Publication

Birkdalian
2012-2013
Editorial
Editorial
I never realised writing an editorial for the Birkdalian would be such a difficult task. I imagined that - given the months of
dedication which have already gone into the magazine over the course of this year - the hardest part was well and truly over.
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photographers created this fantastic publication (which I am incredibly proud of), and Miss Hodkinson - who offered great
creative
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done everyone!
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ignore
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that:very
I admit
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Many
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Finally,
I’d like
to the
thank
Virginia
Woolf
fororganisation
this thought-provoking
quote,
which I thought I’d share in a shameless attempt to
generally
taken
form
of writing
and
- two
Jeremy
Brown
motivate
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things I love. Nonetheless, it is amazing how hard it can
(Editor in Chief)
be to sum up an entire year of work in a single paragraph.
“Words
live insufficient)
in dictionaries;
they live in the mind”
Here isdo
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attempt:
Editorial Team: Jeremy Brown, Shohaib Ali, Rohin
AllFirst
Birkdalian
editors I’d
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know
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the dangers
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who
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this
the
hard work, creativity and
Caroline Ridler, Zac Evans, Will Smith, Ammaar Rashid,
commitment of our team of editors and other talented
Zach Horscraft, Omar Sorour, Philip Owen, Abhrajit Giri,
Jeremy
Brown
(Editorthe
in Chief)
students
throughout
school has been inspirational.
Khubaib Ali, Elliott Winter, Anna Spring, Joshua HattersMrs Owen has done a wonderful job running the magaley.
Editorial
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Mrs
P Burch,
zine yetTeam:
again; Jeremy
I don’t think
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design team
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creativeLucy
vision
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the very
beginning
- deserves
Design
Grant,
Johal,
Rohan Johal,
Phoebe Hill, Rebecca Day, Tom Hobson
Contents Page
2-19
20-27
28-51
52-59
60-71
72-97
98-109
110-137
In-House
Clubs & Societies
Curriculum
Drama
Charities
Trips & Expeditions
Music
Sport
2
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IN-HOUSE
New Staff
Ian Dicken
Joining our illustrious ICT Technical Support Team this academic
year from nearby Notre Dame High School, Mr Ian Dicken is
Birkdale’s new Head of ICT Systems & Communications (or ‘IT
Manager’ for short!). Mr Dicken brings a wealth of experience
and knowledge to his role of managing and developing the IT
systems for the benefit of the school community. His vision is
for ICT at Birkdale to be at the forefront of the use of ICT in
education, with ICT being used to maximum benefit to facilitate
students’ learning. Jumping straight in at the deep end on his
arrival, Mr Dicken had to rapidly familiarise himself with the
wide range of different computer systems used at the school; he
was also instrumental in successfully implementing Frog - our
new learning platform. Mr Dicken enjoys the Frittata and also
the stuffed Portobello mushrooms at lunch, and claims to have
probably experienced some humorous moments since starting
at the school, but he can’t remember what happened yesterday, let alone 6 months ago (such is his workload)! His
friendly and approachable manner is very much appreciated by staff and students alike, and he is very much part of
the furniture already.
Mr D Craddock
Kym Hodkinson
Kym Hodkinson joined the Birkdale Design and Technology
Department in September 2012 after working at All Saints Catholic
School for the past three years where she taught D&T and also held
the post of VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) Developer. Although
she has been with us for less than a year, her impact on the Birkdale
School environment has been, to say the least, measurable. As well
as adapting and fitting in well to her new department, she has coordinated the drama production lighting and stage sets; involved
her S4 form in many charitable ventures in aid of International
China Concern and the Nepal appeal; she runs a homework club;
has entered a group into ‘Zool’, an IT based games competition; has
accompanied the S3 boys on their annual camp to the Peak District;
and surprisingly managed to convince several members of staff, including the Headmaster, to take part in a SumoWrestling match, once again for charity. Within the Design and Technology Department it is evident to see from her
teaching and after school commitment that she is passionate about her subject area and has sensitivity to those she
teaches, encouraging each to aim high and succeed. Birkdale is fortunate to have such a talented and energetic young
member of staff on the team and who knows what she will get us involved in next year!
Mr R Cottom
5
Edward Meadows
Edward Meadows joined the Modern Languages Department
in September 2012, following the retirement of Neil Deans.
Edward is a German specialist and has spent several years living
and working in Germany since graduating from the University of
Edinburgh in 2004. He has also lived in French-speaking Switzerland
and teaches French as a second language within the department.
Despite only working at the school for a year, Edward has already
made an impression, helping to lead the Cologne study visit in
February 2013 and wearing traditional Bavarian dress to promote
German on the European Day of Languages! We look forward to
more creative ideas in the future.
Mrs S Ryan
Nicholas Pietrek
Nicholas Pietrek joined Birkdale as Deputy Head in September
2012 from a position as a Boarding Housemaster and History
Teacher at Aldenham School. He slipped confidently into his
new role, juggling staff cover requirements, resolving pastoral
issues and scheduling school activities with such consummate
ease that it is difficult to remember that he has only been at
Birkdale for one academic year. His broad interests in music,
drama, rugby and cricket have allowed him to engage with many
different aspects of school life. He has taken on leadership of the
Junior Christian Union and has also firmly established himself in
the History Department. Nick has also allowed the pupils and
staff some glimpses of his rich and varied past, perhaps most
infamously through his child acting career and his relationship
with his nemesis Christian Bale; if things had gone a little differently, Nick might be playing the role of Batman, rather
than supervising lunch queues!
Dr P Owen
We asked Mr Pietrek a few questions about his first year at Birkdale:
Q. What have you enjoyed most about your first year at Birkdale?
A. No two days are ever the same so the role is always an exciting one and full of fresh challenges.
Q. What was your funniest moment since arriving at Birkdale?
A. A rather recent incident – during the exams Dr Myatt went to use the gym whilst an exam was taking place. It would
seem that the invigilators did not pick up on this and when he came out he found the Sports Hall deserted and locked.
By all accounts he was banging on the door for a while until someone came to get me to let him out!
Q. Which historical character would you most like to meet?
A. Too many to pick one – Jesus, Julius Caesar, Arthur Wellesley, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill …
Q. What is your favourite school dinner?
A. Every one of them but I am particularly partial to the puddings.
Q. And most important of all………Sheffield United or Sheffield Wednesday?
A. I’m actually a Liverpool fan so I shall remain neutral on the subject.
6
Charlie Higson’s Visit to Birkdale
Sarah Rose
Sarah Rose joined the Pre-Prep staff in September in a part time
capacity as a Teaching Assistant. She works with the PP2 and PP3
classes every afternoon. Sarah has recently completed a Masters
Degree at the University of Sheffield in International History.
Before joining the team at Birkdale Sarah worked as a supply
Teaching Assistant throughout a number of schools in Sheffield
and she hopes, in the future, to do further research into how
History is taught in schools.
In October the world famous author Charlie Higson visited Birkdale School to talk about his latest book, The Sacrifice,
part of The Enemy series. His talk covered many things, from his new book to the TV show he used to write, The Fast
Show.
All of Lower School and some visitors from Tapton School were ushered into the Heeley Hall after lunch. There was
excitement in the air as the man we were expecting casually strolled into the hall, and started preparing for his speech.
The crowd were silenced, and Tom Hetherington introduced us to the author.
Mr Higson started his talk by explaining the basic plot of his series of books, The Enemy. In the books, everyone
Keith Brook MBE
One day in August 2000, Keith Brook, standing by a
small field in Kokhana, Nepal, made a decision. Having
spent some weeks teaching in a small school that was
fighting a losing battle against decay, he was touched by
the Headmaster’s desire to build a school on some land
owned by his family - this one small field. Keith said, ‘I
think we can help with that.’
And so it was that Keith took on Arjun’s vision, raising
money and overseeing the building, resourcing and
supporting ‘The Peace Garden School’. Now it is a thriving,
newly built, well-resourced school that is gaining such
impressive results that the education minister on a recent
visit commented that the results at SCL (School Leavers
Certificate) rivalled well-to-do middle class schools in
Kathmandu. One ex-pupil has started a Medicine degree
in the UK and another student is now studying Medicine
in Russia.
Keith has enabled many people to visit Nepal with the
express aim of serving. This has been a labour of love,
involving huge amounts of administration and fundraising
for the projects in Nepal, including the building of a school
and church in a leprosy colony. Over £175,000 has been
raised.
Keith encouraged Birkdale parents who are doctors or
dentists to come to Nepal with him. The health of the
children has improved so much they have reached the
correct UNICEF levels.
All this, from just one brief visit to a small field thirteen
years ago.
Keith’s energy, drive, persistence, inspiration, leadership,
7
his generosity of spirit, kindness, wisdom and utterly
altruistic approach as well as his extraordinary
commitment over a long period of time are what sets
him apart. His personal Christian faith underpins all that
he does - he is totally generous and self-sacrificing with
his time. He has the capacity to believe in people where
others may not; he leads by example to encourage pupils
to give of their best.
Keith is so self-effacing that he would never dream of
being nominated for any kind of award. So, it was with a
huge sense of pleasure and great satisfaction to all who
know him, that we heard the news he has been awarded
an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List. Well done, Keith.
You deserve it.
Mrs S Burt
over the age of 14 has been infected with a disease
that normally kills you, but sometimes turns you into a
zombie-like creature. There are a few surviving children,
who are living in various places including a Waitrose and
Buckingham Palace. The plot of the series is basically how
these children survive against the odds.
He then went on to tell us why he created this new series
of books, when he had already had huge success with
the Young Bond series, and why he hadn’t continued
with those books. He made The Enemy series because
he wanted to create his own story, to, as Mr Higson
put it, ‘mentally scar some children, so they will always
remember my book!’ The new series contains much more
suspense than the Young Bond books, as you always knew
that James Bond was going to survive. In The Enemy, you
don’t know if anyone is going to survive; people are killed
off frequently, and in increasingly bloody ways.
After the speech had ended, we had a chance to buy the
new book and previous titles, which could then be signed
by Charlie Higson. Overall, the talk was very enjoyable,
and was full of comedy and funny facts. Charlie Higson
visiting Birkdale was definitely one of the highlights of the
Christmas term.
“There was excitement in the air
as the man we were expecting
casually strolled into the hall...”
Josh Michalowski
8
Staff Farewells
Kate & Martin Rose
Kate and Martin Rose came to Birkdale in 1991, ostensibly
for a term’s teaching! They are finally leaving the building
(like Elvis?)/ us in 2013. They have experienced three
Headmasters in the course of their time at Birkdale and
overseen changes and developments in the resources of
the school for Art.
When the Roses first arrived Art took place in one room
in Caxton and then later on shared the DT Department.
Now, thanks to their supervision, the school has the
fabulous Art Suite in the Westbury Building.
Many Birkdale students have gone on to illustrious
careers in the art world thanks to the inspiration and
encouragement of Kate and Martin; many individual
Birkdalians have been able to follow careers in
architecture, theatrical and fashion design and recently
one student achieved a prestigious scholarship at the
Courtauld Institute. Just as important, however, is the fact
that the excellent quality of student Art work has graced
the corridors of Birkdale and enriched the environment
of the whole school. The Sixth Form Art Trip, which the
Roses have organised annually, has become legendary in
its own right as a means to experience the cultural riches
of the capital.
The Roses are not retiring but graduating to another
stage in their vocation as artists. They are both well
renowned in the art world for their work; Martin has
several portraits in galleries both national and local,
Kate has some of her superb work on show in Sheffield
Cathedral. They intend to do more painting of their own.
They will be missed at Birkdale but their new ventures
will be significant elsewhere.
We shall follow their careers keenly and wish them both
well.
Mrs M Daly
Connor Berry
Connor Berry has been this year’s gap student at the
Prep School. He recently graduated with a degree in
Ancient History and Archaeology. From September he
will be studying for a PGCE in History at the University
of York.
‘Some of the best things about the job are the helpful
and friendly staff who have helped me to settle in. Also,
9
all the sports events, after school clubs and fixtures that
I have been able to attend, alongside games lessons have
been really good. A highlight of the sporting calendar was
taking the U11 football team to the HMC tournament and
winning! Overall the school is a joy to work in and I love
coming to work every day.’
Mr Berry’s help has been invaluable in assisting Miss
Frewin with DT lessons and in the Sports Department
and he has enjoyed passing on his knowledge of and love
for History to the boys. Mr Berry has thrown himself
wholeheartedly into life at the Prep School and is dearly
loved by the boys and staff alike. His dry sense of humour
and cheeky smile will be greatly missed.
Jenny Witte
In the summer of 2013 Mrs Witte and her family will bid
farewell to Birkdale Prep School and the United Kingdom
as they set sail for the exotic climes of Beijing to begin
a new and exciting chapter in their lives at a fantastic
International School. After eleven years at Birkdale,
inspiring and transforming in a variety of roles, our sad
loss will be China’s gain, and we all wish them every
success in their new venture.
Mrs Jenny Witte arrived at Birkdale Prep School in
September 2002 as a teacher in PP2 and as Pre-Prep
English Coordinator. It was not long before her classroom
was being transformed into a place where the boys could
explore their imaginations and thrive as Mr Meadows,
the Caretaker, was persuaded to construct all manner of
exciting resources to fuel the boys’ enquiring minds; a
hallmark of any boy who has been fortunate enough to
have Mrs Witte as a teacher.
In April 2008 Mrs Witte became the Head of Pre-Prep and
a short while later moved into her current classroom to
take charge of a PP3 class. One of her past pupils, Shane,
said, ‘Being in Mrs Witte’s class was fun. Every day started
with us on the carpet and Mrs Witte would talk to us
about what was going to happen that day. It was always
going to be an important day. Friday was my favourite as
we would do drawing and have Golden Time.’
Her huge investment of energy, dedication and ability
to inspire others has brought about the transformation
that now represents the Pre-Prep Department at Birkdale
School.
Her warmth, friendship and humour will be missed by all
the boys, parents and colleagues. A huge debt of thanks
will be owed by future generations of boys who will
enjoy the facilities of Belmayne House as her work and
contribution towards this project has been immense.
On 3rd June 2006 life in the Witte household changed
dramatically too, with the arrival of Joshua. It seemed
only a blink of an eye before Joshua was also at Birkdale
and he too will be missed by all those who know him.
Max summed it up for all those boys who wanted to
share their memories of Mrs Witte, ‘It was great being
with Mrs Witte. She made every day fun and interesting.
It was hard work, but for a good reason – I still have that
stuff in my head!’
Brian Jones
Brian Jones joined us at very short notice in September
2010 to cover Dr Newton’s recovery following an
accident. This was originally only supposed to be a few
weeks, but weeks turned into months and Mr Jones has
now been here for three years. As well as taking over
Physics groups, he has taught Lower School Science and
has also taken on some Chemistry teaching. He has been
very adaptable to a rather unpredictable situation and
his enthusiasm for Physics and Astronomy have been
infectious. He quickly established himself with both staff
and students as a respected, helpful and friendly teacher,
but perhaps will be most remembered for his excellent
lifetime stage debut as Del Boy. It is a great regret to me
that Mr Jones will not be joining us again in September,
and I wish him a successful and happy future.
Dr W Newton
10
John Hall Memorial Lecture Given By Michael Palin
On 15th March, ex-Python and travel guru Michael Palin
visited Birkdale to give an entertaining and touching
lecture in memory of his Geography teacher - and the
former Headmaster of Birkdale – Mr John Hall.
The
evening
began with a
presentation
of
flowers to John
Hall’s
widow,
Mrs
Dorothy
Hall, upon the
announcement
that it was her
89th
birthday.
It was at this
moment that Dr
Owen
handed
over proceedings
to former pupil
of John Hall and
ex- H e a d m a s t e r
of Birkdale, Revd
Michael Hepworth, who talked about the profound effect
that Mr Hall had had upon Birkdale, from his excellent
relationship with the pupils to his acquisition of the
Endcliffe building, culminating in his decision to expand
the age catchment of the school up to 16 years. This
lecture truly showed the (still resonating) effects that
John Hall had on Birkdale, raising it from near-bankruptcy
and setting it up to become the accomplished school it is
today.
Michael Palin then unveiled a brand new portrait of
John Hall, which commemorates both the man and his
work at Birkdale. Once the picture was unveiled, Michael
spoke about his travels across the globe with not a hint
of a stutter; his subject matter ranged from the BBC’s
insistence that he was the one single person capable of
helming the programme ‘Around the World In 80 Days’
(only later to discover he had been fifth choice), to being
recognised by an Inuit on a remote island as Sir Galahad
from ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’; and he was
greatly entertaining throughout. He also talked about
the amount of time and effort which goes into each
programme he presents, and the many different people
involved.
The lecture was both informative and amusing, even if
Palin’s off-kilter humour had not been to the taste of John
Hall who, when interviewed by the BBC’s ’Comic Roots’,
stated that whilst he understood that Michael had a
small following his style of humour was ‘not to his taste’.
Overall the evening was a touching tribute to Mr John
Hall, the Headmaster and man who played a significant
part in making Birkdale into the well-respected school
it is today, and a great recognition of the people whose
lives he touched and influenced in profound ways.
Thomas Hetherington
11
12
Eco Schools
Eco-Schools is an international award programme that
guides schools on their sustainable journey, providing a
simple framework to help make sustainability an integral
part of school life. Eco-Schools enhance the curriculum
and get the whole school united behind something
important. Birkdale School has recently achieved a Silver
Award which focuses on strengthening pupil leadership
and whole school involvement. The pupils involved in
promoting an eco-friendly school have held regular
meetings to instigate a number of projects which are now
up and running including successful battery recycling, a
pond completion and a bike shelter to encourage pupils
to cycle to school.
BEST
After last year’s success with BEST (Birkdale Eco Schools
Team), when the school gained the Bronze Eco Award,
we were determined to continue on as eager as before.
With the Bronze Award we had come up with an action
plan and actioned it successfully throughout the year.
This involved small things like getting new bike sheds,
cleaning the Sixth Form Common Room and a battery
recycling station.
In our first meeting of the year we discussed how we
toners could be recycled with the batteries and so the
school has been doing this.
We have begun to further increase the recycling schemes
in school by showing students what things can be recycled
and encouraging them to keep up with this. To further
discourage people from throwing plastic bottles and cans
in regular bins there are plans to put in more bins for
recycling in the Fifth Form and Sixth Form areas.
The TV bulletin board outside the Heeley Hall is now being
used to get the Eco Committee’s news and information
out to the school. Birkdale Post is also going to be used
to inform parents about BEST activities each term so that
they can encourage their children to get involved.
The Walk-it Scheme, which started extremely well in
its first year, began to dwindle towards the end of the
year, so we decided to revitalise the system. Some of
the committee members came up with an action plan
to get Walk-it working including improving the layout of
the record card, changing the way cards are distributed
and collected to make it easier for pupils and offering an
incentive to encourage students to take part.
In the summer holiday of 2012 the Eco committee’s first
major scheme, the renovation of Johnson Pond began
to take place. This scheme was completed with the help
of the school grounds staff and some outside help. The
pond is scheduled for clearing so that wild life can now be
Engineering
Competition
Birkdale boys from S1 and S2 competed with pupils from
Notre Dame, Aston Academy and Tapton School, in a
challenge run by Lego and sponsored by the Institute of
Civil Engineers.
The aim was to build and programme a robot to move
around a large model city after an environmental disaster
and to repair the damage that had taken place. The robot
has various motors on it which are each operated by
Labview software, the same industrial software which
is used on the Mars Probe and the Hadron Collider. The
pupils had to programme the robot to manoeuvre itself
around objects within the city and initiate wind turbines,
block a burst dam and pull down an old industrial chimney
and replace it with a new environmental chimney.
The teams worked hard all day enjoying completing each
of the challenges set and the overall winners were a group
of girls from Aston Academy. Lego commented that all of
the teams competed well and that the standard was high
throughout and that they look forward to this being an
annual event hosted at Birkdale.
Games Brittania
Birkdale boys from S2 entered the Games Brittania
computer games design competition 2013.
could get more members from younger year groups
and some more Sixth Formers involved to replace those
that had left. We also discussed how to improve on the
successes from last year, including things such as the
Walk-it Scheme and the Johnson Pond. Over the course
of the next term we also evaluated the battery recycling
scheme, which went well with students filling the battery
bins within a few weeks. We also found out that printer
13
introduced creating a new eco system. Hopefully it will be
used for Biology lessons in the future.
We hope to begin the process of achieving the Green Flag
Award for the school in the next year. Please help in any
way you can to support new and existing schemes and
increase our chances of getting the Green Flag Award.
Henry Wigfull, George Roebuck, Joe Jackson and Shahid
Qadar spent their lunch times desiging a new character,
level, enemy and minions for the 2D platformer game
“Zool”. The boys entered the competition and made it
through to the finals held at Sheffield Hallam University.
They spent the day with professional game developers
from Sumo Digital (Sheffield based game design
company), graphic designers and illustrators who helped
them turn their idea into a playable game.
The boys worked tremendously hard on the day and
came in 2nd place. Judges were amazed at the talent and
the creativity of the Birkdale boys and, who knows, next
year they could go on to win the competition.
Josh Utting and Sam Clark.
14
House Reports
Hall
It has been an absolute privilege to captain Hall House
over the past year. I remember being in S1 many years
ago and wondering how the Prefects came up with all
these wonderful ideas for assemblies.
Never for a second did I think I would have to do one myself,
let alone captain the House. The part of being a member of
Hall I remember, perhaps more than anything, is how talented
the members of the House always were; whether it was in
the House Quiz, or House Rugby. From the sports field, to
music, to academics, there was exceptional talent in all areas.
Leadership is another area in which the House has excelled,
with the help of my two Vice Captains Oliver Morton and
Matthew Wyman, along with all the other House Prefects,
being paramount in the organisation of House events; from
the biggest events like Sports Day, to the smallest like House
Chess Competition; not to mention the countless House
assemblies. Their support has been unparalleled and I cannot
thank them enough.
“And the winner of Sports Day is Heeley House”. The
words of Dr Owen were greeted by the rapturous
applause and celebration by Heeley members. Was this
the victory that would at last secure Heeley the House
Cup?
Jump ahead 2 weeks as Mr Pietrek announces the overall
results at prize giving, “In 4th place Asterley, in 3rd place
Heeley............................,” the runners up and winners
names were lost in a wave of disappointment!
This academic year 2012 - 2013 has seen some memorable
victories for the House including: football, tug’o’war,
badminton, rugby, hockey and of course the blue ribbon
event of Sports Day. Unfortunately, when we did not win
an event we tended to finish in 3rd or 4th position which
in the end was our undoing.
Regardless of event positions, the commitment and
15
This past year has followed up on those previous successes.
Hall House started well, with successes coming soon after
the start of the year. A victory in the House Swimming
Gala with great performances from everyone put Hall
in a great position early on in the year. Throughout the
year Hall House has shown unrivalled determination and
enormous effort, with a full team being put out for every
single event we have faced, regardless of the outcome, I
could not have asked more.
Hall have been a dominating force throughout the
majority of the House events over the year, putting
continuous pressure on all the houses to step up and
perform, with particular acknowledgement going to
S2 for their outstanding performance in House Drama
earlier in the year.
In the end Hall placed a very narrow second in the
running for House Cup behind Griffiths. Despite this
narrow defeat, I am still incredibly proud of the entire
House for their performance over the year. I would like
to wish my successor all the best and hope that they are
able to regain the House Trophy next year.
Duncan Lewis
Heeley
enthusiasm of every student who has participated and
performed for Heeley has been outstanding.
Their application is mainly as a result of the hard work
and leadership skills of Joanne Twomey, who has directed
the House with confidence and expertise. She has been
ably assisted by a good team of Prefects with particular
support from Stephanie Twomey, Matthew Bradley and
James DaCosta, all of whom received colours for their
efforts.
As I write this report I have just appointed a team of
Prefects to lead Heeley into the new academic year.
And so it begins once more...
Mr M Potter
Asterley
Many pupils have enjoyed participating and supporting
Asterley House in a wide variety of different events this
year.
The House competition in general provides a wealth of
opportunities to get involved, too numerous to mention
here in its entirety and it is always invidious to highlight
certain events over others, as all events have their merits,
however I would like to mention the following: The
Music competitions are always of a high standard and a
tremendous amount of time, organisation and skill goes
in to them and so well done to all involved. The Lower and
Middle School Drama performances were both of a really
high quality and Josh Utting and Henry Siddall in S5 and S4
respectively deserve great credit for their leadership roles.
Josh was involved again in a winning Middle School Public
Speaking team with all the age group teams performing
creditably in this activity. In sports the largely modest
results were not reflective of the amount of effort that
Griffiths
The unofficial guide to House success:
1.
Be part of a good House.
Jobs, money, food, none of it matters in comparison to
being a part of a good House. If you’re in Hall, Heeley
or Asterley, I’m afraid you`re struggling from the start.
Don’t beat yourself up about it though when you lose in a
House event. It wasn’t your fault; you were just unlucky
when the `sorting-hat` sorted you badly.
2.
Participate in anything and everything.
Once part of a great House you need to participate as
much as you can and this has certainly been the case
this year in Griffiths. Due to mass participation in events
as wide-ranging as House Drama to Volleyball, there
has been a huge amount of success this year. We have
always had a full team in any event, even having 4 or 5
subs in the House Football. This has been extremely
impressive to see and every member of the House has
done themselves proud.
many pupils put in with their being a number of notable
individual performances particularly on Sports Day where
Obi Ezi set two school records, in the 60m dash and with
a team of his fellow S4 boys in the 4X100m relay. Effort
could also be seen in the amount the House raised for
charity, which is a very encouraging sign, in what could
well be the most important of event of them all.
Credit should go as always to the Prefects led by this
year’s House Captain Jordan Bethel who produced a
memorable short film to mark his seven years in Asterley
and particularly his year as Captain.
Getting involved in the House in events that you are good
at, but especially in events that you are not particularly
good at, provides all pupils, of whatever age, the
opportunity to learn new activities including leadership
and service skills. Trophies will come and go and events
will be won and lost but these aforementioned qualities
will endure. Well done to all involved this year.
Mr M Clarke
involve keeping your dignity as I’ve found out this year.
Don’t be too dictatorial and don’t be too soft but most
importantly, when you have to participate in House
Choir make sure you sing. Also make sure you do a
great assembly, with Hannah Burdall’s assembly on
the `beginnings of the universe` and William Gaines’s
assembly on` Belgian cheese` being many pupils’ personal
highlights of the year.
4.
Have a great boss.
Mr Rodgers - enough said.
5.
Don’t throw eggs at children.
This is pretty self explanatory as doing it will likely cause
you get egg on your face (literally). I did this in one of my
House assemblies and with the benefit of hindsight this
was not my greatest idea.
Due to the combined efforts of `Team Griffiths` we
have succeeded in retaining the house trophy this year.
Everyone has worked very hard towards this goal that
Mr Rodgers set in September, and more importantly
everyone had a great time and lots of laughs on the route
3.
With great power comes great responsibility and to victory !
loss of dignity.
If you become a House Prefect make sure you’re a good Joseph Willis
House Prefect. It seems a bit simple but every one of
the Griffiths Prefects has done this. This doesn’t always
16
Prep In House
House Rugby
P3 and P4 were split into ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams within
their school houses, with both teams’ points counting
towards the overall trophy, for the annual House Rugby
competition. The ‘A’ team tournament was a fantastic affair with a deciding fixture settling matters at the death.
Osborn House entered the fray as favourites due to their multitude of talent but Roberts and Westbury both quietly
fancied their chances.
The opening round went as expected with crushing victories for Osborn and Roberts over Westbury and Martin
respectively. The second round again saw Osborn win comfortably, this time against Martin. The other match was a
far closer affair. Westbury led Roberts 17-7 at half-time but a superb second-half fightback saw Roberts run out 29-17
victors.
This meant the final round of games effectively saw play-offs for 1st and 2nd, and 3rd and 4th. Westbury proved too
strong for a spirited Martin outfit and they claimed third spot with a 29-5 victory. The ‘final’ was a brilliant game. It
swung back and forth several times before Osborn House, thanks to a late try, snatched glory with a 26-21 victory.
The ‘B’ team competition took a similar mould with Osborn and Roberts again claiming the top two spots, but this
time with Roberts as victors. Martin also turned the tables on Westbury by finishing third.
This meant the overall positions were decided on points difference. With Martin conceding comfortably the most
points in the ‘A’ competition, this meant they finished in fourth with Westbury in third. First and second were separated
by 24 points across the two groups with Roberts finishing second to Osborn who just about managed to live up to their
‘favourites’ moniker.
At Birkdale School all the boys wore poppies and proudly
showed their support and respect for all the British men
and women fighting for their country.
Swap Shop
In the Easter Term, as part of Climate Change Week, the Prep School had a Swap Shop. This was to encourage the
boys to value the importance of recycling.
In assembly one morning Ms Black announced that we were going to have a Swap Shop. This is where you bring in up
to four items, give them to your Form Teacher, and he/she will give you tokens equivalent to the number of items you
brought in. Tokens can then be spent at the Swap Shop.
Some of the items on sale were: computer games, board games, books and even a skateboard.
Everyone thought the Swap Shop was amazing, and a great opportunity to give some things away and get things you
would prefer at no cost.
Charles Wigfull
Remembrance
We hope all the boys understand how important this charity is and how much courage, spirit and pride these men
and women serving Britain have.
On Thursday we had to practise the hymn for the Remembrance. At first we were rusty at the song but at the end it
was like angels singing. On the day of the Remembrance we sung it even better.
The teacher who deserves a mention is Mr Kirkham. He does an enormous amount of work on Remembrance Day
and for the school Remembrance Service. The amount of time it must take to put together a brilliant power point like
Mr Kirkham does, shows the support he has for Remembrance. He wears his uniform with poppies on it and it looks
quite magnificent!
When we had the 2 minute silence everyone stood still and respected it. After the 2 minute silence the bugle was
played by Sam Davis and he played The Last Post.
Everyone definitely got the message about how important this was. This was a successful and greatly told Remembrance
service at Birkdale Prep School. We will remember them.
Joel Spillings, Troy Ramanathan, Alec Lawrie
17
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CLUBS &
SOCIETIES
Circus Skills
Circus Skills is a club for people interested in the arts of
the circus. Run by Mr Briggs, Circus Skills is held every
Friday lunch.
There are a mixture of skills to be learnt, including juggling
(with balls, ring and clubs), diablos, plate-spinning, devil
sticks and learning how to ride the pedal-go or the
unicycle.
The main skill to learn in Circus Skills is juggling, as it is
Debating Society
Debating Society takes place every Thursday lunch in
the lecture theatre. It provides a marvellous forum in
which a wide variety of contentious issues are raised,
the topic having been decided the week before. Topics
debated have included: ‘Is Britain a broken society?’, ‘Do
further scientific advances mean abortion laws should
be redefined?’ and, the well-attended, ‘Has science
“lunchtime debates is without
doubt an excellent way to
acquire these skills for many
years onwards.”
known as the most basic skill. Mr Briggs, who is amazing
at juggling, encourages us to practise and we have a
juggling period in which everyone tries to learn.
Personally, I enjoy riding the unicycle and plate-spinning
because I am quite good at these two skills.
Though many people enjoy and practise other skills, the
recently acquired unicycle is the most popular as people
love the challenge of riding something with one wheel.
Anyone interested should definitely come along. Even if
you are unsure, you can come for a week and test your
circus skills.
Rohit Pawar
This society is excellent on many levels. It can simply
provide intellectual stimulation by listening to two
speakers arguing the key issues surrounding a difficult
topic. Alternatively, it can encourage deep thought in
constructing arguments in the position of speaker or
questioner. Finally, the role of chairing the debate is one
that is decided at the start of every session and has been
used on more than one occasion for assessment in GCSE
English.
Enterprise Club
A team of four pupils from Birkdale won the
Entertainment Category of the inaugural TeenTech
Awards which was held at the Royal Society in London
recently.
The TeenTech Awards are an award winning, industry-led
initiative, founded in 2008 by Maggie Philbin and Chris
Dodson to help the “X Factor” generation understand
their true potential and the real opportunities available
in the contemporary workplace.
Of the thirty-six teams who made it through to the finals,
eleven winning teams were invited to Buckingham Palace
by TeenTech Patron HRH the Duke of York so that he could
present them with their prizes personally.
The four who visited the Palace were Joshua Anderson,
Philip Bladen, Micah De Silva and Ethan Yap (all S4) and
they were accompanied by Miss Kathy McKay who is
the teacher in charge of Enterprise at Birkdale and who
is to be credited with enabling the team to achieve this
accolade. After visiting the Palace and meeting Prince
Andrew, Philip said: ‘It was a fantastic day. Seeing inside
Buckingham Palace was a memorable experience and
to have the opportunity to meet Prince Andrew was
tremendous.’
Deep Focus is a new Game Design Enterprise, which
creates original game ideas using existing platforms that
can be commercialised and sold to a wide target market.
They have created a game called ‘Infection’ which runs
on Omnicraftservers.com. The boys are currently building
connections with Sony Play Station, Microsoft and
Sheffield Hallam University and each of these companies
are attracted by the advanced level of game construction
and programming.
Joshua Anderson said: ‘Infection took months of
programming and coding. Each person had a clearly
defined role. We used all our own soundtracks, graphics,
code and mechanics, YouTube videos, backgrounds and
game strategies and we would now like to market the
game so we invite everyone to ‘Get Infected’ and play the
game .’
History Video Club
Meeting up with friends to watch Rowan Atkinson’s
finest role as Blackadder on a Tuesday lunchtime is one
of the highlights of my school week.
Blackadder, in addition to being hilarious, features
historical characters such as George IV and Elizabeth
I, with hints of social developments at the time - for
instance the first dictionary. Doubtless the parents who
read the Birkdalian will recall how Blackadder, when it
first appeared on our television screens in the 1980s,
was at the cutting edge of comedy, and it still stands
out today. This is your son’s chance to enjoy it to. Our
modest group of regulars to Mrs Savage’s historical film
society are always looking for new members to enjoy
great history and unlimited humour.
Max Doody
In conclusion, the ability to speak publicly is a coveted
one today and participating in these informal, enjoyable
lunchtime debates is without doubt an excellent way to
acquire these skills for many years onwards.
Samuel Mackey
rendered religion irrelevant?’
21
22
Word Games Club
In Word Games Club there is a variety of board games
that test your range of vocabulary and your use of
language. Such games include the classic Scrabble,
which most people will have played.
A popular one is Taboo, which is where there are two
teams and on someone’s turn, they have to explain a
word without mentioning a list of other words, and the
rest of the team has to guess that word. Another fun
game is the Yes! No! Game, which features a host who
asks a series of questions, and the other players must
answer without saying yes or no, or any word similar to
them.
I enjoy Word Games Club because there are many fun
games to play and it also can help your English skills.
Yanhao Wang
Italian Club
Writers’ Club
Chess Club
The Writers’ Club presents an opportunity to unleash
creative spirit without the limitations of pressure for
exams, or a mark at the end; the atmosphere is a lot
lighter than lessons and the work rate is (more often
than not) determined by the quality of Mr Lidbury’s
biscuits.
Chess is flourishing at Birkdale, with weekly clubs
held on Wednesday lunchtimes and after school every
Thursday. Players of all ages and abilities are given a
warm welcome, and pupils can choose to attend either
or both of the sessions.
There are a variety of contests open for entry in all of
the types of creative writing, whether poetry, a short
story, or something else, and we had much success
last year. Out of the competitions we have entered,
we have had acknowledgement, success in the house
writing competitions, and even a publication in a small
anthology. Of course, this is all optional, and the best
thing about the club is the fact that it is writing for the
sake of being creative; that is the attraction for me as
it is a good chance to learn about what sort of writing
inspires you and others the most, making it a good place
to test any ideas, no matter how mad, and try to develop
our writing skills outside of the classroom.
The weekly clubs
The emphasis in the lunchtime club is on playing quick
competitive games, with players arranged into minileagues in a ladder-based system. The competitive
element to the games keeps the players on their toes,
and competition is fierce towards the end of each half
term when promotion and relegation are at stake.
Chess is taken more seriously in the after school club,
with regular coaching provided using a demonstration
board, analysing openings and playing through famous
games to illustrate various points. The coaching is usually
in a seminar style, with all players involved; there is also
one to one coaching provided to work with each player to
iron out any weaknesses.
Sam Davis
This term we chose to do Italian club. Mrs Ryan ran this activity during Tuesday lunchtimes. As you can probably
guess, we learn some basic Italian using techniques such as games. The focus is on learning enough Italian to survive
a holiday. Therefore booking hotels, ordering snacks and buying train tickets feature on the curriculum, whereas
tenses and adjective endings do not. As always with Mrs Ryan there is a confectionery prize after each game as well
as heavy use of an Eeyore beanbag!
William Stasi and Joshua White
Birkdale hosts major junior chess events
Birkdale hosted a major junior chess event (the Sheffield
Grand Prix) during the Christmas break, which was
attended by over 120 players from around Yorkshire and
beyond. Birkdale was well represented, with 15 pupils
participating, and enjoying a good degree of success, with
two trophies and several medals awarded to Birkdale
players.
Earlier in 2012 Birkdale hosted the Sheffield Areas Schools
Finals, which is restricted to Sheffield-based players, and
is likely to host the event again this year. There were
more than 50 players at that event, again with strong
representation from Birkdale pupils.
Mitchell, Alex Bland (all S3), Harveer Narula and Henry
Wigfull (both S2). Byron Hemingway and Miles Hemingway
were both selected for the 8-player Yorkshire Under 16
team, which came second in a prestigious annual national
tournament at the start of this season. At the South
Yorkshire Megafinal in June 2013, Miles Hemingway won
the Under 14 section (the 7th year in a row that he has
won his section), and Harvey Cao also won a trophy for
finishing runner-up; in the Under 13 section, Harveer
Narula won a book prize for narrowly missing out on first
place. The most impressive achievement of the year to
date was the part-qualification for the England Under
14 squad by Miles Hemingway; he has been the highest
ranked Yorkshire player in his age group for several years,
and after previously playing with the National Squad,
and finishing in the top 20 in the British Championships
in 2012, is again working towards qualification, which
involves playing in a series of tournaments held around
the country for the highest rated players. He now needs
only one more strong finish to earn a permanent place in
the squad – we wish him well.
Staff v Pupils
This year, for the first time, we held a staff versus pupils
chess match. Needless to say, it was embarrassingly onesided with the well-coached and more experienced team
roundly beating the staff. We hope to make this a regular
fixture, and hopefully the staff can put up a better fight
next time!
The clubs are run by Mr Hemingway, who is a qualified
chess arbiter, and who co-runs the SASCA chess club in
Sheffield; he is also the Sheffield Junior Chess Secretary
and sits on the Yorkshire Chess Association committee.
We are very grateful to him for giving up his time.
House chess
As well as hosting open tournaments, Birkdale embraces
its own House Chess Championship every year, which is
run by Mr Alsop. The current holders of the trophy are
Hall, with a talented array of players.
Individual achievements
Birkdale has produced some fine chess players, with more
than 10 pupils selected to represent Yorkshire in the last
2 years from Under 12 to Under 18 level, including: Byron
Hemingway, Zach Smith, Henry Hart, Alex Robertson (all
S5), Miles Hemingway, Archit Singh, Harvey Cao, Josh
23
24
Senior CU
This year has been another busy year for the Senior
Christian Union, and attendance has been as high as
ever. Once again CU has seen a variety of speakers from
local churches and within school (including Aidan Smith,
Daniel Jenkinson and Dan Viner). All of the talks this
year have given an insight into different areas of the
Christian faith, even dabbling into the work of Douglas
Adams and Chris Huhne. Each session has - as well as
the obligatory cake and drinks, often provided with
panache by Alex Doody - been centred around the Bible
and a discussion of its contents, which has often resulted
in differing interpretations. The resulting discussion
and debate has helped members to explore their own,
and each other’s, faith to a greater depth. Prayer
has, as always, been central to the meetings and each
session has ended in prayer, with members discussing
their worries, concerns and hopes beforehand. One of
this year’s highlights was Dr Owen’s visit, during which
he talked to the CU about finding his faith and his
experiences of living as a Christian. Meetings haven’t
been limited to Friday lunchtimes and many members
of the CU upped sticks during February half term and
travelled to The Oakes. While there they spent time with
other Christian Unions from Sheffield and, as well as
discussing their faith, enjoyed some of the many outdoor
pursuits available at The Oakes. The weekend was spent
in an old Georgian house and the gorgeous seven acre
gardens which encompass it, so it’s easy to see why the
weekend was such a success. This year has been another
year of group encouragement and personal development
in the CU; here’s to the next.
and life, fulfil their potential and have a brighter future.
Obviously, if you are doing all sections of the award it is
a big time commitment and we thought very carefully
before enrolling. However, we are glad that we did.
Working with different people has been challenging
especially in unfamiliar environments but it has helped
to improve our communication skills. The team work on
expedition is also really important. We had a great first
experience in our groups in March when we did our
practice training in the Peak District, walking form Edale
to Hayfield. The focus was on navigation skills but we also
began to get to know each other a lot better. However,
our practice training in July in the Ullswater area will be
the first real test!
George Kitchen & Azamat Akhmedov
Prep & Pre Prep Clubs
Prep CU
Pre Prep CU
Prep Christian Union has had another great year. Lots
of P1 boys joined and brought with them enthusiasm
and questions. We have continued to play games, watch
videos, listen to talks, pray together and occasionally,
when the mood takes us, sing, or something like it! We
began the year capitalising on Olympic fever by looking
The CU for boys in PP1, PP2 and PP3 meets on Monday
lunchtimes. These are some of the things the boys have
enjoyed doing this year:
‘It’s Friday it’s five past one it’s ....’
at Bible Characters and which team they might have been
on. The second half-term covered the topic of ‘The God
of Abraham - who is He and what is He like?’ In the Easter
term we looked at what it means to be a Christian before
finishing in the summer with a contemporary look at the
Ten Commandments. The on-going commitment of the
boys and the enthusiasm with which they take ownership
of Christian Union is very encouraging as is the willingness
they have to pray for each other’s needs. Finally for those
parents old enough to remember ‘Crackerjack’ we have
pinched the slogan to remind the boys, ‘It’s Friday it’s five
past one it’s....’
“Watching movies about Jesus and other people from the
Bible.”
“We pray for our families and people who are ill.”
“We ask God to help us and other people.”
“We say thank you to God for lots of different things.”
“We sometimes sit in a circle and pass a cuddly toy round
so we know whose turn it is (to pray).”
“We like singing songs and are starting to learn some new
ones.”
Anybody in Pre-Prep is welcome to come along whenever
they want – we look forward to seeing you soon.
Thomas Hetherington
DofE
Why do Gold D of E in the Sixth Form?
More than fifty L6 students have enrolled in the Gold
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award this year, so what are they
hoping to get out of it? The website says that it gives
all young people the chance to develop skills for work
25
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Jun/Jul 2013 New Size:Layout 1
16/5/13
11:14
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CURRICULUM
Languages
French Debating
Competition:
War of the Words!
A Sixth Form debating team of four represented Birkdale
School in a regional French debating competition held
at Trent College, near Nottingham on Friday 16th
November. They took part in two debates, both in
French, one prepared
and one unprepared. In
addition, they attended
workshops to improve
their public speaking and
presentation skills.
In the first round, the
prepared debate, the
Birkdale team was drawn
against Trent College and
was proposing the motion
that ‘A good education can
only be had in a private or
selective school.’ Having
only narrowly lost the first
debate, the team was then
29
drawn against Leicester High School and for the second,
unprepared debate and had to oppose the motion that
‘It would be better to invite Delia Smith than Jamie
Oliver as a dinner guest.’ Building on the tips given in the
workshops, the team convincingly won this debate.
Unfortunately, it did not give the team enough points to
reach the final. Nevertheless, the atmosphere for this
challenge was fun and relaxed and the students enjoyed
improving their French communication skills through the
medium of debating.
Onatti Theatre
Company
On Thursday 13th December the Onatti Theatre
Company came to visit Birkdale, and what a splendid
visit it was indeed!
The play was based around a guy with a bit of a dilemma.
One minute he had a girl round, then in the blink of an
eye he had another to deal with.
The play was an all-action piece that was gripping and
“Getting a pupil onto the stage was
a great touch as it made him feel
proud and able to speak French.”
EYP Enthusiasm
On 6th March two teams from Birkdale took part in
the regional heats of the European Youth Parliament
competition.
The Committee for the Environment (ENVI) were
extremely proactive and received great credit from the
judges for their willingness to volunteer and keep the
debate going. Rik Giri opened the competition with a
proposition speech advocating the benefits of promoting
stem cell research across the EU and an effective
summation was provided by Dan Cleveland. Prannay Kaul
led the resolution on solutions for youth unemployment
with a superbly well-researched speech which he
summed up with clarity and precision. Fadi Al-Zubaidi
delivered a commanding speech on the importance of
adopting a common opt-out policy on organ donation
for the EU which was summed up by Oliver Sharrard with
passion and insight. Other members of the delegation,
Rebecca Ridsdale, Chand Muthoo and Shreyas Srivatsa,
had us on the edge of our seats.
Drama aside, we enjoyed learning some new words and
knowing that they would feature in the play gave us the
will to learn them even better. Getting the audience
involved is always a winner.
Getting a pupil onto the stage was a great touch as it
made him feel proud and able to speak French. All of
this however really means nothing compared to the great
facial expressions. Both of the actors had a good sense
of humour, were superb actors and had a special touch
when it came to interacting with the audience.
I feel overall that this visit has helped our French and
we would like to thank the Onatti Theatre Company for
visiting.
Christian Mills
took an active part in the floor debates.
The Committee for Security and Defence (SEDE)
demonstrated great team solidarity and were praised for
their excellent use of direct responses in the floor debate.
James Caven delivered a passionate and convincing
speech on methods of tackling extremism across the
EU with Michael Grayson offering one of the best
summations of the day. The rest of the team, Kate Beard,
Dan Brunt, Will Hardy, Ami Kular, Dan Keel and Caroline
Ridler, worked very hard in the floor debates to retain a
commanding presence.
The day concluded with a debate in French which
was impressively opposed by Caroline Ridler. Later,
contributions were welcomed in other languages during
the floor debate and Fadi Al-Zubaidi made his mark in
Arabic.
The standard of debating was extremely high across all
participating teams and unfortunately neither of Birkdale’s
teams was selected for progression to the national finals
but that takes nothing away from the excellent job that
they did in flying the flag for European relations.
30
S1English
A Sound of Thunder
The T-Rex is strong, big and amazing,
With its giant unbreakable claws.
An unstoppable steam-roller over the trees.
Screaming like a car horn,
Rattling the world.
Destroys everything in its way.
With skin like armour that can’t be broken,
It is the greatest creature on the land.
It towered so great no one can fake,
That it is greater than everyone.
The great T-Rex glistening in the sun,
It could scare anyone,
And it doesn’t need a sword.
Jonathon Smith
Fox
A flame of orange and red
Peering through the river bed
The furry eyes of the beast,
Leering at me, waiting to meet
The liquid silver long and sharp
About to tear apart
The creature of black and white
A cow resting, the grass below
About to take a heavy blow
Blood over on the brown
With teeth, the shape of a frown
With a whoosh and a Whishhhhh
It leapt on the grey slimy fish
It called to the sky
With its curly locks
A fox
Silent and still
Ethan Briddon
Rampage!!
“Bring me the Co2 before this gets out of control!!” Jack
screamed. His best henchman Rob brought the test tube
containing the precious pure CO2. Sadly, what he didn’t realise
is that he is about to create something so big, so scary that
even the army wouldn’t be able to take this great monstrosity
31
down to the ground.
“Finally this will put me at the top of the villain list of
great evilness.” Or so he thought. Bang!!... Bang!!... “Finally
she’s alive!!” Jack screeched, of all things he had managed to
create a living dinosaur that he could control.
“Walk to the door, and then cause rampage!!”
Josh Hattersley
The Hungry Fox
The fox was hunting in the night,
It gave all creatures a terrible fright.
A little mouse was running about,
The hungry fox was looking around.
The mouse saw the fox and gave a shriek,
Within a second it was in his teeth!
The tasty treat was now digesting,
But the fox’s stomach was not resting.
He wanted more, so much more,
To catch with his enormous claws.
Up ahead a chicken farm,
If he didn’t try then he will starve.
Slowly and silently he crept up,
Up towards the chicken hutch.
He smelt the meal that was so near,
Thought nothing of what was to fear.
Over the hedge a noise was heard,
A click of a gun? The fox was scared.
He turned and ran, his stomach empty.
His heart still beating, good and plenty.
He was running back when his luck changed,
Two rats ran out, all eyes engaged.
The fox was quicker, moving first,
He leapt forward with a mighty burst.
One quick snap, the rats were dead,
Stomach full, home to bed.
A curled up bundle, full of dreams,
He wakes up refreshed, for what the day brings…
Dan Casbolt
The Fox
The Fox
There was once a fox in a hole
Then there were vicious trolls
The trolls said “give me all your chickens”
Then the fox said “trolls, you got to be trippen”
The fox moves through the woods
Moving swiftly, sniffing for its prey.
The time is night and the clouds cover
the moonshine making the light all grey.
When it catches the scent of the rabbit
its nose pulls the lever that will activate.
The natural instinct to hide by the leaves
that work as bait.
The rabbit’s edgy shadow comes near
and the fox gets ready to strike.
The rabbit comes closer and closer and closer still
until it gets too close and the fox kills it with one bite.
So back the fox runs
its prey hanging from its
drooling mouth. If only
rabbits had more wits.
The fox ran away with the chickens quite quickly
And the trolls ran and chased the fox all the way to the city
The fox had run out of breath, he was in trouble
But the trolls never made it because they got in a jumble
The fox was very humble
Then his tummy started to rumble
Then he started to grumble
Then the fox went home and took a bite of the chickens head.
He went to his bed and thought maybe I should have had a
rabbit instead!
Jabar Bika
The Great Oiled Beast
The great oiled beast standing tall and high,
Teeth like sharpened daggers and breathe that smells like
rotting flesh,
Several hundred bones wrapped in a thousand tons of meat,
Eyes like two boulders that send a chill down your spine,
With every stride a large quake, down the valley it goes,
The roar like the sound of thunder,
The beast that towers above all,
The reptilian lord and almighty ruler,
Legs like huge machines all working together,
Back in time the machine goes and there it is the great oiled
beast,
Rifles at the ready but the beast shows no fear,
Footprints decimate the landscape,
Broken trees but will there be broken bones,
It sees the machine it turns and walks away but that is NOT
the end,
BANG out comes the shell,
The bullet soars through the air,
Deep into the skin it goes,
Blood, blood everywhere,
Roar, roar fills the air,
SLAM! Down to the ground,
Final breaths no more sound,
Off goes the huge machine,
The eyes close,
Dinosaur down.
Oliver Hutchins
Will Gray
S4 Poetry
The Unbreakable Corner
The stick lays in the corner,
What is it? All nibbled and blooded
The tip all worn and withered and warped and wearied,
Blood drips off the end, fresh, but from whom?
A man stands by the wall, breathing, just breathing.
His word is venom, but his hissing persists.
A woman lays in the corner,
what is she? All battered and blooded,
Rolling down her cheek, the stains of blood and tears, anguish.
Off her nose, a battlefield of broken contours,
Drips her sadness, echoing round the room,
It stops at the door, the window, never heard.
The man, the stick, the woman,
In that order, and that order only.
Off the man drips sweat, laughter, his dignity, all gone.
Off the woman rolls sweat, cold blood, a whimpering plea.
Down the stick in his hands rolls torment, hate,
But back comes nothing, nothing could come back.
The stick breaks, ‘Another!’
But no one stands behind him, alone.
Beyond the room, nothing, no comrade, no extra bat.
He strikes again, but the pole is snapped,
It fights for her, she need not strike back at him.
The world fights for her, her equality, now.
The stick will never be fixed.
Sam Davis
32
Left: Lucy Grant Below: Rebecca Day
AS Graphic Products
Concept Model Camera Display units
Senior DT Work
Ray Khan
A2 Product Design
Car Detailing unit
Henry Lennox
A2 Product Design
Off Road Mountain bike trailer
Tom Sempers
A2 Product Design
Ski storage &
Preparation unit
Jack Oliver
GCSE Res. Mats.
Football boot dryer
Devraj Singh Rowan Franks
GCSE Resistant Materials GCSE Resistant Materials
Rolling Stone magazine rack Tennis Racket holder
Joe Harrison
AS Systems & Control
BB Gun moving target
Jack Lockwood Jack Oliver
AS Systems & Control GCSE Resistant Materials
Longboard speedometer Games console storage
Jonty Holtum
GCSE Resistant Materials
Tennis Ball storage and use
William Cooper
A2 Graphic Products
Samsung Sound System Shop Display Stand
Mario Maher
A2 Product Design
Designers Desk with Sound System
Henry Singleton Felix Doonan
AS Product Design GCSE Res. Mats.
iPad holder Cup-cake stand
33
34
Senior Art Work
Chris Wells U6
Alex Parmar S2
Angus Bishop U6
Dan Mardapittas U6
Charley Barker U6
Jack Parmar L6
James WaddingtonU6
Barclay Brown S1
Henry Rossi U6
Max Doody S3
Jack Parmar L6
Sam Marsh U6
Henry Rossi U6
35
Elliott Brown S2
Jaza Syed L6
36
S1 China Day
We started the day not knowing what to think, it was all
a surprise. First we did Origami. It was a brilliant thing
to start the day with. We made Christmas Trees and
Snowflakes. Mine all failed miserably! Next we did the
spoken Chinese Language where we were all learning
about the language and traditions of China. After that
we did Calligraphy where we learnt to draw different
characters of the ancient language of China. It was really
fun!
Tai Chi was probably the most laid-back and relaxed
lesson of the day. It was all about channelling your energy
and weight into one focused point of your body. It was
really relaxing. We finished early and enjoyed a game of
football before lunch.
Then we did some Chinese Dancing. We learnt two
dances: The Peacock and the Hankie Dance (I’m not
quite sure if that is its proper name). In the Hankie Dance
lots of people dropped their Hankies.
Finally there was the opening ceremony of the Confucius
Classroom where there was entertainment and plenty of
nibbles. The best thing about the ceremony had to be
when the dragons appeared and started winking at the
audience. I enjoyed the prawns wrapped in filo pastry –
they were lovely!
THYME
490-492 Glossop Road,
Broomhill, Sheffield S10 2QA
Telephone: 0114 267 0735
@ThymeCafeS10
WWW.THYMECAFE.CO.UK
William Colton
Home Grown Success
37
Old Birkdalian Chris Chadwick reflects upon the benefits of his
education on his success in the Lettings and Property markets.
Chris, who left Birkdale in 1996, set up his own NHBC Property
Development Company and a local Letting Agency. Chris said, ‘my
education taught me that in life you only achieve your best if you
show that you are willing to do all that you can for others.
This is why it is important to me that my companies are NHBC
registered and ARLA licensed, showing that I choose to adhere to
the highest standards and that my professionally qualified staff
deliver an exceptional level of service.’
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In April, 4you Lettings ran a special offer for 4 weeks only; Chris
has agreed to offer this very special deal to readers of Birkdalian
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38
Prep Curriculum
Sam Beahan and Harry Jones
Science Visit
On Thursday 22nd November Birkdale Prep School had a
History Day. It was great fun!
The Prep boys all dressed up as historical characters.
During period 9, the whole school came into the hall for
a costume parade. Mr Leighton called classes up one at
On 11th March Professor Gillian Ghering,
from Sheffield University’s Astrophysics
Department came to talk to the boys in Prep.
The theme of the science talk was ‘Very
Cold Things’. Prof Ghering asked the boys to
think about different temperatures they were
aware of. She got boys to come up and put different places (eg the Sahara, Antarctica) and processes (eg boiling
water) on a temperature scale. Then she went on to explain how cold liquid nitrogen was. She lifted a flask of liquid
nitrogen onto her desk and ladled a spoonful out onto the floor. There were gasps of amazement as it rolled over the
floor and produced clouds of condensation.
“We had a brilliant day. We loved it.”
a time to show the rest of the school their costumes.
There were some great costumes! Rory Shuttleworth
and Freddie Parlby dressed up as two Victorian chimney
sweeps which made them look so alike. Rafal Faraj wore a
brilliant costume of a Turkish ruler and Harry Burch came
as Harold Godwinson with an arrow through his head.
Everyone found it very funny when Charles Montgomery
(Mr Kirkham) met Winston Churchill (Mr Burch)!
Altogether we had a brilliant day. We loved it.
Prof Ghering went on to show how Bluetac can be turned into a nail, raw eggs can be solidified, balloons can be
shrunk or even exploded using liquid nitrogen. Chrysanthemum flowers were frozen and the boys were able to crush
the hard petals. At the end of the demonstrations the boys asked a wide range of questions relating to different
temperatures and how liquid nitrogen is made.
Adam Lashen
39
On Wednesday 14th November the Prep department
enjoyed watching the Shakespeare Theatre Company as
they performed Macbeth.
In the show all the Prep boys had a chance to take part. Some boys already knew the story because they had seen
the joint performance between Birkdale and Ashdell in the Summer Term last year. This performance was different
because the actors were adults and there was no singing. In the morning Prep 1 and 2 watched the show and got the
chance to play different parts. In the afternoon it was Prep 3 and 4’s turn.
Everyone enjoyed the day, even the teachers.
History Day
As part of Prep 2’s work on electricity in Science the
boys have been building circuits. To enhance their
understanding they were given the opportunity to build
cities out of Lego. This generated lots of excitement and
enthusiasm. Working in teams the boys built houses,
sports arenas, cranes and flats. The city also included a
train track and they were able to make their trains move
up and down the track, by reversing the circuit.
The houses contained lights, which the boys wired up so
that the lights came on. This was the perfect chance to
demonstrate why lights are wired up in parallel rather
than series, rather than just seeing the effect in circuits
built in the lab.
Macbeth Visit
Lego City
40
World Book Day
The Prep School celebrated World Book Day on Monday 25th February. As the doors opened to start the new half
term an array of book characters filled the corridors. The boys were thrilled as they identified who their friends had
dressed up as.
The boys had some fabulous costumes; you could meet the Gruffalo, Where’s Wally, James and the Caterpillar from
the Roald Dahl story James and the Giant Peach, amongst many others. The PP3 boys had a special theme for Book
Day and all came dressed as knights. Later in the day they were joined by a ‘real knight’ who invited them to a banquet
in the school hall. A great parade was held to give an opportunity for all the boys to see each other’s costumes.
It is superb to see the enthusiasm the Birkdale boys have for reading and books. This day gave an opportunity to
discover new authors and stories.
41
42
Writer of the Month
Lift to your eyes
The pond weed coated in algae
Stare intently
The glimmers of the sparkling water.
The shines might possibly tell stories of the jungle
Fantasies of fluttering butterflies, crawling insects.
Resting gracefully in the gentle breeze
The bright colours of the autumn trees
Golden patterns that weave on chameleons’ backs
Banks of leaves falling in rhythm.
Caterpillars munching on the juicy leaves
With lovely colours on their backs.
Magnus Ryan
Sam Richards
Pants
Zigzag pants
Funky pants
Colourful, cool comfortable pants
Groovy pants
One, two, three
Merlin Hancock
Pants
Symmetrical pants
Cool pants
Chippy, nippy, whippy cosy pants
Colourful pants
Crazy, comfy, thick pants
Spiky pants
One, two, three
Joel Kennedy
Early one morning Steven and Sam were going to their air raid
shelter. Without warning a bomb went off in front of them and
Sam died. Steven was still running to the shelter. When he got
there his Mum and Dad were waiting for them. Unfortunately
their house was destroyed. Meanwhile they built a new house
but it was in a Blitz zone. They found out it was in a Blitz zone
because that night there was fire circling round the house.
Mum went outside to see what had happened. The fire killed
her. Luckily the others escaped to a friend’s house.
There was an old, wooden, dusty bed in the far right hand
corner of the room. Under the bed there were four gas masks.
There was a box next to the bed that you wee and poo in.
There was a cupboard in the left hand corner. Hammered on
the wall there was a picture of the big, old, dirty dog.
Sam Raw
In 2010 there were two boys called Bobbie and Derek. They
were on a school trip to a gloomy, wet and damp graveyard. In
the distance they could see a zombie jumping up from a grave.
It was getting nearer and nearer…
Chapter 2
But then a person came out of a nearby cottage. He looked
suspicious and he had a pitch black hood. He pulled a massive
sledgehammer from his back and smacked the head off the
zombie. Then Dracula came out of a nearby forest and walked
nearer to their teacher and grabbed her shoulders…
Chapter 3
The man went for Dracula but he fell in a ditch. Luckily he
had a karate teacher with a black belt and then he kicked him.
The leg went straight through but then Bobbie remembered
there’ll be a vacuum cleaner. So he ran inside and brought it
back. Bobbie sucked Dracula into it but Dracula reached up
and broke the vacuum cleaner and went for Bobbie…
Chapter 4
Amazingly Bobbie pulled a match out of his pocket and
burnt Dracula but it came back to life in the dusty and damp
graveyard.
Will Smith
43
The Sheffield Wednesday Football Stadium is my favourite
place to be. The BIG, BULGING Wednesday ground stands in
the middle of a busy, bustling shopping and residential area.
The slightly sloping pitch is surrounded by 40,000 screaming,
shouting (swearing) fans.
The rusty turnstiles creak annoyingly like an old person’s bones
as we all push our way through.
The loud, lousy opposition are moaning about losing like
boring babies. The blue and white seats climb all the way up
the stand to the epic roof. When the ground is empty white
chairs spell out “THE OWLS” against the blue chairs. The smell
of greasy, fried sausages and burgers drift around the ground
making my mouth water crazily like a giant waterfall.
I can hear the strong grunts of the players when they hit the
ball down the field. The fans are chanting LEROY! LEROY!
As Lita gets the ball and gifts a through ball to Helan, who
thunders down the white line and the ball screams into the
goal to the roar of the fans, cheering on their feet. I am lost
in a sea of arms. The band is going wild on the drums and
trumpet. I see the board jumping up and down and saying 1-0.
At the end of the game the crowd comes to life and shows
their appreciation. We all go home happy like we had been to
Toys-R-Us.
Luke Richards
Nobody goes down it. Not unless they are wearing good luck
charms. One day I was lucky enough to be given a tour of it, only
because I had saved Bob’s life.
“Oi Joe,” he whispered, “Do you want a tour of the alleyway?”
Bob was usually a very jolly boy who was slightly obese but you
wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him. He had started to
shuffle down the main road at a leisurely pace, so I just tagged
along with him.
“Er… yes, OK, I’d love to.” I exclaimed nervously. While we
were sauntering along the road a million and one thoughts
raced through my mind. What would happen? Would we get
kidnapped? Before I knew it, we had reached the alleyway.
“Over here!” Bob hissed impatiently.
It wasn’t as eerie as I thought it was it was actually quite a nice
place. Looking around, there were loads of luxurious buildings on
either side and the sun was shining down upon us.
“Get in here!” a distinctive voice commanded me. I crawled into a
pile of old boxes stacked one on top of the other and sat down.
“There is only one reason why we’re here,” Bob said in an evil
manner. “Business!”
Then a menacing look appeared on Bob’s face, tucking away any
kindness he had shown previously…
Adam Lashen
When I looked out of my window on a winter’s day
I saw snow falling like confetti drifting to the ground
I saw snow covering my garden like a white blanket
I saw icicles like daggers ready to strike
I saw frosted glass like feathers swirling around
I saw a duck sliding around on the ice like a baby trying to
walk
I saw an icy road with a surface like polished glass
All when I looked out of my window that winter’s day.
Our story beings in the times when icon powder was still
around: in medieval times.
Our hero Charlie (a powerful wizard) known as Red Mark
hears a proclamation that everyone with icon powder would
be rewarded richly.
Now of course you think you know how this goes. You don’t
usually. The hero comes back and wins the princess but there
is no princess here so what is the reward/ we’ll have to find
out won’t we.
Where were we? Oh yes! I remember. Red Mark set off to find
two cups. They were filled with icon powder. These were the
cups Vizzini and Westley drank from in the battle of wits which
can be read about in The Princess Bride.
Now Red Mark got out and found a troll, bashed it on the
head and went on. Then he came to the Desert of Dreariness
in Gildor. To avoid getting bored of everything he took his
very large packet of evil thins and threw the contents into the
desert because he liked a good fight.
Then he walked into the desert… and came out alive and not
bored at all. I know not what happened in there but he was
tired and a small walk got him to the Hills of Hospitality where
he rested.
Then a day’s march brought him to Wrestle Valley. He slept,
then a quick run, about a minute, got him to White Mountain.
Charlie Houghton
One dark night, Bjorn crawled on his hands and knees to the
cliff edge of the Viking encampment. The loud and cheerful
Vikings were feasting on a plump and succulent chicken. They
were singing and drinking merrily around a camp fire.
Bjorn was looking for a golden bracelet. He knew the Vikings
had it somewhere in their camp. As he peered over the camp
boundary he felt his heart beating faster and faster and sweat
appeared on his forehead.
Suddenly he had an idea! He crept as quietly as a mouse over
to the tents and he saw some water jars beside them.
He thought to himself, “If I could put these special herbs into
their water, when they drink it, they would fall asleep.”
Just as he had thought, they all drank the special water either
after their evening meal or before going to sleep.
Gradually one by one they fell asleep. Without delay Bjorn
tiptoed into the camp and grabbed the golden bracelet. “Oh
no!” he cried. One of the Vikings had woken up. He just ran
and ran as fast as his legs would carry him, not even stopping
to look behind him until he reached safety!
Alistair Olivo
Max Broadbent
44
Quiz Team
This year, for the first time, Birkdale Prep School entered
the National Prep Schools’ General Knowledge Quiz
Championship run by Quiz Club. The first round was held
at Ashdell School, and featured two teams from each
of Sheffield’s independent schools. Each team had to
include one person from each of P1, P2, P3 and P4.
It quickly became clear that our teams possessed some
remarkable general knowledge as the rest of the city
was swept aside. As only one team could progress to the
Regional Final, the contest soon boiled down to which
Birkdale team would hold their nerve. It came right down
to the final question of 40 before James Makepeace,
Max Farthing, Arav Bhattacharyya and Rafal Faraj saw
off the fantastic effort of Arush Bhattacharyya, Anshu
Madhuvrata, Chris Carter and Adam Lashen to book their
place in the next round.
Travelling to North Yorkshire for the semi-final gave the
boys another chance to show off their fantastic array of
eclectic facts. Despite a slow start, the boys soon found
their feet and grabbed the lead, eventually securing safe
passage to the final.
And so to the National Final, held in the Speech Room
of Harrow School in Middlesex. The boys had been doing
plenty of cramming, particularly on their ‘weaker’ areas
of art, classical music and historical battles. By the time
the final came around, they couldn’t have been better
prepared. Despite another slow start, the team soon got
into their stride and, after eight of the forty questions,
were nicely placed in third out of the twelve teams.
Sadly they could not keep pace with the leaders and fell
back into the chasing pack but still managed to exhibit
an amazing general knowledge, particularly strong on
the geography questions - confidently knowing which
countries border Montenegro!
Going into the final few questions, the boys could still
have realistically finished anywhere between second
and seventh but eventually had to settle for sixth
place - still a fantastic achievement given that over 300
schools entered the competition. The trophy was won,
relatively comfortably in the end, by Northwood Prep
from Hertfordshire, but Birkdale not only finished sixth
nationally but were also the highest placed school from
the North of England. The team can be incredibly proud
of their achievements in this year’s competition and are
already looking forward to another assault on the title in
2014. Very well done boys!
Mr Cooper
Sheffield Young
The 9th annual Sheffield Young Artists Exhibition was
held this year at Ponds Forge on 3rd and 4th May.
Over 1000 pictures were exhibited from school children
across Sheffield aged 5 to 18. All of the children involved
received a certificate. Sixteen boys from the Prep School
were taken by Miss Frewin and Mr Connor to see their
artwork on display.
Harry Burch’s picture was chosen for the Art in the
Gardens Exhibition in the Botanical Gardens in September
2013.
P4 Board Games
Art Exhibition
November saw the hosting of the annual Prep School
Art Exhibition at the Curator’s House Café.
For the second year in a row the event was a huge
success. Every boy in Prep 4 had their painting exhibited
and some of the sculptures were also selected for display.
The theme was ‘dreams and memories’, which filled the
Curator’s House with a wash of colour. The weird and
wonderful monster sculptures were certainly a talking
point.
A glass of wine and a canapé or two were enjoyed by
visiting parents and teachers which made the evening
a sophisticated affair. We were delighted that the
exhibition stayed up in the café for over a week and it has
been fantastic to hear so many encouraging comments
from the public.
Adam Lashen
Lewis Roberts
Haroon Tarq
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Ronan Sahni
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Prep Art Work
Thomas Sheard
Jake Chan
Anirudh Mohanamurali
Matthew Morris
Tim Griffin
Joshua Kane
William Pollard
Tim Burton
Harry Burch
Andrew Charlish
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Simon Peng
Charles Hartley
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Pre Prep Fairy Tales
On 19th September during Pre-Prep hymn practice
everyone was amazed as a wardrobe full of fairy tale
characters was delivered.
Mrs Fletcher un-wrapped a huge parcel to discover
a wardrobe. Out of this burst Jack from Jack and the
Beanstalk, a pair of very ugly sisters from Cinderella and
a pair of king’s men who couldn’t put Humpty together
again. After an astonishing assembly the boys returned
to their classrooms where there was another surprise
waiting for them.
In PP1 the two king’s men still needed help to put Humpty
Dumpty back together again. The boys came up with
incredible ideas to fix him. One boy suggested a ladder
might have prevented the problem!
In PP2 Jack arrived, tired out after running away from the
giant by climbing down the beanstalk. He told the boys
about the giant’s castle which was covered with exotic
jewels from all over the world and they heard about the
rare singing flowers and orange grass.
In PP3 the very ugly and very crazy sisters, who were
called Prunella and Olivella, paid a visit. They were
outraged and terribly upset that they had lost all their
fortune because their sister had had a book published
and they hadn’t. The sisters were distressed because they
had been forced to do all of the cleaning since Cinderella
had married the prince, and they had no new clothes to
wear. They consulted the boys for ways to help them.
PP3 responded by promising to publish a story telling the
girls’ point of view and to design some new clothes for
the sisters.
All the boys had a wonderful morning and the teachers
were delighted by the creative work which was produced
showed us the cutting gear and the hose. We squirted
the water at cones and tried on the helmets. The boys
enjoyed the visit.
Joshua Rowland
by the boys. We would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to the
dramatic S5s for their time and help.
To expand on the fairy tale theme, the boys had a dressing
up day when all of the Pre-Prep came to school dressed
as their favourite fairy tale character.
Alexander McGlone and Charles Wigfull
Knights Visit
Christmas Lights Poem
Yesterday we had just come out of assembly when
suddenly a knight came in called Harold!
He forgot everything because he fell off his horse when
he was jousting with his brother, William. When Harold
came in, he said “I don’t know what a book is and I don’t
know how to read”. He had no idea what anything was,
because the year he came from was 1270. He had a
school bag but he didn’t know what anything was. He
did not know what a phone was. At snack time he threw
his food on the floor. And he looked at a book and he
remembered about being a knight.
Nostalgic images fill my dreamy head,
I think about Christmases past.
Childhood memories…Old stories; old Christmas cards;
old and young laughing faces.
A shower of dancing, sparkling, shiny stars.
Appled with baubles, the Christmas tree stands.
Beautiful candles.
Lanterns like diamonds and jewels.
Christmas lights!
By PP3KR
Ewan Gillott and Simon Peng
Firefighters Visit
PP3 met modern firefighters and discovered the many
improvements made in firefighting since the Great Fire
of London.
We have been learning about the Fire of London. We
looked at how the fire started and how the people tried
to stop the fire. We talked about how fires are fought
today. A fire engine arrived at our school but there wasn’t
a real fire. It came to school so that we could see how fire
fighters put out fires today.
The fire fighters showed us around the fire engine. They
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Pre Prep WOW work
Duncan MacColl
Derun Zhou
Fergus Cooke
Leo Kyeremateng
Theodore Pitfield
51
DRAMA
A View From The Bridge
just with their entrances, but also with their positioning.
This was most obvious at the opening of the play, in
which a group of longshoremen are hard at work about
two metres from the front row of the audience, where I
was seated. It helped that the characters weren’t simply
restricted to the stage, and the atmospheric sounds
dramatically increased the realism. I was immediately
drawn into the story.
The actors did an excellent job building up the tension
as the play progressed, especially through their tone of
“The moment that stood out
the most for me was the scene
where, after Eddie has betrayed
the cousins to the Immigration
Bureau, the officers arrive and
arrest the cousins for entering the
country illegally.”
In December 2012, I went to see the school’s production
of Arthur Miller’s famous play A View from the Bridge.
The story takes place in 1950s New York and features
Eddie Carbone, an Italian-American longshoreman, his
wife, Beatrice, and her niece, Catherine.
Although they seem to be a pretty normal and loving
family, the arrival of Beatrice’s Italian cousins, Marco and
Rodolfo, starts a series of events which ultimately spiral
out of their control. The audience is kept in the know
by Alfieri, the lawyer, who acts as both an omniscient
narrator for us, and as an advisor for Eddie.
As I had studied A View from the Bridge for nearly six
months for my English Literature GCSE last year, I was
very interested to see drama teacher and director Miss
McDonnell’s interpretation of the play. And I wasn’t
disappointed.
voice and body language. They were able to keep the
audience on the edge of their seats during intense scenes,
whilst also making us laugh during the more comical
sections of the play.
Their use of American and Italian accents enhanced
their performance, delivering their lines consistently in
their correct ethnical tone, even through large pieces of
dialogue.
As Marco is being led away he spits in Eddie’s face,
disgracing him in front of the entire Italian-American
community. I found this scene so memorable thanks to
the brilliant performance of the actors and their ability
to convey the sense of fear and confusion so well to the
audience. Most noticeably, instead of pretending to spit
in Eddie’s face - as I had seen in another performance of
the play - Marco actually spat at Eddie. This may seem like
a small, insignificant piece of the entire production, but
I can guarantee no-one in the audience expected it.
Throughout the play, all the gritty events of this tragic
story were perfectly and realistically portrayed; and that,
more than anything else, is the sign of good theatre.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed A View from the Bridge,
and thought the performance of the actors was excellent.
Their commitment and dedication created a truly
successful production, and they genuinely brought the
play to life. A View from the Bridge definitely surpassed
my expectations and I’m looking forward to seeing the
next school production.
Rohin Athavale
Lighting and music were also used to great effect. The
music helped build the atmosphere and complimented
the actors’ performances, while the lights artistically drew
the audience’s attention to the most significant events
on stage as they were taking place, subtly affecting the
mood. The props and set, most of which were made or
provided by people in the school, were very convincing
and helped the audience immerse themselves in the
story. The moment that stood out the most for me was
the scene where, after Eddie has betrayed the cousins to
the Immigration Bureau, the officers arrive and arrest the
cousins for entering the country illegally.
The cast made fantastic use of the space available - not
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Guys & Dolls
One thing in common between the Birkdale Drama
Department and New York City is that they both never
sleep. This Easter term, Miss McDonnell teamed up
with the Music Department to present their unique
interpretation of Frank Loesser’s Guys and Dolls. This hit
Broadway musical from 1950 won several awards and
was eventually adapted into a film in 1955, so there was
clearly no pressure for the cast and crew! Rest assured,
the students delivered, to produce a truly fantastic
production full of drama, comedy and music.
Nathan Detroit, The Big Apple’s resident gambler, was
played superbly by Sam Oliver who gave a convincing
enactment of the New York swindler. Eager to convince
Nathan to abandon his shady lifestyle was long-term
“The wonderful efforts from the
ensemble and the backstage crew
really helped create the energetic
atmosphere that the musical
deserved.”
Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”.
While we may not have seen them throughout the
musical, we certainly heard them, and those who
participated in the ensemble for the songs certainly
deserve praise, as well as the crew behind the stage
making sure the lighting and props were working for the
performance. The wonderful efforts from the ensemble
and the backstage crew really helped create the energetic
atmosphere that the musical deserved. Each of the three
nights ran flawlessly and the production team behind the
musical merit huge credit for this.
To my mind, getting up on a stage and singing as well as
acting to a well known musical is not an easy thing to do,
and to do that for three nights in a row is something all
that participated can be proud of. I thoroughly enjoyed
the show and felt proud of all those who contributed
towards the excellent result!
James Anderson
lover Adelaide, who was portrayed magnificently by Lucy
Grant. The performances of Sam and Lucy brought the
story to life and allowed the audience to really connect
with their characters on a personal level.
Stand out performances were also notably drawn from
James Grant with his depiction of Sky Masterston, which
included an outstanding rendition of the classic “Luck be
a Lady”, and Josh Utting with a memorable recital of “Sit
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Prep & Pre Prep Drama
Nativity
The Pre-Prep boys gave us yet another stunning Nativity
treat this year.
The age-old story was touchingly retold. The PP2
boys played Roman soldiers and mega-cool wise men
complete with shades. The PP1 boys were shepherds and
innkeepers knock, knock, knocking on doors and singing
“The boys all sang and danced
their hearts out to a selection of
fantastic songs bringing us back to
what Christmas is really about.”
and dancing beautifully.
The PP3 boys all spoke their lines clearly from Joseph and
his carpenter friends to space-age angels in shiny suits.
Soldiers, innkeepers and newsreaders were there and of
course a fabulously bling-laden Herod singing “I am the
one and only”!
The boys all sang and danced their hearts out to a
selection of fantastic songs bringing us back to what
Christmas is really about.
Thanks go to all of the Pre-Prep staff, Mr Jones and his
band and especially to the incomparable Mrs Fletcher for
producing such a delightful show.
The Descendants
On Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th June, Prep 3
and Prep 4 boys put on a spectacular show called ‘The
Descendants’.
‘The Descendants’ is an amazing production, written by
the Prep Head of Drama, Mrs Carter. It is a mix of comedy,
action, funny voices and spoilt pharaohs.
The play begins in the early 1920s. Howard Carter and
Luke Carnarvon are on the trail of a secret Egyptian tomb.
Upon its discovery, they decipher a series of strange
hieroglyphs relating to the tomb. Howard Carter posts
a map of its location along with a translation of the
hieroglyphs to his family, lest the pair never return…
The play then moves to a century later. Luke and Henry,
the descendants of Carter and Carnarvon, discover that a
criminal gang is after the map and the secret of the tomb.
The gang successfully devise a plan to get the information
they need via the assistance of a pizza delivery company
and a well-known television quiz show.
Determined to reach the tomb before the gang, Luke and
Henry head for Egypt, followed by a team of detectives,
who are also hot on their trail. On arrival at the tomb,
Luke and Henry find that they are expected by the Ancient
Egyptians, who have set the tomb up like a night club and
health spa to keep them entertained over the 4000 years
they have been incarcerated in there.
In order to win the Stone of Gor Raa, and prevent the
criminals from seizing it, Luke and Henry find themselves
contestants in a strange quiz show that will determine
the fate of the world.
Everyone from boys to parents to teachers all thought it
was brilliant. So thank you to Mrs Carter for putting on a
fabulous show. “Best Play Ever!”
Charles Wigfull
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The Good, The Gnome &
The Baddy
This year’s Pre-Prep play was a magical story involving
cowboys, talking gnomes, dancing cleaners and a group
of school boys on a trip who have to save the local
museum from closure and, along the way, reform an
evil, bullying cowboy!
There were some stellar performances from the PP3 boys
who all spoke their lines clearly and with expression. The
cleaners performed a wonderful dance routine with their
feather dusters including a display of break dancing from
Joshua Rowland. As always, it is a joy to see the boys
performing their parts so confidently, especially Thomas
Smith, who played the part of the gnome so well in a full
beard and hat on one of the hottest days of the year!
A special mention must go to two boys who, owing to
illness, heroically stepped in at the eleventh hour to take
on extra parts: Joey Howard and Ben Inman.
It was wonderful to see the PP2 boys performing “Home,
Home on the Range”, a (lemonade) drinking song (sung
in French) and then inciting the audience to revolt with
a rousing rendition of “Do You Hear the People Sing?”
from Les Miserables. The PP1 boys sang their songs
delightfully, too.
None of this could be achieved without the incomparable
Mrs Fletcher; writer and director of the play and the PrePrep staff who helped the boys to learn all of the songs,
many of whom can be heard quietly humming the tunes
which are now firmly implanted in their heads!
Well done Pre-Prep!
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Ch
CHARITIES
International China Concern
International China Concern is a Christian development organization that changes lives by bringing love, hope and
opportunity to China’s abandoned and disabled.
It is still the case in China that hundreds of thousands of babies and children with disabilities continue to be abandoned
each year. Training for Chinese nationals working in social welfare is limited and many have little or no understanding
of how to care for those with special needs, leading to high rates of mortality. In many state-run orphanages there
could be up to four babies in one small crib and typically one caregiver left to take care of 17 children with varying
degrees of disabilities.
For almost 20 years International China Concern has partnered with the Chinese government to develop social welfare
for China’s neediest children – the abandoned and disabled.
ICC HAS TWO KEY PROJECT AREAS:
1
RESIDENTIAL CARE & SERVICES through the provision of group homes, medical services, therapy, education
and vocational training
2
BRINGING AN END TO ABANDOMENT through community education, public awareness, parent support and
outreach programs
Projects are predominantly managed by Chinese nationals with support from dedicated international volunteers,
both in China and abroad.
In August 2011 a group of Birkdale Sixth Formers travelled with Mrs Higham to spend 3 weeks in Henyang, China
working as volunteers for International China Concern and this year Birkdale Senior School have chosen to support
the organisation through our charity fund raising projects.
Nepal
The bright sun was shining over the tall hills while chaos
ensued below as a range of people scurried to their
destinations…This wasn’t Nepal, but rather Oakholme
Road on 19th March. Several meetings, a night on the
cold hard floor of Castle Dyke, hundreds of lentils and
many injections had led up to this moment as I lugged
my suitcase into the lecture theatre.
Around twenty hours later we landed in Kathmandu
and were greeted by an uncountable number of people
demanding to push our trolleys before demanding a
large tip, along with taxi drivers and a heavy stench of
smoke that seemed to linger in the terminal. If airports
are a good indicator of what a city is like then I would
“The thing that amazed us the
most was the prolonged cheering
and applause that greeted us as
we walked into the playground.”
say Kathmandu’s is fairly spot on. The drive to the
International Club gave us a fascinating insight into the
vibrant and chaotic scenes of the city.
The following day we visited the three schools which we
support. At the first stop in Bungamati we were treated
to silk scarves, cultural dances and 7 Up. Yet perhaps
the thing that amazed us the most was the prolonged
cheering and applause that greeted us as we walked into
the playground. It was if we had actually done something
to deserve it.
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We were then given a tour of the village where the
majority of the pupils that attend Bungamati and the
Peace Garden School live. In general the women seemed
to do the hard work while the men seemed to sit on the
side of the road playing cards and smoking.
Later that day the skies closed in on us just in time for our
visit to the Peace Garden School, where we experienced
a large thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rain and
hailstones the size of ping pong balls.
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The next day we set off on the long journey to Nayapul
where we started the four day trek up to Poon Hill and
back. After an easy first day we enjoyed the comforts
of our first tea house in Tikhedhunga where I think it’s
fair to say most of us remained oblivious to the climb
“ I have to say it is certainly one
of the best things I have ever
done in my life.”
up to Ghorepani that we had to face the next day. To
many getting up at five in the morning to walk up a hill in
the freezing cold would not seem like a great idea. But
when you’re in the Himalayas you automatically adopt a
mentality where the prospect of seeing the sun rise over
some of the highest peaks in the world is thrilling. I have
to say it is certainly one of the best things I have ever
done in my life.
After the trek we spent a night in the relative luxury of
where we rode an elephant around the jungle for a couple
of hours before later seeing a rhino.
On our arrival back in Kathmandu we started our final
teaching preparations. Anyone who has been to Nepal
would know that you can’t plan anything in advance;
teaching was no exception. Yet as the week progressed
and we got to know the class better we gained their
respect and learned that for them to concentrate we
had to promise them sweets at the end of every lesson,
something I’m sure many teachers (and dentists!) would
probably frown upon. Another thing that could be
guaranteed is that when we set them work, we would
receive something very interesting that often wasn’t
Pokhara’s Hotel Asia. During our stay the Holi festival
what we had asked for.
was in full swing which led to all of us getting covered in
When we asked if they knew what Christmas was before
dried paint. Just when we thought the accommodation
couldn’t get better we arrived in Chitwan National Park,
where we stayed in rooms that would even be considered
luxurious in the western world.
Yet the highlight of our stay has to be the elephant safari
getting them to draw Christmas cards, the images ranged
from a village scene to two mushrooms on a blazing fire.
Aside from the teaching we visited many of Kathmandu’s
tourist attractions which allowed us an insight into the
bustling scenes of a rapidly growing nation held back by
its own poverty, giving the AS geographers among us a
great experience of a subject that comes up just weeks
later in our unit one exam! Having only started at Birkdale in September and
not knowing many of the people, I was unsure about
whether to go on the trip. Yet our experiences certainly
brought our group together. The trip has been a fantastic
experience and I have memories that will last a lifetime.
Before I went to Nepal, people always told me it would
be a life changing experience and to be honest I was a
little sceptical about this but in the end, it was. I saw the
other side of life, the one most of the world’s population
experience and the rich minority may prefer to ignore.
Caius Lacey
Tough Mudder
At 5:15 am on Sunday 5th May, 15 Birkdalians awoke to
the realization that today they would have to complete
the toughest event of their lives. Some claimed it was
the toughest in the world...
5 hours later, standing at the start line, the nerves were
starting to kick in; some tried to hide it with relentless
over-enthusiasm, whilst others went very quiet. After
a somewhat rushed warm up, both teams lined up on
the start line ready to recite the ‘Tough Mudder’ pledge.
Finally, after months of training (well, most of us anyway),
we were off!
“Tough Mudder was a fantastic
opportunity to get fit AND promote
quality teamwork between teachers
and pupils.”
The course itself, consisted of 12 miles of muddy terrain,
interspersed with 23 obstacles that ranged from 3m
wooden walls to jumping through fire into muddy
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water; needless to say, it was challenging. Four miles
in we encountered our first true challenge, the ‘Electric
Eel’. The obstacle involved crawling through mud whilst
“...after a few hours and another
dose of electric shocks the
Birkdalians finished.”
surrounded by 10,000V wires. However we all managed
to succeed in getting through without being shocked too
hard! The course weaved onwards for another 8 miles,
with injuries and cramp beginning to take their toll on
both teams, but after a few hours and another dose of
electric shocks the Birkdalians finished!
In conclusion, Tough Mudder was a fantastic opportunity
to get fit AND promote quality teamwork between
teachers and pupils. In total we raised over £6000 for
three charities that the school supports: ICC, Helen’s Trust
and Nepal charities. Overall it was a great experience and
I would like to thank all the pupils and staff for making it
what it was.
Tom McKane
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Charity Events
It has been an eventful year supporting the school’s
charity International China Concern (ICC) as well as
Birkdale’s on going commitments in Nepal. Fund raising
events have included some old favourites, such as nonuniform days (which raised £2296) and the Nepal Jumble
Sale as well as some new ideas including a Staff Sumo
Wrestling match.
Charities Week in the Easter term raised a total of £1780
for ICC through cake sales, bacon butties stalls and, the
ever popular, Penny Race. Griffiths House managed to
bring in the most money although Hall House won the
Penny Race due to some amazing tactical donations of
silver coins. Band Night, charity concerts and Comedy
Night, as well as many other events and sales, further
boost the total. Pupils and staff who took part in Tough
Mudder raised a fantastic £6,000 to be shared between
the school’s charities. Special mention has to go to forms
S4H and S4R with the help of Miss Hodkinson and Miss
Randall, who have managed to raise nearly £900 by
organising Hot Dog Sales, Cake Sales and, the amazing,
staff Sumo Wrestling competition, in which even Dr Owen
and Mr Pietrek were persuaded to participate. With the
Charities Fair still to come the final total for the year is not
yet known, but we look forward to handing over a large
cheque to ICC in the near future. Thanks go to Dr Myatt, Miss Hodkinson and the charities
committee for all their hard work and to Mr Brook for his
on-going work coordinating links with, and fund raising
for, schools in Nepal. Lastly thanks must go to all parents,
pupils and staff who took part and donated the money,
without which none of this would happen.
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SUMO-RAMA
The highly anticipated Sumo Wrestling competition
took over the school in the Easter term. As expected
Friday 15th February was a far cry from the average
Birkdale lunchtime, as we swapped the overly excited S1
pupils for trembling teachers who were almost ready to
conquer the dreaded Dohyō.
With competitors fully dressed in the traditional attire
of a skimpy Muwashi assisted by a fully inflated ‘fat suit’,
and Dr Abouzeid ready to take charge, the tournament
finally got underway as a whole host of wrestlers from
the illustrious staff room were prepared to lock horns.
It began with an all female tie as the Drama department
represented by Miss McDonnell took on the Scientists
represented by Miss Randall and it was fair to say the
Scientists took the early lead as Miss Randall stepped out
of the ring a winner. We then saw Mr Cottom take on Mrs
Pickford; Mr Cottom was victorious as he pulled his weight
for the DT department. Next into the ring was Mr Clifford
who faced off against Mr Parker. Clear favourite, Mr
Parker didn’t disappoint as he stormed to a comfortable
victory. Mr Kenyon and Dr Myatt both conquered their
opponents, Mr Brook and Mr Allen respectively, and Mr
Julian conceded defeat to Mr King, showing he really is
king with a convincing victory!
It then came down to an all marital affair in the ring as
Mrs Clark took on husband and Geographer Mr Clark.
The ‘battle of the sexes’ resulted in Mr Clark proving his
worth and coming out the winner. The afternoon’s events
concluded with ‘The showdown’ as the Headmaster faced
off against his Deputy; Dr Owen vs Mr Pietrek. In a close
match, Dr Owen was victorious in the final.
It was a tense tournament between the teachers, but it
was for a good cause which is this year’s chosen charity;
International China Concern. It was played in high spirits
and raised a superb £250.
Reece Johal
FOBS
Over the past twelve months, FOBS have continued in
their commitment to raising funds to help to broaden the
opportunities offered to pupils throughout the school.
Grants awarded this year have benefited both the Prep
and Senior Schools including: refurbishment of the
Johnson Pond; installation of a covered bicycle shelter;
six satellite trackers for DofE expeditions; provision of
tents, film club books, lab coats & storage boxes. These
grants have been made possible through the continued
support and generosity of parents and staff.
Our range of social events got off to a great start in the
Autumn Term 2012, with the Quiz Night hosted by our
new quiz master, Jayne Kitchen. The event was a sell-out
and Jayne kept everyone on their toes with her fabulous
range of questions. The traditional pie and peas supper,
served at half time, was delicious and provided everyone
with a chance to rejuvenate their grey cells before the
second half! The prestigious FOBS plate was awarded to
this year’s winning team.....Parson’s Pets!
Our next Quiz Night has been set for 22nd November, and
I know Jayne is already planning a really broad spectrum
of questions!
In March, I had the pleasure of judging the Pre-Prep
was definitely a winner!
The Summer Ball took place on 8th June at Baldwins
Omega. This was the third year that Ashdell and
Birkdale have united to organise an excellent evening,
including high quality entertainment from Octopus and
‘Super J’; culinary delights prepared by Baldwins; and the
opportunity to relax amongst friends.
Finally, I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone
who has supported our events throughout the year; to
the form reps for their continued support; and of course
to my highly efficient FOBS Committee - you are a great
team to work with!
Heidi Wragg
FOBS Chair
decorated Easter eggs. The designs were lovely, conveying
a wealth of artistic talent - including super-star eggs,
aliens, Humpty Dumpty and ‘anything goes’ eggs. It was
a hard decision, but the most imaginative designs were
selected from each class, and each winner was presented
with a chocolate Easter egg.
The inaugural ‘Kids Under Canvas’ BBQ and camping
event took place in May at Castle Dyke and was highly
popular - despite the very poor weather, nearly sixty
tents were pitched, accommodating boys and their
parents from Pre-Prep through to Prep 4. Ann Cousins did
a sterling job organising this event and Meem’s tuck shop
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Prep Charities
Harvest Festival
Charities Week
The Prep School’s charity this year is Helen’s Trust. This
is a local charity which was set up in memory of a local
Derbyshire woman, Helen Lyon, who was diagnosed
with breast cancer at the age of 40. She was determined
throughout her illness to live as normal a life as possible
“Prep school raised £3683.86 for the
three charities. This is a fantastic
total and everyone involved should
be very proud of themselves.”
The ever popular playground games and cake sales were
well received as was the Non Uniform Day which raised
£490 for Comic Relief.
On the Friday the boys were treated to a visit from London
Olympic Games Bronze Medal winner, Karina Bryant, as
part of the Superschools project. Karina gave us an insight
into her Bronze medal fight, a demonstration of basic
judo techniques with the help of the school judo club and
encouraged the boys through their exercise circuit. These
A couple of weeks before we celebrated our Harvest Festival, the boys listened in earnest to an assembly given
by Chris Marriott from the Jubilee Food Bank. He told the boys about various different ways in which they can
be generous and also how important it is to give with a happy heart. He explained that there were people here in
Sheffield who needed their help and he set them a challenge. If they wanted to give to the appeal, they should try to
sneak their goods into the crates at the school entrance without anyone noticing. This message obviously had a big
impact on the boys. One member of Pre-Prep was found trying to sneak his snack into the donation crates!
As we approached our Harvest Festival it was incredible to see the huge quantities of food gifts the boys had collected.
In fact when Chris Marriott arrived to collect the crates his car was filled to bursting. We have received a very kind
thank you letter on behalf of the Food Bank and we sincerely hope our gifts have made a difference to other families
in Sheffield.
and, eventually, to die in her own home.
Helen’s Trust helps and supports people in North
Derbyshire and Sheffield who wish to make the same
choice. They provide nursing care, equipment, transport
to and from the hospital, etc. All of the support is tailored
to the individual’s needs.
In February the Prep School enjoyed a busy week of fun
and fund raising beginning with Prep 4 pupils and some
brave members of staff who took to their bikes in a two
day Cycling Marathon. 680 miles and many aching legs
later the challenge was complete. This raised £951 for
Helen’s Trust.
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activities raised an amazing £1896.89.
In total, including cake sales and playground games, the
Prep school raised £3683.86 for the three charities. This
is a fantastic total and everyone involved should be very
proud of themselves.
A big thank you goes to all boys, parents and staff for all
their support and generosity throughout the week and
especially to Mr Oakey for his hard work in organising all
these events.
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TRIPS &
EXPEDITIONS
CERN 2012
In September the Physics Department gave nine Sixth
Form Physics students the opportunity to visit Geneva
on a weekend trip to learn about the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) and the pivotal role it plays in the world
of Particle Physics.
We arrived late on Thursday evening, abuzz with
excitement at the prospect of visiting the world’s largest
laboratory, in addition to the many other highlights
Geneva has to offer. The trip itself could not have been
scheduled for a better time, the apparent discovery of
the Higgs Boson having been reported over the previous
weeks. However, after a long journey we decided it would
be best to have an early night, preparing ourselves for
the many exciting opportunities promised by the days to
come.
We spent the next morning on a boat tour of the scenic
Lake Geneva, contemplating what we had learnt the
previous day. Or at least that was until we heard there
was a world BMX competition taking place in town, and
we rushed off to cram one last activity into an already
inspirational weekend.
Ciaran Doyle
The trip began in earnest the following morning with an
early walk through Geneva on the way to the Palais des
Nations, one of the UN’s headquarters. Outside the palace
we were enthralled by a monumental 40ft sculpture of a
broken chair, dedicated to landmine victims. Being guided
through the palace was a special experience, but the
afternoon proved to be just as interesting as we toured
Geneva itself, learning about the city’s history and other
unique features. The evening offered an opportunity
to sample yet another of Geneva’s famous attractions,
perhaps the one many of us had been anticipating the
most – fondue!
On the Saturday we visited CERN - the main focus of the
trip - and after a short journey over the French border
we were shown a facility dedicated to explaining the
science behind the LHC. We then went on to delve over
100m below ground to visit the Compact Muon Solenoid
detector (CMS), one of the particle detectors at CERN.
Between learning about the fundamental particles of the
universe we still found time for food, eating at the CERN
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café, sat amongst some of the world’s top physicists. The
visit proved to be very informative and we finished the
day off with another filling fondue.
Cologne Trip
Cologne 2013 will certainly be an excursion that lives
long in my memory. The 5-day trip was my first as a
teacher at Birkdale, heading into unknown territory on
a dark February morning, accompanying Mrs Ryan and
a group of ten Senior School pupils from S4 to Lower
Sixth.
The aim of the trip is to provide students, with important
examinations approaching, with an opportunity to study
German whilst surrounded by the people and culture in
this fascinating country. We stayed at the city centre’s
modern youth hostel, with its comfortable rooms, wellstocked shop, restaurant and ample study areas.
From the first full morning, we were out and about in the
city centre. Some students completed a questionnaire,
interacting with the locals and finding out more about
their culture. Others were out taking the photos that they
will use in their GCSE oral exams. In the afternoon we put
the studying to one side, and we headed to the beautiful
spa town of Bad Ems. First, the students carried out a
quiz around the town. Despite returning with details such
as the names of the local newspaper and trusty dental
surgeon, nobody (including, embarrassingly enough,
the “quizmaster” teachers) managed to find the church!
After the quiz, we’d all worked up an appetite, so we took
a short ride up the mountainside by funicular for “Kaffee
und Kuchen” (coffee and cake). Lecker! That evening, we
swapped a gentle descent by funicular for the rough and
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tumble of Aqualand, and its full range of water slides – some were certainly not for the faint-hearted! A great time
was had by all.
The next morning, we took a trip up Cologne’s touristic showstopper – its majestic cathedral. The views from the
top are superb, and you quickly forget the more than 500 steps you’ve just climbed. After their trip up the cathedral,
students were given time to explore the city for themselves, and to get those all-important souvenirs for family and
friends back home. Next, it was back to the youth hostel to work on projects before heading out later that evening to
the bowling alley to see the wide variety of bowling styles our group had to offer.
Our final full day in Cologne started with a delicious detour
to the Lindt Chocolate Museum. It is an interesting place,
highlighting the origins of chocolate, as well as the journey
from bean to bar. We made sure we took full advantage of
the free samples on offer. Next, it was the Sport Museum. It
was fascinating to see sport history from another country’s
perspective, and the students certainly enjoyed the chance
to play football on the museum’s roof. Just don’t kick the
ball too hard – it may end up in the Rhine! Later that day, we
had one last study session, and some students completed a
controlled assessment that will make up part of their GCSE
grade. We finished the day with a table football tournament,
with students making one last-gasp attempt for sporting glory on German soil.
Edale
This year’s ostentatiously described Lower Sixth
Development Course began on 8th November with a
prompt 8:45 start (though for those blessed enough
to live in the Hope Valley, the chosen route granted an
extra 45 minutes in bed - or in my case, additional time
to pack). This led to a 9:45 arrival time in the networkdeprived village of Edale.
the accomplishment of the tasks which was going to be
assessed when scoring us, but rather our ability to coordinate as a team in both the delegation of tasks and
the effectiveness of the leader. As there was a significant
monetary incentive to perform well in the tasks, every
group certainly attempted to work together - with
varying degrees of success. The activities included: river
crossing, Towers of Hanoi (an iterative mathematical
puzzle included for reasons unknown on an outdoor
pursuits trip), climbing tower, tower building, archery,
orienteering and an assault course, which the entire
team had to cross with no more than two people falling.
Six activities were completed on the first day and four on
The next morning we set off on the long journey back to Sheffield. All were agreed that this had been a really worthwhile
trip, and would certainly go a long way towards helping students maximise their potential in the upcoming exams.
Mr E Meadows
As implied in the title, the trip was founded on the basis
of developing the Lower Sixth into a generally wiser and
more mature cohort, but this is certainly not an exhaustive
aim; indeed, the trip also brought many unacquainted
persons into contact, thus causing new friendships to
form and causing a more pleasant atmosphere amongst
the year group as a whole.
The trip attempted to accomplish these goals by dividing
the year into randomly selected groups and assigning
them to various outdoor-based tasks, each of which
tested a different set of skills. The one common trait
that was made explicitly clear to us was that it was not
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the second, which resulted in us finishing the outdoor
aspects of our first day by 16:00. Unfortunately, this did
not result in us being allowed to rest for the remainder of
the day, as earlier we had selected a task based on logic,
planning or drama. I am not aware of what the other
two tasks entailed, but in the planning task we were
asked to build a race track out of bamboo poles, string
and guttering, with the strict rule that at no point could
the track be supported by the ground. We were then
permitted to test the time taken for a tennis ball to go
down the track before making predictions on how fast a
tennis ball, a golf ball and a table tennis ball would go
down. We would then be given penalty points for every
tenth of a second (!) our predictions failed by. By guessing
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My placement was in a department store called Monoprix, which sold everything from food to clothes and homewares.
My uniform was a red store sweatshirt over jeans or leggings and my duties mainly entailed stacking shelves and
dealing with customer enquiries, which tested my ability to understand and respond quickly to spoken French – even
if my limited knowledge of the shop layout meant sending someone off in the wrong direction once or twice! Other
students’ placements included a creperie and a musical instrument repair shop.
the coefficient of friction of the gutter and noting that
acceleration due to gravity was equal for objects of
similar shape - with occasional hints from Dr Owen and
Mr Clifford regarding the motion of the ball - this was
made considerably easier.
Our final activity of the night was ‘the cabaret’, in which
the groups were instructed to prepare for a variety of
different parties by: making a cake out of cardboard, icing
said cake, making a card and delivering an appropriate
speech. Irrespective of who won this activity, Ollie
Sharrard and Ed Turner’s speech on Cameron and
Henrietta’s wedding surely would be the comic highlight
of the trip for many.
Our second day began with the rather oddly-timed
run at 7:00 in the morning, in which each runner was
awarded points for the position they finished. Whichever
team had the fewest points at the end won; however,
teams finishing consecutively were granted a 240-point
reduction. This was followed by the remaining four
activities, a final briefing and finally the coach journey
back to Sheffield and general rejoicing as mobile signal
returned.
In conclusion, I have no doubt that the trip succeeded
in the targets specified, with the non-conventional list of
activities actually being fun - as opposed to getting lost
on a rain-soaked moorland (an image usually associated
with an outdoor trip in the Peak District).
Public transport to and from our places of work was another challenge; fortunately, Monoprix is on the main shopping
street in the centre of Rouen and is easily accessible from the suburbs where I was living. I felt like a true Rouennaise
travelling to and from work on the Metro every day. To add to the authentic French experience, public transport
operators were staging daily one-hour strikes during October, so each day presented the challenge of finding out
which hour the buses and trams would not be running. As my working day finished mid-afternoon, I had time to
explore the city’s historic streets, to visit the beautiful Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen and the wonderful Musée
des Beaux Arts, and to climb the clock tower of the Gros Horloge, which dates back to 1389.
The three of us travelled as part of a larger group of sixth formers from schools throughout the country, and we all
met up again as a group on two evenings during the week; these social activities helped us to forge new friendships
with other like-minded Francophiles and I’m sure we’ll continue to keep in touch. A special mention must go to Mme
Fierens and her family, who did so much to make me feel welcome in their home; it was so valuable for my French to
be immersed so completely in the language - both at their home and at work - and I found myself thinking in French
after only one week!
Samuel Mackey
I would recommend this experience to all A level French students. It’s an experience I shall never forget and I would
love to return to Rouen in the not-too-distant future, to get to know this lovely Normandy city even better.
French Work
Experience
Caroline Ridler
It is a truth universally acknowledged that in order to
learn a language one must spend time speaking, reading
and learning the language.
With this in mind, three Birkdale sixth formers set off on
an overnight journey by road and ferry to meet their host
families in the historic city of Rouen during October half
term 2012. However, this was not an ordinary homestay,
but a unique chance to do some work experience with real
French businesses across the city. As we each separated
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to go off with our French families, we began a week in
which our independence and fluency in French would be
stretched through total immersion in the French culture
and way of life.
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Imperial War
Museum
On Wednesday 6th March 2013, the S3s went on a
History trip to the Imperial War Museum North in
Manchester.
This trip was organised to help us learn about our current
topic, World War Two. The coach journeyed through
Snake Pass and into Manchester for about two hours,
before arriving at the car park of the museum. One of the
first things that we noticed was the height and design of
a tall tower thrust out of the roof of the building. This was
the Air Shard, which stands thirty metres into the air and
gives a magnificent view of the Manchester skyline.
There were two main exhibition areas which we explored.
The larger one contained the majority of exhibitions,
including silos. These silos were separate places, scattered
throughout the exhibition area, and provided information
about a specific topic. The smaller exhibition area, called
Saving Lives, was about how medicine developed through
wartime, and how it played a role in saving lives. In
addition, at every hour in the main exhibition area there
was a 15-minute Big Picture Show. This was a 360° video
that played on the walls of the museum while the light
dimmed down. These too, like the silos, gave information
about specific topics.
During our exploration throughout the museum, we took
notes on our selected group of people during the First
World War, the Second World War and the Cold War. This
included soldiers, women, and children. Afterwards, we
had to write a report to conclude what we found out in
the museum.
Mallorca Exchange
This year was the first year that Birkdale had taken part
in the Mallorca Exchange trip and I have to say I am
glad we did. Of course, everybody was nervous when we
touched down in Palma but the celebrity-like welcome
that we received was a sign of the hospitality that we
would be shown throughout the trip.
The people at the school always said hello and shook
my hand. The family were incredibly welcoming and
made sure I was never hungry. My exchange partner
was great, ensured I wasn’t bored, spoke good English if
I didn’t know what I wanted to say in Spanish and most
importantly had Fifa on PS3.
We spent hardly any time in the house. On the weekend
we met up with others also on the trip and played football
with the teams English vs Spanish (English always winning
of course). During the week we went out on expeditions
with school, my favourite being the trip to Porta Pollenca.
We then met up with ‘our Spaniards’ when we returned
and spent the rest of the day with them. With all the trips
and activities the week was soon over and we had to
sadly return to the inevitably freezing Sheffield that we
left behind.
To anybody thinking about going on this trip, I have to say
go for it! I don’t know anybody that didn’t have doubts
before we left. Similarly I don’t know anybody that didn’t
forget about them by the second day. It is a great week,
the families are awesome and on top of all of this; my
Spanish improved no end. I would have been devastated
if I had missed it.
Joe Wait
I think this trip provided an insight into the lives of people
at wartime, and also how people reacted to the bombings
of urban areas.
Yanhao Wang
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Morocco
In October half term, twenty six rugged adventurers and
fearless geographical guides - Clark, O’Toole, Newton
and Cottom - set off from Gatwick Airport on a journey
to the Sahara.
We landed in Marrakech Airport and were immediately
hit by the warm air and smell of goats. After dropping our
bags at the first, and finest, hotel, Amine, we ventured
into the famous souk, the Djemma El Fna Square. Here,
we took our first taste of Moroccan culture, where we
saw street dancers, monkeys and trinkets. Our wits were
tested as we were offered various substances by the
market vendors, one of whom called out to me: ‘What do
you want my boy? Coffee? Cola? Hash? Cocaine?’ Oh, the
wonders of Marrakech.
The following morning we began our intrepid journey
across the infamous Haouz Plain. It was at this point we
met Nabeel, who would become our beloved travel guide.
We ventured forth through the High Atlas Mountains, a
sight to behold, veering across a sheer cliff face that had
claimed the lives of a similar party of Moroccans just a
few months earlier on a similar coach. We quickly picked
up on a few Moroccan phrases, such as ‘lench’ which
means lunch.
We stopped after a few hours for ‘lench’, which consisted
of couscous and courgettes. This menu seemed to be a
constant theme throughout the trip, much to our disdain.
Through the High Atlas Mountains we saw impressive
geological features, such as Fold Mountains and igneous
rocks. We also saw lots of goats.
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The next day, we travelled to Khatarras, to see the glorious water holes that are the foundations of many Moroccan
towns, such as the water museum at Sources Mimouna. We then hit the fossil museum, which was very, very
interesting.
Next we faced our greatest challenge - Desert Jeeps. This may sound fun, but when you don’t know which end your
dinner is going to come out, it can be a real challenge. Our driver, Big Al, told us he was an aspiring desert rally driver,
and to the sounds of North African RnB, we reached our desert hotel at the beginning of the Sahara. I say ‘hotel’, but
it was more of a desert camp. We were to sleep in huge carpeted tents, at the foreground of a magnificent backdrop,
which mere words cannot describe. We proceeded into the sand dunes on camel back for around an hour, before
stopping at the peak of the highest dune. Here we disembarked and watched as the sun set over the sand, with the
Atlas Mountains in the background. The awesome sight signalled the end of the first half of the trip, as we rode back
to our desert tents.
Our next port of call was the town of Ouzarzate, the
Hollywood of Morocco. Here, we saw film sets from
Gladiator and Jewel of the Nile, and we walked on the live
set of the massive fantasy series Game of Thrones, where
we saw all the main characters and were wolf whistled
by raunchy soldiers. We stayed in the Hotel Azghor, by far
and away the best accommodation on the trip. However,
here the voyage takes a frightful turn for our group of
adventurers.
We came across an enemy that would ravage the whole
troupe, a foe so powerful there was no way of stopping it,
even with the help of those dodgy prescription drugs Dr
Newton bought from a street vendor - the stomach bug.
We left Ouzarzate, to travel through the coveted Valley
of a Thousand Kasbahs. On this stretch, we learned of
Nabeel’s love of Kasbahs - Moroccan mud castles. We
stopped for another couscous ‘lench’ but this time we
were treated with a side of mystery meat. This did not
help the stomach bug. It spread like wildfire. We stopped
every ten minutes (give or take five) for each casualty.
The Gorges du Todra relieved some of the queasiness,
due to its beautiful high cliffs and the pristine stream
running through the centre.
The next morning we started our return journey back to the far-off city of Marrakech. A few too many groggy faces
told of a night haunted once again by ‘the bug’. The next night we stopped off in Ouzarzate; however, on this night
we were allowed to venture as a group to sample the
night life. There was no night life. In the town centre
we found ourselves being watched by hundreds of local
Moroccans, who had evidently not seen tourists very
often, and so we cautiously turned back and ran to the
hotel.
Our last few days were spent in Marrakech, where we
toured a magnificent hundred-year-old palace and an
ancient mosque. We also visited Marrakech’s biggest
pharmacy, where we wondered at a concoction of
colourful chemicals in jars - drugs from all over the
African continent. Here we bought samples of cheap
saffron, and teas, and aphrodisiacs (the latter bought by an unnamed sixth former). As I look back on this excursion,
I have with me many memories and experiences to take with me for the rest of my life.
Jordan Bethel
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Malham Tarn
On 11th November 2012, a group of U6 biologists went
to enhance their field study skills at Malham Tarn,
Settle. With the nights drawing in, it was a race to the
first woodland study site.
Armed with woodland identification keys on iPads, the
group were off sampling and identifying the abiotic and
biotic factors of different habitats. With taught sessions
until 9pm, the bunk beds were welcome after a quick
break watching TV in the common room. The following
morning, as the rain turned to sleet, we went straight
to transect work in a freshwater environment. Again,
the students linked biotic and abiotic factors, further
enhancing their identification skills. Once all the raw data
was collected, we walked quickly back to the bus. It was
freezing! Jordan helped to keep spirits up with one of his
many ribald songs.
Once back at the centre, we set up light and dark boxes,
to help the understanding of photosynthesis. However,
the best bit was when mammal traps were set up that
evening. The next day when we looked into the traps,
we had caught three mice and a vole! They were named,
and then released to energetically sprint away onto the
lawn. This helped students think about our mark-releaserecapture technique in a real-life context. Later we
walked to a peat bog, and learned about its importance
in nutrient cycles and its function as a carbon trap. We
Bosworth
I am writing about the trip that was taken by all of
S1 on 20th May. After a long coach trip, starting at 8
o’clock in the morning, we arrived at Warwick Castle,
a prestigious landmark and important place of history,
where many colourful yet bloody things have happened.
When we visited we entered through the portcullis,
where we decided to put Sushain Razdan in the stocks!
happened. We were taken on a tour with props, to
represent the leaders of the 3 armies: the Lancastrians,
the Yorkists, and the Stanleyites.
After this we had a very interesting show where we learnt
all about the ranks of an army and the weapons and
armour that type of soldier would have; for example, a
peasant wouldn’t have much, if any, armour, and would
probably have some sort of farming tool for a weapon.
Then we went through a short exhibition about life at the
time of the Battle of Bosworth.
So all of S1 had a really good time out learning about
these impressive times in history, and bought a few
souvenirs from it as well.
Bailey Neal
sampled adapted plant life using a transect and gathered
first-hand evidence of succession taking place.
After a quick lunch it was time to head back on the bus,
ready for school on Wednesday morning.
Miss M Randall
So our trip was off to a good start. The first thing we did
was enter the Kingmaker, where we were taken back to
medieval Warwick to join Richard Neville as he prepared
his large household for battle. You can find out how
weapons were made, how armour was crafted and see
what medieval life was really like with sights, sounds and
smells, the smells not being that nice.
We then witnessed the power of a life sized trebuchet,
when an 80kg rock was flung into the air at 160 kph!
Then we had an enjoyable walk around the castle towers,
unfortunately there were a lot of steps to climb; but the
view from the towers was worth it.
After this we visited the Gaol, a medieval prison where
prisoners were thrown into tiny pits, in pitch black
darkness! Afterwards we had a brief lunch outside
the coaches, and we were off to an equally interesting
battlefield in Bosworth. It was the Battle of Bosworth
field, where the deciding battle in the War of the Roses
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Spanish Trip
I’m sure that everyone who went on the Spanish trip to
Cantabria found it great fun, but also improved their
Spanish skills greatly by talking to Spanish people and
translating Spanish to answer questions. There was
a perfect balance between relaxing on the beach and
having fun and learning, which made it an amazing trip.
It was an early start on Thursday morning so that we
could make it to the airport for the flight to Bilbao, but
everyone was looking forward to the trip. Once we
arrived in Bilbao, we headed straight to Magdalena Park,
Santander, where we had a great hour or so on the beach
before buying ice creams (and practising our Spanish
skills!). I bought a lemon ice cream which was delicious!
After that, we went to our hotel where we could sort out
our rooms and have our evening meal.
Each night, we had a great dinner in which we all had new
foods that we all really enjoyed. On the first night, we
had some breaded fingers of cheese and ham, along with
pasta with tomato sauce and a rich chocolate tart.
On Friday morning, we visited prehistoric caves at Puente
Viesgo where we were given a tour (in Spanish – it was a
challenge!) of the amazing caves and prehistoric drawings.
We saw some incredibly old paintings of animals and the
inhabitants’ hands, which were painted in a really clever
way. In the afternoon, we visited a small town called
Santillana del Mar where we did a fun town trail (in which
we talked to Spanish people and answered questions
on our sheet) and went to Museo El Solar, which was
a torture museum. There were some really gruesome
things in there, but it was also really interesting learning
about what types of torture have been used in the past
and what is still used in some countries today.
Again, we returned to the hotel to have a very nice
evening meal, play football on the beach, which was
great fun, and fill in our diaries in Spanish.
On Saturday, we went to a huge wildlife park called
Carbárceno where we saw wild animals in enclosures so
big that they could have been in their natural habitat.
We saw gorillas and bears (osos) being fed, along with
a bird of prey demonstration and many other things.
After having lunch, we drove to Santander where we did
another, longer town trail which was great fun before
going on a ferry trip around the lake. After that, we
went in excitement to a café where at last we could have
churros. Churros are a bit like doughnuts but crunchier
(and covered with sugar!) and usually served with a mug
of very thick hot chocolate. The combination is delicious
but filling, and most people could manage at most six!
We headed slowly back to the coach, and then back to
the hotel.
Sadly, Sunday was the last day of the trip so we got up
early to have breakfast and zoom off to the airport to fly
back home. The trip was amazing, and one of the best
I’ve been on.
Will Cassels
Globe Theatre Trip
It’s not often Birkdale students go on a one-day trip to
London. Perhaps it’s the incredible distance that puts
people off, or the packed streets... or the exorbitant
train fares. I can imagine what you’re thinking - surely
a day isn’t enough?
When the Lower School visit the capital, they take
a leisurely three days to enjoy themselves. Even the
impressive London Research Trip can only manage to
complete the necessary work in two days. However,
English Literature and Drama students are obviously
“made of sterner stuff” (a Shakespeare quote, who
knew?). So, there we were at Sheffield Station, early on
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the morning of 2nd October, preparing ourselves for
a non-stop day rushing around London. Who knew it
would be so great?
Two effortless journeys on a train and the Underground
took us to our destination - the Globe Theatre. It is
situated in Southwark, right beside the murky Thames,
and was described by our guide as the best place for
well-to-do people in Elizabethan London to, ahem...
let their hair down. This often involved pubs, inns and
brothels - although not necessarily in that order.
The Globe Theatre was the centre of entertainment at the
time, and could (apparently) hold up to 3,000 spectators.
The original Globe burned down after an accident with a
cannon - allegedly, someone had the bright idea of using
real gunpowder in the middle of Henry VIII, and simply
forgot to aim away from the theatre itself. The beautifullythatched timber building only lasted an hour, before it
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had completely burned away. The play was wonderful.
I am incredibly lucky, as I am completely immune to that
baffling modern ‘logic’ which compels modern students
to automatically insult any work of Shakespeare; in fact, I
found The Taming of the Shrew to be legitimately funny,
seriously clever and shockingly outrageous. The unique
location allowed for a novel style of acting; the Globe
production started brilliantly, with a drunken-looking man
who slowly staggered onto the stage, before collapsing
heavily. I have to admit, I completely fell for the opening
trick - I presumed it was an inebriated audience member,
spoiling the performance - before eventually realising it
was a character in the performance - Christopher Sly.
Rail, for making the trip possible! Thanks to the teachers,
too! “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.”
- Samuel Johnson
After taking a tour around, I can definitively say that
the modern reconstruction is well worth a visit. It is an
incredible Elizabethan-style wooden monstrosity. The
Globe’s approach to theatre is unbelievable too; actors
could walk freely among the crowd, and were able to
interact with the audience in a way that most modern
performers can only dream of. And I suppose it is this
which makes the Globe so unique and spectacular. At
one point in the proceedings, a cheerful-looking woman
in the crowd who was tucked right up next to the stage
was (accidentally) sprayed in the face by a falling cup of
water, which had been (purposefully) dropped by one
of the actors. Although - I assure you - this was not the
main reason I greatly enjoyed the play, it certainly added
to the entertainment! To me, our visit represented the
important social event which an Elizabethan performance
at the Globe would surely have been.
Hold on tight! Birkdale S1 boys went on an exciting trip
to London. My favourite part was the duck tour because
we had loads of fun but we learnt loads too. We learnt
about the London city area and iconic buildings like the
Shard. Did you know that it cost 5 million pounds to buy
an apartment in the Shard? We saw the place where
Charles Dickens was in prison because his dad was in
debt. That is where he got ideas for some of his stories
because of his experience as a child.
Looking back at it, there must have been a hilarious
moment when the teachers cruelly decided that the
English Literature students should join in with the drama
workshop. Now, I understand prose. I appreciate iambic
pentameter. I’m fine with rhyme. But I think I speak on
behalf of all the English Literature students when I say
that we were quite out of our depth in attempting to
find some dramatic ‘skill’ - although many of us loved it
nonetheless. My personal highlight (sorry, but this is a
school report, after all... I’m contractually obliged to have
a personal highlight) was probably hopping around the
room, trying to hold a pose (it turned out this was a futile
effort). Congratulations to all the Drama students for
effortlessly showing us their enviable skills, by the way!
Jeremy Brown
London Trip
Then the most fun thing happened: we went down this
road and took a run up going faster and faster, down
a ramp and SPLASH!! we were in the Thames on an
amphibian boat. This was pretty cool to drive into a river
without sinking. The water was like fairy dust spraying
into your face and once we were on the river we were so
close to the water that you could touch it. Shhhh don’t
tell anyone that the ramp was next to MI6 which made us
feel like top secret spies.
We went past the Houses of Parliament where the seats
for the House of Commons are green and the House
of Lords are red. In the House of Lords the seats have
speakers on so they can fall asleep but they are still
listening!
When it was all over we went out of the river up the ramp
and on our way back to the London Eye.
Harry Fletcher
Chatsworth Trip
The first activity that I did was the maze; it was very
confusing. The maze was a trick. The side that we went
in was the wrong side and we had to go round to the
other side of the maze. The rest of the maze was just
guessing. It was very hot and we had left our drinks
outside so we were very thirsty.
I made it to the middle after about seven and a half
minutes. I then helped other people figure it out before
I left the maze and got a drink. The maze was very good
fun and I hope I get to do it again.
I also did some drawing and sketching with Mr Julian
where the task was to draw a picture of something that
would remind me of everything that I did at Chatsworth.
We had a tour around Chatsworth gardens. We started
at the greenhouse; it faced to the south so that it would
get twelve hours of sunlight a day. Then we moved up to
see furniture made out of carefully cut hedges; there was
a sofa, table and a bed. We also saw willow sculptures.
We saw a sort of apple thing called Revelation which is
one of the most recent fountains. The water rises into
the apple and as more water goes in the lower the apple
goes and the whole thing works on hydraulics. The leaves
then close on the apple and the water spurts out of the
top; it looked very interesting.
Tom Crossman
Thankfully, we returned to Sheffield Station on time, at
around 11.30pm. We had successfully accomplished a
great trip to London, including an excellent evening which
we spent chatting in Covent Garden. So - thanks to British
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Battlefields Trip
On yet another snowy and icy day in the coldest March
for 50 years the triennial History residential trip departed
from Birkdale School with 29 Middle School boys bound
for Normandy.
Following in the footsteps of the soldiers who crossed the
English Channel in the D Day landings in 1944, they visited
significant places such as Pegasus Bridge, the Memorial
Museum at Caen, the American Cemetery at Colleville
above ‘Omaha’ beach and the ragged promontory at
Pointe du Hoc. A visit to the Bayeux Tapestry also allowed
an insight into an earlier, different invasion in 1066 of
England by the Normans.
En route to Belgium via La Coupole (a museum made from
a V2 rocket bunker), they arrived at the medieval city of
Ypres that was destroyed by fighting in the First World
War and then beautifully rebuilt. Visits here included the
trenches at Sanctuary Wood, the field hospital at Essex
Farm, the dark and foreboding German Cemetery at
Langemarck and the largest British War Cemetery at Tyne
Cot where Mr Clarke conducted a short and poignant
wreath laying service followed by the Last Post Ceremony
at the Menin Gate.
This study tour was informative, thought-provoking
and very enjoyable. In addition to visiting the various
sites, pupils were asked to deliver related presentations
in groups during the evenings to enhance their
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understanding. They rose wonderfully to the challenge
and they produced entertaining and enlightening ideas
and history.
Welsh 3000 Challenge
A 4 AM start is not particularly enjoyable on a Saturday,
and waking up knowing that there will be roughly 30
miles of tough mountain hiking makes it even tougher.
This is needed tough when the challenge to be done may
require a whole 24-hour period. Climbing the ’14 peaks’
(15 summits however) is a tough physical challenge and
it involves reaching the summits of the 15 Welsh peaks
over 3000ft ideally within 24-hours with no transport
between sections. The aim of our challenge was to have
a team of school students and staff that walk each of
the three sections (the Snowdon, Glyder and Carnedd
sections) and to reach each summit within the 24-hour
time limit. Each member of the expedition team received
sponsorship prior to the doing this event in order to raise
money for the Welsh Air Ambulance service.
Needless to say, this challenge was extremely tough. Each
ascent and descent was demanding and was particularly
rocky in places. The dark made the start and end of the
day even harder to do, resulting in extra care being taken
in placing your feet. The long slog up Snowdon was a
tough way to open the day but the amazing sunrise made
it worth it. The utter rockiness of the Glyder section
made this middle section particularly hard to do also –
surely the last section would be kinder! But no – this was
the longest section, and every member of the team was
flagging by this point.
Despite the brutality of the task, we did manage to
complete it, arriving back at a tent-filled car park at about
2:30 AM (a completion time of about 22 hours) where we
were all ready to grab some well-earned sleep. Everyone
succeeded, but especially well done to Jarrod Beedle (S5)
and Mr Cook for managing to handle all three sections
(most of those involved did two).
The team managed to raise just over £4000 for the Welsh
Air Ambulance. Special thanks to Mr Clark and Mr Allen
for organising this event.
Ross Toward
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Hadrian’s Wall Trip
On a bitterly cold and dank Monday morning 18 Latin
students set off to Hadrian’s Wall via Newcastle on a trip
designed to give us helpful first-hand experience of life
in the Roman Army. After arriving in the north east we
took the Metro to Segedunum Fort where we learnt of
the history of the site from Roman times right through
to the present day. We also explored a reconstruction of
the nearby baths and got our first glimpse of the Wall.
We then headed back into Newcastle city centre where
we checked into the youth hostel and ate dinner before
going to the theatre for our evening entertainment in the
form of the dark humoured play ‘The Ladykillers’.
The next day we took a minibus trip to Hadrian’s Wall
where we visited the Fort of Vindolanda. We took notes
on some of the findings on site (including the famous
letters) and had a good look around the site. We also
learnt about the excavation process. Then we headed
to the Roman Army Museum where we took more notes
which will help massively in the preparation for our GCSE
exam on this topic.
We then went back to the train station where we stocked
up on food before the journey home. Overall it was a
very helpful and useful trip with some good laughs along
the way.
Ben Dockrell
Pensarn
Certainly before going to Wales for a week of DofE Silver
practice, my attitude was that, having been sufficiently
frightened by the stories of last year’s participants, it
was going to be pretty awful. Of course you must accept
that Wales is a rainy country, and that gorge walking
and raft building will get you pretty wet but once you
looked beyond the constant damp feet there was actually
very little to complain about on what turned out to be
a very enjoyable week. Effectively the camp comprises
of several generally water based activities combined
with a one night expedition and all of this is organised
by the CMC centre staff who were always friendly and
helpful towards us. One particularly fun activity for me
was kayaking where we spent most of the time playing
games including an interesting take on football and
several hilariously unsuccessful attempts to switch kayaks
without falling in. The expedition itself was fairly similar
to the DofE Bronze we had done the year before although
our area of Wales was considerably more remote than
the Peak District and so there was a general feeling that
you were exploring areas for the first time, which added
to the excitement quite a lot. However as much fun as
all of this was, the greatest thing about this camp was
the time spent with your friends, playing cards round the
table, football on the sunny, jellyfish infested beach and
generally just having a good laugh while learning a lot
about yourself and others- a very good experience.
Alex Davenport 4H
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Prep Trips
Castleton
On Friday 10th May Prep 2 set off to Castleton. Our
first stop was the Real Fudge Shop in the village. Mr
Fudge showed the boys how he makes the fudge and
gave them samples to taste. They were then able to buy
bars to take home, choosing flavours such as: chilli, white
chocolate, lemon meringue, salted caramel. The list was
endless. After a short walk over the fields, we arrived at
Treak Cliff Cavern just in time for lunch. Then we went
down into the cave to learn about the history of the caves
and Blue John. Following another walk along the banks
of the river, we arrived at the Hollowford Centre; our
base for the next two nights.
After a full English breakfast on Saturday morning, the
boys undertook a full day’s activities. These were: High
Ropes Course, Assault Course, Orienteering, Zip Wire and
Archery. Over the course of the day the boys showed
great determination and courage and also conquered
some of their fears.
Lake District
If I could sum up what the P3 Lake District Trip was about
I would have to borrow the words of Walt Whitman
from his Song of the Open Road ‘I think heroic deeds
were all conceiv’d in the open air, and all free poems
also, I think I could stop here myself and do miracles, I
think whatever I shall meet on the road I shall like, and
whoever beholds me shall like me, I think whoever I see
must be happy.’
A brilliant trip, organised by Mr Oakey, that encompassed
the best of boys’ adventures in the most picturesque
place.
From the coach, steam train and boat journey to our final
destination at Broughton-in-Furnace through to all the
activities: Raft-building and Kayaking on Lake Coniston,
Ghyll scrambling up Church Beck, Hill walking at Sickle
Pike or the Team Challenges at the Kepplewray Centre,
the boys developed a special bond. A bond of friendship
and camaraderie that was built on: learning new skills,
supporting each other and becoming more independent.
Heroic adventures indeed!
Mr J Leighton
In the evening they entertained staff with their own
version of Birkdale’s Got Talent! There are certainly some
budding magicians, singers and comedians in P2. We had
a good night’s sleep and arrived back at the Prep School
on Sunday morning, tired but happy.
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White Post Farm
Day 4
Our first activity today was a very interesting visit to the
‘Ecomusee de la Baie du Mont St Michel’. The boys learned
all about the flora, fauna and industries of the bay.
After a picnic lunch the boys donned their old clothes
ready for the bay crossing. They listened carefully to
‘Woody’ our experienced guide as he explained the rules
for a safe crossing. Our two hour walk across the sandy
and muddy bay included the opportunity for boys to
create a quicksand area and safely sink to their knees. The
boys had a fantastic time and were shrieking with delight!
On a very windy day in April PP1 set out by coach to visit
White Post Farm. After quite a long journey we arrived
and were met by our guide Mervin. He showed us where
we could have our snack and where the teachers could
have their coffee! First of all we went to feed the geese
and ducks who were all very hungry. Mervin made sure
we all had plenty of animal food. After that we went to
see the sheep and llamas. We had to hold our hands flat
when we fed the animals so that they didn’t nibble our
fingers! After that we saw cows with very long horns, pigs
with their piglets and a wallaby with a joey in her pouch.
After our yummy packed lunch we watched some goats
being milked and learnt a song with actions about this.
We had a chance to handle some small animals including
some mice and a guinea pig. After a quick ‘hello’ to the
reptiles we headed home, tired out but full of chatter
about the day we had had.
France
On 29th June 2013 the P4 boys and five intrepid staff set
forth on the annual P4 trip to Normandy. The following
extracts are taken from Mr Burch’s nightly blog…
Day 1
We enjoyed a traffic jam free journey to Portsmouth and
were thankful to see a very calm sea. The crossing began
in lovely sunshine with the boys being able to be on deck
to observe the ships in the historic Portsmouth harbour.
A calm crossing was enjoyed by all then it was time for
a 90 minute drive to La Grand Ferme. On arrival at La
Grand Ferme we received a very warm welcome from
the centre staff and there was just time for some hot
chocolate before the boys crashed out.
Sunday morning began with a lovely breakfast of cereals,
croissants and French bread! Soon it was activity time
and the boys spent half the morning baking bread and
the other half learning circus skills! After lunch it was
off to the beach for the annual sandcastle competition;
for the record it was Mrs Oliver’s group who caught the
judges’ eye with a fantastic ‘tortoise creation’. The sun
shone and the boys had an ice cream before we headed
back to base.
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Day 2
All the boys had to be woken this morning; the sea air had
tired them out! An 8am breakfast was necessary as a very
busy day was planned. The morning was dominated by
moving visits to German and American war cemeteries.
At the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Omaha
Beach the boys were able to watch a short film depicting
the experiences of five American families who lost
relatives in World War 2.
A short coach journey to Arromanches, where we had
a delicious picnic lunch overlooking the ‘Mulberry
Harbours’, was followed by a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry.
Once again the boys were fascinated by the opportunity
to view this wonderful historic artefact. Bayeux Cathedral
was next on the itinerary and did not disappoint.
Day 3
After a slightly later breakfast rucksacks were prepared
and pocket money handed out ready for another busy
day. In their groups the task was to buy a picnic lunch
for their whole group with a set budget from the food
stalls at Villedieu des Poeles market. This was achieved
remarkably well, (perhaps the staff may have guided
some of the choices!) and many of us could not wait for
lunch.
A short coach journey took us to the goat farm of Monsieur
Martin at Montchamp. After lunch Monsieur Martin
explained all about his herd of 40 milking goats. The boys
learned all about his farm and then had a fantastic time
grooming and feeding the goats.
Clumber Park
Our second task was to find a card in our blue box, then
unscramble the letters on the card to find the name of
our group. Our group was called squirrel. We had to
On Monday 23rd June P1 went to Clumber Park. When we design a badge.
arrived we ate our snack and then had our photograph
taken while the weather was sunny. Mrs Taylor put us Our third task was to go on a trail which led us to the
into groups by calling out our names; I accidentally went woodland play area. When we got there we played
to Mr Leighton’s group when I was supposed to be in Mrs “Aliens Attacking Earth”. Monty and I were the aliens.
Simpson’s group. My group consisted of Adam, Monty, Madoc, Cameron and Joseph were people.
Madoc, Andrew B, Cameron and Joseph.
Our fourth task was to find different types of leaves, a
Our first task was to build a den using canes, string, tape piece of moss, fern, a pine cone and different grasses
and tarpaulin. We tried making it like a house but when along the trail. On our way back we found them all.
Monty and I went inside the wind blew it down. The
second time we built it the same way and got nearly all We stopped for lunch, the teachers cooked sausages on a
our group inside but the wind came again and blew it BBQ. I was VERY hungry and I ate three hot-dogs with lots
down. The third time was more successful. We built the of ketchup. After lunch we had play. We played football.
den against a fence. Monty used the scissors to cut thistles My team won 2-0. Thomas and I did some roleplaying
so we didn’t get prickled. It started to rain so we all ran and then it was time to go on the coach... back to school.
inside our den for shelter but thankfully the rain only THE END OF A GREAT DAY
lasted a few seconds.
Adam Fox
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MUSIC
Choir Trip to Cologne
In December, with Christmas round the corner, Sixth
Form students from Birkdale and Sheffield High School
were given the unique opportunity to experience
German Christmas celebrations, and sing traditional
English carols in the immense Cologne Cathedral, the
largest in Europe.
After setting off at midnight, then going on a seemingly
endless journey by coach and ferry, we arrived exhausted
in Cologne, in time to enjoy the authentic German
cuisine available at the Neumarkt, a traditional German
Christmas Market, before finally getting some welcome
sleep at the hostel.
The next day, all of the lunchtime and afternoon rehearsals
finally paid off when we sang in the nave of Cologne
Cathedral. It was truly humbling to perform in such an
awe-inspiring space, where curious tourists gathered to
hear us sing. Afterwards, we were given time to explore
more of this impressive building. Some of the group
chose to climb to the top of the Cathedral. Personally, I
preferred to stay on the ground, visiting the Cathedral
Market instead, and trying rich, German hot chocolate.
the world-famous chocolate museum. Here, we got firsthand experience of chocolate creation from bean to bar,
as well as delicious free samples. The shop was just as
impressive, with hundreds of chocolates on offer. It was
almost an anticlimax to move on to our final concert, at
the local Catholic church of St Pantaleon’s. Though the
entire service was in German, and some singers had lost
their voices in the intense cold, the congregation were still
appreciative, and congratulated us all after the service.
By now, it was so chilly that snow was falling, but some of
the group braved the bitter cold and made a last visit to
the Cathedral Market, whilst others wrapped up warm in
the hostel - a far better idea in hindsight.
The next morning, it was with regret that we left
Cologne. Most of the journey was spent singing carols
and the return through Belgium hardly felt like 10 hours.
Eventually, we reached Calais, where Mrs Wallace of
Sheffield High School rewarded antics such as losing
music, misinterpreting dress codes, and singing with
a sore throat, by handing out prizes. As we drove on
through the night towards Sheffield, everyone looked
back happily on the weekend, and agreed that the trip
should have been longer, but all good things must come
to an end. Whilst the singing was the main reason for the
trip, there was so much more; the markets, the museum,
the sense of camaraderie, and the joys of conversation.
Alex Doody
Joint Sixth Form Choir
Trip to Durham Cathedral
The 6th Form Choir (joint with Sheffield High School) were
invited to travel to Durham on the May Bank Holiday to
sing a choral evensong in Durham Cathedral. Led by Mr
Jordan, they performed works by Walmisley and Kirwan
to a very high standard. Composer Jon Kirwan, who
was singing in the tenor section, was delighted by the
performance - Walmisley joined the ‘choir invisible’ long
“Alongside rehearsing and taking
part in the service, pupils spent part
of the day exploring Durham and
enjoying the sunshine!”
ago so we can’t be certain of his reaction. Alistair Jellinek
(S5) was also given the opportunity to play the closing
voluntary on the organ, giving a fantastic performance of
Nun Danket Alle Gott by Karg-Elert.
Alongside rehearsing and taking part in the service, pupils
spent part of the day exploring Durham and enjoying the
sunshine!
Mr J Kirwan
Band Night
Band Night was once again a huge success with an
excellent standard of musicianship from a range of
bands and solo acts. The Music Department are pleased
to announce that the event raised over £200 for the
school charity, International China Concern, and look
forward to an even bigger and better Band Night 2014.
At our next location, the Maritime Market, our renditions
of ‘Away In A Manger’ and ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ were
sufficient to draw a crowd of curious Germans, who
enjoyed the carols so much that a stall-owner offered
us free (non-alcoholic) Gluhwein. But the best thing
about the Maritime Market was its close proximity to
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Summer Concert 2013
Birkdale musicians have once again provided us
with a fantastic array of concerts and performances
throughout the year. A large number of pupils have
had the opportunity to perform solo items at informal
‘Solos Concerts’ held in the Octagon as well as in the
more daunting setting of school assemblies, which are
regularly opened with a musical item. The Christmas
Concert was the first opportunity of the year for many
of the school’s ensembles to display their talents and
The first half ended with the school Brass Band under the
direction of Jonathan Beatty performing a selection of
four pieces including the very popular and well received
Bond theme ‘Skyfall’.
the Summer Concert on Thursday 2nd May provided a
fitting end to the concert programme for the year.
their second piece ‘Don’t Shoot the Duck’ performed with
rhythm section provided by Mr Bish and Mr Jordan, also
welcoming back Old Birkdalian Dominic Ridler on drums.
The concert came to an exciting close with the massed
ranks of the Big Band - now expanded to include 9
saxophones - performing ‘Street Life’, ‘All Blues’ and
‘Morocco’. Once again the pupils excelled themselves
throughout and continued to show that instrumental and
vocal performance is very much alive and well at Birkdale.
Dr S Pitfield
The second half began with the Male Voice Choir - once
again humour to the fore with a hilarious performance
of ‘Man or a Muppet’. This was followed by Senior Sax
Ensemble, conducted and directed by Laura Beavers -
As always a considerable number of hugely varied groups
and ensembles took part in the Summer Concert with
in excess of eighty pupils taking part. The concert began
with a performance of ‘The Lark Ascending’ by the String
Orchestra, conducted by Mr Jordan and with a solo
from Tom Hetherington. This excellent performance was
followed by ‘The Typewriter’ - soloists on this occasion
included Mr Bish, Dr Pitfield and Dr Owen on the
typewriter!
Other performances in the first half included Girls’
Choir, Junior Sax Group - with a particularly noteworthy
rendition of ‘Blue Moon’ - Ensemble 1,2,3 conducted by
sixth form leaver Tom Hetherington and Wind Ensemble.
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Octopus Activities
Sax Masterclass
meet and perform with Sue. This visit was facilitated in
co-operation with the Sheffield Music Academy and will
be, I hope, the first of many joint ventures together”.
The world renowned Scottish saxophonist Sue
McKenzie held a Masterclass for Birkdale pupils on
Friday 16th November.
Octopus is the ideal band to play at fund raising and
social events where guests can tune in or out of the
performance as much as they like, and we just trundle
along in the background.
In September we played at the Whirlow Hall Farm Fayre,
(in very gusty conditions), the rescheduled Charities Fair
and the Old Birkdalian reunion, but an appearance in
November in the Firth Hall as part of a Yorkshire Cancer
Research event was unfortunately cancelled at the last
minute. However, we did manage to get to the vast
cathedral that is the Sainsbury’s supermarket vestibule on
Archer Road to play for Christmas shoppers in December.
This turned out to be a bitterly cold experience, but
we were able to raise some money for Nepal projects.
Another December gig was held in the much warmer
environment of Dobcroft Junior School at their Christmas
Fair, after which the organisers made a donation to Nepal
as well. In the summer we played for the FOBS Ball and
at Prize Giving.
Rehearsals are always fun and the band members continue
to grow in skill and confidence as they try out new
techniques and ideas. We’re promoting the expressive
potential of mutes at the moment with the brass - just
need to work out something similar for woodwind now.
Sue, who is a graduate of the Royal College of
Music, is one of our country’s leading contemporary
“What a huge honour to welcome
Sue McKenzie to Birkdale School.”
saxophonists. She has given UK and Scottish
premieres of many new works for saxophone by
composers such as Gavin Bryars, Graham Fitkin, Joe
Duddell, Karen Tanaka and Amy Quate.
Dr Spencer Pitfield, Head of Instrumental Studies
said; “What a huge honour to welcome Sue
McKenzie to Birkdale School. She is an acclaimed
and world renowned performer and teacher and all
our saxophonists enjoyed greatly the opportunity to
Mr A Sanderson
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Music Activities
The wide range of music groups at Birkdale Senior
School continue to pull in great numbers of pupils eager
to participate in playing, singing or even writing their
own music. Here is a selection of some of the musical
activities which can be heard along the Senior School
corridors at all hours of the day:
As you can see from this very brief round-up, the musical
opportunities at Birkdale are as plentiful and wide ranging
as they have ever been, and will continue to be so thanks
to the hard work and commitment of the pupils and
teachers.
Mr J Hollings
Prep Music
Choir Sings at Meadowhall
Santa arrived at Meadowhall to the accompaniment of singing from 30 Birkdale Prep School boys, aged 6 to 11
years old, who sang with exuberance and gusto accompanied by music played on the guitar, flute and piano.
The Male Voice Choir attracts impressive numbers, and
forms a winning combination along with Mr Jordan’s
cheesy arrangements. The String Orchestra, after losing
a few key players last year, has kept up its high standard,
recently demonstrated with a stunning rendition of The
Lark Ascending in the Summer Concert, showing how
sensitive and quietly they could play. The Brass Band,
containing the “Everlasting Trumpet Row”, as more and
more trumpeters turned up throughout the year, is ably
led by Jonathan Beatty who, as a player in leading Brass
Bands for the past 25 years, puts on programmes of
proper Brass music, including the traditional and the not
so traditional. The Wind Ensemble plays wind quintets
where each player’s talent can be demonstrated.
Likewise, the Sax Group plays more complex pieces every
year as the players develop. The Junior Sax Group also
feed this, as well as putting on impressive performances
themselves. The Big Band continues to thrive and can
be heard playing at many events both for the school and
external organisations. Its new Thursday morning slot
helps with attendance, even if it sometimes takes one
song for most of the band to wake up.
Along with real reindeer pulling Santa on his sleigh to his grotto, a spectacular symphony tree and an abundance
of real snow, they sang lots of different carols to bring a very special Christmas spirit to the event. The evening was
supported by lots of shoppers who were able to participate in the grotto launch.
For less experienced players Ensemble 123 continues
to grow, bridging the gap for players who have recently
started or are not confident enough to join the main
groups yet. This year it has been ably led by sixth former
Tom Hetherington, who has done a fantastic job, and I
hope he has learnt from the experience. The Rock Band
Club pulls together groups from the lower end of the
school, and the Composers’ Club helps students develop
their composition skills and put them into practice.
Opportunities for students to perform their own work
are provided by regular composers’ concerts and
competitions.
Mr Bish introduced the guitar demonstrating a number of
exciting and different styles of music. This was followed by
cello teacher Mr Collingwood. Thereafter Mr Thompson
dazzled both parents and pupils alike with a varied and
most interesting selection of short pieces on different
types of trumpet.
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Peripatetic Concert
At the end of the Christmas term Pre-Prep boys and their
parents were treated to a special concert by members of
our Instrumental Department led by Dr Pitfield.
The concert was rounded off by Dr Pitfield, who played
us the clarinet. A large number of both Pre-Prep and
Prep boys learn a musical instrument in school with our
outstanding instrumental teachers. As a result of this
excellent concert many others have also now opted to
learn an instrument!
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FOMAPA
Prep Music Day
Birkdale Prep School’s Festival of Music and Performing
Arts is always a very enjoyable event. It is an opportunity
for our boys with musical and dramatic talents to
perform in front of their friends and teachers. We also
welcome our friends from Ashdell and Sheffield High
School to come and perform too.
On Wednesday 26th June our inaugural Prep Music Day
took place.
Each year a special guest is invited to the Prep School
to adjudicate the children’s performances. This year we
were delighted to welcome Mrs Ann Bird.
There were a tremendous number of entries this year
“It is very encouraging for children
just starting out learning an
instrument to see how quickly
improvements can be made through
diligent practice and commitment.”
Pupils from both the Pre-Prep and Prep departments
joined together in a day of varied music making, which
concluded with a Gala Concert in the school hall featuring
a massed orchestra of over 55 musicians.
Led by Dr Pitfield, our Head of Instrumental Studies,
a team of brass, string, guitar, woodwind and voice
specialists coached the pupils in varied ensemble
rehearsals, massed vocal rehearsals and, finally, the
hugely exciting combined orchestra.
The pupils had such fun exploring various musical genres
including musicals, jazz and classical orchestral music.
The concert at the end of the day, performed to the
rest of the school and to the boys’ parents, was a truly
wonderful success. Many congratulations to those boys
who took part and we hope very much to undertake a
similar day of musical endeavour in the next academic
year!
Special thanks to Mr Jones for arranging the orchestral
music, playing the piano and leading the choir and to all
involved in organising the day and leading rehearsals.
Dr S Pitfield
with a wide range of instruments played. Everyone is
given an opportunity to perform and there is a super
range of abilities with boys from PP2 playing alongside P4
boys. It is very encouraging for children just starting out
learning an instrument to see how quickly improvements
can be made through diligent practice and commitment.
Every child received a certificate for their effort and an
encouraging comment from Mrs Bird.
Some boys then took part in the two music concerts the
following week for their parents. We thank Mr Jones for
his commitment and continual encouragement which
make these events such a success.
Guitar Ensemble
Guitar Ensemble is a group open to all young guitarists
(P1-P4), held every Monday at 1pm in Mrs Taylor’s
room. To join you must be Grade 1 standard or over and
be able to sight-read confidently.
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In Guitar Ensemble you must bring your guitar to every
session. When the session begins Mr Bish gives you a piece
of music which is divided into 3-5 parts. Once you receive
your piece, you may choose a part. When everyone has
chosen a part including Mr Bish, we practise playing our
various parts in harmony with the other guitarists.
and do the same. We practise these two pieces each
session until we are ready to perform them at events such
as Prize Giving and assemblies. Playing at these events is
great fun and can earn you many house points. We learn
several pieces throughout the year and at the end of each
session Mr Bish gives us sweets.
Halfway through the session we are given a second piece
Rafal Faraj and Sebastian Hiller
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Band Night Unplugged
On Friday 28th June Birkdale held its annual unplugged
Band Night. This event continues to grow in popularity,
and this year nine acts took part.
The evening kicked off with Ethan Yap and Micah De
Silva performing a stunning instrumental arrangement of
Payphone (Maroon 5) by Sungha Jung. The next act came
from the Sheffield School of Rock and Pop, which takes
place at Birkdale each Friday after school. The boys (Joe,
Will, Louis and Shaun) gave a confident performance of
the original song they’ve been creating this term. The
crowd then welcomed Joe Wait to the stage. Joe is
a seasoned performer and gave a very accomplished
vocal performance of Through Glass by Stone Sour. We
then had our second band from the Sheffield School
of Rock and Pop. Jakey, Matt and Alex (there’s two of
them) performed their original song, displaying good
musicianship. Next up were 3/5 of ‘Kill the Light’ (Will,
Dan and Sam), our final band based at Rock and Pop. This
group continues to grow in confidence, and demonstrated
their versatility by each member singing lead vocals in
one of their three songs (Walk, Keep Your Head Up and
Patience).
Following ‘Kill the Light’ were S4 band ‘Between the Lines’.
Killian, Ben, Obi and Ayo have been playing together
since S1 and their experience is beginning to show.
Their rendition of The Past Recedes by John Frusciante,
a complex piece written in 7/4, was captivating. After
this came finger-style guitarist Keryn Turner. He gave an
impassioned performance of Ben Howard’s Only Love,
followed by a mesmerising arrangement of This Modern
Love by Bloc Party. Our final two acts came from the L6.
Chuck Doey performed a mammoth seven song set, which
involved shredding on a 12-string acoustic guitar! This
is not something you see every day. Their performance
of Tenacious D’s classical comedy song Tribute, was a
personal highlight. Finally came C.R.O.W.S. with a slick
four song set, including the popular original Scumbag
Sid. Lead singer James Grant closed the evening with a
stunning performance of his own song Home. This was a
perfect way to end the evening.
Special thanks go to Mr Bish for organising, and running,
this event.
Mr J Kirwan
Prep School ABRSM results
Samuel Beahan
Arav Bhattacharyya
Tom Broadbent
Ethan Clark
William Downes
Bhavesh Grover
Patrick Owen
Thomas Stobart
Lewis Wainwright
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E flat horn
Guitar
Guitar
Trombone
Piano
Guitar
Trumpet
B Flat Cornet
Violin
Grade 3 Grade 2 Grade 1
Grade 1
Grade 1
Grade 3
Grade 3
Grade 2
Grade 1
Pass
Merit
Merit
Pass
Distinction
Distinction
Distinction
Distinction
Distinction
Sp
SPORT
Sport
The U15s went into the season as a very inexperienced
team. However, their first ever game together was a nail
biting 50 – 49 loss away at Havelock Academy. The team
gained some confidence from this and played well all
season registering a useful victory at Morley Academy,
Leeds. Tom Bradley and Colby Rowland were particularly
effective.
Badminton
A young U13 squad found themselves out sized but
they have gained experience for what should be a more
successful second season. Beating Kings School, Wakefield
was a very satisfying performance. Jabar Bika was a star
in each game recording over half of the team’s points and
gaining selection for the U13 Derbyshire squad whilst
still an U12 player. Josh Hattersley also gained county
honours.
This year Birkdale entered two badminton teams into the
Center Parcs National Schools Badminton Championship.
One team was comprised of Key Stage 3 students and
the other was Key Stage 4 students.
The first round was against other local schools in Sheffield.
The KS3 team travelled to the EIS to play the first round.
Unfortunately, after some tough competition, the KS3s lost to Tapton School (the eventual third place team with an
entirely county-standard team). They, therefore, didn’t get through to the next round but did put up an extremely
good effort.
The KS4 team went to Abbeydale Park Badminton Club to play their first round which they won comfortably, with some
great doubles play from all the team. The second round was against other schools in South Yorkshire. Compared to
the Sheffield round this was a breeze and once again Birkdale destroyed the opposition and became South Yorkshire
Champions.
We look forward to great things next year especially as the
U12s have been very impressive in the Arrows Basketball
Sunday Tournaments.
Mr A Oakey
Hockey
This past season of hockey at Birkdale, has seen some
phenomenal growth. The seeds that were sown last
year have led to the expansion into 4 teams at U13, U14,
U16 level, as well as the already existing 1st XI.
The U13s have completed their second year and have
continued to bring out some talent. Many of the S1s who
are in the team have not picked up a stick before the start
of this season, but, they have developed into a strong
team of players, captained by Josh Michalowski of S2.
They have mostly played much more experienced teams
and although they put up a strong fight, unfortunately
their efforts did not translate into any victories this
season. Given the enthusiasm the S1s have shown this
year, hopefully, they’ll continue on next year, and beyond.
Due to the sheer number of S3s this season, an U14s
team was formed, led by Lucas Ward of S3. While not
playing many matches, the squad have shown quality that
matches their heart. Some of the U14s have stepped up
and played matches for the U16s and Lucas himself has
played in the 1st XI. This year group have now completed
their second year together, and it is my hope that they
will continue to go from strength to strength.
This put us through to the county round with a place in the national finals at Center Parcs at stake. It was a tough
day, with one team including the England U16 number one singles player and many other county players taking part.
Unfortunately we lost some very tight games and eventually finished fourth in Yorkshire.
Well done to both teams, especially the KS4 team of Ethan Yap (S4), Brannon Lee Chong (S4), Will Watson (S4) and
Andy Ellwood (S5) and also Joel Ford (S1) for some great performances for the KS3 team.
Brannon Lee Chong and Ethan Yap
Basketball
Following last year’s successful introduction of an
Under 19 basketball team the sport has grown in
popularity with the addition of U15, U13 and U12 teams
representing the school.
The U19s had another encouraging season winning 5 of
7 games with some impressive play. Daniel Jenkinson has
been the outstanding player. He has been well supported
by a large, enthusiastic squad ably coached by former
pupil, Matthew Oakey. Wins against Loughborough
Grammar School and Rishworth were highlights this
season.
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The U16s have enjoyed a remarkable season, participating
in a local tournament, in a similar vein to last year. Led by
Callum Ward of S5, the team has seen the development
of some new players, namely Alistair Jellinek, and Rowan
Franks. In the tournament they finished a respectable
second, losing in the final to Ecclesfield. The team finished
with 11 goals, with Miles Langdale top scoring with 5.
against Churcher’s College, the former school of the Captain
of the Cambridge team. It was a memorable day, with
some quality hockey being played. We were unfortunate
to lose 7-0, in our match, but the team gave it their all,
despite Churcher’s fielding several England U18 players,
and thoroughly enjoyed the match. I would like to thank all
the parents and Dr Owen who came with us to support us.
U15 Football Tour
On 14th March the U15 football squad set out to
Newcastle, arguably the home of football, with Mr
Rodgers and Mr Clark. Here, knowing the previous
efforts of the school, we planned to do what no other
years had done before…to win all 3 matches on the trip.
This aim looked possible after defeating RGS Newcastle
comfortably 8-1 with yet another fine performance by
star striker Curtis Morrison who stole the show with a
4 goal game including a fantastic chip to clinch his hat
trick.
Later that day we all went to see the Europa League clash
between Newcastle and Anzhi Makhachkala at St James
Park. Newcastle won with a last second goal resulting in
This past year has been a year of transition for the 1st XI.
The majority of last year’s squad left, with only myself,
Vice-Captain Joe Wait, and Joe Harrison remaining. This
left the squad needing a major overhaul. Fortunately
the new players settled in very quickly. This year, there
have had some remarkable fixtures, with matches
often showcasing the talent Birkdale has to offer. We
have had some good matches against Tapton, Dronfield
and Ashville College. It has also been encouraging that
some of the U16 players have also made the step up and
regularly appeared in fixtures with Akul Purohit deserving
special mention for his final tally of 5 goals and 3 assists
in 4 games.
Joe Wait has continued
his excellent form, from
last year to finish with
10 goals and 7 assists.
Finally, Birkdale had
the special honour of
partaking in the Varsity
Hockey Matches between
Oxford and Cambridge.
Old Birkdalian and a
former Hockey Captain
Oliver Lobo has been
appointed as Oxford’s
Hockey Captain for this
year, and Birkdale was
invited to play a friendly
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Overall, this past year has been a great success. I am
proud that my tenure as Captain coincided with the
growth I have seen. I know I leave Birkdale hockey in good
hands, and I hope the growth continues. I want to thank
Mr Brook and Miss Randall for their coaching, and to my
predecessor Jamie Hollings on his return to assist. I wish
my successor Joe Wait and his Vice-Captain Joe Harrison
the best of luck next year in leading the team.
Venkhat
Sivakumar
major celebrations around the Geordie city. We went to
St James Park again the following day, however this time
for a tour of the ground, which the team really enjoyed.
After the stadium tour we played our next fixture against
Newcastle School for Boys which was once again won in
fine style 6-1, and another hat trick for Morrison. That
evening’s entertainment featured an all you can eat
buffet and a trip to the cinema, again something that the
team enjoyed enormously.
a goal which the winger even admitted was a cross.
Nevertheless, we went into half time with a slight 2-1
advantage. After the break we piled on the pressure on
what was a tiring Tyneside defence. However we wasted
some good chances and then Tyneside scored 2 goals
almost immediately after each other. However, we kept
on going and trying to score past a keeper in fine form.
Will Savage broke through and scored his second to
level the game at 3-3 with around 5 minutes left. With
the momentum in our favour we were desperate to find
a winner. With 1 last chance we put everyone into the
box and as the ball was whipped in from the corner,
Ross Toward scored an incredible first time volley to seal
an unbelievable win which capped off a fantastic tour
perfectly. When the final whistle went, the celebrations
began. Birkdale had won all 3 games on the Newcastle
tour, something which had never been achieved before.
I would like to thank the 13 other players who travelled
up to Newcastle for making it such a memorable tour and
Mr Rodgers and Mr Clark for organising such an excellent
trip.
Jamie Bywater
Our final day saw us check out of the
hotel and straight into our final game of
the tour, and the season, against Kings,
Tynemouth. Here, we wanted to complete
the feat that would see us defeat all 3
sides in the tour and cap off what would
be a fine season. The game started
brightly with a goal from Will Savage. But,
a quick counter saw an equaliser from the
opposition and they then followed with
many wasted chances. On the stroke of
half time however Maxwell Jones scored
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1st XI Football
The 1st XI season this year was somewhat shortened due
to a combination of poor weather and a disappointing
first result in the Boodles Independent Schools Cup
which saw Birkdale meet a strong RGS Newcastle side
and unfortunately come up short to lose 3-1.
found in the performances of Tom Ward and the Johals
and I would like to thank Mr Morton and the rest of the
team for their commitment this year.
Tom McKane
dominated the game, teamed with two hailstorms,
which halted the encounter for minutes on end. Birkdale
dominated the match from start to finish, and in any
normal circumstances, would have run away with the
game. However the game ended 0-0, with several chances
spurned to take the game away from the opposition.
The season’s highlights include two tournaments at King’s
School Chester: a six-a-side tournament in which Birkdale
were unlucky to come up against some extremely strong
teams in the group stage, and then an eight-a-side
competition. In this tournament Birkdale played some
cracking football, beating last year’s winners, helped by
the experienced head of Jordan Bethel and an up coming
talent in Allen Assamoi who I am sure will be a stalwart
in the 1st XI for many years to come. The bulk of our
games in the Christmas term were cancelled so the first
opposition we faced were an extremely strong Leeds
Grammar School team to whom we were unlucky to lose
3-0. The end of the season saw some strong performances
in which Birkdale defeated Woodhouse Grove and were
also unlucky to lose to the Old Birkdalians on penalties.
In an underwhelming season, hope for the future can be
2nd XI Football
The football season for the 2nd XI has been one
decimated by inclement weather to the point that only
two fixtures were played.
Our first outing saw us travel to Leeds Grammar School,
where, although the lads endured a heavy defeat against
a very impressive Leeds side, there were nonetheless
a couple of encouraging performances and there was
no shame in losing to a vastly superior side on the day.
In the second game we came up against High Storrs in
unimaginably poor conditions. A howling crosswind
Looking to next season, there is reason for optimism,
with many promising players coming through the ranks.
Although we will be losing the experience of Nathan
Kearsley, midfield control of Robbie Village and Tom
Wright, and the sprightly escapades of the versatile Sam
Marsh, I have reason to believe that the squad will mature
into filling these roles in the future, under the watchful
eye of the ever enthusiastic Mr Julian.
Lewis Baines
U12 Football
The U12 football team was particularly strong this year.
It was a great season which saw us go undefeated all
season. Our first match was against Leeds Grammar
School which was one of our hardest games, but we still
managed to draw 4-4, with a last minute free kick from
Birkdale to get the equaliser.
Although we only had 5 matches, we managed to score a
staggering 28 goals; here are our results from this season:
Birkdale 4-4 LGS
Hull Collegiate 0-6 Birkdale
Hill House 4-4 Birkdale
Birkdale 7-0 Woodhouse grove
Rishworth 1-7 Birkdale
Everyone who played in the A & B teams really enjoyed
their time playing for our school team, and all of the staff
enjoyed watching. The parents who made the journey
to come and watch our home and away games were
really supportive and they looked like they were enjoying
every minute of it, just like all of us were. This was a
very memorable season for the U12s and we hope to go
undefeated in all of our football games in the years to
come.
Dan Casbolt
U13 Football
Birkdale U13s have had a promising football season this
year with two wins and several losses, which is a great
improvement on our last year’s performance in which we
didn’t pick up a point in all of our games. However, these
results don’t truly reflect our actual performance, as
many of our games were very close and we were unlucky
to lose. Part of this success was due to new additions
in the team including Sam Veall in midfield and Jake
Oldridge who has moved to Goalkeeper. Birkdale have
also only conceded a few goals over the season, which
is partly due to the solid centre backs in Ed Oldridge and
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Alex Parmar, as well as some great goalkeeping from Jake
Oldridge. The midfield has also been very strong this year
with Josh Michalowski and Laurence Franks in the centre,
and Myles Fletcher and Benedict McKenzie Smith on
the wings. Although we haven’t scored many goals this
year, striker Tom Simms has still had a very good season
holding up the ball well and bringing other players into
play. Despite the fact that we had some difficult and unlucky
games, we have had a very solid and consistent season
and hope the improvement will carry on next year. Many
thanks to Mr Heaton for coaching us this year and thank
you to all the parents who supported the team.
Laurence Franks
U14 Football
This season has been challenging for us. We started off with a thrashing from Leeds Grammar School 8-2 which did
not help our morale. We also competed in the Sheffield Schools Cup in which we won our first round match against
Parkwood Academy and then lost our second round match 7-2 to Chaucer who were much better than us. Half way
through the season we drafted in a new Goalkeeper in Tom Kerry who became one of the most improved players of
the season. Our best result came against Hull Collegiate away which we won 6-0 and we also had a good result against
Hill House away which we won 7-2. Youssef Farag and Carter Bradder scored a handful of goals between them in
these matches. This was our second season with Mr Parker so we knew what he wanted from us in terms of attitude
and commitment and on the whole we have improved significantly as a team this year. We are all looking forward
to another season as U15s and the possibility of going on the football tour to Newcastle next year with Mr Rodgers.
Lucas Ward
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U15 Football
Coming into the U15 football season, everyone was
looking forward to the long season ahead. With a new
coach in Mr Rodgers and the Newcastle Football Tour
on the horizon, the team looked confident and excited
going into the opening matches. However, these two
opening games were cup games against a very strong
Arnold KEQMS School, Blackpool side and the reigning
Sheffield School’s Cup Champions Chaucer. Both games
were lost 5-4 on penalties.
The Easter term began
with losses to both Leeds
Grammar School and
Hull Collegiate. However,
in our next fixture we
claimed a fantastic 10-1
victory over High Storrs
School - featuring an
astonishing 5 goals from
Curtis Morrison. Our form
continued with an amazing
7-1 victory over local rivals
Hill House, again with an
astonishing performance
from Morrison who this
time scored 4, as well as a
fine long range effort from
the captain. However, our
next game against Fulneck
School would not be as
easy due two squad players
featuring in representative
football for the city. In
typical windy and blustery
conditions at Castle Dyke,
the game kicked off and
it soon became apparent
that the conditions would
make it very hard for both teams. Fulneck dealt with the
conditions much better and scored two goals before half
time. We knew that the wind and the slope would be in
our favour in the second half, so, after an inspirational
team talk from Mr Rodgers we set out and dominated
right from the off scoring a quick fire goal from Matt
Lawrie. However, Fulneck defended well and with missed
chances it looked like the game would slip away from
what seemed to be our grasp. But, with around 7 minutes
to go, Maxwell Jones took advantage of the conditions
by scoring from an improbable range. This new score line
would have most certainly satisfied both sides, but in the
last two minutes, a mistake from the opposition centreback placed Will Savage one-on-one with the keeper and
he scored in the top corner giving Birkdale a fantastic 3-2
victory.
The season ended on a high with the much anticipated
Newcastle Football Tour in which we won all 3 of our
matches. (See separate tour report for full details.)
I would like to thank all of the players who featured in the
fixtures this season including the B team who claimed a
great 3-0 victory over High Storrs B. Finally, a massive
thanks to Mr Rodgers who not only organised the teams
for the matches, but also for organising the whole of the
excellent Newcastle trip.
Jamie Bywater
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U16 Football
round 4 of the Cup and out of the Vase without playing a
game! Losses to Harrogate GS, QEGS Wakefield and then
Lady Manners were a low point of the season. However
an excellent win over Hall Cross saw the season end on
The Under 16s football team had a mixed season. With
a high.
awful, cold weather conditions many games were
My thanks go to Matt Bradley (Captain), Dan Viner and
cancelled, so we didn’t get to play as much as we would
Will Gaines for their tireless enthusiasm.
have liked.
There were two games played during the Christmas term,
which were in the Sheffield Cup. The first round was a
very evenly fought contest against Hinde House, and with
goals from Tom Ward, Allen Assamoi and Rowan Franks,
the game went to extra time where we managed to win
5-3. A deadly finish from Freddy Eko helped us on our way
to the second round. However, disappointment followed
in the next round with a 4-1 loss away at Newfield,
despite good performances from Miles Langdale and Jack
Harrison.
In the Easter term we only managed a handful of games
due to the abysmal weather. Losing to Leeds Grammar 5-0
was the low point of the season, despite Dan Downing’s
best efforts to make some defensive clearances. Our game
against High Storrs was cancelled after twenty minutes
because of gale force winds and hail - also known as a
typical day out at Castle Dyke.
However, the season ended on a high when we managed
to beat Hill House 3-2 thanks to two goals from Joe
Fowler and a good team display. Overall, the team can
be pleased with their efforts and look forward to a good
season next year.
Tom Ward
1st XV rugby
Despite losing many of the team from the previous
season the 1st XV got off to an excellent start by
defeating Hull Collegiate School 65-0 in their first game.
A tight game against Worksop College followed ending
in a 19-0 loss, but a 0-0 score for the second half was
very pleasing. Away to Mount St Mary’s was a tough test,
followed by a walk over against Wickersley in the second
round of the Daily Mail Cup.
The fixture against Ratcliffe College at Castle Dyke
followed, producing a very gritty 7-5 victory. Another walk
over against Barnsley Sports Academy put us through to
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thank Mr Potter and Mr Depledge for giving up their time to coach us and each and every player for making it a hugely
enjoyable season.
Amritjit Kular
Mr R Heaton
Development Team
For some it was the last term of rugby of their schooling
life and, although the majority of results didn’t go our
way, I could not have asked for a more committed team.
The opening fixture saw us against the tough opposition
of Nottingham High School, a well-known rugby school.
We started the game well with some good strong tackles
from George Colton and
Tom Brown, however, a
lack of concentration led
Nottingham to a couple
of early scores putting
Birkdale on the back foot.
A brilliant try from Tom
Brown brought the home
side back into the game
but Nottingham appeared
to be too strong on the
day. Although we lost this
game we could take many
positives from it, but we
knew we had to work hard
on the training field. The
next game saw Birkdale
play
Fulneck
School.
Birkdale won comfortably
with tries from Taurai
Mbakada and Adam Turner
sealing a promising victory.
The hard work had paid
off. Everyone had worked
their socks off at training and this determination was
rewarded. Probably the best performance of the season
was against Hall Cross School, where we demonstrated
good attacking play, especially in our kicking game.
Commitment to both training and matches throughout
the season was excellent, and this showed through in
the level of intensity seen in every game. I would like to
U12 Rugby
We have had an amazing season. We started with an
impressive win over Hull, with Harry Oldridge getting
most of our tries. We have had more notable wins against
the likes of St Anselms, Ratcliffe College, Silverdale and
many more. We were undefeated all season, even though
we were against some tough opposition. We were able to
win all our eight fixtures quite convincingly, and our vital
statistics are very impressive – we conceded 46 points,
and scored 386!
Our key players were Harry Oldridge, Stefan Perunovic,
Kareem Eissa, Sam Davison, Sam Yellops and George
Burch. Harry Oldridge was our leading try-scorer and an
amazing tackler. Stefan is a great runner and a strong
forward. Kareem is a great tackler and runner on our
wing. Sam Davison is a great kicker and team player. Sam
Yellops is also a great runner and catcher. George is a very
good rucker and tackler. All our squad have worked very
hard for each other and many lads have been involved
from the full group of 40. Although not everybody has
played every game, the boys have continued to develop
their skills in training and everyone has improved.
We would like to say a big thank you to Mr Dymock, Mr
Cooper, Mr Depledge, and Mr Rodgers for all their input
and guidance during the term.
We have had an amazing rugby term and are already
looking forward to the next year!
Fergus Dobbs
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U14 Rugby
Rugby this year was, in the words of Highlander Jamie
Joseph, ‘like a war, easy to start, hard to stop and
impossible to forget’.
After last year’s minimal success we weren’t going into
the season with any degree of confidence. With only
two full squad training sessions before our first match we
weren’t often conceded cheaply. The team’s highlight
was the Ratcliffe College match, where our only aim was
to try and avoid defeat. With tries from Youssef Farag,
Eoin Doyle and Thomas Farrell, the team picked up our
most memorable win of the season by 37 – 33.
With help in training and tactics from our coaches, Mr
Depledge and Mr Kenyon, we have run through a very
successful season and look forward to playing some
Rugby Sevens in the Easter Term.
Youssef Farag
numerous injuries and cancellations. However, I think
all the boys will agree that the highlight of this time was
receiving some top quality coaching from Mr Byron. The
extra time spent working on our handling seemed to pay
off as our backs became increasingly threatening from
set-pieces. As this gelled with Mr Woodley’s expertise
with the forwards, we began to look like a much stronger
unit going forward.
Thanks to all the effort put in by the coaches and the
boys, it turned out to be another successful season for
our squad.
Tom Bradley
1st Xl Cricket
The 2013 season started with high hopes and a fixture
list which promised some stiff challenges for the 1st Xl.
This was proved to be so with a heavy defeat in the first
fixture of the season against The Grammar School at
Leeds.
didn’t know what to expect. But, with our new coach,
we played out for a win. The pack had become more
synchronised and understood each other’s movements
better. We saw good cooperation between Fraser
McCarter, Joshua White and Ched Uchegbu and added
power in the rucks by William Burch and Jacob Barrett.
The backs were now quicker out of the blocks and firm
in defence and with strong tackling from Eoin Doyle,
Thomas Farrell, Ben Roberts and Jonathan Davies tries
U15 Rugby
I was given the honour of captaining the U15 side for
the 2012 rugby season. It was an eventful season that
was not made easy by some of the harsh conditions and
more than our fair share of injuries.
The season kicked off with a positive start, taking down
Nottingham High School and Hipperholme which were
both won without a huge amount of stress. Things were
looking good as we began our campaign in the Daily Mail
Cup, a knock out competition featuring some of the best
schools in the country.
The confidence we had brought from our early victories
followed through into the cup, as we came out victorious
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in the first round against Kings Pontefract and in the second round against Hill House. Sadly we came to a halt as
we were drawn against Queen Elizabeth Grammar School
in the third round, which is well known as a very strong
rugby school. We battled valiantly but sadly came up
short of a win.
Our second half of the season was, sadly, interrupted by
A midweek game against Hull followed, with Birkdale
showing they had recovered well from the lessons learnt
at Leeds. Hull Collegiate were bowled out for 59 in 17
overs and the Birkdale top order made short work of
reaching the target in 9 overs for the loss of opener Adam
Turner, a 9 wicket victory.
The highlight of the season followed with the MCC
arriving at Castle Dyke for the first time. The ground
looked immaculate and with the Castle Dyke weather
being kind to all it was a great match. Probably the
strongest MCC side to take the field against Birkdale was
restricted to 160 - 4 off 49 overs leaving Birkdale about
40 overs to reach the target. The opening MCC attack of
Ward and Rush were lively and Birkdale did well to try to
avoid defeat, losing the last wicket with only 9 balls of the
match remaining.
The National T/twenty competition was the following day
and Birkdale produced a great performance to defeat
Silcoates in the 1st match by 6 runs to set up a final
winner take all game against St Peters (Dan Cleveland
52 and Henry Rossi 44). However chasing a target of 164
Birkdale lost early wickets and fell well short in the end
but a great day was had by all.
An easy victory over Repton followed with Birkdale
reaching the meagre target of 44 set by Repton for the
loss of only 1 wicket.
A 40 over game against Stockport followed the break
for exams and again some excellent bowling by Dan
Cleveland kept Birkdale in with a chance but it was not to
be eventually losing by 6 wickets.
My thanks to all the boys who have represented the
School this term but especially Captain Jordan Bethel
who played his heart out for the team.
Mr R Heaton
122
U13 Cricket
The U13s have to be one of the best travelled teams
around! The way the fixtures have fallen this year, the
team has played a lot of away matches that have taken
them as far away as Shrewsbury. They have certainly
played a lot of matches and enjoyed a successful season.
Although they have fallen at the occasional hurdle,
the team has won the vast majority of its matches
and overcome some formidable opposition. Notable
successes have included reaching the semi-final of the
Northern region of the National JET Cup and winning
the Sheffield Schools’ Trophy. Over the course of the
season 23 boys have represented the school which has
meant that over a third of the S2 pupils have played
representative cricket. Throughout there has been a
terrific team spirit and the team has been ably led by
Nick Lowe who has also been playing cricket for South
Yorkshire for whom he recently scored 140 not out. Other
notable performers with both bat and ball have been
Chris Chung and Abinav Mohanamurali who have acted
as vice-Captains throughout the season. Jake Oldridge
has been impressive behind the stumps and the bowling
of Alex Parmar and Alfie Oakley has meant that wickets
have regularly tumbled. The future of cricket is bright at
Birkdale!
Mr N Pietrek
U12 Cricket
The U12s have played a lot of cricket this season in two
competitions as well as friendly fixtures against a range
of schools.
In the David English Bunbury cup we won the South
Yorkshire area competition and, at the time of writing,
we are looking forward to the county semi-final against
QEGS. In the last week of the summer term we were
delighted to win the Sheffield Schools’ Trophy, scoring 59
all out in the final with Harman Puni bowling superbly to
take 5 wickets. Josh Wilkie takes full credit for captaining
the side in this series of matches as I have been on county
duty for Yorkshire.
In other schools matches we have beaten St Olaves,
Silcoates, Hill House and Hull Collegiate. There were also
123
U15 Cricket
victories for the B team in games against Hall Cross and
Ranby House.
Matthew Darke has impressed greatly with his pace
bowling this season whilst Harman Puni has been
relentless with the bat and in particular his 51, retired
against Silcoates. My personal highlight was my 5 wickets
including my maiden hat trick against Hull Collegiate but
this wouldn’t have been possible without the exceptional
wicket keeping of Sam Yellops who took 3 stumpings and
a catch!
Finally, a big thank you to Mr Depledge for all his advice,
coaching and patience throughout the season, to my
teammates and also to our families who have come to
watch!
Sam Davison
Heading into the U15 cricket season, all of the players
held high hopes for the season ahead. However, the
team got off to a shaky start with a heavy defeat to
Leeds Grammar School, mainly due to a lack of training.
After pulling ourselves together, we secured a great
victory over Hull Collegiate featuring an impressive 57
N.O. for Shashwat Jha. We then headed into our heavily
anticipated encounter with King Ecgberts in the T20
Knockout Cup. Despite an impressive knock from Nick
Lowe (S2), we were not able to defeat an impressive
side, losing narrowly in an exciting match. Once again
though, the team pulled together and defeated both Fir
Vale and Silverdale School in the Sheffield League, both
games featuring impressive partnerships between Jamie
Bywater and Shashwat Jha.
After half term the side defeated Lincoln Minster School
with half-centuries for Shashwat Jha and Joshua White
U14 Cricket
The under 14s had a mixed start to the season. Good
performances in the field restricted our opponents to
low targets which we should have been able to chase
down. Unfortunately we were unable to turn these into
victories due to lack of form for the batsmen.
In the second half of the season all of our top 4 chipped
in with runs and there were wickets for at least 8 of
our players. Mentions must go to Vikram Singh for his
wickets with the new ball and top order runs; William
Burch for his dependable wicket-keeping and important
innings with the bat; Idris Ali for his lusty blows at the
end of the innings and his bowling; Youssef Farag’s
bowling improvement has been a highlight of the season;
Joshua White for wickets and runs. Also thanks must go
to Thomas Kerry, Miles Hemingway, Thomas Farrell and
Haris Nazir for turning up for every game and giving their
all despite knowing that they might not get a bat or bowl.
There are others who we could thank but it would go on
for pages.
Joshua White and Vikram Singh
(S3). We then travelled over to Wakefield to play Silcoates
School in one of the closest games of the season. Batting
first on a very hard batting surface, Birkdale achieved
an admirable score of 103 which was contributed to by
nearly every team member. Despite the bad weather
the team pulled off a 10 run victory thanks to fantastic
bowling and fielding.
The highlight of our season was the final game against
Ratcliffe College. Birkdale batted first reaching a score
of 124 for 5. This was followed by one of the most
devastating opening spells in Birkdale history leaving
Ratcliffe on 24 for 6 after 10 overs. Thanks to some great
fielding and follow-up bowling, Ratcliffe were bowled out
for 65 giving an excellent victory to epitomise what has
been an excellent season. It was a fitting end!
Jamie Bywater
124
Netball
The 2012-13 season was very competitive for the
Birkdale Netball Team. Over the Autumn and Spring
terms, the team won six and lost four matches. Three
of the four defeats were close and in each case, Birkdale
were able to win the return fixture.
A large squad signed up for training in September and
attendance of both L6 and U6 was excellent throughout
the term. After Christmas, there was a break for exams
and then the majority of the L6 players were involved
in rehearsals for the school musical ‘Guys and Dolls’.
Reduced numbers resulted in two very welcome late
season additions, Dan Jenkinson and Jack Lockwood.
Both boys are all round sportsmen with a background in
Basketball. They picked up new skills and tactics quickly
and became crucial members of the team, strengthening
defence with their speed and agility. Although unusual
in the UK, ‘Mixed Netball’ is popular in other countries,
(particularly Australia) and it was encouraging to see how
well fixtures worked with a mixed team.
Griffiths were the most consistent and ended up the
overall winners.
Netball Colours were awarded to Steph Twomey for
outstanding performances in attack and for being an
excellent captain. Twenty two players represented
Birkdale School during the year and each one deserves
congratulating in the part they played in a successful
season.
Mrs B Thaw
House Netball also involved mixed teams and resulted in
an unexpected winner. The majority of ‘A’ team girls were
in Heeley but in a very tight ‘round robin’ competition,
Sports Day
The Senior School Sports Day was held at the EIS in
Sheffield and this year it was won by Heeley House in
a tightly fought contest. There were some excellent
performances on the day with 3 school records being
broken:
S4 4 x 100m Relay record Asterley 51.74s
S2 60m Tom Simms 7.75s
S4 60m Obi Ezi 7.07s
The Victor Ludorum title was won by William Hardy and
the Victrix Ludorum was Sarah Bower.
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126
Prep School Sport
Cricket
The summer of 2012 saw the U11A team reach the
National Hardball Cricket Finals for the second time
in four years. A squad of 10 travelled down to Oakham
School in the final week of the summer term to take on
schools from all over Britain. Following a fantastic day’s
cricket, the boys finished seventh in the country having
faced close-fought encounters against other prestigious
schools including Millfield (Somerset), Whitgift (Surrey)
and Packwood Haugh (Shropshire). The staff who
accompanied them were immensely proud of their
efforts and everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed a day
that will live long in the memory.
U9 Cricket
This has been an outstanding season for the U9 cricket
squad. The whole year group has represented the school
and the A, B and C teams have played a total of 15
games, winning 13 of them.
During games lessons and after school training the boys
have worked really hard on their technique and have
quickly mastered many of the finer points of match
play. The fact that the whole year group plays so much
playground cricket and that so many of the boys play for
clubs outside of school, has helped immensely and made
my job a lot easier! The season began with a comfortable victory against
Bradford Grammar, which was quickly followed up by
2 victories against Silcoates on a baking hot day. The
B team travelled to Ranby House and managed to beat
their A team by 43 runs, which was a very encouraging
result.
The next game for the A team was against The Elms and,
despite a rather sluggish performance, the boys managed
to overcome their opponents by 63 runs and hopes were
beginning to rise for an unbeaten season. A close game
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against Nottingham High School went our way and the
winning run continued.
The whole year group travelled to York to play St
Olave’s and even with a rain storm, thoroughly enjoyed
themselves with the As and Bs gaining big wins and the
Cs narrowly losing in the final over. Unfortunately the
winning run came to an end against QEGS, where our
poorest batting display of the season cost us dear and in
a cracking game of cricket we lost by 25 runs.
This is an outstanding group of cricketers who show much
promise for the future. I am sure they will continue to
work really hard at their game and I look forward to seeing
them progress through the school. Very well played lads!
Mr Burch
U10 Cricket
The U10 cricket season began brightly with an
encouraging victory over Bradford Grammar School.
The team worked hard on their bowling throughout
the season and a number of boys improved their skills,
in particular the accuracy of their bowling, which has
seen a steady decline in the number of extras gifted to
the opposition. Victories against St Olave’s B, Stockport
and, in a cracker of a game, The Elms were largely built
on good work from the bowlers. There were a number
of useful spells over the year but the most consistent was
William Oakley, who has remained economical all year
and has led the wicket taking with 11 victims.
On the batting front Romir Singh has hit 101 runs
without being dismissed, including a beautiful 31*
against an excellent Nottingham High attack and a highly
entertaining 26* against Stockport. However, an over
reliance on the runs of Romir was exposed on occasions
when his services were required by Yorkshire and results
suffered, with defeats against Bronte House, Hymers
College, Nottingham High and GSAL. William Oakley,
Luke Whittington, Alex Darke and the much improved
In three different formats, the U11A cricketers played
19 matches, winning 12 and losing 7. In the longer
format, 20/20 or 16/16, they won 7 of 11 whereas in the
shortest format, the HMC Six-a-side with only five overs
per innings, they lost two out of three. Their exit after
the quarter-finals was compensated by a one-run win
over QEGS.
In the Yorkshire Hardball, the ‘paired’ format with 12
overs per innings and each wicket losing five runs, they
won 4 out of 5 (one of which was conceded). Having
reached Yorkshire Finals and beaten Bradford by 5 runs,
Areg Gotoh have the technique and some hard work in
the nets over the winter will prepare them to occupy the
crease alongside Romir come Prep 4.
In the B team, much of the play has mirrored that of the
A team, with again some steady bowling and work to be
done on the batting.
A personal thank you goes to Mr Depledge for all his help
this year.
Mr Dymock
U11A Cricket
only Ampleforth stood in the way of the ‘Yorkshire
Champions’ title for the second year running. Needing 7
off 9 balls, knowing that the last over was to be bowled
by an extremely fast county bowler, an unfortunate runout changed the target to 12 from 8, which proved too
much.
All four lost matches in the longer format were by narrow
margins, either single figure runs or last over finishes. All
were really good games of cricket played in an excellent
spirit.
Haroon Tariq led from the front by scoring 417 runs at
more than a run-a-ball followed by Cameron Hartley on
204 and Karan Salvi on 122. Tariq’s average was 32 and
he was also the leading wicket-taker with 14, closely
followed by Sam Beahan with 10 and Tom Robinson and
Mohith Koganti with 9 each. Lewis Farrell kept wicket
with great consistency and Lewis Roberts always gave
loyal support.
Mr Kirkham
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U11B Cricket
Following last year’s unbeaten season in pairs cricket,
this group of boys have had a bit of a reality check whilst
playing the longer form of the game. It took a while for
some of the squad to become accustomed to trudging
back to the pavilion as soon as they played a false shot.
Despite this, they managed to adapt reasonably well and
performed admirably as the season went on.
There have been a number of impressive displays, notably
the demolition jobs done on Stockport and Hymers. On
the flip side of this there were resounding defeats against
impressive sides from QEGS and Bradford. A real positive
however, has been that even in defeat the boys have
learnt things and many of them are now better players as
a result. The game against St Olave’s was a prime example
where, but for some indiscipline with the ball leading to
a few too many extras being conceded, a 2-run loss could
easily have been a victory.
Despite the boys still seeming more at home in the pairs
format of the game, I expect them to flourish next year
as they enter Senior School. There are many in this squad
who should be aiming to break into the ‘A’ team at U12
level whilst there should also be immense strength and
depth come 2014 in order to put out ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams.
It has been a very enjoyable year and I wish the boys
every success in S1!
Mr Cooper
section of the Cup, St Marie’s eliminating them on this
occasion. The annual Mylnhurst Invitational Tournament
proved a more welcoming opportunity for silverware and
the boys would duly oblige behind the inspirational goal
scoring form of football captain Karl Lűbs. The winter
break allowed for a recharge of batteries and the drawing
up of a battle plan for the year’s major event, the HMC
North of England Football Competition. Placed in a group
alongside Barnard Castle, hosts Hymers and Bronte
House, the boys would start slowly but progress was
confirmed with some impressive passing displays that
were beginning to draw admiring glances. The quarterfinal saw a match against sporting rivals QEGS. Despite
a size and strength disadvantage, the slick passing play
of the Birkdale boys saw them progress to a semi-final
against Leeds Grammar School, where a Ben Lowe goal
deep into injury time gave them a spot in the final. There
they would face defending champions RGS Newcastle,
the only other undefeated side in the competition. Once
more Karl Lűbs would have the satisfaction of lifting a
trophy having scored and created another for Lowe
leaving Birkdale an HMC Champion for the first time. The
season ended with an impressive victory over Stockport
thanks to a Ben Lowe hat-trick, and a thrilling 4-4 draw
with Hymers. Overall this was a tremendous season for a
very talented bunch of footballers.
Mr Dymock
Barlborough Festival and progressed very well from
there. Encouraging wins against S. Anselm’s and Bradford
Grammar filled us with optimism as we headed towards
a tough new fixture against Leeds Grammar School.
Although the A team lost heavily to a formidable Leeds
team, the B and C teams gained fantastic wins and all the
boys learnt a great deal playing such tough opposition.
We notched up further wins against Silcoates, Ranby
House and Hymers College, before the winter weather
interrupted the season.
Not playing for a few weeks because of snow was not
the best preparation for facing the toughest matches of
the season and the QEGS boys demonstrated just what a
tough game rugby is in giving us a lesson in rucking and
tackling. The Birkdale boys responded brilliantly to this
and went on to finish the season on a high with victories
against Nottingham High School. As we look forward to
next season, this year group can have great confidence.
Many thanks to the loyal band of parents who travelled
the length and breadth of Yorkshire supporting us. Thank
you also to Messrs Clark, Lockwood, Dymock and Cooper
for their help and support this year.
Well done, boys, good luck for next year.
U9 A,B & C Rugby
The diminutive yet skilful U11 team began their campaign
back in October, competing in both the Sheffield Schools
League and the preliminary stages of the English Schools
National Cup. With little outdoor practice behind them
they would finish runners up to deserving winners Nether
Green in their league section, while only goal difference
prevented them from progressing from the regional
This was a hugely successful season for the U9 age
group. For the first time in many years every single boy
in Prep 2 represented the school in a rugby match. In
total, the U9 A, B and C teams played 21 matches and
won 13 of these. This obviously bodes very well for the
future of both Prep and Senior School rugby.
The season began with 3 encouraging wins at the
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Mr Cooper
Mr Burch
U10A Rugby
Football
except for a mad three minutes where all of Leeds’ points
were scored, the Birkdale defence was unbelievable.
The boys put on a cracking show against a very spirited
Nottingham High side. Were it not for a last minute try,
Birkdale would have snatched their seventh victory of the
year in a wonderful rollercoaster of a game.
The 9-a-side season closed in traditional manner with a
rugby lesson from QEGS. Despite the score line, the boys
did all I could have asked of them.
The season ended with the Lyndhurst Sevens tournament.
The boys made it to the semi-final and gave everything
they had against Richmond House, but, try as they might,
we just couldn’t snatch a winning try and the game ended
5-5. Sadly a coin toss was used to send the unbeaten
Birkdale side home early.
Despite the heart-breaking ending, this season has
undoubtedly been a very successful one.
The season started off in brilliant manner with the first
five fixtures all won. A hard-fought victory over Bradford
was followed by a wonderful first-half display at Bronte
House that blew the opposition away. The second
half was less eventful setting a precedent for the year,
showing how the team could be outstanding at times and
lackadaisical at others.
We had further victories against Hill House, Silcoates and
S. Anselm’s. However the performance of the season was
at Leeds Grammar School. Leeds was a strong outfit but,
U11A Rugby
The rugby season began with the HMC VII’s Tournament
which gave the squad the opportunity to flex its muscles.
A place in the final group was well deserved; however
Leeds Grammar School and St Olaves proved formidable,
leaving Birkdale settling for a creditable third place. Other
early fixtures produced encouraging results and it would
be November before the team tasted narrow defeats at
the hands of Hymers and Ranby House.
January began with the Harrison Cup and once again
Birkdale struggled to overcome Leeds Grammar School
who blocked their progress. A few cancellations due to
snow were followed by a win against Nottingham High
School which served only to mask the disappointment of
130
defeat by rivals QEGS.
The conversion to the VII’s format was met with much
optimism. The Warwick Tournament saw Birkdale drawn
in a group with The Croft, winners of the U11 National
Schools Rugby Tournament. We couldn’t prevent them
from winning the group but settled for winning the Plate
section, excellent consolation given the high standard of
the tournament.
The season finished with mixed emotions. Birkdale
looked to defend the Lyndhurst VII’s Tournament and lift
the Elms VII’s Trophy. Having coasted through the group
stages, the boys overcame St Martin’s Ampleforth in a
great semi-final to set up a replay of last year’s final with
Hymers, who would prove too difficult to overcome.
Some fantastic Rugby was played and the season
contained some excellent moments. Thanks must go
to all boys involved and to Mr Depledge who provided
excellent support.
was better than ours and Leeds ran out deserved winners.
A big win against Silcoates followed before we clashed
with Hymers. In arguably the game of the season, every
boy involved played with great heart. This was by far the
best performance of the season as they each gave their
all in a fantastic 30-30 draw.
As good performance led to boys being promoted to
Mr Cooper’s A side, it was a changed side that lost to
Nottingham before the final game of the season saw the
boys face the mighty QEGS. In a funny game, Birkdale had
most of the ball but were still soundly beaten despite a
good performance.
Overall there were some great performances throughout
the team. The strength throughout the team should
ensure that next season is a positive one for the U11s as
a whole.
Mr Berry
process: RGS Newcastle, Ashville College, St Olaves and
the hosts, Leeds Grammar.
We had further notable victories in the 12-a-side games
against: Leeds Grammar, Nottingham High and Bradford
Grammar. However, either side of these victories were
a couple of tough losses against QEGS and Hymers. As
disappointing as these were the boys learnt a lot of
valuable lessons and could identify areas to improve
upon.
The success of the season has come with great reward to
certain individuals, with Sam Beahan, Ben Lowe, Ronan
Sahni and Karl Lubs all making the step up to play in the
A team at times.
Mr S Depledge
Cameron Hartley
Mr Dymock
Many congratulations to Cameron Hartley of P4O who has been
selected to play for the North of England’s Independent Schools’
Barbarians Rugby Team. Cameron attended the U11 trials at
Ampleforth College in September and obviously impressed the
selectors. Cameron has captained the Birkdale Prep U11 Rugby
Team this season and we are delighted for him that he has received
this recognition for the hard work he puts into his Rugby.
U11B Rugby
U10B Rugby
Having been relatively successful at U9 level, I inherited
an U10B team with promise and ability. It soon became
clear there was pace in the team and they had a good
balance with strength and depth. The first fixture saw
the boys travel to Bradford Grammar School in optimistic
mood and they used this positive attitude to pull off a
resounding victory.
We returned to West Yorkshire in November to face
Leeds Grammar School who proved to be much tougher
opponents. The rucking and tackling of the opposition
131
This has been a very successful season for the U11B
team. The results and performances on the pitch have
been to a very high standard but, along with this, the
development and inclusion of a number of individuals
has been the most pleasing aspect of the campaign.
The season kicked off with a very impressive start by
beating Bradford Grammar 64-0 away. The score line
was a little unexpected but the performance on the pitch
warranted it and gave the boys a lot of confidence for the
upcoming games. The highlight of the season was to come
next with us being crowned HMC Rugby 7s Champions.
This was a great achievement as we had done no specific
7s training ahead of this as we were in the middle of
the 12-a-side season. This success was made even more
impressive by the calibre of opposition we beat in the
Basketball
Birkdale Prep School has continued to take part in the
monthly Derbyshire Arrows Local Central Venue leagues.
The Under 11 and Under 12 teams are grouped together
for these games meaning our Prep 4 teams have often
played against older teams. It has been encouraging to
see how the boys have responded to this demanding
challenge. This has led to some excellent performances
throughout the season and should stand them in good
stead next year.
Tom Robinson, Cameron Hartley, Lewis Farrell, Lewis
Roberts and Corben Ollivent combined to form a very
competitive unit and have all been talent spotted by the
Arrows Basketball Club.
During this season, for the first time ever, we have been
able to put together 4 teams at some tournaments
offering even more boys a chance to play. Fielding two
Under 9 teams at times has shown we have strength
and depth at that age group. Strong and consistent
performances from our younger players have shown the
future is in safe hands.
It has been a very enjoyable and encouraging year on the
basketball court with numbers of boys taking part as high
as it has ever been.
Mr A Oakey
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Ronan Sahni
Congratulations to Ronan Sahni for receiving a Silver
medal in the International Orienteering Competition.
Ronan took part in a 5 day International Orienteering
Competition which was held in Istanbul, Turkey. He was
asked to present the Union Flag at the opening ceremony
where all 26 flags were represented and then joined
together and displayed on each of the 5 days.
During the event Ronan ran around a predetermined
course with the aid of a map and compass. There were over
700 competitors from 26 different countries participating
at the event. Each day was held at a different location
around Istanbul with days in both Europe and Asia. Ronan
held his cool during
the final day sprint
event. He took the
silver medal behind
a Russian but in
front of a Ukrainian
competitor in the
Boys 10 and under
category.
HMC Cross-Country
A team of ten travelled to Barlborough Hall determined
to defend their crown won last year. The U10 race took
place first and Birkdale finished 9th out of the 11 schools,
although pleasingly, of the 50 entrants all of our runners
finished inside the top 35 including Alex Darke (12th)
and Finlay Barnett (15th).
The main event of the afternoon saw 54 boys take part
in the U11 race. Despite a valiant attempt Birkdale were
pipped at the post by Bradford Grammar and Lyndhurst.
With four of the five runners’ scores to count, it was
pleasing that Birkdale’s qualifiers all finished strongly
allowing the boys to pick up the bronze medal. Only Ben
Lowe (10th) broke into the top ten but elsewhere Karl
Lűbs (15th), George Wood (19th) and Tom Clarke (20th)
all finished in the top 20.
Following last year’s cancellation due to horrific
weather, the story couldn’t have been more different in
2013 as the sun shone and there was hardly a cloud in
the sky at the HSBC Sports Ground in Dore.
In their House groups, the boys took part in eight events
throughout the afternoon: 50m, 55m hurdles, 400m,
shot putt, long jump, triple jump, javelin and cricket
ball throw, collecting points for each activity to count
for the individual competitions and House competition.
Every boy that took part did so in the right spirit and the
encouragement for each other was fantastic to see.
The House competition was dominated by Osborn with
Roberts in second followed by Westbury and then Martin.
Individually there were some fantastic performances.
Andrew Charlish dominated the Prep 1 competition
Prep Sports Day
whilst Freddie Parlby won the Prep 2 award. In Prep 3
standings were very close as Will Smith narrowly defeated
Damon Geering to the trophy. Prep 4 saw a wonderful
competition with the top 3 separated by just 18 points.
Corben Ollivent had set a fantastic new school record in
the hurdles with a time of 9.34s and he finished in third
place. George Wood put in a superb all-round display to
finish second but it was George Tupholme who became
the P4 Victor Ludorum winner, ensuring he has now won
the competition every year in the Prep department.
The only other school record broken was in the cricket
ball throw as Sam Beahan threw 41.5m to break the old
record by over a metre.
The day ended in great fashion with the Prep 4 House
Tug-O-War competition which was again won by Osborn,
this time narrowly defeating Westbury in the final.
It was a fantastic day!
Swimming Gala
This year the House Competition went down to the last
race before it was decided with reigning champions
Osborn and Martin still in the hunt. Sadly for the latter,
Roberts won the P4 relay meaning that, for the second
year in a row, Osborn retained their crown.
Roberts managed to win the final race in a new school
record of 1 minute, 13.19 seconds, knocking over three
seconds off the previous record. The only other record
broken was in the P1 relay where Roberts again knocked
over three seconds off the previous best with a time of 1
minute 45.91 seconds.
The individual prizes were very close in all four year
groups. The P1 award was shared by Monty Sharp-O’Reilly
and Tim Burton while in P2 Charlie Flann retained his
crown. The P3 trophy was a close-run thing as no single
boy won more than one race but Luke Richards grabbed
the title thanks to an impressive all round display.
This year’s P4 have immense strength in depth and no
fewer than five boys had a genuine chance of winning the
individual prize but it was Ronan Sahni who took home
the glory, narrowly pushing George Wood into second
place.
133
As well as a trophy, this earned Ronan a place in the
charity race, the traditional finale to proceedings. The
staff lined up ready for a breaststroke race but sadly
for our previously unbeaten swimming coach Mr Mills,
Ronan took it upon himself to swim front crawl and won,
relegating his coach to second with Mr Dymock third,
followed by Messrs Cooper, Burch and Berry. A great
ending to a great afternoon.
134
Pre Prep Sports Day
The forecast was decidedly iffy. We were not destined
to enjoy the glorious sunshine of last year’s sports day.
However, the Pre-Prep are made of strong stuff and we
all piled onto the coaches in anticipation of a fantastic
afternoon at the HSBC ground.
As usual Mr Dymock had organised everything beautifully.
The boys were divided into Houses and then into smaller
teams. Each team included boys from each year group
and they all competed together to win points for their
team and their House.
There were lots of events for the boys to enjoy: broad
jump, hurdles, bean bag throwing, an obstacle course,
ball throwing, football and rugby skills, to name but a
135
few. It was lovely to hear the boys cheering each other
on.
When they had completed all of the activities, Mr Dymock
totted up the points to find the winner. Miss Harrison’s
team of zebras were the victors and the winning House
was Westbury.
Parents took their tired and happy children home and
thankfully the rain arrived too late to spoil what was a
wonderful afternoon. Thank you to all of the parents
and grandparents who turned up the cheer the boys on.
Special thanks go to Mr Dymock for all of the hard work
he put into the event.
136
The Academy is based at the Hallamshire Tennis & Squash club,
offering tennis coaching for all ages and standards.
As Sheffield’s premier tennis coaching provider, we uphold the values
of PASSION, HONESTY and ENJOYMENT in tennis.
We teach our players the importance of fair play, good etiquette,
and competition and are fortunate to have Wimbledon Men’s Doubles
Champion and LTA Fairplay Ambassador Jonny Marray as a role model
for The Academy.
Group coaching starts at £6.30 per hour,
with the first session FREE!
For further information contact The Academy
call: 0114 266 2153
email: info@academytennis.co.uk
www.hallamshireacademyoftennis.co.uk
The Local Choice
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Claremont Hospital T: 0114 2632115
137
Thornbury Hospital T: 0114 2674574
www.sheffieldorthopaedics.com
Silver
£49
Sapphire &
Diamond
18ct White Gold
£1,150
Nicole
Barr
Sapphire &
Enamel
Silver
£250
Titanium
£49
18ct Gold
£4,995
Silver
£39
Caption
CZ Silver
£42
Ruby &
Diamond
18ct White Gold
£1,650
Titanium
£60
9ct
£495
Cushion Cut
Diamonds
£4,400
Certified D Colour
VS2 Clarity
18ct Two colour Gold
£1,265
9ct
£250
3.12cts
£65,000
2.65cts
£19,950
Palladium
£550
OMEGA
18ct Gold
Pre-owned
£1,395
Sapphire & Diamond 18ct
£2,200
Ruby & Diamond 18ct
£3,100
2.00cts
£4,995
Titanium & Silver
£130
18ct
£1,895
£24
Tanzanite
6.43cts
£5,995
Princess Cut
1.50cts
Platinum
£9,995
Silver
£139.50
Platinum
£6,200
PA JEWELLERY
THE OLD BANK, 23 COMMONSIDE, SHEFFIELD, S10 1GD
TEL: (0114) 266 9253
OPENING TIMES: 10am - 6pm Mon - Fri • 9am - 6pm Sat
- LATE SHOPPING WEDNESDAYs
From the roundabout below the University, take the road marked
Walkley & St. George’s Hospital, go straight up through the
traffic lights and we are at the brow of the hill on the left.
£79
FREE CAR PARK OPPOSITE STORE
£2,080
www.pajewellery.com
£164
Birkdalian 2012–2013