The Chronicle 682

AUGUST 2021 | VOLUME XLI | NUMBER 682

CHRONICLE

‘Teddies is no ordinary school’ The Warden and Revd Jones reflect on a decade at St Edward’s

Gaudy Week in Pictures The joy and vitality of our glorious end of term festival

A Bounteous Bequest

Malcolm Oxley on books, buildings and bibliomania

2 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Final Word from the 13th Warden

In this introduction to issue 682 of the Chronicle , I am looking back not just at the tumultuous past few months, but also at the decade Katie and I have spent at the heart of this great school. I hope it has been obvious to the whole community just how much we’ve enjoyed being here and what it has meant to us both to have been part of Teddies’ incredible and seemingly unstoppable journey. We were a great school when I arrived; previous Boards of Governors and Wardens have been committed and visionary, and Teddies has benefitted over the years from their sage leadership. But there is no doubt that this is a very special time for Teddies. We have wonderful, energetic, creative and engaged pupils. They are our beating heart and we were a very sorry little corner of North Oxford when we were forced to operate virtually. Our pupils have the support and guidance of extraordinarily dedicated members of staff in all areas – the pages that follow are vivid testament to that. Our facilities are world class:

I am not yet beyond being astonished by the sharp, glinting presence of the Christie Centre and the Olivier Hall as I walk across the Quad, particularly against a brilliant blue sky. The new buildings are phenomenally inspiring for our young learners and performers, and I have no doubt that they will further fuel our pupils’ ambitions and aspirations in all fields. For my final Chronicle as Warden, I am pleased to urge you onwards to a highly enjoyable and informative issue. We look back at all the wonders of Gaudy Week; we meet a true Teddies VIP, Malcolm Oxley, who held many positions at the School, including Sub-Warden, HM and Director of Studies; we celebrate a very strong set of IB results and share (with some envy … ) the stellar destinations of our Upper Sixth who are headed to the US and Canada for further study; we find out the latest from some of our OSE in the public eye – Jon Snow, Mark Quartley, Pippa Bennett-Warner and two very successful rock bands – almost wholly made up of OSE – Low Island and Glass Animals; we introduce a number of staff and some of the pupils taking on important leadership positions within the community; and we generally give you a lively review of recent times at Teddies. Importantly, we take time to appreciate fully the immense contribution to the School by the late Jonny Lambe, former Head of History.

For now, it is time for me to hand the baton on to the 14th Warden, Alastair Chirnside. He has been extraordinarily generous with his time over this past year and has been able to get to know the School extremely well. Katie and I wish him, Zannah, Mary and Lizzie the very best for the future. We would like to thank you all – parents, pupils, colleagues, Governors, OSE – for your kindness, support and friendship over the years.

Stephen Jones 13th Warden of St Edward’s, 2011-2021

The front cover shows Stephen and Katie Jones and their Parson Russell Terrier Tess in the Warden's Drawing Room.

Find out more Stay in touch with all the latest news by following our social media accounts.

On Instagram stedwardsoxford teddiessport teddies_friends teddies_apsley teddies_avenue teddies_ cooperlodge teddies_corfe teddies_cowells

teddiesfieldhouse teddies_jubilee teddies_kendall teddies_macs teddies_oakthorpe teddies_segars

teddies_sings teddies_tillys

On Twitter @TeddiesOxford @TeddiesSport

On Facebook 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 Warden and Tess in his Drawing Room

3 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

IB Class of ’21 By Anna Fielding, IB Coordinator Last month, Upper Sixth IB pupils celebrated a fantastic set of results. The government decision not to hold exams in the UK meant that grades were based on a combination of teacher predictions and externally assessed coursework. With coursework making up at least 20% of each grade pupils can be confident of having had all their hard work recognised. There were many successes: an overall points average of 35.9 out of 45, 28% of pupils achieving 40 points or more and the amazing achievement of 95% of Higher Level grades being awarded at levels 7-5 (roughly equivalent to A*-B at A Level). On an individual level there were personal accomplishments for so many pupils who are rightly proud of their final scores. Particular mention goes to Kunal Barman and Izzy Rees who both achieved perfect scores of 45 points, and to Nicholas Sawyer and Roman Tinkov who both achieved 44. Pupils have been offered places on an exciting range of university courses with over 90% achieving their first choice university. To name just a few: Caitlin Adams, Arabic and Islamic Studies at Exeter; Kunal Barman, PPE at Oxford, Rowan Bisp, Global Sustainable Development at Warwick; Lily Helling, Physiotherapy at Trinity College Dublin (tbc); Harvey Machin, Anthropology at Bristol; and Roman Tinkov, Chemistry at UCL.

As always, the international nature of the Diploma often lends itself to universities overseas and this year this includes Athena Bonnefoy to University of Virginia, Cheyenne Rahimian to UC San Diego and Sofiia Shapovalova to New York University (see page 18). Perhaps most importantly, these results are a testament to the two years of hard work, resilience and determination of a remarkable cohort. Sixth Form courses are always demanding. However, the pandemic brought with it an added level of complexity; Theory of Knowledge presentations had to be completed online, oral examinations took place virtually and 4,000-word Extended Essays had to be completed almost wholly through remote conversations with supervisors and online research portals. In the Extended Essays top grades were awarded to many including Alexander Barrington Brown on the impact of the Peterloo Massacre, Hannah Bullen on the Soviet artist Malevich, Josh Thomas on mental and physical rehearsal in golfers and Hannah Hohage on the impact of sleep on obesity. During periods in School the sense of community in the cohort shone through: in study groups meeting in Willows café, in the leadership shown through CAS experiences (Creativity, Activity and Service) or just making the most of their time at Teddies.

Anna Fielding IB Coordinator

Izzy Rees, Liberal Arts Durham University

Kunal Barman, PPE St Edmund Hall, The University of Oxford

Whether off to university in September, or making plans for a year out, we wish the IB Class of ’21 the very best of luck.

Nicholas Sawyer, Politics and Philosophy The London School of Economics

Roman Tinkov, Chemistry University College London

4 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

The John Wiggins

Jon Snow OSE Jon Snow OSE has announced that he will be stepping down as presenter of Channel 4 News after 32 years at its helm. Snow, known both for his skill as a master of the investigative interview and collection of magnificent ties, is the longest- serving presenter in the show’s history and has declared that he is looking forward to ‘new adventures’. Snow, who attended St Edward’s in the ’60s, has said of the School, ‘There is no more sublime location – probably anywhere. You have the city, Port Meadow, the playing fields, the whole environment, and then Summertown as your own suburb. It’s an absolutely extraordinary coalition – the organic combination of city, suburb, countryside: it is amazing’. He returned to open the new English Department, now the Modern Languages building, in 2004.

John Wiggins writes: ‘Can you come to lunch as a thank you for all you have done for the Boat Club?’ were the Warden’s innocuous words ahead of receiving the greatest honour that could be bestowed upon a simple rowing coach. Colleagues and family alike were sworn to secrecy and amazingly not a hint was dropped. The penny, however, well and truly came to rest when walking into the Warden’s garden to see the shiny yellow boat nestling on it trestles and the maximum number of smiling faces that Covid restrictions could allow all beaming at me. Family and colleagues past and present were joined by

members of my winning ’99 crew and, of course, the current senior squads. My ‘loss for words’ was genuine but temporary and

hopefully I was able appropriately to respond to the Warden’s generous remarks. I later discovered that this had been in waiting for well over a year but delayed for the same reasons that so many other events had been set aside. It was great then to see the boys move the boat so well, generating great speed and getting faster and faster as they worked towards the delayed Henley Royal Regatta taking place in a few days’ time.

Jon Snow OSE interviewing the Warden in the ITN studios in 2013 and, inset, opening the English Department.

5 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

The 14th Warden Alastair Chirnside, formerly Deputy Head at Harrow, will become the 14th Warden of St Edward's on 1st September. To find out more about him, watch our 'in conversation with' video on Teddies TV on the website at www.stedwardsoxford.org .

Serving the School

School Prefects for 2021/22 are Connie Jones, Oliver Bilgutay (Head of School), Josh Brangan, Keegan Boyd, Sasha Wolcough, Lara Brech, Saskia van der Heiden, Honor Tan, Lily Tan (Head of School), Meara James, Niamh Brown, Matilda Pumfrey, Reuben Oladele, Jenifer Ellis and Stanley Brown (inset) who was playing cricket when the Prefects’ photo was taken.

6 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

As the 13th Warden prepares to leave Teddies, he talks to Tracy van der Heiden about his own schooldays, his career and his reflections on the many developments at the School over the past decade. Stephen Jones

Stephen Jones in 2011

7 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

The school sits on 1,200 acres of north Hampshire farmland so we had space to roam and it was utterly idyllic – a really lovely school – and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Headmaster, the late Neil Henderson, a former Teddies man, was punchy and interesting, and doing good things with the school: it was on the up. Everyone in the Teddies community will have heard me speak about moral courage, and it was Neil who made me understand the value of this often overlooked attribute. Were you a model pupil? I think it’s fair to say that before I got into the Sixth Form I was relatively naughty – a little bit diffident and annoying, partly as a

result of having broken my leg very badly aged 15 and being off games for a year and a half. I was reasonably clever but didn’t apply myself quite as much as I should have done. Oversight of pupils was very different. We had a rich life that didn’t much involve Masters or organisation; we weren’t completely feral but there was a degree of freedom. I remember some of us entertaining ourselves at the expense of the fish in the House pond – we would catch one and manhandle it up to the Fourth Form dorm via a long line of boys, and then get it back down into the pond before it came to any harm. I also remember diving under beds to get out of trouble and scaling a drainpipe or two.

The Warden as a boy

What are your earliest memories of school? We moved around in the UK when I was very little, from Shropshire to Kidlington and then Abingdon, and then moved to the Far East when I was two and a half. My earliest memories of school are from when I was about three years old and attended Grace’s Kindergarten in Singapore – it was a blast. Travel was by minibus with all the doors open and no seat belts; I remember it as a wonderful way to get about but looking back through the health and safety conscious eyes of a modern-day Head, I suspect I could have fallen out at every turn. By the time I was five, I had moved on to RAF Seletar Junior School and I got there on a gharry . Singapore was a golden time even if my father was engaged in two small wars… My next memory is of a quite different journey to school – the long expedition from Yorkshire to Hurstpierpoint College in West Sussex in a grey flannel suit with my trunk and tuck box. I remember the feeling – almost certainly familiar to every new boarder then and now – of excitement mixed with nervousness. It was a long way from home; you could drive down in a day but you needed two days to get there and back. Where did you go next? I was awarded a scholarship to Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire and had the most fantastic five years there.

The Warden graduating from Durham University

8 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

The Warden on his travels

The emergence of great rock music provided the soundtrack to my school years. I spent a lot of time building a guitar and listening to Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Yes… I remember seeing Black Sabbath at the Southampton Gaumont in 1974 when I was 15. A few of us had a band in the Sixth Form and we were good enough to play gigs. We had a very pretentious name, Aylu, which we believed to be the Ancient Inca word for noblemen – to this day, I have no idea if this is true! Once in the Sixth Form I became a pillar of the school community. I had always been bright and I started working harder. I was a College Prefect, in the 2nd XV and spent a lot of time on the stage. I really enjoyed the responsibility that came with being in the Sixth Form and the privileges of being a Prefect: we were top of the school, had our own private dining room – we had dinner when everyone else had prep – and I was put in charge of various school facilities. I was one of those people who just ‘did stuff’ and got involved.

I was also asked to take the Head’s classes on occasion so it was an excellent taste of what was to come. I was only interested in two universities: Cambridge and Durham. I wasn’t too disappointed not to get into Cambridge because I had read so many good things about Durham. I got a place at Grey College and really looked forward to it. Did you have a gap year? I worked on a project at The Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough analysing the output of a computer combat model – the computer was the size of a house. The project was to help with the design of what eventually became the Eurofighter, Typhoon. It was well paid and a fascinating project but sitting in an office with three other people didn’t really suit my natural temperament. I was getting by, enjoying living in a slightly wacky household in Fleet, and then someone rang me up and asked if I wanted to teach Geography at the Prebendal School in Chichester, and I jumped at the chance.

This environment turned out to be much more suited to my outlook and disposition. I got involved in almost everything, teaching not just Geography, but Divinity, Latin, English, Maths, Science and Games, and I ran canoeing – a bit of a surprise as I had no qualifications at all. After the Prebendal experience I jumped on my bicycle with a friend and headed off to the South of Ireland, cycling from Hampshire to Swansea to catch the Cork ferry. Cycling is a wonderful way to travel and the pace allows you to really enjoy the surroundings and to stop and chat to people along the way. I spent several weeks cycling around Cork and Kerry and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Tell us about your time at Durham? I had a wonderful time. In those days, you generally travelled to university by yourself on the train – nowadays parents are much more involved – and I remember the spectacular view as I arrived at Durham

9 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

station. It is one of the most glorious cities in the country – you come in over the viaduct and there’s a wonderful view of the cathedral. I hopped onto the Grey College bus and headed straight for new boys’ tea (my college was all-male – most colleges were single-sex then) where I met the person who was to be our best man years later. Having been at boarding school, I felt at ease in the college environment and relished the social whirl of the first few days. I met what felt like a million people in the first 24 hours and many of them are still friends today. I threw myself into university life, joining the canoeing and fencing clubs. I won a fencing Palatinate (Durham’s version of a Blue) and was Captain and President of the Club. I trained with the College rugby club too but that was less successful. I took the lead role in Sartre’s Huis Clos and joined the committee of the Union Society where I was given the obscure title of Custodian which essentially meant being in charge of parties and the bar. It was tremendously good fun – there were endless bops, parties and balls. I met Katie who was in the year below me, so I remember it as a golden time. What about your academic work? I was studying Physics and Maths but within four weeks I realised this wasn’t quite right for me. I had been mildly interested in Philosophy at school, but never explored it properly, and I began to be intrigued

Stephen and Katie Jones By Chris Jones OSE, Chair of Governors

Leading a school in the 21st century can be extraordinarily stressful. Our 13th Warden, Stephen Jones, never let it show – his characteristic demeanour has been cheerful and optimistic, with ‘onwards and upwards’ a constant refrain. So I was taken aback a while ago when he made the only downbeat remark I ever heard him utter. We were talking about past Wardens and their legacies. ‘I suppose my legacy’, Stephen remarked somewhat ruefully, ‘will be all about these buildings.’ For once, Stephen is completely wrong. As a Christian and the husband of a priest he knows the difference between outward and visible signs and inward and spiritual truths. These physical developments signify something about Teddies and Stephen’s legacy in the summer of 2021, but they are just signs. They are not the thing itself. The qualities which he has brought to this School will be as enduring as any building. Under Stephen, the sense has grown that this is a school where exciting things are happening and where

here before. More and more pupils and parents want to be part of it. This Warden has been that paradoxical thing, an innovative traditionalist. He believes with all his heart in the basic ethos which has defined the best of British boarding education. He displays, and respects when he sees them in others, the values which are applauded less often in public discourse today – a respect for those who went before him, a willingness to see another’s point of view, courtesy, tolerance, humility, a strong tendency to forgive. These values parade less prominently on today’s bandwagons, but Stephen knows that they are the very foundations of a positive community for young people. One of Stephen’s most valuable gifts to the School has been Katie. She has had a far-reaching influence on us all. It really isn’t easy being the Warden’s other half (I mean any Warden, not just this one!). Katie fitted in like a glove, active in the religious life of the local community as well as the School, a constant presence for listening, for kindness, thoughtfulness, reassurance and shrewd but generous appraisal. She has played a truly significant part in making Teddies an ever stronger community. Notwithstanding our stunning new buildings, significant improvements in academic outcomes and pedagogical advances, Stephen and Katie’s most powerful legacy is a joyful and secure community of past, present and future pupils: thank you both so very, very much.

innovation is a daily fact of life. As a result, this place is a cornucopia of opportunities for our pupils. There is a palpable sense of specialness which wasn’t

This tribute is an extract from a speech given at a recent dinner (held in line with all guidance) hosted by the governors to celebrate the immeasurable contribution to St Edward’s of Stephen and Katie Jones, and former Bursar Stephen Withers Green and his wife Alison.

The Warden and Katie at a Summer Ball at Durham

10 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

by it again. I nearly swapped to History which seemed really interesting. But in the end, I added Philosophy to my Maths and Physics, which wasn’t strictly allowed or even possible – to make it work, the Master of my College, Syd Holgate, taught me Mechanics outside the timetable, which was unbelievably kind of him. At the end of the first year, I swapped to single honours Philosophy and ended up with a first. And what were your first thoughts about a career? I had a few ideas – I was interested in Nuclear Physics and thought I might like to work at CERN. I also thought about being a Naval or a Cavalry Officer, the latter because of the rather magnificent uniform! I also briefly thought about becoming a don but in fact my first job was teaching Maths at Orley Farm Prep School in Harrow. This set me on a path, and I went next to the Dragon, then to Cheltenham College, then I became Head of Maths at Berkhamsted, next a Housemaster at Radley and after that Headmaster at Dover College, where we were for seven years.

The Warden painting his mahogany clinker day boat, Delphis , with his son Max in 1990

What made you apply to St Edward’s?

Somehow it had always been part of my life. Both my Prep School Headmaster and my Headmaster at Lord Wandsworth had been at Teddies and always spoke highly of it. Top rugby teams at the Dragon played the Teddies Yearlings, and there was a highly-charged competitiveness on the rugby field between Teddies and Cheltenham when I was at the latter. When it was time for me to move on from Cheltenham, I sought the advice of the Head. I was thinking about Winchester or Teddies – what did he think? ‘Oh Teddies

The Warden with Max in 1987

11 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

is the place for you,’ he said, ‘Winchester is far too dry for your Celtic passion.’ Despite this unequivocal steer, there were no suitable positions at Teddies at the time, so I went off to Berkhamsted, but when the Wardenship came up in 2010, it instantly appealed to Katie and me. What have you enjoyed about being at Teddies? Above all, being part of a very special community. Watching the pupils grow and develop, and enjoying their performances in all areas – on the sports field, on the stage, in the classroom, on Teddies TV, in the community, in the recital room – has been truly moving, year after year. Our

pupils give me reasons to be proud of them every day, which is a tremendously nourishing experience. There are too many highlights for me to list but I do remember being exceptionally proud of our girls’ hockey team a few years ago. They were playing Oundle, who had in their team an unusually high number of tall, fast young women. Against the odds, the Teddies girls battled on and battled hard – they were phenomenally resilient, never giving up, demonstrating that ‘Teddies spirit’ which sits at the heart of our ethos. The emotional force of some of our bigger productions will stay with Katie and me for a long time. To see the Gaudy Marquee with a capacity crowd of over

800 people crammed in to watch the James Bond Dance Show was wonderful. Performances like this – and West Side Story was another – are vast undertakings, with the whole community coming together to produce something spectacular. For what would you like to be remembered? For having been at the helm of a great school and a great team who together have achieved something remarkable. Teddies is in a very good place. Thanks to the foresight and hard work of Matthew Albrighton and colleagues, we are at the vanguard of the national debate about education and assessment. We are bursting at the seams with more and more families

wanting the kind of education we offer. To meet the needs of our growing community, we’ve built inspiring, world-class facilities. We’ve made a huge success of the dual IB/A level programme, which is to the enormous benefit of our pupils. We’ve firmly embedded co-educational Houses as part of our offering and I have no doubt there is more to come in this important area. Over a decade, many people have worked hard in many areas, and I am truly pleased to be able to hand the School on to Alastair Chirnside in such good shape. What are you most looking forward to? Getting fitter! I’m looking forward to finding a new project, and to having more time for sailing if at all possible – the pipe dream is a 30-foot yacht in Milford Haven… That, above all, I have enjoyed the company of the pupils. They are young and lively and engaging – and funny and entertaining, always. Add to this the camaraderie amongst the staff and the senior team - there are good times and bad, inevitably, but, together, we have come through them all. Being a schoolmaster is a joyous thing and I have loved every minute. What are your final thoughts?

12 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Katie Jones What were your first impressions of Teddies a decade ago? An overwhelming sense of welcome – even when we spent the first two weeks living in the Health Centre whilst our house was being painted – cooking our food in the little kitchen and sleeping in the beds. The staff party just before the beginning of term gave us a chance to meet everyone and I realised just what a large community the Teddies family was – and how many children there were! You’ve had official and unofficial roles – tell us a bit about them. I would say that over the ten years we have lived at Teddies, I have mostly been involved in an unofficial capacity, supporting Stephen at as many events as possible and appreciating all the wonderful work that is done at School – by pupils, teachers and all the other staff (from gardens to dinners, logistics to cleaning). I have always been so proud that when people come to visit St Edward’s they receive a genuinely friendly welcome. As an Assistant Chaplain I have had the privilege of leading and sharing numerous Chapel services, helped prepare pupils for confirmation, baptised babies and married teachers and OSE. Most importantly I have held before God those who are in need of comfort and guidance and asked for His grace in their lives. What does Chapel bring to the life of the School? The Chapel is the beating heart of the school – sitting quietly in the corner of the Quad – its grey stone setting it apart from the red brick and the door always open during term time to welcome people. In recent months we have not been able to gather together in the usual way but next term I hope that pupils and staff alike will find that both when the Chapel is full of singing and prayer and also when it is a quiet refuge from the busyness of life, they can have a sense that God is present in this special place. Just as the clock ticks continuously in the tower, so Chapel reminds us that both as individuals and corporately we are held in His love, when we remember God and when we don’t!

The Warden said in his end of term letter that ‘Teddies is no ordinary school’ – what marks us out in your view? I haven’t asked what Stephen had in mind but I do know that Teddies feels like a very modern school educationally, built upon sound traditions that have stood the test of time. Pupils are expected to take responsibility for the way they approach their work but are given every resource and support to enable this to happen. I am often taken aback by the mature comments I hear from pupils about how to cope with a challenge, be it academic or personal – and I honestly wish I had known these methods when I was a young girl! What marks us out, too, is how unstuffy and inclusive we are. I find it hard to cope with arrogance and entitlement and it is heartwarming to witness frequent acts of kindness shown by older pupils to the young ones – that is a Teddies tradition worth keeping! What have you enjoyed most about your time at Teddies? Two things: the wonderful performances (in the broadest sense) of the pupils – there is no greater pleasure than seeing hard work and practice rewarded by presenting work, arts, sports or whatever it might be to an audience who appreciates it. I often think –

encouraged to take part in all the many activities on offer and that they will be included regardless of whether they are at the top of the tree or not. School is a time of discovery and our pupils have more opportunities than many and can make the most of the support that is given. What are your hopes for the School and its community in the future? Teddies is entering a very exciting phase – we now have wonderful facilities that will encourage everyone to study, explore and become fully rounded individuals with a heart for others. I hope that we continue to work in partnership with friends beyond our gates so that when Teddies pupils become OSE they will expect high standards of themselves and be encouraging and compassionate towards others.

‘my goodness I would never be able to do that now, let alone as a teenager’. The second is being part of a community that lives and works together for the those whose talents and skills may not be publicly appreciated and yet are vital to the wellbeing of so many others. What have you valued as a Teddies parent? I’ve loved being a parent here – being invited to concerts, plays, sports events – and yes, even parents’ meetings! There has always been a feeling that every child is common good relying on the selflessness of

13 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Natasha Townsend What do you do at Teddies and how long have you been here? I am the Rowing Coach for the senior girls. I started in March 2021. What did you do before? I’ve recently had two children, very close together: Bea is two and a half and Marli is one and a half, but before that I was Head of Rowing and a Deputy Day Housemistress in a Day House at Queen Anne’s School where I also taught Art. Tell us about your own education. I went to Newent Community School in Gloucester and then on to study Fine Art at the University of Reading. While I was teaching at Queen Anne’s School, I studied at Buckingham University where I completed my PGCE. Tell us about your own sporting history. I have been lucky enough to compete at two Olympics, Beijing and London, finishing in fifth place in the women’s eight on both occasions. You studied Fine Art and are an Olympian – how did you balance these two different disciplines? In truth, I found it quite tricky to manage both and I struggled transitioning from school to university, mainly because I had to be independent. I wish someone had given me a stern talking to and told me to study a bit harder! So, when I got the chance to go back to university to study for my PGCE, I grabbed it with both hands. Tell us about girls’ rowing at St Edward’s – what’s on the horizon? I am super excited about girls’ rowing at St Edward’s. They have so much potential! So far, I have been very impressed and I am positive that there are many exciting times to come. What have been the highlights of your Teddies career so far? Competing at National Schools’ and the Scullery - at National Schools, the girls’ quad placed ninth in the country from a field of 32 crews and at the Junior Scullery our Junior 16 double placed fourth. What’s your favourite sporting moment? It was at the World Championships in 2011 in Bled, Slovenia. It was the qualifying regatta for the London Olympics and we won a bronze medal. It was an amazing race, and the venue is gorgeous. I would definitely recommend that people go there for a visit! Are you still a practising artist? Yes, every now and then. Mainly for presents and I’ve painted a few things for my daughters’ bedrooms. I have also been commissioned to paint - which was very exciting but nerve- racking at the same time. Best advice you’ve ever been given? My favourite quote is by Michelle Obama: ‘Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.’

14 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Summer Days Beyond Teddies

Tom Gardiner and Ollie Arkell paddle along a sleepy Thames during high summer in an outing organised by Mr Clapham and, right, we catch up with two of our community partnership projects.

15 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Fun in the Sun St Edward’s is delighted to be partnering with Cutteslowe Community Association to help to fund science experiences and sports days for local children aged 16 and under as part of their ‘Summer Fun in the Sun’ programme over the

Photo by Jason Clapham

relationship with this important community group and look forward to working with Stephanie and the rest of the staff at CCA. We look forward to sharing more with you in the next edition of the Chronicle .

summer holidays. Staff, parents and pupils have also volunteered their time to support this exciting programme of free activities. Stephanie Jankovic, the manager of CCA, says of the partnership, ‘ The enthusiasm and support shown by St Edward’s for both our forthcoming programme of summer activities as well as our ongoing youth provision for children local to Cutteslowe and Sunnymead is fantastic.’ The Beyond Teddies team are excited about building a strong

Making a Musical The North Wall’s ArtsLab 2021 summer residency in July offered early career performers, designers, technicians and choreographers aged 18-25 a supportive space in which to experiment with ideas and create new work. Led by theatre makers Harry Blake and Jennifer Fletcher, the ensemble spent two weeks alongside The North Wall’s technical team developing and then performing a brand-new musical comedy. The residency was a resounding success. Becky Stockley, assistant choreographer, raved, ‘ArtsLab has provided a space for me to become more empowered in my creative practice. The team at The North Wall have gone above and beyond to make everyone feel confident and safe. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience!’ . The project was supported by St Edward’s, the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Cameron Mackintosh Fund for Contemporary Drama.

16 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Lisa More O’Ferrall What do you do at Teddies and how long have you been here? I am the Senior Nurse Manager at Teddies overseeing the Health Centre as well as working closely within the safeguarding team under Rachel Bellamy. I have been in post since September 2017. Tell us about the Health Centre team. We are a large team comprising 14 nurses, two accompanying adults and three administrative assistants. The nursing team is made up of individuals who have worked in a number of specialist areas before joining Teddies. Their skills are highly valued as they provide for the varied needs of our pupils. Their experience covers emergency care of minor injuries and illnesses, child development, vaccinology and mental health to name but a few. We also have two accompanying adults on the team, who take care of off-site appointments for boarding pupils, and three administrative assistants who liaise with doctors, parents, pupils, House staff and members of the clinical team. How have you all coped with the past 18 months? It has been challenging but we have remained calm through the difficult times, working cohesively within our own team but also as part of the wider school community. Communication has been key, particularly in our relationship with the local health protection team who have been very supportive, advising us how to implement national guidelines in our unique setting. What have been the greatest challenges? At the start of the pandemic the lack of access to testing meant that we were navigating very much in the dark. Having to rely on a set of symptoms which were relatively non-specific during a season when colds and flu are anticipated made this part of the pandemic enormously difficult. However, as more scientific data and tests became available the situation has been less frenetic. The biggest challenge has been having to adapt to the ever-changing national and international guidelines. Which moments will stay with you? Being able to open in September 2020 and to see our pupils return felt amazing. Whilst it was a very different start to our academic year, the positive attitude of all staff and pupils and the willingness to adapt to social distancing, one- way traffic, face masks, the endless hand sanitising/washing and House bubbles was inspiring and a true testament to what being part of the Teddies community is all about. The incredible mass-testing site that the Health Centre team ran successfully before Easter to facilitate the return to school after the January lockdown was another highlight – it was a monumental day.

17 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Learning to Lead The Sports Leaders' Programme By Ed Ellis, Sports Coach

This is the second year that our pupils have taken part in the Sports Leadership scheme. Last year 15 pupils achieved the Level 2 qualification in Community Sports Leadership and this year we will have 26 pupils, an equal number of boys and girls, who will have completed the course. Pupils are nominated by the Heads of Sport and then selected based on their enthusiasm and potential. Each term pupils taking the course must log a certain number of hours coaching junior teams in a sport of their choice - they are assessed twice during the course and then, finally, organise a tournament. This year we’ve seen pupils running rugby tournaments, tennis tournaments, Junior House girls’ hockey tournaments and cricket tournaments which have been hugely enjoyed by all involved. It’s been a brilliant way for the pupils to really integrate and get to know people from different year groups. The course not only allows pupils to develop valuable leadership and communication skills but also shows them ways in which they can continue to enjoy sport beyond School and prepares them to do further coaching, perhaps at local sports camps or clubs. We’ve seen pupils really grow in confidence within

Sports Leader Stanley Brown coaches a group of Shells

the programme – it really demonstrates to them how much knowledge they have acquired and how it can be applied. The academic year concluded with the Sports Leaders assisting at the inaugural U10 Summer Sports Festival, showcasing the very best of sport at Teddies.

Ed Ellis

Sports Leader Lily Ainsleigh Jones coaches from the net

18 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Global Citizens

This year saw a large increase in applications across the board with most US institutions reporting a 20% increase. New York University, for example, read over 100,000 applications for the first time in its history. Competition was fierce yet many current St Edward’s pupils and OSE received multiple offers. In recent years there has been a surge of interest in universities in North America and Canada as our pupils consider the type of further education which will best suit their diverse interests and skills and widen their nets accordingly. Steve Fenoglio, US Admissions Advisor, brings us up to date.

Athena Bonnefoy , The University of Virginia Milly Bracey OSE , University of Southern California Liia Ishmuratova , Parsons School of Design, New York Alexandre Jennison University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Cheyenne Rahimian , University of California, San Diego Sofiia Shapovalova , New York University (or possibly Imperial College) Nia Willis , Columbia, New York, and Trinity College Dublin, dual BA programme

Canadian universities were also a popular choice this year with McGill, University of British Columbia and University of Toronto all extending offers to our pupils. Among others, the following will take up places in the US and Canada this September:

Nia Willis with her Thomas Chamberlain Medal

New York University

Northeastern University, Boston

‘Well done to all applicants who put in long hours crafting inspiring personal statements and earning high marks in their studies. St Edward’s creates individuals who are ready to solve problems and contribute to society. International universities continue to value our approach to learning and personal development.’ Steve Fenoglio

19 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

When is a Shell not a Shell? By Will de St Croix OSE Last September I began my Freshman year at Northeastern University, Boston. It was all a bit of a whirlwind. I had planned a gap year after Teddies, but fate and the pandemic had other plans! In August I was approached by Northeastern University’s rowing coach, who offered me a rowing scholarship. The offer was too good to refuse. I arranged my visa, packed my bags and off I flew to Boston. Although there have been challenges along the way, the experience has been unforgettable. The great thing about a US university education is if you are undecided about your Major you can try out lots of different subjects in your Freshman year. The IB and my time at Teddies prepared me really well for this experience. I was well equipped to juggle a full-on academic timetable as well as a demanding rowing schedule, even during the pandemic. Despite the challenges of online learning and compliance with Covid regulations which included training wearing masks, I have completed my Freshman year and have decided to major in Business and Psychology. As for rowing, I have trained throughout and recently raced on the Charles River,

Milly Bracey tells us more about her experience: ‘I was offered places at McGill, the University of

Southern California (USC), Tufts and the Universities of California at Berkeley, San Diego and Santa Barbara. I chose USC because I was accepted onto their Thematic Option program which only admits the top 4% of the year so that was really appealing. It means that I can study honours-level interdisciplinary courses taught around distinct themes. They also have a fantastic film school, an area I’m really interested in. I will be double-majoring in Classics and English, with a minor in Screenwriting and Film Studies. 

which is enormous. The sports facilities have been brilliant. My crew won highly competitive races against the Universities of Syracuse, Wisconsin and Boston. I strongly encourage anyone at Teddies who wants to pursue their sporting passion to take a look at what US universities have to offer. I have had an amazing time and am looking forward to my Sophomore year. By the way, a shell is a rowing boat over here!

Parsons School of Design, New York

20 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Dennis Victory What do you do at Teddies and how long have you worked here? I’ve been here for 10 years. I started off just teaching breakdancing on Monday evenings as it was different from the hip-hop that was being done at the time. It was so successful that Lisa Elkins (Head of Dance) and I decided to introduce a few more styles and I started teaching funk fusion which is a mixture of street, hip-hop and breakdance. It’s been hugely popular and I now teach at Teddies three days a week, teaching breakdance, funk fusion and acrobatics. Tell us a bit about your training and career. I started off doing talent competitions at the age of six, went to stage school at eight, started performing at nine and was in the West End by the time I was 12, doing shows like Bugsy Malone and working at the National Theatre. I did my first TV series when I was 15 and my first commercial at 18. I juggled both TV and theatre over the next two decades. I spent a lot of my 20s doing TV work and a lot of my 30s on the West End. About 12 years ago I bumped into Lisa, who I went to stage school with, when I was doing a panto in Windsor. We got talking and I ended up here. What do you enjoy about choreographing and teaching Dance at Teddies? I teach both at Teddies and at a performing arts school. The mentality at a performing arts school is so pressurised, it’s all about career as a performer, whereas I love working at Teddies as the pupils mainly dance for the sheer joy of it. The pupils here are so supportive of each other and the shows have just been brilliant, they’ve grown now to the extent that they are now unbeatable year after year - we just try to do something new each time. What makes Dance so popular at Teddies? It’s a great release of energy and stress. I’ve seen kids come out of mock exams and come in and scream ‘Let’s do a warm up!’ and want to crack on with choreography. Which dancers inspire you? When I was young I wanted to tap like Sammy Davis Jnr and I enjoyed picking up choreography from Gene Kelly. Kelly is a left-handed choreographer which made it easy to copy things over onto the right. My first talent shows when I was six were doing impressions of Michael Jackson who has remained one of my inspirations. Best advice about dance and performance that you’ve ever been given? Bernie Clifton once said to me, ‘Never read reviews! It’s just someone else’s opinion’. Now so much of media is online I think it’s even more important. There are so many anonymous trolls and uninformed people spreading unpleasantness which is best ignored.

21 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Books, Bequests and Buildings In conversation with Malcolm Oxley By Sarah Eldred, Head Librarian When Malcolm Oxley came to visit the School and the new Christie Centre we sat together in the Oxley Library, a room named for Malcolm after his extraordinary Teddies career and his generous bequest of over 4,300 books to the School, and it was my pleasure to interview him. I showed him one of our most precious books, the Luttrell Psalter, donated by an OSE, and although we knew it was a facsimile, we couldn’t help but check for the mysterious snails that turn up from time to

time in the margins of ancient manuscripts. We discussed the books bequeathed to the School and I was keen to hear his thoughts on the new space and how it compared to what he remembered of the Library from his many years at St Edward’s.

We started our discussion remembering Malcolm’s time at Teddies and what he did upon leaving. He arrived in 1962 when Frank Fisher was Warden, appointed to teach History to Sixth Form boys. Later his remit expanded to include Applied Economics, English, Religious Studies and Art History. He was also Director of Studies, Second Master and a Housemaster during his long and distinguished career. Chair of Governors Chris Jones OSE and Blair Worden OSE said in their joint postscript to the School’s History, written by Malcolm and published to coincide with the School’s 150th anniversary, ‘Oxley, who taught at St Edward’s for about a quarter of its 150

had just about mastered slides when they brought in PowerPoint!

years, had an influence on the School perhaps as great as that of any member of the Common Room throughout its history.’ Malcolm: Provided you don’t get me near languages or numbers then I’m all right! I taught less as I became more and more senior. I was a Housemaster of Segar’s for 12 years and for my last 14 years I was Second Master (Sub-Warden). I was here for 38 years. We all retired at around 60 at that time so when I left I started leading cultural tours around Europe and I started teaching adult education courses in Leeds in History and Art History and I did that until about four years ago. I

Although Malcolm no longer teaches he stays active, reading from his extensive personal collection and writing articles based on his research. He is also organising a conference about the Oxford Movement alongside three Oxford University dons which was due to take place last year but had to be postponed owing to lockdown. As the current Head Librarian I was keen to hear about the history of Teddies Library and I asked Malcolm if he could remember who any of the Librarians were when he was at the School – or indeed, if they actually had one!

22 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Malcolm: That’s a good question which I can only partly answer. When I arrived to settle in it was about a week before term began in September ’62. The Head of History, John Todd, who was a formidable character, said, ‘You will come to the library with me every day for the next two or three days because we’re going to sort out the History section. There’s a lot of rubbish in it, but there’s also a lot of stuff we need and we’re going to go through it all’. So we did start on that, and the History section was already pretty good but the rest of the Library appeared a little thin. At the time it was in the Memorial Building, erected as a Memorial Library for the Second World War. The famous scandal of the time (possibly an urban myth) was that Animal Farm by George Orwell had been filed in the agricultural section! Then we moved the Library into Big School and John Todd ran it. He put in an enormous amount of work to classify the books by the Dewey Decimal System and after John left we always appointed a professional Librarian. Of course, talking about the Library in general turned our minds to the new building and, with Malcolm’s name on a

books to the School and donating many to charity shops. To put that in context, our school library collection is around 11,000 so you really do have rather a lot of books. Malcolm: I’m a little bit undiscriminating, that is my problem. That’s where the bibliomaniac tendencies come in! In 2018, Malcolm bequeathed over 4,300 books to the school, the majority of which are Art History books. Malcolm hopes the collection might be used by Teddies scholars when writing their Sixth Form Extended Essays and Extended Project Qualifications. As Head Librarian I hope to build upon this and encourage not just pupils and staff to use the collection but also to invite visiting scholars from universities and other schools to come and make use of the books. For the collection he selected books which he felt held educational value and included various sets and collections on artists, eras or locations such as the city of Mantua or the artists Fra Filippo Lippi and John Constable. His interest in Art History developed from a love of architecture which engrossed him from a young age.

plaque outside the door, I wanted to find out his impressions of the space.

Malcolm: It’s wonderful, very good indeed, very impressive, a lot of thought has gone into it and that’s marvellous. And of course I’m very flattered to have it named after me! My only worry about it would be nothing to do with the architecture and design but the use. The only problem we had when I was teaching was getting the pupils to work by themselves in unsupervised study periods. I read in the Chronicle about all the curriculum changes and I will be very interested to see the impact of the new buildings on the academic culture.

Sarah: I think it’s safe to say you have a huge love of and appreciation for books.

Malcolm: Oh yes, I would almost say a hunger for books! I’m a collector of books. The term is bibliomaniac. Sarah: Yes, I’ve seen your full collection, it’s extensive – around 16,000 books if I remember rightly – and that’s AFTER you reduced your collection by bequeathing

The Oxley Library in the new Christie Centre