one screening per year – if we can 

help prevent just one other family losing a 

much loved young person, that would be a 

fitting tribute to our son.” 

Headmaster, James Davies, said, “We would 

like to thank the Griffin Family for giving 

Halliford students this amazing opportunity 

to be screened. We are immensely grateful 

for all their efforts and look forward to 

continuing to support the vital work of 

the Oliver Griffin Fund to provide further 

screenings for young people.” 

96

– Art Exhibition 2018 – 

Oliver Winship 

GCSE 


GCSE 

Finn Angell-Wells 

GCSE 

Finn Angell-Wells 

GCSE 

97



Jowed El-Hadi 

AS Level 

Jowed El-Hadi 

AS Level 

Jowed El-Hadi 

AS Level 

Jowed El-Hadi 

AS Level 

98


Sam Walker 

GCSE 

Sam Walker 

GCSE 

Sam Walker 

GCSE 

99



Domenic Levett 

A Level 

Harrison McCormack 

AS Level 


AS Level 

100



AS Level 


AS Level 


AS Level 

101



George Gulliver 

AS Level 


AS Level 


AS Level 


AS Level 

102


Jack Healy 

AS Level 

Jack Healy 

AS Level 

Jack Healy 

AS Level 

103



James Moss 

AS Level 

Sam Murray-Smith 

GCSE 

James Moss 

AS Level 

104


Sam Murray-Smith 

GCSE 

Will Reed 

AS Level 

George Rowe 

AS Level 


GCSE 

105



George Rowe 

AS Level 

Darius Tomlin-Fosh 

AS Level 

106



AS Level 


AS Level 

Sam Walker 

GCSE 

107


DESBOROUGH 

House Report 

by Mr Harden-Chaters, Head of House 

What a year it has been for our House! 

My aim, as ever, was to get as many of 

the pupils involved with the inter-house 

competitions as possible and they did not 

disappoint. I cannot tell you how proud I 

am of the contribution each of you have 

made. 

I will be continuing the tradition of 

previous Desborough house reports and 

this year I have decided to put a literacy 

twist on it. Again all names will be 

omitted as sometimes a knowing nod to 

your achievements can, in my experience, 

drive you on to even more next year. See 

if you can spot yourself in the list of 

achievements from this year and think 

about our motto and how you have lived 

up to it: Work, Resilience, Community. 

A fond farewell to our Year 13 pupils who 

have demonstrated what it means to be 

a Desboroughite by throwing themselves 

into each and every competition. A huge 

thank you must also go to everyone’s 

favourite German teacher. He had been 

a part of the House since its inception 

and has contributed so much to what the 

House is today. 

Bewilderment was apparent in the face of 

the opposition when our Junior boys took 

on their peers in basketball. They ran rings 

around the competition and secured the 

Junior element of the competition. 

Continual efforts by all pupils throughout 

the year allowed the merit shield to return 

to its true home in Desborough House. 

Drama proved a very fertile ground in 

terms of achievement for the senior pupils 

in the House. Colours were awarded 

to three sixth form students for their 

tireless endeavours supporting the Drama 

department. 

Even after posting the quickest times in 

Year 7 and 8 cross country we sadly couldn’t 

secure wins in the overall competition. 

Fearful was the best way to describe the 

108 

other competitors in the inaugural Rubix 

Cube race at sports day. Our Year 10 

competitor had been honing his puzzle 

solving skills all year and did not disappoint 

taking home the gold at sports day. 

General knowledge was clearly a particular 

strength for the House in this year’s quiz. 

Four out of the seven year group prizes 

were won by Desboroughites. 

History of sport, why Nandos is the best 

restaurant, social media, homework and 

why it’s coming home were the topics 

Desborough delivered in this year’s hotly 

contested inter-house public speaking 

competition. 

Inspiring performances from pupils in the 

inter-house singing sadly couldn’t seal the 

victory. However the increased difficulty in 

the song choice and the use of a full band 

shows the potential that we have and I am 

sure we will live up to that potential next 

year. 

Judging on the performances of our 

talented footballers it was no surprise 

when three players were selected for the 

Headmaster’s XI. 

Knowing the musical talent in Desborough 

it was of no surprise when the Junior 

award at the Halliford Young Musicians 

Competition was awarded to a Year 9 boy. 

Let me congratulate the Year 9 pupil who 

after dazzling us earlier in the year with 

his sports reports went on to have his 

commentary debut at sports day. 

Music colours were awarded to a Year 

11 pupil recognising his considerable 

contributions to the musical life of the 

school. 

No-one can doubt the middle distance 

prowess of our Year 7 as they finished 

first, second and third in the 800m race at 

sports day. 

One Year 7 proved victorious in the 

800m, 1500m and the triple jump at 

sports day, thus securing himself the best 

new sportsman. This boy surely has a 

bright future ahead of him and is already 

competing at county level. 

Possibly one of the first winners of the 

fabled Desborough hats is our new House 

Captain. He has some big shoes to fill but 

has shown a true love for the House and I 

know he will lead us to glory in a plethora 

of competitions. 

Quite exceptional performances in first 

team football saw colours awarded to one 

Year 11 pupil this year. 

Rugby Colours awarded to two Year 11 and 

6th Form Colours to two more pupils. This 

is one of the biggest sporting honours 

in the school and my praise goes for the 

dedication they have shown. 

Special praise must be given to the 

outgoing House Capitan. Under his 

stewardship the role has grown and we 

have achieved so much down to his hard 

work and dedication. 

Thanks also goes to all of those who have 

contributed to the running of Desborough 

this year. From the tutors, to the prefects 

and the pupils you have made it another 

vintage year for Desborough. 

Unbelievable efforts by the pupils 

on the rugby pitch saw six members 

of Desborough selected for the 

Headmaster’s select XV. 

Victory eluded us in the Year 7, 8 and 9 

cricket competitions, with all of these 

teams missing out on winning and having 

to settle for second place. However 

there were some fantastic individual 

performances. 

We won both Year 7 and 8 inter-house 

football and were thus crowned junior 

champions. This bodes very well for the 

coming years.

Desborough 

LEAVERS 2018 

House Reports 

Raff Bowler Ross Bradley Louis David 

Sam Doherty Isabelle Hardy Harry Hulls 

Tom Mazzon 

Charlotte Wells 

109


GREVILLE 

House Report 

by Mr Howard, Head of House 

Once again, this Year’s Inter House rivalry kicked off 

in style with the Inter-House Singing Competition. 

After a brief consultation about song choices, 

Renegades by the X Ambassadors was chosen. This 

brooding rebellion anthem, which balances gentle 

strumming with an army of “hey-hey-hey”-ing 

backup singers, seemed a popular choice as pupils 

from all year groups seemed happy to participate. 

With an enormous amount of commitment and 

numerous lunchtime practice sessions, under the 

steely leadership of Ben Murray-Smith, the House 

song finally began to evolve into the finished article. 

A big thank you to all the boys involved, in both 

the House song and Form entries, for the hours 

that you put into rehearsing. Although there were 

strong performances in both House (2nd place) 

and Form songs, it was not going to be our year 

again. This will be Mr Williams’ last input into our 

song entries as he leaves Greville to become a sixth 

form tutor in another house. We wish him well for 

the future. Congratulations to Freddie Graves who 

was awarded a school music tie in recognition of his 

significant contributions to the musical life of the 

School. 

With the Autumn term coming to a close, Greville 

and the other Houses locked horns in the Inter 

House Rugby competition and this produced some 

fine individual and team performances throughout 

the Year groups. A second in Year 8 and two thirds 

in both Year 7 and Year 9 meant a third place in the 

Junior competition. Both the Year 10 and the Seniors 

managed a second position so came second overall 

in the Senior competition. Thank you to all those 

who took part in the mud, making those game saving 

tackles and ensuring that the House acquitted itself 

with pride. Congratulations to Will Reed, Ed Hodge, 

Joe Graves and Rory Fossett who were all awarded 

their Sixth Form 1st XV Colours ties and Will Fallon, 

who picked up his Year 11 1st XV Colours tie. 

The memory of Charlotte Worrell, Year 13, being 

awarded the accolade of highest scorer in the School 

General Knowledge quiz seemed like a distant 

memory as the Inter-House Cross Country loomed 

over the horizon midway through the Spring term. 

This year’s Inter House Cross Country competition 

saw strong performances from many of Greville’s 

runners and Spencer Bateman, with a time of 13.00, 

managed to come first in the Year 9 race. However, 

with no Year managing to win overall and with only 

two second place positions, Year 9 and the seniors, 

victory never seemed to be going our way. A massive 

thank you to all the runners who gave a committed 

performance in this race. 

The Spring term also saw the Inter house Football 

competition take place. Although competing 

fiercely in many of the matches, deflections off the 

uprights and crossbar meant that results in the Inter 

House competition did not always go our way. With 

only Year 9 managing to win their Year group and 

with the rest of the Years all performing consistently 

with third positions, there would be no trophy 

coming home to Greville this year. A huge thanks to 

all the Grevillites that took part in the Inter House 

football teams. Amid all this frustrating news, it 

was good to see that individual Grevillites were 

having more success elsewhere. Freddie Graves 11G 

(drums), James Hanley 9W (voice), Oscar Wort 7G 

(drums), Oliver Hume in 8G (piano) were all either 

Commended or Highly Commended in the Halliford 

Young Musicians Competition. 

Normally, in the Summer term, the spectators on 

the Vibe patio are treated to a feast of competitive, 

limited-over Inter House matches. However, 

due to clashes and misunderstandings of match 

dates, more games had to be played during games 

afternoons. This was a shame, as it was a pleasant 

way to spend a sunny lunchtime supporting the 

House. When the final inning had concluded, the 

Seniors had come second but no other Year had 

managed higher than third. The Halliford Ashes 

would not be coming home this year but a huge 

thank you to all the boys who gave up their time to 

represent Greville in these games and to the staff 

that umpired those matches. 

The Inter House Basketball competition, which had 

been running on various lunchtimes throughout 

the Autumn and Spring term, finally concluded in 

the Summer term. Over the last few years, Greville 

has been successful in this competition but it is a 

shame that player availability affected the outcome 

of some of the matches this year. Both the Seniors 

and Intermediates, with one loss each, helped steer 

Greville to second place. Hopefully, we will have 

more success in this competition next year but 

thanks to all those who gave up their time to shoot 

some hoops this year. 

A new purposely built athletics centre, the Excel 

in Walton, was the venue for sports day this year. 

Having memories of fighting my way through the 

traffic on the A3 last year, Walton bridge was a 

pleasure in comparison. Arriving in a slightly more 

relaxed manner, on a gloriously sunny day, to that 

impressive arena, it was clear to see that everyone 

would soon be encapsulated in the competitive 

spirit of Sport’s Day. Even though there were more 

absences than usual, after an initial bit of badgering, 

it was good to see everyone so keen and enthusiastic 

to participate that the gaps were soon filled. In 

the early races, the hurdles and sprints, the day 

got off to a slow start with only Max Hobbs (U13B 

Hurdles) and Will Reed (100m19A) winning their 

races. During the 200m and 400m events, Berkay 

Yalin (200m13A), Jack Walsh (200m15A/400m15A) 

and Rory Fossett (200m19A) managed to win their 

events. With first places too few and far between, 

Greville found itself languishing in last place early 

on. Greville managed to stay in contention as wins 

on the field began to mount up – James Webley 

(U12 SHOT), Alfie Starbrook (U13 JAV), Anthony 

Robins-Kent (U14 LJ/DISC), Jonah Peppiatt (U15 

JAV/DISC) and Jack Walsh (U15 LJ/HT). A special 

mention must go to Spencer Bateman as not only 

did he win his two individual running events, he 

set new records in the U14 800m (2.10.85) and in 

the 1500m (4.30.63). Whilst there were many good 

performances, with many ‘Grevillites’ probably 

achieving their personal bests, I apologise for not 

having enough space to mention them all in this 

report. The day finished with some success in the 

U14A/B and U15A/B 100m relay but as I watched 

Spencer Bateman (Intermediate Sportsman) and 

Jack Walsh (Victor Ludorum) collect their silverware, 

I knew that Greville’s day, unfortunately, had not 

ended in victory. All your contributions, to team 

Greville, on the day were sincerely appreciated but 

I hope that we begin our ascension to the top of the 

pile next year. 

Public Speaking found itself the last Inter House 

competition of the year. The Juniors had their Public 

Speaking competition on the Thursday morning 

before Speech day. The two speeches from Alvin 

Ayuk (Year 7) and Finley Broekhuizen (Year 8) were 

of a good standard and they were well supported by 

their Chairmen and Vote of Thanks. In the Seniors, 

William Wheeler gave a thought invoking speech 

on ‘The Problem with our Education System’ which 

saw him being awarded the Best Speaker. (You can 

read his speech in this publication.) To improve on 

another second position, better communication will 

be needed to arrange more practice times next year. 

A huge thank you to all those that took part in the 

Public Speaking teams. 

Mixed in there this year has been success stories 

such as Barny Mather (Year 9), Sam Clifton (Year 

10) and Joe Graves (Year 12) winning the Inter House 

Golf competition and the Year 13 raising money on 

Inter House charity day. Again, it has been another 

year of close but not close enough. At the moment, 

it seems as though we are in transition as we are 

dominant in neither the sports, music nor academic 

arenas at present. It will be interesting to see where 

the transformation takes us in the future, but I hope 

we will have a more successful time next year. Finally, 

it just remains for me to thank you all for your hard 

work this year whether it has been collecting merits 

or participating in the numerous competitions. I 

hope that you all have a restful break. 

110

Greville 

LEAVERS 2018 

House Reports 

Helena Baglin 

Nicholas Barker 

Charles Block Rustam Jafarov Tom Lee 

Ben Murray-Smith Connor O’Neill James Wooltorton 

Charlotte Worrell 

Max Zander-Holder 

111


RUSSELL 

House Report 

by Mr Shales, Head of House 

I can’t believe that another year has gone by! It only 

seems like yesterday that some of the boys and 

myself were getting ready to jet off to New Zealand 

for the Rugby tour. Russell was represented on the 

tour by Sam Cheah, Beau Easby-Keating, Jack Jesty, 

Jack Healey, Harrison McCormack, Tom Snape, 

Cameron Gildersleeve, James Weatherall, and 

Aaron White. Yet again it has been a successful one 

for Russell House. What makes me so proud to be 

Head of Russell is that every year the commitment 

of the boys continues to grow, and the effort that 

they put in is phenomenal. 

This year’s Upper Sixth were a fantastic group and 

great role models to the rest of the boys. They 

will be sorely missed and on behalf of the boys 

I would like to wish them every success for the 

future. Oliver Hackland-Crowther had a difficult 

act to follow after Tom Foley last year, but he did 

an absolutely superb job. His enthusiasm and 

drive were evident throughout the year and he led 

Russell House tremendously. I shall miss working 

with him very much indeed. 

This year saw us trying to win the Inter-House 

Singing Competition for a third year in a row, 

something the guys knew would be very difficult. 

After much deliberation the song choice was 

Never Forget by Take That. This was a challenging 

song, with some difficult verses and choruses. The 

soloists this year were Oliver Hackland-Crowther, 

Alanah Swift, Robert Pleasance, and Cameron 

Collie. The band was George Holmes on drums, 

Max Pillinger on Bass Guitar, and Jonathan Maud 

on Electric Guitar. The backing group of Year 7+13 

was ably assisted by Sebastian Maud and Kian 

McGrath. Everyone worked extremely hard during 

rehearsals, with Oliver and Alanah leading the way. 

The group performed very well on the day, but sadly 

it was not quite enough to retain the title. 

In March there was the annual Halliford Young 

Musician Competition. Russell had three entrants, 

Robert Pleasance, Oliver Hackland-Crowther, and 

Jonathan Maud. Sadly Robert was ill on the night 

and was unable to perform. Oliver sung to his usual 

high standard, and was unlucky not to receive 

deserved recognition from the judge. Jonathan gave 

an amazing rendition of Thunderstruck by AC/DC 

on the Electric Guitar, and was rightly announced 

as winner of the Senior Competition. Later in the 

year, the Summer Term Concert proved to be a 

fantastic evening. Once again, Oliver Hackland- 

Crowther took centre stage, but it was lovely to 

see Oscar Donovan in the Jazz Band and Callum 

O’Brien in the Year 7 Rock Band giving their all! 

Russell House was well represented in this year’s 

school play, the musical School of Rock. Oliver- 

Hackland Crowther, Robert Pleasance, Harrison 

McKormack, Max Pillinger, Jonathan Davies, 

Cormac Evans, George O’Loughlin all had roles 

on stage, with Oliver, Robert, George, and Cormac 

playing the part of women very well. Backstage, 

Oliver Fisk led a crew that included Cameron 

Gildersleve and Keaton Mengers. Jonathan Maud 

was part of the orchestra which played all the 

musical numbers. It was great to see so many 

members of the House involved in what was the 

best school play I have seen in my six years at 

Halliford. 

This year’s Public Speaking Competition took 

place over the last two weeks of the Summer 

Term. In Year 7 Harry Owen spoke well about the 

Glastonbury Festival, he was admirably supported 

by Oliver Wingrove and Louie Patterson. In Year 8 

William Harvey, supported by Logan Harvey and 

Joseph Taylor, gave a convincing speech on the 

effects of the game Fortnite on children. The Year 9 

team were well chaired by Oscar Donovan, Mischa 

Edwards gave a good vote of thanks, and Main 

Speaker Cameron Collie did a fine job giving a very 

thought provoking speech on ‘Being Human’. In 

Year 10 Jonny Davies did a very good job as Chairman. 

Louis Mercer spoke very well and in a detailed way 

about the detrimental effect of Fortnite on society. 

The Year 12 team was; Chairman: Aaron White; 

Main Speaker: Ed Hodge; Vote of Thanks: James 

Weatherall. Ed gave a very informative speech on’ 

The Long Peace’ and its effects. The Senior side of 

Years 9, 10, +12 were joint winners with Wadham, 

this is the first time we have won the trophy in 

eleven years. Jonny Davies was also awarded best 

Chairman. 

We had a very successful rugby term with the 

Year 7, 8, and Seniors winning their respective 

competitions. This meant that the boys won both 

the Junior and Senior Inter-House Competitions. 

There was much individual success as well, with 

1XV Colours Ties being awarded to Alex McConnon, 

Rowan Spencer, Ed Hodge, Jack Healey, James 

Weatherall, Shayam Suseelan, and Charlie Joyce. 

Jed Aldridge, Kian McGrath, William Jackson, Louie 

Pattertson, and Jack Healey were also selected for 

the Headmaster’s XV. 

Following on from the success of the rugby, the 

boys excelled themselves in the Cross-Country 

Competitions, winning every age group. This was 

a fantastic achievement and just goes to show 

that even as individuals we can work together 

to achieve great team results. The Intermediate 

Basketball Side also enjoyed success, winning their 

competition. 

This year’s Inter-House Football was fiercely 

competed. However, sadly we were beaten into 

second place in the Year 7, 9 and 10 competitions. 

Majd Mansour, Oliver Hunter, Jack Healey, Alex 

Ngugi, Shayam Suseelan, and Lewis Job were 

awarded Football Ties and Harry Owen, Nate 

Broadhurst, Majd Mansour, Charlie Joyce, Bradley 

Marshall, Alex Ngugi were selected for the 

Headmaster’s XI. 

It wasn’t the best year for the Inter-House 

Cricket sides, however the Year 7 team won their 

competition. Lewis Job and Aaron White were 

awarded Cricket Colours, and Keaton Mengers and 

Olly De Gruchy were selected for the Headmaster’s 

XI. 

This year Russell House was represented by Lewis 

Job, Huw Morley, Bradley Marshall, and Lars 

Olafsson in the Inter-House Golf Tournament. The 

boys played well, but were unable to bring home 

the trophy. Lewis also represented the School in 

the National Golf Championship and helped the 

side to put in a strong showing. 

Sports Day in June was a super affair! In the 

luxurious new surroundings of the Walton Excel, 

the Russel boys certainly shone. There were a 

number of very impressive performances. William 

O’Loughlin, Max Pillinger, Mischa Edwards, 

Sankaran Susseelan, Theo Wilson, Louie Patterson, 

Bradley Marshall, Will Roake, Ben Hughes, Jack 

Healey, and James Weatherall won their respective 

events – with James, Sankaran, and Louie winning 

more than one. Kian McGrath was named the best 

Intermediate Athlete after winning the U14 Hurdles, 

400 M, and Shot Put. Relays were won by the U12 

A, U13 C+B, and U14 C. In the closest Sports Day 

in years, it was revealed that we had retained our 

title by only 18 points. Interestingly we did not win 

either the overall track or field competitions. What 

this proves to me is the importance of the House 

spirit. Every boy contributed to this by turning up, 

competing, and doing their best, even if this meant 

finishing 6th rather than 7th. This enthusiasm 

and dedication was encapsulated for me by 

our outgoing House Captain Oliver Hackland- 

Crowther, who ran the 1500 M on his penultimate 

day as a Hallifordian. 

It only remains for me to congratulate everyone 

on another incredibly successful year, and to wish 

you all the best during what is certainly a very well 

deserved summer holiday. I can’t wait to see what 

next year brings under the leadership of the new 

House Captain, Cameron Gildersleve. 

112

Russell 

LEAVERS 2018 

House Reports 

Luca Bertuzzi Max Dorrell Oliver Hackland-Crowther 

Thomas Imperato Charlie Joyce Alex Muir 

Alexander Ngugi Shayam Suseelan Alanah Swift 

113


WADHAM 

House Report 

by Mrs Butler-Smith, Head of House 

Well, what a successful year Wadham have had! In my 

first year as Head of Wadham I can honestly say I couldn’t 

be prouder of the boys. In terms of sport, Wadham 

have excelled themselves in all the inter-house sporting 

competitions, with years 8, 9, 10 & 11 winning the interhouse 

cricket competition. Again, Wadham seniors took 

the lead in the basketball and the final result saw Wadham 

placed as the overall winners of inter-house basketball 

competition – WELL DONE BOYS! 

Sports day was very successful for Wadham and all the 

house competed in Mr Bardgett’s final event. We were 

in the hunt for the big prize right until the last few events 

when, sadly, we fell away slightly. (Much to work on in the 

relays for next year). That said, we had many successes 

and topped the points tally for the track events. Winners 

of their events included Josh Lawrence, Ollie Parsons, Seb 

Omorojoh, Danny Hamilton and Christian Tait from Year 10; 

Matt Turley, Josh Burson and Chris Cole from Year 9; George 

and Alex Whicker and Paul-Louis Howard from Year 8 and 

Kyle Finn-Dargue, Max West-Cameron, Callum Reynolds 

and Zeph Berlamot from Year 7. There was success, too 

from the seniors where Gareth Hart, Jack Davey and Harry 

Osborne all won their events. All in all it was a superb day 

and all the boys in red did themselves proud. 

However, as we all know, a true Hallifordian applies 

themselves to many different activities across the school 

and Wadham exemplify this ethos. Firstly, we must mention 

our annual production ‘School of Rock’ which saw our very 

own Oliver Chadwick, Jude Deeno and Harry Osborne 

take up some of the lead roles. Supported by boys from all 

houses across the lower school, they literally ‘rocked’ us out 

of our seats with their amazing performances. Then, there 

was the inter-house singing competition. I asked a great 

deal of the boys and attempted to do something that had 

not been done before… Years 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11, 12 & 13 took to 

the stage as an entire house and raised the roof with Marvin 

Gaye and Tami Terrell’s classic hit ‘Ain’t No Mountain High 

Enough’. They were exceptional! After weeks of planning 

and rehearsing, every boy on stage gave their very best 

performance and Wadham took the trophy from three 

time winners Russell, wining the 2017/18 inter-house 

singing competition! A special thanks must go to our Music 

Prefect, Harry Osborne, for his leadership and support 

in the build-up to this magnificent triumph as well as our 

wonderfully talented musicians; Sam Walker (Piano), Jude 

Deeno (Drums) and William Greaves (Base). 

As many of you will know, Wadham has its own coat of arms 

that was designed by a member of Halliford (Wadham) 

alumni some time ago. This coat of arms includes the 

message ‘non vobis’ meaning ‘not for ourselves’. This year 

it has been and will continue to be the mantra for Wadham 

house. Many house assemblies have focused on our need to 

support each other, both as a house and as a school as well as 

the community at large. To this end, one of our many house 

assemblies addressed the need for charity and how we (as a 

house) could contribute to the schools wider commitment 

to charitable fundraising. Each Wadham tutor group came 

up with fundraising ideas that could be implemented during 

charities week. There were many fantastic ideas, but the 

overall winner was the ‘make-up challenge’. Oliver Parsons 

and George Bailey in 10W were delighted to be given the 

opportunity to make up the face of a teacher voted for by the 

rest of the student body in front of the entire school! Many 

brave teachers put themselves forward for the challenge 

including Mr Cupido, Mr Slocock and Mr Arrons, however, 

the overall winner was Mr Ackroyd. As a result our Wadham 

boys set about making Mr Ackroyd look as ridiculous as 

humanly and appropriately possible and collected a good 

deal of money in the process. THANK YOU MR ACKROYD! 

Every single member of Wadham house has contributed to 

its success this year and for that I want to thank each and 

every boy. This year, we introduced our peer mentor system. 

This system ensures that each Wadham tutor group has the 

support of two Wadham boys in the year above them. This 

is a vital role and I would like to take this opportunity to 

thank our peer mentors for all the care and support they 

have extended to their peers. Thanks goes to; William 

Greaves, Jules Wain and Oscar McArdle (8W), James Hanley 

and Charlie Poulter (9W), Sebastian Omorojor and Oliver 

Parsons (10W) and Oscar Theophilus and James Woodgate 

(11W). As we say farewell and wish all the very best to a very 

special group of year 13s there are some special thanks that 

must be given. Our year 13 prefects have worked extremely 

hard this year, so a special thanks goes to Charlie Allen 

(Sports Prefect), Harry Osborne (Music Prefect), Jacob 

Walker (Senior Academic Prefect), Dom Levette (Senior 

Academic Mentor), Sam Moavani (Academic Prefect – lower 

school), Tarendeep Dhillon (Academic Mentor – lower 

school), James Biggs (Fundraising and Charities Prefect), 

Callum Davies ( PR Prefect), Matthew Alexander (Public 

Speaking/ Drama Prefect) and last but not least our Vice 

Captain, Kerush Ali and our House Captain, Jack Davey who 

have shown commitment, dedication and teamwork in their 

leadership of the house. We must now look towards the 

coming year and all of the wonderful achievements that lay 

ahead. In the academic year 2018/19 Wadham House will be 

led by new House Captain Oliver Chadwick and a team of 

excellent Prefects and Peer Mentors that will continue to 

take the House from strength to strength. 

114

Wadham 

LEAVERS 2018 

House Reports 

Matthew Alexander 

Kerush Ali 

Charlie Allen 

James Biggs Jack Davey Callum Davis 

Tarendeep Dhillon Gareth Hart Domenic Levett 

Sam Moaveni 

Harry Osborne 

Jacob Walker 

115


Old Hallifordians 

Christmas Social 2017 

by Alex Lenoel 

Friday 1st of December 2017 saw the yearly Christmas Drinks at the Red Lion. Historically the “home” 

of staff past and present, The Red Lion is fast becoming a “Home” for the Old Hallifordian’s and very 

welcoming they were too. 

The event has always been well attended and this year new 

records were set. James Godlonton and his wife Jean were 

unofficial VIP’s for the evening having attended the School in 

1946-1949. James and Jean were welcomed for a tour around 

the school by Kim Smallbone and the new Headmaster James 

Davies, earlier that day. The pride he felt from his time at 

the School was swelled when he saw how the School had 

progressed but also what a ‘lovely bunch of blokes” the school 

had turned out. John Lewis was pleased to hear the historic 

stories from James whilst many of us were reminded that we 

were mere youngsters. 

Lawrence Bright made a special trip down from his new home 

in Nantwich and met up with Jason Gibbs, Patrick Heggberg, 

Richard Currie, Justin Holder, Alex Lenoel, Matt Groom and 

Simon Fear from a year group that seem intent on never missing 

a OH event. 

Some new-old faces arrived, Mark Lee amazed John Lewis as 

being one of the very first year groups he had taught during his 

illustrious career as a teacher at Halliford. Not to be out done, 

returning to the fold were Messieurs Stuart Williams, Darren 

Allen and Simon Bond with apologies from Brett Archer and 

Tim Bloomfield due to a date clash with them both being in 

Australia for the Ashes. 

A massive thank you to Kim Smallbone and Darren Allen for 

organising the event and the OH Committee for continuing 

to give their time to keep the Society moving. This year proved 

once more that all age groups are represented but we always 

want to see more ‘New-Old” faces. The OH Society wanted to 

welcome new Committee members and so Ben Connop jumped 

on board following the event. Finally the OH’s would like to 

wish the new Headmaster, James Davies, the very best as he 

gets underway. 

116


Football 

by Sam Lawrence 

The 27th March saw Old Hallifordians, staff and current 

students come together for the annual Old Hallifordians 

football tournament. With a strong turnout for all teams, 

this year’s tournament was set to be a feisty one from 

the offset. 

The first match to take place was the staff versus Old Hallifordians. 

After some of the usual jesting between the two teams, the match 

got underway and the clearly younger team soon took command 

with goals from former Head of School Matt Burns-Peake and 

Harry Foster before the final score of 4-0 to the Old Hallifordians 

was set on the final whistle. 

Next, the 6th Form took to the field to face their 1st XI teammates 

from Year 11. It was a testy match with plenty of near misses and 

shots on goal. Finally, the 6th Form took the lead late into the 

match sealing a 1-0 victory. 

With much relish, the staff took the field to face off against the 

recently victorious 6th Form. One could almost see the glint of 

excitement from Mr Shale’s eye as he stared down the opposition 

strikers. Yet another testy affair was underway with some heavy 

defence from Mr Carrington and some creative play from both 

sides in front of goal. Despite this, neither side were able to nudge 

ahead, the match finished 0-0. 

The following match of this six match tournament 

was a head-to-head between the Old Hallifordians 

and the current Yr 11. Clearly fitness was on the side 

of the schoolboys with Old Hallifordians having 

swapped their competitive boots for friendlier allterrain 

five-a-side astros. Nevertheless, courage 

was in the sails of the Old Hallifordians and they 

battled hard, firing pace through balls down the 

flanks before continuously trying to utilise some 

of the pace and experience upfront. Unfortunately 

no decisive conclusion could be met and the match 

ended at 0-0. 

Finally, the staff had their breakthrough in their 

final match. With gathered hearts and a new set 

of tactics, they were prepared to take on the Yr 

11. The younger side tried to work the ball around 

the field in an attempt to retain possession but it 

was no match for the brute force of the staff who 

eventually took their side into the clear at 2-0. 

With the staff, Old Hallifordians and the 6th Form 

on level ground at the final match, the finale to 

this much awaited tournament turned out to be 

the decider. If it was a draw, the staff would win. 

If either side won, they’d win the title. Everything was at 

stake. The 6th Form took on the Old Hallifordians and with 

plenty to play for, both teams started on 6th gear. Eventually, 

Chris Eyre (’08 -’15) took the first goal with a deft finish off 

of George Pearson’s (’07-’14) cross. At one up, the side were 

keen to take it home. That they did with some more decisive 

play in the midfield and some one-two passing in the box 

before a low finish into the bottom corner took the Old 

Hallifordian’s two clear. The whistle blew shortly after. 

It was a near perfect day for the Old Hallifordians with 

two wins and a draw, not to mention the winning of the 

tournament. A great day was had by all and the Old 

Hallifordians Society would like to thank Kim Smallbone 

for organising the day, the marketing department for their 

photography skills, all the students and staff who played and 

to the Old Hallifordians who put the team together. 

117


Summer Social 2018 

by Tom Dacre 

This year the tournament seemed to be a lot more organised (I wish the same could be said for our 

team, with an 11am kick off proving slightly early for some). It was the usual 3 pool games but all on 

one pitch and less of a wait in between. I assume to get us all finished as early as possible and into the 

festival spending money! 

We came 2nd in our pool, qualifying for the cup competition, 

winning 2 out of our 3 games. The semi-final was a hard fought 

match against a side who had clearly played together as a team 

a lot more than we had. Nevertheless we gave them a run for 

their money and only narrowly missed out on a spot in the final. 

It was great to have new Old Hallifordian recruits coming in the 

form of Gavin Kinder, Ed Groves and Henry Fuller, this gave us 

more depth in the squad taking our usual exhausting tally of 

about 8 -10 to a healthy 13. 

Gavin added speed and a side step that either broke ankles or 

left people grasping at thin air. Henry was a powerful runner 

with a big hand off and strong defensive work and Ed’s work 

at the break down was relentless and something our team had 

been lacking not to mention his fearless tackling and soft hands. 

Along with myself, I guess I’d have to class Tom Reed as a 

veteran of the summer social. Three years on the bounce now 

and as always he brought his speed, side steps and defence with 

him. 

The whole day was filled with some ridiculous skills that I can 

only image once rattled the Halliford School pitches. A no look 

behind the back pass while being tackled into touch by Reedy 

himself was a highlight. It had just enough hang time for Eddie 

Groves who ran an excellent support line to snatch out of the air 

and run it under the posts. While us on the side line just gasped. 

It was a shame not to have Aleks Naess-Clarke playing for us 

again this year but he stepped up to the managerial role like a 

natural...Impeccable time keeping. Great to see Harry Churchill 

come down and support on his crutches and hopefully next year 

we will have Alfie Evans and Ben Parsons back in the mix. A 

promising squad to potentially end this semi-final curse. 

118


Old Hallifordian Society 

OLD HALLIFORDIAN NEWS 

If you have any news that you would like to share then please provide the details to 

the Alumni Administrator. 

Congratulations to Paco Tijdink who graduated from 

Royal Holloway University of London, summer 2017, with a First-Class degree in 

BA History and International Relations. 

DEATH ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Diana Summer (Deputy Head – 2002) passed away December 2017 

Richard George Wallage (Hallifordian 1975-1980) 

passed away on 12th January 2018 

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Huge congratulations to Carl and Jess Allen 

who welcomed Sebastian William Allen into the world 

on Wednesday 7th March at a whopping 9lbs 12ozs. 

STAY IN TOUCH 

FACEBOOK 

All Alumni events are published on our Alumni Facebook Page. 

Please visit www.facebook.com/hallifordalumni. Please like and follow the page. 

EMAIL 

We would like to communicate electronically so would be grateful if you could 

please provide the Alumni Administrator with your current email address. 

OLD HALLIFORDIAN CONTACTS 

SCHOOL CONTACT – 

Alumni Administrator: Kim Smallbone 

Email: alumni@hallifordschool.co.uk 

OLD HALLIFORDIAN COMMITTEE 

Chairman – Darren Allen 

Committee Members – Joe da Costa, Alex Lenoel, Justin Holder, 

Ben Connop, Sam Lawrence 

Are you young vibrant and enthusiastic, then why not come along and join the OH 

Committee? For more details contact Kim the Alumni Administrator. 

119

INDEPENDENT SENIOR DAY SCHOOL 

BOYS 11-18 YEARS, GIRLS 16-18 YEARS 

Russell Road, Shepperton Middlesex TW17 9HX 

Tel: 01932 223593 

Email: registrar@hallifordschool.co.uk 

www.halliford.co.uk /HallifordSchool @HallifordHead

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