Arrow
The
Quarterly newsletter of King Henry VIII School • Issue 10 • Autumn 2016
In this Issue
Lower School Lion King is
a triumph.................................... 07
A golden summer of sport.....08-10
Year 7 tackle Ilam Hall............12-13
Girls’ sports tour to Canada........ 16
From the
Headmaster
Hold the front page!
It was a table-topping performance by Year 13
which grabbed the newspaper headlines around
Coventry and Warwickshire as King Henry VIII
School achieved our best A Level results for five
years. A stunning haul of 47% A* and A grades at
A Level represented a just reward for the pupils
who had worked so hard for the last two years. The
beaming smiles and euphoric hugs in the Sixth Form
Centre were a memory to treasure as this superb
year group of talented all-rounders finally departed
the school.
With 94% of all exam results reaching A* to C
passes at King Henry VIII School, the theory that
coeducation does not work in the classroom was
disproved yet again.
There were splendid individual successes for
students such as Nishant Aggarwal, Ryan Gidda
and Daniel Smith who achieved four A* grades
each, whilst Daina Parekh, Francesca Smith and
Smith gained three A* grades each. Daniel Smith
(Mathematics, Oxford), Harrison McCartney
(Geography, Oxford) and Ryan Gidda (Natural
Sciences, Cambridge) achieved their ambition of a
place at the most prestigious universities in the UK.
As ever, these students were just the pinnacle of
many other very significant achievements by
Year 13.
With nine out of ten of students now moving on
to their chosen university, the A Level results were
testament to the superb all-round education that
is offered in the Sixth Form.
Continued on page 3…
Welcome to the first ‘Arrow’ of the new
academic year. It’s not taken long for school
to regain the usual busy and productive
atmosphere after the summer break. I hope
that you have been reading with interest our
various publications regarding ‘Intellectual
Character’ and please do look at the new
banners on the way to the swimming pool
that provide inspiration for the pupils.
School Prizegiving was a great opportunity
for our guest speaker, CJ Simister, to explain
the benefits of developing Intellectual
Character and also to congratulate our
prizewinners of last year, including the
returning Sixth Form who secured our best
A Level results in the last five years! At the
same time, our new Year 7 pupils were
fortunate to have fabulous weather at Ilam
Hall and have come back
‘ready to go’ on their Senior
School adventure. They have
now settled well and promise
much for our continued
success in the future.
Jason Slack
Headmaster
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03
Continued from page 1…
Bright stars shine
at GCSE level too
From the
Twittersphere…
One week later there was even more good
news as Year 11 achieved a wonderful set
of GCSE results. With a bumper cohort
of 117 students in Year 11, it was doubly
impressive that the academic strength ran
deep and strong across the year group.
The GCSE A*/A pass rate of 60% was
impressive, as were the 11 students who
achieved eight or more A*s in their GCSEs.
Nearly half of all pupils in Year 11 gained at
least eight A or A* grades.
It is all the more remarkable that these
brilliant A Level and GCSE results were
achieved against a background of equally
brilliant co-curricular performance. The
summer holiday saw trips to Canada to
play netball and hockey as well as South
Africa for voluntary work and outdoor
education. The previous school year had
witnessed stellar musical performances,
spellbinding drama productions and so
much more. We are proud of all our pupils;
their achievements and friendships are
notable every day.
Mr D Morton
04
Academic News…
C J Band Trophy
After last year’s closest Band Trophy of
this century, this year’s House competition
has already begun. White’s are the early
leaders after their Year 7s dominated
the relays at the Sports Morning. The
Badminton events began and auditions for
House Drama are currently taking place.
With Senior Music happening before Half
Term, there really is an opportunity for
everyone to get involved.
We need a new
trophy cabinet!
All four Houses have now appointed their
House Captains. They are:
Holland’s:Chloe Davies and Vivek
Ghaiwal. Deputies: Laura
McTernan and Joe Read.
Sherwyn’s:Louisa Woolley and Oliver
Davies. Deputies: Anisha
Sidhu and Henry Adams.
White’s:Anna Dunn, Jorgia Hope and
Joe Lane. Deputies: Simran
Chuttha, Ben Kirby and Curtis
Rowley.
Hales:Maya Bhuhi and Tom Kelly.
Deputies to be confirmed.
These appointments are an
acknowledgement of the commitment
shown by these students over six years and
certainly a position to which all our new
Year 7s can aspire.
Mr Jones, Head of White’s House
Law, Politics
and Economics
Society
The Law, Politics and Economics Society
used the first meeting of the academic
year to discuss the programme for
2016/17. The group, which is open to
students in Years 11-13, will be holding
a series of debates on a wide range of
issues in conjunction with the Debating
Society. We will also be inviting a range
of guest speakers from the legal, political
and business worlds to address the Society
either in person or via Skype. Other
planned events include a mock criminal
trial in which students will take the roles
of lawyers, defendant, witnesses and jury,
whilst younger students will be invited to
watch the trial from the ‘public gallery’.
Mr Lovell, Head of Law
As last term drew to a close and thoughts
turned to the summer holidays we had one last
challenge remaining in DT; the annual Design and
Technology Awards. Led by the local Coventry
Rotary clubs, the awards aim to showcase the
talents of design students across the city’s schools.
We selected the best of our students’ work and
took it along to the exhibition. The show, spread
over three days, is open to the public and had
one of the largest numbers of visitors in recent
years, as well as the largest range of products
on show, so with only very quiet confidence we
attended the final evening for the judges awards
presentations.
As winner of the Coventry event Josh then went
through to the final round, where the winners
from the other Rotary districts from across the
region were showcasing their prize winning
projects. He only went and won! Amazing results,
but no less than our talented students deserve.
We were not to be disappointed! Visva Moorthy
and Conor Keen both won awards for their
Electronics projects with Conor winning the
‘Best Overall Electronics’ project and Chris Baker
won the award for the ‘Best Resistant Materials’
project for his iPod amplifier. The evening
culminated with the awards for ‘Best In Show’
and we were extremely pleased when this went
to Josh McKinley for his simple yet innovative
‘Rotach’ device designed to help people fit
bicycle tyres.
Two Year 7 teams competed in the VEX Robotics
Regional round on Friday 23rd September and
performed admirably, especially considering they
only started building on Monday 19th, still sleepy
from their trip to Ilam Hall! They were up against
Year 13 teams from all over the country with years
of experience, but our teams were not scared off.
They learnt from the experience and will be back
stronger. As Marshall Mathers says “It’s not how
you start, it’s how you finish that counts.”
Zoolab
Towards the end of last term, Year
7 enjoyed the Zoolab experience
in Biology. Classes learnt about
classification groups whilst being able
to handle and view a range of different
animals including a corn snake, rat and
African land snail.
Dr Norman, Head of Biology
So, as Josh goes off to Uni, there might be fear
over what talents are coming up through the
ranks, but rest assured we’ll be fine. Our current
Year 11s are drawing on the inspiration of our
award winners and rising to the challenge of an
ever-raising bar. And if the skills on show from
our new robotics teams are anything to go by,
we have a whole year of glory awaiting us.
Mr Sweetman, Head of Design Technology
05
University of Warwick Schools
Best Physics Students of the Year
Yuhang Xie, in Year 12 and Harkirat Dhaliwal, in Year 11 were selected by the Physics
Department as the award winners for the University of Warwick Schools Best Physics
Students of the Year. They were both invited to an event that celebrated the talent of
exceptional students studying Physics in all of the Coventry and Warwickshire’s schools.
These awards were made possible by the Institute of Physics and the Ogden Trust.
Congratulations to both students on their worthy achievement.
Dr M Cuthbert, Head of Physics
Arkwright Engineering Scholarship
The prestigious and competitive Arkwright Engineering Scholarship
was named after Sir Richard Arkwright, an 18th century engineer.
He was famous for harnessing the power of water to drive spinning
machines, and amongst many other things he made his fortune by
mass producing yarn. He was regarded as one of the pioneers of
engineering.
At King Henry VIII School, the Arkwright Scholarship is introduced
to DT students in Year 10 and applications begin in Year 11. The
application process consists of three stages, the first being a
typical application form. It aims to find out why you want to be an
engineer and if you have the academic ability to do so. You must also
describe an engineering project that you have done, for example
your DT project. Having passed this, you will be shortlisted for an
aptitude test held in school. Here you are presented with two design
questions, in which you must consider materials, production methods,
sustainability, profit and aesthetics. The aim of the aptitude test is to
see how you approach designs and what you are thinking. Past papers
are available on the Arkwright Scholarships website if you want to try
one for yourself (www.arkwright.org.uk). If you accumulate sufficient
points from your application and aptitude test, you will qualify for
an interview, getting this far is an excellent achievement in itself. The
interviews are held at top engineering universities around the UK. I
had mine at Imperial College, London. Amongst the team activities,
your interviewers will ask you questions about both your project and
general engineering.
Rewards from this scholarship include: £600 to spend on your
engineering hobbies, £400 for your school DT department, work
experience, access to science fairs and, if you’re lucky, sponsorship
through university.
I am very pleased to have been awarded an Arkwright Scholarship,
especially for their 25th anniversary. My sponsor is National Grid. I
would thoroughly recommend the Arkwright Scholarship both for its
rewards and its prestige. So, I encourage anyone with an engineering
career in mind to give it a shot!
Visva Moorthy, Year 12
06
MUSIC & DRAMA News…
Junior Chamber Choir
On Saturday 24th September nine members of
the Junior Chamber Choir took part in the Solihull
Competitive Music Festival. This was the first time
a group from King Henry VIII School had entered a
choir in this festival and there was much excitement
as we set off from school!
Year 11 pupil Eva Quinn was honoured
to perform at the Royal Albert Hall
on September 18th. The show was
called “How to make a Hero” with the
National Theatretrain group. Eva sang in
several songs and loved every minute of
the experience, despite the daunting
venue.
The select group were Emily Moore, Meghna Patel,
Alessandro Pace, Grace Brennan, Meah Dhami,
Isabel Nelson, Kate Dowling, Ishika Patel and Macey
Miller. Accompanied by Mrs Hunt on the piano,
they sang a beautiful 3-part arrangement of ‘The
Music of the Night’ from The Phantom of the Opera
by Andrew Lloyd Weber in front of a large and
appreciative audience.
The adjudicator was delighted with the
performance and commented on how smart and
well presented the choir were. She said there were
‘very good voices in this ensemble with a good
balance between parts.’ She also complimented
them on their phrasing and breath control. They
were awarded a well-deserved distinction with 89
marks and first place in the class.
The delighted singers were awarded a framed
certificate and set off very happily for a celebratory
ice-cream! I was very proud of both their success
in the competition and also of their behaviour
throughout the afternoon. They were a great credit
to the school. Thank you to them all and to Mrs
Hunt for giving up their Saturday afternoon!
Mrs Pandya, Director, Junior Chamber Choir
Royal Central School of Speech &
Drama University of London
The Drama Department is excited to announce
that two of our A Level Theatre Studies alumni,
Francesca (Frankie) Brown and David Peters, begin
undergraduate courses at the Royal Central School
of Speech and Drama this year, in Performance
Arts and Production Lighting respectively. Current
students will remember Frankie from her victorious
direction of ‘Macbeth’ for Hales’ House as part of
the House Drama Competition and her moving
performance as Daisy Buchanan in ‘The Great
Caitlin Hickingbotham in Year 8 is the latest
in the tradition of King Henry VIII School
pupils who are choristers at Coventry
Cathedral. Earlier this year Caitlin was
privileged to take part in a concert in St
Paul’s Cathedral. She greatly enjoyed the
event and looked the part in her splendid
choral dress, as the accompanying image
shows.
Gatsby.’ David Peters will be remembered for seven
years of illuminating the school with his gift for
lighting design. Some of you may have been lucky
enough to catch their A Level performance ‘Mind
The Gap’, or you might at least remember that time
they turned the entire Drama Studio into a model
of the London underground. We are so excited
that their creative talents have been recognised
by a national institution of this calibre and we look
forward to hearing all about their achievements.
07
The
Lion King
In the hot summer of July 2016,
Henry’s Drama and Music Departments
transported us to an even hotter summer
in the African savannah. With the help of
a talented cast and orchestra, a dedicated
team of staff and a stunning set of African
headdresses, ‘The Lion King Jr.’ roared
into life.
The show was a treat for all the family,
with young and old cheering Simba on as
he lost his way in the jungle and found the
courage to take his place as the rightful
king of Pride Rock. Comic moments were
aplenty: the audience were treated to
Rafiki’s playful encouragement of both
Simba and the orchestra; a cackling
comedy band of hyenas; Timon and
Pumbaa’s infamous double act and Scar’s
special blend of villainy and sarcasm. We
were excited to welcome our new Musical
Director, Dr Coull, to the school, helping
to transport us to Africa with the aid of
a talented student pit orchestra and cast
of singers. I didn’t envy the cast the task
of learning to sing in a mixture of African
languages, but they pulled it off with
aplomb! Two of my favourite moments
were the starlit renditions of ‘He Lives in
You’ and ‘They Live In You’, as Simba came
to terms with his responsibility as the
future king of Pride Rock. Disney classics ‘I
Just Can’t Wait To Be King’, ‘Can You Feel
The Love Tonight’ and ‘Hakuna Matata’
thrilled the audience, as they followed
Simba and Nala’s journey into adulthood.
In our own way, we can all relate to that
journey, and all the comedy, tragedy and
adventure it brings.
Miss Spring, Head of Drama
08
SportS News…
A golden
summer of
sport
With another Olympic year finally
over sport has seen some amazing
achievements on many different
platforms. The gold medals of the
Olympic female hockey team, the
domination of Australia by Eddie Jones’
new look England side and Leicester City
winning the Premier League certainly
have shown that hard work, grit, effort
and determination are the attributes
of true sporting success. These pillars
are things that we are aiming to foster
within all our sports team as we
enter another busy sporting year of
fixtures and competitions. Opportunity
and inclusion is something that the
department is keen to further establish
and I would love to see as many new
faces at training and practices to help
raise the standards of all levels of sport.
Rugby
‘Perfect Preparation makes for Perfect Performance’
The rugby teams have now all completed several games with the 1st XV really showing their dominance last
weekend against our rivals KES Stratford. The 1st XV is currently unbeaten after 4 matches. After a fantastic
pre-season the teams have started the season strongly. The development of the U13 has impressed the new
look coaching team of Huxford and Wilkes, branding them as the next ‘big year.’ With new fixtures against
Ellesmere College and Hereford Cathedral School, rugby is certainly working hard to challenge pupils in our
aspirational term.
Captain of the 1st XV Anish Kainth will be ably supported by Joe Lane and Ben Kirby over the course of the
season. We are all excited about the prospect of developing and continuing to raise the standards of rugby
here at school. In the coming weeks we will see the 1st XV take on our local rival Bablake in the 2nd round of
the NatWest competition, should they manage to beat Warwickshire College.
Mr Fitt, Director of Sport
OC Sports Day
Saturday 3rd September saw our first
Old Coventrians’ Sports Day held at
the school and Astro sports pitches.
The day was a wet but wonderful
sport festival which saw Netball, Boys’
and Girls’ hockey and rugby bring Old
Coventrians back to the school. Sport
was the winner as the school battled it
out against many of our outstanding exstudents. The school managed to win
the girls’ hockey and boys’ rugby with
the Old Coventrians winning netball and
boys’ hockey. The event will be sure to
grow over the coming years and it was
lovely to see many past and present
students.
The Buzz of Wasps Rugby
Wasps have been buzzing around the Coventry area
all summer and with Development Player Pathway
(DPP) trials for over 20 of our junior players
currently running, we wish them well. With the
U16 and U18 trials being hosted at the school over
the summer break it was a great honour to support
the growing force of elite level rugby in the country.
The school will also be hosting the DPP Festival at
the Highway on Friday 28 October which will see
all the best talent in Wasps U13-16 Junior Academy
groups join forces to play a number of fixtures.
Congratulations must go to Will Stoker and new
Lower Sixth student Joe Stickley who have been
selected to join the Wasps Junior Academy.
Congratulations also go to Tom Honey who has
moved into the Worcester Warriors U15 Academy
group.
Ross Warwood
Ross trialled for three days recently in BIrmingham and has been selected to represent Warwickshire Cricket Board in their upcoming fixtures. He has
worked really hard over the last three years to achieve this goal and is over the moon to have been selected.
Ross has managed to make all three county squads this year in Rugby, Hockey and now Cricket – quite an achievement!
09
Golf tees off
at Henry’s!
On Monday 19th September history was made as King Henry
VIII School fielded a golf team for the first time in the ISGA
(Independent Schools’ Golf Association) Schools Cup.
The competition took place at Magnolia Park Golf Club, near
Bicester. It was an early start for the team of Conor Fahy, Josh
Davenport and Matthew Pandya who set forth by minibus
before 8am with Mrs Tracey driving in the lashing rain. Arriving
in good time, and with the weather hinting at clearing up,
the team set out to find the 7th tee in time for the shotgun start. The
course was a challenging one, with long par 4 holes, rolling hills, narrow fairways and fast paced
greens. The boys took a few holes to get into their stride but soon started to notch up some good par scores. Despite the
miserable weather, the boys played with great spirit, offering encouragement to each other when needed.
The format of the day was to take the best two gross scores and Henry’s did themselves proud, finishing in 8th place out of 16 and finishing well above some
heavy weight competition such as King’s Canterbury, Repton and King’s Ely.
Individual honours went to Josh Davenport, who finished second in the singles gross competition with a score of 77.
Overall, it was an excellent inaugural experience and bodes well for the future of golf at Henry’s.
Austin Mitchell-King
The 2015-2016 ice hockey season proved both
challenging and rewarding for Austin MitchellKing (10M), as U15A Captain of Coventry Blaze
Ice Hockey Academy. The highlights included
leading his team to a successful conclusion to the
season after a very challenging start, and winning
the Blaze Academy’s Team of the Season trophy.
Austin also won the U15As Players’ Player trophy,
the U15As Coach’s trophy, and to his immense
surprise, the Chairman’s Silver Cup, an “open”
award presented to an individual player for their
outstanding contribution, commitment and
achievement to the Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey
Academy.
Austin successfully trialled for U15 Midlands
Conference, organised by the English Ice Hockey
Association (EIHA). The team took part in the
UK’s Inter-Conference Tournament held at Ice
Sheffield, in May. The team finished runners-up,
the Final being their only loss of the tournament,
and it was only lost in penalty shots, having
drawn in the match and overtime! However, in
the presentations that followed, Austin was one
of six players to be awarded a coveted EIHA All
Stars Shirt for outstanding performance during the
tournament.
As school closed for the summer, Austin headed
to Hawaii with Team GB U14s inline team,
having been selected to take part in the AAU
Junior Olympics tournament. This proved very
challenging, as both the weight of the puck and
the density of the rink pad caused Team GB
some difficulties at first. However, their resilience
paid off, winning a Bronze medal in the opening
competition and a Silver medal in the main event.
Since getting over the jet lag, Austin has since
trialled for the GB Ice hockey U16 team, and
although not yet in the squad, has been accepted
as part of the GB Development Plan. The
qualities expounded by our school for developing
intellectual character: Aspiration, Persistence,
Curiosity, Initiative, and Resilience are also
important aspects in the field of sport! Good luck,
Austin, for the 2016-2017 season!
Mrs Tracey
10
SportS News…
GIRLS’ SPORTS NEWS
Senior Sports Captains
Lauren Cox
Lauren has had a good season and
finished on a high at the British
Swimming Championships, breaking four
Warwickshire Junior records and gaining
a Bronze Medal for the 100m Backstroke
and 7th in the 50m Backstroke and
obtaining a GB Team Trials time for next
April. Lauren works hard to combine
her school work with a strenuous
training regime and we wish her well for
the coming season.
Netball –Anna Dunn (Captain), Louisa Woolley
(Vice Captain)
Hockey –Jorgia Hope (Captain), Laura
McTernan (Vice Captain)
The Autumn Term has started well for the Girls’
Sports teams and all age groups have been in
action. Many of the team players for both Hockey
and Netball attended the pre-season sessions
which were held prior to the start of term though
of course, the real pre-season for many of the
senior Hockey and Netball players was during the
tour to Canada in July.
This year also saw the senior Netball and Hockey
squads play against Old Coventrian teams the
weekend before the start of the term. The 1st VII
played against a large number of last year’s very
successful first team and in a close game lost 1325. The 1st XI won 1-0, the goal being scored by
Emma McCabe. Huge thanks to Anna Dunn and
Jorgia Hope for sorting the senior teams out over
the summer holiday.
The first Saturday of term saw the annual Year 7
Sports’ morning and it was great to see the girls
enter into the spirit of the House Relays and the
Netball and Hockey sessions. The U12 netball
team enjoyed its first match against St Martins.
Chelsea Round
Former Y11 pupil Chelsea Round has been long listed to represent GB
in the European Championship in Montelibretti in Italy this September.
She was also interviewed by BBC Coventry Radio recently – a live
interview in the slot for Coventry sporting success. Well done, Chelsea,
and good luck with the final selection!
Recent Representative success:
U14 Warwickshire Netball– Anya Kalsi, Carise
Wallbank, Bella Handy
U17 Regional Netball academy – Abbey Forsythe
U15 Hockey Junior Regional Performance squad
(tier 1) – Abbey Forsythe
U18 Hockey Junior Regional Performance Squad –
Laura McTernan
U15 West Midlands Regional Netball Academy –
Evie Slattery and Eliyan Wallbank
U16 Warwickshire Development squad – Rachel
Carron
U16 Warwickshire County Academy squad –
Tabitha Banks
U16 Warwickshire Development county coach –
Anna Dunn
Midlands Hockey Masters – Mr Dave Lees
TRIPS News…
Biology Field Trip
During the last week of June, the Year 12
Biologists visited Snowdonia for a field study to
carry out practical investigations in a variety of
ecosystems that can’t be found in the Midlands!
We spent our first afternoon kick sampling in the
local river, collecting small invertebrates, which
we identified and counted. This was followed by
statistical analysis. The first night brought much
entertainment to the whole field centre as we
saw the England football team take on Iceland
in the Euros. The atmosphere quickly changed
when we saw England defeated and inevitably
kicked out of the tournament! Over the course
of the week, we spent time studying succession
on the sand dunes at Harlech, sampling on the
rocky shore at Penmon Point and observing
lichens in the local woodland.
The weather wasn’t
always in our favour but
we managed to have
fun and make the most
of it! One of the most
enjoyable activities
was looking for larger
aquatic animals in the
rock pools and surprisingly,
we even managed to find crabs and a star fish!
After the long days of studying, we were able
to explore the local village of Betws-y-coed. We
were surprised how quaint and picturesque it
was. On our final day, before the long coach
journey back to Coventry, we got to check the
small mammal traps that we had set the night
before. We were all in suspense to see what
mammals had succumb
to the treats in our humane traps. Between us
all, we caught 3 voles and 2 field mice. The tutors
at the centre considered this a successful end to
our educational experience at the field centre!
Dr Norman, Head of Biology
South Africa Eco-Challenge
As the climax of the Outdoor Education that
is offered at King Henry VIII School, every year
an expedition departs to either South Africa or
Borneo. This counts as the Gold Duke of Edinburgh
Award final expedition and also rewards the
students with a John Muir Explorer Award. John
Muir was an advocate for wild places and the
founding father of the National Park movement in
the USA. As the account below demonstrates, this
is one school trip not to be missed!
In the first week we completed our 4-day
unaccompanied and self-sufficient Gold D of
E Expedition on farmland near Grahamstown
in the Eastern Cape. The views and scenery
were utterly stunning. We really knew we were
amongst wildlife and could hear the roar of lions
in neighbouring reserves.
The second two weeks were spent on the
Shamwari Conservation Experience. We were led
on a ‘behind-the-scenes’ journey of educational
talks and game drives, practical conservation tasks,
animal and plant rehabilitation, finding out about
the food and medicinal uses of plants, predator
tracking, learning about anti-poaching methods
and the ways to protect high profile species. We
also loved the hands-on raptor/reptile session,
searching for snakes and scorpions, and visiting the
Born Free Foundation big cat rescue centre.
Our attitudes to wildlife conservation were
completely changed by the experiences and we
were delighted to achieve the John Muir Explorer
Award. One of our favourite visits was to a preschool in a local township to play with the children.
The excitement did not end there. Weekend
activities included a tree-top canopy tour in
the heart of indigenous Outeniqua Yellowwood
trees, zip-wiring and pretending to be Tarzan;
blackwater tubing down the Storms River; cruising
to see dolphins, seals, penguins and gannets; and
horse-riding on a deserted beach, which afforded
breathtaking views of the spectacular coastline of
the Indian Ocean.
Mrs Wade, Director of Outdoor Education
12
Ilam Hall 2016
Starting Year 7 can be a daunting prospect with so much to remember and so many new faces, places and rules
to learn. It is for this reason that we start Year 7 with a week-long outdoor education and team-building trip to
Derbyshire, based at a stunning National Trust Youth Hostel called Ilam Hall. Over five days the pupils face a range
of challenges, including rock climbing, raft building, trekking in Dovedale and launching eggs into the heavens in
the famous water rocket challenge. The Year 7 Tutor team, splendidly led by Mrs Proudlock, Head of Year 7, get
to know their tutees very well and firm foundations are laid for a successful, happy year ahead. Here are four
perspectives on the week in the students’ own words.
We
Ilam
13
TRIPS News…
Hannah Hunt
My time at Ilam Hall was fantastic! I was
able to try out new adventure sports like
canoeing, raft building and cata-canoeing which is two canoes tied together to make
one large canoe. We did abseiling, climbing
and scrambling across rocks in caves, just like
Bear Grylls.
I shared my Ilam experience and dormitory
with old and new friends.
Ilam Hall is located in beautiful countryside
with lots of wildlife and steep hills. Mrs Wade
told us that the local sheep had right legs
shorter than their left legs so they could walk
up the hills easier - I think she was pulling my
leg! The weather was amazing, super hot,
except for one huge thunder storm which
was so atmospheric! We fired egg rockets
into the sky - awesome!
Hope Bland
On my second week at Henry’s I had an
amazing opportunity to take part in the Year
7 trip to Ilam Hall. Over the week we had
the chance to try many outdoor activities,
including rock sports where we scrambled
over large rocks, squeezed through small gaps
and climbed up high rock faces. We also tried
water sports where we spent more time in the
water than in the canoe! My favourite activity
was the Dovedale Walk where we walked
to the top of a very high hill. The best part
was pushing myself to get to the top. At the
beginning of the week I was nervous, however
I knew it was a great way to get to know the
other Year 7’s and I completed my aspiration
to be more confident at Henry’s.
It was a really egg-citing time.
Alizeh Bilal
To say I loved my residential trip to Ilam Hall
would be an understatement. I did so many
exciting things over there. It was a unique
experience. At Ilam Hall we were separated into
different dorm rooms. They were quite big and
some rooms had attached bathrooms.
Jason Arya
We quickly started the team challenges which
were a brilliant way for our class to get to
know each other better. After settling into
our dorms, the first day had finished. We set
off to watersports on Tuesday. The kayaking
was great! Wednesday was great when we
did rocksports; I loved the rock climbing! On
Thursday we went on the Dovedale walk; the
stepping stones were amazing! Friday was the
final day as we said our goodbyes. Ilam Hall
was amazing and I will always remember it.
The best thing we did at Ilam Hall was the
watersports activities. We built rafts, went
canoeing, and we were also separated into
groups. In those groups we all sat in a boat and
we had races to see which group reached the end
first. Raft building was also loads of fun as we had
to use just four barrels and two sticks to build a
raft that we could use. That day was so much fun
that I felt like it was a dream!
Ilam Hall was different from anything I had ever
done before in my life. Everything was new. I had
never imagined that I would walk for seven miles
and then climb a mountain, but I did it in the
Dovedale Walk. I also made loads of amazing new
friends. Overall, Ilam Hall was something I totally
loved and enjoyed! I will cherish these moments
and the memories of Ilam Hall for the rest of my
life.
14
TRIPS News…
Château de la Baudonnière
During the summer holidays, a group of Year 10 students, accompanied by Mr Anson-O’Connell
and Miss Morse, spent a week at the Château de la Baudonnière in Normandy. They participated in
a variety of activities, such as climbing, archery, canoeing and bread making. All the activities were
conducted in French by the excellent animateurs and animatrices. We were blessed with some fine
weather indeed and returned after a week, tired but having thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Mr Anson-O’Connell, Head of Modern Foreign Languages
OLD COVENTRIANS’ News…
Heritage Open
Day 2016
You are probably aware that as part of
Heritage England’s Open Days, our School
was featured as a site of historical interest
in the recent Coventry Heritage Open Days;
10th September 2016.
One Old Coventrian Dave Musson kindly sent us a link showing the images he took of his visit and
made into a blog – http://davemusson.com/blog/2016/9/17/back-to-school
We were delighted to have over 50 people
joining the tours of the School, which had
a blitz theme. There were actually eight
Old Coventrians amongst these who took
the opportunity to tour their old school,
they thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgic
experience! Several commented on how
they learned much about the history of King
Henry VIII that they had not known in their
days here! They also marvelled at the new
developments, especially the long promised
swimming pool!
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The Ultimate
Driving Machine
Canada
sports tour
The Girls’ Netball and Hockey Tour to Canada 2016
began as adventurously as any tour could: with a 22
hour delay. Once we finally arrived in Canada, we
were whisked away for whale watching. It was an
amazing experience for us all! Vancouver was a great
city to start our tour.
Our first hockey match was a slight shock, as we
were playing Provincial level players, but as it was
our first game we stayed positive and persevered. In
our second game we did well and came together as
a team. Getting to know the other team was really
nice. We chatted away, representing the UK with
flair! We also had the chance to go to a baseball
game and enjoyed every moment, especially the fast
food and fireworks!
We trained hard at netball for the first week.
However our first match was really tough and we
were defeated by a very talented team. We took it in
our stride to help us progress onto our next match.
All played well and we came back in the second half
of the game.
The second netball game in Kelowna is one many
will never forget. Playing against a mixed team
was definitely interesting and the Henry’s girls
represented the school exceptionally well. After
gaining a fantastic lead in the first quarter the
opposition made some key changes and we were
sadly beaten again. We all made a valiant effort,
especially Ria Sanghera who was up against a 6ft 5in
player.
Next up was Banff, and we were there for one
reason: white water rafting! It was amazing - wet
and exhilarating but cold. Dinner that night was our
‘formal’ night with everyone looking gorgeous!
Arriving in Calgary, we went straight into our Hockey
mindset after experiencing the highs of the Summer
Luge at the Olympic Park. With a buzzing captain,
Jorgia Hope, we took inspiration from the rugby
and squeezed our way
into an intimidating
mindset. That night,
some of us braved
the thunderstorm
to experience the
Calgary Stampede –
a once in a lifetime
opportunity to
see real-life cowboys in
action! It was an unforgettable experience.
The next day was netball and with two matches
left and two narrow defeats behind us, we were
determined. This showed in our third game when
we pulled away in the first two quarters to give us a
large lead and helped us to secure a win. The whole
team played incredibly and everyone had a part in
our success.
Winning the first game on tour set the mood for the
next few days. This seeped its way into the hockey
team and we went out the next day and played
exceptionally despite the blistering heat. We scored
two goals, bringing our massive total to three all
tour! There were scored from a short corner from
Rachel Cross and after a battle with the keeper from
our captain, Jorgia. We were clearly on a winning
streak and this sent us into our last netball game
with the confidence to win, and win we did, ably led
by captain, Anna Dunn
As this was our last night, we had great speeches
and awards that perfectly symbolised the bonds
created on tour. Huge thanks to everyone who
went as, regardless of which sports they played,
everyone brilliantly supported both teams.
Everyone brought enthusiasm and commitment and
made their Captains, and their Staff, very proud!
#KHVIIICanada16
By Jorgia Hope and Anna Dunn, Year 13
Forthcoming
Events
Sixth Form Open Evening:
Thursday 10th November
Christmas Fayre:
Friday 25th November
“Into the Woods”:
7th - 9th December
Carol Concert:
Thursday 15th December
Entrance Exam Day:
Wednesday 4th January 2017
Editorial Team
David Morton, Jacky Matthews and Shaun
Schofield (photography)
Please send items for inclusion in the next
issue by email to
[email protected]
Charity No. 528961
Chair of Governors:
Mrs Julia McNaney,
c/o Coventry School Foundation, Queen’s
House, Front Ground Floor, Queen’s Road,
Coventry, CV1 3EG
King Henry VIII School
King Henry VIII School, Warwick Road, Coventry CV3 6AQ
T: 024 7627 1111 • www.khviii.com
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