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Kingswood In Focus 2019-2020
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | HEADMASTER'S WELCOME
HEADMASTER'S WELCOME of social justice and provides opportunities for service and spiritual growth. Sustainability, Diversity, Charity are themes with a keen following at Kingswood and I look forward to supporting all that we do to develop young people who embrace difference and use their talents to serve others. I write these words from the study of the Kingswood Headmaster in what has been a strange and challenging start to my headship and the 2020/21 academic year.
Dear Parents and Friends
t is a real pleasure to write some words of welcome for Kingswood in Focus 2019/20. My involvement was to watch from a distance, excited that I had been given the responsibility to pick up the reins from Simon Morris as Headmaster from 2020. Reading through this wonderful archive of words and pictures serves to amplify what a privilege it is to build constructively on Simon's legacy. Given that I can claim no credit for the great health of the School and community, you will, I hope, forgive me as I wax lyrical about the amazing achievements of others. Far from the year being cut short and defined by the pandemic, it is clear that the girls and boys of Kingswood immersed themselves across so many areas of school life. As you thumb through the pages of this most excellent Kingswood in Focus and tarry a while on the pages that grab your attention, you will, I am sure, have your heart warmed by what is a wonderful snapshot of a Kingswood education. The impressive section on academic results and leavers' destinations can only have been the result of a constructive partnership between motivated and dedicated teachers and able, interested and diligent students. The view at Kingswood is that academic
excellence is one very important part of the School's mission to develop confident, tolerant, compassionate young people. I am delighted to have discovered that guiding boys and girls towards intellectual mastery across the arts, sciences and humanities is high on the agenda and an area of real strength. That said, it is the breadth and balance of the vast array of opportunities on offer that gives a taste of Kingswood's commitment to character education and ensuring that each child is encouraged to find and develop their interests, gifts and talents. What also stands out for me is the obvious joy that leaps from the pages and speaks volumes about the importance of wellbeing. I want to thank and congratulate our pupils for representing the School with such enthusiasm and distinction on stage, on sports field, in music ensemble, on trips and tours. Rev. Wilkinson talks of the joys of being dropped back into the energy and occasional frenzy of the School community. As I lead the process to find a new chaplain, it is a treat that he continues to grace our computer screens for a while longer. It is no accident that Community and World Action occupies the opening pages of this magazine. The Christian ethos of this school invites pupils to respond to issues
...a Kingswood education underpinned by the values of love and kindness…" It's hard to say what next year's edition of Kingswood in Focus will look like. I hazard a guess that it might be a little thinner than the one in your hands right now. The situation will pass but what will not change is our unshakeable commitment to a Kingswood education underpinned by the values of love and kindness where each child is nurtured and encouraged to be their very best self. It hasn't taken me long to feel part of the Kingswood family and I am very much looking forward to the days to come. Yours sincerely
Mr Andrew Gordon-Brown
CONTENTS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
COMMUNITY & WORLD ACTION
2 From the Chaplain 4 Farewell to Mr Simon Morris 7 Helping the NHS 8 School Diversity Week 10 Charities 11 Sustainability 12 MUN 2020 ACADEMIC
Examination Results 2020 Prize Giving 2020 Leavers' Destinations Academic Enrichment
28 Westwood 30 Fonthill 32 Hall 34 Middle 36 Summerhill 38 School 40 Upper 42 Boarding Community 43 Farewell to Miss Angie Wright
44 Art 47 Design & Technology 50 Drama 54 Theatre Tech 56 Music 61 'KATS' Music & Drama Awards SPORT
62 Girls' Hockey 64 Rugby 66 Netball 68 Boys' Hockey 70 Orienteering 71 Cross Country 72 Football 73 Swimming 74 Athletic Development 75
88 91 92 Editor: Theresa Faux | Cover photo 'A Christmas Carol'
TRIPS & ACTIVITIES STAFF & LEAVERS Staff Farewells Teaching Staff & Governors List Head Girl & Head Boy Reflections
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | COMMUNITY & WORLD ACTION
AN UNEXPECTED TIME THAT ENDED UNEXPECTEDLY In retirement, mid-October is usually anticipatory. Who, amongst the children and many grandchildren left down south in Bath and beyond in July 2015, would be travelling up-country to Northumberland for half term?
Last October's telephone call from Simon Morris and an invitation to go down-country for the rest of the academic year was not in mind and certainly not in the diary. Fortuitously, in retirement, there is never much in the diary, so my wife Karen and I were free to travel. The brief for this temporary return to Chaplaincy was simple… accessible worship and a physical presence. No responsibilities in
a classroom and none of that very consuming managerial content of Deputy Headship. It took a little while to jump through more Methodist hoops than suit someone always eager to 'get on with it' but, by the start of the second half of the Autumn term, I was through the gates, in clerical uniform and waiting in the main foyer for a safeguarding briefing. My arrival had been announced just five minutes previously in the Monday morning assembly. As the staff re-entered the School from the Chapel, the foyer mood tipped emotionally upwards in a slightly Prodigal Son fashion. It did feel good to be back. Nine months on, I sit to write, reflectively, on a job that managed only 50% of its intended course in situ; so much of the rest locked down but also out, away from the lives of the students and staff who had become, once again, the focus of the days. It would have been a real pleasure to have fulfilled that early promise to the Upper Sixth to share a glass of fizz with them at the Leavers' Ball before heading home. Similarly, to have made our way together into a Summer term with its usual mix of pressure for examinees amidst a campus that starts to breathe easier, enjoy warmer weather, summer sports, more elbow room and shorter lunch
queues. A farewell to a much-loved headmaster in the virtual world, whilst a technological triumph, was not quite the 'knees-up' that Jackie Reeman (Head of the Common Room) and her team had planned. So, there is a sadness, a sense of incompleteness that remains, but there is no room to indulge in it, not when we place it alongside the national sorrow that COVID-19 has created. Far better to tell of the joys of being dropped back into the energy and occasional frenzy of a community such as Kingswood. There is a reason why school chaplaincy attracts people from my end of the theological spectrum. By that I mean Christians who accept the gifts that science, rational thought and renaissance enlightenment can contribute to our understanding of a faith commitment. Those who are comfortable in a multi-faith setting, who interpret life and love between human beings as evidenced in what they see around them, not in diktats born from some ancient notion of national purity. Those who welcome the challenge and emphasis of offering the Jesus story as a paradigm for life now, rather than a ticket for some vision of a life hereafter. The ones more inspired by the mind-fluid enquiries of intelligent teenagers than the often 'unshiftable' mind-set of
COMMUNITY & WORLD ACTION | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
It did feel good to be back. institutional religion. So yes, to find myself again trying to speak of matters of the heart, of the immanent God present and spiritually within, rather than the imminent God of some pending judgement, was good news, at least for me. To do that in a setting called worship, where singing, praying and preaching might feel so weird to so many, is also part of the challenge. So, smiling, laughing, performing, creating, engaging, become a part of the 'could you possibly meet me half-way?' invitation. The readiness of dedicated, talented staff to share this challenge; the willingness of gifted students who owned and delivered hymns and songs from the School's 'top-ten', made a huge contribution to worship which, if it did nothing else, prompted some debate. In the Spring term, we were looking at how we might develop this trend in the rest of the year. March 20th brought that to a close. Thereafter, back in Northumberland, input was initially reduced to what were called 'Revcasts' – audio files on the Chaplain's page within on-line pastoral support services.
Very soon, the Whole School Service became a ten-minute film, courtesy of a school iPhone and generous neighbours who allowed me to piggy-back superfast wi-fi from their picnic bench. The latter given so much added value by the technical and musical additions of Mr John M. Davies. In early July, we returned to Bath. The academic year ended on July 5th, the same day that we hitched up the trailer, put my bike on top of the car, the dog in the boot and drove home. At the end of August,
the job ends, officially. However, the decision not to appoint a Chaplain for the 2020/21 academic year, together with year group bubbles, means that worship will still be in small chunks and virtual for a while. Openreach have promised to upgrade my wi-fi, I will buy my own iPhone and, all being well, I will remain an occasional face and voice in computer screens at Kingswood for a little while longer. When the call comes next time, it will just be writing and talking – no packing.
Rev. Mike Wilkinson
THE CHAPLAIN'S AWARD FOR CHARITY This is awarded in recognition of a student's work to support charitable causes as an expression of our Wesleyan commitment to 'do all the good we can… to all the people we can'. This year's award went to Evelyn Kerr for her unstinting and generous support to projects in Malawi, in spite of the understandable cancellation of the Malawi trip this year.
FAREWELL TO MR SIMON MORRIS Unveiling of Simon's Portrait
KS HEADMASTER 2008 - 2020 The following words are an adaptation of Mr Opie's farewell to Mr Morris during the Virtual Prize Giving and Final Assembly in July.
Everyone thinks they know how to be a headmaster and has, at some point, felt that they could do the job better! Parents and staff are never shy in giving head teachers the benefit of their wisdom. Pupils know exactly what they want from their head and I am no different. Indeed, I like to think I am a bit of an expert on headmasters and even more so on Kingswood headmasters. Let me justify my claim. Headmasters have always been in charge of my life and sometimes more than one at the same time. How does that work? Well, first of all, my father was a headmaster and I also experienced being a pupil at his school in Kenya between the ages of 7 and 13. I then came to Kingswood and so have had an insight into the work of every Kingswood headmaster since 1976. I even experienced life as the Acting Headmaster here at Kingswood for a term. So with that in mind I think am in a strong position to assess Mr Morris' time at the top! I am going to assess him under my five Cs. This is my own assessment model and you definitely wouldn't find them listed if you googled
"Attributes of a great headmaster or headmistress." However, they work for me and are my "Must Haves" for any leader: Credibility. Choices. Courage. Communication. Compassion. Before we begin on his Kingswood career, a bit of background first: In 2007, the Kingswood staff were told that Mr Best was going to retire after 21 years of distinguished service and the governors were looking to make an appointment of a new head with 12 months for a handover. The appointment of a new head is always an unsettling time for teachers and so we waited with interest to find out who the new Head would be. To cut a long story short, Mr Morris was appointed and this produced a range of responses from the staff. Some went into extensive research mode but most of us read the details of his career to date and
My first impressions were of a lovely couple and nothing has ever changed that. thought, at least on paper, he was an ideal fit for the job. He had a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages from St John's Cambridge. He had worked in the city for a couple of years for Arthur Anderson before seeing the light and completing his PGCE at Christchurch College in Canterbury. Mr Morris then taught German at Warwick School where he was Head of German for six years
before moving to the Leys as Head of Modern Languages in 1995. He was also a boarding housemaster before being appointed Deputy Head at St John's in 2001 - a post he carried out until moving to Kingswood in 2008. Criteria 1: He must be credible. Qualifications on paper are one thing but what was he going to be like in reality? I trusted the governors' judgement and decided I would meet Mr Morris when he wanted to meet me. What I hadn't realised was that Simon's son, Sam, had been assigned to Middle House, of which I was the housemaster at the time, and so I first met Mr & Mrs Morris properly as new parents at my Year 9 introduction to Middle House. My first impressions were of a lovely couple and nothing has ever changed that. In 2008, the new Headmaster took up post and very quickly we all began to get the measure of the man. It became perfectly apparent to me, from day one, that Simon was one of those people who saw through any bluff or bluster. He was always kind but I could sense when he felt that something or someone was not right for Kingswood. You need to be a round peg to fit in a round hole in the type of school Mr Morris believes in. He was, from the outset, adamant about inclusivity and he has never tolerated any form of prejudice. Criteria 2: Choose wisely! Appoint
Renaming of the Sports Pavilion
the right staff to support your vision. Choose the right projects to develop your school.
Simon's Farewell Cake
This is something I have most admired with Mr Morris. He has, in his time, appointed so many outstanding teachers who are the right fit for Kingswood. He has also been successful in planning and completing an array of major developments and projects. He would be the first to acknowledge the support he has received here from an outstanding team of governors. He soon began to make his mark. The new pavilion was finished off and how fitting that it is now named "The Simon Morris Pavilion". Simon has been a tremendous supporter of all areas of extracurricular activity at school. He has spent many hours on the Upper (in all weathers) and this has been so appreciated by the pupils. Other ambitious projects were planned and completed. The Humanities Block, the building of Hall House and refurbishment of Middle House and of course the transformation of KPS into the 'state of the art' Prep School it is now. Criteria 3: Courage. New buildings or projects never excited Mr Morris as much as how he might support people better in the Kingswood community.
Simon's Portrait in Situ on the Main School Staircase
He has always understood the pressures teachers feel in the classroom. He has never been a fan of new initiatives, teaching methods, paperwork etc. unless they added something that enabled teachers to do their job in the classroom better and, although he is an ambitious innovator, he needed to know how that change was going to impact positively on the outcomes for Kingswood pupils. He always asked all the right awkward and challenging questions in meetings, for Mr Morris' personality is such that he had to understand the rationale for any change. He would challenge any new idea with "Tell me how this is going to improve the lives of my students and staff?" If you could satisfy this then you had a headmaster who would change things. You need to be brave to change things that have always been done in a particular way and Mr Morris has always been prepared to do this. He is very clear in what he believes in and he has demonstrated enormous courage in always standing up and speaking out against any form of prejudice or intolerance.
be able to express my gratitude for his support of me when I lost two members of my own family in the space of eight months. He let me deal with my grief and gave me space and time when I most needed it – I am not sure all employers get this right. A Christmas Carol
Simon and Pupils
Criteria 4: Communication. Mr Morris tells me that he does not enjoy public speaking, but he is very accomplished at it. I have always enjoyed the fact that Mr Morris has made time for everyone. He is the first to check on progress and find out what people need and he has done this consistently across the whole community. He is one of those people who really knows how to listen and that is why he has been able to manage even the most difficult conversations. People know that they have been heard and therefore trust him. He lets you know when you have done something he does not agree with but he does it in a way that makes you feel you are still respected. Of course, he himself has not always got everything right and I loved the School's response to his statement in one assembly about how he wanted Kingswood pupils to 'work hard and play hard'. This was immediately changed to 'work hard, play harder' and for years was quoted at me with monotonous regularity whenever someone was in trouble! Mr Morris has always be open and transparent and I know parents have appreciated this. I was filled with horror when he first mooted the idea of bringing in parents for an evening forum to tell us exactly what we were getting wrong. However, like most of his initiatives,
Simon's Virtual Farewell
Simon and Pupils Share Tea
he was right and this has helped us enormously to fix things we are getting wrong. Working with him has always required accurate and timely sharing of information. Mr Morris does not like surprises and so you need to keep him in the know. However, he is a leader who then trusts you to do your bit. I have loved working with the other Deputies Mrs Dawson, Mr Wilkinson and Mr Davies - alongside Mr Morris. He has laid out his expectation and vision clearly and given us the space to be ourselves. How many heads would have allowed their Senior Deputy Head to coach 1st XI hockey?! This term, in extraordinary circumstances, Mr Morris has managed to communicate with real clarity even when the advice from the Department of Education was not so clear! But my final "must have" for any headmaster is compassion. Even in the most difficult moments, this has been at the centre of any decision made by Mr Morris. This is tough to do and means that you have to treat each occasion, incident, or conversation on its own merits. You need to take time over this and never pre-judge or take the easy option. He has been the first to support parents, pupils, colleagues at times of personal difficulty. I will never
There is one more 'C' that I think any head needs and that is their own Caroline. Mrs Morris, thank you for loaning us this amazing man for 12 years and for supporting him in every way. I know how much your guidance, patience, generosity and so much more has allowed Mr Morris to be Mr Morris. You deserve to have him back and to enjoy time spent together without all of our additional demands. Mrs Morris has been the support that any head needs and I know that we would all want to recognise Caroline's immense contribution both as a teacher but also as a support to the Head over the past 12 years. Thank you from the whole Kingswood community.
Mr Gordon Opie (Deputy Head)
WORDS FROM PUPILS IN 7C Dear Mr Morris You have been a real credit to the School over the 12 years you have been Head. You have massively increased the popularity of the School, not just locally but across the country as well. We may only have had you for a year but your love and passion for the School is clear in everything you do. You show support to everyone and always give credit to both staff and students. You have made our first year at the School amazing and we will never forget it, or you. Thank you!
HELPING THE At the start of lockdown, our generous community joined the national effort to help the NHS. Numerous members of staff sat at their sewing machines making washbags and scrubs for NHS staff.
Kingswood joined with Prior Park College and Monkton in a mass effort to make more protective visors and distribute them around Bath to GPs, care centres and the RUH. With offers of support and materials from our school community, Mr Barney Brown, Head of DT, used 3D printing with the printer going 24/7 to make in excess of 100 protective visors for the ICU in Bath and nursing and elderly care centres in the area. He cut the face shields at home in a makeshift workshop with the help of the Harding family and Mr Webb to assemble them.
Pupils were also creating colourful artwork on their streets. Photos are by Menina (Year 13) and Ted Nightingale (Year 11)
The Science departments supplied a large number of medicalstandard disposable gloves, bibs, overshoes and safety glasses to the local surgeries – organised and delivered by technicians from the School.
SCHOOL DIVERSITY WEEK In June, we took part in School Diversity Week, along with millions of students across the UK.
chool Diversity Week is the national celebration of LGBT+ equality in education. Organised by the charity 'Just Like Us', the week empowers young people, parents and staff across the country to come together to recognise diversity and understanding in schools and take responsibility for tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. Alongside our anti-bullying and safeguarding policies, taking part in School Diversity Week was an important way of actively supporting LGBT+ young people in our school, and of demonstrating our commitment to an inclusive school environment where every young person can be themselves and thrive. It also created a chance to explain to all our students the importance of diversity in the world we are preparing them for. At home and online, students were provided with activities, masterclasses and creative challenges and each tutor group dressed up in different colours from the Progress Flag.
Bethany Rolfe (Head of PSHCE)
CHARITIES Charitable support was upheld this year and pupils went above and beyond to raise money for numerous charities. Below are brief reports of some of these fundraisers. THIS LIST, ALTHOUGH NOT EXHAUSTIVE, SHOWS OTHER CHARITIES WE SUPPORTED THIS YEAR.
YEAR 10 AND 11 CHARITY BALL The annual Year 10 and 11 Charity Ball took place towards the end of the Autumn term.
tudents arrived looking very glamorous and the evening started with fruit cocktails in the Theatre Foyer whilst the Catering department did an amazing job once again with the dinner, which took place in the Dining Hall.
The band, consisting of Gabriel Montefiore-Vita, James Wong, Johnny Sedcole and Oliver Lester, did a brilliant job entertaining the guests during the meal which was followed by a disco in the Theatre Foyer with DJ Nick Baines. Fifty prizes had been very kindly donated by parents and other members of the School community for the Charity Raffle and this raised over £600 for Open Arms in Malawi.
THE BIG BATH SLEEP OUT In March, ten students and three members of staff joined over three hundred other Bath residents in sleeping rough for the night in Alice Park in support of Julian House.
Access Sport Bath Festivals Bath Foodbank Beauty Banks Black Lives Matter CALM Cancer Research Childhood Eye Cancer Trust Focus Counselling The Genesis Trust Get Kids Going Help for Heroes Hope and Homes for Children Julian House Make a Wish Foundation Masiphumelele RFC Mentoring Plus Off the Record Open Arms Infant Home, Malawi Riding for the Disabled Association SAT-7 Shine Bright Support Stephen Laurence Charitable Trust Winston's Wish World Wildlife Fund Wrap Up Bath
SIXTH FORM CHARITY DINNER In the Spring term, 150 Sixth Formers and 18 staff gathered for the Sixth Form charity meal. They were treated to performances of "Orange Coloured Sky" by Meg and "That's Life" by Alix, accompanied excellently by Johnny, as well as a piano duet from Mai and Arthur. The evening ended with a raffle raising over £500 in support of Cancer Research, Riding for the Disabled Association, and the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust.
LOCKDOWN FUNDRAISERS MIDDLE'S 1000 MILE VE ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE A collection of students, staff and parents took part in the Middle House 1000 mile challenge to raise money for Help for Heroes and Shine Bright Support. In total, they covered 1551 miles and raised well in excess of £2,000. The enthusiasm shown by so many contributors proved crucial in making this fundraiser such a success. Special mention to Middle sixth formers Tomiwo, Ben and George who really helped get the challenge off the ground
CLAP FOR CHARITY This house competition, in support of Winston's Wish, involved throwing a tennis ball (or something similar) as high as you could in the air and then seeing how many claps you could make before catching it again. Westwood emerged with the most total claps, topping 1000!
Y7 FUNDRAISING MARATHON Before lockdown, Mr Newbould's and Mrs Francis' Year 7 tutor groups set themselves a target of running a combined marathon, with each boy running and adding together their total distances. This initiative was entirely student led, with the boys fundraising and motivating each other to complete the distance as a team. The boys far surpassed their target, running over 35 miles and raising over £350 for the World Wildlife Fund, Julian House, Cancer Research UK and UNICEF.
SUSTAINABILITY I
n February, the School's governing body, under the recommendation of the Sustainable Development Committee, became the first independent school in the region to declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency. In doing so, we pledged to ensure our students are educated and informed about the causes of this emergency, and the actions required to address it; to commit to review, identify and address the sources of carbon emissions directly controlled by the School, with the aim of making the School carbon neutral by 2030; to work with all associated groups with the aim of assisting B&NES to become carbon neutral by 2030; to work with other schools to drive and share best practices.
Many of these resolutions, we are pleased to say, had been adopted and in practice for some time at Kingswood, however the new aim of carbon neutrality by 2030 provides us with a clear and defined target to concentrate our efforts around. The pandemic may have grabbed the nation this year but climate change and the ecological emergency continue to be our greatest challenge and something our school community must rise to.
Mr Will Musgrove (Sustainability Development & World Action Co-ordinator)
Beach clean
MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2020 Just before schools were closed, Kingswood played host to the 29th Bath International Schools' Model United Nations conference.
pproximately 340 students took part, representing 70 member states of the UN in two days of debate on a range of issues facing the global community today, including instability in the Sahel, LGBT rights, child soldiers, climate change, weapons of mass destruction, and the rights of the Kurds in the Middle East. The conference was opened on Friday evening by Alex ForbesCable, this year's Secretary General. Alex spoke powerfully on the issue of human rights, challenging those present to consider western double standards on the issue and holding up figures like Greta Thunberg and
Malala Yousef Zai as examples of how young people can bring about change in the world today. Saturday saw the conference participants break up into their separate specialist committees, whilst on Sunday the conference climaxed with the always popular emergency scenarios, where the delegates were asked to respond to an unexpected international crisis; this year these ranged from the outbreak of war between India and Pakistan to a Saudi invasion of the Gulf state of Bahrain. A large number of Kingswood students were involved in the
conference, and all played their part in ensuring that the event was once again a great success. With so many sixth formers involved in chairing the event, Kingswood fielded two relatively junior delegations at the conference, representing Iraq and the Philippines. Despite their comparative inexperience, both delegations enjoyed considerable success. Alma Bode was commended for her work on Human Rights 2, whilst Freddie Williamson was also commended, this time for his work representing Iraq on the Disarmament Committee. Others who deserve thanks include the technical crew, who ensured that all the technology worked well over the conference weekend, the security team, and the secretaries from Westwood, who once again did a phenomenal job in supporting the work of all the committees. Special mention should be made of the chairs, on whose efforts the success of the conference rests. All rose to the challenge of taking charge of their committees magnificently, showing exceptional organisational skills as well as great maturity in dealing with a variety
...visiting teachers were full of praise for their professionalism and warm and welcoming manner. of sometimes difficult situations. Many had never chaired before, but the visiting teachers were full of praise for their professionalism and warm and welcoming manner. The head chairs for the weekend were especially impressive, and deserve a special mention; they were Alex
Forbes-Cable, Hatty Foster, Holly Guy, Johnny Sedcole, Alex Pointing, Alix Keates, Joe White, Marianna Pankevica, Tara Wynne-Edwards and Isha Musominari.
Mr Craig Woodgate (Head of Sixth Form)
In February, 17 Kingswood delegates attended the annual MUN conference at Bristol Grammar School, representing The Dominican Republic, Peru, Australia and Iran.
OXFORD GLOBAL MUN
elegates considered a wide range of pertinent international issues such as the impact of social media on politics, the Israel-Palestine conflict, the global arms trade and government control of the internet. For many, this was their first MUN conference and all rose to the occasion, researching their countries and topics thoroughly and taking an active role in their respective committees. All students should be commended for their willingness to get involved in discussion and debate throughout the day.
In November, 10 Sixth Form students departed for the historic city of Oxford for the annual three day international Oxford MUN conference.
his conference was run entirely within iconic centres of learning such as the Examination Schools, Oxford Union and the Sheldonian Theatre, giving our students a wonderful insight into student life at such a prestigious university and the opportunity to engage with other students from across the world. Delegates participated over three days in a variety of committees, discussing engaging international issues such as Antarctic resource exploitation, space exploration and the #metoo movement. Students debated these issues and proposed solutions to complex challenges, employing impressive diplomacy and co-operation. All of our delegates should be commended for their enthusiasm and willingness to take part, addressing audiences of over one hundred fellow delegates and taking an active lead in debate. Particular congratulations should be given to Marianna Pankevica who was awarded 'best delegate' in the Science and Technology committee – an outstanding achievement during her first MUN conference.
A number of students won awards, including Jacob Fadipe who was 'Best Junior Delegate', Hatty Foster and Tara Wynne-Edwards who won 'Commended' and 'Highly Commended' delegates respectively, Alex Forbes-Cable who won the prestigious 'Outstanding Delegate' for her committee and the entire Iranian delegation who were commended as one of the top delegations of the entire conference.
Mr George Newbould (Teacher of History and Politics)
ACADEMIC | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
EXAMINATION RESULTS 2020 A LEVEL Students celebrated outstanding A Level results, which were entirely appropriate for such a strong year group (our previous highest GCSE group ever). This cohort were awarded with 21% of all grades at A*, 55% at A*/A and 82% at A*- B. Particularly outstanding results were achieved by Joyce Chan, Gordon Lai and Henry McBraida with 4 A* grades; Kotoko Ishida and Lucas Lawman with 3A*, 1A; and Alexandra Forbes-Cable, Gabriel Montefiore-Vita and Alban Sankaran with 3 A* grades. Another 32 students achieved at least 3 A grades. Outgoing Headmaster, Mr Morris, commented: 'It is terrific that such a hugely talented year group should achieve such exceptional results. With all the disruption of the past few months, and then the recent chaos over the issuing of fair results, it is reassuring that the students' achievements have eventually been properly recognised in this way. They have made such a mark on the School, contributing so fully to the all-round culture which defines Kingswood, and showing true leadership as senior students over the challenges of the past few months. I congratulate them all and wish each of them every future success.'
...showing true leadership as senior students... Mr John M. Davies, Deputy Head Academic
GCSE Students again celebrated very strong GCSE/IGCSE results this year. With 45% of grades awarded at 9/8, and 69% of grades awarded at 7 or above, these represent Kingswood's best ever GCSE results. There were 51 students who achieved at least five 9/8 grades, and particular mention goes to Rose Bates, Evelyn Bradley, Alexander Bushell, Elli Duke, Will Farmer, Max Gooding, Storm Neech, Mia Randolph, Alex Sedcole, Maxim Waring, Rob Wilson, Lizzie Wylie and Tara Wynne-Edwards who all achieved ten 9/8 grades. Deputy Head Academic, Mr Davies, commented: 'Arriving at honest but positive GCSE grades this year was an incredibly complex process, and we are relieved and proud that this group of very talented students were able to collect excellent results, which, in our view, are fair and representative of their high ability and potential. I am excited to see how this group now progresses through our Sixth Form, both in terms of their academic strength but, more importantly, how they continue to thrive and grow as well-educated, balanced, and morally upright young adults.'
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | ACADEMIC
PRIZE GIVING 2020 This year, our Prize Giving ceremony was held in the most unusual circumstances. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to gather as we usually would in the sports hall for the Prize Giving ceremony. This was, of course, a great shame. The Prize Giving ceremony represents a rite of passage moment in the school calendar – our opportunity to celebrate some of the stand out achievements of the year, and to publicly acknowledge the wonderful contributions made by the outgoing Upper Sixth cohort. It is usually such a delight to hear the sports hall full of applause, and to enjoy listening to the speeches of outgoing teachers and student leaders as they reflect on their time as part of this wonderful community. Prize Giving therefore, in one sense, stood to represent another feature that we had temporarily lost from our lives, and to remind us that the events of 2020 had taken so much from our school leavers; this was made all the more poignant because Mr Morris was counted amongst those who could not receive a full and fitting 'goodbye' from a community he served with such commitment and integrity during his tenure as Headmaster. We were, of course, determined to find a suitable alternative. It was decided that we should hold a single online event focused on the Year 13 leavers, and that the awards and prizes for those in the younger year groups would be celebrated online within Houses. We would not entertain the possibility that we wouldn't have chance to celebrate our excellent students in all year groups, but we felt it was especially important to publicly acknowledge our Year 13 cohort, and all they had given to the School during their time with us. We therefore resolved to hold an online ceremony for Year 13 that would seek to preserve as many traditions we could from the original format, whilst acknowledging that we could not replace the feeling of being in the room. It was a great relief that we were able to host this event online via
our Microsoft Teams platform. In the spirit of John Wesley we, of course, look for all the positives in any challenging situation; perhaps it was a relief to many that they were not required to wear full graduate gowns in thirty degree heat in full public view, as is usually the case at Prize Giving. I was, to my relief, spared the constant anxiety of dropping a trophy, a worry no doubt shared by any of the students who make the daunting ascent to the stage in full view of their peers. It is important in situations like these to be thankful for the small mercies. The event proceeded smoothly, despite the relatively recent emergence of Microsoft Teams as an indispensable part of our lives. We certainly benefited from the expertise and experience of our superb team of student technicians, ably led by Mr Francis, who had trialled the approach some weeks before for the annual KATS awards. The organisation of the event involved developing a new set of technical skills, and it was a great joy, and typically Kingswood, that it was the students who led from
the front, directing and organising Mr Morris, Mr Opie and me, gently prompting us to not forget to turn our cameras on, or unmute our microphones. It was no surprise that a number of this technical team also won awards for their dedication and service to our school community. The event itself was, I believe, a great success. Whilst it was difficult to judge the response of those in attendance when I experienced the event sat alone in my office, headphones in, enthusiastically clapping each award to a computer monitor, I could imagine the students beaming with pride as their names were announced. No doubt teachers and parents sat shiny-eyed, wondering at how all these onceyoung children had become joyful, optimistic and impassioned young adults in spite of all of the challenges of their final term. We were treated to a number of short speeches that lost none of their honesty and truth, in spite of the unusual context. It was a great joy to hear about some of the thoughts and memories of Stephen King,
Ella McLeod, James Button and Alix Keates (Head and Deputy Boy and Girl). It was wonderful, too, to hear a recording of Holly Guy reading her poem 'The Roaring 20s', and to enjoy a video composition put together by the students which showcased the humour and good spirit of this wonderful group of young people. Finally, it was also very important that Mr Opie had the time to speak about Mr Morris, and to acknowledge and celebrate his fantastic tenure as Headmaster, and for Mr Morris to reflect on his time at Kingswood and his thoughts about the future.
THE ROARING 20S,
Holly Guy
He rockets down a highway in a red Model T, A war-weary veteran at just twenty-three. The city bulges with an influx of life, And colour and parties that blot out the strife. And within this kaleidoscope the speakeasy spirals, And the saxophone drowns out the dread for a while. So, why not put on a suit and tie and dance the night away? There's a beat of forgetfulness in a step and a sway. Through the drink and the dance and the smoke and the noise, The Lost Generation is finding their voice. Armstrong and Hemmingway, Woolf and Fitzgerald, Their values reflect the new heroes they herald. So, let the liquor flow freely and wash the slate clean, Flush away memories; leave blank where blood has been. And why not learn the Charleston and dance the night away? The friends he's lost can't haunt him when he's thrust amongst the fray.
In the end, the online event managed to capture something about the spirit of Kingswood: modesty fused with excellence, service, resilience, pride, joy. I hope that the student leavers felt that they had been recognised and celebrated for their achievements and contributions. I am sure they know that we miss them greatly, but that we are also so proud that they leave us to enter a world that is crying out for innovation and leadership from truly good people, such as them.
Of course, 'the youth of today are immoral and wrong', Well, we'll let those bastards talk of morals when they've been to the Somme. When Civilised Countries draw swords and fight, They like to believe in their hearts that they're right; But the ones who decide that, they can forget – They are not haunted by phantom bayonets. So, why not find a pretty girl and dance the night away? If the war taught them anything, it's 'Live for today'.
Mr John M. Davies (Deputy Head Academic)
PRIZES FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE SCHOOL The Heart of Westwood Award
Gaby Davies & Max Slater
The Charlotte Hecquet Award for Fine Art
Rhea Lewis
The Duchars Award for Art
Molly Gregory
The John Allison Memorial Award for DT
Sophie Woodcock
The Sullivan Award for Drama
Sam Hill
The "Golden Mask" Award
The Model United Nations Award
Alexandra Forbes-Cable
The Kingswood Debating Award
Johnny Sedcole
The Grove Award for Sport
Holly Harris
The Sandy Burgon Award for Sporting Commitment out of School
Emma James & Jamie Deverell
James Button
The Warmann Shield for Team Sport
1st XI Hockey Team
The Jean Pratten Award for Music
The Juba Award
Sam Ewing
The Tom Pritchard Award for Music & Drama
Tara Wynne-Edwards
The Richard Neal Memorial Award
The Dikran A. Knadjian Award for Medicine
Ella McLeod
The Friends of Kingswood Award for Community Spirit
The President's Prize for Contribution to Science
Henry McBraida
The Rebecca Bleathman Travel Scholarship Award
Evelyn Kerr
The E.P. Thompson Award for History Johnny Sedcole The William Cross Award for Politics
Davida Samikwa
The Burns Family Leadership Award Alex Pointing The Jo Heap Award for Contribution to Sport
Matthew Cheung & Emily Vaughan
LEAVERS' DESTINATIONS NAME
Charlotte Aiken Uliana Akimova Nicholas Baines Freddy Bayliss Diana Bertran Jessica Brain Martha Brain Harvey Brooks Joseph Bruce Eliza Brunt James Button Jasmin Cameron Miya Cameron Adriana Castrillo Cardama Long Yi (Joyce) Chan Tsz Nga (Ruth) Cheng Bethany Cheung Ming Hon (Matthew) Cheung Nicole Cheung Henry Craig William Craig Joe Crosby Tristan Day James Deverell Freya Disney Samuel Ewing Isaac Fendley Alexandra Forbes-Cable Harriet Foster Natalia Greenfield Molly Gregory Holly Guy Molly Hamilton George Hannon Holly Harris Julius Hawking Samuel Hill Matthew Hooper Kotoko Ishida Emma James Alix Keates Marcus Kershaw Stephen King Josh Knight Bridie Knox Stepan Kuzmenko Yuet Long (Gordon) Lai Jacob Lane Maxim Lanez Lucas Lawman Francesca Ledbury Shue Pui (Ed) Lee Oliver Lester Pui Man (Grania) Leung Rhea Lewis Hin Yuet (Hedy) Li Felix Lynch Louis March-Smith Antonio Mba Ivina Henry McBraida Ciaran McCarthy Henry McCollom Natasha McFadyen Ella McLeod Jude Meaden Georgia Miller
Medicine Politics & Economics Business Studies Aeronautics & Astronautics Computer Science Gap Year; Investment & Finance in Property Gap Year Gap Year; Psychology Gap Year History & Spanish Pharmacy Gap Year Gap Year International Business Management Mathematics & Statistical Science Geography Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear Foundation Diploma, Art & Design Economics Vocational Training Gap Year Creative Computing (Web Technologies) Engineering with Foundation Year Gap Year; Economics & Finance Mathematics with Computer Science Natural Sciences Gap Year; Product & Furniture Design Gap Year; International Relations Philosophy Politics Architecture Combined Honours in Social Sciences Primary Teacher Education (Campus Based) Gap Year Gap Year; Biomedical Science Journalism, Communications & Politics Gap Year Biological Sciences Engineering Gap Year Zoology Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences Biological Sciences Psychology Biology Economics Physics Games Design Statistics & Management for Business Computer Science Sport & Exercise Science Mechanical Engineering Business & Management Film with Year Abroad Architecture Occupational Therapy Film, Television & Digital Production Geography Economics with Spanish Mathematics Business Management with Placement Chemistry (4 years) Gap Year; Veterinary Nursing Gap Year; Medicine Product Design Gap Year
University of Plymouth London School of Economics Iowa State University University of Southampton University of Exeter University of Reading Loughborough University University of Bristol University of Manchester
Lancaster University University College London King's College London University of the Arts, London University of the Arts, London University of Sussex
Bath Spa University Cardiff University University of Exeter University of Reading Lancaster University Kingston University University of Edinburgh Cardiff University University of Sussex Newcastle University Durham University Oxford Brookes University University of Birmingham Cardiff University University of Exeter University of Cambridge University of Exeter Brunel University University of Exeter University of Liverpool University of Manchester University of Bristol Imperial College London Bournemouth University University College London University of Warwick Nottingham Trent University Imperial College London Durham University University of Southampton Oxford Brookes University University of Southampton Bath Spa University University of Birmingham Royal Holloway, University of London University of Oxford Queen's University Belfast Durham University Hartpury University University of Nottingham Bournemouth University
Gabriel Montefiore-Vita Maisy Mornement Freya Morris Tsz Ying (Cherry) Ng Menina Nightingale Albert (Bert) Nokes Oluwatosin (Tosin) Ogunribido Rory Padkin Fin Paul Chloe Pearce Arthur Pinn Alexander (Alex) Pointing Tippy Pullin Charlie Roach Charlotte Roberts Max Robless Keyan Roubaie Hannah Ruddock Davida Samikwa Alban Sankaran Zachary Sayce Margaret (Meg) Scott Charlotte Scruton Jonathan (Johnny) Sedcole Katie Shannon Ben Shardlow Viktoria (Viky) Shen Abigail (Abby) Shrubb Noah Small Oluwatoyosi (Toyosi) Somoye Mai Sugimoto Finlay (Fin) Tankard Libby Taylor Maisy Taylor Lewis Taylor Anish Thapa Henry Tolenaar Numa Tumbahangphe Bella Turner Elena (Ellie) Vaid Darcy van Gerwen Emily Vaughan Matthew Vaughan Daisy Warne Joseph (Joe) White Pak Hei (James) Wong Sophie Woodcock Lucy Wyon Soraya Yasin Jiaxuan (Jason) Zhang
Music Gap Year; International Event Management Psychology with a Foundation Year Primary Education with QTS Geography with Professional Placement Gap Year; Architectural Environment Engineering Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence Gap Year Gap Year Psychology Overseas Study Gap Year; History Early Years Development & Learning Sport Coaching Neuroscience Gap Year International Relations & Modern Languages Vocational Training Politics & International Relations Ancient & Medieval History Gap Year Gap Year; Politics & Arabic Medicine History Psychology Foundation Year Medicine Games Art & Design Psychology Gap Year Economic Studies & Global Sustainable Development Gap Year History Geography Fashion Marketing Management Business Management Computer Science Computer Science Medicine & Surgery Gap Year; Psychology International Law & Globalisation Vocational Training Economics, Psychology & Philosophy Gap Year Fashion Photography Gap Year; Software Engineering Music Engineering with Foundation Year Gap Year Spanish & Chinese Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies
University of Bristol University of Brighton University of Sussex St Mary's University, Twickenham University of Exeter University of Nottingham University of Southampton
Geography Foundation Built Environment Geography Politics, Philosophy & Economics Design for Performance Business & Management Economics Geography Politics & American Studies Economics & Politics Politics Sport Coaching Accounting & Finance Sport Conditioning, Rehabilitation & Massage Geography & Social Anthropology Construction Project Management Journalism Studies
Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University Newcastle University Durham University Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Bristol, University of the West of England Bristol, University of the West of England University of Bristol University of Nottingham University of Leeds Cardiff University Cardiff Metropolitan University University of Leeds Cardiff Metropolitan University University of Edinburgh Bristol, University of the West of England University of Sheffield
Durham University Royal Holloway, University of London Norland College Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff University University of Exeter London School of Economics University of Edinburgh University of Manchester University of Liverpool Durham University Northumbria University, Newcastle University of Nottingham Norwich University of the Arts University of Manchester University of Warwick University of Exeter University of Exeter Cardiff Metropolitan University University of Sheffield University of Edinburgh Newcastle University Lancaster University University of Warwick University of Birmingham University of Warwick Leeds Arts University University of Chester University of Manchester Cardiff University University of Manchester University of Liverpool
POST A LEVEL APPLICANTS Maximillian Brindley Dominic Carruthers Emily Davies Jasper Davis Molly Dickinson Conor Finnamore Wilfred Foster Alexandra Hart Poppy Hasoon William Haysom Marcus Kendall Oscar Kenyon Matthew Pearce Amber Rees-Jones Jasmin Ryan Hamish Walker Zachary (Zach) Wheelhouse Steel
ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT BIG BANG COMPETITION The Big Bang competition is open to schools across the UK and, if selected, teams turn up to the NEC Birmingham and exhibit their projects in the National Finals. The event is huge: 80,000 people visit over three days, and a team of Year 13 students, and another team of Year 11 students were selected to attend the event. Sensibly, but sadly, the public event was cancelled due to the coronavirus but teams were invited to send in five-minute videos so the competition element could continue.
emergency blankets, such as those handed out after races or carried in emergency First Aid kits on expeditions, would improve their heat retention qualities. This would also potentially make them softer so they could be given out to rough sleepers since the outer foil sheet is waterproof, and they would also still be very lightweight.
A prototype of the blanket was tested at the Big Sleep Out, and the team planned to approach Julian House, the Homeless charity in Bath, as well as asking Duke of Edinburgh expeditions to test it.
As committed environmentalists, as well as enthusiastic Chemists, the Year 11 team, consisting of Tara Wynne-Edwards, Lizzie Wylie and Coco Cox, were very keen to find an ethical use for unwanted or unrecyclable plastics. They decided to investigate whether adding these materials as a filling to silver foil
The judges were so impressed with the idea that the team were awarded Runners Up in the Intermediate competition.
YEAR 13 The nearly all female Year 13 team, made up of Ella McLeod, Tosin Ogunribido, Numa Tumbahangphe, Mai Sugimoto, Alix Keates, with some help from Stephen King, worked on a 'Plasters for Disasters' project: a wound dressing for emergencies which could be placed over a wound and would give the patient information about any infection under the dressing, without having to remove it. This was designed for events such as hurricanes, earthquakes etc. where people trek to treatment centres and then go home, losing medical contact on the way, but needing to know all is well with their wound. There were a great number of technical difficulties to overcome, but the team won the whole Senior competition! This was only the second time Kingswood had been to the Finals in the competition so their win is an incredible achievement. They would normally have been congratulated on stage at the event and pictured in all the press releases, so it is a real shame it was cancelled as they did not receive the accolade they deserved.
BIOLOGY PHOTO COMP Over Easter, Kingswood Biology students were challenged to take part in a photography competition. The winning entries are below:
BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD A group of Upper Sixth Biologists took part in the annual National Biology Olympiad, along with over 9,500 students from 668 schools worldwide. Commended Arthur Pinn Highly Commended Alix Keates Matthew Hooper Francesca Ledbury Charlotte Aiken Bronze Medal
All Lower Sixth Biologists took part in the National Intermediate Biology Olympiad. This was a one hour online test consisting of 68 multiple choice questions. Commended Oliver Biggs Isabelle Feaver Anson Chan Tatiana Fairley Highly Commended
Ben Shardlow Stephen King
Tom Lane Fox Imogen Leakey
Bert Nokes Numa Tumbahangphe Mai Sugimoto Rory Padkin
Josh Nicholson Nina Brain Janice Ng
Lizzie Narbett Rohan Chhantyal
Bridie Knox Ella McLeod Maxim Lanez Bert Nokes, Year 13
BIOLOGY INTERMEDIATE OLYMPIAD
Also in the top 6% nationally.
(Rohan was also the best performer in school).
SCIENCE AWARDS & COMPETITIONS CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD The national Chemistry Olympiad, which includes questions on Chemistry well beyond A Level, produced the following excellent results:
Ben Lockey, Year 11
Oluwatosin Ogunribido, Stephen King, Olly Tonge, Rosie Bartlett, Janice Ng and Marcus Brend
Henry McCollom, Mai Sugimoto, Ella McLeod, Mayu Ishimoto and Byron Chan
LIBRARY Highlights from the Library this year included: 1. Book with a View Competition. The winners were: Oliver Hewitt (Year 8), Dan Woodward (Year 8), Magnus Sankaran (Year 10), Tim Green (Year 12) and Mai Sugimoto (Year 13).
5. 1. 2. National Poetry Day celebrations in October, including an Open Mic Night. 3. The introduction of the Westwood Centurion Reading Challenge which resulted in Year 7 and 8 reading over 250 books between them (following the Centurion Book Award which is the local schools' book award and runs from September to March). The winning tutor group was Mrs Hollywell's. 4. Harry Potter Day in February welcoming Year 5 pupils from St Andrew's Primary for spell writing, potions class, and creating our own magical creatures. Dan Woodward
5. Visit from author Nikesh Shukla in February to talk to Year 9. 6. A day of singing and Library activities for World Book Day in March, in conjunction with the Music department which involved several local primary schools and the Prep School, also another Open Mic Night. 7. Weekly meetings of Reading Club on Thursday lunchtimes.
DURING LOCKDOWN
Magnus Sankaran
The creation of a Library podcast around the Carnegie and YA Book Prize shortlists, with accompanying resources on Firefly, so pupils can follow at home.
Weekly online activities for Reading Club.
The creation of 'Dungeons and Dragons Club' – where two groups met weekly to play online.
CREATIVE SUCCESS Sustainable Fashion Design Competition Mayu Ishimoto in Year 12 won the Fashion and Fairytale Sustainable Fashion Design competition out of 300 submissions. The judges were impressed with the subtle way she had interpreted her inspiration into the garment, researching the natural dyes and referencing Japanese tradition. Her stunning design was one of four chosen to be manufactured and displayed as part of a Gala Fashion Show in the Assembly Rooms.
BATH YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR In October, Sonia Sung in Year 10 was invited to compete in the prestigious Bath Young Musician of the Year concert. The competition was particularly fierce and, along with Sonia playing her harp, the line-up included a pianist, bassoonist, horn player and singer. The event selects performers under the age of 21, and Sonia was by far the youngest performer there – a testament to her fantastic ability at such a young age. Each performer had prepared a 15-minute programme that showcased their ability and, although Sonia missed out on clinching the coveted title, her performance of Prokofiev's Prelude in C and Hasselmans' Valse de Concert truly wowed the audience.
This year's GCSE Latin class read an entire and un-abridged letter of Pliny in which he bemoans the frivolity of chariotracing and its fans, and during lockdown we decided to debate the topic further. Tara Wynne-Edwards and Lizzie Wylie bravely took on the less popular side arguing for the motion, but were narrowly beaten by Max Waring and Rob Wilson, who answered questions from the floor particularly well. TARA'S AND ROB'S CLOSING ARGUMENTS ARE GIVEN BELOW: Motion: This house agrees with Pliny that enthusiasm for sporting events is excessive and stupid. Tara Wynne-Edwards: We should be willing to share our passion and our money with other things. Sports are cool, but progressions in healthcare, sciences and positive international relations, as lame as it sounds, are cool too. I would make the case that they are more important too, in fact. So, okay, the fervent nature of sports fans is justifiable, but not ideal, and I just hope we won't end up seeing Boris cracking open a Carlsburg at Wembley any time soon. Rob Wilson: Sport may not entertain you or Pliny, but it does others. We respect each other's preferences after all, and certainly do not outwardly criticise them for the sole reason they are not aligned to our own. I am sure that you would not find it productive for me to criticise your fervent love of reading, or somebody else's love of music. We are not saying that every single person should aspire to be professional athletes: that would be preposterous. However we are saying that the entertainment that sport brings by itself is absolutely integral to many people's lives. This, along with the undeniable health benefits are just a few reasons why sport is not loved excessively, but instead, followed passionately, in ancient Rome and today.
Mrs Sarah Dakin (Head of Classics)
ENGLISH CULTURAL CHIT CHAT Written by Iris Marrack, Year 12 We initially joined what was called 'Booker Club' to shadow the 2019 Man Booker shortlist and enjoyed thoughtful discussions about each of the books, as well as following how they were being rated by the public. Our discussions were not restricted to the list, as each week we would all bring forward our recommendations, whether that was books, podcasts, films or TV. It was so nice to share what we had been enjoying, with Mrs Lopez's weekly bakes being a bonus! After many further name changes, 'Cultural Chit Chat' felt appropriate as our group moved away from talking solely about what we had been reading or watching to discussing important current issues and how sometimes the things we watch and read are a part of the problem. We felt it was important to recommend each other broader and more diverse literature, that isn't necessarily taught in the classroom, as well as critiquing classics. The club will continue next year and is open to anyone from Years 10-13 who is interested in a culture catch-up.
PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION In January, Kingswood played host to the English Speaking Union Public Speaking Competition which paired a speaker from one school with a chairperson and questioner of another. Representing Kingswood were Rose Bates, Tara Wynne-Edwards and Leyla Aysan. All three were commended for their excellent preparation, enthusiasm and confident delivery and Tara was awarded 'Best Speaker' of the evening. Later in February, Rose, Tara and Rob Wilson took part in the local round of the British Professional Public Speaking Competition. Tara was Speaker, Rose Chairperson and Rob Expresser of Thanks. The judges were impressed with their delivery, charisma and confidence and Kingswood emerged as the winners, beating four other teams made up entirely of experienced sixth formers!
Rob Wilson, Rose Bates and Tara Wynne-Edwards
EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES At the end of September, Kingswood celebrated the European Day of Languages by hosting several taster sessions in different languages. Pupils and staff showed off their brilliant language skills and pupils were taught about the cultures and history of languages such as Portuguese, Farsi, Maori, Japanese and Nepalese amongst others. It was really wonderful to see how culturally diverse our school community is.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VOICE COMPETITION In November, three of our international students attended the annual inter-school speaking competition, "International Student Voice". Competitors gave speeches on a topic of their choice in front of an audience of fellow students and teaching staff. Snow Sun represented Kingswood in the Year 7-10 group, and gave a very engaging speech on 'The Importance of Friendship'. In the Year 11-13 group, Saho Kumagai and Takuto Nunokawa gave speeches on 'Siya Kolisi and The Springboks' and 'The Global Appeal of Football', respectively. Saho's talk was exceptionally well prepared and presented, resulting in her obtaining first place in the competition.
CAREERS Careers in Surgery Workshop. In January, a group of Upper and Lower Sixth students interested in studying Medicine at university enjoyed a two hour workshop on careers in surgery led by two doctors from the Royal United Hospital. An informative presentation on the various career paths available in surgery was followed by some diagnostic exercises and three practical activities which provided an insight into some of the skills associated with being a surgeon, including laparoscopy and tying surgical knots.
SEPTEMBER BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP In September, twenty nine Upper Sixth Biologists spent two days 'out in the field' learning about and putting into practice various sampling techniques, and studying the concept of energy flow through an ecosystem.
ACADEMIC TRIPS OCTOBER DRAMA TRIP TO LONDON GCSE Drama students enjoyed a backstage tour of the Royal National Theatre and then walked along the South Bank to Shakespeare's Globe to watch 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. The show did not disappoint and students enjoyed the humour and audience interaction.
NOVEMBER GEOGRAPHY TRIP TO PORLOCK & MINEHEAD The Lower Sixth Geographers travelled to Porlock and Minehead to begin their A Level field work studies. They recorded different aspects of the beach profile and morphology, carried out their own mini investigative project evaluating the coastal defences and even enjoyed a stone throwing contest!
THEATRECRAFT AT THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE Six Sixth Form students travelled to The Royal Opera House to attend the annual careers fair, Theatrecraft. Students attended workshops on a range of topics including 'fantasy make-up', 'how to become a producer' and 'lighting, from page to stage'. They were also able to join one of the tours around The Royal Opera House or a demonstration of the costumes and puppets from The Lion King.
COMPUTER SCIENCE TRIP Sixteen Lower Sixth Computer Scientists travelled to Warwick University where they learned how Computer Science lies at the very heart of all that we do both today and in the future. They listened to talks on numerous topics including computer animations, data analysis, the applications of urban science, exam technique, and machine learning and A.I.
DECEMBER CHEMISTRY TRIP TO BRISTOL UNIVERSITY Thirty Upper Sixth students visited the Chemistry Department at Bristol University where they synthesised benzocaine, a local anaesthetic commonly used as a pain reliever for mouth ulcers and in cough drops such as Strepsils. They used a range of practical techniques as well as IR spectroscopy and thin layer chromatography to check the purity of their product. They also enjoyed talks from a post graduate student about studying Chemistry at a higher level at university and a thought-provoking lecture demonstration about the chemistry of climate change.
HISTORY TRIP TO BRISTOL Year 8 pupils travelled to Bristol for a day dedicated to the life and work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel learning from enthusiastic experts about the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Britain. They designed and built bridges, deciphered Brunel's handwriting in his personal diaries and attempted to draw perfect circles in a moving train carriage.
MARCH VISIT TO AEROSPACE Year 8 visited Aerospace Bristol, the home of Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the last of the iconic supersonic passenger jets to be built and the last to fly. Students stepped aboard this famous aeroplane and embarked upon a flight through the history of aviation achievement by way of the interactive museum exhibits. They took part in the Mission to Mars workshop where they were challenged to build and test a vehicle capable of traversing the rocky Martian terrain to retrieve rock samples from the surface of the planet. This was an excellent opportunity to get a taste of life as an aerospace engineer and all the students rose to the challenge.
JANUARY CAREERS IN TECH & ENGINEERING Fifty one Computer Science and DT students visited Ashton Gate stadium to find out about careers in Tech and Engineering. Students completed challenges developing new products and programming an Ozo Bot followed by talks from industry experts about the amazing opportunities that are available in both Tech and Engineering.
FEBRUARY JAGUAR LAND ROVER REGIONAL FINALS A selection of Year 9 students entered the Jaguar Land Rover 4x4 In Schools Regional Finals held at the Bristol Science Park. More details on the DT page!
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | HOUSES
Year 7 & Tutors
WESTWOOD HOUSE (LOWER SCHOOL)
HOUSES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
REST & RESET DAY
In June, Year 7 and 8 pupils traded in their academic timetable for a day of wellbeing which became fondly known as Westwood Rest & Reset Day.
he purpose was to pause the busy remote learning schedule and encourage them to explore some nourishing activities to help recharge their batteries. The pupils had the opportunity to choose between creative tasks, wellbeing activities and physical activities, and over 200 pupils embraced the Photography Challenge appropriately titled 'The Great Outdoors'. The enthusiasm from the pupils was outstanding and even the Westwood staff participated in some baking and yoga! This replenishment opportunity really brought out the best of the community.
FONTHILL HOUSE We started the year together as a house, and finished it apart, but what was apparent was that the #FonthillFamilySpirit remained strong throughout. lose to a School House team who boasted the majority of the 1st VII.
ed by Minnie Nightingale and Ruth Cheng, with the aid of the #HallHouseHeroes, we were off to a strong start with Elton John's 'I'm Still Standing'. Little did we know it at the time, but this House Song would become a particularly apt anthem for the second half of the year. Taking second place to School and Upper, we also came second in the ensemble with, for those who remember house tutor Mrs Clarke, a very poignant version of 'Sweet Caroline'.
The house was strongly represented in School Sports teams throughout the year, with Chloe Pearce, Emily Vaughan and Iris Marrack in the 1st XI, and Maya Lane and Alice Wilson in the 1st VII, the latter (in Year 9) the youngest ever Kingswood player in this team. Alice also continued her sporting achievements outside School, coming second in the UK Indoor Pentathlon Championships. Year 10 Tobina Laurence competed in the Cross Country Regionals, winning selection for the English Schools National Championships, whilst Upper Sixth Joe Knox was deservedly awarded Full Colours for Cross Country. In Prizegiving, Emily Vaughan was deservedly recognised for her willing participation in all Kingswood Sports.
Second place was the theme of the year, repeated in various year group sports competitions. The Senior House Hockey showcased Kingswood's amazing inter-house spirit, as both Fonthill and School House goalkeepers stepped in to help Summerhill who had no-one in this position. In House Netball, the Senior A team were proud to only narrowly
Among our many second places, we did however manage a few wins: 'Veteran' Boarders' Bake Off participants Minnie, Alix Keates and Ells Penfold took the 2020 crown with a brilliant Victoria Sponge; Tara Wynne-Edwards (along with Summerhill and School) confidently 'took down' the boys in House Debating; and Hatty Foster's Group
Performance of 'The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband' won her a KATS award (and an awesome acceptance speech!). With no House Cross Country, we nevertheless managed to win Mr Musgrove's lockdown '5km Challenge', with times recorded by all year groups and staff in the house – our one sporting win! Through Music, Drama and Art, the house also showed its breadth of talent. Many Fonthill girls (and indeed a couple of house tutors!) were seen on stage in the entertaining and festive 'A Christmas
…principled, passionate and inspiring individuals…
Carol', with Isha Musominari, Annie Archer and Izzy Vaughan all gaining main parts for 'Guys and Dolls' next year. The Headmaster's chosen Christmas card designs were both by Fonthill art scholars – Ells Penfold and Amelie Cardy – and even through lockdown, Fonthill musicians regularly appeared in the Virtual Concert Series, Grade 8s were achieved by Ruth and Minnie, whilst Larissa Man sat her post Grade 8 Diploma. With the tone set by the inspiring Upper Sixth, the house most definitely lived up to its mottos of 'Principled and Passionate' and 'Be the Change You Want to See in the World'. Many girls were regular attendees (or even speakers) at the Youth Strikes for Climate Change (including hearing Greta Thunberg speak in Bristol), Alex ForbesCable was BISMUN's Secretary General, we raised over £700 as our usual 'house elves' selling candy canes in aid of The Restart Centre
(continuing to sponsor Kelvin and Ken) and freedom4girls (a period poverty charity), we donated a huge amount of bras to women and girls in the Gambia, and our house 'piggy pennies' supported the Bath Food Bank. This year saw the inception of House Colours, and this inaugural year saw 11 girls awarded theirs, as follows: Minnie Nightingale, Niamh Harding, Isha Musominari, Bethany Cheung, Charlie Roberts, Freya Morris, Ruth Cheng, Tara WynneEdwards, Alix Keates, Fran Ledbury and Emily Vaughan. Minnie, Tobina Laurence and Sarafina Bondzie also all received their Wyvern boarding awards during the year. Finally, despite not being together, we still made the usual end-of-year House awards, with Minnie unanimously voted as the Spirit of Fonthill, and Freya Morris nominated by staff for the Wright Way Award. In the final assembly we said a fond
farewell to Miss Wright (Fonthill's Housemistress for 17 years!) and to tutor Miss Jones. We will miss them both hugely. We also said goodbye and good luck to the Upper Sixth, with the following valediction: "The Upper Sixth have been excellent role models this term and throughout the whole year. They are a group of principled, passionate and inspiring individuals who have involved themselves in many aspects of Kingswood's life. It has been a pleasure being housemistress to them all; I wish them the best of luck in their futures, and hope to see them together very soon. Like the Fonthill bird, I know they are all going to fly!" This was a fantastic year group to have led the house this year, with a fantastic Head and Deputy Head of House in Minnie and Ruth who both worked tirelessly to keep the #FonthillFamily as strong as it ever has been!
Mrs Juliette Mainwaring (Senior Housemistress)
HALL HOUSE As always, the new school year brought another edition of the House Performance competition.
e combined well with our sister house, Fonthill, determined to wrest the title back from Middle and Summerhill. Sadly, the sweet strains of 'Sweet Caroline' and 'I'm Still Standing' were not enough to convince the judges, but congratulations to all who took part, particularly to our Year 13s for the leadership they showed in helping organise the event. The Autumn term always has weekends packed with activities for the boarders. Our now annual trip to Outposts in the Quantocks with Years 9 and 12 went down extremely well. Despite moving from bright sunshine to torrential downpours and everything in between, our boarders did themselves proud in their team-
building exercises. On top of this, our boys took part in year group hikes through the local countryside, visited Longleat, took part in a competition against Westonbirt School, went on shopping trips and attempted an escape room in Bristol. Many thanks to Jason Zhang for agreeing to be the 'responsible adult' within his team of escapees. In Rugby, Year 9 was keenly contested, with only 2 points between the teams in all the matches played, and we narrowly lost out, whilst Year 10s did themselves proud. RUGBY COLOURS Colts
Liam Toner
Charlie Fry Antonio Mba Ivina
In Hockey, Year 9 was again a keenly contested affair, where every hard-fought game was won by the slimmest of margins. In Year 10, Kit Marrack, Will Connors and Fergus Kerr led us to trophy, beating Middle by a single goal, and drawing with Upper.
The house spirit and senses of humour still shone through from the computer screens. In Football, the boys in Years 12 and 13 played the House Football competition in great spirit and a closely and keenly contested mini tournament saw us come second after drawing with both Middle and Upper. As we approached Christmas, three big things were on everyone's mind: the Senior Production, the Christmas Concert, and the eagerlyanticipated visit to the ice skating rink with Fonthill. This year, we were treated to 'A Christmas Carol', with Sam Hill, Ted Nightingale, Matthew Wright, Oliver H. Williams, Basti Langkilde and Sam Gearing doing us proud in their various roles. Sam Bernstein,
James and Tom Button, Finn Morris and Joe White played important roles in setting up and running the lighting and sound, with James designing all the projected backdrops required. The concert was the usual jolly affair, with many of the boys part of the various ensembles. Of course, our singers were heavily involved in the preparations for the Carol Service as well, singing in two services all in the space of 24 hours! As we moved into the new year, the hoped-for snow never came, giving our resident snowshovellers, Callum Chamberlain and Harry Maskell, a welcome break.
AND THEN LOCKDOWN HAPPENED… Things changed considerably as the boys got used to working from home and communicating mainly through their computers. For many this was like a duck taking to water – maybe not so much for the staff! The important thing for us all was to keep the house spirit going – and we did. The boys would tune into their tutor time each morning. Videos of sporting challenges were shared – the Year 9s in particular were every good at juggling footballs. The house spirit and senses of humour still shone through from the computer screens. The end of year celebrations were obviously different to anything any of us had ever experienced before. No House Entertainment, no Prize Giving and no Leavers' Ball but Mr Morris has promised our leavers that one day, the ball will happen and we all look forward to that day. Before that, I would personally like to thank our leavers for the way they coped with their end of time at Kingswood. It would not have been how they wanted it to finish but we still managed to get together in two socially distanced bubbles in the Hall House garden to mark their end of time here. From a personal point of view, we really need to thank Johnny Sedcole and Sam Hill for the way they led the house in their positions of Head of House and Assistant Head of House/Head of Boarding. Even during lockdown, their organisational skills, combined with their infectious sense of fun, really contributed to the maintaining of house spirit. This was particularly evident in the Leavers' Assembly that they created and broadcast on MS Teams. None of us will forget the video of all our Year 13 boys "singing" the Neil Diamond classic, "Sweet Caroline"! As ever, we wish the very best to all of our leavers and we hope they stay in contact with us. Finally, the "Hall House Hero" of the year for 2020 was awarded to Rory Ferguson.
Mr Darrell Harding (Senior Housemaster)
MIDDLE HOUSE The year started in typical fashion as we welcomed the new Year 9s along with some new Year 12s.
he first significant event for us was the House Music competition, something that Middle now has some pedigree in, having won it last year and with a large contingent of top class musicians at our disposal. Tomiwo Owoseje, Gabriel Montefiore-Vita, James Wong, Alex Kellagher and Freddie Stockton did not disappoint performing Nina Simone's `Feeling Good´ alongside some of the Summerhill musicians. We came out triumphant as winners of the Ensemble.
The first term is also traditionally busy for Middle regarding sport and the house contributes a large number of players to teams right through from Year 9 to 1st XV level. At 1st XV level we had a large number of key players with Ciaran McCarthy and Rory Padkin sharing captaincy duties. Ciaran did well to overcome injury and made valuable contributions, whilst Rory, who had spent much of the previous season injured, was a vital member of the team and was deservedly awarded the Player of the Season. Ethan Hawtin continued to play high level rugby for Bath Academy in their U18s side, whilst James Redman and Tom Roach also played well when representing school, club and academy sides. The house also enjoyed watching the Drama production 'A Christmas Carol' and gave us the opportunity to support Ethan Hawtin and Ben Cox who both had major roles. The Christmas Concert is a big highlight
in the end of term events and many Middle men have now made an appearance in this through KJO and smaller music groups.
After we returned from the Christmas holidays, we found out that Henry McBraida had secured an offer of a place at Oxford University. This is an amazing achievement and is very well deserved. Many of our Year 13s have also secured offers from top universities and we wish them the best of luck as some of them are able to embark on these courses. Both Hockey and Football draw on our sporting talent in the Spring term. Harvey Brooks was able to take up his role as co-captain and led the Hockey team to one of its most successful seasons in recent history, coming up against traditionally strong schools in school and cup fixtures, yet remaining unbeaten. It was such a shame that term ended prematurely and that their amazing season was cut short. The footballers also enjoyed success in their fixtures with a number of Middle boys representing both of the senior sides. The Cross-Country season was also sadly curtailed and there was no House Competition in the normal sense. However, we faired well in the virtual 5km race with Year 10 Freddie Cooper registering the second quickest time in the entire school community. As the Spring term drew to a close early, we entered a period of remote learning for the remainder of the year, but much was still achieved. Both Ed Lee and Josh Knight managed to complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards, which is a fantastic
achievement. KATS went ahead in a remote format to recognise drama and musical talents within the School. On the night, we had a large number of nominees and eventual winners with Colby Chu winning the Year 11 Composer's Award, Gabriel Montefiore-Vita winning Musos' Muso and the Outstanding Contribution to A Level Music, and James Wong winning the Outstanding Contribution to Kingswood Music. Towards the end of term, a few Middle men worked hard to organise the 1000 mile challenge and it was an excellent way to bring the house together to get away from their screens and raise some money for two worthy charities. I must thank both Tomiwo Owoseje and Ben Cox for their efforts here. In all, Middle House boys contributed 90% of the 1,551 mile total and helped raise a staggering amount of £2,377 for our two charities. This sum of money was well beyond what we ever hoped for and was hugely appreciated by Help for Heroes and Shine Bright Support. It was also great we were able to get out in the sun and have some fun with Mr Brown's clapping challenge, raising money for Winston's Wish in the process. These events were a great way to end the year in what was far from normal circumstances. It was sad not to be able to have some of the end of year events that we would normally have, but it was great to have the opportunity to say farewell to the Year 13s as well as James Redman in the Middle Garden on the final day of the school year. We wish them all the best for the future and I would encourage them to come back and visit whenever they have the opportunity to do so.
Mr Steven Smyth (Senior Housemaster)
Middle House boys helped raise a staggering amount of £2,377...
SUMMERHILL HOUSE This was a year when the house motto of 'Have Courage and Be Kind' really struck a chord and came into its own, in what turned out to be a truly extraordinary year.
t started with over 50 Summerhill and Middle students singing 'I'm Feeling Good' altogether on stage and winning the House Ensemble, and ended with us adapting to the 'new norm' of remote learning and creating a 'Lockdown Portrait of Summerhill.' The Autumn term saw many successes for Summerhill. On the first weekend back, Maisy and Sophie did an excellent job welcoming the new Year 9s and 12s to the House and getting them fully involved with House Music. The rendition of 'I'm Feeling Good' for the House Ensemble showcased the tremendous musical talent that is in both Summerhill and Middle and we were delighted to be winners of this category, having been up against excellent performances from the other houses. There was tremendous spirit shown at the Inter House Hockey, with everyone getting on the pitch at various points and the Year 9s and 10s did a great job at playing well together as a team to win the competition. This led to much excitement on the pitch! Sonia performed beautifully at the Pump Rooms as a finalist for Bath Musician of the Year and there were incredibly strong performances from Grace, Natasha, Ishika, Sophie, Eloise, Bea, Mimi, Tati and Lulu in the end of year production of 'A Christmas Carol.' The house takes great pride in what it does for various charities and this term we continued with our annual making of care packages for The Genesis Trust, delivering
over 150 boxes. Other memorable moments included the Year 10 and 11 charity ball, the muddy Year 9 hike, and the teambuilding exercises Cherry at Outposts, in the Quantocks. In the lead up to Christmas, the boarders continued with the tradition of making and updating their stockings during family time, dancing around the Christmas tree and culminating with our 'Summerhill Christmas Day' of opening stockings, having Father Christmas visit and sitting down to a festive meal. Over the year, the girls enjoyed having their 'breakfast clubs' during tutorial time, baking after school, hosting various international suppers and learning to iron during family time! As always, it was such a treat to watch the performances from all our students in the GCSE and A Level assessments and various music concerts. Another highlight of the year was watching KATS and seeing Bea, Dasha, Marnie and Cecilie all being nominated for awards and Sophie winning the 'Best Drama Newcomer' category. The Spring term is one that will go down in history. Due to the coronavirus, boarders began leaving early to get home before borders closed, airlines stopped flying and restrictions came into place. The noise that came from the common room when the Prime Minister made his announcement that exams were cancelled and schools were closing, was deafening. Hearing the rush of footsteps as the girls came to the office to sign out, all talking at once trying to process what had just been said, is a day that will not be forgotten. However, before we went into lockdown, we had a fun
packed and busy term in which we saw all year groups compete with great house spirit in the House Netball; Katya, Lala and Emily won the Year 9-11 Bake Off; the Sixth Form enjoyed their Charity Ball; there was bagpipe playing on Burn's Night and there were performances from Naomi, Anna, Polly, Elsa, Lizzie, Ayomikun, Sasha and Sonia in the lunch and tea time concerts.
SUMMER TERM: REMOTE LEARNING BEGINS… THE NEW NORM… With the country being in lockdown, we kick started off the Summer term with our first remote House Assembly, in which we did our usual singing of happy birthday to those celebrating their special day. Hearing 87 girls sing through Teams was most definitely a first but this was something that became a regular occurrence over the term, along with clapping for the NHS and all key workers around the world. No one would have thought at the start of 2020 that we would be talking about isolating, glitching, social distancing and learning remotely. What was impressive is just how well the girls quickly adapted to the new way of learning and continued to support the house and maintain the house spirit. The positivity and willingness of everyone to get involved with discussions and challenges set during tutorials, really was a credit to them. Summerhill (along with Middle) won the Charity Clap Challenge, which raised money for Winston's Wish and many competed in the Inter House 5K challenge too, with Charlotte H. coming second for the Senior Girls. The house was also fantastic at supporting Dasha and Tati in their incredible fundraising efforts. Dasha rode 260km and raised £282 for Black Lives Matter and Tati
completed a 5km swim followed by a 105km cycle in extreme heat in Dubai in one day, raising £200 for the Stephen Lawrence Charity. The passion, spirit, desire to do what is right, courage and kindness of all the girls in the house, really shone through during these exceptional times. Individuals and tutor groups contributed to our 'Lockdown Portrait of Summerhill' in which they submitted art pieces, photos and musical items, which reflected their feelings, what they had been up to and the global issues during lockdown. At the end of term, we had the opportunity to say goodbye to our Year 13 and 11 leavers. They will be sorely missed and I am very grateful to Maisy, Sophie and Cherry for their excellent leadership and sense of fun and to all the house prefects for the time they put into helping the house run smoothly and keeping the house spirit going. My thanks go to all the tutors and matrons who provide invaluable pastoral support and help so much in the day to day running of the house. At the end of term, we also thanked Mrs Vaid for her contribution to Summerhill over the last two years and we wish her the very best. To all our leavers: 'From all of Summerhill, we wish you the best. Kindness and Courage will be your keys to success.'
Mrs Alex Matthews (Senior Housemistress)
END OF YEAR AWARDS • • • •
Good Egg Award: Dasha Gorbunova Perseverance Award: Marnie Lister and Maisy Mornement Summerhill Dragon Award for Sport: Rebekah Nicholson Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Award: Sophie Woodcock
SCHOOL HOUSE Well, what a year! Who would have known a year ago what was waiting for us come the beginning of 2020!
chool House started the year strongly in the Inter House Music Competition led by Head of House, Rhea Lewis, winning the coveted House Song with a brilliant rendition of 'What Makes You Beautiful' by One Direction, wonderfully choreographed by Rhea, ably supported by the Upper Sixth in School and Upper. We welcomed eight new boarders into the house who were dispatched off to Outposts – an adventure camp, for a day. They came back full of great stories and incidents and the day was much enjoyed by all. We settled quickly into the Autumn term and were delighted with our results winning the Senior House Hockey with 1st XI Captain Martha Brain leading the team in some competitive matches. Saho
Kumagai won the International Speaking Competition with a wonderful piece on how different cultures affect our achievements Mai in life. Marianna Pankevica was awarded Best Delegate in the Oxford Global MUN Conference. Then came 'A Christmas Carol', the senior production at the end of term with some amazing performances both on stage and behind the scenes by Miya Cameron, Holly Guy, Yoyo Qin, Mayu Ishimoto and Bea Meadowcroft. The boarders and Upper Sixth day girls enjoyed the Advent dinner and the end of term was celebrated with the now legendary Wide Games with the Upper Sixth taking on the rest of the house in the dark, cold and muddy conditions. An exciting evening and thoroughly enjoyed by all! We ended the term on a poignant note with farewells to Mrs Marshall who had been a tutor in School House since 2009. We were very sad to see her go and wish her all the best with her new life in Cornwall.
...School House will continue to flourish and we will make the most of whatever comes this year! The Spring term saw the boarders involved in the Burn's Night and the Great Boarders' Bake Off, and the Upper Sixth boarders enjoyed a cheese and wine tasting evening, which is one of my highlights! Kingswood hosted the Bath Schools MUN and Marianna, Saho, Tosin Ogunribido and Holly Guy all played their part in contributing to a very successful event. The Spring Concert was a delightful evening with amazing performances
from Tosin, Kotoko Ishida, Evie Bradley, Mia Randolph, Amelie Antoniades, Georgie Charlesworth and Emily Ardus. We went one better in the Inter House Netball competition winning the Seniors and the Year 10 competition – well done girls! Just before COVID-19 struck and lockdown ensued we were thrilled to hear that Mayu had won a competition for her design of a sustainable dress based on the theme Fashion and Fairytale. Unfortunately, the term ended abruptly with no House Cross Country, no inter house quiz or final good-byes before the Easter holidays. The Summer term was a different feel altogether with remote lessons and chats to tutor groups online. However it was wonderful to see some of the Upper Sixth back in school at the end of term to say good-bye. We also had to say good-bye to Mrs Morris after eleven years tutoring in School House. She will be greatly missed by all and we wish her, Mr Morris and the family all the best in whatever the future may bring. As I write this we are preparing for the start of the Autumn term 2020. The School will have a different feel but I know with the wonderful support, guidance and care of the staff and the prefects, Kingswood and School House will continue to flourish and we will make the most of whatever comes this year!
Miss Una Paver (Senior Housemistress)
HOUSE COLOURS WERE AWARDED TO: • • • • •
Rhea Lewis Miya Cameron Saho Kumagai Ella McLeod Nina Brain
SPIRIT OF SCHOOL HOUSE WAS AWARDED TO: • Lucy Wyon • Jasmin Cameron • Emma James
UPPER HOUSE The year 2019 started in fine fashion for Upper.
ollowing many years of disappointment in the House Music Competition, the Upper Sixth combined brilliantly with our School House partners to present an energetic and colourful version of 'What Makes You Beautiful' by One Direction which won the main event. It was a wonderful collaboration which brought out the best of the senior students and set the tone for the rest of the curtailed year. In November, the Ice Skating in Victoria Park was very well supported and the rink was almost filled with Kingswood pupils having fun. This positive atmosphere was reflected in the pizza supper which was held to prepare for the Wide Game at the end of the Autumn term. Once again there was brilliant planning and organisation from the combined Upper Sixth which resulted in a traditionally messy event that was enjoyed by everyone. The refreshments of hot chocolate and brownies in the dining hall were much appreciated and everyone went home smiling. Upper was very well represented in sport this year with several of the Upper Sixth appointed as captains. Lucas Lawman continued to lead Boys' Swimming in exemplary fashion and by the time of the lockdown he amazingly held four of the five school records! Ben Shardlow jointly led Boys' Hockey and he played a large part in getting the 1st team so frustratingly close to the National Finals. Ben was a worthy joint
winner of the Idris Shield for his contribution to Kingswood Hockey. Noah Small captained Boys' Cross Country and was part of a successful Senior team made up of Upper boys. Olly Lester skilfully captained Boys' Football to another successful season. At rugby, there were many Man of the Match performances with Year 10 boys regularly being awarded Man of the Match and they deservedly won their House Rugby Competition. In Cross Country and Orienteering, Jim Bailey, Olly Tonge and Jamie Dale continued their impressive achievements both in and out of school. Upper boys also played a large part in Table Tennis with Jonah Heal, Tim Green and Chris Zikos Barlow having successful matches.
Upper continues to have a great strength in depth. In Drama, Upper continues to have a great strength in depth. Boys from Year 10 and 11 showed their skills in their devised and scripted assessments. In Year 13, Joe Bruce gave the performance of a lifetime as the eponymous Ebenezer Scrooge and Felix Lynch impressed everyone as Bob Cratchit in the wonderful production of 'A Christmas Carol'. Of the many musicians in Upper, Tim Green (Clarinet) and Arthur Pinn (Trumpet) achieved very high grades in their public examinations.
The excellent House Spirit continued despite the challenges that we faced in the Summer term. All of the boys continued to engage well both in lessons in tutor time and in online assemblies. Mr Stuttard's weekly quiz proved a great success with Mr Hollywell's tutor group emerging victorious at the final count. A good showing from the whole House in Mr Musgrove's '5k Challenge' resulted in a win for Upper. In the End of Year Assembly, it was great for Alex Pointing to be awarded the Burns Family Leadership Prize and Sam Ewing the Juba Prize for Endeavour. Head of House, Olly Lester, ably supported by his Deputy, Alex Pointing, did a sterling job of organising events and marshalling the troops. In our online assemblies, his summary of the Spring term and his presentation to the leaving Year 13s were tremendous and appreciated by all of us. They leave the house in a great position for Jim Bailey and Max Mohr next year. We wish them well with the other Senior Prefects - Toby Bates, Nathan Bode, Jamie Dale, Angus Dickens, Will Gatehouse, Tim Green, Olly Tonge (additional PR), Tom Lane Fox and Ollie Wood. As for the tutors, we wished Mr Allchorne well as he took up his new position in Middle and we welcomed back Mr Matthews who returned to his spiritual home. Mr Stuttard also settled quickly into his new role as Deputy Housemaster following Mr Darwin's appointment as Head of History and Politics. I am fortunate to have such a great team of tutors and thank them once again for their dedication in supporting their tutees this year.
Mr Roger White (Senior Housemaster)
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | BOARDING COMMUNITY
BOARDING COMMUNITY SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER TRIP TO LONGLEAT
OUTPOSTS ACTIVITY CENTRE
Sixty Westwood and Senior boarders visited Longleat Safari Park. They enjoyed a boat trip, feeding animals, a drive around the safari park and found their way to the centre of the biggest maze in Europe!
Sixty four Year 9 and 12 boarders, along with their Year 13 Heads of Boarding, made their way to the Quantock Hills for a fun-filled day at the activity centre Outposts. The day involved numerous team building challenges, followed by a delicious BBQ at the bush camp.
NOVEMBER TRIP TO CABOT CIRCUS & ESCAPE ROOMS Three Year 10 girls, Connie Slater, Ishika Pun and Dasha Gorbunova, helped to organise a boarders' trip to Cabot Circus to go Christmas shopping or enjoy the Escape Rooms where ingenuity, creativity, problem-solving skills and teamwork were required to escape from the room within 1 hour. Thankfully, most managed to escape, whilst the others were let free!
JANUARY KART RACING
FEBRUARY BOARDERS' BAKE OFF 2020 The boarders competed for the Bake Off title 2020. Each house made a superb effort with their entries and a wonderful array of cakes were produced under the theme 'Back to Traditional'. The judges sampled 15 different entries and Jack and Harvey from Westwood won the overall Bake Off Winner title.
WYVERN AWARDS FOR SERVICE TO THE BOARDING COMMUNITY The Wyvern award, established in 2017, is presented to boarders who have been recognised for going that extra mile, demonstrating kindness, selflessness and service to the boarding community. This year, the accolade was awarded to: Sarafina Bondzie, Tati Fairley, Dasha Gorbunova, Mayu Ishimoto, Saho Kumagai, Tobina Laurence, Ed Lee, Menina Nightingale, Tosin Ogunribido, Mai Sugimoto, Lulu Thomas, Donald Wu.
The Senior boarders enjoyed a really fun afternoon of kart racing in Bristol. Competition was fierce and, despite numerous crashes, everyone was able to register a good lap time with Charlie Harden posting the fastest time of the day.
CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS To celebrate Chinese New Year, thirty five of our Chinese and Hong Kong pupils went out to celebrate with a meal, organised by students Ed Lee and Jason Zhang.
FAREWELL TO MISS ANGIE WRIGHT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
ANGIE WRIGHT Kingswood Staff 1983 - 2020 Miss Angie Wright joined Kingswood in 1983 to teach PE and head up Girls' Games and over the following 37 years made an absolutely extraordinary contribution across the life of the School. For many people it would have been quite enough to play such a major role in the development of girls' sport at Kingswood, but that only scratches the surface of Miss Wright's outstanding all-round contribution to the School.
Pastoral care comes naturally to Miss Wright... Let's start with the sport: a national league hockey player and England trialist, her influence on the success of that sport over many years has been exceptional, but she's also run tennis with conspicuous
success and coached teams in a range of other sports. She taught PE at all levels, PSHCE and, more recently, Psychology at A Level. To take on a whole new challenge towards the end of one's career and do it with such evident success in what has become one of our most popular A Level options is mightily impressive. I think there's an important tale here of commitment, adaptability and a willingness to take on new challenges. It's about doing what is best for the School, which means doing what is best for the students. That shouldn't surprise us with Miss Wright for I've already told of a career of great breadth, yet I haven't even mentioned the area of school life in which more than any other Miss Wright has had such a massive impact. Resident Assistant in Fonthill from her arrival in 1983, Senior Housemistress for 15 years from 1997, and in recent years our first Head of Boarding, Miss Wright has given the very highest level of service to these roles. Pastoral care comes naturally to Miss Wright – she's a natural carer who sees the best in people, wants the
The following words are adapted from Mr Morris' farewell speech... best for people and has both the natural warmth and innate sense of commitment to be utterly brilliant in this crucial area of Kingswood life. She is what we traditionally might call a total people person; she enjoys the company of other people and they enjoy her company. They trust her and she them. She has a great sense of humour and a delightful lightness about her, but she combines that with an evident commitment to the ideals of the institution and a deep respect for the School's ethos. I am not convinced that she will have relished the administrative load which the Head of Boarding role demands, but she has taken us to a new level in that very important area. She has remarkable generosity of spirit, which she has lent so willingly to generations of Kingswood students. Miss Wright, your retirement is so richly deserved; we will all miss that wonderful smile, but I hope good fortune will smile on you and we wish you all the very best for a long and healthy retirement.
Mr Simon Morris
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | CREATIVE ARTS
CREATIVE ARTS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
20 1. Molly Hamilton, Y13
12. Mia Randolph, Y11
2. Davida Samikwa, Y13
13. Martha Brain, Y13
3. Rory Ferguson, Y11
14. Lara Chalkley, Y11
4. Eloise Weinberger, Y11
15. Freddie Marks, Y11
5. Naomi Waheed, Y11
16. Isabella March-Smith, Y11
6. Vickoria Shen, Y13
17. Victoria Baldwin, Y11
7. Madelaine Sayce, Y11
18. Anisha Gofton, Y11
8. Daisy Warne, Y13
19. Harriet Hawtin, Y11
9. Rhea Lewis, Y13
20. Queenie Ng, Y11
10. Molly Gregory, Y13
21. Thomas Jackson, Y11
11. Noah Small, Y13
22. Matthew Cheung, Y13
ART TRIP TO THE PITT RIVERS MUSEUM Year 10 pupils enjoyed a trip to Oxford in September. At The Pitt Rivers Museum, pupils had the opportunity to explore the archaeological and ethnographic objects from all parts of the world and all time periods, then were able to spend time drawing from observation in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. All of the pupils produced a range of interesting sketches as part of their 'Natural Form' GCSE coursework project.
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY 1
MADE IN KINGSWOOD The following accolades were awarded in lieu of the DT Exhibition that was sadly unable to take place. These were awarded for quality of build, design process and creativity. Gold Jasmin Cameron, Sophie Woodcock, Max Robless Silver Jude Meaden, Matt Cheung, Rhea Lewis, Isaac Fendley Merit George Hannon, Joe Crosby, Libby Taylor, Jacob lane
1. Matt Cheung - Activities Hut 2. Jacob Lane - VR Headset 3. Max Robless - Digital Saxophone 4. Cal Levitt - Lamp 5. Jack Wheaton - Incense Burner 6. Jude Meaden - Popcorn Gun 7. Rory Ferguson - Snack Set 8. Rhea Lewis - Mindfulness Centre 9. Sophie Woodcock - Microplastic Filter 10. Jasmin Cameron - Solar Irrigation Pump 11. Isaac Fendley - Air Purifier 12. Eloise Weinberger - Table
FARADAY CHALLENGE STEM DAY In January, twenty four Year 8 students attended the Faraday Challenge STEM day organised by the Institute of Engineering and Technology.
his is a countrywide competition that aims at promoting and encouraging budding young engineers and challenges them with real life scenarios. They were tasked with designing and modelling something that could help aid workers in a natural disaster context. The teams had to plan, budget, develop, construct and present their ideas to the rest of the groups and the engineers.
JAGUAR LAND ROVER 4X4 REGIONAL FINALS
There was stiff competition from the competing schools, however the Kingswood team, consisting of Monty Coxen, Charlie Whishaw, Orla Reddin, Leo Gulotti, Sophia Bailey and Eleanor Hurley Land were victorious with their solar powered drone prototype.
In February, six Year 9 students entered the Jaguar Land Rover 4x4 In Schools Regional Finals held at the Bristol Science Park.
T ...the Kingswood team were victorious.
his is a worldwide competition that offers apprenticeships at Jaguar Land Rover to those who get to the final stages. The competition consists of creating a new shell for a Land Rover remote control car, driving an extremely demanding assault course, an interview with a panel of judges from Jaguar Land Rover and creating a team 'Pit' showcasing the work they have put in throughout the year. The team performed fantastically producing a new shell made from bio degradable materials that really impressed the judges. They worked well in their team roles, and clearly communicated their brand and ideas to the Land Rover representatives. The team won 'Best Engineered Car' in their category which was a great feat alone but also won the entire category and became the Southwest Regional Champions! A truly excellent performance from team 'TruBio' consisting of Stan Wood, Charley Lunt, Lucia Batters, Oscar Bankes, Isaac Archer and Marco Chan.
When a theatre is closed it is said to be 'dark' and a light should always be left on to welcome cast and crew back to the stage when they eventually return. In December 2019, we had no idea that the senior production of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' was to be the last held in the theatre for the foreseeable future but it left us with wonderful memories that lit up even the darkest days of lockdown.
his iconic tale that resonates even now captivated audiences with the magic, the message and the main man himself – Ebenezer Scrooge. Joe Bruce led a stellar cast and there were many memorable moments – from the ethereal 'Ghost of Christmas Past' to the endearing puppet of Tiny Tim. Mr Francis and his ever more proficient design team worked particularly hard to bring the story to life – you can read about their experiences separately. Of course, 'A Christmas Carol' was just the climax of what was a usual busy Kingswood term. A Level students were involved with a workshop all about Stephen Berkoff with Annie Sutton, we had been to London on the bi-annual trip and seen 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in glorious Autumnal sunshine at
Year 13 Scripted Assessment
The Globe Theatre as well as the simply superb 'Come From Away'. Just a few weeks later we were back in London, this time with GCSE students, to once again watch 'Dream' – their set text. The Spring term arrived – and we were still blissfully unaware of the chaos to come. Year 11 performed their scripted exams, the scholars held a showcase evening under the guidance of Mrs Ward, and Year 10 performed devised assessments. At the beginning of March, Year 13 performed their scripted assessment pieces just as the word 'coronavirus' began to enter our everyday vocabulary. Within two weeks, a visiting performance of DNA had to be cancelled and we were unceremoniously and officially in lockdown.
circumstances hold it back, we joined in with the 'Coronavirus Time Capsule' project, created by London based youth theatre 'Company Three'. This became a world wide event in schools and youth theatres as young people across the world recorded their lockdown experiences in weekly tasks. The full project is now stored permanently at the National Film Archives in London. It was wonderful to be able to be part of this and to allow our young people to take part and keep their creative minds alive at such a difficult time. We will, of course, be very glad to put 2020 behind us and look forward to turning all the lights back on in our wonderful theatre and welcoming you all back there very soon.
Mrs Catherine Nash Never a department to let difficult
(Head of Drama and Theatre)
Y10 DEVISED ASSESSMENTS
Photos by Kingswood students Ben Lockey and Tom Button
Y13 SCRIPTED ASSESSMENTS
...wonderful memories that lit up even the darkest days of lockdown. Photographs by Kingswood student Tom Button
THE SENIOR PRODUCTION A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband (A Level Scripted)
THEATRE TECH THINKING DIFFERENTLY If any group of people are used to physical distancing then perhaps it's us techie types.
e've been unknowingly prepping for this kind of situation for many years, we're happy to work in dark corners, we're used to communicating via headsets and capable of sitting in front of screens for hours jabbing buttons. Our 'normal' has always been to be creative, work with what we've got and accept last minute changes. I think this has helped us to adapt to the situation pretty quickly, I very much admire our collective ability to not simply try to do as close to normal as possible or scrap all of our plans but to come up with new ideas, to change and be openminded to creative solutions. We started the year following the usual pattern of events, GCSE and A Level assessments with ever increasing standards of design and tech. James Button's lighting and Holly Guy's set designs on their final A Level piece was some of the best work we have ever had in Kingswood
Theatre. Tom Button, Finn Morris, Sophie Pickford and Ben Roberts showed off their skills on their GCSE scripted shows. Tilly Bankes, Dasha Gorbunova, Hari Master, Wilf Whishaw and Matthew Wright showed excellent prospects for the future of Kingswood design/tech with their GCSE devised projects. Then came 'A Christmas Carol' which featured beautiful lighting from Sam Bernstein, extremely ambitious projection from 'Team Button', accomplished sound from Freya Morris and Charlie Roberts and many hours of support from the rest of the team led by Joe White. We even had a very rare moment as Cherry Ng and I briefly sang on stage while moving set around! Then, of course, it all changed. Plans for A Level devised and the junior show were postponed, concerts, guest speakers, theatre trips all cancelled, the theatre lay dormant. This wasn't enough to put the techies off though, as we moved
online. We plotted and schemed on MS Teams, we lurked in our channels while munching snacks in our homes. I am so proud that the techies managed to remain positive and contribute so successfully with editing of the 'Corona Time Capsule Project', running virtual KATS, final assemblies/prize giving and a farewell event for Mr Morris so smoothly, as if we had been doing these things for years. I'm delighted to hand over to Sam Bernstein, Year 13 drama design scholar and theatre prefect, for his take on the last year but before I do, I'd like to take the opportunity to congratulate Year 11 students Dasha and Tilly for being awarded scholarships in recognition for their design work. I hope to see lots of people back in the theatre creating and enjoying some live entertainment as soon as possible.
Mr Neil Francis (Theatre Manager)
PUSHING THE LIMITS The scale of some of our productions this year have dwarfed anything I've worked on before at Kingswood, 'A Christmas Carol' particularly standing out.
ith six projectors and several operators pushing the video team to their limit, I was responsible for designing and programming a 68-fixture lighting rig which was fairly terrifying for my first major role on a senior production, especially with the crew distributed around the theatre, backstage and hidden within pieces of the set rather than crowded in the control room as normal. Despite the challenges presented by such a large and complex show, our crew of 10 designers, stage managers, operators and technicians produced one of the most impressive spectacles to grace our stage in recent years and it was incredible to be part of it. Normally at Kingswood, as in 'A Christmas Carol', the job of lighting designer, operator and programmer is filled by one person, however this was not the case with one of the most ambitious assessment designs yet – James Button's A Level lighting design required not only himself as designer, but Mr Francis as programmer for the main lighting rig and myself as programmer and operator for the complex array of LED pixels rigged onto Holly Guy's set design. It was a genuine privilege to be part of this project, pushing not only the limits of what had be done with regard to design at A Level but also putting my own programming and technical skills to the test. The end result was a real
...one of the most impressive spectacles to grace our stage...
A Christmas Carol crew
A producer's view of Prize Giving
spectacle and a real reflection of James' and Holly's design talents for their last proper production on the Kingswood stage. Despite the interruption caused by remote learning, I don't think we lost the momentum from 'A Christmas Carol' or 'The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband,' diving straight into weeks of rehearsals, research and technical testing for our first live event of the term – a virtual KATS evening. It was, in my eyes at least, a real triumph given our circumstances and prompted a flurry of requests for further live events going into June and July. Perhaps the most highstakes of these for me was the Headmaster's farewell – being in
KATS 2020
control of the video switching for such an important event was nervewracking, but all went smoothly, and it was an honour to be part of the event. However, perhaps the most emotional moment was being part of the crew for the Year 13 Prizegiving. It's fair to say I owe an awful lot to the outgoing Year 13 designers and techies – they have taught me a lot of what I know and I have taken much inspiration from watching their design work over the last couple of years, and while it was a shame they couldn't receive the full experience, it was a pleasure to be able to help run the event. If one thing's for certain – I've got some very big boots to fill.
Sam Bernstein (Year 12)
2020 was perhaps the most unusual year for the Music department! As ever, the variety and level of talent showed by Kingswood's musicians was truly excellent, and there were many highlights along the way, despite some unique challenges faced by us all. The Autumn and Spring terms provided a host of musical delights, including the following highlights: • Royal Opera House trip – a Music Scholars' outing to see Don Giovanni, performed by The Royal Opera Company.
Piano Hands Concert
• Annual Concert at Woolley Church – featuring soloists from across the School. • Remembrance Concert – a choral celebration and reflection held at St Paul's Chippenham, in aid of Dorothy House. • Christmas Concert – featuring all of the department's major ensembles playing festive favourites. • Carol Services – performed by Westwood Voices, Chamber Choir & Senior Girls' Choir. • Frome Active and In Touch Concert – featuring Kingswood Strings and invited soloists. • The Scholars' Concert – featuring the department's Music Scholars. • Piano Hands – an annual favourite, featuring a wide range of the department's many pianists. This year's concert was held in the Music School to launch the new Yamaha C1 grand piano, generously donated by Friends of Kingswood, in memory of Michael Haynes. • Sing Out Loud! – a full day of singing and fun for local primary and prep schools. • Informal Concerts – taking place each half term in the intimate setting of the Music School.
Frome Active & In Touch Concert
Remembrance Concert
However, we were so disappointed to not enjoy a whole host of planned events, due to the closure of schools. The Spring Concert was ready to go just before the announcement was made that schools would be closed, and all of the ensembles had worked so hard to be concertready, including the Orchestra who had worked tremendously to learn Gabriel MontefioreVita's (Year 13) Piano Concerto No. 1, especially written for the concert. Green Park Station rehearsals were in motion too, with KJO working away to perfect their jazz and pop numbers, ready to entertain the crowds at this usually packed-out event.
Lunchtime Concert
Never fear though, GPS will return again no doubt, alongside all the other wonderful events, trips and concerts that the Music department offer.
SCHOLARS' CONCERT
YEAR 13 PRINCIPAL & SENIOR MUSICIANS • Principal Musicians Gabriel Montefiore-Vita James Wong • Senior Musicians Alix Keates Johnny Sedcole Emily Vaughan Royal Opera House Trip
GRADE 8 MUSICIANS The Music department were delighted to celebrate the following students who achieved their Grade 8 practical this year: • • • • • • • • •
James Wong – Trumpet (Distinction) Kotoko Ishida – Singing (Merit) Meg Scott – Singing (Distinction) Mia Randolph – Piano (Distinction) Ian Cheung – Drums (Merit) Menina Nightingale – Flute (Merit) Georgina Charlesworth – Singing (Distinction) Ruth Cheng – Violin Josh Nicholson – Horn
This team are so accomplished, both as musicians and also their enthusiasm and ability to inspire the younger students. Leading in rehearsals, organising sectionals, helping out at events and being brilliant ambassadors for the department, the group had so much potential. It was such a shame to see events like Green Park Station and the Sixth Form Showcase cancelled, though the Year 13s did pull together one last time to create a fantastic finale for this year's remote KATS Music & Drama awards!
We also celebrated two ARSM Diploma awards: • Larissa Man – Piano • Tim Green – Clarinet (Merit)
MUSIC SCHOLARS YEAR 7
Alexander Kirkwood, Max Wilson, Jayden Yip
Anna Haldenby, Sarah Xie
Katie Green, Joe Randolph, Aurora Vergani
YEAR 10 Elsa France, Freddie Stockton, Sonia Sung, Emily Watkins YEAR 11
Georgina Charlesworth, Colby Chu, Mia Randolph, Alex Sedcole, Izzy Vaughan
YEAR 12 Byron Chan, Tim Green, Dominic Lambert-Rose, Tayo Sawyerr YEAR 13 Gabriel Montefiore-Vita, Emily Vaughan, James Wong
...brilliant ambassadors for the department...
MUSIC IN LOCKDOWN In spite of the lockdown measures, it was hugely encouraging and inspiring to see Kingswood's Musicians prevailing!
hilst ensemble singing and playing was off the menu for a while, the students and teachers quickly moved to adapt to virtual music learning, with countless lessons taking place on Teams, Zoom and Skype. It was heartening to see the efforts made by our brilliant Visiting Music Teachers to ensure that individual lessons could still go ahead, and I think all have realised just how important the routine of music lessons is for our young musicians. With all our Summer events cancelled, we were keen to replace them with something new and achievable from our homes around the world, and the Virtual Concert Series was born! Students across all year groups and abilities took to their living rooms, dining rooms and music rooms to record their own performances in contribution to weekly informal concerts that were broadcast on Kingswood's social media channels. Each concert revealed the dedication and talent that the musicians show, and every single contributor should be applauded for their fantastic efforts. Mr Barton, Mrs Francis, Mr Harding and Mrs Faux even dusted off their instruments to join in – a welcome distraction from the work at home routine! The Virtual Concert Series was a joy to behold and can still be viewed on Kingswood's YouTube channel.
Mr Andy Barton (Director of Music)
Use the QR Code to view the Virtual Concert Series
...students and teachers quickly moved to adapt to virtual music learning...
In June, the Music and Drama departments came together to host the 17th annual 'KATS' award ceremony which celebrates the achievements of all of Kingswood's Artistically Talented Students.
hose organising the event never entertained the possibility of cancelling this much anticipated event in the School calendar but none dared to dream that they would pull it off! What would normally be a black tie event in the School theatre, with a bit of pyrotechnics thrown in, had to be done a little differently this year. Live and online, Mrs Nash, Mr Barton and Mr Francis hosted the event which gave them a small taste of what the adrenaline rush must be like backstage in a television studio! The success of the evening was entirely down to the extraordinary efforts, vision and creativity of Mr Neil Francis and his team of twelve talented techies. For those that joined at home on their screens, it helped to make everyone feel a little closer together.
KATS AWARDS NOMINEES 2020 The full list of nominees and winners (in bold) is below. Congratulations to all those who have taken part in Music and Drama events this past year.
BEST INDIVIDUAL DRAMA PERFORMER • Joe Bruce • James Redman • Marnie Lister • Felix Lynch
MUSIC PRIZES
MOST IMPROVED DRAMA PERFORMER • Sam Hill • Edan Ledbury • Miya Cameron • Harriet Foster
BEST GCSE PERFORMER • Mia Randolph • Colby Chu
• Georgie Charlesworth • Alex Sedcole
BEST GCSE COMPOSER • Storm Neech • Elli Duke
• Vasily Alexeev • Izzy Vaughan
YEAR 11 CONTRIBUTION TO CO-CURRICULAR MUSIC • Colby Chu • Alex Kellagher
• Mia Randolph • Izzy Vaughan
OUTSTANDING A LEVEL ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC AT KINGSWOOD • James Wong
MUSOS' MUSO • Gabriel Montefiore-Vita • Meg Scott
BEST GROUP IN A DRAMA ASSESSMENT • • • •
'The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband' (Performed by Sam Hill, Miya Cameron, Harriet Foster, lighting by James Button, set by Holly Guy) 'Death Row' (Sophia Jones, Alex Paris, Ollie Mallon, Cecile Brooks, Jocasta Spooner) 'Pink Mist' (James Redman, Caleb Bond) 'The Tail of Kaiser Sausage' (Performed by Yuma Rai, Kseniia Kemalova, Bea Meadowcroft, lighting by Hari Master, Costume by Tilly Bankes)
BEST DRAMA DESIGNER
• Gabriel Montefiore-Vita
• James Wong • Johnny Sedcole
DRAMA PRIZES BEST DRAMA NEWCOMER • Sophie Farmer (performer) • Bea Goodliffe (performer) • Dasha Gorbunova • Seren Johnson Stefiuk (lighting designer) (performer)
Sam Bernstein (lighting, 'A Christmas Carol') Tilly Bankes (costume, 'The Tail of Kaiser Sausage') Holly Guy (set, 'The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband') James Button (lighting, 'The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband')
ACTORS' ACTOR • Joe Bruce • Rex Evans
• Miya Cameron • Sam Hill
TECHIES' TECHIE • James Button • Sam Bernstein
• Tom Button • Dasha Gorbunova
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | SPORT
GIRLS' HOCKEY 1ST XI CO-CAPTAINS: Martha Brain & Holly Harris
The hockey season had some impressive statistics, with 354 goals scored against 19 different schools. A 65%-win rate, 18 teams competing, with matches as far away as Solihull.
he 1st XI reached the quarter finals of the Championship Cup, the U16s got to the Regional Finals and the U14As are one game away from Nationals. A contender for the most successful team was the U12As, who won 6 out of 8 matches, with Iona Robertson and Connie Harding being key players. The U12Bs were unbeaten and Maddie White was brilliant on the ball, with Katrin the life line at the back! Most improved were the U13As who had a season of two halves. They struggled at the beginning but their skills and understanding of the game came together. Iona Stokes and Anna Allen were instrumental and were awarded as the best Westwood players. The best short corner attack went to the U14As. They worked hard to become more of a threat, and developed some slick routines. Consistent pacey injections from Emily Hersch were trapped by Lauren Bailey, with Alice Wilson striking from the top. They are a team to look out for, with Imogen Hall being pick of the players.
The U14Bs had been the most adaptable. Hannah King was outstanding and Lexi and Monica were awesome at the back. Best enthusiasm and team spirit went to the U15Bs. Liv Mohr willingly stepped up to play goal-keeper and Seren was pick of the players. The U15As were awarded the best passing game and this paid dividends against stronger teams. Their ball speed was crucial and Charlie Hollywood had been brilliant controlling play from the middle, with JoJo Spooner setting the tone as captain. The 3rd and 4ths performed consistently across the season. Ruth Cheung and Eloise Weinberger were fantastic! The 2nd XI scored the most goals, 42 over the season. Ciara Dyer transformed as a player and Charlotte Houghton was pivotal in the middle. The best short corner defence had to go to 1st XI. They managed to save 8 short corners in the last 2 minutes of the game vs Bromsgrove. The combination of Miya Cameron's ability to close
down their attack and Kate's defensive skill, eliminated any chance of a goal being scored. The 1st team Year 12s, Beth, Iris, Kate and Nina, were influential at the back making countless clean tackles and forming the backbone of the team. Phoebe and Andi had an impressive first season, showing off their attacking skills and powerful strikes.
LEAVERS The following words were written by 1st XI co-captains, Martha Brain and Holly Harris: Jess' ability to pass accurate balls up the wing created much needed space, opening up endless opportunities for our forwards. She was always in the right place at the right time, it must have been our twin telepathy. This season would not have been the same without Jasmin in goal. She was a leader in the D controlling her defensive team and saving shots easily against some very competitive sides. Miya's pace allowed her to outrun any opponent. She counter-attacked
SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
down the wing, and often found herself one on one with the goalie. A highlight for her season should be her hat-trick against Solihull.
and determination for our success. Seeing our team progress has been most rewarding. It is clear that our success comes from never giving up, and winning our races. We wish all the Upper Sixth leavers the best of luck in their future hockey.
Chloe's calm composure was a much-needed factor when playing in defence, and she was a key component to our win rate. Playing with Charlotte for 7 years has been a highlight for me, as her work rate both on and off the ball is outstanding. She can be counted on to put much needed pressure on the opposition, leading to many overturned balls. It has been a pleasure to watch Libby's hockey develop, as well as her confidence. Being a player who came up from the 4ths last year, it just goes to show how much she has improved. She became a key player within the defence. Emily Vaughan's posting up helped to turn over many balls, and her leading runs upfront were influential. A final thank you must go to Mr Opie, who definitely had his work cut out with two sets of twins and 3 Brains in midfield! We have grown so much as a team, as well as individually, down to his expert knowledge
Dean Close
CO-CAPTAINS Martha and Holly are both exceptionally talented hockey players and were central to the success enjoyed by the 1st XI this term. Martha dominated the midfield exchanges and often outplayed players who have been recognised at regional or national level. In the last match of the season, she dominated a girl who had just been named player of the tournament at the Futures Cup. Holly was the leading goal scorer and her pace and finishing mark her out as a top player. She scored 12 goals this season including a remarkable 5 in the game against Redmaids. However, better than all of this, is how they play the game. They are always positive, demonstrate real sportsmanship and play with a smile. They have set the tone for Kingswood hockey this season in exactly the right way.
HALF COLOURS: Jasmin Cameron, Miya Cameron, Chloe Pearce, Charlotte Scruton, Liv Taylor, Emily Vaughan (U6); Nina Brain, Beth Harris, Kate Hollywood, Iris Marrack (L6) FULL COLOURS: Jess Brain, Martha Brain, Holly Harris GROVE TROPHY: Jasmin Cameron (Given to the player who has made the greatest contribution to Kingswood hockey)
(Head of Girls' Games)
D 2-2 W 2-1 W 2-1 W 2-1 W 4-0 W 3-0 W 1-0
COLTS COLOURS: Emily Ardus, Rose Bates, Ciara Dyer, Anisha Gofton, Phoebe Hall, Maya Lane, Olivia Taylor
Mrs Victoria Sim
Dauntsey's
COLOURS & AWARDS
U15A U15B U15C U14A U14B U14C U13A U13B U13C U13D U12A U12B U12C U12D D 3-3
D 1-1
W 4-0 D 0-0
W 5-2 W 4-0 W 4-1 W 9-0 W 2-0
Colston's
D 1-1 W 5-0
W 3-0 W 3-0
W 3-0 W 5-0 W 6-0
W 2-0 W 3-0 W 5-0 D 1-1 W 3-0 W 4-0
King's Taunton
Prior Park College
Clifton College
D 2-2 W 6-0 W 4-1
King's Bruton
Redmaids
Wells Cathedral
L 1-2 L 1-4
Monkton Cheltenham Ladies
W 2-0 L 0-4
Royal High School BGS
W 2-1 L 0-10
W 4-1 D 1-1 W 2-1
RUGBY 1ST XV CAPTAIN: Ciaran McCarthy 1ST XV VICE-CAPTAIN: Rory Padkin
019 saw Rugby at Kingswood move forward once more. The fixture list continues to get stronger but results continue to improve.
The two most successful year groups were the U14s and the U12s. Jacob Barton continued to lead the U14As with maturity, and Namkang, who must have been one of the most improved players in the School, had been a great addition to the U14Bs. The U12s made a great start to the season, and with the 'A' team having used 23 players this season, it underlined the strength in depth that this year group have. Raff Weston and Rob Toner continued to impress for the U15As, although they faced greater challenges this year than in previous seasons and will have learnt a lot about themselves, and for the 15Bs Oskar Billett and Alex Paris combined to make a really exciting centre pairing. The U13s were arguably the most improved year group in the School with the 'A' team nearly doubling their win rate from Year 7 up to 60%. Ollie Jackson was the top try scorer in the School by some distance with nearly 30 tries from just 9 matches and James Talamai won an incredible amount of turnovers across the season. For the B's, Rajul Rai and Charlie Allibone consistently impressed. The U16Bs deserve great respect for the resilience they have shown over the last 5 years. They have struggled on a tough circuit for that time but have stuck together and kept improving and, but for a number of matches that were cancelled by the opposition, they would have had a very respectable season. The U16As also won a number of matches against teams that have beaten them previously and looked to have a number of players that would feature in the 1st XV next season. In all three senior teams, we bid farewell to a number of influential Year 13s who have contributed a great deal in the Sixth Form. In particular, Matthew Vaughan, Henry Craig and Jamie Deverell have been consistent performers for the 2nds for two full seasons and Sam Hill and Henry McCollom have led by example in the 3rds.
1ST XV TEAM After a very enjoyable tour to South Africa, which saw us play some entertaining rugby, we came back eager to play our first set of fixtures. A good start to the season saw us come out on top against KES, Monkton and Llandaff Cathedral. It was difficult with injuries to get a real grip on the season as the team chopped and changed regularly, with one player going from back row to prop and then to centre all within the space of two games. However, all the players that came up in the 1st team played a crucial role, and never looked out of place.
We had some close games over the season, losing out by just a few points on many occasions. The toughest one to take was a last-minute 42-41 defeat to a strong Malvern side. Furthermore, narrow losses to Colston's and King's Taunton after half term were also frustrating as these were games we could and should have won. The last few weeks of the season saw us come away with a deserved win against Beechen Cliff on a foggy Wednesday at Walcot and in the final game of the season against Bishop Wordsworth's everything seemed to click into place and we really showcased what we were capable of.
Thanks must go to Stephen King, George Smith and Connor Neary for helping gather all of the video footage.
COLTS COLOURS: Angus Duncan, Izayah Jordan, James Redman, Tom Roach, Liam Toner HALF COLOURS: Charlie Fry, Ethan Hawtin, Matt Hooper, Antonio Mba-Ivina, Ciaran McCarthy, Gabriel Montefiore-Vita, Tom Redman, Charlie Roach, Ben Shardlow, Darcy van Gerwen
The Y12s proved a real asset to the team and will be the mainstay of the side next season, which could be very successful if they carry on working hard on and off the pitch.
FULL COLOURS: Marcus Kershaw, Rory Padkin MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD: Gabriel Montefiore-Vita PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rory Padkin
From Year 13, Matthew Hooper, Charlie Roach, Darcy van Gerwen, Antonio Mba Ivina, Tom Redman, Gabriel Montefiore-Vita and Ben Shardlow were all virtual everpresents and there were also important contributions at times from Jules Hawking, Will Craig and Bert Nokes. Marcus Kershaw also had an excellent season and was 1st
King Edward's
Taunton School
W 14-12 Vs PPC 1st XV
Prior Park BGS Monkton Combe
Llandaff CS
3rd L 19-31
at the heart of most of the best attacking play.
taking the reins and was certainly the team's most influential forward.
It was a tough season for captain Ciaran McCarthy who had to contend with injury for much of it but led the team well despite this. In his absence, Rory Padkin did an excellent job
In short, this was a season tinged with disappointment but a very enjoyable one nonetheless!
D 19-19
L 10-34 W 33-14 W 26-17 W 38-17 W 36-12
L 19-43 W 26-12 W 34-22 C
U15B L 7-58
Ciaran McCarthy (Captain)
W 25-10 W 20-5
L 24-26 W 24-14 L 19-32 W 54-29 W 41-26 L 14-17 C
W 27-10 W 55-15 W 34-10
W 50-15 L 10-55 W 15-10
W 31-0 W 61-19
L 10-15 W 55-5
W 40-5 W 65-10 L 5-20
Millfield Beechen Cliff Blundell's
W 26-17 L 3-31
L 12-57 L 10-52
L 22-31 W 31-10 L 10-31 W 19-10 W 20-10 D 10-10
Exeter School Colston's
L 12-33 W 43-7 L 5-22
W 41-7 W 43-10 W 45-0
W 54-7 W 38-22 W 38-22 W 47-22 W 31-26
L 25-30 W 30-15 W 35-20
QEH Bristol
L 12-32 D 14-14 L 28-29
W 31-7 W 26-10 W 40-35 L 30-45 W 25-10 W 25-15 L 10-25
Dauntsey's
Bishop Wordsworth's
W 36-12 L 14-22
NETBALL 1ST VII CAPTAIN: Martha Brain | 1ST VII VICE-CAPTAIN: Talli Greenfield
The main theme this season was creativity and discipline; showing commitment, and at the same time, sportsmanship.
ll players were keen to try out new combinations and technical skills and it was important for all players to develop their game both physically and mentally. Having a positive mindset and being a valued member of the team was a key feature for everyone on court. In Westwood, it was fantastic to field eight teams and get the girls playing a game they love whilst showing great skill. Connie Harding and Maddie White were instrumental in scoring the goals for the A's. Bea Hersch was steady at centre and showed great vision when passing. The U13As had a tough start to the season but they soon settled and found their groove. Maiya Milford was outstanding at goal attack, a real play maker and accurate when shooting. Ellie Lewis is a safe pair of hands and her ability to the read the game did not go unnoticed. Iona Stokes applied her endless energy into intercepting the ball and this created many turnovers. The U13Bs went from strength to strength; India Master and Sienna Mountain were a force to be reckoned with in attack and they have really grasped the circle rotation! Gaby Davies was a rock for the U13Cs, showing a real calmness under the post and Eleanor Hurley Land was solid in defence. The U14's highlight was winning the area tournament and they came second in the County tournament which took them to Regional Finals in Bournemouth. The team showed so much potential with Bea Harding being fantastic at goal shooter and Sophie Heath being highly influential in the defensive circle.
In the U14Bs, Noelina Lingden fast tracked from the 'D' team and combined well with Monica Mba Ivana to make them the dynamic duo in defence! Holly Robinson remained calm in the middle and her connection with Maddie Redman to penetrate the opposition's defence was great. Katya Volkova was the pick of the players for the 'C' team, with a calm head and picking out the right pass, she was the engine of the team! Lexi Game was a cool head at goal shooter and she showed superb versatility. The U15s worked tirelessly on their passing skills and they enjoyed the more technical drills, showing a better understanding of the game. Lily Saunders showed great leadership skills and this was mirrored with her performance on a weekly basis. Olivia Websper showed great promise and she receives the most improved accolade. The 'B' team only lost one of their fixtures and this highlights their strength. Sophie Farmer was a standout player with her athleticism and Grace Asplin was outstanding at reading the game. In the 'C' team, Connie Slater was pick of the players and she is an absolute game changer. Her intensity on and off the ball is excellent and she combined well with Yumi Rai in the defensive circle who was awarded most improved. The 3rd and 4th team really developed and progressed over the term. In the 4ths, Emily Ardus created lots of turn over and fought hard in every match. Holly Mann was the most consistent under the post and Madi Sayce impressed with her speed and agility around
the court. Larissa Man played her first ever season of netball and she never looked out of place, making countless interceptions. In the 3rds, the team started with one shooter, Chloe Pearce, who excelled throughout the season. Both Miya Cameron and Grace Ardus stepped up to accompany her in the circle and were excellent. Fran Ledbury was a steady hand in defence and played a vital role in many matches. Player of the season has to be Molly Hamilton who was outstanding as centre, and her skill and enthusiasm enabled the whole team to work well in both attack and defence. In the 2nds, the squad's first half of term was impressive with four straight wins against physical and competitive opposition. Jess Bailey, Eleanor Phillips and Emily Vaughan (Captain) were instrumental in the shooting circle and they spent the first part of the season working hard on their circle rotation and reading each other's movements. This became refined and effective as the season unfolded. In mid1st
Prior Park
W 52-16 W 33-3 W 18-7
Royal High School
L 21-25 W 13-7 W 21-14
St Mary's Calne W 25-23
Taunton Clifton Prep Clifton College
W 35-29 W 20-9 W 24-18
Millfield Prep BGS
Beechen Cliff
W 43-26 W 28-11
Dean Close Dauntsey's
L 39-43 L 14-28 D 15-15
court, we had great depth which included Vice-captain, Skye Bayley, who had the vision to feed the circle, Eli Duke's and Beth Harris' speed and agility in the centre third, and Hannah Kelly's and Holly Harris' tenacious defending skills. This meant we were hard to overcome. Edie Morris and Charlotte Hall were also excellent in the defensive third, picking off feeds into the circle. The 1st team had been a mixture of year groups this year, with the Upper Sixth certainly being outnumbered but they were a fantastic influence in what had been one of the youngest squads. Indeed, Alice Wilson, in Year 9, was the youngest player to represent the 1sts in living memory! It's great to reward an athlete who is playing exceptionally well, showing maturity at this level. Maya Lane and Bella March-Smith showed calmness in the shooting circle and they often weaved in and out of defence to convert. Maya Lane's speed allowed her to take centre passes and feed the attacking unit. In defence, Annie Davis and Nina Brain were kept busy and they always seem to work out their opposite number. Their footwork, interceptions and ability to read the game allowed them to turn the ball over and they made it look so easy! Rosie Bartlett has been a wonderful asset to Kingswood's Netball. She is able to bring her experience from England U19s and the National Performance League and the team have really enjoyed having her on court. Her shooting accuracy is incredible and her input on court is invaluable. 4th
U15D
COLTS COLOURS: Annie Davis, Maya Lane, Bella March-Smith HALF COLOURS: Rosie Bartlett, Jess Brain, Nina Brain, Holly Harris, Katie Shannon, Emily Vaughan FULL COLOURS: Martha Brain, Talli Greenfield OUTSTANDING PLAYER AWARD: Talli Greenfield
Jess Brain was dynamic in attack and she has the ability to link the attack and defence and is always an option on circle edge for our shooters. Katie Shannon was extremely versatile this season. She made a huge impact at either end, with her accurate shooting or causing disruption to the opposition's attack. The Netball Club would like to thank Talli Greenfield as Vice-Captain. She worked tirelessly throughout the season and established herself as a key defender. Her presence on court is excellent, always communicating U14A
Mrs Victoria Sim (Head of Girls' Games) U12A
W 24-9 W 25-5
L 14-22 W 22-8 W 19-7
W 24-19 L 8-13 W 22-13
W 20-18 W 19-12 W 12-4 W 12-7
to her team. She manages to shut down skilful opposition and picks off many loose balls around the court. Lastly, Captain and midcourt player Martha Brain is a fantastic player who has been superb over the last two seasons. Her passing, movement and vision make her a game changer. She is versatile in the midcourt and able to transition between attack and defence. Martha has led the team by example and is a great role model for the sport.
W 29-11 L 8-13 W 31-24 W 34-3 W 18-5
L 16-23 L 10-33 L 10-11 L 10-18 L 10-25
L 9-19 W 17-12
L 17-28 W 25-5 L 14-27 W 15-10 W 19-15 W 33-6 L 18-33 L 10-18 L 10-22 L 16-19 L 13-19
L 28-15 D 13-13 W 27-3
W 24-7 L 12-16 W 37-13
W 26-9 W 23-5 L
W 21-14 W 12-10 W 22-6
BOYS' HOCKEY It would be easy to look back on the 2020 hockey season with a tinge of disappointment at 'unfinished business' for a number of our teams, not least the 1st XI. However, that would devalue some of the amazing achievements that we did witness before the premature curtailment of the season. 1ST XI CO-CAPTAIN: Harvey Brooks & Ben Shardlow
unbeaten season and it is their captain, George Hannon, who deserves special mention here. As Mr Matthews says in his season report, 'thoroughly nice chap and very good hockey player!' The U16s were another of the unbeaten teams. There were so many impressive performances but Finn Morris and Freddie Marks both look like 1st XI players of the future.
o name but a few, the U14s again made it to the Regional Finals, as did the U12s who were also crowned County champions. The 1st XI also effectively reached the same stage whilst remaining unbeaten, a feat achieved by 7 Kingswood teams in total.
The U14 age group was again impressive with Charlie Ward the stand-out player for the A's week in, week out and 'hat-trick hero' Jasper Nejad in clinical form for the B's. He managed this feat on 5 occasions! The U13As struggled on a tough circuit although Archie Hamilton and Noah Dyson battled manfully in midfield. This team will be fine in years to come as they love the game and are prepared to work hard for each other. Their time will come, no doubt. The other thing in their favour is that there is strength in depth in the year group. The 'B' team won more games than they lost and every week there were boys queuing up to play which tested Mr Pentreath's rotation policy to the limit! The U12s had a fantastic debut season. Regularly fielding 4 teams,
more than 50 boys represented the School this term. Jack Watts, Fin Belmont and Ben Boardman were all influential for their respective teams and the 'A' team also won the County tournament. Ollie Boutin, Alfie Marks, Jack Adams and George Hancock all had an excellent season but unfortunately they were denied the opportunity to compete in the Regional Finals at the end of term. The Year 10s were arguably the most impressive year group as both teams were able to boast unbeaten records. The 'A' team won a lot of close games and in these matches it is often the goalkeeper that makes the difference and Rory Bushell had an outstanding season. Josh Thornton was the player of the season for the B's, proving himself to be effective in a variety of positions. Jamie Deverell was another goalkeeper that impressed this year, as he would have been a contender for 2nd team player of the year. However, Max Mohr would also lay strong claim to that accolade. The 4th XI claimed yet another
And so to the 1st XI. A record of Won 9, Drew 1, Lost 0, Goals Scored 57, Goals Conceded 8 is almost unheard of on this circuit. But this is what this team has achieved and who knows how far they could have gone in the National tournament had the term not been cut short. Three Year 11s were regular starters with Tom Roach in goal, James Redman at centre back and Rob Wilson, who was arguably the player of the season and also captained England U16s this term, all contributing so much. In Year 12, Ed Gilpin, Ed Vickery, Ollie Knight and Joe Gould all established themselves as key players, whilst Ciaran Curran and Will Flemington-Clare both made important contributions. In Year 13, Darcy van Gerwen's return was an important factor in strengthening the squad and Gabriel Montefiore-Vita's emergence in midfield was probably the 'find' of the season as he became more and more influential. Freddy Bayliss demonstrated what a classy player he is from right back and Charlie Roach was another hugely important cog in the centre of the pitch. Tristan Day linked play cleverly as the third member of a very potent forward line with Rob and Harvey Brooks, whose leadership was as much a factor in the success of the season as his attacking threat. The same could be said of his co-captain Ben Shardlow, who was often the dominant player on the pitch, prolific with his drag-flicking and using his huge aerials to good effect.
There were so many stand-out moments but the match against Bromsgrove in the National Cup was surely the highlight of the season for school hockey as a whole. Played in front of a 200+ crowd of parents and students, Kingswood won this high quality match 4-1 and showed what a formidable unit they could be. All players played their part at various stages during the season but it is probably best summed up by Mr Opie in his end-of-season e-mail to the players. "I just wanted to write you a quick note to thank you for so many amazing moments last term. Matches and training sessions were the highlight of every week for me. It was a really special journey to see you all develop both individually and as a team. I have been coaching school 1st team hockey for 36 years with 30 of those seasons here at Kingswood. I can say, without a shadow of doubt, that this squad was the best I have worked with and also as much fun to work with as any I have coached. You trained so hard and everyone was part of the team ethos and culture. Players were prepared to fill a role to let others do their thing. There were so many highlights but the match against Bromsgrove was my particular favourite with the last team goal all a coach could ever want. I am not going to pick out individuals but I do want to thank Harvey and Ben for being such outstanding leaders and setting the right tone in everything they did. You have left a lasting mark on Kingswood hockey and I feel so proud of what you achieved and more importantly how you did it."
1st XI
U12 County Hockey
COLOURS & AWARDS COLTS COLOURS: James Redman, Tom Roach, Rob Wilson HALF COLOURS: Ciaran Curran, Will Flemington-Clare, Ed Gilpin, Joe Gould, Ollie Knight, Darcy van Gerwen, Ed Vickery FULL COLOURS: Freddy Bayliss, Harvey Brooks, Tristan Day, Gabriel Montefiore-Vita, Charlie Roach, Ben Shardlow
As a school, how we can improve on this season of hockey in 2021 will be a testing proposition but we will certainly try!
IDRIS CUP: (For the player or players who have made the greatest contribution to Kingswood hockey) Harvey Brooks, Ben Shardlow
Mr James Brown (Head of Boys' Games) 1st Millfield
U15A U15B
U14B U13A U13B U13C
W 2-1 W 10-0
Monkton Prep Cheltenham College
Dean Close Prior Park College Beechen Cliff
D 2-2 W 12-1
Monkton Combe
Warminster Bromsgrove
Bristol Grammar
U12B U12C U12D
ORIENTEERING In mid-March 2020, all orienteering activities were suspended nationally due to the coronavirus outbreak but not before Kingswood's orienteers had already managed some excellent runs at a number of events.
In September, a group of pupils took part in a BOK Junior League event at Ashton Court in Bristol. On the Green Course, Oliver Tonge was first in his age group followed by Jamie Dale. On the Orange Course, Wilfrid Whishaw not only won his age group, but he also achieved an overall win out of the 30 competitors and Charlie Whishaw in Year 8 also won his age group. Tobina Laurence and Will Hudson both performed particularly well as it was their first competitive attempt on an Orange Course. James Ardus in Year 7 won his age group and made an excellent start to the season. During October half term, Kingswood's orienteers ran at
...it was very encouraging to see some new runners emerging and enjoying success...
British Schools Orienteering Championships
Bathampton Down. The courses were undulating, over mixed terrain consisting of woodland and open countryside. Jim Bailey had an excellent run, coming first in his age group and second overall on the Green Course. Seb Crow had a good run and was second in his age group. Charlie Whishaw had another excellent run on the Orange Course winning his age group and coming 1st overall. In November, the Kingswood squad made the journey to Black Park near Slough to take part in the British Schools Orienteering Championships. Three Kingswood pupils, Jamie Dale, Katya Volkova and Charlie Whishaw, achieved top ten places and Tobina Laurence, Wilfrid Whishaw, Seb Crow, James Ardus, Will Hudson and Angus Martin all had good runs at this national standard event. In January, Kingswood took part in another BOK Junior League event at Lyncombe Woods in the Mendips. This proved to be a challenging area, with varied terrain and well hidden controls. Katya Volkova in Year 10 had a fantastic result, finishing 2nd in her age group and 6th out of 29 competitors. Arthur Davies in Year 7 also did brilliantly
in his first competitive event and won his age group. The final event that was able to take place was in February at Warmley Forest Park where the open terrain with a network of paths and mostly straightforward navigation led to some fast runs. On the most technical Green Course, Jamie Dale was 1st in the M18 class and 8th overall. Charlie and Wilfrid Whishaw came an excellent 1st and 2nd on the Orange Course and Arthur Davies again won his age group on the Yellow Course. Although the season was very disrupted, it was very encouraging to see some new runners emerging and enjoying success in their first competitive events and I hope that Kingswood Orienteers were able to continue training using the Virtual and Permanent Courses available for use in the local area as the lockdown eased. My thanks to Mrs Whishaw and Mrs Dale for all of their hard work in offering the weekly orienteering activities to pupils from both KPS and the Senior School and enabling Kingswood pupils to compete at weekends.
Mr John W. Davies (Director of Co-Curricular)
CROSS COUNTRY Although curtailed, the 2020 season was a vintage one for the Cross Country team with some dominant team and individual displays throughout the term. CAPTAINS: Bridie Knox & Noah Small
e unearthed some rare talent in the Juniors with Charlie Haines standing out for the boys (he came 4th in the Regionals), and Jemima Pearce showing great running pedigree for the Girls. At Inter level, the boys put in some splendid team performances not least in winning our home fixture, the poorly named 'Road Race', and placing in a number of other fixtures. Indeed, in this category the real race was always the battle of the Freddies (Cooper and Baker) and to save time and face we will have to call it a draw. Regardless, both were well supported weekly by Seb Crow and Jamie Wright, both of whom showed excellent progression throughout the season and show great potential for the coming years. In the Intermediate Girls, leading Year 11 runners Emily Ardus and
Evie Bradley were well supported by a cast of Year 10s including Georgia Thompson, Izzy Canham and our Kenyan superstar Tobina Laurence. There is strength in depth in this category and with Grace Horswell occasionally joining the fray, next year promises to be excellent. Senior running at Kingswood has not always been our strongest suit, however this year proved the exception with the Senior Girls' individually and as a team very competitive on the circuit. Bridie Knox and Lizzie Narbett were the main stay of this team and benefited from Soraya Yasin and Emma James, as well as the pace and determination of the Year 11s as they stepped up a class. The Senior Girls' last outing said it all and, though they were chased down by arch rivals Leweston to finish the Clayesmore relays in
COLOURS FULL COLOURS: Jim Bailey, Jamie Dale, Bridie Knox, Lizzie Narbett, Noah Small, Oliver Tonge.
second place, this is miles in front of where we have been in previous years. It is, however, in the Senior Boys that we dominated with four very talented runners all competing as a pack at the top of the race. Noah, Jim, Jamie and Olly often traded places between races but it was not uncommon to have us coming in 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th enough to see us comfortably win against all-comers. This has been an exceptional year for Cross Country.
Mr Will Musgrove (Cross Country Co-ordinator)
A special mention must also go to Year 13s Lewis Taylor, Maxim Lanez, Alban Sankaran, Louis March-Smith, Joe Crosby, Toni Mba Ivina, Ciaran McCarthy, Matt Hooper and Will Craig who all played for the first team in their last year at school. With the bulk of the firsts being Year 13 players, it is likely that next season will be a transitional year but with fine players such as Ollie Gairdner Burrough, Jack Gould and Angus Dickens coming through and potentially seven fixtures, the football at Kingswood will continue to go from strength to strength.
1ST XI Captain: Ollie Lester
2ND TEAM OVERVIEW The second team had a mixed season but many individuals progressed very well and made the step up to play first team football. The season started in dramatic fashion against local rivals Beechen Cliff. The game will be remembered for years to come for two incredible goals scored by Takuto Nunokawa. The next two games were played at home on the now infamous Sedgely pitch. Against local rivals, King Edward's, one highlight was a Max Gooding cross from a corner which caught the prevailing wind and ended up in the top corner of the goal. Although defeated until this point, the game against Wycliffe was a different story as the seconds played their best football to date to emerge as victors with a stand out performance from Maxim Lanez proving pivotal. The side looked set to take this momentum into the final two games, but sadly this wasn't to be. There are a number of individuals that deserve a mention. Tom Walker was a rock in goal throughout the season. Harry Jones offered stability at the back with his pace and strength. Will Craig was a very willing team player and contributed with his skills and
he received the ball. Sam Hill found his scoring boots once more and bagged a brace – the first goal scored at just eight seconds into the match. It meant the team finished the season with just one loss and thoughts of what might have been if their last two games had not been cancelled.
passing game. Johnny Sedcole is a very consistent performer and has controlled the left of middlefield calmly for the past two seasons. Captain Stephen King excelled with his ruthless defensive style. Stephen always led from the front and his will be big shoes to fill for next year's captain.
Mr Darrell Harding (Football Co-ordinator) 1st Team
2nd Team
King Edward's
QEH
1ST TEAM OVERVIEW The 1st football team were just starting to peak before the postponement of their last two games. After a heavy defeat against Beechen Cliff at the start of the season, they soon bounced back to claim a win against King Edward's in very windy conditions on the Upper. This was followed up with a very entertaining game against Wycliffe with an own goal and a great finish with his head from Keyan Roubaie in the opening few minutes. Jacob Lane, who was superb throughout the entire season, proved what a great goalkeeper he was with numerous impressive saves, not least from a penalty. In what proved to be their last game, the team showed how much potential they had with a comfortable win over QEH. Captain and Player of the Season, Ollie Lester, controlled the game and looked dangerous whenever
HOUSE FOOTBALL We were fortunate enough to be able to play a House Football tournament on the last Thursday that school was open. In the first fixture, Middle sneaked a 1-0 win despite having less possession than their opponents, Hall. The inclusion of Charlie Roach and Marcus Kershaw at half time made all the difference for Middle. However, a 1-0 win for Hall against Upper, courtesy of a Lewis Taylor goal in the second game, meant that if Middle could avoid losing the last game to Upper they would win the title. Despite numerous chances for both teams, neither could score meaning the 0-0 ensured Middle took the title of House Football Champions for 2020.
SWIMMING The swimming season started with the divisional round of the National Relay Championships.
he South West division is probably the strongest in the country with schools like Plymouth College, Millfield and Kelly College. All the Kingswood teams acquitted themselves well. The Intermediate Girls came in the top 30, and both Junior teams finished 20th in the Freestyle event. In the Medley competition, the Girls finished 16th and the Boys came 21st. The Intermediate Boys were 13th in the Freestyle and 8th in the Medley. The Senior Boys' team, which consisted of Ted Nightingale, Marcus Brend, Nick Baines and Lucas Lawman, were the most successful, finishing an impressive 5th in the Freestyle and 6th in the Medley.
was the pick of the U16 Girls with a win in the Individual Medley. The U16 Boys won 5 out of 7 races with Dan Adams getting another brace of individual wins.
In the Autumn term, there were two away fixtures. In the gala against Dauntsey's, Nick Baines, Marcus Brend, Rose Betts, Will Connors, Will Wong and Maisie Ewing all had individual wins. Double event winners were Lucas Lawman, Dan Adams and Georgie Thompson. Kingswood came first in 19 out of the 28 races and therefore won the gala overall. This is a particularly impressive result as there were three Year 7 swimmers competing for the U15 teams.
In January, Kingswood hosted a gala against Dauntsey's. Georgie Thompson and Maisie Ewing continued with their winning ways for the U16 Girls. Girls' Captain, Menina Nightingale, won the Open Girls' Breaststroke and Anisha Gofton the Backstroke. The U16 and Open Boys both had clean sweeps. The Open Boys also took their chance to break school records. Lucas Lawman broke the Individual 100 yards Backstroke record, knocking over a second off Tokes Sawyerr's time from 2016. The Open Boys' Freestyle Relay team, consisting of Marcus Brend, Tayo Sawyerr, Nick Baines and Lucas Lawman, broke the 4 x 40
In the gala against Marlborough and Cheltenham College, Avantika Gurung from Year 7
...exceptionally successful with Kingswood winning every gala overall.
Boys' Captain Lucas Lawman was the stand out swimmer for the Open Boys with 3 individual wins. The combined score from all four teams put Kingswood in first place. At the Marlborough gala in the Spring term, Kingswood had a clean sweep in the U16 Boys' gala. The U16 Girls' team showed the real depth in the squad winning both relay events. Nina Brain was the pick of the Open Girls. The Open Boys won 5 out of 7 races. Overall, it was a win for Kingswood against both Marlborough and Sherborne.
yards record. This may well have caused family feuds in both the Brend and Sawyerr households with older brothers being wiped off the record sheet. Lucas now holds 5 school records which must be a record in itself! The final gala of the season was the U13 Boys and Girls against Prior Park. Lucie Gordon, Avantika Gurung, James Ardus, Joseph Bailey and Jack Williams all had individual wins and Kingswood won all 4 relays. Unfortunately, this was to be the last gala of the 2019-20 season as COVID-19 put paid to any swimming in the Summer term. However, even though the season was curtailed it was exceptionally successful with Kingswood winning every gala overall.
Mrs Jenny Opie (Swimming Co-ordinator)
Open Girls
Open Boys
Combined scores
Dauntsey's (October)
Marlborough (November)
Cheltenham (November)
Marlborough (January)
Dauntsey's (January)
ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT This year we have been challenged like never before. The COVID-19 epidemic has afforded us the opportunity to test our mission statement of providing "a programme which inspires pupils to engage in physical activity both in, and out, of school", with the latter certainly being tested.
verall, I am very proud of the pupils who have showed ingenuity and determination with their physical fitness over the period. We saw the conventional Fitness Studio and Weight Room exchanged for running shoes, bicycles and skateboards as we ventured into the great outdoors. We started a school community Strava account to keep everyone 'connected' and offering support, sharing routes, and even competing. The "AthDev@ Home" strength and conditioning programme guided pupils through a progressive training schedule making use of a traffic light colouring system and numerous household items such as pots, suitcases and towels! Although such positive intent was shown by our pupils, there was an overwhelming realisation that what everyone missed the most was the social interaction and connection they fondly associate with physical activity. Despite MS Teams calls, sports science presentations and
Each pupil is on their own unique fitness journey... discussion forums, nothing could match the feeling of sharing training experiences with friends. It would be easy to forget that, before lockdown, we had almost two terms worth of school, and the Athletic Development programme was once again pulsating at capacity. The Movement Literacy classes in Year 7, 8 and 9 Core PE continued to develop pupils' motor competencies. Beyond these early years, we have enjoyed a growing engagement in the strength and conditioning which affords us the opportunity to further challenge these pupils. We are incredibly proud of the positive and supportive environment that has been developed over the past five years. Each pupil is on their own unique fitness journey and we love sharing in their successes and supporting them through challenging times. A group of individuals whom we probably don't formally acknowledge enough, are the select few incredibly ambitious and driven
sports people. Not many understand the physical, psychological and social demands that these pursuits place on an adolescent. For them, strength and conditioning training is only one piece of the puzzle, but they realise how fundamental it is to their performance. We often hear of their successes at national and regional levels, but it is important that we appreciate the tremendous effort they invest. It has been five years since the Athletic Development programme was initiated, and we are starting to see the long-term physical and mental health benefits. This diverse environment offers our pupils a unique opportunity to develop their perceptions of competence, share in healthy relationships and take charge of their own fitness journey. Thank you to all the pupils who play a pivotal part in making our environment thrive!
Mr Digby Webb (Athletic Development Co-ordinator)
TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
PARIS 2019 On the first weekend of October half term, the French department took 51 Year 8 and 9 students to Paris for 4 days.
uring their short stay, the pupils embraced every planned activity with huge enthusiasm. On our first day, and despite a rather long coach journey, we stopped for lunch in the Jardins du Luxembourg and then made our way to see the Pantheon, a stunning mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Voltaire and Emile Zola. We then proceeded to visit the Catacombs, an underground ossuary 20 metres deep and about a mile long. The following day, we spent the day in Disneyland, enjoyed dinner at Planet Hollywood and then admired Paris by night from the now second highest tower in France, la Tour Montparnasse.
...the pupils embraced every planned activity with huge enthusiasm. We also enjoyed a cruise on the river Seine and got close to the Notre Dame Cathedral now inaccessible to the public following the fire last April. A visit to the Stade de France then followed and we ended our visit with a trip to the chocolate factory BEUSSENS where we learnt how chocolate was made and the differences between dark, milk and white chocolate. Thank you to the pupils for their positivity and excellent company throughout.
Ms Najat Taibi (Head of French)
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | TRIPS & ACTIVITIES
barcelona 2019 At the beginning of October half term, the Geography department took 22 Sixth Form students to Barcelona to explore the physical and human geography on offer.
...we explored the regeneration of the city associated with the Olympics...
fter a smooth departure and flight, we were treated to a tour of the city, stopping off at the viewpoint at Montjuic to gain a better sense of the scale of the place and to identify some of the main flagship development projects. We then travelled down to the marina for lunch before a circuit of the famous unfinished Gaudi masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia. The afternoon culminated in a fascinating talk on the history of Barcelona from the knowledgeable field studies centre guide.
landforms and were able to practise our field work skills, as well as brush up on theoretical knowledge.
On the second day, we explored the local coastal processes and
During the trip, we had to avoid the Catalan separatist protestors in the
The third and fourth days were spent in Barcelona where we explored the regeneration of the city associated with the Olympics, new businesses, tourism, art and food. We considered how this has altered the city's identity and how these changes can have a wide range of social, economic and political effects on a local, regional and national scale.
city and a particular highlight was an afternoon learning about the history and reasons for the strong emotions associated with this movement, with our guide offering compelling arguments both to remain as part of Spain and for Catalunya to become an autonomous state. The trip ended with a hotly contested pool tournament in the hotel in which experience triumphed, and a trip to Camp Nou to understand how a football club can represent more than just sport.
Mr Tom Moat (Head of Geography)
SPANISH EXCHANGE During the first week of the October 2019 half term, Mr Walker and Mrs Pasco took 11 pupils to the outskirts of Madrid for the annual Spanish exchange.
espite the weather not being up to the usual standards one expects in Spain, all of the pupils gained a lot from the experience and showed real enthusiasm and motivation throughout. The pupils took a genuine interest in the tours we went on with many pupils actually noting down new vocabulary and all putting their Spanish to the test in real life situations.
Evelyn and Lulu give their accounts of the trip below.
EVELYN KERR (YEAR 12) After meeting our exchanges and getting to know each other, we travelled to the centre of Madrid for a guided tour of the city. This included seeing the Cortes District, Plaza de Oriente and the palacio, one of the many royal abodes in the region. We had some time after for some shopping and tapas. The next day, we visited Toledo (the ancient capital of Spain), a beautiful isolated town on the outskirts of Madrid, which was the birthplace of bull fighting. We admired the beautiful architecture and learnt about the many different cultures and religions that this city had lived through. On our third day, we travelled to the stunning Segovia Aqueduct, an impressive architectural project built
...for anyone passionate about the language and the culture, it is the trip of a lifetime. in the 2nd century BC to transfer water to all parts of the town. We also had a guided tour about the history of the place and were lucky enough to see the royal palace, and go inside. After admiring the beautiful views out of the large windows and the medieval interior, we travelled back to spend time with our exchanges. Every evening we would be with our exchanges, whether that was going for a meal, going to the cinema or even just spending time with their family and improving our speaking and listening skills. On our final day, we spent the morning in school, where we sat in on lessons such as Maths, Spanish Literature, Physics, and many more. All the students were so friendly and welcoming, and it was interesting to see the different school system they have in Spain. After a nice lunch in the canteen, we went back to central Madrid to visit the Reina Sofía museum, a famous art gallery. We got to see in person pieces like 'Guérnica', Picasso's large depiction of the Spanish civil war. After we'd spent some time admiring the incredible artwork, we travelled to
Madrid airport, where we caught our plane back to Bristol.
LULU THOMAS (YEAR 12) The Spanish exchange was definitely one of the best trips I've been on at Kingswood. It gave the opportunity to be fully immersed in the Spanish culture and way of life, as well as the chance to understand Spanish history and the development of Spain as we know it now. I particularly enjoyed spending time with my host family as they are all committed to making sure you benefit from the trip. It is safe to say there are clear direct links to the courses at GCSE and A Level, especially in that it definitely helps to better one's fluency and eloquence in the language. But for me the best part of the exchange was the feeling of being in a community, being surrounded by people who want to help you get better at the language and make you feel welcome. I would recommend any MFL exchange to anyone as I feel for anyone passionate about the language and the culture, it is the trip of a lifetime.
Mr David Walker (Head of Spanish and MFL)
NAPLES 2019 At October half term, 21 Classicists toured the Bay of Naples.
Pompeii was the highlight for many. The chance to roam free around an entire ancient city brought us into contact with the daily life of the ancients better than any written description or museum piece ever could. The Mediterranean sun beat down as we investigated the acoustic magic of the theatre, impressive public buildings and ornate houses. The nearby city of Herculaneum provided a contrast, both in the manner of its preservation (volcanic mud rather than ash) and the buildings themselves. Over 300 skeletons of people trying to shelter from the volcano in the harbour brought the horror of the catastrophe into focus. At the same time, we noticed the way in which the passing of time changes our level of emotional response to such tragedies. A visit to the Archeological Museum in Naples filled in the gaps. Here we saw the many artistic treasures which were once in Pompeii. A ferry ride across the sea, to the glittering island of Capri allowed us to walk in the steps of movie stars from more glamorous eras, window shopping in the designer boutiques. Displays of ice-cream making, folkmusic and Tarantella dancing as well as souvenir shopping and eating a lot of ice-cream made up the rest of our trip. Travelling everywhere on public transport was as much part of each day as the sites themselves. On the final day we ascended Mount Vesuvius, the only live volcano in mainland Europe, and walked around the crater. We were amazed to see that over 3 million people live in the mountain's shadow. Even with beautiful weather, striking geography, rich culture and the best food in the world, it was having conversations with real Neapolitans which was the best part. Talking with real people is the best way to be a traveller, rather than just a tourist, and the more you try, the easier it gets. Allora, arrivederci e alla prossima!
GERMAN EXCHANGE In December 2019, after a long train journey from the airport in Amsterdam to Münster in Germany, the German exchange group from Years 10 and 11 at last reunited with their exchange partners, going home with them that evening to meet with their families. On the Friday, after a brief introduction to the oddities and nature of the German school system, the group was taken on a short tour around the beautiful city, walking past the well-known Weihnachtsmärkte (Christmas markets) and the famous Three Cages. The weekend spent with the exchange partners proved to be thrilling, with students travelling to the Netherlands, to nearby cities and even one to go skiing in Austria! Prepared after a fun weekend, the students then travelled to Osnabrück, seeing its involvement in the Thirty Year's War as well as 20th century conflicts, and spending time at its Christmas market. The students then became familiar with the Schiller Gymnasium and its fascinating subjects: with politics lessons being about the election results as well as English language lessons as complicated as ours!
...the German word of the week was decided to be 'Eichhörnchen'... On Wednesday, the group visited Düsseldorf, having fun on a detailed tour of the city with free time for everyone to buy delicious German food. Sadly, the next day it was time for the students to leave, and after saying 'Tschüs!' and 'Fröhliche Weihnachten!', the group set out on their journey 'nach Hause' and back to England. After a discussion, the German word of the week was decided to be 'Eichhörnchen' meaning 'squirrel'. Thank you on behalf of all the students to the wonderful Herr Duke and Frau Morris for the wunderschönen trip and for the company of Frau Marie Vaupel.
Tara Wynne-Edwards (Year 11)
Seville 2020 Over February half term, 52 Year 8 and 9 pupils enjoyed 4 days of culture and sunshine in Seville, Andalucia.
ay 1 involved a total of sixteen kilometres of walking, exploring the beautiful Unesco World Heritage city of Seville. This included the wonderful Moorish palace, the Alcazar, the Giralda Cathedral (the 2nd largest in Christendom) and the beautiful Barrio Santa Cruz (the old Jewish Quarter). Many of these sites have been used in films such as Star Wars, and more recently, Game of Thrones. On our second day, we travelled to the ancient city of Cordoba, once one of the most influential cities in the world. This city has the third largest mosque in the world, known locally as Mezquita-Catedral. When the Catholic Kings of Spain reclaimed Spain in the late 15th century, they were so struck by the beauty of this mosque that, rather than destroy it, they built a cathedral within it. Indeed, we learned much about how three religions coexisted in Spain in relative peace for centuries. Our final full day allowed us to spend more time in Seville, enjoying the Triana district, a walk along the river, chocolate con churros and then finally a flamenco show. The pupils really engaged with the Spanish culture and I hope many of them will return to this beautiful area of Spain.
Mr David Walker (Head of Spanish & MFL)
BERLIN 2020 At the start of February half term, 68 GCSE History students from Years 10 and 11, accompanied by 8 staff, enjoyed a successful and memorable trip to Berlin.
his was the biggest ever group taken by the History department to the German capital, and much to everyone's relief, the first by plane rather than by overnight coach! They visited a range of sites associated with the history of Germany in the first half of the twentieth century and the Cold War, which are important topics in the GCSE History course. On the first evening, the group got to stretch their legs on a walking tour of some of the sites of central Berlin, and ascended Berlin's TV Tower, one of the tallest structures in western Europe, which looked spectacular illuminated against the night sky. In a packed schedule, other notable sites included the Museum of German History, which closely complemented the GCSE History course, the Holocaust Memorial and its first-rate Visitor Centre, the Berlin Wall Memorial and an excellent guided tour of the Olympic Stadium, which was built for the 1936 Olympics. The group also spent a very moving and thought-provoking morning at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, where they learnt about the atrocious conditions experienced by those who were incarcerated, tortured and killed there, and at similar camps, under the Nazis. The students demonstrated superb behaviour and displayed a genuine interest throughout the week. Thank you to Ben Lockey and Zoe Bigland for the brilliant photography!
Mr Peter MacDonald (Assistant Head - Academic and Teacher of History and Politics)
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | OUTDOOR PURSUITS
OUTDOOR PURSUITS DUKE OF EDINBURGH Duke of Edinburgh continues to grow at Kingswood and most students continue to undertake the award at one level at the very least.
he expedition season usually runs from March until October and so it was unfortunate that a number of the planned expeditions were not able to take place over the last academic year. This is a shame because for many the expedition is the culmination of the entire Duke of Edinburgh experience. However, it was really encouraging to see how participants adapted and undertook slightly different activities than they had initially planned for their other sections. This may have meant a change of physical activity from a team sport to running or cycling. The volunteering section, in particular, presented a challenge. As activities such as assisting with the coaching of junior teams had not been possible, participants
had to have a rethink about where they could help. Many undertook genuinely worthy opportunities created by the pandemic, such as helping vulnerable members of the community with shopping. This year, we had 105 Year 10 students undertaking Bronze Duke of Edinburgh, with nearly 20 participants completing the three sections minus the expedition at this stage. They will be able to receive a Certificate of Achievement and should be congratulated for persevering with the award even through a period of remote learning. At Silver, we had 38 participants undertaking the award and many managed to complete the three sections. Since the Silver participants
had their Practice Expedition back in September 2019, this was able to take place unimpeded and they were able to enjoy the delights of the Quantock Hills. During the three days, they were able to take in some very special places within England's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including views over the Bristol Channel from Wills Neck, the highest point in the area. At the Gold level, we finished the year with 26 participants well underway with the award in the Lower Sixth and an amazing 10 participants who managed to complete the award in the Upper Sixth. Thankfully, many were able to participate in the October Expedition, which served as a Practice for the Lower Sixth and
OUTDOOR PURSUITS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
a Qualifying Expedition for some of the Upper Sixth. The location was the very picturesque Black Mountains in South Wales. However, high points such as Sugar Loaf and Table Mountain (not to be confused with their Brazilian and South African namesakes) did offer a challenge. The Lower Sixth unfortunately missed out on the opportunity to qualify in the Lake District in the planned Summer Expedition but we are hopeful that they will have the opportunity in their final year this summer to do just that!
COMPLETION OF GOLD AWARD • Alix Keates • Stephen King • Joshua Knights Gold D of E
• Ed Lee • Henry McCollom • Natasha McFadyen • Ella McLeod
Thanks must go to the many staff that assisted with all of the expedition weekends and the training, as well as congratulations to all of the students who were involved in all three awards.
• Menina Nightingale • Tippy Pullin • Meg Scott
Mr Steven Smyth (Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator)
Many undertook genuinely worthy opportunities created by the pandemic... Silver D of E
he Ten Tors Expedition for May 2020 was inevitably cancelled but not until after some good training had taken place with successful trips to the Mendips and Dartmoor as well as a local training walk. With four teams entered, there was a really good level of pupil participation and there is no doubt that we would have been able to field some very strong teams had the expedition taken place. Well done to all of the pupils who performed so well in training and put up with some really challenging weather this year.
TEN TORS 2020
The Mendips
Local Walk
YEAR 9 HIKE In October, 39 Year 9 pupils braved the poor forecast and mixed weather conditions to complete a 5 hour circular hike from Llanbedr in the Black Mountains.
he walk included a number of summits over 700m and, despite lots of cloud and some rain, there was a chance to enjoy the views and the walk finished in sunshine. The whole group walked at a really good pace and coped with the conditions admirably. The ground underfoot was very slippery and there were some extremely muddy sections, one of which Mr Davies tested for the group by falling into!
YEAR 8 HIKE 2019 I
n September, 39 Year 8 pupils made the most of some gorgeous weather to complete an 8 mile hike in the Mendips. The circular walk from Tynings Farm took in the highest point on the Mendips, Beacon Batch, as well as the Iron Age Hill Fort at Dolebury Warren. All of the pupils walked strongly and were good company throughout.
YEAR 8 EXPEDITION CLUB TRIP TO DARTMOOR
he 11 members of the Year 8 Expedition Club headed for Dartmoor early one November morning and enjoyed two days walking on the moor. Heavy rain over the previous week meant that the moor was very wet and most streams were uncrossable but the rain mainly held off during the two walks and the cloud parted often enough to allow for some good views. The group stayed in a bunkhouse on the site of a Victorian gunpowder factory in the middle of the moor which was atmospheric and comfortable, with a wood burning stove to keep everyone warm. The pupils helped cook a chicken curry for supper, and a full cooked breakfast in the morning, enjoyed by all! The pupils coped very well with the boggy conditions underfoot and were excellent company throughout.
KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20 | STAFF & LEAVERS
STAFF FAREWELLS At different stages throughout the academic year, the Kingswood community bade farewell to the following members of staff. The valedictions below are adapted from words shared by the Headmaster the time of their departures.
Mr Sealy Examinations Officer
Mr Sealy retired from his teaching role in 2012 and we thanked him for his 42 years' service then. But since then he has continued as our Examinations Officer, a role which has become increasingly intricate – and not least in this most unusual of years – and to which he has brought such attention to detail and such dedication. You will probably have done the Maths and worked out that Mr Sealy has completed a quite remarkable 50 years at Kingswood, an extraordinary length of service. Mr Sealy, thank you and all our very best wishes for your full-time retirement!
Mrs Marshall RPE Mrs Marshall leaves us after some 15 years at Kingswood. When she joined us in 2004, she came initially as a very part-time teacher of Religious Education. This role has continued – and grown somewhat – but Mrs Marshall's contribution has extended well beyond being an outstanding teacher of what we now call RPE to a whole host of other areas of school life. She has also taught PSHCE, and for a number years headed up that department, modernising its approach and ensuring such an important subject was properly relevant in the changing society in which we live. She has also been a first-rate tutor, contributed widely to the activities programme, to drama, and she has been a lead supporter and facilitator of important student-led initiatives such as the Pride Club and UNICEF Club. I admire many things about Mrs Marshall, of course, but certain things stand out. She is unflappable and happy to engage in thoughtful discussion of virtually any topic, however challenging. She is, and this can be extraordinarily important when working with young people, properly non-judgmental; she has an open mind, values everybody and is a fantastic example of how to be inclusive and accepting. Because of this she is a 'go to' person; an excellent listener who
gives freely and generously of her time. The best teachers need to know how to create an effective lesson and how to measure success; they need to be flexible, encouraging and disciplined; they need to recognise individual needs and learning preferences; and they need to focus on a student's needs rather than their own. I think that probably all this goes without saying. But the very best are extraordinarily intuitive and empathetic; they naturally combine the setting of high standards with a real gift for understanding individuals; and they make others feel special. To me Mrs Marshall is one of those teachers. We have so much to thank her for.
STAFF & LEAVERS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2019-20
Miss Jones English
Miss Jones joined Kingswood in 2015 to teach English, and what an amazing impact she has had over the past five years. A hugely positive and engaging teacher, she has taught with consummate success at all levels, whilst also playing a major role in the many exciting developments which have happened over that time in the English department. She has a great gift for making learning both enjoyable and productive and has shown a deep
Mrs Whishaw Economics As a Kingswood parent, Mrs Whishaw came to the School with a real understanding of the type of school we are and a real desire to do her very best for everybody, and she has definitely done that. Mrs Whishaw has been a very fine teacher and tutor and was incredibly committed to the orienteering in her three year tenure at Kingswood. I'm delighted, of course, that she will continue to be connected with us through being a parent but we wish her all the very best in the next stage of her career and good luck with the triathlon training!
commitment to the development of teaching and learning. She was promoted to Second in English in 2016, a role which she took on with great energy and always with an eye on how to improve students' learning experience. But of course, brilliant as her English teaching has been, her contribution to Kingswood has been far broader than that. She has mentored our newly qualified teachers, been an outstanding tutor and played a leading role in developing our Model United Nations programme. And then there have been school trips at home and abroad, outdoor education and, I am sure, much more besides. Miss Jones' commitment has been a brilliant example of what makes Kingswood so special: outstanding teaching alongside a genuine commitment to the students' wider development. And alongside that, a personality which has really enriched our whole community. We are naturally very sorry that she is leaving us, but delighted for her that she will be moving back to her native Ireland. I hope they realise now very lucky they are! Miss Jones, we wish you all the very best for the future.
Mrs Vaid Physics
Mrs Vaid joined us two years ago to teach Physics, impressing us all with her love both of Physics and of Science more broadly, and the warmth and openness of her personality. And so it has proven to be. She has taught at all levels through the School, impressing with her committed and utterly selfless approach. But it has been rather more than this. Both as a tutor and a teacher she has shown that caring approach which means that students have felt included and that they know they each matter individually to her. Her positivity and warmth have shone through in everything she has done. Thank you, Mrs Vaid, and all our very best wishes for your future endeavours.
Mrs Holsgrove When Mrs Holsgrove initially came to Kingswood in 1997 she was employed at the Prep School as what in those days was called a Remedial Support Teacher. As the role of what we now call Learning or Study Support grew and developed over the next few years, Mrs Holsgrove started teaching some Senior School students, including some of those who she had first taught at KPS.
specialist qualifications and the technical knowledge, there needs to be a deep empathy for each student's needs and a willingness to adapt, to learn new skills and to focus in on the very precise nature of a dynamic learning profile. This is no easy task; it requires patience, commitment and, at times, considerable resilience. I have seen what a massive difference the support can make in building confidence, increasing self-belief, learning individual success strategies and, ultimately, delivering outstanding results.
In 2014, when we re-structured Learning Support across the Foundation, she moved over fulltime to the Senior School. Such flexibility and willingness to adapt to changing needs is typical of Mrs Holsgrove and perhaps at least in part explains her tremendous success over more than 20 years in this critical role. Alongside the
It is very easy within a school where academic results are published by department to overlook the impact of teachers such as Mrs Holsgrove, but I hope at Kingswood that is not the case. It is both an academic and a pastoral role and it is in the skilful understanding of the interplay of these that Mrs Holsgrove's huge success has
Mrs Morris German
when, not that long after her arrival in Bath, the Modern Languages department needed some short term cover, Mrs Morris agreed to step in. The rest, as they say, is history. Of course the facts are that from her mid-twenties she had run a large and successful Modern Languages department in a leading state comprehensive school and, if the Kingswood opportunity had not arisen, then I suspect she might well have secured a similar post nearby. But how lucky we have been. She is a very talented linguist and a quite exceptional teacher.
Mrs Morris joined Kingswood in 2008 as a Modern Languages teacher. So much is true, but it's certainly not the whole story. The reality is that, when the Morris family moved to Bath in 2008, Mrs Morris had not considered working at Kingswood. To be frank, the idea of working in a school run by her husband would have filled her with absolute horror. But life does throw up its surprises and
She has formed a formidable partnership with Mr Duke in German and, when he took over the leadership of Westwood, she took over the German department and has led it to even greater heights. Mrs Morris is one of those teachers who never ever rests on her laurels and is always prepared to try something new and find a better way of teaching something. She has also been a terrific tutor in School House, and produced some
been rooted. It is about an intuitive understanding of and interest in individuals and a willingness to go that extra mile time and time again. Mrs Holsgrove, there are so many Kingswoodians who have much to be grateful to you for; we thank you and wish you all the very best for such a richly deserved retirement.
impressive records coaching the U12 netball team. Of course it would be utterly remiss of me not to mention Mrs Morris' wider support of the School community, and of the headmaster, over the past twelve years. This is not in any job description, and quite rightly so. There are no formal expectations, and so there shouldn't be. And yet Mrs Morris has attended all manner of formal and informal events, quietly supporting the School and the headmaster without expecting any recognition, expertly navigating that thin line which such duality naturally imposes. What I absolutely do know is that the School would not be anywhere near where it is now without Mrs Morris' input and the headmaster would never have been close to reaching the level of personal fulfilment he has without her unstinting support. Mrs Morris, whatever the future holds – and I, for one, have no idea what that will be – you leave with all our very best wishes and immense gratitude.
TEACHING STAFF 2019 -2020 SUBJECT
(SMT members shown in bold)
01/09/2008 Headmaster
Mr Jamie Matthews
01/09/2002 Assistant Head (Pastoral); PE
Mr Gordon Opie
Senior Deputy Head
Mr Tom Moat
Head of Geography
Mr John M. Davies
Deputy Head (Academic)
Miss Alice Moore
Mrs Caroline Morris
Head of German
Mr Ed Allchorne
Miss Lucy Morris
Mrs Sophie Andell
Mrs Rebecca Murchison
Mr Andy Barton
Mr William Musgrove
Miss Rosie Bond
Mrs Catherine Nash
Head of Drama and Theatre
Mr Barnaby Brown
Head of DT
Mr George Newbould
History & Politics
Mrs Emma Brown
Head of English; Head of Gifted & Talented
Miss Michelle Newman
Mrs Jenny Opie
Head of Biology
Mr James Brown
Head of Boys' Games
Mrs Eugénie Pasco
MFL; Head of Careers
Mr Stephen Brown
Head of Art
Mr Richard Burton
Miss Una Paver
PE; Biology; Senior Housemistress School
Mr Ed Peerless
Head of Lower School Science
Mr Stephen Pentreath
Head of Lower School; Chemistry
Mrs Amanda Phillips
Ms Jacqueline Reeman
Mr Timothy Reeman
Director of Sport
Miss Nadine Robinson
Miss Bethany Rolfe
Head of PSHCE; Biology
Mrs Clare Sergeant
Assistant Head (Pastoral); Computer Science
Mr James Castrique
Mrs Ilona Chamen
Head of Study Support
Mr Jude Chua
Mr Liam Conner
Head of EAL
Mrs Monica Corripio-Lopez
Mrs Nicola Curtis
PE; Assistant Head of Lower School
Mrs Sarah Dakin
Head of Classics
Mr Daniel Darwin
Head of History & Politics
Mr John W. Davies
Director of Co-Curricular; History & Politics
Mr Jerome Shah
Computer Science; Mathematics
Mr Roderick Duke
MFL; Housemaster Westwood
Head of Girls' Games
Mr Olly East
Mr Matthew D Smith
Mr Gareth Edgell
Head of Computer Science
Mr Matthew W Smith
Head of Mathematics
Mrs Claire Edwards
Head of Psychology; Assistant Head of Sixth Form
Mrs Laura Smyth
Miss Sophie Elliott
Mr Steven Smyth
Geography; Senior Housemaster Middle
Mrs Samantha Fountain
Mr Mark Snell
Miss Alice Fox
Miss Louise Sobey
Mrs Elaine Francis
Miss Natalie Hannah
Head of Academic PE
Mrs Janine Solomon-Gardner
Mr Darrell Harding
Drama and Theatre; Senior Housemaster Hall House
Mrs Nicki Sparks (Gerrish)
Mrs Nat Stewart
Mrs Sarah Herlinger
Mr Barney Stuttard
Mr Phil Hollywell
PE; Geography
Ms Najat Taibi
Head of French
Mrs Ann Holsgrove
Mr Matthew Thatcher
Head of RPE
Mrs Sarah Hopkin
Head of Economics
Mrs Aparna Vaid
Ms Marjory Huckle (Walker)
Mr David Walker
Head of Languages; Head of Spanish
Miss Hazel Hughes
Mrs Lizzy Ward
Miss Liz Hunter
Mr Paul Watts
Miss Sandra Jones
Mr Digby Webb
Mrs Anna Knights
Mrs Karen Whishaw
Miss Felice Laake
Ms Priscilla Lam
Head of Mandarin
Mr Roger White
Mathematics; Senior Housemaster Upper
Ms Nicola Lowe
Ms Christian Whyte
Assistant Head (Academic); History & Politics
Mrs Jo-Anne Wilcock
Miss Harriet Wilson
RPE; Head of Activities
Mrs Juliette Mainwaring
English; Senior Housemistress Fonthill
Dr Jenny Wood
Head of Chemistry
Mr Rory Mansfield
Mr Craig Woodgate
Head of Sixth Form; History & Politics
Mrs Suzanne Marshall
Miss Charlotte Wormald
Geography; Senior Housemistress Summerhill
Miss Angela Wright
Head of Boarding; Psychology
Miss Tessa Yates
Mr Peter MacDonald
Mrs Alexandra Matthews
GOVERNORS 2019 -2020 Mr Paul Baines
Mr Ian Falconer
Mr Stephen Holliday
Mrs Barbara Pendle
Mr Robert Sandry
Mrs Helen Bools
Mr Peter Freeman
Mr David Humphreys
Revd Dr Jonathan Pye
Mr Chris Stafford
Mrs Sue Cook
Miss Beth Garner
Mr Danny Lau
Mr David Quine
Mrs Sarah Thomas
Mr Simon Crowther
Mr Malcolm Gordon
Mr Tim Lindsay
Maj Gen (Tony) Raper
Mr Tim Westbrook (Chair of Governors)
HEAD GIRL & HEAD BOY REFLECTIONS Ella McLeod, Head Girl My time at Kingswood was, in a word, transformative, and so much more than just an education. There is a lot I miss, but also a lot that we take with us into whatever path we choose. It's not the events, buildings or even the hymns that made Kingswood for me, but the people. I was always amazed at the talent around me; whether it be in the classroom, on the sports pitch, in theatres or concerts, there is a place for everyone to shine. Our year group has always had a strong sense of community, whether it be when trying to cram as many people as possible onto one lunch table or in the mad dash for tea or toast in the Dixon. This has extended beyond just our year group into
sports teams, houses and trips. I remember evenings in Malawi sitting in a circle to chat or play games in what we called 'family time'. The feeling of family is ever present at Kingswood, especially in the supportive environment of houses, where we are pulled together by the same house spirit, competitiveness and a love for the small quirks and traditions that makes each one unique. Some of my favourite memories are with the School girls, winning House Music, playing in matches and, of course, the infamous Wide Games. A big thank you has to go to our teachers, house staff and tutors who are tirelessly working behind the scenes and providing a pastoral support network unlike any other. We have all benefited from the enthusiastic teaching and quiet support of you all throughout our time here, but especially during COVID-19. Despite all being sent
home with tutorials and an extensive enrichment program, we still felt a part of Kingswood and supported when it would've been easy to become isolated. Our final year at Kingswood certainly wasn't quite what we had envisioned. A pandemic was a novel experience to say the least and no other year can say they had their leavers' assembly and end of year traditions over a Microsoft Teams video call. However, I would argue that it highlighted some of the very best of our year's and the School's qualities, including a lot of resilience and care for each other. Thank you especially to our year group who everyday still give me something to smile about, I am really looking forward to seeing all the amazing things you do in the future and, despite the slightly disrupted year, we have all got so much to be proud of.
Stephen King, Head Boy
The PR and SMT
It is clear that none of us could have predicted the events that would unfold in this final year of the Morris reign. Upper and School winning a first House Music title for 5 years, Upper losing House Football and then of course there was COVID-19. In truth, our final year was always going to be different with both Mr and Mrs Morris leaving, however with a year group like ours we were always going to do our best to end this year as fittingly as possible and go out in style, something my suit choice for the final speech may have been known to lack. For the first time ever, A Levels were cancelled, a relief to some of my fellow leavers, I'm sure. Thankfully, the government took one of the more horrific U-turns in history, second only to one demonstrated by a member of staff on a minibus trip on the way to a fixture! The truth is that this year has been a year of ups and downs, unlike any before it. As one of the only people in the School brave enough to have openly referred to myself as a Cricketer, I have spent my fair share of time on the Upper across all seasons and I can confirm that Kingswood has its own micro-climate. I am convinced that the weather on the Upper either does the opposite of any forecast or just 10x more extreme. For example, there are not many people who can claim to have had to go off 3 times in one cricket game for snow. In May. Another thing that makes Kingswood the place it is has to be the campus, and, as its award-winning exterior would suggest, the Dixon is the building in which many memories are made. Life in the Dixon is always
eventful and on 'Top Right', with our regular sing-alongs, corridor cricket test matches and much more besides, mine definitely was. The Head of the Dixon, Mr Woodgate, is an 'MUN Boss/UCAS Master' and his greetings of 'tip-top' became infamous throughout the year. His predecessor, Mr Burgon, is another Kingswood legend. Apart from the infamous stories, charisma, and thick Scottish accent, what set Mr Burgon apart from any other teacher were his methods. Telling a class of Year 9s that all you have to do to solve complex algebra is 'look at it' is less than supportive, but in hindsight, as an A Level mathematician, very amusing. Despite being the only senior day house, Upper is a second home for many of its members and I've probably spent more time in Upper than I have in some departments within the School. Of course I would like to thank my tutors, Mr White and Mr Darwin, but my biggest thanks must go to my fellow Upper leavers who, across 5 years, have made Upper the place it is for everyone in the house.
...do our best to end this year as fittingly as possible and go out in style...
One thing that should not surprise anyone associated with Kingswood is the way everyone, staff and students alike, has dealt with the pandemic. I have to thank all of the teachers for giving me the platform from which I am growing now. Each one has dealt with this pandemic and taken it in their stride, continuing to deliver high quality teaching as well as the pastoral support which so many people often forget to mention or credit. I can safely say I would not be the person I am now without this School and I will always remember my 7 years here as some of my best. It's been a pleasure, Kingswood.
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