hm letter to parents march 2015
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Dear ParentsMany pupils, and I suspect parents, will be exhausted at the end of this week, packed full of high quality events at the end of another busy term. The following pages give a taste of some of the highlights but, as always, thank you to the pupils who continue to take advantage of so many opportunities and to parents who support them in all that they do.
MARCH 2015
HEADMASTER’S LETTER
T0 PARENTSCHIGWELL SCHOOL
Contents
Page 1 Trip to India
Page 2 Trip to Iceland
Page 3 German ExchangePhysics Olympiad
Page 4 Choral Concert
Page 5 Music
Page 6 London Philharmonia ChorusPage 7 English Department Activities
Scouts
Page 8 Girls’ Netball
Page 9 Girls’ Netball
Page 10 Boys’ Hockey
Page 11 Boys’ Hockey
Page 12 Dance Showcase
Page 13 Dance Showcase
Page 14 DramaSchool ShopStaff NewsAlice Melvin
Page 15 Middle School Public Speaking CompetitionJoseph Klein
Page 16 The Howard and Mitchell Essay Competition
Page 17 Chigwell Open Art, Design and Technology Exhibition
Page 18 Careers ConventionPublic ExaminationsUpper Fifth Leavers
Page 19 Holiday Activity Courses at Chigwell School
Page 20 And Finally...
Page 21 Chapel
Trip to India Fifteen pupils, parents, teachers and
members of the Bede Griffiths Charitable
Trust flew to India for the February Half
Term. The group stayed in the beautiful
surroundings of the Saccidananda
Ashram. This year there was much to see
as Chigwell School’s fundraising for the
Trust was very much in evidence. They
visited the new modern house that has
been built to replace a very basic
structure, a new school hall and a
refurbished Old People’s Home. This
area of Tamil Nadu is wonderfully vibrant
but also very poor and the contribution
made by the Chigwell community,
through the Bede Griffiths Charitable
Trust, makes a real difference to people’s
lives. Another highlight of the trip was
when the group was privileged to be
guests of honour at the Bless School
cultural evening, a primary school funded
by the Trust. Chigwell pupils also had a
chance to participate in some teaching at
the school. When the group flew back via
Sri Lanka, they were again guests of
honour at a school that had links to a
Chigwell family. This was an experience
that will stay with the participants for the
rest of their lives. It was a real privilege to
be welcomed like this!
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Trip to IcelandGeography A level students visited Iceland
during half term to bring to life the
geographical features and processes they
have studied within the subject. On the first
day the students visited the Blue Lagoon,
the popular geothermal spa of crystal clear
water which is the only site on Earth where
it is possible to swim in water all year round,
at a temperature of 40 °C. The group visited
two stunning waterfalls and a geyser
situated in the south-west of Iceland that
has been active for over 10,000 years. Other
popular attractions during the visit included
Thingviller, the national park where
Iceland’s parliament was established in
930AD which is scoured by the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge. Rift valleys were clearly visible where
the Eurasian and North American tectonic
plates pull apart at around 2cm a year.
However, the most stunning part of the trip
was Solheimajokull (which means ‘sun
house glacier’); this is one of several outlets
from the Myrdalsjokull icecap and is located
in a valley that extends 8km. It has been
retreating since the end of the 19th century
at a rate of around 100m per year but the
heavy snow on the day made it one of the
most picturesque views the students had
ever seen.
3
German ExchangeChigwell pupils participated in the fifteenth
annual German exchange in record
numbers. The exchange takes place with
our partner school in Hamburg and it was a
great success, this year involving forty
pupils, the youngest being in Year 7.
During their stay in Germany the group
spent half a day at school, together with
their exchange partners, which gave our
students an idea of school life in the state of
Hamburg. Other highlights of the trip
included a visits to the ‘Arriba’ adventure
swimming pool, the Maritime Museum in
Hamburg, the Salt Museum in the medieval
town of Lüneburg and, of course, making
chocolate bars in the ‘Chocoversum’. Now
the pupils are looking forward to
welcoming their German partners for the
return to Chigwell.
Physics OlympiadCongratulations to Bianca Andrei who has
made it through to the final stages of the
prestigious Physics Olympiad competition.
Having already been successful in two
extremely challenging written tests,
Bianca has now been selected to join 15
other students from around the country to
take part in the final stage of the selection
process for the team of six that will go on
to represent Britain in the International
Physics Olympiad this summer. Bianca is
the second of our students to reach this
stage of the competition in the last three
years, and she is only in her first year of
studying the subject at A level. Good Luck
Bianca!
4
Choral ConcertThe resplendent Nicholas Hawksmoor’s
(1661-1736) Christ Church, Spitalfields
was the venue for the 2015 Choral
Concert. The evening opened with the
beautiful, soothing and healing sounds
of Eric Whitacre’s Seal Lullaby,
performed with an ethereal dreamlike
quality by the Chapel Choir. There then
followed a musically exhilarating
performance of Beethoven’s Piano
Concerto No.3 in C minor, Op.37 by Katie
Marshall (O.C.), (now in her first year
studying medicine at Christ Church,
Oxford). The standing ovation and
rapturous reception that greeted the
final chords were nothing more than her
performance deserved.
The Choral Society raised the standards
to new heights with a masterful and
commanding presentation of Mozart’s
Requiem in D minor, K626. The richly
woven tapestry of Mozart’s writing was
clearly delineated by the voices. A
highlight of the evening was of course
the use of our own choristers as the
soloists required; Requiem aeternam
and Communio, Lux aeterna: Maddie
Lovett; Tuba mirum: Brooke Newton,
Alice Melvin, James Botcher, Lucas
Abrami-Gill; Recordare: Kate Hawes,
Hana Edwards, James Botcher, Adam
Melvin; Domine Jesu Christe: Lara
Hobbis, Alice Melvin, Gopal Kambo,
Jusden Halabi and Benedictus: Sarah
Chamberlain, Rhea Gupta, James Botcher
Adam Melvin. Their performances
without a doubt demonstrated a wealth
of musical maturity and academic
conscientiousness and gave all an
unprecedented experience of the power
of music for both listeners and performers
alike.
MusicBoth Upper Two and Third Form have held
their Prom Concerts this half term and both
have proved exceptional in terms of quality
and breadth of musical performance. So
many pupils have taken the opportunity to
perform solo, duets and trios that it is
impossible to single out any one in particular.
All pupils must be congratulated.
Following a most successful Choral Concert,
the Chapel Choir made their debut solo
performance at Royal Festival Hall on
London’s Southbank on Sunday 22nd March,
singing Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque and
Stanford’s The Blue Bird (soloist: Kate
Hawes). They represented the School with
great distinction.
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London PhilharmoniaChorus Two of Chigwell's Music Scholars, Max
Albert and James Botcher, have been
admitted into the London Philharmonia
Chorus. Aside from singing in various
choirs inside school, the two sixth
formers balance their A level
commitments against the demands of
additional choral singing in and around
London. They now have the opportunity
to regularly participate in great choral
works in venues, such as Kings College
Cambridge, the Barbican Hall and the
Royal Albert Hall. They may also work
in conjunction with other choruses,
including the Swedish Radio Choir. Both
Max and James have achieved Grade 8
with Distinction for their singing, under
the tuition of Chigwell singing teacher,
Danny Thomas.
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In English, pupils have had a very busy term
with theatre trips for the Fourth Form who
saw Shakespeare in Love, the Lower Fifth
and Upper Fifth groups who saw A View
from the Bridge, and a visiting theatre
group who introduced the Third Form to
the Bard with their Shakespeare Live! show
plus a special Q and A session on their set
text ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
Annabel O’Reilly and Will Weightman
represented the School at Andrew Motion’s
Poetry By Heart Regional Final in which Will
was highly commended. In addition, the
Festival of the Spoken Word was a
highlight of the term.
World Book Day was also celebrated in the
Senior School with the Third Form and
Fourth Form creating Haiku poetry inspired
by their favourite books and constructing
‘Book boxes’ (a book brought to life inside a
shoe box). The Removes produced some
great Book Spine Poems, the lines for
which had to be derived from novels they
had read and enjoyed; an example of one is
printed below:
‘I’d tell you I love you but then I’d have to
kill you,’ said the uncommon criminal,’
She was a perfect scoundrel,
Part of the heist society.
Her next mission is enclosed in 13 little blue
envelopes,
She has to rescue the girl with the broken
wing.
By Nari Gould.
ScoutsThe Chigwell scouts have had another busy few months. Earlier in the term, they spent the
night on HMS Belfast and last weekend, some scouts had their first taste of cold camping. The
overnight weather certainly lived up to the title of the event.
English Department Activities
8
Girls’ NetballThe second half of the netball season has
been very busy with all age groups
taking part in a number of tournaments.
The 1st VII have continued to be
successful and they have had some very
exciting and closely fought matches.
Many of these players are also part of the
U16 squad who have played against new
opposition such as Latymer Upper
School, where they pulled back the score
line in the last minute to lose only 23-22.
This season we have also had large 2nd
and 3rd VII squads who have played
encouraging netball and consistently
demonstrated their enthusiasm and
team work. A special mention must go
to Alisha Evans, who unfortunately
suffered a serious ankle injury at a
tournament whilst representing the 1st
VII. We are looking forward to seeing
Alisha back to sport in the future and
wish her well during her recovery.
The 1st VII, U15 and U13 squads took
part in the Kelsall tournament at
Brentwood School. Although all three
teams played skilful netball, the U13
Girls’ Netballteam did very well, losing only two
matches, finishing third overall. This
followed their third place result at IAP’s
alongside the U12 squad who also
finished third in their group, just
missing out on the national finals.
The U15 and U14 squads have played in
a number of matches and once again
they have continued to perform well.
The U14s will carry on the Chigwell
tradition and take part in the Georgia
Cordery Netball Cup at the end of the
term. The Chigwell girls always take
great pride in participating at this
tournament whilst supporting the
charity on the day.
In addition, the U11A and B teams took
part in the Bancroft’s tournament with
the U11B team finishing in a fantastic
sixth position and the U11A finishing in
eighth position out of thirty. The U11A
also attended the New
Hall Tournament
where they reached
the final of the cup
competition against
Alleyn Court winning
13-2. The U10s will be
looking to match this
result when they take
part in the tournament
later on in the year.
A number of the Chigwell pupils will be
attending county trials in April, looking
to be part of the county or regional
academies. A high number of pupils
have continued to join local clubs in
order to develop their skills,
encouraging participation both in and
out of Chigwell. They will then be
preparing over the summer break for
the Disney Netball tour to Orlando,
Florida in October 2015, which will give
them a fantastic opportunity to play
against teams from all over the world
and to learn new skills in the ESPN
arena.
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Boys’ Hockey
It has once again been a fantastic year
for boys’ hockey. At the top of the
School, the 1st XI progressed to the
fourth Round of School’s Hockey
Association Cup Competition. Following
an impressive 3-2 away win to an
experienced Ipswich team, the squad
were drawn against defending
champions Whitgift School. Despite a
resilient and whole-hearted performance,
the team lost 5-2 to an extremely
talented opposition and we now wish
them the best of luck in the later stages
of the competition. The 2nd XI, made up
entirely of Lower Sixth and Upper Fifth
pupils (the majority of which
Boys’ Hockey
are travelling to South Africa on hockey
Tour this summer), continued to make
excellent strides forward resulting in
only one defeat throughout the entire
season. Whilst in the middle school, the
U15 and U14 squads have shown a
great deal of potential, producing
several memorable excellent matches,
most notably against Aldenham and
Haileybury.
Following the seniors’ example, Junior
School hockey at Chigwell continues to
flourish. Representative opportunities
have increased, with the fixture list
now offering regular ABC fixtures,
attendance at extra-curricular clubs has
grown, whilst the number of pupils
playing hockey outside school are at
their highest levels in recent years. A
special mention should be made of the
U13 boys who narrowly missed on
qualification to the National Finals
following their performance at the
regional IAPS tournament and the U12s
team who competed a year young at the
U13 Essex Tournament.
11
Dance Showcase
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The 2015 Chigwell School Dance Show
saw 61 pupils from Year 1 through to
Year 8 performing a variety of dance
pieces from ballet, to tap, to Indian,
Rumba and Tango, Cha Cha Cha and
contemporary. There were solo
performances from eight pupils which
all engaged the audience throughout.
Joshua Copsey held the audience in
silence with his tap routine without
music and Rosie Beckley who finished
the show delighted everyone with her
ballet on pointe. Further solos came
from Alexandra Scott with a beautifully
choreographed ballet piece and
Sunderani Sharma with an exquisite
traditional Indian dance. The large
group performance from the Junior
School Dance Club was fun and
energetic and included 20 pupils from
Year 3 to Year 6. It was a pleasure to
have pupils from the Pre Prep involved
this year. Their performances were
outstanding and each one drew breaths
from the crowd and rapturous clapping
and cheering on completion. As always
Andy Lewis's technical support was
invaluable and brought the whole show
together. All money raised is being
donated to Smiles with Grace and The
Chigwell Riding Trust.
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Dance Showcase
DramaThis half of term, the Drama department
has been busy with GCSE and A Level
plays. The Upper Fifth performed their
fourth and final set of plays on 18th
March. This was a real festival of drama
with five half hour plays devised and
created by the students themselves.
Candidates offered costume, make up,
set design, light, sound and, of course,
acting, all employed with impressive skill
to explore a range of themes from
missing people to holidaying in Ibiza!
The AS Drama group performed two
plays on 25th March: “The Wonderful
World of Dissocia” by Anthony Neilson
and Eurypides’ “Medea”. The latter play
was disturbingly recast in Nazi Germany
with stunning costumes by Ellie Jackson.
Outstanding performances were
achieved by both casts to create a really
entertaining and thought provoking
evenings’ theatre. Well done to all.
School ShopOver the Easter break, the School Shop
will be open from 10am to 3pm daily.
Staff NewsOur congratulations go to Mrs Vanessa
James and her husband Ian on the arrival
of their third son, Edward Arthur.
Alice MelvinWe send our congratulations to Alice
Melvin who captained the Essex County
U16 team as they won their matches to
become East champions – a marvellous
achievement!
14
Middle SchoolPublic SpeakingCompetitionIn the tradition of past competitions, the
standards in the Middle School Public
Speaking Competition were very high
and the results were the closest for many
years. The topics ran from media
distortion, to slang, to the political
landscape of today. The adjudicators,
Miss Janey Foster and Mr Andy Stubbs,
praised the speakers for their
consistently high standards in both
delivery and content. The winners were:
Aimee-Lee Nguyen (chair); Owen
McCausland (speaker) – “The rise of
emerging parties in Europe”; and Pena
Iiyambo (vote of thanks). Several other
speakers were commended, including
Michael Chamberlain who was judged
runner-up and Tanu Kugathasan, who
gave a highly entertaining speech on
slang. Only one mark separated the first
three placings with Caswall’s first with
55, Lambourne second with 54 ½ and
and Penn’s with 54. Swallow’s came fourth.
Joseph KleinChigwell students are encouraged to gain
work experience in the holidays. Joseph
Klein in the Lower Sixth may study
Politics or a related subject at university
and he arranged work experience over
half term with the MP for Bedford,
Richard Fuller. As part of his experience,
he was included in a meeting with the Rt.
Hon. Chris Grayling MP, Lord Chancellor,
about the problems caused by new
arrangements for magistrates courts. In
addition, the Prime Minister came to
Bedford to announce the Marriage Tax
Allowance and Joseph was specifically
invited to attend the private press
conference with SkyNews where he had
the chance to meet with David Cameron.
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The Howard andMitchell EssayCompetitionThe Howard and Mitchell Essay
Competition is a longstanding Chigwell
School essay competition for the Lower
Sixth. Entrants research and write an
essay on whatever they want, over the
last two terms of the Lower Sixth and
the summer holiday. EPQ essays are
entered as well. The essays are judged by
separate panels. It is a great opportunity
for this year group to get their teeth into
some serious research as they prepare
for university admission. The depth of
knowledge they gain stands them in
good stead for personal statements and
interviews.
Howard Essay
(humanities & social sciences):
Winner: Gaby Leadbeater "Is the
enduring literary cliché of love as war,
as expounded by classical authors, fair?"
Highly commended: Sarah Chamberlain
"Is Syria doomed by its past?"
Mitchell Essay (sciences and maths):
Winner: Hugo Blogg "The
Duckworth-Lewis method: is it time
for it to be given out?"
Highly commended: Adam Keiller "To
what extent is interstellar and deep
space travel accomplishable by man?”
The judges gave many hours of reading and
careful deliberation: for the Howard, Mr
Graham Dixon (school governor and
Managing Editor of BBC Radio 3), Head of
Politics Mr Simon Pepper and Head of
English Mrs Emma Rea, and, for the
Mitchell, Ms Deborah Cohen (Editor Science
Radio, at the BBC), Head of Maths Mr Shakil
Chaudhary and Senior Laboratory
Technician Mr Derek Wyatt-Barrett.
On 24th February the two winners gave
presentations on their essays, to a
packed Library, and impressed everyone
particularly with the way they handled
some tricky questions. There then
followed the annual Howard and
Mitchell Prizewinners’ Dinner, with some
tricky table questions, and an excellent
speech on the evils of continuing sexist
attitudes in universities and the
workplace from Felicity Osborn (OC).
17
On Saturday 28th February, the private
view of the Chigwell Open Art, Design
and Technology Exhibition took place
and was attended by around 250 families
and friends of the local young exhibiting
artists. This was the eighteenth
exhibition, where maintained and
independent schools are invited to
submit up to six pieces of 2D or 3D work,
without restrictions on size or medium.
So far, we have succeeded in exhibiting
every piece of work submitted. There is
no theme to the exhibition, or prizes; its
aims are to celebrate the achievements
of young people and their teachers. All
the two-dimensional exhibits are
framed, giving the exhibition a uniform
and professional appearance.
Mrs Claire Tilbrook, Head of Junior Art,
Design and Technology, said, "It was
delightful to see the joy on the artists'
faces when they attended the Saturday
morning exhibition private view, and to
share the pleasure of their families and
schools. We have had a bumper
response this year, with twenty five
schools submitting work!”.
Chigwell Open Art, Design and TechnologyExhibition
18
Careers ConventionOn Thursday 23rd April,
we will once again be
holding our annual careers
convention. As always,
the aim of this is to help
older students consider
the possible future
career options
that are
available to
them and to allow
them to hear about different
employment areas from those working in
various areas. We are keen to represent
as many fields as possible and would be
delighted to hear from parents from
across the School who would be prepared
to represent their area of work. The
format of the evening is:
6.00pm Welcome and buffet for all
advisors in the Swallow
Room Coffee Shop
7.00pm Arrival of parents and
pupils in New Hall
8.45pm Evening concludes
If you would be prepared to help by
attending what is invariably a very
pleasant evening, please e-mail Mrs Sue
Lee ([email protected]) with
details of the area that you would be
willing to represent.
Public ExaminationsStudents in the Middle Sixth, Lower
Sixth and Upper Fifth are advised to print
a copy of their finalised summer
timetable and place it in a prominent
position at home, such as on the fridge.
The exam timetables are available, as
previously, on both the Pupil and Parent
Portals. This will help them to know
exactly when their exams are taking
place and avoid problems. Apart from
listening exams, all take place in the
Sports Hall. Morning exams start at 9am
and afternoon exams start at 1.30pm. If
your son/daughter has an exam clash
then they will be seen on an individual
basis and handed a letter stating the new
order of examinations. This will take
place after the Easter break.
Upper Fifth LeaversWe hope that pupils in the Upper Fifth
will choose to continue their education at
Chigwell in the Sixth Form, subject to
achieving the necessary grades.
However, should you decide that your
son or daughter will be moving to
another school, please remember that
we do need to have a term’s notice in
writing. The deadline for written notice is
Monday 20th April.
19
Holiday ActivityCourses at ChigwellSchoolEaster cricket coaching course for all age
groups and abilities run by Mr Frank
Griffith, Master in Charge of Cricket (ex
Derbyshire CCC). Course dates are
Wednesday 15th, Thursday 16th and
Friday 17th April 2015. More information
and booking form are available on the
School website.
Barracudas multi-activity day camp for
children aged 4½ to 16 years. Open
Easter 30th March to 10th April and
summer 27th July to 28th August 2015
www.barracudas.co.uk or call 0845 123
5299. Parents of Chigwell School will
receive an extra £5 off per week booked
if they quote code HSCHIG at the time of
booking.
The Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy
and International Netball Roadshow
are coming to Chigwell School in May
Half term (27th to 29th May). The
3 day coaching courses are for children
of all abilities and International
Netball and Cricket stars will visit the
course! For more information visit
www.activatepsort.co.uk
Chigwell School is delighted to announce
a new holiday music course on 9th, 10th
and 11thApril between 9.30 – 4.30pm.
MyBand is a popular Song writing,
Playing, Recording and Performing
holiday course for 11 - 17 year olds.
Ability is not the criteria. We recommend
that you book early, as places are
limited. For further information and
booking details please visit
www.mybandmusic.co.uk.
For more information on any of these
courses please visit the School website:
http://www.chigwell-
school.org/whats_on/Pages/Activities-
Courses.aspx
And FinallyOver the Easter break, there will be a study trip to Nice for twelve members of the Senior
School. They will spend time in a French school as well as sampling some of the cultural
delights of the French Riviera. There will also be some Duke of Edinburgh training. We
wish everyone a safe and successful trip. Meanwhile, the sight of daffodils in bloom is a
hint that both spring and public exams are around the corner. Many students in the top
end of the School have been working very hard but we appreciate that some are feeling
anxious. The trick is to keep well-planned, purposeful revision going over the holidays,
but to build in some rest as well. If they have concerns, please do continue to encourage
pupils of any age to get in touch.
With best wishes
Yours sincerely
Michael Punt
20
21
ChapelMuch has been said and written recently about
teenage mental health. Most will be aware of
the fact that pressures on teenagers today are
probably greater than ever before. Teenagers
face pressure to conform to stereotypical images
of the human body which are often “doctored”
in order to present perfect skin, perfect body
shape with idealised lifestyles. They face high
expectations in terms of their academic
performance where anything below the top
grade is seen as failure. They are expected to be
surrounded by friends with a full social life
displayed on Facebook. Then there are the
extras, particular talents and abilities that are
seen as cool, these range from a sense of
humour to sporting skills.
In the face of these pressures very few, if any,
feel that they can live up to these expectations.
The result is that we have an increasing number
of young people who are not happy with who
they are. Individuals who feel that they need to
change something about themselves in order to
be accepted, to be special. The result ranges
from eating disorders to self-harming.
How do we as parents and as young people deal
with this onslaught? Despite its low profile
religious faith does have much to teach. It
teaches that we are made in the image of God;
that each individual is precious and unique; and,
that God creates beauty in diversity. It is our
differences that make us beautiful. Faith also
teaches that failure is the springboard to self-
understanding, the springboard to greater
knowledge and wisdom.
The Easter Story is the story of human frailty.
Peter the strongest disciple is the one who
denies that he even knows Jesus. All the
disciples “run away” when confronted with the
reality of arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
These same individuals, including Thomas who
refuses to believe the resurrection, need to be
reminded that the core of life is not what they do
or say it is that they are loved and precious
despite what they do and say. It is this
unconditional love which enables us to go from
failure to achieve great things.
The one thing that teenagers need to know is
that you, their parents, love them
unconditionally. That you accept them for who
they are not who you want them to be. That you
will provide the foundation of love and security
in which they can grow in self-confidence, in
order to face the world rejoicing in their gifts and
abilities, their looks and character. With this
foundation they can face triumph and disaster
knowing that you will always be there for them.
Who ever said that parenting was easy!
May I wish you and your families a very happy
Easter holiday.
Father Simon
Term Dates
2015 Trinity TermFirst day: Monday 20th AprilHalf term: Saturday 23rd May to Sunday 31st May (INSET day Monday 1st June)Term ends: Wednesday 8th July 2015 Michaelmas TermFirst day: Thursday 3rd SeptemberHalf term: Saturday 17th October to Sunday 1st NovemberTerm ends: Wednesday 16th December