Past News Archive 2010/11

PRIZE DAY FINISHES YEAR OFF IN STYLE!

03/08/11

A chance to celebrate the many successes and achievements of the pupils at the City of London Freemen’s School is always welcome, and Prize Day 2011 did not disappoint.

Despite the inclement weather, on Thursday 7th July the school buzzed with excitement, as all aspects of school life were acknowledged and celebrated. The rain could not put a dampener on our celebrations.

There were separate Prize Giving Ceremonies for both Junior and Senior pupils, providing the opportunity to showcase music and drama alongside the actual prize giving.

In the afternoon, the Lord Mayor Michael Bear was in attendance, and his procession to the Senior School ceremony created excitement amongst the pupils.

Outside of the ceremonies visitors were treated to a variety of musical and dramatic performances and departments displayed wonderful exhibitions of pupil work from throughout the year. Taking advantage of the brief sunshine at the end of the day, cream teas and strawberries were provided by Aramark.

Headmaster Philip MacDonald said: "A big thank you to all parents who attended, and to all pupils who, as always, were a true credit to the school."

 

JUNIOR SCHOOL GETS WHEELS FOR THE WORLD MOVING

29/07/11

At the end of the Summer Term, the Junior School was delighted to welcome representatives from the Through the Roof charity who gave an assembly about their Wheels for the World programme. As the selected charity for 2010/11, the Junior School also handed over the monies raised throughout the year, totalling over £13,000. Various fundraising events were held including talent contests, cake stalls and a sponsored book read, generously supported by pupils, teachers and parents.

Karen Goodridge, Volunteer Community Fundraiser, and Glenda Pike, Wheels for the World Co-ordinator, were joined by Pastor Davis Gatua from Nakuru, Kenya, who spoke movingly about the difference the money raised would make.

Stephanie Elstub will be joining the Wheels for the World team travelling to Nakuru in September to help in the distribution of 160 wheelchairs and other mobility aids.  Stephanie will be the youngest team member.

Wheels for the World is the overseas programme of Through the Roof, restoring and distributing refurbished wheelchairs, mostly to people in Africa, giving them increased independence.

Wheels for the World sends old NHS wheelchairs to a workshop in HMP Parkhurst for restoration to almost-new condition. Prisoners find great satisfaction in this work which helps restore their self worth and dignity. The hub of operations is a farm near Salisbury – here, the unwanted wheelchairs are received from around the country and prepared for transporting to the prison, then received back from the prison in their restored state and loaded into containers for shipping.

Mr Tim Wood, CEO of Through the Roof, said: "The vital work of our charity depends on a large team of contributors, so we’re extremely grateful to the pupils, parents and staff of the City of London Freemen’s school. Their fantastic donation of over £13,000 to our Wheels for the World programme will help transform the lives of many disabled people in developing countries.”

To see how you can help, please visit their website at www.throughtheroof.org/ourprogramme/wheels-for-the-world

 

DEPARTMENTS COME TOGETHER TO VISIT BERLIN

25/07/11

The Modern Languages and History, Politics and Sociology Departments took 30 Lower 5 pupils to Berlin from 1st to 6th July. The group looked at sites relating to their historical studies of Nazi Germany and the Cold War whilst also practising their linguistic skills and experiencing life in the German capital. Highlights included a guided visit of the Reichstag and a sombre trip to the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen. For the first time the trip was extended by a day and this was used to visit Potsdam and Wansee including tours of Frederick the Great’s summer palace of Sansoucci and the house that saw the discussions that began the direct planning of the Final Solution in 1943. Mr Wright, Head of History, Politics and Sociology, said: "The group was superb in their interest for the sites and enjoyment of each other’s company. They will have returned more knowledgeable about German history and culture and hopefully have a desire to go back to Berlin again in the future."

 

NOT QUITE KINGS AT BRUTON CRICKET FESTIVAL

 

25/07/11

 

In the last week of term, our 1st XI cricket squad played in the King’s School Bruton cricket festival where they enjoyed success, just being pipped as winners by tournament favourites St Peter’s, York.

 

In the first game our bowlers restricted Christ’s Hospital to 188 but the reply stumbled before Culhane and Abrahams (pictured being presented with his player of the year award) showed typical resolve to total 129-9 and salvage a draw.

 

In the second game, Davies hit 96 and Lewis-Oliver 66 to steer the side to 237-8 off a rain reduced 43 overs. St Peter’s reply was positive but our attack rose to the challenge and with Davies leading the way (4-46) we were treated to a thrilling match that saw St Peter’s hang on to their last wicket for the last four overs to earn an all important draw as they posted 201-9.

Our final match was against the hosts King’s Bruton. On a blustery morning the Bruton openers aided by some loose bowling and fielding were defiant and went to lunch at 98 without loss. The break gave the boys opportunity to recharge the batteries and increase the energy levels which resulted in a most dominant passage of play. King’s Bruton were dismissed for 127 with Lewis Oliver taking 5-15 and Davies 3-25.  In reply a faultless performance from Seymour (50*) and Lewis-Oliver (49*) helped Freemen's cruise to victory by nine wickets.

With St Peter’s beating both Bruton and Christ’s we finished second which was a good finish to a season that had also seen victories over John Fisher, Sevenoaks, and Caterham.

 

OUR PHYSICS STUDENTS ARE REAL HIGH-FLYERS

06/07/11

 

On Friday 1st July, the Lower 6 physics students went to the Bedford Bodyflying Centre to skydive in the world’s largest indoor skydiving wind tunnel, 'flying' in winds of up to 120mph.

Upon arrival the pupils were split into three groups and given outfits for the day, consisting of a bodyflight suit - similar in shape to a boiler suit, a helmet, goggles, ear plugs and training shoes. This was followed by a session with the instructor about the correct method for flying and how to enter and exit the tunnel safely. Pupils then proceeded to the tunnel itself, many nervously, and saw some other visitors flying in the tunnel, taking note especially of how they entered and left the tunnel.

Each student was given three ‘turns’ in the tunnel, consisting of exactly one minute 15 seconds each time, firstly on their own with the instructor, and then in pairs. It was a most exhilarating experience as you have to concentrate on not only keeping your body in the optimum flying position and watching the instructor’s hand signals for instructions but, initially at least, also focus on how to breathe within the unusually fast winds. The trip was also enjoyable as the other groups could watch you from the ‘viewing area’ and, more often than not, laugh at your inability to keep your body in the correct position.

After the ‘flight’, pupils were able to see photographs taken whilst inside the tunnel, and each pair received a DVD of their flight. Furthermore, after each group session, the instructors all went in the tunnel for an incredible ‘staff demonstration’ which put all of our attempts to shame. It was most definitely a highly enjoyable and worthwhile trip.

Report by Stephanie Anthony

 

THAT'S WHY FREEMEN'S GO TO ICELAND!

05/07/11

On Thursday 30th June, the Lower 6 Geographers travelled to Iceland. After arriving at Hellisholar, a farm close to the south coast of Iceland, a game of football, followed by a dip in a naturally hot pool was a healthy start to the trip.

 

The second day was spent visiting the Westmann Islands off the south coast. After a rocky ferry to Heimaey, the crater of the Eldfell volcano was reached on foot. The group also visited the Pompeii of the South, an area of two story buildings buried during the 1973 eruption – in places only chimneys were still visible. On the way back to the farm we stopped to see the tall Haifoss waterfall.

 

The next day was the tour of the Golden Circle. The imposing Gullfoss waterfall, the Geyser shooting water 35 feet into the air and Þingvellir, the site of the former mid-Atlantic ridge, all provided some spectacular examples of tectonic landforms and activity.  The party all joined hands at one point to stretch from the American Plate to the Eurasian Plate and later, all threw some Krona into a magical wishing pool. A tour round Hellisheiði geothermal power station brought things up to date before heading into Reykjavik.

 

The final day started with a trip into Reykjavik and a brief visit to the modern Catholic Church built in the style of basalt columns.  A quick trip around a flea market was undertaken before heading off to The Blue Lagoon.  Staff and pupils immersed themselves in geothermically heated seawater and silica mud was applied to faces.  It was a very relaxing way to end our visit and everyone agreed it had been a fascinating and enjoyable trip.

                    

WE ARE GOOD AT ELECTRONICS, PHYSICS AND PSYCHOLOGY!

04/07/11

The School was delighted to be told it had won six awards from the Good Schools Guide. The 2011 awards are made on the basis of results for the three years 2008, 2009 and 2010 combined, and on the basis of the popularity of each subject relative to similar schools, and of the success that pupils achieve relative to other examinations they take.

The School has won the 2011 Good Schools Guide:

GCSE Award for Girls taking Electronics at GCSE at an English School.

GCSE Award for Girls taking Physics at GCSE at an English Independent School.

GCSE Award for Boys taking Physics at GCSE at an English Independent School.

A Level Award for Boys taking Psychology at AS Level at an English Independent School.

A Level Award for Boys taking Physics at A Level at an English Independent School.

A Level Award for Girls taking Physics at A Level at an English Independent School.

 

The School is obviously delighted to receive these prestigious awards. Mr Mike Collier, Head of Electronics, said: "The Electronics department are delighted to have the success of girls taking GCSE Electronics recognised for the second time in three years by The Good Schools Guide. There has been a steady increase in the numbers of girls taking the subject in recent years despite the misperception that it is the 'domain' of boys. Over the last five years 85% of girls have achieved A* grades with the other 15% getting A grades and very narrowly missing out on the A*. The average GCSE score has been 95%. Congratulations to them all."

Mr James Hallam, Head of Science and Physics, said: "I am delighted in the continued success of our pupils in physics both at GCSE and A Level. They work with interest and diligence and compare well against those in similar schools. I would also like to thank the teachers of these pupils, who work hard to give the pupils the best possible experience of physics." Miss Joanna Vinall, Head of Psychology, was equally pleased saying: "I am delighted to achieve this award for the second time. It reflects the hard work and dedication of both myself and the students and highlights the contribution the psychology department continues to make to the academic success of the school."

 

FIRST FREEMEN'S TOP 40 HIT SEES NICK IN ROYAL COMPANY

01/07/11

Nick Etherington, of Lower 5, attended the 2011 Awards Ceremony for the British Biology Olympiad and Biology Challenge at the Royal Society in London on Thursday 30th June.

Nick was one of five Freemen's pupils who achieved a gold medal in the Biology Challenge - the annual competition for Years 9 and 10 organised by the Society of Biology. The others were Nicola Elliott, Katy Griffin, Nathalie Richards and Blasie Sadler.

However, Nick's score in the competition was so high (he is the first ever Freemen's pupil to gain a 'Top Scorer' award for the Biology Challenge) that he was one of the top few who were invited to the Royal Society to receive his medal from Professor Steve Jones. There were over 22,000 entries and Nick's result put him in the top 40.

 

Mr Knowles, Head of Biology, said: "Nick is a very able biologist and I am very proud of his achievement. I am also very jealous that he received his medal from Professor Steve Jones who is one of my heroes! I hope he enjoyed the experience - he deserves it."

 

 

KEY STAGE 2 PUPILS GET BUSY IN ACTIVITIES WEEK

30/06/11

During the week of Monday 20th June to Friday 24th June, the Junior School held the KS2 Activity Week for all pupils in Form 1 to Lower 3. The children had a great week, mixing fun with learning, and participated in a variety of activities.

The week started with an inspirational talk by Marlon Moncrieff, a world renowned cyclist, who has represented Great Britain in the track cycling in the Masters World Championships and won a silver medal in the individual sprint event.

Then followed throughout the week, various year group activities:

Form 1 held an Invaders Day, participating in a workshop and spending the day dressed as Greeks or Romans. They also prepared and practised their production of Nathan’s Nightmare and performed it three times to Year 2 pupils and to parents.

Lower 2 spent a day at Leeds Castle, and later in the week went on Big Camp within the school grounds. Activities at Big Camp included scavenger hunts, rounders, building shelters and singing songs around the campfire.

Also, Form 1 and Lower 2 combined to watch a performance of ‘Rev it up’, an exciting and interactive drama production focussing on PSHE themes of kindness, sharing and honesty. They also took part in a Bollywood day, where they had a brilliant time learning Indian dancing to the music 'Jai Ho' from the film Slumdog Millionaire.

Upper 2 pupils took part in an African Drumming Workshop on Africa Day, culminating in a dazzling display of energy and enthusiasm in the final performance. They also held an Egyptian day which involved coming to school dressed as Egyptians when they found themselves in the Valley of the Kings, preparing to disturb the tomb of King Tutankhamen. The children were captivated by the drama workshop and thoroughly enjoyed taking on a range of different roles. Children also tried their hand at orienteering, cooking, designing board games and other art activities.

Lower 3 participated in African Drumming and a fascinating Anti-Slavery Workshops and undertook their Bikeability courses.

Mr Beach, Head of Junior School, said: "The pupils behaved extremely well throughout the week and had a most enjoyable time learning from their varied experiences."

PUBLIC GETS TO SEE PRIVATE VIEW

29/06/11

On Friday 24th June the Art department held its biggest annual exhibition to date which again demonstrated the wide range of talent within the senior years. Three rooms were converted into exhibition spaces and the whole exhibition took two weeks to erect. This year the schools very first Pre U students put up their own exhibitions in the Sixth Form Centre and did a fantastic job of curating their own space. All the external moderating staff agreed that the work on show was excitingly diverse showing a surprising range of media and all of the candidates showed great critical understanding. We look forward to next year and the next show.

SIXTH INTERNATIONAL FENCING SELECTION SECURED

 

28/06/11

 

Seven of our girls competed in the England Youth Fencing Championships in Hatfield on Saturday 25th June.

Stephanie Elstub (pictured, second left, with our other semi-finalists) came third in the Under 13 competition, beating the number one seed in the quarter finals. This fantastic placing means that Stephanie has been selected for the England Schools team to compete in Poland at the Challenge Wracow.

Other results were: Under 11s: Sarah Spice, third, Emily Elstub, sixth; Under 13s: Olivia Bircher, 23rd; Under 15s: Katy Griffin, fifth, Alex Wilcox, 17th, Zoe Lowrey, 19th.

 

Mr Bryan Lewis, Master i/c of Fencing, said: "It is fantastic news that Stephanie has been selected to fence for England - the school's sixth international selection of the season! My thanks again go to everyone involved this year for their enthusiasm and support."

 

 

LOWER 3 HAVE A GOOD TIME, COME RAIN OR SHINE!

27/06/11

On Friday 10th June Lower 3 went on a residential trip to Osmington Bay in Dorset. The weekend was planned to be filled with outdoor activities but unfortunately the weather had other plans. On Saturday the group studied the River Wey from the source to the mouth. The groups performed a range of experiments at various points on the river in order to understand more about the speed at which water flows and how the river changes as it gets closer to the sea.

Back at the centre, whilst dodging the heavy downpours, pupils took every opportunity to try their hand at Jacob’s ladder, orienteering, archery, aeroball, zip wire and abseiling. There were plenty of indoor activities to keep everybody amused when the rain made it impossible to stay outside.

The evenings were just as much fun ending with a disco on the last night. The pupils returned to school happy but exhausted and had thoroughly enjoyed their trip.

 

ON A MIDSUMMER NIGHT, WE WENT TO SEE.....

23/06/11

On Sunday 19th June all of Lower 4 went to watch their set Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, at Nymans House in West Sussex. On a beautiful, and thankfully dry, evening the pupils picnicked in the walled gardens before watching a very entertaining performance by The Lord Chamberlain's Men. This production is touring the National Trust properties in Surrey this summer so see it if you can.

 

 

TRIATHLETES EXCEL AT THE PARKSIDE TRIATHLON

22/06/11

On Sunday 19th June athletes from Freemen's competed in the third Parkside Triathlon with 21 schools represented.

In the Under 9s, Katie Lyons and Aaron Teale were denied victory by a marshalling blunder. However, the Freemen's team were dominant in the Under 11s. Jamie Wilks, renowned for his strong swimming, powered out the water first closely followed by Fred Geen (only U10) and Oliver Chesover-Dennard. They hung on to their positions and earned Freemen’s a clean sweep on the podium.

In the Under 13s, John Morrison, in third place after the swimming, took the lead during the cycling and then built up a healthy lead to storm home first. Sam Ashbridge narrowly missed out on the bronze and finished in fourth place in the boys’ event.

Mr Valkenburg, Triathlon team coach, said: "It was a fantastic day out for all the competitors and they are all keen to compete again in September. Considering Parkside are the only local school to host such an event, it was fantastic watching our athletes perform and do so well considering their lack of experience in such events. Well done to everyone who competed."

 

SECOND PLACE IN SWIMMING NATIONAL FINALS

22/06/11

On Saturday 18th June the Middle Junior Girl's swim team competed in the E.S.S.A. National Swimming

Championships for Primary Schools at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield. The girls qualified for the mixed stroke relay by coming second at the Surrey vs Kent (Division XI) team relays at Sevenoaks in May. The championships included the top 24 schools in the country from 12 different divisions.

The Championships started with Emily Elstub, our team captain, participating in the Captains' parade and receiving ESSA badges from the Lord Mayor of Sheffield. Then the girls competed in the heats hoping to get into the 'A' Mixed Stroke Final of the top eight schools. They did very well winning their heat to secure their place in the final.

It was a very exciting race, which needed the electronic scoring system to make the decision as to who came first and second, as it was so close. Our girls took second place to Rowan School, which is a fantastic achievement as they were a good two seconds behind them in the qualifying rounds.

Congratulations to Alicia Wilson, Anna Whitworth, Emma Leveridge and Emily Way for coming second in the National Finals.

 

YOUNG CRICKETERS RECEIVE COUNTY HONOURS

21/06/11

Three boys from the Junior School have recently been selected by Surrey to represent the county cricket sides. Ben Butcher (Lower 2) has been involved in the Under 9’s, Max Lowrey (Upper 2) has been selected for the Under 10’s and Ben Sidwell (Upper 3) has been playing for the Under 12 side. Ben recently scored his maiden half century for the county (57 vs Whitgift in a pre season match as well as 41 vs Sussex). He also played at Surrey’s ‘Home of Cricket’ and test match ground The KIA Oval.

Mr Gibson, Head of Junior P.E. said: "All three boys have worked exceptionally hard at their cricket both in and out of school. We are delighted that they are performing so well for Freemen’s and are now doing the same at County level. Well done and good luck for the rest of the season boys."

 

EXCITEMENT BUILDS FOR PRIVATE VIEW

 

21/06/11

 

The School is looking forward to the Private View exhibition on Friday 24th June. With GCSE, AS and A2 Level work on display alongside, for the first time, Pre-U work the Art Centre and Sixth Form Centre will be awash with creativity. The event is open to the general public from 6.00pm to 8.30pm so please feel free to drop in.

 

MASSIVELY SUCCESSFUL BRASS CONCERT

20/06/11

The Brass Massive concert took place on 9th June 2011. For music lovers who love the bold, confident and joyful sound of brass ensembles, this concert was a real pleasure. The audience were treated to a mixture of Junior and Senior Brass groups, either on their own or as one massed ‘brass massive’, alongside Surrey Brass, the innovative and entertaining ten-piece brass ensemble.

Highlights included two trumpet members of the Freemen’s Senior Brass Quintet, Philip MacDonald and Rebecca Johns, performing the amusing but demanding Mexican Hat Dance; Another soloist Timothy Peters played Genie with the Light Brown Hair, a trombone feature with Surrey Brass; Our very own Jazz trombonist, Jonathan Lott, was joined by Mr Eaglestone and Timothy Peters in a completely improvised 12 bar Blues in Bb called Shuffle Time; and the Senior Brass walking in to begin the second half with the aptly titled Just a Closer Walk.

The Junior Brass faculty is ever increasing in size and dominance. In recent years, thanks to support from the Headmaster, the Music Department has been able to encourage over 15 children to take up instruments across brass, woodwind and string families that we defined as being ‘endangered species’. At this concert, we could witness the culmination of this work within the brass department; three trombonists, one French horn, one tuba and one trumpet player, all continuing to learn to play an instrument thanks to this scheme.

 

1st XI CRICKET SPONSOR SECURES VICTORY

 

20/06/11

 

The 1st XI Cricket squad have just secured a private sponsor for the next two seasons from Emerson and Willis Ltd. The name of the company - a construction firm - will be worn by all 1st XI cricketers on playing shirts and jumpers in their fixtures until 2012.  The team were delighted by the new kit and wore this for the first time against Caterham School, which inspired a win by four wickets. 1st XI Captain, Jonny Lewis-Oliver, said:"The cricket at Freemen's is run in a very professional way, and we now look as professional, the lads are delighted". The 1st XI will be soon entering 'Cricket Week' at Freemen's where they will play Tiffin, Sevenoaks, MCC, Old Freemen's XI, Kingston GS and Reed's before travelling to King's Bruton for their annual Cricket Festival.

 

DETECTIVES OF THE FUTURE WIN FIRST PRIZE

17/06/11

A team of year 8 pupils have won first prize in the Salters’ Challenge held at the Salters’ festival at Brighton University on Monday 6th June. The pupils competed against 22 other schools and had to solve a forensic science riddle involving a murder using chemistry. They were given a salt found on the murdered victim and had to compare it with white powders found on several victims using flame and precipitate tests. In order to win they had to work together well as a team, sharing out tasks and write a report at the end of it. Their teacher, Karen Standish, was very impressed with the way the four students - Lily Latimer Smith, Kate Irwin, Sam Ashbridge and Charlie English - worked cooperatively using not only the analysis results but also less obvious deductions to come up with the right answer.

Other activities of the day included making a universal indicator using dyes which had to be different colours in five solutions of different pH, plus a chemical show which was the highlight of the day – it involved lots of bangs and explosions, such as blowing up a two litre bottle of cola using carbon dioxide and floating a boat on a heavy invisible gas.

 

IAPS FENCING SUCCESS

16/06/11

 

On Saturday 11th June, 15 Junior School fencers participated in the IAPS Fencing Championships, held at Millfield Prep School. The team achieved five podium results with Zoe Lowrey winning the U14 Girls, and third places achieved by Stephanie Elstub and Alex Wilcox (joint third in U14 Girls), Sarah Spice (U11 Girls) and Luc Tran (U11 Boys). Zoe Lowrey won the U14 Girls final very convincingly 10-4 over Hannah Boyle, another England Schools U14 International, so a splendid result.

 

MONKEYING AROUND AT THE ZOO

10/06/11

In their Biology lessons, Upper 3 are currently studying ecology and learning about how animals adapt to their habitats. To support this and to encourage pupils to think about the conservation of endangered species, they were taken to Marwell Zoo near Winchester on Tuesday 7th June. Pupils were asked to pay particular attention to the design of the animals’ enclosures as their follow-up work was to pick their favourite animal from the zoo and then design and construct their own enclosure model.

The animals seemed shy at first but they warmed up as the day progressed and the highlight proved to be some very playful Cotton Top Tamarin monkeys. 

The pupils attended a lesson in the Education Centre where the focus was on why some species have become endangered, and they had the opportunity to explore the room and touch a Thorny Stick Insect and a Python.

After lunch the pupils continued exploring the zoo finishing with the very friendly penguins before a quick browse around the shop for a cuddly memento of their day. Mr Knowles, Head of Biology, said: "It was elephantastic!".

 

LEWIS IS QUITE HANDY AT MARTIAL ARTS

09/06/11

 

On Sunday 29th May, Lewis Blake in Year 4 went to Milton Keynes to compete in the British Chinese Martial Arts Association British National Championships. Lewis was placed second and won a silver medal in his category, 'Southern Hand Routines 9-11 years, Intermediate / Advanced'. Lewis did extremely well as this was a strong category with ten children contesting for medal positions.

 

 

YOUNGSTERS REWARDED FOR COMMITMENT TO ENTERPRISE

02/06/11

City of London Freemen's School has recently been presented with an award for a commitment to Young Enterprise. A special plaque, given to five schools in Surrey, was presented to Mr Parkin, the Freemen's Young Enterprise link teacher, at the Young Enterprise Surrey County Innovation Awards on  Friday 13th May by Jan Sharman who is in charge of special projects for Young Enterprise. 

The award was given for an outstanding commitment to the promotion of enterprise and entrepreneurial education for young people across their year groups and engagement in a wide variety of activities. We have developed an active partnership with Young Enterprise over a number of years and Young Enterprise highly values these partnerships and wants to do more to help showcase us as exemplars to other schools and to business.

Freemen's has continued to be highly committed to Young Enterprise as an opportunity for Year 10 students to experience a variety of activities involved in running a company and to overcome some real life problems which often include communication, team work and dealing with customers and suppliers. Those taking part experience a great deal of personal growth through the year and discover many things about themselves and working with others. 

 

GOODBYE CLASS OF 2011

01/06/11

On Friday 27th May, City of London Freemen's School said goodbye to the Upper 6 as they signed off for study leave with a day full of reminiscing, emotion, and plenty of laughter.

The day started with a breakfast in the Old Freemen's Clubhouse as pupils were officially welcomed into the Association. There followed a This is Your Life.... Class of 2011 presentation compiled by Mrs Brooks looking back at memories of their time at School and other current affairs of the time.

The Leavers' Service as always was very emotional as Leavers received their bibles. Fun was soon the order of the day as a concert in the Ferndale Theatre lifted spirits before the sun came out for the lunchtime BBQ.

As pupils drifted away to officially start their study leave, thoughts turned to the Leavers Ball as the dining hall was turned into a elegant setting fit for the occasion. A Champagne reception on the terrace was followed by a delightful three-course dinner provided by Aramark. Entertainment highlights were provided by a magician, a caricaturist, and Graham and Lizzie's Freemen's rap.

The official photographs from the day and evening will be available on results day in August.

 

MARATHON MAN IS COUNTY CHAMPION

01/06/11

 

At the Surrey Athletics Championships held on 14th and 15th May, Sam Eglen, of Upper 5, won the Under 16 3000m title. Sam led from start to finish, winning by more than seven seconds in a personal best of nine minutes 14.71 seconds.

Sam now looks forward to the Surrey Schools championships in June, with the regional and national championships later in the summer. He’ll also be looking to improve his best times at 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m.

Sam also recently ran for the City of London borough in the London Mini Marathon that was held on the last three miles of the London Marathon course on marathon day. The London Boroughs’ race is held in conjunction with the UK Regional championship featuring teams from the English regions and national teams from the other Home Countries.

Sam finished 28th in the UK Regional Race and fourth in the Borough race, only nine seconds behind second. As such he was fourth scorer for the London team that placed fourth out of the 12 regions, beating Scotland and Northern Ireland amongst others. His time for three miles was 15 minutes 29 seconds. This race was an Under 17 race, so Sam will be eligible for the same race next year. Mr Gibson, of the P.E. and Game Department, said: "We are delighted to hear about Sam's successes! His training schedule is very demanding but he has combined his studies in a very professional way. We look forward to hearing of more successes." 

 

HOPEFULLY PLAIN SAILING FOR FREEMEN'S PUPILS.....

31/05/11

Three Freemen's pupils are hoping for success this year as they look to build on their recent sailing successes.

Harriet Ward started sailing her own boat aged 7 at Papercourt in Ripley, Surrey. After a couple of years racing her Optimist she was chosen to join the GBR Team at the Irish National Championships. Last year she moved up to the Topper class, a bigger and more fun boat, and qualified for the RYA South East Zone Squad. After a hard winter of training at clubs around the South East region (including inside Dover Harbour next to the Ferries), the competitions resumed.

Having qualified in the top six in her Zone, Harriet was selected to attend the Zone Championships at the beginning of May. A mixture of wind conditions from light to very windy gave the young sailors a real challenge. Harriet finished third girl in the fleet of 67 boats.

A local series of race events being held this year started with Harriet taking first place at the opening event and fifth at the second, putting her in the lead, with seven events to go. Scoring in the top five in her age group at three recent National events, Harriet has again been chosen to represent GBR at the Topper Irish National championships in July. This year will see her travelling the length of Britain as she competes in the National Series events against the top sailors in the country.

Hugh Ward started his sailing inOptimists, becoming South East Area champion, aged 12. After a couple of years in the RYA Zone Squad he won a place in the RYA National squad, which is part of the Team GBR set-up that includes the Olympic team. 

Hugh has competed in several international events in Europe, including a major Event at Lake Garda that attracts 1000 competitors. He now sails the fast and exciting 29er class boat, which is a feeder class to the 49er Olympic class. This year his travelling will include North Wales, Torbay and a long trip to Germany for their Championship, then on to Switzerland for the Europeans, and finishing the year heading back to Lake Garda for a Eurocup event.

In addition, Paddy Jefferies has been entered into the Mirror dinghy national sailing championships that will be held in Restronguet, Falmouth, Cornwall in August. He will be helming his boat, Lady Killer with crew Ed Hansell as one of a team of 20 Mirrors from Itchenor Sailing Club. 

Paddy will be racing against fully sponsored adult teams in the same class of boat and probably a fleet of 70 plus boats. The Mirror dingy is one of the worlds most popular boats ever designed.

 

TOP MARX FOR THE BATCHELOR SOCIETY

25/05/11

 

The Batchelor Society met on Tuesday 24th May to hear Mrs Edwards speak on the life, ideas and legacy of Karl Marx. A huge turnout ensured a full classroom and the audience were treated to an excellent summary of Marx's influences and his key ideological convictions. Mrs Edwards was balanced in her opinions concerning the legacy of Marx with an emphasis on the ways in which the German-born writer should not simply be condemned owing to the failures of Communist governments in Eastern Europe. The students and staff who attended left with a much better appreciation of an important historical figure who today is too frequently disregarded.

 

A FIRST FOR FREEMEN'S EQUESTRIAN TEAM

25/05/11

On Saturday 14th May a Freemen's equestrian team including Kyra Vanstone, Katie Collis annd Laura Madon competed in the interschool’s competition run by Copthorne Prep School in Fellbridge, West Sussex.

The team had a long wait as the 80cm class consisted of 15 teams and a total of 57 individual riders. Our girls rode brilliantly and the team were clear going into the jump off. There was great excitement amongst the girls, horses and their grooms/parents but the girls held their nerve and with only a small stop from Laura the team finished on four faults. It was then a nerve wracking wait for the results and huge excitement when it was announced that Freemen's was the overall winning team. We were ecstatic and even more so when it was announced that Katie had come sixth individually, an excellent achievement in a very hotly contested competition.

Laura performed well as an individual in the 70cm class having two well executed clear rounds but not quite enough speed to get into the ribbons in a class of over 50 riders. 

Congratulations to the girls.

 

STAND IN SKIPPER LEADS FROM THE FRONT WITH CENTURY

 

24/05/11

The boys cricket teams produced some excellent performances against John Fisher at the weekend with every side except the 2nd XI winning their games. The 1st XI led the way with an impressive six wicket victory in their game. It had been a difficult week for them after top order batsman, key leg spinner and influential captain Jonathan Lewis-Oliver sustained a wrist injury against Caterham in a Twenty20 game. This meant that Fred Davies had to step in as skipper, yet it was at the crease where he had the greatest impact on the game. Opening the batting Fred completed his second century for the 1st XI (his previous one was 169 not out vs The XL Club) and carried his bat through the innings. Mr Jon Moore, Master i/c of cricket and 1st XI coach, said: "It's great to see Fred surpassing 100 again. This was a very encouraging team performance with both bat and ball and hopefully will act as a springboard for the rest of the season."

 

BIOLOGY TAKES HONOURS FROM GEOGRAPHY

24/05/11

The 8th annual football match between the Biology and Geography Upper 6 pupils and staff for the coveted Cox Rock trophy took place on Monday 23rd May. This competition was first played in a car park on the Chamonix mountainside in 2004 and the trophy has resided in the Geography department for the last two years.

However Biology won it back this year as goals from Will Simpson, Jamie Graham and Harriet Newhouse helped them to a 3-1 victory. Mr Knowles, Head of Biology, jubilantly but breathlessly exclaimed: "The Cox Rock is back where it belongs." Mr McCleave, Head of Geography, could not be reached for comment but was said to be "as sick as a parrot". Freemen's Geography legends Mr and Mrs Williams returned to Ashtead Park for the match but they were unable to influence the final result.

 

UNDER 17S RETAIN TITLE WHILST UNDER 15S MISS OUT IN NAIL BITING FINISH

23/05/11

The 2011 Central Surrey District Athletics Competition was held on Tuesday 17th May.  Following on from a clean sweep at last year’s event, where the girls won both the Junior and Intermediate titles, both teams were looking to retain their titles.

In the Under 15 event, there were excellent performances from Zoe Lyon, who came first in the Javelin, Emily Stewart, second in the Long Jump and High Jump, Amelia Reed, second in the 800m and Aila Diffey, who came second in the 200m and fourth in the Hurdles. 

Unfortunately the team lost out in the relay by under a second to Manor House, which meant we finished second and, for the first time in three years, returning without the shield.

However, in the Under 17s, the team not only retained their title, they are now the proud recipients of the Coleman trophy presented for the best relay team performance, finishing just one second off the Central Surrey record time. A special mention must go to those girls, Philippa Nicholls, Amy Owens, Freya Diffey and Rebecca Baker - a stunning team effort on the day.

Philippa Nicholls was the star performer of the day coming first in the 200m and in the Long Jump. Zoe Clarke finished second in the Hurdles and third in the Triple Jump, Ailsa Northwood finished third in the Hurdles, Amy Owens was fourth in both the 200m and the 300m, Rebecca Baker was fourth in the High Jump and fifth in the 100m, Mia Penfold finished fifth in the Long Jump, Nathalie Richards finished fifth in the 1500m. Kate Holmes finished second in the Discus, and Jess Thompson fifth in the Shot Putt.

From this event athletes are selected to represent Central Surrey. The following girls will be competing on 11th June: Under 15: Aila Diffey (200m), Amelia Reed (800m), Emily Stewart (High Jump), Katherine Curran (Discus), and Zoe Lyon (Javelin); Under 17: Amy Owens (200m), Zoe Clarke (80m Hurdles), Rebecca Baker (High Jump), Philippa Nicholls (Long Jump) and Kate Holmes (Discus). 

The boys also had a number of successes on the day. Notable performances in the under 17s came from the Tai Bucks (second in shot putt and fourth in long jump), Alex Tzortis and Michael Harvey (fourth and fifth respectively in steeplechase), Dom Catlow (fifth in 200m), Jack Flaminger (fifth in 1500m), George Florentine (fifth in javelin), Hugo Solway (fifth in discus), Alex Duke and George Earl (fourth and fifth respectively in 800m).

Top performers in the Under 15s were Antonio Rolandelli (second in discus), James Howard (fourth in javelin), and Tom Harmsworth of Upper 3 (fifth in 800m).

Sam Eglen (3000m), Tai Bucks (shot putt) and Antonio Rolandelli (discus) have all been selected for the County Championships.

GIRLS QUALIFY FOR NATIONAL FINALS

23/05/11

On Friday 13th May the Middle Junior girls’ swim team competed in the Surrey v Kent (Division XI) team relays at Sevenoaks. The girls had qualified for the medley relay by coming third at the Surrey team relay finals in March. This event included the top three schools in Surrey and Kent, all trying to gain a place in the National Finals. Out of the six schools competing, only the top two go through to the next stage.

It was a very close gala. Rowan School came first and we were second, ahead of St Catherine’s and three other Kent schools. This result put us in the top 16 schools in the country. Congratulations to Alicia Wilson, Anna Whitworth, Emily Elstub and Emily Way. The girls have trained hard for this final and took three seconds off their previous time at Guildford which means that they have qualified for the ESSA Primary Schools National Team Relay Finals which will be held in Sheffield on Saturday 18th June.

 

PUMPKINS PLANTED ALONGSIDE PRIZE DAY PILOT

20/05/11

 

Over the past few years the Junior School Gardening Club has focused on growing a mixed bag of vegetables. There has been success with potatoes, carrots, garlic, lettuce and shallots but until this year we have never tried flowers.

This year we are piloting a competition that encourages pupils to plant and maintain flower beds that should be in peak condition in time for Prize Day on 7th July. At the same time there is also a pumpkin growing competition, which should maintain interest in the beds all the way through until November.

The pumpkin patches and flower beds were designed and planted two weeks ago and since then large numbers of children have set about tending to the beds and watering the plants. Growth has been vigorous and many of the plants have already doubled in size. Jessica Hart, of Upper 2, said: "It’s great fun getting your hands all muddy."

 

TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS AT THE IAPS NATIONAL SWIMMING FINALS

18/05/11

On Saturday 14th May, 14 girls participated in the finals of the IAPS National Swimming Championships. Over 3600 swimmers from 210 schools from across the country competed in the 33 preliminary rounds, one of which was held at CLFS in January.

Team success was achieved by the under 13 team as Tabitha Read-Cayton, Amelia Reed, Fredrika Penniket-Dessent and Aila Diffey were crowned champions both in the medley relay (in a time of 1:01.66) and the freestyle relay (in a time of 55:99).

The under 11 medley relay team of Anna Whitworth, Abigail Bruce, Alicia Wilson and Emily Elstub finished 9th. In the freestyle relays the under 10 team of Olivia Wilson, Funmi Morgan, Kaiya Rai and Emily Way swam seven seconds quicker than their preliminary time and finished third.

In the individual events, of nine competitors, seven swimmers progressed to the finals and achieved five individual medals. Alicia Wilson won the under 11 butterfly in an amazing new IAPS record time of 14.80, Amelia Reed swam a time of 36:65 to win the under 13 breaststroke and Tabitha Read-Cayton won the under 13 backstroke in a time of 33:54.

In the under 10 breaststroke Emily Way swam brilliantly to come second in a very close race, whilst Fredrika Penniket-Dessent came third in the under 13 butterfly. Lydia Room was 4th in a very competitive under 12 butterfly event as was Aila Diffey who improved her time in the under 13 freestyle.

In the final results of the team competitions the under 13 team were team champions and in the overall school competition Freemen's were runners up behind Millfield Prep School.

Mrs Nicky Clark, in charge of swimming, said: "This is a brilliant set of results for the girls swimming team. They should all be very proud of their achievements. This was the last IAPS competition for the under 13 team who have had great success over the last four years and they finished with a great victory. Well done."

 

LOWER 3 GO BACK IN TIME AT MILESTONES MUSEUM

16/05/11

On Tuesday 10 May Lower 3 went to Milestones Museum in Basingstoke because we are studying Britain since 1930 in history.

Milestones is designed to look like the streets of a 1930s town. We were all handed an audio guide to find out about the different places. We started in the delicious sweet shop followed by the bike shop, and then the toy shop which showed how toys have changed over the years. We visited the gramophone shop which was very interesting to see all the old records and one of the first types of TV’s. We listened to a worker called Maggie from a factory who told us about the life she had in the factory where she made vehicles.

After lunch we went to the car show room and the camera shop. The car show room had two different old fashioned cars inside and outside there were two old petrol pumps. We then looked inside the same factory Maggie worked in. We watched a short film, went inside an Anderson shelter and then dressed up in period costumes from the 1930s and 1940s.

Overall I had a really fun day. My favourite venue was the sweet shop because they had some of my favourite sweets and ones I had never even heard of and I enjoyed the toy shop. It was a brilliant day and I would love to do it all over again.

Report by Daniella Dakin

 

UPPER 6 CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD COMPETITION

12/05/11

The Chemistry Department continues to encourage its students to enter this prestigious competition, organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and this year the results were outstanding. Out of a total of over 2000 entries nationwide only 182 gold awards were made, and two of our students were included in this number. They were Tom Sneller and Jason Ho. Trevor Cheung, Matthew English and Martyn Holloway-Neville achieved silver certificates and Marcus Leung and Mark Whitehouse received bronzes. Mrs Sarah Mitchell, Head of Chemistry, said: "It has been great fun to teach such bright and enthusiastic students and they have our hearty congratulations for doing so well."

 

UPPER 3 GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP TO NEWHAVEN

12/05/11

On Thursday 5th May all of Upper 3 pupils headed off, in drizzly rain, to the South Coast. True to form, as we drove over the South Downs, the weather changed for the better and eventually, by late morning the sun was shining. The pupils visited Newhaven first where they studied the beach and cliff formations and carried out a number of investigative experiments. After a refreshing ice lolly, we headed off to Rottingdean where we had lunch on the beach and enjoyed dodging the waves. Finally, we ended our day by looking at the coastal defences at Rottingdean and then headed back to school, tired from the sun, exercise and fresh sea air.

 

NATIONAL CHAMPION LEADS WAY FOR FREEMEN'S FENCERS

11/05/11

 

City of London Freemen's School is celebrating more national fencing success from the British Youth Championships over the weekend of 1st and 2nd May, held in Sheffield.

James Frewin (who only returned from Heidenheim, Germany on the Saturday evening, where he was fencing in his second mens senior World Cup event) is the national U18 boys epee champion, winning the quarter-final, semi-final, and final with very decisive scores 15-6, 15-7, and 15-6 respectively.

There were eight other Freemen's fencers representing the South East, and Ellie Irwin also achieved success, coming third in the U16 girls event, beating the favourite 15-14 in the quarter finals, a super achievement following on form her triumph at the Girls’ Junior Epee Public Schools Fencing Championships despite being a year younger than many of the other competitors.

 

Our other fencers were:

U16 girls: Katy Griffin 9th, Clara Hutter 13th, and Gemma Frewin 18th.

U14 girls: Zoe Lowrey 9th, and Stephanie Elstub 23rd.

U12 girls: Emily Elstub 13th.

 

RECORDS FALL AS HALE TASTE VICTORY IN THE SENIOR AND INTERMEDIATE HOUSE ATHLETICS

06/05/11

London 2012 may be 14 months away but at Freemen’s our preparations are well under way following a most enjoyable Senior and Intermediate House Athletics on Wednesday 4th May. The excellent weather laid the foundation for some very competitive track and field events.

Sam Eglen (Gresham) got the afternoon off to a wonderful start breaking the Senior Boys 1500 metres record by an amazing ten seconds. In the penultimate event of the day, another record was broken by the Senior Girls 4X100m Whittington relay team who shaved a tenth of a second off the old record.

Individually, the Intermediate Victrix Ludorum was won by Philippa Nicholls, the Intermediate Victor Ludorum was won by Tai Bucks, the Senior Victrix Ludorum was won by Katelyn Aitchison, and the Senior Victor Ludorum was won by Will Straughan.

The overall winners of the Victory Cup were Hale, with Gresham in second and Whittington in third.

Mr Knowles, Head of Hale, said: "I was delighted by the final result as it has given us some much needed Cock House Shield points. There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the whole afternoon, largely thanks to the enthusiastic supporters and it was great to see so many athletes competing for their house."

 

INTEGRITY AT WORK DURING BUSINESS STUDIES AND ECONOMICS TALK

06/05/11

After school on Wednesday 4th May, Mr Simon Culhane, CEO of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments, ran an interactive workshop looking at Integrity at Work, with a particular focus on the finance industry. It was attended by over 60 students who are either currently studying or planning to study Business Studies or Economics.

Mr Culhane started by pointing out the position of London at the top of the international league table of ‘good places to do business’. He explained the credit crunch and banking crisis that led to the recent recession, and the effect that this had on the image of the banking and finance industry.

The students were given a series of ethical dilemmas to consider regarding corporate hospitality offered by a client. Each time they were given electronic voting pads which recorded the proportion voting for each option. The scenario would then change, increasing the value of the gift and it was interesting how opinions changed. Mr Culhane led the students in a discussion about why they felt differently in each of these cases, and the stage at which corporate hospitality might become a bribe.

Two further business dilemmas followed. Both were based on real cases in which resulted in fairly drastic action being taken to protect the integrity of the business. Such responses also help to protect the internal culture of the organisations, so that the employees could also see and respond to the open convergence towards what Mr Culhane summarised as ‘HOT-F’ – Honesty, Openness, Transparency and Fairness – as the basis of the way in which they conduct their business. What could be more appropriate, for a City of London school, than to end with the motto of the London Stock Exchange: my word is my bond.

 

PETER'S PLAYER OF TOUR AS BARBARIANS VISIT ZIMBABWE

06/05/11

Over the Easter holidays, Upper 6 student Peter Hyams travelled on the Independent Schools’ Barbarians 2011 tour to Zimbabwe. After being involved in all three games played during the season in the UK, Peter continued by participating heavily on a tour which included wins against the national schools side and Zimbabwe U19s during their preparations for the upcoming youth world cup in Italy. The tour was a success on the pitch with three wins from their four games with the only defeat coming in their first match. Off the pitch, the squad received a warm welcome everywhere they went in a fascinating and beautiful country.

The national Independent Schools side were the first side to tour Zimbabwe from the UK since 1998 but had nothing but praise for their hosts upon return. As part of the tour, the English side participated in charity work in a Harare township and took a coaching session before distributing kit they had brought with them for the participating kids. Upon return to the UK, Peter was also awarded the 'Head Coach’s Player' award for his contribution on tour, a fantastic conclusion to a very impressive season for Senior rugby at the school. Mr Bill Deighton, Head of Boys' P.E. at Freemen's, said: "I am delighted for Peter, he has been a very loyal and committed young Freemen, and has been a credit to the school and his family. I look forward to watching Peter's rugby career develop, and wish him all the best for the future."

 

A SMALL STEP OR A GIANT LEAP FOR FREEMEN'S MOONWALKERS?

05/05/11

For the third year, staff of City of London Freemen's School are taking part in the London Moonwalk to raise money for breast cancer charities. Some staff walking this year have done it before, so know what they are taking on by walking 26.2 miles through the streets of London overnight, dressed in rather less than they would normally wear.

Others are walking for the first time, and another first for this year is for the group to be joined by a brave male Freemen's Moonwalker, Mr Geoff Coates.

You can sponsor either one of the walkers, or the whole team at www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/freemens_moonwalkers. All of the team have been training for weeks, to take on the challenge of raising as much as they can for this important cause. Any support would be gratefully received to inspire us through the night on Saturday 14th May.

 

BONJOUR A NOUVEAU!

03/05/11

 

Just before the Easter holidays, 22 pupils went to Lyon to stay with their French partners. They arrived on Wednesday 6th April and were immediately welcomed by their partners and dispatched in their families. On the Thursday, the pupils visited the old town and learnt about its history. They then spent the afternoon cooking a lovely 'gouter' that they enjoyed afterwards. On the Friday, after two hour of lessons, the pupils went to the Fourviere Basilica where they enjoyed stunning views. The roman ruins was a good spot to relax and enjoy the weather.

 

The weekend was spent with the families and some of the pupils met with their partners for dinner. Many played a laser game on the Saturday whilst others shopped. On the Monday they all went to Annecy for a boat cruise on the lake and a visit to the old town, before meeting very early on Tuesday 12th April.

Miss Justine Desouches, Head of French, said: "Undoubtedly helped by the stunning weather, this was a very successful first exchange and certainly a memorable experience for the pupils."

 

 

SPORTY SPICE'S FENCING SUCCESS 

28/04/11

 

On Saturday 16th April the school held an Elite Epee fencing final on Saturday 16th April (sponsored by Ashtead Interiors). After three qualifying rounds of large competitions (all held at Freemen's) the Finals day had just the top eight fencers in each age group.

 

Sarah Spice won the U11 Girls event winning the final 10-6 - a wonderful result and her best performance so far whilst Emily Elstub came third.

 

In the U13 Girls Stephanie Elstub came second and in the U16 Girls, Clara Hutter came third and Katy Griffin came sixth. In the U11 boys, Arthur Baltay came fifth.

 

Mr Bryan Lewis, Master i/c of Fencing, said: "Well done to all our fencers. I was delighted that six qualifiers from such hotly contested preliminary events. A big thank you to all our parents for their wonderful support on the day."

 

ALEX RICKHAM RETURNS TO GIVE SIXTH FORM ENRICHMENT TALK

28/04/11

On Thursday 7th April we were delighted to welcome back to Freemen’s, former pupil, Alex Rickham (class of 2000). Alex is now a Paralympic sailor, and she came to give a talk to the sixth form about being an elite sports woman.

After leaving Freemen’s, Alex studied Natural Sciences at the University of Bath, followed by a Masters in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London, where she was encouraged to take up sailing competitively. She spoke about what it takes to compete internationally, what training is involved, and how much of her time is spent fundraising (as sailing is considered a minor sport) as well as getting ready for races.

Alex, along with Niki Birrell, is a member of Team GBR's Performance Squad, and they have quickly become the dominant force in British Skud-18 sailing, and are the reigning Double World Champions, (and 2009 winners) and the 2010 World Cup Series Champions. Having represented Team GBR at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, they are hoping to compete at the 2012 London Paralympics.

The pupils were clearly very impressed by her presentation.  Mrs Elizabeth Newhouse, Head of Sixth Form Enrichment, said: "Alex gave a very inspirational talk encouraging the students to make the most of their opportunities in life."

After her talk Alex stayed for lunch and, watched the First XI girls – inspired by her presence – comfortably beat the First XV boys in the end of term hockey match.

 

JUNIOR SCHOOL'S GOT TALENT

12/04/11

Last week the school was highly entertained by a very large number of Junior School pupils in their annual talent shows.

The evening of Tuesday 5th April saw members of Form 1, Lower 2, Upper 2 and Lower 3 take to the stage and demonstrate their considerable talents in the fields of singing, dancing and acting. All the children performed superbly on the big stage.

Then on the evening of Thursday 7th April it was the turn of pupils in Lower 3, Upper 3 and Lower 4 and, once again, they provided an excellent evening of very varied entertainment. The evening started with a band playing a Blur song and culminated with a group of Lower 4 pupils enacting a spoof entitled “Snow Closure”. The panel of judges - Ms Krawec, Mrs Gillespie and Mr Rutherford - deliberated long and hard before choosing their eventual winners who were:

Highly Commended Awards: Favourite Things (Anna Whitworth, Alicia Wilson); Goldie Pinklesweet (Abi Jordan, Emily Nice, Victoria Earl); How To Be An Eskimo (James Stanley, Matthew Stanley, Alex Lane, Toby Collett, Luke Butcher); Speechless by Lady Gaga (Charlie Jowitt); Mind Reading (David Lingard, Alex Lane, Tom Clark); Yellow by Coldplay (Sam Wilson)

Solo Performer: Marie O’Donovan performing Pack Up

Group Music: Maia Diffey, Bethan Moncur, Emma Whiteley, and Rachel Simpson as The Elvis Girls

Group Drama: Ed England, James Boardman, Josh Gamber, Olli Meek in Teenagers

Group Drama: Lily Latimer Smith, Olly Orchard, Christian Mays, Charlie English, Zoe Lowrey, Kate Irwin, Maddy Goel, Jessi Hampden, Aila Diffey, Louis Swindell, Toby Ishmael, Olly Meek in Snow Closure

Mr Beach, Head of Junior School, said: "These two great evenings showcased so much of the talent within the Junior School. Thank you to all who participated in both shows, and also to the comperes, back stage, lighting and sound crews, you all provided a wonderful evenings’ entertainment."

 

1ST XV RUGBY TEAM V 1ST XI HOCKEY TEAM

11/04/11

This year’s 1st XI Hockey Team only lost two matches all season. However this did not deter the 1st XV Rugby Team from confidently proposing an end of season hockey match. Having already beaten the girls at netball, the boys were keen to show their superiority by dominating the girls on the hockey field as well.

The match took place at lunch on Thursday 7th April – the penultimate day of the term. After both teams had warmed up and the stands had filled with supporters the whistle blew and the game began. For a few moments it was unclear which way the match was going to go however within two minutes the girls scored their first goal, and four minutes later they scored their second. At the end of the 30 minute match the score was 6-0 to the girls. Although the girls dominated most of the play the boys, who had never played before, did put up a good fight.

The whole event was thoroughly enjoyable, both for those supporting and those playing. Congratulations to the 1st XI Hockey Team for their impressive win and thanks go to Martin Durban and Libby Graham for umpiring. 

 

OLYMPIAN VISITS FREEMEN'S

 

06/04/11

 

On Monday 4th April, Suki Brownsdon, Olympic swimmer, visited Freemen's to deliver a masterclass on the Olympics. The discussion and presentation gave the pupils an insight into what happens at such an event, the preparation in order to reach an Olympic Final and also how this can effect pupils' current perofrmance. Suki has been to four Olympic Finals (between 1980 and 1992) and also won numerous medals at Commonwealth Games in Swimming and now works with future elite level performers in Australia. 

 

Current academic PE students attended the presentation along with other 'gifted and talented' sporting students some of whom may well be aspiring to attend the Games themselves in future years as well as taking Physical Education at AS/A2 Level. James Frewin, current Senior Men's GB Fencer and Freemen's pupil, said: "This was a great occasion for pupils and especially me as i managed to quiz Suki on her mental preparation for such an elite level competition." 

 

GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE MEDAL HAUL FOR FREEMEN'S SWIMMER

06/04/11

The annual Surrey Age Group Championships took place over several weekends in February and March 2011. At the Spectrum events, Mark Tuddenham in Year 9 swam personal bests to achieve Bronze medals in 100m fly and 200m Freestyle. In the sprint events, held at Crystal Palace, Mark won the 13 year olds 50m Butterfly in a personal best time of 30.04 - only 33 hundredths of a second separating the first three places. In the afternoon Mark started with the 50m Freestyle and for the second time he took the gold medal, in a personal best of 28.01. In the last event of the day, the Backstroke, Mark swam a fast Final and achieved another personal best and a silver medal. Marks great swims over the whole Surrey Age Group Championship meant his combined BAGCAT points placed him fourth overall in Surrey in the 13 year olds boys.

 

WE SAY BONJOUR TO OUR FRENCH EXCHANGE VISITORS

 

05/04/11

 

On Wednesday 23rd March, the school welcomed the French exchange pupils who arrived from Lyon. Everyone was very excited to meet each other. After the first evening with their partners, the French pupils spent a morning in school when they observed lessons and often joined in. On the Friday, they spent the day in London where their many activities during the day included a flight on the London Eye. Over the weekend, the pupils took part in activities organised by their hosts including dinner at a pizzeria, shopping, and a day out in Brighton . After another day in London, this time with an artistic emphasis visiting the Orozco exhibition at the Tate Modern and the Globe theatre, they enjoyed an "au revoir full English breakfast" on Tuesday 29th March with a photo booth set up to take souvenir photos. Miss Justine Desouches, acting Head of French, said: "The French pupils thoroughly enjoyed their partners' company. They were also very impressed by our school. There were many hugs and even some tears on the Tuesday morning but we are all looking forward to our trip over to Lyon."

 

RECORD NUMBER OF AWARDS IN PHYSICS CHALLENGES

05/04/11

The Institute of Physics runs three competitions each year to stretch the minds of Britain’s sharpest physics students at GCSE, AS and A2 Levels. Students have to think laterally and apply their knowledge to totally new situations. In all three competitions, Freemen’s gained record numbers of awards.

In the British Physics Olympiad, students worked out the energy absorbed by the atmosphere as a satellite returned to Earth, along with the age of an old wooden boat using carbon-dating. Matthew Hood and Marcus Leung achieved a Bronze Class 2 award, whilst Nichol Tsang and Phoebe Tsang received Bronze Class 1. Matthew English, Tom Sneller and Jason Ho achieved Silver awards, which is a real achievement on this notoriously difficult paper. This places Matthew, Tom and Jason in the top 300 out of all 1700 who sat the paper.

The AS Physics Competition required students to analyse an 1849 experiment to determine the speed of light using a rotating cog and to calculate the change in frequency of a photon as it moves downwards in the Earth’s gravitational filed. All who sat this paper gained an award. Bronze was awarded to Charlie Buck, Kelly Chong, Sang-Min Lee, Joshua Meeking, Henry Sawczyc, Robbie Smart and Darcy Taranto. Silver awards went to Jethro Au-Yeung, Sharon Chak, Josh French, Jasper Hui, Jay Lau, Wilson Lee, Mikhail Semenov, Luke Shakerchi, Vincent Tsang, Teena Tse, Adrian Wai and Tracy Wu. The highest mark was awarded to Edward Walton, who has gained an impressive Gold award along with a book prize from the Institute of Physics.

In the GCSE Physics Challenge, pupils had to apply Archimedes’ Principle to a tethered buoyancy float and calculate the minimum volume of hot water required to melt one litre of snow. Bronze awards were won by Nicola Abbott, Lucy Archer-Lock, Charlotte Bader, Hannah Bennett, Louise Bluck, Andrew Brinkworth, Gabrielle Cox, Oscar Coyle, Alexander Culhane, Marcus Dawes, Sarah Du Plessis, Laura Else, William English, Jessica Filby, Callum Gathercole, Lauren Gordon, Matthew Hall, Thomas Heasman, Philip MacDonald, Nicholas Mays, Branduff McAllister, Rachel Mengham, Lawrence Message, Lauren Rofe, Katie Rutherford, Samuel Scott, Charlotte Sudell, Katherine Walkling, Oliver West and Emily Wilkes. The highest marks were awarded to Filip Obel and Steven Pilley, who each receive a Silver award for their efforts.

Mr James Hallam, Head of Physics, said: "The Physics Department is extremely pleased with these results and would like to thank the pupils for doing so well in these competitions."

 

FREEMEN'S BOYS HIT THE SMALL SCREEN

30/03/11

If you have ever dreamt of being on TV or of going to Disneyworld, you may well be jealous of Victor and Simon Fohn who have recently starred in the national television advert for UK Disney.

Mrs Fohn entered a competition where the prize was a weekend to Disneyworld in Paris. The only requirement was that it was kept as a surprise for the children as Disney wanted to capture on film their emotions when they were told they were going to Disney Paris. After being selected, and being given a video camera to capture the moment, Mr and Mrs Fohn were told they had in fact won a whole week to Disneyworld, Florida!

As the boys arrived home after school (blindfolded and expecting 'a surprise'), Mr Fohn was filming, and Victor and Simon were given objects to guess the surprise - some Mickey Mouse ears and a princess wand, before they removed their blindfold and Mrs Fohn told them "We are going to Disneyworld!" which is the moment captured in the advert (with the boys still wearing their uniform and Freemen's sports kit!). Watch the full advert and look out for Victor and Simon after six seconds.

Mrs Fohn said: "Victor and Simon were very very lucky. The whole experience was a lot of fun, and they loved it. The best is to come, when we'll go to Orlando at Easter."

 

YEAR 8 GIRLS SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND NATIONAL BIATHLON TITLE

29/03/11

The National Finals of the Pentathlon GB Schools Modern Biathlon Championships took place on Sunday 27th March at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. 12 Freemen's pupils qualified for this event following a series of qualifying competitions.

In the Year 5 boys competition Fred Geen finished 25th in the swim, 24th in the run and 26th overall. In the Year 5 girls competition Emily Way finished 16th in the swim and 48th in the run, therefore 36th.

In the Year 6 girls competition our team of Alicia Wilson, Anna Whitworth and Emily Elstub finished fifth in the team event and Alicia was placed fifth in the individual competition. James Lawrence competed in the Year 7 boys competition and was 20th in the swim and 42nd in the run which meant he was 38th overall.

In the Year 8 girls competition the team of Amelia Reed, Tabitha Read-Cayton and Aila Diffey (pictured above) performed very well and were crowned National team champions! Individually they finished 7th, 21st and 31st respectively. Along with Alicia Wilson (pictured right), they have been invited to take part in the British Biathlon Championships in Birmingham in May.

Unfortunately the Year 9 girls team were unable to compete due to illness and injury but are looking forward to next year.

Mrs Nicky Clark, i/c of Biathlon, said: "Congratulations to everyone who competed. The standard of the competition was extremely high and this event is becoming increasingly popular with more entries than ever. It is a great achievement for the Year 8 girls to retain their national team title from last year. Well done."

 

FURTHER FENCING SUCCESS AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS

29/03/11

 

On 22nd - 24th March 17 of the school's best fencers competed at the Public Schools Championships held at Crystal Palace (unfortunately four of our team were unavailable) with, in total, over 1500 entries from 68 schools.

 

Four of our fencers made it to the last eight of their respective events (each of these was a great achievement in a tournament of this size):

In the U16 girls epee Ellie Irwin came first not losing a fight all day, in two rounds of pools and then four 15 hit direct elimination bouts, winning the final 15-13; a fantastic achievement. Clara Hutter, who suffered an injured hamstring, went out 13-15 in a tight quarter final bout, and finished 6th.

In the U18 boys epee - a very large event of 152 competitors - James Frewin beat all his expected main rivals after a number of close and exciting bouts, but he finally lost to a boy from Harrow School 14-15 in a gripping final, thus finishing second.

 

In the U14 girls epee, Stephanie Elstub, came 6th, winning all of her fights in two rounds of pools and two good DE victories before falling in the quarter-finals. 

 

Mr Bryan Lewis, master i/c of Fencing, said: "Well done to all of our fencers for their efforts and for the support that they and a good group of parents gave to our fencers who made the latter stages. It is very pleasing that our fencers continue to make a substantial impact on fencing at a national level."

 

BRINGING THE HOUSE DOWN AT THE END OF RAG WEEK!

28/03/11

RAG week 2011 came to an exciting end on Friday 25th March as all of the pupils in the school, and a good number of staff, dressed in house colours. However, this wasn't simply a case of wearing just anything Gresham green, Hale red or Whittington blue, oh no! The costumes were as creative as the rest of the week had been. We saw packets of crisps, cowgirls, face paints and hair dyes, Roman soldiers, packets of sweets, the incredible hulk and even Angry Birds!

At lunch time, the quad was turned into a house street market, with sweets, cakes, and biscuits to be bought and games to be played. There was hook-a-duck, knock down cans, splat-a-rat, chocolate roulette, and sweet pong. The houses were competing to see who could raise the most money at the fair.

The whole week has been a great success and the students and staff have taken part with gusto. Ms Louisa Burningham, Deputy Head of Sixth Form, said: "The Sixth Form Charities Committee have this year been brilliantly led by Anna Sparks, Chloe Ashe and Peter Hyams as Co-Chairs. They worked tirelessly in the weeks leading up to Rag Week and, quite frankly, flat out during this week, laying on a fantastic schedule of fun activities bringing together the Juniors, Upper School and Sixth Form, the highlights of which were definitely the Rag 'n' Roll concert and the House Fair. So many members of the Sixth Form gave up their time to cheerfully - and selflessly - help, morning, noon and night throughout this week. Huge thanks and congratulations on completing the week in your inimitable style Sixth Form! Now we await the final sum raised....." 

 

 

CELEBRATING THE BEST OF HOUSE MUSIC

28/03/11

The House Gala Concert on Tuesday 22nd March was one of the musical highlights of the year, showcasing the talent in both the Junior and Senior School, and was played to a packed audience of parents, teachers and pupils.

The concert featured the cup winners of the two House Music Competitions, which occurred the previous week, and provided an eclectic mix of music.

First was the Whittington House Choir, conducted by Lucy Cole, with Elise Wilkinson as the soloist in Bob Dylan’s haunting Make You Feel My Love. Then followed the Gresham House Orchestra with The Flying Theme from E.T. by John Williams. Peter Lam not only single-handedly arranged the piece, but conducted it in impressive style.

There were many interesting and polished solo performances – Oliver Baylis took us to South America with Carnival in Rio – a piano piece by Gillock; James Ellis flew us to Italy with Tchaikovsky’s Chanson Napolitaine for trumpet; Emma Dunford brought us to the heart of London Town when she sang Oh, wouldn’t it be luvverly! from My Fair Lady; whilst Stephanie Elstub rendered the whole audience silently breathless, when she played a most entrancingly lyrical Japanese harp solo, Koto in the Temple by Susann McDonald.

Solo virtuoso playing of an extremely high standard followed by members of the Junior School: Joshua Neil-Boss (Violin), Tor Walberg (Clarinet), Olivia Yang (Piano), Yoo-Eun An (Piano), and of the Senior School: Lucy Cole (Piano) and Ellen Timothy (Violin).

There was something to delight all musical tastes including Classical Duets: Gounod’s Ave Maria Meditation from Yoo-Eun An (Violin) and Stephanie Elstub (Harp) and J S Bach’s Concerto for Double Violin by Ellen Timothy and Peter Lam.

If one’s preference was more up-beat then Hale Jazz Group brought a smile to everyone’s face with Henry Mancini’s The Pink Panther which included some fiendish improvisations from Danny Sperrin on saxophone, ably accompanied by Darcy Taranto on drum kit, and Becky Baker on piano.

Whittington House Bands interpretation of She Said by Plan B was absolutely brilliant, with Elise Wilkinson on vocals, and a very well balanced backing group. It was fitting that the winner of the Harris Cup for Best Senior Musician, Ellen Timothy, should bring the concert to a close, which she did in fiery yet elegant style, playing the first movement of Schumann’s Violin Sonata, to end a stunning concert of diversity, fun and musical showmanship.

 

ST CHRISTOPHER'S MUSIC FESTIVAL

28/03/11

On Thursday 17th March, 17 pupils squashed into two mini buses together with their instruments which included five cellos, 11 violins and a viola and driven to St Martin’s Church in Epsom for the inaugural St Christopher’s School Music Festival.

The church was full of family, friends and local residents. Before the concert, the choirs from all the schools practised as they hadn’t sung together before. Then with Mrs Wallace conducting and Mrs Gillespie accompanying on the piano, we practised Hedwig’s theme tune from Harry Potter and Money, Money, Money!

The Mayor of Epsom and Ewell welcomed everyone and then the concert began. Everything went smoothly and there were lots of different songs in many languages. The choirs sang two songs each and then everyone sang two together which were Can You Hear Me (we knew this from the O2 and so joined in with the actions) and I’m a Small Part of the World.

After the concert we all went to St Christopher’s School for lunch and watched the Mayor open their new trim trail, which is a bit like our adventure playground.

"Thank you to all the staff that made this day possible and I really enjoyed the day and hope we can do it again next year."

Report written by Nathalie Burt

 

JUNIOR GIRLS CLEAN SWEEP AT GREENACRE CROSS COUNTRY

25/03/11

18 girls from Years 4, 5 and 6 represented Freemen's at the Greenacre Cross Country meeting on Thursday 17th March and they swept the board winning both the A and B team competitions in all three age groups. This was the second year of the event and the competition from the other schools was definitely stronger this year. However the depth of talent we have amongst our junior athletes ensured that we managed to retain our titles from last year. Although this was primarily a team event particularly notable individual performances came from Alicia Wilson who won the U11 race with Anna Whitworth a close runner up, Funmi Morgan who was second in the U10 race and Sophia Wilson who was also second in the U9 race. The squad were also pleased to be wearing new kit funded by the FSA.

 

WAS THE LION KING OR IS THAT JUST A TOY STORY?

25/03/11

The school was very animated on Thursday 24th March as sixth form students, and staff, came to school dressed as Disney characters. We saw a variety of Lions roaring, mice squeaking, dwarves sneaking, toys telling stories, and avatars being blue!

At break time, the queues again stretched all around the school as pupils waited to buy hot chocolate and marshmallows. Lunch time saw a range of activities as pupils belted out their favourites toons in the Disney Karaoke, and Juniors took to the pool for a Fun Swim.

The highlight of the lunch time activities though was undoubtedly the Staff vs Students football match. As the game kicked off it soon become apparent the pupils had the edge fitness wise as they sliced through the staff defence like a hot knife through butter. However, as the game wore on, and the sun beat down, the pace of the game slowed and the slick passing of the staff team came to the fore. Roared on by a partisan crowd, the staff team eventually came out winners 2-1 with both staff goals scored by self awarded man-of-the-match Mr Gibson (incidentally the students' goal coming when star centre half Mr Holland was off the pitch). Mr Flook, manager of the staff team, said: "This result shows there's no substitute for experience. I thank all the players, staff and students for a finely contested game, controlled superbly by Mr Dave Collier. I need a sit down and a rest now!".

 

ONLY HEROES AT THE TEACHER TALENT SHOW.....

24/03/11

Wednesday 23rd March was the mid point of RAG Week 2011 as the Junior School was transformed into a battle between good and evil as a variety of heroes and villains stormed into the foyer and classrooms. On the side of evil, plotting to take over the Junior School were baddies including Darth Vader, a Dalek and the Joker. Whilst hoping to maintain peace in the school were heroes including Superman, Bananaman and Catwoman.

Fortunately at break time, peace did break out as the cake sale brought harmony to the masses. This was followed at lunch time, by what can only be described as an awesome array of teacher talent, as Mr Wright and Miss Vinall span the audience into a frenzy, Mr Hallam dazzled the crowd with his magical prowess, and Mr Knowles and Mr McCleave had everyone clapping, tapping, and certainly not napping as they rocked the house.

However, the best was certainly saved until last as the SMT brought the house down with their rendition of Help! by The Beatles. The atmosphere in the Assembly Hall felt like Hamburg 1962, as Mr Close on guitar, Mr Alton on bass, Mrs Buckman on keyboards, Mr Beach on Drums, and Mrs (special) Guest on Cymbals showed their was no substitute for experience. Mrs Guest said: "I didn't realise we were singing a song, I was genuinely asking for help!". In years to come, Ashtead Park 2011 will be recognised alongside Woodstock 1969, Lesser Free Trade Hall, Manchester 1976, and Spike Island 1989 as one of the most important gigs of all time!

 

FREEMEN'S TURNS INTO THE WILD WEST.....

23/03/11

On Tuesday 22nd March, Freemen's continued its gallop through RAG Week as the Upper School gave a (smoke) signal to the rest of the School of how seriously it was taking the charity fundraising with a Cowboys and Indians mufti theme. Although (toy) guns were drawn and tomahawks were at the ready, the breaktime battle of the quad ice lollies passed without incident and peace was brokered in time for the lunch time sing-a-long around the 'roaring fire' - a steaming cup of tea!

Sheriff Dan Sareen said: "Yeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaaar" as he rode off into the distance on his trusty steed.

 

TO DURHAM TO DEBATE

23/03/11 

On the weekend of 19th and 20th March 2011, our debating A and B teams took part in the Durham Schools' Debating Competition. The A team of Margaret Young and Catherine Sadler, and the B team of Zoe Rawson and Moya Smith had a fantastic weekend in this beautiful university city. They represented the School very well and had a lot of fun debating the following challenging motions:

THW hold football clubs responsible for the behaviour of their fans (A team placed second and B team placed fourth)

THW change the Gender Reform Act to enable all individuals to self-certify their gender (A team placed fourth and B team placed fourth)

THW fund revolutionary groups (A team placed second and B team placed second)

THW pay drug addicts to be sterilized (A team placed second and B team placed fourth)

THW abolish the 50/50 Catholic/Protestant quota in the Northern Ireland police service (this was a closed adjudication, the tab will follow).

 

WHEN I GROW UP.....

22/03/11

RAG (Raising and Giving) Week at Freemen's started spectacularly on Monday 21st March. The Sixth Form kicked off the annual event of week long activities with a mufti theme of When I Grow Up. There was an array of fighter pilots, doctors, farmers, footballers wives, police officers and superheroes - there was even a sumo wrestler.

At break time, the queue stretching from the Haywood Centre to beyond the Junior School could mean only one thing, a sweet sale! The Assembly Hall was the setting at lunch time for the inaugural Freemen's Strictly Come Dancing. Competing for the trophy were Mrs Samson and Mr Metcalfe, Mr and Mrs Retzlaff, Mr Brook and Mrs Wilby, and The Top 4. In a closely fought battle, the judges were split, so the audience had the casting vote and unanimously chose The Top 4 as the winners. A jubilant Lizzie Sherwin said: "Hopefully we taught our teachers a thing or two about dancing" before waltzing off with the trophy.

The day was an excellent start to RAG Week so watch this space for daily updates!

 

SSSSSSH! WE'RE HAVING A SPONSORED BOOK READ

 

21/03/11

A big thank you to all the Junior School pupils who took part in the Sponsored Read during the week of 14th - 18th March in aid of our school charity Wheels for the World. An amazing £6,613.88 was raised of which £5,785 was gift aided meaning that the charity are able to claim an extra 25% on top of that amount. The representative from the charity was deeply moved by the children’s effort and achievement.

 

GREAT TRIP TO LEARN ABOUT GREAT WAR

21/03/11

The Upper 4 went to the National Army Museum in Chelsea to investigate aspects of the First World War on Wednesday 16th March. The day began with an introduction to all aspects of the fighting illustrated with some of the Museum's vast collection of photographs from the era. The pupils then broke down into House groups and were involved in three separate activities. These included a look at the Museum's standing exhibits concerning World War I and a handling session where students could see, touch and even try on pieces of equipment such as rifles and uniform from the conflict. The highlight of the visit was an interview with a member of the museum staff taking on the role of a First World War Soldier and fielding questions from the pupils on all aspects of the fighting. Mr Wright, Head of History, Politics and Sociology, said: "The trip will have given the Upper 4 a much better understanding of life as a soldier and the fighting in the Great War. We are grateful to the excellent staff of the National Army museum for hosting us for such a superb day."

 

 

BOYS NOT BOARD OF BASKETBALL

 

18/03/11

 

The boys boarding house took to the basketball court again on Tuesday 15th March as they travelled to Reed's. 12 boys represented the school, and were looking to build on their performance at the Epsom College Tournament on Sunday 13th March where they had beaten Reed's, before losing to Wilsons and Epsom. Unfortunately the boys were unable to achieve the double over Reed's as they lost 62-37. Mr Andrew Bird, coach and boarding house assistant, said: "After a lot of work during recreational time in the Boarding house it's great to see the boys in a competitive environment."

 

SKI SUNDAY (AND SATURDAY)

18/03/11

 

The Freemen's ski team enjoyed success over the weekend of 12th and 13th March at the Inter Schools Ski Championship in Les Houches. The team, consisting of Isabelle Pickett, Jack Simpson, Sasha Bruce and Abigail Bruce, competed over two days of racing in challenging conditions and the final result was 10th place, an improvement on last year and a top 10 place for the first time.

All the team performed well, and special mention should be made of Isabelle Pickett who was competing in her first ever ski race. Not only did she finish the races but scored excellent points (the British ski ranking system) for a first timer. Jack Simpson, in his first year of racing, finished 11th and improved his points score.

Abigail had an outstanding weekend, following on from recent podium success in both France and Italy, recording a 3rd place in the first days racing (with the second fastest time of the day) and then on day two, finishing second. Abigail remains second in the UK for her age group. Sasha had a great weekend, improving her points score and maintained her position of 6th in her year group.

 

 

ROKEBY SUCCESS ENDS 17 YEARS OF HEARTACHE

17/03/11

On Tuesday 15th March the Under 11s Sevens Squad won the Rokeby 7s tournament, something they last achieved in 1994. The squad, playing in their second 7s competition of the season, played some very attractive running rugby in their group games without conceding a try.

Having qualified top of Pool B, Freemen’s then played King’s House School in the semi-final. Freemen’s found themselves trailing for the first time in the afternoon but maintained their composure, and despite conceding their only tries of the tournament, the team absorbed the pressure and eventually outscored King’s three tries to two.

Having won the tournament four times in the last five years, Shrewsbury House were always going to be the trickiest team to overcome. The game got off to the best possible start for Freemen’s as they crossed the Shrewsbury line within the opening minutes. The match was a ding dong battle with both teams mounting numerous attacks, but neither being able to make the crucial break. It was joy for Freemen’s as the final whistle sounded and they had won the title after 17 years of waiting.

Mr Valkenburg, coach, said: "In the pool matches we looked very organised in attack but never under pressure defensively. All afternoon, the players were very disciplined to not only concede just two tries, but to keep calm heads when they found themselves behind in the semi-final. Well done boys, all the best for the remainder of your 7s season."

 

BLACKPOOL ROCKS FOR HOCKEY SQUAD

17/03/11

The U12 Hockey squad maintained their highly successful season whilst away on their annual tour of Blackpool over the weekend of 11th-13th March. They played a warm up match on Friday 11th at Spratton Hall in Northants drawing a closely contested match.

On the Saturday morning we began our tournament campaign at Arnold School. The team played very well and supported each other on and off the pitch in order to win the group phase with some emphatic wins. The semi-final was a competitive match against Rossal School which we won 2-0.

In the final our opponents were Mary Erskine School from Edinburgh. We had beaten them 3-2 in the group stage but unfortunately were unable to maintain our winning streak and lost 2-0.

The team received runners-up plates from the Arnold School's Headteacher and were congratulated on their high standard of play.

After the tournament the team travelled to Beachborough, and on the Sunday morning we played their U13s and managed to hold them to 2-1 until the last few minutes when we could not hold back their shots at goal and conceded two more goals to lose 4-1.

The squad returned to Ashtead Park weary but happy with our play and the team-spirit that had prevailed throughout the weekend.

 

WET N WILD ON A GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP

17/03/11

As part of their Geography AS Level exam in May, Lower 6 have to study rivers, so on Tuesday 6th March all 19 set off to get their feet wet. We stopped at Tillingbourne – more of a stream than a river – to measure it. Cross sections were measured with some accuracy, velocities recorded and the bedload logged. All pupils had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Everyone managed to stay pretty dry and get all they needed to do well in the summer. The tutor was impressed with the level of knowledge of our pupils and their willingness to get on with it without complaint.

 

WE'VE HAD THE DEBATE, NOW COMES THE WAIT. AND THAT'S FINAL

16/03/11

On Monday 14th March, the Debating A team, consisting of Margaret Young and Catherine Sadler, competed in the Oxford Union Schools' Finals Day 2011. They qualified for the finals having previously won the South East regional round of the Oxford Union Schools' debating competition in February. The team debated:

1. THB that the Director-General of the BBC should be an elected office

2. THW abandon all measures taken by the State to protect and preserve the countryside

3. THW limit gay rights protestors from marching in areas which might provoke a violent reaction

4. THW allow judges to pardon those who leak State secrets if they are deemed to be in the public interest

 

They faced some excellent teams, including Eton College and KCS, and were a credit to the School. The girls face an anxious wait to hear the results.

 

A STARK REMINDER OF TUDOR TIMES

15/03/11

Historians from Lower 6 attended a series of lectures focused on Henry VIII on Friday 11th March. The four lectures were useful to the students undertaking the AS option concerning Tudor England’s most important monarch. The visit also gave students a sense of what it is like to study the subject at university and provide inspiration for further research. The main highlights of the day were Ronald Hutton’s discussion of Henrician foreign policy and Diarmaid MacCulloch’s lecture on the popularity of the Reformation. MacCulloch told the audience that there is more evidence for grassroots support for the Evangelical cause in the 1530s than has previously been suggested. However, the greatest excitement was reserved for the appearance of David Starkey who found his audience more receptive than others he has recently instructed. Starkey’s lecture - 'What were Henry VIII's most significant mistakes or failures?' was the usual mixture of scholarship, wit and entertainment. Challengingly, he stated that we should be less critical of Henry VIII for his conflicts because struggle and war are part of the human condition, referring to events in Libya with the comment that 'freedom is not won by being politely asked for'. Mr Wright, Head of History, Politics and Sociology, said: "These lectures are a brief view of the intellectually vibrant and exciting world of historical discussion concerning Henry VIII given by authorities in the field. The day was enormously valuable and the students were entertained and enlightened throughout."

 

SURREY SEVENS SUCCESS!

15/03/11

While most of the pupils enjoyed a relaxing City Visit on Thursday 17th March, the U15A Sevens team enjoyed success in Caterham at the Surrey Sevens rugby tournament. Placed in a strong pool, they lost 0-38 to John Fisher and 5-22 to Halliford. This meant they were entered into the third tier of the knock-out stage. The sobering experience of the pool matches woke the team up quickly, and our best rugby was saved for last. We beat Esher College 31-0 in the quarter-final, Ashcombe School 36-0 in the semi-final, and Ibstock Place School 22-5 in the final. Mr Bloomer, U15A coach, said: "The team deservedly brought home a victor's shield and I have no doubt that the boys wore their medals all night long. A good day was enjoyed by all."

 

FANTASTIC FENCING FOR FREEMEN'S!!

14/03/11

 

City of London Freemen's were celebrating triple success over the weekend of 12th and 13th March as the U15, U13 and U11 girls' teams all won at the National Schools Team Championships, held at Brunel University.

The U15 girls team of Clara Hutter, Ellie Irwin, and Katy Griffin won all four of their matches comfortably, winning the semi-final 45-27, and the final 45-28 against Guildford High (who had two England Schools fencers). In addition, in an extra match, they beat Millfield's U18 team winners 45-43.

The U13 girls team of Zoe Lowrey, Stephanie Elstub, Alex Willcox and Clara Baltay won all of their four matches comfortably beating Escrime Academy 45-27 in the final.

The U11 girls team of Emily Elstub, Sarah Spice, Olivia Bircher and Evelyn Frewin also 

won all of their four matches; but the final was a very close-fought 42-41 win on time against Packwood School from the West Midlands.

 

In addition our girls U15B team came fifth, whilst the boys' teams are starting to show more encouraging results as the U15s (Ryan Cooper, William Lane and Mark Tuddenham) came third, a great achievement to win four matches and reach the semi-finals, where they lost 34-45 to a strong team from Abingdon School. The U13s (Nathan Dunne, Marcos Penteado, Elliot Cox and Joshua Neil-Boss) and the U11s (Luc Tran, Arthur Baltay, Reuben Rowe and Adam Taylor) both won two matches to reach the quarter finals. Mr Bryan Lewis, master i/c of Fencing, said: "Overall it was a fantastically successful weekend in a great venue. Congratulatrions to all fencers, particularly the three winning teams, and the boys who are making great strides. As always, my thanks go to all our parents for their superb support."

Over the same weekend, Zoe Lowrey, won the London section girls U14 epee; thus qualifying to go to the British Youth National Finals, on 1st and 2nd May in Sheffield.

 

These successes follow on from the very exciting news that James Frewin has been selected for the Great Britain full mens team to take part in the World Cup A grade internationalbeing held in Paris on 17th, 18th and 19th March. Mr Bryan Lewis, master i/c of Fencing, said: "In previous years James has been prominent in the GB U17 team and then the U20 team, it is truly remarkable and highly unusual for a schoolboy to be selected at this, the highest level, for Great Britain."

 

JUNIOR SCHOOL SKI TRIP

14/03/11

February half term saw the Junior School trip return to Le Corbier in France. For the skiing there were five groups: total beginners, beginners, middle, slow top group and the top group.

The pupils skied for two hours in the morning and three in the afternoon each day, with each session followed by some free time.

During every evening there was an activity including a quiz, getting ice cream, bum boarding, karaoke (which even the teachers did) and a disco on the last evening.

On the Thursday the top two groups took part in the Fleish (a giant slalom race), whilst the other groups carried out tests set by their instructors. From the race and the tests our instructors awarded skiing badges, which were presented on Friday. The last day of skiing on Friday saw the best conditions all week with sun, blue skies and fresh snow – a great way to finish.

The next day at breakfast the teachers made their own presentation with small gifts. The prizes included for most organised, most sociable, and most improved.

Zoë Lowrey, of Lower 4, said: “It was an amazing trip and particularly special for me as it was my last in the Junior School. I would like to thank all the teachers who came with us and made the 2011 Junior School Ski Trip so memorable and enjoyable.”

 

ET TU, MR CHADWICK?

10/03/11

 

The Batchelor Society was very pleased to welcome Mr Alan Chadwick, the Head of Classics, to give a talk concerning Julius Caesar on Tuesday 8th March. This enormous figure (Caesar) is often seen through the eyes of Shakespeare and the legends that have grown up around him. Mr Chadwick was able to place the rise of Caesar within the context of late-Republican Rome and give his audience a much better understanding of how the dictator came to power and the implications of this for Roman politics. Inevitably such a huge topic was challenging to fit into the lunchtime slot available, but hopefully Mr Chadwick will be able to return for a sequel in the near future.

 

READING BETWEEN THE LINES

10/03/11

On Thursday 3rd March, the School celebrated World Book Day with everyone getting involved, making it one of our most successful celebrations yet. All around the School people could be heard talking about books and reading.

While Junior School pupils and staff began the day with one of their regular Drop Everything And Read sessions, all Senior School classes took part in the third annual Inter House Book Quiz. This was won convincingly for the second consecutive year by Whittington house (Hale were second and Gresham third).

This year’s WBD challenge in the Junior School was a ‘Mr Potato Head’ competition. Pupils were asked to decorate a potato as a fictional character and, once again, their talents proved to be exceptional.

 

Entries ranged from the Gruffalo to Yoda, Little Red Riding Hood (plus Granny and the wolf) to 101 Dalmatians. The standard of entries was extremely high but, eventually, prizes were awarded to Freddie Cox (101 Dalmatians), Thomas Reynolds (The BFG), Freja Forrest (The Worst Witch), Sam Wilson (Mr Bump) and Tara Gor (The Very Hungry Caterpillar). 

Congratulations and thanks must go to all who entered – the display attracted much attention and praise during our highly successful Open Morning on Saturday 5th March.

World Book Day serves as a great excuse to celebrate books and reading. This year, all staff were given a poster to display outside their classroom or office, on which to share details of the book that they are currently reading. Pupils and staff alike have found these fascinating and many conversations about them have been overheard around the School. These posters will continue to be displayed and updated long after World Book Day, a sign of the flourishing reading community we have here at Freemen’s.

 

SUCCESS FOR FREEMEN'S IN FIRST FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

09/03/11

The Under 8 A and B football teams enjoyed a very successful morning at the Reigate St Mary's tournament on Saturday 5th March. The B team played very well not conceding a goal all tournament, finishing second to the home team on goal difference. The A team managed to win all of their games, winning their league quite convincingly and therefore picking up the tournament trophy. Both teams played some excellent football and impressed spectators with their dribbling and passing. Alfie Thatcher scored four goals in four matches. Mr Alan Chadwick, manager, said: "I am very proud of the effort of both teams, the lads ran their socks into the ground. They deserve great credit for their overall play and achievements at the tournament. Special thanks is also expressed to the parents who came to support both teams."

 

SHIELD EXCHANGE

08/03/11

 

On Saturday 5th March, the OFA held a 'Badgers Lunch' at the clubhouse. Mr John Etherington, a parent at the School and an officer on the staff at Headley Court was invited by the rugby club as an introduction on what we may be able to offer to any of the patients in way of relaxation at weekends.

 

Mr Etherington presented the OFA with a shield from the unit at Headley and Mr David Harn presented him with a shield from the OFA Rugby Club.

 

 

BEN SCORES GOLD AT SILVER SQUASH COMPETITION

08/03/11

Ben Windle overcame a strong field to win the Under 15 Edgbaston Priory Junior title and claim his biggest victory to date in his age group. The tournament, which took place from 18th - 20th February 2011, was an England Squash & Racketball Silver event and pushes Ben into the top ten on the national rankings list in his first year of U15 competition. His preparations are now underway for the English Closed Championships and the remaining U18 Freemen's fixtures in the 2010/11 season. Mr Jeremy Colton, the professional squash coach at Freemen's, said: "Ben has been training very hard recently, both at school and in his club and county sessions. The quality and intensity of his practice has started to translate to his matches in the bigger junior events and I am very pleased with his progress."

 

IT WASN'T A CHALLENGE TO WIN THE CUP!

07/03/11

The Under 10s competed in the Donhead competition on Saturday 5th March. They came third in their group and therefore qualified for the 'Challenge Cup'. In the semi final, the team beat Chinthurst after going to sudden death and then played Donhead in the final where the boys won 20-10, meaning they lifted the cup. Mr Bird, Master i/c of U10 Rugby at Freemen's, said: "The boys have come a long way and the recent tour to Cheshire has definitely contributed to this success. My congratulations to all the boys who took part."

Squad: Robert Barrows ● Benjamin Boardman ● Fred Geen ● Leo Kanavos ● Max Lowrey (Captain) ● Lewys Marshall ● Alex Philips ● Thomas Reynolds ● Reuben Rowe (Vice-Captain) ● Nick Ruddell ● Charlie Sidwell

 

START SPREADING THE NEWS.....

01/03/11

During February half-term, 53 students and six staff visited New York to enjoy elements of the city’s world famous Art, Theatre and History. The trip was designed to allow the students to tailor their time in New York to their interests whilst maintaining the group atmosphere with a number of joint activities. Therefore, students could choose to visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art with Mr Tim Rees and Ms Ginny Humphries, enjoy a workshop on ‘Making a Scene’ and learn a number from The Addams Family with trip organiser Ms Sarah Chamberlain-Webber and Ms Stacey Bone, or a trip to Liberty and Ellis Islands as well as a walking tour of Harlem with Mr Alex Wright and Mrs Liz Joss. Alongside these choices, students enjoyed visits to Central Park, the Empire State Building at night, the new Broadway show The Addams Family and shopping expeditions amongst many other opportunities. The trip was enjoyed by all the staff and students, and plans are afoot for the next excursion…

 

ON THE PODIUM, NOT THE FENCE

28/02/11

 

Over the half term holidays, City of London Freemen’s School has competed in two fencing competitions. The Elite Epee round 3, was held at Freemen’s on Saturday 19th February and the South-East Schools Championships (National Qualifiers) were held at Epsom College on Sunday 20th February.

In the Elite Epee, 13 Freemen’s fencers competed in a field of 190 entrants. Podium places were achieved by Clara Hutter who came first in the U16 girls, beating two of the top girls in the UK in tough semi-final and final bouts, Stephanie Elstub and Emily Elstub, who both came second in the U13 and U11 girls respectively.

In the South East Schools Championships, 14 Freemen’s fencers took part and podium places were achieved in the U16 girls by Clara Hutter, first, Gemma Frewin, second and Katy Griffin and Ellie Irwin Joint third. In the U14 girls Stephanie Elstub came third as did Emily Elstub in the U12 girls.

The top fencers in each age group qualified to represent the South-East section at the National Schools Championships in Sheffield over the weekend of 30th April. Overall we have eight fencers who have qualified for the Nationals: James Frewin (pre-qualified last year), Mark Tuddenham, Clara Hutter, Gemma Frewin, Katy Griffin, Ellie Irwin, Stephanie Elstub, and Emily Elstub. Also Alex Willcox as a first reserve

Mr Bryan Lewis, master i/c of Fencing, said: “My thanks to all the fencers for all their efforts (many fenced on two successive days of hard competition) and to all our parents for their invaluable support. Congratulations to all those who have qualified for the finals, especially Clara Hutter who won both of her events.”

 

OSCAR FEVER

25/02/11

Anticipation is growing for the Oscars on Sunday evening, and The Social Network starring former Freemen's pupil Andrew Garfield, is nominated for eight categories including Best Picture and Directing. This morning Phil Tong, Head of Drama at Freemen's, spoke live on BBC Surrey about Andrew. Listen to the full interview.

 

LOVE WAS IN THE AIR AT FREEMEN'S

24/02/11

City of London Freemen's School hosted its inaugural Love Languages Competition on Monday 14th February. The competition was themed around 'likes and loves', and over 120 pupils from 12 schools across the South East attended the Ashtead School to perform a five minute piece in their chosen foreign language – either French, German or Spanish – in front of a panel of judges and live audience.

The performances were performed with brilliance and panache as the pupils performed a version of blind date, café scenes, poetry, rap songs, and a twist on stories such as Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella.

In the Years 5 and 6 category, Ashford Friars Prep School won with their performance of Cendrillon and Aberdour School came second with their performance of Une Recontre Aveugle.

                                               

In the Years 7 and 8 category, Pennthorpe School won with their performance of Home Sweet Home and Manor House School came second with Sale Conmigo.

  

Mrs Sarah Hankin, Head of Modern Foreign Languages at Freemen’s, said: “The outcome of the competition was a magical day of inspired performances, fluent and authentic use of language and above all great fun and good humour, and I congratulate all competitors on excellent performances”. (Pictured is one of the Freemen's performances, taken by Seb Faber).

 

FIRST XV SIGN OFF IN STYLE

18/02/11

On Wednesday 16th February, the first XV rugby team from City of London Freemen’s School played Reigate Grammar in their final match of not only the season but of their school rugby careers. Spurred on by playing at Sutton & Epsom RFC under the floodlights (a rare occurrence for schoolboy players) and watched by a large crowd, the Freemen’s boys won 36-11.

This was a fitting end to a season that started back in July 2010 with an undefeated tour of New Zealand, followed by the Evening Standard Team of the Month award in September and which has seen only two defeats. 11 of the squad have played school rugby together since Year 3, a total of 11 years, and this last match together was a great celebration of all their blood, sweat and tears whilst representing the Ashtead Park school. Mr Bill Deighton, Head of Boys’ PE and Games, said: "I would like to thank everyone who made this season possible, especially the players who have given everything this season, and also the boys who are pulling on the jersey for the final time, it really has been a pleasure." (Pictured are the first XV in action vs Caterham, taken by Seb Faber).

 

FREEMEN'S PUPILS RACE THROUGH THE SEMI FINALS

17/02/11

On Sunday 13th February 28 Freemen's pupils competed in the semi final of the British Schools Biathlon at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. There were 11 regional qualifying rounds which took place in the Autumn Term and the top performers were selected to take part in the semi finals.

33 pupils had qualified for the semi finals, to compete either as individuals, as part of a team, or as both, but unfortunately five were ruled out due to illness.

However, this did not impact on the success Freemen's pupils achieved on the day, both in the team events and in the individual competitions.

The Year 8 girls team of Millie Read, Tabitha Read-Cayton and Aila Diffey, and the Year 9 girl's team of Zoe Lyon, Rachel Dunne and Jasmine Stephens were both crowned team champions.

The Year 6 girls’ team of Alicia Wilson, Anna Whitworth and Emily Elstub, and the Year 7 boys' team of James Lawrence, Yoo-An An and Sam Wilson, both finished in bronze medal position in their team event.

In addition, in the Year 8 girls’ individual competition Millie Read won the silver medal , and in the Year 6 girls’ individual competition Alicia Wilson won the bronze medal.

Mrs Nicky Clark, i/c Biathlon, said: "It was great to see so many pupils from Freemen’s qualify for the semi finals and compete with great spirit. Good luck to the pupils who have qualified for the finals next month."

 

 

COMPETITIONS SQUASHED TOGETHER

 

17/02/11

 

Congratulations to the Freemen's U11 and U13 squash players who took part in the Prep Schools tournament at Epsom College on Sunday 13th February. The U11s, Simon Fohn and Robbie Barrows, progessed beyond the group stages with Simon reaching the quarter-finals. Ben Leslie (pictured) reached the plate final of the senior event and was supported by Tom Oliver and Tanay Mukherjee who played against some tough opposition. Mr Colton, the school Squash Professional, said: I am delighted with the efforts of all of the players. Prestigious events like this give our teams invaluable competitive experience and raise the schools profile as we continue to develop the Squash section."

 

This success come hots on the heels of the U15 team being invited to play for the first time in the Roehampton Schools event, on Saturday 23rd January, alongside some of the strongest schools in the country.

 

The squad captained by Alex Balderstone, included James Wilby, Ben Leslie, Andrew Headon and Johnny Lott. Playing in the second tier of the competition, the boys acquitted themselves very well against more experienced opposition, and it will hopefully pave the way to an annual invitation to the event which will be an important mid-season date in the squash calendar.

 

NOT CROSS WITH THESE RESULTS

 

10/02/11

On Wednesday 9th February, Freemen's entered the Judge Cup Cross Country Race, organised by Tiffin's School. The race was run over a testing four mile course with almost 100 runners taking part.

 

A magnificent performance by Sam Eglen saw him take second place, with Oliver Garrod and Vusa Mtunzi backing him up in 17th and 47th place respectiviely. All excellent performances in a very strong field.

 

 

FREEMEN'S 'A' WIN OXFORD UNION SCHOOLS' SOUTH EAST ROUND

09/02/11

Margaret Young and Catherine Sadler, both of Lower 6 at City of London Freemen's School, won the South East regional round of the Oxford Union Schools' debating competition held at Charterhouse School on 8th February.

 

The pair debated "This house believes that government should fund university education in its entirety" and "This house believes that war in order to spread democracy is justified". They won both debates decisively and went on to win the entire round, beating top independent schools from Surrey, Hampshire and Hertfordshire. They now progress to Finals Day at the Oxford Union on 12th March.

Mrs Trehearn, the Head of Debating and Acting Head of English, said: "This represents the pinnacle of our debating achievement so far at Freemen's. The girls have been involved in competitive debating for five years and thoroughly deserve this success."  

 

 

JUNIOR GIRLS STOCKPORT SWIM IN NATIONAL FINALS

 

09/02/11

On Saturday 5th February the Junior Girls’ Swimming Team travelled to Grand Central Pools in Stockport to compete in the finals of English Schools’ Swimming Association National Team Relay Championships Finals. The top 16 freestyle and medley teams from all schools across the country qualified for this prestigious event after qualification events in the autumn.

The Junior Girls qualified in both the freestyle and medley events. The freestyle was the first event and followed the parade of captains and welcome from the Mayor of Stockport. The team of Tabitha Read-Cayton, Zoe Lyon, Aila Diffey and Rachel Dunne finished 16th in a time of 2:04.29.

In the heats of the medley, the girls had a fantastic swim and finished third in a time of 2:14.76, three seconds inside their qualification time. The team of Zoe Lyon, Millie Reed, Rachel Dunne and Tabitha Read-Cayton qualified for the final in fifth, three places higher than their ranking. The final was an exciting race and again the girls swam with real determination. They finished fifth in a time of 2:15.76 but were disqualified for an incorrect changeover. It was a great experience for the girls to compete in such an esteemed event alongside some of the most talented junior swimmers in the country.

Mrs Nicky Clark, Games and PE Teacher, said: "The team had a positive and enthusiastic approach to the competition and their conduct throughout the day during the long train journey and on poolside was excellent. They should be very proud of their accomplishment."

 

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS FOR YOUNG DEBATERS

08/02/11

 

Freemen's entered three teams for the prestigious International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD) on 29th January. The team members, all in Upper 4, were some of the youngest participants. Team A consisted of Samuel Strijdon and Rosie Shakerchi, team B were Thomas Jager and Tom Clarke, and team C were Ellie Turner and Rachel Dunne.

 

The event took place at the world renowned University of Oxford, giving the competitors a wonderful opportunity to experience what it might be like to study there in the future.

 

Oxford University held a very useful debating workshop at the beginning of the day for all competitors. The Freemen's team said it was a wonderful way to meet new people and it helped to put them at ease for the first debate.

 

The first motion, "This house believes that Western governments should pay dictators to stand down", had been released prior to the competition. It was a very successful first debate and team C were awarded first place, team A third place, and team B fourth place.

 

The second motion, "This house would legalise performance enhancing drugs" was another which prompted an impassioned response from our teams and this also yielded very good results with team B, team A and team C coming first, second and third respectively.

 

In the final debate, the Freemen's teams again put in a solid effort to gain excellent scores in "This house would enforce the death punishment for serious crime" with the B team first, the C team third and the A team fourth.

 

After a long day all 64 teams waited in anticipation for the final results. There were wonderful results for Freemen's with the B team 20th, the C team 23rd and the A team 49th. Former Freemen's student and debating veteran Patrick Kennedy turned out in support and congratulated the teams on their achievements.

 

To end the day, the University gave the competitors the opportunity to express their views and opinions to the entire room on a given topic. Although the Freemen's debaters did not speak themselves, they thoroughly enjoyed listening to the views of others regarding banning rap music and banning alcohol.

 

A notable performance came from our own Rachel Dunne who, out of the total 123 competitors, gained a respectable 29th in overall speaker points.

 

First-time debater Tom Jager said: "I thoroughly enjoyed the day and look forward to developing my skills for next year".

 

UPPER 2 STEP BACK IN TIME AT GUNNERSBURY

 

08/02/11

 

On Monday 7th February Upper 2 visited Gunnersbury Park to step back over 100 years.

The children, dressed as Victorian urchins for the day, took part in two live drama sessions in which they stepped back into the world of the Victorian school child, maid and butler.

 

The 'Below Stairs' workshop was reminiscent of Upstairs Downstairs in which the children met a stern housekeeper who put them through their paces as young maids and butlers. The girls were distressed to find out that they would earn four pounds a year less than the boys! We were all surprised by the gruelling tasks that children as young as 11 would have been expected to undertake when in service.

 

In the Victorian Schoolroom pupils learnt about the strict discipline that school children faced. We met Mrs Killjoy, the fierce inspector who had us quaking at our desks. Several children were shocked to find that fiddling and slouching earned them some time in the 'finger stocks' or the 'back brace', while children writing with their left hands were forced to stand up and apologise for their behaviour. Two particularly unruly pupils faced the cane! While we all struggled to keep ourselves from laughing at the absurdity of what we were asked to do, we were also struck by the stark reality of life for children in Victorian times.

 

OXBRIDGE SUCCESS AT FREEMEN’S

07/02/11

 

Students at Freemen’s enjoyed a record year for University offers from Oxford and Cambridge. Ten candidates from the School received offers, the most in one admissions year in Freemen’s history. This success is even more pleasing with competition for places increasing every year. Three students – Laura Grayling, Katie Zinser and James MacDonald – achieved offers from Cambridge whilst seven candidates – Matthew English, Amelia Harman, Alice Leake, Ben Reavley, Thomas Sneller, Ellen Timothy and Jennifer Williams – received offers from Oxford. The Headmaster, Philip MacDonald, commented "I congratulate all ten students of the School on gaining offers to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. I am particularly impressed by the range of subjects our students will be reading and I am sure they will all now concentrate on achieving the high grades required. Well done everyone."

 

INTERNATIONAL SELECTION FOR FREEMEN'S FENCERS

03/02/11

Katy Griffin and Zoe Lowrey, 14 and 13 respectively, have been selected in the England Schoolgirls Under 15 Fencing team to compete in the 2011 Challenge Wratislavia, taking place in Poland from 24th to 28th March.

Their selection is based on their success over the last year, where they came first and second respectively in the final of the IAPS competition. They have also both done well in Surrey county, South East, Elite Epee, England Youth and British Youth events.

 

Mr Bryan Lewis, Master i/c of Fencing, said: "Over the last two years, Katy and Zoe have both enjoyed a number of successful fencing events. Their training regime reflects their dedication and desire for success."

 

 

SURREY SCHOOLS SWIMMING SUCCESS

03/02/11

On Thursday 27th January the girls’ swimming team competed in the Surrey Schools Swimming Association Girls Secondary Individual Championships at Trinity School in Croydon.

Freemen’s had nine competitors taking part with all events contested over 100 metres. The standard of swimming was high, in the Lower Junior competition Lydia Room won a silver medal in the Individual Medley in a time of 1:22:07. Sasha Bruce competed in the Backstroke, Isabelle Nash competed in the Freestyle and Maia Diffey competed in the Breaststroke and all recorded respectable times. In the Junior Competition Zoe Lyon won a silver medal in the Backstroke, Millie Reed won a silver medal in the Breaststroke and Rachel Dunne won a bronze medal in the Butterfly. Tabitha Read-Cayton competed in the Freestyle and Aila Diffey competed in the Individual Medley.

Mrs Nicky Clark, PE and Games Teacher, said: "It was a tough competition and the girls swam well. Well done to all who took part."

 

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE BIOLOGY?

02/02/11

 

The Lower 6 Biologists visited London Zoo on 20th January as part of their AS coursework which requires them to write about how biology is being used to solve a problem. After an introductory talk from Theo, a London Zoo Education Officer, the pupils enjoyed an absorbing lecture by Dr Edmund Flach, the ZSL wildlife pathologist. He talked about all aspects of his job from snail intestinal parasites to elephant autopsies giving a fascinating insight into the importance of his work. The pupils were then able to walk around the zoo before returning for a plenary session with Theo where he talked about the EDGE programme - a system for prioritising which threatened species we should save. It was a great day which gave the pupils loads of ideas for their coursework and possibly inspired a few budding animal pathologists.

 

 

FREEMEN’S RE-PAY THE FAVOUR

01/02/11

Over the weekend of 29th and 30th January, the U13 rugby team hosted Terra Nova pupils from Cheshire who travelled down to the South East for a school tour. The relationship between both schools is now in its second year and Terra Nova kindly host the Freemen's U10 annual rugby tour each January. Pupils from both schools had a fantastic experience and these occasions are invaluable especially with the potential tours available for the pupils in the Upper School. The fixture between the schools on 29th January was played in true tour spirit with Freemen's eventually winning 51-39. Well done to all pupils involved.

 

SCHOOL EQUESTRIAN TEAMS COMPETE

30/01/11

City of London Freemen's School were pleased to enter two classes, 60cm and 70cm, at the Sands Farm Equestrian Centre school show jumping event on 22nd January 2011.

The team members, Laura Madon, Lily Latimer-Smith and Gemma Locatelli, all in Lower 4, thoroughly enjoyed the day. Creditably, they achieved fifth in both classes. A notable performance came from Lily Latimer-Smith who came fourth individually in the 60cm.

The Equestrian Teams are looking forward to competing in more competitions over the coming year, and anyone is interested in joining the teams should contact Chantal de Gaston-Cooper in Lower 6.

 

EXHIBITION OF DEVELOPMENT PLANS

 

28/01/11

On 18th and 19th January, in the Ferndale Theatre, the School presented its long term development plans for the Ashtead Park site to parents and members of the public. The display panels from this exhibition contain the plans which will form the basis of an outline planning application, subject to the consideration of comments arising from the exhibition, and can be downloaded. We appreciate that many parents may not have been able to attend the presentation so please send any comments by email to the Bursar’s Secretary at janetta.dalton-sedgwick@cityoflondon.gov.uk by Friday 4th February.

 

1ST XV RUGBY PLAYER IS NATIONAL BARBARIAN

28/01/11

The First XV rugby team's season has received another accolade with second row Peter Hyams being included in the England Independent Schools Barbarians side on Saturday 23rd January for their fixture against the Irish Exiles.

The match, played in Lytham St Anne’s, Lancashire, saw Hyams appear for 40 minutes for the representative side on their way to a comfortable victory, 55-17. The match featured some fantastic, flowing rugby as a showcase of the 'Barbarians Spirit' with the ball being kicked just once by the victors in the whole match. The Barbarians’ season continues with further fixtures against the Welsh and national champions, and local side Cobham later this year before they depart on a tour to Zimbabwe.

 

MUSIC DEPARTMENT SIR MALCOM SARGENT APPEAL PRACTICE-A-THON

28/01/11

The music department is holding a week long practice-a-thon, in aid of CLICSargent, a charity that helps children with cancer. The week begins on Monday 14th February, in which pupils are encouraged to practice lots, and raise as much money as possible in the process. Sponsorship money will be collected the week after half term. Last year we raised over £1300 that was very well received (pictured).

Pupils can be encouraged in their quest, either through sponsorship or positive encouragement. Thank you for supporting the music department in this endeavour, and hopefully the increased practice will also prove beneficial to the pupils. Visit www.clicsargent.org.uk/practiceathon for further information.

 

CROSS-ING THE COUNTRY FOR SURREY SUCCESS

26/01/11

 

On Saturday 22nd January, Sam Eglen and Ollie Garrod competed in the Surrey Schools' Cross-Country Championships in Priory Park, Reigate. Sam, having been in excellent form throughout the season, competed in the intermediate boys' race and  finished in a very impressive second place. Ollie’s race was disappointingly hampered by a knee injury, but he battled round the gruelling 8km course to finish 17th in the senior race. As a result, both Freemen's students have been selected for this year's Surrey cross-country teams. Ollie will hope to shrug off his injury, and Sam will look to build on his substantial successes so far, over the next two months as the major national competitions will be taking place.

 

NEW ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

26/01/11

Christine Gray is the School's new Artist in Residence. Christine has recently earned a distinction grade MA from Loughborough University and given a fellowship. She was impressed enough with the Art department at the school to agree to a residency here in addition to her studio time at Loughborough. Alongside producing her own work she will be on hand to offer advice to pupils. At the end of Christine's residency, there will be a small selling exhibition of her work. 

 

IAPS REGIONAL ROUND 2011

24/01/11

On Thursday 20th January Freemen's hosted an IAPS Swimming Regional Qualifying Round. 175 competitors from seven schools attended this very exciting event. For many swimmers this was their first experience of an official gala and they certainly learnt a lot about competition rules. The times from this competition along with the other qualifying competitions will be entered into the IAPS national rankings list and the top swimmers will be invited to attend the finals of this competition on Saturday 14th May at K2 leisure centre in Crawley.

 

UNDER 10'S CHESHIRE TOUR

18/01/11

On 14th January all the boys’ in Upper 2 travelled to Cheshire for the annual Under 10 Rugby Tour. After a warm welcome at Terra Nova Preparatory School the pupils went to Jodrell Bank, an astro-physics centre attached to Manchester University. Then the serious business of their first game against Terra Nova. Both A and B teams played with passions and enthusiasm and certainly entered into the tour spirit. Our A IX won by four clear tries and the B team lost by a try scored in the last play of the game. These results didn't affect team relations as both Freemen's and TN departed for Edgeley Park to watch the Sale Sharks verses Petrarca from Italy in thehe Amlin Challenge Cup.

 

The next tour match was played at Altrincham Kersal RFC against Altrincham Preparatory School. Both the A and B teams again played to their potential and physicality was the difference with both teams loosing narrowly. After more presentations and speeches, the boys were soon off to Old Trafford football stadium, the home of Manchester United where they toured the stadium, walked down the tunnel, sat in the dugouts and even the changing room.

 

The final day of the tour saw pupils travel to Sandbach RUFC where the boys played against their club team. In a physical and intense game the A team drew 10-10 and the B team lost. The games were watched by players from Sale Sharks including this years Captain James Gaskell, which certainly inspired both sets of players. Following the game Sandbach RUFC provided a meal and this gave the opportunity for the Sale players to answer questions pupils had about their career, how they started in the game and their experiences which was invaluable. Autographs followed and we then departed for the 200 mile trip back to Ashtead Park.

Mr Bird, U10 Coach and trip organiser, said: "All players conducted themselves in a mature and organised manner and they are certainly a great advert for the school. Hopefully playing against different schools with different styles of rugby will stand them in good stead for their future rugby.  I would also like to thank Mr Gibson, Mr Davies and Gap student Mr Moon for their passion, hard work and dedication before and during the tour."

 

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR HEALTHY EATING

07/01/11

On Wednesday 5th January Year 3 and 4 pupils at Freemen’s were awarded their latest prize for Healthy Eating. The campaign has run since the start of the school year in September and students have been rewarded for their healthy eating. Pupils who had eaten their vegetables at lunch over the second half of the Autumn Term were presented with a Lego chef, and Andrew Main, CEO for ARAMARK UK, presented the Healthy Stars Final main prize – a family trip to Legoland – to the winner Jolyon Knowles.

Mr Spencer Thorne, General Services Manager, said: "This was a very successful healthy eating campaign and all the participating pupils deserve a lot of credit for the way they embraced the challenge. A number of pupils have realised how much they enjoyed eating vegetables and I hope that they will continue their healthy eating habits in the future."

 

 

CELEBRATING OUR FENCING TALENT

22/12/10

On Friday 17th December, Mr Michael Watson, Chairman of Mole Valley Sports Council, presented the Secondary School Sports Team award to the Fencing team at City of London Freemen’s School.

 

Mr Watson attended the final Christmas assembly and presented the award to James Frewin, the team captain. The fencing team at the school has had an outstanding year, achieving national success, winning the national schools championships in both U15 and U13 age groups. The U15 team of Clara Hutter, Ellie Irwin and Louise Sparks beat Bishop Challoner 45-26 in the final to win their fourth national title as they have progressed through the age groups. The trio were also selected to represent the England Schools team.

 

The U13 team of Katy Griffin, Marie Pritchard and Katharine Curran won their national title by beating Woldingham School 45-30 in the final.

 

GLEE FOR STAFF AT CHRISTMAS PANTO

22/12/10

Pupils at the School were treated to seeing their teachers as never before on Friday 17th December as staff donned costume and strange accents to perform in the annual Christmas Panto. Based very very loosely on a well known fairytale, Snow White and the Seven Vertically Challenged Persons captivated the audience as they joined in with the hissing and booing of the wicked step mother, the counting down as Hollister left the Little Brother House, the dancing with the Jocks, and letting those on stage know when someone was behind them. The panto, written and directed by Ms Sarah Chamberlain-Webber, raised over £850 for the school charities. Oh no it didn't, oh yes it did!

 

ELITE EPEE FENCING

 

20/12/10 On Sunday 12th December, Freemen's hosted round 2 of the Elite Epee Fencing tournament, with 171 fencers taking part. Freemen's achieved four podium places: Sarah Spice came third in the U11 Girls, Stephanie Elstub came second in the U13 Girls, Clara Hutter came second and Katy Griffin came third, both in the U16 Girls.	(Photo by Sebastian Faber)

 

Other results included Emily Elstub 6th in the U11 Girls, Luc Tran 8th and Arthur Baltay 13th in the U11 Boys, Clara Baltay 7th and Abigail Connor 14th in the U13 Girls, Nathan Dunne 15th in the U13 Boys, Zoe Lowrey 6th, Gemma Frewin 14th, Katherine Curran 18th, and Alex Willcox 22nd in the U16 Girls, Ryan Cooper 26th and Mark Tuddenham 28th in the U16 Boys.

 

Mr Bryan Lewis, Master i/c of Fencing, said: "Four podium places in a competition of ever-increasing strength is very pleasing. My congratultions to all fencers who took part, and my thanks go to our group of parents for all their help and support throughout the day."

 

 

THE SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY BEST CHEMIST AWARD 2010

17/12/10

On Wednesday 10th November, Martyn Holloway-Neville went to the University of Surrey in Guildford for the 2010 Best Chemist in Surrey competition.

Having already been awarded the Best Chemist in the School prize, this ceremony was to award these certificates, and to announce the Best Chemist in Surrey competition.

The competition required entrants to submit a piece of work they had done outside of their respective Chemistry or Science course and Martyn submitted an extended essay he had written on pH changes in titrations for the Baccalaureate. The winner was announced to be a student from Charterhouse.

After the prize-giving Martyn was given a tour of the university and met other Chemistry scholars hoping to study Chemistry at university.

Martyn said: “Although I didn’t win, I felt very honoured to have been chosen by the School to represent them and to be at the ceremony for this award.”

 

OLIVER ORCHARD SELECTED IN HARLEQUINS ELITE JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT SQUAD

 

15/12/10

 

Having impressed whilst training with the Harlequins School of Rugby (SoR) for the last few months, Oliver Orchard (Lower 4) was last week selected for the Harlequins Junior Elite Player Development Group (JEPDG). This select group of individuals have been identified as the best Under 13 rugby players in Surrey and Sussex and will work at developing all aspects of their game over the coming months.

 

Oliver, who is currently the School Under 13 Rugby Captain has made a huge contribution to rugby since joining in Form 1 and is consistently producing key performances for the school during Saturday fixtures. Having travelled to New Zealand to support the Senior tour with his family (to watch brother Dominic, the 1st XV flanker) he understands what is required to progress through the age groups. Mr Gibson, the Under 13 Rugby Coach, said: "Oliver is an exceptionally dedicated and hard working young rugby player. He trains extremely hard both in and out of school as well as anaylsing and working at any areas of development that he or his coaches identify. It is a great honour for him and the school and the P.E. and Games department are delighted with his selection for the Harlequins JEPDG. We hope this is a stepping stone to even bigger and better things."

 

FREEMEN'S STAFF PREPARE TO TREAD THE BOARDS AGAIN!

07/12/10

INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM SUCCESSES AT BIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS

01/12/10

On Sunday 28th November 43 pupils from across the Junior and Senior School competed at the Regional Schools Biathlon Championships at K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley. There were over 500 competitors and conditions for the run were very difficult. The competition comprised a 50 metre swim and 500 metre run for boys and girls in Years 5 to 7. The pupils in Years 8 to 13 took part in a 100 metre swim and 1000 metre run. For many of our pupils it was their first biathlon competition and our pupils performed with great determination and sportsmanship.

There were some fantastic results for the Freemen’s pupils as both individual athletes and teams. Notable individual performances include Alicia Wilson who was crowned regional winner in the Year 6 girls’ competition, Jamie Wilks who was the winner of the Year 6 boys’ competition and Millie Reed who was the winner of the Year 8 girls’ competition. Freemen’s had 11 other top six placed individual athletes and five pupils achieved the best swim prize in their age groups. These were Emily Way, Alicia Wilson, Jamie Wilks, Rachel Dunne and Nathalie Richards.

In the team competition the Year 6 girls’ team of Emily Way, Funmi Morgan and Abby Holder were crowned team champions as were the Year 9 girls’ team up of Zoe Lyon, Rachel Dunne and Jasmine Stephens. The Year 5 boys, Year 6 boys, Year 8 girls and Year 10 girls’ teams were all runners up in their age groups.

Several pupils from Freemen’s have now qualified for the semi-finals championships on 13th February 2011 at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. This competition includes the top competitors from three regions.

Mrs Nicky Clark said: "This is a brilliant set of results in both the individual and team competitions and it was great to see so many pupils from Freemen’s competing. I am really pleased with everyone’s achievements."

JUNIOR JENNINGS POETRY COMPETITION

26/11/10

A fiercely poetic competition was battled out again this year. Our winning performers for 2010 are Isabelle Trubshaw: We’re Having Mad Weather; Ed Sharpe: Octopus; Sarah Irwin: Gran Can You Rap; Ellie Howick: If You Were Made Of Chocolate; Rachel Slater: Matilda.

GIRLS GO GOAL CRAZY TO QUALIFY FOR IAPS FINALS!

24/11/10

DRAMA STUDENTS HEAD TO MILAN

24/11/10

PUPILS MIND THE GAP AT CAREERS CONVENTION

22/11/10

The Haywood Centre, Senior Assembly Hall and Junior Assembly Hall were buzzing on Thursday 18th November, as the School hosted its Careers, Education and Gap Convention. This event, organised by the Careers Department, gave 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, osteopathy, 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. Comments received from pupils and parents reflected how very useful the convention had been. Representatives emphasised how pleasant, helpful, well-informed and well-prepared our pupils are".  

"THE BEST SENIOR AUTUMN CONCERT IN YEARS"

ART IS IN THE HOUSE AT THE JUNIOR SCHOOL

19/11/10

House Art took place last week and there were a fantastic 246 entries. There were some really outstanding and very creative pieces on show. The winning House was Gresham with Hale in second place and Whittington in third place. Well done to all of you who entered the competition.

The overall individual winners were: 1st - Daniela Zaks (pictured); 2nd - Lucy Yellow; 3rd - Liberty Gamble.

Mrs Catherine Williams, Junior Head of Gresham, said: "Gresham's victory in House Art once again shows what a creative and imaginative House we are. Congratulations to everybody who entered, especially the 17 prize winners. Special mention must go to Daniela Zaks the overall first place winner and Lucy Yellow the overall second place winner, both from Gresham. I was particularly impressed with the high standard of artwork entered in each of the five categories. Keep up the good work Gresham!"

NETWORKING FOR THE BOARDING COMMUNITY

16/11/10

A typical Saturday night in Chinatown is usually very busy, however, it was a bit more vibrant when a group of 84 people dined together in the same restaurant. Saturday 13th November was the Lord Mayor Show, which provided the opportunity for our boarders to go to London and enjoy a day out, watching the parade.

For the evening we were joined by Reeds school's boarders and had a very sociable meal together. The atmosphere in the restaurant was buzzing with excitement, chats were everywhere and with the variety and amount of food, no ingredient for a great dinner was missing. The food was utterly delicious and everyone went home with a very full stomach. All in all, the day definitely ended on a high note.

ENGLISH SCHOOLS SWIMMING ASSOCIATION INTER-DIVISIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (DIVISION 11)

16/11/10

On Friday 12^th November the Freemen’s swim team competed at the ESSA Inter-Divisional Swimming Championships at Guildford Spectrum. We are in Division 11 which includes schools from across Surrey and Kent and is traditionally a very strong Division. Swimmers can compete in both Medley and Freestyle relays of 4 x 50 metres.

The Junior Girls’ Freestyle was the first event and Freemen’s was in the first heat. The team of Rachel Dunne, Aila Diffey, Zoe Lyon and Tabitha Read-Cayton finished third in a time of 2.00.84. The Junior Boys Freestyle team swam next and the team of Marcos Penteado, Chris Richards, Callum Room and Mark Tuddenham swam a very good race to finish fourth with a time of 2.00.38. The Intermediate Girls’ Freestyle team of Lucy Archer-Lock, Zoe Clarke, Sam Earland and Nathalie Richards finished in a time of 2.08.42 and were fifth.

In the Medley relays the Junior Girls’ team of Zoe Lyon, Millie Reed, Rachel Dunne and Tabitha Read-Cayton swam incredibly well and finished second with a time of 2.17.03. The Junior Boys team of Jonny Rutherford, Michael Trubshaw, Mark Tuddenham and Chris Richards finished fifth and swam a time of 2.24.07. The Intermediate Girls team made up of Sam Earland, Zoe Clarke, Nathalie Richards and Lucy Archer-Lock finished fifth with a time of 2.33.27.

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 in February 2011. We look forward with interest to the qualification results.

It was a very successful week for the boys and girls swimming teams. They were victorious in their annual gala against Sevenoaks School who are traditionally a strong swimming school.

JUNIOR CONCERT

QUESTION TIME FOR THE BATCHELOR SOCIETY

11/11/10

The Batchelor Society met on Tuesday 9th November for its annual Question Time. The panel comprised students and staff from a variety of academic and political backgrounds. Representing the neo-conservative right wing were Mr. Brooke and student Peter Hyams. Hannah Kent set out her stall on the centre ground whilst Mr Rutherford was the voice of compassionate one-nation Tory values with the panellists kept in check by Chairperson Laura Grayling.

The first question saw passionate discussion of the Browne report into university fees after which the panel picked over the problems facing Barak Obama. Strong opinions were heard on the potential reform of housing benefit with the right-wing duo of Peter Hyams and Mr Brooke firmly behind the government’s proposals. The wider success of the coalition was discussed next with the final issue under review the morality of paying footballers vast sums of money. This question saw sharp exchanges between the panellists as well as members of the audience such as Mrs Edwards who refused to accept Wayne Rooney’s recent pay rise as just.

Mr. Wright, Head of History, Politics and Sociology, said: “I would like to thank all the panellists for their preparation of the questions and time on the day. The Chairperson, Laura Grayling did an excellent job of keeping the discussion going and challenging any flabby argument. Finally, the Society would like to thank all those staff and students who came along to hear the discussion and contribute their points of view.”

LEAF LEAD EARTH DAY CELEBRATIONS

05/11/10

On Thursday 4th November, Junior School pupils came into school dressed in green, not because they had all switched allegiance to Gresham but to celebrate Earth Day. There were some very creative costumes, and even the staff went green for the day. Pupils from the Senior School LEAF Club led the Junior School assembly which was on an environmentally aware theme. They also organised lots of enjoyable activities for the Junior School during the lunch break. Mr Beach, Head of Junior School, said: "It is important that pupils are aware of environmental issues, and we are glad they managed to fun whilst learning."

WE DIDN’T SINK, WE SWAM!

04/11/10

On Thursday 14th October 18 girls from the swimming team travelled to Trinity School in Croydon to compete in the Surrey Schools Swimming Association Secondary Schools Relay Championships. It is the first time in several years that we have been able to field full teams in all age groups.

In the Lower Junior girls’ competition the freestyle team of Maia Diffey, Isabelle Nash, Ashlynn Harvey and Lydia Room finished 6th in a time of 2.27:63. In the medley competition the team of Sasha Bruce, Maia Diffey, Lydia Room and Isabelle Nash swam well to finish third in a time of 2.51:38.

In the Junior girls’ competition the freestyle team of Rachel Dunne, Aila Diffey, Zoe Lyon and Tabitha Read-Cayton swam well in their heat and finished 3rd overall in a time of 2.04:98. In the medley relay the team of Zoe Lyon, Millie Reed, Rachel Dunne and Tabitha Read-Cayton swam incredibly well in a strong field to finish in third place in a time of 2.20:88.

In the Intermediate competition the freestyle relay team of Lucy Archer-Lock, Sam Earland, Emma walker and Nathalie Richards finished second in their heat and were fifth overall. In the medley competition the intermediate team were third in their heat and finished fifth overall.

In the Senior competition the freestyle team of Jessica Ventham, Jen Baldock, Gemma Golding and Chelsea Wilby finished fourth in a time of 2.04:32. In the medley competition the team were second in their heat and finished in fifth place overall.

Mrs Nicky Clark said: “Freemen’s competed at all age groups in the girls’ competition and performed well. Well done to everyone who participated.”

STAFF PLAY BALL AT KCS WIMBLEDON

22/10/10

The staff football team travelled down the A3 on Friday 15th October for their first fixture of the year against KCS Wimbledon. Staff from a variety of departments made up the team and after an enthusiastic start Freemen's staff eventually won 3-2. Captain Mr Knowles (Head of Biology) said about the victory: "This is a great way for the staff to finish for half term and it was pleasing to see the amount of good spirited football on show, especially from Mr Holland, who was outstanding". 

GOOD HEALTHY FUN

20/10/10

Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have been celebrating twice this week. As they break up for half term, the children who had eaten two vegetables at least three times a week, were presented with their own Broccoli badge to mark them out as a ‘Healthy Stars Winner 2010’.

Sarah Irwin, one of the pupils celebrating, said: "The Healthy Eating Challenge is really fun because while we’ve been doing it, we were all concentrating so hard on eating healthily, that no-one realised they are getting fitter. The other good thing about it is that we win prizes. I won a vegetable key ring today and I'm hoping to win a star prize later this year."

The special incentive scheme for 7 to 9 year olds is designed to add an element of fun to healthy eating. The scheme will continue to run after half term, and those children who continue to eat their vegetables regularly will win a star prize in the run up to Christmas.

UPPER 2 VISIT TO BOUGH BEECH

15/10/10

On Monday 4th October Upper 2 visited the reservoir at Bough Beech. 15% of our water comes from this reservoir and we found out how it goes from a cloudy brown solution to the clear and pure water that comes out of our taps. The children were a credit to the school, showing great enthusiasm and always remembering their impeccable manners.

The reservoir itself provided a stunning backdrop to a fascinating trip which brought our Water topic in Geography to life.

BEST STUDENTS IN THE COUNTRY

14/10/10

City of London Freemen's School were delighted to be informed that Patrick Kennedy and Eleanor Marsh have both won an award for their performances in the recent Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology Examination. Patrick has also won an Award in the Salters Advanced Chemistry Individual Investigations.

Patrick and Eleanor both gained the third highest mark in the Advanced Biology examinations this year and will therefore both receive a 3rd Prize Award of £150 plus a certificate. Mr Knowles, Head of Biology, said: "Ellie and Patrick are biologists of the highest calibre and they worked extremely hard throughout the A Level course. I am delighted to hear that their efforts have been recognised and I am sure that they will go on to excel at university."

Patrick also gained the highest mark in the Salters Advanced Chemistry Individual Investigations and will therefore receive a 1st Prize Award of £150 plus a certificate. Mrs Mitchell, Head of Chemistry, said: "Patrick was a student who showed genuine interest in the environment, and his project into Biofuels reflected his deep concern about climate change. It was a superb piece of work written at a level far beyond the A Level requirements."

Patrick and Eleanor are due to attend The Salters’ Institute Annual Awards Ceremony at Salters’ Hall on Thursday 4 November to collect their awards. 

AWARD FOR UNBEATEN 1ST XV RUGBY SQUAD

14/10/10

City of London Freemen's 1st XV rugby squad have won the Evening Standard team of the month award for September. This is the first time a school team has won this prestigious award. The team, many of whom have been together since the age of seven, completed a magnificent unbeaten tour of New Zealand pre-season, and have swept all before them back home, with their 11 straight wins including the scalps of Reed's and Emanuel. This season's success has been put down to the squads commitment and loyalty. "There are no real stars" says Head of Boys' PE and Games, Mr Bill Deighton. "They are dedicated and work for each other. We're very proud of this award which we've never achieved before. This award is also a result of commitment and endeavour of the dedicated coaching team over many years."

In recognition of the award, the school receives a framed picture of the 1st XV squad, taken before a recent fixture, from kickphoto.co.uk

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS SLAY THE DRAGONS

13/10/10

What are the Young Enterprise entrepreneurs of East and Mid Surrey doing this year? 11 companies from five schools presented their ideas to three (friendly) dragons at Freemen's, on Wednesday 6th October. The ideas ranged from football tournaments, talent contests and parties, photographic services and cosmetics, through to personalised clothing, jewellery and accessories. The prize, won by Spectrum Designs from Oxted, with their personalised range of covers for iPods, phones and Xbox, was £100 (£80 of which will go towards the company's registration fee). The event was well supported with over 80 achievers attending, including representatives from another Young Enterprise area who wanted to see how it was done. This year's four companies from Freemen's took a great deal from the event and have been galvanised by some of the questions and feedback from the dragons. They will be focussing on brand identity, value added and maximising profits in the coming weeks. 

TRIP TO KEW GARDENS

13/10/10

On Tuesday 5th October all Upper 6 Biologists and Geographers went to Kew Gardens to support their work on plants and climate change. The weather was unexpectedly clement and the pupils had a very pleasant and informative day in the autumnal sunshine. They enjoyed guided tours of the glasshouses looking at plant adaptations to rainforests and the dry tropics and Dr Owen Jones talked them through some of the noticeable effects that climate change is having on the UK's fauna. The day ended with the (slightly wobbly) tree-top walkway through the canopy of sweet chestnut and oak.

EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES

12/10/10

Staff and pupils at Freemen’s showed great “joie de vivre” as they celebrated European Day of Languages on Monday 27th September. The children’s costumes were inspirational, original and most resourceful. The day started with an assembly on the importance of language learning, and we found out that 14 pupils in the Junior School speak another language fluently. Many pupils entered a poster competition and their entries adorned the Junior School foyer along with balloons, banners and flags. The posters which the children designed were impressive. One of the most original entries was from Maria Carr, who had contacted people from all around the world to tell them about our celebrations and the significance of the day. Her poster was a collage of the 75 replies she received in all the different languages. The highlight of the day was the taster language sessions which gave pupils the chance to try languages other than the three main ones which we teach. Italian, Portuguese, Chinese and Russian were all on offer and the classes were packed with enthusiastic pupils taking their first steps in this new language. It was especially rewarding to see that some of the taster classes were delivered by Freemen’s students which made it an even more special experience for the youngsters. (Picture taken by Seb Faber).

B TEAM SHINE IN FIRST EVER COMPETITION

08/10/10

Freemen's sent three teams to the IPS (Ibstock Place School) Debating Competition on Thursday 7th October. In the A team were Harry Househam and Gabbi Cox, in the B team were Ellie Riley and Louise Bluck and the C team comprised Michael McKeiver and Daniel Sareen.

They debated "This house would give employers the right to refuse to offer employment to smokers". Teams A and C came second in their debates. Team B won their debate and went through to the final in which they debated "This house would make illegal any type of clothing that obscures the face". The team did admirably, especially considering this was their first ever competition. The final was won by the team from City of London School for Girls.

FROM SIBERIA TO FREEMEN'S

07/10/10

Rob Lilwell came in to school on Wednesday 6th October and told us of his 30,000 mile cycle ride which started in Siberia, detoured via Australia and finished three years later.  The talk was supported by slides and personal anecdotes. In particular, Rob mentioned how he was welcomed in Siberia with warnings about how the bad weather would kill him. If he didn't freeze to death then a bear would be bound to eat him and, if all else failed the wolves would get him. He was living proof both of his staying power and amazing resolve. Rob remained in the school after the talk to sign copies of his book for pupils. Mrs Rowena Gregory, Head of Year 9, said: "The talk offered a real inspiration to the children not to be deterred by challenges. As Rob said, 'Taking the first step is often the hardest'.  This positive message was really appreciated by his audience."

PARKSIDE TRIATHLON

05/10/10

On Sunday 26th September a number of CLFS pupils entered the Parkside Invitational Triathlon. The distances raced depended on the age group.

In the Under 9s Aaron Teale and Lucy Yellow finished in medal positions and Matthew Wilding and Gezana Rai were the 9th boy and girl. James Wilks came first in the Under 11 race, Kaiya Rain was the third girl and Fred Geen was the fourth boy. In the Under 13s John Morrison and Sam Ashbrigdge did really well coming fourth and 6th.

Mr Gibson said “This was a great opportunity for our Triathletes who produced some truly outstanding results. Well done to all those that took part and well done to Parkside school on the running of the event”.

Full Results

Under 9s

Under 11s

Under 13s

ALL HALE THE HOUSE DRAMA WINNERS

01/10/10

House Drama took place on Tuesday 28th September, and Jessica Swale, who is a Director at the Globe Theatre, London, came to judge the competition. Having someone who is currently actively involved in world class drama productions was an honour indeed.

The competition began with Gresham . James Trinder performed an extract from ‘Flush’ by David Dipper which was moving and intense. Jessica was most impressed and her comment, “If this was a drama school audition, I’d let you in!” was a great compliment for James. Indeed, James was justifiably awarded Best Male Performer.

Gresham’s comic monologue was performed by Emily Wilkes from Upper 5. Emily’s energetic portrayal of a woman on a rollercoaster kept the audience engaged and she certainly managed to make her performance amusing for all the right reasons. Jessica commented on Emily’s ‘lovely facial expression and lovely choreography’. Emily’s performance was given the Best Female Performer award. These two excellent performances certainly got the competition off to a great start.

Next were Whittington. The Mengham twins, Clare and Rachel, both from Upper 5, gave a comic performance of an extract from ‘The Vicar of Dibley’.  Rachel captured the role of the dippy Alice perfectly and Clare, as the Vicar, maintained a calm façade throughout. This performance was commended by Jessica who loved the characterisation and attention to non-verbal elements.

Whittington’s original piece ‘Triple Date’ was written by Elise Wilkinson of Upper 6. This comic piece was set in a pub and showed what can happen when a man is dishonest with a number of women. The actor playing the misguided male, Graeme du Plessis of Upper 6, certainly got his just desserts at the end. Jessica commended this original piece for the ‘clear contrasting characters’ and the fact that ‘girl power’ won in the end. Performing a Shakespearian sonnet is a challenge and Whittington’s Laurence Belcher rose to this with his expressive and controlled delivery.

Last to go were Hale and they knew that they had a fight on their hands. Hale were commended for the ‘challenging’ material they had chosen, including a duologue from the play ‘Anne Boleyn’. The comic duologue which was an extract from ‘The Two Ronnies’, saw Harry Househam and Ben Mady, both from Upper 5 sitting on a park bench delivering a dialogue, which in typical two Ronnies’ style was a play on words. Jessica commented on the ‘great banter’ between the characters and the excellent use of pauses for comic effect.

Ollie Hampden, performed a monologue from the popular Shell Connections Collection ‘Chatroom’. This was a sad and moving piece and Jessica commended him for his timing which added to the tension of the piece.

Jessica was asked to give an award for the best piece and it was Hale’s performance of ‘Shrink’ which won. Written by Ollie Hampden and performed by Sixth Form Drama students Victoria Wales and Ariane Bieri this piece was a pleasure to watch. Set in a Psychiatrist’s surgery, the piece had a maturity which was impressive. Jessica enjoyed the ‘balance of comedy and seriousness and the excellent climax.’

In her summing up, Jessica told the assembled performers and directors that she had thoroughly enjoyed the morning and was impressed by the high standards she had witnessed. It was praise indeed.

Although it was a very close-run competition, Hale were the victors by a narrow 2.5 marks. Ms Sarah Chamberlain-Webber, Drama teacher, said: “We all enjoyed and were entertained by the pieces we watched. Congratulations to all those who were involved both on and off stage. Jessica said that she would love to return to CLFS and we very much hope that she will.”

UPPER 4 GEOGRPAHY FIELDTRIP TO BOXHILL

01/10/10

On Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd September, the Upper 4s departed CLFS for the Ryker’s car park at Mickleham and then climbed the impressive slope from Burford Bridge towards the summit to cries of 'Great view', 'Wow, look at that dry valley' (staff), 'How much further?', 'Is it far?' and 'Gasp…' (students). En route, footpath erosion measurements provided evidence of problems and at the top vegetation surveys using quadrates showed how bad trampling had become. Trying to capture the outstanding view from the Lookout by field sketching was interesting. Packed lunch outside the café (a honeypot site – ask the Upper 4 to explain) showed us how effective litterbins can be as well as the excellence of the local ice cream. Studies of the management of traffic, footpaths, woodland and sheep grazing 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. On both days we were fortunate to have lovely weather and one and all had a great day.

SUCCESS AT A LEVEL PHYSICS

28/09/10

Christopher Turner and Douglas Young, who left Freemen's in the summer, were both top-scoring students in last summer’s A Level Physics exams. They each scored over 590 out of 600, placing them in the top 21 students sitting Edexcel Physics. This is an incredible achievement for both young men and proves their academic credentials and sustained efforts. Christopher is now beginning a Chemistry degree at Bristol, whilst Douglas starts his Engineering course at Cambridge.

CHINESE CHURCH VISIT BOARDING COMMUNITY

27/09/10

Our Boarders enjoyed a visit from Epsom's Chinese Church on Friday 24th September. The visit included a series of songs in the Ferndale Theatre followed by a competitive game of boy's basketball and girl's badminton. Many members of the church group are Old Freemen and it was a great evening for current and former pupils to swap stories and share other interests. Mrs Sharon Lee from Epsom Chinese Church, who arranged the evening along with Rev. Rutherford, said: "This is a great way for current pupils, especially those new to the School, to interact with local members of the Church." 

MRS D. E. J. (JOYCE) WILLIAMSON (1928-2010)

27/09/10

We were very sorry to hear of the recent death of Mrs D. E. J. (Joyce) Williamson who taught Domestic Science at the City of London Freemen's School from the 1970s through to the early 1990s.  Joyce died peacefully after a long illness at St Helier's hospital, Carshalton. The School extends to Joyce's family our sincerest condolences.

GB SELECT FREEMEN'S FENCER FOR INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

23/09/10

Ellie Irwin, 14, has been selected as a member of the Under 17 Great Britain Epee squad, to go to the A Grade International Competition in Heidenheim, Germany this October.

This selection is based on her results of last year, and her performances in the first two point-scoring competitions this season.

Ellie recently attended the first British Fencing National Academy for the top fencers in the country where she received strength and conditioning training, sports psychology, nutrition advice and also referee training. Ellie has had financial support from the City of London Sports and Physical Activity Network, COLSPAN.

Mr Bryan Lewis, Head of Fencing said: "Ellie's success reflects her enthusiasm and dedication, her considerable efforts and the coaching expertise and time commitment here at school."

JESSICA SWALE TO JUDGE HOUSE DRAMA

22/09/10

Jessica Swale, Associate Director of Out of Joint, and Artistic Director of Red Handed Theatre Company, has agreed to judge this year’s House Drama on Wednesday 29th September, as our actors do battle. Jessica is also Director of the Globe Theatre’s production of Bedlam which is playing until 1st October.

Jessica trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and Exeter University. This season at the Globe she is the Director of Bedlam by Nell Leyshon, the first play ever to be written by a woman for that space, and Associate Director for Henry IV Part 1 and Henry IV Part 2.

Jessica is also a regular director for Youth Bridge Global, an International NGO which uses theatre as a development tool. As such she has lived in Bosnia in Herzegovina and the Marshall Islands, directing bilingual productions of The Comedy of Errors (Marshall Islands) and Much Ado about Nothing (Bosnia). She is a LAMDA examiner and a regular teacher at East 15 and Central School of Speech and Drama.

Ms Sarah Chamberlain-Webber, of the Drama Department said: “We are really pleased to welcome Jessica to the school. To have someone of this stature and experience in the theatre world judging our actors can only be hugely beneficial to the pupils. I am sure that they will all learn from Jessica’s feedback on their performances.”

FREEMEN’S INVITATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY FESTIVAL SEES UNDER 12 GIRLS WIN GOLD AS UNDER 12 BOYS FINISH CLOSE SECOND TO CRANMORE

21/09/10

CLFS hosted its second cross country festival on Sunday 19th September. The event was almost double the first festival with nearly 130 boys and girls competing from seven different schools in both Under 10 and Under 12 competitions.

24 Freemen’s pupils took part, and our best results included Stefi Symonds finishing second in the Girls U10 race, and Anna Whitworth and Rachel Slater who finished second and third in the Girls U12 race helping their team to first place in the U12 Girls team competition.

In the boys races Cranmore had some particularly strong runners, finishing first and second in the U10s and second and third in the U12’s. However, Danes Hill produced a stronger team result to take the U10 Boys team title whilst Cranmore just pipped an excellent team effort from Freemen’s to clinch first place in the U12 Boys event.

Download the full set of results from the festival.

BOARDERS HAVE A ROLLERCOASTER OF A DAY!

21/09/10

On Sunday 19th September the whole boarding community, 68 pupils and staff, visited Thorpe Park. The trip allowed new and current pupils to spend time with fellow boarder's away from Ashtead Park and strengthened friendship groups. The group set off in four full mini-buses and the pupils were keen to sample rides such as Saw, Stealth and Samurai at the theme park. Pupils and staff alike had a fantastic day with all involved interacting away from the school environment which will hopefully make for two boarding houses at CLFS full of fun, laughter and hard work for this academic year. Mr Bird, Boarding House Assistant, said: "It was great to see the whole boarding community all together so early on in the school year. We all attend the Lord Mayor's show in the City in November but this was an ideal trip, especially for the large number of new boarder's to socialise with those already here". 

NEW DEBATING SOCIETY SEASON OPENS WITH A TOPICAL DEBATE

21/09/10

The motion ‘This house supports the Pope's visit to Britain’ prompted lively debate on Friday 17th September. New members were welcomed to the CLFS Debating Society and joined the deliberations with much anticipation. There was a good turnout with the audience very much in support of the Opposition who won hands down. The Proposition conducted themselves admirably as no one held their point of view.

Hannah Kent, Laura Grayling – First Proposition

Margaret Young, Catherine Sadler – Second proposition

Rosie Shakerchi, Sam Strijdom – First Opposition

Gabbi Cox, Eli Riley – Second Opposition

BUTCHER REPRESENTS SURREY U9’S

20/09/10

Ben Butcher, of Lower 2, has recently played for Surrey U9’s XI and did so with success. Surrey U9’s took the field at Headley CC against Buckinghamshire U9 XI and with the help of Ben’s bowling played extremely well.

Having played throughout last season for the U9’s at CLFS Ben regularly took wickets and also contributed with the bat. Ben plays his cricket at Ashtead Cricket Club and performances in both school and club games have allowed him to be identified for the representative side.

Mr Moore, master in charge of Cricket said: "This is a great achievement and continues the strong tradition of CLFS players representing Surrey highlighted by Rory Burns’ (OF 2008) inclusion in the Surrey CCC senior squad which will hopefully inspire Ben and the other talented cricketers at Freemen’s".

NETBALLERS START OFF WITH SUCCESS

16/09/10

A nervous group of U11 girls arrived at Sutton High school on 14th September to play in their first Versatility Tournament. In this event each team plays seven matches and each player must play in a different position in each game.

The A team worked with great determination and concentration and after a slow start finished the event undefeated, clocking up good wins over new opposition such as Bramley, Seaton House and Surbiton High, and therefore winning the competition.

The B team, who were competing against mainly A teams from other schools, also showed great enthusiasm and effort and finished in a very creditable 6th place.

Mrs Bennett, Acting Head of Department, said: "I am delighted with the effort and determination shown by the entire squad at this new event. It take excellent teamwork and concentration to play in so many different positions and the girls should be very proud of themselves."

UPPER 4 PGL WEEKEND

16/09/10

Over the weekend of 10th-12th September the Upper 4 went away for the weekend on a PGL trip to Merchants Hill. The weekend was a great chance for the year to do some team building and it allowed new pupils get to know students who had been at Freemen’s in the Junior School.

There were lots of activities for us to try, such as quad biking, zip wire, aeroball and Jacob’s ladder. A favourite activity was the giant swing, because as you tugged on the rope you got swung through the air with a great rush. The activities were fun even when you were waiting for your go because you could chat with others who were waiting or encourage whoever was having their turn. The disco on Saturday night was a great laugh, a few of the boys decided to go dressed in white t-shirts and pyjama bottoms, which caught on and eventually almost everyone changed into their pyjamas for the disco too.

Sunday lunchtime came too soon as we all wanted to stay and have a go at even more activities. Thank you to Mrs Guest and the rest of the teachers for all their hard work, the weekend was a great way for Upper 4s to make new friends and spend time with old ones.

Written by Tim Newhouse

A TRIP TO THE TATE? HOW MODERN!

16/09/10

On 7th September all of the Lower 5 Art students visited the Tate modern in order to broaden their appreciation of the subject and help develop their first GCSE project based on the theme ‘Contrasts’. All GCSE themes are designed so that they can be interpreted in a number of different ways and every student has already begun to move in their own direction. All students enjoyed the trip and managed to record information in their sketch books which they have since built upon in school. As usual everyone behaved impeccably and all of the staff involved commented on the success of the visit. Thanks go to Mrs Humphreys who organised the trip and made it run so smoothly.

BASKETBALL PUTS SPRING IN STEP OF BOARDERS

16/09/10

The Boys Boarding House played their first basketball fixture of the season against a strong and experienced Epsom College team. The boys, who regularly use their recreation time to play the sport, visited Epsom on Sunday 12th September and playing some exciting basketball looked sharp and comfortable against their opponents.  Captained by Andre Wong, who has played a high standard of basketball previously in Hong Kong, orchestrated play and Richard Lam, Trevor Cheung and Jeffery Wan contributed with important points. In a very close game we lost by just one point (34-35) but the team look forward to their next fixture against local rivals Reed's. 

DID THE EMPIRE STRIKE BACK IN THE RETURN OF THE SOCIETY?

15/09/10

The Batchelor Society met for the first time in 2010/11 on Tuesday 14th September. A well-attended debate in the Haywood Centre foyer centred around the motion 'This House believes that we should be proud of Britain's Imperial Past' with Mr Wright proposing and Mrs Edwards in opposition. The proposition stance revolved around the British Empire being based on cooperation with native peoples, a positive force in the world in terms of aid, trade and development as well as a benign influence compared to the rival imperialisms of nations such as Japan. Mrs Edwards in opposition focused on the importance of slavery to the early Empire as well as the exploitative nature of relations between Britain and its subject nations. The argument also highlighted racism and negative legacies of Empire on both the British and its former colonies. The audience were then invited to contribute their points of view and questions to both sides before these views and questions and incorporated in the proposition and opposition's concluding remarks. A final vote was then overseen by the Chair of the Debate and one of this year's Society Presidents Laura Grayling.

GOOD HEALTHY FUN

15/09/10

City of London Freemen's School have come up with a new initiative to encourage children to eat healthily and develop good ‘food behaviours’ of pupils.

The special incentive scheme for 7 to 9 year olds is called Healthy Stars, and the aim is to add an element of fun to healthy eating. Children are given one Healthy Star if they choose two vegetables with lunch, and if both are eaten their star is put by their name on the Healthy Stars board (pictured).

The scheme will run until Christmas in two six-week cycles.

Children who have eaten two vegetables at least three times a week will receive a Vegetable Key Ring to collect. If they carry on eating their vegetables until Christmas, they will win a Lego Santa Key Ring. There will also be special bonus prizes for those who have consistently eaten the most vegetables.

Mr Spencer Thorne, Head of Aramark catering at the School, said: “Who says healthy eating can’t be fun?”

CLFS LINKS WITH KEW

13/09/10

In July 2010 Patrick Kennedy gained a prestigious place as a student for a week in the Jodrell laboratories. Patrick, who completed his A Levels in the summer, spent time with scientists and worked on a number of projects in the different departments of this world class laboratory. He goes on to take a place to read Biological Sciences at Oxford (Brasenose).

This continues to build on the links made by Dr Owen-Jones between the School and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In 2008 Kew horticultural students came to visit the school grounds and the walled garden. They were impressed with the gardens and used them to design a possible teaching space as part of their final diploma assessment. They drew up 16 different plans all with planting schemes and ideas for maintenance. The Biology and Geography departments then visited Kew in the autumn of 2009 (and are due to visit again in October). During the visit they learnt about the dry tropics, wet tropics and the way in which climate change is affecting plants. 

FORM 1 BUILD A NEW TEAM

10/09/10

Form 1 took part in their team building Induction Day on Thursday 9th September. During the day, the pupils engaged in a series of team activities and tasks aimed at developing problem solving skills. These included arranging different sized tyres into a particular order in the ‘Tyre Teaser’ game and a number of multi-sensory challenges.

Confidence grew during the day and everyone enjoyed taking responsibility.

The pupils all solved problems, worked as a team and made new friends. Mrs Wilby made over 20 new friends, and Mrs Samson organised an exciting end to the day. Mrs Williams enjoyed the range of fun team games and challenges.

BAKE A CAKE FOR CHARITY

03/09/10

On Thursday 2nd September, Upper 3 began the year with an 'edible' team-building activity. They were set the challenge of working and learning together whilst making money for charity by decorating cakes together. Amidst all the chatter and artistic endeavours the pupils completed the task and achieved the further objective of organising themselves independently. Upper 3 worked together well and created 200 cakes in less than 30 minutes. The following day they continued with the theme of organising themselves by forming into teams to sell the cakes during their lunch-break.  

A big thank you must go to all those involved and particularly the Junior School pupils and parents for being so generous with their pennies (and pounds) at the start of term. In total we made, donated and sold £220 worth of cookies and cakes. These funds raised by the Upper 3 will be sent to the victims of the recent floods in Pakistan.

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