The Olavian 2014

Vol. 117

2014

Olavian Editor: David Craig

Old Olavian Editor: John Brown

Assistant Editor: Aman Tiwari

Sub-Editors: Rachel Wood

From the Headmaster

whole Olavian community who can take great pride in this resounding endorsement of the excellence which characterises our ancient, and very special, St. Olave’s Grammar School.

Onceagain we were delighted with the achievement of our students in the 2014 Public Examinations and our listing as The Telegraph’s 2nd best school nationally. At Advanced level 95% of grades were at A* to B with nearly 75% at A* or A. At GCSE, a new school record saw 88% of grades at A* or A with 53% at A*. These students have been joined by a stunning cohort from other schools so that the new Year 12 now has 75 students with 9 – 13 A* grades. 53 of our leavers have now taken up places at Cambridge, Oxford or Medical College, along with others who have commenced courses at top universities such as Imperial, Bristol, UCL, Durham, etc. It has been a real privilege to work with all of them, to share in their endeavours and to celebrate their triumphs.

I invite you to enjoy reading about the extraordinary array of activities and successes in which our students have been involved, whether cultural, sporting, scholarly, international or personal, and my thanks go, once again, to our Classics Master, Mr Craig, and to Rachel Wood and Aman Tiwari for skilfully editing this fine magazine.

Aftereight years of waiting Ofsted finally paid a visit to St. Olave’s on 6-7 March. It was a relief, if not entirely surprising, that the inspection report concluded that the school is ‘Outstanding’ in every aspectachievement of pupils, quality of teaching, behaviour and safety of pupils, the Sixth Form, leadership and management and overall effectiveness. I have read many Ofsted reports over the years but few that are so completely full of superlatives. The inspectors noted the value of the pupil mentoring, the enormous range of co-curricular activities and the many clubs with distinguished outside speakers. Teachers were praised for having very high expectations; students for their scholarship and the high quality academic journals they produce. I was particularly pleased that they found students’ spiritual development to be promoted exceptionally well so that they mature into considerate, thoughtful young adults. The report is, I believe, a just reward for the endeavours of the

Thisyear the magazine has been produced with the help of two new subeditors whose unfailing support and encouragement have been invaluable. They are very much fine examples of the calibre of students who attend the school, have attended it and will inevitably do so in the future. Peter Leigh after extraordinary service to all aspects of the school has now moved onto study Classics at New College, Oxford. I have tried as ever to give a broad brush of what has happened over the year in every aspect of a school which positively pullulates with activity seemingly at each hour of the day. The importance of the Olavian remains. It is a record of the girls’ and boys’ achievements which seem to grow each year. The magazine in no manner detracts from the other faculty and departmental publications, but brings together a great deal of material beneath one literary umbrella. In no way be surprised at the common themes which are excellence, endeavour and participation. The school does a very great deal and its ability to rise to new challenges is well-documented here.

Editor - The Olavian

David Craig, Esq.

St. Olave’s & St. Saviour’s Grammar School, Goddington Lane, Orpington, Kent BR6 9SH

dcraig@saintolaves.net

Editor - The Old Olavian

John M Brown, Esq.

60 The Lawns, Rolleston-on-Dove, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire DE13 9DB

johnmbrown60@gmail.com

SCHOOL NOTES 2014

Academic Olave’s Ofsted

Undoubtedly the highlight of the school year was the outcome of the inspection on 6-7 March which concluded:

Achievement of pupils Outstanding

Quality of teaching Outstanding

Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness Outstanding

I have read many Ofsted reports over the years but few that are so completely full of superlatives as this. The inspectors also judged the Sixth Form to be outstanding, noting the value of the students clubs, academic journals and mentoring of younger pupils. The outstanding achievement of girls was attributed to the careful support they receive during transition. They had high praise for the way the curriculum promotes students’ scholarship and curiosity. They noted the enormous range of extracurricular activities and distinguished outside speakers. Teachers were praised for having very high expectations and setting challenging targets. I was particularly pleased that they found student behaviour in class and around school to be outstanding; that their spiritual development is promoted exceptionally well so that they mature into considerate, thoughtful young adults. The report is, I believe, a just reward for the endeavours of the whole Olavian community who can take great pride in this resounding endorsement of the excellence which characterises our ancient, and very special, St Olave’s Grammar School.

Examination results 2014

Once again we are all delighted with the achievement of our students.

At Advanced level:

95% of grades at A* to B

Nearly three-quarters of grades at A* or A

28 students with 3 or more A* grades

Telegraph 2nd best state school with mixed 6th Form

88.1% A/B grades at AS level (school record)

At GCSE:

88% of grades at A* or A (school record)

53% at A*

25 students with 9 or more A* grades

Top student Jeevan Ravindran gained 12.5 A*s Telegraph 2nd best Boys’ state school

We were delighted that 53 of our students successfully gained the grades to take up their places at Cambridge, Oxford or Medical College. We take a great pride in their successes, just as we do for all of our students, who are receiving offers from top universities such as Imperial, Bristol, UCL, Durham, etc. It has been a real privilege to work with all of them, to share in their endeavours and to celebrate their triumphs.

Celebrations

In September, Senior Prize-giving, in which we celebrate excellence in academic achievement and other cultural activities saw special guest and Old Olavian, Sir Roger Sims JP, present the prizes. His fascinating address covered a wartime posting in Berlin, careers in The City, a journey across Africa and some extraordinary encounters with Monarchs and Prime Ministers. In June, the Lower School Celebration saw prize winners and proud parents gather in The Great Hall with former Captain of School, Mr Alex Allen, giving an inspiring address on his time at St Olave’s and his work as an engineer with Network Rail. In the buoyant Congratulations Evening successful applicants from a wide range of schools received a warm welcome and were able to mix informally with staff and with their new peers. The 453rd Service of Commemoration took place in the spectacular setting of Southwark Cathedral with the Rt Revd Lindsay Urwin and with the choir on particularly fine form.

Sixth Form Events

The academic year commenced with Year 12 induction at Blackland Farm for team-building, abseiling and forging friendships for the future. The new Scholarship Fortnight then inspired students to aspire to the highest levels of academic excellence with Senior Scholarship Evening celebrating the finest independent research of our Senior students; the launch of the Medics’ Society, the Law Society and the Academic Journals; Harvard Outreach UK focusing on differences between US and UK university admissions; the Symposium Series where Old Olavians studying at prestigious universities presented university-level talks; and a talk by Jenny Medland of Mansfield College, Oxford, who gave an Oxbridge Application Workshop. Senior students presented their EPQs, covering a veritable cavalcade of scholarship in astonishing depth.

A packed crowd of about 2000 students and parents attended the Sixth Form Open Evening. I was

particularly pleased to hear positive comments about the maturity of the student ambassadors and the quality of their presentations.

Jennifer Barton of Durham University gave helpful advice on university application and personal statements as part of

On UCAS Day, A panel of recent leavers offered the student perspective, covering the joys of offers and the heart-ache of rejection.

Leavers’ Ball was a rousing farewell to Year 13 students. The Great Hall hosted speeches from the Headmaster, the Director of Sixth Form and Captain of School, Skanda Rajasundaram, before coaches took students to the Grand Ball at Oakley House.

Further enlightenment was provided by the Woodard Leadership Course at Worksop College, attended by our Captains of School, and a talk by Professor Sarah Coakley of Merton College, Oxford, on ‘Evolutionary Altruism’.

Other Events

We welcomed back Old Olavians Mr Chris Harris, Mr Chris Irving, Mr John King and Mr Richard White, as well as veteran Mr Graham Milne who, together with Captain of School, laid the wreaths at our annual Remembrance Day assembly.

5 students were confirmed by the Rt Revd Michael Turnbull, former Bishop of Durham and of Rochester. Year 9s attended the Livery Companies Showcase Event at Apothecaries’ Hall, for an insight into careers from the Worshipful Companies of Salters and Upholsterers. A massive crowd of over 3000 parents and children visited the school for Open Morning in June.

Internationalism

Iwas very excited when the British Council approved our bid for a Connecting Classrooms link with La Martiniere School for Girls, Kolkata, India. Initial staff exchanges saw Vice Principal Mrs Sarkar and teacher Mrs Mukherjee spend a week at St Olave’s with a subsequent visit of two of our staff to Kolkata. We shall be working together on student exchanges and curriculum projects with a focus on Global Citizenship and sustainability. We also welcomed students from Goudse Waarde, a top bilingual school in the Netherlands, to further broaden our students’ international perspectives.

Sixth Form Art students visited Copenhagen, taking in The Louisiana Museum with works by Rothko, Bacon, Moore and Kandinsky, before a visit to the famous ‘Little Mermaid’ sculpture, who was coincidentally celebrating her 100th birthday. Others returned from trips and

exchanges in France, Germany and Spain; visited to the sites of ancient Greece; did geography fieldwork on the glaciers of Iceland or enjoyed financial and political experiences in Washington and New York.

Three World Challenge groups survived monthlong expeditions in Honduras, Laos and Thailand. 28 boys completed the Croatia Junior World Challenge expedition in August, trekking up canyons in Paklenica, kayaking down white water, and protecting camp and tents from a vicious ‘Bora’ wind. Others experienced bush-craft in Penshurst, biology in Nettlecombe and Gold expeditions in Snowdon.

In the Cricket tour of Antigua the Juniors managed to win four out of five fixtures and the Seniors two out of five. Other highlights included a catamaran trip, a jeep safari around the island, and meeting one of the greats of the game – Sir Viv Richards. More recently our rugby squad enjoyed a splendid tour of Barcelona.

European Week of Languages provided colourful assemblies with Karaoke singing in French, German, Spanish or Portuguese; Spanish dancing, led by Flamenco guitarist, Juaina Garcia, and themed lunch menus such as Chicken Fricassée with Haricot Vert, Spanish Omelette, Italian Lasagne and German Frankfurter with Sauerkraut tempted the taste-buds. The International Peace Poetry Recital heard pupils recite poems and listen to recordings from pupils in Syrian refugee camps, the Lebanon, and our partner school, La Martiniere for Girls. Sifundo Msebele was inspirational with two of her favourite poems, performed with musical soundtracks. This year’s Cultural Evening was, once again, a highlight of the Michaelmas term, with musical presentations, poems and a colourful fashion show, and representation from all over the globe. It was no surprise that the exotic, international 5* food disappeared in minutes!

Science has been buzzing with successes

Caterina Hall, Isabella Inzani, Aarushi Khanna, Uroosa Chughtai and Alexandros Adamoulas were awarded Gold medals in the 1st round of the Biology Olympiad placing them in the top 6%. Aarusha and Uroosa have been invited to attempt the 2nd round for selection to represent the UK in the International Biology Olympiad in Bali. Elena Rastorgueva won 1st Prize in the Cassini Scientist for a Day competition; she has been invited to carry out work with Professor Carl Murray at the Queen Mary University, as well as having her entry published by the European Space Agency. Rebecca Daramola won the Royal College of Science Union (Imperial College) Science Challenge 2014 with her essay on a question set by Pallab Ghosh. She came away with a trophy, a substantial cash prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to Cern. Eamon Hassan was awarded a Gold certificate in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge; nine students

gained Silver and 5 Copper. Year 12 students Akhilesh Amit, Kush Banga and Chandan Dodeja also gained Silver certificates in the Chemistry Olympiad. Leo Bennett, Alec Hong, Eugene Lee, Nicholas Leigh and James Tang won the competition at the Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX) at UCL and Adam Stagg was invited to his investiture into the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers as part of his Arkwright Scholarship award. Well done to all these students and to Rebecca Daramola and Lucy Morrell for establishing the new Experimental Chemistry Society.

Mathematical Olympiads

Congratulations to the 13 Years 7s and 8s who qualified for the prestigious Junior Mathematical Olympiad. Samuel Mellis was awarded a Bronze medal and Alexander Song completed an amazing year with a Gold medal.

13 students qualified for the Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad, with Tom Wang winning a Certificate of Distinction and Alec Hong a medal plus book prize, placing him in the top 50 in the country. 41 students qualified for the Kangaroo round, with 16 finishing in the top 25% of this select cohort.

This year’s Senior Mathematical Challenge produced a record 37 Gold, 116 Silver and 128 Bronze. Congratulations to Alastair Haig and the 6 students who qualified for the 1st round of the British Mathematical Olympiad, and to the 23 who qualified for the Senior Kangaroo Mathematics follow on round. Alexander Song, Year 8, went on to produce 4 perfect solutions in the difficult BMO Round 1, aimed primarily at Sixth Formers. Following the even more challenging BMO Round 2, he was invited as the youngest of 22 students nationally to attend the UK Mathematics Olympiad Initial Training Camp at Queen’s College, Oxford.

Chess

Anantha represented England in the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship in Abu Dhabi, where 1773 players from 121 countries were competing, finishing as the 2nd best England U12 player and the 4th best player overall out of the England squad of 24. He then went on to win the U12 British Championship at Aberystwyth, without losing a single game and, as part of the National Junior Chess Squad, jointly won the Under 12 section of the 4th Junior International at the Caleta Hotel, Gibraltar.

Art

Art students visited: the White Cube gallery in Bermondsey and the Paul Klee exhibition at the Tate Modern, exploring the juxtaposition of architectural styles; the Michael Landy Saints exhibition with its collection by Caravaggio, Rubens, Van Dyck and Turner; the National Illustrators Award exhibition at Somerset House; ‘500 Years of British Art’ exhibit at the Tate Britain and the contemporary Saatchi Gallery, all providing inspiration for future work. Year 7s enjoyed a day at the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate Modern, the Wallace Collection, with its most famous painting, the Laughing Cavalier by Franz Hals. Christopher Page won the youth section of the national Landscape Photographer of the Year. His £1000 winning photo was in the Sunday Times and featured in a 2 month exhibition in the National Theatre foyer. The endeavours of GCSE, AS and A level students were displayed to an appreciative audience at the splendid summer Art Exhibitions.

National Poetry Day Humanities,

Raunak

Rao captained the Kent U18 team to a tremendous 2nd place in the National Youth Chess Association tournament; he also came 2nd in a World Chess Association rated tournament at Coulsdon and is currently ranked among the top 30 U18 FIDE-rated players in England. More recently, despite being one of the youngest teams in the competition, St Olave’s secured 3rd place in the Millfield International Chess tournament, maintaining our unbroken run of top 3 places for the last decade. In the Annual Kent Junior Grand Prix Chess Raunak became the third consecutive Olavian to win the U18 title, having been top of the leader board throughout the year; Anantha Anilkumar, Year7, won the under 14 title. To crown the achievement StOGS, won the secondary school championship for the 7th consecutive year, 160 plus points ahead of the 2nd placed Sevenoaks School.

Literature and Poetry. Literature Society celebrated National Poetry Day with recitals of works by John Donne, Dylan Thomas, T. S. Eliot and original poems by Jack Bradfield and Fintan Calpin. Joelle Taylor, Artistic Director of SLAMbassadors UK, was inspirational in her performances of ‘Last Poet Standing’. She, Alan Brownjohn and Sifundo Msebele were celebrity guests at the Poetry for an enlightened age event that we organised with The RSA in The Bronte Room of The British Library.

The competition to write a 100 word story with a twist produced some entertaining winners with Oliver Bennett’s take on ‘The Three Little Pig’s and Fergus Macdonald’s ‘Tis Pizza She’s a Whore’. In the regional final of the Cambridge Schools’ Debating Competition, our team came 2nd in a tightly fought contest. At Blenheim Palace His Grace, the Duke of Marlborough, offered a warm welcome to students in the National Sir Winston Churchill Speaking Competition where the Rt Hon Michael Fallon spoke eloquently about democracy before Carrie Grant encouraged students to speak form the heart.

Christopher Tower Poetry Prize

Congratulations to Jack Bradfield whose poem

‘Helmets’ has been long-listed for the Christopher Tower Poetry Prize headed by poet and academic Peter McDonald at Christ Church, Oxford; to Richard Decker who reached the final of the national Poetry by Heart competition in a high-life weekend with dinner at Planet Hollywood, mixing in illustrious company with Sir Andrew Motion and presenter of Radio 4’s Poetry Please, Roger McGough; and to Ivan Tregear who gained a Distinction with 92 marks in his LAMDA Grade 6 (Bronze medal) Speaking of Verse and Prose examination.

Understanding WW1

As part of understanding WW1, Year 8s saw a performance of ‘Back to Blighty’ exploring the lives of the working classes and the aristocracy in 1914. They then focussed on the role of women, General Haig’s motivational speech and the plight of the soldiers with shell shock, before a poetry workshop on ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ preceded a sonnet writing competition. History students developed their knowledge with visits to the National Army Museum and to the WW1 battlefields of Ypres, the Somme and Dunkirk which saw the 1940 evacuation of the British Army. Year 9s also had a focus day on conscientious objectors in the WW1 writing poetry from the objectors’ perspective, learning how they were treated to criticism, hard labour camps and even the death penalty.

Cultural Day

AKS3 cultural day took in backstage at the National Theatre, a Pounds and Pence presentation at The Bank of England, the Elgin Marbles and the ‘Mummies’ Exhibition at the British Museum, where Classicists also studied the narrative within the metopes which adorned the external elevations of the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis. Cross-curricular days considered Who was Jack the Ripper? and an attempt to create a Utopian society.

Target 2.0

Well done to the Target 2.0 team - Michelle Vero, Shunta Takino, Lucas Bertholdi-Saad and Musab Shamekh – who narrowly missed the top prize in the Shadow Bank of England Competition at St Paul’s School.

Music

In a unique concert at Windsor Castle our Choristers of the Queen’s Chapel of The Savoy joined forces with those from the other Royal Chapels to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s 60-year reign. A packed Great Hall hosted the splendid Christmas Concert; particularly impressive was the Chamber Orchestra, with a string section that would be the envy of any school. Mid-Term Concerts served as a showcase for our Junior ensembles

and many aspiring solo performers like Eric and Ivan Leung, Violinist Lucy Morrell, Junior Jazz, Summer Strings, Guitar Group and the Morrell Piano Duo.

The St Olave’s Jazz Band, resplendent in Hawaiian shirts, brought the house down in the Bromley Schools’ Prom at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon. The annual Jazz Spectacular was a great evening of musical entertainment with impressive solos from Samuel Wootten and Aaron Lewns. Guest saxophonist Derek Nash’s stunning improvisations left us in no doubt about the reasons for his having performed with the likes of Jools Holland and Sir Paul McCartney. At the PA Summer Fun Day the school shook to the beat of Olavian Sambistas as each Year 8 form explored the rhythmic verve of Brazil. Showstoppers showcased a fine display of musical, dance and dramatic talent to round off the light entertainment side of the musical year.

In a fine Easter Concert the full Symphony Orchestra opened with a resounding Beethoven Symphony No. 1; Wind Band surprised us with the revelries of Meji’s Dutch Masters Suite; and the choirs reflected the strength of choral music at St Olave’s.

Stefan Beckett, now on a scholarship at the Royal College of Music, featured in the BBC2 percussion final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year; Lucy Morrell gained Distinction in her Grade 7 ABRSM Organ examination and Richard Decker, our former BBC Chorister of the Year 2012, was presented with the Chancellor’s Medal of The Duchy of Lancaster for his outstanding service to music at The Queen’s Chapel of The Savoy. Students spent an afternoon at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for a matinee performance of Bizet’s classic, ‘Carmen’; others attended the BrightSparks concert at the Royal Festival Hall, given by the LPO with a varied programme including GCSE set works and the highlight - a performance of the ‘Lord of the Rings Suite’!

Drama

The Shakespeare Triology saw three of Shakespeare’s finest plays each reduced to 35 minutes: ‘Richard III’, set in the 1930s to a soundtrack of live jazz, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ accompanied by Motown music, and a modern day ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Daniel Finucane, Alicia Harris, Peter Debenham and Jack Bradfield gave outstanding performances of ‘The 39 Steps’, a parody of the famous Hitchcock film, much to the enjoyment of the audience and, we hope, the visiting examiner. KS3 students performed ‘Hearts’ at The Marlowe Theatre as part of the National Theatre Connections scheme, giving the students their first taste of performing in a professional theatre and even enjoying their own dressing rooms!

In the well-established Olavian tradition of top quality student directed plays, ‘Elling’ lived up to expectations

with a polished production and quirky interpretation by Jack Bradfield and Matthew Roberts. Mithiran and Jeevan Ravindran did a wonderful job directing Arthur Miller’s dark and passionate tale,’ A View from the Bridge’.

An off-the-wall production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, performed by just four actors, came to The Great Hall bringing to life next year’s A2 text. Members of Theatre Society visited The Young Vic to see Kander and Ebb’s exciting and provocative musical ‘The Scottsboro Boys’ and The Duke of York Theatre to see ‘P G Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster: A Perfect Nonsense’. Others from the Sixth Form Culture Club went to see the revival of Matthew Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’ at Sadler’s Wells, emerging inspired by the male ensemble of swans who dispelled any idea that ballet is stuffy and boring!

Congratulations to Jay Routh whose play ‘The Least Fun A Girl Can Have’ made the shortlist in The National Theatre New Views playwriting competition, receiving a reading at The National Theatre; and to Ivan Tregear who has landed the lead role of Zack in a new animation series for Nickelodeon, which is recording this year.

Technology

In our highest achievement yet Team Linear won 2nd place at the final of the Design Ventura competition, narrowly missing out on 1st place and receiving great feedback from designer Sebastian Conran. In the World Skills competition, our team won 2nd place and a Silver WSC award in the Mobile Robotics section from visiting celebrity judges, Nick Clegg and Theo Paphitis. For the second year running Abhay Gupta and Eddie Ho won a place to represent St Olaves at the final of the Jaguar Maths in Motion competition and in the VEX Robotics Final at the NEC, Birmingham, the Year 11 team returned with the ‘build’ trophy for the second year running. Well done to Bradley Sawyer who won 1st prize in the Stoneham Kitchen of the Future design competition, claiming not only his own prize, but also £500 for the school to spend on equipment.

Sport

The 1st XV Rugby season saw some notable victories against Colfe’s, London Oratory, Rochester Maths, Brighton Hove and Wallington. The season climaxed as the squad reached the last 16 of the Natwest Vase competition. The 1st XI Football team also had an excellent season starting with an unbroken run of 5 wins out of 5 matches. The Barcelona tour was a well-deserved highlight for those who have shown real leadership, dedication and commitment to representing the school.

Another successful Fives season saw victories against Westminster School, Harrow, Berkhamsted and Eton College. In the Rossall Schools’ Championships, Tomas

Gallagher won the U15 Singles; Kieran Walton and James Tate won the U15 Doubles. The Adult Midlands Championships saw William Edmonds and William Belsham become the youngest pair to ever win the ‘Festival’. In the Richard Barber Cup at Eton College, the Old Olavians with William Phillips, Josh Ravi and Kieran Walton demolished Shrewsbury school in the final to retain the title for the third year in a row. The U14s won the three-pair Team Cup held at Harrow School. In the Adult Northern Championships held at Shrewsbury School, Chukwunenyem Nwuba and Tomas Gallagher became the youngest pair ever to take the title in the Festival section. In the National Schools’ Championships at Eton College, involving over 1000 pupils from schools all over England and Wales, U16s Chukwunenyem Nwuba and Tomas Gallagher defeated the second seeds from Highgate in the Semi-Finals to earn a place in the Final against Shrewsbury; U14s Kieran Walton and James Tate won their Semi-Final to reach the Final against Highgate.

In Cricket the Year 9 squad won the Bromley Cup and the Year 10s retained their title in the Bromley Cup Festival of Cricket. Sohayl Ujoodia was selected for the Kent Cricket U14 Boys Winter Training Squad 2014 and was invited by the England Cricket Board to attend a Talent Test at the National Centre at Loughborough University. The Antigua tour rounded off a fine season.

Our swimmers dominated the Kent County Schools’ Swimming Championships with Golds for Henry Rennolls, Felix Haslam, Michael Jacobs, Timothy Adelani and Molly Haynes and secured victory at the Sevenoaks School gala. At the LSSA Championships at Crystal Palace, St Olave’s finished 2nd out of 20 schools, with 11 Golds and 3 Silvers. Michael Jacobs and Molly Haynes were selected as part of the Bromley team; Felix Haslam and Jacob Gaskell were selected as part of the Aquathon team. Henry Rennolls won 2 Golds in the ASA regionals, both in National Qualifying Times, and will go on to compete in the National Championships in Sheffield. Henry also won Gold and the title English Schools Champion for the Junior Boys 100m freestyle at the ESSA National Inter-Divisional Championships. Particularly pleasing was the selection of Theodore Haslam for the Sainsbury’s 2014 School Games in Manchester– a huge event with alumni representing England and winning medals in the 2012 Olympics.

Thomas Young was selected to play for England at Korfball in their tour of Flanders; Jake Egelnick was selected for the Great Britain National Taekwondo Poomsae Squad and will be competing at international level in Germany this year; Alexander Jochim won a national U14 singles Tennis tournament at Sutton and is now ranked No. 7 nationally and No. 1 in Kent; Connor Stimson was selected to represent the sport of Archery for the London Youth Games. Charles Davis, Alexander

Leggatt and Joshua Davidson helped Bromley to finish 2nd in the Kent Schools Cross Country Championships with Charles, Alexander and William Ruiz selected to run for Kent in the SE counties division. In the West Kent Athletics Championships our Junior athletes outpaced all of the opposition to finish 1st out of 12 teams. The KS4 Badminton team progressed to the regional round of the National Schools Championships. The season concluded with Sports Day where, under cloudless skies, exciting races, good sportsmanship and broken records were all in plentiful supply.

Outdoor and other pursuits. I was pleased that Timothy Adelani, Alex Tse, Samuel Wells, Max HamiltonJenkins, David Giles, James Watson, Charles Kershaw, James Curling, Alexander O’Halloran, Charles Hallett, Alexander Bailey and James Fargie completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Well done to Toby Clarke, Kai Smith and Edward Parker Humphreys who have been selected for the World Scout Jamboree in Japan 2015, joining 40,000 Scouts from over 180 different countries; and to Taranpreet Bhoday who visited Australia to compete in the St John Ambulance International Cadet competition.

Charity

Support Staff

The school’s success is in good part generated by a magnificent team of staff who work tirelessly and with very special effectiveness to help those of us who are in front of the students. Their great expertise which lies in several areas be it in reception or in room ten or in the examination office or dealing with the fiscal side of the school is greatly appreciated. There are those too who brave the elements at all times to keep the school looking beautiful on the outside and those who keep the school looking sharp, tidy and well-presented on the inside. To those concerned we are very grateful.

LSEF and outreach

Festival

ushered in the end of the Michaelmas term with a frenzy of fun and fund-raising. The Great Hall was transformed into an atmospherically lit venue for Cabaret evening, with an eclectic mix of Olavian talent ranged from the soulful vocals of Matipa Chieza to the witty verbal badinage of MCs Emmanuel Soyombo and Daniel Finucane. Favourites such as University Challenge and the traditional Just a Minute helped students raise £9,500 for our two chosen charities – Water Aid and the Jennifer Trust. I was touched by the generosity of students and parents who, in response to my appeal for a special Own clothes day, raised £4,109.55 for the Disaster Emergency Committee, D.E.C. Philippines Typhoon Appeal. It was pleasing to hear that the Woodard Langalanga Secondary School in Kenya, which our students supported 3 years ago, now has a roof on the school hall and the walls will soon be clad. Well done to Matthew Perry along with Dillan Patel, Oliver D’Costa, Charles Anderton and Dylan Evans who completed the Alphabet Tube Challenge, to raise funds for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

Staff development

36staff have completed the Outstanding Teacher Programme which is now fully embedded within St Olave’s ethos and INSET provision; 5 of them have also finished the Outstanding Facilitator Programme. A number of valued colleagues retired this year; some excellent new appointments have been made to the staff team.

St Olave’s was awarded a special role within Boris Johnson’s London Schools Excellence scheme. The school is running a project called PLASMA-T, Putting London ahead through Mathematics, Science and Technology, to support outreach work with colleagues across London schools in developing subject excellence, with a particular focus on programming, robotics and medicine. As part of this, St Olave’s welcomed staff from Imperial College’s Medical Faculty to run an event for aspiring medics. Year 12 students taught lessons in our Science Week at St Paul’s Cray Primary School, introducing new topics with practical demonstrations. 220 pupils from local Primary schools enjoyed a Maths and Science Day at St Olave’s, learning about Chromatography and Electromagnetism before a carousel of problems and a Mathematical orienteering competition.

Visiting speakers

The Olavian Lecture Series I hosted presentations by some very high-profile figures, including Lord Professor Robert Winston, Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Robert Mulvaney. Series II is now underway and will host Dame Mary Archer and The Rt Hon Lord Butler of Brockwell. Other fascinating speakers, organised by student societies, have included Jo Johnson MP, Dr Lawrence Goldman, Mr Roy Cromb, Dr Andrew Lilico, Mr Chris Giles and many more.

Contributions

Parents and Old Olavians continue to support the school through these austere times. We remain grateful for the contributions made each year by the Old Olavian Society and the work of Chairman, Chris Harris. The PA Committee and the EEX group of parents have raised substantial sums through parental contributions, Auction of Promises, ‘own clothes day’, Leavers’ Posterity Bricks and the annual dinner which significantly enrich the experiences of our students and ensure ongoing links with the school through networking with former students. Ray Toomey (1959-1965), who was in the first Olavian team to win the Fives Barber Cup, visited the school from Australia. After graduating as a Civil Engineer he worked on the Thames Barrier, then on a

Dry Dock in Mombasa before settling in Australia with BHP, involved with marine works and tunnels.

Publications

Congratulations to Akhil Sonthi who has written and published his own Mathematics Handbook – a beautifully crafted ibook with clear, colourful diagrams to help GCSE students to grasp mathematical concepts. Old Olavian, Peter Leonard, also published his book The Olavian ‘Fallen’ and the Great War, 1914-1918, to coincide with the WW1 centenary. The ongoing rise of scholarly publications has seen recent editions of the new Classics Journal, the History magazine, the Medics’ Society Journal, Natural Sciences Society magazine and Volume 1 of the new Literature Society Journal, ‘For Words’.

Captain of School and Senior Prefects

We said thank you and farewell to an outstanding team, 2013-14: Captain, Skanda Rajasundaram; Vice Captains, Timothy Adelani, Charlie Bishop, Jordan Fisher, Sinead O’Connor and Zeinab Ruhomaly. We offer our congratulations to the new team for 201415: Captain, Teddy McAleer; Vice Captains, Matthew Allen, Jack Bradfield, Lucy Morrell, Abhishek Patel and Elena Rastorgueva.

Site development

Plans are now well underway for the development of two new Science laboratories with Planning Permission secured and work due to start on site in September 2014 for completion in January 2015. Emergency repairs to the internal structure of the Gym roof have resolved urgent health and safety problems. The telephone system has been replaced with upgrading of voice and data cabling in core areas of the School; emergency lighting provision around the School site has been upgraded. Repairs and/or replacement have taken place to part of Fives Court glass roof following storm damage, the roofs of the Chapel and Sports Hall, and to the Pavilion boilers. Remedial works to a number of trees around the site has allowed the re-opening and reinstatement of the cross-country track. A detailed survey of the school buildings has highlighted wideranging issues associated with lack of investment over a period of years. This indicates the need for minimum annual spending of circa £200,000 required simply to keep things going, within an estimated cost of circa £3.9 million over a five-year period to restore all buildings to optimum condition. This includes replacement of parts of the main School heating boiler and associated pipework and on-going problems with water penetration to the Fives Courts.

Support

We remain grateful for the generous support and guidance received from the Foundation, both in terms of annual funding and special support for the

new Science development, without which our students’ education, endeavours and experiences would be substantially less enriched.

Summary

Ibelieve we can take great pride in concluding that 2013-14 has been another highly successful year for St Olave’s Grammar School, supporting our students in fulfilling the very highest aspirations and ambitions.

National CompetitionsStaffing 2014 - 2015

Chairman of the Governors

S. Hibberdine, Esq., B.Sc., F.R.I.C.S.

Vice-Chairman of the Governors

The Revd Professor P. Galloway, OBE, JP, PhD, DLitt, FSA

Foundation Governors

Appointed by the Lord Bishop of Rochester:

R.P. Highmore, Esq., M.A

M.H. Lovett, Esq., F.C.I.B.

Appointed by the Rochester Diocesan Board of Education:

The Revd H.A. Atherton, M.A., M.Th., B.Sc., F.G.S., Dip.Ed.

I. Ketchin, Esq.

The Revd B. McHenry, CBE, M.A., B.A.

Appointed by the Chapter of Southwark Cathedral:

N. Grenside, Esq.

Appointed by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge acting jointly:

M.A. Edwards, Esq., M.A., M.Sc., A.C.A.

Appointed by the Senate of the University of London:

The Revd Professor P. Galloway, OBE, JP, PhD, DLitt, FSA.

Appointed by the Dulwich Estate:

S. Hibberdine, Esq., B.Sc., F.R.I.C.S.

Appointed by the Special Trustees of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals acting jointly:

Councillor N.R. Reddin, F.C.C.A.

Elected Parent Governors

Miss J. Cattell, LLB, TEP

Mrs S. Chaudhary, M.A., B.Ed.

R. Senior, Esq., M.A., ACMA

A. Wright-Jones, Esq., B.A.

Elected Staff Governors

Mrs K.S. Brooker

Mrs C. Johnson, B.Sc.

A. Kenward, Esq., B.A. (Ed)

Local Authority Governor

Councillor J. Grainger.

Associate Governor St. Olave’s Grammar School

A. Stoneham, Esq.

Ex Officio

A. Önaç, Esq., B.Mus., BSc., ARCM, FRSA

Clerk to the Governors

R. Walters, Esq., M.A., ACA

Senior Leadership Team

Headmaster

A. Önaç, Esq., B.Mus., BSc., ARCM, FRSA

Deputy Headmaster

M.J. Evans, Esq, BSc, University of Durham

Assistant Headmaster

A. J. Rees, Esq, BSc, University of Bristol

Director of VI Form

D.J. Budds, Esq., M.A., St. Peter’s College, Oxford

Assistant Staff

R.N. Archer, Esq., B.Ed.(Hons), Loughborough University

A.T. Henley, Esq., B.Sc., M.Sc., C.Math, M.I.M.A., University Coll. Cork & South Bank University

C.E. Davies, Esq., B.A., A.T.D., M.A., Universities of Wales, Bristol & London

D.M.G. Craig, Esq., B.A., M.Phil., Bristol University & King's College, London University

L.J. Ward, Esq., B.Sc., M.Sc., University of Sussex & City University

N. Maltman , Esq., M.A., Pembroke College, Cambridge

Mrs S.L. Beston, M.A., St Catherine's College, Oxford

P.E. Holland, Esq., B.Ed.(Hons), Brunel University

A.M. Kenward, Esq., B.A.(Ed.)(Hons), University of Exeter

Mrs H.C. Cooley, B.Ed.(Hons), University of Sussex

D. Bowden, Esq., B.A., University of Lancaster

Mrs. R. Maxwell, B.A., University of Manchester

Mrs M.T. Morinan, B.A., B.Sc.,M.Sc.,M.R.S.C. National University of Ireland & Open University.

Ms C.E. Marwood, B.Sc., The Open University; L.R.A.M., Dip. R.A.M.

Miss M.F. Sullivan, B.A., Westfield College, London University

Ms. S.K. Wilcox, B.A., Goldsmiths’ College, London University

Mrs J.M.Cooke, B.Sc., University of Wales.

Mrs.P.Garton, B.Sc., University of Kent.

Mrs J. Upsdell, B.A., University of Surrey

Ms. J.Bradley, B.Sc., Ph.D. King’s College & Royal Free School of Medicine, London University

Mrs C.Johnson, B.Sc., University of Nottingham

Mrs D.E.Lewis, B.Sc., University of Portsmouth

Mrs D.A.Storrs-Fox, B.A., University of Southampton

Ms G.C. Gardiner, M.A., Newnham College, Cambridge

Mrs E.J.Kite, B.Sc., B.A., University of Birmingham & The Open University

Ms. B. Onifade, B.Sc., Ph.D. University of Central England

Mrs J.S. Penny, B.Sc., Royal Holloway College, London University

Mrs S.J. Wallace, B.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., University of Lancaster & Christ’s College, Cambridge

T.M.W. Conway, Esq., B.A., University of Kent

J.A. Greenwood, Esq., B.Sc., University of Bradford

Mrs K.A. Hodges, M. Eng., St. Catherine’s College, Oxford

M.G. Price, Esq., M.A., Trinity College, Cambridge

Mrs P.Padmore, B.Sc., University of Sussex

Miss M. Delage, Master 1, Universite de Limoges

Mrs V.E. Watson, B.A., University of Sussex

L.D. Espejo, Esq., M.A., University of St. Andrews

Mrs E.A. Goodman, B.A., University of York

Miss R.E. Hawley, B.A., Middlesex University

Miss A. Wilkie, M.A., B.A., University of Warwick & Goldsmiths’ College, London University

G. Buckley, Esq., B.Sc., University of Sheffield

A.R. Gyford, Esq., MSci, University College, London University

Miss S.L. Heraghty, B.A., Loughborough University

P.S. Holton, Esq., M.A., B.A. University of Sheffield Hallam & University of Loughborough

Mrs S.G. Latcham, B.A., University College, London University

T.A McCurroch, Esq., MMath, Magdalen College, Oxford

J.R. White, Esq., B.Sc., University of Bath

Mrs J. M. Munday, M.A., Cambridge

Mrs K. I. Steel, B.A., PhD, Oxford & University of Southampton

Miss H. Baguley, B.Sc., Bristol University

D. R. Shilling, M.Cam., Bournemouth and Poole College

J. Geoghegan, Esq., B.A. University of Durham

Mrs S. L. Beard, B.A., University of East Anglia

A. Lake, Esq., B.A., University of Nottingham

Miss L. G. Dunlop, B.A., University of Sussex

R.C. Cliff, Esq., M.A. (Cantab)

J. B. Davis, Esq., B.Sc. (Cardiff)

J. Dodd, Esq., B.A. (Oxford)

Miss R. Garswood, B.A. (Exeter)

W. Haines, Esq., B.A. (Hons), M.Sc. (Manchester)

Mrs S. Kemal, B.A. (Hons), University of Kent

Miss M. Lawrence, B.A. (Hons) (Cantab), MEng (Cantab) M.A. (Cantab)

Dr A. Sidhu, B.Sc. (UCL), M.Sc., (Exeter), Ph.D. (Warwick)

Dr J. N. Stewart, Ph.D. (Herriot Watt)

S. Thompson, Esq., B.Sc. (Keele)

Valete - July 2014

Tom Henley

Tom joined St Olave’s twentyseven years ago and from the outset it was clear that he was a frighteningly perceptive mathematician with a passion for finding as many different ways as possible to solve a single problem. Throughout the nearly four Olavian generations that he supervised, Tom inspired many of our top mathematicians to study the subject at degree level and way beyond. He also demonstrated his passion for the subject in his love of mathematical literature, running of extension classes for the STEP examinations and inaugurating the mathematical lecture series. However, his interest in matters academic and cultural extended much further than the Mathematics department. Tom is a true polyglot and his love of languages including Arabic, Japanese and many more inspired him to be instrumental in the setting up of many languages clubs run by native speakers within the school community. Tom is also a culture vulture who for many years was a member of the steering committee for the highly successful annual Cultural Evenings. In addition, Tom has been a highly effective sixth form tutor and will be remembered fondly by pupils and colleagues alike for his sharp wit. An example of this when he asked a student what studying and speaking Japanese was like, the student said, “I like it because no one can understand what you are saying.” Quick as a flash, Tom replied, “I know the feeling well.” In short, Tom is the type of larger-than-life character without whom St Olave’s would have been a far less colourful community and we wish him all the best for a long plus happy retirement.

Andrew

Gyford

Andrew has been a much-valued member of the Mathematics department for the past three years. He joined as a Newly Qualified Teacher with an obvious passion for communicating the subject in creative, engaging ways. He was always organised and quietly cheerful. One of his final achievements in the department was to lead a Year 9 team to victory in the inaugural SiMPLEX mathematical modelling competition. Andrew gave of himself to many other areas of school life including sport, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Chapel Weekend and many trips as well as being an approachable form tutor. He will be sorely missed and

we wish him every success as he takes up a teaching post in Beijing.

Sarah Wallace

Dr Sarah Wallace left the History department at the end of 2014-15 having taught at St. Olave’s since 2006. While the courses taught by the department did not lend themselves to her expertise in Tudor History, Sarah was particularly enthusiastic about the Year 13 Development of Democracy course. Sarah’s time at the school saw a great deal of personal change as she gave birth to Jane and Tom in recent years. Sarah contributed a huge amount to the History department, leading EA trips and working to develop and publish the History Society magazine with a characteristic efficiency and lack fuss. She will be sorely missed as she leaves to teach at Sydenham High.

Hanna Cooley

During the 22 years Hanna has worked at St Olave’s, she has been nothing but dedicated to the students. The last few years of her career have been enough time for me to appreciate how hard working, determined and full of energy she is. Always amongst the first members of staff to arrive in school, and very often in even when she would have free periods.

Hanna has a particular talent to enthuse students about German language, culture and history. This is obvious through the many trips she has run with virtually all year groups. Over the years, her trips and exchanges to Aachen, Berlin, Heidelberg, Starnberg and Vienna have become legendary, she will give up holidays and sleep to make them happen.

Hanna is loyal and supportive to colleagues, never saying ‘no’ to joining a trip or actively helping to set up a club to enrich students’ experience. The best examples of this being:

The number of times she went on the battlefields trip, even after she was left in Maidstone

The chess club, which she not only kept alive but led to success

Valete - July 2014

The languages clubs, and trust me it would take far too long to list them all or the incredible effort put into organising Cultural Evening.

Generous and kind hearted, Hanna has also been a committed form tutor and still meets ex-tutees regularly. She has worked hard to get some of them through difficult times and through to university.

Finally, the publication of Max and Moritz is undoubtedly one of Hanna’s greatest successes and an incredible reward for her dedication.

Denise Storrs-Fox

It has been a great pleasure to work alongside Denise for a good number of years. She has given advice and support at all times and by her immense hard work and tenacity has been an exemplar of excellence. Within the faculty and in the wider spectrum of the staffroom she has shown herself to be a wonderful listener whose care and kindness have been underpinned by a strong and invaluable Christian faith.

It is in great part that her resolve and endeavour have raised standards in French at KS4 with the running of support sessions, the developing of engaging teaching resources and the establishment of the French residential trip in Normandy. Her passion for teaching has been always wholly visible. Both her talent and her creativity make language teaching fun and engaging. She will be greatly missed by the Faculty and the school as a whole.

Philip Holton

Philip steered the school’s faculty of Design and Technology for three years whilst also maintaining a keen interest in the senior soccer team. Under his gubernatorial skills the school maintained its strong tradition of excellence in this subject. There was always a rising sound of earnestly employed equipment emanating from his rooms juxtaposed by the fervent application of his students to all aspects of design taking in the functionality, the aesthetic and the materials of their intended outcome.

Under his auspices there too arose an enormous interest in creating robots which boys of various ages enjoyed considerably. It is no surprise that Philip has now moved to new heights. The faculty and the school as a whole wish him well.

Sarah Latcham

Sarah Latcham from the Classics Department has joined the staff at Shrewsbury School in Shropshire. Sarah was an outsatnding member of the Classics Department. Having joined as a NQT she showed that she could excel in all aspects of the syllabus in the teaching of Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation. At no time daunted by anything she was a superb form teacher whose brillliant pastoral care was driven by a strong unshakeabale Christian faith. In this respect it is no surprise that she participated in the Christain fellowship weekends. She greatly enjoyed DoE and spent several weekends on some of the more advanced trips. She was also a very fine cricketer having captained her university side. She was a boon to the sports faculty with her willlingness to coach and umpire cricket. An exemplary teacher with the most lovely attitude to life she will be greatly missed by the staff and the head of department.

Jonathan Geoghegan

Jonathan started his teaching career as a PGCE student and to everyone’s benefit stayed on at the school as a full-time member of staff. This utterly delightful Northern Irishman was wholly involved in all aspects of the department be it rehearsing or conducting. He played a huge part in all the superlative school concerts and was deeply liked by all members of the staff. As a classroom practitioner he was superlative, beautifully dressed and able to converse too in French. He was never a man to shy away from commitments to all aspects of school life and was a very valued member of many trips both overseas and in this country. He leaves us now to join the music department as Assistant Director of Music at Latymer Upper where we wish him the very best and look forward to hearing news of his success.

Teacher of Science (Physics)

Mr Mark Acheson, who joins us as an NQT, was educated at Rathmore Grammar School in Belfast and went on to the University of Manchester where he gained a Degree in Physics. Mark undertook a PGCE at King’s College, London. Mark enjoys hiking and is keen to become involved with the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme. He is also a technology and computing enthusiast and would be interested in setting up extra-curricular activities for this subject.

Teacher of Classics

Mr Alexander Carroll also joins us as an NQT. Alexander was educated at King’s College School, Wimbledon and went on to Cambridge University where he gained a BA in Classics. He then went on to the University of London, Courtauld Institute, where he studied for an MA in the History of Art. Alexander undertook a PGCE at Cambridge University. In June 2012 he attended a course in Budapest where he gained a Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults. Alexander is a keen musician. He enjoys listening to, playing and teaching in brass bands and currently plays Eb Tuba with Cambridge Section and District Band. He also enjoys Public Speaking. He holds both Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards and likes to travel.

Teacher of MFL (German)

Miss Laura Cooper, who has been appointed under the e-Qualitas Training Scheme, attended City of London School for Girls and the Anglo European School, before studying German at Oxford University from where she has just completed her finals with a First Class Honours. Fluent in German, Laura also speaks French and

Spanish. She is an accomplished musician, playing the Piano, Saxophone and Classical Guitar.

Teacher of English

Miss Philippa Doorbar joins us as an NQT. Philippa was educated at Cotham School Bristol and went on to the University of Warwick where she gained a Degree in English Literature. She then went on to gain an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies before completing a PGCE at the University of Exeter. Philippa has a passion for languages, literature and is a regular visitor to the theatre. She is also an accomplished musician, playing both the viola and cello. Philippa has been training for the marathon and is keen to become involved with the Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

Teacher of Art

Miss Deborah Farr, also an NQT, was educated at Sutton High School and went on to Wimbledon College of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, where she graduated with a Degree in Fine Art. Deborah then undertook a PGCE in Art and Design Education at the Institute of Education. Deborah has

advanced IT Skills, regularly exhibits her own art and design work, makes short films and photographs live music events for an online magazine. Deborah was awarded a Gold Medal for her LAMDA Acting Grade 8 and has achieved Grade 4 on the Drum Kit. She also holds the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.

Teacher of History

Mr David Gonsalves was educated at East Barnett School and Woodhouse College. He then went on to the University of Sussex where he gained a BA in History, followed by an MA in Social and Political Thought.

David undertook a GTP Training Place in History at Canterbury Christ Church University. He was Deputy Head of Sixth Form and Teacher of History and Sociology at Dover Grammar School for Boys. David is a keen musician achieving Grade 6 Classical Piano and Grade 4 Musical Theory. He is a dedicated sportsman who enjoys golf, cricket, tennis, squash and running; he also holds the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award and the Community Sports Leaders Award.

Teacher of Design Technology

Miss Samantha Lands completed her Btec Diploma in Art and Design at Camberwell College of Art and Design before going on to Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication where she gained a BA in Visual Communication Design. Samantha completed her PGCE at Goldsmiths University. For the past 4 years Samantha has been a teacher of Design Technology and Head of Learning at Crown Woods College. She was also a mentor for trainee teachers within the DT Department and a member of the working party for Design Ventura at the Design Museum. Samantha has built up links with designers in industry and universities; she has also organised several educational trips in the UK and Berlin.

Teacher of Mathematics

Mr Ryan Palmer was educated in Jamaica where he gained a BA in Economics and an MSc in Economics; he continued his studies in Florida and went on to gain an MSc in both Mathematical Sciences and Financial Mathematics. Ryan was a Teacher of Mathematics at St Edward’s School in Oxford. He is an avid reader and has written a book on the laws of self-regulated learning and improving academic attainment; he is also a keen Chess player.

Teacher of Computing and PLASMA-T Outreach Training

Mrs Sujatha Saul was educated in India and has an MSc in Computer Sciences. Sujatha was a Teacher of ICT at The Ockendon Academy and was responsible for KS3 Computing. She also has

experience of running an ICT Young Leaders Club and working with G&T students. Mrs Saul’s daughter Kezia was a Sixth Form student at St Olave’s Grammar School and has just gained a place to study Medicine.

Teacher of Biology

Dr Ateesh Sidhu has just completed his School Direct Programme Training Place at St Olave’s Grammar School. He was educated at Blue Coats CE School and went on to University College London where he graduated with a Degree in Molecular Biology. He continued his studies at the University of Exeter where he gained an MSc in Bioinformatics and the University of Warwick where he gained a PhD in Structural Biology. Ateesh speaks fluent Punjabi and some Hindi and has a keen interest in sport.

LSEF

Mr David Thomas who has given many years of service to the school joins us again to support the PLASMA-T outreach work in Robotics and Computing.

Students’ Work

National Competitions Students’ Work

This year’s creative work section reaches out to various different subjects within the school, showing individual/group excellence within them. It is our hope that all readers will find something to interest them within this section containing illustrations from the Art exhibition and works from English, Geography and Economics. It is, unfortunately, as ever, impossible to include works from every subject that submitted pieces, but, with the continued presence of the new school journals, including the Olavian Academic Journal under the patronage of Mr Budds, we remain sure that such articles will not be lost to people as a result of not being printed here.

Self-Similarish

Each of us has in a moment been a love that sticks string-and-wax-fixed wings on our own backs in solar winds

lived in hoar-frosted dream rooms like urban foxes curled round pale fires of phone screens to keep cosy

or seen with superstitious eyes a dead friend’s Facebook page comforted by the remnants when we die outliving our bodies or souls.

Each - in a moment of 6 days! - built a house of worries, walls painted with woes in fractals and the rest of the week unbuilt it again.

walking to your house on Soundlessness Street I listen for the rip of your seams, for 18 years sealed in an envelope, unopened SMS rustling in your pocket like leaves split in spilt arctic breeze.

I can touch four walls in here while I am standing still.

A War Without End

On the battle fields hate and rage brews, Savagery and anger surface inside. We fight against others but one side must lose, By the end thousands, millions will have died. Pain never subsides when through trenches we crawl, Mud and wounds feel like a stab to the heart. Together we wait for that final call, That says we have won and played our own part. Until then we try to escape with broken bones, Killing and murdering to try and gain peace. Listening to those bombs and gunfire alone, Hoping, wishing, wanting the war to cease. But I must come to terms with the cold truth, A war being fought by all our youth.

Compare the ways in which Owen portrays the impact of war on soldiers in ‘Conscious’ and ‘The Letter’

Owen explores the impact of war on soldiers in two different situations, which are in many ways similar. Both are overwhelming situations for the personas, but their environment and physical conditions are contrasting. In both poems, Owen presents examples of the stoicism of the soldiers fighting in the First World War within the personas’ internal monologues.

Owen portrays the effect that war has on soldiers’ minds in two different, yet somewhat similar, situations. One soldier is conscious, alert to his surroundings and interacting openly with others. The other is struggling to regain consciousness and is completely locked in, scarcely able to communicate with others and fighting an intense internal battle. This second persona is isolated in a hospital ward which feebly attempts to mimic a homely environment, but in reality is suffocating. When the persona wakes, his fingers “flutter” up the hospital bed; this delicate motion alone seems out of place in this context and a stark contrast to the ongoing war. He frantically begins to take in his surroundings, incapable of keeping on one train of thought for too long. It is these non sequiturs that make up most of the first stanza, and reflect the confusion and disorientation of war. In the space of four lines, the persona moves from noticing the sound of the drawling blind-cord, to commenting on “what a smooth floor the ward has”, to glancing at the “three flies… creeping round the shiny jug”. This is the impact the war has had on this man – he is still the observant, attentive soldier he once was, but he is now rather weak and feeble. The fact that he notices how the “blind-cord drawls across the window-sill” shows how isolated he is – this near-inaudible sound is all he has to focus on. The drawling sound is also quite slow and subdued, which lends to the clouded, almost unconscious feel of the poem. The odd notion of the soldier noticing “what a smooth floor the ward has” shows what war has done to his mind as well. The smooth, clean floor of the hospital so contrasts the boggy, muddy and often corpsestrewn trench floor, that the soldier seems entertained by such a minor detail. The theme of disjointed ideas is also present in ‘The Letter’. When the bomb hits the trench, the persona’s world is thrown into chaos, which is emphasised by the disjointed nature of the lines, broken up with punctuation: “Guh! Christ! I’m hit. Take ‘old. Aye, bad”. The soldier tries to run through the drill that he has practised so many times, getting his fellow soldiers to “give’s a hand with pack on”, not realising that he has been hit. This further accentuates the disorientation of war.

The fragmented structure of the lines near the end of ‘The Letter’ reflects the separation of war – something the soldier is experiencing first hand, being separated from his wife. The fact that he tells his wife his “mother might spare [her] half a sov” shows that the image of well-looked-after families back home during the war is completely false. The separation in ‘Conscious’ is expressed through the persona’s complete isolation. His only attempt at interaction with the hospital staff is shot down with a strict, matronly “Yes, all right, all right”. This once again shows how the field hospitals were wellordered, but suffocating. Order is very much imposed on these men. At the beginning of the second stanza, it is said that “sudden evening blurs and fogs the air”. The “fog” in the evening air represents the soldier’s clouded mind and the “sudden” aspect of this line emphasises how quickly the man’s health begins to deteriorate as he slowly falls unconscious once more. As the soldier slips back out of consciousness, perhaps dying in the hospital bed where he lies, he struggles to hold on to the only human contact he can, but there is “no light to see the voices by”. This line highlights the persona’s confusion and disorientation, as voices are not things that can be seen. In such a confusing situation, it is odd that the alternate rhyming pattern throughout the poem is so regular – the structure and order are never broken. This reflects the order which is imposed on the men and their constraints and restrictions as soldiers; they are forced to follow a pattern.

Owen accentuates in both poems the stoicism of the soldiers at war, but emphasises that this is just a front, and the soldiers are bearing their hardships internally. In ‘Conscious’ the persona opens his eyes after a period of unconsciousness with “a pull of will, Helped by the yellow mayflowers by his head”. The may-flowers and their colour symbolise the optimism that still lingers somewhere within the persona’s mind, and the “pull of will” with which he opens his eyes once again shows the stoic nature of the soldiers, and their unwillingness to give up. However, we discover that the normality in the hospital does little to restrain the images of the battlefield that permeate the persona’s thoughts. “Music and roses burst through crimson slaughter” suggests that the normality within the hospital only occasionally infiltrates through the tormenting flashbacks the persona is experiencing. The harsh plosive sound of “burst” along with the emotive “slaughter” reinforces the traumatising effect the war has had on the soldier. The vivid image of “crimson slaughter” makes this even more tangible to the reader. The tolerance of the men is also reflected in the language the persona uses in ‘The Letter’. The soldier clearly puts on a brave face when writing home to his wife, choosing not to complain about the poor conditions or his injury, instead convincing her that he is “out of harm’s way” in a nice, hospitable environment. The euphemistic approach he takes when writing home,

the charming manner and colloquial language (“square‘eaded ‘Uns”), is contrasting to his reality, in which he is half starving and by no means out of danger. Not only is the soldier limited as to what he can tell his wife by censorship laws, he also takes matters into his own hands, including a certain amount of self-censorship in his letter. Owen makes this no clearer than when the persona writes “We’re out in rest now. Never fear”, which is immediately followed by the sound of a bomb dropping not far from where the persona is situated. The comforting reassurance the soldier offers his wife is starkly juxtaposed with the onomatopoeic “VRACH!” sound of the bomb hitting. The harsh interruption of “VRACH!” in the poem, the capitals and the nature of the word, reflects the unexpected explosion of the bomb in the trench.

The structures of the poems are vastly different, and are designed to portray the impact of war in two differing situations. In ‘Conscious’, the second stanza marks a change in the poem – the situation is suddenly different. The “sudden evening” represents the darkness in the persona’s vision as he loses consciousness and shows how his perception is being distorted. ‘The Letter’ on the other hand, was written as one large stanza, which represents the rushed, dynamic situation the man is in. Owen could have written the letter to the soldier’s wife as one stanza, and another stanza at the front line, but the concurrent

narrative is more realistic in representing the confusion that war brings. The structure of ‘The Letter’ lends an empathetic opportunity for the reader in this regard –they too are confused at first, by the brackets and the two simultaneous narratives.

The main impacts of war that Owen hopes to portray in ‘Conscious’ and ‘The Letter’ are confusion, disorientation and separation. He conveys these ideas in different ways in the two poems, but the same resounding message can be seen in both: the men are ultimately constrained by the expectations of the soldier, and both end up losing their grasp on reality.

Raymond Carver’s Little Things is a short story focusing on the breakdown of a relationship, incorporating the themes of miscommunication, possession and destruction. A motif of light changing to dark also runs through the story, reflecting its dark and deteriorating narrative. With the addition of Carver’s trademark minimalist style, dictating the action through dialogue and only using sparse description, Little Things is a gripping and disturbing piece to read, with no distractions from its blunt and hard hitting storyline.

The light motif is present throughout, used primarily to represent the couple’s failing relationship, as well as the oncoming darkness that is about to consume their household and family life. The idea of it becoming “dark on the inside” foreshadows a rising tension and darkening tone, and in a literal sense is very visually suited to the kind of gritty domestic drama being played out, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that closes in around the action. The couple no longer have any hope, or light, in their relationship, and have instead become isolated in their own, darkening relationship. This gathering darkness and tension can also be seen in the “snow... melting into dirty water” outside, another environmental representation of the failing relationship. What was once pure and special has now dissolved into a commonplace substance that nobody wants – but physical traces of what once was still exist, similar to the baby’s existence as evidence of the couple’s past love for each other, however brief and broken.

A lack of communication is a recurring theme in many of Carver’s works like One More Thing in which the family can only shout or speak in secluded groups. This theme is included in Little Things, where the action in the scene is mainly told through the dialogue, devoid of speech marks, making the piece seem almost closer to a play – dialogue driven, and often without authorial voice - consequently leaving large sections of the story open to interpretation, for example: “Let go of him he said. Get away, get away! she cried” In this case the extended use of dialogue almost provokes misunderstanding from the reader, leaving the sequence of events and emotions half-unexplained. As the action is muddled and uncertain anyway, the lack of clear description enhances the sense that domestic dramas -especially one as dark and entangled as this - are confusing and unsure, with no one person taking the blame. The sparse speech gives the dialogue importance and physicality, and makes each statement seem more weighted, like an action or description of one, with even simple statements such as “Get out of here!” having stronger force. This is further accentuated by the space on the page, with line breaks frequent to space out both the dialogue and action. The

distance between the characters is mirrored in the space between their interactions on the page, evoking a sense of separation between them physically, and accentuating the idea of mental barrier.

Objects also make a frequent appearance in Carver’s short stories, often to symbolise a relationship or theme within the piece – a good example in Little Things being the “baby’s picture on the bed” which begins the entire argument. The use of this photograph initiates questions about the history of the couple, and influences our view on the upcoming events. The woman is seen to have aggravated the man into action, as her desperation at the situation has driven her to provoke him “she noticed the baby’s picture on the bed and picked it up”. Yet this by no means prevents sympathy also being invoked on her part – in fact she can easily be interpreted as the more loving character, being more family orientated and thinking about the child first, “she uncovered the blanket from around his head”, demonstrating concern about his welfare over the fear induced by her husband, as well as shifting focus towards the baby who is now no longer seen as only an object. The new character of the baby adds another layer of tension to the story, as the child has changed from being a stationary image in the picture to a vulnerable character; twined with the darkening light motif the tension is raised even further.

Carver represents the breakdown of a relationship in One More Thing, another short story centring around the breakdown in a couple’s relationship and the effects on their child; it is easy to draw parallels between One More Thing’s jar of pickles being “pitched through the kitchen window” and when in Little Things, a “flowerpot that hung behind the stove” is “knocked down”. In both stories, the destruction signals the shattering of any remaining hope in the household, and any normality that came with it. It is also to some extent a catalyst for later events, a final act of violence and disregard for safety sending the relationship crashing over the edge. In Little Things, after the flowerpot is broken far more obviously violent words like “tightened” and “screaming” are used, to foreshadow the oncoming wave of violence and the rising tension in the scene.

The terse sentences with next to no punctuation create a faster narrative pace to engage with, and it is this quickened pace that suggests a rising climax to the scene. The woman, after initially provoking the man into action, having “picked up” the baby’s picture and then “stared at him” before leaving, becomes more flustered in her dialogue; she “cried” out, exclaiming “For God’s sake!” Her actions, once bold and daring have now been undone by the fear and tension evoked by the quickening narrative, these feeling will be emulated by the reader, as the story seems to be reaching a climax. The man’s tone remains monosyllabic and unflinching throughout;

his dialogue is brief and determined, “I want the baby.” and, “Let go of him.” the persistent nature of the speech creates a dangerous tone, and the narrative seems more climactic and terse.

The climax in question happens when all the created tension is suddenly and sharply undone and the man “[pulls] back very hard” – on his own baby. The final line of “the issue” being “decided” seems almost inappropriate given the horrible image that preceded it – the reader is left with no idea of who ‘won’ the argument, what even happened to the baby, all serving to create an ending of anti-climactic horror and ambiguity. The tragedy of the preceding events is almost accentuated by their not even leading to a tangible conclusion.

In brief, Little Things is made to be an effective short story through its tightly packed content and literary technique, the themes are represented well, and the surrounding motifs and style of writing help support them in their success.

Was the Emperor Augustus a Keynesian?

“It is astonishing what foolish things one can temporarily believe if one thinks too long alone, particularly in economics.” – John Maynard Keynes

“He could boast that he inherited it brick and left it marble.” -

1,819 years mark the time between the death of Imperator Caesar Divi Augustus – the first true Emperor of Rome - and the birth of John Maynard Keynes – the single most influential economist of the 20th Century. Those centuries saw the fall of the Ancient world, the rise of the old world and the meteoric ascension of the new. Some would argue that any mutual examination of these two men is rendered null and void by the epochs that yawn cavernously between them. However, I would argue that the chronological distance between these two men lends itself to a sense of detachment when comparing their ideas, actions and words; allowing for a purer distillation of their beliefs unsullied by the smears of their contemporaries.

Before we ask if Augustus himself was a Keynesian; and define what we mean by ‘Keynesian economics’ we must first establish whether the Roman economy was sufficiently developed such that we can apply 20th Century models and theories to its functions and politics. For the sake of ease, I intend to examine the economy of Rome through the lens of Polanyi’s three part definition – reciprocity, redistribution and exchange. These definitions identify three separate solutions to the economic problem – a feudal system of social obligation, a centrist system of redistribution and a free market system of exchange. It is evident that a ruler in an economy confined to any single one of these systems could not be described as a Keynesian; as the interaction between market forces and state intervention is a fundamental aspect of Keynesian economics. Whilst some would argue that Rome only really fulfils one of these criteria, I’d argue that the Roman economy was a sufficient enough blend of all three, such that it was developed enough to be labelled with a term from a patently more advanced economy and economist.

The Roman Economy

The often overlooked fact about the Roman economy is its immense size and complexity. In his dissection of the Roman economy, Goldsmith estimates the population of the empire in 14 AD to have been roughly 55 million –whilst other studies range around this figure, as high as 100 million, Goldsmith’s estimates remain somewhere in the middle ground of more extreme estimates. These 55 million people living under the cosh of Rome were involved in a huge range of economic activities –industrial, agricultural and manufacturing with extensive evidence of mechanisation through primarily hydraulic means. For example water sluicing in Iberian mines

allowed the Roman economy to produce a raw tonnage of ore unmatched until the industrial revolution. In demographic terms, approximately 5% of the Roman population were enslaved – a major component of the spoils of war which drove growth massively from 200BC onwards. A very striking aspect of demography of the early empire was the enormous wealth inequality – contributed to by the omnipresence of slavery. This had an immense impact on the plebeian lower classes, who rarely owned land; whereas senator’s estates – manned primarily by slaves rather than tenant farmers, sprawled for hundreds of acres across the Italian countryside. These immensely wealthy senators represented a cadre of society that paid at private expense for the majority of public buildings in the late republic, and arguably formed the basis for the Keynesian actions of Augustus in the early Empire.

On the surface, the Roman economy may appear to fit more in the model of social reciprocity than any other; the oligarchs of the senate, in a system technically democratic in nature – but closer to feudal fealty in reality, funded and supported myriad projects for the betterment of the Roman people. Triumphant generals would regularly fund the maintenance of infrastructure such as roads from their personal wealth, under the direction of the senate – thus increasing aggregate demand in the Roman economy. Furthermore, the annona, or grain dole for Roman citizens provided 84,000 tonnes of corn for 200,000 people per annum in the city – this massive state led injection into the circular flow of income is plentiful evidence for the centralised manipulation of aggregate demand in the late Roman republic. These acts evidently show an economic model with both redistribution and reciprocity; to the extent that a central authority – either the senate or an autocratic Principate, would have enough established authority to actively manipulate the level of aggregate demand within the economy; thus conforming to a Keynesian model of economic control.

However, for reasons that will be discussed imminently, a purely reciprocal and redistributive economic model would not fulfil the criteria required for the Keynesian

model. Therefore, in order to label Augustus a Keynesian, we must establish the presence of market forces in the Ancient Roman World and prove that the Mediterranean market for goods and services was sufficiently developed for interplay between state manipulation of demand and natural commercial activity – an uneven dominance of one over the other would prohibit us from describing Augustus’ policies as Keynesian. There is a wealth of evidence for private enterprise and private sector transactions which show the genuine presence of a developed economy in the ancient world. Firstly the shipping trade was dominated by private firms competing and fulfilling sophisticated contracts including insurance frameworks, letters of credit and a quality assurance scheme for transported grain. Furthermore, large firms concentrated in specific provinces of the empire were able to cut administrative costs through mass production of goods – such as the large number of metallurgy workshops concentrated in Iberia. The fact that these economic transactions took place outside of the auspices of centralised governmental control clearly shows that there was a genuine free market economy in the Ancient Mediterranean – fulfilling Polanyi’s three separate economic descriptors and thus allowing us to view the actions of Augustus as the political ruler of a developed economy, who can feasibly be described as a Keynesian.

Keynesian Economics

In order to truly understand whether Augustus was a Keynesian, we need to understand what is meant by Keynesian economics. Keynes set out the core of his economic beliefs in his magnum opus The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money; they can be summarised thusly:

Demand is the most crucial aspect of the economy; demand not only determines output, but also plays the primary role in the cycle of boom and bust.

Manipulation of aggregate demand by the state is a vital tool in any developed economy; government spending is the best response to take in the face of recession

A successful economy will have significant input from both the private and public sectors – breaking away from the laissez faire consensus that triumphed throughout the 19th Century.

Given the constraint of Polanyi’s three stratified answers to the economic problem, it is clear that Keynesian economics relies on a mixed economy – with a strong ‘exchange’ based private sector which drives investment and a large proportion of ordinary transactions. However in a Keynesian system, the State must also act in the ‘redistributive’ or ‘reciprocal’ modes – for the provision of public goods in times of prosperity and the artificial increase of Aggregate demand in response to recession in order to drive the recovery. It is evident that the Roman

economy combines Polanyi’s three categories enough for Keynesian fiscal policy to be employed in the Ancient World.

As Keynes was primarily writing in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash and Great Depression, it is a fair assertion that Keynes primarily believed in using public spending to alleviate the damage of the boom and bust cycle. This is far and away the most compelling similarity between Keynes and Augustus’s doctrines as the first Emperor inherited a nation torn apart by more than fifty years of warring, desolation and genocide. His response, over a 41 year reign, was to spend enormous amounts of his own wealth and public money – thus restoring the output of the economy to its previous high, through expansionary fiscal policy; to this end Augustus was a textbook Keynesian.

Bust and Boom

The Roman Civil Wars of 49 BC to 30 BC quinquimated the population of Rome – with twenty percent of the adult male population dying in the conflicts. These wars were particularly costly to Rome as since the fall of both Carthage and Corinth in 146 BC, Rome was the undisputed ruler of the Mediterranean. This meant that casualties or damage on either side of the campaign would both equally damage the strength and capacity of Rome and its economy – unsurprisingly, come Augustus’ ascension in 27 BC, Rome was in a worse position than it been since the sack of Italy at the hands of the Gauls in 390 BC. Augustus sought to repair the damage done by the wars through an extensive program of spending and infrastructure development; this action inadvertently helped the recovery even further – with government spending feeding back into the wider economy thanks to the multiplier effect, leading to a greater than proportional increase in aggregate demand at a time when political instability and conflict had left consumer and business confidence in the future of Rome at an all time low. Expansionary fiscal actions included the repair of dilapidated roads across the empire, done at the expense of the senate and the building of aqueducts with public money. Augustus – who offered the public coffers more than 150,000,000 sesterces (0.75% of contemporaneous GDP) personally claimed responsibility for the building and repair of 82 temples across the Empire. The sheer quantity of materials and labour this required would have been of enormous benefit to firms operating around the Mediterranean and thus represents a Keynesian injection of public spending into the circular flow – similar to the building of Hoover dam or the Autobahn projects of 1930s America and Germany. Whilst Augustus himself would have had no awareness of Keynesian theory, aggregate demand or the multiplier effect, his actions are pre eminently Keynesian in nature – he sought to actively repair and replenish the economy through lavish public spending; simultaneously winning popularity and founding a dynasty that would last for centuries- passing

its name on to the royal families of Germany and Russia centuries later. Furthermore, the Keynesian approach genuinely worked – the period following his rule saw peace, prosperity and a HDI figure unparalleled until the 1700s.

However, it could be argued that Augustus was not genuinely a Keynesian. The primary argument in favour of this is that Augustus didn’t take any public debt during his rule – in traditional Keynesian theory the shortfall from spending and tax cuts is recouped through debt; however due to the huge amounts of money flooding into Rome from the provinces, there was no such shortfall. Similarly, the growth experienced throughout this period was due to an influx of wealth from newly conquered provinces such as Egypt. The injection of this income was inevitable as the Romans expand their borders and due to the hierarchical Roman system, this wealth went straight into the hands of the ruling elite –the senatorial oligarchy. While it’s a nuanced distinction to draw, it is clear that there is a difference between Keynesian public spending and the socially obligated actions of the money grabbing patricians. However this argument is null and void as regardless of the mechanism or intention of the spending, Augustus’s actions still had a prominently Keynesian bent and effect. A much more compelling argument against Augustus’s position as a Keynesian is his lack of alternatives – whilst there was a prominent private banking sector in Ancient Rome, the principate and senate had no authority to regulate these bankers beyond a legal maximum lending rate. This was never utilised and remained at 12% for the entirety of Augustus’ reign – therefore Augustus was not a Keynesian by choice but by necessity as monetarism was entirely outside of his options as Emperor.

Overall, the actions of Augustus were genuinely Keynesian in nature; but more than that – they were highly successful in transforming the Empire from a war ravaged ailing state into an unparalleled superpower. The Julio-Claudian dynasty and its successors ruled the Mediterranean unequivocally into the 3rd Century AD – this strength was thanks to the enormous successes of Augustus in founding a prosperous Empire on the back of proto-Keynesian economics.

Why is engineering the key to a strong economic future in the UK?

Engineering is the application of scientific and mathematical principles to real world challenges. While the necessity and importance of engineering has rocketed in the UK in recent years, with the development of new technologies and the widespread demand for a greater quality of life, the engineering sector has largely stagnated with the economy shifting increasingly towards services, as Figure 1 shows. While in 1970, the engineering sector accounted for 32% of the UK’s GDP, double the contribution of 16% from services, services now contribute three times more to GDP than engineering (ONS Blue Book, 2009).

This clear and continuing trend is, for the reasons detailed below, a cause for great concern for the UK government. Engineering is a sector where the UK has the potential to surge ahead of the competition and, particularly as new technologies emerge and new engineering opportunities arise, it will indeed be the key to a strong economic future in the UK. It would be greatly beneficial for the UK to embark upon a programme of supply-side policies in order to inspire and equip young people to lead the industry into the next generation.

A first reason why engineering is so vital to the future of the UK is that the government must strive to achieve balanced economic growth. Aggregate demand in the UK is, at the moment, heavily biased towards and dependent upon consumption. Such dependency, with investment and exports lagging, makes the UK economy fragile and vulnerable. A shock to consumption, which could be caused for instance by a rise in interest rates incentivising saving and increasing the cost of borrowing, could cause economic collapse and disaster for the UK, with no other components of AD to fall back on. Consequently, it is imperative that the UK acts now to stimulate investment and exports. The Director General of the Confederation of British Industry John Cridland endorses this view, arguing that ‘the key to the UK getting back on track is growth, founded on a rebalanced economy geared much more towards manufacturing and export’. The latter is especially applicable to engineering. The root cause of the UK’s modest exports is the fact that, as a nation, we do not manufacture nearly enough consumer goods. With the regulation and costs which come with production in the UK, it would be foolish to suggest that the UK should dedicate its resources to the manufacturing of low quality goods, as businesses would find it impossible to compete with such economies as China. However, the opportunity for the UK lies in the engineering and development of higher quality goods, which it can then export to the rest of the world. The UK has the infrastructure, the capital and, if effective training schemes are introduced, the human resources required to truly lead the world in the manufacture of high quality goods. While we cannot compete at the bottom end of

the market due to our high costs of production, we can compete at the top end where emerging economies lack the resources that the UK possesses. This is our niche area where our exports can compete and it is imperative that we exploit it so to avoid economic stagnation and being overtaken by the BRIC countries. The challenge therefore is how to seize this opportunity and produce these high quality goods, which require research, innovation and human skills, all of which come under the category of engineering. UK gross investment in Research and Development was modest at 1.8% in 2010 compared with 3.2% in the USA and 2.8% in Germany. There are a lower percentage of firms deemed ‘innovation active’ in the UK than the entire developed world at just 36% (Statistics from ‘Jobs and growth – the importance of engineering skills to the UK economy’). However, the turnover from this limited innovation is often the best in Europe. This portrays perfectly the unfulfilled potential which exists in the engineering sector. If the government invests in engineering research, innovation and skills, the UK can greatly strengthen its exports and in doing so, rebalance what is currently a frail and susceptible economy. However, it should be stressed that such an approach would take years to implement – it is a long term solution. For instance, changes made to school curriculums to develop more engineering skills will take a generation to impact upon the economy. The dependence on consumption in the UK economy is an immediate threat and not one that can be left unaddressed for such a period. Hence, it could be argued that developing engineering is not the ideal solution to the imbalance in the makeup of UK aggregate demand, and that other measures with lesser time lags should be pursued.

Another reason why engineering provides the key to a strong economic future in the UK is the growth and development of technology, which provides new engineering opportunities. The services sector has served the UK well in recent years as London particularly has surged ahead of its foreign opponents in areas such as finance, law and management consultancy. However, emerging economies have begun to diversify and are now beginning to compete in the international services sector. Activity in India’s services sector grew at its ‘fastest pace in well over a year in June, as new business poured in’, according to Reuters which also refers to the ‘broadening’ of the Chinese economy into services. Consequently, opportunities for services in the UK are declining as business is leaked to emerging economies. However, opportunities are ever increasing in the engineering sector as new innovation provides potential new routes to economic growth. An example of this is the biomedical engineering sector which, through the development of new technological capabilities, has emerged as an area in which the UK can dominate the world market. According to Design News Magazine, the biomedical engineering sector is set to grow 62% by 2020. This is an

encouraging example for the UK and it is vital that the use of new technology is extended to other, somewhat stagnant, engineering sectors. Aerospace and chemical engineering are both forecast to grow by less than 10% by 2020 yet, if these industries can embrace innovation and apply it to their fields; there is great potential for them to move forward. In this way, the application of new technology in engineering is an exciting chance for the UK to dominate an international market, diversify its economy and bring sustained economic growth. It is thus imperative that steps are taken so that the engineering skills and infrastructure are in place to apply and use technology in the sector. However, developing technology in engineering is a risky sector for the government to invest in. While the UK may be able to develop new products, it is relatively easy for these to be copied my other countries’ businesses. In such cases, the UK pays the cost of research and development, but other economies reap much of the reward. A similar example on a national scale was when Samsung allegedly copied Apple’s iPhones in the way in which they designed their Galaxy smartphones. As such, while the UK may be able to develop innovative products, they may not be the sole benefactors from them and so developing technology in engineering may not be such an economically attractive prospect.

A final reason why engineering is integral to a strong economic future in the UK is the positive impact that engineering can have on so many sectors of the economy. Investment in engineering creates a positive multiplier effect as the skills acquired by trained engineers and the goods they produce can be utilised all over the economy. Figure 2 below shows how, while many thousands of workers in Science, Engineering and Technology are employed in the manufacturing and construction sectors, over 800,000 work in either Business Services or Computing. Engineering qualifications are numerically challenging and give students a wide range of transferrable skills which are greatly valued by employers in various sectors across the UK. This is demonstrated by the fact that engineering graduates are the second highest earners, according to a recent Telegraph study.

In a similar way to engineering skills, new products developed by engineers can also bring greater efficiency and greater profit to businesses in other sectors, and greater growth overall in the economy. For instance, the mechanisation of a factory by an engineering firm may increase the efficiency of a retailer’s production line, cut costs and increase profit. In such a way, engineered products can have a beneficial effect on almost every industry in the UK. More investment is thus required in inspiring and educating engineers, which would create growth not only in manufacturing, but also across the economy as a whole. This multiplier effect is yet another reason why engineering is so important to the UK’s economic future. However, the impact of innovative

engineering can occasionally have negative impacts on the economy. Returning to the factory example above, mechanisation may improve efficiency, cut costs and improve profit margins, but it will likely put many people out of jobs, meaning the income and purchasing power of the population falls. In this way and others, engineering in other sectors can sometimes lead to economic problems as well as benefits.

To conclude, engineering provides an opportunity for the UK to dominate a world market and rebalance its economy, while also taking advantage of new technological innovation. The engineering sector has somewhat stagnated over the past 40 years as the UK economy has become increasingly geared towards services. Now is the time for the government to intervene and reverse this trend. The engineering of high quality products provides an ideal chance for the UK to boost its struggling exports and address the reliance of aggregate demand on consumption, an immediate threat to the economic recovery. While competition in services will intensify greatly in the coming years with the diversification of emerging economies, the UK has the infrastructure and potential to set itself apart from the world market in engineering. It would thus be advisable for the UK government to increase its investment in supply-side policies to establish a more prominent engineering sector with more skilled workers, to lead the UK into a strong economic future.

Prize Day

National Competitions Prize Day

Day Speech by the Headmaster Chairman, Professor Sir Colin Berry, The

the Mayor of Bromley, Cllr Julian Bennington, Lady Mayoress, proud parents, students, colleagues; it is a pleasure to welcome you to this celebration of the achievements of our senior students as we reflect on the world of education and another excellent year.

Two students were arguing when a Headmaster unexpectedly entered the class-room. HM: “What are you boys arguing about?” Boy: “We found a £10 note and decided that whoever tells the biggest lie should keep it.” “You ought to be ashamed of yourselves” said HM “at a school with such strong values as this. When I was your age I didn’t even know what a lie was.” The boys gave the £10 note to HM.

I am pleased to say that our students not only have such wit and creativity but do indeed have a sense of true values. Tonight’s prize-winners also know how to use their intelligence to delve into areas of personal interest and pursue our aspiration for true scholarship. In so doing, they build on the heritage of this prestigious Grammar school, embarking on life with optimism for the future in a new and changing world.

Our Year 13 leavers again produced even more remarkable A level results than last year, confirming St Olave’s position as the 2nd best state school with mixed 6th Form. 95% of grades were at A*/B; a record 53 students secured places for Oxbridge or Medicine; and 28 gained 3+A*s. Students, as well as staff and parents, can look back with great pride on these achievements.

Year 12s produced the best ever AS results with 88% A/B grades, a superb overall standard which augers well for next year. GCSE results were no less impressive and with a record 88% of grades at A*/A and 53% at A*. 25 students here this evening gained 9+A* grades; they will be joined by 130 new 6th formers from other schools, 50 of whom also have 9+A*s. You will not be surprised to hear that we have fairly high aspirations for the new Y12.

Such results have clearly not gone unnoticed by prospective parents with applications for Y7 places rocketing to 1061 this year. It was not just the quality of achievements but also that of teaching, behaviour and leadership that were, not perhaps surprisingly, endorsed by Ofsted as ‘outstanding’ across the board when they paid us a visit in March.

And this begs the question ‘Post Ofsted, where next?’ So I want to break with tradition a little and leave my colleagues to describe the array of cultural, individual and team successes throughout the last 12 months. I would like to briefly consider the wider educational context and share a few thoughts with you about my vision for the future.

The landscape ahead is already dominated by two external factors over which we have little control: curriculum/ examination changes and further funding reductions. We shall almost certainly have to add to these following the general election. However, it is important that we have a positive vision for what else the future holds, within the context of the 21st century and a rapidly changing world.

The former Secretary of State for Education, although not universally popular for his style, introduced some long overdue changes to public examinations and associated curricula, in order to bring standards up to those of the most advanced nations. Teachers have already begun the process of restructuring schemes of work and preparing for a completely new grading system. A return to the days of 2-year linear courses, with terminal examinations, has major implications for Sixth Form programmes, AS levels, university applications and pressure on students.

It will be important that we build on our care systems for their well-being with effective motivation balanced by reassurance and support. With the relentless growth of electronic communications and internet influences, many positive, but some with potential dangers, students will need more guidance on the safe use of social media. We shall need to ensure that our transition arrangements are as supportive as possible, so that our youngest pupils and those new to Y12 settle in quickly and feel secure.

Current pressures on Grammar School funding show no sign of abating; 2014-15 will be the worst year so far with further cuts of £130,000 in our annual budget. Given that the first year post general election is historically a lean year, it will be important that we continue to exercise prudent financial management at the same time as working with parents, grand-parents, corporate sponsors, and the OO community to develop new income streams. The good news is that, despite the pressures, we have managed to operate successfully over the last 3 years. Generous support from the Fdn has helped towards the much needed development of new Science accommodation, to be completed around

Christmas. It would be good to feel that, at some stage, we could revisit the possibility of the all-weather pitch to broaden the range of winter sports; and also to support the Old Olavian 5s community as they progress their project to build 4 new Fives courts and encourage other state schools to become involved.

Like most selective schools, a review of our Entrance Test arrangements will be a key priority as we struggle to cope with the relentless increase in the number of applicants. More importantly, I would like to find a way of enabling StOGS to fulfil that original Grammar School ideal of enabling greater social mobility for youngsters from areas of social disadvantage. Children from such areas often attend low performing primary schools and lack positive educational influences and aspirations from their families and communities. How to identify and support such children is not just a substantial challenge, but a duty from which we should not shirk.

High quality student journals, EPQs, play scripts & musical compositions, are testament to the way in which scholarship now leads the agenda at St O’s. Student societies and the new 3-year KS4 encourage research into areas of personal interest, with inspiration provided by scholarship fortnight, the Olavian Lecture Series and teaching colleagues, many of whom have Doctorates or backgrounds in interesting areas of research. The pursuit of intellectual enrichment also contributes to the success of students aiming for top university places. There is still headroom to increase these through more work with younger students, more forums like the STEP, Medical and Economics electives, with a more orally discursive culture to hone student interview skills and confidence.

An interesting change is taking place in the ethnic demographic of the school with a steady increase in the proportion of ethnic minorities. How should we respond to this social change, gain from this blossoming cultural diversity? It is increasingly important, as the world shrinks, that our students understand global issues, other communities, their values and aspirations. Life changing experiences can be gained from the array of overseas trips and exchanges about which you will hear from my colleagues. Our new BC link with La Martiniere, Kolkata, will see students working jointly on global citizenship and sustainability. We hope to create a team of ISAs to add to this portfolio countries with different perspectives, perhaps in Africa or the Middle East.

Coming slightly nearer to home, Ofsted suggested that we use the PLASMA-T project to spread best practice amongst other schools. We shall do this by promulgating the OTP, by providing training in computer programming and robotics; and by sharing our expertise in Oxbridge and Medical school preparation. We shall also seek to nurture a more cohesive OO community and to build

on the impressive intellectual capital therein to prepare students better for university and life beyond.

So what will this life, this 21st C, look like? It is important that we, as educators, do not duck this slightly daunting question, but rather share in the excitement of what lies ahead to prepare and challenge our students as best we can. If I might dare to hypothesise:

Biotechnology, or a synthesis of biochemistry and mathematics, will be the Industrial Revolution of the 21st C, with profound implications for human health, food, diversity, sustainability. As populations grow, energy will become ever more important, particularly sustainable sources related to the sun and nuclear fusion. An explosion in robotics will permeate all aspects of life and ultimately lead to the recreation of ourselves. We shall need to understand, accommodate and influence climate change before it is too late. Communications systems will proliferate with transmitter-receiver implants that grow connections into our CNS. We shall discover other habitable planets and unlock more secrets of cosmology, time, dark and anti-matter, inter-galactic space travel.

We must better understand the oceans and protect the planet’s diversity as we replace the current bankrupt banking ideology with ecological economics. Our social consciences ought to prompt us to ensure that everyone has nutritious, sustainable food and access to clean water though, sadly, I suspect this will remain a lower priority than ongoing arms races and politics of power. In health, we shall quickly learn how to beat the superbugs, whether by phage or new generation antibiotics; the science of stem cells will generate instant ET-like organ re-creation and remedies for debilitating conditions such as dementia and paralysis; extending life-span will become a trillion dollar industry. Perhaps, like Lucy, some of our students might even learn how to use more than 10% of their brain capacity! And there will, of course, be things we cannot even dream of yet.

The 21st then will be a century of unparalleled Science; but science needs to be tempered with a concomitant set of values. Splitting the atom was an act of profound scientific brilliance and creativity; building the nuclear bomb distorted this in an act of political and industrial irresponsibility. I hope, Chairman, that our education system at St O’s will not only inspire our prize-winners to unlock some of the mysteries of the 21st C, but also equip them with the social awareness and values to use their talents with discernment. If they can balance their scholarship and enlightenment with wisdom and compassion, then the glittering prizes awaiting them, and human-kind, will be even bigger than those which they thoroughly deserve here this evening.

Prize Day Speech by Director Sixth Form, David Budds

Chairman, Sir Colin, worshipful mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen, as you have already heard it has been an outstanding year academically for the Sixth Form with a remarkably impressive set of results both at A2 and AS. All of our students are bright; most of them shine and some of them are positively incandescent. Whilst the aggregates are indisputably superb, they are only the sum of the incredible efforts of individual students. Tonight we celebrate the personal endeavours, triumphs and sheer hard work and determination on which those aggregates are based, not to mention the incredible range of other contributions which our remarkable Sixth Formers have made to the school and the potent legacy of excellence which they leave in their wake. To our Prize winners, your school is proud of you and we can only imagine the pride which your families will feel in reflecting on your various achievements this evening.

How these superlative young people fit it all in, goodness alone knows, but our Sixth Formers also found time to get involved in a huge range of extra- and supercurricular activities. My greatest challenge in fact in preparing this speech was deciding what to leave out, as there is so very much which has been remarkable. You will, I trust, forgive me if I cannot cover every single remarkable thing you have done. We would be here for so very long that your dedicated teachers who delight in your achievement would be up way beyond their usual waking hours and too exhausted to teach any lessons tomorrow – it is possible even that were I to enumerate them all, you still all be sat in this hall, listening to me talk when those lessons began.

In addition to their strong A-Level results, 34 Year 13 students completed their Extended Project Qualification and gave highly accomplished and cogent presentations of their 6000 word dissertations. EPQ topics were diverse and challenging, ranging from ‘Whether Quantum Indeterminacy is responsible for Free Will’ to ‘Why did Chinua Achebe choose to write in English’. All EPQ candidates were subjected to rigorous questioning from the floor and the students rose to the challenge with exemplary Olavian erudition and aplomb. Other academic achievements beyond the mainstream A2 curriculum were abundant, with highlights including Caterina Hall, Izabella Inzani, Aarushi Khanna, Uroosa Chughtai and Alexandros Adamoulas being awarded gold medals in the first round of the prestigious Biology Olympiad, placing them in the top 6%. Aarushi And Uroosa were subsequently invited to the second round, competing to represent the UK in the International Biology Olympiad in Bali.

In sport, the first XV rugby season included notable victories against Colfes, London Oratory and Wallington and climaxed as the squad reached the last 16 of the

Natwest Vase competition. The first XI football team also had an excellent season, starting with an unbroken run of five wins in five matches. The quality of sports leadership for our teams this year has been exceptional, with our senior students giving up a very significant proportion of whatever free time they have to lead sessions, to give great opportunities to those in younger years and to act as role models for them. There are many who could be cited here, but Charlie Bishop, as ever, is a great exemplar of the genre with his inspirational captaincy of the hockey team, giving high-quality coaching, uncompromising on-pitch leadership and total commitment in all games played. All of our captains are commended and all are thanked for the legacy of inspiration and excellence which they leave behind. The captains were supported by a very dedicated team of sports prefects who also consistently set the highest standards of aspiration and support for our younger students. No less impressive than the team efforts and the captaincies and prefectures which relate to them are the achievements in more individual pursuits, which include William Ruiz’s setting of a new 3000m senior athletics record and Tim Adelani being placed 3rd in Kent for the senior 100m backstroke heats.

Aside from Sport, the Sixth Form have enjoyed many other proud achievements. Drama continued to flourish at the school with Year 13 taking prominent roles throughout their time in the Sixth Form at events including the extravaganza of musical theatre that is Showstoppers, splendidly compered last year by Louis Cokell and Jay Routh and in which Fergus MacDonald gave us alarmingly good cause to fear sadistic musical dentists. Jay went on to become a finalist in a national play-writing competition and had her work performed at the National Theatre and Fergus proved his comic talent once again in his leading role in Elling this year –although not even in the most colourful and impassioned sermon or the most fraught chamber choir or Savoy choir rehearsal have I heard quite so much swearing in the school chapel as I did on that evening. Other dramatic highlights of our leavers’ time in the Sixth Form have included Fintan Calpin’s memorable and inspirational staging of The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui which, together with his earlier production of the Playboy of the Western World abundantly demonstrated his directorial vision and panache. Audiences enjoyed an impressive production of Cabaret in which several of our leavers including Larissa Schymyck, Eyiara Olugunna, James Curling and again Louis Cokell, performed leading roles superbly and many other leavers danced or were in the band. Musically, Sixth Formers have played prominent parts in the Christmas and Easter concerts as well as through their involvement in the wide range of orchestras, ensembles and choirs both as leaders and active participators.

This year also saw the continuation of “The O Factor”, St

Olave’s answer to the X Factor! A memorable polyphonic performance of Farrell Williams’s “Happy” by Leeke, conducted brilliantly by Peter Leigh, being one of many highlights. The Art Exhibition held at the end of the summer term again showed what intensely talented and creative students we have. The time, thought and effort put into the many pieces on display was an outstanding achievement.

Senior students once again found themselves organising a wide range of events this year with probably the highlight for most being Festival with afternoon lessons being suspended in order that students could enjoy the various stalls run by form groups, and events such the firm Festival favourites ‘Just a minute’ and ‘University Challenge’. As well as Festival, Cabaret was held on the Friday night before the end of the Christmas term, and this event showcased the wide range of talent in the Sixth Form including a great variety of singers and bands including the inimitable Mutton. All this was done in support of the charities Water Aid and the Jennifer Trust for whom the sum of almost £10,000 was raised this year.

The Sixth Form provides students with many opportunities to take on positions of leadership within the school and our local community and this year was no exception. 139 members of the then Year 12 took up positions as form, duty and academic prefects. The Senior Prefect Team of Skanda Rajasundaram, Tim Adelani, Charlie Bishop, Jordan Fisher, Sinead O’Connor and Zeinab Ruhomauly progressed admirably with the reinvigoration of the house system with development of the annual calendar of competitions taking place in academic subjects as well as the with various sports and societies and through the organisation of a charity quiz with the PA which funded the purchase of trophies and a trophy cabinet for all house events and a set of house banners with re-designed logos. Sixth Form students visited St.Paul’s Cray primary school on a number of occasions to assist with their French day, Science Week and their Sport’s Day. The school was once again host for the annual Mathematics and Science Challenge Day for Year 5 pupils from our partner primary schools with activities organised and led by the Year 12 Academic prefects. Student-led societies continued to flourish, along with a real blossoming of the culture of academic journals (including this year for the first time a crosscurricular journal, a law journal, an art journal, a literature journal, a classics journal and a modern foreign languages journal). Sixth Formers remain heavily involved in and committed to the School’s Le Chavetois Programme, assisting and supporting a range of local communitybased endeavours and improving the quality of life of hundreds of other people, old and young, throughout the borough. Sixth Formers also organised Cultural Evening which included an exotic display of music and dance as well as culinary delights and a dazzling fashion show.

And finally at the close of this academic year, following the A level examinations, Year 13s took time to celebrate the end of their school careers, but hopefully not the end of their contact with the school, at the Leavers’ Reception where students, parents and staff enjoyed canapés and champagne before the students went onto the Leaver’s Ball held at Oakley House.

Many of you will be aware that this particular year group has a lot of personal significance for me and it has been a real privilege to have served as their head of year for two years for the internal boys, for a year for the whole group and subsequently as their Director of Sixth Form. They could scarcely have made me prouder in the time that I have worked for them and I thank them abundantly for enabling me to say that.

In giving a final valedictory salute, you may remember from a couple of years ago that I had some difficulty in finding an appropriate collective name for our Prize winners, having come to the conclusion that “Sons of Olave” sounded like a mysterious Scandinavian paramilitary group. Since then, matters have become still more complex. Up until about a year ago, I would have said Sons and Daughters of Olave has the air of a harrowing Ibsen play fused with a dismal antipodean soap opera. Children of Olaf? A dystopian Sci-Fi thriller. However, the sad truth now is that, as so frequently happens, Disney have ruined everything and since the film “Frozen” came along any collective appellation indicating descent from Olaf suggests that you are the progeny of a slightly saccharine animated snowman with a poignant and misguided longing for summer, so I think we’ll draw a line under the whole “of Olave” title. Whatever we call you, our Prize Winners tonight, may your dreams and aspirations be less doomed to failure than those of the Disney Olave and less bloody than those of our own Olave. May those dreams and aspirations be noble, worthy of your brilliance and challenging but achievable. Chairman, tonight celebrates the very great deal of hard work conducted by our students and their dedicated teachers and all concerned richly deserve to share in and enjoy this occasion of celebration. Outstanding exam results will open up the widest range of opportunities for these remarkable young people and I know that as they move on to university, and to bright careers beyond, they will take with them not only glowing results, but all that they have learnt during their time at St Olave’s Grammar School. To the outgoing Year 13, you have set a fantastic example for the new Year 13 to follow, you were led by a superb school captain, an excellent senior prefect team and you have been an absolute credit to the School and to your parents. It has been a wonderful privilege this evening to eulogise once again about this remarkable year group. I nearly said for a final time, but I hope that this is not the case. You will go on to bright and brilliant things in your lives beyond the school, and we look

forward to sharing news of your future triumphs in the place where you are cherished and in which you will live long in the memory as an outstanding year group. You are the Young Olavians of today and the Old Olavians of tomorrow; once an Olavian, always an Olavian. On behalf of all of your teachers, I thank you all for your commitment and wish you every possible success and happiness for the future.

Prize Day Speech by James White, Head of Middle School

Challenging, difficult, not maximising their potential, lively, energetic, a handful, all words to describe the outgoing year 11 as they were handed to me at the end of year 9. How will they survive their GCSE years I thought? Well as you have already heard the examination results the year group produced were exceptional with 25 of the top performers here tonight to collect their prizes and it has been a privilege to see how these students have matured and developed over the course of the last 2 years.

When it comes to their academic studies, as well as the GCSE results our year 11 students have achieved a great deal more. 23 students undertook the Higher Project Qualification which enabled them to undertake a research study on an area of interest. The diverse range of research questions included a world without Rome, the probability of extra terrestrial life on exo-planets, how do ants behave and communicate and Why did the British Economy enter the recession and how can the national debt deficit be reduced?.

13 students received gold medals in the intermediate mathematics Olympiad including Tom Wang who gained a certificate of distinction as a top performer in the country. Akhil Sonthi took his passion for the subject even further by producing his own mathematics handbook, an ibook to help GCSE students understand different mathematical concepts.

The successes have followed in the ADT faculty with Team Linear coming 2nd in the Design Ventura competition at the design museum. This has resulted in them undertaking further product development with the hope of getting their product into the shops in the near future. The VEX Robotics finals were held at the NEC in Birmingham where the Year 11 team of Wilfred Kiondo, Oscar Hinze, Sean Seeds, Daniel Bakare and Nathan Lewis won the Build award for fantastic quality and design for the second year running. Bradley Sawyer also won 1st prize in the Stoneham Kitchen of the future design competition.

On the sports field year 11 have shone with the rugby squad having a very successful season with a number of players playing up higher in the senior 1st and 2nd XVs during the course of the year which is always the sign

of a strong squad. The season finished with an unbeaten tour to Barcelona which capped a great year.

In the pool we are lucky enough to have one of the countries top swimmers in Theo Haslem who has recently competed at the Sainsbury’s School Games in Manchester winning the 50m freestyle, he also holds the London and County Youth records for 50m and 100m freetsyle. A phenomenal achievement.

The performing arts culture continues to thrive within the school and in year 11 in particular. A number of students participated in Showstoppers and the Shakespeare Trilogy but a particular highlight was the Ravindran brothers Jeevan and Mithiran directing Arthur Miller’s tale, A View From The Bridge. Mithiran then followed this up by completing his own short play for a national theatre competition.

Over 60 students have received full and team colours for their commitment to various clubs and societies. None more so than the newly established Polish, Tamal and programming clubs that have been set up by students in the year group. DoE continues to grow with nearly every member of the year group completing their Bronze certificates and many going on to complete their silver awards.

The entrepreneurial spirit of the year group was in full swing to raise money for our Festival charities with the fried chicken and hotdog stall selling out in record time and the dodgeball group making vast amounts of money from throwing balls at each other. Each form has also shown off their talents through year group assemblies with rap, acting and film directing being some of the highlights. These examples demonstrate the sorts of students we have in year 11 and we recognize 12 of these students tonight who receive form prizes for their contributions to the life of the form through their hard work, politeness and general Olavian spirit and attitude.

I will finish by returning to the opening of my speech and that is to celebrate the vast array of characters, personalities and individuals that have made the year group what it is. Not only have they set records as a year group they have shown it is possible to do so whilst maintaining the individuality that makes them so special. It has been a pleasure to help guide them through these two years and I look forward to seeing how they follow in the successes of our Year 13s who leave us tonight.

From one Old Olavian to a group still with time left, continue to make the most of the opportunities given to you and ensure you stamp your own mark on the school in the same creative and imaginative ways you have done. Don’t allow these years to pass you by without grabbing every opportunity available to you. Congratulations to you all and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Special Prizes

Giles Pilcher Prize for Public Service (Awarded by The Old Olavians’ Lodge)

Skanda Rajasundaram

Timothy Adelani

Charlie Bishop

Ben Read Trophy

Senior Victor Ludorum

Gordon James Christie Prize for Cricket

Douglas Keeble Prize for Fives

Angus Dalgleish

William Ruiz

Tomas Gallagher

Keeran Rajendran

Dominic Robson

John Marshall’s Educational Foundation Prizes

Chambers Prize for Leadership

The Anthony Jarvis Shield

The Woodard Board Prize

Michael Pugh Prize for Public

Speaking

The Renshaw Shield for Debating

Jordan Fisher

Sinead O’Connor

Zeinab Ruhomauly

Olumide Ololade

Dawud Khan

Vithushan Nuges

Christian Jackson

Oscar Wilkins

Headmaster’s Prize for Poetry Fintan Calpin

O.O. Lodge Prize for Contribution to School Life

Cathedral Parish Prize for Voluntary Service

Leslie Sanders Prize for English

French Prize

Jenni Visuri

Owen Harcombe

Literature Fintan Calpin

Eyiara Olugunna

A.W. Walker Prize for German Keir Bowater

Spanish Prize

Matthew Holmes Prize for Classics

The Ashley Prize for History

Antiquarian Society Prize for a History Project

Geography Prize

Economics Prize

Harry Little Prize for Mathematics

Paul Slade Prize for Physics

Brian Ruth Memorial Prize for Physics

Gnaanachelvan Prize for Biology

Biology Project Prize

George Dyson Prize for Chemistry

Chemistry Project Prize

Prizes for Achievement in Public Examinations

H.G. Abel Prizes for A-Level

Alexandros Adamoulas Dominic Robson

Louise Selway

Fintan Calpin

Uroosa Chughtai Shivani Singh

Charlotte Kingdom

Jordan Fisher

Michelle Vero Thomas Franks-Moore

Jenni Visuri Mitchel Fruin

Frederick Whichello Aleksandar Ristic-Smith

Oscar Wilkins

Dawud Khan

Musab Shamekh

Fraser Boistelle

David Giles

Sunkanmi Ogundipe

Isabella Inzani

Anthony O’Rourke

Harry Jenkins Shunta Takino

Angus Dalgleish

Louise Selway

Peter Leigh

Aiyan

Maharasingam

Lucas

Bertholdi-Saad

Shunta Takino

Shunta Takino

Tomas Dean

Jenni Visuri

Dominic Robson

Alexandros

Adamoulas

Isabella Inzani

Fraser Boistelle

Richard Byfield

Computing Prize Not Awarded

Phyllis Packer Prize for Practical Musicianship

An Old Olavian Prize for Music

Religious Studies Prize

Art Prize

Graphics Prize

Design Prize

Susan Owen Medal for Drama

L.W. White Prize for Sporting Activities

I.W. Kirk Prize for Sportsmanship

Sebastian Cook

Aaron Lewns

Anna Greenall

Louis Newby

Leon Brown

Robert Edghill

Louis Cokell

Angus Dalgleish

Charlie Bishop

Vithushan Nuges

For G.C.S.E.

Caterina Hall

David Van Egghen Bradley Sawyer

Oliver Allen

Xavier Chitnavis

Finn Duggan

Daniel Jenkins

Arulkumar Keirthanan

Nathan Lewis

William Edmonds Chun Liu Ka

Dayan Graham

Leo Henderson Lockley

Andreas Hogstrand

Steven Howell

Rowan Wright

James Read

Rishil Patel

Edward Parker Humphreys

Thomas Miller

Edward Tolmie

Alexander Mulroy

Iham Mohamed Kasem

Sebastien Santhiapillai

Jeevan Ravindran

Tom Wang

Lower VI Form Prizes

Awarded by the Parents’ Association for “enthusiasm, commitment and imagination in the use of the Lower Sixth year”

Joseph Cordery

Katie Tragheim

Adrian LaMoury

Eren Salih

Eamon Hassan

Charlie Grozier

Form Prizes

11H

11J

11K

11L

11M

11N

10J

10K

Douglas Mathers

Nnamdi Babundo

Thomas Cordrey

Edward Tolmie

Leo Henderson

Micaiah Felix

Benjamin Neal

James Reed

Oscar Hinze

Wilfred Kiondo

Iham Mohamed Kasem

Jack Cornish

Daroon Ramadani

Qais Zaidi

Samuel Gaiger-Marriott

Full Colours

Senior Colours

Senior Prefect Colours for Commitment to the School

Timothy Adelani

Charles Bishop

Jordan Fisher

Sinead O’Connor

Skanda Rajasundaram

Zeinab Ruhomauly

Contribution to School Sixth Form Association: Shino Hirasaki

Cabaret: Elaine Drayton, Robert Edghill, Dominic McDonald, Mororeoluwa Okoh

Festival: Lucas Bertholdi-Saad, James Curling, Max Miller, Louise Selway

Cultural Evening: Grace Anteyi, Fintan Calpin, Louis Cokell, Srishti Suresh

Jacob Page

Kosi Nwuba 10L

Fawaz Shah 10M

Theodore Antonov

James Patterson

James Black

10N

Adrian Santhiapillai

Grants and Awards

Governors Awards

Sebastian Cook National Youth Choir and Rodolfus Choir

Peter Leigh Member of Rodolfus Choir and Inner Voices

Dominic Jelf Junior Royal College of Music

Rosa Rushton BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition

Jay Desai Doce Pares

Charlie Bishop Hockey

Shunta Takino Tennis

William Ruiz Cross Country

Jay Routh Finalist in the National Theatre Playwriting Competition

Grants for Outward Bound, Travel and Gap Year projects

The James Burdett Prize: Fintan Calpin

The Potto Hicks Award: Charles Edmonds

The Witton/Newmarch Award: Louis Newby

The Lennie/Gridley Award: Max Goodwin

The War memorial Scholarship: Senthury

Headmaster’s Fund

Jegatheeswaranathan

Sebastian Cook

Rugby

Old Olavian Magazine: Peter Leig

‘O’Factor: Peter Leigh

Krishan Preddy

Alexander Tate

Frederick Whichello

Anthony Cheuk

Nicholas Colling

Angus Dalgleish

Mitchel Fruin

Charles Jones

Olumide Ololade

Anthony O’Rourke

James Speed

Netball

Fives

Katherine Hunt

Dominic Robson

Robert Georgel

Christopher Leech

Daria Veysey

Hockey

Arun Vigneswaran

Charles Bishop

Angharad Ganguli

Thomas Crowland

Matthew Hodges

Football

Athletics

Tennis

Cricket

Alexander McHale

Aldous Poole

William Ruiz

Shunta Takino

Angus Dalgleish

Music

Sebastian Cook

Keir Bowater

Dominic Jelf

Peter Leigh

Karen Mortby

Rosa Rushton

Marie-Therese Treloar

Jenni Visuri

James Curling

Fintan Calpin

Louis Cokell

Intermediate Colours

Rugby Douglas Mathers, Daniel Jenkins, Tom Willis

Fives

William Belsham, William Edmonds, Leo Henderson, Harry Russell

Cricket Prabu Sathananthan

Athletics

Swimming

Music

Williams Adams, Benjamin Stanbury

Theodore Haslam, Matthew Ruiz

Thomas Miller, Oscar Ridout

Drama

Fergus Macdonald

Eyiara Olugunna

Jessica Routh

Timothy Adelani

Drama

Chess

VEX Robotics

Debating

Other Clubs & Societies

Christian Jackson

Oscar Wilkins

Political Economy Society: Gavin Benson

Physics and Engineering

Society: Keir Bowater, Dominic

Robson

Academic Journal: Dawud

Khan, Vithushan Nuges

Amnesty International Society: Anna Greenall

Art Club: Luke Reveley, Luke Richards

Art History Society: Leon

Brown James Laing, Louis

Newby

Biology Club: Joe Cox, Abigail

George

Chemistry Club: Adedoyin

Agbonin, Aidan Nicol, Louise

Selway

Design Club: Leon Brown, Daria Veysey

History Society: Aiyan

Maharasingam

Languages Club: Shino

Hirasaki, Shunta Takino

Law Society: Shammah Bumade

Agbaje, Srishti Suresh

Literature Society: Fintan

Calpin

Medics: Zeinab Ruhomauly

Natural Sciences Society: Fraser

Boistelle, Harry Jenkins, Jenni Visuri

Political Economy Society: Lucas Bertholdi-Saad

Design Ventura

Jeevan Ravindran, Mithiran

Ravindran, David Van Egghen

Xavier Chitnavis, James Wagstaff-Hall

Daniel Bakare, Oscar Hinze, Wilfred Kiondo, Nathan Lewis, Sean Seeds

William Belsham, Finn Duggan, Leo Henderson, Daniel Jenkins, James Read, Benjamin Stanbury

Languages Club: Yaroslav

Bilokopytov, Jeevan Ravindran

Clubs & Societies

Edward Tolmie

Programming Club: Peter Maslin

Junior Colours

Rugby

Thomas Lambourne ,Matthew Lane, Finn Macpherson, Thomas Whichello

Samuel Caine, William Carew

Fives

Swimming

Matthew Lane, Charles Stocks, Kameron Swanson, James Tate, Devashish Ujoodia, Kieran

Walton

Henry Rennolls

Edward Cranston, Thomas

Cricket

Lambourne, Matthew Lane, Oskar Lewns, Finn Macpherson, Laiq Nagi, Hasan Rahij, Aahan

Sabharwal, Martin Senior, Charles Stocks, Devashish

Ujoodia, Kieran Walton

Athletics

Chess

Music

Anthony Dale, Finn Macpherson

Ammar Kisat, Zeeshan Kisat

John Bentas, Cristiano Da Cruz, Harry Haynes, Gabriel Ide, Henry Miller, Eric Leung

Tennis Alexander Jochim

VI Form News

Blacklands Farm Induction Day

The Lower VIth students, both new and existing Olavians, travelled to Blacklands Farm in Sussex for a day of team-building exercises to enable them to interact with their new peers. After a lively coach journey, the students were excited and eager to participate in the activities, whilst learning more about each other. The activities included abseiling, high ropes and logic puzzles, with the onus on each student to support the rest of their teammates through the activities and work as a team; all whilst trying to protect an egg from the rigours of the challenges and also from the other groups. The day culminated with the final challenge which saw each group attempt to construct a shelter or parachute for their egg, so that it would remain intact on impact after being launched from the abseiling tower; the dramatic finale was a fitting end to a satisfying and enjoyable event. Throughout the day, it was clear to see that the students put aside their early apprehension and they were fully supportive of each individual within their group; the day helped the Lower VI students to feel more comfortable amongst their peers and forge new friendships.

Study Skills Day

Saturday 16th November was our Year 13 Interview Skills Day, in which any Year 13 student who wanted to prepare for the increasingly prevalent challenge of a university interview had the opportunity to benefit from a presentation on interview skills from David Vaiani of “Aspire” followed by a one-to-one interview from one of our panel of 25 interviewers who generously gave of their time and expertise for the day. One hundred of our students signed up for the day and each met for at least one half hour appointment with our interview team which this year included a wide range of current and former staff, parents of current students and returning Old Olavians. Some students even had the opportunity for two half hour interviews with subject specialists during the day. The School is very grateful to all of its interviewers and would like to encourage even wider participation in next year’s event so that we can offer all of our students two practice interviews each. We trust that the experience will stand our students in good stead as they face the rigours of the increasingly competitive university selection process.

Cabaret

Friday 13th December proved lucky for any and all who were fortunate enough to attend this year’s Cabaret event. A glittering cavalcade of talent was on display

from a range of musical and terpsichorean luminaries in the Sixth form. The evening showcased a host of crowdpleasing and polished acts from soloists, ensembles, instrumentalists and vocalists and the atmosphericallydecorated Great Hall looked almost as well-presented as the black-tie audience. A splendid time was guaranteed for all; it promised to be a great evening and delivered on that promise abundantly. Our thanks go to the organising committee of Dominic McDonald (13F), Robert Edghill (13G), Rore Okoh (13I) and Elaine Drayton (13N) and to their Senior Prefect Liaison, Sinéad O’Connor (all of Year 13) for all of their hard work in arranging such a slick, polished and thoroughly enjoyable evening’s celebration of Olavian talent.

Independent Learning Conference

On Friday 4th October the whole of Year 12 benefitted from a workshop on independent learning in which they practised and developed the following skills, vital for successful A-Level study and higher education: speed and skim reading, effective note taking, condensing text, effective learning, time management and creative thinking. The day was designed to support students in their transition from GCSE-Level study to the more independent style of study necessary for success in the Sixth Form and beyond. The event was run by independent practitioners, The Life Skills Company. This was the second year that the School has hosted the Independent Learning Conference and, once again, student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Cultural Evening

On Saturday the 16th of November, this year’s highly anticipated annual event showcased a variety of talent music and dance. It was well attended and, once again, an amazing experience. The students, led superbly by Srishti Suresh (13H), Fintan Calpin (13F), Grace Anteyi (13H), Louis Cokell (13F) and Rore Okoh (13I), produced a wonderful event with musical presentations from all continents, poems and a wonderful fashion show, again from all over the globe. The compèring by Aiyan Maharasingham (13F) and Max HamiltonJenkins (13G) was fast and original, if somewhat daring here and there, it certainly made us laugh – and a little thoughtful at times!

The food, produced and served by parents and students and presented on beautiful stalls made by DT students, was absolutely exquisite and thoroughly appreciated by all – the quality and variation was 5*.

Blacklands Farm Induction Day

We were delighted and grateful that a number of adult helpers turned up on Friday and Saturday; their knowhow and active input made it possible to prepare the hall to a much higher standard and certainly more easily than we could have managed without them. Much to our surprise and delight, this included Geetha Subramanian, who had pioneered the event in 2004.

It was a great success. The evening ran perfectly and smoothly, the seamless transitions between the acts were achieved mainly by the input of a great amount of time and talent of the main organisers. Thanks to all the performers; each and every act was a sheer pleasure to see and hear.

Thanks go to the many students who helped with the preparation, organisation, setting up, selling tickets, working backstage, and all the major and minor tasks in the weeks leading up to the event.

Thank you to the Headmaster, teachers, students and all visitors for coming and joining us for the event.

Arias (Year 13I). We also welcomed back a whole host of Old Olavians for our “Symposium Programme”; our returning students gave a series of ten university-level talks for senior students over the fortnight on subjects as diverse as Plato’s Meno, medieval French poetry, medical ethics, game theory, the rule of law and the polity of late medieval England. The whole fortnight proved a stimulating start to the term.

St Olave’s Academic Journal

I am delighted to announce the publication of the first edition of the new St. Olave’s Academic Journal. Founded by Dawud Khan (13K) and Vithushan Nuges (13F), this epitomises the Olavian pursuit of scholarship with erudite articles ranging from The Mediterranean Monk Seal to The Shape and fate of the Universe. Most of the first print batch of 75 copies sold out last night but I hope that more will be available at various forthcoming events. I thoroughly recommend it to you and congratulate all of the contributors.

Festival

Our annual fund-raising Festival this year was held on Thursday 19th December and proved a fittingly enjoyable and productive end to an astonishingly busy term at St. Olave’s. The students elected to support the following two charities this year, one international, the other local: Water Aid and The Jennifer Trust.

The day’s events included Festival favourites such as “Just a Minute”, “University Challenge” and “Beat the Keeper” and, as ever, our forms contributed a splendidly eclectic range of stalls for students to enjoy as they went off timetable for the afternoon.

Scholarship Fortnight

One of the highlights of the new September initiative was the Senior Scholarship Evening – a chance to hear again some of the finest presentations from last year’s independently researched Higher Project Qualifications and Extended Project Qualifications and to celebrate the astonishing diversity and intellectual acumen of some of our most remarkable students. Topics addressed during the evening were varied and included income inequality, the life and works of Oscar Wilde, causes, effects and treatment options for cancer, the impact of new media on journalism, innovations in healthcare, the level at which natural selection works and the Eurovision Song Contest. The evening also saw the launch of our new pan-curricular academic journal, edited by Dawud Khan (13K) and Vithushan Nuges (13F), our new Medical Journal, edited by Zeinab Ruhomauly (13G) and our new Law Journal, edited by Srishti Suresh (13H) and Camila

Our thanks go to this year’s Festival Committee of Max Miller (13N), Louise Selway (13I) and Lucas BertholdiSaad (13N) and to their Senior Prefect Liaison, Zeinab Ruhomauly 13G) for their splendid hard work in making the day such a success and for enabling us to make such generous contributions to our two chosen charities.

30 gain Oxbridge offers

We are delighted that 30 students have received Oxbridge offers in a variety of Arts, Humanities, Languages and Science subjects, from the full range of colleges. We take a great pride in their successes, just as we do for all of our students, who are receiving offers from top universities such as Imperial, Bristol, UCL, Durham.

Link with India

A British Council ‘Connecting Classrooms’ link with La Martiniere School for Girls, Kolkata, India will open up a new international perspective. Joint projects may include: ecological economics; how science and technology can contribute to global sustainability; global equality for girls in education and women entrepreneurs;

an intra-school e-magazine of scholarly articles and Peace Poetry Established in 1836, La Martiniere is one of the most prestigious institutions in India, known for its academic excellence and rich extra-curricular programme.

Olavian Lecture Series

This popular series is now attracting large audiences not only from the Olavian community but also from other schools and the local community. Professor Sir Richard Friend, Cavendish Professor of Physics at Cambridge University, gave a fascinating talk on The next-generation electronic flexible screens and solar cells with some eye-opening science ranging from Graphene to organic flexible display screens. Professor Robert Freedman’s lecture on Protein Folding treated the audience to an amazing journey through the history of genetic engineering, growing proteins in bacteria, and recreating a fried egg from a scrambled one! A captivating presentation by TV personality and film-maker, Dr Adam Rutherford, covered the last 4 billion years of creativity through genetic natural selection, heralding the next great ‘Industrial Revolution’ of Synthetic Biology. Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics at UCL, continued with his lecture - Nature, Nurture or Neither? The view from the genes – on misunderstandings in nature v nurture, using examples from sport and obesity.

Sixth Form Culture Club

Sixth Form Culture Club went to see the revival of Matthew Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’ at Sadler’s Wells, where Tchaikovsky’s captivating score proved perfectly suited to the modern choreography imagined by Bourne. The inspired use of the male ensemble of swans was incredible; the choreography was beautiful and striking, focusing on the grace of the swans, but also on their violence and strength, dispelling any idea that ballet is stuffy and boring!

Prefect teams

Year 13 prefect have been handing over the reins to their successors in Year 12. Our Duty Prefects help the smooth running of the school, acting as role models to younger students at lunch and break times. Our Academic Prefects engage in departmental support, particularly through mentoring of younger students. Our Ambassador Prefects are preparing for various public events and will ensure a smooth transition for our new Sixth Formers. Our Form Prefects offer support and act as role models to the lower school students in their care. Preliminary elections to Senior Prefect positions have taken place and a rigorous interview process for final selections will take place next term. New Year 12 Form Prefects have been taking part in a training programme, looking at what make an outstanding prefect, how to support forms both academically and pastorally, safeguarding, child protection and bullying.

Oxbridge Evening

Tutors from Oxford and Cambridge spoke in The Great Hall to a packed audience of Year 12 students and parents from St. Olave’s and a range of other schools about applying to these prestigious universities. Dr Daniel Gerrard, St. Peter’s College, Oxford; Dr Sally Boss, Churchill College, Cambridge; Cressida Ryan, Merton College, Oxford and Laura McGarty, Pembroke College, Cambridge offered an erudite blend of frank advice, statistical information and pragmatic wisdom to challenge the aspirations and benefit all those in attendance.

Higher Education Evening

This was a welcome opportunity for Year 12 to find out more about the challenges of student life as they prepare for the UCAS process. Michelle Mallender of Birmingham University tackled the questions: “Why go to university?”, “Which university should I go to?” and “What course should I choose?”; Roisin Hurst of Queen Mary University looked at key aspects of student finance; and Jonathan Tinnacher of Imperial College, London focused on completion of the UCAS form.

Extended (EPQ) and Higher (HPQ) Project Qualifications

Staff and parents had an excellent opportunity to celebrate the scholarship of our students in the Year 11 HPQ and Year 13 EPQ. A staggeringly diverse range of topics included: the aesthetic capacity of computers, the significance of the decoding of Linear B, the challenges of funding the NHS, electoral reform and the likelihood of inter-stellar travel. The standard of research was remarkable, even by Olavian standards, and augurs well for the participants’ future academic success.

UCAS day

Following AS-level study leave and examinations, we welcomed back Year 12 students in the middle of June for their UCAS day. Students received a general introduction to the higher education admissions process and advice on writing a personal statement from Jennifer Barton of Durham University, who offered helpful insights before students finalise their application in the autumn term. This was complemented by a panel comprising recent St Olave’s leavers and current Year 13 students, who kindly came in to offer a student’s perspective on the challenges which Year 12 will face. Year 12 heard about the quirks of the admissions process, the joys of offers and heart-ache of rejections and also the experiences of writing personal statements. We trust that this firm foundation of advice will stand our students in good stead for a wealth of successful applications in the year to come and will encourage them to aspire with realism and confidence for some of the most sought-after courses and institutions in the country.

Sixth Form Association

After a very successful year at the helm, our outgoing Sixth Form Association Committee members (Max Hamilton-Jenkins (13G); Chair, Shino Hirasaki (13J); Secretary and Alexander Bargeron (13F); Treasurer) oversaw the election of new incumbents for the coming academic year. We would like to wish the new Committee members: Chair: Eren Salih, (12Q); Secretary: Shezara Francis (12W); Treasurer: Andrew Bertini (12V); every success in their roles and trust that they will represent the interests of their peers with the integrity, eloquence and diligence of their predecessors.

Scottish Country Dancing

Just ahead of the last day of teaching for our A2 students, before they embarked upon their study leave, it seemed fitting for our Year 13 students to have their final (Highland) fling. A troop from the Orpington & District Caledonian Society visited St Olave’s on Friday 9th May to lead a Scottish country dancing session, filled with energy, hilarity and the sound of the accordion. Trying to bring Year 13 literally into line proved to be a Herculean task; for such a large number of skilled mathematicians present in one room, the concepts of circles and straight lines appeared to be inordinately taxing! Nevertheless, no participants could stifle the smiles on their faces and, despite initial scepticism amongst some who had not tried this activity before, by the end everyone seemed to have had a fun time.

New Senior Prefects

Following a substantial process which has sought student and staff views as well as a two stage interview process with a student panel and a Headmaster panel, I am delighted to announce the new Senior Prefect Team for 2014-15.

Captain of School: Edward McAleer (12X)

Vice Captains of School: Matthew Allen (12O); Jack Bradfield (12O); Lucy Morrell (12Q); Abhishek Patel (12R); Elena Rastorgueva (12S).

Student Publications

Issue 2 - Medics Society Journal

Well done to outgoing President, Zeinab Ruhomauly (13G), and all the contributors, on the 2nd edition of the Medics’ Society Journal. The fascinating articles include Henrietta Lacks. The unsung heroine of modern medicine, by Alex O’Halloran (13I); Synesthesia – tasting shapes and seeing music, by Raunak Rao (12V); Beta Thalassemia, by Uroosa Chugtai (13K); Replacement bio-teeth, by Saarah Kaba (12V); Organ donation, by Janushanth Sritharan (12T); The first licensed gene therapy, by James Speed (13M); the Milwaukee Protocol as a treatment for Rabies, by Caterina Hall 13K); Allergies, by Arun Desouza-Edwards (13M); Regulating blood sugar levels, by Abhishek Patel (13R), and many others.

Issue No. 5 of the Olavian Natural Sciences Society magazine.

President Abhishek Patel (13R) and editors Raunak Rao (12V) and Elena Rastorgueva (12S) have come up with yet another impressive Issue No. 5 of the Olavian Natural Sciences Society magazine. This thought-provoking read includes Chlorine: the love-hate relationship, by Avni Gupta (12X); The nature of time, by Jenni Visuri (13H) and Marc Foxhall (12W); Bio cassava and Sub-Saharan Africa, by Rebecca Daramola (12R); The triple helix competition, by Year 9 and 10 students; How do we smell? by Isaac van Bakel (12S); Illuminating dark energy, by Kush Banga (12X) and lots more.

Issue 1 – Literature Society Journal

To complete this threesome, congratulations to outgoing Chairman, Fintan Calpin (13F), his editorial team and the many contributors to Volume 1 of For Words – The Literature Society Journal. The fine articles include essays such as Rachel Wood’s (12O) Penguins, prisoners and poetry – how does language work and what is literature?; society talks, with Matthew Roberts’ (12Q) Rebecca: unjustly unloved; theatre reviews, including Joe Cordery (12O) on The resistible rise of Arturo Ui by Brecht; book reviews, with Alice Millar (12O) on The past is myself by Christabel Bielenberg ; creative writing such as Samuel

Luker (12O) Brown’s A hymn to clemency and Jay Edavane’s Uncomfortable

Olavian Lecture Series

A good audience turned up to hear Dr Robert Mulvaney’s talk as the final instalment of the Olavian Lecture Series

I. His presentation unveiled some interesting parallels between the early explorers like Scott and Shackleton and present day teams such as his own. Extracting ice sections from almost 1000m deep has revealed secrets of the atmosphere from thousands and millions of years ago, enabling us to make more informed speculations about the impact of Carbon Dioxide levels and the implications for global warming today. Look out for Lecture Series II which will be starting in the autumn.

Leavers’ Ball

At the Leavers’ Ball last Friday we bade a rousing farewell to our Year 13 students with a double bill of events. The new quad was a wellspring of sunshine, canapés and badinage for the Reception at which parents and students enjoyed the opportunity to mix with staff in a friendly and relaxed environment. The event moved into the Great Hall for speeches from the Headmaster, the Director of Sixth Form and outgoing Captain of School, Skanda Rajasundaram, before coaches took the leavers off to phase two, the Leavers’ Ball at Oakley House. To the accompaniment of the Take Five Party Band’s retro repertoire our students danced the night away, enjoyed a sumptuous buffet and were astonished by the legerdemain of the magician. This was an appropriately celebratory evening for a fantastic year group who, we hope, will keep in close contact with the school for years to come.

PLASMA-T, Putting London ahead through Mathematics, Science and Technology.

St Olave’s has been awarded a special role within Boris Johnson’s London Schools Excellence Fund (LSEF) to support colleagues across London schools in developing subject excellence, with a particular focus on programming and robotics. DT staff, in conjunction with STEMNET, have already hosted a 3D printer workshop where attendees were able to build and programme a 3D printer.

Outreach Events

On Wednesday we welcomed staff and students from Imperial College London’s Medical Faculty to run two outreach events for aspiring medics. For Years 10 and 12 respectively, these new initiatives are part of the PLASMA-T project - Putting London Ahead through Science, Mathematics and Technology - which St Olave’s is running in conjunction with the London Schools’ Excellence Fund. Olavians and students from six other partner schools benefitted from workshops on Preparing for Admissions Tests, A Day in the Life

of a Medical Student, Preparing for Interview and an interactive You Be the Doctor session, all designed to support applications to Medical courses.

Leavers’ Destinations 2014

Name Destination Course

Alexandros Adamoulas Merton, Oxford

Timothy Adelani Peterhouse, Cambridge

Shammah Agbaje Warwick

Adedoyin Agbonin UCL

Theodora Aiyeola KCL

Eboselumen Akhilomen Southampton

Grace Anteyi Warwick

Matthew Antwi Reapplying for medicine

Camila Arias Buritica LSE

Georges Audish Magdelen, Oxford

Alexander Bailey Birmingham

Kajanan Balakrishnan Bath

Vinushan

Balansethupathy Bristol

Alexander Bargeron Southampton

Chloe Bargery Bristol

Biological Sciences

Classics

Law

Pharmacy

Pharmacy

Computer Science

English & French

Law

Maths

Economics

Chemical Engineering

Chemistry

Economics

Psychology

Timur Basaran Bristol Law

Elliot Beagley Birmingham

Gavin Benson Bristol

Lucas Bertholdi-Saad Wadham, Oxford

Charles Bishop Bath

Music

Economics

History and Economics

Chemical Engineering

Fraser Boistelle New, Oxford Biochemistry

Keir Bowater Jesus, Oxford

Justin Brown Cardiff

Leon Brown Edinburgh

Isobel Brunton Sheffield

Richard Byfield Bath

Fintan Calpin Wadham, Oxford

Anthony Cheuk Imperial

Chiha Choi Nottingham

Uroosa Chughtai Imperial

Ken Chung Reapplying for medicine

Louis Cokell Southampton

Ben Cole Bristol

Megan Collett Durham

Nicholas Colling Bath

Sebastian Cook Durham

Madeline Coomber Exeter

Joe Cox Durham

Engineering

International Relations and Politics

Product Design

History

Chemistry

English

Biochemistry

Mechanical Engineering

Biomedical Science

History

Classics

Biomedical Science

Economics

Music

Maths

Biomedical Science

Thomas Crowland Bath Sport and Social Science

James Curling Nottingham Chemistry

Angus Dalgleish Trinity Hall, Cambridge Land Economy

Rhiannon Davis Sussex Geography

Daniel Dawson Nottingham Physics

Alexander Dean Durham Natural Sciences

Tomas Dean Christ's, Cambridge Maths

Krishen Desai Nottingham Economics

Arun Desouza-Edwards Reapplying for medicine

Elaine Drayton UCL Economics

Robert Edghill Nottingham Mechanical Engineering

Charles Edmonds

Samuel Fergusson Sheffield Economics and Politics

Jordan Fisher Gonville and Caius, Cambridge Land Economy

Thomas Franks-Moore Fitzwilliam, Cambridge Natural Sciences

Mitchel Fruin Hertford, Oxford Biological Sciences

Veeraj Galiveti Warwick Accounting and Finance

Angharad Ganguli Warwick Physics

Cameron Garrett Warwick History

Abigail George Manchester Biochemistry & MFL

Robert Georgel Reapplying

David Giles St. Catharine's, Cambridge Engineering

William Gobey Bristol Economics and Politics

Max Goodwin Bristol Spanish and Portuguese

Anna Greenall Durham Philosophy

Caterina Hall UCL Biomedical Science

Max Hamilton-Jenkins Imperial Medicine

Zubair Hassan Southampton Mechanical Engineering

Ross Hicking

Jessica Hickman Nottingham Economics

Margaret Hicks Bristol Biochemistry

Thomas Hilbig Liverpool Criminology

Shino Hirasaki LSE Environmental Policy with Economics

Matthew Hodges York Social and Political Sciences

Oliver Hodgkiss York Biology

Nikita Hukerikar Bath Maths

Katherine Hunt Nottingham Psychology

Rowan Ibbeken Bath Mechanical Engineering

Thomas Ibbotson University of London Institute in Paris French Studies

Isabella Inzani Sydney Sussex, Cambridge Natural Sciences

Christian Jackson Reapplying

Harin Jayawardena Southampton Civil Engineering

Senthury

Jegatheeswaranathan Reapplying for medicine

Dominic Jelf Reapplying for medicine

Harry Jenkins Durham Biological Sciences

Charles Jones Bristol

Ahalya Kajendra Liverpool

Aerospace Engineering

Dentistry

Felicity Kenny Durham MFL

Dawud Khan LSE Economics

Aarushi Khanna Leicester Medicine

Charlotte Kingdom Bristol Maths

Benjamin Kwok Reapplying for dentistry

James Laing Bristol Music

Sophie Lawson Glasgow

Alexander Lee Bath

Christopher Leech Bath

Physics

Sociology

International Management and Spanish

Maximilian Legemah LSE Economics

Peter Leigh New, Oxford Classics

Lap Leung Harvard

Anton Levi

Aaron Lewns Southampton

Stephanie Liang Exeter

Adenekan Lipede Newcastle

Edmund Liu Southampton

Alexander Lomax Nottingham

Music

Politics and International Relations

Architecture

Biochemistry

Ancient History

Arran Lundy Liverpool Medicine

Fergus Macdonald Kent

English & American Literature and Drama & Theatre Studies

Tamara MacIntyre Bath MFL

Aiyan Maharasingam Hertford, Oxford History

Sarah Majekodunmi Southampton Medicine

Bennett Marcellus Exeter

Dominic McDonald Bristol

Micah McDonald Reapplying for dentistry

Shannon McGregor Nottingham

Alexander McHale Liverpool

Benjamin McKechnie Southampton

Sabriye Mehmood St George's

Catriona Millar Edinburgh

Max Miller Nottingham

Karen Mortby Southampton

Accounting and Finance

Music

Economics

Classics

Medicine

Medicine

Philosophy

Geography

Acoustical Engineering

Isaac Muk Queen Mary University of London History

Felicite Mukeshimana Imperial Medicine

Laura Murray Durham

Sameer Nagi Reapplying for medicine

Annabel Nash Fitzwilliam, Cambridge

Louis Newby Falmouth University

Primary Teaching

Geography

Art (Foundation Course)

Aidan Nicol Reapplying

Vithushan Nuges Imperial Medicine

Immanuelle Nyamali Sheffield Medicine

Sinead O'Connor Queens', Cambridge Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Sunkanmi Ogundipe LSE Economics

Vanessa Ogunko Cardiff Medicine

Alexander O'Halloran Reapplying for medicine

Mororeoluwa Okoh Southampton Geography

Olumide Ololade KCL Medicine

Eyiara Olugunna University of London Institute in Paris French Studies

Anthony O'Rourke Bristol Economics

Oliver Owen Surrey Business Management

Nikhil Patel KCL Dentistry

Barnabas Pitts Loughborough Physics and Maths

Aldous Poole Exeter Classics

Vasundara Prasad Hertfordshire Digital Systems and Computer Engineering

Krishan Preddy Reapplying

Joshua Price Bristol Economics

Kishan Ragutheeswaran Reapplying for medicine

Skanda Rajasundaram Lincoln, Oxford Medicine

Gabeetha Ravindran Aston Chemical Engineering

Luke Reveley Nottingham Architecture

Luke Richards Manchester Architecture

Aleksandar Ristic-Smith Mansfield, Oxford Engineering

Dominic Robson Durham Physics

Jessica Routh York

Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance

Samuel Rowe Dundee Architecture

Zeinab Ruhomauly KCL Medicine

William Ruiz Birmingham History

Kate Rushton Liverpool French

Rosa Rushton Sheffield French Studies

Larissa Schymyck Emmanuel, Cambridge Modern and Medieval Languages

Louise Selway Reapplying

Musab Shamekh Emmanuel, Cambridge Economics

Shivani Singh Imperial Medicine

Caspar Smart Warwick Maths

Emmanuel Soyombo Nottingham Industrial Economics

James Speed UCL Medicine

Ian Steatham Nottingham Physics

Srishti Suresh Queen's, Oxford Law

Shunta Takino New, Oxford PPE

Alexander Tate Bristol

Archaeology and Anthropology

Sankavi Thavarajan UCL Medicine

Marie-Therese Treloar

Pearl Vernon-Howe Sheffield Chemistry

Michelle Vero St Andrew's Maths

Daria Veysey Loughborough

Product Design and Technology

Arun Vigneswaran Prague Medicine

Jenni Visuri Murray Edwards, Cambridge

Samuel Wells Royal Veterinary College

Frederick Whichello Durham

Natural Sciences

Veterinary Medicine

Maths

Eleanor Wickens Warwick English

Oscar Wilkins Churchill, Cambridge

Natural Sciences

Samuel Williams Bath Economics

Elizabeth Wilson Lincoln, Oxford

Biomedical Science

Louisa Wong Durham Chemistry

James Wood Sheffield Law

Ahmad Yasin

Hing Ping Yau Dundee

Mechanical Engineering

Clubs and Extra-curricular

The Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh scheme continues to be very popular and successful with students from Years 9 to 13. By doing the DofE, students are in for an amazing adventure and masses of fun as they take part in a range of activities, all leading to the achievement of an Award that’s recognised by unis and employers alike.

Bronze Expeditions

This is a busy time of year for all those involved with DofE. Since Easter until the end of term there will have been 2 Gold, 1 Silver & 2 Bronze expeditions out and about across the country. This last weekend saw the Bronze Assessed out walking through to West Kingsdown and back to school in 2 days. All students worked well in their teams with only a few questioning their map reading skills. Saturday night saw the World Cup being played out on the campsite to everyone’s enjoyment. A big thank you to all the staff that helped as without them this just would not happen

Gold Expedition – Dartmoor

The Gold expedition is, as it should be, tough. Dartmoor certainly provides this year in year out with a testing environment & some very testing conditions. This year the weather once again threw all it could at us with driving rain, a very wet moor with the streams flooding & howling gales. This took its toll on equipment, with two wrecked tents and many wet soggy students. However this did not deter the party who spent 4 nights on the moor wild camping and covering a great distance over the 4 days.

Despite all the weather the groups all passed the practice and after this experience the assessed at the end of the summer term should really be a ‘walk in the park’

A big thank you to the staff who gave up part of their holidays and a warm comfortable dry bed.

Chess champion, Anantha Anilkumar

Congratulations to Anantha (7B), who represented England in the 2013 FIDE World Youth Chess Championship held in Abu Dhabi, competing with 1773 players from 121 countries. He finished as the 2nd best England player in his U12 age group, and as the 4th best player overall out of the England squad of 24.

Chess Report

After some excellent play throughout this term, the Saint Olave’s team finally went out of the National Schools Championship in an extremely close match

against Sevenoaks with wins from Anantha Anilkumar, Nigel D’Souza and James Wagstaff-Hall. Well done to the team who, in the ECF tournament at Eton, secured wins against Hampton, Wilsons and Eton to emerge 5th out of the 20 teams entered.

World Challenge 2014 - Honduras

We flew into the city of San Pedro Sula, driving at night through a strange city on a strange continent. Everyone was exhausted after the two flights required to get here, one to Miami and another across the Gulf of Mexico. Many of us had never been to a tropical country before, and were still reeling from the brief journey from the air-conditioned airport to the air-conditioned minibus.

We arrived at our accommodation for the next two nights, and tried to get as much sleep as we coulddespite the conditions. The next day was spent running around exchanging money and sorting out food and accommodation for the next couple of weeks, and acclimating to the intense heat and humidity.

We headed out to the coastal city of La Ceiba next, where we would spend the next few days in the Pico Bonito national park completing acclimatisation treks and learning jungle bush craft. We camped in the rainforest, and soon learned it was not called that without good reason. One of the persistent highlights of the trip was the people we met, and we got off to a very good start with Jorge Salaverri, our guide, who was extremely knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the jungle, and was forever picking fruit off branches for us to eat.

After leaving La Ceiba we went straight onto the Project Phase, in the hillier, temperate Santa Barbara region of Honduras. Here we would be helping to clear bird watching trails through the cloud forest. Living up in the hills gave us some of the most spectacular scenery we saw on the trip, and we got to meet and work alongside local villagers, all clearly passionate about improving the lives of those in their close-knit community. After two nights we came down from the hills, having successfully completed our trails. There, we helped to paint murals designed by local schoolchildren and played a few friendly football matches. Our local contact, William Orellana is building up an eco-tourism business in Honduras, emphasising its untouched beauty and quality of bird watching.

We then visited the Mayan Ruins at Copan, beautifully preserved and full of incredibly colourful scarlet macaws.

On the next phase we were supposed to be trekking through the Celaque National Park and reaching the highest peak in the country, but due to a combination of injury and illness we only managed a day of trekking. Instead, we spent a lot of time getting to know the town of Gracias we were staying in, and explored the surrounding area.

Eventually we got back on itinerary and went back to La Ceiba, for white-water rafting and river hiking in the Rio Cangrejal, full of imposing boulders and drops. This day, was for sure, a highlight of the trip.

For our Rest and Relaxation phase we caught the ferry to the tropical island of Roatan, where we all engaged in four days of scuba diving, in the incredible Mesoamerican barrier reef. We also all got a great taste of the Caribbean lifestyle and climate.

Honduras really does prove that you should never judge something by how it appears on the surface. If you were to look up Honduras now, all you would get would be reports of violence and corruption, yet this does not compare with actually visiting the country and seeing for yourself the beautiful countryside, and the ever-friendly, driven people determined to improve Honduras’ standing in the world, and I sincerely hope that they will succeed.

World Challenge 2014 - Honduras

World Challenge - Thailand and Laos

17 Olavians from the current Year 12 and 13 met on the final day of the Summer term in July, when we had our ‘build-up’ day; we had a kit check, spent time with our Expedition Leader (Matt), ran through important expedition procedures and sorted out last-minute problems before the big departure day!

After a pizza, we eventually got to sleep at about 01:00, before an early 04:00 start. We packed up, had a quick breakfast, distributed group kit and caught our coach to Heathrow. On arrival, we prepared our rucksacks for transit and sorted the group money. Finally, we boarded our 12:30 flight to Bangkok, buzzing with excitement for our upcoming adventure!

Upon arrival at Bangkok, we spent a further 5 hours at the airport, taking the 11:40 flight to Vientiane (the capital city of Laos), where we were first introduced to the blazing heat and thick humidity of the country. We spent two nights in Vientiane, in which we bought team phones and did some sightseeing – we visited a typical daytime market place and night market, took a walk alongside the River Mekong and enjoyed the unexpected calm that pervades the city.

After our time in Vientiane, we took a 3 hour tuk-tuk journey to the village of Ban Na – dangerous, slightly, but there was a nice breeze! We stopped at several markets along the route, for refreshment and for our guides to purchase supplies – it was amazing to see the hustle and bustle of the markets, with huge varieties of food! From Ban Na, we began our 3-day acclimatisation trek around Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area. We only trekked for several hours each day; however, the heat and humidity ensured it was comparable to a MUCH longer trek back home, not to mention walking up seemingly endless uphill routes on wet, rocky ground from huge amounts of rain. There were plenty of opportunities to slip! Our nights were spent in tents, which proved to be obstacles themselves to overcome – you would have thought, given the climate and the walking taking a lot out of us, we would sleep like rocks. No! This is World Challenge: between the sweat, the stuffiness and the water seeping into your tents, it was preferable to some to just stay awake! After our second day of trekking, we spent the afternoon and early evening playing games with our guides up in the elephant tower and at the end of the trek, on the third day, we were treated to a ceremony by the village in which religious bands were tied on us, before being laid on with a feast!

After a truly exhausting trek phase, we transferred back to Vientiane, from which we began our transit to northern Laos for our project phase, beginning with a 3-hour minibus journey to the scenic riverside town of Vang Vieng. After spending the night there, we continued

to take a 7-hour minibus journey to Luang Prabang, a beautiful laid back city set into the mountainous region of northern Laos. Staying here for two nights, we cleared up some admin work and planning and were able to visit a waterfall park nearby. Here, there was a bear enclosure dedicated to their protection and we climbed up to the top of the waterfall and then made a fairly difficult descent down, enjoying the views and being splashed with water on the way down!

On our third day in Luang Prabang, we were introduced to our translators for the project phase – Mon and Jit – who we went shopping with to purchase supplies for the village we were going to work in, Ban Kok. We then travelled by boat down the Mekong for two hours, where were met by a host of children and women, who bore necklaces and cups of flowers to welcome us. We settled into our accommodation for the first day (in a village hall) and then went out to play with the kids with some toys we had purchased them. Throughout the course of our time in the village, we helped to paint over a school, filled in a new toilet block for the village, did some gardening in the area around the school and even managed to teach some basic English lessons to the children! For the whole team, our time in the village was particularly special to each of us, we all took great joy in playing the kids, cooking with the adults and appreciating the fact that they have so little, but were always (both kids and adults) up so very early with beaming smiles on their faces! Other highlights included the temple that sat up above the village, which proved to be an excellent spot for peace and reflection, taking a tour of the rice paddies near the village and, once more, partaking in a ceremony of thanks and good luck laid on by the villagers. In our thanks, we sang for the villagers (of course including Jerusalem!) and the kids sang in return. A truly special time in the expedition, we left the village and headed back to Luang Prabang, ready to move onto the main trek phase.

From Luang Prabang, we needed to travel to Chiang Rai in northern Thailand for our main trek. We did this through two 8-hour boat journeys on the Mekong and a public bus over three days – the first boat trip was to Pak Beng (a small riverside town in Laos) and then onto Hauy Xai (a border town in Laos). We crossed over the Thai border and took a short transport to Chiang Khong, where we stayed the night and had dinner at a tourist-adapted bar, giving us a small taste of home! The following day, we took a 4-hour public bus to Chiang Rai city, staying the night at the accommodation of our trek providers, the Akha Hill tribe.

Finally, the day had come that some had been dreading – the start of our six day main trek! We began by taking a speed boat to a hot spring site, where we had lunch and some time to bathe in the pools. We then started

World Challenge 2014 - Thailand and Laos

Above & Left: In the village enjoying our time with the kids

Below: At Kuang Si waterfall and relaxing after our main trek

our serious trekking to our accommodation for the night (surprising to us, a hostel!) with our guides Som and Atit. We visited a waterfall later on in the evening in which we were allowed to swim, a nice refreshment after a tough trek that day. Over the next several days, we trekked between villages; there were ups and downs emotionally and quite literally – one of the hardest parts was the hilliness of the northern Thai jungle: we would trek up a steep hill and it would immediately go back down after. A killer for the feet! Between the sweat and exhaustion, some team members managed to contract colds, being given a day off from trekking on the third day. Their return to the group members was nothing short of culturally typical for a south-east Asian country – packed into the back of a truck, they were driven along to the village meeting point and endured big bumps, little space, driving on the edge of cliffs and sliding back and forth on up and downhill parts! Amazingly, the guides crafted all of our eating utensils (cups and chopsticks) from bamboo, from which they also did

their cooking, laying it out on banana leaves. The best night was by far Jungle Camp night. Sleeping outside in hammocks was quite the experience – a comfy night’s sleep and entertainment provided in the form of peoples’ hammocks collapsing in the middle of the night!

Post-trek, we were driven back to Chiang Rai, where we had several hours to eat lunch, re-pack and shower before taking a 3-hour bus journey to Chiang Mai. This marked the start of our R&R phase and, as such, we enjoyed watching Muay Thai for an evening, shopping around in some of the most dazzling night markets, taking a scenic walk through the ‘Old City’ (seeing countless grand and beautiful temples) and visiting a huge mall. After two nights in Chiang Mai, we took an early-evening overnight train to Bangkok, arriving at 11:00 the next morning at Hua Lamphong station.

We had finally made it to the hustle-and-bustle city of culture, Bangkok! We purchased metro tickets and took the metro from Hua Lamphong to Sutthistan, where we walked to our hotel, Bangkok 68. Over the course of our time in Bangkok we did huge amounts of sightseeing (of particular note were the Golden Mount, a stunning place to see a panoramic view of the whole of Bangkok, and the Grand Palace, a beautiful array of temples and buildings steeped in history, culture and art, housing the emerald Buddha), visited a mall to rival those in London in size (in which we took a tour around an aquarium), went bowling, had two meals at night markets (one at the famous Khaosan Road) and relaxed in Lumphini Park.

On our final day, after a lie-in, swim in the rooftop pool and a game of bowling, we packed up our last things and took a train journey to the airport. We checked-in, had dinner and boarded our 01:10 flight from Suvarnabhumi to Heathrow. 11 hours later, we landed back home in London, after an amazing month-long expedition.

From the more exotic foods we were able to try, having to use a long-drop toilet during our times outside of hostels and using bucket-showers to living a month away from our families, overcoming tough physical and mental obstacles and working as a team in a different way than anything we had experienced before, everything contributed to the life-changing opportunity we had and memories that will last a lifetime.

Visit to La Martiniere School for Girls, Kolkata

During Activity Week II at the end of last year the Head Master and Miss Heraghty visited La Martiniere School for Girls as part of the British Council’s international link school’s programme. Focusing on the themes of ‘sustainability’ and ‘global citizenship’ and ‘commemorating WW1’, projects were instigated across departments. The epitome of the hospitality, the Indian international team were able to give a real flavour of La Martiniere; through basketball matches, inaugurations of

societies, the annual Art exhibition and a tour of Kolkata to name a few. Speaking to their students highlighted the similar mentality they have to our Olavians, with the girls being ambitious, creative and academically curious. The school has a strong link to the city’s Science Museum and students are able to use the laboratories to perform experiments, test out new inventions and learn about robotics. The aim is for the link between the two schools to continue for years to come.

Hip-Hop & Design

Hip-Hop & Design Society has enjoyed a successful début year, with members presenting on a broad range of intellectually stimulating topics, from “Architecture in the Projects” to “The Art of Spoken Word”. There has also been an exciting line-up of guest speakers, with Old Olavian Dhaval Kale speaking from Dubai via webcam on “Jazz Hip-Hop”, and Los Angeles photographer Dexter Navy and Hackney rapper Bate Nate H are amongst those scheduled to talk later in the year. The society is now looking forward to an even more prosperous second year, with new ventures such as a society magazine journal on the horizon.

both at a local and global scale, using puzzles and games to remember these.

Film Club

At film club, students from all years have been making short films based on the theme ‘Time’, with talks on the filmmaking process from Alastair Haig, Daniel Gillette and Henry Gill. The teams have so far written their scripts, drawn their storyboards and are starting to shoot their productions on DSLRs and a professional cinema camera.

Photography Club

Photography club has been running every Thursday lunchtime, teaching students from all years how to take professional photos. This years talks have so far included macro photography, lens whacking, and photoshopping by Henry Gill, portraiture and lighting by Luke O’Donovan and long exposure photography by Chris Page.

Hope Foundation

St.Olave’s continued the long standing partnership with the local Hope Foundation food bank charity, and this year we saw an exceptional increase in dontaions after sixth formers Daniel Bradford, Luke O’Donovan and Shezara Francis visited the food bank to learn how valuable their service is to the community, and then presented their findings in a whole school assembly. A number of students also volunteered to help the charity during half term, assisting with their week-long operation of sorting out all of the food donations from across the borough ready for distribution to those who need it most.

Thank you to everybody who made a donation this year, and we are looking forward to continuing the school’s collaboration with the charity on the future.

Wonders of the World Club

Attendance to the new WOW (Wonders of the World) club has been rapidly increasing. Activities have involved an opportunity to develop creative skills through the planning and design of earthquake proof buildings as well as joining Attenborough on his journey through planet earth, embracing the incredible landscapes and ecosystems of the African continent. Students have also developed their knowledge of places in the wider world

Mathematics & Computing

National Competitions The Faculty of Mathematics, ICT & Computer Science

Thepast year has seen the Faculty sustain its outstanding contributions to the academic plus co-curricular aspects of school life. New teaching resources have been embedded within the curriculum whilst there have continued to be developments in the extracurricular clubs and competitions on offer. These have enabled Olavian students to develop their problemsolving, logic, communication and team-working skills in a variety of ways culminating in impressive results in external plus internal examinations as well as enabling a significant proportion of our Year 13 students to embark upon mathematics or mathematics-related degrees at university.

Around 80% of Year 13 students completed the A2 Mathematics course with almost half of these also undertaking the A2 Further Mathematics course. Over the past five years there has been an average of around sixty-five students completing the double mathematics course meaning that nationally St Olave’s has had the highest absolute number plus proportion of students undertaking this demanding course. In terms of examination results, despite the new system with all units being sat in the summer, over 80% of entries were graded at A* or A and a record proportion achieved the highest grade in A2 Further Mathematics. It was also encouraging to observe the significant decrease in the proportion of lower grades.

In Year 12 there was another huge cohort of 158 mathematicians with a significant majority completing the double mathematics option and hence have achieved AS Levels in Mathematics and Further Mathematics. Overall, the year achieved very commendable results. The results in AS Mathematics were very similar to previous years with around three quarters achieving the highest grade. For Further Mathematics AS, whilst a good majority achieved the top grade, the demands of undertaking all six units in the summer meant that a few more students than usual struggled to assimilate all the topics.

Our Year 11 students had the daunting task of following in the footsteps of last year’s outstanding first set of IGCSE results. It is pleasing to report that they responded positively to the challenge, achieving a new record 87% A* grades and many students achieving close to full marks in one or both of the papers. The top two sets sat the Free Standing Unit in Additional Mathematics, an excellent extension qualification in preparation for sixth form studies of the subject. The results were very

encouraging with a record number achieving the top grade.

Students in Years 7 to 10 have continued to demonstrate their considerable ability plus enthusiasm for the subject through impressive end-of-year assessment results plus involvement in clubs, mathematics activity days, national mathematics challenges plus team competitions, attendance of mathematics clinics, involvement in the buddy system and preparations for Olympiads.

The department has continued its intense involvement in the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust’s Junior, Intermediate and Senior Challenges with all Olavian students having at least two opportunities to sit each Challenge. As ever, huge numbers of students achieved certificates placing them well within the top half of the selective cohort sitting the papers. In addition, significant numbers go on to the follow-on rounds of the Olympiads plus Kangaroos. In view of the confirmed desire to introduce a greater problem-solving element to public examinations, this involvement should ensure that Olavians have been given additional opportunities to develop this aspect of the subject.

Computing has continued to go from strength to strength under Dr Onifade’s leadership. A record eighteen students completed the AS Computing course with pleasing results. An encouraging number of these students have embarked upon the challenging A2 Computing course. In addition, the subject has continued to develop in Years 9 to 11 with each year now consisting of two groups undertaking the GCSE course. The Year 11 GCSE results were encouraging. The Key Stage 3 course with its greater emphasis on computing skills has been well received and should lay firm foundations for further developments over the coming years.

At the end of the year the Faculty bade farewell to two members of staff with contrasting lengths of service within the Mathematics department. Mr Tom Henley has been an integral part of the Mathematics department for twenty-seven years making significant contributions to sixth form provision, including STEP classes plus preparing students for university courses, as well as being regarded with much fondness by students for his sharp wit. We wish him an extremely full and enjoyable retirement. Mr Andrew Gyford moved on to teach in Beijing after three years at St Olave’s during which his creativity and willingness to assist in myriad aspects of department and school life have been appreciated by

colleagues and students alike.

In September the Faculty welcomes two new members of staff, namely Mr Ryan Palmer who will teach Mathematics throughout the school plus Mrs Sujatha Paul who will teach Computing plus assist within the PLASMA-T project. In addition, Mr James Davis will take over as Head of the Faculty and Mrs Polly Padmore will become second in charge of the Faculty. Finally, Mr Timothy McCurrach takes over responsibility for Key Stage 3. This team will seek to sustain and develop the successes of the Faculty over the coming year.

As I reflect upon the past year, I continue to marvel at the determination of Olavian students to push themselves academically whilst seeking to broaden their mathematical horizons. It has been a privilege to oversee this for the past two years and I look forward to another year of exciting developments.

NatioNal CompetitioNs

Senior Mathematical Challenge

On Thursday 7th November, the Senior Mathematical Challenge was undertaken by all students in Years 12 and 13 studying Mathematics plus the top two sets from Year 11. This year’s paper proved to be slightly more straightforward than last year’s and, as ever, our students responded positively to the twenty-five challenging problems.

The 353 Olavian entrants managed to achieve a record 281 certificates (37 gold, 116 silver and 128 bronze) representing an outstanding 80% of entrants, eclipsing our record of last year. Special mention should be made of Alistair Haig (12W) who achieved the best in school with a score of 107 plus Oscar Wilkins (13G) and Tom Wang (11N) who achieved best-in-year results.

Six students from Years 12 and 13 qualified for the first round of the British Mathematical Olympiad and an encouraging twenty-three qualified for the Senior Kangaroo Mathematics follow on round. All these results continue to reflect the excellent problem-solving abilities possessed by many senior Olavians.

British Mathematical Olympiad

Olavians performed well in the follow-on rounds to the Senior Mathematical Challenge. In the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1 several of our eight entrants achieved creditable results, the most

noteworthy were Kush Banga (12X) achieving a certificate of distinction and Alexander Song (8C) being awarded an amazing result of a bronze medal as a result of four faultless solutions – a truly remarkable achievement as the Olympiad is designed for sixth form students! Following this stratospheric result Alexander sat the round 2 paper and managed to solve one of the four problems designed for top Year 13 students. In the light of this plus other remarkable results during the year Alex was invited to be the youngest student attending a summer Mathematics Olympiad training camp in Oxford.

Senior Kangaroo

In the European Kangaroo competition, Charlotte Kingdom, Tomas Dean, Luke Richards, Nigel D’Souza and William Edmonds achieved a certificate of distinction and in so doing demonstrated impressive problem-solving skills under considerable time pressure.

Intermediate Mathematical Challenge

In the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, students from Years 9 to 11 achieved an impressive 77 gold, 100 silver and 68 bronze certificates. A near-record 59 students were invited to take part in follow-on rounds of the Intermediate Olympiad and Kangaroo papers. Special congratulations to Tom Wang (11N), Richard Moulange (10J) and Henry Miller (9B) who achieved best-in-year results.

Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad and Kangaroo Competitions

Thirteen Olavian students from Years 9 to 11 qualified for the Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad. Virtually all managed to solve two or three of the six demanding and unusual problems. Congratulations go to Tom Wang (11N) for his achievement of certificate of distinction and Alec Hong (9L) for being awarded a medal plus book prize placing him in the top fifty in the country.

An incredible further forty-one students sat the slightly less daunting Kangaroo Mathematics competition, achieving some of our best results ever. Sixteen students achieved certificates of merit placing them in the top twenty-five percent of this select cohort. The best-inyear results were achieved by Ishaan Oza (9H), Tomas Gallagher (10K) and Nicholas Wright (11N).

Junior Mathematical Challenge

Congratulations also go to Years 7 and 8 students upon their very impressive results in this year’s Junior Mathematical Challenge. The 232 Olavian entries achieved an amazing 101 gold, 69 silver and 42 bronze certificates, breaking several records for the school. Thirteen students, the highest number in nearly a decade, qualified for the Junior Mathematical Olympiad in June, placing them in around the top thousand entries nationally. Special mention must go to Alexander Song (8C), who solved all twenty-five problems successfully, plus Ian Rodrigues (7L) who achieved the best-in-year results.

UKMT Team Mathematics Challenge Regional Final

On Wednesday 6th March St Olave’s hosted a regional round of the UKMT Mathematics Team Challenge for thirty-six teams of four students from Years 8 and 9. The day consisted of four rounds of mathematical problem-solving involving a crossnumber, head-tohead challenges plus a final fast and furious relay. The St Olave’s A team of Daniel Maghsoudi, Henry Miller, Hai Duong and Alex Song were in the lead at the half way stage with two faultless rounds, but faltered in the afternoon to be pipped by a point by Eltham. The B team of Alec Hong, Christopher Rajendram, Swastik Gupta and Mehar Bijral came a very creditable fourth.

Junior Mathematical Olympiad

A near record thirteen Years 7 and 8 Olavians qualified for the prestigious Junior Mathematical Olympiad. All the students managed to solve at least one of the six demanding problems, but special congratulations must go to Samuel Mellis (8C) who was awarded a bronze medal and Alexander Song (8C) who completed an amazing year on Mathematical achievement with a gold medal.

UKMT Senior Team Challenge

On Wednesday 27th November Ebi Akhilomen and Oscar Wilkins of Year 13 and Alistair Haig and Elena Rastorgueva of Year 12 visited Ravenswood School to represent St Olave’s in the regional heats of the UKMT Senior Maths Team Challenge. After the first round they had a perfect score and were feeling confident. However, a particularly difficult crossnumber (a numerical crossword) left the team a little shaken. A strong effort in the final round improved our chances, but was sadly not enough with St Olave’s falling just short of the medal positions. However the students had a thoroughly enjoyable day and can be proud of their performance against some very tough opposition!

SiMPLEX Mathematical Modelling Competition

Following a lesson on mathematical modelling looking at the behaviour of penguins, two teams of five year 9 students were invited to a competition at the Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX) at University College London. Upon arrival students were presented with documentary footage on the perilous journey faced by new born turtles on their way to the sea, before being asked to come up with their own questions about survival strategies. Students were then given materials to develop their own game to model the situation and answer their questions. After lunch students trialed their games and reflected upon the efficacy of their models before presenting their findings to the other groups. Both

groups presented well with the competition organisers particularly impressed by the groups’ analyses of their models. The winning team of Leo Bennett, Alec Hong, Eugene Lee, Nicholas Leigh and James Tang are to be congratulated upon winning this inaugural round of this competition.

other ActivitieS And clubS

Oxbridge Mathematics Symposium

For the second year running, the department was pleased to welcome back Old Olavians Luke Abraham and Kit Harris (2004 – 11) studying at Cambridge and Oxford respectively to lead an Oxbridge Mathematics Symposium. As well as providing useful insights into the application and interview process at their respective universities, they shared interesting vignettes of subject areas of interest to them plus answered various questions from Olavian students.

Royal Institution Mathematics Masterclasses

The department funded five Year 9 Olavians to attend the seven Saturday morning Mathematics Masterclasses held at Bromley High School. Through a series of lectures and exercises the students learnt about many enrichment topics covering such as advanced trigonometry and the importance of maths in navigation. Favourite student topics involved extended use of calculators and algorithms, but all the sessions served to broaden students’ mathematical horizons.

Maths in Motion Club

The Jaguar Car “Maths in Motion Club” has continued to offer Key Stage 3 students opportunities to use their arithmetic and mathematical skills to design and refine racing cars to take account of the different racing tracks and weather conditions thrown at them by Peter Leigh, our long-serving co-ordinator of this club who has taken his final bow in this role after many years of faithful and much appreciated service.

Jaguar Maths in Motion Challenge National Final

Having beaten over 1000 other competitors, for the second year running Abhay Gupta and Eddie Ho of 8H, won a place to represent St. Olave’s at the final of the Jaguar Maths in motion competition. Faced with the task of designing a car, and then racing it in a simulation against other schools, there would be much careful calculation required if they were to succeed. During the initial design phase, the Olave’s car was positioned at 5th place on the grid (out of 30), but some last minute alterations and practice laps by some of the competitors left them finally starting in 12th position. Although the car was well designed, the weather conditions were

against them and their choice of tyres made cornering in the rain difficult. After 72 laps of the Brands Hatch course, their car finished in a respectable 18th place.

Years 8 and 9 Mathematics Activity Days

Prior to undertaking their end-of-year assessments, Year 8 students engaged in a wide variety of mathematical team activities. After a hundred minutes of hectic solving of problems plus sudokus as well as the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Challenge, a team from 8C emerged victorious with a record total score, whilst 8H won the form competition.

As part of Activity Week 2, Year 9 undertook a variety of mathematical activities for a morning consisting of a team competition as well as designing racing cars on computers in pairs to race around a virtual Formula 1 circuit. In the team competition, 9L were the clear victors whilst the car races were fast and furious with high levels of vocal support throughout!

Year 5 Mathematics Activity Day

As part of the PLASMA-T initiative, St Olave’s hosted over two hundred Year 5 students from seven local primary schools for a day of mathematical and scientific activities. The Year 12 Mathematics prefects ran a variety of events including a tiring orienteering problem solving to a carousel of mini-activities including the leaping frog problem, sudokus, tangrams and a polygon memory game. There was a real buzz of excitement as the pupils tried to conquer the problems set and many a cheer when they did so!

Post A Level Mathematics

Several Year 13 students are preparing to take university entrance examinations in mathematics. Here is a taste of the sort of questions they have to tackle.

Entrants for the STEP examinations have been solving questions such as:

Find: [Clue: consider u=1/x]

The MAT examination contains multiple choice questions such as:

Which is the smallest? [No calculators allowed]

Those applying to study computer science have to answer logic questions such as:

Alf, Beth and Gemma sit in the same room. One of them always tells the truth, one always tells a lie and the other tells the truth or lies at random. Suppose Alf says “Beth is the one who behaves randomly”, and Gemma says “Alf always lies”. Then Beth says “You have heard enough to determine who always tells the truth”. Who always tells the truth? Who always lies?

We hope that you enjoy having a go at these too.

Science

National Competitions The Faculty of Science

TheScience Faculty has gone from strength to strength this year with increasing sixth form numbers driving an exciting project to build two new Science labs. The focus on challenge and scholarship continues and the three major sixth form societies attract large audiences and regularly publish impressive journals. 2014 saw an increase in the use of outside speakers, many of whom have been quite inspirational and, of course, the Olavian Lecture Series has featured eminent scientists such as Lord Professor Robert Winston and Adam Rutherford. Students also attended events outside school, with A level Biology students experiencing a fantastic range of lectures at the Institute of Education, Chemistry students attending several lectures at the Royal Institution and a group from Natural Sciences society enjoying Friday evening talks at UCL.

Sixth form students were successful in the national Olympiad competitions for Biology, Chemistry and Physics and, not to be outdone, many Year 10 students gained gold, silver and bronze medals in the national Biology Challenge.

During the Summer activity weeks, A level Biology students returned to Nettlecombe Court Field Study Centre in Somerset to prepare for A level Biology coursework, and lower school pupils enjoyed a range of trip including visits to the Natural History Museum and the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

In June, Year 11 Biology students were the first cohort to take the Edexcel Certificate in Biology. We awaited the results with some trepidation and were thrilled that 94% gained A/A* grades with 77% of those grades at A*. This clearly bodes well for the Chemistry and Physics departments who follow suit in 2015. Exam success was notable across all the Sciences at AS and A level and many students were successful in gaining places at Medical Schools and at top universities.

In 2014, we were joined by two schools direct trainee teachers, Dr Ateesh Sidhu and Jeremy Dodds, an old Olavian. Both completed the year successfully and, while Jeremy left to take up a post at Abingdon School, Dr Sidhu was appointed as a Biology teacher from September 2014. We are also joined by Mark Acheson, a newly qualified teacher of Physics. We were sad to say goodbye to Mrs Mary Morinan who retired from St Olave’s in July after 14 years as a Chemistry teacher and Head of Chemistry. However, the good news is that we continue to benefit from her immense commitment and

experience as she has agreed to return to St Olave’s to take on a couple of Year 12 classes.

It is a huge privilege, as Head of Science, to oversee such a wealth of talent, commitment and creativity and, as pupil numbers rise, along with the walls of the new Science labs, and exam systems and specifications change, I know that we are well placed to face the many interesting challenges ahead.

Biology Field trip 2014

The biology field trip was a fantastic experience. I felt supremely prepared for the trip, particularly in choosing a coursework topic because of the practice studies we had prior to the field trip in lessons. On the first couple of days of the trip, we visited different locations (the rocky shore, an artificial mountain, a nearby pond, meander and river). We were given the opportunity to explore a vast array of options of where we would like to carry out coursework and which species we would like to focus on. We started by practicing various data collection techniques (for example using quadrats and transects) on the artificial mountain. I personally wanted a plant based project so being able to practise before actual data collection day proved valuable. I learnt about the different grass species such as yarrow and buttercups and specific adaptations they have. We also carried out a mini-study investigating the distribution of plant species across the mountain. This was a simple task but yet a great experience and it left me thinking about how I would like to carry out my own pilot study, the length of transact and what species I would like to focus on. On the next day, we visited the rocky shore and carried out a small study on the distribution of plant and animal species (such as seaweed, limpets and periwinkle) as you go offshore. Through this, I learnt about how various species adapt to the varying harshness of the intertidal zone and the importance of having stable conditions to different species. We also went to the Embercombe valley, where we visited a nearby river. Initially we learnt about the geography of river ( such as pools and riffles, how to use equipments needed to work out the velocity of the river and other river variables, working out the discharge of the river and how conditions in the river changes from riffles to pools. We also investigated the distribution of fresh water shrimp using stratified sampling in the pools and riffles, particularly looking at the species diversity in the pools and riffles at 2 sample sites of the river. The day before our pilot study, out teacher showed us around Nettlecombe court where we could carry out our study in and around the site. We visited a nearby pond (where we could vary out a fresh water based project), areas where there has been soil compaction due to trampling (so soil compaction could be an abiotic variable we would consider), woodland area with varying light intensity (for projects based on investigating light intensity and the distribution of a particular species e.g. ground Ivy, the church graveyard where we could investigate how the distribution of lichens is affected by abiotic variables. Some people choose to visit the meander and as a result choose to carry out their main investigation there. The whole experience of the trip was exciting. Through it, I began to both explore and understand ecology, which would be valuable for the A2 biology course.

Ensuring Excellence

EEX is working hard to attract capital funding, urgently needed for new science laboratories. Bids are in the pipeline with external foundations and further potential donors. Engagement with City firms is providing interview practice and work placement opportunities. Alumni networks should benefit both “old” and current students alike, whilst a regular “Grandparents’ Day” for Y7s to show off their new school to their families. More families, 64%, are donating than ever before, with Gift Aid on top their contributions should exceed £320K p.a. Thank you all for your support: Every Parent Counts!

Biology Olympiad 2014

Congratulations to Year 13s, Caterina Hall, Isabella Inzani, Aarushi Khanna, Uroosa Chughtai and Alexandros Adamoulas, who were awarded Gold medals in the Biology Olympiad, putting them in the top 6.5% nationally. The two highest scorers, Aarusha Khanna and Uroosa Chughtai, have been invited to attempt the 2nd round paper for selection to represent the UK in the IBO in Bali in July.

Natural History Museum Visit – Year 7

During Activity Week 1, Year 7 visited the Natural History Museum, taking the opportunity to learn about many different areas of Natural Science. The students enjoyed exhibits on Earth Science and Human Biology, in addition to the vast collection of animals, birds and insects. The boys travelled on public transport and were congratulated by commuters on their behaviour.

National Biology Challenge

Year 10 Biology students took up the National Biology Challenge in March, sitting two online papers which covered the whole range of Biological Sciences. 43 students were awarded medals with 12 receiving gold medals which placed them in the top 5% of the national cohort. 10 students received silver medals and 21, bronze medals.

Natural Sciences Society

Natural Sciences Society has had an extremely eventful and enjoyable year. With a packed programme of presentations, attendance at UCL lectures and quizzes, not to mention the Olavian Lecture Series, the scientific enrichment at the school has reached unprecedented levels.

As the new presidents of the society (Abhishek Patel, Raunak Rao and Elena Rastorgueva), we have continued to give students the opportunity to write scientific articles, and have published our Spring Term Society Journal. Article topics ranged from the mysterious concept of dark energy to the malnutrition crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. We are looking to publish our second journal in

Biology Field Trip 2014

the Autumn Term, which will be the sixth issue for the society.

At the society gatherings every Friday, we have been privileged to hear from seven external speakers, who presented on a multitude of topics. First, Dr Tom Clarke from Imperial College London presented on ‘how the immune system recognises the presence of bacteria and protects us against infection’, discussing some of his biomedical research, and advancements in the understanding of immunology. March was a dynamic and vibrant period for the society, giving rise to the name ‘Science Month’. We heard from Professor Julian Evans from University College London, who gave a thought-provoking talk on ‘How do we nurture creativity in the science curriculum?’, capturing the imagination of many students and staff alike. This was followed by a presentation of astronomical proportions by Professor Carl Murray, titled ‘Saturn’s Rings from Cassini’, with some fascinating images from the space probe that Professor Murray had been working in close collaboration with for over 20 years. Next, Dr Philip Zegerman from the University of Cambridge gave a presentation titled ‘Beer, bread and frogs: the best recipe for cancer research’, discussing various aspects of cell biology and how they can be applied to the fight against cancer.

During the final week of March, former Olavian Asher Leeks presented on the topic ‘What makes us human?’, and Dr Julian Ma of St George’s University London gave a talk titled ‘Biomedical Research – what is the point?’, outlining how his team of scientists discovered the first ever vaccine against tooth decay, his latest research into using plants to create medicines against HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases, and the importance of biomedical research in the future to ensure that treatment is accessible, affordable and up-todate for everyone around the globe. We also welcomed former Olavian Natsai Chieza in the summer term who presented on her research on genetically engineering bacteria to produce coloured dyes.

On top of this, we were delighted to give students the opportunity to present on widely ranging topics, including ‘The Science behind Dying’ by Isaac van Bakel, ‘The Game of Life’ by Daniel Barovbe, and ‘Mad Cow Disease’ by Ben McKechnie.

Thanks to the hard work of the three previous presidents of the society (Jenni Visuri, Fraser Boistelle and Harry Jenkins), the headmaster, and members of staff in the science department, the Olavian Lecture Series has continued with high levels of success. Students, staff, parents, friends and the local community have enjoyed presentations by Lord Professor Robert Winston, Sir Richard Friend, Professor Robert Freedman, Dr

Adam Rutherford and Professor Steve Jones during the Autumn and Spring terms.

We look forward to welcoming new sixth-form students in the forthcoming academic year to this dynamic, vibrant society that encapsulates the essence of science at Saint Olave’s.

Abhishek Patel, President of the Natural Sciences Society

Olavian Natural Sciences Society Magazine

Congratulations to Fraser Boistelle (13K), Harry Jenkins (13M) and Jenni Visuri (13H) for compiling Issue 4 of the Olavian Natural Sciences Society magazine. Researched and written by our students, this contains an array of fascinating articles from extremophiles to the Mandelbrot set, from parthenogenesis to dark matter.

Medics’ Society

The Medics’ Society has had a fantastic year under both the leadership of the new and previous leaders. I think I speak on behalf of all the Medics when I say thanks to Zeinab, Tolu and Skanda for their great leadership and dedication to the society...

With Ella Day, Matipa Chieza and myself being newly elected in February, we set out with the aim of creating a new identity for our society. Our aim was twofold: we wished widen our focus at medics to include further fields of medicine such as physchiarty and neurology and we wanted to create a way of distingishing the society

from all the others. For the former, we have welcomed many riveting presentations from various experts in the medical field, held various sessions entirely focused on helping medics in their BMAT and UKCAT exams and we have even enjoyed trips to UCL seminars and lectures at The Royal Society of Medicine (RSCM) in London. For the latter, we pulled together to create the new society logo and have spent countless hours editing, designing and publishing the fantistic journals.

We have been very priviliged this year at the society, having a prominent best selling author/professor Nessa Carey come in to present on her field of epigenetics alongside lectures from the lead and in fact only professor of medical innovation at NHS England and the RSCM. The turn-out for these events was phenomenal and we hope to continue this success with more prominent medics such as Dr Henrietta-Bowden Jones, TEDX Medical lecturer and leading consultant psychiatrist due to attend the society in the coming weeks.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the society members who tirelessly attend every week and never fail to contribute articles to the journals. I would also like to warmly welcome the new Year 12 members and hope you enjoy and fully immerse yourselves in what the society has to offer.

Experimental Chemistry Society

This brand new society extends interest through fun experiments such as deducing what a mystery substance is through a series of chemical tests. Congratulations to Year 12 founders Rebecca Daramola, Lucy Morrell, Avni Gupta, Sevenia Khandelwal, Effie Iossifidis, Simon Ng, Saarah Kaba and Pamela Tickell.

Chemistry Olympiad

Fuelled by biscuits from Dr Steel’s Olympiad preparation sessions, students took part in the 2014 Chemistry Olympiad. From a total of 5682 students nationally who entered the competition, congratulations to Year 13s, Fraser Boistelle and Isabella Inzani, who achieved Gold awards. Well done also to Year 13s, Uroosa Chughtai, Tomas Dean, Harry Jenkins, Caterina Hall and Ben McKechnie; and to Year 12s, Chandan Dodeja, Akhilesh Amit and Kush Banga, who received Silvers.

Salters’ Festival of Chemistry

Salters’ festival is a prestigious chemistry festival competition held every year in 36 locations by the Salters’ institute. On the 23rd of April 2014 a team of 2 Year 7 students and 2 Year 8 students attended one of these competitions of at University College London. This team consisted of Dylan Evans (7H), Shane Morris (7L), Marcus Finn (8H) and Conor Donohoe (8H). The team travelled to UCL with Mrs Morinan who was allowed to help a bit during the first challenge but not the second. This team competed very well with relatively few mishaps; however they did not win any awards. The experience was a brilliant one for all involved and we hope St Olave’s continues to attend next year.

Physics Olympiad

In another very successful year for the Physics Olympiad, Sixth Form students pit their brains against students from across the country in a very challenging examination going well beyond the scope of A level. Congratulations to Year 13s, Oscar Wilkins, Dominic Robson and Jenni Visuri, who achieved Silver awards; and to Aleksandar Ristic-Smith and Keir Bowater who achieved Bronze.

Science Challenge Winner

Congratulations to Rebecca Daramola (12R) who was declared the overall winner of the Royal College of Science Union (Imperial College) Challenge 2014, for her essay in response to a question set by Pallab Ghosh. She was presented with two certificates and a trophy at the final, held at the Imperial War Museum.

Cassini Scientist for a Day Competition.

We were delighted to hear from Dr Alison Hartshorn, (School of Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London) that Elena Rastorgueva (12S) was the 1st Prize winner of this prestigious Competition. Elena’s prize includes the opportunity to work with Professor Carl Murray at the

University, as well as having her entry published by the European Space Agency.

Year 8 trip to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich

Year 8 visited the Royal Observatory and Maritime Museum in Greenwich, on a beautiful day at the end of Activity Week 1. The students enjoyed a fun practical lesson on ‘Exploring Exoplanets’, and a visit to a show at the Planetarium, in addition to the hands on displays at the Observatory. After the show they were given the opportunity to quiz an astronomy expert. Staff at the Observatory were very impressed by the curiosity and background knowledge of the students.

Astronomy Club

This year, Kush Banga, Akhilesh Amit and I decided that the existing astronomy club which focused mainly on practical skills needed rejuvenating. The astronomy club we created is one which concentrates mainly on astrophysics (and occasionally general physics) through a weekly talk given by anyone with a burning desire to share some esoteric knowledge about the universe. We have had talks on everything from black holes to star formation and from alien life to the planets and moons of our own abode, the solar system. We have a loyal band of regular astrophysicists from Year 7 to 12 all of whom contribute to animated and informal discussions about the finer workings of the world around us. Black holes excite the most debate, with such poignant questions as ‘what would happen if you nuked a black hole?’ and ‘is it true that water is the only thing that can escape a black hole?’ Putting aside the disturbing obsession among the Year 7s with nuclear weapons, we were delighted to have the opportunity of remotely accessing the Haleakala observatory in Hawaii to take our own look at the subject of some of our debates, kindly organised by Loren Noble. All years are welcome so come and discover your inner astrophysicist at 1pm, Wednesday, S7. See you there!

Above: Experimental Chemistry

Below: Blowing Methane Bubbles

English & Drama

The Faculty of English & Drama

Lookingback, the last academic year was very successful and full of fun. Our students achieved excellent grades in the public examinations and made super progress despite the many changes emanating from the Government.

Our spirits and souls were enriched by the appointment of Mrs Sezgin Kemal, former Head of English at Newstead, to the department for a year. As an ambassador for The Poetry Society, her enthusiasm and knowledge energised us all creating a number of opportunities for the boys to enter competitions and write their own poetry.

Working with the British Council, we hosted a poetry tea in the main school library for other schools across the borough. Our students and those from La Martiniere, India composed peace poems which were shared at the tea and prizes were presented for the best pieces. Through Mrs Kemal we have established a link with Joelle Taylor, a performance poet, who inspired our younger students in a workshop and then shared her work and advice with our Sixth Form Literature Society at lunch.

Such was the success of this event that we invited Dan Simpson, a spoken word poet, to school in the summer having met him at the final of the Poetry by Heart competition in London where Richard Decker (year 10) competed.

Speaking and listening are vital skills that our students develop in school and, although removed from the GCSE qualification, they continue to be a critical part of students’ preparation and experience here at Olave’s.

The poetry work aids students’ creativity and offers an opportunity for performance. In years 9 and 10 the boys were invited to attend a public speaking workshop and compete in the Bromley Speakout! Challenge. There is a Junior Debating Club where boys can engage in lively, thought provoking debates and demonstrate their analytical skills and logic. The Senior Debating team competed in both the Cambridge and Oxford Schools’ competitions, winning through the first rounds.

For the first time we entered the Winston Churchill Public Speaking Competition which culminated in a final at Blenheim Palace. This was a marvellous opportunity to learn more about Churchill and gain access to some excellent coaching at Chartwell in the spring term.

Drama has been a highlight of the year with many student led productions and some superb exam performances from the GCSE and A Level classes. Miss Wilkie’s Shakespeare Trilogy was an ambitious undertaking and proved a terrific success. Over 50 students were involved. The theme was ‘love and war’ combining a reduced 1930s jazz version of ‘Richard III’, a Motown ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and a modern ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ featuring the popular band ‘Colour Blind’. All three plays were interspersed with live music and dancing, ensuring fun for the whole family!

School Productions

Senior School Drama “A View from the Bridge”

An accomplished student led production of Miller’s play about immigration and honour was performed in the Chapel. Directed by the Ravindran twins who captured the close, tense atmosphere of 1950s New York and the tragedy of ordinary men.

The Shakespeare Trilogy

Shakespeare’s plays are known for being lengthy, so I am sure many raised an eyebrow at our decision to stage not one, but three of Shakespeare’s finest plays. However that is what we chose to do , and on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st of March, the Drama department performed ‘Richard III’, set in the 1930s to a soundtrack of live jazz, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ accompanied by Motown music, and a modern day ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. All three pieces included live music and dancing to enrich the superb acting on display from this very talented cast. We began the evening with the History play, and Jack Bradfield was outstanding in his depiction of the villainous Richard, as we watched him dispose of the other characters one by one. We were then treated to romance and tragedy as Max Lewthwaite’s Romeo met Alicia Harris’s Juliet, before racing to their deaths. Finally light relief came in the comedy of Much Ado with Daniel Finucane’s(120) hilarious Benedick sparring with Emily Macpherson-Smith’s (12V) feisty Beatrice set alongside the very sweet Claudio (Joseph Cordery (120) and Hero (Rachel Wood (120). Congratulations to the whole cast, including musicians, for a wonderful show!

Showstoppers

Those of us who attended Show-stoppers on Thursday evening were treated to a fine display of musical, dance and dramatic talent with extracts from Wicked, West Side Story, The Lion King, Matilda and lots more. Congratulations to all the performers involved and thanks to the music and drama staff for the time and energy they gave to make this happen. The pictures speak for themselves.

out And About Theatre Society

85 members of the Sixth Form Theatre Society were entertained by ‘Tory Boyz’ a peek behind the scenes at Westminster focussing on attempts to avoid crises and scandals. The term ended with ‘The Scottsboro Boys’ at the Young Vic a bold, radical show confronting prejudice.

On 13 December, 60 students attended a performance

of Carmen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as part of the Schools’ Matinee series, with tickets very kindly subsidised by the Taylor Family Foundation. For all but a lucky few, this was the first opera students had seen, although many recognised the thrilling tunes. The production was fast-moving and passionate and we loved the full-blooded sound of the orchestra and the dramatic performances of the singers. It was a wonderful end-ofterm treat and a brilliant introduction to this art form.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed watching Kate O’Flynn and Lesley Sharp in Shelagh Delaney’s ‘A Taste of Honey’ at The National Theatre. Written when she was just nineteen, the play is one of the great defining and taboo-breaking plays of the 1950s. Students are looking forward to seeing ‘A Perfect Nonsense’ at The Duke of York Theatre later this year.

6th Form English Trip “Tis Pity She’s a Whore” at the Barbican

On 22nd April, Sixth Form English students had the pleasure of seeing John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore at the Barbican, in a modernised production by the theatre company Cheek By Jowl.

Before the performance, the students also attended a talk and open discussion with the show’s Assistant Director Paris Erotokritou, who spoke to us about the performance and the theatre company more generally. Paris discussed the particular approach to the text that had informed this production and the changes they had made to Ford’s original text.

Focussing on the themes of love and loss, they developed a physically intense and visually rich interpretation of Ford’s still controversial play, which handles issues of incest, manipulation and corruption. The plot centres around the young Annabella, sought in marriage by a cast of competing suitors, and her ardent relationship with her brother Giovanni, which will ultimately end in tragedy. Set entirely in Annabella’s bedroom and bathroom, this production gave a central role to sexual desire and desirability in a complex society of ubiquitously compromised morality.

Striking, excessive and ceaselessly hedonistic, the production was a powerful spectacle and troubling moral exploration that gave little in the way of resolution. The evening was a thoroughly enriching and - despite the weight of the themes - very enjoyable one. It was especially rewarding for the Year 13s currently studying the play and no doubt left a strong impression on the Year 12s, which they can carry forward into their studies next year. Our thanks to Mrs Goodman and Ms Wilkie for organising the trip.

Jack the Ripper

Year 8 cross-curricular day considered Who was Jack the Ripper? through History, Chemistry and English lessons, reviewing a range different sources, including the infamous Ripper letters. Despite the five murders in Whitechapel, 1888, it was difficult for police because of unreliable witness statements. Students tried to draw a photo fit image based on witness reports and conducted experiments to investigate chromatography and traces left at the scenes, linking this to handwriting analysis they did during English. Alas, they were unable to unravel the mystery!

County Final of Poetry Recital Competition

Kent University’s Gulbenkian Theatre hosted the County final of Poetry by Heart where, after intense competition, including a pre- and post-1914 poem, and one from a World War 1 anthology, Richard Decker (10M), the only boy, emerged as the winner of an all-expenses-paid ‘poetry’ weekend at the London regional final. Beginning with a reception at St Martin in the Fields, he will enjoy readings by famous poets, Andrew Motion and Jean Sprackland, a tour of the National Portrait Gallery and dinner at Planet Hollywood. Richard has prepared The Death Bed, by Siegfried Sassoon, Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson and The Galloping Cat by Stevie Smith; we wish him well in the final.

Bookbusters and Young Writers

These new clubs run by the Librarian and 6th Formers enable Years 7 – 9 to take part in activities and discussions on book themes, such as Anthony Horowitz’s Stormbreaker series. Young Writers group encourages members to write creatively and produce a stories based on various subjects and genres.

Speakersbank Workshops

Following training by professionals in public speaking, 4 finalists, Tommaso Candita Simpkins (9C), Henry Rennolls (9C), Martin Senior (9H) and Tanay Vankayalapati (9B) were chosen for the borough wide ‘Speak-Out’ challenge, acquitting themselves very well in a competition of very high standard.

Playwriting Group

The New Views group went to see Nick Payne’s Blurred Lines in The Shed, the new performance venue at the National Theatre. This new piece explores women’s roles in modern society and the more subtle sexism that goes unchallenged. Our playwrights have now handed in the first drafts of their plays and have met individually with a National Theatre playwright to receive individual feedback on their work.

Y8/9 Play: Hearts

As part of The National Theatre Connections scheme, students have been working on Hearts, a play set in the changing room of a football club that is dying as players leave one by one to join a better team. Their performance was attended by representatives from The National Theatre and will be staged at The Marlowe Theatre in May.

Christopher Tower Poetry competition. Congratulations to Jack Bradfield (120) whose poem Helmets has been long-listed for Christopher Tower Poetry Prize - a competition that attracts hundreds of entries from budding young poets from across the UK. Now in its fourteenth year, this is one of the most prestigious poetry competitions in the UK, with a reputation for discovering fresh and exciting talent such as Caroline Bird, Helen Mort, Richard O’Brien, Charlotte Runcie, Anna Lewis and Annie Katchinska. Funded by a bequest to Christ Church, Oxford, it is headed by the poet and academic, Peter McDonald, first holder of the Christopher Tower Tutorship in Poetry in the English Language at Christ Church, where he also holds a lectureship.

National Competitions Library News

Ijoinedthe School at the end of Novemberas School Librarian and have enjoyed working with students in both the Main and Sixth Form libraries.

The Main Library is open during morning and lunchtime break periods and caters for students in Years 7 – 11, however over the year, it has also frequently been used as a classroom and for Year 7 Library Inductions and book talks. The Sixth Form Library is open throughout the school day until 4.30pm and has been visited and utilized regularly by upper school students. I have been assisted very efficiently in the running of each library by a team of Student Librarians to whom I am very grateful.

The vast collections of fiction and non fiction in both libraries have been maintained and added to regularly by buying new academic text books and recently published fiction including copies of the 2014 Carnegie Award winner and the other shortlisted titles. There is currently a Carnegie display in the Main Library from which students and staff can borrow the winner, Bunker Diary and the other shortlisted books. There has also been other book displays in the Main Library this year celebrating events and favourite authors such as Chinese New Year, Christmas, World Book Day and Anthony Horowitz.

World Book Day in March was celebrated in various ways with quizzes and competitions including a ‘Design Your Own Book Cover’ competition where students redesigned covers of their favourite books! I also carried out a ‘My Favourite Book’ Survey in which all students and staff were asked to write down the title of their favourite childhood book. The results were very interesting and were displayed in the Main Library ranging from ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ to ‘Rebecca’ by

In February I introduced two new library clubs which both run lunchtimes in the Main Library for students in Years 7 to 9. The first is Bookbusters at which members take part in book related activities and the second is Young Writers which encourages members to write creatively. These clubs have both been successful so far and it is hoped that they will continue to be so during this academic year as well.

The Main Library also welcomed a new exhibit which is being overseen by two Year 9 students Sam Richards (9C) and Shaun Sanu (9B). The project was started in June and they are building a model of the school out of

Lego. I would like to wish them every success in the continuation of this project this year.

My first year has been a very happy and rewarding one. I have settled into my role and look forward to working in and developing both libraries throughout the coming year.

Chaplaincy

2013-14 has been another very full year for the School Chaplaincy, with regular Chapel services and a broad range of special events as well as the Chaplain’s day-today pastoral support for students, parents and staff.

One of the year’s greatest encouragements came when a group of parents asked if it would be possible to establish a Parents’ Prayer Meeting with the Chaplain’s support and guidance. This group unites parents from a wide spread of location and church background, and now meets twice each term to pray for the needs of the school community and the wider world. The Staff Prayer Meeting has also continued to run this year under the leadership of David Bowden, with a faithful group of teaching and support staff gathering week by week in the science block.

The annual Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving in Southwark Cathedral on 1st May was led by the Cathedral Precentor, with guest preacher Bishop Lindsay Urwin of the Woodard Corporation. The service featured student presentations on the theme of Tradition, and an Elgar anthem performed by the Chamber Choir based on Longfellow’s poem King Olaf (the saint after whom the school is named). Special services were also held for Harvest, Remembrance, Christmas and Passiontide (at the end of the spring term), with a Farewell service for leavers in July.

Continuing the school’s tradition of preparing lower school boys for Confirmation in the Church of England, five students – Louis Dowland, Samuel Nunn, Matthew Perry, Sam Richards and Tom Storer – were confirmed in April by the Rt Revd Michael Turnbull, former Bishop of Rochester. The boys also helped to lead different aspects of the service such as Bible readings and prayers. Music was led by the Chapel Choir, conducted by Richard Decker and Ollie Morrell.

Our annual Chapel weekend away at Carroty Wood Activities Centre near Tonbridge was rescheduled this year due to increasingly complex clashes with other school trips. This next event will take place at the end of September 2014, allowing the new Year 7 intake to participate alongside older students.

A group of Sixth Form students has continued to lead the Senior Christian Union, giving opportunities for Y12 and Y13 students to lead prayers and Bible study discussions. Meanwhile the Chaplain’s weekly discussion group Firm Foundations, which is aimed particularly at boys in Y7 to Y11, has covered a wide range of exciting

and sometime controversial topics, including If there is a loving God, why do innocent people suffer? Then in the end-of-term special event known as Roast the Reverend, the Chaplain was subjected to a quick-fire barrage of difficult questions put by the students. His knowledge of theology bore up reasonably well, though he was left speechless by the question “When there are so many musically gifted radio presenters around, why does the BBC employ talentless idiots?!”

Le Chavetois

The school’s voluntary service programme known as the Le Chavetois Society has continued to grow, with nearly forty Year 12 students involved this year in community projects ranging from healthcare to charity fundraising. We were also able to maintain our strong links with St Paul’s Cray Church of England Primary School, where our students helped the younger classes with reading and writing, and ran a maths club for older children. Placement supervisors testified to the positive contribution our students made within the community. “They have all formed good relationships with residents and staff,” wrote one care home manager. “They are polite and courteous and a delight to have.”

Music

National Competitions A Year of Music

Welcome to ‘Music Faculty Corner, our round-up of events, activities and achievements this last academic year. Before presenting to our readers some of the musical highlights of 2013-14, I would first like to pass on congratulations to Mr Geoghegan who, following two years at St Olave’s, has taken a promotion to the role of Assistant Director of Music at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith. Naturally, I am sorry to be losing him from our team and I will miss in particular his dry wit, his choral conducting and his organ playing enormously.

When a member of the Music staff leaves, it is always with special poignancy that we look back upon the year which has just passed to remember all the best moments. The choirs, orchestras and bands all united once more to give four enjoyable end-of-term and mid-term concerts. Showstoppers, now on its second biannual tour, and the now long-established Jazz Night this year were both evenings of outstanding entertainment. It was also pleasing to be able to take our musicians off-site to experience music in other contexts. The Jazz Band took the Fairfield Hall audience by storm at the Bromley Schools’ Prom in February. Both the A-level

and GCSE musicians experienced professional musicmaking by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whilst the instrumentalists brought the study-works to life. It was also impressive to attend concerts given by the London Schools Symphony Orchestra, demonstrating the vitality of classical music-making amongst the young musicians in the capital.

This was also a year for impressive individual achievements, with one current and one recent Olavian making significant progress through the rounds of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. Additionally, over half of the Music A-level leavers secured offers to read Music at university, including one at Cambridge; I wish them all every success in their future pursuits. I hope that all Olavian leavers this year have, in some large or small way, been reached by the musical activities at the school, whether it be through the co-curricular provision, the music in assemblies or special events, in the classroom or from the numerous other occasions in which music has played a significant part. Remember us fondly when you’re reminiscing about your happy times here.

Christmas & Easter Concerts

Above: Easter Concert

Below: Christmas Concert

A Coronation Special: The Wakeham Choristers

On 25th September our Choristers of the Queen’s Chapel of The Savoy joined the three other Royal Choirs in a unique concert at Windsor to mark HM The Queen’s 60-year reign. After two hours of rehearsal, and an inter-choir football tournament, they performed great works such as Walton’s’ Te Deum’ to an audience of hundreds. Their solo, ‘O Taste and See’, was described by some as ‘the best item of all!’ They loved the opportunity to perform for The Queen, meet Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and sing with other distinguished choirs. The concert was later broadcast on Classic FM.

A-Level Barbican Trip

On the 14th November a group of students from years 11, 12 and 13 went to the Barbican to a fantastic concert. The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev, played a program of music by Hector Berlioz. The concert began with the Waverley Overture and then Mezzo-Soprano Karen Cargill sang Les Nuits d’Été which consisted of six songs accompanied by a smaller, chamber orchestra. After the interval, the full LSO played Symphonie Fantastique which was an exciting end to an enjoyable concert.

Mid-Term Concert

The mid-term concert was held on 13th November and served as an enjoyable showcase for our junior ensembles and many aspiring, solo performers. It was particularly pleasing to see so many performances from both the lower school (with notable performances from Ivan Leung (7C) and Sam Jolly (8L) and the GCSE classes (represented by pianist Kayo Kufeji (10L) and saxophonist Richard Moulange (10J).Violinist Lucy Morrell (12Q) and soprano Jacinta Treloar (13H) offered stylish performances on behalf of the sixth form.

Christmas Concert

In another wide-ranging evening on 4th December, the school’s senior choirs and instrumental ensembles performed a great variety of high-quality music. The Symphony Orchestra took on the ambitious work of Holst, playing ‘Jupiter’ from ‘The Planets Suite’. The St Olave’s Choir was a force to be reckoned with in its rendition of Charpentier’s ‘Messe de Minuit’. It was pleasing for the students to be supported by such a warmly receptive audience. Congratulations go to all involved for some superb music-making.

BBC Young Musician of the Year

Congratulations to Stefan Beckett (2006-2013), now on a scholarship at the Royal College of Music, who has been selected for the percussion final of this prestigious competition.

Showstoppers spectacular!

Star performers treated the audience to a fine display of musical, dance and dramatic talent with extracts from Wicked, West Side Story, The Lion King and Matilda, and superb choreography by Chloe Daley (12P) and Holly Lewis (12W) for Hairspray and The Lion King medley.

Bromley Schools’ Prom

The St Olave’s Jazz Band brought the house down in the Bromley Schools’ Prom at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon. Resplendent in Hawaiian shirts, their electrifying numbers: “The Eye of the Tiger” and “Tequila” set toes tapping and hands clapping. People were up and out of their seats as the group gave a blistering performance, repelling the melancholic worst of the February weather!

Easter Concert

At the Easter Concert the senior Music ensembles, orchestras, choirs and bands delighted the enthusiastic audience with shining examples of the school’s musical best. This was the last major showcase for many Year 13 leavers for whose contributions we are grateful; we hope music will always continue to play a part in their future lives.

Musical Achievements

Congratulations to Lucy Morrell (12Q) who gained a Distinction in her Grade 7 Organ examination with a stunning 139 marks. Well done also to Oscar Ridout (11K) - 115, Grade 6 Organ and Gabriel Ide (9B)126, Grade 5 Piano. Year 13 A-level recitals included impressive performances by Dominic Jelf (13M) (Cello), Dominic McDonald (13F) (Acoustic Guitar) and Karen Mortby (13H) (Oboe).

Carmen

An afternoon at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden saw a splendid matinee performance of Bizet’s classic, Carmen. Spectacular staging and impressive singing made this a memorable experience for many students for whom this was their first foray into the world of opera.

O-Factor

The annual house singing competition, The O-Factor, saw 240 pupils, ably rehearsed by our Music Prefects and House Captains, perform songs, including Keane’s Somewhere Only We Know (Bingham), Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer (Cure), Avicii’s Wake Me Up (Harvard), Pharrell Williams’ Happy (Leeke) and favourite hymns I Vow to Thee My Country and Jerusalem. The winners will receive a new trophy, courtesy of the PA and the fundraising endeavours of our Senior Prefect Team

Jazz Night

Our Annual Jazz Night, the last major musical event of the year was held on Monday 29th April. Those who

attended were treated to some impressive solos, from Sam Wootten (11K) and Aaron Lewns (13H), as well as from enthusiastic performances from the Junior Jazz Ensemble, the Senior Jazz Band, and the Dixieland Band. Sam Perkins was awarded the dubious honour of the traditional “worst shirt” accolade. Alongside our talented performers, professional Saxophonist and special guest Derek Nash (accompanied by Jim Treweek on Keyboard, Eric Guy on Bass and Buster Birch on drums) provided an inspirational highlight to the evening with his charismatic playing.

Samba Workshop

The fabric of the Music Department once again shook to the beat of Olavian sambistas. On Tuesday and Thursday of this week, the students of Year 8 were introduced to the rhythmic verve of Brazil. All four form-groups proved that the collective power of nearly thirty percussionists, drumming as if their lives depended upon it, is a force to be reckoned with! It was impressive to see how everyone entered into the spirit of it and, through collaboration, united to become energetic, entertaining ensembles. Each form also managed to invent its own ideas for inclusion in the whole-class performance and so give each one a unique twist. I am looking forward to the Summer Fun Day on Saturday 12th July, when these four samba bands go head-to-head in competition for the Year 8 Samba Band of the Year trophy.

The second mid-term Concert

The Mid-Term Concert proved a civilised alternative to the hysteria surrounding the beginning of a minor football tournament on the evening of Thursday 12th June. The audience was treated to a number of highquality performances from the enthusiastic members of Junior Jazz, Summer Strings and Guitar Group. The middle school fielded several strong performances from Eric Leung (9H), Harry Stanbury (10M) and Richard Decker (10M) and the audience were thoroughly entertained by the Morrell Piano Duo. Well done to all who participated.

Jazz Night

Those of us who attended the annual Jazz Spectacular were treated to a great evening of musical entertainment. Particularly impressive were solos from Samuel Wootten (11K) and Aaron Lewns (13H), and the Senior Jazz Band led by the inimitable Nick Beston. Highlight of the evening was guest saxophonist Derek Nash whose stunning improvisations left us in no doubt about the reasons for his having performed with the likes of Jools Holland and Sir Paul McCartney.

Modern Foreign Languages

National Competitions Modern Foreign Languages

TheModern Foreign Languages had another very successful year in all areas, French, Spanish and German.This strength across all subjects within the faculty was underpinned by determined teaching and actively engaging the students in all aspects of the languages. Trips were made to France, Spain and Germany. All were both enjoyed and extremely beneficial. The attention to detail by the staff has engendered within the students across all three key stages an enthusiasm for articulation in a foreign language and hopefully a confidence to use that language in its natural environment. The acumen of the faculty has stemmed in good part from two colleagues who have now left. The benignity, charm and charisma of Denise Storrs-Fox will be much missed and her contribution to the welfare of both the learning needs and pastoral concerns of her charges will be remembered fondly. A colossal lacuna will be left by the retirement of Hanna Cooley after many years of service not only to the promotion and teaching of German but to the organisation of numerous trips to Germany. Under her auspices the German students travelled far and wide throughout Germany and even produced excellent translations of German stories for publication. The Faculty has now moved on and with a new Head of Faculty looks forward to further progression and diversification.

European Day of Languages

On Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th September we started off with some colourful assembly presentations, complete with photographs and entertaining accounts, by students who were involved in the German, French and Spanish trips and exchanges last term.

At lunchtime on Thursday 26th a range of activities were hosted: Karaoke singing in French, German, Spanish or Portuguese in The Chapel; performances of poems in a foreign language in the Drama room and the ‘Million Pound Drop’ with quiz questions about the French, German and Spanish speaking world. This was underpinned by a special European lunch menu with tasty temptations such as Chicken Fricassée with Haricots Verts, Spanish Omelette, Italian Lasagne and German Frankfurter with Sauerkraut. For those who were still feeling peckish, ‘Master Chef’ in the Food technology room provided the chance to learn how to cook Crêpes, Black Forest gateau and Tortilla.

A2 French: Language and Identity Course

Pendant la semaine, nous avons fait beaucoup de choses différentes. Les soirs, nous avons regardé des films qui s’appellent ‘A Bout de Souffle’, ‘Le Bonheur’ et ‘Les 400 Coups’. On a appris un peu de la Nouvelle Vague dans laquelle ces films sont classés.

De plus, on a donné un exposé sur des articles qu’on avait trouvé au sujet de ‘La Langue de l’identité’. Aussi, on a étudié de la poésie; on a lu environ deux ou trois poèmes de Baudelaire dans son anthologie ‘Les Fleurs du Mal’; en particulier, ‘Au Lecteur’ et ‘Une Charogne’. Donc on a appris à lire de la poésie et à comprendre la structure du poème tel que le fait qu’il y ait douze syllabes dans un vers pour former un alexandrine. C’était une bonne expérience pour moi et on a appris pas mal de choses!

A2 French Trip

On Saturday 26th of October, a group of 10 Year 12 students, accompanied by Mlle Delage and Mr Geoghegan made their way to St. Pancras for a very early start to our weekend in Paris. Following a couple of hours on the Eurostar we arrived at Gare du Nord in Paris. Straight away we went to l’île de la cité to see the gothic style cathedral of Notre-Dame, before visiting Sainte Chapelle with its stunning stained glass windows. In the evening we went to la Place des Vosges and to Trocadero to see the Eiffel Tower at night, before a walk

along the Seine passing le Pont de l’Alma with its famous statue, used as a flood warning.

On Sunday, after another early start we went to the Place de l’Etoile to see the Arc de Triomphe and to walk along the Champs Elysées. After some free time we had lunch at the world famous Chartier restaurant, where we tried traditional French dishes such as snails. Afterwards, we visited le quartier du Marais where there is the Centre Georges Pompidou, and had time to explore the streets and visit many of the unique vintage shops around. In the evening we saw a French film called ‘9 mois ferme’, a comedy about a pregnant lawyer. It was truly hilarious, perhaps even too hilarious for some.

On Monday, our final day, we visited Montmatre and le Sacré Coeur with its great views of Paris from its high dome, overlooking the Place du Tertre. We then went up la Tour Montparnasse to see the magnificent view of the whole of Paris before we had to return one final time to our youth hostel to pick up our luggage and leave. We were all sad to return from our trip, but we thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

Trip to Aachen and Paris Xmas Market

On Friday 13th December, our Y9 boys made their way to Paris by coach to visit the Christmas markets. Despite the early start, our students enjoyed their day in the capital of France purchasing regional products and souvenirs for their family and friends. Although originally from the Alsace region, Christmas markets are hugely popular in Paris in the most popular areas of the city – students enjoyed a great view of the Eiffel Tower throughout the day –the day was most certainly an unforgettable experience. The rest of the day was spent in the Army Museum where boys learnt about the First World War.

Argentinian students visit St Olave’s.

On Wednesday 11th September we had a group of Argentinian students from Colegio French visit us. They gave us a presentation on Argentina telling us about traditions and facts about Buenos Aires. Afterwards we gave them a tour of the school and they accompanied us to our lessons. During lunch time the girls sat and discussed their life in Argentina asking us many questions and the boys played football against the year 7-9 St. Olave’s boys. They were an extremely friendly group of people that we all enjoyed getting to know, all the while practising our Spanish skills.

Miércoles pasado, algunos alumnos del colegio French visitaron St. Olave’s

Nos dieron una presentación sobre las tradiciones de Argentina y hablaron de Buenos Aires. Después vinieron a nuestras clases (matemáticas y biología por ejemplo). Durante la comida, las chicas hablaron de su vida en

Argentina y nos preguntaron sobre muchas cosas. Por otra parte los chicos jugaron al fútbol contra los chicos de St. Olave’s. Era gente amable, y disfrutamos conocerlos mientras tuvimos la oportunidad de practicar nuestras habilidades en español.

Y7 French Day at the Institut Français

In a rewarding day at the French Institute in South Kensington, Year 7 students launched into a variety of workshops to practise speaking in the target language. Lunch was accompanied by a viennoiserie (pains au chocolat et croissants) and du jus d’orange, before a French film called “Les Enfants de Timpelbach”, challenged their language skills even further.

Languages Film Club

MFL Prefects and Languages Ambassadors launched this new Club, starting with screenings of El Laberinto del Fauno (Spanish), Krabat (German) and La Haine (French), to quench the cultural thirst!

Europa Centre

The Europa Centre in Havering enabled Year 7 boys to use their foreign language intensively for 2 hours, finding information about an imaginary missing person for a prize, and engaging in shopping conversations with native Spanish speakers to buy real food and drink in the café.

French Day at St Paul’s Cray Primary School

The French Day at Saint Paul’s Cray saw Year 13 students running a variety of activities, games and quizzes with Primary pupils, as well as a visit to the French café and a look at some French web-sites

Careers in Languages Day

Jeevan Ravindran (11L) made the most of an exceptional outing at the Languages Day at Westminster University. Talks showed how interesting careers existed in translation, subtitling and conference interpreting, and that there were job prospects in the EU, incorporating travel and a great deal of freedom. By the end of a taster session in Chinese he knew how to say, “Mother is scolding the horse!” and was inspired by the importance of languages in mutual understanding and breaking down barriers.

Year 8 Boulogne trip

Despite having to wake up early to meet an early Channel tunnel crossing, as year 8 students arrived in school at 5.30am we were all talking about what we would be doing in Boulogne. After the journey from the school to Folkestone, across the Channel then on to Boulogne, we stopped just outside the city walls at the top of the town. After walking along the ramparts and looking at the views, we then visited a grand basilica-style church with an impressive dome. This was followed by a sojourn to the market and we were allowed to go wherever we wanted within the market. Although some struggled to use the correct grammar and vocabulary, we had a lot of fun watching nervous people hesitating to buy and then ending up buying 2kg of potatoes! After the market, we took a walk down to the port and along to the beach where we had lunch. After lunch we went to the sea-life centre where we had a chance to admire the sharks, tropical fish and other creatures before watching the sea-lion display with their impressive jumps and tricks. After a brief visit to the shop we went out to find the rain had really set in, so beach games were abandoned in favour of a visit to the large shopping centre of Cité Europe, where we could spend our final euros. After a

long, tiring but fun day, we had the long coach journey back to school. Overall, everyone found it to be a great and fun experience.

Trip to Normandy

En juillet, nous sommes allés en France en Normandie pour une semaine et nous avons fait beaucoup de choses. Par exemple nous avons visité le Mont Saint Michel (c’était tellement touristique!), un marché traditionnel et une chèvrerie. Aussi nous avons fait beaucoup d’activités comme faire du canoë ou faire du char à voile. Nous sommes resté à ‘La Grande Ferme’ et nous y avons passé notre temps libre (ça nous a plu, nous avons pu jouer au foot, au volley ou au ping-pong) et nous avons visité ‘Carrefour’ un hypermarché Français. Dans l’ensemble, c’était une semaine fantastique!

In July, we went to Normandy for a week. We did lots of things there, for example we went to Mont Saint Michel, which was very touristy as well as visiting a traditional French market and a goat farm. We also did many activities such as kayaking and sand yachting. We stayed at ‘La Grande Ferme’ and spent our free time there (we could play football, volleyball and table tennis, we loved it) and we visited ‘Carrefour’ a French Hypermarket. All in all it was a fantastic week!

Justin Reed 11J

GermAn

German Exchanges

On the Saturday, 5th July, six Year 10 students set off with Frau Cooley on the return leg of the Starnberg exchange. We were looking forward to seeing our friends again who had spent a week here in May/June. It turned out to be as splendid as we had hoped. We spent two days in Munich, seeing the historic centre, the Olympic Park, the university and the ‘Englische Garten’ and had a ‘Grand Tour’ of the BMW world, assembly plant and museum. We thoroughly enjoyed our two days in the Alps, one walking through an amazing ravine cut by a river, the other to the fairytale castle ‘Neuschwanstein’. The morning at school felt quite odd, as most students and many teachers wore jeans, and the boat trip round Lake Starnberg was wonderfully relaxing. It was quite surprising how much free time we had with our German partners in spite of the full programme during the day. We thoroughly enjoyed the times out with them and even the ‘food-faddies’ among us found German fare rather better than feared! The Germans’ hospitality and friendliness was thoroughly appreciated and we have deepened our existing friendships and forged new ones. The week passed far too quickly.

Year 10 Rhineland Trip

During Activity Week 2 28 year 10 students enjoyed a

week in a hotel on the banks of the beautiful river Rhine. They enjoyed a boat trip along the river, a cable car ride up to some spectacular views, a castle visit, swimming, bowling and, of course, some shopping. The highlight for most was the fun day spent at Phantasialand, a theme park with plenty of amazing rides to keep them all busy. A good week was had by all and thanks to Mrs Latcham, Mrs Johnson and Mr Espejo for accompanying the trip.

to the trip, as our flight was delayed by 2 ½ hours and we therefore missed the connecting train at Frankfurt airport. The amazing generosity and hospitality of the German host parents kicked in straight away, as two cars raced up the autobahn to rescue us!

Trip to Aachen

At 21:00 on Thursday, 12th December, a group of 49 students and 4 staff, Mrs Latcham, Mrs Johnson, Mr Henley and Frau Cooley, set off for Aachen, to see the town, cathedral and treasury and, of course, the Christmas market. The coach was filled to the last seat and the students thoroughly enjoyed the long drive, or rather the opportunity to chat to each other most of the night on the way there. Breakfast in the 17th century buildings of the ‘Alt Aachener Kaffeestuben’ was much appreciated and we then went off to browse around the main shopping area with its Christmas decorations. The displays of the many bakeries were especially admired.

Punctually, we all met for the guided tours round the cathedral and treasury, with many impressive items dating back to ‘Karl der Große’ (Charlemagne). The students then had lunch, met for group checks afterwards and then did the much anticipated Christmas shopping on the Christmas market.

Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the magical atmosphere of the market with its many stalls offering, for example, crafts, sausages and special bakes such as the Aachener Printen.

The behaviour of the students was exemplary throughout; their punctuality for all meetings was perfect. They were a real joy to take.

Heidelberg Exchange

On Saturday, 15th February, seven 6th form German students, accompanied by Mrs Cooley and Mr Henley, set off for a week in Heidelberg. We had a poor start

We had a superb week, sightseeing, eating, celebrating and speaking a lot of German, making the best of the dry weather and the wonderful openness of our hosts, parents, teachers and students alike. We visited Heidelberg Castle with the world’s largest wine barrel and the apothecary museum, the Carcer (student prison!), the Friedrich Ebert–house, a memorable Dix/ Beckmann art exhibition and the technological museum in Mannheim with many hand-on exhibits, which were both practically and intellectually challenging and most enjoyable. In Speyer we saw the world’s largest Romanesque cathedral (11th century) and Roman and medieval remains; in Frankfurt we had a guided tour through the historic quarter, appreciated the architecture and the many famous paintings and exhibits of the ‘Kunstgalerie Städel’, and thoroughly relaxed in the gemütliche ‘Eppelwoikneip’ (warm, comfortable apple wine restaurant) Wagner.

In the evenings, many of the group met and/or went out together, the safer and more relaxed atmosphere of the environs of Heidelberg allowing the teachers some relatively worry-free time!

Many parents joined us on Saturday evening, when all German and English students and teachers got together for a meal, and we had a wonderfully harmonious, if a little sad time together, as we had to return on Sunday.

The exchange was a great success; we made many friends and speak much better and more fluent German. We are all looking forward to the return visit of our German exchange partners and friends from 26th April to 3rd May.

SpAniSh

Spanish Trip to Malaga

During the February half-term Year 13 students visited Andalucía in southern Spain, with ample time to sample the tapas bars and practise speaking Spanish. Based in the historic port of Málaga they visited the Moorish castle, La Alcazaba, and the Museo Carmen Thyssen which specialises in Spanish art. A trip to the ancient city of Ronda included stunning views of the famous bridge and gorge, whilst a day in Marbella highlighted the charm and Spanish traditions of the old town.

Year 8 Spanish Experience 2014

The Spanish department organised an intensive Spanish experience Year 8 during Activity Week 1. On Wednesday

21st May, students embarked on a carousel of enrichment activities giving the opportunity to experience different aspects of life in the Spanish speaking world. From Flamenco in session one, cooking “Tapas” dishes in session two, and watching a newly released film from Argentina concerning their favourite sport, football, this day offered the full Spanish experience.

Murcia 2014

On Monday 14th July, a group of very tired boys met under the chapel at 2.30am. It was dark, and many had not slept after watching the World Cup Final match the previous evening. This made for a lovely quiet journey! We arrived on time, but sadly had to wait ages for our luggage. However, as soon as we got to our accommodation, the Centro de Alto Rendimiento in Los Alcácares, it was time to change into shorts and flipflops and get down to the beach. The local beach was just outside the back door of the centre, and played an important part in our trip. We enjoyed many competitions, including a closely fought world cup of our own, which was won by Iran. We also enjoyed visits to historic Cartagena and the wildlife sanctuary Las Salinas, as well as to the local funfair and market. We had a watersports session in which we sailed, windsurfed and paddle surfed. We had useful lessons with our local guide, Carolina, and completed quizzes and treasure hunts in the local area in Spanish. The highlight for many was the Brazilian samba drumming workshop one evening – we were really loud but the neighbours clapped and our drum teachers were really impressed. We had the now traditional mud bathing experience, and we enjoyed a concert from a Cuban salsa band which gave us the chance to show off our dancing skills to the other students staying at the centre. We used lots of Spanish talking to them and made friends. The food and accommodation in the centre, which was originally built for the Barcelona Olympics, was excellent. Several students in the group swam for the first time and overcame all sorts of fears – well done to them! We all came back to school completely exhausted but knowing we had had a really good time and learned a great deal.

Humanities

National Competitions The Faculty of Humanities

2013-14

proved to a very successful one for all the departments within the Humanities Faculty. Will Haines and Rachel Garswood joined the faculty and alongside its stalwarts the quality of teaching continued to improve and all pupils achieved excellent results in public examinations.

The faculty continues to work actively to promote scholarship; the societies run by its pupils have produced a range of thought provoking publications and have hosted many “intriguing” speakers! The faculty remains active in organising cross curricular ventures and 201415 will see it help to organise a mock election parallel to the General Election to be held in 2015.

The Faculty of Mathematics, ICT & Computer Science The Department of History

“The War was decided in the first twenty days of fighting, and all that happened afterwards consisted in battles which, however formidable and devastating, were but desperate and vain appeals against the decision of Fate.”

It has become something of a tradition to begin the History report in each edition of the Olavian magazine with a quote and given the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1 in 2014 Winston Churchill’s words feel particularly apt. Optimistic thoughts of a quick victory in 1914 quickly dissipated and the 2013-14 edition of the History Society magazine focused on the causes of war including Joe Cox’s (13H) analysis of the situation in Europe prior to July 1914. The department bid a fond farewell in July 2014 to Dr Sarah Wallace who did so much to promote History across the school particularly in her work editing the History Society magazine and in organising a range of trips across year groups. She was also the driving force behind the first Year 9 cross curricular day which focused on World War 1 as the History department worked alongside English and Art to focus on the plight of conscientious objectors and the way in which they have been commemorated. 2013-14 also saw a record as Year 11 students achieved a department record with 99% achieving A*/A grades including 80 A*s!

2013-14 saw the department return to the World War 1 battlefields around Ypres and the Somme for the first time in two years as all of both Year 8 and 9 were able to experience the trench warfare which dominated the western front between 1914-18. While the First World War provided a focus for the year, Year 9 were also able to enjoy a day trip to the historic dockyards at Chatham which included the opportunity to explore a Cold War era submarine! These extra-curricular ventures were

supplemented by the work of the History Society. Aiyan Maharsingham ablely presided over its speakers which included a talk led by the irrepressible and irreverent Old Olavian Godfrey Bloom which attracted a sceptical audience of almost 100 pupils in rm21! The society will only continue to grow in the coming year.

With the addition of David Gonsalves from Dover Grammar School 2014-15 promises to be a year to rival the last!

History Society Magazine

The latest edition of the History Society Magazine, entitled ‘Causes of War’, features excellent articles on the First World War, the 1066 Succession Feud and the intriguing if slightly ridiculous War of Jenkins’ Ear. Well done to Lucas Bertholdi Saad (13N) for editing and Leon Brown (13J) for design

History Trip

Year 8 & 9 students visited the National Army Museum to see Napoleon’s horse’s skeleton and equipment used in both World Wars, before museum staff described how the weapons have evolved.

Olavian Scolarship

For another example of Olavian Scholarship, you may be interested to look at the following link: http://goo. gl/tYD7AR where Matthew Roberts (12Q) and Samuel Luker Brown (12O) have prepared the first edition of an historical vignette.

History Society Welcomes Old Olavian Godfrey Bloom

Old Olavian, explorer, philanthropist, thespian, current MEP and ex-member of UKIP, Godfrey Bloom, kindly visited as a guest of St Olave’s History Society recently. A crowd of almost 100 students was eagerly waiting to hear his interesting political views. He discussed the nature of democracy and the role of an MEP before being subjected to a variety of well researched questions from the floor, covering his views on women in British society, Bongo Bongo Land and the importance of the minimum wage. We are grateful to Mr Bloom who, despite not winning over the entire audience, certainly informed and entertained with his sharp wit and clarified several of the more controversial statements attributed to him.

Year 8 Battlefields Trip

Year 8 spent 3 days in Belgium and France exploringsites from the first and the second world wars, on a very enlightening trip. Our first stop was Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, where we were struck by the rows upon rows of graves, containing the bodies of soldiers of all nationalities, from British to Chinese, proving that it really was a “world” war. We visited a German cemetery next, where we were struck by the marked contrast between the Allied and German ones. German cemetries contain mass graves and are more gothic than allied ones, as the German government bore the brunt of the cost of the war. We observed the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres in the evening too, during three Olavians laid wreaths.

After a night where we realised that European tv often makes no sense at all, we boarded our coach and drove down to the Somme in France. We visited many important destinations including the Ulster Tower and Thiepval Memorial. We also visited Newfoundland Memorial Park, a Canadian memorial which includes a great view over part of the Battlefield and wellpreserved trenches. One of the most visually stunning places we visited was a 60 foot deep mine crater, set off immediately prior to the British attack at the Somme. The explosion when it went off was so loud it apparently could be heard in London. There is still an unexploded mine out there somewhere at the Somme. We visited Dunkirk on the final day, but first we went to Cassel, a tiny market town with really good views over Normandy and the French countryside. It had been defended by the British army as they retreated toward Dunkirk in 1940 at the start of World War 2. For many, the highlight of the day was having lunch at Dunkirk beach, looking over the clear blue sea. After playing (and laughing at people falling over on) the sand dunes, it was time to leave, and now it was time for reflection. We laid a wreath at a small cemetery on the outskirts of Dunkirk. Some of us had also been able to remember dead ancestors that had been here before us.

Year 9 Battlefields Trip

Year 9 visited the WW1 Battlefields of Ypres and the Somme along with the beaches of Dunkirk which saw the evacuation of the British Army in 1940. They learned about the nature of the Great War itself, experiencing the trenches which dominated the fighting on the western front. 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1, so commemoration and remembrance were at the heart of visits to British and German cemeteries and memorials which allowed pupils to reflect on the nature of the sacrifices made by men often not much older than themselves. The visit to Dunkirk presented a compelling lesson in the way warfare developed following the end of WW1. Pupils visited the small town of Cassel, where the British Army was forced to retreat toward the sea by the rapidly advancing German Wehrmacht. All 3 days enabled pupils to reflect on WW1 and WW2 and the experiences of the millions of personnel that served during them.

History Visit to Chatham Dockyard

Year 9 enjoyed a day at the Chatham Dockyard where they toured three vessels: the Victorian sloop HMS Gannet, a World War Two Destroyer (HMS Cavalier) and HMS Ocelot, a claustrophobic but impressive Cold War submarine. The boys also got to see the ‘Rope Walk’, a quarter-mile long ropery which is still producing rope today.

More photos from the Year 8 and Year 9 trips to Belgium and France

National Competitions The Department of Geography

TheGeography department continues to enjoy many fieldtrips and excellent results. This year saw the introduction of a new trip to study Microclimates in Activity Week One, and a second opportunity to visit Iceland – “the land of ice and fire”. Geography is an incredibly wide-ranging subject and students this year learnt about a wide range of topics including Tectonics, the Geography of Conflict, Rivers, Globalisation, Glaciation, Energy, Ecosystems, Tourism, Development, Coasts and much more!

Bromley Worldwise Competition

In the Bromley Worldwise competition run by the Geographical Association, well done to Samuel Wootten (11K), Oscar Ridout (11K), Edward Tolmie (11J), Seraphin Gnehm (10N) and Coby Plews (10J) who came 1st in this ‘pub-quiz’ style competition and now have the opportunity to host the next event.

Year 12 AS Geography fieldtrip to Malham, Yorkshire

In the week preceding half term, the Year 12 geographers travelled to Malham Tarn. The first geographical feature of note was Watlowes Valley, as we walked part of the way to the field centre, giving us a taste of the beautiful scenery of the Yorkshire Dales. This valley was a perfect example of a U-shaped glacial trough, complete with misfit stream and truncated spurs – landscape features we had studied at GCSE.

On the first day, we investigated local energy generation schemes. This involved visiting a small scale hydroelectric scheme and asking local people their opinions about it, as well as studying the site of a proposed wind farm to study the topographic exposure and potential environmental impact. Throughout the day, we filmed interviews about the schemes and in the evening we used Geographical Information Systems (analysing data &

information using computerised map overlays). On the second day we planned and completed an investigation into Cowside Beck, a small river. We constructed our own hypotheses based upon geographical theory, and conducted a risk assessment – very important in the icy conditions! Having collected the data, we dried ourselves out and analysed our findings.

The weather held and was glorious the first day, with snow falling overnight – a good excuse for a snowball fight! The field centre staff were exceptionally impressed by how polite and conscientious the students were – they even said this was the first group they’d ever had where nobody whinged or complained whilst completing their data collection, which was particularly remarkable given the weather conditions. Well done to all the students.

Geography & RS Fieldtrip

Year 7 classes have enjoyed a joint Geography and RS trip to Farningham, Eynsford, and Lullingstone Villa this activity week. The boys were brilliant both days, they walked a fair way and fully immersed themselves in the Kent countryside; each class was given the challenge to match the full range of Dulux colours to their natural environment, a game which proved very popular. For RS, visiting St. Botolph’s church and St Peter & St Paul’s church enabled the boys to appreciate the differences and similarities and think about the design of their own church for their IPM. For Geography, visits to the different settlements helped the boys visualise the OS map we had studied and develop their understanding of siting factors and modern day functions of settlements.

Left: Students practice field sketching

Adjacent: Year 12

Post-AS trip

Maidstone Geography Trip

On Friday 2nd May, 97 Year 10 Geographers went on a fieldtrip to Maidstone, collecting data to ascertain whether it is possible to delimit the Central Business District. They planned their own hypotheses regarding various things like functional land use, building height, evidence of planning, urban heat islands, traffic, people’s perceptions of place and so on. Their findings are to be fully analysed during the summer term.

Year 8 Study Microclimates!

On Tuesday and Thursday of Activity week, Year 8 Geography students took advantage of our local environment to study microclimates in Priory Gardens park, Orpington. We had created our own hypotheses and planned our own methods for data collection during lessons. These included things like “temperature will decrease with height from surfaces” or “people create microclimates affecting temperature and windspeed”. On the day of our trip, we first created a map of the park (pictured) and then collected the data we needed for our investigations. We will interpret and analyse our results next half term.

Iceland

During Activities Week 2, a group of 14 students from Year 12 went to Iceland for a Geography field trip. Having met early at Gatwick on Monday 14th July, we boarded our flight, which took us into Keflavik airport, about 50km south west of Reykjavik and the largest airport in Iceland. It was there that we met Dave, who would be our tour guide for the trip.

The first thing we did was go to Vikingaheimar, a Viking museum just outside of Keflavik. The centrepiece of the museum was a replica of a Viking ship that sailed across the North Atlantic over a thousand years ago. From here we drove south to bathe in the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa and one of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions. After spending over an hour relaxing in the near 40-degree water temperatures and covering our faces with silica mud, we left for our hotel in Hveragerði.

The next morning we set off early to walk around Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO world heritage centre, where the Althing, an open-air assembly representing the whole of Iceland, was established in 930 and continued to meet until 1798. Next on our itinerary was Geysir, the famous spouting hot spring which can periodically hurl boiling water up to 70m in the air. After that we visited Gullfoss, a spectacular staircase waterfall, before checking into our hotel in Hvolsvollur for the night.

Our third day began with a visit to Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which is 60m tall and unique in the fact that you can walk behind it, the only waterfall in Iceland

where this is possible. On our way to the second waterfall, we stopped off at a visitor centre looking at the damage caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano and its lasting impacts on the Icelandic landscape and its people. The second waterfall of the day was again 60m high, and called Skogafoss, and despite not being able to stand behind this one, it was just as impressive as the previous waterfall. The next stop of our busy schedule was to visit the Solheimajokull glacier, and having donned our crampons and helmets, and armed with an axe, we set about walking on it. The glacier was very different to our expectations. Instead of it being white as you would associate with ice, it was largely grey and black, the ash from the Eyjafjallajokull eruption four years previously still prominent. After a brief stop at Reynishverfi beach to look at the basalt columns, we headed towards Reykjavik for an all you can eat pizza and finally onto our hotel to conclude our busiest day of the trip.

We made our way towards Reykjavik to start our final day of the trip, and our first stop was Hallgrimskirkja, the unmissable and striking church located in the heart of Reykjavik. After a wander through the capital city, we made our way back to Keflavik airport, but not before stopping at the Krisuvik hot sinter pools. A great time was had by all.

Charlie Grozier 13T

Post AS Trip

On a lovely sunny Friday afternoon, the Lower VI Geographers took to the River Darent to collect data about changing river variables downstream. Despite Friday 13th being unlucky for some, we were able to measure the river this year despite the high amounts of rainfall recently which had threatened to make it too deep for us to safely work in. The students managed to stay bright and cheerful even though most of them succeeded in filling their boots with water - once again proving that they are the most willing and practical cohort of geographers that we have had in many years at St Olave’s. The data will be used to build the foundations of their Unit 4A exam in Upper VI.

Geographical Society

Geographical Society has been going from strength to strength this academic year with the managing of it superbly taken over by Shunta Takino (13I) and Cameron Garrett (13L). Attendance has been consistently good and students have enjoyed talks such as ‘The Future of Population’, ‘When Pigs Fly: vertical farming and food sustainability’, ‘The Facts about Fracking’, and Chris Eaton’s (12X) ‘When the Ice Caps Melt’.

National Competitions The Department of Classics

Carpe

diem! Seize the moment! In the slight dull that lingers in the Humanities corridor prior to study leave and then activities weeks, I am taking this opportunity to write. The Classics Department as ever has been proceeding purposefully and faced the new challenge uniquely of encouraging the pupils to select Latin for a GCSE subject both in year eight and in year nine. First teaching September 2014 we will have the situation where there will be GCSE Latin sets in three year groups. The numbers across the key stages are full of promise with up to sixteen pupils alone doing Latin A/S alongside a strong contingent of Classical Civilisation students at A level and a sizeable number of Greek GCSE candidates too. In large part this has been the result of the brilliant teaching of my colleague Sarah Latcham who sadly is leaving the school after three years to take up a position at Shrewsbury School. The moment she told me that she was being interviewed I knew in my heart that she would be departing too. I have really enjoyed working alongside her and benefitting from her pool of knowledge and common sense. In addition to being a brilliant classicist capable of teaching the full gambit of subjects to A level, Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation, she has supported the Modern Languages Faculty with her knowledge of German by taking two trips to the Rhineland in Activity Week Two. Away from the classroom where she has been an exemplary form tutor, she has committed herself to the DoE, Chapel Weekends away and cricket. I knew immediately when I met her on interview day that anyone who liked cricket and taught Classics must come out of the highest of drawers. She has excelled in every aspect of her life here at Saint Olave’s. Her new school Shrewsbury with its very fine tradition of cricket and classics has netted a very good teacher.

Sarah’s replacement will be Mr Alex Carroll who is a Cambridge graduate and possessed of a master’s degree too from the Courtauld Institute. After working briefly at Bonhams in the manuscripts department he has recently completed his PGCE back at his alma mater. He has a great interest in public speaking, DoE and playing in orchestras. It is testament to the reputation of the school that we can recruit such high calibre teachers and the department warmly welcomes him and shall look forward to integrating him into our modus docendi.

Never unwilling to participate in and organise trips the department took the whole of year seven to Porchester where as ever they enjoyed the impressive Roman walls which surround the tremendous Norman keep. We also took Year 9 and some of Year 7 (though not all at once)

to visit the Elgin marbles and the Parthenon metopes. Naturally we also went to Greece and its report follows beneath.

The Olavian Classicists have been performing superbly at university with a good number achieving first class honours degrees; Tom Hughes and Jack Owens at Bristol, George Jenkins at Cambridge ,Jordan McGauran at Liverpool and Lisa Chung at King’s College, London. My congratulations go to all these students and my memory of them at Delphi when they were at school still brings a smile to my face.

The study of Classics is thriving with large numbers of students going on to universities to study the subject. In the past five years there seems to have been an exodus towards Durham and Warwick. However there now seems to be a much keener enthusiasm for Exeter and Bristol. No doubt all the universities have their individual merits. Students also head for Oxbridge with Peter Leigh going to New College Oxford and Timothy Adelani to Cambridge. In spite of such enthusiasm there are challenges ahead and as ever we shall encounter them and deal with them appropriately.

David Craig S___Head of Classics

Classics Department trip to Greece 2014

‘I am part of all that I have met; yet all experience is an arch wherethro’ gleams that untravell’d world, whose margin fades for ever and for ever when I move.’

Tennyson’s romanticised vision of Ulysses is really quite extraordinary given that Ulysses or strictly speaking Odysseus’ travelling was full of experiences which far from engendering comfort contrived the opposite, fear. They were indeed in part on the margins of the world where law and order yield to barbarity or at least a world which Odysseus cannot accept and will wish to destroy, harm or deceive and they certainly help us to think of Odysseus as the man who is full of cunning, much- travelled, and a man of many turns. Fortunately Odysseus’ nostos bore no resemblance to ours but we would like to think that our experiences have contributed to our make-up and outlook.

There seems to be a sense of some recovery in Athens and it certainly did not have that edge of uncertainty that still pervaded last year after the violent protests around Syntagma square. On arrival we walked around the classical zone at ease against the constant backdrop of cicadas enjoying the temples of the Acropolis in the afternoon and thereafter the new Acropolis Museum. Around the remains of the theatre of Dionysus a good deal of work has been done and a recently-sculpted statue of Menander has been erected. We stayed in the Herodion for the second time running where the students delighted in the roof top café and its hot tubs. It is a hotel of exceptional value for a school trip and its position adjacent to the lower entrance to the Acropolis is ideal.

We visited the agora where the pupils particularly enjoyed seeing the voting discs, the ostraka covered in the name of Themistokles, the klepysdra and the machine created for picking the jury men, the kleroterion. Though we were unable to insert our own pinaikon we came away from the museum having a fuller grasp of the mechanics of democracy.

From the streets of Athens we headed north up towards Marathon and the wonderful site of Rhamnous, a place which should be on the itinerary of all school trips. A caveat is that pre-booking is now essential .It took all my powers of persuasion to be allowed into the site. The reward is immense .The route down to the main entrance to this fortified town and military garrison is lined with immense tombs and the site is possessed of a theatre that far from being carved out of the natural incline of a hill sits actually on a raised flat area. Its purpose was not merely for dramatic performances but seems to have been for meetings of the people; this was where democracy and theatre elided. As in the previous year its inaccessibility, its position overlooking the straits of Euboea, its colossal towers and massive walls enthralled the students.

The drive up to Delphi was as divine as ever with the hills coated with pine trees and terraces of olives. The small town with its narrow streets full of gift shops, selling replica armour and helmets, its pottery emporia and countless bars appealed too. The site itself was as magnificent as always though the Roman gymnasium has now been closed permanently for fear of falling rocks. We battled through the crowds of tourists following haplessly behind the guides with their red umbrellas reading from their pre-written script. In moments of quiet we were able to consider the light and shade of Mount Parnassus and why such vastly important decisions were made as a result of a visit to the oracle. We were also able to consider Herodes Atticus and the theatre he had built here. He is a man who should inspire an EPQ for the future.

At Olympia we stayed in the lovely Europa Hotel where we were met appreciatively as ever. The students dined al fresco under pergolas some of them eating rabbit for the first time and all of them declaring they had never seen artichoke hearts before. They appeared to enjoy equally the sites of Olympia especially the palaestra and the proximity of the workshop of Phidias to the Temple of Zeus. Unseen by the group before they have opened up a Roman mosaic just to the left of the entrance and this was a marvellous example alongside the Roman bathhouses how this pan-hellenic site was used not only throughout the Greek world but also the Roman one.

This year we went to Bassae again but I think this may be the last time. The road there is becoming increasingly dangerous and given its relative proximity to Olympia the journey is extremely long.

On arrival there we also discovered that much of the temple has now been shut off and I feel I have to balance the benefits of seeing this extraordinary work of Icktinos with the longevity of the coach trip there. From there we headed straight to Nafplion and the Argolid.

In the Argolid we visited the traditional sites of Epidauros, Paleo-epidauros, Mycenae and we raced at Nemea though strictly speaking I competed rather than raced. I certainly did not carry off the Herculean lion pelt. The students were captivated by the treasury of Atreus and the museum at Mycenae and even showed some enthusiasm for Ancient Tiryns. Corinth and the National Archaeological museum were visited on the

way back to the airport.

For next year some changes are afoot. We need to do something different or more strictly speaking I do. Plans have been put in place to visit Sounion, Thorikos and Oropos. We hope too to see a live performance at the theatre of Epidaruros and not to see abandoned dogs as we did this year at Argos. The Classics trip is extremely rewarding but some changes are needed to avoid monotony for the party leader. This year we cut the trip down by one day but did not reduce the content from previous trips the result being total exhaustion on my return.

The success of the trip depends in large part on the cooperation of the students who as ever were well-behaved and this was noted by four retired teachers who were staying at the Europa who expressed their admiration not only for their behaviour but astonishment that so many students studied classics. This year the students performed the annual cabaret which I must say may well have been the very best ever with the most hilarious take on the embassy of Odysseus to the newly name ‘Achillies’ and some very interesting lyrics on ‘regrets’ sung by Jack Bradfield to the accompaniment of a ukele and Matthew Roberts appearing in a dress doing a brilliant scene from the ‘History Boys’. I am sure that the hotel is convinced of our eccentricity now and long may this conviction last. But the trip is also successful because of the huge support I receive from my wife in the running of the trip. She is certainly an honorary Olavian and certainly a boon to the department.

The Department of Religious Studies

Our editor, Mr Craig, is at his happiest when articles provided for the Olavian are accompanied by photographs, and so it was that I trawled through the archive on the hunt for suitable pictorial embellishments. Two photographs caught my eye from the Year 7 Religious Studies and Geography trip to Eynsford, Farningham and Lullingstone. The first image shows Moses Ibn-Ibrahim sitting on a pew in 14th Century St Botolph’s Church at Lullingstone Castle, looking quite the most contented Year 7 in the country. What, I asked myself, does this captured moment of serenity tell us about our students?

As Moses, a fearsome rugby player, paused for thought in this ancient place of worship, he was doing what scores of Olavian students do on a daily basis through the Religious Studies Department: engaging critically with ideas both ancient and profound. Through discussion, debate and critical writing, our students continually astound with their maturity, empathy and insight.

The second image shows Kit Whitaker, another accomplished rugby player, pausing for lunch with a daisy chain around his head. I have yet to determine the significance of this, but he seemed happy enough.

The Eynsford trip was one of three offered by the department this year, the remaining two trips being provided for Year 9 in Activities Week Two. A particularly interesting element of the Year 9 curriculum is their investigation into the link between Church and State in the UK. It was to complement this that Year 9 took a walking tour of Orpington Churches, on which the leaders of three local churches hosted our group and fielded some unabashed and forthright questioning from the boys.

Later in the week, Year 9 were again treated to a day out by the department, this time in conjunction with the Classics Department. The British Museum and

Jewish Museum trip was in equal measure fascinating and sobering. Educators at the Jewish Museum used artefacts from one particular Dutch family to put a human face to the dehumanising statistics of the Holocaust, giving uncomfortable colour to the familiar facts. Our students responded to some challenging questions with pathos and intelligence quite beyond their years. As we departed, museum staff declared them the most wellbehaved and engaged school group in recent memory.

In September, the school was privileged to play host to the Right Reverend Chad Gandiya, Bishop of Harare. Bishop Chad spent time with classes in Year 10 and 12, fielding questions on ethics, God and faith in the face of suffering. The bishop was gracious and thoughtful in his answers, speaking with the authority of one who had lived what he taught.

Meanwhile, in the regular business of the department, it was a matter of slow but steady growth. The new Key Stage Three curriculum was consolidated, tweaked, polished, and ably delivered by a team of non-subject

specialists to whom the department is ever-indebted. Further up the school, the GCSE course continues to evolve and improve and it may be for this reason that interest in pursuing the subject at A Level has increased. Student numbers across the two year groups at A Level increased by about 40% in 2013-14, and for 2014-15 this looks set to increase by a further 50%.

Philosophy Society ran lively and well-attended weekly lunchtime discussions. It is always pleasing, and a real testament to the spirit of scholarly enquiry in the school, that these sessions are very well attended, including by those not taking Religious Studies A Level.

Inevitably, OFSTED will garner column inches elsewhere, but for Religious Studies it really was a non-event. ‘The phone call’ that signals the impending arrival of governmental inquisition coincided with another phone call, that signalling the impending arrival of child number two to the Lake family. The department duly set outstanding cover work, to be delivered by our cover supervisors, and departed for a week or two to continue the work of slow but steady growth, this time on the home front.

The Department of Economics

TheEconomics department has had another busy and successful year. In September we welcomed William Haines as a full time teacher of Economics. He has made a fantastic contribution to both the delivery of the curriculum and extra curricula work of the department. In terms of results the department achieved an exemplary set of A level results with 98% of students achieving grades A*to B. The depth of these results can be shown by 52% of students achieving A* at A level. At AS level 95.7% of students achieved grades A to B. The department has also been involved in a number extra curricula activities throughout the year.

The Political Economy Society

The Political Economy Society had undoubtedly one of its most succesful years to date, with a number of fascinating presentations from both external and internal speakers. To begin the year, the society welcomed Roy Cromb, a former employee at the Bank of England, to present on the current economic situation of the UK. Mr Cromb spoke with great scepticism over the recent boom in the housing market and the inflated growth figures given that real wages still remain worringly low in comparison.

Chris Giles, Economics Editor of the Financial Times, continued this theme with his own prediction on how the UK economy would look by the end of 2014. Having recently arrived back from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Giles was able to give an accurate account of the current optimism that surrounded the UK economy and how the outlook looked very different to what economists had predicted only a year ago.

Our focus at the society then moved away from domestic economic issues and towards the international economy as Professor Alfredo Saad Filho from the University of SOAS discussed the rise of the emerging markets and whether they would continue to grow at such a fast rate over the coming decade.

Andrew Lilico, Chairman of Europe Economics, was the next guest speaker that the society were fortunate to host as he discussed austerity in the UK economy. Dr Lilico argued that austerity measures should have been implemented much earlier, with the current scheme more reactive than proactive. Despite evidence of some

partial success, he challenged some of the coalition’s spending cuts through targeting the wrong areas of the government budget.

In the Spring term, Thomas Wardle, a Lead Research from The Centre for Social Justice, was welcomed to the society. His talk, titled ‘Reforming Welfare, Transforming Lives’, highlighted the importance for the government of understanding the broad nature of poverty in the UK. From his own research, he showed clear evidence that despite the increased spending on welfare over the last ten years, the number of people on out-of-work benefits has in fact hardly fallen.

Our final external speaker of the year was Jo Johnson, Member of Parliament for Orpington and Chair of the Prime Minister’s Policy Board. Mr Johnson gave an insider view on the Budget Report and held discussion on other topical issues. Students asked some probing questions on the Economics Conference

On Monday 3rd December Year 13 Economists attended a conference in London to enjoy a range of presentations by Ed Balls MP (Shadow Chancellor), Hugh Pym (Economics Editor, BBC), Tim Harford (Author of ‘The Undercover Economist’, BBC and the FT) and various economists.

Bank of England - Target 2.0

On the 26th February the Saint Olave’s Monetary Policy committee represented the school in the Area final. The competition involves the students analysing Economic data and making a recommendation as to what the Bank of England should do to achieve the inflation target of

2%. The team opted to incentive banks to encourage more lending in the economy. The team unfortunately did not win through to the national final but they would like to thank everyone for helping to fill in their surveys.

Work Related Learning & Enterprise Days

As part of their work related learning, Year 10 visited the Bank of England including a talk giving valuable insight into why it is essential to manage inflation in the economy and what constitutes economic stability. The day also included a business game which all enjoyed.

Sports

National CompetitionsThe Sports Faculty

Sport continues to thrive at St. Olave’s with a wide range of activities to engage the students both in the curriculum and as part of the extra-curricular programme. The Sport’s Prefects support this programme by organising clubs and attending fixtures, and their support is much appreciated by staff and pupils alike. There have been some exceptional performances this year in a variety of activities which we have been delighted to mention in the Headmaster’s newsletter. Impressive results are obviously something we are very proud of, but effort is also highly rated by the PE department and the students continue to impress with their positive attitude and willingness to learn and improve.

Andy Kenward

St Olave’s team in many years. This season has provided the team with many memories and been a superlative way to end the Year 13s last year of school rugby. A thank you to Mr White and Mr Haines who gave up a great deal of their time throughout the season and helped the team reach their full potential.

Senior 7s

In the Kent County 7’s competition, the Senior squad overcame Maidstone Grammar, Duke of York, Gravesend Grammar and Judd to top their group. This set up a tense semi-final with Dartford, where a strong second half come-back saw St. Olave’s win by 26 – 24. In a highly entertaining cup final against Eltham College, although the opposition just snatched victory with a last minute try, St. Olave’s can take great pride in their performance to come runners-up in such a tough competition.

1st XV Rugby

At the start of the season many of the 1st XV could not have dreamed of the success we were to have in the upcoming season. A pre -season tour to South America had been a great learning experience and had certainly bought the two year groups closer together in preparation for the start of the new campaign.With early season wins over Colfes the Old Boys and Wallington, the team had started to show the ability and skills which would hopefully propel them forward in the NatWest Cup tournament. Two losses followed, but this losing run ended with a comprehensive 56-7 win against St. Dunstan’s in the first round of the cup. The desire of the team to succeed was highlighted in a 27-27 draw against Skinners, where the team managed to overturn a 20 point deficit in the last ten minutes. A disappointing loss to Dartford meant we entered the NatWest Vase, but this only inspired us to have a cup run with a big win over Gravesend Grammar school in the first round. The next couple of rounds saw hard fought victories over Brighton and Hove Sixth Form College and Robert Clack.This put us into the last 16 of the vase where the team came up against a tough Worth side. The game was played at Saracens’ Allianz Park which proved a great experience, but after a valiant performance with great support, the team just lost 12-10, ending a significant cup run. Other notable victories were recorded against local rivals Langley Park and Chislehurst and Sidcup. After the regular season the squad embarked on a series of 7s competitions where expectations were high. A promising opening in the St Olave’s 7’s saw the squad reach the semi- final stage but this was topped by the Kent 7’s where victories over Judd and Dartford to name two resulted in the team reaching the final where they narrowly lost out to Eltham College, the best result for a

2nd XV Rugby

With 10 wins out of 17 games the 2nd XV season was a great success with no shortage of tries scored. A commendable total of 445 points included a 67-0 win at Colfe’s and a 41-7 win against Wallington. Leavers will look back fondly on this as their last year in representing St Olave’s.

Under 16 Rugby

The U16s have claimed some notable scalps this season, with victories over Wimbledon College, Judd and Bishop’s Stortford. Some fine attacking play and resilient defense saw them finish with 7 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses, with several selected to represent the 1st or 2nd XV.

Under 15 Rugby

The U15’s had a disrupted end to the season losing several fixtures to the weather, but improved throughout the year to bond very well. With the 7’s season to go

they can look forward to further success.captain Danny Jenkins (11K) and vice-captain Billy Belsham (11J) for their input into selection.

Under 14 Rugby

The under 14s have played some of the most entertaining attacking rugby we have seen in a while, shocking teams such as Judd and Ravens Wood, and now looking like an all-round quality team. They are competing in the Nat West cup where we hope to see them beating the top teams in Kent.

Under 13 Rugby

After a shaky start the U13s notched up some notable scalps such as Judd, St Dunstan’s (56-7), London Oratory and Robert Clack. Moving into the 7’s season they were optimistic, beating Dartford and Langley at The Saint Olave’s 7’s to reach the semi-finals and progressing to the quarter finals in the Kent 7’s.

Under 12 Rugby

All of the U12 games have been close and the future for these players looks most encouraging James Gander (7B) has been a very able captain who has been wellsupported by the rest of the team, with many of the boys in Year 7 having the opportunity to represent the school.

Rugby Results

Netball

The Netball season began well with the A team gaining a victory over the Young Olavian’s team. Given it was so early on in the season and as such the girls had not been able to play as a team before, they performed extremely well. At the Kent Netball tournament the girls tried to build on their previous success and certainly developed more of a team identity. Especially noteworthy was Chloe Daley’s (12P) defensive manoeuvrings. The team came second in a local tournament, losing only to Colfe’s. Coaches there commented on their impressive performances. A and B team matches against Eltham College allowed all of the girls to be involved and certainly it was evident that future talent is beginning to shine. House Netball also added another dimension to the fixtures this year. Well done to all involved and we hope that this term’s success will encourage girls to get even more involved. Thanks are extended to Katherine

Hunt (13J), Megan Collett (13M) and Bumade Agbaje (13N) for their leadership and to Sue Ellis for her excellent coaching. It is really appreciated by all.

1st XI Football Update

This year sixth form football has been run solely by Mr. Holton and the benefits have been instantly repaid with a perfect season of 7 wins and no loses. Currently the team lie top of the league with 3 points and a game in hand on the next team down. The exceptional performance of the team is a collective result that has seen over 30 different players run out for the 1st XI, a testament to the strength of the squad and the result of consistent training sessions on the top field. Outstanding performances have seen Jacob Skelly score the current goal of the season, a left footed hooked long range shot into the top corner to kill a game off. Outstanding debut goals for Sam Ferguson and Charlie Grozer, and consistent strikers Connor Smieja and Michael Cann-Abaidos complement the outstanding resilient performances of the older squad players, who have led from the front. Tom Crowland and Matthew Hodges have organised the squad as captains, whilst Aldous Poole has cemented his place alongside Alex McHale as one of two names on every team sheet.

Swimming.

Harry Rennolls (9C) achieved a time of 26.08 sec. in the 50m freestyle on 29 Sept., in the Orpington OJ Open Gala. This is the fastest time in Britain for this event by a 13 year old in 2013 and is the 14th fastest 13YO time of all-time, using age at 31st Dec. 2013.

Harry also won the 200 IM for 13YO’s, and was second in the 200m freestyle - both in Kent qualifying times.

During the weekWend of 12th October Henry Rennolls (9C), Michael Jacobs (10M) and Theo Haslam (11K) travelled to Sheffield on as part of the Kent Team taking part in in the National County Championships.

Henry came fifth in the boy’s age 12/13 year old 100 metre freestyle and 11th in the boy’s age 12/13 year old 100 metre backstroke. He was also in the boy’s age 12/13 year old 4x 50 metres medley team which finished in second place.

Michael came 10th in the boy’s 14/15 year old 100 metres backstroke. He and Theo were in the boy’s age 14/15 year old 4 x 50 metres medley team which finished in 11th place.

Theo came sixth in the boys’ 14/15 year old 100 metres freestyle. He and Henry were in the 6 x 50 metres mixed age freestyle relay team which finished in fourth place.

The Kent team finished in fourth place overall, which is their best result in recent years. Congratulations to all three swimmers on these outstanding performances in a national competition.

In the Kent County Schools’ Swimming Championships, Henry Rennolls (9C) destroyed the opposition to claim victory in the 100m Freestyle with a new KSSA record time of 57.84s; Felix Haslam (8C) secured 4th place in the 100m Back-stroke; Michael Jacobs (10M) triumphed with a Gold in the Intermediate boys 100m back-stroke; Timothy Adelani (13L) posted the 4th fastest time in the Senior 100m Back-stroke and Molly Haynes (12O) won the 100m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly. Having never quite won in galas at Sevenoaks School over recent years, the squad performed exceptionally winning all but one of the individual races and relays, to secure victory by a convincing margin of 195 – 171, a testament to the dominance of the Olavians and the depth of talent in the school.

Swimming Tour

Five boys represented St Olave’s at the LSSA Championships on Sunday 13 April at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. The five boys grabbed 11 golds, three silvers and one bronze between them, as well as several places.

St Olave’s finished 2nd overall out of 20 schools that enteredjust 4 points behind Whitgift and comfortably ahead of the 3rd placed school. This is another fantastic result and we are very fortunate to have such a strong swimming representation at the school.

The details are:

Felix Haslam (8C) (11/12 age group - age at the beginning of the academic year) - Gold in 50 metre butterfly, Bronze in 100 metre freestyle and fourth in 100 metre backstroke;

Theo Haslam (11K): (15/16 age group) - Gold in 50 metre freestyle, Gold in 100 metre freestyle, Gold in 200 metre freestyle, Gold in 50 metre butterfly and Gold in 100 metre butterfly;

Michael Jacobs (10M): (13/14 age group) - Gold in 200 metre back stroke;

Henry Rennolls (9C): (13/14 age group) - Gold in 50 metre freestyle, Gold in 50 metre backstroke, Silver in 50 metre butterfly, fourth in 100 metre freestyle, fourth in 100 metre backstroke, fifth in 50 metre breaststroke and sixth in 100 metre butterfly;

Matthew Ruiz (11L): (15/16 age group) - Gold in 50 metre breaststroke, Gold in 100 metre breaststroke, Silver in 200 metre breaststroke and Silver in 50 metre butterfly.

Achievements in the pool

Congratulations to Harry Rennolls (9C) in Year 9 who competed in the ASA SE Region Age-Group. In his age group Harry won the following medals:

1. Gold in 100m freestyle in a National Qualifying Time (NQT).

2. Gold in 100m butterfly in a National Qualifying Time (NQT).

3. Bronze in 200m freestyle.

Consequently he will be competing in the National Age-Group Championships which take place in Sheffield in the beginning of August.

Harry Rennolls

Congratulations to Harry Rennolls in Year 9 who won the gold medal in the Junior Boys 100m freestyle event, making him the 2014 English Schools Champion for 100m free (Junior Boys).

He also swam the anchor leg on both the 4x100 freestyle and 4x100 Medley relays. The London teams won Gold & Bronze medals in these events, respectively.

England Korfball Selection

Congratulations to Thomas Young (9L), who has been selected to play for England at Korfball. Our very best wishes go with Thomas who will be joining the team on their forthcoming tour of Flanders.

Badminton

On Tuesday 26th November evening the Key Stage 3 and 4 teams played in the first round of the national schools badminton championships where they faced Langley Park. The KS3 team played thrilling match and were narrowly beaten 3-2. The KS4 team proved far too strong for the opposition and won 5-0, they will now progress through to the regional round which will be played next term.

Congratulations to Kevin Wu in Year 8 who recently won several badminton medals. He achieved an impressive third in the Kent restricted Doubles for U15, second in the Tunbridge Wells Badminton League U13 singles and managed to win the U12 doubles event in the same league.

Cross Country

The first round of the national cross country was hosted by Darrick Wood School. Saint Olave’s entered runners into the Junior and Intermediate events. Intermediates Charlie Davis (10L), Alex Mulroy (11K) and Justin Mills (11N) finished 3rd, 6th and 10th respectively and are hoping to go through to the next round along with Joshua Davidson (10M) who was unable to run on the day. Alexander Walker (9C) finished 6th in the junior race and should also progress through to the second stage.

Congratulations to Charles Davis (10L), Alexander Leggatt (10L) and Joshua Davidson (10M) whose efforts in the Kent Schools Cross Country Championships resulted in Bromley finishing in 2nd place and welldeserved medals for the boys.

Tennis

The senior boys’ team played in the AEGON tennis championship and played a tough fixture against Tonbridge School. Despite ending on the losing side the boys showed great promise with the doubles scores just going Tonbridge’s way, 6-4 for the first pair and 7-5 for the second pair

Young Olavians’ Day

It was a pleasure to welcome back a host of leavers and supporters for the traditional Young Olavians’ Day on Wednesday 9th September 2013. A fine spirit of good sportsmanship prevailed despite some keenly contested matches, with results as follows:

Badminton Young Olavians won: 5 - 1

Basketball Young Olavians won: 58 - 35

Chess School won: 2.5 - 1.5

Fives Young Olavians won: 2 - 0

Football Young Olavians won: 1 - 1 (5 - 4 on penalties)

Hockey School won: 8 - 3

Netball School won: 24 - 4

Rugby School won: 34 - 7

Squash Young Olavians won: 1 - 1 (YO won more games)

Badminton

There were several close matches in a tightly fought Bromley contest at Langley Park. The KS4 team were dominant throughout and won their section easily by 8 matches to 0, setting set them up well for the London regional round of the National Cup where they managed to finish a very creditable third after beating Graveney School and Hampton School but losing to Coombe School.

Antigua Cricket Tour

Hockey

This is looking healthy this season, with many year 12 students adding to the stalwarts in Year 13. We continue to use Darrick wood Astroturf pitch, with the kind permission of the school. Of particular note recently has been the quality of coaching and exercises led by Angharad Ganguli (13K), one of the hockey captains, along with Charlie Bishop (13M).

Over the Easter holidays cricketers from Years 8 to 11 ventured to Antigua for a 12 day tour. The fixtures were

competitive and there was plenty to admire from all players. The Junior team managed to win four out of five fixtures and the Seniors won two out of five. Within each game there was lots to learn and the players have now returned ready to start the domestic season in fine form. Highlights of the tour, other than the cricket, included a catamaran trip and snorkelling, a jeep safari around the island, the enthusiasm and friendliness of the opposition and, pictured, meeting one of the greats of the game –Sir Viv Richards. Well done to all of the players, and good luck in your forthcoming season.

U15 Cricket

The U15 cricket team had an early disappointing loss this season in the Kent Cup but since that defeat the team has gone from strength to strength going unbeaten so far in every other game. Highlights include impressive victories away to Skinners and Langley Park and home to Chis and Sid. So far the team have played 7 and won 6 with Tomas Gallagher top scoring with the bat and Arjen Anilkumar performing best with the ball.

U15 Bromley Cup Cricket Winners

The inaugural Bromley Cup Festival of Cricket was held for Year 10 on Thursday 26th June. Having won the longer format competition last year the team were focused on retaining their title and were pitted against Hayes school and Langley Park in a triangular group. The team faced Langley Park first and managed to set a total of 126 with Amrit Dawood top scoring with 44. This was a healthy score which was always going to be tough to chase and so it proved with our bowlers restricting Langley to 101. The second game was against Hayes. They batted first but were in a position only to score 92 with the bat. With victory in sight the team went out to bat in an aggressive mood and promptly achieved the required runs inside 9 overs with Henry Edwards top scoring with 41 off 22 balls. This victory ensured that we topped the group and came home with the silverware.

U14 Cricket

Following the successful Antiguan cricket tour hopes were high for an impressive start to the season. Unfortunately the rain hampered this and progress was slow. Despite this the boys have trained well and have now managed to play several fixtures. There were wins over Rochester Mathematicals, Langley Park and Wilson’s with the only defeat so far an agonising 1 run loss to Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. The squad has depth, interest, desire and ability and it has been great fun working with them again. Captains Sohayl Ujoodia and Matt Lane deserve credit for their handling of the team and assistance with the weekly head-ache of selection. Well done to everyone involved.

U13 Cricket

The cricket started off slowly with the first few being

cancelled due to the weather. Since then it has been full speed ahead with often 2 fixtures a week and training on top.

U12 Cricket

The U12 cricket team has an excellent bowling attack, with Vikram Rajendran (7C) and Joel Kovoor (7L) providing spin and Nikhil Dawood (7B) and Joshua Aderanti (7H) pace. Rajendran has set the pace with the bat but the side needs to develop its other batsmen so that we have other threats. Hutchinson has proved a safe pair of hands behind the stumps.

Cricket Sight Screens

Thanks to the hard work and generosity of our Parents’ Association the school cricket teams have new sight screens for the forthcoming season.

section of the Midlands Championships. William Phillips (12S), Josh Ravi (12Q) and Kieran Walton (9L) won the Richard Barber Cup in partnership with The Old Olavians.

In the Individual Tournaments held at Harrow School, William Carew (9L) reached the U15 Final, Sohayl Ujoodia (9C) and James Tate (9C) won the U14’s, and Harry Wintour (7L) was a Finalist in the U12’s. Charlie Stocks (9H) and Will Carew (9L) were finalists in the Southern Schools’ Championships

Senior Fives

Motivated, reliable and well organised! As a result, the Seniors contributed a great deal to the good school fixture results, but also towards the running of the massive school team as a whole. The outstanding Captain, Dom Robson (13K), together with superb support from Ed King (12X), Josh Ravi (12Q), Will Phillips (12S), Max Brookes (12P), Arun Vigneswara (13H) and Jon Leech 12T), masterminded a great recruitment drive for Year 7. Much effort was also given towards the training of the junior players as well as selfless contributions on a regular basis at lunchtimes; Kosi Nwuba (10K) deserves special mention for this also for running his own group training! On court, Dominic Robson (13K) reached the Northern Championships Semi-Finals, and Josh Raviv, Jon Leech, Ed King (Aran Sivapalan, Kosi Nwuba and Tom Gallagher (10K) were key players in the Team that won the Adult Third Division.

Cricket Results

U15 - played 14 won 9 lost 5; won the Bromley Cup, runners up in County Plate

U14 - played 13, won 10, lost 2, abandonned 1; won Bromley Cup

U13 - played 6, won 4, won Bromley Cup

U12 - played 6, won 1; runners up in Bromley Cup

Eton Fives

The Fives team remains undefeated this season. Matches have been won against Westminster School, Harrow, Berkhamsted, RGS High Wycombe, Mill Hill, Lancing College, Belmont, Eton College, Old Citizens and The Abbey Club.

In The Rossall Schools’ Championships, Max Brookes (12P) reached the Final of the U18 singles. Tom Gallagher 10K) won the U15 Singles, and Kieran Walton (9L) and James Tate (9C) won the U15 Doubles.

William Edmonds (11J) and William Belsham (11J) become the youngest pair to ever win the “Festival”

U16 Fives

The highlight this season was undoubtedly the performance of Will Edmonds (11J) & Billy Belsham (11J) in winning the adult Midlands Festivalwho are the youngest pair to have won this! This by any standards is a great achievement. The whole squad has worked hard and with great enthusiasm, with Leo Henderson (11J) and Harry Russell (11N) making particular progress with Top 16 training. Connor Quick (11K) deserves particular mention for his commitment over the year.

U15 Fives

There were many highlights for the Year 10 Team, where the work-ethic is unbelievably self-driven! John Oxley (10L) and Morgan Pugh (10M) were Semi -finalists in the U15 National Championships, whilst Kosi Nwuba (10K) and Tom Gallagher (10K) played outstandingly to reach the U16 Final, still a year-young. They also became the youngest pair to win the Adult Northern Championships Festival. The commitment of so many players in this large Team squad this season has ensured that there is great strength in depth. As a result, almost all school matches were won across the season; Vishwakrith Shetty (10N), Joshua Hutko (10K) and Coby Plews (10J) deserve particular mention for a great year and their help with Year 7 training.

Under 14 Fives

Simply the most successful U14’s season ever! Kameron Swanson (9L), James Tate (9C), Kieran Walton (9L), William Carew (9L), Sohayl Ujoodia (9C); all established outstanding Nationally ranked players, have recently been joined by Charlie Stocks (9H) on this list. Without these six players, the U14’s would still be extremely strong, with many talented and experienced players such as Sam Caine (9B), Laiq Nagi (9L), Matthew Lane (9L), Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang (9C), Izaak Hasnain (9H), Hasan Rahij (9B) and many more having enjoyed a superb season. The team, between them, won the National U14 3 pair Competition and the Rossall U15 Doubles. In the Nationals, Carew & Stocks reached the Quarter-Finals, Ujoodia & Swanson the Semi-Finals, with Tate & Walton reaching the Final.

U13 Fives

Eight very committed pairs of Year 8’s worked hard all season and represented the school very well in numerous matches and weekend events. The whole squad performed well in the National Schools’ Championships, with Louis McLean (8H) and Sachin Balaji (8B), playing brilliantly to reach the National Semi Finals where they only narrowly lost out on a place in the Final. They did however reach the Final of the REFCA National U13’s event! Jack McKeone (8C), Louis McLean (8H), Tom Liddemore (8H), Swastick Gupta (8L), Michael Li (8H) and Shachin Pratheepan (8C) all took part in the Swiss Fives Tour in the May Half Term.

U12 Fives

The U12‘s Fives Team is a very large one, with some 30 players training on a regular basis and competing in school fixtures. Good wins were achieved against Emanuel and Berkhamsted schools. Most of the squad took part in an Individual championship held at Harrow, being randomly paired each round with different partners from a variety of schools. Harry Wintour (7L) played outstandingly well to reach the Final. Together with George Smith (7L), Harry also reached the 4th round of the Schools’ National Championships at Eton. All players in this talented squad will enjoy more matches and success next season.

Swiss Fives Tour

The St.Olave’s Fives Tour to Zuoz, in the Engadine Swiss Alps, took place in the May Half Term. 21 pupils from Year’s 7 to 10 took part in this trip. What other activity or sport ever manages, or even attempts to throw pupils together like this across the year-groups? Together, mixed in and operating as three level teams in a week-long multi-sports training and competition Tour, the group all enjoyed daily training and matches together – culminating in the Lindt Chocolate Fives Tournament which saw Morgan Pugh (10M) & Kieran Walton (9L), defeating rising star – Charlie Stocks (9H) with Tom

Liddemore (8H) in the Final, taking the entire stash of entry fee chocolate! Tennis, Basketball, Football and Quiz-night were all enjoyed in this incredibly beautiful setting!

Athletics

This season has seen some excellent performances from our athletes in a variety of competitions. In the West Kent Athletics Championships our Intermediates came 4th out of 12 schools whilst our Juniors won the meeting. Following this over 10 athletes were nominated for the Kent Schools Championships. At the Bromley Minors the Year 8 team came 3rd out of 13 schools and the Year 7 team came 2nd out of 13 schools. Will Ruiz in Year 13 broke the senior school 3000m record with a time of 9 min 20.7 seconds – a record that had stood since 1991.

Tennis

Tennis continues to be a popular sport in the school and with tennis coaching provided by professional coaches on Tuesdays and Thursdays the standard being played is improving. Our best players continue to be involved in the AEGON Schools tournaments as well as representing their clubs. Alex Jochim (9B) 9 has particularly impressed this year, with a rating of 4.1 and ranked number 1 in Kent as a 14 year old and under, and 6th nationally. Our thanks also to Shunta Takino(13I) who leaves this year but has helped organise the tennis teams and played some excellent tennis himself, currently being ranked 6th in the county for U18.

Senior Snooker Team

The snooker team enjoyed a prestigious first season, capped off by a silver medal at the inaugural BSC Schools Snooker Championships. The team had a strong start to the tournament, with captain Henry Zhu scoring a phenomenal century break to secure a confident 3-0 frame score against Shrewsbury, and despite a narrow 3-2 loss to Eton, St. Olave’s progressed to the knockout stage following a 3-1 victory over Harrow, with Luke O’Donovan sealing the win with a precise chipped shot to pot the black.

Wolverhampton Grammar, with Hoan Truong’s delicate cushion shot and an intelligent snookering by Jacob Skelly being the highlights of a 3-2 frame victory.

Close rivals Eton also enjoyed a 3-0 semi final win over Rugby, setting up a hotly anticipated final against St. Olave’s. Sharp play by James Burtonshaw and Oscar Dixon raced St. Olave’s into a 2-0 frame lead, but the mental exhaustion caught up with the team and Eton recovered their lost frames, leaving the title to play for in the final frame. A valiant team performance set up St. Olave’s to take the victory, but a chalking error by Shaun Bentum-Siripi led to him squandering a ten-inch potting opportunity, and Eton stole the victory from the jaws of defeat.

Moving on from this setback, the team are hoping to take their strong form into the Nationals in February.

Sports’ Celebration Dinner

This event, hosted by the PE department, and held in the Great Hall was well-represented by a range of years groups and a range of sports. Prizes were presented by Old Olavian, James Toop, and we were grateful for his speech and encouragement to those present. With a raffle, an auction, bar (with speciality beers), BBQ and speeches by Key Stage representatives (Matthew Lane (9H) – KS3, Billy Belsham (11J) – KS4 , Katie Hunt (13J) and Charlie Bishop (13M) - 6th Form) there was plenty to keep everyone entertained on a full but highly enjoyable evening.

London Youth Games

We were thrilled to hear that Connor Stimson (12W), Michael Jacobs (10M), Molly Haynes (120), Felix Haslam (8C) and Jacob Gaskell ((7B) have been selected to take part in the London Youth Games representing the London Borough of Bromley at the Games, to be held on July 5th. Michael and Molly will form part of the Bromley swimming team, whilst Felix and Jacob will take part on the Aquathon (swimming and running) events. Connor will be part of the five man archery team.

Students will compete against representatives from 24 other London Boroughs, aged up to seventeen years old. Connor has only recently begun archery, but is routinely improving his personal best score each week, having already improved his handicap from 95 to 75. We wish all our Olavian competitors best of luck in their events on 5th July.

Sports’ Prefects

In the semi-finals, the team took on reigning champions

A big ‘thank you’ to the current cohort of Sports’ Prefects for their input into the extra-curricular programme at St. Olave’s. This is a crucial part of the sporting programme where their leadership enables many pupils to engage in school sport, either recreationally or by participation in matches.

Art, Design & Technology

National Competitions Art, Design & Technology

Design and Technology has had another excellent year and continues to grow in the opportunities offered both in and out of the classroom. Students attended trips to Thorpe Park, the Design Museum and WorldSKills UK and achieved the best result to date in Design Ventura. VEX robotics continues to grow, offering opportunities to all Key Stages and the first Crest awards of the department. Congratulations to all the staff and students for another fantastic year.

South Bank outside the museum.

Congratulations to Team Linear: Ben Stanbury (11J), Billy Belsham (11J), Danny Jenkins (11K), Leo Henderson (11K), Finn Duggan (11M) and James Read (11M).

VEX Robotics

The regional competition, hosted at St Olave’s, saw the Year 11 A team, and the Year 10 B team successfully gain places in the national competition in Birmingham, competing against 40 of the best school teams in the country. Our teams, “Smooth Operators”, and “The Machines” managed to knock out several opposing entries to progress to the 2nd day. Well done to the boys, particularly the Year 11s who won a trophy for “Best Build” and who and are already planning another robot for the November World Skills event.

Design Ventura

Congratulations to Year 11 Team Linear - Benjamin Stanbury, William Belsham, Daniel Jenkins, Leo Henderson, Finn Duggan and James Read - who were awarded second place in the Design Ventura competition - our highest achievement yet. Their wallet design, featuring an innovative and stylish living hinge, received great feedback from designer Sebastian Conran. The prototype is now on display in The Cube on the South Bank and will be sold in the Design Museum shop.

Arkwright Scholarship

Congratulations to Adam Stagg (12W) who has been invited to attend his investiture into the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers as part of his Arkwright Scholarship award.

Design Ventura

This year’s Design Ventura team, Linear visited the Design Museum again on Monday 28th April to discuss the development of their product, the wooden wallet which came 2nd in the competition earlier this year. The team made a start on trying to explore some of the problems and possibilities of their design and are excited to be working with a design firm to develop their concept further and hopefully get it into production. Their prototype is now on display in the cube on the

Congratulations to Bradley Sawyer (11L) who recently won 1st prize in the Stoneham Kitchen of the Future design competition. In addition to his own prize, Bradley has won £500 for the school to spend on art and design equipment; his winning entry will be displayed at the Stoneham Kitchens stand at the Grand Design Live 2014 event at ExCeL, London on 11 May.

If an Olavian student could be defined in one word, that word would be ‘creative’. The work produced in the Art department this year has not only reflected the student’s originality and inventiveness, but also their tireless dedication to the subject.

The department has been a constant hive of activity, with students running an increasing number of clubs and societies. ‘Art History Society’ has gone from strength to strength, helmed by Louis Newby and James Laing. The standard of presentations each week continued to impress, provoking discussion and debate. Many of these talks became academic essays that were featured in the department’s first annual journal, ‘Article’. Art club has produced some innovative work this year and the students who attended approached each task with energy and enthusiasm. Luke Reveley and Adenekan Lipede ensured that the young artists were inspired by new techniques and ideas. ‘Design and Culture Society’ began this year, run by AS student Luke O’Donovan, and attracted a staggering number of sixth formers, eager to discuss the links between topics such as architecture’s relationship with social mobility, to contemporary music influencing the evolution of the album cover.

As always the department took advantage of London’s rich variety of galleries, visiting the National Gallery, Tate Britain and the Saatchi Gallery among others. A real highlight of the year was the sixth form trip to Copenhagen. Embracing everything Scandinavian, the group visited galleries, saw the sights and were able take inspiration from a new and exciting city.

The department opened the new Lower Field Gallery this year with the first ever GCSE Art exhibition. The support for the event was impressive and it was a fantastic way to showcase the work of an exceptionally talented year group. This success was closely followed by the much anticipated AS and A Level exhibition. This included a wide variety of installations, paintings, sculptures and graphic design. Again, the turnout was much larger than precedented, with present and past pupils, parents and friends supporting the cohort. The exhibition highlighted the huge amount of artistic talent we have here at St Olaves and it was a truly proud moment for the department. 2013-2014 has been an exciting year for the Art department and 2014-2015 is promising to be just as industrious.Sixth Form Art &

Art Club

Art Club has restarted with a bang, run by the new Art prefects. Subject to ‘no apron, no entry’ students have created abstracts using contemporary practices by filling balloons with drawing ink and exploding these onto paper to give dynamic splatters and layers of contrasting colour.

Year 10 Gallery Visits

First stop for Year 10 was the Photographer’s Gallery, with inspiring works by Andy Warhol, David Lynch and William S. Burroughs, capturing moments on film. Across the river at the Hayward gallery students interacted with the works of controversial artist Martin Creed, enjoying his Turner Prize winning room, particularly as it filled with huge white balloons!

Architecture at University

Architecture student, Aidan Thomas, gave an interesting presentation on the reality of studying the subject at university. Now at Cambridge, Mr Thomas highlighted some intriguing new programs and techniques he is currently using to work on a building in London’s Cannon Street.

Cross Curricular Day

In a Year 9 cross-curricular day on WW1students learnt how conscientious objectors refused the conscription call up in 1916 on religious and moral grounds. In Art they designed memorials, in English they wrote poetry, in History they learnt how the objectors were treated before presenting commemorations to honour those who faced hard labour camps or even the death penalty for refusing to fight.

Year 7 National Portrait Gallery

Year 7 enjoyed a cultural day in London on Thursday. Most experienced the National Theatre’s backstage tour, learning about the engineering behind the scenes and how the props, sets and costumes are crafted. Despite the extensive building work, and the requirement to wear a hard hat, they enjoyed a fascinating tour.

The boys then went on to different art galleries including: The Wallace Collection, The National Portrait Gallery and Tate Modern where they learned about famous artists and writers and the cultural context that surrounds the paintings and exhibits. One group attended a ‘Pounds and Pence’ presentation at The Bank of England learning about our currency, inflation and bullion rates. A final group spent the day at the British Museum learning about the Elgin Marbles and then the new ‘Mummies’ Exhibition. The boys were extremely well behaved with several members of the public and gallery staff complimenting them on this and their very smart appearance. We hope that the experience will make them want to go back independently having had a taste of what is on offer.

GCSE Art Exhibition 2014

It is always inspiring to see the breath of talents held by your typical Olavian student and the GCSE Art exhibition showcased just this. On display was a staggering range of media and creativity. From stopmotion films, to glass sculptures, to digital innovation and tradition painting; the show had something for everyone. It was a fantastic opportunity for students, their families, and staff to celebrate the huge amount of work they have put in throughout the course. Congratulations to all the artists that took part and thank you to everyone that made the show such a success.

Restoration of ‘Portrait of a Young Girl’ by John Bettes the Younger [?] C1587

Portrait of a young girl’ has been hanging in the school hall since the school moved to Orpington in 1967. It had not been cleaned for a considerable time and it was decided a specialist conservator should be invited in to give some advice regarding the care of this painting. Richard Hallas, a specialist from the National Portrait Gallery, visited St Olave’s on 6th June 2014 to clean and restore the painting to ensure it is stabilised and secure for the foreseeable future.

The girl in the painting is likely to have been an important person as it would be unusual to have had such a large portrait done at that time and she is dressed in very fine clothes.

The painting is on a wood panel. A carpenter would have prepared the timber and fixed the three, different sized, timbers together. The wood is probably Baltic oak as it has an even, tight grain. On the reverse of the panel is a cradle which was probably added C1880. The vertical pieces are glued to the panel and the horizontals are supposed to move freely to allow the wood to ‘breathe’. However, our cradle is mostly stuck!

Richard removed the panel from the frame and was relieved to find no traces of woodworm.

The original frame would probably have been a fairly simple, English oak. There wouldn’t have been any glass which wasn’t installed until the 19th Century. [Paintings quickly had glass added to protect them from the polluted air in the smogs of the time.] Our frame is of no particular significance. It is probably a copy of a frame by Carlo Marratta and made in 19/20th century. The frame is likely to be pine and has had plaster ornaments applied. The ornaments would have been reverse moulded and the inner embellishment is ‘canvas leaf and shield’ [tongue] and the outer is ‘twist ribbon and stick’. Originally it would probably have been gilded, but often when the gilt dulled bronze paint was applied but this looks very dull and flat, very quickly. A coat of shellac has been added over this.

The glass is separated from the frame by glazing spacers. Richard added a velvet tape to prevent the paint surface touching the wooden glazing spacers. [Oils from the wood can often creep into the painting and spoil the work of art.] The tape has a special conservation glue attached to the back strip.

Richard lined the mirror plates [used to secure the painting to the frame] with plasterzote – a dense foam. This acts like a sponge and allows the frame to move whilst securing the picture in place.

The glass was cleaned using a commercial cleaner, using a brush to clean the frame and then wiping with water. [Some frames have been water gilded and these should never be cleaned with water as the gilt will rub off.] A clean, wide, brush was used to clean the actual painting. He wiped the brush carefully up and down and left and right repeatedly.

Once reassembled the final task was to add a moisture barrier made from Marvel seal to the back which was then taped down. Plasterzote blocks were added to the back to act as spacers so that when the painting was rehung it would stand proud of the wall, allowing a good air circulation around the painting and reduce temperature variations.

Our thanks to Richard for his work restoring our painting for future

AS and A Level Exhibition

This year has been an extremely exciting one for the Art Department. The range of talent across the cohort, and the dynamic discussion from the weekly Art History Society, have fuelled a hub of creativity within St Olaves. The exhibition included intriguing installations, collaged

films, photo realistic paintings, and even a sculpture formed of chicken bones. Staff, students and family came out in huge numbers to celebrate the hard work of the AS and A Level artists; a fitting end to the year for the many students who will be leaving us to study Art, Product Design and Architecture at university. Many thanks go out to all that helped set up the exhibition.

Photography trip to Copenhagen

During half term, sixth form Art and Photography students visited the stunning Danish capital, Copenhagen. A hub of Scandinavian culture and design, Copenhagen provided the group with inspirational architecture and world class galleries, museums and exhibitions. Students experienced the extravagant Glyptotek Museum, the surreal Tivoli Gardens and the Danish Design Museum, alongside a compulsory visit to Copenhagen’s famous ‘Little Mermaid’ sculpture, who coincidentally celebrated her 100th birthday this year. A highlight of the trip was the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Set in a picturesque sculpture garden set right by the sea, the gallery included works by artistic heavy weights, Rothko, Bacon, Moore and Kandinsky, alongside contemporary masters such as Ai Weiwei, Keith Tyson and Wolfgang Tillmans. Despite the stormy conditions, the students all thoroughly enjoyed their Scandinavian experience and we look forward to an equally successful trip next year.

Clockwise, from top: On the streets of Copenhagen, The iconic mermaid, at the Louisana art gallery, a small selection of the work we saw

TILL ALL OUR FIGHT BE FOUGHT

THE OLAVIAN ‘FALLEN’

AND THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918

PETER LEONARD

A fascinating biographical narrative of the lives and deaths of nearly two hundred men from many different walks of life and social circumstance, all linked by their attendance at St Olave’s Grammar School, at that time in Bermondsey, now in Orpington, with a long history dating back to Elizabethan London of 1562.

Tales are interwoven within a chronological survey of the Great War campaign, with specialist chapters from aerial, infantry and naval combat to medical support, artillery, engineering, machine gunnery and tank technologies. Individual and personal details abound, helping the reader to get to know many of the ‘warriors’, with several indexes of interest for genealogical, local history and military research.

Images of all the fallen are included with the often passionate narrative punctuated with poetry, letters home, school masters observations and pertinent quotes that add subtlety to the story.

The author is donating half the profits to St Olave’s.

Pub date: 14 July 2014

ISBN: 978-1-908336-07-1

Format: 152x229mm / Binding: Paperback

Extent: 320pp / Retail Price: £16.99

Order Your Copy Today for the Special Price of £11.99

‘Poignant vignettes of the fallen: moving stories that remind us never to forget.’

Richard van Emden, Author & Historian

Old Olavian

Editor’s Notes

So, another year has passed, another year full of various activities and experiences. In January I returned from a six-week holiday in Australia, a very mixed experience: my regular readers will know that I have a passion for cricket, and have had ever since I discovered the game when I was at StOGS in the mid-twentieth century. I watched four of the five Test matches - in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney - as most readers will know Australia had much the better of the series, so supporting England was not the easiest way of spending my time. Happily there were plenty of good compensatory moments during my time there - amongst these was meeting up in Adelaide with an old cricketing friend in Chris Swadkin, one of the best cricketers to emerge from St Olave’s during the past seventy years or so.

In June when Derbyshire’s match with Kent finished early at Canterbury, where I had been scoring the game for Derbyshire, I was able to visit the school for the first time in many years. As a result I was for the first time able to meet Jane Wells, who does so much work for the Old Olavians. She told me that I did not look anything like what she had expected, although she did not reveal how she thought I should look. On the other hand I was able to tell Jane that was she much more glamorous than I had expected.

Jane was very generous in giving of her time: she took me on a conducted tour of part of the school, and drew my attention in particular to the archives, documents and memorabilia of the Old Olavians’ Society. Some of these were on display in glass-fronted display cases, so present pupils would be able to absorb some of the school’s history and perhaps recognise their own place in that history. We are very lucky to have someone of Jane’s calibre and enthusiasm looking after our interests.

The more observant of our readers will have noticed that the contributions of OOs who left school during the 1940s have dwindled during the last two editions. We have heard recently that Roger Hards who, for so many years, collated all the contributions from members from this decade so thoroughly is having trouble with memory-loss, and this explains why it is that what had become his own section of this magazine has virtually disappeared. Roger has acted as OO archivist for many years; he has also helped with the proof-reading of this section of the magazine, so it is right that we should acknowledge the considerable contribution which he has made to the OOs.

I am very grateful to the three Olavians who have

responded to my plea to send their own memories of the “Good Old Days” - contributions from Professor Roger Brown, Robin Dadson (again!) and Dick Haylett all make excellent reading and I am sure that older members, in particular, will enjoy looking back at those mostly happy days of their youth. I am sure that these contributors will have enjoyed putting down their memories on paper (or is it ‘screen’ nowadays?), so I hope there will be others whose consciences will make them follow suit.

My own cricket season was very mixed: some readers will remember the tragic start for Derbyshire when their wicket-keeper was involved in a car crash in which the driver, his father, was killed. This resulted in the first match being postponed: thereafter, the team struggled to come to terms with events and their performances on the field fell far short of what they would have expected of themselves. Gradually the season picked up, so that they finished strongly by winning five of their last six championship matches. So the season ended in an air of optimism for the coming seasons, but at almost the same I heard of the death of my closest friend among county scoring colleagues, Alan West from Lancashire.

As I have said 2014 was, therefore, a very mixed season: I had even played in a couple of matches myself, but certain events come along to remind us all that there is more to life than cricket, or any other of our more trivial pursuits. If any of the students at school have taken the trouble to read this far in these notes, I would urge them to make the very most of all the opportunities which come their way; and be proud to be an Olavian.

As always, I must acknowledge the enormous debt we owe to Jane Wells for the most efficient manner in which she collates and forwards all the contributions which are sent to her.

Chairman’s Report

At the end of last year’s report, it was late September 2013 and I had just enjoyed the reunion at the RAF club. My next duty in the Society’s year was attendance at the School Remembrance Service, which took place in the Great Hall on Monday 11th November. It is good to see Old Olavians attending, especially from The Old Olavians Lodge who are always represented at this service by Graham Milne (195663). I will be attending again in a few weeks’ time and would encourage those local enough to attend, to try to come along in 2015. The date is announced quite early in the winter term, and it will be in the newsletters and in our Events Calendar on our website.

As chairman I am very fortunate. I am often invited as a guest to concerts and other events. So it was that I took my place at the School Christmas Concert. This was the beginning of what will be two years, where often I will not just be there as an Old Olavian. I was also there as a proud father and the concert with its mix of choral, classical, jazz and carols was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

The AGM was held again in March, and the minutes are below. Trev Read resigned from his post on the committee and I would like thank him again for the support he has given to me and the Society since I was elected to my current role. We were lucky to have two Old Olavians willing to stand as committee members, and in order to boost the strength of the committee it was agreed that posts would be found for both. I am pleased to say that Rajiv Purwar (1970-77) and Graham Milne (1956-63) were proposed, seconded and voted onto the committee. More Old Olavians are very welcome to attend, and to have a say in what goes on. The date will be published in the new year on our website.

The 40s Lunch this year took place at the RAF Club Wednesday 30th April, the day before the School Commemoration Service. Jane Wells arranged it, and those in attendance had a lovely time reminiscing. I know that Jane is investigating the possibility of holding a future lunch in the new hotel that has taken the Tooley Street premises. The owners are planning to open in 2015, and we will perhaps have an opportunity to visit and see the rooms that had to remain little changed due to being listed – the Great Hall and the Governors’ room. Watch this space – or our newsletters and website for more information.

In recent years, Old Olavians have been meeting up on the morning of the annual Commemoration Service to relive memories of days spent in the Tooley Street school buildings, and to act as guides to lower school pupils. This year, the old school premises were again not accessible, and probably will never again be recognisable as St Olave’s, once inside, with the exception of the Great Hall and the Governors’ room. Whilst a few did meet for lunch beforehand, expertly

organised by Jane, it was just before, and after, the service that we were able to catch up with each other. Old Olavians attending the service are reserved seats, and invited to tea afterwards, as long as you let Jane know you are attending.

Unfortunately I missed the Headmaster’s garden party again, and still have not had the opportunity to see the magnificent roses. The only year I was able to put in an appearance, it rained and the venue was changed to the foyer. Maybe this year?

Whilst I have been fortunate to attend concerts and productions through the year, most have been as a Dad. That said, Old Olavians are welcome at all School concerts and productions, and Jane will be very happy to arrange tickets. The Olavian Lecture series has been very successful, and the speakers, often renowned in their field. So please read the newsletters, both ours and the Headmaster’s, and visit our website and the School’s to keep up to date with what is on offer.

And here we are back where we started, well a year on. September Friday 26th and the Old Olavians reunion at the RAF Club in Piccadilly. The RAF Club looked after us very well, with a menu of Smoked Salmon, Roast Rib-Eye of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, roast potatoes and a selection of vegetables, and Chocolate Gâteau, Coffee and Petits Fours to follow. We again had Old Olavians attending who spanned nine decades of the School. However, there is always room for more diners. It was very good to see Eric Bickerdike-Hibbs there again. He joined the School in 1937, when the headmaster was Henry George Abel. Five of the senior prefects who had left in the summer came along as Old Olavians. They were students under the current headmaster, Aydin Önaç, who is only the fourth headmaster since Henry Abel.

Mr Önaç, our President, spoke about the School, their achievements and the future, before proposing the toast to the Old Olavians. Replying this year to the Headmaster’s toast was Noel Tredinnick (1960-67). He can be properly described as a maestro. He is a composer, organist, orchestrator, and conductor and, as a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he still teaches conducting, orchestration and music awareness. He tried to teach us how to conduct, he had us laughing and he had us singing. He reminded us of the extraordinary musical talent that has come out of the School, even introducing us to a man in the room, Roy Moore (1961-66), who among many other things composed the theme tune to Allo’ Allo’ with David Croft. There are others’ recollections of the evening in the pages that follow, so I will let them describe what they remember. I must just say it was the best rendition of ‘Olaf to Right the Wrong’ I have ever experienced, to finish the formalities.

It is likely that we will return to the RAF Club in Piccadilly for the 2015 reunion on Friday 25th September. Pencil it into your diaries now. Please keep an eye out for confirmation of the date and venue, which will be posted in the newsletter, and on our website. The guest speaker will be Sir Antony Wands (1968-75).

This year also saw the publication of “Till all our fight be fought”, written by Peter Leonard (1970-77) and funded by the Old Olavians Society. The book remembers the 192 Olavians who lost their lives in the Great War, and whose names are recorded on the memorial in the Great Hall. The release was timed to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of the outbreak of war, and the School will benefit from a share of the profits realised. I hope that you have already purchased your copy. I am sure Jane will still be able to source a copy for you if you have not.

And so that brings us to the beginning of a new year.

The Old Olavians Society, and ultimately the School, are grateful to those who remember this great institution in their own wills. No matter the amount, the funds can always be put to very good use.

Last year the Society and the Benevolent Fund donated £20,000 to the School, including specific donations and excess funds. The uses to which these funds are put enable the School to continue to support the pupils in ways that many state schools are just not capable of doing. One only has to read The Olavian to see the breadth of student activities and the talent nurtured by this great school.

The Old Olavians group on LinkedIn is over three hundred strong now. Please don’t forget that you can add a link to your LinkedIn profile, your Twitter account and your Facebook page, should you wish to, on your personal details page on the Society’s website - www.oldolavians.net. That is also where you should direct any Old Olavian that you know is not receiving our newsletters.

And, as ever, I still like to know what else you would like from the Old Olavians Society, preferably with a suggestion of how it can be achieved. Write or email via our administrator at the School, Jane Wells (details below). Looking forward to serving, and hearing from, you.

Can be contacted via OOs Administrator jwells@saintolaves.net

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

OLD OLAVIANS’ SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 17th March 2014

1. Minutes of Last Meeting

Agreed

2. Matters Arising

2.1. Investment costs

The invested funds were to be moved to Lansdowne & Hargreaves during the year,; however completion of the formalities became too complicated. Another agent may have to be found in the coming months.

3. Chairman’s Report

3.1.

Membership

Old Olavians on our Database – 7377, of which 2437 have provided their email addresses, an increase of 200 on last year. 402, including 23 sponsorship members, have paid full membership of £20, entitling them to the Olavian and a discounted price for the Reunion Dinner/Lunch. A further 378 members have paid something, bringing total subscriptions excluding sponsorship receipts to £11,585.

3.2. Society Administration

This continues to be managed entirely by the school’s OO Administrator (Jane Wells).

Keith Goldsack (1962-69) is looking at our website for us, with a view to making it more worth visiting.

Audit, Magazine & Reunion – managed by the committee pro tem.

3.3. Magazine

Thanks were expressed again to the OO’s section editor, John Brown, who would welcome any memories of school life, staff, etc.

And a special thanks went to Robin Dadson whose second instalment of life at STOGs in 1950s and 60s was promoted to the main part of the 2013 Olavian (Vol.116).

4. Finance Report

Copies of the audited accounts were provided to the meeting

4.1. Accounts

4.2. Notes – General Fund

Income – Subs and sponsorship were up £72, and investment income was down by £500. The leap in income was due to a bequest of £5,000 passed on to the school, and the transfer of the benevolent fund donation (see below), which was also routed through the society.

Within the balance sheet £16,449 is maintained in a separate account, held on behalf of the Old Olavians Rugby Football Club. These funds are specifically held to support the club, should it be brought out of its hibernated state.

The Reunion lunch was subsidised to the extent of £550. As the objectives of the Society are the bringing together of Old Olavians for the furtherance of personal friendships, the chairman proposed that it was acceptable use of the Society’s funds. It was slightly more than the proposed £7 discount per subscription member attending.

4.3. Donation to School

The headmaster had written with his thanks, and reported the good uses that last year’s donation had been put to, including purchasing new Tablet Computers, support for Wakeham Choristers and the Chapel weekend, and Fives, Rugby and Chess coaching.

After some considerable debate about why we maintained such large sums in the accounts it was recommended and agreed that the donation to the school would be increased to £15,000 inclusive of

the sponsorship funds. Whilst we do not wish to constrain the uses found for the money it was the meeting’s wishes that it was put to “good use” and not simply swallowed up to meet the running costs of the school.

One suggested use was the provision of a balcony on the pavilion, as it seems odd that the sports pavilion does not provide a viewing platform. The chairman promised to raise this with the headmaster.

4.4. Hidden assets

We have in stock 30+ pairs of cufflinks and 90 OOs ties.

4.5. Notes – Benevolent Fund

In the previous year the trustees donated £5,000 to the Headmaster, who confirmed that it was used to support students whose financial circumstances would otherwise have made it impossible for them to participate in enrichment activities. There were no other requests for funds acceded to during the year. However, with the benevolent fund objects in mind:

“TO ASSIST NECESSITOUS OLAVIANS, WHICH TERM SHALL INCLUDE BOTH CURRENT AND PAST PUPILS AND STAFF OF SAINT OLAVE’S AND SAINT SAVIOUR’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL, BY PECUNIARY GRANTS OR IN SUCH OTHER MANNER AS MAY BE DEEMED APPROPRIATE.”, it was proposed and agreed that another £5,000 would be given to the Headmaster. This is to be used in cases of hardship, and the Society will expect a letter from the headmaster confirming that its use met with the fund’s objectives.

5. Functions Report

5.1. Reunion

The reunion was a dinner held at the RAF Club in Piccadilly on Friday 20th September. It was attended by almost over 70, with attendees spanning nine different decades. Les Padfield was the guest speaker, whose recollections of his time teaching at the school had us wanting more. This year it is anticipated that we will return to the RAF Club. A date has been provisionally booked Friday 27th September 2014 and a guest speaker has yet to be secured.

The dinner in 2015 will also likely be at the RAF

Club (date and venue to be confirmed), and the guest speaker has already been engaged. It will be Sir Antony Wands KGCM MA PhD FRSA MSI (UK) (1968-75), and it will mark the 40th anniversary of his departure from the school.

The possibility of returning to the school for a lunch was raised, with 2017 being mooted. This could coincide with a celebration to mark an anniversary or anniversaries of masters joining and or leaving the school. Some are remembered with affection by many of the Old Olavians who attend these reunions. Graham Milne has offered to look into the feasibility of arranging this event.

6. Club Reports

6.1.

Cricket Club

Ian Giles confirmed that the interaction with the school cricket team the previous year had generated some interest in turning out for OOs and that the exercise was repeated with a presentation to the school teams by himself and Chris Swadkin.

For tour they had a couple of new players. The tour was, as ever, a success, and it was hoped that everyone had seen the tour report in the 2013 Olavian.

The club would welcome a £500 donation to assist with tour costs. The donation was approved.

6.2. Rugby Club

The club continues to exist in its “hibernated” state.

7. Election Of Officers

7.1. Trevor Read tendered his resignation, which was accepted. The chairman expressed his thanks to Trev for all his support since being elected to the Chair.

7.2. A new member was sought, and both Rajiv Purwar and Graham Milne put themselves forward. Both were proposed and seconded. It was decided that a new ex-officio position would be created, and both were duly elected to their new posts. The remaining committee members were re-elected to office:

8. Other Business

8.1. Promoting Old Olavians Society

It is clearer than ever that the school wish to tap into the membership both for money and support for students. The latter is already happening

more, with recent leavers returning to school to address the students with advice on the choices of courses available, with practice interviews for those applying to Oxbridge, and with careers advice. If we are to support the school with more funds, then the paying membership has to increase faster. After much discussion, it was agreed that all leavers would be offered free membership for a minimum of three years, or until they finished university. Upon completion of their courses the Society would contact them and seek to convert them to subscription members.

8.2. Reducing Costs

The cost of the Olavian can be a drag on the amount we can make available to the school. Could this be provided electronically? Would members prefer an electronic version? Should we consider providing just the Old Olavians section electronically? The Chairman will discuss with the school to see whether an electronic version has been considered. The chairman was able to confirm that the school publishes “Summatim” each term, which is six glossy pages on events etc. Jane Wells was looking to get this published electronically so that it could be shared with the members of the society. The Chairman will follow up on this.

8.3. Tooley Street school life

The Tooley Street film is available on YouTube. It is now unlikely that we will be purchasing the rights and selling it to members. Anyone that wants to see what school life was like in 1962 can find it by searching YouTube for “St Olave’s on Horselydown (1962)”.

8.4. Till all our fight be fought – The Olavian ‘Fallen’ and the Great War 1914-1918

One of our members, Peter Leonard (1970-77) previously wrote a book about the Olavians who lost their lives in WW1. The society are funding the rewrite, a new edition, which with the advances in media will, for a small outlay of £500, see a more professional book published. For each book sold, whether through the society or the publisher, the society will receive a small royalty. Any funds created in excess of the initial outlay will increase the funds we have available for the school. It will be published to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of the outbreak of war.

The meeting was adjourned at 8.55pm, and those present all retired to the Maxwell PH to reminisce.

Annual Dinner

To save himself the task of writing a report on the dinner, our chairman persuaded three Olavians from different eras, Rajiv Purwar (1970-77), Jeremy Gould (1994-2001), Skanda Rajusundaram (2008-14) and one memeber of staff - Dr Richard Wheeler (1961-1965) - to send in their personal views of what seems to have been another memorable occasion. These reports follow here:

Rajiv writes: A Personal Reflection: It was with some initial trepidation that I attended this event for the first time (having purchased a tie in readiness at the behest of erstwhile chairman, George Snelgrove, some fifteen years ago!). But I needn’t have worried because it was a thoroughly enjoyable affair, during which I was able to renew my acquaintance with Richard White from my school class, whom I had not seen since leaving school, as well as sundry other members of my school year (1970-77). Our grand total of eight was exceeded only by one other younger (and very much younger-looking!) year group, amongst some of whom I embarrassed myself later on in the bar by accusing them of being current pupils!

was able to give it by that stage of the proceedings!

Mr Treddinick, on the other hand, is clearly a born entertainer whose witty wide-ranging speech was matched by his impassioned, but nonetheless hilarious, style of delivery that, by accident or design, was worthy of the best stand-up comedy! I especially appreciated the way he shuffled his papers (pleading time constraint) in order to produce, like rabbits-from-a-hat, the choicest bits from a seemingly boundless supply of anecdotes and information that had me in stitches at times! He peppered the whole with seemingly spontaneous vocal renditions to illustrate some of the musical aspects, and all I could say at the end of it was “Bravo” (and come back next year!).

My own particular highlight, apart from the honour of sitting with Des Coulson (the previous headmaster but one -now very much the dignified elder statesman of the school to whom many of us owe so much, although I still can’t bring myself to use his Christian name to his face!) came when Mr Treddinick also chose the erstwhile school hymn “Gather Us In” to sing in addition to the predictable “Olaf To Right The Wrong”. As he informed the younger element, the former was the hymn that was always sung on the last day of term, to the apparent disapproval of the school chaplain, who would boycott it if my memory serves me correctly. It was always sung with great gusto, which must have eventually degenerated into such disorder that the aforementioned ex-headmaster told me that he eventually had to ban it some years after I left! This struck such a chord with me because I chose it for my late father’s funeral on account of its appeals to religious tolerance and exhortations to inclusivity - and this message seems even more relevant today.

Hope to see (more of) you next year!

Our year group also included Chris Harris, the current “great helmsman”, who compèred the proceedings with expertise and brevity in equal measure. This last quality was particularly appreciated as it gave more space for the main speakers to “perform”. Aydin Önaç the current Headmaster (and previously a concert-standard pianist, we were later told!) and Noël Treddinick, an eminent musician and Professor of Music at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama, duly obliged with substantial speeches that were highly thought-provoking and even more highlyentertaining, respectively.

Mr Önaç set out some of the (many and varied) achievements of the school, moving swiftly on to his vision for the future of education in general, and culminating in an erudite ecologically-orientated (not to say distinctly “New Age”!) blueprint for nothing less than the healthy future of the entire planet. This deserved slightly more intense concentration than, fortunately or unfortunately, I

Rajiv Purwar (1970-77)

Jeremy writes: Attending the Old Olavians’ Dinner at the RAF Club is always a treat. Quite apart from the gastronomic and alcoholic delights on offer, it is always good to see faces old and new, and to be reminded of the common bond that unites, and on these occasions, reunites us.

This year’s dinner was no exception - and yet it provided exceptional value in its combination of gifted orators (The Headmaster and Noël Tredinnick), mix of pleasant company, and of course gusto’d singing of “Olaf To Right The Wrong” (alas for the younger alumni, not accompanied by a spontaneous version of “Jerusalem” that has been known to sound also).

As well as friends from my time at St Olave’s (Orpington),

my table was joined by a cohort from St Olave’s (Tooley Street), making that trip down Memory Lane even more diverse and spirited.

of St Olave’s, of Bermondsey, of the Old Olavians Cricket XI for whom I played (without distinction I fear) but with great enjoyment, whilst I was at the school occasionally and subsequently until I moved to Hertfordshire in 1965.

Thanks to all who made the evening a great success - such a success, in fact, that under the stewardship of some OOs younger than myself, I did not make it home until 5am. My report card would surely read “must do better”.

Jeremy Gould, 1994-2001

And Skanda writes: Having officially left the school only four months ago, it was a pleasure a see a number of familiar and not so familiar faces at the ever-elegant RAF club. As members of the previous senior prefect team, it was refreshing to attend an event which was not only our first formal event ‘off duty,’ but also our last before we all depart to university. Having had such a wonderful time, however, I can safely say it won’t be our last Old Olavians’ dinner (the salmon was, in my humble opinion, exquisite).

The highlight of our evening was singing the school song for only the second time and having the honour of hearing several generations of Olavians, past and present, singing if not in harmony, most definitely in unison.

Skanda Rajasundaram (2008-2014)

What a splendid evening it was for someone like myself who was renewing an acquaintance with St Olave’s and Olavians after an astonishing gap of nearly 50 years. Where have all the years gone? I ask myself. I should explain to more recent Olavians that I taught history at the school in Tooley Street from 1961 -1965. It was my first post in teaching. I had only recently graduated from University and I was scarcely older than the Sixth Form. As a history teacher, I was enthusiastic but raw and inexperienced. Indeed, Olavians of that generation at the school in Tooley Street may well remember that. Nearly fifty years on I remember faces and many names and have happy memories

I have renewed my acquaintance with St Olave’s thanks to the kindness of the Headmaster in inviting me to lunch at the ‘new’ site in Orpington which I had never visited, as I left a little before the move. Last summer, I met up with George Snelgrove and John Lawrence who were captains of my swimming team at school. I have also kept in contact with Dr Andrew Crozier who went on to lecture at my old alma mater, Queen Mary College in East London. At the dinner I found myself sitting at the same table as Ian Giles, Keith Hamp, John Williams, John Gilfrin and Roy Moore, who remembered my history teaching (I hope at least never boring!). Amazingly our distinguished guest speaker for the evening Professor Noel Tredinnick was in my class (II Remove ) as a boy when I was his form teacher. As others will report, he gave a splendid and entertaining address, including leading the gathering in renderings of that old Tooley Street hymn at Dr Carrington’s Assemblies: ‘Gather us in thou love that fillest all’ and of course ‘Olaf to raise the song’, which brought back memories that I much enjoyed.

It was a pleasure for me to renew acquaintances with Olavians and I shall try to keep in touch and to attend the dinner again next year. Perhaps we might have an even bigger gathering of Olavians from the Tooley Street days in the early sixties. It would be marvelous for me to hear what you have all done with your lives. You were such a receptive group of all ages to teach.

ST OLAVE’S IN THE FIFTIES

I was at StOGS from 1958 to 1966, leaving as School Captain. I wonder if I may add a few glosses to Robin Dadson’s admirable account of the school between 1954 and 1959, which was very recognisable to me but I imagine quite unimaginable for current Olavians. I have some very clear memories of the school at this time.

The first, which Robin brings out very well, was the school’s physical setting. London was a pretty drab place in the fifties (it wasn’t long since the War had ended and there were many bomb-sites). The walk down Tooley Street from London Bridge between dingy industrial buildings could be really depressing, especially if (a) it was raining (so no playground footy), and (b) the day’s timetable included treble physics. It was even worse if after Assembly you had to appear before Dr Carrington to recite a poem due to a previous misdemeanour: failure here could mean a very severe penalty indeed. Incidentally, am I the only OO who

feels that the London Dungeon (which has since moved from London Bridge) might more appropriately have been located at the Tower Bridge end of Tooley Street?

Second, the staff. Robin mentions a number of masters who were still there in the early sixties. Some had quite colourful backgrounds. Signor Baldelli, who taught Russian and Spanish, had fought in the Spanish Civil War and was the author of the Pelican book on anarchism. Reg Renshaw, who took over the school play from Benny Hill, had some incredible stories about a fellow Aussie by the name of Errol Flynn. John Ackerman Jones would begin every English lesson with a recital of a poem by Dylan Thomas and spent quite a lot of time showing us pictures of the great man’s grave. He was said to be working on a biography of Thomas, and subsequently reviewed plays in the Evening Standard under the name of John Ackerman. Geoff Chapman, who was head of geography, was well known for his bon mots; what he didn’t know was that these were lovingly recorded by his form (4R) and handed down from year to year as the Book of Chapmannerisms (I wonder what happened to it: was it lost in the move to Orpington?). Incidentally, although Robin doesn’t mention it, I have a very clear recollection that Miss Gilbert Robinson, who had indeed been hired to improve our diction, did herself have a speech impediment in the form of a slight stutter. I wonder how many of these teachers would be found in state schools today. Most of them had Oxbridge degrees but only a handful had a teaching qualification and, whilst some were inspirational, others were very poor teachers.

One omission from Robin’s account is the enormous range of student-led clubs and societies. The doyen of these was the Debating Society, and the post of Secretary of the Society was more prestigious than being School Captain. Masters would often support these, giving a lot of time to them. Thus Boggy Newmarch, who was also the longestserving master, was the Chair of the Debating Society and presided over its meetings with a knowing twinkle. Meetings would be announced by the Head in Assembly. I had started a Jazz Society, with Dr Carrington’s permission. One of our early meetings was to feature a talk on Jelly Roll Morton. The whole sixth form collapsed in a heap when Dr Carrington announced a talk on ‘J R Morton’. Fortunately I was not asked to account for this reaction.

My final reflection is that, ironically for a grammar school, StOGS in my day was not a particularly academic place, and certainly much less academically successful than it is now. A lot of effort went into things like the school play, which in Renshaw’s time involved almost the whole of the upper school, to the despair of masters trying to prepare us for the Easter mocks. As Robin says, there were recitals by groups like the Marylebone String Quartet

and the London Singers. There seemed to be various other ‘distractions’ such as the periodic visits by the Public Schools Appointment Bureau. I remember very clearly going to tell Dr Carrington about my Exhibition at Cambridge. His response was ‘Hummph (Dr Carrington’s initial exclamation is impossible to render), Brown, boys at St Olave’s aren’t supposed to get scholarships to Cambridge’. That at least seems to have changed.

Roger Brown (Professor - 1958-66)

After STOGs in the Fifties

Having exhausted my memories of my days as a student at St.Olave’s in Tooley Street it has occurred to me that starting out to work in the mid-twentieth century would be to enter a totally different world to that of 2014 and a glimpse of those days might be of interest to anyone under approximately 45 years of age although I realize more senior Old Olavians could find my experiences somewhat familiar.

The one drawback of leaving St. Olave’s to earn my keep in the big wide world of commerce was that, rather than enjoy a Christmas break until the end of the first week in January, on the first day of the year 1960 I reported to the offices of Messrs Furness Withy & Company Ltd, Shipowners, at 56 Leadenhall Street EC4 to take up a position as a junior shipping clerk. Several years were to pass before New Year’s Day became a bank holiday in England. I was fortunate enough to have been offered employment with more than one shipping company, but I accepted that of Furness Withy as they had indicated a salary standing at the princely sum of £285 per annum which was £20 higher than their nearest rival. In this present day and age that small difference in a year’s salary might seem quite paltry, but in those days anyone earning £1,000 per annum was considered to be very well off indeed. I still retain one of my earliest pay slips which shows I took home just under £20 per month when I first started out in employment but I was still better off than several people of a similar age that I knew at the time.

I believe the former Furness House still stands in Leadenhall Street, but that it has been greatly modified internally. When I worked there the main hall was a very large imposing area which featured marble pillars and had lines of continuous long bench-style desks on both sides of the ground floor rather than the individual ones we see these days. Down the centre of this hall was a wide aisle and the ceiling was some two or three storeys above this main working area although there was a narrow balcony with desks on three sides at first floor level. In modern times I really cannot imagine so much prime working space in the City of London being wasted in this fashion but the building dated from a vastly different era. At the start

of the 1960s few buildings in the city were more than six storeys or so high, and the development of London Wall during that decade led to much publicity being given to the ‘skyscrapers’ being erected. I really do not remember the actual dimensions of the several blocks that were constructed, but they soon became dwarfed by subsequent projects and I am not sure if any now remain.

I was appointed to the Inward Freight Department of the North Pacific Service in which six vessels of just under 10,000 tons operated on a regular schedule to the Pacific Coast of the USA and Canada via the Panama Canal throughout the year. There was also a seasonal Great Lakes Service which voyaged to the North American Great Lakes via the St Lawrence Seaway when the latter was not closed by ice. The attitude within the City was still very formal in the early 1960s with individuals being addressed by their surnames preceded by the appropriate title of Mr, Miss or Mrs and the use of Christian names was avoided. Naturally I soon got to know a few new recruits that were of a similar age to myself and formalities were dispensed with as we referred to each other as Robin, Heath, Beryl, Marion and the like but more senior staff would continue to call us by our surnames and we reciprocated in a like manner. Departmental managers and assistant managers were ‘Sir’ and there were no female managerial staff at all that I can remember, although there were recognized senior secretaries who were obviously a grade above departmental typists. Equality of the sexes was still some way off ! In those days many male workers in the city sported a pinstripe suit and would never have dreamed of leaving home without wearing a bowler hat and carrying a very neatly folded umbrella. In strolling through the streets of the city you were confronted by whole platoons of Mr Mainwarings as so magnificently played by Arthur Lowe in ‘Dad’s Army’. On one occasion a member of my departmental managerial staff was required to go on a business trip to the USA and he was most careful to include his ‘city gent uniform’ within his luggage. Evidently he attracted much attention in many areas of the States, apparently being regarded as a quaint, if somewhat eccentric, Englishman. My early duties occasionally required me to visit the offices of importers and exporters that supported Furness Withy and it was suggested by management that I should purchase a hat, preferably a bowler, to wear when making such calls. It was pointed out that, if I chose not to wear the thing, at least I would be seen to be carrying it when paying a visit. Frankly I failed to see the point of such an exercise and declined the suggestion.

The term ‘he’s something in the City’ was quite common at the time and anyone employed within the square mile could be considered as having achieved something really worthwhile by some other people. Believe it or not there were characters who set off from home clad in the

recognized attire of a ‘city gent’ only to change into their working clothes on arrival at their place of employment. One such chap I came across was actually employed as what we would now call a security officer. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but he would arrive every morning in a pinstripe suit, bowler hat, umbrella and all before donning his official uniform. In the evening he would change back again before returning home to ‘impress’ his neighbours.

Those males choosing not to adopt this ‘city gent’ style were expected to wear a suit of a suitable sombre colour whilst female members of staff were required to dress in a modest fashion although I cannot recall a lady wearing trousers to work during that time as they had yet to come into fashion. Most ladies chose to wear skirts and blouses although reasonably designed dresses were also on display especially in the summer months. No low-cut necklines were seen and hemlines were set at around knee-level or lower in spite of Mary Quant. As tights of any sort, opaque or otherwise, were not yet available this was possibly just as well. Male staff were not permitted to remove their jackets whilst at their desks unless the summer temperatures became particularly oppressive in which case special dispensation could be granted. The bottoms of trouser-legs were required to measure a minimum of 16 inches although ‘fashion’ went far narrower than this level. So much for

‘The Swinging Sixties’! As one who lived through them I can say they never really happened as some people would have those that were not around at the time to believe.

In the present day some of these regulations might appear quite draconian but, conversely, smoking was freely allowed during working hours and both male and female staff took advantage of this fact. A good number of males smoked a pipe rather than cigarettes or cigars which led to one very amusing incident. Each office worker was provided with a wicker wastepaper basket alongside his or her desk (fancy modern, complicated terms such as ‘work station’ had not entered the vocabulary) in which to discard rubbish. On one occasion a gentleman had finished smoking his pipe and had knocked the remaining ash out of the bowl into the basket beside his desk. A few moments later he was alerted to the fact that the tobacco could not have been completely extinguished as the paper in his basket had actually caught fire. Without hesitating he immediately jumped up and attempted to stamp out the flames only to find his foot caught in the still burning basket as he proceeded to hop around the office!!! Luckily a nearby colleague grabbed a vase of flowers standing on her desk and threw the water onto the flames which, fortunately, were immediately extinguished and no harm was done apart from slightly singed legs - one human, one trouser.

I clearly recall first coming across ‘how the other half live’ during my early working life and just how little the ‘gentry’

knew of the average person in the street. It was budget day and everyone was anxiously waiting to learn what the chancellor intended to do and how each individual would be affected. If you were lucky enough to own a private car it almost certainly had a petrol engine with diesel units being limited to commercial vehicles. There were several grades of petrol classified by star ratings which went from two star up to five star, the higher the grade the more expensive the cost. Those few people who did own a car were quite upset to learn the cost of all grades was to be increased by sixpence per gallon which represented something like a 12.5% rise. One of the directors of the company, who came from titled stock, had a radio and was able to announce details of the budget to his secretary who then passed points of interest on to general staff members. Evidently she had remarked to him on the proposed increase in the price of petrol at which he merely responded that he would henceforth drop from the top five-star rating down to four-star in his limousine and thus continue to pay the same per gallon. Knowing exactly what vehicle this gentleman drove she pointed out that most people that owned a car would have small, basic models and would be using the lowest grade already which would give them no alternative than to pay up. Seems he the looked at her in utter astonishment and came out with the classic, ‘Small basic cars? I’ve only got a small Daimler’!!!! With his background, where just about everyone had a Rolls Royce, this actually made sense to him.

Office procedures were vastly different to the those of the twenty-first century. There were no computers, wordprocessors or calculators and much of the paperwork was done by hand. One of my duties was to keep a voyage record for each of the six ships on the Pacific Coast run which was quite laborious. A date and the time of 0000 hours was set as the official start of each voyage and, as the vessel progressed from port to port, a document known as a ‘Port Log’ was completed by an officer and airmailed to the London office. This gave the time of arrival and departure for that port and various other information such as the amount of bunkers (fuel oil) on board and the vessel’s draft both fore and aft. All the times were recorded by hand into a large volume and, when the voyage was deemed to have finished, the total of the individual hours had to tally exactly with the number of days that voyage had taken. It was very sad to look back through the details of past voyages that had been entered into these record books over the years and see so many that ended ‘lost by enemy action’ between 1939 and 1945. Eventually the port logs together with copies of all other documentation relevant to the voyage, such as bills of lading and manifests, were boxed up and, after a year or so, were taken down to the storage area in the lower basement. I remember quite distinctly the tall racks of boxes dating back years, all covered in thick layers of dust, but retained just in case they were ever needed

for some obscure reason. The space taken up was quite astounding.

Communications were also very different. There was an enormous amount of mail exchanged between the Inward Freight Department and the various offices on the Pacific Coast and letters were typed up on old-style typewriters with only the senior secretaries being lucky enough to have an electric machine. There were, of course, no such things as emails so when a letter was dispatched a reply could not be anticipated much before a week had passed even by airmail. As a result more urgent communications were sent via the telex department or occasionally by cable. Copies of individual documents were retained for record purposes and, without the benefit of computers, these all had to be filed away manually into the appropriate folder stored within one of several tall metal filing cabinets. Great care had to be taken to ensure documents were filed in the correct place, otherwise it was virtually impossible to find them if needed at some future date. Although that sounds quite a simple task I came across more than one junior staff member who simply could not master the principle. For instance all the six ships serving the Pacific Coast had names starting ‘Pacific’. Naturally any document referring to an individual ship should have been placed in the folder relative to that ship, ie. ‘Pacific Northwest’, Pacific Reliance’ etc. but, on more than one occasion, I found that a new folder had been opened entitled ‘Pacific’ and everything relating to all six ships had been plonked in it. Calculations could be done with the aid of a facit machine which was a mechanical calculator long since replaced by electronic devices. By today’s standards the telephone system would have appeared very primitive and, although it was quite simple to dial numbers within the UK, any calls to the USA or Canada had to be booked in advance and were only permitted to be made by the most senior staff members. The telephones themselves were of the pre-push button variety fitted with a dial and were quite cumbersome by today’s standards. Once a week a lady who was employed by an outside contractor would appear and clean every ‘phone throughout the office with a disinfectant. There was a telephone switchboard in the basement where three telephonists handled all incoming calls and connected the caller to the appropriate extension as no direct dialing system was available. Particular attention had to be made to refer to these ladies as ‘telephonists’ rather than ‘callgirls’ which was quite easy to do if one was not careful!!!

Each staff member was allowed a coffee break of twenty minutes during the morning and an hour for lunch. There were no set times for these breaks and the staff members of individual departments came to an amicable agreement between themselves to ensure that at least one desk was manned at all times. Every morning I would make my way to a branch of a prominent catering chain of the day

situated in Fenchurch Street Station Approach which I shall not name in view of what follows. Here, together with a few colleagues, I would enjoy the morning break. There was but a limited choice of beverages, namely tea, coffee or a soft drink, with no multiple offerings as are available today. The coffee was dispensed from a sort of urn situated a few feet above the counter and this was fitted with a crude gauge consisting of a long rod which stuck up through the top cover of the urn and clearly had a float fitted at the bottom end. When the rod fell to a certain level the person serving behind the counter would holler out ‘COFFEE’ in a voice reminiscent of ‘Diomedes of the loud war cry’. Immediately another member of staff would appear from behind the scenes carrying a plastic bucket full of steaming liquid, clamber onto a chair and empty the contents into the opened top of the urn. It then became very clear that the inside of the semi-transparent bucket was heavily stained by previous consignments of brews that had been delivered to the urn. Just how present-day hygiene and health and safety regulations would view this operation I have no idea but it was perfectly acceptable at that time. One other catering establishment had a dining area in a basement which was accessed via a stairway and then along a narrow passageway to the right of which were the kitchens. It was always necessary to queue down the stairs and along the passageway which became very congested as a result. As one entered the dining area the food was served from what we would now call a carvery and, having made your choice, you continued on to find a seat beyond. There were no tables as such but the walls were fitted all around with a sort of continuous shelf upon which your meal was placed and then eaten whilst you sat on a high stool. The centre of the basement was taken up by a further eating area consisting of a raised oblong surface which was also surrounded by stools. I would think the whole place measured no more than 20 x 10 feet and was extremely popular, always being packed out by workers of all ages. Had there been a kitchen fire it could have cut off the escape route to the street outside and I hate to think what the outcome might have been, but there did not appear to be any regulations in force to stop this potential death-trap from operating.

An added bonus to the annual salary came in the form of ‘Luncheon Vouchers’ normally issued by a company known as Luncheon Vouchers Ltd, and these could be exchanged for meals at a good number of restaurants and pubs that had signed up to the general scheme. Some employers issued their own in-house luncheon vouchers which could only be exchanged at a limited number of catering establishments that had come to an arrangement with those employers and were thus less popular. Furness Withy chose to deal through Luncheon Vouchers Ltd and issued vouchers to the value of three old shillings per day which equates to fifteen pence in today’s currency. This was the maximum

sum allowed before there was an income tax liability so most organisations stuck to this level. Fifteen pence may seem a ridiculously small amount in 2014 but way back in 1960 that would buy a reasonable basic main course such as sausages or a portion of meat pie together with a portion of two separate vegetables followed by a basic sweet. The main course would set you back around two shillings and sixpence (12.5 pence) and the sweet would cost the remaining sixpence (2.5 pence) and, as no change was given, everyone made sure they used up their full entitlement. There was nothing to stop you adding a little more cash to the value of the voucher if you so wished and purchasing a more expensive meal but few younger people did. We also enjoyed a mid-afternoon cup of tea which was delivered to our desks by a tea-lady who would push her trolley with its crockery and tea-urn down the centre aisle from one end of the hall to the other and serve the refreshments in turn to the end of each line of desks. It was the custom for city offices to be open every Saturday morning with limited staff members on duty which meant that every fourth week you had to do your Saturday morning turn. On such mornings the more formal dress-codes were relaxed and sports jackets and trousers could be worn by men but a tie was still essential. Less formal dresses were allowed for female staff but still no mini-skirts! In order to compensate for the Saturday working an afternoon off was granted the following week and, as most people went straight home, it could mean that you then had a spare luncheon voucher and could really go to town by splashing out a whole six shillings (30p) on a meal when you so wished. If the country were to be treated to a reasonable spell of fine weather it was possible to exchange luncheon vouchers for sandwiches or some similar snack after which you would head for one of the open spaces around Tower Hill to enjoy the sunshine whilst eating your picnic lunch. Our favourite venue was opposite the old Port of London HQ building near to Tower Hill underground station the entrance to which was then in Eastcheap rather than where it is today.

Travelling to and from work was either by bus or train with those people living further afield relying on the latter. Crowds of people poured through the various London termini to reach their jobs in the City and Furness Withy had staff members that travelled to and from London Bridge, Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street mainline stations with others using London Underground. As I was living a couple of miles or so south of London Bridge I usually used the buses as this was more economical although traffic congestion could be quite horrendous and there were always lengthy queues of commuters at the bus stops. I have already mentioned the attitude to smoking in offices and there was also a much more relaxed situation in this regard on public transport. Some limitations were imposed in that smokers were

obliged to use the top-deck of a bus, but I have no idea what happened if the vehicle only had a single deck as few of such operated in central London and I never came across one. Trains were provided with both ‘smoking’ and ‘non-smoking’ compartments in which a passenger could choose to travel. Unlike modern rolling stock many of the train coaches which were employed on commuter services in those days had individual compartments with a door on either side and no aisle leading to other areas of the train. Many trains employing such stock travelled quite long distances to places such as Sevenoaks or Gravesend and could take a fair time to complete the journey so it was an unwise commuter who imbibed too much in a city hostelry before catching a train home but I shall elaborate no further. Even greater caution was necessary for any passenger taking advantage of a day’s visit to the seaside aboard one of the regular weekend excursion services that were on offer at that time. Such trains were frequently made up of quite ancient rolling stock of the single-compartment variety hauled by an equally vintage locomotive which chugged along at a somewhat modest speed. The sort of precautions that had to be taken are not so very hard to imagine especially on the return journey after a day out by the briny.

I spent a total of nine years in the employment of Furness Withy but eventually left to join another shipping company as a ‘Freight Representative’ in which capacity I served over the next twenty-five years with a variety of lines. I remained based in the city for another ten years or so, but it was during those first nine years that it became obvious that things were gradually changing and, with the rapid advances in communications and technology, many companies decided to de-centralise and moved out of ‘The Square Mile’. By the mid-sixties Saturday morning working had been phased out and a more general use of Christian names had crept in. The days of the city gent in the pin-striped suit with his bowler hat and furled umbrella were numbered although I do recall a few that lasted into the late seventies.

Eventually my employer of the day moved away from the city to take advantage of cheaper accommodation and I found myself reporting to new offices in the old Royal Docks in Silvertown. The pace of change had accelerated through the seventies and a fascinating era came to an end. Old Edwardian-style offices were demolished to be replaced by more modern open-plan buildings and dresscodes became somewhat more relaxed. The wearing of hats, which, as we have seen, had been regarded by some as being obligatory in the early sixties, all but disappeared and even mini-skirts were eventually accepted. This subsequently resulted in a phenomenon hitherto unknown and, indeed, not previously required, namely, ‘the modesty board’, but that is another story!!!

Robin A Dadson (1954-59)

WELL, OLAF……..WE DID BEAR ALONG

Some reflections on STOGS in 1947 and after

In late July 2014 I met up with a couple of other Old Olavians, Michael Donovan and Terry Golding. Our friendship is of such long standing that it seems we have been mates since Methuselah was a lad. For a long time we have been meeting up three or so times a year to have some drinks, then lunch at one or other restaurant in the environs of Covent Garden. Our partners come along. We chat and conversation moves round ineluctably to discussion of our school days. The recollections set out here result from me having been in my cups on that day and agreeing, without too much forethought, to write some words for The Olavian about our experiences at the school back in the days of yore ... many years ago (Eheu fugaces ...).

Our paths first crossed in 1947 when we were new boys. Michael (who would later sit next to me) and Terry were both from Rotherhithe and knew each other from junior school. I came from Abbey Wood. Six of my classmates from my junior school in Plumstead were new boys along with me. I remember them well. They were: John Spencer: he lasted but one term: his father, an Officer in the Salvation Army, was transferred to the Medway area. Spencer’s departure was a loss to the school. He had an air of quiet determination about him. He was able and would have made his mark.

David Moakes: I had known him since infant school in 1942. I last spoke to him in 1998 when he told me that, as he was living in Bristol, he felt he would be unable to attend any more Reunion Dinners.

Tom Phelan, who later took Holy Orders.

Brian Monks, whom I last spoke to some time in 2010, sadly died in 2013 (see the last issue of The Olavian and his biographical account in the 2005 issue).

Colin Loveridge was another; and finally Derek Wooler: Derek was a particular friend of mine. He became the only man I knew to have held, at different times, commissions in the Army and the Royal Air Force. His mother was very forceful and regularly made the journey to Tooley Street to confront and to upbraid Dr Carrington for sanctioning too much homework and for being too autocratic. Neither Carrington nor Mrs Wooler would yield and I was sad when Wooler was taken from the school in 1949. We kept in touch.

My journey to school took about an hour. It was

comprised of a short walk, a trolleybus ride, a train journey, and a walk along Tooley Street. We sought to catch the 8.04am stopping train from Plumstead Station which was scheduled to arrive at London Bridge at 8.30am. Joining us at the station were boys of other years and from other Plumstead schools. From our year I recollect Reg Barnes, Roy Filkins, Ray Middleton, and Ronnie Chappell. The Southern Railway rolling stock which carried us was all very old but the railway staff were dedicated, and punctuality was surprisingly good. We sat in individual compartments seating ten or twelve. Usually there were standing passengers. In those days most people smoked. Often, in the winter, windows remained closed and to be seated in a closed compartment when four or five people were smoking was to experience a nicotine-rich atmosphere. Passive smoking? We were kippered.

The journey took us through parts of London that had endured the worst of the Blitz. The damage was still clearly evident - large tracts of land, where once buildings had been, becoming colonised by plants such as rosebay willowherb and ragwort. Of course thousands of houses still stood and, in winter, from the chimney of each issued a plume of sulphur-rich coal-smoke. At the time no-one had directly linked these emissions with the dense choking fogs we endured each winter and which often brought the whole city to a near-standstill.

On exiting London Bridge Station we descended a long flight of stone steps ready to walk the whole length of Tooley Street. This took about ten minutes allowing us to get to school for registration at 8.45am. The Tooley Street of today is much gentrified and is markedly different from the immediate post-war, grimy place of work, replete with offices and warehousing. Just to the north lay the western end of the Pool of London and much cargo was landed there. On the south side of the street many businesses were housed underneath the railway arches, locations which offered cool and capacious storage. Most of these businesses were specialist importers. A vast variety of commodities was handled – snuff, spirits, dried fruits, spices, exotic stuff from the east, coffee – all of these things had a characteristic odour whilst along Bermondsey Street wafted the smell of the tanneries: to this add the smell of dung, the result of there being large numbers of horsedrawn carts used for local deliveries. Each trip down Tooley Street was an olfactory experience.

Of course Terry and Michael never joined me on the Tooley Street walk. Their journeys started near to where Canada Water Underground Station is now situated, but in those days there was no Jubilee Line and transportation was by trams that trundled along Jamaica Road. Terry and Michael used to board either a 68 or a 70 for a journey to Tower Bridge Road which took something under a quarter-of-an-hour. Over the years many Olavians used

those trams. The School Gate was close to the western end of the school site. The “New Building”, in which all First and Second Years were housed was towards the eastern end of the site, so boys coming from the east were obliged to walk over twice the length of the Main Building in order to reach their classrooms. Hence there was a temptation to take a short cut by scrambling over the low perimeter wall. Previously decorative Victorian railings had stood on this wall but in 1940 they had been taken and melted down for ‘The War Effort’. The manoeuvre was ill-advised. The Head’s study had an east-facing window, and he was eagle-eyed. First time offenders got Saturday morning detention. Repeat offenders were caned.

On first entering that imposing Victorian building we were daunted. That said, I’m guessing that every subsequent batch of new boys since then will have been no less daunted to be joining a school with so much history and so much tradition. We, however, were a resilient lot. We had lived through the War and most of us had stayed in London throughout the Blitz. Moreover we had been threatened during 1944 by Hitler’s terror weapons, the V1 and the V2. We quickly settled into the totally masculine environment which prevailed in those days. Roger Carrington had been in post for ten years and though, at the time, none of us knew it, in the next two or three years we would see many changes. I deal with eight such changes below.

I. Staff changes. Early on I saw what seemed to be a lot of old teachers. I am now full of years and from my current standpoint I guess I would judge those same men to have been in their late prime. Without doubt though, the average age was high. These men had been keepers of the flame for many years, some having joined the school even before the Headmastership of Senex (H G Abel, 1922-37). Things would change, the end of the academic year 19471948 would see the departure of a number of characterful teachers who had each given long and distinguished service to the school.

Figuring in the grand exodus were: H Grainger (Chemistry - 1909-48); Dr EW Shanahan (Geography and Economics - 1915-48); EL Joseph (History - 1927-48); RG Shackel (Physics - 1928-48); SC Charlwood (History and Geography 1928-48)

All of these retired. Additionally RR Pedley (Head of English) left to become Head of Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. At that time teaching staff numbered twenty-six; hence at a stroke almost 25% of them had gone. The legacy of Shanahan and Shackel was their text books - A Modern World Geography and A Concise School Physics: it pleased me that among the text books I would be using were ones written by teachers at my school.

A number of old hands from Abel’s days remained: they included; HG Wright (1919-52); AJ Sinclair (1924-51); AW Walker (1925-55); HO Newmarch (1927-66); J Middleton (1931-60); EH Davies (1933-66); Dr HC Stockwell (1936-49). Each of these would teach me in later years and both Boggy and Stocky would be among my future form-masters.

Of those departing ‘Charly’ Charlwood was the only one to have taught me: he was a small, slight man with slicked back hair, he wore a dark three-piece suit and a stiff collar. Many other teachers were similarly attired. He was a kindly man with a twinkle in his eye; his delivery was brisk, almost staccato and, after delivering a nugget of information, he would look us in the eye and say “Forget that”. It didn’t take long for one of us to ask why we should do that: out came Charly’s practised reply: “I’ve been doing this for a long time and I know that you boys always do the opposite of what I tell you”. Using this method he taught us a lot of Geography.

II. Junior Forms. Among the surprises, when, as new boys, we arrived at the school, was the discovery that we were not the smallest minnows in the pond. There were even smaller fry – boys as young as eight. Boys in my firstyear class, Peter Grist and Kevin Gough-Yates, had been in the Junior Forms.

There was no recruiting of these very young boys after 1947 and just like old soldiers, the Junior Forms just faded away.

III. School Meals. In 1947 Food Rationing was in force: for economic rather than availability considerations the Government could not afford to import food, hence rations were kept at wartime levels. John Strachey (Minister of Food) then tightened the screw by causing bread and potatoes to be rationed. Even in wartime that had been avoided. Unsurprisingly most boys sought to have a school meal at mid-day, but the school lacked the facilities to provide such meals. Therefore every day we were obliged to march, in good order, to Riley Road School where the good ladies of Bermondsey cooked and served us a school dinner. Haute cuisine it was not. They did their best but the quality of the ingredients was poor and the facilities were inadequate to serve so many people. My memories of those meals are not good.

There would be change. By the third term of 1948 kitchens had been installed at the south-east corner of the Great Hall and henceforth meals were prepared on the premises. There was a slight improvement in quality. With all of this came the daily chore that required chairs and tables to be set out in the morning and for them all to be put away in the afternoon. A labour of Sisyphus.

IV. The Olavian Hymnal. Among the books issued to us in week one was ‘The Olavian Hymnal’: clearly this was our own thing. It had been in use since late Victorian times and over the years senior boys had added to it. Every margin contained a piece of original Latin or Greek verse. It was replaced, circa 1949, by ‘Songs of Praise’. We boys viewed this as a retrograde step: we were told that a) The Olavian Hymnal was too expensive to produce; b) it contained insufficient modern hymns to support our twice daily religious services.

It would have been charitable to let us keep our personal hymnals but instead they were collected up and I suspect they were pulped. What else could one do with six hundred used copies of a Victorian hymnal full of Greek verse? We were sorry to see it go. Something quite unique had been taken from us.

V. School Houses. New boys were seemingly arbitrarily allocated to one of six Houses. I was in Grenville: our House colour was green. The other Houses were: Drake, Burleigh, Howard, Sidney and Raleigh. Two years later I found myself in a new House, Harvard. The Elizabethan sea-captain regime had been introduced in 1908 and had therefore survived for forty years. The ‘new’ Houses have outlived them and have thus been shown to be more durable. We were sentimental about the loss of the old Houses but, on the whole, this change was well received. Operating with six houses in a three-form entry school was never particularly sensible.

VI. The Winter Game. In the winter of 1947/8 the whole school played Association Football. The following winter we were playing Rugby – many of us reluctantly. Many boys were unhappy with the change, but of course the change went through.

In that first year I remember playing football against Michael. He was a star footballer and before coming to the school had played representative football. I clearly recall him in his red shirt (which meant he was then in Drake and would later be in Cure) repeatedly carving his way through the Grenville defence – we had no answer. In that year, however, Drake did not have the best football team. Top dogs were Howard (blue shirts) whose team was formidable. I remember Terry playing alongside Ted Chuck. They were quite distinctive, for both had Boris Johnson coloured hair – though shorter and tidier than BoJo’s. Michael, who became School High Jump champion when only sixteen, vied with Ted to be the best athlete of our year. Ted though was the best athlete of our year: he excelled at football and later would show exceptional talent in basketball, Rugby (as a fly half), fives, and cricket. Over the years we have tried manfully to track him down. We have accessed some formidable data

bases but Ted has remained elusive. News of him would be gratefully received.

The official reason given for the change to Rugby was that it had become increasingly difficult to find fixtures for the First XI. No doubt that was true, but I suspect that the resultant efficiency savings also weighed heavily in the balance. We became a Rugby-playing school and we got used to it. Two years later Ted, Terry, Michael and I were playing in the Colts XV with Geoff Chapman as our mentor. Our membership of that team, even after so many years, is one of the glues that holds our friendship together. Forty years on – plus quite a lot.

VII. The School Badge. In 1947 the crown and axe badge was worn on both blazer and cap. The current badge was introduced about 1950: it was not welcomed. The cross, the crown, the axe we thought characterised Olaf with admirable simplicity - saint, king, warrior. The new badge we saw as being too fussy with an excess of detail and it lacked the originality and symbolism of that which it replaced. No-one ever explained the reason for the change but, like some of the other changes, this one resulted in something that has the air of permanency about it. Who today would contemplate changing it?

VIII. Examinations. In 1947, as for many, many years previously, grammar school pupils tackled School Certificate at the age of sixteen and Higher School Certificate at eighteen. In 1952 I sat the GCE O-level examinations: we were only the second cohort to tackle this new exam, and we were allowed to take only eight academic subjects. In those early days the exams were very taxing - the bar had been set quite high and failure rates were considerable - even among Olavians.

Of all the changes discussed above, this was the only one to have been imposed from the outside.

One supposes that the work associated with the introduction of O and A-levels resulted in a huge burden being placed on teachers but we were unaware of it.

So much then for all the changes. Changes there were but so much more remained unchanged and unchanging. Certain things characterised the school: significant from the schoolboy’s perspective were the discipline and the work ethic. Under Carrington, discipline was strict and corporal punishment commonplace. It was often used for quite trivial offences. In my second year I failed to hand in a routine geography homework, my first such offence. Carrington gave me six of the best: he laid them on hard so that more than twenty-four hours later I could still feel the grooves across my backside. The fact is that punishment like that concentrates the mind wonderfully, and for the

rest of my school career I never missed another deadline.

Over the years I have witnessed many a discussion on corporal punishment and often the most vocal of the protagonists seem to be people who have never been on the receiving end. How silly, to me that seemed a bit like virgins being prescriptive about sex. Today there is no longer any debate; corporal punishment is universally condemned, but back then we were philosophical. It was a fact of life and I surmise that most of us would have opted for ‘the whack’ and endured the transient pain rather than be subjected to a detention or an imposition. Detention after school was given for minor infractions such as fooling around in class. I once got a Saturday morning detention for being seen exiting Plumstead Station not wearing my cap.

It might be thought that such harsh discipline might sap a boy’s spirit. I think it had precisely the opposite effect: we developed a resolute ‘We can take it’ attitude as epitomised by Geoghegan (pronounced Gaygun, if you were wondering) who once got Saturday morning detention every week for a whole term.

As to the work ethic, it is true we were all required to work hard all of the time - and many did. Each day was split into eight forty-minute periods. First years were set three thirty-minute homeworks each night, but it was rare for the assigned tasks to be completed within the allotted time. My friends at other schools got off more lightly and were tasked with two thirty-minute homeworks each night. With us a lot of work was set and, to give the teaching staff their due, it was always returned pretty swiftly. By today’s standards the staff/pupil ratio was high, so marking loads, with typically thirty-three boys to a class, would have been heavy.

Whilst talking of working hard, mention must be made of Miss Cook. She was a graduate and was, by nature, rather shy and retiring: her job title was ‘Headmaster’s Secretary’ but, given that we had no telephonists, no receptionists, no clerks, no administrators it was she, all alone, housed in a small office just to the right of the Main Entrance, who kept the administrative wheels turning. How she managed all that I’ll never know. It was a most remarkable feat.

There were some things which I am sure would be surprising to today’s Olavians. Fountain pens were prohibited. There was no need to ban ballpoint pens - nobody in the school owned one. Back then Laszlo Biro’s patents were still valid and his were the only ballpoints available. His company’s marketing strategy was to treat this new pen as a luxury good, an expensive present for somebody. A biro retailed for something over 55 shillings (£2.75). With that sort of money one could purchase eleven hard back Biggles books

or one could go to the cinema once a week for a year or more. Biros were beyond our means.

Carrington believed that the springy nature of the simple steel nib was conducive to good handwriting. It was true that such pens could produce the thick and thin lines necessary in calligraphy, but one was obliged to recharge the pen after every two or three words. Each dip in the inkwell risked another blot on one’s work. Another straw poll I took of my friends at other South London grammar schools suggested that STOGS was the only one enforcing a fountain-pen ban. As pupils we were quick to circumvent this ruling. In Woolworth’s for a very few pence one could buy reservoir nibs: such nibs fitted the simple penholders we used and they had the writing characteristics of a fountainpen nib. On the underside of each nib was a small metal arrangement that stored ink. One dip in an inkwell and it was possible to write one or even two complete sentences without the need to replenish the ink. In common with all of my peers I used such a nib until I left school. We all observed the letter of the law but nonetheless managed to subvert Carrington’s plan.

Current Olavians, I think would smile if they could see the 1947 intake arriving at school. We were, on average, smaller and markedly thinner than today’s eleven year olds. About ninety per cent of us wore short trousers and some boys would continue to do so throughout their third year at the school. Also people today looking at us in Assembly would be surprised by the great variety of clothing worn. Clothes rationing was extant and uniform regulations were not enforced. We were a motley crew. I never got to wear a uniform until my second year and John Unsworth, in my class for five years, never ever wore uniform. An early memory I have is of Michael Pugh: now he is a prominent member of The 40’s Group, then he was School Captain. Daily he turned up wearing a well-cut, double-breasted, grey- pinstripe suit. In my mind’s eye I can still see him walking along Tooley Street carrying a leather briefcase, wearing the suit and with a really ancient school cap perched on his head. It sent out a rather mixed sartorial message. I wonder now whether Michael remembers that suit.

In winding up these school reminiscences I turn to the masters and the teaching. It has already been noted that they were a conscientious lot and they were for the most part well-qualified. I suspect none had formal teaching qualifications: back then graduates were allowed to enter the teaching profession without being taught how to teach. It appeared to be a case of them teaching us as they themselves had been taught. The teaching style tended to be pretty didactic. No-one sought to try to empathise with us and no one went in for ‘learning by discovery’. We were taught the facts: Gradgrind would have found nothing to complain about. How much time they spent worrying about learning outcomes or lesson plans I really don’t know. All I can say is that a great many lessons began with “Open up to Chapter

4 of Latin for Today (or Deutsches Leben or Alderton Pink or whatever)” - Pink’s book was on English Grammar. We would work through these books at the rate of about a chapter per week doing the exercises and learning the vocabulary when appropriate.

Mainly it was chalk and talk - no language laboratories, no computers or calculators, no photo-copied notes, no overhead projectors and a general absence of other visual aids. There was an ancient epidiascope that was sometimes put into use but even in a darkened room the pictures were never clear. I suppose the old saying applies: “What you’ve never had, you never miss”. One way or another we got there in the end.

What’s gone before is what I have to say about the school and the changes I saw there. I’d like to finish with some brief comments about what was happening in the outside world whilst my head was buried in one textbook or another.

“ May you live in interesting times”, a Chinese sage once said. Few will dispute that the years 1947 to 1952 were ‘interesting times’. The years immediately after the war were years of high taxation, privation and shortages as, wearied by war, the country sought to rebuild itself. The Labour Party was in power and with socialist zeal they began to nationalise everything in sight. By 1947 already the coal industry and the Bank of England had come into state ownership. Next we saw electricity generation, railways, canals and waterways, road haulage, and finally iron and steel production become nationalised and controlled from Whitehall while, in 1948, we saw the birth of the NHS. By the time Labour left office the pound sterling had been devalued and some twenty per cent of our economy was in the hands of the state. Apart from this restructuring of our economy other things were happening.: we had the Second London Olympic Games and on the Southbank we had the Festival of Britain with its Skylon and Dome of Discovery. In the Summer of 1952 we said goodbye to trams and their going changed the face of London. To no-one’s surprise Attlee lost an election and Churchill returned to Downing Street. The king died and we entered a new Elizabethan age.

Overseas, tensions mounted as the sides in the Cold war became more polarised and the Berlin Airlift followed. In the Far East the French got a drubbing in Indo-China and Britain committed her armed forces to the war in Korea. The Indian sub-continent emerged from British rule and China’s civil war came to an end with a communist victory. The winds of change (of which Harold MacMillan was later to speak) had begun to blow through Africa and back home the first waves of immigrants from the Caribbean were settling in London.

I left St Olave’s to enter this changing world: I passed an open examination to secure a student apprenticeship

with the Ministry of Defence. This led to me becoming a chartered engineer and subsequently I worked in that capacity until my retirement.

thunderstorms forecast pretty much all week, driving rain battering our windows and a spring in our steps, we set forth from our homes on the designated Sunday morning in August with a chirpy whistle on our lips. Sadly we had not been able to secure a Sunday fixture due to most cricket clubs in Devon being involved in Sunday leagues and cup games, so we’d decided to play a bit of golf at Starcross instead. By the time we met in the Anchor Inn for lunch the sky was mostly blue, the sun was mostly warm and we were feeling more optimistic about the week ahead. One topic of conversation was our change of hotel to the Cavendish this year, and another was that they would be filming the new season of the Channel 4 TV series “The Hotel” there all week, and wondering who of our merry band may find themselves on the small screen come February when the show is due out.

I was grateful to the school for what she gave to me. The knowledge and the good work habits I learned there served me well over the years. I know my friends Michael and Terry, although they followed very different career paths, echo these views.

Dick Haylett (1947-52)

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES

Old Olavians’ Masonic Lodge No. 5051

The 75th Anniversary of the founding of our Lodge was celebrated in March 2014 at a special meeting at Freemasons Hall, Great Queen Street, attended by several senior members of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge of London. Over sixty members and guests enjoyed a superb meal afterwards at the Imperial Hotel, Russell Square.

Why not find out more about us? We meet only four times a year so we don’t take up too much of a busy person’s time, but we like to feel that membership of our organisation is both satisfying and worthwhile. We are always ready to speak to those wanting to learn more about Freemasonry and, in particular, the work we do to raise money for Charity (our principal objective). Naturally former pupils, current or past staff and governors and, of course, parents associated with our school are particularly welcome.

Anyone interested in learning more can contact the current secretary - Peter G Hudson OBE, 9 Downs View Close, Pratts Bottom, Orpington, Kent, BR6 7SU. His telephone number is 01689 858583. He will be happy to meet you for a chat and will answer any queries you have.

OLD OLAVIAN CRICKET TOUR - SOUTH DEVON 2014

With hurricane Bertha ravaging most of the country,

At the picture-postcard Sidmouth ground the next day there were a few threatening masses of grey clouds rolling around in the heavens as the game got under way, but they thankfully missed us almost completely throughout the game. Sidmouth batted first as usual. There was a faint air of concern about the OO bowling resources, as two of our scheduled bowling line-up had proved unable to tour at the last minute. Jay Patel opened and immediately started hitting the proverbial handkerchief with every delivery. Wicket-keeper-come-pace-merchant Peter White took the cherry at the other end and, after a few loosening overs (he probably hadn’t bowled since the last tour), settled down nicely also. The Sidmouthians weathered the new ball however, and began to look more comfortable. Captain Ian Giles took over from Jay (after his excellent spell of five overs for six runs) to spice things up a little, and struck in his first over, removing L Bess for 17 courtesy of a good stretching slip catch from old compadre Chris Swadkin. Reinvigorated, Pete White took a couple of wickets at the other end, one bowled and another Swadkin catch. Then there was a good run-out, and all of a sudden the home team were in trouble at 48 for four and the Olavians found themselves in one of those happy trance-like periods of play where everything you do ends up well. Lance Giles replaced White and floated a horrendous no-ball full-toss that was swatted for six by opening bat Mansfield. This was followed by another rank ball pulled for four. Then Giles Jnr managed to actually land one that nipped away quite nicely and took Mansfield’s off-stump, who was probably surprised by the contrast from the previous deliveries. The two Gileses kept things tight for a bit, as did the Swad when he came on for a twirl. Lance bowled another batsman, reducing Sidmouth to 81 - 6, and Dave Colloff came on and hit the spot as well. Tim Drake had come in at number 7 and started a valiant rearguard action. He took a liking to Prevan’s off-spin and biffed him on the leg side for a few fours and a six, and managed to power his side up to 126 before Colloff rattled his stumps as he attempted another heave (after scoring a vital 42). We then found out that Sidmouth were a player short so we only had to take one

more wicket. We also realised that the last pair who were at the crease were in fact the two young colts who had been knocking a ball around in the nets before the game, oblivious to the fact they were about to be called up to play in the most important game of the year. Perhaps this, joined with the euphoria of our rather make-shift bowling attack running through the vaunted home batting line-up with such comparative ease, led to a collective foot-off-thegas situation for the tourists, as the two youngsters played with skill that belied their diminutive stature. They put on another 25 runs before one fell to a run-out (which looked the best chance of us getting a wicket, to be honest).

The 151 runs that Sidmouth got in 47 overs look eminently gettable at tea, and the excellent scones were passed around with a jaunty panache on the tourists’ table. Beware the jaunty scone, I now warn future generations who may read this and in some way benefit from a warning from the past. Sidmouth regulars Drake and Claydon opened the bowling tightly and had the visiting batsmen playing and missing fairly regularly. James Hubbard, who traded almost purely in fours in his previous knock here three years before, ended a watchful innings without troubling the scorers. Sage Nayanah Rajh and his son Prev consolidated, and things were beginning to look rosy again at 57 for one. Then disaster struck. Both were out with the score on 57, followed immediately by our next star bat Jay for a quacker. There was a brief lull in the procession of batsmen, and Sidmouth pulled off the star captaincy move of bringing on one of their smallish colts to toss a few up. L Giles quickly succumbed chipping a catch to extra-cover, and Pete White perished in similar fashion. Colloff, Roots, Swadkin and Giles Snr all passed swiftly in and out again (the quickish Murray taking four wickets in total) and the OOs subsided to a dispiriting 90 all out, the first time this writer can remember us not reaching 100 in a timed game unaffected by weather. It was a disappointing result. In slight mitigation of our performance, the required run-rate was probably a factor in some of the shot selections, since we would have faced seven overs less than the home side if we’d survived them all. It was definitely a game that had been there for the taking, however, and we firmly resolved to do better the next day.

To end on a sunnier note, the OO supporters had been entertained during some of the collapse by a memorable chat between Rhianjali Giles (age 5) and Jay Patel (age 22 1/2). One exchange went like this:

R: Rebecca and I can’t find our loom bands.

J: Why don’t you look for them together?

R: Why?

J: Because then you’ll have more chance of finding them, because you’ll have four eyes.

R (exasperated): But I don’t have four eyes!

A short while later, after Rhianji had repeatedly corrected Jay on a number of topics such as how the remote control to the scorebox was not magic, it worked by sending signals by electronics, and how Winnie the Pooh did not actually exist, Jay sought to change the subject and inquired, “Have you lost any teeth yet?”, which probably came out a bit more Goodfellas-style than he intended.

Sandford had had a bit of rain during the night, and on Tuesday morning we were quoted a 20 to 40% chance of being able to play. Free-wheeling mavericks as we Old Olavians are, we fancied those odds and set off for the ground, stopping for lunch in the Beer Engine as usual. On arrival at the ground itself, it did prove to be pretty damp, but the sun was warm when there weren’t any clouds in the way and there was a steady breeze to help dry things out, so we arranged a 30-over game and hoped the heavens would behave themselves. Pete White was promoted to bowl the first over of the innings, which turned out to be skipper L Giles’ best decision as he struck with his third legitimate ball, inducing R Glass to pop it up to Lance at extra-cover. Jay Patel put in another steady spell at the other end (4 overs 1 for 7) and after eight overs the OOs were reasonably satisfied at containing Sandford to 28 runs. Spin twins Chris Ruddle and Stuart Taylor came on and, after an over each to settle down, started bowling well on the still dampish wicket. Both proved hard to get away and both took a wicket in their third overs; Stuart taking a stinging catch behind square off Ruddle to dismiss their overseas pro and then bowling the other batsman himself. Another batsman was run out rather suicidally, and the OOs found themselves once again putting in a sterling effort in the field. Sandford always have plenty of batsmen though, and Van Wyk (43) and Filor (28) began to set about the spinners as the innings ticked into the final ten overs. Ian ‘Jonty’ Giles was brought on and the evergreen swinger promptly removed both batsmen to catches from Taylor and Prev, and Jay Patel returned for his final two overs at the other end and bowled out one batsman. This happened to be an especially timely wicket, as he was miked up at the time and being filmed by the Channel 4 people who had dropped by for half an hour to record some of the game in case they found it useful to use in their show. Hopefully Jay managed to refrain from whooping anything too indelicate in celebration, or he may have missed his chance to take a wicket on national TV. Ian caught and bowled the no11 and the OOs were set 152 to win.

OO openers Sage and Prev put on a fine opening stand of 48 in nine overs before Prev (19) was out caught. Pete White came in and played the supporting role well as Sage struck a succession of imperious fours down the ground. Opening his shoulders for a good four and a massive six of his own, White became a little too adventurous and launched another ball into the atmosphere which didn’t

quite clear long-off and he departed for 18. Lawrence Roots replaced him and played assuredly and shrewdly, collecting ones and twos in a good partnership that almost put the game safe until Sage was out bowled by Van Wyk for a classy 80 with nine runs still required. Greg Giles strode to the crease for his first innings in ten years and his extended family all looking on. Van Wyk came storming up to the crease and sent down a big full toss. Greg put a big stride in and it hit him on the knee. Up went Jasper Gundry-White’s finger. Up went the howls of derision from the crowd. Back came Greg. The only solace was that the camera crew had disappeared by then. Lance replaced his brother and got a juicy half-volley outside off-stump which he managed to hit for four which Greg no doubt looked a little wistfully at, and Lawrence knocked off the last two runs to finish on 21 and win the game with ten balls left. The tourists had redeemed themselves from yesterday and proudly received the Stan Newell trophy for this year from their most friendly of opponents.

Torquay professed to have assembled an average side to face us in the Wednesday fixture, but this didn’t stop them having two overseas pros and another first team bat in their line-up. The home side batted first and Marrow got off to a flyer, hitting L Giles for 19 in the second over bowled. Figuring the batsman rather had his number, Lance sagely volunteered himself for an early blow and skipper Dave Colloff bravely put himself in the firing-line to dangle the carrot. DC fared a bit better, but neither he nor White at the other end could stop the leak of runs as Marrow took advantage of the short boundary on one side to mow a few balls over the ropes. Pete took a wicket, but by the twelfth over Torquay had already reached 107 for one and were making batting look easy-peasy. The ever-dependable Ian Giles was called into the attack and he managed to slow the run-rate down, and Prev came on at the other end. After being hit for a few in his first over Prev found his length and a bit of shape and got a wicket in his second, Francis LBW for 35. He struck again in his third over with an excellent quicker lifter and a smart stumping from Roots (man out F. Iqbal, who apparently is on the fringes of a Pakistan A-team in some

in his last over, and Prev finished his eight overs, leaving the opposition on 166 for seven, but with the dangerous Marrow still there. Mr Incredible Stuart Taylor came on to bowl his looping leggies. His first solitary over had been blasted for 14 by Francis, but he found his length nicely now, beating the bat several times and often totally bemusing the batsmen with his spinny repertoire (and one quicker one). Lance Giles was brought back for his second

Torquay Cricket Club spell too, which Marrow obviously didn’t mind at all. He hit him for a four, then a six, then another four, and then aimed another one over cow-corner and got bowled, much to everyone’s relief. Prev took a good catch off Stuart at the other end, and the last man was run out. Torquay finished on 195 off 36 overs, which was a lot less than it had looked like being at one point.

Prev and James Hubbard opened up the second innings. Prev may well be on the county books for his year group but he wouldn’t have met too many opening bowlers like Terry King, who has been playing for Torquay for about fifty years I believe. He snicked Terry’s fourth slow drifter to the keeper to get his first tour duck. With James only improving on his score from two days before by a factor of two runs, the OOs were off to a slightly shaky start. New batsmen Lawrence Roots and Greg Giles would have been forgiven a period of quiet consolidation, but they did not need it. Both immediately started striking fours handsomely. Greg’s poise and confidence were visibly improving with each over, and he began unfurling some of his trademark square-cuts and kneeling hooks that hadn’t been seen on tour (or, indeed, anywhere) for a decade. Roots at the other end was playing like a man possessed, as sweetly-struck four after four pinged off the middle of his bat in a succession of lovely cover-drives. With the score reaching 125 off 21 overs, Torquay turned to their fastest bowler Pugh to make a break-through. He succeeded, trapping Greg LBW for 32 very popular runs. Chris Ruddle came out to join his good friend Lawrence, who carried on playing sublimely until Pugh had him caught ten runs short of a deserved century. Ruddle swiftly joined him back in the shed, and the OOs were fifty runs shy of their target with six wickets down and ten overs left. Still

kind of format), and OO heads began to lift again. Gilesy then came to the party with three wickets in one unplayable over (one caught by Roots and two bowled) and Torquay were suddenly 143 for six. Ian bowled another batsman

quite gettable, you would assume, but here the tourists performed their second collapse of the week. Terry was brought back to lob his gentle in-drifters, and a succession of OO batsmen went all funny-headed. The wickets went: LBW, caught mid-off, stumped and bowled to gift King a five-for. Taylor was left unconquered at the end, with the OOs all out for 171 with three overs left. Rather a shame we couldn’t have got closer to the total and built to an exciting climax, but on reflection it was still a better showing than it had looked like being after the first twelve overs when Marrow had been making hay. The regular Wednesday quiz that night back in the hotel governed by the unparalleled Terry Smith certainly cheered us all up again anyway.

The sun was beaming down again as we pulled into South Devon’s ground in Newton Abbott the next day. The OOs batted first. Prev and James marched to the crease again, both with a score to settle from the day before. They both got off the mark in the first over, and proceeded to put on a good opening partnership, Prev hitting his stride immediately and James easing into his as he began to feel more at home at the wicket. With the score on 60 after ten overs Prev was out caught. Rob Chapman replaced him for his first innings in several years. Sadly in the next over a calamitous yes/no/what/sorry situation saw Rob trudging back to the pavilion, having been run out without adding to his career run total and having achieved a score seemingly obligatory for OO batsmen returning to tour cricket after a few years’ absence. Derek Birmingham kept Hubbard company for a little while before he was out just as he was finding his touch, and shortly afterwards James fell for a fine 54. The remaining batsmen all chipped in a few to bring the OOs to 166 all out with an over left to go.

The bounce of the wicket was just as unpredictable as is usually the case at Newton Abbott, and the tourists were optimistic of defending the total, especially considering the number of young faces in the home team. Skipper Pete White manfully put himself in for another opening salvo, this time with Dave Colloff partnering him from the other end. Both bowled well, and DC soon became practically unplayable as he zeroed in on a good length with a bit of varied bounce and swing. Pete got the first wicket, but Colloff followed that with a spell of four wickets in three overs, all bowled. Rob Chapman took a turn from the tennis court end and looked like he’d never been away, taking a wicket in his second over courtesy of a catch by Rashalen Nayanah Rajh behind the stumps. With South Devon reeling on 39 for six, Steve Parsons (relieved of his umpiring coat for the day) was brought on with his arsenal of mystery balls to show that we were not just a bunch of seamers. He took a wicket in his first over. Kittoe (30) was batting well but couldn’t find anyone to stay with him, and the remaining wickets were shared between Gileses L and I, and finally Kittoe himself was out caught and bowled by the returning Colloff to give

him his five-for. The OOs won by 84 runs and we had time for a swift pint in the clubhouse before hurrying back for the annual tour dinner. This was masterfully compered by Paul Chapman, with Ray Michael taking on Brian Cantle’s usual role (as Brian and Penny were sadly not able to tour this year) and giving us the run-down of the week so far and distributing memorable novelty items to anyone deserving of some ribbing through their actions during the week. Much guffawing ensued.

And so to the last day, with everyone a little wistful that we wouldn’t be staying down in Devon for another week, but fairly shattered after getting through quite a bit during the week. Most of the tourists decided to leave for Teignmouth a little earlier than normal so we could have a mosey around the town, as it was a nice day and many hadn’t really been back there (apart from visiting the Ship for lunch) since the tour moved base to Torquay some years before. The whole place had changed remarkably little; it was still a cosy, pretty seaside village with good crab sandwiches.

Up at Kenn we were sad to hear that Pete Murfin wouldn’t be joining us that day, as he wasn’t feeling very well. Plenty of other familiar faces took the field against us though, as new opening partners Rob Chapman and Steve Parsons took guard. They put on 28 for the first wicket before Steve was run out valiantly aiming to increase the run-rate. Greg Giles was next in, but unfortunately got an absolute snorter of a ball that reared up and had him caught (off Pete Murfin’s grandson Jimmy). Rob had remembered by now what this batting lark was all about and was striking it handsomely, and Rash came in and carried on in exactly the same vein. He looked solid and played some gorgeous cover-drives before he was out for 37 with the score on 89. Rob carried on stroking fours until eventually falling for 62. Swaddy came in at number 6 and belted the ball all around the park and looked in fine fettle for his 58 runs, and Sage had a brief cameo at number 8, booming 29 runs in four overs to take the tourists to 224 for 8.

It was a formidable total, made all the more challenging by

accurate opening spells from Dave Colloff and Lance Giles, who both took a wicket to leave Kenn on 24 for two after ten overs. Greg Giles came on first change, but his off-spin took a little longer to return than his batting after his long

Sidmouth 151 all out (47.5 overs)

OOs 90 all out (31.4 overs)

Tues 12th August v Sandford (30 overs)

WON by 6 wickets

Sandford 154 al out (27 overs)

OOs 155 for 4 (28 overs)

Wed 13th August v Torquay (40 overs)

LOST by 24 runs

Torquay 195 all out (36 overs)

OOs 171 all out (37 overs)

lay-off, although he did take a wicket, possibly his first of the 21st century! Prev and Parsons both put in spells too, Stephen picking up one wicket LBW, and Rob and Rash also had a trundle and got a wicket apiece. Swaddy was once again the star turn, though, and the wily skipper finished with 3.4 overs 4 wickets for 18 runs. Kenn were all out with five overs remaining, and the OOs won by 72 runs.

Teignmouth Back Harbour from the Ship Inn

So that was it for another year. Given the weather forecast at the start of the week we were overjoyed to have got all five games in. Each player shone at some point during the week, and hearty back-slaps must go to the players who ended up playing every game, after a couple of lastminute dropouts from the tour party had reduced our player rotation options. Many thanks must go to our stoic umpires Stephen and Jasper, and to everyone who scored during the week, especially Janet Birmingham (who was another longlost tourist making a very welcome return after a number of years), and to Dave Colloff who took on the role of Tour Banker at short notice and did an excellent job. Thanks also to all the other tourists not mentioned already who helped make it such a fun and friendly week, namely; Linda Bolter, Sharon Nayanah Rajh (especially since we deprived her of her whole family practically every day), Ed Davey and Rosemary, Jackie Childe, Janet and Amanda Colloff, all the Hubbards - Clare, Carol, Malcolm, Rebecca and William, all the other Gileses - Pennie, Nina, Alexandra and Rhianjali, Geraldene and Bruce Taylor, and Jo Swadkin.

If any reader is interested in finding out more about the club, please drop me an email or have a look at our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/oldolavianscricketclub

Results

Mon 11th Augsut v Sidmouth (timed game)

LOST by 61 runs

Thurs 14th August v South Devon (40 overs) WON by 83 runs

OOs 166 all out (38 overs)

South Devon 83 all out (30 overs)

Fri 15th August v Kenn (40 overs) WON by 72 runs

OOs 224 for 8 (40 overs)

Kenn 152 all out (35 overs)

Lance Giles (1988-95) lancegiles@hotmail.com

OLD OLAVIANS’ ETON FIVES CLUB

Another very enjoyable and successful year for the Fives club!

The Saturday morning open club sessions saw a good number of players coming back into the game having recently left university, as well as enabling occasional visits from “seasoned” players such as Darrell Woods, Tom MacDonald and Dave Eames. One particular highlight of the Saturday Fives was the visit from Ray Toomey who was on a brief visit to Europe from Australia where he has lived for many years. Ray was a member of the 1970 Old Olavian team which won the Barber Cup for the first time. It was really fantastic to see Ray and he was invited back for lunch and a tour of the school later in the week by the Headmaster.

The school and Old Olavians continued their strong collaboration by competing in the league teams together, and by pairing up in both the Turnbull Trophy and the three-pair Richard Barber Cup. Both of these events were won by the Olavians! The Old Boys continued to dominate the sport at the highest level. Three of the four players

in the Men’s National Championships and the Northern Championships finals were Olavians. Matthew Wiseman, James Toop and Sebastian Cooley featured in most finals, whilst Sebastian won them all in partnership with his non-Olavian partner. Fantastic achievements! Seb won his fourth successive Men’s Open title, as well as the London, Northerns and Mixed with his sister and fellowOld Olavian, Charlotta! Charlotta also won the National Ladies Championships.

The most important team event in Fives is the three-pair knock-out - the Alan Barber Cup. Howard Wiseman, Pauli Markkanen, Matt Wiseman, Seb Cooley and Peter White secured the eleventh consecutive win for the Old Olavians. This was the fourteenth win in the past fifteen years, and the sixteenth Barber Cup victory in the club’s History.

NEW FIVES COURTS - PLEASE SUPPORT US!

The school, as well as the Old Boys’ club, are an enormous force in the sport of Fives. With well over 130 team players in the school alone and a combined fixture list between the old boys and school of some eighty fixtures, there is considerable need for more courts! As a result, there are now firm plans to build four more courts, doubling our facilities in the process! The Headmaster has led the drive to get this project under way and his vision to use the courts as a borough-wide facility for girls’ Fives has attracted the additional support of the Eton Fives Association who have already made a generous donation towards the project and who have promised to fund-raise in order to give further support. Howard Wiseman will be co-ordinating the Olavian side of the fund-raising and would be delighted to hear from any Old Olavians who would be interested in making a donation of any size. Fives is the oldest sport in the school, having been a part of Olavian life for over one hundred years! We are extremely successful at it and the boys and girls, both present and past, at the school wave the Olavian flag on a regular basis, all over the country!

If you would like to help, Howard can be contacted on: hwiseman@aol.com

Howard Wiseman (1980-87)

OLD OLAVIANS’ NEWS

OLAVIANS 1940-2013

John TIFFNEY, MBE (1953-57) wrote: I read the article by Robin Dadson with much interest - it jogged lots of memories as I was at STOGS from 1953 - 1957 and shared many if not all his reminisences. The Old Olavian who was a thespian was Roy Mould who changed his name to Roy Marsden when he went into the Theatre - he played Inspector Adam Dalgleish in the TV series. The other well-known Old Olavian musician is Martin Carthy who is a regular on the BBC Sing Country radio programme.

My earliest memory is in Form 1B with AE WIlliams teaching us Latin and italic handwriting, I believe. I still write in italic script.

I also remember the Everett brothers who were joint-School Captains and very good athletes. I was proud to play cricket, rugby and fives for the school, and I have no regrets about my school years - indeed I am proud to have been an Olavian, and delighted that the School is performing so well at national level.

I now live in Cirencester and am enjoying retirement in the Cotswolds, still actively involved in various local activities including U3A and Nadfas, the National Trust and the GWR heritage railway.

Alan J WRIGHT (1936-42), one of our most loyal and prolific contributors over many years, sent the following article quite early in 2013, but it went astray and only reached the editorial desk in January 2014.

The photo above shows the members of the Classical Sixth with Mr HO Newmarch and Mr AH Rogers in July 1941. Most of the members were made prefects. John Henry and Eric Bamsey went to London University; the others secured places, although not all went, at Oxbridge.

Eric Bamsey (born 1923) contracted poliomyelitis when serving in the Royal Navy in the Far East. He became an architect after the war. The polio had crippled him and left him in poor health. He died before his fiftieth year.

Peter Tyler (born 1925) was trained for wartime Japanese intelligence work in England. After the war he did not take up his place at Oxford, but continued his intelligence work at Cheltenham. His son became a Cambridge Rugby blue.

Roger Hendrie (born 1925) was School Captain in the Michaelmas tern, 1942. He had good reasoning powers and a remarkable memory. He joined the RAF; he studied and then he became an instructor military Japanese for the RAF at London University. After the war he returned to New College, Oxford. Sadly he ‘burned out’ before his finals, and died before he was fifty.

John Henry (born 1924) spent his life in educational administration. He became a Chief Education Officer, and gave a talk at one of the Old Olavian dinners.

Peter Horsley (born 1925) went to Cambridge after the war, but I have no news of him thereafter.

Raymond Fenn (born 1923) became the pilot of a two-man Mosquito plane. His navigator was killed flying with another pilot. This clearly affected Raymond deeply, and he died, aged about seventy, on holiday in Scotland. His funeral, and his memorial service in London, were taken by David Wright (see below).

Alan Wright (born 1925) joined the RAF, where he learnt military Japanese. He spent the rest of the war on field intelligence in India and Burma. He took part in the reoccupation of Hong Kong. After Oxford he became Solicitor for the Trades Union Conference, and thereafter became a High Court Master.

Norman Murray (born 1923) was School Captain 194142. He volunteered for the Royal Navy, but died of tetanus shortly after leaving school.

John Northam (born 1922) was School Captain 1940-41. After a year at Clare College, Cambridge, he was sent to Oxford to learn modern Greek, with a view to liaison with Greek partisans. He was a wartime Oxford Soccer blue. After the war he returned to Cambridge, read English, and became a don at Clare College. After some years he became a Professor in Australia.

Kenneth Leary (born 1922) went to Cambridge, but I have no news of him after he left university.

David Wright (born 1923) went up to Keble College for a year (1941-42): he then joined the RAF, was trained as a pilot, and became a flying instructor. After the war he finished his degree, and then taught at Aberdeen University for a couple of years. He then entered the Church, and spent most of his life as a Minister in Scotland. At the age of 89, he still takes some services.

At the end of September 2014 Alan Wright wrote again reminding the School that Monday 13th October would be the 75th anniversary of the School’s move to Torquay. The School had been moved to Uckfield under the Government scheme in early September 1939. There were no educational facilities in Uckfield so Dr Carrington decided to move to a site with better facilities: Torquay was chosen since it had a modern Grammar School.

A special train was obtained which took some three hundred boys and masters from Uckfield to Torquay via the Sussex coast, the north of Southampton and Exeter. Parts of the route have now gone.

We arrived in Torre station (a mile east of Torquay station) at about eight o’clock in the evening - it was raining heavily. A list of “billets” had been prepared and we were taken to our new homes by Torquay volunteers in their cars. Keith Hobbs and I were sent to a house in Babbacombe.

There cannot be many survivors of this trip - I am 89, and the youngest must be at least 82. Keith Hobbs died in 2001, and I went to his funeral. Some of those who were on that trip lost their lives in the War - I remember especially Fred Jackson whose plane was lost in the Atlantic; and Eric Barnsey whose life was shortened by sickness during war service. Many Olavians, including myself, joined up for war service from Devon recruiting centres.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Torquay Grammar School and Mr Harmer, their Head. They used the buildings from 9am until 1pm while StOGS used them before 1.20pm until 5pm, and on Saturday mornings.

IN MEMORIAM

Sydney R FENNING (1935-40) died on 5th February 1914 at the age of 89 after a long spell in hospital where he had been fighting pneumonia.

Barry LANGLEY (1956-63) died early in September 2013: we first heard this sad news from a friend. We have since heard from his wife, Pam Langley, who tells us that Barry thoroughly enjoyed his time at St Olave’s, and it was interesting to read the article about the Fifties (per Robin Dadson) - I had heard so much about Dr Carrington, whom Barry thought was always fair, although strict, especially when he (Barry) climbed up and put something unmentionable on the roof of the school, and then had to retrieve it before the whole school lost a day’s holiday. Barry was a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and Arbitrator and Expert Witness in building disputes. He also loved his cars and was an international rally driver in the seventies; and he loved his Jaguar as well as his 1931 Austin 7 which he took every year to the Revival at Goodwood.

In addition Barry was licensed as a Lay Reader in the Church of England in 1976 and was a committed member of the College of Readers, Forward in Faith, the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Society of Our Lady of Walsingham. He died in September 2013, having been diagnosed with lung cancer fifteen months earlier. Mrs Langley writes that she misses him very much, as she is sure will all his school friends.

John G LUCKING (1934-39) died on Boxing Day 2013. We are grateful to his son-in-law, Forbes Forrai, for sending the following tribute: It is with great sadness that we report the death of John Lucking at the age of exactly 90 years and 1 month. John attended St Olave’s until 1940. Unfortunately, we do not know much about his time at the

school, but he always had a soft spot for it and was very interested in the development of the school, reading the annual magazine thoroughly.

After school, John joined GRE as an insurance clerk. However, he was called up in September 1942 and assigned to the Royal Artillery in October of that year. He was attached to 152 battery of the 51st (London) Heavy AntiAircraft Regiment. He served as part of the 8th Army, first in North Africa and then in Italy. He also spent some time in Vienna, guarding the former Nazi HQ. He was awarded five medals: the 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, Defence Medal and War Medal

His release papers describe his military conduct as “exemplary” and the following testimony speaks volumes about John’s character: “This man is a keen and conscientious worker, who can be relied on to work well without constant supervision. He has had a wide experience of administration. He is loyal to his superiors, and is a good mixer. He is sober and honest, and is clean in habit and in appearance.”

He was de-mobbed in July 1947 and returned to the world of insurance with GRE. He stayed with GRE until he took early retirement in 1980. Latterly he worked at the company’s office in Gants Hill, taking the train from his home in Leigh-on-Sea to Barking and then walking (one of his favourite pastimes) the two to three miles each morning and evening to Gants Hill. He fondly remembers spending many lunchtimes enjoying the nearby Valentine’s Park.

In 1960, John met his future wife, Pat, at a dance. They married in 1961 and their first born, Andrew, arrived in December 1962. Sadly, Andrew died only three months later. Happily, two daughters, Angela and Fiona, arrived over the following two years. John felt immense love and pride for his growing family. He was a very keen photographer and thankfully recorded his family growing up.

On his retirement, John extended his interests in gardening, photography, music, especially the sounds of big bands, Radio 4, reading and recording daily events in his diaries, bird-watching, stamp-collecting, weather-recording, slide collections and now with a Cairn terrier called Roger in tow, long walks all over Leigh. Such was his love of walking that John was never happier than retracing his childhood haunts around south London. He was also able to travel to the USA, touring the east and west coasts.

After his daughters’ marriages, four grandchildren came into his life and John spent many an hour singing to his grandchildren, watching their TV programmes and simply being around to be called ‘granddad’.

With the turn of the millennium both John and Pat began to suffer increasing health problems and unfortunately by 2010 they decided to move to a nearby care home. They celebrated

their Golden Wedding Anniversary there. John’s health began to fail around Easter 2013 and he was confined to bed until his death on Boxing Day. However, he was always pleased to welcome you to his room and, being the gentleman he was, thanked you for coming. Right up to the end, he was a model patient, always polite. One incident at the hospital is a prime example: the ward sister told us that he thanked her for giving him an injection!

Although a quiet man, he was a true gentleman with values to be looked up to. He had a very wide variety of interests and was keen to share this knowledge.

Sadly his wife, Pat, died very recently at the end of June 2014. He is survived by his two daughters and four grandchildren.

Geoffrey Layton SCULLARD (1933-39) died on 15th March 2014. Jane Wells received the news from Geoff’s daughter, Helen, and she goes on to tell us that “he was in the diplomatic corps and served in many embassies as something to do with all the arranging of grand dinners and visits by royalty. He received an OBE. He came to a few Forties group lunches and OO reunions. A jolly nice chap and fun to sit next to as he had a wealth of anecdotes”.

Helen has written her own tribute, a condensation of the eulogy spoken at Geoff’s funeral in June: Geoff was born in Lambeth on 5 July 1922, the youngest of three children of William Scullard (a carpenter) and his wife Eleanor (née Tomkin), a nurse. He was proud to be a Cockney.

He attended Peckham Central School until 1935, when he won a junior county scholarship to St Olave’s Grammar School, where he studied until July 1939. Having been brought up during the depression, during which his family had suffered periods of unemployment, he needed to take up paid employment as soon as possible in order to contribute to the family finances, so he did not have the opportunity for 6th form or university education. Later in his career, he was working as the equal of colleagues whose first question was: ‘Oxford or Cambridge?’ The reply of, ‘A grammar school in Southwark’, was sometimes disconcerting.

After an initial job in a furniture shop, he joined the Foreign Office in December 1939, at the age of 17. He had applied to the Civil Service expecting to find himself behind a post office counter, but they recognised his talents and had other plans for him.

He was called up into the RAF Signals service in June 1942 until September 1946, serving in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia during the Second World War.

Before embarking on a troopship to Africa, he met his future wife, Cathie Pinington, at a dance in the Tower

Ballroom, Blackpool. She was working for the Civil Service Pensions Service, which had been evacuated from London to Blackpool. They agreed to write to each other as friends, but with no love letters.

They married during a short period of leave after the official end of the war, in August 1945. Their marriage was a long and very happy one, until Cathie’s death in 2003, at the age of 80. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1995 with an adventurous trip to Iceland.

Geoff re-joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1946, in which he had a long and distinguished career, with postings to Stockholm, Washington DC (twice) Baghdad, Los Angeles and Moscow, as well as four home postings. His specialism was as an administrative officer, but included working as an archivist, Commercial Consul and Head of Administration and Consul General in Moscow, then the same roles in Washington as his final overseas post. He was then head of the Accommodation and Services Department in London until his retirement from the FCO in August 1981. He was awarded the OBE in the New Year’s Honour list in 1971. As well as his foreign postings, he travelled widely on trade and inspection visits, during his periods of working in London.

His career involved a number of amazing experiences, including surviving the Baghdad revolution of 1957, when the British Embassy was burnt down by the rebels, being confirmed into the C of E in Baghdad by the Archbishop in Jerusalem (his childhood family had been Baptist), being awarded the freedom of the city of San Juan in Puerto Rico and being presented with a Pipe of Peace by the chief of an American Indian nation. He organised royal visits on three occasions, twice for HM The Queen and Prince Philip, and once for Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips; he treasured the signed photographs from each of them. He served in Moscow during the cold war of the 1970s, living in a bugged flat and supplied with a compulsory ‘maid’ who was actually a colonel in the KGB.

He had a long and active retirement, retaining links with the FCO and with the Old Olavians, attending several reunion events. He pursued his interests of fishing and golf, read avidly, enjoyed the theatre as well as classical and popular music and completed fiendishly difficult crossword puzzles. Life with Cathie was blissful until her long final illness, during which he cared for her devotedly.

Throughout his career and his life he was independentminded, holding strong opinions but always prepared to re-consider and listen to the views of others. He was scrupulously honest and truthful, a man of true integrity who never favoured friends or disfavoured opponents.

In 2006 his own health deteriorated and he chose to move

into a care home. He remained active and independent almost to the last, using his bus pass to visit Guildford, organising concerts for other residents, reading the lesson at church services and regaling visitors, staff and residents with stories of his career and experiences. He retained a keen interest in national and international current affairs, offering astute analysis and commentary on items in the news.

Shortly before his death at the age of 91, he said that he had been an incredibly lucky person, had had a marvellous life, and would not have changed a thing, with his only regret that Cathie had not survived longer. How many of us can say that?

James W SIMS (1957-64) – George Snelgrove had been a close friend of Jim Sims since schooldays and has sent us this tribute. Jim was raised in Herne Hill, South East London, a very convenient location for access to the then St Olave’s sports ground at Green Dale. He made the journey to school via train from North Dulwich to London Bridge where, like many others, he straightened his tie and donned his cap before making the dash along Tooley Street. Whilst at St Olave’s Jim excelled at and represented the school at cross-country running and swimming. He was also an aficionado of the pop music scene of the early 1960s and introduced many of his school contemporaries to the likes of Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Elvis Presley. In later years, he regularly attended the annual Old Olavians’ Society dinner.

Jim’s career was in hospital administration and he worked in the NHS for forty-one years. During this time, he was based in several major London hospitals and even managed to wangle a year’s secondment to the University Hospital of Chicago. In his early twenties, Jim married Judith and they had two children - James and Annette. On retiring from the NHS, Jim had more time to spend on his main hobbies – motor bikes and his love of driving. He got a part-time job delivering brand-new, expensive cars around Essex and found it incredibly funny that someone would actually pay him for doing it.

Privately, Jim was also an entertainer par excellence. He’d amuse family, friends and even unsuspecting pub customers with some incredible magic tricks. Part of his ‘act’ was to frequently get the tricks horribly wrong and then to fall about laughing at how apparently inept he was. He’d then perform the trick perfectly, amazing everyone. Jim was a great guy and a great mate who will be missed by a lot of people.

Muriel TAYLOR (née Hobbs) (St Saviour’s and St Olave’s Girls’ School - 1939-46) died in the spring of 2013. Alan J Wright has written with this sad news, and he tells us that, she was the sister of the late Keith Hobbs (1936-43).