tockingtonian 2014

AUTUMN2014

TOCKINGTONIANTHE

TOCKINGTONMANOR SCHOOL(01454) 613229 www.tockingtonmanorschool.com

Autumn 2014 1

Looking back on our first year here at Tockington I am filled with an enormous sense of pride. Tockington has, for so many years, been widely respected in both the local community and nationally within the independent sector. Our visits to the school before our official start date gave us the opportunity to meet the great number of people who were so clearly dedicated to the schools success. Such a team spirit is not one that can be developed over-night and is testament to the way in which the school has been run since its opening all those years ago. One thing that struck us throughout our first year was what a gem of a school Tockington

AUTUMN 2014 ISSUE NO. 84

Manor is. The family ethos and nurturing environment are second to none, and the love that everyone associated with the school has for the school, is very impressive indeed. We thank everyone for the very warm welcome we received.

Speech Day gave us the opportunity to celebrate the vast number of achieve-ments and this year we were delighted to welcome Dr John Newton, Headmaster of Taunton School, to present the prizes.

I often hear people suggesting that we punch above our weight. This is true in many ways but does imply that perhaps we should not be achieving

all that we do. Given the talent, commit-ment, enthusiasm and motivation of every member of the school community I suggest that we do not punch above our weight but instead go a long way to fulfilling our potential. A potential that is most impressive and The Tockingtonian is about celebrating the schools many successes.

Now to create this happy school where children are confident to be themselves takes a great deal of effort from every-one within the school community and I thank them all for their continued support.

FROM THE STUDY WINDOW

TOCKINGTONMANOR SCHOOL(01454) 613229 www.tockingtonmanorschool.com

2 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

I would now like to look at different aspects of the school and praise their many successes. I am sometimes asked about how Tockington, as a small school, can compete on the sports field but our sporting successes have been plentiful this year.

In the Gloucester Cross Country League the Under 11 boys won the Bronze medal and the Girls the Silver. We should, however, bear in mind that all other teams are in fact athletics clubs In The TMS Relays the U9, U11Boys and U11 Girls all broke records. There were over 400 entrants. At Hatherop Castle TMS were overall winners for the second year on the trot. The Swimming Relay Team was ninth best in the country and only nar-rowly missed out on the National Final by just 0.3 of a second. By March all of our children had learned to swim and so rare is this achievement were entered into the School Swimming Award competition The U13 Netball team beat Clifton College 22-3 The Under 8 Netball team only lost one of their eight games and the Beaudesert Tournament The U13 Rounders team beat Clifton College and The Downs The U9 Rounders team were un-beaten at the Colstons Tournament The U9 cricket team had a most promising season and we thank Owen Dawkins, the Gloucestershire Coach, for his help this winter. Their most impressive win was over St Johns-on-the-Hill, a school we had not beaten for 15 years! Jake Wakeling now represents Glamorgan for Cricket. The U13 Cricket XI pulled off wonderful wins over Monmouth, Clifton High and Sidcot. Tennis remains hugely popular. Charlie Sanzo and Harvey Jones won the Severnside championships, beating Clifton College, Beaudesert Park, The Downs and St Hughs. Later in the season our children beat Wycliffe by 8 rubbers to 1 and beat Clifton College 7-2.


With hockey, we looked forward to the development of the new Astro-Turf that was installed during the holidays, but even having been used to playing on grass our U9s were runners-up in the Dean Close Tournament. Our Athletes shone last year:21 School Records were broken, 63 UK Athletics Gold Standards were achievedThe U9 and U11 teams won their quad event tournament at St Johns-on-the-Hill.Dalis Jones won the Olveston and Almondsbury Fun Runs

Ellie Parker is now ranked in the top ten in the country for 1500 metres. Alex Grocott retained his Oldbury and Olveston titles, but it was at the South West Championships where he beat the 1500 metre record, and became the English 1500 metre champion. In addi-tion, he became the Gwent League and Gloucestershire League Cross Country Champion.

Congratulations to all of our sportsmen and women.

With music and drama our children have entertained on the stage, from the Nursery Wrens, who were slightly unsure abut the whole experience back in December, to the Upper School, who oozed confidence and talent in the Wizard of Oz.

The Summer Term School concerts were a pleasure to see and listen to. The Upper School concert was, as Mrs Sapkota described to me, the best we have had here at TMS. The standard and confidence of all concerned were most impressive.

In March I was blown away by the Eisteddfod successes. I will not list all of the successes individually, as there were so many, but to summarise, for Speech and Drama there were:

Twelve commendations, five merits, six distinctions, five first places with Tom Edwards being awarded the out-standing performer.

With the music there were five third places, four second places and six first places.

Over two thirds of children from Year 2-8 learn at least one instrument or more.

Congratulations to the children and music staff for all that they achieved.

Other national successes included the General Knowledge team becoming South West Regional Winners and heading off to Harrow for the National Final where they narrowly missed out on a place in the top three.

The Boarding House is now buck-ing the national trend and has seen numbers steadily rise. We thank Mr and Mrs Glanville and all the Boarding Staff for their hard work this year.

I must thank The Friends of Tocking-ton Manor for all their hard work this year. The Curry and Quiz night was a resounding success and the Burns Night was a night to remember. The Family Fun Day would not have been the success it was without the many volunteers who gave so freely of their time and energy and in so any ways. It sums up what we stand for here at Tockington; working hard together, do-ing the best we can and having a super time in the process.

At this point I would like to thank the FOTM for their many gifts to the school this year and make special mention of Mrs Anita Williamson for all her hard work and commitment as Chair of this wonderful organisation. She was a super Chair and gave such a warm welcome to us when we arrived last September and we thank her for all that she has done for the school. I thank, too, Andrew Williamson, who worked so hard on the amazing adventure playground which was opened this September.

It is the academic side of the school where I would like to focus our atten-tion now. As always the academic successes have been most impressive.

In Reception all of the children were learning Year 2 high frequency words and please bear in mind that four of the children were French. 82% of Year 1 children were working at levels more normally associated with those finishing Year 2 In Year 2 almost 50% were working at Year 4 standard. 75% of Year 3 were working at Year 5 level The vast majority of our Year 5s reached the standard associated with the end of Key Stage 2 Three quarters of our Year 6 children were working at levels more normally associated with 13 year olds.These are truly impressive figures, especially when we remind ourselves that we are a non-selective, mixed ability school. I therefore suggest that we are a school that can rival all others in its academic delivery.

We congratulate five children on being awarded scholarships to their chosen Senior Schools. Larry Williamson, Elliott Orchard and Imogen Rees all impressed at Clifton High and were given awards. Alex Grocott impressed at Monmouth and was awarded a deferred scholarship and Max Curtis impressed the new Headmaster at Colstons so much that he was awarded a deferred scholarship there. In addition, Adassa Walker and Ella Howard-Robinson in Year 6 were of-fered deferred places into Red Maids in recognition of the high standard at which they are working. Well done to you all!

The Summer Term saw the very successful introduction of the new Learnpad tablets and interactive plasma screen, raising our ICT facilities to the next level.

During the summer holidays the Library had a complete makeover, making it an even nicer environment to study and read in.

September 2014 sees Latin being introduced to Year 5 children; Spanish being introduced to the timetable for

Reception to Year 6 children and Science receiving more allocated time so that it can be more easily broken down into the three disciplines.

Cognitive ability testing (CATS) will be introduced so that we can monitor childrens potential and performance even more effectively than we currently do. The continued development of standardised English and Maths assessments will ensure that our planning becomes even more bespoke and tailor-made to each childs needs.

The introduction of Ethics and Philosophy will allow our children to become better critical thinkers, even more adept at asking questions and debating important issues.

The future of the schools academics is in good hands and I look forward to seeing how things progress even more next year. I thank all the teachers, Mr Jones, Miss Sheppard and Mrs Wakeling for their valuable input and enthusiasm.

The Nursery continues to go from strength to strength and is widely seen as the beacon of excellence in this area. I thank Mrs Reynolds and Mrs Pearce for all their professionalism and hard work.

Speech Days are always a time for celebration and a time to say goodbye and it gave me the opportunity to thank Gary Sheppard and all the Governors. I have sat with various governing bodies over the years but recently I sat in one of our meetings and realised that I had never worked with a board as commit-ted to the school. They possess a genu-ine love of the school and a clear desire to see the school continue to blossom.

Mrs Julie Drew took retirement by rote from the Board this summer. She had been a Governor for six years, was heavily involved in the schools development plan and the leader of the Enterprise Committee which oversees the pool and the pavilion.

As for our other leavers, Luke Dutton headed off to Taunton School; Otto Cullis, Imogen Rees, Larry Williamson and Elliott Orchard to Clifton High, Seren Clayton moved on to Bristol, Harvey Jones and Charlie Sanzo moved to Colstons and Alvaro Daguerre moved back to Spain. From Year 6 Adassa Walker moved on to Red Maids; Amy Horler to Colstons and Helena Brain to Kingswood.

Mrs Dawes left us in April after 13 excellent years of dedication to the school. Her high standard of teaching and pastoral care were admired by all and we wish her every continued success Miss Nicole Fowler left us after a lengthy Gap Year (five terms) to head off to University. She was an excellent friend to so many and I know she will be missed. Miss Kate Taylor left us in December 2014 to return to study in Australia.

At Christmas we said farewell to Mrs Murphy, who had had a longstanding relationship with the school, teaching a variety of subjects including RS. She also shared the schools passion for drama. At the same time two of our popular drivers, Paul Clare and Mandy Setter left the school and we thank them for all those early morning runs around north Bristol.

Joining us during the year was Mr Pablo Perez who brought with him his enthusiastic approach to the Boarding House and general school life.

Our first year here was a wonderful experience and we look forward to building upon all that our school stands for in the years to come. We hope you enjoy this edition of The Tockingtonian.

Stephen Symonds, Headmaster


Autumn 2014 3

The Merchant Prize for English

Seren Clayton

The Shaw English Prize

Aditi Mehendale

The Ashford Prize for Best Essay/Poem

Alex Jacobi

The Most Promising Writer

Alex Gooch

4 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

SCHOOL NOTES

SCHOOL NOTES 2013 - 2014

Harveyjones

SerenClayton

AlvaroDaguerre

LukeDutton

CharlieSanzo

ImogenRees

ElliottOrchard

LarryWilliamson

OttoCullis

LucyEngland

HEAD BOYHarvey Jones

HEAD GIRLSeren Clayton

HEAD OF ALEXANDERAlvaro Daguerre, Luke Dutton

HEAD OF CHURCHILLCharlie Sanzo

HEAD OF CUNNINGHAMImogen Rees, Elliott Orchard

HEAD OF BOYS SPORTElliott Orchard, Larry Williamson, Otto Cullis

HEAD OF LOWER SCHOOLLucy England, Larry Williamson, Imogen Rees

YEAR 8 FORM CAPTAINOtto Cullis, Larry Williamson

The Broyd Year 3 Reading Prize

Archie Symonds

The Haigh Cup for Middle School Creative

Writing

Tabitha Huby & Georgina Loring

The Gundry Cup for Excellence in English

Adrian Ng

The Lees Progress Prize for Strings

Amy Tucker

The School Prize for Percussion

Imogen Rees

The Sarah Finnigan Award for Drama

Charlie Sanzo & Elliott Orchard

The Henry Williams Prize for Religious Studies

Seren Clayton & Aditi Mehendale

The Emily Moore Award for Ballet/Dance

Lily Edwards

The Elaine Thomas Prize for Art

Charlie Sanzo

The Richardson Art Prize

Alex Jacobi

The School Art Prize

Alex Gooch

The Allen Technology Prize

Angus Duncan

The Jamie Smith Photography Cup

Olivia Campbell

The School Computing/ICT Prize

Aditi Mehendale

The Pippa Mason Award

Larry Williamson

The Gerrish Activities Cup

Elliott Orchard

The Baker Make the Most of Every Moment

Prize

Thomas Edwards

The Girls Games Prize

Olivia Campbell

Autumn 2014 5

SCHOOL NOTES

The Old Tockingtonian Society Prize for

Mathematics

Seren Clayton

The Old Tockingtonian Society Prize for

History

Seren Clayton

The Benjamin Moore Science Shield

Seren Clayton

The Smith Prize for Science

Harvey Jones

The Middle School Prize for Science

Eleanor Parker

The Gwrgan Cup for Excellence in Geography

Seren Clayton

The Robert Mason Prize for Geography

Imogen Rees

The Finnigan Prize for French

Seren Clayton

The Bett Prize for Classics

Imogen Rees

The McArthur Prize for Music

Annabel Sheppard & Aditi Mehendale

The Winson Prize for Singing

Elliott Orchard & Seren Clayton

The Walters Prize for Piano

Poppy Carter

The Wilkinson Shield for Best Wind Player

Abigail Blackwell & Olivia Campbell

The Prize for Best Brass Player

Jonathan Baguley

The Warn Guitar Prize

Vivian Boudon

The Smith Cup for All-Round Sportsmanship

Imogen Rees

The Lorenz Cup for Best Tramp

Anfisa Girusova

The Friends of Tockington Manor Awards

Seren Clayton, Imogen Rees & Charlie Sanzo

The Barber Award for Effort

Aditi Mehendale

The Jubilee Cup

Alex Gooch, Jonathan Baguley & Roshan Patel

The Ben Senior Cup (Red Stars)

Charlie Sanzo, Alvaro Daguerre & Elliott Orchard

The Bursell Cup (Senior Stars)

Lucy Allan-Jones

The Lambie Cup (Middle School Stars)

Eleanor Parker, Dalis Jones & Alex Jacobi

The Alice White Cup (Junior Stars)

Lou Saelens, Otis Walker & Iona Campbell

The Titcomb Cup (Termly House Stars)

Alexander

The Stringer Shield (End of Year House Stars)

Alexander

The Barnes Grobler Shield for Best Boarder

Eugenia Paz Nunez, Abigail Blackwell & Matias Marra

The Clucas Cup

Seren Clayton

The Cogan Cup

Harvey Jones

Form Effort Prizes Year 8

Larry Williamson & Seren Clayton

Year 7

Lucy Allan-Jones & Aditi Mehendale

Year 6

Eleanor Parker & Alex Jacobi

Year 5

Tabitha Huby & Isabel Browning

Year 4

Carmen Rey-Jones & Lou Saelens

Year 3

Elizabeth Allan-Jones

Lower School Progress Prizes

Daphne Glauzy, Toby Littlejohn, Rafael Rey-Jones,

Kaya Priove, Cole OLeary, Emily Gaulton, Emily Rowe,

Thibault Desautard, Billy Rowe & Oliver Edge

Lower School End of Year Prizes

Marie Veron, Gemma Allen & Eva Carter

The Watson Sports Achievement Cup

Toby West, Toby Littlejohn & Kaya Priove

6 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

The Senior Leavers have passed to the following schools:

Seren Clayton

Otto Cullis

Alvaro Daguerre

Luke Dutton

Harvey Jones

Elliott Orchard

Imogen Rees

Charlie Sanzo

Larry Williamson

Bristol Grammar School

Clifton High School

Returned to Spain

Taunton School

Colstons School

Clifton High School

Clifton High School

Colstons School

Clifton High School

SCHOOL NOTES

The Nursery and Foundation Stage Holiday Club have celebrated another very successful year. Play continues to underpin all our childrens learning with opportunities for both indoor and outdoor activities. The children have flourished and have enjoyed exploring the garden and grounds. Our Wrens have enjoyed a stimulating year under the careful guidance of Emily and Lorraine. They have looked at farm and zoo animals, what goes on under the sea and on the beach and all types of vehicles. The Robins have been examining all aspects of farming as part of their environmental studies. After walking through a local farmers field and noticing the tractor and crops, the children produced their own display of tractors with sunshine, crops and birds. They have also concentrated on sensory materials such as gloop, shaving foam, sand and paint.

The Owls interests have been around mapping and producing their own maps from their chosen points of interest around the school grounds. While outside, they have also participated in pond dipping and bird spotting. Country dancing has been a highlight when the children listened to music, followed instructions and created various movements using their own resources. Indoors, the Owls have enjoyed building a pirate ship and dressing up as pirates. During the Summer Term, the whole Nursery Department with parents paid a visit to Noahs Ark. This proved to be very

NURSERY

Autumn 2014 7

THE Nurserysuccessful and was enjoyed by all. The Nursery Christmas festivties and Sports Day were celebrated by children, parents and staff alike. Under the watchful eye of Mrs Stow, the children have planted and grown fruit and a variety of vegetables in the Nursery garden. Potatoes have been harvested and taken by the children to the school kitchen where they were cooked and served for lunch. The children particularly enjoyed eating these, knowing that they had grown them. The year has provided us all with great memories and excitement. With our vast array of resources and varied timetable, we enable the children to laugh, enjoy and remember their Nursery days. SR

Having started the summer holidays with sunshine and high numbers of children at the Tree Top Club, I was certain we were in for an enjoyable and positive eight weeks ahead. The club continues to run with three groups: the Maples (Year 1 to the end of Year 2), the Oaks (Years 3 to the end of Year 6) and the Youth group (Years 7 and 8). This summer, liaising closely with the Foundation Stage Holiday Club, we decided to include children who were still of Reception age, to provide them with more of a transition period into the Maples before they enter Year 1 at School. Feedback from parents suggested that this was a welcome move.

The Tree Top Club is run by an ef-ficient team of competent staff. Most of our leaders have been working at the holiday club for many years and are familiar with the daily organisation

take part in coached sporting activities including team games and football. The facilities at Tockington Manor also provide us with the opportunity to offer outdoor pursuits without leav-ing the school grounds. This summer children had the chance to take part in a woodland wander which involved taking part in various activities in a des-ignated part of the woods. Searching for birds and specific trees encouraged the children to gain an interest in their surroundings and they loved using the fire pit to toast marshmallows.

The indoor pool at the school is used as much as possible by the holiday club and is always a great hit with the children.

Further information about the Tree Top Club can be found on the school website www.tockingtonmanorschool.com.

KD

8 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

as well as knowing the children who attend. Without their commitment, the club would not operate as well as it does, with routines being implemented and activities carried out. Throughout the holidays we offer children a day that is semi-structured with themed weeks and usually at least one Arts and Crafts activity each day. The children have many opportunities to engage independently or as part of a team.

There is always room at the Tree Top Club for new people to join us and one of our objectives is to keep the success of the club growing by taking steps forward. New and fresh ideas come from recruiting additional staff and from focusing on the expertise that they bring. Summer 2014 saw the introduction of Garbett Games, led by James Garbett, one of the PE special-ists at the school. It proved to be very popular, with children signing up to

TREETOP CLUB

TREETOP CLUB

Autumn 2014 9

LOWER SCHOOL

New term, new start, new faces. We started the Autumn Term with an air of excitement and anticipation. Three weeks later we were all perform-ing on the stage for our Harvest Festival. The children researched Harvest around the world and raised money for Kids for Kids supporting children in Darfur.

By the end of the term, the children were seasoned performers and Christ-mas was started early with a brilliant performance of Shepherds Delight. The stage was full of singing and naughty sheep. The children were re-warded with a trip to Bristol Old Vic to see a performance of Antarctica. It was a magical experience and the children were mesmerised.

The Spring Term seemed to fly by with all the children settled and working well. They also managed to squeeze in

LOWER SCHOOLa few memorable performances at the Thornbury Eisteddfod.

In the Summer Term, during a very hot week, the whole Lower School par-ticipated with enthusiasm in both their Swimming Gala and Sports Day. The children demonstrated great sports-manship and a genuine support for all their peers. The Summer Concert was a great success with all the children participating and with such delight on their faces. It really was a goose bump event. Looking back over the year, what is evident is how much pride the Lower School children have for their school. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and it really is a unique quality.

ReceptionWe had a very exciting year in Recep-tion. The children helped to build the learning garden, became the proud

owners of guinea pigs, grew frogs and vegetables, took part in plays and gave their assemblies, to name just a few things. Their progress in, and enjoyment for, reading, writing and mathematics has been a pleasure to be part of. The class approached all work and experiences with enthusiasm and questions! The development of the learning garden has greatly enhanced the learning and teaching opportunities within Reception. The space will develop along with each class that uses it, reflecting the interests and personalities of the children. CEYear 1Year 1 had a very busy year with lots of new friends joining us along the way. The children thoroughly enjoyed learning about Florence Nightingale in history and were thrilled when she came to visit us with a drama workshop.

10 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

LOWER SCHOOL

We had an excellent trip to Blaise Castle where we learnt about Victorian toys and adventure playgrounds which supported our History and DT topics.

In the Summer Term we said goodbye to Mrs Mockridge who became our new Head of Art, and I resumed control! We welcomed a French student for a few weeks and learned all about life in Paris. The term was action-packed with a trip to Clevedon Pier and a visit from the Avon & Somerset Constabulary, our PCSO and the dog-handling team. Thank you to DC Lewis who helped us set up the day. If you get a chance to go to Clevedon, please visit the pier and try to find our very own TMS plaque. The children are hoping very much that we will be next to the One Direction plaque! LW

Year 2Year 2 is always a busy year as the children learn to become more inde-pendent and embrace more responsi-bilities, both academically and socially. The children have been interested, questioning and enthusiastic about their learning. It is difficult to highlight one moment or area as it has been a thoroughly enjoyable year. Being able to step back and listen and take their learning where they want to go is a privilege. A quote from the year must be Rafie in Year 2 saying in the last week of term I want to go back to Reception and do the whole Lower School again. I dont want to leave! So a new start, new faces and a new term awaits.

JLS

My best holiday was in Bermuda. We went to see my auntie but it was a bit sad because I hurt my foot but it is better now so dont worry. We went in Peters pool. Peter is my aunties husbands Dad and his pool is best because it is so warm. It was a good holiday. Frankie

My best holiday was in Mauritius. We stayed in a hotel near the beach. It was so near the beach that the floor was sand. Every morning we woke early to go to the beach and had a swim. When it was lunchtime we went shopping to buy our lunch; it was yummy! We went on a boat and we were allowed to drive it. On another beach we saw lots of rats and crabs so we went back. When it was the end of the holiday I was very sad to leave. Suzanne

My best holiday was in Greece. I stayed in a small hotel. If you jumped over the balcony with your swimming costume on you could jump into the swimming pool. At the end of the day we went to a very nice restaurant. It took eight hours to get home. Krystof

My best holiday was to America. First I went to the airport and went on the plane. Next we drove to the holiday house. It was beautiful. Then I went to bed. In the morning I had breakfast and went to Disneyland. While we were there I went on my first rollercoaster. When I got home I went in the pool. After the holiday we went back on the plane. I took eight hours to get home. I was happy to get home. But I was sad to leave. Lily

MY BEST

HOLIDAY(by Year 2)

It was so exciting yesterday; do you know what we did? We went to get two guinea pigs! We went on the bus, Mr Symonds was driving and we went over a big, big bridge on the river. The lady in the shop told us all about how to look after them and then we brought them to school. We had a competition to get their names and Lily was the winner, they are called Basil and Humphrey Emily Gaulton, Reception

Autumn 2014 11

LOWER SCHOOL

We have delighted in yet another enjoyable and successful musical year at Tockington with lots of concerts, events and individual achievements in recognised examinations with certificates now on display in the entrance to the hall. At the start of the Autumn Term, some of our gifted Year 7 musicians attended a fantastic jazz improvisation day at Millfield School with the Pete Cater Big Band. They joined several other schools, learn-ing some fabulous new skills. Also, early in the term, the whole school enjoyed a fantastic brass assembly from our specialist, Mr Martin Rogers which was great fun. Years 3 and 4 had additional classroom workshops, which led to some new starters including Archie Carter in Year 4 learning trumpet and Ryan Hann in Year 3 taking on our school tuba! We also had a fantastic informal concert at lunchtime in October full of variety, featuring voice, piano, violin, fife, recorder, clarinet, guitar and ukulele! The first of the academic year, it really showcased the talent of the children at Tockington.

As usual, the Music Department was particularly busy in the lead-up to Christmas with the Wrens and Robins Play, the Owls Nativity and the Lower School Christmas production. We also really enjoyed our special Carols round the Christmas tree evening, open to all pupils and parents past and present, the mulled wine reception ensuring that we were all in fine voice! The Carol Service at St Marys was, as ever, a real highlight of the year musically. The Junior Choir sang two delightfully contrasting songs, The Cat and Mouse Carol and a lovely new song written by one of Mrs Warns


MUSIC

friends, Jayni Tremaine, entitled Sing, Gabriel Sing. The Performance Choir gave an exciting rendition of Wonderful Christmas Time and their version of Holy Night was truly magnificent. Both choirs then came together to sing Do they know its Christmas? It was a wonderful evening and a fitting end to a lovely first term with our new Headmaster, Stephen Symonds, and his family.

The Spring Term was dominated by our school musical production of the Wizard of Oz but also by outstanding successes in the Thornbury Eisteddfod. All three of our choirs gained a distinction, with the Lower School Choir winning second place against many local schools, singing a traditional two-part round Down the River/Vive lamour, as well as a lovely action-packed rendition of Groovy Grandma by Chris Williams. The Junior Choir was also in a large class and received a cup and first place for their two contrasting songs, Where do we go from here? by Chris Hazell and a particularly varied 2-part rendition of When the Saints go Marching in which included some beautiful trio singing of one of the verses in a minor key by Jonathan Baguley, Annabel Sheppard and Jeanne Veron. The Performance Choir also took first place with their two songs, Howard Goodalls version of The Lord is my Shepherd followed by the contrasting When I grow up from the musical Matilda. There were some fantastic comments from the adjudicator for all three choirs. Overall, results were superb, with pupils entering almost

The cover photograph was also taken in St. Marys Church,Thornbury and shows our Junior Choir Eisteddfod winners.

all the categories in the Eisteddfod. Highlights in the instru-mental classes were Aditi Mehendale who took first place in the Under 14 Piano Class. Aditi, Olivia Campbell and Lucy Allan-Jones also won first place and a cup for their lovely piano trio Iris. There were many more memorable entries including Beth Pritchard and Roshan Patel, who entered the composition class, Roshan wowing everyone with his own fantastically powerful drum kit improvisation and Beth, having only recently started piano, singing and playing her own song.

Tockington was particularly successful in the singing classes, in particular Annabel Sheppard who took two first place trophies and one second place. In the extremely popular and competitive class Songs from Shows, Tom Edwards took third with his fantastically entertaining interpretation of I think Id better think it out again from Oliver and Seren Clayton captivated us with her Over the Rainbow from the Wizard of Oz, the title song of our school musical this year, directed by Mrs Glanville.

The Summer Term involved our House Music Competition, a great success with some really fantastic solo playing and brilliant interpretations of Michael Jackson classics from each of the House choirs. The event was judged by Tockingtons

Autumn 2014 13

MUSIC


Isabel Browning Grade 2 Piano Tom Edwards Grade 3 Piano Iona Campbell Grade 1 Singing Roshan Patel Grade 2 Singing Annabel Sheppard Grade 3 Singing Olivia Campbell Grade 4 Singing Seren Clayton Grade 5 Singing

London College Musical TheatreTom Edwards Grade 5

Spring Term 2014 Associated BoardHenry Allan-Jones Grade 1 Piano Jonathan Baguley Grade 1 Piano Olivia Campbell Grade 3 Clarinet Poppy Carter Grade 2 Piano Tom Edwards Grade 4 Singing Antonia Hopcraft Grade 2 Singing Ella Howard-Robinson Grade 2 Violin Aditi Mehendale Grade 4 Piano Aditi Mehendale Grade 4 Singing Oliver Shutt Grade 1 Piano Abigail Blackwell Grade 1 Theory Helena Brain Grade 1 Theory Oliver Shutt Grade 1 Theory George Symonds Grade 1 Theory

PassPassMeritPassDistinctionDistinctionMerit

Distinction

PassMeritDistinctionPassDistinctionMeritPassDistinctionDistinctionMeritDistinctionDistinctionDistinctionDistinction

MUSIC EXAMINATION RESULTS

Oliver Shutt Grade 1 Singing Jeanne Veron Grade 1 Singing Freddie Cooper Grade 1 Flute Ella Howard-Robinson Grade 2 Singing Lucy Allan-Jones Grade 3 Clarinet Lucy Allan-Jones Grade 3 Piano Helena Brain Grade 3 Violin Aditi Mehendale Grade 3 Violin Olivia Campbell Grade 5 Piano

Trinity GuildhallAbigail Blackwell Grade 5 Recorder Alexander Gooch Grade 3 Recorder Isabelle Preston Grade 1 Recorder Vivian Boudon Grade 1 Guitar Alexander Grocott Grade 2 Guitar Eleanor Parker Grade 1 Guitar Angus Duncan Initial Grade Guitar Jonathan Baguley Grade 1 Trumpet

London College Musical TheatreAnnabel Sheppard Grade 5

DistinctionDistinctionPassPassMeritMeritPassMeritMerit

MeritMeritMeritMeritMeritDistinctionDistinctionDistinction

Distinction

Summer Term 2014 Associated Board

brass teacher, Martin Rogers, who gave some really positive feedback. The marks were high and competition close, with particularly fine performances from Jeanne Veron singing A dream is a wish, Annabel Sheppard singing Lets go fly a kite, Olivia Campbell treating us to a gorgeous rendition of Adelita on the piano and Roshan Patel giving a stunning drum improvisation as Churchills Wild Card. Dalis Jones and Talia Curtis provided a lovely variation to the competition with their gymnastics display. Alexanders Thriller in-cluded an excellent narration from Alex Ganfield and some eerie laughter at the close. Churchills Man in the Mirror showed good dynamic changes and excellent stage presen-tation. Cunninghams Beat it was very entertaining with some wonderful solos from Tom Edwards and Toby Gaulton and some brilliant air guitar playing and antics from the suitably wigged Archie and George Symonds. It was a really fun event and the closing scores, neatly calculated by Abigail Blackwell, revealed this years winners of the cup as Churchill.

Throughout the year, we have continued to enjoy our twice-termly informal concerts, which have been hugely popular and successful, running on Monday or Tuesday lunchtimes

and providing a fantastic opportunity for the children to gain performing experience in a more relaxed way. They have also provided a platform for children about to take recognised examinations. One really notable achievement this year was Tom Edwards who received 100% in his Musical Theatre Grade 5 exam. His performance in our final Summer Concert was testament to his talent but we were also treated to many other fine performances from individuals and groups, including the orchestra, choirs, recorder consort, Year 4 ukulele band and Year 6 singing their own song. It was a really amazing evening and a fitting end to another enjoyable musical year.

On a personal note, regrettably, continuing voice problems have forced me to relinquish my role as Head of Music and take a break from class teaching. I will, however, continue with individual lessons at Tockington and Mrs Katie Sapkota will take on the role from Autumn 2014. I would particularly like to thank Mrs Charmaine George and Miss Sian Walters for their incredible support and I wish Mrs Sapkota and all our fantastic musicians and teachers at Tockington another successful and exciting musical year ahead! MW

Autumn Term 2013 Associated Board Olivia Campbell Grade 3 Theory Antonia Hopcraft Grade 3 Theory Aditi Mehendale Grade 3 Theory

MeritMeritDistinction

MUSIC

In March we were whisked away to the Land of Oz where we met some very strange and enchanting characters. Dorothy was played by Seren Clayton and Olivia Campbell, on different evenings, journeying through the Land of Oz trying to find the infamous Wizard of Oz played by Otto Cullis. Dorothys journey began in Kansas on a farm with the farm hands, family members and local citizens being played by the Year 7s and 8s.

Once she had been transported into Oz, Dorothy found herself in Munchkin land, where she met the Munchkins played by Year 7, and Glinda the

Autumn 2014 15

DRAMA

Good Witch, played by Aditi Mehen-dale. Their merriment was soon cut short by the arrival of the Wicked Witch of the East, skilfully played by Lucy Allan-Jones.

On her journey through Oz, Dorothy was met by a multitude of characters. First she met the scatter-brained scare-crow, played by Charlie Sanzo. Next she encountered a broken-hearted tin man, played by Tom Edwards, before finally being ambushed by the lovable and cowardly lion, ably played by Elliott Orchard. This version of The

Wizard of Oz contained many difficulties for the main characters to overcome, such as the singing and dancing poppies that put them to sleep, played by Year 3. The Year 4s continued to offer Dorothy and her friends many problems as the Winkies and Flying Monkeys and the Year 5 Jitterbugs put a spell

on them that they could not break. The Year 6 group gave Dorothy and

her friends a well-needed rest from their journey by pampering them in the merry old Land of Oz! Refreshed,

DRAMA

Dorothy and her friends went on to defeat the Wicked Witch and Dorothy returned to Kansas.

The Wizard of Oz was directed and produced by Mrs Glanville with musical direction from Mrs Warn. Many other members of staff and children worked together to make this production a huge success. In the Drama Department, we enjoy watching the children develop in confidence and ability throughout the rehearsal process and are always looking for the performers of tomorrow. SGl


The standard of the cartography entries was very high in 2013-2014. The topics were Norway, Ukraine and Brazil over the three termly competitions. The Year 5 and Year 7 entries were outstanding. Alex Jacobi (Year 6) won the Autumn Term and Summer Term competitions with Max Curtis (Year 7) winning the Spring Term competition. Year 2 now enter the competition and Ellie James won the Summer Term prize.

CARTOGRAPHY COMPETITIONWe now also have a number of staff entries. Miss Fowlers creativity and attention to detail were a joy to behold. Mrs Gooch won the Summer Term prize with her strong map of Brazil. Miss Fowler won the Spring Term competition with her unusual map of Ukraine. Cartography is not a dying skill at Tockington Manor School! JJ

Autumn 2013Overall Winner Alex JacobiRunner-Up Lucia Balenzategui3rd Place Olivia Campbell

Best Year EntryYear 8 Charlie SanzoYear 7 Max CurtisYear 6 Beth PritchardYear 5 Dalis JonesYear 4 Freddie CooperYear 3 Jacob BrowningYear 2 n/aEAL n/a

Overall Winner Max CurtisRunner-Up Lucy Allan-Jones3rd Place Isabel Browning Dalis JonesBest Year EntryYear 8 Harvey JonesYear 7 Olivia CampbellYear 6 Beth PritchardYear 5 Angus DuncanYear 4 Otis WalkerYear 3 Ben JacobiYear 2 n/aEAL n/a

Spring 2014 Summer 2014Overall Winner Alex JacobiRunner-Up Abigail Blackwell3rd Place Ceredig Jones Max CurtisBest Year EntryYear 8 Harvey JonesYear 7 Olivia CampbellYear 6 Helena BrainYear 5 Isabel BrowningYear 4 Isabelle PrestonYear 3 Ben JacobiYear 2 Ellie JamesEAL Carlos Fernandez

This year we had some outstanding results in the Common Entrance exam, particularly in the extended syllabus Level 2 papers. These papers are very challenging and the pupils applied their knowledge well to the questions and showed they were able to think mathematically and persist to answer the questions. This is one of the aims of the Mathematics Department which stems from the ethos adopted by the whole school to challenge pupils to reach their maximum potential. This is fostered by the Maths Enhancement Scheme of Work used to develop these elements.

Another initiative in the Maths Department is the introduction of new assessments throughout the school. The standardised scores obtained were used to compare our results to the national average. The scores enabled us to compare our pupils with a large nation-ally representative sample that had

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENTtaken the test previously. The results were as follows:

Year 6 had all pupils above the national average and 23% of the class achieved Stanine 9. Years 6, 5, 4, 3, 1 and Re-ception had no pupils in Stanine 1 or 2. In Years 6, 4, 1 and Reception over 40% of the class gained Stanine 7, 8 or 9. This would put them in the top third of the country. The very positive results reflected well on the teaching and the Maths Enhancement Programme used. These results, particularly for the Year 6 pupils, will give them huge confidence to embark on the Common Entrance Syllabus.

Every year we enter pupils into national competitions. This is another way we can prove our standards are high and it is an excellent way for pupils to practice applying their knowledge. The results are as follows:

All pupils in Years 7 & 8 entered the UK Junior Mathematical Challenge. The competition is always tough with over 250,000 entrants. The honours went to Aditi Mehendale who gained a Gold Standard, just missing out on qualification to the next stage. She was also best in her Year and Best in School. Silver awards went to Thomas Edwards, Abigail Blackwell and Roshan Patel who all performed well and just missed out on a Gold Award. The bronze went to Antonia Hopcraft-Guest who was also very close to gaining silver. I have high hopes for these pupils next year! The best in Year for Year 8 was Imogen Rees, who performed very well just missing the score for Bronze. Congratulations to all those who took part.

All children in Years 5 & 6 entered the Primary Mathematics Challenge The awards were: Gold for Alex Boulton, Silver for Alex Ganfield and Bronze for

Autumn 2014 17

Tabitha Huby, Jonathan Baguely and Alex Jacobi.

The Year 8 pupils used their Maths lessons during the Summer Term to complete a project incorporating their fitness and allowing them to improve their skills in line for sports day. The project involved measuring the pupils time over two separate track events. Using this data, the class was then able to work out their average speed using

formulae for speed, distance and time. Once the class had some raw data they were able compare data, plot this data into graphs and continue practising the event to try and make personal im-provements. From the results we were able to see the groups fitness improve over the three weeks we carried out the project. Imogen Rees produced an excellent project and made good im-provements to her 200m time. Harvey Jones also improved his time for the

100m and this consequently led to success for Harvey in the same event on Sports Day.

Overall, this was a very exciting and successful year for the Mathematics Department. We look forward to next year, building on our success and continuing to strive for better results and more competition awards. EW

MATHEMATICS

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

We have had another exciting year in the English Department, with a wide range of opportunities to extend ourselves as writers and readers, speakers and listeners, both in class and in extra-curricular activities.

Once more the calendar has been marked by very exciting events on a local, national and even international scale.

October began with National Poetry Day. Teachers shared poems with children in all subject areas; in as-sembly we listened to poems; in the library we displayed poems; and in English lessons we had workshops in writing poetry. Later that same month,

Years 5 and 6 wrote poems with the award-winning poet, Rachel Rooney, who visited TMS. The same groups then went to see her perform her poems at the Childrens Book Show at the Arnolfini in Bristol. Here we made a day of it and did some Creative Writing workshops on the Waterside, result-ing in more poetry when we got back to school. We also saw the fantastic author/illustrator, Sarah Garland, whose speedy drawings fascinated the children. The Lower School and Years 3 and 4 were visited by Kaye Uman-sky, who was funny and delightful and Years 7 and 8 entered the realms of fantasy in a workshop with the inspira-tional author, Julia Golding.

In December Years 3, 4 and 5 went to see a great performance of Aladdin with the hugely funny clown, Tweedy, at the Cheltenham Everyman theatre, whilst Years 6 to 8 went to the Redgrave theatre in Bristol to see the Bristol Old Vic Youth Theatres fabulous production of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. At the very end of term, we had our traditional visit from The Flying Pizza Company, who told us the story of the Hobbit. In early February, the Old Vic Youth Theatre came to visit us at school with A Comedy of Errors, which was a huge hit with the children, who said it was the best Shakespeare they had ever seen.

In March, we got very busy writing stories for the Radio 2 500 Word story-writing competition. We ran our own competition with the stories in school, selecting the best three from each year group to be sent off to the national competition. These stories were recorded by teachers and can be accessed on the school website at the following address www.tockington-manorschool.com/2014/03/14/500-word-stories-2014/. On World Book Day, we announced winners in our extended assembly and read some of the stories. We also dressed up as book characters, celebrated books and au-thors and launched the Readathon a sponsored read for Clic Sargent, Roald Dahls Marvellous Childrens Charity and Together for Short Lives, raising money for sick children and their families. This year forty-two children and one


ENGLISH

member of staff took part in the Readathon, raising a spectacular 817, reading an awful lot of books in the Spring holiday. This beat our fund-raising from last years Sponsored Read and we hope that next year we will raise even more. We also entered the National Bookmark Competition with some fantastic designs and clever puns. Sadly, we had no winners here (only 6 out of 25,000 were awarded prizes!) but each bookmark was laminated and kept by our own children.

We continue to promote good reading habits and offer the children many opportunities to buy and to enjoy books. We run a Book Shop of second-hand and new books, which is very popular; we invite a Book Fair into school during the week of World Book Day; we run the Scholastic Book Club; we have a new Book Swap shelf in the library and we frequently have children contribute reviews to the LoveRead-ing4Kids website. We also take part in the Bookbuzz event with Years 6 and 7 to start the year off with some excite-ment about new books. On top of all this, we have a bespoke Reading Tree in the library, where children share their thoughts on books which they have read or which they intend to read. This year we introduced the Reading Passport to the children and they have been recording their personal reading

journeys throughout the year, marking the variety and range of their reading. We also have Paired Reading sessions where tutor groups merge and share books together, which is a great experi-ence for all. This year saw the inaugu-ration of Milkshake Monday Mornings, where twice a year each tutor group is invited into the library at break-time to share a Milkshake and snacks with the librarians and their teacher, whilst listening to a story or poem and then they browse with their friends and share books. We have also had a number of great volunteer parent, teacher and pupil Storytellers in to school for our Guest Storyteller assemblies, which we all enjoy.

The library continues to undergo change and we are looking forward to its total refurbishment this summer. Not only will the walls be freshly painted, but the Friends have very kindly dedicated a princely 2,000 to buying new furniture, display boards, some IT and other necessaries to increase the appeal of the library. This year we have re-instated a team of Junior Librarians, who had to apply for their positions and who do a sterling job of assisting our volunteer parent helpers in run-ning the library. We continue to lend an increasingly varied and up-to-date range of books to the children and have raised enough money through various

events to be able to refresh the stock in the library with approximately 800 worth of books before September. This year has seen the Reading Clubs take part in the Carnegie Medal and the Kate Greenaway Shadowing Awards, and although we did not agree with the selections made by the Judging panels, we had a lot of fun taking part in a shared reading experience.

This year we also took part in the local Eisteddfod with great success in poetry recitals, readings, improvised drama pieces, story-telling and even Shake-speare. Tom Edwards won the Cup for the Performer of the Eisteddfod and was tipped as the next Laurence Olivier. Year 6 took part in the Youth Speaks competition run by the Rotary Club and Beth Pritchard represented the school in the Final.

In the classroom, we have continued to develop an interesting and varied pro-gramme of study and have embraced the revisions of the Common Entrance syllabus into our curriculum. We have looked for opportunities to write for a real audience, including newspaper reports for the Big Spring Clean and, on an international level, we continued to develop our relationships with our Kenyan pen-friends through letters passing to and fro and this is something which the children always look forward to. We introduced the Progress in English tests to the school this year and are very pleased with the results which we have had from those. Our children are performing at a very high level when compared to national data and continue to make steady progress in all areas. Our Common Entrance Results were good and we look forward to moving the subject forward even further in the coming year. Handwriting and Presen-tation is encouraged across the curriculum and a new award has been created with a trophy for the most Green Stars awarded in all subject areas for work which is a pleasure to look at. Children are eager to win this prize and work hard in regular handwriting competi-tions to achieve their best.Clubs continue to thrive with the

aforementioned Reading Clubs and also Creative Writing, which has seen a swell in numbers. Our weekly newspaper BY children FOR children has gone from strength to strength and we now have two teams of journalists with thirty children from Years 3 to

7 writing for the paper. The paper is issued by Team A one week and Team B the next and there is no end to their boundless enthusiasm. If you have not taken a peek at Totally Tockington, I suggest you do it is uploaded onto the website with every new edition. We are

considering whether we can turn it into a small business enterprise in the year ahead, which will be exciting.

All in all, a successful and stimulating year.

JC

ENGLISH

Autumn 2014 19

Gillman & Soame Photography UK


The Science Department has enjoyed another varied and exciting year. One of the strengths of the department and subject is the breadth of study. This year, we have enjoyed making scale models of the Solar System with Year 5, Fireworks with the Lower School and Bridges with Year 7. The tasks have been enjoyed by all the pupils

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

SCIENCE

involved and we have also studied for exams! There are many changes planned for next year, with Evolution now being taught in Year 6 and expansion of the Year 4 work to include atoms, not bad for 9 year olds!

This year the birds drawn as part of the Ornithology Competition were of an incredible standard and the winners were: Autumn Term - Beth PritchardSpring Term - Alex GoochSummer Term - Alex Gooch

NG

The Summer Term saw more exciting Art and Design and Technology projects, including sewing, designing bridges and board games, wire sculpture and screen printing. The sunny weather provided plenty of opportunities for studies in the natural environment too.

Year 4 produced stunning piece of collaborative batik art work for the front hall with stimulus and ideas taken from the school pond. Years 3, 4 and 5 had a great time creating some amazing rainforest bottle top art during Activity Week. The Photography Competition rounded off the year. This term the focus was colour. There were some stunning entries and two worthy winners, Henry Packham (Year 1) and Alexander Gooch (Year 7).

ART DEPARTMENT

Photograph by Alex Gooch

ART

The Spring Term in the Art Room saw Tockingtonians complete their most ambitious group art work to date. Every single child in the school took part in creating the beautiful Tockington Tree Mosaic which now proudly adorns the stairwell in the main house. During the first half of term, Mrs Martin worked with each year group to introduce them to the basics of mosaic making, in order for every pupil in the school to create their own individual mosaic leaf.

Inspiring mosaic artist, Emma Leith, then spent two days working with pupils to guide them through the process of piecing this enormous mosaic together. Each year group took responsibility for infilling different areas of the back-ground around the leaves and creating patterns on the tree trunk. Grouting the tree took a further day with lots of help

Photograph by Henry Packham

Autumn 2014 21

from Year 4 who polished every inch of the grout! Then we had the mammoth task of transporting the tree in three sections and mounting it on the wall - lots of scaffolding and brute strength were involved!

This was a truly group project and every pupil can be proud that they contributed in many ways to creating this glorious work of art.

Mrs Martin (Former art teacher 2011-2014)


ART

Year 4 had a fantastic morning at Bristol Museum. They were able to handle artefacts, some of which were over 3000 years old, solve puzzles and spend time in the Ancient Egypt gallery, looking at the real objects they had read about in books. Their knowledge of Ancient Egypt and their deductive skills really impressed the Museum staff.

SG

HISTORY DEPARTMENT

Autumn 2014 23

HISTORY

LIFE IN THE BOARDING HOUSEBOARDING HOUSE


Year 7 focused their study at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, where the group interviewed customers asking them (1) where had they travelled from to get to The Mall and (2) what was their main reason for choosing The Mall as opposed to going somewhere else to shop. They interviewed 436 shoppers in the 55 minute survey!

Lucy Allan-Jones, Olivia Campbell, Tom Edwards, Alex Gooch, Aditi Mehendale and Roshan Patel all scored 100% for their outstanding enquiries. JJ

Autumn 2014 25

EXCURSIONS

RIVER STUDY Year 6 had a successful trip high into the Brecon Beacons studying the beautiful River Caerfanell, a tributary of

the Usk. They looked at the width, depth and velocity at three different stages along the river. It was a glorious day on which we saw Great-Crested Grebes, Dippers, Yellow Wagtails, Stonechats and Cormorants.

The pupils were a pleasure to take away and worked well as a team. The majority of the class scored A or A* grades, with Olivia Banks scoring the highest mark with 93%. JJ

This was the 25th year that our Year 8s have undertaken the trip away to deepest Pembrokeshire. This week away is invaluable, with the pupils gaining a range of experiences and breadth of knowledge, leaving them with many memories.

During our week away we studied the dunes at Freshwater West, visited the 6th Century St Govans Chapel cut into the limestone cliffs near Stackpole Head and undertook a stunning coastal walk from Freshwater East to the Stackpole Estate. We also went mountain biking around the estate, canoed on the Cleddau Estuary, visited Pembroke Castle (birthplace of Henry VII), went on a bat walk, took part in a beach clean and learnt about the history of the estate and the role of the Campbells of Cawdor.

Year 8 were awarded their Discovery Award from the John Muir Trust in recognition of their awareness and responsibility for wild places. Seren Clayton was given the highest mark for her outstanding enquiry on the dunes. She scored 19/20 which constituted 20% of her Common Entrance mark in the Summer Term. The pupils were a pleasure to be with on the week. Thanks to Mr Cann and Miss Fowler for their assistance on the trip. JJ

EXCURSIONS AND VISITS

OUT OF TOWN SHOPPING

GEOGRAPHY FIELDWORK

EXCURSIONS


lines of white crosses were an aston-ishing sight. It is amazing to see how many people sacrificed their future for ours. After the American Cemetery, we headed to Pointe du Hoc, a site full of craters and partially destroyed bunkers. It was interesting to explore this site. After dinner at the hotel, we bought churos and ice-cream and had fun on the beach.

Mercredi 25 juin:We visited Bayeux this morning. We did not expect the Tapestry to be so long and detailed! The market was also interesting; many of us managed to pick up good bargains. The hand grenade rubber bought by Alex was a welcome distraction from all the bling on display. The visit to the British Cemetery was really sad as we could see the ages of the soldiers who died in Normandy 70 years ago; most of them were not even 20. After lunch, we could not wait to reach Festyland. The rides were brilliant. Olivia had enough money left to buy a massive gecko soft toy which she named Pascal, a

FRENCH TRIP YEAR 7

Lundi 23 juin:

We had to be at school at 4.00 am, a very early start! We drove to Portsmouth harbour to get onto our luxurious ferry. Before we had even set sail, most of us had already spent all our money on sweets! After a six hour crossing, we could see France: Bonjour!

Our hotel rooms at the Cosy were really nice. After dinner, we walked to Sword Beach to play cricket. It was great!

Mardi 24 juin:We got woken up too early! We had our first breakfast at the hotel which was delicious. We then made our way to the D-Day Landing Museum in Arromanches. The weather was splendid. We were allowed to spend some of our Euros in the shops near the museum: George got a stunning green beret and Roshan a massive bullet key-ring. The Garden of the Missing was particularly moving as our guide told us about many young soldiers who died on a ship on Christmas Eve. The

fantastic addition to the Year 7 class. In the evening it was time for the much anticipated Sandcastle House competition. Unfortunately, the tide destroyed much of the beautiful forts and other monu-ments built by each House. Oliver got so frustrated that he threw back water at the sea, shouting his anger at the waves. Each House ended up getting an effort prize as Miss Fox, Mme Vron and Mr Glanville could not decide who the overall winner was.

Jeudi 26 juin:Posting a card home was by far the greatest challenge of the trip. We needed to get the right stamp, remember where the address went, find a letter box (which is yellow, not red); tough work! Then we had a long journey to meet up with Yves, a traditional baker whose catchphrase was push-push. He was very funny and showed us how to make proper bread. We also saw how clogs are made and had a race wearing clogs with some even attempting moon-walking with them. Lucy found the right technique and wore the clogs on her hands!

Vendredi 27 juin:Saying goodbye to our charismatic bus driver Tony was the hardest thing to do today. We learned so much this week, it was truly an experience that we will never forget!

For the first time ever, I received a lovely e-mail from the hotel manager who wanted to praise the well-behaved children from Tockington Manor. It summed up how successful the trip was. Well done, Year 7; it was indeed an amazing week! Mme Vron

Year 5 studied the type and volume of traffic on Washingpool Hill Road. The completed studies were excellent with 14 of the class gaining A or

A* grades. Isabel Browning achieved 100% in heroutstanding enquiry.

We compared two time periods during our study, concluding that 8.30-9.00 am

was the busiest time, with more than twice the number of cars passing than during the 9.00 - 9.30 am slot. One hundred and forty nine vehicles passed us during the the hour. JJ

TRAFFIC SURVEY

EXCURSIONS

Autumn 2014 27

We arrived at Biblins Camp in glorious sunshine to be met by Paul and Rich, our two Mendips Out-doors instructors for the week. After a lazy picnic lunch, it was time to get busy and make camp. Unfortunately, the three-man tents were not the pop-up sort and did not come with built -n parent power, so it took a little while to work out how to put them up but, with team work and practice, we soon had a nice line of seven tents following the river bank, under the shade of the trees. After settling into our allocated bed-rooms (and tightening a few of them up), it was time to familiarise ourselves with our new surroundings.

We set off, over the Indiana Jones style bridge, to the other side of the river Wye. Ambroise and Arnould took the lead, apparently having built-in satellite navigation. Alvaro quickly took control of the map reading and led us on an exploration into the forest. We walked in the welcome shade of the trees filled with the scent of wild garlic and mint, birdsong in the air and the familiar call of the teenager how much further is it? Eventually we reached the Suck Stone, reputed to be the largest de-tached block of rock in the British Isles and weighing in excess of 30,000 tons. You can also get a mobile phone signal there which is helpful if you want to Google facts! It was then time for Alvaro to lead us down hill to the river and back to camp, where Vicky (our fantastic caterer) was cooking up spaghetti bolognaise. After tea, Rangers made their first attempt at washing up the dishes before we began Mr Canns traditional camp daft cricket competition. The girls team, Seren,

Imogen and Anfisa, took an early lead in the points. Then we all set off into a triangular area of woodland to be in-troduced to Gold Rush, a frantic game of buying, selling, borrowing, profit, loss, strategy, cunning, bandits, double-dealing, running and more running. We played in teams and the scores were pretty close by the end of the game. By then it was getting dark and time to bunk down for our first night under canvas.

The following morning was another scorcher and, after a hearty cooked breakfast, we got ready for a day on the

river. Rangers launched the Canadian canoes, while Wanderers got into the kayaks. It took a little while for Ambroise, Otto and Elliott to master their canoe and to be rescued off the rocks at the first set of rapids. Luke tried to turn his kayak into a submarine at one point and Mr Perez got splash happy in a water battle, but we all made it to the lunch stop at Monmouth. We ate our picnic while watching dragon-boat racing, and then swapped crafts for the second part of the journey. With Rangers now in the kayaks and Wanderers in the Canadians, over-con-fidence got the better and capsizing, bailing out, sinking and falling overboard were the main features of the afternoon. Eventually, we reached our goal and all helped to haul out the boats, empty out the water and carry them to the trailer.

Back at camp, we were all ready for a shower and a hot meal. Wanderers took their turn at washing up and then we went for a night walk. We trekked up above the camp to King Arthurs cave, the Seven Sisters and a fantastic view of the valley. Stories and legends were told, caves explored and, as the light began to fail, strange noises were heard coming from the abandoned workshop near the quarry! We were definitely

SENIORSUMMERCAMPsYEAR 8

EXCURSIONS


ready to get into our tents when we got back.

Wednesday was Richs birthday. We celebrated by going to Symonds Yat for a day of abseiling and rock climbing. Charlie, Larry and Anfisa bravely conquered their nerves on the, quite frankly, huge abseils, while others practically shot down them. After lunch, we attempted a series of climbs, which involved teamwork and trust, as we had to help billet each other. Everyone took to the climbs, putting in 100% effort and enjoying the various challenges.

Back at camp, we all sang Happy Birthday to Rich and tucked into chicken curry. Later, it was time to play a final round of Gold Rush, where skul-duggery reached its highest levels yet and penalties were severe, with several people having to buy back their shoes from the bandits! Hot cocoa round the campfire finished off another super day.

Thursday morning started with both teams competing to solve a variety of physical and mental problem-solving challenges. Some thought it through, while others literally dived straight in. Scores were close when we moved on to the archery challenges. Again, both teams competed to score as many points as possible before going on to play a game of archery cricket. Ambroise proved to be a very impressive shot, collecting many wickets, while Imogen, Arnould, Harvey and Otto were close behind. Everyone improved through-out the session, but Rangers managed to score the most runs before being bowled out.

The afternoon was spent completing a team orienteering challenge. Each team split into pairs to find a number of dif-ferent points marked on their campsite maps and bring back the correct letter sequence. Harvey and Alvaro showed their determined streak by running between each point and completing the map away ahead of anyone else. Everyone managed to finish before the weather changed and the rain began. After a final evening round of daft cricket, the rain stopped, the fire was lit and we gathered round to toast twists over the embers before setting off for bed, tired and full.

Autumn 2014 29

Our final morning was bright and clear. After a late breakfast, we took down our tents and packed up camp, reminiscing over all the skills we had learned and improved on this week and the fun we had had. No-one could be-lieve how quickly the week had gone. We thanked our wonderful caterer and brilliant instructors before climbing into the bus and heading back to school and normality. SG

During the course of the week the in-structors awarded points for the effort and help shown by each child, during each activity. As they have not met the children before it is always interesting to see how they feel the children respond to the different situations. As a result of their deliberations the following awards were made.

The best section award was given to Rangers, led by Seren Clayton. Anfisa Girsova gained the Best Tramp Shield

and the following children were given their Tramps colours in recognition of their attitude and teamwork during the week: Seren Clayton, Anfisa Girsova, Imogen Rees, Larry Williamson and Elliott Orchard.

I would also like to express my thanks to Mrs Gooch and Mr Perez for the way they threw themselves into all of the activities and helped to make the week such a success. AC

We arrived at Longtown on the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons on a glorious, sunny day. This is one of three national parks in Wales. On the first day we climbed the stunning Cats Back Ridge, scrambling up a gulley and orienteering in the Olchan valley, which was beautiful; we even heard a cuckoo!

Day 2 saw us climb Corn Du (873m) and Pen Y Fan (886m), the latter be-ing southern Britains highest peak. It was a very hot, cloudless day circum-navigating the secret lake and Tommy Jones memorial obelisk. Helena saved Amys cap, braving leeches and the Beacons lake monster in the process.

We took an alternative route up the mountain which was fascinating and enjoyed by all.

Wednesday was eventful with mountain biking and canoeing being the activities on offer. We were situated at Pontsticill Reservoir for the day; it was a most picturesque setting. The mountain biking was exciting with a few technical challenges. Adassa had a spectacular wipe-out and was bandaged up on our return to Longtown.

On our final day we had a canoe trip on the River Wye. We launched at Hay-on-Wye and canoed downstream, negotiating rapids and playing games

on our journey. We saw herons, egrets, plovers and Sand Martins on our trip.

Our camp was a happy one. The pupils showed excellent teamwork and all gained skills which will hold them in good stead for the future. Ella Howard-Robinson and Alex Jacobi were awarded the Longtown Medal for Outstanding Achievement for their contribution to the week. JJ

EXCURSIONS

YEAR 6 CAMP

Activity week this year was a huge success when everyone enjoyed taking some time out of the curriculum. Children took part in a fashion show and learnt some camping crafts in the woods while some of our overseas pupils enjoyed a trip to London.

ACTIVITY WEEK

ACTIVITY WEEK


SPORTING ACTIVITIES

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SPORT

Photography by Gillman & Soame UK


SPORT

After a very good start to the season we were stopped in our tracks by the weather. This interruption had two consequences; firstly we lost the early season momentum that had developed and, secondly, the resulting wet pitches made it difficult for us to play the sort of football that we strive for here at Tockington. As a group, this seasons U11s were skilful and determined. Passing and tackling were ex-cellent and everyone understood what was required of them. The 7-a-side format is fast and demands accuracy at all times; defending starts as soon as you have lost the ball and the whole team was expected to tackle back and put pressure on the opposition. I am pleased to say it was a pleasure to watch, at times, as we battled and out-passed other teams.

The side was provided with an excellent role model in their captain, Alex Jacobi. He had a positive attitude at all times and led by example with good tackling and accurate passing from midfield, providing many good crosses and through

I was very pleased with the U9s effort over the course of the season this year. We started with an away fixture at Westonbirt Prep. We took an A and a B team over and both games were very close, with us narrowly losing 1-0 in both. Stand out performances from Jacob Wakeling and Peter Banks were the highlights of the afternoon and the pair continued this form throughout the season. We then had another tough fixture against St Johns-on-the-Hill and, despite close defeat, there was much to be pleased about, with goals from two of our Year 3 pupils, Archie Symonds and Ben Jacobi. We then came up against a Clifton High side made up of all Year 4 boys. The As managed a 1-0 win with a goal from Peter Banks and a Man-Of-the-Match performance from Otis Walker. The Bs very nearly held for a draw but lost 3-1 conceding two late goals.

Our last fixture was arguably our best. We hosted Rougemont who brought an A and B side over to play us. Our A team started with a 2-1 win over Rougemont A, with goals from captain Jacob Wakeling and Archie Symonds. The B team narrowly lost to Rougemont B 1-0. Our As then played Rougemont Bs and played some fantastic football, winning 4-0 with all four goals coming from Archie Symonds. On the other pitch the Bs took on Rougemont As and, despite losing the first fixture, they went on to record an impressive victory against their Aside. The only goal of the game came from Freddie Cooper and a Man-Of-the-Match performance from Rohan Howard-Robinson in goal.

Boys representing the U9 team were: Peter Banks, Archie Carter, Freddie Cooper, Rohan Howard-Robinson, Harry Huby, Jake Wakeling, Otis Walker, William Bate, Jacob Browning, Logan Fitzpatrick, Toby Gaulton, Ryan Hann, Ben Jacobi, Harry Mather, Jai Patel, Archie Symonds and Archie West. BM

This was a season decimated by the prolonged and heavy rain we received in January. We played to the best of our ability in the four games played. The highlight was an excellent win against QEH which was an impressive perfor-mance bearing in mind we played a strong, physical team. There was a good early season draw against a strong Wycliffe team and a creditable 1-1 draw against Sidcot School. This match was a good flowing game and much enjoyed by a vociferous crowd. We lost in the semi-finals of the annual Wycliffe 6-a-side tournament. We eventually lost 0-1 against Llandaff Cathedral School after playing very well in the round robin stage of the competition.

Harvey Jones captained the side and always played well in the holding role alongside Max Curtis in midfield. Alvaro Daguerre was a classy and competent goalkeeper who deservedly won the Sharland Cup for the best footballer. The MacLellan Challenge Cup for Inter-House Soccer was won by Cunningham. I look forward to 2015 and seeing the development of our Year 7s and the emergence of our small but talented Year 6 group.

The following players represented the 1st XI during the season: Oliver Shutt, George Symonds, Alexander Gooch, Roshan Patel, Alejandro Araujo, Thomas Edwards, Max Curtis, Luke Dutton, Otto Cullis, Charlie Sanzo, Larry Williamson, Elliott Orchard, Harve JJ

1st X1

COLTSFOOTBALL

UNDER 9FOOTBALL

balls for the others to work on. Alex Grocott finished the season with seven goals, making him the top goal scorer, with his pace and determination proving too much for many a defence during the season. In the Severnside 6-a-side tour-nament, held at Wycliffe, we were runners-up in the plate final, losing narrowly to St Johns-on-the-Hill. A slow start in the early games resulted in disappointment for the boys as we lost or drew games that we knew we could have won.

The U11 squad was as follows: Alex Jacobi, Alex Grocott, Alex Ganfield, Ceredig Jones, Ben Orchard, Adrian Ng and Angus Duncan. AC

Autumn 2014 33

SPORT

RUGBY



SPORT

This was a most enjoyable and rewarding season for the 1st team. Despite a small playing squad, with many new to rugby, they played with tenacity, courage and skill throughout the season. We saw plenty of true Tockington spirit despite being outsized by all the teams we encoun-tered. We played in two outstanding matches, both resulting in exciting drawn games, with a thrilling 26-26 score line against a strong Beaudesert side being the highlight.

Our 17-14 reverse against Hatherop Castle was also a tense struggle and one that we were unlucky not to win. Hatherop scored in the last play of the game.

The boys developed their skills considerably over the course of the season and I was very proud of their progress and commitment during the season.

It was unfortunate that one of our best players, Max Curtis, suffered concussion in the first match of the season which resulted in him missing most of the matches. Harvey Jones and Elliott Orchard shared the Hollington Cup for the best rugby player of 2013. They both played their hearts out in every match and showed good leadership and determination. Larry Williamson developed into a strong and effective prop. Larry, Harvey and Elliott received their colours in recognition of their contribution to the team over the past two seasons.

The Cymric Inter-House Cup was won by Alexander.

The following boys represented the 1st XV during 2013: Otto Cullis, Harvey Jones, Elliott Orchard, Charlie Sanzo, Larry Williamson, Pedro Botella, Max Curtis, Tom Edwards, Roshan Patel, Alexander Gooch, Oliver Shutt, Alvaro Daguerre, Luke Dutton, Henry Allan-Jones and George Symonds. JJ

1st X1

The Colts had a very encouraging season on the rugby field. The opening game at home to Llandaff was a very close encounter and an excellent way to start the season. We lost the game by 31 points to 26, with Alex Grocott scoring three tries and an excellent solo effort from Alex Jacobi. Alex Ganfield was asked to captain the team and did a very good job, displaying excellent leadership skills. As a result, he was asked to captain the team for the next game and retained the captaincy for the remainder of the season. The second game away to Monmouth also ended in defeat and we had a lot to do to ensure we did not continue in this manner. We went on to be unbeaten in the next four matches winning three of them and drawing one. This included an impressive 42-0 win against Wycliffe and a 46-15 win over QEH. During these matches our Year 5 boys had started to impress. There were some very good performances from Angus Duncan, Bennie Sanzo and Ceredig Jones. Our overseas student, Adrian Ng, also picked up the game very well.

We entered the annual Beaudesert Park Sevens Tournament full of confidence and this was clear to see in our first three performances, winning 21-0, 21-0 and 21-15 with seven tries from Alex Grocott, one from Alex Jacobi, and one from Angus Duncan. The semi-final saw us comfortably beat Wycliffe 31-0 and we lost 31-15 in the final. This appeared to be one game too far for the boys who had performed fantastically all day. Our next game saw us defeated by Clifton High; however, we picked ourselves up to finish the season with a fantastic win away to Beaudesert Park. There were some excellent performances from individuals throughout the season, but the most notable one was by Alex Grocott, who scored a remarkable 43 tries over the course of the season. Well done boys.

Boys representing the Colts team were: Alex Boulton, Alex Ganfield, Alex Grocott, Alex Jacobi, Adrian Ng, James Allen, Jonathan Baguley, Vivian Boudon, Angus Duncan, Ceredig Jones, Ben Orchard, Bennie Sanzo and Oscar Watts. BM

COLTS

Autumn 2014 35

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NETBALL



SPORT

The 2014 netball season, once again cut short by bad weather, will be remembered not only as one of the wettest on record, but also as a most enjoyable and success-ful season.

At Tockington Manor, we put great emphasis on team work, and netball is an ideal game in which to teach the girls how to work together to achieve success. There is also plenty of scope for developing individual skills and this season we had many outstanding individual performances as well as a fantastic team effort. The U13 team were a spirited group of girls who were technically very sound. This, together with the ability to concentrate, anticipate and think quickly, meant they used their skills effectively. Strategies and tactics learnt over the duration of the term enabled us to hold our own against our opponents.

All the girls deserve credit for their performances; however, special mention must be made of Olivia Campbell, whose energy and tactical awareness were so crucial to the team, and also Aditi Mehendale, who was so dependable and unfailingly defended goal as though her life depended on it. Our two Year 8 girls, Seren Clayton and Imogen Rees, will be hugely missed by us all next year. Their percentage of goals increased match by match, culminating in a 20-20 draw in our final match against The Downs.

The Farr inter-House Cup was won by Churchill. Notable performances on the afternoon were from Beth Pritchard and Helena Brain who organised Alexander superbly. The weather was pretty awful that day so the matches had to be shortened. Colours were awarded to Imogen Rees and Seren Clayton.

Girls representing the U13 team were: Seren Clayton, Imogen Rees, Lucy Allan-Jones, Olivia Campbell, Antonia Hopcraft-Guest, Aditi Mehendale and Abigail Blackwell. JP

UNDER 13s

UNDER 11s

UNDER 9s

The girls from Years 5 and 6 were determined and en-thusiastic. Everyone tried their best to produce a good accurate throw or shot on goal, whilst also thinking about intercepting the ball.

Every game was used by the girls as a learning experience, whether we won or lost. They took on board good and bad

points from the previous match and learnt from them. The progression shown in skills, team cohesiveness and tactical play as the season went on was continuous.

The team was represented by Olivia Banks, Ella Howard-Robinson, Eleanor Parker, Beth Pritchard, Isabel Browning, Talia Curtis, Tabitha Huby, Dalis Jones, Georgina Loring, Rachel Shutt and Madeleine Summers. LB

We started the season with a good grounding in the basic skills. We looked at the matches as learning experiences for the girls to develop skills and experience in positional play. We came across some good opposition in our first game and lost but felt we could improve and learn from it. We then began to pass and look for space and started to grasp how to play competitive games. Two players of note were Isabelle Preston and Carmen Rey-Jones who were excellent at reading the game and intercepting the ball. The next part of the game to improve on was to turn defence into attack. We had a number of triangular games and we slowly developed in experience and skills. Over the course of the season we had many close games, drawing with teams or just losing by one goal. The skills that need to be developed going forward to next season are our goal shooting and moving into space. Our season had been hit by some of the worst weather in years and we had quite a few matches cancelled due to rain.

When it came to the Severnside Tournament, we faced some very slick teams and, with having less preparation than usual, it was a tough ask. Any bad passes in each game resulted in an interception and then a goal against us. However, the girls did not give up and kept fighting each match. Well done to all the girls who played in the U9 team. All the Year 3 girls gained experience from being included in the games.

In addition to the Year 3s gaining experience in the U9 team, they had their own U8 matches to play. All the girls were invited to the U8 tournament at Beaudesert Park. Well done to those girls who gave up their Saturday to compete; they all gained a lot from this experience. They also had some fixtures against others schools where they performed well and improved positional play. The U8s beat the teams from Pinewood, Beaudesert Park, St Hughs and The Downs and drew to Cheltenham.

The following girls represented the U9 and U8 teams: Alys Wakeling, Elizabeth Allan-Jones, Rhea Fernandez, Erin OLeary, Jeanne Veron, Elodie Preston, Lou Saelens, Carmen Rey-Jones, Iona Campbell and Isabelle Preston. EW

Autumn 2014 37

SPORT

CROSS COUNTRY



SPORT

This was a most successful and satisfying season. There were two new school records and all of our athletes worked hard towards their Personal Bests and target times. We again competed in many events, with most of our Years 3-8 pupils representing the school.

Our U11 Girls squad won the silver medal in the Glouc-estershire League. The U11 Boys squad won the bronze, with Alex Grocott winning all four meetings; he is now the Gloucestershire champion. Alex Jacobi came 7th in the individual competition with Dalis Jones coming 6th and Eleanor Parker picking up the bronze in the girls category. Alex Grocott was also crowned Gwent League champion while running on Sundays for Westbury Harriers. He won all five meetings, a remarkable achievement.

Our talented U9 Boys team won their inter-school fixture against Wycliffe and Beaudesert Park, winning the event in both the Autumn and Spring Terms.

We hosted our 11th TMS Relays event in March with 26 teams taking part. The U11 Girls, U11 Boys and U9 Boys all won their respective races with new records being made.

Our teams were again victorious in the annual Hatherop Castle Relays. We won the individual shield for points scored for the second year running, winning the U13 Girls, U11 Girls, U9 Girls, U9 Boys and U11 Boys events in the process. This was a lovely afternoon and underlined our fitness and talent against schools from the Cotswolds area.

Congratulations to Eleanor Parker who equalled Victoria Budds U11 Girls 2004 record of 7 minutes 56 seconds. Alex Grocott lowered his own U11 Boys record a number of times. It now stands at a stunning 7 minutes.

Cross-country continues to go from strength to strength, with our Monday evening running club being very popular. The club has been fun to run and has stretched the more able athletes as well as encouraging the younger members.

The Clarke Cup for Inter-House Cross-Country was won by Alexander. The Booker-Jones Cup for the outstanding girl was won by Eleanor Parker and the Davies Cup for the best boy was won by Alex Grocott. JJ

Internal CompetitionsTurkey TrotEleanor Parker

The Morpugo ChallengeCeredig JonesBath University Prize RunAlex Grocott

Mufti Day ChallengeYear 5

November CupOtis Walker (Years 3 & 4)Adrian Ng (Years 5-8)

Mystery Prize ChallengeAngus Duncan & Toby Gaulton

Goose Egg GallopAlex Grocott, Alex Jacobi, Olivia Campbell, Oliver Shutt, Harry Mather, Jake Wakeling

Easter Egg CompetitionOtis Walker (Years 3 & 4)Alex Jacobi (Year 5-8)

Valentine ChaseAlex Grocott

St Davids Day ChallengeOlivia Campbell

Spring ChallengeLucy Allan-Jones

Athlete of the Month AwardsGeorge Symonds, Lucy Allan-Jones, Alex Grocott, Dalis Jones, Henry Allan-Jones, Otis Walker, Alex Jacobi

TMS Sports Relief ChallengeThe Nursery, Lower School and Upper School complet-ed 1002 laps of our Mini Cross-Country Course on 21st March. This equates to 766,530 metres. We raised 210 for the cause. An excellent effort!

External Competiti

tockingtonian 2014

Documents

school community

happy school

small school

school tockington autumn

headmaster of taunton

u9 rounders team

team spirit

u13 rounders team