Headmaster’s Highlights (Speech Day 2016)
Library and Author Visits Our library and Mrs Forbes continue to be a central part of life at the Junior School. Starting with the Roald Dahl week in Year 3, the boys have had over six author visits including Lord Winston (twice)! The visit back in October to our Year 3s drew two memorable questions – ‘Professor Winston, what is the difference between the mind and the brain!?’ Followed by ‘what is earwax made of?!’ Book week involved all things nautical which included a visit from a modern sea captain who has really fought off pirates. He was slightly nicer than the ‘Evil Captain Crane’ and had less of a West Country burr compared to ‘Captain Greybeard’ (more Year 3 play references!) Chess The chess teams have competed in numerous competitions and won a Gold award at the National Primary Schools Chess Association tournament. Jai Singh Chaturvedi from 5W represented Kent. Trips and visits The list of trips and visits this year is another demonstration of the extraordinary richness of the education the boys receive. Here are some of the highlights: theatre trips to ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’ and ‘The Railway Children’ , visits to Tate Britain, Imperial War MuseumSouthwark Cathedral for Victorian and Roman experiences, Bay Pond for a science trip, the Outdoor Centre in Wales and the Fossil Coast in Dorset with PGL for a week. Then we had visits from the ‘STOMP’ workshop, Young Shakespeare Company, the London Fire Brigade, Mexicolore, Freshwater Theatre Company and ‘Henry VIII!’ Finally a party of 80 (boys, staff, parents and siblings) enjoyed our second trip of a weeks’ skiing in Alpe D’Huez. Music Music in the Junior School continues to go from strength to strength as all the boys are given wonderful opportunities to sing and to play an instrument. For those who’ve seen it, you’ll know that the most amazing part of the Year 3 play is the incredible volume and quality of the singing but the instrumental and ensemble playing is also on the rise. We have had numerous Open Concerts, Pop in and Play break time concerts, Year 3, Strings (Mr Quadros starring with his WOMBAT STEW) and the Year 4s with their wind and brass. We also had the whole school Christmas celebration concerts, the Strings Festival and the Lent term concert in the Great Hall which showcased all the talented musicians in the Junior School. 25 boys in the Madrigal and
Last week I spoke to a group of sixth formers about going to university to study social sciences. I talked to them about how, in educational psychology, there are considered to be five conceptions of learning related to maturation so in other words, as you grow up you move further up the different conceptions. They are connected to attainment, so the better you are in exams the more likely you are to have a more advanced conception of what learning is. The five conceptions are firstly, to conceive learning as acquiring knowledge. Or in other words it is just to know facts. Secondly, it can be to learn and be able to reproduce facts. In this conception you have a good memory – you could win Mastermind. Thirdly, the conception is to understand facts, in other words you can work out what the facts mean - you are clever ! Fourthly, you see the world in different ways. Here you are acquiring wisdom . But finally you conceive learning as changing as a person and becoming the best person you can be. This is where the person has acquired wisdom and has become wise . After I have finished my highlights – we can reflect on to what extent the boys are reaching those advanced conceptions of learning. So to the highlights: Academic From the academic side of the school, 11+ results were again very strong with another improvement being seen in the overall boys’ scores from previous years. In the Michaelmas term we had ‘ Dulwich Inventive’ which was a collaboration for the creative and scientific departments to get the boys to think about science and invention. Then in the Lent term we had ‘ The Junior School Academic Enrichment Symposium’ , the theme of which was ‘Movement’. All the boys spent a day taking part in an array of workshops on subjects which were usually taught at a very high level but made accessible to all the Junior School boys. It personified our desire for the boys to have a ‘wow’ learning experience that makes them think ‘outside the box’. This will become a big set piece event and next year we will be expanding it to make it a combined event with James Allen’s Prep School. Quizzes All the boys have participated in general knowledge, science and maths quizzes but the highlight was the General Knowledge team reaching the National Independent Schools KS2 General Knowledge finals.
Chapel Choirs performed at Christmas at St John Smith’s Square and over a dozen performed in the Great Hall strings concert. But the highlight was one of the most spectacular events in recent College history – a joint concert with Alleyn’s and JAGS at the Royal Festival Hall. A combined choir of over 450 and orchestra of nearly 100 all performing Verdi’s Requiem. There were over 25 Junior School boys involved. Finally the boys have had individual successes too. Alasdair Howell has continued to push the boundaries of piano playing at his tender age, winning the College Bach competition, playing all over Europe and culminating in him playing at the Albert Hall with Lang Lang. He has been selected for the National Youth orchestra to play the violin and, sadly for us but wonderful for him, Alasdair has been selected to join the elite Yehudi Menuhin School next year. We wish him every success. John Pedersen is also to be congratulated for his achievements in getting into the National Youth Orchestra. Sport It has been another spectacular year for the boys in sport. Fundamentally all the boys have played for school teams in almost every sport in every year. This is the fact we are most proud about. Also the House competitions have provided many more opportunities for all the boys including the House Aquathlon which proved to be such a great success this term. Other highlights were that we became National Prep School swimming champions at Year 5 with Christo Chilton, Zac Crowther, Alex Williams and Theo Djidetchian. In addition Alex Williams became National Backstroke champion. Christo and Zac followed this up, coming first and second in the National Prep Schools U10 triathlon. This added to Christo’s becoming world champion in Biathle (run, swim, run) in Georgia earlier in the year. I expect Mr Goodrich is quaking in his boots at the prospect of leading out the cross country in September! A mixed team of U10 and U11s competed at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Mini Rugby Challenge Cup. In World Cup year the actual trophy visited the College and many boys got to have their photographs taken with it. The Romanian and Australian teams trained at the College and then, this term, the All Black Sevens team also trained here. Finally, the U11s were taken on a rugby tour to Wales by Mr Sewell and Mr Whaymand.
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