brighton college review summer 2016

BRIGHTON COLLEGE REVIEWSummer

2016

“Britain's most forward thinking school” THE WEEK, 2016

BC Summer Review 2016 - 14333 v20.indd 1 27/04/2016 09:53

Amy ArnellPembroke College Modern Foreign LanguagesShiza AtherSelwyn College Natural SciencesHolly Barsham Sidney Sussex CollegeHuman, Social, and Political SciencesWilliam Bicknell-FoundSidney Sussex College ClassicsAlex BoylePembroke CollegeHuman, Social, and Political SciencesMavis ChanSt John’s College Natural SciencesFronia ChengGonville and Caius CollegeEnglishEmma CroftsEmmanuel CollegePhilosophy

Kerem ErgeneTrinity College MathematicsAmber GoodwinFitzwilliam College LawLouie GrayTrinity Hall HistoryOliver JaggerClare CollegeEngineeringMax Karous Gonville and Caius CollegeEngineeringDavid KatcmanFitzwilliam CollegeMathematicsBoris LamHomerton CollegeLawAndrew LinChurchill CollegeAsian and Middle Eastern Studies

Ethan NottSt John’s CollegeEngineeringFrancesca RaeMurray Edwards CollegeVeterinary MedicineChristopher SanerJesus CollegeAsian and Middle Eastern StudiesRufus SaundersFitzwilliam CollegeLand EconomyHarry StuartHomerton CollegeEconomicsOliver WintersDowning College HistoryMaria YanChurchill CollegeNatural SciencesFrancis YipFitzwilliam CollegeNatural Sciences

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

A record-breaking 39 Oxbridge offers

Sasha AgureevOpen offerElectronic EngineeringIvan BelostotskiyOpen offerMechanical EngineeringAditya DesaiOpen offerChemistryFred DimblebyKeble College HistoryBeatrix GrantCorpus Christi College English Language and LiteratureOliver Loeb MillsHertford CollegeHistoryAlex Maguire St Catherine’s CollegeHistoryJohn MewesUniversity CollegeComputer Science and Mathematics

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

It has been another record-breaking year for Oxbridge entries, with 39 offers in a wonderful range of disciplines from Biochemistry to Engineering, English to Veterinary Medicine.

The news follows a great year for Brighton’s university applicants. Our 2015 leavers secured more places at Russell Group universities than ever before.

Rachel O Nunain Trinity College English Language and LiteratureAlice Sanders WhiteExeter CollegeEnglish Language and LiteratureFlorence Sanders WhiteLincoln CollegeEnglish Language and LiteratureMichelle SunTrinity CollegeEngineering Lilya TataCorpus Christi College BiochemistryOmar TsangPembroke CollegeChemistryDaniel WheatleyKeble CollegeChemistry

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1472006The Sunday Times Parent Power rankings

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Educating boys and girls together clearly works for both genders. Girls at Brighton outperformed girls at all leading single-sex schools in London and the South East, with a stunning 99.6% A*-B at A-level. Meanwhile, Brighton's boys went one better, scoring the best results of any type of school in London and the South East. We have always believed that educating girls and boys together helps to engender kindness and respect and prepares them well for adult life. We are delighted that it also produces such terrific academic results.

Brighton's transformation into one of England's leading co-educational schools is reflected in the College's rise in The Sunday Times' Parent Power rankings. In ten years, Brighton has climbed from 147th to 6th place in the paper's annual survey of schools' academic performance. In 2015, Brighton was the only school in Sussex to make the top 100.

A remarkable double for Brighton's boys and girls

Brighton soars in rankings

GIRLS Top 10 schools for A-level (girls only) in

London and the South East, based on % A*-B

School Gender % A*-B

1 King's College School, Wimbledon Mixed 100.0

2 Brighton College Mixed 99.6

3 Westminster School Mixed 99.0

4 St Paul's Girls' School Girls 98.9

5 North London Collegiate School Girls 98.0

6 Guildford High School for Girls Girls 97.9

7 City of London School for Girls Girls 97.8

8 The Lady Eleanor Holles School Girls 96.6

9 Wycombe Abbey School Girls 95.3

10 St Albans High School for Girls Girls 95.2

BOYS Top 10 schools for A-level (boys only) in

London and the South East, based on % A*-B

School Gender % A*-B

1 Brighton College Mixed 98.6

2 Magdalen College School, Oxford Mixed 98.5

3 Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School Boys 97.6

4 St Paul's School Boys 96.7

5 Westminster School Mixed 96.6

6 Bancroft's School Mixed 95.4

7 Royal Grammar School, Guildford Boys 95.2

8 Eton College Boys 94.0

9 St Albans School Mixed 93.8

10 Reigate Grammar School Mixed 93.7

Source: Independent Schools Council, and The Sunday Times’ Parent Power rankings 2015.

Based on GCSE and A-level results

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With the news that Soho House is coming to Brighton, you would be forgiven for thinking that it's already here. Brighton's collaboration with celebrated interior designers DDSB has resulted in stylish, unique interiors for boarding and day houses, the Simon Smith Building, and many other spaces in the College. Work on the Dining Hall and Aldrich day House is due to start this summer.

Boarding House or Soho House?

Work began in February on the latest exciting addition to Brighton's campus, due to open in autumn 2017. The new teaching block, designed by Hopkins, the architects of the Glyndebourne Opera House and Olympic Velodrome, will feature twenty classrooms for Maths, History, Economics, and Politics, as well as a large experimental teaching suite designed to enhance pupils' public speaking skills.

Classrooms for the 21st century

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Brighton pupils will soon be taught in some of the best laboratories and indoor sports facilities of any school in the country. The new Centre for Sports and Science has been designed by the world-renowned architecture firm OMA, and will complement Brighton's historic buildings beautifully. The Centre will feature a state-of-the-art swimming pool, a double-height sports hall with Olympic-standard flooring, and a strength and conditioning suite filled with the latest technology. Eighteen university-standard science laboratories will be created alongside an indoor-outdoor greenhouse for Biology lessons.

OMA’s innovative approach to design is illustrated by their portfolio of recent buildings: the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, the Rothschild Bank Headquarters in London, and the Seattle Central Library, to name just a few.

Multi-million pound Sports and Science Centre gets green light

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Rowing for refugees

As part of Respect Week, Brighton pupils rowed over 600km on six rowing machines in a day to raise funds for local refugee charities. Th ey exceeded their target of 450km, which represents the distance from Bodrum to Athens: a perilous journey undertaken by thousands of refugees.

Brighton is also setting up a scheme off ering English lessons to Syrian refugees as they prepare to settle into life in the UK. Th e project will see both pupils and staff teach lessons at the College.

Brighton's Fourth Formers raised an incredible £10,000 for WeSeeHope, a charity that supports vulnerable children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Each pupil was given £10 as seed capital to launch a business idea. Aft er ten weeks of entrepreneurial fundraising, over fi ve times the initial investment was made. Th e charity reported that this was one of the highest totals ever raised by a school.

Brighton’s annual Make a Diff erence Day sees every pupil and teacher volunteer with a local organisation. Th is year’s event was bigger than ever with volunteers taking part in over sixty activities across Sussex. Th ese activities included clearing shrubland at Devil's Dyke, helping to restore the historic lock at Sheffi eld Park, and volunteering at a local food bank.

Building libraries in Ghana

Brighton pupils visited Ghana as ambassadors for the College's new charity, Reading Spots, which aims to build community libraries in areas of Ghana where residents lack access to books. Pupils helped to paint and stock the new library at Messiah International School, and have vowed to raise £20,000 for a new community library in the village of Akumaden. Oliver Champness (Lower Sixth) organised a concert for the charity that raised £2,000; it featured an inspiring mix of African and European literature, dance and music.

£10,000 raised for WeSeeHope

Making a diff erence

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Brighton-sponsored academy named UK College of the Year 2016

An exciting new initiative at Brighton will see every pupil receive lessons in touch typing, a skill that is invaluable for university and the workplace. These lessons will complement Brighton's existing Life Skills programme, which teaches pupils skills such as ironing, changing tyres and managing finances.

Top School Award, 2016Brighton was recognised in the UK Best Schools’ Awards for the third consecutive year, for being one of the top five boarding schools in Britain.

The London Academy of Excellence was named UK Sixth Form College of the Year by The Sunday Times after receiving the best A-level results of any sixth form in England. Despite its position in the second most deprived borough in the country, 39% of pupils scored AAB in 'facilitating subjects', and eight pupils recently received offers from Oxford and Cambridge. The LAE was set up in 2012 as the brainchild of Brighton Head Master, Richard Cairns, and Joan Deslandes, the Head Teacher of Kingsford Community School. Pupils from Brighton and the LAE enjoy a successful ‘buddying’ scheme.

David Gilmour concert opens Music School

The new Music School, with its innovative architecture and superb facilities, was officially opened by David Gilmour CBE. The Pink Floyd legend performed alongside Brighton pupils, including the chamber choir. Visitors to the Music School were able to appreciate its spectacular ‘floating roof’ before entering the dramatic double-height recital hall. Pupils also benefit from ten new practice rooms, a percussion and rock room, a music library and a state-of the-art recording suite.

Touch typing for all

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SPORT

Regional netball champions

Howzat! A top ten cricket school

Th e U16 C girls’ hockey team completed a second successive year of winning every game played, scoring 78 goals and conceding only 2. Meanwhile, the U16 A team reached the regional qualifi cation round of the National Cup. Th ese achievements are testament to the strength of Brighton's hockey teams and the commitment of the players.

Brighton's netballers have had an exceptional season, dominating the sport in Sussex. Th e U19, U16, and U15 squads won the Sussex County Cup, beating Hurtstpierpoint College in the fi nals. Th e 1st VII are now Sussex Independent Schools' Netball Association champions, Sussex Schools' champions, Sussex County champions, and South East Regional champions.

Brighton is one of just seven UK schools to have received a special award for excellence from Th e Cricketer magazine. In their 2016 guide to the top 100 schools, the magazine also applauded Brighton for being “at the forefront of the women’s game”. Old Brightonian Sarah Taylor (2002-07) made cricketing history in October 2015 by becoming the fi rst woman to play Australian fi rst-grade cricket.

Another Old Brightonian, former England wicket-keeper Matt Prior, has been awarded MCC Honorary Life Membership. Prior played 79 Test matches in his seven-year England career.

Team of the season

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Having a ballin Sri LankaHarry Moorat showed great prowess with the bat during the U15 and U14 cricket tour of Sri Lanka, scoring two unbeaten half centuries. Th e star bowler of the tour was Rory Gabriel, who took ten wickets at an average of 13.5. All of the boys exhibited commitment and determination in humid conditions, and had a fantastic time.

Brighton are English rugby champions, 2016Brighton's U16 Sevens team celebrated a colossal win at Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens Tournament in March. Over 160 schools competed in the colts U16 section of the largest school rugby tournament in the world, and a thrilling fi nal against New Hall saw Brighton claim a 20-17 victory. Brighton's boys proved to be well organised, intelligent athletes who were diffi cult to break down in defence and lethal in attack. Only two schools have won this tournament more than once: Brighton and Millfi eld.

The road to the fi nalQueen Elizabeth's School, Barnet (38–0)

Plymouth College (24–0)

St Peter's School, York (24–17)

Brynteg School (35–5)

Millfi eld School (31–12)

Cheltenham College (17–12)

St John's School, Leatherhead (26–12)

Ysgol Y Preseli (20–7)

New Hall School (20–17)

WINNERS

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Golf glory for Anya

Anya Olsen (Upper Fifth) won the Salver for best individual girl at the HMC Singles competition. The event saw teams from HMC schools across England and Scotland compete at The Berkshire Golf Club.

In the UK top 4

Brighton's 1st VII netball team reached the semi-finals of the England Netball National Schools' Finals in March, and finished the competition in a commendable fourth place.

England rugby selection

Jon Searle (Upper Fifth) has been selected to play for the England U16 rugby team, and Marcus Smith (Lower Sixth) has been picked for the England U17 team. Congratulations to both boys.

A football school too:Played 13, Won 13Brighton's football teams excelled in the highly competitive Sussex and Kent Independent League, with the U15 As, the U15 Bs and the U14 Bs all winning their leagues. A series of brilliant performances also meant that Brighton's teams enjoyed a clean sweep against The King's School, Canterbury, winning 13 matches out of 13.

Meanwhile, Sidney O'Neill (Upper Third) has enjoyed great success in football: he has been selected for the England ISFA (Independent Schools' Football Association) U13 squad.

British Junior squash

Frankie Smith (Lower Third) was selected for the England team in the British Junior Open U13 boys' tournament. Frankie is currently U13 County Squash Champion and U13 London and the South East Regional Champion.

Cross country triumphs

Leo Brewer (Fourth Form) won the Junior Boys' race at the South East Schools' Championships, while Jack Gardner (Lower Third) won the Under 12 race at the Sussex County Championships.

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Equestrian excellence

Guard of honour for JapanThe entire school welcomed Japan's Rugby World Cup squad back to the College for their final training session following their astonishing victory over South Africa. Brighton's 1st XV were visited by Japan's coach, Eddie Jones, who watched the team play Sussex U18s. At the end of 2015, Jones was named the new head coach of the England team. Brighton College was one of just forty official team bases for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Members of the Brighton College Equestrian Team competed brilliantly at a National Schools' Equestrian Association show jumping competition. The College was represented by three riders: Georgie Henderson (Upper Fifth), Poppy Westwell, and Jodie Rogers (both Fourth Form). Jodie and her pony Millie won the individual 80-85cms class.

Prestigious rugby award

The 1st XV rugby team finished in the top four at the national tens tournament held at Sedbergh School. Congratulations to Kyran Bungaroo (Upper Sixth), who was voted player of the tournament. Kyran joins a formidable list of players who have received this award, many of whom have gone on to play at the highest level.

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THE ARTS

Performed with dynamism and panache, the iconic musical Cabaret was a glamorous yet poignant piece of theatre. A superb cast of singers, dancers and actors drew the audience into the dizzying world of cabaret and the threat of escalating violence. Stand-out performances were delivered by Dixie McDevitt (Upper Fifth) as Sally Bowles, Caidraic Heffernan (Upper Sixth) as the MC, and Barney Mercer (Upper Sixth) as Clifford.

Life is a Cabaret

Chamber champions Brighton's singing stars

The Brighton 'cello quartet, comprising Ben Alexander, Jade Harvey, Philippa Box and Berniya Hamie, was named one of six national 'Chamber Champion' groups at the Chamber Music Festival for Schools. The quartet has now been invited to perform at the Wigmore Hall.

Pupils once again exuded creative talent in the extraordinary show of music, colour and dancing that is Brighton's annual House Song competition. Aldrich's slick performance of ABBA's Does Your Mother Know? earned them the top spot for the second year in a row.

Striking a chord

Over ten ensembles took part in another wonderful Autumn Concert, which featured an outstanding solo from Oliver Winters (Upper Sixth) in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and a debut performance from the new Percussion Ensemble.

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Representing England at the World Cup A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Five pupils have been chosen to fly the flag for English dance at this summer’s Dance World Cup. Sam Kelly, Elliot O’Toole, Joe Cappai (all Lower Sixth), Molly Mackendrick (Upper Sixth), and James Duprey (2010-15) will be hoping to help Team England claim the trophy for the fourth year in a row.

The Lower and Middle Schools took inspiration from Glastonbury in their production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. With vivid costumes and make-up, and some unforgettable music, the audience were transported back in time to 1971. The four sell-out performances were a triumph thanks to the energy, comic timing and sheer joy displayed by the young cast.

Strictly comes to Brighton

The College’s annual Strictly Come Dancing competition was a spectacular affair. Our talented Sixth Formers excelled themselves in front of BBC Strictly star and guest judge Katie Derham, who had previously shared tips with the couples whilst filming at the College alongside dance partner Anton Du Beke. After wowing the audience and judges alike, Joe Cappai and Lara Gheriani were crowned champions, while Anson Pang and Kirsten Lee were worthy runners-up.

Strictly guest judge, Katie Derham

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Changing Faces

India Gale (Upper Fifth) gave evidence to the Disability Committee of the Equality and Human Rights Commission as a young person stakeholder for the charity Changing Faces. India gave a presentation on changing public attitudes towards facial disfigurement in the presence of its Chairman, Lord Holmes.

Artistic Oliver Harris (Lower Sixth) was awarded second place in the Young Photographers Competition run by University College London IOE Confucius Institute of Schools. Oliver's portfolio of five photographs relating to China was displayed in an exhibition at UCL.

INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSES

Gold medals aplenty at the British Physics Olympiad

Brighton physicists have once again achieved exceptional results in the annual British Physics Olympiad competition. Upper Sixth pupils Kirin Tantinon, Omar Adesida, Kerem Ergene and Oliver Jagger secured Gold awards, placing them in the top 150. Mavis Chan (Upper Sixth) achieved a Gold Top 50 award, and has been selected to represent the UK at the 2016 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in India.

Dominic competes for English chess

Brighton's chess scholar, Dominic Miller (Fourth Form), has been selected to represent England in the 2016 European Schools' Chess Championships in Greece. Here, he will pit himself against some of the best young chess players in Europe. Dominic has also enjoyed success alongside Robert Crawley, Hugo Westwood-Dunkley (both Upper Third) and Ravi Jadav (Prep School) in the Butler Cup chess competition.

Photography prize-winner

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Debaters' Oxford success

Sixth Formers Oliver Winters, Rachel O Nunain, Molly O’Gorman and Edward Warren reached the final of the Oxford Union Schools’ Debating Competition 2015/16, and the team of Oliver and Rachel achieved a place in the top 20.

Felix flies high

Felix Marshall (Lower Sixth) passed his flying exams to become the UK’s youngest gyrocopter pilot. Felix undertook a solo navigation flight lasting three hours as part of his exams, and is now looking forward to exploring England from the air.

Sports Awards

Jamie Lambert (Upper Fifth) received a Special Recognition Award at the Sussex Sports Awards. Jamie raised over £3,000 for disabled athletes by taking part in an expedition to Greenland.

Top cadet

Polly Milsom (Lower Sixth) was one of only twelve British cadets to gain a place on the Rocky Mountain leadership course and was awarded Best Cadet in her platoon.

Guardian Young Critics award

Wilkie Dickinson-Sparkes (Lower Sixth) was named a national top 10 young critic with his review of one of the longlisted books for The Guardian’s children’s fiction prize. His review was published on The Guardian’s website.

British champion Toby breaks European recordToby Harries’ (Lower Sixth) athletics career reached extraordinary heights as he won the men’s 200m title aged only 17 at the Indoor British Championships in Sheffield. Toby won the race with a time of 21.13 seconds, having set a new European junior record of 21.12 seconds in the semi-finals.

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BRIGHTON SOCIETY

Events and excursions

The Brighton Society enables current Brighton College parents to meet each other, have fun, and interact with members of the Common Room informally. Through a range of stimulating and sociable events, it helps to foster an even stronger sense of community at Brighton.

© Andrew Wilkinson

Brighton parents have enjoyed a fantastic range of activities as part of the Brighton Society this year, including trips to the theatre, a ramble on the South Downs, and an evening of health and beauty. Visits to historical sites and museums have been enhanced by staff and governors sharing their specialist knowledge in areas as diverse as music, science, history, and politics. A particular highlight of the Brighton Society calendar was the Burns Night supper and ceilidh, which featured wonderful music, food and dancing.

Forthcoming events

A number of interesting events have been lined up by the Brighton Society for Trinity Term, including a trip to the world-famous Glyndebourne Opera House and a tour of the Rathfinny Estate vineyard.

Please see www.brightonsociety.co.uk for more details.

21st century teenagersThis year, pastoral seminars for parents have provided a great forum for building on the strong partnership between the College and families. Phil Ward ran an empowering seminar on parenting the 21st century teenager, while Childnet offered a session on Internet safety. Our third speaker, Dick Moore, gave an insightful presentation on adolescent development. We are delighted that these sessions have been well attended and received.

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PREP SCHOOL

21st century teenagers

Year 7 and 8 pupils threw on their powder pink baseball jackets and black leathers for this year’s Prep School production of the hit show Grease. A sell-out audience were treated to an all-singing, all-dancing performance as pupils channelled Pink Lady perfection and biker boy bravado. An excellent show all round!

Go Greased Lightning!

From cake sales to skip-a-thons, karaoke to bingo, the Prep School Charity Week was a hive of activity. Over £3,000 was raised for two local charities, The Crew Club and Manor Road Gym. The money will be used to assist the support, entertainment and sport services for the young people of Whitehawk.

Budding engineers Ana MacEvilly, Lola Harz, Pearl Chandra and Daisy Teale have designed and constructed a rowing machine using a range of recycled materials. The project was selected for the final of the National Science and Engineering Competition.

Charity Week Design dream team

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An array of familiar characters from the world of literature arrived at the Prep School for World Book Day. Dressed in their colourful costumes, avid readers and budding authors alike relished the opportunity to spend a whole day celebrating all things literary.

World Book Day

PREP SCHOOL

The U9 A netball team celebrated after winning the Westbourne House and Brighton and Hove netball tournaments. Their success came after a comprehensive win by the U10 team in the Burgess Hill netball tournament. Meanwhile, the U11 A team played brilliantly in the National Finals, after coming fourth out of 64 teams at the Sussex regional netball championships.

The Prep School’s boys also had cause to celebrate. The senior boys’ rugby team reached the Windlesham Sevens quarter finals, while the Year 7s came second in the Snell Cup. The Year 6 boys were runners-up in the Portsmouth Grammar Sevens, and the Year 5 boys won the Plate at the Oakwood Sevens.

Winning streak for girls’ netball Sporting success for boys

This year’s Creativity Day was based on the theme of ‘elements’. Pupils could be seen shooting water rockets into the atmosphere, creating rhythmic gymnastics routines and designing prototype water parks. Fifteen activities were on offer during the day and a huge amount of fun was had by all.

Earth, water, air and fire

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PRE-PREP SCHOOL

Green Week ended in spectacular style with a fashion show featuring recycled and green creations, all designed by the children.

Pupils were treated to a visit from animal handlers Animazing who brought with them a swathe of creatures to stroke, cuddle and admire. The animals included geckos, snakes, tortoises, rabbits, bullfrogs, hedgehogs and skunks.

Reception had a special visit from the police force, fire brigade, and RNLI, who explained how to stay safe in different situations. The children enjoyed testing out all the equipment as well as trying on the different uniforms.

Over fifty Year 2 children participated in scootability lessons run by Brighton and Hove Council. The course helped the children to develop basic road safety awareness, as well as skills that are essential for cycling, such as balancing, steering, and stopping.

Ever wondered what to do with an old pair of wellies? Gardening Club came up with the wonderful idea of growing daffodils in them.

Forward-thinking fashion

All creatures great and small

Staying safe in Reception

Scootability Green fingers galore

The whole school transformed themselves into superheroes during a drama workshop, and set about solving the problem of climate change. The planet faces a crisis: their mission was to sing and dance their way to a solution.

Superheroes!

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BRIGHTON COLLEGE

01273 [email protected]

“Brighton College. One word: exceptional” TATLER

“ Happy and broadminded” GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE

• Extensive bus routes across Sussex • Day, weekly and full boarding

Open MorningsCollege (11+, 13+, 16+) Saturday 24th September 2016 9.30am – 12.00pm

Pre-Prep and Prep (3+ to 10+) Saturday 8th October 2016 9.00am – 1.00pm

Sixth Form Saturday 15th October 2016 9.30am – 12.00pm


brighton college review summer 2016

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