WINTER 2016
Head Master’s Introduction
I am delighted to introduce the Winter edition of our newsletter. As you will read, it has been an exceptionally vibrant
term, with a great deal of achievement across a wide range of disciplines, both inside and outside the classroom. I
hope you enjoy sharing in the girls’ successes.
You can read Mr Nicholson’s Blogs by visiting the Home Page of our website at www.kingshighwarwick.co.uk. Go to Head Master’s
Welcome, and click ‘Read More’.
Key Dates
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Spring Term 2017
Staff Inset Day
Term Begins
Half Term
End of Term
Monday 9 January
Tuesday 10 January
Monday 20 – Friday 24 February inclusive
Wednesday 5 April (3.45pm)
Summer Term 2017
Staff Inset Day Term Begins
Bank Holiday
Half Term
End of Term
Monday 24 April
Tuesday 25 April
Monday 1 May
Monday 29 May – Friday 2 June inclusive
Wednesday 12 July (12.15pm)
Autumn Term 2017
Staff Inset Day
Monday 4 September
Inset Day (Staff and attendance
Tuesday 5 September
for new Year 7 & Year 12)
Term Begins
Wednesday 6 September
Half TermMonday 16 – Friday 27 October
inclusive
End of Term
Friday 15 December (12.15pm)
News
Project One Campus
The Project One Campus master plan
proposals were presented by WISF staff and
the project team at a series of consultation
events held between 10-13 October. The
consultation event was well attended by
parents, pupils, staff and the general public.
We had 269 signatories register at the
event and feedback on the design was very
positive. The feedback received at the event
and on the completed feedback forms was
captured by the project team and reviewed
subsequent to the consultation event.
Since that event, the team has been
progressing the design and a full planning
application was submitted to Warwick District
Council in late November. It is likely the
application will be made available for public
viewing in December.
Work continues on the development of
the design and further images of the new
buildings – Main School, Music and Sports
Technology have been uploaded to the
website gallery.
www.projectonecampus.co.uk
Christmas Tree Festival at the Collegiate Church of St Mary
The Foundation Family came together to decorate a tree for the
Christmas Tree Festival in the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick.
King’s High’s Origami Club, who decorated the tree, write: ‘This year,
for the St Mary’s Christmas Tree Festival, our King’s High community
of girls, staff, parents, and brothers and sisters in Warwick Prep School
and Warwick School, have focussed on making our own World Tree
of Hope. Inspired by San Francisco’s tree, run by the Rainbow World
Fund (RWF), we collected message contributions, which have been
hand folded into origami cranes to hang from the tree. The messages
provide personal wishes for the future of the world. Some examples of
messages are:
“I wish that girls in every corner of the world had the same educational
opportunities that I do”; “I wish that people would take care of the
parks and our town and not drop litter”; “I wish that people would focus
on what unites them and not divides them”. What do you wish for? Five
hundred and ninety five wishes decorated the King’s High tree.
Thank you for your contributions. Ann, Daya, Jemima, Penelope
Shivanshi, Shubhangi, Vidhi and Mrs Renton.’
The King’s tree looked gorgeous, and some of our talented musicians
gave lunchtime recitals during the Christmas Tree Festival.
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Events
Year Seven Bonding Trip
Festival of Ideas
Right at the start of term, a very happy Year 7 Bonding Trip
combined the usual adventures – raft-building, team-building
exercises, belaying each other up and down climbing walls
– with the opportunity for the girls to have fun, whilst getting
to know each other more. A definite highlight was the entire
Year Group Singalong round the camp fire – witnesses say
the noise levels had to be heard to be believed. Head Master,
Mr Nicholson cheered the girls on through the raft-building
exercise, and all the Staff who accompanied the girls were
delighted by how supportive the girls were with each other,
encouraging each other throughout the weekend.
Remembrance Day
King’s High’s first Festival of Ideas sparked a fortnight of
creativity, discussion and debate. Girls, staff, parents and
visitors enjoyed a wide variety of talks and workshops. Topics
discussed over the Festival Fortnight included Driverless Car
Technology, Creative Writing, Business Entrepreneurship, Risk,
Resilience, Change, Managing Relationships, and Parenting
Adolescents. We welcomed distinguished speakers, including
the educational consultant Emma Gleadhill, who contributes
to The Times and Daily Mail; poet and author Caroline Lea;
representatives from Siemens and Arup, and Jess Jeetly, MBE,
a King’s High Old Girl (Jasprit Mann), who spotted a huge gap
in the petite fashion market, and was recently awarded an
MBE, just three years after she set up her own fashion business.
The Festival theme was Careers, and girls heard about career
opportunities that covered everything from Antarctica to
Zoology (by way of Buckingham Palace, in the case of Jess
Jeetly’s MBE).
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Isabella Abbot Parker played The Last Post, as she led King’s
High in the Two Minute Silence on Remembrance Day. As the
silver notes of her trumpet faded, girls and staff stood silent. This
followed a Remembrance Assembly with Lt Col J W Rutter. He
gave a very thoughtful, moving account of why – ‘in these days of
the internet, 24 hour news, and helmet cameras’ – the First World
War still has such a powerful hold on our imaginations. He ended
his talk by reminding the girls: ‘I buy my poppy, and remember, in
the fervent hope that mankind says Never Again.’ Remembrance
observances concluded with the first performance of the Joint
Foundation Choir, in the Remembrance Service at Warwick
School Chapel. This was the first time the girls had taken part in
the Sunday evening Chapel Service, and the Choir performed a
beautiful piece called There Will Be Rest.
Reliving the Berlin Airlift
There is nothing like learning about History from someone
who lived it. A large audience, including pupils from Warwick
School, gathered to hear former Bomber Command pilot,
Rusty Waughman talk about his role in the Berlin Airlift. Rusty
survived a mid-air collision, and the infamous Nuremberg Raid,
during World War II, and continued flying through the Cold War.
Emma Warlow and Milly Truman (Year 11) report: ‘We found it
extremely helpful, having a first-hand account – and a different
perspective – of the Berlin Airlift, through Rusty’s amusing yet
insightful anecdotes. We learned how awful life was under
Soviet control for West Berliners. The US and the UK sent over
millions of tonnes of supplies, such as coal, flour, medical
supplies, and (our personal favourite) “Candy Bombers”, from
which the pilots threw out sweets to the children as they were
flying over. Something that amazed us was how well-organised
it was – at the height of the operation, an aircraft was landing
every 62 seconds.’
House News
King’s High prides itself on its community involvement. In
order to support this, the house system was revived in 2016,
following requests for its re-introduction in school council
meetings. There is clear reference in the School’s archives to
the four original houses, which all had local historical names:
Beauchamp, De Montfort, Dudley and Greville, but by 1940
the houses had disappeared.
Earlier this year, a House Working Party was formed which
comprised girls from all year groups across the school and staff.
It was decided that the aims of the new house system should be:
• to develop friendships across year groups and within them,
• to be inclusive and there to be participation opportunities for all,
• to provide leadership roles and
• to allow individuals to develop their identities.
The illustrious women who inspired our house names, we
believe, would be proud of our girls and their commitment to
their houses in myriad activities this term.
The girls have embraced a friendly spirit of competition for an
inter-house Bake Off, an inter-house Quiz (pictured), a netball
tournament for Year 10 and the organisation of charitable
events including the MacMillan Coffee Morning and the
donations of 335 Christmas shoeboxes – a school record.
King’s High Bake Off
There was no controversy around King’s High’s
Bake Off – just girls baking their hearts out,
with delicious results. The Grand Final of the
Inter-House Bake Off saw girls working in pairs
to produce a batch of eight identical bread
rolls, and a decorated Victoria sponge. The
standard of practical work really impressed
Judges Paul (Mr Paul Ziolek) and Mary (Dr
Rosemary Cheetham). Faith, representing
Hepburn House, won Best Cake (complete
with wonderful homemade jam). Lottie and
Poppy won Best Bread for Hepburn (a good
showing for Hepburn House), but the overall
winners – Star Bakers – were Jecca and Edith,
representing Pankhurst House. We hope
Emmeline would have approved.
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STEM – Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths
First Lessons in Engineering
‘Great! We’re going to make something!’ was Year 8’s response to their
first Engineering lesson. This term, girls have studied the role of Engineers
in natural disasters. They have been problem-solving, looking at how
many people King’s could accommodate overnight in an emergency,
and how much space each person would need. They have designed and
constructed model emergency shelters, using straws for the basic frames,
and experimenting with different materials, to ensure their shelters are
lightweight and warm.
Year Seven go on a… Binary
Treasure Hunt
Year 7 girls completed their
Computer Science project on Data
Representation by following a
Treasure Hunt around school. They
found clues given in binary and
hexadecimal values and converted
them into denary numbers and letters
(which helped explain the cryptic
signs that had been appearing round
school). Prizes were awarded to the
winning teams. Mrs Rogers says: ‘It
was a fun and interactive activity,
reinforcing the concepts of how
computers store data.’ (After all, as
the joke has it, counting in binary is as
easy as 01, 10, 11…).
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Café Scientifique
Café Scientifique, the informal science society
run by the girls for the girls, goes from strength to
strength. Elys Healy reports: ‘We have seen a huge
increase in interest, with some girls in younger years
starting to attend, and we have also set up a Café
Scientifique blog. We have had talks on tardigrades
(microscopic creatures that are virtually invincible)
and graphene (a one atom thick layer of carbon). Dr
Gemma-Louise Davies, a senior research Fellow in
the department of Chemistry at Warwick University,
spoke about nanomaterials and the role they may
play in the future in diagnosing diseases such as
cancer. The girls were fascinated to hear about MRI
scanning and how nanoparticles can be injected as
dyes, increasing the contrast within the image.’
Learning from a
Veterinary Master
Imogen Griffin met television Supervet, Noel
Fitzpatrick. Imogen, who wants to be a vet, went to
a lecture given by Professor Fitzpatrick at the Royal
Society of Medicine in London. She was interested
to hear about orthopaedic surgery in particular hip
and shoulder replacements in cats and dogs.
Online Learning
We congratulate Eloise Bell, Sarah Chapman,
Charlotte Cheza, Sophie Dhillon, Esther Miles
and Nothiga Kumarakulasingham on their
successful completion of an Open 2 Study online
distance learning course (MOOC). The girls have
been independently learning about topics as
diverse as astronomy, the human body, and
understanding common diseases, without the
constraints of an examination specification. Each
girl had to complete four modules and achieve an
average of 60% across the four assessments to
be awarded their certificate.
Unravelling Babel:
Communication and Speaking
Un Grand Voyage – French Trip
Fifty five Year 8 girls and eight staff enjoyed a marvellous trip to
France over Half Term. It was fantastic to put the French language
into practise throughout our stay and to see so many of France’s
famous monuments.
We began our trip with one night in Boulogne, where the old town
fascinated us. The town trail taught us much about the history of
such a famous fishing port. The following day, we were off to Paris,
in our opinion, the most beautiful capital in Europe. Here the girls
saw the main sights and learnt about Paris through the ages with
a visit to the exhibition: The Paris Story. Next, we walked through
the city and enjoyed all that it has to offer. The day concluded with
an evening cruise along the Seine. Sunday morning brought a visit
to a typical French market where the girls bought local produce
and certainly enjoyed the crêpes! In the afternoon, much fun was
had at Parc Astérix before returning to the capital for a tour of
Montparnasse. Our Year 8 Trip to France continues to be a great
success and we are already planning next year’s visit.
Mandarin Club
We have reintroduced Mandarin as an afterschool club. Girls from KS3 have
already learned about the origins of the language, the culture of China, and
the intricacies of the alphabet. Mrs Murphy says: ‘A few places remain if your
daughter would like to take part – please contact the school for details.’
Elisabeth Edwards (Year 8) adds: ’We have started learning Pinyin – the
Chinese Phonetic alphabet – and we have also started to learn how to write
basic strokes. I chose to do Mandarin because I love languages at King’s High.’
Classics and Language
Conference
At the annual Classics and Language
Conference, King’s Old Girl, Mrs Tomlinson, told
the girls how learning French in Paris opened
the door to a fascinating career. Mrs Shaw spoke
about how learning new languages shaped
her life, and told the girls languages give them
a unique skill set, that will set them apart from
other candidates in future. Dr Astbury of Warwick
University spoke about studying Languages and
Classics at University. Her talk was inspiring,
and showed the girls that the combinations are
endless when choosing a degree course. Lucy
Carr, a more recent Old Girl, told how studying
a language at university helped her develop
confidence, not only in herself, but also as she
was preparing to enter the workplace.
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Philanthropy
Blue Hair Day for Charity
Key Stage 4 Charities
The Autumn Term
always signifies
the launch of
the KS4 charity
appeal. Three
charities were
nominated by the
girls and, rather
than eliminate
one, they voted to adopt all three: Action Aid (supporting girls
in education), Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, and Riding for
the Disabled – a cause which some of the girls are personally
involved with at a local level. Fundraising events included a
very successful sleepover involving Year 11 students, and a new
event: KS4 girls vs Warwick School boys in fun Netball matches
after school, which proved a great success. Credit should go to
Freya Cassidy and the whole of 10H who coordinated the event
and generated a huge amount of enthusiasm among the boys
and girls. Definitely a fund raising activity to be repeated next
year. The popular (noisy) Staff v KS4 Charity Bench Ball match
was another well-attended event. £1,364 has been raised for the
charities.
Staff gamely allowed themselves to be sponsored to have their
hair sprayed blue – all in the name of charity. Mr Nicholson
said that if the girls reached their fund-raising target, he would
volunteer too. He was as good as his word, and a crowd
gathered to watch Rahaf Grayez do the honours with the blue
spray can. £1,732.90 was also raised for Children in Need,
through a combination of cakes, biscuits and bacon rolls.
Head Master’s Quiz
Record Christmas
Shoebox Appeal
Our thanks to everyone who contributed to a record number of
Christmas Shoeboxes – 335 – this year. Ever since Miss James
enthused the girls during Harvest Service with her appeal to
help vulnerable children in Eastern Europe, girls were making
up Shoeboxes for the Charity, Teams 4 U. Mr Nicholson invited
the girls to make this year’s Appeal the best yet, and they rose
to his challenge. Christmas shoeboxes spread like a warm glow
around school, filling corridors, piled high on the stage, and
spilling over tables, before girls helped pack them into vans, to
continue the next stage of the journey to children in Romania.
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Mr Nicholson inaugurated the idea of a Head Master’s Quiz, this
term, to help raise funds for KHAPS (our PTA). He also set all
the questions, and acted as Quiz Master, alongside Mrs Renton.
Over 80 parents enjoyed a fine evening of quizzing, chat, and
catching up with each other. Questions included a picture round,
identifying breeds of dogs (something close to the Head Master’s
heart); a round that connected famous people and famous places
(eg, H G Wells and Wells Cathedral), and a series of cryptic clues
to well-known films. (How about this one, as a starter for ten: ‘A
meal surrounded by lamps.’ The answer, of course, is Breakfast
at Tiffany’s.) It was a fun, successful evening for the benefit of
KHAPS. The winning team included Tim Wilkes, Chairman of
KHAPS, although everyone agreed that was purely coincidence.
The Creative Arts
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Cat Price, Head of Drama, writes: ‘This year’s senior production
of Shakespeare’s classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream
left audiences enthralled. Spectators commented on the
creative use of modern technology, the innovative touches,
such as the D of E group being lost in the wood, the minimal,
yet clever, set and the manner in which we brought warmth
to such a complex story. The entire cast and crew worked
tirelessly to pull the show together and present an engaging
and, at times, hilarious interpretation. It was a delight to see
so many of our senior students working together, both on and
behind the stage, and all involved must be congratulated on
achieving such a successful and well-delivered show.’
Gallery Girls
Our Art students had a thoroughly enjoyable trip to
London, visiting the National Gallery, National Portrait
Gallery, and the Royal Academy. This trip enhanced
the syllabus, providing insights into celebrated
artwork,and looked at how they might apply
techniques, seen first-hand, to their own work.
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Music
Year 7 Concert
The Year 7 Concert provided an excellent opportunity to
showcase the impressive talents of our new musicians. The
whole of the year group enthusiastically performed four songs:
Lullaby of Broadway, Imagination from Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory, Wayfarin’ Stranger and In the Arms of
an Oak. These powerful renditions were interspersed with
performances from a clarinet quartet and a string ensemble,
as well as our newly formed rock group, MAC3, with Millie
Perkins, Alisha Raines and Charlotte Syson performing Roar
by Katy Perry. Solo items for flute, clarinet, voice and piano by
Rahaf Grayez, Chiara Aldridge, Hannah Mason, Abigail Stanton,
Freya Laycock, Lily Denton, Mathilda Stevens, Charlotte Perry,
Elizabeth MacDonald, Charlotte Syson and Isabella Jones were
equally engaging; a particular highlight was hearing Caitlin
Hughes give an accomplished performance on her concert
pedal harp.
Chamber Concert
A dark winter’s evening was illuminated by a
superb Chamber Concert. ‘This was the highest
standard of music I have ever witnessed,’
commented one audience member. The Senior
Woodwind Ensemble opened the evening
with a suite by Robert Washburn, followed
by impressive performances on the piano by
Jintong Du, Anna Price and Sarah Chapman.
There were also outstanding instrumental
solos by Alexandra Keays, Wendy Miles and
Alexandra Solt on clarinet, Penelope Islef on
viola, Lucy Evans and Ruth Hetherington on
flute, Elys Healy on violin, Isabella Abbot Parker
on trumpet, Daisy Jones on alto saxophone,
and highly entertaining vocal solos by Lucy
Ellwood, India Wellman and Wendy Miles. The
Senior String Ensemble closed the evening with
a chamber suite by Handel.
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Senior Chamber Choir Concert
The candle-lit Senior Chamber Choir Concert in
St Nicholas Church, Warwick is recognised as the
start of the King’s Christmas season. The audience
enjoyed the lovely music and atmospheric setting,
as our 26-strong Senior Chamber Choir sang a
dazzling range, from medieval carols to Hollywood
tunes, rounding off the evening with Candy Cane
Lane. Isabella Sanders serenaded us with Lullaby
of Winter and everyone came together to sing O
Little Town of Bethlehem.
Roderick Williams
Masterclass
Year 7 Percussion Workshops
with O Duo
Year 10-13 girls and boys from Warwick enjoyed a Masterclass
from the international baritone, Roderick Williams. Acclaimed
for his singing, Roddy is also much in demand as a composer.
When he was the soloist at Last Night of the Proms, Roddy
sang his own arrangements of Ol’ Man River and Joshua Fit
de Battle of Jericho. His own works have premiered at the
Barbican, Wigmore Hall, and been broadcast on Radio 3, and
range from an Advent antiphon, O Adonai to Dr Seuss’ Sleep
Thoughts. Roddy began his Lieder Composition Workshop by
asking everyone what they were working on. He was delighted
by the variety on offer, from film music, jazz, string quartets and a
piano Rhapsody, to what Daisy called ‘a kind of weird orchestral
Tango piece’. (‘Sounds intriguing – I’d like to hear that,’ he told
her). An added treat was hearing him perform from Schubert’s
Winterreise, and he generously shared his experience and
expertise throughout the day.
Owen Gunnell – one half of the charismatic Percussion group,
O Duo – joined students from Birmingham Conservatoire’s
Percussion Department to give an exciting Percussion
Workshop for Year 7. O Duo stormed the Edinburgh Fringe
Festival with their Bongo Fury show in 2002. Since then, they
have given recitals all around the world, played Hyde Park for
the Last Night of the Proms, and recently played with the Royal
Scottish National Orchestra in a Roald Dahl Spectacular. Year
7 showed they have a great sense of rhythm, as they rocked,
clapped and stamped, and threw themselves into an afternoon
of cool percussive music. They also enjoyed Owen’s relaxed,
easy style. He told them: ‘Remember, X Factor is dubbed, but
Strictly has a live band. Live music is what you want. If you take
just one thing away with you, it’s Have a go at Music!’
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Careers
Think Big: Entrepreneurship
Careers Hot Seating
Year 9 had a very successful
Careers Hot Seating event,
as part of the Festival of
Ideas. The girls divided into
groups, and put questions to
over 20 professionals – all
alumnae and parents – from
the worlds of Accountancy, Advertising, Dentistry, Food
Science, Manufacturing, Tech, Law and Journalism,
to name just some. It was particularly rewarding for
the girls to benefit from the depth of knowledge and
experience we are so fortunate to have, in our parents
and alumnae. Emma Macro writes: ‘The Careers
morning was really interesting, allowing us to find out
more about potential future careers. Many of us were
introduced to jobs that we had not heard of, and we
were pleased to have this opportunity to discover all
about them. It was very helpful to explore aspects of
each career, through our questions.’
Fashion Entrepreuneur Jess Jeetly, MBE shared her passion for
business with girls from Years 9-13 throughout a day of talks,
culminating in her address at the Celebration of Achievement for Years
11-12 and their parents. She told her story of how she went from being
a shy pupil at King’s (‘I was that quiet geek’), to developing a global
fashion brand in just three years. The girls listened avidly as Jess told
them: ‘There are so many obstacles we put upon ourselves as women,
but success is a science. You can visualise it. When you dream big,
you get big. I created a mood board and set out where I wanted to be
and how I was going to get there. Don’t stick to what you know. You
don’t have to fit the mould. Don’t be realistic. Go global from day one.
Always go straight to the top, when you need to reach people. And
empower other women – that’s your duty.’
Sustainable Cities
Tim Foster, King’s parent, gave a talk on Sustainable Cities for our Sixth Form
Geography students. He delivered a fascinating talk on waste management
in cities and sustainable power – both an important part of the girls’
specification, and interesting in itself. Mr Foster works for Statkraft, a global
renewable energy firm. Rachel Chard (Year 13) had the opportunity to talk to
him about a possible work placement, and was offered an opportunity – the
first time the company has taken on someone of her age.
Meeting Hamlet
Sixth Formers from King’s High and
Warwick much enjoyed meeting Paapa
Essiedu, whose thrilling performance
of Hamlet for The Royal Shakespeare
Company (The Guardian called him ‘A
Graffiti Prince’) won him Best Performer
at the UK Theatre Awards. Our Literary
Society members and Drama students
heard about Paapa’s amazing career
trajectory. Ten years ago, Paapa had never
acted, and only chose Theatre Studies as
an extra A Level to keep his options open.
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King’s Links: Oxford University
Our King’s Links programme – where
our new King’s undergraduates show
our King’s girls around Universities –
continued with a trip to Oxford University.
20 girls joined Ellie Foster (in her 2nd year
at Hertford College, reading Geography),
and Imogen Rhodes (reading Physics
at Jesus), for an invaluable insight into
student life at Oxford. Everyone had lunch
at St Anne’s College, and Mr Nicholson
led a walking tour of the sights – the
Bodleian, Radcliffe Camera and Colleges
– in the heart of the City. We are planning
a similar trip to Manchester on Saturday
28 January and a trip to Bristol in April.
Interview Skills
Considering Futures
Helen Keays, King’s parent, gave a
Masterclass in Interview Skills. Mrs Keays has
over 20 years’ experience in travel, retail,
consumer markets and telecoms, with the
majority of her career spent at GE Capital and
Vodafone. She is Senior Independent Director
of Domino’s, a non-executive director of the
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and a former
non-executive director of Majestic Wine plc.
Helen Frampton, King’s Old Girl, gave a
Careers Talk on her specialist role as a
Rural Surveyor. Helen’s enthusiasm shone
through as she spoke with vibrancy about
how no two days are ever the same in her
job. After graduating from the University
of Reading, Helen accepted a position at
Dalcour Maclaren Chartered Surveyors in
Oxfordshire. She gave the girls useful advice
as to how they should add value to their own
profiles, and how to consider subjects that
will furnish them with vital skills for the future.
Tutorial in Neuroscience
Sixth@King’s girls had a fascinating day
with leading neuroscientist, Dr Guy Sutton,
from Nottingham University Medical School
on The Brain, and How it Works. A series
of presentations and discussion covered
everything from Genes and the Brain, The
Working Brain, The Damaged Brain, and
The Shattered Mind, culminating in a live
dissection of a sheep’s brain, that everyone
had the chance to examine.
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Sport
Hockey
Hockey
Under 16 County Champions
U14 and U16 Midlands Finals
Another brilliant display resulted in the U16 Hockey team
being crowned County Champions in the Indoor Hockey
Championships. They beat Princethorpe 1-0, Bablake 2-0,
and went on to a thrilling victory against Rugby, winning 2-1.
Under 14 County Champions
On a soggy Saturday the U14 hockey team headed to
Coventry for their County tournament. They first faced
Princethorpe where, despite playing the better hockey,
they could only come away with a 0-0 draw. The girls then
picked themselves up to beat Kenilworth 2-0, then defeat
a tough Bablake side 1-0. In their 3rd game against Rugby
they just couldn’t find the back of the net, and again had
to settle for a 0-0 draw. This meant they needed to score
as many as they possibly could against King Henry VIII
to win a place through to Midlands Zone. They did this
in fine fashion with a 6-0 win – which made them County
Champions and top of the table. Well done, girls!
Our U14 & U16 Hockey teams both qualified from their
Midlands zone round (hosted on our new pitches) to reach
Midlands finals. The U16 hockey team finished in the top six
teams in the whole of the Midlands. We were the only day
school to reach the Midlands finals. The girls were fantastic,
very determined and competitive.
U13s at Loughborough – Through to the
Midlands Region
The U13s began the season in fine style, going from
strength to strength when they played at the Loughborough
Festival. In their group they beat Nottingham High and
Bablake 4-0 and Loughborough B 1-0. In a very tight game,
King’s drew 1-1 with Leicester Grammar. This meant that the
teams were equal on both points and goal difference at the
end of the group stage and penalty strokes would decide
the group winners – King’s took the victory 2-1. In the semifinals, after going behind, King’s rallied to win 2-1 against
Northampton, which set up a final showdown against hosts
Loughborough A. King’s played their best hockey of the
day but unfortunately, they lost out by a single score.
Olympic Gold Coaching
Six hockey players from our Talented Athletes Programme
(TAP) had an amazing opportunity to develop their game at
the MT13 Annual Conference (hosted by ex GB Hockey and
leading Coach, Matt Taylor). Alex Danson, GB Hockey Gold
Medallist was one of the Coaches.
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U14 – Having qualified for the Midlands Finals through a
tough Zone group the girls were keen to play their best
and achieve their potential at the tournament. They started
off brightly against Oundle School, scoring early, but were
held to a 1-1 draw at full time. Some excellent defending
and creative play came in their second game, but they just
lost out 0-1 to a strong team from Repton. In the final game,
they needed a win to progress through to the next round
but despite creating a host of chances couldn’t quite find
the back of the net and a 0-0 against Uppingham saw them
finish 3rd in the group and joint 5th in the Region, a great
achievement from an ever-improving team.
Junior Regional Performance Centre
Huge congratulations to Amelia Fenwick, Katie Rankin,
Lucy Smith, Alexandra Keays, Jennifer Marsh and Emily
Ingall-Tombs, who were selected to represent the Region in
the Junior Regional Performance Centre Cluster Matches.
Swimming
Netball
National Championships
First VII are County Champions
The entire squad gave an outstanding performance
to win the County Championship for the second year
in a row. King’s defeated Alcester Grammar, Kingsley
and Princethorpe, and with all to play for, the competition
for the two qualifying places came down to Rugby
School, St Thomas More and King’s – who held their
nerve to take narrow victories against these strong
opponents.
Our Intermediate Team (U15s) were one of the top 30 teams
competing in the English Schools National Championships
(ESSA Finals) at the London Aquatic Centre. Swimming in
the Olympic pool, Ella Vickers, Evelyn Thompson, Isabelle
Hirst and Ellen Butler improved on their qualifying position
to finish 25th in the Free Relay and went one better in the
Medley to finish 24th Nationally. This is impressive as three
of the team are in Year 9 and have one more year in this
age group, which bodes well for next year. In the ESSA
qualifiers, they finished 4th in the West Midlands Region
in the 200m freestyle relay, and were 3rd fastest in the
Midlands region in the Medley relay.
And well done to our very young Junior team – Sophie
Gloster, Ione Morison, Rebecca Morrison, Amalia Macheng
Midtsaeter – who finished 29th in the National Finals –
bright prospects for the future.
Netball
U14 Team are County Champions
On a very wet day, the Under 14s played very well with wins
over Alcester Grammar (9-1) and Kingsley (14-1). A tough
game against Princethorpe followed, resulting in our 7-4 win.
After beating Rugby 10-1, the last game was against Higham,
which they narrowly lost 5-4. However, their superior goal
difference meant they went onto the Triangular Tournament
as County Champions. They finished 3rd in the Tournament,
and only just missed qualifying for Regional Finals.
U19 Triangular Tournament
The First VII played their best netball of the season so
far in a very closely fought tournament. They had strong
opponents in the first game (Tudor Grange) but played
some phenomenal end to end netball, with everyone really
upping their game. Unfortunately, at the final whistle, the
score was 8-9. The girls immediately bounced back to
put in another convincing performance against Bablake,
winning 16-6. The third game against Rugby was a nailbiter: with just a couple of plays not quite working out for
King’s, Rugby took the victory 7-10. The girls went on to
beat Solihull Sixth Form College convincingly and finished
3rd, missing out on Midlands Finals by the narrowest
of margins.
U16 Team is 4th in County
The U16s won against Myton School and St Thomas More
to finish 4th in the County Tournament.
Mid-Warwickshire League
U15Bs won against North Leamington, Southam and Trinity
on the first Mid Warwickshire League Night. Congratulations
to the entire squad.
WASPS Superleague
Sophie Blake was selected for WASPS Superleague 20162017 U17 squad, under WASPS Director of Netball Tamsin
Greenway, former England Under 21s Coach.
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Tennis
Clay Pigeon Shooting
U14 Midlands Tennis Finals
Heart of England competition
Following a great run of results the U14 Tennis team – Isabella
Tomlinson, Amelia Fenwick, Cecily Thompson, Sophie Foster
and Elizabeth Pocknell – progressed through to the Midlands
Finals of the Aegon Team School Tennis competition. In the
first match they faced a very tough team from Bedford Girls’
School and, despite their best efforts throughout the Singles
and the Doubles, they were overpowered by a better team. In
the second match the girls really showed their flair, defeating
Moreton Hall 6 matches – 0. They finished 3rd in the Midlands
Finals, and one of the top 12 teams in the whole country – a
fantastic achievement, and testament to the hard work they
have put in over the last 12 months.
Cross Country
Cross Country Cup
The U13 team finished 5th in the Cross Country Cup, with
Bea-Thea Sheehan coming 3rd in the Junior Girls’ race. The
U15 team finished 2nd, with a total of 37 points, beating
Stratford Girls’ Grammar, Southam and Princethorpe.
Francesca Hurley finished 4th overall.
Running for Warwickshire
Emma Dodson and Georgina Cassell (Minor girls) and Be-Thea
Sheehan (Junior) represented Warwickshire in the Inter Schools
Cross Country fixture, racing against teams from Shropshire,
Cheshire, Staffordshire, Surrey, and the West Midlands.
King’s High’s Clay Pigeon Shooting team has won the Heart
of England competition. On a tough course with some very
difficult targets, all of the girls shot exceptionally well.
The team was Charlotte and Chloe Goulbourne, Sophie
Davies, Madeleine Thomas, Nina Mulder-Qureshi and
Matilda Harvey. Charlotte Goulbourne was second highest
scoring lady shooter, just one target behind the winner, and
sister Chloe was third highest lady. The team travelled to
Somerset to take part in the Millfield School competition.
There were some challenging targets, the girls shot really
well, and came second.
Wimbledon Masterclass
Street Dance
Over 100 girls (and one boy) from local schools, including
Campion, Myton, Aylesford and Kenilworth, competed in the
annual Street Dance competition at King’s. Liz England, who
teaches Dance at King’s, was one of the Judges, and said
the standard was very high this year. King’s Team 2 came
3rd in the Set Dance for Key Stage 3 – a great achievement
– and Olivia Waite came 4th (out of 16) in the Freestyle piece.
The girls then had a dance off. The whole crew took part,
and Grace King-Turner picked up an award for being one of
the top eight best dancers.
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Tennis players from our Talented Athletes Programme
(TAP) had a Masterclass with Wimbledon hero, Marcus
Willis. Marcus produced the fairy-tale story of Wimbledon,
with his defeat of the World’s 54th-ranked player, Ricardas
Berankis, and his brave match against seven-times
Champion, Roger Federer. Caroline Gilbert, Head of PE,
says ‘It’s really motivational for our girls, having a local
player of such talent as Marcus.’
Five for Five and Warwick Prep
Five for Five Programme
Following on from the success of our
inaugural year, our innovative Five
for Five Programme welcomes Year
5 girls to a series of workshops, again
this year. Music was the theme for the
first two which featured O Duo and Ex
Cathedra. In January, we host a Science
workshop which will be followed by PE
and Art Masterclasses in May. June will
bring us the Drama Masterclass and a
return of the English Speaking Union
with a ‘Discover Your Voice’ Workshop.
Warwick Prep Lunches
Warwick Prep’s Upper 2 girls
have brightened up lunch times
at King’s this term. Mr Nicholson
invited each form in turn to
come and have lunch with him.
The girls walked up to join him
and King’s Sixth Form girls for a
delicious lunch, and lots of chat,
in the Dining Room. A wonderful
opportunity for the girls to feel a
part of King’s.
Warwick Prep with the
Beat of O Duo
Warwick Prep girls joined other local primary
schools for their own Percussion Workshop with O
Duo’s Owen Gunnell and students from Birmingham
Conservatoire’s Percussion Department. Owen and
the Conservatoire students introduced the children
to the Marimba, Vibraphone, Timpani, Drums,
Cymbals, Maracas, Shakers and Cow Bells, and
they all had a fantastic morning, banging, beating,
whirring and twirling, as the hall echoed to the sound
of over 70 primary school children roaring ‘Mambo!’
Singing with Ex
Cathedra
A Loveable Robot
This term, girls from
Warwick Prep Upper 1
have visited King’s
High to learn more
about the NAO robot
(‘METEOR’) and develop
their programming
skills. The girls enjoyed
exploring some of the
more advanced features
of METEOR by getting
him to respond to certain pictures. They heard him (it is hard not to
anthropomorphise METEOR) talk about subjects they study at the Prep,
and what they enjoy about them, and they loved his showstopper dance
to Gangnam.
Warwick Prep girls visited King’s High for a singing
Masterclass with Ex Cathedra, whose choir is one
of the musical jewels of the Midlands. The morning
was led by Rebecca Ledgard, Ex Cathedra’s
dynamic Director of Education. Rebecca leads
Ex Cathedra’s Singing Playgrounds programme,
and their award-winning Singing Medicine, that
brings singing to children in Birmingham Children’s
Hospital. The children sang together all morning.
They managed to memorise, work on, and perform
12 different songs in the space of three hours. The
session ended with Rebecca encouraging them:
‘Make up your own songs’.
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SIXTH@KING’S
Rodolfus Choir, Three Choirs, Royal Festival Hall and BBC
Isabella Abbot Parker writes: ‘Over the summer, I attended
an Eton Choral Course directed by Ralph Allwood (former
Director of Music at Eton College and now a freelance
choral director) and was thrilled to be asked by Ralph to
be a member of his Rodolfus Choir. I sang with Rodolfus
at the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester, and began
rehearsals in London for a performance of Verdi’s Requiem
at the Royal Festival Hall, conducted by Edward Gardner,
and with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Voices. I am
now looking forward to a busy programme of events with
Rodolfus between Christmas and New Year, including
a performance at St Martin-in-the-Fields and a BBC
broadcast. I also successfully auditioned for the Royal
School of Church Music’s flagship choir, the Millennium
Youth Choir, and over the summer enjoyed a residency
in Liverpool with MYC. We sang in both the Anglican and
Catholic cathedrals, with one of the Evensongs broadcast
live on Radio 3. In 2017, MYC will be singing at Bristol and
Lincoln cathedrals with further broadcasting and recording
opportunities on the horizon.’
National Youth Chamber Orchestra
Sarah Chapman writes: ‘I was invited to audition for the National
Youth Chamber Orchestra of Great Britain at the Birmingham
Conservatoire. I was offered a place, one of twenty violinists
across the whole of Great Britain, to be a member for the 2016
– 2017 academic year. This involves a residential course at
Easter and combines an intensive programme of orchestral
and chamber music, culminating in two concerts. There may be
other opportunities throughout the year to perform; past years
have included performances at the BBC Proms, the Cheltenham
festival and a concert tour to Poland. I am extremely excited
and honoured to have been offered a place and am particularly
looking forward to playing the challenging repertoire in a nonconducted orchestra, directed by Christopher Hirons.’
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SIXTH@KING’S
Kids’ Quiz Radio Stars
Young Enterprise
King’s girls have been presenting 102Touch FM Radio’s Kids’
Quiz on Friday mornings, alongside the station’s popular
Breakfast Show stars, Ollie and Si. Bethany Lawton, Georgina
Feller, Morgan Brown and Helena Board donned the
headphones for King’s High, as they took it in turns to act as
Quizmaster each week. Helena recounts: ‘Following my efforts
chairing the Inter-House Quiz (when I desperately tried to
keep the noise levels of my cohort within the range of human
hearing), I was asked to lead the Kids’ Quiz on local radio. I was
incredibly excited. Si and Ollie, the Kids’ Quiz hosts, greeted us
at the station. Having been informed that “banter” was the order
of the day, I did my upmost to deliver. I posed the questions,
provided by the station, to the hosts, who each argued that they
were correct. Si won. I managed to complete the broadcast
without embarrassing myself or the school. This was a truly
fabulous experience and I am exceedingly grateful to have
been offered it. Speaking as someone who would like to work
on radio in future, it was a golden moment.’
The King’s High/Warwick Young Enterprise groups – Azure,
Magnitude and Vinci – are on fire at present, raising start-up
capital for their ventures. A favourite of these fundraisers
was the highly-anticipated Year 7 Disco. Team Vinci held a
very successful Christmas Quiz night in the Halse Pavilion at
Warwick School. All the teams are now busy developing their
product ideas.
Global Peace Forum
Literary Life
The Creative Writing Club and
Literary Society joined forces
to attend a Creative Writing
Workshop (part of the Festival
of Ideas) with author, Caroline
Lea (pictured left). They enjoyed
exercises based around
extended metaphors, sensory
description, and subverting
expectations – perfect training
for aspiring novelists. Eleanor
Stone and Jace Molloy led a
joint Literary Society event, looking at Angela Carter’s The
Bloody Chamber and fairy tales, their origins and adaptations.
Isabella Sanders (Year 13) attended the RISING Global Peace
Forum at Coventry Cathedral. She says: ‘It was definitely the
highlight of my year.’ Delegates for world peace gathered to
honour Jo Cox MP, and her work with Syria Civil Defence (‘The
White Helmets’). Speakers included Malala Yousafzai’s father,
MPs Andrew Mitchell and Stella Creasy, and former President of
the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, often called ‘the Mandela of
the Maldives’. Isabella met President Jahjaga, former President
of Kosovo (and youngest woman to be elected a Head of State),
and found herself sitting between the Bishop of Coventry, and an
Irish Senator. Isabella intends to study International Relations at
University, and was delighted to have the opportunity to attend a
truly global event, just down the road from King’s.
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SIXTH@KING’S
King’s High Baccalaureate
and App Launched
KING’S HIGH
BACCALAUREATE
KNOWLEDGE FOR THE WORKPLACE •
LEADERSHIP • ACADEMIC • SERVICE
TO OTHERS • PHYSICAL • CULTURAL •
COMMUNICATION SKILLS • PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
With so much competition these days, how can a school assist their pupils in standing out to colleges, universities and future
employers? King’s High launched its own Baccalaureate, complete with an App, to address this challenge. Richard Nicholson, Head
Master of King’s High, says: ‘We know that the skills developed at school stay with us for life. We want our girls to be prepared as fully
as possible for their futures.’
‘The idea for the King’s Baccalaureate came from the sheer breadth and depth of our girls’ activities and interests, both in and beyond
school. We thought it would be fantastic to find a way to recognise, and quantify, these in a qualification they could take forward.’
Not to be confused with the International Baccalaureate (or ‘IB’), the King’s High Baccalaureate (‘BACC’) can be taken alongside A
Levels, and covers eight core elements: Knowledge for the Workplace, Leadership, Academic, Service to Others, Physical, Cultural,
Communication Skills, and Personal Development. Girls can devise their own tailor-made programme to reflect the diversity of their
own interests and skills in school, and the wider community, and the Baccalaureate is available at two different levels, Blue and
Jade. The school believes this will resonate with UCAS and universities, and is in the process of gaining national accreditation by an
awarding body recognised by the Joint Qualifications Council.
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