Issue 86 | Summer 2022
News from Bablake
l Coventry Cathedra
Diamond Jubilee
T
owards the end of May, both the Prep and Senior schools were represented by pupils and staff at a service to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Coventry Cathedral.
www.bkhs.org.uk
It was a time for thanksgiving and a chance to reflect on our responsibility to promote reconciliation. The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke passionately about Coventry’s role now and in the future. Two bishops, an archbishop, the Duke of Kent and our School Chaplain, Revd Slavic, took part, as did some of our pupils either by singing in the choir or by reading a lesson.
News Musical Magic Shell pupil Alfie Sgroi was one of 24 young pianists selected to perform new piano music created by Coventry composer Robert Ramskill, in a world premiere of ‘Land of the Tiger’. Alfie was invited to Drapers’ Hall and performed as part of a UK City of Culture event that was attended by the new Lord Mayor of Coventry and, as one of our talented Music Scholars, Alfie played brilliantly and did us proud!
THROUGH THE AGES Sixth Form student Sophie French designed a colour-in page for the History Magazine that was published at the end of last year. In it, she had drawn the School with historical figures in front of it. I was so impressed with her work that I asked if she would be interested in designing something to go along the top of the wall in one of our History teaching rooms. She kindly agreed and took on the challenge, designing the whole mural, working out the backgrounds and the proportions, and finally drawing and painting the boards. Room 10 now looks wonderful - thank you, Sophie! Mrs Rees
UCAS JOURNEY Lower Sixth students were lucky enough to welcome Katie from Aston University and Rohan from the University of Leicester to school to lead personal statement workshops for them. The sessions were very informative and it provided an excellent starting point for the UCAS journey.
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After a chance meeting at Old Trafford, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham agreed to an interview with me to discuss his career in politics. I asked what it was that inspired him to get involved in and led him to join the Labour Party at the age of 15. Andy spoke of the anger and frustration people in the North of England felt in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster and Margaret Thatcher’s reign in power:
Biology Success We recently received the results of the Biology Challenge run by the UK Biology Competitions arm of the Royal Society for Biology. 23 pupils from Year 10 volunteered to sit the two exam papers during lunchtimes at the beginning of May, and almost all received an award. We are delighted to report that Emily Fisher and Sophie Jackson each achieved a Gold Award, placing them in the top 5% of the 41,000 students from 550 schools around the world who participated. Emilia James and Umarah Memon were awarded Silver and a further nine pupils achieved a Bronze Award. All remaining pupils were either Commended or Highly Commended for their efforts.
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ANDY BURNHAM: FROM WESTMINSTER TO MANCHESTER
An interview with… In April, I sat down to interview Martin Jacques at King Henry VIII School minutes before Martin was to deliver a lecture on China and its past and future domination of the world.
“You couldn’t escape politics in the 1980s as I grew up in Leigh, which was a mining area. The miner’s strike was in the news, which was personal to me as I saw friends whose dads were in the mines.” Andy added that he first saw the political ‘North v South’ divide in the late 1980s whilst he was attending Cambridge University: “When I arrived in Cambridge I could see this was a very different world, it seemed like there were two countries within one. The Hillsborough disaster happened during this time and this was something that was close to me. This took me from being interested in politics to being angered by it. It was all everybody spoke about at home but nobody even mentioned it at Cambridge.”
This isn’t the only time Andy mentions issues relating to current government policies such as devolution and Levelling Up. He has been challenging the government to do more regarding devolution to help places like Greater Manchester: “Being from the North is why Levelling Up has always meant something to me, but the problem I have is that it’s not being properly delivered. The current situation is somewhat worse, as people are being promised things that are not being delivered.” To see Josh’s full report on his interview with Andy Burnham, visiteded Joshua Pilling
Martin has had a fascinating career, since being pupil at King Henry VIII and although he had mixed memories from his time at the school, he highlighted the values instilled in him - those of hard work and determination – and how these helped to develop him in his career.
Away from British politics, Martin has written a book on the importance of China on the international stage and this was the focus of Martin’s lecture. He spoke of how the country has grown to be the dominant force in the world and how the West can, and should, deal with China.
Martin’s first interest was British politics and he edited the highly popular ‘Marxism Today’ magazine during the 1980s. He also co-authored a book detailing the policies of Mrs Thatcher and is often credited with coining the term ‘Thatcherism’.
Martin visited China in his late 40s and was amazed by the country. He talked about how Europe and the West led the way in industrialisation, but noted: “China had always had a strong sense of belief in itself, until it came to comparison with the West. China wondered how it could modernize, but didn’t do this properly until much later, learning from the West. China’s rise will show how the West now needs to learn from them. It’s happening now and we shouldn’t be afraid. The baton has shifted.”
So, what does Martin believe is the legacy of the Iron Lady? I pointed out that the week prior to our interview, the government had announced that it was privatising Channel 4, brought in by Margaret Thatcher during her time as Prime Minister in 1982. He said: “She was a formidable leader in her time. The country was drifting and in decline in the 1970s and she offered strong new direction. The actions she took will be remembered for a long time, but I feel her importance may decrease throughout time and history.”
Martin’s subsequent lecture was very entertaining and he went into more depth about the role China plays internationally, specifically in the Russia – Ukraine conflict.
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ART Back in April, the Art Department took two visits to the Herbert Art Gallery to see the fantastic work created by Daniel Lismore.
AND THE BAFTA
During the morning, a group of Year 10, Year 11 and Lower Sixth pupils went to see the exhibition and meet Daniel himself. In the afternoon, Upper Sixth students attended as part of the Enrichment Programme and again had the opportunity to meet Daniel and discuss his work. This is the first time that a retrospective of his work has been shown in the UK and the exhibition reflects his creative output over the last 20 years as a living work of art. Coventryborn Daniel, who is an artist, designer and LGTBQ+ activist, then shared some words of wisdom and encouragement for Bablake’s Pride group. As the name of the exhibition suggests: ‘Be yourself; everyone else is taken’. The Art Department would like to thank Daniel and the team at the gallery for a very visually and intellectually stimulating day.
Look out for Shell pupil Jiyan Deol, who is currently starring in a new sci-fi thriller on Sky Max (formerly Sky One) and Now. The Midwich Cuckoos stars Keeley Hawes and Max Beesley and Jiyan makes a few appearances towards the end of the series. Jiyan was invited to a special cast screening of the first episode at BAFTA in London, which was a great event that she very much enjoyed attending.
INDUSTRIAL CADETS
The morning included presentations by various famous names about their experiences of DofE, followed by a speech by Prince Edward and guest speaker Hannah Cockcroft. Prince Edward then went on walkabout around the Palace gardens to meet and talk to many of the 2500 invited guests. I was fortunate enough to chat to Hannah Cockcroft, who had taken time off from training to attend. We talked about her rivalry with Bablake alumna Kare Adenegan and she mentioned that she knew the school well as she had lived nearby during her time at Coventry University. Despite the rain, it was a fantastic ‘once in a lifetime’ experience, with a real highlight being the tea and cupcake!
goes to…
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Upper Sixth student, Ewan Collar, was awarded first prize in the Mathematical Gazette for his solution to the monthly problem in March.
A Royal Invitation I was invited to represent the School at the DofE Gold Award ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 20th May.
Our Lower Sixth Industrial Cadets team, sponsored by local engineering firm Dennis Eagle, finally submitted their project work after eight months of early morning meetings, Microsoft Teams hook-ups and long evenings after school. Their efforts to solve a real-life problem resulted in them designing and manufacturing their Automatic Trailer Lifting and Shunting (ATLAS) system which allows Dennis Eagle to move components around their factory. At the Midlands Region assessment day, their hard work paid off as they scooped the ‘Best Team Performance’ award and a nomination for best overall project.
MAD ABOUT MATHS
Mr Duncan Bevis
Congratulations to team members Joshua Ogbonna, Keira James, Teerath Kailey, Naiya Patel, Archie Burdett and Emily Haywood, all of whom were awarded Gold Level Industrial Cadets badges. Many thanks also to our link engineer, Patrick Du Toit, from Dennis Eagle.
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FABULOUS FLAMENCO!
SYMPOSIUM SHOWCASE The long-awaited return of the Symposium Showcase took place at the end of the Spring Term.
This year’s Lower Sixth Spanish group has thoroughly enjoyed learning about Spanish regional identity, so as an end of year treat we arranged for the Ana Garcia Flamenco Dance Company to deliver a special flamenco workshop where the girls could discover the history of the dance and learn a short routine. Ana demonstrated the intricate hand, arm and leg movements for the girls to follow while guitarist Mrinal accompanied on the traditional Spanish guitar. The workshop really brought the topic to life and we look forward to welcoming Ana back next year.
‘Symposium Reborn’ gave our pupils the unique opportunity to share their interests with friends, parents and staff. It was the culmination and celebration of everything the pupils had achieved since the start of this year’s Symposium group. This year’s entries examined whether cloning is ethical, the future of artificial intelligence, xenotransplantation, the representation of women in the media and the wisdom of crowds, amongst other subjects. Choosing the overall winners of the Showcase gets harder every year and for the first time ever ‘crowd wisdom’ played a role in deciding the winners! Prizes were awarded to Rhea Saran for her project investigating ‘The Future of Nanotechnology in Medicine’ and to Izabela Ward for her project on ‘Coral Reefs’. Quotes from parents: “My husband and I enjoyed going around each station and were astounded by the diversity of information the children had researched and prepared. The confidence of the children when talking was also commendable.” “I thought it was a fantastic evening – so lovely to chat to so many talented youngsters.” “It was amazing seeing such a passionate, opinionated (in the right way) and articulate group of students. It was a pleasure to move around and interact with them and they were all a credit to themselves and the school. They may be nicknamed ‘The Biscuit Club’, but I saw the next generation of leaders that evening.”
Sadie Aspinall
THERE’S A BUZZ IN THE LIBRARY It has been wonderful to get back to ‘normal service’ in the Library this year. Pupils from all year groups have been enjoying getting back to our recently refurbished resource, following on from the years of ‘bubbles’ and restricted usage during the pandemic.
The Bookbuzz scheme, which provides all Shell and Year 8 pupils with a free book of their choice from a specially selected collection, created a real buzz in library lessons at the start of the year and was very well received by all. The Poetry and Design a Bookmark competitions saw some excellent contributions from pupils in all year groups. Our supremely talented Art Technician, Miss Moore, designed some excellent eye-catching displays which highlight pupils’ designs and are adding colour to our library space. Pupils have also enjoyed the many craft sessions that have been offered this year. We are looking forward to making Father’s Day
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cards, so look out dads - there could be a card on its way to you soon!
My favourite part of the flamenco workshop was that we were taught about the origins of the different elements of flamenco before we started learning the techniques of the dance. This, along with having a flamenco guitarist playing the music, really made the session an immersive, unforgettable experience.
Awesome Octavia! Shell pupil Octavia Lombardelli recently double-graded in karate. She achieved both her red and yellow belt on the same day with class 1 and class 1/2 results. For Octavia to achieve this was all the more impressive as it is mainly taken on by older children and adults.
MR ATWAL – England Over 65s Mr Atwal has trained exceptionally hard over the last couple of years and his efforts paid off when he was selected for the England Over 65 B team squad. He represented his country at the Home Nations Tournament, hosted at Southgate Hockey Centre, narrowly missing out on a winner’s medal. The team beat Scotland (5-0) and Wales (4-0) but lost to an England Over 60 B team! Mr Atwal is striving to make the England A team, which will travel to Germany shortly for the Four Nations Tournament and the World Cup in Tokyo. We wish him all the very best! Mr Atwal also became a National Champion with the Midlands Over 65 team, beating the North West (2-1), drawing with the South (0-0), drawing with the West (0-0), beating the East (2-0) and beating the North East (3-0). A fantastic achievement!
Some of our Shell and Year 8 pupils have been shadowing the Scottish Teenage Book Prize and this has been a rewarding experience for all. Pupils have been challenged to read books that wouldn’t have necessarily been their books of choice and all report that they have enjoyed them immensely. I was particularly encouraged when we met recently to hear that they felt the books had inspired them to read books from other genres and they were excited about analysing other books together in the future. This is so very encouraging, as our main aim in the Library is to inspire pupils to read widely, hopefully creating a life-long love of reading along the way.
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2022 CRYSTAL BALL
Our Year 11 pupils celebrated in style at the end of the Spring Term, with Bond-influenced glamour being the order of the day at their Crystal Ball. As the GCSE examinations draw to an end, we wish them every success for Results Day in August.
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NO CRASH TEST DUMMIES HERE
Beauty and the Beast When you commit to a theatre production, you are entering into a period of creativity, collaboration and commitment at the most intense and rewarding level. Auditions for Beauty and the Beast took place at the end of September and just before Easter we saw the rewards of months of hard work from every single member of the ‘family’. It is always a privilege to witness the talents hidden within our student community and this year was no exception – from hidden surprises at the auditions to blossoming skills through the rehearsal period. Our cast, crew and band gave all they had to entertain our audiences over three performance nights. The anticipation prior to ‘curtain’ and the energy during the show was electric. Being part of such a project is an experience like no other and it seems only fitting to allow some of cast and crew to express this in their own words:
As part of the Trips Day just before half term, pupils spent time in DT building model cars and then crash testing them. After a quick run through the theory of how and why cars have crumple zones to protect their occupants, pupils were given an hour to make a card car for testing. Cars were assessed on the quality of construction, aesthetics and weight and finally resistance to a heavily weighted mallet! Otty Gittens scored top marks overall, which had nothing at all to do with her using Mr West’s number plates and signwriting skills!
BACK IN TIME Year 8 enjoyed some glorious sunshine when they visited the Black Country Living Museum just before half term.
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The trip provided a great start to their studies of the industrial revolution, and pupils were able to immerse themselves in the daily life of people who lived through it; they even saw a replica Newcomen engine, which was the first practical device to harness steam to produce mechanical work. Pupils experienced a typical 19th century lesson where expectations were high (but only Mr Amlani was unfortunate enough to receive the cane!). We were also treated to a spectacle of explosions when learning about the dangers of working in mines. A highlight for many was the trip to the traditional bakery and sweet shop and everyone of course enjoyed playing some of the traditional children’s games.
Anna On performance nights, I was excited to showcase what we had worked so hard to achieve in the months prior; and afterwards, I felt pride and a sense of achievement that I had missed throughout the Covid pandemic.
Isaac The show taught me a lot, reminding me how much fun the process is and how much better a show is if its cast supports each other in both their successes and failures. That feeling of an audience smiling back at you is unmatched. My favourite show.
Ellen
Lara
Robert
Elliott
The first time we did a run through with the cast was very exciting as I have never been part of a band accompanying action on stage. It was also nice to play with a group of musicians that I hadn’t necessarily been in an ensemble with before, in what felt like a professional setting. I enjoyed being able to witness the journey from this point up until the performances and seeing the whole show come together with all its components.
From the moment we all sat down together at the readthrough to show week 25 weeks later, the experience of being in Beauty and the Beast has been brilliant.
Performance nights were very exciting. Having not done a normal show for over two years, it was strange to get that feeling of nervousness all over again. Watching an audience fill the Theatre is always a nerve-racking thing to see, but having people there made all the difference to the performance. Post show is always a weird feeling due to the sense of emptiness you get knowing you’re not going to perform it again but also the relief and pride once you have done it.
Tegan The Beauty and the Beast experience has been amazing and I have definitely grown in confidence and built new friendships.
My most enjoyable moment of the process was when we did our first rehearsal with costumes and microphones because the show really came alive! The atmosphere was amazing.
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FAREWELL TO THE CLASS OF 2015!
The Upper Sixth took their leavers’ celebrations up to the Playing Fields this year as they led the traditional fun extravaganza before going on exam leave. The sun shone, the Zorbs rolled and a great time was had by all!
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WARWICK CASTLE CONQUERED On Friday 27th May, a 100-strong army of curious battle-hardened soldiers (Shell pupils) descended on the imposing Warwick Castle. It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword, and in this case, it turned out to be true. The rusted and chipped blades of the defenders were no match for our strengthened styli, which were quick to slay all who resisted our inexorable might.
We stormed the barbican, destroying the twin portcullises with our sharpened clipboards. Immediately, we seized control of Guy’s Tower. Yet, our insatiable quest for knowledge had not yet been fulfilled, so we frogmarched the defenders down to the dungeons and forced them to inform us about its history. Many were not keen to oblige and had to be threatened to be thrown in the oubliette, or ‘forgetting hole’. Subsequently, we made them demonstrate a display of archery skills and tour us through the Great Hall, where we got to handle beautifully crafted replicas of ancient weapons. We watched the Falconer’s Quest and had to intercept a bird that was carrying an SOS message to our foes; a great condor with a two-metre wingspan, swirling and diving gracefully through the air. After that, we embarked on an expedition to find out about the Kingmaker, Richard Neville. Many of our soldiers screamed in terror at the ornately carved and painted wax models. Following this, we took a trip to the Time Tower and experienced detailed anecdotes from the previous rulers of this place. Some of the later owners looked a bit disgruntled to see that their castle was now ours. However, after satisfying our thirst for knowledge, and leaving our mark on the history of Warwick Castle, we withdrew our forces and returned to Bablake. Atreya Bhave (Shell COB)
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Year 9 enjoyed Trips Day at the West Midland Safari Park and even made a few new friends along the way!
Athletics It has been wonderful to have competitions running as normal this term and we continue to see great success on the athletics track from our multi-talented pupils. The Inters (Years 10 & 11) and Juniors (Years 8 & 9) championships were the first competition to be held. The pupils below will now go on to represent Coventry at the West Midlands School Finals and we wish them the best of luck!
Shells: Alex Jones (hurdles), Ben Kirby (150m & long jump), Carter Wright (150m & javelin), Lademi Oladiji (600m), Caelyn Jess (1000m), Alfie Sgroi (high jump), Victor Abah (triple jump) and the 4x100m relay team (Ben, Alfie, Lademi and Carter)
Juniors : Gemma Haywood (200m), Imogen Lane (long jump & shot), Megan Hart (high jump)
Year 8: Thomas Goodyear (hurdles), Michael Masterson (200m & high jump), Nathan Liliso (200m & triple jump), Harry Friswell (400m), Eben Jarratt (800m), Sebastian MacGibbon (1500m), Daniel Parker (1500m), Harry Bell (100m & shot putt) Elliot Marsh (shot putt), Luca Cervi-Daley-Wilson (discus), James Cox (long jump & javelin) and the 4x100m relay team (Michael, Harry B, Harry F and Tom)
Inters: Daniella Bleach (long jump & 200m), Hannah Elliott (300m & high jump), Imogen Pemble (800m & long jump) Juniors : Michael Masterson (200m), Daniel Walber (300m), Ismail Khalil (800m) and Sam Loneragan (long jump) Inters: Ray Thomas-Devanny (200m) The Shells and Year 8 boys have been fantastic in representing the school this summer. The following boys made it to the Coventry District finals and will compete against the top eight in the city with the chance of winning a gold medal. Good luck to all the boys for the forthcoming competitions.
Congratulations, Your Majesty!
Our performance in the English Schools’ Track and Field Cup was just as successful as the last. The girls competed with grit and determination, with the Inters finishing team winners and the Juniors finishing team runners up. Both teams narrowly missed out on qualifying for the regional finals. A special mention should go to Daniella Bleach for her success at the Diamond League relay competition. She was part of the 4x100m relay squad that ran in 48.75 seconds - a Godiva record! It was also a superb opportunity for the team to run on the new Commonwealth track. Imogen Lane has also enjoyed exceptional individual success at the Warwickshire County Championships, finishing first in the shot and discus and third in the long jump and high jump.
To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, pupils brought in an array of delicious delicacies and turned the field into a huge green picnic blanket. Many thanks to Miss Welchman for organising the perfect picnic.
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BOYS’
GIRLS’
PE
PE
SQUASH
PLAYCRICKET
CRICKET
Ismail Khalil recently competed in the Five Nations Squash Tournament and won matches against Wales, Ireland and Scotland and then the final against France, which was certainly a thrilling one.
We have been trialling Play-Cricket for the majority of our boys’ cricket programme this year.
We are excited to finally have a full summer programme that includes plenty of cricket fixtures.
The scoring system, supported by the ECB, allows the centralised scoring of fixtures so that players and supporters can easily view results, scorecards, and individual statistics. Scorecards are also easily shareable on our social media platforms. We have also been able to ‘live score’ some fixtures and it has been great to know that parents are following these games even if not being able to be at the ground in person. We hope that Play-Cricket will continue to grow as more staff feel confident swapping the traditional scorebook and pencil for the app!
It has been welcomed by all girls, with over 40 pupils attending U12/U13 training on a Tuesday evening.
The England U15 team went on to win the Gold Medal.
Basketball at Bablake is going from strength to strength!
A number of girls have had the opportunity to represent the School playing alongside the boys, as they are already experienced enough to be playing hardball. The U12s have had some great wins v King’s High and Princethorpe and the girls enjoyed an excellent Saturday morning of cricket v King’s Worcester where they won four of their five age group games. We look forward to seeing the development of pupils’ cricket continue over the next few years.
SPORTS SOCIAL On Thursday 26th May, the annual Sports Social was enjoyed once again by pupils, parents and staff.
In May, our KS3 basketball team became Coventry School Champions after defeating Foxford School in a challenging final.
As always the atmosphere couldn’t have been better, and everyone appreciated the hog roast and ice cream on offer, with pupils playing some competitive rounders matches against their peers and staff. We thank all pupils and parents for their commitment to school sport over the last year, and look forward to celebrating with you again next summer.
The team battled their way through the league undefeated to secure a position in a tough semi-final match against Sidney Stringer Academy (final score 50-49). The team then went on to play in the final against Foxford School at the neutral venue of Barr’s Hill School. The final score was 34 - 14 and Most Valued Player of the match was Philip Basioudis.
ROUNDERS With a greater focus on girls’ cricket, there have been fewer rounders fixtures this term, however we have still taken part in the Coventry Schools tournaments. To date, the U15s and U14s have both won their tournaments with an exceptional display of batting and fielding. We look forward to the U12s and U13s competing over the next few weeks.
GOOD LUCK, DANIELLA! We are delighted to report that Year 10 pupil Daniella Bleach has been selected to compete at the English Schools Track & Field Championships on the 7th and 8th of July, in Manchester. She will compete for the West Midlands Team on behalf of Bablake in the Intermediate Girls 300m hurdles. Daniella has been training intensively to achieve this accolade and we are so proud that she has been selected for this prestigious event. We are sure that you will join us in sending her the very best of luck.
Congratulations to the team: Philip Basioudis (C), Alex Bilsland, Theo McStay, Tom Baddeley, Kai-Adriel Muheberintwari, Micah Forbes, Theo Worrell, Xishan Memon, James Davies, Christian Kwok and Caelan Jess. Philip Basioudis was also part of the U15 England national team which won the Alaior City Tournament in Menorca in April. Philip was a valuable contributor in all of the games, scoring, hustling, defending, rebounding and having a positive impact both on and off the court.
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MORGAN
Cars Visit The Lower Sixth Design and Technology trip made good use of pupils’ time during half term with a wonderfully informative trip to Morgan Cars in Malvern. Pupils were able to tour the factory to see cars being hand built on production lines and also to speak to workers and find out more about the manufacturing processes on show. The tour was made even more special due to our tour guide, Les Kinmond, being a former pupil. Les left Bablake in 1969 and enjoyed an outstanding career in industry before retiring and then giving some of his time to his beloved Morgan Cars.
It really was a great visit, with the hardest decision being which car pupils would like to take home!
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