Category Archives: co-curricular

Bedales in the Greenpower International Finals

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By Alex McNaughton, Head of Faculty: Art & Design

On Sunday 8 October, Bedales qualified to compete in the Greenpower International Finals 2023 at Goodwood Motor Circuit. This was quite something; racing on one of the most iconic tracks in the world, with clear skies against 90+ other cars, the day was set to be one to remember. Our place in the finals had been achieved by our consistent performance in the Goodwood and Castle Combe heats earlier in the year.

The Bedales Greenpower project is going from strength to strength; we have a great group of regular attendees at our weekly sessions and have a real thirst to do better each time we race. We are aiming towards fielding an additional car for the next season – watch this space for future developments.

Here, two Bedales Greenpower team members reflect on their experience in the finals.

By Elliot Cundy, Block 5 and Max Galgey, Block 4

The first event of the day was open practice; 70 minutes in which we could run our car non-competitively to check everything was running as it should be, practice our race strategy, see how our lap times compared to the rest of the grid, and give a few of our new drivers some all-important practice behind the wheel.

Thankfully the car ran without any issues, and our race strategy was proving effective; the use of a pit board enabled us to communicate with the driver as to how much throttle to use, allowing us to pace the car for the optimal balance between performance and efficiency so as to not run out of power (as has been a problem in previous races). As the practice session came to an end, we swiftly swapped the car’s batteries to a fresh fully charged set and lined up on the grid for the first race, the results of which would decide our grid position for the second.

The first race went according to plan, with the four drivers all completing three laps, and setting good times for our finishing position. The first driver came into the pitlane after a very good stint. We had a good pitstop that held our position, and out the second driver went. A very close call on the start straight, when another car illegally blocked us. The car was unscathed, and we kept going, the next few pitstops went well. All the drivers in the second race drove very well and gave us a qualifying position on 50th.

Heading into the second race, we qualified 50th out of 92 with a strong mindset and a clear strategy, calculated from previous results in an Excel spreadsheet. At the race start we swiftly moved up through the field at a steady but strong pace. We completed five laps before heading into the pitlane where the next driver was waiting. With a decent pitstop, we were back out onto the track. In the pitlane, we had lost a few positions, but we kept going strong.

On the second lap of the second stint, the driver clocked a new Goodwood team best of a five-minute and 10-second time. The next lap had a bit of confusion, letting the driver go 100% for another lap, a mistake that would later affect the car’s performance. The driver then pulled into the pits a few laps later, where the team completed a new fastest pit stop of around five seconds.

Out went the last driver, going as fast as he wanted to finish the race. Heading onto the final lap the car started to run low on power, but thankfully the car kept going. While heading into the final corner, the car’s speed dropped significantly and it rolled across the line to finish 18th of 52 in class and 48th of 92 overall.

Since last year’s finals, the Bedales Greenpower team have been working hard each week to fit a variety of upgrades and make modifications to the car, including new cooling inlets, aerodynamic vacuum-formed wheel covers and a custom-made telemetry system. Alongside this, we are currently in the process of designing a new car, completely from scratch. It was therefore very useful to get the chance to talk to the different teams at the race about what aspects have and haven’t worked for them and to take inspiration from their designs. 

More Bedales DofE Adventure

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By Jack Duff Gordon, 6.1 and Rob Reynolds, Director of External Relations and DofE Volunteer

Following the recent Block 3 Bronze DofE expedition, it was the turn of 10 intrepid 6.1 students who completed their Gold Practice in a very inhospitable Dartmoor over the Coronation Bank Holiday weekend. The students’ resilience and determination were fully tested in looking out for each other and coping with the harsh conditions. Despite some tightening up of wild camping spaces, we found suitable spots and there were opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the Dartmoor National Park whose granite tors, rich coloured rivers and open landscapes have inspired authors, poets, and artists for years. Overall the expedition was an excellent learning opportunity about the importance of looking after self and kit, and adapting to the various challenges of an expedition. The students should be proud of their achievement. Next stop for the Gold students in June: Bannau Brycheiniog (formerly known as the Brecon Beacons).

Jack Duff Gordon (6.1), who completed the expedition, commented: “While the walk had its ups and downs both literally and metaphorically, it was a good way of getting to know people better and make other friendships stronger. It was a good lesson in how important the basic human needs of water, shelter and warmth are. Despite the fact that warmth was sometimes not achieved, it was a positive experience – and some proper type 2 fun.”

See more photos below:

Bedales adventure

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By Allen Shone, Teacher of Physics and DofE Manager

Last Friday, 22 Block 3 students set off from school on their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Qualifying Expedition. Under slightly overcast weather, they worked in groups to walk to Dunscombe Farm, East Meon, where they set up camp for the night.

As students settled into camp they tucked into their evening meal, with food varying from pasta and noodles all the way to fried salmon with gold leaf! Waking up to sunny weather on Saturday morning, the students set off before 9am and arrived at the Sustainability Centre for lunch, finishing at Queen Elizabeth Country Park that afternoon. 

See photos from the expedition below:

The DofE adventures continue this weekend as 6.2 students head to Dartmoor for a four-day practice expedition ahead of the qualifying expedition in June.

Bedales Greenpower team compete at Dunsfold

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By Alex McNaughton, Head of Faculty: Art & Design

After competing in their first race at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in May, the Bedales Greenpower team took to the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold on 18 September for their second outing. Here, students Elliot Cundy and Lolo Gaio reflect on the experience, which has earned the team a wild card entry to the International Finals at Goodwood on Sunday 9 October. The team are now furiously tweaking and improving the car ready for the season finale and we are looking forward to another full and enjoyable day at Goodwood. 

Elliot Cundy, Block 4

The Bedales Greenpower team attended their second race of the year at the iconic Top Gear test track at Dunsfold. Since the last race, the team had upgraded the car with a brand new cooling system and reworked steering. Due to a recent wave of illness as well as a clash of commitments, we only had two people available to drive – me and Lolo – between whom we divided three hours of racing time.

After our car had passed the all-important scrutineering, we were allowed out on the track for the first time to practice. Unfortunately, shortly into the session, another team’s car had rolled at the first corner, causing the deployment of an ambulance and halting the practice session for 20 minutes. Once all was clear, we started to learn the line of the track, putting down consistent, gradually improving lap times whilst learning the limits of our car. The first race was fast approaching, so after a swift battery change, we lined up on the grid for the first real test of our skill and car.

With 57 cars on the track, it was certainly a fight for space. I was driving the first stint, and was quickly learning that dealing with other people intruding onto my line would be a problem. Proceeding around the final corner, I was pushed into a cone by another car on my outside, forcing me to pit early to check for damage before letting Lolo hop in and take over. By the end of the first race, our battery was beginning to drain, leading us to place 23rd overall and achieving a top speed of 25mph. 

Lolo Gaio, Block 4

Before the second race, my Dad realised that the nuts holding the wheel to the car were loose on both sides, which was causing the wheels to scrape against the car and make an unpleasant sound when turning. After fixing that, we changed the back wheels for the front wheels; the front wheels were larger than the back, which meant when swapped, the front wheels wouldn’t scrape against the car. Having a larger wheel on the motor also resulted in a longer gear ratio and therefore a slightly higher top speed of 26mph. 

We started the race in 24th place, and finished in 11th, having overtaken 13 cars in the first lap! Our car was running well, and it felt super fast. At the end of my first stint, we were in 8th position and after the pit stop, we were in 11th. Elliot had a longer, 40-minute stint to save on a pit stop against the rest, which got us up to fifth position!

Nothing eventful happened during the race until the lap that Elliot was due to come into the pits, when there was a red flag. Two cars crashed one corner behind him and the race stopped, with Elliot right behind the person holding the red flag. One car managed to get into the pits just before the red flag, so he got a free pit stop. As we were speaking to the race director Vaughan Clarke, he told us an impressive fact – there had only been one broken bone in all 22 years of racing. With the ambulance out, we were relieved to hear that neither driver was injured and the race could resume after 30 minutes. Elliot immediately drove into the pits, and then I was out… with a dying battery. The car was going much slower than when I started and we lost the lead we had gained.

In the end, we finished 17th (10th in our class), which was not too bad overall. The race was an incredible experience, and I’m so glad we did it. Next time, we’ll add wheel covers and make the car more aerodynamic, and hopefully we’ll be able to make it a full race without the battery dying on us. 

Bedales Greenpower team competes at prestigious Goodwood Motor Circuit

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By Alex McNaughton, Head of Design

For the last eight months a team of approximately 20 students from Block 3 to 6.1 have been building and electric race car in the Design workshop. We have been doing this with the aim of competing in the national Greenpower competition. It would not have been possible to even start this undertaking without the very generous granting of funds by the Bedales Parents’ Association (BPA) nearly a year ago.

The Greenpower Educational Trust organise this annual competition each year with the aim of engaging young people about science and engineering by challenging them to design, build and race an electric race car which the students drive themselves.

It was with great excitement, and trepidation, that 12 students from Block 3, Block 5 and 6.1 accompanied by three staff entered our first ever event last Sunday (8 May) at one of the spiritual homes of motorsport in the UK – the glorious Goodwood Motor Circuit. It was a fantastic day in which we experienced the full range of emotions associated with any form of motorsport.

The day started off well with a few practice laps to fine tune the car and clock up some all-important driver experience. Unfortunately however our hopes seemed dashed moments into the first actual race of the day. The car suffered a power failure resulting in only about half our power making to the wheels. Our drivers persevered for a few laps until we decided to pit the car and remedy the issue. After nearly two and half hours of trouble shooting, maintenance and stress we managed to get the car back up and running. We were very fortunate that a couple of Greenpower volunteers and one of our competition, in the spirit of our shared endeavour, provided us with some assistance. Many many thanks to those who helped us in our hours of need. Frustratingly no one could accurately diagnose the mystery gremlin so we prepared the car as best we could and entered the second round.

Thankfully the period of doubt and anxiety was swiftly replaced by heart racing joy, elation and exuberance as the car and drivers performed fantastically well in the second round. Our car was fixed, it leapt to life as it should and sped away clocking up an above average 28 miles of racing in the afternoon. The relief was wiped from every face – we had succeeded and were competitively racing! It was an awesome feeling to be able to share in this success and reap the rewards of our many hours of hard work in building our first race car.

It was a long but utterly worthwhile day spent in the wonderful sunshine at Goodwood culminating in an incredibly successful first outing for the car and team. I am so incredibly proud of all who helped build the car, those who raced it and to all those who accompanied and supported us on the day.

I would like to say an enormous and heartfelt thank you to the BPA on behalf of the entire team for the opportunity to get this far and for the many races ahead. We are already planning ways to improve and prepare the car for our next race in September at Dunsfold.

Happy motoring to you all…

Celebrating the ‘head, hand and heart’ experience

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By Laura Greene, Block 5 BPA Rep & BPA Gatherings

This week saw the third and final Bedales Parents’ Association (BPA) gathering of the school year with a talk entitled ‘Bedales Outside the Classroom: Delivering the Head, Hand and Heart Experience’ (watch a recording of the talk here).
 
Lead by Deputy Head (Operational and Co-Curricular) Phil Tattersall-King, we were also joined by Spencer Leach (Director of Sport), Doug McIlwraith (Director of Music) and Jess Warren (Head of Psychology and Enrichment), along with two current Bedales students, Kam Nelson-Clayton (Block 5) and Jess Asamoa (6.1).
 
We looked at what’s on offer across the unique and far-reaching Bedales landscape outside of the classroom curriculum, and why these activities form such a vital part of the holistic Bedales experience for students and their families. We also delved into the need to strike the right balance between the compulsory and optional provision of music, sport, theatre and the myriad other opportunities available during a student’s time at Bedales.
 
The BPA are grateful to the team for giving us their time and energy and we’re so looking forward to holding more events like this one in the coming school year. Some online gatherings for those who can’t make it into school will remain, but we’re thrilled to start planning to gather together in person once again too!
 
One of the best takeaways from this week’s talk for me was the prospect of so many exciting events already lined up on the imminent school calendar that showcase the richness of our school’s co-curricular programme, with orchestral concerts, plays and dance recitals, the Rock Show and of course Parents’ Day all coming up before the end of this Summer Term. We look forward to seeing you around the campus and enjoying all that makes Bedales such a special place to be, together.

Co-curricular goes digital

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By Clare Gendy, Teacher of Business and Activities Coordinator

As Phil Tattersall-King wrote in the Bedales Online Learning Guide, the last time the school worked remotely, the co-curriculum flourished, with concerts, shows and practical work continuing throughout. Now is no different, but our vision is broader than it was before – and this is reflected in our activities programme, which has been finalised and is now underway.

Students of all age groups can get involved with activities, which operate on Teams in Garrett, Badley and Powell Times (8.20-9.20am, 12.30-1.30pm and 5.30-6.30pm respectively). There is a vast range of options to choose from, including crocheting, lego building, photography, yoga, poetry reading, cake making, mindful colouring, dog walking, football coaching and collaborative drawing. Students can continue with existing commitments, such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE), as well as explore something completely new, such as astronomy. As well as Junior and Senior Literacy Societies, Block 3 students are encouraged to attend a weekly book chat to share what they have been reading during lockdown.

There are opportunities for students to get involved in Drama’s Spring Production (whether as an actor or a member of stage crew), play an active role in the development of a new, live play, attend dance and drama industry workshops or take part in a lockdown dance project. Music activities, including Orchestra, Choir and Jazz Band, will also continue.

Take a look at the full activities programme here and do encourage students to drop-in, sign up and make the most of what our fantastic co-curriculum has to offer.