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TOCKINGTON

MANOR SCHOOL
(01454) 613229

www.tockingtonmanorschool.com

THE

TOCKINGTONIAN

AUTUMN
2014

TOCKINGTON
MANOR SCHOOL
(01454) 613229

www.tockingtonmanorschool.com

FROM THE STUDY WINDOW


AUTUMN 2014 ISSUE NO. 84

ooking back on our first year


here at Tockington I am filled
with an enormous sense of
pride. Tockington has, for so many
years, been widely respected in both
the local community and nationally
within the independent sector. Our
visits to the school before our official
start date gave us the opportunity
to meet the great number of people
who were so clearly dedicated to the
schools success. Such a team spirit is
not one that can be developed overnight and is testament to the way in
which the school has been run since its
opening all those years ago. One thing
that struck us throughout our first year
was what a gem of a school Tockington

Manor is. The family ethos and nurturing


environment are second to none, and
the love that everyone associated with
the school has for the school, is very
impressive indeed. We thank everyone for
the very warm welcome we received.
Speech Day gave us the opportunity to
celebrate the vast number of achievements and this year we were delighted
to welcome Dr John Newton, Headmaster
of Taunton School, to present the
prizes.
I often hear people suggesting that
we punch above our weight. This is
true in many ways but does imply that
perhaps we should not be achieving

all that we do. Given the talent, commitment, enthusiasm and motivation of
every member of the school community
I suggest that we do not punch above
our weight but instead go a long way to
fulfilling our potential. A potential that
is most impressive and The Tockingtonian
is about celebrating the schools many
successes.
Now to create this happy school where
children are confident to be themselves
takes a great deal of effort from everyone within the school community and
I thank them all for their continued
support.

Autumn 2014

FROM THE STUDY WINDOW


I would now like to look at different
aspects of the school and praise their
many successes. I am sometimes asked
about how Tockington, as a small
school, can compete on the sports field
but our sporting successes have been
plentiful this year.
In the Gloucester Cross Country
League the Under 11 boys won the
Bronze medal and the Girls the Silver.
We should, however, bear in mind that
all other teams are in fact athletics
clubs
In The TMS Relays the U9, U11Boys
and U11 Girls all broke records. There
were over 400 entrants.
At Hatherop Castle TMS were
overall winners for the second year on
the trot.
The Swimming Relay Team was
ninth best in the country and only narrowly missed out on the National Final
by just 0.3 of a second.
By March all of our children had
learned to swim and so rare is this
achievement were entered into the
School Swimming Award competition
The U13 Netball team beat Clifton
College 22-3
The Under 8 Netball team only lost
one of their eight games and the
Beaudesert Tournament
The U13 Rounders team beat Clifton
College and The Downs
The U9 Rounders team were unbeaten at the Colstons Tournament
The U9 cricket team had a most
promising season and we thank Owen
Dawkins, the Gloucestershire Coach,
for his help this winter. Their most
impressive win was over St Johns-onthe-Hill, a school we had not beaten for
15 years!
Jake Wakeling now represents
Glamorgan for Cricket.
The U13 Cricket XI pulled off
wonderful wins over Monmouth,
Clifton High and Sidcot.
Tennis remains hugely popular.
Charlie Sanzo and Harvey Jones won
the Severnside championships, beating
Clifton College, Beaudesert Park, The
Downs and St Hughs. Later in the
season our children beat Wycliffe by 8
rubbers to 1 and beat Clifton College 7-2.
2 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

With hockey, we looked forward to


the development of the new Astro-Turf
that was installed during the holidays,
but even having been used to playing
on grass our U9s were runners-up in
the Dean Close Tournament.
Our Athletes shone last year:
21 School Records were broken,
63 UK Athletics Gold Standards were
achieved
The U9 and U11 teams won their quad
event tournament at St Johns-on-the-Hill.
Dalis Jones won the Olveston and
Almondsbury Fun Runs
Ellie Parker is now ranked in the top
ten in the country for 1500 metres.
Alex Grocott retained his Oldbury and
Olveston titles, but it was at the South
West Championships where he beat
the 1500 metre record, and became the
English 1500 metre champion. In addition, he became the Gwent League and
Gloucestershire League Cross Country
Champion.
Congratulations to all of our sportsmen
and women.
With music and drama our children
have entertained on the stage, from
the Nursery Wrens, who were slightly
unsure abut the whole experience back
in December, to the Upper School,
who oozed confidence and talent in the
Wizard of Oz.
The Summer Term School concerts
were a pleasure to see and listen to.
The Upper School concert was, as Mrs
Sapkota described to me, the best we
have had here at TMS. The standard
and confidence of all concerned were
most impressive.
In March I was blown away by the
Eisteddfod successes. I will not list all
of the successes individually, as there
were so many, but to summarise, for
Speech and Drama there were:
Twelve commendations, five merits,
six distinctions, five first places with
Tom Edwards being awarded the outstanding performer.

With the music there were five third


places, four second places and six first
places.
Over two thirds of children from Year
2-8 learn at least one instrument or more.
Congratulations to the children and
music staff for all that they achieved.
Other national successes included the
General Knowledge team becoming
South West Regional Winners and
heading off to Harrow for the National
Final where they narrowly missed out
on a place in the top three.
The Boarding House is now bucking the national trend and has seen
numbers steadily rise. We thank Mr
and Mrs Glanville and all the Boarding
Staff for their hard work this year.
I must thank The Friends of Tockington Manor for all their hard work this
year. The Curry and Quiz night was
a resounding success and the Burns
Night was a night to remember. The
Family Fun Day would not have been
the success it was without the many
volunteers who gave so freely of their
time and energy and in so any ways.
It sums up what we stand for here at
Tockington; working hard together, doing the best we can and having a super
time in the process.
At this point I would like to thank
the FOTM for their many gifts to the
school this year and make special
mention of Mrs Anita Williamson for
all her hard work and commitment as
Chair of this wonderful organisation.
She was a super Chair and gave such a
warm welcome to us when we arrived
last September and we thank her for
all that she has done for the school. I
thank, too, Andrew Williamson, who
worked so hard on the amazing adventure
playground which was opened this
September.
It is the academic side of the school
where I would like to focus our attention now. As always the academic
successes have been most impressive.

FROM THE STUDY WINDOW


In Reception all of the children were
learning Year 2 high frequency words
and please bear in mind that four of the
children were French.
82% of Year 1 children were working
at levels more normally associated with
those finishing Year 2
In Year 2 almost 50% were working
at Year 4 standard.
75% of Year 3 were working at Year
5 level
The vast majority of our Year 5s
reached the standard associated with
the end of Key Stage 2
Three quarters of our Year 6 children
were working at levels more normally
associated with 13 year olds.
These are truly impressive figures,
especially when we remind ourselves
that we are a non-selective, mixed ability
school. I therefore suggest that we are
a school that can rival all others in its
academic delivery.
We congratulate five children on being
awarded scholarships to their chosen
Senior Schools. Larry Williamson,
Elliott Orchard and Imogen Rees all
impressed at Clifton High and were
given awards. Alex Grocott impressed
at Monmouth and was awarded a
deferred scholarship and Max Curtis
impressed the new Headmaster at
Colstons so much that he was
awarded a deferred scholarship there.
In addition, Adassa Walker and Ella
Howard-Robinson in Year 6 were offered deferred places into Red Maids
in recognition of the high standard at
which they are working. Well done to
you all!
The Summer Term saw the very
successful introduction of the new
Learnpad tablets and interactive plasma
screen, raising our ICT facilities to the
next level.
During the summer holidays the
Library had a complete makeover,
making it an even nicer environment to
study and read in.
September 2014 sees Latin being
introduced to Year 5 children; Spanish
being introduced to the timetable for

Reception to Year 6 children and Science


receiving more allocated time so that
it can be more easily broken down into
the three disciplines.
Cognitive ability testing (CATS) will
be introduced so that we can monitor
childrens potential and performance
even more effectively than we currently
do. The continued development of
standardised English and Maths
assessments will ensure that our planning
becomes even more bespoke and tailormade to each childs needs.
The introduction of Ethics and Philosophy
will allow our children to become better
critical thinkers, even more adept at
asking questions and debating important
issues.
The future of the schools academics
is in good hands and I look forward
to seeing how things progress even
more next year. I thank all the teachers,
Mr Jones, Miss Sheppard and Mrs
Wakeling for their valuable input and
enthusiasm.
The Nursery continues to go from
strength to strength and is widely seen
as the beacon of excellence in this area.
I thank Mrs Reynolds and Mrs Pearce
for all their professionalism and
hard work.
Speech Days are always a time for
celebration and a time to say goodbye
and it gave me the opportunity to thank
Gary Sheppard and all the Governors. I
have sat with various governing bodies
over the years but recently I sat in one
of our meetings and realised that I had
never worked with a board as committed to the school. They possess a genuine love of the school and a clear desire
to see the school continue to blossom.
Mrs Julie Drew took retirement by
rote from the Board this summer. She
had been a Governor for six years,
was heavily involved in the schools
development plan and the leader of the
Enterprise Committee which oversees
the pool and the pavilion.

As for our other leavers, Luke Dutton


headed off to Taunton School; Otto
Cullis, Imogen Rees, Larry Williamson and
Elliott Orchard to Clifton High, Seren
Clayton moved on to Bristol, Harvey
Jones and Charlie Sanzo moved to
Colstons and Alvaro Daguerre moved
back to Spain. From Year 6 Adassa
Walker moved on to Red Maids; Amy
Horler to Colstons and Helena Brain
to Kingswood.
Mrs Dawes left us in April after 13
excellent years of dedication to the
school. Her high standard of teaching
and pastoral care were admired by all
and we wish her every continued success
Miss Nicole Fowler left us after a
lengthy Gap Year (five terms) to head
off to University. She was an excellent
friend to so many and I know she will
be missed. Miss Kate Taylor left us in
December 2014 to return to study in
Australia.
At Christmas we said farewell to Mrs
Murphy, who had had a longstanding
relationship with the school, teaching
a variety of subjects including RS. She
also shared the schools passion for
drama. At the same time two of our
popular drivers, Paul Clare and Mandy
Setter left the school and we thank
them for all those early morning runs
around north Bristol.
Joining us during the year was Mr
Pablo Perez who brought with him his
enthusiastic approach to the Boarding
House and general school life.
Our first year here was a wonderful
experience and we look forward to
building upon all that our school stands
for in the years to come. We hope you
enjoy this edition of The Tockingtonian.
Stephen Symonds, Headmaster

Autumn 2014

SCHOOL NOTES

SCHOOL NOTES 2013 - 2014

Harvey
jones

Seren
Clayton

Alvaro
Daguerre

Luke
Dutton

Charlie
Sanzo

Imogen
Rees

Elliott
Orchard

Larry
Williamson

Otto
Cullis

Lucy
England

HEAD BOY
Harvey Jones

HEAD OF CUNNINGHAM
Imogen Rees, Elliott Orchard

HEAD GIRL
Seren Clayton

HEAD OF BOYS SPORT


Elliott Orchard, Larry Williamson, Otto Cullis

HEAD OF ALEXANDER
Alvaro Daguerre, Luke Dutton

HEAD OF LOWER SCHOOL


Lucy England, Larry Williamson, Imogen Rees

HEAD OF CHURCHILL
Charlie Sanzo

YEAR 8 FORM CAPTAIN


Otto Cullis, Larry Williamson

The Merchant Prize for English


Seren Clayton

The Broyd Year 3 Reading Prize


Archie Symonds

The Shaw English Prize


Aditi Mehendale

The Haigh Cup for Middle School Creative


Writing
Tabitha Huby & Georgina Loring

The Ashford Prize for Best Essay/Poem


Alex Jacobi
The Most Promising Writer
Alex Gooch
4 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

The Gundry Cup for Excellence in English


Adrian Ng

SCHOOL NOTES
The Old Tockingtonian Society Prize for
Mathematics
Seren Clayton
The Old Tockingtonian Society Prize for
History
Seren Clayton
The Benjamin Moore Science Shield
Seren Clayton
The Smith Prize for Science
Harvey Jones
The Middle School Prize for Science
Eleanor Parker
The Gwrgan Cup for Excellence in Geography
Seren Clayton
The Robert Mason Prize for Geography
Imogen Rees
The Finnigan Prize for French
Seren Clayton
The Bett Prize for Classics
Imogen Rees
The McArthur Prize for Music
Annabel Sheppard & Aditi Mehendale
The Winson Prize for Singing
Elliott Orchard & Seren Clayton
The Walters Prize for Piano
Poppy Carter
The Wilkinson Shield for Best Wind Player
Abigail Blackwell & Olivia Campbell
The Prize for Best Brass Player
Jonathan Baguley
The Warn Guitar Prize
Vivian Boudon

The Lees Progress Prize for Strings


Amy Tucker
The School Prize for Percussion
Imogen Rees
The Sarah Finnigan Award for Drama
Charlie Sanzo & Elliott Orchard
The Henry Williams Prize for Religious Studies
Seren Clayton & Aditi Mehendale
The Emily Moore Award for Ballet/Dance
Lily Edwards
The Elaine Thomas Prize for Art
Charlie Sanzo
The Richardson Art Prize
Alex Jacobi
The School Art Prize
Alex Gooch
The Allen Technology Prize
Angus Duncan
The Jamie Smith Photography Cup
Olivia Campbell
The School Computing/ICT Prize
Aditi Mehendale
The Pippa Mason Award
Larry Williamson
The Gerrish Activities Cup
Elliott Orchard
The Baker Make the Most of Every Moment
Prize
Thomas Edwards
The Girls Games Prize
Olivia Campbell

Autumn 2014

SCHOOL NOTES
The Smith Cup for All-Round Sportsmanship
Imogen Rees

Year 7
Lucy Allan-Jones & Aditi Mehendale

The Lorenz Cup for Best Tramp


Anfisa Girusova

Year 6
Eleanor Parker & Alex Jacobi

The Friends of Tockington Manor Awards


Seren Clayton, Imogen Rees & Charlie Sanzo

Year 5
Tabitha Huby & Isabel Browning

The Barber Award for Effort


Aditi Mehendale

Year 4
Carmen Rey-Jones & Lou Saelens

The Jubilee Cup


Alex Gooch, Jonathan Baguley & Roshan Patel

Year 3
Elizabeth Allan-Jones

The Ben Senior Cup (Red Stars)


Charlie Sanzo, Alvaro Daguerre & Elliott Orchard

Lower School Progress Prizes


Daphne Glauzy, Toby Littlejohn, Rafael Rey-Jones,
Kaya Priove, Cole OLeary, Emily Gaulton, Emily Rowe,
Thibault Desautard, Billy Rowe & Oliver Edge

The Bursell Cup (Senior Stars)


Lucy Allan-Jones
The Lambie Cup (Middle School Stars)
Eleanor Parker, Dalis Jones & Alex Jacobi
The Alice White Cup (Junior Stars)
Lou Saelens, Otis Walker & Iona Campbell
The Titcomb Cup (Termly House Stars)
Alexander
The Stringer Shield (End of Year House Stars)
Alexander
The Barnes Grobler Shield for Best Boarder
Eugenia Paz Nunez, Abigail Blackwell & Matias Marra
The Clucas Cup
Seren Clayton
The Cogan Cup
Harvey Jones
Form Effort Prizes Year 8
Larry Williamson & Seren Clayton

6 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

Lower School End of Year Prizes


Marie Veron, Gemma Allen & Eva Carter
The Watson Sports Achievement Cup
Toby West, Toby Littlejohn & Kaya Priove

The Senior Leavers have passed


to the following schools:
Seren Clayton

Bristol Grammar School

Otto Cullis

Clifton High School

Alvaro Daguerre

Returned to Spain

Luke Dutton

Taunton School

Harvey Jones

Colstons School

Elliott Orchard

Clifton High School

Imogen Rees

Clifton High School

Charlie Sanzo

Colstons School

Larry Williamson

Clifton High School

NURSERY

THE Nursery

successful and was enjoyed by all. The


Nursery Christmas festivties and Sports
Day were celebrated by children, parents
and staff alike. Under the watchful eye
of Mrs Stow, the children have planted
and grown fruit and a variety of vegetables
in the Nursery garden. Potatoes have
been harvested and taken by the
children to the school kitchen where
they were cooked and served for lunch.
The children particularly enjoyed eating
these, knowing that they had grown
them. The year has provided us all with
great memories and excitement. With
our vast array of resources and varied
timetable, we enable the children to
laugh, enjoy and remember their
Nursery days.

SR

he Nursery and Foundation Stage


Holiday Club have celebrated
another very successful year. Play
continues to underpin all our childrens
learning with opportunities for both
indoor and outdoor activities. The children
have flourished and have enjoyed
exploring the garden and grounds. Our
Wrens have enjoyed a stimulating year
under the careful guidance of Emily
and Lorraine. They have looked at
farm and zoo animals, what goes on
under the sea and on the beach and all
types of vehicles. The Robins have
been examining all aspects of farming
as part of their environmental studies.
After walking through a local farmers
field and noticing the tractor and crops,
the children produced their own display
of tractors with sunshine, crops and
birds. They have also concentrated on
sensory materials such as gloop,
shaving foam, sand and paint.
The Owls interests have been around
mapping and producing their own maps
from their chosen points of interest around
the school grounds. While outside,
they have also participated in pond
dipping and bird spotting. Country
dancing has been a highlight when the
children listened to music, followed
instructions and created various movements
using their own resources. Indoors, the
Owls have enjoyed building a pirate
ship and dressing up as pirates. During
the Summer Term, the whole Nursery
Department with parents paid a visit
to Noahs Ark. This proved to be very
Autumn 2014

TREETOP CLUB

TREETOP CLUB

aving started the summer holidays


with sunshine and high numbers
of children at the Tree Top Club, I was
certain we were in for an enjoyable and
positive eight weeks ahead. The club
continues to run with three groups: the
Maples (Year 1 to the end of Year 2),
the Oaks (Years 3 to the end of Year 6)
and the Youth group (Years 7 and 8).
This summer, liaising closely with the
Foundation Stage Holiday Club, we
decided to include children who were
still of Reception age, to provide them
with more of a transition period into
the Maples before they enter Year 1 at
School. Feedback from parents
suggested that this was a welcome
move.
The Tree Top Club is run by an efficient team of competent staff. Most
of our leaders have been working at
the holiday club for many years and
are familiar with the daily organisation

8 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

as well as knowing the children who


attend. Without their commitment, the
club would not operate as well as it
does, with routines being implemented
and activities carried out. Throughout
the holidays we offer children a day
that is semi-structured with themed
weeks and usually at least one Arts and
Crafts activity each day. The children
have many opportunities to engage
independently or as part of a team.
There is always room at the Tree Top
Club for new people to join us and one
of our objectives is to keep the success
of the club growing by taking steps
forward. New and fresh ideas come
from recruiting additional staff and
from focusing on the expertise that
they bring. Summer 2014 saw the
introduction of Garbett Games, led by
James Garbett, one of the PE specialists at the school. It proved to be very
popular, with children signing up to

take part in coached sporting activities


including team games and football.
The facilities at Tockington Manor
also provide us with the opportunity
to offer outdoor pursuits without leaving the school grounds. This summer
children had the chance to take part in
a woodland wander which involved
taking part in various activities in a designated part of the woods. Searching
for birds and specific trees encouraged
the children to gain an interest in their
surroundings and they loved using the
fire pit to toast marshmallows.
The indoor pool at the school is used
as much as possible by the holiday
club and is always a great hit with the
children.
Further information about the Tree Top
Club can be found on the school website
www.tockingtonmanorschool.com.

KD

LOWER SCHOOL

LOWER SCHOOL
N

ew term, new start, new faces.


We started the Autumn Term with
an air of excitement and anticipation.
Three weeks later we were all performing on the stage for our Harvest Festival.
The children researched Harvest
around the world and raised money for
Kids for Kids supporting children in
Darfur.
By the end of the term, the children
were seasoned performers and Christmas was started early with a brilliant
performance of Shepherds Delight.
The stage was full of singing and
naughty sheep. The children were rewarded with a trip to Bristol Old Vic to
see a performance of Antarctica. It was
a magical experience and the children
were mesmerised.
The Spring Term seemed to fly by with
all the children settled and working
well. They also managed to squeeze in

a few memorable performances at the


Thornbury Eisteddfod.
In the Summer Term, during a very hot
week, the whole Lower School participated with enthusiasm in both their
Swimming Gala and Sports Day. The
children demonstrated great sportsmanship and a genuine support for all
their peers. The Summer Concert was
a great success with all the children
participating and with such delight on
their faces. It really was a goose bump
event. Looking back over the year,
what is evident is how much pride the
Lower School children have for their
school. They demonstrate a strong
sense of belonging and it really is a
unique quality.
Reception
We had a very exciting year in Reception. The children helped to build the
learning garden, became the proud

owners of guinea pigs, grew frogs


and vegetables, took part in plays and
gave their assemblies, to name just
a few things. Their progress in, and
enjoyment for, reading, writing and
mathematics has been a pleasure to be
part of. The class approached all work
and experiences with enthusiasm and
questions! The development of the
learning garden has greatly enhanced
the learning and teaching opportunities
within Reception. The space will develop
along with each class that uses it,
reflecting the interests and personalities
of the children.

CE
Year 1
Year 1 had a very busy year with lots
of new friends joining us along the
way. The children thoroughly enjoyed
learning about Florence Nightingale
in history and were thrilled when she
came to visit us with a drama
workshop.
Autumn 2014

LOWER SCHOOL

We had an excellent trip to Blaise


Castle where we learnt about Victorian
toys and adventure playgrounds which
supported our History and DT topics.
In the Summer Term we said goodbye
to Mrs Mockridge who became our
new Head of Art, and I resumed control!
We welcomed a French student for a
few weeks and learned all about life in
Paris. The term was action-packed with
a trip to Clevedon Pier and a visit from
the Avon & Somerset Constabulary,
our PCSO and the dog-handling team.
Thank you to DC Lewis who helped
us set up the day. If you get a chance to
go to Clevedon, please visit the pier and
try to find our very own TMS plaque.
The children are hoping very much that
we will be next to the One Direction
plaque!

LW

10 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

Year 2
Year 2 is always a busy year as the
children learn to become more independent and embrace more responsibilities, both academically and socially.
The children have been interested,
questioning and enthusiastic about
their learning. It is difficult to highlight
one moment or area as it has been
a thoroughly enjoyable year. Being
able to step back and listen and take
their learning where they want to go
is a privilege. A quote from the year
must be Rafie in Year 2 saying in the
last week of term I want to go back
to Reception and do the whole Lower
School again. I dont want to leave! So
a new start, new faces and a new term
awaits.
JLS

LOWER SCHOOL

MY
BEST
HOLIDAY
(by Year 2)

My best holiday was in Bermuda. We


went to see my auntie but it was a bit
sad because I hurt my foot but it is better
now so dont worry. We went in
Peters pool. Peter is my aunties
husbands Dad and his pool is best
because it is so warm. It was a good
holiday.

Frankie
My best holiday was in Mauritius. We
stayed in a hotel near the beach. It was
so near the beach that the floor was
sand. Every morning we woke early to
go to the beach and had a swim. When
it was lunchtime we went shopping to
buy our lunch; it was yummy! We went
on a boat and we were allowed to drive
it. On another beach we saw lots of rats
and crabs so we went back. When it was
the end of the holiday I was very sad to
leave.

Suzanne
My best holiday was in Greece. I
stayed in a small hotel. If you jumped
over the balcony with your swimming
costume on you could jump into the
swimming pool. At the end of the day
we went to a very nice restaurant. It
took eight hours to get home.

Krystof

It was so exciting yesterday; do you know what we did? We went to get two
guinea pigs! We went on the bus, Mr Symonds was driving and we went over a
big, big bridge on the river. The lady in the shop told us all about how to look after
them and then we brought them to school. We had a competition to get their names
and Lily was the winner, they are called Basil and Humphrey

Emily Gaulton, Reception

My best holiday was to America. First


I went to the airport and went on the
plane. Next we drove to the holiday
house. It was beautiful. Then I went to
bed. In the morning I had breakfast and
went to Disneyland. While we were
there I went on my first rollercoaster.
When I got home I went in the pool.
After the holiday we went back on the
plane. I took eight hours to get home.
I was happy to get home. But I was sad
to leave.
Lily

Autumn 2014

11

MUSIC

e have delighted in yet another enjoyable and


successful musical year at Tockington with lots of
concerts, events and individual achievements in recognised
examinations with certificates now on display in the
entrance to the hall. At the start of the Autumn Term,
some of our gifted Year 7 musicians attended a fantastic
jazz improvisation day at Millfield School with the Pete
Cater Big Band. They joined several other schools, learning some fabulous new skills. Also, early in the term, the
whole school enjoyed a fantastic brass assembly from our
specialist, Mr Martin Rogers which was great fun. Years
3 and 4 had additional classroom workshops, which led
to some new starters including Archie Carter in Year 4
learning trumpet and Ryan Hann in Year 3 taking on our
school tuba! We also had a fantastic informal concert at
lunchtime in October full of variety, featuring voice, piano,
violin, fife, recorder, clarinet, guitar and ukulele! The first
of the academic year, it really showcased the talent of the
children at Tockington.
As usual, the Music Department was particularly busy in
the lead-up to Christmas with the Wrens and Robins Play,
the Owls Nativity and the Lower School Christmas production. We
also really enjoyed our special Carols round the Christmas
tree evening, open to all pupils and parents past and present,
the mulled wine reception ensuring that we were all in
fine voice! The Carol Service at St Marys was, as ever, a
real highlight of the year musically. The Junior Choir sang
two delightfully contrasting songs, The Cat and Mouse
Carol and a lovely new song written by one of Mrs Warns

12 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

friends, Jayni Tremaine, entitled Sing, Gabriel Sing. The


Performance Choir gave an exciting rendition of Wonderful
Christmas Time and their version of Holy Night was truly
magnificent. Both choirs then came together to sing Do they
know its Christmas? It was a wonderful evening and a
fitting end to a lovely first term with our new Headmaster,
Stephen Symonds, and his family.
The Spring Term was dominated by our school musical
production of the Wizard of Oz but also by outstanding
successes in the Thornbury Eisteddfod. All three of our
choirs gained a distinction, with the Lower School Choir
winning second place against many local schools, singing a
traditional two-part round Down the River/Vive lamour,
as well as a lovely action-packed rendition of Groovy
Grandma by Chris Williams. The Junior Choir was also in
a large class and received a cup and first place for their two
contrasting songs, Where do we go from here? by Chris
Hazell and a particularly varied 2-part rendition of When
the Saints go Marching in which included some beautiful
trio singing of one of the verses in a minor key by Jonathan
Baguley, Annabel Sheppard and Jeanne Veron. The
Performance Choir also took first place with their two
songs, Howard Goodalls version of The Lord is my
Shepherd followed by the contrasting When I grow up from
the musical Matilda. There were some fantastic comments
from the adjudicator for all three choirs.
Overall, results were superb, with pupils entering almost
The cover photograph was also taken in St. Marys Church,
Thornbury and shows our Junior Choir Eisteddfod winners.

MUSIC
all the categories in the Eisteddfod. Highlights in the instrumental classes were Aditi Mehendale who took first place in
the Under 14 Piano Class. Aditi, Olivia Campbell and Lucy
Allan-Jones also won first place and a cup for their lovely
piano trio Iris. There were many more memorable entries
including Beth Pritchard and Roshan Patel, who entered the
composition class, Roshan wowing everyone with his own
fantastically powerful drum kit improvisation and Beth, having
only recently started piano, singing and playing her
own song.
Tockington was particularly successful in the singing classes,
in particular Annabel Sheppard who took two first place
trophies and one second place. In the extremely popular and
competitive class Songs from Shows, Tom Edwards took
third with his fantastically entertaining interpretation of I
think Id better think it out again from Oliver and Seren
Clayton captivated us with her Over the Rainbow from the
Wizard of Oz, the title song of our school musical this year,
directed by Mrs Glanville.
The Summer Term involved our House Music Competition,
a great success with some really fantastic solo playing and
brilliant interpretations of Michael Jackson classics from
each of the House choirs. The event was judged by Tockingtons

Autumn 2014

13

MUSIC
brass teacher, Martin Rogers, who gave some really positive
feedback. The marks were high and competition close, with
particularly fine performances from Jeanne Veron singing A
dream is a wish, Annabel Sheppard singing Lets go fly a
kite, Olivia Campbell treating us to a gorgeous rendition of
Adelita on the piano and Roshan Patel giving a stunning drum
improvisation as Churchills Wild Card. Dalis Jones and
Talia Curtis provided a lovely variation to the competition
with their gymnastics display. Alexanders Thriller included an excellent narration from Alex Ganfield and some
eerie laughter at the close. Churchills Man in the Mirror
showed good dynamic changes and excellent stage presentation. Cunninghams Beat it was very entertaining with
some wonderful solos from Tom Edwards and Toby Gaulton
and some brilliant air guitar playing and antics from the
suitably wigged Archie and George Symonds. It was a really
fun event and the closing scores, neatly calculated by Abigail
Blackwell, revealed this years winners of the cup
as Churchill.
Throughout the year, we have continued to enjoy our twicetermly informal concerts, which have been hugely popular
and successful, running on Monday or Tuesday lunchtimes

and providing a fantastic opportunity for the children to gain


performing experience in a more relaxed way. They have
also provided a platform for children about to take recognised
examinations. One really notable achievement this year was
Tom Edwards who received 100% in his Musical Theatre
Grade 5 exam. His performance in our final Summer Concert
was testament to his talent but we were also treated to
many other fine performances from individuals and groups,
including the orchestra, choirs, recorder consort, Year 4 ukulele
band and Year 6 singing their own song. It was a really
amazing evening and a fitting end to another enjoyable
musical year.
On a personal note, regrettably, continuing voice problems
have forced me to relinquish my role as Head of Music and
take a break from class teaching. I will, however, continue
with individual lessons at Tockington and Mrs Katie Sapkota
will take on the role from Autumn 2014. I would particularly
like to thank Mrs Charmaine George and Miss Sian Walters
for their incredible support and I wish Mrs Sapkota and all
our fantastic musicians and teachers at Tockington another
successful and exciting musical year ahead!
MW

MUSIC EXAMINATION RESULTS


Autumn Term 2013 Associated Board
Isabel Browning
Tom Edwards
Iona Campbell
Roshan Patel
Annabel Sheppard
Olivia Campbell
Seren Clayton

Grade 2 Piano
Grade 3 Piano
Grade 1 Singing
Grade 2 Singing
Grade 3 Singing
Grade 4 Singing
Grade 5 Singing

Pass
Pass
Merit
Pass
Distinction
Distinction
Merit

London College Musical Theatre


Tom Edwards

Grade 5 Distinction

Spring Term 2014 Associated Board


Pass
Henry Allan-Jones
Grade 1 Piano
Jonathan Baguley
Grade 1 Piano Merit
Olivia Campbell
Grade 3 Clarinet Distinction
Poppy Carter
Grade 2 Piano Pass
Tom Edwards
Grade 4 Singing Distinction
Antonia Hopcraft
Grade 2 Singing Merit
Ella Howard-Robinson Grade 2 Violin Pass
Aditi Mehendale
Grade 4 Piano Distinction
Aditi Mehendale
Grade 4 Singing Distinction
Oliver Shutt
Grade 1 Piano Merit
Abigail Blackwell
Grade 1 Theory Distinction
Helena Brain
Grade 1 Theory Distinction
Oliver Shutt
Grade 1 Theory Distinction
George Symonds
Grade 1 Theory Distinction

THE TOCKINGTONIAN
14

Olivia Campbell
Antonia Hopcraft
Aditi Mehendale

Grade 3 Theory
Grade 3 Theory
Grade 3 Theory

Merit
Merit
Distinction

Summer Term 2014 Associated Board


Oliver Shutt
Jeanne Veron
Freddie Cooper
Ella Howard-Robinson
Lucy Allan-Jones
Lucy Allan-Jones
Helena Brain
Aditi Mehendale
Olivia Campbell

Grade 1 Singing
Distinction
Grade 1 Singing
Distinction
Grade 1 Flute
Pass
Grade 2 Singing
Pass
Grade 3 Clarinet
Merit
Grade 3 Piano
Merit
Grade 3 Violin
Pass
Grade 3 Violin
Merit
Grade 5 Piano
Merit

Trinity Guildhall
Abigail Blackwell
Alexander Gooch
Isabelle Preston
Vivian Boudon
Alexander Grocott
Eleanor Parker
Angus Duncan
Jonathan Baguley

Grade 5 Recorder
Grade 3 Recorder
Grade 1 Recorder
Grade 1 Guitar
Grade 2 Guitar
Grade 1 Guitar
Initial Grade Guitar
Grade 1 Trumpet

Merit
Merit
Merit
Merit
Merit
Distinction
Distinction
Distinction

London College Musical Theatre


Annabel Sheppard

Grade 5

Distinction

DRAMA

DRAMA
I

n March we were whisked away to


the Land of Oz where we met some
very strange and enchanting characters.
Dorothy was played by Seren Clayton
and Olivia Campbell, on different
evenings, journeying through the
Land of Oz trying to find the infamous
Wizard of Oz played by Otto Cullis.
Dorothys journey began in Kansas on
a farm with the farm hands, family
members and local citizens being
played by the Year 7s and 8s.
Once she had been transported into Oz,
Dorothy found herself in Munchkin
land, where she met the Munchkins
played by Year 7, and Glinda the

Wizard of Oz contained many difficulties


for the main characters to overcome,
such as the singing and dancing
poppies that put them to sleep,
played by Year 3. The Year 4s
continued to offer Dorothy and
her friends many problems as the
Winkies and Flying Monkeys and
the Year 5 Jitterbugs put a spell
on them that they could not break.
The Year 6 group gave Dorothy and
her friends a well-needed rest from
their journey by pampering them in
the merry old Land of Oz! Refreshed,

Dorothy and her friends went on to


defeat the Wicked Witch and Dorothy
returned to Kansas.
The Wizard of Oz was directed and
produced by Mrs Glanville with musical
direction from Mrs Warn. Many other
members of staff and children worked
together to make this production a huge
success. In the Drama Department, we
enjoy watching the children develop in
confidence and ability throughout the
rehearsal process and are always looking
for the performers of tomorrow.
SGl

Good Witch, played by Aditi Mehendale. Their merriment was soon cut
short by the arrival of the Wicked
Witch of the East, skilfully played by
Lucy Allan-Jones.
On her journey through Oz, Dorothy
was met by a multitude of characters.
First she met the scatter-brained scarecrow, played by Charlie Sanzo. Next
she encountered a broken-hearted tin
man, played by Tom Edwards, before
finally being ambushed by the lovable
and cowardly lion, ably played by
Elliott Orchard. This version of The
Autumn 2014

15

CARTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
The standard of the cartography entries was very high in
2013-2014. The topics were Norway, Ukraine and Brazil
over the three termly competitions. The Year 5 and Year
7 entries were outstanding. Alex Jacobi (Year 6) won the
Autumn Term and Summer Term competitions with Max
Curtis (Year 7) winning the Spring Term competition. Year
2 now enter the competition and Ellie James won the
Summer Term prize.

We now also have a number of staff entries. Miss Fowlers


creativity and attention to detail were a joy to behold. Mrs
Gooch won the Summer Term prize with her strong map of
Brazil. Miss Fowler won the Spring Term competition with
her unusual map of Ukraine. Cartography is not a dying skill
at Tockington Manor School!

JJ

Autumn 2013

Spring 2014

Overall Winner Alex Jacobi


Runner-Up
Lucia Balenzategui
3rd Place
Olivia Campbell

Best Year Entry

Overall Winner
Runner-Up
3rd Place

Max Curtis
Lucy Allan-Jones
Isabel Browning
Dalis Jones

Best Year Entry

Overall Winner
Runner-Up
3rd Place

Alex Jacobi
Abigail Blackwell
Ceredig Jones
Max Curtis

Year 8
Year 7
Year 6
Year 5
Year 4
Year 3
Year 2
EAL

Year 8
Year 7
Year 6
Year 5
Year 4
Year 3
Year 2
EAL

Harvey Jones
Olivia Campbell
Beth Pritchard
Angus Duncan
Otis Walker
Ben Jacobi
n/a
n/a

Year 8
Year 7
Year 6
Year 5
Year 4
Year 3
Year 2
EAL

Harvey Jones
Olivia Campbell
Helena Brain
Isabel Browning
Isabelle Preston
Ben Jacobi
Ellie James
Carlos Fernandez

Charlie Sanzo
Max Curtis
Beth Pritchard
Dalis Jones
Freddie Cooper
Jacob Browning
n/a
n/a

Summer 2014

Best Year Entry

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
T
his year we had some outstanding
results in the Common Entrance
exam, particularly in the extended
syllabus Level 2 papers. These papers
are very challenging and the pupils
applied their knowledge well to the
questions and showed they were able
to think mathematically and persist to
answer the questions. This is one of the
aims of the Mathematics Department
which stems from the ethos adopted by
the whole school to challenge pupils
to reach their maximum potential. This
is fostered by the Maths Enhancement
Scheme of Work used to develop these
elements.

Another initiative in the Maths


Department is the introduction of new
assessments throughout the school. The
standardised scores obtained were used
to compare our results to the national
average. The scores enabled us to
compare our pupils with a large nationally representative sample that had
16 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

taken the test previously. The results


were as follows:

Year 6 had all pupils above the national


average and 23% of the class achieved
Stanine 9. Years 6, 5, 4, 3, 1 and Reception had no pupils in Stanine 1 or
2. In Years 6, 4, 1 and Reception over
40% of the class gained Stanine 7, 8 or
9. This would put them in the top third
of the country. The very positive results
reflected well on the teaching and
the Maths Enhancement Programme
used. These results, particularly for
the Year 6 pupils, will give them huge
confidence to embark on the Common
Entrance Syllabus.
Every year we enter pupils into national
competitions. This is another way we
can prove our standards are high and
it is an excellent way for pupils to
practice applying their knowledge. The
results are as follows:

All pupils in Years 7 & 8 entered the


UK Junior Mathematical Challenge.
The competition is always tough with
over 250,000 entrants. The honours
went to Aditi Mehendale who gained
a Gold Standard, just missing out on
qualification to the next stage. She
was also best in her Year and Best in
School. Silver awards went to Thomas
Edwards, Abigail Blackwell and
Roshan Patel who all performed well
and just missed out on a Gold Award.
The bronze went to Antonia HopcraftGuest who was also very close to gaining
silver. I have high hopes for these
pupils next year! The best in Year for
Year 8 was Imogen Rees, who performed
very well just missing the score for
Bronze. Congratulations to all those
who took part.
All children in Years 5 & 6 entered the
Primary Mathematics Challenge The
awards were: Gold for Alex Boulton,
Silver for Alex Ganfield and Bronze for

MATHEMATICS
Tabitha Huby, Jonathan Baguely and
Alex Jacobi.
The Year 8 pupils used their Maths
lessons during the Summer Term to
complete a project incorporating their
fitness and allowing them to improve
their skills in line for sports day. The
project involved measuring the pupils
time over two separate track events.
Using this data, the class was then able
to work out their average speed using

formulae for speed, distance and time.


Once the class had some raw data they
were able compare data, plot this data
into graphs and continue practising
the event to try and make personal improvements. From the results we were
able to see the groups fitness improve
over the three weeks we carried out
the project. Imogen Rees produced an
excellent project and made good improvements to her 200m time. Harvey
Jones also improved his time for the

100m and this consequently led to


success for Harvey in the same event
on Sports Day.
Overall, this was a very exciting and
successful year for the Mathematics
Department. We look forward to next
year, building on our success and
continuing to strive for better results
and more competition awards.
EW

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
In December Years 3, 4 and 5 went to
see a great performance of Aladdin
with the hugely funny clown, Tweedy,
at the Cheltenham Everyman theatre,
whilst Years 6 to 8 went to the Redgrave
theatre in Bristol to see the Bristol Old
Vic Youth Theatres fabulous production
of The Lion, The Witch and the
Wardrobe. At the very end of term,
we had our traditional visit from The
Flying Pizza Company, who told us the
story of the Hobbit. In early
February, the Old Vic Youth Theatre
came to visit us at school with A Comedy
of Errors, which was a huge hit with
the children, who said it was the best
Shakespeare they had ever seen.

e have had another exciting year


in the English Department, with
a wide range of opportunities to extend
ourselves as writers and readers, speakers
and listeners, both in class and in extracurricular activities.
Once more the calendar has been
marked by very exciting events on a
local, national and even international
scale.
October began with National Poetry
Day. Teachers shared poems with
children in all subject areas; in assembly we listened to poems; in the
library we displayed poems; and in
English lessons we had workshops in
writing poetry. Later that same month,

Years 5 and 6 wrote poems with the


award-winning poet, Rachel Rooney,
who visited TMS. The same groups
then went to see her perform her poems
at the Childrens Book Show at the
Arnolfini in Bristol. Here we made a
day of it and did some Creative Writing
workshops on the Waterside, resulting in more poetry when we got back
to school. We also saw the fantastic
author/illustrator, Sarah Garland,
whose speedy drawings fascinated the
children. The Lower School and Years
3 and 4 were visited by Kaye Umansky, who was funny and delightful and
Years 7 and 8 entered the realms of
fantasy in a workshop with the inspirational author, Julia Golding.

In March, we got very busy writing


stories for the Radio 2 500 Word
story-writing competition. We ran our
own competition with the stories in
school, selecting the best three from
each year group to be sent off to the
national competition. These stories
were recorded by teachers and can be
accessed on the school website at the
following address www.tockingtonmanorschool.com/2014/03/14/500word-stories-2014/. On World Book
Day, we announced winners in our
extended assembly and read some of
the stories. We also dressed up as book
characters, celebrated books and authors and launched the Readathon a
sponsored read for Clic Sargent, Roald
Dahls Marvellous Childrens Charity
and Together for Short Lives, raising
money for sick children and their families.
This year forty-two children and one
Autumn 2014

17

ENGLISH
events to be able to refresh the stock
in the library with approximately 800
worth of books before September. This
year has seen the Reading Clubs take
part in the Carnegie Medal and the
Kate Greenaway Shadowing Awards,
and although we did not agree with the
selections made by the Judging panels,
we had a lot of fun taking part in a
shared reading experience.

member of staff took part in the


Readathon, raising a spectacular 817,
reading an awful lot of books in the
Spring holiday. This beat our fund-raising
from last years Sponsored Read
and we hope that next year we will
raise even more. We also entered the
National Bookmark Competition with
some fantastic designs and clever puns.
Sadly, we had no winners here (only
6 out of 25,000 were awarded prizes!)
but each bookmark was laminated and
kept by our own children.
We continue to promote good reading
habits and offer the children many
opportunities to buy and to enjoy
books. We run a Book Shop of secondhand and new books, which is very
popular; we invite a Book Fair into
school during the week of World Book
Day; we run the Scholastic Book Club;
we have a new Book Swap shelf in the
library and we frequently have children
contribute reviews to the LoveReading4Kids website. We also take part in
the Bookbuzz event with Years 6 and 7
to start the year off with some excitement about new books. On top of all
this, we have a bespoke Reading Tree
in the library, where children share
their thoughts on books which they
have read or which they intend to read.
This year we introduced the Reading
Passport to the children and they have
been recording their personal reading
18 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

journeys throughout the year, marking


the variety and range of their reading.
We also have Paired Reading sessions
where tutor groups merge and share
books together, which is a great experience for all. This year saw the inauguration of Milkshake Monday Mornings,
where twice a year each tutor group is
invited into the library at break-time to
share a Milkshake and snacks with the
librarians and their teacher, whilst
listening to a story or poem and then
they browse with their friends and
share books. We have also had a number
of great volunteer parent, teacher and
pupil Storytellers in to school for our
Guest Storyteller assemblies, which we
all enjoy.
The library continues to undergo
change and we are looking forward to
its total refurbishment this summer. Not
only will the walls be freshly painted,
but the Friends have very kindly
dedicated a princely 2,000 to buying
new furniture, display boards, some IT
and other necessaries to increase the
appeal of the library. This year we have
re-instated a team of Junior Librarians,
who had to apply for their positions
and who do a sterling job of assisting
our volunteer parent helpers in running the library. We continue to lend
an increasingly varied and up-to-date
range of books to the children and have
raised enough money through various

This year we also took part in the local


Eisteddfod with great success in poetry
recitals, readings, improvised drama
pieces, story-telling and even Shakespeare. Tom Edwards won the Cup
for the Performer of the Eisteddfod
and was tipped as the next Laurence
Olivier. Year 6 took part in the Youth
Speaks competition run by the Rotary
Club and Beth Pritchard represented
the school in the Final.
In the classroom, we have continued to
develop an interesting and varied programme of study and have embraced
the revisions of the Common Entrance
syllabus into our curriculum. We have
looked for opportunities to write for
a real audience, including newspaper
reports for the Big Spring Clean and,
on an international level, we continued
to develop our relationships with our
Kenyan pen-friends through letters
passing to and fro and this is something
which the children always look forward
to. We introduced the Progress in English
tests to the school this year and are
very pleased with the results which we
have had from those. Our children are
performing at a very high level when
compared to national data and continue
to make steady progress in all areas.
Our Common Entrance Results were
good and we look forward to moving
the subject forward even further in the
coming year. Handwriting and Presentation is encouraged across the curriculum
and a new award has been created
with a trophy for the most Green Stars
awarded in all subject areas for work
which is a pleasure to look at. Children
are eager to win this prize and work
hard in regular handwriting competitions to achieve their best.
Clubs continue to thrive with the

ENGLISH
aforementioned Reading Clubs and
also Creative Writing, which has
seen a swell in numbers. Our weekly
newspaper BY children FOR children
has gone from strength to strength and
we now have two teams of journalists
with thirty children from Years 3 to

7 writing for the paper. The paper is


issued by Team A one week and Team
B the next and there is no end to their
boundless enthusiasm. If you have not
taken a peek at Totally Tockington, I
suggest you do it is uploaded onto the
website with every new edition. We are

considering whether we can turn it into


a small business enterprise in the year
ahead, which will be exciting.
All in all, a successful and stimulating
year.
JC

Gillman & Soame Photography UK

Autumn 2014

19

SCIENCE

SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT
T
he Science Department has enjoyed
another varied and exciting year. One
of the strengths of the department and
subject is the breadth of study. This
year, we have enjoyed making scale
models of the Solar System with Year
5, Fireworks with the Lower School
and Bridges with Year 7. The tasks
have been enjoyed by all the pupils

involved and we have also studied for


exams!
There are many changes planned for
next year, with Evolution now being
taught in Year 6 and expansion of the
Year 4 work to include atoms, not bad
for 9 year olds!

ART
DEPARTMENT

This year the birds drawn as part of


the Ornithology Competition were of
an incredible standard and the winners
were:
Autumn Term - Beth Pritchard
Spring Term - Alex Gooch
Summer Term - Alex Gooch

NG

he Summer Term saw more exciting


Art and Design and Technology
projects, including sewing, designing
bridges and board games, wire sculpture
and screen printing. The sunny weather
provided plenty of opportunities for
studies in the natural environment too.
Year 4 produced stunning piece of
collaborative batik art work for the
front hall with stimulus and ideas taken
from the school pond. Years 3, 4 and 5
had a great time creating some amazing
rainforest bottle top art during Activity
Week. The Photography Competition
rounded off the year. This term the focus
was colour. There were some stunning
entries and two worthy winners,
Henry Packham (Year 1) and Alexander
Gooch (Year 7).
Photograph by Alex Gooch

20 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

ART

Photograph by Henry Packham

he Spring Term in the Art Room


saw Tockingtonians complete their
most ambitious group art work to date.
Every single child in the school took
part in creating the beautiful Tockington Tree
Mosaic which now proudly adorns the
stairwell in the main house. During the
first half of term, Mrs Martin worked
with each year group to introduce them
to the basics of mosaic making, in
order for every pupil in the school to
create their own individual mosaic leaf.
Inspiring mosaic artist, Emma Leith,
then spent two days working with pupils
to guide them through the process of
piecing this enormous mosaic together.
Each year group took responsibility for
infilling different areas of the background around the leaves and creating
patterns on the tree trunk. Grouting the
tree took a further day with lots of help
Autumn 2014

21

ART
from Year 4 who polished every inch of
the grout! Then we had the mammoth
task of transporting the tree in three
sections and mounting it on the wall lots of scaffolding and brute strength
were involved!
This was a truly group project and
every pupil can be proud that they
contributed in many ways to creating
this glorious work of art.
Mrs Martin (Former art teacher 20112014)

22 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

HISTORY

ear 4 had a fantastic morning


at Bristol Museum. They were
able to handle artefacts, some of
which were over 3000 years old,
solve puzzles and spend time in the
Ancient Egypt gallery, looking at the
real objects they had read about in
books. Their knowledge of Ancient
Egypt and their deductive skills
really impressed the Museum
staff.
SG

HISTORY
DEPARTMENT

Autumn 2014

23

BOARDING HOUSE

LIFE IN THE BOARDING HOUSE

24 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

EXCURSIONS

EXCURSIONS AND VISITS


GEOGRAPHY
FIELDWORK

his was the 25th year that our Year 8s have undertaken the
trip away to deepest Pembrokeshire. This week away is
invaluable, with the pupils gaining a range of experiences and
breadth of knowledge, leaving them with many memories.
During our week away we studied the dunes at Freshwater
West, visited the 6th Century St Govans Chapel cut into the
limestone cliffs near Stackpole Head and undertook a stunning
coastal walk from Freshwater East to the Stackpole Estate. We
also went mountain biking around the estate, canoed on the
Cleddau Estuary, visited Pembroke Castle (birthplace of Henry
VII), went on a bat walk, took part in a beach clean and learnt
about the history of the estate and the role of the Campbells
of Cawdor.
Year 8 were awarded their Discovery Award from the John
Muir Trust in recognition of their awareness and responsibility
for wild places. Seren Clayton was given the highest mark for
her outstanding enquiry on the dunes. She scored 19/20 which
constituted 20% of her Common Entrance mark in the Summer
Term. The pupils were a pleasure to be with on the week.
Thanks to Mr Cann and Miss Fowler for their assistance on
the trip.


JJ

RIVER STUDY

OUT OF
TOWN
SHOPPING
Y

ear 7 focused their study at The Mall, Cribbs


Causeway, where the group interviewed customers
asking them (1) where had they travelled from to get to
The Mall and (2) what was their main reason for
choosing The Mall as opposed to going somewhere
else to shop. They interviewed 436 shoppers in the 55
minute survey!
Lucy Allan-Jones, Olivia Campbell, Tom Edwards, Alex
Gooch, Aditi Mehendale and Roshan Patel all scored
100% for their outstanding enquiries.

JJ

ear 6 had a successful trip high into the Brecon Beacons


studying the beautiful River Caerfanell, a tributary of
the Usk. They looked at the width, depth and velocity at
three different stages along the river. It was a glorious day
on which we saw Great-Crested Grebes, Dippers, Yellow
Wagtails, Stonechats and Cormorants.
The pupils were a pleasure to take away and worked well
as a team. The majority of the class scored A or A*
grades, with Olivia Banks scoring the highest mark
with 93%.


JJ

Autumn 2014
25

EXCURSIONS

TRAFFIC SURVEY

ear 5 studied the type and


volume of traffic on
Washingpool Hill Road. The
completed studies were excellent
with 14 of the class gaining A or

A* grades. Isabel Browning achieved


100% in heroutstanding enquiry.
We compared two time periods during
our study, concluding that 8.30-9.00 am

FRENCH TRIP
YEAR 7

Lundi 23 juin:
e had to be at school at 4.00
am, a very early start! We drove
to Portsmouth harbour to get onto our
luxurious ferry. Before we had even set
sail, most of us had already spent all
our money on sweets! After a six hour
crossing, we could see France:
Bonjour!

Our hotel rooms at the Cosy were really


nice. After dinner, we walked to Sword
Beach to play cricket. It was great!
Mardi 24 juin:
We got woken up too early! We had our
first breakfast at the hotel which was
delicious. We then made our way to the
D-Day Landing Museum in
Arromanches. The weather was
splendid. We were allowed to spend
some of our Euros in the shops near the
museum: George got a stunning green
beret and Roshan a massive bullet
key-ring. The Garden of the Missing
was particularly moving as our guide
told us about many young soldiers who
died on a ship on Christmas Eve. The
26 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

lines of white crosses were an astonishing sight. It is amazing to see how


many people sacrificed their future for
ours. After the American Cemetery, we
headed to Pointe du Hoc, a site full of
craters and partially destroyed bunkers.
It was interesting to explore this site.
After dinner at the hotel, we bought
churos and ice-cream and had fun on
the beach.
Mercredi 25 juin:
We visited Bayeux this morning. We
did not expect the Tapestry to be so
long and detailed! The market was
also interesting; many of us managed
to pick up good bargains. The hand
grenade rubber bought by Alex was a
welcome distraction from all the bling
on display. The visit to the British
Cemetery was really sad as we could
see the ages of the soldiers who died
in Normandy 70 years ago; most of
them were not even 20. After lunch, we
could not wait to reach Festyland. The
rides were brilliant. Olivia had enough
money left to buy a massive gecko
soft toy which she named Pascal, a

was the busiest time, with more than


twice the number of cars passing than
during the 9.00 - 9.30 am slot. One
hundred and forty nine vehicles passed
us during the the hour.
JJ

fantastic addition to the Year 7 class.


In the evening it was time for the much
anticipated Sandcastle House competition.
Unfortunately, the tide destroyed much
of the beautiful forts and other monuments built by each House. Oliver got
so frustrated that he threw back water
at the sea, shouting his anger at the
waves. Each House ended up getting an
effort prize as Miss Fox, Mme Vron
and Mr Glanville could not decide who
the overall winner was.
Jeudi 26 juin:
Posting a card home was by far the
greatest challenge of the trip. We
needed to get the right stamp, remember
where the address went, find a letter
box (which is yellow, not red); tough
work! Then we had a long journey to
meet up with Yves, a traditional baker
whose catchphrase was push-push.
He was very funny and showed us how
to make proper bread. We also saw
how clogs are made and had a race
wearing clogs with some even attempting
moon-walking with them. Lucy found
the right technique and wore the clogs
on her hands!
Vendredi 27 juin:
Saying goodbye to our charismatic bus
driver Tony was the hardest thing to do
today. We learned so much this week,
it was truly an experience that we will
never forget!
For the first time ever, I received a
lovely e-mail from the hotel manager
who wanted to praise the well-behaved
children from Tockington Manor. It
summed up how successful the trip was.
Well done, Year 7; it was indeed an
amazing week!
Mme Vron

EXCURSIONS

SENIOR
SUMMER
CAMPs
YEAR 8
W

e arrived at Biblins Camp in


glorious sunshine to be met by
Paul and Rich, our two Mendips Outdoors instructors for the week. After
a lazy picnic lunch, it was time to get
busy and make camp. Unfortunately,
the three-man tents were not the popup sort and did not come with built -n
parent power, so it took a little while to
work out how to put them up but, with
team work and practice, we soon had
a nice line of seven tents following the
river bank, under the shade of the trees.
After settling into our allocated bedrooms (and tightening a few of them
up), it was time to familiarise ourselves
with our new surroundings.
We set off, over the Indiana Jones style
bridge, to the other side of the river
Wye. Ambroise and Arnould took the
lead, apparently having built-in satellite
navigation. Alvaro quickly took control
of the map reading and led us on an
exploration into the forest. We walked
in the welcome shade of the trees filled
with the scent of wild garlic and mint,
birdsong in the air and the familiar call
of the teenager how much further is
it? Eventually we reached the Suck
Stone, reputed to be the largest detached block of rock in the British Isles
and weighing in excess of 30,000 tons.
You can also get a mobile phone signal
there which is helpful if you want to
Google facts! It was then time for
Alvaro to lead us down hill to the river
and back to camp, where Vicky (our
fantastic caterer) was cooking up
spaghetti bolognaise. After tea, Rangers
made their first attempt at washing
up the dishes before we began Mr
Canns traditional camp daft cricket
competition. The girls team, Seren,

Imogen and Anfisa, took an early lead


in the points. Then we all set off into
a triangular area of woodland to be introduced to Gold Rush, a frantic game
of buying, selling, borrowing, profit,
loss, strategy, cunning, bandits, doubledealing, running and more running. We
played in teams and the scores were
pretty close by the end of the game.
By then it was getting dark and time
to bunk down for our first night under
canvas.
The following morning was another
scorcher and, after a hearty cooked
breakfast, we got ready for a day on the

river. Rangers launched the Canadian


canoes, while Wanderers got into the
kayaks. It took a little while for
Ambroise, Otto and Elliott to master
their canoe and to be rescued off the
rocks at the first set of rapids. Luke
tried to turn his kayak into a submarine
at one point and Mr Perez got splash
happy in a water battle, but we all
made it to the lunch stop at Monmouth.
We ate our picnic while watching
dragon-boat racing, and then swapped
crafts for the second part of the journey.
With Rangers now in the kayaks and
Wanderers in the Canadians, over-confidence got the better and capsizing, bailing
out, sinking and falling overboard were
the main features of the afternoon.
Eventually, we reached our goal and all
helped to haul out the boats, empty out
the water and carry them to the trailer.
Back at camp, we were all ready for a
shower and a hot meal. Wanderers took
their turn at washing up and then we
went for a night walk. We trekked up
above the camp to King Arthurs cave,
the Seven Sisters and a fantastic view
of the valley. Stories and legends were
told, caves explored and, as the light
began to fail, strange noises were heard
coming from the abandoned workshop
near the quarry! We were definitely
Autumn 2014

27

EXCURSIONS

The afternoon was spent completing a


team orienteering challenge. Each team
split into pairs to find a number of different points marked on their campsite
maps and bring back the correct letter
sequence. Harvey and Alvaro showed
their determined streak by running
between each point and completing
the map away ahead of anyone else.
Everyone managed to finish before the
weather changed and the rain began.
After a final evening round of daft
cricket, the rain stopped, the fire was
lit and we gathered round to toast
twists over the embers before setting
off for bed, tired and full.

ready to get into our tents when we


got back.
Wednesday was Richs birthday. We
celebrated by going to Symonds Yat
for a day of abseiling and rock climbing.
Charlie, Larry and Anfisa bravely
conquered their nerves on the, quite
frankly, huge abseils, while others
practically shot down them. After
lunch, we attempted a series of climbs,
which involved teamwork and trust,
as we had to help billet each other.
Everyone took to the climbs, putting in
100% effort and enjoying the various
challenges.
Back at camp, we all sang Happy
Birthday to Rich and tucked into
chicken curry. Later, it was time to play
a final round of Gold Rush, where skulduggery reached its highest levels yet
and penalties were severe, with several
people having to buy back their shoes
from the bandits! Hot cocoa round the
campfire finished off another super day.
28 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

Thursday morning started with both


teams competing to solve a variety of
physical and mental problem-solving
challenges. Some thought it through,
while others literally dived straight
in. Scores were close when we moved
on to the archery challenges. Again,
both teams competed to score as many
points as possible before going on to
play a game of archery cricket. Ambroise
proved to be a very impressive shot,
collecting many wickets, while Imogen,
Arnould, Harvey and Otto were close
behind. Everyone improved throughout the session, but Rangers managed
to score the most runs before being
bowled out.

EXCURSIONS
Our final morning was bright and
clear. After a late breakfast, we took
down our tents and packed up camp,
reminiscing over all the skills we had
learned and improved on this week and
the fun we had had. No-one could believe how quickly the week had gone.
We thanked our wonderful caterer and
brilliant instructors before climbing
into the bus and heading back to school
and normality.

SG

During the course of the week the instructors awarded points for the effort
and help shown by each child, during
each activity. As they have not met the
children before it is always interesting to
see how they feel the children respond
to the different situations. As a result
of their deliberations the following
awards were made.
The best section award was given to
Rangers, led by Seren Clayton. Anfisa
Girsova gained the Best Tramp Shield

YEAR 6 CAMP

e arrived at Longtown on the


eastern edge of the Brecon
Beacons on a glorious, sunny day. This
is one of three national parks in Wales.
On the first day we climbed the stunning
Cats Back Ridge, scrambling up a
gulley and orienteering in the Olchan
valley, which was beautiful; we even
heard a cuckoo!
Day 2 saw us climb Corn Du (873m)
and Pen Y Fan (886m), the latter being southern Britains highest peak. It
was a very hot, cloudless day circumnavigating the secret lake and Tommy
Jones memorial obelisk. Helena saved
Amys cap, braving leeches and the
Beacons lake monster in the process.

and the following children were given


their Tramps colours in recognition of
their attitude and teamwork during the
week: Seren Clayton, Anfisa Girsova,
Imogen Rees, Larry Williamson and
Elliott Orchard.
I would also like to express my thanks
to Mrs Gooch and Mr Perez for the
way they threw themselves into all of
the activities and helped to make the
week such a success.

AC
on our journey. We saw herons, egrets,
plovers and Sand Martins on our trip.
Our camp was a happy one. The
pupils showed excellent teamwork
and all gained skills which will hold
them in good stead for the future. Ella
Howard-Robinson and Alex Jacobi
were awarded the Longtown Medal
for Outstanding Achievement for their
contribution to the week.
JJ

We took an alternative route up the


mountain which was fascinating and
enjoyed by all.
Wednesday was eventful with mountain
biking and canoeing being the
activities on offer. We were situated
at Pontsticill Reservoir for the day; it
was a most picturesque setting. The
mountain biking was exciting with a
few technical challenges. Adassa had a
spectacular wipe-out and was bandaged
up on our return to Longtown.
On our final day we had a canoe trip
on the River Wye. We launched at
Hay-on-Wye and canoed downstream,
negotiating rapids and playing games
Autumn 2014

29

ACTIVITY WEEK

ACTIVITY
WEEK

ctivity week this year was a huge success when everyone


enjoyed taking some time out of the curriculum. Children took
part in a fashion show and learnt some camping crafts in the woods
while some of our overseas pupils enjoyed a trip to London.

30 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

SPORT

SPORTING ACTIVITIES

Photography by Gillman & Soame UK

Autumn 2014

31

SPORT

1st X1

his was a season decimated by the prolonged and heavy


rain we received in January. We played to the best of
our ability in the four games played. The highlight was an
excellent win against QEH which was an impressive performance bearing in mind we played a strong, physical team.
There was a good early season draw against a strong Wycliffe
team and a creditable 1-1 draw against Sidcot School. This
match was a good flowing game and much enjoyed by a
vociferous crowd. We lost in the semi-finals of the annual
Wycliffe 6-a-side tournament. We eventually lost 0-1 against
Llandaff Cathedral School after playing very well in the
round robin stage of the competition.
Harvey Jones captained the side and always played well in
the holding role alongside Max Curtis in midfield. Alvaro
Daguerre was a classy and competent goalkeeper who
deservedly won the Sharland Cup for the best footballer.
The MacLellan Challenge Cup for Inter-House Soccer was
won by Cunningham. I look forward to 2015 and seeing the
development of our Year 7s and the emergence of our small
but talented Year 6 group.
The following players represented the 1st XI during the
season: Oliver Shutt, George Symonds, Alexander Gooch,
Roshan Patel, Alejandro Araujo, Thomas Edwards, Max
Curtis, Luke Dutton, Otto Cullis, Charlie Sanzo, Larry
Williamson, Elliott Orchard, Harve
JJ

COLTS
FOOTBALL

fter a very good start to the season we were stopped in


our tracks by the weather. This interruption had two
consequences; firstly we lost the early season momentum
that had developed and, secondly, the resulting wet pitches
made it difficult for us to play the sort of football that we
strive for here at Tockington. As a group, this seasons U11s
were skilful and determined. Passing and tackling were excellent and everyone understood what was required of them.
The 7-a-side format is fast and demands accuracy at all
times; defending starts as soon as you have lost the ball and
the whole team was expected to tackle back and put pressure
on the opposition. I am pleased to say it was a pleasure to
watch, at times, as we battled and out-passed other teams.
The side was provided with an excellent role model in their
captain, Alex Jacobi. He had a positive attitude at all times
and led by example with good tackling and accurate passing
from midfield, providing many good crosses and through

32 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

balls for the others to work on. Alex Grocott finished the
season with seven goals, making him the top goal scorer,
with his pace and determination proving too much for many
a defence during the season. In the Severnside 6-a-side tournament, held at Wycliffe, we were runners-up in the plate
final, losing narrowly to St Johns-on-the-Hill. A slow start
in the early games resulted in disappointment for the boys as
we lost or drew games that we knew we could have won.
The U11 squad was as follows: Alex Jacobi, Alex Grocott,
Alex Ganfield, Ceredig Jones, Ben Orchard, Adrian Ng and
Angus Duncan.
AC

UNDER 9
FOOTBALL
I

was very pleased with the U9s effort over the course of
the season this year. We started with an away fixture at
Westonbirt Prep. We took an A and a B team over and
both games were very close, with us narrowly losing 1-0
in both. Stand out performances from Jacob Wakeling and
Peter Banks were the highlights of the afternoon and the pair
continued this form throughout the season.
We then had another tough fixture against St Johns-on-theHill and, despite close defeat, there was much to be pleased
about, with goals from two of our Year 3 pupils, Archie
Symonds and Ben Jacobi. We then came up against a Clifton
High side made up of all Year 4 boys. The As managed a
1-0 win with a goal from Peter Banks and a Man-Of-theMatch performance from Otis Walker. The Bs very nearly
held for a draw but lost 3-1 conceding two late goals.
Our last fixture was arguably our best. We hosted Rougemont
who brought an A and B side over to play us. Our A
team started with a 2-1 win over Rougemont A, with
goals from captain Jacob Wakeling and Archie Symonds.
The B team narrowly lost to Rougemont B 1-0. Our
As then played Rougemont Bs and played some fantastic
football, winning 4-0 with all four goals coming from Archie
Symonds. On the other pitch the Bs took on Rougemont As
and, despite losing the first fixture, they went on to record an
impressive victory against their Aside. The only goal of the
game came from Freddie Cooper and a Man-Of-the-Match
performance from Rohan Howard-Robinson in goal.
Boys representing the U9 team were: Peter Banks, Archie
Carter, Freddie Cooper, Rohan Howard-Robinson, Harry
Huby, Jake Wakeling, Otis Walker, William Bate, Jacob
Browning, Logan Fitzpatrick, Toby Gaulton, Ryan Hann,
Ben Jacobi, Harry Mather, Jai Patel, Archie Symonds and
Archie West.
BM

SPORT

RUGBY

Photography by Gillman & Soame UK

Autumn 2014 33

SPORT

1st X1
T

his was a most enjoyable and rewarding season for the


1st team. Despite a small playing squad, with many
new to rugby, they played with tenacity, courage and skill
throughout the season. We saw plenty of true Tockington
spirit despite being outsized by all the teams we encountered. We played in two outstanding matches, both resulting
in exciting drawn games, with a thrilling 26-26 score line
against a strong Beaudesert side being the highlight.
Our 17-14 reverse against Hatherop Castle was also a tense
struggle and one that we were unlucky not to win. Hatherop
scored in the last play of the game.
The boys developed their skills considerably over the course
of the season and I was very proud of their progress and
commitment during the season.
It was unfortunate that one of our best players, Max Curtis,
suffered concussion in the first match of the season which
resulted in him missing most of the matches. Harvey Jones
and Elliott Orchard shared the Hollington Cup for the best
rugby player of 2013. They both played their hearts out in
every match and showed good leadership and determination.
Larry Williamson developed into a strong and effective
prop. Larry, Harvey and Elliott received their colours in
recognition of their contribution to the team over the past
two seasons.
The Cymric Inter-House Cup was won by Alexander.
The following boys represented the 1st XV during 2013:
Otto Cullis, Harvey Jones, Elliott Orchard, Charlie Sanzo,
Larry Williamson, Pedro Botella, Max Curtis, Tom Edwards,
Roshan Patel, Alexander Gooch, Oliver Shutt, Alvaro
Daguerre, Luke Dutton, Henry Allan-Jones and George
Symonds.
JJ

34 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

COLTS
T

he Colts had a very encouraging season on the rugby


field. The opening game at home to Llandaff was a very
close encounter and an excellent way to start the season.
We lost the game by 31 points to 26, with Alex Grocott
scoring three tries and an excellent solo effort from Alex
Jacobi. Alex Ganfield was asked to captain the team and did
a very good job, displaying excellent leadership skills. As a
result, he was asked to captain the team for the next game
and retained the captaincy for the remainder of the season.
The second game away to Monmouth also ended in defeat
and we had a lot to do to ensure we did not continue in this
manner. We went on to be unbeaten in the next four matches
winning three of them and drawing one. This included an
impressive 42-0 win against Wycliffe and a 46-15 win over
QEH. During these matches our Year 5 boys had started to
impress. There were some very good performances from
Angus Duncan, Bennie Sanzo and Ceredig Jones. Our
overseas student, Adrian Ng, also picked up the game
very well.
We entered the annual Beaudesert Park Sevens Tournament
full of confidence and this was clear to see in our first three
performances, winning 21-0, 21-0 and 21-15 with seven
tries from Alex Grocott, one from Alex Jacobi, and one from
Angus Duncan. The semi-final saw us comfortably beat
Wycliffe 31-0 and we lost 31-15 in the final. This appeared
to be one game too far for the boys who had performed
fantastically all day. Our next game saw us defeated by
Clifton High; however, we picked ourselves up to finish
the season with a fantastic win away to Beaudesert Park.
There were some excellent performances from individuals
throughout the season, but the most notable one was by Alex
Grocott, who scored a remarkable 43 tries over the course of
the season. Well done boys.
Boys representing the Colts team were: Alex Boulton, Alex
Ganfield, Alex Grocott, Alex Jacobi, Adrian Ng, James
Allen, Jonathan Baguley, Vivian Boudon, Angus Duncan,
Ceredig Jones, Ben Orchard, Bennie Sanzo and Oscar Watts.

BM

SPORT

NETBALL

Photography by Gillman & Soame UK

Autumn 2014

35

SPORT

UNDER 13s
T

he 2014 netball season, once again cut short by bad


weather, will be remembered not only as one of the
wettest on record, but also as a most enjoyable and successful season.
At Tockington Manor, we put great emphasis on team work,
and netball is an ideal game in which to teach the girls how
to work together to achieve success. There is also plenty of
scope for developing individual skills and this season we
had many outstanding individual performances as well as
a fantastic team effort. The U13 team were a spirited group
of girls who were technically very sound. This, together
with the ability to concentrate, anticipate and think quickly,
meant they used their skills effectively. Strategies and tactics
learnt over the duration of the term enabled us to hold our
own against our opponents.
All the girls deserve credit for their performances; however,
special mention must be made of Olivia Campbell, whose
energy and tactical awareness were so crucial to the team,
and also Aditi Mehendale, who was so dependable and
unfailingly defended goal as though her life depended on
it. Our two Year 8 girls, Seren Clayton and Imogen Rees,
will be hugely missed by us all next year. Their percentage
of goals increased match by match, culminating in a 20-20
draw in our final match against The Downs.
The Farr inter-House Cup was won by Churchill. Notable
performances on the afternoon were from Beth Pritchard
and Helena Brain who organised Alexander superbly. The
weather was pretty awful that day so the matches had to be
shortened. Colours were awarded to Imogen Rees and Seren
Clayton.
Girls representing the U13 team were: Seren Clayton,
Imogen Rees, Lucy Allan-Jones, Olivia Campbell, Antonia
Hopcraft-Guest, Aditi Mehendale and Abigail Blackwell.

JP

UNDER 11s
T

he girls from Years 5 and 6 were determined and enthusiastic. Everyone tried their best to produce a good
accurate throw or shot on goal, whilst also thinking about
intercepting the ball.
Every game was used by the girls as a learning experience,
whether we won or lost. They took on board good and bad

36 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

points from the previous match and learnt from them. The
progression shown in skills, team cohesiveness and tactical
play as the season went on was continuous.
The team was represented by Olivia Banks, Ella HowardRobinson, Eleanor Parker, Beth Pritchard, Isabel Browning,
Talia Curtis, Tabitha Huby, Dalis Jones, Georgina Loring,
Rachel Shutt and Madeleine Summers.

LB

UNDER 9s
W

e started the season with a good grounding in the


basic skills. We looked at the matches as learning
experiences for the girls to develop skills and experience in
positional play. We came across some good opposition in
our first game and lost but felt we could improve and learn
from it. We then began to pass and look for space and started
to grasp how to play competitive games. Two players of
note were Isabelle Preston and Carmen Rey-Jones who were
excellent at reading the game and intercepting the ball. The
next part of the game to improve on was to turn defence into
attack. We had a number of triangular games and we slowly
developed in experience and skills. Over the course of the
season we had many close games, drawing with teams or
just losing by one goal. The skills that need to be developed
going forward to next season are our goal shooting and moving
into space. Our season had been hit by some of the worst
weather in years and we had quite a few matches cancelled
due to rain.
When it came to the Severnside Tournament, we faced some
very slick teams and, with having less preparation than usual,
it was a tough ask. Any bad passes in each game resulted in
an interception and then a goal against us. However, the girls
did not give up and kept fighting each match. Well done to
all the girls who played in the U9 team. All the Year 3 girls
gained experience from being included in the games.
In addition to the Year 3s gaining experience in the U9 team,
they had their own U8 matches to play. All the girls were
invited to the U8 tournament at Beaudesert Park. Well done
to those girls who gave up their Saturday to compete; they
all gained a lot from this experience. They also had some
fixtures against others schools where they performed well
and improved positional play. The U8s beat the teams from
Pinewood, Beaudesert Park, St Hughs and The Downs and
drew to Cheltenham.
The following girls represented the U9 and U8 teams: Alys
Wakeling, Elizabeth Allan-Jones, Rhea Fernandez, Erin
OLeary, Jeanne Veron, Elodie Preston, Lou Saelens,
Carmen Rey-Jones, Iona Campbell and Isabelle Preston.
EW

SPORT

CROSS COUNTRY

Photography by Gillman & Soame UK

Autumn 2014

37

SPORT

his was a most successful and satisfying season. There


were two new school records and all of our athletes
worked hard towards their Personal Bests and target times.
We again competed in many events, with most of our Years
3-8 pupils representing the school.
Our U11 Girls squad won the silver medal in the Gloucestershire League. The U11 Boys squad won the bronze,
with Alex Grocott winning all four meetings; he is now the
Gloucestershire champion. Alex Jacobi came 7th in the
individual competition with Dalis Jones coming 6th and
Eleanor Parker picking up the bronze in the girls category.
Alex Grocott was also crowned Gwent League champion
while running on Sundays for Westbury Harriers. He won all
five meetings, a remarkable achievement.
Our talented U9 Boys team won their inter-school fixture
against Wycliffe and Beaudesert Park, winning the event in
both the Autumn and Spring Terms.
We hosted our 11th TMS Relays event in March with 26
teams taking part. The U11 Girls, U11 Boys and U9 Boys all
won their respective races with new records being made.
Our teams were again victorious in the annual Hatherop
Castle Relays. We won the individual shield for points
scored for the second year running, winning the U13 Girls,
U11 Girls, U9 Girls, U9 Boys and U11 Boys events in the
process. This was a lovely afternoon and underlined our
fitness and talent against schools from the Cotswolds area.
Congratulations to Eleanor Parker who equalled Victoria
Budds U11 Girls 2004 record of 7 minutes 56 seconds.
Alex Grocott lowered his own U11 Boys record a number
of times. It now stands at a stunning 7 minutes.
Cross-country continues to go from strength to strength,
with our Monday evening running club being very popular.
The club has been fun to run and has stretched the more able
athletes as well as encouraging the younger members.
The Clarke Cup for Inter-House Cross-Country was won by
Alexander. The Booker-Jones Cup for the outstanding girl
was won by Eleanor Parker and the Davies Cup for the best
boy was won by Alex Grocott.
JJ

Internal Competitions
Turkey Trot
Eleanor Parker
The Morpugo Challenge
Ceredig Jones
Bath University Prize Run
Alex Grocott

38 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

Mufti Day Challenge


Year 5
November Cup
Otis Walker (Years 3 & 4)
Adrian Ng (Years 5-8)
Mystery Prize Challenge
Angus Duncan & Toby Gaulton
Goose Egg Gallop
Alex Grocott, Alex Jacobi, Olivia Campbell, Oliver
Shutt, Harry Mather, Jake Wakeling
Easter Egg Competition
Otis Walker (Years 3 & 4)
Alex Jacobi (Year 5-8)
Valentine Chase
Alex Grocott
St Davids Day Challenge
Olivia Campbell
Spring Challenge
Lucy Allan-Jones
Athlete of the Month Awards
George Symonds, Lucy Allan-Jones, Alex Grocott, Dalis
Jones, Henry Allan-Jones, Otis Walker, Alex Jacobi
TMS Sports Relief Challenge
The Nursery, Lower School and Upper School completed 1002 laps of our Mini Cross-Country Course on 21st
March. This equates to 766,530 metres. We raised 210
for the cause. An excellent effort!
External Competitions
U9 Match v Wycliffe & Beaudesert Park
Boys Winners
Girls 2nd
Gloucestershire League Meetings
U13 Boys
5th
U13 Girls
11th
U11 Boys
3rd
U11 Girls
2nd
TMS Relays
U13 Boys
6th
U13 Girls
3rd
U11 Boys
Winners
U11 Girls
Winners
U9 Boys Winners
U9 Girls 4th
Hatherop Castle Relays
U13 Boys
2nd
U13 Girls
Winners

SPORT

CROSS COUNTRY

Photography by Gillman & Soame UK

Autumn 2014

39

SPORT

CRICKET
1st X1

he cricket season started off against a very organised


and talented Wycliffe side. We lost the toss and were
asked to field. Wycliffe posted a score in excess of 150,
despite some tight bowling from Max Curtis and Harvey
Jones, who took three wickets. It was always going to be
challenge inside 20 overs. We lost early wickets and, unfortunately, the middle order did not put up much resistance.
We worked hard to rectify our mistakes during net sessions
and it was not until our home fixture with Monmouth that
this hard work finally paid off. We batted first and a fine
batting display from our captain, Max Curtis, saw us reach
121 in our 20 overs, with Max finishing on an unbeaten 53
runs. Monmouth put up a good fight but ended up 32 runs
behind our total.
We took this form into remaining fixtures and ended up
winning three of our last four games. I was very impressed
with the attitude and organisation Max Curtis displayed
as captain. The boys created an excellent buzz whilst on
the field during the second half of the season. There were
excellent performances form Harvey Jones who ended up
with a total of nine wickets and scoring 63 runs. There were
also very encouraging performances from Year 7 boys, with
some excellent bowling from Ollie Shutt and Tom Edwards.
Lots to look forward to for next year!
The Carr-White Cup for best cricketer was won by Max
Curtis. Boys representing the 1st XI team were: Otto Cullis,
Alvaro Daguerre, Harvey Jones, Elliott Orchard, Charlie
Sanzo, Larry Williamson, Henry Allan-Jones, Max Curtis,
Tom Edwards, Alex Gooch, Matias Marra, Roshan Patel,
Oliver Shutt and George Symonds.

BM

COLTS
CRICKET

his season proved to be a steep learning curve for many


of this young team. It took the best part of the first half
of term to begin to get to grips with the batting and bowling but
the results reflected a steady improvement during the term.
The top wicket taker, Alex Jacobi, (5 wickets) and the highest
run scorer. Alex Grocott, (115 runs) were the mainstay of
the team and set a good example for the rest to follow. Alex
Jacobi captained the side well and proved to be very athletic
in the field. Alex Ganfield made excellent progress as wicket
keeper, saving many runs and making several stumpings and
run-outs during the season. This was very much a learning
experience for many and I hope that we can build on this
next year.
40 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

The high point of the season was our final game against
Clifton High School; which we won by 27 runs. This was
a just reward for all the hard work that the squad had put in
during what was a difficult season.
Squad members were: Alex Jacobi, Alex Grocott, Alex
Ganfield, Adrian Ng, Ceredig Jones, Angus Duncan, James
Allen, Bennie Sanzo, Ben Orchard, Jonathan Baguley and
Oscar Watts.
AC

CRICKET
UNDER 9s

his was a most enjoyable and successful 2014. The U9


squad played some very good cricket and developed
pleasingly as a group. They were a pleasure to coach and
listened well to advice and guidance. I believe that they are
a talented group with great potential for the future.The highlight of the season was a stunning 12 run victory against
a strong St Johns-on-the-Hill, our first win over them for 12
years. The boys had some off-season coaching from Owen
Dawkins, the Academy Director at Gloucestershire County
Cricket Club, which helped get our season off to a solid
start. Owen will continue to develop our young players
next season. Jake Wakeling, who has played for his county
a number of times this season, led the team well and is a
very promising and skilled bowler. Peter Banks bowled and
batted well and has potential as he is a fast bowler and an
aggressive, exciting batsman. Freddie Cooper, Otis Walker,
Harry Huby, Archie Carter and Rohan Howard-Robinson
all improved their cricket and were valuable team players
throughout the season. Archie Symonds and Archie West
show promise and were regulars on the side throughout the
season despite being in Year 3. They both show potential as
talented all-round cricketers.
I look forward to 2015 and seeing the progress of Logan
Fitzpatrick, Harry Mather, William Bate, Jai Patel, Ben
Jacobi, Toby Gaulton, Ryan Hann and Jacob Browning.

JJ

GIRLS
CRICKET

e have been developing our cricket skills over a


number of years and we now have enough experienced players for an U11 and U13 squad. The girls have
great enthusiasm for the game and have developed their
skills considerably. They had a very enjoyable fixture against
St Johns-on-the-Hill in both U13 and U11 age groups;
unfortunately we narrowly lost both games. All the girls
enjoyed the experience and will continue to play cricket in
the future.


EW

SPORTS

TENNIS

most enjoyable and successful season! Our teams were


ably and maturely led by Charlie Sanzo who played
some excellent tennis during the season. There were two
excellent victories against Clifton College and Wycliffe.
Our internal competitions were fiercely contested with some
interesting, hard-fought finals.
Charlie Sanzo and Harvey Jones won the annual Severnside
Tournament, playing very well as a pair and beating some
good players in the process.

Simpson Cup for Junior Singles

Jessie Sanzo

Tuite Dalton Cup for Inter-House Tennis


Cunningham

The following children represented the tennis team during the


2014 season: Charlie Sanzo, Harvey Jones, Elliott Orchard,
Max Curtis, Alex Jacobi, Bennie Sanzo, Angus Duncan,
Alex Grocott, Ceredig Jones, Seren Clayton and
Jessie Sanzo.

JJ

Jessie Sanzo

Pritchard Cup for Junior Doubles


Alex Jacobi & Angus Duncan

Lucy Newman Cup for Mixed Doubles


Seren Clayton & Charlie Sanzo

Rapson Cup for Senior Singles


Charlie Sanzo

James Finnigan Cup for Senior Doubles


Charlie Sanzo & Ceredig Jones
Hilleard Cup for Senior Girls

Autumn 2014

41

SPORT

ROUNDERS
Under 13 Rounders

he U13 rounders team had a very enjoyable and successful


season this year, The girls made tremendous progress,
the weather held, and we completed all our matches. The
girls loved playing rounders and their skill, commitment and
enthusiasm were a joy to see.

The first innings was very close. Notably, Maddie Summers,


supported by Beth Pritchard and Rachael Shutt, demonstrated
promise and speed, clocking up some quick half rounders.
Despite facing very strong fielding from a cohesive opposition,
all of the girls showed courage and determination to the
last ball.

Over the course of several weeks the girls went from


strength to strength. The standard of fielding across the board
was very high and there were some fine individual batting
performances, particularly from Seren Clayton, Imogen Rees
and Olivia Campbell.

The A team played valiantly in the tournament at Clifton


College, much was learned and the experience was enjoyed
by all, regardless of the final placing. Mrs Adams was very
proud of the girls conduct and approach to the tournament.
As a team, they showed great promise for next years
senior squad.

By the time the Severnside Rounders Tournament took place,


we were on top form, beating Beaudesert Park, The Downs
and Wycliffe. We came away that afternoon as decisive winners
of the U13 B Tournament, which was a terrific result,
especially as our team was made up of girls from Years 6,
7 and 8. Unfortunately, this was the last of our calendar
fixtures, which was disappointing, as we were playing top of
our game, but we certainly finished on a high.

The following girls represented the U11 Rounders team:


Olivia Banks, Helena Brain, Amy Horler, Ella HowardRobinson, Eleanor Parker, Beth Pritchard, Adassa Walker,
Isabel Browning, Poppy Carter, Talia Curtis, Tabitha Huby,
Dalis Jones, Anya Constantinescu, Georgina Loring, Jessie
Sanzo, Annabel Sheppard, Rachael Shutt and Madeleine
Summers

CA & SG

The Pike Rounders Cup was won jointly by Cunningham


and Churchill and the cup for the best rounders player was
awarded to Seren Clayton. Seren also gained her colours
together with Imogen Rees.
Girls representing the U13 rounders team were: Seren
Clayton, Imogen Rees, Lucy Allan-Jones, Olivia Campbell,
Antonia Hopcraft-Guest, Aditi Mehendale, Abigail Blackwell,
Helena Brain, Amy Horler and Adassa Walker.

JP

Under 11 Rounders

t was a fun and inclusive season for the Under 11s, with
everybody getting the opportunity to represent the school
in a match. Our Year 6 girls led with maturity and enthusiasm, demonstrating excellent progress in skills and a
wonderful team spirit.
We started the season with a close match against Beaudesert
Park. Fabulous bowling from Ellie Parker and solid rounders
by Olivia Banks helped us to clinch the victory with eight
rounders to seven. In our second match, against St-Johnson-the-Hill, the girls improved their score margin, winning
twelve rounders to eight. Notable play in that match was
from Ella Howard-Robinson with some sharp fielding on
fourth post. This match, in particular, demonstrated the girls
improvement in positive fielding decisions. In our final
match, against The Downs, all of the girls were involved.
42 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

Under 9 Rounders

he girls have been developing their basic skills and


learning all the rules of the game. In their first game of
the season they faced a very impressive Beaudesert Park
team. We lost, but this was a good lesson for the girls, as
they saw how the game could be played. Since that game the
girls have been going from strength to strength, beating St
Johns-on-the-Hill and The Downs then drawing with Red
Maids. All the girls have significantly improved their tactical
awareness and batting skills. There is still room for much
improvement when it comes to fielding, catching and
throwing particularly over-arm.
Girls representing the U9 team: Alys Wakeling, Elizabeth
Allan-Jones, Rhea Fernandez, Erin OLeary, Jeanne Veron,
Elodie Preston, Lou Saelens, Carmen Rey-Jones, Iona
Campbell and Isabelle Preston.
EW

SPORT

SWIMMING
T

he swimming year has been a busy, exciting and successful one with entries in the IAPS Regional competition
and a runner-up position in the Severnside Gala, our highest
ever finish! This success has been largely down to a successful
team ethic in the squad and a determination to perform to the
best of their ability.
Helena Brain demonstrated a superb backstroke style to win
the IAPS Regionals and performed with the U11 relay team
to produce a win that put them ninth nationally. Many swimmers swam out of their age groups and we looked a polished
outfit at this meet as well as at the Severnside Gala in June.
Individually, we won 75% of the races but once again, as a
small school, the relay positions dropped us to a still pleasing
second. All of our swimmers swam Personal Bests in their
relays and this demonstrated a keenness to work as a unit.
Swimmers throughout the school have had a 100% improvement in their Personal Bests across all strokes and in the
Under 13 competition Seren Clayton, Imogen Rees, Max
Curtis, Olivia Campbell, Abigail Blackwell and Harvey
Jones battled all year to achieve the final trophies. Olivia
produced a superb final term to take the trophy.
In the Under 11s, Rachel Shutt, Helena Brain, Alex Grocott,
Ellie Parker, Olivia Banks and Ella Howard-Robinson
participated in nail-biting competition all year, Rachel was
finally crowned U11 champion as well as winning the TMS
diving trophy.
In the Under 9 competition, the Year 3s passed their National
Curriculum awards four years early and Jake Wakeling,
Peter Banks, Iona Campbell and Rohan Howard-Robinson
battled for the awards,with Iona winning the overall trophy.
In the Lower School we continue to have fun and develop
skill. It is always a proud day when the entire school is
swimming and this day came in March. Well done,
Reception.

Diving skills have been developed well and the Lower


School shows much promise, their water skills and confidence
increasing weekly.
Lifesaving is an important skill and the lessons begin in the
Nursery with talks using RNLI material. This develops into
the Swimming Teachers Association awards and includes
rescues and being aware of your own safety near water. The
children enjoy the sessions greatly and have learnt valuable
life lessons. By Year 8 the demands are great; the Platinum
award is not given lightly. The five winners should be proud
and now have the skills to pass the National Lifeguard
qualification when they are 16. We welcomed back some
Old Tockingtonians who have completed the award and are
now earning as well as gaining work experience. I admit to
feeling a mixture of emotions, including feeling very old, as
we welcomed Jess Portch, Alan England and Hannah Warn
back to help in the Lower School gala.
During Activity Week we welcomed Paula, a highly
regarded synchronised swimming coach, to Tockington
Manor and the pupils gained an insight into life as a
synchronised swimmer. The sessions were fun, musical and
very difficult.
Water polo continues to be enjoyed and we have some
superb players. Alexander showed real team commitment
to win the House Polo Ball in March, with Adrian Ng and
Alvaro Daguerre demonstrating great goalkeeping prowess.
The Winthrop Cup (U13) was won by Olivia Campbell, the
Ruck Cup (U11) by Rachel Shutt, the St Lawrence Cup (U9)
by Iona Cambell, the Diving Cup by Rachel Shutt and the
White Cup for Inter-House Swimming by Cunningham.

BH

The Spring Term saw a focus on stamina. Imogen smashed


the school record with a staggering 1580 metres in 20 minutes.
Jake Wakeling, Alex Grocott and Ellie Parker produced
winning distances in their age bands.
The Lower School swimmers produced the most ever
lengths and 50 metre swims with Amy Tucker, Hannah
Williams, Oliver Edge and Abigale Wickersham producing
100 plus metre swims in style.

Autumn 2014

43

SPORT

ATHLETICS
A

fter what seemed like a slow start to the term, it is


remarkable to reflect on the progress that the athletes
made during the course of the season. We had the usual set
of events and competitions with the addition of an Under 11
match against St-Johns-on-the-Hill.
At half term Mr Jones and I were musing over the fact that,
compared to previous years, we had had very few school
records broken, which was disappointing as there seemed
to be many athletes with the potential to do so. Our lack of
confidence proved unfounded as the weather improved and
the children began to soak up the sunshine. The track firmed
up and the times came down and much of the potential was
realised.
Once again, our athletes were strong and had good endurance after the cross-country season, but needed work to lift
their knees and improve their speed on the track. Regular
work on starting and sprinting technique helped the transition from the cross-country to the track and the athletes
slowly began to realise that there is more to running than just
running!
Our first event was the Severnside Athletics at Beaudesert
Park. We took a good group, but were unsure as to how far
they had developed. Again, our fears were unfounded, as
we had many top three performances and some impressive
winners. Those competing were Alvaro Daguerre, Otto
Cullis, George Symonds, Henry Allan-Jones, Charlie Sanzo,
Roland Juilhard, Tom Edwards, Max Curtis, Oliver Shutt,
Alex Grocott, Alex Jacobi, Angus Duncan, Bennie Sanzo,
Ceredig Jones, Freddie Cooper, Peter Banks, Otis Walker,
Jake Wakeling, Imogen Rees, Seren Clayton, Antonia
Hopcraft-Guest, Olivia Campbell, Abigail Blackwell, Amy
Horler, Helena Brain, Ellie Parker, Jessie Sanzo, Dalis Jones,
Iona Campbell, Alys Wakeling, Carmen Rey-Jones and Lucy
Allan-Jones.
The event at St Johns-on-the-Hill was made up of two boys
and two girls from each age group competing in multiple
events, with the scores being added together to give an
overall winning team. The Tockington team were dominant
and came away with a convincing victory.
As a result of their hard work, a number of children reached
the standards required for entry into the South West Championships at Millfield School. This is a long hard day of heats
and finals as part of the selection process for the South West
team to represent our area at the National finals in Birmingham.
All our athletes did well with many reaching their respective
finals. However, special mention must go to Ellie Parker and

44 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

Alex Grocott, who both won a place in the South West team
as a result of their outstanding efforts in the U12 Girls 800m
and U12 Boys 1500m. It must be said that Alex looked very
comfortable winning the 1500m and our hopes were high
when we headed off to Birmingham. Ellie found the National
final tough but fought hard for a creditable sixth place. Alex
demonstrated his class with a thoroughly deserved win in
the Boys U12 1500m final, becoming the fourth National
champion that Tockington has produced in recent times.
Many congratulations, Alex.
Unfortunately, the Inter-House Athletics finals fell foul of
the weather. With an hour to go before the allotted start time,
the heavens opened and within minutes the long jump pit
looked like an outdoor paddling pool. An hour or more of
very heavy rain prompted the decision, on safety grounds, to
postpone the event. However, over a morning and afternoon
of the following week we managed to complete proceedings,
concluding with the following results: Alexander won with
411 points, Cunningham was second with 369 points and
Churchill was third with 320 points. The Victor Ludorum
winners were: U10 Boys Jake Wakeling, U10 Girls Iona
Campbell, U12 Boys Alex Grocott, U12 Girls Helena Brain,
Senior Girls Seren Clayton and Senior Boys Max Curtis.
In recognition of her consistent effort and contribution to
athletics during her time at Tockington, Seren Clayton was
awarded her Athletics Colours. Seren has set a positive
example at all times and has been an encouragement to the
younger athletes in the school.
AC

ARCHERY
T

hanks to the
loyal
support of the
Tockington
Archers, many
children
continue to
enjoy archery
sessions in the
Summer Term.
Congratulations
to Luke Dutton
who won the
Tockington
Archers Cup
and to William
Bate who was
awarded the
Rowland Shield for Archery for the most consistent effort
during the season.

LB

FRIENDS

FRIENDS OF
TOCKINGTON MANOR
A

s I conclude my fourth and final


year at the helm of the Friends,
and my first year working with Stephen
and Amanda Symonds, I am delighted
to report the past 12 months have
proved to be another resounding
success story for the Friends of
Tockington Manor School.
This year we have secured sufficient
funds to reshape a dedicated Lower
School Learning Garden, design and
purchase a new adventure playground
and buy blinds for the newly decorated
school hall. In addition, we have seen
a record number of parents joining our
ranks and, because of this, we have
been rewarded with yet another successful 12 months of fund raising during what has proved to be the busiest
year yet of my FOTM chairmanship.
This is how we did it.
The Autumn Term saw us welcome the
new headmaster, Stephen Symonds,
and his wife Amanda and I would like
to take this opportunity, on behalf of
the Friends, to say how pleased we are
to have you both on board.
We kicked off our Friends duties in
September by hosting Harvest Festival
teas which were held in the newly
decorated front hall and mezzanine
area outside the school dining room.
Although this was not a fund raising
event, it provided a great opportunity
for the Friends to promote our work
and meet other parents.
A little later in the same term we held
our curry and quiz night. It was a
complete sell-out and, not only did it
tease our brains and expand our waistbands with delicious homemade Indian
cuisine, but it raised a very respectable
sum for our coffers too.
Quiz Night was closely followed
by our Bonfire Night celebration at

which we served everything from hot


chocolate to hot dogs while a disco,
the bar and the most enormous bonfire
provided entertainment for all who
attended.
We rounded the Autumn Term off by
making cakes and selling them at our
bake sale with tea and coffee while the
children occupied themselves with face
painting and biscuit decoration. This
also proved to be both a very lucrative
and sociable event.
The Spring Term was equally busy.
Just like Quiz Night, our Burns Night
was once again a complete sell out.
The dining room was transformed
into the perfect dining experience and
a fantastic evening of entertainment
was laid on and enjoyed by all who
attended.
A little later in the term we encouraged parents and children alike to clear
out their cupboards and, by doing so,
raised further funds with Cash for

Clothes. Then, in the final week of the


Spring Term, we sold drinks in the
intervals at the school play.
During the summer the focus for the
Friends was the combined TMS Triathlon
and Family Fun Day on Midsummers
Day. Although it was the first time we
had attempted such an ambitious event,
we improved our chances of success
by combining the resources of both
the school and the Friends with the
expertise of a local scout pack and the
vision of Stephen Symonds, who has
masterminded similar events before.
The result was an extremely lucrative
fund raiser which will provide even
more benefits for our children.
All that remains for me to say is a big
thank you to all who have made the
Friends of Tockington Manor School
the success story it is today and I look
forward to seeing another fun packed
year of FOTM events unfold over the
coming academic year.
Anita Williamson, Chairman
Autumn 2014

45

OLD TOCKINGTONIAN SOCIETY

OLD TOCKINGTONIAN
SOCIETY

Dear OTs
May I firstly welcome the 12 new Old
Tockingtonians to the Society. Every
one gained entry to their first choice
schools and on their behalf I would
like to congratulate the teachers for yet
another outstanding achievement.
New Headmaster in the Study
Last year saw the arrival of Stephen
and Amanda Symonds in the Garden
House. Their first year has certainly
been busy and I am delighted to see
that the school continues to go from
strength to strength under their leadership. It is not just the people that have
changed either; visitors to the school
will now find a new all-weather pitch
in top field! What luxury!
Old Headmaster Spotted on the
Costa Blanca
I am pleased to report that Richard and
Jane are now thoroughly enjoying their
retirement. They seem to have spent
the first nine months moving furniture
from one place to another (thanks to
Tom Firbank OT), redecorating and
sorting through a lifetimes worth of
stuff. Anne and I caught up with
them in Spain earlier on this year and it
was lovely to see them so relaxed and
clearly enjoying their time together.
They have a shiny new grandchild
(thanks to Mark Tovey OT) and plans
46 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

for their world trip are well underway


for a 2015 departure.
Carols around the Christmas Tree
You are invited to join the Headmaster,
staff, parents and children at 3.00 pm
on Sunday 7th December for carols
around the Christmas tree.
Carol Service
This year sees a change to the timetable
for the carol service. It will now be held
at 2.00 pm on Friday 12th December at St
Marys Church, Olveston. There will
be no formal event after the service.
OT Events 2014/15
The OT Committee meets at the end
of November to plan the social events
for the coming year. We will be hosting
a drinks and dinner at Bentleys in
London in the spring and are working
on an OT day to be held at the school
during the summer holidays. We will
confirm the dates and venues as soon
as possible but please keep an eye on
the school website or join the OT
Facebook group to keep fully up
to date.
Treasurer Retires
After many years loyal service, we
must say goodbye to Keith Nicholls,
our Honorary Treasurer, and thank him
for his hard work keeping the accounts

of the OT Society in good order. We


wish him well in the future and very
much hope that the new school bursar
will continue the tradition and accept
the appointment when he or she arrives.
Fancy Joining the OT Society
Committee?
The salary may be non-existent but you
will be working with a fun group of
dedicated OTs and helping the school
to maintain links with OTs from around
the world. This is not an onerous commitment, we meet just three or four
times a year at the school and organise
one or two social events (usually
involving eating and drinking) a year.
If you feel able to give something back
then we would be delighted to hear
from you.
Finally, my thanks as usual to Paul
Hutchinson, Paul Whittaker, Jonathan
Jones, Stephen Symonds and Keith
Nicholls for their help over the last 12
months and I wish all OTs good
hunting for the coming year.
Kind regards
James Rapson
Chairman
mister.rapson@gmail.com
0777 57 56 777

BROADSHEET

BROADSHEET
NEWS FROM THE SCHOOLS & OLD TOCKINGTONIANS
1998
Henry Williams and Charlotte Kenyon
were married on 17th May 2014 at
Orchardleigh House. Henry is
Managing Director of the international
sports car dealership
Williams Automobiles and
Charlotte is a fully qualified GP.
Congratulations!

Autumn 2014

47

BROADSHEET
Deaths

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Mr Bruce


Cross on 7th June 2014 in Qatar. Bruce was Director of
Studies and Head of English at Tockington Manor School
during the period 1999 - 2001. Bruce had battled with cancer
for the last two and a half years. During endless chemotherapy
and radiotherapy treatment and drugs, Bruce still ran two
marathons, endless triathlons, aqua-thons and 10km runs.
He did it all with unfailing courage and the most positive
attitude.
The funeral and memorial service were held in Aylsham,
Norfolk in July on the last day of the school term and
therefore Jane and Richard Tovey represented the school, the
staff and the Old Tockingtonian Society. Our love and deepest
sympathy go to Bruces wife Maria, a former member of
staff at Tockington Manor, and their children Eden, Savannah
and Theo.
We were sad to hear of the death of Dominic Suddaby who
left Tockington Manor in 1955. Dominic had been handmaking walking sticks and demonstrating his craft at country
shows for over 25 years, supplying sticks to numerous UK
and international customers. Based in his workshop in rural
Lincolnshire, Dominic collected, seasoned and fashioned a
range of fine traditional sticks using natural materials such as
rams horn, deer antler and natural wood formations such as
gnarled roots and twisties

CHANGES OF ADDRESS
And those of new Old Tockingtonians* are printed below. If
you have changed your address, or we have printed it incorrectly,
please help us to keep our records straight by informing us.
BOLLEN (James & Alex) 22 Lydon Road, London
SW4 0HW
*BRAIN (Helena) Shadyside, 75 High Street, Marshfield,
Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 8LT
*CLAYTON (Seren) Manor Farm, Hollywood Lane,
Compton Greenfield, Bristol BS35 5RT
*CULLIS (Otto) 15 Cairns Road, Bristol BS6 7UA
*DAGUERRE (Alvaro) Calle Aquitania 25B, Atico A,
Madrid 28032, Spain
*DUTTON (Luke) St Anthonys Lodge, Convent Lane,
South Woodchester, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 5HS
FINNIGAN (Charlie) Homme House, Much Marcle,
Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 2NJ
HARVEY (John) 1 Bishops Wood, Old Aust Road,
Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4HN
*HORLER (Amy) Endrick Cottage, Gillingstool,
Thornbury, Bristol BS35 2EH
*JONES (Harvey) 51 Barkleys Hill, Stapleton, Bristol
BS16 1AO
KNIGHT (Jack)(Elizabeth)(nee Bubb) 6 Lindon Court,
Bodenham Road, Hereford HR1 2TS
*ORCHARD (Elliott) Ellerncroft House, Ellerncroft Road,
Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, GL12 7AY
RAPSON (James, Luke & George) The Beeches, Castle
Lane, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 1HQ
*REES (Imogen) April Cottage, Chapel Road,
Oldbury-on-Severn, Bristol BS35 1PL
*SANZO (Charlie) One Pool Farm, Dyers Lane, Iron Acton,
Bristol BS37 9XU
SHAW (David) 9 Hamilton House, Vicarage Lane, London
W8 4HL
*WALKER (Adassa) Dial House, The Street, Alveston,
Bristol BS35 3SX
WHITTAKER (Paul) 4 Pool Corner, Tockington, Bristol
BS32 4NR
*WILLIAMSON (Larry) 2 The Green, Iron Acton, Bristol
BS37 9TQ

48 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk
We warmly invite you to attend our

Whole School Open Morning


Thursday 13 November, 10.00am12.00 noon
We hold daily tours during term-time
and regular taster days for children to
experience life at BGS.

re
ntu
ve
Ad

To arrange a visit or to request


a prospectus, please
ips
dsh
en
i
r
contact Hollie Skerritt F
on 0117 933 9885.
Learning

LifeLifechanging
changing

Experiences | Learning | Friendships

For every 20 spent at

ALMONDSBURY GARDEN CENTRE


your school receives a 1 voucher

Tockington Manor School is working alongside Almondsbury Garden


Centre in our mission to enrich education through gardening.
For every d20 a parent/guardian spends at Almondsbury Garden
Centre, we will donate d1 back to the school as a gift card.
All you have to do is simply post your receipts into the collection box at your school
reception and then at the end of each term Almondsbury Garden Centre will send a gift
card for the total collected amount. So if your school collects a total of d2000 worth of
receipts then the school will receive d100 worth of vouchers to spend in store.

B E PA RT O F T H E
DISCOVERY
Co-educational day & boarding: ages 13 18
telephone: 01823 328204
admissions@kings-taunton.co.uk
www.kings-taunton.co.uk

Over Lane, Almondsbury, Bristol, BS32 4BP | T: 01454 457 300


www.almondsburygardencentre.co.uk

Autumn 2014

49

HABERDASHERS
MONMOUTH SCHOOLS
1614 2014 Celebrating 400 years of
educational excellence

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Boarding and Day

TEL: 01600 711104

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Currently Archant Best British Boarding School

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TEL: 01600 710433

DAILY BUS SERVICE FROM THORNBURY AREA


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Badminton nurtures intellectual curiosity and


challenges enquiring minds in a supportive
community. Our girls enthusiasm for the arts,
sport and their many activities keeps the
School vibrant come and see for yourself!
For more information or to arrange a visit please
contact our Admissions Team on:
T: 0117 905 5271
E: admissions@badmintonschool.co.uk
Twitter: @AcorntoOakBris
www.badmintonschool.co.uk

50 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

A world-class education
in the heart of Bristol

Autumn 2014

51

52 THE TOCKINGTONIAN

TOCKINGTON
MANOR SCHOOL
(01454) 613229

www.tockingtonmanorschool.com

Boys and Girls aged 2-14 (Boarding and Day)


Tockington, Bristol BS32 4NY, England
Tel: 01454 613229 Fax: 01454 613676
Email: admin@tockingtonmanorschool.com
www.tockingtonmanorschool.com
Headmaster: Stephen Symonds BA ED (Hons)
Canterbury Christ Church University

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