Head's Newsletter 13 May 2022

I ’ m very pleased that we have been marking mental health week with a series of interesting activities discussions and assemblies. You can also read in this newsletter about some fantastic achievements from individuals in the school, ranging from essay competitions, to science Olympiads, to debating competitions. A number of other events and activities also have write ups in this newsletter including some trips, and the visit to the school of the Bhangra dance workshop with Year 7. On the sports front our rowers enjoyed success in competitions and of course we have now properly started the cricket season. It ’ s great to see so many students practising in the nets at 7.00am and we hope that the practice pays off in the matches they are playing! The Friday before half term is a staff development day, so students will finish at the end of Thursday, 26th May, and I wish them and parents a restful half term. Yours, MD Gascoigne, Headteacher

Dear Parents It ’ s that time of the year when we have been saying goodbye and good luck to our Year 11 and Year 13 students. The GCSE exams start on Monday, and the A - level exams begin the following week. This is of course the first year for public exams since 2019, and we wish all those students taking exams the very best. In another return to normal, we have been able to invite parents to come to school in the last couple of weeks for in - person events. In particular we were keen that those parents who have not been able to see the school yet, were able to do so. The Year 12 Progression Evening was therefore held in person, and we have held a special social event for Year 7 parents, with another one for Year 8 parents coming up next week. I ’ m sure the parents have appreciated these opportunities to visit School, and see where their sons or daughters spend their days! Year 7 and other parents were also able to witness the spring concert last week and I hope they enjoyed the occasion.

IMPORTANT DATES

Tuesday 17 May

MUFTI Day

Wednesday 18 May

Year 8 Parents ’ event

Friday 27 May

PDD—School Closed to Students except those taking exams

Monday 30 May - Friday 3 June

Half Term

Start of Summer term — (week A) 8.30am start Years 10 - 13 and 9.20am start Years 7 - 9

Monday 6th June

Tuesday 5 July

Open Evening

Wednesday 13 July

Sports Day

Thursday 14 July

Founders Day and last day of term for students

MENTAL HEALTH WEEK ART COMPETITION

Well done to all the students who entered the Mental Health Week art competition! There were some wonderful entries. A selection will be on display in the English corridor next week to celebrate the work. Well done to the chosen winners .

1 st Place: MINAHIL AHMED Year 12 2 nd Place: AAYAN SATTAR - Year 11 3 rd Place: ARASH ZANJARANI FARAHANI - Year 9

MINAHIL AHMED

MINAHIL AHMED

ENGLISH SPEAKING UNION PERFORMING SHAKESESPERE COMPETITION

For the first time, Tiffin entered the ESU's Performing Shakespeare competition. The aim of the competition is for KS3 pupils to perform extracts from Shakespeare, with an introduction as to why they chose the piece. Naturally, nerves were high as we weren't quite sure exactly how this would work. Luckily, we were presented with a gift, in the form of Sam Goldsmith 9MRL. Having glided through the in - school selection process, members of the 6 th Form worked with Sam to refine the delivery of his speech. His introduction, which he wrote himself, was filled with superb contextual knowledge and great humour. He performed this speech at the ESU's Dartmouth House, in the very room Churchill once spoke, competing against 8 other West London schools all equally prepared and with a determination to win.

Sam and his certificate

Of course, Sam was nervous, but if you watched him you would never be able to tell. He delivered his introduction oozing with confidence and his recitation of Shylock's famous revenge speech in Merchant of Venice, was presented without so much as a stutter. After the judges took considerable time to deliberate, they crowned Sam the winner of the West London Regional Round, allowing him to move forward to the Grand Finals in June. They were amazed by how 'fun' his speech was. Something particularly difficult, when performing a text declaring solemn revenge on those who wronged him. He will be performing the same extract in the Nancy Knowles Lecture Theatre at the renowned Shakespeare's Globe on the 24 th June. He will also be able to participate in workshops by professional members of the Royal Shakespeare Company. We thank Sam for his diligent work and constant enthusiasm and look forward to seeing him continue to represent Tiffin at the Globe. Ibrahim Ejaz 13SJC/PP

PSYCHOLOGY ESSAY COMPETITION WINNER NINA THYR

BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD

Nina Thyr in year 12 achieved a fantastic first place in the The Minds Underground 2022 Essay Competition. This competition saw over 1400 students enter from across

Following his incredible success in the British Biology Olympiad, Jack Yu was one of 16 students invited to the University of Warwick to select a team of 4 to represent the UK at the International Biology Olympiad in Armenia. Over three intensive days, the students were rigorously trained and then examined by Dr Matthew Johnston, Dr Leanne Williams & Dr Kevin Moffat on a range of practical and theoretical skills. Jack says “ The highlights included dissecting a maggot under a microscope to find its beating heart (and then identifying chemicals from their effect on heart rate), analysing coronavirus gene sequences, and probably a bit too much botany. We were also taken on some fascinating tours around a couple of labs in Warwick, which utilise different types of microscopy to research morphogenesis and microtubules. ” Across all the examinations, Jack placed in the top 4 and will subsequently compete in Armenia in July! You can read more here.

the globe including students from South Korea, Nigeria, Russia, Pakistan, USA. The competition aims to stimulate students' close engagement with the outside world, whilst also showcasing their creative thinking and problem - solving abilities. Nina managed to combine insights from biology, philosophy and psychology to create an intellectually challenging entry on consciousness. Well done Nina !

FRENCH TRIP Year 13 French enjoyed their visit to The Courtauld Gallery as part of their studies.

INTERNATIONAL

DANCE

PHYSICS OLYMPIAD

Newly recruited Tiffin dance company dancers are working on a new piece of choreography with James Aiden Kay from Tranceworks .

Ojas Gulati(12PS) has been selected as the main contestant for both International Physics Olympiad (IPHO 2022) and the International Olympiad of Informatics (IOI 2022) to represent the UK, along with 4 and 3 other UK candidates in the teams, respectively. These Olympiads will be held between 10th - 18th July (IPHO 2022) and 7th - 15th August (IOI 2022). There will be few trainings between now and the Olympiads. It is Ojas' second year in international competition when he got selected for international Olympiads. Before Ojas was selected for Balkan Mathematical Olympiad 2020 where he earned

BRIDGE

We have some economics students who have made it to the U.K. Final of the Young Economic Summit Competition. ES! Bridge is a highly prestigious school competition that focuses on developing solutions to a current topic in economics, politics, and society. Every year, hundreds of schools across the country compete for a chance to reach the international final summit in Germany. A group of five students, Henry Arbiter, Mateo Santos Thomas, James Welch, Pranaavsri Saravanan, and Janindu Weerasinghe, have successfully been selected to attend the national finals in July after their solution to the German vaccination rate problem was selected by the judging panel. We wish them all the best and look forward to hearing of their future success.

Bronze Medal.

POLITICS TRIP TO PARLIAMENT & SUPREME

COURT

At a time when Westminster is embroiled in scandal, politics students were lucky enough to step into this chaotic world, by visiting Parliament and the Supreme Court on Monday 25th May.

It felt like a village, literally the ‘ Westminster Bubble ’. I could recognise the odd face, whether it be Conor Burns (Minister of State for Northern Ireland); Nicholas Watt (political editor of Newsnight); or the Blackrod Sarah Clarke. So much power, so many prominent individuals, and the passing of bills that affect our lives, are concentrated within such a small space. The smallness of the place but the magnitude of what happens there struck me - and this was explained by our guide who led us through the various parts of Parliament. Then we went to the Education Centre, where we fought a mock election, and were reminded of the electoral systems that form the UK political system.

After lunch, we visited the Supreme Court on Parliament Square. We were able to visit the courtrooms and think about the importance of an institution which has massively influenced the direction of recent politics (for example, the rulings against the government over the triggering of Article 50 in 2016, or over the prorogation of parliament in 2019). Thanks to the trip, students were able to step into this ‘ bubble ’ and witness how the concepts they learn about are applied. I am grateful to my teachers for organising such a lovely trip. (William Milne)

TABLE TENNIS TABLES AND ROBOT ARRIVES!

Thanks to a generous donation from the parents ’ association Tiffin has received 4 brand new indoor table tennis tables and a training robot (see top player Ashrith testing the robot). The tables were host to a very high standard of table tennis during the senior house competitions recently. Many thanks to all parents who have contributed to these wonderful new assets.

THE TIFFIN PODCAST SERIES

The students of Tiffin Broadcasting Network have been working hard and were delighted to launch a new podcast series for Tiffin School. To launch this series, TBN interviewed our very own Dr Jamie Frost (Global Teacher Prize, Covid Hero 2021).

In conversation with current students, speaking about his early years, education and career - click here for the podcast

And the renowned Channel 4 journalist Krishnan Guru - Murthy . Speaking about current events, his own story and how to get into journalism today - click here for the podcast

Both of the podcasts include some of the speakers ’ own life journeys, career paths and are topical and enlightening. We hope listeners enjoy this series, we are asking in return a small donation of £2, for each watch/listen. Just click on the Buy Now button to make your donation, which can be found by clicking here.

By making a donation, TBN will continue to make further podcasts and add to this already interesting series.

BHANGRA DANCE YEAR 7

Bhangra is an exciting, traditional dance style that is performed in Punjab and sometimes other regions of India. It is performed during happy gatherings and occasions, such as festivals or weddings. Year 7 pupils at Tiffin got a great opportunity to experience this energetic dance style with live music. We entered the dance studio, most of us not knowing what to expect. We were greeted by our workshop instructor, who was called Vijay, and got to listen to the loud, powerful but cheerful bhangra music. We were starting to see the deep culture hidden within it. It was played with a bass drum, known as a dhol and was beaten with 2 sticks. We then learned 4 sets of dance moves, which involved moving your hands and legs at the same time. There was much jumping, turning and clapping involved as well. It was tiring but still very fun, especially with the music playing loudly at the same time - we could feel the energy radiating through the room. We put all of our newly learnt dance moves into one large sequence and we finally performed our final piece. By the end, we were all sweating, but it was definitely a worthwhile experience, that showed us the diversity of different dance styles around the world. - Dhruv Soni

Grists. Mr Williams in particular has given up a vast amount of his personal time to ensure the playing fields are in the best possible condition which enables all of our students to play more cricket throughout the year. We are fortunate to have such dedicated staff who are willing to continuously go above and beyond in an effort to provide each student with the best possible experience.

SPORT

Cricket Participation is being smashed for 6!

There are some things that pass with the seasons, and as the last spring flower has sprung the summer season is here and with it comes the sweet sound of bat and ball. Cricket is here for the summer; and the excitement of the whole school has been shown through the incredible participation at training, matches and morning nets sessions. In nearly every year group Tiffin has the capacity to field A through to D teams, highlighting the appetite for cricket at Tiffin School. To provide an example of the level of participation we are witnessing, at 7am this morning there were 58 students practising in the nets, 1/3rd of the entire year group! The 1st XI have had a difficult start to the season, being unfortunate to come out on the wrong side of some very close matches. The opening game of the season saw Tiffin travel to a strong Emanuel side and narrowly lose by two wickets. Next up Tiffin travelled to St Georges College and despite a terrific performance from D. Vasireddy with the bat, knocking a 61* not out, Tiffin fell 17 runs short of the target set. WIth the fixtures coming thick and fast next up came the much anticipated tie with Hampton School. A brilliant partnership between the on - form D. Vasireddy and A. Cormack with a combined 116 runs put TIffin in a good position at the end of their innings. A position further strengthened after two early wickets fell for the home side. However Hampton proved too strong down the batting order and eventually won the game by 3 wickets. The annual fixture against Incogniti was a welcomed first home fixture of the year. An experienced Incogniti side proved a stern test for Tiffin, however a first century for R. Rafiq with a terrific 110* was enough to give Tiffin there first victory of the year. A special thanks to Mr Bala and Mr Williams for their tireless efforts to not only get the teams prepared for the season, but also the grounds at 1st XI Spotlight

ROWING

The rowing club has had a competitive season with strong performances at Kingston Small Boats Head with 3 crews in the top 10 of J18 quads at the start of the season. There were further wins for the J14Bs at the Junior Sculling Head and wins for both J16 and J14 at Kingston Head of the River over 5km. The J14 crew (pictured) also impressed at a National level with a Silver medal at the Junior Sculling Regatta on the recent May Bank Holiday, a truly impressive result ! We also fielded 4 girls crews here for the first time in many years in a resurgence in girls ’ competitive rowing.

Congratulations to all the boys for their consistently fantastic performances and we wish them all the best for next year ’ s competition.

VOLLEYBALL

Chloe and Jake Both play for Richmond Volleyball Club, Chloe in the Under - 18s girls, and Jake in the Under - 18s Boys (Both in Tier 1 in the Junior Division). Both teams had a very successful year and made it through to the finals in the National Volleyball League competition in Kettering last weekend, and both teams won gold!

Tiffin ’ s A team, a man light due to illness were sadly unable to qualify for the NSCC final however they came away from the repechage event with a win against Hampton, after Samvrit Subin, Isaac Lam and Anixton Linton won longer games to win on board count against the old rivals for a second time this year. In other news, Tiffin ’ s first in school OTB tournament in a number of years took place last Tuesday. After 6 rounds of the Blitz Swiss, Cathal Lucey emerged victorious having made light work of very experienced players to emerge with a perfect 6/6. Commendations are also due to Ryan Karmakar for finding a beautiful smothered mate and Yichen Wu, beating Mr Marley in an exciting game that came down to a winning K+P endgame.

CHESS

Having qualified for the national finals as a result of all their hard work over the past few months, the U13 Chess Team finally got a chance to prove themselves against the best schools in the country. Lead by Samvrit Subin, who has moved to 7th in the country at the U12 level, the team of Johan Mathew, David Varghese and Shriyans Muddana beat teams from Notts HS, Bolton School and Urmston GS, alongside draws against teams from Brentwood and Wilson ’ s to place 5th in the country within touching distance of 3rd!

CRICKET

I am delighted the School and Alumni Association have been granted funding to upgrade, among other things, the cricket equipment at Grists. We are spending about £60,000, allowing us to purchase a number of mobile cricket covers, and new sight screens, four new electronic scoreboards, two new cricket cages and lay two new artificial wickets. This represents a significant investment in cricket.

We have received the grant and we are also match funding it with contributions from the School and Alumni. If you would like to help out and contribute directly towards this cricket equipment and improvement of cricket facilities, we would really appreciate any donations that could be made. Please click here to donate .

Your donations will go directly to this cricket project and are very much appreciated.

Design Ventura: Celebration Day April 2022

Having been selected as one of the top ten schools in the Design Ventura competition, we were invited to attend the Ventura Celebration Day held in Kensington at the Design Museum. This was the peak of our endeavours, and definitely the most eventful. It consisted of several webinars with accomplished members of the Design Industry, some of whom worked with Deutsche Bank -- these helped us to not only get an insight into the Design Industry, but also get some useful tips on how to go about following our dreams and make them into reality. However, at the back of all of our minds, was the awards ceremony. This was undoubtedly the highlight of the day, and when it came we felt transported to a 5 star hotel, at one of the finest destinations! The Design Museum had transformed into a vibrant atmosphere with incredible refreshments! Before the award announcements had even begun, I was already appreciating the heights of what we had achieved, and how lucky we were to be there in the Design Museum, wearing proudly the Deutsche Bank badge. Yet, we all wanted to know just how well we had done, and that part unravelled slowly, ever so slowly …! What was so special and exhilarating about the whole process was that each name was announced from 10th to 1st. Hence we were fidgeting at each announcement. We were not 10th. Not 9th. Nor 8th,7th,6th,5th or 4th. It only truly digested afterwards, but at that moment we were all so stunned that we had made it to the top 3 in Design Ventura ’ s 2021 - 22 Competition! It was announced that we had come 2nd, 2nd in the whole country, out of 396 schools, and 18000 entries from pupils! Of course, we were all slightly gutted that we had not come 1st, but I am sure that future Tiffinians can follow in our footsteps and hopefully give Tiffin their much - deserved first! All of this would not have been possible without the help of Mr McKitrick and Mr Haycocks,

both of whom helped develop our product and support us through this journey, as well as the rest of the Drummable team! Written by Saahil Karthikeyan, Team Leader of Team ‘ Drummable ’ (consisting of Achyuth Anbil, Atharv Swaminathan, Keshav Pandey, Alfred Warne and Suhaas Karthikeyan

PLEASE DONATE ANY OUTGROWN UNIFORM NOW

Welcome back after the Easter holidays. We hope you ’ re looking forward to an active summer term!

We are holding a sale of second - hand school uniform on the morning of Saturday 21 May (open to September 2022 year 7 starters from 10 - 11am, and the rest of the school from 11 - 12noon). We really need your donations! We particularly need striped blazers and ties, and year 11 blazers and ties. Blazers that have worn through at the cuffs and elbows can be mended, and even blazers that are on their last legs can be put to good use, to patch up other blazers. We also need games kit, and all current uniform is welcome. If you could dig in your cupboards, bag up any uniform items that don't fit any more, and ask your children to deliver them to the School Office, it would be much appreciated! We would love for new parents to benefit, whilst also raising some money for Tiffin and decreasing the landfill mountain.

The Trading Post team Dawn, Baran, Sara and Nina