SpokesmanKing Edward’s School Newsletter Spring 2015

KING EDWARD’S SCHOOL

B I R M I N G H A M

Inside...21 Oxbridge offers for 2015 p5

A perfect score wins Maths Challenge National Final

The winning Maths Challenge team

A team of four boys has jointly won the National Final of the Senior

Team Maths Challenge with a perfect score.

Over 1,000 school teams took part in the national competition and

80 went through to the National Finals, which were held at the Royal

Horticultural Halls in London on Tuesday, 3 February 2015.

The team of Harrison Green and Clement Chan in Year 13 and Jeremy

Ho and Vidy Reddy in Year 12 scored a perfect score of 176 points to

jointly win the competition with two other teams, from Harrow School

and Hampton School, who also achieved perfect scores.

Tim Cross, Maths Teacher and coach of the team, said: “To reach the

National Finals of this competition is a fantastic accomplishment. To go

on and win the competition by answering every question correctly is

incredible and I am very proud indeed of these four boys.”

John Claughton, Chief Master, said: “All four of these boys are exceptional mathematicians and they also love competing as a team. The School has had great success in these big national competitions at junior and senior level in recent years, but this is our first ever victory.

“We have a great mathematical tradition here and our most famous mathematician is Richard Borcherds, who won the Fields Medal, the mathematical equivalent of the Nobel Prize. These boys are the heir to that tradition and Harrison and Clement have recently received offers to study Maths at Oxford and Cambridge respectively. This success shows the great talent and potential there is in the boys of this School and this city.”

The Senior Team Maths Challenge is a national competition jointly organised by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust and the Further Maths Support Programme.

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AP100 Campaign edges closer to target

School news2

A brief word from...

The Chief MasterAt the moment, there is a girl in the School. She is called Maya Patel. But be not alarmed. This is not the first step on a slippery slope towards co-education. However, I do hope it will be the start of something.

Maya is a pupil at BD Somani School, an IB school in the very heart of downtown Mumbai. We first made contact with BD Somani School through Ashvir Sangha, Head of School in 2006/2007, and I spent some of half term there. Maya has had the bravery to come here for a month and I hope that will lead our boys to show similar good sense in the future by going to Mumbai, to study in the school but also to do work experience and to join in with their equivalent of PSG. At BD Somani School, that means, amongst other things, helping to educate street children.

You’ll see from this publication that there may just be more going on here than ever before, but we all know that there is an elsewhere that lies beyond the School and this link, and others, will be another way in which our boys get the chance to experience that elsewhere.

John Claughton Chief Master

Teachers enjoying a scientific demonstration

The Ogden Trust Primary Science Conference

The Ogden Trust attracted 80 primary school teachers to their Science Conference held at KES on Monday, 23 February 2015.

The day started in the PAC, with a short introduction by Mr Arbuthnott, Mr Fern, and Wendy Cox from The Ogden Trust. We were then divided into four groups and each group attended four workshops presented by Ogden Trust Teacher Fellows: ‘Exploration Days’, ‘Fabulous Friction’, ‘Taking the Physics Outside’ and ‘Implementing the New Primary Science Curriculum’.

Many of the teachers present were really inspired and there was a great buzz about how they were going to implement science teaching in their classrooms. The Ogden Trust provided some wonderful resources and equipment to take back to the schools so that additional science experimentation could be done.

I must thank everyone involved at KES for facilitating such a wonderful and professional event. I don’t think many schools would have been able to cope with 80 additional people on site without impacting any of the normal school day. All credit should go to Mr Arbuthnott and his team for organising such a superb event.

LCM

The AP100 Campaign is now three-quarters of the way to reaching its target of £10m to fund 100 Assisted Places by 2017.

The Campaign, which launched in June 2014, has already raised £7.5m as a result of the generosity of Old Edwardians, parents and other supporters. In December 2014 The King Edward’s School Birmingham Trust also granted further funds to increase the number of Assisted Places being funded to 75 across the School from September 2015.

To find out more and support the AP100 Campaign, visit: www.trust.kes.org.uk/ap100.

SML

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AP100 Campaign edges closer to target

School news 3

Commemorating our war dead

Allkins in the Birmingham Weekly Post, 20 March 1915

The New Year of 1915 came and the war that was supposed to have been ‘over by Christmas’ raged on.

In France stalemate prevailed. In an attempt

to break the deadlock the British launched an

attack on the Turks at Gallipoli and it was here

that two of our Old Boys lost their lives. Three

more Old Boys died on the Western Front as

the Allies attempted to break the stalemate

there too.

Sapper Arthur Adams of the Canadian

Engineers. Died of pneumonia aged 35 in

France in February 1915, having only joined

up five months prior. He is buried in the

Merville Communal Cemetery in France.

Lance Corporal Wilfred Allkins of the Royal

Marine Light Infantry. Died in Gallipoli, aged

25. Wilfred had two younger brothers at KES,

one of whom also joined up; Arthur Allkins

won the Military Cross and survived the war

albeit after being severely wounded. Wilfred is

commemorated on the Helles Memorial

in Turkey.

Charles Moore of the 3rd Worcestershire

Regiment. Killed in the attack on Spanbroek

Mill, aged 18. Charles had been a Foundation

Scholar, and being at the top of the School

had been taught personally by the Chief

Master; he was captain of the 2nd XV and

a Sergeant in the School’s Officer Training

Corps. He had only left KES in 1914. Both of

Charles’ brothers, Edward and Henry, were

Old Edwardians and both served in and

survived the war. Charles is buried in Kemmel

Chateau Cemetery in France.

Private Francis Richardson. Killed in a

gas attack at Ypres on 24 April 1915, aged

18. Francis had transferred to KES from

King Edward VI Five Ways School with an

impressive record of academic performance.

On leaving school in 1912 Francis had

emigrated to Canada and in September 1914

he enlisted as a Private with the Canadian

Infantry. Sadly, his body was never recovered

and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate.

Major Godfrey Barker of the Royal Marine

Light Infantry. Killed at Gallipoli, aged 32.

Godfrey had two brothers who fought in and survived the war. Godfrey’s older brother William was injured three times and won a Distinguished Service Order in 1916 and their father was a Lieutenant Colonel. Godfrey is commemorated on the Helles Memorial in Turkey.

By the end of 1915 the Allies had withdrawn completely from Gallipoli at a cost of 200,000 casualties, of whom eight were Old Edwardians. The stalemate on the Western Front also continued throughout the year with hundreds of thousands of allied troops being sent ‘over the top’ to their deaths. For KES, the summer term of 1915 saw a doubling of the number of Old Boys killed in the war.

Thanks again to Alison Wheatley, Foundation Archivist, without whom we could not compile these articles.

KMB

Barker in the KES 1st XV of 1900-1901 (sitting on chair, furthest left)

4 4

Every term the Development & OEA Office runs a careers networking evening in conjunction with the careers department at the School.

Over the last year we have held events for engineering, medical, financial and legal professions and over 100 pupils have enjoyed the chance to network with alumni and parents working in these industries.

We are keen to involve more parents in these events so if you would enjoy the opportunity to talk to current pupils about your profession contact Sue Dickens, OEA Events Manager, on tel: 0121 415 6050 or email: oldeds@kes.org.uk. The next event will be a medical networking evening on Thursday, 14 May 2015.

To find out more about our careers network and sign-up to give careers advice to current pupils, visit: www.oldeds.kes.org.uk/offer.

SML

KES Parents’ Association

KESPA hosted its annual Quiz Night in Big School on Friday 23 January under the new management of Quiz Master, Nick Plotnek.

Armed with laptop, projector and his very capable assistant, Jill Glass, Nick quizzed a full house on every possible subject. No rest for the wicked as the quiz continued throughout the meal break.

Having all the questions now displayed on the large screen helped even the most tested of eyes and ears! A fantastic evening was had by all and our thanks to Nick and Jill for all their hard work. Well done to the Bennett family and their team for winning.

The next KESPA event is our Annual Golf Day at Harborne Golf Club on Friday 15 May and on Sunday 21 June we have our Family Fun Barbecue. Everyone is welcome and great weather guaranteed!

For more information, email: kespa@kes.org.uk.

Amanda Georgevic Honorary Secretary

Safer Internet

Day 2015

On Tuesday 10 February, the School took part in Safer Internet Day 2015 with this year’s theme being ‘Let’s create a better internet together’. Almost 1,000 organisations across the UK participated and similar events were celebrated in over 100 countries.

In a time when mobile internet-enabled devices are ubiquitous both in our lives and those of the boys, it is vital that we are all equipped with the knowledge and skills to make the most of the incredible opportunities the internet and social media offer in a safe way.

Through PSE, tutor periods and assemblies during that week we acknowledged both the challenges and positive uses of the technologies in helping others less fortunate than us, and the creation of a positive personal digital footprint, particularly important when boys are moving into the world of work. eSafety continues to be incorporated into IT classes and PSE periods throughout the School.

RDH

Careers evenings – we need you!

Careers drinks reception in the Ruddock PAC

Quiz Master, Nick Plotnek

School news

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ESU Public Speaking Birmingham Final

Alex Pett, Toby Jowitt and Lokesh Jain have won through to the Regional Final of the ESU Public Speaking Competition against stiff opposition from KE Camp Hill Girls and Solihull School. This also means that KES take back the Birmingham Cup from Solihull School, having lost it two years ago to Small Heath.

It is worth pointing out that we were the only school whose second team, consisting of Aloysius Lip, Ben Cudworth and Joshua Markman Morris, was invited to take part in this Birmingham Final. This team was also very good indeed and I think the topic Aloysius handled, Islamic Extremism and Western Intervention, was very difficult, but he managed it credibly. He was ably supported by both Josh Markman Morris as questioner and Ben Cudworth in fine form in the chair.

The night, however, belonged to ‘KES B’: Alex, speaking maturely and fluently on the role of art, not to entertain, but to critique and debate, and the teamwork of Toby and Lokesh, enabling them to hit the right notes, and timings, as well as to widen the discussion through acute questioning and to summarise with acuity and perception. They will take part in the regional final in Birmingham on Saturday 14 March.

Toby Jowitt won ‘Best Chairman’, Alex Pett ‘Best Speech’ and Aloysius Lip ‘Outstanding Personality’. I couldn’t be more proud.

FMAThe winning team: (L-R) Alex Pett, Toby Jowitt and Lokesh Jain

Academic news

12 boys received offers from Oxford and nine from Cambridge across 12 different courses. This brings the total number of offers received by boys at the School over the last six years to 125.

“This is a generation of exceptional talent and these boys richly deserve this great success,” said John Claughton, the Chief Master.

“Oxford and Cambridge are world-class institutions and they attract the best talent from all round the world, so that it has never

Boys receive 21 Oxbridge offers

KES Parents’ Association

been harder to get an offer: for some courses there are a dozen applicants for every place. It could not be more competitive and gaining an offer requires not only ability and hard work, but real intellectual engagement. We are particularly pleased that the boys have won offers across such a breadth of subjects: half of the offers are in Maths and Science, half in humanities subjects and that says a lot about this place.”

6 6 Academic News

This year the team returned to the West Midlands Chemistry Quiz Competition as defending champions, with Bryan Chang and David Callear joining Si-Woo Kim and Habib Rahman.

After a lucky bye in round 1, KES was given a tough home draw against Wolverhampton Girls’ High School in round 2 but they emerged comfortable winners with all team members putting in strong performances.

The finals evening took place on Tuesday 3 March at the University of Birmingham and began with a quarter-final against KE Camp Hill Girls. The boys led from start to finish, thanks to their knowledge of old and new chemical names in particular. In the semi-final against King Edward’s Stratford, there was no nervous start, and almost impeccable rounds on random chemistry facts and colours saw our team through to the final in a replay of last year’s final against KE Camp Hill Boys.

In the end it was one step too far for our team, beaten not by the opposition but by some tricky problems that just cost them one too many marks in the early rounds. However this was a superb 2nd place performance to be proud of.

JPM

Chemistry Quiz 2015

On Saturday 17 January, the KES team of Richard Chapman, Daniel Yue, Raunak Jain and Joseph Mano from Fifths, Fourths and UMs took part in the regional final of the Top of the Bench (TOTB) competition 2015.

The TOTB competition is organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry and the regional final was held in the Chemistry Department at the University of Birmingham. The competition consisted of two challenges: a test to assess the team’s factual knowledge and a practical and problem-solving skills session where the ability to work as a team was essential.

It was a closely fought final and the KES team was unfortunate enough to finish 4th, narrowly missing out on the national final, and scoring just 1.5 marks behind the eventual winners, KE Camp Hill, who scored 105.

Despite the disappointment, the use of the undergraduate lab and the demonstrative lecture given by Dr Read on Chemistry and Energy has been an enriching experience for the boys and gave them a flavour of university life.

CSA

RSC Top of the Bench competition 2015

(L-R) Richard Chapman, Raunak Jain, Joseph Mano and Daniel Yue

7 Academic News

The British Science Festival, which celebrates all things scientific, visits a different city each year and this year was hosted by the University of Birmingham in September 2014.

Nine pupils in the Divisions took part in an activity-packed day. They joined in with thought-provoking lectures such as Using Maths to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, practicals such as ‘Diagnosis DNA’ and stimulating debates including ‘Steam to Nuclear Power’. The pupils also got to meet professionals who were interested in the latest research and were able to explore the numerous scientific careers on offer to them.

HAF

British Science Festival

Chemistry Quiz 2015

(L-R) Toby Wallis, Shiv Mandal, Joseph Ward (c) and Aroun Kalyana

Junior Schools’ Challenge 2015

On Wednesday 11 February, two Junior KES teams travelled to QMGS in Walsall for the regional round of the Junior Schools’ Challenge.

Our 2nd team of George Zhang (c), Andrew Fung, JP Stolberg and Rishit Harsh almost won their mini-league, being pipped at the post by one of the host school’s teams after a convincing win against the girls from KEHS. However, our 1st team of Joe Ward (c), Aroun Kalyana, Shiv Mandal and Toby Wallis were awesomely impressive and won through to the final, where they played our host’s 1st team.

KES got off to a ripping start and ran up a substantial lead that meant they were always ahead of the opposition, even when QMGS1 mounted a late rally. Cool heads prevailed and a final score of 760-590 is testimony to the boys’ knowledge and speed under considerable pressure and in front of a sizeable audience.

They now join our Senior team as Regional Champions and move on to an Inter-Regional round to be played next term and, hopefully, the National Finals thereafter.

CRB

The ESU Performing Shakespeare Competition is open to Removes and Upper Middles and involves pupils learning by heart a passage of Shakespeare.

Some pupils spent time exploring specific passages, and for many this was their first experience of learning drama by heart. It certainly created a greater appreciation for the challenges of acting! Boys competed in class heats and the winners from these were sent through to the School final.

We had a wonderful range of monologues and duologues in the final on Monday 2 March. The judges, Mrs Gillow and Mrs Atay, were especially impressed by the level of understanding the boys communicated and their thoughtful use of dramatic techniques. The boys’ ability to fully inhabit a character so different from themselves was nothing short of a revelation, and huge congratulations go out to all entrants.

The monologue winners were Dylan Poole for his speech as Macbeth and Shiv Mandal for his speech as Brutus from Julius Caesar. The duologue winners were Jacob Rowley and Oliver Hudson as Othello and Iago.

Every monologue and duologue was filmed to be entered into the ESU national competition. We look forward to hearing the results from them in the near future.

CLG

ESU Performing Shakespeare Competition 2015

8 8 Performing arts

CabaretThe early stages of Nazi Germany and

jazzy musical kick-lines are perhaps

an odd combination, but it was just

this sort of situation that had to

be dealt with in this year’s senior

production, Cabaret.

The musical tells the story of two couples,

the young and fun-loving Sally Bowles

and Cliff Bradshaw and the older Fräulein

Schneider and Herr Schultz, all set

against the backdrop of the Kit Kat Club

and its mysterious Emcee.

The production process was undoubtedly

an unusual experience! The balance

had to be struck throughout the process

of creating an entertaining musical, while

retaining the knowledge that the characters

were heading towards a horrific and moving

ending. From initial lectures from Mr Fern

and Mr Milton on life in Weimar and then

Nazi Germany to watching a cabaret-style

show while pondering the whereabouts of a

pineapple. So, Cabaret was odd but equally

it was exciting and, frankly, fun, not unlike

its Emcee.

We’re sure we speak for the whole cast when

we say that Cabaret was a lot more than just

three shows at the end of January 2015; it

was a chance to immerse yourself in a world

of creativity. As a debutant, Pratinav spent

the majority of his time confused as to

what exactly was going on (last-minute

rehearsals, spontaneous practices, and

Miss Proops’ insistence he use blusher

and foundation), but it was all part of what

has to be one of the most unforgettable

experiences we’ve had.

We’d like to thank Miss Proops, Mr

Bartlett and Mr Monks and would like to

congratulate the whole company on a

fantastic production.

Pratinav Sinha and Nikhil Handa

9 Performing arts

Musical masterclass

Choral and Orchestral Concerts

String players from King Edward’s School and King Edward VI High School for Girls have taken part in a musical masterclass with renowned musician and teacher, Krysia Osostowicz.

The young musicians enjoyed the opportunity to work with the distinguished musician and teacher in the masterclass in the Ruddock Hall on Wednesday, 14 January 2015.

Krysia Osostowicz enjoys a busy career as a chamber musician, soloist and teacher. In 1995, she founded the Dante String Quartet which is recognised as one of Britain’s finest ensembles. She currently teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and will be performing all of Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas over the UK in 2015.

Bromsgrove Artrix Concerts

Daniel Yue, Lauren Zhang (KEHS) and Conrad Yap were invited to perform as part of the Bromsgrove Concerts’ Young Musicians’ Showcase.

In a concert at Artrix, Bromsgrove on Sunday 8 February, they performed works by Liszt, Sarasate, and the Trio in D minor by Mendelssohn.

MDL

Krysia Osostowicz with Philip Edwards

The Choral and Orchestral Concerts took place with great finesse on Sunday 8 and Monday 9 March 2015.

In preparation for the Concerts, Choral Society and Symphony Orchestra spent a weekend working at the Pioneer Centre in Cleobury Mortimer. The Orchestra’s ambitious programme included Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, played by Arpan Sharma, and Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony.

MDL

Extra-curricular10 10

Great Balls of Fire!Those of you following the dramatic and chronologically diverse trajectory of the Living History Group will recall that we like chucking stuff.

This year we will be hurling fireballs at a wooden castle at Bolsover, shooting cabbages at a stone one at Kenilworth and firing our new field gun at Tatton and the Tower of London. The big challenge will be the fireball which has already encouraged much experimentation with chain, wire, snap shackles and cod line, as well as a variety of highly inflammable liquids.

Such potentially dangerous activity requires detailed planning and preparation. As part of our preparation for the new season a dozen of us will be undertaking a first aid course focusing on impalement, gunshot wounds, horse trampling and the thousand natural shocks that re-enactment flesh is heir to but which I hope we will not have to experience.

For those of you with the time and inclination you can find a list of the events we will be at in 2015 at: www.kes.org.uk/living-history-events. If you make your way to one of our events please come and have a chat with the boys and girls, it will be a pleasure to see you.

JPD

The Living History Group using the world’s largest trebuchet

Boom, bang-a-bang

Although the title of this piece sounds like the chorus of one of the UK’s least successful contributions to the Eurovision Song Contest in the 1970s, it is in fact a fair description of the Living History Group’s latest contribution to re-enactment and school life generally.

After years of forswearing black powder weapons we have finally succumbed to the appeal of flame and noise, an enthusiasm that the public seem to share. We now have acquired, through legal but never straightforward means, two cannons and a hand cannon. The first and rarest is a cast bronze example of the Loshult gun, the earliest discovered western weapon, the second is a bronze copy of the Tannenberg hand cannon of the late 14th century and the latest acquisition is a wrought iron gun from the late 15th century or early 16th.

A dozen members of the Group have been trained as gunners under the expert tutelage of the senior gunner of the American Civil War Society and with due care and attention we should be providing loud noises and loathsome smells for the indefinite future. Our thanks must go to the staff of the Design department, both past and present, who have helped greatly in the commissioning and making of our rather disparate battery.

JPD

The Living History Group and their cannons

Extra-curricular 11

Boys have been learning about baking from 2012 Great British Bake Off finalist, Brendan Lynch.

The talk by Brendan, organised by Shiv Sarna and Chris Dillon of the School’s newly formed Cookery Society, was attended by over 20 pupils on Tuesday, 3 March 2015. Brendan talked about his experiences on the popular BBC cookery show, the different ingredients that he uses and the problems with modern hybridised wheat, and where his passion for baking began.

Brendan, who is a self-taught baker and runs baking sessions in retirement homes and the local community, said: “I really want to encourage this particular age group, if I can, because I believe it’s such an essential skill to have. We must go back to cooking and baking and stop outsourcing our health to the corporates. So let’s get back into the kitchen and start talking, and tasting and enjoying again!”

‘Bake Off ’ Brendan talks to boys about baking

(L-R) Dr Fennell, Shiv Sarna, Brendan Lynch and Chris Dillon Geography SocietyAfter the Geography Society’s success under the prestigious Rohit Bansal, fellow geography enthusiast Yusuf Khan-Cheema and myself have inherited management of the Society.

After a general geography quiz at the beginning of the year, we decided to shift the focus of the Society from human geography to the physical side of the discipline. Yusuf and I presented a talk on desert processes, landforms, wildlife and the challenges that living in desert environments pose to humans.

The largest turnout for GeogSoc was the joint venture with Parliamentary Society in which Rohit gave an outstanding, well-researched presentation on the electoral geography of the upcoming general election. He revealed the unpredictability of the election outcome due to the rise of smaller parties and the challenges posed by the first-past-the-post voting system.

This was a fitting end to Rohit’s time as a stalwart of the Society and he can be credited with its reinvigoration over the past three years. With further events being organised, including talks by younger students, Yusuf and I hope to continue the Society’s success in the summer term and beyond.

Ethan Dockery

The Shells increased in number by 10 this term, all very cute but noisy new members of the year.

The chicks arrived as eggs as part of the ‘One Cell to Puberty’ topic and were incubated at 37 degrees Celsius. It was a very successful incubation with all 10 eggs hatching within three to five days of arrival at the School. It was a broadcasted affair with a live webcam so that pupils and teachers could watch from home. You never know, it could inspire a new TV series! The science classes named, monitored, fed and weighed the birds, learning about their life cycle.

The chicks were rehomed at the end of a two-week period and are currently still being kept in a warm indoor area until they grow all their feathers and can be let outside.

HAF

Chicks

12 12 Trips

Love’s Labour’s Won In February, the Removes went to see Love’s Labour’s Won, an Edwardian retelling of the Shakespearean comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

Many Removes classes have been studying the play and were able to develop their understanding through workshops. Our workshop leader and RSC voice coach, Michael, carefully constructed activities to teach us an important strategy, approach or technique about acting. After looking at excerpts from the play, we analysed them and then acted a small piece out. Our group was also able to get a special viewing of the theatre and it was fascinating to see the backstage of the RSC, while Michael talked us through the technical side of the production.

The production itself was exquisite. I took particular note to a few characters; Beatrice and Benedick, played with a noticeable sense of originality, but seemingly taking inspiration from the David Tennant and Catherine Tate version, and also the management of Dogberry scene. Overall it was a memorable experience, with great actors and workshops creating a timeless piece of work in a slightly different and unique showing.

Suchir Salhan

RAF Brize Norton The main aim of the visit on Tuesday 20 January was to allow pupils to experience first-hand a busy RAF flying station and provide them with the unique opportunity to see what some of the jobs in the RAF entail.

They met the service men and women at work including engineers, medical staff, security, police, intelligence and logistics. Highlights included exploring one of the RAF planes, a police dog demonstration, and seeing the accommodation and gym facilities and realising how well you get looked after within the RAF. A true eye-opener.

HAF

We arrived at the Arvon centre, the former home of playwright John Osborne, on Monday 9 February to spend four days working closely with renowned authors to improve our own writing.

In the evening we met Melvin Burgess and Jamila Gavin, the writers who would be stopping with us for the week. Mornings took the form of a guided workshop from the authors about a variety of writing techniques including character development, plot analysis and description within stories. Afternoons were much freer and we spent a lot of time writing on our own with occasional interludes of board games, raucous hide-and-seek, and walks. We also had a one-to-one

tutorial on our writing with each of the famous writers, which was a terrific opportunity to get detailed and personalised feedback.

Dinner was an entirely different affair; a group of us would make a two-course meal from recipes left by the cook. This was a slightly hectic but incredibly enjoyable activity and despite a few hiccups we didn’t manage to poison anyone! We rounded up the week with a reading from something we’d written during the stay. Overall the trip was wonderful and a really good experience, especially being able to spend time with such amazing and prolific authors.

Miles Marko-Bennett

Writing at Arvon

13 Trips

Welcome to Birmingham!

For the sixth year running, King Edward’s School welcomed a group of German pupils from St. Ursula Gymnasium in Dorsten, North-West Germany, as part of the UM German exchange programme.

The boys and girls stayed with their exchange partners’ families and were eager to try out their English language skills. Apart from spending time with the families in Birmingham, the German group went on some interesting excursions to explore Birmingham and the surrounding area. The KES boys joined them on their trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare’s Birthplace was the main interest for the German group. On the last evening, we took our visitors to an Indian restaurant, for most of them their first ever taste of Indian food! A goodbye party was the perfect finish to this first part of the exchange.

The Germans loved their visit and were impressed by KES, especially the facilities at the School, and the hospitality of their host families. They are now looking forward to welcoming the UM German boys at the end of April, when we will be travelling to Dorsten for the second leg of this exchange.

JH

During February half term 25 economists in the Divisions visited Frankfurt, which was a great opportunity to see first-hand how and why Germany’s economy is doing so well.

The trip started with a look at some of Germany’s more troubling and disturbing times with a walking tour around Frankfurt. We were shown reminders of the Second World War, which was incredibly humbling and put into perspective how Frankfurt, a European financial centre from the time of Charlemagne, has adapted to its varied history. We really got into the economics as we visited Deutsche Bank and the Frankfurt School of Economics. We learnt one of the possible reasons for Germany’s success is that it has employed a coordinated economy (in the UK we have a liberal market leading to a more volatile business cycle). The highlight for many was a production of Ghost the musical later that evening.

On our final full day we were given a stadium and museum tour of Bundesliga’s Eintracht Frankfurt Football Club. The stadium was immense and chanting the School song from the top of the stands is something we’ll never forget. We then visited the Boerse (stock exchange) where we received a presentation about Germany’s stock market and how Frankfurt is the financial capital of the Eurozone. Later, we viewed the trading floor and marvelled at the stockbrokers working.

We’d like to thank Mr Coverdale, Mr Mason and Mr Wareing for taking us on such a memorable trip.

Kieret Dhaliwal and Kush Sinha

Frankfurt

German visitors in Birmingham

14 14 Sport

Alex Bartley: Warwickshire U15 County Development Squad

Alex Bartley (Fourths) has been selected for the Warwickshire RFU U15 Development Squad. Alex is already part of the Worcester Warriors Development Player Pathway and has retained his Greater Birmingham honours.

The U16 team walked away from Walsall Gala Baths on Saturday 7 March feeling proud of their result after performing well in the English Schools’ Swimming Association (ESSA) Water Polo Championship finals.

We qualified first in our group, conceding only three goals against Haberdashers’ Aske’s and Manchester Grammar School, mainly due to consistent displays of talent from George Davies (in defence) and Gus Iliff (goalkeeper).

We began the play-offs facing Bolton School. An early goal for KES and a 1-0 lead filled the team with confidence, but perhaps too much, as the depth in Bolton’s team and their fast-paced play allowed them to overtake us. A final score of Bolton 12-1 KES didn’t leave us too disheartened as Bolton then went on to win the tournament.

Our last match was against Haberdashers’, competing for 3rd place. As before, we won comfortably with a final score of 7-4 and were content to leave with our bronze medals. The team is very grateful to coaches Hayley Bettinson and Phil Powell and to all those who came to the tournament to support us.

Matt Madden

ESSA U16 Water Polo Championships

Pupil selected for UK Sailing Squad Tom Fenemore (Divisions) has been selected for the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) UK Laser Radial Transition Training Squad 2014/15.

Tom’s selection for the Squad comes as a result of his performance and commitment to a programme of training and competition over several years and recognises his potential to progress within the British Sailing Team.

Tom will be competing at the Youth European Championships in Viana do Castelo, Portugal this summer and is hoping to compete in the Youth World Championships in Kingston, Canada subject to finding a sponsor. As a talented athlete and UK Squad sailor, Tom can hopefully go on to represent Great Britain at major international events in the forthcoming years.

Tom rigging his boat at Stokes Bay Sailing Club

15 Sport

U16 North Midlands rugbyOn Wednesday 4 March, the U16A XV won the North Midlands Plate Final at Bromsgrove Rugby Club defeating Dyson Perrins CofE Academy 19-8.

KES reached the final by beating KE Camp Hill Boys in a thrilling match thanks to a try by Alex Gissen with the last play of the game. Simran Dhanda opened the scoring with a try in the corner which was followed by further tries by Johnny Day and team captain Josh Dowdeswell, both converted by Nathan Heath.

CAPJ

ESSA U18 Water Polo Championships

Our quest to the National Finals began with solid victories against the likes of Manchester Grammar School and Warwick. In the second round we came top in the group, securing our place in the National Finals.

Our first game was against last year’s winners, Bolton. Despite goals coming from our main pitman, Patrick Charles, it was not enough to beat them. The following game, against Dulwich, was a must win if we wanted to make it to the semi-finals. Thankfully our desire was reflected in the result with a comfortable 6-0 victory. The semi-final against Haberdashers’ Aske’s School would have ended in an earlier than desired exit from the tournament had it not been for the last-minute goals from George Davies and Matt Madden. At the end of normal time, the score was level at 4-4, and so penalties decided who would have a place in the final, which we won 9-8 overall.

The final was against Bolton and perhaps a lack of confidence due to the earlier result halted our ability to prove our progression as a team, much to the frustration of coach Phil Powell, and the game finished as a 10-1 defeat. All in all, a heroic performance from all the boys and the honour of 2nd in the country to further add to the high success of KES water polo.

George Sadler

Badminton teams through to National ChampionshipsThe U14 and U16 badminton teams have qualified for the regional stage of the Center Parcs National Schools Badminton Championships.

On Thursday 5 February, both teams played at the Birmingham School Games and won all five of their matches with perfect scores. Their impressive victories mean they will now play in the National Championships in March.

The U14 team: Rohan Thawait, Yifei Chen, Hasan Rahman, Ibraheem Malik and Mingke Peng. The U16 team: Joshlee Bong, Simran Dhanda, Gabriel Yoong, Justin Hsu and Jordan Chan.

U14 badminton team

U16 badminton team

Sport

King Edward’s School, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham B15 2UA Tel: 0121 472 1672 Fax: 0121 415 4327 Email: office@kes.org.uk

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A special thanks to Chris Boardman whose photographs appear throughout this edition.

National Squash ChampionshipsThe National Schools Squash Championships are played over two terms. In the autumn term the U15 team were runners-up in their pool so qualified for the Championship knock-out rounds.

We travelled to Manchester Grammar School, whom we have met in previous years and usually provide strong opposition. The team of Declan Bradley, Tom Corbett, Ben O’Hara, Oscar Jobes and Ed James did well to lose by 3 ties to 2 (13 games to 8) and many of those games were close. It is also encouraging that four of the five players will be eligible for the same age group next year.

The U19 team came fourth in their pool so qualified for the Trophy knock-out and travelled to Bedford School. It was another defeat but Sam Shah fought well to win his tie and Charlie Roberts took his match to five games before losing. Again four of the five team members will be able to compete next year. The U19s also played Bromsgrove in March, losing 3-2 after defeating them earlier in the season.

The recreational players on a Wednesday afternoon are due to take part in a competition at the Priory Club after Spokesman went to press.

TM

Independent Schools Judo CompetitionPatrick Maughan has won the silver medal at the Independent Schools Judo Competition in the 65kg weight category.

Patrick beat a GB Squad member in the quarter-final and went on to win against the Scottish number one in the semi-final before losing in the final against the current GB title holder in the same category.

CAPJPatrick Maughan (second from left)

KING EDWARD’S SCHOOL

B I R M I N G H A M

U16 hockey team through to National Finals

The U16 hockey team has qualified for the National Finals, which will be held at the Olympic Legacy site in Stratford on 22 and 23 April.

After becoming County Champions in January, the U16 team progressed to the Midland Hockey Finals where the team kept a clean sheet through the group matches against Bishop Vesey (3-0), Uppingham (4-0) and Oakham (2-0). In the semi-final, the team went on to beat last year’s national champions Trent College (1-0) with their only loss against Repton College in the final (5-1).

The U13 and U14 teams also did well to reach the Midland Hockey Finals but just missed out on qualifying for the National Finals.

MEJ