No. 6 13/14 End of Summer Term July 2014 Dear parents The end

Transcription

No. 6 13/14 End of Summer Term July 2014 Dear parents The end
No. 6 13/14 End of Summer Term
July 2014
Dear parents
The end of the academic year has come and we can look back on a year of great progress for our pupils
and great success in their work. There have been many highlights in our busy, successful and growing
School. The various end of year events have been excellent culminating in a moving Sixth Form graduation
held in the JGC followed by dinner in the Mansion.
Summer Meeting showcases our year’s work and was a wonderful day that included guest speaker, Miss
Ruth Amos. The theme of Summer Meeting was creativity and Ruth certainly set the scene for this year's
event. That a thunderstorm interrupted the School song only led to a greater volume of singing and Summer
Meeting including a vast array of activities and displays that demonstrate the breadth and confidence of the
pupils at this School. Thank you for attending.
This mailing includes the final exam result grade card for your child in Year 10, the reports for Years 7 and
10 and the Parent Information Booklet for 2014-2015. Again, this Booklet has been extensively edited and is
a key document for parents, new and established alike, to ensure they have access to the procedures and
standards of the Senior School. Please keep it to hand throughout the coming year.
Summer term is, without exception, an eventful time. It has been very much focused on exams and we look
forward to seeing first class results from our A level and GCSE students this summer.
This half term, lessons and events continue to the last moment of term and it is a great pity if pupils miss
these last days. We expect holidays to be carefully planned so that all pupils attend every School day right
up to the end of term to enjoy Summer Meeting, commendations assembly, sports day, house competitions
and end of year final tutor sessions.
A level (Lower and Upper Sixth) and GCSE (Years 10 and 11) results and review days
Results of external examinations will be available for collection at School on Thursday 14 August 2014 for A
level results and Thursday 21 August 2014 for GCSE results, from 9.00am. These results days will be
followed the next day by review mornings between the hours of 9.30am and 12.30pm for students who may
need to amend their courses for next year (no appointment is needed). Course changes may still occur in
the first days of the autumn term.
Induction days and first day of next academic year
Incoming Year 7 pupils should be in School on Wednesday 3 September at 1.45pm meeting in front of the
Mansion. New pupils to other year groups should meet on Wednesday 3 September at 2.30pm in the
Drawing Room. The entire Sixth Form should also attend on Wednesday 3 September at 2.30pm in the JGC
for timetable confirmations.
All pupils should be at School on Thursday 4 September at 8.30am. I will write to you at the beginning of
September with the meeting rooms for each class on the first day of School.
Summer Meeting
Summer Meeting was held last Saturday and many parents have remarked how much they
enjoyed this most important of days. Speeches, awards and activities demonstrated clear
progress from the pupils and the School. That so many were involved so enthusiastically tells us
that our girls and boys are happy and purposeful in their work and that they are keen to show
their parents their progress.
This year’s guest speaker, Miss Ruth Amos, spoke passionately about creativity and opportunity
and was a highlight of the day. The rain failed to dampen spirits and the morning proceeded with
many displays and activities involving many Senior School pupils who showcased their learning
and activities to the huge crowd in attendance.
There were activities and displays aplenty in the Senior School prepared by staff and pupils which
gave parents the opportunity to view the varied and outstanding achievements of this year. Thank
you for your attendance on this most important celebratory day.
Next year’s Head Students were announced at Summer Meeting. Elliot Lamble will be Head Boy
and Caitlin Barry will be Head Girl. They will lead the pupil body and will be ably supported by
their deputies: Cameron Mills, Deputy Head Boy and Amy Bissix, Deputy Head Girl. The following
have been appointed as Prefects for the 2014-2015 academic year: Max Kidd, Soo Ran Kim, Jon
Leefe, Jamie Mackinlay, Hlanganiso Matangaidze, Garry Na, Zak Phillips, Luke Ravenscroft,
Karim Saleh, Akhil Singh, Emma Souter, Sophie Spalding, Oliver Stewart and Sophie Stiewe.
Congratulations are extended to this fine group and the School looks forward to their leadership
and contribution whilst they are in the Upper Sixth.
Staff changes
We send congratulations to Miss Hoyes who recently married Mr Ridings. A marriage made at
School is a wonderful thing!
Miss Norsworthy is to marry Lance Corporal Andy Culley this summer and will return to School as
Mrs Culley.
Mrs Beamer is expecting her first child and will take maternity leave for the coming year. We wish
her well for the exciting year she has in store.
In addition to the leaving staff I wrote to you about in the summer half term newsletter, we will
also say goodbye to Mrs Macnaughton who has been such a valuable member of the IN
department for a number of years. She has worked with individuals to really put in place our
ethos of helping every child achieve their potential through careful teaching and tutoring. The
School thanks Mrs Macnaughton for her considerable contribution to this School and its pupils.
Miss Blandford, who has been on maternity leave for nearly two years, has decided to stay with
her new family and we wish her well on resigning her post and trust she will stay in touch with
us.
I wrote incorrectly in the last newsletter of Miss James. She is leaving us for a new post after
nearly two years of successful teaching at Claremont Fan Court School. The School, and the
English department in particular, will miss both these English teachers.
Mr Nanson and Mr Engelhardt are both retiring from their leadership roles in the school but will
keep their teaching roles. Mr Nanson leaves his leadership of the sports department in a very
good state of health with more sports than ever available to our pupils. Mr Nanson will now teach
predominantly in the languages department.
Mr Engelhardt leaves his role as Head of Faculty: Mathematics but will remain in the department
to teach maths and further maths.
Mrs Philip will take up the role of Head of Faculty: Mathematics and Mrs Ridings will take up the
role of Head of Year within Sixth Form. She will also maintain her role as Head of Faculty:
Humanities but will relinquish her Head of Department: Geography responsibilities. We
congratulate Mrs Philip and Mrs Ridings on these promotions.
New Staff
In September we will be welcoming new staff in the PE, maths, English, geography and the
Individual Needs departments.
Mr Andrew Mawson BSc, PGCE takes up the renamed role of sports leadership as Director of
Sport. Mr Mawson attended university at St Mary’s University College studying sports science
and biology as well as qualifying as a teacher. He comes to us from Lancaster Royal Grammar
School where he was Head of PE and Games. Cricket, rugby and racket sports are Mr
Mawson’s main interests as well as sports as diverse as trampolining, golf and swimming.
Miss Laura Uden MA(Hons), PGCE studied geography at Edinburgh and then undertook teacher
training at Goldsmiths University. She will take up the position of Head of Department:
Geography in September after teaching most recently as department head in Thomas Tallis
School, London and St John’s School, Leatherhead. She has travelled extensively and is looking
forward to joining our vibrant department.
Miss Bryony Roberts BA(Hons), joins the PE department and will work with our girls in both PE
and games. Miss Roberts has been a lacrosse player since Year 5 at school and attended the
University of Brighton where she qualified in PE and teaching. She is also an accomplished
horse rider and also enjoys teaching cheerleading, rugby and athletics.
Mr Oliver Vella MMaths, MSc, PGCE joins the mathematics department after teaching at the
Archbishop Lanfranc School in Croyden. He studied maths and physics at East Anglia and
King’s College, London before his teacher training was completed at the Institute of Education,
London. Mr Vella enjoys running as well as maths and physics activities.
Mrs Helen Crosbie BSc(Hons), PGCE studied at Durham and St Mary's University College. She
will join our mathematics department as a part time teacher working most recently at Prior’s Field
School. She is a keen gardener, runner and reader and has many mathematical interests
including cryptography.
Mrs Helen Stone MEng(Hons), PGCE joins us in a part time capacity in the mathematics
department. She studied aeronautics at Queens’ College Cambridge and took her teacher
training at St Mary’s University College. She joins us from Lady Margaret School, Parsons Green,
London. As well as mathematics, she enjoys competitive hockey, photography and sewing.
Miss Olivia Hall BA(Hons), PGCE studied at Loughborough and Bristol Universities in English,
History of Art and teacher training. Miss Hall joins the English department from the Red Maids’
School, Bristol. She enjoys public speaking, creative writing, poetry and debating as well as
tennis and horse riding.
Mrs Nicola Roberts BA(Hons), PGCE will teach English in a part time capacity and joins us from
the British School in Houston. She attended school in Wales and university in Leicester and Bath.
Mrs Roberts enjoys drama, media, book clubs and creative writing as well as netball.
Mrs Christina O’Regan BA(Hons) studied modern arts at Kingston University as well as
undertaking specialist dyslexic training at the Helen Arkell Centre. She joins our IN department.
She enjoys scuba diving, sculpture and yoga.
Mr Alastair Coomes BA(Hons), MSc, PGCE studied at Sussex and Kingston Universities as well
as undertaking specialist dyslexic training at Hornby College. He joins the IN department and has
interests in reading, rock music and rugby.
Miss Alice Walton BA(Hons), Dip European Policy joins the Senior School administrative team as
our new Examinations administrator and Curriculum Secretary. She attended Oxford and
Warwick universities and has worked in marketing and communications in the cultural sector; the
last ten years with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Update telephone and address details
Please ensure that family telephone numbers, mobile numbers, address and email details, are
updated regularly. This information should be written on the Data Collection Form which will be
sent to you at the beginning of the autumn term for you to confirm or amend.
House Captains
Congratulations to the new house captains in:
Esher: Junior - Eniola Akin-Olugbemi; Intermediate - Samantha Zandt and Louis Gilbert; Senior to be announced in September.
Longcross: Junior - Molly Hawksley and Matthew Trotman; Intermediate - Cameron Douglas
and Annabel Niven; Senior - to be announced in September.
Norwood: Junior - to be announced in September; Intermediate - Ben Sumrie and Phoebe
Leake; Senior - to be announced in September.
Radnor: Junior - Marina Kisel and Oliver Rhoden; Intermediate - Molly Kimpton and Thomas
Richards; Senior - Karim Saleh and Jemima Hobbs.
Year 11 and Upper Sixth Prom
Dazzling in their ball gowns and suits, the Year 11 and Upper Sixth students arrived in style
(some even in stretch limos) to celebrate their schooldays at the end of year Prom. The stunning
Georgian mansion house at Burhill Golf Club was the magnificent setting. The prom was held in
the Barnes Wallis suite with a fantastic music and light show.
Upper Sixth Form Graduation
The Sixth Form Graduation ceremony consisted of a celebratory mixture of musical contributions,
photographs, student speeches, staff contributions and gift presentations. The mood was one of
warmth and recollection as students looked back at their time at Claremont Fan Court and picked
out their highlights. Sporting triumphs, shared memories of friends and adventures abroad
featured prominently. The quality of student contributions was high and thanks are extended to all
those who took part. Drinks outside the Mansion and dinner in the Great Room concluded a very
enjoyable evening.
Sixth Form Graduation 2014
Parents Information Evenings and Sixth Form Parents/Teachers Evening
Please enter the dates for these meetings in your diary:
Tuesday 9 September
Year 8 Parents Information Evening, Great Room, Mansion 7.00pm
Thursday 11 September
Year 11 Parents Information Evening: Study Skills, Great Room, Mansion 7.00pm
Tuesday 16 September
Year 9 Parents Information Evening, Great Room, Mansion 7.00pm
Thursday 18 September
Sixth Form Parents Information Evening, Great Room, Mansion 7.00pm
Thursday 25 September
Year 10 Parents Information Evening, Great Room, Mansion 7.00pm
Monday 29 September
Sixth Form Experience Day and Open Evening, JGC and Mansion 6.00pm for Year 11 pupils
Thursday 20 November
Sixth Form Parent/Teacher Evening, JGC
Senior School staff and I wish you an enjoyable summer. We are already planning a full and
comprehensive academic programme for next year including a range of enrichment trips.
This year has been one of success in all fields (academic subjects, sports, arts and clubs)
especially in national exams and the increased numbers, activities and stature of this School.
Thank you parents for your continuing support of the Senior School.
As the academic year closes, we wish our leaving students all the very best for their university
careers. We hope each of them will keep in touch with us at Claremont Fan Court School.
I look forward to seeing you and your children in September for the beginning of a new academic
year.
Yours sincerely
Mr Jonathan Insall-Reid
Headmaster, Senior School
This half term has been a busy one with a Year 8 geography trip to the South Coast; enrichment
trips for Years 7, 8, 9 and Lower Sixth; Year 5 Adventure Maths Day for feeder schools; bronze
DofE test exhibition to North Downs Way; Year 7 English trip to Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory; Year 10 business studies and history trip to the East End of London; Years 7-10 gifted
and talented English workshop; LAMDA speech and drama exams; Lower Sixth trip to ICEAW
Finals, Birmingham; Years 7 and 8 debating finals; summer art exhibition; move up day; Sixth
Form induction day; Year 11 and Upper Sixth prom; Year 9 science fair; Sixth Form graduation;
Summer Meeting; Year 7 geography travel show. Lots of sporting activities including athletics,
house swimming galas, tennis, rounders, cricket and the Senior School sports day.
Year 8 Geography trip to the South Coast
Year 8 pupils visited the South Coast
to
carry
out
a
geographical
investigation of a river and coastal
area. When they arrived they applied
sun cream and set about taking the
three-mile coastal path through the
Seven Sisters Country Park down to
the beach at Cuckmere Haven.
The weather was glorious and on their
trip
they
saw
many
famous
geographical
features
such as
meanders, ox-bow lakes and wavecut platforms. They began by
following the path along the
meanders, stopping on the way to
draw sketches, study the different
landforms and explain their causes.
Next, they headed across the park to see the straight channel where the river’s meanders have
been cut off and the river has been artificially straightened.
They then headed to the beach, ate lunch and played ball games by the sea. After that, they
carried out a pebble analysis to determine the direction of longshore drift. They also looked at the
different types of cliffs in the area. This beach is famous for being in many films such as Harry
Potter and Robin Hood as well as featuring in one of Cheryl Cole’s music videos! Once they had
completed all their investigations, they headed back through the park to the coach where there
was just enough time to enjoy an ice cream and cold drink before heading back to School.
Sixth Form Enrichment Week
The annual Enrichment Week saw the Sixth Form students taking part in numerous activities at
School, in London and at CERN, Switzerland. Offsite activities included visits to the BBC, the
British Museum, Old Bailey, Freud Museum, National Portrait Gallery and a cultural scavenger
hunt. An intensive one-day workshop on Oxbridge applications focused on personal statement
writing and mock university interview practice. Former Claremont students returned to share their
experiences of university life. At the end of the week, the students had a Life Skills Day which
included cooking, First Aid and Mindfulness.
Lower Sixth CERN Trip
The Lower Sixth physicists and
chemists travelled to Geneva for
the day to see the famous Large
Hadron Collider (LHC). Although
the day started at 4.00am, the
early start was well worth it for
the opportunity to squeeze in a
visit to the famous Geneva Water
Fountain in the morning and
explore the beautiful shopping
streets of Geneva City Centre at
lunchtime before departing to the
CERN Research Site in the
afternoon.
They were treated to a talk by
research scientists who work at
the LHC followed by a guided
tour to the LHCb Detector where
they were able to put on hard hats and descend 100m underground to see some of the most
crucial features of the Particle Accelerator (which is not operating at the moment because it is
being upgraded). This was a rare opportunity as this time next year the LHC will be operational
again and we will not be allowed underground.
Accounting National Finals for Sixth Form Students
In June, six Sixth Form students travelled to the Hilton Hotel, Birmingham for the final of the
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales BASE challenge. The team were given
an accounting examination case study and asked to identify the key issues facing a business,
analyse the firm’s accounts and create and deliver an eight minute presentation to business
professionals.
Although not successful on the day, it is a tremendous achievement to reach the national final,
with over 500 schools taking part. After a long day’s work, the students were able to relax in the
evening at the gala dinner with keynote speakers from the BBC and Marks & Spencer.
The students should be commended for their enthusiasm and success in this year’s challenge
which has given them a valuable insight into accounting and finance and opportunities to network
with professionals.
Year 9 Enrichment Week
UK based group
The week started with a trip to London’s Southbank, visiting the London Dungeon and the London
Eye. The Dungeon proved to be considerably more frightening than most of them had anticipated,
although they all made it to the end of the attraction without loss of life or limb. At one stage Mr
Yeoman was in danger of having to demonstrate a seventeenth century torture chair but he was
set free at the last moment and managed to escape intact! It was a clear day and the view of
London from the top of the Eye was stunning although a few of the group realised they were not
quite as confident with heights as they had previously assumed. A gentle walk to the Tate,
admiring the sights and features of the riverbank ended a successful first day.
Tuesday brought the greatly anticipated trip to Warner Brothers Studios to see the Harry Potter
Exhibition. They explored the many exhibits, sets and props that were on display and some
members of the group treated themselves to a butterbeer at lunchtime – generally agreed to be
delicious but rather sickly in large quantities!
On Wednesday we stayed in School for a Ready, Steady, Cook competition. The children were
divided into groups and asked to plan, prepare and serve afternoon tea on a set budget. After a
whistle stop tour fruit picking and shopping at Garson’s Farm, each group worked furiously to
present a magnificent spread for their parents to sample at the end of the afternoon.
Congratulations to Group C, whose quiche, brownies and Battenberg cake most impressed the
judges!
Thursday was a highlight for many of the pupils with a trip to Sandown Park for go karting and
ringo-ing on the ski slopes. On what was one of the hottest days of the year, the group dressed
up in their protective jump suits, gloves, hair nets and helmets to experience Formula One style
racing and a competition to see who could record the fastest lap time; well done to Phoenix, who
just pipped Henry to pole position in his final lap. Hot and sweaty, they returned to School for a
welcome BBQ and afternoon spent relaxing in the swimming pool.
Enrichment week ended on Friday, with a visit to Chessington World of Adventures. Between
them, every single ride in the park was experienced at least once with the teachers proving that
they can scream just as loudly as the children when it comes to riding rollercoasters! The children
were a pleasure to be with and a great week was had by all.
Ardeche
A further group of Year 9 pupils went on a week-long water sports adventure to the South of
France. The first stop was a PGL centre on Mimosa beach, where they spent three nights. Day
time activities included sailing, banana boating, sea kayaking and snorkelling. In the evenings
pupils were entertained with activities such as capture the flag, ‘wacky’ races and a disco from
9.00pm to 11.00pm every night!
The second half of their adventure took them to another PGL centre in Domaine Segries. This
was where they started a three-day canoe descent of the stunning gorges section of the Ardeche.
Their descent included tackling many rapids which tested the pupils’ and the teachers’ paddling
ability. Stops were also taken along the way to do some rock jumps which tested pupils’ nerves
and a fun game called King of the Rock - pupils swam down a rapid and then had to cling onto a
rock whilst avoid being pushed away by other pupils and PGL staff. Miss Norsworthy was
declared the winner of this challenge!!!
It is clear to say that everyone had a great time on this trip (including the staff!) This trip will be
one to remember for years to come.
Year 8 Enrichment Week
Year 8 pupils visited York and Stratford-upon-Avon for Enrichment Week. Despite a torrential
downpour and a five-hour coach journey, the pupils’ remained excited and enthusiastic for the
week ahead.
The week was packed with
activities and the pupils
reflected upon these each
evening in their diaries. The
trip to the Jorvik Viking Centre
was particularly memorable as
they journeyed through the
reconstruction of Viking-age
streets as they would have
been 1000 years ago. The
pupils were also given a talk
that explained how, even after
the defeat of the Vikings in
1066, the Viking warriors
continued to influence the
world we live in. Perhaps most
memorable however was the
fact that they had recreated
the smell from the Viking age!
At the York Transport museum we participated in a
presentation on building bridges which was very
interactive and had pupils building (or indeed
becoming) parts of various bridge constructions!
On their last day they visited Warwick Castle in the
glorious sunshine. After covering themselves in
sun cream, all pupils enjoyed climbing the very
steep steps to the top of Caesar’s tower for some
amazing views. It was a great end to an action
packed week. They returned very tired but
contented Year 8 pupils.
Year 7 Enrichment Week
The Year 7 Enrichment Week activities were a success from start to finish! Monday saw them at
Esher and Arbrook Commons on a science day using quadrats to gauge the biodiversity in the
area. They also learnt about conservation and regeneration. On Tuesday they then left for three
days in the West
Country, stopping
off at Gosport
submarine
museum
and
Stonehenge
on
the way. A tour of
the Roman baths
at
Bath
was
followed by an
informative
afternoon at the
SS Great Britain
in Bristol.
They also had a very exciting day at Longleat Safari Park where the highlight was definitely the
monkeys climbing all over the coach. Friday saw them at Thames Young Mariners where they
learnt about raft building and kayaking. They were all wet but had a great time! All in all it was a
fun and enriching week!
Year 7 and Year 8 Debating Finals
There was some excellent debating from the pupils in Years 7 and 8 when the finals of the Lower
Senior School Inter House Debating Competition were held. They had clearly followed the
example of the older year groups
they had watched debate last term!
The event was attended by Year 6
pupils who were the perfect
audience and were eager to learn.
The issues debated were also very
much in the news. The Year 7
motion proposed by Esher and
opposed by Longcross, was: 'that
the school day should be extended
to 6.00pm for all schools.' The Year
8 motion proposed by Radnor and
opposed by Esher, was: 'that the UK
should leave the European Union.'
The Results were as follows:
Year 7
The best speakers were George for Esher and Molly for Longcross. The winners were Esher.
Year 8
The best speakers were Georgina for Esher and Freya for Radnor. The winners were Radnor.
Special thanks must go to all the members of staff who helped with the judging and to Mr Trump
for presenting the house shields to the winning teams.
Year 7 Travel Show
Year 7 presented their annual Travel Show after weeks of working in small groups researching a
country and finding out why it is a popular tourist destination. The pupils produced some fabulous
resources which were displayed and presented to parents, staff and other pupils in the Sports
Hall.
Pupils set up a stall each and many interesting facts were displayed such as climate graphs,
information on what to pack for a holiday there, sample menus of different food and drink as well
as the physical and human tourist attractions. The work was displayed in the form of movies,
posters leaflets and PowerPoints. The displays were superb and many pupils brought in a
selection of food and costumes to help promote their countries as a travel destination. Everyone
made a huge effort to ensure that everything ran smoothly throughout the morning and all pupils
were very well organised. Good work, Year 7!
Orange Tree Theatre Workshop ‘Macbeth’
Actors from the Orange Tree Theatre Company visited Claremont Fan Court to conduct a
workshop on Shakespeare’s Macbeth to Year 9 pupils. During the workshop the company
performed key scenes from the play and initiated thought-provoking discussions based around
the themes and historical context. Pupils found the workshop to be an extremely useful and
enjoyable tool and will revisit the play when preparing for their literature GCSE exam.
Shakespeare Workshops
The English Faculty has run two workshops for Gifted, Talented and Interested pupils this term,
focusing on the plays of William Shakespeare.
Twelve pupils from Key Stage 3 spent the morning looking at how Shakespeare created strong
heroes and villains in his plays. The pupils looked at a range of key speeches and plays,
identifying the traits that were found in each of these characters. The morning culminated with a
creative writing session where pupils produced their own villain or hero, modelled on the ideas
Shakespeare used in his plays.
Year 10 pupils enjoyed a master class which focused on Macbeth, specifically examining how
the language is brought from the text to the stage. The workshop was led by Mr Kimber and
visiting actor Mick Jasper, who has many years of experience performing Shakespeare. Both
leaders helped our pupils to see the play from a new and interesting perspective. The ten pupils
involved were encouraged not only to read the script but to act it, concentrating on the impact of
the language in performance.
The English Faculty continues to encourage pupils to pursue a wider interest in this subject and
facilitate links between all the key stages and studying literature at degree level. We look
forward to more workshops and master classes in the year to come.
Year 10 Food Technology Trip to London
Year 10 food technology pupils, along with Mrs Knight and Mrs Wells, went on an exciting tour of
some of London’s famous food establishments.
The day started with London’s best bacon sandwich at the award-winning St. John Bread and
Wine - with homemade bread and award-winning bacon topped off with homemade tomato
ketchup we could see why it definitely was a winning start to the day.
Next they went on to
try a classic East End
pudding
with
a
modern twist at the
English Restaurant;
bread
and
butter
pudding but made
with brioche; a real
treat. They learn all
about
English
cheeses at Androuet
from London’s expert
cheese
mongers.
They enjoyed fish and
chips
at
Poppies
which has recently
won the award for the
best fish and chips in
England.
The atmosphere at Brick Lane was fantastic and the pupils learnt about the social history of the
area, enjoyed the street art and then tasted sweets from the Bangladesh community followed by
a three course
curry at one of the
award-winning
restaurants
with
the curries getting
hotter and hotter some of us didn’t
get to the third
level!
The most famous
bagel shop this
side of the Atlantic
gave them their
renowned
salt
beef and pickles
bagel; now they
can
understand
why the shop is
open 24 hours a
day, 365 days a
year with a queue round the block. The dessert that won the award for the best dessert served in
London was a salted caramel tart and it definitely deserved this title.
As they staggered back to Waterloo hardly able to walk they discussed the need for a green tea
detox day the next day but it had been so worth it and a trip that will stay in the memory and on
the taste buds for a long time.
Success for GCSE and A Level Textiles Students in the Young Fashion Designer UK
Competition.
Jemima Hobbs and Jemima Selwood attended the Young Fashion Designer UK (South) Finals
at Kent College, Pembury. They were among six finalists selected in each category (GCSE, AS,
A2). The standard was extremely high with 160 entrants from schools in Kent, Berkshire, Dorset,
Surrey, Suffolk and Norfolk. Each student creatively displayed their work showcasing their folios,
sketchbooks, presentation boards and final designs.
A panel of eight judges from education and
industry interviewed the students and judged
their work in terms of innovation, creativity
and industrial knowledge. Jemima Selwood
produced work of a very high standard,
creating a highly experimental and innovative
final outcome inspired by sea life and was
among six finalists in the A2 category. She
was awarded second prize. Jemima Hobbs
presented an excellent display of her GCSE
science fiction inspired project which
demonstrated confident, original and creative
designs. She received second prize in the
GCSE category.
During the day the students attended
workshops in shirt manipulation and Jemima
Selwood was awarded a prize for her final
outcome. The students also attended a
blogging workshop run by the fashion, styling
and beauty blogger Nixalina. The students
found the day to be an excellent experience,
as it was both challenging and enjoyable.
Jemima Selwood will continue to develop her
textile and fashion skills further next year at
Nottingham Trent University where she will
be studying Fashion Marketing.
Textiles Design Trip to Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibition
In June the Year 10, 11 and A Level textile design pupils visited The Fashion World of Jean Paul
Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the Barbican. This is the first major exhibition
devoted to the celebrated avant-garde French couturier.
The exhibition included an extensive range of 165 fashion creations, cutting-edge designs and
ready-to-wear garments including iconic costumes for film and performance from the early 1970s
to the present day. The infamous corsets Madonna
wore during her 1990 Blonde Ambition World Tour were
showcased alongside stage costumes designed for
Kylie Minogue.
The pupils took a variety of inspirational photographs to
use in their forthcoming projects. They then continued
across London to visit the Royal College of Art MA
Textile Design show at Battersea.
The show provided our pupils with the opportunity to
experience the very best of emerging contemporary
textile and design practice.
The work exhibited was of an exceptional quality,
imagination and technical skill. The pupils were able to
identify individual designers they could research at a
later stage for design inspiration. The trip provided a
very worthwhile experience for the GCSE and A Level
pupils.
Mathematics
At the beginning of May, fifty pupils in Years 6, 7 and 8 took part in the UKMT Junior Maths
Challenge and achieved between them 13 bronze, 16 silver and 7 gold certificates. This is an
excellent haul; congratulations to all participants, especially the Year 6 pupils who gained 4
silvers and 1 gold and to Ka Youn Kim in Year 8 who was awarded the Best in School certificate.
As it bids farewell to Mrs Butler and to Mrs Engelhardt, who is retiring after 30 years of peerless
teaching at Claremont Fan Court, the mathematics department celebrates its successes this year
in three UKMT challenges, three team challenges, Royal Institution Masterclasses, the British
Mathematical Olympiad, the European Intermediate and Senior Kangaroos and another hugely
popular Year 5 Adventure Maths Day. After outstanding early maths GCSE results, we aim to
match last summer’s 100% pass rate at both GCSE and A level.
Year 5 Maths Adventure Day
In June the Maths Faculty ran its
annual Adventure Maths Day for
Year 5 pupils from primary and prep
schools. The popularity of this
event is now such that despite
accepting 25% more applications
than in previous years, we still had
a long waiting list of schools that
could not be fitted in.
The lucky ones who were accepted
enjoyed an action-packed day of
fun activities including Spooky
Subtractions, Maths and Magic,
Number Loops, One Sided Paper
Strips and the Pringle Challenge.
The beautiful sunny weather
allowed them to enjoy outdoor activities in the School grounds including the challenging Arrow
and Letter Mazes and the exciting Calculator Word Search which kept brains and bodies
extremely busy.
The general mood of the day was summed up by one pupil who, when told that it was time to
stop, replied, 'This is so much fun I don’t want it to end!'
Sports News
Congratulations to the boys who have qualified for the National Prep Schools Championships at
the
Alexander
Stadium
in
Birmingham.
It was a long but
brilliant day for the
boys
who
left
School at 7.00am
and did not return
until 8.00pm after a
day of competing.
The boys competed
for West Surrey in
the National Prep
Schools
championships.
Max came 10th in
the U13 Discus,
Finn came 6th in
the final of the U13 70 metres hurdles and Oliver made the podium coming 3rd in the U13 1500m,
breaking the School record in a time of 4 min 46.40sec. James came 6th in his 100m heat.
Congratulations to all the boys.
Eton Tennis Tournament
Claremont Fan Court once again entered the prestigious Independent Schools Tennis
Association championships at Eton recently. Elliot and Lukas at under 15 played well although
rain delayed play by a number of hours. They came from behind to beat Uppingham 6-5, lost to
Eton 4-6 after being at 4-4. They beat Warwick 6-5 and then Cheltenham 6-0. This put them in
the top two who progressed out of the robins into the main draw.
In the main draw they were pitted against Bedford and were defeated 1-6, 4-6. This meant they
were entered into the Springthorpe Cup. After a good win against Tonbridge 8-5, they met a very
strong Whitgift team and lost 3-8.
U13 Boys
Pair 1, Rayhan and Elliott played really well and won
four out of four matches and then played Yarm for a
semi place, sadly losing this match.
Pair 2, Billy and James improved through the day and
won three of their five box matches in the plate. In
fact that equalled the best results from any team in
their box with four teams on three wins. Counting
games though placed them third so they did not
proceed to the next stage.
Well done to all six boys who finished a good tennis
season.
It has been a busy but successful second half of the summer term for girls rounders and
athletics. Our rounders teams have faced some strong opposition but have fought well and
produced some great wins. The U12 A team show great promise. Outstanding play has come
from Zoe Mellett in the field and Eniola Akin-Olugbemi with some cracking hits. The U14 A team
were unbeaten right up until their last fixture where they narrowly lost against a strong Priors Field
team. The U13 team and U15 team have won most of their games and have demonstrated great
teamwork.
In June Claremont Fan Court hosted the annual athletics invitation. The weather was kind to us
and it was a great day. The standard of competition was extremely high with schools including
Guildford High and Notre Dame competing. Lots of invitation records were beaten and it was
great to see such close races. The U14 team was our strongest on the day finishing in second
place overall. The U12 team came fifth, U13 team third and U15 team fourth. Winners in their
events were: Hetty Taylor and Eniola Akin-Olugbemi for shot and discus; Holli Morrison and Ava
Wolstenholme for shot; Florence Selwood, Amy Spalding and Elizabeth Lewin for hurdles and
Ruby Wyborn for 800m. Well done to all the girls who participated.