news & views from bablake school

issue 51 spring 2010

bablake school, coundon road, coventry cv1 4au

t +44 (0)24 7627 1200 f +44 (0)24 7627 1290 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk w www.bablake.com

Design: by mustard: www.mustardhot.com

Printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests.

Recent sunshine has given us hope that spring is on the way, and, as the days lengthen, the first bulbs are beginning to bloom around the site. All too often, we take such small miracles for granted, but the cycle of the seasons is unfailing, as is the cycle of each academic year.

The term began with entrance examinations (between falls of snow), and we have recently been interviewing candidates for Sixth Form entry, as well as applicants for teaching posts. All go away with a strong feel for the qualities which characterise the school. They sense the warmth and vibrancy of our community, and are invariably impressed by the immense range of achievements and opportunities. Our current pupils, when asked what they perceive to be the greatest strength of the school, almost always talk of their teachers, and their willingness to support and challenge them in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Bablake is a privileged environment, and, as another year rolls round, that too is something we should never take for granted. As staff, we are privileged to teach and to nurture bright, well motivated young people, each of them full of promise for the future. Our pupils themselves benefit from outstanding opportunities, both within and beyond the taught curriculum, and they should not fail to avail themselves to the maximum. We are very aware of the considerable sacrifices made by parents to give their children the best possible start in life, and therefore all the more mindful of our responsibilities.

So, come snow, rain or shine, let us all ‘seize the day’, for time is unforgiving.

Several experienced and highly valued members of staff will retire at the end of this academic year, and I shall write with further details next term. In the meantime, I am pleased to report that we have attracted strong fields of applicants, and I have made the following appointments for September:

Mr Alistair Hopkins, Director of Studies: Mr Hopkins is currently Head of English and Drama at Wolverhampton Grammar School and Chairman of the Heads of Department Committee. He was educated in Kent, before studying English at St. Peter’s College, Oxford. He subsequently worked as a journalist in Bristol and Yorkshire before taking his PGCE at the University of Leeds. His first teaching post was at Bradford Grammar School, and he was Head of English at Woodhouse Grove School in Leeds before he moved to Wolverhampton.

Ms Kate Ewart, English: Ms Ewart currently teaches at Charleston Academy in Inverness. She was a pupil at Fettes College before studying English Literature and Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh and a PGDE from the University of Aberdeen. She has directed plays, supported the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and played hockey at district level.

Mrs Catherine Scott-Burt, Music: Mrs Scott-Burt is currently Assistant Director of Music at Aylesford School in Warwick. After graduating from Trinity College of Music in London, she spent several years as a professional violinist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and as a peripatetic violin teacher. She studied for her PGCE through the Open University, and is also a trained singer, accustomed to directing choirs.

Mr Inderpal Kalsi, Chemistry: Mr Kalsi was educated at President Kennedy School in Coventry, before studying for his MSc in Chemistry at the University of Warwick. He is currently taking his PGCE at Warwick, and is looking forward to his first teaching post. He is a keen cricketer and chess-player.

bablakeupdate

Diary dates

16 the lion spring 2010

In this issueacademic accolades 02

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! 03

beth shalom 04

‘keep reading’ 05

snap happy... 06

helping others... 07

treading the boards 08

artsnotes 09

oxford lectures 10

a night never to forget 11

a visit to live and let die for 12

1 + 1 makes...? 13

sport 14

Headmaster’s notes

Staff news

Russian Odyssey

Highlights of the trip• watching buses, trains and airplanes operate

without a hitch in several inches of snow.• visiting lenin in his mausoleum in red square.• the warm welcome given to us by a local moscow

school.• the excitement of being inside the kremlin.• the skill and enthusiasm of the russian folklore show.• the cultural experience of the Jazz club and the

ballet.• the stunning art collection in the hermitage.• the beauty and extravagance of catherine’s palace in

tsarkoe selo.• the sombre gravity of the memorial to the siege of

leningrad.• standing by lenin’s desk in the smolny institute

(one member of staff only!).

Low points• six hours of russian bureaucracy to recover our

missing luggage from moscow airport.• two nights in a hotel with no clean clothes.• not visiting lenin’s mausoleum if you were at the end

of the queue (more russian bureaucracy).• last night’s dinner for breakfast in the hotel cosmos.• extortionate prices.• chasing a missing passport around st petersburg.• failing to impress on pupils the need to get up in the

morning on time.• having our flight home cancelled due to ‘bad weather

conditions’ at birmingham airport.

Summer Term Begins tuesday 20 april

House Drama Festival thursday 29 april

May Day – School Closed monday 3 may

Junior Concert tuesday 15 June

Open Evening friday 25 June

Sports Day tuesday 29 June

Leavers’ Ball thursday 1 July

Summer Term Ends friday 2 July

Autumn Term Begins monday 6 september

over the february half-term 29 sixth formers and 4 members of staff travelled from birmingham to moscow and st petersburg.

Soviet Joke Question: What would happen if Communism were brought to the North Pole?Answer: In three years’ time there would be a shortage of snow.

we woke up on saturday morning to stunning views and a hearty breakfast. we needed to be well-fuelled for the adventures ahead which started with abseiling and rock climbing. ably and enthusiastically led by our team leader richard, we quickly bonded as a group, encouraging one another to great heights – literally and metaphorically. team-work certainly came to the fore after lunch when the bablake teams undertook an assault course blindfolded, much to the amusement of the accompanying staff. orienteering, logic problems, mind games and team challenges kept us occupied until a well-deserved supper break, but the fun of the day was far from over. next was an energetic and hilarious camp fire, followed by an extraordinary caving adventure. an incredible labyrinth of man-made caves had been constructed in the hills at colomendy giving us all our first taste of caving and how to get yourself both in and out of a tight spot. members of the 6th form led a time of reflection and fellowship on sunday morning and there was then an opportunity for more fun and friendship on the low ropes challenge, learning circus skills, and on the g3 swing. whether it can be thought either fun or friendly to be put in a harness and then be pulled by your team up into the trees and be left dangling there until they decide to let to go is debatable. it had been a brilliant weekend, learning about ourselves, the importance of team-work, deepening established friendships and making new ones. many thanks to mr mellers for organising the trip and to mrs heath and mrs tumber for their support.

bablake christian union meets in room 15 on tuesdays at 1.20 pm. all are welcome.

The wonders of Wales

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BablakenewsBablakenews

Oxbridge and Extended Project successes

Bablake pupils gain reward for academic endeavour

For Nadine Naguib and Jonathan Smith, gaining 3 As in the summer will confirm places at Oxford to study English Literature and History and Politics respectively.

The vast majority of our U6th are seeing the rewards for their academic and extra-curricular labours with university offers coming in for some of the best universities available but it is interesting to note what Nadine and Jonathan have done to help win their places in such a competitive field.

Nadine is a Senior Prefect, member of the Youth Parliament, a public speaker and debater of note, has edited two of our school magazines and recently produced a leaflet for our prospective 2010 Shell Form pupils. Last year she gained a Commendation in a prestigious essay competition organised by Peterhouse College (Cambridge), this summer Nadine researched and produced an impressive

Extended Project on top of her A Level studies and then late last term, crucially, she was rated in the top 1% of candidates who took Oxford's ELAT examination.

Jonathan is also a Senior Prefect who has been a successful public speaker and debater

right from the Shells and enjoyed the academic extension of the Extended Project. As well as being the pupil in charge of our Meteorological Office partnered Weather Station, Jonathan has been a key driving force behind Green Feet which has been established by pupils to look at how Bablake can run in a more ecologically friendly way.

Both pupils attended important Open Days and extension lessons and of course the current L6th is beginning to start this programme. On 3 March there was an Oxbridge Information evening and later in the term, Mrs Alison Tumber, our Oxbridge Coordinator, will be taking a group of prospective applicants to an Oxbridge information day at the Walkers Stadium. A group of our Gifted and Talented Year 11 pupils has recently visited Oxford for a conference and was able to meet a number of former pupils currently studying there.

'The vast majority of our U6th are seeing the rewards for their academic and extra-curricular labours...'

Many of you may not know Bablake is quite unique since it has a Met Office recognised Weather Station that provides much of the weather information for the local media.

The station has been run by Mr Steve Jackson and numbers of loyal Bablake pupils for over 30 years now.

Mr Jackson was asked for some January statistics: 'This has been the coldest January in Coventry since 1987 (0.8C). If you average the December 2009 mean temperature with that of January 2010 (2.2C), we find that this has been the coldest first two months of winter locally since 1981-82 (1.4C).

Only five January months have been colder than January 2010 since the end of the Second World War (1959, 1963, 1979, 1985, 1987), with just nine January months colder in the whole 20th century, and just 11 since records were first kept in Coventry in 1892.'

You can find Bablake Weather Station online at www.bablakeweather.co.uk – it's well worth a look.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!reliable weather reports from bablake’s very own weather station.

members of bablake’s christian union from across the year groups had a weekend packed full of adventurous fun and fellowship at the kingswood centre in colomendy, north wales.

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BablakenewsBablakenews

Bablake has visited the centre every year since it opened in the mid 90s and the most moving part of the day for staff and pupils is always listening to a survivor of the Holocaust talk about their experiences. This year, the speaker was Mrs Mala Tribich, who first of all lived in hiding in Poland, then experienced life in the ghetto and finally survived concentration camps at Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen. She spoke of being vulnerable, homesick, frightened and permanently unsafe; she told how she lost so many family members, her freedom and gradually her personality when, like too many, she was made to live in a camp with her head shaven and with the same uniform as everyone else.

As the pupils made their way home, the words of George Santayana displayed prominently in the centre had a certain poignancy: 'He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it.'

coventry university, cisco (the leading supplier of networking equipment and network management for the internet) and bt have launched a programme to assist schools with embedding enterprise across the curriculum and encouraging communication skills and collaboration. at bablake, our project is to improve communication between staff and pupils within the school.

in november, six fourth Year pupils attended the launch event for this project at cisco, middlesex. they were introduced to employees from cisco, bt, coventry university and the ministry of Defence and had to explain their project to other schools.

they visited a film studio, interactive conference room and saw lots of new technology and equipment they did not know even existed! they then listened to a speech by lorely burt, liberal Democrats' spokesperson for business enterprise and regulator reform, in which she gave tips on how to become a successful entrepreneur and an insight into what it is like to work in politics.

Charlie Marriott in the Upper Sixth Form has been the real driving force behind the library’s long-awaited foray into cyberspace. A visit to the site will reveal all the necessary information for library users, both staff and pupils. Borrowing is now above the 3,000 issues per term mark – a first for the library, and indeed the equivalent of one whole year’s borrowing for five years ago. Credit for this must go to the pupils, who have really engaged with new stock both fiction and non-fiction, to our pupil librarians, on whose reliability and love of books the library depends, but most of all to Mrs Ryan and Mrs Needham, whose tireless enthusiasm is so crucial to the library’s success. Mrs Ryan leads the Thursday Book Club, a group of Second to Fourth Form readers who meet fortnightly to share their thoughts and feelings about a book they have read in common. New members are always welcome to the Book Club and new stock is always popping-up in the library. To paraphrase a great sage: ‘Keep Reading’.

The 2009 U6th Leavers (Class of 2002) returned to Bablake in December for their Graduation Evening. After a term of increased independence and new challenge at University or a few months into a life-changing gap year, it was an excellent chance for all to catch up!

Headmaster, Mr John Watson, spoke about the excellence of the year group and the valuable investment parents had made in their children, while Mr James Burns, Head of 6th Form, revealed some of the lighter moments of the two years spent in the 6th Form by the group.

Former school captains, Lara Jackson and James Ross, delivered their final address to the year group, offering some interesting updates for both the staff and parents!

For the overwhelming majority even the Graduation Ceremony will not be a final farewell as almost all will remain in touch with each other and the school, in person or electronically!

A final farewell to the Class of 2002

it has been an extremely busy term in the library with the new website coming on line (www.bablakeschoollibrary.co.uk), borrowing on the increase and with the thursday book club going from strength to strength.

‘Keep reading’

Innocent Smoothies

Beth Shalom – never forget

bablake's 3rd Year pupils and those 5th formers studying Judaism for gcse religious studies have made their annual visits to beth shalom, the holocaust memorial centre.

'He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it'

The Cisco kids

During october and november we knitted over 40 small hats to fit on innocent smoothie bottles. every one sold by innocent resulted in 35 pence being given to age concern. the group thoroughly enjoyed making the hats and being creative with the styles.

Cancer Research Appeal Once again the Bablake community has responded superbly to a call for donations for Cancer Research UK. Staff, pupils and parents filled the main hall stage with collection bags that look very likely to raise more than the £3000 from a similar appeal last year.

Michelle Callow (pictured below left with 6th Form pupil, Devan Pankhania), manager of Coventry's Trinity Street Cancer Research shop, was overwhelmed by the response. Thanking the school for its generosity, she urged everyone to think twice before throwing any item away.

The branch is now able to accept electrical items as it currently has the facility to PAT test them. Michelle also said that they are able to collect directly if six bags or more are being donated. For more information about either of these options, please call 024 7622 5244.

Raffles, novelty cakes and wacky hats!! Pupils gave £1,000 to Jeans for Genes and £900 to the Jo Homan Trust for homeless children in India.

Amy Lilly 2S made and raffled a wonderful Pudsey bear cake for Children in Need and this, along with a ‘design a new outfit for Pudsey’ competition, the sale of various goods and other competitions, raised £700.

Mr Tyas ran the Coventry half marathon while his tutor group held a cake sale raising £300 for the British Heart Foundation.

We sent £250 to the Lost War Heroes fund and the sale of poppies in school raised £245.

Our very popular caretaker Malcolm and his wife Sue, helped by head cleaner Jo, have again risen to the challenge and we helped them in their quest to provide over £1,000 worth of toys, games and books to the children on the cancer wards at Walsgrave Hospital.

Sadly, our latest fundraising has been for the devastation caused in Haiti. 2S held a nearly new sale, Amanda Attariani, Josie Hyde Alex Towlson, Sam Griffiths and Jonathon Porter carried out a variety of sponsored events and Meera Patel sold sweets.

Staff and pupils also took part in ‘Hats for Haiti’, which saw a wide range of headgear appearing on the school site and which raised £650 towards our final total of £2,400.

Other charities supported were the Teenage Cancer Trust, Multiple Sclerosis, Zoe’s Place Hospice, and Red Ribbons for Aids.

Helping others...some recent charity support from the bablake community

BablakecharityBablakenews

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2009 ended excellently for English teacher, Mr Rob Dougall. The Times travel section chose his photograph of a procession of monks in Taungoo, Central Burma, as the monthly winner of its Citizen Traveller feature. The prize is a Light and Land Photography Masterclass with leading landscape photographer, Charlie Waite.

Snap happy...

One man’s rubbish

Driven to help

www.bablake.com for latest news

bws.users.netlink.co.uk for the latest weather forecast

www.bablakeschoollibrary.co.uk for the new Library website

whoever said 'one man's trash is another man's treasure' would be smugly congratulating him or herself on the wisdom of this statement, if they had seen the excellence of two of this year's art coursework pieces in particular.

for a2 and gcse coursework respectively, clare Jepson and hannah elsy have each created an amazing garment fashioned from rubbish and other discarded material.

the engineering education scheme group comprising lower sixth pupils arrandeep banwait, adam pitt, luke briggs and isobel ferguson recently attended a three-day residential workshop at birmingham university to put into practice their ideas. supported by their sponsor engineers from civil engineering group arup, the team are working towards finding a solution to traffic problems on the motorways around birmingham.

Treading the boardsQuality drama from the staff and pupils at bablake

BablakeartsBablakearts

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artsnotes

Jewellery workshopthe art Department has been working with the jewellery designer mikaela lyons this term. During an intensive two day workshop the sixth form were taken through the process of designing and producing brooches. this involved using digital manipulation, a laser cutter, metal piercing and soldering to achieve a final piece which was inspired by her highly individual and vibrant style of work.

mikaela, who is a freelance jewellery designer based in birmingham, recently had her work featured on all of the publicity material for the prestigious brilliantly birmingham exhibition at the birmingham city art gallery. she currently designs for a company in the Jewellery Quarter, a job which takes her all over the world, most recently a three month placement in the philippines.

Carol Servicebablake’s annual carol service, held once again at st osburg's church, was a rousing, fitting and warm finale for the closing moments of the busy autumn term. away from the increased commercialism of the festive period, the service reflected on the traditional values of the season, casting a clear emphasis on the joy of giving and appreciation of our good fortune.

the traditional, the modern and the original were delicately blended in the readings and singing. once again the rich variety of our students' talents, from shells through to the 6th form, was clearly evident. pupils read, sang and played... all with expert professionalism.

Autumn Concertthe autumn concert held in november 2009 was a show-case of bablake musical talent in all its guises. a packed house was treated to first-rate performances from the bablake concert orchestra and newly formed wind band which performed a toe-tapping abba medley. there was a wide variety of solos from shells to upper sixth formers which showed some of the many talented students we have at bablake, including nicole minty, emma gallagher, chris tuttle, robert vallance and Josh sood.

Chamber Music Concerta new idea this year has been to celebrate

music-making in smaller chamber music groups. the audience were treated to an eclectic mix of duets and trios, quartets, quintets and a sextet, playing music from the thirteenth to the twentieth century. a special mention must go to marie low in the upper sixth for her work in organising and playing in several of the groups at this event.

Squash onlinebablake now has its own online student magazine, Squash, produced entirely by its pupils, thanks to the enthusiasm and editorial drive of rosie gaunt and technical wizardry of luke briggs.

an enthusiastic team of l6th section editors has been penning articles and encouraging all year groups to contribute to Squash. Described as limitless by one impressed pupil, Squash has the facility to allow any pupil to create his or her own profile and submit articles for consideration for publication in the termly issues.

Squash is an excellent addition to the fine stable of magazines already published by the school and mr mark woodward, who scrolled the staff editorial computer mouse over the first issue, commented:

‘i was really impressed with the variety and depth of articles written for the first issue; there was also very little editing necessary.’

in the current age where blogging and positive online portfolios are fine areas for pupils to advertise their talents and potential, it is especially pleasing to now be able to offer younger pupils an avenue for making this positive step.

bar the cost of the web address, Squash has been produced without a budget, thanks to the web development skills of luke briggs who built a complete content management system for the magazine. some achievement!

all pupils are encouraged to contribute. squash can cover fashion, current affairs, music, sport, the arts and much more!

this is an abridged version, lasting about 40 minutes, but contains all the main characters, and the well known plot.

preparations are already beginning for this year’s production at the edinburgh fringe festival 2010. we have been given the rights to perform anthony horowitz’s play A Handbag, the first school to get the rights to this new play. auditions are just beginning, but the dates for our week at the festival are august 15 – 22. after last year’s successful run with DNA, we feel very optimistic about this new project.

‘The Taming of the Shrew’ – the production performed at the old repertory theatre in birmingham last term as part of the shakespeare schools’ festival, is up and running again, and will be performed in the school theatre towards the end of term.

‘After last year’s successful run with DNA, we feel very optimistic about this new project.’

A Servant to Two Masters charms its audiencesmr John pease's first senior production received rave reviews from audiences who saw the play on its three-night run in bablake's eDm in December.

a cast drawn from the u6th and l6th presented italian playwright carlo goldini's quaint italian comedy with pace and panache, and totally immersed itself in its mid-18th century setting.

this term sees preparations for the popular house Drama festival which will be performed early in the summer term. all four houses will be using 6th formers to cast, direct and produce the plays – a fantastic chance to develop leadership and communication skills as well as indulge any latent desire to emulate the great producers.

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Bablakeevents Bablakeevents

The lectures were fast-paced and high-powered and kept the Bablake pupils enthralled throughout. Dr Peter Vardy, Vice Principal of Heythrop College London and an internationally recognised authoritative and distinguished academic, opened the conference with a lecture on the nature and reality of mathematics. This led into a lecture on Nanotechnologies given by Julie Arliss, joint author of The Thinkers’ Guides. Evolutionary Psychology and Business Ethics were then covered rigorously and with great clarity, and the pupils returned after lunch to listen to a debate on whether abortion should be available on demand. Bablake pupils were quick to volunteer their views and were complimented on their ideas and powers of expression. The day did not

finish when the lectures were over. Former Bablake pupils, Will Chamberlain (PPE at Lincoln), Laura Dean (Geography at Jesus) and Lara Jackson (Geography at Hertford) were kind enough to take time out of their busy schedules in order to give an insight into university life and the application process, whilst showing pupils their respective Oxford colleges.

a large number of pupils from the rs Department and 4th and 5th year pupils on the gifted and talented programme applied to attend an annual cross-curricular conference held in oxford.

Oxford lectures

bablake's winning team, ecosize (ashni Desai, hannah elsy, emma fairclough, clare greevy, scott morgan, Daniel stephen and ameena tahir) came up with a kinetic-powered gym which would reduce both the carbon and carbohydrate footprint. ecosize was selected as the best team in coventry and went on to compete in the regional finals. although the team did not win this round, it can be very proud of its performance as it was awarded a prize for 'the team best able to think on its feet'. suiting the eco-friendly nature of the competition, the team received a tree which will be planted in bablake's grounds.

Ecosize makes its mark

A night never to forget!Talking the talk in national competition

this year's 'make Your mark challenge' was: ‘let local inspiration lead you to a cool creation’.

Maureen Lipman, Laurie Holloway, Timothy West, Prunella Scales, the virtuoso clarinettist Emma Johnson and the hugely talented Dankworth family – Alec, Jacqui and Emily – was a real treat.

Sadly the birthday event turned into a tribute concert, as John Dankworth, the legendary jazz musician, co-founder of 'The Stables' with his wife Dame Cleo Laine, died the same day; remarkably Cleo waited until the end of the concert to make the announcement.

bablake’s debating and public speaking teams have made good progress in a number of competitions this year. hannah elsy, Julia ryland and lizzie stefaniak have advanced to the national finals of the business and professional women’s competition, whilst caitlin edwards and millie ross will compete in the second round of the english speaking union’s schools’ mace, the country’s premier competition for schools.

three names to watch for the future are francesca bellingeri, hayley smith and amy kuner. the girls were runners-up in the rotary club’s Youthspeaks competition, held in the bablake theatre at the end of January. overall, it has been a busy year so far, and many talented pupils have represented the school.

l6th pupil, sophie tumber, recently took centre stage in the 40th anniversary concert at the stables theatre. performing alongside such stars as victoria wood,

You are welcome to visit our Summer Open Evening on Friday 25 June 5pm – 8pm.

Form an overview of the School, see displays of pupils’ work and experience hands-on activities.

13bablake school

BablakeeventsBablakeevents

12 the lion spring 2010

mr mike loasby, former chief Design engineer for aston martin in the 70s and early 80s gave an inspirational talk to sixth form Dt pupils about his career in engineering and his time at aston martin. Discussion ranged from how he came into engineering, his accomplishments, all the way through to current university courses and how to make a strong application to the top courses.

pupils also had a chance to see how current aston martin cars are produced at the factory in gaydon under the guidance of mr frank grimley. a very detailed presentation started the visit during which materials used in construction were discussed, followed by the rigours of crash-testing new models. perhaps the highlight was to see close-up the limited edition one-77 model with a list price in excess of £1,000,000.

A visit to live and let die for! Second year pupils Elliot Forbes and Danujan

Sivanesan teamed up with Kate French and Lara Morley-White from the year above to beat 10 other schools. They go through to the National Finals which will be held in London later this year.

When asked about their day, Danujan said: 'I can't believe we won but I am really pleased.' Mr Shoyeb Memon was very proud of the team: 'It really was a group effort and it was

1 + 1 makes...?congratulations to four of our most promising mathematicians who have just won the regional round of the Junior maths challenge.

One of our parents, Mr Clive Hushon, has once again arranged an exciting competition for our 4th Year Textiles students. He is very much involved in the fashion business, specialising particularly in denim wear. He gave a fascinating presentation to the students and then challenged them to come up with some of their own innovative new designs which could one day be included in his new Mud Candy or Seventh Seal label. The winner of the competition will be announced just after Easter and the successful design will be made up for the pupil by Mr Hushon.

Denim innovators back in fashion

SCs’ party successWell done to Mrs Heath and her team for an excellent Senior Citizens' party in the Main School Hall. Mrs Tumber led the community singing and Mrs Tatum and her pupils offered the musical accompaniment.

Bablake arranges a party for local Senior Citizens twice a year and it is always a lovely event. In the summer, there is a chance to set out a strawberry tea, but of course no Christmas celebration is complete without a certain red suited jolly gentleman who this year seemed to have a distinctly Australian accent!

great to see two year groups working so closely and so effectively together.'

The team started the day with full marks in the first round which gave them great confidence for the rest of the challenges. The pupils will now look forward to more Crossnumbers, Relay Races, Head to Heads and Group Challenges in the final and have our best wishes for success there.

BablakesportBablakesport

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boys’ sport Joy for 1st XVonly when Dominic ainsworth dived over at coventry rfc's butts stadium for a try, deftly converted by ben cooper, was the outcome of the annual 1st Xv fixture against khviii certain.

soon after, bablake's captain max goodyer proudly received the trophy from James grindal (leicester tigers), guest of honour, in recognition of a 19-0 win that was not as comfortable as the scoreline might suggest.

it could certainly have been very different if khviii had not missed 3 early penalties before winger chuka ogbuneke confidently raced clear to touch down for the only score of the first half.

this fixture is always very tight – often played close to the packs – and the game reached the final quarter before alex popplewell made a successful stretch for a try converted by henry chamberlain.

in near freezing conditions, 1400 spectators once again had been treated to a game played in an excellent spirit on the pitch and, for the players of both teams, running out and playing in front of such a crowd will undoubtedly be a highlight for many years.

Representative Rugby three of bablake's promising young rugby players, Joshua buggea, ben cooper and richard synnott, must be congratulated on reaching the midlands u16 trials.

Joshua and richard both went on to represent the midlands in the annual Divisional festival held at broadstreet rfc which is effectively england's under 16 trials. the experience was bitter-sweet, however, as while it was an excellent achievement to be invited to trial, both boys have fallen short of the final cut for the final england squad, for the time being.

mention should also be made of James faulkner, lewis marshall and liam moore who have been selected for the warwickshire u14 rugby squad this season.

Cricketwe are delighted to have appointed steve perryman as our professional cricket coach. steve played for warwickshire from 1974 to 1981 before moving to worcestershire from 1982 to 1983. following his highly successful career as a medium pace swing bowler he became the 1st Xi bowling coach for warwickshire ccc from 2004 to 2008. During his time at warwickshire, steve worked for three years under the late bob woolmer, three years under John inverarity (australian test player) and two years under mark greatbatch (who is now the coach of new Zealand). steve, an ecb level 3 coach, has already begun to work with our cricketers in preparation for the summer.

Hockeythe hockey season is rapidly coming to an end, but bablake students can look back positively on an enjoyable couple of terms with success coming throughout the school. the u12s have trained exceptionally hard during their first year at bablake and a strong squad of players has formed. this hard work paid off, as they convincingly beat loughborough grammar school 3-0 in their first game representing the school. the u13s have continued to build on their work from last year, and although they have not been rewarded with the results they deserve, improvement has been significant and this bodes well for the future. the u14s have shown patches of brilliance during the season, recording wins against warwick (6-0), king henry viii (2-0), bishop vesey’s (7-3), lawrence sheriff (3-1) and camp hill (9-0); however, they will look back with regret at under-performing at the warwickshire county tournament. the u15s have had a fantastic season and have been unbeaten, with highlights including wins against bromsgrove (3-0), king henry viii (4-0), nottingham hs (3-0), solihull (1-0) and warwick (2-1). tom bird (captain), ronan Jones, matthew hollinrake and william hine have had exceptional seasons.

the senior teams have also enjoyed success throughout the season. the 1st Xi have been a pleasure to coach and manage this season; not

only have they been excellent role models for younger students but they have also been a credit to the school when travelling away from home. their exceptional work ethic has paid dividends throughout the season, with some strong results and excellent performances (bishop vesey’s 1-0, khviii 0-0, princethorpe 3-0, loughborough gs 0-0 and lawrence sheriff 4-0). conor Jones has captained the side with great maturity and has shown excellent leadership throughout the season. the 2nd Xi have worked hard throughout the season and have been rewarded with good wins against camp hill (5-1), Queen mary’s (3-2), bishop vesey’s (2-1), king henry viii (1-0) and princethorpe (4-1). the 3rd Xi have recorded wins against king edward’s birmingham (1-0), Queen mary’s (2-0) and north leamington college (5-1).

exciting times are ahead for boys’ hockey at bablake as the sport continues to grow in recognition and popularity. each year more boys are participating in hockey. this is subsequently having a positive effect on the quality of the school teams produced which is reflected in continually improving results. the singapore and malaysia tour in 2011 will also give the senior teams a once- in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the sport in a different part of the world.

A fitting tributeit was surely very fitting that the peter bush memorial match, immaculately organised by his devoted family, and played between bablake and sedbergh, the two schools dearest to him, should witness exciting, flowing rugby and finish with the narrowest of margins – a single point win for his alma mater, bablake.

the match between bablake's 1st Xv and a sedbergh team that had a mix of 1st team and development players was certainly competitive, with neither side wishing to relinquish the honour of a win in peter bush's memory.

the game was a fine tribute to peter, sedbergh's head of economics and former bablake pupil, who sadly and suddenly died last summer at the age of 46.

Athleticscongratulations also go to beth mordey who took part in the inter schools competition this term and came 1st in the west midlands and finished second in the regionals in high jump.

Biathlon Joy for Bablake Girls it is not every day that you have the chance to meet a uk olympic medallist. for 60 girls from bablake senior and Junior schools, solihull, holy trinity primary (kidderminster) and allesley park primary, that dream has just come true.

these girls took part in an inaugural coventry biathlon and the guest of honour was uk pentathlete, georgie harland, who won a bronze medal at the athens olympics.

the event, which was hosted overall at bablake, was organised by peter evans, Development officer for the modern pentathlon, and sponsored by health matters.

the emphasis of the day was to introduce the girls to shooting and fencing, two events that would be new to most, and then allow the girls to compete in swimming and running.

Beth makes a bid for 2016 Olympicsbeth hushon is making excellent progress in a bid to represent the uk in the 2016 olympics. she is one of just 40 gifted athletes to be selected for a second screening for the 2016 tall and talented programme.

beth's achievement is even more impressive when you realise the original group of over 700 athletes were all regional or county players between the ages of 15 and 22.

tall and talented is an exciting initiative to find the next generation of olympic gold medallists with the drive and passion to succeed in rowing, basketball and other targeted olympic sports. it is exciting to think that beth may well have this chance and she has all our support for the next stage.

the experience will leave them keen to continue playing as they enter the 6th form. the u19 squad made an extremely positive start in their section, winning the first three games, against thomas telford, rgs worcester and king edward vi form college, stourbridge, convincingly. a closely contested game against hereford sixth form college resulted in a 6-7 defeat but the players showed their resolve and composure by winning the remaining two games, against st Joseph’s college and king edward’s high school, 8-4 and 7-5 respectively. it was a tightly fought section and the squad emerged as winners on goal average – an excellent achievement. they met king’s worcester in the semi-finals, but, despite drawing the second half of the game, they were unable to make up the two goal deficit of the first half. although disappointed that they had narrowly missed a place at the national schools finals, all the players could be immensely proud of their performance and success. many thanks also to the parents for their much appreciated support at this competition and to all parents who come and encourage the girls throughout the year.

congratulations go the following girls on their selection for district, county, regional and national honours:

Netballsatellite netball training: amanda attariani, miranda attariani, chloe mason, cara mattu, hollie molloy & beth starkey.

county netball: rebecca appleton, emma Davies, ashleigh green, erin hushon, beth Jepson, aimee piercy, mollie sargent & Jenny tasker.

west midlands Development squad: ashleigh green.

Junior academy centre for county hockey:rebecca appleton, beth evans, alexa goodyer,

mollie griffin, alice haywood, ellie hutchinson-James, beth Jepson, georgina mosley, mollie sargent & hayley smith.

england hockey team: Jessica horn has been selected for the u16 endland team to play in the four nations cup this easter in holland.

girls’ sport Girls’ Athleticsthere have been a number of tournaments last term and many to look forward to this term, especially after a number of matches have been cancelled due to the snow. the new facilities of the fitness suite, dance studio and climbing wall have been a timely and superb addition, enabling the p.e. department to provide a range of activities indoors for all pupils on a games afternoon when games outdoors has not been possible.

in both the u16 & u18 warwickshire hockey tournaments bablake reached the semi-final, but unfortunately did not put their chances away and lost to rugby school and king’s high respectively. the u15 team won their section and went through to the warwickshire schools triangular final. here bablake lost their first game 1-0 to rugby and then beat stratford grammar, (with a goal from olivia harrison-Dodd) finishing runners-up: a great result and well deserved. in the u14 warwickshire tournament, bablake won one game, drew two and lost one to finish 3rd place. the u12 hockey squad have worked hard on the core skills and reached the semi-final of the solihull invitation tournament. the u13s went one better and in the bablake invitation tournament came runners-up to king’s high.

in the coventry schools netball tournaments the u14 a team came 3rd, the u16 team came 2nd, and the u14b came 1st and took the trophy, as did the u19 team. the u19 & u16 teams went through to the coventry, solihull and warwickshire tournament and here they sealed their place at the west midlands netball finals. the u16 played well in what proved to be a very tough group of 7 teams. each game was very competitive and the girls should be proud of their efforts as they claimed 2 victories and 1 draw. although the other 3 games ended in defeat it should be remembered that 2 of these opponents went on to qualify for the national finals. hopefully the girls enjoyed their day and

Bablake School, Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU

t +44 (0)24 7627 1200 f +44 (0)24 7627 1290 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk w www.bablake.com

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Recent sunshine has given us hope that spring is on the way, and, as the days lengthen, the first bulbs are beginning to bloom around the site. All too often, we take such small miracles for granted, but the cycle of the seasons is unfailing, as is the cycle of each academic year.

The term began with entrance examinations (between falls of snow), and we have recently been interviewing candidates for Sixth Form entry, as well as applicants for teaching posts. All go away with a strong feel for the qualities which characterise the school. They sense the warmth and vibrancy of our community, and are invariably impressed by the immense range of achievements and opportunities. Our current pupils, when asked what they perceive to be the greatest strength of the school, almost always talk of their teachers, and their willingness to support and challenge them in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Bablake is a privileged environment, and, as another year rolls round, that too is something we should never take for granted. As staff, we are privileged to teach and to nurture bright, well motivated young people, each of them full of promise for the future. Our pupils themselves benefit from outstanding opportunities, both within and beyond the taught curriculum, and they should not fail to avail themselves to the maximum. We are very aware of the considerable sacrifices made by parents to give their children the best possible start in life, and therefore all the more mindful of our responsibilities.

So, come snow, rain or shine, let us all ‘seize the day’, for time is unforgiving.

Several experienced and highly valued members of staff will retire at the end of this academic year, and I shall write with further details next term. In the meantime, I am pleased to report that we have attracted strong fields of applicants, and I have made the following appointments for September:

Mr Alistair Hopkins, Director of Studies: Mr Hopkins is currently Head of English and Drama at Wolverhampton Grammar School and Chairman of the Heads of Department Committee. He was educated in Kent, before studying English at St. Peter’s College, Oxford. He subsequently worked as a journalist in Bristol and Yorkshire before taking his PGCE at the University of Leeds. His first teaching post was at Bradford Grammar School, and he was Head of English at Woodhouse Grove School in Leeds before he moved to Wolverhampton.

Ms Kate Ewart, English: Ms Ewart currently teaches at Charleston Academy in Inverness. She was a pupil at Fettes College before studying English Literature and Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh and a PGDE from the University of Aberdeen. She has directed plays, supported the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and played hockey at district level.

Mrs Catherine Scott-Burt, Music: Mrs Scott-Burt is currently Assistant Director of Music at Aylesford School in Warwick. After graduating from Trinity College of Music in London, she spent several years as a professional violinist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and as a peripatetic violin teacher. She studied for her PGCE through the Open University, and is also a trained singer, accustomed to directing choirs.

Mr Inderpal Kalsi, Chemistry: Mr Kalsi was educated at President Kennedy School in Coventry, before studying for his MSc in Chemistry at the University of Warwick. He is currently taking his PGCE at Warwick, and is looking forward to his first teaching post. He is a keen cricketer and chess-player.

bablakeupdate

Diary dates

16 the lion Spring 2010

Headmaster’s notes

Staff news

Summer Term Begins tuesday 20 April

House Drama Festival thursday 29 April

May Day – School Closed Monday 3 May

Junior Concert tuesday 15 June

Open Evening Friday 25 June

Sports Day tuesday 29 June

Leavers’ Ball thursday 1 July

Summer Term Ends Friday 2 July

Autumn Term Begins Monday 6 September