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Independent schools swimming

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Last week the swimming team went to Downe House for the annual Independent Schools Relays competition. The U13 and senior teams performed to a high standard and combined with the U15 team score St Swithun’s finished in 4th place overall out of 13 teams.

The U13 freestyle relay finished 2nd and the U13 medley relay finished 3rd. Some girls competed in both. The teams were Mara Wicks, Josie Smailes, Charlotte Bassett, Ellea Lowe and Bella Monkcom.

The senior medley and freestyle relay finished 3rd overall. The team consisted of Sally Goodhand, Emily Sambrook-Smith, Izzy Rafferty and Alicia Warwick.

Some of the U13 2nd and 3rd place winners

May day in Mudeford

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

75 L5 geographers spent 1st May at Hengistbury Head, Dorset in order to study coastal management and tourism. After all the cold weather they were lucky to have a gloriously sunny day in which to collect data and complete questionnaires. Lunch was a picnic on the beach before climbing up onto Warren Hill to look down on Mudeford Spit and complete a sketch.

IAPS Swimming National finals

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Congratulations to Tallulah Jeffes, Alice Calder, Jessica Gordon, Evie Johnson, Anastasia Lawrence, Jemima Kennett, Madeleine Alexander and Olivia Bracey-Davis who competed in the IAPS swimming national finals at the K2 Leisure Centre, Crawley on Saturday 11th May.

All of the girls swam brilliantly in the 8 x 25 metres small schools’ freestyle relay to finish in 3rd place with a new school record of 2 minutes 14.2 seconds. Olivia Bracey-Davis is worthy of a special mention as she kindly agreed to replace Phoebe Shannon, just the evening before the race, as Phoebe was unwell.

Evie Johnson, Anastasia Lawrence, Jemima Kennett and Madeleine Alexander also qualified for the 10 and under freestyle relay. The girls were fifth in their heat and 11th overall in a new school record of 1 minute 9.14 seconds. Anastasia Lawrence also qualified to swim in the 10 and under 25 metres backstroke in which she finished 7th overall, and Evie Johnson was 8th in the 10 and under 25 metres butterfly final. To qualify for the national finals was extremely commendable as 217 schools had participated in the regional round involving over 3500 swimmers.

Reception gymnastics display

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On Wednesday 8th May the Reception children entertained their parents with a fabulous gymnastics display. The gymnasts had been working hard practising for the show and enjoyed showing their ball skills, skipping, hula hooping and apparatus work. The children also included some of the warm up songs and routines that they have learnt this year. Amelia Mitchell in Nursery really enjoyed the show and said to Mrs Heinrich ‘Reception were amazing!!’

Polly Toynbee leads debate

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On Tuesday 31st April, Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee came to St Swithun’s to give a talk entitled Dogma and Disarray.

After joining some of the sixth form politics students for dinner, over which they discussed issues such as Margaret Thatcher, feminism and the Leveson Inquiry, Polly spoke in the performing arts auditorium about her experience of living on the minimum wage and the effect on social equality of the current government’s policies.

Following her talk, Polly debated with the audience and gave her opinions on other issues, such as education, electoral turn-out and the economy.

Upper sixth politics pupil Lizzie Farrington said ‘I enjoyed listening to and debating with Polly. Whether in agreement with her views or not, her talk provided a valuable and thought-provoking perspective on a series of issues which are rarely addressed in the media’.

U18 football tournament

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Last weekend a team of sixth formers travelled to an Independent Schools’ U18 girls’ football tournament at Haileybury School. This was St Swithun’s first football competition following the popular introduction of football to the sports curriculum this year.

The team played five other schools including Haileybury, Bede’s, Hockerill, Malvern and St Clare’s. Joyous celebrations followed a win against St Clare’s placing St Swithun’s fifth overall.
The girls playing were Emily Sambook Smith, Grace Long, Yvonne Pickering, Georgia Tice, Helena Wakefield, Hattie Haines, Lucy Gimson, Ellie Fleming and Sophie Mayne. Player of the tournament went to goalie Ellie Fleming, playing for the first time in a full sized goal!

Sports teacher Steph Webb said ‘The girls loved playing and trying a new sport. It was a great experience’.

Two U15 football teams will be travelling to a competition at Haileybury in June.

U11A rounders against Stroud

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Congratulations to the U11A team on another successful rounders match, this time against Stroud School. St Swithun’s fielded first and the girls showed excellent teamwork by covering the ball well, allowing Stroud to score just 3 rounders. St Swithun’s then went into bat and, with very confident hitting, scored 8½ rounders. The second innings saw Stroud bat more strongly to finish on a total of 9½. St Swithun’s went in for their last innings knowing that they needed 1½ rounders to win. Stroud’s fielding was much tighter so St Swithun’s had to work harder to score. We did, however, secure 6 rounders to finish on 14½.

The final score was:

St Swithun’s 14½ Stroud 9½.

Player of the match was Alice Calder for her strong batting.

Emily in A team for England at Lacrosse World Cup

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

St Swithun's sports scholar Emily Sambrook Smith L6 has been selected to play in the A team for England Lacrosse's U19 tour to Canada in July 2013. The tour coincides with the 2013 Lacrosse World Cup in Oshawa, Ontario. Emily’s selection followed England U19 trials in Gloucestershire earlier in the year.

Emily was also selected to play for England Lacrosse in March at the U19 Home Internationals at Surrey Sports Ground. England won the tournament, with Emily scoring 5 of the goals. The event attracted much publicity as it marked the launch of the next FIL (Federation of International Lacrosse) Women's Lacrosse World Cup which England will be hosting in 2017.

Please click here to watch a news piece about Emily on BBC South Today.

National Enterprise Challenge

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On April 2nd, 116 girls in U4 and L5 took part in The National Enterprise Challenge, an inter-school entrepreneurial competition backed by Lord Sugar. The girls were competing for a place to represent St Swithun’s in the national final in London later this year.

Working in teams of six, the U4 girls had to come up with a social enterprise business idea. The L5 girls were challenged to think of a product or service based around the theme ‘brand Britain’. After deciding on an idea, each team had to prepare a business case, design a logo and website and prepare a presentation to sell their idea to their peers. The judges from TNEC were very impressed with the quality of the girls’ ideas and work, and found it very difficult to choose a winner.

In the end, the L5 team of Kitty Addison, Maria Burbidge-King, Alicia Dent, Hannah Cole, Sophie Bennett and Mia Bickford, who devised the concept of The Big Red Pub (a café on a Big Red Bus) was announced as the overall winner. This team will go on to represent the school at the national finals in London in July, when they will pitch their idea to specially chosen guest judges from the business community followed by dinner and a Q&A session with Lord Sugar.

Top communicator

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Last term, four U5 girls took part in the UK Linguistics Olympiad. UKLO is a national competition for secondary school students in which they have to solve linguistic data problems. The problems are based on languages of which students have no known previous knowledge such as Apinaye which is spoken by fewer than 800 people in Brazil.

Congratulations to Sacha Onslow who was awarded a silver certificate and achieved best in school for the second year running. Certificates of participation were also awarded to Mary Gatenby, Ella Jonas and Tiffany Wong.

Intermediate Maths Challenge

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Last term all the L5, M5 and U5 girls sat the Intermediate Mathematics Challenge. This competition involves over a quarter of a million students from across the country taking the one hour paper. Our girls achieved an excellent set of results with gold certificates awarded to 10 girls and over 70 certificates awarded in total.

Eight of these girls were also invited to take part in follow-on rounds for high scoring students.

Alice Yip M5 was invited to sit the Year 10 Olympiad. This paper is for the top 600 students nationally in Year 10 so this is an exceptional achievement. The mathematics department awarded Alice a book prize.

Mari Thomas and India Mackay both U5, Emma Bennett, Ellie Gleave and Elizabeth Tse, all M5 and Natalia Smithers and Isabella Watson of L5 were all invited to sit a European Kangaroo paper. (5,500 pupils from all three year groups sitting the Intermediate Challenge are invited to sit either the grey or pink European Kangaroo papers dependent on school year. These are one-hour papers with 25 multiple choice questions, taken by pupils from over 30 countries worldwide).

In the Intermediate Mathematics Challenge gold certificates and book prizes were awarded to:

Upper 5

Rebeka Batty
Genevieve Chan
India Mackay
Mari Thomas

Middle 5

Emma Bennett
Ellie Gleave
Elizabeth Tse
Alice Yip (Best in School)

Lower 5

Natalia Smithers
Isabelle Watson

Boarders welcome the elderly

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Boarders welcomed a group of local elderly visitors to tea in High House common room at the beginning of this term.

The visit was organised in conjunction with Contact the Elderly, who provide a lifeline of friendship for people aged over 75 who live without social support.

Boarders from all year groups baked and provided the tea for the occasion themselves, which consisted of cakes, sandwiches and scones to accompany the tea and coffee. Girls served, chatted to and entertained their guests with music, poetry and readings.

If you would like to see images of other boarding activities please click here

U11A rounders against Prince's Mead

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Congratulations to the U11A rounders team on their success against Prince’s Mead. It was the girls’ first match of the season and they had all been eagerly looking forward to testing out their fielding and batting skills.

St Swithun’s won the toss of the coin and elected to field first. Their fielding was quick and accurate which allowed Prince’s Mead to score just 4 rounders. St Swithun’s then batted well and scored 6½. In their second innings, Prince’s Mead’s hitting improved and they scored 7, to finish on a total of 11 rounders. St Swithun’s then went into bat and, with some promising hits, moved ahead to win the game. The final score was:

St Swithun’s 13½ Prince’s Mead 11

Players of the match were Jess Gordon and Phoebe Shannon for their excellent batting.

Abbie maintains her diving standard

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

L5 pupil Abbie Baker competed at the British Junior Elite Diving Championships in Leeds at the end of March. This is the top junior event in the diving calendar and is the selection event for the GB team attending the European Championships.

Abbie was diving in a higher age category for the first time. In the synchronised event Abbie and her partner finished 6th in the age 14-18 category. In the individual platform event Abbie finished 10th. Abbie dived some new dives including her first competitive dive from 10m, a back two and a half somersaults with half twist.

Abbie stays in this age group next year where she will aim to make the top six and hopefully secure a place on the GB team for the European Championships. She managed to score personal bests on the 1m and Highboard and attained scores allowing her to compete at this level next year.

Despite diving in a higher age group Abbie maintained a GB top ten ranking. Her next goal is to learn several new dives and achieve a qualifying score on Springboard to be invited to the British Senior Nationals in January 2014.

Olivia becomes UK archery champion

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Olivia Williams M5 has been confirmed as the current UK Junior Ladies Barebow Metric Clout 90m record holder.

Shooting at the Waterside Archers Clout competition held on the 3rd March 2013 at Exbury, Olivia scored 223 points to overhaul the previous record by 4 points. Clout archery, dating back to the middle ages, sees archers shooting their arrows at a flag and scores recorded for the closest proximity.

Olivia, who has been shooting with the Hampshire Waterside Archers club for 3 years, had to wait several weeks for the confirmation from the Grand National Archery Society.

She still has one more year to break her own record at this level before moving on to the adult competition.

Snapshot spring 2013

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Click on the image to read the Junior school spring term news

Spring newsletter 2013

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Please click on the image to view the latest school news

Unlocking Time

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Regulars of the Reading Room, a lunch club for enthusiastic readers, have been dedicating this and last term to a very special fundraising project. Unlocking Time is a book which has been written collectively by the group under the guidance of teachers Mrs A Hervey-Bathurst and Mrs C Howard. Members of the school community paid £1 for a copy of the finished book and the opportunity to be drawn in a raffle and featured as one of the characters within the story. Winners include Delphine Legat U5, Ella Jonas U5, Mrs S Heffernan and Jamilah Ranger L4.

Unlocking Time draws on aspects of St Swithun’s past and present for an original and captivating short story, featuring many members of the school community. The money raised goes to this year’s school charities of RNIB, War Child and The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. You can read Unlocking Time here

Junior national biathlon finals

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Many congratulations to Anastasia Lawrence and Evie Johnson who competed in the biathlon national finals on Sunday 24^th March, held at Crystal Palace Sports Centre. The biathlon involves swimming 50 metres and running 500 metres. It is a nationwide competition with the fastest 65 Year 5 girls in the country being selected to compete in the finals. Both Anastasia and Evie gained personal best times and finished in 17^th and 24^th place respectively.

Feel the fear

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Accompanied by Classics teacher Mrs Claire Webster, a group of 19 girls from L4 to U5 went on a trip to Calshot Activity Centre to try out climbing and velodrome cycling.

These were new experiences for most and it was a shock for some to realise that when riding a velodrome bike you are fixed to the pedals and have no brakes! Everyone had to put their trust in each other, as the lack of brakes means you need reliable friends to catch you when you want to stop.

Getting to the top of the climbing wall was a huge achievement for many too, trusting in friends at the bottom not to let go of the rope.

The participants hugely enjoyed these new challenges, whilst ‘feeling the fear but doing it anyway’.

Confirmation at the cathedral

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On Saturday 16th March, 20 St Swithun’s girls were confirmed by the Bishop of Basingstoke, the Right Reverend Peter Hancock at a service at Winchester cathedral. It was a wonderful occasion attended by friends and family of the candidates and Swithun Choir sang for the service. The bishop and his wife joined us at school for a special celebration lunch afterwards.

The girls had attended weekly classes and an overnight confirmation retreat at Eton Dorney to prepare for this special occasion. Three other girls who have been prepared at school will be confirmed at the cathedral’s Easter Eve service.

Team of talent

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

St Swithun’s sports scholar and GB dressage rider Jessica Gale L6 has been selected for the second year running for the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme. Annually TASS supports approximately 550 up and coming young athletes who are in full time education. This recognition of Jessica’s success in the equestrian world will help her with funding for her immediate future in this event.

Jessica, whose top horse Umbro-s has been off competition for eight months due to injury, has been concentrating her efforts on training her second horse Rebellski. GB selectors initially dismissed Rebel but thanks to Jessica’s determination and hard work have now reconsidered since he achieved such high scores at his first premier league event. The pair has now been selected to represent Great Britain at their first international competition together which will take place during the Easter holidays. Jessica hopes to have both horses on the teams next year.

Gloria concert

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

In early March Swithun Choir were joined by Orpheus Choir (comprised mainly of staff and parents) and the Orpheus Players to perform a programme of music celebrating two contemporary British composers: Edward Gregson and John Rutter. In addition the Chamber Choir also sang pieces from their recent performance in the Barbican Centre, London. The combined choirs, featuring nearly one hundred singers, performed the Gloria by Rutter during the second half, an exhilarating energetic piece accompanied by exuberant brass and percussion. The choirs sang with focus and energy and produced a rich variety of vocal timbres during the multi-movement work. Special congratulations should be given to the soloists on the night: Amy Butterworth, Annabelle Woosnam, Hattie Haines, Connie Freer-Smith (all U6) and Carrie Gothard L6.

Maths Inspiration

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

St Swithun’s hosted a “Maths Inspiration” event on the 20th March. The performing arts centre Harvey Hall was packed to the rafters with students from schools and colleges from a wide area, as well as over 100 girls from U5 to U6, to hear talks by three highly entertaining speakers.

The ‘Stand-up mathematician’ Matt Parker, from the University of London, delighted the audience with his wit whilst discussing the mathematics behind the technology we take for granted.

Chris Budd, from the University of Bath, addressed the issue of global warming from a mathematical standpoint and Rob Eastaway, director of Maths Inspiration, examined the link between mathematics and psychology.

Inspiring and enjoyable, what more could you want to finish off the mathematics term?

National polo winners

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

In early March the school polo team of Olivia Impey U6, Larissa Westall M5, Stella Boden U4 and Lydia de Vere U5 competed for the first time in the National Girls’ School Polo Tournament in Gloucestershire.

The team played superbly and managed to win all their matches (4-0, 3-0 and 2-1) to win their division. Larissa Westall also won the award for the most valuable player.

U11A netball v Stroud

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The U11A netball team has had an incredibly successful season so it was most gratifying to see them win their last junior school netball match with a 22 - 4 victory against Stroud.

Scarlett Emptage, Lucy Herring and Freya Green intercepted the ball strongly in defence; Sarah Hotot, Phoebe Shannon and Jessica Gordon passed the ball around mid-court with great athleticism, whilst Tallulah Jeffes and Alice Calder moved adeptly within the goal circle and shot with great precision. Congratulation to the whole team and to Sarah Hotot who was awarded ‘Player of the Match’ by Stroud.

IAPS regional netball tournament

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On Thursday 7th March, the U11A netball team travelled to Port Regis School, Shaftesbury, to compete in the IAPS regional netball tournament.

The standard of netball is always incredibly high at the regionals, but the girls were all determined to do their best. 25 schools were competing, with eight or nine schools in each of the three sections. St Swithun’s were in Section A, and with nine teams in this group we had eight games to play.

Our first challenge was against Highfield School. This was a tough match with fast accurate passing and shooting from the opposition. St Swithun’s held their form and, after a nail-bitingly close game, St Swithun’s edged ahead to win 6-5. A game against Castle Court followed. This was to prove an easier match which St Swithun’s won 12-3. The next match against Leaden Hall was another comfortable win to St Swithun’s 9-1, followed by a sound win to defeat Stroud 10-1.

St Swithun’s fifth match was to be a real test of strength. Port Regis were so far undefeated and on home turf had the advantage. St Swithun’s rose to the occasion and when the final whistle blew were ahead 6-5. The next two games were again easier wins: 10-0 against Leweston and 10-2 against West Hill Park; with the final match against Marlston House a little more taxing but one we still won 6-2.

Having exceeded all expectations St Swithun’s girls, and their teachers, were elated to find that they had won Section A of the tournament and were through to the play-off. The girls then faced a very strong Twyford team who proved to be just a bit too strong and lost 2-7.

Twyford, Dumpton and The Marist went forward to the 1st/2nd/3rd place play-off, with St Swithun’s contesting the 4th/5th/6th place play-off in a round-robin against Port Regis and Portsmouth Grammar. St Swithun’s had their second encounter with Port Regis which again proved an incredibly close affair with both teams levelling at 5-5. St Swithun’s then waited whilst Portsmouth Grammar played Port Regis, with Portsmouth claiming the win. Portsmouth Grammar continued their winning streak against us and won the game 7-2.

It was an exhausting but exhilarating tournament and Tallulah Jeffes, Alice Calder, Jessica Gordon, Phoebe Shannon, Sarah Hotot, Freya Green, Scarlett Emptage and Lucy Herring can all be immensely proud to have finished in 5th place, out of 25 schools.

Netherfield ball celebrates 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On Sunday 3rd March, St Swithun’s hosted a Regency style Netherfield Ball for 115 U5 pupils from St Swithun’s and Winchester College to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The inspiration behind this event came from the girls’ enthusiasm for the novel during their English Literature IGCSE classes.

To embrace fully the spirit of the event, students arrived in Regency costume. Girls wore empire line dresses, their hair in ringlets decorated with pearls and flowers in the style of heroine Miss Elizabeth Bennet, whilst the boys were dressed in cravats, waistcoats and buttoned overcoats resembling the wardrobe of Mr Darcy.

The evening began with a drinks reception of fruit punch, a fashionable drink of the early nineteenth century ballroom, during which pupils completed their dance cards. Etiquette was strictly observed with girls allowed no more than two dances with the same partner lest there should be talk of an engagement.

A three-course dinner followed; each item on the menu was selected from references in the novel to add authenticity to the occasion. After dinner, students danced The Grand March with music provided by an ensemble of St Swithun’s pupils. Coordinated and guided by the renowned Hampshire Regency Dancers, the guests then danced to Jane Austen favourites including cotillions, quadrilles and the waltz.

The event had both an educational and social purpose. Ella Jonas remarked that ‘The evening gave us a glimpse into the style, grandeur and etiquette of the Regency era and we were delighted that boys from Winchester College were able to share this with us.

Poetry by heart

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Congratulations to Jodie Russell U5 who won the St Swithun’s Poetry by Heart competition which took place in front of the judges and an audience of the school community on the evening of 6th March.

Jodie was competing against eight other very strong orators in the school but delivered accomplished renditions of The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde and God, A Poem by James Fenton to win first prize.

Jodie will now progress to the next round of the competition at the Discovery Centre in Winchester on 30th March, to compete against other students for the title of County Champion. At the county stage, students will be asked to recite one poem from the Poetry By Heart anthology that was published before 1914 and one poem from the Poetry By Heart anthology published in or after 1914.

The final takes place at the National Portrait Gallery in April.

Other participants included Hatty Haines U6, Mary Gatenby U5, Hattie Thursfield M5, Eve Gatenby U5, Eliza Bacon M5, Amina Clayton U6, Cat Bar L6 and Chloe Evans M5.

International debating

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Saturday 2nd March 2013 saw the St Swithun’s debating team return to the Oxford Union for the International Competition for Young Debaters.

Ella Jonas, Mary Gatenby, Holly Wagstaff and Eve Gatenby (all U5) travelled to Oxford for the event and spoke with a powerful blend of eloquence and rhetoric on topics including the return of historical artefacts to their countries of origin and doping in sport. The girls were outstanding ambassadors for St Swithun’s, exemplifying rigorous and far-reaching insight into a range of topics and good-humoured enthusiasm and participation.

Junior Polar fun day

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

As part of their Humanities topics this term, Year 4 has been studying ‘Polar Environments’ and ‘Famous Explorers’. The girls have been really excited and engaged with both of these topics. As part of this work they have been focusing on Polar expeditions, and were very fortunate to welcome Oli Milroy, a real life Polar explorer, to St Swithun's Junior School.

Oli works for an organisation called Education through Expeditions and at only 19 years old was the youngest member of the 2012 Arctic Jubilee Expedition, whose Patron was HRH Prince Charles. This historic expedition marked the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by holding the worlds most remote Diamond Jubilee Tea Party, at the highest point of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in Arctic Canada. Oli was also honoured as a torch bearer in the London Olympics for his charity work and within schools outreach.

During the course of the Polar Fun day Oli ran various workshops including, ‘Blubber Gloves’, where the girls used plastic bags, lard and buckets of freezing water to see how seal’s blubber worked as insulator. They also made model mountain ranges using a ‘secret ingredient’ to represent glaciers and enable them to see how they would move.

Oli showed the girls all of the kit that he took with him to the Arctic, before giving them the opportunity to dress up in it all.

The girls also got to put the skills that they had learned throughout the day into practice when they planned their very own expeditions. These varied in destination from Madagascar to the Antarctic or even to the moon! They had to choose where to go, what to investigate, who would fulfill which job in the expedition team and what kit they would take with them.

All of the workshops gave the girls amazing insight into the life of a Polar explorer. The Polar quiz at the start and end of session proved just how much the girls had learned over the course of the day. It seems that a new generation of explorers has been truly inspired.

Throughout the day the girls bombarded Oli with a remarkable range of thoughtful questions and impressed him with their knowledge.

Year 4 would like to wish Oli all the very best in his next adventure – to be the youngest person to row the Atlantic.

Mastering poetry with Daljit Nagra

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Poet Daljit Nagra visited St Swithun’s in February and brightened the day with lively and impassioned renditions of his poems for both U5 and a selected group of L6 and U6 students. Daljit was winner in 2008 of the South Bank Show Decibel Prize and shortlisted in 2012 for the TS Eliot prize.

In the session for the whole of U5, he presented a poem from his second collection, ‘The Balcony Song of Raju and Jaswinder’. He encouraged the students to speculate about how the poem could be considered a multi-cultural love poem, which elicited thoughtful and perceptive comments from many. In the session for sixth formers, Daljit organised a workshop on form and the poet’s craft, showing students the ways that poets make choices regarding form and content. He also offered insights into the life of a ‘working poet’.

Katie Umbers U5 said ‘Daljit Nagra seemed very passionate about poetry and he was very good at getting everybody participating in the lecture.’

Katie Boden U5 commented ‘Daljit expressed a highly perceptive outlook on Indian-English culture. We particularly enjoyed listening to him talk about the characters Jaswinder and Baswinder. His comic and unique style totally captivated the room.’

Swimming match against St Francis

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On Thursday 28th February St Francis School travelled from Pewsey, in Wiltshire, to swim against Years 3, 4 and 5. The St Francis team included boys as well as girls and, as always, it was a most enjoyable gala.

Both the A and B squads swam really well with Olivia Busher, Eleanor Holmes, Anna Morley, Amelia Bruce, Iona Morley, Annabel Yeatman, Evie Johnson and Jenna Lowe winning at least one of their individual races and with all of the A squad swimmers winning their relays.

The U9B medley relay team (Isabella Alexander, Lulu Hepworth, Bea Watson and Caitlin Williams) must be congratulated on their second place, ahead of the St Francis team.

Four school records were also broken. These were:

Olivia Busher Year 3 – 25 metres front crawl in 19.13 seconds
Evie Johnson Year 5 – 50 metres front crawl in 37.94 seconds
Year 3 medley relay team (Mia Clark, Eleanor Holmes, Amelia Tirado and Olivia Busher) in 1 minute 50.03 seconds
Year 3 freestyle team (Amelia Tirado, Agnes Bracey-Davis, Eleanor Holmes and Olivia Busher) in 1 minute 38.66 seconds

The final scores were:

1st St. Swithun’s ‘A’ Squad with 212 points
2nd St. Francis with 145 points and
3rd St. Swithun’s ‘B’ Squad with 118 points.

Inter-house swimming gala and diving display

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Congratulations to everyone in Years 3 to 6 who competed in the inter-house swimming gala on Friday, 15th February.

The standard of swimming was extremely high with the final results:

1st           Woodpeckers with 133 points
2nd          Robins with 123 points
3rd           Kingfishers with 117 points
4th           Owls with 116 points.

Maariyah Mahmood was awarded the ‘Most Improved Swimmer’ Cup and Tallulah Jeffes was presented with the ‘Scarlett Long Shield for Dedication to Swimming’.

Well done to the girls who also gave such a fantastic diving demonstration at the end of the gala.

Congratulations to all of the Reception class, Year 1 and Year 2 children who swam so well in the Pre-prep gala on Friday, 8th February.

University lacrosse fixtures

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Claudia Strang U6 and Chrissie Sanguinetti U6 write: On Wednesday 6th February the 1st lacrosse team played a much anticipated match against Bristol University’s first lacrosse team. Upon seeing the older and more experienced team out warming up on the pitch our nerves kicked in. However, thanks to our strong teamwork, we transformed these nerves into determination and started the first half strongly, leading by two goals.

Despite our robust defence and cunning attack play, we could not match the expertise of the extensively trained opposition and lost the match with a final score of 12-3.

Although despondent at having to count this as a rare loss for the team this season, we were able to learn a great deal which resulted in a 1st team win against Southampton University the following week.

Evensong in Winchester College chapel

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The recently formed St Swithun’s Chamber Choir joined Winchester College choristers for a joint Evensong service in Winchester College Chapel on Shrove Tuesday. The choirs sang music by Sumsion and Stanford and were jointly conducted by both director of chapel music at Winchester, Mr Malcolm Archer and St Swithun’s director of music, Mrs YiRu Hall.

It is hoped that this will become an annual event, every year on Shrove Tuesday and there are further plans in the pipeline for joint choral projects with the College.

Silver medals for the UllA netball team

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

U11A team

Congratulations to the U11A and B netball teams on their exciting and determined match play at a tournament, hosted by Prince’s Mead School, on Saturday 9th February. As the snow and sleet fell outside the tournament took place inside Prince’s Mead’s sports hall.

The B team had a tough draw against both Hampshire Collegiate and Prince’s Mead A teams and, although they were unable to outplay their opponents, they produced some promising netball. Well done to Lola Massingham for accurate shooting; Jocelyn Ramm for adapting as Centre; Quinn Carlyle-Scott and Emily Hammond for their promising play; Issy Poultney, Sophie Patterson and Pebble Barling for their positive contribution to the B team.

U11B team

St Swithun’s A team won their two group matches against St Gabriel’s (6-4) and Prince’s Mead B team (6-0). They then went on to win against Hampshire Collegiate School (11-0) in the semi-finals.

Securing their place in the finals, St Swithun’s had to face St Gabriel’s again. This proved to be an incredibly close game with St Gabriel’s just nudging ahead to win 3-2. The girls can be incredibly proud of themselves as, due to illness and unavailability of several players, the A team had to reshuffle and readapt to new players and new positions. Claudia Collins deserves a special mention for playing up a year into the U11A team; she adapted so well that it was hard to believe that she had never played in this team before. Rebecca Truesdale also adjusted extremely quickly moving up from the B team to the A, and Sarah Hotot took on her new role as Centre with great determination and dexterity. Freya Green played exceptionally well as Goal Defence; her tenacity to intercept the ball was most gratifying. Jessica Gordon showed great speed and athleticism in receiving the pass, and both Tallulah Jeffes and Alice Calder shot with much precision.

Well done girls; to win silver medals was a fantastic achievement!

U9 netball against Sherborne House

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On Thursday 7th February the U9A netball team played Sherborne House. Their games against Sherborne are always incredibly close and hard-fought, with the last match going to Sherborne.

St Swithun’s girls were determined to do their best and the first quarter was incredibly close with one goal each. During the second quarter St Swithun’s struggled to score and our defenders were put to the test, with the half-time score at 4-1 to Sherborne. After a reshuffle of positions and a critical team talk, St Swithun’s was back in the game and scored three goals to Sherborne’s two. At the end of the third quarter, however, St Swithun’s was still trailing 4-6.

The final quarter saw the girls work incredibly hard to gain and maintain possession of the ball and then convert their passes into goals. When the final whistle blew the score was 6 all, showing how well the girls had fought back to level the match.

Bea Watson was awarded ‘Player of the Match’ for excellent attacking and shooting, and Natasha Pillai for determined defending.

U11 netball tournament at Twyford

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

In early February the U11A netball team played in a tournament at Twyford.

The ten participating teams were split into two groups and played four matches each. In their first match, St Swithun’s played exceptionally well against Portsmouth Grammar School and narrowly lost 5-6. The girls then played Twyford. The first half saw St Swithun’s produce some good goal scoring opportunities and, with promising defending, kept the score close. In the second half, Twyford seemed to gather momentum and went ahead 8-4.

The third match saw St Swithun’s win 18-0 against Hordle Walhampton and in the final group match, which was against Prince’s Mead, the girls played brilliantly to win 11-3. To our delight the girls had played well enough to reach the semi-finals. In this they faced a very tall team from Westbourne House and just lost 4-6. In the third place play-off St Swithun’s played Durlston Court with the final score 2-3 in favour of the opposition.

All the girls must be congratulated on their excellent effort and teamwork, and be very proud that they reached the semi-finals in such a highly competitive tournament. Players of the match were Tallulah Jeffes, for her consistently high scoring, and to Freya Green who continued to play with maximum effort despite taking a heavy fall in the final match.

Boarding social life

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Boarders in Hyde Abbey house enjoyed a very sociable weekend in mid-February. There was the annual school L6 dance with Winchester College to look forward to on the 9th followed the next day by pancake making with Earlsdown house, accompanied by Housemistresses Heather Jones and Sophie Toland.

Click here to read an article by headmistress Jane Gandee about modern boarding

Really wild talk

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Renowned wildlife film director and producer Alastair Fothergill delivered an inspiring talk to pupils at the school last week as part of the school’s academic enrichment programme.

Alastair has produced some of the most memorable BBC wildlife programmes presented by Sir David Attenborough, including ‘Life in the Freezer’, ‘The Blue Planet’, ‘Planet Earth’ and more recently ‘Frozen Planet’.

Pupils were fascinated to hear the details behind the production of these award-winning portrayals of the natural world including the difficulties which need to be overcome to capture such wonderful images.

Captivating stories and video clips included tracking polar bears using state of the art manoeuvrable camera equipment in the Arctic, ice diving and the filming of Emperor and Adélie penguins in the harsh Antarctic climate of -40◦c.

Replying to some perceptive questions at the end of the talk, Alastair revealed that ordinarily only 1 in 200 of the wildlife images filmed are used in the final piece and that his career was launched by winning a university film making competition which then led him to work on the BBC’s ‘The Really Wild Show’.

U4 pupils Flora Toyne-Sewell, Josephine Gelsthorpe and Bella Monkcom were enthused by Alastair’s talk, saying ‘It was fascinating to hear about how film crews deal with such climate extremes and to understand more about the technical aspects behind the making of such amazing images’.

Alastair with his nieces Lydia Rosen U4 and Ella Rosen U6

The academic enrichment programme at St Swithun’s is for all pupils, with girls in Years 7-9 following a programme of activities such as astronomy, thinking skills, experimental art, discovering the news and the great egg challenge while girls from Years 10-13 have a choice of courses including ethics and science, Socratic discussion and UK political issues. The programme includes regular lectures from outside speakers.

Lower School art - Cultures

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The school art gallery was awash with colour for the eagerly awaited private view of the lower school art exhibition at the beginning of February.

The exhibition theme was Cultures.

L5 showed work on ideas developed from the Benin bronzes of Nigeria, mixed media masks and acrylic painting produced with palette knives
U4 work included African textiles, batik and banners on canvas

L4 had produced work developed from Ashanti gold weights, ceramic pieces, African textiles, weaving and tapestries

Emily Coulson L4

Elizabeth Umbers L5

Alexandra King L5

Bryony Dennison L4

Iona Kininmonth U4

Political talk by Dr Brad Evans

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

As part of the school’s lecture programme, Dr Brad Evans, a senior lecturer from Bristol University, presented a talk entitled ‘Thinking Globally’. Dr Evans has a vast portfolio to his name, including being the founder and director of the Histories of Violence project. (http://historiesofviolence.com).

With tales from his travels and experiences in Latin America, including finding himself caught up in revolution in Mexico, Dr Evans’ talk challenged the audience to think about the interconnected nature of the world that we now live in, and questioned why we live in perhaps the most secure of times yet seem to feel at our most insecure. Our use of internet and social media was considered, and Dr Evans questioned the morality of elements of it. The students were encouraged to consider ways in which they could think and act politically.

Sixth formers and politics teacher Mrs Kathryn Batten with Dr Brad Evans

Future speakers at St Swithun’s this academic year include Guardian columnist, Polly Toynbee.

Journeys - photography exhibition

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The L6 Photographic Society held a recent exhibition and sale of their work to raise money for the school’s charities. The exhibition entitled Journeys attracted considerable interest.

Photographers exhibiting were Hailey Li, Kiki Gilmore, Annie Meynell and Hattie Cresswell

The art of printmaking

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Sixth form art students attended an exhibition of prints and illustrated books from the Julian Francis collection at the Angelus Gallery in the art school of Winchester College at the end of January. The exhibition entitled Image and Word contained work from 50 artists from 1920 to the present day and about 50 prints and 50 books.

The students also attended a workshop at the College led by one of the exhibition artists, Linda Landers, where they worked on lino cut prints developed from photos.

Ruby Bateman U6 working on lino

Ruby Bateman's lino print

The Julian Francis exhibition continues at Winchester College until 14th February:

The Angelus Gallery is open from 9am – 4pm on weekdays and from 2pm -5pm at weekends. The Art School is at 21 Kingsgate Street, Winchester SO23 9PG (go through the gate at the intersection of Kingsgate Road and Romans Road).

Chamber concert confidence

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Chamber music is flourishing at St Swithun’s. Under the experienced tutelage of Natasha Wright, our new Head of Instrumental Studies and former viola player in the London Symphony Orchestra, last night we enjoyed accomplished and enthusiastic performances from eight chamber groups. In addition to the string quartets and piano trio we also heard the recorder ensemble and the saxophone quartet. In a genre where each player must take ultimate responsibility for their own part, whilst also working as a group to make a musical whole, the girls rose to the challenge and played with confidence and musical maturity.

Chamber groups practising in advance of the concert

Juniors break swim records against Pilgrims'

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On Thursday 31st January the A and B squads had a swimming match against Pilgrims’ School. This is always a highly competitive fixture as many of the girls have brothers swimming in the Pilgrims’ team.

All of the girls must be congratulated on their exceptional swimming with Tallulah Jeffes, Freya Green, Evie Johnson, Anastasia Lawrence, Amelia Bruce and Annabel Yeatman winning all of their age-group races. Six girls were awarded medals for breaking three school records:

Tallulah Jeffes Year 6 - 25 metres breaststroke in a time of 20.69 seconds;
Anastasia Lawrence Year 5 - 25 metres front crawl in 16.94 seconds;
Annabel Yeatman, Katie Baxter, Alice Leather and Iona Morley Year 4 - freestyle relay in a time of 1 minute 24.01 seconds.

The final scores were:
1st St. Swithun’s ‘A’ Squad with 275 points
2nd Pilgrims’ with 205 points and
3rd St. Swithun’s ‘B’ Squad with 136 points.

Very well done girls.

Gold and bronze at the British Schoolgirls' ski races

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Two ski teams from St Swithun’s School, Winchester competed in the annual British Schoolgirls’ Races in Flaine, France, at the end of January. 52 teams took part from schools across the UK and competitors included top skiers from the GB and Irish national teams.

Coco Vulliamy Taylor L5 won a gold medal in her individual under 14 category and was awarded the coveted Club des Sport de Flaine cup for the second year running – an outstanding achievement. Competitors each race four times, performing two giant slalom runs and two slalom runs, with the combined score from all four runs counting towards the final placings.

Coco Vulliamy Taylor

St Swithun’s A team won a well-deserved bronze medal beating some of the top teams from rival schools Downe House, St Mary’s Calne and Sherborne Girls. Team members Coco Vulliamy Taylor, Alexandra Baylis U5 and Hannah Cole L5 were delighted with their performance in the face of such tough competition.

The St Swithun’s B team also skied strongly and achieved 5th place in the B team competition, beating rival teams from Cheltenham Ladies, St Mary’s Calne and St Marys Ascot. The team consisted of Georgina Baylis L5, Natalie Harrison L5, and Emma Harrison M5. Natalie Harrison recorded a personal best time in slalom which placed her 6th in the under 14 category.

Piano recital performances

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Dazzling fingerwork and sensitive phrasing were the order of the day for the Piano Recital in Harvey Hall at the end of January. The concert featured performances from our advanced pianists, tackling virtuosic pieces, designed to show off the sounds of the magnificent Steinway instrument. The players ranged in age from L5 to U6 and particular highlights were Zoe Tan’s (L5) interpretation of a Chopin waltz, played with confidence beyond her years and the moving performance of Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infant défunte”by Kitty Ma L6.

U14s win at the Southwest regional lacrosse

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Last weekend St Swithun’s hosted the U15 and U14 Southwest lacrosse tournament incorporating 31 teams from across the region.

The U14A team, wanting to go one better and beat their 2nd place in last year’s tournament, had an outstanding day and were deservedly crowned U14 champions. With comfortable wins in the morning over Sherborne, St Bartholomew’s, Downe House and Rendcomb College, they were placed in a tough premiership division for the afternoon. Undaunted, the team conceded only one goal throughout their nine games to claim the title. St Swithun’s player Molly McKenna L5 was player of the tournament.

St Swithun’s coach Steph Webb said “The girls were outstanding and it was particularly pleasing to hear coaches from other schools say how the St Swithun’s team were a cut above the rest”. The U14A team will now look forward to the national tournament at the beginning of March.

The U15 team were also placed in the premier division for the afternoon, having beaten St Bartholomew’s, St George’s, Haberdashers’ Monmouth and St Mary’s in the morning to win their section. The team played strongly, beating St Mary’s and Malvern St James before drawing 3-3 with rivals Downe House. The loss of their final match against Queen Anne’s placed the U15 team 3rd overall in their age group. Again, St Swithun’s had the player of the tournament in Megan Bespolka M5.

Debating trio show their skills

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

On Monday evening, three U5 girls travelled to Bishop Wordsworth’s Boys Grammar School in Salisbury to take part in the English-Speaking Union Public Speaking Competition.

Delphine Legat, team speaker, presented a powerfully eloquent speech on the motion: ‘The sole purpose of education is to prepare children for the world of work’.

Rebeka Batty, team questioner, assertively interrogated a speaker from the opposition on the necessity of the British monarchy. Lottie Jones, team chairperson, hosted the event with real confidence and warmth.

The team’s skills gained them third place in the competition, narrowly missing a place in the South West regional finals, but an excellent result to be proud of.

Rebeka, Lottie and Delphine

Music Scholars' playing solo

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

This term’s Music Scholars’ and Exhibitioners’ concert on 23 January featured a selection of pupils performing solo items. The audience was treated to a wide variety of music by a range of composers from Vivaldi to Gershwin.

Once again a range of instruments were on display, beginning and ending with pieces for saxophone and a boisterous timpani piece just after the interval. All the performances were of an extremely high standard and the girls played and sang with focus and musical maturity. We look forward to next term’s scholars’ concert on June 19th.

Ignorance is Bliss art exhibition

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Artist and Old Girl Emma Venning was invited back to St Swithun’s to hold a private view to launch her exhibition Ignorance is Bliss which is in the school’s gallery this month.

On leaving St Swithun’s in 2010 Emma attended The Arts University at Bournemouth where she gained a Distinction in a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design. She is currently in her second year studying for a BA(Hons) in Mixed Media Fine Art at University of Westminster, London.

Emma’s private view was well attended and enjoyed by the St Swithun’s community of all ages.

For a statement of her work please click here.

Weather forces inside netball for U9s

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

With snow-covered netball courts outside, the U9A and B teams were able to move indoors and play their matches in the senior school sports hall. The A team took to the court first. They showed effective play, both in attack and defence, resulting in a 4-0 victory to St Swithun’s.

The B team match then followed. During the first half the girls passed the ball well into the attacking third but could not quite find the net. This allowed Prince’s Mead to score the first goal and nudge ahead. In the second half Melissa Trant secured a goal to level the match at 1-1.

Player of the Match badges were awarded to Bea Watson (A team) for her strong attacking and shooting, and to Daisy Elkington and Isabella Alexander in the B team. Well done girls for great teamwork.

Forest Forge drama for the L4

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Last week local New Forest theatre company Forest Forge came to perform their latest winter creation Midnight is a Place to the L4 pupils (together with Junior School pupils in Years 1-4)in Harvey Hall. Midnight is a Place by Joan Aiken is a children's book within the Wolves Chronicles and is as witty, dark and beautiful as the more famous story The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance and then questioned the actors about how they started in theatre, their parts in the play and different aspects of the story.

The company’s educational workshop leader is returning to St Swithun’s in early February to run storytelling workshops for the L4 to help inspire their work for this term.

Here are some of the L4's own thoughts about the production

Ellie Ower writes:

‘Midnight Is A Place’ is a play by a small travelling theatre company called Forest Forge Theatre Company. It is about a boy and a girl on the run after their house burns down. They have to work in different places like a factory and the sewer. Along the way they learn about their family’s history and what should rightfully be theirs.

Emily Coulson comments on seeing the play in The Harvey Hall by writing:

We were sitting very close to the action, this – added to the participation – made us feel as if we were there, experiencing their thoughts and feelings.

Harriet Smailes says:

I found the narration of the play very effective because of the variety. They sang, narrated in and out of character and used props. Their repetition of the key song ‘Midnight is a Place’ was used to highlight important points in the play.

Abigail Dennison writes about the set:

I liked the use of area and how they managed to make their stage adapt to the different scenes. I thought the gap beneath the stage was particularly ingenious because the cast could crawl to the back and get ready for the next scene without us knowing. The lighting was also excellent and I found it clever how they could change the light in the ‘windows’ to fit the different scenes and how they shone videos onto the screen at the back.

Charlotte Collings tells us about the actors:

The acting in the production was so detailed, clever and accurate. At every point in the play you knew exactly what was happening, where it was happening and why it was happening. All four actors played more than one role throughout the whole thing. Andrew Weaton played lots of characters like the butler, for example, and was amazing at changing his body language, personality and attitude for that character. He played a nasty man called Bludward and used his acting skills so well that I got quite scared of him!

Phoebe Sugden writes about her favourite scene:

I really liked the way that they used different props to create things, such as when they were explaining what happened with the bet. I felt that this was very imaginative and showed the story in a different way, as they used a violin for the boat and a scarf for the sea. This was particularly effective as this is how you would explain something informally, using the objects around.

Jemima Cremin adds:

I enjoyed watching how they did the man-hole scene using the flat stage rather than one actor actually going into the hole. It was very creative how one person stood at one side of the stage looking down and talking to the floor, and the other actor stood at the other side, looking up and talking to the ceiling.

Olivia Fuad concludes:
I really enjoyed ‘Midnight is a Place’ because the story was very imaginative and was performed in an incredibly inventive way. It left me eager to see more plays by the Forest Forge players.

Find out more about Forest Forge Theatre here

Year 3 netball against Meoncross

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Year 3 had their very first netball match last week.Meoncross could not bring a B team, so the St Swithun’s A and B team played half a match each.

The first half was played by the A team who took possession straight away with some good centre court play from Georgie Richards and Olivia Busher, finding space and passing neatly down the court. The stars of the show were the shooters; Anna Morley, Eleanor Holmes and Lula Golding. Anna scored so many goals that it was hard for the staff to keep up! The score was 14-0 when the A team came off. They were very pleased with themselves and were looking forward to seeing how the B team would do.

The second half began and the B team started the match well and were in control of the game. There was some good defending from Kaavya Venkatesh and Izzy Green, both working hard to gain back possession by intercepting the ball and jumping high. The centre court players Katya Longden and Marie-Therese Rodrigues worked well together passing nicely to each other and the shooters and showing good ball control. The B team also produced some good shooting from Saskia Collins and Daisy Gates.

The final score was 20-0. Well done girls.

Walking home from Mongolia talk

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Adventurer and cameraman Leon McCarron delivered a talk to pupils at St Swithun’s school last week as part of the school’s academic enrichment programme. Leon is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and specialises in self-supported expeditions. He spoke about his latest and most challenging adventure, during which he trekked 3000 miles across China whilst filming a documentary for National Geographic about the journey (www.walkinghomefrommongolia.com).

Beginning in the winter of 2011 he set off from the Northern edge of the Gobi desert in Mongolia and walked south for six months, arriving in Hong Kong at the end of May 2012. During his journey he encountered snow blizzards at -30C in the desert, followed the banks of the frozen Yellow River, camped under the shadow of the Great Wall of China, and taught himself to speak Mandarin Chinese in what was a truly unforgettable adventure.

The girls were enthralled by his tales of adventure and how to escape unharmed from snakes and bears. Their questions ranged from how he kept himself occupied during the endless hours of walking to how it was possible to charge his camera whilst crossing the desert.

Upper sixth pupil Clare Symons said ‘It was inspiring to listen to the enthusiasm and pride with which Leon spoke of the challenges he had completed in his life, although it did make me feel slightly ashamed for considering my Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition quite so difficult. One of the benefits of the academic enrichment programme, which has been introduced this year, is that we have the opportunity to hear from a wide range of external speakers which broadens our horizons.’

Juniors enjoy the snow

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Junior school pupils have been enjoying some snow fun.

Combined county lacrosse skills

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The U15A and B lacrosse teams travelled to Westonbirt on 13th January to participate in combined county lacrosse matches. The Hampshire and Oxfordshire teams consisted of girls from St Swithun’s and St Helen and St Katherine School in Abingdon playing alongside each other.

The B team had a superb day beating Surrey and drawing with Berkshire. They came 2nd out of eight teams. The A team also had a very successful day coming 3rd out of ten teams, losing out only to Surrey and Hertfordshire (they beat Hertfordshire earlier in the day so it was a close tournament).

These are the best U15 county results for several years.

U15B Hampshire and Oxfordshire lacrosse team

Oxbridge success

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

We are delighted to say that St Swithun’s Oxbridge offers this year are the best at the school since 2009, with nine students (out of a year group of 51) gaining offers from Oxford or Cambridge for the following courses: Classics (2), Geography (2), History, French and Russian, Engineering, Biochemistry and Veterinary Medicine.

Many congratulations to the girls and also to the teachers who helped them to prepare for the interviews.

Independent Schools Ski and Snowboard Championships

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

The St Swithun’s ski team attended the Basecamp Independent Schools Ski and Snowboard Championships at Les Deux Alpes, France in December. Focusing on fun, the event is aimed at preparing skiers for racing and learning new skills. Two days of race training were followed by two days of competition, consisting of giant slalom, slalom and the team event parallel slalom.

The 14 team members and staff were joined by five other schools at the Championships. Snow conditions were superb and all the girls skied with courage and boundless enthusiasm.
Coco Vulliamy Taylor L5 finished 3rd overall in the giant slalom and 4th overall in the slalom.

The A team in the parallel slalom, which featured Coco Vulliamy-Taylor, Georgia Tice L6, Virginia Georgulas Kollakis M5, Kitty Stacpoole L6 and Cassie Trend L6, reached the knockout stage of the team event and were eventually beaten by a team of boys from Ardingly School.

Boarders in allotment club show their gardening skills

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

In contrast to the season’s natural slumber the autumn term saw a surge of activity from the St Swithun’s allotment club. New beds were acquired and the full-boarding team set to work structuring their plots, planting seeds and having a general tidy up in the shed and greenhouse.

The girls were anxious to see the results of their labour and sure enough, on returning after half term, seedlings had appeared under the cloches, with some ready to be potted and moved to the greenhouse. A variety of different seeds were planted including strawberries, spinach, rocket and different lettuces.

When the winter nights drew in and their time on the plot became more limited the girls focused on the art of garden design. With the help of teachers Mrs Young and Mrs Campbell a garden design competition was born. The girls soon got to grips with BBC Virtual Garden software allowing them to let their imaginations blossom.

The final meeting of the term was an opportunity for the girls to display their garden design and IT skills. The girls presented their work to the group and prizes were awarded as follows:

Best Water Garden Design – Eleonora Crespi U4

Most Colourful Garden Design – Genevieve Chan U5

Most Imaginative Garden Design – Emilie Bradley M5

Best Garden Design – Phailin Chanphain M5

Congratulations allotment team. We look forward to sampling the produce from the garden later this year.
We hope you enjoy looking at their designs.

Headmistress Jane Gandee has written about boarding in her blog – click here to read the article

If you would like to see some images of other recent boarding events please click here

Chamber Choir in national final

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

St Swithun’s Chamber Choir has been selected as a finalist in the Barnardo’s National Choir Competition, one of only 6 senior schools in the country. The final takes place on March 4 at the Barbican, London. The prize for the two winning choirs will be an invitation to sing at the the Barnardo’s Young Supporters’ Concert on 5 November 2013 at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Composer Douglas Coombes MBE, honoured in the Queen’s 2012 Birthday Honours List, has offered to write a song for the two winning choirs.

The St Swithun’s Chamber Choir was only formed in November 2012 and had limited rehearsal time before sending off the competition entry recording. The 18 girls in the choir range from Year 10 through to Upper Sixth.

Mrs YiRu Hall, director of music at St Swithun’s, said “I am delighted that the girls will have the opportunity to perform in London. They are a very talented group of singers who have worked really hard to get this far in a short space of time. We are all very excited – staff included!”

Junior autumn news 2012

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Read about St Swithun's Junior news in the latest Snapshot magazine.

Click on the image below

Autumn newsletter 2012

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Please click on the image to view the latest autumn 2012 newsletter

Battle of the Bands

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Flora Gossage L6 writes: Harvey Hall pulsated to the sounds of indie and alternative rock music at the hugely anticipated Battle of the Bands.

A staggering total in excess of £1000 was raised for school charity the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Service during an evening produced and directed by Flora Gossage and Bella Lloyd Webber L6.

The highly competitive event drew musicians from schools as far afield as Marlborough, Radley and The Academy of Contemporary Music as well as local bands from St Swithun’s and Peter Symonds. Performances took place in front of a packed auditorium and eminent gurus from the music industry. Chairing the panel was Jeremy Marsh, vice chairman of Warner Bros Records UK, who pulled no punches when it came to critiquing the talent. Sitting alongside Jeremy and offering words of advice and encouragement were David Wilson and Fiona McDougal members of the band Untouched.

“It has been a real pleasure to come here and judge the bands,” said Jeremy, “I have seen some incredible talent this evening, and with a few more gigs behind them I can see a number of the bands going a long way.”

The first prize went to the group Badlands from Radley School winning them tickets to see Muse at the Emirates stadium next summer.

Ski team in Les Deux Alpes

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The St Swithun's ski team have arrived safely in Les Deux Alpes resort, France, ready to participate in the 2012 Independent Schools Ski and Snowboard Championships.

The team consists of:

Hannah Cole L5

Annesha Dhillon M5

Virginia Georgulas Kollakis M5

Flora Gossage L6

Claire Graham U5

Tilly Lock L5

Kitty Stacpoole L6

Pippa Stubbs U6

Ella Thomas L5

Georgia Tice L6

Louisa Tice L5

Cassie Trend L6

Lucy Upcraft L5

Coco Vulliamy Taylor L5

Please click here for an updated blog

Victorian Christmas at Beaulieu

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Year 4 teacher Mrs Grosscurth writes:

Upon our arrival at Beaulieu, dressed in our Victorian finest, we braved the cold and frosty weather and boarded an old fashioned open top bus and headed to Palace House.

Once at Palace House we were greeted by Miss Clarke the Governess. Miss Clarke gave everyone a lesson in etiquette, we learned about the role of a governess and how to greet Lord and Lady Montagu. We then followed Miss Clarke up many flights of stairs into the beautifully decorated drawing room. Here we were all introduced to the Lord and Lady and Montagu.Curtseys and handshakes were the order of the day!

Once everyone was seated around the fire, we were all treated to hot chocolate and biscuits whilst listening to stories and festive jokes from Lord and Lady Montagu.Miss Clarke then took us all down to the kitchen where we learnt about what life would be like for a Victorian maid in a large house. The girls were amazed with the weight of the pans that they would have been expected to carry.

Our morning activities were followed by a festive lunch accompanied by the Lord and Lady in the Garden Room. After Lord Henry had said grace the girls were treated to a three courseVictorian lunch, served to them by the maids and butlers. The festive punch and chocolate gateaux went down especially well!

After lunch it was the girls turn to entertain the Lord and Lady. The girls sang beautifully and some bravely volunteered to accompany the singing with piano playing. The girls also recited A night before Christmas. Much to the great delight of all the girls myself and Mr Marshall had to dance with each other and then with Lord and Lady Montagu. Unfortunately we didn’t score very highly in the Strictly Come Dancing stakes.

The day concluded with more carol singing around the fire and we boarded the open top bus singing rounds of We Wish you a Merry Christmas. The singing got louder and louder as we drove through grounds much to the delight of all the other visitors.

The trip made for an excellent start to festive period as well as reinforcing our history work on the Victorians.

Speak all about it!

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The debating society chalked up a further success this term. Delphine Legat, Charlotte Jones and Rebeka Batty, all U5 travelled to St Mary’s College Southampton in November to participate in the ESU (English-Speaking Union) Public Speaking competition.

Delphine, the speaker, discussed the chosen topic: Teachers should be paid according to their students’ performance with enthusiasm, clarity and sophistication. Rebeka, as questioner, interrogated the opposition so successfully that her performance was awarded the prize for ‘best in role’. Charlotte, as chairperson, introduced and concluded proceedings with confidence and authority.

This display of skill has taken the St Swithun’s team through to the next round of the competition which takes place in January.

Love in a hopeless place

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Guests thronged the foyer at Harvey Hall for the school’s opening performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and were met by the unanticipated sights of intimidating riot police and a drunken homeless individual narrowly avoiding being trodden on. The scene, inspired by last summer’s city riots, of scarred, looted streets and enhanced in the auditorium by the stark graffiti walls of the production set, was already taking shape.

The St Swithun’s strong cast were joined for this production by a number of boys from Winchester College, Perins in Alresford and Kings’School, Winchester. All participants delivered their lines, numerous in cases, with aptly measured theatrical expression. Juliet, played by Mia Vallance M5 was a natural for the role, showing teenage frustrations towards Nurse (Izzy Arquier U5) and her parents Lord and Lady Capulet (Sam Groom and Mhairi Brannigan M5) but real tenderness for her Romeo (Zac Tiplady). Nurse lightened the sombre mood with her skilfully acted comic elements, as did Mercutia (Zainab Pampam U5) who excelled with her comic timing and expression. Jodie Russell U5 was superb as Benvolia, as was the benevolent and calming Revd Lauren played by Hatty Haines U6.

The modern interpretation of this well-known play was enjoyed by audience and cast alike; the cast looked at home in their street fashion and a motley collection of fancy-dress for the party scene; buskers appeared and played randomly on the street corners and the predominantly dim lighting created the appropriately menacing mood. The numerous fight scenes were exciting and authentic and a whole cast dance to a live cover of the aptly named Rihanna’s We found love in a hopeless place was expertly choreographed by Jess Parker M5.

Director and head of drama Ms Tracy Spring can be very proud of her company’s work to provide such high quality entertainment for the school community.

Swimming term finale

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

After the disappointment of last week’s swimming match being cancelled by Farleigh due to a sickness bug, St Swithun’s girls were very excited about their match against Godolphin. The excitement was increased by the fact that it was the first time we had swum against Godolphin and also the first time that Year 3’s points were going to count towards the total score.

St Swithun’s all swam incredibly well with Tallulah Jeffes, Evie Johnson, Eleanor Holmes and Olivia Busher winning all of their age-group races. The Year 5 girls also showed great strength with the B squad relay teams placed second ahead of Godolphin A squad. Although a huge team effort, with all of the B squad as well as the A squad putting in great performances, ‘Swimmer of the Match’ must be awarded to Olivia Busher. In the Year 3 freestyle relay the St Swithun’s team was trailing by almost quarter of a length with just one swimmer to go. As Olivia began her swim the gap looked impossible to fill. Unbelievably Olivia pulled up and then overtook the Godolphin swimmer in the final metre of the pool. The cheering and applause Olivia received from the crowd was incredible.

The final scores were:
1st St. Swithun’s ‘A’ Squad with 242 points
2nd Godolphin with 186 points and
3rd St. Swithun’s ‘B’ Squad with 129 points.

Learning from the Holocaust

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

During half term a group of L5, M5, U5 and L6 girls visited Poland to reflect on and examine lessons of the Holocaust.

Sophie Toland English teacher and housemistress of Earlsdown writes: Today, Krakow, the former capital of Poland, stands as a flourishing centre of tourism and academic development that could not be more polarised from its decades of association with Nazi oppression and the horrors of the Holocaust. Visitors are greeted with a Krakow only too willing to unveil its layered identity; a trip to this multifaceted region offers a most uncompromising lesson in history for us all.

Much of our time in Poland was spent in the city of Krakow, itself a testament to the region’s changing fortunes and current sense of vitality. Each district of this beautiful town had its own unique sense of place and identity. Wawel Castle is the historic heart of the Polish monarchy, and many of its kings lie in the adjacent cathedral. Kazimierz, which lies to the south, was once a town in its own right. With its labyrinthine streets and low-standing houses, Kazimierz was once the heart of Jewish life in Krakow. The town was founded in 1335 by King Kazimierz the Great, and as its splendid churches and synagogues evoke, it was once a world of prosperity and tolerance. On our walking tour we discovered the oldest synagogue in Kazimierz, Remuh, and it allowed us to contextualise the very nature of Judaism in Poland. The cemetery pays tribute to some of the great Polish representatives of Jewish faith and the boundary wall, made of gravestones destroyed during the Second World War, serves as a stark reminder of the shadows of Jewish history in the country.

The Krakow ghetto was established in early March 1941. The Germans had expelled thousands of Jews from Krakow by this time, but about 15,000 remained in the city. Several German factories in the ghetto used Jewish forced labour, and some Jews also worked at non-Jewish businesses outside the ghetto. Oskar Schindler’s enamel factory was one such business. During our time in this area we visited the exterior of Schindler’s factory as well as the surviving façade of the ghetto itself. 70 steel and cast iron chairs mark the quarter’s square acting as a reminder of absence and the uniformity of Nazi persecution; anyone could have been a victim.

Although the focus of our visit centred on the past, there is a strong sense that Krakow is looking to the future. We were shown a small alley where there was a blend of derelict and renovated housing; a testament to the renaissance of Krakow and, in particular, Kazimierz.

"Auschwitz shaped my life, it was all my teenage years, it was my complete education, my university." Kitty Hart-Moxon

A symbol of suffering and the atrocities of war, Auschwitz has become one of the most widely visited UNESCO sites, and one that conjures a wide range of emotions and responses. The Holocaust has been widely documented but it is not the hunt for facts and figures that prompts people to visit the spot where over a million people perished. The physical act of being in a place where such atrocities occurred demands a reply so entirely different from anything that has been asked of us before. It is certainly not an easy experience; you are confronted with the inescapable truth and reality of what humans are capable of. It is a painful but completely necessary process. The haunting image of cabinets filled with children’s shoes is a lasting one and for this we should be grateful; Auschwitz still has much to teach us.

"The lessons of the Holocaust are simple to understand, however hard they are to live. Never blame others for your troubles. A society is as large as the space it makes for the stranger. Cherish life. Fight for the rights of others." Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Top Girls talk

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This term saw the launch of Stretch, a weekly academic enrichment programme for the entire school. The girls in L4-L5 (Years 7-9) follow a compulsory programme of activities such as astronomy, thinking skills, experimental art, discovering the news and the great egg challenge while the older girls will have a choice of courses including ethics and science, Socratic discussion and UK political issues.

As part of the Stretch programme, motivational speaker Mandy Hickson engaged the whole school with a talk in Harvey Hall. Mandy’s introductory film had the auditorium pinned to their chairs with G-force as pupils watched former Royal Air Force pilot Mandy flying a Tornado jet in different scenarios. Mandy then spoke about the importance of following your dream and pursuing different routes to achieve this goal. Pupils and staff alike were captivated. Director of studies Mrs Burns-Cox said ‘Her honest and humorous stories were not only entertaining but often very emotional and you could not help but feel inspired’.

Twyford netball tournament

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

On Saturday 17 November the U9A netball team played in a tournament at Twyford. The eight participating teams were split into two groups and played three matches each.

St Swithun’s first match against Sherborne House was incredibly close but St Swithun’s managed to nudge ahead and win 3-2. With no time to rest the girls were immediately back in action against the hosts Twyford. Despite a gallant effort, St Swithun’s lost this game to the eventual tournament winners.

After a much needed rest and snack break, the girls started their third match. This was to be St Swithun’s best match of the tournament. Playing against Portsmouth Grammar School the girls really gathered momentum and went ahead to win 7-0 in magnificent style.

To our jubilation we found ourselves runners-up of group 1 so fortunately had another two matches to play in the semi finals. We narrowly lost to Durlston Court and then also narrowly lost, 2-4, against Westbourne House in the 3rd place play-off.

The girls: Bea Watson, Iona Morley, Isabella Robertson, Amelia Bruce, Sianna Barling, Alice Claisse, Natasha Pillai and Alice Leather can be incredibly proud of themselves. To reach the semi-finals of this tournament, where the standard is always extremely high, was excellent. ‘Player of the Match’ badges were awarded to Isabella and Bea. Isabella, for her great accuracy in sending and receiving the ball throughout the tournament and Bea, for scoring so many of the goals as well as for bouncing back and continuing to play after she took a heavy fall.

Surgery in Schools

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Emily Bar L6 writes: On Saturday the 10th November, 8 L6 girls along with Dr Otter and Dr Sturton participated in a Surgery in Schools workshop organised by Southampton Surgical Society. The afternoon was packed with interesting activities with lots of hands-on experience such as learning how to suture wounds and gowning up. As a group we were also introduced to a maxillofacial surgeon who briefly explained the daily routine of a surgeon. It was an immensely enjoyable afternoon and an extremely rewarding experience.

Junior Romeo and Juliet

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

St Swithun's Junior School Year 5 performed a very competent 30 minute version of Romeo and Juliet in front of parents at The Point in Eastleigh last week as part of the Shakespeare in Schools festival and then performed it again for the whole of St Swithun’s senior school during assembly in Harvey Hall on Friday.

The senior school thoroughly enjoyed the performance which helped to put them in the mood for their own production of the same play which takes place from the 28th – 30th November and includes boys from Winchester College and other local schools.

War Requiem at Winchester Cathedral

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Girls from Swithun Choir were invited to join boys from Winchester College Glee Club and quiristers to sing in a charity concert performance of Britten’s War Requiem in Winchester Cathedral on the 15th November. The concert was raising money for Combat Stress, an organisation which assists military veterans who have complex mental health needs.

Ellie Fleming L6, Lottie Mitchell L6, Flora Johnston U5, Phoebe Johnstone U5, India Mackay U5, Amelia Rothman U5, Patricia Drummond M5, Sophie Fleming M5 and Olivia Wilson M5 joined Winchester Music Club and distinguished soloists soprano Claire Rutter, baritone Stephen Gadd and tenor Justin Lavender for the event.

Britten’s War Requiem was first performed 50 years ago, composed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral following the destruction of the original during the infamous Luftwaffe raid on the city in November 1940.

Shakespeare in Schools

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Year 5 performed a very competent 30 minute version of Romeo and Juliet in front of parents at The Point in Eastleigh last week as part of the Shakespeare in Schools festival and then performed it again for the whole of St Swithun’s senior school during assembly in Harvey Hall on Friday.

Royal Albert Hall Music for Youth prom

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Cellist Lottie Mitchell L6 who plays in the Hampshire String Quartet (a Hampshire County Youth ensemble), played with her ensemble at the Music for Youth prom at the Royal Albert Hall on November 12th. The quartet played the first movement from the Quartet ' From My Life' by Smetena which is an expression of Smetana’s romantic ideals and his struggle to overcome his deafness.

The four girls, Natalie Rickard, Eleanor Shute, Rachel Maxey and Lottie, who have played together for nearly two years and perform regularly throughout the county, are funded by Hampshire County Council’s Music Service. Attending different schools and colleges they rehearse at weekends and whenever their busy schedules allow.

They took part in the Music for Youth heats last year, got through to the 2nd round and on the basis of their performance were selected to perform in the celebration concert.

Exhausted but exhilarated by the evening Lottie said ‘It was an incredible experience encompassing the wonders of music’.

Pushing the cross country limits

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

A team of six U13 girls competed in the South East Regional Cross Country championships at the weekend.

The girls all ran extremely well with Emily Coulson finishing 10th in the field of 70 competitors.

Blake Lapthorn mock trial

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Hayley Kwan and Natalie Aldridge, both L6, took part in a mock trial event organised by Blake Lapthorn, a prominent local law firm, and Solent EBP(Education Business Partnership) on 9th Nov to have a taste of being barristers in court. The case was called 'The Trial of the Etoile d’Or Disaster' and was written by lawyers in Blake Lapthorn, who guided the students throughout the court proceedings. Both students enjoyed being prosecution lawyers, which allowed them to collaborate with student interpreters, examine witnesses (played by staff from the firm) and present the closing statement. Despite short preparation time for forming questions and speeches, their team worked efficiently and came up with convincing arguments. Eventually they won the case.

They were also given a talk about ways to enter the legal profession and how to become a successful lawyer. It was a tiring day, but undoubtedly a rewarding experience for the aspiring lawyers.

Women's Lacrosse World Cup

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Lacrosse is strong at St Swithun’s School thanks to the skills and commitment of the PE staff.

Sports teacher Steph Webb, who plays for the English Lacrosse ladies squad, was invited earlier this year to help promote and celebrate England’s successful bid to host the 2017 Women’s Lacrosse World Cup.

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, helped English Lacrosse mark the announcement with a photo shoot accompanied by Steph and fellow England player Hollie Harrington.

The tournament was awarded to England thanks to cross-parliamentary backing from nearly 100 MPs, including David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Ed Miliband and Harriet Harman, and will take place at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford.

U9 netball success against Prince’s Mead

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

U9 A team

The A team began their match with gusto and maintained great focus throughout the game. Amelia had to work extremely hard to move in front and jump high against a tall, strong centre who was subsequently named as Prince’s Mead’s player of the match. Isabella R and Iona moved well to create space in which to receive the pass, and Bea was an absolute star as goal shooter. When the ball did venture into Prince’s Mead’s attacking third, both Alice L and Natasha were ready to pounce, ably assisted by Sianna and Alice C. It was a brilliant team effort but Bea must be credited with a very special mention. She has been prepared to put in additional hours of individual shooting practice to ensure those vital goals were scored for the success of the whole team. Well done girls on such a magnificent 12-0 victory.

U9 B team

U9B team were leading 2 – 0 by the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw our defenders having to work harder and Annabel Yeatman did a fantastic job of intercepting the ball every time Prince’s Mead showed any sign of shooting.

Daisy Elkington has been working hard on strengthening her passes and it has certainly paid off. The third quarter saw Daisy’s huge throws quickly move the ball back down to the shooters, enabling Clemmie Lawlor to score twice, putting St Swithun’s Juniors 4 – 0 up.

Annabel and Sophie started the fourth quarter off with some fantastic defending and soon the ball was back in our possession. Charlotte Joy showed good speed and agility around the court and worked well with Isabella Alexander to keep the ball moving down to the shooters. This enabled Emilia to have two more shots at goal taking the final total to 6 – 0 to St Swithun's .‘Player of the match’ was awarded to Annabel Yeatman for her ferocious defending and accurate throwing and passing.

Diving hat trick for Abbie

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Abbie Baker, L5, joined top junior divers from all over England in Southampton at the end of October for the 11th Southampton invitational diving competition. Over 120 divers competed during 3 days of competition on both Platform and Springboard, with Southampton divers stealing the show and winning 13 of the 24 gold medals on offer.

Leading the way for Southampton was Abbie who dominated the girls’ 12/13 age group with an excellent display to win 3 out of 3 gold medals in the 1m and 3m springboard, and the platform competitions. Abbie dived consistently well all weekend and showed her inner strength by holding her nerve and calmly executing her toughest dives for an average of nearly 50 points to come from behind and finish on top of the podium in the girls 12/13 platform. Abbie gained personal bests on all three boards in the final. She will next be competing in Luton for the second of the Grand Prix events at the end of November.

Sailing into the National squad

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Sailing enthusiast Sophia Harper M5 has achieved a coveted place in the RYA Topper National Intermediate Squad. A maximum of 24 places are available in this boat class, awarded at the discretion of the selection committee for helms who have demonstrated the most potential to win medals for RYA Team GBR at international competitions in the future.

Sophia has been in the Zone squad for the last 2 years and to be selected for the Intermediate squad she has competed in numerous racing events and training as well as specific selector events. As a member of the Intermediate squad Sophia can look forward to training weekends, RYA Coach support at international events, remote coaching support from the National Squad Coach and numerous other benefits.

At the end of the summer she won the Topper class at Itchenor Fortnight, a two week racing event for 8 -18 year olds, at the Itchenor Sailing Club in Chichester, beating competitors of both sexes.

West End stardust for Juniors

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

West End in Schools, a Theatre in Education company that specialises in bringing top musical theatre actors into primary schools, presented dance workshops for pupils at St Swithun’s Junior School on Tuesday 6th November.

Led by choreographer and West End star Charlotte Bull, the individual year group workshops, called Bringing Books to Life, encouraged all the children to explore Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are in a way that captured their imaginations. Charlotte, who is currently performing in the musical We Will Rock You in the West End, assisted each class in creating a 90 second dance piece to perform. The workshops were devised to help children creatively engage with books, and St Swithun’s was thrilled to bring a little West End stardust into school.

St Swithun's hosts GSA conference

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Over 200 girls from schools across the south of England attended a leadership conference at St Swithun’s before half-term. The event, organised by the Girls’ School Association, examined the skills and characteristics that constitute leadership, in particular hearing how 20 prominent female leaders have made their way in the world. Girls were also asked to consider how their own experiences have shaped their views on leadership.

The conference was opened by Dame Helen Ghosh, DCB, who is Director General at the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, following 30 years of working in high profile roles within government.

Delegates had an opportunity to listen, learn and debate, eventually deciding on the leadership traits which most closely matched their own personality and which proved most effective in the real world. Sessions were taken throughout the day by leading women in the fields of law, medicine, the charitable sector, the armed forces, public service, the police, environmental health, marketing, PR, corporate communications, sport and leisure and entrepreneurship.

Karen England - Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Make-A-Wish UK

Eliza Flynn - Head of Operations & Marketing for an eCommerce business

Jane Gandee, headmistress of St Swithun’s, said “I hope that today’s conference has opened the girls’ minds to the reality of effective leadership today; successful leaders are far less brash and more subtle than the media would sometimes have us believe.”

Jemima Tsang M5 said “I was really motivated by the speakers and particularly by Lynne Owens, Chief Constable of Surrey Police. She and the others opened my eyes to the leadership opportunities now available to women in historically male dominated professions.”

Purposeful pink

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Before half term St Swithun's Juniors brightened the autumn skies with their colourful array of pinks whilst raising awareness and much needed funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Spanish study visit to Cádiz

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

SPANISH STUDY VISIT TO CADIZ
24 OCTOBER – 30 OCTOBER 2012

A group of U5 to U6 pupils studying Spanish are heading to Cádiz over half-term. Cádiz is a beautiful old city almost entirely surrounded by water on the south coast of Spain. It has charming cobbled streets and a fascinating history, and we believe that it will give the girls a really good insight into Spanish life and culture. In addition, its relatively small size makes it easily negotiable for the girls who will have to make their own way from their homestay accommodation to the language school.

There is a full programme of activities planned including guided tours of Cádiz, Puerto Santa María and its bullring and Seville, a boat trip, dance lessons, Spanish lessons and of course the beach if we are lucky with the weather.

A daily blog on the trip will appear here…

Day one - 25 October

Lydia de Vere and Genevieve Chan write...

Estamos ahora en Cádiz estudiando mucho. Last night we arrived, disappointingly, in the rain. It is however warm and our Spanish hosts are horrified that we are just wearing t shirts. Dinner was tortilla española - totally unlike what we have at school - but definitely good. No carpets at all in the appartment, apparently the Spanish think they are a bit unhygienic. Terrified about the tango flamenco classes this afternoon, but Mrs Porter can´t wait...

Chrissie Sanguinetti writes...

Despite the rainy weather, we enthusiastically turned up to our flamenco class wearing floaty dresses. We were guided through the steps of the "rumba" which is performed a lot in "las fiestas" to attract members of the opposite sex. We then paired up, leaving Ms Gandee with the talented male flamenco teacher. Despite our encouragement, she wasn´t too keen on this! The flamenco show was incredible, full of loud heel-tapping and passion. I returned back at my host family at 11pm, only to find the mujer asleep on the sofa... She must have been tired after making the delicious chicken dish I had for supper!

Day 2 - 26 October

Holly Wagstaff writes...

Friday´s lessons saw us singing Spanish songs and writing our horoscopes. After returning to our homestays for a more than filling lunch of Spanish meatballs and fruit, we took a boat to El Puerto de Santa María where we had a tour of the bodega (where sherry is produced) and of a castle. We heard stories of "espíritus malvados" in the chapel and of Civil War horror. As over 70% of all sherry produced in Spain is exported to the UK and to Holland we thought it only right that we should try some. And so we did from super dry to unbelievably sweet. The return boat journey was rather rocky, but this was combatted by loud singing from the top deck. Depende (a Spanish favourite), Jerusalem, Lord of the Dance, Titanic and One Direction all featured much to the delight of the one other passenger.

Day 3 - 27 October

Sacha Onslow writes...

To summarise Saturday in three words: the bus journey. If you think that public transport in England is bad, think again. In England, you may come across the odd aggresive youth who shouts at you - in Spain, random men are sick at the feet of headmistresses. But we will not dwell on this.

We managed to summon up appropriate enthusiasm for the tour of Vejer, a traditional Spanish pueblo blanco. Unfortunately, the tour leader did not realise that we were not yet fluent Spanish speakers, and would often digress on to less interesting subjects, such as the origin of the wall surrounding the village. Luckily, our translator (Ms Gandee) often chose not to pass on these nuggets of information, and so we were left nodding politely, in total incomprehension.

After the return journey on the same bus (accompanied by a rather unpleasant odour), we were in desperate need of some fresh sea air to cleanse our nostrils, and headed for the rather chilly beach where we occasionally plucked up the courage to dip our toes in. It was noticeable that the only other people on the beach were in a tent.

What awaits us tomorrow? We can only guess.

Afternote: Vejer de la Frontera is a beautiful and atmospheric village whose steep twisting streets it is easy to imagine alive with Jews, Muslims and Christians in the middle ages.

Day 4 - 28 October

Lucy Ross-Skinner writes...

Today we ventured to Seville to climb 95 metres up a cathedral tower. Apparently a horse would be provided for a priest to make this journey but unfortunately we had to trudge up with no such luxury (Ms Gandee particularly objected to this). However, by the time we had overcome our fear of heights and battled through hundrds of tourists, the view over Seville was breathtaking and really worth the effort.

We also had a tour of the royal palace and the beautiful cobbled streets by Abel, our Spanish unofficial tour guide. We also amused ourselves - but not Abel - by telling him all of our wonderful English jokes, such as ´why did the chicken cross the road?´ translated into Spanish. He was not amused; clearly English humour is not appreciated worldwide.

Sacha kept us all entertained in the marginally drier moments of the tour by falling over repeatedly and this, combined with some gripping facts about the Arabic invasion in 711 AD, made for a highly enjoyable day.

Day 5 - 29 October

Katie Boden, Georgie Warbarton, Mary Wake, Jess Baker and Holly Lovejoy write...

After what seemed like a whole 24 hours of lessons packed into a single morning we had a grand ceremony of diploma receiving and thanks giving to celebrate our knowledge of the language known locally as 'español' (which by the way is the fourth most spoken language in the world).

After a well-deserved break for luncheon with our lovely host families, we set out for an expedition to Cádiz on foot with the Freddie-Mercury-look-alike, Abel. He spoiled us with a rendition of 'I want to break free'. We braved the 41 metres of the Torre Tavira, hiking up the 'stairs of despair' to reach the camera obscura. We saw a 360 degree view of Cádiz. It was breath-taking. We might go so far as to say that it was the highlight of our trip.

After this magnificent jam-packed day Mrs Porter suggested we try out our vegetable disguises at the local market. What she actually meant was that the stall holders, somewhat alarmingly, dress fruit, vegetables, pigs' heads and fish in clothes and present them in scenes reflecting current national and international news such as the Austrian man, Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from a balloon.

Hosting South West Rally lacrosse

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

St Swithun’s hosted the annual South West Rally for 28 senior lacrosse teams on Saturday 13th October.

For the first time, St Swithun’s entered four teams into the tournament and the 1st team started slowly with a narrow loss against Haberdasher’s Monmouth and wins against Sherborne and Cheltenham. This put them into the championship division for the afternoon where they beat Queen Anne’s and drew with Monmouth. However, close losses against Godolphin and Downe House saw the team finish 3rd overall; a place higher than last year. Claudia Strang and Chrissie Sanguinetti led the team by example, Emily Sambrook-Smith was topscorer and player of the tournament went to Anna Boden.

1st team results

HMSG lost 2-3
Sherborne won 3-1
Cheltenham won 4-2
Godolphin lost 2-4
Downe House lost 2-3
Queen Anne's won 5-0
HMSG draw1-1

1st team. Final position - 3rd in championship division

The 2nd team started well with wins over Marlborough, Sherborne and HelKats and a draw with St Mary’s. They qualified for the championship division in the afternoon where they played well to establish first half leads in all matches but, with the exception of St Mary’s, were unable to hold on for victory. This included a tough match against HelKats with the final result of 2-2 seeing HelKats finishing top of the division and St Swithun’s finishing in 4th place.
Players of the match were Catriona Brown and Helena Sanguinetti. Highest goal scorer was Vicki Moss.

2nd team results

HelKat's won 2-0
St. Mary's draw 3-3
Marlborough won 8-0
Sherborne won 7-0
Downe House lost 1-2
Godolphin lost 2-3
St. Mary's won 2-0
HelKat's draw 2-2

2nd team. Final position - 4th in the championship division

Knowing that they would be playing against 2nd teams was a daunting prospect but the 3rd and 4th teams were confident that they would give a good account of themselves. After the morning games, both teams were placed into the middle division for the afternoon which was a great achievement.
The afternoon highlight for the 4ths was a victory against the 3rds – one to give the selectors something to think about! Special mention goes to Emily Bowen as top scorer and Holly Woodward and Ella Jonas as captain and vice-captain for the 4ths. The 3rds player of the tournament goes to Roly Hays Watson and top goal scorer was Olivia Impey.

3rd team results

Godolphin lost 1-5
Wellington draw 2-2
Cheltenham won 2-1
HelKat's C draw 2-2
St. Swithun's D lost 0-1
Wellington lost 2-3
HMSG won 3-1
QAS draw 1-1

3rd team. Final position - finished 4th in division 1

4th team results

Downe House lost 1-2
QAS  won 4-1
HMSG  draw 2-2
St. Bart's lost 1-2
St. Swithun's C won1-0
Wellington lost 2-4
HMSG  draw2-2
QAS  lost1-2

Final position – finished 3rd in division 1

In praise of poetry

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Creative writer Rhiannon Williams L6 independently entered a poetry writing competition at Young Writers (www.youngwriters.co.uk). Rhiannon’s poem entitled Dress Up Doll won an award and publication in the Young Writers Anthology entitled Teenage Dreams – A Collection of Poetry.

Dress Up Doll

I’m sorry that your dress-up doll
no longer fits
the pretty dresses that you bought.

She tried. Honestly. She tried so hard
to pull the shawls a little tighter
and tug the belts another notch closer –
but no matter how she tried,
she could never be slight enough
for those inch-wide evening gowns made for mice.

And she couldn’t supply the fire and spice
You demanded out of her every pose.
The energy was up in her mind – a strong mind,
but who cares for the thoughts of a rose?
The red of their petals are what matters,
and hers were faded.

So as you judged and graded and degraded,
you came to the final conclusion
that her thorns had grown too sharp.
Either she or they would have to go –
it was the only solution.

But she couldn’t bear to part
with those darling thorns. So off she went,
and your dress-up doll crumpled up;
money, time and energy spent on – what?

Aspirations that could never be true
and a girl who was never enough for you.

Rhiannon Williams L6

Stepping back into Victorian times

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

From the moment that Year 4 stepped off the coach they were transported back in time to the Victorian Era. Dressed up as Victorian children they walked through the village of Sevington towards the school where teacher Miss Squires was ringing the school bell.

The girls and boys (for the day) then had to line up, silently, in height order before everyone was subjected to a boot and shoe inspection! Each child then received a Victorian penny before marching into the schoolroom. The boys and girls sat on separate benches and a register was taken; all the children stood and said 'Good Morning Mam'. The Victorian pennies are collected before the hymn of ‘All things bright and beautiful’ which was followed by a prayer and bible reading.

Slates and slate pencils were then given out by monitors before the lessons in the Three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) followed.

The girls and boys were then split up. The girls learned how to carry out the daily chores in the kitchen and laundry room as well as lessons in making their own lavender bags. The boys were taken out for drills and marching before making beeswax candles. All the 'scholars' then returned to the schoolroom for handwriting and sketching lessons. Those who were left handed had to try their best to write with their right hand!

A 'Victorian lunch' was laid on before playtime. There were separate playgrounds for boys and girls and lots of Victorian toys to play with.

More lessons followed in the afternoon including sessions on reading and posture.
Everyone had the chance to spend Victorian pennies in the emporium at the end of the day.

The trip gave the children an excellent insight into the daily life of a child in Victorian times and has provided them with lots of inspiration for the history topic this term. Thankfully all the girls behaved impeccably and Miss Squires didn't have to use her cane!

Special advice from Mr Waghorn

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

We welcomed former Special Advisor to the Ministry of Defence Mr Oliver Waghorn to the school last week. Mr Waghorn met girls studying politics before addressing an audience in the school’s performing arts centre. His talk, entitled ‘Life as a special advisor’, gave pupils an insight into this role and the challenges and excitement that it presents.

Students, parents and staff had the opportunity to meet Oliver Waghorn after the event. Anna Melleney U5, said “It was a very inspiring take on the political system from someone who was clearly passionate about his job. Mr Waghorn was inspiring to listen to, speaking about the job, his time in warzones and the personal connections he has made. The job of special advisor, a combination of political and factual knowledge and gut instinct, was a very appealing idea to many. Overall a superb evening”

Music scholars' and exhibitioners' concert

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The first scholars’ concert of the year showcased the talents of over twenty girls from all year groups who have been awarded scholarships and exhibitions in recognition of their musical talent and commitment. The evening featured performances of music by a range of composers from Strauss to Grovlez and also included two chamber music groups playing music by Shostakovich and Mozart. A remarkable array of different musical instruments was heard, including a harp played by Rachel Carver, and an exhilarating marimba piece played by Kimberley Tong to finish. The concert was well attended by parents and members of the council and we look forward to the next scholars’ concert on January 23rd.

Running to regional cross country finals

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

16 girls participated in the ESAA English Schools Cross Country event in Chichester in early October. They all ran extremely well and have gained a team place in the regional finals at Beths Grammer School on Saturday 10th November.

The Juniors (L4- U4) came in the following positions out of approximately 60 girls
2nd - Emily Coulson
6th - Josie Smailes
12th Ellea Lowe
19th Grace Walton
20th Abi Denninson
21st Kitty Brannigan

The Seniors (L5 – M5) came in the following positions out of approximately 50 girls
7th Alicia Warwick
10th Jemima Tsang
17th Sydney Webb
22nd Hattie Thursfield
25th Tink Manton-Jones
29th Megan Bespolka

Swimming against Prince's Mead

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Congratulations to the ‘A’ and ‘B’ swimming teams in their first gala of the term which was against Prince’s Mead on Thursday, 11th October. Everyone swam extremely well with St Swithun’s competing against boys as well as girls. Many of the races were incredibly close and very exciting to watch. This was especially true of the Y5 freestyle relay when Evie Johnson ‘stormed’ through on the last 10 metres to catch-up and then overtake Prince’s Mead.

The final scores were:

1st St Swithun’s ‘A’ Squad with 204 points

2nd Prince’s Mead with 191 points

3rd St Swithun’s ‘B’ Squad with 100 points.

Juniors compete at the Regional Biathlon Championships

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Following their success in the Hampshire biathlon last week 16 St Swithun’s Junior girls competed in the South regional schools’ biathlon on Sunday 7th October. They all ran 500 metres and swam 50 metres against girls from Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire. St Swithun’s achieved some excellent results against over 50 competitors in each event.

In Year 3, Olivia Busher was 3rd, Georgie Richards was 9th and Mia Clark was 10th, with Agnes Bracey-Davis, Amelia Tirado and Anna Morley also gaining personal best times.

In Year 4, Iona Morley was 4th and Annabel Yeatman 12th, with Kate Baxter and Sophie Nicholson achieving highly commendable results.

In Year 5, Anastasia Lawrence was 3rd in the run and 4th overall, Evie Johnson was 2nd in the swim and 6th overall, with Jemima Kennett, Jenna Lowe, Olivia Bracey-Davis and Florence Goodhand also running and swimming extremely well.

Berkhamsted tournament lacrosse wins

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

U13A Division 2 winners

St Swithun's lacrosse teams competed in the 8-a-side tournaments at Berkhamsted at the end of September.

The U13A team started the morning well with wins over St Albans High School 2-0 and St George’s Harpenden 8-0. They met their match in the final morning game and due to missed shooting opportunities lost 5-1 to a very strong Bedford High School.

The team qualified for Division 2 where they went on to draw 3-3 with Godstowe, beat Packwood 3-1 and Queen Margaret’s 2-1. This success meant they were overall Division 2 winners.

Congratulation to the whole team but especially to Kassie Williams for player of the tournament and Flora Toyne Sewell for highest goal scorer.

The U12 team had a superb day at Berkhamsted. They won three out of four matches in the morning, beating Wally Hall 6-0; St Georges A 3-0; St Albans 6-0 and lost to a very strong team from Godstowe 3-0. This put them in the top division for the afternoon where they lost their first match 4-0 but picked themselves up and won the next match 3-2 and drew the next match 3-3.

The team improved enormously throughout the day and the last match saw them play a very exciting game against Godstowe again (the eventual tournament winners) and this time the team managed a hard fought 1-1 draw. This draw resulted in the U12 team coming 4th overall in their age group which is a fantastic achievement, especially so early in the season!

U12 team

The U14 team also played very well and came 3rd overall in their age group

U14 team

The St Swithun's 1st team clinched an excellent 2nd place out of a total of 34 teams. They beat the likes of Stowe, Berkhamsted and Cheltenham and only lost to Guildford.

1st team

Multiple medal biathlon success

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

20 girls from Years 3-6 competed in the Hampshire schools’ biathlon championships at the Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre on Saturday 22 September. It was the first time that many of the girls had swum in a ‘long course’ 50 metres pool and also the first time that Years 3 and 4 had entered the competition.The impressive turn out for the school resulted in some excellent results including 8 medal wins.

All the girls ran 500 metres and swam 50 metres extremely well. In the Year3 event St Swithun’s claimed the first four places: Olivia Busher 1st, Georgie Richards 2nd, Eleanor
Holmes 3rd and Mia Clark 4th. There were also very good performances by Amelia Tirado, Anna Morley and Agnes Bracey-Davis.

In the Year 4 event Iona Morley won both the run and swim she gained top position with Katie Baxter and Annabel Yeatman joint 2nd and Sophie Nicholson 5th. In the Year 5 event Anastasia Lawrence was 1st overall, with Evie Johnson 3rd.Jemima Kennett, Jenna Lowe, Olivia Bracey-Davis and Florence Goodhand achieved highly commendable results. In Year 6 Tallulah Jeffes, Lucy Herring and Alice Calder just missed out on medals but all recorded great personal best times.

Year 4 teamwork at Oakwood

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Oakwood activity centre in Berkshire was home for 24 Year 4 girls and three teachers for three days and two nights last week.

Whilst at Oakwood the girls learnt how to work as teams and how to conquer their fears, whether these fears were of heights or of staying away from home for the very first time.

Girls enjoyed activities including low ropes, high ropes, climbing wall, abseiling, archery, team building games, leap of faith and the Flying Kiwi (being hoisted into the air and swung around!).

There was also lots of delicious food, dancing along to the Wii, the occasional hot chocolate and marshmallows, singing songs and listening to stories around the camp fire!

All the girls had an amazing time and we were all very proud of them and the determination, teamwork and encouragement that they showed. Everyone returned exhausted but full of confidence and pride in what they had achieved.