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Leathersellers’ Review 2024–2025
Colfe’s School Matthew Pellereau Chair of Governors
Academic results in 2024 were excellent with GCSE results consisting of 79% grades 7-9 including nine students achieving grade 9 in at least eight subjects. Our A-level results were exceptional with 87% with grade A*-B including 11 students attaining A*. At EPQ all grades were A/A*. 96% of leavers have reached their chosen university including four with places at Oxford and Cambridge to read Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Classics, English and Modern Languages. Degree Apprenticeships continue to grow in popularity with successful applications to several prestigious institutions including Astra Zeneca, Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs and PricewaterhouseCoopers. This year marked a milestone in Colfe’s history as we celebrated 25 years of co-education within the senior school. A celebration campaign included special assemblies and the production of a short film featuring interviews with pupils from Reception (age 4) to Year 13 (age 18). The film premiered at the
launch of the school’s new Instagram account in February, and was used to showcase our inclusivity and equality to offer-holding parents during this year’s very successful admission round. Senior School girls have certainly made their mark in sport this year. In football, the U18 girls’ team made it through to the finals of the Independent Schools Football Association, while the U18 girls’ Water Polo team won the English Schools Swimming Association (ESSA) National Plate championship, taking the position of sixth best in the UK. The U18 boys’ Swimming team took 3rd place in the Bath Cup and Otter Relay, while the mixed U13 Water Polo team took bronze at the National Schools Plate competition. Meanwhile pupils across the school from Year 7 to Year 13 saw individual success in both national and international sports competitions ranging from athletics, rugby and fencing to hockey, football, and cycling. The year has been one of celebrating inclusion as we continue to promote community and partnerships within and outside of school, such as the launch of the school’s fifth house, Glyn House (winners of House Music in their first term), a successful Culture Day, and the third Community Day that saw enthusiastic Year 12 students accruing over 450 hours of volunteering in a range of local organisations. Partnerships with local state schools have gone from strength to strength, with events including a debating competition and a Maths masterclass. Further afield, Colfe’s celebrated its 20-year partnership with Kotu School,
Gambia, with another annual visit, providing unforgettable experiences for Sixth Form students. For Drama, the year began with the Upper School’s winter production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time , while the summer term saw the Lower School provide an authentic Shakespearean open-air experience with a fantastic promenade production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Music Department highlights included the Spring Concert held for the first time in the splendour of St Margaret’s Church, Blackheath, and celebrating the U14 string quartet reaching the final of the
prestigious Pro Corda National Chamber Music Competition. The End of Year Art Show enabled the Art Department to showcase the creativity of GCSE Art and A-level Art and Photography students in the biggest show yet. We ended this year with a farewell to Headmaster Richard Russell, who is retiring after a tenure of 20 years and becoming one of the longest- serving Headmasters in the school’s history. School celebrations to mark the occasion have ranged from a special annual Visitation from the Court of the Leathersellers’ Company that included the presentation of a specially-produced
leatherbound book commemorating Richard’s time as Headmaster, to a whole-school assembly that was a less formal affair, featuring school band ColfePlay performing Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, the first record that Richard bought as a young boy. My fellow governors join me in congratulating him for his outstanding achievements over these last two decades, as well as the staff and pupils who have made Colfe’s into what it is today. We welcome the new Headmaster, Dan Gabriele, who joins Colfe’s from Caterham School where he was Principal Deputy Head.
I am delighted to report on a highly successful year at Colfe’s.
Opposite: Lower School drama production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Left: New Headmaster Dan Gabriele (left) with Richard Russell
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