Chronicle Summer 2023

SUMMER 2023 | VOLUME XLI I | NUMBER 685

CHRONICLE

160 Years Unlocking the past, celebrating the present and shaping the brightest of futures

Teddies Together An ambitious new programme of community support is launched

Rowing Gold Stellar success at Henley and the National Schools’ Regatta

Dates for the Diary

You are warmly invited to join us at the following whole-school occasions which are open to all parents. Put the dates in your diary now and look out for reminders across all school publications. If you are not able to attend in person some of these events will be recorded – details will follow in E News.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival MONDAY 7TH – SATURDAY 12TH AUGUST Cup & Dagger Productions performs This is a Chair

The School Play: A Christmas Carol WEDNESDAY 22ND – SATURDAY 25TH NOVEMBER Russia and the West: A Perspective on the Future THURSDAY 23RD NOVEMBER A debate with John Simpson and guests The School Carol Service SUNDAY 3RD DECEMBER A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols WEDNESDAY 6TH DECEMBER At St Peter’s, Notting Hill, followed by drinks hosted by the Friends of St Edward’s The Bands’ Concert SUNDAY 21ST JANUARY The Choral & Orchestral Concert SUNDAY 4TH FEBRUARY House Plays WEDNESDAY 7TH & THURSDAY 8TH FEBRUARY Houses will put themselves forward to be part of this inaugural House Play Festival The Spring Dance Shows FRIDAY 1ST & SATURDAY 2ND MARCH OX2 Collective Performances WEDNESDAY 6TH MARCH & SATURDAY 27TH APRIL Tree Planting Ceremony and Spring Parents’ Briefing FRIDAY 8TH MARCH

by Caryl Churchill at theSpace @ Niddry Street, Edinburgh Book at edfringe.com A Celebration of Rowing SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER Dinner in the Quad Leia Zhu in the Olivier Hall MONDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER

A rare and very special opportunity to hear this extraordinarily talented young violinist play for the school community Rugby: 1st XV v MCS FRIDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER The University of Oxford RFC, Iffley Road The Steeplechase THURSDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER The annual cross-country races are preceded by employability mentoring, lunch and presentations, and followed by the Steeplechase Tea, hosted by the Friends of St Edward’s The Shell Plays SATURDAY 7TH OCTOBER Zoom Briefing for International Parents WEDNESDAY 11TH OCTOBER A Festival of Fireworks

FRIDAY 3RD NOVEMBER The Ballet Recital SUNDAY 5TH NOVEMBER

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Word from the Warden It is a year of anniversaries at St Edward’s: 160 years since the School was founded, 150 years since the move from the centre

We have delved into the School Archive to uncover an eclectic mix of rarely-seen objects, from the mallet used to lay the first foundation stone in Summertown to a speckled school boater from the early 1900s. History came to life in a surprise discovery during the renovation of the Warden’s House, when a delicate mural was revealed beneath the wallpaper. Read about the restoration project and the sensitive extension of the frieze by talented Sixth Form artist and winner of the inaugural Wardens’ Prize for Art, Haruno Watanabe, on page 50. Finally, history was made last term by the dedicated oarswomen and men of the Boat Club: two gold medals at the National Schools’ Regatta, two Teddies girls’ crews rowing side by side at Henley, and the boys’ 1st VIII beating St Paul’s in the final to win the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, cheered on by Teddies supporters from across the generations. Enjoy all this and more in the pages of this anniversary edition and, from Zannah and from me, have a wonderful summer.

of Oxford to Summertown, 40 years since the start of co-education. We are also marking this year a milestone for the Chronicle, and it is my very great pleasure to introduce the 150th anniversary edition. As I explain in the Anniversary Interview on page 7, history is not just a thing of the past. The School’s history and its founding principles remain a powerful, driving force for all of us working at St Edward’s today. Directly echoing Chamberlain’s intention to extend access to education, the Cup & Dagger Club has been launched to support the development of the School, not least by ensuring that we can continue to offer a St Edward’s education to as wide a range of young people as possible, irrespective of their financial means. When you read on page 18 about our work to ensure breadth of access to the School, I hope that you will consider becoming part of the Cup & Dagger Club. Our feature on page 28 continues the theme of the past meeting the present.

A piece by Haruno Watanabe, winner of the inaugural Wardens’ Prize for Art

The Chronicle 150 YEARS 1873 – 2023 Editor-in-Chief: Tracy van der Heiden Editor: Bonnie Robinson robinsonb@stedwardsoxford.org Contributing Editor: Chris Nathan, School Archivist Picture Editor: Anna Cole Design: RBDA Studio Find out more Stay in touch with all the latest news by following our social media accounts. On Instagram stedwardsoxford teddiessport teddies_partnerships teddies_friends On Twitter @TeddiesOxford @TeddiesSport On LinkedIn St Edward’s School, Oxford St Edward’s School is registered in England and Wales as a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered No. 116784. Registered Office: Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 7NN. Registered Charity No. 309681.

The 12th, 13th and 14th Wardens, Andrew Trotman, Stephen Jones and Alastair Chirnside, who came together at Teddies during Gaudy Week to judge the new Wardens’ Prize for Art, inaugurated for the 160th anniversary. The overall winner was Sixth Former Haruno Watanabe, whose work is pictured above. The Wardens are pictured with Tracy van der Heiden, Editor-in-Chief of the Chronicle , which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

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The Bursar, Edward Hayter, playing the bagpipes at the memorial service for her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

The 2023-24 Heads of House, from left; Charlie Mason, Savannah Orchard, JJ Orr-Ewing, Liberty Simmonds, Bilegt Gantulga, Emily Liu, Elliott Regazzacci Stephanopoli, Kaden Haider, Izzie Brown, Flossy Ames, Katherine Procope, Luisa Kulterer, Tom Gardiner, Thomas Dowdye, Grace Hoskins and Toby Bird

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Rowing Gold

The Boat Club celebrated its most successful season in almost 40 years - winning two gold medals at National Schools’ and the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley. Read more on page 54.

The boys’ 1st VIII in the race which would win them the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup; Harvey Burford, Nic Bechtler, Christopher Budden, Lorenzo Previati, Scott Bain, Rory McDonnell, Jackson Amies, Isaac Hillicks-Tulip and cox, Felix Jamieson

The Girls’ A quadruple scull crew racing at Henley; Hermione Brewster, Kayleigh Batchelor, Roxy Welford and Elsa Marino

Teddies took gold in the Jim Mason Plate at National Schools’ for the Championship Girls’ Coxed Fours with a dominant performance from start to finish. Pictured are the winning crew in action; Louisa Molloy, Sianna Featherstone, Evie Gowen, Julia Simmonds and cox, Lucy Evans

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Inspiring People at The North Wall

© Sam Churchill

Jeanette Winterson joined us in The North Wall for an Inspiring People talk on International Women’s Day this year

John Simpson during his Inspiring People talk in February. John came to speak to the pupils about his career as a Foreign Correspondent, broadcaster and author

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THE ANNIVERSARY INTERVIEW The Warden with Callum Togher, Molly Butler Adams and Oscar Evans-Pollard

In this momentous year, Head of Communications Tracy van der Heiden talks to the Warden about the School’s past, how it shapes the present - and what the future holds.

2023 is the School’s 160th anniversary. In what way does the Teddies of today continue to champion the School’s founding principles? Every great institution draws on its past to shape its future, and that is what we are trying to do at Teddies. The School was founded to benefit the public, and that remains our focus 160 years on. From our work on widening access to the partnership programme, which started with Teddies Collaborates in the Lower Sixth and which is going to become universal over the next few years, we are staying true to Chamberlain’s purpose. The school motto,

pietas parentum or the devotion of parents, is as valid now as it was then: parents are committing to their children’s futures by sending them to Teddies, and we are as committed as their parents to looking after them while they’re here. How is the School marking the anniversary? There are, in fact, three anniversaries this year! For the anniversary of the foundation, we’ve launched Project 160, our plan to have 160 pupils on means-tested bursaries in the next ten years (see the profiles of past bursary recipients on pages 11, 13

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As we celebrate 40 years of co education, tell us what you have been able to do in your time as Warden to strengthen the co-educational ethos at Teddies. That’s been a real priority over the last two years. We are working to level up the numbers of girls and boys in the School, to make Teddies fully co-ed. Right now, the School is 59% boys and 41% girls. In September, 44% of pupils will be girls and the Sixth Form will be exactly 50:50. We’re extending and reconfiguring the boarding Houses so that we can have a perfectly even balance in the Shell in a few years’ time, hopefully by 2026. We’re also working on levelling up the facilities for girls and boys in sport. The first project starts this summer, with new floodlit netball and tennis courts being built behind Cooper Lodge. Is there anything else on the horizon in this area? There’s lots of work going on in this area. We’re restarting the tradition of Shields in the Dining Hall, not just to fill in the gaps in the record but also to celebrate the achievements of girls at Teddies in sport over the last 40 years. We’re adding to the photographs in the Martyrs Pavilion too, for the same reason. We’re also in the process of setting up a working party on integration, to do more to bring boys and girls together in their lessons, in co-curricular activities, across

Skene. She was a campaigner for social justice and a friend of Simeon, instrumental in the move to Summertown but for too long forgotten in the School’s history. It’s been painted by Adam Hahn, the Head of Art, and it’s going to hang opposite Simeon in the drawing room of the Warden’s House. I think it’s the first official portrait of a woman in the School’s history, and it’s long overdue.

and 14). For the 150th anniversary of the new buildings, the move from the centre of Oxford to Summertown will be the theme of the Shell plays next term. To mark 40 years since girls first joined the School, we’re commissioning research on the value of co-education, opening our fourth co-ed boarding House and talking more than ever before about equality of opportunity. All those anniversaries come together in the commissioning of a new portrait of Felicia

Ni Debhakam, Justice Kwapong, Cormac Lennon and Millie Tan walk across the Quad

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St Edward’s, Oxford is on fire – academic ambitions are at an all time high, but none of the school’s characteristic warmth and roundedness has been sacrificed in the pursuit.’ TALK EDUCATION

the Houses. Pupil voice is a really important part of our work in this area, because pupils know Teddies today better than anyone else. From September, we will have new committees for pupils to share their ideas about greater equality and more inclusion, and we’ll have a new equality plan with three new objectives published every year. We’re also working hard to increase the number of women on the teaching staff – it’s currently 38% – and in management positions. The management team is almost exactly 50:50, which is good, but we need that balance in the Departments and in the Houses too. I think those soft cues are really important for pupils’ attitudes – they probably make more triple this year. It is 150 years since the School moved to what were then turnip fields in Summertown from dilapidated buildings in central Oxford. How does Teddies connect with its North Oxford community today, and with the wider Oxford community? of a difference than anything we say. As we’ve said, it is an anniversary

In lots of ways! We don’t want any sense of separateness, because we want pupils to grow up here connected to the world beyond Teddies. That’s partly about opening up the School – whether that’s for a concert in the Olivier or a play in The North Wall, to host the Oxford Ceramics Fair or to allow sports clubs like the Oxfordshire Bulls to use our facilities, or to provide a venue for conferences like the Youth In Mind event with Oxfordshire Youth. We’re also going to reconfigure the Lodge, so that the gates are open more of the time – it’s a small thing, but it will make the School feel more open. There are also visits to Teddies from pupils in local state schools all the time – for science workshops, Maths challenges, sports tournaments like the hockey event which we run every year together with Oxford Hawks. Just as important is getting pupils literally beyond Teddies – Teddies Collaborates sends all 180 of the Lower Sixth out into Oxford for 90 minutes every week for partnership work in local primary schools, care homes, food banks and charity

Head of Art Adam Hahn at work on the portrait of Felicia Skene

And which have had the most positive impact on pupils’ general wellbeing? We have given pupils more of a voice in the running of the School, with new year group forums, committees for food, Chapel and IT, meetings to talk about equality and inclusion, and a new annual survey about every aspect of school life. I think those channels have made a real difference. There’s also the new wellbeing curriculum, from the Shell to the Upper Sixth. It’s given pupils much more of an opportunity to think and talk about their personal development, about themes and issues in society, about practical issues affecting their futures – and that can only be a good thing. And, of course, there’s the new policy on mobile phones – it still divides opinion and it always will, but I think it has made a really positive difference. Pupils are talking to each other much more and I think there’s an even better atmosphere in the School as a result. You said at the Spring Parent Briefing that you would be focusing on developing the School’s careers provision. Can you tell us more about that? Absolutely – it’s a really exciting area for the next few years. We ran our first surveys last year of OSE three, five and 10 years after leaving and we’re using the returns to shape our careers provision and the development of the curriculum. For next year, we’re planning a Careers Festival during Gaudy

Louis Millar, Harry Sanderson and Hamish Johnston on a visit to the Lady Nuffield Home

shops. Staff are involved too – teaching in local primary schools, cooking for local charities, lending equipment and providing transport. I don’t think we’ve ever done more, but we can never do enough. You’ve been Warden now for nearly two years, and you and your colleagues have introduced a number of new initiatives. Which of these have had the most positive impact on pupils’ learning – in the curriculum and the co-curriculum? The last two years have been so busy that there are lots of possible answers to that question! On the academic side, the biggest impact has probably come from changing the shape of the school day to protect time for pupils to get their work done in the evening, so that they can throw themselves into all the other opportunities available to them. I think our work to make more of our location in Oxford has been really effective too – there were three times as many external speakers at society meetings last term as there were a year ago, and many more pupils in the audiences for them. The Oxford Lectures – short residencies for visiting academics – have been really well received, and we’re getting pupils in every subject in every year group into Oxford regularly too, to learn outside the classroom. The St Edward’s Fellows, the postgraduate students from Oxford working with pupils one-to-one and in small

groups, have provided real inspiration too. We’re going to have many more of them here next year. In the co-curriculum, the St Edward’s Award has been very effective at encouraging pupils to think about their engagement with all the opportunities that they have here and to take advantage of more of them. I’m looking forward to presenting the first prizes this summer.

Commemorative sporting shields in the Dining Hall

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‘Stunning facilities for music and the arts’ THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE 2023

A Level/IB combination goes from strength to strength. What’s next on the curriculum front? A great curriculum is always evolving, and there will be lots of new initiatives in the next few years. We’re thinking about new Pathways and Perspectives courses – finance and international relations are just two possibilities. We’re looking to create new junior societies for the Fourth Form and the Shell, to get pupils into the society habit when they first join the School. We have plans to create a Model United Nations team, capitalising on the success of debating in the last few years, and for exchanges

Week to complement the comprehensive advice we already give on established careers with a focus on new professions. It will be about entrepreneurship and opportunity in new industries, and we’re hoping to involve lots of parents and OSE. There’s a huge amount of excitement and positivity in those communities, and a really inspiring willingness to help. The new Pathways and Perspectives courses continue to inspire, you have introduced new courses in Psychology, Politics, Dance, Textiles, Computer Science and Sustainability, and the

with Phillips Exeter Academy in the United States, King’s School Parramatta in Australia and several schools in India. We’re also looking at the Sixth Form curriculum and how we can best have all our pupils involved in project-based work. The IB does that brilliantly, and we want to give the same opportunities to all our pupils. How do the new St Edward’s Fellows work alongside Teddies academic staff? They’ve been really successful, because they work with pupils and staff in lots of different ways. The timing of their appointment is important – their contracts run from

MY TEDDIES EXPERIENCE

Josh Brangan Currently studying Mechanical Engineering on a Scholarship at Harvard University, USA

The combination of academic and athletic opportunities introduced me to the US college system, which was something I had never even considered before attending Teddies. As a result, I am now a mechanical engineering major at Harvard, rowing as part of a great squad, and pushing myself to be the best I can be. If I were to say anything to families or pupils thinking of applying for a bursary to study at St Edward’s, I would say that it is an incredible school that can change your life like it did mine. For that to happen you must make the most of every opportunity that is available to you, try new things and work hard! I have so many things to thank St Edward’s for, so if you get a chance to go there, be sure to cherish your time as they will be some of the best years of your life.

It was a substantial change for me to transfer from Highcliffe School, my regular state day school in Dorset, to an independent boarding school in Oxford. However, it was made simple by all the wonderful people I met along the way and the incredibly supportive community. I will always be thankful for all the new and exciting opportunities that the School gave me because they completely changed the course of my life. The awesome teaching staff and depth of support really helped me to make the most of the education available to me. And then there was the rowing. Through hard work, rowing at Teddies and my amazing coaches I became the best athlete that I could be. Teddies also showed me the world of international rowing and competing for GB.

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‘A bucketful of interesting, varied opportunities which pupils actually enjoy’ THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE 2023

January to December. That way, they are taking pupils from the start of their thinking about university in the Lower Sixth to the submission of their applications or their interviews in December. During that time, they are doing one-to-one classes with pupils who need extra help, giving tutorials to small groups of the most talented and interested pupils, talking regularly with teachers about their own research and about what they are seeing at university. And don’t forget that these postgraduate students do a lot of the teaching for undergraduates, and a lot of the admissions interviewing too – they can give us a real insight into what’s happening at Oxford and other universities. What do you say to people who feel that Teddies is becoming ‘too academic’? Academic means connected with studying and thinking, so I don’t think you can have

a school which is “too academic”. Every school wants to be more academic – in that teachers want the best possible outcomes for their pupils, and we can always make improvements in teaching and learning. That’s also what parents and pupils want – in last year’s survey, 90% of parents said that high academic achievement was the most important experience for their children at school and most thought that we should be doing more in that area. So we are! It’s also what pupils want – in their survey this summer, they told us that they wanted us to set more academic targets. We’re going to do that too. People usually make that point when they are talking about admissions, but I think they’re confusing the huge increase in demand for places – which has more than doubled in the last three years – with a change in what we’re looking for when we

make our decisions. We haven’t changed the height of the bar, there are just more people clearing it and sadly we don’t have enough places for all of them. The last thing to say is that a school which is too academic would be a school in which academic work crowded out everything else or in which pupils’ mental health was suffering because they were too worried about their grades. There hasn’t been a sense of panic or anxiety over exams this summer, and that’s because pupils have worked hard and because they feel well prepared. We had record-breaking results last August with outstanding value added through our teaching, but pupils achieved those results in the same year in which they put on Sweeney Todd , performed in three brilliant Dance Shows, beat Eton and Downe House at cricket, put on spectacular exhibitions in The North Wall and the Art Department, and simply had a huge amount

Pupils in Apsley enjoying Time to Read

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What are the biggest challenges facing the School in the coming years? The obvious challenges are outside the School, with the possibility of VAT on fees and changes to the regulation of independent schools. We can try to meet those challenges by growing the School to make it more financially efficient, by generating more letting income from our buildings in the holidays, by keeping a close eye on costs, and by opening St Edward’s schools in other countries in commercial partnerships. At the same time, there’s no doubt that it would become harder to do everything that we want to do, especially with bursaries and capital projects. Within the School, there are the constant challenges of managing change, making sure that we are getting the best staff, making sure that we are looking after them at a time of rising pressure on all of us, and – most importantly

of fun at school. That’s not a school that’s too academic; that’s a great school in which pupils are doing amazing things in all areas. How do you ensure that Teddies continues to develop and to improve without diluting its very special ethos? People say that culture eats strategy for breakfast, and we would not have been able to make so many changes in the last two years if they had been against the grain, if they had gone against the culture in the School. Our statement to the Charity Commission talks about a liberal and open ethos – and those are just the right words to describe Teddies. We have given pupils more choice over their subjects in the Shell, more subjects to choose from in the Middle School, more opportunities to try new activities in the co-curriculum, more talks

and lectures that they can choose to attend in the evening. We have created more opportunities for them to help each other through committees and forums, surveys and mentoring schemes. We have also given them more time and more opportunity to think about the part that they want to play in society, through Teddies Collaborates and the service programme. Looking to the future, our plans for the School are not developing in an echo chamber – they are evolving through conversations with everyone, pupils, parents, OSE and staff. The culture in any organisation is created by its people, and if our strategy and our plans follow on from those conversations, they will match its ethos. That’s how we’ll be able to keep Teddies, Teddies.

MY TEDDIES EXPERIENCE

Armela Lasku Currently working for an international criminal defence team at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, after studying Law at the University of Oxford. I joined St Edward’s from Matthew Arnold, a secondary school in of dedication to studies, consistent hard work and genuine interest in knowledge. I currently work for an

Oxford, and the thing that surprised me most about Teddies was the real opportunity to get involved in so many different activities. During my time at St Edward’s, I tried hockey and rowing for the first time, and took part in both the RAF and Army sections of the Combined Cadet Force. I also enjoyed one to-one piano lessons in the Music School as well as seeing plays and exhibitions at the School’s North Wall Arts Centre. One of my top highlights was the close-knit environment of my boarding House. I made friends for life that I will cherish forever. Further, it was amazing to win the Adams Award at Gaudy in the Upper Sixth. The award was recognition

international criminal defence team at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which is something that I am passionate about and really love! I have also just finished Bar School and look forward to developing a career at the Bar. I would advise anybody considering applying for a bursary to go for it! It is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and at Teddies your life will completely change.

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– making sure that we are keeping up with the changing world into which our pupils will leave. Artificial intelligence, disappearing professions, social media, mental health, changes in assessment – everything seems to be in flux at the moment, and our biggest and most important challenge is to help our pupils to navigate their way through all those changes. You’ve just launched Project 160 to increase the number of pupils being awarded free and subsidised places, and you’re launching the Cup & Dagger regular-giving club to contribute to the costs of the initiative. Tell us a bit more about why you fund bursaries? It’s just the right thing to do. All of us at Teddies, pupils and staff, have huge privileges. We work in amazing buildings, in an extraordinary location, and with great

people – and we should never forget how lucky we are. We should also want to share all of it with other people who don’t have the means to pay the school fees. It would be selfish to think otherwise. But there’s an important element of self interest, and concern for society too. The world’s a diverse place, and to be successful professionally and fulfilled personally our pupils will need to be able to live and work not just with people from privileged backgrounds, but with people from all walks of life. So our school community needs to be diverse in every way – in the mix of talents, interests and backgrounds of the children who join. More broadly, I think there’s a real danger of too much separateness in society, of losing the sense of togetherness that makes for great communities, locally, regionally, even nationally. That’s where the value of

diversity in a school really lies – it fosters the openness of outlook, the willingness to take people for who they are rather than where they come from or what their parents do for a living. It gives pupils the attitudes of mind that we want them to have when they leave. Even more than opening up facilities and getting pupils into partnership work, that’s the essence of public benefit. It’s what every school should be about. Which of the many positive comments about Teddies in the recent Good Schools Guide review mean the most to you? Well I obviously like the line about the “standout headmaster”! More seriously though, my favourite comments are not about all the new initiatives in the School, they’re about the people who work here – “inspirational” and “brilliant” to describe the

MY TEDDIES EXPERIENCE

Reuben Oladele Currently studying BA Sociology and Criminology at the University of Birmingham

I came to St Edward’s for the Sixth Form from a state school in London, and boarding was a new experience for me. I really enjoyed the House community and the way you become like a family with all the people in your House. The welcoming atmosphere made it much easier to be away from home. I particularly valued the supportive relationship I had with my Housemaster. In the classroom, I had the opportunity to study the IB, which I did not know anything about before as it was not on offer at my previous school. It was great to have a wide range of subjects to choose from and the teaching was excellent. I appreciated the positive relationships I had with my teachers. My experiences at St Edward’s – living away from home, being in a co-educational environment, and

studying the breadth of subjects through the IB programme – have all been excellent preparation for university life. I am starting to plan my study-abroad year in the USA, which I hope to do next year. My plans for the future are to train as a detective after completing my degree. I feel very lucky to have been given the chance to study at St Edward’s where there were so many opportunities. My advice to anyone considering applying for a bursary is to be yourself, and not to put pressure on yourself to be anything else. Everyone who is offered a place at St Edward’s is valued individually, and you

each benefit from and contribute to school life during your time there.

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‘A positive place … a happy school’ THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE 2023

What should parents look out for in the next academic year? What are the highlights to come? There has been so much change over the last two years that we’re looking for a little more continuity next year. At the same time, running a school is like riding a bike – if you stop, you fall over. The work on careers is going to be front and centre next year, and I’ve already mentioned some of our other plans on the academic side. We’re also going to be renewing our academic scholarship process in the Shell and the Lower Sixth and refining our reading strategy ’Time to Read’. The most exciting plans are in the co

teachers, “great positive energy in sport”, “every parent raved about their HM”. The things they said about pupils are even more important. They talked about the amazing work which they produce in Pathways and Perspectives, about their spectacular production of Othello, about the natural and inclusive relationships between them. If you asked me for my favourite line, this is it: “Parents universally told us that they sent their children to Teddies because they reckoned they’d be nicer people for it: and what greater compliment?”. I can’t think of one.

curriculum. We’re going to bring back the whole-school sports day, which disappeared a few years ago, and the inter-House bumping races on the Thames, which ran for 100 years before they stopped in the early 1970s. On the pastoral side, we’re creating new committees for pupils to have more of a voice in our policies and for more teachers to have a chance to shape our strategy. We’re also going to be doing much more training for staff and pupils on mental health. We are also going to finalise and publish our plans for the new centre for sport and the community on the Field Side – but that’s a subject for an interview in itself!

Flora McGill, Farah Changizi-Cooper and Freddie Banks by the Divinity School in Oxford

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Gaudy Week 2023

Heads of School Patrick Maxwell and Josie Denvir, and Elombe Case sing in the Chamber Concert

Members of the school community watch Fragments of His Dark Materials , the Shell promenade play

Pupils from Wolvercote Primary School sing Alexander L’Estrange’s Zimbe! in the Olivier Hall in June. The event brought together the St Edward’s Singers and the Chapel Choir with three primary schools and the Dragon

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Youth in Mind Conference The Charity of the Year for 2023, as voted by pupils, parents and staff, is Oxfordshire Youth. A key focus of their work is training and advocacy around children and young people’s mental health. One of their major annual events is the Youth in Mind conference, organised in collaboration with Oxfordshire Mind, and hosted this year at St Edward’s on 4th July. Jodie Lloyd Jones, CEO of Oxfordshire Youth: ‘Youth in Mind is a fantastic annual opportunity to galvanise the people and organisations passionate about solving the mental health

crisis facing Oxfordshire’s young people. This conference unites education, public, health, police, and voluntary sectors, and most crucially creates a space for young people’s voices to be heard and be respected as part of the solutions. There has never been a more important time to ensure that every professional working with children and young people has the skills and connections they need to provide the best possible services.’

Jodie is pictured (right) with the Warden, Jess Willsher, Chief Executive Officer of Oxfordshire Mind, and Paul James, Chief Executive of the River Learning Trust and keynote speaker at the conference

Holly Branson OSE We were delighted to welcome Holly Branson OSE as our Guest of Honour at Gaudy this year. Holly was in Oakthorpe from 1998 – 2000 and was appointed Head of School in her Upper Sixth year. During her time at Teddies, Holly was Captain of Squash, played 1st XI hockey, sang in the Choir and was heavily involved in pupil-led community and environmental projects. After studying Medicine and Physiology at University College London, Holly joined the Virgin Group in 2008. In 2020, Holly was appointed Chief Purpose and Vision Officer and became a company Director, dedicating her time to her passions: people, purpose, culture and the future of work. She is also Chair of Virgin Unite, and a Founder and Trustee of Big Change. In 2018, Holly published her first book, co-authored with Marc and Craig Kielburger, the international bestseller: WEconomy: You can find meaning, make a living, and change the world . When not ‘changing business for good’, Holly lives in London with her husband, Freddie Andrewes OSE, and their three children Etta, Artie and Lola.

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The Launch of the Cup & Dagger Club

By Sean Thomson, Development Manager

To mark the momentous occasion of the School’s 160th anniversary, we are delighted to announce the unveiling of the Cup & Dagger Club.

The Cup & Dagger Club has been established to engage support from across the St Edward’s community to help us to progress our long-term vision of becoming the leading co-educational school in the country. The Cup & Dagger Club will support the development of our campus as well as our growing bursary programme, which together offer countless benefits to young people both within and beyond our community.

The emblem itself is deeply synonymous with St Edward’s and is one of the many ways in which the memory of St Edward is kept alive. Resonating across the generations, it is a fitting symbol not only to celebrate the past but also to generate excitement about what is to come. The Cup & Dagger Club is open to all OSE, parents, former parents, grandparents and friends of St Edward’s, and focuses on the collective impact that monthly and

annual gifts of all sizes can have in support of our community. Giving on a regular basis, whether it be monthly, quarterly or annually, is one of the easiest ways to support St Edward’s. Direct debits are simple to set up and payments are collected routinely. A regular gift will allow us to progress our ambitious vision for Teddies.

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To celebrate the collective contribution that the Cup & Dagger Club will make to the lives of many young people, we want to recognise its members. We believe that everybody should be able to give to such an amazing cause and in this – our 160th anniversary year – we are setting our first membership levels as follows:

Bronze level membership Bronze level membership a monthly donation of just £1.60. All bronze level members will have their names published in our new annual impact report. Silver level membership Silver level membership requires a donation of just £16.00 per month. Members will receive the same benefits as Bronze members as well as an annual invitation to a special event with the Warden to celebrate all the amazing work that the Cup & Dagger achieves. Gold level membership Gold level membership requires commitment to an annual donation of £1,600 or 12 monthly donations of £133.33. Gold members receive the same benefits as our Silver members and, in addition, will be invited to a private annual dinner with the Warden and members of the Senior Management Team. The first 100 registered members of the

Cup & Dagger Club will be written into history as founding members. Every contribution makes a difference and, through the combined generosity of our wider Teddies community, we can continue to provide an education like no other.

Your gift can help us to ensure that St Edward’s remains a very special place. Donations of every size help to preserve our wonderful community and give you the opportunity to be part of something lasting and transformational.

Sean Thomson recording a video message to launch the Cup & Dagger Club

SIGN UP NOW!

Become one of the founding members of the Cup & Dagger Club by signing up today. You can give as little as £1.60 per month (inspired by our 160th anniversary) or more if you are able to. Collectively, parents, OSE and friends of the School can make a huge difference to the lives of countless young people within and beyond the School. Scan the QR code to join or contact Sean, Rachael or Nataliia in the Beyond Teddies team at beyondteddies@stedwardsoxford.org.

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The St Edward’s Fellows The first St Edward’s Fellows: bringing inspiration from the University of Oxford to the classrooms of Teddies.

Our first cohort of St Edward’s Fellows joined the Teddies community this term: Jennifer Chennells (Biology), Samantha Hicks (History), and Becky Short (French). All are current graduate students at the University of Oxford, and bring their passion and enthusiasm for their subjects, and insights from their research, to inspire our pupils ‘beyond the classroom’ for several hours each week. Through tutorial groups and one-to one sessions, the St Edward’s Fellows are stretching pupils from Shells to the Sixth Form with extra learning opportunities. Their contributions to super-curricular Jennifer Chennells DPhil Environmental Research Doctoral Training Partnership REUBEN COLLEGE Since graduating from Newcastle University with a first-class degree in Biology, I have worked at the University of Oxford in the Wright Bee Lab studying honeybee nutrition. As a DPhil student now my research focuses on how the food that bees eat affects their susceptibility to parasites.

activities, such as societies and lectures, also foster curiosity more widely amongst those who wish to learn more. Looking ahead to the autumn, the Fellows will have a role in supporting Sixth Formers with university applications and interview preparations, particularly for Oxbridge and US colleges. Their roles and areas of activity will be open to development during their time in post. David Flower, Sub-Warden Academic, explains ‘The St Edward’s Fellows initiative is a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to benefit from the scholars and scholarship of the University of Oxford. It also gives

our Fellows experience of school-based teaching. Our Fellows are here to share their passion, and to provide inspiration and encouragement to those interested to learn more around their subjects, both during their time at Teddies and beyond as they consider university applications. What is so special about our Fellows is that our location allows them to be active researchers whilst working part time with us. Roles at other schools often require a full-time commitment, which removes the graduate from their field of study. At Teddies, we get the best of both worlds.’

No two weeks of my research look the same and I have the opportunity to learn something new every day. After long periods of data collection, it is really satisfying to see the data, draw new conclusions about how bees function and see how this might be applied to real world situations. I am really enjoying working with the staff and pupils at Teddies and seeing the students excited to challenge themselves and to learn more about the world around them and how it works. I am looking forward to sharing my experience as a researcher at Oxford University and I hope I can help the pupils to pursue their

interest in biology through super-curricular clubs and societies by sharing my own enthusiasm for biology and bees. During my time at Teddies, I would like to further develop my science communication skills so that I can continue to get involved with public outreach events and help to motivate people to learn more about the natural world. One of my favourite places in Oxford is the Museum of Natural History, with all of its fascinating exhibits. My college – Reuben College – is new, and as its buildings have not yet opened we have had our weekly formal dinners at the museum, also known as ‘Dining with Dinos’!

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Samantha Hicks Masters in Women’s, Gender and Queer History ST ANNE’S COLLEGE Before coming to the University of Oxford, I completed my undergraduate degree in History at the University of Birmingham. I find my studies here – in Women’s, Gender and Queer History – exciting

because this is a very new area of research. I am on one of two courses covering this area of history in the UK. I really enjoy being able to diversify our understanding of history and contribute to this growing field. As an inaugural St Edward’s Fellow in History, I hope to help create enjoyable environments for pupils to develop their skills as historians and cultivate their love of the subject. Likewise, I hope to enrich

my own understanding of teaching and collaboratively consider new approaches to the field of history, seeing how my own viewpoints can be challenged in enrichment discussions. My favourite place in Oxford is Port Meadow because it is such a lovely green space. I love spending my downtime there between my studies.

Becky Short PhD in French Literature WORCESTER COLLEGE

French is such a diverse subject and encompasses so much more than simply vocabulary and conjugations! I love language learning, and being able to communicate with people from diverse Francophone cultures. What excites me the most, however, is engaging with Francophone literatures from across the world, and especially texts written in the early modern period, which tackle the ‘big questions’ of life and philosophy in often amusing and innovative ways. I hope to share my passion for French, and the many doors it can open, with Teddies pupils. Speaking a new language can be intimidating sometimes, and so I would love to help pupils increase their confidence when expressing themselves in the classroom. I hope also to bring my passion for literary studies to the fore in ‘tutorial’ style meetings with pupils.

My time at the School has already given me such a rich insight into the diversity of language teaching. The French course is wide-ranging, and involves study of language, film and literature. I am looking forward to gaining experience teaching all of these areas to pupils. I love walking in the Oxfordshire countryside, and most especially in Boar’s Hill which feels like a different world compared with the bustle of the city. After all of my walks I am grateful for a rest either over scones at the Vaults and Garden Café, or a refreshing break at the Perch.

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Rowena Ritchie OSE What will you do at Teddies when you join in September? I will be stepping into some big shoes to take on the HM position in Tilly’s. I am also teaching Biology in the Christie Centre. David Christie, for whom the building is named, was I taught Science and Maths at The Fulham Boys School when it opened in 2014. I loved the school’s vision of an independent education open to all boys. The school had longer teaching days with a whole afternoon dedicated to sport. I coached the 3rds Rugby, who had a lot of spirit, and set up a rowing programme with my husband, Dan. I was able to develop a curriculum shaped by the world around us, putting science into a real-world context. Enterprise was one of the key pillars of the school and pupils were encouraged to be problem solvers and come up with enterprise projects. I ran a gardening club – pupils took cuttings of herbs and sold the plants they had grown at the summer fair. What are you looking forward to about being HM of Tilly’s? I have heard that Tilly’s has amazing House pride, with pupils throwing themselves into competitions and taking up opportunities and responsibilities. As an incoming HM I am looking forward to harnessing this passion and House spirit and getting to know each of the pupils individually. What are your fondest memories from your time as a pupil at Teddies? I have so many fond memories of my time at Teddies. One of the highlights was the Hockey and Rugby tour to Chile and Argentina. This was an amazing pre-season training before our final year of School. Our team included some exceptional hockey players such as Zoe Shipperley (GB Hockey 2014-18) and we qualified for the Nationals. What are the key things you took away from your time at the School? I would encourage all pupils to make the most of every opportunity – your time at Teddies is short. 2023 is the 40th year of co-education at Teddies. Why do you think co-education is important? Co-education at Teddies prepares pupils for their next stage of education and entering the working world. Seeing equality within a school system prepares pupils to enter wider society with respect and emotional intelligence. Tell us about your family. Dan and I met at Henley Royal Regatta when he was injured with a ruptured Achilles which led him to miss out on competing in the men’s eight at London 2012. A year later at the World Rowing Championships held in Chungju he the Warden when I joined Teddies as a pupil. What inspired you to become a teacher?

achieved a gold medal in the men’s eight. We got married in 2016 and then lived and worked in London with our dog Red. We moved back to Oxfordshire to be closer to family to have our first child. Dan moved into Formula 1 and currently works in the commercial team at Red Bull Racing. Our daughter, Iona, has just finished Reception and our son, Magnus, is at nursery. They are both very excited about moving into Tilly’s. What are you currently reading? My grandparents grew up on the islands in Scotland and as we are looking to visit Lewis and Harris in our VW campervan, I have started to read a trilogy of books called The Lewis Man by Peter May. May is a thrilling crime writer and has published a companion book to The Lewis Man trilogy entitled Hebrides with beautiful pictures showing the beaches and land that inspire his writing.

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Scholarships and Awards 2023

Congratulations to the following pupils who will join us in September. Academic Scholarships Harry Bewes ( Summer Fields ) Mary Chirnside ( The Dragon) Elliott Grounds ( Summer Fields ) Exhibitions Isabella Frieda ( The Dragon ) Gabriela Nagadya (T he Ursuline Academy, Ilford ) Ella Rooney ( St Andrew’s, Berkshire ) Music Scholarships Christopher Jordan-Briggs ( The Dragon ) Tristan Reeves-Toy ( Eagle House School ) Music Exhibitions Harry Bewes ( Summer Fields ) Leo Sarooshi ( The Dragon ) Olivia Nyagua ( The Cherwell School )

Sixth Form Scholarships and Awards Music Scholarship Rosie Prior ( Wycombe High School ) Music Exhibition Alexander Mather ( Salesian College ) Sports Awards Lily-Rose Brepoels ( Koninklijk Atheneum Etterbeek, Netherlands ) Xenophone Chapman ( Hereford Cathedral School ) Alexander Corbett ( Lord Wandsworth College) Elam Hughes ( The North Halifax Grammar School ) Isabel Johnson ( Westfield School ) Alexander Mather ( Salesian College ) Drama Award Olivia Jameson-Evans ( Tring Park School for the Performing Arts ) Art Award Scarlett Thompson ( Cheltenham Ladies’ College) Dance Award Ava Phillips ( Queen Anne’s School )

Sports Awards Harry Bewes ( Summer Fields ) Angus Danby ( Winchester House School ) Poppy Dearden ( Lambrook ) Gabriella Deslandes ( Godstowe ) Jemima Foster ( The Dragon ) Nico Hartley ( Magdalen College School ) Isla Hooker ( Godstowe School ) Archie Logue ( Sunningdale School ) Lara Murphy ( The Dragon ) Ella Rooney ( St Andrew’s, Berkshire ) Suri Shah ( previously in home education ) Sebastian Watters ( The Scots College, Sydney ) Drama Awards Mia Burridge ( The Oratory Prep School ) Katie Gill ( Belmont ) Beatrice Owen ( The Dragon ) Oliver Preston ( King’s House School ) Art Awards Poppy Harris ( Cheam School ) Lara Pasteur ( The Dragon )

Design Technology Award Callum McPhail ( Cheam School )

Bright Sparks

Paddy Smith seemingly floats on air during the November Dance Show

Frank Sekula’s winning entry for a Teddies on Camera competition – the theme was ‘Darkness’