Head's Newsletter 8 July 2016

Dear Parents It has been an incredibly busy last few weeks and is set to get even busier before the term is finished! Next week we have the House rowing regatta on Monday, followed by House swimming on Tuesday, Founders’ Day on Wednesday, and finishing with Sports Day at the Kingsmeadow Stadium on Thursday, when term ends for the pupils. Full details of the special arrangements for next week can be seen in the separate email sent out about this. Even before we get to next week we have the musical extravaganza which is ‘Tiffin in the Garden’ today, the Kingston rowing regatta over Saturday and Sunday, and the Oratorio on Sunday. It was a great pleasure to watch the boys from Years 7 to 9 perform in A Midsummer Night’s Dream last week. Huge effort had clearly gone into this production and there were some fantastic individual performances. Well done to all those who took part; remembering so many lines whilst also acting with such passion and skill, was quite a feat! Watching the cricket against John Fisher was most enjoyable, particularly as we have had so much disruption from rain this year. With strong victories from the 1st XI and the U15A, the match between the U12A sides was the closest possible with Tiffin losing narrowly on the last ball! The U15A side also saw a terrific win over Trinity School in the semi-final of the Surrey Cup; unfortunately due to the weather we were not able to play the final so Tiffin share the trophy instead, still a very significant achievement. Next week will also see the highlight of the cricket calendar: the ‘Widger’ match. I am confident that the 1st

XI (made up of Year 13 leavers) will learn some valuable final lessons when the staff beat them in the annual staff versus 1st XI cricket match! In rowing we are looking forward to the Kingston Regatta and the House regatta, and you can also read about the particularly good performance of our tennis players at the St George’s College Pairs competition. There are, as in all years, a significant number of boys who have successfully qualified as Wimbledon ball boys, and they are currently enjoying fulfilling their role at the Tournament. Let's hope they get to cover the final like last year! The sporting season for the House competition will finish this week with the swimming gala on Tuesday and the sports day on Thursday. Four houses are still in with a chance of winning the overall House Championship, so it should be an exciting week, as well as the last year that the House Championship will be competed for by 6 houses, rather than 8 from September. The term for the boys will finish following the presentations of house trophies at the end of Sports Day on Thursday. We have of course been busy on the music front. ‘Tiffin in the Garden’ is always an excellent musical occasion which we look forward to today, and this will be followed up with the Oratorio on Sunday. With a 200 strong choir composed of our own boys as well as many Old boys, parents, ex-parents and other friends of Tiffin music, this promises to be an excellent event. The choir are then singing at St Paul's Cathedral on Monday, before they tour Italy after the end

IMPORTANT DATES

Oratorio, Sports Hall at 7 pm

Sunday 10 July

School starts at 9.20 am for Years 7-11

Monday 11 July Tuesday 12 July

Swimming Gala

Founders’ Day. School finishes for students at 12.15 pm

Wednesday 13 July Thursday 14 July

Sports Day. LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR PUPILS

of term, before returning to sing at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall at the end of July! Before then the choir have a crucial role to play at Founders’ Day, held at All Saints Kingston, when we celebrate the founding of the School by the Tiffin brothers in the seventeenth century. Other trips in this newsletter include the Year 10 trip to Ypres and the Year 12 Biology field trip to Wales, both of which were most successful. Also on performing arts, you can read about the terrific work of our dancers in the different venues and formats that they have been performing in. It has also been great to recognise not only the achievements of boys in the co-curricular activities, but also the fantastic academic achievements in our end of year Awards Ceremonies for each year group. The final ceremony, for Year 10, takes place on Tuesday. The awards recognise excellent achievement in work throughout the year in different subjects, but especially in the exams, as well as those pupils who have shown the most progress. As this year draws to a close I would like to thank all parents for their support for the School as well as the staff for the terrific commitment and dedication they show to the boys’ progress and achievement in all areas of school life. We say goodbye to a

small number of teaching staff this year including Ms Monroe, Mrs Rehlon, Ms Phillips, Mrs Warne and Mr Mackula, as well as some Associate Staff including Mrs Camporeale, Miss Jeeves, Mrs Madle, Miss Line & Mrs Gall. We thank them all for their efforts and contributions to Tiffin and wish them all the best for their future endeavours. Autumn term commences in September with our usual staggering of start dates for different year groups. Except for rugby teams and the cross country squad, boys in Years 8 to 11 will start back on Thursday, 8 September. Years 7 and 12 start on Tuesday 6 September and Year 13 return on Wednesday 7 September. Please see the dates below. We look forward in particular next year to starting construction on our building, seeing our House system expand, and most importantly encouraging our boys to once again make the most of the fantastic opportunities available to them in all areas of School life here at Tiffin. I wish all boys and their families a very enjoyable summer holiday. Yours,

M D Gascoigne

IMPORTANT DATES FOR NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR

Rugby teams from Year 8 upwards at Grist’s; Cross- Country practices at School, both from 1.50 pm. No other boys in School Year 7 and Year 12 required in School from 8.30 am Year 13 required in School for 1 to 1 appointments with tutors. Year 12 required at Grist’s from 8.30 am. Year 7 required from 8.30 until 1.30 in School All year groups required in School for a 9.20 start in form groups

Monday 5 September

Tuesday 6 September Wednesday 7 September

Thursday 8 September

Year 10 Trip to Ypres 2016

In the penultimate week of June, 50 Year 10 Historians travelled to Ypres for the annual Battlefields trip, helping them to prepare for their Controlled Assessment in September. The boys enjoyed a packed, intensive schedule and carried themselves maturely and receptively throughout. Starting on the Thursday with the largest cemetery for Commonwealth burials from both the First and Second World Wars, Tyne Cot, Mr Brown gave a short, atmospheric talk to the group as the rains came in across Ypres and gunshots fired in the background.

boys to walk through and soak up the atmosphere (and mud); the Hooge Crater , a huge hole blown in the ground to the east of Ypres by a mine-blowing operation in 1915; and the cemetery at Cement House, where we were able to pay our respects to a number of allied soldiers, including the ex-Tiffinian Charles Eglington, who joined the army as an artillery gunner under age and lost his life towards the end of the war. Along with this, the boys were able to visit the town of Ypres itself to see the centre of the fighting in North Belgium throughout the First World War. Chocolates were bought, tonnes of frites were eaten and the boys left the town on the Friday afternoon to catch the ferry both replete and very well informed as to the actions of the allied armies in Belgium in the First World War.

It was a very apt start to the trip and was followed by a stark contrast in the visit to the German Langemark cemetery, a dark tree-covered set of mass graves concentrated in a much smaller area where Mr Bryan Williams and Mr Reekes spoke about the fighting in the area and the first use of poison gas in the War. The rain continued to blow in and the clouds moved overhead but the visit was again very atmospheric, marking a perfect comparison to the cemetery at Tyne Cot and the ceremony at the Menin Gates that evening. Friday was even more intensive, with Hill 62 and its surrounding trenches for the

Boys looking at names inscribed on the Menin Gate

from further afield including pairs from Tonbridge and Eton. In the group stage, Tiffin’s first pair of Ed Hubner and Matt Stevenson eased to a 5-2 lead against Sevenoaks before a complete collapse saw the far superior Tiffin pair lose 7-5 and seemingly lose all hope of qualifying from a group containing Reed’s and Cranleigh. However after some outstanding tennis, the pair managed to beat Reed’s 6-4 and Cranleigh 6-0 to win the group on game difference. Strong wins in the quarter and semi-finals of the main draw, beating Whitgift 6-3 and Eton 6-2 respectively, saw Tiffin into the final to play Reed’s for the second time. Unfortunately, after a hard fought match that went to serve up until the 12th game, Reed’s came out on top this time, winning 7-5. This meant Tiffin were Runners Up in the 1st pair competition where 15 other independent schools had participated; a very respectable performance. As for the second pair, comprising of Will Sharp and Jamie Glancy, despite a 6-2 loss to Cranleigh, the absence of a Reed’s 2nd pair and a comfortable 6-2 victory against Sevenoaks, Tiffin progressed to the quarter finals where they met Whitgift. After a tense game, Tiffin lost 7-5, and followed

Wimbledon Alex Step from Year 10 in action at Wimbledon!

St George’s College Pairs Day (report by Matthew Stevenson Y12) Wednesday 22 June saw Tiffin’s 1st and 2nd senior pairs compete in the annual Pairs Day at St George’s where they faced not only the regular big hitters from Surrey such as Reed’s and Whitgift, but schools

Matt Stevenson 12MO, Ed Hubner 13LL, Will Sharp 12CR and Jamie Glancy 12MO

the earlier stages of the competition, but was unfortunately ill on the day. Luckily, our success was much greater the previous day in the St George’s College Pairs! UK Ultimate Frisbee Schools Championships On Saturday 2 July 10 boys from Year 10 went to Birmingham to compete in the UK Ultimate Frisbee Schools Championships. The boys had only been playing for 3 months and were easily the least experienced team there, with most of the others having played since they were in Year 7. Nevertheless they performed exceptionally well and ended with a record of 2 Wins, 1 Draw and 4 Losses and a 19th place finish overall (unluckily losing out on a higher place finish due to points difference).

with a 6-4 loss to King’s College Wimbledon and finally a 6-4 victory against Charterhouse, securing 7th place of 14 for the Tiffin pair. Overall, it was a very enjoyable and successful day of tennis with special thanks going to Mr Taylor for organising the team and supporting us throughout the day. Surrey Tennis League Finals Report (by Josh Frost Y12) On Thursday, 23 June Tiffin’s top tennis team travelled to St George’s School to compete in the Surrey League Finals. Unfortunately for them they were up against some tough competition, namely Reed’s, St Paul’s, and Whitgift. Our first match was against Reed’s who, luckily for us, only had four players (as a large portion of their team was off trying to qualify for Wimbledon) giving us a 3 – 0 head start. Surprisingly their second pair managed to beat Ed and Will, who had managed to overcome the Reed’s first pair In a gruelling set which went to a tie break. This unfortunately meant that we only won one of our 6 matches against Reed’s ending in a 5 – 4 loss to Reed’s. This put us into the 3rd and 4th play off against St Paul’s, who we had previously beaten quite handily. To our dismay, today was not our day. Will and Ed won all of their matches, but our second and third pair didn’t manage to beat their equivalent opponents. And thus the truly tired Tiffin Tennis Team travelled home, with the only consolation being that they were the 4th best tennis team in Surrey. Great job for getting that far to the 6 boys: Ed Hubner and Will Sharp (Pair 1), Matt Stevenson and Jamie Glancy (Pair 2), Josh Frost and Tomos Croxon (Pair 3). Additionally well done to Matt Hinks, who had competed in

Special mention goes to Shun Tagawa for being voted most improved player in the team, and Henry Brooking for being voted most valuable player in the team, though everyone played incredibly well and improved a huge amount over the course of the day.

ROCKET COMPETITION! A select group of six Year 8 pupils were selected to represent the school at the Water Rocket Competition at NPL in Teddington. A great deal of preparation time was spent designing and developing their rockets and included much testing at Grist’s. On the day the weather was not on our side and it rained most of the afternoon; however the students remained positive, if somewhat wet. The boys performed well and were proud to achieve highly within the “Eggstra Challenge” where they managed to fire the rocket containing a fresh egg quite a distance with the egg remaining intact.

BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP Last week the Year 12 Biology students travelled down to Pembrokeshire, Wales, for a field course. On arrival, we were greeted by the staff who showed us round Orielton field centre. The house where we stayed was a spacious and historic former estate, surrounded by a diverse, natural habitat (which we would later explore). There was a huge range of facilities including table tennis, which quickly became the favourite recreational pastime of the students.

Starting early on Tuesday we spent an intensive week studying ecology, sometimes not finishing until 8:30 in the evening. We were divided up into groups, each accompanied by an inspirational tutor who proved to be incredibly friendly and helpful, encouraging us to fully participate during lessons and when conducting field work. In these lessons we covered topics including: statistical analysis tests (including Spearman’s rank correlation and the χ2 test) and

succession, which not only gave us preliminary information for A2 Biology but expanded our knowledge above and beyond the syllabus. Our learning did not stop there, as we later ventured out frequently to conduct field work on the sand dunes and in the wildflower meadows.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Twenty-five boys from Years 7 to 9 accepted the challenge to create an environment where the audience member was transported into a world of magic, mystery, comedy and love. The boys have worked diligently on the production since May, rehearsing through one of the busiest periods of the year and all their dedication paid off with two hugely successful sell-out performances. Audiences left the studio after being thoroughly entertained, some even participated with the fairies dancing. It was an amazing experience for the boys from start to finish and it is hoped that they continue to enjoy participating in Tiffin productions.

Despite the almost incessant rain, this did not dampen our spirits. The trip provided a great opportunity for us to get to know our fellow students better and to consolidate our collective interests in biology. I would commend it to anybody with an aspiration to study biology or related subjects at university in the future. Thank you to all the staff at Orielton field centre and the teachers who organised this at Tiffin, whose hard work and commitment made this trip possible for us. Report by Will Shorrocks Y12

ORATORIO

Young People's Emotional Wellbeing Survey 2016

Richmond and Kingston Youth Councils are conducting an anonymous survey with Healthwatch Kingston & Richmond to find out young people’s views around mental health. The survey is for those aged between 11-19 who live, work or study in the Borough of Richmond or Kingston. The findings will be used to try and ensure services around mental health better meet the needs of young people. The aim is to reach out to as many young people as possible. View survey here.

Tickets are still on sale for the annual Tiffin Oratorio concert taking place on Sunday 10 th July at 7.00 pm in the Sports Hall at Tiffin School. James Day, Director of Choral Music at Tiffin, conducts the 200-strong forces of the Tiffin Oratorio Choir and Tiffin Boys’ Choir, together with the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, in Antonín Dvořák’s Stabat Mater , a meditation on the sorrows of Mary at the cross. The choir is joined by a professional line up of soloists including Sofia Troncoso (Soprano), Claire Barnett-Jones (Mezzo Soprano), Robert Burt (Tenor) and James Oldfield (Bass). Friends of Tiffin Music will be serving refreshments before the concert. The concert has been made possible by the kind support of Coombe Residential. Tickets are £15 and £10 available from TicketSource following the link https:// www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/263896

Edition two of the Tiffin literary magazine written entirely by the boys and produced by the English department can be seen here: http://www.tiffinschool.co.uk/life/ cocurriculum.html (scroll down the page)

Ten Pieces is an exciting initiative for primary and secondary age students led by BBC Learning and the BBC Performing Groups. Its aim is to open up the world of classical music to a new generation of children and inspire them to develop their own creative responses to ten pieces of music using a variety of art forms - digital art or animation, performance poetry, dance or movement and composition.

House dance took place during lunch time on Friday 23 June with adjudicating panel Mr Balasubramaniam, Mrs O'Sullivan and ex- Tiffinians who still continue their dancing careers: Taha Ghauri (professional dancer currently working in Belgium) and Chae Young Chang who is a president of 'Funkology' a pioneering dance team based at Imperial College London. Each house worked on a free piece and a set music piece of choreography. The quality of work from all the houses was very strong indeed which made the judges job even harder. The mechanics of the scoring gave KM the overall victory and made them winners of the first ever House Dance Competition at Tiffin. Well done to all the dancers across all participating houses for making this even truly special! Here are the edited highlights: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNOXb4-pgJg

Selected year 7 dancers have been working on Leonard Bernstein piece of music from the Musical 'West Side Story'. Performing in the main house at the Rose Theatre on 12 July at 8 pm, BBC Ten Pieces tickets are available from https://www.rosetheatrekingston.org/ whats-on/bbc-ten-pieces

Challenge Cup (the top event). They lost narrowly to the Dutch national squad in the final, having beaten both the Italian and Spanish national squads in their previous two rounds! TSBC salutes them! School Cricket 2016 First mention must be made of the outstanding U15 XI who polished off an outstanding season by winning The Surrey County Cup. Not only this, but 5 of the side supplemented the depleted 1st XI over the last two weeks of the season and played an immense part in winning both the Kingston Festival 20-20 1st XI Tournament and the Cheam Cricket Club 1st XI Tournament. All players contributed hugely with bat, ball or both and the fielding was quite exceptional. Outstanding among these was the U15 Captain Aum Joshi for his all-round skills, Huw Morris behind the stumps, Keerat Khaira for his batting and fielding contributions and Jivan Singh for his astonishing talent with both bat and ball. The tournament sides featured no fewer than 4 wicket keepers and 5 spinners, the latter playing a critical part in every game with Yusuf Jackson’s leg-spin proving almost unplayable at times. Add to these names the brilliant captaincy, batting and bowling of both Conor Fulton and Krishan Sachdeva and you have an immensely powerful outfit. For the U12 XIs it was a season of rapid learning on the job. They turned out in huge, enthusiastic numbers and at times played attractively but there are many holes in technique and match awareness that they will no doubt put right in future years. The U13 XIs had very good results throughout the season and the A team saved some of their best cricket for the Rokeby tournament. The U14 XIs fared better at B team level than at A team level but kept the best for last with an emphatic win over Rutlish in their last match of the season.

The cross country team at the end of year relays gained two sets of medals against the rest of the county . Very well done. ROWING The top quad competed in the Metropolitan Regatta at Dorney, narrowly failing to qualify for the final. Then on to Henley Royal Regatta!

The event (Fawley Challenge) was heavily oversubscribed and they failed to make the regatta proper. Tiffin was however represented at the regatta by ex-Tiffinians, Richard Clarke and Tim Livingstone, who were in a Nautilus crew in the Grand

Tiffin 1st XI Cheam Tournament Winners Kingston Festival Winners

Surrey County Cup Winners

Action from the County Cup Semi-Final

Left: Jivan Singh

Below: Awsaf Muhammad