Category Archives: Uncategorized

New student studies in use

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The first phase of the new student studies are complete and are currently being used by 80 6.1 students.

The high quality study spaces, which can be found in the old Bedales Gallery and Textiles building, were designed by Richard Griffiths Architects and the interior was completed in consultation with Old Bedalian and current Governor Anna Keay.

The second phase has now begun, with demolition work currently taking place that will enable a new roof to go on the old workshop, before the former Art buildings are removed ahead of reconstruction. The final building will be an energy efficient, high quality space for students, and the old academic village will vanish.

Completion of the whole project is anticipated for the start of the Autumn term 2020, and we will update you as the project progresses.

Bedales musicians perform at Women in Business Awards

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By Minna Hall, 6.1

A different and inspiring night was had by four Bedales contemporary musicians as we performed at the Women in Business Awards in Windsor on 30 September.

The Women in Business Awards celebrates the tremendous work leading ladies have done to achieve their goals and to inspire other women to follow their own ambitions. The overriding message from the keynote speakers was that you can accomplish your goals if you work hard and put your mind to it.

We were invited to perform music to add to the ambience of the evening. Safi Kazim once again blew the audience away with her outstanding originals. Mabel Watson and Lila Levingston also impressed the crowd with their beautifully sung covers, and I accompanied them all!

We all thoroughly enjoyed our evening and it was interesting to meet such pioneering women who wanted to share their experiences with other successful – and aspiring – professionals. A big thank you to Tamsin Napier-Munn, Host and Manager of the Women in Business Awards, for inviting us to play at such a thought-provoking event, and we hope to be invited back next year!

Tamsin added: “The Women in Business Awards is one of the highlights of the year in the Thames Valley and the South, celebrating, encouraging and inspiring business women in the region who have had the courage to step up and be recognised for their achievements. This year, we were delighted to have four talented performers from Bedales sing and play for us, helping us create a wonderful atmosphere. A huge thank you to Mabel, Minna, Safi and Lila, for your professionalism and commitment to the evening. You are inspiring, hugely talented young women; thank you for sharing your talent with us.”

Match report: U14 Girls’ Hockey v Lord Wandsworth College, 2.10.2019

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By Chloe Nicklin, Head of Netball

The U14 side played with great determination against a strong Lord Wandworth College (LWC) team. The first 15 minutes of the first half were extremely close, with the score remaining at 0-0, which was mainly down to a strong defensive performance from newly appointed captain Rebekah and her teammates Greta, Matilda and Antonia.

Ottilie made her debut as Bedales’ goalie, making a fantastic save with a completely outstretched leg. Unfortunately, the relentless LWC attack were able to secure two goals before the half time whistle.

Bedales came back strong, with Sage turning the ball and making a break, scoring a fantastic goal. Bedales as a whole stepped up and applied pressure to the strong LWC side. However, with no subs, fatigue began to rear its head and LWC were able to secure another goal before the end of the game.

Although Bedales lost 3-1, they played with grit all the way to the end. Most valuable players selected by LWC were Ottilie and Rebekah.

Match report: U16 Girls’ Hockey v Churcher’s College, 2.10.2019

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By Mariela Walton, Teacher of Girls’ PE & Games

This week the U16s ventured down the road to play Churcher’s. The game got off to a strong start and Bedales dominated the play, with Churcher’s getting very little possession in their own half. Sasha Arney took on a new challenge in the role of right half and was excellent, proving that her speed and stick skills are great all over the pitch. It wasn’t long before Mathilda Douglas took a sideline pass which she lifted into the D and was expertly deflected by Nell Freeborough to give Bedales their first goal. Not long after, Mathilda gave Bedales the second goal which sent us into half-time with a 2-0 lead.

Churcher’s came alive in the second half and after only a few minutes had secured themselves a goal. Mabel Watson looked dangerous in the role of right wing, consistently driving the ball down the pitch and across the baseline, and it was this persistence that eventually gave Bedales their third goal from a power shot at the top of the D. Churcher’s retaliated with a second goal of their own, which prompted Bedales to launch an even stronger counter attack.

Esther Stewart was outstanding in the role of full back, driving the ball out of the circle and out, letting to Emily Smith who then confidently and expertly carried the ball down pitch. A shot in the circle from Sammy Smith gave Bedales their fourth and final goal leading to a full time score of 4-2 to Bedales. Shanklin Mackillop Hall was voted player of the match, however all of the team played exceptionally well and it was certainly their best game to date.

Match report: U15 Girls’ Hockey v Churcher’s College, 2.10.2019

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By Kevin Boniface, Head of Hockey

On Wednesday, the U15 girls’ hockey side travelled away to play Churcher’s College U15B team. This game is always a well-matched fixture and the 2019 instalment was no different. Bedales could argue that they had the bulk of attacking play in the first half, but were thwarted on numerous occasions by the outstanding Churcher’s keeper. As the half progressed, Bedales quite rightly pressed forward but were sometimes a little ‘gung-ho’, leaving gaps at the back. Despite tremendous defending from full back Olivia Cooper, Churcher’s posed a threat on the breakaway – and it was from one of these fast breaks that they converted, going in 1-0 up at half-time.

Buoyed by their lead, Churcher’s started the second half strongly, but with a large squad rotating from the bench, Bedales were able to increase their intensity and started gaining more of an attacking foothold. A deserved equaliser came from Minnie Galton-Fenzi, who broke down the right channel, eliminated her marker and calmly finished in the bottom corner.

With time running out it looked like the game was heading for a draw. This was until Kamaya Nelson Clayton picked up the ball on the top of the Churcher’s circle and eliminated three players before neatly shifting the ball on to her reverse stick and slamming the ball home. Final score: 2 -1 Bedales. A really enjoyable and exciting game and credit to both teams for playing their part in it.

Music update: exam results, conservatoires and County Youth Orchestra

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By Doug Mcilwraith, Director of Music

Congratulations to Bedales students for excellent performances in their recent music exams. After attending the Chetham School of Music’s summer piano course for advanced help on piano techniques – including an introduction to music for prepared piano – 6.2 student Mary Wang was awarded a Distinction in Grade 8 piano. The following students passed with Merit: Juliet Solomon-Solymar (Block 3, Grade 4 oboe); Beatrice Lingham (Block 4, grade 6 piano); Jamie Loudon (Block 4, Grade 2 percussion); Leela Walton (Block 4, Grade 6 violin); and Annia Grey (Block 5, Grade 5 violin). Harry Hetherington (Block 3) and Imogen Wright (Block 3) both achieved strong passes in Grade 5 oboe and Grade 3 trumpet respectively.

We now have several of our advanced musicians who take extra lessons in London on Saturdays at the country’s top music conservatoires. Jake Lacey (6.1) and Lila Levingston (Block 5) attend the Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Tiger Braun-White (Block 5) attends the Royal Academy of Music and Kai MacRae (6.1) attends the National Youth Jazz Orchestra junior course. All of these institutions demand the absolute very best from their students and we congratulate our students for winning places to study and take part in their programmes.

Bedales now has four students playing in the County Youth Orchestra: Mary Wang and Sampson Keung (6.2) play percussion and Sampson is section principal, George Harlan (Block 5) plays horn and Monty Bland (Block 5) joins this year on double bass. They are working on some of the greatest ever works for orchestra: Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, which changed the course of music history, and Mahler’s 5th Symphony.

It is so important for all of us to compare what we do at Bedales to what others do in other communities and we congratulate our musical ambassadors for striving to work with the best young musicians in the south of England and ensuring that Bedales is very much on the musical map.

Match report: South Regional Team Tennis Play-offs, 25.09.2019

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By Graeme Coulter, Head of Tennis

On Wednesday, Harry Hornsby, Paddy Arrowsmith, Tobias Bonham Carter and Milo Whittle travelled to the White Horse tennis centre in Abingdon to represent Hampshire at the South Regional Team Tennis Play-offs.

The boys started well, winning three of their four singles to take a 3-1 lead against Farringdon. A very professional performance in the doubles from Harry and Paddy followed to complete the victory and confirm our place in the final.

The final saw us come up against a very good Bradfield side, who won the first singles to take the lead. However Bedales hit back with a huge win from Milo, not giving up on a single ball and securing his biggest singles win to date. Paddy recomposed himself from a mid set wobble to emphatically dispatched Bradfields number two seed and give Bedales the lead. Tobias put in a monumental effort, however couldn’t quite convert his match point, and Bradfield drew level heading into the doubles. Bradfield took the first doubles. Harry and Paddy fell just short, losing a match point to level the match and eventually lost the definitive doubles to make it 4-2 Bradfield.

The boys were outstanding from start to finish and could not have applied themselves better. They were an exceptional representation of the school and should be very proud of what they achieved in the last year of tennis.

Match report: Girls’ First Hockey XI v Portsmouth High, 25.09.2019

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By Mariela Walton, Teacher of Girls’ PE & Games

After spending most of the day in ponds, digging plants or making bird boxes for Badley Day, the first XI headed to the astro to face Portsmouth High.

Bedales started off well, and it wasn’t long before Mathilda Douglas scored the first goal, closely followed by a second from Alisia Leach. Two more goals followed from Mathilda and Amber Pearson and we finished the first half 4-0 up.

Following the half-time break, the Bedales team came even stronger. Emma Nelson dominated the right half position and linked up excellently with Shanklin Mackillop-Hall. Amber Pearson went on to score two further goals, giving her a hat-trick, and Mathilda also completed her hat-trick.

Captain and Most Valuable Player Thea Levine got her name on the score sheet when she carried the ball into the D and smashed it past the keeper. Eliza Goodfellow also scored in the second half and was excellent on the right wing.

The final score was 9-1 to Bedales. Despite the challenging weather conditions, spirits remained high and the work rate was excellent.

First Duke of Edinburgh expedition of the year

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By Julia Bevan, Teacher of English

When 37 students in Block 5 headed out on their qualifying Silver Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) expedition, they might have been extras in John Keats’ seminal poem, To Autumn. Last weekend on the South Downs, the world was rich in “mellow fruitfulness”. They plucked ripe blackberries from hedgerows, scrumpt apples from “moss’d cottage-trees” and in the evenings you might have come across the odd corn on the cob cooking alongside Wayfarer’s meals and pesto pasta.

On Friday morning it took a while to organise routes and check kit at the Triangle Car Park near the Trundle. As classic cars drove past on their way to the Goodwood Revival, assessors made a note of who had packed particularly carefully, and made sure those that needed an extra compass or water bottle were looked after. Routes were checked and starts were then staggered so as to make sure the groups were not tempted to mass together, before they headed off in different directions: east towards Graffam or west to Treyford.

There was no doubt that the participants had the weather was on their side, and navigation was considerably easier than on the practice expedition in the New Forest. That said, the West Sussex terrain presented the groups with different challenges, and many arrived in camp on Friday sore and exhausted from 400 metre climbs past fields of “full-grown lambs” and nosy herds of cows. After a glorious sunset, the full moon lit up the campsites making the night colder than expected and thus the tents were drenched in moisture on Saturday morning.

As the weekend bore on, it was clear that all 37 participants had personal challenges to meet. Some found the walking very tough, others had to manage their frustration with slower members of their group. Some had to share their food and kit, others to manage sore ankles and painful blisters. It was impressive to see groups leaving relatively early on their second day, and even earlier on the third, determined to get the bulk of the walking done in the morning. It was even more impressive to watch groups share out the load, so that all could complete the walk. All did and can hold their head high, having successfully completed this section of their Silver award.

A big thank you must go to Allen, David, Gordon and Rob for bringing wisdom, humour and years of experience to the trip. A thank you also to Duncan Selmes, who joined us from Dunhurst on Saturday afternoon, bringing more DofE expertise and enthusiasm to the team.

Bedales attend climate change symposium at LSE

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By Olivia Grout-Smith, 6.2

Last Friday, a group of students was lucky enough to attend a symposium held at the London School of Economics (LSE) with the leading question ‘What should individuals, communities, schools and universities in the UK do to stop climate change?’ Following a very rousing morning at the climate strike at Petersfield’s Market Square, our spirits were high as we headed to London for the symposium.

Lord Stern of Brentford, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, was the first speaker. He addressed the question ‘What should we do to stop climate change while raising living standards in the UK and around the world?’ Highlighting the extreme importance of radical change amongst society as a whole, he began by saying that the world economy will double in two decades. In order to reduce two degrees, we must cut emissions by 40 percent.

Two more speakers, one a Camden politician and the other a member of the Women’s Institute, both expressed the importance of change in both local communities and beyond. The second half of the event was a 40 minute panel Q&A, addressing the question ‘What should individuals, communities, schools and universities in the UK do to stop climate change?’

In order to make actual change within schools, universities and colleges, the importance of education about the climate crisis within the curriculum was a key point. Though many students decide to take Geography GCSE and A Level, the majority do not. Another idea was to install a carbon offset scheme, so when students travel by plane or another environmentally damaging mode of transport, they can balance out the impact on the environment.

We came away from the symposium with a true feeling of inspiration and pride. One of the last speakers, Naomi Oreskes from Harvard University, made a very true statement about how, as a school or as individuals, we can change. She expressed that when we make statements or propositions for the future, we are sometimes criticised for being ‘unrealistic’. It is those unrealistic goals that drive social change and innovation that lead to a positive impact.