For All The School Community . Pupils . Staff . Parents . Old Birkonians . Friends . Visitors We are proud to say, BS is the ONLY school on the Wirral to qualify for the BBC’s list of the top 227 schools where more than 25% of students achieved at least grades AAB in ‘facilitating subjects’ – those needed for entrance to the competitive Russell Group universities. In fact 29% of Birkenhead School students reached this threshold. Government Tables (A Level) published Thursday 24 th January 2013 A-level grade A* scores 300 points, A = 270, B = 240, C = 210, D = 180, E = 150. Schools are also ranked by the average points score per entry. This indicates the quality of performance. Again, one examination graded A* scores 300 points and so on. *For the first time this year, the tables also include the number of students who gain good grades – at least two As and a B – in so-called "facilitating subjects". These are subjects that are commonly seen as a route into leading Russell Group universities. This is shown in the final column. The measure reflects achievement in Maths and Further Maths, English Literature, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, History and Modern and Classical Languages. School names Number of students Av point per exam entry Av total points per student *Percentage achieving at least AAB in "academic A levels" Birkenhead School 42 237.4 828.2 29% Wirral Grammar School for Girls 145 233.8 1054.5 23% West Kirby Grammar School 164 235.8 1064.9 21% Birkenhead High School Academy 66 224.3 823.6 17% Wirral Grammar School for Boys 128 223.4 1084 16% Calday Grange Grammar School 236 212.8 958.1 14% Pensby High School for Boys 34 199.1 604.8 13% St Anselm's College 78 198.1 827.5 13% Upton Hall School FCJ 96 219.6 967.9 9% Birkenhead Sixth Form College 355 203.9 719.4 1% Well done indeed to the U15 Girls’ Lacrosse team who won the North of England finals in February, and took part in the National Championships in London earlier this month. Unfortunately, though they won all their first round games, they lost out in the knock-out round of the competition. Full report in the next issue. Art - pgs 22,23 Dreaming spires? - p4 HAC - pgs 10,11 Drama - pgs 9, 17
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For All The School Community . Pupils . Staff . Parents . Old Birkonians . Friends . Visitors
We are proud to say, BS is the ONLY school on the Wirral to qualify for the BBC’s list of the top 227 schools where more than 25% of students achieved at least grades AAB in ‘facilitating subjects’ – those needed for entrance to the competitive Russell Group universities. In fact 29% of Birkenhead School students reached this threshold.
Government Tables (A Level)
published Thursday 24th January 2013
A-level grade A* scores 300 points, A = 270, B = 240, C = 210, D = 180, E = 150.
Schools are also ranked by the average points score per entry. This indicates the quality of performance.
Again, one examination graded A* scores 300 points and so on.
*For the first time this year, the tables also include the number of students who gain good grades – at
least two As and a B – in so-called "facilitating subjects". These are subjects that are commonly seen as a
route into leading Russell Group universities. This is shown in the final column.
The measure reflects achievement in Maths and Further Maths, English Literature, Physics, Biology,
Chemistry, Geography, History and Modern and Classical Languages.
School names
Number
of
students
Av point
per
exam
entry
Av total
points per
student
*Percentage
achieving at least
AAB in "academic
A levels"
Birkenhead School 42 237.4 828.2 29%
Wirral Grammar School for
Girls 145 233.8 1054.5 23%
West Kirby Grammar School 164 235.8 1064.9 21%
Birkenhead High School
Academy 66 224.3 823.6 17%
Wirral Grammar School for
Boys 128 223.4 1084 16%
Calday Grange Grammar
School 236 212.8 958.1 14%
Pensby High School for Boys 34 199.1 604.8 13%
St Anselm's College 78 198.1 827.5 13%
Upton Hall School FCJ 96 219.6 967.9 9%
Birkenhead Sixth Form
College 355 203.9 719.4 1%
Well done indeed to the U15 Girls’ Lacrosse team who
won the North of England finals in February, and took
part in the National Championships in London earlier
this month. Unfortunately, though they won all their first
round games, they lost out in the knock-out round of the
competition. Full report in the next issue.
Art - pgs 22,23
Dreaming spires? - p4
HAC - pgs 10,11
Drama - pgs 9, 17
In Focus March 2013 Page 2
This year two Lower Sixth students attended a five-week series of
Nuclear Physics master classes at Liverpool University. Kevin Wong
and Thomas Finch worked on a series of degree level experiments
and attended university lectures. They also worked with Sixth Form
students from other schools to produce a piece of display work
communicating their research into aspects of nuclear physics.
This is the second year that students from Birkenhead School have
attended these master classes. Last year Harry McGee attended the
nuclear physics master classes and scooped second prize for his
work on using nuclear physics in security detectors.
Later on this year Lower 6th Physics students will attend a day of
lectures on Particle Physics at Liverpool University and will take part
in a two-day visit to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in
Switzerland.
P Webster, Head of Physics
WIRRAL’S unsung heroes were in the spotlight at the end of
last year when their hard work was recognised at the first-ever
Wirral's Golden Globes Awards ceremony
held at the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton.
There were many categories but awarded ‘Young Hero of the
Year’ was Oscar Ratnaike in the Upper Sixth. He has stood by
and helped to care for his brother, Alex, who has severe and
complex medical problems.
Oscar walked alongside Alex when the latter was selected to
carry to the Paralympic Torch (featured in the last edition of IF)
and has also raised cash for Claire House where his brother
attends.
Oscar said: “I am so humbled to be here tonight. Loving and
caring for my brother isn’t a hobby or a job – it’s just a way of
life, whether he can walk or not.”
Several local celebrities turned out to pay tribute to all of
Wirral’s ‘heroes’. They included Great British Bake-Off TV star
Paul Hollywood, comedian Stan Boardman, singer Steve
McFarlane, renowned journalist and poet Peter Grant and
Radio Merseyside story-teller/musician Cath Roberts. Former
Brookside actress Suzanne Collins, country singer Charlie
Landsborough and celebrity blogger and star of Desperate
Scouse wives Jaiden Michael also presented awards. Frankie
Goes to Hollywood guitarist/singer Brian “Nasher” Nash
brought the ceremony to a thundering close with his powerful
solo rendition of the band’s 1984 number-one smash hit The
Power of Love. Radio Merseyside presenter Roger Lyon hosted
the event.
In Claire House t-shirts: In the chair Alex, standing
behind Alex, Oscar (R) and their father (centre)
Below l to r: Tom Finch, Harry McGee and Kevin Wong
In Focus March 2013 Page 3
We went to visit new Director of
Music, Mr Philip Robinson, to ask
him a few questions about both
himself and his hopes for the
future of the Music department
here at Birkenhead School. Having
spent the past three and a half
yea r s revo lu t ion i s in g the
department at The King’s School, Chester, he has now ventured
north, to the Wirral, with his wife Krista (also a Music teacher)
and seven month old son Hugo.
With responsibility for Music across the whole school, he hopes
to see existing groups continue to flourish and also give all
students in both Prep and Senior Schools as many opportunities as
possible to make music during their school careers. He decided
that Birkenhead was the place for him as soon as he felt the
school’s friendly and warm atmosphere and saw the great
opportunities that could be developed over time, in the Music
School, the Chapel and in the wider school community.
He has an incredible passion for music and performing, with his
main instruments being the piano and French horn. He would love
to share this passion with as many people as possible as he
believes music is something to be shared with and cherished by all.
He says music is his life beyond his family, but he also loves to
watch (and occasionally play) cricket, although unsurprisingly most
of his free time is now spent with Krista and baby Hugo. His
favourite composer (when forced to choose) is J. S. Bach, however
we couldn’t convince him to pick a favourite piece of music.
Despite this, when asked about his favourite musical, he answered
immediately: ‘Les Misérables’ – which he is massively keen to
produce as one of the first whole school musicals we have seen
here for several years. All we can say is: bring on 2014, Les Mis is
coming!
Hannah Triggs, Rebecca Davies,
Katie Laing and Amy Naylor, L6th
Mark Turner is the new
Bursar at Birkenhead
School. He shadowed
Clive Button, the former
Bursar in December, but
is now officially in office.
Mark grew up in Leicester
and went to Magdalen
College, Oxford, where
he studied Law. During
his time in college, he
played volleyball for East
Midlands, korfball (google
it!), squash, was the only
goalkeeper for the college
(3 teams), the cricket captain and the Christian Union leader. As
you can see Mark thoroughly enjoyed his time at university.
During his undergraduate days at Oxford, he spent two months
gaining work experience with the West Mercia Constabulary.
After leaving university, Mark decided to join the police service
with West Mercia (starting as a constable in Worcester). He
gained a place on the national accelerated promotion scheme
whereby, if he continued to perform well, he would gain
promotion to Sergeant and then Inspector. He continued to
perform and prosper and, at the age of just 34 he was promoted
to Chief Superintendant and ran policing across Herefordshire. He
is proud of the work he did to ensure the community felt safe and
to ensure that his police staff and officers felt valued whilst often
undertaking what might otherwise be thankless tasks.
Mark has kept up his passion for sport and at the age of 40 scored
his first ever century in cricket - then qualified as an umpire. He is
looking forward to the cricket season at Birkenhead School,
especially due to the view of School Field from his office. At the
moment he enjoys playing squash with Mr Edmunds and Mr Rule
most weeks.
Mark is an active Christian and applied for the job at Birkenhead
School because he feels that he had a vocation to change career
path to his current role. He had never before visited the area and
is currently living away from his family who still reside in Hereford,
but he is very much looking forward to them moving here later in
the year. Meanwhile, he is currently travelling down to be with
them at weekends. He said that he hopes they will be settled in by
the start of the summer, and his son David will be starting in the
Prep as well.
Mark is very proud of getting the job here at Birkenhead School,
but he understandably feels that his proudest achievement of all
time is being a husband and father to the best of his ability
Jordan Hart and Tom Green, Year 11
About the Bursar - did you know? … Mark has a number of gaming consoles, and enjoys playing his
Playstation 3 the most (his favourite game is Assassins Creed II). Mark
doesn’t have enough time to get into the online world of gaming, so
don’t start trying to search for his name on Xbox Live or Playstation as
you won’t get a chance to challenge him.
If Mark were on a desert island, alongside the Bible and the works of
Shakespeare, he would like to take his Play Station 3 set up, the book
‘Les Misérables’ and a kite. He has a passion for pinball machines and
in its prime, his collection had a grand total of 5 machines. At the
moment, however, he has only 2. Unlike his predecessor, Mark has no
real preference over cars... as long as they’re big enough to fit a pinball
machine in! His favourite dish is Toad in the Hole. Mr Robinson in a Chapel Choir rehearsal
In Focus March 2013 Page 4
I became interested in applying to The Queen’s College after
attending the Eton Choral Course over the summer that was held
there. I loved the atmosphere of the college and I was attracted by
the Oxford choral tradition. On the Choral Course we sang Howell’s
“St. Paul’s” service in the chapel. The power that the choir produced
made me feel that being part of the musical community in Oxford
would be an incredibly valuable experience.
I was interviewed twice at Queen’s and I also had an interview at
Merton College. The interviews were very intense, and all left me
unsure about whether I had been successful. The students at Queen’s
made me feel very welcome and were very helpful in answering any
questions I had. I also had a music faculty interview in which I
performed a piano piece. I stayed in Oxford for four days, and the
fact that the interviews were very spread out gave me the
opportunity to explore Oxford and parts of the College that I hadn’t
previously seen. The highlight of my experience was coming across
the upper library in Queen’s, which I had never seen before. The
serene atmosphere of this part of the College containing thousands
of ancient volumes really attracted me. I was able to do some work
in this part of the library while I was in Queen’s, which provided a
relief from the stress of the interviews.
Overall, I found applying to Oxford quite stressful as when you are
trying to relax in the college you get the impression that everyone is
constantly assessing you, even outside of interviews. Although the
experience was incredibly testing, studying at an institution such as
Oxford would be a very valuable experience.
Marco Galvani
After what seemed like an age of looking at university courses,
writing and re-writing my personal statement (helped along the way
by a lot of Mr Lindberg’s ‘constructive criticism’) and doing
admissions tests, I finally heard in early December that I had been
invited for an interview at Oxford. I had found it difficult to choose a
college – they all seemed to say they had high academic standards,
good facilities and that I would have a great time there – but
eventually settled on Hertford, applying to study Engineering. The
interview process was challenging but at the same time enjoyable. For
my first interview, at Hertford, the atmosphere was friendly: we sat
on sofas around a fire. The second, at St Peter’s College, was entirely
different – I was given a chair behind a desk in a bare room, sitting
opposite two very serious looking academics.
I was a bit surprised that I was asked barely anything about my
personal statement in either interview. They seemed to be much
more interested in whether I could solve maths and physics
problems, and I came out of the interview unsure of whether I had
impressed or not.
I was delighted to hear in early January that Hertford had made me
an offer of A*AA. Having looked round properly at the time of the
interview, it appeared to be exactly the type of college I wanted - not
too formal, close to the centre of Oxford, cheap bar... The whole
process was long, drawn-out and at times stressful, but definitely
worth it. For anyone thinking about applying to Oxford or
Cambridge, my advice would be to just go for it – there’s no reason
not to.
Harry Sturgess
Harry, Marco and Matthew all have offers and to secure
their place will need A Level grades of A*AA, AAA and
A*AA respectively.
L to R: Harry Sturgess, Matthew Rogers
and Marco Galvani
I was first attracted to Cambridge University after being
captivated by the serene singing and stunning atmosphere of
King’s College Chapel, as depicted on the annual ‘Carols from
King’s’ on the BBC. Up until that moment, an Oxbridge
application had never really entered my mind, due to the image
of supercilious public school boys and upcoming Einsteins often
associated with the two universities. However, the surreal
ambience and beauty of Cambridge, combined with the
opportunity to study a very interesting subject alongside singing
in a chapel choir, encouraged me to apply to the university.
My feisty views and love of debate first drew me towards Law
as a subject. This was confirmed after attending the Cambridge
Law Conference in March and reading a series of books on the
law, written by various Cambridge lecturers. Despite being a
little unsure about which college to apply to, a walk through the
ancient courts, Bridge of Sighs and spectacular chapel of St.
John’s College confirmed my choice. It was the mixture of a
beautiful setting, a world renowned choir and a vibrant
environment that made me apply to one of Cambridge’s finest
establishments.
I was understandably nervous on the day of interview, as I
braced myself for the rigorous assault course of two interviews,
some preparatory reading and a tricky Cambridge Law Test.
The subject specific interview was undoubtedly the hardest
aspect, involving some very thought-provoking discussion that
tested intellect, stamina and out-of-the box thinking. At the end
of the day, I really had very little idea about whether or not I
had done enough to achieve my Cambridge dream.
To receive the offer letter in January was a truly incredible
moment and one that I will never forget. I now hope to get a
choral scholarship in the choir of St. John’s College, potentially
with a gap year at Norwich Cathedral. My advice to any
Oxbridge hopeful would be to absolutely grasp the opportunity
and at least give it your best try. If anyone wants to catch me in
a few years time, I hope that the best places to find me will be
in the Chapel of St. John’s or in the Cambridge Union!
Matthew Rogers
In Focus March 2013 Page 5
On 17th November we opened the
doors for our Diamond Xmas Bazaar.
Once again we were lucky with the
weather which is always a huge boost to
our visiting parents, pupils and friends.
The committee had worked hard to
transform the Sports Hall and Prep Gym
into something a little more festive and
this was made easier as we adorned the
walls with commemorative bunting that
Years 3 to 6 made for the occasion.
We welcomed back many of our regular
franchise stalls and saw some new faces
too. Our school stalls, of course, looked
as good as ever, if not better. The Grand
Raffle, Chinese Raffle and Paper Auction
were a huge success and we would like
to thank all the parents and businesses
who donated prizes, hampers and gift vouchers for these.
One of the most popular stalls is the Mug Stall and this year we
welcomed a new face to our committee who took on the challenge
of running this. Together with a team of helpers they wrapped
hundreds of mugs and made the stall look as fantastic as always.
C a f e N o e l
co n t i n ue d t o
d e l i g h t i t s
customers with
good food and
excellent service. It
is now run with
military precision
and queues are a
thing of the past!
T h e g r o t t o
de l i ghted our
younger visitors
and Santa was kept
busy throughout
the day. We also
had the pleasure of
entertainment from Barline and the Big Band both of whom added
something special to the atmosphere.
The Prep Gym hosted the ever popular Bouncy Castles and Gladiator
Duel as well the games and stalls organised by the Cubs and Scouts
The Bazaar is a huge team effort, from the Committee, who have
been planning since July, to the families who donate toys, cakes, bric-
a-brac and prizes, the parents who turn up during the week to sort
donations and to run the stalls on the day and of course the Scout
Leaders who do so much work behind the scenes. We also had the
services of the First and Second Rugby Teams who helped with all
the lifting and carrying to set up the Bazaar and clear away at the end
of the day.
Our helpers are too numerous to mention individually but every
offer of help, however small, is greatly appreciated,
This year we raised approximately £4700.00 which will be split
between 20th Birkenhead Scout Group and the Parents' Association.
We hope that you enjoyed the day and look forward to the 61st
Bazaar in 2013
Denise Durband
Bazaar Committee Chairman
Well done and what an
achievement for George
Long of 5C who was
awarded his 1st Dan
B l a c k B e l t i n
Taekwondo in October,
2012 at the age of just
10.
George travelled to
Derby three times with
his father where, on
each occasion, he had
to undergo a 2-hour
assessment. Finally, he
had to go to Bristol for
the actual grading.
which consisted of
patterns, sparring and
self defence, together
w i t h a v e r b a l
a s s e s s m e n t i n
Korean. All the hard
work and commitment
to Taekwondo paid off,
though unfortunately
resulted in him missing
the commencement of
his rugby season.
George started his
Taekwondo training at
the age of 5 with the Jason Rodd Academy of Taekwondo in
West Kirby. George's instructor, Jason Rodd, commented that
"nobody works harder than George with his application and
dedication to his training." George’s dedication also resulted in
him getting third place in the English Sparring Championships
earlier last year.
easily in their beds that night knowing that the fine
figures of our cadets were ready to defend this blessed
isle in general and Birkenhead School in particular.
We moved on to the School Library where Mrs Reeve
was waiting to show off the range materials and
sources which are available to assist our studies. In
the Meeting Room above, Mr Davies was busy
conducting the School’s ‘Big Band’ which impressed
not only the parents but me too. They thoroughly
deserved the standing ovation they received, which is
perhaps easier to achieve when there are no seats for
the audience!
The parents I was showing around were interested in
putting their child into Year 7, so Overdale was the
obvious next stop. Ms Smeaton, the Head of Overdale,
and Mr Rimmer, the Assistant Head of Overdale, were
waiting at the top of the steps to the front door to
welcome visitors (how grand, just like something out
of Downton Abbey!). Inside Overdale, there was an
impressive display of work from past and current pupils and lots
of boards with photographs from some of the many trips
available to pupils during their 2 years in Overdale.
From Overdale, we could faintly hear the explosions resonating
from the science block; it appeared someone had let Mr
Hayward near something flammable again! We went to
investigate. Inside the Physics lab, Mr Webster was
demonstrating the solar powered cars which A Level students
have been working on. It’s a shame someone had overlooked the
roofing situation which prevented the sunlight from reaching the
cars! Also being demonstrated were explosive bubbles - visitors
were invited to set fire to bubbles of hydrogen which, of course,
exploded. Fortunately, everybody watching managed to preserve
their eyebrows. To my delight, in the Biology lab, boards of
dissected rats lined the back of the room. I’m not the keenest
biologist, but seeing the dissected rats was truly fascinating!
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed escorting people around the
School, it was a truly eye-opening experience, and I only wish I’d
taken part in an Open Day before! I felt proud to show visitors
the School that I attend and have grown to love, for Birkenhead
School is certainly full of opportunities to take advantage of and
make the best of oneself. Jordan Hart, Yr 11
In Focus March 2013 Page 6
Every year, Birkenhead School holds Open Days in April and
September to show off our wonderful grounds, facilities and
people. This year was my first time as a tour guide and so I was
unsure of what to expect. We arrived before any of the visitors
one Saturday morning in late September. At first, I was a little
apprehensive as to what was expected of me and, even worse,
I’m not the most confident of people, so I was actually rather
nervous about my role during Open Day. Shortly after our
briefing, I was paired up with my first visitors. It was up to me
now to show prospective parents all that the School had to offer.
For a change, it was a gloriously sunny and warm autumn day,
and the family of visitors seemed suitably impressed by what they
saw. We can never be complacent, I know, but I felt a little warm
glow as I escorted them around the campus and felt their liking
for BS grow.. To think, this is MY School!
Everyone had organised a huge range of activities to show off
what our curriculum has to offer both inside and outside the
classroom. The first stop on my tour was the CCF section,
where Mr Hill and Mr Frowe stood firmly to attention, ready to
talk to parents about the CCF. On display, they had an
impressive array of equipment including tents, camping gear,
stoves and more! I know some visitors will have slept more
Last summer Mr Rule encouraged a few Sixth Form Economists to enter the Institute
of Economic Affairs’ Essay Challenge. The main component of the challenge involved
writing a 1,400 word essay on one of a choice of three topics . The title I chose was
“Why do most economists favour free trade and freer immigration when polls suggest
the majority of people are against it?” Happily, on my return to School in September, I
found out that I’d been placed in the top 10% of applicants and was invited down to
the IEA in Westminster for awards and presentations during a day in half term. I was
awarded a Certificate of Distinction in the Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize by Stephen
Davies, the Institute’s Educational Director. The day itself was enjoyable and I hope
this will help me in my university application. I’d like to thank the dynamic Mr Rule for
encouraging me to enter the competition; I think he was more pleased than I was,
given that our School was awarded a selection of learning materials because of our
high number of participants entering the competition!
Nick Gill
Footnote: Congratulations to Nick who was also awarded a Distinction in
his LAMDA Grade 7 last year. He got the Silver Medal for his solo acting
performance. Following his performance in ‘The Infant’ in February, he
has also been selected for the Festival Company as part of the National
Students’ Drama Festival.
In Focus March 2013 Page 7
WOW! A staggering total of
£1,285.80 raised by Prep
children for Children In Need.
Thank you.
The Prep held various events to
celebrate Children In Need on Friday
16th November. Children from Years
1 and 2 up to Year 6 brought in a
mountain of cakes, cookies and
biscuits to sell to friends at break
times. This raised £353.42.
The children also brought in
donations on the day and wore
something spotty, green, yellow, blue
or orange. A FUN day was enjoyed
by all.
The School purchased Children In
Need wristbands and Pudsey Bear
key rings to sell to raise additional
funds for this worthwhile cause.
These proved very popular and
another £300 was added to the
fundraising total.
Several children held various
fundraising events out of school and
brought in the proceeds to add to
the pot. Isabella Heckstall–Smith, 3B,
made over 70 felt waistcoats for the
Pudsey key rings which she sold for
20p each, raising over £14. Well
We arrived at Noctorum Field around 2pm on a Saturday late
last year. It was freezing cold and pouring with rain and, while
some of us arrived on time, others appeared less inclined to
experience Duke of Edinburgh Expedition training days in such
adverse weather conditions. We all gathered around inside the
pavilion where Mr Hill explained why we were here and what
aspects of the expedition we would be covering during training
- the dreaded weekend had begun.
Mr Hill told us that we would be being briefed on each of the
rules of a D of E Expedition and how to go about carrying it out
successfully. The areas we spent time talking about were
clothing, cooking, setting up, taking down and packing away
tents, codes of conduct, health and safety and what we had to
do before, during and after the expedition.
After the briefing, we went off to do our first activities. Pitching
our tents was going well until the hail started, then we all got
soaking wet and cold yet again. Cooking our tea wasn’t much
better either. It was pitch black, apart from the light from a dim
torch held between someone’s teeth, and our hands were
freezing. In addition, we didn’t have the greatest of ingredients
for our meal to choose from, so it wasn’t exactly one of Jamie
Oliver’s amazing 15-minute meals, although, I’m sure he could
have done much better than we did! We did manage to cope,
however, but only just!
After we had finished tea, we went back to the pavilion to work
in groups and do some team-building exercises such as a
memory game, paper towers and bridges and the plank. These
were all extremely fun because most of us weren’t very good at
them. After this we went out to our tents and slept
(surprisingly), only to be awoken by Mr Hill at some unearthly
hour of the morning. Slowly we crawled out of our tents and
began cooking our breakfast. After we had eaten, we attempted
to put our tents away. This took time because the bags seemed
to have shrunk overnight whilst the tents seemed to have
become larger. In the end we managed to get the tents packed
away and the hellish nightmare was finally over. However,
looking back from the comfort of my floral armchair, I realise
that I went there that day as a boy, but I left it as a man ready
for whatever D of E had to throw at me, whether it be another
training day, the expedition itself or even a damsel in distress!
Tom Green, Year 11
At the beginning of January Daniel Evans in Year 8 ran in the
Merseyside Cross Country Championship with his team, which
won. Daniel came 5th individually in the event. The following week,
running for the School, he finished to tie third overall in the
Merseyside Schools Cross Country League. Well done to Daniel
on his fantastic achievement at this level, where he is competing
against many runners much older than him.
It is remarkable that such a relatively large group of
BS girls play Lacrosse for Cheshire.
Congratulations to:
Victoria Wilkinson, Annabel Saverimutto, Lucy Rogers, Mil-
lie James, India Wild and Phoebe James who play in the
Cheshire U18 and U15 squads
And to Ellie Durband, Rosie Durband, Alice Gollins, Chloe
Hardisty, Sophie Hatherley, Connie Sturgess and Bella Wild
who play in the U15 squad.
done Isabella! Other children
joined in too, bringing in
their own waistcoats. Money
was coming in from all
corners of the playground!
Mrs J Waddell
In Focus March 2013 Page 8
I feel my nerves jumping about It is like I am on a roundabout I walk to the start of the race
In my head I know I will set the pace
Bang goes the starting gun Then we all begin to run
Faster and faster as the race goes on I can feel the line, I am nearly done
I hear cheering as I approach the finishing line If I don't win, I fear I will pay a deadly fine
Pain pulsating through my veins My energy dramatically begins to drain.
Explosions of relief and joy I truly am the golden boy
Now the race is past and done I can say, ‘I am Sam, the boy who won!’
Sam Cross, year 7 Well done to Sam whose poem above has been chosen by Young Writers to appear in a book - a collection of poems written by children all over the country - which come out in August. Then 12 individual finalists will be picked from the anthology and announced on the Young Writers’ website.
Last November, Year 9 went on a history trip to Manchester’s
Science and Industry Museum for the day.
Manchester was the world’s first industrial city and was famous for
its textiles and cotton trade. Cotton cannot be grown in England
and has to be kept at about 30 degrees, so it is normally grown in
countries such as India, the West Indies or the Deep South in the
United States. Goods needed to be transported as quickly as
p o s s i b l e t o
manufacture and sell
them, so when
r a i l w a y s w e r e
invented in the
nineteenth century it
was faster than using
canals.
I found the textile
d e m o n s t r a t i o n ,
which we had at
11:30, particularly
interesting as it
d e m o n s t r a t e d
a c t i v e l y h o w
dangerous and loud
the machines were
whilst showing us
how they worked. I
previously thought
that they would
throw the seeds
away along with the
parts of the cotton
that you can’t use
but I learnt that in
the ginning mill they would take the seeds out of the cotton and
then crush them to make oil which is still used in things like
shampoos. The seed could then be used to make animal feed
called ‘cattle cake’. And obviously the seeds can be planted again
for the next harvest of cotton. Before the demonstration I
understood how dangerous and loud the machines were but it still
came as a shock when they were turned on. And then we were
told that the noise would have even louder as the machines were
three times smaller than normal and in the 19th century there
would have been 50 of those machines all in one open-plan room.
I wasn’t surprised when the guide told us they used sign language
in the factories. Also the Speed Frames used to twist the slivers of
cotton to increase their strength spun incredibly fast and showed
us how easy it was for the children (who were employed for this
job as they had manual dexterity and small fingers) to get their
hands caught and amputated in the machines when sweeping in
between the flyers while they were running as the machines did
not have guards. I also found out that they were paid for how
much work they did, not for how many hours they worked.
We were told how orphans were usually employed as scavengers,
crawling on their hands and knees under the machines picking up
any waste cotton thread discarded in the process. This was
because they only had a few seconds when it was ‘safe’ to be
under the machine during the spinning process. There was a high
mortality rate and the factory owners knew orphans didn’t have
parents who would care if they died. The orphans often tried to
run away from the factories. There was a workhouse owner
nicknamed ‘Bloody’ Douglas who used to make sure they wouldn’t
run away and would tie runaways to the machine with a chain.
We were also told about the diseases that were a common
occurrence. The Blowing Room was nicknamed “The Devil’s
Room” as it got so hot and filled with cotton that you couldn’t see
anything. The cotton got everywhere in your eyes, up your nose
and in your mouth. The cotton the workers or “hands” inhaled
got into their lungs and slowly rotted causing diseases. Lung cancer
was also a common occurrence because of all the dust that built
up from the windows not being opened to provide a hot, damp
atmosphere for the cotton. Kissing shuttles were also unhealthy to
the weavers who used them as the cotton and dust would again be
inhaled many, many times as they sucked the cotton through the
hole. Also if there was blood on the shuttle and saliva it could lead
to diseases such as tuberculosis.
Although I found the textile demonstration very interesting and
informative, I also thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the visit. This
was mainly due to some of the interactive displays and the fact we
had to find the answers we needed in a sewer/basement instead of
being told about it in a classroom!
Ciara Williams 9PMW
In Focus March 2013 Page 9
Germany, 1938: The threat of the Nazis to their race is almost too
much to bear for the Jewish people, and they are desperate to give
their children any chance to escape the inevitable fate that they
are subject to. The Nazis agree that Jewish children may leave the
country to go to England, after an agreement made between the
two countries, but only if a substantial amount of money is paid,
and the children leave without their parents. These trains are
called the Kindertransport, Kinder meaning children. A small child,
Eva Schlessinger, is taken away to Manchester, and slowly strips
herself of her German and Jewish heritage, instead embracing all
that England has to offer. But when, more than forty years later,
Eva (who has by this point changed her name to the Anglicised
Evelyn) and her daughter come across the documents that reveal
her true past, Evelyn is torn... Should she undo all of her work
since having been in this country and accept that she is truly
German, or continue to run from the clutches of her past?
This is the basis of the play Kindertransport by Diane Samuels,
recently performed by Birkenhead School students. As a member
of the AS Level English group, and a keen actress, I was asked
immediately by Mrs McGoldrick if I wanted to take part, along
with Caroline Welsh and Becky Davies. This was the first time
since studying the play in English Literature that the School have
had enough girls to take part in it, as the play calls for a mainly
female cast. Throwing in Sian Round of Year 11 and Year 10’s
Eleanor Hilton, as well as Alex Karus McElvogue, the cast was
chosen and rehearsals started, flurrying past in a blur. Half term
came and with it, Sunday rehearsals. Finally, 22nd November
arrived, and the cast were all petrified. Ready or not, it was show
time...
The play would never have gone anywhere without the help of the
backstage crew; the highlights of both show nights were definitely
musical director, Luca Galvani, being “made over” by Katie Laing,
and Arran Byers trying his hand at putting make up on the cast!
Although we were worried about lines being forgotten and the
sensitivity of the subject not being addressed appropriately, it was
finally too late to care anymore, and the lights came up. Nerves
finally kicked in as the first line of the play, “What’s an abyss,
Mutti?” was uttered, and there was no going back. Making my way
on stage at last, I was shocked to see the sheer amount of people
in the audience: it looked like we had a hit!
Taking the audience on such an emotional journey can be a risk,
and there was a worry that the audience would fail to fully
understand the reasoning behind the simultaneous staging of the
play, or even the full concept of the story. Although fascinating
from a studying point of view, it was a major concern that we
would fail to portray the storyline effectively enough. However,
the play was a huge success! We did not anticipate the audience
size, or even the sheer amount of praise given afterwards. In the
words of Mr Hopkins, “the thing that struck me most was the
intimacy of the production; the audience were close enough to the
stage for the cast to really show their emotion when raising their
voices”. Even Mr Clark stepped in on the act, telling the staff that
he found the play “very moving”! Kindertransport is honestly one
of the best things I have ever decided to take part in – the small,
intimate cast meant that we all made some new, hopefully long-
lasting friends, and it is an experience that none of us will ever
forget!
Amy Naylor, L6th
The Hook of
Holland statue,
dedicated to the
Kindertransport.
Called Channel
Crossing to Life,
commemorates
the role played
by Dutch people
in helping to
save the lives of
Jewish children
fleeing Nazi
oppression.
The cast and crew of Kindertransport
Photo L to R: Adam Wells, Katie Laing, Becky Davies, Caroline Welsh, Chris Morris, Siân Round, Luca Galvani