Head's Newsletter - 16 October 2015

Dear Parents

Wednesday afternoon sees the annual Judge Cup, a cross country competition for Surrey Schools which is hosted by us in Richmond Park; do come along and support if you are in the vicinity. In terms of recent trips, these have included, among others, Year 10 Geographers going to Hampshire, Year 7 visiting the Odeon with Music, and Year 8 Classicists going to Pompeii, whilst Year 9 had a visiting author this week. We were delighted to be joined by Lord Winston who, following an invite from Tiffin boys, gave a superb lecture to the Sixth Formers on Science and the Ethics of Human Fertility Treatment; we were joined by guests from Tiffin Girls’ School, and Kingston Grammar. The boys were certainly incredibly fortunate to be able to listen to such a prestigious figure, and Lord Winston was very generous with the time he spent taking questions from the boys. Visiting speakers

Welcome to the last newsletter before half -term. It has been great to see and meet so many parents at our various evenings and functions, and I look forward to the opportunities of meeting all parents as we move through the term. On top of this, the School welcomed many Year 11 students from other schools, and their parents, to our Sixth Form Open Evening; with about 35% of our Sixth Form new to the School each year, it is fantastic to be able to extend the opportunity of a Tiffin education to many more young people, and it is always a delight each year to be able to welcome new students as Tiffin Sixth Formers. The popularity of our Sixth Form is testament to its success, and the blend of new boys with the existing students not only complements, but also significantly adds to the overall quality and experience of all in the Sixth Form. We also had our annual entrance exams recently, and the Year 12 Assistant prefects were once again marvellous in their assumption of responsibility as they assisted in the logistics and smooth operation of the day. It has been an incredibly busy half term and I hope that your sons have been engaging with the opportunities on offer. With a busy list of sports fixtures, Tiffin boys have been competing well against other schools; I particularly enjoyed watching Mr Ingall’s U14A rugby side holding on for a terrific home win against Haberdashers’ Aske’s School. This

Lord Winston flanked by Patrick Rennie, Head of Sixth Form and Head of Faculty of Science and Ahmed Alhussni who organized the visit and invited Lord Winston

As part of the programme of speakers coming in, we are fortunate to also have other prominent and well known figures coming to Tiffin, including Sir Vince Cable in November, Dr Nick Lane in December, and Professor Steve Jones in January. Particular credit goes to the sixth formers who organise the talks, and especially Ahmed Alhussni, one of our Deputy Head Boys. On the Music front, we also have our annual Year 7 Inter-Form Singing Competition from 7.00—8.30pm next Thursday 22 nd October, the venue for which is Kingston Parish Church, in the centre of Kingston. All Year 7 take part in what is always a most enjoyable event; please do come along and support your sons in their musical performance. There are many interesting developments in education at the moment, and I was pleased to attend meetings of the Grammar School Heads’ Association on Tuesday to discuss some of the current issues, including the significant problems of school funding that are affecting schools. In the evening it was also good to take the opportunity to continue the dialogue with the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan, as well as other MPs, at a reception in the House of Commons. We break up for half term at the usual 3.30 finish on Friday 23 rd October, and return to School at 8.30 on Monday 2 nd November. Here is a reminder of some Year 7 Inter-Form Singing Competition

important dates:

 Monday 9 th November: U6 Parents’ Consultations: School finishes at 2.40  Friday 4 th December: Twilight Staff INSET: School finishes at 2.00  Tuesday 15 th December: L6 Parents’ Consultations: School finishes at 2.40  Friday 18 th December: Break up for Christmas holiday: school finishes by midday

I wish all pupils and parents a very relaxing half term holiday.

Mike Gascoigne Headteacher

With Phil Phillips, Chair of Governors, on the Terrace of the House of Commons

Year 11 Trip to Hamlet Murder, madness and moral ambiguity; 10th September 2015 had it all, as Year 11 students and their English teachers travelled up to the Barbican for the National Theatre’s production of Hamlet. (Thankfully no “truant dispositions” were in evidence). Cutting a more lithesome figure than Richard Burbage, for whom the role was reportedly written, the no less heavyweight Benedict Cumberbatch, is the latest in a line of actors stretching back over 400 years to take on the part of the great Dane. As Shakespeare’s most performed play, Hamlet is often seen as the ultimate challenge for any actor and this, coupled with performing in front of an audience who included in their number 47 keen-brained Tiffinians, would have daunted all but the hardiest of souls. The writer is glad to report that (pace T. S. Eliot) the play was an unmitigated success and students and teachers alike were left with the impression that they had been party to something special. One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, summed up the experience adroitly when he remarked, “It comes alive when you see

it performed and I appreciate the language much more now I’ve heard it like that.” In many ways the theatrical aspect of a GCSE set text can be lost when it becomes a means to an end of a ‘good grade’ in the exam. And whilst I would not decry such an end, it is a privilege to be able to go beyond the classroom both literally and figuratively when exploring a work of art. For this I thank the generosity of the ‘theatrical gods’ who secured 51 tickets at a performance which was sold out months in advance and the parents who shelled out for the tickets and who continue to support us in our endeavours. Much more could be said but for now, “...the rest is silence.”

Year 11 Trip to Macbeth On Thursday 8th October, a group of Year 11 Shakespeare enthusiasts took the

opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom and into the Kingston Odeon to see the latest film version of Macbeth. Starring Michael Fassbender in the eponymous role, the film remained faithful to the source material while still offering original and thought-provoking interpretations of the text. The resulting discussions about directorial decisions gave students a new, critical perspective on the play’s thematic concerns and challenged our assumptions about characters and staging.

Donmar production of Coriolanus and Workshop

Sixth Form Play Carrying on the trend of quality sixth form productions, this year’s production of the classic Joe Orton farce ‘What the Butler Saw’ takes place in the Drama Studio from Monday 19 October until Thursday 22 October at 7pm. Tickets are available from the Drama Office at the price of £8 representation of the people (giving voice) in systems of governance, it was extremely valuable to see the play in performance. This trip was followed by a visit from the Donmar Education team and Visiting Author On Tuesday 13 October our Year 9 boys were lucky enough to have a visit from the author Andy Mulligan. Andy is not only an award winning author but an old Tiffinian, which made his visit to the school extra special. The boys enjoyed a talk on his new book Liquidator, as well as discussions on his award winning novel Trash. Of course his school days were talked about and Andy reminisced fondly of his days here at Tiffin. The boys heard how Andy was inspired to pursue a career in writing by his old Tiffin English teacher and how his own work as a teacher has been the inspiration behind some of his most memorable characters. On 24 September, our L6 students attended the cinema screening of the Donmar Warehouse’s production of Coriolanus . The students are studying this Shakespeare play for their A level and the production, whilst cut, was faithful to the text. As Coriolanus explores both rhetorical manipulation and the

our forty-two students benefitted from working together in both small and large groups.

(adults) and £5 (concessions). Alternatively, please email jprentice2@tiffin.kingston.sch.uk to make a reservation. Tickets are available only for students who are 14+. We look forward to seeing you there!

After the talk, Andy enjoyed a tour of the school and was amazed and impressed with how the building has evolved since his time here. He was also delighted to be presented with an old boys’ tie. Year 9 were enthralled and entertained by Andy’s talk, with questions going on long after the talk should have ended. Many of them have been spotted reading their new copies of Liquidator.

We entered a competition called 'Timeline 200' which asked students to determine their 100 Defining Moments in history from the last 200 years from 1815–2015. We received a letter from Peter Warwick of the New Waterloo Despatch who asked to visit Tiffin to present our boys with their own special New Waterloo Dispatch and Certificates “in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the Timeline 200 competition”. He is going to visit us on Friday 4 December, accompanied by Major General Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter, KCVO OBE, Chairman of Waterloo 200, and Victoria Nielson, Campaign Director, Hungry for History, and we are hoping that the presentation will look something like this!

We also received a letter of congratulation from Dan Snow, the Historian, Writer and Broadcaster. The vast majority of Year 9 submitted entries and listed below are our students’ defining moments in history so you can see the fantastic array of choices and views: Formation of the Jewish State of Israel Fall of the Berlin Wall Soviet-Afghan War Coronation of Emperor Meiji Indian Independence Rwandan Genocide The Falklands War The Reign of Queen Victoria Operation Barbarossa The Holocaust The Industrial Revolution The Apollo 11 Moon Landing Women’s suffrage in the United States The year 1861 – specifically the abolition of serfdom in Russia and the subsequent slow rise of socialism The Abolition of Slavery Bengal Famine 1943 D-Day Battle of Jutland The Korean War

Japanese Modernisation during the Russo- Japanese war of 1904 Invasion of Iraq 2003 12 April 1961 – First Man in Space The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1945 The Cuban Missile Crises First V2 ballistic missile launched against London, signalling the true start of the rocket age 9/11 and increase in worldwide, radical terrorist attacks Alan Turing breaking the enigma code The Birth of Communism 1844 1879 Edison’s invention of the light bulb Wright Brothers make the first powered flight Stalin’s regime The Transfer of British Sovereignty over Hong Kong 1997 Civil Rights Act (1964)

To read more about this competition and to see the eminent judging panel please visit http://www.timeline200.com/

CLASSICS TRIP TO ITALY

49 Year 8 boys left Tiffin at 4 am on Friday 2 October to embark upon a Roman adventure. The group explored the Flavian Amphitheatre and the volcanic crater of Solfatara in Pozzuoli, sampled real Neapolitan pizza and practised their bargaining skills in the markets of Sorrento all within the first 12 hours of the trip! On the Saturday they visited the hugely impressive remains in Pompeii before climbing Vesuvius. On the Sunday, they marvelled at the wonders of the Imperial Villa of the wife of Nero and walked the streets of the superbly preserved town of Herculaneum. The weekend was topped

off with a game of football and a huge ice cream from one of Naples’ most famous gelaterias. The boys were returned to their parents in a state of exhaustion on Sunday evening but all seemed to have had a tremendous weekend. I would like to thank all the staff who accompanied me on this most enjoyable trip – Mr Karski, Mr Games, Miss Nava and Mr Balasubramaniam - as well as the boys themselves for their engagement, infectious enthusiasm and sense of fun.

Charlie O’Connell, October 2015

consumed by it. This very physical piece was a great inspiration to Tiffin dancers. The Balletboyz workshop consisted of gifted and talented students from year 9 who are members of Tiffin Dance Company and year 11 GCSE dancers. The 2 dancers from the company Harry Price and Matthew Sandiford prepared a workshop which included a warm up and floor work, focusing specifically on the idea of dropping weight to the ground followed by contact work, dancers then learnt a short phrase from the company repertory. Although challenging duets, all students managed to repeat and perform movement accurately, and finished the duet with their own creative input. The performance at the end of the workshop was impressive and showed how far the students have come. There was still time for discussion and asking the dancers about their education, passion and career. We are looking forward to work collaboratively with the Balletboyz Company in the future to further inspire Tiffin Dancers.

Year 8 Capoeira dance workshop Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music. After having a couple of lessons about capoeira dance style and its history and traditions Year 8s had a fantastic opportunity to take part in Capoeira dance workshop on Friday 2 October. The Capoeira practitioner Joe Revell showed year 8 pupils different skills and techniques and some basic actions. Dancers had a chance to implement their skills in duets and at the end of the session to improvise dance movements with the teacher.

Balletboyz ‘Young Men’ Choreography by Ivan Perez Music Keaton Henson Sadler’s Wells Theatre Trip and workshop

Year 11 GCSE dancers had a chance to see Balletboyz at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on Thursday 8 th October. The piece ‘Young Men’ explores the theme of war and bonds that develop between men

On Monday 12 October TIFFIN BOYS’ CHOIR trebles took part in the London premiere of Eventide (in memoriam Edith Cavell) by Patrick Hawes (Composer-in- residence at Classic FM) at St Clement Danes Church, Strand, together with the Addison Singers and the Brandenburg Sinfonia as part of the Brandenburg Choral Festival. This was the trebles’ first engagement under the baton of new Director of Choral Music, James Day, and they were rewarded with rapturous applause from a packed church. On a TIFFIN CAREERS FAIR – 19 NOVEMBER We are very pleased to announce that the second of our biennial Careers Fairs will take place on Thursday 19 November between 6.30 and 8.30 pm. We have over 70 contributors, including representatives from some of the major banks, law firms, engineering companies and medical professionals. The Fair is open to all students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13. We expect that all boys will attend this superb event and we hope as many parents as possible will attend with their sons. This event offers an outstanding opportunity to find out about a variety of different career options across a range of employment sectors from finance to the creative arts, medicine to technology. With the chance to ask questions from ‘What does a typical day involve?’ to ‘What can I do to maximise my chances?’ There will be two time slots; however there is flexibility between these times if required.

point of Rugby World Cup interest, the rector of St Clement Danes back in 1843 was someone called William Webb Ellis!

6:30pm – 7:30pm - Year 10 and Year 11 7:30pm – 8:30pm - Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth There will also be a range of talks running throughout the evening, which you and your sons are free to attend as you wish. This was extremely well attended last time and was universally acknowledged as an excellent opportunity for students to find out first-hand details of the careers in which they are interested. We look forward to seeing you and your sons on the 19 th . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tiffin also welcomed speakers from the London School of Economics who focused on writing Personal Statements and an introduction to LSE. Nottingham University also came to speak on Additional Admissions Tests, focusing particularly on UKCAT and LNAT which can be required for applying to medicine and law, and also an introduction to Nottingham University.