here - The King`s School in Macclesfield

Headmaster's
Report
Contents
Headmaster’s Report
1
Hail & Farewell
3
Academic Departments 6
Events & Activities
50
Infant and Junior
60
Rugby
66
Hockey
74
Cricket
79
Other Sport
85
Into the 2012 Cauldron
95
Awards & Prizes
96
Front cover and main spread photographs
of King’s Norway expedition by Jim Street
One year on from my return to King’s,
I can honestly say that I have never
worked harder nor been happier in my
professional life. And it is that ethos
of hard work and personal satisfaction that I want to encourage here at
King’s. ‘A proper sense of self worth
and an appropriate commitment to
self improvement’, is my aspiration for
all of our community.
School years are sometimes about
extremes and contrasts. They are, to
steal a phrase from Dickens, occasionally about, ‘the best of times and the
worst of times’. And we experienced
both this year. The double tragedies of
losing our Deputy Head David Pook
and Alex Anderson, a student new to
the Lower Sixth, made us all reflect on
what is important in life and encouraged us not to take things for granted.
But like all tragedies, they also helped
bring out the best in our community:
the camaraderie and sensitivity of
my colleagues, the generosity and
understanding of our parents and the
thorough decency of the pupils we
are privileged to teach.
Counterpoints to tragedy abounded and are sadly too numerous to
detail here. But I defy any school to
provide more entertaining and high
quality musical drama than the productions of ‘Sherlock’ and the Junior
Department’s superb ‘Annie’. The
Infant Department treated us to the
unlikely ‘Eddie the Penguin Saves the
World’ with my favourite number of
the year: ‘It’s good to be me.’ (‘I don’t
want to be a bad wolf any more’ from
Year 4’s ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ was
a close second.) We were thrilled on
the touchlines with some tremendous
sport and there can be fewer more
impressive baptisms into the sporting life of our school than the annual
pre-season King’s Rugby Festival, so
ably masterminded by Guy Mason,
our Head of Rugby. This event typifies so much that is great about our
school: the fantastic teamwork of Guy,
his rugby colleagues, our grounds and
catering staff, all working with Macclesfield Rugby Club to host an event
that draws teams from as far afield as
Bristol and Leeds and sees in excess
of 700 young sportsmen gathering on
the Derby Fields before term has even
begun.
All of this speaks to the commitment and dedication of the teaching
and support staff here at King’s; to
the thirst for adventure of a Jim Street
and an Andrew Puddephatt who took
four weeks out of the summer break
to lead 24 of our Sixth Formers on a
World Challenge Expedition to India;
to Jo Beesley and Simon Mercer who
led a party of 57 for the Foundation
Choir Tour to Malta, and to those
rugby players again, 55 of whom
spent three weeks on tour in Canada.
Closer to home, a huge operation
supports our Duke of Edinburgh
Award programme masterminded by
Paul Bartle, and ably supported by a
fabulous team of superbly well-qualified and ambitious colleagues, whose
commitment to education beyond
the classroom is second to none.
Last year saw the retirement of a
number of long-serving colleagues including Christine Harrison, Margaret
Gartside and David Marshall. Sarah
Mounteney returned to her former
school, Withington Girls’, as Head
of Mathematics and Colin Richards
departed to explore new pastures in
the educational and business worlds.
I want to thank all of our leavers
for their contributions to the life of
King’s and I want to acknowledge a
personal debt of gratitude to Christine Harrison for the support she
offered me as Director of Admissions
and unofficial mentor in my first year
as Head. No one has deserved her
retirement more and I know that we
were all relieved to learn that Christine’s husband, David, is making a
strong recovery from his illness.
David Pook’s boots were always
going to be difficult to fill, but I am
confident that we have met the
challenge, and not only because we
have appointed two deputy heads.
Characterised by the ‘Good Schools’
Guide’ as ‘young energetic types’,
both were appointed from extremely
strong fields. Toby Seth joins us from
Godolphin and Latymer School in
London, where he was an assistant
head responsible for IT and school
organisation. Educated at Dulwich
College and Cambridge, Toby teaches
French and Spanish and will be
responsible for ‘Development’, a
flexible and evolving portfolio that
will allow the senior management
team to respond to the challenges of
a constantly changing educational environment. Richard Griffiths, our new
academic deputy, arrives from Bolton
School where he ran the school’s
English department. With a First in
English from Cambridge, Richard will
lead the academic side at King’s and
encourage us to aspire to ever-higher
levels of attainment in a demanding
and highly competitive world. Finally,
1
Headmaster's
Report
Caroline Johnson joins the senior
management team as Director of External Relations. Continuing our habit
of recruiting from amongst the best of
our local community, Caroline grew up
in Macclesfield and went to Birmingham University, before starting her
career in public relations and marketing. With a broad experience outside
schools, I am confident that Caroline
will build on Christine Harrison’s fine
legacy.
There are three other new appointments that I want to mention. I do so
because they will offer some idea of
the changes that the school is currently embarking on and the strength
of the Foundation’s investment in our
future. Each appointment is to a new
role and, in time, I know that each individual will make a key contribution
to the development of the life of the
school. The first is Natalie Davis, who
joins us as Head of Learning Support.
The second is Christopher Skelton,
who joins us in October as Director
of ICT Support and the third is Chris
Thomson, who will start in January
2013 as Director of Sport. It was in a
radio broadcast in 1941 that Churchill
demanded: ‘Give us the tools and
we will finish the job’. In schools, the
most important ‘tools’ we have are
our colleagues and I am convinced
that the future of King’s can only benefit from this fresh injection of energy
and talent.
Schools are often full of unsung
heroes and I’d like to take this opportunity to repeat the compliment
I paid to our Governing Body at this
2
year’s Prize Giving. Arthur Dicken, our
Chairman, has proven himself a tireless champion of the school, generous
with his time and advice, always supportive of his novice headmaster and
capable of stewarding a Board of considerable size and pronounced opinions. King’s is fortunate to have such
a fine group of volunteer servants and
we have been delighted to welcome
three new members over the last year.
Two are parents: Juliette White, who
brings to us considerable HR experience from her role at Astra-Zeneca,
and Mike Strutt, whose financial
acumen will further strengthen the essential scrutiny of our business plans.
We also welcome Cllr Alift Harewood,
the Mayor of Macclesfield. Buttressing
the long-standing connection of the
school with the town has been an important focus of my first year as Head
and I have been delighted that a large
number of our pupils have recently
contributed to the town centre development consultation. King’s can but
benefit from the regeneration of Macclesfield and I have been just as keen
to emphasise the substantial advantages to the town of having a thriving
independent school at its heart.
At last year’s Prize Giving, I made
reference to a phrase from Robert
Kennedy’s speech in 1966 when he
talked about ‘tiny ripples of hope’
merging together to sweep away injustice. I identified our prize-winners as
our tiny ripples of hope as they make
their way through life. This summer, if
we believe some of our newspapers,
the authorities have been seeking to
dam up these ripples as examination
standards have been tightened and
grade boundaries raised. How pleasing it is, therefore, to be able to report
that our brightest students at GCSE
have breached the government levees
and achieved our best ever results at
the top grades, with over a third of
all entries at A* and two-thirds at A*
or A. The foundations of this success lie in hard work: the hard work
of pupils in preparing for the exams,
the hard work of my colleagues in
teaching them, and the hard work of
our parents without whose support
none of the above would be possible.
So it should come as no secret that
top of my agenda in taking the school
forward will be to improve still further
our working ethos, as pupils, teachers
and managers. I believe that ‘working hard at work worth doing’ is the
key to a happy and fulfilled life and I
also believe that being smart, looking
smart and working smart are absolutely compatible with enjoying yourself
and having fun.
The 2011-2012 Academic Year,
despite moments of personal tragedy,
has, I think, been a seminal one for
the school. Identifying what needs
to be done is, of course, much easier
than actually doing it, but there has
never been a better time to plan the
future of our school. The following pages will testify to our current
strength and vitality: the following
years will set us the challenge of
achieving still more.
Simon Hyde
Hail & Farewell
Hail
Welcome to the following members
of staff, who joined King’s during the
academic year 2011 – 2012:
Joanne Anderson joined King’s as
Principal of the Girls’ Division. She
graduated in French with Italian from
the University of Leeds where she
also completed a PGCE in French and
a Masters in Secondary Curriculum
Management. She joined us from the
Manchester Grammar School where
she had been Deputy Head of the
Sixth Form since 2007. She enjoys
playing the flute and piano, swimming
and walking.
Claire Aspinall joined as a Physics
Teacher. She graduated in Geophysics
from Liverpool University and worked
as a geophysicist and a management
consultant for many years before
undertaking a PGCE. She is a keen fell
runner and rock climber and has also
played hockey at county level.
Emma Blackburn became the Senior
Subject Teacher for Maths in the Boys’
Division. She is a Mathematics graduate from the University of Sheffield
and completed a PGCE in Secondary
Mathematics at MMU. She was Head of
Maths at Streatham & Clapham High
School for Girls for five years. Her
interests include dance, yoga, puzzles
and logic games.
Simon Hyde became the new Head
on the retirement of Stephen Coyne.
He joined us from Haberdashers’
Aske’s Boys’ School where he was
Deputy Head of Development for
seven years. He is a former pupil of
King’s and graduated in Modern History at Christ Church, Oxford, where
he also completed his doctorate.
Samantha John joined the English
department. She graduated in English
Studies from the University of Nottingham, completed a PGCE at MMU and
has a Masters in Psychology of Education. She previously taught at Cheadle
Hulme School for over three years.
She enjoys listening to music and has
recently started to play the acoustic
guitar.
Caroline Johnson joined King’s in
June as the Director of External Relations. She graduated in Geography
from the University of Birmingham
followed by a Postgraduate Diploma
in Marketing with the Chartered
Institute of Marketing. She previously
worked for the University Hospital
of South Manchester NHS Trust at
Wythenshawe Hospital as the Senior
Communications and Engagement
Manager. She enjoys art and photography, as well as yoga and spending time
outdoors with her three children.
Simon Patrick joined as a Biology
teacher. He recently completed a
PGCE at MMU and undertook a PhD in
Physiology, having graduated in Biology at the University of Nottingham. His
interests include playing football and
squash, cycling, climbing and horseriding. He also played rugby at county
level and for his university team.
Rebecca Pavey joined the Science
department as a Part-time Chemistry teacher. She previously taught at
Loughborough Grammar School. She
graduated in Chemistry with French
at the University of Liverpool, undertook a PhD in Organic Chemistry and
completed a PGCE in Science at the
University of Cambridge. She enjoys
walking, interior design, and playing
the violin and piano.
Gareth Steele is another former
pupil of King’s. He joined us as a Parttime Design and Technology teacher
on the retirement of Dave Gee. He is a
graduate in Design & Technology with
Education, has QTS from Sheffield
Hallam University and has been teaching for the last four years at New Mills
School. His hobbies include surfing,
walking, mountaineering and camping.
He also plays the tuba in brass bands.
Lucy Talbot joined us as a Geography
teacher. She previously taught at Walkden High School. She is a graduate
in Geography from the University of
Manchester and completed her PGCE
at Cambridge University. Her interests
include long-distance running, swimming and scuba-diving.
Sarah Wilcock replaced Louise
Wilkinson as a Library Assistant at
Cumberland Street. She joined us
after leaving her post as a Library Assistant at HMP Styal. She graduated in
Business Administration from Cardiff
University and took a Postgraduate
Diploma in Human Resource Management at the University of Glamorgan.
She enjoys reading, gardening, sewing
and yoga.
We were also joined by the following coaches: Nick Barker – Junior
games; Nigel Croke – hockey; Rich
Jones – rugby; Charlie Mulchrone
– rugby; Andy Taylor – hockey; Fred
Slater – cricket; James Crosthwaite
– cricket; Jonny Marsden - cricket
We also welcomed Justine Chevallier as
a French Language Assistant, Christina
Preuß as a German Language Assistant,
and Rod Layana as a Spanish Language
Assistant.
We also said hail and farewell to
Jonathan Marshall who joined King’s
as a Gap Year Administration Assistant
and Rugby Coach in September 2011.
Johnty was a former pupil of King’s
and gained varied experience at King’s
prior to taking up his graduate career
in Materials Science at St Andrews University. His expertise and enthusiasm
helped him to provide an invaluable
service to many staff across the Foundation and he was much appreciated
by colleagues. His good humour and
intellect will be greatly missed and we
wish him all the best in his studies.
Farewell
Liz Auger
Liz began her association with King’s
in 2005 when she started the Infant
and Junior Division After School Club,
which was quickly followed by the
Holiday Club. Over eight years, Liz
developed, led and managed a thriving
facility which offered an invaluable service. Her dedicated work with children
was appreciated by all and regularly
acknowledged by parents. In addition,
she produced the polished and very
professional ‘First Class’, a magazine
for the Infant and Junior Divisions. Liz
left King’s to care for her elderly parents; she will be sorely missed by our
community.
CHM
Emma Blackburn
Emma joined us from Streatham &
Clapham High School for Girls and
moved on after a year in the Maths department, where she worked as Senior
Subject Teacher. We wish her well as
she goes on to pastures new.
SH
Carol Dewhurst
Carol worked at King’s for nine years.
She began working as a teaching as3
Hail & Farewell
sistant but her methodical approach
and generous personality meant that
soon she moved on to lead Careers in
the Girls’ Division. She developed numerous initiatives within the Division,
raised the profile of Careers, inspired
the girls to be ambitious and was a
great asset. She accompanied school
trips at home and abroad, raised
money for charity, created the ‘Quiet
Garden’, tended plants around the
building, and even gave home-grown
tomatoes to the staff. Carol will be
sorely missed by teaching and support
staff alike: we wish her well in her new
ventures.
EPO
Caroline Jeans
Following her fixed term contract,
Caroline left us to take up a contract at
Stockport Grammar School, teaching a
Year 3 class. She showed great commitment and dedication to the children
and the school; we wish her every success and happiness for the future.
CHM
Margaret Gartside
Margaret retired from her post as
Head of Learning Support for the
Foundation. After accumulating a huge
range of experience at many schools,
Margaret joined King’s in 1996 as a
part-time Chemistry and General Science teacher in the Boys’ Division. She
left in 1999, when she began building
on her previous experience in the
Learning Support field with courses
associated with dyslexia. She rejoined
the school as the Head of Learning
Support, where she helped pupils with
their learning needs throughout the
Foundation. Margaret was particularly
patient with pupils and proved to be
an excellent listener to their needs and
concerns. Margaret also contributed
significantly to extra-curricular activities in the school, especially the Duke
of Edinburgh schemes, accompanied
many school trips and was a highly
valued member of the School Choir.
We wish her well in her retirement.
PCP
Christine Harrison
Christine joined the Maths department
in 1995, some years before the present
HoD arrived. When he was appointed,
the HoD was told that Christine was a
real live wire and a great asset to the
department. However, his excitement
was soon doused, as it transpired that
Christine was in great demand in Admissions, having considerable aplomb
4
as a recruitment officer for young
minds. Gradually, the ‘live wire’ was
disconnected from the Maths department.
When Christine became Head of
Admissions on Keith Aikin’s retirement
in September 2000, it swiftly became
clear that her determination to view
the Admissions process from a parent’s perspective assisted families to
feel valued as individuals and encouraged them to see the strengths of the
King’s community. Never willing to
make do with second best, Christine’s
passion for King’s and its ethos, in
conjunction with her understanding of
sales and marketing, have been much
appreciated by colleagues and parents
alike. Her brilliantly creative mind,
coupled with Michael Patey-Ford’s outstanding design skills, enabled King’s
to build a very distinctive and effective
brand – much admired and envied by
others!
It says a great deal about Christine’s
strengths as a teacher and original
thinker, that she was able to continue
to make incisive contributions to departmental policy and teaching praxis
while rushing backwards and forwards
between sites (mostly on her bicycle
with the charming basket) holding
down two jobs. It must be unique that
the same person can be both a senior
figure in the School’s management
structure, the kingpin for bringing
a steady supply of applicants to the
school and an active and fully engaged
classroom practitioner. Christine was
always a hit with the girls: she instilled
confidence in her subject and was dedicated in her care of her classes. Whilst
being pragmatic and, in many ways, a
traditional thinker, Christine was also
able to embrace new teaching ideas.
Christine will be much missed, not
only in the Maths classrooms but also
in the corridors of power!
PJC/JI
David Marshall
Dave joined King’s 12 years ago and
gave a huge amount to the department in that time. He successfully
weathered the whimsical decisions
that dragged us kicking and screaming
through more versions of GCSE Maths
than a pentagon has sides, with the ever-changing textbooks to match! Dave
could always be relied upon to steer
the middle path, delivering demonstrably good teaching and gaining the
respect of his many pupils as he did
so. He was consistently the foil against
which the rest of us could maintain
our increasingly fragile sanity. Dave set
standards to which the rest of us could
only aspire; his imposing yet good natured presence - and his chuckles - will
be missed, both at Cumberland Street
and Fence Avenue.
PJC
Francesca McArthur
Francesca joined King’s in 2006 on a
temporary maternity cover. She made
such a positive impression that she
was offered the position of Careers
Officer and was still at King’s six years
later. Francesca worked tirelessly to
arrange work placements and seek out
careers information for pupils in the
Boys’ Division and 6th Form. She provided invaluable support and advice
to students applying to university and
was clearly delighted when students
were happily placed at the university
of their choice.
Francesca had an encyclopedic
knowledge of students and families
at King’s and was never too busy to
help them. She gave her time freely
to support the work of the school in
many areas, including the Duke of
Edinburgh award scheme, and her
two children, Robin and Sarah, were a
welcome addition to the school.
Francesca leaves us with ‘Grand Designs’ and we wish her and Neil every
happiness.
RHR
Colin Richards
We say goodbye to Colin after 12 years
at King’s. Colin was based at Fence
Avenue, managing the D&T department and organising all the activities
for the girls. He had a major impact
on the development of the facilities in
that time, creating two well-equipped
and functional workshops from which
the girls produced a huge range of
high quality products. His examination
successes at GCSE were a real reward
for his teaching talents. Colin had an
eye for detail and encouraged students
to go the extra mile in the search for
quality in both their written work and
their practical work. He was responsible for teaching the school’s first
two Arkwright Scholars, who went on
to considerable success at university.
Colin was also an effective Head of
Year, took part in ski trips and accompanied Rhineland trips.
Colin left to pursue a new career
and we wish him well in all his future
endeavours.
JN
Hail & Farewell
Valete
David Pook 1963-2012
David Pook joined King’s as Deputy
Head in September 2004, following
a distinguished career as a teacher of
Religion and Philosophy at Kingston
Grammar School and as Head of
Department, Head of Sixth Form and
Director of Studies at Churcher’s College. His rapid promotion suggested
the abilities from which King’s and its
pupils would in turn benefit.
David was a charismatic and inspiring teacher. Pupils greatly enjoyed his
lessons and achieved very high standards under his guidance. He could
stretch and stimulate the most able
pupil, but he also showed exceptional
gifts when teaching those who otherwise tended to be less interested: for
such pupils, results in Religious Studies were well above those achieved in
any other subject. David’s erudition
and his versatility as a teacher were
shown by his teaching beyond his first
subject: at King’s, he also taught Latin,
English and A Level Philosophy, and he
brought his unique qualities to each of
them.
David’s faith was of central importance to him. It informed his teaching and his approach to wider school
life. His enthusiastic fostering of the
Christian discussion group, Crossfire,
was typical of him. It is not easy to
persuade young people that earnest
discussion of ethical and theological
issues is the best way to spend a lunch
hour, but David’s passionate and entertaining approach caused Crossfire
to flourish. He was also an interested
and enthusiastic supporter of a wide
range of extra-curricular activity, sport,
music, drama and social events, such
as dinners and balls.
In recording David’s immensely
worthy characteristics, one is far from
capturing the man himself. There was
something of the Renaissance Man
about David, in his knowledge of
philosophy, in his ability as a writer,
and lately a poet, and in his acting and
directing skills: among the projects
that he had in mind even near the end
of his life was a fervent wish to direct
a play at King’s, as he had many times
elsewhere. Above all, David was great
fun. He had a shining intellect and
exceptionally ready wit. It was enormously entertaining to be in David’s
company. His charisma was such that
he could get away with things that
would have seemed outrageous in
others. David’s Sixth Form assemblies
could be weighty and wrestle with
theological matters, but he also sang
Tom Lehrer songs, including the wonderfully tasteless ‘Poisoning Pigeons in
the Park’, and, on another occasion,
his own version of Cole Porter’s ‘Let’s
Do It’, in which he thought of humorous ways in which every member of
staff present might be expected to fall
in love. There can be few teachers who
would have had the nerve to undertake these performances and even
fewer who could have done so without
causing offence to their audience.
Pupils’ comparisons of David with
figures from popular culture were
invariably affectionate and often telling. They likened him to Tigger, a
reflection of his bubbling enthusiasm
and refusal to be daunted by adversity,
and to Buzz Lightyear, not just because
of his impressive chin, but also in
recognition of his boyish enthusiasm
and his delightful tendency to aim for
the stars.
Towards the end of his life, David
faced the likely, and then the inevitable, outcome with remarkable
optimism and good cheer. Visiting
David in hospital was an extraordinary
experience. He had formed immediate warm relationships with staff and
fellow patients, and the affection that
they all felt for David was clear. David
sadly had several stays in hospital, but
they did not dull his spirit or his intellect. His light reading included works
of Christian philosophy, and there is
no doubt that he found continuing
strength and support in his faith.
David will leave an unbridgeable
gap in the lives of his family, friends,
colleagues and pupils. Everyone at
King’s is greatly indebted to him. Although the School must now manage
without his unique gifts, his legacy will
continue, for example in the School’s
further development of approaches to
teaching and learning, but above all in
the enormous impact that David had
on individual colleagues and pupils.
THA/SES
5
Academic
Departments
Art
The Art Department hosted its series
of Life Drawing evening classes during the autumn term for 6th form art
students. We retained the services
of our excellent life-model, Stuart,
and students extended the academic
side of their drawing to support their
Human Form project. A large number
of students attended the course and
gained so much from it, that they continued their studies at Macclesfield
College as a night class. The course
was a great success and we intend to
continue to work with Stuart in the
next academic year.
In October, we had two lucky
art students, Briseis Preston and
Emma Smyth (pictured), selected
to participate in the highly prestigious ‘Young Artists in Tuscany’ tour,
only open to the very best 6th form
artists from across Cheshire. Staying in a monastery in Castiglionchio,
the students toured around Tuscany,
taking in such inspirations as Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Arezzo
and San Sepulchro. The week was a
whirlwind of unique first-hand experiences of drawing, painting, making,
eating pasta and gelato, making new
friends and talking well into the night!
Above all, there was awe, wonder and
experiences that will stay with Emma
and Briseis for a very long time. After
the trip, they made regular visits to
Queen’s Park High School in Chester,
to extend the work that they did on
the tour. This culminated in an exhibition at the Contemporary Art Space
Chester, the University of Chester's
gallery space, in May. It was an inspiring event and a fitting showcase for
the work of these highly talented
students.
London
In December, 6th form artists spent
two days in London, visiting various
museums and galleries. This trip
enabled students to see at first-hand
works of art and craft, making their
research work far more pertinent
and insightful. The highlights this
year included a visit to the British
Museum’s exhibition ‘The Tomb of
the Unknown Craftsman’, which
was organized by Grayson Perry
and included many pieces of his
work. The exhibition was extremely
thought-provoking and was a wonderful opportunity to consider the curration process. Once again the Tate
Modern was visited. Year 12 students
took this opportunity to continue
their independent research on the
Human Form, and Year 13 pursued
their personal investigations linked to
their practical work. Students visited
the permanent exhibitions as well
as the specialist exhibitions showing
the work of Gerhard Richter and the
Tacita Dean film in the Turbine Hall.
As this was a two-day visit, students were able to enjoy a riverboat
trip, taking in the sights of London
architecture, in between visits to the
Tate Modern and the V&A. Once at
the V&A, they were able to visit the
‘Power of Making’ Exhibition, which
focused on the role of the maker and
contemporary practice, as well as visiting the permanent exhibitions and
pursuing their independent studies.
This crucial trip provided an excellent
opportunity for students to gather
information - written and visual – to
inform and influence their practice at
school. As always, they were exemplary ambassadors for the school and
everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable
time, returning with sketchbooks full
of ideas.
DAT
Object of Desire, embroidered panel, Charlotte James Y12
6
Academic
Departments
Drama Productions
Fence Avenue hall was transformed
by Mrs Richards and Mrs Campbell,
with the help of a team of girls, into
an exotic and opulent environment
for the production of ‘Arabian Nights.’
Rich jewel-coloured fabrics inspired
the Bedouin tent scenes and the audience was transported to faraway lands
with the desert sunset backdrop.
Girls had lots of fun creating some
inspirational props including a fantasy
rainbow-feathered bird.
Albrecht Dürer’s prints of Victorian
England were a huge inspiration for
the set of the Cumberland Street production of The Revenge of Sherlock
Holmes. The art department supported dramatists with another fantastic
set, evoking an atmosphere in keeping with the period and many Year 8
boys worked enthusiastically on the
production. Special mention must be
made of Alex Moore in Year 10, who,
as stage manager, not only had to
keep the show running smoothly but
also had the job of co-ordinating the
efforts of both art and drama, which
was no mean feat!
Conwy
Once again, the Art Department
secured places for Year 10 students
on the highly competitive Art Enrichment Weekend for selected pupils
throughout Cheshire (pictured
below). Local artists, teachers and
makers use the local landscape and
run workshops, whilst students experience a wide range of techniques
Molly Bessell Y7
including plaster casting, large-scale
portraiture, etching and landscape
painting. Students are challenged and
inspired, not only by teachers, but
also their peers. This is a wonderful
opportunity to experience mixing
with students from other schools,
to meet and work with new teachers and experience and try out new
ways of working. The work produced
is always inspiring and is often used
to influence students’ further studies at GCSE. The high quality work
produced by the Year 10 pupils was
exhibited at the Sixth Form Art Exhibition.
DAT
On the day the Olympic torch visited
Macclesfield, Year 10 artists were off
to Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.
Pupils toured the house where they
were able to view the Duke and
Duchess of Devonshire’s eclectic
mix of art, ranging from a contemporary, Michael Craig-Martin computer portrait to traditional, ancient,
oriental pottery. In the grounds of
Chatsworth, pupils experienced the
special exhibition of Anthony Caro’s
monumental sculptures. All pupils are
to be congratulated on their efforts to
record their experiences visually on
what turned out to be an extremely
wet day!
The success of the examination
students was celebrated in the End
of Year shows throughout May and
June. The GCSE exhibitions were of
an incredibly high standard and the
range of works on display expands
with every year. Students exhibited
particularly impressive works in painting, glass, ceramics, digital media and
textiles and the work filled the Art
Departments at both Fence Avenue
and Cumberland Street. The exhibitions provided a perfect opportunity
for the Art Staff to select the best boy
and girl at GCSE as recipients of the
Annual Art prize and this year it was
decided that Alex Swift and Elliot
Doy would be the worthy recipients.
Alex impressed with her coursework
embroidery and mixed media project
inspired by nature and exhibited in
the Head’s study at Fence Avenue.
Alex’s examination work creatively
captured the landscape, memories
and experience of her D of E trip
to Norway earlier in the year with a
clever combination of text and image.
Elliot’s ‘Cityscape’ sculptures, made
out of found materials, were hugely
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popular amongst visitors. The A level
Art Exhibition drew the year to a
close. This was the biggest and best
exhibition to date, with A level artists
filling every possible space in the
Kent Block and Sixth Form Centre. An
extraordinary range of works was exhibited, highlights of which were Izzy
Bell’s massive landscapes, pictured
right, Phil Gibson’s complex paper
sculptures, Annie Edgerton’s screen
printed silk ‘not-ponchos’ and James
Hamilton’s beautiful mixed media
wool, ceramic and glass weavings. We
even had our first piece of interactive
art, a visual and sound installation,
‘Enter if you Dare’ by Alex Seabrook,
that caused quite a stir! It was judged
after the evening that Bethan Davies
was the worthy recipient of the
Selwyn Russell Jones Art Prize, not
only for her beautiful ceramic landscape pots but also her photography
work and the superb extension work
that she did in her EPQ on Islamic Art
and Calligraphy.
Rebecca Cottrell worked on a
sculptural, costume-based project
with Year 10 girls based on her degree
show skills as well as doing some of
her own work. She had some exciting work to share with pupils as she
specialised in designing menswear
for her own degree. The girls were
enthralled by her sessions where she
shared her own sketchbooks and
design work and started them off by
playing with ideas using repetition
of form in paper and card. Rebecca
helped pupils to translate ideas into
sculptural fabric samples using the
sewing machine to stitch various
elements together. She extended the
project whilst at Chatsworth, inspired
by the Caro sculptures, resulting in an
exciting and innovative body of work.
Rebecca kindly donated one of her
own jacket designs to King’s to keep
in the department for future inspiration.
The Infant & Junior Division were
delighted to welcome Ellie Greenwood who came to work as their Artist in Residence. Ellie, whose specialism is paper sculpture, worked with
Years 1 - 5, taking as her inspiration
the theme of the Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee. Ellie showed the children
various collage techniques when
using paper, such as tearing, ripping
and cutting. The Infant children also
painted patterns and used their work
for bunting, which was used in school
when we celebrated the Queen’s
Jubilee. The Junior pupils created
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collaged flags and commemorative
decorative plates; they thoroughly
enjoyed their time with Ellie and were
very absorbed in their art work.
Competitions
In the autumn term, students participated in the photography competition sponsored by the Merchant Taylors’ Company. This year it was open
to 6th form students and the theme
was ‘Water’. The expertise of King’s
photographers was once again recognised in the award of prizes to Bethan
Davies and Jonathan Emery, both
very experienced photographers and
old hands at the Merchant Taylors’
competition. The work was selected
for exhibition at the Merchant Taylors’
Hall in Threadneedle Street, London,
during December. We were lucky to
meet several of the Merchant Taylors
when they visited in June and all were
agreed that this is a most valuable experience. We very much look forward
to next year’s competition.
Another keen photographer has
been expanding her skills. Rebecca
Sparks in Year 10 joined the Macclesfield Photo Club in April as the
youngest member of 75 people in the
club. Rebecca took part in five photo
competitions and her combined
scores placed her fourth out of 45
people in the digital images competition, beating many established members. In the final competition Rebecca
achieved nearly full marks for her
three images, placing her even higher
Rebecca Sparks Y10
than our esteemed ex-headmaster
and expert photographer, Stephen
Coyne! Rebecca even surpassed her
father, who has been with the club for
many years.
The success of the photography
competition was followed by an
opportunity for lower school boys
to get involved in designing the kit
for the Rugby Sevens to wear in this
year’s tournaments. There was a huge
number of entries from Years 7, 8
and 9, which were scrutinised by the
design team at Kukri and Josh Burke
in Year 7 was declared the winner.
Miss Inman and Mr Mason were very
Academic
Departments
impressed by the enthusiasm for this
venture and it is hoped that Art and
Rugby can work together on a similar
venture next year.
In April, Harry Frost in Year 12, a
life-long Liverpool fan, won a competition to design the cover image
that fans would see when they visited
Liverpool FC’s official Facebook page.
Given that over 9 million fans follow
this page, that is quite an audience
for a winning design. Harry had never
completed a graphic design before,
but decided to create an image that
had a retro feel and included key features from the club’s history. He received a prize but was more delighted
that something he had created was
used by LFC and the fact that many
thousands of Facebook users had hit
the ‘like’ button.
Other events:
The teaching staff also continued to
extend their own practice. Following the success of her MA course last
year, Mrs Richards was invited to give
a lecture at MMU to Masters-level
students on how reflective practice
as an artist can influence and inform
development as a teacher. This was
closely followed by another lecture
at Liverpool Tate as part of a wider
conference organised by the National Society for Education in Art
and Design (NSEAD). She thoroughly
enjoyed the opportunity to share her
own expertise and it was very exciting
for a teacher from King’s to be able
to inspire other art educators in such
a prestigious arena. At the beginning
of June, Mrs Richards also exhibited
her own artwork locally, as part of
Poynton Festival.
Mrs Threlfall completed the second
year of her Teacher/Maker MA, a
course centred on professional development as a teacher and artist/maker,
combining Mrs Threlfall's own practical work with research and reflective
practice in the classroom. Miss Inman
has been studying for a qualification
in Games Design organised by Adobe,
which she hopes to put into practice
with the boys next year. In February,
Mrs Campbell started her Warhammer
Painting Group, which met regularly
to practise and improve craft skills,
and share tips and techniques. The
war-gaming side of the club transferred to the Art Department from
Science. The boys, once more, had
great success both regionally and
nationally in the Warhammer Schools
League competition. These activities
highlight the department’s drive to
keep moving forward. In all, this year
served to demonstrate once again the
talents and successes of our young
artists and staff.
DI
Biology
What has the Biology Department
been up to this year?
The newcomer
In September we were delighted to
welcome Dr Simon Patrick. He has
brought youth, energy and up-todate postdoctoral knowledge and
experience to the department. His
great knowledge of modern molecular techniques and his fresh style of
conveying them to the students,
added so much to the department,
particularly in the teaching of our A
Level course.
Biology Club
The Biology Club met every Monday
and the club members looked after
the fish and snakes kept in the Animal
House. The Biology Club is proud
to announce it had great success in
maintaining the fish stocks this year.
On a more sombre note, this year has
seen the loss of two of our cherished
snakes: Jemima and Blane. Our ‘old
girl’ Jemima died in January and she
was a great loss. She was a muchloved snake and she was the mother
to a large number of offspring over
her lifetime, including the infamous
Pythagoras at the Girls’ Division. We
have plans to get a new female snake
next year and we hope to have another attempt at breeding in 2013.
Boys’ Biology Club Trip
The group of Year 7 boys went to
Twycross Zoo for some experience of
larger animals and their care. This was
an end-of-term treat for our committed Biology Club members, led by
Dr Pattison, Head of Biology and Mrs
Reynolds, Biology Technician.
Report of the visit
At Twycross Zoo, we had the chance
to learn about the care, communication and behaviour of animals that we
could never keep at School. For some
reason Mrs Reynolds won’t let us
keep an Orang-utan. The day started
with a tour of the large and small
primates. We had a really informative
guide who discussed the differences
in behaviour between Bonobos and
Chimpanzees. The social hierarchy in
Chimpanzees is male-dominated and
much more aggressive, but Bonobos have maternally led groupings
and there is much more interaction
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Academic
Departments
and mutual care. We also observed a
very grumpy Gorilla - and there is a
story behind this. Two male Gorillas
had been separated because of their
constant fighting. Twycross Zoo were
going to be separating these gorillas even further apart because they
were becoming aggressive even at the
sound of one another. The orange
Orang-utans were beautiful to look at
and so peaceful.
Later in the morning, we had a talk
on Animal Behaviour and we were
told how facial expressions, sounds,
and actions help animals to express
their feelings to each other and to
other species. We were able to touch
a Madagascan Hissing Cockroach and
a Bearded Dragon.
After the tour had ended, we were
able to wander around the zoo freely
and we saw lots of different animals
including a mob of Meerkats, a pandemonium of Parrots and a crash of
Elephants. The Elephants were from
Indonesia and were so well trained,
they would walk in line using their
trunks to hold each others’ tails.
Even the toilets were interesting!
There was an ant colony behind the
glass back to the hand basins so you
could watch them moving around as
you washed your hands.
Sam Stokes 7CEA/GBS
A Level Biology Field Trip
The A Level Field Trip to Anglesey in
September 2011 provided our biologists with an opportunity to study
living organisms in their natural habitats; our focus was both Rocky Shore
and Sand Dune habitats. Our primary
interest was investigating the battle
for survival both against the ravages
of the tides and between different
individual species for space and food.
Our visit to Anglesey Sea Zoo allowed
us to see aquatic fauna and flora close
up; we were impressed to see the
variety of adaptations organisms have
evolved in order to survive the harsh
environmental conditions around the
Welsh coast.
Year 13 Nowgen Trip
What is ‘Nowgen’ you may be asking.
It is an organisation in Manchester
that offered us the opportunity to
study our own genes. There is no
better way to learn about complex
molecular biology than by using
practical work. The Year 13 students
became ‘real scientists’ for the day
and donned lab coats as they used
PCR (Polymerase Chain reaction)
10
techniques to discover a little about
their very own genetic make up.
River Bollin
The annual trip for Year 9 students to
the River Bollin allowed our younger
biologists to get their first taste of
fieldwork. The aim of the visit was to
investigate the water quality in the
river; to do this they had to use their
knowledge of Indicator Species. Indicator Species are organisms that are
found in specific environmental conditions and they can offer insight into
the levels of pollution and contamination in an area. We are delighted to
inform our readers that our recently
obtained data and thorough research
shows that the water in the River
Bollin is becoming increasingly clean.
The presence of certain insect species
in the water we studied, indicated
that the oxygen content is now very
high and this suggests that the water
is unpolluted and clean. The number
of fish caught was also indicative of
good water quality and also caused
much excitement.
British Biology Olympiad
The Biology Department enjoyed
another year of success in the British
Biology Olympiad. David OrmrodMorley gained a Gold Medal and was
privileged to be invited to take part in
the second round of the competition.
This was a great achievement and opportunity; one offered to only the top
200 Biologists in the country. Other
successful participants in the Biology
Olympiad were Elizabeth Bell, who attained a Silver Medal; Elizabeth Jessop
who achieved a Bronze Medal, and
Amy Higginbotham, Jordan Holt and
Eleanor Morris, each of whom were
commended or highly commended.
Miscellaneous events throughout
the year worthy of mention
Other highlights of the year in the
Biology Department include a rat
dissection and investigating new
techniques to stimulate muscle contractions in a locust’s leg using, of all
things, an iPod (!) as a signal generator. This novel practical designed by
Elliot Sime, as part of his summer
research project was a great achievement.
As you have read, it’s been a very
busy year in the King’s Biology Department and we look forward to an
equally successful and active year in
2012/13.
JRP
Academic
Departments
Chemistry
Chemistry club went from strength to
strength this year, with a contingent
of older pupils looking for increasingly daring demonstrations and experiments in their search for the ultimate
flash and bang. The autumn term was
mainly spent constructing Starchaser
rockets: pupils were provided with
a kit containing all the necessary
materials and resources to build and
safely launch a model rocket powered by real rocket fuel. On a cold
and windy November day, our rocket
scientists successfully launched their
customised vehicles electronically, via
a remote control device. The rockets
did not disappoint, reaching heights
of up to 400 feet before parachuting
back to the ground, all be it some
distance away from their launch!
Other activities carried out included
the Oscillating reaction, the bazooka,
(which fires tennis balls across the
front field), and an attempt to perfect
the finale of a flashes and bangs show
involving simultaneous exploding balloons and a fanfare of methane rockets fired out as a farewell salute. We
look forward with much anticipation
to welcoming new members next year
and the possibility of more whacky
ideas from our existing members.
This year, two members of Year
13 participated in a very difficult
Chemistry Olympiad organised by the
Royal Society of Chemistry. Elizabeth
Bell and David Ormrod-Morley gave
up hours of their time in order to
prepare and practise for the event
which was held in February. They
were subjected to a gruelling two and
a half hour question paper, containing
material beyond the confines of the
A Level specification. Both pupils did
extremely well, with David achieving
a gold award and Elizabeth narrowly
missing out and achieving a silver
award. Both pupils also took up the
opportunity to write extended essays,
which they submitted at the start of
the academic year; Elizabeth’s essay
on synthetic dyes was brilliantly written and David’s extended piece on
catalysis would not have been out of
place, if submitted at undergraduate
level. It comes as no surprise that
both pupils intend to read Chemistry at university: David has a place at
Oxford and Elizabeth intends to study
at Durham.
In April, Paul Thompson took two
teams to the RSC Chemquiz competition at Manchester University.
The boys’ team included Tom Lynch,
Oliver Davies, Alex Hurd and Tom
Hammonds whilst the girls’ team was
comprised of Aiman Aslam, Jenny
Galbraith, Sameera Lyons and Ella
Blakemore. The pupils, from Years 8,
9 and 10, were chosen not only for
their confidence in Chemistry, but
also for their abilities to problemsolve and work as part of a team.
They were involved in a series of
workshops, including practical work
and quizzes, and were scored on their
performance in each session. Although neither team was placed this
year, it was a worthwhile experience
for all.
LCW
Bangs and flashes
The King’s Chemistry demonstration
team of Jim Street, Pete Jackson and
Paul Thompson had another very
busy year. There were 5 performances
of the show with two at Cumberland
Street, with over 50 boys attending
each. The small lecture theatre in the
Percyvale Building enabled students
to see all the experiments performed
right in front of them, so that they
can feel the force of the explosions
from just a few feet away. A number
of new experiments were added and
a particular favourite was an oscillating reaction that turns from deep
blue to colourless and back every 15
seconds for over 10 minutes. Year 6
was treated to the show as part of National Science week. The hall at Fence
Avenue was filled with exploding jelly
babies, popping hydrogen balloons
and liquid nitrogen produced by the
frying of eggs and the smashing of
bananas. This year’s methane rockets were particularly impressive as
they flew across the length of Fence
Avenue Hall, over the year group’s
heads and into the staging for the
Junior school show.
The team also fulfilled their annual
booking at the Catalyst museum as
part of its National Science week celebrations. Over 200 students from local schools saw the two shows which
resulted in the museum floor being
covered in a layer of carbon dioxide
gas and a group of students from
Warrington with their hands on fire.
This year a race to explode a balloon
with liquid nitrogen was added, as
two students from different schools
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competed against each other on the
stage. The highlight however of every
show is the finale where Pete Jackson sets fire to his head. This usually
generates spontaneous applause and
this year was no exception, as the students from the visiting school looked
on in disbelief when a two-foot flame
appeared on top of his head.
In addition to these shows, the
departing Year 11 and Year 13 pupils
were treated to small group shows
where everyone was able to set light
to their hands, see the last jelly baby
burn and watch in awe as the giant foam worm appeared from the
measuring cylinder. In one Year 11
girl’s case, the fact she had seen the
‘woosh’ bottle over thirty times during her five years at school, did not
prevent stop her from screaming as it
went off. The show has become part
of the King’s tradition and it is thanks
to the considerable time and effort
that Pete Jackson puts into running it,
as well as adding new reactions, that
it continues to be so popular amongst
all year groups.
JSS
Catalyst
The annual trip to the Catalyst
Museum for Year 10 girls took place
in National Science week in March.
The trip involved watching the King’s
demonstration team perform the
GCSE version of their show, which
had been specifically tailored to act
as a revision session for core exams,
as well as an hour of pure entertainment. The rest of the day saw the girls
making polymer putty and developing
and producing their own perfume.
Both of these linked directly to the
GCSE syllabus. The students also
spent time in the hands-on exhibits
in the museum, where they were able
to put into practice the theory they
learn in GCSE lessons. The girls were
models of good behaviour, creating
an excellent impression of King’s students and the Chemistry department.
JSS
Dr Bunhead
Year 7 girls paid the annual visit to the
Catalyst Museum to see the amazing Dr Bunhead’s Exploding Energy
Show. Dr Bunhead, star of the hit
science programme ‘Brainiacs’, spent
an hour showing how the simple
application of science can be used to
create spectacular explosions. Brave
volunteers were brought to the stage
to set light to custard powder flame
throwers, explode balloons filled with
hydrogen and bravely try to catch a
potato flying through the air at 200
mph. Pringles’ tins were destroyed,
jelly babies blown up and the whole
room illuminated by mixing hair dye
with a simple chemical. All of this was
presented with style whilst excellent
science knowledge was imparted
to the students. The afternoon was
spent in the Museum’s labs, with
the girls creating antidotes for insect
stings as well as designing and testing
bridges. The trip was a great success
and left the whole of Year 7 enthused
about science.
JSS
Chemistry at Fence Avenue
This was a fantastically successful
year for the Fence Avenue Chemistry
department. GCSE results of 100% at
A* and A grades, heralded the start
of an exciting year during which the
department was involved in outreach activities at several local junior
schools, hosted local brownie and
cub groups and ran a successful Year
7 science club. The annual trip for
Year 10 to the Catalyst Museum was
12
a great success and added greatly to
the classroom teaching of the department. The Year 11 leavers’ day saw
the department running sessions for
the whole year and the chemistry
room was the highlight of many tours
on Open Morning. Life at King’s saw
the labs opening again for prospective students, as the department used
a Hoover to produce carbon dioxide
bubbles that the students could hold
and throw around the lab. The outreach activities were exceptional this
year and over 100 children visited the
department as part of either junior
school visits or regular activities for
local cub packs. These sessions, run
by students from Years 10, 11 and 12,
were very successful both in promoting the wonder of science as well
as the great education that King’s
provides.
JSS
Classics
During another busy year for the Classics Department, highlights included
the latest trip to Italy to visit Pompeii
and a double success in the Manchester Classical Association’s Latin reading competition.
The autumn term saw the annual
Greek Art/tragedy trip to Oxford for
Year 13 Classical Civilisation students.
A visit to the Ashmolean Museum to
see the Greek vases and Greek sculpture was followed by lunch and then
a move across the road to the Oxford
New Theatre for the students’ production of Aeschylus’ ‘Eumenides’,
delivered in Greek.
An addition to the usual displays
and activities at Open Morning, was
the performance of a Roman Banquet
at Fence Avenue, which proved to be
of great interest to our visitors.
Academic
Departments
Year 11 students who had gained
excellent results in the translation
and prose set text papers in Year 10
worked their way through the Verse
set text (Virgil, of course) and the end
of the term saw the splendid news
that Bridie Thompson had been offered a place to read Classics, (Latin
and Greek) at Worcester College,
Oxford.
The Year 8 girls also had their annual poetry competition about Mount
Vesuvius, won this year by Sameera
Lyons 8LFA.
Midway through the spring term,
three Year 11 students - Richard
Southern, Tom Meadows and Tom
Rheinberg – along with George
Walker (Year 12), began preparing for
the annual Manchester Schools’ Latin
reading competition. All four pupils
performed excellently with Tom and
George winning the GCSE verse and
A level prose sections respectively,
seeing off stiff competition from other
competitor schools. Their success
was particularly pleasing, as it was the
first time King’s entered pupils for the
competition in these categories.
In the summer term, following the
success of the boys in the previous
year, girls from Year 9 and 10 completed the Emact Greek certificate
level one. With eight pupils studying
in Year 12, and 27 starting GCSE in
Year 10, Latin is still proving to be a
popular choice at King’s.
MTH
modern-day Italy where we stayed.
The weather was wonderful and both
the students and the teachers had a
great time, especially on our day trip
to Capri, and in retrospect, our trek
up Vesuvius! Despite having to get
up early almost every morning, we
approached each day with energy and
enthusiasm, even managing to paddle
in the sea. Our hotel was lovely, and
our trips into Sorrento town were
a lot of fun, as we were given the
chance to explore for ourselves. It
was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and
we would recommend it to anyone
who is thinking of taking Latin for
GCSE.
Jessica Stuart & Charlotte Willcox.
Sorrento
During the Easter holidays, King’s
Latin department embarked on a trip
to Sorrento, Italy. It was really interesting for us to see how the historic
sites we visited, such as Pompeii and
Herculaneum, contrasted with the
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Academic
Departments
Design & Technology
This was another incredibly busy year
for the department, with lots going on. Following the retirement of
Mr Gee, the department welcomed
former King’s pupil, Mr Steele, into
the department. He made an immediate and positive impact on both sites
and the department looks forward to
many years of exciting work produced
by his students.
The department has developed
further challenging projects for all
pupils: Mr Steele’s and Mr Richard’s
contributions have been considerable, demonstrating their enthusiasm
for the subject.
The last two years have been a
time of change for D&T and yet
another arrived when, after 12 years
at the school, Mr Richards decided to
leave the department to take up new
interests. All in the department wish
him well with his endeavours. Consequently, Mr Steele became based at
Fence Avenue and we welcomed back
an old friend, Mr Gee.
We had another good year with
participation in the first Lego League.
A dedicated group of pupils from
Years 7 to 11 spent many lunch
times and afterschool sessions, from
September through to Christmas,
planning and developing the robot
challenge and the presentation. Tom
Cann and Edward Nathan (Year 11)
have been taking part since Year 7
and, in their last year of eligibility,
they were an outstanding help to the
younger boys. The team competed
again at the Manchester University
regional round and performed well,
getting to the final of the robot game
where they were beaten by a super
robot from Bury Grammar School.
The team won another trophy, but
missed the elusive qualification for
the National Final.
For the second year running, the
department fielded a team into the
Siemen’s Challenge, run at the plant
in Congleton. A group of 8 students
from Year 9, organized by Mr Steele,
faced a number of challenges, ranging
from designing a product to putting
together a business plan. All enjoyed
the day, although, despite performing
well, the team were not successful.
Another initiative from Mr Steele,
was the introduction of the Toyota
Challenge. This was a competition
requiring the construction of vehicles
in an environmentally-friendly way,
which could race dragster-style: there
14
was much enjoyment and learning for
all involved.
Mrs Campbell, the department’s
technician, maintained the success
of the Jewellery club this year. Many
girls enjoyed the challenges she set,
producing some very high quality
pieces. The girls also benefitted from
a very kind donation from the Friends
of King’s, who paid for a special glass
bead-making kit, enabling the girls to
experiment with making their own
glass beads. We are looking forward
to some superb outcomes next year.
Whilst talking about Friends of
King’s, the Kent block has a new
addition in the form of a display
cabinet, purchased with another
donation from this wonderful group.
The cabinet arrived in late June and
now provides a focus for the display
of pupils’ work. We hope that many
pupils in the future will feel proud to
see their work on display.
Within our curriculum work, we
used a competition with Year 10
Thomas Cann Y11
Edward Laughton Y11
product designers: the Starpack
Awards allow pupils to design a range
of packaging. This encouraged pupils
to approach a range of design briefs:
the department focussed on the Fun
Baking Kit. Pupils produced some
very imaginative ideas, which were
presented both as 3D models and as
design sheets. The quality of these
outcomes was impressive, with pupils
learning a great deal about packaging
design and graphic design using our
CAD systems. The competition was
well worth the effort from both pupils
and teaching staff, as it brought a real
focus to students’ work.
The department organised a trip
for Year 12s to the engineering firm,
Beamech, run by parent, Mr John
Blackwell. The company produces
machines which make foam for use
in mattresses and other applications.
Students had a splendid day, learning
about the science behind foam manufacture, as well as discovering how
machines are designed and manufactured on site. The tour involved a visit
to the engineering and the design
facilities, providing valuable insights
into real world manufacturing. It is
the department’s hope, thanks to the
kind offers from Mr Blackwell, to visit
Beamech again.
Turning our attention to future 6th
form students, we had two pupils,
Edward Laughton and Jake Robinson,
apply for the prestigious Arkwright
Scholarship. This scheme sponsors
students through A level studies, if
Academic
Departments
they are studying D&T and Maths.
The intention is to promote engineering to young people and both of our
candidates have real potential in this
field. The university days were challenging, but they reported that they
enjoyed the experience, especially
the opportunity to work with a range
of very talented young people. The
department was delighted to hear
that both Jake and Edward gained
scholarships.
The department has now been
trained in Creo Parametric, a computer-aided design package, allowing
users to create basic CAD drawing
through to realistic rendering of
products. The software is industry
standard so pupils should develop
skills which will be common outside
of the school environment.
Finally, and most importantly, the
work of the pupils in curriculum
time has been superb this year. The
department has been particularly
pleased with the new, Year 7 USB light
project, which has produced some
very creative and imaginative responses. GCSE and A level pupils produced good quality products: special
mention should go to Alex Seabrook,
who made a bench dedicated to the
memory of Mr Pook. Sited adjacent to
the cricket field, it is already a popular
spot where pupils sit and watch the
cricket or where they just relax at
lunchtimes. It is a huge success.
JN
Drama
Arabian Nights
In February, Fence Avenue Hall was
transformed into an array of colour
and exotic promise. Over fifty students, from Year 8 through to 11,
took part in the production. While
staying faithful to the original classic
tales, Arabian Nights has been imaginatively adapted by Dominic Cooke.
The students performed six stories,
each introduced by Shahrazad,
beautifully played by Stella Moss, who
looked every inch a queen and commanded the audience’s attention with
her ‘velvety’ voice.
Each character was expertly crafted
and performed with confidence and
imagination, making for an evening
of entertainment and humour. Kate
Hawker took full responsibility for
choreographing the show, devising
exciting and ambitious moves, one of
which provided the climax, as the full
cast gathered on stage for the final
dance. The production was an excellent vehicle to showcase the extraordinary talents to be discovered in the
Girls’ Division.
CPT
Cinders
This Christmas, the Drama Club
couldn’t resist the temptation of
putting on a pantomime and what a
laugh we had. (Oh yes we did!) Cinders involved boys from Years 7 to 10
who were, for most of the time, boys,
but (in true pantomime tradition),
were frequently required to become
girls. This they did with magnificent
panache!
The half hour show followed the
well-trodden story line, (not that story
lines are of any great significance in a
pantomime), but with a few unexpected twists and turns.
The cast rose to the occasion of
playing to a packed house in the
Drama Hall, giving two rousing lunchtime performances, as well as an afterschool show for parents and friends.
Special mention should go to the two
very disagreeable sisters, Petunia and
Begonia, played by Ben Lynch and
Aarian Mehrabani, as well as a rollicking rendition of a spoilt Prince given
by Henry Strutt. The Prince’s parents
were wonderfully interpreted by
Henry McKenna and Ieuan Sanders.
Maitre Patel was a very convincing
Lord Gripington, with Joe Laughton
a suitably disco-grumpy Granny.
Adam Garnett was highly comical as
Dandini, in addition to performing in
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several smaller roles. Sam Brown was
magnificently gallant as Buttons who
in the end ‘gets his girl’ in the shape
of Alex Rogan - a shining Princess
Cinderella. And we mustn’t forget the
creatively organized talents of Alex
Moore, who stage-managed the show
with huge patience and commitment.
DAF
The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes
This year, the Drama and Music
Departments joined forces to present the little known musical: The
Revenge of Sherlock Holmes, by Leslie
Bricusse, based on the characters by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Despite the
piece’s obscurity, the exciting plot,
wit, and many toe-tapping numbers,
made this a popular choice among
the students. Tom Stevenson as
Sherlock Holmes stepped into the
role established in the West End by
Robert Powell, and received rapturous applause for his performance,
which combined both comic and
serious moments. Playing alongside him as Doctor Watson, was the
ever-entertaining Tom Cunningham,
whose anarchic sense of humour was
well suited to the role of Sherlock’s
bumbling sidekick.
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Paradoxically, the play started with
the scene which many consider to be
the end of Sherlock Holmes, where
he and Moriarty apparently plunge to
their deaths at the Reichenbach Falls.
However, as is later revealed, Holmes survived this encounter, much
to the surprise of his housekeeper,
Mrs Hudson, who was portrayed with
considerable stage presence by Eleanor Strutt. The song ‘A Lousy Life’,
was ideally suited to her powerful
voice and was well-received by the
audience.
The principal plot tells of the
attempts of Mrs Moriarty and her
daughter Bella, played by Olivia Soutter and Sophie Hurst respectively, to
revenge the death of the evil Professor by framing Sherlock for a murder
that he did not commit. Their haunting duet at the finale of Act One was
one of the highlights of the evening.
The chorus of Baker Street Irregulars, comprising younger boys
in cheerful Cockney knees-ups, led
by Alex Langton along with Ruairidh
Nichols, Ronan O’Hanlon and Stephanie Main, performed their songs
and routines with energy and obvious
enjoyment. This chorus was made
stronger still, by an energetic choir of
Year 7 and 8 boys. With all their help,
Sherlock was able to prove his innocence to ‘the lamentable Inspector
Lestrade’, whose credulous simplicity
was portrayed with lugubrious humour by William Strutt.
Holmes is then left with a new
purpose in life: to discover the whereabouts of Bella, with whom he has
fallen in love. The musical therefore
ends with the touching number: ‘I
shall find her’ followed by a reprise of
many of the favourite songs.
Although the show is a spoof of
Conan Doyle’s characters, it takes a
great deal of inspiration from writers such as Wilkie Collins and Dion
Boucicault, who entertained Victorian
readers and theatre-goers with similar
locked room mysteries and exciting
melodrama.
The production involved the
highly effective use of archive film
footage - meticulously arranged by
Tom Gowans. Dannielle Vickerstaff
(Head of Lighting at The New Victoria
Theatre, Stoke) designed and trained
an enthusiastically capable team of
operators, led by Tom Lynch and
Alex Voysey. The show was admirably
stage-managed by Alex Moore, who
organized and shaped a design team
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headed up by Mrs Inman from the Art
Department, along with Mrs Threlfall
and Mrs Campbell. Patrick Roberts,
Tom Lynch, Ken Tomlinson and George Walker enthusiastically made up
the rest of the crew, with Simon Leah
and Alan Hayward tirelessly ensuring
that all things technical continued to
run smoothly. (This was a particular
challenge on the Wednesday night,
when a power cut reduced everything to the bare minimum for half an
hour. Actors and technicians magnificently ensured that the show did
indeed ‘go on’.) The production was
directed and overseen by Mr Forbes.
The music and choir was under the
consummate guidance of Mrs Barratt, who was ably assisted by a band
comprising of Mrs Pyatt, Mrs Lea and
Sam Lea (making a welcome return
to King’s for the production.) Mrs
Lea, Eleanor Strutt and Olivia Soutter,
were responsible for the superbly effective choreography.
Although this was a less serious
piece than some recent productions,
it taught the young actors a valuable
lesson in musical performance skills.
George Walker/DAF
Theatre visits
Going to see live theatre is one of the
most important and useful teaching resources for Drama. It is only
when students watch a fully realized
production, combining acting with
lighting, sound and special effects,
that they can truly appreciate the
excitement and power of theatre. This
year we witnessed a number of shows
that made a very significant impact.
In October, 60 Year 10 and 11
GCSE Drama students went to see a
memorable production of One Man,
Two Guvnors at The Lowry Theatre.
This was a very fine, contemporary
adaptation (by Richard Bean) of
Carlo Goldoni’s 18th century, Servant
of Two Masters. It was an excellent
vehicle for James Corden, who has
picked up several awards for his
performance, but it should be said
that this was a superb ensemble show,
in which the fast-paced, physical
comedy style of Commedia dell ‘arte
was wonderfully executed by the
whole cast.
In November, a group of 6th form
pupils witnessed a dynamic production of Bertolt Brecht’s The Resistible
Rise of Arturo Ui at the Nottingham
Playhouse. A sharp satire of the rise of
the Nazis, this was of particular interest as it had been our main production in 2010. Comparisons with our
show were favourable! Again, it was
a fine example of ensemble acting at
its best, the knife-twisting comedy of
Brecht’s original being very effectively realized in a new translation by
Stephen Shar.
We made two highly rewarding
visits to The Royal Exchange Theatre
in Manchester. On both occasions we
were seeing ‘naturalistic’, psychologically dark shows. GCSE students
witnessed a very potent production
of Arthur Miller’s A View from the
Bridge. This tragic tale of depressionridden, 1920s New York was magnificently acted, a fine example of what
Stanislavski, the key exponent of this
style of theatre, would call ‘innertruthfulness’.
Yet more psychological angst was
experienced in May, when 6th form
students witnessed a production of
August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Again,
a highly skilled group of actors were
movingly able to create the moods
and complex sub-texts of a late-19th
century, upper-class Swedish estate
where, in the heat of midsummer,
previously buried emotions of remorse and frustration, come tumbling out of the woodwork, with dire
consequences.
Sub-texts and psychological
journeys of a different period were
on show at The New Vic Theatre
in Newcastle-under-Lyme, in their
excellent stage version of Alfie. For
most of us, the reference point for
this piece is Michael Caine’s iconic
performance in the 1960s’ film version. However, this stage adaptation
by Bill Naughton, with West End star
David Ricardo-Pearce in the lead role,
powerfully and humorously conveyed
a period not that far removed from
today, in which attitudes towards sex
and women felt more in keeping with
the 19th century world of Strindberg.
Once again, a small, tight-knit ensemble of actors used to great effect
the ‘in-the-round’ staging format for
which the New Vic is renowned.
DAF
Year 7 Performance Evening
June saw the annual performance of
Year 7 girls. The year group was involved in creating Improvised Drama
for an audience of more than a hundred proud parents and friends.
Each Tutor Group selected a book
for adaptation into a performance
piece.
7LAC chose the rather ambitious
book, The Hunger Games which was
a particular challenge for adaptation.
Their performance was polished and
imaginative.
7CJAF selected A Series of Unfortunate Events, which allowed them
to be very inventive and use physical
theatre to create a car, a ladder, a
mountain, and the like. This proved
to be a most successful and entertaining piece.
7VHS selected The Naughtiest
Girl in the School and produced an
extremely imaginative and entertaining performance; the Hockey Match
and Assembly hymn were particular
highlights.
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Each student performed with confidence and enthusiasm, producing an
excellent show of which all should be
proud.
CPT
Economics & Business Studies
With the economy never far from
the front page of the newspapers,
the numbers of students opting for
Business Studies and Economics at A
Level continue to grow. In these trying economic times, it is pleasing to
see students take an interest in what
is happening around them and attempt to understand both the causes,
and the consequences, of financial
turmoil. And, once again, the department has been a hive of activity, with
many curricular and extra-curricular
events taking place throughout the
year.
Student Investor Challenge 2012
This year the Ifs Student Investor
Challenge proved to be extremely
popular with 25 teams, representing
3 divisions of the school. During the
challenge, students invested £100,000
into a portfolio of shares traded on
the London Stock Exchange FTSE
100.
Winners:
Girls’ Division: The Super Smurfs
Boys’ Division: Nichols & Dime
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Sixth Form: Team Heskey
Overall, King’s Champions were
Team Heskey, who were placed 124th
nationally, out of more than 10,000
teams competing. With an impressive £12,410 return from their initial
£100,000 virtual capital investment,
Team Heskey subsequently reached
the Northwest regional finals. In
March the team competed against the
top teams in the region, vying for a
place in the National Finals in London. After battling through numerous rounds of financial questioning
on a range of monetary issues, the
team reached tenth place overall. The
students showed great initiative in
reaching this stage of the competition, as well as considerable desire to
challenge themselves further. They
learnt valuable lessons and helpful
skills in the financial markets, which
will help with their future studies and
careers.
Young Enterprise
Young Enterprise provided Year 12
students with the challenge of starting their own business venture and
making this a success by working as a
team. Two teams, Nuevo and Catalyst
Marketing, battled it out for business
domination, selling a variety of products and running competitions. The
YE year culminated in a trip for the
teams to Bury Grammar School, for a
presentation to a panel of judges and
to offer an annual report for scrutiny.
This experience was valuable as it
allowed the students to be creative
while also giving them the opportunity to develop key skills such as
teamwork, leadership and communication, not just between themselves,
but also with external stakeholders
such as customers and suppliers.
London
In February, a group of Year 13 Economics and Business Studies students
went to London for two days, to visit
the Bank of England Museum and
the 2012 Olympic stadium site. At the
Bank of England, a very knowledgeable guide gave the students a detailed
insight into monetary policy and the
effects policies such as those related
to interest rates and quantitative
easing have had on the UK economy.
The history of money also provided
an interesting discussion and students
asked some thoughtful questions.
They were particularly interested in
the £92bn worth of gold, sitting just
beneath them in the secure vault.
After the presentation, students
toured the Museum, using the different activities and quizzes available.
We (including Alice Ross) also had a
chance to view pictures of the Scots
Guards, from the time of Brigadier
Kim Ross.
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After an enjoyable night at the theatre, the group headed to Bromleyby-Bow tube station the next morning, for the tour of the Olympic site.
Again, this proved to be a valuable
part of the trip, giving students the
opportunity to experience the development of an area and the logistics
of such a large-scale event.
Transport Economics Conference
In October, A2 Economics students
attended a Transport Economics Conference at Huddersfield University.
Topics included the externalities and
economic efficiency of air transport,
relating economics to freight as well
as passenger transport modes.
Challenge of Management
Once again, the department hosted
the Challenge of Management enterprise day for Year 10 students. This
year’s event differed from previous
years, as the Government and Politics,
and Psychology departments were
also involved. Students completed
a number of challenges including
the BP Oil trading simulation where
teams had to react to real time exogenous shocks in order to supply
the optimal amount of crude oil to
the market and thus maximise their
profits.
JSM
English
‘As long as I learn,
I will make mistakes’.
Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch
(August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012)
English at King’s continues to be
challenging and lively, asking students
to think for themselves. Students
encounter literature in all its forms,
representing texts from more than
six centuries, to meet the wonderful variety of writers in our language.
They are encouraged to ask questions
about texts in order to develop their
own writing in a precise and original
way.
In September, the department welcomed Samantha John. Her enthusiasm, dedication to her classes and to
all things English, has been outstanding and King’s is fortunate to have
secured her services.
The autumn term began with two
enrichment theatre trips being offered to students. Members of English
+, the school’s Sixth Form English
society, saw David Thacker’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
at the Bolton Octagon. The students
were both shocked at and amused
by Edward Albee’s challenging play,
which sees the central characters
lure their young guests into a manipulative web of savage mind games,
where nobody escapes unscathed.
Later in the term, Year 11 and Year
13 students observed what might happen when Shakespeare is combined
with the cult, American television
series The Wire at Sheffield’s Crucible
Theatre, as two key actors, Clarke
Peters and Dominic West, from the
HBO show played Othello and Iago in
Othello. It could be said that there are
similarities between the Shakespearean ambition of The Wire and the
racial politics, intrigue and alarming
death-rate of this 400-year-old tragedy,
but director Daniel Evans presented
the audience with a relatively traditional reading of the play. West, as Iago,
stood out. His ability to switch from
pure evil to a matey chumminess
was effortless and students spotted
that he adopted a northern accent,
to promote an apparent trustworthiness. The performance was exhilarating and chilling: Year 11 students
returned to school, furnished with
further insight and ideas for their
GCSE controlled assessment.
Autumn also saw the return of slam
poet, Ali Gadema to coach our Year 9
Slambassadors (below). The workshops were a dynamic mix of poetry,
and rap, allowing our students to find
their own voices and experiment with
language.
The English and History departments joined forces in November, in
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a joint venture in Salford, to complement the department’s study of
war poetry. Visiting the Imperial War
Museum North on Armistice Day, was
especially poignant and moving for
Year 9 and the workshop they participated in gave them the opportunity
to study and handle artefacts straight
from the World War 1 trenches. In the
afternoon, they attended the Lowry’s
performance of Journey’s End to observe both the futility of war and the
class divisions of Edwardian England.
Throughout the day, some of the boys
were interviewed for BBC’s Newsround programme and they spoke in
an articulate and informed way about
their responses.
Getting out and about, experiencing different ideas and viewpoints,
are essential elements of widening
horizons. A group of Year 10 students
travelled to Manchester Art Gallery
to participate in a workshop called
‘The Pre-Raphaelite Experiment’,
which was linked to the Ford Madox
Brown exhibition at the gallery. They
returned to school with imaginative
ideas for their English Language production piece controlled assessment.
King’s performed strongly this
year at The Kids’ Lit Quiz, improving
on last year’s excellent fifth place by
coming a very impressive third. King’s
A team, consisting of Rachel Catlin,
Adam Garnett, Al Hurd, and Frances
Laker (Year 8) won one of the rounds
to finish third out of twenty one
teams, with only defending champions Cockermouth School and Altrincham Grammar ahead. An encouraging performance by King’s B team
comprising of Lillian Breese-Tovey,
Charlotte Cramp, Eleanor Fielding,
and Marcus Wesley (Year 7) also saw
them finish in a promising position.
Back at school, the King’s in-house
equivalent, The House Book Quiz,
was won by Adlington. The team,
composed of Rachel Anderson,
Bethany Marlow, Yasir Al-Shabibi and
Leo Skinner were on inspired form.
Fostering a love of theatre is a key
objective which the department aims
to achieve. With Christmas approaching, Year 7 pupils were captivated
and enchanted by Bolton Octagon’s
production of The Wizard of Oz. L
Frank Baum’s novel was given a 21st
century make-over and this thoroughly modern interpretation thrilled
the enthusiastic audience.
Later in the year, fifty Year 11 boys
and girls visited the Sheffield Crucible
theatre to watch a performance of JB
Priestley’s An Inspector Calls. Students and staff were treated to some
high-quality acting, as well as some
innovative stagecraft when a life-sized
house crashed to the ground, accompanied by dramatic sound and
pyrotechnics. The trip complemented
the students’ studies of this GCSE
text and they had plenty to say about
the way the play had been staged and
directed.
During the Christmas holidays,
members of Year 11 had been busy
researching their family history in
preparation for their study of Kindertransport for the English Literature
GCSE. The project entitled ‘The Past
is Myself ’ was part of the pre-reading
study, looking at identity and culture,
and students were happy to share
their family’s history with each other.
Britain has long been a home for
people fleeing persecution in their
home countries, making Britain the
richly diverse, multicultural society
of which we are all proud to be a
part. Students researched the history
of migration to Britain and discussed attitudes and representations
that we see in today’s society. This
background gave the students further
understanding of the issues that the
characters face in the play. In addition, the students had a golden
opportunity to discuss their ideas and
thoughts on the text with the playwright herself, when Diane Samuels
visited the school (pictured right).
To celebrate World Book Day, Manchester poet Mike Garry visited the
department to present a fascinating
and stimulating workshop for Year 9
pupils, challenging them to reflect on
the language they used and its consequences. Other writers who visited
the department are Sophie McKenzie,
who spoke to Year 8 about her series
of novels about a group of children
with psychic powers, and local writer
Bryony Pearce, who chatted to Year
10 about her novel Angel’s Fury and
the writing process in general.
Writers’ visits are always inspiring
and students leave the sessions with
plenty of ideas of their own to explore
and develop. Members of Year 9 took
little prompting when it came to
entering a school poetry competition
on the theme of an individual. John
Le Moignan’s (9MSR) harrowing and
ambitious poem entitled ‘Pictures on
the walls of my mind…’ was judged
to be the overall winner, with James
Shering also of 9MSR and Elise Boothroyd of 9DRM impressing as worthy
runners’ up.
This year the English Department
was extremely proud to establish The
David Pook Poetry Award, in memory
of a much-loved member of our
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department. The theme was friendship, and pupils from Years 7 to Year 9
worked hard to produce writing that
reflected on what friendship means to
them. We are delighted to announce
that James Shering of 9MSR is the first
winner of the prestigious prize with a
beautifully crafted poem. The judges
were struck by the use of imagery and
the thoughtful, descriptive nature of
the piece was subtle, yet so relevant to the theme. Harry Meadows’
(9SLT) mature and sensitive poem
came a very close second and the
judges were also impressed by Aarian
Mehrabani’s (8PAUT) captivating and
striking piece.
Writing for different audiences, is
a skill that all students develop whilst
studying English at King’s and Year
8 students called upon their journalistic writing skills for this year’s BBC
News School Report Day. Once again,
students had the opportunity to work
in the high-pressured environment
of a newsroom, going on location to
deliver broadcasts on relevant and
pressing current affairs: perhaps the
highlight was an absorbing interview
with Olympic gymnast Jenni Pinches,
which can be viewed on the King’s
website. Another unmissable report,
was the interview with Dr Hyde, to
explore his views on feminism and
whether he sees himself as a feminist.
All in all, the final programme was a
triumph of hard work, endeavour and
commitment.
It is always enjoyable to look at the
list of students who have achieved
department awards and this year is
no exception. Head of Foundation’s
Distinctions went to our BBC News
report team. The students who took
part were: 8LFA’s Saskia Ainsworth,
Eleanor Collett, Sophie Decker, Tasha
Houghton, Freya Kapadia, Rebecca
Quinn, Sarah Stockman and Lucie
Willis. In 8JaH, Molly Bradbury, Olivia
Hamblyn, Katie Hughes, Ella Keen,
Hannah Li, Tanisha Orchard, Kate Poyser and Eleanor Toms also contributed. In 8LuH, Allana Buckingham, Ella
Clowes, Eleanor Guiver, Evie Homer,
Charlotte Horne, Frances Laker and
Kate Marsh were part of the team.
Sameera Lyons and Elizabeth Stephenson, also of Year 8, received Head
of Foundation Distinctions for exceptional essay responses to Hamlet. The
Carnegie Shadowing Book Group participants, consisting of Anna Fenwick,
Charlotte Abbott, Ella Kennerley,
Hannah Foster, Eleanor McKenna and
Rebecca Calder received Department
Commendations, as did Alex Clarke,
Charlotte Cramp, Verity Griffin,
Lauren Hayward, Molly Robinson,
Molly Bessell, Georgina Boden, Olivia
Collinson, Eleanor Fielding, Amy
Morris, and Nancy Xia, all of 7LAC. In
Year 8, Department Commendations
were awarded to Ella Blakemore, Ellie
Hopewell, Amy Johnson, Rebecca
Tenney, Lauren Whitney, Elena Boden
and Rachel Catlin for superb depth
and detail in their Granny Projects.
Alicia Roberts and Lauren Kitchen
also achieved the award.
In Year 9, Sophia Bird, Elise Boo-
throyd, Ella Denny, Emma Jarvis,
Jenny Mercer, Maddie Townley, Hannah Quinlan and Olivia Watkins were
awarded Commendations, as were
Abi Johnson and Evie Hancox for
excellent speaking and listening work
on an Olympics theme. Eleanor McKenna, Aiman Aslam, Karina Chopra,
Rosana Wardle and Sarah Laughton
also produced work of outstanding
quality. In Year 10, Rebecca Hughes
and Jay Stuart also produced outstanding work which secured them the
award.
In the Boys’ Division, Alex Fray
and Angus Homer of Year 7 achieved
Commendations for outstanding
work. Department and Principal Commendations also went to Lewis Bell,
Edward Hammonds, Owen Jones, Cameron MacKinnon, Joe Moores, Luke
Smith and Callum Evans for exceptional responses to Shakespeare.
In Year 8, Departmental Commendations went to Michael Abrahamse,
Rhys Bowen, Sam Bryning, Daniel
Crosby, Adam Garnett, Alex Gruber, Zachary Howdle, Al Hurd, Paul
Roberts, Peter Thorp and William
Thomson for excellent work completed on tasks ranging from presentations to film dictionaries. Department
and Principal Commendations were
awarded to Aarian Mehrabani and
Max Watt for exceptional work on a
range of topics, including Aarian’s
captivating presentation on NapkinFolding and Max’s presentation on
the food firm, Innocent, which had as
its centre-piece a short film made by
Max.
In Year 9, Sam Brown, Henry
McKenna, Tom Huddy, Ashley Barratt
and Leon Murphy-Mason produced
outstanding work which merited
Department Commendations. Oliver
Papadimitriou, Harry Meadows, Will
Hodgson, Oliver Plant and James
Haughton of Year 9 also achieved
Department Commendations. In
addition, William Fox and James
Shering, both of 9MSR were awarded
Department Commendations for
fantastic writing. James wrote with
analytical skill when exploring how
a writer creates tension and William wrote with flair and guile when
writing for a specific audience. The
Gold Reading Award was achieved by
Lauren Hayward and Molly Robinson
of 7LAC respectively.
In the Summer Term, Heads of English from North-West HMC schools
came to King’s to attend the Liverpool Group English conference. The
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conference speaker, Dr Heike Pichler,
delivered an excellent workshop on
discourse-pragmatic features, providing delegates with useful and practical resources to discuss with their A
Level English Language students. The
rest of the meeting gave delegates the
opportunity to share ideas and discuss issues surrounding the delivery
of English in secondary schools.
In a year where there has been
much talk about changes to our
education system, it cannot be denied
that education goes to the heart of
what kind of society and young people we wish to create. In the English
department at King’s, it is simple. We
strive to nurture creativity, imagination and the urge to ask questions.
We know, as long as we learn, we will
make mistakes on the way. Indeed,
we will embrace the challenges and
enjoy the journey!
LCD
Pre-Raphaelite
In January, a group of Year 10 English
students from Fence Avenue attended
a workshop, ‘The Pre-Raphaelite Experiment’, at Manchester City Art Gallery, linked to the exhibition of Ford
Madox Brown’s work. Students began
by examining the stories within paintings and creating potential narratives.
They approached some works of art
from a dramatic point of view, acting
out ‘stills’ of scenes in the art gallery
itself - much to the amusement and
interest of the general public. History
was also a key area of learning; many
of the Pre-Raphaelite paintings depict
the Industrial Revolution, exploring
themes such as class and gender. Students were surprised to discover how
significant Manchester was in this
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period. It was a truly cross-curricular
trip. In the afternoon, students visited
the exhibition, choosing a painting to
base a piece of writing upon.
This was then extended, when a
specialist from the art gallery came
to work with them on curating an exhibition. Each student brought in an
object which had personal significance to them. They shared the stories
behind the objects and then had the
task of being curators - establishing
thematic links between the objects
to present to an audience. Once this
had been achieved, students created
object boxes to display and wrote
accompanying interpretation panels,
such as are found in an art exhibition.
This was a creative opportunity for
students to learn in a challenging and
exciting environment.
JaH
Slambassadors
In December, slam poet Ali Gadema
(aka Frisko), came to prepare a
group of Year 9 boys and girls to enter
Slambassadors UK, a national poetry
competition run by The Poetry Society. The students worked together
questioning what poetry is, their attitudes towards it and what constitutes
a poem. They then got down to the
task of writing. Poems were produced
from text messages, characters from
comic strips, news reports on the
summer riots and even a chorus of
their names. Performance was key;
beat box and hip-hop provided the
background rhythm. Workshops on
body language and voice training
were great fun and highlighted the
importance of the ‘delivery’ of poetry.
After an intensive three days of writing and performance, students were
filmed. You can access entries via
Slambassadors on YouTube. This was
an excellent opportunity for students
to develop creative skills and confidence, both as writers and performers. Comments from students included ‘revolutionary’, ‘inspirational’, ‘I
will continue writing poetry at home’,
‘I think differently’. Students from
both sites enjoyed working together
and finished the workshop feeling
proud of what they had achieved.
JaH
Diane Samuels
Year 11 students studying Kindertransport for their GCSE English
Literature, modern drama text, had
the opportunity to meet the playwright and discuss its themes. Diane
Samuels presented an illuminating
and informative workshop, exploring
the background to the play and the
significant dramatic techniques she
employed to create such a powerful
piece of theatre.
The story revolves around a woman who, as a child, escapes the Nazi
oppression of Vienna by becoming a
‘kinder’ and is transported to England
before the outbreak of war. However, it is chiefly about the character’s
struggle to deal with the guilt of survival, exploring the human experience
of separation of child from parent,
and of refugee from the source of his
or her culture.
Diane Samuels gave students
valuable insights into what motivated
her to write the play and suggestions
about how they could further their
study of the drama. The students
were able to re-visit Kindertransport
with these new perspectives into the
devices writers use to capture and
present their ideas and inspirations.
LCD
Academic
Departments
Imperial Museum
English and History Trip
Entering the Imperial Museum, was
like stepping into the very time zone
in which World War One took place.
We were told that the surroundings
were designed by the architect to
make us feel disorientated, just as the
soldiers would be, in a battle zone.
There is even a two-metre height difference from one end of the gallery to
the other. As we made our way along
the life-size timeline, we came across
many different artefacts that were
either real-life models, or incredibly
accurate replicas. Being allowed to
explore the museum freely enabled
us to spend as much time as needed
on each display, in order to complete
the tasks given to us by our teachers.
On the hour, at 11am, a short documentary was displayed via the projectors on all the walls of the gallery at
the same time. This included true
stories about lost soldiers and grieving families, each with their different
ways of coping and remembering.
Many families have chosen to remember loved ones by dedicating a tree
at the National Memorial Arboretum.
Looking back through the work sheet
that we filled in, the photographs
that we took and the souvenirs that
we purchased, has really brought
the concept of war to life. The play
Journey’s End that we watched at the
Lowry in the afternoon, was a fictional
re-enactment of the trenches that we
are learning about in History. This was
a very moving story of friendship, fear
and sacrifice.
Samantha Knowles 9LB
University performed exceptionally
well, beating the Boys’ Division teams
in both events.
JSS
Geography
What a successful year for King’s
Geography Department. As ever,
colleagues have been incredibly busy
to ensure the smooth running of the
Department. The number of pupils
opting to study Geography for A level
has swelled again and is now up to
previously unprecedented levels.
Exam results, too, are on a continuing
upward trend, with AS and A2 results
being particularly noteworthy.
As usual, colleagues have striven to
enrich the curriculum with interesting
and varied trips, including a ‘wow and
awe’ trip to the French Alps. Additionally, the restructuring of the lower
school Geography curriculum continues apace, with this year seeing the
introduction of new topics in Year 9,
including comparing the superpowers
of China and the USA.
My thanks go to all colleagues for
their hard work, dedication, support and challenge, in what has been
an enjoyable first year as Head of
Geography. A special note particularly
goes to Mrs Talbot, who has worked
tirelessly during her first year in the
Department.
ASP
Alps Trip
A group of Year 8 and 9 pupils enjoyed a week of fun-filled, geographical adventure in the stunning French
Alps. Although none of the group was
particularly looking forward to the
24-hour coach journey, it was actually
a fun-filled affair with plenty of DVDs
watched, games played, and friendships formed.
The Alps in the summer remain
truly majestic and dominate the
skyline. The group was fully able to
appreciate the outstanding natural
beauty from Serre Chevalier and
Notre Dame de Bellecombe. Set in
this spectacular location, the group
participated in a wide range of activities including, white water rafting
(where Mr Maudsley provided endless
entertainment by spending most of
his time in the water rather than on
the raft), mountain biking, mountain
trekking, summer luge, ice skating,
an incredible visit inside a glacier, and
a trip on the Aiguille du Midi cable
car, which gave pupils magnificent
views of the awe-inspiring Mont Blanc
massif.
Pupils were outstanding in their
behaviour and thoroughly immersed
themselves in all that was on offer.
They were a credit to themselves and
the school.
LAT
General Science
The General Science department
had an excellent year. The introduction of the new scheme of work made
the Year 8 course very cutting edge.
New resources were added ranging
from clips of Monty Python films to
interactive games. The students benefitted from excellent new resources,
innovative practicals and fantastic extension work, all of which was reflected in their excellent achievements
in the end of year examinations. The
numbers attending Science Club have
been excellent and large numbers
of girls continue to be involved in
the Zoology Club. The annual trip to
Catalyst was a great success and the
teams entered in the annual Royal
Society of Chemistry and Salter’s chemistry competitions at Manchester
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Academic
Departments
Y11 Cwm Idwal, Snowdonia
The 15th March was no ordinary
day for Year 11 Geographers as we
embarked on an exciting adventure
to North Wales. With packed lunches
on our backs and clipboards in our
hands, we arrived at the Snowdonia
National Park, eagerly awaiting the
start of an exhausting trek to witness
features of glacial landscapes. Firstly,
we arrived at the stunning Cwm Idwal
tarn, with its dramatic steep back wall
and giant hanging valleys. Here we
sketched the wonderful view, annotating them thoroughly to ensure
geographical precision. We also found
our inner movie star, filming videos
describing features and their formation during the last ice age. After numerous takes due to uncontrollable
laughing, the finished products were
both informative and entertaining.
We then moved on to see the Nant
Ffrancon valley, an epic glacial trough
formed over 10,000 years ago by
the abrasion and plucking of a huge
glacier. It was simply overwhelming
to imagine that where we stood, was
once covered in ice over 800m thick!
Although we were all truly amazed by
the view, none were more so than Mr
Puddephatt, who, among other adjectives described the sight as ‘mind
blowing’ and ‘radically cool’. By the
time we had all piled back on the bus,
we were all exhausted but abuzz from
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our fantastic day in the heart of the
beautiful Welsh countryside.
Francesca Smith and
Julia Smith 11 HLB
Magna, Rotherham
On 20th April, seventy Year 7 pupils
visited the Magna Discovery Centre in
Rotherham. Pupils divided into two
groups and visited the four pavilions
which are Earth, Fire, Water and Air.
They also enjoyed ‘The Big Melt’, a
sound and light display showing how
steel used to be made at Magna. The
groups had special focus time in the
Water and Air Pavilions. Before returning to school, there was time to visit
the SciTech Playground. The trip was
most enjoyable and pupils gained
a greater insight into some of the
Earth’s main elements.
CHB
Windermere
On 23rd September, 90 Year 10
Geographers visited Bowness-onWindermere in the Lake District as
part of their Tourism studies for GCSE
Geography. Pupils had time to assess
the tourist attractions of Bowness and
its associated impact, before embarking on a steamer across Lake Windermere to Ambleside and Wray Castle.
The group disembarked at Wray
Castle and while enjoying a delightful two-mile walk along the wooded
Lake Shore to Ferry House, looked
specifically at the issue of footpath
erosion. A ferry returned the group
to Bowness for their journey back to
school. The trip was very informative
and enjoyable.
CHB
Castleton, Peak District
Y11 Geographers unusually experienced the blistering Derbyshire
September sunshine while collecting data for their GCSE controlled
assessment. Accurate and for some,
artistic, illustrations of the spectacular
Winnat’s Pass and Cavedale limestone
gorges were produced. Additionally,
landuse surveys of the facilities linked
to tourism in the town were compiled
and questionnaires on the town’s
tourist facilities and limestone landscapes were politely completed. The
prize for the most exotic respondent
residence went to Canada this year!
The visit concluded with a tour of
the wonderfully named ‘Devil’s Arse’
limestone cavern. Stalagmites, stalactites and beautiful flowstone formations were witnessed, while pupils
also had to ‘lambada’ under tight rock
overhangs to experience how the
acoustic and complete darkness of a
cave can make it very appropriate for
ghost stories!
ASP
Academic
Departments
River Dane Field Trip
Once again, Year 12 Geographers
undertook a field trip to the River
Dane to dovetail with the hydrology
section in the AS Geography specification. Initially, the river was used
to illustrate the change in features
and processes that take place down
a river’s course. The Dane is highly
suitable for this having comparatively
little in the way of engineering artificial stores in its upper course, when
compared with other local rivers. The
students visited tributary sources near
the Cat and Fiddle before descending
Clough Brook to look at erosion prevention methods at the confluence
with Cumberland Brook. The Wildboarclough flood was also considered
and students effectively linked the
landscape to causes of the flood. The
party then moved on to the Dane
itself at Wincle, where the river had
grown larger on its journey downstream, to study flood plain, and riffle
and pool structures, before moving
downstream to Congleton to consider the characteristics of the middle
course of a river and the impact of human activity and industrialisation on
rivers. Many thanks to ASP, LAT and
JAF for accompanying the trip as well
as putting up with PJP talking about
his favourite subject once again!
PJP
examination. After a long journey and
settling into the field centre, everyone
wrapped up well before visiting Ail
Wynt wind farm, where we investigated the advantages and disadvantages
of renewable energy via roleplay.
Following the visit, we went back to
the field centre and deliberated our
plan of action for the next day, which
fundamentally revolved around what
we would be doing for 6 hours whilst
standing in a river...
On day 2 we journeyed to Pen-yPass in the Llanberis valley, where we
set out to test our hypothesis in the
River Nant Peris. Apparently, the valley
experiences 4,000mm of rainfall per
year, but fortunately not one millimetre fell during the whole duration of
our data collection, which certainly
kept spirits high in the Llanberis
valley. After a long day of recording
channel velocity, width, depth and
various other variables at 12 different
sites along the river, we were glad to
get back to the field centre to have
some well deserved cups of tea! We
certainly cut the evening fine with
lessons analysing data going on until
7pm, when we were leaving to go
out for the evening’s social activities
at 7.20pm. I think it’s safe to say all
the girls set a record time for getting
ready!
Eventually, after managing to get
everyone onto the minibuses, we
travelled to Llandudno where we all
partook in that renowned geographical activity, ten pin bowling. And yes,
Mr Percival did beat Ben Marsden, although I’m sure Ben would be quick
to say, ‘I hadn’t completed a sufficient
warm up’. After working up an appetite from our intense bowling endeavours, we visited Betws-y-Coed’s
finest Chinese restaurant, where I believe some actually ate their own body
weight in egg fried rice and prawn
crackers. Hassan Mustafa was quick to
assist and his post-meal press up and
pull up advice proved invaluable.
I would like to thank Mr Puddephatt, Mr Percival and Mrs Talbot for
their guidance on the trip and I’m
sure they would agree we lived up to
the motto: work hard and play hard.
Holly J Smith 12 JSM
Afon Nant Peris Fieldwork,
On 8th March, 32 Year 12 Geographers ventured by mini bus to Betwsy-Coed, North Wales to investigate
how rivers changed downstream and
to collect data relevant to our Unit 2
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Norway Polar Expedition
11 intrepid adventurers from Years 10 to
13 spent February half-term experiencing
what life is like in the freezer, out on the
Hardangervidda ice plateau, Norway. In an
attempt to emulate Antarctic expedition
conditions during the centenary of Captain
Scott’s infamous journey to the South Pole,
one of the most extreme school trips ever
undertaken was born. The first few days of
the 10-day visit were spent practising crosscountry skiing, assembling polar specification tents and cooking on petrol stoves. It
was then the moment to put the extreme
cold condition training and 3-layered system
of meticulously assembled clothing to the
test. Camping, skiing and sleeping for 4 days
and 3 nights in temperatures of -20 degrees
C and, on occasions, icy, gale-force winds
of up to 60mph, was a real test of physical
and mental stamina. 8-12km was covered
each day and 30kg pulks, or sleds, were
pulled, carrying all of life’s essentials. At
least two hours at the end of each day was
spent putting up the tents, securing them by
piling snow high up the sides. This precaution proved essential on one evening, as the
team bunkered down in their -50 degrees
C sleeping bags to ride out a predicted fivehour storm in the early hours of the morning: a humbling experience where nature
truly raged. Everyone became acutely aware
of the minute details of boiling water, calorie
intake and calls of nature. Despite the hardships, the rewards were great. Resilience,
independence and teamwork, all so vital in
such an extreme environment, were shown
by every student: they were all tremendous
in their approach and desire to take on a
challenge. Everything became worthwhile,
when after a long, arduous climb up to a
frozen lake, the sun pushed through the
clouds and the team was treated to a beautiful 360-degree panorama of the plateau – an
endless mass of white, punctuated only by
snow-capped mountain peaks in the very
distance – simply breathtaking. Surely, this
was a once-in-a-lifetime experience ….. or
will it be impossible to resist returning, once
one has had a taste of life in the freezer?
ASP/JSS
Academic
Departments
Morfa Harlech Sand Dune Study
Year 13 Geographers enjoyed a
couple of bright, clear and crisp days
studying sand dune formation in
North Wales. The dunes themselves
have been forming since the 13th
century and have now left Harlech
castle stranded some 1km from the
sea. Intensive study took place at the
Field Study Council’s nearby residential centre, looking at how the dunes
are formed and should theoretically
exhibit vegetation diversity change
across the geographical feature.
Hypotheses were created to test,
methodology shaped, data collected
out in the field and then analysed
deep into the evening. Of course,
there was also time to build sand
castles on the beach – based on the
varying characteristics of a sand dune
we might add. Evening meals out
and the high-octane activity of Gorge
Scrambling were also involved. The
latter activity required that everybody
journey up a river-filled gorge on foot.
The excitement guaranteed that all
got very wet by plunging into deep
pools (where the award for biggest
cannon ball splash with an impressive
5 metre high return, rightly went to
Callum Jones), squeezing under rock
overhangs and climbing up waterfalls.
In all, a feeling of being part of Geography in action itself was provided –
what could be better?
ASP
Geology
Isle of Arran
With a fresh batch of Geologists, a
minibus and passage booked to the
Isle of Arran, the stage was set for an
adventure. The field party set out in
wonderfully warm sunny weather unlike any that had been seen before for
this field course. The good weather
held all week and not one article of
waterproof clothing was required.
The Easter field season is a busy
time on Arran as Geologists from
schools and universities around the
country descend to study the wealth
and variety of rock exposures that are
crammed into this small island.
Following calm seas for the crossing to Broddick, a short drive to the
north of the island brought the party
to the tranquil setting of Loch Ranza.
The delights of the recently re-furbished Youth Hostel in Loch Ranza afforded comfortable accommodation for
the first few nights before the party
took up residence in the Loch Ranza
Field Studies Centre close by. There,
a familiar face greeted Dr Fitzgerald
and Mr Hallatt. An ex-student of Geology at King’s, Matthew Falder, was
accompanying a first-year undergraduate field course from Cambridge
University as one of their field tutors.
Matt is currently completing his PhD
at Cambridge after reading for his
BSc at the university.
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Geology without field work would
be like chemistry without experiments; the students tramped, scrambled, climbed and slid their way up,
down, over and under the rocks that
formed their outdoor laboratory. To
cries of, ‘If you have not grazed your
nose on the rock, you are not looking
closely enough’, students observed,
measured, recorded, pondered and
drew their own conclusions on how
the outcrops and resultant landscapes
were created. Piecing the evidence
together from this great geological
crime scene, followed by classes in
the evening, provided an invaluable
introduction to field skills combined
with a super review of course material
before the start of the examination
period.
The experiences afforded by their
time on Arran left an impression on
many of the students, who have now
decided that the path they will follow
in the next stage of their educational
journey will be a geological one.
JAF
Academic
Departments
History
It has been another busy and exciting year for the History Department.
Results remain impressive and the
numbers for GCSE and A level continue to rise. Students and staff alike
are looking forward to the exciting
changes we have made to the A level
course, entering the magical world of
Peter the Great and that of the Early
Tudors.
The following reports give but a
flavour of the opportunities offered
by the department. You will see that
annual trips to Conwy Castle for Year
7, together with a trip to the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool
for Year 8 were joined this year by a
joint venture between the History and
English departments. Both divisions
visited the impressive Imperial War
Museum North as part of their First
World War studies in the morning and
then complemented this by taking
in the marvellous and moving play,
Journey’s End, at the Lowry Theatre
in the afternoon. The visit even saw
some students appear on Newsround
to discuss the importance to them of
Remembrance Day.
Year 12 students enjoyed a visit to
RAF Cosford as part of their studies
of the Cold War and GCSE students
benefited from a most enjoyable and
insightful visit to Munich in October
half-term, an excellent and vivid tool
to aid the students in their study of
Nazi Germany. Even further afield,
History, Government and Politics students and staff greatly enjoyed their
visit to Washington and New York at
Easter. Next year’s trip to Russia is
eagerly anticipated.
Within school, the history clubs
continue to have a strong following
and a history film club has taken off
with great success. Many members of
such clubs took part in the Barnaby
Festival, marching and chanting their
way through Macclesfield dressed
as Druids. Students also enjoyed
entering the Blue Cross short story
Competition, based on the recently
released Warhorse, whilst a 6th Form
student came second in a regional
heat of a debate organised by the
Historical Association on the theme
‘Why does History matter to you?’
Closer to home, a school-run competition saw two 6th form students and I
visit Auschwitz, a moving and chilling
experience.
All of the trips and events bring the
learning of history to life, making for
exciting lessons and excellent results.
As ever, thanks go to the members of
the department, who give so much of
their time to make such events and
opportunities a reality.
MSR
History, Government
and Politics USA
On Wednesday 28th March, 18 Year
11 and 6th form students set off for
Washington DC, where, after a very
long day of travelling, we had just
enough energy to make it to bed.
The next morning, we ventured
out into the city, where dozens of
photographs were taken outside the
White House, the Washington Monument and the US Capitol building.
The afternoon saw visits to several
of the museums within the Smithsonian Institution, where we saw the
Wright brothers’ plane, the original
star-spangled banner that inspired the
American national anthem and we all
touched a piece of the moon, as well
as seeing many other famous items.
In the evening, the group walked to
the monumental Lincoln Memorial,
which is a sign of hope and inspiration for millions of people across
the globe, as well as seeing the spot
where Martin Luther King made his
famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.
The following morning we embarked on the journey that would take
us to New York. With a stop off in Gettysburg for a tour of the Military Park,
where the Battle of Gettysburg took
place in the American Civil War, the
group learned about some of the key
members of the battle and also a few
of the tactics that were used. This was
followed by a unanimous decision
to visit McDonald’s for lunch. After a
further four hours on the coach, the
group was eventually rewarded with a
fantastic view of the New York skyline.
Having settled in at the hotel, we
went to Times Square, for a view of
the city that never sleeps.
The next day, we travelled by
subway to Harlem, for a tour that led
the group directly to an H&M store
to buy hats, scarves and gloves: the
freezing cold weather had taken us all
by surprise. The visit took us through
the history of Harlem up to present
day, showing a very different side to
the city. The afternoon brought the
much-awaited free time for shopping,
where many purchases were made,
with some not even stopping to have
lunch. In the evening, after feet had
been rested and clothes had been paraded, the group, most wearing what
they had bought that day, went for a
wonderful Chinese meal, followed by
a visit to the top of the Empire State
Building for some spectacular views
of New York by night.
On Day 5, we started by visiting the
Rockefeller Centre, where we went to
the Top of the Rock for some incredible sights of the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Later,
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Academic
Departments
we had a walking tour of midtown
Manhattan, which included a visit to
Central Park, the underground Apple
store and the famous toyshop FAO
Schwarz. In the evening we went to
the Hard Rock Café on Times Square,
where we saw plenty of music memorabilia, including suits worn by The
Beatles on their 1965 tour of the USA.
On our final day in the United States, we went on a tour of the financial
district, where we saw the New York
Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, Wall
Street and also visited the area of
Ground Zero. We then headed for JFK
airport, where we began our tiring
journey home. The trip was a great
success, creating many unforgettable
memories for everyone in the group
who joined it.
Lauren Garner-Jackson 11CHB
Barnaby Parade
On 23rd June, 13 students and 2 staff
took part in the Macclesfield Barnaby
parade. The theme was Midsummer
and we had chosen to be druids, celebrating the summer solstice. We made
our own costumes (and personalised
them as well), with the help of a volunteer from the Barnaby committee,
during an enrichment afternoon. By
4:45 p.m. we were waiting patiently
for the parade to start. We were all
dressed in white with hoods covering
our heads and an assortment of staffs
in our hands. We were raring to go,
impatiently tapping various musical
instruments in an attempt to drown
out the electric guitars of the fire section.
The parade finally started at 5pm
and we set off, marching through the
streets of Macclesfield. As we went,
we chanted the words of the ancient
druids:
Earth, Sky and Sea
Blessed are these three
Day bright and darkest night
Two sides of the light
And one in mind
We will find
Our praises here resound
Yes, one in mind
We will find
From our lips to the sacred ground
We were competing with the Angels
in front of us, to see who could make
the loudest noise. Behind us was a
giant Pegasus/Unicorn (we are still
not sure which). We saw teachers and
classmates amongst the crowds that
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lined the streets, raised lots of money
for charity and thoroughly enjoyed
ourselves. We are looking forward to
next year.
Frances Laker 8LuH
Conwy Castle
It was 9am when we hurried, excitedly, towards the buses. As we began
the long anticipated journey, we all
settled. Everyone chattered. I spent
some of the time imagining the huge
towers and walls that had withstood
not only attackers, but also the test of
time.
After arriving, the teachers had
literally to rope us to the buses, as we
were ready to launch a fake attack on
the castle. First, we were told about
the history of the castle then there
was a tour. We saw the King’s and
Queen’s towers, the church, prison,
a huge well and we were even able to
walk along the top of the walls, pretending to shoot at the people below,
imagining they were attackers.
After the tour we had lunch. Then,
we were able to go for a walk around
Academic
Departments
the castle. Unfortunately, before we
could all escape the clutches of the
teachers, we were given a questionnaire. I tried my best to fill it in, however the amazing sight of the castle
from the King’s tower, was what I call
a big distraction.
Later, Rhodri, a couple of friends
and I raced down the stairs to create
a re-enactment of an attack on the
walls. I quickly chose the defending
team, as the castle would be a very
useful tool of defence. A couple of
minutes into the attack, just as we
had pushed the attackers to the south
wall, where they could be picked
off by my archery, the clock hit the
time of departure and the battle was
forced to end.
After a quick look at the smallest
house in Britain, we all loaded onto
the bus and returned to our Fortress
School.
Edward Hammonds
watch the touching video of the history of poppies and their relevance to
Remembrance Day.
We also enjoyed a source-handling
session, where we got to handle and
view directly, sources from the First
World War. This was a useful way of
expanding our knowledge, outside
the classroom. In the afternoon, we
went to the Lowry Theatre to watch
Journey’s End, an amazing play which
told about the hardship of the First
World War and life in the trenches.
It really made me think about how
scared the soldiers must have been
whilst fighting in the trenches. The
characters really fulfilled their roles
and gave a very realistic production.
I found the day very interesting and
informative and would recommend
it to others. Some boys were even
fortunate enough to be filmed by
Newsround.
Gregg Booker 9GAJM
Conwy Castle
The trip to Conwy was a great success this year: unlike last year, when
it rained all day, this visit was sunny
and dry. We struggled to find our
way into the castle despite its size, as
there were renovation works taking
place all around the West Barbican.
All the girls loved learning about the
murder holes and the various devious
methods employed by marauders attacking the castle. The view from the
King’s Tower out to sea was stunning.
It seemed a shame that kings stayed
here so infrequently. Everyone enjoyed the walk along the battlements
and around the town walls. Last, but
not least, was the lunch break with local chips and ice cream washed down
with ice cold water. Not the healthiest
of meals, but well deserved after all
that walking and exploration.
EPO
Girls’ Division History Club
This year has seen record numbers
of girls attending History Club. The
year started with an exploration of
the English Civil War to tie in with our
theme for the Open Events. During these events, students and staff
dressed as characters from the Civil
War period and we conducted a ballot
on the issue of whether or not, King
Charles I deserved to be executed.
In the Spring term, to commemorate the centenary of the sinking of
the Titanic, the girls investigated the
circumstances around this event and,
in particular, considered where blame
should be placed.
After the Easter break, the focus was turned to the forthcoming
Barnaby Parade in Macclesfield. This
year’s theme was ‘Midsummer’ so
it was decided to dress as druids,
celebrating the summer solstice. The
girls were joined by members of the
Boys’ History Club for an enrichment
afternoon, when a member of the
Barnaby Committee came to give guidance on how to make the costumes.
The results were impressive and all
the students enjoyed representing
the King’s School in the parade on 23
June.
LAC
Macclesfield Silk Museums
The first museum we visited was Paradise Mill. Once there, we were split
into two groups. My group was taken
around the museum by a man called
Derek. Derek showed us many of the
machines that you would find in a
weaving mill, such as the Hand Loom,
the warp threads and a flying shuttle.
He showed us the Jacquard Loom,
which was a very complicated device
used to put patterns in the threads.
We also saw where they designed the
National War Museum
Journey’s End
We arrived in Salford and as we got
off the buses, we marvelled at the
tank parked in front of the museum
entrance and the magnificent architecture of the museum itself. We entered the main hall, which had walls
randomly placed to give the effect of
how war has shaped the world and
to emphasize the artefacts around
the room. For example, there was a
mess of wreckage which turned out
to be a car that had been blown up
when someone had bombed it with a
road side bomb. We then sat down to
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Academic
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patterns which would be put onto
the silk and the punch card, which
punched the holes in the cardboard
for the Jacquard Loom. Finally, Derek
showed us where silk comes from
and he explained the life cycle of a
silkworm.
We then moved onto the next
museum, which was the Macclesfield
School of Art. In this museum we
learnt many things about silks and silk
weaving and what the workers got up
to in their free time. Here, we were
allowed to wander around, filling in
worksheets, which was very beneficial
and provided much entertainment.
Finally, we moved on to the
best-known museum, The Heritage
Centre, which was originally a Sunday
School. In this museum, we learnt
about the Silk trade and silk mills in
Macclesfield, saw a short film of the
silk industry in Macclesfield, which included silk buttons and Charles Roe,
and learnt about silk throwing, and
the population of Macclesfield. In the
last part of the trip, we learnt about
the fashions, dressing up in many different outfits.
My favourite parts of the trip were
the tour around Paradise Mill and the
video at The Heritage Centre. This
was where I learnt most and I enjoyed
watching the old machines working.
Aiman Aslam 9LB
Munich I
On Sunday 16th October, Dr Craig,
Mr Robinson and Mrs White took 32
Year 11 pupils to Munich, ready to experience the history of Nazi Germany.
On the first day we travelled to
Nuremberg where we visited the Museum of Fascination and Terror, which
displays the rise and fall of the Nazi
Party. We then went to the Zeppelin
Field, the Nazi Party rally ground. This
was an awakening moment for many
people, as it turned our studies into a
reality of what actually happened, not
so long ago.
The second day was spent at
‘Schloss Neuschwanstein’ in Bavaria,
the castle featured in Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang. The castle, once occupied by King Ludwig II, gave the pupils an insight into how Hitler wanted
Germany to be under his power, a
traditional land. After taking a horse
and carriage back down the steep hill,
the afternoon was spent on a walking
tour of the city of Munich, visiting
the War memorial, the Parliament
building and the Royal Palace, the
‘Munich Residenz’.
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The final day was very poignant for
everyone, as we visited the Dachau
Concentration Camp Memorial Site.
The tour of the first camp to be
opened in Germany gave an in-depth
view of what happened there during
the 12 years that it was in use. We all
found Dachau to be a fascinating, yet
moving place, and one that we have
said we will never forget. The afternoon included several journeys on
underground trains to various parts
of Munich, including the University of
Munich, where the White Rose (a resistance group) distributed anonymous
leaflets opposing the Nazi regime. We
then had free time in the city centre,
before the exhausted group returned
to the airport.
Lauren Garner-Jackson 11CHB
Munich Trip II
In October half term, I went on
a history trip to Munich for three
nights. Having flown from Manchester to Munich, we travelled by coach
to the Meininger hostel, where we
stayed. Early next morning we went
to Nuremberg, where Hitler held his
Nazi rallies: we learned he had plans
to make it the model German city,
to include a sports stadium, German
people’s stadium (400,000 capacity)
and the parade ground. They were to
be built of quarried stone from concentration camps. We visited the Museum of Fascination and Terror and
then the parade ground itself with
the sports stadium behind it, which is
now Nuremberg’s football stadium.
On the second day, after visiting
Schloss Neuschwanstein, we returned
to Munich, where we followed the
route of the Munich Putsch and saw
the Bavarian palace and the Munich
war memorial. On the final day, after
visiting Dachau concentration camp,
we went to Konigsplatz, another Nazi
rally ground and the building where
the meeting deciding the fate of
the Sudetenland took place. Hitler,
Neville Chamberlain and many others
had been present.
George Crummack 11 JN
Liverpool Slavery Museum
I was already intrigued by the way the
teachers described it. I couldn’t wait.
But the second I walked in, I knew
the teachers were wrong: it was better than their description. From left to
right, I could see education everywhere, waiting to be learnt. From life
before the slave trade to life after it, it
was fascinating.
First, I looked at the section before
the slave trade. This really taught me
how civilised Africans were before
the incident happened. This section
engulfed me with knowledge of how
they didn’t deserve to be slaves and
have their original lives stripped away
from them. There were things such
as bowls, forks, and spoons to prove
my point. They also had kings and
queens in many parts of Africa.
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Then I moved onto the slave trade.
It was filled with evidence showing
how terribly the African people were
treated. After looking around, I went
into a room where a video was playing. The video was showing how
horribly they were treated and it also
made me think how lucky I am not
to be treated like that. Walking out
with shivers down my spine, we went
into our group source handling session. On my table, were accounts by
successful slaves and some branding
irons. They helped me imagine the
terrifying feeling of the red-hot irons
burning into the skin. They described, in the accounts, how it didn’t
just hurt you physically, it also hurt
you mentally. It took away your name,
your life, your family and your hope.
We also listened to other people describe the object on their tables, such
as shackles and bowls and pictures of
the Middle Passage boats.
My favourite part of the day was
the learning. The museum taught lots
of interesting facts that I can hopefully remember for my whole life. If
I had to sum it up in three words, I
would say ‘a fantastic experience’.
Ben Lynch 8SLJ
Slavery Museum
In February, Year 8 girls went on a trip
to the Slavery Museum in Liverpool.
The long coach journey to Liverpool
was worth it, as the huge Museum
was full of interesting facts about Liverpool’s past in the slave trade.
We were given questionnaires
about the slave trade. The gallery was
filled with objects which had been
used either on the ship from country
to country, or on the farms. From
whips to branding irons, the museum
had everything, including a realistic
video of what it’s like to be on the
ship during the Middle Passage.
Once we had answered as many
questions as we could, we were sent
into the ‘handling’ room to have a
look at some of the objects and to
investigate them. Each group had to
make a small presentation about the
objects on their table.
It was a really great day out.
Emily Jaques 8JaH
ICT
The department recorded an ECDL
record with over 200 successful pupils
passing the qualification since September 2011. There were also a very
high number of pupils scoring 100%
in modules. As 2012 was 100 years after the birth of Alan Turing there were
at least two national competitions to
celebrate this and the department
entered student teams in both. Year
11 pupils entered a cipher competition and recorded full marks. The
Year 12 computing class entered a
programming competition to create a
Turing machine simulator. Both these
competitions required the pupils to
do some independent programming
in their free time.
The A level computing students
competed in the British Informatics
Olympiad where James McIlveen scored the top school mark. Both AS and
A2 computing sets also competed in
the National Cipher Challenge for the
second time. Once again both teams
did very well.
Outside school, James McIlveen
used his advanced programming skills
to create a program/tool to aid users
who enjoy games of strategy. The tool
was so well developed, that a number
of software companies bid for James’
work and to date he has earned £2000
in royalties for it. He received the
school’s computing prize and Tom
Gowans received the ICT prize.
COD
Japanese
The Japanese course is one of the
extended studies subjects for Year
13 pupils. This course provides a
qualification from OCR called Asset
Languages Breakthrough Level. It is
a nationally recognised qualification
and a great first step into the world
of Japan, its language and the culture. This year the course had only
45 hours before the exams but the
well-motivated, hard-working and enthusiastic students managed to fasten
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their seat-belts, and hung on tight, in
order to get through what was meant
to be delivered in 120 hours of study.
Despite such limited time, students
passed with merits and distinctions
as in previous years. As a reward for
such intense lessons, students also
had some fun sessions, which, this
year, included calligraphy, history,
dressing-up in kimono and roll-yourown sushi sessions in just two hours.
ATK
Mathematics
Junior & Intermediate Maths
Challenges
Many excellent results were obtained
in the Junior (JMC) and Intermediate (IMC) Maths Challenges. In the
JMC, 11 gold, 38 silver and 35 bronze
awards were harvested by young
mathematicians in Years 6, 7 and
8. The gold award winners were in
the top 6% of the 240,000 competitors in this national challenge. Best
in School, was Year 8 student, Harry
Broughton (98/135), with Best in
Year 7 going to Molly Bessell (92)
whilst Hannah Bailey was the highest
scoring student in the Junior Division
with 82.
Earlier in the year, a similar level of
outstanding achievement was noted
in the IMC. Here, a total of 19 gold, 33
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silver and 33 bronze awards was accumulated by Years 9, 10 and 11 pupils,
despite most of Year 10 being unable
to compete because of a clash with
Work Experience Week. Our eleven
highest performers were invited to
compete in the next round of competition (IMOK). Nine boys were invited
to take part in the Kangaroo paper
which is taken by around 3,000,000
students worldwide. Of these, James
Shering and Matthew Smith were
awarded a Merit for their outstanding
efforts in the Grey (Year 9) paper
with Richard Southern, Max Hayward
and Alex Calder receiving a similar
accolade for their excellent efforts in
the Pink (Year 10/11) paper. However, pride of place must go to Year
10 student Laura Embrey and Dmitri
Whitmore, Year 9. They qualified for
the Intermediate Maths Olympiad
(IMO) which is only offered to the
top 600 or so successful students in
the country. Dmitri’s score on the
Cayley (Year 9) paper earned him a
merit award which placed him in the
top 150 students at that level, whilst
Laura received a distinction coupled
with a book prize for her mark being
one of the best 50 scores on the
Hamilton paper, which is clearly an
outstanding achievement. Indeed,
so good was her paper, that she
was selected to attend the National
Mathematics School, held in Birmingham in July. She aims to reach similar,
if not greater heights, in next year’s
Challenge!
GJS
Cryptocontests
The annual National Cipher Challenge
has been well-supported by pupils
from King’s and this year a team
headed by David Ormrod-Morley in
Year 13 came as close as anyone to
winning overall. As they went into the
last of the increasingly more challenging rounds, David and his team, made
up largely of further mathematicians,
were almost level on total points with
other challengers. That they did not
win overall was due to the timing
of their solution entry, only a few
minutes separating all the top few
teams. Nevertheless, they did come
a very creditable 23rd out of 1700
teams, with the top 25 teams all level
on points and separated by seconds!
Even more amazing, was the performance of the Year 10 team under Tom
Eastgate, which managed to come
97th overall and were only held back
from a higher placing by the final test.
Eight teams in all entered from the
school.
Tom and his team (pictured below)
then went one step further and entered the contest set by Manchester
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University, once again spread across a
number of increasingly difficult challenges. They were extremely successful here, coming third overall and
just ahead of another Year 10 team.
Again, it was just the last challenge
which knocked them off the top spot.
As a result, not only were they in
the money prizes but they also were
invited to receive their prizes in a
presentation at the University at the
same time as attending a lecture on
Cryptography given by an eminent
mathematician.
The teams were Year 13: David
Ormrod-Morley, Izzy Bell, Robert
Phythian, Oliver McCloskey, Euan
Scott, Sean Wilson and Year 10: Tom
Eastgate, Alex Moore, Ben Cree.
PME
Y8 Catalyst Museum in Widnes
On 17th January, a top set from Year
8 went on an enrichment trip to the
Science Catalyst Museum in Widnes.
Pupils worked on different activities,
such as building a giant tetrahedron
from Dowling rods. They had to
collaborate to construct small tetrahedrons, that could be combined to
make a larger and larger tetrahedron.
The pupils were asked challenging
questions about these 3-dimensional
shapes, including trying to work out
how many rods made the whole giant
shape at the end. Another activity
was a puzzle circuit in the afternoon.
During this activity, pupils worked
together to solve different problems
at tables, and rotated around the
room at 5 minute intervals. Many of
the tasks involved shape and space
and required the pupils to use a wide
variety of concepts and logic.
LuH
Modern Languages
This has been an eventful year for
language learning at King’s. Several
extra-curricular trips were organised
and there were many opportunities to
further interest in language learning.
Pupils practised their languages using
a range of online resources and many
also enjoyed subscriptions to targetlanguage magazines from the ‘Authentik’ and Mary Glasgow series. French,
German and Spanish were studied
whilst Japanese continued to attract
committed and able students to its
Extended Studies course.
The German Department started
the year cheered by successes at A
level, including one A* leading to the
offer of a place at Cambridge, and several other students continuing their
language study at university. Miss
Morris, working with Christina Preuß,
this year’s German assistant, worked
with a group of girls from Years 8 to10
to perform an adaptation of the wellknown fairy tale Dornröschen by the
Brothers Grimm, written by John Nolan. A2 German students visited the
Junior Division to deliver a special lesson on Eric Carle’s popular children’s
story Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt.
This tied in with the European Day of
Languages and was very well-received
by the young pupils. Year 12 and 13
students visited Manchester Metropolitan University for a day of lectures
and workshops: this was deemed
extremely useful and students attended talks on the film Die Fremde,
essay-writing tips, talking and writing
about films, German youth, and word
order, as well as having an intro-
duction to the benefits of studying
languages at university. In addition,
Year 13 students visited the GoetheInstitut in Manchester and listened to
Wolfgang Winkler’s fascinating talk on
the film Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei.
Just before Christmas, Year 9 students
were offered the opportunity to visit
the Manchester German Christmas
Markets, to practise first-hand the
language for food, drink and shopping they had been studying. This was
very much enjoyed by the pupils as
a well-deserved treat at the end of a
long term of hard work.
The Spanish Department had a
busy and interesting year, most ably
helped by many additional teachers
from other departments both inside
and outside the Modern Languages
Faculty. We welcomed Roderigo
Layana, from Argentina, as Spanish
Assistant, who imparted a novel,
South American cultural and linguistic
perspective. Miss Smalley was congratulated on becoming, firstly Senior
Subject Teacher for Spanish, and then
subsequently Mrs Bartle. Pupils sent
Christmas cards to prisoners of conscience in Latin America, heightening
their awareness of wider issues within
the Hispanic world. The Hispanic
Cinema Club showed examples of
typical films to broaden cultural awareness and give insights into the Spanish-speaking world. Finally, towards
the end of the Summer Term, there
was a focus on the Olympic Games
from a Hispanic perspective, giving
the opportunity for some stimulating
language and project work.
The French Department also
started the year encouraged with
pleasing GCSE and A-level results. We
welcomed Justine Chevallier from Le
Havre as our French Assistant, and
she involved herself with interest and
commitment with the conversation
Hand-cut paper cityscape, Alice Simkins Y11
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practice for which she was responsible. In Years 7 and 8, the department continued to implement the
new course ‘C’est Possible’ using an
approach based on the principles of
Michel Thomas’s language teaching.
Pupils in Year 9 will continue with our
own course based upon this scheme
and we are interested and excited already at how much pupils are able to
say and do in the language by the end
of Year 8. The implementation of the
course has involved, and continues
to involve, close cooperation and
creative thinking from those teaching
the material, and we feel optimistic
that it will provide a sounder grounding for the beginning of the GCSE
course for those pupils following it.
At Sixth Form level, students enjoyed
an intensive but enjoyable and useful
full-afternoon workshop on the film
director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and his
film Amélie led by Dr Isabelle Vanderschelden, Senior Lecturer in French at
Manchester Metropolitan University.
The students participated very well
in the demanding activities of the
afternoon and acquired a good grasp
of the important critical arguments
necessary for the analysis of Jeunet’s
work.
The Department continued to provide extra-curricular opportunities for
learning and practising the language,
including a trip to a French language
current affairs, politics and economics conference in Paris in February,
organised by Mme Schué, which
students thoroughly enjoyed, whilst
coping very well with the sophistication of the language and ideas which
were discussed. Year 10 and 11 pupils
enjoyed a topical and highly relevant
enrichment day in Manchester, organised by Mr Fico. To finish the year, a
record 110 Year 7 pupils enjoyed an
exciting week in Normandy, during
which they learned new skills, had a
great deal of fun, and also learned a
large amount of French. The continuing popularity of this trip is testament
to the excellent quality of the activities, the French staff and the learning.
Many congratulations are due to
those students who worked hard and
achieved good results in the public
examinations this year. The coming
year will offer further opportunities,
and the Modern Languages staff will
continue to do all we can to foster
and promote language learning, both
inside and outside the classroom.
IED
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Château Trip
A bleary-eyed group of 118 youngsters and staff gathered in the early
hours of Wednesday 4th July to set
off in the pouring rain to the warmer
climes of Normandy, where an exciting week of activities awaited them.
Despite the early hour, the children
were in excitable and talkative mood
and the journey down to Portsmouth
Harbour passed quickly enough. We
then boarded the enormous and
comfortable ferry ‘Normandie’ and
settled down for seven hours, during
which everyone enjoyed the facilities on board ship, quietly chatted or
read.
On arrival at the Château, we were
served our first delicious French
meal, and this was presented in French, setting the routine for subsequent mealtimes. French staff would
describe the meal in French to the
children, also interacting with them
and reinforcing particular important
basic words and phrases related to
food and eating. It was very impressive to see how many of the boys and
girls were able to participate confidently in French, in this part of the
day, especially after a few days. The
food was typically French and of a
good standard, and those who were
adventurous discovered new unex-
pected delights, including snails on
one evening!
The activities were carried out entirely in French with qualified French
staff who ensured that the necessary
words were learned and practised
whilst the activities were being enjoyed. The activities included climbing,
aeroball, canoeing, breadmaking,
fencing, archery and orienteering.
Every evening, there was an activity:
the highlights were the sports tournament; ‘It’s a Knockout’ (in which the
group leader was nearly knocked out
himself by a flying wellington boot!);
the treasure hunt, and the French
quiz. The pupils were all given the
chance to meet and feed the animals
on the Château’s farm, as well as learn
about the making of cider.
There was one trip out during
the week and this involved a visit to
a local market, for which the pupils
were given money to buy a French
picnic and practise the French they
had been learning. After the picnic,
there was a visit to the Mont St-Michel, where all admired the stunning
view from the city walls, whilst trying
to spot the deliberate mistakes which
had been included in the entertaining
commentary our French guide gave.
Sometimes truth really is stranger
than fiction!
Fused glass panel, Tom Fairclough Y11
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The whole trip was so packed with
activity that time passed very quickly
and soon it was time to pack the
coaches and set off back to England
via the overnight ferry. On the boat,
pupils had the chance to enjoy a disco before retiring to sleep. Tired, and
with suitcases of clothes ready for the
washing machine, we all arrived back
at lunchtime on Tuesday 10th July.
Thanks are due to the superb staff
team - Mrs Balcombe, Mrs Schué, Mrs
Kyrantonis, Miss John, Mrs Jackson,
Mr Houghton, Mr Shaw, Mr Abbotson, Mr Barker, who helped the trip
leader, Mr Dalgleish; all of them gave
huge amounts of energy, commitment and patience in order to ensure
that the boys and girls had the best
possible time and learned the most
during their visit. A trip of this scale is
impossible without a fantastic team.
The pupils had a very good time and
returned with an enhanced knowledge of the French language.
IED
Paris
In February, a small group of 6th form
French students headed enthusiastically for Paris. After several hours on
the Eurostar, the group finally arrived
at the Gare du Nord to be greeted by
clear blue skies and sub-zero temperatures. Whilst in Paris, students attended several conferences in which
contemporary European issues were
discussed, including youth unemployment and the Paris tourist industry.
The talks were led by prominent
French and English speakers, including Evan Davis, the presenter of
BBC’s Dragons’ Den.
Of course, the students felt obliged
to play the part of the keen tourist,
visiting attractions such as the Eiffel
Tower, Notre Dame and even engaging in a well-deserved shopping spree
on the Champs Elysées.
The group also cruised down the
River Seine on the Bateaux Mouches
and got a stunning panoramic view
of Paris. Getting around was possible
by Metro, which showed both the
students and staff how appalling their
sense of balance was!
Obviously, the highlight of the trip
was the mountain of Parisian food received, including French onion soup,
tarte aux pommes, and visits to classic
patisseries.
The group returned to England
with their bellies full of French delicacies and their minds buzzing.
ESc
Mixed Media sculpture, based on signage, Brad Delves Y11
GCSE French
On 9 March, Year 10 and 11 French
students went to Salford City Stadium
in Manchester, where an inter-school
conference was taking place. Attending were over four different schools,
ranging from Year 9 to 11, and all
were there for the same reason – to
improve their French reading, writing,
speaking and listening skills in an
entertaining way. The day was focused
around making the more complex
structures of French accessible:
however, fun was certainly another
main focus! Each talk was accompanied by a humorous sketch and
competitions were run throughout
the talks (with great prizes to match).
King’s left the conference with their
heads held high, after three different
competitions were won by our pupils.
So, well done to Laura Venables with
Best Writing; Megan Barton with
Best Question asked to an Examiner;
Johnny Hammill and Jamie Cunningham for Best Translation.
Pupils left on the bus, to the wobbly tune of ‘Champs Elysées’, with
their minds well and truly full of practical French knowledge.
CJAF
overwhelmed by the multitude of different sights, smells and sounds, and
looked with curiosity at the various
small stalls selling a whole range of
different, intriguing-looking items.
Firstly, we walked around the
entire area; then we were let loose
to look around for ourselves and buy
German sweets, trinkets, toys, hot
chocolate, sausages: the list goes on.
One particular stall that stood out for
me in its appeal, was selling various
items (including clocks, stationery
and ornaments) made entirely out of
driftwood. The sweet stalls were also
dazzling, with their multi-coloured
display of long cables, glass jars filled
to the brim with garish sweets and
sumptuous-looking Bonbons. After
twenty minutes of browsing/purchasing/sighing at something that was
just beyond our budgets, we headed
back to the station and to King’s,
some laden with bags, others happily
munching on some delectable, chewy
substance.
The trip was enjoyed by everyone
and it was fun to put our language
skills into practice in a real-life context. Eine tolle Klassenfahrt!
William Fox, Y9
Christmas Market
The Year 9 trip to the German Christmas Market in Manchester was a huge
success and enjoyed by all. We took
the train to Manchester Piccadilly
and walked from there to the market. Upon arriving, we were slightly
Goethe-Institut
As part of the ‘Cultural Topics’
element of the A2 course, Year 13
students were studying the film, Die
fetten Jahre sind vorbei (‘The Edukators’) by Hans Weingartner. Nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2004
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Cannes Film Festival, it stars Daniel
Brühl, Stipe Erceg and Julia Jentsch.
So it was that, on 8th November,
three students from the Year 13 German set, travelled to Manchester to
visit the Goethe-Institut for a talk on
the film, to be delivered by the Director of the Goethe-Institut, Wolfgang
Winkler. The talk proved to be most
beneficial for the students. It was
conducted solely in German and Herr
Winkler used a wide variety of media
to aid understanding.
MSTH
German A-Level Day
On 2nd November, 6th Form Germanists, accompanied by Christina
Preuß, this year’s German assistant,
met in Manchester to attend a oneday A-Level German conference at
Manchester Metropolitan University.
Students participated in language
activities and listened to lectures
in German by native speakers. The
students found the day beneficial and
enjoyable.
MSTH
Dornröschen
It took many months of rehearsals
by girls in Years 8, 9 and 10 to get
this great production, Dornröschen,
on stage. Dornröschen means ‘little
thorn-rose’ and this fantastic adaptation of the famous fairytale Sleeping
Beauty was written by Mr John Nolan.
It was directed by Frau Morris and
Christina, the Assistant. Teachers, pupils, parents and guest visitors bustled
into the Resource Centre at Fence
Avenue on Friday 18th May and it was
an exceptional performance.
The audience of 70 were wowed by
the acting talents of Francesca Nimmo
as Malifizent, the evil queen who
places a hex on the beautiful Aurora;
Beth Talbot as Malifizent’s Helferin
and the three fairies, Flora (Olivia
Hamblyn), Fauna (Emily Jaques)
and Schönwetter (Elise Boothroyd).
Dornröschen (Janine Murta) charmed
us with her modest, sweet characterisation and der Prinz (Anja Knudsen)
commanded a fine, heroic stage
presence. The fight scene was a real
highlight!
There were several notes of
congratulations from parents and
teachers alike on the extraordinarily
accurate pronunciation, outstanding fluency and intonation the girls
achieved. The cast also deserved
special congratulations on their continuous commitment to lunchtime
38
rehearsals and magnificent effort
in learning their lines. Of no lesser
importance and of equally impressive
talent was the beautiful Chor (Zoë
Richmond, Maddie Townley, Holly
Kitching, Emma Jarvis). Thanks go to
Mrs Beesley and Elise Boothroyd for
their assistance in helping us to learn
the tunes to the many songs in the
play, and to the Year 8 German pupils
who recorded a clip in class for the
Spinning Wheel Scene.
We congratulated the cast and
choir on an immensely enjoyable
show and final thanks also went to
Mr Nolan for giving us permission to
stage his play at Fence Avenue.
Lydia Myers, die Erzählerin
(Narrator) Year 10
Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt
The German Department was delighted to be invited to join the Junior
Division’s Autumn Term celebration
of the ‘European Day of Languages’.
Pupils in Year 4 had been working from Eric Carle’s much-loved
The Hungry Caterpillar in German
translation and Year 13 students, Max
Gabarre-Grindrod, Ellen Barratt and
Georgina Lucas, were given the task
of delivering a short performance of
the text, with subsequent follow-up
language tasks for the pupils to complete. The A2 students rose to the
task with magnificent gusto and their
audience responded with delightful
enthusiasm.
JAIM
Spanish Clubs
The GCSE Spanish Group in the Girls’
Division for Year 10 and 11 pupils had
a specific focus each week. Girls were
able to revisit important vocabulary
and grammar work for assessments
and examinations. They benefited
from the range of themes covered
and aimed to perfect their knowledge
of higher-level Spanish topics.
VHS
The Key Stage 3 Spanish Club in the
Girls’ Division had a very successful year. The girls involved explored
many exciting and vibrant cultural
topics such as Flamenco Dancing,
Spanish Charities - including the
Spanish Stray Dogs’ Society - and designed typical Spanish festive decorations.
VHS
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Spanish Debating Competition
November 5th may mean Bonfires
and firework displays for some, but
for Virginie Nobbs and Georgie Snell,
two Year 13 students of Spanish, it
meant a gruelling debating competition at Cheadle Hulme School. The
contestants were required to debate
several topics in Spanish, including:
‘Is society to blame for the recent
London looting and rioting?’ and
‘Religion changes a good man into
the Devil’. Such topics would challenge many students in their native
language, so the girls’ commitment
and determination were all the more
impressive. A second challenge of
the day was to debate for or against
the motion without notice. Virginie
and Georgie performed superbly
and were awarded a place in the final
where, despite a valiant performance,
they were beaten by St Bede’s School.
CAM
Spanish GCSE
On 27th January, a group of Year 11
pupils attended a KeyNotes Spanish Conference in Manchester. The
aim of the day was to give tips to the
students about how to ensure success
in GCSE exams and show ways to
revise for each skill. The highlight of
the day was when Rodrigo, our Spanish language assistant, took part in a
quiz. Justine Blake, 11CAR, also won a
prize for ‘The Best Question’ asked to
the examiners. All in all, the day was a
great deal of fun, and was incredibly
valuable in preparation for the forthcoming examinations.
Alex Swift 11CAR
Postcard competition
A competition was launched to design
postcards featuring some aspect of
the Hispanic world, to be made into
departmental rewards postcards.
Astonishingly, there were more than
80 entries and a huge variety of
designs: computer-generated images,
bulls, abstract art, bulls, hand-painted
pictures, more bulls, 3D designs and
bulls. From September, these cards,
designed by our own students, will be
sent to parents to recognize exceptional work by their sons and daughters. Not all of the cards will feature
bulls.
CAM
Music
King’s music continues in splendid sequence. Best wishes go with Tom Eaglen, Chris Sykes and Shanshan Zhao
as they move into new opportunities.
A warm welcome is given to Helen
Fehily and Richard Strivens, joining to
teach singing and Dan Wheildon to
teach the piano. It is hoped that they
enjoy their experiences at King’s as
much as everyone else does.
Three excellent musical events
occurred before the summer term
ended. Firstly, there was a beautiful
concert of music sung by the BFC in
the resonant acoustic of St Alban’s RC
Church. A significant sum of money
was raised for the Seashells Project in
Macclesfield. Secondly, King’s Sings
in early July saw the BFC reprise a
number of items from their St Alban’s
Concert in the first half. The second
half of the concert was Carmina
Burana by Carl Orff. This massive
and iconic work saw over 130 pupils
on stage from Foundation Choir,
Chamber Choir, Barbershop, BFC,
Girls’ Choir and Boys’ Choir. They
were joined by soloists Fiona Clucas
(soprano), Richard Strivens (baritone)
and Jack Leslie (countertenor). Accompaniment was provided by Mrs
Barratt and Mrs Pyatt, whose playing
of the complex piano parts was stunning; percussion was played by Kate
Mercer, Chris Sykes, Dougie Black
and Alison Lea, with pupils Jonathan
Emery and Josh Keeling. Mr Mercer
conducted; the audience was full of
enthusiasm for the result.
Finally, the Chamber Choir undertook a mini-tour to Shropshire. Accommodation was at YHA Wilderhope
Hall, a 16th century manor house set
in rolling countryside on the slopes
of Wenlock Edge. Rooms were very
comfortable, despite low door frames
which one singer discovered to his
cost!
The first stop was in Bishop’s
Castle where the choir joined members of the local Primary School in
an afternoon workshop and informal
concert. Mr Mercer, and the Head of
the Primary School, Mr Barker, led an
enthusiastic session of music making
which demonstrated team work,
empathy and good humour across
the age ranges. Day two was spent in
Ludlow where the choristers were the
guests of St Laurence’s Parish Church.
This magnificent 14th century building possesses a remarkable acoustic,
stunning stained glass and some of
the oldest carved wooden choir stalls
in the country.
A Lunchtime Concert was given
in the nave for a select audience of
parents, relatives and members of
the public. The choir sang motets by
Bruckner, Duruflé, Fauré and Mozart
as well as a group of English Part
Songs by Finzi, Ireland and Stanford.
Georgie Lucas floated magically as
the ‘Blue Bird’. The Barbershop sang
three equally well-received numbers.
Tom Baston, William Strutt and our
visiting organist James Speakman
gave a solo item each. This was a fine
concert in an ancient place of worship
which was followed by a delicious
afternoon tea, generously provided
by members of the parish.
This repast preceded a rehearsal
which moved into Festive Choral
Evensong. Music by Stanford, Finzi
and Rose would challenge an Oxbridge Chapel Choir or a cathedral
choir but our choristers came throu-
39
Academic
Departments
gh with flying colours. Organist James
Speakman, from Junior RNCM, played
in the manner befitting his position as
Organ Scholar at Liverpool Anglican
Cathedral and Organ Scholar Elect at
Corpus Christi College Cambridge.
Our sincere thanks go to the
Rector and Church Administrator for
their warm welcome and many words
of appreciation and encouragement;
thanks also to Fr John, who led the
service with great warmth and sincerity. It was a truly uplifting experience.
Sunday morning dawned bright
and the choir headed for Cleobury
Mortimer, a lovely town with an
ancient church with a crooked spire.
We sang Choral Eucharist in conjunction with the church choir, giving the
large congregation a fine lead in their
worship. After coffee, we repaired to
the King’s Arms, for a magnificent
buffet lunch. This was a fitting end to
a splendid trip which saw the Year 13s
out in style and proved yet again how
truly terrific King’s students are. Many
thanks must go to Mrs Kate Mercer
and Mr Richard Brocklehurst for their
pastoral care and musical contributions and to Mr and Mrs Raval for their
ongoing support.
The Wind Band and Jazz Band
made their usual trip to Ingestre Hall
in Staffordshire at the beginning of
October. Thanks to Mrs Barratt, Mr
and Mrs Pyatt and Mrs Smith for orga-
40
nising, leading and conducting. Alex
Voysey and Aaron Shaughnessy deserve special mention for playing vital
musical and logistical roles, proving
themselves worthy of high student
office in the years to come.
Our String players travelled to Trigonos in early November for the first
of their two trips of the year. They
were accompanied by Mrs Beesley,
Mrs Pyatt, Mrs Barratt and Dr Hazel: a
thoroughly enjoyable time was had by
all, with excellent music making and
strong fellowship.
The Year 8 Boys’ Music Evening followed in rollicking form. Mrs Barratt
marshalled 80 lads in her own inimitable style, eliciting remarkable performances from all of them. Group
improvisations, wind and brass,
guitars and a beautiful vocal solo from
James Thomas formed the first half.
The second part witnessed ‘Olympics’
by Alan Simmons, a cantata singing
the praises of this great sporting occasion. Soloists, readers and the massed
choir in various costumes and waving
flags gave a really spirited performance. All proceeds were donated to
Orkidstudio.
The Autumn Instrumental Concert
featured all of the ensembles. Opening with Jazz Band, Anna Callow
(trumpet) featured as soloist in ‘Ballad for Blue Horn’; Flute Choir and
Ensemble demonstrated cohesion,
poise and balance and Saxophone
Ensemble gave a rousing rendition.
Concert Band brought the first half
to a close with spirited playing of ‘Ha-
Academic
Departments
waii Five-0’. The Wind Band opened
the second half with music by Sousa
and, then a great favourite, ‘Eye of the
Tiger’. Foundation Orchestra played
two lighter numbers before handing
over to the String Orchestra. Their
playing of movements from Handel’s
Fireworks Music and the Mozart Divertimento was a particular highlight.
This concert was brought to a delightful conclusion by the Big Band with
Glenn Miller’s ‘In the Mood’. The
pupils, as ever, excelled themselves.
All participating staff were very proud
of the pupils’ musical achievements.
It is always a pleasure and a privilege to perform with the Northern
Chamber Orchestra at the Heritage
Centre in December. Eleanor Strutt
and Olivia Soutter were soprano
soloists in Monteverdi’s motet Beatus
Vir. The Foundation Choir was accompanied by strings and organ in a
memorable performance of this fine
work. Mrs Beesley also conducted
a number of beautifully delivered
carols. It is a wonderful experience
for King’s pupils to make music with
some of the top professional musicians in the North West.
The King’s community is given
ample and excellent opportunity and
preparation for Christmas. The Festival of Readings and Music is always a
significant point in the year. The services were uplifting, contemplative and
moving; led by the Foundation Choir
with eloquent readings, term ended
in a most fitting manner.
The Spring Term began in sombre
mood. The Foundation Choir was called upon in sad circumstances to lead
the music in the Memorial Service for
Mr Pook. The choral singing at this
moving occasion was of a remarkable
quality and displayed how the various
parts of our community come together at times of necessity.
The string players shook off their
winter blues with a most enjoyable
weekend rehearsing and relaxing at
Trigonos in late February. The time
spent on music by Elgar and Boyce
would add much pleasure to quite a
few concerts in the following months.
Mad March is not named thus
without good reason. GCSE performances and recordings took on a
more informal guise, giving students a
more relaxed atmosphere in which to
play and sing. There was a real sense
of enjoyment that day. Laura Embrey
and Max Wynn-Davies led a very
strong field in which all excelled. We
must thank King’s peripatetic music
teachers for all the care and devotion
they bring to our community.
The AS and A2 Musicians were
privileged to take part in a composition workshop given by Professor
Adam Gorb, Head of Composition at
the RNCM. This fired their creative
enthusiasm and lifted confidence.
Members of the Chamber Choir
and Girls’ Choir formed the Gallery
Choir in a performance of St Nicolas
in Buxton, at the invitation of the Music Society. The Revenge of Sherlock
Holmes will feature large elsewhere
in this publication, but tribute must
be paid to all who took part. Mrs
Barratt deserves special mention for
her tireless work as MD of this great
show, enabling all the cast to perform
with style and confidence. Tom Stevenson’s Sherlock was a masterpiece;
he will appear on the national stage at
some point in his career.
This full and busy term ended with
Founders’ Day, another significant day
in the school calendar. Foundation
Choir led with fine music and poised
readings added to the sense of occasion.
Musicians travelled to Bollington
Methodist Church in mid-April to
give a concert raising funds for Bollington Community Centre. A large
and appreciative audience listened to
excellent performances by the String
Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble and numerous soloists. An excellent tea was
enjoyed by the performers and well
over £900 was raised.
At the end of the month, another
of our occasional external concerts
was held, featuring four great Jazz
Pianists: Dan Whieldon, George King,
Steve Plews and the internationally
41
Academic
Departments
renowned, Julian Jacobs. A wealth
of style and variety was enjoyed by a
very enthusiastic audience.
May was yet another musical
month. The A level Soirée gave a
platform to all the AS and A2 musicians for their recitals, worth 30% of the
examination. All were really excellent,
but it is fair to say that Clare MacKinnon’s performance of ‘Laschia ch’ia
pianga’, by Handel, was exquisite. The
following evening saw the second
Instrumental Concert of the year. The
November Concert was excellent in
every way but another six months’
rehearsal and maturity adds even greater shine to all of the ensembles.
The Jazz Band opened in style
featuring (the somewhat ubiquitous) Alex Voysey in a bass solo in
‘So What?’ by Miles Davis. The Flute
Ensemble and Saxophone Ensemble
played next, demonstrating musicality,
good intonation and fluidity of line.
The aptly named Ad Hoc Ensemble
played next; this group, run by Mrs
Smith, gives Music GCSE students an
opportunity to perform in a challenging small ensemble, enabling them
to fulfil a syllabus requirement. This
was music making of an impressive
standard. The first half closed with
the Concert Band playing Sousa’s
‘Liberty Bell’ in fine style, followed
by ‘Space and Beyond’ – a terrific arrangement of popular tunes familiar
to all.
The newly formed Samba Band
opened the second half playing
instruments very kindly donated
by Friends of King’s. We are also
extremely grateful for the donation
of a set of Djembe Drums which
will further enhance our percussive
range and open up greater opportunities for our pupils to experience
music from other cultures. This has
42
given the percussionists a real lift,
and our grateful thanks are warmly
extended. The Wind Band played
next, with verve and determination,
filling the hall with their enthusiastic
sound. Then came the two senior Jazz
groups – about which more later. The
String Orchestra proves that King’s
music fulfils criteria that many other
schools cannot hope to match. To
have over 40 string players making
music together is a real tribute to
much devotion and tenacity, of all
staff and pupils involved. Their playing of music by Boyce and Elgar was
beautiful. The Foundation Orchestra
brought the concert to a rousing
conclusion with a lively performance
of Rossini’s Overture, ‘The Thieving
Magpie’. There were excellent solo
contributions from wind, brass and
percussion principals, with neat and
musical playing throughout.
These concerts are a tribute to
pupils who attend rehearsals week by
week, with enthusiasm and good humour, and equally so to the staff who
give so much time and devotion to
their pupils. Thanks go in particular
to Mrs Beesley, Mrs Barratt, Mrs Pyatt,
Mrs Browne, Mrs Smith and Messrs
Black, Brown, Dearden and Mercer.
One week later and King’s Swings
was enjoyed. This excellent evening
of Jazz was held in the more intimate
and informal setting of Fence Avenue
Hall. Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble and
the Big Band filled this gig quite happily with excellent ensemble work. It
would be unfair to single any individual soloists out as they all showed
rapidly developing degrees of skill,
confidence and invention. Thanks are
due to Mr Dearden and Mr Brown for
their inspired leadership and stylish
direction.
A choral crescendo is begun in
the latter part of the summer term.
It starts with the annual BFC trip to
Blackpool, Troutbeck and Cartmel in
mid-June, encompasses a lunchtime
concert at St. Michael’s Church in late
June, sees King’s Sings in early July
and, this year, reached its climax ‘con
tutta forza’ with the Foundation Choir
Tour to Malta.
The BFC trip is always a hit: a day
at Blackpool Pleasure Beach is a great
treat even in wet weather. The ride
Valhalla ensured uniform saturation.
The night was spent at Troutbeck
Youth Hostel, where the welcome is
warm, the food plenteous and excellent. The climbing Wall in Kendal is
the first stop on the second day and
much fun was had in a very well organised environment.
The main purpose of the weekend
is the concert in Cartmel Priory in the
afternoon. A rigorous rehearsal ensured tip-top quality. A super variety
of songs and solos framed the central
work, the ever-fresh Captain Noah’s
Floating Zoo. William Strutt, the new
School Captain, appropriately took
the role of God. Great praise must
be given to all of the younger soloists
and especially to James Crummack,
whose superb drum playing was of
a professional standard. Mrs Pyatt
accompanied with aplomb and Mrs
Beesley inspired and conducted this
truly memorable concert.
Park Lane School in Macclesfield
teaches and supports youngsters who
face particular challenges to their
education, in a wonderfully enriching
environment. Three members of the
Boys’ Year 10 GCSE Music Set spent
an hour there, playing music for an
afternoon assembly. The children
gained a huge amount from this and
our lads learnt a great deal about
themselves, and musical interaction,
Academic
Departments
in a very short space of time. Jamie
Edgerton, Darragh Burke and Oliver
Curtis are to be most highly commended for this important outreach work.
Sunday 24th June saw the end of
the Barnaby Festival, marked with
a service organised by Churches
Together and held in the Market Place
outside St Michael’s. In excess of
600 people came together in, mercifully, dry weather to share, sing and
worship. King’s School Concert Band
provided the music for this splendid
event, playing with gusto and verve.
A thoroughly uplifting morning was
enjoyed by all present.
The Music Competition Soirée
is the culmination of many weeks’
preparation and adjudication of
instrumental and vocal performances given by Years 7-9 boys and girls.
The concert saw over 40 pupils
perform solo and ensemble items
with considerable aplomb, to a large
and appreciative audience. Thanks in
particular must go to Mrs Pyatt, who
organises and adjudicates the entire
undertaking.
Music at Mike’s or M@M, reached
the end of its second season on June
29th with a lovely concert given by
choristers and soloists drawn from
Years 7 and 8. These concerts take
place at 1pm for 30 minutes on the
last Friday of each month (where
practical) in St Michael’s Church,
as part of King’s in the Community.
Numerous soloists and ensembles
from King’s perform to audiences
that are enthusiastic and growing larger, especially as a tasty light buffet is
provided after each concert. A retiring
collection is taken for East Cheshire
Hospice. We thank St Michael’s for
the regular warm welcome and look
forward to the new season.
King’s Sings was the choral mag-
num opus to end the year and was
held on the last Tuesday of term. The
hall was packed to bursting point to
hear the Year 6 Festival Choir sing the
two pieces they performed to win
the Alderley Edge Music Festival. Mrs
Lea brought out the best from these
young singers – the future is indeed
bright. Mrs Pyatt stayed in the accompanist hot seat for the BFC to join the
BFC for a repeat of Captain Noah,
performed at Cartmel Priory a couple
of weeks earlier. The same team,
inspired by Mrs Beesley, gave a stunning performance, which put a smile
on every face and had all feet tapping.
The Foundation Choir gave the final
part of the concert, singing a number
of the pieces which were to be included in the Malta tour. Well shaped
and even more musical singing was
led by Mrs Beesley. Soloists Eleanor
Strutt and Olivia Soutter shone in
Monteverdi’s Beatus Vir supported by
strings and organ. Messrs Brown and
Dearden on trombone and saxophone added pizzazz to ‘When the
Saints go marchin’ in’. A truly memorable evening of excellent singing was
enjoyed by all present.
This was a fantastically busy year
for all involved in music at King’s,
staff and pupils alike, and it was very
successful indeed. Many, many thanks
to all who give up so much time
so very willingly to ensure that the
experiences are so life changing and
memorable.
The Foundation Tour of Malta at
the end of term was a triumph in
every way. Great thanks are due to
Mrs Beesley and Mrs Pyatt for organising it, in conjunction with Club
Europe, and also to staff colleagues
Mrs Barratt, Mrs Gartside and Messrs
Edgerton, Pyatt and Mercer for invaluable support. It goes without saying,
that pupils from King’s are a joy to
be with and are great ambassadors
for the school and for young people
everywhere.
SJM
The Choir Tour to Malta
Following a sell-out King’s Sings concert the night before, sleepy-looking
singers gathered at Fence Avenue at
3am – yes, 3am!! – to board the coach
and begin the journey to Malta. In
spite of the freezing temperatures
aboard, we finally managed to drift
off.
For the majority, the thing that
struck us most upon leaving the
airport was the heat! With an average
of 40°C per day, and never a cloud in
the sky, it certainly made a change
from the flooding in England. However, Chris was most astounded by the
beauty of the tour guide, Andriana,
happily asking her if all the women
in Malta were as beautiful as she.
The 6th form boys had their own
mini bus, with everyone else on the
coach, and we made our way across
the island to the Sea Shells Resort,
Qawra (pronounced ow-rah). With
an afternoon of settling-in time, it
wasn’t too long before everyone had
discovered the delights of the pool,
complete with waterslide. Although,
this might not have happy memories
for Chris Ward who, accompanied by
43
Academic
Departments
and Mrs Gartside. On behalf of the
6th form leavers, I thank you all for a
wonderful 82 years, 3 months and a
week in total – as calculated by Mrs B!
Eleanor, William and Henry Strutt
Junior Music
Mrs Barratt, visited Malta’s version of
the NHS for seven hours to get his
head wound sorted.
Obviously, the whole point of a
choir tour is to hold concerts and
ours did not disappoint, as was shown
by the reception from our various
audiences. We entertained the masses
on a small outdoor stage, at our hotel,
for the first concert. It was really
enjoyable singing at night, and it was
even nicer to see some familiar faces
in the audience. The Friday was an
especially busy concert day, including
an open-air concert under a tree in
Mdina and singing in the middle of
a busy shopping centre. As well as
these, we gave a small impromptu
performance in the Mosta Dome. During WWII, the Mosta Dome was the
unhappy recipient of three bombs.
Two bounced off the dome and failed
to explode. The third went through
the dome and into the church where
300 people were gathered. This bomb
also failed to explode, but bounced
off the wall and rolled down the aisle.
No one was hurt. For this reason, the
dome is considered miraculous, and
we were so awe-struck that we sang
Poulenc’s ‘O Magnum Mysterium’ and
‘Weep, O Mine Eyes’.
We also sang, from our sacred
repertoire, within two mass services
in Marsascala and Gharghur. The
Marsascala mass was an evening mass,
which followed a wedding. The priest
was extremely welcoming, speaking
part of the sermon in English for our
benefit, and giving Mrs Beesley and
each of us a small gift of thanks. The
Gharghur mass was sung on our final
44
morning: it was preceded by a detailed history of the church by Father
Albert and concluded with free food
and a Maltese drink called Kinnie –
which was not suited to the English
palate.
As usual we had plenty of free
time, and planned sight-seeing trips
too. On the first full day, we travelled
to the capital of Valetta. Mary Rose
– our tour guide – was giving us a
detailed history when the main coach
broke down. The 6th form boys’ bus
continued to La Valetta, and they missed out on a brief sauna experience,
before we were rescued. The capital
of Malta is ‘nothing short of an openair museum’. Built as a monument
by the Knights of St John, nearly five
centuries ago, it offered us a chance
to examine the beauty of the architecture, as well as eat ice cream, play in
the fountains, get henna tattoos and
some even got their hair braided. We
also had the opportunity to spend a
morning at a beach, where we frolicked in the sea, ate ice creams, and
fell off giant inflatable objects. There
were cultural excursions to older
landmarks, such as the Hagar Qim
temples (roughly 6000 years old) and
to geographical features such as the
Dingli cliffs and the Blue Grotto. A
further highlight was the annual choir
talent show, which featured acts from
the sublime to the ridiculous.
Our thanks go to all the staff who
gave up their time to take us on this
fabulous tour. It was an enjoyable
few days for everyone, and hopefully
not too stressful. It also marked the
end of an era for the Year 13 singers
In November, Year 4 presented the
story of Little Red Riding Hood as
their musical pantomime. The story is
well known but this version included
some new information such as the
fact that Granny Hood wasn’t the
kind, little old lady you’d expect but
was actually a witch! Favourite songs
included ‘I like food’ and ‘The grizzly
bear’s picnic’ and all the children had
the chance to be on stage to sing,
dance and to play percussion. They
all really enjoyed treading the boards
and judging by the audience’s applause, they enjoyed the show.
In December, staff and governors,
parents, friends and children enjoyed the Junior Christmas concert.
Year 5 Girls’ Dance Group began the
evening’s entertainment with a lively
dance to ‘All I want for Christmas is
you’. We were then treated to items
from Stringstars, Team Brass, Woodwind Wonders, Guitar Group, Year
3/4 and Year 5/6 Choirs and a vocal
ensemble organised by our peripatetic singing teachers. Individual items
were provided by Katie Hayward
(flute), Thomas Knight (guitar),
Florence Bradshaw (violin), Jasmine
Amos (saxophone), Harry Lyons
(trumpet), Bethany Henshaw (piano),
Josh Rajendran and James Smith
(snare drums) and Francesca Sawyer
(violin). Magically, it began to snow
as the concert began, so all were
delighted to see a winter wonderland
as they left the hall.
Shortly after this, Junior pupils
shared their musical talent with the
community with a visit by 6ST to the
Harry Lawson Court in Macclesfield,
to present a Christmas concert for
residents. Carols were sung, musical
items and festive jokes were performed. The class recited ‘The night
before Christmas’ and gave decorated
copies of the poem to residents. After
the concert, the children enjoyed
refreshments with the residents.
The Christmas Carol Service was
held at St Paul’s Church, Macclesfield
on the final afternoon of the Autumn
Term. Traditional carols were sung by
pupils and congregation. The Christmas story was presented by Junior
Academic
Departments
children through song, readings,
prayers and a sketch, Too Busy for
Christmas, which was performed by
6SR.
The choice for the Year 6 musical
was Annie which was a good choice
as this musical is filled with many different characters. Some children had
many lines to learn and these include
the characters of Annie, played by
Fiona Beeston, Oliver Warbucks,
played by Harry Wallace, and Charlotte Heath, as the comic Miss Hannigan.
Rehearsals were intense and the show
lasted two and half hours, involving
many songs and dance routines.
Thanks go to all who designed and
sewed such fantastic costumes, to parents who produced beautiful props
and who helped Mrs Atkins paint the
realistic scenery. Favourite songs were
‘Hard knock life’ and ‘Never Fully
Dressed Without a Smile’ and the
children sang them on and off stage.
The Easter service at St Paul’s
Church, gave Year 3 and 4 children
the chance to shine. They presented
Resurrection Rock, which tells the
events of Holy Week culminating in
Jesus’ resurrection, through a series
of thought-provoking and joyful
songs. The younger children really
responded to the catchy melodies
and syncopated rhythms, singing with
great enthusiasm. Bible readings were
given by Year 4 pupils and Revd Kathy
Kirby gave a short address to focus
minds on the message of the Easter
festival.
In May, Juniors had a wonderful
week at the Alderley Edge Music
Festival. Three of our Ensembles
competed: Team Brass, Stringstars
and the Year 6 Competition Choir. A
choir of 33 Year 6 pupils sang in the
Junior Choir class. The adjudicator of
the class commented favourably on
King’s choice of programme; ‘Lord,
Shanice Donatian, Ferguson Roylance and Max Hine.
make me an instrument of thy peace’
by Jonathan Willcocks is a lyrical
song requiring beautifully smooth
singing whilst ‘Get Happy’ is a jazzy,
syncopated number requiring a high
energy approach. Both songs were
sung in harmony and in one section
the children sang in 4-part harmony,
no mean feat for 10 and 11 year olds.
The adjudicator commented on the
children’s clear and precise words
and their impressive performance.
Team Brass, which is comprised of
trumpets, trombones and percussionist, competed in the Small Ensemble
Class. They played ‘La Mourisque’, a
stately piece from the Renaissance
period, followed by the three contrasting movements from ‘Blues Band’.
They played with real style and accuracy and their performance was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. The
adjudicator praised their communication skills and their good ensemble
work. Stringstars (violins, cellos and
double bass) competed in the Large
Ensemble Class. They played ‘John
Ryan’s Polka’, ‘Summer Holiday’,
‘Tulips from Amsterdam’ and ‘Down
by the Riverside’. The adjudicator
praised their flowing style, tuning
and good ensemble work. She also
said how impressed she was that the
children were playing such advanced
music so well at such a tender age.
Each ensemble was placed 1st in its
category and three silver trophies are
now on display in our cabinet. This
outcome was a fitting tribute to the
children’s enthusiasm and hard work.
The Junior Music Festival was held
at the end of June and 152 items were
performed over four mornings. This
was a real feast of music and a celebration of the talents of our young
musicians. Senior music staff adjudicated and commented on the high
standard of performance. Instruments
played included the double bass,
trombone, bassoon and drum kit - we
were even treated to a piano trio.
The event is a house competition and
after the fourth competition, Tatton
emerged as the winners.
The final musical event of the year
was the Junior Summer Concert and
what a fantastic evening it was. The
Dance Group began the evening with
a routine performed to the song ‘Call
Me, Maybe?’ During the evening, Year
6 class winners performed solos and
duets. Woodwind Wonders played
‘Chanson de Matin’ and ‘Sports Special’ which included three well known
television sporting theme tunes and
45
Academic
Departments
Guitar Ensemble performed ‘La Bergamasca’, ‘Jambalaya’ and ‘El Conhunto de Viernes’. Stringstars played
‘Summer Holiday’ and ‘Down by the
Riverside’ and Team Brass treated us
to ‘Blues Band’ and a rousing rendition of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’. Year
3/4 Choir sang the jazzy ‘Ride with
the Tide’ and the thoughtful song ‘We
are One’; Year 6 Competition Choir
performed one of their winning items
from the Alderley Edge Music Festival
called ‘Get Happy’ and then were
joined by the rest of the Year 5 and
6 singers to perform ‘A Life on the
Ocean Wave’ and ‘Song for all Seasons’ which was written to celebrate
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Finally,
the Choirs and Ensembles combined
to perform ‘We Are The Champions’
and they certainly were. It was a
wonderful and uplifting way to end
a really outstanding concert. Many
thanks to all the members of staff
who have worked with the children
throughout the year to achieve such
high standards and to the children for
their commitment and enthusiasm.
AJL
Physics
Department report
In September, we welcomed Miss
Aspinall, a Geophysics graduate of Liverpool University, to the department
as replacement for Mrs Kenealy. We
wish Mrs Kenealy every success in her
new role as Head of Mathematics at
Abbotsholme School in Staffordshire.
We began teaching the new GCSE
specification in September only to
discover later in the term that changes were afoot for the following year.
We are also looking forward to the
changes to the A-level specification,
which will be introduced in the near
future and possibly as early as September 2013.
In October, a group of 18 students
and three staff flew to Geneva on a
trip meticulously organised by Dr
Hartnett. The main purpose of the
trip was to visit CERN – the European
Nuclear Research Centre. The trip was
highly successful and the intention is
to make this a biannual event.
The Physics Club continued to
thrive with a small, but enthusiastic,
band of students. As ever Dr Embrey provided the inspiration for the
various projects undertaken by the
students. Miss Aspinall and Tom Cann,
our Year 11 Physics prefect, enthusiastically supported the students.
46
Three students attended residential courses last year. In late March, Alex
Rees (Year 12) attended a four-day
course on Space Exploration organised by the Villiers Park Educational
Trust and held at the Cambridge
Centre. Two Year 9 students seized
the opportunity to attend four-day
residential courses organized by
the Smallpeice Trust; in April Harry
Booton travelled to the University of
Nottingham to gain an introduction
to engineering and, in July, Matthew
Butler visited the University of Manchester to learn about engineering
materials.
Keir Birchall (Year 12) was fortunate enough to secure a place on
the Nuffield Bursary scheme and was
able to spend a few weeks during the
summer holiday at the University of
Liverpool, exploring the applications
of X-ray fluorescence.
Once again, the Physics department enjoyed a high level of academic success both at GCSE and A level.
It was also pleasing to see the number
of students from King’s opting to
study either Physics or Engineering at
university.
Our congratulations go to Dominic
Hall who was awarded his college’s
prize in recognition of his excellent
work in Physics and Philosophy. Dominic is studying at St Hilda’s College,
Oxford and this is his second prize in
two years. Lyam Hollis is also to be
commended for gaining a Masters’
Degree with distinction in his postgraduate studies in the cardiovascular
unit at the University of Edinburgh.
Lyam is now working towards a PhD.
CPH
CERN
A group of Year 12 and 13 students
travelled to Geneva to visit the
world’s most powerful particle accelerator. The trip involved a tour of the
site with a nuclear physicist. Students
saw the plant where the particles
were injected into the accelerator
and the final stage where results were
analysed. Shortly after the visit, the
scientists at CERN announced the
first early signs of the elusive Higgs
boson. Lunch was had in the canteen surrounded by physicists and
a sprinkling of Nobel prize winners;
sadly Brian Cox was not spotted. The
museums were explored and then the
students headed back into Geneva.
The UN building and the old town of
Geneva were visited from the comfortable city centre Youth Hostel.
SJH
Planetarium Project
This year saw further work taking
place on the Planetarium project.
Year 11 pupils, Thomas Cann, Richard
Southern, David Marchington and
Edward Nathan, endeavoured to use
Stellarium software to project an image of the night sky onto a giant 3m
diameter hemispherical dome, via a
digital projector and convex mirror.
The first feat of engineering to be
achieved, was the building of a flat
pack, reusable dome. Building on
last year’s temporary paper construction, the Mark 1 version, this year the
dome was constructed from 3mm
thick foam board, cut into 48 separate
polygons, fixed precisely into position
using masking type, centred around a
supporting wooden fixing ring. Once
constructed, it was raised 1.6 metres to
the ceiling of the physics laboratory.
Having built the dome, the most
Academic
Departments
challenging part was yet to come:
how does one project a computer
screen image, onto a quarter-sphere
convex mirror, which in turn reflects
onto a hemispherical dome? Projection with the Mark 1 was relatively
straightforward, using a celestial
sphere drilled with many holes for
the stars and a central light source to
illuminate small specks on the dome
above. After much experimentation,
and Thomas Cann’s modification of
the software, the final outcome for
the Mark 2 was no longer distorted,
providing a 360 degree image of the
night sky across the whole dome.
The Mark 2 Planetarium was used
during the Year 5 Taster Day in July
and will be rebuilt and demonstrated
during the Open Day in October.
David Marchington 11ELB
Smallpeice Trust
During Easter, Harry Booton travelled
to Nottingham to take part in a threeday residential engineering course at
the University. The aim of this popular
foundation course is to help students
to find out more about engineering
and the exciting career opportunities
available. Students also get to work
with engineers from leading companies across the UK and solve real
engineering challenges.
This is what Harry had to say about
his experience:
When I arrived at the University,
I registered and signed up for the
Bronze Crest Award.
During the course, I listened to
presentations from four companies:
ARUP (an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants
and technical specialists), Jaguar Land
Rover, Rolls-Royce and the Royal
Navy. My favourite presentation was
by Jaguar Land Rover because it was
eye-catching, very interactive, easy to
follow and had several videos showing
cars on the test track.
Students were then put into different project groups: I was with team
ARUP. Each team had to build a water
collection and distributor system. The
water distributor system had to pour
water on the water collection system
and then put it back into the water
distributor system.
On the second night we were treated to a formal dinner and I sat with
the head of Smallpeice Trust.
At the end of the final day there
was a thirty-minute award ceremony,
at which I received my Bronze Crest
Award and a Smallpeice Trust Award
certificate.
I recommend this course to anyone
interested in finding out about engineering; it’s really good fun.
Harry Booton/CPH
An Exploration of Space
Villiers Park Educational Trust helps
able young people to reach their full
academic potential and develop a passion for learning. In March, Alex Rees
attended a four-day residential course
organised by the trust and held at
the Cambridge Centre at Villiers Park.
The aim of the course was to develop
students’ understanding of space missions, to look at space past, present
and future missions and to consider
current research into space science.
This is his report:
The course consisted of a range
of activities including group work,
discussion sessions, practical sessions and a talk by a guest speaker.
One of the group activities required
each team to design, construct and
fire a rocket. We had to build a rocket
from scratch taking into account the
various factors which affect its flight
such as nose cone shape, fin size and
mass. We also learnt how exo-planets
are detected and how to calculate the
mass of a planet from the radius of
its orbit and its orbital period. This
required some quite complex maths.
Other activities included a debate and
a quiz, which I really enjoyed. In our
free time we could relax in the games
room and play ping-pong or pool or
play football on the field. The course
enabled me to meet new people and
make new friends. The tutors were
very friendly and helpful. As well as
making the course enjoyable, they
provided some invaluable advice
about university applications. The
course was worthwhile and I would
recommend it to others.
Alex Rees/CPH
X-ray Fluorescence
Nuffield science bursaries offer the
chance for Year 12 students to work
alongside professional scientists,
technologists, mathematicians and
engineers. My placement was in the
physics department of the University of Liverpool, alongside several
other bursary students. We were given
several options which included X-rays
diffraction and fluorescence, Gamma
ray decays, CT scanning, Gastropods
and renewable energy. I chose fluorescence because it not only tied in
with physics that we’d done in school
but had other interesting applications.
My project was ‘Assessing the Viability
of X-ray Fluorescence as a Method of
Counterfeit Coin Detection’. I was allowed use of undergraduate university
equipment: as it was brand new, I had
to set up the machines from scratch by
calibrating it using known elements.
Using the various data sets I collected,
I produced a poster to explain my
ideas in brief and a report explaining
them in greater depth. I thoroughly
enjoyed conducting research and
testing my ideas. It gave me valuable
experience of higher level work and
was also useful in confirming my aspirations to enter the world of scientific
research.
Keir Birchall 12 PJC
Jodrell Bank
Year 10 students attended a special
workshop at Jodrell Bank, which
involved learning about the electromagnetic spectrum and sitting inside
a planetarium to observe the night
sky. The rest of the day allowed the
47
Academic
Departments
students to explore the Jodrell Bank
sights and see the world famous telescope up close. The museums were
visited and questions were answered
by the most helpful staff.
SJH
PSHE
The PSHE programme was very
exciting, with external speakers from
Macclesfield Magistrates Court, Brook
Young People’s Service and Cheshire
Police.
Year 9 students went to the Foundation for Peace in Warrington to
heighten their awareness of conflict
resolution and universal human
rights, which raised some poignant
questions. Year 9 PSHE days were a
great success, with students learning
new skills and gaining greater understanding on important topics, whilst
enjoying the co-ed sessions.
HKB
Psychology
Religion and Philosophy
The Psychology Department continued to flourish. As usual, students had
the opportunity to go on a number
of trips and lectures. The annual trip
to Twycross Zoo was a great success,
and students observed the primates
and listened to an excellent talk on
the evolution of intelligence. Some
students attended a residential course
at Nottingham University which covered various interesting topics such as
criminal profiling and Freud.
MJB
Challenges
It has been a challenging year for the
R&P department as we lost a dear
friend and colleague in the redoubtable David Pook. Much has been
spoken and written about David since
his death early in the year, but I could
not see a way of writing this report
without David being at the centre of
it.
To us, David was an enormous
presence. As most people are aware,
David was often difficult to locate as
he endeavoured to be in more than
one place at the same time. However,
he always made time for both me and
the department, attending almost
every department meeting and contributing his enormous passion for the
subject, as well as wisdom, humour
and considerable experience. Occasionally, David took minutes of those
meetings and in reading one of his
last contributions the minutes read:
‘Item 1: What is Truth? – a shared
discussion on Plato versus Nietzsche’. This sums up his enormously
ambitious approach to teaching and
learning. He was always pushing us to
be better, to rise above the humdrum
of syllabi and exam preparation, in order to get to the heart of the subject
matter. His passion for his subject was
infectious, but this passion was also
his passion for life – something which
he breathed into the department at
every opportunity.
Twycross
In September, Year 13 Psychology
students went to Twycross Zoo to
observe the chimps, bonobos, gorillas
and orang-utans. As it was a hot, sunny day, most of the animals were out
and about. Students listened to a talk
on sexual selection and the evolution
of intelligence and brain size. The lecture was punctuated by very interesting examples of monkey behaviour,
examples of deception, self and peer
recognition. Twycross has the biggest
collection of Bonobo chimpanzees,
which are genetically the closest animal to humans, in the UK. There was
ample time to walk around, looking at
the animals. The Psychology Department has continued to adopt a female
bonobo called Banya.
MJB
48
David was loved and respected by
all the students he taught, especially
in the 6th form. His legacy is very
much alive in the inspiration he gave
those he taught, to think for themselves about life, the universe and everything. Many students have carried
the momentum of his enthusiasm
into their lives and some have carried
it into university and beyond. Two
of his ex-students (Anthony Floyd
and Charlie Pollock) returned to the
department as prospective teachers,
seeking experience and guidance, so
that they could attempt to continue
David’s legacy.
As early as September, David knew
the writing was on the wall and his instinct was to leave his legacy in some
form. He decided to video himself
teaching a series of 10 lesson introductions for his 6th form students.
When we watched them in class,
some months after his death, David
sprang back to life on the screen in
front of us. There he was, in his comfy
chair and a warm sweater – no sign of
illness – no weariness – just his enthusiasm, intelligence and warmth, all
embodied by that crooked little grin
and a glint in his eyes. This is exactly
as we will always remember him.
Trips and visiting speakers
In November, A-Level students went
to Manchester to hear Peter Vardy
speak about issues regarding morality. Peter is a giant in the field and
was the main inspiration for David as
Academic
Departments
an undergraduate. Peter used to talk
of David as ‘One of the Good Guys’
and told our students how lucky they
were to have him as their teacher. He
was able to send a video ‘Get well’
message to David as he posed for the
obligatory group photo.
In the spring term, Mrs Acharya
organised a visiting speaker for Year
9 pupils on the subject of animal
experimentation. It was excellent to
hear someone willing to share their
passion for such a contentious issue,
challenging pre-conceptions and
prejudices. The visit certainly sparked
passionate, yet thoughtful debate
about the issue and led to some intriguing and well-considered written
work.
Towards the end of the spring
term, Miss Agour organised our annual revision weekend to Bollington.
Set in the beautiful grounds of Savio
House, the Year 11 students spent a
thoroughly enjoyable and productive
day and a half, covering the syllabus
in new and interesting ways.
Teamwork
Because of David’s absence, many
had to do a lot of work to fill the gap.
All in the department contributed in
ensuring that his teaching load was
covered, so that the transition was as
smooth as possible for students. It
was a real team effort and students
appreciated the extra work that was
put in, to provide first rate learning
opportunities for them.
The Future
It is difficult not to see this year as a
punishing one for the R&P department. Because of the workload pressures and the loss of one of our finest
teachers, difficult decisions had to be
made, one of which was the temporary suspension of the Philosophy ALevel. We want students to be flexible,
autonomous thinkers who can adapt
to and meet new challenges in creative and innovative ways. How to do
this? By challenging them, by stretching them, by ensuring lessons and
schemes of work help to move them
above and beyond the curriculum in
a way that inspires them and encourages them to think for themselves
and ultimately, perhaps, even to reach
beyond themselves.
Resource Centres
The Resource Centres have enjoyed a
busy year. Autumn term commenced
with the Summer Photo Competition
Winner announcement via our termly
pupil newsletter, Info@King’s. This
year’s winner, Nancy Davis 7VHS, was
photographed reading the classic,
‘The Secret Garden’, in a beautiful
garden in Marbella.
In November, two teams were selected to take part in the North West
round of the Kids’ Lit Quiz. Team A
performed incredibly well, coming
third and they returned home with
free books, vouchers and certificates.
This year, the Resource Centres
have been fortunate enough to welcome a rolling programme of visiting
authors. Year 8 pupils met awardwinning Sophie McKenzie (below)
when she visited King’s promoting
her latest book. Urban poet, Mike
Garry, convinced Year 9 that ‘poetry is
the best way young people can learn
to communicate and is important for
all subjects.’ GCSE students had the
opportunity to quiz Diane Samuels,
acclaimed author of one of their set
texts, Kindertransport. She spoke
convincingly about ‘how a minority
culture can influence a majority culture.’ Bryony Pearce, a local author,
visited Year 10 girls to promote her
new book and speak about the way
in which she approaches her writing.
She then proposed a writing competition and Jessica Stuart 10JAIM was
the winner, impressing Bryony with
her entry.
In February, it was announced that
Nancy Davis 7VHS was a runner-up
in the national Booked Up Design a
Cover Competition. Nancy designed
a new book cover for the book ‘Big
Nate’ by Lincoln Peirce, which she
had received as part of the annual
Booked Up scheme, which is facilitated by the Resource Centres.
Adlington was victorious in the
closely fought ‘World Book Day InterHouse Quiz’. 28 house points secured
the win and chocolate bars were an
added bonus. The Girls’ Division took
part once again in the national ‘World
Book Night’, giving away copies of
popular fiction to encourage as many
people as possible to read. A World
Book Day Book Poll revealed that
Harry Potter remained a perennial
favourite for both boys and girls.
The Summer Term saw pupils
shadow the Carnegie Award, take
part in Readers’, Writers’ and Book
Quiz Groups and continue to read for
pleasure. The Girls’ Division reading
group took part in the Cheshire
School Librarians’ Book Quiz and
came a very respectable 6th.
The year has seen a concerted
effort by Resource Centre staff to
publicise the stock and services offered via the continued publication of
Info@King’s for pupils, the launch of
a staff newsletter, Kinfo for staff and a
move towards emailed flyers, posters
and book lists. Plans for author visits,
competitions and book events are
already in place for next year and we
hope that all our activities will continue to create Foundation Resource
Centres which support pupils and
staff in their information and reading
for pleasure needs.
LS
‘The unexamined life is not worth living’ Aristotle
‘The unlived life is not worth examining’ DJP
49
Events &
Activities
Charities
This year, each of the Senior Divisions
focused on fundraising for a charity
chosen by its pupils. Students in 6th
Form remained loyal to The Christie
Hospital and organised the annual
Fashion Show, which proved to be a
memorable and enjoyable event, as
well as raising over £3000 (pictured).
The Boys’ Division supported Orkidstudio, which is a non-profit humanitarian design organisation whose
focus is to benefit young people and
communities worldwide, through
innovative and sustainable architecture, art and design. Their donation
of over £1000 was much appreciated.
The Girls’ Division chose to support
The Donna Louise Trust, which is a
children’s hospice in Trentham serving Staffordshire and Cheshire. Ever
innovative and determined, in one
term the girls raised £5500, which was
dedicated to the memory of David
Pook. In addition, we held three nonuniform days in aid of Children in
Need, Sport Relief, The Christie and
The East Cheshire Hospice. Fundraising is an integral part of life at King’s
and it is impossible to list all the
charities we supported. Across the
Foundation, our compassionate, energetic and committed pupils deserve
many congratulations for raising over
£20,000 for charity this year.
LFA
which specialises in holidays for very
ill or disabled children aged 7 to 15.
Rebecca (pictured above), joined the
charity as a member of the medical
team of experienced doctors, nurses,
physiotherapists and carers, which
accompanies children. The presence
of expert support makes it possible
for young people to participate in a
wonderful holiday, which they would
otherwise be unable to enjoy confidently. The project is very close to
Rebecca’s heart, as her own daughter
visited Florida with the charity two
years ago. Rebecca was ecstatic to
be chosen from an overwhelming
number of volunteers and valued the
opportunity to make a worthwhile
contribution to a special charity.
GNB
Chess
Destination Florida
King’s staff also made significant,
individual contributions to charitable purposes this year. A glowing
example is Rebecca Murphy, one of
the Foundation’s nurses, who joined
Destination Florida for a week in
October, as a volunteer. This is a
North West based children’s charity,
50
For the last few years, parent-helper
Mr Ireland has run a chess club at the
Cumberland Street site. Now, for the
first time, thanks to the work of Mr
Shaw, the chess club has become a
chess team, taking on other schools
in the surrounding area. The guidance and coaching provided by Mr
Ireland proved invaluable as we had
a very successful first campaign, with
three wins, one draw and only one
loss.
However, this year not only saw
King’s competing against other
schools, but in the Boys’ and 6th
Form Divisions, there was an evening
Teachers v Students match, hopefully
the start of an annual event. With
rumours that the teachers had been
practising hard in the staff-room, it
was set to be a hard match. Although
the teachers won, it was not a total
wipe-out, as we had wins against Mr
Shaw and Mr Ward. This year also
saw the first house chess competition. Four players from each house
played a match each week, for three
weeks. It was a close competition,
with Gawsworth emerging victorious.
Through this, a few new chess players have been unveiled, and coaxed
into the chess club. In this year, chess
at King’s was both successful and
contagious, with games also being
played in the library. On behalf of
the chess team, I would like to thank
Mr Shaw for the effort he put into
organising the various matches and
competitions over this year. On a final
note, congratulations to Henry Strutt,
who managed the ‘trek’ to and from
Tytherington High School!
Edward Nathan 11JN
D of E Silver Sailing
Thomas Cann, Fleur Robinson, Tim
Russ and Josie Bray seized the opportunity to do the expedition component of their Silver DofE on a yacht.
On the first morning we travelled by
motor-boat from Cumbrae Sailing
Centre, to Largs marina where our
yacht, ‘Santa Vey’, was moored.
Before setting sail, Tim Stuart, our
skipper, briefed the students about
safety, including the use of the radio,
when and how to use flares, and
other general procedures. Over the
next three days, the students were
required to plan courses - including alternatives to take into account
changes in the weather - navigate
using the compass and charts, rig the
yacht, check the engine and electrics, set the sails, helm, take turns as
skipper, moor up, practise man-overboard, lower and raise the anchor, as
well as prepare and cook food.
After consulting the local weather
forecast and taking wind force and direction into account, the students decided that we would head north west,
across the Firth of Clyde and up into
Bute’s East Kyle. In the late afternoon,
we rounded the island of Eilean Dubh
at the top of the Kyle and anchored in
the idyllic Caladh Harbour. Post evening meal, Tim and Fleur rowed to the
island to harvest fresh mussels from
the rocks. We were to sample these
mussels as part of our evening meal
on the following day. Tom and Josie
then decided to row around the island, only to return about 15 minutes
later accompanied by a seal.
Events &
Activities
The following morning, shortly
after breakfast, we weighed anchor
and set sail down the West Kyle. A
favourable wind enabled us to reach
Lochranza on Arran by about midday.
However, after lunch, the wind direction and strength changed and we
were forced to sail close haul along
the west coast of Arran. The students
now had to make a decision: should
we continue to aim for Lamlash Bay
on the east coast of the island or aim
for the closer harbour of Campbeltown? Lamlash was the choice and
so after enduring an arduous and
lengthy sail, we anchored in a beauti-
ful spot just behind Holy Island at
about 9pm. After a hearty meal, which
included some tasty, if rather gritty,
mussels, we settled down for a wellearned night’s sleep.
Next morning, we set sail for Largs
and tied up just in time for lunch.
Having eaten, we set about cleaning
the yacht and ensuring that it was in
shipshape and Bristol fashion. We
then motored back to the Sailing
Centre on Cumbrae to rejoin the rest
of the school party. The students had
worked as an effective team throughout the three days and thoroughly
enjoyed the experience.
CPH
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze
The weather contradicted the forecasts for the Practice Expedition,
with clear skies and the promise of
a dry weekend. However, as evening
drew on, and the 108 pupils set up
camp, the decision was made to take
heed of the Met Office and cancel the
second day; it was the correct decision. Sunday saw torrential rain and
horrendous winds. The staff worked
tirelessly, running a shuttle between
Gradbach and The Cat and Fiddle,
dismantling tents, and comforting
cold and wet pupils.
What a difference two weeks can
make: for the Qualifying Expedition,
we basked in sunshine and the move
to our new venue, Glenbrook Guide
Campsite, was deemed a great success by both staff and students. The
new routes proved challenging, with
both Win Hill and Lose Hill incorporated into the walks, though the views
of the Edale and Hope valleys made it
all worthwhile. A final expedition will
take place in early September to catch
those pupils who were absent, then
the process commences again with
120 pupils for 2013!
This year’s cohort also mastered
the eDofE system, with some excellent evidence added to support the
completion of their volunteering, skill
and physical sections. The photographs of some students cooking
skills certainly looked incredibly
appetizing! Perhaps some assessor
taste-testing should be on the agenda
next year.
PAUT
Dragons’ Den
As part of the team building section
of the Year 10 tutor programme, Year
10 at Fence Avenue took part in an
afternoon Dragons’ Den event. In
form groups, they devised an original
product; produced a TV advert for
the product; designed a prototype
and created a marketing campaign. All
of this had to be achieved in under 90
minutes, putting significant pressure
on the forms. The school became a
hive of activity with tutor groups splitting into smaller groups - actors were
rehearsing and filming adverts and
designers were building prototypes,
whilst team leaders were practising
their pitches. All of this was done in
great secrecy, to prevent any industrial espionage. The finale was a spectacular combination of PT Barnum,
Sir Alan Sugar and Tomorrow’s World,
as futuristic products were pitched to
an amazed audience.
The products created were: a
respect device that made younger
school pupils open doors and behave
in corridors; a futuristic bra that produced deodorant whilst it was being
worn; a bubble car, and a Grow-yourown One Direction kit. The pitches
were superb, with giant prototypes
being demonstrated alongside clever
TV adverts. The Respect product
scored amazingly well, due to the
team’s professional and very funny
presentation. In most years, they
would have won, but the Grow-yourown One Direction kit’s advert was so
good, that it received a standing ovation and was shown again, to enable
people to video it for themselves. It
combined acting skills, originality, humour and cutting-edge dance moves,
resulting in a YouTube classic, that
had the whole year singing along.
This excellent event showcased
the wonderful team spirit that exists
within Year 10 and the excellent team
skills that King’s students have.
JSS
Enrichment
The enrichment programme had a
very busy year. There was a significant
increase in junior school visits and
new workshops were added to the
Wednesday afternoon programme. In
addition, regular events such as the
Dragons’ Den task and the residential
trip took place.
The Wednesday afternoon sessions saw the team of 6th formers
51
Events &
Activities
visit Marlborough Junior School in
Tytherington, where they ran a teambuilding session for fifty Year 6 pupils.
Building on this, students offered
a similar session to King’s Year 6,
which involved over seventy pupils.
The Juniors were given a really tough
series of tasks, ranging from putting
up tents blindfolded, to removing
bombs from circles and trying to
calculate the number of hairs on the
human body. All the tasks needed
teamwork, alongside communication
and listening skills, and the Year 6
students were kept very busy for two
hours. They performed exceptionally
well and showed skills well beyond
their years. In what has become a very
successful annual event, the 6th formers again showed how talented they
are at working with the younger years,
making excellent role models for the
junior children.
As well as running events for
eight local schools, the autumn term
included workshops on body image
and the use of airbrushing in the
media; how Milgram’s experiments
gave an insight into the Holocaust,
and women’s rights around the world.
Two workshops were developed by
Year 10 and 11 students, to create a
Remembrance Day Assembly for the
Foundation. This involved making
two presentations: one based around
the history of the poppy image and
one on the modern conflicts involving
British soldiers. Both presentations
were very moving and helped create
impressive and thought-provoking
Remembrance assemblies.
The annual trips to the Dragons’
Den competition as part of National
52
Enterprise week and the Science Live
Lecture Day in Manchester, also took
place and involved over eighty students from both sites. At the Dragons’
Den Competition, fifty boys and girls
from Years 7 and 10 were split into
teams and given one hour to design
and build a prototype of an environmentally useful product. In addition
to this, they had to create a presentation to sell the product to three
Dragons. The teams were comprised
of mainly younger students, with Year
10 acting as team leaders - a task that
tested their leadership skills to the
limit. After an hour of frantic creation,
the teams were taken to the stateof-the-art 3D cinema (pictured) and
placed in front of their inquisitors.
The products ranged from shopping
trolleys that recharged iPods and
phones, to cars that used pond weed
to remove toxic emission gases. The
groups presented well and held their
own under close scrutiny from the
three dragons, each of whom was a
very successful local businesswoman.
The winners were the creators of
the shopping trolley that charged
iPod/mobile phone devices whilst in
use. This was a great day out and it
was very pleasing to watch the older
students work and interact with the
younger ones.
The Science Live event involved
fourteen boys and girls hearing talks
from a range of cutting-edge scientists. King’s has been attending this
event for five years now and it is still
very popular. This year was particularly good, as the keynote speaker
was Sir Robert Winston, the worldrenowned medic and TV presenter:
he talked about advancements in
genetic treatments in medicine. Other
lectures covered the future of space
travel and the developments in new
computers based around chemicals,
rather than silicon chips. Each speaker answered questions from the floor
and all the students left enthused and
excited about the future of science.
In the spring term, the 6th form
team again visited local schools, running activities based around science,
drama and art. Workshops this term
included a fantastic forensic science
competition, where teams of Year 7
boys and girls competed against each
other to solve a murder mystery and
present their findings as a detailed
police report. This was a very competitive event involving some excellent science from Year 7. Other events
included looking at the rise of China
as a superpower and a workshop
based around imagery and icons. In
this, students from Year 9 took four
famous icons - the swastika; McDonald’s golden arches; the Facebook
F, and the Apple logo - and created
large-scale posters, using post-it
notes, containing information about
the logo. This simple sounding method produced very impressive displays,
containing huge amounts of information, including the priceless fact that
the Queen owns a McDonald’s. A
group of girls from Years 8, 9 and 10,
spent two sessions creating a wholeschool assembly based around the importance of water for our planet. This
was a clever and thought provoking
project, that showed how much water
the western world uses compared
with developing countries. The girls
conducted the entire assembly, which
involved PowerPoint presentations,
videos and audience participation to
represent the vast numbers of people
who have no access to clean water.
JSS
Extended Studies
This year, the Extended Studies
Programme was in full swing, with
students learning Japanese, tackling
General Studies, becoming sports
leaders, studying all things theatrical
and conducting their own research
via the Extended Project Qualification. There were many successes
throughout the year, including the
very enjoyable EPQ presentation
evening that took place in March.
MM
Events &
Activities
India
The biannual school expedition
took place this summer and saw 23
students from Years 12 and 13 spend
a month in the remote North East
of India. They were allocated to two
separate teams to complete different
itineraries. King’s has been running
this type of expedition for more than
twenty years: they involve students
engaging in community work, as well
as enjoying some trekking and general travelling. What makes them different from other similar school trips,
is that our students run the expeditions themselves. This involves booking hotels and transport, organising
places to eat, liaising with local guides
for trekking and making sure everything goes to plan. These are amazing
experiences for young people, being
exceptionally challenging but also, as
will be evident, very rewarding.
Team 1 acclimatization
Having waved goodbye to parents,
enjoyed a night sleeping in the school
hall and made it safely through the
rush hour traffic, the team set off
for India with heavy rucksacks and
arms still slightly sore from the large
number of jabs needed to cope with
the Indian sub-continent. There was a
brief stop in Delhi, before they boarded a flight to Leh, in the far north of
India. This flight is recognized as one
of the great journeys, with views of
the Himalayas stretching out from
Pakistan to Tibet and a landing on a
narrow strip between two mountains.
Leh is the capital of Ladakh and sits
at 3600m above sea level, surrounded
by Buddhist monasteries and snowcapped peaks. It was an ideal place
for the students to acclimatize to the
altitude, whilst also getting used to
Indian food, erratic driving and wandering cows. Having climbed to visit
some of the oldest monasteries in the
world, the team began to cope with
the lack of oxygen,
so that, after a day of
shopping for paints,
brushes, cement and
shovels, they set off for
a week working in a local junior school.
Project
The project for Team 1
involved working at a
junior school in a small
village called Spituk. The
school was entirely staffed
by volunteer teachers and
each of the 200 students
spoke at least three languages. King’s
students camped in the school
grounds and washed at a pump in
the middle of the playground, which
initially caused a few problems, but
soon became a familiar part of the
daily routine. The students worked
exceptionally hard on the project.
Classrooms were transformed, as
walls were covered with murals:
globes, beautifully painted letters,
numbers, animals, fruits and vegetables appeared all over the school
whilst wooden cupboards were
miraculously transformed. The local
children loved their new rooms and
the teachers used the murals to teach
the children English. In addition to
this, the team cleared the playground
of glass, nails and other dangerous
objects, as well as repainting the
school toilets. The team’s teaching
skills were also tested, as each of our
students taught lessons. These were
observed by the headmaster, who
took notes on the modern teaching
methods the students were using,
saying that he intended to adopt
them for his staff training sessions.
Such was the skill of
the students, that when
none of the teachers turned up for
work (due to the Dalai Lama arriving
at the airport), three of our students
stepped in and taught a two and a
half hour English lesson to a class of
eight year olds. The week finished,
with King’s running a school sports
day and taking an assembly. The latter involved all 200 students singing,
‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’ and
performing the Hokey Cokey, whilst
the local staff looked on in disbelief.
The team was a real credit to King’s
– its members worked ten-hour days
and made a huge difference to the
school and its students. They also
made the most of the evenings with
games such as football, ultimate frisbee and cricket, all of which helped
them acclimatise for their trek.
53
Events &
Activities
The Markha Valley Trek
The Markha valley trek is a classic
Himalayan trek, complete with high,
snow-capped passes, multiple river
crossings, amazingly remote campsites and wonderful Buddhist monasteries perched on steep hillsides. The
entire trek is above 4000m in altitude
and it took the group ten days to
complete. In this time, they covered
130km, climbed two 5300m passes,
crossed the glacial melt water of the
Markha river at least 15 times and
camped above 4000m for the whole
of the ten days. The scenery was
stunning, with views of the Himalayas
at every turn, including a distant vista
of K2 and the group met local nomads herding flocks of thousands of
goats, as well as a few other trekking
groups. The team had to get used to
washing in glacial rivers, in water that
had been ice just a few hours earlier.
This was an entertaining experience,
but by the end of the trek, it became
the norm to find all the students
heading off to the river at the end
of each day. The food was provided
by a team of Nepalese cooks, who
produced amazing meals, including
birthday cakes, on a portable gas
stove and, in true English-explorer
style, tea was served at 4pm every
day. All of the students coped exceptionally well with the altitude and
everyone completed the trek in fine
style. The rivers proved entertaining
and everyone coped with crossing
them, even if one member of staff did
manage to pull the local guide into
the water on a memorable occasion.
Rest and Relaxation
This part of the trip involved the
group being tourists and trying to
see as many sights as possible. First
up, was white water rafting down the
Indus river. This was a five-hour ride
down a narrow valley, complete with
grade 4 rapids and ice cold water. The
views were remarkable and the water
54
temperature made everyone very
keen to remain in the boat, especially
as the river itself flows all the way
through the Himalayas to Pakistan. A
final visit to some of the oldest monasteries in the world and it was time
for the group to say farewell to Leh,
fly back south to Delhi and head out
into Rajasthan to visit the hill forts of
Jaipur. First on the itinerary, was the
Amber fort which is one of the most
iconic forts in all of India. The only
way to get there is on the back of an
elephant, and the students had great
fun clambering on top and being
walked majestically up the cobbled
path. After that, it was Hawa Mahal,
or the Palace of the Winds, in the
centre of the pink city of Jaipur. It was
here that the heat began to hit home,
with temperatures of over 40 degrees
centigrade and the group had to find
sanctuary in the local McDonald’s,
home of the coldest air-conditioning
in the world. Over the next few days,
the group braved manic tuk tuk drivers, the perils of a Bollywood film and
the hassles of an Indian market, all
of which completed their true Indian
experience - except for one thing.
No visit to India would be complete
without a visit to the Taj Mahal and
the team managed to get there for
sunrise to see one of the world’s most
famous buildings at its romantic best.
The trip finished with a luxury
Indian meal and an awards ceremony
that reminded the students of the
huge amount they had seen and done
during the trip. The young people
were a credit to themselves and the
school throughout the trip and coped
amazingly well with travelling in India
– something that daunts even the
most hardy traveller.
JSS
Master Chef
The annual Master Chef event for
Year 10 girls took place in November.
Each form group spent an evening in
the school kitchens with head chef
Darren Tinkler, learning all aspects
of cooking from nutrition to preparation and presentation. The groups
then prepared a variety of dishes:
Mexican tortillas, chocolate mousse,
chicken stuffed with gorgonzola and
a Thai curry. These dishes had to be
prepared from scratch and be presented in a professional way. This was
followed by the highlight, as girls and
their parents tasted the dishes. All the
tutor groups worked exceptionally
well together, learning a huge amount
in a very short time.
These skills were then put into
use with the gala dinner as the year
group cooked for more than 120
invited parents and staff, as well as
acting as silver service waitresses and
sommeliers. The students spent the
afternoon in teams becoming cooks,
waitresses, sommeliers and table
decorators, as the canteen was transformed into a banqueting hall. Parents were greeted with a champagne
reception and a slide show of the
girls in action, then maitre d’, Juliette
Gorb led them to the canteen, where
head chef Olivia Bollington presented
the menu in English whilst Juliette
did the same in French. Parents and
staff were waited on hand and foot as
salmon fishcakes, chicken wrapped
in ham, vegetable tarts and much
more, were all beautifully served and
presented. The food was sophisticated, the atmosphere lively and Year
10 were a credit to themselves and
the school.
JSS
Events &
Activities
Outdoor Activities
The start of the year is always a delightful time, as the evenings cool and
the leaves turn. The Year 7 trips are a
good time for the new pupils to get to
know one another and some of them
show early tendencies to enjoy things
outdoors. Some of them even come
along on the early trips before half
term. This year was no exception, as
two or three young pupils, boys and
girls, joined the camping weekend.
This autumn, a return to a favourite
site at Turner Hall Farm was made,
with a group of 20 students and three
staff. Following record temperatures,
there was hope for good weather; the
night was starry but damp on arrival
and the new-cut grass stuck to everything. Nevertheless, everyone was
soon in their tents and passed a quiet
night before setting out on an expedition to beyond Seathwaite Tarn. After
much discussion, the group split into
those who were to stay high in the
hills, carrying all their own food and
tents, and those who returned to the
camp site with Mr Street.
As the location for the high camp
was reached, the sun came out and a
leisurely lunch was taken, after which
the groups went their separate ways.
The High Campers did a circuit over
Swirl How and down Wetside Edge,
before crossing the valley to Wetherlam and back to the camp. The others
returned to camp via Dow Crag and
both groups had a quiet night – early
beds as a result of weariness. In the
morning it was threatening rain, but
breakfast was taken dry then camp
was struck. The High Camp group
took the high route to Dow and
Coniston Old Man before dropping to
meet the others climbing up from the
Walna Scar road. After descending to
the minibuses, an inspirational stop
saw everyone tucking in to fish and
chips, then driving home in the rain.
In November, we were lucky with a
very dry spell of weather, so the caving weekend in Yorkshire was excellent, with temperatures up to 15C and
plenty of sunshine for the walkers.
The accommodation was the excellent bunkhouse at Chapel-le-Dale,
from where it is possible to walk out
of the door and climb Ingleborough.
A group of older students did this on
Saturday morning whilst the younger
pupils took on the delights of Long
Churn cave and its deep pools. There
were some swimmers in the descent
to the Cheese Press, which all of the
group did twice, there and back. Then
it was the long passage to the upper
cave before a short wade downstream
and out into the sunshine. A rendezvous was made at the café in Horton,
then the groups switched roles, with
the older pupils ascending BrowgillCalf holes caves and the younger ones
admiring the sundown on Pen-yGhent. On Sunday, some of the cavers
walked to Sunset Hole on the flanks
of Ingleborough, which provided
interesting sport right to the bottom
and back, whilst the walkers ascended
the waterfall in Gordale Scar, traversing the top of Malham Cove on the
return. The usual café stop fuelled
everyone before the return trip to
school.
A snowfall two days prior to the
January trip to the Lake District, was
followed by a ridge of high pressure
which produced the best conditions
in the Helvellyn area for a number of
years. 16 pupils from Year 7 to Year
12 made the weekend trip which saw
lots of opportunity for using crampons and ice axes. The youth hostel
looked after us all very well and the
pupils enjoyed the experience of
climbing Swirral Edge in deep snow
and under blue skies with no wind;
they were told that it is not often like
that! Some made a return trip from
Raise and a dusk traverse of Striding
Edge, having been lowered over the
steep cornice which caused a bit of
difficulty initially. Thereafter, it was a
pleasure and in the gathering gloom,
the small group reached the easy path
back to the hostel, switched on their
headtorches and raced down to supper. Sunday dawned grey but still cold
and with high cloud, so we headed
to Blencathra and whilst the majority
headed up the tourist path, another
breakaway team made for Sharp Edge
which was excellent – exposed, interesting and challenging at just the right
level for the youngsters. Everyone
was re-united on the summit, before
a quick return to the valley and the
buses home.
A Spring term without a canoeing
trip has not been known for some
time and this year was no exception.
Miss Aspinall had her first taste of
the weekend by helping out with a
mixed group of younger pupils who,
after scaling heights on the first day
away, set sail in rafted canoes (tied
together) on the river Conwy. There
was a lot of entertaining action, as
the flotilla headed downstream with
the tide, but the mud was also in
evidence, fortunately this time slightly
below the waves.
One could have been forgiven for
thinking that summer had arrived
55
Events &
Activities
early when the Scottish winter trip
left in warm sunshine, which lasted
for the duration of their trip, but cold
weather returned for the start of the
new term, when storms lashed the
Bronze DofE practice expedition and
cold conditions continued into May.
However, a multi-activity day attracted
a record number of participants and
28 pupils did climbing, canoeing and
gorge scrambling in three groups
at locations around the Goyt valley
area. They all enjoyed it, although the
logistics of getting pupils and clothing in the right place at the right time
proved difficult for the staff!
The final trip of the year for the
club members, saw March gales in
June on Anglesey. After a stormy start
to the camping weekend, the group
prospected a couple of gorges in the
Conwy valley area. One was rejected
as a large rock, around 2-3m high,
which is usually crawled under, was
completely buried under a foaming
jet of water. A quieter location was
found up towards Llyn Geirionydd.
Later in the day, the sun came out
in time for an exciting walk at water
level around the coastline near the
camp, with the crashing waves for
added atmosphere. On Sunday, the
group canoed on the inland sea just
off Holyhead Island, where some took
on the challenge of trying to canoe
against the incoming tidal rapids, in
some cases with predictable consequences! After drying off, everybody
headed home.
All that remained for the year were
the DofE expeditions taking place at
both Gold and Silver level, in Yorkshire and the Lake District respectively, but more of that elsewhere.
The continuing enthusiasm from
the pupils and the staff for our trips,
whether on land, on water, or underground, shows no sign of diminishing
which suggests there is a bright future
ahead for outdoor activities in the
school.
PME
Canoe Trip
This year’s spring canoeing weekend
saw the team from King’s attempting to canoe up the Afon Glaslyn to
Porthmadog. The weather was a little
damp but with the canoes rafted together, the team made good progress
through the beautiful Welsh countryside. The tidal river aided us as the
outgoing water pulled us along, however as the team passed under a road
bridge, the navigation of the river
became slightly challenging, as some
of the canoes found themselves in
only a few inches of water. The next
hour proved hugely entertaining, as
a combination of paddling, dragging
An evening finish in winter
56
Events &
Activities
and carrying manoeuvred the boats
back into the main channel and deep
water. Most of the students coped
well, although a few found themselves swimming to catch up with
their canoes, as the water suddenly
changed depth. Some more paddling
and the team found themselves on
the beach outside Portmeirion. Some
of the students seemed bemused by
the peacocks wandering through the
village and by the sudden appearance
of Italian Renaissance architecture in
the middle of Wales, but they soon
recovered and carried on down the
river. At this point, a huge sand bar
was reached and it was decided to
stop and wait for the tide to come
back in and carry us back to the
minibus. The students played various
games on the bar, but after an hour
it was realised that the river itself was
hindering the return of the tide and it
was decided to paddle to Porthmadog
harbour. This again involved a little
bit of paddling, towing, carrying and
dragging, all of which was great but
the highlight was negotiating the mud
of the harbour which saw students
slipping and sliding as if they were on
ice, rather than mud.
The next day the group decamped
to Newborough Warren on Anglesey
for the regular game of manhunt. As
usual, this found students flung far
and wide over the sand dunes chasing after each other, hiding in the
undergrowth and creeping through
the grass. The sun shone as another
successful outdoor weekend came to
an end.
JSS
in North Wales and it took a while
to squeeze the minibus through the
lanes. With the wind howling and the
rain pouring, the team set off down
the river, floating under bridges and
over little waterfalls, until the gorge
was reached. Surrounded by torrents
of white water, the group picked their
way down waterfalls, through tunnels
and across pools surrounded by high
cliffs. The highlight was wading up a
long mine tunnel before lying down
and floating out down the tunnel.
After three hours, a lost pair of shoes,
some very entertaining swimming
and climbing, the group returned to
the minibus to face the most difficult
challenge of the day: getting out of a
wetsuit in a wet car park.
The next day arrived with blue
skies, incredible views across the Llyn
peninsula and Snowdonia. The team
cooked breakfast in the sunshine
before heading off to the inland sea
that lies between the two islands that
make up Anglesey. After a few navigation issues, all the canoes managed to
paddle out round the islands that are
dotted all over the sea. Then the team
headed to Four Mile Bridge, to canoe
on the white water rapid that flows
under the bridge. This is a difficult
manoeuvre but all the boats managed
to get through unscathed. The idea
then was to paddle across, up, down
and around the white water. This
again was a difficult task however: half
the boats managed to capsize - some
quite spectacularly. The best effort
was from the Year 8 boys who managed to tip their boat and then end
up underneath it, as it drifted out to
sea. The weekend was a great deal of
fun and students deserve great credit
for dealing with very difficult weather.
JSS
Surf trip
This year saw the 10th anniversary
of the school surf trip and the group
were rewarded with excellent weather
and fantastic waves for the entire trip.
The long drive was traffic-free, so the
group was fortunate enough to be
able to enter the sea for a quick, lateafternoon surf, before heading up to
the idyllic cliff top youth hostel. The
next day, having eaten breakfast whilst
looking out over the Atlantic Ocean,
the group had their first surf lesson.
Having endured the embarrassment
of warming up on the beach by hopping around and rolling on the sand,
the group hit the water and soon
King’s students were hurtling towards
the beach, screaming and clinging
to their surf boards. However, it was
not long before everyone had got to
their feet and were looking like true
surfers. Tired but exhilarated, the
group returned for the true highlight
of any surf trip - pasties for lunch. The
afternoon was spent practising their
new skills and bodyboarding, as well
as in a few games of volleyball. The
evening saw the sun dropping into
the ocean and the BBQ smoke drifting out across the sky, as the group
ate, watched themselves on video and
relived their surfing experience.
The next day, saw the second surf
lesson and some more bodyboarding
Gorge Scrambling
As the song says, ‘What a difference a
day makes’ and never was this more
true than on the annual coasteering
trip to North Wales. The group set
off on Friday evening, aware that the
weather forecast was not campingfriendly. Luckily, the tents were
pitched overlooking the beautiful Trearrdur Bay before the storm fully arrived; however it was an entertaining
night as 50mph winds howled across
Anglesey. It was quickly apparent
that the planned coasteering activity
was not going to happen, due to the
fact that 15 foot waves were crashing over the cliffs, as the sea put on a
spectacular display. Plan B was gorge
scrambling and luckily the instructors
from GR8 Adventures knew of a river
that was not in flood; unluckily, it
was at the end of the narrowest road
57
Events &
Activities
in some very powerful waves, before
the group headed off for a Cornish
history tour of the famous Wheal
Coates tin mine, which sits on the
edge of the cliffs in North Cornwall.
This involved dropping stones down
the 200-foot mine shaft, crawling
through tunnels and trying to climb
inside the beam engine. This was
a great way to end the trip and the
group were rewarded by yet another
amazing sunset.
JSS
Lockerbrook
The beginning of Year 7 is always
marked by form groups from both
divisions spending a night at Lockerbrook Outdoor Centre, deep in the
Peak District. This is a great chance
for form members to get to know
each other and for them to practise
team skills: as such, it is a highlight
of many students’ first year at school.
The following piece describes the
trip 7LAC took this year, but could
describe any of the forms’ visits.
The group departed Fence Avenue
and drove across the Peak District in
bright sunshine. Having arrived at the
Lockerbrook Centre, after only one
false turn into a farmyard, the form
quickly unpacked and set about the
first teamwork activity - using giant
skis to complete a course around
the centre. This caused much hilarity
and shouting, as well as discovering
who knew left from right. The activity
finished with a race which involved
some difficult turns; so difficult that
two teams were forced to abandon
the race because of ‘technical difficulties’. This was followed by night
orienteering: groups raced to find as
many of the 26 checkpoints as they
could, whilst darkness closed in.
Students ran everywhere, crawling
under benches and searching walls
for checkpoints. This continued for
over an hour, until the cry of ‘Dinner’
came from the kitchen and students
rushed to claim a welcome bowl of
lasagne.
After eating and washing up, there
was time for the form’s drama skills to
be put to the test, and adverts were
created for imaginary products that
ranged from wonder dog biscuits to
a cream that removed spots, wrinkles and much more! The evening
finished with hot chocolate being
drunk in front of a roaring fire, before
everyone went off to bed to get ready
for the following day’s exertions.
58
The next day saw the infamous
Peak District drizzle descend, but this
did not dampen the group’s spirit.
Breakfast was consumed and bags
packed and finally the team set off
for their walk, up the beautiful Padley
Gorge. The start is a steep hill but
soon the gorge was testing members’ crawling skills, as they tried to
squeeze through the Tunnel of Terror
– a narrow gap between two rocks.
This first task was quickly followed
by the Ferns of Fear (as the students
hid from staff within the ferns) and
an ascent of Horror Hill. By then, the
rain had cleared and as the form sat
on top of Over Owler Tor, the views
across the valley were spectacular. In
order to make it back to the café for
lunch, a ‘short cut’ across the heather
was taken, although this did prove
to be a little more adventurous than
planned, as students vanished into
unseen holes at regular intervals.
Having survived this, the legendary
chip butties served at the Grindleford
Station were well earned, and the sun
shone beautifully throughout lunchtime. Tired but happy, the group returned to school, knowing each other
a little better, after a great, shared
adventure.
JSS
Lake Tahoe Ski Trip
We had a very early start as we set
off on our April skiing trip. From
Manchester we flew to Amsterdam,
where we boarded for the eight-hour
flight to San Francisco. Once arrived, we still had a coach journey to
Lake Tahoe in California. After nearly
twelve hours travelling, teachers
seemed oddly unenthusiastic about
our singing. After dropping our things
off in the Forest Suites Resort, we
walked to the Hard Rock Café for dinner. Unfortunately, the table wasn’t
available immediately, news which
caused us to collapse and sleep, on
the floor of the Casino, as we had
been awake for 24 hours.
Jet lag assisted us to wake bright
and early and keen for breakfast the
nest day. After plenty of waffles, we
travelled to the ski resort, Sierra at
Tahoe. This is where we skied for the
next five days: the snow was great and
there were clear blue skies everyday,
resulting in big white panda eyes
and rosy cheeks! We were split into
groups depending on our ability and
all groups soon got to know their
instructors very well. There were
some spectacular falls on the trip, but
the best one had to be Briony Philips.
After underestimating how big the
jump was, she went flying over the
top before executing a few forward
rolls, eventually coming to a halt to
realise that one of her skis was bent
in half. We ate in different restaurants
on the ski slopes each day and by the
time we came home, none of us ever
wanted to see a cheese burger or
‘fries’ again.
In the evenings, there were various
activities available, such as ice skating,
bowling, and visits to the cinema. We
went to different places for dinner
including an All-you-can-eat-buffet,
which went down very well after a
hard day’s skiing.
After five days of skiing, we returned to San Francisco where we
stayed in the Radisson Hotel on the
Bay of Pier 39. We took a ferry tour
around the bay and saw the Golden
Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. That evening we went out to the Bubba-Gump
fish restaurant, before returning to
the hotel for an ‘awards’ ceremony,
where some interesting prizes were
presented. The next morning, we
breakfasted in our pyjamas at the
iHop café, before leaving, miserably,
for the airport. It was a great holiday
and the memories will last for a long
time. Mr Bartle, Miss Waller, Mrs Hopper, Mr Ward and Mr Mason accompanied us and made the adventure possible, for which we are very grateful.
Stephanie Redfern 11HLB
Warhammer Club
On the 27th of June, a team of four
boys - Will Haynes, David Nixon, Scott
Fielding and Tom Eastgate - went to
Nottingham to attend the national
finals of the School Warhammer
League. The team made it through
two previous rounds to get to this
stage, only making it past the first
round by the skin of their teeth,
(beating the King’s School, Chester
by only one point for the second
year running!). The team was thrilled
Events &
Activities
is Cleo the Royal Python. She is an
old girl, at the mature snake age of
18 and had a difficult year, spending
a significant amount of time not eating: a trait common to Royal Pythons.
Thankfully, after a brief visit to Creature Comforts in Macclesfield, she is
now feeding well again and back in
residence.
Fish are also part of the club. There
is a cold water tank, stocked with
goldfish, and a marine tank. This
tank has become an impressive mini
ecosystem, and is home to anemones, starfish, shrimps and its very own
Nemo, Dory and Bubbles. The purchase of this tank and some on-going
maintenance, was funded by very
to make it that far, but after a disappointing final in the previous year,
agreed on a target of ninth place or
better. As this is a game based mainly
on rolling dice, skill can only get you
so far and plagued with bad luck in
the first round, the team had to settle
for two draws and two losses. There
was little hope of recovery after that
and, although subsequent games did
pick up slightly, the final result was
thirteenth, only one point behind a
four-way tie for ninth place. Disappointing as it was to miss out on a top
ten place, a thoroughly good time
was had by all and on the journey
home, many an idea for improving
the team’s armies was discussed. The
team looks forward to next year and
also the prospect of welcoming new
members from the lower years. The
main organisation this year was done
by Richard Southern, who unfortunately had a GCSE examination on
the day of the final! It is Richard’s aim
to be able to send two teams to the
final next year.
Will Haynes 12 SMP
Leavers’ Morning
The fair weather over Macclesfield
smiled on the Year 13 leavers’ event at
Derby Fields. The sun shone generously as the students threw themselves whole-heartedly into the activities on offer. Nine teams participated
in the football tournament organised
by Mr O’Donnell and Mr Brown, and
boys and girls alike competed enthusiastically and in excellent spirits to
win the leagues.
Meanwhile, the bouncy inflatables
kept everyone else entertained – even
members of staff took their turns.
There was the double bungee run,
‘Demolition Zone’, which resembled
something out of Gladiators, air
baseball and a pair of inflatable Sumo
suits – resulting in some hilarious
scenes. Granelli’s of Macclesfield did
a roaring trade and served up some
fine 99 Flakes.
The later part of the morning
brought all of the students indoors
and the eagerly-anticipated awards
were presented by Annie Edgerton,
Danni Allwright, Oli Stockwin and Will
Connor from the students’ Social and
Charities Committee, accompanied
by a presentation of rather cringeworthy photos for the prizewinners.
6th form staff were thanked for their
input throughout the year, and short
speeches were given by Mrs Holmes
and Mrs Roberts.
Students collected hoodies and
yearbooks then pored over the
various form photos and comments
whilst tucking into a hog roast buffet.
Clearly, much hard work had gone
into the yearbook and the student
team was congratulated. At the end
of the morning, our students began
to filter away to enjoy the rest of the
sunshine – as school leavers.
MSTH
Zoological Club
Twice a week, the Biology Department at Fence Avenue was open to
groups of keen zoologists from across
the year groups. The department is
rich in biodiversity, which the girls
came to enjoy. The Californian Cornsnakes - Pythagoras, Pluto, Artemis,
Rhea and Kuiper - love to be handled.
In addition to the Cornsnakes, there
generous donations from the Friends
of King’s. Other members of the Zoological Club are two Leopard geckos,
Saffron and Topaz. These beautiful
creatures love gorging on a diet of
live crickets. Lessons are frequently
serenaded by their tropical tunes.
The year saw the sad loss of our
Guinea Pig, Rolo: she has been much
missed.
There is more to Zoological Club
than just the animals. A number
of loyal members came to enjoy a
lunchtime retreat from the hustle and
bustle of school life. This year, a committed group of Year 11 girls, who
had attended Zoo Club regularly, left
Fence Avenue. They will be greatly
missed.
HLB
59
Infant & Junior
Underwater Street
Reception class went on an amazing
visit to Underwater Street Discovery
Centre in Liverpool. They enjoyed
a range of exciting activities, including painting a life size car, designing
speed boats and making fridge magnets. The highlight of the day was the
climbing wall which all the children
managed to conquer. They soon
found out that coming down was a bit
more of a challenge than going up.
This was a very busy and memorable
day.
Manchester Museum
In January, the Reception class visited
the Manchester Museum and became
Dinosaur Explorers for the day. They
travelled by coach to Manchester,
spotting different landmarks on the
way. On arriving at the museum, the
children put on their explorer hats
and had the opportunity to dig in
sand and soil to find fossils. They all
took turns to hold and examine the
fossils and were fascinated to learn
where they had come from and how
old they were. They were amazed
to see ‘Stan’ the T-Rex and were
shocked by the sheer size of him. All
the children thoroughly enjoyed their
day and came back to school eager to
tell everyone about their visit.
Thanksgiving
In November, Reception celebrated
Thanksgiving Day in style. They
tried to imagine what the pilgrims
would have felt like during the long
journey to America. The children
made pilgrim hats and thought about
the foods they might like to eat on
Thanksgiving Day. Their favourite
part of the day was making pumpkin
pie. Nursery children were invited to
come and join our thanksgiving feast.
GB
Christmas Productions
The EYFS and KS1 pupils presented
fantastic Christmas productions. The
youngest children sang and danced
their way through ‘Born in a barn’,
with some very confident speaking
parts delivered by Early Years 2 children.Years 1 and 2 performed ‘The
best gift’ and appeared as a variety of
toys in a toyshop, debating the best
gift a child could receive at Christmas. Eventually, they realise that the
best gift is love. The songs and dance
moves coupled with the costumes
and props, made each occasion
sparkle.
60
Theatre Tots
As part of Book Week, Theatre Tots
visited the Nursery and Reception classes. The children had
a wonderful time listening
to different types of music
and acting out a variety of
roles. They sang ‘Hello’
in six different languages,
learned how to do various
facial expressions, turned
into animals in a jungle,
pretended to be bees and
finally became many types of
fish swimming in the ocean. A
few props were used but it was
really the children’s imagination
that created the scenes.
Chicks
Following on from the Book Week
focus on Giant Eggs, Year 2 children
placed 3 hens’ eggs into an incubator and waited patiently for them to
hatch. Twenty one days later, there
was a very exciting discovery as one
hatched. It was amazing to see the
transformation in just one day.
ELW
Camping Experience
Nursery had an exciting day setting
up camp in the Ginkgo meadow. The
children helped to carry the necessary equipment from the classroom
and set up tents and picnic areas.
Lunch time food was cooked on a
small barbecue and the children
loved eating their ‘hot dogs’. The
afternoon was spent exploring, playing football and circle games. The sun
shone and a wonderful time was had
by all.
Chicken visit
The children in Nursery have been
learning about Humpty Dumpty. One
Friday morning, Mr Foster brought
three chickens to school to show
them. The children were able to
stroke the chickens; they fed them
some bread and learnt that chickens
lay eggs. Mr Foster kindly brought an
egg for each of the children to take
home for their tea. This was a perfect
finish to our week.
Library visit
Nursery pupils went on a trip to Macclesfield Library. The children walked
from school through Victoria Park
and up Brunswick Hill. At the library,
they were met by Vicky who helped
them to find the children’s section.
They shared a story called, ‘How The
Aztec mask by Ellie Watkins Y5
Elephant Got His Trunk’, after which
the children had the opportunity to
explore the children’s section and
find a book to take home. They were
shown how to use their library cards
at the computerized check-out desks
and proudly returned to school with
their books.
Prestbury
The Nursery had a wonderful day out
as part of their transport theme. They
travelled on the minibus to Prestbury,
where they walked into the village and
learnt to cross the road using a zebra
crossing marked by belisha beacons.
They had time to visit the church and
were lucky enough to see a pony and
trap. Yet another way to travel! The
walk then took them over the River
Bollin and down to the park. After a
picnic, the pupils walked up the hill to
Prestbury railway station, where they
caught the train back to Macclesfield.
They waved goodbye to the train
driver, as the whistle blew and all had
a turn at clipping the railway tickets.
Finally, they walked up the hill to
school, tired after an exciting day.
CB
Florence Nightingale
Year 1 children had a very special visitor as part of their topic on ‘People
who have changed our lives’. Florence
Nightingale told the children about
her desire to become a nurse and how
she travelled to help injured soldiers
who had fought in the Crimean War.
The children were also joined
by Jackie, one of King’s nurses. She
explained how as a result of the actions of Florence Nightingale, nurses
Infant & Junior
are able to look after ill people better
today. Children discovered that Florence Nightingale had to use candles
as there was no electricity in those
days, which was how she got her
name, the ‘Lady of the Lamp’.
SB
Town and Country
The children in Year 1 compared
the differences between the town
and the countryside. They walked
through Victoria Park and towards
Macclesfield, via the 108 Steps. On
the way, they looked for features of
the town and used a chart to record
their observations. Children and staff
were given a very warm welcome and
refreshments at St. Michael’s Church.
Guide Dogs
The children in both the Early Years
Foundation and Year 1 had the pleasure of meeting Usher. Usher is still a
puppy, but was being trained to work
as a guide dog for blind people. At
the moment he is being looked after
by Mrs Hastings and she is taking him
out and about to as many places as
possible to introduce him to different
sights and sounds. This will prepare
him for his very important job as he
grows up.
St. Michael’s Church Trip
As part of the work on ‘Belonging’,
Year 1 took a trip to St. Michael’s
Church in Macclesfield. Mrs Johnston
showed the children around the
beautiful building but also enabled
them to have a go at bell ringing and
singing in the choir. Henry Fraser
thought that ringing the hand bells
was the best, but Kate Hartnett really
enjoyed the stories that the stained
glass windows told. Alice Noble said
that she liked climbing up all the
stairs at the side of the main church
door to see the room that Lady Joan
used to live in. Will Gem and Ellie
Adamski made convincing choristers
in their cassocks.
Continuing on their theme of ‘Belonging’ pupils, were joined by Rev
John Squares who explained Baptism.
He also brought some of the special
stoles he wears, each of which tells a
different story.
Clarice Cliff
Year 1NP took a close look at Clarice
Cliff, who was born in Stoke-On-Trent
in 1899 and died in 1972. Pupils created their own designs in the style of
Clarice Cliff.
Macclesfield Forest
In May, Year 1 children went to visit
Macclesfield Forest. It was a wet and
cold day but this did not dampen
their enthusiasm as they were taken
on a trail around the woods. The
children learnt about food chains,
camouflage, the importance of water
and habitats. They also learnt about
plant parts and growth, took part in
a minibeast hunt and learnt about
hibernation.
Greek mask by Emily Banks Y3
Blackpool
The Year 1 children were taken to
Blackpool as part of their topic on
‘The Seaside – Now and Then.’ Their
first stop was Central Pier, then they
promenaded along the front, observing different forms of transport, the
differences between the Central and
North Pier and talked about Blackpool Tower and its history. They then
made their way to the North Pier
where a special treat was awaiting
them. Martin Scott Price performed
his famous Punch and Judy show, in
which the children participated.
After a picnic lunch, children went
on the 100-year-old Carousel ride.
The fun did not end there, as they
then had the chance to spend time on
the beach where they built sandcastles, flew kites, searched for shells and
rode on the donkeys. Three Victorian
ladies in full costume came along to
talk to pupils, who were given the
opportunity to ask them about their
dress. After ice cream cones all round,
the very weary but happy children
made their way back to the coach.
This was a fun-filled learning experience and the sun shone for us too.
Poetry Competition
As a starting point, Year 1 pupils
listened to some poems from the AA
Milne collection, about the Seasons.
The children then used their senses
to help them produce work.
Winter smells like the hot fire in my
home,
Winter looks like people in warm
clothes.
Winter feels like really cold snow.
Winter tastes like hot, hot drinking
chocolate.
Winter sounds like Father Christmas on my roof and me shouting
‘Presents! Presents’.
Fraser Day
Science
Mrs Broadley invited Year 2 children
to visit the Senior Girls’ science lab
in order to observe and handle the
snakes. Mrs Broadley explained how
the snakes eat and how they live. She
also talked about how and why snakes
shed their skin and the children were
fortunate enough to meet Pluto, the
black corn snake, who happened to
be shedding his skin.
ES
Cookery Club
The Year 2 Cookery Club filled corridors with delicious smells. The
children made a tasty tomato sauce,
some super scones and a very chocolatey, mud-pie cake. They enjoyed
learning lots of new skills and worked
independently, making their own dish
to take home for dinner.
NP/MB
Corner Exotics
Simon from ‘Corner Exotics’ visited
Year 2 in June. The children thoroughly enjoyed holding ‘Pippin’ the
chinchilla, snakes, giant rats and many
more. The session was a great success
and the children found out many
interesting facts about each creature.
ELW
Victorian Explorers
In the spirit of adventure, Year 2
children became Victorian explorers
on a grand tour. They spent two days
exploring the King’s school grounds.
They were lucky to have Carol from
‘WildWorks’ to lead this event. The
children were entomologists, they
worked with fossils, used water
colours to paint their observations of
flowers and plants, and silk art using
leaves and hammers.
ELW
61
Infant & Junior
Homes Survey
On a fine November morning, 3JC set
off to make a survey of local houses.
Each group of three children filled in
a tally of the types of home seen on
the way. Apart from the usual flats,
detached, semi detached and bungalows, the children spotted houseboats, caravans, a farm, and even one
mansion!
so was spent pond dipping in the
afternoon. The children were fascinated and thrilled with their finds. There
was also time to search in the trees,
bushes, under logs and on rocks for
other insects and minibeasts. The
children were all very pleased when,
after finding a money spider, a lost £1
coin was spotted.
JC
Manchester Museums
In February, Year 3 pupils visited the
Manchester Museum. During the
morning, they practised their archaeological skills, measuring, drawing
and describing the sort of everyday
artefacts that might be found in a dig.
Some Ancient Egyptian artefacts were
displayed for close observation. Pupils
were able to use tools to retrieve
objects from sand boxes, as well as
handling Ancient Egyptian artefacts
such as shabtis, eye of Horus talismans and pieces of stone engraved
with hieroglyphs.
In the galleries, pupils viewed the
sarcophagi and grave goods of the
Two Brothers and others, sketching
some of the many artefacts found
buried in tombs. These included jewellery, statues of gods and goddesses,
utensils and writing equipment. They
also viewed the mummy of Asru, the
temple priestess.
After the Egyptian activities, small
groups visited the Dinosaur Gallery, the Vivarium and many other
displays. The Vivarium was a big hit,
with its brightly-coloured reptiles
and amphibians hiding amongst the
foliage. However, the children were
fascinated by everything - the stuffed
animals, the rocks and minerals, the
arrays of clothes and weaponry from
other cultures and, of course, the giant spider crab.
It was a busy day and a thoroughly
worthwhile trip for Year 3.
Diamond Jubilee
During the Jubilee Pageant on
Thursday 31st May, Infant and Junior
Styal Estate woods
Early in June, 3JC spent an enjoyable
and educational day outdoors, in the
woods around Quarry Bank Mill. During the morning the children looked
for signs of erosion, saw various features of the River Bollin and carried
out a river study. The children took
turns to throw dog biscuits into the
edge and middle of the river in order
to calculate the speed of the current.
The guide explained that the biscuits
would soon be eaten up by the fish or
dogs out for a walk.
A very productive half an hour or
St Paul’s Church
On a cold Tuesday in February, Year
4 walked to St Paul’s Church to learn
more about the Christian church. We
sat on pews and listened to Reverend Kathy Kirby, who told us many
interesting things and even allowed
us to go into The Gallery where we
could see everything from high up.
After twenty minutes we had a drink
and biscuit provided by Joan and
were then able to ask Kathy lots more
questions. We had a really fun afternoon and learnt a lot.
Freya Shaughnessy 4KW/SM
62
The Queen by Louis Lau Y2
Division children were thrilled to
be presented with commemorative golden coins, as a souvenir of
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The
children enjoyed an informative
assembly in which the Coronation
was acted out by Year 6; this was followed by a sumptuous street party:
the Brass Band played ‘Land of Hope
and Glory’ and ‘God Save the Queen’
whilst the children waved flags enthusiastically. There was an outstanding
response to the Crown Competition
with both traditional and funky modern creations adorning heads. The
day was rounded off with a wonderful
Afternoon Tea Party for parents and
friends.
ELW
Roman Banquet
In March, the loyal citizens of Year 4
enjoyed a Roman spectacular. The
gods, goddesses, gladiators and
emperors modelled their outfits in a
parade of amazing Roman fashions.
Afterwards, they assembled mosaics,
wrote a prayer to the beautiful goddess Carina (Mrs Wells) and designed
a market stall. At the banquet, they
experienced Roman delicacies such
as pheasant, salmon, sugar mice and
honey cake. It was truly a magnificent
feast. In the afternoon, they cheered
on the chariot drivers as they manoeuvred their horses skilfully to
become the champion, cheered on by
the enthusiastic spectators.
AJL
Book Week
Book Week, in March, began with the
amazing, exciting discovery of giant
eggs and a nest in the Ginkgo Meadow. Each year group from Nursery
to Year 6 went to visit the eggs and
investigated the surrounding areas
for clues. What had happened? Where
had the eggs come from? Many different scenarios were explored and
developed throughout the day. The
whole experience encouraged pupils
to use the imagination to discover
and suggest answers to these questions. It was wonderful to see the
variety of work - journalism, fact files,
stories, radio reports for example that were produced from this event.
In the same week, other events
took place, such as the Parent Book
Swap and a visit from poet, Jan Dean,
which was a very entertaining and
enjoyable experience for everyone.
The highlight of the week,
however, was the Book Character
dressing-up day. Students enjoyed a
Divisional assembly where costumes
were admired and writing inspired by
the week’s events was read out.
NSPCC
Helen Redman from NSPCC led two
of our assemblies to thank the children for their efforts in raising valuable funds to support the vital work
of the NSPCC. We were delighted to
discover that the total raised from
Infants and Juniors has now reached a
staggering £6107.44.
Charities
Over the past academic year, the
Infant and Junior Division supported
a wide variety of charities and raised
money in a number of ways.
Infant & Junior
As Winter was fast approaching,
the children took part in the annual
Reindeer Run in aid of East Cheshire
Hospice. They thoroughly enjoyed
donning their antlers and flashing red
noses and running as quickly as they
could, partly to keep warm but also to
ensure that they were able to collect
all of their sponsorship money. In
total an amazing £4320.70 was raised.
The first fundraiser of 2012 was for
The Dogs’ Trust, animal welfare being
close to the pupils’ hearts. A representative from the organisation spoke
to the children in assembly about
how their money would be used to
house dogs that are unwanted, whilst
they try to rehouse them in suitable
homes. A number of Year 5 children
worked fantastically well together to
organise a cake sale, lucky dip and
raffle which took place at breaktimes
throughout the day. This was followed by a charity disco at the end of
the day. The total raised for The Dogs’
Trust was £120.00.
March saw the Infant and Junior
Division join together to raise money
for Sport Relief. As it coincided with
our bi-annual Book Week, the children decided that instead of having
a traditional non-uniform day, they
would dress up as their favourite
book characters. At 8.35am, the lower
junior playground was quite a sight
to behold. Also in aid of Sports Relief,
the junior chess club was challenged
to play against Mr Ireland, the Seniors’ chess coach. He played against
all of them, at the same time. In total,
the Junior children raised £122.06 for
Sport Relief.
At the end of March, Katie and Callum Barr (Year 3 & 6) held a number
of charity events to raise money in
aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
Children had the opportunity to buy
knitted chicks and to take part in a
cake sale, a raffle and a ‘name the
Easter bunny’ competition. Huge congratulations should go to Katie and
Callum for raising the amazing total of
£317.00.
Following a collection after the
Easter Service at St. Paul’s Church,
the final total raised for Macmillan
Cancer Support was £545.82.
Just a few days later, as a clear
indication of how much the Junior
children understand the value of
supporting charities, they took part
in an ‘Olympic’ Playground Physical Challenge in aid of the NSPCC.
The children worked tirelessly to get
sponsorship for this event and the
amazing total raised was £6107.44. A
representative from the NSPCC led
our assemblies the following week, to
thank the children for their efforts in
raising valuable funds to support the
vital work of the NSPCC.
In total the Junior Division raised a
huge £11,216.02 for charity.
EMDM
French Club
This year, the Club once again
focussed on three different areas.
During the Autumn Term, new pupils
from Years 5 and 6, enrolled on a
10-week crash course of the French
language.
During the Spring Term, the Club
re-emerged as a French Film Club and
the showings of episodes of the original ‘Belle et Sebastian’ Alpine story
proved to be most popular amongst
the Year 3 pupils. At times, the pupils
became quite fanatical about the fate
of their favourite dog and its owner.
For the Summer Term, the Club
again moved to the outdoors, where
pupils from all year groups developed
their skill at French boules. Many
pupils became fine players over the
course of just a few weeks.
AMJ
Manor Trip
Forty three children enjoyed a wonderful weekend of ‘adventures’ in
Shropshire. Fortunately, the weather
was exceedingly kind and remained
dry and bright throughout the trip.
The weekend was crammed with
activities including the underground
maze (requiring nerve and composure), climbing and abseiling (to test
daring as well as strength and agility), archery (who has a precise and
accurate aim?) and crate stacking (a
test of team work, skills and balance).
There was also the opportunity to
rope climb up (strenuous and challenging) and zip wire down (quick
and exhilarating!).
And then Hollywood called and the
children tasted the world of film making, including acting, producing, costumes and set design…results were
sometimes bizarre but always fun.
The water sports proved to be
extremely popular and all had a great
time on a small lake surrounded by
beautiful countryside. The children
loved the challenges designed to get
them paddling and playing… some
even managed to stay dry.
All entered into the spirit of occasional ‘free time’ to play and socialise
whilst mealtimes were also a great opportunity to chat about the day ahead
or the fun just had, all whilst enjoying
some excellent food.
Staff were very impressed with the
way children coped with everything
the weekend asked of them and it was
lovely to see how well they supported
and cared for each other.
No doubt everyone involved on the
trip slept well on Sunday evening.
DCB
Science Club
Every Tuesday after school, Years 4, 5
and 6 had the opportunity to attend a
Science club run by the King’s School
Fence Avenue Science staff and
helped by Mrs Garnett and numerous
Year 11 students. The Junior students
made crystals, sparklers, microscope
slides and electric games. They used
Bunsen burners to do flame tests and
microscopes to discover new worlds.
Setting fire to hands and making hair
stand up on end, were particular
highlights.
SJH
Bikeability
On two days in May, thirty-four Year
6 pupils took part in Bikeability. We
brought our bikes to school with our
63
Infant & Junior
helmets and bike locks. First of all we
learnt the ABC check – Air, Brakes
and Chain. Then, after a talk on
sensible biking, we went onto the red
gra and played some games on our
bikes. Next, we got on our bikes and
went out of school on to the road. We
wheeled our bikes through Victoria
Park and when we got to the other
side, we went to the houses opposite.
There we learnt about ‘pedal-ready’,
how to stop, how to set off and how
to pass parked cars – ‘a door and
more’.
Later, we learnt about major and
minor roads and how to turn right
out of a minor road on to a major
road, to turn left out of a major
road on to a minor road and what a
T-junction is. On Tuesday, we went
straight on to the road. We cycled
near Fun4All and recapped on the
turns. Now with cars! We all did this
very well. We also learnt about ‘The
Four Cs’, which are: Be Seen, See,
Control and Communicate. Everyone
passed their Bikeability Level 2 and
felt much more confident about riding on ‘safe’ roads.
Florence Bradshaw 6SR
Outward Bound Weekend June
Pupil views
Excitement, courage, trust and an end
of year treat is what it is all about at
The Hollowford Centre in Castleton,
but the weather was wicked.
Adele Le Moignan
When we arrived we had the pleasure of meeting a delicious dinner of
pasta and meatballs. We soon found
our dorms and that no sweets were
allowed – for the boys anyway.
Harry Pinches
64
Abseiling: The activity involved
confidence, determination and trust.
The scariest bit is making yourself
level as you’re standing with your feet
on the edge of a 60ft drop. Once you
start walking, you love the thrill of the
drop that you have to lower yourself
into. As soon as you’ve done it once,
you feel exhilarated and addicted.
Sarah Catlin
Abseiling was a once in a lifetime
experience and it was really fun when
Liz and I went down together.
Adele Le Moignan
I was the first one to go over the
edge and I was very scared. Millersdale Viaduct was so high I was shaking. As I went down, it got easier and
easier and as I reached the bottom
I realised that it was not as hard as
it looked. I did it again and wasn’t
scared at all. We were all very tired
from the jam-packed day.
Harry Collett
Hiking: After tea, we went for a
tiring walk up Mam Tor. It was very
long and we saw a dead sheep with
no eyes.
Joe Hopewell
We went to climb Hollins Cross. It
really tested how well we could work
together by telling each other the
easiest route and helping them when
they got stuck in the mud.
Harry Wallace
The weather was windy and we
were nearly blown away. When we
got back to our dorms, we tried to
stay up till my birthday at 11:46 but
we fell asleep.
Fiona Beeston
Caving: We clambered through
the cave and in the middle we turned
our torches off and sat in the pitch
blackness. While we were going back,
we all had a go at trying to squeeze
through ‘The Worm Hole’.
Harry Collett
You had to shuffle through a hole
in the wall barely big enough to fit
through, and then scramble out the
other side.
Harry Wallace
Mud splashed across my face as I
crawled through the tight tunnels. I
lifted up my head for a better view
when – BANG! My head smashed into
the ceiling; luckily I was wearing a
helmet. After an hour of muddy puddles it was good to head back for a
well-deserved tea and long sleep.
Harry Pinches
High Ropes: This was my favourite
activity, especially one part when my
friends and I got up onto a platform
on a thin pole, held wrists and leant
back. Some people in the group were
a bit nervous but they faced their
fears. Then we had cheese toasties for
lunch.
Izzy Stevens
I am petrified of heights so I just
told myself to have confidence and
be brave. I was very nervous and I
moved slowly and cautiously across
the balance beam. At the trapeze, it
was a bit wet and terribly windy, so
the pole was wobbling all over the
place. I still managed to complete the
challenge successfully which I was
proud of.
Emily Foster
I enjoyed the trip because it
boosted my confidence, I learnt some
vital team-building skills and I got to
spend time with my friends.
Joe Hopewell
At the Hollowford Centre, my
confidence levels were boosted, I
learnt to work better in a team, I
trust people better now, I know more
people and I’m not scared of heights
anymore.
Emily Foster
We left the Centre sad to be leaving, yet still elated from all our efforts.
All in all, an excellent weekend.
Sarah Catlin
Edited by SPCT
Le Château du Broutel, France
The Château was a large, cream
building, built in 1824. As we drove
up to it, there was a gravel drive with
trees on either side and iron railings.
My bedroom was smaller than all the
rest and we had a clear view over the
Château and the surrounding countryside.
Infant & Junior
On the first morning we went to
the market at Etaples. Our challenge
was to find the price and the names
in French of the items on the list that
we had been given. That afternoon,
we visited the Nausicaa aquarium in
Boulogne and saw seals swimming
above us, below us and around us. It
was amazing!
The next day, we learnt how to
make traditional French mayonnaise.
Mrs Welsh tried to tip ours over Mr
Barker’s head. After that, we walked
into the local town of Rue. After
five minutes, everyone was soaked
through and we tried to find a café.
We all had hot chocolate and it was
the best one I had ever tasted. I
warmed my hands on it.
After lunch, we drove to the Canadian War Memorial Park at Beaumont Hamel. When we arrived at the
battlefield, I saw a field of daffodils.
It looked like there was yellow grass.
The teachers told us to be especially
good because the people showing
us around were Canadians, who felt
very honoured to be doing this job.
It made me feel thoughtful because
of how many people died there, and
because we saw the grave of one of
Miss Jeans’ relatives.
The last day started with a visit to
a sweet shop, where a man who had
been making sweets all his life gave
us a presentation. We were given our
own hot sweets to mould and eat.
After that we were allowed to buy
some. He must have made a mini-fortune out of us. Then we went to the
beach and did a survey of the daily
lives of the passers-by on the promenade. Some people that we spoke
to seemed not to understand us, so
we thought that maybe they were not
French.
Later on that day, we went to a goat
farm, where we were allowed to hold
chicks that were one day old. The
farmer’s wife showed us how to make
goat’s cheese and told us how the
cheese changes over time. I thought
the cheese was smelly.
I was excited to get home and see
my parents again and it was a joy that
night to climb into my own comfy
bed.
Emilia Cole 5CJ
Fantastic Fun at Formby
On Tuesday 20th March, King’s Year
Six pupils went to Formby. In Geography, we have been learning about
coasts and in Science about different
animals and plants adapting to their
habitat, which also linked well to the
trip.
Firstly, we talked about the National Trust which owns Formby. They
bought it because it has a very nice
beach and they could add things to it.
We also learnt that in about 50 years
time, there would be no car park because it would all have been eroded.
Erosion is a big problem at Formby.
There are lots of people who use this
beach for days out and dog-walking.
We walked down to the beach. Our
class ranger told us that there used
to be a café and a caravan site where
the sea now is. The tide was out when
we visited, so we could see where
bricks from the café had been. We collected some shells and rocks from the
beach. The class ranger then showed
us a picture of what it was like twenty
years earlier.
We walked to the sand dunes.
The first dunes were mobile dunes
(moving dunes). On the dunes, the
only plant that grows is marram grass.
Sand lizards adapt to the sand dunes
but they are very rare in Europe. Embryo dunes are baby dunes and fixed
dunes have wild daffodils, grasses,
creeping willows and rabbits around
them.
Finally, we had our picnic near the
pine woodlands. This trip was a lot of
fun and we learnt a lot of things about
coasts and adaptation. We really enjoyed the day and would love to visit
again someday with our families.
Olivia Moores 6ST
65
Rugby
Canada
Whilst London prepared itself for one
of the world’s most exciting sporting
events, so did Toronto, as 49 King’s
rugby players accompanied by six
teaching staff boarded flight TS249 on
a sporting adventure that would cement friendships, broaden horizons,
build bridges and export the famous
King’s Macclesfield brand of rugby to
Northern America.
The gruelling two-week itinerary
included ten fixtures for two squads
in 15 days across four provinces and,
whilst demanding at times, the right
balance of competitive rugby and offfield experience gelled, to make this a
sporting journey of a lifetime.
Within 48 hours of touching down,
the King’s U17 side took on the Ontario State U17 side at Oshawa Rugby
Club and, in front of a large crowd,
the boys played some superb flowing
rugby and attacked from all areas of
the pitch to record a dazzling 33-17
victory. Tries came from Sheratte,
Thorneycroft, Greer, Stubbs and
perhaps the best team try of the tour
was rounded off by the effervescent
Fairclough. Greer added four conversions and also shared the Man of the
Match with the lively Thorneycroft clearly demonstrating what these two
have to offer 1st XV rugby over the
next three seasons.
As was the case throughout the
tour, the U19 game followed on
afterwards and with such an
emphatic start to the tour, the
pressure was now on the
boys’ U18 side to produce
something of similar high
quality.
Unfortunately there
66
could not have been a more stark
contrast and a combination of missed
tackles, knock-ons, poor recycling
and a passive defence allowed the
Ontario U18 side to romp to a three
try lead within seventeen minutes.
Thankfully, one or two of the more
experienced players, like Foreman,
Hodgson, Sodha, Sadler and Marsden, started to raise their game and
lead by example. Gradually King’s
clawed their way back into the game
and whilst still 17-7 down at half time,
there were optimistic signs for the
2nd half, which ended in a nail-biting
win, 26-24 to King’s. The boys were
rewarded with a rest day that took
them to Niagara Falls and the Hard
Rock Café.
From Toronto, the squad boarded
an internal flight to Regina, to play a
South Saskatchewan provincial side.
This is an area of Canada that King’s
knows well, having toured here most
recently in 1997 and the clubhouse
was home to an old King’s shield and
tour tie. In fact, one or two of the
current Canadian players looked like
they might have played in the same
fixture 15 years ago.
Once again, the U17 side kicked
off proceedings at the Regina rugby
ground. Captained by Butler, the side
romped to victory 77-0: Man of the
Match was ‘The Hitman’, Hennell,
who tackled opposition players like a
grizzly bear!
The University of Regina proved
to be a super base camp, with
its state of the art sports
facilities, a synthetic
American Football pitch
where the boys trained, and an Olympic diving pool. From here, the tour
bus rumbled on to Saskatoon and the
boys prepared to take on two North
Saskatchewan provincial sides. Once
again we were welcomed and treated
like royalty by the players and their
families and, for many local Canadians
who came to view, this was a big day
out.
Despite the national anthems and
all the players being introduced to the
crowd, the U17 game was an errorstrewn affair but good performances
led to a comfortable 39-0 victory.
Again, we were treated to the national
anthems prior to the start of the
North Saskatchewan U19 game: despite this distraction, King’s romped
home 41-0 winners. A fantastic evening followed at the Kinsmen Rugby
Centre in Saskatoon with players,
opponents, spectators, families and
coaches all having an enjoyable evening. With only one rest day before
the much-awaited contest against the
Alberta state side in Calgary, the boys
spent most of it sleeping and resting
on the seven-hour bus drive from the
prairies to the Rockies.
Calgary Rugby Park was the most
impressive stadium we played at on
tour and many National League sides
in England would welcome such a
state-of-the-art set up. Once again, it
was evident the team was following in
Rugby
the footsteps of other King’s tourists as they noticed a framed print of
a snowy King’s school on the clubhouse wall.
In sport, you can often learn
more in defeat than in victory and in
a complete mis-match of a fixture,
the King’s U17 side took on the full
Alberta U18 side. Against a far bigger pack, the boys struggled, and in
defence, one or two players slipped
off tackles and allowed the provincial
U18 side to lead 20-0 at half time. The
second half was an astounding thirty
minutes and a Hammill try meant that
King’s actually won the half by one try
to nothing. From this 20-5 defeat, it
was clear to see fantastic team spirit
and resolve.
The later kick off saw a Calgary
U19 Barbarians struggle against welldrilled and well-organised King’s
U18s. Kenny scored his usual brace
of tries and was supported well by
Sadler, Stockwin and Grindrod. It
was pleasing and rewarding to see
Marsden have another strong game
and score a try. Connor, Emery and
Ravenscroft all contributed with their
first tries of the tour. Once again,
Kenny was nominated as Man of the
Match and it was enjoyable to see
Ward make his 1st XV debut in this
game. Sadly, Krajewski and Hayward
both picked up injuries that meant
they would miss the last game of the
tour. King’s U18s won 37-0.
After this fixture, the boys earned a
well-deserved break from rugby and
enjoyed whitewater rafting on the
Bow River, a fancy dress barbeque in
Golden, bear hunting at the Kicking
Horse Mountain resort and a tour
meal and awards night in Kamloops,
before arriving in Vancouver, British
Columbia.
Bayside Rugby Club was hosting
our final fixture and did a fantastic
job hosting the boys as well. For
many, this was their first experience
of staying with host families and by
all accounts it was thoroughly successful. The penultimate day of the
tour saw the King’s U17 side take on
the Fraser Valley West regional side,
whilst the school U18s took on the
Vancouver Guardians U19s. There
were a number of weary limbs and
tired minds taking the field in both
games and certainly in the U17 game
this accounted for a number of errors
and poor decisions. Despite this, the
younger lads did enough to win comfortably and score a number of excellent tries. The final score of 39-7 did
not quite reflect King’s dominance,
but it did show us all that the future
is bright and for many of these young
tourists, 1st XV rugby is a realistic
target for next season.
In the U19 fixture, 26 players were
used with various combinations
tried, all with very positive effect.
The U18 lads had one last chance
to play alongside each other and it
was an emotional and fitting farewell
for both players and staff – some of
whom have played for three years
with Mr Bartle, who used his wisdom
and touring experience to good effect across Canada. In an extremely
entertaining fixture in front of a
large crowd, King’s won easily by 42
points to nil; however, this should not
camouflage the fact that it was a hard
fought victory with many boys playing
their best rugby of the tour during
this fixture.
One of the lasting memories of
the tour will be the number of King’s
parents who came out to watch and
support the sides. Their help and
encouragement was phenomenal and
such a welcome sight at every game,
and especially in Vancouver.
Stubbs, Marsden, Sadler and Ravenscroft had very good games against
the Vancouver Guardians and were
supported well by potential 1st XV
stars such as Parker, O. Kenny, Fairclough, Thorneycroft and Greer.
For all the U6th lads, this was their
last outing for King’s and they have
served the school well during their
time at Westminster Road. For all their
effort, commitment and enthusiasm,
both on and off the pitch, I applaud
them. Sodha was an outstanding tour
Captain and his full pitch sprint and
try-saving tackle against Ontario will
live long in the memory. Stockwin,
Connor, Jones, Hodgson, Cunningham, Ward, Emery, Gabarre-Grindrod,
Foreman, Wood and Treece were a
credit to the school and worthy of
specific mention.
Jack Sadler emerged as another
superb leader and due to his many
outstanding performances in Canada,
will Captain the side next season.
Johnny Kenny had a brilliant tour and
will no doubt wish to continue in this
manner as he tries to get back into
the England squad. Thanks must also
go to our many sponsors and donors that helped with the tour. Their
donations and contributions totalled
almost £10,000 and allowed us to
purchase all the playing and travelling
kit for Canada.
Lastly, it would be inappropriate
not to mention the team spirit and camaraderie shared by staff and pupils
across Canada. The teams bonded
well and everybody worked very hard,
both on and off the pitch. It was both
a pleasure and an honour to lead the
King’s School to Canada.
GM
1st XV
Statistically, this was a most disappointing season: three victories and
one drawn game from sixteen tell
its own tale. A number of factors
contributed to this dismal record:
narrow losses in the opening three
games, followed by a crushing defeat
by a very good Lymm High School
side dented early season confidence,
whilst the strengthening of the fixture
list with the addition of Sedburgh,
67
Rugby
Denstone College, Kirkham GS and
the inconsistent performance of key
players all took their toll. Nevertheless, there were performances and
passages of play in all games where
the team revealed its strengths: victory over a good St Ambrose side,
the draw against the much-vaunted
Wilmslow High School and the committed effort in the Sedburgh fixture
spring particularly to mind. Too often,
however, indifferent decision-making
and a fragile defence were exposed.
Ironically, results in the Sevens
season were much more encouraging. The side began with promise at
Solihull where, having been eliminated from the main competition in
the group stages by the two eventual
finalists, victory was tasted in the
Plate. Further progress was made at
the North of England competition
where the quarter-finals were reached
before the school progressed to two
finals, producing a very satisfying victory over Wilmslow in the Cheshire
competition, but losing to a robust
Lancaster RGS side at Stonyhurst. The
final two competitions of the year at
Rosslyn Park and the Sedburgh Tens
were less successful as fatigue and
injury finally proved crucial. However,
the squad had performed well. Players looked comfortable on the ball,
the physical elements of the contact
area were relished, and confidence,
that most brittle of attributes, was
high: the players deserved their
success and the coaches’ faith was
restored!
In hindsight, the squad lacked
sufficient depth and when injury or
unavailability occurred, the side’s po-
68
tency was reduced. The pack showed
glimpses of its potential power, Stockwin being by far the most consistent
forward performer over the season.
Kenny, too, possessed the natural attributes to make telling contributions,
but this year his performances never
quite reached the impressive levels
of the previous season; with two
years’ experience at this level now
behind him, he should look to play
a major role next year. Sadler grew
in stature as the season progressed
and Butler, whilst not the quickest of
the back row, showed good skills on
the ground. Walker’s potential as a
skilful and mobile lock was never fully
realised, mainly as a result of infrequency of appearances for a variety of
reasons. These latter four could form
the nucleus of a forthright unit next
season.
Behind the scrum, the side was
hamstrung by the absence of an experienced fly half, although both Hodgson and Jones generally performed
competently in spite of playing in
what was arguably not their strongest
position. Both Foreman at scrum half
and Marsden in the centre, had their
moments as did all the wings as finishers. Duncan and Horton will both
be available next season and should
learn and benefit from their experience, as will Ravenscroft, who was
outstanding at full back throughout
the campaign.
The side was led from the back row
by the admirable Sodha. Despite the
setbacks that occurred both during
and between games, never once did
he lose heart, become dispirited or
despondent. Indeed it is a testament
to his resilience and his leadership
that, after all the disappointments of
the main season, he was able to refocus and galvanise the group for what
turned out to be a highly satisfying set
of performances in the final competitions of the year.
JPB/RGD
2nd XV
Following an extremely successful
2010/11 season, it was all change
for this year’s 2nd XV. Eight regulars
from last season had gone away to
university and a further six players
had progressed to the 1st XV, leaving
the team only four players with any
experience of senior rugby.
In circumstances like these, the
question is raised: how does one
quantify success? It was clear that
wins were going to be hard to come
by, but when they did come they were
to be cherished.
The Perriss cup is awarded to the
2nd XV player who embodies most
the ethos of the 2nd XV. This year, it
was pleasing to announce that the
award would go to Alex Slater, whose
never-say-die attitude was exemplary.
JSM
Girls’ Rugby
The girls had an enjoyable and eventful season. Numbers fell after the
first training session in torrential rain
and the boys witnessed attire that’s
never been seen before on a rugby
pitch! The big tournament was played
on 26 February in the sunny region
of Lytham, King Edward and Queen
Rugby
Mary's School. We embarked on our
first match against Welbeck and, after
playing the two hardest teams first,
the girls found their feet and put into
practice their many hours of training.
Passing improved in the game against
KEQMS, in which we saw our one and
only victory of the season; try scorers
included Holly Smith, Maddie Coutts,
Millie Lord and Jo Hughes. We narrowly lost in the final match against
Giggleswick, but it is fair to say that
the girls’ performance improved
significantly. Enthusiasm was never
lost from Megan, Chloe, Molly, Helen,
Amy and the rest of the squad, and
we have a clear platform to build on
with the intention of going to Rosslyn
Park next season. We owe a big thank
you to Mr Williams and Mr Halewood
for coaching: it certainly wasn't easy
at times. Also we wish to thank Miss
Waller for travelling with us to the
tournament. Next year will be our
year!
Maddie Coutts (Captain)
U16
This was a most enjoyable and
successful season. In August, the
team was pre-season training in the
French mountains and taking on the
Brive U17 side. By November, the
side was ranked as the number one
U16 schoolboy side in the country
(Schools of Rugby website) and in
April they had reached the Cheshire
Cup Final. A very rewarding season
indeed.
This group of 25 rugby players
showed a huge amount of desire, effort and industry throughout the season. Whilst on occasion they lacked
some leadership and decision makers,
they performed and produced results
that individually were hard to fathom
but collectively they over-performed
and deservedly had some excellent
wins. I was absolutely delighted by
their commitment, application and
willingness to learn and was very
proud of all that they achieved.
In total they played 18 fixtures
and won 13 of them including some
notable scalps – QEGS Wakefield
41-0, Lancaster RGS (away) 20-12,
Adams GS (away) 31-12, Wilmslow
HS (38-7) and perhaps most rewarding was the thumping of Merchant
Taylors’ Crosby, in strong winds, by 38
points to nothing - a game in which
the King’s backs looked a completely
different class. All these wins saw
King’s playing good aggressive rugby
up front, dominating the set-piece
and the contact area and then, when
it was right to move the ball wide, the
pace and skills of some of the back
line were exceptional and we were
able to score some fantastic tries from
anywhere on the pitch.
Up front, the pack was led by
Mike Parker and Dan Percival who
had outstanding seasons and will be
great assets to the Senior squad next
season. Mike Emery hooked well all
year and in the second George Crummack, Liam Boyle and Tom Kaye all
demonstrated the necessary qualities
to dominate a lineout. In the back
row we had a number who performed
their own jobs exceptionally well –
either turning over ball, securing our
own, tackling and defending or making some hard yards from a pick and
go. Ruairidh Nichols, Aaron McCloskey, Oscar Kenny, Aidan Hooley and
George Wood all lived to tell the tale
and many of our successes in these
games, came from the platform that
this elite squad created.
Behind them, the back line had
pace and skill and whilst not always
the vision or ability to read the tight
games, they produced some superb
tries and conceded very few all year.
On the flanks were Olly Krajewski,
Tom Mort and Harry Thomson, ably
supported by Josh Barkanyi. Tom Fairclough, Matt Stubbs and Olly Wilks
operated in the centres and were
able to penetrate the oppositions
defensive line. Rob Coggan and Jake
Robinson blended well at 9 and 10
and were supported extremely well
by Isaac Reaney and Callum Burke.
Jack Brierley and Jack Topham were
also valuable squad members.
There were times during the
season when opponents did get the
better of the team and it is for these
hard, often tight games, that greater
leadership and better decision makers
are needed. Games that featured in
this category would be the defeats to
Stonyhurst, Kirkham GS, St. Ambrose
(Cheshire Cup final) and Wirral GS
(quarter-final of the Preston Grasshoppers Floodlit competition). Wirral
GS went on to win this competition,
which does add to the disappointment, given that we had dominated
the first half and went into the
interval one score up. A similar story
can be said of the Cheshire Cup final,
when we had enough possession to
dominate but a charged down kick
and some poor decisions allowed St.
Ambrose to gather momentum and
win the trophy comfortably in the
end.
69
Rugby
Defeat at the hands of Sedbergh
was strangely one of our most memorable performances at the Derby
Fields throughout 2011 and 2012. In
fact, if it were not for a late Sedbergian try, the score line would have
been 11-20. This was a magnificent
effort which prompted a great deal of
respect and praise from the Sedbergh
member of staff. The King’s forwards
should be commended on what was
undoubtedly their best performance
of the season.
In conclusion, much was learnt this
season, by staff and pupils alike. They
are without doubt one of the best
sides in the north west at this age
group and they could have won some
silverware, had the team made better
decisions behind the pack, kicked for
territory better and used possession
more wisely.
Many of the boys toured Canada in
the summer and are likely to go on to
play two years of 1st XV rugby. This
was a season to remember and savour. Staff were tremendously proud
of all that the boys achieved and look
forward to working with many of
them next season in the 1st XV.
Sevens
Whilst disappointing at a baking
Rosslyn Park, the U16 Sevens squad
certainly realised their potential at the
Stonyhurst competition in mid-March.
In a group that included Birkenhead,
Rossall and Lancaster Royal Grammar
School, they stormed through, only
conceding three tries all morning,
completing a whitewash over Lancaster in the 15-a-side, 10-a-side and 7-aside versions of the game – a superb
achievement! A quarter-final against
Shrewsbury awaited and after a pulsating match, the sides could not be
separated at 20 points apiece. Therefore it went to ‘Golden Point’ and,
sadly for King’s, the restart bounced
straight into the hands of the Shrewsbury winger and he ran in to score
with barely 30 seconds on the clock.
This was a huge disappointment, as it
felt as though King’s were going from
strength to strength in the competition. Sadly, success in Sevens is all
too often determined by a bounce
of a ball and this time it was the turn
of King’s to lose out. In Sevens, the
boys’ strengths lay in their well-organised defence and speed out wide,
with Tom Mort, Harry Thomson, Tom
Fairclough and Olly Krajewski all
exceptionally quick athletes, capable
of finishing from anywhere.
70
Thank you to all the boys who
worked so hard this season and to all
the parents who made sure their sons
were at the right place, at the right
time and in the right clean kit!
GAJM
U15
To say that this season was satisfying would be something of an
understatement. Throughout the year
the whole squad worked very hard,
conducted themselves in a mature
manner and made very impressive
progress. Previous season reports
suggested a squad that had lots of
ability but had been badly hit by injuries, were physically a little small and
had, at times, struggled to cope with
more physical sides.
The season started well, with pleasing wins against QEGS Wakefield,
Manchester Grammar School (in a
tight game where an injury-enforced
long half-time break allowed us to
regroup after a poor first half) and
in an impressive performance, away
at RGS Lancaster. The coaches, after
these early performances, were very
pleased, but there were still issues to
confront. The backs had real pace and
good skills but tended to default to a
very lateral handling game without effective kicking options. Similarly, the
forwards were skilful and mobile but
struggled in the tight and couldn’t always generate go-forward. As a result,
one or two positional changes were
made. In the backs, Greer and Hale
traded the inside centre and stand-off
positions, while Ravenscroft went to
inside centre and Roberts to full back.
These changes generated a little more
directness and appeared to have
suited the skills of the players. These
players were also supported and challenged by Hughes who, stepping up
from the B team, showed real pace
and skill, and the determined and
versatile Hinchliffe, whose tackling
was often outstanding. At scrum half,
Jackson played throughout the season and developed his game beyond
simple link play; he was challenged
by McCance who, having returned
from injury, acquitted himself well in a
change from full back to scrum half.
In the forwards, pleasingly, there
was rather more competition for
places than first appeared. Hammill
was hard pressed by Salem for the
hooker position and both in their different ways played consistently well.
Prop proved, as is often the case, to
be a difficult position to fill. Murphy
started off as a tight head and eventually moved to the loose head side
and played effectively, as Qualtrough
bravely emerged as an effective and
mobile prop on the tight head side.
Feldman was also involved in the
front row and acquitted himself well
- he has long term potential in this
position. In the second row, Lucas
and Williams progressed well, slowly
adding a little more grit to their
well-developed handling skills. They
were put under pressure by Haigh,
who continued to improve over the
season.
Following defeats to the strong
Lymm HS and Sedbergh school,
where the side competed very well
before being over-powered, there was
a run of satisfying victories: QEGS
Ashbourne in the Daily Mail Cup, St
Ambrose, Wirral GS, Adams GS, and
Rugby
Wilmslow HS. However, mixed in
amongst these victories, was a Daily
Mail Cup loss, at home, to a combative Denstone side. The feeling after
the game was one of shock. During
this period it became apparent that,
although lacking a little bulk, the back
row was an area of strength. Fitness
and mobility levels were excellent
and, over the season, a little more
know-how developed. Thorneycroft
played at number 8 throughout the
season and performed to a consistently high standard, not least in the
lineout, were he invariably supplied
good quality possession. On the
flanks, duties were shared by Mantel,
Bianchi, Naismith and on occasions
Hamill, all of whom played with
whole-hearted determination, significantly improving their tackling and
contact skills over the season.
Pleasingly, the run-up to Christmas
finished with a Saturday game against
Denstone. King’s played with fire,
discipline and determination, running
out 50-0 winners. Rugby can indeed
be a strange game at times!
In the New Year, the good run
continued and it appeared that the
team had settled into an effective pattern and style of play. Good wins were
recorded against a strong Kirkham GS
side and against Merchant Taylors’,
Crosby before a powerful Stockport
GS side were defeated, in another
performance which saw us ultimately
absorb and then nullify their forward
power. This run to the end of the
Fifteens season underlined how much
pace the side possessed. Ratchford
and Hancock became the starting
wingers: both had real pace and were
natural finishers who provided the
team with a great deal of strike power.
B Team
The B team acquitted themselves
magnificently during this season.
They were always positive, were
very anxious to improve and invariably performed well. Indeed many
of these players featured for the A
team over the season. So good was
the season’s progress, that we fully
expect many of these players to force
themselves into senior rugby contention over the next season. In the
pack, Cunningham, Haigh, Gowans
and Sanderson were ever-present: in
many other year groups, they would
have consistently seen team rugby.
Trueman and Corcoran scrummaged
well and Gale was a consistent performer at number 8, supported by
the rapidly improving Jones, Graham
and Bradbury. In the backs, Horton,
Jones and Edge all contributed from
scrum half with Key performing well
at fly half. Chadwick, Sudweeks and
Jeffries contributed well, covering a
variety of backs positions while Morris, Rossi and Murray provided pace
on the wings. Harris was outstanding
throughout the season at full back
and was pressurised by Muir, whose
real potential only really became apparent during the Sevens season.
Over the season, the B team
enjoyed pleasing wins against QEGS
Wakefield, Manchester GS, Denstone,
Kirkham GS and Stockport GS. The
game away at RGS Lancaster was agonisingly lost with the last play of the
game, but was an outstanding example of competitive B team rugby. Two
other games - against Rydal-Penrhos
and Altrincham GS A teams - were
also lost. The comparative lack of
games indicates the problem of trying
to obtain meaningful fixtures at this
level, but the move towards a third
team next season rather than an U16
XV will surely mean that this group of
players will see more regular rugby in
the season to come.
Sevens
This year, the Sevens season was sadly
attenuated, with only three tournaments taking place over the course
of a week. As a result, a second Seven
was sent to the Cheshire Sevens. By
this stage of the season, injury had
meant that both Greer and Jackson
were unavailable. As a result, Hale
played for most of the games at fly
half with Roberts stepping in effectively at scrum half. At the Solihull Sevens, the quarter-finals were
reached, before a lack of tournament
experience saw errors that led to the
team being knocked out. Nevertheless, the group games showed that
they had plenty of attacking ability
and stubborn, if slightly inconsistent,
defence. The following day, a second
Sevens squad was sent to the county
Sevens and, although they didn’t win
a game, they acquitted themselves
well to gain vital tournament time.
Saturday of the same week saw our
own Myles Marshall Sevens. Here,
despite losing narrowly and annoyingly to Stonyhurst, the team won
the group with pleasing wins over St
Ambrose, Cheadle Hulme and Sandbach GS. Here the pace of Hancock
and Thorneycroft as wide forward,
came to the fore, as did the mobility
of forwards Naismith, Bianchi and
Hammill. A determined and skilful
victory over Kirkham GS followed
in the quarter-final. Unfortunately,
the semi-finals saw a four try to two
defeats by the impressive Lymm HS
team. All in all, this was a good week’s
work, the squad had trained well and
performances had been good, to
make the cup knock out stages in two
quality tournaments. On the basis of
this year’s performances, where boys
with little experience performed well,
there is no reason why this squad
should not challenge in prestigious
tournaments in future.
Both coaches were very pleased
with progress this season. The
boys were always lively and good71
Rugby
humoured, their work ethic was good
and excellent progress was made
throughout the season. We look
forward to following their progress in
the seasons to come.
PJP/DMH
We hope to build on this year’s success next season and do even better
next year.
William Hodgson 9PA
U14
The U13 Rugby sides had a successful
year overall. It was especially pleasing to note the number of players
that played predominantly B team
rugby last season, who had improved
sufficiently to challenge for regular selection. The healthy competition for
places brought the best out of some
players, boding well for the future of
this team.
In total, the A side played 13
matches, of which they managed to
win 10. Most notably, there were wins
over Lymm HS 5 - 31, Manchester GS
47 – 12, Stockport GS 53 – 0, Kirkham
GS 31 – 5 and they finished as victors
of the King’s Junior rugby festival in
February. The A side lost their 3 fixtures versus QEGS Wakefield, Lancaster and a strong Wirral GS side. They
had a strong season, with many outstanding performances and the team
was captained by Freddie Hayward,
who led from the front throughout.
Tom Higginson controlled the game
well at fly half and is one to watch for
the future, as is Sam Brindle; making
the move to scrum half following the
injury to Oliver Quinn, Sam was voted
the U13 Player of the Year. Lastly, a
quick mention must be made of Peter
Thorp, who was voted the most improved player of the season.
The U13 B team found their winning form this season under the
watchful eye of Mr. Livingstone.
Winning 9 out of 11 matches, the B
side were equally successful. It was
encouraging to see this season, that
there were many players regularly
moving between squads. Sam Bryning, Owen Thomas, James Hodges
and Peter Thorp played in the B side
before becoming involved with the A,
gaining much-needed experience to
propel them forward. Also Rhys Bowen, Elliot Keen and Thomas Botham
improved, warranting their inclusion
in the Sevens squad.
Sevens Rugby had its ups and
downs this season, mainly due to inconsistent availability and injury. The
side managed to make the quarter
final stages of the Solihull Sevens and
came close to being the only King’s
side to make the knock-out rounds
of the Rosslyn Park National Schools
Sevens. The side snatched defeat
The season eventually proved to be a
satisfying and successful one, with the
team developing a strong game plan.
However, it started shakily, with two
defeats against a very strong QEGS,
Wakefield side and a big Manchester
Grammar School team. The team
recovered well to record excellent
victories against Lancaster Grammar
School and Sedbergh School and
continued forward, to win all but one
of the remaining fixtures.
With pace in the backs and a
hardworking pack, matches were
played at a high tempo and produced
many exciting encounters. The side’s
strengths lay in its willingness to run
and handle at every opportunity and
its dogged determination not to let
the opposition score easily. Although
the side’s cover defence was excellent, one-to-one tackling had to be
more consistent. The backs generally
ran purposefully, although handling
skills still required practice.
The Sevens season proved to be
very successful, the team winning the
Rydal Sevens and runner-up in the
Wirral Sevens. There was apparent talent and, given continued willingness,
further progress should be possible
next year.
Thank you to Mr Halewood and
Mr Wilson for arranging this season’s
fixtures and for taking us to them all.
72
U13
from the jaws of victory in their first
match against Monmouth School
and went on to beat the other three
sides in their group comfortably.
Other results went their way, so there
was a three-way tie based on games
won and lost. In the event of a tie
the result was decided by the number of points scored overall. King’s
came agonisingly close, scoring 73;
unfortunately this was not enough
to progress in the tournament. This
was a great experience even so, which
should stand the team in good stead
for their campaign next season. Well
done, and thank you to all of those
involved with U13 rugby this season.
PA
U12
This season’s Year 7 A team performed successfully, after a somewhat
faltering, unlucky beginning. The
opening three fixtures are usually
strong against consistently strong and
experienced opposition: Lymm HS,
St. Ambrose and then the long trek
to QEGS, Wakefield. The first two
were lost by a single try, conceded in
the final minutes, whereas Wakefield
handed out the boys’ heaviest defeat
of the year.
However, the season improved,
after the Autumn half-term, with
the remaining fixtures in the regular
season all being won. Matches that
Rugby
stand out were dogged, determined
and narrow wins over Kirkham GS
and Merchant Taylors’, Crosby, along
with much more convincing victories
against local rivals, Stockport GS and
Manchester GS. The pinnacle of the
season, was winning the King’s Junior
Festival, triumphing over St Ambrose,
and gaining sweet revenge for the
narrow reversal at the beginning of
the season.
The traditional end of season
Sevens tournament was a strange
affair. After winning their three group
games easily, amassing over one hundred points with none scored against,
King’s then lost tamely to a weakened
Lymm side. Yet the experience of the
day should prove invaluable, as the
boys progress through the school.
They learned a great deal about the
essential requirements needed to be
successful in tournament Rugby.
The season outlined above augurs well for the future. As the boys
continue to mature, they will begin
to appreciate a little more the need
for consistent self-discipline, focus
and concentration which will come as
they acquire greater experience of the
sport at senior school level. On behalf
of myself and the team of coaches, I
would like to congratulate the U12
squad on a successful and promising
season.
PW
U11
The U10s played their first ever
school rugby match against Liverpool College, and performed with
great credit. In the first half, the boys
showed tremendous spirit, competing well at the rucks when attempting
to retain possession, while also showing flair in the backs when releasing
their pacy runners. However, at halftime, Liverpool College led 28-21. In
the second-half, the opposition began
to take a further strangehold on the
game, as King’s lost a little continuity. Nevertheless, they maintained
their hard-working attitude and were
rewarded with a further try by centre
Thomas Davies. This performance
augurs well for the future and with
more game-awareness the boys will
continue to flourish. The final score
was 49-28 to Liverpool College.
After suffering early season defeats against Liverpool College and
Kirkham Grammar, the U11s performed with great tenacity against a
powerful Birkenhead Prep team on
the Wirral. After going 14-0 down,
Ben Sleath scored a breakaway try
from inside his own half, to close the
gap to just 7 points. Despite their best
efforts, King’s failed to breach the
opposition line in the closing minutes
and the final score remained at 14-7.
King’s hosted local rivals Cheadle
Hulme in the Quarter Final of the
AJIS Cup, seeking their first win of
the season. The boys started well,
with Ben Sleath crossing the line in
the opening five minutes, which was
easily converted by Alex Watkins.
Thereafter, King's continued to hold
the upper hand, with some aggressive
work in the forwards and strong running in the backs. However, Cheadle
Hulme always threatened and King’s
only held a 21-7 lead at half-time.
The second-half proved to be a little
more disjointed, as both teams tired,
although further scores by Harrison
and Sleath eased the nerves of the
watching spectators! The final score
was 35-14 to King’s.
The U11s played their final match
of the term against Merchant Taylors’,
Crosby. Merchants began well and
took an immediate strangehold on
the game, which continued throughout. Disappointingly, poor tackling
from King’s and the inability to retain
possession after contact, resulted in a
very one-sided game. King’s were rewarded mid-way through the second-
half with a try by Ben Sleath, although
this was merely a consolation. The
final score was 42-7 to Merchants. The
B team played their first match of the
season against the same opposition
and made excellent progress after
a slightly tentative start, with some
excellent tackling and rucking. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts,
King’s were narrowly defeated 30-25.
In the Spring Term, the boys started with a fixture against Altrincham
Prep. The A team was involved in an
evenly-contested match, with both
teams having several opportunities
to score. Fortunately, in this fixture
King’s improved both their tackling
and rucking, with the latter enabling
the backs to see plenty of the ball.
The final score was 14-7 to King’s.
The B team also performed with great
endeavour and salvaged a 15-15 draw,
when all seemed lost. After facing a
narrow defeat, they were indebted to
a late Alex Mason try, as he bundled
over the line from close range to tie
the scores.
After suffering a defeat against The
Grange in the Semi-Final of the AJIS
Cup, the boys visited the same venue
to contest the AJIS Sevens Tournament. King’s began rather sluggishly
in the group stage and were disappointed to finish in 3rd place. This
sent the team into the plate competition, where they slowly began to
show their true capabilities. In the
Quarter-Final, King’s were involved
in an evenly contested match against
Rossall, which appeared to be heading for extra-time at 7-7. However, in
the final minutes, Ben Sleath broke
free from inside his own half and
touched down to win the match.
After winning convincingly against St
Ambrose in the Semi-Final, (with a
hat-trick from Charlie Ward), King’s
met local rivals Stockport Grammar
in the Final. Early in the second half,
Stockport appeared to be on their
way to a comfortable win at 21-7, but
with three minutes remaining Ben
Sleath made a break down the right
wing to score. In the final play of the
game, the scores were levelled at 2121 and it was decided that the plate
should be shared. This comeback
showed tremendous character, which
had perhaps been lacking in the early
stages.
Junior Rugby Colours were awarded to Ben Sleath, Charlie Toms and
Matthew Harrison.
MKW
73
Hockey
1st XI
The season started with great optimism. The Year 13 players had experienced good seasons throughout
their school careers and an excellent
season in Year 11 as U16s. In the end,
if judged solely on results, then it was
not a good year. Still results do not
tell the whole story: this was a truly
enjoyable season, when the efforts
and hard work of all the players often
went unrewarded although all players
showed a great deal of improvement
and of character.
The season opened with a loss in
the Old Boys’ game where the school
were well beaten in the second half
after an excellent performance in the
first. A 4 – 0 defeat to Altrincham,
who this season were one of the
strongest teams in the North West,
followed. Although two defeats, the
games had shown great promise
and the team had played very well at
times in both.
The two defeats were followed by
three very convincing wins 3 – 1 (v
Merchant Taylors’) 3 – 0 (v St Anselm’s) and 7 - 0 (v Doncaster). The
team was playing real quality hockey
and it looked like they could fulfil
the promise and confidence from the
start of the year. Sam Dawson scored
six goals in the three games.
The team travelled to Calday
Grange full of confidence for the
next match; Calday are always very
74
strong and have won a number of
national honours in the last few years.
This year, however, King’s had a real
chance of continuing their winning
streak. After a tough 1st half, the team
was soundly beaten with Rick Barratt
picking up a nasty facial injury. The following day, the team played Cheadle
Hulme in the cup and by no means
played badly; King’s always looked the
better side and for most of the game
were in front, but a succession of near
misses and good saves by the Cheadle
keeper and a late goal by the opposition saw King’s lose 4 – 3 in an exciting but ultimately disappointing game.
It was a tough result for the players
and marked a dip in the season.
The team lost the next four games;
disappointingly against Wirral and
Birkenhead but there were two
excellent games against very strong
opposition (Warwick and King’s Chester) where the team played extremely
well.
The team reached the end of term
with good victories against Sandbach
and Newcastle and an abandoned
match against Solihull. In the Solihull match, goalkeeper Will Machin
suffered a broken collarbone in the
opening minutes of the match and
couldn’t be moved.
In the second term, things continued to improve; the defeats earlier in
the season against Wirral and Birkenhead were avenged when the school
won both return fixtures convincingly.
Against Wirral, Sam Dawson scored all
five of the school’s goals in an excellent victory. Two close defeats against
Newcastle (5 – 4) and Sedbergh (3 - 2)
were followed by a very convincing
win against Bolton. In the Sedbergh,
game King’s were 2 – 0 up with 10
minutes to go and controlling the
game when Sam Dawson broke his
finger; two further injuries meant the
school finished the game with just 10
players and conceded three times in
the closing stages.
In all school fixtures to this point
the record was won 9 and lost 9 with
remarkably no draws. With a strong
fixture list it was a satisfactory return
but the real test for the team came in
the Bath Hockey Festival with some of
the best hockey schools in the country. As always, the team thoroughly
enjoyed the festival and learnt a great
deal from it but in a very strong pool
of teams, King’s lost all five games. In
each game, King’s had good sessions
of play but often looked the weaker
team at the end of the match and conceded goals in the second half.
The team were well captained by
Sam Howell, who did a great deal
for hockey throughout his time at
the school. An excellent player with
good individual skills he will be sorely
missed next season. Sam Dawson,
Greg Eyre, Rick Barratt and Tom
Gowans also played their final games
for the School; all have been everpresent in the team over the past
Hockey
two seasons. Sam was a key player
and goal scorer with a real passion
for the game who will go on to play
hockey at a high level. Greg played
everywhere from centre back to centre forward where he also scored a
number of very important goals. Rick
played mainly in midfield, was always
a strong tackler and good distributor
of the ball. Tom Gowans was a very
strong centre back and one of the
most consistently reliable players in
the side. All five leave with well-deserved school colours for hockey and
hopefully all will continue to play and
enjoy the sport beyond school.
As well as these five players the
school also lost four other regular
1st XI players: Phil Gibson, James
Hamilton, Alex Slater and Ben Pickup.
Phil and James have been in the team
since Year 8; Phil a strong tackling
defender and James a hard working
midfield/forward. Alex and Ben have
played in the senior teams only. Alex
combined Rugby commitments with
hockey and Ben was new to King’s
in Year 12. Both Alex and Ben are
good athletes, full of running and
with excellent positional play; their
technical ability improved considerably as the seasons progressed and
hopefully both will continue to play
and improve at University. These four
leave with 1st XI colours.
Will Galloway and Will Machin will
lead the team into next season with
Will (Galloway) as captain and Will
(Machin) as vice captain. Will Galloway is an excellent player in the midfield. Will Machin played all season
in goal and made some memorable
saves. Oliver Wild also played a full
season this year in the 1st XI; new
to the school in Year 12, Oliver is a
very strong player who will form part
of the core of the team in 2012 – 13.
Ultimately, the loss of nine key players
will leave a big hole and much will
be expected of those boys who had a
very successful season for the 2nd XI
as well as the new intake.
A talented but small group of players from the U16s will add to the side
and some of the stronger U15s will
also play a bigger role in the team
this year; Callum McIlveen and Chris
Taylor both played in the festival as
U15s and played very well. The future
for the school looks strong.
The season also saw the arrival of
Nigel Croke as lead coach; an experienced coach and top level player, he
improved the players and the team
technically and tactically. Nigel, along
with gap student Andy Taylor, worked
extremely hard with all players in
both the indoor and the outdoor
teams. Both were very popular with
the players and they will be missed
for next season. Nigel returns to
Australia and Andy will be starting his
university course in September: good
luck to them both and a big thank
you for everything they did for the
team.
Next season will start with great
optimism and with a much changed
team; hard work and commitment
will make it as enjoyable as the season
of 2011–12.
SM
2nd XI
This has been one of the best years
of hockey in which I have participated
and, as captain, I am proud to say that
we went through the season unbeaten, only drawing once out of 7 games
and winning the rest. Chris Hall and
Ben Pickup came out as the top scorers as well as Jamie Winrow and Ben
Hope chipping in with some quality
goals. To say that it was sometimes
hard to pull a team together is an
understatement; we had the committed regulars such as Chris Hall, Jamie
Irving, Ben Hope and Alex Quinlan
and also the first team players such
as Alex Rees, Matt Spandley, Oliver
Wild, Jamie Winrow and Ben Pickup
who often played two games on the
Wednesday to see the team succeed.
At those times when we were playing at a different venue to the first
team, it was hard to find players.
So we had to pull in people from
rugby (Alex Cunningham and Jack
Egar) and, on one occasion against
Newcastle-under-Lyme, we drafted
Adam Dixon into goal. He is a great
football keeper and turned out to be
a good hockey keeper as well. We also
prevailed upon Sarah Pearson and
Helen Cooney to cover for missing
players, and went on to win, which I
think shows the spirit and determination shown by the team throughout
the season. The main reason the
2nd XI was set up originally, was to
give people a chance to play hockey
in an environment that was fun, yet
competitive and I can safely say that
this was achieved. Winning as many
games as we did was an added bonus,
but a fantastic bonus at that.
Alex Rees
2nd XI Captain
U15
The U15 hockey team has been one
of King’s top teams for the last few
years, and this year was no exception. The season started with a 12-0
demolition of Bolton, then the team
went on to play Merchant Taylors’,
which gave us a well-worked draw.
One of the season’s more challenging
fixtures, was against Doncaster away.
This was a very close game, but in
the end they prevailed, to win 5-4 in
a game that either team could have
won. The team then went on to win
4 successive games against Calday
Grange 5-2, Newcastle under-Lyme
6-0, Marple Hall 8-0 and Birkenhead
2-1.
This year we have seen some brilliant young hockey players playing exceptional hockey, scoring - or saving
- some remarkable goals. Jake Gillson
has had a second impressive season
for us in goal, keeping 4 clean sheets.
At the back, captain Callum McIlveen
has played very well this season, scor-
75
Hockey
ing 4 goals. Ben Winrow and Aaron
Shaughnessy played the season as left
backs and kept that position competitive, whilst Jordon Grocott, a versatile
player who has played in multiple
positions during the season, seemed
to find his feet in the right back position, where he played at a top-quality
level.
The team travelled to Birkenhead
where they played the U16. This
was a tough game; they were a year
older and physically stronger, but we
were unlucky not to come away with
a draw. The team then travelled to
Wales in the international game of
the season, where we played Rydal School. The opposition did not
threaten us and we came out with a
comfortable 4-1 win. The team then
played Sedburgh and won 3-2.
The season’s centrepiece match
was against Rossall, which is always a
thriller. They have won past encounters but this year we went into the
game thinking we could get something from the match. The game
started well with King’s getting a 2
goal lead before half time. The second half saw Rossall come right back
at us, getting a goal back and then,
in the last hit of the game, Rossall
got an equaliser. Although the result
finished 2-2, we finally managed to
get something against our toughest
opponents.
The midfield this year has been
solid with brilliant centres and elusive
right and left midfielders. Alex Cripps
had a terrific season and was one of
the season’s best players. Ed McKee
played as a centre defensive midfielder and put in some great performances being awarded recognition
three times as Man of the Match. Tom
Lynch, Jamie Edgerton and James Tattersall all had some great performances this year, each scoring goals. Chris
Taylor and James Ireland had a good
season with a cemented partnership
on the right-midfield and right wing.
JJ Goldfinch’s pace on the left and
good touch on the ball meant that he
could score goals and supply balls to
the centre forward. James AllmandSmith had another excellent season,
scoring an impressive 26 goals. This
season, some of the team secured
some great personal achievements.
Chris Taylor and Callum McIlveen
experienced 1st team hockey and
even accompanied the 1st team to
Bath to play in a tournament. Jordan
Grocott, Chris Taylor and Tom Lynch
were accepted into the JRPC regional
76
trials. Congratulations to them all: we
hope to benefit from this experience
next season.
James Ireland 10PFH
U13
It has been one of the most tense
and exciting seasons ever for the
U13s, from fantastic free hits to
sneaky short corners and even some
great goals! They started the season
a bit rusty but raring to go. The first
challenge was Cheadle Hulme. It
may have been the first match, but
the team still played with strategy
and ferocity, putting up a good fight
to narrowly win, 4 - 3. Relieved goal
scorers were Harry Broughton and
Will McIlveen, both scoring 2 a piece.
Harry Broughton was also Man of
the Match. On the same day, the B
team was playing Cheadle Hulme and
narrowly lost by the same score line.
The goal scorers were Sam Baker and
Danny Williams.
The next match was against Calday
Grange, which was lost 4 - 2. The
goal scorers were Ben Lynch and Will
McIlveen and the star player was Ben
Lynch. A week later the team had
a match against Newcastle-underLyme, the first ‘devastating’ draw of
the season at 0 - 0. The tension rose
throughout the match, but the team
couldn’t get the ball in the goal. Man
of the Match was Ben Salisbury.
On January 26th, the team played
in a local schools tournament at Cheadle Hulme. By playing good hockey,
they won the tournament, beating
every team (Altrincham, Cheadle
Hulme and Manchester Grammar)
1 - 0. Two days later, the U13s played
Rydal and drew 3 – 3, the goal scorer
was Will McIlveen. The next opponent
was Terra Nova where the team lost
4 – 2 (goal scorers Will McIlveen and
U13 hockey players Todd Leddy and Chris Harrop were both selected to play for the North West.
Hockey
Chris Harrop) and the B team also
lost, 6 - 0. In the next match, the team
lost to Rossall, 7 - 2. However, the final match against Terra Nova, offered
some respite and the team won, 4 - 1.
Though not without its ups and
downs, the team had a great season.
SM
Girls’ Hockey
Despite often depressingly inclement weather conditions, this year
has seen the culmination of King’s
continued and enthusiastic approach
to Girls’ hockey. The latest exciting
news pays testament to the commitment and dedication of the players.
It was pleasing to hear of Katherine
Baker’s success with the England
U21 Student Team. An ex-captain of
the 1st XI team, her talent has been
identified and she has been offered
a hockey scholarship to an American
University. Also, last year’s 1st team
captain, Vicky Lomas (pictured), has
been deservedly recognised for her
talents and is now part of the U21
North Team.
The environment that surrounds
these successful players often goes
unnoticed. Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm and those girls who formed
part of the teams from which our
successful elite players emerge, often
do so as a result of the companionship and teamwork of those who
surround them. They are perhaps
not so talented, yet they are equally
enthusiastic and proud to be part of
something enjoyable.
Each year, there have been at least
a dozen girls selected and encouraged to attend County U13 – U18 trials. King’s has had, on average, eight
Cheshire players of all ages, every
year.
The recent change in the county
selection procedure has encouraged
many youngsters of all abilities to attend development coaching sessions.
Those showing potential have been
selected to progress through to the
Junior Academies and Regional Performance centres. Many King’s girls
from Years 7, 8 and 9 have enjoyed
success through this system and are
paving their way to county success,
not least Cheshire U14 Player of the
Year, Abigail Johnston. Other hopefuls
to look out for in the future are Victoria Blackwell and Annabel Hebb.
DMB
1st XI
A team of ten is always a ‘Big Ask’,
particularly against the strengths of
Liverpool College, St Edwards College, Lymm High School, NULS and
the like, but that was the challenge
the 1st XI were faced with. Occasionally because of university visits,
numbers dropped and fixtures were
adjusted to just 7-aside matches.
Their games were not one-sided by
any means: Hannah Gradwell’s presence in goal was at times awe-inspiring whilst Vicky Lomas’ domination
down the right wing was scintillating
(and a reflection of her ability that
did not go unrecognised by the talent
scouts of the North).
As a group, they produced some
of the best displays of team work
seen for a long time, keeping the
opponents busy and on their toes.
Splendid goals were scored by Emma
Craigie, which generated much
encouragement. Unfortunately, the
match against Liverpool College
which was really ‘hotting up’, had to
be abandoned when the score line
was 1-1 because Rebecca Grimes sustained a nasty head injury, resulting in
a couple of hours’ in Garston A & E.
Overall, the efforts of the senior
team were to be commended. The
girls were great ambassadors for
King’s and represented the school
well. Thanks goes to Vicky Lomas
who captained the side, both on and
off the pitch, with impeccable dedication. She was most definitely the
Player of The Year.
DMB
U15
The U15s cannot be faulted for their
team spirit and determination. As a
year group, they were not blessed
with success, yet they were resilient
and ever hopeful in their quest to
succeed. Their results look depressing but all is not as it appears. Yes,
they were not the strongest team and
were often far outclassed but, to their
credit, they never gave up on their efforts. Many of the players also helped
out in the U16 team when their numbers were depleted.
Many of the players are to be congratulated on their persistence and
enduring optimism and it is hoped
that they will reap the success they
deserve as U16s.
Player of the Year was awarded to
Faye Beaumont and Most Improved
Player of the Year was Imogen Ashwood.
DMB
U14
What a wealth of sporting and musical
talent this year group had and what a
predicament emerged from it.
Many of the squad are representatives at county level in hockey, netball
and equestrian events, which compromised regular team selection and
attendance at times. The potential
of this team was exciting, but inconsistency was often frustrating for all
concerned. Each member of the team
worked with avid determination in
matches, not to mention the support
that Captain Abigail Johnston gave
to everyone. She led with insatiable
passion that is typical of her desire to
help everyone do their best.
77
Hockey
The Stonyhurst Festival of Sport
provided great matches against
other HMC schools in September.The
team’s hunger for goals was clearly
demonstrated by Abbie Johnston
when she scored 2 to beat Liverpool
College and Sarah Laughton who
put a goal past both Arnold School
and Rydal Penrhos, though Cheadle Hulme proved too difficult for
anyone to beat. They were deservedly
crowned winners of the tournament.
Goalkeeper Helen Lyons’ confidence and presence on the pitch
grew throughout the year. When she
was unavailable, Kira Stevenson was
persuaded to don the kit and then
Ellie Bird positively blossomed into
the role.
The combined talents of the rest of
the group helped the U14s win their
section tournament in early March,
which led to their matches against
Wilmslow High School, King’s Chester and Birkenhead in the County
Finals at the end of the season. The
girls, including three Year 8 players,
78
put up a commendable fight in every
match but finished a disappointing
4th. However, they can take comfort
in the knowledge that they were
4th in the County. Mention must be
made of the amazing transformation
of Rosie Turner and Anna Callow this
year. Their determination to fight for
the ball and subsequent constructive
moves to redirect it, were most impressive and for that reason they are
jointly awarded the Most Improved
Players Award. Player of the Year was
awarded to Abbie Johnston
DMB
U11
Hockey continued to develop in the
Junior Division and we enjoyed another busy season. Hockey club was
very well attended throughout and
both skills and positional understanding developed well. This was reflected
in positive performances and results
in fixtures, culminating in an excellent
standard of play in King’s inter- house
tournament, held to celebrate the
end of the season.
Gawsworth emerged as the winning team after remaining undefeated
throughout. Winning captain, Ffyona
Booker was proud to lead her team
and collect the winner’s trophy.
Teams played matches against
Ladybarn, Newcastle-under-Lyme,
Queen’s Chester, King’s Chester,
Terra Nova, School, Liverpool College,
Stockport Grammar and Alderley
Edge School for Girls and developed
a great understanding of their 7-aside
roles; competition for places has been
strong in all positions this season. The
highlight of the season was winning
the Ladybarn Invitation Tournament
in March; this was well deserved and
demonstrated the progress that had
been made.
Divisional hockey colours were
awarded to Adele Le Moignan for her
outstanding performances; Adele
was also an enthusiastic and reliable
captain.
DCB
Cricket
1st XI
The 2012 season can be summed up
in one word: wet. The first 5 games
of the season were all lost to rain.
Things couldn’t get any worse - but in
truth they didn’t get very much better. The season ended with the annual
Festival, where three 20-over games
were played on artificial wickets with
waterlogged outfields, and finally the
Old Boys’ game that was abandoned
without a ball bowled. The lead
stories on that week’s national News
were all about the floods up and
down the country.
In between the rain, King’s had
another good run in the national T20,
where for the second season running,
King’s made it to the North West finals. And, for the second season running, we lost narrowly to Sedbergh at
Northern CC. Sedbergh went on to
the National finals but in fact we were
in a position to beat them when, in a
low scoring match, with 2 overs to go,
they needed 18 to win with 7 wickets
down. The Sedbergh tail managed to
reach the target of 94, but the game
itself showed the excellent character
of the team, who battled extremely
hard to defend a small total against a
very strong schoolboy side.
On route to the final, the school
had straightforward wins against
Birkenhead and King’s Chester. The
most remarkable thing about these
games, both played on the same day,
was the return of the captain Tom
Foreman. Tom dislocated his elbow
and broke his arm at the end of the
rugby season and it seemed certain
that he would miss the majority (if
not all) of the cricket season; less
than two months later, he was back.
Andrew Hodgson scored an excellent
68 against Birkenhead and Tom Foreman greeted his first ball back with a
six and followed that up with a four.
In the following game, Tom scored a
quick 49 in the successful run-chase
against Chester.
In the next round, King’s crept
home by one wicket against Bury
GS. Bury batted first and posted 140.
A short boundary but a slow damp
wicket meant that this was always
going to be a challenging total. Andy
Hodgson made a quick 31, Jack Egar
a very breezy 25 and Tom Foreman 48
at the top of the order, which meant
King’s should have won at a canter,
but a flurry of late wickets left last pair
Callum Jones and Callum McIlveen at
the crease, still needing 8 to win off
the last over. The two Callums saw us
home, though, and we were rewarded
with a trip to Manchester Grammar
School for the North West semi-final.
Against MGS, tight bowling and a
long boundary saw runs hard to come
by, as King’s, who batted first, struggled to 40 for 3 at the half way stage.
There then followed a remarkable
partnership between Tom Foreman
and Will Hodgson. Will was happy to
push singles to give Tom the strike
while Tom was happy to hit boundaries. The pair put on 123 together
with Tom reaching his century in the
last over and Will out off the last ball
of the innings for an excellent 26. The
MGS reply started in bizarre fashion;
the first ball going for 4 wides and
a boundary off the third ball meant
MGS were off to a flyer and it was
game on. The next ball, Matt Stubbs
produced a brilliant direct hit run
out to dismiss the very dangerous
Cheetham before the MGS opener
had had a chance to face a ball. It was
a crucial wicket and MGS never really
recovered. Tight bowling from the
79
Cricket
King’s boys eventually left MGS a long
way short on 99 for 9 from their 20
overs.
The first regular Saturday fixture
was against Stockport GS, when a
rather lack-lustre batting performance
left the team trying and failing to
defend 142. Ben Marsden scored 39
for King’s and early wickets for the
bowlers saw King’s as favourites with
Stockport at 66 for 5 and then 111 for
7. It was the Stockport players who
were to finish the stronger, though,
and King’s duly lost by three wickets.
The following game against Cheadle
Hulme might look like a comfortable
victory on paper, but this was one
of the strongest Cheadle sides we
have seen for a long time and it was
not nearly as straightforward as the
scores would suggest. Cheadle Hulme
scored 199 for 8 in their 45 overs but
they had put themselves in a position to score more heavily. The King’s
reply was steady with Adam Siddall
and Ben Marsden putting on 46 for
the first wicket and Hannah Gradwell
and Ben putting on 42 for the second.
Andy Hodgson joined Ben in the middle and although the school didn’t
lose another wicket, they were never
far enough in front of the run rate for
the chase to be easy. Ben Marsden
batted through the innings for a brilliant 111*; it was a well-paced chase,
but Ben was the dominant scorer in
each of his three partnerships and
had he been out at any stage, the
result could have been very different.
Marsden followed up his hundred against Cheadle Hulme with 65
80
against Nottingham as King’s failed
to chase a mammoth 278 set by a
very strong Nottingham side. This
defeat was followed by a mid-week
loss to Wilmslow High School; this
was scheduled as a first/second XI
game but in fact both teams were
missing players, mainly because of
exam commitments. While Tom Foreman was batting, the school were in
reach of the 143 required to win but
when he was out for a well-made 58,
a relatively young and inexperienced
lower order were dismissed short of
the target. Wilmslow certainly looked
like a different team to those faced
by King’s in the past and they had a
number of very good players. These
defeats were followed by a drawn
game against Lancaster when King’s
should have been able to chase 159
but a couple of poor run outs left the
target too far away, though Finlay McCance and Henry Holden batted out
the final overs for a draw.
King’s next two opponents were
Bury and MGS in contrasting games
to the T20 encounters against the
same opposition. Again, in a midweek game against Bury, both teams
were short of players, but King’s
chased 98 to win for the loss of just
one wicket with Andy Hodgson scoring a brisk 65 in the reply and debutant Toby Bianchi batting through the
innings for 24*. In the game against
MGS, played the day after the strong
T20 victory, King’s again batted well.
Andy Hodgson hit an assured century
in a total of 225 for 7 in 50 overs to
make King’s favourites at the half way
stage. The MGS batters then went
about the chase very well, scoring
slowly at first but then accelerating
freely; the King’s bowlers were unable
to stem the flow, MGS finally getting
home for the loss of just two wickets
with overs to spare.
A rain-affected 9 wicket victory
against Birkenhead was followed by a
wash out against Bolton School. The
Bolton School fixture was the first
of what has always been known as
cricket fortnight, when the schools
play 9 games in 2 weeks. This season,
cricket fortnight was disappointing to
say the least. Lytham were well beaten
at the start of the week; King’s posted
209 with Ben Marsden 75 and Lytham
were bowled out for 114 with Andy
Hodgson taking 6 for 20 to complete
the (probably) unique feat of taking
6 wickets in an innings for the school
with his seam bowling and then 6
wickets with his spin bowling. The
Sedbergh 50-over fixture should have
been next but this game was cancelled because of Sedbergh’s continued cup commitments; in truth the
weather was not good on the day of
the fixture and it was unlikely that the
school would have played. Nevertheless, it was very disappointing.
The MCC game was to prove the
one really quality game in the fortnight. The MCC had three former
King’s captains in their side (Alan Day,
Dan Isherwood and last year’s skipper, Jonny Marsden) and as always
they judged their declaration well
to leave King’s a challenging chase
to reach the 182 needed in a game
reduced by frequent showers. King’s
top 5 batters all reached double
figures in what appeared to be a
well-judged chase but Tom Foreman’s
dismissal on 60 led to a mini collapse.
The school found themselves needing
an unlikely 11 runs to win off the final
over which was to be bowled by Derbyshire 2nd XI star, Jonny Marsden. A
win seemed even more unlikely when
Jonny took a wicket with his first ball
and U15 wicket keeper Finlay McCance strode to the crease. Finlay had
asked permission to play a ‘Dilshan’
on his way out to bat (a scoop shot
to fine leg!); he played the shot first
ball to pick up two runs to the cheers
of the spectators. He then nicked a
no ball for 4 and all of a sudden the
victory was a realistic chance; 3 runs
to third man completed the run chase
and King’s had an unlikely victory in
what had been a thoroughly entertaining day’s cricket.
Cricket
The following Saturday against
Merchant Taylors’, the rain was back
and after a number of attempts, the
game was finally abandoned with
King’s on 148 for 6.
On the Sunday, King’s travelled to
Edinburgh for the annual festival and
it was clear when we arrived for the
first game on the Monday, that Edinburgh had had even more rain than
Macclesfield. The main cricket square
was flooded and the other venues
for games (Fettes and Heriot’s) were
just as bad. There were no future
prospects of any play on any of the
grass squares for the three days and
the decision was made that if there
were still no prospects of play on the
Tuesday morning, the festival would
be abandoned for the first time ever.
Thankfully, the weather improved
and, though the main fields were still
flooded, the schools decided to play
20-over games on artificial wickets.
The boundaries were short and the
outfields were very wet (standing
water in places) and six hitting was
the way to score runs. King’s played
Ipswich in their first game. This was
seen as the ‘big’ game as the two
schools had traditionally been seen
as the strongest teams in the festival.
After a cautious start with the bat,
King’s posted 201 for 1, with Andy
Hodgson scoring an excellent 100.
With 140 on the board after 13 overs,
Ipswich were well ahead of the rate
but wickets changed the complexion
of the game and Ipswich closed on
167 for 8 after 20 overs with Adam
Siddall [4-29] the pick of the bowlers.
In the afternoon, King’s played
Edinburgh on the same wicket. The
forecast for the following day was
not good and it was likely that this
would be the last game at the festival,
so batting orders and bowlers had to
be adapted, to ensure all those on
the trip could get some meaningful
cricket. Edinburgh batted well to post
169 with some impressive lower order
hitting. In the chase, King’s never really got going. Jamie Winrow opened
the batting and scored a really good
34 before being run out. When the
‘big guns’ came in to bat, King’s were
behind the asking rate but nothing
that was unmanageable, but for once
they failed. Only a late burst from Jack
Egar and Finlay McCance got the side
close. At 161, King’s were 8 short of
the target. Jamie Winrow top scored,
and remarkably this was the first time
in any innings of the season that one
of Ben Marsden, Andrew Hodgson or
Tom Foreman hadn’t made the highest individual score.
On the Wednesday, King’s were
able to complete the 20-over festival
against Barnard Castle, again on an
artificial surface, and overnight rain
had left the outfield even wetter than
the previous day. It was another occasion when the ‘big three’ batters
all failed and King’s were indebted to
late order runs from Matt Stubbs (23)
and top scorer Will Hodgson (31) to
be able to leave anything like a target
for the Barnard Castle batsmen. Two
early wickets from Adam Siddall and
one from Jack Egar, were followed by
a brilliant run out by Callum McIlveen
to get rid of the Barnard Castle star
batsmen. King’s seemed in the driving
seat, but some unorthodox hitting by
the opposition’s middle order, saw
them score the 139 required for victory with an over to spare.
The 1st XI loses four stalwarts at
the end of the season. Greg Eyre has
played for the past two seasons and
has shown at different times what a
good player he is. When he bowls
well, he swings the ball away under
control and has a happy knack of
getting good players out. He is also
a hard-hitting middle order batsman
who, with three very good players
batting in front of him, hasn’t always
had the batting opportunities to
show his full talents. Greg always
works hard on his game and is a real
team player, always encouraging the
players around him to do well. Like
Greg, Hannah Gradwell has been a
regular in the side for the past two
seasons. Hannah is the first (and as
yet only) girl to play cricket for the
1st XI. Hannah always looked like a
1st XI cricketer, often getting good
starts with the bat without always being able to go on to make big scores.
Lower down the school, as well as
a leading batter, Hannah has been
a wicket keeper and a slow left arm
bowler. For the 1st XI this season, she
shared the wicket keeping duties with
Finlay McCance and showed what a
good keeper she is. Hannah continues to play representative cricket for
Cheshire Women and it will be very
interesting to see how she continues
to progress in the game.
It is hard to talk about one of the
other two leavers, without talking of
the other. Tom Foreman and Andy
Hodgson have both played 4 full
seasons in the 1st XI, having both
made their 1st XI debuts as U14s.
They became two of the best 1st XI
players from any era for the school.
Their commitment to training and
to matches was an example to all
the other players. In their different
ways, they have both encouraged and
helped the younger players and when
Tom as captain was missing, Andy as
vice captain stood in. Between them,
they scored 4,335 runs for the 1st XI
and took 145 wickets; these figures
don’t include tour games, and would
have been much higher if the weather
hadn’t played so large a part in this
their final season. Although both
are very good bowlers, it is for the
ability to change games as batsmen,
that they will be most missed; both
hit the ball very hard and when they
were in full flow, they could take the
game away from the opposition very
quickly.
For all the success that Tom and
Andy had, this was far from a twoman team; Ben Marsden had another
excellent season too, and the introduction of various younger players at
different times in the season, showed
glimpses of the future of school
cricket. It is true that without these
two players more opportunities and
more responsibility will fall to the rest
of the squad and how they react to
these opportunities, will determine
how well the team perform going
forward.
Ben Marsden takes over the reins
as captain: behind his boisterous
exterior, he understands the game
very well and will do an excellent job.
Adam Siddall won the most improved
player at the end of the season, based
largely on his consistency with the
ball, though he will also be looked
upon to score more runs next season.
Will Hodgson had a full 1st XI season
as an U14, which is very rare, and he
never looked out of place as either a
batsmen or a leg spin bowler. Finlay
McCance improved with every game
as a keeper and never let the team
down with the bat. He will certainly
be moving up the order next season.
Jamie Winrow came into the side at
the end of the season; a good fielder
and a strong character, Jamie will be
a key player next year. Jack Egar has
a final season to come; as an opening
bowler Jack will be disappointed with
his returns for this season, though an
injury niggle did not help, and he will
be determined to get back amongst
the wickets next season.
As well as Will Hodgson and Finlay
McCance, there are a good group of
players in the U15 squad, a number
81
Cricket
of whom played for the 1st XI last
season. Callum McIlveen played a lot
and is a talented all-rounder; Toby
Bianchi and Alex Cripps played as
batters and Archie Thorneycroft as a
quick bowler. There is a big difference
between good U15 cricketers and 1st
XI players and it will be interesting to
see which of these players can step
up their game to make an impact in
a new look 1st XI in, hopefully, a sunnier 2013.
SM
U15
In a season where all teams suffered
from the dreadful summer weather,
the U15s suffered more than most.
The only cup game that wasn’t rain
affected, was against Fallibroome,
when the school won a very onesided 20-over game by over 100 runs.
In the other cup games that were
played, King’s also won well but they
were both abandoned before the end
after bad weather, with King’s going through with a much higher run
rate. The cup is still to be completed
after the semi final was cancelled, re-
U15 cricket after a wet victory in the cup
82
arranged for the start of the summer
holidays and then cancelled again.
It was all very frustrating for a team
that, although talented, are a long
way from the finished article and
needed all the match time they could
get. Of the Saturday games the school
played, they lost just once to a very
strong Manchester Grammar side,
but had wins in the rest of the games.
This was also a large squad and for
the first time, the school played three
B team fixtures at U15, winning all
three with the best performance a victory away at Nottingham where Dan
Gowans span his way to 6 wickets.
Of the players, Finlay McCance,
who had captained the side in previous seasons, was required for first
team duties and had an excellent
season with them. Callum McIlveen
also played a lot of 1st XI cricket; he
is a player with a lot of character and
a good work ethic who now needs to
convert potential into performance.
Alex Cripps, Archie Thorneycroft and
Toby Bianchi all made 1st XI debuts
and all will be looking to build on
their starts as senior cricketers next
year.
Of the rest of the players, Dan
Greer looked an exciting potential
with a couple of explosive cameo
innings and Sam Proctor again played
some mature knocks (most notably
45 in the cup victory against West Hill
in very difficult conditions). Tom Key
will be a very good all-rounder, with
lots of energy and with a very good
cricket brain. Ben Winrow bowled
with excellent control and always
swung the ball away from the bat.
Jamie Edgerton also has the potential
to become a good all-rounder; again,
he is someone who understands the
game very well and now needs to
push on.
The final record including the
three B games was: won 8, lost 1 with
13 cancelled or postponed games.
In the end, all players practised very
well, often in poor conditions and
what they really needed was more
match time which, frustratingly, they
didn’t get. Next season, all the players
will get opportunities to play in the
senior sides, hopefully in much better
weather!
SM
Cricket
U14
The poor weather we experienced
this summer led to a number of
games being cancelled and a good
deal more being played in drizzly
conditions. This didn’t dampen the
team’s spirit, and they had a successful season, playing 13 games and winning 9 of them.
The season started slowly, the team
winning only one of the first four
games. This wasn’t helped by losing
four regular players either to new
schools, or in Will Hodgson’s case to
the 1st XI.
After the first two matches were
called off, the team played Cheadle
Hulme School in a 30-over match.
Having lost the toss, King’s were put
into bat, and put in a mediocre batting display to post a poor 83 all out.
However, the team was galvanized
by Cheadle Hulme’s team talk, which
was overheard by a couple of players.
This led to 2 early wickets by both
Alex Pearson and Matt Salt. This was
followed by 3 wickets from Will Dowd
and 2 from Stew Gurney. They were
quickly skittled out for only 33 runs.
Unfortunately, the team couldn’t
build on the first performance and
lost the next 3 games against tough
opposition, in the form of Nottingham HS, Lancaster and MGS. The
performances were improving with
each match, most notably Matt Peakman’s 4-wicket haul against Lancaster
for just 14 runs.
The U14s then went on a winning
run of eight matches. A couple of
memorable matches were against
Birkenhead and Merchant Taylors’.
The match against Birkenhead was
a 20/20 and was played on the Front
Field in drizzly conditions. Having
won the toss, we opted to bat and
scored a solid 120, with Will Dowd
top scoring with 35, ably assisted by
Stew Gurney 26 and Harry Blackwell
29 not out. Birkenhead’s innings started slowly, losing an early wicket to
Alex Pearson. However, their innings
took a dramatic turn for the worse
with Harry Lumsden taking 3 wickets
with consecutive balls, for a superb
Hat Trick. This knocked Birkenhead
badly, as they limped toward a total of
only 71.
The other match that caught the
eye was away against Merchant Taylors’. This was another 20/20 contest.
Having won the toss and choosing
to bat, the team posted a par score
of 115, after a fantastic innings of 49
from Harry Blackwell, assisted by Will
Dowd’s 25 and a quickfire 13 from
Joe Turner.
We knew Merchant Taylors’ had a
very strong batting line-up from the
previous season and therefore needed quick wickets. This occurred in the
second over, when Harry Lumsden,
who was consistent all season, took 2
important wickets, one of which the
result of a great catch by Gurney in
the covers.
Unfortunately, the winning streak
came to an end as the U14s faced
their fiercest rivals, Stockport Grammar, in the Semi Final of the Cheshire
Cup. Winning the toss we elected to
bat, scoring only 62 runs, aided by
a literally smashing innings of 23 off
15 balls by Jack Rodgers. This total
was too small to defend and we were
beaten by 7 wickets.
Overall, it was a successful season
played in difficult conditions. We look
forward to next year where the U14s
hope to build on this season’s experience and make the Cheshire Cup
final. The player of the Season Award
went to Will Dowd.
SM
U13
What a wash out! Only six games were
completed, half the normal number.
It was a great shame because the boys
had practised hard and enthusiastically in preparation for the season and
the squad looked very promising. As
it was, the rain prevented them from
developing any momentum and their
progress was somewhat curtailed.
However, they battled on against the
circumstances, acquitting themselves
creditably, the A team winning three
of their six games.
They began the season by beating
arch-rivals Cheadle Hulme by seven
wickets, bowling them out for just
51, with the wickets evenly spread
between the bowlers.
The best win of the season came in
the second game when the U13s beat
Brine Leas School in the first round of
the cup. Brine Lees had beaten them
in the cup final in the previous season, so it was sweet revenge. It was
done comprehensively too, by nine
wickets. King’s knocked off a score
of 85 in only 15 overs for the loss of
one wicket. Unfortunately, King’s lost
in the second round against Holmes
Chapel, due to a rather dire batting
performance. King’s was also guilty of
careless bowling with many no-balls
and wides.
The U13s put up a valiant effort
against Manchester Grammar but
lost by six wickets, with the short
boundary and artificial wicket working against the type of bowlers King’s
had. King’s third loss was against St
Ambrose but it was close and only by
six runs. Again, inconsistent bowling was the main culprit in their final
game. Against Lytham, King’s won
emphatically by 10 wickets, bowling
them out for just 65.
So, a disappointing season ended
on a high note.
It has to be said that in 2012, the
rain was the winner. I congratulate
all the boys in the squad on playing the game with such good spirit
and sportsmanship and I certainly
enjoyed working with them. They
attended the net sessions and worked
enthusiastically and all this preparation will prove invaluable for next
season, which we hope is a lot drier.
The A team was led from the front
by the captain Harry Broughton. He
was ably supported by Sam Bryning,
Sam Brindle, Dan Crosby, James Beck,
Zach Howdle, Oliver Quinn, Paul Roberts, Mike Abrahamse, James Hodges,
Josh Bryning, Will McIlveen and Todd
Leddy. The B team was comprised of
Sam Wallace, Ben Knowles, Matthew
Calvin, Alex Gruber, Jack Lucas, Elliot
Keen, Toby Sayle, James Scott, Sam
Baker and Ben Lynch.
CJM
U12
The U12 XI sides were tenacious
this season, despite the challenge of
dealing with regular, inconsistent, inclement weather that marred several
fixtures.
They were an enthusiastic side and
were extremely committed, making it
challenging at selection meetings as
so many boys were desperate to be
picked – a fantastic problem to have.
In terms of results, there were
some notable victories particularly
against Lancaster GS, which is always
a tough encounter, especially away
from home. Also, the team reached
the semi-final of the Cheshire Cup
and in the end lost narrowly to Stockport GS, who eventually won the
competition.
There were numerous outstanding
performances in both sides throughout the season.
Special mention should go to
83
Cricket
Owen Jones (above left) who captained the A XI, was consistent with
his own performance and led by
example on a number of occasions; to
Jos Collier who scored 50 runs in the
game versus Manchester GS and in
addition regularly bowled well and to
Toby Spencer-Pickup (above right) for
collecting 8 wickets in a single game,
away at Lancaster GS. This was an
achievement unheard of at any level.
PE
Junior Cricket
U11 cricket started the 2012 season
against Bolton School, many of whom
had played in the AJIS Cup winning
team the previous year. After losing
the toss, King’s were asked to bat first
and made a steady start, with Buckingham and Toms sharing a half-century opening partnership. However,
after the loss of both batsmen, the
runs dried up, with some excellent
bowling from Bolton resulting in a
below-par score of 77-5 after 20 overs.
In reply, Bolton’s opening batsmen
started confidently and continued
to punish the loose balls on offer. In
the 15th Over, Bolton hit the winning
runs, to wrap up a comprehensive 10
wicket victory.
The boys performed extremely
well against The Grange to record
two victories. In the A team match,
The Grange, could only muster 36 in
their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Carter
and Buckingham took only 6 overs to
score the 37 runs required for victory.
The B team played their first fixture of
the season and bowled well to restrict
the opposition to 258 (after starting
on 200). In reply, Wallace and Collett
took the team to victory.
King’s enjoyed a thrilling A team
game against Birkenhead Prep, which
ebbed and flowed from start to finish. Thankfully, a partnership of 22
between Cheetham and Connolly
ultimately enabled the total to reach
60. In reply, the boys needed to take
some early wickets to have any hope
84
of gaining a victory and once again
Cheetham and Connolly performed
extremely well and set the tone for
what was to follow. Charlie Fogg
proved to be the hero with two late
wickets (to add to his sensational
catch earlier!) and King’s were victorious by 2 runs. King’s B team played
their first hard-ball match of the season against the same opposition and
performed well in an even contest.
The opposition proved to be slightly
more proficient and King’s lost by 20
runs.
King’s faced Bury Grammar in
the first round of the AJIS Cup and
proved to be far too strong for the
opposition. The stand-out feature
was the quality of King’s fielding, with
three run outs, tidy ground fielding
and safe catching. Bury managed to
reach 46 all out. In reply, the King’s
batsmen started steadily, with an
opening partnership of 22 between
Buckingham and Toms paving the
way for a comfortable win by 9 wickets, secured with more than 7 overs
to spare.
King’s A team played Stockport
Grammar in the Quarter-Final of
the AJIS Cup. King’s scored a very
respectable 75-5 from their alloted 16
overs. In reply, the opposition made
a blistering start with 12 runs scored
in the first over. Nevertheless, the
King’s bowlers stuck to their task and
after the removal of Stockport’s most
dangerous player the runs started
to dry up. In what proved to be the
final over of the match, a rare hattrick was achieved by Buckingham
with the second, third and fourth
deliveries, much to the excitement of
the home team! To finish the match,
the last Stockport batsman was run
out off the final ball of the over, with
Stockport scoring only 32 all out. The
B team scored 257 (after starting on
200), with Louis Gruber and Thomas
Dennett scoring an impressive 27
runs in their 4 overs. In reply, the
opposition came close to overhauling
the King’s total. However, a combination of tight bowling and impressive
fielding resulted in a narrow 6 run
victory.
In what proved to be the final
match of the season, King’s faced
Bolton School in the semi-final of the
AJIS Cup. King’s bowlers started well,
with Bolton precariously placed at
27-6 mid-way through their innings.
Unfortunately, the lower-order players
managed to salvage some respectability and eventually the innings
closed at 56-8 after 16 overs, with
George Connolly bowling magnificently to claim 5-11 in his 4 overs. In
reply, King’s were also in trouble early
on and as regular wickets fell there
seemed to be little chance of reaching
the 57 runs required for victory. However, in the final few overs George
Connolly set about trying to win the
match, with the help of the tail-end
batsmen. Unfortunately, with only 3
balls remaining, Alex Watkins was run
out to leave King’s 5 runs short of
victory. Despite the disappointment
of not reaching the final, the boys
should feel very proud of their efforts
in atrocious conditions, as Bolton
had enjoyed an unbeaten season thus
far and had recorded a thumping 10
wicket victory in the first match of the
season against King’s.
U9 cricketers showed great enthusiasm throughout the season, with
more than 20 boys regularly attending
practice. Two matches were played
against Upton Priory, with the A team
winning both fixtures, including a
comprehensive 53 run victory in the
second match. The B team played
well to win narrowly by 10 runs in
their second match, after losing by 21
runs in the early season fixture. This
augurs well for next season, as the
boys begin to play with a hard ball.
The Year 5s were affected by the
weather this season, with both the
matches against Stockport Grammar
and The Grange being cancelled.
However, for the first time the boys
attended an action-packed Cricket
Day at Derby Fields. The day was led
by 1st X1 cricket coach, Steve Moores,
with help from several other senior
and junior members of staff, including
Derbyshire 2nd X1 fast bowler and
last year’s 1st X1 captain, Jonny Marsden. The boys took part in fielding,
bowling and batting activities, each
designed to teach the boys some of
the key skills of cricket in an interesting and enjoyable way.
Year 5 & 6 House Cricket
The annual House Cricket competition was played in glorious weather,
with 36 boys taking part. In an exciting final, Adlington required 17 runs
off the last two overs to win, however
some tight bowling from the bowlers saw Tatton win by 5 runs. In the
3rd/4th place play-off Capesthorne
defeated Gawsworth by 10 runs.
MKW
Other Sport
Athletics and Cross Country
Boys
The Cross Country season began
with the Macclesfield and District
Championships held at Macclesfield
Leisure Centre. The Year 7 team was
very successful, having 3 runners in
the top 6. They were Ollie Stevenson,
James Quinn and George Barker. As
a result, King’s won the team event
quite comfortably and went on to perform at the County Championships.
Here, all 5 King’s boys ran very well
with Ollie, James and George being
selected to represent Cheshire in an
Inter-County match. Unfortunately,
this was cancelled.
King’s also competed in the
Schools’ Cup once again. Here our
Inter team finished a creditable 4th
place in the Cheshire County first
round, missing out by one place to
qualify for the next round. The Junior
team, however, did manage to qualify
for the next round as a result of outstanding performances, once again
from the three Year 7 athletes, Ollie
(7th), James (8th) and George (15th).
The team finished 2nd and so went
on to run in the West Central Regional
Finals. King’s finished 6th overall with
Ollie Stevenson being 7th individually,
which is an excellent performance
as these Year 7 boys were running
against Year 8 pupils. This should help
us next year!
Unfortunately, the athletics season
this year was a washout! Over half the
fixtures were cancelled, because of
the awful weather. We did manage to
rearrange both of the Track League
matches where King’s finished 2nd
overall, with the Year 9 team being
1st in their age group. In the Schools’
Cup competition, the Juniors finished
2nd in the first round and 4th in the
Regional B final. Here both Tim Phillips and Elliot Keen scored over 30
points in both of the competitions.
The Inters finished 4th and 7th in
the two rounds, with Alex Krajewski
scoring over 40 points on both occasions and Jasper Rossi scoring over 30
points in both.
In the Macclesfield and District
Championships, the Junior Boys’
Team finished in a very convincing
first place. As a result, King’s had 11
athletes competing at the County
Championships: Will Fairclough, Ed
Austin, Will Johnson, Jack Simpson,
Harry Lumsden, Ed Thompson,
Alex Krajewski, Harry Blackwell,
Jack Rodgers, Will Barratt and Adam
Hynes-Kaygusuz. Likewise, the Inter
Boys’ Team finished in first place and
here we had 6 athletes competing
in the County Championships: Tom
Mort, Jake Hughes, Aaron Shaughnessy, Jasper Rossi, Gareth Wesley and
Oscar Kenny.
As a result of finishing either first
or second in the County, 4 boys represented Cheshire at the Mason Trophy,
an Inter County Competition between
10 counties. In the Junior competition, Alex Krajewski took part in the
High Jump and Harry Blackwell in
the Long Jump. In the Inter competition, Tom Mort ran in the 100m and
4 x 100m and Jake Hughes ran in the
400m.
The Year 7 had their own champions, with King’s once again wining
the District round. Ollie Stevenson,
James Quinn, George Barker and
Alec Welsh all took part in the County
Championships. As a result, Ollie
Stevenson represented Cheshire in an
Inter County match against Merseyside. Here he also finished in third
place.
One athlete took part for Cheshire,
in the North West Regional Round
for Combined Events. Alex Krajewski
competed in the pentathlon where
he was 3rd individually and a member of the winning Cheshire team.
Consequently, he took part in the
National Finals held in Bedford in mid
September. He improved on his first
round score by recording 3 personal
best performances and finished a very
creditable 25th in the country, and
the team were placed 4th.
DTB
Girls
The athletics season got off to a slow
start, with wet weather limiting the
use of the school athletics track and
cancelling some of the Inter schools’
competitions. However, this did not
stop the girls competing with determination in the remaining competitions,
achieving some of the best results
ever.
Junior Girls’ (Year 7 and 8) and
Inter Girls’ (Year 9 and 10) teams won
the Macclesfield and District Athletics
Championships from which 15 girls
were selected to represent Macclesfield in the Cheshire Athletics championships on 16th June.
Competing for Macclesfield, Aiman
Aslam and Kira Noad ran in the 100m;
Holly Kitching threw the discus
(13.28m); Evie Hancox finished in 6th
place in the 75m Hurdles final (13.1s);
Sophia Bird was 8th in the 800m
(2.41.1s); Eleanor Bird was 4th in the
High Jump (1.30m), and Katie Hughes
was 2nd (5.00.7s) with Tanisha
Orchard 5th (5.11.5s) in the 1500m.
Abigail Johnston threw 23.63m in the
Javelin, putting her in second place.
In the Inter Girls’ competition,
Janine Murta and Olivia Bollington ran
in the 100m, Olivia being 7th in the
final (13.6s). Laura Venables was third
in the 300m (46.4); Beth Burrows 7th
in the 800m ( 2.57.3s), and Annabelle
Brooks finished in 5th place in the
1500m ( 5.54.7s). Faye Beaumont
threw 16.41m in the discus and Sophie Quinn jumped 4.63m in the Long
Jump, finishing in third place.
Sophie Quinn, Abigail Johnston
and Katie Hughes were selected to
85
Other Sport
represent Cheshire in the Mason
Trophy Inter Counties competition
on 23rd June, where Sophie achieved
a personal best jump of 4.98m and
was second in the competition whilst
Abi threw the Javelin 23.85m, another
personal best. Katie Hughes ran 4.58s
in the 1500m and was selected as reserve runner for Cheshire in the ESAA
English Schools’ National Championships in Gateshead in July.
The Junior and Intermediate Girls
Athletics teams had another successful competition in the first round
of the ESAA Track and Field Cup on
Friday 18th May at Macclesfield Athletics track. Both teams finished in first
place in the Cheshire East competition and therefore qualified for the
NW Regional A Finals.
The Inter Girls’ team scored a total
of 302 points, a good way ahead of
rival schools, putting them first in the
whole of Cheshire as a result of some
outstanding individual performances
and good solid results from the whole
team. In particular, Sophie Quinn
was the highest scoring member of
the team, winning the Long Jump
and finishing second in the 100m.
Abi Johnston won the Javelin event
and Rebecca Hughes and Sophia Bird
came second in the 1500m and 800m
respectively.
Katie Hughes was the highest
scoring athlete in this competition,
finishing first in the 1500m with a
very good time, and Tanisha Orchard
was close behind her in second place.
Annabel Hebb won the 200m (an excellent achievement for a Year 7 pupil
competing against Year 8s) whilst
Anna Cartwright and Rachel Catlin
came 1st and 2nd in the discus.
In the NW Regional Finals at Warrington, the Junior Girls’ team was
third out of ten teams in the North
West and the Inter Girls’ team was
fourth out of ten. Katie Hughes and
Sarah Stockman dominated the
1500m, finishing in 1st and 2nd place
whilst Tanisha Orchard ran a most
impressive 800m.
The season culminated in the
County Minors competition for Year
7 pupils, held at Warrington on 25th
June. Five girls from King’s represented Macclesfield: Victoria Blackwell
and Nicole Fahey ran in the 100m and
Saffron Rossi ran in the 75m hurdles.
Annabel Hebb was 2nd in the 200m
Final and was selected to run for
Cheshire against Merseyside on 2nd
July and Lauren McNeil finished 2nd
in the 1500m and was also selected to
86
run for Cheshire at the same event.
Annabel, Victoria and Nicole made up
three-quarters of the Macclesfield relay team, which finished in 2nd place.
All in all, this was a short but
intense athletics season and probably one of the most successful to
date. There are several girls with great
athletic potential and I look forward
to their continued success.
LB
Junior Cross Country
King’s Juniors enjoyed another successful season, as many have shown
great dedication to training and a
tremendous talent for this sport.
The AJIS event is always a highlight
and course conditions at Rossall were
good, although windy on the coast!
All coped well with the mass starts of
up to 150 runners in each age group
event and Year 5 and 6 boys’ and girls’
teams had good results, being placed
in the top 10. The outstanding run of
the day, however, came from Grace
Gudgeon, who became AJIS U11
Girls’ Cross Country Champion.
This was an exceptional run and
Grace should be extremely proud of
her achievement. She led the team
home and with team mates Olivia
Moores, Ffyona Booker, Florence
Bradshaw, Jessica Krajewski, Charlotte Wardle and Abigail Mounteney,
secured team Silver.
The Macclesfield and District
league held races early in the Autumn
term, culminating in a final series
of events leading to Championship
Day in March. Year 5 and 6 girls were
proud winners of team Silver this
year, with the results: Grace Gudgeon
(3), Olivia Moores (9), and Jodie Foxton (17) whilst Year 5 and 6 boys won
team Bronze in an extremely competitive Championship race in which
the following places were recorded:
Charlie Toms (3) Sam Buckingham
(8) and Charlie Ward (30).
Grace and Charlie were pleased
to receive Bronze medals for their
individual performances.
William Davies and Susie Moores
show great promise in Year 4 and
both enjoyed top 10 positions during
the season.
House Cross Country competitions were held in all year groups and
combined scores resulted in overall
victory this year going to Tatton.
Individual Race Champions were:
Year 3 - Isabel Moores and William
Worswick, Year 4 - Susie Moores and
William Davies, Year 5 - Charlie Ward
and Anna Mounteney, Year 6 - Charlie
Toms and Grace Gudgeon. Congratulations to all these athletes.
Cross Country captains Sam Buckingham and Grace Gudgeon were reliable team members and committed
to this sport throughout the season.
Junior Division Cross Country Colours were awarded to: Grace Gudgeon, Olivia Moores, Ffyona Booker,
Sam Buckingham, Charlie Toms and
Matthew Harrison.
DCB
Junior Sports Day
King’s was blessed with glorious
weather for the Junior Sports Day
this year. This being the year of the
London Olympics, special activities
were planned to reflect the year’s
significance. In the morning, the
children took part in four activities:
Tri-golf; Tug of war (very popular
with the children!); Cricket Stump
Challenge (which required accurate
throwing skills) and a Goal Challenge.
The children earned points for their
houses with their efforts and much
concentration was evident on the
field and courts.
The afternoon’s events were on
the track. An opening ceremony was
held, as each house paraded around
the track accompanied by the theme
from ‘Chariots of Fire’. Competitors
and spectators all stood to sing the
National Anthem and then the games
began. The children took part in various lengths of running race and much
determination was displayed, particularly in the long distances. There
were also ‘fun’ races, these being the
egg and spoon, sack and skipping
races, but each with their own challenge, and again they were all hotly
contested. The relays gave the chance
for each house to work as a team. It
was marvellous to see the children
congratulating both their own housemates and those in the other houses
at the end of the races.
There was an extra incentive for
winning this year, as King’s had its
very own winners’ podium. Children
gaining 1st, 2nd and 3rd place had the
chance to stand on the podium wearing a gold, silver or bronze medal and
photographs were taken. The winning house was Gawsworth. It was a
memorable and happy day, with much
evidence of sporting talent and truly
sporting behaviour from the children.
MKW
Other Sport
Biathle/Biathlon
The year started with exciting news in
August of the Hughes sisters’ qualification for the World Biathle Championships in September in Sofia,
Bulgaria. They had both won their
respective age groups in the British
Biathle Championships (a continuous
1k run - 200m swim open water - 1k
run) held at Salford Quays.
Following in the footsteps of
former pupils, Stephen Campbell
and Hannah Hills, they ran and swam
and ran some more, in the beautiful
Bulgarian countryside. After fantastic
representative performances, Rebecca
and Katie wore their GB tracksuits
with pride on the podium, as Katie
received the U13 individual and team
silver, and Rebecca the U16 team
silver, having achieved a creditable
individual 6th place.
Due to the rising popularity of the
Schools’ Biathlon, submission times
are now required for entry into the
National competition. Approximately
sixteen girls keenly competed in a
time trial afternoon at Macclesfield’s
pool and athletics track in October.
Performances were good enough for
selection for the Semi-finals staged on
home turf in Macclesfield.
The Year 8 team, Katie Hughes,
Tanisha Orchard and Amy Johnson, all
qualified by right as individuals and
as a Team for the National Championships on 25 March at Crystal Palace.
Other creditable performances were
from Poppy Kirk, Briony Phillips,
Eleanor Tunick and Emma Hooley.
The Year 10 team, Rebecca Hughes,
Anja Knudsen and Katie Fray, also
qualified.
The Year 7 Team, in their first time
experience of this event, achieved a
commendable 6th place overall. They
were Annabel Hebb, (who encouragingly received a last minute call-up for
the Nationals) Tilly Stott and Nichole
Fahey. A lone member of the Boys’
Division, Year 8 Rhys Bowen, represented King’s with great conviction,
having completed sound performances in both the run and the swim.
Those who actually competed in
the National Biathlon Championships
at Crystal Palace in March were Rebecca Hughes, who won silver, and Katie
(bronze) with Amy Johnson coming
45th in a field of 60 competitors.
Later in the year and at the end of
what had been a superb season, Katie
(pictured) was deservedly crowned
National U14 Champion.
The Schools’ Competition, albeit
comprised of shorter competitive
distances, provides a taste of what is
possible for talented swimmers and
runners such as Rebecca and Katie,
both of whom are now aspiring triand pentathletes.
DMB
Cheerleading
King’s Girls’ Division Cheerleaders
continued to dominate the new sport
with an impressive and inspirational
hat-trick of trophies in the National
Schools’ Cheerleading Championships, held at the Manchester Velodrome. These achievements once
again reinforced King’s position as
the top school in Great Britain in this
sport.
Each of the teams - King’s Cats
(Year 8), King’s Simbas (Year 9) and
King’s Cubs (Year 10) - won their
respective divisions, producing
performances that combined stunning gymnastic ability, complicated
team-work and joyful enthusiasm
with grace and style. This resulted in
all three teams being acclaimed as
National Champions.
King’s Kittens (Year 7) came a
highly creditable fourth, and will
hope to improve next year, as they
gain more experience under the wing
of their coach.
Cheerleading, like Trampolining, is
an incredibly popular sport at King’s.
In fact, 129 pupils participated in the
competition, with each performer
developing a huge range of skills. The
girls worked together as a team to
achieve their goals and this incredible
National Success.
Rachael Burrows, Coach
Equestrian
The squad has members from all divisions of the school and welcomes the
super competitive rider to the happy
hacker. This year started with training
in flatwork and show jumping from
the new team coach, Tom Davison at
Somerford and his base near Uttoxeter. Somerford was also the location
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Other Sport
for a farm ride in the spring, with Kate
Garnett and Tabitha Williamson bringing her pony, Lincoln for a leg stretch.
There has been a good deal of competitive success for members of the
squad, with Imogen Ashwood competing her horse Ouquet at advanced
medium dressage and with Charlotte
Horne and Clea Kapadia making
waves in the showing world. Jack
Mantel and his horse Prince qualified
for the Schools’ National Finals in
eventing, which sadly was cancelled
due to poor ground conditions.
New members of the squad have
made an impact at the most recent
two National Schools’ Equestrian Association events held at Beaver Hall,
with Kate Garnett having success on
her mare Dee and Isabelle Nuttall
competing her pony Stella in show
jumping. In the largest event of the
year, the squad competed in the
Interschools Qualifier for the National
Finals to be held at Addington Equestrian Centre in October. The team
put in some sterling performances,
with Laura Bennett scoring an eyewatering 77.9% in her dressage, to
take the trophy for the highest score
of the show, whilst the dressage team
comprising Laura, Jack Mantel, Kate
Garnett and Anja Knudsen qualified
in first place. In the show jumping
with style classes, Jack, Anja, Imi McCance, Hattie McCance and Isabelle
Nuttall competed. Hattie was 3rd in
the 1m05cm class on her pony Mini
Man Cruise, and Jack 5th on Prince
whilst in the 90cm class, Imi was 4th,
88
Anja 7th and Isabelle 17th in stiff competition, to qualify the team at this
height. This was a fantastic achievement by all riders who did brilliantly
in their efforts.
REM
Junior Football
U11
The U11 football team enjoyed a successful season, which began with the
annual Macclesfield Primary Schools’
7 a-side tournament held at Derby
Fields. In the group stage, King’s
began with an encouraging 2-0 win
against Park Royal, with goals by Daniel Capon and Remy Miller. The second match against St Alban’s proved
to be a very tough encounter, and had
to settle for a 1-1 draw. In the final
group match against Hollinhey, King’s
dominated and were comfortable 2-0
winners. In the semi-final against St
Gregory’s, King’s conceded an early
goal and all seemed lost as time appeared to be running out. However,
King’s held their nerve and goals by
Sam Buckingham and Remy Miller, together with two saves by goalkeeper
Sam Cheetham resulted in a 2-1 win.
After also winning their semi-final
on penalties, Upton Priory provided
the opposition in the final. This was
expected to be a very tough match,
but King’s proved to be far too strong
for the opposition and eased to a 3-0
win to be crowned champions.
King’s was drawn against Cheadle
Hulme in the first round of the AJIS
Cup. This proved to be a very exciting
match, with both teams very evenly
matched from the first whistle to the
last. Despite opportunities at both
ends, the game finished level at 1-1
and remained so after 10 minutes of
extra time. Fortunately, King’s held
their nerve in the shoot-out and the
first penalty from Remy Miller proved
to be enough to win the match. In the Second Round against
King’s Chester, the boys produced
the performance of their season to
record a comprehensive win. After
defending impressively for the first 5
minutes, King’s scored a well-worked
goal through Sam Buckingham. In
the second half, King’s continued to
balance crisp passing in attack and
dogged defence when required, with
goalkeeper Sam Cheetham in outstanding form. Further goals were
scored by Miller, Capon and Sleath
and King’s were comfortable winners
5-1. In the Quarter-Final match against
Bury Grammar, King’s recorded an
emphatic 6-0 win, dominating the
match from start to finish. In the semifinal, King’s faced strong opposition
from Bolton School and crashed out
of the competition in dramatic fashion: after leading 3-1 midway through
the second half, they wilted under immense pressure in the latter stages of
the match, eventually losing 6-3. After winning the local Macclesfield
Primary Schools’ tournament in September, King’s represented the town
in the Cheshire Finals in Crewe, along
with 9 schools from other districts:
the boys had to settle for 3rd place in
the group. In the local Primary Schools’ A
League, King’s contested home and
away matches against Upton Priory,
St Alban’s and Park Royal. The B team
improved as the season progressed
and recorded two wins against Park
Royal. In the final match against St
Alban’s, the boys produced their best
performance of the season and were
very unfortunate not to win. The A team snatched a last-gasp
win against the same opposition,
which resulted in the league title being shared. At 0-0 and with only one
minute remaining, King’s appeared
to have lost their chance to gain
the result they fully deserved. Nevertheless, a strong run down the
right wing from Ben Sleath and an
excellent cross resulted in a looping
volley from Sam Buckingham, which
sailed over the goalkeeper’s head
Other Sport
and into the back of the net. This
rounded off an excellent season, with
the boys winning the Macclesfield
Primary Schools’ Cup in September
and reaching the Semi-Final of the
AJIS Cup.
Junior Football Colours were
awarded to Sam Cheetham, Vinnie
Townley, Charlie Toms, Daniel Capon,
Ben Sleath, Alex Watkins (Captain)
and Sam Buckingham. MKW/NB
U10
The U10s began their season against
Terra Nova School. The A team were
defeated 4-0, while the B team recorded a 3-0 victory, after a hat-trick
from Max Haigh. In their first home
match of the season against The
Grange, the A team contested an epic
battle from start to finish. After taking the lead early in the match, both
teams attacked with great energy
and purpose, with the lead changing
hands several times throughout. Midway through the second half, King’s
led 5-3; unfortunately The Grange
fought back and drew level, before
Griff Roberts sealed a narrow 6-5 win
with five minutes remaining. Unfortunately the B team struggled to deal
with a very impressive Grange team
and were comprehensively beaten,
despite their best efforts.
After recording an excellent 7-3 victory against Cheadle Hulme School,
the U10 A footballers lost narrowly to
Bolton School 3-2. The U10 B team
played some attractive football, scoring a fine team goal through Nico
Caplin. However, King’s was comprehensively beaten 8-1, Jamie Shuttleworth and Cubby Callahan (in goal
and defence respectively) doing well
to keep the scoreline in single figures.
In the last fixture before Christmas, the boys played A & B matches
against Stockport Grammar, with
both matches finishing 1-1. In the
A team fixture, Stockport started
strongly, with King’s a little off the
pace of the game in the first half.
Fortunately, King’s lifted their game in
the second half and managed to stifle
the opposition, whilst also showing
much more dynamism in attack. They
were rewarded with an own goal with
only two minutes remaining, which
resulted in a well-deserved 1-1 draw.
In the Spring Term, King’s hosted
Birkenhead Prep in what proved to
be two very exciting matches. The
A Team was narrowly defeated 2-1,
while the B team recorded their first
win of the season.
For the first time in recent years,
King’s hosted the AJIS Under 10 Football Festival. The boys were placed
into a strong group with NewcastleUnder-Lyme, Stockport Grammar,
Bolton, King’s Chester and Birkenhead Prep. Playing Newcastle-UnderLyme, King’s drew 0 – 0; against
Stockport Grammar they lost 1-0
whilst against Birkenhead Prep, they
won 1-0.
The match against Bolton School
was the stand-out performance of the
morning as King’s won 3-0 against a
very good Bolton team. King’s passed
the ball around beautifully and attacked with pace and urgency. The
last goal, and probably the best of the
tournament, came after some excellent play from Charlie Ward and Griff
Roberts, who cut the ball across goal
and Max smashed it first time into
the top corner of the net, to gain a
thoroughly deserved victory.
The two remaining games against
King’s Chester and Newcastle-underLyme ended 0-0 and 1- 0 respectively.
Newcastle actually started the better
and were unlucky not to take the
lead as King’s were caught on the
back foot. However, King’s finally got
into the game and after some good
work down the right by James Warr,
Thomas Davies slotted the ball into
the bottom left corner of the goal.
King’s tried to grab a second but Newcastle defended extremely well and
the game finished 1-0.
The boys showed much promise
during the season, which augurs well
for next season.
MKW/ST/NB
U9
The U9 footballers began their season
with a long trip to Merchant Taylors’
in Crosby. Both matches were hard
fought, with the A team losing 2-1 and
the B team winning 2-1. All 16 players
showed an excellent attitude and
played good passing football, which
was commented upon by the opposition supporters. In the first home
match of the season against The
Grange School, both teams proved to
be far too strong for the opposition,
with the A team winning 5-1 and the
B team 8-2. Later in the Spring Term,
the boys took part in two festivals,
designed to encourage good, attacking football on small pitches.
AJIS U9 Festival
The A Team played several matches in
this festival. Against The Grange, they
won 3-0, with two goals from Joey
Chong and one from Ben Sneddon.
Against Birkenhead, they lost 3-1 to a
very good Birkenhead side. The only
goal came via a tap-in from Josh Rajendran. In an extremely close game
against Stockport, the team came out
1-0. Again, King’s did not play as well
as in the first match, but certainly
improved on the previous game.
The next game, against Cheadle
Hulme was played to a very high
89
Other Sport
standard and after some excellent
build up play, Thomas Knight hit the
ball first time into the bottom corner. However, Cheadle then scored
straight away. With the game heading
for a draw, Josh Rajendran played a
first time through ball to Joey Chong
who fired into the roof of the net to
bring King’s to a 2-1 win.
King’s should have won 3 – 0
against QEGS, Blackburn but credit
must go to the opposition, in particular their keeper, for some fantastic defending which kept the score at 1-0.
Joey Chong again provided the finish
to an excellent move. Although King’s
lost the final match 1 – 0 against
King’s Chester, the boys should be
very proud of their performance.
U9 Football Festival
King’s hosted the annual Macclesfield
Primary Schools’ Football Festival and
were blessed with glorious sunshine.
All 4 teams (including a Year 3 team)
played with great enthusiasm and
impressed with the quality of their
football throughout the morning.
MKW/NB
Netball
1st VII
The Senior Netball Squad had a busy
year, with regular Wednesday afternoon fixtures and training, during
which much time was spent on fitness
and team tactics.
The squad went to the County
Rounds of the National Schools’ Competition in November, where they
came second, qualifying them for
the Regional rounds in the Wirral in
January. There they met some tough
opposition but were able to come 3rd
in their group.
In the Macclesfield and District
Netball League, the girls finished 3rd
having lost to Fallibroome and to
Wilmslow in the final match of the
season.
This group were hard working and
a pleasure to teach. We say farewell to
Emily Pasquale, Elizabeth Bell, Annie
Edgerton, Kate Dewhurst and Megan
Jones - all of whom are wished every
success for the future.
U19 Squad: Emily Pasquale (Captain), Elizabeth Bell, Annie Edgerton,
Megan Jones, Kate Dewhurst, Charlotte Stafford, Katie Mellor, Luisa
Bianchi, Hanja Dickenson, Jenny Calnan, Shannon Gallagher, Laura Booth,
and Beth James.
CLB
90
U16
The U16 squad had a great year of
Netball. They were a totally committed and enthusiastic team, which
displayed talent, both in individual
skill and in their intelligence to grasp
all concepts of team work, tactics and
strategies. Fixtures are limited in Year
11 and within the victories and the
defeats there were some note-worthy
individual performances.
Ten members of the squad travelled to Lake Garda on a Netball Tour
in October. They were trained by
an All-England coach and played a
fixture against another visiting English
school. Everyone had a fabulous time
mixing intense netball with the sightseeing of Verona and Venice.
The U16 Squad included: Laura Venables (Captain), Annie Brooks, Kate
Garnett, Megan Wilson, Keren Edge,
Hiba Kokan, Megan Barton, Silver
Suresh, Emily Pegg, Julia Smith, Francesca Smith, Laura Bennett, Henni Hill,
Caitlin Cornish and Isobelle Derrig
CLB
U15
The U15 netball squad was a very capable group of individuals well led by
Beth Burrows, with strength in both
attack and defence. There were many
contributions from all of the players.
The shooters, Victoria Provis and
Emily Mort, were consistent, making
many important shots, whilst in the
defence, Anya Knudsen and Katie Fray
made for a formidable duo. Centre
court play was led by Beth Burrows,
Sophie Quinn, Hannah Scott, Faye
Beaumont and Jen Shone. They spent
much time on fitness, team tactics
and strategies.
The squad was a hard-working, enthusiastic, committed and extremely
able group. They were great team
players and produced some fantastic
netball.
Most of the secondary schools
within the Borough participate in the
Macclesfield District Netball League.
The netball is consistent and there are
some excellent teams within it. The
Under 15s played excellent netball,
becoming runners up of the A division. The U15 Cheshire County Tournament produced some highs and
lows, but throughout was marked by
enthusiasm and willingness to try new
strategies and tactics. In close fought
games against strong opposition, the
inconsistency, awareness and decision-making skills caused the squad a
few difficulties. The squad were hard
working and as they move into Year
11, they will continue to flourish and
reach their full potential. CJC
U14
The U14 squad enjoyed an exciting
year of netball. Approximately 20-25
girls regularly attended training. This
was a capable group with a huge
amount of potential. The season
produced some highs and some disappointing lows, but was marked by
enthusiasm, positivity and willingness
to learn. Four girls were selected for
Cheshire county netball: Imogen McCance, Sophia Bird, Ellie Bird (County
Other Sport
squad) and Priya Sharma (Satellites).
Imogen, Sophia and Ellie were also
selected to attend Excel trials, which
only called 20 girls from Cheshire.
These trials are for talented and gifted
netballers and are the next step toward playing for England.
The U14 squad played some exceptional netball within the Saturday
fixture programme, beating arch-rivals
Withington. This was a fiercely contested game and historically always
produces a high competitive standard of netball. This win gave the girls
huge confidence and they continued
their winning streak with all-Saturday
fixtures, beating St. Edwards, QEGS
Blackburn, NULS and Cheadle Hulme.
In the Macclesfield District League,
the squad finished fourth, losing to
Fallibroome, Wilmslow and Tytherington. The squad were disappointed
with this result, as it did not reflect
their hard work and dedication to
their netball.
At the Cheshire County tournament, the squad played some excellent netball. They worked extremely
hard prior to the tournament and
were well prepared, going through
to the semi finals; unfortunately they
were beaten by a stronger Fallibroome team.
CJC
U13
This squad was a very capable group
of individuals. With over 35 girls attending training throughout the season, selection and intensity of training
was increasingly difficult. Saturday
Fixtures concluded with a mixture of
wins and losses including a defeat,
7-15, at Newcastle-Under-Lyme and
a great win at St Edwards, Liverpool,
21-2. There were some great contests
and many superb individual performances.
In the Macclesfield and District
League, the squad finished 3rd having only been beaten by Fallibroome
and Wilmslow. The season drew to a
close with the U13 Cheshire County
Tournament at The Grange, Hartford,
where the squad had mixed results
and did not make it through to the
semi-final stages. There were some
excellent performances from Erica
Jones and Rachel Catlin.
Several girls attended the U14
Cheshire County trials with Erica
Jones and Emily Underwood making
it through to the Academy. Rachel
Catlin attended South Yorkshire trials
and she too was successful and made
it into the Academy. Thanks must go
to both Rachel, as Captain, and Georgia Cooper-Taylor as Vice-Captain, for
assisting in the communication and
organisation of such a large squad.
CLB
Orienteering
The school team planned 16 fixtures
across the North West of England,
East & West Midlands and Yorkshire.
In the autumn and spring term, they
attended events on Sundays and in
the summer term, it was mid-week
after school.
As the year progressed, the num-
bers swelled and finished on a high,
with many Year 7 and 8 pupils making
good navigational progress and moving up to orange or light green. Individually, Jonathan Emery and Anton
Petho recorded some great results on
the green course, however, they came
up against a new adversary, namely
Lauren McNeil. Lauren in 7VHS is a
regular with Buxton Orienteering
club and in the events attended with
school, demonstrated her pedigree.
She came either first or second in
every event, as well as winning local
cross-country races.
The British Schools’ Championships come to Delamere Forest in
mid-Cheshire and it is intended to
enter competitive teams in Years 7
to 9 and Year 13, as well as individual
entries.
COD PJC JTB
Rounders
U15
There was a tremendous amount of
enthusiasm in Year 10 this year. Sometimes there were as many as thirty
keen and eager girls to select from.
Great fun was had in practices, with
many rounders scored, sound catches
secured and run-outs made. The first
match against The Grange School was
a resounding success scoring 15 - 2.
Unfortunately, it was a different story
with a different team against Withington, with a loss of 19 ½ - 44 ½.
Yet another team faced Liverpool
College a week later. Down 5 ½ to
10 at the end of the first innings, they
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Other Sport
managed to pull themselves right
back into the game through tighter
fielding and greater risk taking. The
second innings score was King’s 7
– Liverpool College 8; clearly some
players were trying hard for future
team selection. It was a pity that having redeemed themselves, the final
score ended in a loss by 5 ½ rounders.
Unfortunately, the inclement
weather after half term, resulted in
the cancellation of both the Denstone
College and St Edward’s matches. It
was therefore really disappointing
when NULS announced that they
could not raise a Year 10 team. So, a
disappointing end to what had been
an exciting prospect.
DMB
U14
The Rounders’ season is a short,
intensive season and there is always
a strong contingent of capable and
enthusiastic girls. Rounders is a highly
technical game, with many strategies
and techniques. The U14s embraced
these strategies, proving themselves
to be an exceptional squad of players.
They enjoyed success at all fixtures,
ending the season unbeaten. They
were strong in the field and also in
batting, scoring many rounders.
CJC
U13
The Rounders season was affected
with several fixtures cancelled;
however this did not dampen the
enthusiasm of the regular 30 girls that
attended practices.
There is a huge amount of talent in this year group and it was a
shame they did not get the chance
to use their skills more in competitive matches. However, they did play
against Wilmslow, The Grange, Withington Girls’ School, St Edwards, all
of which games they won. There was
only one defeat in the last game of
the season against Newcastle-UnderLyme.
CLB
Junior
In 2012, Rounders’ Clubs were run in
every year group. As usual, Year 6 girls
turned out in force at the start of the
Summer term, keen to participate in
rounders practices and matches. In
spite of the dreadful weather, which
persisted in blighting outdoor activities all term, the girls showed great
perseverance and good humour, mak92
ing the most of the limited opportunities there were to enjoy playing and
improve their rounders skills.
The Year 6 A team showed considerable promise, winning all but one
of their matches. The girls quickly settled into their positions at the start of
the Rounders season and supported
each other in becoming an effective
and tactical fielding and batting team.
The Year 6 B team also maintained
a very good record and standard of
play. Key positions were ably covered
and there was considerable depth of
batting. In addition, matches were
played by a Year 6 C team, the Year
5s and even Year 4s. In all, many staff
and children from Year 3 to 6 made
the most of the all-too brief episodes
of brighter, drier weather, to make
progress with their rounders skills
and to enjoy participating in a fun and
competitive sport.
JC
Sailing
It is pleasing to report that Elliot
Hanson, who began sailing with
King’s, is now competing with success
at national and international level.
Eighteen-year-old Elliot could well
be competing with Ben Ainslie, to
represent Great Britain in the 2016
Olympics. We wish him well.
King’s now possesses four Laser
dinghies. Year 10 and 6th form sailors
have been enjoying the vivid performance of these plastic ‘ironing
boards’. Thanks to Elliot, we have
been able to convert the boats into
Laser Radials. Elliot’s redundant sails
Other Sport
and mast sections have enabled the
boats to be sailed by younger and
lighter pupils, whilst being almost
instantaneously converted back to
full-size rigs for stronger sailors like
Ed Laughton and Ed Nathan.
Two newer sail boats, Graduate and
420, are being used to the full in 6th
form sessions, with Tom Cann leading
the charge to be proficient with spinnaker and trapeze. The Sailing Club
takes place on Saturday mornings between March and July and in September and October. Sailing is also an option for boys in Year 10 and 11 games
and in 6th form activities. There is
plentiful opportunity at King’s for pupils to develop their interest in sailing
as a recreational activity and perhaps
even to follow in the wake of Elliot
Hanson. Tribute needs to be paid to
those pupils from the Junior Division
who participate on Saturday mornings. We have six or seven regulars
who are very tidy and plucky sailors.
We share our six Optimist dinghies
with Redesmere SC. These little boats
provide the perfect sailing platform
for pupils in Years 5 and 6, as well as
for older beginners.
With the retirement of Tim Andrew, the group of four has become
the group of three. Dr Hollis and Mr
Carpenter still struggle energetically
with the elements and recalcitrant kit,
helped by older pupils and parents to
get our pupils onto the water and into
their sailing on Saturday. Certainly,
our very successful sailing course at
Cumbrae, owes much to their encouragement and enthusiasm.
Forty pupils from all senior divisions went to Cumbrae in July. Four
Year 11 students completed the
expedition component of their Duke
of Edinburgh’s Silver Award on the
yacht. Eleven sailors in the advanced
group were awarded their ‘Performance Sailing’ certificates. A delay in
presenting them was a result of the
Centre’s never having had to award
them before! Rebecca Tenney of 8LuH
won our annual regatta on the last
Friday, in difficult conditions of wind
over tide, beating many very competitive older boys. Elliot Sime, who
sailed with us in Year 7 and then had
a sabbatical, returned to sailing in the
6th form and was Rebecca’s closest
competition in the regatta.
As word gets round, the Cumbrae
course attracts King’s pupils who
sail at other clubs. Adam Feldman,
Tim and Adam Russ, Rebecca Tenney
and Toby Sanderson have potential
in plenty as sailors. News hot off the
press: we are delighted to report that
Tom Cann in Year 12 passed his Sailing Instructor Course at Astbury.
BE
Swimming
The English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) North West Divisional
Championships were held on 6 October at the Everton Pool in Liverpool.
The standard was extremely high
with over 30 schools competing in
the U14 age group and around 20 in
each of the U16 and U18 age groups.
King’s U14 girls, despite being underage, won their medley relay heat in
convincing fashion. They also looked
in strong contention for the freestyle
relay, until they were disqualified for
a faulty takeover. They were bitterly
disappointed, but a valuable lesson
was learned. U14 girls were: Katie
Hughes, Tanisha Orchard, Amy Johnson and Poppy Kirk.
The other age groups enjoyed the
tough competition; they swam their
best, but realised they were there
for the experience, since many were
underage.
U14 Boys: Jordy Amos, Tom Higginson, Alex Pearson, Rhys Bowen
U18 Boys: Aiden Hooley, Harry
Balcombe, Oliver McCloskey, Matt
Spandley
U16 Girls: Anja Knudsen, Grace
Pulley, Rowena Moores, Emma
Hooley,
U18 Girls: Alice Bailey, Jess Burns,
Sarah Pearson, Rebecca Hughes
A team of over thirty boys and
girls enjoyed the invitational gala at
St Edward’s College on the evening
of 1 December. It was the biggest
swim team yet to compete for the
King’s School and the team spirit was
infectious. There were many exciting
races and close finishes but also some
significantly convincing wins. It was
great to see such a large contingent of
King’s pupils displaying strength in a
sport that it is not possible to offer on
the King’s curriculum.
DMB
Junior
King’s swimmers enjoyed another
happy swimming year. The AJIS gala
in November produced a number
of strong performances. Boys and
girls were involved in the same event
this year and King’s swimmers were
extremely well represented in 15
finals. All those who qualified should
feel very proud of this achievement,
as the standard of swimming was, as
always, very impressive. Zoe Thomas
was our only medallist and she was
delighted to win Bronze in the U10
25m Backstroke final.
King’s Girls enjoyed a new gala fixture against Estcourt School, Oldham.
King’s competed well and we enjoyed
adding this fixture to our programme.
Over 30 swimmers took part in
inter-school galas at Cheadle Hulme
School in January and Stockport
Grammar School in March. All swimmers enjoyed the atmosphere on
poolside and the excitement of being
involved in such closely contested
races. King’s were just ‘pipped at the
post’ against Cheadle but were delighted to win at Stockport. Year 4 was
included for the first time at Stockport and showed great promise.
The Year 5 and 6 House Swim
Gala took place in May and all pupils
were invited to compete in a range
of events in the 17m and 25m pools.
All responded well to the challenge
and tried to win valuable points for
their House teams. The standard of
swimming was excellent and there
were some closely fought races.
Gawsworth was the eventual winner
of the trophy.
Lower Juniors competed in their
‘Race Day’ in June and demonstrated
their considerable talents in a variety
of races in both pools. Tatton was the
eventual winner of the Lower Junior
swimming cup.
Ben Sleath and Florence Bradshaw
were swim captains for 2012.
Florence Bradshaw was awarded
swim colours.
DCB
Trampolining
King’s trampolinists’ hard work and
dedication to the sport, paid off again
this year, with further National successes achieved.
Outstanding results were achieved
at the North West Trampoline Championships on 4th December. The top
2 teams in each category and the top
3 individuals qualified to represent
the school at the Northern Zonal
Round in Northumberland on 14th
January.
Kings had 4 individual winners, two
2nd place winners and a 3rd place. 7
pupils also qualified as individuals to
the next round. King’s had 7 teams
win their categories and one team
came second. This meant that 8 out
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Other Sport
of 9 teams qualified to represent the
King’s School in the next round. The
pupils were outstanding and lots of
people commented about their standard of trampolining.
North of Britain Championships.
Eight teams represented King’s at the
North of Britain Trampoline Championships. The teams performed exceptionally, with 5 out of the 8 qualifying
to the British Schools’ Trampoline
Championships in Bristol on 11th
March: this was an outstanding and
well-deserved achievement. The U11
Boys’ and Girls’ Elite teams came first.
The U13 Boys’ team and U15 Girls’
team also came first and the U15
Elite Boys’ team came second. These
five teams represented King’s at the
national Trampoline Championships
in March 2012.
British Schools’ Championships.
The British Schools’ Trampoline
Championships were held at The
Academy in Bristol in March 2012.
Fifteen pupils from three Divisions
94
represented King’s in Elite age group
categories. After completing outstanding performances involving the
execution of two routines, all four
groups earned a place on the National
Champion podium, with the U11
Elite Boys winning the National title.
This is an astonishing achievement,
given the fierce competition they
faced from schools across the whole
country. These remarkable achievements demonstrate the improved
technical aspects of all trampolinists
and show the consistency of each
pupil throughout the competitions,
coupled with their ability to handle
the pressure of competition. There
are no second chances in trampolining: the routine has to be performed
perfectly each time.
The U11 Elite Boys, Harry Pinches,
Harry Collett, Harry Wallace and
Sam Jones, were crowned National
Champions. Harry Pinches achieved
personal success as he was placed 7th
as an individual.
The U11 Elite Girls, Olivia Moores,
Susannah Moores, Isabella Stevens
and Fiona Beeston, were awarded 3rd
place.
U15 Elite Boys, Dan Hinchcliffe,
Jonathan Pinches and Tom Eastgate,
were awarded 2nd place.
The U15 Elite Girls, Rowena
Moores, Evie Hancox, Katie Fray and
Hannah Barker, achieved 3rd place
with Rowena Moores securing additional success as she was placed 5th
as an individual.
These pupils were very dedicated
and trained hard: their efforts have
been rewarded with truly fitting National success.
Rachael Burrows/HLB
Into the 2012 Cauldron
2012 was an unforgettable year for
me. I achieved a long-standing goal
and was selected to represent Great
Britain, at the Summer Olympic
Games, in London. However, it was
not only those few incredible weeks
of summer that made an impact on
me, but also the significant events
that led me to that selection, and
afterwards to an entirely different
experience, as I spent two months
volunteering in South America. It
was not an easy journey.
In January, I began my preparations for the three Olympic selection
trials, held in May, June and July. The
trials came in the form of vital competitions, which determined which
few members of our strong national
squad would have the honour of
representing GB in London. Of the
fifteen participants, only five could
be chosen.
Usually, we aim to hit peak fitness
just before we compete. In 2012, we
had to prove ourselves very early on.
So, additional hours of training were
necessary, creating a gruelling schedule which included 35-plus hours
in the gym, across six days, with a
further 12 hours travelling, to my
gymnastics centre in Liverpool. And,
the training itself became ever-more
demanding.
At the same time as coping with
this added intensity, pressure was
building at 6th form. It became
increasingly difficult to juggle A Level
work with my gymnastics commitments. Thankfully, with the support of my teachers, King’s online
resources and a patient friend, I was
able to take January modules with
confidence. Afterwards, I decided
to focus purely on my gymnastics
career for the remainder of the year.
In March, I entered the English
Championships with new routines.
They went better than expected and
I was crowned Senior English Champion 2012, a perfect start to the year.
The European championships in May
were an excellent chance to experiment with a potential Olympic team.
Unfortunately, my streak of good
fortune ended and I suffered two
injuries within quick succession. This
was a serious setback at a crucial
time.
Other Sport
I managed to regain my fitness
and competed at the European
Championships in Brussels, but
precious time and stamina had been
lost. I was no longer at my best. I
had to change my routines in a very
short space of time in order to be
able to show them at the Olympic
trials.
The first trial was the British Team
Championships. My team won Gold,
but individually I did not meet Olympic standards. There was improvement in the second trial but I was
not in the top 5. It all came down to
the British Championships in July,
held in the Liverpool Echo Arena. I
tried not to think that the day could
make or break my dreams.
My training paid off. I won a
special award for my Beam routine, a
silver overall and was awarded Master Gymnast status for my previous
international successes. Two days
later, I received the wonderful news:
I was on the Olympic Team.
The Games themselves were
incredible, almost indescribable. The
support from the British public was
overwhelming, whilst staying in the
Olympic Village was surreal. There
were sports legends everywhere;
wonderful, smiling volunteers everwilling to help; beautiful apartments
to stay in - and a remarkably varied
food court with every option in the
world available.
The competition went better
than I ever dared hope. I came
21st individually and the Team
broke the Olympic Record for
the highest result ever achieved by
Britain. The Olympic Parade a few
weeks after the Games was phenomenal, demonstrating how heart-felt
the public response was. The whole
experience was extraordinary.
After the buzz of the Games, I
went to Ecuador for two months as
a volunteer. I helped build a nursery
near the Cloud Forest so that women were able to learn employment
skills. At Rio Blanco, in the Amazon
Rainforest, I taught English to enable
local people to host tourists and
bring in a wider income. I worked
in an aquarium on Ecuador’s coast
which rescued endangered animals.
The trip gave me a richer understanding of different cultures and a
broader perspective on life. It was
the perfect end to my truly unforgettable year.
Jennifer Pinches 13DAT
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Awards & Prizes
Distinctions in Public Examinations
A & AS Level
Pupils with 5 A*/A grades
Max Gabarre-Grindrod
Pupils with 4 A*/A grades
Elizabeth Bell
Oliver McCloskey
David Ormrod Morley
Euan Scott
Sean Wilson
Chris Ward
Pupils with 3 A*/A grades
Ellen Butler
Tom Cunningham
Lauren Doy
Lauren Hanley
Elliot Hanson
Amy Higinbotham
Andrew Hodgson
Ellie Johnson
Megan Jones
James McGregor
Briseis Preston
Emma Rheinberg
Kamlesh Sodha
Bridie Thompson
Virginie Nobbs
GCSE
Pupils with at least 8 A*/As
Ellen Barratt
Laura Bennett
Ellamae Blackaby
Justine Blake
Michael Bland
Raynor Bloom
Liam Boyle
Harry Bradbury
Jack Brierley
Alex Calder
George Carter
Jack Cartwright
Sam Collier
Katie Cornish
George Crummack
Reuben Cutts
Joanna Dyson
Caleb Edwards
Grace Fletcher
Lauren Garner-Jackson
Kate Garnett
Lauren Goulder
Fred Green
Liam Hadfield
Alistair Hanak
Kate Hawker
Max Hayward
Sam Hollis
Laurence Holt
Isabelle Kenyon
Hiba Kokan
Edward Laughton
Emily Lenderyou
Charlotte Liebezeit
Special Prizes
Head of Foundation’s Prize,
Selwyn Russell Jones Sports Prize
Biology Prize
96
School Prizes (all age groups)
Sainter (for scientific research) Maimi Wright Prize for Computing
Ben Davies Poetry Prize,
Senior Orchestral
Dr Norman Maurice “Arclex”
Ridac Cup
Thornber Chemistry Prize,
Research Project Major Award
Marcall-Costello Award for Endeavour
in German, 9MSR Form Prize
Ken Brookfield Elizabethan Prize
I A Wilson Economics Scholarship
Retiring Prizes
Margaret Gartside, Chemistry Prize
Christine Harrison
David Marshall
Rebecca Lowndes
David Marchington
Maria Maximous
Hattie McCance
Tom Meadows
Emma Mohammed
Matilda Morris
Thomas Mort
Edward Nathan
Ruairidh Nichols
Robert Nowak
Lily Papadimitriou
Emily Pegg
Michaela Poolford
Isaac Reaney
Stephanie Redfern
Tom Rheinberg
Katie Robertson
Coralie Robson
Sam Rodgers
Alice Simkins
Francesca Smith
Julia Smith
Richard Southern
Swetha Suresh
Alex Swift
Max Sykes
Patrick Symmons Roberts
Anna Townley
Laura Venables
Christopher Watt
Kate Williams
George Wood
Andrew Hodgson
Eleanor Morris
James McIlveen
Olivia Soutter
Sean Odell
Jennifer Pinches
Elizabeth Bell
William Fox
Ellen Butler
Kristina Killick
Thomas Cann
Georgia Hehir
Megan Barton
Upper School Prizes
Art (Selwyn Russell Jones),
Spanish Prize
Bethan Davies
Business Studies
Kamlesh Sodha
Chemistry,
Research Project Major Award
David Ormrod Morley
Classics (Wilmot), English Literature,
French (William Broster) Joint
Bridie Thompson
Economics (Canon F W Paul) Prize
Amy Tudge
English Language Emily Pasquale
French (William Broster) Joint,
Ron Darlington Jazz Prize
Ellie Johnson
German (J O Nicholson),
Senior Reading
Georgina Lucas
Extended Project Qualification,
History (C A Bradley)
Elizabeth Jessop
Extended Studies (T B Cartwright)
Patrick Lavelle
Geography
Hannah Gradwell
Geology
Harriet Forbes
History, Politics,
Research Project Major Award
Angus Quinn
Mathematics: Single
Matthew Arnold
Mathematics: Double
Euan Scott
Music, Theatre Arts
Tom Stevenson
Philosophy
Lauren Doy
Physical Education Studies Prize
Elliot Hanson
Physics, Research Project Major Award Sean Wilson
Psychology
Emma Rheinberg
Religious Studies (Thorneycroft)
Edward Whitehead
Senior Choral Joint, Senior Orchestral Michael Jacot
Senior Choral Joint
Eleanor Strutt
Simon Schuler Computing
Tom Gowans
Middle School Prizes (Boys’ Division)
Head Boy’s Prize, Latin Thomas Rheinberg
Principal’s Prize
Isaac Reaney
Deryck Siddall Cup
Thomas Mort
Best All Rounder Cup, Spanish
Ruairidh Nichols
Macclesfield Grammar School
Challenge Cup
Tom Meadows
Boys’ Division Council Cup
William Poyser
Year 7 Achiever’s Cup
James Crummack
Year 8 Achiever’s Cup
Daniel Crosby
Year 9 Achiever’s Cup, David Pook
Poetry Prize
James Shering
Awards & Prizes
Year 10 Challenge Cup
Year 7 General Science Prize
Year 8 General Science Prize
Art & Design
Biology, Mathematics
Product Design
English, German
French, Dual Science
Geography
History
Music
GCSE Physical Education Prize
Physics
Religious Studies (Thorneycroft)
Theatre Arts, 10HLC Form Prize
Lower School Reading Prize Joint
Lower School Reading Prize Joint
Lower School Reading Prize Joint
Jamie Edgerton
Lewis Bell
Alexander Galbraith
Elliot Doy
Richard Southern
George Wood
David Marchington
George Crummack
Sam Hollis
Jack Cartwright
Alex Voysey
Arran McCloskey
Edward Nathan
Patrick Symmons Roberts
Alex Moore
Jamie Fenwick
Henry Potts
Daniel Earl
Lower School Prizes (Boys’ Division)
Junior Choral Prize
Aarian Mehrabani
Junior Orchestral Prize
James Raval
Form Prizes (Boys’ Division)
10SHW
10DMH
10PFH
9GAJM
9SLT
9PMA
Religious Studies (Thorneycroft) 8CAM
8PAUT
8SLJ 8LAT
Religious Studies (Thorneycroft)
7CEA/GBS
7GJS
7RWA,
Religious Studies (Thorneycroft)
7KB
Tom Key
Jasper Rossi
Toby Bianchi
Ed Austin
Oliver Papdimitriou
Oliver Davies
Henry Reavey
Bradley Greatrex-Jordan
Max Watt
Peter Thorp
Zachary Howdle
Daniel Noxon
Luke Smith
Ben Lauber
Alex Fray
Keeran Manoharan
Middle School Prizes (Girls’ Division)
Head Girl’s Prize
Kate Garnett
Principal’s Prize, Physics
Justine Blake
Macclesfield High School
“Best All-Rounder” Cup, Biology
Hattie McCance
Year 7 Endeavour Cup
Anushka Lithgow
Year 8 Achiever’s Cup
Katie Hughes
Year 9 Achiever’s Cup,
Modern Languages
Aiman Aslam
Victrix Ludorum Cup
Faye Beaumont
Macclesfield High School
Somerville Challenge Cup
Katie Robertson
Jenny Lee Mathematics Prize, Junior
Orchestral Prize
Laura Embrey
Macclesfield High School Susan Russell
Jones Cup for German
Lucie Willis
Macclesfield High School
Isobel Day Cup for French,
Religious Studies (Thorneycroft)
Sarah Laughton
Sue Bream Crystal Star
Imogen Clowes
Anne Cohen Prize for Astronomy
Isabel Shone
Anne Craig French Prize, Dual Award
Science, Music
History Essay Prize
Year 7 General Science Prize,
7CJAF Form Prize
Year 8 General Science Prize
Art & Design
Product Design
Chemistry
English
German
Geography
History
Latin
GCSE Physical Education Prize
Spanish
Theatre Arts
Middle School Reading Prize
Anna Townley
Joanna Dyson
Amy Morris
Georgia Cooper-Taylor
Alexandra Swift
Isobelle Derrig
Hiba Kokan
Lily Papadimitriou
Lauren Garner-Jackson
Emily Lenderyou
Francesca Smith
Lauren Goulder
Laura Venables
Rebecca Lowndes
Emily Cook
Elise Boothroyd
Lower School Prizes (Girls Division)
Junior Choral Prize
Eleanor McKenna
Form Prizes (Girls’ Division)
10JAIM
10RLCP
10RAA
10SAC Joint
10SAC Joint
9LB
9DRM
9SJH
8LFA,
Religious Studies (Thorneycroft)
8JaH
8LuH
7LAC
7VHS
Religious Studies (Thorneycroft)
Alice MacKinnon
Keerthana Ganesh
Mioni Armstrong
Evie Kilford
Isabel Smith
Hannah Quinlan
Polly Cartwright
Hollie Wild
Sameera Lyons
Poppy Kirk
Kate Marsh
Molly Robinson
Helen Nixon
Lauren Hayward
Other Prizes
Robert Batchelor Prizes
Junior Division Junior Division
Girls’ Division
Boys' Division
Emmie Penkett
Matt Follos
Lauren McNeil
Edward Hammonds
Junior Division Prizes
English: Reading
English: Speaking
English: Writing
Mathematics
Geography
History
French
Art, Design & Technology
Music
ICT
Religious Education
Physical Education
Science
Swimming
Games: Boys
Games: Girls
Emily Foster
Thomas Carter
Fiona Beeston
Harry Wallace
Megan Huddy
Katie Hayward
Sarah Catlin
Isabel Stevens
Harry Lyons
Charlotte Wardle
James Rous
Olivia Moores
Adam Murray
Jasmine Amos
Charlie Toms
Ffyona Booker
97
Awards & Prizes
Form Prizes
Academic Achievement Prizes
5AGE
5MW
5NS
4EDM
4SEO
4KW/SM
3JC
3VA/CK
Boys’ Division
Edward Elder
Ellie Morten
Jamie Shuttleworth
Aisling Day
Sam Jones
Sophia Eastgate
Amanda Vel
Josh Rajendran
Freddie Higginbotham
Charlie Murray
Bryn Barker
Daisy Holden
Emma Graham
Fay Fitzmaurice
Lottie Dennett
Alex Ghiorghiu
Endeavour Prizes
6JEB
Elizabeth Adams
Thomas Dennett
6ST
Abigail Mounteney
Nicolas Patigny
6SR
Emma Nockton
Charlotte Heath
5AGE
Oliver Payne
Mollie Pettit
5MW
Lottie Thomas
Jodie Foxton
5NS
Dyani Lababedi
James Bailey
4EDM
Spike Vidler
Martha Squire
4SEO
James Bird
Ellie Sykes
4KW/SM
Charlotte Warren
Jude Rossi
3JC
Katie Barr
Georgina Devon
3VA/CK
Archie Mattocks
Sophie Scott
Year 4 Young Artist Award
(Mrs P J Aspinwall Trophy)
Christian Beeston
Mrs C J Hulme Y6
Musical Production Prize
Matthew Smith
Cricket Trophy
Sam Buckingham
Ridings Best All-Rounder Cups
Florence Bradshaw
Harry Pinches
(and the Martin Badger Cup for All-Round Endeavour)
Music Examinations
Autumn Term 2011
Associated Board Practical Examinations
Sixth Form
Name................................ Instrument
Rebecca Hughes...............Piano
Georgina Lucas.................Singing
William Machin.................Trumpet
Clare MacKinnon..............Double Bass
Anna Steward...................Piano
Eleanor Strutt...................Cello
Mary Thorp.......................Singing
98
GradeResult
1
110 Pass
8
126 Merit
6
106 Pass
5
122 Merit
5
112 Pass
6
113 Pass
7
116 Pass
Name................................ Instrument
Euan Davies......................Piano
Jamie Edgerton................Clarinet
Nicholas Harrington........Trumpet
Brendan Jacot...................Piano
Ben Lynch.........................Piano
Ben Lynch.........................Singing
Aarian Mehrabani.............Singing
Oliver Quinn.....................Trumpet
Henry Strutt.....................Singing
Henry Strutt.....................Piano
Girls’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
Charlotte Abbott..............Singing
Mioni Armstrong..............Singing
Polly Cartwright................Singing
Juliette Gorb.....................Cello
Rebecca Lowndes.............Singing
Sameera Lyons.................Piano
Lydia Myers.......................Singing
Jessica Pettit......................Singing
Abbie Richardson.............Singing
Annie Thomson................Singing
Maddie Townley...............Cornet
Eleanor Tunick.................Singing
Anna Watson.....................Singing
Junior Division
Name................................ Instrument
Callum Barr......................Clarinet
Fiona Beeston..................Singing
William Cann....................Cornet
Emilia Cole.......................Clarinet
Mollie Fyfe........................Piano
Bethany Henshaw............Piano
Hannah McCormick.........Piano
Francesca Sawyer.............Piano
Amanda Vel ......................Piano
GradeResult
1
114 Pass
6
131 Dist
8
125 Merit
7
113 Pass
3
116 Pass
2
121 Merit
1
135 Dist
1
120 Merit
5
124 Merit
1
111 Pass
GradeResult
2
122 Merit
2
124 Merit
3
125 Merit
6
133 Dist
4
115 Pass
3
116 Pass
5
130 Dist
2
116 Pass
4
107 Pass
4
107 Pass
4
130 Dist
3
115 Pass
3
109 Pass
GradeResult
1
114 Pass
1
134 Dist
1
103 Pass
1
113 Pass
1
100 Pass
2
111 Pass
1
108 Pass
1
116 Pass
1
117 Pass
Associated Board Theory Examinations
Name
GradeResult
Lawrence Collins............................................... 5
87 merit
Helen Lyons....................................................... 5
77 Pass
Henry Strutt...................................................... 5
76 Pass
James Raval........................................................ 5
75 Merit
Trinity/Guildhall Examinations
Sixth Form
Name................................ Instrument
Jae Bowers........................Clarinet
Adam Edwards.................Flute
Bethany Tallents...............Clarinet
Boys’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
Joe Hale............................Jazz Flute
Scott Pavitt........................Saxophone
Josh Towne.......................Clarinet
Girls’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
Justine Blake.....................Flute
Olivia Hamblyn.................Piano
Helen Lyons......................Flute
Sameera Lyons.................Flute
Grace Pulley......................Flute
Emily Roberts...................Flute
Rosana Wardle..................Piano
Junior Division
Name................................ Instrument
Emily Foster......................Keyboard
Harry Lyons......................Double Bass
GradeResult
6
62 Pass
7
64 Pass
6
63 Pass
GradeResult
6
71 Pass
5
77 Pass
5
92 Dist
GradeResult
Int. Cert 82 Dist
3
73 Pass
Int. Cert 74 Pass
3
78 Merit
5
76 Merit
5
87 Dist
2
75 Merit
GradeResult
1
76 Merit
1
81 Merit
Spring Term 2012
Associated Board Practical Examinations
Sixth Form
Name................................ Instrument
Charlotte Sampson..........Piano
GradeResult
7
132 Dist
Awards & Prizes
Mary Thorp.......................Piano
Edward Whitehead..........Euphonium
Boys’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
Aidan Carman...................Bassoon
Fionn Carman...................Piano
Jamie Edgerton................Recorder
Adam Garnett...................Guitar
James Ireland...................Trumpet
Oliver Jones......................Piano
Ben Lauber.......................Singing
Joseph Laughton..............Saxophone
Siraj Lyons.........................Piano
Jonathan Pinches.............Horn
Oliver Quinn.....................Trumpet
Tom Rheinberg.................Piano
Tom Rheinberg.................Trumpet
Aaron Shaughnessy..........Piano
Sam Stokes.......................Trombone
Girls’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
Ellen Barratt.....................Piano
Elise Boothroyd................Singing
Molly Chalfont Pollard.....Singing
Alexandra Clarke..............Flute
Verity Griffin.....................Violin
Chloe Henshaw................Piano
Evangelina Homer...........Singing
Caitlin Jacobsen................Singing
Sarah Laughton................Guitar
Hannah Quinlan...............Clarinet
Charlotte Roxborough.....Piano
Jen Shone.........................Singing
Junior Division
Name................................ Instrument
Bryn Barker......................Guitar
Georgina Bergman...........Singing
Ffyona Booker..................Guitar
Sebastian Bye...................Flute
Alex Campbell..................Trombone
Thomas Carter.................Trumpet
George Connolly..............Guitar
William Davies..................Guitar
Aisling Day........................Cello
Shanice Donatien.............Violin
James Foxton....................Guitar
Emily Friston....................Piano
Emily Higginbotham........Piano
Daisy Holden....................Piano
Megan Huddy...................Violin
Harry Lyons......................Trumpet
Susie Moores....................Violin
Harry Pinches...................Trombone
Francesca Sawyer.............Violin
Ben Sneddon....................Piano
Millie Sudweeks...............Singing
Ellie Watkins.....................Singing
7
6
138 Dist
123 Merit
GradeResult
1
143 Dist
4
117 Pass
8
132 Dist
4
114 Pass
3
115 Pass
5
122 Merit
3
120 Merit
2
134 Dist
3
120 Merit
5
116 Pass
2
135 Dist
5
116 Pass
6
136 Dist
2
137 Dist
3
117 Pass
GradeResult
5
101 Pass
4
137 Dist
3
117 Pass
4
136 Dist
4
130 Dist
5
120 Merit
2
120 Merit
4
117 Pass
3
134 Dist
1
130 Dist
3
120 Merit
4
115 Pass
GradeResult
2
120 Merit
3
138 Dist
3
116 Pass
1
116 Pass
3
124 Merit
3
127 Merit
2
130 Dist
1
114 Pass
3
135 Dist
2
123 Merit
1
113 Pass
1
124 Merit
1
138 Dist
2
131 Dist
4
141 Dist
3
126 Merit
1
124 Merit
3
138 Dist
2
116 Pass
1
130 Dist
1
100 Pass
1
133 Dist
Associated Board Theory Examinations
Name
GradeResult
Gabriella Brough............................................... 5
71 Pass
Anna Callow....................................................... 5
78 Merit
Tom Stevenson.................................................. 5
67 Pass
Trinity/Guildhall Examinations
Sixth Form
Name................................ Instrument
Jonathan Emery...............Drum Kit
Aswad Khan......................Flute
Sarah Mycock...................Violin
Iain Smith.........................Drum Kit
Boys' Division
Name................................ Instrument
Oliver Curtis.....................Violin
Bradley Greatrex Jordan.. Keyboard
Alex Krajewski..................Drum Kit
James Raval.......................Oboe
Aaron Shaughnessy..........Flute
GradeResult
6
96 Dist
Int. Cert 69 Pass
8
79 Merit
5
87 Dist
GradeResult
7
83 Merit
2
75 Merit
5
87 Dist
7
75 Merit
Int. Cert 73 Pass
Richard Smith...................Keyboard
Girls’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
Ellen Barratt ....................Flute
Anna Fenwick...................Flute
Rebecca Ions....................Recorder
Bethany Ireland................Flute
Emily Mound....................Flute
Zoe Richmond..................Flute
Elizabeth Stephenson......Flute
Annie Thomson................Flute
Anna Townley...................Flute
Eleanor Tunick.................Flute
Junior Division
Name................................ Instrument
Katie Hayward..................Flute
Abigail Mounteney...........Flute
2
81 Merit
GradeResult
8
70 Pass
Fnd. Cert 81 Dist
4
87 Dist
Fnd. Cert 67 Pass
5
71 Pass
Int. Cert 86 Dist
Fnd. Cert 83 Dist
2
81 Merit
Int. Cert 86 Dist
Fnd. Cert 70 Pass
GradeResult
3
90 Dist
2
87 Dist
Summer Term 2012
Associated Board Practical Examinations
Sixth Form
Name................................ Instrument
Gabriella Brough..............Singing
Ellie Johnson....................Jazz saxophone
Clare MacKinnon..............Singing
William Strutt...................Piano
Boys’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
Sam Baker.........................Guitar
Daniel Crosby...................Jazz Saxophone
Daniel Crosby...................Singing
Jamie Edgerton................Jazz Saxophone
William Fox.......................Jazz Piano
Thomas Huddy................Jazz Saxophone
William Jones....................Bb Cornet
Ben Lynch.........................Singing
Aarian Mehrabani.............Singing
Marcus Nowak..................Piano
Oliver Nowak....................Piano
Jonathan Pinches.............Piano
Isaac Reaney.....................Jazz Saxophone
Henry Reavey...................Organ
Alex Richmond.................Singing
Paul Roberts.....................Guitar
Henry Strutt.....................Singing
James Thomas..................Singing
Girls’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
Charlotte Abbott..............Singing
Rachel Anderson..............Singing
Elena Boden.....................Singing
Lilian Breese-Tovey...........Singing
Anna Callow......................Singing
Anna Callow......................Trumpet
Anna Cartwright...............Singing
Rachel Catlin....................Cello
Alex Clarke........................Piano
Elisabeth Clivery-Adamson.Piano
Olivia Collinson................Piano
Charlotte Cramp..............Trumpet
Georgina Cooper-Taylor..Piano
Laura Embrey...................Piano
Eleanor Fielding...............Singing
Eleanor Fielding...............Violin
Verity Griffin.....................Piano
Sorrel Haughton..............Violin
Sophia Heywood..............Singing
Katherine Humphrey.......Saxophone
Emily Jaques.....................Singing
Erica Jones........................Piano
Hiba Kokan.......................Piano
Hannah Laniado...............Trumpet
Sarah Laughton................Guitar
Helen Lyons......................Viola
Lauren McNeil..................Singing
Hannah Naden.................Violin
GradeResult
8
120 Merit
5
132 Dist
7
130 Dist
4
120 Merit
GradeResult
2
100 Pass
3
118 Pass
2
133 Dist
5
141 Dist
3
141 Dist
3
114 Pass
3
120 Merit
4
127 merit
2
125 Merit
2
117 Pass
3
127 merit
3
101 Pass
5
133 Dist
4
127 merit
3
104 Pass
2
102 Pass
6
130 Dist
2
127 merit
GradeResult
3
117 Pass
1
123 Merit
4
130 Dist
1
120 Merit
4
122 Merit
6
120 Merit
1
120 Merit
5
123 Merit
5
126 Merit
4
110 Pass
1
127 Merit
3
111 Pass
1
125 Merit
6
137 Dist
3
131 Dist
2
125 Merit
1
123 Merit
3
125 Merit
1
121 Merit
2
105 Pass
4
114 Pass
3
130 Dist
8
130 Dist
4
114 Pass
4
121 Merit
5
105 Pass
3
127 Merit
5
101 Pass
99
Awards & Prizes
Sophie Quinn...................Jazz Saxophone
Abbie Richardson.............Singing
Molly Robinson................Violin
Olivia Shaughnessy..........Piano
Francesca Southern.........Singing
Rebecca Tenney................Piano
Lucie Willis........................Piano
Katie Wray.........................Singing
Junior Division
Name................................ Instrument
Jasmine Amos...................Jazz Saxophone
Fiona Beeston..................Singing
Louisa Boden....................Piano
May Broadley....................Piano
May Broadley....................Singing
Sebastian Bye...................Flute
Aidan Carman...................Piano
Sarah Catlin......................Cello
Sarah Catlin......................Singing
Emilia Cole.......................Piano
Rebecca Denton...............Singing
Sophia Eastgate................Violin
Jodie Foxton.....................Piano
Lauren Harbige................Piano
Matthew Harrison............Singing
Freddie Higginbotham....Guitar
Hugh Horne.....................Trumpet
Sam Jones.........................Violin
Jason Kenning..................Piano
Thomas Knight.................Guitar
Saffron Milner...................Singing
Merridy Russell.................Singing
Martha Squire...................Piano
Ellie Watkins.....................Singing
Darcy-Rose Woodfine......Piano
4
5
4
3
3
4
2
2
128 Merit
100 Pass
120 Merit
115 Pass
112 Pass
130 Dist
137 Dist
117 Pass
GradeResult
2
118 Pass
2
120 Merit
1
121 Merit
1
110 Pass
1
123 Merit
1
117 Pass
3
115 Pass
2
126 Merit
1
127 Merit
2
112 Pass
1
122 Merit
3
128 Merit
2
130 Dist
1
121 Merit
1
124 Merit
1
130 Dist
1
124 Merit
3
115 Pass
2
125 Merit
1
120 Merit
1
121 Merit
1
112 Pass
1
114 Pass
2
111 Pass
1
120 Merit
Associated Board Theory Examinations
The King’s School in Macclesfield
Registered Charity: 1137204
Founded by Sir John Percyvale, Kt,
by his Will dated 25th January, 1502.
Re-established by Royal Charter granted
by King Edward VI, 26th April, 1552.
Supplemental Royal Charter granted by
Elizabeth II, 11th February 2009.
Governing Body as at 31st August 2012
Chairman:
A N Dicken BSc, CEng, FIChemE
Vice Chairman:
Dr J W Kennerley, BPharm, MRPharms, PhD
Co-opted Governors:
P T S Boyd, 2 Landseer Drive, Macclesfield
M G Forbes BSc, 3 Bridge Green, Prestbury, Macclesfield
R A Greenham FRICS, Langdale Jarman, Sutton, Macclesfield
Dr J W Kennerley, BPharm, MRPharms, PhD,
28 Walton Heath Drive, Macclesfield
A McInnes, Windrush, Gawsworth Road, Macclesfield
D Neilson, 251 Buxton Road, Macclesfield
Mrs A E Nesbitt BA,
The Hollows, Willowmead Park, Prestbury, Macclesfield
C R W Petty MA (Cantab),
Endon Hall North, Oak Lane, Kerridge, Macclesfield
Name
GradeResult
Sacha Allen........................................................ 5
70 Pass
Mioni Armstrong............................................... 5
75 Merit
Henry Reavey.................................................... 5
85 Merit
Jenna Self........................................................... 5
68 Pass
Brig K Ross, Old Parks, Marton Lane, Gawsworth, Macclesfield
Trinity/Guildhall Examinations
Ms J White, 2 Newhall Barn, Gawsworth
Sixth Form
Name................................ Instrument
Amy Higinbotham............Flute
Boys’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
James Haughton..............Clarinet
James Jordan....................Drum Kit
Thom Murray ..................Keyboard
James Raval.......................Saxophone
Aaron Shaughnessy..........Flute
Marcus Wesley..................Drum Kit
Girls’ Division
Name................................ Instrument
Justine Blake.....................Flute
Molly Chalfont Pollard.....Piano
Laura Duncan...................Flute
Naomi Evans.....................Flute
Olivia Hamblyn.................Singing
Isobel Lovatt.....................Saxophone
Helen Lyons......................Flute
Sameera Lyons.................Flute
Isabelle Nuttall.................Clarinet
Tanisha Orchard...............Flute
Emily Pegg........................Flute
Emily Roberts...................Flute
Olivia Shaughnessy..........Flute
Junior Division
Name................................ Instrument
James Bailey.....................Flute
Fiona Beeston..................Keyboard
Thomas Dennett..............Violin
Emily Foster......................Keyboard
Misha Higham..................Keyboard
100
Mrs J Spinks BA (Hons) PGCE, 2 Clough Bank House, Bollington
J R Sugden MA, FIMECHE,
4 Marlborough Close, Tytherington, Macclesfield
Ex-officio Governor
GradeResult
Adv Cert 67 Pass
Mayor of Macclesfield
GradeResult
5
81 Merit
1
81 merit
3
60 Pass
8
70 Pass
7
84 Merit
2
77 Merit
Appointed by the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Chester
A N Dicken BSc, CEng, FIChemE,
Merry Bank, 11 Magnolia Rise, Prestbury, Macclesfield
GradeResult
7
83 Merit
2
60 Pass
2
71 Pass
2
69 Pass
6
87 Dist
4
75 Merit
7
89 Dist
4
73 Pass
2
75 Merit
3
80 Merit
7
72 Pass
6
77 Merit
5
80 Merit
GradeResult
2
72 Pass
In
93 Dist
3
85 Merit
2
73 Pass
in
72 Pass
Nominated Governors
Appointed by Cheshire East Council
J P Findlow, LLB, Kandersteg, Broad Walk, Prestbury, Macclesfield
Mrs H Gaddum, Lane Ends House, Hollin Lane, Sutton, Macclesfield
Appointed by the Rt Revd the Lord Bishop of Chester
M Strutt, 10 Buxton Old Road, Macclesfield
Appointed by the Council of the Victoria University, Manchester
Professor A Burns, MB, ChB, MD, FRCP, FRCPsych, DHMSA
Lower Swanscoe Farm, Rainow
Officers of the Foundation as at 31st August 2012
Head of Foundation:
Dr S Hyde MA, DPhil
Director of Finance and Clerk to the Governors:
J M Spencer Pickup BSc, ACA
Solicitors:
sas daniels LLP, County Chambers, 6 Chestergate, Macclesfield
Auditors:
Messrs Josolyne & Co, Chartered Accountants, Macclesfield
Bankers:
National Westminster Bank PLC, Macclesfield