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Academic Report 2021 - 2022

CONTENTS

Introduction

Art

Biology

Chemistry

Classics

Computer Science

Cookery

Design and Technology

Drama

Economics and Enterprise

English

Geography

History, Government and Politics

History of Art

Mathematics

Modern Languages

Music

Physics

Psychology

Religious Studies

Careers

Sport

Introduction

t has been wonderful to have a full academic year in person again at Wycombe Abbey. Some pupils have continued to learn online when isolating owing to Covid, but by and large, lessons and activities have returned to normal. We have all appreciated how much better it is to be learning on site rather than remotely. Public exams have once again taken place in school during the Summer term and pupils going through this rite of passage have risen inimitably to the challenge.

We have taken huge leaps in digital learning since 2020. Teachers have explored the best ways to use computers in the classroom and the scope they provide is endless. This is an exciting journey and one which the whole community has embraced. Alongside this, we have been mindful of the need to keep a balance with more traditional approaches – pen and paper have their place too, particularly when it comes to revision of work. One of the strengths of Wycombe Abbey is that we are able to support pupils to find their own best way of working rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Academic enrichment takes many forms and over the year I have been delighted to watch the pupils enjoying activities ranging from the STEAM Olympics, History of Art Competitions to Classics Book Club. I hope that you enjoy reading the reports from each academic department. Emily Boswell Deputy Head (Academic)

Art The Art department has had another successful year producing vibrant work and experimenting with a wide range of materials. GCSE grades remained consistently high ranging from 7-9 and with many pupils gaining top grades of 8 and 9. At A level all girls gained A and A*. All work was displayed in LAC in September. We have reviewed and re-structured the Scheme of Work for the Lower School curriculum so that a variety of materials and skills are covered in blocks of six weeks. Assignments are structured to enable independent ideas and elements of risk taking to produce a high standard, with finished work displayed around all parts of the school. Lower School pupils work with drawing and painting, digital photography, clay, textiles, printing and will continue to build upon those skills each year. Creative Textiles continues to be popular and the sewing machines have been well used this year. The UIII have researched Islamic designs and used applique to enhance their cushions and the LIV collaged printed fabrics to create portraits inspired by influential women. Printwork has been explored through still life, seaweed and shells in UIV lino printing and LIV textural collographs. Hand building and modelling with clay produced pots inspired by the seashore in UIII. Larger scale acrylic paintings are being developed by LV who were inspired by still life positive and negative shapes and their own photography of fabric and fastenings. Sketchbook

pages are explored by all years and in particular the UV research reveals much individuality and research of first-hand artists work or online galleries. In the Sixth Form refinement of ideas to create a more personal journey is encouraged. Ideas are mature and lively and range from observations of the natural formation of bees wax, glass slumping and engraving to skylines of London, the street markets of Hong Kong and layered imagery based on ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Digital photography informs all submissions and is beginning to be very exciting as animation is experimented with and imagery is projected in the final exhibitions. The dark room is enjoyed by our Sixth Form pupils who wish to take it as an extra course alongside their A levels using the film cameras and developing strong black and white imagery. Photography Society is open to all year groups and our intrepid pupils have explored cyanotypes, pin hole cameras, photograms, animation and our annual competition theme was ‘Places and Spaces’. As Artist in Residence, Claudia Phipps has created a leaded glass collage of imagery of portraiture of UIII and LIV pupils merged with archive photos in celebration of the School’s 125th anniversary. Miss Kay Williams Head of Art and Cookery

Biology We were delighted to teach our largest ever cohort of Sixth Formers (more than 70 pupils) and to celebrate some outstanding university offers at some of the most prestigious institutions to read a variety of biology-related courses. Mrs Lockwood led some inspirational sessions during the University Preparation lessons (UPL) with the UVI, where they honed interview techniques and built confidence when discussing higher level biological concepts. Mr Whiteley has been integral in setting up the new science UPL sessions with the Lower Sixth, where pupils have explored areas of the subject beyond the specification e.g. muscle contraction, as well as developing scientific literacy skills. Day to day teaching has returned to its normal busy pace, with plants growing on every available sunny surface and a constant stream of deliveries of wild and wonderful specimens to help bring our dynamic subject to life. We had our most successful uptake for the British Biology Olympiad (made available to both Lower and Upper Sixth) and were delighted to be awarded five Bronze, four Silver and one Gold certificates. The Lower Fifth took part in the British Biology Challenge and we were impressed to have some Upper Fourth opt to compete one year early as well! Miss Rowley runs the Young Scientist Journal meetings in B2 every Tuesday at break, and it has been refreshing to hear excited chatter about this inspiring publication (spurred on by delicious snacks from our wonderful catering team). Neurodivergent Society, Neurobiology, Genetics and Identity Society have homes in Biology (overseen by Mrs Wallace), and teatime meetings are an enthusiastic affair where they organise a mix of information sessions and social events. Mrs Wallace and Miss Rowley also have tutor bases in the department, and the LV tutees like to use the rooms as a quiet space after breakfast before the business of the school day kicks in. Junior science activities continued in the Autumn and Spring terms to provide opportunities for Junior House to explore the wider world of science. Miss Rowley organised growing grass heads and making bird feeders and the UIII enjoyed taking away the fruits of their labour. LVI enjoyed their Senior Science Club sessions and they have been able to extract DNA from onions as well as finding out exactly how the ELISA test works. Ordinarily we would focus on the principles behind pregnancy testing, but with such widespread use of lateral flow tests in recent months, we decided to crack into the plastic casing and find out exactly how Covid antibody test results come to fruition.

It was wonderful to see the UIII and LIV enjoy pond dipping in the lake last summer on STEAM day – there is a surprisingly high number of large freshwater shrimps! This year, we are hosting the STEAM Olympics and our wonderful technicians have toiled over the nuances of a new practical, so we are able to generate significant quantitative results and offer our younger pupils a handson biological experience. At the end of the Summer term, we will be saying a fond farewell to Mrs Lockwood. She moves on to manage the Biology department at Sherborne Girls’ School and we wish her every success as her family moves to beautiful Dorset. However, we are delighted to welcome Mrs Sally Wright back to Wycombe Abbey after a short break. Ms Lizzi Wallace Head of Biology

Chemistry Being back on site teaching full classes for the whole of this academic year has been significant, not least because it has enabled us to crack on with all the wonderful Chemistry experiments that are the mainstay of our courses. A return to the face-to-face interactions and group discussions that is so essential to teaching and learning is a relief, although at times it has been a challenge to catch up on all the missed lockdown practicals, especially with our exam year groups. The experience of remote teaching through Covid has reinforced the absolute belief that experiments are an essential component in the learning of Chemistry. The Chemistry IGCSE and A Level results of 2021 were excellent and each pupil should be commended for her commitment to achieving her best under difficult and stressful circumstances. We managed to offer both the Chemistry Cambridge Challenge to LVI and Chemistry Olympiad to all A Level Chemists again this academic year with Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates being awarded in both. Both competitions are voluntary and the numbers of our pupils entering remain high. Junior and Senior Science Clubs continue to expose pupils to off-specification experiments and activities that extend knowledge and allow for further research and engagement. The bespoke UVI Carrington Chemistry option – “Up and Atom – Chemistry for the Modern Woman” – comprised Dr Nicholas Barker from Warwick University giving his take on “The Science Innovations for Sustainability”, a presentation on the collaborative and diverse nature of scientific research in solving current energy and resource problems. It also included practical activities such as making soap and bath bombs as well as making a spectrometer for a mobile phone from recycled CDs.

The benefits of digitalisation are apparent across each year group, not just in the presentation of resources and the use of remote software. The enthusiasm to record a snapshot of an experiment is abundant across all classes, be it a “wow” instant experiment colour change or the wearing of full-face goggles – the competition to be posted on the Chemistry Instagram or Twitter feeds cannot be underestimated. Chemists are creative and we value the drive, energy and skill set within the Chemistry Department, meaning that all of us are willing to try out new ideas and innovations, enthusing colleagues and pupils alike. Using Interpretive dance in an UVI revision lesson on Free Radical Substitution went down a storm. There is definitely a fun factor within the department which is recognised and appreciated by pupils. Mrs Zoe Edwards Head of Chemistry

Classics Enquiry into the Classical world remains popular at Wycombe Abbey. While other schools find their numbers waning, we are proud that the three subjects offered here – Latin, Classical Greek and Classical Civilisation – are highly valued and keenly supported at all levels. A breadth of options is available throughout the School to cater to different groups, from Beginners’ Latin for our new UIV joiners, an in-house Classical Civilisation course at Key Stage 3, to our challenging ‘Gratin’ GCSE option, through which some pupils can pursue GCSEs in both Latin and Greek on a reduced timetable. We are also thrilled to have four pupils choosing A level Greek next year, too, as we are bucking national trends on that front.

teaching groups in 2023 as an external, global competition. The now-annual Classics Bake Sale event in support of the charity Classics For All was a huge success thanks to Miss Strange’s leadership and some extraordinary edible goodies made by staff and girls. In honour of Dr Tsaknaki’s favourite poet Ovid, we ran a mythology competition in March to celebrate his birthday; congratulations must go to our LVI winners, Hattie, Iris and Rose, for their incredible rap! As well as running the vibrant Classics Twitter account, Mr Murphy has done a fantastic job at facilitating the University Preparation programme for the entire Lower VI year group and has delivered sessions on a fascinating array of topics on the Classics and Languages side of the course.

Our teaching groups continue to impress with their diligence and determination and, most importantly, with the love they demonstrate for these subjects. It is particularly exciting to see the work produced by our Fifth Formers as they tackle literary analysis and critique: they never fail to impress with their sophisticated responses to Classical authors and their essays often show the insight of much older students. Lessons remain challenging and academic whilst balancing the crucial elements of fun and creativity: a particular teaching highlight for Lower V this year has been adapting the legendary departmental game of ‘Volcano!’ into a new version called ‘Weasel!’ in homage to their first GCSE set text: one needs to avoid having their face gnawed off by said animal, so it is certainly a memorable game! The Lower VI Classical Civilisation cohort have thrown themselves into all three modules, from hotly debating the heroic qualities of Odysseus, producing trailers for a movie about Oedipus, and creating political campaign ads for key Roman politicians. We have loved the wonderful fan fiction from the Upper IV based on Cambridge Latin Course Book 3 stories, and particularly impressive also were their Bath-inspired curse tablets which some pupils composed entirely in Latin. There is genuine joy around the T block, whether it be the Lower IV realising (spoiler alert!) that Quintus is alive in Cambridge Latin Course Book 2, or the Upper III cracking the Greek alphabet for the first time: there really is something for everyone.

Our two Resident Tutors, Miss Michail and Miss Marshall, have led drop-in sessions and Spoken Latin Club, created interesting displays to expand the pupils’ learning (including a fantastic series on the concept of Love in the Classical world to celebrate Valentine’s Day), and developed their own teaching skills through lesson observations and team teaching. We are so grateful to them for bringing their energy and enthusiasm to every task and for being great additions to this year’s department. I return to my initial comments: Classics departments are always under unique strain, often battling against perception and funding issues. We are incredibly proud to see the girls love learning about the ancient world here at Wycombe and, in the words of Seneca the Younger: docendo discimus! Mrs Jacky Tidbury Head of Classics

With the continued interest worldwide in Classically-themed fiction, we were once again spoilt for choice for Classics Book Club events this year. Miss Franks expanded our offering this year, with younger pupils invited to read Alexandra Bracken’s ‘Lore’ at the premiere of Junior Classics Club. Older year groups enjoyed a wide range of novels this year, discussing Robert Harris’ ‘Imperium’, Madeline Miller’s ‘Song of Achilles’ and Elodie Harper’s ‘The Wolf Den’. One Upper IV pupil independently entered the National Latin Exam in March, earning full marks and winning both a certificate and medal for her outstanding achievement; we hope to offer this to several 7

Computer Science

Our online talk with Scarlett Koller, a Wycombe Abbey senior working at NASA on the Mars Rover project

Our IGCSE results were excellent last year, demonstrating that Computer Science is really establishing itself at Wycombe Abbey. Although we did not have an A level cohort last year, this is is set to expand now that we have a greater number of pupils coming through with the GCSE. We continue to develop our Lower School curriculum. Our LIV studied an interesting unit about the Mars Rover where they looked at the various challenges of programming a remote vehicle. As the Covid rules opened up, we were able to carefully deploy the use of microbits and programmable buggies with sonic sensors. This unit linked with the 2020 Perseverance mission where a real rover was sent to Mars. We could follow the developments in our lessons. We also had the good fortune of making contact with one of our old students, Scarlett Koller who, after leaving Wycombe Abbey went to MIT and ended up working at NASA actually on the Mars Rover project. She did a wonderful talk via Zoom to our students about her own education experience and her role at NASA. We continue to run our hugely successful BEBRAS competition. This is a nationwide competition about Computational thinking supported by Oxford University. We enter everyone studying Computer Science and the best success were our Fourth Form girls where 50% achieved distinction.

UVI Computer Science girls working at their project

Our Computer Society organised a hackathon that was run online with the UIII year group where students competed to make a game. There was also a spin-off group called ‘The tech club’ which an A level student founded, setting up weekly discussion meetings with other students. She organised a very interesting Zoom talk from a professor in Utah about using holograms in the film industry. On the back of this, she secured an interesting work experience internship in America during the summer holidays. Mr Adrian Porter Head of Computer Science

Cookery During Summer 2021 building work started on the new Cookery room and by mid- September we moved into a state of the art space. Careful planning created workspaces, good ventilation, a pantry storage area and a system of central storage with the use of two industrial dishwashers to aid hygiene. Moveable stainless steel tables give more working areas and the Neff ovens and induction hobs give the feeling of a professional kitchen to reflect the high quality skills taught. The Lower School have a nutritional and a healthy eating based curriculum to encourage experimentation with menus planned with family cooking in mind. All recipes are loaded onto Teams so can be accessed easily for girls to continue cooking at home. Weekend and evening Cookery sessions in our Bon Appetit Club continue to give practice for skills learnt for all years and main meals and desserts

are cooked and shared with friends. In addition the LVI are offered extra cookery on Saturdays after morning lessons. The Leiths Food and Wine Certificate course continues to be popular and, as the lessons are three hours long, menus are complicated and skills develop rapidly. Girls will often take up employment in the food and restaurant sector during their gap year and we enjoy hearing about their experiences. The old Cookery room is now a very modern graphics suite with iMacs, a laser cutter and two 3D printers. This is a facility shared between DT and Art to enable greater depth and access for all years, particularly for digital photography and to extend the Art curriculum into graphic design. Miss Kay Williams Head of Art and Cookery

New Cookery Room

Design and Technology The opening of the new Graphic Design room in September 2021 provided welcome additional workspace for pupils in DT as well as new equipment in the form of a large laser cutter and 3D printers. This bright, spacious room is ideal for all forms of design work and the pupils have benefitted enormously from this improvement. In the Lower School DT curriculum, lessons allow pupils to engage in many new workshop processes whilst developing their creative, innovative and graphical capabilities. Through these years, pupils gain experience in workshop manufacturing processes, traditional workshop processes, CAD/CAM and the use of laser cutting. They learn to challenge their concepts with modelling and prototyping and consider the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials. Exciting projects in branding, lighting and 3D modelling using Fusion 360 give the pupils a real taste of IGCSE and A level. Important foundations are laid for the more complex products ahead whilst building confidence in using new machinery and modern technologies. With IGCSE and A level courses being fully examined this year, the pupils across both examination groups have equipped themselves with the skills to meet the diverse range of assessment criteria. The IGCSE course develops the pupils’ understanding of materials, technologies, graphics, manufacturing processes, advertising and marketing whilst advancing their design skills through the written paper and individual coursework folder. The A level course has proved to be very successful in recent years. The theory side challenges the pupils broadly in their thinking, analytical and evaluative skills whilst allowing them the freedom to design, develop and manufacture for a specific client. The pupils can choose literally anything to explore and they have enjoyed and embraced this freedom. The imaginative ’claw chair’ is a strong outcome that demonstrates careful reflection of a broad range of materials and processes and high quality manufacturing to produce a superb finish. In the design process, transportation, cultural diversity and the realities of student living in US colleges were carefully researched and considered. Mrs Sue Buxton Director of Science and STEM

Greenpower at Goodwood

The workshop is a hive of activity during the evenings and across the weekends. Pupils relish the opportunity to stretch their imagination and creativity under expert guidance, developing the life skills of designing and making something themselves. Getting to grips with new techniques using workshop machinery, hand tools and advanced CAD / CAM proves highly rewarding and an excellent balance to many other academic subjects that pupils experience during the school day. Seeing the pupils immerse themselves in these innovative and creative endeavours, and gaining huge enjoyment from it, is a joy to watch.

The Greenpower car continues to attract pupils across all ages. The opportunity to practise driving our two cars ‘Phoenix’ and ‘Sprocket Rocket’ on some disused tennis courts has proved popular and a wonderful training ground for those less experienced young drivers before they tackle the much longer tracks on race days. At the International Finals at Silverstone in October, the team came home winners of the F24+ Kit car category, which was an exciting and motivating achievement. The cars also raced at Goodwood in June, with Sprocket Rocket putting in a fastest kit car lap time in one of the races.

Drama The Drama department was incredibly proud of both the A level and GCSE pupils who achieved excellent results over the Summer. The A level pupils all received A* or A grades and the GCSE pupils all Grade 7 – 9. Numbers continue to grow at GCSE, with more than 40 girls in LV and UV enrolled for GCSE Drama in 2022/23, a number that has more than doubled over the last few years. We aim to provide a varied and exciting programme for all pupils and so it has been a real pleasure to see the usual array of opportunities begin to become available to us once again.

As well as watching theatre, pupils from every year group will have had the opportunity to perform or provide backstage support in a production by the end of the year. The first piece of live theatre to be performed in LAC theatre after the enforced hiatus was the Clarence play, ‘The Sweet Science of Bruising’. This ambitious production, featuring impressive boxing scenes, was directed and produced by our Drama Captain and featured a cast of Clarence pupils.

By far the most large-scale production of the year was the School musical ‘Sister Act’, with more than 50 pupils taking part in the production both onstage and behind the scenes in some capacity. It was genuinely uplifting to see the cast, who ranged in age from LIV to Clarence pupils, collaborating on this project and demonstrating such positivity and togetherness, despite difficult circumstances. It was also fantastic The first piece of live for the Drama and Music theatre to be performed departments to be able to work in LAC theatre after together on this project and, looking ahead to the future, we have agreed the enforced hiatus that we will endeavour to perform was the Clarence play, a musical on a biennial basis.

With theatres and touring companies re-opening, the department has been able to return to the busy schedule of trips and performances that are so important in enhancing the curriculum and enriching the co-curricular programme at Wycombe.

Whilst we were lucky enough to be able to livestream a wonderful production of ‘Wuthering Heights’ (from Bristol Old Vic) in November for GCSE and A level pupils, it was not until February that we were able to experience live theatre once again. There was, therefore, palpable ‘The Sweet Science excitement amongst the group of UVs of Bruising’. who saw a production of ‘The Ocean We also enjoyed to the annual at the End of the Lane’ at the Duke UIII production of ‘Arabian Nights’ of York’s theatre, London. The play in June, involving more than 30 is based on the Neil Gaiman novel members of the year group. It was of the same name and provided the pupils with the a great pleasure to watch, with fabulous staging and some opportunity to see a technically amazing show that memorable acting. provided rich material for the ‘Live Theatre’ section of their GCSE exam. As well as starting to return to our established rota of events we have also introduced new initiatives this year In January, UV and LV GCSE pupils watched a performance with the ‘Arts Soirée’ and ‘Primary Drama Day’ both being of one of their set-texts; ‘DNA’ by Dennis Kelly, performed launched. The ‘Arts Soirée’ is designed for pupils in UIII, by the touring company ‘Quirky Bird’ in LAC theatre. LIV and UIV to have the opportunity to showcase their Finally, in May, we took around 80 pupils, from LIV – UVI, musical and dramatic talent to parents, staff and pupils. to The Swan in High Wycombe to see a touring The first half of the evening featured musical ensembles production of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the performing their work in Archer Recital Hall and this was Night-Time’. Many of the pupils have studied the play text followed by a performance of ‘The Wardrobe’ by Sam and/or read the novel and it was fantastic for so many of Holcroft in LAC theatre. Feedback from both the pupils them to be able to see how the National Theatre had gone and parents was extremely positive and this event will about transferring it onto the stage in such an imaginative certainly feature in our plans for next year. and striking manner.

Early in the Summer term 67 Year 5 pupils visited Wycombe Abbey to take part in a carousel of drama and dance activities led by a group of our LVI pupils. This event sprang from the work done as part of the Partnerships Committee and is something we will be looking to expand upon over the coming years. Our newest member of staff, Mrs Lansley-Davies also launched the ‘Costume Club’ this year, which gave pupils the opportunity to learn how to use the sewing machines in the Art department and make some of the costumes and accessories for the Musical. LAMDA continues to be a very popular extra at Wycombe Abbey with more than 150 girls again taking it as an extra this year. The pupils work on certificates from Grades 3 – 8 and can opt for various disciplines including Acting, Public Speaking, Verse and Prose and Musical Theatre. This year we ran two rounds of exams in March and May for all pupils in LIV and above and are currently awaiting the results of these. Mr James Harrington Head of Drama

Sister Act

Clarence Play, Sweet Science of Bruising 13

Economics and Enterprise The 2021-22 academic year has seen three groups in both LVI and UVI; the growing popularity of A level Economics perhaps reflects the desire to better understand the economic impact and response to current issues such as the pandemic, de-globalisation and global warming. We have enjoyed many debates in class on topics as diverse as whether the Covid vaccine should be compulsory, or whether protecting domestic output from foreign competition is ultimately in an economy’s best interests. It is pleasing that several pupils have engaged with external essay competitions; we have been impressed by the depth and variety of research that they have completed and their academic ambition. Many pupils are researching economics-related topics for their EPQ or UPP and we look forward to reading their final essays. Last year’s cohort enjoyed a strong set of results, enabling them to take up offers at Bristol, Cambridge, LSE, SOAS and UCL for a range of competitive courses including Economics, PPE, Economics and Geography, Philosophy and Economics, and Social Anthropology and Economics. We look forward to hearing from some of our recent Seniors as they pass on their experiences and advice to our current LVI girls during our Summer Term’s Future Week. Combined honours courses continue to be popular choices. In addition to offers for Economics from LSE, UCL and Edinburgh, this year’s cohort also holds offers for courses such as Land Economy at Cambridge, Economics and History at Exeter and International Development with Economics at Bath. In addition, students are holding offers for Management at KCL, UCL and LSE. A small department of two staff, we continue to work hard to develop opportunities for extracurricular activities in both Economics and Enterprise. Our weekly book club is primarily student-led, with girls meeting to discuss suggested texts such as Tim Harford’s ‘The Undercover Economist’ and Joseph E. Stiglitz’s ‘The Price of Inequality’. A new initiative this year has been Investment Club, led by one UVI and one LVI student, ensuring that the club is more easily sustained from one year to the next. Girls not only took part in the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, but also invited two external speakers: Jane Sun, the CEO of Trip.com and Alice Gaskell, an investor and social impact strategy consultant. Both speakers addressed gender inequality in the workplace and

inspired our pupils to contribute to positive change. Business Tea has continued meeting regularly, with a growing number of UV pupils engaging with this. Pupils organised a talk from Eva Lindholm who shared insights into her career in finance, and we continue to encourage girls to take the lead in planning enrichment events. At the beginning of this academic year, one of our Tycoon Enterprise Competition teams, Re-Soul, was invited to the competition National Final at Hampton Court Palace. This was a fantastic celebration of enterprise. Following their presentation and questioning by Peter Jones, Re-Soul was announced the National Winner of the 16-18 age category. The team’s idea of upcycling old shoes by decorating them with their beautiful designs impressed the judges as it helps to tackle the fashion sustainability problem. Following on from their success, this year a further four companies submitted their business plan and elevator pitch videos to the Peter Jones Foundation and all were successful in securing start-up capital. Products range from scented candles, customised and decorated water bottles and portable coffee cups, Wycombe Abbey mugs, and accessories made from clothing that might otherwise go to landfill. All teams have been supported by a mentor, a Wycombe Abbey Senior, who has both guided and challenged them through the process. We wish them luck in the competition. Mrs Alison Kiln Head of Economics and Enterprise

National Winners of the Tycoon Enterprise Competition, Re-Soul

English Enriching literary discussion is the heartbeat of English at Wycombe Abbey and it has been such a joy to return to face-to-face lessons this year. Whether we are marvelling at the mystery of ‘howsoever’ Hamlet will revenge his father’s murder or joining the swallows in their flight through WWII, English lessons invite intellectual and emotional engagement for all year groups, and we are delighted to be welcoming increased numbers to study A level. We are always seeking new ways to nurture a passion for reading and this year saw the introduction of stage-specific challenges designed to spur pupils on to explore a diverse range of texts. With many enthusiastically embarking on a quest for bronze, silver or gold, we were delighted to see pupils stretching themselves and encountering a smorgasbord of literary treats. We duly awarded sugary treats in recognition of their accomplishments and those special few who struck gold were granted the gift of a book of their choice. With the spirit of celebration continuing to flow through our veins, we likewise recognised the intellectual curiosity of those who participated in the UIII, LIV, UIV and LV essay competitions.

pupil-led poetry discussion evenings, and Harry and Chris bringing the house down with their hilarious performance in Reading Week, enrichment beyond the classroom shook off the shackles of Covid and reminded us all how much we cherish shared cultural experiences. We marked National Poetry Day this year by compiling a collection of ‘Poems that mean the world to Wycombe Abbey’, with pupils and staff across the school contributing suggestions. As a department, literature means the world to us, and initiatives like this – along with curriculum developments, reading challenges and enrichment opportunities – serve to fulfil our vision to share that passion throughout the school community. Mr Sam Lenton Head of English

Changes to the IGCSE English Literature syllabus meant we waved goodbye to our beloved Jane Eyre and welcomed Rebecca in her place. The novel has proven to be a hugely popular text and it has not been uncommon to hear pupils passionately defending or destroying the housekeeper Mrs Danvers before lessons have even begun, while fiercely debating the extent to which we might sympathise with the narrator. A visit to Strawberry Hill House in November 2021 was an utter delight, with pupils braving the bitter cold to learn more about gothic literature as they wandered through Walpole’s domain, perfectly accompanying our early appreciation of du Maurier’s masterpiece. With the introduction of the unseen paper also ushering in a structural shift for the UV, both year groups benefitted from greater freedom to savour poetry and prose beyond our set texts. The younger years also reaped the rewards of refreshing our Key Stage 3 syllabus, with The Swallows’ Flight providing a perfect opportunity for UIII pupils to explore WWII from the perspective of those of a similar age. We continue to shadow the Booker Prize shortlist with the LVI and held a hugely successful event in The Courtyard, with pupils delivering powerful presentations. The UVI had their own celebration event in September to mark the completion of the Ispahani Shakespeare essay prize, with a guest lecturer speaking on ‘Shakespeare’s Lost Women’. With both A level cohorts also relishing the chance to see a surprisingly comic production of Hamlet, the UIV enjoying a rousing rendition of Blood Brothers, the Literary Society holding regular 15

Geography Geographers have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to travel and carry out fieldwork after being unable to for several years owing to Covid. We started the year with a trip to Stratford (East London) with the UVI A Level pupils as we investigated rebranding with a tutor from East London Urban Geography. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn some key fieldwork skills as well as gain a better understanding of rebranding in urban areas. Our LVI pupils explored a different side to Geography as they watched ‘Come from Away’ at The Phoenix Theatre in London. The play addressed the untold stories of the diverted planes during the 9/11 and was fascinating. In May, our A Level classes travelled to Dorset to investigate coastal geography and begin their coursework projects. We continue to develop our curriculum for UIII to UIV, developing links with the ‘real world’ and encouraging pupils to act as global citizens. UIV have been discussing how best to achieve climate action, evaluating the effectiveness of local and international initiatives. Our LIV pupils have been out in ‘the field’, investigating microclimates in our beautiful grounds. Pupils were tasked with setting out a key question, measuring different weather elements, evaluating their results, and creating a poster to show the enquiry process. UIII pupils enjoyed using some creative resources when discussing the population of China, sourcing marshmallows

to represent population in different regions. It has been a joy to see our younger pupils engaging with the subject, and to see the popularity of the subject increase as a result. This year we were pleased to welcome a record number of GCSE, A Level and University applicants for Geography. We wish all pupils the best of luck in their public exams; pupils have coped well with their preparation for these after a disrupted couple of years. It has also been rewarding to work with pupils in their university applications for Geography and related subjects. We are very proud to see a number of geographers entering external competitions. Well done to Pia, Polina and Alicia (LVI) for their awards in the Minds Underground Geography Essay Competition. Our Sixth Form Geography Book Club has been active in meeting regularly, most notably discussing Invisible Women by Caroline CriadoPerez. Spring Term saw the launch of ‘Wow (World Outside Wycombe)’, our publication which includes additions from pupils across all year groups as well as photos and fun games. We are delighted that the Geography Society is back up and running, and we look forward to many events and competitions in the future. Miss Georgie Taylor Head of Geography

LVI A Level pupils investigating rebranding in The Olympic Park

LV GCSE pupils investigating urban environments in London

History, Government and Politics

Roger Moorhouse Talk

As historians, we are by necessity interested in change and continuity, and it is through these lenses that we reflect on the past twelve months. Perhaps the most obvious change is the departure of two members of the department, Dr Goddard, and Head of Department Dr Tullis. In her stead, Mr George took over as Head of Department, and we welcomed Mr Scott as Second in Department. History’s popularity continues to endure; it remains the most popular option at GCSE and is a perennial favourite at A level, bucking the national trend of lower numbers. This year, some of our courses have assumed a new significance in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our IGCSE pupils could not help but see parallels between current events and their lessons on the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe. At A level, our historians saw how the Russian Civil War and 1930s Holodomor led to this conflict and were able to recognise history being misused to justify events. Recent years have also seen highly charged public discourse on the legacy of empire, which our pupils are also well prepared to engage with. For the first term in Upper VI, A level historians conducted independent research into the final hundred years of British rule in India, engaging with the latest scholarship to reach nuanced conclusions on nationalism and the independence movement. This discussion about empire begins in Upper IV, where pupils explore pre-colonial Benin and analyse sources to better understand British settlement in the Americas. Finally, increasing political polarisation and one political scandal after another continue to inspire more to take up Politics in the Sixth Form. Another point of continuity is the key role played by the History Department in Wycombe Abbey’s university

preparation programme, overseeing applications for History, Politics, and Law. This year we had twenty applicants, with six securing offers from Oxford and Cambridge, and one from the prestigious Sciences Po. An exciting development is the launch of new Lower VI UPL electives; our courses on Theories of International Relations and Legal and Economic Concepts have proved particularly popular, selected by almost one-third of the year. Hearing pupils confidently deliver a constructivist analysis of the Falklands War or carefully unpicking the language of landmark legal cases is a pleasure, not least because of our departmental philosophy of encouraging pupils to go above and beyond. This philosophy continues to shape what we do in and out of the classroom. This year, we have forged (perhaps unexpected) cross-curricular connections with Maths and Computer Science, supporting the latter with their historical Hackathon. Furthermore, our Upper IV had the opportunity to ‘wrangle’ a large dataset of slave ship records, using their quantitative skills to reach historical conclusions. Beyond the classroom, we were pleased to welcome two external speakers to address pupils. Professor Tzanakopoulos delivered an Oxford-style tutorial on international law, and renowned historian Roger Moorhouse spoke to an audience of thirty on the 1939 Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland. Finally, while the tendency is towards more world history, a number of pupils looked at the history on our own doorstep, producing a special 125 edition of our History Journal. With articles ranging from Wycombe Abbey during the war to the life of inspirational Senior Elsie Bowerman, it was a fitting end to the year. Mr Neill George Head of History, Government and Politics.

History of Art It has been another exciting year for the History of Art department, with many memorable highlights. In the classroom, another buoyant group of LVI quickly got to grips with the skills of Visual Analysis before plunging into courses on the Renaissance in Italy with its iconic masterpieces, and Nature in Art and Architecture looking at artists including Barbara Hepworth, Ai Weiwei and Damian Hirst. The UVI meanwhile have investigated the Baroque period, with its unique mixture of drama and realism, and have considered the theme of Identities in Art and Architecture through the lens of artists as diverse as Francis Bacon, Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali. A number of pupils have again been successful at applying to university to read History of Art with offers from institutions including Cambridge, UCL and St Andrews. Pupils have continued to have great success in several national History of Art competitions. A LVI pupil competed in the London final of the ARTiculation public speaking competition hosted by the Courtauld Institute. She chose to discuss Camille Pissarro’s Boulevard Montmartre at Night, a painting she had recently encountered at the National Gallery. The competition was judged by Dr Tilly Scantlebury who commended Isabel’s close engagement with the artwork. There was also success in the SPoKE art documentary competition where a pupil was highly commended for her film on Carlo Dolci’s Saint Catherine of Siena in Dulwich Picture Gallery. The SPoKE judges were particularly impressed that she had filmed the documentary in-situ. The History of Art Society has continued to be an important project for the UVI pupils and our Chairs designed a programme of pupil delivered talks on artists and topics beyond the A level syllabus. Presentations included discussions on Kehinde Wiley’s recent exhibition ‘The Prelude’ and Japanese artist Yoshimoto Nara. The Department has also started a Junior History of Art Society for UIII and LIV, which has been a fantastic insight into the art historical talent in younger years. Junior History of Art Society meetings have included a detective hunt for the meaning behind Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, an exploration of artists responding to climate change, and an investigation on how medieval pilgrims used maps. The History of Art department has also been delighted to welcome two speakers since September. Charlie Hall spoke to A level and UV pupils in November on the subject of ‘Renaissance Rivals’, exploring artists’ use of materials and their engagement with antiquity through richly illustrated slides. More recently, Nina Foster from Leiden University spoke to LVI pupils about the politics behind statues of

Ambedkar in Uttar Pradesh, India. Both talks gave staff and pupils alike artworks to reflect on and ideas to take forward. It has been a welcome return to trips this year with opportunities to visit the Hokusai exhibition at the British Museum and the Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery. At the National Gallery each of the LVI pupils gave a short presentation on one of the paintings in the permanent collection, meaning we had our own bespoke tour. The pupils were so impressive and professional that we had lots of members of the public listening in and even asking them questions! We are delighted to now be planning a trip to Florence and Rome for Easter 2023. Sadly, at the end of this year we will be saying goodbye to Miss Weatherby who has been a tremendous asset to the History of Art department for the last three years. Her passion, knowledge, and unending dedication to spreading the joy of Art History will be missed by all. Ms Emma Bowen Head of History of Art

Mathematics The year got off to an excellent start with a well-attended lecture from Professor Vicky Neale, from Balliol College, Oxford University. Vicky Neale is a well-known Mathematician, and few can match her ability to communicate about the subject clearly. The talk, exploring the distribution of Prime Numbers, was aimed principally at LVI pupils but we were delighted to have participants of all ages, including a good turn out from Junior House on Zoom. The lifting of COVID restrictions saw a welcome return to in-person Maths Matches and we were delighted to host Eton College in the Autumn Term. In what was perhaps the largest ever event of its kind at Wycombe Abbey, over twenty teams competed in a packed-out Fisher Library. The Maths department continues to provide challenge and interest for the pupils at Wycombe Abbey, whilst preparing them thoroughly for the public exams. At Sixth Form, Maths has significantly more pupils taking the course than other subjects. Indeed, Further Maths is rising in popularity and is in the top 5 of subjects initially chosen by the cohort. The public exam performance was impressive, and the pupils deserved their grades due to the hard work throughout the courses. This year will only be the second time pupils have sat exams for the new A level specification. In lessons we deliver the course content with a variety of teaching styles, but we have increasingly offered more extension opportunities for all attainers. These problemsolving skills are vital with the new style of exams and are key later when preparing for university entrance papers. Maths Society saw several in house lectures over the course of the year, with Mr Vaccaro, for example, talking about the connection between elementary-looking counting problems and Group Theory, and also saw the welcome return of events like the annual Pi(e) Day Competition. We were also delighted to welcome Dr Luciano Rila from UCL, who gave

a wonderful lecture aimed at LIV. The starting point for this presentation was the famous sequence of Fibonacci Numbers, but it led to a fascinating discussion about the myriad of career opportunities available to Mathematicians. Dr Rila is an admissions tutor at UCL, and he was able to give the pupils good advice about Higher Education. He described, for example, the worth of thinking hard about challenging problems. At the end of the last academic year, we were very excited to have a talk from Dr Angela Tabiri on the African Trailblazers. The main focus of her talk was on contemporary female Mathematicians from across the continent. Dr Tabiri runs a programme in Ghana for gifted and talented girls. We have been delighted that the girls on this programme have joined all of the Wycombe Abbey Maths Society events via Zoom. The results in the Maths Olympiad for Girls were notably strong this year with six distinctions. It was not only the Maths Olympiad for Girls that saw Wycombe Abbey success, and this year was probably the best ever for Olympiad competitions. We had 6 pupils qualifying for BMO1 with an UV attaining a distinction, but arguably the standout performance was from a UIV who scored a hugely impressive Merit, which is an exceptional performance on such a hard paper. We have seen further success in UKMT competitions this year. In Junior, Intermediate and Senior competitions we have had over 400 participants, with over 85% achieved a bronze, silver or gold certificate. This included 109 Gold, 61 Kangaroo qualifiers and 19 Olympiad qualifiers. It is impressive to see such strength in depth. Dr Iain Wallwork Head of Mathematics

Modern Languages Following last summer’s outstanding results at GCSE, A level and Pre-U, the Modern Languages Department embraced the new academic year with a week-long whole School celebration of the European Day of Languages. It was an opportunity to showcase not just the languages that are taught at Wycombe Abbey, but also the many other languages spoken by girls and staff alike. The two terms of lockdown precipitated a move towards the paperless classroom, and this has been embraced in the department which nevertheless values the importance of handwritten work as a crucial skill. Whilst Quizlet Live and Kahoot remain firm favourites in the classroom to enliven vocab testing, girls are taking advantage of the proliferating wealth of podcasts, apps, websites and online resources outside the classroom to bring their learning to life. Fostering a passion for reading and translation has been one of the central priorities of the year. Reading corners with regularly updated book selections are appearing in the language classrooms, with girls of all ages being encouraged to try out different genres. Working with the girls on their translations for the Anthea Bell Translation Prize, and their stories for the Oxford University Flash Fiction competition has initiated discussions from UIII to UVI on the validity and role of creative translation, and we have been delighted to celebrate many successes in these competitions. The LVI and UVI enjoyed a translation workshop in October led by Dr Higgins from the Translation Exchange and the ML book club has witnessed some energetic discussions on a range of texts. These extracurricular academic pursuits begin in the classroom, and as a department whose trademark is a spiral curriculum, the five Academic Qualities are intrinsic to the metacognitive approach that is the hallmark of every language lesson. Higher order skills are constantly in evidence, from the task of inferring meaning from a text, to analysing how each word relates to another syntactically and semantically and so to creating meaning. In addition, Grammar clinics, the Sixth form mentoring scheme for younger pupils and the weekly News Clubs provide cross-year opportunities for mutual support, encouragement and discussion. Chinese has enjoyed its first year in the UIII curriculum, and this, together with the launch of the Chinese Society and our newly refurbished Chinese centre, has extended the provision to all members of the community. Linguistics is an intrinsic if not explicit aspect of language teaching, and we were delighted to celebrate the success of various pupils in this year’s Linguistics Olympiad, including a silver medal for a Sixth former. 20

Debating in the regional finals of the Joûtes Oratories at Haberdashers’ Boys School

UIV recording the rules of netball in French

2021 saw the last year of Pre-U French, and the current LVI will be the last cohort to sit Pre-U German. In its place, the AQA A level provides enormous scope for engagement and analysis of contemporary culture, literature and history. Study days to the British Film Institute throughout the year have enabled all the Sixth Formers to explore set films and topics in a fresh and challenging environment, complemented by trips to the Cervantes theatre, and participation in the Joûtes Oratoires. It goes without saying the spoken confidence and fluency is the ultimate aim of all language learners, and the plethora of conversation lessons, together with the enjoyment experienced by the girls in these small groups is what bring languages to life. Residential trips have not been a feature of our provision over the past year; nevertheless girls from UIV to UVI have enjoyed pen pal correspondence, and the UIV virtual sports exchange provided an opportunity for girls to share their love of netball in French whilst learning some of the more opaque rules of handball. We look forward to the return of overseas trips next year. Ms Lucy Nott Head of Modern Languages and French

Music

This September was a particularly exciting start to the academic year as we emerged from the restrictions to music-making caused by the previous 18 months of lockdowns and COVID safety measures. We were pleased to see an excellent set of IGCSE and A level Examination results with one of our A level pupils leaving Wycombe Abbey to take up a place at the prestigious Abbey Road Institute to study Music Production. Pupils have relished the opportunities to make music again in person and perform in ensembles. We have delivered 636 individual music lessons per week, 14 Music Theory classes and have pleasing numbers opting to take academic music with 29 IGCSE pupils across the LV and UV classes, 6 A Level pupils across the LVI and UVI and an additional Music Class in UIV.

masterclass for a number of our violinists, sharing her experiences and offering valuable advice. Some of our younger pianists were also able to work with one of the rising stars of the Classical Music World, the pianist, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason. She gave a masterclass and we were able to hear her stunning recital in the Archer Recital Hall as part of the Chiltern Arts Festival, 2022.

The move to digital learning has offered opportunities to revise our curriculum and include a wider range of activities in our schemes of work. With Music becoming optional at UIV, we have revised our curriculum to include more challenging, creative opportunities for individual learning. During the year, pupils have composed scores to cartoons, written ensemble pieces in a Minimalist style and created podcasts exploring the film scores of Classical Composers such as Leonard Bernstein and Philip Glass.

The 125th Anniversary of the School was celebrated with a special concert which included two world premiere performances. The first of these was an Overture based on the school song composed by a pupil in UVI, In Fide Vade. It also included themes of significance to our pupils. The other was a new, joyous anthem for Chapel Choir composed by Becky McGlade on the text of Psalm 100. The concert showcased our outstanding Clarence musicians with five different concerto movements included in the programme. The Wycombe 125 Live! performance reflected lighter repertoire with Jazz Band and Concert Band celebrating music of the 1940s and 50s, Holst Singers singing a cappella arrangements of classical 80s songs and our bands providing a high-octane tribute to the 2000s.

At IGCSE and A level, pupils now work using the powerful, free composition software, Musescore. This has given them greater freedom to allow the girls to explore their own ideas both in and away from the classroom, releasing them from the desktop computers in Elgar. Outside of the academic curriculum, Music Theory Examinations have moved to a new online platform and we have offered the ABRSM recorded performance assessments alongside the traditional face-to-face music examinations. We were delighted to welcome two of the UK’s leading musicians into school to work with our pupils. The internationally renowned violinist, Tasmin Little, ran a

We saw successes in Bucks Battle of the Bands Competition with two bands awarded places in the Finals Concert. We were the only school to have three ensembles awarded places in the Finals Concert of the South East Schools Chamber Music Competition. Of those on ensembles, the Piano Trio were section winners of the Junior round of the competition.

Whether in informal lunchtime concerts in the Archer Recital Hall or on the big stage of Glastonabbey, it has been a joy to return to live performance and see our pupils creating music in person and together again. Mr Stefan Reid Head of Music

Physics It has been an exciting year for sharing best practice, with incoming staff members, both teachers and technicians, bringing with them fresh ideas and approaches, notable highlights being the giant capacitor and the fire syringe. As ever, the pupils have risen to their challenges too, with five UVI pupils currently holding well deserved Oxford or Cambridge offers for Physics and Engineering courses. three pupils in the UVI opted to take the extremely rigorous Physics Olympiad and achieved the fantastic results of one gold and two silver awards. The UIII have learnt about thermal expansion, using bimetallic strips to create circuits that act as thermostats or fire alarms. Dr Dawber’s Junior Science Club has provided further opportunities for pupils to extend their experience of Physics, with optical illusions being a great source of fun and intrigue. Studying Newton’s Third Law and relating this to a range of designs of rocket propulsion has been a highlight for the LIV pupils. In the UIV, following the eternally fascinating topic of Astronomy, we launched into the IGCSE Energy topic. Using the film ‘Hidden Figures’ to launch the idea, the pupils were set the task of researching people whose contributions to science were overlooked due to their race, gender or religion, uncovering some fascinating, but little known, characters. In the Fifth Form, pupils have embraced the complexities of the IGCSE course which gives them a thorough grounding in Physics and a useful understanding of the world around them. At A level, the spotlight on Particle Physics has triggered many questions, as ever, and we intend to reinstate the trip to CERN, Geneva, in 2023. Mr Welch’s additional sessions on particle accelerators have stretched the LVI pupils and Mr Kyles-Brown’s lectures on Time Travel and Scientific Thinking have stirred the imagination of many.

McLaren Trip

A team of seven LVI pupils embarked on the Gold Industrial Cadets Award again this year, and thoroughly enjoyed their experiences at the two-day workshop at the University of Cambridge. This demanding six-month project involved preliminary designs for a new F24 car. To complement this endeavour the team was lucky enough to have a bespoke visit to the McLaren Technology Centre where F1 and road cars are designed and built; this experience left them absolutely buzzing, declaring it “the best school trip ever!”. A team of six UIV pupils tackled the Bronze Industrial Cadets Award over three months, working with their mentors from the media processing and delivery company, “MediaKind”. They showed flair, imagination and much creativity and are currently shortlisted for the “Best Overall Project” award for their design of an earthquake-proof building. The Physics contribution to the new UPL programme for LVI has presented opportunities for new experiences including electronics and engineering design challenges, such as making a chair from cardboard or designing a model boat from concrete. And finally, it has become traditional in the Physics department that we celebrate Science week by hatching duck eggs in an incubator and enjoying the first week of the lives of the Pekin ducklings. A highly educational event on many levels, the duckling lab was as popular as ever this year and those little, yellow, web-footed bundles of fluff brought a great deal of joy and happiness to pupils and staff alike. Mrs Sue Buxton Director of Science and STEM

Cardboard Chair

Psychology This has been a year of change for the Psychology Department. With an impressive 62% of pupils awarded A* at A Level, there was much to be celebrated, and great excitement for the academic year ahead. We were delighted to welcome Dr Wu to lead the department throughout the Autumn Term before new Head of Department, Miss Monteil, arrived in January 2022. Pupils continue to flourish in their learning and the department continues to grow. The UVI began the year with the fascinating annual ‘Brain Day’ with Dr Guy Sutton, the Director of Medical Biology Interactive (MBI) and Honorary Consultant Assistant Professor at the Division of Psychiatry at The University of Nottingham Medical School. Pupils enjoyed a series of lecture sessions on various developments in Psychology and Neuroscience, as well as the opportunity to observe a brain dissection. The sessions were deliberately designed to target the AQA A Level course, with direct links to Biopsychology, Schizophrenia, and Psychopathology. The UVI Psychologists were enthusiastic about collaborating with peers from Royal Grammar School and Holmer Green School, and they found the event inspiring. Throughout the year, the UVI have also embraced the challenging topics of Stress, Aggression and Relationships. They relished the opportunity to delve deeper into these familiar phenomena, and now have the academic framework by which to better understand their own observations of human experience. The UVI have thrown themselves into sophisticated discussion, posing nuanced arguments on The Nature-Nurture Debate, The Reductionism-Holism Debate, and The Free Will-Determinism Debate. Pupils also showed tenacity in tackling ethics in Psychology when examining the implications of socially sensitive research, and its wider impact on humankind. UVI have worked hard in preparation for their A Level examinations and have undertaken Essay Masterclass workshops to refine their exam technique. We have been impressed by the pupils’ dedication to their learning and wish them the very best of luck in their future plans. Similarly, the LVI have seized all the opportunities available during their first year of studying Psychology. They have enjoyed grappling with the topics of Social Influence, Attachment, Memory and Approaches, whilst strengthening their skills in Research Methods. Pupils have undertaken their own mini experiments, replicating existing research and even testing their housemates to find evidence of key theories. The LVI have really honed their skills in essaywriting and are reaping the rewards of the extended writing

workshops we have been running in class. Every essay demands sophisticated evaluation of conflicting theories, and the LVI pupils are certainly up to the challenge! With such captivating topics covered in the A level syllabus, many pupils have taken a keen interest in expanding their knowledge beyond the curriculum. LVI have immersed themselves in their wider reading, and the Psychology Library is expanding rapidly. Pupils have loved working collaboratively, and there is a real sense of cohesive community spirit as they share their resources and ideas. Psychology sessions in Science Activities Club gave pupils the opportunity to investigate visual illusions, working through the two opposing theories of Structuralism versus Gestalt psychology. Pupils even constructed their own small-scale models replicating ‘The Ames Room’, a distorted structure that creates the optional illusion of people appearing to change dramatically in size when moving through the space. It was with great pleasure that we appointed our new Chair of the Wycombe Abbey Psychology Society in the Summer Term, and we are excited to see what enriching activities she organises for her peers next year. Miss Lauren Monteil Head of Psychology

Religious Studies It has been wonderful to complete a full academic year of face-to-face teaching and, while there are many benefits in the use of technology as an aid to learning, nothing can match the buzz of classroom discussion and debate. From considering whether one should wear outward symbols of faith in UIII, to questioning whether metaphysical propositions are in fact meaningless at A level, the lively exchange of ideas (and the occasional friendly disagreement) can be heard along the T Block corridors and it is a delight! Whilst embracing Teams, OneNote and SharePoint across all key stages, we are determined that our youngest pupils should begin their studies in a more traditional way. It is so important that we identify reluctant writers early on and that we can offer the appropriate support before pupils face formal assessment. For this reason, it was decided that all work should be handwritten in the first term of UIII. The Key Stage 3 review has been exploring how skills can be embedded within and translated across the curriculum and (while public exams continue to be completed on paper) handwriting is one such skill that we must retain. The Key Stage 3 review highlighted the success of a project that has been part of the UIV Religious Studies curriculum for many years. As part of their study of religion and ethical theory, all pupils are required to complete an independent research project on an issue of their choice. Popular areas of focus include euthanasia, equality and animal rights. It is wonderful to have our belief, that this challenging and rewarding process is of great educational and personal benefit, affirmed. We are continually amazed by the diligence, maturity and professionalism with which students produce the assignments and we genuinely enjoy reading and assessing these at the end of the Autumn Term. The self-discipline of the planning process, alongside the research skills developed, both stand pupils in good stead regardless of their GCSE choices.

UIV Project work 24

We have continued to focus on enrichment, and it has been a privilege to be involved in the revised UPL provision for LVI pupils. Working alongside the English and History of Art departments on a Liberal Arts programme has been a highlight in terms of academic development and we look forward to reviewing and developing the course in the future. We are also fortunate to have an eager student team heading up the Philosophy and Theology Society this year and a key aim is to provide opportunities and events to explore philosophy with the younger members of the school community, starting with a heated discussion of the ticking bomb problem. After many years at Wycombe, Karen Kuhlmey retires in 2022. She has inspired many during her time at the school and she is an outstanding colleague and teacher. We wish her every happiness as she takes more time to travel and enjoy family life. There will be many in the wider school community who, like us, are grateful for all that she has contributed over the years, from her wealth of classroom ideas to her sage advice and unfailing support. Department meetings (followed by the all-important lunches) will not be the same. We welcome a new member to the team in September 2022 and, happily, Religious Studies at Wycombe is thriving. Numbers at GCSE and A level are strong and results remain exceptional. Wycombe Sixth Formers again saw success in the Keble Theology Essay Prize and Clarence 2022 is a bumper year for applicants wishing to study theology and philosophy at university, with five holding Oxbridge offers. We wish them every success! Mrs Amelia Khan Head of Religious Studies

Two of our Clarence Theologians

Careers The very first day of the Autumn term brought the UV Careers Morning, now a permanent fixture in the school calendar. Girls completed their Morrisby Profile online and took part in a workshop exploring communication and listening skills, the power of personal networking (including how to present oneself and behave online) and how to handle oneself in meetings, at interviews and in group situations. Feedback from the girls was extremely positive and it was an excellent way to support the development of essential soft skills. Each UV pupil had the opportunity to follow up their Morrisby Profile report later in the school year with a one-to-one meeting with an independent careers adviser.

Finally, we are looking forward to our Careers Workshop as part of Future Ready Week in June. LVI pupils will be choosing two workshops from the following options:

Given recent disruption due to the pandemic, our annual Careers Seminar took place in March as a virtual event this year. A long-standing Wycombe Abbey tradition, this was a great success featuring speakers from a wide range of industries, including an entrepreneur, A&E doctor, fashion designer, and science writer among others. In addition, Career Spotlight events take place throughout the year, responding to the interests of our pupils. We have enjoyed hearing speakers in a variety of careers with talks on working in the charity sector, being an actor, working in financial services and software engineering. We have also welcomed pupils from local schools to some of these events and aim to develop these links further.

• ‘But I Can’t Do That?’ How to discover and utilise your transferable skills

• Shifting Perceptions: What is the meaning of success? • Workplace Culture: Diversity & vulnerability in the office. • The Promotion of Female Power: how gender is changing in the workplace • A New Way to Work: The rise of freelancing and flexible hours

• A Change of Heart? Switching careers (often abroad) in your mid-twenties This is an exciting new addition to the calendar which is sure to become a regular feature. Mrs Alison Kiln Head of Careers

Some of our Sixth Form pupils also took up the opportunity to attend a networking event at TSB, where they gained an insight into finance and were able to network with employees. Developing networking has very much been a focus this year; our Seniors Connect platform was launched to LVI pupils for the first time, enabling them to search offers of help with mentoring and to ask advice regarding both higher education and career pathways.

The department has again supported girls to find work experience placements and, thanks to the efforts of our new Careers Administrator who joined in September, we managed to secure 21 regular work experience placements in the local community for LVI pupils interested in Medicine as a future career. Work Experience is gradually recovering from the negative impact of COVID and we are excited that our bespoke programme at Credit Suisse will be recommencing this Summer. Whilst we have made the most of online talks and virtual work experience opportunities, we are certainly enjoying the return to face-to-face communication.

Seniors Making a Difference event

Sport

This year we have continued to develop our Sports Programme at Wycombe Abbey. Our GCSE cohort of pupils achieved very good results last summer, with all pupils achieving an 8 or 9. All pupils produced written coursework and were moderated in two of their chosen sports. This summer we have six UV pupils taking GCSE and one pupil taking PE for A level. Our five LV GCSE pupils are midway through their two-year course. We were very excited to take 36 pupils to Portugal to Vale de Lobo for the Tennis Training camp over the Easter break. The girls received excellent coaching from 5 Star Tennis Holidays with all our players making progress in preparation for the Summer Term. We are very excited to have launched the Lacrosse Tour to America this summer which will run alongside the Lacrosse World Championships. The pupils taking part will play in the World Festival tournament against several international schools and clubs, whilst also having the opportunity to watch the Senior World Championships in the group stages and medal matches. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the girls to see the best teams and players in the world, including three current pupils and one member of staff, competing against each other. We have also already launched our Tennis Tour and Ski trip for Easter 2023 which we are very much looking forward to. Wycombe Abbey has enjoyed considerable sporting success this academic year, and the Gazette will detail the achievements and highlights of every sport, club, and activity. However, some areas to highlight across several sports are:

Lacrosse We had two players represent Wales U21A and B team at the Home Internationals tournament over Easter, as well as three more of our pupils representing Scotland U21A and B teams. Outside of the Home Nations we have three pupils who have been involved with the Italian National team, where one of our UVI pupils has been selected for the World Championships squad. Team Sweden have selected the Fearnhead sisters, who have also been selected for the Senior World Championships and will meet Italy in the group stages of the competition. This is an outstanding achievement for all girls involved, where they will be among some of the youngest players to take to the fields, and will face opponents, some twice their age, with many more years of international experience. We wish them the very best of luck this summer in Towson, Maryland. Netball The Under 14 Netball team progressed through to the National Schools Regional Tournament, narrowly missing a place in the National Finals. Swimming Our Junior Swimming team placed first in their ESSA qualification gala and our HMC Bath and Otter Cup team placed 7th in the Medley Relay against over 50 schools. Squash The U14, U16 & U19 Squash teams performed outstandingly over the season finishing with the National Schools Finals in March. The U14s finished in 6th place, U16A team placed 3rd in the country, U16B placed 3rd in the plate, U18B placed 2nd in the plate and the U18A team placed 3rd in the Country.

Athletics The Summer of 2021 saw our U12, U13, U14 and U15 all placing first in the District Competition and our Track & Field Cup team placed first in the County round. This summer, we have progressed through to the Regional Final of the Track and Field Cup with both Junior and Intermeidiate team after placing first at the County Round.

Championship, all of whom fenced well. Our outgoing Fencing captain was placed 3rd, ending her Wycombe Abbey fencing career on a high after also winning the Public Schools Fencing Competition. Mrs Fiona Gee Interim Director of Sport

Cricket Cricket has continued to grow after introducing the sport last Summer and has been a great success within the curriculum and in squad training. A large investment in equipment this year has allowed cricket to be delivered in year group PE. Provision has been for soft ball in the Lower School and the option of hard ball and soft ball in the Upper School. The Cricket nets have proven to be popular, and we have had several competitive Cricket matches for all age group so far this term against other schools. Tennis Our LTA Senior Students Team Tennis Squad were crowned Regional Champions after progressing through both the group and knockout stages of the competition. The Aberdare Cup squad have earned a place at the National Finals which will take place in July. Fencing The Public Schools Fencing Competition returned this year and our pupils performed exceptionally well. The team won The Moor Shield which is presented to the school who place second in the overall competition. Four of our fencers competed in the British Fencing National Youth

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