Brighton College reviewSummer

2013

England’s Headmaster of the Year

2012–13

Best GCSE results in

Sussex 2012

Best A-Level results in

Sussex 2012

Best Oxbridge results in

Sussex 2012

England’s Independent School

of the Year 2011–12

The Sunday Times’ highly influential 2012 Parent Power report has placed Brighton as:• The highest performing co-educational school

for A-Levels in Britain

• The only school in Britain to have improved its academic performance every single year for six years.

Published in November, their table of the UK's top 400 schools placed Brighton above many of the most selective establishments in the country. No other Sussex school featured in the UK Top 100.

Last year, in naming Brighton its ‘School of the Year’, The Sunday Times described the College’s then fifth successive rise in the rankings as ‘an unparalleled achievement’. They closed their 2011 report with the words: ‘Whether Brighton College will continue its remarkable strides forward next year remains to be seen, but what is clear is that they will have a lot of fun trying.’ Well, we did both!

The Sunday Times records another stellar performance

Independent School Rankings, Sussex

UK Ranking Position School

1–50 16th Brighton College51–100

101–151 104th Burgess Hill School for Girls124th Christ’s Hospital, Horsham135th Eastbourne College

151–200 181st= Roedean School186th St Leonard’s-Mayfield School189th Brighton and Hove High School

201–250 214th Lancing College227th Our Lady of Sion School

251–300 293rd Farlington School301–350 306th Moira House Girls’ School

312th= St Bede’s Senior School323rd Battle Abbey School384th Lewes Old Grammar School

UK Top 20 Co-educational Schools for A-Levels

UK Ranking

School

1 Brighton College2 The Perse School3 Latymer Upper School4 Alleyn’s School5 Highgate School6 Concord College7 City of London Freemen’s School8 The Grange School

9 Norwich School10 Bancroft’s School11 Royal Grammar School12 Wellington College13 Kingston Grammar School14 Caterham School15 Oundle School16 Bristol Grammar School17 Marlborough College18 Rugby School19 The King’s School, Canterbury20 King Edward VI School,

Southampton

Sussex GCSE Results

UK Ranking School % A*/A

1 Brighton College 90.72 Christ’s Hospital 77.73 Burgess Hill School for Girls 74.44 St Leonard’s-Mayfield School 66.25 Brighton & Hove High School 63.66 Roedean School 62.47 Farlington School 58.88 Eastbourne College 58.09 Lancing College 56.810 Hurstpierpoint College 55.411= Worth School 54.011= Ardingly College 54.013 Moira House Girls’ School 47.414 Lewes Old Grammar School 42.215 St Bede’s 38.416 Battle Abbey School 32.617 Seaford College 23.7

No fewer than 23 Brighton pupils secured offers from Oxford and Cambridge this year – a new record for the College, and the best results in Sussex. Our congratulations to them all; they navigated a demanding range of additional

admissions hurdles whilst demonstrating a long-standing commitment to their chosen academic subject, and their success is a superb achievement.

University of Cambridge

Sophie Buck Emmanuel College Psychological and Behavioural Sciences

Tim Calliafas St. Catharine’s College Modern Languages

Helena Cameron Churchill College Modern Languages

Cameron Dashwood Pembroke College Natural Sciences (Physical)

Jack Davies Robinson College Mathematics

Eleanor De Pembroke College Law

Corinne Hull Downing College Theology

Shirley Mak Queens’ College Law

Eloise Maland Magdalene College Architecture

William Marks Fitzwilliam College Geography

Juliette Murphy Murray Edwards College Medicine

Angus Plummer Clare College Computer Science

Ashkon Seyed-Safi St. John’s College Medicine

Georgina Tyas Sidney Sussex College Law

University of Oxford

Seweryn Gasiorek Queen’s College Music

Megan Harvey New College Biological Sciences

Anthony Li Somerville College Experimental Psychology

Jeffrey Li Wadham College Physics

Thomas Rollinson Exeter College Politics, Philosophy and Economics

Clare Saxby Brasenose College English Language and Literature

Emily Seccombe Worcester College Biological Sciences

Amy Still Hertford College Biochemistry

Catherine Tong New College Physics Parent Power rankings based on GCSE and A-Level results 2012

Record Oxbridge offers

Brighton tops tablesFor the second year running, Brighton College pupils had a 100% success rate in terms of securing five GCSE grades at A*–C (national average: 53%). Brighton College is the only school in Brighton & Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex to achieve this feat. Congratulations to all our pupils on this exceptional achievement.

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Top three place in national design competitionA team of six Fourth Form pupils won third place at the finals of the Design Museum’s annual Design Ventura competition with their invention, Zipp-Along – a transport-themed, moulded plastic zip cover for children. With around 5,000 students entering this year, as part of almost 1,000 teams, their achievement is extraordinary. Zipp-Along, created in response to the brief to design a product on the theme of ‘Journeys’ that could be sold in its shop for under £10, is now on display at the Design Museum.

Our new Music School will be an elegant and modern environment for the rich tradition of music across all three Brighton schools. The Music School, with its sublime floating roof, will replace the miscellany of utilitarian structures on the edge of the Home Ground, exposing to view the lovely rear gables of the 1845 Main School. The new recital hall, practice rooms, seminar room, recording facility and percussion and rock room will support performance and creativity at every level and bring delight to audiences and musicians alike. Fundraising continues for the building, which is planned to open in 2014, and there are opportunities to contribute at all levels, including the sponsorship of a seat in the recital hall. Please contact the Development Office for more details.

New boarding house opens in September

Excellent Boarding InspectionIndependent Schools Inspectors gave Brighton’s boarding – and boarders – a powerful endorsement in January. Describing the accommodation as ‘spacious and comfortable’, they highlighted the superb programme of ‘sporting, cultural, artistic and service-orientated activities’ that boarders enjoy. They also noted the ‘courteous, friendly behaviour’ of pupils and the excellent relationships between boarders, and boarders and staff, ‘owing to much mutual respect’.

Work on Brighton's fifth boarding house – which will complete the south east corner of the quad and fulfil the original 1884 designs for it – continues at breath-taking pace. Opening in September this year, it has been designed by the architects of the award-winning Simon Smith building; it will be constructed in flint and brick to complement the original George Gilbert Scott and Thomas Graham Jackson buildings. There is now an unprecedented demand for boarding, and this stunning new development will ensure that the growing number of boarders are housed in comfort and style.

Top co-ed boarding school trophy For the second year running, the online schools guides best-schools.co.uk and privateschools.co.uk have named Brighton one of the UK’s top co-educational boarding schools, and presented the College with a certificate to mark its success. The award recognises in particular the school’s academic achievements over the last year.

Entrepreneurship winners share £10,000The third Brighton College Entrepreneurship Competition saw three teams of Lower Sixth pupils battle their way through to win the final and their share of the £10,000 prize money offered by the College to invest in developing their ideas. Developments are moving on apace: one of the three winning teams – creators of a child-friendly cup holder, the Sprong – has already had a meeting with a consultant in Intellectual Property and is working towards developing a prototype of the product.

National Maths ChallengeIn the national Senior Maths Challenge, the College performed superbly, beating the previous best for Gold awards with an impressive 27 won: three pupils also qualified for the British Mathematical Olympiad for the top 1,000 Sixth Formers nationally. Meanwhile, in the national Intermediate competition, more than one-third of Brighton’s entries achieved the top award of a Gold certificate, which is given only to the top 10% of entries. Timothy Xu (Upper Fifth) and Kerem Ergene (Lower Fifth), pictured above, both achieved an extraordinary score of 120 – just three questions away from full marks.

Work starts on new Music School

Brighton teacher mentioned in PMQs College Physics teacher Richard Grice made national and local headlines when he was mentioned in Prime Minister’s Question Time in the autumn. Mr Grice's path into teaching (he was a nuclear physicist before joining Brighton) was held up by the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, as a powerful example of how the best teachers in the land may be found amongst those who have not taken the usual formal route into the profession.

Work continues into the evening

Chichester girls, inventors of the ‘Sprong’

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Appalling weather could not dampen the enthusiasm of the hundreds of Brighton pupils and their teachers who set out in September to take part in over 100 community service activities in the local area as part of the fifth annual ‘Make a Difference Day.’ Whether clearing litter from the local beaches, working on a community farm, serving food at homeless shelters, undertaking

conservation projects or simply helping elderly neighbours with their shopping, the pupils participated with enthusiasm, determined really to make a difference through their efforts. As a result, many have been encouraged to volunteer on a more regular basis throughout the year, which is one of the key aims of the day.

Following his retirement from teaching at Brighton last summer, John Spencer was highly commended at the Daily Telegraph School Sports Awards, held at Lord’s in November, for his contribution to school sport. During his 34 years of service he was master in charge of cricket and of squash, as well as a Housemaster, Deputy Headmaster and Head of Geography. Former pupil and current England cricketer Laura Marsh (pictured here with Mr Spencer) joined him at the awards.

Physics Olympiad medalsEight members of the Upper Sixth took part in the first round of the British Physics Olympiad – a competition designed both to challenge and reward the best physicists in British schools and to select the UK Physics team for competition at international level – with outstanding results. Jeffrey Li and Catherine Tong achieved Gold certificates (placing them in the top 150 of 1800 students who entered); Cameron Dashwood, Angus Plummer and Dominic Mo achieved Silver (top 250) while Sasha Galitsky, Kareem Daggash and Tom Mitchell all achieved Bronze, bringing the College’s award-winning tally to a fabulous 100%.

At the heats of the Oxford Schools Debating Tournament, the novice pair of Osaid Ather and Rupert Sparling beat more experienced opposition to qualify for the final, whilst at the Southern Schools Debating Championship four Brighton College pairs finished in the top half of the final table. The public speaking team was also in action in the ESU Youth Speaks! Competition; Max Edwards, Noah Makower and James Prideaux (Upper Fifth) made the regional final in February and were unlucky not to qualify for the national final.

A winning way with words

Reporting from the BBCA team of Brighton College Fourth and Fifth Formers made it through to the finals of the tenth HSBC/British Council funded Mandarin-speaking competition in February. At the finals, held at the British Museum in London, Harvey Sheppard (Fifth Form, pictured above) excelled in the intermediate individual category, winning third place. Earlier that day, on their way to the final, Fourth Formers Ellice Hetherington and William Haines were interviewed on air by BBC Radio Sussex and spoke of the challenges and benefits of learning Chinese; Ellice entertained and impressed the Breakfast Show listeners with a recitation of a classical Tang poem.

Lucy Beauvallet: second in BBC’s Young ApprenticeLucy Beauvallet (Lower Sixth) demonstrated her phenomenal business talent to the nation throughout the autumn as she made it through the eight gruelling weeks of challenging tasks that make up BBC1’s Young Apprentice competition. Chosen from many thousands of applicants to take part in the show, Lucy won through week after week to reach the final and achieved the outstanding result of being named runner-up by Lord Sugar.

Emily SeccombeUpper Sixth pupil Emily Seccombe has been awarded the prestigious Prince Philip Award and Marsh Prize from the Zoological Society of London for her project investigating the accuracy of the Habitat Suitability Index as an indicator of great crested newt populations. The Awards Committee was unanimous in its decision and congratulated Emily on producing such a strong piece of independent novel research.

Megan HarveyMeanwhile, Megan Harvey has been awarded fourth place in the same national competition! The Committee commended her well-written and presented report and the strength of her analysis.

Megan also presented her investigation of hierarchies within the black tip reef shark community at the national finals of the ‘Big Bang’ UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair in London. She was one of just 60 selected to proceed to the finals in the senior category of this international competition.

National Achievement in Biology

‘ In a very competitive year, your students have produced superb projects.’ Zoological Society of london

Daily Telegraph commendation

Brighton pupils Make a Difference

Success for ChemistsBrighton College scored the highest mark in the Downland heat of the Royal Society Chemistry Challenge for Year 10 pupils. Having topped the local section, Brighton was invited to the South East regional final.

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INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSES

Design MuseumTom Sparham (Fourth Form) was awarded first place in the 14–16 category of the Design Museum’s Student Design Competition with his design for a portable seat for outdoor events. The judges at the London awards ceremony were impressed by Tom’s ‘detailed design’ and ‘thorough approach’.

National Youth Chamber OrchestraAnnabel Kidd (Upper Fifth) has won a much-sought-after place in the National Youth Chamber Orchestra after a testing round of auditions and against fierce competition.

Royal Academy of DanceMolly Mackendrick (Lower Fifth)has been chosen to represent Sussex at the final of the Royal Academy of Dance South East Awards. She joins Eloise Booth from the Prep School in taking part in the final which will be held in London at the Royal Academy’s headquarters.

College musicians have recently enjoyed great successes in the Springboard Music Festival in Brighton. Beating off stiff competition, Dan Bulman (Upper Fifth) won first place in two of

the singing classes and Sophia Liu (Lower Sixth) won the Piano Sonata Class and Senior Recital Class as well as being runner-up in the overall Senior Championship.

All England DanceUpper Fifth dance scholar, Beth Connellan, achieved success at Woking Arts Festival as her Under 15 group won gold and qualified for the regional finals of the All England Dance Competition.

National Youth Orchestra Duncan Commin (Upper Fifth) has been awarded a place in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. He joins the viola section of this world-class orchestra as one of only 18 nationwide.

Amelia Craddock (Upper Fifth) has been awarded a place in the Millennium Youth Choir following competitive audition. This 30-strong, professional-standard choir looks for exceptional ability, and Amelia’s success is all the more impressive given that, at 15 years old, she has not yet reached the usual minimum age for admission. Her first engagement with the choir was a live broadcast of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3 in April; in the summer she will travel with them to Prague. As Deputy Head Chorister of Arundel Cathedral Choir, Amelia was also chosen to sing at a secret location for the filming of the BBC’s 'Don’t Tell The Bride' Christmas Special.

Princess Daniel (Upper Sixth) has secured a place on the School Leavers’ Programme of accountancy firm Ernst and Young. This is a five-year programme which leads to the award of chartered accountancy and tax qualifications. Michael Stevenson, also Upper Sixth, found himself with a very difficult choice to make after receiving prestigious contract offers from no fewer than three leading firms: Ernst and Young, KPMG and Price Waterhouse Coopers. Ultimately, he chose the last, and will commence their four-year programme in September.

Arkwright ScholarshipJames Manzoor (Lower Sixth) received his prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship in November at the award ceremony hosted by the Institute of Engineering and Technology in London. Against intense competition, James was one of the young people chosen by the Institute from across the UK for their potential to be industry’s future leaders in engineering and design.

Following his success in the 2012 Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, in which he achieved a prestigious ‘Roentgenium’ award (having come in the top 1% of the 4,300 pupils nationwide who entered), Weilun Liu (Upper Sixth) was invited to talk on an element of his choice at the Royal Institution. Weilun delivered a polished lecture on carbon.

Weilun Liu with Dr Peter Wothers

Amelia Craddock performs in The Sound of Music

Accountancy High-Fliers

National Youth ChoirOliver Champness (Fourth Form) sang with the National Youth Choir at the Royal Albert Hall in April, as part of their Cambiata Voices section.

Canadian ExchangeFreddie Stone (Upper Fifth) has secured a place on the Combined Cadet Force Annual Canadian Exchange – one of just 12 cadets chosen from across the country this year – and has six weeks of adventure to look forward to this summer, including hiking in the Rockies, kayaking through Canada’s rivers, learning how to travel across (and survive on!) a glacier field, as well as rock climbing, horse trekking and mountain biking.

Cambridge Chemistry Challenge

Sewek Gasiorek (Upper Sixth) and Ben Alexander (Lower Fifth) were selected to perform alongside professionals for the Glyndebourne

Youth and Community Opera Orchestra in the world premiere of Richard Gough's 'Imago' in March.

Glyndebourne

Sewek Gasiorek Ben Alexander

Springboard Festival

Millennium Youth Choir

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SPORT

1st VII make historyIn the first tournament of the Sevens season, Brighton became the first team ever to lift the Bryanston Trophy twice. They have since reached the finals of the Worth Sevens, the Reigate Sevens for the fourth time in a row and, for the first time ever, the semi-final of the Surrey Sevens.

National Schools’ Netball finalistsFor the first time ever, all three of Brighton’s teams secured places in the Regional Finals of the National Schools’ Netball Tournament; both the Under 14s and Under 16s went through as County Champions. The 1st VII ultimately reached the semi-finals, while the Under 16s battled their way through to the National Finals for the third successive year, finishing 5th in the country, a superb achievement.

Three former pupils in England teamIn an extraordinary triple, Craig Holland, Jake Henry and Max Maidment have all been selected to play for the England Students’ Rugby team.

1st XV unbeaten in Sussex for six yearsUnbeaten in Sussex now for six years, the 1st XV had another exceptional season. The team’s dominance is underlined by their match scorelines:

1st XV Results 2012–13Cranleigh Won 36–27 Hurstpierpoint Won 43–0 Reed's Won 21–15 St John’s, Leatherhead Won 36–17 Dulwich Lost 12–24 Trinity Won 54–12 Epsom Won 41–0 Portsmouth Won 20–8 John Fisher Won 23–7 Eastbourne Won 43–3 St Olave's Won 51–8 Whitgift Won 27–15

Netball successBrighton’s netballers again enjoyed an outstanding season. As well as county, regional and national successes, they achieved excellent block fixture results, including a superb total of 13 matches won out of 15 against Eastbourne, 13 wins out of 17 matches against

Hurstpierpoint College and a fine clean sweep against King’s, Canterbury. The introduction of a block fixture against Wellington provided excellent competition and will now become a regular fixture in the netball calendar.

England Under 18 captainJames Chisholm (Upper Sixth), captain of the 1st XV, has signed a contract with Harlequins to join the Aviva Premiership champions’ highly successful full-time academy. He has also been selected as captain of England Under 18s. James’ dream has always been to play professional rugby, inspired in part by his brother Ross who himself is full-back for Harlequins. Earlier this year, James was named Canterbury ‘Player of the Month’ in the December issue of Rugby World, who described his play as ‘outstanding’.

1st XV named national ‘Team of the Month’In October, Brighton’s 1st XV received the prestigious London Evening Standard national Team of the Month award. It is the second time in four years that Brighton has won this award.

1st VII are SISNA championsThe 1st VII played some of their best, wonderfully controlled netball to win the SISNA (Sussex Independent Schools) 2013 tournament in March, emerging as champions after winning every single match and a thrilling final against Hurstpierpoint College, 13–9. In an exceptional day of play that highlights the depth of Brighton’s netball strength, the Under 16, Under 15 and Under 14 teams were all runners-up.

Lead sponsors of Brighton College Sport

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Brighton girls selected for Sussex hockey squadCongratulations to Becca Dheansa, Ella Ward-Penny and Sophie Huyton-Taylor (Lower Third) who have been selected from over 100 girls who trialled to play county hockey for Sussex in their Under 13 squad.

Brighton golfers reach national finalsSixth Form golfers Oli Graves, Harry Klus and Toby Graves won the regional finals of the ISGA Matchplay Knockout Competition in March, having beaten Sutton Valence.

Sussex squash championLower Sixth pupil Harvey von Biel won the Sussex Squash Championship in the Under 17s category in October – all the more impressive given that he headed to the Championships direct from entertaining visitors to the College’s Open Morning as part of the sensational Swing Band! Harvey went on to win the Wimbledon Lakeside Junior Open Squash Tournament (Boys’ Under 17s) in November.

Silver medal for NathanNathan Parker (Upper Fifth) won the silver medal at the British Athletics National Championships for the 60m hurdles in a personal best of 8.14 seconds – a county record.

When the new Diamond Jubilee Pavilion opened its doors to spectators for the very first time, it was not only the superb new facility and its views across the fields and Downs that proved to be a talking point: visitors were delighted to sample the exclusive soup recipes created for Brighton by chefs at the renowned,

healthy fast-food restaurant chain, Leon. The new pavilion, opened by the Earl and Countess of Wessex in July last year, has transformed the experience of spectators and players alike at the College’s renamed Jubilee Ground and has been right at the heart of a season of superb sport.

Academy appointments for college cricketersThree Brighton College pupils, two current and one former, have gained places in the Sussex County Cricket Club’s Academy for the 2013 season. Left arm spinner, Josh Hayward, opening batsman Georgia Adams and all-rounder Sam Grant have performed exceptionally over the last year and will enjoy a bespoke programme covering physical, technical, mental, tactical and life skills.

Cricketing success in Abu DhabiThree current and two former pupils competed in the final of the Arch Under 19 Cricket Trophy in Abu Dhabi in February: Georgia Adams, Izi Noakes, Rebecca Silk and Freya Davies in the Sussex Under 19 team coached by Brighton’s Director of Cricket, Alexia Walker; and Izzy Collis in the MCC team which consists of England Under 19 players not already representing county teams. In a fantastic final – eventually won by the MCC team by just 18 runs – Brighton College girls starred with both the bat and the ball, while Izzy Collis was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament after scoring 138 runs and taking 7 wickets.

Under 15 girls win Sussex indoor cricket final

As defending champions, Brighton College took a step towards retaining their Lady Taverners Under 15 national title after winning the Sussex final. Nineteen schools started out in the county competition, with five going through to the final. Brighton College was the stand-out side, winning all four of their matches to take the Sussex title and progress to the regional final. The Under 13 side, who also reached the final, unfortunately lost out on the Sussex title by one wicket.

Celebrity soup warms spectators

Josh Hayward (l) and Sam Grant (r)

Toby Graves

Georgia Adams

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THE ARTS

The Sound of MusicWith nearly seventy pupils in the cast, and only a shade fewer again in the supporting orchestra, November’s production of The Sound of Music was certainly ambitious; most importantly, it was an absolute triumph. The opening ensemble number established the looming threat of Nazism and added an important quality of fragile but undimmed courage to the essential joie de vivre of the show's songs.

Strictly Come Dancing At the sixth annual Brighton College ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ final in March, guest judge Zoë Ball wowed the packed audience and contestants with her technical knowledge, drawn from her own experience on ‘Strictly’, and was immensely complimentary and encouraging of the Sixth Form contestants. William Emery and Sophia Razvi were crowned 2013’s winners in an extremely closely-fought competition.

Autumn ConcertOver 200 pupils took part in the Autumn Concert, which was warmly received by an enthusiastic audience. The Chamber Orchestra performed a beautiful work, ‘Rosa Mundi’, by OB Paul Lewis (H.1955–59). The programme also included performances from the Symphony Orchestra, the Concert and Swing Bands, the Guitar and Saxophone Ensembles, the Chamber Choir and the Girls’ Choir, as well as a number of fine individual performances.

Choral SocietyOver 150 singers, instrumentalists and professional soloists joined together for the Choral Society’s concert in November. The choir, comprising pupils, staff, parents and friends, performed Vivaldi’s effervescent Gloria with real energy and sparkle; the second half saw them on splendid form in Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor.

An Evening of DanceThe GCSE, AS and A-Level dance annual showcase played to an audience of over 100 in November, as all four year groups took to the stage to perform a mixture of set syllabus pieces and a selection of specially choreographed works.

Theatre RoyalFor the sixth year, Brighton’s annual celebration of the performing arts packed the city’s splendid Theatre Royal for a sell-out performance that drew together highlights from the last year in music, dance and drama. It also drew together pupils from the Brighton College family of schools, who performed together in a specially created Prep Schools’ Choir.

A superb and diverse evening which brought the audience to their feet in applause and gave some 150 pupils the wonderful experience of working and performing in a professional theatre.

Animal Farm November’s production of Animal Farm captured with gusto the menace and hypocrisy which provide the central theme of Orwell’s allegorical masterpiece.

Autograph concertsThe 29th Brighton College Autograph Concert once again brought some of the most exciting musicians to Brighton to inspire the College’s own performers and to be enjoyed by a wider audience from the city and beyond. Proudly sponsored by Anderson Norton Design.

andesign.co.uk

Dance SuccessEvery single pupil who recently took RAD Classical ballet and ISTD Modern, Jazz and Tap dance examinations achieved either a Merit or Distinction grade.

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EVENTS

In memory of NaishelIn November, the many friends of Naishel Kelly joined members of her family and the girls of Seldon House on the Chapel Lawn to celebrate her life on what would have been her 15th birthday. After joining together in song they released 200 purple and yellow balloons in Naishel's memory.

October saw seventeen pupils from the Fourth to Upper Fifth forms plunge into the unknown as they headed for Beijing as part of a fascinating Chinese exchange. All had been learning Mandarin, but none had ever visited the Chinese capital before. Highlights of their ten-day stay included visits to the Summer Palace, the Forbidden

City, the Temple of Heaven and the Capital Museum, as well as a two-night stay with the families of their exchange ‘buddies’ from partner school Tsinghua (one of the top two schools in China) in an eye-opening, awe-inspiring adventure. In February they were delighted to meet their buddies again as they completed the exchange with a visit to Brighton.

Seeking Gold in the Atlas MountainsTwelve Upper Sixth pupils undertook their qualifying Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco in October. Their five-day trek involved many hours of arduous hiking through villages and mountainous terrain. The teams were subjected first to snowfall and heavy rain, followed by glorious sunshine and extreme hot weather, but their great teamwork, solidarity and spirit shone throughout. Congratulations to all the Gold qualifiers.

East End links blossomBrighton pupils have been delighted over recent months to build ever stronger links with their counterparts at the London Academy of Excellence. The LAE is a new sixth form college in Newham, opened under the Government’s free school programme and sponsored by eight independent schools, including Brighton. Brighton welcomed the 51 members of the newly-named Brighton House who visited in November; each was paired with a member of the Lower Sixth, and the pupils came up with some wonderfully creative ideas for how the link between the College and Brighton House can be developed for the benefit of pupils in both schools.

Beijing Adventure

Visitors to the College in the summer term include Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, talking about his fresh vision for the independent sector; former Secretary of State for Education, Lord Baker, on his New Vision for Secondary Education; Lord Adonis, former Schools

Minister, speaking on Dismantling the Berlin Wall between Private and State Education; and Ben Cohen, former England rugby player and founder of the anti-bullying charity, StandUp, on standing up to bullying.

All pupils of the College and Prep School, together with those in Years 2 and 3 of the Pre-Prep School, gathered in the quad for the poignant annual Remembrance Ceremony in which those who served – and often died – in the course of war were remembered with deep gratitude. Members of the CCF placed colours on the ‘field altar’ before wreaths of poppies were laid by the Head Master and Heads of the Prep and Pre-Prep Schools. As the Last Post sounded, the pupils of the three schools joined in two minutes of thoughtful silence.

Famous faces

Random Acts of KindnessAt the start of the Michaelmas term, the Head Master challenged pupils to join him in aspiring to perform an act of kindness towards others every single day. Pupils and staff were given Random Acts of Kindness wrist bands as a reminder of their challenge.

Ceremony of Remembrance

December in LilleIn December, 28 pupils spent a week living with French families near Lille for the return trip of October’s French Exchange. Along with some wonderful sightseeing opportunities, the pupils had many chances to practise their French, including attending French school lessons and even teaching in a primary school.

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Brighton USAForty-seven Sixth Form pupils took part in this year’s history, politics and economics trip to the USA, visiting New York, Philadelphia, Gettysburg and Washington DC in October. Alongside sightseeing visits which included the Empire State Building, Washington Monument, New York Stock Exchange and the Pentagon, the pupils enjoyed a number of unique experiences. They entered into discussion with world-class journalists at the New York Times' offices in Times Square, talked with a lobbyist from Oxfam in Washington and even had a meeting with several of Senator Bob Corker’s staffers on the steps of the Capitol.

International schools go from strength to strength

Brighton College Abu Dhabi has enjoyed an immensely successful second year of operation under the leadership of Ken Grocott, with 890 pupils on roll. Year 11 opens in September, when pupil numbers are set to rise to 1,100, and its first set of GCSE results will be forthcoming next summer ahead of the opening of a Sixth Form. Alun Yorath, the Head of Senior School at Brighton College

Abu Dhabi, was recently appointed Founding Head Master of our second sister school in the UAE, Brighton College Al Ain, which will open in September on a 24-acre campus with a target roll of 300 in its first year. Brighton has quickly become the school of choice for expatriate and local families across the Gulf who are seeking an outstanding British style of education.

Sarah TaylorOld Brightonian Sarah Taylor (W. 2002–2007) made headline news in the national press in January as her potential appearance for the Sussex County 2nd XI team – ten years after making her debut in a boys’ team on the Home Ground – created a media furore. Photo: Don Miles

Tamzin MerchantTamzin Merchant (F. 2000–05) is to take the lead role of Molly Cooper in ITV1’s upcoming drama, 'Murder On The Home Front'. The drama is loosely based on the memoirs of Molly Lefebure, the secretary to Home Office pathologist Keith Simpson during World War II, and will air in May.

Lord SkidelskyLord Skidelsky (C. 1953–1958) has been travelling extensively, speaking on economics and promoting a new book co-written with his son, Edward Skidelsky, ‘How Much Is Enough? Money and the Good Life’. This has taken him in recent weeks to China, the US, Russia, Germany and the Netherlands. At the Nexus Institute in Amsterdam he spoke to an audience of 700 on the themes of How Much Is Enough, and in China he visited an independent school set up by Mr Lai Jian Hui, which has over 20,000 pupils from 3–18.

Hannah JonesFormer Brighton College pupil Hannah Jones (W. 2005–2007) starred in the film 'Strings' which scooped the Raindance Award at the British Independent Film Festival.

Matt PriorOld Brightonian Matt Prior (R. 1995–2000) has enjoyed another highly successful tour with England. His heroic performance in the decisive, drawn Test with New Zealand has moved him into the top 10 of the International Cricket Council batting rankings for the first time. Prior, who was England’s leading scorer in the shared series with 311 runs at an average of 103.66, made 73 in the first innings at Auckland’s Eden Park and a game-saving 110 not out on the final day. The wicketkeeper-batsman – who took 10 catches in the rubber – has moved up four spots to 10th, four behind Alastair Cook.

OLD BRIgHTONIANS mAkINg THE NEwS

Sir John ChilcotSir John Chilcot (H. 1952–57), Chairman of the Iraq Inquiry, Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge and President of the Old Brightonians, hosted an evening at the Oxford & Cambridge Club in April. Nearly 500 pupils have attended Oxbridge since the 1940s and, with numbers increasing every year, the Oxbridge cohort is a formidable force within the Old Brightonian community.

Sponsored Hymn SingIn celebration of the arrival of the new College Hymnal, dozens of pupils, staff, parents and friends of the College participated in a twelve-hour marathon in April, singing all 189 hymns in aid of charity. The Chapel rang with song from exactly 9am to exactly 9pm, as every verse (and in one case, both tunes) of every hymn were performed. Monies raised will be divided between 'Rhythmix' – a local charity providing music workshops for young people – and the new Music School.

An Orthodox ChristmasFor the first time, January saw Brighton celebrate Christmas Day along with its Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian pupils, commencing a new tradition of celebrating the Orthodox Christmas with a special dinner.

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PREP SCHOOL

Year 8 girls shine Year 8 girls have excelled recently, winning two challenging competitions. A team of three girls beat off stiff opposition in the annual St Aubyns public speaking competition with their compelling arguments in favour of the statement: 'the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics should be compulsory team sports for all school children'. The judges praised the team for working so well together, for their touches of humour and the seamless flow of the speeches. A team of five girls also won the One Planet: One Voice writing and singing competition at the Brighton and Hove Schools Eco-Conference. Their winning song was then performed in front of an audience including the UK’s only Green MP, Caroline Lucas.

Fragile FutureAs a result of their success in the 2013 Fragile Future Global Canvas Art and Poetry Competition, nine BCPS pupils had the thrill of having their art work and poetry exhibited at The Flett Theatre in the Natural History Museum. Their work was selected by David Shepherd CBE who is renowned for his Wildlife Foundation work in helping save critically endangered animals.

I Love Ya Tomorrow!The Prep School is deservedly renowned for its fabulous musicals and this year’s production of Annie enthralled the audiences with top class acting, singing and dancing. Annie eventually escapes the clutches of the tyrannical Miss Hannigan, as the seemingly cold-hearted industrialist Oliver Warbucks finds compassion in the dire times of 1930s USA.

Trying for a unique double The Year 7 and Year 8 ‘A’ sides have both battled through to the finals of the county rugby cup. After impressive campaigns, the boys are aiming to pull off what would be an unparalleled feat, for a prep school, of simultaneously holding both the U12 and U13 Sussex titles. The netballers have also had a successful season, winning five trophies, including the U10s win in the Burgess Hill tournament.

The nation’s most popular club?In 2011, schools inspectors praised BCPS for ‘the exceptionally high number and range of extra-curricular activities’, referring to the ‘extensive choice of high quality clubs’. Amongst ‘the uncommon options’ mentioned in the inspection report is our pet club which (based on the reaction of visitors on open mornings) may just be the most loved school club in the country!

The highly innovative English curriculum for Year 4, as well a study of Michael Morpurgo’s wonderful novel Kensuke’s Kingdom, includes the exceedingly popular topic ‘dragonology’. The pupils enjoyed hugely a dragonology-themed day during which the whole year group and their teachers morphed into the dragonologist Dr Drake.

‘Dragons never existed.’ Discuss

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PRE-PREP SCHOOL

Red Nose Day The school was full of smiles and random outfits on the final day of term. Two pupils, Martha and Nell Hampel, organised their own stall selling homemade lemonade and raised an additional £50 for Comic Relief.

Girls' Football The girls in Year 3 got a surprise when it came to their games lesson one week. All the girls took part in a football session run by Mel Pennington from ‘Shoot’. They worked hard to show off their skills and thoroughly enjoyed their first experience of football.

African DayAs the culmination of an exciting topic of Africa, the children in Year 2 enjoyed a special 'African Day'. Each class had a turn at trying different activities: cooking and tasting African chapatis, making footballs from paper and plastic bags just like village children do and weaving colourful cloth.

Chinese New YearThe children learned all about Chinese New Year and that 2013 is the year of the snake. To celebrate this they enjoyed a special Chinese lunch. In their Mandarin lesson they listened to the story of the animals’ race and how each year is named after an animal. They tried on the dragon mask and loved dancing around the classroom!

Snow FunThe children (and staff ) enjoyed making the most of our huge school field and the blanket of snow that covered it on numerous occasions last term.

Years 1, 2 and 3 were treated to a Caribbean Steel Pan workshop, led by the percussion supremo Mike Simpson. The hall was filled with three enormous blue bass pans (the lowest sounding), two giant 'guitar' pans, two 'seconds' (playing an octave below the tenors), two tenor pans (the highest)

and a line up of shakers (making up 'the engine room'). The children learned to play a Calypso pattern, with vibrant accompaniment from Mike on the snare and tom. Great fun was had by all making a LOUD sound! It was a totally infectious groove that got toes tapping, legs stomping and bottoms wiggling!

Marathon SuccessCongratulations to Miss White, Head of P.E. and Games, and Sebby, a Year 3 pupil, both ‘Finishers’ in the Brighton Half Marathon 2013 event.

Steel Band Workshop

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BRIgHTON COLLEgE

01273 704201registrar@brightoncollege.netwww.brightoncollege.org.uk

College Open Morning (11+, 13+, 16+)Saturday 28th September 2013 9.30am – 12.00 noon

Prep/Pre-Prep (3+ to 10+ entry)Saturday 5th October 20139.15am – 1.00pm

“ A caring and supportive ethos permeates all aspects of school life” 2011 INSPECTION

“ The school everyone’s talking about” TATLER 2012

• Extensive bus routes across Sussex • Day, Weekly and Full Boarding