form 1 team building day - city of london freemen's school · 2016. 12. 21. · lower 2 -...

CITY OF LONDON FREEMEN’S SCHOOL 9

Form 1 Team Building DayForm 1 enjoyed getting to know eachother during their Team Building Dayin September. The day involved thechildren working in small groupsincorporating a variety of teambuilding games and puzzles. The gamestested their ability to think andcommunicate as part of a team and theleadership qualities of an individual.

Mrs Samson’s Marshmallow challenge wasparticularly popular. The children had tocreate a strong, tall tower using spaghettiinstead of bricks and marshmallowsinstead of cement. It was a rather stickyaffair!

Mrs Wilby, who is also new to Form 1 thisyear, enjoyed working with the children tocross the crocodile infested swamp! Thechildren had to work together to get their

entire group safely across the swamp. Nomean feat!

In the tyre teaser, the children wereintelligent bomb disposal squads who hadto deactivate an explosive device bycorrectly ordering five tyres on a stake.Unfortunately Miss Page was blown up ontwo of the five occasions!

Mr Strauss took his group onto the schoolfield for the sheep and pen challenge. Thechildren were blindfolded and then had towork as a team to help the sheep find theirway home.

The day proved to be a huge success.Everyone in Form 1 had the opportunity towork with people they didn’t know and weall made several new friends!

Mrs Janet Wilby

Invaders’ DayOn Monday 21st June, Form 1 wasinvaded by a host of raging Romansand vicious Vikings, who were quickto capture their teachers and replacethem with Roman goddesses for theday! The invaders were quick tomake themselves known to the restof the school in assembly and evenMr Beach was left quaking with fearin case they raided the whole of theJunior School and took othermembers of staff hostage.

The Roman and Viking warriors weredivided into two groups for the day. Onetook part in an Invaders and Settlersworkshop. The other was divided intothree and undertook an activity led byHeafford, an Anglo Saxon elder, Williams,

the Gresham goddess of all things green orWilby, the Roman goddess of Whittington.Heafford’s activity was learning to makeSaxon flapjack. All the invaders made theirown flapjacks following an ancient AngloSaxon recipe, under the watchful eye ofHeafford. This delicious treat was thencarefully wrapped up to take home tofamilies in Scandinavia. Williams’ activityinvolved making Viking warrior heads.These were to act as disguises on the longjourney home across the seas. Using sugarpaper, black paper, border rolls and splitpins, the invaders made some cunningdisguises so they could sail home withoutbeing recognised. Goddess Wilby was incharge of helping the warriors design andmake new Viking figure heads for theirlongships. The idea was to make thedragon head as scary and frightening as

possible. Using red pieces of felt and papercut into scales, the Vikings were able totransform their longships with these moreelaborate creations which were embellishedwith pieces of gold, found whenplundering the Form 1 resource room.

In the drama workshop, guidance wasgiven to plan the journey home. Advicewas given on what life at sea could be likeand the dangers which could possibly liein store. Deciding that Form 1 had nothingleft to offer, the Romans and Vikings lefttaking with them their loot and treasuresto share with their family on their returnhome. Another successful invasion hadbeen completed.

Form 1P

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10 ASHTEADIAN MAGAZINE 2009-2010

YoungInvestigatorsClubThe club has been busy again this year. The Form 1 and Lower 2 pupils enjoyedvarious messy activities including makingbouncy balls from custard powder, addingbicarb to coloured vinegar and droppingeggs on parachutes. They investigated thebest design for rafts, became expert atblowing bubbles inside bubbles, watchedraisins bouncing up and down in lemonadeand made turning spirals for Christmas.

Mrs Helen Irwin

Mrs Catherine Williams


MexicoloreOn Wednesday 2nd December CLFSgot a surprise visit from Mexico!Mexicolore is an Aztec workshop runby Ian and Graciela, who have beenrunning it since 1980.

The workshop included Aztec music,Aztec gods, dressing up in Aztec clothes,copies of Aztec jewellery and learningabout Aztec life. Ian and Graciela haveso much spirit, and we all thoroughlyenjoyed the workshop.

Ian told me he loved running theworkshop and that the children were so enthusiastic.

I think that everybody has enjoyed this in Lower 2 (who did the workshop). We ended the workshop with a giant Aztec music and dance session includinginstruments, singing and everyone in costume!

We got a chance to see the food that theAztecs would have eaten and Graciela,from Mexico, taught us some Spanish.After the workshop there was a wonderfulAztec shop where you could buyembroidered purses and lots of otherthings.

Deyna Grimshaw

SCHOOL NEWS, ARTICLES & EVENTS

A Midsummer Night’s DreamWhen Mrs Gillespie announced thatwe were putting on Shakespeare 4Kidz, ‘A Midsummer Night’sDream’, we jumped for joy withexcitement that we were doing aproduction. Mrs Gillespie and MrMetcalfe auditioned people andwhen they had the perfect cast theystarted practising whenever theycould. The chorus was added andeveryone could see it was going to bea fantastic show.

We performed the play on the 6th and 7thof July. Even though we were watchingand singing in the play twice and knewwhat was happening we never got tired ofthe excellent performances like theabsolutely spectacular Marie O’Donovanplaying Helena. Her singing and actingwas outstanding as was CydonieAshbridge playing Titania, Maia Diffey asHermia, Jake Slater as Lysander and JackMounfield as Demetrius, Harry Stringerwas Oberon and Puck was EdwardFreeman.

There were also great performances fromthe mechanicals: Toby Collett as the wall,Michael John playing the lion, OliverBarron playing the moon, AlasdairRobertson as Thisbe, Alexandros Kanavosreminding people of the right lines andAlex Lane playing the incredibly funnyBottom the donkey.

In the song with the fairies singing Titaniato sleep, all of the dancing fairies came onand did a lovely, resting piece. It wasabsolutely beautiful. All of the dancers werewearing lovely different colour greens,

fluorescent and dark merging together tomake a beautiful sight. The dancersperformed wonderfully with the danceincluding Mexican Waves and ballet dancingthat was choreographed by Mrs Jowitt andeveryone thought it was spectacular.

It was unbelievable what the musiciansdid, playing non-stop and never missing anote. They had the ting of a bell to thebooming sound of the trumpets, the bellssignalling the magic of it all. It was greathow Mrs Gillespie and Mrs Smith keptchanging who was playing the piano andwhen Mrs Gillespie wasn’t playing shewas conducting. When Mrs Smith wasn’tplaying the piano she was doing thecostume changes. They were alwaysworking hard.

So all in all ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’was an amazing show. Everyone had somuch fun and thanks to Mrs Gillespie, MrMetcalfe, Mrs Jowitt and Mrs Smith forputting on an excellent show for us and Ihope if you came to watch our play, youhad as much fun as we did performing it.

Maisie Sareen

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Jennings PoetryThe annual Jennings PoetryCompetition was fiercely contestedby the Junior School pupils. Allpupils learnt and performed theirchosen poems to their classes andthe best poetry performances fromeach class were then presented tothe whole year group.

Our winners were:Form 1 - Billy Jordan performing ‘ThePig’ by Roald DahlLower 2 - Marnie Ashbridge performing‘There’s a Monster in the Garden’ byDavid HarmerUpper 2 - Rachel Slater performing ‘TheMoon is Full’Lower 3 - Jack Symonds performing‘Matilda’ by Hilaire Belloc.

Our youngest winner, Billy, performedhis poem at the Form 1 autumn concertand was adept at moving between thepiggy voice and his own – he had theaudience laughing in anticipation ofevery line. Marnie gave us her monsterwith much theatrical verve and againhad the whole audience in suspensethroughout her performance. Rachel hadus all imagining her moonlit scenewhilst Jack regaled us with thecautionary tale of ‘crying wolf’ as poorMatilda could not be saved by the heroicfire-brigade. The competition this yearwas of a very high standard.

Ms Fiona Moncur

JUNIOR SCHOOL

ActivityWeekThe annual Junior School Activity Weekproved to be one of the busiest and mostvibrant activity weeks on record. Thisyear, Upper 3 and Lower 4 were fullyinvolved and helped ‘kick off’ the weekby coming to school on Monday dressedas Victorians, setting the scene for themarvellous Key Stage 3 production of‘Smike!’ performed later in the week.Not to be outdone, Form 1 arrived on theMonday dressed as Viking or Romaninvaders – and fortunately rememberedto change costumes ready for theirwonderful and highly originalproduction of Snow White at the end ofthe week. Meanwhile, Lower 2 hadLeeds Castle and The Big Camp to lookforward to, Upper 2 dressed as AncientEgyptians and Lower 3 were busycycling as part of their ‘bikeability’courses. In addition, various dance, artand craft and other activities occurred,including presentations and workshopsled by James Hooper.

Lower 4 finished off the week in style;after a busy activity day on Fridayduring which they took part in art, ICTand street dance workshops, theydressed up in their finery and attendedthe inaugural Lower 4 Ball in MainHouse. It was a fitting end to a hugelyenjoyable week. Roll on next year…

Mrs Louise Jowitt

NewJuniorLibraryExtensionOpens The new improved Junior School libraryextension was officially opened by theChairman of Governors, Deputy JohnBennett, on Wednesday 21st April. The£60,000 extension means the library isnow twice its original space, with alarger book stock, six networkedcomputers and a cushioned area forrelaxed reading.

Mrs Sue Dawes


In weekly PSHE lessons pupilsexplore topics such as ‘timemanagement’, ‘healthy eating andlifestyle’ and ‘personal safety’. Theemphasis is on discussion ratherthan written tasks and importantlessons are learned in terms oflistening to and respecting theopinion of others.

In addition, various ‘extra’ activities havetaken place, including visits by RosieWestby (‘Deaf Awareness’) and SergeantDean, who led discussions on ‘TheCommunity’ as well as ‘Rights andResponsibilities’. Lower 3 and Lower 4pupils attended useful Study Skillsworkshops at School and benefitted fromthe many techniques taught during the

sessions. Lower 3 also took part inintensive ‘bikeability’ training (formerlyknown as cycling proficiency) – a coursewhich took them out of Ashtead Park andonto the roads of Ashtead. In addition, MrHall led discussions with Lower andUpper 3 about how skills and experiencescan shape our futures whilst our nursesfrom the Medical Centre taught basic firstaid to our oldest pupils.

Once again, we hope that the pupils haveenjoyed and learnt much from the variousactivities they have experienced this year.We hope that these experiences prepareour pupils for life in the real world,equipping them to cope with whatever thefuture has in store.

Mrs Louise Jowitt


Junior School PersonalSocial Health Education

Freemen’s took to the slopes on the 8thand 9th of March and had great success.In the British Interschool SkiChampionships in Les Houches the teamof Abigail and Sasha Bruce came afantastic 11th out of 140 schools andsecond in their U11 category. Theseplacing were a result of some top fiveand ten placings in their individual races.

BritishInterschool SkiChampionships

World Book Day is the biggestannual celebration of books andreading in the UK and Ireland. Everyyear at the School we celebrate theevent with a week of fun activitiesand competitions, and this year wasno different.

On World Book Day itself on Thursday4th March, the whole School joined in thecelebration, from Form 1 to Upper 6. AllSenior School pupils took part in thehotly-contested Inter-House Book Quiz(won by Whittington).

All junior pupils (and most of the staff)came to school dressed as a favouritecharacter from a book and began the daywith one of our regular DEAR (DropEverything And Read) sessions. Prizesfor best costume were awarded to Megan

Haine as the BFG, and Ella Pearson asAlice in Wonderland by the Head ofJunior School, Mr Mark Beach. Duringthe day, pupils toured the Junior Schoolclassrooms, the doors of which weredecorated as book covers, and also tookpart in a Book Swap, recommending andexchanging books with each other.

For me the great thing about World BookDay is that it emphasises the fun of booksand reading – whether it's the good-natured rivalry of the Inter-House BookQuiz or the novelty of dressing up as alion and joining your friends getting lostin a book at the start of the school day –there's a way for everyone to becomeinvolved.

Mrs Sue Dawes

World Book Day

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It’s official – Freemen’s pupils areprovided with one of the finestpreparations for life in the country.

CLFS is proud to have achieved CareerMark, a nationally-recognised award forexcellence in helping young people makechoices and in supporting them in tryingto make those choices a reality, particularlyas we are one of only about 100 schools tohave done so since Career Mark was firstawarded in 1997 – many more schoolshave tried to attain Career Mark, but havegiven up because they fail to convinceCareer Mark Assessors that their provisionmeets the required standard. Provisionsuch as the School’s Personal, Social andHealth Education programme came underthe scrutiny of the Career Mark Assessor,as of course did the School’s performancein areas such as helping pupils with careerdecisions, subject options, degree anduniversity choices, gap year decisions,work experience, applications, interviews,and with the provision of informationsupporting all of these activities.

The process involved in gaining CareerMark is very rigorous, demanding thecompilation of volumes of writtenevidence and an on-site visit by anAssessor from outside the School. TheSchool is therefore particularly proud tohave been awarded 'Career Mark' at itsfirst attempt and, in the words of theAssessor’s report, “without reservation”.

“I feel that the award of CareerMark is yet another indication of thequality of education offered to pupilsat the School. The award is a tributeto the work done both by myself and

by my colleagues in a range ofcapacities throughout the School.

One of the special features of careerswork at Freemen’s is that I am a

qualified and experienced CareersAdvisor employed full-time at the

School. Whilst possibly not unique,I feel that this arrangement

emphasises how seriously the Schooltakes the concept of 'education forlife' – 'careers' provision at many

schools seems to be met by a subjectteacher with a few hours per weekallotted for careers work, possiblydrawing on some outside support.

I strongly believe that ourarrangements enhance factors

such as accessibility, quality andspeed of service, to both pupils

and their parents”.

Mr Bernard Hall

On Sunday 18th October, the Freemen'sGreenpower team took part in theNational Final at the Goodwood MotorCircuit in West Sussex. This was the fourthyear in a row that the team have qualifiedfor the event and were looking to breakinto the top 20 for the first time. The carwas driven by a team of Upper 4 pupilswho had qualified for the event by takingpart in heats at Dunsfold and Rockingham.

The car called 'Nightmare', built entirelyby pupils at the school, ran faultlessly forthe four hour race which involves a teamof drivers taking it in turns to drive andact as the pit crew to change batteries andmake running repairs. In the closing stages

of the race as other teams' cars began tofail, 'Nightmare' was rapidly catching thecars ahead of it and this led to an excitingfinish with us overtaking 30 cars in thesecond half of the race. George Seymourwho was the final driver of the day wasnot quite able to catch the other six carswho were on the same lap as Freemen's atthe end, so although we finished in 32ndplace there was much for the team to beproud of. The team will be working on thecar over the winter and it is hoped that theplanned improvements will see the carclimb further up the field next year.

Mr Alex Kew

Design and Technology Weektook place between 21st and 25thJune, and to celebrate a group offemale pupils were given the taskof building a new Greenpowercar in five days. The pupilsworked every afternoon to buildthe kit car which had been kindlypurchased by the Freemen’sSchool Association and on theafternoon of Friday 25th June,after many hours of work andeffort, they successfullycompleted some initial test runs.

The girls will now be putting the finaltouches to the vehicle beforecompeting in their first race at theDunsfold Circuit in September, whichis better known as the Top Gear testtrack. The Upper 4 and Lower 5 pupilsalso had a talk from Tom Gaymor ofthe GoMotorsport organisation, whichprovided a valuable insight into theworld of motorsport and how thepupils could get involved.

Mr Alex Kew

Girl PowerGreenpower

Nightmare Runs Like A Dream

Another Markof Success

Headstart CoursesEvery year, the Mathematics andScience Departments advertise theHeadstart courses – university ‘taster’courses for Lower 6 students. Thereis a variety of courses to choose fromat universities around the country, allrelating to the STEM subjects ofscience, technology, engineering andmathematics.

Several of our students did courses thissummer, experiencing university life,exploring a new city and making friendswith students from around the countrywith similar interests. The courses areparticularly valuable in helping studentsdecide what subject to apply for atuniversity. In the cases of Mark andMatthew, they are both now sure that theyhave chosen the right course to study in

the future. Another student who did anengineering course has now realised thathe would prefer to study theoreticalphysics, and the Headstart course helpedhim to make up his mind.

Mrs Rosemary Hobbs



ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

I went on the Bristol electronic engineeringHeadstart course. Throughout, there werepractical sessions soldering components tomake a topplebot, changing gear ratios tooptimise the performance of an electric caror programming a Lego mindstorms robot.These practical sessions were interspersedwith talks on mine detectors turning into

medical scanners, how the mobile phonesystem transfers the signal and howmathematics could be used to solveengineering problems. Every evening therewas a planned social activity fromcharades to rounders. On the Thursday wehad the afternoon to visit Bristol and hadthe Headstart dinner in the evening. The

week taught me so much about teamworkand university. I have also made manygreat friends and had many decisionschanged by it. I would recommendHeadstart to anybody thinking of applyingto university.

Matthew Hood

MATHS

I applied to go on a Headstart course atDurham University. The course I chosewas their first Mathematics specific one,and before I knew it I was on a five hourdrive to Durham.

The 30 students taking part on the coursestayed in Grey College, where the majorityof first year students live. As soon as Iarrived we were ushered outside for someteam-building. First we played frisbee, andthen headed inside for a team quiz.Unfortunately my team came last, butsome of the other students were incrediblyintelligent.

On Monday we had our first lecture onpolynomials. Despite feeling confidentabout my abilities after studying A LevelMaths this was promptly shaken as wewere thrown into the university approachto learning. Attacking the problemsrequired a new mindset, which took awhile to get used to. Throughout the daywe spent six hours doing Maths, so by theafternoon I was ready for the groupactivity. We had ‘circus skills’ planned in

groups of ten. This involved riding aunicycle, spinning plates and walking atightrope.

The following day we reconvened in theMaths building. The day was all aboutproof. We started off with Pythagoras andby the end were taking on Fermat’s lasttheorem. Another challenging day and wewere more than ready for the eveningplans. First we competed in spaghettitowers, where each group is given thesame amount of uncooked spaghetti andmarshmallows and must build a tower,with the tallest one winning. But there wasa catch: the tower’s base had to be smallerthan one sheet of A4 paper. Needless tosay the room was a mess when the towerswere demolished, but it was a great way toget to know everyone. After that we wereallowed to watch Holland beat Uruguay inthe World Cup semi-finals.

Wednesday was our penultimate day andthe lecturer thought it would be fun tohold a friendly competition: a one hourpaper with two questions to complete. I’m

sure I don’t need to say how difficult thesequestions were. Thankfully the afternoonsession was less intense and we went on aMaths trail around Durham. We were ableto see the millennium square, Drury Laneand the cathedral amongst other grandsites. After completing the trail we headedback to Greys to watch the second worldcup semi-final.

On Thursday we headed to breakfast forthe final time. The food was superb everyday and I was definitely going to miss it,although not nearly as much as the greatpeople I met on the course. Who knew agroup of mathematicians could be somuch fun! We then went through theanswers to the test and trail, rounding off aperfect four days with a final lunch. I hada great time in Durham, met someamazing people and thoroughlyrecommend it to anyone consideringMaths at a higher level.

Mark Whitehouse

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Freemen’s was founded ‘for thereligious and virtuous education ofthe orphans of the Freemen of theCity of London’. Our Christianfoundation is important to us andcontinues to influence what we do,not only in the pattern of our week,beginning as it does with assembly,but also in the way we celebratespecial occasions. It is also reflectedin the way we work as a school, inour attitude to each other and tothose in need, here and around theworld, as our giving to charity, Ihope, makes clear.

The Christian Unions have continued tomeet through the year. The Seniors havelooked together at questions such as ‘Who isGod and how can we know him?’, ‘Who isJesus and what did he do?’, ‘Is it worthpraying?’ and ‘Can we trust the Bible?’There have been special sessions onHallowe’en and Christmas. They have alsolooked at God’s Commandments, ‘God’sGood Life’, and what the Bible says aboutcoping with exams and stress.

In April we held a lunch-time event called‘Grill a Christian’ where pupils wereinvited to bring their questions about God,Jesus and Christianity to put to an invited

panel. The event was well attended andthere were some very challengingquestions about issues such as sufferingand God, and science and the Bible. BenShaw and Katie Ash from Emmanuelchurch, Wimbledon and Martin Dyer fromSt. George’s, Ashtead made up the paneland between them ably answered sometough questions making very clear whatthe Bible says on the issues. It was a verythought provoking event, and I hopechallenged some preconceptions andassumptions about what Christianity isabout.

The Junior Christian Union, ‘Focus’, hascontinued to meet, and I am very grateful toEmma Dyer from St. George’s Churchyouth team for leading the group this year,ably assisted by a number of Sixth Formpupils. Both these groups are thriving, andmeet regularly. A group of staff havecontinued to meet to pray every week, inaddition to a parents’ group. Our ChristianBasics/Confirmation course, ‘Deep’, ranagain, with a group keen to explore moreabout what it means to follow Christ today.

The pattern of our school events has alsoreflected our Christian foundation. InDecember we held our six carol services,run by us but kindly hosted by St. Giles’church; the combination of Scripture

readings telling the story of Jesus’ birthalong with exceptional music from thechoirs brought home again the essentialmessage of the Gospel. City Visit saw thewhole school travel up to London onceagain for our annual services in St.Lawrence Jewry. It was very good towelcome Rev. Richard Lloyd, the SeniorChaplain of Charterhouse, as our preacheron that occasion. May saw the Leavers’Service, this year back at St. Giles’ church,always a memorable and emotionaloccasion.

Pastoral care is something which is apriority at Freemen’s. As chaplain, I havebeen very privileged to be involved with agood number of families and individualsconcerning pastoral issues, as well asfamily events over the year.

Rev. Daniel Rutherford

Chaplain’s Review

Careers,Educationand GapConventionOn Thursday 19th November theHaywood Centre, Ferndale Theatre andJunior Assembly Hall buzzed with activityat the Careers, Education and GapConvention, organised by the CareersDepartment. Pupils and parents fromFreemen’s and over 20 invited localschools had the opportunity to talk withrepresentatives from over 70 organisationsrepresenting a range of career, universityand gap year opportunities. The event waswell-received by all concerned, and theinvited representatives were invariablyvery impressed by the quality of questionsthat they were asked by pupils.

Mr Bernard Hall



At the annual internal debate onWednesday 16th December, the motion wasput forward that 'This House is boycottingChristmas to save the planet'. There werestrong arguments from both teams, withmembers of Junior DebSoc joining thedebate alongside members of SeniorDebSoc for the first time. Points were madeincluding the amount of deforestationrequired for Christmas trees, cards andwrapping paper from the team in favourof boycotting Christmas, with counterarguments in favour of Christmasconcerning the effect on the retail trade,and Christmas being a time of happinessin dark economic times.

The winning motion was too close to calluntil the team in favour of Christmassensationally changed their plea to callfor a complete ban on Christmas! Aftersome very emotive, and somewhattheatrical arguments were put forward,accompanied by a blanket refusal to letthe other team pull them up on a point ofinformation, the gathered audience hadno hesitation agreeing that 'Christmasshould be banned' to be the winner. Itdidn't stop them all charging off on theirholidays though...

ICYD (THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR YOUNG DEBATERS)

On 7th March three teams of debatersfrom the School went to the OxfordUnion for the ICYD (The InternationalCompetition for Young Debaters).

The teams debated: This house wouldwithdraw all coalition forces fromAfghanistan immediately; This housewould prevent workers from striking;and This house believes that sportspeople who grievously injure a competitorin play should face criminal charges.

The Year 10 team, consisting of HarryHouseham and Nikki Abbott, came 3rd,1st and 1st, placing 8th overall, and theYear 8 team, Angus Gillan and RosieShakerchi, came 2nd, 1st and 3rd

placing 14th overall. As a result, bothteams broke to finals day meaning thatCLFS had the youngest team at finalsday from across the UK.

The Year 9 team of Rebecca Baker andJordan Turton, came 4th, 2nd and 1stplacing 26th overall.

Rosie Shakerchi was the best speakerfrom all of the Freemen's pupils, as sheplaced 22nd out of 116, all of whomwere up to two years older than her.

On Saturday 15th May the Senior A andB teams competed at the ICYD FinalsDay, at The Oxford Union. The A teamconsisted of Nikki Abbott and Harry

Househam, whilst the B team comprisedRosie Shakerchi and Angus Gillan.

They debated:THW legalise all drugsTHW abolish faith schoolsTHW would make it a legal requirementfor all adults to care for their elderlyparents.

The teams had a great day in beautifulOxford. CLFS B debated in the Chamberand as the youngest team in thecompetition did very well. CLFS A wontheir final debate and Nikki placed mid-table in the speaker tab.

OXFORD UNION FINALS DAY

Regional finalists Laura Grayling andHannah Kent attended Oxford UnionFinals Day on 13th March. They placedfirst in two out of four of their debates:

This house would require governmentto call a referendum before commencinga non-defensive war; and This housewould remove charitable status from

organisations dedicated solely to animalwelfare. They placed mid-table by theend of the competition and were a creditto the school.

UCL JUNIOR DEBATING COMPETITION

On Saturday 5th June, Freemen’sentered three teams of Lower 4 pupilsinto the UCL Junior DebatingCompetition. The A team comprisedRosie Shakerchi and Angus Gillan, theB team was Sam Strijdom and TomClarke, and the C team comprisedEllie Turner and Rachel Dunne.

Each team debated:This House Would (THW) give allpolice firearms (CLFS A 1st place);THW ban all violent sports (CLFS C 1stplace, CLFS A and B both 2nd place);THW ban advertisements aimed atchildren (CLFS C 2nd place);THW make payment of unemploymentbenefit conditional on communityservice (closed adjudication).

Debating NewsMrs Amanda Trehearn

CHRISTMAS BANNED AT FREEMEN’S

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Chris and I went for an evening at the University of Surrey in Guildford for theBest Chemist award ceremony. We first saw a demonstration of the university’scomputerised 3D molecule suite. We had to don rather fetching anduncomfortable glasses before being able to see anything in 3D. The glasses arecertainly not a fashion statement, but the only other time we have seen moleculesthis clearly in 3D was when using the rather tedious and time consuming modelkits in Chemistry lessons. The kits cannot make anything much more complexthan ethanol, but here we were shown 3D representations of DNA and enzymes,along with other amazing molecules. The incredible complexity and size ofsuch molecules were brought to life as they coiled and spun in front of us.

The Best Chemist Award

We were then given a tour round theChemistry Department. We visited theirteaching laboratories which were wellequipped and gave us an idea of the sort ofenvironment we will encounter during ourfuture degree courses. We were also shownall of the expensive spectroscopy machines,such as the mass spectrometer and infraredspectrometer, which were very impressive.

After the tour we went to a lecture theatreto receive our awards which were £25book tokens. We also received gift bagsfrom the University of Surrey whichincluded a Periodic Table magnet and ateddy bear. The evening was veryenjoyable.

James Livett and Chris Turner

Sell for Success Day

Kate HolmesEngland Call Up

Congratulations to Kate Holmes who hasbeen selected to play in the EnglandNational U16 Girls Age Group for hockey.This is an outstanding achievement andthe first time a CLFS pupil hasaccomplished this.

Following county and regional matches,training and assessment during the springand summer of 2009, Kate was selected asone of 64 players to participate in theNational U16 Hockey Girls’ Futures Cuprepresenting the South and East ofEngland in the Saxon Tigers team. Thistournament took place in October 2009and the Tigers went on to win thecompetition.

Kate was then selected to be part of theEngland National Age Group Training

squad as one of 34 players and attended athree day camp during November. Thisgroup was then reduced to 30 players andKate attended further assessment campsin December, January and February. On7th February Kate attended the finalassessment camp and was selected for theEngland National U16 Girls Age Group2010. This group will continue to traintogether and teams will be selected toplay in various international fixtures.

This is fantastic news for Kate, and we arevery proud of her. She has shown a lot ofdedication and hard work and we wishher the very best of luck. We look forwardto hearing all about her futureendeavours.

Miss Nicky Higgins



At the beginning of the school year, the boarding houses organised a series of events to settle new boarders in and get toknow each other better. We kicked off with a dinner at Pizza Express, followed by a weekend trip to Thorpe Park, whicheveryone enjoyed and all had a brilliant day.

I knew this year was going to be a busy yetenjoyable year. The Lord Mayor’s dinner isa traditional event where we all head toChinatown in London. This year, with helpfrom Clara Li, the head of the girlsboarding house, we had the opportunity tojoin the boarders from Reeds for dinner.Everyone enjoyed themselves very much:the delicious food, meeting new friendsand even a karaoke contest. I would like tothank all the boarding staff especially MrsRetzlaff and Clara for organising thedinner, it was truly unforgettable.

One of the interesting things we did thisyear was an ice skating trip, organised byJacky Yick. Ice skating has become one ofthe most popular activities for boarderssince I joined Freemen’s. One weekend,accompanied by Mr Bloomer and MrGilleron, we went to Hampton Court. Iceskating was not something we could doevery day, so it was quite an experience forthose who have not tried it before.

In the summer, Mr Bird entered us into abasketball tournament at Epsom College. Asonly a few people played at school, Mr Birdpicked a team from Philp House instead. Itwas really exciting as there had not been anybasketball games played before, so everyonewas looking forward to it. The teams wefaced were well trained and played on aregular basis. We were so unprepared thatwe did not even have our own team shirts!

The first game was against Epsom College.

We started well, and were leading, buttheir pace and momentum started to pickup and they eventually beat us. The gameagainst Caterham was even tougher. Theirphysique, tactics and general techniques oftheir players were well above ours. Wewere badly beaten. The last game againstDulwich was a closer game. Both teamsgave everything and the score was verytight, but we ended up losing. Despite allthe disappointment, I thought it was agood, memorable experience.

The Upper 6 boarders and staff went outfor dinner in Wimbledon, which is anothertraditional event for those who are leavingthat year. Although it was a good meal, it

was also a sad moment as we would beleaving Freemen’s. The night wasconcluded with a few speeches frommyself, Mr Lewis and most importantly, MrGilleron who only joined us for a year butmade a great contribution to the boardinghouse. I am sure everyone will miss himand I wish him all the best in the future.Spending five years in Philp House was anunforgettable experience. The lovelyenvironment that the school has providedand the friendly staff who are ever sohelpful are always worth remembering. Iam sure the new boarders will enjoy theirtime at Freemen’s. I wish them good luckand all the best in their future studies.

Jens Wong

Boarding

In mid-October, we went on our annualevent to the Lord Mayor’s show in Londonwith an amazing firework display on theRiver Thames to a backdrop of a beautifulview of Parliament, Big Ben and the iconicLondon Eye. This gave us a chance to visitLondon’s famous attractions and we thenhad a delicious meal in Chinatown, withboarders from another local school. Thisgave us another valuable opportunity toenlarge our social circle.

The Headmaster shares a close link withthe boarding house and is involved withnumerous activities. This year he offeredtrips to places of interest, includingWindsor Castle and Oxford. MrMacDonald also participates in boarderservices regularly and contributes to thevibrant atmosphere of the boarding housecelebrations for different events.

At weekends, we have the opportunity togo to London easily and we visit London

together frequently. During the AutumnTerm we went to see ‘The Lion King’,which was greatly enjoyed by the boardersand staff.

The boarding house has a very strongcommunity between staff and students,and we have celebrated everyone’sbirthday together making them veryspecial and memorable.

We have also been on a variety of trips andevents making the year very entertaining,such as ten pin bowling, trips to retailoutlets, a snowball fight, Chinese New Yearcelebration and a World Cup football party.

Each year, the activities are partlydetermined by the pupils suggestions.Who knows what is in store for next year.Whatever it is, we’re all guaranteed tohave a good time.

Eunice Yeung and Sharon Chan

ENIGMA

Young Enterprise is a scheme run inLower 5, that allows students to set up‘companies’ for a year, using real moneywith real dangers of debt. The ‘companies’begin with shareholders providing theinitial funding which at the end of the yearis (meant to be) returned, with a dividend.Of course if the company doesn’t makeenough money, then the shareholders can’tbe repaid so there is pressure to makemoney. My company was a large group of25 which lead to certain difficultiesthroughout the year. It took nearly anhour, with a lot of debate, to choose ourcompany name of ‘Enigma’. Our companymarketed two main products: ‘Fire Bricks’and ‘The Really Handy Book’. The FireBricks we manufactured entirely byourselves using special presses and soakednewspaper, in the school’s DT lab.Unfortunately, the process is extremelymessy and large numbers of people wereoften needed to do it. So I’d like to make ahuge thank you, on behalf of ourcompany, to Mr Kew for putting up withus for so long despite how difficult thatmust have been. The process was painfullylong and laborious and sadly we pricedthe bricks relatively low before realisingthe amount of effort needed. Therefore wemade little money yet were overwhelmed

by orders as the bricks were a hugesuccess. This led to low morale within thecompany and we rapidly grew to hate theproduct. It was time for a new one.

The Really Handy Book was writtenentirely by company members, inparticular Joss Welsh and Lily Walter. Theyproduced, edited and laid out expertly(along with the help of many others).Unfortunately, the book took a long timeto write and organise the printing – mostlikely the fault of our poor organisation.So we effectively missed the entire SpringTerm when we could have been selling orat least marketing it. It wasn’t until theSummer Term that it finally took off andwe actually managed to sell 100 books in afew short weeks. It was an excellent effortby the entire company and we areextremely grateful to everyone whosupported us by purchasing the books,particularly on Prize Day.

Participating in Young Enterprise led, formyself at least, to a huge amount of stress,confusion and frustration. I was elected asmanaging director for the final two termsand dealing with such a large group ofpeople with such low morale was amassive challenge. I hope I lived up totheir expectations. However the

experience, whilst it may not always havebeen enjoyable (I once stayed up until 4amattempting to complete a company report,not something I recommend), has beenabsolutely fascinating and is of particularinterest to anyone who is considering acity career. Thank you must be said to MrParkin who was our ‘link teacher’ and alsoto Philip Altong and Ted Kennedy whowere our business advisors. All gave uphuge amounts of time and effort to help usin all the mess we created and supportedus along the way.

Nicola Abbott

Young Enterprise

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MOTIVATE

I'm happy with the decision that I made inbecoming managing director of the YoungEnterprise company 'Strike'. I feel that Ihave learnt a lot from my experience, aboutleadership, teamwork and managingfinance in a business. I learnt to take controland make important decisions, taking intoaccount other people's opinions.

As a company we had great success inmaking and selling wrapping paper andFreemen's cufflinks at Christmas and forFather's Day. Although we went through

some hard times, when everyone's moralewas low, in the end it paid off and we madea small profit.

Young Enterprise is an excellentopportunity, which is great to get involvedin, it presents you with many opportunitiesto gain confidence by giving presentationsin front of other schools and we even got tosell our products at Exxon Mobile inAshtead.

Francesca Crabtree

STRIKE

‘Motivate’ began the year with firmambitions of success, yet with many strongcharacters and numerous members withinthe group it was difficult for everyone tohave their say and we found that even onthe first week we encountered problemswhich needed solving.

It did not take us long to realise that oursuccesses would not come naturally and wewere soon conducting market research andcontacting companies when our firstinnovative idea was launched, to produce adiscount card for teenagers to use at selectedlocal stores. However, due to the current

recession and lack of trust towards a groupof 15 year olds from retailers, the decisionwas made to discontinue with the idea.

We began 2010 with a differentmanagement team and decided to marketproducts based on upcoming holidays.Our most memorable products were themystery Valentines roses, not only for theirsuccess and popularity within the schoolbut the pleasing profits that we made.

Teamwork was a very important aspect forour group, not only was it the foundationfor the lessons that we learnt andinfluential on individual growth, but it

also had a direct impact on the group’ssuccess financially. It was the initial targetthat we set ourselves that kept thecompany together throughout oursuccesses and failures: instead of having acertain economic goal to reach, we decidedto try and make the best of the experienceand have fun along the way.

I can genuinely say that Young Enterprisewas a fantastic insight into the businessworld and that the team is incrediblygrateful for the opportunities that we weregiven.

Lottie Suddell

Prize DayIn 2009 it was decided to radicallyalter Prize Day to be a more inclusivecelebration of the School year. PrizeDay 2010, another beautiful summer’sday, followed the same winningformula.

Proceedings began with Junior PrizeGiving, hosted by the Deputy Chairman ofGovernors, Mr Roger Chadwick. It was theperfect opportunity to use the new videocamera, generously funded by the FSA, tocapture the event and beam it on to the bigscreen so everyone got a good view. Whilstthe Juniors were enjoying a review of theyear, their prizes, poetry readings and anumber of musical items, the Seniors wereinvolved in their House sports – athleticsfor the boys and tennis for the girls. Inaddition, there were fantastic exhibitionsof pupil work in all areas of the School.

This year, the Lord Mayor locum tenensarrived in time for lunch with Governorsand Livery Company representatives. Hethen processed through cheering lines ofJunior School pupils to the Sports Hall forPrize-Giving, senior style. In the presenceof parents, Livery Company guests,Governors and other generousbenefactors, some 150 prizes wereawarded, followed by speeches from theHeadmaster, the Lord Mayor and theHead Boy and Head Girl. The Headmasterproduced a shed, which the FSA presentedto Mr Martin Hearne on the occasion of hisretirement from the School after 33 yearsof outstanding service. The Lord Mayorproduced a vuvuzela, the instrument sofresh in our minds (and ears) after theWorld Cup, which fortunately, he onlyblew once, and the Head Boy, MichaelDawes, apologised for the 8ft vision ofhimself beamed onto the screen behind thestage before giving some heart-felt, andoften amusing, reflections of life at Schoolalong with Head Girl, Ellie Marsh. Withthe formal parts of the day over, we retiredto Main House for tea.

It was a splendid day and a tribute to thehard work of the entire School – pupils,staff, flower arrangers, estate andcatering staff.

Mrs Vicky Buckman


News from the Library


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Another busy year began with awonderful display of photographstaken by our pupils during thesummer holidays. Our challenge hadbeen to take a photographrepresenting a book title and entrieswere many and varied, ranging fromJaws to Casino Royale.

The winning photographer and recipientof a digital camera was Harriet Walsh ofUpper 5 for her depiction of ‘My bestfriend’s girl’.

As part of our celebration of NationalChildren’s Book Week in October, Chrisd’Lacey came to school to talk to Form 1 toUpper 2 about his popular ‘Icefire’ seriesof books. Other events that week includedour annual Book Fair, a ‘You are what youread’ competition, book swaps and manyactivities in the Junior Library.

The great excitement in the Junior Schoolafter Christmas was the commencement ofbuilding of the extension to the Junior

Library. Despite a few restrictions toservice caused by this, it did not stand inthe way of our celebration of World BookDay on 4th March with the whole Schoolparticipating, from Form 1 to Upper 6. AllSenior School pupils took part in the hotly-contested Inter-House Book Quiz (won byWhittington).

All junior pupils (and most of the staff)came to school dressed as a favouritecharacter from a book and began the daywith one of our regular DEAR (DropEverything And Read) sessions.

Prizes for best costume were awarded toMegan Haine (the BFG) and Ella Pearson(Alice in Wonderland) by the new JuniorSchool Headmaster, Mr Mark Beach. Alsoduring the day, pupils had the opportunityto take a tour of the Junior Schoolclassrooms, the doors of which had beendecorated as book covers.

The Junior Library extension wascompleted in April and officially openedby the Chairman of Governors. With twice

the floor space, five new computers, comfybeanbags and a wider range of resourcesthan ever, it has become a very popularplace to visit!

It was also a great place in which towelcome our second author this year, ChrisBradford. His award-winning ‘YoungSamurai’ series tells the story of a teenagecabin boy shipwrecked in 17th CenturyJapan and adopted by a Samurai warrior.Chris enthralled his audience of Lower 3to Lower 4 pupils with a re-enactment of afight scene from one of his books,complete with genuine Samurai sword.

As ever, our final event of the year was theLibrary Challenge Cup. As it was a WorldCup year, we had a football theme and thefinal penalty shoot-out pitted Chile (U2G)against Slovenia (L5G1). Seniority won theday eventually, although only by one goal,and Lower 5 carried off the trophy.

Mrs Sue Dawes

23

International Fly GuyAt the Wellington CollegeInternational Rugby Festival, heldbetween Saturday 3rd April andFriday 9th April, James Wilson wasselected to represent the London andSouth East Division, against PortugalU17 at Wellington College onTuesday 6th April. This was the firsttime James had represented Londonand the South East.

The day started with presentations of aspecial playing shirt, ties and divisionsocks. This was followed by a trainingsession with the London and South Eastcoaches, whilst the afternoon waspunctuated with a presentation photo ofthe two teams together in the grounds ofthe college.

For the actual game James started on thebench, but played the whole of the secondhalf at fly half. James played an error freehalf and scored a number of conversions.He was significantly accurate in his kicking

from hand. Overall the final score wasLondon and South East 46, Portugal 19.

Participating Teams in the Festival:England U16A, Belgium U17, CanadaU17, France A, Italy A, Portugal U17,Scotland U17, North and Midlands,London and South East, South West.

Mr James Gibson

Over the past year, the brightestphysicists in Upper 5 – Upper 6 haveentered various competitions tostretch their minds.

Amongst other questions, the GCSEPhysics Challenge candidates had tocalculate the speed of impact with theground of an object dropped from theviewing deck of the Eiffel Tower andcalculate the distance to the Sun byobserving Venus in its orbit. Nine pupilswere awarded Bronze, with EdwardWalton achieving Silver.

In the AS Physics Competition, studentshad to calculate the amount of gold bymass contained in a recently excavatedcrown and decide what a bowl of soupwould look like on a train when

decelerating into a station. 12 studentsscooped Bronze, with Jason Ho and TomSneller both achieving Silver.

The A2 Physics Olympiad was ascerebrally challenging as ever, withstudents having to consider the forcesneeded on a ladder in order for a man toclimb higher safely and investigate howgravity on the Earth’s surface varies whenmining iron ore. Douglas Young, DannyRiley and Stuart Keenan each achievedBronze in this notoriously difficultcompetition.

Congratulations to all who took part andwell done in particular to the medalwinners. Your results are a greatachievement.

Mr James Hallam

Physics Challenges

Once again the Upper 4 havesuccessfully completed the CIEHLevel 2 Award in Food Safety as partof their Food Technology course.Pupils who sat the examination inmarch set the standard by achieving a100% pass rate. Those who took theexamination in June achieved 95%.

Mrs Margaret Smith

CIEH

Wednesday 30th June broughtanother very good selection ofentries for each of the fivecategories for the annual HouseChef competition. Senior Schoolwinners have always receivedprizes from Food Technology butfor the first time this year theentries contributed to theHouse totals.

Once again Aramark kindly provideda judge. Chef Mark Fenwick spent themorning tasting a sample of everyentry before deciding which should beplaced in the top three for each category.

Congratulations go to everyone whomade an entry and in doing so made acontribution to their House. It was greatto see the enthusiasm and creativityshown by many of the pupils.

The winners were:Rock cakes (Upper 2): Maisie Sareen,James Stanley and Matthew Stanley.Decorated cakes (Lower 3): IsobelBriggs, Abigail Jordan and Suzy Lister.Shortbread (Upper 3): Kate Irwin, AlexWilcox, Nathan Dunne and Sally Watt.Bread rolls (Lower 4): Tim Newhouse,Emma Archer-Lock and CameronWatson. Victoria sandwich cake(Upper 4 – Upper 6): Saskia Davies,Alice Penney and Louise Bluck.

Mrs Margaret Smith

House Chef

CITY OF LONDON FREEMEN’S SCHOOL


CharityRaising £18,505 during the academic yearis no mean feat when there are so manyother things going on in the School thatneed to be done. In response to the Haitiearthquake, a concert was quicklyorganised in aid of ShelterBox – thecharity supported by Lower 5 whichsends essential supplies to those madehomeless by disasters. In a change tousual procedures, the money was sentstraight to the charity, rather than waitingfor the end of the year, as the need was sourgent. This year’s Rag Week raised inexcess of £4,000. It also saw the first everStaff versus Sixth Form Quidditch match.In a closely fought match, the Sixth Formmanaged to catch the snitch, thusclaiming victory. Help for Heroes was thechosen charity of the Junior School andthey managed to raise some £10,604through their hugely entertaining TalentShows, sponsored events such as asponsored spell and cake and ice popsales. The Tadworth Children’s Trust(£1,183) and Surrey Crossroads (£1,012)were the local charities chosen by Upper4 and Upper 5 respectively. The SixthForm raised £2,423 for International Aidfor Kenya – an organisation run by aformer member of staff. The staff

pantomime, now an annual fixture andboasting the biggest cast ever, played to apacked house and raised over £750.

Charitable giving has not stopped at thechosen charities, however, as members ofstaff have raised money for the Marie CurieFoundation, Breast Cancer, the BritishHeart Foundation and the Royal Marsden.As ever, the School supported the annualPoppy Appeal raising £420 and the MusicDepartment held a practice-a-thon in aidof the Malcolm Sargent appeal.

The expedition to Peru saw all groupsinvolved in charitable projects for whichthey raised £6,072 through a variety ofdifferent activities including a sponsoredwalk over the Surrey Hills and an Eastermarket.

The willingness of the pupils to supportsuch important causes and the creativityand originality with which they raise themoney is to be applauded. The humblecake sale plays its part – but in the time Ihave had oversight of the Charity accountthe fund-raising ventures have becomeboth more numerous and more inventive.Here’s to the next year!

Mrs Vicky Buckman

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Team Mathematics Competition On Thursday 25th February Mrs Casttook a group of four Lower andUpper 4 students – Nick Etherington,Andrew Aitchinson, Rachel Dunneand Katy Griffin – to City of LondonBoys’ school to take part in theUKMT Team Maths challenge.

The day started with a warm up round often challenging questions to get us readyfor the day ahead. They included difficultalgebraic puzzles and paradox problems.We were then introduced to our teacher forthe day (as all the teachers swapped aroundto make it fair) who would be taking ourscores and marking our questions.

The first competitive round comprised tendemanding questions (much more difficultthan the warm-up round). We had to workas a team and share out questions to getthem all done. Our efforts in this roundput us in the top three schools which wewere very pleased about after an hour ofhard work.

The second round was a mathematicalcrossword or rather a crossnumber duringwhich half the team had the ‘down’ cluesand half the team had the ‘across’ clues.We couldn’t confer, but we could requestan answer from the other team throughour teacher. Our score of 52 out of 60 waspretty good and one of the best of the 20teams from around the South-East.

During the third round we competeddirectly against other teams, getting bonuspoints for finishing faster than theopposing team. We were again split intopairs, answering questions in turn, each ofour answers relying on the previous pair’sto be correct.

The final round was the ‘relay’ round, inwhich the teams were divided in half andpositioned at opposite sides of the hall.The halves of the teams took it in turns toanswer questions, then fast-walked(running was not allowed!) to theirteachers to have their answer checked. Ifthe answer was right they could then take

the other half of the teams’ answer to themand so it began again. This round was byfar the most tense and the no running rulewasn’t entirely followed…

We were delighted to receive free giftsincluding a mini puzzle and limitededition pens which almost bettered ourincredible top five placing after thethoroughly enjoyable day. In celebration ofour top five place, we were all treated to aKrispy Kreme doughnut which wedefinitely deserved after being faced withquestions such as:

“12345 can be expressed asthe sum of two primes in exactly

one way. What is the largestof the two primes?”

Katy Griffin and Rachel Dunne

Maths LectureWith Mr Bramhall at the helm,we were led into Lower Londonon Monday 21st September, asour five strong army lay siegeinto the halls of The RoyalSociety. Being mathematicianswe quickly analysed andplotted a correlation betweenintelligence and flamboyancy ofeyebrow. Hurt, after a heateddiscussion with a flamboyantlyeyebrowed man enthusiasticallyboasting about the age of hisschool, we found consolidationin the refreshments.

On a more serious note the curtainsat the hall provided us with muchamusement and subsequentcomparison to Mr Bramhall’shouse. The time of the talk hadcome. Our party meandered in ageographical manner into thelecture theatre.

Scientifically constructed butlacking in practicality, the seatsagain provided much amusement.The five self described geekspresented before us by The Royal

Society had an unusual obsessionwith Frisbees. We still don’t knowwhy this is the case. Their rebelliousbehaviour extended to late nightcard games and defacing the frozenlake surface with equations whichwe are still unable to comprehend.Professor James Davenport of BathUniversity finally strode on to thestage. The room stuttered inadmirational silence. The talk itselfwas interesting, we were told abouthow Google originated from aspelling mistake and that the verb‘to google’ means something quitedifferent. Further explanation intothe selection of web pages by searchengines and the mathematicsbehind secure data transfer wereenlightening. We left the talk afterbeing rejected from the after-lectureparty for James Davenport and hismathematical chums.

Overall it was a successful trip,losing only two members of ourteam, and being educated into theMathematics behind the Internet.

Michael Dawes

Surrey SchoolsMaths ChallengeOn 3rd February Mrs Hobbs took our teamof five Lower 6 students – Tom Sneller, MarkWhitehouse, Geneva Wong, Angel Lau andFrances Cox – to compete in the Surrey SchoolsMaths Challenge 2010 at the University of Surrey.

We were given ten warm up questions involvingcomplex algebra and logical thinking. We completedthese questions (somewhat successfully) and the realcompetition got underway. It involved two rounds,the first a set of multiple choice questions where wesplit into three groups, answering five questionseach. After a lot of frantic scribbling we finishedthe questions and managed to check them justbefore the time ran out. We got off to a strong startanswering 13 correctly, giving us a good chancegoing into the next round.

The second round was a series of ten demandingquestions, with a time limit of only 45 minutes.Communication was important in this round as thequestions usually required more than one personto figure them out! After 45 minutes of intensemathematics we handed in our answers andwaited eagerly to find out how we had done.

The results were announced and at the end of a greatday at the university we finished sixth behind someexcellent schools. We were slightly disappointedbut had a great time representing Freemen’s andwe look forward to competing another time.

Mark Whitehouse

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Duke of Edinburgh This year has been extremely busywith ever increasing numbers joiningthe scheme.

The Bronze practice and final expeditionstook our Upper 4 pupils through the SurreyHills to Bentley Copse, Newlands Corner,Boider Hurst, Leith Hill and RanmoreCommon.

The Silver groups navigated their waythrough the New Forest and Crickhowellin the Black Mountains.

The Gold teams descended on the BreconBeacons, scaling the heights of Pen Y Fan,Corn Du, Cribyn and Fan y Big.

Alongside all the trekking, our pupils havebeen diligently working on the skill,physical, volunteering and for Gold,residential sections of their award.

GOLD AWARD – OctoberAt the start of the October half-term 15anxious students travelled to Wales tocomplete the final expedition. On arrivalin the Brecon Beacons we were greeted byour expedition assessors, spectacularscenery and a bracing cool breeze.

The expedition began the followingmorning. We set off into the Welshwilderness and embarrassingly, 45 minuteslater found ourselves back where we hadstarted having taken a wrong bearing.Nevertheless this did teach us a quick andimportant lesson – always use a compass.

The first two days’ walks were completed inhigh spirits, the weather warm and dry andthe views magnificent. Day three, however,presented us with additional challenges aswe faced a wider than anticipated rivercrossing, a gate guarded by a bull and amerciless rain storm. Soaked to the skinand utterly exhausted we navigated ourway to our final campsite. On arrival wewere met by the campsite owner, awonderfully generous and welcomingwoman. She not only provided us withpiles of newspaper to dry out our bootsand bags with, but she also opened up her

garage so that we could shelter from therain and hang up our clothes to dry.

On the final day we found ourselvesclimbing steep quarry walls, wadingthrough unmarked bogs and getting lost indense forest. Nevertheless we passed thetime in good spirits as we recalled theweek’s many highs and lows. Despite thechallenging terrain we made it to the finishline, at Grawen Farm, in good time.

The expedition was a truly memorable andrewarding experience. I thoroughly enjoyedbeing part of such a keen, competent, wellorganised and good humoured team.

Harriet Newhouse

GOLD AWARD – AprilIt was during the Easter holidays when theself-proclaimed ‘A-Team’ set off to theBrecon Beacons for our four-day practiceexpedition. Our spirits were high as the sunshone down on our mini-bus and we arrivedat the Youth Hostel. Being an organised andprepared group we decided it was a goodidea to actually plan our route for thefollowing day and, nourished by the popcornof an unknown but seemingly kind-heartedman, watched Ollie Garrod do all the work.

It was under Ollie’s guidance that we set offthe following morning and entered thewilderness for a 22km hike consisting ofclimbing three mountains. As before, spiritswere high and jokes were frequent as wewound our way through farmer’s fields andalong rivers. However, all this enthusiasmsoon evaporated when we reached the footof the first mountain and saw how steep andhigh it was and how far away the peak lay.Arriving at our campsite we all felt relativelyrelaxed and comfortable until we werereminded that we hadn’t got routesplanned for Days 2, 3 or 4. We decided itwould be a good idea for us all, as a team, toget to work. Once again, we left it to Ollie.

The morning of Day 2 was gruelling.However, we remained on track andincredibly, ahead of time. That was until wedecided to let Alex Gregory navigate. Within

half an hour we were wading through knee-deep nettles, completely off track becauseAlex had found a ‘short-cut’. The cuts andbruises were worth it though when westumbled upon an idyllic, hidden-awaywaterfall. Alex discovered that we actuallyhad taken a short cut and we were stillahead of time. We figured that we couldallow ourselves a 20 minute break to regainour energy and strength. An hour and a halflater we got up and started walking again. Aswe were now considerably behind schedulewe thought it a good idea to cut a large partof the route off our journey and we campedin the wild by the calm, still reservoir.

Day 3 was the most eventful day of theweek. Having conquered the mountain Lucyhad set us we were walking along the rightpath, on time, when we saw a line of fire inthe distance. Being teenage boys this wasvery interesting and we thought it best tostop for a while and take a few pictures. Wethen continued to walk along our path.After another 45 minutes of trekking the fireseemed closer but this thought was dispelledby Jamie Graham: “They wouldn’t let a fireget out of control – we’re fine.” Followingnods of agreement we continued happily.Ten minutes later we were running across afield, in the completely wrong directionafter the frantic calls and waves of Lucyand Mr Bramhall, who had fortunatelymanaged to find us. The fire was indeedadvancing. Bemused we turned around towhere we were walking just momentsbefore to see the whole field aflame.Someone’s words “ooops” somewhatsummarised the situation.

The most horrifying day was Day 4. Inbetween rescuing sheep we found ourselveseating our lunches outside what seemed tobe an abandoned cottage. We thought itwould be a good idea to explore. All seemedlike an abandoned house should seem – oldboots lying on the floor, cobwebs, brokenwindows, dust etc, but then Jamie decidedto look around upstairs only to find aMother’s Day card from this year and a brandnew coat, still with the label on. Havingwatched a few too many horror films in our


time, fear set in, along with the assumptionthat the “dude from Texas ChainsawMassacre thingy…” was on his way and we,for the first time in four days, moved quickly.All fear had gone however when we believeda small path was the last of the expeditionand we were nearly there. Unfortunately,said path lasted approximately 45 minutesand we still had two hours of the dayremaining. We trudged the final two hoursrelatively happily and turned a bend to seethe most beautiful sight possible: theschool mini-bus. We had made it, just.

Samuel Dean

GOLD AWARD – JulyThe expedition lasted for four days and threenights at the Brecon Beacons, in Wales. It wasa real adventure from beginning to end. Everyday we walked from eight in the morninguntil four in the afternoon. That was only ifwe were lucky and did not get lost. Eachday created huge challenges; massive hillswith steep gradients, worrying if any wildanimals were going to attack us or block ourroutes, speedy wind and the pouring rain.

The highlight of the first day was a barbeque,after the tiring walk up to the TableMountain. After this wonderful meal, westayed the night in our campsite. Putting upour tents on top of the sheep’s droppings isnot fun at all. Worst of all, before our alarmwent off, a sheep attacked our tent and wokeus up. This was not a good start to the day.

With the support and encouragement fromour teammates, we got through the difficultiesof being lost and learnt to trust each other.Slowly, the days got better and better.

As our expedition was during the first weekof the summer holiday, it was nice to go toWales with the attractive scenery of thegreens, wildlife and rivers. It was reallyrelaxing after our pressurised and intenserevision and exams.

Even though we were exhausted on the lastday, our happiness was growing. Therewarding feelings and sense of achievementencouraged us to push ourselves to thefinishing line. Our target was to arrive at thecoach by four and we successfully met ourtarget. What was more encouraging was whenwe realised our watch was fast, which meantwe were an hour early to the bus. We willnever forget that moment, as we had neverfelt that happy and rewarded in our lives.

Eunice Yeung

SILVER AWARD – AprilIn the Easter holidays, we went to the NewForest. It took us about an hour to getthere, in which time we realised we did nothave our own copy of the route card. Ittook us about ten minutes to get lost,wandering astray from our path. It then tookus another twenty minutes before we werelost again as we followed a curving path thatwasn't on the map, and it led us to a veryscary house. We walked through the forestand Josh spotted some deer skulls hangingfrom a tree, and we found one on the groundand took it. However the more we looked we

saw more and more skulls, and we realisedthere were hundreds of them. Josh evenspotted a pair of antlers in a bin, and whenhe had a closer look we realised it was ahead, not just a skull, to which we decidedwe had probably stayed long enough. Weregained our track and managed to make upfor lost time and quickly arrived at the firstcheckpoint. We had a nice lunch break. Wethen stopped in at the deer sanctuary (wethought it would be ironic) to have an icecream. We then got lost again (the NewForest looks a lot smaller on the map). Ithink it was on one of my many shortcutsthat I decided it was a good idea to deviatefrom the path. I took us into a very steepbog, which we worked out later must havecut us about five kilometres. However wethought we had gone in the wrong direction,so decided to go seven kilometres in theother direction where we got to theunderpass. Unfortunately it was the wrongone. We eventually ended up at the campsite second, which considering our mistakewas quite impressive.

We had an early breakfast, were told to shutup by a neighbouring camper (it was MrTreloar as well). We made a quick getaway by9am and got to the first checkpoint a goodhour later. We kept walking until we metanother group, going in the opposite direction,(we were put into two groups one goingclockwise, the other anti-clockwise). Towardthe end of the day, we took another shortcutthrough a bog. We eventually got to the camp-site first, and were met by Mr Treloar in theminibus, who pretended to drive away toscare us.

On the third day I managed to get us lostagain, fortunately turning it into a short cut,and we arrived at the first checkpoint first.We were led afterwards by Charlie's group,who swiftly led us into a bog. We got to thenext checkpoint and carved our initials intoa tree, then proceeded back to the scary houseso we could all have a skull. We walkedthrough a town centre with packs on ourbacks and deer skulls in hand, arriving at thefinish first out of the anti-clockwise groups.

There were many blisters and many dirtyknees. Dinner every night consisted of curryand rice, with porridge for breakfast andmany snacks along the way. It was two nightsand three days of fun. I never expected Iwould have to ask a bus driver if I could takea skull on his bus (I asked whilst wearing anecklace of deer vertebrae, but that seemednormal at the time). It was a wild experience,with many laughs along the way.

Harry Househam

SILVER – JulyWe finally got to Crickhowell, near the BlackMountains, where we had a long wait beforebeing shown into the place we would staythat night. The teachers did not like to see usdoing nothing, and so we met with our D ofE assessors, and did some mini-navigationpractice. It was a painful experience, as wewalked through areas full of nettles.

Next morning we left Crickhowell in ourgroups, some on their final expedition, and

some on their practice. The good weathermade the first day relatively incident-free,and we could admire the brilliant sceneryas we made our way up to the ruins ofMount Tor and Sugar Loaf Hill. Wereached our campsite in good time, thoughone of the other groups managed to get lostbefore their first checkpoint.

Day 2 was the worst. In the middle of July,the rain decided to come down while wewere most exposed, high on Offa’s DykePath (someone in one of the other groupsforgot his waterproofs, and was wearingonly a T-shirt and trunks, which wasclever). Our assessor, when we found thefirst checkpoint, then thought it would befun to do some more mini-navigation, in thepouring rain. We had to make bearings andfind our way through thick vegetation, withonly the contours of hills as help. The assessorfinally took pity, and we once again set off.It was a relief when we got to the campsite,next to the old ruined abbey of Llanthony.

On Day 3 we were determined to be quick.The rain only came down a few times, butit was quite hard after the previous twodays of walking. Our group had decided totake what looked like the shortest route onthe map, but we had not foreseen the harshslopes and steep fields we had to cross, andwe had to take a lot of breaks. Finallyeveryone got to Crickhowell, and we goton the coach back to England (civilisation),stopping for a deserved meal. Overall thetrip was a success (for most) and we returnin October for our final expedition.

Steven Pilley

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UKMT Team Maths Challenge

The Batchelor SocietyA new addition to the many club opportunities at Freemen’s, the Batchelor Societyhas been a huge success. Named in honour of former Head of History Mr Batchelor,the club held talks on a wide range of historical topics led by both teachers andstudents every other week, attracting students from all academic fields.

The society opened with a fierce debatebetween Mr Wright and Mrs Edwardsabout whether ‘the First World War wasfought for the right reasons using the rightmeans', with the student vote on whichwas the most convincing argumentcausing considerable rivalry within theHistory office! Another debate concerningthe inevitability of the American Civil Warwas argued excellently by Upper 6 historystudents Matt Cox and Alex Wright, anddiscussion on modern issues also tookplace in a ‘Question Time’ with a panel ofboth teachers (Mr Bentley and Mr Retzlaff)and students (Ollie Raggett and LauraGrayling) answering questions submittedon current affairs.

Katie Zinser and Mrs Edwards did a twopart series on the history of mental illnesswhich covered a huge period of time andwas a great overview of how society’sattitude has changed towards it and thereasons why. Another two part series was'Nice theory, wrong species: Is the idea ofCommunism obsolete?' which examinedthe question from various viewpoints,Patrick Kennedy contributing analysisfrom a biological standpoint while TomClarke, Luke Shakerchi and Mrs Edwardsviewed it in terms of history and politics.Mr Wright spoke on the reputation of‘Bloody Mary’ and on the imagery used toportray Elizabeth I which challenged theassumptions made about the famousqueens and led to a deeper understandingof their rule instead of their stereotypical

representations. Mrs Edwards spoke onthe ideal of a Utopia presenting it throughthe different ideas that Plato, Marx andMore had on the subject, and Pete Hyams,Luke Shakerchi and Kate MacLeod spokeon Counter-factual history.

Two very thought provoking sessions invitedteachers to share their perspective havinglived through the history which we studyfrom the outside. Mr Bloomer led the talk‘Growing up in Apartheid South Africa'and Klaus, the German assistant led asession on how Germans deal with theirhistory. These talks gave us an opportunityto understand situations through the waythey impact on individuals and were bothreally fascinating insights into differentcultures. We are extremely grateful that MrBloomer and Klaus were willing to sharetheir experiences for our benefit andgained a new outlook on the periodsdiscussed and their effects.

With the variety of interesting talks theBatchelor society has hosted this year, it iseasy to explain its popularity among studentsand teachers. I’d like to thank everyonewho has contributed to the club, whetherdoing a talk or organising it behind thescenes and in particular a huge thanks toMrs Edwards and Mr Wright who haveput so much effort into running the society.Its accomplishments and our enjoyment ofit have been the fruit of their efforts.

Kate MacLeod

CareersTaster DayAt the Careers Taster Day on Thursday17th June, Upper 4 and Lower 5 pupilseach chose three workshops to attend,from a list including Business andManagement, City and FinancialMarkets, Medicine and Related Carers,Sports Science, Fashion Design, LifeSciences, Performing Arts, Psychology,Engineering and Construction, Sportsand Leisure Management, GraphicDesign, Film and TV, PharmaceuticalIndustry and Social Care. Feedback onthe day from pupils was favourable, soit’s hoped that this Careers Taster Daywill become an annual event, withchanges to the careers on offer each year.

Mr Bernard Hall

On 18th November, Mrs Newhouse,accompanied by Tom Sneller, MarkWhitehouse, Douglas Young and Cheol-Hui Kim visited Surrey University forthe annual UKMT Team MathsChallenge regional heat. Thecompetition is made up of three rounds– the team questions, the cross-numberand the relay. In the first round, tenquestions were put on the table and wehad to answer as many as possible in 45minutes. We scored maximum points,putting us in a good position from thestart. The second round, cross number,

required logic and teamwork. We weresplit into two pairs and each pair given acrossword with clues, but this is not assimple as it seems. Firstly, all theanswers are numbers and secondly, onepair will be given the across clues, andthe other pair the down clues and thelast catch is that most of the clues referto other clues or have no definitiveanswer without first having a number towork with. We again did well, onlydropping a handful of marks, putting usin a great position. Unfortunately, thelast round was where it all fell down.

Again we were split into pairs, and aquestion was given to one of the pairs.When they had answered it, they passedthe answer to the other pair, and theyused this answer to calculate the nextanswer and so on. We did fairly poorly,but because of our great marks from theother rounds, we came joint third withCaterham. We came back happy withour third but disappointed that wedidn’t do better in the last round.

Tom Sneller



On Wednesday 21st April,Martyn Holloway-Neville, JamesMacDonald and Tom Snellerrepresented the school at theUniversity of Greenwich for theSouth East Regional Heat of theAnalytical Chemistry Competition.

The three students took part in the two‘tasks of the day’ – analysing an unknowncompound using classic laboratory tests,and a further analysis using colourabsorption techniques.

The first task involved identifying anunknown powder, as well as five otherpowders, using standard tests – the flametest to identify metal ions, and variousacid tests, and we successfully identifiedall the compounds – full marks so far. Thesecond task, proved to be much more of achallenge and it tested our minds to themaximum. It involved making up anincredibly precisely-concentrated solution,and then using a very accurate instrument,the colorimeter, to test the concentration ofcoloured particles in the solution. Theactual calculations then were complex andrequired much thought.

We received our marks and were placedmid-table of the 14 teams. Our secondexperiment was not precise enough, so welost some accuracy marks. Otherwise wehad achieved all that was expected of us,stretched our minds and learnt a lot.

It was a great day, and a chance for someof our keenest chemists to show theirmettle, show what they could do and beatsome other very good schools and collegesin the competition.

Martyn Holloway-Neville

Our team of Upper 6 Economistswon their regional heat in the Target2.0 competition (Bank of Englandand The Times Interest RateChallenge). They presented theiranalysis of the current state of theeconomy and likely future directionto a team of three economists fromthe Bank of England, followed byrecommendations of the action theywould take to achieve thegovernment's target of 2% inflation.

Based on their assessment of the slightpick-up in world trade, the significantamount of spare capacity in theeconomy and the fragile signs of a returnin consumer confidence, as well as someslight recovery in bank lending tobusinesses and consumers, they

recommended that the base rate shouldbe held at the current rate of 0.5% andthat quantitative easing should bemaintained at the current level as it doesappear to be effective.

They also made reference to the breakingnews about the Dubai property groupasking for an extra six months before theypay interest due on their lending, andconsidered the impact that this mighthave on banks, markets and confidence.

After questioning them closely about thedetailed background to their reasoningthe judges praised them for the structureof their analysis and the depth of theireconomic knowledge, and particularlyliked the consumer confidence surveythat they had carried out at Prize Day inJuly and at Open Mornings in Octoberand November.

The team, consisting of Stuart Keenan,Heather Shakerchi, Callum Ross andMichael Dawes, all studied Economics atA Level, but the data collection andanalysis that was used in their presentationhad been carried out by all 16 studentswho studied Economics in Upper 6 thisyear, so this really was a team effort.

Mrs Penny Brooks

We Achieved Our Target (2.0) ofBecoming Regional Champions

The Royal Society of Chemistry’sAnalytical Chemistry Competition

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Freemen’s Mock Election Gordon Brown’s decision to go tothe country on Thursday 5th Maywas greeted excitedly by all thosewith an interest in politics in Britain,but with particular relish in theconstituency of Ashtead Park,illustrated by the pace and energyput into campaigning from the start.

The candidates were suitably diverse witha range of electioneering styles and tacticsdemonstrated. The Green Party’s WilliamEnglish limited the damage caused to theenvironment with a carbon-light campaignof five posters. Michael Dawes reflectedthe confident swagger of the LiberalDemocrats, basking in the glow of‘Cleggmania’ and forging an independentline on issues like the opening of a Tesco’sin Ashtead. The most colourful campaignwas from Harry Househam of the OfficialMonster Raving Loony Party whoseambition was to see Trident abandoned infavour of taming monsters such asGodzilla. The early frontrunner wasSamuel Matthey of the Conservativeswhose patrician air was spiced up by acampaign orchestrated by glamorousactivists and posters of the candidate as

Gene Hunt astride his Audi Quattro. Elderstatesman Oliver Raggett of the LabourParty, promoted his New Labour mantraof fairness with conviction in a hostileenvironment.

The campaign saw a plethora of electionposters put up around the constituencyand candidates were put through theirpaces in two hustings. The first debate sawa large turnout from the electorate keen tohear the views of their potentialrepresentatives. The candidates performedadmirably in the face of challengingquestions. In the subsequent assembly, therepresentatives of the three major partieswent head-to-head. Throughout thecampaign all those involved spoke lucidlyand confidently with a good grasp of theirparty manifesto, although whether HarryHouseham’s party had one, is still unclear.

The votes were counted on Election Dayitself, but the politicians and electorate hadto wait on tenterhooks until Mondaymorning for Returning Officer MrMacDonald to announce the winner inassembly. Unlike the nation theoverwhelming call was for HarryHouseham of the Official Monster Raving

Loony Party to represent them. In a speechof Churchillian rhetoric he urged theelectorate to battle on in the face ofadversity and that if at first you don’tsucceed then try, try, try again ‘unless it issky-diving’; wise words indeed.

The organiser of the vote would like tothank all teachers and pupils who helpedout and supported the election especiallyHannah Kent, Katie Zinser, Mrs Judge andMr Brooke for staffing the Polling Stationon the day itself.

Mr Alex Wright

‘4 ENTREPRENEURS’ CONFERENCE



Economics and Business Studies NewsIn November, during Global EntrepreneurWeek, we attended the annual ‘4Entrepreneurs’ conference in Leicester Square.Among the speakers was Sir Alan Sugar,who was open for questioning about hisviews on business as well as his personalexperience in starting-up. A member of ourclass, Elena Artamonova, was selected toask Sir Alan a question directly about how

he raised the finance he needed to start hisfirst business. He replied that he had savedup the money in his Post Office savingsaccount, and did not believe in the ‘modernconcept’ of new entrepreneurs relying onbank loans for their start-up finance. Aswell as Sir Alan, we listened to three otherexperienced entrepreneurs, includingDuncan Goose, the founder of ‘One

Water’, who shared knowledge and adviceon dealing with new businesses as well asthe role of social entrepreneurship. Thistrip enabled us to get a clear and informedperspective on the basic skills and issuesraised when forming a business which isthe key factor we have studied in the firsthalf of our AS Business Studies course.

Natalie Smith and Natasha Hicks

ENTREPRENEURSHIP SOCIETY AND KEYNES SOCIETY, ETON COLLEGE

For the last two years we have beenfortunate to be invited to join students atEton College to hear their ‘Keynes Society’and ‘Entrepreneurship Society’ eveningspeakers. These two societies, run andorganised by the Eton students rather thanthe staff, are able to attract some fascinatingand eminent speakers, and our visits are sopopular that we have often taken twominibuses full of students. Our studentshave written about the talks we haveattended over the last year.

Mrs Penny Brooks

At the start of the year, some of theeconomics and business students travelledto Eton for a talk given by Chris Coleridge,the man who started up the company ‘VWater’, the first major supplier of vitaminwater in the UK. Coleridge not only talkedabout how he started the business but alsoabout the methods he used to keep itsuccessful, as well as his reasons forrecently selling the brand to PepsiCo, forwhom he now works. The talk provided afun way for the new Lower 6 economiststo learn the ins and outs of starting up abusiness and making the productsuccessful – something that was useful toall the young potential entrepreneursamongst us!

Chloë Ashe

In November we heard Will King, theowner and founder of a luxury maleshaving product line ‘King of Shaves’. Hisproducts came about through his ownpersonal experience of not being able tofind skin friendly male shaving items, aswell as maintaining lower prices. Shavingproducts are produced at low costs andWill wanted to pass this onto hiscustomers. This means he could sell hisproducts at a lower price compared tolarge companies with high market sharesuch as Gillette who have around a 70%profit margin. He spoke passionately

about ensuring he found unique sellingpoints for his products to differentiatehimself in a highly competitive market.

Natalie Smith and Natasha Hicks

December saw some AS and A leveleconomists visit Eton College to listen to atalk by Tim Harford, author of ‘TheUndercover Economist’. Having admittedlybeen initially sceptical of the trip, with theidea we were in for a lecture on tedioustheory, I thoroughly enjoyed the talk tosuch an extent that I purchased his book.I was very grateful to witness such aninspiring talk at such an inspiring school.The whole experience was of great benefitto my classmates and I, attending our nextlesson brimming with economic vitality.

Henry Swindell

The first talk of 2010 was given by JonMoulton who is the CEO of AlchemyPartners. Jon Moulton showed us thedarker side of the macroeconomicsituation in a surprisingly blunt talk. Afterthe event at Eton College, we were treatedto an informative if somewhat depressingtalk on the current economic situation andMr Moulton’s ideas for the future. MrMoulton was an excellent speaker and allthose who attended enjoyed and gainedfrom the experience.

Peter Hyams

On 11th February, economics students weregiven the opportunity to listen to a talkgiven by Andrew Sentance at Eton College.Andrew is one of the nine members of theMonetary Policy Committee at the Bank ofEngland. Having studied monetary policyin our macro-economics lesson, theprospect of listening to one of the decisionmakers in the MPC was a very excitingthought. His talk came at a time wheninterest rates had been reduced to theirlowest level ever and decisions were beingmade on what was the best way forward

to avoid a dreaded ‘double-dip’ recession.Mr Sentance gave a very positive andinteresting talk on the current crisis (incontrast to Jon Moulton the previous term)and we left with the hope that, in the UK,things were getting better.

Graeme Du Plessis and Mina Li

In early March, we attended the EtonInternational Forum. The question for thisyear was, ‘Is foreign aid really the way todevelop Africa?’ The panel incorporatedelite academic, business and politicalfigures, including Dr Jean Ping, formerhead of the UN General Assembly. Wewere surprised at the degree of consensusamongst the panellists, that aid alone isnot the answer to Africa’s needs, and thatthe political systems in many of thecountries of Africa contributed to thedifficulty. Although lacking incontroversial opinion it was an interestingeye opener to the current flawed system.The debate was conclusive, but inspiring.In the end all agreed that if foreign aid wasbetter directed in the right areas it could bean important catalyst towardsdevelopment. It was an enjoyable andinformative evening.

Ollie Garrod and Ben Reavley

Our final visit to Eton College this year wasfor a talk given by Jim O’Neill, Head ofGlobal Economics, Commodities andStrategy Research for Goldman Sachs. MrO’Neill, the creator of the BRIC acronymgave a very interesting talk on how, despitethe world recession, for many emergingcountries growth has actually continued andin fact the world economy is more resilientthan many believe. Mr O’Neill focusedmainly on China and discussed the manystrengths China has but he also left withthe thought that there is still hope forBritain if we take advantage of our currentexchange rates and the global markets.

Anthony Townsend

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Upper 6 Leavers’ DayIf you read last year’s Leavers’ Dayarticle, you might right now befearing the worst: just more repetitionand airy self-congratulation. So let’scome completely clean and takesome things as read: the 2010 leaversfollowed almost exactly the patternof their immediate predecessors,except that we had St Giles’ back andso did not have to remove to LowerAshtead for the service and concert.And all seemed to go extremely well,with many smiles and some ruefultears. Even the sun shone. Thephotos can say the rest.

What perhaps was different and, yes,special was the quality of the organisationand the fullness of the experience. A greatamount of thought had gone into all thearrangements. The leavers’ video wasamazingly well done: funny, inventive,creative and at times suitably wistful. I amsurely not the only one to keep on watchingit and finding more things to relish. Therewere many lovely touches elsewhere too:the special ribbon on the yearbook, theinclusion of a DVD for everyone, not toforget all the elegance and style at the ballthat evening – those very striking tallvases with orchids in water! It allsuggested a profusion of talent and peopleworking together very effectively for acommon cause. Extra time was needed for

the concert because so many had finethings to offer. There just was not a deador dull moment; all went perfectly well.

A leaver (of sorts) myself, I was perhapsbetter placed this year to savour thepoignancy and appreciate thethoughtfulness of those busy individualswho made it all happen. I have yet to wearthe hoodie, which really does include myname on the back, but am waiting forcolder days. I was really touched to bepresented with a Leavers’ Bible in theservice. The Red Letter present of twotickets to a Battle Prom gave my wife and Ia most memorable evening in Sussex,complete with Napoleonic cavalry charges,field gun firing, a Spitfire display, somewonderful music and even fireworks. Butmost of all I shall cherish the incrediblescrapbook which the Head Girl and herfellow conspirators put together. Most ofmy life was somehow there, and certainlymy 37 years (to date) at Freemen’s. Whatincredible kindness and thoughtfulness.

You did it all so well, Class of 2010, forwhich you deserve the heartiestcongratulations. You will have so much tooffer in the future. You will surely bemaking an impact in life and generouslydoing good in the world.

Mr Martin Hearne



2010 Academic ResultsGCSE RESULTS

Pupils achieving five or more grades A* – C 100%

GCSE pass rate (A* – C) 99.6%

A* & A grades as a percentage of all GCSEentries 81.5%

SUBJECT

A* & A A* - C

Art 90.6% 100%

Biology 94.2% 100%

Chemistry 90.7% 100%

Design Technology 100% 100%

Drama 44.0% 100%

Electronics 100% 100%

English 79.1% 100%

English Literature 60.5% 100%

Food Technology 77.8% 100%

French 74.0% 96.0%

Geography 84.8% 100%

German 90.0% 100%

History 71.4% 100%

ICT 72.0% 100%

Latin 62.5% 87.5%

Mathematics 90.7% 100%

Music 87.5% 100%

Physics 98.8% 100%

Sociology 50.0% 100%

Spanish 71.4% 100%

GRADES

A-LEVEL RESULTS

UCAS points per student 368.2(380.0)

Advanced Level pass rate (A – E)100%

(100%)

A*, A & B grades as a percentage of all A Levelentries

89.6%(88.2%)

SUBJECT

A*, A & B A - E

Art 85.7% 100%

Biology 83.3% 100%

Business Studies 87.5% 100%

Chemistry 100% 100%

Chinese 100% 100%

Classical Civilisation 80.0% 100%

Design & Technology 100% 100%

Drama and Theatre Studies 100.% 100%

Economics 81.3% 100%

Electronics 100% 100%

English Literature 100% 100%

French 77.8% 100%

Further Mathematics 100% 100%

Geography 100% 100%

German 100% 100%

Government & Politics 71.4% 100%

History 90.5% 100%

ICT 66.7% 100%

Mathematics 93.0% 100%

Music 100% 100%

Music Technology 40.0% 100%

Physical Education 57.1% 100%

Physics 93.9% 100%

Psychology 100% 100%

Spanish 50.0% 100%

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2010 Leavers H.E. DestinationsLauren Aitchison Waterloo (Ontario) MathematicsTariq Al-Sharhan Cardiff Information SystemsPatrick Anderson Cardiff Politics and SociologyHelen Ash University for the Creative Arts, Epsom Art FoundationHannah Baker Birmingham Psychology (2011 entry)Emma Batchelor Bath Spa GeographyGeorgina Catlow Bristol Veterinary ScienceHei Yin Wesley Chan Nottingham PharmacyCamilla Chapman Oxford (St Hilda's) GeographyNatalie Clement Loughborough Politics with a MinorLouise Cloney Sheffield MedicineNicholas Cole Bristol NeuroscienceMatthew Cox University College London MedicineHarry Crouch Sussex Mechanical EngineeringWilliam Culhane Cardiff Business Management and Finance (2011 entry)Eleanor Darbey Cardiff ZoologyHannah Davies Cardiff English LiteratureMichael Dawes Cambridge (Jesus) EconomicsZinzan (William) Dean Sheffield HistoryMadeline Dempsey Chelsea College of Art and Design Art FoundationAlice Di Mond Newcastle BiologyMegan Douglas Bournemouth Business StudiesBrittany Draper East 15 Acting School, Essex Foundation ActingEmilie Earl Reading Classical Studies and English LiteratureMikaela Eldridge Sydney, Australia Law, Social Economics and Political ScienceLorna Fallon Warwick Psychology (2011 entry)Lucy Fenwick Bristol Civil EngineeringElla Fitzpatrick Kent English and American Studies (2011 entry)Jessica French Lancaster French Studies and MathematicsAmy Goldman Birmingham Biological SciencesHenry Gough Newcastle ZoologyMatthew Green Loughborough Product Design EngineeringKatherine Hall Loughborough Psychology Alicia Harvey Bournemouth MarketingDeborah Headdey Nottingham English Studies and Philosophy

Melissa Hurley Southampton EnglishStuart Keenan Warwick EconomicsPatrick Kennedy Oxford (Brasenose) Biological SciencesCheol Hwi Kim Imperial College Electrical and Electronic EngineeringChi Ho (Kelvin) Kwan University College London EconomicsJoanna Laverock Bristol French and ItalianSarah Leach Winchester PsychologyKar Lam (Clara) Li University College London PsychologyFiona Lightfoot Sussex Media Practice and Theory (2011 entry)James Livett Bristol ChemistrySophie Luker Leeds FrenchCatherine MacLeod Cambridge (St Catherine's) Asian and Middle Eastern StudiesJames Mady Bath Automotive EngineeringKuan Wai (Chloe) Mak University College London ChemistryEleanor Marsh Cambridge (Homerton) Natural Sciences Samuel Matthey Durham (St Aidan's) GeographyJames McCann Sussex Business and Management StudiesClaire McCarthy Aberdeen History (2011 entry)Kellie-Ann McCracken Portsmouth Marine BiologyLewis McDonald Exeter German and SpanishRoss O'Brien Nottingham Mechanical EngineeringDavid Pearce Warwick Automotive EngineeringOliver Raggett Sheffield International Relations and Politics (2011 entry)David Ratcliff Manchester BiologyRahul Ravisankar King's College London Biomedical ScienceJamie Ray Bristol Politics and SociologyDaniel Riley Manchester PhysicsJoseph Roberts Manchester English Literature and American Studies (2011 entry)Samuel Roberts Durham (Collingwood) General EngineeringIsabel Rogers Reading Classical Studies (2011 entry)Callum Ross Exeter EconomicsElizabeth Sargeant Cardiff Business Management (International Management)Heather Shakerchi Cambridge (Downing) EconomicsElliot Sinclair Leeds PhysicsDominic Sinnott Oxford Brookes Business Management/Communication and CultureSean Starkey Bristol Civil EngineeringNatasha Symons University for the Creative Arts, Epsom Art FoundationMasayuki Takii London School of Economics EconomicsSuzanne Templer Newcastle Combined HonoursCharlotte Thomas Birmingham American Studies and English LiteratureChristopher Turner Bristol ChemistryJessica Vanstone Nottingham PhysiotherapyDuncan Wannell Leicester HistorySusannah Westby Loughborough Product Design EngineeringJohnny Wheatcroft Leeds Biological SciencesJens Wong Brighton PharmacyAlexander Wright Southampton Politics and GermanDouglas Young Cambridge (Robinson) Engineering



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