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Principal’s

11 18 NEWSLETTER

October 2023 Edition 14

Year 10 Iceland Trip

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Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

A word from the Principal

Welcome Back We were delighted to welcome students back to school on 5 September. As usual, the term got underway with assemblies, with Senior School students hearing from student Head of School, Florence, as well as a welcome address from our Head, Mr Ward. Mr Ward welcomed new pupils, including those joining us in Year 7-10, as well as new staff. It was brilliant to see so many students in the Sports Hall, as our school continues to grow, with record numbers in Years 9 and in the sixth form.

Richard Girvan

I was glad to hear all those presenting at assemblies, including both colleagues and students themselves, speak with such enthusiasm at the start of the year about the return to school. I also felt their advice to new students was exactly right: this included encouragement to engage wholeheartedly in school life, exhortation to make the most of all of the opportunities on offer this term, exemplification of the values and standards we hold dear within our community, and a reminder of all of the support available from teachers and fellow students. It has been brilliant to see students settling into school in the first few weeks of term - to hear the music emanating from the M Block (which has been refurbished over the summer), as well as seeing students in action during various induction days and team activities. This year, I have really enjoyed teaching my two Year 8 Computer Science Classes - I have been hugely impressed by our students’ engagement and industry in the classroom. Finally, it has been great to see students enjoying the newly refurbished library space which has been re-designed with the help of our brilliant senior school librarian, Mr Riaz.

@SPFschools

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October 2023 Edition 14

University Destinations

Public Exam Outcomes Public examination outcomes were published for IB students shortly before the end of term and for A level and GCSE students over the last three weeks. After a huge amount of work by colleagues at the Senior School and Sixth Form over the summer term to prepare students for public exams, students have now received their grades for IB, A level and GCSE for 2023. The outcomes were really pleasing and very strong indeed. At GCSE 27% of all grades were the top grade of 9, 50% grade 8 or 9, and 71% grade 7, 8 or 9. Five students obtained grade 9 in all of their subjects and 16 students achieved a grade 9 in eight or more subjects. At A level, 22% of grades were at A* (or IB Grade 7), 58% A*-A (IB Grade 7-6) and 77% A*-B (IB Grade 7, 6, 5). Most importantly the overwhelming majority of our students were accepted by their first choice or insurance choice university and the rest were either placed through clearing, accepted an overseas university place or have decided to reapply in the next cycle. As ever, our exams and careers guidance teams have been there to support our students in considering and progressing their options following receipt of their results. We congratulate all of our students who have worked incredibly hard over the last two years to complete their A level, IB and GCSE courses. Examination outcomes are, of course, important, though they tell only a very small part of the story of our students, who have learned a great deal more from their time in school than the publicly assessed curriculum. In particular, the outgoing Year 13 will be remembered for their immense contribution to school life and their engagement and achievement across a broad range of activities, from music, art and design, to sport and Model UN, among many others. They will also be the last cohort of IB students at Stephen Perse, as from this year onwards all students will be studying for A levels.

Students from the Stephen Perse Sixth Form will be taking up places at some of the UK’s highest ranked universities this year, including Cambridge and Oxford Universities, University College London, Imperial, LSE, Durham, Edinburgh, King’s College London, Bath Bristol, Leeds and York. Four students met offers for places on medicine courses, alongside veterinarian and dental applications. In addition, students have also gained places at universities in the US and Canada, Hong Kong and Amsterdam. One Year 13 student, Catherine, accepted a Level 6 degree apprenticeship with Mott MacDonald in Civil Engineering. Based in the Water Consultancy division she will be focusing on water and the environment over a six year period, 80% of the time at Mott MacDonald Cambridge and 20% in the University setting. The award comes with a full time salary, university fees paid, a full BSc Hons degree at the end, work experience and a guaranteed placement with the company on completion. We are delighted for Catherine and recognise that for many of our students in the future, the degree apprenticeship route will offer a very attractive choice for post-18 study. We are immensely proud of all of our students and particularly proud of the broad range of courses and universities they have decided to pursue.

Sixth Form Open Evening 12 October On the 12 October we welcomed families to our Sixth Form Open Evening to view our recently refurbished sixth form accommodation. It was a fabulous evening and included presentations from staff, and offered the opportunity to ask students and staff questions. If you were not able to attend please contact our admissions team to organise a tour of our Sixth Form.

Richard Girvan Principal

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Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

India Trip 2023

Rama Foundation by Year 10 student Yush

In the past, in most summer holidays, I have travelled to India to volunteer for Rama Foundation, a UK charity, based in Cambridge. During our charitable trip in India this year, we were based in the state of Uttarakhand, and mainly working in the city of Rishikesh. Rama Foundation’s aim is to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds, both in terms of educational and medical help, mainly in India. I worked alongside my parents and a team of volunteers from Addenbrookes Hospital, who came here to work with local partners to improve the health of patients. Our visit started by visiting Ganga Prem Hospice, one of Rama Foundation’s partners, based in Raiwala, near Rishikesh, who provide care for terminally ill cancer patients from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Our volunteers were shown around the hospice, meeting some of the in-patients and visiting patients at home too. We worked very closely with Ganga Prem Hospice during our trip. I had the role of capturing photos and videos of the action being done, which was a great experience. As I looked at the patients and the state in which they were in, I felt very sad for them and at the same time, I felt grateful for the great quality of life I live in and the opportunity to help them. We also visited the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT), based in Dehradun, another city in Uttarakhand. This organisation is another partner of Rama Foundation, and their mission is to create better ways of providing healthcare and rural development in India for unserved members of society. Interestingly, our volunteers and I were toured around the site, and I found it intriguing to note how the labs were being used in a way to improve people’s health. Our volunteers tried to see a way of linking our charity with this organisation, to help it improve.

@SPFschools

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A long-standing partner of Rama Foundation is Divya Prem Sewa Mission (DPSM) School, based in the Chilla area of Haridwar. DPSM’s mission is to provide education to the unserved children of India, from poor backgrounds. These children are often left by their parents and unaware about their family. At the Stephen Perse I am very lucky to have all the resources I need, whereas in DPSM, students have very few resources. As we always do, we like to donate chocolates to the students, as a special treat for them. And this year, Stephen Perse kindly donated iPads and I had planned to hand these to the students myself so that they can access education to help their education. Unfortunately, I could not donate them myself as we were faced by an issue. To travel to the school, you must cross the River Ganga but because of the monsoon rains, the river was flowing quite rapidly and the car which I was got stuck in the middle of the river. Just before the car filled up with water up to my knees, I safely got out and rescued the iPads and the chocolates and handed them over to representatives of DPSM who came to collect them as we couldn’t travel any further. Despite this daunting experience, I felt very happy for the children as the donations of chocolates and iPads reached the school undamaged. I felt proud of myself, that I could overcome a challenging obstacle, to spread happiness among the children of the school.

“We worked very closely with Ganga Prem Hospice during our trip. I had the role of capturing photos and videos of the action being done, which was a great experience."

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Students of DPSM thankful to receive the donated iPads from Stephen Perse.

Volunteers of Rama Foundation at Ganga Prem Hospice and visiting patients at home.

Rama Foundation volunteers visiting HIHT labs and wards.

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Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

Latest News

Clubs and Activities Fair

Year 8 Classics Day

Clubs and Activities Fair for 11-18 was held on Friday, 8 September- there was a great atmosphere with students heading to different stalls to find out what they can get involved in at school outside of lesson time.

On Monday19 June, we had a Classics Day, where there were a variety of fun and interesting activities organised by the wonderful people from Latin Now.

by Matilda S

My favourite event was a lecture about the Roman mosaic and villa found underneath a field in Rutland. I personally found this very interesting, and was intrigued to find out more about it. I also enjoyed learning about Old Roman Cursive, the handwriting used in Rome rather than the Latin you normally see inscribed on monuments and similar things. We looked at the Roman military, and Curse Tablets, writing in Old Roman Cursive as we did so. We also used various online tools to compete in a fun quiz, and looked at archaeological finds, talking about where they came from and what they may have been used for. We were also allowed to use realistic replicas of the writing tools that were used by the Romans, such as wax tablets and papyrus. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire day, and it was an amazing learning experience for the entirety of Year 8.

@SPFschools

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October 2023 Edition 14

John Loake Global Essay Competition Finals by Daisy T In September, I went to Oxford for the John Locke Global Essay Competition Finals after being shortlisted from 19,000 candidates in my category. I competed in the Philosophy category answering the question ‘In what sense are you the same person today that you were when you were 10?’

Year 8 Built Environment Project In Art lessons Year 8 students have been working on their Built Environment Project, looking at buildings in the city centre, and then creating acrylic paintings.

The finals weekend consisted of lectures and seminars from academics from both Oxford and Cambridge Universities as well as lunches with the chairman of examiners at Oxford University. The pinnacle of the weekend was the awards ceremony which was held at the Sheldonian Theatre followed by a gala dinner at the Ashmolean Museum. Within the awards ceremony we were given a speech by Pano Kanelos who is the founder of The University of Austin in Texas, which is set for its first academic year in September 2024; in his speech Palo explained his view on ‘what is an essay and what makes up one?’ I was awarded a commendation for my essay and was very grateful for the experience.

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Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

Library Update National Poetry Day One of the ways in which we kick off the Autumn Term here at the Senior School is by marking National Poetry Day with the invitation of a prized poet! This year, however, we were incredibly lucky to be visited by two prized poets in the form of Mark Grist and Lewis Buxton who visited us on consecutive days and worked with students from Year 7 across to Year 8. Visiting the Senior School for the very first time on a sunny Wednesday morning, our Year 8 students were enraptured by Mark’s unique style of poetry in the form of a ‘rap-battle’! Students were intrigued to hear of Mark’s experience of performing ‘rap-battles’ across the world, and they listened attentively to Mark’s amusing poem of the ‘what ifs’ from concocting potions comprised of vinegar, bleach, and shampoo, all in the style of a young teenage boy, which was warmly appreciated by the students and staff alike. Upon reflection, students felt Mark’s performance encouraged them to be more ‘expressive’ in their style of poetry composition and overall, they found Mark’s style of engagement as being refreshingly ‘interactable’ in the way he interspersed the performance of his work with the opportunity of students being able to ask questions. Overall, our Year 8 students were confident in concluding that Mark’s visit to the Senior School was a resounding success with the students reflecting that Mark’s performance encouraged them to be more ‘expressive’ in their style of poetry composition. Over the course of an equally sunny Thursday, the Senior School continued its National Poetry Day celebrations with a successful second visit by Lewis Buxton who spent an entire day infusing all students across Year 7 with the magical gift of poetry!

Lewis Buxton

@SPFschools

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October 2023 Edition 14

The Year 7s were enraptured by Lewis’ contemporary style of performance poetry which energised all students and staff alike and made them feel positive and engaged throughout the day as Lewis led them through a series of ‘Masterclass Workshops’ specially designed to give students an insightful opportunity in how to construct poems that can be ‘imaginatively innovative’ in style and form. Ms Edmunds, our Head of Year 9, felt that Lewis’ workshops were of a ‘Good level of energy [with] realistic goals and tasks for the time available. The students produced some outstanding work during their session with Lewis and many came away feeling really boosted by the experience, as well as the chance to use poetry to explore their emotions.’ In addition to this, Lewis’ performance poetry at the beginning of the day was rapturously received with applause and praise from our Year 7s who felt motivated that Lewis had actively connected with them in ‘a funny and engaging way’ through a series of poems that Lewis recited, in addition to fielding a range of questions thrown from our lively group of Year 7s on a whole host of topics from stretching from lyrical technique and musicality found in the songs of Taylor Swift to broad thoughts and reflections on why kindness and empathy should be more valued, and why the power of poetry can be inspiring yet powerful in the conjuring of emotions that we can extract ourselves from through the ignition of the imagination of the mind via the simple movement of a pen. Mr Fradley, our Teacher of Physics, felt that Lewis’ performance and overall contribution towards the day of the Senior School life from the unique perspective of a Year 7 student had helped to engineer a session that was ‘Highly engaging. It takes quite a skill to hold all of the Year 7s captive for a full hour. Really enjoyed his thoughtful and entertaining poetry and his engaging Q+A session.’ Whereas our Head of English, Ms Kedie, felt strongly that ‘His visit reinforces our belief that getting Lewis to work with the younger ones is the way forward so we can, as teachers, keep throwing poetry their way and hoping they will be more receptive to it as a result of Lewis' visit.’

Mark Grist

To cap off, this has been a remarkable week for the Senior School in celebrating National Poetry Day! We have not only felt lucky to have hosted both Mark Grist and Lewis Buxton, but have come away knowing that our students have felt incredibly enriched by what the magic poetry has to offer, and what it can achieve in stoking the imaginative mind, thus freeing it from the shackles of conventional forms of literary style, and yet nourishing it enough to activate the literary imagination of our students across Year 7 and Year 8 and showing them what they can produce through the most traditional though transformative ways of thinking with the power of the pen, and some paper, and some really cool and expressive forms of Poetry!

We have not only felt lucky to have hosted both Mark Grist and Lewis Buxton, but have come away knowing that our students have felt incredibly enriched by what the magic poetry has to offer. stephenperse.com

Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

Modern Languages Department Update

Kate in Paris! An inspiring Modern Languages Assembly To celebrate European Day of Languages, Mme Parente invited a former student, Kate McMullen to return and share her experiences of how French helped her in shaping her career beyond school. Kate is an alumna of Perse School for Girls, she grew up in Cambridge. Graduated from Oxford with a First in History, she became Creative Director in Shanghai and Paris for an advertising company, before turning full-time to filmmaking. She is an award-winner (Young Director Award 2022, New York Film Festival 2021) for short films such as Little Berlin, Welcome to Malta, Comme Les Roses, Nail House to name a few. Visit her website: https://ksmcmullen.com Students and staff were spellbound by her engaging talk, sharing how by an extraordinary turn of events, having the ability to communicate in French enabled her to get into the world of advertising in Paris through an internship which then led to a promotion. This then led to work in Shanghai as well as South Africa.

@SPFschools

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Sharing emojis and short video clips, she detailed her career and opened all our minds. Her key message for a future career path was to not expect a straight line but rather embrace the squiggle. There was certainly no straight, conventional line for her. Her career developed in many different, extraordinary ways and from happy circumstances to having a broad skill set, including flexibility, adaptability and creativity, she was able to succeed. Kate shared a memory from learning French with Mme Parente who said to the class: “Les filles! Il faut pratiquer, pratiquer, pratiquer. Parler, parler, parler!” This stood Kate in good stead for developing her language skills and was a clear message to students across Years 7 to 13 - the daily drilling of revising vocabulary, reciting verb conjugations and sentence building does indeed pay off and has a far-reaching purpose beyond school and exams. Kate also made a very close connection with the culinary aspects of France as well and gave a big plug for French cheese! We thank Kate McMullen for taking the time from her international, busy schedule to return to Stephen Perse and inspire our students to enjoy their academic studies and take the initiative in finding opportunities in life!

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October 2023 Edition 14

Tag der deutschen Einheit

Year 8 Mandarin Language Skills in Action!

Every year the Stephen Perse Sixth Form Germanists mark the Day of German Unity with food. It’s been a long known pedagogical fact in language teaching, that eating food alongside learning a language, is the best way to consolidate vocabulary alongside extending one’s cultural awareness - oh and yes, festivals and events do come up in the A Level exam as well!

Year 8 Mandarin classes embarked on an exciting adventure on 26 June 2023, visiting a local Chinese restaurant to celebrate their exceptional efforts and hard work throughout this year. The trip provided our students with an invaluable opportunity to practise ordering food in Mandarin, immersing themselves in the language.

The German Department is still looking into the viability of a Sixth Form trip to Oktoberfest, but in the meantime, we mark the date of Germany’s reunification with a Germanic breakfast. Brezel, Aufschnitt, Brot, Käse. This year it was accompanied by a presentation and discussion of the historical context, the GDR and the Berlin Wall, led by Dr Walton-Jordan, who is also a Historian by trade as well as a Germanist. Food and German history - what’s not to love?!

Furthermore, they had the chance to explore a different culture through the culinary delights and customs at the table. We applaud their enthusiasm and open-mindedness!

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Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

European Day of Languages 2023

Linguists are always looking for something to celebrate, eat, drink or talk about and every year in September we find a few days to celebrate modern languages in the name of the European Day of Languages, 26 September. This day was created many years ago to celebrate modern languages across the globe. The Modern Languages Department love to share their passion for modern languages across the Senior School and Sixth Form. For Years 7 & 8 they were given a House Quiz in the form of a Kahoot, testing them on their general language skills and knowledge of different countries. A nail-biting finish to the end with much fun and information shared! For Year 9 and upwards, including staff, a GCHQ language challenge was on the menu du jour. How many different languages could students recognise and could they decode the hidden location?

@SPFschools

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Turns out quite a few people could. MI5 - please be on standby! Shout out to Mr Oliver being the fastest codebreaker across Stephen Perse. The Modern Linguists took over the library at lunchtime and shared across the tables games, activities, sweets and sombreros. Our Head Librarian, Mr Riaz, welcomed us all in and allowed there to be a little more noise than usual in the library at lunchtime. This was an opportunity for students to try out new languages or discover more about the ones they already know - many enjoyed working out the Cyrillic words on the Russian table and the Chinese menu puzzle. The flags across the rooms were also a big hit and led to several students challenging themselves with naming all of the countries!

How many different languages could students recognise and could they decode the hidden location?

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WELCOME TO THE SIXTH FORM

CABARET FRIDAY

NOVEMBER

3 r d AT 7:30 PM

SENIOR SCHOOL HALL THEME: MASQUERADE TICKET: ADULTS £6 CONCESSIONS £3 DRINKS INCLUDED - DONATIONS WELCOME

We will be raising money for Mind, a charity committed to making mental health an everyday priority and offering help to those in need of support. All proceeds from the Cabaret will be donated. stephenperse.com

Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

Rotary Club Peace Debate by Dr Walton-Jordan (Trip Leader) and Mr Welch

On Monday 2 October, a debating team of six Stephen Perse students took part in the annual Peace Debate, organised by the Rotary Club of Cambridge South. This is an exciting event, bringing together local schools and following the EnglishSpeaking Union Debating Rules. This year, ‘Create hope in the World’ is the Rotary International theme, in addition to the permanent ‘Service above self’ Rotary motto. We started the evening off as the proposition for the motion: 1. This house believes that the use of social media will become the major source of discontent and conflict in society. (Stephen Perse Foundation to propose and Chesterton Village College to oppose.) Our team consisted of Nico K (Year 11) as the First Speaker, Robert Y (Year 12) as the Second Speaker and Philos C (Year 12) as the Summary Speaker, ably and actively supported by our speakers from the floor of the audience: Andre L, Andrew L and Michael Y (all Year 12). Much of the debate served to create a deeper understanding of the balance of advantages and dangers of social media use, and the whole assembly of six schools' delegations and their teachers benefited from it. What also stood out was the respectful acknowledgment our team gave to their opposing side.

@SPFschools

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For interest, the other two motions were: 2. This house believes that the search for absolute power by an individual, rather than inequality in the distribution of resource, will lead to the next world war. (The Leys to propose and King's Ely to oppose). 3. This house believes that it will be the power of the previously silent majority that will eventually rid schools of the scourge of bullying. (The Perse School to propose and Impington International College to oppose). The Leys School was the overall winner of the debate but all participants acquitted themselves very well indeed. The President of the Cambridge South Rotary Club commented after the debates: "I feel that the students certainly offered me hope last evening!" and went on to say: "I think the standard of debate last evening was superb. Also the supporters were super too with their statements from the floor. I do hope that your students feel justifiably very proud of their research and performance. Congratulations to each of them and to you." All that remains is to add our congratulations to the team as teachers on their confident, well-researched, respectful and thoughtful performance!

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The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht

Join us for this term’s senior theatre production on

Thursday 23 and Friday 24 November at 7.30pm A large cast of students in Years 10-13 will bring this political, thought-provoking and extremely challenging piece of epic theatre to life. Our interpretation will feature a live rock band and contemporary songs to add an additional layer of social commentary for a modern day audience. Warning: this play includes strong themes of war which some people may find distressing.

Click the dates below to purchase tickets

Thursday 23 November Friday 24 November

Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

The Big Give Christmas Challenge is Coming Soon!

Stephen Perse schools have always sought to offer a first-class education to academically-able and determined young people, regardless of their family circumstances, because high quality education is key to improving social mobility and life chances. Outstanding education is needed now more than ever, but is still not universally available. This year at Stephen Perse, we are providing around 280 bursaries and scholarships, including our North Cambridge Academy Sixth Form places and bursaries for students affected by international conflicts. But we want to do even more. The Stephen Perse Guild is the alumni association of Stephen Perse Schools. It was founded in 1903 as the Old Persean Guild and updated its name to reflect the contemporary school in 2009. We are delighted to be celebrating the Stephen Perse Guild’s 120th anniversary this year. As Stephen Perse Guild members and friends, our alumni, current and former staff and supporters are a life-long part of the Stephen Perse family and we are always keen to hear all about their successes and achievements and to remain connected with them.

To support this aim, we are launching the Guild Opportunities Fund during the 2023 Big Give Christmas Challenge, which will run from noon on #GivingTuesday 28 November - noon on Tuesday 5 December 2023. The Guild Opportunities Fund will support current and future students in accessing the full benefits of a Stephen Perse education and the enhanced opportunities that this enables, thanks to the generosity of Guild members and friends. It will remove barriers of cost for eligible students in line with our vision of an outstanding educational environment that: • fosters modern scholarship through exceptional teaching and a dynamic, flexible and rigorous academic curriculum; • provides outstanding breadth of opportunity and quality of experience through a rich and varied co-curriculum; • nurtures and celebrates individuality, wellbeing, personal development, and contribution to the growth of others, through superb pastoral care, social and emotional education, and learning support; and • champions and models equality, diversity and inclusivity,and social and environmental responsibility with a global outlook. Look out for more information on our website and in your emails as the Big Give Christmas Challenge approaches!

As we celebrate 120 years of the Guild this year and look ahead to the Senior School and Sixth Form’s 150th anniversary in 2031, we aim to continue increasing our bursary, scholarship and associated grants.

@SPFschools

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Save the Date

Friday 1 December for the

Big Give Christmas Quiz Evening Organised by student volunteers

Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

Boarding Update

Tara Ridgeon

Tom Wood

Meet the Resident Boarding Graduate Assistants

honing of their personal statements for university one-toone sessions with them. They are also available on Sunday afternoons to offer academic support to boarders.

We employ two resident boarding graduate assistants each year who, although working principally in boarding, also help out with PE classes in school.

“My name is Tara and I grew up in Cambridge. I went to Hills Road Sixth Form where I took Maths, Physics and History; there I decided Physics was what I wanted to continue my education in. I have been away from Cambridge these past four years studying Physics at the University of Bath.

At the start of the year, they took part in induction activities for the new boarders including a walking tour of Cambridge, an orientation tour of the boarding house and school locality and a day at Go Ape in Thetford Forest with the whole of Year 12. One of their roles is to design and lead a programme of weekend activities for our sixth form boarders and activities in the first half of Autumn Term have included a quiz night, board games evening, a karate class, a bowling night and a punting trip on the Cam. In addition, the graduate assistants take a sports session for boarders at Kelsey Kerridge on Saturday afternoons and at school on Sunday mornings. We try to utilise their recent graduate experience by, for example, offering Year 13 boarders wanting advice on the

@SPFschools

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Tara Ridgeon

One of those years I spent in Berlin at the Freie Universität, doing a Study Year Abroad, which I loved as I got to take modules that I otherwise would not have been able to take, such as Physics and Gender or the Physics of Photosynthesis, and I got to improve my German. I am currently thinking of going into teaching as I did some outreach with students as part of my degree which I really enjoyed!”

Tom Wood “My name is Tom Wood, I am one of the new graduate assistants working at Stephen Perse. My favourite subject is History, which I thoroughly enjoyed studying at the University of Nottingham. In my free time I love to keep active, travel the world and eat lots of different foods. I am really excited to get to know everybody at Stephen Perse, and can’t wait to get fully immersed in both boarding life and PE classes.”

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Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter History in Action:

Corporal Dickie WW1 Interactive Talk by Cleona M

On Wednesday 6 September, Corporal Dickie visited Year 9 to give an interactive talk on the equipment, uniforms and experiences the German and British soldiers had in World War 1. He equipped volunteers from the year group in the coats, bags and hats made for the soldiers and showed how they changed over time with a humorous twist, and we discussed why and how the designs evolved and how countries used their available resources to adapt to the circumstances. He also described the problems the soldiers faced, such as trench foot, and the hardships they endured, alongside some fascinating facts, like how they washed and avoided chlorine gas that was released in the trenches. Corporal Dickie also demonstrated how the bombs and missiles the soldiers carried were designed, and also their flaws - like how the more powerful bombs were harder to keep a safe distance from after setting them off. Corporal Dickie then told us about the creative solutions that were implemented in shortages of supplies and explained what the soldiers carried - their food, utensils, weapons and other essential items and how they managed to survive in the trenches.

@SPFschools

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This glimpse into the life of a soldier was both captivating and witty, and Corporal Dickie showed us what it was like to live in the trenches and fight in World War 1.

Corporal Dickie also demonstrated how the bombs and missiles the soldiers carried were designed, and also their flaws.

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Senior School

Senior School student Ruben has tied first place at the U16 British National Chess Championships (BNCC) 2023. Ruben, who first competed in the BNCC in 2018, has advanced his skills and dedication to finally finish in joint first place at this year’s championships at just 14 yearsold. The tournament took place over five days, and saw Ruben go through a nail-biting seven rounds of games before achieving the joint first place. Ruben comments: “I am so pleased to have tied first place in this year’s British National Chess Championships. It feels great to achieve first place, something that I have been working towards for the last six years. I enjoyed every moment of this year’s competition and have learnt that persistence pays off. I discovered my passion for chess when I first took part in the British Chess Championships which inspired me to improve my game. I gradually moved further up the rankings and last year I was able to clinch third place, until finally achieving joint first this year.”

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@SPFschools

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October 2023 Edition 14

Year 10

Iceland Trip by Dylan M

Between Thursday 22 and Sunday 24 June, a group of Year 10 students and five teachers embarked on a once in a lifetime trip to Iceland. Although the weather was not like Britain’s summer it was still enjoyable as it contrasted to the recent heat. We saw many incredible sights including visits to a lava tunnel, lava fields full of solidified lava as well as the lava centre with an exhibition and short film about Iceland’s volcanoes and how Iceland came into existence in the first place. Also, we saw two unbelievable waterfalls: Seljalandsfoss and Gullfoss. Between stops at the different locations, we saw Icelandic houses, livestock, volcanoes and much more. Visiting waterfalls were not the only unusual activity that we did, that was to do with water. We saw two of only 480 geysers around the world. As well as this, most people completed a Viking push up on the Sólheimajökull glacier to take a drink from some of the freshest water in all of the world. Many people considered the glacier walk as the best activity, despite the almost constant rain during it because of the unique crampons we wore and the scenery since it looked so surreal. Everybody also enjoyed swimming in the secret lagoon. The food was excellent too with a pizza buffet on the first night, meals at the hotel and a visit to an ice cream farm, where we tried one of the Icelandic peoples’ favourite foods.

Overall it was an extremely incredible trip and all of the students were very lucky for the experience and for the teachers, who helped provide it.

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Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

Sport Update

We have hit the ground running in the sports department with 34 extra-curricular clubs on offer each week and all of these being very well attended. It is great to see our students committing fully and keen to develop their skills. Their desire to improve really does spur us on.

Cricket Although the summer term feels a long time ago now, we would still like to celebrate some of the successes of the cricket season, which took place in the last few weeks. We had an incredibly busy summer term with a host of cricket fixtures. Cricket was a very popular choice with 220 pupils from across the Senior School taking part and we packed in a total of 116 fixtures. The Year 7 and 8 cricket tour to the Midlands was a highlight plus the U13 boys had success winning the T20 County Cup amassing a score of 191 in 20 overs and ran out comfortable winners beating Impington Village College in the final. The U13 girls also had success winning the T10 competition and were also runners up in the T20 County Cup. The U12 Boys won the T10 cricket festival at the first attempt winning all their group matches against Norwich School, Stamford, Ipswich School and Bishops Stortford. They then played a brilliant match in the final against Ipswich School winning convincingly by ten wickets. Neel K the star scoring 138 runs and getting nine wickets across all matches. The cricket was of a high standard and the boys should be very proud of their achievement. Ray Mordini Head of Cricket

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October 2023 Edition 14

Match Report 1st XI vs The Forty Club 27 June 2023 by David T 1st XI Captain

Ending a tumultuous season for the Stephen Perse 1st XI, the highlight of the fixture calendar finally arrived: The Forty Club game. The conditions were perfect for a good game and the stage was set for a lovely afternoon’s cricket. After a disappointing loss last time out, Stephen Perse, bowling first, looked to make amends and take control of the game early. Our opening bowlers Jay and I did just that, keeping a good run-rate, with myself bowling their numbers one and three. Unfortunately it didn’t last. Despite good bowling from Jay and Ollie, some missed chances brought the Forty Club back into the game. Aaron did a great job holding up one end, bowling seven overs straight through, keeping the run rate very quiet and taking two good wickets in the bowling performance for the day for Stephen Perse.

The Forty Club continued to accelerate despite another dismissal from Arya, eventually declaring on 224-5, a chasable target for Stephen Perse after a delicious match tea. Despite our opening partnership misfiring, we recovered with good partnerships for our next two wickets, with Sirisha finally being dismissed for a good 38. Two quick wickets followed before the partnership of the game from Arya and Aaron put on a quick-fire 78, putting Stephen Perse in with a good shot of winning. It wasn’t to be however, with more wickets falling in spite of good batting. This left Jay and Ollie to successfully bat out for the draw, concluding a great day’s cricket and an entertaining afternoon.

After a disappointing loss last time out, Stephen Perse, bowling first, looked to make amends and take control of the game early.

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Principal’s 11-18 Newsletter

Hockey

Football

This term has seen the start of another busy hockey term. Midweek and weekend fixtures have been in full flow from Year 7 to seniors with blocks against Bishops Stortford College and Bedford Modern bringing some good results.

It has been a very busy first few weeks of term for our footballers with ESFA and ISFA cup ties coming thick and fast.

Our U14's were crowned as County Champions and progress to the Regional Tournament later this term. They had a fantastic tournament winning four from four matches scoring 15 goals and not conceding any. Our U13's finished 4th in their County Tournament after some good performances in their group with the standout being a 5-1 win.

There have been some outstanding wins for the Year 9 boys and Year 10 boys (in both) and Year 11 boys as well as a victory for the Year 8 boys in the ISFA East Region league. We also had the privilege of taking our first ever First XI team across to Comberton for a National Cup fixture which unfortunately ended with a narrow loss. However things are looking very bright for the future of football in the Sixth Form!

Our seniors unfortunately lost to Greshams in the U18's England Hockey Tier 2 tournament and they will now go on to face Felsted in the Tier 3 competition. The U16's had a great County Tournament where they secured the runners up spot with one win, one draw and one loss. They now progress onto the Regionals later in the month.

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stephenpersefoundation

October 2023 Edition 14

Cambridge Sword

National Fencing for Stephen Perse Pupils Cambridge Sword, who work closely with Stephen Perse, hosted a national (Leon Paul Junior Series) competition on Sunday 24 September. Over 200 fencers attended from all over the UK which included four from the Stephen Perse Club. There was some intense fencing during the day and all our Stephen Perse fencers gave it their best with some great wins and narrow defeats. The school is now set to host the Cambridge Schools Fencing League, due to commence after half term.

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Stephen Perse Foundation (Main Office) Union Road Cambridge CB2 1HF t: 01223 454700 e: office@stephenperse.com

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@SPFschools

stephenpersefoundation