Bromsgroviann e w s r e v i e w

R E G I

BROMSGROVE SCHOOL

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Over sixteen hundred young people have now settled into the new academic year following a summer of numerous school trips, tours, and extraordinary examination results. There is no hint that the coming months will be any less exciting than those just gone as Pre-

Prep, Prep and senior school all put in planning permission for major projects (including the new senior Dining room). Over at the housman hall campus, the first of the two new boarding houses is a few weeks away from completion. Though we will always be respectful

of our past, business as usual at Bromsgrove means looking forward. it promises to be a thrilling year.

chris eDwarDs headmaster

a word from the headmastera* Gcse pupils

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after receiving its best ever results at iB and a level with superb results also achieved at BTec and Gcse, headmaster chris edwards said: “These are very strong results and our pupils should be proud. The Fifth Form cohort was undaunted by the iGcses and is set fair for success at a level and international Baccalaureate.”

100% of the upper sixth (203 students) gained places at university with 84% going to their first choice university. The three most popular destinations in 2013 were Durham, ucl and exeter with 46 Bromsgrovians heading to one of those institutions.

in summary, at a level school registered its highest ever a level results both in terms of a* and a to B grade averages. 27.3% of all results were at a*, 61.6% were at a* and a, while 88.6% were at a*to B. 32 pupils achieved four or more a and a* grades, while many subjects, ranging from maths to latin, saw over two thirds of their entry score a* and a grades.

at iB the school’s 2013 average was

35.4 which translates to a ucas score of 510 (broadly equivalent to a*, a*, a* at a level with a further a at as level). all iB candidates successfully gained their Diploma and half of the cohort achieved a bilingual diploma.

every BTec sport entry (the only BTec Bromsgrove offers) was graded at Distinction* equivalent to a* at a level; another outstanding performance. iGcse and Gcse results were superb. in the core subjects of english, maths and science all pupils sat the more challenging iGcse. 27% of all Gcse and iGcse grades were a*, 56% were a*and a, while 82% were a* to B. a fifth of the year group scored six or more a*.

special congratulations to the following pupils who achieved 9 or more a* at Gcse: alice shinner, lucy sapwell, ellie saker, mat lynch, aisling Brinn, eleanor Bingham, sarah chan, hugo evans, alice ruben, Klara hunt, alexander Pugh, eleanor Ball, william miners, laura Gieron and elsa court. (Their picture is on the front cover)

results 2013

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rugby Tour to south africa The senior rugby squad and three members of staff travelled to south africa for a sporting tour during the summer holidays. The tour included four high-profile games which put the squad’s skills to the test and gave the opportunity for some hard physical play.

The group enjoyed some amazing extras as part of the tour – a visit to robben island, a stay at a safari lodge and game drives where they were lucky enough to see lions and other large game, a trip to newlands stadium, the world’s oldest rugby stadium and finally a visit to

Fisanterkraal Township where they saw for themselves the absolute poverty that the residents live in and were charmed by the young children who swarmed to meet them.

122 excited boarders met bright and early ready to travel to alton Towers for the first boarders’ trip of this year. many of the new pupils had never been

to alton Towers and so were excited to test out all of the rides and explore the theme park. some keen pupils and staff queued for hours for the new

and terrifying ride called ‘smiler’, but everyone agreed that it was worth the wait.

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alton Towers Trip

Topper squad

Thirteen-year-old James hollis was selected for the rYa Topper uK intermediate Junior squad following a series of impressive performances at the Topper indicators, a series of qualifying events. The purpose of the squad is to feed talented sailors into the Youth and Olympic programmes and to help them work towards world and european championships, supporting around 190 of the most talented British sailors between ages 11 and 16.

horse TrialsFifteen-year-old Georgina horsley-Gubbins recently competed at the land rover Burghley horse Trials, taking part in the white company BsPs Gold cup sports Pony Final. Georgina and her pony put in an impressive performance and came through to win the competition. This success contributes to Georgina’s impressive eventing career so far - her aim is to compete professionally at international level.

u12 cricket champs

The u12 cricket team competed in the county Final of the Bunbury cup against christopher whitehead school, worcester. On a cool but bright evening Bromsgrove batted first and made a very comfortable start with Tom Maidment and harry Thompson both making half centuries and so helping the team to achieve a very impressive score of 195 for 5 off the allotted 20 overs. in reply christopher whitehead school struggled with the Bromsgrove bowling and lost early wickets; they were bowled out for a low total making us county champions for the second time in three years.

as u12 county champions our team will now be the worcester county representatives for the u13 round of the Bunbury cup that starts at regional county level next may.

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england mascot Year 6 pupil, Jack Kershaw, was an england mascot for the international when england beat moldova 4 – 0 at wembley.

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Faraway Tree studies Year 3 went on a wet and wild adventure in order to hunt for the magic Faraway Tree at Bodenham arboretum in Kidderminster. Despite the treacherous weather conditions the children learned many interesting facts about some of the 3000 different species of trees growing there. They were also very busy mud modelling and sculpting, making dream catchers, building up our ‘collecting sticks,’ den building and finding unusual artefacts or woodland creatures’ habitats. The ‘mud kitchen’ proved to be extremely popular with everyone. The pupils hope that they found the Faraway Tree, but are still awaiting replies to their ‘bell ringing’ expedition whilst in the Poplar Trees walk. squelch………squelch……….apologies to parents for the appearance of some of our woodland explorers upon their return from the adventures.

evacueesYear Two evacuees, complete with identity cards and gas masks, were sent on a steam train to the safety of rural highley as the stunning start to their topic, ‘we’ll meet again’.

heads of school

The new heads of school are emily Taylor and sam leather, with deputies andrea ellinas and Daniel Garvie. we wish them well in their roles this year.

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athletics award lauren whensey attended the end of season athletic presentation evening for halesowen athletics club where she was delighted to receive the cup for best throws and a shield for the most improved track and field athlete for u13 girls. The awards were presented by matthew hudson-smith, european Junior champion (4 X100m relay) for the GB team.

eric retires a fond farewell was said to eric Burford, head Groundsman, on his retirement over the summer. eric worked for the school since 1981, overseeing the grounds for 32 commemorations. his passion for the school and his repertoire of bad jokes will be missed by us all.

Year One made the most of the fantastic sports facilities at the Senior School during their first lesson of the year there. Gap students were on hand to share their expertise and the children had a wonderful time learning new skills and playing games in a large area. Thanks go to mr mullan and his team for arranging this opportunity and for providing new equipment for the children.

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sporty Year 1

Forest Fun Forest school has been introduced as a saturday activity at Prep school.

In the first session the children had fun exploring our forest area, making dens and swings, climbing trees and even enjoying a mug of hot chocolate as part of the activities.

Bromsgrovian news

ladies’ lunchThe second ladies’ lunch, hosted by lesley Brookes, Bursar, took place on saturday 7th september. we were pleased to welcome current and former parents, Old Bromsgrovians and Friends of the school.

Guest speaker was lucilla Parkes (nee wright, hz 96-98). lucilla showed great promise as a top class hockey player when she was a pupil at Bromsgrove, playing for england when she was only 17 years old. During her eleven year playing career, she competed in two Olympic Games (sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008), three world cups and three commonwealth Games, winning two Bronze and one silver commonwealth medals.

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hockey congratulations to ian mellor, (school 63-68) who has just come back from antwerp having competed for england in the european cup for over-60s. England beat Holland 4 – 0 in the final.

nevil malinwe were delighted to welcome Old Bromsgrovian nevil malin (G 48-53) to Bromsgrove early in september.

nevil, who is a member of the sir Thomas cookes legacy society, has kindly donated his book collection to the school.

Bromsgrovian news OBec aGm

The Old Bromsgrovian expedition club aGm will take place on saturday, 19th October, 2013 at the Tyn-Y-coed hotel, capel curig, north wales. There are events organised throughout the weekend - people will meet at the Tyn-Y-coed hotel on Friday, 18th October to catch up with mates and get to know the new attendees. up early on the saturday morning for a full day of climbing, walking, cycling or shopping for those who are suffering from the night before! Dinner and aGm is then on the saturday night at 7.30 p.m. sunday normally sees a gentle walk or climb organised before everyone leaves for home.

OBec hopes to encourage 2011 and 2012 leavers to the dinner by heavily subsidising them - the dinner is free, camping is free except for a small breakfast charge and it has been agreed that, if there is enough interest, the bunk room will be reserved for the recent leavers at usual

Tyn-Y-coed rates. it is expected that accommodation will be tight – it will be allocated on a first come first served basis, so get your booking in early.

Once the Tyn-Y-coed is full, other accommodation will need to be booked individually. There will be no problem

with availability for the dinner/aGm.

Please contact chris Bywater (chris@bywateronline.com) with a copy to rat@obec.co.uk if you are interested in attending or if you would like more information.

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OB netball club

The OB netball club is currently looking for new players! we are a fun and friendly club that play in redditch, worcester and Birmingham leagues over both summer and winter. anyone is welcome to come along, regardless of age or ability. Training is from 8-9 pm on monday evenings at Bromsgrove school. it would be great to get some more OBs playing, though bring any friends or family along!

For information, please contact either harriet eales (hz, 03-08) at hcveales@hotmail.com, or helen reilly (née lambert, Tc, 97-02) at helenlouise83@live.co.uk.

Bromsgrovian news Finnish honour mark Perrins (w. 68-1973) was a senior vice President with the Finnish stainless steel manufacturer “Outokumpu” for over 30 years. he had both a uK and global responsibility which meant being in charge of billions of euros worth of business and around 1200 staff.

For these services and his work with the Finnish British chamber of commerce, mark has recently been awarded the insignia of Knight, First class, of the Order of the lion of Finland. he was presented with the award by the Finnish ambassador at his residence.

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wales Dinner The Bromsgrovian club wales Dinner took place at the Dragon hotel, swansea on wednesday, 18th september. much reminiscing of llanwrtyd wells was done as quite a few of the attendees had attended school there during its wartime evacuation. christopher Price (s, 39-44) and andrew campbell (w, 67-72) both helped make this happen so a big thank you to them both.

The annual Old Bromsgrovian sports Day took place in mid september. This year, matches were played in netball, hockey, golf and squash. at Bromsgrove Golf centre, the sun was shining and spirits were high as the school team came out on top for the second year running. in hockey and squash, the school teams also won their matches. netball was a closely fought contest but the B-team Old Bromsgrovians gained the advantage in their fixtures, and the School’s A team won after leading the scoring from the start. afterwards, players and guests dined in the hospitality suite, joined by the chairman of the Bromsgrovian club, hans rostrup and members of the committee.

OB sports

Forthcoming events 2013

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SEPTEMBER saturday 21st Pre-Prep Open morningsaturday 21st senior school Pa aGm, 11am Old chapelsunday 22nd Greenpower engineering regional heats, castle combe circuitmonday 23rd Pre-Prep harvest service (reception, Year 1 and 2), chapel 2.15pmTuesday 24th Prep school harvest service, chapel 8.30amwednesday 25th harvest Festival school service, 9.00amThursday 26th music scholars’ recital 7pmFriday 27th Prep school Pa macmillan coffee afternoon, maple hall 3.30pmFriday 27th lupton Pa Quiz night, 7.30pm hospitality suitesaturday 28th Oakley house breakfast club

OCTOBER Thursday 3rd senior school concert, 5.30pm Old chapelFriday 4th walters house Pa event, 7pmsaturday 5th Open morning for entry into senior school Years 9-12Thursday 10th hazeldene Pa aGm, 7pmsaturday 12th Open morning for entry into the Prep school Years 3-8saturday 12th Oakley house halloween Partysaturday 12th Pre-Prep Pa Barn Dancesunday 13th Greenpower engineering national Finals, Goodwoodmonday 14th Parents evening for Year 1 and nursery (hedgehogs and Owls)Tuesday 15th Prep school Prefects lunch with the headmasterTuesday 15th Years 3 and 4 Parent consultation evening, maple hall 5-8pmTuesday 15th Parents evening for nursery (robins and rabbits)wednesday 16th senior school inter-house unison song competition, 3.45pmwednesday 16th housman halloween Partywednesday 16th Parents evening for reception and nursery (Badgers and Bees)Thursday 17th Parents evening for Year 2 and nursery (Fish and squirrels)Thursday 17th Page house halloween PartyFriday 18th half term commencesFriday 18th u15 rugby tour to ireland departs

NOVEMBER sunday 3rd Boarders returnsunday 3rd Pa Fireworks event, 4.30-6.30pmmonday 4th Day pupils returnTuesday 5th Year 6n and 6s Parent consultation evening, cobham hall 6-8pmThursday 7th uvi/uiv Parents’ evening in the sports hall, 6.45-9pmsaturday 9th sixth Form Open Daysunday 10th remembrance Day school service, 9.55am and 10.55amsunday 10th chamber choir sing at Pershore abbey, 7.30pmmonday 11th Pre-Prep Year 2 wwii assembly to parentsTuesday 12th Year 6e and 6w Parent consultation evening, cobham hall 6-8pmThursday 14th senior school Pa liaison committee, 7.30/7.45pm cookes roomFriday 15th Prep school house singing competition, routh hall 8.40amFriday 15th Bromsgrove’s Got Talent, 7.30pmsaturday 16th school house Pa Quiz, hospitality suitemonday 18th 13+ sports scholarship Trials DayTuesday 19th lunchtime concert in the Old chapel, 1.20pmTuesday 19th 16+ sports scholarship Trials DayTuesday 19th Fifth annual Foundation lecture, Barber institute of Fine arts, university of BirminghamTuesday 19th Prep school Pa meeting, library 8pm

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NOVEMBERThursday 21st ‘next step conference’ (lvi parents), lrc 7.30pmTuesday 26th Prep school scholastic Book Fair, parents of Year 3 and 4 welcome, 4-5pmThursday 28th Prep school scholastic Book Fair, parents of Year 3 and 4 welcome, 4-5pmTuesday 26th iB information evening for Fifth Form parents, routh hall 7.30pmTuesday 26th ‘school for scandal’ Production, artrix theatre 7.30pmwednesday 27th ‘school for scandal’ Production, artrix theatre 7.30pmThursday 28th ‘school for scandal’ Production, artrix theatre 7.30pmFriday 29th Oakley house formal dinner, 7pmsaturday 30th lupton Pa Ball, The hilton 7.30pm

DECEMBER sunday 1st advent carol service, 5.30pmTuesday 3rd ccF recruits Passing Out Parade, 2.55pmTuesday 3rd a christmas carol performance for Year 6 and 7, cobham hall 1.45pmTuesday 3rd reception nativity, school hall 9.15amThursday 5th reception nativity, school hall 9.15amsaturday 7th Prep school Pa christmas Fair, 12noon – 2.30pmsunday 8th Oakley, mary windsor and housman hall christmas Partiesmonday 9th Page house christmas meal and partyTuesday 10th Pre-Prep christmas service (reception, Year 1 and 2), chapel 2.15pmTuesday 10th senior school christmas concert, 7pmwednesday 11th senior school Boarders’ christmas DinnerThursday 12th Junior carol service, chapel 2.45pmThursday 12th Pre-Prep christmas Party DayFriday 13th carol services for Prep and senior school, term ends

Forthcoming events 2013