Head's Newsletter 12 February 2021

Year 10 'Gratin' students took part last week in the UKLO (UK linguistics olympiad). This is similar to the Maths challenge, and really puts students' skills to the test with a variety of language-based problems. Among the languages students had to tackle was Kabyle, a language spoken by natives of Northern Algeria; Ditema, a language spoken in Lesotho whose written form is expressed using geometrical shapes, and Filipino. The students who took part had to solve a range of problems involving translating to and from the target language, conjugating verbs, and even coming up with their own grammatical explanations for certain aspects of these languages. Needless to say, the paper would have been a challenge for anybody; however the boys fared very well indeed. Armaan K in particular managed an astonishing 65/67, a feat for which he is to be congratulated. Leo F and Daniel Y also scored very highly. I would like to congratulate all members of the class, each of whom applied themselves fully to the challenge and achieved a score to be proud of. It is my hope that next year we will be able to build on this success and compete at the advanced level of the competition.

Looking for something that chimes with the times? Well look no further than the English Department’s latest offering of aural goodness. With the long nights and isolation becoming a new normal, what better way to while away the socially distanced wintery hours than by listening to some dramatic readings of Year 11 Tiffinian writing? Well now, thanks to the marvels of social media platforms, you can do just that! Tune into the podcast here or Spotify here: for spooks and scares galore!

Readings will be added regularly, so keep tuning in to hear if your son’s work has made it to the wider audience it deserves.