School News                                                                              

 

GIRLS RACE INTO NATIONAL FINALS

26/01/12

The Pentathlon GB Schools’ Modern Biathlon Semi Final Championships took place on Sunday 22nd January at Bath University. Nine girls from Freemen's qualified for this semi final with five more due to compete at the Crystal Palace semi final on 5th February. The competitions comprises of a 50 metre swim and a 500 metre run.

58 competitors took part in the Year 5 girls competition and our team of Katie Lyons, Sophia Wilson and Ebube Akojie were crowned champions in the team event with an impressive points total. In the individual competition Katie Lyons was third and awarded the best swim.

59 competitors took part in the Year 7 girls competition and in the team competition Alicia Wilson, Anna Whitworth and Christina Georgiou were also crowned team champions.

Mrs Nicky Clark, i/c of Biathlon, said: "It was a very successful day for the Freemen’s biathlon teams and we look forward to the national finals of this event in March. Well done girls."

 

GIRLS ARE FLEET A FOOT AT FELTONFLEET

26/01/12

The U10A Netball team put in an awesome performance at the Feltonfleet Tournament on Saturday 21st January. The tournament was played on a round robin basis with all nine teams playing each other. The girls won all of their eight matches, scoring a very impressive 37 goals and only conceding four. Mrs Alison Bennett, M i/c of Netball, said: "I am immensely proud of all the girls in the team. They played brilliantly consistent netball for the whole tournament and received many compliments from other coaches about the standard of their play."

 

EVOLUTION CONTINUES.....

26/01/12

The Batchelor Society met again on Tuesday 24th January to hear Mrs Katherine Edwards give part two of her talk on Charles Darwin. This week, Mrs Edwards focused on the impact of Darwin's theory of evolution by means of natural selection on areas such as Victorian attitudes towards race and slavery. The large audience included Mr Ian Knowles, Head of Biology, who helped illuminate Darwin's vast impact on the study of the natural world. All present certainly left with a clearer understanding of the main elements of Darwin's thinking and the way that an idea could have such a radical impact on the world. 

 

THE UNDER 10S GO BACK TO BACH

25/01/12

Over the weekend of 20th - 22nd January all of the boys in Year 5 travelled to Cheshire for the annual U10 Rugby Tour. The 28 boys mixed rugby with tourist activities playing against Terra Nova School, Altrincham Prep School and Sandbach RUFC. After two narrow defeats for both the As and Bs their final match provided well deserved victories.

When not on the field of play, the boys socialised with their opponents, and visited

Jodrell Bank, the third largest steerable telescope in the world, the Trafford Centre, stopping to play a crazy golf competition, Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium for the tour, including the dug outs, dressing rooms, players lounge and even a walk down the tunnel, and the Chill Factor, the largest indoor snow facility in the UK where the boys had sessions on the luge and tubes. 

The boys gained much from the tour of rugby, friendship and activities. Their superb tackling, rucking and organisation highlighted the productive games sessions we took part in prior to the tour and played a brand of rugby that was a delight to watch.

The boys were a credit to the school and current Sale Sharks player Lee Imiolek even commented on the pupils’ good manners and their determination on the pitch.

  

Mr Bird, tour leader would like to thank the staff who accompanied the trip: Mr Buhagiar, Mr Knowles, Mr Davies and Mr Watson as without their assistance the tour would not have been as successful as I am sure all the boys would agree it was. 

 

 

FABULOUS FENCING FROM FREEMEN'S

23/01/12

 

THE EVOLUTION OF THE BATCHELOR SOCIETY

23/01/12

NO WHINING FROM SAM AS HE RACES THROUGH VINEYARD TO CLAIM PLACE IN SURREY TEAM

19/01/12

On Saturday 7^th January, Sam Eglen ran in the Surrey Cross Country Championships at Denbies Vineyard in Dorking. The course was 6km in distance and Sam ran alongside the Under 20s men. In the overall race Sam came fourth meaning he came second in the Under 17 category, resulting in automatic selection in the Surrey team for the UK Inter Counties championships at Birmingham on 10^th March. Mr Bill Deighton, Head of P.E. and Boys Games, said: Sam is to be congratulated for his achievement. His word work, dedication and discipline is an example to all school boy athletes. Sam also works with Aldershot Athletics Club who deserve great credit for his development and success."

 

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR 2011

20/11/11

There was a palpable sense of excitement amongst the pupils on the morning of Friday 16th December. Was it because it was the last day of term? Was it because Christmas was coming? Or was it because at lunchtime they would get to see their teachers make fools of themselves in the annual staff panto? Probably a mixture of all three!

For the staff, the chance to tread the boards, entertain the children and raise money for charity proved to much of an opportunity to pass up, as a record number took part in Harry Potter and the Habits of Mind.

The panto was superbly written, cast and directed by Ms Sarah Chamberlain-Webber, and staff sang, danced, and acted their little cotton socks off to the best of their (ahem) ability.

All present, on and off stage, left the Assembly Hall full of festive spirit ready for the end of term assemblies, and the final home time of the term! Happy Christmas everyone!

 

DON’T CRY FOR ME FREEMEN’S

20/12/11

Drama and music came together in spectacular fashion at the City of London Freemen’s School in early December as three performances of Evita played to sell out audiences.

Evita tells the story of Eva Peron, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Domingo Peron and the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952.

As Freemen’s was one of the first schools in the country to be granted permission to perform the musical as an amateur production, the pressure was on, especially as the show was to be put on in just ten weeks. However, stellar performances by Clara Hutter (Eva Peron), Timothy Peters (Che) and Jack Flammiger (Peron), backed up by a superb cast and an outstanding band, ensured that current and past pupils, parents, staff, and the wider school community all went home enthralled and moved.

The show drew rave reviews with one spectator saying: “What an absolutely amazing show! We just wanted to say how absolutely fantastic your production of Evita was, we thoroughly enjoyed every minute, the acting, singing, what an exceptionally talented bunch. At times, we forgot to breathe, had goose bumps and were near to tears!”

 

SIXTH FORM WELCOME MR EDWARDS MBE

19/12/11

We were delighted to welcome Ray Edwards into school on Wednesday 7th December to speak at our Sixth Form assembly. Mr Edwards, who is a quadruple amputee, founded Limbcare in March 2010 and was awarded an MBE in 2011.

Limbcare is a charity that offers help and support to those who have lost limbs as well as their families and partners.  The Sixth Form will be supporting Limbcare this year as their chosen charity (for more information see www.limbcare.org).

Mr Edwards, who has been an amputee since 1987, spoke about the reasons for setting up Limbcare, the work they do with amputees and their families, and how any money donated would be used.

Mr Close, Head of Sixth Form, said: "Mr Edwards is an inspiration and the pupils were clearly moved by his talk. We are all extremely pleased to have chosen Limbcare as our charity this year."

The Junior School charities for this year are Animals Asia and Great Ormond Street Hospital. The Upper School charities for this year are CRC Leatherhead Youth Project, Rianna's Fund, and Surrey Young Carers.

 

YOUNG ENTERPRISE GET MOBILE

16/12/11

On 15th December our five Young Enterprise companies attended the offices of ExxonMobil for their Christmas Fair. 15 members of Lower 5 took part selling Jewelry, insulated mugs, ceramic mugs, personalised clothing, calendars and onesies. All pupils enjoyed the experience, ably supported by their ExxonMobil advisers. All companies traded successfully with the phenomenon of Onesies continuing to be the most popular.

 

STUDENTS HEAR ABOUT BRITAIN'S FINANCES FROM THE ROYAL ECONOMIC SOCIETY

15/12/11

Ten sixth form students attended the annual Public Lecture of the Royal Economic Society at the Bloomsbury Theatre in UCL on Wednesday 14th December.

This year’s speaker was the respected British economist Robert Chote, Chair of the Office of Budget Responsibility whose duty it is to examine and report on the sustainability of the public finances. He took the students through the purpose of public finances – why governments tax, spend, lend and borrow, and gave a detailed snapshot of the current position of the UK’s public finances.

The lecture was followed by an interesting question and answer session, covering questions ranging from prospects for the EU, the effectiveness of Quantitative Easing and of the Public Finance Initiative. Before leaving the students were invited to join a reception at which there was a chance to speak to Mr Chote, sadly the queue was too long. However, we hope that many of them will be inspired by the evening and will enter the RES’s annual Essay competition in Spring.

 

SANTA POPS IN FOR CHRISTMAS LUNCH

14/12/11

There were lots of Ho Ho Ho's in the Dining Hall today as Christmas lunch was served by a festive Sodexo team. The pupils, staff and elves all enjoyed turkey with the trimmings, followed by yuletide log, and there were bangs a plenty as crackers exploded giving up their hats, jokes and little toys.

The highlight for many was the surprise appearance of Santa who brought festive cheer, his ringing bell, and a small gift for the children.

In addition at lunch, prizes were given out to pupils who have been participating in this year's Healthy Stars.

Over a period of six weeks, children from Form 1 and Lower 2 have been awarded a "healthy star" each day, once two or more vegetables or salad items have been eaten during lunch. All of the children who averaged 18 stars received a prize - this year it was a mini sports watch in their house colour. These children have also been entered into a prize draw for a family day out. At the end of the second successful year of "Healthy Stars", we anticipate this programme continuing long into the future.

 

KILLJOYS CAN'T RUIN THE FUN AS BATCHELORS GET QUIZZICAL

13/12/11

 

GETTING INTO THE FESTIVE SPIRIT

12/12/11

On Saturday 10th December the School buzzed with festive excitement as their annual Christmas Fair took place during the morning. There was something for everyone with gifts for sale, games to play, tombolas to try your luck, a secret room where children could buy a present for their parents, santa's grotto - complete with elves, and of course mulled wine and mince pies! The highlight for many was the carol singing that took place outside of the Haywood Centre. All who attended had fun, and left feeling that little bit more Christmassy!

 

UPPER 5S GO TO WAR.....

12/12/11

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS. WITH LOVE FROM THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

08/12/11

Pupils from the Junior School enthusiastically piled gift wrapped boxes containing presents suitable for underprivileged children into cars for the start of their journey to Ukraine.

Operation Christmas Child is organised by the charity Samaritan's Purse who last year sent over a million boxes all over the world. The Junior school are very happy to have played a small part in this year's project.

 

OLYMPICS COME TO FREEMEN'S

06/12/11

 

CLEAN SWEEP FOR FREEMEN'S BIATHLON TEAMS!

01/12/11

On Sunday 27th November Tormead School hosted the Surrey Schools’ Biathlon Competition. The competition comprises a 50 metre swim and a 500 metre run. It was a very successful day and we achieved some excellent results.

For the Year 5 girls, it was their first competition and there were 72 competitors in their age group. The team of Sophia Wilson, Katie Lyons and Ebube Akojie were the winners of the team event. In the individual competition Sophia was crowned champion and was awarded the best swim, Katie was second and Ebube finished 23rd.

Fred Geen competed in the Year 6 boys’ competition and was just pushed into second in the swim and was fourth in the run. This meant that Fred was the overall winner in his age group.

In the Year 7 girls' competition the team of Alicia Wilson, Anna Whitworth and Christina Georgiou were the winners of the team competition. In the individual competition Alicia finished second, Anna finished fourth place and Christina was placed seventh.

Mrs Nicky Clark, Mistress i/c Biathlon, said: "This is a fantastic set of results and the pupils should be extremely pleased with their achievements."

 

GIRLS SWIM WELL AT NATIONALS

01/12/11

On Saturday 26th November the Junior girls’ swimming team travelled to The Quays Swimming and Diving Complex in Southampton to compete in the finals of the English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) National Team Championships for Secondary Schools. The top 16 freestyle and medley teams from across the country qualified for this prestigious event. The qualification events took place earlier in the term at several divisional competitions around the country.

After a parade of captains and welcome from the mayor of Southampton the competition began. In the medley competition we were ranked 16th but swam a brilliant five seconds quicker in a time of 2:14.87 to improve six places and finish in tenth place nationally.

Mrs Nicky Clark, PE and Games Teacher, said: "It was a great experience for the girls to swim in such a prestigious event alongside some of the countries top swimmers and they performed to the best of their ability. Well done."

 

LOWER 3 GET ENERGISED

25/11/11

During Form Assembly on Tuesday 22nd November, Lower 3 were given an extremely informative and interesting presentation about energy by David Message, Head of Global Offshore Energy for Torus Insurance. Mr Message spoke about how energy is gained from oil and natural gas as well as renewable sources such as wind power. The children were astounded by the size of offshore oil rigs – some are taller than the Eiffel Tower – and were impressed by David’s stories of visiting rigs by helicopter.

 

KATY GRIFFIN FENCES IN GERMANY

22/11/11

Katy Griffin has just come back from Germany, having been selected for the GB Under 17 team at girls epee. The tournament was held in Heidenheim over the weekend of 11th-13th November.

Her selection was the culmination of six weeks of hard work and training, from summer courses and three qualifying/selection tournaments in London, Manchester and Sheffield, and builds on the success she gained last season (when she represented England Schools U15s).

In the first round Katy won promotion with three wins and three defeats (half the GB fencers did not make it out of this round), but she went out in the second round with one win.

Mr Bryan Lewis, Master i/c Fencing, said: "This tournament was the top European A Grade of the season, so it was very tough going with all the world's top nations present. Katy did very well, and we are all very proud of her."

 

LOWER 6 BUSINESS STUDIES STUDENTS COME SECOND IN THE ENTREPRENEUR LIVE COMPETITION

21/11/11

On Monday 14th November, Freemen’s AS Business Studies

students travelled to London for the Tutor2u Entrepreneur Live event. Speakers included Fraser Doherty who created

the SuperJam brand from his grandmother’s recipe, and Rachel Bridge who is the Enterprise Editor for the Sunday Times. All the speakers told the stories behind their own successes, offering insights into starting and growing a business and had plenty of time for questions and answers at the end. 

After the presentations the students participated in the Moma Food’s Breakfast Challenge in which teams created a breakfast product for schools. CLFS entered two teams, one of which ‘Panimals’, got through to the final five with a healthy wholemeal pancake and organic fruit compote product. They were asked to present their pitch to an audience of over 300 people including the six entrepreneurs. The business idea was a success and the team were announced runners-up.

 

THEY THINK IT'S ALL OVER - NOT FOR THE JUNIOR FOOTBALL TEAMS

18/11/11

The inaugural CLFS Junior football season has finished successfully. All 110 boys in Key Stage 2 (Year 3-6) have played in five or more competitive fixtures. A total of 68 games and five tournaments have taken place over the last nine weeks. 

The Under 8 boys must be particularly congratulated as all the pupils, who are new to the School, started their sporting careers at CLFS off with enthusiasm and desire. 

A victorious Under 9 team returned home from the Caterham Football tournament with the first piece of CLFS football silverware. They were awarded the winners' cup and medals having won matches against Caterham B, Radnor Prep and Royal Russell and drawing with Cumnor House. The final was decided with a 1-0 victory over Cumnor House.

 

SCHOOL COMES ALIVE TO OFFER ADVICE

18/11/11

The Haywood Centre, Senior Assembly Hall and Junior Assembly Hall were all alive with activity on Thursday 17th November, as the School hosted its annual Careers, Education and Gap Convention. The evening provided pupils and parents from Freemen's and other local schools the opportunity to seek information and advice from over 80 organisations. The careers information on offer included accountancy, archaeology, architecture, art and design, dentistry, engineering, journalism, marketing, law, medicine, performing arts, physiotherapy, police, psychology, publishing, retail, scientific careers, teaching and veterinary. Universities represented included Cambridge, Durham, London School of Economics, Manchester, Nottingham, and Warwick. The gap providers who attended reflected the breadth of gap opportunities on offer, including expeditions and adventures, community development and sport.  

 

ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN .... BUT THE MUSIC IS FAR FROM GREY AT THE JUNIOR AND SENIOR AUTUMN CONCERTS

17/11/11

A packed audience filled the Ferndale Theatre on the evening on Thursday 10th November for the Senior Autumn concert.

Over 120 pupils and their music teachers participated in the programme, providing a glimpse of the wealth of musical talent available in the Upper school and Sixth Form.

The evening began with Mr Paul Dodds, Director of Music, introducing the Camerata choir whose number has grown to over 60 including the largest number of boys for many years. The audience were then treated to performances by the Senior Brass group, Viva, the African Drumming group, the Senior String ensemble, the Senior orchestra, the Senior Wind band and the Jazz band. Individual pieces were beautifully performed by four new Music Scholars.

At the end of the evening Mr Dodds said "This was another splendid evening of Freemen's music, demonstrating the talent and versatility of our musicians. Thanks must go to Mrs Eaglestone who masterminded the whole evening"

This was followed on Wednesday 16th November with, once again, over 120 pupils taking part in The Junior Autumn Concert. Mrs Eaglestone commented that "It was a great showcase of all the various musical talent that we have in the Music Department."

Instrumental ensembles; Junior Strings, Junior Wind band, Junior Brass, Junior African Drumming and Junior Orchestra joined Phoenix and Cantabile choirs in a mix of Popular and Classical music. There were also solos from six extremely talented young musicians.

 

PRAISE AND SUCCESS AT THE CAMBRIDGE UNION SOCIETY SCHOOL DEBATE

15/11/11

Six of our students have today debated in the first round of the Cambridge Union Society School's Debating Competition. They all participated in two debates with the motions 'This House would allow all states to develop nuclear weapons' and  the unprepared motion 'This House would offer amnesty to oppressive dictators who are prepared to step down.' All our speakers were incredibly intelligent and articulate, especially poor Lauren Rofe who had to respond to a speech given by a third year Cambridge undergraduate. He even commented that there was a better structure to her speech than his! On the night Gabbi Cox & Harry Househam and Dan Sperrin & Lauren Rofe were unfortunately knocked out of the competition, but congratulations must go to Margaret Young & Catherine Sadler who sailed through to the next round.

 

THE LORD MAYOR'S SHOW AND ALL THAT JAZZ!

12/11/11

The CLFS Jazz band felt very privileged this

year to be invited to participate  in the

Lord Mayor's Parade on Saturday 12th November. The newly elected Lord Mayor, Alderman David Wootton, requested that a selected number of the Jazz band members should perform on one of the floats. Many of the 71 floats making up the parade were linked in some way to the organisations and places Mr Wootton has had a connection with over the years. The band joined members of the Worshipful Company of Fletchers and Bowyers where Mr Wootton had been a Liveryman. Although the theme of the float was somewhat medieval, the band kept the crowds happy with tunes such as the 'Theme from Pink Panther'. They thoroughly enjoyed their day, waving to the crowds in between their enthusiastic musical sets.

Eagle eyed viewers of the BBC coverage of the show may have spotted the 'Good Luck' message to the band which was displayed at the bottom of the screen.

 

90 YEARS ON - CLFS REMEMBERS FALLEN PUPILS

11/11/11

All members of the School community attended Remembrance Day Assemblies today and a special service was held in the

Entrance Hall of Main House to mark the two minute silence at 11.00am.

Reverend Rutherford led a short service before a wreath was laid below a plaque which names the 13 former school pupils who are known to have died during the Great War. A second plaque names the 33 pupils who later died during World War II.

 

FIREWORKS EVENING GOES WITH A BANG!

3/11/11

Wednesday 2nd November saw oohs and aahs a plenty as the school's fireworks took to the sky. The evening was well attended with approximately 700 of the school community enjoying the extensive barbecue, provided by Sodexo, before the light show wowed the crowd.

 

HOWZAT? PRETTY GOOD ACTUALLY!

3/11/11

On the last day of term 24 boys (a 1st XI and a development XI) departed to Cape Town on a cricket tour in the Western Province of South Africa. For the first section of the tour the pupils spent time in Somerset West and Stellenbosch where pupils were billeted with opposition host families. This was a fantastic chance for the boys to learn first hand about South Africa and the culture from people the same age as them, which became a highlight of the trip for many of the tourists.

Fixtures were held against Somerset College, which led to two encouraging narrow losses in a picturesque setting. The pupils then played against an all boys state school, Paul Roos Gymnasium. The development team again lost by the narrowest of margins, whilst the 1st XI fixture was rained off, with a win in sight.

The tourists then travelled around the Western Province to Cape Town, where they experienced Whale Watching, climbing Table Mountain, visiting Robben Island, a Safari Park game drive and walking to Cape Point. Each of these experiences was gripping and each pupil was awestruck by the beauty, history and diversity of Cape Town. Whilst there pupils played in three more fixtures. The highlight being a day/night game against Bergvliet School starting at 4.00pm and once the clock stuck 6.00pm the incredible floodlights turned on. Both the 1st XI and the development XI won their fixtures, and the experience of playing under floodlights will stay with the boys for a long time.

The tour culminated in a inter-Freemen's fixture which was played in great spirit, and after the game the boys tucked into some hearty steaks cooked on a braii by the coach driver who accompanied them throughout the tour. A presentation ceremony finished the evening with James Howard and David Pilley being joint voted as the development XI players of the tour and Alex Culhane voted as the 1st XI player of the tour. All pupils returned safely on Thursday 27th October to London Heathrow.

Whilst on tour the pupils displayed characteristics of well rounded, conscientious and inquisitive young men and represented the school fantastically well. A special mention to Fred Davies (tour captain) who led by example all tour.

 

 

TO BE, OR NOT TO BE (AT HAMLET) WAS THE QUESTION

01/11/11

 

BOYS FOLLOW IN GIRLS FOOTSTEPS BUT CAN THEY REPEAT UNBEATEN SUCCESS?

21/10/11

The first XI cricket squad jetted off to South Africa on Friday 14th October for a two week tour, following in the footsteps of the 1st XI hockey squad who were there over the Summer.

The boys will play six fixtures, whilst also taking in local delights such as whale watching, a safari tour, visits to table mountain and Robben island and a tour of Cape Point.

 In the Summer the girls also flew in to Cape Town at the start of their hockey tour. The first game was the second team vs a mixed team from Curro and El Shaddhai with Georgie Moore scoring the only goal of the game to secure a 1-0 win. The first team then played against El Shaddhai winning 2-0 with goals by Sophie Luckman and Holly Bicknell.

When not playing hockey, the girls visited many tourist sites. They went to Signal Hill, where many had the opportunity to see Table Mountain for the first time, they visited Robben Island, experiencing a major part of South Africa’s political history and learning about the life of Nelson Mandela.

  

An eye opening and liberating experience was had at Langa Township, walking around the houses, schools and churches, all the while being followed by children who were incredibly excited to see the unfamiliar faces and craving our attention. We were invited to lunch at a local woman’s house with traditional African food and music, and despite the massive quantities of food consumed, we still managed to win our afternoon game convincingly.

Another sightseeing day followed involving trips to the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, Hout Bay and Boulders Beach where we saw hundreds of penguins.

In the next game, another grass pitch proved to be challenging to adapt to and the first team fought hard to achieve a 1-1 draw with the goal scored by Katelyn Aitchison. The seconds unfortunately lost 1-0 but also fought very hard throughout. The day ended with a BBQ and an exchange of songs before dinner.

On our way to Knysna we stopped at an Ostrich Farm where we got to sit on ostriches and stand on their eggs. We then visited Cango Wildlife Farm and saw a variety of animals, and some paid to pet baby tigers, cheetahs and snakes. For many of the girls this was one of the highlights of the tour.

 

The next day we went to the Elephant Park, which was an amazing experience as we were able to touch and feed a group of elephants. Our match here was against Oakhill School where we played a 6-a-side tournament. The firsts won all three of their matches, the seconds won two matches, and drew one, and the thirds lost four of their matches but overall we won the tournament. Goals were scored by Katelyn Aitchison, Lizzie Smart, Kate Holmes, Lauren Parker, Moya Smith and Holly Bicknell.

Our last match of the tour was against Pearson High School in Port Elizabeth and the firsts won 1-0 and the seconds drew 0-0. They were a tough team so we were all extremely happy especially as this result meant an unbeaten tour for the firsts.

The Pumba Game Reserve was our next stop and we went on two game drives, one in the evening and one very early the next morning. We all wanted to stay longer as it was such an incredible place.

The tour was a huge success and such an amazing experience.

By Katelyn Aitchison and Sarah Moore

 

UPPER 2 GET WET N WILD AT BOUGH BEECH RESERVOIR

17/10/11

BOYS NOW ON TRIAL.....

17/10/11

 

PAYING RESPECTS TO THE PAST

17/10/11

MEAN DEFENCE SEES GIRLS THROUGH TO SURREY FINALS

17/10/11

On Wednesday 5th October the 1st XI hockey team attended the U18 Surrey Hockey tournament at Epsom College. Our new coach, Mark Atherton, took a squad of 16 girls with some welcome new members from Upper 5. The day began with a challenging match against Epsom College, which ended 0-0, spurring the team on to a win of 8-0 in our second match against Woldingham, and 4-0 against St John’s. The highly anticipated St George’s match was next, and having drawn and beaten the team already this term, we were determined to play just as well at the tournament. With some excellent saves from Issy, we drew 0-0, which did not reflect our dominance in the second half of the match. Eager to win our final match against Gordon’s to ensure a place at the twilight finals, we won 5-0 win, meaning no goals had been conceded for the entire day. Scorers of the day included Lucy Cole, Lauren Parker, Sarah Moore, Kate Holmes, Lizzie Smart, Katelyn Aitchison, Zoe Clarke, Amy Owens and Georgie Chapman. The team will now work towards the finals on 8th November at which we will hopefully demonstrate our determination to win.

 

Report by Moya Smith

 

READING BETWEEN THE LINES

14/10/11

National Children’s Book Week is action-packed every year at Freemen's and this year, during the week of 3rd October was no exception.

We began by challenging the pupils to figure out 'Who do you think we are?' as numerous members of staff were asked for tales of their family trees: their ancestors including a 7ft 5 inches tall Staffordshire blacksmith who was employed as a Yeoman of the Guard and Porter to both James I and Charles I, a great great great uncle who travelled to the South Pole with Scott’s expedition and a lion-taming great granny! It was very difficult to work out who was related to whom!

Over £1000 worth of books were purchased at the Travelling Books book fair on Tuesday while Wednesday saw a hotly-contested Book Quiz in the Junior Library.

Thursday in the Junior School began with one of our regular DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) assemblies, followed by a visit to Upper 3 and Lower 4 by award winning author Celia Rees. She spoke about her books and the inspiration for her writing and ended with creative writing workshops for the pupils.

 

RELAY IS A TRIAL

11/10/11

This year's Surrey Schools Swimming relays have been combined with the London and South East relays due to the restructuring of the divisions. Freemen's participated in the Junior girls’ medley and Freestyle relays, which took place at Trinity School on Thursday 6th October 2011.

In the freestyle relay the team of Aila Diffey, Lydia Room, Fredrika Penniket-Dessent and Amelia Reed finished third in a time of 2.03:95. The medley relay team of Fredrika Penniket-Dessent, Amelia Reed, Alicia Wilson and Lydia Room swam a time of 2.19:45 to achieve second place.

These times will be collated with the results from all the divisional round competitions and the top teams will be invited to participate at the National Finals on 26th November 2011.

 

MORE INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS FOR FREEMEN'S FENCER

11/10/11

 

 

PUPILS MAD FOR THE BATCHELOR SOCIETY

6/10/11

FREEMEN'S TAKES POLITICS TO WESTMINSTER

3/10/11

The History, Politics and Sociology Department visited the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday 28th September. The group of Lower 6 politics students basked in the sunshine on the banks of the Thames before enjoying a tour of Parliament ending in the historic Westminster Hall. The group then went to Portcullis House and grilled the Conservative MP for Somerset North Jacob Rees-Mogg. The session saw the MP strongly defend his views from a right-wing ideological perspective and few could accuse him of populism as he supported student tuition fees amongst other such challenging policies. The students left Westminster with a greater understanding of the business of Parliament and the work of MPs within Britain’s democracy. 

 

UPPER 3 VISIT ROCHESTER

3/10/11

On Tuesday 27th September, the History, Politics and Sociology Department took the whole of Upper 3 to Rochester. The field trip improves pupils’ understanding of medieval England by visiting the city’s remarkable castle, beautiful cathedral and fascinating Civic Hall Museum. The weather was stunning and the groups gained a much greater understanding of castle building in the 12th Century and the reasons for Rochester’s importance to Romans and Normans. The most fun was had dressing up as monks and learning about life in a monastery in the Middle Ages. However, the idea of a life of silence and poverty was not to everyone’s liking.

 

EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES

30/09/11

The Junior School was a fiesta of colour on Monday 26th September, as pupils donned international costumes to celebrate the European Day of World Languages. Led by Mrs Sarah Hankin, the school’s Languages Department organised a range of activities to mark this annual event. A poster competition, international greetings quiz, fashion parade and European bakery, all helped give the day a real buzz of excitement. Pupils’ costumes drew inspiration from world flags, traditional dress and famous people from other countries. At lunchtime pupils shopped at the European bakery, but only if they could ask for their purchases in French, German or Spanish! Their enthusiasm for the day was commendable, showing that pupils really enjoy learning foreign languages at Freemen’s.

 

GUILDFORD HIGH CROSS COUNTRY

28/09/11

On Thursday 22nd September the girls’ Under 9, 10 and 11 Cross-Country teams travelled to Stoke Park in Guildford for the Guildford High Invitation Cross Country Competition. There were over 50 competitors in each race and the races were very exciting. In the under 10 event Sophia Wilson was third and in the Under 11 event Funmi Morgan was second. Well done to everyone who took part.

Under 9 team

Isabelle Trubshaw, Carla Bisping, Emma Johns, Gezana Rai and Beth Christian.

Under 10 team

Sophia Wilson, Amy Field, Ebube Akojie, Katie Lyons, Lucy Yellow and Millie McCleave.

Under 11 team

Funmi Morgan, Abby Holder, Emily Way, Zoe Chatterton and Stephanie Symonds.

 

WE WENT UP A HILL AND CAME DOWN A....... HILL

27/09/11

On Tuesday 20th and Thursday 22nd September, the Upper 4s headed to the Ryker’s car park at Mickleham and then climbed the impressive slope from Burford Bridge towards the summit. En route, footpath erosion measurements provided evidence of problems and at the top vegetation surveys using quadrats showed the effects of trampling by tourists. Capturing the outstanding view from the Lookout by field sketching was complete with some impressive results. Packed lunch outside the café showed us how effective litter bins can be as well as the excellence of the local ice cream. Studies of the management of traffic, footpaths and woodland showed us how the National Trust try to preserve the area and maintain it as it is today. Descending by the steep route to the Stepping Stones, we completed our studies with some views of the river Mole before returning to the coach at the car park. On both days we were fortunate to have lovely weather and one and all had a great day.

 

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGED.....

26/09/11

The School was delighted to welcome back Dr Helen Swift, Schools’ Liaison Officer at St Hilda’s College, Oxford on Thursday 22nd September who lead an excellent session giving advice to students on university interviews. The first part of the workshop involved Dr Swift giving some detailed ideas to the students on how they might prepare for an interview and what they might expect during such an occasion. The second half of the event saw Dr Swift giving a mock-interview to two Freemen’s Upper 6. Lucy Cole, a candidate for French, and Luke Shakerchi, an aspirant Historian, performed well in a very intimidating occasion in front of an audience of students and staff. Mr Wright, the Freemen’s Head of Oxbridge Admissions, said: "We are very grateful to Dr Swift for her helpful advice and time. The students will be much more aware of what lies ahead of them and, hopefully, they will enjoy much more the experience of the interviews". 

 

BATCHELOR BATTLE OVER NATIONALISM

26/09/11

The Batchelor Society met for the first time of the academic year on Tuesday 13th September for the annual debate between Mr Wright and Mrs Edwards. This year, the topic under discussion was Nationalism and whether it has had a beneficial or negative impact on history. The debate, in the foyer of the Haywood Centre, was well attended and the discussion was well handled by Upper 6 pupil Rebecca Howe. In the final vote, the audience decided to reject the proposal that Nationalism had been a damaging influence in history. Mr Wright was very pleased with the event saying: "The Batchelor Society has come to be one of the foremost academic societies in the School and such a large turnout for the first event of the year shows the high level of interest in the ideas under discussion".

 

STEPHANIE GIVES WHEELS FOR THE WORLD

23/09/11

UPPER 4 BOND AT PGL

 

SUCCESSFUL START FOR UNDER 8B'S

22/09/11

The Under 8s took part in their first ever Freemen's football fixture on Tuesday 20th September. The A and B teams travelled to Caterham along with the Under 9s. There was nervous excitement on the bus, and after a quick chat on formation and tactics (who is left footed?) the games kicked off. Despite most of play taking place in midfield, captain Oliver Furze broke through with a mazy run and cool finish to give the Bs a 1-0 half time lead. The second half followed a similar pattern, and despite calls for a Freemen's penalty, and a 'Did it cross the line?' shout from Caterham, the score remained unchanged until a delightful team move saw Ishan Nathan sweep the ball home to make it 2-0 and secure victory. Manager, Mr Mike Holland, was ecstatic saying: "The boys were fantastic. Every single one of them played their part in a great team win. Enjoy your victory tea boys, you deserve it!".

 

TRIO OF TEAM WINS AT CROSS COUNTRY FESTIVAL

21/09/11

The annual CLFS Invitational Cross Country Festival took place on Sunday 18th September 2011 with eight schools taking part (Royal Russell, Caterham Prep, Downsend, Freemen's, Rowan Prep, Cranmore and Rokeby). In the Under 10 girls’ race, Freemen's won the team event with Sophia Wilson finishing in second place. In the Under 10 boys’ race Freemen's came second in the team event with Nicholas John and Joseph Boros in 8th and 9th place respectively.

The Freemen's team dominated the Under 12 girls’ race with Anna Whitworth winning and Alicia Wilson second. Freemen's had six girls in the top ten finishers, which meant that they won the team event. In the Under 12 boys’ race Fred Geen finished third with Jamie Wilks in fourth which meant the boys’ team also won their team event.

Mrs Nicky Clark, PE and Games Teacher, said: "It was a very competitive event with lots of great performances. Well done to all of the runners who took part. I would also like to thank George Florintine, Alex Culhane, and Jack Flamminger who were the 'Hares' for the races and helped the runners navigate the course."

 

BOARDER'S ANNUAL TRIP TO THORPE PARK

 

SUMMER SWIMMING SUCCESS

 

12/09/11

On 21st July 2011 Millie Reed, from Upper 4, competed at the British Gas ASA National Age Group Swimming Championships at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield. Millie is now the national champion at 100 metre breaststroke for girls aged 13 years old, winning the competition in a time of 1:14.50. Following this success Millie has been invited to join the ASA Talent Development Programme. Mrs Nicky Clark, PE Teacher, said: "This is a fantastic achievement for Millie and we look forward to hearing about her future success."

 

NEW YEAR SEE NEW PUPILS START AND NEW SERVERY OFFICIALLY OPEN TO ANNOUNCE NEW CATERERS

06/09/11

The first day at a new school is always exciting, and this year 160 new pupils started at the City of London Freemen’s School, with 55 starting in Form 1. The smiles throughout the day told their own story of pupils happy to be at their new school.

However, all pupils (and staff) had reason to be excited this year as the new dining hall servery was officially opened, meaning more choice of food, faster service, and increased dining capacity. The opening of the servery also officially announced Sodexo as the school’s new caterers, housekeepers and schoolkeepers.

Gus Williams, who is new to form 1 and was chosen to cut the ribbon, said: "It looks great, and I was really pleased to be the first to get my lunch!" before rushing off for his official year photograph.

Mrs Yvette Dunne, Bursar, said: "We are very pleased to welcome Sodexo as our new catering, housekeeping and schoolkeeping provider. The team have worked extremely hard behind the scenes to get the new servery open and it was great to see it in action today with a wonderful and varied food offering from which to choose."

 

WITH A SPLISH AND A SPLASH.....

05/09/11

Fans of CBeebies may not recognise the picture of Ellie Howick of Lower 3, but if she were to speak, they most definitely would recognise who she is! Ellie is the voice of Splash (middle right), a polar bear cub and one of the main characters, on the popular children's programme called The Iconicles show - shown daily at 3.45pm. Mr Beach, Head of the Junior School, said: "I am very proud of Ellie, it is an excellent achievement to be involved with CBeebies".

 

OUTSTANDING GCSE RESULTS AT FREEMEN’S

25/08/11

GCSE students at the City of London Freemen’s School have gained record breaking GCSE results this year.

All 94 students achieved five or more passes at grades A* - C with 82% of all grades being either A* or A. The overall pass rate this year for grades A* - C was 99.3%.

36 of the 94 students gained straight A*s or As in all of their subjects and two students, Frederick Kratt and Lauren Rofe (pictured second from left) achieved A* grades in all ten of their subjects.

Headmaster Philip MacDonald said: “I am very pleased indeed with the results achieved by our GCSE students this year. These excellent results are the product of much hard work on the part of both the students and their teachers. Congratulations to everyone on this magnificent achievement!”

See a full breakdown of results by subject.

 

RECORD A LEVEL RESULTS AT FREEMEN’S

18/08/11

101 students at the City of London Freemen’s School, Ashtead were celebrating record A Level results today, with a pass rate of 100%. 91% of the grades were either A*, A, or B and 34% of the grades were the top A* grade, some eight per cent more than last year.

One half of the students at the School gained straight A* or A grades in all subjects and seven students gained four A* grades.

Almost all of the students will be able to confirm their places at their preferred universities and colleges, and this year nine students have confirmed offers at either Oxford or Cambridge.

Philip MacDonald, Headmaster at Freemen’s said: "This is again an outstanding set of A Level results; I congratulate all of our students and their teachers on a magnificent achievement this year. The continuing trend in higher A Level results, especially in the traditional A Level subjects at Freemen’s, is very  encouraging and I wish all our students every success as they move on to university or college."

See a full breakdown of results by subject.

 

FORMER FREEMEN PICKED FOR LONDON 2012

11/08/11

Former pupil Alexandra Rickham (class of 2000) has become one of the first members of the Great Britain team to be selected for next year's Paralympic games in London.

With just over a year to go to the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games, the British Paralympic Association (BPA) announced the selection of the first five athletes who will compete for Great Britain at the London 2012 Games in sailing (pictured).

 

Alexandra, who came back to Freemen's in April to give a talk to the Sixth Form, has been picked alongside her partner Niki Birrell to represent team GB in the two-person keelboat event.

Ms Rickham, who along with Birrell, finished fifth in the 2008 Paralympic Regatta in Bejing, said: "It's great to be selected. We're really happy and excited and looking forward to next year and putting in the hard work to try and ensure we get a medal.

The hard work is just about beginning – I’d say that everyone ramps up their campaigns and their preparations towards the big event, so we’ll be pushing harder than ever.

Our recent World Championship win at Weymouth and Portland has definitely given us confidence for next year – not only for ourselves, but it was also important for the other teams to see we could lay it down at our home venue after a string of silvers at the Sail for Gold Regatta.

We showed at the right time at a major event that we could pull it out the bag and prove to the other teams that we can do it in the Games venue."

Click to view the news report by ITV.