LAWRENTIAN 2023
CONTENTS
Speech Day ......................................................................... 05
Chapel ................................................................................. 10
Houses .................................................................................. 12
Athenaeum ......................................................................... 34
Sport .................................................................................... 56
Trips ....................................................................................... 72
Common Room ................................................................. 76
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LAWRENTIAN 2023
SPEECH DAY HEAD OF COLLEGE’S SPEECH
Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, Mayors and Guests. It is wonderful to see so many of you here today to celebrate the end of this academic year, and it gives me the opportunity to give you an insight into the developments in the College, and the incredible achievements that our pupils have had. In a recent assembly, Mrs Parker spoke about resilience - what it is, how we can learn to be resilient and the importance of it, and she finished with the quotation from Winston Churchill: “success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”. Resilience is something that I think we do very well at St Lawrence, and it is a theme that runs throughout the College. As you know, we were one of the first 14 schools globally to gain world class status in High Performance Learning, and there are now 65 schools who have been afforded this recognition. Resilience is one of the cornerstones of High Performance Learning and is one of the Values,
Attitudes and Attributes that we explicitly teach, and have embedded throughout our curriculum. It is also something that the re-accreditation team commented on when we had our last HPL inspection in February. Their report finishes with the comment that “It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to learn and experience the College’s enthusiasm and broad outlook in embracing the latest developments in pedagogy, neuroscience and psychology.” They also commented that there was “something very special going on” at the College in terms of its pedagogical approach and its culture, and that we had “made phenomenal progress post Covid” in our teaching and learning at the College in terms of its pedagogical approach and its culture, and that we had “made phenomenal progress post Covid” in our teaching and learning. This is obviously testament to the hard work and dedication of our teaching staff as well as the buy-in that we have received from our pupils and parents – and I have been delighted with the contributions and engagement that some of our parents have had in our Parents’ Working Group.
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of the excellent work that the pupils produced. Similarly, those of you who attended the Art and Design show will have noted the incredible display of talent on show but I’m sure couldn’t help but notice the resilience required to produce their sketchbooks - with the constant drafting and re-drafting that is needed to produce their final pieces. It is not surprising, therefore, that we gained a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize at the Annual Canterbury Art Prize competition and also that two individual and one collaborative piece are being exhibited at the Turner Contemporary, after being shortlisted for prizes in their respective age categories. We have also seen some superb Drama performances this year, with Lodge maintaining their grip on the House Drama and excellent productions of A Christmas Carol for our Kirby players and Romeo and Juliet for our Senior Production. A number of these pupils have also progressed to studying for their Bronze and Silver Arts Awards this year, through Trinity College. The number of LAMDA results are a testament to the strength of drama and performance throughout the school and similarly the number of pupils who gained medals and trophies at the Thanet Festival is our highest ever.
It was lovely to hear the Community Choir’s rendition of Vivaldi’s Gloria, as well as the highly popular and successful Cabaret Night this year. The range of music on display has been wonderful to see and through informal and formal concerts, the steel drumming workshop, Broadway acting class on the New York Trip, House singing and Battle of the Bands, there has been something for everyone! The Duke of Edinburgh award is designed to develop resilience and to enhance life skills, environmental awareness and an understanding of community. Last month, as with last year, all of our 4th Form pupils completed their Bronze DofE expedition and are all now able to gain the award (as long as they complete the paperwork!) It is also very pleasing that our first cohort of Silver expeditions, under the new framework, completed their expeditions this week and once complete, we are hoping that some of them will move on to their Gold Awards in the Sixth form. The 3rd Form CCF Camp have just returned and 40 of our cadets have taken part in Fieldcraft, Patrolling, Rifle Shooting, Adventure Training and a Survival Skills Day. The CCF have also offered Field Days throughout the year and the CCF Dinner was an excellent example of our pupils being taught the importance of etiquette, tradition and manners as well as the importance of looking after your guests. We have certainly shown a great deal of resilience on the sports pitches this year and this has been ably led by the example of our current Upper Sixth , six of whom have played internationally – which is 10% of our Upper Sixth leavers! Whilst there have been some outstanding individual performances, we have also had great success with our team performances. Our 1st XI girls’ and boys’ teams both made it to the last 16 in the country in
their National Cup competitions and featured in the regional finals of the national indoor hockey cup. Our U14 boys’ rugby team and U15 girls’ hockey teams both registered undefeated seasons and our U12 cricket team are into the finals of the Kent Cup next week. Last week, our U15 girls cricket team, after beating top schools such as Brighton College, Bromley High, Cranleigh and Surbiton High progressed to the National Finals Day as South East Champions. We have also developed a relationship with St Benedict’s School in Johannesburg, which saw an exchange of pupils, with 5 of our pupils spending 6 weeks in South Africa playing rugby or cricket and getting to experience the different culture and sporting provision. Since Covid, the School has had to show a great deal of resilience through its financial recovery and I know that this is a theme that a number of our parents have had to contend with as well. Unfortunately for the College, there are still a number of threats on the horizon, as a change in Government could result in the loss of Business Rate Relief and the imposition of VAT on school fees. Schools such as ours are charities, employing a lot of people in the local area, giving access to education that a number of people would not otherwise be able to access through our extensive scholarship and bursary programme, and by virtue of the fact that any profits made by the school are reinvested back into the College. The energy crisis hit all of us, however, to gain greater resilience in our finances, we are embarking on a programme of solar panel installation next week, which means that at least a third of our peak power usage will be able to be produced though solar PV next year. Not only will this safeguard us against future energy issues, but it is also a good step forward towards net zero carbon, which is an aim that the school has. We have already reduced the vast majority of our single use plastics throughout the College, changed our lighting to LED and looked at our recycling capabilities.
Another area of our academic curriculum that we have been working on this year are the external competitions that enrich and develop our pupils. Our performances in the various Science and Maths Olympiads continue to yield excellent results, and we also gained great success in the New College of the Humanities essay competition, in which 75% of our Lower Sixth entries were awarded the position of finalist – which means they were among the top 6% of over 4500 entries. We have also recently had the results of the National Design Ventura competition, in which 4 of our pupils gained Third place in the Independent and International Schools category, with their design of a kitchen utensil with 5 inter-changeable heads on a bamboo handle. After being shortlisted, they had to refine and develop their product and produce a three minute video pitch. Our 3rd Form poster competition developed further this year with even more entries, from topics such as plastic pollution in the seas, concussion in rugby, the application of mathematics, architectural developments and microscopic creatures called tardigrades! Academic extension has also been developed through our programmes of scholar’s lunches, where pupils have explored topics such as ‘Chemistry, Obesity and Chocolate’, ‘an Introduction to Archetypes’ and ‘Thinking Skills’. All of our scholars are now involved in our peer mentoring programme and helping others to develop their skills. We also recently introduced a new cross-curricular day for our 4th Form in which small groups of pupils had to produce a newspaper by collecting stories that were breaking throughout the day, or attending scheduled press conferences around the campus. Those of you that attended our academic fair would have seen examples
We also gained good recognition for our music in the Thanet Festival, winning five of the classes and the number of our pupils who are gaining merits and distinctions in their music examinations is also impressive.
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At this point, I would like to thank all of our support staff, as well as all of our teaching staff for their resilience, attitude and commitment, and for the positive way in which all of them contribute to the safety, progress and wellbeing of our pupils. Our community would not thrive if it were not for the extraordinary work that our staff do, and so please will you join me in thanking them all. I am also delighted that the hard work of our staff has received external validation this year. Following on from the excellent Inspection report we received last summer, today it has been announced that we have won the ‘Most Nurturing Co-educational Independent School
in Kent’ award, which is testament to our dedicated pastoral staff and also our commitment to mental health and wellbeing. We were also delighted to find out in March that we were included in the Fortune 250 list of the World’s Leading Boarding Schools, which featured a range of schools throughout the world, many of them much bigger than we are, but we were recognised for the community that we have here, our High Performance Learning and the incredible extra-curricular programme and results that we have produced.
Mr Barney Durrant, Head of College
We are increasing our use of renewables, the grounds team have done superb work in re-wilding certain areas of the College and providing appropriate habitats, and we will also be introducing bees into our environment next year for educational, as well as environmental reasons. One of the things that it is customary to do on Speech Day is to thank our staff who are leaving. We say goodbye to our undergraduate sports assistants Ryan Robinson- Smith, Jodie Taylor, Taylor Gibson and Zoe Curtis. They have all been a great support in the Boarding Houses and sports pitches and we wish them all the best as they return for their final year of university. Mr Paul Loyrette has been a dedicated and positive member of the French Department this year and we thank him for his service. Daniel Nicholls has been an excellent tutor in Cameron House and inspired a number of people in the Chemistry Department and we wish him well as he takes up a role at Chatham and Clarendon. Glenn Briscoe has made a significant contribution to the Geography Department over the last two years and his research for his Masters’ in Education benefitted our pupils – we wish him well as he leaves to pursue further research opportunities through a PhD. Francine McGrath has been an inspirational teacher of Maths for the last 5 years and an important member of our community, and we wish her well for the future. Sue Flory has been caring for our AEN pupils since 2014 and we are grateful for the patient and measured way that she has supported them.
Alastair Brogdon has helped develop our hockey and Elite Performance programme over the last three years and inspired a number of our pupils to achieve the highest levels – we wish him well and are fortunate that we will still see him on our circuit. Jeremy Bowyer has made a significant impact on the College’s music over the last four years and in that time we have seen the range and number of our pupils increase significantly across a wide range of groups. Louisa Dawson has cared for the Bellerby boarders this year and her dedicated and supportive nature has been welcomed by all – we wish her all the best for the future. Huw Stevens has helped develop the hockey to the levels it is at today, and latterly has also been a dedicated and conscientious Housemaster of Newlands. We wish him well as he pursues his hockey coaching at Aldenham and Southgate. Amy Humphrys has been an inspirational and committed Housemistress of Clifford and has played a vital role in developing the House since it started. We wish her well as she takes on the Assistant Head role at Dane Court. Finally, Adam Izzard has developed the sporting provision at the College significantly over the last 12 years and the many accolades that we have are testament to his leadership and direction. We wish him all the best as he starts his career as a Housemaster at Stonar School.
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CHAPEL THE CHAPLAIN’S REPORT
This year has seen an increase in our outreach to the wider community. Every Friday a group of students go to the Salvation Army to help out at the food bank. The activities range from unloading vans, sorting out the food cupboard, to organising the food parcel. Carl Whitewood, the superintendent of the Salvation Army in Ramsgate, has seen a dramatic increase of need for the food bank as a result of the cost-of-living crisis and is very grateful for the help. This year we have seen the launch of another Christian Union in Kirby. Meeting slightly earlier, the Kirby boarders have a chance to play games, read the Bible and pray. The
Senior School Christian Unions have continued to go from strength to strength with many attending.
I would like to close by thanking all those who have helped with services, or who have read and played music. Sadly, Mr Bowyer will be leaving us; his organist gifts will be greatly missed. He has served Chapel and the school with excellent music, engaging school singing practices and beautiful choral pieces. We wish him well for the future.
Rev. J Goodwin-Hudson, School Chaplain
As I reflect on the year, I consider what has had the most impact in Chapel: what has had the greatest response from students and staff. This can be measured by how much conversation is generated post-Chapel. There is one Chapel that stands out more than others which highlights the centrality of our Christian community and the power of the gospel. In the Lent Term, our Chaplain’s assistant Mr Jameson, while on his way home, had a very nasty cycle accident. A car didn’t see him, pulled out in front of him and Mr Jameson went flying over the car, with his head absorbing the full force of the fall. Thankfully, because he was wearing a helmet, he was safe albeit shaken and his head was badly bruised. The first person on scene happened to be someone from our facilities team who was able to pick him up off the road and provide first aid. Although they work in different departments, St Lawrence College is a community which looks out for one another. When I announced the accident to the School in Chapel, I was struck by the pupils’ response. Everyone was visibly
concerned for his welfare. After that Chapel, pupils from every year group - day and boarding - came up to me asking for information and wanting to send their prayers. Students who I had thought were not particularly religious told me they were praying for Mr Jameson. His accident highlighted that while we come from many different backgrounds, we are a community. The second was the witness of Mr Jameson in response to the accident. He was injured through no fault of his own and to make matters worse the person who caused the accident drove off without leaving any details. Not only was his bike a write-off, but he was badly injured and had to be taken to hospital. When talking to the students about this in Chapel, we rightly felt the injustice of his situation. However, he mentioned that the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us,” and his own personal daily need for forgiveness helped him to forgive those who had wronged him, including the perpetrator of this accident. This caused a lot interest and discussion in school among students about the difficulty and importance of forgiveness. God took something difficult and used it to bring about good.
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Academically, Courtenay also demonstrated exceptional attainment this year, with Nancy Baldwin, Didi Brooks and Esther Ma jointly coming Best in Year, beating their Cameron counterparts and making good progress across 2nd Form. Zuzanna Aleandri-Salawa, Afraz Malik and Umaiza Malik also achieved exceptional academic results this year and are an absolute credit to the House. Esther Ma achieved the highest effort grade in addition to the joint highest attainment across the whole of Kirby, making her our top student this year!
I am truly proud of the progress that Courtenay House have made this year, the hard work, maturity and engagement with their learning has exceeded my expectations, and I am very pleased to be taking some of the boys with me to Newlands this year, and look forward to more of the 1st Form joining me by the end of 2024.
HOUSES
Mr M Ravenwood, Courtenay Housemaster
CAMERON
KIRBY HOUSE
This year has marked major changes for Courtenay House, which began with Mr Peters joining the school in September as Housemaster for Courtenay and then taking over as Housemaster of Kirby House in January. As a result of this restructure, Courtenay House has now become the home to all the boarding students in Kirby, as of September 2023. I took over from Mr Peters in February, as interim Head of Courtenay, with Mr Scruby set to take on the role in September 2023. Joining Courtenay House as tutors this year, we have Mr Senyega, who also teaches Mathematics and has been offering additional support to students during Prep time, and Mr Jones who teaches English and is working to support students in their transition between Kirby and the Senior School. Monsieur Loyrette also joined this House for part of the year, teaching French.
I am sad to say that whilst Courtenay House won the House Merits Competition in one of the 3 terms, ultimately we lost out to Cameron in the final term, so I will leave this as a challenge for Mr Scruby next year. Notable winners were Didi Brooks, Yoni Goldman, Afraz Malik and Nancy Baldwin – who all achieved more than 25 merits in the final term. Courtenay House were very successful on Sports Day, and the support from their fellow students was outstanding – Morgan Coleman in particular spent a large part of the afternoon carrying and waving the House flag. In the Athletics, Douglas Ruffer won the 100m, Light Uchendu the 800m and Connor Grantham-Stevens the 1500m. Yoni Goldman won the Long Jump, Henry Whiteley the Triple Jump, Patrick Gartrell the Javelin and Nathan Murashi the Shotput. We won by a very narrow margin – 186 to 182, so every single participant made this happen. For the girls, Umaiza Malik won the 100m and the 200m, Jimena Sanchez the 800m and the Long Jump, Nancy Baldwin the Triple Jump, Anastasia Robakowska the Discus, and we also won the 4 x 200 Relay. This competition was even closer, and we lost out to Cameron by a mere 2 points. Which makes Courtenay the overall winners!
Cameron House has had a fantastic year. We started by welcoming sixteen new pupils into the House, who were joined by a further six during the course of the year. We were also joined by two new tutors; Mr O’Callaghan as a Year 8 tutor and Miss Moody as a Year 7 tutor.
Music has enjoyed another year of growth in the House. I have enjoyed attending the many concerts and hosting the termly Theatre Thursday showcases. Particular highlights for me have been hearing Luke Jury, Oliver Milchard, Alyssa Yeung and Didi Brooks sing solos, the small but mighty Kirby Choir and Rufus Tassell’s contribution to the senior choir.
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BELLERBY
It has once again been a busy year in Bellerby and with a number of new girls and a new Housemistress in Mrs Dawson, it marked a new era in the House. The main event the girls had to prepare for in the Michaelmas Term was the House Drama competition. The prefect team, who were ably lead by House Captain Yasmin and Head of House, Nora, immediately got organised by choosing The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas for this year’s theme of ‘friendship’. As always, there was a rigorous audition process. The girls were also militant in their rehearsal schedule. They certainly did not let themselves down on the evening with strong performances from all. Their hard work paid off and they were recognised by the judges for their excellent set design. Christmas in the Boarding House is always a wonderful time of year and, as celebrations were looming, one chilly Sunday evening, the girls dusted off the decorations and dressed the tree in preparation for our annual Secret Santa.
They spent the evening together sitting around the Christmas tree in their Christmas jumpers or pyjamas, listening to Christmas songs and sharing gifts before travelling home to their families. After the stressful mock season for 5th Form and Upper Sixth, Lent Term moved up a gear with the House Singing competition. This year’s theme was ‘numbers’ which, after much debate, led the girls to the hit ‘2002’ by Anne-Marie. This was a complete ‘ear worm’ and the girls went to their preparation and rehearsal with their usual vigour and determination. It really was a whole team performance with both well-choreographed moves and excellent vocals which led them to holding on to the title for another year. We could not have been more proud at how their fantastic performance came together on the night. Credit must go to all involved in all the house activities but a special mention is necessary to the wonderful prefect team; Nora, Yasmin, Sophia, Romiya, Ihotu and Chigo.
In Drama the pupils have been lucky enough to take part in the Kirby Production. Over twenty pupils took part in ‘A Christmas Carol’ in the Michaelmas Term. It is clear that there is some great talent showing much promise for the years ahead. Head over to the Drama article for more details on this wonderful event. Sport is a major feature of the college week and needless to say it has been another successful year. Regardless of the results, the highlights for me are the house matches. It is great to watch the House spirit and those with less experience pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone. Millie Foster has done particularly well this year, securing a place in the U15 National Cricket Cup final.
Another highlight for me was Sports Day. The students impressed me with their willingness to represent their House, some participating in events they had never done before, some holding up the Cameron House banner for hours on end! Well done to Rufus Ganderton-Smith, Patrick Flynn, Thomas Davenport, Max O’Callaghan, Lexie Durrant, Millie Foster, Erin Parkins, Sienna Morlesse-Douglas, both of the boys relay teams and the girls 100m relay team who all secured first place in their events.
Miss E Young, Cameron Housemaster
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CLIFFORD
The Summer Term is always short but the girls still managed to pack in fun times around their workload with both external and internal exams for all. A picnic was held as our end of year celebration with our annual “Most likely to” awards rounding things off. Bellerby is so lucky to have such a strong team both in front and behind the scenes. They all work tirelessly throughout the year for the girls and it would not be the happy house it is without them in it. Eleni Kouthouri, Lucy Vinson, Karis Chopping, Kate Tomes, Natalia Jackson and Thahseen Ali have supported Louisa Dawson fantastically in their role as tutees. Along with our matron, Heidi West, and the wonderful Teresa, Sarah and Alison, who do such a great job in keeping the girls comfortable in their home. Next year will bring more changes with a new Housemistress and new additions to the tutor team however I am sure Bellerby will continue to thrive and be the happy and safe place it always is for our girls.
As I write my final Lawrentian entry as Housemistress of Clifford and indeed for the College, I am taking a moment to soak in what a privilege these last seven years have been. St Lawrence is a very special place which captured my heart a number of years ago and will continue to have a place in it for many years to come. The beautiful grounds, the staff and the pupils make for a very unique community and one of which I shall always be grateful to have been part of. As for the Clifford girls, I have laughed with them, cried with them, championed their every success and helped them to navigate the many obstacles which come with teenage life. Sometimes, I’ve been lucky enough to be the hero in a story and sometimes I’ve had to play the villain, but I hope each of them knows that regardless of how much, where or indeed if I featured at all in their journey, each one of them has played a major role in mine. In many ways, this has been a demanding year for us all. It is the first year back since the pandemic where the School has returned to ‘business as usual,’ from clubs, to events, to examinations and the girls deserve
recognition for the way in which they have savoured every opportunity that has been thrown their way. However, I think it is also important to recognise just how much they are able to navigate. From securing winning entries in various academic competitions, to regional and national sporting successes, to music and LAMDA achievements, I am always blown away by the manner in which they balance their academics with extra-curricular responsibilities, particularly with such a rigorous week.
Mrs E Dickinson, Bellerby Deputy Housemistress
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contributions as Head of House. She has graciously navigated some strong personalities and has been a listening ear for many of the younger pupils, leading with a quiet humility which has not gone unnoticed. Supported by Poppy Heming as House Captain and Chloe Plumb as Sports Captain, I have enjoyed watching this group of young women take on leadership roles alongside their peers and wish them every success in their exciting ventures next year.
Olexa Miles comes to mind in particular here, as she strolls into Clifford with a smile, sometimes having been up for three hours prior to her arrival at school, training in the pool. Or Elen and Mali Nicholls, who regularly drive to Wales and back to train with the Welsh hockey squad, whilst juggling their respective workloads. Or our equestrians – Maddie Letby and Lilia Humphries, who head to the stables in any ‘free’ time they might have. These are but a few names of a House full of talent and promise. I also think it is pertinent to mention the number of Clifford girls who have represented the school in the U15 National cricket cup team and I will be cheering them on for the finals in September. To already hold the title of South East England champions is a wonderful accolade for our little school on the South East Coast and one of which they should be justly proud. The 3rd Formers have been an excellent addition to the House and I have loved getting to know their eclectic personalities; they have brought energy, positivity and drive and I know that they will all make excellent role models next year. Indeed, they were integral in retaining the title of Junior Sports Day champions for the third year in a row! They have been led by a wonderful Upper Sixth team of House prefects and Sophie Bamford, in particular, deserves considerable praise and thanks for her
Finally, I must finish by thanking the Clifford community for their warmth, support and positivity over the past few years. Undoubtedly, it is the relationships between pupils, staff and parents which have made it such a wonderful House and a joy to be a part of. I know that in the hands of the rather spectacular Mrs Hodge, who will be deputised by Mrs Chidlow and supported by a fantastic team of tutors, the House will continue to go from strength to strength. I will miss the girls and the wider College indefinitely, but in the words of A.A.Milne ‘how lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?’
It wouldn’t be a Lawrentian article without mentioning House Drama and House Singing, events which have become well embedded in the memory of many an OL! For House Drama, Clifford opted for a performance of ‘Teen Beach Movie’ (I had no idea either) and whilst they didn’t win, I loved the sense of fun and positivity they brought to the performance. As ever, it was lovely to watch all of the Houses supporting one another at both events and to bring the school community together. I also enjoyed the return of House Masterchef and was particularly heartened that Clifford had the youngest House team, with Mairead McGrath, Maddie Letby and Tilly Clark stepping up to the plate – literally and figuratively speaking! Aside from the fire alarm causing a brief intermission, it was another wonderful example of the camaraderie and strength of relationships that exist within the school. The Clifford co-ordinated purple crocs were also a personal highlight for me!
Mrs A Humphrys, Clifford Housemistress
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The Summer Term again proved fruitful for the House, with excellent performances on Sports Day and tug of war by the junior section of the House. It provided a wonderfully positive finish to the year. It was pleasing to see several award winners on Speech Day, and I hope they use their success to springboard their future academic successes.
As I reflect on the year, Deacon House stands proud, having left an indelible mark through their dedication, unity, and exceptional talents. The journey of the Upper Sixth leavers and their fellow Deacon House members continues to inspire and showcase the remarkable spirit that defines the house. We say goodbye to Mr Izzard as he moves on to another school and to Miss Al-Hajjaj as she has a change of scenery to go into Kirby. I thank them both hugely for their contributions and efforts with the House. I am looking forward to the next group of student leaders in the House, led by House Captain Charlie Panteli and his prefect group of Miles Wyse, William Durrant, and Tom O’Callaghan. It will also see the addition of a new staff member and Mr Rawbone continuing after joining us mid year. The spirit of competition and collaboration remains alive within the walls of Deacon House, reminding us that it’s not just the victories that define us, but the camaraderie and passion that create lasting memories.
Mr G Jones, Deacon Housemaster
DEACON
In a whirlwind of energy and camaraderie, Deacon House continued to show fantastic progress and claimed good success in the series of Inter-House competitions. Led by House Captain Gabe Hayden the students demonstrated remarkable teamwork and talent, leaving a mark of excellence in various events. Deacon House took centre stage at House Drama with their energetic performance titled ‘Old School’. The audience was taken through a storyline based around a group of friends trying to right a wrong from their childhood, it produced stellar performances from the wide-ranging age groups of boys involved. The highlight of the evening, however, was the unexpected appearance of Mr Jones, who graced the stage in a surprise role, earning cheers and applause from the thrilled audience. Musical prowess reached new heights during the House singing competition in the Lent Term. The band section of the competition witnessed a spectacular performance, led by the musical talents of Gabe Hayden, Myles Wise, Jack Foster, and Gabriel Green. The upbeat performance resonated with the audience and most importantly judges, securing Deacon House’s first ever triumph in this category.
The trophy is now displayed in Deacon and may mysteriously disappear before it is due to be handed back for next year’s competition. The House Masterchef competition was a closely contested battle, showcasing Deacon’s culinary talents. The students, undeterred by the pressure and, as usual for Deacon an important Premier League football match that evening, prepared a tasty meal.
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We competed well in both track and field events, leading to us being crowned the overall winners of Senior Girls’ Sports Day. Both Senior and Junior teams also gave their all in the Tug of War competition, with the girls working hard against both the other girls’ Houses and a, sadly much stronger, female staff team. Then the last day of term gave us an opportunity to applaud the academic successes of our members at Speech Day, before celebrating our Upper Sixth for one last time at the Leavers’ Ball. Watching them all make the most of the dance floor, photo booth and dodgems gave me joy, and I hope they had a wonderful last evening with us and their families. As always, it is with a mixture of joy and sadness that I write the end of year report, as it means we must say goodbye to some of our House community. I have always been incredibly lucky to have a team of tutors who support me, go to great lengths to look after the students, and work tirelessly to champion every individual in Laing. This year unfortunately we say goodbye to Mrs Chidlow as she becomes the Deputy Housemistress of Clifford,
I was grateful on a personal level to all those students (and, I suspect, some baking parents!) who supported my fundraising for Young Minds this year. My intention was to run the 2023 London Marathon to support the charity which provides such crucial support to young people and their mental health. The students absolutely got behind me and brought in an impressive array of baked goods to sell to the whole school, raising just over £300 in total. Unfortunately, illness meant I ran a half marathon instead, but I have deferred my place to 2024, meaning the bake sale next year will be even
LAING
bigger and better to raise more money!
It has been another incredibly eventful year for Laing, but one full of lots of happy memories and successes, both for individuals and for the House as a whole. It is staggering how many fixtures, competitions, performances and events Laing students have been involved in this year, and it is such a joy to watch them all take part so enthusiastically and demonstrate their amazing talents. I was pleased to see a number of our girls recognised in
Continuing with the theme of food, both Laing and Clifford made the most of the annual Easter Egg Hunt, exploring the back field for copious amounts of chocolate, grapes and avocados. Then the Sixth Form were very excited about the House Masterchef
Our efforts were rewarded with the title of ‘Best Supporting Actress’, but sadly we were pipped to the post for the overall prize. The same level of enthusiasm was given to House Music, with the students selecting the Britney classic ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ for their ensemble piece that had to contain a number in the title, and ‘I Know The End’ for their Battle of the Bands entry. Given the difficulty of finding rehearsal time where all members of the House can attend, I am always staggered at the amount of time and effort they put into each competition, and am so proud of them for their performances on the night.
Headmaster’s Assembly with the awarding of School Colours for both sporting skills and artistic ones. Laing students have also had success in competitions, both within the School and externally, for Economics essays, international sporting events, DT design challenges, academic poster, the list goes on! They certainly are a talented bunch! As always, Laing have thrown their all into the House competitions scattered through the calendar. The first event was House Drama, with our Sixth Form crafting their own script based on the film ‘Bridesmaids’.
competition - following a very successful practice run at home, the girls were confident in their dish choices and arrived ready to win. Despite a fire alarm part way through threatening to throw off their timings, ultimately they proved triumphant and were awarded overall winners. Well done girls – I think it was the amount of edible glitter on the pudding that swung it! We then finished the academic year on a high all round, with individuals giving some truly impressive performances on Sports Day.
and Ms Clark as she too goes over to tutor in Clifford. We also lose the passion and experience of Mrs Flory as she departs St Lawrence and has the opportunity to enjoy some time doing the things she loves – I’d say to take things a little slower, but knowing her, this will not be the case! I am sure all the students would join me in saying a massive thank you to all of the tutors for all they have done for us, and wishing them well next year. We have some wonderful new additions joining the tutor team next year, so I know the girls will continue to be in good hands.
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LODGE
Lodge started the year by welcoming four boys into the 3rd Form; Subhan and Swasat joined us from Kirby House, while Jannes and Louis were new to the College. A further eight boys joined us in other year groups;
After half term we were joined by two new boys in the Lower Sixth; Abdu and Braeden, the latter being with us for five weeks as part of an exchange programme with a school in South Africa. The major event during this
Daniel, Bent, Eric, David K, Nick, Ramil, Ahsan and David VW. Meanwhile Ed, Rowan and Wongchyo were appointed as Dormitory Captains. We also welcomed Mr Gale, Teacher of Latin and French, as the Third Form Tutor, transferring from Kirby House, and Starr as our new dormitory cleaner. The boys were quick to throw themselves into the various sports on offer. The school badminton team was effectively a House team, with Tadhg, Spandan, Su, Allwin, Daniele, Freddie, David VW, Mahesh and Phineas regularly being picked for matches against other schools. Perhaps it was
Some of our 5th Form are heading off to start the next stage of their educational journey in pastures new, as well as our fabulous Upper Sixth who will soon be off to explore their higher education choices, and we also wish them all the best for their adventures. The Upper Sixth have been a strong and supportive House Prefect team, and the younger members have, hopefully, learnt lots from their example. I will miss them all immensely, but am so excited to hear about their successes when they come back to visit.
Whilst the job of Housemistress certainly has challenging days, I continue to feel very fortunate to be a small part of the journey of so many incredible young people. I am proud of all of them for how far they have come and all they have achieved. All that remains is for me say I am looking forward to welcoming some new faces into Laing in September. Our incoming Prefect team already have all sorts of plans, and I am excited to see everyone continuing to work and grow together.
unsurprising that we then went on to win the Inter-House Badminton competition later in the year. Meanwhile, Sean and Mahesh were also representing the school in the rugby 1st XV, with both being awarded school colours in recognition of their efforts. The boarders also won both, Junior (3rd & 4th) and Senior (5th & 6th), day versus boarding rugby competitions.
time was the Inter-House Drama competition. The boys put together a fifteen-minute adaptation of Dead Poets’ Society. Incredibly we achieved an unprecedented fifth consecutive win in this competition. As well as winning the competition outright, Spandan was awarded Best Actor and Benjamin was awarded Best Supporting Actor.
Dr K Barwell, Laing Housemistress
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The House also secured all of the nominations for the latter category with nominations for Biplove, Freddie and Phineas. After Christmas we welcomed Joe into the 5th Form. Our attention then turned to the Inter-House Music competition. The boys produced two pieces. A House band, consisting of Otuche, Benjamin, Mahesh and Freddie on vocals, guitar, drums and bass respectively, performed Save Your Tears by The Weeknd. Otuche was awarded the prize for Best Vocalist. The whole House then sang along to One Kiss by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa, with Andrey towering over everyone at the back by holding up a giant set of inflatable lips. Meanwhile, the boys mainly played hockey and football during the second term. David K, Tadhg, Spandan, Nick and Bent all represented the School at hockey playing for the 1st XI. Meanwhile Abdu, Joba, David VW, Andrew and Allwin were all being selected to play for the first team in football. Straight after half term, we had our annual International Day. It was great to see so many boys donning their cultural clothing and even showing off some of their dances in a show during the afternoon. A few weeks later on stage, we had four members of the House being involved in the school play, Romeo and Juliet. Spandan took the lead as Romeo, with Freddie as Mercutio and Biplove as Tybalt. Freddie was also part of a live band, along with Benjamin.
Just before half term we had Sports Day. A few individuals performed very well. Within the senior boys competition Joba came first in the 100m and second in the 200m and Spandan came second in the 1500m. Meanwhile in the junior boys competition Ed came first in the high jump and long jump and Swasat came first in the discus. Ed’s jump to a height of 1.81m smashed the previous school record in this category by 16cm. After half term we had Inter-House Tennis. David VW, Andrew, Joba, Daniele, Jules and Clement represented the House. They secured second place for the House, with all three pairs beating Deacon in the first round, but sadly only one pair were victorious over Tower in the final. Meanwhile all of the 4th Form took part in their expeditions for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, whilst Nick, David K and Freddie completed parts of the expedition section for their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award. It was also good to see Phineas and Mahesh celebrate the end of their examinations with a week on CCF Summer Camp! Amazingly the boys have also found time to enjoy academic success. As well as producing countless excellent tutor cards they have also completed the treble in the Inter-House Merit competition, having walked away victorious with the boys’ cup at the end of each term. Speech Day witnessed at least one boy from every year group in the house collecting a prize
this year, with twelve boys picking up sixteen prizes; Swasat, Ed, Biplove, Spandan, Daniele, Freddie, David VW, Benjamin, Ayan, Mahesh, Phineas and Nael. Perhaps all of this success has been fuelled, in part at least, by the House Tuck Shop. Unfortunately inflation has eaten into the profits as we have battled to keep the prices low, however the boys have consumed almost 2500 cans of fizzy drink and just over 1200 packets of crisps. We are particularly grateful to the boys who volunteer for the duties which enable this shop to remain open, along with those who also help man the House kitchen! During the year Junior House Colours were awarded to Aaron and Rowan, whilst Senior House Colours were awarded to Spandan, Freddie, Ayan and Nael. These ties are rewards for continued involvement in the House which is notable for being above and beyond the normal expectations. Towards the end of the year the prefect team for next year was announced. Joba has been appointed Head of House and Freddie as House Captain. David VW has been made a School Prefect and Head Boy, and will also be a House Prefect, alongside Abdu, Ramil and Ahsan. They have been set a high bar by the outgoing Upper Sixth, as they have worked really well as a team and led the House with aplomb throughout the year.
staying with us as part of the exchange programme with a school in South Africa. During his time here he made a great impression on the 1st XI cricket team as wicket keeper and by amassing a huge tally of runs. Also playing for the first team were Ed, Ahsan and Ayan. A large part of the term was of course overshadowed by examinations, internal and external. The effort put into these by the boys was truly impressive with many extra hours spent by some in the Classroom Block. Arman, Prajwal and Tobi remained particularly calm throughout the process, quietly working away whilst helping to keep the others grounded with their relaxed nature. At the start of May we had the Inter-House Masterchef. Freddie, Qinzhen and Jules represented the House, preparing two courses with a main of red braised pork belly with a mango and avocado salad followed by a black berry pie. Whilst both dishes tasted amazing unfortunately we did not come away with any official recognition!
After Easter a few more boys joined the House. Clement, Jason and Jeff joined the 3rd Form whilst Amaury, Auwal, Jules and Clayton joined the 4th Form. This necessitated the need to move some boys around in the dormitories and as such Aaron and Tolu became Dormitory Captains, replacing Ed and Rowan who were promoted into Room 325. Clayton was another student
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was also Housemaster of Lodge for five years at the start of this millennium! He was followed by the new President of the OL Society, Raphael de Souza. Raphael left the School in 1996, having been Head of House for Lodge! Finally, the House only runs smoothly due to the continued support and commitment of its staff. My thanks go to Mr Jameson, Deputy Housemaster, Mr Judd, Resident Tutor, Sharon our Matron, Ethan, Starr and Will our Domestic Assistants and the Tutors, Mr Brown, Mr Briscoe and Mr Gale. Sadly, we
NEWLANDS
Newlands House enjoyed a great deal of success in this academic year; we have continued to excel across many areas of college life and we can look back on our progress with a real sense of achievement. The House Drama Competition really brings the best out of Newlands boys. For some, it is
I know the boys really enjoyed this event and it was a thrill to see so many boys from different year groups, working as one. Further evidence of our ability to work together was illustrated by our performances in House Music. Again, this was a fantastic occasion and I commend the boys for their performances, whether they come naturally or otherwise. One of the events that is loved in Newlands is the annual Table Tennis Tournament. Mr Simmons deserves credit for organising the event and his chosen format really does bring the House together - I know that the boys really appreciate all the effort he puts in.
a chance to shine and flourish under the bright lights, for others, the experience can be a little daunting. However, once again our strong leadership served us well as we prepared a fine production of ‘Jumanji’. Christian Tomlin’s commitment, supported by fine performances from Jack Brewer, James Peters, Thomas Izzard, William Adams and many others, really stole the show. Unfortunately, we were unable to fully convince the judges of this, but there is always next year! Nevertheless, I was delighted to see the boys bring smiles to the faces of the audience and judges alike. I hope we can improve in our ability to perform confidently and think creatively and we are certainly laying strong foundations for future success.
With regards to leavers it was great to have two guest speakers with links to the house this year in Chapel. Dr Clarke came in twice to speak to the whole School about his faith. He was a member of staff, having served the school for 24 years as a Teacher of Biology, and he
are saying goodbye to Mr Briscoe as he heads off to start a PhD. We wish him well with his next adventure.
Mr C Sharp, Lodge Housemaster
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Naturally this term, most of Newlands has been concerned with preparing for internal and public exams, but Sports Day was a real credit to the spirit in the House. A host of talent was on display, and a number of boys produced some fantastic performances in the track events in particular. There are so many hard working boys who have achieved accolades throughout the year that I cannot acknowledge them all here; suffice to say, congratulations from all the staff involved in the House.
Keep pushing your individual personal bests and who knows what you will achieve! A special thanks must also go to all involved in the day to day running here; the Prefect and Tutor teams remain such a vitally important cog in the Newlands machine. Furthermore, each and every one of you has played your part, whether high profile or not, you are all equally significant. You all contribute to each others success so should pat yourselves on the back for another excellent year!
Mr H Stevens, Newlands Housemaster
HEAD OF HOUSE REPORT BY HARRISON LAWTON
TOWER
The 2022-23 year in Tower will forever live in my memory as one defined by exceptional student leadership. The House thrived throughout the year, both in terms of House competitions, as well as in general spirit. The contribution made by this year’s Prefect team will be hard to match in the coming years, as they set a truly exceptional standard. The Tower Team of Tutors, Matron, Cleaners, myself, and Mr Coxon, will all remember the year fondly as a result of the efforts of the exceptional group, guided by Tishe Laniyan, as the Head of House. The year began with the introduction of so many new boys to Tower. With our numbers increasing slightly over recent years, we have developed our programme of induction and the new boys were helped to settle into the routine as quickly as possible. I thank Swarup Gurung,
Jonathan Koroma, and Sunesh Gurung for all they did to support this transition. They are showing the required leadership qualities that we would hope to see in the Junior area of the House. Early in the year we were united in our effort to topple the mighty Bellerby in the House Singing competition. With their ever-developing choreography, abundant talent, and obsession with detail, we knew they would be tough to beat. However, with contributions from all boys, including two who could backflip (thank you Arthur and Paul!), we ran them closer than ever before. Sadly, it was not to be! Despite second place not being announced, we won special praise and the term ‘special commendation’ will forever mean something more to the 22-23 alumni.
The House events opened well in the Michaelmas Term with a great performance of ‘Jumanji’ in the annual House Drama competition and the Newlands House spirit grew further for the House Singing. Newlands have played a vital role in the School’s sporting
a National level, throughout the year. It has been an honour to lead such a hardworking group of boys and I hope they will keep up the hard work in the years to come. Lastly we say goodbye to our Housemaster, Mr Stevens, who is a credit to both the House and School, and we wish him every success in the future.
achievements in all the major sports this year with some amazing individual performances, sometimes at
Harrison Lawton, Head of House
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