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Economics /Business Studies
It was another successful year for the ever expanding
economics/business studies conglomerate. High academic
standards were maintained while the department
branched out into exciting new ventures.
The Upper Sixth trip to Prague will undoubtedly
remain in the memories of staff and students alike for
some time to come. Excursions to the university, Skoda
and a film studio gave everybody an insight into a country
still undergoing economic and political change, while
still leaving time to experience some of the city’s diverse
nightlife.
Earlier on in the year, a team of four went to the Bank
of England to present their views on monetary policy. Ali
Altinsoy, Polly Elgin, Mitan Patel and Ajit Singh gave a
unique interpretation of macroeconomic forecasting and
it was no disgrace to be eventually pipped by St Pauls.
Lower Sixth students had the opportunity to take part in
the Working in the City programme to experience a
flavour of corporate hospitality and life in the fast lane.
This year, the department is eagerly looking forward
to the refurbishment of its rooms, complete with I.T. facilities
to bring it into the 21st century.
English
The first half of the Autumn term was taken up with
preparations for the Northern Review Evening,
which took place on 11th October in the Little
Theatre. This consisted of sketches, dramatic scenes,
songs and poetry readings from the North of England,
and was performed by staff and pupils. Highlights
include Rania Jumailly in Alan Bennet’s Talking Heads,
Zach Cashin and Alex Thrift in Two
by Jim Cartwright, and Hanna
Retallack in A Taste of Honey as
well as some bizarre attempts at
accent by the staff in Monty
Python’s Four Yorkshiremen sketch!
Overall, the evening was a great
success, and we will be auditioning
early in Autumn 2002 for the a
London Review evening, just to
allay any fears that there is a
regional bias in the department!
There were two Sixth Form trips in the latter half of
that term. All three Lower Sixth English sets went into
London for a series of lectures on Othello, ranging from
‘Iago and Desdemona: Good and Evil’ to ‘Geography in
the Play’. There was also an Upper Sixth trip to Cat on a
Hot Tin Roof in the West End.
In the Spring term, Miss Oliver led a very interesting
Sixth Form trip to Canterbury help those students tackling
The Canterbury Tales as an AS level text. We also
welcomed Daniel Rosenthall, a film critic who has lectured
at RADA, to speak about Othello, using clips from
three different film versions of the play.
The Spring term also saw the Lecture competition in
full swing, which involved Years 7-10. The variety of subjects
was, as always, fascinating, with topics ranging
from The Simpsons to Taliban Women, from
Environmental Destruction in Latin America to Chitty-
Chitty Bang Bang! Congratulations to Rose Paine, who
won the Lower School Competition, and Sam Hindes,
who won in the Middle School. Both will be receiving
their awards on Prize Giving Day.
The Summer term began with the Literary Society
Dinner, the first of its kind, which proved to be a tremendously
enjoyable evening. We have Mrs Williams to
thank for the venue, the stunning Belair House in
Dulwich Village, the owners of which are friends of the
Williams family. Sixth-form and a select group of staff fitted
into the bar area, and ate, drank and were merry.
The Society President, Rebecca Dove, had declined an
invitation to speak, so it was left to myself to offer some
(in retrospect perhaps ill-advised!) comparisons between
life after school and Dante’s Inferno. More successful
was Mr John O’Brien, a stand-up comedian who had
studied English, who offered some more earthy insights
into the subject, and who bantered with the audience at
great length. Many thanks to Rebecca and Alex Thrift for
helping to organise the evening.
At the end of June we were very privileged to welcome
Andrew Motion, the Poet Laureate, to the College.
Mr Motion began by listening a selection of poetry written
and read by members of the Lower School, and
around the theme of family. He then presented signed
copies of his latest works to the winners from Year 7 and
8, Edwin Coomarasu and Babette Radclyffe-Thomas.
This was followed by Mr Motion talking about, and reading,
his own poetry, which proved moving and stimulating.
Afterwards, members of the audience, from Year 7
to Year 12, asked questions for a good fifteen minutes.
Such was the interest that we had to call a halt or buses
would have been missed!
August has brought with it another successful batch
of exam results. At A Level 56% of candidates achieved
and A or B grade, whilst at GCSE we were delighted to
see that 68% gained an A or an A* in English (a department
record by far), with a 97.8% A*-C rate in both
English and English Literature.
I am pleased to say that there are less staff changes
to announce than last year! However, I am not pleased
to say that we are losing Lisa Jackson, who is moving
back to Australia with her new husband. Lisa has been a
tremendous asset to the department, and to the College,
and we will miss her high standards, and her professionalism,
as well as her raucous laughter, very much.
In her place, we welcome Miss Rebecca Wildish to
the College. Miss Wildish recently graduated from Keble
College, Oxford, and will, I’m sure, prove a valuable
addition to the department.
Lastly, congratulations to the new Literary Society
President, Andrew Michael, and Treasurer, Hans
Thompson.
AJS