1st December 2016
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Following the announcement on Tuesday from the Chairman of Governors, Mr Massarella, I am
sure that you will wish to join me and my colleagues in congratulating Mr Reddin upon his
appointment as Headmaster of Ratcliffe College from next September. I cannot think of a
worthier successor, who places your children at the centre of all our decision-making processes,
and who has been so unstintingly loyal both to myself and to the School. We wish him and his
family every happiness, blessing and success. Be assured that we shall work even more closely
together (if that is possible!) to ensure a smooth transition before my departure.
I would like to thank the many parents and their children who worked tirelessly last Saturday
to decorate our Chapel and Refectory to welcome in Advent and the Christmas Season.
Your efforts (as seen above and at the end of this newsletter) to beautify the School are hugely
appreciated by us all. Thank you also to the many parents who supported our fixtures over the
weekend.
Our Boarders enjoyed a lovely trip to the Birmingham Christmas Market, followed by their
Annual Advent Mass and delicious Advent Dinner. It is easy to take certain things for granted,
such as the incredible sense of family within the Boarding House, or the superb food that we
enjoy on a daily basis, so let us take this opportunity to thank our Boarding and Catering Staff for
their tremendous support of the students.
This week has seen additional mid-week sports fixtures, rehearsals for our musicians and actors
as they prepare for concerts and drama productions, a beautiful Reconciliation Service for the
Preparatory School, and a superb Art Exhibition last night. I look forward to welcoming you to
the Year 10 Drama Production this evening and Saturday evening, both at 7.30pm in the Theatre:
Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies. I am sure that both plays will be fantastically entertaining.
Wishing you and your family a very happy, blessed and successful week ahead,
Yours sincerely,
Gareth P. Lloyd,
Headmaster.
End of Autumn Term Arrangements
In order to enhance the safety of students at the end of term, and to facilitate a safer and more
effective flow of traffic through the school campus, there will be a slightly earlier finish to the
school day. In recent years, we have operated a staggered end to the school day for the various
sections of the School, which has worked well. We believe safety was further enhanced last year
when we ended the school day slightly earlier, so that the departure arrangements largely
operated before it got dark.
The following arrangements will therefore operate on Friday 16th December:
Nursery and Years 1 and 2
Preparatory School (Years 3-6)
Senior School
School will end at 3.00pm. There will be no after
school care, so children must be collected at
3.00pm.
School will end at 3.15pm. There will be
supervision in the Newman Hall for any children
who cannot be picked up at 3.15pm until 5.30pm.
School will end at 3.50pm; buses leave at 4.00pm.
There will be supervised prep in the Emery Library
until 5.30pm.
We appreciate that there are parents who have children in different parts of the
School. Arrangements will be made to look after any children who need to wait for older siblings
who are in the Senior School. These children will be supervised until 5.30pm in the Preparatory
School Newman Hall, from where they should be collected.
The parking area outside the front of the Senior School building will continue to be
reserved for parents of Boarders only (this applies to all times, please, and this area is not
for drop-off/collection of day students). This area is the nearest to the boarding houses,
and this arrangement helps those parents who have to pack their cars with their child’s
belongings, which can often be substantial!
Thank you in advance for your co-operation.
PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION
A big thank you to those of you who helped decorate the chapel and refectory last Saturday.
We have had lots of great feedback. The helpers set to work with enthusiasm, and came back
together for a well-deserved brunch. Christmas music played, and Jo ably managed to control
the exuberant team (most of the time!) – with great results. The extra lights have made the 'Ref'
sparkle. If you didn't make it this year, make a note to help next year.
Christmas Ball, 17th December
Last call for tickets, available from Senior School Reception.
Uniform Sale
We will be holding a Uniform Sale next Wednesday, 7th December, in the Prep School,
from 3.30-5.30pm, so please call in with cash or a cheque. If you need one particular item, e-mail
us and we can let you know availability.
Christmas Raffle Tickets
On sale at Senior and Prep Receptions; please return sold and unsold books asap if you have any.
Thank you.
Jenny Howling, Chair ([email protected])
STUDENT NEWS
Senior School
Headmaster’s Assembly, Monday 28th November, Awards
Merit Badge
Year 7
Eleni Malhan
Outstanding Reward
Voucher 1
Year 10
Mia Baker
Tess Duffin
Eddy Robinson
Year 12
Tom Cusack
Nathalie Dawe
Eleanor Godwin
David Hippisley-Cox
Esme Kelly
Olutomi Mosaku
Jack Nightingale
John Sommerville
Year 13
Kieran Bonas
Olivia Gilchrist
Emilia Lawden
Charlie Nicholson
Daniel Warwick
Christmas Card House Competition 2016
I am very pleased to be able to announce the results of this year’s House Christmas Card
competition, following the judging by Mr Lloyd and Mrs Govan. The theme, this year,
being Refugees and Migrants, has been a particularly pertinent one, and the many entries
approached this with the sensitivity and care that it deserved.
The following are acknowledged for their submissions with the award of Highly Commended:
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Year 13
Holly Blount
Olivia Latham
Imogen Power
Tilly Wheeler
Sophie Dring
Isobel Barnard
Sarah Curnick
Olivia Delargy
Abdu Mamujee
Charlotte Meadows
Bo Henderson
Han Liu
Lucy Antill
Hadia Hussain
Cindy Lee
Becky Lindley
Ihuoma Osuji
Samantha Seidu
Ibrahim Hussain
Niara Popat
Tallulah Wood
Year 12
Year 11
Year 10
Year 9
Year 7
And the following are the winners in Year order:
WINNERS
Year 13
Year 12
Year 11
Year 10
Year 9
Year 7
Tilly Wheeler
Zoe Duffin
Elizaveta Manoshkina
Lucy Cadogan
Eva Hluchan
Thomas Leighton
Lt Colonel Balmbra presented gold lanyards to our CCF/RAF Cadets who successfully passed
their MOI (Method of Instruction) Assessments last week with Sgt Matt Pickard.
Tom Cusack and Rasee Lawrence are also now promoted to the rank of Corporal. Kieran Bonas
and Josh Bellamy are now promoted to rank of Lance Corporal.
Congratulations to all of our RAF cadets.
Last weekend was a very busy weekend of rehearsals and performances in Birmingham for
Arran Grant, Year 11 and Eleanor Godwin, Year 12, who are both members of the Seaforth
Highlanders’ Pipes, Drums and Highland Dancers. With pipers, drummers and dancers from
all parts of the UK, they played and danced together as part of a Massed Band at the
Birmingham International Tattoo at the National Indoor Arena.
There were many performers, ranging from Military bands, the Tri-Service Gun Run, Cadet bands
and a Fly Ball Competition, to mention a few. With shows on both Saturday and Sunday,
the Massed Band is always popular with audiences, and on Sunday, the Arena was full. Some of
the younger members of the band also got to meet with the public as they arrived at the Arena
before the show started, for a few photo shoots. Arran and Eleanor practice regularly at Ratcliffe
College on Wednesday and Friday evenings with the Seaforth Highlanders’ Pipes, Drums and
Highland Dancers, and they welcome new members who would like to get involved with any
aspect of the band.
Preparatory School
Certificates of Merit, 1st December, were awarded to:YEAR 6
Connie Colville
Georgie Daynes
Sebastian Welch
YEAR 5
Lucas Barker
Charles Carpenter
Thomas Giles
Mia Hackett
Lydia Haggis
Mollie Hunt
Esha Karia
Millie Lake
Holly McNeeney
Jude Moore
Joss Phillipps
Harrison Rutherford
Justin Ucar
Arabella Wilson
YEAR 4
Eloise Allsager
Imogen Barker
Ben Cameron-Smith
Nathan Collyer
Ruby Dornan
Isabella Elsby
Zara Etty
Lily Grieff-Mulvey
Dylan Griffin
Arabella Hampson
Joseph Hult
Andres Kassner
Tom Lander-Belfie
Olivia Lynch
Harry Martin
Freya Mackay
Isobel McCall
Tafara Mudhefi
James Packwood
Charlotte Shield
Khrish Tailor
YEAR 3
Harry Corby
Samuel Giles
Alfie Hodges
Continued overleaf
First Certificate of Merit
Second Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
Second Certificate of Merit
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Second Certificate of Merit
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Second Certificate of Merit
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First Certificate of Merit
Second Certificate of Merit
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Second Certificate of Merit
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Second Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
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Second Certificate of Merit
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Second Certificate of Merit
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Second Certificate of Merit
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Second Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
Second Certificate of Merit
Second Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
YEAR 3
Oliver Kirby- Doughty
Idrees Qureshi
Isha Sidhu
Amélie Wilson-Knight
YEAR 1
Abigail Cole
Savanna Makandeni
Harrison Poutch
Faith Seidu
Second Certificate of Merit
Second Certificate of Merit
Second Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
First Certificate of Merit
Eliza Geraghty, Year 6 – was awarded a medal from the Caroline Carr Dance Studios for her
personality, potential, performance and progress.
A group of Year 6 girls took part in the Leicester Primary Schools’ Cross Country and achieved
overall winners for the Medium School Class – Daisy Reddin (4th), Zoe Howling (10th), Sophie
Shield (20th), Hollie Chapman (25th), Gizella Perrins (35th) and Georgie Daynes (36th). They were
awarded a trophy.
Daisy Reddin, Year 6 – was also presented with an individual trophy and medal for her 4th place
win in the Year 6 race and 4th overall in the Cross Country.
Tabitha Kyle, Year 5 – competed at Richmond Equestrian Centre in North Yorkshire on Saturday.
She won 3 classes and 2 second placings. On Sunday, she competed at Southview in Cheshire,
qualifying 3 ponies for the Blue Chip finals in April. Tabitha also competed at Graceland
Equestrian Centre and won the 90cm, 1m and the 1.10m classes.
Henry Maher-Stilman, Year 3 – was awarded a certificate for achieving the rank of 1st Mon at the
examination of Shotokan Karate International G.B.
Amélie Wilson-Knight, Year 3 – was awarded a certificate for achieving her Stage 4 Learn to
Swim award.
Diya Patel, Year 2 – was awarded a certificate for achieving her 15m distance of the ASA Rainbow
Swimming Award Scheme.
Year 6 recently visited the River Lin at Bradgate Park as part of their Geography studies.
The children spent a glorious day following the course of the river and sketching the features
along the way. When the children returned to school, they drew a scaled drawing of the river
to show off their field work skills, just like real Geographers.
SPORT
Senior School
Report as presented at Assembly on Monday 28th November:
Rugby
1st XV
The 1st XV lost narrowly 33 – 25 to a very physical Welbeck team in what was a very competitive
game. Ratcliffe scored four tries through Harrison Grimmett, Finbarr Lloyd, John Sommerville
and Man of the Match, Mathew Ward. Henry Wells kicked a penalty and a conversion. The game
was always in the balance, but Welbeck had the Ratcliffe team under pressure with their strong
running and tackling. This was another performance of which the boys should be very proud.
2nd XV
On Saturday, the 2nd XV took on a strong and physical Welbeck side. The first half was all about
Ratcliffe's excellent defensive effort, led by Captain Charlie Maclean and Ellis Pole. Alex Purcell
and Philip Gyesi-Appiah led the attack with their strong and evasive running. Matthew Garcia
was able to finish a well-worked try from a clever James Berns’ kick. Tiredness and injuries took
their toll in the second half and Welbeck finished strongly to run out 54 – 7 winners. Ellis Pole
was Man of the Match for his outstanding defensive skills as last man.
U15
Sadly, the U15s lost on Saturday to Carres Grammar School. The performance was much
improved in terms of attitude and effort, but again they struggled to produce front football,
with the scrum and the line-out still struggling. The backs also failed to run onto the ball they
did win, making defence easy for the opposition. Carres eventually ran out 27 – 3 winners.
U14
Against Carres, the U14s' match was abandoned deep into the second half, with Ratcliffe leading
19-17, after an injury to a Carres player (who has since made a full recovery). After a bright
start, Ratcliffe soon took the lead through Sam Seidu, after space was created out wide. Ratcliffe
then conceded a soft try through the midfield. However, Tom Page scored soon afterwards,
burrowing over the try line from five metres out. After leading at half-time, Ratcliffe then
conceded two quick tries before Ben McGuinn scored in the corner to set up a tight finish.
Unfortunately, the game was called off soon after. Men of the Match: Ben McGuinn for his
outstanding tackling and Owen Lloyd for his strong defence work.
U13
Ratcliffe defended superbly against some big and strong Carres players, and it was very pleasing
to see that Carres only crossed into the Ratcliffe half once in the whole of the first half! Four first
half tries saw Ratcliffe 20 – 0 up at half-time, and then two early second half scores saw us
extend the lead to 30 – 0. Carres came back into the game after Mr Kaye made a number of
positional changes, but the final score of 35 – 10, with victory to Ratcliffe, reflected the
superiority that the boys had throughout the match. Coach's Players of the Match were
Louie Fletcher and Daniel McGunnigle and Players' Player of the Match went to Ben Jackson.
U12
Ratcliffe came up against strong opposition in the form of Carres Grammar School. Carres began
the game on the front foot, opening the scoring with some fine running, beating the narrow
defence set up by Ratcliffe. As the first half progressed, Ratcliffe began to regain some of their
early season form, with great handling leading to Phelton Tandoh, Joseph Atkinson and
David Seidu responding before the half-time whistle. The second half saw a fine performance by
Ratcliffe, using both handling and direct lines of running to penetrate the Carres defence.
Excellent play by Joseph Atkinson saw him make regular breaks through the defence. However,
the try of the second half came from Joe Butler as he weaved his way through the Carres defence
from 20 metres out. Another player who stood out was Ethan Starley, on his debut, as he made
some fine runs and great tackles, rounding it off with a try. Carres responded with the final play,
crossing the white wash to make the final score 40 – 14 to Ratcliffe. Man of the Match was
Joseph Atkinson.
Harry Stokes, Boys’ Sports Captain
Hockey
1st XI
The 1st team hosted Uppingham and, unfortunately, after a poor start, they lost the game 4 – 2.
Ratcliffe had the first opportunity of the game through Olivia Back, with a shot that went
narrowly wide, but after that it was all Uppingham for the rest of the half. By half-time it was
3 – 0 and Ratcliffe needed to regroup. In the second half, it was a totally different story
as Ratcliffe dominated the game, scoring early on through Emily Grimmett. As the game went on,
Player of the Match, Olivia Back, was making some fantastic runs into the ‘D’, and Ratcliffe were
rewarded for the pressure with a second goal; Olivia Back scoring with a fine finish. At this stage
of the match, it was only Ratcliffe that looked like scoring, however, Uppingham then hit them on
the break to score and kill the game off. We witnessed a great fight back in the second half, but it
was just too much in the end to come back fully.
2nd XI
The 2nd team lost 2 - 1 to a mixed first and second Northampton High School team.
After conceding an early goal, the girls played their hearts out against a strong side, equalising
through Holly Blount. Unfortunately, the girls could not find a winner, and Northampton scored
with a few minutes to go. Isobel Coombs was outstanding in her new central midfield role;
however, Amy Baxter claimed Player of the Match for her performance in goal.
3rd XI
The 3rd XI girls played against a strong Uppingham side and, unfortunately, lost 7-1. Although
the opposition was strong, the girls' efforts never stopped throughout the match. Ratcliffe were
up for the game and this was clear from the start when they nearly scored a goal in the first
couple of minutes: Catlin Plummer hit the post. After this, Ratcliffe were defending for large
periods of the game, and there was some great work from Holly Bown and Olivia Delargy
throughout the game. Player of the Match goes to Ellie-Mae Bullock for her fantastic attacking
effort throughout the match and scoring a fantastic goal.
U15A
The Under 15s travelled to Northampton High School for this week’s fixture, losing a close
encounter 4 – 1. They were determined to put in an excellent performance and they did not
disappoint. From the whistle, Ratcliffe were on top of Northampton, with the first five minutes
being played in their 23, forcing the keeper to make many saves. However, against the run of
play, it was Northampton that scored the opening goal from a quick break. The first half
continued in much the same vein. Ratcliffe played exciting stylish hockey; spreading the ball,
moving well off the ball and penetrating the Northampton defence to no avail. Cruelly,
Northampton added two further goals, this time from well-worked penalty corners, earned from
their breakaway play.
Going into the second half 3 – 0 down, Ratcliffe, to their credit, kept playing excellent hockey and
creating chance after chance. We finally made a break-through as Player of the Match,
Mia Atkinson, found the back of the net off a penalty corner. As we looked like we were going to
turn the game around, it was Northampton who scored the next goal and put the game to bed,
finishing 4 – 1, adding to our growing list of excellent performances, where we have not quite
been rewarded with the result. However, the girls should be extremely proud of the way they
played, and the belief and positive attitude they continue to show.
U14B
The U14B team narrowly lost to Uppingham 2 – 1. Ratcliffe started the stronger team and after a
couple of near misses, found the net early on with a close range finish from Scarlet Duckett.
As the first half drew on, Uppingham came back into the game but Ratcliffe defended resolutely.
Ella De Caestecker was at the forefront of this, putting in a number of strong tackles along with
Mimi Khan who made a couple of important clearances. Lauren Brown stood out in a
competitive midfield battle between the teams with good close control and dangerous balls into
the circle. Unfortunately, Ratcliffe could not take advantage of these but remained 1 – 0 up at the
end of the first the half. Ratcliffe began the second half in a sluggish manner and invited
pressure onto them. We struggled to prevent Uppingham's determined and direct running with
the ball which led to a scrappy equaliser after Ratcliffe failed to clear the ball. Ratcliffe
responded and created a couple of opportunities of their own; however, we weren't clinical
enough in the circle. An Uppingham break down the right-hand side led to their second goal of
the game, after a seemingly harmless hit into the circle was picked out by their centre forward
who skilfully deflected it past our keeper. There was still time for Ratcliffe to attack for an
equaliser but our midfield struggled to pick out forwards in the circle. Player of the Match goes
to Ella De Caestecker.
U13A
On Saturday, the girls travelled to Northampton High School and disappointingly lost 1 – 0.
The girls started brightly and played some great hockey, distributing well and showing some
flare. Ratcliffe had the majority of possession and created chance after chance, but unfortunately
were not clinical in front of goal; somehow going into half-time, it was still 0 – 0. Ratcliffe again
had the majority of possession mainly in the attacking 23 and just couldn’t break through
Northampton’s defence, who managed to score a breakaway goal. The girls continued to battle
hard, and played some lovely hockey, but on occasions just tried to force it when the pass was
not on. A frustrating game of hockey, and though we lost, the progression of all the girls really
showed. Player of the Match goes to Elise Atkinson who was outstanding in midfield.
U12A
The U12s put in another excellent performance and were justly rewarded with a 2 – 1 win over
Northampton High School. From the outset, the girls went out with determination and tenacity
in a game that was closely fought. With end to end play throughout, the whole team put their
hearts into the game, and Player of the Match, Amelia Wells, went on two excellent half pitch
runs down the wing to set Vicki Wheatley up with two well-taken goals. Isabella Illsley-Ridge
made some excellent saves while Tilly Miles, Chelsea Makandeni and Holly Clark Pratt tackled
like troopers to deny Northampton shots on goal.
U12B
On Saturday, the U12B team played Northampton High School and unfortunately lost 5 – 1.
Eleni Malhan and Francis Daly showed some impressive ball skills, playing centre midfield and
forward, moving the ball effectively into attacking zones. Amelia Tebbutt showed some strong
determination as well to get involved in tackles to gain possession. Player of the Match goes to
Olivia Chapman, for consistently trying against a pressurizing team and supporting our defence
extremely well. Despite the end result, the girls should all be proud of their efforts on Saturday,
as the end result did not reflect the performance the girls gave; well played!
Olivia Gilchrist, Girls’ Sports Captain.
Fixture List
Date
Opposition
Saturday
10th
December
Saturday
10th
December
Start
Team
Venue
Meet
Lawrence Sheriff 10.30am
1st, 2nd U15, U15B Rugby
Home
9.30am
Lawrence Sheriff 10.30am
U14, U13, U13B , U12 Rugby Away
8.30am
Preparatory School
Cross Country
Saturday 26th November saw the final race of The Cross Country League Races at Prestwold Hall.
We had a fantastic turn out of eager and enthusiastic athletes raring to run for Ratcliffe,
with Hermione Bruiners, Zara Etty, Sam Giles, Sam Traynor, Tom Lander Belfie and Harrison
Walker all making their debuts at the event.
Needless to say, that all of the runners gave everything they had, and all performed brilliantly,
with some of them running personal bests and beating their best ever finishing position.
Special mention must be reserved, however, for our wonderful Year 6 Girls team who, having
won the title of Best Year 5 Girls’ Team in 2015, retained their crown by winning Best Year 6
Girls’ team this year. This is a truly amazing achievement. Well done!
Well done to all of the children who ran for Ratcliffe over the season; we are proud of you all.
Here are the results:
Please note that there were over 200 runners in each race!
Year 3 Boys:
Sam Giles – 28th
TJ Dunstan – 55th
Sam Traynor – 70th
Henry Maher Stillman – 92nd
Thomas Bloor – 103rd
Year 4 Girls:
Charlotte Shield – 26th
Eloise Alsager – 75th
Zara Etty – 82nd
Hermione Bruiners – 135th
Olivia Lynch – 138th
Year 4 Boys:
Tomas Mason – 34th
Tom Lander Belfie – 41st
Hendrick Tang – 83rd
Khrish Tailor – 176th
Year 5 Girls:
Isabella Westwood – 86th
Francesca Best – 133rd
Year 5 Boys:
Sam Leake – 20th
Jacques Wilkins – 64th
Harry Clark – 97th
Harrison Walker – 151st
Year 6 Girls:
Daisy Reddin – 4th
Zoe Howling – 10th
Sophie Shield – 20th
Hollie Chapman – 25th
Gizella Perrins – 35th
Georgie Daynes – 36th
Year 6 Girls: Overall Team Winners, 2016