a copy here

Canfordian
The
2013/14
the
canfordian
Contents
Speech Day
3
Salvete and Valete
6
Academic14
Pastoral31
Chaplaincy52
Cultural Enrichment
54
The Arts
56
Creative writing
68
The Bourne Academy
73
Community and Partnerships
75
Outdoor Enterprises
82
Sport85
2
The Headmaster’s Address
This is an abridged version of the speech delivered by the
Headmaster on Speech Day in June 2014. The sections
omitted dealt largely with matters and events that are
reported elsewhere in this issue of The Canfordian.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting on the floor of
the theatre stage in a plastic tent with ten others,
watching one of the A-level Drama performances.
That fifteen-minute ‘physical theatre’ experience was
emotionally exhausting and touched every nerve ending.
Underpinning the effervescent performance by our
Upper Sixth pupils were months of focus, intellectual
challenge, planning and teamwork, combined with
the organisational, motivational and presentational
confidence to get the performance to the incredibly
high-quality end result. I would challenge Michael Gove
and others to shadow that educational process and still
say the Drama A-level is not demanding and does not
develop essential skills for life.
At Canford, we aim for individual excellence in all that
the pupils do, whether this is the high-flier or the pupil
whose outward star shines less brightly by comparison
but who needs encouragement to have a go and thus
feel the inner glow of meeting more personal challenges.
We have work to do in this area, but fulfilling this aim
over time is something which has been at the heart
of much of the strategic reflection which has been
going on this year. The strategic review process has
been fascinating on many levels and has confirmed the
warmth and vitality of our community and the existence
of a genuine and deep-rooted cultural desire to learn.
Both of these are fundamental to what we are and what
we will continue to be, and they are aspects of our
DNA frequently commented on by members of this
community and visitors to it alike.
Change is a feature of life and to ignore its impact is
to risk all that has gone before. Complacency is not an
option and we know we have to review what we do
now and reflect on what needs to change to ensure
we fulfil our ongoing educational aims and so meet
the expectations of those who consider engaging with
the school in the years to come. There is no need for
revolution, but some important and interesting themes
have emerged from the process which will inform
where we take the school in the next few years and
which will help Canford to evolve. I will be giving you
some insights into our plans in the not too distant
future.
Almost three millennia ago, Plato saw the need for
differing educational requirements associated with
various life-stages: a model for what we today describe
as ‘lifelong learning’. Plato’s vision refers to a ‘learning
society’, where an education is not simply embodied
within specific roles or institutions or encapsulated
by educational systems, but is something which flows
continually through all we think, say and do as individuals
and through society on every level throughout our
lives. It is academic and intellectual stimulation, the
development of a curious mind, which lies at the very
heart of Canford’s educational ethos. This academic
and intellectual stimulation emerges not only through
exciting but more formalised subject-based academic
study, but also through a myriad of off-piste intellectual
experiences, and there are many events, clubs and
societies which operate at Canford to fire that curiosity.
The combination of such a range of academic and
intellectual experiences generates a culture which
culminates not only in a high level of exam success
but in a genuine passion for specific subjects studied
and a curiosity and engagement well beyond the
confines of any syllabus. Yet at the same time, we want
Canfordians to learn in a manner which is not defined
by classroom walls, the exam hall, the school gates, the
university campus or the internet. We want them to
be able to collate and articulate their own learning and
experience, and to relate it to their own development
and to the opportunities and challenges of life ahead.
The co-curricular and pastoral opportunities that pupils
have here are vital. Whilst achieving the highest possible
standards in academic and intellectual pursuits remains
fundamental, what is learnt beyond the classroom plays a
critical part in a Canford education.
As an example, I met recently with some Fourth
Form pupils who had returned from a very gruelling
CCF cross-country ski-ing expedition to Norway. We
talked about the trip initially in terms of the ski-ing and
the excitement of being away, but we spent most of
the time exploring what they had really learnt about
themselves and about each other and analysing the
character, qualities and skills which had emerged when
the pressure of the challenge intensified. They will not
need to build a snowhole in an office in London, but the
character that helps build a snowhole and overcome
the challenges of such an expedition will definitely help
“Complacency is
not an option and
we know we have
to review what
we do now and
reflect on what
needs to change.”
3
ACADEMIC
speech day
ACADEMIC
speech
day
“During these
early days as
Headmaster,
I have already
witnessed at
Canford many of
the ingredients
of a vibrant, allembracing and
forward-thinking
educational
recipe.”
wherever life takes them. It was most enlightening for all
of us, and they shared that learning with their peers at
an excellent assembly which they planned and presented
under their own steam. I certainly identified some
previously unnoticed leadership potential as a result of
the process.
Such self-analysis, with guidance from teachers and
parents, is essential as pupils move through the school
and start to consider what lies beyond Canford. We
need to build on this dimension and create more
opportunities for all pupils to understand and engage
with their own learning in a coherent and connected
fashion.
Of course, not everyone will achieve at the highest
level in an overt and public sense, but what we are
interested in – and what is becoming an ever-greater
focus at Canford because we believe it is fundamental
– is what these activities and opportunities bring to
each individual in terms of exploring what one actually
learns about oneself from success and failure, about
the character and the skills one has, and about how to
develop and use these in the right way.
Through the co-curricular dimensions our pupils are
offered via intellectual clubs and societies, sport, music,
drama, community service, outdoor challenges and
much more, we seek to ensure that they will have the
right skills and insights to make the right choices about
their working and personal lives in the world beyond
Canford. Our current and future pupils are more likely
to consider higher education abroad at some point.
They are more likely to re-engage with relevant formal
educational development throughout their lives, often
via online courses. They are more likely to consider
entering the workplace straight from school. They are
likely to have three, four or more varied careers in very
different sectors dotted around the globe. Many will
work for themselves at some point. In essence they will
need to be career chameleons with a global outlook.
Canfordians are fortunate to have a network of Old
Canfordians and Canfordian parents across the world
who make a real difference in providing insights, opening
doors and challenging pre-conceptions. We are exploring
more effective ways of making connections through
careers mentoring, opening up work placements and so
on for current Canfordians and recent leavers.
To cite one example, we took several Sixth Form
pupils to an OC/Canford Parent Entrepreneurs evening
in London in the Easter term. It was quite an experience
for them and two pupils, I am told, who already run an
online business, secured funding for a future venture. We
hope very much that engagement with the community
as a whole in this way, and in other contexts, will be
a central feature of life for everyone involved with
Canford.
Plato argued that educators must also know the limits
of their knowledge. At Canford we must do all we can to
help our own educators develop and flourish alongside
those they educate, and likewise those who work with
the teaching staff in support roles without whom the
education of our pupils could not go on. The creation of
an innovative and expansive Staff Development Strategy
will be a central strand of what we do here at Canford.
We are committed to ensuring that those engaged in
providing the education our pupils need for their futures
are supported, energised and skilled, with the resources
necessary to deliver an enlightened education and to
meet expectations in an ever-changing environment.
I cannot quite believe that I have been here a year.
No path is ever smooth and schools are complex places
which will always produce conundrums. However, as I
have said to some of you, it has been around 85% frantic
fun and 15% mild to severe headache – not a bad ratio,
I think. During these early days as Headmaster, I have
already witnessed at Canford many of the ingredients of
a vibrant, all-embracing and forward-thinking educational
recipe. I have been impressed by an energy and desire
to re-assess, to refresh and, where the need arises, to rethink the very essence of what we do and how we do it
to ensure that Canford remains a dynamic, relevant and
stimulating learning environment.
And so to our leaving pupils. I met up with some
friends recently who all started as Heads at the same
time as me. Several said they were really looking forward
to next year when the top end of the school would feel
more like their own. I replied that I didn’t feel that way at
all and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of young
people to work with at any stage of my career than
those of you arrayed before me now.
I am very sad to see you leave but I know you are
ready to get out there and I wish you all the very best
on the next stage of your journey. To quote Ralph Waldo
Emerson, the 19th-century American poet and writer,
‘Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where
there is no path, and leave a trail.’ Come back now and
again to share your experiences of the world and the
wisdom you have gained with those who are here. This
community is your community. ‘Once a Canfordian,
always a Canfordian.’
The Headmaster then introduced the guest speaker: Lord
Dobbs of Wylye, who as Michael Dobbs was Chief of Staff
and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, as well as
writing several political novels, including House of Cards.
4
Upper Sixth
Biology
Halahan Prize for Natural History
Sports Science
Mathematics
Further Maths
Physics
Chemistry
Hardy Prize for Science CSS Prize for Design Technology
Economics
Business Studies
Geography
Hardy Prize for Humanities
History
Jones Prize for Politics
English
Creative Writing
Spanish
French
German
Philosophy and Theology
Classical Civilisation
Hardy Prize Latin
Fine Art
Painting
Tom Webster Art Prize
John Gilhooly Quaich for Computing
Eddy Prize for Music
School Prize for Music
Michael James Prize for Singing
Edna Adams Trophy for Debating
CSS prize for Journalism
Drama
Theatre Studies
Acting
Sports Awards
Benner Award
Clive Mayers Memorial Trophy
Tom Nash Memorial Prizes Sophie Johnson Prizes Holford Prizes Heads of School
Ben Mynors-Wallis
Daniel Doherty
Mike Haines
James Spence
Carol Ma
Carol Ma
Carol Ma
Georgie Burrows
Sam Harrison
Bea Watts
William Mucklow, Elle Upshall
Cameron Groat
Lucy Molyneux, Harriet Fuller, Scott Catto
Nicholas Barker
Millie Connor, Rupert Dugdale
Francesca Meakin
James Landymore
James Landymore
Laura Stacey
William Mucklow
Freddie Dunger
Tom A Southgate
Chloe Edwards
Katie Miskin
Annabel Fraser
Natasha Smith-Langridge
Esther Bowell
Richard Ward
Tim Butterfield, Olivia Parham
Rupert Dugdale
Rupert Dugdale
Rupert Dugdale, Bea Watts
Tiffer Hutchings, Bea Watts
Tiffer Hutchings
James Broadley
James Broadley
Mike Haines, Georgie Burrows
Charlie Barnes-Yallowley
James Broadley, Ed Hill
Millie Connor, Anna Vine
Susie Schuster Bruce, Gini Close, Ellie Drysdale, Issy Rickcord, Anicka Sufraz,
Alice Thornton
Oli Bleeker, Matt Jarmolkiewicz, Cameron Lloyd, Ben Moores, Will Moss, Oli Stocks
Charlie Barnes-Yallowley, Katie Miskin
Lower Sixth
CP Snow Prize
Baynham Essay Prize
Anna Hendry
Joe Payne
speech day
Prizewinners 2013-14
5
Salvete & Valete
Members of the academic staff who joined
the Common Room in September 2013
Lydia Birch
BA (University College London), PGCE (Liverpool John
Moores University).
History
Lydia teaches lower school and AS History on a parttime basis. Before coming to Canford, Lydia worked
for British Rowing as a Regional Development Coach.
At Canford she plays a large role in developing and
coaching the girls’ rowing squads across all year groups.
Nicola Hunter
Top left: Lydia Birch
Top right: Nicola Hunter
Bottom left: Phil Jack
6
BA Hons (Birmingham), PGCE (Newcastle).
Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Geography.
Nicola has joined Canford in the important role of
Deputy Head (Pastoral), having most recently been a
housemistress in a girls’ boarding house at Uppingham.
Nicola is an experienced Geography teacher across all
age groups and was previously a head of department.
She has led expeditions to Iceland, Malaysia and Kenya.
She has experience examining at AS and A2. She
coaches U15 girls’ hockey and teaches PSME to the
Fourth Form.
Salvete & Valete
Phil Jack
Phil combines his teaching role within the Philosophy
and Religious Studies Department with that of Canford’s
Chaplain. His undergraduate degree was in Architecture
from Nottingham University, which was followed seven
years later by a second degree in Theological and
Pastoral Studies at Oak Hill College. In between, he
worked as an accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers
and also for a trust that ran activity holidays for young
people. For the last five years, post-ordination, he has
been the student worker at a church in Oxford. He is a
passionate sportsman and will play anything that involves
a ball – in the past mostly rugby, but now squash, golf
and cricket.
Laura Pick
BSc (Durham University), PGCE (York University).
Biology.
Laura completed her degree in Molecular Biology and
Biochemistry in 2008. She previously taught at Lord
Wandsworth College and at Canford is resident tutor in
Beaufort. Laura is a keen sportswoman and is involved in
coaching hockey, netball and athletics.
Zoe Round
BSc (Durham University), PGCE (Exeter University).
Maths.
Zoe previously lived and worked in Somerset. She is
particularly interested in game theory and in problem
solving within Maths. In addition to teaching, Zoe
coaches hockey, helps with CCF and enjoys crosscountry running and squash.
Jolyon Toy MA
(Cantab), MSc (London).
Economics.
After three years in the shipping department of a
seismic survey firm, three years working for the Hong
Kong Government and a year as an administrator
for a small touring theatre company, the call of
education was too strong and Jolyon acquired a
PGCE from the Institute of Education in London. Spells
at The Perse, St Paul’s, Sevenoaks and Eastbourne
followed. A keen sports coach in rugby and hockey, he is
also a keen but poor saxophonist always looking for an
opportunity to join a band that will let him do the solo
from ‘Baker Street’!
Top left: Laura Pick
Top right: Zoe Round
Bottom right: Jolyon Toy
7
Salvete & Valete
Pupils who joined Canford during 2013-14
NamePrevious schoolScholarship(s)
At 16+
Edward BarrettDulwich CollegeAssyrian
Connie BeauchampWells Cathedral SchoolAssyrian
Amy CavenderWells Cathedral SchoolAcademic
William Collier
Clayesmore School
Oscar Esposti
Bournemouth School for Boys
Christian Flavell
The Blandford School
Assyrian
Johannes Gaechter
BG Gallusstrasse, Bregenz
Otto Gray
Bournemouth School for Boys
Assyrian
Rachel Harris
Ranelagh
Academic
Connor Jackson
The Bourne Academy
Hannah James
United World College of SE Asia
Lucy Longbottom
Queen’s College, Taunton
Isobel Lush
Churcher’s College
Assyrian
Antonia Matthews
Sherborne School for Girls
Lydia McGill
St Gabriel’s School
Anna Place
Talbot Heath
Oscar Sheehan
Clayesmore School
Kavita Shergill
Godolphin
Wilfrid Shon
Clayesmore School
Eleanor Stewart-DoddThomas HardyeAssyrian
William Whiteley
St Peter’s School
Academic
Elinor WrightThe Marist Senior SchoolAcademic
At 13+
Thomas AlcockDumptonAcademic
Thomas ArmstrongChafyn GroveAcademic
Alice AshurstBroomwood Hall
Frederick Axford
Salisbury Cathedral School
Joshua Bale
Forres Sandle Manor
Emily BallsChafyn GroveAcademic, Sport
Luke Bannister
Taunton Prep
Olivia Barker
Westbourne House
Archie Bateman
Highfield
Imogen Bellfield
Knighton House
Maximillian Bingham
Campbell College
David BourneCastle CourtAcademic
Henry Bourne
Mowden Hall School
Toby Brooks
Cothill House
Annabelle BuddTwyfordSport
Bethan BurleyAllenbourn Middle SchoolSport
William ButtDumptonSport
Jenna Catto
Castle Court
William ChapmanWalhampton
Lucy Chapple
Castle Court
Academic
Georgia Charlwood
St Michael’s Middle School
Emily Clunes
Perrott Hill
Jessica CrossmanWalhampton
Thomas Davis
Forres Sandle Manor
Music
Montague Dix
Highfield
Charles Dixon
Sandroyd
Isabel Dixon
Sandroyd
Harry DoddDumpton
Bennet Doxat
Perrott Hill
Academic
Thomas DoyleSunninghill
Brennan DyballDumptonDrama
Imogen Edwards
Port Regis
Joshua Effick
Allenbourn Middle School
James ElwoodSunninghill
Jack England
King Edward VI School
William Evans
Dulwich Prep
Alexandria Eyre
Chafyn Grove
Beatrice Fairbairn
Highfield
Art
Sophia Francis
Highfield
Chloe Gadd
Castle Court
Sophie GerlachPutney High SchoolDrama
Rowan Greenwood
Edgeborough
Lucinda Griffiths
Dunhurst
Jessica Hall
Winchester House
Cosmo Hamilton-Davies
Highfield
8
Salvete & Valete
NamePrevious schoolScholarship(s)
Dominic Hammond
Prebendal
William Hedley
Island Academy, Antigua
Holly HewittWalhampton
Carolyn Hmicho
Castle Court
Hope HollingberyDumpton
Angus Hollywood
St Michael’s, Jersey
Samuel HopkinsDumptonAcademic, Music
Jessica HuntingtonMount HouseAcademic
William Hurd-Wood
Dumpton
Georgia Hutcheon
The Ladies’ College, Guernsey
Iqra IftikharSunninghillAcademic
Claudia Jacobs
Castle Court
Talisa JemmettWestbourne HouseSport
Mark Juchniewicz
Castle Court
Anya Kendall
Westbourne House
Edward Kendall
Westbourne House
Joseph Kinnear
Highfield
Zoe Ko
Castle Court
Music
Benjamin Krips
Bournemouth School for Boys
Lily Lloyd
Allenbourn Middle School
Fergus Longbottom
Sherborne School
Benedict Longrigg
Dragon School
Hannah Lynch
Dumpton
Academic
Thomas Mallinson King
Dumpton
Max Mallinson
Sandroyd
Alice Marns
Castle Court
Alice Martin
Forres Sandle Manor
Charles Martin
Castle Court
Freddie Martin
Amesbury
Oscar McLean
Kellett School, Hong Kong
Luke Mehson
Dumpton
Sport
Nicholas MiltonPerrott HillAcademic, Sport
Harry Minall
Portsmouth Grammar School
Music
Daisy MorsePerrott HillArt
Maximillian Mourgue
Durlston Court
Thomas Newton
Highfield
Sophie Nichol
St Gabriel’s School
Sport
Tom Patrick
International School of Basel
Charles PilatoDumpton
Benjamin Powell
St Michael’s, Jersey
Rees Powell
Eaton House
James Priaulx
Cayman Prep School
Oliver Rankin
West Hill Park
Benedict Read-Ward
Forres Sandle Manor
Samuel Richards
Stroud
Alexander Robertson
Edgeborough
Sophie Rowlands
Highfield
Christopher Rutland
Castle Court
Academic, Art
Wilfred Saunders
Monkton Prep
Liam Saw
West Hill Park
Kiyani Shah
Sunninghill
Academic
Edward Shannon
Pilgrims’
Samuel Simmons
Port Regis
Academic, Design
Sophie Sinclair
Forres Sandle Manor
Hector SonleyWindlesham
Tasia Soskin
Forres Sandle Manor
Rosie Southgate
Castle Court
Art
Rosemary Spencer
Forres Sandle Manor
Alby StevensCastle CourtAcademic, Music
Jack TaylorDumptonAcademic, Sport
Lauren Taylor
Castle Court
Robert Tolcher
Cranborne Middle School
Sport
Alice Tompkins
The Oratory Prep School
Isobel TooveySherborne Prep
Joe TraffordChafyn Grove
Anouska TuckerCastle CourtSport
Edward VesseyPennthorpeAcademic
Alexander von Gemmingen
Westbourne House
Edward WilkinsonDumptonAcademic
Tomos WilliamsTwyford
Annabelle WoodmanTwyfordDesign
Lewis Wyatt
Castle Court
Imogen Young
Tanglin Trust School
Laura Younger
Forres Sandle Manor
9
Salvete & Valete
Members of staff who left in June 2014
Will Baugniet
Since his very first day
at Canford, Will was an
extremely friendly character.
I am sure I am not the
only person who has been
entertained by his numerous
stories and experiences. British
born and bred, he moved
to the south-west of France
when he was around eleven
years old, so we could say he
is an English gentleman who
had the chance to enjoy hot summers, good cheese and
even better wine in a geographically close country but
with a very different culture.
After returning to the UK to study Law in London,
he spent some time in Paris and Belgium, then returned
to London to work for Freshfields. He also spent some
time working in Madrid for the same law firm but I
think Madrid´s summer might have been far too hot
for him so he changed address again and went to live
in beautiful Florence to start his PhD. I only can assume
he greatly enjoyed Florence’s architecture, cultural life,
gentle weather and lifestyle.
Will was very attracted by having a career in teaching
and clearly his international experience was an excellent
addition to the Languages Department. Although
he has only spent four years with us, he has left his
footprint in the French and Spanish Departments;
I am sure we all will miss his stories and anecdotes
about his Mediterranean boat trips and his golf course
experiences. It won´t only be the French and Spanish
Departments missing such a character amongst them,
he has also been involved in other diverse areas of the
school life, like football, tennis, community service and
even as a floating tutor in Franklin. We will miss Will,
Devina, Lily and Robin as they have become very much
part of the community. I am sure Will is going to have
great success at Charterhouse and hope he will not
forget his Canford friends.
Fran Compan
John Boothby
John came to Canford in 2010,
straight from St Andrew’s
University where he gained a
1st class degree in Philosophy.
His arrival galvanised a
department that had become
used to small numbers in its
exam sets, and his innovative
use of classroom technologies,
combined with his positive
teaching style, soon quickened
interest in the subject among
pupils. A level numbers went from an average of
under 5 to a peak of more than 15, and very soon the
GCSE exam was introduced as an option, with similar
exponential growth in numbers. He was innovative
too in his creation of non-exam based Philosophy and
Religious Studies courses.
10
Elsewhere in the school John contributed significantly,
as a tutor in Monteacute, a right-hand man in sailing, and
of course in the Chapel – the only forum in which he
allowed his personal Christian beliefs to be aired, lest in
the classroom his powerful analytical thought should be
mistaken for religious belief.
We wish him well with his future plans.
Stephen Wilkinson
Matthew Glendon-Doyle
Good Classics teachers are
hard to find nowadays, so
it was with some sense of
foreboding that two years
ago, Colin Wilson, the Head
of Classics, and I requested an
interview with someone who
appeared to have more names
than were strictly speaking
necessary. Matthew GlendonDoyle, MGD, Matt, Matty,
Glenda, Glendoza, Conan
Doyle, Conan the Barbarian, Monarch of the GlendonDoyle – I could go on. He rolled into our lives that
Thursday afternoon in a beaten-up Land Rover Defender
(which, if I recall, he took thirty to forty minutes to park
in the space that had been allocated to him) and in due
course was appointed.
That was when the emails began. Oh the onslaught!
Farewell restful summer of inbox freedom, enter the
email dragon. Those of you who have never experienced
Matt in email form will have no conception of the
frequency, brevity and, quite frankly, ludicrousness of
communications that are misleadingly entitled ‘Quick
question’. What, for example, would possess a man
to send an email at 6.45 on a Sunday morning asking
me if I knew whether the Latin word ‘silva’ was on
the GCSE prescribed vocabulary list? Who would
interrupt a pleasant August evening with a persistent
and interminable interrogation about the ins and outs
of Roman sacrifice? The low point would have to be the
occasion upon which he emailed me to ask, ‘What week
is it?’
This approach extends well beyond the technological
medium. Countless have been the occasions when he has
burst unceremoniously into my classroom, finger raised
like some minor Dickensian character, with the ubiquitous
phrase, ‘Quick question’, irrespective of the class in front
of me. What textbook should we use for Rome, do you
think? Should I photocopy the whole of the Odyssey 8000
times for my Fourth Form? How can I make the lives of
the Upper Sixth thoroughly miserable? Do you think they
ought to have just one more mock on the morning of
their actual exam? How much are you paying for your car
insurance?
This time last summer, I thought it might be fun to
inform Matt casually that he would be sitting the AS
paper in Athenian Imperialism the following day. I sent
him through all the relevant information, including his
candidate number and directions to the exam hall.
Perhaps this explains why the pupils think he gets more
worried about the exams than they do.
Bridget Keely
I can remember receiving the
schedule for my interview
day here and being quite
petrified. Interviews with the
Headmaster, the Director of
Studies, the Deputy Head,
an observed lesson, lesson
feedback (otherwise known
as what you should have
done) and then a stroll in
the park with BEK. At least
I had something to look
forward to. BEK – Blonde, Engaging, Kind, I hoped. Brutal,
Exasperating, Kutting is what I got. Poetic licence!
During that day I was told that there was a slightly
mad woman in the department, but it wasn’t until I was
a good eight or nine months into the job that somebody
told me that it had been a reference to a post-grad
assistant who had left in the summer. Someone else had
been playing the role well in my mind.
Bridget took on the role of Vice-Head of Mathematics,
although due to the methods that she sometimes
wanted to use on a certain Shell set, we often changed
the order of the first two words of her title. Bridget
prides herself on her organisation and I am not saying
that Richard Baldwin doesn’t, but it was quite funny
listening to him trying to give her some guidance in
her Vice-Head role. ‘You’ll need to create a new Excel
spreadsheet for these’ – already done. ‘You’ll need to
rank it according to column 3’ – already done. ‘You’ll
need to set the new Shells according to CE results’ –
already done. ‘You’ll need to overhaul the Fifth Form
scheme of work’ – already done. ‘You’ll need to make a
mark-scheme for the Fourth Form Christmas exam’ –
already done. ‘You’ll need to stay up late one night with
some red wine, sneak out onto the school roof and take
down a fake owl’ – already done!
Organised Bridget may very well be, but it is the
care she has for the pupils that makes her the special
teacher that she is. Some comments from a few of her
house tutees, present and past: ‘She’s always fun’; ‘She’s
interested in me’; ‘She’s up for a laugh’; ‘She wants me to
succeed’; ‘She spends a lot of time getting to know us’.
In the boarding environment these qualities are golddust and it’s no surprise that her housemistress simply
described her as amazing in the house. She is going to be
sorely missed by many people.
Owen Parkin
Salvete & Valete
The truth of the matter is, however, quite different.
With Matt’s departure, I lose a great friend and the
sort of useful person who can pick up things that the
rest of us drop – but Canford will lose a phenomenal
teacher. There is always a danger in these farewells of
‘superlative inflation’, but I cannot emphasise just how
keenly we will feel this loss in the department and in
the wider context of the school. Matt’s obsession with
detail is a by-product of his extraordinary preparation for
lessons which are planned weeks and months in advance
and always tailored to the needs of the wide spectrum
of pupils he teaches. His questions are driven by a selfless
desire to do what is right for the pupils – determined
that every single one of them should not only meet but
exceed his or her potential.
He has inspired and he has encouraged, he has
supported and he has sympathised, he has built bridges
and he has laid down the law wherever necessary in the
classroom, on the games field, in house or, more often
than not, in the departmental meeting! He is a true
schoolmaster and we thank him for all he has done here.
Maurice Walters
Vicky Lethbridge
Vicky joined us four years ago
as an NQT for German and
French and she has had a very
fast career progression to
become the new Head of the
Languages Faculty at Parkstone
Grammar. During her years
at Canford Vicky has been
involved in many different
areas of the school, she has
coached sports (netball), has
been a Beaufort tutor and
has helped with the rather tedious task of inputting the
house cross-country timings on a spread sheet.
In the department she has been a very reliable and
proactive colleague. She has always been looking for
ways to motivate and engage pupils and it has been a
great experience working with someone so trustworthy.
I am sure she has left her imprint on all her pupils, and
the Beaufort girls especially will miss her kind nature and
sweetness of character.
Vicky is not only leaving colleagues but a large number
of friends. We will miss her greatly next year but I am
sure we’ll stay in touch. She is not going far, after all.
Fran Compan
Alan Naden
When I arrived at Canford
five years ago, Alan had been
here for a year already. By
all accounts it had been a
slightly strange time. He said
it consisted of mostly sitting
alone in the old corridor-like
Maths office, since almost all
of the Maths staff had offices
elsewhere, being Senior
Management, Housemasters or
Assistant Chaplains. It was with
much enthusiasm, therefore, that he welcomed some
new faces when Richard Baldwin and I arrived in 2009.
From this point onwards he became a central figure in
bringing the Maths team together. As Richard brought
lots of changes and new leadership and as more new
staff arrived, Alan helped maintain the high standards of
bonhomie, banter and beardyness. Indeed, speaking from
my personal point of view, it’s a relief to work alongside
someone who gets mistaken for a hobbit at least as
often as I do.
Alan’s passion for Maths, and for computing, is
infectious, and he has inspired a generation of students
through Canford. I remember that when Alan was
teaching in Pascal, his experimental wall displays were a
thing of wonder. Various three-dimensional models and
nets festooned the ceiling and walls, in between displays
11
Salvete & Valete
of poker hands and playing cards. The centre-piece was a
large piece of blank squared paper. In anyone else’s hands
it could have been a spectacularly odd and minimalistic
wall display. In Alan’s hands it actually became a great
talking point as it consisted of exactly one million squares,
and as a striking way of trying to grasp exactly how big
one million actually is, it was very effective for staff and
students with any level of curiosity.
His passion for a project, when he gets excited about
it, is awe-inspiring, and he usually manages to maintain
the passion through to the finish, as demonstrated one
memorable Spirit of Place year when Alan and I built
some Sierpinski Tetrahedral Fractal Kites from a selection
of sticks, straws and tissue paper with the help of a
group of students of varying degrees of willingness and
competence. The two-day epic build was rewarded with
a flying kite (which remained a sculptural eyesore in the
department for a year) and some impressed students
(and teachers).
Alan’s unashamed enthusiasm for the things he enjoys
is delightful and has enriched many of our lives and
I hope it continues to do so for everyone he works
and lives with. He’s left his mark all over the school in
the sporting landscape, helping manage and run the
hockey, lacrosse teams and D of E expeditions, among
many other things, and in particular doing all the hard
work to set up a brand new computing A level, which is
ready for teaching next year. All these things will ensure
that Alan’s legacy at Canford will not be forgotten in a
hurry. Last, but certainly not least, through all of these
accomplishments he has remained (despite the trials
of doing so!) my friend. He is loyal and thoughtful and I
thank him for it. We wish him every success in his new
role at Bournemouth Collegiate.
Ben Sparks
Ben Sparks
When thinking about what to
write about Ben, there were
various routes I could take.
The obvious place to start is
with embarrassing stories to
do with his short but easily
mocked career as a member
of the a cappella band, Out of
the Blue, or his ability to start
a story but sort of lose the
train of thought and for it to
disappear into awkwardness
until someone stops him, or his unashamed commitment
to the awesomeness of Maths and even sitting in a pub
once a month to discuss it.
I could tell you about how in my first year here we
explored Canford up, down, in and out, resulting in my
waking up one Valentine’s day morning to find a plastic
owl outside my door with a note declaring its love for
me. Or I could mention the geeky night-time geocaching
that resulted in Ben being terrified by a Hallowe’en mask.
Or the number of times the guitar has been brought
out at a convivial gathering, resulting in horribly offkey (mainly by me) versions of ‘Weather with you’ by
Crowded House.
I could write about how much the students around
school will miss him. He is renowned for his card
tricks, juggling skills and ability to distract with jigsaws
and puzzles. When I asked them to describe him in
one sentence, my particular favourite response was ‘If
12
Mr Sparks was a pancake, he would be a really good
pancake!’
I could tell you about his ability to turn almost anything
into a Maths lesson, even the canteen’s cutlery. I know
that students appreciate his excitement about his subject
and one of them even went so far as to say, ‘He’s just so
cool’ when I asked about his teaching – granted, she is a
further mathematician.
In the end I decided just to write about how, since the
moment I got here, Ben has been an amazing friend. I
have worked with him on the climbing wall, in the Maths
Department, even underneath the Mendip Hills, and
he has never once faltered in his enthusiasm for trying
anything new or sharing his passions with those around
him. He has an amazing ability to listen to me whine and
can do quite a good job of it himself. Nearly everywhere
I go, I accidentally meet someone who has a tenuous link
to him. This is just a testament to his ability to embrace
life and meet people. Canford has lost a huge asset.
Bridget Keely
Nell O’Hora
While it’s not strictly true to say that Nell was appointed
as librarian purely on the basis of her soft Irish lilt,
it is certainly true that her warm and approachable
personality, both at interview and in the three years since
her arrival to run the library at Canford, has been the
hallmark of her time with us. Librarians are renowned
for being quiet, even mouse-like creatures, but while she
may be the former, Nell is as far from mouse-like as a
young and relatively inexperienced librarian could be.
How many Heads of Department have melted under
the gaze of her smiling Irish eyes, and it is in no small part
due to her persistence, and her ability to persuade even
the most Luddite of our colleagues, that the Gateway has
become such a central part of our lives at school.
The job of the librarian has become a far more
wide-ranging one in these days of electronically stored
and distributed information, and we were very lucky to
have had such a young and able person helping us to
negotiate the transition to a more digital age. We wish
Nell a very fond farewell as she goes to take up her
position with Poole Library Services, and thank her for
everything she has done. She has left a mark on Canford,
and a Nell-shaped hole in our hearts.
Stephen Wilkinson
The following also left with our very best wishes for their
futures:
Holly Airbright: Graduate assistant who has worked
with a range of sports, especially rowing, and in Biology.
Naomi Miles has provided excellent support in English
as maternity cover.
Peter Richards has similarly provided sterling cover
support in Economics and Business Studies.
Pol Soms: Graduate assistant who has worked
superbly with boys’ and girls’ hockey and in the Spanish
Department.
Sam Page: Graduate assistant who has worked with a
range of sports and with the English Department, and
who approaches everything with a sense of fizz and a
bubbly smile.
Salvete & Valete
Destinations of 2014 leavers
(This is the best information available at the time of going to press.)
Aberdeen
Bath
Bristol
Brunel
Cambridge
Cardiff
Central St Martin’s College of Art City & Guilds of London Art School
Coventry
Durham
Edinburgh
Exeter
Heriot Watt
Imperial College, London
King’s College, London
Kingston
Loughborough
Leeds
Leicester
Lincoln
Liverpool
London College of Communication Manchester
Newcastle
Nottingham
Oxford
Oxford Brookes
Portsmouth
Queen Mary, London
Reading
Royal Agricultural University
Royal Holloway, London
Sheffield
Southampton
St Andrews
Surrey
Sussex
University College, London
Warwick
York
Applying in 2015
Oli Bleeker
Ollie Stocks, Tom Streeton, Noah Vides
Nick Barker, Charlie Barnes-Yallowley (2015), Minty Culley, ,
Susie Hucker, Annie Massy-Collier, Katie Miskin (2015), Seb Rodrigues, Laura Stacey, Alice Thornton (2015), Hugo Trafford (2015)
Sam Harrison (2015)
Cameron Groat, Carol Ma
India Corrin, Libby Jones (2015), James Watt
Natasha Smith-Langridge
Annie Fraser
Stephanie Ewin
Millie Connor (2015), Catriona Crellin, Thomas Gant (2015), Iona McNeile, Alex Wilkins,
Katie Womersley
Alex Kennedy, Monty Kilpatrick (2015), Francesca Meakin, Olivia Morse
Hugo Frost, Mike Haines (2015), Douglas Hazell, James Landymore, Lucy Molyneux,
William Mucklow, Thomas Southgate, Hayley Thomas, Lydia Wills
Seb Jemmett (2015)
Lucas Cheung
Yolanda Moore, Anicka Sufraz
Esther Bowell
Tom Nichols (2015), Henry Prager
Elle Upshall
Claudia Clements
Ben Moores
Genevieve Khoury, Susanna Schuster Bruce
Richard Ward
John Berry (2015), Alex Burke (2015), Helena Crellin, Charlotte Daubeney,
Tim Hargreaves (2015), Flinn O’Hara, Izzy Rickcord (2015), Sophie Roder,
Benjamin Russell (2015), Daniel Schiller, Anna Vine (2015)
George Butlin, Henry Galbraith, Olivia Garthwaite (2015), Phoebe Ryall (2015) Charlotte Winterbourne
Sarah Pinnington, Nicholas Scott (2015)
Dan Doherty, Rupert Dugdale, Edward Hill, Sophie Knipe, Ben Mynors-Wallis,
Olivia Parham
Alice Bingham, Rosie Brown, Christian Grant
Jamie Nicholson
Alex Metcalf (2015)
Annabel Barons (2015), Olivia Esposti, Christopher Imms
Harriet Fuller
Karolina Baranovskaja, David Bridger
Tim Butterfield, Ellen Thomas
Alexander Graham, Alex Wells
Chloe Edwards (2015)
Cameron Lloyd
Ben Tucker
Oliver Micklewright (2015)
William Dawe, Matt Jarmolkiewicz, Joe Manley, James Spence
Bea Watts
Harry Altham, Louis Ambrose, James Broadley, Georgie Burrows, Scott Catto,
Gini Close, Eleanor Drysdale, Thomas Ducker, Madeleine Dudman, Freddie Dunger, Sammi Gower ,Samuel Harbord, Matthew Holding, Tiffer Hutchings, Freddie Kuhle,
James McGill, Nathan Merridew, Will Moss, Tom Popplewell, Tom Southgate,
Amelia Sutton, GuyTaylor,
13
ACADEMIC
“If a young mind
can be shown the
joy of learning,
then we have truly
given the most
precious gift of
all, one that will
last a lifetime.”
It is easy to think, in a busy boarding school, that the
glamour and excitement of the games pitch, the music
school, the theatre, the CCF and so on form the centre
of a young man or woman’s life during the term. But
the reverse is the case. Life is centred in and around the
classroom, and while the other activities that take up so
much of our time add a huge amount to the education
we offer, the core of what it means to be educated is
that the academic skills – knowledge, understanding and
love of learning – are as highly developed as they can
be within each individual at Canford.
The crudest means of seeing the extent to which
we succeed in this aim is to look at the results of
external exams. In these days of significant change to
the various curricula on offer, it is not straightforward
to compare one year with another, but the best of
last year’s Upper Sixth, who achieved 25% A* grades
(or their equivalent) in their A level and Pre-U exams,
performed spectacularly by any measure. A* grades
do not come by accident, and the fact that fourteen of
our best gained at least three A*s is an extraordinary
achievement. More than one in three of the year group
had three A grades or better, and the ‘average’ result
was just better than AAB.
These bare figures tell a story, of course, but they
hide a great deal as well. Those who find school work
easy may well have worked less hard for their A*s
than a more modest academic for his C grades, and
there are very few of last year’s leaving year group to
whom one could point and say, ‘You might have done
better’. A year group that was characterised by kindness,
friendliness and humanity throughout the five years
of its course at Canford finished not at the top of the
school’s internal league tables – it may be some time
before we beat the raw figures of 2013 – but they
worked hard and made enormous strides during their
time with us. No-one could ask for better.
Lower down in the school, headline figures of more
than one-third gaining A* grades at GCSE, and nearly
three-quarters A or A*, show that our Fifth Form pupils
did very well indeed, with over a third gaining straight
14
A*s or As. This year group (and the Lower Sixth) were
the first to go straight into the exam room without the
prior experience of modular exams either in January of
the Fifth Form or at the end of the Fourth Form. This
clearly had an impact on their approach to the final
exams, but with such very good results at the end of
it, we can be satisfied that this year group, too, can be
proud of their achievements.
If looking at exam results is such a crude measure
of success, then how should we refine it to take
account of all those who worked ferociously hard for
their B grades, or who did very little for their 10 A*s?
To me, the key is in attitude and approach. The job of
our very highly qualified teachers is not just, as some
might think, to impart their hard-gained knowledge and
understanding; indeed, one of the hard lessons one
learns as a young teacher is that the safest assumption
to make is that no pupil listens to what you say at all!
Rather, what our staff do is encourage and motivate
young people to want to learn. There is much talk
of lessons delivered by internet and one might well
question, now that online courses are offered by the
likes of Harvard and Cambridge, whether a teacher has
a role at all in the modern school. The answer, of course,
is a resounding ‘yes’. If a young mind can be shown
the joy of learning, then we have truly given the most
precious gift of all, one that will last a lifetime.
I have no doubt, when I see the hard work that goes
on around the school at all times of the year, that we
are privileged to share the lives of so many exceptional
young people. My colleague, Maurice Walters, explains
elsewhere and with more eloquence exactly how we
go about providing the intellectual challenge which
bright young Canfordians need to bring out their best.
But it is very clear from the uptake for such enriching
activities as the John O’Gaunt debating society or the
Global Forum discussion group, that there is a keen
appetite among all levels of the school for academic
and personal enrichment. The school is in excellent
academic health.
Stephen Wilkinson, Director of Studies
ACADEMIC
Academic Enrichment
Academic scholars leaving Canford in June 2014 were
the first cohort of Canford pupils to have experienced
a full cycle of the academic enrichment programme: a
series of clubs, activities and societies that are designed
to stretch and challenge Canford’s most interested
pupils beyond the timetabled curriculum. While scholars
are automatically enrolled, anyone with a genuine
interest in academic matters can join the various groups
which operate in all year groups of the school.
From September, the new Shell scholars embarked
on the challenging ‘Survivor’ programme. Notionally
contending with a post-apocalyptic existence, the pupils
used experimentation to solve some of the critical
problems that faced the recently ravaged earth such as
the development of fuels and mechanisms for purifying
water. The aim of the society is to provide a creative
environment for pupils to apply the skills of thinking
they have learned in their lessons and to employ them
in an enjoyable and practical way – there is often an
explosion involved!
Alongside ‘Survivor’, both the Shells and Fourth Form
have had the opportunity to engage in deep debate
on some controversial issues through Tower Society.
Meeting once a week, the group is a safe haven for
pupils to put forward opinions and ideas on a set topic.
For the Shells, the topic is defined by a range of Canford
staff who provide stimulus from their own private
spheres of academic expertise. Notable highlights from
this year were Mr Linley-Adams’s session on animal
behaviour and Mrs Hoey’s challenging insights into
the world of global poverty. Just after the Christmas
break, Mr Horton impressed all the pupils with an
extraordinarily interesting pair of sessions on astronomy
during which the pupils actually created and tested their
own planispheres. In the Fourth Form, in addition to a
further programme of discussion often themed around
current affairs, the pupils took part in a three-week
study into the ‘art of memory’, developing their own
thought-holes, memory walks and even some very small
memory palaces. Under the inspirational guidance of Dr
Shon, pupils in the Fifth Form group, known as Nexus,
considered a range of different topics driven by their own
interests and enthusiasms, including an in-depth look at
some classic films.
One-off enrichment events also occur throughout the
year for all year groups, for example Ben Sparks talking to
a group of interested pupils about some of the strange
and wonderful things in the world of Mathematics –
including some impressive work with Mobius strips.
The Sixth Form scholars and other engaged and
interested pupils had the opportunity to attend a range
of events throughout the year including two symposia
– one themed around ‘conflict and peace’ and the
other ‘paradigm shift’. At both events, pupils had the
opportunity to listen to opinions from experts and
were then challenged to make their own presentations
in response. Alongside this, Canford’s ‘Pi’ programme (a
revolving carousel of taster sessions in subjects that pupils
might wish to try at university) continued, feeding into
the Oxford preparation programme and the flourishing
Extended Project Qualification syllabus. This qualification
(equivalent to an AS level) is open to all in the Lower
Sixth and requires them to independently research and
write an essay of between 1000 and 5000 words in
length before making a detailed presentation on their
chosen subject to staff and peers.
A busy year, then, for academic enrichment at Canford
– but the 2014-15 season is likely to see even further
developments as we continue to widen access to
the programme and ensure that participation in such
activities is a regular, exciting and enjoyable part of life for
every Canfordian.
Maurice Walters, Head of Academic Enrichment
“Meeting once a
week, the group
is a safe haven
for pupils to put
forward opinions
and ideas on
a set topic.”
15
ACADEMIC
Biology
2013-14 was a very big year for Biology. The new
labs, seminar room and prep room were ready for
September. We welcomed Laura Pick as a new teacher
and she was lucky enough to move straight into one of
the new labs. The new and refurbished rooms provide
everything required for modern Biology teaching. The
widened corridor has also been very useful, bringing
more light into the building, providing spaces for pupils
to work, and housing the fantastic marine biology fish
tank which has proved very popular with everyone
visiting.
The opening of the new building was celebrated
in November with a performance of You Should Ask
Wallace by Welsh company Theatr Na Nog. More than
300 pupils and invited guests filled the assembly hall
to find out more about Alfred Russel Wallace’s life and
discoveries. ‘Wallace’ then opened the facilities, including
a new lab named after him. This was particularly
appropriate as 2014 is the centenary of Wallace’s death;
he spent much of his later life in the local area and is
buried in Broadstone.
In the classroom, Biology is as popular as ever. We
were particularly pleased with our Oxbridge success
this year: seven pupils gained offers in biologically related
degrees. Thanks as ever must go to Mr Powell for his
excellent preparation work with these candidates. Our
medical, dental and veterinary applicants have also done
exceptionally well, with eleven securing offers. We were
“The highlight was
the fantastic video
captured by infrared cameras of
the otters on the
island just outside
Salisbury House.”
16
delighted with the overall performance of our students
in external examinations, in particular the very large
numbers of A* grades at A2.
All the Upper Sixth students attended a conference
at the Institute of Education in London on modern
genetics, where we found out about a whole range of
things including epigenetics, treatment of cystic fibrosis,
and sleep. There was also a trip to the Pitt Rivers
museum in Oxford to celebrate Wallace’s life.
The Lower Sixth spent the time after their AS exams
undertaking a variety of practical fieldwork both on the
school site and through a number of different visits offsite, including a local farm, Badbury Rings and the sand
dunes at Studland. Right at the end of term, the Shell
Spirit of Place topic of ‘Nature and Number’ allowed
much further practical work around school, with recent
gifts from the Canford School Society being fully used.
The beauty of the moths captured was fantastic, a large
diversity of insects were surveyed using pitfall traps and
sweep nets, but the highlight was the fantastic video
captured by infra-red cameras of the otters on the island
just outside Salisbury House.
Once again a large number of students went to Arran
at Easter on a combined Biology and Geography trip
and the divers have been to Malta this summer.
Two new initiatives this year have been a great success
in capturing the pupils’ enthusiasm. At Christmas a large
group gathered in John O’ Gaunt’s to discuss epigenetics
at the inaugural meeting of the Biology book club, an
event exceptionally well organised by Mrs Connor. The
Easter term saw the start of SMaC (Science and Maths
Club) where several Sixth Form pupils spoke about
subjects as diverse as building a glider, the formation of
memory palaces, and chocolate. Mr Linley-Adams was
both the inspiration and the driving force for this new
society.
This year was the 31st year of service for Sally Barton,
our fantastic technician, and also, sadly, her last. She has
been a stalwart in the department and is sadly missed.
We were very lucky to find Gabriella O’Sullivan who has
joined us as the new technician and has done a great job.
Ed Johnson, Head of Biology
Business Studies
and Economics
2013-14 was a busy and exciting year for a changing
department. In September, the department said goodbye
to the supercharged, high-octane Mr Grant, to see him
replaced by a far more sedate and traditional Head of
Department, Mr Toy: a little like trading in your MGF
Turbo for a Mark II Cortina, albeit the ‘classic’ 1600E
version. Ably and wholeheartedly supported by the
extant members of the department, the transition was
relatively seamless and Business (and Economics) carried
on very much as before. Furthermore, from January, the
department was also glad to welcome Peter Richards (a
former HoD from Sherborne Girls) to the fold, to help
it deliver both Economics and Business Studies to an
ever-growing number of students.
In November, an innovation pushed forward by
Mr Kerr saw the majority of the Department’s Sixth
Form clients watching a live webinar from the Royal
Economic Society, entitled ‘How to Run – or Ruin – an
Economy.’ The speaker, Tim Harford of Radio 4, gave a
very personal account of one of his great heroes: the
statistician, economist and plumbing engineer, Bill Phillips
(of Phillips Curve fame). The talk was enlightening and
well received by an audience of cognoscenti.
In mid-February two minibuses, four members of staff
(Messrs Jones, Kerr and Toy, with Miss Birch guesting
from History) and all the Upper Sixth Business Studies
pupils set off for a day trip to Castle Bromwich, to look
around the spectacularly modern and clinically robotic
Jaguar facility – gone are the days when these places
were simply called factories. It was a most enjoyable and
illuminating experience; it was even a very satisfying and
heartening day for one particular member of staff, who
was approached by Esther Bowell making the immortal
statement: ‘But Sir, it’s just like all that stuff you went on
and on about in your lessons.’ Perhaps education is not
dead after all.
As an ongoing innovation this past year, the
department also launched the Canford Social Enterprise
(CSE) in September 2013. This activity allows pupils
in the Sixth Form to sell fair trade coffee from the
Dominican Republic, with all proceeds going to support
the school’s philanthropic causes. Pupils have developed
“A very
satisfying and
heartening day
for one particular
member of
staff, who was
approached
by Esther
Bowell making
the immortal
statement: ‘But
Sir, it’s just like
all that stuff
you went on
and on about in
your lessons.”
17
ACADEMIC
a relationship with DJ Miles Ltd, a Somerset-based buyer
and roaster of coffee from all over the world, as well as
managing the finances, marketing and development of
the brand. When asked, ‘Why would you want to get
involved with a Social Enterprise?’, a student responded:
‘We wanted to give something back to the community.
Some of us have participated in the school partnership
programme itself and have seen the great work that
has been achieved over the years, so we wanted to
contribute further to the mission of the programme. Also,
many of us study Economics or Business Studies, and we
thought it would be enjoyable to use what we had learnt
in the classroom to put theory into practice.’
Finally, we cannot escape a word about the dreaded
end of year results. Across the two subjects offered,
and with 62 students in the Lower Sixth, just a shade
under 50% scored A grades in the AS examinations. For
our leavers, the final A level results were even more
impressive. From a cohort of 51 students, 75% scored
A* or A grades; eleven students collected the most
coveted A* grade. A special mention must go to those
nine students, ably guided by Mrs Kilpatrick through many
a late afternoon revision session, who achieved 100%
scores in the A2 microeconomics papers. For them, the
whole experience was clearly one of perfect competition.
Andy Kerr, Head of Business Studies
Jo Toy, Head of Economics
ACADEMIC
Chemistry
“They examined
the waterrepellent
properties of
nasturtium
leaves … and
compared them
with man-made
gore-tex to see
how advances
in technology
often try to
mimic nature.”
18
With no over-running new building nor any changes
to syllabuses to contend with over the summer, the year
started smoothly for once in the Chemistry Department.
The numbers taking the subject throughout the school
remain buoyant, which must be in large part due to the
recent successes of the department in public exams. This
year was no exception with superb A2 results: 13 A*s,
13 As, 11 Bs and 3 Cs. A special mention must go to Ben
Mynors-Wallis, who achieved an incredible 300 marks
out of 300 on the A2 modules. The results at AS were
also outstanding with 32 As, 17 Bs and 5 Cs. Perhaps the
best of the lot was at IGCSE, where over 60% of the
grades were at A*, which was truly remarkable. Daisy
Calvert, Charlie Gregory and Charlie Peach all scored
over 170 out of 180.
The department organised two major co-curricular
activities this year: a visit to a paint factory and an
interactive talk by a coffee chemist. A dozen Sixth Form
pupils had the opportunity to visit the Farrow and Ball
paint factory in February. The trip was split into two
halves: a factory tour and a talk about the science behind
the manufacture of paint. We saw the paint being made,
with a surprising reliance on manual labour, and then
meticulously tested for quality control using spectroscopy
so that if you were to buy the same paint as you did
ten years ago, they would be absolutely identical to the
naked eye.
The science behind the paint was also interesting as
not all white paints are the same and there are always
balances to be struck. However, what was perhaps
most fascinating was the reliance on using few pigments
in coloured paint, all of them having to be natural to
minimise metameris, ie. the effect by which the same
paint will look a very different colour depending on the
source of light, such as natural light, LEDs or fluorescent
lighting.
As part of the biennial Chemistry Week organised by
the Royal Society of Chemistry to promote a positive
image of the subject, we welcomed Sarah Woodhams
from Mondelez International to talk about the chemistry
of coffee. Canford pupils learnt about how coffee goes
from bean to cup and how it can account for 50% of
some developing countries’ foreign currency earnings.
Students learnt about the two major varieties (Arabica
and Robusta) and the chemical processes required for
it to arrive on supermarket shelves. Pupils were able to
sample many types of coffee (a real highlight compared
to school coffee), and were given an insight into how
important marketing is in such a competitive field.
Pupils also entered two national competitions this year.
The Upper Sixth took on the Chemistry Olympiad and
the Lower Sixth sat the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge
with Max Allen, Jacob Hathorn and Jason Lau achieving
silver awards, meaning that they were in the top 20% of
all entries.
The Shells learnt about nanotechnology during the
‘Nature and Number’ themed Spirit of Place. They
examined the water-repellent properties of nasturtium
leaves (well worth trying yourself) and compared
them with man-made gore-tex to see how advances
in technology often try to mimic nature, but with less
success. They also built models of various graphene
structures, such as carbon nanotubes, and discussed
how this ‘wonder material’ with its unique chemistry
might lead to the next leap forward in technological
advancement.
Gary Shaw, Head of Chemistry
ACADEMIC
Classics and Classical Civilisation
Now fully settled into the state-of-the art surroundings
of the John Lever Building, the Classics Department has
had another energetic year. With an abundance of pupils
studying Latin, Classical Civilisation (and even Greek,
though off timetable) at all levels, the thirst for classical
knowledge both in and out of the classroom has been
palpable and pupil enthusiasm has never been higher.
Pupils in the Shells continue to follow their integrated
curriculum of Classics, which sees a rigorous study of the
Latin language intertwined with a programme of crosscurricular, three-lesson festivals. From composing their
own fragments of epic poetry to duelling the Director of
Rugby in a fully staged gladiatorial combat in the Layard,
the pupils have had the opportunity to experience a
wealth of classical culture and history in a lively and
interactive manner.
The same has been true, of course, for the pupils who
have opted to take either subject at GCSE – Latinists
are now embarking on a study of the letters of Pliny and
the work of the master poet Virgil, while those studying
Classical Civilisation have spent a good deal of the year
reading Sophocles’s astonishingly moving Antigone. Staging
Roman sacrifices, finding ways of comparing the local
church to a Roman temple and performing their own
slimmed-down versions of the Odyssey in the classroom,
not to mention learning to fight like a Spartan, are just
a sample of the exciting lunacy that characterises these
lessons.
With a larger Sixth Form cohort across both subjects
than ever before, the pupils clamoured for the revival
of ‘Symposiasts’, Canford’s classical society. This pupil-led
society provided an opportunity for pupils to discuss
classical topics informally and to play ridiculous games,
notably a version of battleships themed around the
engagement between Augustus and Antony at Actium.
Those attending this society also provided a regular
audience for ‘A Spoonful of Classics’ – a series of Classics
readings during Thursday break-times designed to expand
the horizons of the pupils and allow them to encounter
unfamiliar sources and periods of history for the first
time. Hieroglyphics, too, has continued to develop
with a small but devoted group following a beginner’s
course and now able to translate basic inscriptions
independently.
The highlight of the year was the inaugural trip to
Rome, which was arranged in combination with the
Philosophy and Religious Studies Department. The pupils,
whose behaviour throughout did the school enormous
credit, were given a comprehensive tour of the city
on a five-day trip that took in the ancient forum, the
Colosseum, the Vatican museums and the Catacombs of
St Callistus. Amusing incidents abounded – as they always
do on trips of this nature – but the pupils came away
richer for the experience. Links were also developed this
year with Poole Grammar School, whose Ancient History
syllabus overlaps areas of study for Canfordians. Successful
joint seminars were held with their pupils on Athenian
Democracy, Aristophanes and Cicero and there are plans
afoot to develop the programme next year. We have also
continued to offer our prep school workshops and it has
been particularly pleasing to see Canfordians queuing
up to get involved and help spread the passion for their
subject.
Finally, we are waving a sad goodbye to Matthew
Glendon-Doyle, whose fantastic teaching and
extraordinary willingness to go beyond the call of duty
have made him a legendary figure amongst the pupils. He
will move to a new post at Radley following his marriage
in August. We are delighted, however, to be welcoming
Anna Berry on board to take the helm of Classical
Civilisation from September.
Maurice Walters, Head of Classical Civilisation
“This pupil-led
society provided
an opportunity
for pupils to
discuss classical
topics informally
and to play
ridiculous
games.”
19
ACADEMIC
English
“Patience Agbabi
came to spend
several days
entertaining
pupils from all
year groups
with hilarious
performances of
her latest poems.”
20
Ask any Canford pupil if the English Department provides
a model of efficient organisation, and the answer from all
but the least discerning would be a resounding ‘no’! If you
were to ask, however, if the English Department provides
a model of passionate enthusiasm about its subject,
I like to think the answer would be powerfully in the
affirmative. Out of this passionate belief that our subject
should inspire pupils to read, write and think well beyond
the confines of the various syllabuses which provide the
backbone of our teaching comes a programme of events
which begins with a holiday reading project for the Shells
before they even arrive at the school in September, and
ends with the Creative Writing course in the final week of
the summer term.
This year’s prize-winning Shell holiday reading project
was the best we had ever seen. In ‘Books, Hope and Cuba’,
James Priaulx successfully wove perceptive reviews of his
four chosen books into a narrative describing his family
holiday in Cuba – particularly effective as the theme of the
reading project was journeys.
Early in the Christmas term our writer in residence,
Patience Agbabi, came to spend several days entertaining
pupils from all year groups with hilarious performances of
her latest poems – re-workings of Chaucer’s Canterbury
Tales. Following hot on the heels of Patience’s visit came
the long-established Sixth Form trip to the Cheltenham
Literature Festival. The trip has happened every October
since the 1980s, becoming as much a part of the year’s
rhythm as the turning of the leaves from green to red.
January brought the Shell Poetry and Music Evening.
As a department we believe passionately in the value of
committing poems to memory, and all Shell pupils have
to learn by heart a poem which they then recite to their
teacher; points are awarded according to the accuracy
and skill of the recitation and a class prize of an edible
nature is awarded at the Poetry and Music Evening. On
the evening itself, culture rather than competition is the
prevailing spirit, with six pupils reciting, six reading poems
written by Shell pupils, and six reading poems chosen by
parents – Canford’s version of Radio Four’s ‘Poetry Please’.
Interspersed with the poetry are musical performances,
and this cross-curricular collaboration has proved a fruitful
one.
February brought all the Fourth Form to the Layard
Theatre for the hotly contested Battle of the Books. A
team from each of the six Fourth Form classes presented
their argument to the judges that their chosen novel was
the ‘Greatest Novel of the 20th Century’. After careful
consideration, Mark Rathbone and Frank Ahern declared
that Imani Thompson and Charlie Hathorn’s debating skills
had won the day.
Every year, round about the middle of May, I ask myself
why we ever decided that the exam-packed Summer
term was the ideal time to have: the Upper Sixth Pastoral
Evening (pastoral picnic, pastoral poetry and just a touch
of pastoral revision for the exam paper); the Lower Sixth
Hardy trip to Cornwall (following in the footsteps of
Thomas Hardy as he wooed Emma Gifford on the north
Cornish cliffs); the Lower Sixth Inspiration Evening (an
inspirational picnic, preceded by literary speed-dating);
the Shell Shakespeare project (a highly professional
performance of Romeo and Juliet by the fantastic Lord
Chamberlain’s Men and a rather less highly professional
performance of the same play by all six Shell English
classes); and finally, in the last week of June, the Creative
Writing course (with OC and published novelist Joanna
Rossiter as skilled tutor to the sixteen pupils, from all year
groups, amongst the inspirational Purbeck scenery near
Langton Matravers).
Caroline Barrett, Head of English
ACADEMIC
French
After having spent many years in the Lovell Building,
the French Department relocated, together with the
rest of the Modern Languages Department, back to
the Courtyard Building this year, where it was placed
originally. The new department was completely
refurbished and freshened up, making it a very pleasant
space in which to teach and learn.
In September we celebrated European Day of
Languages to raise awareness of the importance of
language learning but also to celebrate our cultural
diversity. As part of the programme for the day, our top
Shell set enjoyed a morning of drama lessons with Cyril
from the theatre company, Frog and Rosbeef, which
was great fun and a very productive activity that we will
certainly aim to repeat in years to come.
The arrival of the Easter term is always marked by
Mardi Gras, which is perhaps the most colourful festival
in the francophone world. As always, this day meant a
great opportunity for our pupils to learn more about
the language but also the customs and international
dimension of this immensely popular festival. We are
hoping that future celebrations will involve the whole
Canford community to create a true Mardi Gras spirit.
A good number of our Lower Sixth pupils have
been getting involved with French teaching themselves.
The Language Leaders programme gave them the
opportunity to develop their language teaching skills
in a primary school environment, as part of the
community service programme. A key aspect of the
course has been the support and co-operation given
by schools like St Michael’s and Colehill, without whom
this project would have not been viable. We are very
proud of the task accomplished by our Language
Leaders as they have been exceptional ambassadors for
the French Department and Canford.
As part of our involvement with the local primary
schools, we celebrated another French primary day in
the Christmas term. As always, the response from the
schools was very positive and we had over 150 pupils
coming to Canford to have a taste of French. The day
consisted of a carousel of activities, ranging from the
construction of weather wheels to drawing Asterix
comic strips. Some crêpes and hot chocolate added to
the French flavour of a very enjoyable day.
Every other year the department has organised
a trip to Provence in the Christmas term which is
traditionally available to lower school pupils. This visit is
both exciting and interesting as the trip is packed with a
wide variety of activities to help our pupils gain a good
understanding of the culture of this wonderful part of
France.
From Shells to Upper Sixth, our pupils have made
excellent contributions to the department this year.
Whether taking part in French theatre, watching
French films or teaching the language to primary
school pupils, our students have taken advantage of
the opportunities offered to them during the academic
year, to our delight.
Fran Compan, Head of French
“We are hoping
that future
celebrations
will involve the
whole Canford
community to
create a true
Mardi Gras spirit.”
21
ACADEMIC
German
“Of all the
topics, one could
argue that all
the exposure on
television has
made German
football the
easiest subtopic to teach
– and some
Canfordians
have an almost
encyclopaedic
knowledge of it!”
22
With 100 pupils learning German and many with
personal connections to Germany, Austria and
Switzerland, Germanic culture is ever-present at Canford,
and it was another successful year for the German
Department. The first group of CIE Pre-U candidates
performed very well indeed, obtaining 83% of grades at
Distinction level (A*/A) and the lowest grade being an
M1 (A/B). As is the norm now for Sixth Form pupils, all
had attended intensive courses in language schools in
Germany or Austria during the previous summer holidays,
developing their fluency, communication skills and linguistic
awareness and also gaining great cultural insight. Four
pupils joined the growing list of Canfordians who have
been studying German at Russell Group universities,
either as a single honours course or combining it with
other subjects, and spending their third year in Germany.
The Pre-U course is the ultimate cross-curricular
linguistic experience: pupils study a Bertolt Brecht play,
watch and critically examine two award-winning sociopolitical films (Die Welle and Der Baader-Meinhof Komplex)
and learn about diverse topics such as life in the former
East Germany, Germany since reunification, the German
economy, Germany’s political system and its status in the
EU, winter sports in Austria and Switzerland, immigration
and multi-culturalism in Germany and Austria and
environmental issues and renewable energy. Of all the
topics, one could argue that all the exposure on television
has made German football the easiest sub-topic to teach
– and some Canfordians have an almost encyclopaedic
knowledge of it!
With the department’s image and displays now
promoting themes of business, companies, inventions
and innovations from German-speaking countries, it has
allowed the following frequently asked questions by pupils
to gain greater relevance: Where do the following teams
get their names from: Red Bull Salzburg, VW Wolfsburg,
Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund?
And how did the following companies get their names:
Haribo, Milka, Aldi, Adidas, Puma? (Do you know the
answers?)
The Fifth Form pupils preparing for their CIE IGCSE
course were very well supported at various times by the
part-time language assistants: Miriam, Florian, Frau Wright
and Frau Ackroyd. A proportion of A*/A grades at 79%
was an impressive achievement on such a linguistically
demanding course, particularly when starting from scratch
in the Shells.
Of course, developing linguistic knowledge and ‘feel’ and
learning about Germanic culture in the classroom can be
further enhanced by cultural events outside. During the
course of the year the German Week, various German
film evenings, the St Nicholas Day celebrations, the
business/economics-themed one-week trip to Munich, and
the German literature masterclass with our visiting speaker,
Mr Brown, were able to bring the subject into really sharp
focus beyond the classroom. The trip to the fabulous city
of Munich was the definite highlight. Amongst other things,
the pupils saw the architecturally stunning Marienplatz and
Munich Residenz and the prestigious Ludwig Maximillian
University; they visited the Olympic Stadium, the Science
Museum and the BMW Museum and enjoyed guided
tours of the Allianz Arena, the Bavaria Film Studios and
the Siemens Mechanical Electronics Apprenticeship
Centre. Special thanks to Frau Harris for her expert local
knowledge (having studied and lived there for fifteen
years) and for being a great guide.
The final word goes to Miss Lethbridge, who left
Canford at the end of the year after four years of
excellent work. She made an outstanding contribution to
the German Department, producing a range of excellent
teaching materials and resources, and motivated her pupils
to perform to their full potential in their IGCSE and Pre-U
examinations. She also played a vital role in successful
school events, most notably her leadership of the superb
Christmas market trip to Cologne and Düsseldorf, one of
the largest MFL trips there had been for some time. We
wish her all the best in her promoted post in her new
school.
Richard Wilson, Head of German and Other Languages
One of the long-lasting traditions in the Spanish
Department is to celebrate El día de la hispanidad or
Hispanity Day. On every 12th October we plan a range
of activities related to the theme, in and out of the
classroom, to raise awareness of the huge multi-cultural
diversity of the Spanish-speaking world. It is always a good
opportunity to get a flavour for the food and culture.
Our upper school pupils had the opportunity to show off
their culinary skills and cook a good number of amazing
tapas in the Sixth Form centre, followed by the viewing
of the cinematographic adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s
masterpiece, Como agua para chocolate.
Shortly after the half-term holiday, and having
completed the module on the topic of food, we took all
our Fourth Form to a tapas restaurant in Bournemouth
where pupils had to order their food in Spanish. As always
the evening was very pleasant and productive, and our
Galician host, Celso, was very impressed not only by the
linguistic standard of our pupils but also their politeness.
In the Easter term it was the Fifth Form’s turn to go
out. On this occasion the experience had more of a Latin
American feel as our traditional tapas dinner was followed
by a salsa dancing lesson with an exceptional Cuban
dancing teacher. The great Enrique managed to get every
single pupil, and most members of staff, onto the dance
floor. Somehow, a crowded and rather disorganised dance
floor became a synchronised group of skilful salseros.
The Lower and Upper Sixths had a good number of
opportunities to get involved. We managed to take the
whole Spanish Sixth Form to the Bloomsbury Theatre in
London to see a play about the life of Federico García
Lorca which was enjoyable and enlightening. We also
had the opportunity to take all sixth-formers to watch
Almodóvar´s new creation, Los amantes pasajeros, in the
Lighthouse theatre in Poole.
This year we had the privilege of having a very special
visit from Argentina. Karina and Sacky, from El Hogar El
Alba in Buenos Aires, spent a few days with us where they
came to lessons to explain their project in the Argentinian
orphanage. Our pupils had the opportunity to develop
their language skills and gain a good understanding of the
differences between this beautiful rioplatense accent and
Spanish from Spain. Beyond the linguistic opportunities,
Karina, Sacky and their family gave us all a very humbling
lesson in solidarity and generosity as they expanded
ACADEMIC
Spanish
on their day-to-day experiences living with deprived
children. As always, we were delighted to see a very
healthy number of our Lower Sixth hispanists joining the
Argentina Partnership to contribute to the exceptional
task undertaken by the staff in El Hogar.
We were very pleased to see so much enthusiasm and
passion for the Spanish language and culture amongst
our pupils this year. Although it is very true that we are
never short of celebrations and festivals, most of which
revolve around food, drink and music, Canford pupils have
embraced every opportunity to experience the culture
first hand and make it part of their own.
Fran Compan, Head of Spanish
“Somehow,
a crowded
and rather
disorganised
dance floor
became a
synchronised
group of skilful
salseros.”
Other modern foreign languages
In addition to the CIE IGCSE and Pre-U courses taught
in French, German and Spanish in the main timetable, the
‘Other Languages’ Department currently offers specialist
teaching and exam preparation in Mandarin, Italian,
Russian, Portuguese and Polish for both native and nonnative speakers of all ages and at all levels on a private
basis, individually or in small groups. The combined
number of native speakers worldwide of these five
languages amounts to nearly two billion people! In the
last few years pupils have also prepared themselves
independently for exams in Persian and Arabic. The takeup of these additional languages at Canford is growing
steadily and exam results have been excellent, with
almost all GCSE and A-level results at Grade A*/A and
no grade lower than a B.
Outside the classroom, the Chinese Moon Festival
in the Sixth Form centre and the Chinese New Year
celebrations in the Long Gallery were great cultural
events for the pupils and teachers as always and, as
part of our European Day of Languages events, pupils
enjoyed, amongst other things, language taster lessons in
Italian and Russian and an introductory handball coaching
session from a former state-level player in Poland.
Richard Wilson, Head of German and Other Languages
23
ACADEMIC
Geography
There are roughly 150 students studying Geography at
GCSE level and around 70 at AS and A2. The Geography
Department at Canford has now found a new home in
the refurbished Lovell block and has seven staff members
teaching across the age ranges. We have been delighted
that some ten students applied for Geography-related
courses this year, including Cameron Groat, who was
offered a place at Cambridge to read the subject.
Over 80 Shells entered the annual Dorset
Geographical Association ‘Why is my place in Dorset
“The annual study
of the River Piddle
is still going strong
and we enjoyed
a wonderfully
warm day in the
Dorset countryside
in September.”
24
so special?’ competition, with eight being commended
for their entries. In the Dorset ‘World Wise’ Quiz,
hosted by Canford in the Layard Theatre, the Canford
team was pitted against Bryanston in the final tie-break,
unfortunately losing in the last minute. Congratulations
to Dominic Hammond in particular who captained that
team.
In May we were invited to send a team to the Field
Studies Council centre on Exmoor to compete against
other teams for prestigious prizes. The theme of the
weekend was ‘Sustainability in National Parks’ and the
team, consisting of Will Hurd Wood, James Priaulx
and Dominic Hammond, were tasked with highlighting
the issues of managing National Parks. The weekend
consisted of visits to Dunster, Exford, Porlock and
Dunkery Beacon – along with the obligatory McDonalds
stop on the way home! We were also very lucky to be
offered an opportunity to take 30 Shells to the Met
Office in Exeter as a part of an enrichment trip alongside
the Maths Department, with whom we have been
working closely this year on cross-curricular projects.
The GCSE years have been studying a range of topics
including coastal environments and urban settlements.
The annual pilgrimage to Highcliffe happened on a
relatively clear day in September to study coastal
defences. Pupils were then treated to a boat trip across
to Mudeford Spit, a train ride around Hengistbury Head
and field work on the salt marshes. Meanwhile the Fifth
Form spent their field day in Southampton studying
urban regeneration, with a pit stop in the New Forest to
discuss issues of National Park Management.
In the Sixth Form we have been able to provide
a range of opportunities for our students to involve
themselves in the Geography world. The keystone was
the annual Biology/Geography field trip to the Isle of
Arran at Easter. We continue to host the annual Royal
Geographical Society Annual Lecture and Dinner and
pupils were entertained by stories of embassy life in the
remote islands of Vanatu this year. Portsmouth University
welcomed a group of sixth-formers for a tour and lecture
on ‘Mega cities and their legacies’ (with particular focus
on London and the 2012 Olympics). Around 30 sixthformers attended the Dorset Geographical Association
Spring Conference at Talbot Heath School. Professor Tony
Callaghan spoke effusively on the role of climate change
in the Arctic, which fed directly into the AS course. It was
a real coup to get Professor David Petley from Durham
University to speak to the entire year group about his
work on hazard mapping and landslides – in between his
trips to Sichuan province in China and New Zealand!
Fieldwork remains integral to the AS and A2
course and one of the reasons many pupils enjoy
their Geography experience in the Sixth Form. The
annual study of the River Piddle is still going strong and
we enjoyed a wonderfully warm day in the Dorset
countryside in September. The London field trip in June
changes each year, but in one day we managed to cram
in a visit to the Olympic Park, a trip on the Emirates
Gondola, tours of the city of London, Spitalfields, Brick
Lane, Tower Hamlets and Kings Cross, and a cruise along
the Regents Canal to Camden. A visit to Boscombe to
study urban rebranding in the penultimate week of term
is a good way to reinforce classroom activities.
Kirstin Hoey, Head of Geography
The academic year opened with a trip to the World
War I battlefields in the Somme area and around Ypres.
The forty soon-to-be Fifth Form pupils were set a
demanding pace – managing to visit over double what
would be achieved on a standard tour – and were
asked to be actively involved at each stage, having found
appropriate readings or poems for each of the sites we
visited. Highlights of the trip were placing a cross in the
field where the great-grandfather of one of our pupils
fell in action; the tour at Beaumont-Hamel, which was
full of information; a visit to the Menin Gate ceremony,
which was extremely evocative and – the pupils’
favourite – a visit to Vimy Ridge, where we were able to
explore the extensive underground tunnels dug by the
British and Empire troops.
Throughout the year, the Sixth Form Layard Society
has been well attended. As ever, the annual historical
fancy dress dinner and quiz was a big hit, with some
creative costumes and some even more creative
answers at times to the quiz questions posed! It never
ceases to amaze the History Department staff the
lengths to which some pupils go to put together a
good costume, and this year was no exception with
the Tennant sisters coming as Amy Johnson and her
plane (which won the award for best costume made
out of cardboard), Will Cockburn attending as ‘the boy
in striped pyjamas’ and Will Downey as an excellent
Victorian gentleman. Mr Fearnley made a particularly
dashing knight and there were several revolutionary Che
Guevaras, complete with stuck on beards!
Towards the end of the Easter term, the Layard
Society was very lucky to welcome back to Canford
Dr Edward Hampshire (F95). He gave an extremely
interesting and at times controversial talk on the late
Margaret Thatcher as well as spending a good amount
of his talk on how historians go about their work.
One Lower Sixth historian was inspired to try and
find archival work over the holidays in preparation for
reading History when he leaves Canford.
The department has continued to expand the choice
which it offers to pupils. This year our Fourth Forms
have started the CIE IGCSE course through which they
will get a really thorough perspective on the events
of the 20th century. At A level we have two sets of
early modern historians and two sets of late modern
historians in both the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth,
and the department is now able to offer eight different
topics at AS and, from next year, seven topics at A2. Such
choice is very unusual, and we teach over double the
number of courses which most schools are able to offer:
a fact of which we are very proud, and which makes the
subject a popular one for pupils making their choices.
Alongside the English Department, we ran a historical
fiction competition for Shells and Fourth Forms this year.
The idea was to write 800-1000 words, either as a short
story or as an opening chapter to a piece of writing
grounded in any aspect of History. We were delighted
that some pupils took up the challenge, and were
pleased to award prizes to both Milo Dack and James
Priaulx.
Having started the year with a history trip, we finished
with three days at the ever-expanding Chalke Valley
History Festival. Twenty Lower Sixth pupils visited the
ACADEMIC
History
festival and were treated to a range of thought-provoking
lectures and a wide range of Living History exhibits which
included an opportunity to loose an arrow from a longbow – staff made sure they were out of range! The next
day it was the turn of sixty fourth-formers (plus fifteen
from the Bourne Academy whom we transported in our
minibuses) to travel to Chalke Valley. They listened to a
range of historians speaking on relevant GCSE topics,
and also enjoyed wandering around the Living History
exhibits. The following day saw the first ever primary
school day at the Chalke Valley Schools Festival – proudly
sponsored by Canford School! I was honoured to open
the proceedings and introduce the first speaker of the
day, Martin Brown, the illustrator of the wonderful series
of Horrible Histories books.
As I write at the end of the summer term, we look
forward to the arrival of Tom Marriott from Cranleigh
School, who will take over as Head of History this
September, and to our change to Edexcel for A level
from next year.
Dr Clare Ives, Head of History
“It never ceases
to amaze
the History
Department
staff the lengths
to which some
pupils go to put
together a good
costume, and
this year was
no exception.”
25
ACADEMIC
Mathematics
“We were also
delighted to
welcome Simon
Singh back to
Canford to give a
talk to students
of all ages. He
covered many
areas of Maths
that were close
to his heart,
including global
warming and the
Maths behind
the Simpsons!”
26
It was all change at the end of last year in the Maths
Department as we said sad farewells to three of our
colleagues: Bridget Keely, Ben Sparks and Alan Naden. All
had played a significant role in the last four or five years
and helped further the success of the department. We
wish them all the very best in their new and varied roles
in Malaysia, Bath and Bournemouth. We are now joined
by Stuart Gordon (Second in Department,) Simon Rood
(also Head of Computing) and Dyfan Coles. We are also
pleased to welcome Will Moreland as a graduate assistant
in the Maths Department.
The number of students studying Maths continues
to rise, with over 80% of the school taking IGCSE or A
level last year. About 75% of the Lower Sixth opt to take
Maths to at least AS level. As we move into 2014/15, we
currently have 91 pupils in that year in eight different sets.
This gives us the opportunity to give students choice
in the modules that they sit, enabling them to tailor the
course to their interests and future career.
Results were excellent in the summer, with over half of
the A level candidates getting A* or A grades and over
80% getting A* to B. The most impressive results, though,
were the IGCSE results, which were the best ever by
every conceivable measure. Well over half the students
achieved an A*, over 90% an A* or A and 99% achieved
at least a B. The future looks bright in the next few years.
Canford’s mathematicians have been busy outside
the classroom as well. Over 200 students took part in
either the UKMT Intermediate or Senior Mathematical
Challenges, with the vast majority achieving bronze, silver
and gold certificates. A significant number were invited
to take part in follow-up rounds. We also entered a
team in the Senior Maths Team Challenge, a competition
involving Maths skills and teamwork. The team performed
admirably in the regional final, winning one of the three
rounds and narrowly missing out on qualification for the
national final.
Our Lower Sixth further mathematicians attended two
lecture days last year. The first was at St Swithun’s School
in Winchester, where we were treated to three fascinating
lectures by Ria Symonds (‘The Friendship Paradox of
Facebook’), Coralie Colmez (‘Maths on Trial’) and our
own Ben Sparks (‘The Sacred Geometry of Chance’). All
these talks demonstrated how the Maths learnt at A level
can be used in the real world, even to solve crimes.
Later in the year Canford hosted a series of lectures
entitled ‘Take Maths to the Limit’. Speakers included
Sharon Tripconey (‘Networks and Discrete Maths’), Ted
Graham (‘What is beyond Maths at A-level?’) and Ben
Sparks again (‘Pretty Irrational’). A fiendish quiz over
lunchtime got students grappling with Group Theory,
Computing, Continued Fractions and Dabbling in
Dimensional Analysis, with great success.
We were also delighted to welcome Simon Singh
back to Canford to give a talk to students of all ages.
He covered many areas of Maths that were close to his
heart, including global warming and the Maths behind the
Simpsons!
Canford’s Maths teachers have not just taught our own
students; a number of them contributed to the school’s
SHINE project for children from local primary schools
and the ‘Magical Maths’ talks for prep schools.
A large number of Canfordians entered the Maths
Department’s photo competition at the start of last year.
Students and staff were invited to photograph anything
within the grounds of the school and to write about the
Maths behind it. The winner was fourth-former Ollie
Dunger of Court, who took a fantastic photo of parallel
lines distorted by glasses of water.
Richard Baldwin, Head of Mathematics
ACADEMIC
Philosophy and Religious Studies
Record numbers signing up at both GCSE and A2
level, record results in the previous summer’s exams, a
brand new Shell course and an array of activities and
events outside the classroom have all helped to generate
an atmosphere of real excitement around the Philosophy
and Religious Studies Department this year.
The mainstay of any department’s academic success
will always be classroom teaching that grabs pupils’
imaginations and desire to learn. A new Shell course,
based around four of the biggest questions humanity
has to face (‘How can I learn about reality?’, ‘What is the
purpose of life?’, ‘How should I live?’ and ‘Who am I?’) has
allowed this year’s Shells to explore philosophers from
Plato and Aristotle to Descartes and Camus alongside
religious viewpoints including Buddhism, Hinduism
and Christianity – but all in the context of issues and
questions, our answers to which will unavoidably shape
our lives until the day we die.
The variety of non-examined ‘Religion and Society’
courses in the Fourth Form continues, with pupils
examining modules dealing variously with religious
texts, the relationships between religion and science,
the history of music in religion and the ever-favoured
‘God in the media’ module. Projects completed by those
taking the GCSE have produced presentations and video
documentaries on issues as varied as scientology and
the sex slave trade, while others have raised hundreds of
pounds for worthy causes including Rowan’s Hospice and
Help for Heroes.
We continue to be spoilt by exam courses that take
in issues as wide-ranging as the existence of the human
soul, the problem of evil, the feasibility of the supernatural,
the implications of quantum physics for philosophy and
religion, the question of freewill, the moral systems of
hedonism and the ethics of questions such as capital
punishment, abortion and euthanasia.
The increasing size of the department has made
activities outside the confines of the classroom ever more
feasible, and the annual ‘RS Dinner’, involving costumes
ranging from simply adventurous to borderline heretical
– a favourite being Jesus walking on water (bottles) – was
joined by two new ventures.
The first was a day-long conference run and hosted by
the department at Canford, involving ten local schools and
almost 200 Sixth Form pupils, with lectures and seminars
aimed at both cementing syllabus knowledge and aiming
for a broader look at philosophy and religion as a whole.
These bookended the all-important ‘Debatathon’ in the
middle, encouraging pupils to pit their wits against students
from other schools in intellectual combat.
Perhaps the cap to the year, though, was a five-day
visit to Rome, run and organised jointly with the Classics
Department. Taking in the city in all its glory, exploring both
its classic and Christian heritage through visits to, amongst
others, the Forum, Colosseum, Vatican, Catacombs and
of course the fantastic number of beautiful churches that
dominate the streets, was a truly incredible experience –
as one Upper Sixth leaver described it, ‘The highlight of my
school career’.
Just as this year saw Chris Jervis move on and Phil Jack
step into his place – a move he has made with typical
deftness and confidence as he switches with ease between
his different hats of Chaplain and teacher – next year will
see Ieuan Weir take over as head of department, while
John Boothby departs for pastures new. Ieuan joins from a
very successful HoD-ship in Coventry, and all signs point to
an academic year to come just as full of excitement as this
past one.
John Boothby, Head of Philosophy and Religious Studies
“The mainstay of
any department’s
academic success
will always
be classroom
teaching that
grabs pupils’
imaginations and
desire to learn.”
27
ACADEMIC
“Field trips have
been as varied this
year as ever, as we
believe strongly as
a department that
seeing things in
action helps us to
understand them.”
28
Physics
Despite the odd flood or ceiling collapse, students have
been able to continue to enjoy the recently enhanced
facilities within the department. The seminar room,
colloquially dubbed the ‘fish tank’ by Canfordians, is being
put to good use as the go-to base for group homework
meetings, revision clinics and other student-led
independent study. The room is also used as a space to
relax and unwind while reading one of the many science
and engineering-based magazines we offer for all to read.
We have had another very successful set of results,
the hands-on and multi-disciplined approach to student
learning benefitting students of all abilities. Noteworthy
mentions include Ella Penny, who scored a perfect UMS
score in her GCSE exams this year, and Carol Ma, who
attained a silver award in the British Physics Olympiad
this year to go with the bronze she achieved last year.
This puts her in the top hundred or so physicists in
the country. She was one of the five A level students
achieving an A* at A2 level. The vast majority of students
who planned to read a physical-based science or
engineering degree have achieved results placing them
successfully in their first choice of both university and
course.
Co-curricular activities have been a big part of
the department buzz as usual. The Formula 24 team
successfully developed and engineered their car to its
third bronze award in the national Greenpower electric
vehicle racing series with support from our sister team
in the Bourne Academy. Canford’s Sixth Form engineers
have stepped up their involvement in the F24 team,
developing advanced designs or doing some of the more
complex manufacturing tasks that require their more
advanced and precise manufacturing skills. Pupils from
the Bourne Academy have shared our Physics facilities to
assist them in their fledgling A-level course, and sixthformers have continued their work teaching science
to local primary school children. The engineering and
astronomy clubs have grown further this year, with the
former being developed into a formal lecture society for
the new academic year.
Field trips have been as varied this year as ever, as we
believe strongly as a department that seeing things in
action helps us to understand them. Recent trips include
attendance to lectures detailing the evolution of our
universe, 1000-mph rocket-powered cars, RNLI lifeboat
design, and light and lasers, visiting a stellar observatory,
plus seeing how Sunseeker yachts are made, trips to
the local hospital’s imaging and radiology departments,
and the annual favourite A-Level trip to Thorpe Park
to investigate the physics of rollercoaster g-forces,
frictionless electro-dynamic braking systems – and to
have some educational fun on all of the rides of course!
Use of the Physics Department’s new workshop is
developing continually, with several Extended Project
Qualifications based in and around the Physics workshop.
These include designing and building an electric guitar, the
study of joints and building structures for a tree house,
hydrodynamic planing boat hull design, intergalactic
space vehicle design, and assessment of stressed chassis
members for Canford’s own racing car.
The Sixth Form physics book club continues to grow.
It is subscribed to by the majority of our A-level students,
who read popular science books before they meet the
challenge of the various quizzes on the book over dinner
once a term.
A field trip at the end of the Upper Sixth year based
around chemical energy transfer, electricity and fluid
flow rounded off the social side of being a physicist in a
manner much enjoyed by all.
Steve Excell and Chris Fenwick
The Politics Department is a small but lively one
staffed by three members of staff teaching between 26
and 32 pupils in the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth. Most
pupils choose AS Politics very much as their ‘fourth
option’ to add breadth and diversity to their three main
subject choices – but those who do choose it almost
invariably discover their individual inner political compass
and stick with it to A2. The A2 set numbers between
11 and 16, and half of those end up studying Politics at
university in some form or other, either as a main subject
or in combination with another. The department also
makes a useful and routine contribution to the lower
school ‘civics/connections’ programme.
AS & A2 results are routinely strong; the A2 results
for 2014 were 3xA*, 4xA, 3xB, 4xC. AS results were
also encouraging, with two pupils being nominated to
participate in the Global Leadership Programme in New
York and Washington DC over the summer.
The department is active in organising events outside
the curriculum. Following on from the AS syllabus
introduction to ‘political parties’, we screened A Very British
Coup, which imagines what might have happened if a
radical left-wing Labour leader had been elected Prime
Minister with a landslide in the mid-1980s. Although very
much a film of its time (made 1988), it generated much
discussion and thought about how Britain should be run.
The Upper Sixth enjoyed an academically enriching
and stimulating day out when they attended the annual
‘Congress to Campus’ lectures at the British Library
conference centre. These lectures support the A2
government and politics syllabus in US politics, adding
relevance and perspective to what the pupils are learning
in the classroom. The speakers included two former
members of the House of Representatives.
‘Politicos’, the Politics Department society, co-sponsored
with the History Department a lecture by Dr Edward
Hampshire, an Old Canfordian and senior lecturer and
defence strategist at Sandhurst, entitled ‘How Thatcherite
was Thatcher’s Britain?’ Canford teaching staff with long
memories were reminded of the brutal controversies
Thatcher provoked in the 1970s and 1980s. Few
“On the same
day in May as
Britain voted for
its MEPs, Canford
was holding
its own mock
election. It was
run in exactly the
same way as the
national elections
and there was
some energetic
and imaginative
campaigning.”
political leaders are influential enough to have an ‘ism’
after their name, but no political philosophy has shaped
Britain in quite the same way as Thatcherism, although Dr
Hampshire was at pains to point out that it evolved rather
than appeared, and has been adapted by all UK political
parties.
On the same day in May as Britain voted for its MEPs,
Canford was holding its own mock election. It was run in
exactly the same way as the national elections and there
was some energetic and imaginative campaigning. The
turnout at Canford was higher than it was in the South
West for the ‘proper’ elections, despite depletions caused
by study leave. The Conservatives came out on top with
34% of the vote, but Canfordians showed that they do
not follow the crowd by voting the Monster Raving Loony
Party into second place with 19%: a good enough result to
win a seat for the South West in the European Parliament
if it had been replicated in the national election.
In June, Paul Dugdale, a circuit judge at Isleworth
Crown Court, a current Canford parent and OC, gave
a highly entertaining, lively and enlightening talk about
his work as a judge, how judges make the law and why
judges sometimes come into conflict with politicians. He
ended by giving the audience some sentencing scenarios,
presenting real circumstances (without names) which the
group discussed and then tried to agree a sentence: a most
illuminating and entertaining exercise.
Andrew Fearnley, Head of Politics
29
ACADEMIC
Politics
ACADEMIC
Physical Education
“He talked
about the mental
attitude that
is needed to
succeed at the
highest level and
gave some very
neat real-life
instances of
psychological
theory being
applied to
sporting
situations.”
The transition to A2 started off in an exciting
manner for this year’s Upper Sixth with a visit to
Southampton Solent University’s sport and exercise
testing unit. There they were put through their paces
using state-of-the-art physiological testing equipment.
Mike Haines bravely volunteered to complete the
VO2Max test and this involved him being pushed to
his limits on the treadmill while various performance
measurements were taken. The most exciting part
was when one of his fellow sixth-formers witnessed
the lecturer take his blood to measure the onset of
blood lactic acid, and the sight of it caused her to faint!
Undeterred, Mike ran on and scored an impressively
high max, equivalent to that normally associated with an
endurance athlete rather than the rugby player he is.
Later on in the year, Chris Shambrook PhD came to
chat to the sports scholars and our A Level groups. He
is a world-renowned expert on the psychology of elite
performance and has worked with the GB rowing team
at the last four Olympic Games. He talked about the
mental attitude that is needed to succeed at the highest
level and gave some very neat real-life instances of
psychological theory being applied to sporting situations.
Our A2 group scored some impressive results this
summer with 50% of the set getting A*’s. This year’s
cohort are going to have to work very hard to
better that!
Nick Baugniet, Head of Physical Education
Design Technology
At Canford we have always tried to mix
old technologies with the new, to give pupils the
opportunity to become exciting designers when
attempting to resolve real problems. In keeping with
new developments, we use computer-aided design
systems that can link to our CNC (that is, computercontrolled) router and laser cutter, and now we can add
3D printing to our armoury with the recent acquisition
of a machine that keeps our DT department up to date
with new developments in the world of design and
manufacture.
There will always be room for the wood- and
metal-based project, the best materials for most of our
prototyping, but now we might well see them displayed
alongside ideas and concepts that would have been
impossible to produce without these new technologies.
One such pair of projects illustrate this contrast.
The ‘Quad Copter’ is being designed and made in
carbon fibre on CNC (Computer Numerical Control)
machinery by Luke Bannister and Jack England, two
Shells with a passion for technology who are fitting this
project into their free time. The ‘Snowboard Security
System’ is a mechanical method of securing snowboards
outside restaurants and hotels etc, linked in to a ‘hire
lock’ concept that could make it a viable business
proposition. This was designed and made, using more
traditional manufacturing techniques, by Sam Harrison,
now an A level Design Technology pupil, as a part of his
GCSE. Bright, innovative, impressive and fun!
Neil Watkins, Head of Design Technology
30
Pastoral
Canford prides itself upon its warm, supportive
community, large enough to offer a wealth of
opportunity, but small enough for everyone to be
known and valued. Pastoral care is caring housemasters
and housemistresses, medical provision, matrons who
listen, good food, teachers who understand when things
go wrong, guidance and support. Underpinning all of this
is communication between the pupil, their parents and
the school. This is the backbone of our pastoral ethos
and offers an holistic approach, encouraging everyone to
work together and bring out the best in each individual.
We aim to foster in our pupils the capacity to cope
with the demands of 21st-century living, encouraging
pupils to understand themselves, to develop emotional
resilience and to manage their achievements and
disappointments with maturity.
Each house team, led by the housemaster or
housemistress and including tutors, matrons and
domestic staff, cares deeply about the pupils they look
after. Formal and informal systems operate side by
side to ensure that support is readily available when a
child needs it. The pupils have a wide range of adults
whom they can approach and who will have concern
for them. Some pupils will find they talk most easily to a
matron, others to their housemaster or housemistress,
tutor or health centre nurses. Some prefer to talk to
the Chaplain, or the counsellor if they are worried
about something in particular, because they find them
particularly accessible. We like to think that it would be
hard for a pupil not to find someone he or she finds it
easy to talk to.
Included within our pastoral care activities are an
increasing number of external visitors who are experts
on particular issues surrounding teenage wellbeing
and welfare. 2013-14 has seen the development of a
Pastoral Education Programme to which parents, pupils
and staff have been invited. Thus we have welcomed
Dick Moore (www.dickmoore.org), who spoke on the
topic of adolescent mental health, while the Safe Schools
Community Team raised e-safety awareness with the
Shells, Fourth Form and Lower Sixth and the NHS
Dorset Healthcare Group tackled sex education with
the Fourth Form.
In 2014-15 we look forward to hearing from Dr Tina
Rae, who will host a series of interactive and informative
workshops on the topic of resilience and emotional
wellbeing, Bob Tait from Drug Education UK, and the
Alcohol Education Trust.
In June 2014 our first cohort of eight Fifth Form
pupils embarked upon two days of Peer 2 Peer
training. The course was run by Relate with the aim of
developing active listening and goal-setting skills alongside
understanding the core conditions for building trust.
Peer support is well liked by young people and
we see it as an effective way of creating a culture of
listening, empathy and support. The mentors will help
with low-level issues and concerns under the watchful
eye of supervisor Leigh Corbould (housemaster of
School House). They are trained to listen well, to provide
support, to be non-judgmental and reflective and to refer
on any difficult concerns. With over thirty pupils applying
to be mentors, we will have run a further two-day
training course in the autumn.
New from September 2014 has been a formal
programme of activities for Saturday evenings and Sunday
afternoons. Weekends are an integral part of Canford life
and for the boarders who are in on any given weekend
there are a wide range of activities on offer. Our new
programme will offer activities tailored to particular year
groups to ensure that there is something of interest for
varying ages. A dedicated Shell weekends programme
aims to ensure that there is little time to feel homesick or
lonely during this important first year of boarding life.
Some of the activities on offer for the Christmas term
are: Krypton Factor quiz, karaoke, bandfest, film night,
pizza-making, bowling, jewellery-making, Splashdown,
mixed hockey tournament, house music competition,
junior and senior discos, and West Quay Christmas
shopping trip.
Keeping busy, active pupils well fed is of the utmost
importance to the Canford catering team led by Jane
Giddy. New head chef Glen Elie arrived in April 2014
and he has made an immediate impact with the pupils,
listening to their feedback at the Pupil Food Committee
and responding to their suggestions with a range of
new dishes. ‘Rib Tuesdays’ and ‘Waffle Wednesdays’ are
particularly popular!
Nick Hunter, Deputy Head (Pastoral)
“We like to think
that it would
be hard for a
pupil not to find
someone he or
she finds it easy
to talk to.”
31
PASToRaL
Beaufor t
“Despite the Shells
professing that
they couldn’t swim
and were likely
to drown, none
of them actually
did, which was a
pretty good result!”
This was to be the last year I would be associated with
Beaufort. After thirteen years at the helm, it felt rather
surreal, but Beaufort life and the ethos of the house
continued unabated. Yes, we can have our ups and downs
and tiredness and pressure of academic work and cocurricular activities can get to us all, but generally the girls
and staff were a tower of strength to each other. The
feeling of community one has in Beaufort is something
many visitors have remarked upon, and it is something I
will miss. For example, the Shells entered into the spirit
of Beaufort life from the start with their tireless support
for house teams. The Fourth Form taught them well –
how important is the house!
The house enjoyed some notable successes during
the year. Bea Watts and Beth Rees totally outclassed the
opposition in the final of the house debating competition;
despite a rather difficult topic, they prepared and
delivered superbly.
Beaufort won the junior house hockey, with a team
of supporters more cohesive than that from any other
house, from chanting simultaneously down to pink war
paint. The seniors won their competition in equally
impressive and determined style – it is a long time since
Beaufort won both competitions. The cross-country
competition was run on a beautiful afternoon and
although there were no house trophies on this occasion,
Laura Stacey came third in the senior event. Everyone
who ran, or even walked, was out there for the good of
the house, and could feel a sense of accomplishment.
For the first time this year, Canford CCF ran a Junior
NCOs’ course and Georgina Dean won the inaugural
trophy for showing the best skills and leadership on the
course.
The house netball competition was fought on a
beautiful afternoon. The junior team, led ably by Maia
Jemmett, had mixed fortunes, with some excellent
games and others where things just didn’t come
together. The senior team, however, were really up for
it and desperately wanted to win the double, having
already won house hockey. Led by Alice Thornton in her
customary calm and understated style, their performance
as a team was truly outstanding, beating the most
experienced side in the tournament 9-8. But in the end,
the mountain they had set themselves to climb was just
too high.
I think it is fair to say that swimming is not Beaufort’s
strength. However, despite the Shells professing that
they couldn’t swim and were likely to drown, none of
them actually did, which was a pretty good result! From a
house full of rowers in the last two years, numbers have
dwindled somewhat, and Beaufort were unable to put
on the grand show of previous years. However, the girls
fought bravely, kept dry for the most part, and enjoyed
the camaraderie, BBQs and picnics that are such an
essential part of regattas.
The seniors managed to bring back the coveted
athletics trophy once more. Lucy Ashcroft and Katie
Holdoway performed exceptionally well, with Lucy
winning the Victrix Ludorum, thus keeping the cup
in Beaufort for a fifth consecutive year. The junior
competition was again as tight as it could be, with
Beaufort drawing with Marriotts. Girls willingly took part
despite not rating athletics as their main talent, and their
points were every bit as valuable in winning the trophies.
Runners-up in house art was another good result for
Beaufort, with Olivia Morse, Annie Barons, Imy Gamble,
Annie Lumby and Holly Twist working well to put
everything together – albeit rather late in the day!
Preparations for the house play, A Weird Wooded Tale,
being presented jointly with Franklin, started in the
Christmas term, but even this took second place early
in the Easter term as preparations for house music took
place. The string quartet of Jess Hall, Amelia Bailey, Maia
Jemmett and Olivia Morse received very complimentary
comments by the adjudicator on the evening of the
competition. Alice Thornton, Annie Massy-Collier, Ellie
Bellfield, Mim Hornsby, Ellie Stewart-Dodd, Amelia
Bailey, Maia Jemmett, Kira Fowle, Annabelle Budd and
Honor Hornsby (piano), sang absolutely brilliantly
for the contemporary entry. There is a hush which
goes around the audience in the Music School when
something special happens, and that suddenly became
very apparent as the song progressed. All the girls took
rehearsing for the house song seriously (in the end!),
recognising that learning the words and the moves as
well as the harmonies paid dividends and made the
process so much more enjoyable.
With house music out of the way, attention once
more returned to the play. Both performances were
very well received, so congratulations to Annie Barons
and Olivia Morse for their determination in getting
this play off the ground, despite little experience in the
theatre themselves, and for standing up to the boys but
knowing when to accept the voice of experience from
some extremely talented Franklin actors!
Members of Beaufort played a full part in the school’s
wider musical and dramatic life. In the school musical,
The Hired Man, Kira Fowle and Ellie Stewart-Dodd
appeared on stage, and Amelia Bailey, Maia Jemmett
and Honor Hornsby made their contribution in the
orchestra pit.
A number of Beaufort students have been involved
in the Northam project, which helps deprived children
from Southampton. Others have been enthusiastic
members of the CCF, while other activities have ranged
from power-boating to geocaching.
Social events have included fireworks, followed by
hot dogs and apple-bobbing, in the Christmas term.
That term also saw the Christmas party, of course, at
which the Shells contributed an excellent ‘Twelve days
of Canford’ and the Upper Sixth organised a quiz before
the music started up for the disco and the lights went
down. The summer term saw plenty of opportunities
for afternoon tea and scones, cream and jam - the
Devonshire way with jam on top of the cream!
I have had the benefit of working alongside matron
Sharon Curtis for virtually all my thirteen years at
Beaufort. As I believe she said in her speech at my
last Beaufort At Home, never a cross word between
us, and I think we made a pretty good team! This was
only strengthened by the addition of matrons Julie and
Debbie over the years and I have nothing but admiration
for their endless patience. The house tutors, Laura Pick,
Caroline Evans, Vicky Lethbridge and Corinne Stone,
have been a wonderful source of information and their
opinions have been invaluable over the year. I will miss
their good humour and camaraderie. Thanks, too, to
Head of House Alice Thornton and her deputy, Annie
Massy-Collier, who have supported the house tirelessly.
I cannot begin to express what being Beaufort
housemistress has been like for the last thirteen years.
It has been time-consuming, at times exhausting. I have
dealt with rabbits, cats, squirrels, terrapins, guinea pigs and
goldfish as well as girls. I have chatted at silly-o’clock in
the morning, and escorted girls to the Health Centre on
cold, dark nights. I have drunk tea (mainly) with hundreds
of girls and shared both their successes and the down
times, but I have loved every minute of it. It has been a
great privilege to work with so many talented and giving
girls and their equally supportive parents. It has been a
real pleasure to get to know everyone and I will miss
you all!
Jan Smith
33
PASToRaL
“I have dealt
with rabbits,
cats, squirrels,
terrapins, guinea
pigs and goldfish
as well as girls.
I have chatted
at silly-o’clock in
the morning, and
escorted girls
to the Health
Centre on cold,
dark nights.”
PASToRaL
Court
Our lives in Court remain active, energetic and full
of passion for a challenge. It is in testing themselves on
the evening house run, creating flaming marshmallows
over a bonfire and social fun around the pool table that
the boys’ characters mature, and it is with maturity that
they learn the rewards of looking after each other and
the joy of feeling unified as a group, of having pride in
their peers. Whether at roll call, house assemblies or
“Pride of place
goes to the
many who have
given tirelessly of
their time in the
community service
programme
and who have
gained so much
as a result.”
34
house Chapel, there is an opportunity for them to feel
this sense of togetherness and it is something we will
continue to work on day by day. For this reason, pride of
place goes to the many who have given tirelessly of their
time in the community service programme and who
have gained so much as a result.
Once again the bulk of volunteers who helped out
on the day visit from Northam in the Christmas term
and on the annual Northam camp in the summer were
Court boys. Ben and Jake Moores along with James
Jordan have been especially commended, but many more
were involved in ways great and small. Ben has had a
huge influence in a number of projects over the years
and deserves special mention, while Freddie Dunger and
Will Moss in particular should also be congratulated for
their roles in various outreach projects. From visiting
the elderly to working in local schools and tackling
conservation projects, the educational value of such
volunteer work is difficult to overplay. Equally, Ollie
Bleeker has been highly commended for his leadership
of the Royal Navy section in the CCF, and Charlie
Hathorn was instrumental in bringing the boys’ 35-mile
Ten Tors team home in record time despite being hit by
severe gales and rain of the gargantuan variety.
The house’s production of Noises Off was voted Best
House Play at the ‘Canford Oscars’! The consummate
professionalism of the cast shone through, and Charlie
Burwell, Caspar Barnes, James Jordan and Elliot Ancona
are all natural thespians who had us in stitches with
this lively and adventurous romp, co-directed by Ben
Moores. Charlie Burwell and Ben Moores took to the
stage again, along with Ben Tysoe, in the extraordinary
school senior production of Hard Times. In the superb
school production of The Hired Man, Ben Moores, James
Jordan and Elliot Ancona trod the boards with their
usual panache.
Elliot also represented the house in the debating
competition, reaching the final in which he and Angus
Altham contended that ‘The USA remains a beacon
of light to the free world’. Despite having to cope with
the palpable anti-American spirits of the audience they
argued brilliantly, even winning over the completely
unbiased support of their housemaster. The house art
competition saw the final ‘installation’ conceived by Rory
Cowan, Alex Wells, Louis Ambrose, and a mélange of
other artistically minded brains. It involved the hanging of
a large pine tree across the Foyer (well, its trunk at least),
smoke machine (two fire alarms later), cutting paper
with razor-sharp Stanley knives (severe trauma, level
5) and danger of other falling woodwork (concussion
imminent).
Further artistic merit was displayed in the house music
competition in which our song, a tribute to our Scottish
matron, won plaudits from the adjudicator for its vitality,
‘uniqueness’ (!) and sense of fun. The contemporary
singing group, starring the Moores brothers, Matthew
Perry and Ben Read-Ward gave a truly outstanding
rendition of ‘Wandering Stranger’. Finally on the artistic
front, our Shell bell-ringers are in a league of their own
(partly because there is no other league) and have been
ringing the school into Chapel each Wednesday morning
with enthusiastic endeavour, much to the pride of their
housemaster.
On the sports front, Court provided the majority of
the talent for the 1st XV this year with Freddie Dunger
leading the way as vice-captain (players’ player award),
and Will Moss (‘Iron Man’ award), Charlie Burwell
(coaches’ player award), Ollie Bleeker, Otto Gray and
Felix Ambrose all influential in success. Despite being
seriously depleted for the house rugby competition,
the seniors were supremely spirited to win their group,
while our juniors were superb in defeating a bulky
Franklin side to reach the final.
Ed Wordsworth and Angus Altham represented
the school at the West of England U18 indoor hockey
finals, the former also playing for Bournemouth 1st XI
at the weekends. In house hockey we had high hopes
of retaining the senior trophy with no fewer than six
boys representing the school 1st XI. However, the short
matches worked against us and we were sadly knocked
out through a close-run penalty flick contest; the juniors
narrowly lost a compelling semi-final in which, although
the better team, we generously refused to score.
Canford was represented entirely by Court at the
National Real Tennis Championships in February, with
pride of place going to Monty Dix and Nick Milton,
who became National Champions at under-14 level. In
the house squash competition we retained the trophy,
beating Franklin in the final under the captaincy of Jamie
Nicholson.
Felix Ambrose hit no less than 165 against Bryanston
as captain of the school 1st XI and another century
against the MCC, and was joined in the team by Louis
Ambrose and Ed Wordsworth, with Alex Wells, Gus
Mitchell, Harri Williams and Charlie Holmes all making
the cut on occasions. Elsewhere, not content with
taking a hat-trick for the U14s against Winchester, Eddie
Kendall took a fourth wicket two balls later, finishing
with figures of 5 for 7. As the favourites heading into the
senior house cricket competition, we managed to set a
new record in the final, although sadly for the number of
wides bowled rather than anything which would bring
victory. The senior house tennis team defied the odds to
make a bid for victory and only narrowly lost due to bad
wind (of the climatic variety), while our juniors, in the
form of Ben Ashman and Nick Milton, used the weather
to good advantage to clinch victory over Lancaster.
We dominated the field events in the senior house
athletics competition, Ben Moores hurling his discus with
remarkable panache to win the event, and our hurdlers
displaying a technique so original (involving a direct hit
to every hurdle) that it left the crowd clamouring for
more. With a slightly more traditional approach our
junior team under the captaincy of Ollie Dunger jumped,
threw, sprinted and passed batons so effectively that
they emerged clear winners. Meanwhile, in regional
competition Nick Milton came third in his age group in
the West of England javelin.
In cerebral battle our indomitable house chess team
(Alex Wells, Alex Graham, Ollie Micklewright, Ben
Heyman and Ben Tysoe) worked its way through the
rounds with quiet confidence before losing out to a
strong Salisbury V in the final.
It is with sadness that we say goodbye to a truly
outstanding body of young men who will be leaving us
for pastures new this summer. This year’s Upper Sixth
have taken on the widest variety of challenges and have
excelled both in the classroom and the wider educational
arena, but more than this, they have grown as individuals
through camaraderie and a desire to live their lives to the
full. We also say good-bye to Mr Glendon-Doyle, who
has been a tower of strength in the house throughout his
two years with us.
Richard Salmon
35
PASToRaL
“This year’s
Upper Sixth have
taken on the
widest variety of
challenges and
have excelled both
in the classroom
and the wider
educational
arena, but more
than this, they
have grown as
individuals through
camaraderie and a
desire to live their
lives to the full.”
PASToRaL
de Lacy
“Watching them
crack difficulties
and emerge as
individuals is
what makes us
teachers tick.”
36
As ever, the Christmas term seemed the longest and
the most taxing, as days shortened and coughs and bugs
visited us. Listening to the amount of coughs in Chapel
during the last week of term, I knew it was time to go
home.
The new Shells – Emily Clunes, Imogen Edwards, Bea
Fairbairn, Holly Hewitt, Georgia Hutcheon, Alice Martin,
Daisy Morse, Kiyani Shah, Tasia Soskin, Rosie Spencer, Izzi
Toovey – added a bit of flavour to an already colourful
bunch. Five new Lower Sixth girls – Connie Beauchamp,
Rachel Harris, Hannah James, Veronika Martinkova and
V-T Shergill – joined our ranks, injecting new blood and
more flexibility in terms of friendship in a buoyant year
group. The UK, Singapore, Germany, Kenya, Nigeria, Saudi
Arabia, Jersey, Guernsey, Mallorca, Switzerland, Argentina,
India, Hong Kong, Australia, Palestine and France are
now represented in de Lacy, offering a tangible wealth of
cultural background.
Miss Deblander, our new live-in tutor, made her debut
and passed her probationary period with flying colours.
In fact, I suggested to senior management that we should
seriously consider cloning her.
House hockey saw a tremendous display of talent,
energy and feisty spirit. That’s what de Lacy girls are
made of! Both junior and senior teams showed hunger
and pride and lost only narrowly. I was very impressed
with the technique and general level of hockey played on
the day.
Academically, it is always very pleasing for me to read
excellent reports and for the most part they were. De
Lacy girls are laying the foundations to their academic
success without losing balance, and this is where I come
in. They must live in a happy and friendly environment
but strive, in essence, to work hard and play hard.
Getting the balance right, gaining independence and a
sense of control are the notions which we, as a team,
are trying to instil in them. Careful monitoring, sensing
changes in mood, advising – either in passing or forcefully,
depending on the individual – comforting, building up
confidence, nudging, in short letting them know that we
are there for them. Watching them crack difficulties and
emerge as individuals is what makes us teachers tick.
It was a very odd start to the Easter term! Never in its
history has Canford closed down, not even during World
War 2! Some parents inherited overseas students for the
first few days of term, which was a tremendous help and
added to our community feel.
As ever, the term was short but as intense as any
other. Our two-year house play slot was up. Combining
with a boys’ house (Court House) is exciting but can
be tricky, too. In fact, it was a very good experiment as
girls and boys had to put their views forward, listen to
one another and come to an agreement. An outstanding
production of Noises Off by Michael Frayn, directed
by Izzy Rickcord and Ben Moores, saw Beth Ashman,
Helena Regan and Stephanie Ewin take the stage. In
a short space of time, superb performances on both
nights were achieved for the delight of many parents and
Canfordians. Talent and professionalism shone through
without losing a sense of fun, a remarkable work both
on and backstage. Sammi Gower, Posy Hewitt and
Annie Fraser were involved in make-up. Annie Fraser
again produced the advertising flyer and Charlotte
Winterbourne helped design and build the set.
‘Pon de Replay’ by Rihanna was our house song this
year. Despite its commercial success (no. 1 in New
Zealand and on the US Billboard hot dance club songs
chart, no.2 on the UK singles chart), I was not entirely
sure it would impress Mr Sparkhall, our Director of
Music. The lyrics revolve around Rihanna asking a DJ to
turn up the volume of her favourite songs, and the name
means ‘play it again’ in Barbados Creole – not really Mr
Sparkhall’s scene!
But the girls were unanimous they wanted to sing this
dance track, which I thought catchy in terms of rhythm
but monotonous, repetitive and hardly thought-provoking
PASToRaL
as far as lyrics were concerned. With a metronome
of a hundred beats per minute, it was impossible for
sixty girls to sing in time, so Sammi Gower’s and Annie
Fraser’s first decision was to slow it down. Harmonies
were brought in and different movements created to
produce a much more interesting track. Dance clubs
would probably disagree, but Canford Music School
loved it! It was an impressive display even for those who
watched it streamed on the internet, and de Lacy won
house song for the second time in its history.
Our contemporary piece was ‘Power and Control’ by
Marina and the Diamonds, with Sammi Gower, Steph
Ewin, Helena Regan, Posy Hewitt, Veronica Martinkova,
Charlotte Daubeney, Gemma Daubeney, Bea Alcaraz on
vocals, Charlotte Winterbourne (drums), Bea Fairbairn
(piano), Annie Fraser (glockenspiel). They made a great
ensemble featuring girls from every year group – de
Lacy is an inclusive house, and I was proud and moved
to see how much warmth and understanding there was.
The act was tight and tuneful but in the end Marriotts
beat us with their a capella piece.
For our classical, ‘Ave Maria’ (Schubert, arr. Wellington
Sousa) was chosen. Ellen Thomas, Gen Khoury, Charlotte
Daubeney, Rebecca Thomas, Daisy Morse, Holly Hewitt,
Rosie Spencer, Bea Fairbairn, Veronika Martinkova,
Gemma Daubeney, Gemma Armstrong made a fair
attempt, but the title went to a day house.
The results of all these efforts was that de Lacy won
the overall house music title for the first time ever!
The junior netball cup is back in the trophy cabinet
this year, thanks to Gemma Armstrong, Bella Skeates,
Zibah Oyibo, Maddie Hobbs (shooting with one arm!),
Hannah Sherborne, Grace Gammell, Alice Martin and
Holly Hewitt.
It only took twelve years but the Summer term
saw the full completion of de Lacy with the welcome
addition of a garden. Many parents had commented for
years and helped me put pressure on management to
obtain it.
One of the highlights of the term was our twelve-mile
walk with the Shells (it was meant to be nine miles...). I
purchased England World Cup hats, as England were still
in the competition then, and on they marched, high-
spirited, chatting non-stop. De Lacy got to lunch first and
finished leagues ahead of Marriotts and Beaufort!
As well as house song, house music and junior house
netball, other de Lacy achievements during 2013-14
included house squash (Bethan Ashman, Rebecca
Nicholson, Posy Hewitt), senior house tennis (Sasha
Stalker, Connie Beauchamp, Rebecca Nicholson and
Kavita Shergill), house badminton (Issie Sheehan, Rebecca
Nicholson and Carol Ma) and house shooting (Connie
Beauchamp, Maddie Fairbairn and Hannah Sherborne).
Knocking myself out for three and a half weeks was
not planned. Concussion is often heard of in rugby
players and usually over in 48 hours. Not being diagnosed
straightaway delayed matters. I am sincerely sorry this
happened in term time and I would like to say a big
thank you to my team of tutors and matrons who made
the place tick in my absence, Miss Deblander and Maz
(matron) especially. De Lacy staff work as a team and
I am blessed to work with such outstanding and giving
personalities. Sammi Gower as head of house and her
co-deputies, Izzy Rickcord and Chloe Edwards, are also to
be praised for assisting my staff and protecting my privacy,
allowing me to rest and recover.
Marianne Marns
“The lyrics
revolve around
Rihanna asking
a DJ to turn up
the volume of
her favourite
songs, and the
name means
‘play it again’ in
Barbados Creole
– not really
Mr Sparkhall’s
scene!”
37
PASToRaL
Franklin
“The teenage
years are when we
start to work out
who we are and
if we can be true
to ourselves, then
everything else
falls into place.”
38
Reflecting on the year, there have been a lot
of personal and team highlights but it is the warm
atmosphere that I think is the defining characteristic.
Some of the greatest successes are the unsung ones
when an individual quietly decides to try something,
helps someone else or simply digs deep to be the best
they can. Doing good, building strong relationships with
family and friends and being happy would be in most
people’s top five. Mahatma Gandhi said: ‘Happiness is
when what you think, what you say, and what you do are
in harmony.’ Our aim must be to help pupils understand
and live that. The teenage years are when we start to
work out who we are and if we can be true to ourselves,
then everything else falls into place.
We say goodbye to a lively year group in this year’s
Upper Sixth who have led in house music, drama and
various sporting competitions. Amongst other things
they are off to pursue drama, politics and economics,
international relations, biology, marine biology, geology,
business management, history and English, economics
and finance. Thank you and I wish you luck in the future.
At Christmas Mrs Sanders retired from the Franklin
matron team. She has been a constant, friendly and
helpful face for many Franklin boys over the past seven
years. She will be sorely missed and I certainly owe her
a huge debt of thanks for her support and help. Our
Christmas dinner became Mrs Sanders’s emotional
farewell meal and as Tiffer Hutchings said in his thank-you
speech, ‘The gratitude that every single boy in Franklin
feels for her services above and beyond the call of duty
can hardly be summed up in words alone…. She has
been nothing short of a mother-figure to us all, watching
over her children with care and compassion. We will miss
her dearly and sincerely.’
We also said goodbye at the end of the summer term
to two of the house tutors to whom I owe so much:
Mr Sparks has been with us for five years, the
first three of them as live-in tutor. Being live-in tutor
surrounded by sixty teenagers takes a special talent and
he has it in spades. His talents on the guitar and mike
(he once busked around the world) made for many a
magical house evening and fabulous house parties His
passion for life, especially maths, music and magic, and for
his tutees made him a superb tutor and a real asset to
the house, where he will be sorely missed. As one pupil
put it this term: he is ‘awesome’!
Anyone who has met Mr Baugniet knows he is a man
of passion: passion for people, for languages, for tennis
and especially for table tennis. He would spot new pupils
(also known as victims) and casually suggest a game. They
said yes, like lambs to the slaughter. On his first-ever
duty night, I even found him playing table tennis with the
Shells an hour after their bedtime. He soon got stricter,
but that spirit remained a hallmark of all his interactions
and made him very popular in the house and across the
school.
Mrs Price joined the Franklin matron team in January.
She has already brought her own sense of enthusiasm
and fun to the role – her matron’s supper evenings are
very popular (as are Mrs Curtis’ pancakes).
There has been great talent in depth in both music
and drama in the house this year led by the Upper
Sixth; James Broadley and Tiffer are off to drama school
and Ed Hill and Tom Nichols have been in many school
PASToRaL
plays over the past five years. The house play, Into the
Woods, really showed the depth of enthusiasm and
talent for being on stage. This was a very ambitious and
hugely successful undertaking with Beaufort, led by Tom
Nichols as Franklin director. As well as the pleasure the
production gave to all the audiences, the learning for
those involved and the team-building across the year
groups in the house is immeasurable.
On the musical front we have had several members
of the choir and plenty of boys in various musical
groups and the orchestra, with an amazing number of
trumpeters, as was shown in our house music classical
trumpet group. There are a number of others learning
instruments for pleasure. It is the one area where I
would love to see even more boys making the most of
Canford’s opportunities. Those who do, get a skill that
will give them huge pleasure for the rest of their lives.
The house music competition is one that has eluded us
for too many years, despite the huge amount of energy
and enthusiasm put into it. There was also a very messy
but wonderful film entry into the house art competition.
Sport has always featured large in our lives, from
mainstream rugby, cricket and hockey to badminton
and table tennis. Franklin has been well represented in
school teams and house competitions have been keenly
anticipated. We comfortably won the Junior and the Fifth
Form cross-country competitions. House hockey was
a fabulous day – both juniors and seniors played with
spirit and verve and brought both cups noisily back to
Franklin. We then finished the spring term by winning
the house football as well.
The summer term was phenomenally busy. At the
start of term we challenged Monteacute to a paintballing
(emphasis ‘pain’) battle. It was wonderful to see so many
families at the ‘At Home’ Sunday, reflecting the friendly,
warm atmosphere of Franklin. We wrapped up the
term with a wonderful evening party in the garden with
Beaufort, which finished with us all around a fire, singing
songs led by Mr Sparks. Shells enterprise day was moved
to the Thursday after their exams, which allowed Mr
Linley-Adams and me to take them hiking, camping and
coasteering on the Jurassic Coast – a fitting end to their
successful first year. They have proved themselves a lively,
enthusiastic group.
House colours are awarded for those who contribute
significantly to Franklin, whether on the sports field, in
house drama and music or in organising house events.
House colours this summer were awarded to Theo
Rouget, Will Newton, Ed Lee, Harry Kinch, Jamie Beldam,
Dom Fecher, Will Garthwaite, Toby Hett, Will Hutchings,
Henry Millhouse and Tom Newsom. Senior house
colours were awarded to James Broadley, Tiffer Hutchings,
Tom Nichols, Alex Metcalf, Ed Hill, Doug Hazell and Will
“As well as the
Cockburn.
pleasure the
The Kittermaster prize is presented to the Franklin
production gave to
leaver who has made the greatest advance in the
all the audiences,
development of their character and was awarded to
the learning for
Doug Hazell. The Shell prize was awarded to Cosmo
those involved
Hamilton-Davies for his commitment to every house
event and to supporting others. and the team I look forward to next year as I am delighted with the
building across
atmosphere in the house. We build strong friendships by
the year groups
caring for others; we gain respect by respecting others.
in the house is
R.G. Risch summed it up: ‘Respect is a two-way street, if
immeasurable.”
you want to get it, you’ve got to give it.’ Respect is vital in
a successful boarding house: respect for others, respect
for property and self-respect. The greatest responsibility
for this lies with the senior pupils and staff and I think the
house has made marked strides in this over the past few
years, which makes it the welcoming place that it is.
Henry Bishop
39
PASToRaL
Lancaster
“We battled
valiantly with our
small numbers
and came
away beaten
but certainly
not bowed.”
40
This year was not so much a year of sporting success
in Lancaster as one of drama and music. The pinnacle
must be the terrific performance of The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe produced by Millie Connor, Seb
Rodrigues, Susie Schuster-Bruce and Marcus Wright,
followed very quickly by not only the house music
competition but also a house charity concert. The play
involved the vast majority of the house and was all
the more impressive for having been produced in the
shortest time while being the most well-organised play I
have seen in Lancaster in thirteen years. The concert, too,
was a triumph with every pupil performing along with
the recognised musicians before the concert closed with
the house song, ‘Summer nights’ from the musical, Grease.
As a result of these two events the house raised nearly
£1300 for its charities.
House art was the first highlight of the Christmas
term, when Jess Chippendale and her team pulled
together an eclectic group from the housemaster down,
painting them up as sharks for ‘The Last Supper’, in Jess’s
interpretation linking Hirst’s ‘The Physical Impossibility of
Death in the Mind of Someone Living’ and Tintoretto’s
‘Origin of the Milky Way’ to communicate the idea of
eternal life. Shot in the Canford cellars, it was a visually
powerful display, earning Jess the award for the best
visual effects and seeing the house into third place.
After dominating senior girls’ hockey for three years
now, it was time to take a step down: but with all credit
to the girls, the step down was a small one and saw us,
after losing only to Marriotts but drawing two other
matches, come through in third place. Credit must go
to Millie Connor and Georgie Burrows for their years
of tenacious playing; they will be sorely missed. Last
year one housemistress wrote of our junior girls, ‘Wow,
Lancaster girls, what spirit!’ That spirit continues and with
all seven of our girls playing, two new to the game and a
non-keeper in goal, they fought valiantly and never gave
up. One can only be very proud of their efforts.
House rugby was equally pleasing but with a draw
of death pitting us against School House, Franklin and
Monteacute in the juniors, we battled valiantly with our
small numbers and came away beaten but certainly
not bowed. The spirit in each of the matches was
tremendous, especially versus Monteacute where we
lost by only three tries to two. We embarked upon the
senior rugby with much optimism but without a number
of key players through injury, our chances of sneaking
a win were small. However, after taking an early lead
against Court we lost 5-7 but bounced back, thumping
Monteacute and then progressing to the semi-finals to
beat Franklin soundly. Then as the light faded we held
School House at one try all almost to the final whistle.
With only one 1st XV player and a large cohort of U16s,
it was a particularly fine effort of which the team can be
very proud indeed.
In the indoor cricket league this year we had a fine
run of performances, defeating Monteacute, Franklin and
School House in the round robin phase to reach the
final where we lost against School House – frustrating
having thrashed them earlier in the competition.
The house cross-country competition with the new
all-inclusive format has now become very much a
whole house event, and for the better. Lancaster have
done very well over the last few years and continue to
do themselves proud with team and individual results
PASToRaL
as follows: senior girls 1st/6; senior boys 5th/7; U16
boys 5th/7; junior boys 2nd/7; and junior girls 2nd/6.
Individually in their respective categories, notable results
were as follows: 2nd Tim Rutland, 6th Henry Baugniet,
7th Jessie Nice, 9th Emilia Davies, 11th Chris Rutland,
11th Ben Mynors-Wallis, 12th Ella Scott, 17th Jamie
Brash, 19th Alfred Streeton, 21st Alex Schuster-Bruce,
24th Jon Naylor and 26th Connor Jackson.
For the house music festival in the Easter term, we
had in Olivia Parham a fine musician and house captain
and her ‘Black horse and the cherry tree’ was superb.
Our classical musicians were outstanding too, along with
our house song, but clearly not quite to the judge’s taste.
On the astroturf with a number of A team players
we had hopes of pulling off some exciting matches
and although we did well, the large numbers in each
of the boarding houses took their toll. In the junior
boys’ competition, after beating Wimborne in the first
round, we lost to the eventual winners, Franklin, 0-1 in
the semi-final. At a senior level, with high expectations
here too, it was disappointing to lose in the first round
0-2 to the eventual winners, Franklin again. We seem to
continue to struggle on the netball court but this year
our victory in the seniors was to beat both day houses
and play a full Lancaster side, but again the might of
the large numbers of the boarding girls was too much
for us at both a junior and a senior level. What was
clear, though, was our girls’ pride at doing what they did
with every Lancaster girl available, netballer and nonnetballer, turning out to play. On the .22 range, however,
we continue to reign supreme with the boys winning the
competition for the third year running and Jon Naylor
winning the overall best shot trophy.
Once again this year and now for the third year
“On the .22
running, we retained the house golf trophy with Matt
range, however, we
Jarmolkiewicz, Rachel Naylor and Cameron Groat
continue to reign
outperforming almost all other players.
supreme with the
On the cricket pitch our juniors and seniors both lost
boys winning the
against the bigger boarding houses in the semi-finals and
competition for the
with a number of non-cricketers playing, their results
were commendable. In the pool the combined girls’
third year running
houses came third overall while the boys came fourth.
and Jon Naylor
In athletics the junior girls came sixth but we only had
winning the overall
three competitors who did as many events as they could
best shot trophy.”
– all credit to them. The senior girls came third, a terrific
result, while the junior boys and senior boys both came
fifth, beating the other day houses. On the tennis courts
another victory – this time our junior girls won courtesy
of Rachel Naylor, while the other three sides acquitted
themselves very well indeed. Finally, on the river, Lancaster
came fourth overall with lots of rowing in the lower years
while Georgie Burrows and Georgie Brash won their
event in a composite IV.
Dan Culley
41
PASToRaL
Marriotts
“To try to describe
Alice Ashurst and
the Upper Sixth’s
artistic reflection
on Da Vinci’s ‘Last
Supper’ would
not do it justice!”
42
2013/14 has been an exciting, busy and exhausting year
for the Marriotts family. From the Christmas term of new
arrivals finding their feet and university applications for
the Upper Sixth till the revision-packed Summer term:
there has hardly been a spare moment for the house to
slow down and take a rest from the busy Canford life.
It is fair to say that Marriotts would not be able to get
through all of this without its supportive atmosphere.
The year began with new members to Marriotts who
were immediately part of the family. The three new Lower
Sixth came with bright eyes and soon became invaluable
members of the house, and the Shells quickly marked
themselves out as a talented year – watch this space! The
rest of the house settled down quickly, although it was
hard to after the long and relaxing summer.
The Christmas term is always a busy one, and this year
was no exception. There were plenty of events to keep
the house occupied: for example, house art in which Tash
Smith-Langridge and Gini Close led the project. To try
to describe Alice Ashurst and the Upper Sixth’s artistic
reflection on Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ would not do it
justice!
Both the senior and junior hockey sides fought valiantly,
and great captaincy by Rosie Brown and Abbie Lynch saw
us coming third in each age category. Another Christmas
term house competition to which Marriotts was
particularly dedicated was house cross-country; Marriotts
was the house in which the highest percentage of girls
participated. This really exemplifies the Marriotts house
spirit, as there is a desire to participate and be part of
the team.
In the school musical, The Hired Man, Anna Cooper’s
mature and confident performance was highly praised by
the audience and Ruby Featherstone formed part of the
vibrant ensemble which added gravitas to the piece.
Of course hard work does not go by unrewarded, so it
was wonderful that everyone had the Christmas party to
unwind after the busy term. The Christmas party provides
a special time when matrons, staff and girls are able to
enjoy a formal gathering together; mobile phones are left
behind and the etiquette of such an occasion is practised
and appreciated. A particular highlight of the evening was
the entertainment from the Shells which consisted of
them singing beautifully – this was to be the first of many
pleasant surprises from our talented Shells.
After the refreshing Christmas holiday it was time
to come back and get straight back to more house
competitions, the first of which was house music. Once
again the whole house got involved in the house song:
an a capella rendition of the Jackson 5’s ‘I Want You Back’
which was backed up by some superb dance moves.
We also won the ‘house contemporary’ category with
a beautiful cover of the song ‘I See Fire’ by Ed Sheeran,
led by Rosie Brown. The ‘house classical’ category was
also a success with two Shells, Alice Tompkins and Sophie
Nichol, and lower sixth-former Amy Cavender braving
the stage with a saxophone trio.
The netball competition was extremely hard-fought,
with girls from all houses putting out sides of high calibre.
The juniors, captained by Georgia Clews, saw Georgia,
Sophie Nichol, Lucy Chapple, Caitlin Atherton, Issy
Savage, Georgie Williams, Immy Brown and Ella Penny
string together some excellent passages of play. They
came second in a tournament that had to go to goal
difference to identify the winner. They were disappointed
PASToRaL
but hopefully feel very proud of the way they played. The
seniors, captained by Gini Close, combined the talents
of Gini, Claudia Hellier, Amy Cavender, Nina Fairweather,
Rosie Brown, Issie Lush, Maddy McCord, Mimi Savage
and JoJo Taylor. They worked extremely well together, but
the final whistle blew to see them just one goal behind
Beaufort, the eventual winners. Frustrating – but an
exciting tournament to watch.
One might be mistaken into thinking that Marriotts
girls spend their whole time taking part in house
competitions, but whilst they do play a major part in the
girls’ lives, there is also a large desire within the house to
take part in all the school has to offer. This year there has
been a particularly enthusiastic approach to drama with
a large involvement from Marriotts girls in the senior play
and the junior play as well as the school musical; it was
really lovely to see so many Marriotts girls take such an
active role in Canford drama.
Summer term rolled in and it was time for the
majority of Marriotts to knuckle down and start revising
for summer exams. Marriotts girls excel in supporting
each other in order to create a focused environment
and as revision certainly occupied the house, this was
particularly important. Nevertheless, there was still time
for Marriotts to take part in plenty of competitions and
win! We won both house standards and the junior
tennis competition.
Summer term also means the annual house fundraiser. Many of the Shells and Mrs Byng took part in the
Bournemouth Race for Life, raising a total of £1225.
This was a particularly good effort on the cloudy day
that it was – and they all finished the race! This was also
the weekend in which many of the Fourth Form were
“A particular
involved in the D of E, which is another example of the
highlight of the
wide commitment to school activities that Marriotts
evening was the
girls show.
entertainment
As usual, the Marriotts matrons have been the
from
the Shells
beating heart of the house as they provide the vital
which consisted
support everyone needs. They have often been the
first port of call during the busy year that all the girls
of them singing
have had. They continue to play an active role in the
beautifully – this
Marriotts community.
was to be the first
We end this year in Marriotts on a high, but there is
of many pleasant
of course the inevitable sadness of the loss of members
surprises
from our
of the family. Miss Keely, a house tutor, is moving to
talented Shells.”
Malaysia to teach there and Miss Page is also moving
on to start exciting new projects. Marriotts will miss
them, but this does not come without the excitement of
next year as Miss Birch will be coming to take Miss Keely’s
position of house tutor. And so Marriotts
wishes the best towards the members leaving,
and eagerly anticipates the new set of arrivals in
September.
Francesca Meakin (Upper Sixth) and Cathy Byng
43
PASToRaL
Monteacute
“Twelve acts
performed in
the music school
on a relaxed
evening where
participation was
encouraged. I
doubt Glastonbury
would offer the
diversity of our
programme.”
44
One of the most satisfying aspects of this year was
our newest members of the house making friendships
and taking up challenges in the school from the word
go. They found the crucial middle ground with each
other and getting the right balance between hard work,
personal achievements and knowing how to switch off.
All the ingredients are there to ensure we have another
strong year working its way through the house.
Winning the house art competition this year was
a source of great satisfaction. It was a team effort as
always but, masterminded by Richard Ward, it was the
clear winner in all categories. The response to work
by Velazquez and Bourgeois, it brought together the
two artists’ work in an installation looking at the past
and present members of the house. A really subtle but
moving set of films and photographs were reflected from
mirrors with a supporting soundtrack written by Monty
Hancock. It’s great to see the large wooden palette
trophy grace our wall at last. Monty, incidentally, had his
second album released on iTunes during the year.
House music dominated the early part of the Easter
term. With a good number of very talented musicians, I
was looking forward to seeing them perform. I thought
our entry was terrific and each of the categories was
well executed and well chosen. It was just a shame
that this year some of the opposition were absolutely
outstanding. On the back of the event, the classical and
contemporary ensembles performed at a Yellow Hour
evening and I felt that the setting of the school library
and the pared down versions were even stronger. The
boys who organised our entry learned as much as
those who performed. Not all the house are musically
confident by any means and so getting a dedicated
collective is not always easy and as time went on, the
strategy to adjust the emphasis and to work with small
groups worked well and was the right sort of response.
Our first major house concert also took place during
the Easter term. Twelve acts performed in the music
school on a relaxed evening where participation was
encouraged. I doubt Glastonbury would offer the
diversity of our programme: the performances ranged
from a talk from Monty Hancock about his electronic
music production to Justin Lee on the piano, a ukulele
duo, rock covers of Arctic Monkeys and some very
fine solo performances from John Berry. It also gave
our house music team a chance to perform once again
and the evening was finely hosted by Alex Watson-Lee
and Max Allen in aid of their forthcoming Argentina
partnership visit. It was really vibrant and demonstrated
the depth and range of musical talent in the house.
We have some very fine sportsmen in the house. Luke
Mehson captained our highly successful school U14A
rugby team to an unbeaten season and the county cup
title. They were also ranked no.1 in the country for their
results. On one weekend, all four captains of the U14
rugby sides were Monteacute Shells: a statement about
the boys’ ability to lead and take responsibility. Well done
to George Legget and Sam Rehel who, along with Luke,
played county rugby this year. Sam and George, together
with Max Green, played their part in the unbeaten
U15A. Eddie Legget had a fine season for the 1st XV
and was awarded school colours.
The house run saw Tom Kuhle come second in the
junior race with brother Freddie seventh in the seniors.
There were also impressive runs from Harry Griffiths,
Alex Watson-Lee and James Elwood amongst others.
Alongside the high achievers there were plenty of boys
who got stuck in and reached impressive levels. I enjoy
hearing about all our boys’ enjoyment of sport at all
levels; when they are chatting outside my office, stories
of how we have battled against other schools are always
passionate.
We lost our senior house hockey match in the last
second to School House and our young junior team will
come into their own next year, I am sure; with nearly
half the A team in the house, they certainly should do.
Retaining the house table tennis trophy for the third year
was very satisfying.
Football remains a big part of the house, both
watching and playing. The match against Franklin did not
quite go to plan and, after holding onto a lead for much
of the game, we finally lost on a penalty shoot-out.
Our big triumph was winning house standards. This is
a competition between all the houses that requires each
pupil to do a run, jump and a throw, so it requires full
participation from all the house. It’s a great competition
to win and I was really pleased with everyone’s effort.
There were also some fine performances from a
number of our boys when competing for the school, not
least Freddie Kuhle, who left having had a fantastic few
seasons on the river.
Max Allen and Alex Watson-Lee made it through to
the finals of the house debating competition. They won
the floor vote in their round but could not persuade
the judges that they should win overall. Josh Rehel
has been highlighted as a really strong member of our
community service programme, teaching at a challenging
primary school in the Bournemouth area. We enjoyed
two interesting and inspiring talks by members of the
house: by Alex Burke about his trip to Argentina on the
partnership visit, and by the Pulvertafts who spoke about
their charity tuk tuk adventure through India. I am sure
the younger boys in the house will have seeds of possible
future adventures planted in their minds. Max Allen, Nick
Scott and Alex Burke were part of an impressive group
that went to the Model United Nations conference.
The Summer term means exams, but there was time
for some really enjoyable house events. All the Shells
enjoyed a post-exam day out at the sea with a couple of
hours paddle-boarding followed by games and fish and
chips on the beach. We took on Franklin at paintballing
in May. With over 100 boys battling against each other, it
was difficult to say who was winning, but I think we took
the trophy this year. We finished the term with our house
party at the New Forest water park with Marriotts. It was
a bright, warm evening on the lake with the boys bananaboating and wake-boarding.
Lots of building and upgrading has been completed
on the house: the final stage of window replacements
as well as a major change of layout in the heart of the
house. John Boothby, who left at the end of the summer,
has been a fine tutor and valued member of the team
and has helped me a great deal in the three years we
have shared together in the house. Sam Leiper is at the
start of his tutoring career and we feel that we have
set him up nicely for his new role as resident tutor in
School House. He has been positive and encouraging
and the boys have really benefitted from his comfortable
approach to tutoring. I am grateful to all the rest of the
team: tutors, matrons and the domestic team.
Dylan Lloyd
45
PASToRaL
“We took on
Franklin at
paintballing in
May. With over
100 boys battling
against each other,
it was difficult
to say who was
winning, but I
think we took the
trophy this year.”
PASToRaL
Salisbury
“In spite of the
disruption, and
fuelled by plenty of
toast and Penguin
biscuits, the
pupils continued
to make great
strides in cultural,
academic and
sporting areas.”
46
With a boy called Noah in Salisbury’s Upper Sixth
we should have been better prepared for the flood …
but we weren’t! Water flowed through the house on
Christmas Eve, the start of term was delayed for the
whole school and we spent much of the Easter term
watching water lapping at the sandbags around the
house. In spite of the disruption, and fuelled by plenty of
toast and Penguin biscuits, the pupils continued to make
great strides in cultural, academic and sporting areas.
There have been a large number of Oxbridge,
medicine and veterinary applications from Salisbury this
year and, whilst not all were invited to interview, I have
nothing but admiration for the pupils’ academic ambition.
Nick Barker, Chris Imms and Aryan Sheikhalian certainly
started the year well by coming a narrow second in the
inter-house debating competition.
Salisbury and School House, in a repeat of the
collaboration that brought The Full Monty to the Layard,
again joined forces to produce some superb drama
this year. Confidently directed by Yolanda Moore,
Posh was an outstanding production highlighting the
arrogant and boorish behaviour of a privileged group
of Oxford undergraduates. Although the subject matter
was uncomfortable on occasion, a superb set and
strong acting made for great viewing. In the house art
competition, we pulled things together at the last minute
to produce a thought-provoking video.
Salisbury’s contribution to this year’s music
competition showed the strength and depth of
musical talent in the house. There were some strong
performances from our best musicians, but it was the
enthusiasm and commitment of the less experienced
(and the less musical) pupils that really caught my eye
– or should that be ear? Positive encouragement was
provided to the less confident performers by the likes of
Tim Butterfield and Lucy Molyneux. The contemporary
piece involved a number of pupils from the lower years,
while the house song (Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on a prayer’) gave
many pupils the opportunity to unleash their inner rock
star and I believe a few of the Upper Sixth boys even
considered growing a mullet.
On a sporting front there has been much to praise
Salisbury in terms of effort, skill and team spirit, but
sadly little to show in the form of silverware. In the girls’
hockey competition it was very much a case of ‘all hands
to the pump’ and the senior team finished above local
rivals Wimborne, while the juniors finished 3rd overall –
a superb result considering we only have eight junior girls
in the house and the goalkeeper was ill that day). Low
numbers of senior rugby players meant that we again
joined forces with Wimborne to field what on paper
looked like a potential winning side, but sadly we did
not progress beyond the group stages. In spite of injury
to some key players, our numbers were stronger in the
junior boys’ event and, ably captained by Louis Ephgrave,
it was great to see so many boys getting the chance to
represent the house.
As always, the Upper Sixth have been keen to do
as many competitions as possible, with Sam Harbord
PASToRaL
leading the pack with four house events in the Easter
term alone. The senior netball team’s enthusiasm
certainly made up for its lack of experience: Lucy
Molyneux learned a new rule with every additional
game, and Georgia Evans came out of retirement to
demonstrate her shooting skills. Lack of numbers in the
Shells and Fourth Form meant we joined forces with
Lancaster, but even this was not enough to overcome
the unstoppable force of the three girls’ boarding houses.
The boys’ hockey competition was an opportunity for
senior players to dust off their sticks and shin pads but,
having beaten Wimborne, our team with only one 1st
XI player (Tom Boon) and a few 2nd/3rd players were
soon outgunned by the boarding houses. Sadly, it was a
similar story in the junior competition.
Success came at last in the house regatta where, in
addition to the wins for Josh Bale in the single sculls
and the Shells boys’ quad, Hannah Longley won the
senior girls event. Our chances of success in the house
athletics competition were hindered by its clash with the
house regatta. We fared much better in the house tennis
though, with Sophie Morgan winning the senior contest.
In contests requiring a calm temperament and brains
rather than brawn, the girls’ team of Lilian Broad, Lucy
O’Connor and Jasmine Lewis came a very creditable
third in the shooting competition. The story was even
better in the house chess: Nick Barker, Dan Doherty,
Noah Vides, Sam Harbord and Tom Southgate coasted
to a 5-0 victory over de Lacy; made short work of
Lancaster’s team in the semi-final and romped through
the final against Court without dropping a game.
The results in the swimming gala (boys 6th and girls
3rd) made me slightly anxious as we headed off to the
house party. Would they let us wear armbands on the
banana boats and, more importantly, would we return
with all our limbs intact? My fears were unfounded
though: a great time was had by all and everyone got
home in one piece. Salisbury’s Shells joined forces with
those from the other day houses for a fun-filled day in
Poole Park. The day culminated in Salisbury winning a
race involving sailing, paddle boards, raft-building and
dragon boats.
I was delighted that Salisbury’s Upper Sixth were so
strongly represented in the annual prizegiving. At the
leavers’ dinner I likened them to a fine whisky that has
just got better with age and I wish this impressive year
group the very best of luck in their future endeavours.
Nick Barker has done a superb job as head of house,
showing the ability to gently nudge his peers as well as
rousing the troops with his oratory, and I’m sure Callum
Wadlow will do an equally fine job in the year ahead.
In addition to the Upper Sixth leavers, we send our
best wishes with Matt Ellis, who heads off to Corfe Hills
for the Sixth Form. Also leaving us is Mr Parkin who,
having been with Salisbury for just three years, is
crossing the road to take charge of Lancaster House.
He has contributed a huge amount to Salisbury and his
tutees have benefited greatly from his constant support
and encouragement. I’m sure he will enjoy great success
in Lancaster.
Nick Jones
“At the leavers’
dinner I likened
them to a fine
whisky that
has just got
better with age
and I wish this
impressive year
group the very
best of luck
in their future
endeavours.”
47
PASToRaL
School House
“The real test
is how sensible
the boys can be,
as it is too easy
for young boys
to cover their
embarrassment
by acting up, but
that was not the
case and they
gave each other
full attention and
support when
they were not
performing.”
48
It is easy to reflect on a year past and cherry-pick the
best bits and comfortably forget the bad ones. Some
years this is easier than others, and this is one of those.
A house is more than the sum of its parts and it is how
that house is led by the senior boys which defines how
successful it will be. This year, across every discipline,
School House has produced quality and quantity and
enjoyed doing so. I would like to start this report by
thanking Hugo Frost, his team and all the senior boys in
the house for the positive and enthusiastic manner in
which they have shown others that one can wring every
ounce of experience from Canford while staying true to
one’s commitment to achieving results where it matters.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the house
music competition: 68 boys all enjoying singing ‘Mr
Brightside’ together. It was choreographed sensibly with
fun and well-timed movements and contrasted perfectly
with the more serious classical side, ‘Hear the Voice
and Prayer’, with its control and tonally beautiful singing,
and then the contemporary ‘Get Lucky’, which was a
wonderful combination of them both. The real test is
how sensible the boys can be, as it is too easy for young
boys to cover their embarrassment by acting up, but that
was not the case and they gave each other full attention
and support when they were not performing. Winning
the classical section was well deserved
House sport has been incredibly strong this year. The
Christmas term saw both the senior and junior rugby
sides get to their finals, with the juniors winning theirs
by 28 points and the seniors winning theirs by 17. The
end of term saw the house cross-country, with so many
of the boys running and almost enjoying the day. Results
were mixed with the juniors coming sixth, Fifth Form
second and the seniors first.
Autumn term saw the hockey players doing their
bit for house and with both the seniors and juniors
making their finals we were hoping for another double.
Unfortunately it was not to be, with both sides having
to settle for second place. House badminton might
not have the romance of one of the big three but it is
competed for in just as fierce a manner and the juniors
took to the courts without, arguably, their strongest
player and yet still managed to win the event by
some way.
Summer term brings football and although the seniors
enjoyed their games, victory was not to be theirs. They
left that to the juniors, who won with style later in the
term (some even missing the house party in order to
complete the match). However, there are three big
events over the summer term and School House boys
had their eyes firmly focused on silverware. Athletics
and rowing were on the same day which actually
meant more boys could enjoy competing for the house
and produced a wonderful spectacle – if a very tired
housemaster running between the two. It was worth
it with the seniors winning the athletics and two cups
being won in the rowing. Which brings us to cricket.
Having already won the indoor cup, we were hoping
for some more success. In a very eventful semi-final and
final our senior boys came out the winners reasonably
comfortably in the end. The juniors won convincingly
throughout the preliminaries but rain stopped play in the
final and we were forced to accept a draw.
There is more to house events than sport. We were
beaten in the first round of the house debate, despite
PASToRaL
some excellent points and arguments being raised by
our boys, and also in the house chess by a strong Court
team. Another event which brings all the house together
is house art. Never ones to miss the opportunity to
mess up rooms and pose for judges, the boys put a great
deal into the installation. It was not as successful as it
was fun, but that is probably all we could have hoped for.
The end of year brings the opportunity to relax and
have fun. This year we went to the Knoll Beach Water
Sports Centre and spent two hours riding banana boats
on two beautifully warm summer evenings.
Back to the Christmas term to end with. A few weeks
at the start of term saw frantic and directed activity in
the production of the School House play Posh. There are
two sides to a house play. There is the delight that one’s
charges are producing something which will be viewed
by many and will be evidence of their ability, not only to
act but to produce, direct, light and manage a play. On
the other hand there is the fear that one’s charges are
producing something which will be viewed by many and
will be evidence of their ability, not only to act…. That it
has nothing to do with me is actually true, as it is totally
the boys’ own work, but that doesn’t cut much mustard
with the Head if all goes wrong! The boys gather advice
from the Head of Drama, help from technicians and
support from their friends and I see it once or twice
before opening night. In the end I could not have been
more proud of what they produced. Full houses both
nights, and a very polished and powerful piece of drama
was enjoyed by many.
If one could measure the success of a house simply by
counting cups, this would have been a very good year. If
one could measure it by sensing the vibrancy and energy
in the building, then this would measure highly on any
scale. If it was simply a measure of smiles, then it would
be easy to see how well the boys have done. Friendships,
camaraderie, enthusiasm, noise, togetherness are all
words which could sum up the atmosphere in School
House at the moment. Long may it last.
All that is left is my thank-yous. Debbie Heffield and
Penny Cheesman work tirelessly to support the boys in
every aspect of their lives in School House and it would
not be the place it is without them. Thank you, ladies.
The tutors spend countless hours treading the creaky
floorboards, helping boys, settling them and guiding them.
Thank you, gentlemen. Finally, the prefects. You set the
tone and boys followed your lead not because they had
to but because it was a good lead and they respected
you. Thank you.
Leigh Corbould
“Friendships,
camaraderie,
enthusiasm, noise,
togetherness are
all words which
could sum up
the atmosphere
in School House
at the moment.
Long may it last.”
49
PASToRaL
Wimborne
Three more terms have passed in Wimborne. The
house has achieved a series of successes in all age groups
throughout 2014, whether in sport, music or academic
brilliance – Wimborne has excelled, yet again!
For example, George Acworth came first in the 100m
and impressively found success too in the long jump pit,
two sublime performances which secured his honorary
title of ‘Victor Ludorum’ in the competition. Moreover,
Ed Southgate won the 200m, Isaac Stevenson the 400m,
Tom Southgate the high jump and, last but not least,
Oscar Esposti the 800m. Outside the field of athletics,
Alana Mercer represented the England U16 women’s
hockey team over the summer, and starred in a Six
Nations tournament – a highly impressive feat. Other
individual efforts have seen Liv Esposti being named
“The last of
Wimborne’s
admirable sporting
achievements
was an aggressive
lacrosse match
between the
female contingent
of the house and
those who dared
face them.”
50
captain of netball and big Flinn O’Hara championing the
Gentleman’s XV (3rds rugby).
Rowing is another sport which has had Wimborne
pupils ‘buoyed’ throughout the year. The inter-house
regatta saw gold for Matt Cook in the single sculls, and
the Fourth Form rowers also enjoyed success, winning
gold with their quad of Matt Cook, Dan Foot, Arthur
Cordwell, Hugo Smith and Georgie Porcher, who
produced an electric and inspired performance. Eloise
Grant (cox), Scott Catto and Ollie Stocks have been in
the 1st VIII this year, achieving an extremely valiant third
place in the Nationals. The last of Wimborne’s admirable
sporting achievements was an aggressive lacrosse match
between the female contingent of the house and those
who dared face them. Special mention must go to ‘Mint’
PASToRaL
Culley of the 1st team, whose ruthless and energetic
performance caused the opposition to flee rather than
try to take her on – an admirable if somewhat scary
achievement for her!
Of course Wimborne’s achievements are not only in
the field of sport. The Christmas term saw our charity
concert raise £900, all of which went to Water Aid
and the Zoe Anderson Memorial Fund, and we thank
everyone for their donations on that evening. The lineup had a variety of entertainment including singing from
Jess Gregory, a dual performance from the Southgate
brothers and a scintillating drum solo from Matt
Holding. However, the concert wasn’t the only time that
Wimborne was able to express its musical talent. At the
house music competition we performed splendidly, with
Sheep Southgate’s solo captivating the audience and our
communal rendition of ‘I’m a believer’ winning over many
admirers – the house again showing its creative streak!
At the end of the Summer term we had to say
goodbye to our Upper Sixth, who left to go off to a
variety of degrees at Durham, Reading, Exeter, Queen
Mary’s, Bath, Manchester and Sussex Universities. We
wish good luck to all of them in their university years,
and the future opportunities that lie ahead of them. This
year also saw the end to our time with Mrs Kilpatrick, to
whom we wish all the best. We are all very grateful for
her help throughout the year, and we would all like to
think she enjoyed being a House Tutor in Wimborne –
we hope she won’t miss us too much! The quick-witted
Mr Walters will be taking over as Fifth Form tutor. We all
would like to thank Mr Baugniet, all the House Tutors and
our Matron for another year in Wimborne.
Wilfrid Shon and Abi Watkins
51
Chaplaincy
“My overriding
emotion is
gratitude for the
many and varied
opportunities
that exist for
Canfordians to
engage with
the biggest
questions that
life has to offer
and to consider
the timeless
claims of the
Christian gospel.”
All change in the chaplaincy
It is with great joy that I reflect on my first year of
chaplaincy at Canford. Parish life back in Oxford seems
like another world and Canford feels very much like
home now for the Jack family, no doubt due to the warm
welcome we have received and the good times we have
had. However, my overriding emotion is gratitude for the
many and varied opportunities that exist for Canfordians
to engage with the biggest questions that life has to offer
and to consider the timeless claims of the Christian gospel.
Here are a few of this year’s highlights.
Chapel
It has been a privilege to welcome many different
visiting speakers to weekend chapel this year as we’ve
considered topics ranging from the character of God,
encounters with Jesus, and the Psalms. Midweek studies
have included questions of human identity, friendship and
grace. However, the standout services remain those with
special significance in the calendar, for example carols in
Wimborne Minster or Remembrance Sunday. Perhaps
the most memorable this year will be the leavers’ service,
where James Broadley, Tiffer Hutchings and Ben Moores
brilliantly reflected on their time at Canford and Mr James
Shone spoke powerfully about persevering through the
ups and downs of life with God’s help.
Logistically it has been challenging, with the music school
overflowing on occasions, resulting in plans next term for
a move to the assembly hall for bigger services. As ever,
the various chapel choirs have supported each weekend
service with skilful and often spectacular music. There has
also been an effort to raise the musical standards of the
congregation, and the newly introduced bi-termly singing
practices in the music school have made a noticeable
difference.
Confirmation
It was a delight to welcome Rt Revd Dr Graham Kings,
Bishop of Sherborne, to conduct this year’s confirmation
service. He spoke warmly and helpfully about this
significant step in the journey of faith, which was taken by
twenty pupils from Shells to Lower Sixth. Those confirmed
were Angus Altham, Gemma Armstrong, Lucy Ashcroft,
Annabelle Budd, Isabelle Cordwell, Gemma Daubeney,
Ruby Featherstone, Sophie Gerlach, Claudia Hellier, Ellie
Hill, Claudia Jacobs, Hannah James, Tom Kuhle, Georgie
Lane, Henry Millhouse, Rosie Monk, Charlie Peach,
Olivia Reid, Iona Stacy-Marks, Alice Taylor and Alex von
Gemmingen.
Lent Addresses
The Lent Addresses are a regular feature on the
chaplaincy programme and we were delighted to
welcome Rev. Rupert Shelley as our main speaker. As
52
chaplaincy
well as bringing thought-provoking messages from Luke’s
gospel, Rupert interviewed special guests each evening,
pursuing the theme of Real Life. We heard of real
suffering as Pete and Emily Morley-Fletcher powerfully
shared their story of losing their first child just after birth.
Greg Pietersen, brother of England cricketer Kevin and a
city banker, spoke about real success, while on our final
evening, Major Rob Hoey, married to Mrs Hoey, was
interviewed about real soldiering. Each guest brought a
fresh perspective on what their faith in Jesus meant in
very different circumstances and it was encouraging to
see many pupils and staff engaging with attentive listening
and insightful questions.
Personally, my highlight of the programme was the
‘text-a-toastie’ event that helped launch the addresses.
On the Sunday afternoon the Sixth Form centre was
commandeered by Ichthyans regulars and, with the help
of staff members, questions were received by text and
e-mail for a couple of hours before supper. The promise
was that for each question received, there would be
an answer attempted along with a toasted sandwich of
choice. Once we ‘went live’ at 4 pm, chaos reigned, as well
over 150 questions were received and trays of toasties
were delivered by golf buggy around the park in the
pouring rain. Sadly, some missed out due to a demand/
supply mismatch, but it showed an appetite for questions
(or perhaps toasties!) in the Canford community and it
was enormous fun.
The God Particle
It was brilliant to bring together the chaplaincy, RS and
science departments early in the Summer term to enjoy a
production of The God Particle, a play about the interface
between faith and science. Attended by Shells and Fourth
Forms, along with older pupils, staff and parents, it was a
light-hearted and entertaining introduction to the debate.
With only a cast of two, a vicar and a quantum physicist,
and with lots of dialogue, the play held the audience’s
attention brilliantly, giving plenty to laugh about alongside
much to think about. Many lively discussions were held in
classrooms in the days that followed.
of home and away speakers, the regular ingredients of
pizza, doughnuts (and latterly muffins) and lemonade, as
well as plenty of questions and discussions about the talk
each evening. Once again it was encouraging to see a wide
range of pupils attending, from Shells to Upper Sixth, some
regularly and some from time to time. The atmosphere
was added to by the fact that there was a wide range
of views represented amongst the Ichthyans attendees
each week, with committed Christians wrestling with the
big questions alongside atheists, agnostics and everyone
in between. As a newcomer, it has been exciting to see
Ichthyans as a place where anyone is welcome and where
there is a relaxed atmosphere of spiritual enquiry.
Each year at Ichthyans, pupils are invited to Iwerne
Holidays at Gresham’s School on the North Norfolk coast.
Teenagers from boarding schools thoroughly enjoy these
activity holidays that give young people the opportunity
to explore the Christian faith. Having just returned with
my family from Norfolk myself, it was wonderful to see a
couple of Canfordians having a super time and enthusiastic
to return next year with others. I certainly hope to return
next year with any others who would like to come.
Finally, I must thank Mr Jeffery for all the hard work that
he puts into organising and hosting Ichthyans so warmly.
He puts a lot of time and thought into pulling together
the programme each term as well as inviting all the guest
speakers. Personally, I am also very grateful to Mr Jeffery
for being a huge support to me in my first year as chaplain.
As lay chaplain, he has patiently put up with my many
questions, has picked up balls that I have dropped, has let
me occasionally beat him at squash and, above all, has been
a good friend who has significantly contributed to making
Canford a wonderful place to be.
Philip Jack
“The promise
was that for each
question received,
there would be an
answer attempted
along with a
toasted sandwich
of choice.”
Ichthyans
Other than a move from Wednesdays to Tuesdays in the
Summer term, Ichthyans has kept its winning formula for
another year, providing space in a busy week to enjoy a
relaxed, welcoming and fun environment to think more
about the claims of Jesus Christ. There was the usual mix
53
Cultural Enrichment
“One of the aims
of our Cultural
Enrichment
programme is to
try and inspire
Canfordians to
think about the
worlds they live
in through an
engagement with
culture in the
broadest sense
of the word.”
54
What is the difference between self-consciousness and
self-awareness? We would normally consider the former
a barrier and the latter an essential requisite for progress.
Adolescents are often said to have too much of the first
and not enough of the second. Self-consciousness impedes
progress because it makes us look around to see how
others are reacting to every move that we make; selfawareness gives us the confidence to act in the public
world with a sense of who we are and what we might be
capable of becoming.
Canfordians, like all of us, have a measure of both these
attributes, but, without turning this article into a marketing
piece, I would say that our students are generally above
average in their possession of self-awareness and not
too hampered by the self-consciousness that can hold
so many young people back. For example, I sat recently
in discussion group of sixth-formers from all over the
West Country who were taking part in the excellent
‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ programme and the discussion
seemed paralysed by the reluctance of students to
contribute, possibly from fear of self-exposure; but the
two Canfordian present were outstanding in the way they
contributed without any sense of arrogance or crippling
self-consciousness. It was a quiet confidence and selfawareness that enabled them to do this and indeed to
know when to hold back.
At the end of the week of cultural immersion in which
nearly all our fifth-formers engage after their GCSEs, each
of the four groups were required to give a presentation
from the stage of the Layard Theatre. Group One, titled
‘Being Human’, were the first to go. They had been to see
the extraordinary performance artist, Marina Abramovic,
in her show at the Serpentine Gallery and they decided to
try and re-create the meditative atmosphere she created
amongst the audience at her show. At the door all mobile
phones and watches were handed in and people were
instructed to be entirely silent and open-minded when
they entered the space where they were to engage with
the artist.You would expect this more or less to work
with a crowd of eager art students and London gallerygoers, but a crowd of restless 16-year-olds on the last
day of the summer term? Yet the sheer confidence and
self-awareness of the Canfordians leading the presentation
seemed to cast a spell over the audience.
Not every exam syllabus, or specification, as they are
now known, could be said to encourage self-awareness:
one of the aims of our Cultural Enrichment programme is
to try and inspire Canfordians to think about the worlds
they live in through an engagement with culture in the
broadest sense of the word in order to make them richer
and more aware human beings. This involves, for example,
listening to exciting and demanding speakers during
theme weeks and in ‘Connections’ sessions, taking part
cultural enrichment
in workshops and discussions, performing in ‘The Yellow
Hour’, a kind of open cabaret session which convenes
once or twice a term, or speaking on Radio Canford in its
twice-weekly broadcasts.
This year’s theme week was ‘The Song of the Earth’.
Over four days before the October half-term, a series
of talks and events focussed on the way mankind
celebrates, creates and at times damages its relationship
with the earth. Highlights were two brilliant talks from
Jeff Wilson, an independent nature film producer and
former photographer for Planet Earth, responsible for
the utterly memorable snow leopard sequence in that
series, and Philip Hoare, author of Leviathan and The Sea
Inside, who spoke with breathtaking eloquence about his
close encounters with whales and his profound belief in
the need for humankind to re-engage emotionally with
our environment. These were supported by many other
speakers including Old Canfordians, Emma ShepherdWalwyn, who was a brilliant scientist-in-residence, and
Ben Chapple, still a Cambridge Natural Sciences student,
who impressed the Fourth Form with his passionate
belief in the importance of conservation.
Many people have asked me why ‘The Yellow Hour’
is so called. There is really no absolute answer other
than the idea that yellow is a vibrant and joyful colour
associated with the creative power of Van Gogh’s yellow
chair or his sunflowers. It’s also associated with the sun,
the harvest and fruition in general, so it seems a perfect
title for an open gathering where students and staff
can perform and show their work to an informal and
non-judgmental audience of their peers and teachers.
‘The Yellow Hour’ existed as an occasional event back
in the 1990s and has taken a little time to re-establish
itself, but it is now drawing large, enthusiastic audiences.
There are many abiding memories, which include the
audience migrating from the library to the dining hall
to hear School House perform unaccompanied Tallis
resonating in that beautiful space, John Berry’s inimitable
singing of his own songs with his bashed-up guitar, Imani
Thompson’s outstanding poetry reading, Tom Horner’s
tuba, the Headmaster’s memorable short story read at his
first Yellow Hour and much, much more.
There was a time when the Fifth Form simply faded
away into a world of beaches and parties and occasional
work experience at the end of GCSE. Now the immersion
is in culture rather than the sea at Sandbanks. There might
be some resistance to this but by and large the Fifth Form
plunged bravely into some challenging cultural waters. The
festival was called ‘The Examined Life’ and was built around
a very full day in London where four groups attended
four plays and exhibitions with some kind of thematic
connection: ‘Being Human’ saw Red Forest at the Young
Vic and attended the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition,
Marina Abramovic’s show at the Serpentine, they also
did a workshop with artists Helen Garrett and Michael
Falzoni and watched the film The Artist is Present; ‘Making
Sense’ saw The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,
‘One Million Years of the Human Story’ at the Natural
History Museum, Van Gogh’s self-portrait at the Courtauld
Institute, the film Rain Man and a workshop with author
and parent Charlotte Moore; ‘Narratives of Conflict’ saw
The Last Days of Troy, the Cabinet War Rooms, ‘Comics
Unmasked’ at the British Library, they did a workshop on
heroes with Dr David Mitchell from the New College of
the Humanities and watched the film Gladiator; ‘Design and
Desire’ explored exhibitions in the V and A, attended the
‘Making Colour’ show at the National Gallery, saw Let The
Right One In, watched the film Girl With a Pearl Earring and
did a workshop on colour with Helen Garrett and Michael
Falzoni. In their presentations each group was challenged
to attempt to convey the nature of their experiences
to the rest of the year: they rose magnificently to the
challenge and the final morning finished the school year by
confirming the outstanding confidence and self-awareness
of nearly all our fifth-formers.
I hope that the cultural programme at Canford, which
of course covers much more than this article, encourages
self-awareness and reduces stultifying self-consciousness.
Our cultural achievements express what it means to be
human and for that reason we hope that every Canfordian
will develop self-awareness through his or her engagement
with culture. Jessica Chippendale and Nick Barker gave a
moving and incredibly sensitive presentation to members
of the Fifth Form about their visit to Auschwitz referred
to earlier in this article: through cultural engagement and
awareness we can enter some of the darkest as well as the
brightest moments of human experience and by sharing
them make ourselves more human.
John James
“Through cultural
engagement
and awareness
we can enter
some of the
darkest as well
as the brightest
moments
of human
experience and
by sharing them
make ourselves
more human.”
55
the arts
“If our education
system only
values ‘hard’
knowledge and
skills, then how
can we expect
young people to
develop well as
human beings?”
56
Drama
Why do drama? What is the point of these ‘soft’
subjects? Surely they are too easy and not worthy of
our time? Charles Dickens asked similar questions in
his 1854 novel, Hard Times, and an adaptation of this
novel devised by a cast of sixth-formers formed the
centrepiece of Canford’s drama activities this year. If
our education system only values ‘hard’ knowledge
and skills, then how can we expect young people to
develop well as human beings? Aren’t the ‘soft’ subjects
equally as challenging intellectually? A look through the
year’s activities in the Layard Theatre can answer these
questions better than any abstract political debate.
Hard Times itself was a challenging production,
conceived in a style that emphasised the bleak
mechanistic nature of a world devoid of ideas,
imagination and creativity. A large cast of sixth-formers
took on the challenge to adapt and devise this play
themselves from Dickens’ original, led by Upper Sixth
drama scholars James Broadley, Stephanie Ewin and
David Bridger under the direction of drama teacher
Laura Blake. Their task was, first, to interpret from
Dickens’s own writing the underlying socio-political
message, then to find the best dramatic framework
to express these sometimes quite abstract concepts
in a dramatic form that made sense of them, and
finally to fine-tune how they were communicated to
the audience for maximum dramatic impact. Working
knowledge of the Epic Theatre of Bertolt Brecht and
the theories of physical theatre embedded in the work
of Steven Berkoff helped the cast to find some of
the appropriate theatrical means. The rest was down
to their own imagination, creativity and structural
awareness. Soft? Intellectually unchallenging? I leave
you to decide.
The year began with rehearsals for The Hired Man,
Melvyn Bragg and Howard Goodall’s musical journey
through life in working-class Cumbria either side of
the arts
World War 1. The piece was chosen to exemplify our
ensemble approach to theatre here at Canford. We
can rightly praise the performances of James Broadley,
Tiffer Hutchings, Anna Cooper and the others playing
the named roles, but this is to miss the point of what
made the production such a success. Throughout
the rehearsal process and in performance, the most
notable attribute of these leads was how much
they saw themselves as equals, seeking to work
with everyone in the cast to tell the story. The great
strength of this piece was in the way that the chorus
were so completely integrated into the heart of the
story-telling, with everyone on stage taking ownership
of the piece and investing their energy into its success.
Getting a cast of pupils in an independent school
in Dorset to convince as working-class farmers and
miners in the north of England was never going to
be plain sailing, and relied on everyone not only
appreciating the historical and social context of life as
an agricultural labourer, the struggle to establish trades
unions in the mining industry and the impact of World
War 1 on rural communities, but genuinely investing
themselves in empathising with the people of that
time and place to develop a deeper understanding of
their plight. Connections with history, politics, science
and literature abound. Soft option? Not if you ask any
of the participants.
The Lady Vanishes was a project, led by Head of
Classical Civilisation Maurice Walters, that also invited
real intellectual engagement from the outset. The
stage version was written by Mr Walters and several
junior pupils over the course of the previous term,
and as the process went on it evolved and developed
into a sophisticated piece of high farce. Which then
left the challenge of rehearsing and performing it.
Farce depends for its success on quick-fire exchanges,
physical gags and exquisite timing: all skills which
present a huge intellectual and co-operative challenge
to a bunch of 14- and 15-year-olds. The success of
the production was again down to the ethos of group
endeavour among the whole cast, and although one
might remark on the fine performances of Imani
Thompson, Gemma Daubeney, Brennan Dyball, Issy
Raby, Ruby Featherstone, Charlie Round et al, the
overriding impression was one of an ensemble working
together at its best. And of an intellectual challenge not
just faced head on but embraced with enthusiasm and
a great sense of fun. What better way to learn about
the world?
House plays have traditionally been a chance for
pupils to have a go, giving opportunities to many who
might not have had a chance in a school production.
The School House/Salisbury production of Posh kicked
the house play season off with energy and ambition
and no little shock value. But to what end? Educational?
Entertaining? A meaningful experience? Yolanda
“Throughout
the rehearsal
process and in
performance, the
most notable
attribute of these
leads was how
much they saw
themselves as
equals, seeking
to work with
everyone in
the cast to tell
the story.”
57
the arts
Moore had all of these purposes in mind as she
masterminded the project. In itself the act of selecting
a play, casting it, cutting it and rehearsing it calls upon
a range of high-level skills. The point of a play is to
communicate something to an audience; to do a play
well requires that all aspects of the performance work
together in a consistent way to put across the meaning
the author intended. We can all stand up and say lines,
make a joke that people laugh at or sing a song; the
“Getting a cast
of pupils in an
independent
school in Dorset
to convince as
working-class
farmers and
miners in the north
of England was
never going to be
plain sailing.”
58
challenging part of theatre is controlling the ‘voice’
we create so that it says something coherent and
meaningful and goes beyond being merely a collection
of scenes and characters. Yolanda’s well-paced
production proved that house plays can absolutely do
this, challenging and entertaining the audience at the
same time.
Noises Off from de Lacy and Court was an
ambitious choice for other reasons. Here is a play that
the arts
demands the sort of precision in timing and changes
of tempo that we might associate with a piece of
music. The comedy works only when each member
of the cast is tuned in to the ensemble as a whole: as
one group of characters exits through a door another
group enters through another, and therein lies the
comedy. Steph Ewin, Izzy Rickcord and Charlie Burwell
understood this well and presented an object lesson
in how to make a house play really work.
Lancaster’s version of The Lion, The Witch and
The Wardrobe again exemplified the value of
real collaboration. All of the cast, through their
commitment and hard work, did an excellent job to
mount a production in just four weeks and the result
had a consistency of tone and clarity of storytelling
that held the audience in performance.
Beaufort and Franklin also chose a project which
challenged their cast, inspired by Sondheim’s Into the
Woods and weaving complex plot lines from various
fairy tales. Again it was the emphasis on ensemble
rather than individual ‘stars’ that I found thrilling and it
rounded off a very good season of house drama.
My philosophy is very much built around a company
ethos, but I must finish by mentioning some individuals
who have excelled. Anna Cooper (Fifth Form) and
James Broadley (Upper Sixth) successfully auditioned
for the National Youth Theatre and are now full
members of the company for the next few years.
It is a huge achievement when so few are chosen
nationally each year, and is likely to make a superb basis
for a future career in the business. Tiffer Hutchings
(Upper Sixth) secured a place at Mountview Theatre
School, a prestigious London drama school, to train as
an actor in musical theatre. To have done so at the age
of 17 at his first attempt is a colossal achievement. It is
also relevant that James and Tiffer achieved A*s in their
A-level Theatre Studies exams, averaging over 95% in
the practical options and the essay papers. The essay
papers are no soft option, based on the study of three
plays ranging from Shakespeare to Restoration comedy
to contemporary.
Chris Thomas, Director of Drama
“Again it was
the emphasis on
ensemble rather
than individual
‘stars’ that I
found thrilling
and it rounded
off a very good
season of house
drama.”
59
the arts
Music
“However eloquent
my words, and
however colourful
the pictures, the
glorious sounds
made by our
musical ‘butterflies’
and, occasionally,
‘caterpillars’(!),
can only really be
properly valued
and enjoyed when
heard in concert.”
60
I have never been a fan of lepidoptery. It seems to
me that pinning butterflies to a display board rather
misses the point of the beauty of these creatures in
flight and in joyous life. Even the eponymous hungry
caterpillar is best observed in its natural environment:
however decimated my lettuces were this summer,
there was great pleasure to be had in watching, with
my son, the sheer number and variety of wildlife that
consumed them. Similar, then, it seems to me, is the
business of trying to record all of the wonderful music
that has taken place in Canford over the last year
in the dry and dusty pages of a magazine. However
eloquent my words, and however colourful the
pictures, the glorious sounds made by our musical
‘butterflies’ and, occasionally, ‘caterpillars’(!), can only
really be properly valued and enjoyed when heard
in concert. Pinned to the page with mere words, the
exuberance, achievement and sheer effort is in danger
of being lost. Even the facility to enjoy audio or video
recordings of concerts past – and more on that later –
gives access to but a pale shadow of the original.
Some years ago the Musicians Union ran a campaign
to ‘Keep Music Live’. They would surely, then, be proud
of the achievements of our young performers at
Canford, who this year have put on an average of two
concerts each week. It would be impossible to write
reviews of every single event, unless of course The
Canfordian is about to take on the proportions of the
old Encylopedia Britannica.
Our musicians epitomise the very best of
Canfordians. Conscientious (for the most part),
professional, reliable and engaged, they turn up to
music rehearsals, often sweaty from the sports pitches,
and proceed to work hard to learn and to put on
concerts of the highest standards, whatever level they
are playing at. Their achievements are all significant, but
it is traditional in the end of year review particularly to
mention those in the Upper Sixth whose contributions
have been especially conspicuous and whose loss we
will feel. Rupert Dugdale has been a titan amongst
our musicians – although this is a deliberately ironic
choice of words, given his exceptionally slender
frame. A stalwart of choirs, orchestras, bands and the
department kitchen (where his fondness for unusual
teas went down well with the staff), Rupert leaves
us to take up a Choral Scholarship and place reading
the arts
Music at Magdalen College, Oxford. Tim Butterfield,
our other music scholar in the Upper Sixth, was a
characterful figure around the place, whose quirky
bassoon solos enriched numerous concerts and
held together ensembles from the bottom up. He
discovered a love for music technology and spent the
last part of the Summer term closeted in our studio,
putting together a modern masterpiece. Alas, he goes
off to read engineering, but I have no doubt he will
continue to impress and enjoy in his university’s music
department.
Tiffer Hutchings was a late starter : he arrived at
Canford having never played an instrument, and left
playing the viola and singing at grade 8 standard. His
conscientious and willing manner saw him as a pillar
of the chapel choir and the orchestra’s viola section,
but he will mostly be remembered for his exceptional
performances on the stage in the Layard, where he
had principal roles in our musicals in both his sixthform years. Olivia Parham juggled the demands of a
medicine application with singing and piano at grade
8 level, and flute at diploma level. A leading soprano
in the chapel and chamber choirs, with a crystalclear voice, she enriched all that she was involved in
with an astute and clever musicianship. I hope that
Oxford medicine will allow her the time to continue
“Our musicians
epitomise the
very best of
Canfordians.
Conscientious
(for the most
part), professional,
reliable and
engaged, they
… work hard to
learn and to put
on concerts of the
highest standards,
whatever level they
are playing at.”
61
the arts
“The musicians
were drawn from
across the school
and featured two
full jazz bands,
a saxophone
ensemble, six
vocal soloists and
a theatrical trio
– not to mention
numerous featured
instrumentalists.”
62
to play and sing. Other notable musical contributions
came from Anika Sufraz, who led the orchestra with
confidence and aplomb, and Charlotte Daubeney,
whose fine voice came into its own in the Upper Sixth.
These were just the most active amongst a musical
year, and all those others who played and sang in our
ensembles are worthy of note and thanks.
One of the most significant wider developments
during the year was the foundation of the Friends of
Canford Music. This is a parent-led association which
aims to support music of all types at Canford and
to provide an enjoyable social context for music for
parents and a wider circle of friends of the school.
It was officially launched in February with a jazz
concert, when an audience of over 140 enjoyed a
spectacular evening with a varied programme of
including favourites such as ‘Mack the Knife’ and ‘Ain’t
misbehavin’, through to modern classics including
themes from Hawaii Five-O and Blues Brothers, an
hilarious version of ‘Three little maids’ from Hot
Mikado, and an accomplished Chamber Choir
performance. The concert ended with a fabulous
arrangement of ‘Ain’t no mountain high enough’. The
musicians were drawn from across the school and
featured two full jazz bands, a saxophone ensemble,
six vocal soloists and a theatrical trio – not to
mention numerous featured instrumentalists. It was an
impressive demonstration of the musical talent in the
school. Membership of the Friends is free. An email
bulletin will be sent out regularly to provide advance
notice of events, information about concerts and
who will be performing, as well as invitations to social
events. If you are interested in joining, send an email
to fcm@canford.com or you can sign up online at
www.canford.com/music.
In the academic sphere, Canford’s GCSE and A level
musicians continue to enjoy considerable success in
their exams. At GCSE all pupils achieved either an A*
or an A, whilst all grades save one were at that level
in the Sixth Form. The discipline of academic music
is a rigorous one, with pupils having to demonstrate
significant understanding of composition, analysis and
aural skills, as well as performing at a high level. Our
pupils have enjoyed the journey of understanding in
their curriculum music lessons; the path has not always
been an easy one – composition is a skill that taxes
even the most confident and skilled musician – but the
number of our pupils gaining full marks in at least one,
if not two, of their examined units is a testament to
their dedication.
the arts
Having attempted gently to pin our colourful
musicians to the blank page of history, I would like,
unusually for a retrospective publication, to look
forward. As 2014-15 gets under way, we’re looking
to make many more recordings of concerts available
through the school Gateway. Parents who live a long
way away, or whose commitments prevent them
from getting to concerts, will have the opportunity
to enjoy the performances at their leisure. However,
to end where I started, a recording can capture
only the notes of a performance. The atmosphere
is not the same and, of course, our pupils thrive on
support in the concert hall. The audiences for our
events are not as large, sometimes, as I would hope,
and so I encourage readers to take, if they can, the
opportunity to visit the department and to see how
our young caterpillars metamorphose into beautiful
and musical butterflies. It’s a terrific journey to witness.
Chris Sparkhall, Director of Music
63
the arts
Ar t
Exhibitions
“All who pass
through the
Art School are
contributors to an
evolving culture, a
continuum – with
each passing
generation
inspiring the next.”
64
At Canford there is no such thing as a Fine Art course
but as many courses as there are pupils who study
art. There is no set formula or house style, but a
considerable degree of diversity of approach through
a variety of disciplines. During my ten years with the
Art School at Canford, I have been witness to, and
attempted to support, the ambitions, uncertainties, acts
of faith, critical judgements, curiosity and sheer desire to
question of Canfordians who have elected to study Art.
All who pass through the Art School are contributors
to an evolving culture, a continuum – with each passing
generation inspiring the next.
2013-14 has proved to be another busy and exciting
year. Early in the academic year, Old Canfordians were
invited to exhibit work curated by art teacher Jay Jones;
‘Looking Forward to Looking Back’ was a celebration
of the work of some of those past generations – all
distinguished artists and designers from the recent and
not-so-recent past, participating in the first exhibition
of this type to be held in the Coldstream Gallery (the
gallery recently re-named after William Coldstream, the
acclaimed artist and educator, who taught at Canford
before World War 2).
Pupil exhibitions included ‘Doodle versus Sculpture’,
a selection of work generated by lower school pupils.
‘Curiouser and Curiouser’ was the art scholars’
response to an Alice in Wonderland-inspired theme.
Curated by departing scholars Natasha SmithLangridge, Annie Fraser and Rory Cowan, the show
incorporated all facets of the visual arts: sculpture,
painting, photography and installation. The summer
exhibition in the Art School was an excellent platform
for this year’s Upper Sixth artists to demonstrate their
hard work over the past two years. It included some
exceptionally ambitious and high-quality work, including
painting by Sammi Gower, Esther Bowell, Olivia Morse
and Olivia Esposti et al. It was very well received by
visitors and a fitting showcase and finale for the year.
As well as pupil exhibitions, staff members have also
been well represented in the gallery. Phil Effick’s ‘Wood
the arts
and Water’ was an exhibition of watercolours and
wood turned pots and woodwind instruments, while
Ruth Fuller’s eclectic subject matter was showcased in
an exhibition entitled ‘Surface’. Meanwhile, the art staff
continue to make and exhibit their own work outside
Canford, including sculpture teacher Andy Kirkby, who
unveiled a large set of public works in Weymouth
inspired by local history and the Jurassic Coast.
Workshops
The school co-ordinates a series of workshops
throughout the academic year that are steered toward
different age groups and standards. Artist and lecturer
Elaine Wilson delivered a really stimulating workshop
for Lower and Upper Sixth artists in December. She
gave a fascinating talk about her own practice and
advised potential art college students about degree
courses. In the workshop she showed pupils how to
develop complex, intricate collages suspended in layers
of resin. Over the two days pupils generated substantial
pieces that will be welcome additions to their Pre-U
coursework.
ARTiculation Prize
In March the South West round of the ARTiculation
Prize was held at Roche Court Sculpture Park,
Salisbury, and adjudicated by the Rt Rev. Nick Holtam,
Bishop of Salisbury. Canford were represented by Susie
Hucker; her presentation entitled ‘Dalston House’, a
perceptive account of the recent installation in the East
End of London by Argentine artist Leandro Erlich, was
very well received by the audience and won praise from
the Bishop.
House art
‘A tremendous day full of interesting insights and
interpretations and thoroughly enjoyable’ was how this
year’s judge for the annual house art competition, Don
Short, described his experience of spending the day at
Canford. Don, a writer, artist and teacher at Magdalen
College School, who has visited Canford a number of
times in the recent past, most notably to exhibit his
landscape paintings in the Coldstream Gallery, had the
difficult task of selecting the most deserving house.
Houses were asked to reinterpret famous masterpieces
through the medium of photography and this year
Monteacute’s excellent submission, masterminded by
Richard Ward and inspired by the Valasquez painting
‘Las Meninas’, emerged as the overall winner: a superbly
arranged piece incorporating mirrors, music and
projections. Judge’s prizes were also awarded to Court
and Beaufort.
“A tremendous
day full of
interesting insights
and interpretations
and thoroughly
enjoyable.”
65
the arts
“The John Lever
Building will
receive its final
consignment of
themed framed
work, created
predominantly
by Shells, to
reflect aspects
of the subjects
next to which it
is displayed.”
66
St Ives trip
(This section has been contributed by Natasha Haining of
the Upper Sixth)
At the beginning of the Easter holidays we travelled
down to St Ives, Cornwall. Our first visit was to the
studio of Sam Bassett, which is next to that of Naomi
Frears and previously belonged to Francis Bacon. He
talked with us about his work and the impact of St Ives
on it.
The next day we went to Penzance to look
around the Exchange and Newlyn Gallery, where the
exhibitions were entitled ‘Curiosity’ and featured a
wide range of work, including that of Michael Porter.
Later we went back into St Ives and visited the studios
and beautiful garden of the famous sculptor, Barbara
Hepworth, where her work has been carefully kept
for the public to enjoy. We then visited the nearby
Millennium gallery and the studio of Naomi Frears.
This was definitely a highlight for me as, after explaining
her work and showing us her many sketchbooks,
she allowed us to completely direct her decisions
as to what she did to a blank canvas. The result was
interesting and it was exciting to see the process she
went through in order to complete her work.
On Sunday we went down to Levant Mine to sketch
the landscape and the remnants of the mine, then to
Cornwall’s famous Minack open-air theatre, which is
built into the cliffs, to do more drawing and go down to
the beach. Before we left on Monday morning we made
one last trip, to the home of artist Louise McClary,
the arts
where she talked about her work and other artists she
was interested in, as well as the influence of literature
on her work. Afterwards, she took us on a walk
through her garden and the local area, describing to us
the impact of the natural environment on her work.
Displayed work
Ensuring that pupils’ artwork has a wider audience
beyond the Art School continues to be a priority
and new work is constantly updated throughout
the campus. The John Lever Building will receive its
final consignment of themed framed work, created
predominantly by Shells, to reflect aspects of the
subjects next to which it is displayed; the latest
artwork is inspired by the Chemistry Department. In
the outside communal spaces, the latest creative piece
is a new ceramic installation, placed this summer in
the thoroughfare between Gisborough Hall and
the Layard Theatre. The work consists of a table
constructed of oak felled from the school grounds,
upon which rests a banquet of ceramic food, all
created in the Art School by Shell and Fourth Form
pupils and overseen by Canford’s sculpture teacher,
Andy Kirkby.
Leavers
Tasha Smith-Langridge, Esther Bowell, Annie Fraser and
Richard Ward all begin Art and Design Foundation
Courses in reputable art colleges in London. They
have made valuable contributions to the visual arts at
Canford and we wish them well in all their creative
endeavours. Perhaps we will see them again before too
long, exhibiting in the school gallery!
Duncan Wright, Head of Art
67
creative writing
From a viewpoint at Waterloo Station
The newfound cuddling lovers seem to cradle one another,
The brown-haired little girl is with her sister and her mother.
The pouting blonding tight-dressed pair are tottering in their heels,
While the trainered dogged foreigner tugs his luggage on two wheels.
Then the ambling lanky bearded fellow takes each long step calm and grand,
And the purple-jumpered mother strokes her newborn with her hand.
But then three rushing students have to race to platform four,
Now eyes are darting, legs are pacing – much more quickly than before.
A red-dressed gold-hooped teenager looks confused and out of place,
While a shuffling lonely granny has deep-set worry on her face.
The metallic downward-moving stairs suck each person underground.
The intestines of this city beetle on without a sound.
The looming clock progresses with each second tick tick tick.
While officials beckon rushing men onto the blue train quick quick quick.
It’s likely that in fifty years half these people will be dead,
And hundreds more keen rushing spirits will flood Waterloo instead.
But who will I be? The Londoner – earphoned, rucksacked, on their own?
Or the carefree wandering smiling girl who’s always on the phone?
Or the cyclist, or the dog-walker, Doctor, writer, or the teacher?
Or maybe I’ll be that lonesome soul who simply doesn’t feature.
My train will leave in just five minutes;
The speaker rings out clear and loud.
So now I’ll join this strangely lively –
And yet doomed and dying crowd.
Amy Cavender
(Commendation in the Foyle’s Poetry Competition)
68
creative writing
Barcode hands
‘You have lines on your hands,’
Says a little girl, salty scribble of yellow hair,
With eyes of powder-puff blue.
Staring intently.
The woman glances down, mottled purple yes.
But these hands have joined problems,
A to G and back to C.
And have scooped trembling spat out syllables.
Now bleached from hastily skimmed seconds,
And blue from corkscrewing droplets.
‘It’s the onions, darling,’ she would say,
Never labelling them ‘tears’.
They are connectors – palm to growing palm,
One drizzled additive red
From sludgy strawberry ice-cream
‘Clean your hands, sweetie’ ‘Take the tissue’ ‘Wipe’
Hands that have ironed graphite skirts,
A cobweb dress, crisping towels and a knit-up jumper
And those favourite jeans with a heart-shaped stain,
Her first night out.
As well as hair.
Those smooth strokes as silence reigns, taming golden whips.
As minutes away a boy sleeps, blessed
With a paper-mâché heart and eyes that never stream.
But instead of all this she says,
‘Yes, yes I do. They are called veins.’
Rebecca Thomas
69
creative writing
Journey (To Dancing Ledge)
The last snatches of light fell from the beige rock cliffs,
soaked in blood on the floor. Her next memory was of
leaving the coast line drenched in darkness. The crescent
waking up on the forest floor, curled in a ball with tears
moon shed a sliver of silver through the clouds and
streaming down her face.
onto the ocean.
She jerked back into the present just in time to see
The seagull stood, like a silent sentinel, watching over
the lights of a coastguard vessel switch on and begin to
his domain. He glanced back at his mate and his newly
pursue them.
hatched babies, sleeping in the gloomy crack. Gazing
The waves, barely more than ripples, lapped almost
again out to sea, he detected a night-black object on the
silently on the ledge, making only a gentle sucking sound
horizon gliding silently across the dark ocean. Thinking of
as the water retreated from the cracks in the rock. The
food, he took flight, feeling the joyous rush of the wind
night air was still and heavy with silence. The wail of a
in his feathers. As he closed in on the object, he began
coastguard siren ripped through the silence, scattering
to realise that this potential food-source was beyond
it into the night sky. It was accompanied by the high-
his consumption. Wheeling around, he began the search
pitched whine of the dinghy’s motor, straining far too
for an easier meal. Had he stayed, he would have seen
hard to be safe. The dinghy raced for the ledge, skipping
a matt black dinghy, crammed full with ten people,
over the waves. The coastguard vessel, ablaze with
motoring towards the only break in the cliffs, Dancing
fluorescent lights, was not far behind and was gaining on
Ledge.
its prey.
Aboard this dinghy the people cowered, hunching
‘Stop!’ A pre-recorded message bellowed out of a
into the corners, rejected by their people, hopeless,
megaphone. ‘This is the UK coastguard. You will not be
homeless, desperate. One particular passenger stood
harmed. Stop!’ it continued.
out. She sat rigid, her straight spine leading to a beautiful
The dinghy, more by luck than horsepower, reached
but stern face. Her icy blue eyes were cold, calculating,
the ledge. The passengers, panicking, leapt off and
and devoid of emotion.
sprinted towards the cliffs, desperately scrambling up,
‘Go! Go now! Before they find you!’ Those had been the
their animal instincts in full action. Of course, she wasn’t.
last words she had heard her father say.
Calmly she stepped off with her duffel bag. She placed
Looking across the boat she noticed, for the first time
it upon the ledge. Unzipping it, she uncovered several
since leaving France, some hope entering the actions of
black parts. Extracting them carefully from the bag she
the others. She thought this foolish hope was a cruel
assembled them into what resembled a Dragunov SVD
deceiver, who played games with its recipients until it
sniper rifle. Painstakingly attaching a scope and activating
dropped them straight down the well of despair. Amid
night vision, she lifted the rifle, feeling its weight. Lying
these new movements there was a father, holding his
down in a prone position, she aimed at the coastguard
child, comforting him. An unwelcome feeling of loss
vessel, its bright lights making an easy target.
surged forth as memories of her father surfaced. A rich
The first shot went off.
Belarussian business tycoon, he had risen through the
The driver slumped back in his chair.
ranks of the underworld, rising to prominence to get
The second shot.
to the very top. Widowed young, he never re-married,
The spotlight dipped downwards as its user toppled instead devoting his time to business and his beloved
into the water.
only daughter. Knowing that betrayal was a very real
The third.
possibility, he had had plans put in place for escape to
The boat exploded into a column of fire and smoke political asylum.
as the bullet entered the petrol tank.
The boat rocked as the bottom hit a coral head and
Allowing herself a small smile, she disassembled the
another memory was wrenched forward. The unfamiliar
Dragunov and replaced it in her bag. Walking slowly
feelings of panic and fear rising up within her as her
towards the cliffs, she prepared herself for a new
father shoved her out of the back door, shouted those
beginning.
last words and confronted them. She had watched
as the bullets entered her father and as they left him,
70
James Priaulx
creative writing
Washed ashore
Foam or skin, her entire body appeared to be one with
possibly an angel sent from the heavens above to
the tide. It was overwhelming; her beauty was worn like
foreworn of our fate and doom? The sight wreaks havoc
a balaclava, masking the severity and savageness of her
to our eyes. Burning. Unnatural. However, it was utterly
nature and intensifying that of her innocence. She was a
intoxicating.
Venus borne in on the foam to drift ashore and capture
My ebony tone could have been her shadow. This
the attention of all who happened to dwell there.
creature standing stark and bare before us belonged to
The image of her walking up from the seabed,
some foreign land, an unknown country or civilization; a
escorting the waves in triumph as she claimed her
being of a different race entirely.
domain is unlikely to be forgotten. It is a kindness to
The power and dominance of this being’s presence
us to liken her to the aspects of mortals, her effortless
quickly evades as she begins to mutter uncontrollably.
grace similar to that of the azure tide she arose from,
Language. Noise. Verbal, inexplicable sound. This was
possessing the ability to become a stranger at the edge
followed by frantic hand movement and gestures. Still
of visibility one moment, and a ruthless stalker the next.
untranslatable. She began pointing towards the sea,
For us, this scene playing out before us was petrifying.
towards herself, and then to us. And yet like perplexed
We were oh so afraid.
tin soldiers we stood, soaking in the bizarre abnormality
Her tissue paper white skin was illuminating, glowing
before us, and watched as this marble skinned female
in front of the dusk sun. It was entirely alien. What being
sank to her knees and wept amongst the tide.
can possibly possess such pale, insipid skin? Is it an illness?
Could it be the mark of sin or purgatory? Is this creature
Alana Mercer
Savage beauty
When it comes to women,
Some say the simplest are the best.
No fuss or complexity to unravel
Just young, sweet and bubblegum pink.
But I favour the unconventional,
With horns and claws,
Savage beauty tends to rule hearts better.
For them, love is enjoyed,
But instantly forgotten,
Like tin foil they crumple men’s emotions
And play with the silver ball
Until its shine fades
And more precious toys can be found.
So if this torture is not for you,
Then take your simple beauty,
She will be loyal and she will be kind
And though her shine will fade,
Like iron she will remain.
Bee Alcaraz
71
creative writing
Rainbowed
water droplets
The water tumbles over itself, churning up a paper-white
froth before throwing down onto the pale sand small
bubbles of salty froth dissipating into the cool morning
air. The next wave grows, the tip of the peak teasing,
daring to tip over and then falling, repeating the tumble
turn process. A slender figure sits on the sand, knees
hugged to chest like a child as the sand curves between
her toes, caressing her worn feet. She stares uneasily
out into the sea, scared by its immensity, restrained by
nothing and no-one as the waves rise and ebb upon the
beach in time to the rising and falling of her chest.
She feels so open here, so exposed, the empty
landscape providing no shelter or comfort. The water
stretches on into the distance, shifting and changing like
a restless child, endless blues and turbulent greens giving
way to deep violet and the blue-grey of her mother’s
eyes. Suddenly she can smell rosemary, see the hands
stained from hours of gardening. She can hear that old
tune caught in the breeze, that familiar voice singing the
lullaby that would lull her to sleep. Memories surface,
the turbulent water trying to fight them down. It fails.
Her mother is all around her now, in the sky, the sand,
the sea. But she is not complete, only in snatches as if
she is the colours of the sea, caught in glimpses, flashes
of brilliant colour, but never seen as a whole.
She stands up abruptly, shattering the veil of memory
that had engulfed her, and breathes in deeply, salt and
cool air rushing into her lungs, clearing her mind as she
walks firmly off the beach and into the forest. Her sense
of anxiety leaves as she enters; she prefers it here, the
dense trees sheltering her from the outside world, her
own cocoon spun in green and brown. Fragments of
light burst through the thick layers of leaves, painting
mottled patterns on the dark forest floor. Flashes of
silver birch and tall leafy ferns pass her as she nears the
centre of the wood, the whole forest whispering, the
gentle hum of life reassuring her.
Soon she reaches her destination: a huge fallen tree,
wood frail and old, withering and decaying, but still
teeming with life. Moss spirals its way down the ridged
bark, rainbowed water droplets hang from their tiny
leaves and rich orange and white mushrooms sprout
from the trunk, rooting in the crevices and cracks. She
falls gratefully into the welcome arms of the tree, the
roots stretching out to her, guiding her to the hollow
where she used to sit as a child, tiny wellies pitter patter
up the tree as her blond pigtails fly wildly from side to
side. This was like a home to her, free and alone but still
safe, deep in the wood. Her mother’s favourite place to
sit and read or sing or laugh. She feels so close here, like
her mother is almost tangible, her memory and essence
so imprinted on this place that is impossible not to
remember her. The lullaby drifts back in on the breeze,
whispered on the lips of the trees as it seeps into the
hollow. Her eyes lag, mind fogging as she falls back into
the comfort of her mother.
Emilia Davies
Autumn
There is, I think, no sunshine like the sky
Of those mild, breezy, cloudless autumn days
Which tempt once more abroad the butterfly
To search for lingering flowers; when the green sprays
Of ash, now loosened, drop on him who strays
Through woodland paths, while the light yellow leaves
Of fading trees come dancing down all ways
Like winged things.
Freddie Axford
72
The Bourne Academy
The biggest event of the year was that Jackie
Steel, the founding principal of the Bourne Academy,
announced her resignation. She will be leaving at the end
of December so that she can fulfil a lifetime’s ambition to
paint portraits. She was an art teacher for several years
before becoming a principal, but running an academy
leaves no time for painting, and it is something she wants
to do ‘while she still has some energy’. While admiring
her boldness (to say nothing of the drop in her salary!),
the decision came as a surprise to everyone. Jackie
has undoubtedly been the driving force behind the
academy’s success, and there was a concern that staff
might think the academy couldn’t continue to improve
without her at the helm. As Jackie herself says, though, it
might have needed her to kick-start the changes, but it
needs a different person to build on what she has done.
Fortunately, we have been able to appoint Mark Avoth,
principal of Avon Valley College near Salisbury, who looks
to be an exciting successor and has a proven track record
as a headteacher in a similar school.
Meanwhile the academy continues to grow, both
in size and in quality. Many of us would have liked the
academy to stay at its present size (not much larger than
Canford) but the intention was always that it should grow
to 1050 , essential to cope with both Bournemouth’s
teenager boom over the next few years and our own
economic necessity. The site is not large, but we may
need more buildings and will certainly need to use the
space effectively. Fortunately, we have been able to set
the tone of the academy with smaller numbers; the house
system, already an important part of the academy’s life,
will become increasingly so as total numbers rise. Year
groups were about 100 when the academy opened, but its
increasing popularity means that, against dropping numbers
in the borough, we were soon able to take in year groups
of 150 and, from this year onwards, 180.
The academy is therefore somewhat bottom-heavy
in terms of both numbers and academic standards. It is
now attracting a more academic profile but those in this
year’s GCSE group, as well as the Year 12 students who
‘founded’ the Sixth Form, had few academic high-flyers.
However, this year’s GCSE results, while very slightly down
on last year’s, are probably more impressive and will put
the academy in at least the top ten per cent of schools
nationally in terms of pupil progress. Given that last year,
they were sixth out of 55 similar schools nationally, Jackie
Steel has every reason to support her view that the
academy’s greatest strength is its ability to add value.
“One of the
academy’s
founding
aims was to
give students
self-belief
and ambition,
and that is
happening.”
73
bourne academy
“The relationship
will grow further,
as it should – we
each have things
we can learn
from the other.”
74
That does not come without a huge effort from the
staff, which includes extra classes, Saturday school, a strong
focus on attendance, and a determination to deal with
any small issues before they become significant. There are
still a few students with great problems, both socially and
academically, but the majority are doing very well indeed.
One of the academy’s founding aims was to give students
self-belief and ambition, and that is happening.
What happens outside the classroom can be equally
impressive. Students have won boccia cups, sailing cups,
cooking competitions and art prizes, but most schools
can boast individual success and it doesn’t always give a
true picture of what the average student is experiencing.
What impresses me are the events where huge
numbers, if not all, of the students get involved: drama
and music productions, and ASPIRE days where lessons
are suspended for the whole academy and one of the
faculties leads on a project. Equally impressive are the
smaller-scale activities: foreign trips, students planting
and weeding in the flower beds that surround the main
buildings, students helping proudly on Open Evenings,
and much else. I wonder how many schools can boast
that each of their Sixth Form students has a ‘Bourne
Ambassador’, a local businesswoman or man, who meets
regularly with their mentees to help and inspire them? This
is a school that wants the best for its students.
As governors we are required to be more
knowledgeable than ever before, and Ofsted inspectors
will expect us to show that we have challenged staff
throughout the year. As Canford governors do, several
will spend the day shadowing house staff and observing
lessons, but governors also attend meetings where they
are taught how to analyse academic data so that they
have the tools to challenge the teachers. The economic
pressures on the budget are also increasing as more
demands are made on a diminishing grant from the
government so, despite being state-funded, the academy
has started – with some success – to look elsewhere for
funding.
The role of a governor is time-consuming but it is also
enjoyable, because the staff and students there clearly
love what they are doing. Visitors often comment on the
positive, purposeful atmosphere and it is easy to see why.
Walking round the colourful building, the corridors are
quiet and students don’t rush. Classroom doors are left
open and shouting is virtually a thing of the past. It is how
you want a school to be.
Governing apart, the relationship with Canford is
growing without being forced. Groups of Year 10 (Fourth
Form) pupils regularly pair up and spend half the morning
at the other school; Canford’s science teachers have
helped those at the academy introduce science into the
Sixth Form; and many of the joint ventures set up earlier,
such as the Year 9 (Shell) reading club, continue. A local
teacher used the relationship between Canford and the
academy as part of her MA research, speaking to teachers
and pupils from both schools, and it will be interesting
to see what she says about it. The relationship will grow
further, as it should – we each have things we can learn
from the other.
I have often been asked whether the academy
model is a good one, and my answer is that I think it’s a
rather strange construct, but it happens to work for us.
However, that is absolutely down to the people there,
rather than anything that has come from London. In fact
I am increasingly shocked by how little help is offered
from on high. There is now a huge pressure on schools
to cherry-pick pupils because students with difficulties
must be offered support (such as teaching assistants), but
schools are not offered the necessary funding; comparison
between schools under those conditions is simply
ludicrous. Despite that, the Bourne Academy remains
committed to its original vision, that it is a school for the
local population that will not simply pick the brightest. It’s
doing that very well – and governors are happy to take
any of the reflected glory that comes their way! – and I
hope it will do so for some time to come.
Richard Knott, Chair of Governors
Community & Partnerships
Community Service Projects
During 2013-14, Canford’s community service
programme continued to offer a wide range of
opportunities for pupils to engage in voluntary work.
The experiences can be invaluable in developing the soft
skills so highly respected by universities and employers,
as well as affording an insight into the wider world
outside the narrow confines of the school environment.
Partnership links with the local community included
helping in local primary schools, visiting dementia patients,
providing music at care homes, gardening for the National
Trust at Kingston Lacy, visiting the elderly, working with
local schools to develop modern and classical language
courses, organising community sports events through
the community sports leaders programme, leading
drama workshops for special school pupils and many
more beside. Volunteering largely takes place on Monday
afternoons throughout the year, but a number of standalone projects such as the Canford City Reach Project
and the Shine Saturday School programme operate
outside these times. It is impossible to record all of the
activities that have flourished in 2013-14, but a small
selection of what has been happening hopefully gives a
flavour of the whole.
A dinosaur slide for Julia’s House
Julia’s House is a local charity which runs a children’s
hospice for young people who suffer from life-limiting
conditions and gives vital support to their families. One of
the highlights of our community action programme this
year has been the progress we have made in building links
with the charity through a variety of different initiatives.
The school has been able to host a number of events
during the year, including the charity’s annual fund-raising
ball held in the Canford Great Hall during the summer
holidays. Special sibling and family days have also been
arranged, centred around activities in the Layard Theatre
foyer.
Apart from fund-raising and hosting events, the highlight
of our links this year has been the construction of the
Canfordosaurus, a slide specially designed by Andy Kirkby
in the Art Department, which Canford pupils helped finish
on Monday afternoons. The slide was commissioned for
the Julia’s House garden in Broadstone and needed to fit in
with an existing Jurassic theme. The cladding for the sides
consists of panels of oak cut from timber felled in Canford
Park. The transport of the dinosaur slide from school to
Broadstone on the back of a flatbed van provided quite a
spectacle! A number of pupils were present at the unveiling
in November and were kindly given a tour of the hospice
building to see its amazing facilities and hear about the
work the charity does both at the hospice itself and in the
community.
“The transport
of the dinosaur
slide from school
to Broadstone
on the back of
a flatbed van
provided quite
a spectacle!”
Supporting coffee production in the
Dominican Republic
One of this year’s most successful and well-supported
new initiatives combines the idea of community action and
business education in the form of a school social enterprise
company. Borrowing an idea from a pioneering project
in a Somerset school and with the support of a firm of
coffee and tea merchants, DJ Miles, staff and pupils in the
Business Studies Department set up ‘Canford Coffee’ to
75
community & partnerships
market and distribute coffee responsibly sourced from a
coffee-growing co-operative in the Dominican Republic;
the profits are ploughed back to support the business
and to benefit the local community in the area where
the coffee is produced. At the end of the first year of
operation, the pupils involved had gained a meaningful
insight into the discipline of running a small business and
hopefully a greater awareness of some of the complexities
surrounding commodity production and trading, combined
with the knowledge that the venture should in the longer
term support sustainable development in a poor part of
the world.
Limelights Youth Club
“Limelights is
a local youth
club in Oakdale,
Poole. Its history
is strongly linked
with Canford’s,
since it started out
as the Canford
Poole Boys’ Club in
1929 in its original
location in the
centre of Poole.”
76
Limelights is a local youth club in Oakdale, Poole. Its
history is strongly linked with Canford’s, since it started
out as the Canford Poole Boys’ Club in 1929 in its original
location in the centre of Poole. For decades, strong links
between the two institutions existed, nurtured by Charles
Beresford. Those historic links had weakened considerably
in recent years until the rediscovery of a common
heritage when the school was invited to take part in
the club’s eightieth birthday celebrations. Among other
events, a celebration lunch was arranged in John o’Gaunts.
Subsequently, a handful of Canford sixth-formers have
been involved as volunteer workers. This year two day
pupils, Cameron Lloyd and Tom Streeton, have regularly
attended Tuesday evening sessions and their efforts were
recognised at a presentation at Limelights for this year’s
volunteers, when each was presented with a certificate by
the Mayor of Poole. It is hoped that we can now sustain
this partnership in the future with a growing number of
joint activities.
Sponsored walk for City Reach
This year’s City Reach (formerly Northam) fund-raising
walk was held in January, not long after the heavy local
flooding that took place in the new year of 2014. The
pupil organising committee wisely arranged a route that
kept out of the valleys and hugged the well-drained
chalk uplands. Blandford was chosen as the start point
and a rather bleary-eyed group of around forty pupils,
staff and a couple of dogs set off at an early hour on a
Sunday morning from Bryanston School gates to walk the
eighteen miles off-road via Blandford Camp and Badbury
Rings back to the Canford gates. The walkers were
blessed with good weather, only suffered wet feet on two
occasions in flooded fields and arrived home in daylight
in pretty good shape and in high spirits. The highlight of
the day was most definitely when Mr Rossiter served up
an astonishing number of hot dogs from the back of a
minibus in Tarrant Monkton at lunchtime.
The Canford City Reach partnership has gone from
strength to strength under the direction of a new
group of pupils this year. Ben Moores, Georgie Burrows,
Freddie Dunger and Seb Rodrigues have provided
strong leadership and indefatigable energy. Canford
School Society have once again been unstinting in their
support. The inner city youth project itself, which is
based in Southampton, has had to face considerable
funding pressures this year and these have impacted
on the number of sessions provided after school and in
the evenings. It is hoped that continuing fund-raising by
Canford pupils can contribute to mitigating some of that
impact and allow us to continue sponsoring the highly
successful activity weekend (which this year took place at
Osmington), together with the traditional Canford Camp
in June and a range of other initiatives.
Ground Force at High Mead Farm
Though not a new project, Canford pupils’ involvement
with High Mead Farm has recently developed into a
major part of the school’s community programme
involving many volunteers from the Fourth Form under
the direction of Mr Jeffery. The pupils write: ‘High Mead
is small working farm which specialises in providing a
supported work environment for those in the local
community with learning and physical disabilities. As a CIC
(Community Interest Company), it is effectively a step
down from a charity, and as it is relatively new, there are
lots of practical tasks which they appreciate help with
from our group. Over the last two years the Ground
Force group has helped with looking after the animals
and other practical tasks around the site. Activities tend
to include: cleaning out the animal enclosures, including
the pig sty; feeding the chickens, ducks, ferrets, geese and
turkeys; gardening tasks in the poly-tunnels; grooming
the Shetland ponies; planting, digging, fence-building and
painting and building a traditional pig sty…. Our most
recent project is building a new pig rotunda by digging
a trench and recycling the wood for the outer wall. It has
been amazing to see the difference already being made by
the group.’
Serious Fun on Saturdays
The Serious Fun on Saturday programme is a partnership
with three local primary schools to provide a programme
of activities on Saturday mornings for a group of 24 gifted
and talented Year 6 children from the local area of Kinson.
It is sponsored by the London-based charity Shine, who
are committed to supporting the three-year project. The
programme runs from September to December with
individual sessions led by different Canford teachers, helped
by Sixth Form volunteers, and covers a wide range of
disciplines. The sessions are linked together with a gripping
narrative written by Mr Walters. The activities range from
philosophy to frog dissection. Every Saturday morning
begins with a cooked breakfast in John o’Gaunts. At the
end of the course, each participant is awarded a certificate
and book at a graduation ceremony held in the Long
Gallery where participants and their families are invited
to a celebration evening. A presentation is also given in an
assembly at each of the three participating schools.
Jeremy Orme
77
community & partnerships
“Our most
recent project is
building a new
pig rotunda by
digging a trench
and recycling
the wood for
the outer wall.”
community & partnerships
Argentina
“Canfordians
painted over 2000
faces, dressed up
as popular cartoon
characters, ran
arts and crafts
stalls, marshalled
the bouncy castles,
built and flew
kites, and put on
a fantastic science
show spectacular!”
78
During the summer, a team of ten Lower Sixth
Canfordians went for the eleventh year in a row to
work at Hogar el Alba, a children’s home in the rough
Longchamps barrio (district) in the southern outskirts
of Buenos Aires. They were Max Allen, Henry Cooper,
George Rose, Alex Watson-Lee, Tash Haining, Katie
Holdoway, Lucy Longbottom, Holly Twist, Bella Watkiss
and Tori Webb, accompanied by three members of staff:
SD Excell, C Mason and HC Morrell.
Work there entailed painting and decorating Casa
Drysdale, with the aim to have it inhabitable this year.
Canford broke ground on the project to renovate this
totally derelict building seven years ago, and it was great
to see half of the building already being lived in as we
grafted hard in the other half. We also entertained the
kids of the Hogar after school with activities as varied as
tango dancing, jewellery making, t-shirt designing, pompom making, bee-keeping, camp fires, and of course the
hotly contested England vs Argentina football match with
the handymen at the Hogar!
The fortnight was broken with a cultural visit to
the city centre, where we toured the city’s various
districts on foot and took in a top-notch tango show. The
finale to this weekend was watching Argentina in the
finals of the football World Cup and a wonderful
‘asado’ (barbecue) with OC Rodrigo ‘Rorro’ Levy
and his family.
The end of the trip saw us make preparations for
the Megafestival, a funfair staged at the Hogar for all
of the children who live in the adjacent slum and the
surrounding barrio. The events are paid for out of the
donations raised by Canford pupils who are part of the
partnership team, and entrance fee for the Megafestival
highlights the poverty in the area: it is just one bag of
flour or sugar, or a litre of oil, per family if they can afford
to spare it. Canfordians painted over 2000 faces, dressed
up as popular cartoon characters, ran arts and crafts
stalls, marshalled the bouncy castles, built and flew kites,
and put on a fantastic science show spectacular! The
Canfordians advertised the event by walking around the
incredibly impoverished local slums with flyers, an eyeopening experience for all. The Megafestival was a huge
success, raising the standing of the Hogar in the local
neighbourhood yet more.
The team all worked very hard and achieved a great
deal during the visit, and I am sure that many will be
returning in the future.
Steve Excell
On the first day of the summer holidays, a small
team of five Sixth Form pupils and three members of
staff set off to spend two weeks in Ghana, hosted by
the Awutu-Winton Senior High School, with the hope
of building some links that could lead to a long-term
partnership between the two schools. Awutu-Winton
is funded by the charity EDP and is currently the only
non-fee-paying senior school in the country, catering
for pupils aged 14 and upwards who would otherwise
be unable to afford an education. In its fourth year of
running, the school was preparing for its first graduation
ceremony and was very proud to report that some
students from the very first cohort were beginning
to get offers for university placements, some with full
scholarships.
During the visit, the Canford team got involved with
all aspects of life at Awutu-Winton by participating
in and leading some academic lessons, as well as
contributing to a wide variety of extra-curricular
activities including drama, art, dancing, volleyball and
woodwork. The Canfordians also tapped into their
inner journalists by helping to get the school newsletter
up and running.
By stepping out of their comfort zone and immersing
themselves in Awutu-Winton life (an easy task when
your accommodation is the floor of the school hall!),
the pupils quickly made friends with their Ghanaian
counterparts and enjoyed discovering the inevitable
truth that in spite of some obvious differences,
teenagers all around the world are – in essence – very
much the same.
There were, of course, many cultural differences
encountered as well. Most notably, the enthusiastic
participation of most of the school in a twelvekilometre ‘health walk’ at 6 am on a national holiday
provided much food for thought, as well as a good
opportunity to get to know some of the AwutuWinton pupils and the local area better. A cooking
lesson given by the school’s cook, Auntie Aggie, taught
the Canfordians how to make groundnut soup from
scratch and a tour of the town of Awutu gave them an
insight into everyday life in semi-rural Ghana.
During the fortnight, the Canfordians also went out
into the wider community, regularly visiting a local
primary school and orphanage called Grace Masak
to help in lessons and with domestic chores, as well
as playing with the children once the school bell had
sounded. The team also visited other primary schools,
including Salt Pond Happy School, a primary school
serving an impoverished beach community about
an hour along the coast from Awutu-Winton. Here,
the Canfordians spent the mornings leading some
educational activities they had designed to help the
younger children practise and improve their English
speaking and reading. In the afternoons, they helped the
teachers with organising games and activities on the
nearby playing field in preparation for their first-ever
Sports Day. It is fair to say that some of the younger
children tested the Canfordians to their limits in various
events, including everyone’s favourite – the sack race.
When the schools were closed at weekends,
Canfordians had an opportunity to visit Cape Coast
and to have a highly educational guided tour of Elmina
Castle, one of the best-preserved colonial buildings in
community & partnerships
Ghana
West Africa with a harrowing history at the centre of
the slave trade. A lighter-hearted visit to Kakum National
Park with a tree-top walk and a guided walk through the
rainforest (complete with a visit to a crocodile park on
the way home) rounded off a thoroughly amazing trip.
While this was very much a pilot visit, all who
participated felt that it had been a success and that
the prospect of a long-term partnership between
Canford and Awutu-Winton is exciting. The warmth of
the goodbyes said at the talent show at the end of the
fortnight (where the Canfordians treated their hosts to
some well-choreographed but highly cheesy dancing)
aptly demonstrated the good friendships that have
already begun to be built.
Annabel Jenner
“While this was
very much a
pilot visit, all who
participated felt
that it had been
a success and
that the prospect
of a long-term
partnership
between
Canford and
Awutu-Winton
is exciting.”
79
community & partnerships
India
“We were
immersed in what
all who took part
were to say was
a life-changing
experience. The
orphans very
quickly became
the centre of
all that we did
and their energy
levels and simple
love of life were
infectious.”
80
Canford has been travelling to the Goodwill homes
in Southern India for some twenty years now. The first
test for the fourteen pupils and three members of
staff this year was one of endurance, twelve hours of
flying bringing us to Trivandrium in the relative cool of
24° C at 4.30 in the morning. A further nine hours of
minibus driving on Indian roads finally led us to the base
of the Palini Hills. It was here that spirits lifted as the
temperature dropped from the 30°+ of the plains to
a more temperate climate. We arrived at the children’s
home to a welcome that is difficult to put into words,
other than to say that disgruntled memories of the trip
to get there were instantly swept aside.
We spent the next few hours settling in, not just to the
accommodation but also into the environment that was
to be our home for the next two weeks. With energy
levels restored and fatigue forgotten, we were immersed
in what all who took part were to say was a life-changing
experience. The orphans very quickly became the centre
of all that we did and their energy levels and simple love
of life were infectious. That we were in a new country,
a very different culture and set of circumstances was
brought home to us when we took a long walk further
into the hills and visited villages where some of the
children in the orphanage come from. How different
their life and expectations are to ours, yet as the Canford
pupils began to realise, the children were genuinely
happy – was there a need for all the materialistic
trimmings? The pupils became fully immersed in teaching
the various year groups in school. This was to prove a
delightful challenge for the Canford team – and, dare I
say it, brought a new-found respect for what their own
teachers do on a daily basis.
We also spent time with the older girls at their
Pattiveeranpatti home. Again the pupils were
overwhelmed by the hospitality shown to us and the
engaging nature of the senior girls housed there. Their
academic aspirations also had an impact – as one
Canford pupil mentioned, ‘a good education really sits at
the heart of most things!’
A visit to the Sarnipatti home for older boys saw
us stay overnight, and the cooler climate meant that
the annual cricket game was played in slightly less than
sweltering conditions. Having lost on our previous two
occasions, it was time to turn the tables, – and a huge
innings of 83 no by Ed Wordsworth saw us secure the
Canford trophy for the first time in a number of years.
Staying overnight here was a new venture, one I hope
stays on the itinerary.
This expedition down onto the plains was followed
by a trip back up to the other side of the mountain.
Here we were based at a Tribal Outreach Programme
guesthouse for two days. Visits out to tribal villages to
see how Goodwill supports people, in particular the
education of children in the villages, were an eye-opener.
Helping for half a day in the local village school again
helped Canford pupils see much more of what goes on
in supporting children and their education – not just
those in Goodwill.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye we were saying
emotional farewells to those we had become attached
to. None were immune to what we had experienced
and the impact the children had had upon us, even
though we had only shared a short amount of time with
them. The trip back down the mountain was quiet and
reflective.
Phil Effick
community & partnerships
Tanzania
A team of eleven pupils from the Lower Sixth and two
members of staff made their way to Tanzania in the first
week of the summer holidays, loaded with tents, arts
and crafts, sports equipment and building materials. After
a long journey we spent the day getting accustomed to
Moshi, the local town, before we were briefed about the
culture of Tanzania.
On the next day we headed to ‘Light in Africa’, an
orphanage in the countryside about forty minutes from
the town, in sight of Mt Kilimanjaro. We set up our tents,
which were going to act as our home for the next
few weeks, and unpacked our belongings before going
to meet Mama Lynn, who set up the orphanage after
having a ‘calling from God’ and selling her house in order
to start a new life in Africa. This was not only motivating
but also put into context how important our help was,
as there was clearly much more which needed to be
done.
The children were always in the mood for playing –
amongst their favourite activities was taking our cameras
and taking endless photos, trying on our sunglasses,
being thrown in the air and using us as a human climbing
frame! It was amazing how smiley and friendly they all
were given the tough experiences they had faced, and
their lack of familiarity with us.
One of the main focuses of our trip was to leave our
Canford stamp on ‘Light in Africa’, by providing them
with a ‘boarding house’ for the girls who go to a school
nearby in Moshi, to save the long journey to school from
the home. We spent days clearing the interior of the
house and washing the walls of dirt. Then we painted
them, leaving the house in a pleasant state for the girls.
We also helped to complete the build of a dispensary
and isolation room at the children’s home.
On some of the days we made our way to Mirerani,
a small mining community at the base of Kilimanjaro,
accessible only by a bumpy 45-minute dirt track. We
picked up some medicine from the dispensary for the
doctor to prescribe and then arrived at Light in Africa’s
food kitchen, which was based there. Our aim was to
cook some pilau rice to serve to the children, some of
whom hadn’t eaten for a few days. We also helped at
one of two doctors’ clinics that we funded and aided
on the trip; around 230 people came to see the doctor,
many of whom had malaria. We were all given different
tasks, from taking blood pressures and temperatures
to serving food or washing the heads of young children
who had developed a fungal disease due to the dusty
conditions. This turned out to be more difficult than
we thought, not only because of the harrowing sights
but also because of the lack of linguistic communication
between the patients and us.
Back at Light in Africa, we organised different activities
for the children such as a sports day, t-shirt tie-dying
and decorating, arts and crafts and playing with balloons,
bubbles and stickers. What seemed like something trivial
to us was an object of great amusement for the children
and the hours whizzed by as we were swept up in the
sheer joy and laughter that the children brought with
them.
The worst part of the trip was definitely the goodbye.
We had made some relationships we never thought
we would, and in completely different ways from at
home. The language barrier became not a constraint
but a liberty as we learnt to converse with our body
language instead of words. The trip to Tanzania was both
challenging and rewarding; the cost of cold showers and
tents was a small price to pay for the wondrous sights
seen and lessons learned.
Eleanor Bellfield
“The worst part
of the trip was
definitely the
goodbye. We
had made some
relationships we
never thought
we would, and
in completely
different ways
from at home.”
81
Outdoor enterprises
Combined Cadet Force
“Every cadet’s
first night under a
basha will always
come mixed with
a certain amount
of trepidation and
excitement and
this year’s Recruits’
Weekend proved
to be no different.”
82
The CCF continues to thrive with the largest-ever
number of cadets on the books in recent times. The Senior
Service weighed in with three officers and 36 cadets
in addition to two officers and 71 cadets in the Royal
Marines Section. The Army section, comprising ten officers
including the Adjutant and the Contingent Commander
and 134 cadets, brought the overall total to 241 cadets.
Next year will see numbers rise further, but thereafter,
with various Government initiatives in the state sector,
the future of the CCF is a little uncertain and its size and
shape is likely to change.
Our structure of basic training for the first year, with
a 24-hour exercise after the first few weeks, remains
very much in place. This sets up the rest of the year
well to prepare the cadets for the large multi-discipline
competition in May and the camps in the summer. The
second year continues to focus on offering the cadets
qualifications from a wide menu of courses including
diving, first aid, Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, clay
pigeon shooting, kayaking, climbing, survival, drumming,
expedition skills, orienteering and geocaching, and
powerboating. We still enjoy a number of cadets remaining
in the CCF into the Sixth Form.
A solid team led by Charlie Barnes-Yallowley (grandson
of Field Marshal Lord Inge) and James Broadley performed
well in the Pringle Trophy for CCF Royal Marines cadets.
Canford came 6th overall, winning the Battle Exercise and
coming second in the Leadership Task along with the Drill
Competition. Our Observation stand was our weak point
but we did do it in the dark so what did they expect?
Such is the roll of the dice and the reason for the draw.
Next year’s team will be less experienced but with our
largest group of cadets attending the Royal Marine Camp
at Garlochhead this summer, we could do well.
Our annual Trafalgar Night dinner, attended by the
NCOs and their parents, was another fine occasion with
Sgt James Broadley talking to us about Nelson before Sgt
Barnes-Yallowley and Petty Officer Bleeker toasted Her
Majesty and The Immortal Memory respectively.
Every cadet’s first night under a basha will always
come mixed with a certain amount of trepidation and
excitement and this year’s Recruits’ Weekend proved
to be no different as all the Marine and Army cadets
deployed to Highwood Heath near Lulworth. The first
taste of ration packs along with sleeping virtually under the
stars following a series of close target recces fired many
of the cadets’ imaginations before a day of fieldcraft skills
the following day found the cadets navigating, observing,
stalking and trying their hands at camouflage and
concealment. An escape and evasion exercise concluded
the day with many cadets entering into the spirit, crawling
up a river, hiding under banks and enjoying the mud and
the natural camouflage therein.
The Royal Artillery again hosted a small contingent
of skiers this year in Alpe d’Huez. They spent the week
honing their giant slalom skills before racing on the last
day against the full spectrum of skiers from the Royal
Artillery. Congratulations go to Jon Naylor for winning the
combined two races overall.
The CCF cross-country trip to Norway saw the
outdoor enterprises
biggest-ever Canford contingent teaming up with a
few cadets from Wellington College in Hovden, close
to the Hardangervidda Plateau, to learn the skills of
cross-country ski-ing before embarking on a three-day
expedition which involved a snowhole. The weather hit
the first night, causing the cadets to retreat to a large but
very cold tepee, but the second night was good enough
for the cadets to build and enjoy an alternative to the
snowhole, a Quincy shelter which is more akin to an
igloo. The lessons learned, although not directly related
to a doctor wielding a scalpel or a barrister in his silks,
were significant and the education in teamwork, planning,
administration and overcoming hardship was clear for all
to see.
After last year’s trip to Wales was snowed off, this year
found us all enjoying the sun and some fine weather in
the Snowdonia National Park. The trip involved cadets
walking over the Glydders and climbing Tryfan before
camping in the Snowdon Horseshoe and climbing
Snowdon on the second day. The girls’ group was as
strong as ever and they breezed up Snowdon over the
challenging Y Llewydd ridge to be met with terrific views
and a successful conclusion to the expedition. While
they were walking the boys were down a mine, testing
Europe’s longest zip-wire at speeds of up to 100 mph and
trying their nerves on the Treetops high ropes course.
Overall it was a great four days except that the boys’
group were up and down Snowdon before lunch – we
will have to walk them even further and harder next year.
This year we were fortunate enough to have two 35mile teams entered into the Ten Tors Event on Dartmoor
in May and, given the strength of the cadets, decided
to enter a girls’ team on its own, led by Maddy Hobbs.
The boys, led by Isaac Stevenson, were the fastest team
on their route in appallingly wet and windy conditions,
while the girls were left with little choice by injury but
to opt for a free helicopter ride out. They were bitterly
disappointed and on any other occasion would have
eaten the 35 miles.
Twenty pupils plus staff and instructors enjoyed the
underwater delights of Malta in the first week of the
summer holiday. Steeped in maritime history, Malta
provides an impressive diversity of dive sites from dropoffs, swim-throughs, numerous wrecks such as the P31
and the bizarre Popeye village film set! This enabled the
CCF group to complete their PADI dive qualifications,
enhance their qualifications or just enjoy their new skills in
crystal-clear warm waters. The trip ran smoothly thanks to
the Scubascene crew and the Dive Deep Blue operation.
Out of the water they were pampered and over-fed
with a vast and impressive buffet in the hotel and spa
but also managed to visit the Silent City of Mdina for an
architectural treat – and of course their famous cake!
With the Navy Section enjoying their sailing in
Portsmouth, the rest of the Fourth Form CCF cadets
deployed to Bovington for a round robin section
competition testing all the skills learned over the course
of the year: navigation, camouflage and concealment,
observation, stalking, section attacks, a battle exercise,
leadership and patrolling. Each stand lasted an hour and
overall the cadets rose to the challenge, enjoying the
competitive element enormously.
Thirty cadets deployed to RAF St Mawgan and
threw themselves into the shooting, the exercise, the
adventurous training and the various other skills tested
during the week, in addition to a bit of surfing. The final
attack must be a highlight, with the boys pitting themselves
against a diehard and determined group of girls who
fought to the last.
Twenty-four staff and cadets deployed to Chickerell
Camp at Weymouth to embark on the Navy camp,
involving sailing, kayaking, climbing and walking. Winds on
the Olympic course around Portland varied from strong
easterlies, providing great sailing and good rollers to surf
down, to windless and quiet but hot sessions suitable more
for the kayakers than anything else. The walk was met with
enthusiasm and the girls sang their way round the course,
eating up the kilometres in the process. It was all in all a
great start to the summer holidays.
The Royal Marines were formed 350 years ago and to
commemorate, six cadets from Canford represented the
contingent along with large numbers of other cadets and
serving Marines marching up the Mall to the band of the
Royal Marines. They were inspected by HRH The Duke
of Edinburgh before attending a reception at Wellington
Barracks close to Buckingham Palace.
So the year has been a full and successful one, while the
forthcoming year promises to follow suit with numbers
as strong as ever. Our thanks go to the senior cadets who
have supported the CCF, along with the staff who have
given their holiday time to enable the cadets to experience
such a rich and wide variety of challenges and activities
that add so much to the education that each Canfordian
receives.
Dan Culley
“The girls’ group
was as strong
as ever and
they breezed up
Snowdon over
the challenging
Y Llewydd ridge
to be met with
terrific views
and a successful
conclusion to the
expedition.”
83
outdoor enterprises
“Apart from one
day of cloud and
rain, the ventures
coincided with
some excellent
August weather,
providing long
dramatic views
but producing
a fair amount
of perspiration
carrying full
packs up Pen y
Fan and various
other summits.”
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
In September 2013 the school became a directly
licensed centre for the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme,
a move which prompted a useful re-think of the role
of the award scheme in our co-curricular programme.
The training for the expedition section of the award
has traditionally been the most successful part of the
school’s DofE programme and this year has been no
exception. More than thirty Fifth Form pupils successfully
completed their silver expeditions in the New Forest in
late June, having trained and held a practice venture in
the Isle of Purbeck in April. The groups for the most part
took advantage of the opportunity to use wild camp
sites, which is a privilege afforded only to those engaged
in DofE expeditions. The sites themselves are carefully
prescribed and vary from beautiful and remote forest
glades to sites within a stone’s throw of the main line to
London, complete with regular reminders in the form of
loud blasts of the horn from passing trains!
For the first time in many years, a dozen Lower Sixth
pupils also enrolled on the gold award programme with its
more challenging time schedule, longer expedition in wild
country and the added element of a residential project.
These gold award participants formed two expedition
groups which in the middle of the summer holidays
completed their four-day practice trips in the Brecon
Beacons. The chosen route consisted of a transect from
84
west to east, from the limestone pavements and sink
holes of the area around Llandeusant to the sandstones
of the Beacons horseshoe itself. It proved a challenging
experience but hopefully will have given the groups a
realistic insight into what is involved in being totally selfsufficient for that length of time. Navigation skills using
map and compass were put to the test and improved
noticeably over the course of the trip. Apart from one
day of cloud and rain, the ventures coincided with some
excellent August weather, providing long dramatic views
but producing a fair amount of perspiration carrying full
packs up Pen y Fan and various other summits. These gold
participants have chosen to do their assessed expedition
to Dartmoor in September.
Unlike the expedition section, the other components
of the award scheme involve a more individual approach;
a huge variety of different activities can be chosen for
the physical, skill and volunteering sections. For obvious
reasons these are much harder to co-ordinate and
pursue within an already busy and highly structured
school calendar. It is therefore a considerable achievement
when a pupil succeeds in completing the scheme at
whatever level. The administration of the scheme is now
very much focused around the so-called eDofE website,
requiring each participant to build up their record of
achievement by uploading photographs and notes,
together with assessors’ references, to a central database.
eDofE can prove a challenge at times for both staff and
pupils, although in reality it makes a good deal of sense
to digitalise the former process of using written record
books.
The DofE award remains a very well-recognised
and understood achievement by parents, universities
and employees. One of its foremost merits is the way
in which it encourages an individual to show initiative
and demonstrate the ability to see a task through to its
conclusion. The continuing challenge is to ensure that
more pupils who successfully complete the expedition
section at Canford also finish the other components and
this is our target for 2015.
Jeremy Orme
Fraser Portraits
sport
The 1st XV squad. Back
row, left to right: Joe Manley,
Charlie Barnes-Yallowley,
Ed Hill, Freddie Dunger,
James Broadley. Middle row:
Matt Jarmolkiewicz, Charlie
Burwell, JJ Pulvertaft, Ed
Leggett, Will Moss, Chris
Flavell. Front row: Felix
Ambrose, Otto Gray,
Ollie Bleeker, Mike Haines
(captain), Alex Wilkins,
Tom Horner, Max Scobie.
Rugby
The 2013-14 season has been another tremendously
positive one and continues to see an upturn in Canford’s
rugby fortunes. The boys owe much to the members of
staff who give up their time, particularly those who run
teams with commitments that overlap into holidays.
From the outset of pre-season, the coaching staff laid
down a challenge to the boys, asking them to play the
game smarter than their opponents and at a greater
tempo. Hard work is the foundation of this approach,
allied to organisation and desire. On the field this
has manifested itself in an open, attacking style that
spectators have enjoyed watching. More importantly,
the boys have taken to the challenge well and been
excited about playing each week. There are areas of
our game that are coming on very well indeed. We will
need to drive home these improvements next season
as we welcome Hampton onto the fixture list as well as
Blundell’s, alongside the more familiar opponents.
At the end of the season, the club stood on a win rate
of 68%, up a fraction from 2012-13. Over the course of
145 games the boys racked up 99 wins, scoring 4098
points while conceding only 1533 in reply. The Shells
A team posted a new club highest points total for one
match, 79 vs Bournemouth Collegiate School in their
county cup campaign, which is also a new record for
largest winning margin. This team were unbeaten in
regular fixtures and their county cup campaign, retaining
the U14 county title. Other teams to chalk up records
included Junior Colts D with a 59-0 win vs Oratory and
Junior Colts C with their 63-0 win over King’s College,
Taunton Junior Colts B; Junior Colts C were unbeaten in
matches against like-for-like opponents, as were Junior
Colts B. Junior Colts A registered record points also
against King’s College Taunton, winning 64-7: a record
margin also scored in their 57-0 victory against Dauntsey’s.
Junior Colts A finished their ‘regular’ fixtures unbeaten
and reached round 7 (last 16 out of over 500 schools) of
the NatWest Cup for the first time in the school’s history.
Colts B, despite a tricky season, posted a record winning
margin and points for vs Dauntsey’s, winning 61-12.
The 2nd XV have had a hard act to follow after 2012’s
very strong squad. Many Lower Sixth cut their teeth in
senior rugby under Mr Fenwick’s guidance and recorded
a highest winning margin and points total in their 72-0
victory over Lord Wandsworth College.
Canford rugby teams that managed more wins than
losses in 2013-14 included Shells A B C, Junior Colts A B
C D, Colts A, U17A, 3rds and 1sts.
Rugby is of course a team sport but some Canford
pupils have received recognition for their individual efforts
this season. Boys from Shells and Junior Colts have been
involved in the Dorset and Wilts County squads: Rob
“On the field this
has manifested
itself in an open,
attacking style that
spectators have
enjoyed watching.”
85
sport
“Running selfless,
hard lines in order
to create space
for others and
then busting a gut
to support the
ball carrier and
clear out a ruck
epitomises what
Canford rugby
is all about.”
86
Tolcher, Luke Mehson and David Bourne at U14 level,
Toby Hett, Ollie Kane, Toby Stalker and James Thorne
at U15. Three Junior Colts are now involved in Bath
Academy’s elite player development group, James Thorne,
Toby Stalker and Ollie Dunger, while Luke Mehson, Rob
Tolcher and Ollie Rankin have had a taste of the Bath
Academy and will join them next year. Higher up the
school, Otto Gray is involved in the Irish Exiles set up.
1st XV captain Mike Haines, plus Charlies Burwell and
Barnes-Yallowley, Freddie Dunger and Nathan Merridew,
were the first group this year to be awarded rugby
colours, joined by Ed Leggett, James Broadley and Alex
Wilkins in the VIIs term.
The VIIs programme offers boys something slightly
different from the XVs season, to explore skills with more
freedom and space and a chance to fine tune those
skills that will serve them well when the XVs begin in
earnest in August. The 1st VII played at Reigate Grammar
and came second in their group; they lost to Dulwich
(NatWest U18 XVs winners) 5-31 in the plate quarterfinals. In the pool stages at Bryanston, the boys managed
three wins from three to top their group and beat Truro
School in the quarter-final. Despite going down 38-0 to
local rivals Bryanston in the semis, the 1st VII could be
pleased with their day’s efforts.
The Colts had a good day at the Canford tournament,
losing out to a decent KES Southampton side in the
semi-finals. They found the going heavy at Rosslyn Park,
competing with eight Junior Colts players in their squad.
Hopefully they have now had a taste of the scale and
ferocity of the Rosslyn Park competition that will serve
them as good experience for next year.
At Rosslyn Park the 1st VII picked up where they left
off at the Bryanston tournament, recording wins against
Kelly College, Wycliffe and St Edwards, Liverpool. The
group decider was a tense affair, but in the last minute
a spilt Canford ball was seized upon and Uppingham
squeezed over to win the group. A strong squad effort
from all, but a good nucleus of Lower Sixth means the
target of the second day should be firmly in their sights
for next year.
Whilst the statistics overall have been extremely
pleasing, I hope that the boys who have represented
the school for the final time, whether on Higher Park
or Mr Hooker’s ‘Field of Dreams’, have taken more
from this season than the simple knowledge of whether
they have finished with more tallies in the win column.
Ultimately I hope they have enjoyed their experiences,
revelled in the acquisition of new skills and friendships,
so much so that they keep on playing rugby long after
they have left Canford. Importantly, I hope they have
enjoyed an increased sense of responsibility that comes
with representing senior teams, discovering more
about themselves and each other. Being reliant on and
responsible for others plays such a big part in rugby
that is hard to replicate in other sports and helps create
extremely strong bonds between team-mates. Running
selfless, hard lines in order to create space for others and
then busting a gut to support the ball carrier and clear
out a ruck epitomises what Canford rugby is all about.
It is about getting these bits right on a consistent basis
which allows the score to take care of itself.
Peter Short, Director of Rugby
sport
Fraser Portraits
The 1st XI squad. Back row,
left to right: Laura Stacey,
Sophie Morgan, Libby Jones,
Connie Beauchamp. Middle
row: Georgie Dean, Izzy
Lush, Katie Holdoway, Nina
Fairweather. Front row:
Sami Lang, Rosie Brown,
Millie Connor (captain),
Sammi Gower, Katie Miskin.
Girls’ Hockey
The 1st XI performed exceptionally well over the
school year. The girls had a season of highs and lows,
showing camaraderie and a determination to fight
back when the going got tough. The team, led by Millie
Connor, put in some memorable performances, playing
out some hard-fought victories against St George’s
College, Dauntsey’s and Wellington, not least because
they truly were complete team performances, which
demonstrated not only slick and dynamic hockey, but a
willingness to fight for the victories.
However, perhaps the highlights of the season were
three drawn matches, all of them wonderful games of
hockey. The last, against Cranleigh, was spectacular: both
sides fought with total commitment, a great deal of skill
and teamwork and the absolute belief in their own right
to win. Yet at the end of the match (and indeed on the
pitch) there was a friendly, even respectful demeanour
between the two teams. This was first-team hockey at its
best and a wonderful way to end the season.
The team’s performance at the county final was
extremely strong. They were easy winners throughout
the afternoon and set a high standard for the other
teams to chase, winning the title in the round robin
format with one game remaining. At the regional finals
the team had a mixed day in the pool matches, relying
on a victory in the fourth game to qualify for the
knockout quarter-final stage. But once into the knockout
phase they started to play some wonderful hockey, the
match against Clifton being an outstanding performance
with victory taking them into the semi-final. Once again
at this stage of the competition Canford faced their
local rivals, Millfield. Having lost to Millfield in the regular
fixture, Canford knew they would have to play at their
best. Determined to reverse the result, the girls pulled
out all the stops and for a long time it looked as if the
match would go to penalty strokes, until Millfield managed
to score in the final few moments of the game, leaving
the players heartbroken at not reaching the final.
Among other highlights for the senior teams were
the 4th XI’s three wins in their last three games, against
Clayesmore seconds, Marlborough and Cranleigh, and the
5th XI winning 4-0 against each of Bryanston, Wellington
and Marlborough.
The U16s had a positive and fierce approach to hockey
and progressed as a team and as individuals. They earned
the title of county champions by beating Bryanston in the
final on a very wet, rainy day. At the regionals they were
unlucky to come up against a very tough Clifton side in
the semi-finals. Seeing how upset the girls were to be
knocked out was difficult but showed just how passionate
they are about hockey. The U16s have dealt with pressure,
success and disappointment this season and they are
“This was firstteam hockey at
its best and a
wonderful way to
end the season.”
87
sport
“Seeing how upset
the girls were
to be knocked
out was difficult
but showed just
how passionate
they are about
hockey. The
U16s have dealt
with pressure,
success and
disappointment
this season and
they are stronger
young ladies
and hockey
players for it.”
88
stronger young ladies and hockey players for it.
The U15As dominated other teams with their clear
game plan, maintaining the ball in possession, attacking
fast, using their qualities to open the field and create
chances, while being clinical upfront with their shots and
short corners. Millfield, Wellington (6-1), Marlborough
and Cranleigh were all beaten and there is real potential
in the squad. The U15Bs and Cs also enjoyed successful
seasons.
After a rather tentative start to the season, the U14 A
side ended up with a fine playing record. Big wins were
recorded against Blundell’s and Dauntsey’s, and useful
wins too against Bradfield and St Edward’s, Oxford.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment of the term was
the timing of a dip in form which saw us draw the school
match against Bryanston which we dominated for long
periods, and then under-perform on the day of the
county finals, so failing to add to the recent tally of U14
wins in this competition. The response was impressive,
though, beating Millfield the following Saturday. The U14
As, Bs and Cs all made good progress.
Perhaps the highlight of the U14s year, though, was the
tour to Holland in April. Mainly based in Scheveningen, it
was a chance to explore the local area in between the
exhilarating training sessions and matches.
After the long coach journey through France and
Belgium, the girls spent their first day watching a national
league game between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. After
an exciting first half, the players dispersed, and it was
the Canfordians’ chance to try out some of their hockey
skills on the pitch of the national stadium! When the
match had come to a riveting end, they rushed onto the
pitch again, to meet and greet with some of the very
handsome Rotterdam players.
The next day was spent at Ring Pass hockey club in
Delft, having a first full training session all together – and
being fed traditional Dutch ginger biscuits by some of
the parents of the host girls. Later that day came the
first tour match, against Ring Pass. Before the match had
even started, both teams showed their patriotic sides
by singing their national anthems, in front of dozens of
spectators.
The parents of the girls outdid themselves, by laying
on an extraordinary post-match buffet feast. There was
a chance to talk to the Dutch girls, whose English was
zeer goed, and who taught the Canfordians small Dutch
phrases which they tried to put to use later in the week.
After another competitive match against Bloemendaal,
there was a chance to tour Leiden, to visit the shops
and markets to buy some souvenirs, and to stop on
the way to admire some typical Dutch tulip fields and
their spectacular colours. The final match was against
Roomburg, and the evening ended on a high with
another delicious supper before the girls used up the last
of their energy in a fantastic end-of-tour disco.
Hannah Morrell, Head of Girls’ Games
sport
Fraser Portraits
The 1st XI squad. Back
row, left to right: Tom
Boon, Harry Smith, Robbie
Mansell. Middle row: Louis
Ambrose, Tom Minall, Jamie
Nicholson, Will Entwisle,
Matt Jarmolkiewicz, Monty
Kilpatrick. Front row: Tom
Popplewell, Ed Wordsworth,
Alex Wilkins (captain), Hugo
Trafford, Felix Ambrose.
Boys’ Hockey
In 2012-13, Canford took a clean sweep of county
titles in all age groups, and the U18s finished third in
the national competition – a season like that was always
going to be a hard act to follow! But a 2013-14 record
throughout the club of P102 W81 D7 L14 GF390
GA112 tells the story of a successful season by any
standards.
The U14 squads had a fine season, passion,
determination and a growing capacity for playing simple
passing hockey being characteristics of all the teams. Not
only did the U14A team win 9-0 against Bryanston, so
did the U14Cs against Millfield; however, top honours in
the goal-scoring department for the U14s went to the
U14Bs, who amassed an 11-0 victory against Bryanston.
The U14B team managed to concede only one goal
during the term in school matches and were equal top
goal-scorers with the U15Bs with 52 goals. These types
of victories throughout the term culminated in all three
teams winning their respective Wessex leagues.
In the county finals the U14 squad ran out easy
winners to become champions for the fourth year in
succession. Disappointment was to follow at the regional
finals, however, as the team struggled to put the ball
away during the round robin matches, coming second in
the pool and losing out to the eventual winners in the
semi-final.
The U15 squads performed well from the start. The
teams moved on in terms of stick skills and their hunger
to win as the season developed, but they learnt to play
with patience and despite some heavy victories, there
was no complacency. In fact, the U15B side can have the
bragging rights overall for the team with the biggest win,
beating King’s, Taunton 13-0.
At U16 level both teams put in some fine
performances, the U16B team often playing against other
schools’ senior teams, such is the strength of hockey at
Canford. Despite this, only two losses were registered in
the whole year group. In the U16 county competition,
a couple of players who were involved with the 1st XI
moved down to their year group. This strengthened the
team, which once again went through the tournament
undefeated. At the regionals the boys finished runners-up,
meaning a play-off match against King’s, Chester. Despite
an all-round nine-hour drive, a 5-0 victory meant the
team had qualified for the national finals. Here the team
slightly under-achieved and, despite some excellent play,
finished bottom of a very tough group. However, in the
group they lost out only 3-1 to the eventual runners-up,
Repton.
In the senior section of the hockey club, again Canford
strength shone through, with the teams playing fluid, fast-
“The teams moved
on in terms of
stick skills and
their hunger to
win as the season
developed, but
they learnt to
play with patience
and despite some
heavy victories,
there was no
complacency.”
89
sport
“In the senior
section of the
hockey club, again
Canford strength
shone through,
with the teams
playing fluid, fastmoving hockey,
transferring the
ball at speed
and leaving some
schools confused
and bewildered.”
90
moving hockey, transferring the ball at speed and leaving
some schools confused and bewildered. It is a credit to
the school’s hockey that some of the players in the lower
teams would at other schools be playing at first-team
level.
England Hockey this year scrapped the U18 county
and regional competitions in favour of a knock-out,
FA cup style format. Round 1 saw us drawn against
Taunton, a solid performance taking Canford through as
5-2 winners. The next round, against Colyton GS from
Devon, was a bitty game with a drop in standards in the
play over the previous performance, but Canford were
never in trouble and ran out 7-0 winners. Round 3 was
a 3-2 win against a well-organised Bromsgrove team,
and round 4 resulted in another win, 4-1, against Richard
Huish College.
A four-hour trip to Repton in the quarter-final pushed
the Canford team to their hardest match of the term so
far; in a closely fought encounter, Repton took the lead
from a short corner, only to see Canford level the match
with ten minutes to go, to force the game into penalty
strokes. A confident barrage and some fine saves from
Tom Popplewell resulted in a 4-2 score line in the penalty
strokes to go through to the semi-finals.
Playing Exeter School in the semi-final at home in
front of a large passionate crowd, the Canford team took
the game to the opposition and from a well-worked
move near the end of the first half, Felix Ambrose
rifled the ball past a stranded keeper. In the second half
both teams matched each other’s play, but with only 20
seconds left on the clock, a deflected shot sent the ball
over a prostrate keeper and yet again Canford entered
a penalty shoot-out. Again the stroke-takers stepped up
with confidence, and took the team through 4-2 and into
the national final.
The opponents, Whitgift, had won the national title
for the past two years, so Canford knew it would be a
hard game. In the early exchanges both teams created
chances, but it was Whitgift who took the lead following
a short corner and a second was to follow from another
corner. Early in the second half, a quickly taken free hit
put Canford 3-0 down, and the score stayed like this
until fifteen minutes remained. Then Canford won a
short corner, and with the ever-reliable Hugo Trafford
at the top of the ‘D’, a slick routine saw him find Matt
Jarmolkiewicz sliding in for the deflection to make the
score 3-1. On a high, Canford continued to press and
were unlucky to see other chances cleared off the
Whitgift line. Then, following a yellow card suspension so
that Canford were a man down, and with five minutes
remaining, Whitgift forced in two more goals, leaving
Canford losers by 1-5 at the final whistle.
There was disappointment at the end for all the team,
but the players should be proud of their performance
throughout the competition, and winning the silver medal
was the best U18 boys performance the school has ever
achieved.
Terry Adby, Director of Hockey
sport
Fraser Portraits
The 1st VIII squad. Back
row, left to right: Oliver
Stocks, Harry Griffiths,
Henry Galbraith, Robbie
Cook, Jonathan Naylor,
Aryan Sheikhalian, Freddie
Kuhle. Front row: Bertie
Gregory, Eloise Grant (cox),
Scott Catto (captain).
Rowing
The vibrancy of rowing at Canford is as strong as
ever, with 120 pupils flowing through the boathouse
and onto the river every year. Throughout the 201314 season, the boat club competed in around 25
different head races and regattas, from the Wessex
Regatta at Bryanston to the National Schools Regatta in
Nottingham.
Christmas term head races included the Pangbourne
Head, the Fours Head of the River race, and Hampton
Small Boats Head. Flooding brought a halt to sculling in
the first part of the Easter term, but we were still able
race at Exeter Head, the Schools’ Head of the River
race and the Junior Sculling Head. With wins in many
categories, our pupils have learnt new skills and become
better athletes.
At the Schools’ Head of the River in March, the 1st VIII
won the Boys 1st VIII pennant in a category record time
of 17 minutes 13 seconds. It put the Boys 1st VIII among
the ten fastest crews in the country at that stage of the
year. Other crews also performed well: the Senior Boys
coxed IV came 12th, the Senior Girls VIII finished 14th
and the Boys J16 VIII placed 10th.
Over the Easter holidays, six Canford boys and Ian
Dryden set off for a shared camp with The King’s School,
Canterbury on Lago d’Orta, near Milan. Rowing every
day on Lago d’Orta was an amazing experience with flat
calm conditions and spectacular views of towns and their
mountain backdrop. The boys did three rowing sessions
per day, strength and conditioning work, and regular video
sessions to improve fitness and technique. With exams
imminent, they also scheduled several hours of revision
time in between lunch and late afternoon rowing.
The first major outing of the Summer term was a hot
and steamy Thames Ditton Regatta. The Boys 1st VIII
stormed to victory in the Challenge 8s event, the Senior
Girls quad rowed to the final of their event, and the Girls
J15 double of Ella Scott and Honor Bailey added greatly
to their race experience by having three races across the
day, missing out narrowly in the final. The main excitement
at the regatta was the presence of Sir Steve Redgrave,
who chatted with our rowers and even posed for a few
photographs toward the end of the day.
At the National Schools’ Regatta at Holme Pierrepont
in May, time trials decided the semi-finalists in most of
the events. The Boys J14 coxed quad, the Girls single
sculls (Hannah Longley) and the senior Boys coxed IV all
reached their semi-finals, with the Girls J15 VIII (5th) going
one better and rowing in their final. Pride of place, though,
went to our medallists: the Boys 1st VIII (bronze) and the
senior Boys coxless pair (silver).
At Marlow Town Regatta, Canford fielded twenty
entries in eleven different events, and all did admirably. The
“Rowing every day
on Lago d’Orta
was an amazing
experience
with flat calm
conditions and
spectacular views
of towns and
their mountain
backdrop.”
91
sport
Boys J14 coxed quad, Girls J14 double, Girls novices single
scull (Lucy Longbottom), Girls J15 coxed IV and Boys J15
coxed quad all progressed to their finals. Canford winners
on the day were the Girls J15 double (Liv Reid and
Honor Bailey) and Canford Crocodiles’ Rebecca Hart in
the womens’ Novice singles.
This year’s Boys 1st VIII was potentially one of the best
Canford VIIIs to race in the Princess Elizabeth Cup at
Henley Royal Regatta. They were to have the race of their
lives against Eton, one of the fastest crews in the regatta,
in Round 1. Canford never let Eton take control, and
by halfway Eton were being warned for erratic steering.
By the start of the Stewards Enclosure Canford had
narrowed Eton’s lead to three-quarters of a length. In
92
the closing stages of the race Canford could not get past
and had to be happy with giving Eton, the eventual Cup
winners, their closest race of the regatta in one of the
fastest times of the day.
At the annual house regatta, some excellent racing
was accompanied by the occasional rower in the river
or altercation with a tree. A highlight of the afternoon
saw Henry Galbraith win the senior boys title in a very
close race against Jonathan Naylor. A Staff VIII with over
a century of combined experience tried their hand
against the Boys1st VIII; on this occasion age did not,
unfortunately, triumph over beauty. Coaching stalwart and
Canford Crocodiles President Derek Drury was on hand
to present prizes at the end of racing. The house regatta
was followed by the Boat Club Dinner, a very pleasant
occasion which welcomed all Canford rowing parents,
senior rowers, coaches and a few invited guests to the
Great Hall.
Our candidates for GB Junior selection this year were
Jonathan Naylor and Aryan Sheikhalian. After a long
week of trialling in pairs and fours at the final GB trial in
Nottingham, they secured their places in the Coupe de
Jeunesse VIII, and over the two days of racing finished
fourth and fifth in a high-class field.
Our thanks go to boat club captains Scott Catto and
Bea Watts, who were exemplary in their roles throughout
the year. We are indebted to the Canford Crocodiles
and supporting parents, who brought offerings to keep
the rowers watered and fed. Helpings of chocolate
brownies and soup made the winter heads fun, while
parents enjoyed long warm sunny days along the river
bank during the summer, watching our Canford crews
race. Through the Crocodiles, we also reach out to other
youngsters in the region, and we are able to provide
coaching and guidance on different rowing programmes.
Finally, the boat club would not function without the
enthusiasm of all our coaches and boatman Dan Churchill,
who keeps everything in order and running smoothly.
Ian Dryden, Director of Rowing
sport
Fraser Portraits
The 1st VII squad. Back row,
left to right: Georgie Burrows,
Sasha Stalker, Katie Miskin,
Nina Fairweather. Front row:
Izzy Lush, Gini Close, Olivia
Esposti (captain), Olivia
Jones, Sammi Gower.
Netball
This year, fourteen netball teams have played over 100
matches, scoring 2391 goals and conceding only 1742.
The club has participated in nine tournaments this year,
with the U16s winning the Marlborough tournament for
the first time and the U15As scoring over 100 goals in
the county championships. The U15Bs and U16Bs have
had excellent seasons and with a huge number of keen
senior players, we managed to have five senior teams
participating. This means we have had over 150 girls
representing the school during the Easter term.
Bella Skeates, Caitlin Atherton, Lily Lloyd and Bethan
Burley all represented the county this season with
Caitlin and Bethan moving forward for regional trials,
which resulted in Bethan being selected for the regional
performance academy in Bath. There are some unsung
heroes of the club as well, such as India Corrin and
Rachel Naylor, who both captained their teams fiercely
and competitively. And there are girls who have given
netball five years of service and who will be missed when
they move on.
The 1st VII had a successful but hard season; they
played some very tough opposition and initially had
some unlucky defeats by only one goal. The girls kept
their heads, kept working on our systems and trusted
that they would pay off. And so they did, leading to some
very significant wins against St Edward’s, Dauntsey’s and
Millfield. We had a diverse team of players who can play
multiple positions, which enabled us to change depending
on our opposition’s strengths. The girls were very unlucky
not to qualify for Regionals at U19s. It all came down to
a semi-final match against Bryanston where the score
was going goal for goal and time did not pay off in our
favour. Losing by one goal to a team who have been to
Nationals twice previously is a significant achievement.
Netball colours were awarded to Gini Close, Sammi
Gower, Georgie Burrows, Olivia Esposti, Katie Miskin and
Sasha Stalker.
The 2nd VII showed great attitude, they were always
on time, worked tirelessly and enthusiastically, absorbed
and applied the coaching points and were also great fun.
The scores of matches in the second half of term are
testimony to how hard the girls worked and how they
kept on improving. The highlight of the term was the
match against Millfield: some really high-quality netball
“We had a diverse
team of players
who can play
multiple positions,
which enabled
us to change
depending on
our opposition’s
strengths.”
93
sport
“I hope they take
from sport, from
netball, from this
season, what I
have always taken
from sport: that
with success and
failure you learn
about yourself.”
94
was played and Canford won by a 20-goal margin. Alice
Thornton was an excellent captain.
The sense of camaraderie that the 3rd VII shared as
they grew into team-mates as opposed to acquaintances
was truly inimitable and they left the season having
forged new friendships in a team which had some of the
strongest team spirit at Canford. The unbeaten season
was a real testament to the quality of netball that they
were playing, with matches won against even the most
formidable of schools: Bryanston (25-15), Wellington
College (22-13), Marlborough College (25-19) and
Millfield School (34-10). The 4ths also displayed excellent
team spirit throughout the season.
The U16As won the Poole & East Dorset tournament
and then came third in a hotly contested county
tournament. One of their outstanding matches was
against Portsmouth Grammar School. Trailing 30-32 at
three-quarter time, the girls were to pull out what was
to become a trademark last-quarter fight back and in
a goal-for-goal encounter won 42-40. But the highlight
was perhaps the Marlborough invitational tournament,
where a semi-final win against Bryanston was followed
by a 14-6 victory in the final against the hosts. It was the
first time in the tournament’s long history that Canford
had won the U16 section. The U16B netball team played
skilful netball to win most of their matches .
The U15A team were committed, hardworking
and competitive from the outset, all the girls showing
themselves to be fit, versatile team players and eager
to learn. Their enjoyment of the game made them a
delight to coach. The team lost only one full match,
against a very strong Marlborough side who were out
for blood, and were runners up to Talbot Heath in the
county tournament at Leweston. They scored over 400
competitive goals between them during the term –
phenomenal! The U15B’s toughest match of a successful
season was against Marlborough. It seemed as though
every time we scored a goal, they scored another. Quote
from Mrs Marns: ‘I don’t know about you girls but I did
not drive a minibus all the way to Marlborough to lose
the game.’ The end result was a very tight win of 24-21.
For the U15Cs, 39-5 v Clayesmore was a particular
highlight.
The U14A team won their first match against
Bryanston (21-16) and their last against Clayesmore but
the results in between did not reflect their improvement
and hard work. The U14Bs registered five wins, three
losses and a draw and put pressure on selection for
the A team. For the U14C team, the best match of the
season was without a doubt against Millfield, won 18-17.
The U14Ds progressed hugely through the season.
On a slightly more general note, there are so many
inspirational international sportsmen and women, who
impress me because of one thing that they do well,
albeit extraordinarily well. The more inspirational people
are the girls I coach at Canford – groups of girls who
are multi-talented. They have success in academic work,
music, drama and sport. Their time is split and they
constantly have to work out what should take priority,
with people demanding a lot from them. I hope they
take from sport, from netball, from this season, what
I have always taken from sport: that with success and
failure you learn about yourself. You realise how to be
yourself and how to be around others. You grow, you
develop and suddenly you become the person you were
meant to be.
There has been a huge amount of development
throughout the club which can only be achieved by the
hard work of both the players and the coaches so a
huge ‘thank you’ and ‘well done’ to all involved.
Hannah Morrell
sport
Fraser Portraits
The 1st XI. Back row, left
to right: Tom Nichols, Tom
Ducker, Ben Howard-Allen,
Mike Haines, Will Entwisle,
Louis Ambrose. Front row:
Joe Holland, Tom Popplewell,
Felix Ambrose (captain), Ed
Wordsworth, Tom Boon.
Cricket
As usual, the season began wet and a low point
of the first few weeks was a five-team journey to
Winchester – only to get straight back on the coach
after attempting to paddle across the main square! There
is real strength in depth across all age groups now which
encourages healthy competition for places in A to C
teams, and 1sts to 4ths. Players know they need not only
to perform on the pitch, but also show commitment and
work ethic in training.
The enthusiasm and commitment of staff and coaches
to both training and matches set a fine example to
the players. As a footnote, nine of the players who
represented Dorset U13s v Hants this summer are
coming to Canford!
1st XI – P11 W6 L3 T1 D1.
The 1st XI started with one pre-season win (v
Weymouth CC – Tom Popplewell 80 and Felix Ambrose
77 no) and a loss (to Bournemouth University), both in
slow batting conditions. We went on to lose only two
school games (to Portsmouth GS and King’s, Taunton).
Both were very strong sides who progressed to the
finals of the National T20 or 40-overs competition (but
we did knock PGS out of the U17 cup).
Felix Ambrose led the side maturely, unselfishly
and by example, averaging over 70 with the bat (165
v Bryanston and 130 no v MCC). Tom Boon (ave.
52) played some very important innings and has the
capability and level head to finish games off, while Tom
Popplewell (ave. 36) and others supported well and it
became a real team effort setting or chasing totals. Our
bowlers also performed as a unit, the core of which
shared the wickets: Ben Howard Allen (14), Tom Ducker
(11), Will Entwisle (11) and Ed Wordsworth (9). Tom’s
5-47 v Bryanston has to get a mention as four of them
were clean bowled!
The game of the season had to be the Sherborne
match, which went into the last over with the opposition
needing 12 to win. After a mixture of singles, wides, no
balls and a six from the over, Tom bowled the perfect
yorker with the final ball – match tied! We successfully
held on to the Shackleton Trophy, beating a strong Dorset
“There is real
strength in depth
across all age
groups now which
encourages healthy
competition for
…. Players know
they need not only
to perform on
the pitch, but also
show commitment
and work ethic
in training.”
95
sport
“There is real
potential in a
group of lads that
displayed buckets
of enthusiasm,
good skills and a
great team spirit.”
side who went on to win their 2-day county competition.
This began an undefeated Cricket Week with further
wins against the MCC and Canford Cygnets and a draw
with the Free Foresters. A special mention must go to
Alex Wells, who worked tirelessly through the winter
programme and was rewarded with 5-20 against the
Cygnets on his final day at school.
2nd XI – W2 L2.
There were impressive half-centuries for Doug Hazell (v
PGS) and Tom Glennie and Gus Mitchell (v Bryanston).
Harri Williams scored a 99, being run out going for
his 100! Caspar Barnes had the highest average, being
dismissed only once in making his 63 runs. Toby Mallinson
was the leading wicket-taker (4-18 v Bryanston and 3-11
v PGS). Alex Wells had the best average and economy
rate, while Charlie Holmes was the hardest-working,
bowling the most overs in a wholehearted and energetic
fashion. Harri Williams, Gus Mitchell, Doug Hazell, Caspar
Barnes, Charlie Holmes and Marcus Hett were everpresent, while Tom Glennie, who also played once for the
1sts, was the young captain.
Due to a number of cancellations, the 3rd XI only got
two fixtures: a win against Purbeck School 1st XI and
a loss to a strong Sherborne 3rd XI. Next year looks
promising with so many Lower Sixth players who should
be looking to push on. Penned into the sports hall
by insistent downpours and the need to protect the
outfield, the 4th XI played only one match, a loss against
King’s, Taunton.
15As – P14 W10 L4.
In a very successful season we were county T20
champions and progressed to the regional final, losing out
to PGS. We also played in the National Lord’s Taverners
40-over competition and reached the regional final –
only to be beaten by PGS again! Of our four losses,
three were against them. However in all the games,
there was little between the two sides. Due to the
strength and depth of the year group, we played sixteen
players overall, all on merit. We had a strong batting unit
and good variety in our bowling. The 15Bs had been
undefeated last season but this was a very different team.
After an initial defeat by Bryanston, a more thoughtful
approach led to a convincing victory against King’s,
Taunton. The high point was a thrilling final-over win at
Sherborne. The final game against Dauntsey’s was a onesided affair with our bowlers well on top.
The 14As remained very positive despite rare outdoor
practices during the early season. Highlights included a
great all-round team performance to beat Bryanston and
a good run in the county cup (eventual runners-up). Max
Mallinson proved to be an excellent captain (he, Kendall
and Morgue all achieved hat-tricks while bowling); and
Elwood, Taylor, Martin and Morgue all batted particularly
well. For the 14Bs, five games out of eight rained off
tells the story of the season that never quite happened.
However, with two wins from three matches, there is
real potential in a group of lads that displayed buckets of
enthusiasm, good skills and a great team spirit.
Matt Keech, Director of Cricket and Steve Ives
96
sport
Athletics
There were over 75 pupils involved in athletics this
year with Shells training alongside upper sixth-formers,
which made it very inclusive. Training was taken seriously
by all in attendance and we focused on general strength
and conditioning as well as technique for specific events.
With the weather at the start of the season being so
poor, it meant the athletes improved their fitness greatly
before their first athletics meet. Several school records
have been broken, showing how hard athletes have
trained; a few significant ones have been Bethan Burley
in junior girls’ shot put, David Bourne in junior boys’ shot
put, Ed Southgate in the inter boys’ 800 metres, Zibah
Oyibo in the inter girls’ shot put and Katie Holdoway in
the senior girls’ triple jump.
Once the weather dried up, we managed to fill
the season with lots of athletics meets, going as far as
Marlborough, but the highlights are always the home
fixtures where the athletes get to perform on their own
track and parents get to come and watch them excel
in their events; it is also a bonus that we are very well
looked after by catering with afternoon tea, cakes and
sandwiches for all.
For the first time we entered Canford inter boys
and inter girls into the National Track & Field Cup
competition, a team event where each athlete must do
one track and one field event. Shell and Fourth Form
boys were runners-up in the Dorset Track & Field Cup
qualifier, but the girls won it which sent them to the
Regional Championships at Millfield. This was a great
experience for them as for many it was competing in a
serious event for the first time. They represented both
Canford and Dorset, which is extremely encouraging.
There the girls managed to improved their collaborative
points total and came fifth in the South West.
Twenty-five pupils were selected through from the
Poole and East Dorset trials to represent the area in the
Dorset Schools Championships and of those, fourteen
athletes placed in the top three in the county for their
events.
As a result, a number of pupils were selected
to represent Dorset in the South West schools
championships: Katie Holdoway for triple jump, Luke
Mehson for triple jump, Christian Flavell for 400 metres
hurdles, Alex Robertson for javelin, Nick Milton for 80
“The highlights are
always the home
fixtures where the
athletes get to
perform on their
own track and
parents get to
come and watch
them excel in
their events.”
97
sport
metres hurdles and javelin, where he placed third, and
David Bourne for shot put, who also gained a third place
as well as throwing a national qualifying standard. Bethan
Burley was chosen for 75 metres hurdles and shot put,
“The athletes keep in which she achieved a national qualifying standard.
getting better and She has since represented Canford and Dorset at the
better every year English Schools championships, where she came fifth.
Bethan is also Dorset champion (and record-holder) for
and they take
the Pentathlon and after competing in the South West
the training on as multi-events went to English Schools again in September,
a challenge with
where she placed 15th, the same position Jessica Ennis
great commitment came at that age! Hannah Sherborne also qualified
to compete at the South West championships in the
and yet still
manage to show Heptathlon.
obvious enjoyment There are some wonderful inter-house traditions at
Canford and house athletics, tug of war, house standards,
and support to
alternative athletics and the Canford Gallop are all part
each other.”
of Canford athletics. This year senior girls house athletics
was won by Beaufort and junior girls jointly by Beaufort
and Marriotts, the senior boys house athletics was won
by School House and the juniors was won by Court. The
Victrix Ludorum and Victor Ludorum for best athletes
on the day were won by Lucy Ashcroft and George
98
Acworth respectively. Unfortunately there was to be
no tug of war due to a sudden downpour, but Franklin
were certainly ready for the challenge, turning up in a
West Side Story manner. Girls standards were won by
Marriotts and the boys by Monteacute and alternative
athletics was won by Beaufort. The Canford Gallop was
a great occasion on Speech Day; the girls individual
race was won by Lucy Ashcroft and the team relay by
Marriotts, who were very nearly caught on the line by
Wimborne. The boys individual went to Bertie Griffiths
and the team relay shield to Lancaster.
Overall, it has been a spectacular season for Canford
athletics with more participants in school matches, more
records being broken and more athletes qualifying to
area, county and regional representation. The athletes
keep getting better and better every year and they take
the training on as a challenge with great commitment
and yet still manage to show obvious enjoyment and
support to each other. I must also give a huge thanks to
the staff who work tirelessly to help produce challenging
training sessions for the athletes and then help to run the
fixtures.
Hannah Morrell
This year Real Tennis has truly hit its stride at
Canford. I am yet to see such a large number of pupils
and staff alike express a desire to try their hand at ‘the
sport of kings’. More people than ever have taken it
upon themselves to organise a trial session and every
one of them has returned hungry for more.
The most notable of Canford’s new recruits were
the dynamic duo of Monty Dix and Nick Milton,
both Shell boys in Court. These two managed to
dominate the national stage as they grabbed first place
in the National Schools U14s Real Tennis Doubles
Championships: a fantastic achievement, for which they
deserve much credit.
There was again a sturdy showing from the
veterans of the school, too. Stalwart Jamie Nicholson
accompanied captain Ben Moores as the Canford
first pair in the National Schools U18s Real Tennis
Doubles Championship. They won the first group
stage and cleared the second round with ease before,
unfortunately, falling short of victory in the final group.
However, second pair Alex Wells and Barney Twist
managed to go one better and returned home with
the runners-up prize in the second team competition.
As well as national tournaments, Canford played
matches home and away against Radley and The Hyde,
at Bridport. Special mention must be made of Rebecca
Nicholson, the best girl player in the school.
sport
Real Tennis
For the second year in a row, Canford hosted the
Browning Cup, the annual British Professional Handicap
tournament. Canford’s very own coach and resident
pro, Darren Long, set out to defend his title, but
unfortunately this year it was not meant to be. The everfaithful Steve Ronaldson, Canford’s head pro, as always
remained the glue that binds the Tennis Club together.
Benjamin Moores, Real Tennis Captain
“More people than
ever have taken it
upon themselves
to organise a
trial session.”
Golf
The best golfers are also talented sportsmen in other
arenas as well, and whilst this is to be encouraged
and applauded, it has meant that at key times many of
our best players have not been available to represent
Canford at golf. A group of keen, young and skilled pupils
have readily filled their places and the experience that
they will have gained will be of great value to us in future
years. However, it did mean that we were occasionally
outpowered: 18-year-olds tend to hit the ball a lot
further than 14-year-olds.
The record for the year is: played 14, won 8, lost 5,
drawn 1, with four matches being cancelled due to
weather.
Unfortunately, one of our losses was in the South
West Regional final of the HMC Foursomes. Notable
wins were versus Winchester, Marlborough, Taunton and
Truro, and our sole drawn match was versus Eton. Some
nineteen pupils have represented the school, which is a
big turnover as we play in teams of six. Three of them
have been Shells, three of them fourth-formers and four
of them fifth-formers – also, one of our star players is a
girl, fourth-former Rachel Naylor – so we are definitely
looking ahead!
All of this change meant that we needed an
inspirational captain and Oliver Stocks was just the man,
keeping calm and encouraging with a positive word,
leading by example whilst also being a 1st VIII rower. This
will be a hard act for next year’s captain to follow, and
hopefully whoever it is will face less disruption.
The squad: Louis Ambrose, Miles Anderson, Ben
Ashman, Elliot Bates, Nick Bespolka, Sam Crossman,
Tom Dickens, William Entwisle, Cameron Groat, Matt
Jarmolkiewicz, Charlie Jones, Charlie Massey-Collier,
Jonathan Naylor, Rachel Naylor, Tommy Newton, Trystan
Perkins, Sam Richards, Fred Saunders, Oliver Stocks (capt).
Neil Watkins
99
sport
Cross-country
“One week
you may be
attempting
to scale the
legendary hills
of Kingswood or
avoiding rampant
deer in Sherborne,
the next you
might find
yourself wading
(or swimming,
as the case may
be) through a
small river at
Clayesmore.”
After a long and cold Christmas term spent training, the
team was geared up and ready for the many challenging
races in store during the Easter term. One of the greatest
things about cross-country matches is that no two races
are the same. One week you may be attempting to scale
the legendary hills of Kingswood or avoiding rampant deer
in Sherborne, the next you might find yourself wading (or
swimming, as the case may be) through a small river at
Clayesmore, or through what turned out to be a not-sosmall river in the flooded valleys of Downside. Whatever
challenges and dangers the course may present, the
heroes of the Canford cross-country team always soldier
on, supporting each other all the way through.
Fellow cross-country captain Issy Mitchell had a
particularly fantastic term, frequently placing in the top
three, comfortably qualifying for county and more than
comfortably winning the DISCCO (Dorset Interschool
Cross-Country Organisation) award for doing consistently
brilliantly throughout the season. Issy (wearing 135
in the photograph) and Amy Cavender (140) both
represented Dorset at the English Schools’ Cross-Country
Championship.
James Landymore and Dan Doherty also displayed
admirable performances with the likes of Brandon
Mulliner, Joe McGlaughlin and Julia Davis hot on their tails.
The Studland Stampede was perhaps our most successful
race, with a Canford runner coming in the top three
places in every category for which we qualified. We all
owe a great deal to our new leader, the sterling Mr LinleyAdams, for taking up the mantle left by Mr Baldwin. He
has led the team splendidly throughout the term and ran
the majority of the races with us so that he could share
our pain and lead by example.
I am immeasurably proud of the team this year
and only hope that the side remains as wonderfully
supportive, humorous and odd as it has been during my
time here.
Tiffer Hutchings, Boys’ Cross-Country Captain
Lacrosse
Last season we had between 30 and 40 girls from the
Fifth Form upwards from whom we selected two lacrosse
squads. Most of the girls who turn up on a cold January
morning have never picked up a stick before but by the
end of the term everyone will have played in a match and
be more than able to continue playing at university. Match
highlights were a win against the Sherborne second team
and losing by just one goal to St Swithuns’ thirds! We also
entered a national U19 third team tournament and came
second in our section, having lost by just one goal to the
eventual tournament winners, Benenden.
The waterlogged pitches from the incessant rain
in the first half of term meant that we only had one
match in six weeks and many cancelled practices, so
the standard achieved was even more creditable. Much
of the first team’s success was down to the inspiring
leadership of Minty Culley and Harry Fuller, backed up
by the formidable Helena Crellin in goal; we also had an
extremely athletic midfield stocked by many of Canford’s
first-team hockey players.
We were visited on one training afternoon by old girl
and former lacrosse team captain, Hattie Whillans. Hattie
100
is now enthusiastically involved in the lacrosse team at the
University of York and she introduced us to some new
drills and skills. We also heard some good news from a
former goalie and vice-captain, Cat Bryan, who has been
playing for local clubs in her gap year and, after narrowly
missing out on a regional team place, was selected to
represent a Great Britain team in the Prague Cup in the
summer.
Coaches: Michelle Bray, Alan Naden, Bridget Keely,
Lucy Harding.
Michelle Bray
Over 150 Canford pupils played tennis this summer,
with many enjoying professional coaching during
their weekly training sessions. Fixtures against twelve
independent schools went ahead, notwithstanding the
occasional shower. Across all age groups, seventeen
teams of all ages participated in 77 matches and
between them played 693 sets of tennis!
The senior girls’ 1st team finished the season strongly
with a 7-2 win over Bryanston. The senior boys’ 1st
team, captained by Hugo Trafford, enjoyed wins against
Taunton, Sherborne and Lord Wandsworth College,
while putting on a competitive display in defeats against
Millfield, Winchester and Bryanston. The senior boys’ 2nd
team and U14 boys have won all bar one of the matches
against the above schools, each losing only to Millfield. Sports colours for their contribution to Canford tennis
were awarded for the girls to Ellie Drysdale and for the
boys to Nick Barker, Kit Saunders, Robbie Mansell and
first-team captain Hugo Trafford.
Lancaster won the junior girls’ house tennis, thanks
mainly to Rachel Naylor. In the senior girls’ house tennis,
de Lacy beat Marriotts in a close final after saving
three match points in the tie-break. The junior boys’
tournament was won by Court. In the senior boys’
house competition, Franklin was the winner. The senior
boys’ singles final was a closely fought contest between
Oliver Stewart and Kit Saunders, with Oliver winning
the tie-break. The senior girls competition was never
finished, but Sophie Morgan proceeded furthest in the
competition.
“Many pupils have
improved their
technique and
tactics on court
throughout the
term and it has
been great to see
so many pupils
playing during
their own time
outside the usual
games sessions.”
Many pupils have improved their technique and tactics
on court throughout the term and it has been great to
see so many pupils playing during their own time outside
the usual games sessions.
A huge thank you to all Canford staff who coached
tennis and supervised teams this term and to our
external coaches from Wimborne Tennis.
Will Baugniet
Sailing
Our first match against two Winchester teams and
Bryanston was a windy affair and forced us to use cutdown mainsails in winds gusting force 5: great fun, but
not ideal for team racing. Canford emerged as winners
of the mini-regatta – a very encouraging start. Weather
conditions for the next match against Sherborne were
far more suitable for tactical team racing, allowing use of
full mainsails in a decent force 2-3. Convincing wins (3-0)
against both Sherborne A and B teams gave the team
even more confidence in their prospects against stronger
teams from further afield.
Weymouth usually produces good winds but a
May visit to race Milton Abbey in baking sunshine was
virtually windless. The course was set just outside the
National Sailing Academy, but a light easterly battled
against a light westerly, to produce virtually unsailable
conditions on the course itself. Two races were run,
with a win apiece for the two teams, and Milton Abbey
actually won on points.
Lack of wind was also the issue for the BSDRA
Southern Region Championships at Spinnaker Club,
Canford’s local water. Thirteen teams, nearly 80 sailors,
arrived at Ringwood from as far as Oxford, Kent and
even Guernsey. The standard of racing was eventually
very high indeed and the Canford team, though finishing
7=, will have learnt a great deal from racing the best
teams such as eventual winners Tonbridge and thirdplaced MCS.
Our final post-exam event was the Dorset Schools
Regatta, a two-boat team event in 420s, run at Portland.
Canford were in a very strong position after the first two
races and looked favourites, but a disastrous start in the
fourth race meant that Milton Abbey won the event by
just ¾ of a point.
Many thanks go to all team members: helms Ellie
Bellfield (captain), Nick Robins, Will Wombell and Tara
Rafferty, and crews Max Allen, Tara Rafferty, Will Wombell,
Charlie Peach and Jess Chippendale.
Tim Street
101
sport
Tennis
sport
Football
“It was against
Sherborne I
realised that we
have a really
rather good
team here.”
Though very much a mixed ability outfit, Canford’s
footballers have all shown fantastic enthusiasm, real
dedication and heartening camaraderie. A player such as
Flinn O’Hara epitomises the footballing spirit at Canford:
approaching the game and training with heart and an everpresent smile, his positivity and tremendous endeavour has
made training fun, intensive and productive.
The season was rather successful from a competitive
point of view, too. Led by the towering Tom Southgate,
the 1st XI was undefeated, racking up five commanding
victories and a draw in the Christmas term and five
resounding victories in a drenched Easter term. The
highlight of the Christmas term was the impressive 3-0
away victory against a very strong Taunton side. Playing
an incisive short passing game with Harry Altham as the
fulcrum, the boys outplayed a team featuring three West
of England players and an England Schoolboys member.
These skilful individuals were unable to shine thanks
to sharp pressing and tireless running, as well as the
destructive brilliance of players such as Alex Wells and
Nick Scott.
In the Easter term, it was against Sherborne I realised
that we have a really rather good team here. Our
opponents had professional coaching, they had undergone
pre-season training and they were rather proud of their
abilities, but they were nevertheless beaten 3-1 by a
fantastically altruistic Canford side. Pressing like a pack of
wolves and marshalled by the superb Chris Haining, the
boys dominated play, the omnipresent Tom Nichols scoring
one of the goals and our star striker, Josh Rehel, two.
After such a successful year, it makes sense to up the
ante this autumn. For the first time, we have entered
the ISFA Boodles Cup where we will compete against
the very best, and we have scheduled fixtures against
footballing powerhouses such as Millfield. It might be
tough but, judging from this year’s experiences, the boys
will relish the challenge.
Sandre Vandvik
Swimming
As in previous years, the number of swimmers has
increased from term to term to reach over forty
swimmers in the Summer term. Our junior boys’ team
has performed very well bearing in mind their youth, as
the team was a combination of Shells, fourth- and fifthformers in the U16 category. They finished second or third
in most galas this year, which is a promising result looking
at the future of the team. On the junior girls’ front the
team has tried hard to improve their performance but
more often than not we have struggled to present a full
team to the galas. However, they have had a good deal of
success in home galas, when they have finished second or
third in most events.
Despite having a limited number of senior girl
swimmers, the team has produced some excellent results
this year, finishing third and fifth in the most important
galas of the term at Sherborne Girls School. The highlight
of the year was their result in the Dorset Schools
Swimming Gala held in Dorchester, where the team
came third in the 4x50 medley relay and fifth in the 4x50
freestyle relay. The team was Olivia Esposti, Sasha Stalker,
Anicka Sufraz and Amelia Sutton.
The senior boys’ team had an outstanding year. In the
Summer term they won all galas with one exception,
where they came second, but the effort was extraordinary.
The best result of the year was their first position in the
4x50 medley relay in the Dorset Schools Gala, where they
also came third in the 4x50 freestyle race. The team of
Noah Vides, Oscar Esposti, Ben Tucker, David Bridger and
Nick Barker missed qualifying for the national finals by just
two seconds.
Fran Compan
Basketball
It couldn’t be described as a vintage season, but I was very
proud indeed of a team which never gave up trying, even
when staring at some hefty defeats, and our one victory
against Sherborne International (though avenged by them
at the end of term) did little to sustain morale against our
other opposition, especially when, with the exception of
Dauntsey’s, we could have beaten all the teams we played.
For a group of home-grown players, it was truly
impressive to score as many points as we did. Oli Bleeker
at his best was unstoppable, although I don’t think he
made it through an entire match without being fouled off,
all season. At different times, we had strong performances
from all the team, including Pat Shepherd, Richard Ward,
Justin Lee, Sam Krips and David Kaufman. Pat’s ball-handling
skills are developing very well, and Richard’s strength was
a useful support to Oli. Justin scored some impressive
long shots, and Sam’s size and strength will make a fine
basketballer of him in due course. David played loyally and
with strength, and I am grateful to for the support of the
occasional players, Jason Lau, Declan Lewis, James Gee
and Henry Cooper, all on loan from football or hockey
at various times. Our very fine captain, Lucas Cheung,
played his last game for Canford this term, and his constant
support and excellent example both on and off the court
will be much missed.
Stephen Wilkinson
Badminton
Every student who played badminton as a sport last
term represented the school in at least one match.
Marcus Wright played fantastically well to win most of his
games and was the most improved player of the season.
Ben Mynors-Wallis was selected for the Dorset 1st
102
senior team vs West Glamorgan, and won two of his
three matches. Dorset won division 3 (out of 6) in the
inter-counties championship and are promoted.
Ella Fenwick represented Dorset U17s, while Jason Lau
was in the Dorset U17 squad.
Chris Fenwick
‘Do not go where the path may
lead; go instead where there
is no path, and leave a trail.’
Come back now and again to
share your experiences of the
world and the wisdom you
have gained with those who are
here. This community is your
community. Once a Canfordian,
always a Canfordian.’
From the Headmaster’s address,
Speech Day, June 2014
103
Designed & Printed by
The Roman Group | www.romandesignprint.co.uk
ca nford
Wimborne
Dorset
BH21 3AD
01202 841254
www.canford.com
www.facebook.com/CanfordSchool
@Canford School