The Chronicle, Summer 2019

1 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE CHRONICLE SUMMER 2019 | VOLUME XXXIX | NUMBER 679

Raising the Roof Topping out the new Library and Academic Centre

Life in Harmony Getting to the heart of things with the Head of Pupil Wellbeing

Shaken and Stirred James Bond brings a dash of intrigue to an effervescent Gaudy Week

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Word from the Warden Find out more Enjoy extra snippets of news by following our Twitter accounts: @TeddiesOxford @TeddiesSport It is always astonishing that our pupils and staff are able to mount such a shimmering summer powerful, thrilling races at Henley Royal Regatta, and the 1st XI a glorious week of cricket.

festival at the end of the busy exam term. Under the virtuoso direction of Mr Tester, Gaudy Week is ever expanding in terms of scope and outlook. Alongside the traditional highlights at School, this year’s programme saw a magnificent concert in one of Oxford’s great venues, the 300-year-old Sheldonian Theatre, the Assembly Room of the University of Oxford designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It was a superb occasion: see pictures in our Gaudy spread from page 22, and in our Gaudy video on the website. The geographical reach of Gaudy Week went well beyond Oxford this year. Mr Albrighton and Mr Strachan led a walk in the Chilterns, and Mr Clapham organised an engrossing cultural tour of London, which took in another Wren masterpiece, the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, along with Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery and David Mamet’s Bitter Wheat at the Garrick Theatre. At School, the traditional favourites were as wonderful as ever. The Bond-themed Dance Show played to an audience of more than 800 in the Marquee and was truly spectacular, with over 80 talented dancers bringing the elegance and glamour of international espionage to life – under the watchful eye of Fergus Flory as a sharp- suited Mr Bond. The Art, Drama, Music and Academic events were equally impressive and, on the sporting front, our 1st VIII gave us three

As you will see from the splendid photograph on the cover, the Quad Development is progressing well. Sixth Former Alicia Bouaziz reports on the topping out ceremony, Teddies-style, on page 5, and you can see early designs for the ground floor café and social learning space on page 7. Elsewhere, you can find out more about our three new HMs – Clare Hamilton in Apsley, Jonathan Burbidge in Sing’s and Lucy Hamblin- Rooke in Corfe – to whom we extend a very warm welcome, and you can discover what influences and inspires our Art teachers in a feature from page 16. Of course summer wouldn’t be summer without exam results. Congratulations to our IB pupils whose impressive results were published in July. Particularly notable were Ilana Cope with 44 points and Tim Hohage with 43; read more about the IB results on page 4. Both Ilana and Sybilla Hamilton achieved the points they required to take up their places at Cambridge – we wish them and all our outgoing pupils the very best of luck as they prepare for next steps or await A Level results. Best of luck too to our GCSE pupils for their results day in a few weeks. Enjoy the rest of the summer and I look forward to seeing you in September.

@BeyondTeddies @TeddiesRowing @TeddiesKendall @TeddiesCorfe @TeddiesJubilee @TeddiesMacs @TeddiesCowells @TeddiesSegars

St Edward’s School is registered in England and Wales as a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered No. 116784.

@TeddiesField @TeddiesOak @TeddiesTillys @TeddiesApsley Or follow us on Instagram: stedwardsoxford and teddies_sings Facebook St Edward’s, Oxford Registered Office: Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 7NN. Registered Charity No. 309681.

The front cover shows pupils reviewing their photos of the Rock on the Roof event held to mark progress on the Quad Development. See page 5 for a full report.

Stephen Jones

Mark Douet

Eyes left

Chris Jones, Chair of Governors, Guest of Honour, Pippa Bennett-Warner OSE and the Warden enjoy the jolly speech by outgoing Heads of School Annabel MacDonald-Smith and Toby MacLachlan at Gaudy

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Class of 2019

Anna Cole

Shell Trip to Brecon Evie Faber, Lettie Neame, Sophia Majzub, Seva Khusid, Ella Mival, Sybilla Hamilton, Lucy Hope, Barnaby Singfield, Charlie Gosling, Mehrshad Shahabi and Will Monks at the hugely entertaining leavers’ photo at the end of term

Nick Coram-Wright

Pictured are, among others, Elise Rance, Freddie Boanas, Ted Cole, Jack Hemmings, Omar Termanini, Cosmo Prior, Oliver Sedgwick, Joseph Osei, Leon Gurel and Miss Moss in the Brecon Beacons in June

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Our largest ever IB cohort produced a strong set of results in July, with 87% of all Higher Level grades at Levels 7-5. More than half (53%) of all Higher Level grades were at the very top end at Levels 7/6. Overall, 28% of pupils achieved 37 points or more, equivalent to a string of A* and A grades at A Level. The average point score was 33.6. IB Diploma Results

The following achieved outstanding results: Ilana Cope , 44 points, Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, Robinson College, Cambridge, after a gap year Tim Hohage , 43 points, Engineering at a university in Germany after a gap year Sybilla Hamilton , 42 points, Modern and Medieval Languages, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Kyla Haslett-Hawkins , 42 points, Law at Durham Kais Mussa , 42 points, Columbia University, USA Michael Proskuryakov , 41 points, University of Virginia, USA Alice Isola , 40 points, will apply for English after a gap year Pippa Smith , 40 points, Law at Bristol Octavia Hamilton , 39 points, will study History and Modern Languages after a gap year Anish Mehta , 39 points, will apply to study Medicine Josh Moore , 39 points, Dentistry at Cardiff Bianca Pigorini , 39 points, destination tbc Maria Gorovater , 38 points, will study Geography at a destination tbc Henry Parsons , 38 points, English and Spanish at Bristol after a gap year Arkadiy Petrov , 38 points, destination tbc Izzy Degroot , 37 points, will apply to study Medicine Evie Faber , 37 points, English and Philosophy at Edinburgh Hattie Harries-Jones , 37 points, Business and Management at Durham Lucy Hope , 37 points, destination tbc Charlie Lappin , 37 points, Philosophy at Bristol Charlie Watson , 37 points, destination tbc Please note that the above is based on the latest information available at the time of going to press. Re-marks may be applied and university choices are subject to change. Please let the Communications team know of any updates at vanderheident@stedwardsoxford.org .

Ilana Cope

Tim Hohage

Sybilla Hamilton

Michael Proskuryakov and Kais Mussa

The Warden said, ‘We are delighted to see so many pupils achieve such high marks. Beyond these stellar results, countless more pupils worked extremely hard and were rewarded with the results they need to attend top universities in the UK and overseas. I wish all our outgoing Upper Sixth the very best, whatever their plans, and I look forward to welcoming them back as OSE in the coming years.’

Kyla Haslett-Hawkins

Pippa Smith

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Rock on the Roof ‘Topping out’ the Quad Development By Sixth Former Alicia Bouaziz

In June, as many pupils and staff as the site team could accommodate were invited up to the top floor of what will become the new Library to see the facilities taking shape. It is usual to mark reaching the highest point of a new building with a ‘topping out’ ceremony. Often these occasions feature the laying of a brick or similar but given the range of creative talent available in School, it was decided to give the event a Teddies twist – and so Rock on the Roof was born. The Catering Department provided delicious canapés and rock shandies (keeping the theme going…) to make the event a special one. It was fascinating to see how much progress had been made and it was wonderful

The ‘rock’ came in the shape of a guest appearance by popular pupil band, the Sofa Heads, featuring Oscar Ross on vocals and Joel Lytton Cobbold on guitar. Their soulful, expressive performance of two songs they had composed themselves, Walk and Talk and Countryhousecatman , brought originality to

the occasion and the music was a fitting prelude to the Warden’s talk about the building’s future. He explained that we were standing in the middle of what would become the elegant Reading Room, looking down on the emerging first floor of the Library where pupils would be able to share ideas and study together. Matthew Albrighton, Deputy Head Academic, spoke next praising the ‘wonderful teamwork’ that it had taken to reach this point. When I interviewed the head architect, Nick Hardy from TSH Architects, I asked him what was behind the design of the Development as a whole. He explained that the Library and Reading Room had been inspired by the libraries of Oxford University and that the oval shape of the Hall was intended to represent the inclusiveness of the Teddies community.

to be able to appreciate the structure of the buildings from the inside.

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Next year’s Head Girl, Gwendoline Davenport, said, ‘It’s all very exciting. We are so lucky to be able to see the building emerging before our very eyes and I cannot wait to see it all complete.’ Isaac Brennan, Head of House in Sing’s next year, commented, ‘As much as it’s a shame that we will not experience this building ourselves, it is undoubtedly an exciting development for the School and it will be great to be able to come back to see it as an OSE.’ Overall, Teddies pupils are very eager for the building works to be finished so that we can enjoy this wonderful new space. Clockwise: the Reading Room; Alicia interviews Nick Hardy from TSH Architects; an artist’s impression of the ground floor café and social study area; the Sofa Heads rocking the roof; and an artist’s impression of the new Hall.

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TSH Architects

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Celia Hodgson OSE

Lucy Hamblin-Rooke What will you be doing at Teddies from September? I will be HM of Corfe, teaching Physical Education and Head of Netball.  Tell us a bit about your career so far. I’ve taught at Pangbourne College for the last nine years where I was also Head of Girls’ Games for a period. I was an Assistant HM too and for the last three years, I was HM of a girls’ boarding house.  Tell us about your partner. Jack and I have been together for eleven years; he is a tailor and a keen sportsman. At every opportunity, Jack will be supporting Teddies from the side of a pitch! We are very much looking forward to starting a new chapter of our lives together at Teddies. What made you want to work at Teddies? Teddies is a school that I have always approach to education is an ethos that caught my eye - I cannot wait to get stuck in. What are you most looking forward to in your new role? I am really looking forward to getting to know the girls, their parents and the house staff in Corfe. I am passionate about inspiring girls and giving them the support and guidance they need to be the best they can be. What other areas of school life will you be involved in? I will be coaching hockey, netball and tennis. On top of this I will be making sure I support the girls in all areas of the co- curricular programme.  Best advice you’ve ever been given? There are two pieces of advice that I have been given that stand out for me right now: every so often, put yourself out of your comfort zone to experience something new, as you will gain a lot from it; and secondly, find the positives in every situation: your attitude and the way you look at life can have a huge impact on how you lead your life. admired and I couldn’t miss the opportunity when the role of HM became available. The all-round

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Being and Doing Well Debra Clayphan added the new role of Head of Wellbeing to her existing position of Head of Learning Development at the start of the academic year. We caught up with her to find out what the new role entails, how it sits alongside Learning Development and what our coaching culture means for our pupils.

Christopher Cornwell

How do your two roles fit together? Developing a young person’s learning depends on their wellbeing. Happy young people will be productive young people. Wellbeing may seem a new buzz word but it’s not really new. Pastoral care has always been important, particularly here at Teddies.

university places and top results, and they face other pressures such as the constant presence of social media in their lives. There is a great deal for them to navigate during their teenage years. High expectations can be a force for good, of course. We believe that every single one of our pupils can achieve great things if they take responsibility for their learning, engage in their lessons and work hard. However we must not let their lives become unbalanced; we must not let them think that they are valued for what they achieve, rather than who they are.

So what’s the thinking behind the new role?

Young people face more and more pressures in today’s world. There are higher expectations of them in the race for

Debra Clayphan

Flora Welchman, Niamh Brown, Anna West, Nellie Needham and Ruby Faulkner

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Tell us a bit about your approach to Learning Development? I’ve always known that young people can do amazing things. Here at Teddies, pupils regularly join us with a learning profile that might suggest that they will find academic work really challenging. Through our very deliberate and carefully planned Learning Development programme, all of these young people are encouraged to discover coping strategies to help them overcome these challenges. We actively manage against what I call ‘learned helplessness’. Taking a pupil out of lessons for one-to-one support is something many families expect if they have experienced it elsewhere. This is not how we do things here at Teddies. All our teachers are skilled at meeting the needs of all the pupils in their classroom, whatever their challenges. Our approach is very different to that of other schools in our sector. We never have Learning Support lessons – we don’t need to: we have good tutoring and good teaching. Parents are often surprised initially, but we have a conversation and they generally understand and support

what are you going to do for my child? After our conversation, they understand that we will be helping their daughter or son to find their own strategies and to be resilient. Once they leave school, they won’t have a Learning Development team to fall back on, and we want to make sure they go out into the world ready to embrace all that it has to offer. We’re not teaching our pupils how to cope – but how to thrive. Our approach is much more about the pupil’s approach to his or her learning than about perceived difficulties. I work with Special Educational Needs Coordinators at our feeder schools – we explain our model, and we demonstrate that it is working. Since we stopped taking pupils out of lessons for one-to-one support some five years ago, our results have gone up, not down. Is the coaching culture important in this context? It’s absolutely vital. It’s another area I manage, and it’s the forum for so much that is important about our culture. It’s where relationships are formed, where productive and supportive conversations happen and where advice and guidance can be tailored exactly to the needs of the individual pupil.

In general, coaching means having conversations that encourage the individual pupil (or member of staff) to think through their own workload and challenges, and to find solutions for themselves. What went well in your test and what didn’t go well? How could you have done things differently? What steps are you going to put in place this week to work towards a different outcome next time? These are the kind of conversations, full of open questions and active listening, that prompt young people to be self-aware and to make the right decisions. It’s not always easy, but they are surrounded by people who can help them at every stage. A pupil came to me recently ahead of the end-of-year exams and said, ‘Miss, I don’t know how to revise.’ I asked lots of questions and it became clear that in fact, she did know how to revise. So then we moved on to working out what was stopping her from revising. In her case, it emerged that anxiety about exams was having a paralysing effect on her work. We worked out a practical, day-by-day programme to ensure that she started to Can you give us some examples of what you mean?

our culture. Some parents start the conversation with a challenge to us:

Will Griffiths

Appointed after a rigorous selection process, Peer Listeners for 2019/20 are: Niyaz Kanayev, Katya Jacobs, Billy Sallitt, Charlie Woodall, Mfon Awak-Essien, Samuel Newman, Hamish Smart, Olivia Heath, Aimée Joubert, Bunny Lytle, Phoebe Forbes and Alexandra Herrtage

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tick off her revision topics. Over time, her fear of failure diminished as the amount of ground she’d covered grew. The skill as a coach is to help pupils to get to the absolute heart of the issue, to isolate it from all its attendant emotions, and to help them find that first pragmatic step out of the quagmire. Of course, we as coaches must stay on top of things. It’s important to hold the pupil accountable for their own plans – are they sticking to the timetable? There are often setbacks along the way, things don’t always run smoothly. But we are prepared for that. These are the teenage years, after all. Can you give us another example? A few years ago, a new Sixth Former joined us with debilitating mental health issues. He was incredibly bright but very anxious. Even tiny incidents or minor setbacks could overwhelm him. In coaching terms, I believed that he had the capacity to tackle his anxiety within himself. Together, we developed a sequence for managing that surge of anxiety, about analysing the reality of the situation – if this test doesn’t go well, are there really any long-term consequences? We encouraged him to talk to friends and other staff so the worry wasn’t all bottled up. It’s about finding a coping strategy. For him, the anxiety will probably always be there on some level, but there are ways of dealing with it. This particular pupil had enormous determination. I was really impressed with the way in which he addressed his anxiety. In situations such as this, and in so many similar situations, the coaching methodology can be transformational. In this area, I work very closely with the Deputy and Assistant Pastoral Heads, James Cope and Rachel Bellamy. We’ve just carried out our first wellbeing survey (organised by Gemma Ferrier in the Health Centre) with all pupils and we look forward to sharing the results in the autumn. An important element of our wellbeing framework is our team of Peer Listeners, Sixth Formers trained to provide a listening ear and to know when further help is needed. These pupils apply for the Tell us a bit more about the wellbeing agenda.

role and are vital members of our teenage community – they are role models, and can do much to shape our culture. Our Peer Listeners understand life from the pupils’ point of view and they often have

brilliant ideas for making a difference. They recently organised a focus week on ‘healthy relationships’, and they work very closely with House Matrons to be the eyes and ears on the ground.

Noah Wilmot, Ben Wright and Oli Degroot

Olivia Johnson, Zoe Forbes and Philippa Koh

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Heads of School and Prefects

Christopher Cornwell

Prefects for the academic year 2019/20 are Alessandro Corrias, Aniella Weinberger, Carlo Graeser (Head of School), Caris Baker, Eva Livingstone, Ella Leeson, Ferdi van der Heiden, Helena Beccle, Gwendoline Davenport (Head of School) and Giles Wordsworth

Trading Places In June, three pupils joined us from the Doon School in Dehradun, India, to spend the second half of term at Teddies. We find out below what our visitors most enjoyed about their short stay in OX2. Shivya Majumdar Living in a country that I have never been to before and attending a school which is very different from my own school in India was a fantastic experience. I chose History of Art, a subject I wasn’t familiar with, and learned about many topics ranging from Florentine sculptures and paintings to the diversity of Pop Art. During my Music lessons, I learned various ways to improve my playing and even tried my hand at the harp! I will definitely miss being a part of Avenue. The bright and warm ambiance of the House along with the kindness of the girls and staff was something that truly

Raghav Kediyal I really enjoyed the luscious green grounds that sprawl over countless acres. I also enjoyed the visits I went on to Garsington Opera and to some of the Oxford colleges - I will forever cherish these memories. There are a great many differences between the Doon School and St Edward’s: we aren’t allowed phones, home clothes or food from outside school and the Doon is an all-boys’ boarding school with the exception of a few girls whose parents are teachers.

made me feel at home. Both the pupils and teachers at Teddies are very welcoming and, thanks to them, I never felt out of place. Aryaman Khosla Being allowed to go into Summertown every day or into Oxford at weekends is so important, because it stops people feeling like they’re in a bubble or cut off from the real world. During my stay, everyone was so supportive and welcoming, and I’ve made some really great friends who I’ll miss dearly. From helping me out with my schedule and routine to just showing me a really great time, I’m extremely grateful to all the people who made my stay here what it was. I want to specially thank my Housemaster, Mr Palferman, who was always helping me out and making me feel welcome. Lastly, I want to thank everyone in Cowell’s Lower Sixth for making my stay so amazing, both in School and outside. ​I was lucky to meet such a great bunch of people and experience Teddies with them. ​

Shivya Majumdar, Aryaman Khosla and Raghav Kediyal

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Christopher Cornwell Will Webb OSE

Scholarships 2019 Shell Scholarships and Exhibitions The Brewer Williams Academic Scholarship Kira Wolcough ( Pinewood ) The Lord Halifax Academic Scholarship George Freeland ( Cheam ) The Lord Egerton Scholarship for Classics Douglas Campbell ( St Hugh’s ) The Douglas Bader Scholarship for Leadership Kira Wolcough All-Rounder Scholarship Kira Wolcough ( Pinewood ) All-Rounder Exhibitions Oliver Gurney

Sport Exhibitions Tessa Challis ( Godstowe ) Dylan Driscoll ( Wheatley Park School ) Charlie Jones ( St Neot’s ) Charles Mason ( Moulsford ) Phoebe West ( Winchester House ) Art Exhibition Evie McGill ( St Hugh’s )

( The Beacon ) Matilda Ross

( Pinewood ) Academic Exhibitions

( Oxford High School ) Cameron Thomas ( Godstowe ) Jack Wood ( St Hugh’s ) Drama Exhibitions Angus Hayes ( Fulham School ) Millie Jones ( St Hugh’s ) Dance Exhibition Sadie Newman ( Notting Hill & Ealing High School ) Sixth Form Scholarships and Exhibitions Academic Scholarship Mashia Jaafari ( Milton Keynes Academy ) Sport Scholarships Caitlin Adams ( Formby High School ) Millie Holme ( The Buckingham School ) Edward Sanderson ( The Cherwell School ) Sport Exhibition Eliot Hyman ( Abingdon ) Drama Exhibition Nia Willis ( Headington )

Shell scientists produced a wonderfully creative collection of models for a display in the foyer of the Ogston Life Sciences Building – stop by to enjoy them if you can

Tom Bailey ( Brockhurst ) Elliot Coakes ( Twyford School ) Prisca Olagunju ( Cottesmore ) Music Scholarships

William Allen ( The Dragon ) Michael Hirst

( The Pilgrims’ School ) Music Exhibitions Elliot Coakes ( Twyford School ) Algy Low ( Hill House School ) Sport Scholarships Honor Kidd-May ( The Dragon ) Buster Relton ( Caldicott ) Jack Routledge ( St Andrew’s Pangbourne ) Matthew Sell ( Fortismere School ) Lysander Tarrant ( The Cotswold School ) Annabel Todd ( Brockhurst )

Headteacher Jonathan Willis serves up an end-of-term BBQ for pupils at neighbouring Northern House Primary – lunches are supplied daily to the school by the Teddies Catering Department

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Becoming a Mission-led School By English Teacher Lauren Bray

In April, we were fortunate enough to host guest speaker Julian Astle, Director of Creative Learning and Development at the Royal Society of Arts. Astle has worked as Deputy Director of the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit and as Senior Policy Advisor to the previous Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg. Astle has also worked as a Post-Conflict Advisor to the British government in Whitehall, and to the United Nations in Bosnia and Kosovo. Invited to speak at St Edward’s as part of our academic inset programme, Astle delivered a compelling argument for the importance of becoming a ‘Mission-led School’. 

Since starting work here at St Edward’s in September of last year, I have experienced first-hand the philosophy which Astle articulates. Teddies is already a school which seeks to educate the whole child. Our classrooms are centres of open debate and discussion; we are creative, expressive and forward thinking. Our pupils are challenged and in turn they challenge others – in lessons, on the sports fields and in houses – ideas are shared, evaluated and developed. Exam grades are important, but we acknowledge that they are a fundamentally reductive metric – our true measure, as Astle believes, is how well prepared our school leavers are for the challenges of further study, employment and life in the modern world. Because of this, we do not ‘teach-to-the-test’ but beyond, igniting curiosity and encouraging ambition. This is not to say that our mission is achieved; as a school and as individual educators we must continue to adapt to the ever-changing world beyond our walls – the educational landscape is always evolving, our role is not to catch up but to lead the way.

Astle’s solution was clear - in an era of change, instability and polarisation, schools need to take brave decisions about what and indeed how they teach children. These decisions start with a mission. But what does a school with a mission look like? For Astle the answer is as simple as it is complex: a school with a mission is a school which has a clear shared purpose and a set of established values that converge to create a distinct identity.

Christopher Cornwell

Lauren Bray

Opening his discussion, Astle painted a picture of the world our current school leavers are about to enter. He spoke of the post-truth age, the rise of angry populism and the advent of the intelligent machine. In Astle’s view, liberal democracy and truth are under threat and education must provide a defensive vanguard. For Astle, the measure of a school should no longer, and perhaps should never have been, performance numbers gathered from high-stakes tests in “subjects that count” but a judgment on how well schools are providing a “complete and generous” education. This considered, we must confront the central question: how are we preparing our pupils to engage with, survive and improve the global landscape Astle describes? If public debates are dominated by the ‘deliberately offensive and the easily offended’ - how do we give our students a voice which will be heard? How do we equip them with the tools required to assess new information with both a critical and open mind?

Will Griffiths

Matthew Albrighton, Deputy Director Academic, and Julian Astle

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Christopher Cornwell

Ashleigh Eaton What do you do at Teddies?

regularly attend courses in new food trends, and many have progressed from working in the plate wash area to having completed their NVQ Level 3 as a chef. What are you looking forward to about the facilities in the new Quad Development? Working on the design for the new Sixth Form Common Room, Cooper’s, was really enjoyable and the space has been a great success. We’re really looking forward to launching another new catering area where we can continue to extend the range of food choices for our pupils (see page 7). What sort of events do you manage? I’m very involved in the operational organisation of events such Open Day and Gaudy. During Gaudy Week, we send a team to Henley Royal Regatta for our famous lunch and tea events in the Cricket Club to which former pupils beat a path every year in search of Head Chef Ralph’s monkfish and rosemary kebabs. What do you like about working at Teddies? It’s such a beautiful place – and I love seeing the pupils develop throughout their time with us. There’s always something new to get involved in. We provided catering at Blenheim Triathlon this year to support the staff and OSE teams, and we served canapés on the building site for the recent Rock on the Roof event (see page 5). In the past, we’ve organised a dinner on The North Wall stage and another in The Ogston Music School. And a new addition to our calendar is the Steeplechase Tea hosted by the Friends of St Edward’s, which is always a really lovely afternoon involving the whole school. We also play our part in the local community by providing 120 lunches daily to our neighbours at Northern House, a primary school for children with emotional and learning difficulties (see page 13). We cook Christmas lunch for them every year which the pupils enjoy in the Teddies Dining Hall – always a very lovely occasion. Who is your favourite cook? Rick Stein.

I’m the Domestic Bursar which means that I oversee the Catering Department, Domestic Services and Lettings, the international summer schools we host during the Easter and summer holidays. How long have you been here and what did you do before? I’ve been at Teddies for 10 years. Before that, I ran catering facilities at heritage sites such as the Ashmolean and Stonehenge. Tell us a bit more about running a catering operation for a largely teenage community. Food is incredibly important to our pupils of course! In keeping with wider food trends, we’ve increased the range of salads available and we’ve also introduced a tasty range of lighter options on the deli bar. We’re always looking to broaden our pupils’ tastes too. Some of the newer additions to the menu are among our most popular: prawn curry and salmon niçoise, for instance. We cater daily for a range of different nutritional needs – from elite athletes who need protein and carbs, to Shells who crave the familiar. We also make provision for a variety of special diets including gluten-free, vegan, Halal and dairy-free. We play our part in safeguarding too – my staff can be the first to notice that a pupil isn’t eating properly. We are wired into the pastoral network Beyond the pupils, you run a varied operation – what else do you cover? On top of the regular 2,000 meals a day for the school community, we also enjoy providing food for a whole host of events including House dinners, fundraising balls, sports teas, canapé receptions, fine dining and the occasional wedding for OSE. Does the fact that you’re in a school make a difference to the catering operation? It does in the sense that education is everywhere and we believe in educating and developing our teams. Our chefs

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The Fine Art of Teaching

In April, The North Wall hosted an exhibition of work by our talented Art teachers, all of whom are practising artists and makers. We caught up with a few of them to find out more about their life, work and inspiration at Teddies and beyond.

Savanna

Adam Hahn Head of Art

What is your discipline? I’m a portrait artist working with oil on canvas.

Where did you study? Glasgow School of Art.

Have you always been a teacher? I was a self-employed artist for nine years, including a year’s artist-in-residence post at Mascalls Academy in Kent. I then did one year of teacher training at Watford Grammar School for Girls before starting at St Edward’s in 2010. What inspires your work? The possibilities of paint. Whether it be the smooth, photorealist paintings of Richter, or the thick, impasto, expressive portraits of Auerbach, the manipulation of the painted surface always fascinates me. Favourite artists? Frank Auerbach, Gerhard Richter, Michael Borremans and John Singer Sargent. If you could have an exhibition anywhere in the world, where would it be? The National Portrait Gallery, London. What do you enjoy about working in the Art Department at St Edward’s? My colleagues. They make every day a pleasure. We are a great team who work for each other to ensure the pupils get the best education possible. www.adamhahn.co.uk

Aria

Aria

Debbie

Benjy

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Lorraine Turley

Blue Light, Iceland, oil and ink on canvas

What is your discipline? I mostly create drawings, paintings and prints and primarily use oil and ink on canvas or various papers. Where did you study? Glasgow School of Art, the Hungarian Academy of Fine Art in Budapest and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Have you always been a teacher? I was a lecturer on the BA Hons course in Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art from 1989 – 1995, started teaching in 2005 and joined St Edward’s in 2008. I have exhibited widely in Glasgow, Hungary, Oxford, London and Edinburgh. What inspires your work? My paintings evoke transient snapshots and memories of places visited - my recent work is based on memories of Scotland and Iceland.

Favourite artists? I love the work of Mark Rothko, Leonardo da Vinci, Olafur Eliasson and Artemisia Gentileschi. Rothko’s painting transports me to a place of beauty, questioning our sense of being. Leonardo da Vinci’s work is the epitome of curiosity, always searching for something. Olafur Eliasson’s installations of natural phenomena evoke both beauty and the relationship we have with nature and the earth. I admire Artemisia Gentileschi for the narrative commentary and skill within her paintings and her powerful portrayal of women.

Art. Coming from a lecturing background, I feel that St Edward’s Art Department is the closest any school can get to being an Art Foundation. We are very successful in sending our pupils to art schools, notably Glasgow School of Art, Central Saint Martins, Edinburgh College of Art and Parsons School of Art, New York – to name but a few. The pupils are wonderfully enthusiastic and a real pleasure to teach. The staff are all practising artists and work in a variety of disciplines. The success of the Department is due to the great relationship we have with our pupils and with each other. Communication and sharing of ideas is central to our teaching.  I enjoyed being given the opportunity to create designs for the acoustic baffles in the Ogston Music School. The baffles are large-scale reproductions of my paintings but they also fulfil an important function in

If you could have an exhibition anywhere in the world, where would it be? New York, Tokyo or London.

What do you enjoy about working in the Art Department at St Edward’s? I absolutely love working at St Edward’s. My particular responsibility is for A Level and IB

the acoustics of the building. www.lorraineturley.com

Crepuscular, 2015

Bidean nam Bian, Scotland, oil and ink on canvas

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Jane Bowen

What is your discipline? Ceramics.

If you could have an exhibition anywhere in the world, where would it be? The Royal Academy of Arts, London. What do you enjoy about working at St Edward’s? The general rapport in the Art Department is fantastic. We are incredibly lucky with our colleagues and pupils. Our pupils can be taught fairly individually which means we are always kept on our toes, and faced with new ideas, excitements and challenges. There is never a dull moment! We also get to know our pupils well which is a great privilege. http://artshopandgallery.co.uk/ artists/jane-bowen

Where did you study? Camberwell College of Arts.

Have you always been a teacher? I was apprenticed to potter Clive Bowen in Devon, and then set up my own studio in Oxfordshire in 1995. I was a full-time ceramist until I started teaching here 11 years ago. What inspires your work? Many aspects of sculpture both contemporary and historical. Nature and bravery in other artists’ work. Favourite artist? Phyllida Barlow RA, a British sculptor known for using everyday and industrial materials.

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Yellow House, Richis, Transylvania, oil on canvas

currently working towards a show next Easter at Anthony Hepworth Fine Art in Walton Street. My favourite artists run to quite a long list. For drawing I look to the quick ink studies of Raphael, the biblical pen, brush and ink studies of Rembrandt and life studies of Rodin and that’s just the letter R! For painting interiors I turn to Vuillard and Bonnard but also to painters like Robert Motherwell and Joseph Albers. For help with still life Morandi cuts to the chase and Chardin reminds me not to be lazy. The list goes on and all these great masters both inspire and dwarf in equal measure but ultimately you are on your own and need to put away the great masters! I have taught at Teddies for a great and I enjoy working in it alongside my extraordinarily talented colleagues. My job is to help our aspiring young artists open their eyes and minds to the world, throw caution to the wind and see beyond grades. It is not how intelligent you are but how you are intelligent in life that counts and grades do not always recognise this fact. One of my favourite quotes is: ‘No man of sense ever supposes that copying from nature is the art of painting; if the art is no more than this, anybody may do it, and the fool often will do it best, as it is a work of no mind’, taken from Volume 2 of Life of William Blake , edited by Alexander Gilchrist. All too often the good grades go to the fool! www.peterlloyd-jones.co.uk peterlloydjones1 many years. The Art Department continues to inspire young people

Peter Lloyd-Jones

my postgraduate years I met a great many of the Royal Academicians who are the teachers at the RA schools and, more importantly, I met my wife, the artist Victoria Rees. An Elizabeth Greenshield Scholarship funded my first year as a practising artist and I went on to have 10 one-man shows in London as well as numerous exhibitions in group shows and art fairs in the UK, USA, Holland and Hong Kong. I still exhibit regularly and like to show in London about every three or four years. I am

After studying at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford, I went into teaching but, during my first term, received a letter from the Royal Academy Schools informing me that there was a place on the three-year postgraduate course. Caution (an artist’s worst enemy!) was thrown to the wind: I left my job, went to London and continued my studies learning to draw and paint. The RA schools were at the hub of the art world in London in the 1980s, which was an important element in my becoming an artist. During

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Sharon Keen

Favourite artist? I have no favourites but at the moment I am really enjoying Alice Fox’s Rust Diaries, a series of works exploring the marks and stains made by found rusty metal. If you could have an exhibition anywhere in the world, where would it be? I’d love to exhibit my botanical prints at Kew Gardens in London. What do you enjoy about working in the Art Department at St Edward’s? We have an incredibly creative Art Department at Teddies. I love that all of us are practising artists working in different mediums. We all constantly bring new ideas and techniques into the Department and the standard of work is not only very high but also very diverse. It almost feels like an Art School. sharonkeenart

What is your discipline? Textiles.

Where did you study? Loughborough University, School of the Arts. Have you always been a teacher? I started my career as a textile designer after winning a placement after my Degree Show in London. I spent several years working for Designers Guild, Monsoon and Accessorize. I then became a freelance designer until I started working at Teddies about eight years ago. In my free time I run art courses for children and adults. What inspires your work? Travel inspired a great deal of my early work. Nature seems to be my new obsession, however. Different techniques and materials inspire me as I am always looking for new things to try!

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Celia Hodgson OSE

Clare Hamilton What will you be doing at Teddies from September? I will be taking over as HM of Apsley alongside teaching Geography and Global Politics.  Tell us a bit about your career so far. I’m joining Teddies after a 16-year career as an Army Officer, which has given me some wonderful opportunities. I’ve worked all over the world in interesting places and deployed on operations. Having been an educator throughout, I’m passionate about developing people, be it in the classroom or on top of a mountain. Most recently I’ve worked at the Defence Academy and before that I ran Army education for the south east of England and the rest of the world. Tell us about your family.  I will be moving into Apsley with my husband, Alistair, and our seven-year-old daughter. My husband is a retired Bomb Disposal Officer and now works in a Prep school. What made you want to work at Teddies? The Warden was kind enough to allow me to spend a day with the Geography and Politics Departments back in January and I found the culture at Teddies to be extremely inspiring. All the staff and pupils I met were highly motivated and passionate about their subjects. There are also some exciting new educational developments at Teddies and it was important for me to work in a forward-thinking school with a global outlook.  What are you most looking forward to in your new role? I’m looking forward to getting to know the Apsley boys and further building on Apsley’s esprit de corps. What other areas of school life will you be involved in? I hope to be involved with some of the more outward-bound elements of school life, drawing on my experience to date.  What are you looking forward to about being in Oxford? Having spent my undergraduate days in Oxford, I’m thrilled to be back. Oxford is home to some of my favourite places – the Pitt Rivers Museum, Christ Church Picture Gallery and Port Meadow. Did you enjoy your schooldays? Yes I did. Having been both a weekly boarder and then a full boarder, I really loved the environment; it furnished me with many life-long friendships and an adventurous spirit. Naughtiest thing you did at school? I certainly had my daring moments at school; however, the Apsley boys can rest assured I’m firmly in the ‘gamekeeper’ camp these days! Best advice you’ve ever been given? I’ve heard lots of ‘good’ advice over the years but my favourite is that ‘you’ve got to give yourself the chance to get lucky…’ quite simply if you don’t have the courage to put yourself forward, you’ll never know what you can achieve. 

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Gaudy Week

Tiggy Jones in the Dance Show; work in porcelain by Lettie Neame; Ella Mival at the Gala Art Private View; Jenifer Ellis, Isabel Llabres Diaz, Ruby Freeland, Tatiana Nelmes and Uliana Bogdasarova in the Junior House Rowing; fireworks after the Leavers’ Ball; and Izzy Degroot receiving her prize at Gaudy.

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Necklace by Sasha Withers Green from the Gala Art Private View; Cosmo Habibb, Vivienne Shao, Lola Mora Balil, Xander Watkins, Isaac Brennan, Ferdi van der Heiden, Robert Sheppard-Capurro and Mr Strachan in the Chilterns; Alicia Bouaziz and Maria Gorovater in the Dance Show; Beekeeping for Beginners during Gaudy Week; Josie Denvir, Josie Piech and Vania Lay at the Sheldonian; the 1st VIII at Henley; Olivia Johnson presenting her Warden’s Project; Heads of School Annabel MacDonald-Smith and Toby MacLachlan giving their speech at Gaudy; Guy Fabian-Hunt, Benjy Bailey and Ben Courtney-Guy at the Sheldonian; and Finn Cambell and Arkadiy Petrov at the Gala Art Private View.

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Soloists Lizzie Williams, Annabel MacDonald-Smith, Tomas Magnusson and Sam Ward at the Sheldonian Concert; the Warden and Mr Powell after the firing of the cannon; work in mixed media by Arkadiy Petrov; Tabitha Emmott, Izzy Hall, Finn Cowan, Molly Spencer, Hakon Nicholas, Will Hearn, Lucas Lawton and George Spencer, winners of the Fourth Form Filmmakers Competition; enjoying the skittle alley at the Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich during the English Department’s cultural trip to London; the 1st VIII at Henley; and the name’s Bond – Fergus Bond.

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Benjy Bailey at the Sheldonian; Jonathan Alpha receiving his prize at Gaudy; Lucy Hanslip, Zac Adeboye, Badger Asprey and Carbew Patarasatienkul, winners of the Gaudy Shell Science competition; Sebastian Williams at the Dance Show; work in ceramic by Ella Mival; Lizzie Williams and Annabel MacDonald-Smith at the Sheldonian; the Lower School rehearsing 500 Words directed by Lauren Mackrell; and the 1st XI.

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Celia Hodgson OSE

Dr Jonathan Burbidge What will you be doing at Teddies from September? ​I will be Housemaster of Sing’s, and teaching Geography and Classical Civilisation. Tell us a bit about your career so far. ​Having worked in the City after leaving Durham, I moved to the USA to train as a teacher. After qualifying, I chose to fulfil a personal goal and pursue a PhD, staying in the US for a further few years. On moving back to the UK I began work teaching Geography at North London Collegiate School, where I enjoyed a wonderful two years. Following that I moved to Dulwich College, where my wife worked as a Chemistry teacher. Whilst at Dulwich I have spent the last three years teaching Geography, working as an Assistant Housemaster, and coaching both rugby and cricket teams.  Tell us about your family.  ​My wife Lizzy is a Chemistry teacher currently working at Emmanuel School in Clapham. On June 13th our family grew to three people with the arrival of William, so we are currently operating on rationed sleep! What made you want to work at Teddies? ​I work with several OSE who have always spoken with warmth about their old school, and having visited and got a flavour of the atmosphere I can say that it seems like the perfect place to move up a gear professionally and settle as a family. What are you most looking forward to in your new role? ​Meeting everyone and getting to know the boys. What other areas of school life will you be involved in? ​I am hoping to get involved with the sports, preferably coaching some rugby (I am currently nursing my playing career into old age!), and perhaps helping out with swimming.  What are you looking forward to about being in Oxford? ​Walking the dog in Port Meadow. Getting to know the city properly, and having the odd “quick” drink in the Bicycle Shed.  Did you enjoy your schooldays? ​I had a wonderful time at school. I was a full boarder in Wargrave House at Eastbourne College. I had a spell of homesickness in my first year, but after that the friendships and fun meant I didn’t want to be anywhere else.  Naughtiest thing you did at school? ​Among other things, my friends and I were avid explorers of the Victorian rooftops of the boarding house - making sure to leave our names scratched into the brickwork. VERY silly behaviour!  Best advice you’ve ever been given? Asking for help and apologising are often misconstrued as weakness, but are in fact signs of strength.  Which book would you take to a desert island?  Waterlog by Roger Deakin.

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Grief, Youth and Friendship

workshop, I asked the pupils to write down what they feel and what they think – and I gathered up the pieces of paper afterwards. Lots of the pupils’ own words are in the play – lovely things like, ‘I feel Friday afternoon all the time – I feel opened up.’ If it Didn’t Matter was directed by David Aldred and produced by Katrina Eden. Look for Teddies Talks on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher to listen to Grief, Youth and Friendship at the Edinburgh Fringe in which you will also hear the beautiful score composed and played live on stage by Sixth Former Henry Parsons.

As you read this issue, our Sixth Form Drama company, Cup & Dagger Productions, will have just completed their run at the Edinburgh Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world, where they performed their new play, If it Didn’t Matter . Through the School’s innovative relationship with The North Wall’s professional and outreach programmes, this year’s Edinburgh company were extraordinarily fortunate to have a play written specially for them by upcoming young playwright, Siofra Dromgoole. In writing the play, Siofra worked closely with the pupils and used their authentic teenage voices to shape much of the dialogue. The title, Siofra tells us, is taken from the book Levels of Life by Julian Barnes, in

which he discusses life after the death of his wife. Talking about grief, he says, ‘Nature is so exact. It hurts as much as it is worth, so in a way one relishes the pain. If it didn’t matter, it wouldn’t matter.’ In the play, young people grow up, negotiate their relationships with each other – and discover what it is to care, and what happens when that love and care suddenly and involuntarily become grief. Deeply moving, timeless and unexpectedly funny, If it Didn’t Matter explores the life of 17-year-old Hal as she tries to come to terms with the death of her mother. The impact of grief on her father and sister, and on her relationships with her friends and teachers, is starkly illuminated. Siofra describes the process of involving the pupils in the writing of the play: ‘In a

Christopher Cornwell

‘A gripping new play to delight punters.’ ‘ If it Didn’t Matter is arresting theatre – well supplied with character and incident – making it ideal Fringe fare.’ ‘Presented with welcome physicality and live music from Henry Parsons, this is a show not to be missed.’ ★★★★ Chris Gray, The Oxford Times

Pictured are Evie Faber (Hal); Ben Courtney-Guy (Hal’s father, Rob); Milly Bracey (therapist Diane Humphreys); Selena Thompson (Eliza); Alicia Bouaziz (Bella, Hal’s sister); Aniella Weinberger (Kate); Katya Jacobs (Fiona, Kate’s Mum); Victoria Iliffe (teacher Jane Vitty); Phoebe Taylor (Penny); Matt Wilkins, (Ned); Josie Piech (Jo); and Assistant Director Caris Baker