The Record 2014 - 2015

THE RECORD 2014 - 2015

A Word from the Warden

‘The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.’ William Morris

Communication in the modern world is a fast-paced, multi-channel process and there is a danger that, in our haste, we miss the finer detail. To that end, this new publication – somewhat of an experiment – attempts to bring together as many facts, figures and reports relating to school life as possible, primarily with an eye to future historians. Inevitably, we cannot list everything, and of course the information contained herein is richly complemented and illustrated by the

school website; the termly magazine, the Chronicle ; the monthly E News; Teddies TV; the pupil-run film unit, Teddies on Camera; the annual OSE magazine, Rhubarb ; and our growing number of Twitter accounts. Details matter, however, and I hope that those of you who find them fascinating will enjoy perusing The Record .

Stephen Jones , Warden

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ACADEMIC RESULTS

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Reviews of the Year

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GAUDY, 4TH JULY 2015

Address by Mike Stanfield, Chairman of Governors

Welcome to Gaudy in the School’s 152nd year. It’s good to see so many of you here. Earlier in the year, my close friend and colleague on the Governing Body, Derek Roe, died after a short illness. He was Professor of Palaeolithic Archaeology at Oxford University, and became a Governor in 1970. He brought his sharp intellect, deep insight and knowledge to discussions on a very wide range of topics and is greatly missed. In Derek’s memory, we have decided to award two prizes, both for independence of approach, scholarship, imagination and creativity. I’m at a bit of a disadvantage this morning as every time I’ve had to speak at Gaudy before I would email what I was planning to say to Derek and he’d polish it up for me; sadly today I have had to try to do my own polishing. Peter Oppenheimer, another long-standing Governor, retires today. He has been described by some as one of the cleverest men in England and joined the Board in 1979. He has helped the School in many ways including chairing our Education Committee and seeing us through the decision to start the International Baccalaureate programme. He was a Fellow at Christ Church and formed another link for us with that Oxford institution that dates back to our foundation. Two people have joined the Board this year. Both have strong Teddies’ connections. Georgie Dennis was a pupil here before obtaining degrees at Oxford University and the Courtauld Institute, followed by a continuing career in the arts. Incidentally, she is the first female

President of the OSE Society. Caroline Baggs is known to many in the St Edward’s community. She was a Housemaster’s wife in both Corfe and Kendall, and stood in as HM for a term at Avenue. Her three children were educated at the School. In her professional life, she has gained wide experience and knowledge in the field of child protection. The Very Reverend Professor Martyn Percy, the Dean of Christ Church, has also agreed to become a Governor. We are pleased that he is joining us for many reasons but not least because it maintains the long association the School has had with that institution. I am delighted to welcome Malcolm Oxley, who is giving away the prizes today. Malcolm taught here for many years and was our first Sub-Warden. He is author of the recently published new history of the School. The Warden will tell you more about this, but suffice it to say it is a fascinating and beautifully written account of the School’s origins and development, and reminds me that many things change with the passage of time - and many things stay the same. The following exchange in 1990 between then Warden, David Christie, and Geography teacher and rugby legend, Joe McPartlin, indicates this truism: Warden: Have you prepared your Geography lessons for tomorrow yet? Joe: Warden, I prepared them in 1963. Warden: Don’t you think after 27 years you should bring them up to date? Joe: Not really, Warden, the Alps haven’t moved very far since then.

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One constant feature of Teddies, in evidence from the very beginning, has been the drive and ambition of its pupils. So – what of our contemporary OSE? What sort of presence do they have in the wider world? Good exam results matter, of course, but they aren’t everything. We know that you go off to the very best universities. In fact, some 85% of you will attend the most prestigious universities in this country and overseas. But what then? As we say goodbye to this year’s Leavers, I want to give you a snapshot of the achievements of some of our recent former pupils. The network of former Teddies pupils spreads far and wide, across many fields of interest. In the armed forces we have 20 commissioned officers who have served in recent major conflicts. Captain Michael Dobbin was awarded the Military Cross in 2013 for service in Afghanistan. His citation read: ‘Dobbin’s repeated courage at pivotal moments and cool head under fierce fire inspired his men to succeed when the odds were most against them’. Professor Sir Brian Greenwood is a world expert in malaria. In 1995, he won a 40-million-dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish the Gates Malaria Partnership. He is currently working on an Ebola vaccine. Jon Snow is the longest-running presenter on Channel 4 News; Mark Peregrine is Head Tutor at the Cookery School at the Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons; James Price was recently named Young Farmer of the Year; record producer Hugh Padgham has won four Grammy Awards; Billy Lloyd is an award-winning designer and ceramicist; Isabel Fishlock works

with fashion designers John Galliano and Paul Smith; Rob Marris is MP for Wolverhampton South West and Cameron Buchanan the MSP for Lothian. So the list goes on. In sport, too, many OSE participate after they leave School and some have represented their country: Zoe Shipperley in hockey, James Forrester in rugby and Stewart Innes in rowing, to name just a few. Stewart won a Gold Medal in the GB men’s VIII at the Rowing World Cup in Italy a few weeks ago and is in the training squad for Rio 2016. Jockey SamWaley-Cohen won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and came second in the Grand National. A little known fact about Teddies’ sporting history is that three OSE were in the winning team at the World Ice Cricket Championships in Estonia in 2008. The talents in our community are clearly many and varied. I am pleased to note a strong sense of altruism running through everything I hear about our OSE. Tim Conibear formed the Isiqalo Foundation in South Africa in 2009 to use sports coaching to address substance abuse and mental health issues; Joe Robinson founded the charity JR4JR to support the Neurology Department at the John Radcliffe. Over the last 10 years, OSE have run over 150 marathons for charity, completed 11 ironman challenges, covered the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats 16 times and have cycled more than 37,000 miles. That’s really quite something. In the 2010 London Marathon, 10 OSE set a world record of 5 hours and 13 minutes for the greatest number of people completing a marathon tied together - they raised a staggering sum of over £277,000.

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GAUDY, 4TH JULY 2015

A spirit of adventure is often in evidence in the exploits of Teddies people. Last year I told you about George Henry and Will Bull, who cycled from Paris to Gibraltar in a successful charity fundraising venture. On Thursday I met four Fifth Form girls - Immy Higgins, Caitlin Scott, Mia Hammersley and Alexia Demetriou - who tomorrow are planning to complete the Three Peaks Challenge, which means climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours - sounds like a tall order to me. They are climbing to raise funds for Mary’s Meals, the international food charity currently feeding more than one million schoolchildren every day. It is thanks to the outstanding opportunities offered by our North Wall Arts Centre that there are currently a group of OSE enjoying huge success in the fields of film and entertainment. Emilia Clarke is world-famous for her role in Game of Thrones and stars with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator Genisys . Sebastian de Souza has a major role in the TV drama Recovery Road . Flossie Pugh, who left us last year, has already starred in a feature film, The Falling , which earned her a ‘Best Newcomer’ nomination at the London Film Festival and Pippa Bennett-Warner is currently at the National Theatre in The Beaux’ Stratagem . A week or two ago we welcomed Graham Broadbent back to School to talk to pupils about his career producing films such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Welcome to Sarajevo . Moving beyond acting to music and literature. George Fenton is composer of more than 200 film and TV scores including Gandhi , Shadowlands and Dangerous Liaisons , and has 14 BAFTA Awards, including one

for The Blue Planet . George Parris set up the Carice Singers and there are at least four OSE who are professional singers. Several OSE bands are making names for themselves. The Dreaming Spires appeared on the Andrew Marr Show recently and The Glass Animals were at Glastonbury. Local group Wild Swim are writing and recording. Crime writer Robert Wilson has published 12 novels, won the Silver Dagger Award and has two television series on the go. It is always easy to celebrate success, and of course we know more about OSE who achieve prominence than those who go quietly about their business. For our pupils, we value above all else that they find happiness and fulfilment, and so I dedicate an important moment in this celebration of our high-profile OSE to all those I haven’t mentioned; to those who have worked hard, raised families and kept the Teddies spirit alive in countless ways of which we may never hear. It is also important to remember that the path to some of the successes I have mentioned may not have been a smooth one. Life isn’t always easy. One of the things we aim to instil in our pupils is the resilience to cope if things don’t go as expected, so when you tackle the many challenges life will throw at you, hold on to that spirit, that determination, that grit - and you will make it. Today, we send our Leavers out beyond the Teddies community and we wish them enormous happiness and success. Certainly, be inspired by those who have gone before you, but find your own path. And don’t forget to stay in touch and tell us what you do – the big successes, and the little ones - we value them all. Have a happy, successful and enjoyable summer.

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Address by Stephen Jones, Warden

Gaudy once more and I am delighted to see you all here on this great 4th July – Independence Day for our transatlantic cousins… The hand of History is clearly upon us all, as it was in September with the Centenary of the start of the First World War. The St Edward’s Roll of Honour now stands (after much recent research by our archivist Chris Nathan) at over 120, and on, or near, the anniversary of every one of the OSE who fell, we have, as a school, remembered them in Chapel, or in Assembly. The first 16 are recorded in the Gaudy programme, in place of honour, and I would remember them again now.

two famous philosophers played international football? The answer being: Camus and Socrates… (Albert Camus played in goal for the University of Algiers and competed in the North African Cup; and Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira d’Oliveira was the name of the captain of Brazil in the 1982 World Cup; so Camus never played proper international football and Sócrates was not a philosopher… but he did have a doctorate in medicine.) Albert Camus wrote to his teacher, Louis Germain, after receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957: Dear Monsieur Germain, I let the commotion around me these days subside a bit before speaking to you from the bottom of my heart. I have just been given far too great an honour… but when I heard the news, my first thought, after my mother, was of you. Without you, without the affectionate hand you extended to the small poor child that I was, without your teaching, and your example, none of all this would have happened. I don’t make too much of this sort of honour. But at least it gives me an opportunity to tell you what you have been and still are for me, and to assure you that your efforts, your work, and the generous heart you put into it still live in one of your little schoolboys who, despite the years, has never stopped being your grateful pupil. I embrace you with all my heart.

Robert Parker Aubrey Hudson Arthur Harding Leo Tollemache Edward Kay-Mouat Stephen Ussher Arthur Capell Alexander Wallace

Frank Robertson John McMurdo Walter Richards Walter Frampton William Cawood Reginald Blyth Beverley Ussher John Bussell

I would also pause to remember Richard Bradley, eighth Warden, who died earlier this year. More happily, that same hand of History is wafting around us today for I am delighted to say that we are joined by Malcolm Oxley – former History Master, Director of Studies, Housemaster, Second Master and Sub-Warden; also author of A New History of St Edward’s School . Now, there is a well-known trivia question which goes like this: Which

Albert Camus

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GAUDY, 4TH JULY 2015

A copy of this letter should be kept on every teacher’s desk. In talking to countless OSE from almost any era, from 1962 to 1999, this is how they have seen Malcolm Oxley. Indeed, when Chris Jones, OSE, Governor and Chairman of our General Purposes Committee, was musing about a new history of the School to (roughly) coincide with our 150th Anniversary, he naturally thought of Malcolm Oxley – his former History teacher here. “… my first thought, after my mother, was of you” but I suspect Chris did not consider his mother for the job… Malcolm, it is excellent to have you back today and thank you for joining us for this annual Gaudy and the distribution of prizes. Have I given the book a big enough plug yet? (We are selling it in the Quad after these speeches…!) At this end of the year, as we approach Gaudy, I try to think about how I might sum up the School – how to express the great things that the pupils have done and achieved over the past twelve months. I start to view the School as a simply extraordinary set of achievements; just consider what has had to go right for us to get here, to this day, to Gaudy. All of the work of the grounds staff and the kitchens; all of the great endeavours by our cleaners and by our office staff; all of the organisation of the maintenance department and logistics… And over the course of the year, inevitably, the huge efforts of all of the members of this most wonderful Common Room have loomed large to ensure that we have had a successful year.

This morning in Assembly we said goodbye, as a School, to our leaving Common Room members. But there is one who is not a leaver and to whom I would like to draw attention, for he today completes fifty years of service to St Edward’s – Tony Snell. The members of this great Common Room do a truly impressive job of teaching our pupils – your children – and they do so much more as well. Academically, last year’s Upper Sixth recorded the best ever set of results here with 52% of all exams at A* or A grades in the A levels, and at level 7 or 6 at Higher Level IB. The Fifth Form cohort led with an impressive 62% A* and A grade charge which was up with the best of our performances in the past. Last year’s leavers really did set a mark which will take some beating – I know that this year’s leavers have been working with real zeal to reach it. What marks out last year’s results particularly however, is the hidden score which we call “value added”. Calculated from baseline testing in the Lower Sixth, last year’s leavers put us in the top tiny percentage of independent schools where the performance of the pupils was very significantly above the expectation of those pupils. This is hugely impressive. Academic value added is seriously important as are all academic successes – we are an academic school – which is, of course, a tautology… A few years ago I heard Nick Gibb, the Minister for Schools, speak. He said to the assembled independent sector heads that the

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real problem for the government was getting the maintained sector firing properly so that every child in the country has the opportunity to perform to the best of his or her ability. “We want your DNA”, he said; “what that means is that we want your intellectual property” – “we want your schemes of work and your academic plans”. Right there and then in the room I understood what was – at least in part – wrong. It’s not our intellectual property that sets us apart as an independent school, nor is it even the excellent value-added scores in our academic results; these things are important and impressive and real; but they are only a fraction of the story. It is the value we add to the academic programme by the rich, diverse and vibrant co-curricular programme – something set solidly into this boarding community in Oxford – and most important of all, it is the addition of ethical values in all that we do. Even if we just look at knowledge, which these days is so instantaneously accessible to everyone at the click of a mouse, this is useless unless we have the cognitive skills to interpret it and the emotional intelligence to use it. We have been working hard in this area – not just in the IB Sixth, with its core component of Theory of Knowledge, but much more broadly – to assist our pupils in understanding the nature of their own knowledge and their own processes for learning. In Howard Gardner’s book Five Minds for the Future – a prophetic look forward to the types of thinking our pupils need to develop

in order for them to cope successfully with the world that they will live in – he says that we need to foster in our pupils: …the kinds of minds that are particularly at a premium in the world of today and will be even more so tomorrow. They span both the cognitive spectrum and the human spectrum—in that sense they are comprehensive, global. So, I would return to today and all that has gone so well to get us here and in such good order. And by today I mean both Gaudy as the end of the academic year, and also Gaudy as the final day of Gaudy Week. For Gaudy Week is a microcosm of the school year; in the past seven days or so we have lived through all of the joys and pressures of the past twelve months – and what a great triumph this has been. Indeed I am ever grateful to Alex Tester (and those many others helping him) who have made this week’s astonishing confection of Music, Drama, Art, Dance, Science, Cricket and Rowing – and so much more – the most spectacular ever. And I am also hugely grateful for Mrs van der Heiden’s wonderfully creative Gaudy Programme. Finally, of course, I am immensely proud of what our pupils have done this week. So, as I have enjoyed the great variety of all that is best at Teddies, I have re-lived the whole year again. I have watched the 1st XI cricketers winning the John Harvey Cup for the third year in a row by crafting a great

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GAUDY, 4TH JULY 2015

win over Marlborough; and again there have been more records broken: • Highest 1st wicket partnership of 239 between Will Bull and Calvin Dickinson • Highest partnership for any wicket in history of the school between AJ Woodland and Calvin Dickinson – 276 runs • Highest ever individual innings – Calvin Dickinson – 181 runs In rowing last Saturday the J14 girls’ Octo won the Reading Town Regatta to make them one of the most successful Shell girls’ rowing crews ever at Teddies; they were also women’s J14 champions at Birmingham Regatta, Thames Ditton Regatta, and Bedford Star Regatta. The boys’ 1st VIII reached the last eight at Henley despite an extraordinary number of setbacks in the run-up, and they showed true grit to beat the German champions by two lengths on Thursday. On Sunday I enjoyed the Leavers’ Music Platform at the Holywell Music Room followed on Monday by two wonderful recitals in the Warden’s Rooms; last night and on Thursday there were two more first class concerts, the first featuring Lucienne Young playing the Handel Harp Concerto which reminded me of the splendid evening earlier in the year at St John’s Smith Square where three of our pupils – Aaron Gruen, Horatio Holloway and Ben Swindells – played the Haydn Cello Concerto, and fully one fifth of the School were on stage to

entertain the audience in one of London’s great musical venues. If I may be permitted a small advertisement, I would note that the choir will be singing Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral on 28th September, hopefully followed by a drinks party somewhere. In yesterday evening’s dance showcase, the performers metaphorically travelled around the world to take in exciting locations including New York; last term we were also metaphorically dancing in New York in Fame! – enjoyed by so many – and by the same token we will return to that City for West Side Story in the autumn. Showcasing the School this week, particularly in the arts, inevitably means that we showcase the wonderful facility that is The North Wall and I know many of you thoroughly enjoyed Terry Pratchett’s Mort (with excellent performances from all the cast, but not least Sam Shuker and Max Brennan) and also Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information which I look forward to seeing again in Edinburgh. I am reminded too, when thinking of our great tradition of drama here, of last year’s leaver, Flossie Pugh, whose film, The Falling was released earlier this year to rave reviews. I have no doubt that she is another OSE superstar heading for the front cover of Vogue like Emilia Clark. The visual arts have been to the fore, and if you have not seen the leavers’ art exhibition (open until 4.00 pm today in the North Wall) and the mixed years’ exhibition (also open until 4.00 pm in the Art and Design department), then please make a

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special effort to do so, for they are wonderful. This week has been a week of academic sciences with some extraordinary presentations from the Shells and some seriously dangerous rocket cars in the Quad on Wednesday. All of these things add huge value to the lives of our pupils and help to make them far more impressive young men and women for the future – this is certainly part of what Howard Gardner was talking about in Five Minds - but we know that when these pupils are in their twenties – when they are 25 years old – it is their sense of moral value and ethical duty alongside their ability to deal with people that really will matter. On Saturday evening the boys of Tilly’s slept rough for our charity, SeeSaw (so far nearly £30,000 has been raised by the School this year). This whole week we have been hosting Bongai Mwanesa, Nikki Tambirayi and Caston Nzvenga who are being sponsored by Henry Chitsenga’s Such Hope charity (which we supported last year). A few weeks ago, Rev Tom Shaw organised an event in which 150 of our Fourth and Sixth Form pupils joined others from MCS and Cherwell to celebrate reading, and to encourage primary school pupils from Blackbird Leys to enjoy books. The event Readers Make Leaders was utterly inspiring for all and well worth watching on the pupil video channel – Teddies on Camera – created by Celia Hodgson and Casper Sunley in the Lower Sixth. Here at St Edward’s, our pupils, our staff and our parents – all of us here in this Big

Tent – should and do value each other as people for what we can each do… and we believe absolutely that we can all do great things. This is what the School is all about. As it is the 4th July I would end with an American story to illustrate the point I have been making. It is the true story of Bishop Bromley Oxnam of the Methodist Episcopal Church who was giving the annual Memorial Day address at the National Monument at Gettysburg. He ended his speech by reciting Lincoln’s famous address. After he had finished the words, which he thought he had done well, an old man made his way forward and said: “Son, you made an awful mess of Lincoln’s speech.” The Bishop replied “What do you mean? I didn’t miss a word of it – look at my notes.” The old man replied “I don’t need your notes; I know it by heart because I heard it the first time round.” The old man had obviously been present when Lincoln originally delivered the famous address. Slightly nonplussed the Bishop wanted to know what had been different – why he had made a mess of it – and the old-timer explained it this way: “Abe put his hands out over the people like a benediction and said, ‘That the government of the people , by the people , and for the people , should not perish from the earth.’ You got the words right, son, but you missed the message. You emphasized government; Lincoln talked about people.” At the heart of any school – and at the heart of this school in particular – are the people.

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REVIEWS OF THE YEAR Bursar’s Report Stephen Withers Green Projects In June 2015, the School started the construction of a new music school largely on the site of the Ferguson Music School (Peter Bosanquet & Partners, 1962) which provided the School with 10 practice rooms and three larger recital rooms for orchestras and other ensembles. The new music school has been designed by Tim Ronalds Architects and is being built by Feltham Construction Ltd. It will contain 20 practice rooms, seven ensemble rooms, a rock room and recording studio, three classrooms, a recital/rehearsal room, a music library, various offices and a staff room. The cost of the building, excluding enabling works, is expected to be £5.4 million and the Music Department will take up occupation by Autumn Term 2016. As the new music school will occupy the site of the old one as well as the site of the laundry and part of the maintenance yard, we have needed to supply the Department with temporary facilities in the Cooper Quad, and a series of practice rooms in the adjacent Cooper Lodge by relocating the language and graduate assistants to rented accommodation at 314, Banbury Road. The laundry has been moved to an extension of the Piggeries which it now shares with the Grounds Department. This last move has allowed the Maintenance Department to move into the space previously allocated to the laundry.

Future Plans Having completed Jubilee House (TSH Architects, 2013), and having started the new music school this year, the School has moved forward with the next plank of its strategic plan – the building of additional teaching facilities. We commissioned the same architectural practice to develop a scheme for a new 10-classroom teaching block in the space bordered by the New Hall, Cowell’s House, the Modern Languages Block, and the Work Block. This scheme has grown so that it has a second phase which involves relocating the Library, and a third that will remodel the New Hall. This project can be seen as the completion of the Quad in line with “Simeon’s Dream.” Those involved in the planning are aware of the sensitivities involved with this site in the heart of the School and the draft plans were submitted for review to the Oxford Design Review Panel. We commissioned Hilary Keenlyside of Bonnar Keenlyside to produce a report on the feasibility of building a 1,000-seat concert hall attached to the new music school on the adjacent Lemon Tree and Jack fm site. The premise was that this would not only be a school facility but also one that we shared with the public, along the lines of the use of The North Wall Arts Centre. Hilary’s principle conclusions were that the Sheldonian Theatre carries enormous prestige and is loved by audiences and promoters alike. They would be unlikely to abandon it

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for a location, however well appointed, which is not in central Oxford. In addition, there were financial and commercial aspects to consider. In order to attract a varied enough programme to be financially viable, the concert hall would have to compete directly with other Oxford venues and, even if successful in this regard, would need a significant annual subsidy to remain solvent. For these reasons, the School’s Governors decided to shelve this scheme. Other Matters • The School’s decision to replace resident house matrons with those that live out has resulted in the need for the surgery in Cowell’s to be remodelled and the surgery in Sing’s to be relocated to the heart of the House. • To accommodate additional staff, the Bursary has been remodelled. As part of this project, a small meeting room has been created which is becoming an increasingly popular venue for people from all areas of the School. • The establishment of a development office for The North Wall’s outreach activities gave the School the opportunity to rationalise the space allocated to its administrative staff by taking on the lease of an office behind South Parade.

• Due to the generosity of the School Society, the Cowell Memorial Gateway has been repaired, repainted, and regilded so that the gates are now as they were when they were originally opened by HRH The Princess Royal in 1939 (see page 116). The Gateway remains wide enough for modern cars which means that the gates still do not join in the middle. • The grounds and gardens remain as wonderful as ever. We have lost a few trees that have been, or will be, replaced. The magnolia bush that has adorned or hidden the front of the Library depending on your view has been removed, and we continue with our project to de-municipalise the grounds by the introduction of some wild flowers and by allowing some grass to be mown a little less than before.

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REVIEWS OF THE YEAR Chapel Rev Charlie Kerr, Chaplain

The Chapel year began with two welcome services, the first for new Shells and their parents, and, the second for new Sixth Form pupils, both focusing on the idea of what we need to flourish at school. These services and the Ad Itinerarium for Leavers are seen as significant spiritual bookends for pupils’ careers at St Edward’s, setting their time here within the wider significance of lives held and nurtured within the love of God. The Autumn Term gathered momentum quickly with a series in Midweek Chapel on “Sacraments – Windows into the Transforming Power of God”. Each of the traditional seven sacraments was explored using the stained glass windows in the chancel of the Chapel as a starting point. On the 28th October the Chapel was full for the commemoration of the life of Derek Roe, OSE and Governor for 44 years. It was a moving occasion, with family and friends playing important parts in the service, but ultimately it felt like a joyful tribute to a man who gave so much to the School and so much to the world through his academic and professional pursuits. A service was held to mark the centenary of the beginning of the First World War and commemorated all those who from St Edward’s who died. A Head of House and a Shell from each House laid a poppy on the altar, and the highest-ranking cadet from each of the services of the CCF laid a wreath. The choir sang beautifully and three soloists (Myles Docherty, Jamie Fabian-Hunt and Tom Montgomery) contributed excerpts from Housman’s A Shropshire Lad set to music

by George Butterworth. We celebrated the Commemoration of the Chapel on the 23rd November with the help of Bishop Martin Shaw (Retd), and he consecrated over 30 new Lower Sixth pupils as School Sacristans in a service with a little pomp and some splashing of holy water! Our usual array of festive and joyful carol services brought the term to its close. The Spring Term sprang into action with The Very Revd Professor Martin Percy preaching at our opening Eucharist on the 11th January. Martin accepted the invitation willingly as both a parent of Joe (Upper Sixth, Sing’s) and, as Dean of Christ Church, an Oxford college that holds a special place in the heart and history of our own community. Joe Percy, Martin’s son, followed his father as our next preacher and he introduced the term’s theme of “Beyond the Bubble” by recounting his experience of founding a charity called Open Goal to support young footballers in the Palestinian West Bank. The series continued throughout the term, with most talks being given by pupils challenging each of us to look “beyond the bubble” of St Edward’s. We moved to The North Wall on the second Sunday of term for our annual exploration of worshipping God in a different place and with a different, more contemporary and evangelical style. Bubbles blew down from a bubble machine in the ceiling and with the help of Sarah Laing, one of our school nurses, we thought about how we could change the atmosphere within the bubble of our school. Confirmation once again proved

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popular and over 60 pupils chose to get confirmed. The first service in School was on Sunday 8th February with Colin Fletcher, the Bishop of Dorchester, officiating. A second service, in the Summer Term, was led by the retired Bishop of Warrington, David Jennings, and a Catholic confirmation service took place at the Church of St Gregory and St Augustine, led by Bishop William Kenney. These were moving and inspiring events, not only for the candidates, but also for their friends and family. On the 20th March we gathered for a Service of Commemoration for Fran Prichard, who served the school as teacher for 35 years and Housemaster of Sing’s for 14 years. Those who spoke painted a vivid picture of a man who contributed so much to the life of the School, and his life was celebrated with dignity and gratitude. The term ended with a Passiontide Service of Music and Readings in a candlelit Chapel. The Summer Term featured a series called “Give me strength” in which we encouraged pupils to consider sources of strength they could draw upon in the stressful environment of the exam term. Former Chaplain and Senior Housemaster, Andrew Wright OSE, returned to share some thoughts with us now that he is heading up the international Mission to Seafarers; it was good to see him back at Teddies. Another highlight of the term was Chapel in the Quad on the 17th May. The sun shone, a band played, the Reverend Tom Shaw preached and bricks were laid around the centre of the Quad to symbolise the

spiritual foundations we need to build in our community of St Edward’s. The Baptism of Carter and Lillian Appleby (children of Tom Appleby OSE) and Emily Appleby (daughter of Joe Appleby OSE) was held in the Chapel as were three weddings: Lottie Hiner OSE to Michael Baker, Laura Addison (one of our ballet teachers) to Charlie Shillito and Emma Hamilton OSE to Paul Melling. All were joyful family occasions. With the Ad Itinerarium we bade farewell to another group of Leavers, hoping that they flourish in life and carry something of the faith and peace of Chapel in their hearts as they grow.

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REVIEWS OF THE YEAR Academic Report Matthew Albrighton, Deputy Head Academic

Our 2015 leavers maintained our excellent record of sending pupils to the very best universities in the UK and overseas. Around 90% of those who applied through UCAS were successful, most of them (88%) taking up places at a university of their choice (either their firm or insurance option). Of those who accepted places, the vast majority (around 80%) are studying at Russell Group or equally prestigious universities. Six pupils won places to Oxford or Cambridge. At Oxford, Tacita McCoy-Parkhill is studying PPE at Oriel; Lynn Temp, Law with German at Jesus; and Camila Whittaker, PPE at Regent’s Park. At Cambridge, Octavia Akoulitchev is studying English at Sidney Sussex, Lucy Azzi, Law at Pembroke and Harry Sellen, Modern and Medieval Languages at Corpus Christi. Three pupils secured places to study Medicine: Saur Hajiev at Imperial, Beth Reed at Southampton and Oli Cobbold at Manchester. The top five universities are all Russell Group: London (see page 18 for details), Edinburgh, Bristol, Newcastle and Exeter. Many pupils look beyond the Russell Group for specialised courses – this year, three pupils are studying rural and business management at the Royal Agricultural and Harper Adams Universities, and one is studying Early Years Development at Norland College. Three pupils are studying in the US: one at Dartmouth College, an Ivy League university, one at the University of Chicago and one at Columbia University in New York.

Pupils were delighted to have achieved the results they required to secure these impressive university places. A number of pupils achieved outstanding results. At A Level, Harry Sellen achieved A* A* A* A* and A* in the EPQ; and James Avery A* A* A* and A* in the EPQ. In the IB, Lynn Temp, achieved full marks – the maximum point score of 45. Only around 100 candidates in the world secure this result each year. Camila Whittaker and Octavia Akoulitchev also excelled by achieving 44. More than a third of all IB candidates achieved 40 points or more and 62% of Higher Level grades were 6/7. Of all grades achieved by our 2015 leavers – combining A Level and IB – 46% were at the highest levels: A*/A at A Level or Levels 7/6 in the IB; three quarters achieved good grades: A*- B at A Level or Levels 5 – 7 in the IB. At A level, 41% of grades were at A*/A and 68% were A*- B. In the Extended Project Qualification, now taken by most A Level candidates, 45% of grades were at A*/A. Particularly impressive in their GCSE exams were Lucy Cobbold, Eva Cottingham-Mayall, Immy Higgins and Joe Zietman who all achieved 11 A*. Ten candidates achieved 10 or more A* and 10 candidates achieved the top grade in Additional Mathematics (A). Overall, 66% of GCSE grades were at A*/A and 89% were at A*-B. For full lists of all results, see pages 112-115.

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Summary of Academic Results

Combined A Level and IB Higher Level Results: 2011-2015 A*/A + IB 6/7 A*-B + IB 5-7

A*-C + IB 4-7

2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011

46% 52% 51% 47% 44% 41% 47% 50% 44% 37% 62% 73% 64% 67% 75% 66% 62% 59% 59% 64%

74% 76% 76% 70% 69% 68% 72% 74% 68% 64%

90% 90% 91% 90% 82% 87% 88% 90% 88% 78%

A Level Results: 2011-2014 A*/A

A*-B

A*-C

IB Results: 2011-2015

6/7 at Higher Level

5-7 at Higher Level

4-7 at Higher Level

Average Points Score

91% 95% 95% 94% 90%

98% 98%

36.4 37.1 35.9 35.8 37.1

100% 100%

97%

GCSE Results: 2011-2015 A*/A

A*-B

A*-C

89% 86% 82% 82% 86%

97% 97% 94% 95% 97%

For full details of A Level, IB and GCSE results, see pages 112 - 115

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REVIEWS OF THE YEAR

University Destinations

Top University Destinations 2015 London*

12 11

Edinburgh

Bristol

9 9 7 7 5 3 3 3 3 3

Newcastle

Exeter

Oxford Brookes

Manchester Birmingham Cambridge Manchester

Oxford

Warwick

* London: Imperial College, King’s College, London School of Economics, Queen Mary and University College.

Non-UCAS Destinations Izabella Arciszewska , Columbia University, New York Helene Burghoff , University of California, Berkeley Emma Cheng , University of Amsterdam Millicent Collins , Central St Martin’s, University of the Arts, London (Foundation)

Emiel de Saeytyd , University of Leuven, Belgium Sam Hamilton Peach , University of Melbourne Albert Mitchell , Dartmouth College, New Hampshire Anita Obasohan , University of Chicago Oscar Powell , apprenticeship with JP Morgan Claudia Skribek , Leiden University Danielle Stuschka , Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

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Cultural Report Neville Creed, Director of Cultural Activities

Major musical events in the Autumn Term included a performance of the first movement of Haydn’s Cello Concerto by Aaron Gruen and Mozart’s Requiem with OSE soloists. A special service of readings and music was held to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War 1. The Concert Band, Brass Band and Wind Band gave a concert and the usual carol services were highly successful. An Arts Day for prep schools was held and 200 visitors enjoyed working on Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. In the Spring Term the musicians travelled to London’s St John’s Smith Square to perform Haydn’s Cello

Concerto with three pupil soloists and ‘The heavens are telling’ from Haydn’s Creation. A vibrant production of Fame! was another highlight of the term providing opportunities for our musicians and dancers to show off their talents. The term ended with a hotly contested House Singing Competition. The beginning of the Summer Term saw the Chapel Choir performing Mendelssohn’s Elijah together with the St Edward’s Singers. May Day was marked with early morning madrigals sung from the roof of Cowell’s. The year ended with the Gaudy Week which featured two Gaudy Concerts, Leavers’ Platform at the

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REVIEWS OF THE YEAR

Holywell Music Room, Close Harmony performances and the newly introduced Warden’s Recitals. Two productions were successfully taken to the Edinburgh Festival 2014 – Who’s Afraid of Michael Gove (which attracted considerable media attention) and Blood Wedding. A new post of Graduate Assistant Hall Technician brought more expertise into the production side of events in the Hall and the Shell Plays saw the benefit. The autumn production of His Dark Materials in The North Wall was a huge success and the author visited and gave the cast useful insights. The Sixth Form performed their examined work in the Spring Term including Gone Girl and Love and Information - the latter also visiting the Edinburgh Festival 2015. Gaudy Week saw an excellent production of Terry Pratchett’s Mort given by the Lower School pupils. The school continues to benefit from an excellent series of professional productions in The North Wall – workshops are given to those studying drama and all members of the school are encouraged to attend performances. The Art and Design departments had a busy year mounting their own exhibitions

in The North Wall and the department – one exhibition was also given by the art teachers entitled Out of Hours. Pupils visited prestigious galleries in London and New York: Tate Modern, Frieze, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Frick, Guggenheim and MOMA. The Jewellery department was invited to Hatton Garden by an OSE to gain useful insights into the industry. A Lower School Photography competition (sponsored by Bang & Olufsen ) was held and the winning entries were exhibited in The North Wall. The Gaudy Week exhibitions included an impressive Leavers’ Show and many items found buyers. The school is lucky to have a number of accomplished dancers who are beyond the Grade 8 level in ballet and they offered a delightful ballet recital at the end of the Autumn Term. The Gaudy Week Dance Showcase displayed the wide variety of dance styles taught at the school. Speech and Drama continued to grow with a record number of entries for LAMDA exams (80) achieving excellent results (35 distinctions and 40 merits). Junior and Senior debating societies flourished throughout the year.

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REVIEWS OF THE YEAR Sports Report Andrew Dalgleish, Director of Sport School sport is intriguingly positioned between the ever-evolving professional sports climate of academies, contracts and high-stakes business and that of tradition, amateur values and, dare I say it, school timetables. It is however this bizarre position that makes school sport so exciting and so appealing to all those who are fortunate enough to be involved. The academic year 14/15 was another wonderful one for St Edward’s sport whereby the foundation of the past was a solid support for further enhancing the School’s first class reputation. The many individual and collective highlights feature on pages 50 - 80. However the 1st XI cricket team deserve a special mention, not only as the St Edward’s team of the year, but for having the most successful season on record. Other highlights include the girls’ success at the National Schools Regatta in May, the rugby and girls’ hockey tour to Australia in July, and - at an individual level - the success achieved by rowers Oli Knight and Hugo Marsh, and cricketer Calvin Dickinson (who played for Worcestershire CCC 2nd XI over the summer after scoring over 1,000 runs for the 1st XI). Change is inevitable and unfortunately as we have seen with various examples from the professional sporting world, not all change is

positive. However this school year saw the introduction of a Strength and Conditioning coach for the first time at St Edward’s. Mark Munroe was appointed in September 2014 and tasked with ensuring that each pupil was able to maximise their physical sporting potential and at the same time reduce their risk of injury. Such a role and development is an indication of how advanced school sport has become and how valued the work ‘off the field’ really is. Nick Gardner took over as Master in charge of Football, Andrew Dalgleish succeeded Mark Hanslip as Master in charge of Rugby and Rex Hooten enjoyed his final summer as the school cricket professional before retirement. The fundamentals of sport do not change and at St Edward’s the core values remain the same as they have always been and the sporting philosophy is well embedded. Pupils of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate and enjoy their sport. There is a firm belief that the School’s first class facilities and coaching staff provide pupils with the perfect environment in which to develop their sport and reach their

individual goals. All staff are fully committed to the philosophy of

development, enjoyment and performance whilst also creating a safe and supportive sporting environment.

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Combined Cadet Force Nick Coram-Wright, Contingent Commander

All three sections of the CCF had a busy year and a very strong team of NCOs and senior cadets led activities both in and out of School. The Navy Section took advantage of warm days early in the Autumn Term and learnt to windsurf on Farmoor Reservoir. During the first Field Weekend they canoed from the school boat club into Oxford, stopping for a refreshing dip at Tumbling Bay, and then returning for supper and a fire-lighting competition by the Thames at Godstow. The second day was spent learning to sail back at Farmoor, with NCO Ed Tanner acting as lead instructor. In the later part of the term activities included building improvised shelters, night exercises on the golf course, and first aid training. During the Spring Term, Navy cadets were among the last pupils to shoot .22 on the school range before it was demolished. For the second Field Weekend, they headed down to Portsmouth to stay aboard HMS Bristol. Very high winds meant that they were unable to sail as intended but they did head out into the Solent for navigational exercises on powered craft. Cadets visited HMS Victory and the Mary Rose, were given a guided tour of the battlements at Southsea by Fiona Wickens, and visited the impressive tapestries and other exhibits at the D-Day Museum. In the Summer Term, along with signalling, archery and leadership exercises, cadets were given a three-week course in punting by veteran puntsman Tony Snell.

The Army Section had another very good year with large numbers of the Fourth Form opting for this section and many from the Fifth and Sixth Forms staying on as very effective NCOs. The Autumn Term camp at Bramley Training area was a great success despite the variable weather. All the cadets stayed out under bashas and the senior NCOs delivered the bulk of the training alongside the permanent CCF staff. The highlight for most was the night-time escape and evasion exercise. The final day was taken up by a busy rotation of basic training including weapons lessons, first aid scenarios and command tasks. The cadets returned to school with a good understanding of what the Army Section had to offer and everyone had a clear sense of purpose for the year ahead. The Spring Term camp allowed the cadets to put into practice the skills learnt over the preceding months. The focus was fieldcraft and there were blank firing exercises as well as simulated battles with laser guns (during the day and at night). Accommodation was in luxurious barrack rooms and this together with hot meals in the mess made the experience very different to the bashas and ration packs of the term before! The prospect of an air experience flight is the reason why many pupils choose the RAF and this year the vast majority of RAF Section cadets flew at least once, either in the Grob Tutor or in a Griffin helicopter at RAF Shawbury. On the Sunday of the Autumn Field Weekend the cadets visited

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REVIEWS OF THE YEAR

the Imperial War Museum in London following its recent refurbishment. The following day was spent at the Hillingdon Outdoor Activity Centre engaging in team-building challenges including indoor caving, an obstacle course that had to be navigated wearing blindfolds and a 3G swing. One or two failed to achieve the river crossing entirely successfully and returned rather damp. For the second Field Weekend the Section visited the Air Museum at RAF Cosford and then, after joining the Army overnight at Nescliffe training camp, went to RAF Shawbury, the home of the Defence Helicopter Flying School. For the Contingent as a whole there were two particularly important events in the year: Remembrance Sunday and the Annual Inspection. On November 9th after a service in the Memorial Quad when six crosses were laid in memory of the first OSE to fall in the First World War, the CCF marched from Lower to Upper Wolvercote, joining the local community at St Peter’s for their Service of Remembrance. On May 1st the Quad was looking at its finest and the Guard of Honour were on top form to welcome our Inspecting Officer, Air Commodore CJ Luck MBA, ADC, current parent and Commandant RAF College Cranwell. We were very grateful to him for his words of encouragement and for handing out the CCF awards during the Inspection.

Sword of Honour and Hopes Award (RAF): Hugo Marsh and Oscar von Hannover (jointly)

Sultan Trophy (Navy): Ted Popham Wakeling Stick (Army): James Chainey Commendation Awards: Freddie Bickers, Simon Brookes, Helene Burghoff, Toby Cornish, Tom Hayes, Bart Pawley, Beth Reed, Magnus Speirs Top Gun Trophy (best Fifth Form): Will Webb Congratulations are also due to Hugo Marsh for successfully completing his Air Cadet Pilot Scheme - a two-week course at Tayside Aviation in Dundee, culminating in a 15-minute solo flight –and to Will Webb (Army) and Matthew Abell (RAF) who distinguished themselves during their respective Cadet Leadership Courses at Frimley Park and RAF Cranwell during the summer holidays.

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