Head's Newsletter 27 September 2021

have symptoms. Covid is still around and we will obviously be doing all we can to keep students and the community safe. For the time being this means that we are also continuing with more online parental meetings rather than in - person meetings. As usual at the start of September we welcome a number of new teachers to the school. Ms Shoebridge is the new Head of Psychology, Ms Passco and Mr Sanders are appointed to English, Ms Stewart to Biology, Ms Sharp to Art, Mr Baker to Maths, Mr Haycocks to DT and Mr Emerson to Drama. Mr Kyriakides takes over as Head of Art. We wish them all the best in their new positions. Although we are at the start of term there is plenty to read about in terms of the activities and successes of our students in this newsletter. We are very grateful indeed to the support of parents to the School in all ways, and I would remind parents that much of what we do is possible because of the Tiffin Education Fund. If you are not already donating to the fund please do sign up via this link and give what voluntary contributions you can afford. I remind parents that we have the 11+ test and an Inset Day this week creating a long weekend for most students. Finally, I ’ m delighted that the Good Schools Guide , who came in July to assess the School, have written up their report. It concludes that ‘ for the right boy or girl Tiffin is a magnificent school ’. I ’ m sure we all feel privileged to be part of the Tiffin community, and I hope all students will have a fantastic term. Yours, M.D. Gascoigne

Dear parents Welcome to the first newsletter of the academic year 2021 - 22. Firstly, I would like to particularly welcome all those parents of new students to Tiffin school. We hope your sons and daughters are settling in well, and looking forward to their time at Tiffin. It ’ s certainly exciting to see all the new faces around, and great to be back at School. It ’ s been a busy time as the School adjusts to changing guidance from the Government in terms of how we operate. What we are hoping is that there will be a much greater degree of normality this year compared to the previous two! In particular, one of our crucial aims is to re - establish the co - curricular programme which had been particularly hit by Covid. I ’ m delighted that we have been able to have competitive sports fixtures, and some trips, and that activities such as choir and orchestra are back up and running. Students have missed out in the past 2 years on so much of what is important in an education, and we certainly hope to be able to restore as much as we can this year. As you will have seen in emails to you, the rules regarding Covid and schools have changed significantly, in particular regarding the isolation of contacts. The aim of these changes is to minimise disruption in schools, and we all hope that will be the case. I would especially urge you to ensure that there is regular testing of your son or daughter using the lateral flow devices, so that anyone who does have Covid does not come into school, and into contact with others. In addition, students should not come to school if they

IMPORTANT DATES

Thursday 31 September

11+ Stage 1 Exam—No Students on site

Friday 1 October Thursday 7 October

INSET Day—No Students on site Sixth Form Open Evening Online

25 October— 5 November

Half–term (return Monday 8 November)

YEAR 7 INDUCTION DAY

We are pleased to welcome our new year 7 cohort who came from over 120 different primary schools. They have now completed 3 whole weeks of secondary school and you ’ ll be pleased to hear that they are no longer lost all the time, they know how to read their complicated timetables and are well and truly getting stuck into life at Tiffin. Well done Year 7! Mr Gnanendran (Head of Year 7)

YEAR 12 INDUCTION

After a disrupted few years, students and staff alike looked forward to the start of what we all hope will be a far more straightforward couple of years. This was especially true of the some 260 Year 12 students whose number has swelled with the introduction of some outstanding external students this summer. Established in new tutor groups, this new cohort had an opportunity to get to know one another and indeed their new form tutors through a series of team building games at Grists. With no shortage of competitive "encouragement" from their peers, students competed in a series of challenges in which they were then required to self - assess their efforts based on a series of criteria including performance and communication, some groups being questionably generous! At its end students seemed to have enjoyed their day and were ready to face the fresh start that the Tiffin Sixth Form provides as they embark on their A - Level studies and hopefully no shortage of extra - curricular activities.

THE TEMPEST AT THE GLOBE

On Monday 12th July, the cohort of A Level English students had the opportunity to see a live production of The Tempest at the Globe Theatre. It was exciting to be in the audience for a play we were studying in class, and to visit a venue with such a rich history of Shakespeare and his works. Although a few unlucky students were unable to attend owing to a tempest of our own, those that did were host to a wide spectrum of theatre. There was a plethora of musical instruments and unique costume design accompanied by an actor who had to fill in at the last minute as Prospero, a mage! The clever use of the script as a prop for the sorcerer ’ s book left the audience satisfied with an unhindered performance that let the show go on.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the witty Shakespearean dialogue that became easier to comprehend as the show progressed and, as an English A level student, it was rewarding to analyse the different interpretations of the characters and how these would influence the actors ’ decisions. It was also interesting to see the actors ’ own responses to the text unfold before our eyes. I largely enjoyed the independent nature of the trip too, as we were able to enjoy the view of Central London at night unaccompanied by teachers before and after the performance; something I have never experienced lower down in the school. I hope that there will be more productions to see in the future! ~ Hudhayfah Malik 13SJC/PP

ESSAY WRITING COMPETTION — OXFORD UNIVERSITY 2021

ARMY SCHOLARSHIP

Congratulations to Courtenay who has been awarded an Army Scholarship for Officer Training at Sandhurst. The whole process of

selection very demanding, both mentally and physically. First, a written essay on a current affairs topic before undergoing four different time - based psychometric tests - comprehension, numerical, abstract and memory tests. The last activity on the first day were two individual interviews - one focusing on education and academics, the other more general and personal. On the second day, it was up early for breakfast before going straight for a bleep test. After this, a Planning Exercise task which involved a presented problem and map, to overcome the theoretical problems using prioritising and mental speed, distance, time calculations. Then after an hour they had to individually complete written plans, and then discuss their ideas in group syndicates, whilst being observed by several assessing officers. After the timed group discussion all candidates were individually interviewed on their ideas and plans. Afterwards, there were more obstacle courses including a timed individual obstacle course, where the challenge was to complete as many obstacles in 3 minutes. Throughout the two days, they were constantly assessed on confidence, leadership, discipline, teamwork, fitness, academic ability, problem - solving and analytical skills. Well done Courtenay! was understandably

Congratulations to Keatan Kaul, the prize winner of the Essay Writing Competition Summer 2021 organised by Exeter College, Oxford University. The question was to identify a key issue in a subject of his choice, explain that issue and offer potential solutions. He chose to write a 2000 word essay about carbon markets and climate change, because it is a pertinent issue in our world and a heavily discussed topic in the media. The title of his essay was: “ Carbon Markets: Is Carbon Tax, ‘ Cap and Trade ’ Sufficient, or is a Newer Method Needed? ”. He analysed previous methods used by governments to reduce carbon emissions, identified their strengths, and critiqued their weaknesses, while proposing my own solution. An extract of the feedback received: “ This is a distinctive work that stands out with maturity and insight. The carbon market is a very complicated topic, yet the author ’ s analysis justified their courageous choice. The essay is very clear and coherent, with arguments building upon each other logically ”.

TIFFIN SCHOOL SPORTS DAY REPORT

The much awaited Annual Sports Day was held on Tuesday the 13th July 2021, After a year of uncertainty due to the pandemic which led to the cancellation of the 2019/20 sports day, it was fantastic to be able to host a competitive sports day again. Hosted at the Kings - meadow stadium, there was a buzz of anticipation and excitement amongst pupils and staff alike. The day began with the threat of rain, however the sun graced us with its presence making it the perfect day for competing. With a jam packed programme and some anticipated heated rivalries between houses the day was set to be exciting right from the off. Staff from all departments showed up with fantastic enthusiasm and all around put in a great effort to help run the day and support the kids, all whilst adhering to covid policies to keep the day covid safe of course!

This year saw the debut for the girls competition, where they competed in the 100m, 200m,8 00m on the track and the long Jump, high jump and Javelin on the field. Additionally, a new event of the mixed senior relay was introduced which was very popular. Having this new competition really brought the day together to round off a perfect day. It was an impressive display of performances from everyone involved, a perfect way to display the growth of both diversity and skill Tiffin has to offer. There were some notable performances that can ’ t go unmentioned. An impressive performance from Daniel Guiness saw him narrowly miss out on breaking the school record by 0.1 of a second in the Year 9 boys 100m. Perhaps on a less windy day he would have achieved it.

Freya John set a new school record in the senior girls 100m with a fast time of 14:01 and Finn Tranter setting a new Year 7 boys record in the 800m of 2:55:5. It is great to see such impressive performances and the depth of skill Tiffin pupils have to offer! It will be exciting to see if next year these times can be beaten! The overall standings at the end of the day saw Darwin - Wilberforce coming in first place - led by Dr Selig in his first year of leadership, Churchill - Gordon coming in a close second and Raleigh grabbing the last spot on the podium in 3rd place.

SAILING SUCCESS

MATHS SUCCESS Great to see Tiffin ’ s Maths success highlighted in the Spectator

YOUNG REPORTER

This year, some of our students participated in the Young Reporter Scheme and came away with some awards! Congratulations to Ben Luca Atassi Quinton (10MJG), Sayanen Sawmynaden (10LF) and Armaan Khan (10LF), who all won prizes for different journalistic achievements. Read more about their experiences on the Creative Writing Club's website: https:// sites.google.com/tiffin.kingston.sch.uk/ creativewritingclub/young - reporter

Congratulations to Coco Barrett for winning the RYA Youth National Championships, and who has been selected to represent GB in the World Sailing Youth Worlds in Oman this December.

KINGSTON MINI

MARATHON TEAM 2021

TIFFIN DANCE COMPANY

Congratulations to Thomas Whorton , Matthias Poeizi and Jonny Schafer who made the Kingston MiniMarathon Team 2021 run over the final 2.6 Km of the London marathon. Good Luck on Sun 3 rd October

We are delighted to share some of the wonderful work the Tiffin Dance Company have been doing recently. Click here.

SPORTS DAY 2021

Here is an uplifting montage of Sports Day put together by TBN, our student led Broadcasting network. We hope it will help those who were there relive the memories, but also give those who were isolating a taste of what went on. Click here

YEAR 7 CROSS COUNTRY TEAM — winning the relays

SPORT IS BACK WITH A BANG

‘

Walking in a rugby wonderland’

from the Tiffs. Next up the 1st XV faced Wallington County Grammar School and were unable to kickstart their season losing out 40 - 12. However in their next fixture against Richard Challoner School the 1st XV kicked into life and started playing the rugby which they are capable of, coming out on top 32 - 10.

After the longest pre - season in history due to the global pandemic the appetite and enthusiasm for playing rugby has never been stronger! The return of our annual block fixtures has seen Tiffin take on Reigate Grammar, Wallington County Grammar and Emanuel School in our opening three fixtures. Participation levels have been at a record high with 16 matches being played in the block fixture against Emanuel School from the 1st XV all the way to U12E. With such high levels of participation we have seen significant Progression in both individual skills and as a team collectively, and for this we would like to congratulate every member of each year group for their continued hard work in training and in games.

After a slow first half the 1st XV went into half - time drawing 12 - 12. However, after a stirring team talk from Mr Blackburn the team attacked the second half from the first minute, and after a hat trick of tries from No.8 S. Jones, the win was secured. The 1st XV carried this momentum into their next game against Emanuel School in the Daily Mail Trophy (a league competition for the top 120 schools in the country). A great team performance was topped off by a moment of individual skill from A. Cormack who picked the ball off his own shoe laces and ran from within his own half to score the decisive try, and secure his own hat - trick. Tiffin held out for a much deserved 26 - 20 victory.

Tiffin 1st XV Catch Up

The first team started off the season against a strong Reigate Grammar School in front of some great support down at Grists. Unfortunately Reigate narrowly took the win 17 - 10 after a much improved second half

OLD TIFFINIANS AND MAKING US PROUD

BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP

On the first day of the Bushy park trip, A - Level biologists partook in random sampling of vegetation. The day kicked off at 10AM; as a warmup, we examined the features of Donkey Meadow, identifying plants such as buttercups and yarrows. In our groups, we then moved to Pixie Meadow, an area of taller vegetation. There, we began our official investigations of its features by conducting random coordinate sampling. We repeated this process at Donkey Meadow. Some of the data we collected includes soil depth, light intensity, and local plant populations. Despite the awful weather, our spirits were kept up by the charisma of our instructors. At the end of the day, we conducted a statistical test to determine the significance of the data we collected. On the second day, we did pond dipping. After our tour of North and South ponds and a practice dip, we spent an hour at each pond dipping and counting species like shrimp, noting their local populations on a data sheet - the biodiversity varied greatly between the lakes, perhaps because one was covered by a thick layer of duckweed which reduced the levels of light and oxygen, both of which are essential for life. Again, we conducted a biodiversity test in the classroom and confirmed or rejected our hypotheses. The experience really highlighted the importance of being able to study biology in the field, and how fortunate we are to have such a biodiverse location at our doorstep. No amount of classroom learning could replace the physical experience of using professional equipment under the guidance of experts: it was really different to how I had imagined it would be, and all our classroom learning was at last applied to a practical, real life situation, truly making the experience invaluable. Written by Maria Duminec 13LL

Many thanks to current Harlequins player and former Tiffin student Hayden Hyde for coming in and sharing some words of wisdom with our Y11 rugby squads. A fantastic opportunity to learn from someone who has firsthand progressed from schoolboy to professional rugby. We wish Hayden all the best with his upcoming season where he is playing on loan at London Scottish Rugby Club.

A massive congratulations to Old Tiffinian Tom Barras who secured an Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the quadruple sculls - Great Britain's first ever Olympic medal in the class. The quartet of Harry Leask, Angus Groom, Tom Barras and Jack Beaumont held their nerve during a frantic finish to take second place behind gold medallists the Netherlands. Well done Tom!

A LEVEL ART 2020-2021

Year 13 A - level Art, 2020 - 2021 was one of the most dedicated groups we taught in Art. Miss Nava and her students worked with dedication despite the numerous lockdowns, which can have a negative effect to art - making. Yet, despite the Course relying on distant learning, our students were able to meet all the assessment objectives and to generate work that was truly worth the grades awarded. This is further reflected by the fact that this talented group received their University placements, including Oxford for Art History, the prestigious Central Saint Martin ’ s and Kingston Art School, amongst others. The work generated by this group, who specialised in Painting, Architectural Design, Ceramics, Drawing, Textiles and Performance Art set the highest standards and we are very proud of their talent and success. Congratulations to each one of them, and to Miss Nava for her guidance during the challenging times we experienced as a community.

WIMBLEDON BALL BOYS & GIRLS

Around 15 students of Tiffin were chosen to be ball boys and girls in June at Wimbledon. In particular, one highlight was Tiffin student Rory who was chosen to accompany Djokovic onto court for the men ’ s final. Selection for Wimbledon is a rewarding and demanding experience but great for students ’ personal development and a real privilege.

HOUSE NEWS

variety of competition has only grown over the years leading to the Championship that hundreds of students enjoy every year. No doubt Mr. Ingall will still be seen enthusiastically cheering on KM at future events but in the arrival of Ms. Dharmawardhane as the new Head of KM few should question KM's continued competitiveness in this year's competition.

The final weeks of term saw the House Championship reach a crescendo of events. From Number Brain to Rowing and Sports' Day, students from across the school fought fiercely for every point as DW closed in on their first ever Championship and a cluster of houses wrestled for top half finishes. In the end, DW finished as they had performed all year. 3rd in both Rowing and Number Brain as well as a win at Sports Day which went down to the wire ahead of CG saw them seal a commanding overall victory in which they only failed to secure a top 4 finish in a single event. A huge congratulations to Dr. Selig and his captains Noor and Sophia for overseeing such an immense performance from start to finish. Elsewhere there was plenty to celebrate too. Raleigh secured a win in Cricket, KM in Rowing, a further win for DW in Tennis and Livingstone in Number Brain. Livingstone represented the unsung heroes of the year, climbing to 5th and in the process their highest finish for 6 years. Huge credit goes to Mrs Karska and her captain team for such an improvement which sets up the upcoming year's competition nicely! However, any review of the 2020 - 2021 Championship would be lacking if it failed to mention the end of Mr. Ingall's incredibly successful tenure as Head of KM. Winning it 4 years on the bounce between 2015 - 2018 and having never failed to finish in the top 2, Mr. Ingall's boundless energy and competitive streak has helped establish KM as a fearsome winning machine that anyone hoping to win the Championship knows they will have to overcome through immense consistency of effort. Further to this, Mr. Ingall has long since been an immense champion of the House System ensuring its scale of partition and

YOUNG CARERS AT TIFFIN SCHOOL

A young carer is a young person aged 5 – 16 who looks after someone who couldn ’ t manage without their help. This could mean looking after a parent, brother or sister, grandparent or family friend who has a disability, long term illness, or drug and alcohol related issues. You can find further information through the Kingston Young Carers Project here https:// www.kingstonyoungcarers.org.uk/ There is also more information on the AfC website here https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local - offer/information - and - advice/information - for - carers/young - carers - and - siblings Tiffin can provide extra help for young carers, such as extra help with homework, flexibility around calling home, ensuring a teacher to talk to and we can help guide young people toward external support. If you think your child is a young carer, please contact Mrs O'Sullivan at hosullivan@tiffin.kingston.sch.uk

MUSIC

The 2021 - 22 Music Season at Tiffin is well underway, with rehearsals gracing every available slot of the school day. Our wonderful visiting instrumental teachers are all back in school, and this week have been introducing Year 7 to the various instruments they can learn at Tiffin. The Concert Band has made its first public appearance of the year at the Mayor ’ s Retirement Dinner and both the Chamber Choir and the Boys ’ Choir have already sung Evensong at St Luke ’ s Church. The Oratorio Choir met on Wednesday for the first time since 2019, and has begun to prepare for a performance of Faure ’ s Requiem at the annual Oratorio Concert on November 21st. We ’ re delighted to welcome a number of new parents to the choir, many of whom will be performing alongside their children. We have,

unfortunately, had to introduce a cap on numbers for the Oratorio Choir this year, but we hope to return to full size next Autumn. In the meantime, anyone who would like to join us for an afternoon of singing is encouraged to sign up to our Come & Sing event on Sunday 10th October, where we ’ ll be putting together an informal performance of Haydn ’ s The Creation over one afternoon. You can find more information, and sign up, here.

30/9/21, 5.30pm

Evensong, St Luke ’ s Church (Cambiata Choir)

4/10/21, 11am

Kingston Crown Court Service, Kingston Parish Church (Tiffin Boys ’

7/10/21, 5.30pm

Evensong, St Luke ’ s Church (Tiffin Boys ’ Choir)

10/10/21, 12.30 - 5.30pm

Come & Sing Haydn ’ s The Creation, St Luke ’ s Church

14/10/21, 5.30pm

Evensong, St Luke ’ s Church (Tiffin Boys ’ Choir Trebles)

14/10/21, 7pm

Year 7 Inter - form Choir Competition (Kingston Parish Church)

16/10/21, 10.30am

Chamber Orchestra Thames Concert, St Andrew ’ s Church Surbiton

19 - 20/10/21

Piano Competition Preliminary Round

21/10/21, 5.30pm

Evensong, St Luke ’ s Church (Chamber Choir)

16/11/21, 7pm

Autumn Ensembles Concert, Main Hall

21/11/21, 7pm

Oratorio Concert, Sports Hall

30/11/21, 6pm

Open Concert, Walden Hall

14/12/21, 7pm

Thames Youth Jazz Orchestra Christmas Jazz Evening, Main Hall

15/12/21, 7pm

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Kingston Church