Head's Newsletter 16 December 2022

In this newsletter, you can read about some of the trips that we have done recently, including our ‘ stop the clock day ’ trips and other trips such as the Art trip and the sixth form politics trip. You can also read about some of the exciting projects that we are engaged in including a sixth form geography project. The sports fixtures have continued and thankfully have not been too disrupted, except recently, by the weather. I ’ m delighted that we have seen a number of notable victories from our netball team and our cross country continues to go from strength to strength. In addition, our regular rugby fixtures have also seen some great successes over the last few weeks. At the end of this term we are saddened to say goodbye to a number of staff who are leaving us this Christmas, including Ms Worsfold in the Finance office, Ms Grigg in Careers, and after over 10 years at Tiffin, Mr Holt, who is stepping down as Head of Physics in order to pursue new ventures. We thank them for their work, and wish all the best as they leave Tiffin. I hope that all students and their families have an excellent Christmas break, and I look forward to seeing the students again when we return on the 3rd January.

Dear Parents,

Thankfully, despite the interruptions of snow, ice and train strikes, we have managed to get through the last week with little interruption. In particular, it ’ s been wonderful to once again hold our carol services. The Chamber Choir performed in a superb special carol service for alumni last week, held in central London, and this week we have had our wonderful guest carol service on Wednesday evening and our student carol services on Thursday. The quality of the singing from the choirs is once again exceptional, and it ’ s great to see so many students involved in the music at Tiffin. Also on the music front you will see write - ups of some of the other big events that we ’ ve held, including the oratorio concert, the open concert and the performances at the Kingston fair. I ’ m delighted as we come towards Christmas the School Council have been leading our charitable response. Consideration for others is a leading part of the ethos of Tiffin, and I ’ m very pleased that we have managed to raise money for several charities recommended by the School Council, including Cancer Research, Kingston Hospital and Cocoon, a charity for local young people coming out of care. In addition, we rightly recognise the contribution to the community of particular individuals in our Jack Petchey awards.

Yours, M D Gascoigne, Headteacher

IMPORTANT DATES

3 January 11 January

Start Of Term – normal 8:30 Start

Year 9 Parents Consultations (2pm online) school finishes by 1pm for all years

23 January - 03 February

Year 11 Exams

2 February

Year 7 Parents Consultations(2pm online) school finishes by 1pm for all years Year 8 Parents Consultations (2pm online) school finishes by 1pm for all ages

9 February

GIRL’S SPORT AT TIFF IN

The girl ’ s sports teams have been going from strength to strength this term. It is great to see that students are taking up a range of sports and are not afraid to try new sports.

Chilly Cross Country time Borough Sports, 23rd November

We had a fantastic team effort on a wet and blustery Wednesday morning for the annual Borough sports cross country hosted at Grists. Running for the ladies team, Maya Mystry confidently maintained her 3rd place position throughout the race. Charlotte Harmer (7th) and Mia Ward (8th) ran together for the whole race and really kept up a steady

pace with Ameena Miah adding to the fine performances to help place the team second overall. It was a wet and wild day and the girls took this in their stride and did a fantastic job of representing the school.

A different team of girls competed in the Judge Cup competition on the 30th November. Johanna Williams started off strong, but then pulled up with an injury. Hazel Broderick and Anna Johnstone then ran well and this culminated in a bronze medal.

The girls have also been representing their houses and in the cross country on Wednesday 14th December the

students got competitive on a challenging course. Maya Halahan ran the most impressive first leg and with her formidable team members, Johanna Williams and Sofia

Podolskaya, taking Churchill Gorden through to a convincing 1st place. The Santa Fun Run included a sprint start and Tenko kept up the festive cheer!

GIRL’S SPORT AT TIFF IN

Rugby rumblings

Autumn acts as a pre - season of sorts for girls rugby with competitive fixtures commencing in the new year. However, it has been hugely successful from the point of view of developing the new squad which hopes to build on the success of their first and unbeaten XVs season of last year. It has been hugely gratifying to see nearly 30 girls playing rugby over this term, over half of whom are Yr12s totally new to the sport. Such depth twinned with the experience of the veteran Yr13s bodes well for another successful competitive season.

Netball Activity

The girls have had a full term of competitions for all three teams with a variety of home and away games. The most impressive match was last week where the A team won against Emanuel school (35 - 11) with strong performances from Natasha Drake as Centre and Alice Boyre with her precise shooting. Amy Fitch and Tessa Johnstone have also been identified as going above and beyond to support all the teams. With such a strong squad they are looking forward to the next few terms of competitive play.

home to win a Bronze medal. Andrew Tian managed the team magnificently and Vincent Lan had a great spin for the international select junior B team gaining another bronze for best B team in the process. Gold intermediate Cathal Lucy, Josh Anstey and Atharv Pruthi. Silver Junior Thomas Whorton Ethan Fawdrey Max Deschamps - Baxter Bronze senior Jonny Schafer Estaban Spencer and Constantin Isoub In best B teams Ralph Todd Drake and Vincent Lan Bronze medals Bronze medal winning performance by the Ladies Team at our own Dorothy Judge cup Johanna Williams, Anna Johnstone, Hazel Broderick

RUNNING CLUB In the final national Cup competition, Tiffin came 11th out of over 2000 entries, with Connor Foley coming 3rd in the Country. Estaban Spencer as a new sixth former has done wonders for the team. Jonny Schafer has captained the side well. Dhuruv Simmonite has been a great servant of the school, as have long term brilliance Oscar Luck and Emerging Star Athav Pruthi

Oscar Luck Estaban Spencer Connor Foley Capt Dhruv Simmonite Capt and team manager Jonny Schaffer Athav Puruthi

The Ladies also ran well in the Borough championships placing 2 nd . Maya Mistry gaining individual bronze in the process. Connor Foley closing the gap on the National Champions in our own judge cup at a Sun drenched yet cold Grist ’ s. The A Team finished 2 nd and the B team finished 4 th against the best in the country, these were great results !

The school took on a strong opposition at the Hampton 24min relays. Star team of the day was the intermediate boys who edged out the hosts in a photo finish. Arthav Pruthi hanging on in the interminable last few seconds. Cathal Lucey and Joshua Anstey were two who helped set up victory. The juniors boys Thomas Whorton, Ethan Fawdrey and Max Deschamps - Baxter gained a silver vs year 9’ s. The seniors gained a great bronze. Star individual result of the day was a debut medal for Ralph Todd Drake running for the International select intermediate team, they were the first B team of any denomination

The Boys won the Borough Championships at Senior intermediate and Year 7 level. The Juniors placed a good 2 nd .

Jack Petchey Awards

More than 100 nominations were received for this Term's Jack Petchey Awards. Thank you to everyone who put names forward. The Jack Petchey Committee then reviewed these nominations, and I am delighted to announce the very deserving winners as set out below: Joe Desmond (13) - Joe has helped to coordinate and restock the LRC library after a major refurbishment. Joe is a mature and polite Tiffinian who has managed a team of prefects as well as helping to restock the Library personally. He has given up so much of his free time to come and help our Library Manager. Moreover, Joe involves himself heavily in the wider life of the School contributing his time and energy to a wide range of activities and societies, most notably Choir for which he is to be commended. Elliot Rutt (12) - Elliot is a very dedicated Tiffin student. He has given up all of his free time to come and help restock and organise the LRC library after a major refurbishment. He has been an invaluable support to the Library Team, whether unpacking boxes, moving furniture or managing younger students in the new space. He is such a polite, kind and helpful young man who is real credit to himself and the School. Christian Lis (9) - Christian is to be congratulated for winning in his age group at the European Karate Championships. He invests hours of time into his training. This is in addition to swimming training and being an excellent student at school. Having won Gold in the 'Purple to Black belt, Kata' for all of Europe in the competition in Italy, he still came into school the next day!

Joe, Elliot & Christian receive a grant of £300 to the School to spend as they so choose in school. I am sure everyone will join me in congratulating all three for their efforts and achievement.

In addition to this, Mrs Brittain was overwhelmingly the student choice for the Leaders' Award for her dedication and commitment to Dance at Tiffin School. She has been aw£1000 to spend on a school project of her choice. Very well done, Mrs Brittain!

Mrs O'Connell and the School Council Jack Petchey Committee would like to thank everyone who has supported the Jack Petchey Awards this Term.

TIFFIN CHESS TEAM On the 30th November, the Tiffin C and E team participated in the final National School Chess Championship over the board qualifier at KCS Wimbledon. The C team qualified by winning 2/3 rounds and are the 4 th team to qualify. On the 12 th December, the Tiffin repechage team participated in the National School Chess Championship online qualifier and won the tournament becoming the 5 th team to qualify for Spring regionals. In summary, 5 teams have qualified for the regional stage, one of the highest conversion rates across the UK. 30 players in total will now participate in the next round. They will battle it out in Spring for a place in the national finals.

TIFFIN GLEE CLUB

On Tuesday 13th December The Tiffin Glee Club held a workshop at St Luke's Primary School, performing a short choreographed and sung piece and teaching the children how to sing in canon. It was a really fun experience and a very receptive audience. We only recently decided we wanted to do a workshop

at a primary school and the turn around and work rate put in by Arjan Dhatt and Mrs Brittain was incredible. It was a very good

performance from a medley of Christmas songs arranged by Arjan with a combination of carols and modern pop songs, very well sung and performed. Overall, it was a fun outing and I hope St Luke ’ s enjoyed it as much as we did.

MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCE

GEOGRAPHY

15 year 12 geographers have taken the opportunity to get involved with an IRIS (Institute of Research in Schools) project focused on Earth Observation. The program enables students to use European Space Agency satellite data from their sentinel missions. The project aims to create research questions, through data collected by the satellites from the electromagnetic spectrum. The students will utilise the Earth Observation Browser and QGIS to carry out their research, giving them the possibility to analyse data over a long time period. This will allow them to predict possible outcomes and impacts of our drastically changing environment. The opportunities from the project are wide - reaching, allowing them to choose from a series of issues of interest. The projects do not have to be covered by the A - Level geography course, giving the students the freedom to explore. on deforestation in the Amazon and the success of reforestation schemes in Brazil. Others have focused on the retreat of Ice on the Pine Glacier, a neighbour to the Thwaites Glacier, which is at risk of collapsing as a result of human - induced global warming. The outcomes of the program will not only be beneficial for the students but may also assist further research carried out by Dr. Anna Hogg, an ice expert at the University of Leeds. Previous projects have focussed

10 th annual Kingston borough Mental Health Ambassadors Conference In late November the newly appointed Year 9 Mental Health ambassadors and some Year 10 Mental Health ambassadors, attended the 10 th annual Mental Health conference with other schools from the Kingston Borough at Richard Challoner School in New Malden. The conference led by the NHS KU19 team

including our very own Veronica and focused on discussions about stress, depression, anxiety and self - harm, amongst other topics. This was a great opportunity for the Mental Health ambassadors to start brainstorming ideas for new ways to tackle mental health in and around the school. An important part of this conference was the borough representative Lexi Lee from Kooth, the mental health support charity, who led an engaging and interactive presentation about how Ambassadors can make a difference to others. Along with other enjoyable activities throughout the conference, this was a very memorable segment that will allow the Mental Health Ambassadors to be able to return to Tiffin School with greater understanding of Mental Health and their roles as Ambassadors.

CHEMISTRY IN ACTION

TOP OF THE BENCH COMPETITION

Chemistry in Action lectures - Emmanuel Centre, London

On Tuesday the 29 th November an elite team of 4 of our finest Chemists from Year 9, 10 and 11 competed in a regional heat of the Royal Society of Chemistry ’ s – Top of the bench competition. This took part at St Paul ’ s School in Barnes and there was strong academic competition on the night. We didn ’ t win this time but there is always next year! “ For Top of the Bench, we travelled to St. Paul ’ s to compete with a variety of schools including Tiffin Girls, St. Paul ’ s themselves and Sutton Boys. The exciting competition split the contestants into three groups of Yr9s, Yr10s and Yr11s who all carried out different practicals such as titrations and different reactions. Then we all participated in a set of multiple choice questions right after. Overall, we enjoyed the experience and we were able to see the facilities of a school with lots of money, especially their periodic table which had physical objects corresponding to each element. ” “ I really enjoyed the competition at St Paul ’ s School, and it was also really cool to see their brand new, shiny labs. Although we didn ’ t come in the top three of the Top of the Bench, it was still fun to take part in the practical, and the brownies at the end made it all worth it! ”

On the 6th December Mrs Molyneux, Miss Mitchell and Mrs Davis took 55 of the year 12 Chemists to the centre of London to see the Chemistry in action programme of lectures. These covered many interesting areas and applications of Chemistry in our lives, including talks on forensics, drugs and war. "The Chemistry in Action Lectures were thoroughly fascinating and covered a wide range of topics, from the humble lanthanides to the analysis of a shotgun wound. Taking place in the dramatic Emmanuel Centre in central London, the whole day was very enjoyable and gave excellent insight into the many careers that can emerge from A Level Chemistry. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about chemistry beyond the limits of the specification and/ or anyone with any interest in science (or the world in general)."

YEAR 7 STOP THE CLOCK DAY SCIENCE MUSEUM

On Thursday the 24th of November, the science department took the whole of Year 7 on a trip to the Science Museum in South Kensington. The visit involved visiting many of the different exhibits. These included the Cancer revolution exhibition which tells the stories of people affected by cancer and those who study and treat it. We also visited the Engineer your future exhibition where everyone enjoyed playing the interactive games. The highlight for a lot of students was the Wonderlab

YEAR 8 STOP THE CLOCK DAY

Fishbourne November 2022

On Stop the Clock Day all of Year 8 were treated to a day at Fishbourne Roman Palace. The students participated in a Building & Technology Workshop with a local expert, experienced Roman School and had time to explore the extensive grounds, mosaics and original artefacts. Whilst there, students started working on a video documentary which they are completing in lessons now. I would like to thank the students for their high levels of engagements and enthusiasm, as well as the all the accompanying staff who made the day possible.

Charlie O'Connell, December 2022

YEAR 9 STOP THE CLOCK DAY TO WHIPSNADE ZOO

by Marco Forlin, Ethan Stewart, and Seth Calder Travelling by coach on the way to the zoo, many of us were expecting just a day stuck looking at animals in cages. We all, however, turned out to be proved wrong; the day was amazing. The enclosures were surprisingly big and some animals were allowed to roam around the park without limits! It was very cool to see some of the animals in the flesh that we had only previously seen on David Attenborough TV documentaries. These included the forest animals and safari animals like giraffes, where we saw a baby which had been born only months ago! Marco ’ s favourite animal was the red panda because of its colour and fluffy tail! It was also cool to see the rhinos, which were as big as cargo containers!

It was also quite funny to see the ostriches slipping around in their muddy enclosure, many of them nearly falling over! Perhaps they were trying to get away from the lion enclosure only a few metres away …

Meanwhile, in the workshop, we were learning about the Linnaean Classification system. We were

able to look at animal skulls (some real, some made with a 3D printer), and classify them ourselves and play a fun game of roulette as we tried to name the different animals from their skull shape! We also learnt that with modern technology, the way in which animals are classified has become far more

advanced, going beyond the looks of an animal and instead comparing DNA and genetics.

Another interesting game we played in the workshop was trying to guess which animals were closely related. It turns out that hippos and dolphins are actually cousins! Overall, we all had a great time at the zoo and not only did the experience further our knowledge of evolution, it also gave us a wonderful day filled with fun, activities and animals!

YEAR 9 NATIONAL GALLERY ART TRIP

60 Year 9s were invited to take part in the Art Trip to National Gallery on Friday 9th December. Students first explored the significance of this year's 'Fourth Plinth' sculpture at Trafalgar Square, before entering the gallery. In smaller groups, the year 9s then received a tour of the National Gallery from a Gallery tour guide. The guides were so thorough and engaging, delving deep into the Baroque period and encouraging students to re - enact and discover elements for themselves. The year 9s then explored the Gallery collection independently, making sketches and notes to help support their upcoming school project: Baroque: Re - Imagined. Well done to the Year 9s who attended for showing such a mature engagement with the historical artworks and working hard to make discoveries and connections!

YEAR 12 HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT AND SUPREME COURT TRIP

This half term the Politics department took a group of Year 12s to the Houses of Parliament and the UK Supreme Court. Students were toured around the Houses of Parliament and had the pleasure of spotting many familiar faces throughout. During their visit they were able to gain further insight into the workings of the Commons and Lords alongside running their own elections to test the most representative electoral system.

This was followed by a brilliant tour of the UK Supreme Court. The Supreme Court provided inspiration for our students aspiring for a career in the legal profession as they were able to sit in on a hearing and witness the Supreme Court justices at work. For the students studying Politics at A Level, this provided excellent evidence to add to their future essays!

MUSIC PERFORMANCES

Oratorio Concert This year ’ s Oratorio Concert involved an impressive 200 performers, ranging from pupils who had joined the school and the Oratorio Trebles Choir only weeks earlier, to Old Tiffinians who have supported the choir with their marvellous singing for decades. This year ’ s concert opened with Cecilia McDowall ’ s ‘ Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo ’, which appropriately draws our attention to the ongoing migrant crisis through the eyes

of Nujeen Mustafa, a Kurdish teenager forced by war to flee her home. The Oratorio Trebles and

Children ’ s Chorus played a leading role in this performance, singing lines written especially for a youth chorus like theirs, representing the many young people affected by war. In the second part of the concert the choir performed a much more familiar work which, nonetheless, deals with many similar humanist themes. Brahms ’ ‘ German Requiem ’

replaces the conventional Latin text of the Requiem mass with poetic texts more concerned with comforting those on earth who mourn than with the afterlife. The choir ’ s, soloists ’ and chamber orchestra ’ s renderings of Brahms ’ beautiful lyrical melodies and reflective harmonies led to a moving end to the concert.

Open Concert November 2022 The Open Concert welcomed a wide range of performers, from ensembles to soloists, most of whom had independently prepared, put forward and presented their own performances. Highlights of the concert included the Cantare Girls Choir ’ s first performance in which they sang acapella the traditional Scottish ‘ Will Ye Go Lassie Go ’ along with the Fleet Foxes ’ White Winter Hymnal. The Junior Chamber Ensemble ’ s performance, the music for which remarkably they had arranged, rehearsed and directed themselves, included more festive music in the form of ‘ The Snowman ’ theme, along with Bach ’ s Air. The School Rock Band concluded the Concert with songs by Adele, Coldplay and the Beatles. All pupils are invited to

perform in the Open Concerts, which are open to groups and individuals of all ages and musical abilities. The notable variety of solos performed in this concert ranged from Brahms and Copland to Elvis and Queen.

MUSIC PERFORMANCES

Concert Band at North Kingston Christmas Fair The Concert Band was delighted to be invited to support the North Kingston community and traders ’ association at their Christmas event, which included the switching on of the Christmas lights in the School ’ s local neighbourhood along with craft stalls, carol singing and other live music. Welcomed by L ’ Assaggino restaurant to perform in their courtyard on Park Road, the band played music by Gershwin and Bernstein along with seasonal favourites including Jingle Bell Rock, Rocking Around The Christmas Tree and Winter Wonderland. Fuelled in the cool crisp weather by generous hot chocolates and enthusiastic passers by, the band made a great contribution to the festive mood that Saturday morning.

Chamber Choir Alumni Carol Service St. Andrew ’ s Church Holborn was a delightful venue for the Chamber Choir ’ s first Alumni Carol Service, with its generous acoustic, impressive pipe organ and central location welcoming alumni from around London and further afield. Formed only a few years earlier with the admission of female students to the sixth form, the Chamber Choir showed impressive poise and musicianship as they sang carols which included many contemporary arrangements, such

as Mack Wilberg ’ s Ding Dong Merrily and In The Bleak, along with Melissa Dunphy ’ s Halcyon Days and In The Stillness by Sally Beamish, a counterpoint to more familiar seasonal music featured in the Tiffin Boys ’ Choir ’ s Kingston carol service the following week. The congregational carols were something to

behold, as the organist engaged the instrument ’ s thundering bombarde division to match the powerful singing of the assembly, reflecting the many former Tiffin choristers present.

TIFFIN IN CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

SUPPORTING COCOON

As a school, we're supporting the charity, Cocoon, which offers support for Care leavers from the boroughs of Kingston, Richmond and Hounslow. Our 'Wear your Christmas Jumper' day on Monday 12th December will raise money for them.

A selection of some of the best Christmas jumpers, including Mr Gascoigne in his Crystal Palace number.

On behalf of the School Council Charities Committe, I would like to thank the Tiffin community for supporting all of our charity events this Term. We raised over £3500 for Kingston Centre for Independent Living via our Non - Uniform Day. In addition, more than £2500 has been raised so far from our Christmas Jumper Day in aid of Cocoon. Students and parents have also been very generous in supporting Cancer research and Kingston hospital workers through events in this last week of Term.