BLUNDELL’S PREPARATORY SCHOOL MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2015

review

Regular features: Head Master’s News Trips and Visits Music and Drama Sports Reports

Inside:

Quality Control: food

for thought; Training in Progress: a day out

with Nursery; QuietBackstage: drama to

shout about

Reach forthe Skies

Year 6 aim highat the UltimateAdventure Centre

Overnight Sensations: all atthe Prep School add venturingaway to their busy SummerTerm schedule… and rise tothe challenge!

Head Master’s News

Andy Southgate Head Master

The Summer Term has been one to remember for a wholevariety of reasons. It has seen the children embrace all numberof challenges whether they be in the classroom or on the gamesfield. They have enjoyed residential trips to Paignton Zoo, FollyFarm, Dartmoor Adventure Centre and The Ultimate High, andhave thrown themselves wholeheartedly into every activity. Forour Year 6 children and some brave teachers, the UltimateAssault Course will live long in the memory! There have beenmany musical highlights with the super Summer Concertshowcasing the opportunities that our children have to play andperform. To begin the concert with 54 stringed instruments wasvery special indeed. As always the Summer has seen Drama at

the forefront of our thinking with the adorable ‘Commotion in the Ocean’ performed byour Nursery children and the spectacular ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ performed by ourYear 6 pupils in our Ondaatje Theatre.

Sport has played a significant part in the Summer Term and the children have enjoyedcricket, rounders, athletics, swimming and tennis aplenty. There have been wins for theUnder 10 Girls’ Rounders team at Millfield and success on the National stage for two ofour senior athletes. Even more importantly, there have been numerous chances for all ofthe children to enjoy playing sport in the glorious Devon sunshine.

This year has seen our Blundell’s Adventure, Leadership and Service Award enter itsthird year and our senior pupils have embraced it fully, particularly the Service element.After their Entrance Exams in January they embarked on a whole variety of charitablefund-raising and voluntary activities for the benefit of the local community as well assome of our most famous national charities. In total they raised in excess of £6,000 anddemonstrated the school’s motto, ‘Non Sibi’ in its truest form.

Our Speech Day remains a highlight of the term and this year we welcomed poet MattHarvey to Blundell’s Prep and what a treat it was to hear him speak. Entertaining anaudience of over 500 with ages ranging from 5 to 85 is no mean feat but Matt managedit brilliantly. The howls of laughter that emanated from all corners of the marquee were asure sign that his speech had hit the mark, particularly with our youngest children whowere in fits of laughter throughout.

This term also marked a fond farewell to Mr Steve Mildren after 28 years of remarkableservice to the school. He leaves a legacy that is going to be impossible to replace andthe children showed their appreciation in the final assembly of the year, providing “threecheers” and a card signed by every one of them. It was a lovely moment and one thatshows, once again, how important our teachers are in shaping the lives of the children.In September we welcome four new members of staff to both Prep and Pre-Prep, andthey will join a team of outstanding professionals. As our inspection report clearlyshows, pupils’ personal development is exceptional, and this is down to the on-goingefforts of our committed team, efforts that are beautifully illustrated in the pages thatfollow. My thanks to each and every one of them.

“This Summer Term has seen the children embrace

all number of challenges… and they have thrown

themselves wholeheartedly into every activity.”

ear 6 pupils at Blundell’s Prep School celebrated all that they have achievedthrough an Adventure, Leadership and Service project, including raisingthousands of pounds for charity. The project aims to help pupils build life

skills such as developing confidence, independence and the ability and initiative towork with and for others.

Trips tailored to helping the children work towards these goals included a visit to theEden Project in Cornwall, and a residential stay at The Ultimate Adventure Centre inNorth Devon, where all pushed themselves to the very limits in order to buildresilience and perseverance in the physical pursuit of the adventure and leadershipelements of the award.

Year 6 were particularly keen to embrace the service part of the project by takingpart in voluntary work, including a litter pick in Tiverton, a concert organised for theMargaret Allen Care Home, working at an Age Concern Shop and at a Tiverton CareHome. They also came up with many imaginative ways to fundraise for local,national and international charities. These included holding a dog show in aid of theDog’s Trust, selling horse photos for the Injured Jockey Fund, plus a swimathon, acricket match, sponsored walks, a bike ride, balloon appeal, sales of cakes, books,toys and plants and other events, raising over £6,000 for charity in total.

The Year 6 pupils marked the culmination of the project at an awards ceremonywhere they were joined by Pen Farthing, founder and Chairman of Nowzad, whichrescues stray and abandoned animals in Afghanistan and which was one of thecharities benefiting from the fundraising efforts. It was great to see so many of thepupils being presented with the Fiennes Award, the highest accolade, for all theirefforts in pursuing the BALSA scheme.

At the ceremony, Andy Southgate, the Headmaster said: “I am proud of what Year 6have achieved in their final year at the Prep School, they have shown remarkableinitiative in choosing, organising and raising money in inventive and selfless ways.”B.J.S.

Blundell’s Adventure, Leadership and Service Award

Head Master’s News

BALSAY

In the evenings we hadloads of fun too. Wegot to play games onthe astro like Tail Grab,Cross Ball and Dwarfs,Wizards and Giants –and my team won!”

“

”

“The first activity we did when we got to the DartmoorAdventure Centre was river walking – and straight away Harrylost a shoe! Other activities included scrambling over rocks andabseiling on Dartmoor. We also went canoeing, kayaking and raftbuilding on a lake, and we did the trapeze and the high ropes –which was really high! Our final challenge was to build the tallestfree-standing flagpole. The trip was so much fun!” Joshua Withey

Year 5 on Dartmoor: Rocks, Haytor, Rivers

Overnight sens

Lucie Spencer

Thirty-five intrepid Year 3explorers set off for a two dayexpedition to Paignton Zoo atthe end of May. On their ZooSafari, they encountered notonly dangerous lions and tigers,but also poisonous frogs andscary crocodiles. All survivedintact! They enjoyed listeningto talks about habitats in theeducation rooms and bravelytravelled on an open-sided trainaround the Zoo. Accommodationwas not under canvas but at adelightful hotel nearby. A greattime was had by all. Manythanks to Mrs. Shelbourne, Mrs.Willder, Mr. Morris and MissBennett for courageouslyaccompanying us! W.J.N.

Blundell’s Prep ACTIVE

“My favourite part of the trip was the food and thekayaking and the canoeing… it was so much fun,especially the splash time at the end, we slid down thecanoes into the lake, it was totally awesome!” Ben FitzHerbert

“The river running was very cold and scary. We had towalk onto rocks in the river but you couldn’t see whereyour foot would go! Then there was a ledge where youcould jump off, we had to jump over the instructor… Ipreferred the high ropes, which I did not find scary. Itwas great fun, I really enjoyed it!” Kezia Holman

ations

“I enjoyed the hot chocolate drink beforebedtime. It felt cosy.” Lucy FitzHerbert

“I really enjoyed seeing the baboons onthe night walk. I especially liked the onecalled Lemon Slice.” Nicky Hutton

“I enjoyed seeing Duchess, the elephant,because she kept knocking a ball of foodwith her trunk and itwas really funny.”Poppy Borradaile

“I really enjoyed seeingthe porcupine,capybara and the redpanda because they areso cute.” Amara Lilley

“The food was supergood. I really enjoyed itat the hotel. I didn’t wantto leave!” Meredith Thomas

Year 3 at Paignton Zoo: Wild Life

This term Year 4 made their annualexpedition to Folly Farm. Weatherconditions were not ideal but a goodtime was had by all. Badger watchingproved a very wet experience but we allenjoyed watching the badgers on film,for not surprisingly they only came outlate at night when it had stopped rainingand we were all tucked up in bed!Making animal motels and pond dippingwere much more fruitful exercises withmany newts and furry little animalsbeing caught. Thank you to Mrs.Fitzherbert, Mrs. Carter and Mrs.Charlesworth for making the whole tripsuch a success E.S.H.

Year 4 at Folly Farm: Super Furry Animals

Overnight sensations

Blundell’s Prep ACTIVE

Year 6 at the Ultimate AdventureCentre: Ready Assaulted

“The highlight for me wasthe surfing. We were taughtthe basics on the beachbefore heading into the sea,and when we were quite along way out weimmediately startedcatching loads of waves andstanding up. Me and Willtried doing 360 degree spinson the boards… that’s whenWill face planted straightinto the sand!” Finn Muirhead

“The Ultimate AssaultCourse was like an easierversion of Total Wipeout. Myfavourite part was the bigballs… you ran alonga raised platform,jumped onto the firstball then tried to jumponto the second. Itwas really funnywatching other peoplehaving a go – but youdidn’t want to fall inthe water when it wasyour turn because thewater was freezing!” Lottie Southgate

“It was fun doing den building at Folly Farm– we had to make our dens waterproof,using moss, leaves and grass. When theywere built we had to throw water over thedens to test them… James found that histeam’s den was not waterproof when he gotsoaked!” Ottilie Davy

“My favourite activity was mammal traps.We had to use seeds, apple and worms asbait then leave the trap in a field overnightand check it in the morning. I was hoping tocatch a shrew or a mouse but I did notcatch one.” Reuben Kerr

“Our first activity was the High Ropes, this wasone of my favourites. We got to go around thesuspended rope course as well as having a goon the zip wire, Jacob’s Ladder and the climbingwall. Next we went on to the Ultimate AssaultCourse, which included lots of fun obstaclesincluding the giant jumping balls and a coldplunge into a freezing pool by slide! Another ofmy favourite activities was surfing at WestwardHo! The surf was great! We also visited The BigSheep attraction, which we had all to ourselves.We got to do whatever we wanted, includinggoing on the Death Slides! Our final activity wasLaser Tag – we were in two teams, who had toshoot eachother… if you died you couldrespawn, but the team which respawned theleast amount of times was the winner. Overallthe residential was really fun and everyone reallyenjoyed it!” Molly Joyner

t has been a great term for OutdoorLearning!

From the children in Nurserytaking their Maths outside, to Year 6preparing alfresco dining, all in the Schoolhave been making the most of takingtheir learning outside during the Summerterm.

Year 4 experienced orienteering atKillerton House. They did three courses,starting simply, and culminating in a longwalk around the grounds in small groups,using their map to locate each post. Thiswas quite challenging and they were ontheir own (with staff placed strategicallyround the grounds!)

Year 3 walked along the canal fromHalberton to the canal basin in Tiverton. Itwas a beautiful day and they saw muchwildlife along the way. At the basin theydid pond dipping which was great fun,and even managed to find a newt.

Year 3 also had opportunities duringtheir Trips Week to experience theoutdoors. They went to Knightshayeswhere the weather was not so good!However, they loved looking around thekitchen garden and then doing a trail in

Outdoor Learning

The skies were blue and the sun was shiningfor the Pre-Prep Outdoor Learning Day.Children in Year 2 and Kindergarten made theirown fires and then whittled sticks formarshmallow toasting. Children in Year 1made popcorn on the open fire. They allenjoyed a mug of hot chocolate that had beencooked on the fire and toasted their ownmarshmallows. All the children went offforaging for wild plants to put in a soup; theolder children picked home grown vegetablesfrom their gardens as well. During theafternoon, the children made shelters togetherwhilst the soup was cooking. They madebread on the fire and enjoyed a hot bowl ofsoup at the end of the day. We certainly had alot of fun! T.N.

Pre-Prep OutdoorLearning Day

the main garden of the house beforehaving some free time to play.

They also had a great day in the woodswhen they worked together to makesome fabulous dens, and they practisedmaking their own campfire outside theirden. The children loved sitting round themain campfire to eat their packed lunch.

The children love any opportunity to beoutside and have learnt that there is nosuch thing as bad weather, only badclothing! S.A.S.

I

Blundell’s Prep OUTDOORS

Year 1 children spent athoroughly interesting morningat Tiverton Museum learningabout a Victorian Childhood.

They dressed up in Victorianclothes, helped with laundryday, played with Victoriantoys and learned about

home and school life. Theywere particularly interested infinding out about how strictteachers were in the Victoriantimes! After the workshops,they were then able to goaround the museum looking at

the different artefacts. Theywere very excited

about all that theyhad seen andheard! T.N.

TIVERTON CASTLEYear 2 were very excited to be setting off in the

school minibuses to visit Tiverton Castle. Mrs.

Gordon was there to give us a cheery welcome

when we arrived and then she gave us a

guided tour. The children were fascinated by

the information they heard and they listened

really well to learn all about the history of the

castle and those who had lived there in the

past. They looked at many interesting features

and the children could clearly see

where the people used to make their

fires and how the floor was held up.

The children were fascinated by the

old castle toilet in the round

tower and were really

pleased that they did not

have to clean them

as young children

had to in the past.

The children really

enjoyed looking at the

armour, trying on the

helmets and holding

the heavy cannon ball.

They were all very well

behaved and Mrs.

Gordon commented on

their good manners.

We all had a great time

at this lovely local

historical site. D.M.K.

All the children in Kindergarten had a fantastic day

out when they visited The World of Country Life in

Exmouth.

On arrival, they went to explore the enormous

pirate ship. They had great fun running in and out

of the ship, jumping in the sand and darting over

the rickety bridge.

They then went to feed the lambs.They had to

hold on tight to the bottles as the animals were very

hungry! After that they went to walk some of the

young goats. This was great fun for the children as

the goats had a mind of their own and they were

definitely the ones in control!

Before lunch the children had more fun on the

deer train. They saw lots of deer and even a two

week old white calf. Nearly all the children had a go

at feeding the deer, as well as some very proud

looking llamas. On their return they tucked into

their rolls, ready for the afternoon’s adventures.

They had great fun on the adventure playground

before heading off to see the Birds of Prey

demonstration. The children loved this especially

when the birds flew right overhead. Madeleine had

an Eagle Owl land right next to her – I’m not sure

who looked more surprised! They were shown a

Golden Eagle, an Eagle Owl, a very small African

Scops Owl and a Harris Hawk. Before it was time to

board the coach they

had a chance to go

and visit the rabbits

and ducks in the

nursery too.

We all clambered

back onto the coach

after a brilliant day out

with perfect weather!

L.B.

Tesco TivertonChildren in Year 3 enjoyed a trip to thelocal Tesco supermarket where they gotthe chance to go behind the scenes tosee how fresh food is prepared, andwere even able to sample some of thefinest produce on offer!

Tiverton Museum

The World of Country Life

Year 2 enjoyed a fantastic day at Escot Country Park at theend of the Summer Term. The sun was shining all day andthis added to the excitement. As soon as we arrived at thepark we got straight on with the activities of the day with anexploration of the maze. A special mention must go to TheoMcFadyen who managed to make it through the maze on hisown and well before anyone else. Well done Theo! Once wehad all escaped, we headed back to camp and made namebadges using a hand-drill and bits of wood. Our nextadventure was an encounter with some animals. First wewent to the otter enclosure where we saw the otters eating.Then we went to feed some wild boar. We then had anamazing look at some birds of prey. They flew very close tous and some children felt a feather or two through their hair!Year 2 then went off on an adventure into the woods wherewe enjoyed our lunch by an open fire. After lunch we toastedsome marshmallows on the fire and played in the woods.Then it was the moment that the children (and teachers!) hadbeen waiting for - the challenging ‘swamp walk’. To theircredit, every child went into the swamp and most made it allthe way to the end. Once we had climbed through the mud toget out we went for a swim in a pond before being hosed off!It was a great end to a fantastic day out. The childrenbehaved really well and were a credit to the school. G.J.R.

Escot Park

DINOSAUR PARKThe Nursery classes along with theirfamilies enjoyed an exciting day at theCoombe Martin Wildlife and DinosaurPark. There were lots of animals to see.The lions, meerkats and monkeys werea hit, and we all ate our lunch watchinga sea lion show. The children were veryimpressed that the sea lions couldbalance balls on their noses, jump highout of the water and dive in from a highplatform. They particularly liked theway the sea lions clapped each other.

The most eagerly anticipated andexciting part of the day was seeing thedinosaurs though. They braved the roarof Tyrannosaurus Rex and the horns ofTriceratops! Thanks to all our families who camewith us and made it such a memorableday out. S.A.

PECORAMAAt the beginning of the Summer Termthe Nursery classes visited Pecoramain Beer. They loved looking at themodel railway exhibition andparticularly enjoyed a ride on the BeerHeights Railway. They were able tolook closely at the engine and saw theother trains in the engine shed. Theyexplored the gardens and found awiggly snake path, the sun andrainbow gardens and an octopus madeout of shells in a cave. A great daywas had by all! S.A.

outand about

This year’s Leavers’ Play was Around the World in 80 Days, and Year 6 rose to the challenge ofbringing Jules Verne’s classic to the stage with gusto. With a circumnavigation of the world to coverin two acts, the cast were called upon to bring to life a rich tapestry of characters from all manner ofcultures and nationalities, with Indian monks, Japanese dancers and American cowboys amongstmany others all putting in their very own special appearances! Special mention must go toChristopher Churcher, playing Phileas Fogg, to Lottie Southgate, playing Passepartout, and to GabrielHarrison-Kinnaird, playing Fix, for learning so many lines and delivering such strong speaking andsinging performances. The costumes, the make-up, the lighting, props and set design all cametogether to add to the wonderful production, and the whole cast pulled off performances to be proudof as they leave the Prep School behind and continue onto the next phase of their own life journeys.We wish each and every one all the best! L.P.M.

Around the World in 80 DaysBlundell’s Prep ON STAGE

Play time

Kindergartenperformed ‘Hooray forthe Little Red Hen’with much energy andenthusiasm and reallysang their hearts outfor the audience!

Hooray for the Little Red Hen

The Year 1 children thoroughly enjoyed performing their Summer Play, The Gingerbread Man, and they came on stage with big smiles and loud,clear voices. They sang some super songs and there were one or twodelightful dances as well. The Gingerbread Man managed to fool many ofthe different characters that were chasing him, even thewily fox! Luckily, there were some magical fairies whocast a magic spell on him to protect him. The friendsand families who came to watch were all impressedwith how well the children remembered their wordsand by how confident they all were. T.N. The Hall was full of noise,

sounds and sweet airs thatgave delight and hurt not…Year 5 had great fun whenthey came off timetable tolearn and rehearseShakespeare’s farewellplay. They then gave an enchanting performanceof their Play-in-a-Day to parents at the end of theday!

The Tempest

Just before half term the Nursery children performed theirplay Commotion in the Ocean. The submarine captain,Barney, took the children Elsie, Spencer and Isabella onan exciting journey under the sea. They saw a whale,fish, shark, star fish, mermaids, jelly fish, squid, clownfish, Mr. Lobster and Mrs. Crab before finally finding theoctopus in his garden under the sea. The children loved

singing the songs, especiallyYellow Submarine and Octopus’sGarden and performedconfidently on thestage.Congratulations tothem all! S.A.

Commotion in the Ocean

Blundell’s Prep ON STAGE

The Gingerbread Man

The marquee was up, the sun was shining and picnics werepacked... a perfect evening for our Summer Concert!

Getting 54 children on the stage with violins and cellos wasquite a challenge but we managed and the concert beganwith three string pieces performed by both Pre-Prep and Prepchildren. Other groups performing included the Pre-Prepbrass and recorder groups, the wind band, guitar ensemble,piano trios/quartets and our newly formed cello group.

Singing featured throughout the concert. Songsperformed included a Frozen Medley, a Pop Medley, ChimChim Cheree and When I Grow Up. Year 2 sang Under theSea whilst the Choir, Boys Aloud, Girls Aloud, the Staffand The Mamas and Papas all performed. The concertended with the whole school joining together to sing GaryBarlow's Sing.

A huge thank you must go to all the children forproviding such a fantastic celebration of music. Thank you alsoto all the visiting music teachers who have worked so hard withthe children throughout the year. B.L.C.

Our Junior and Senior Tea TimeConcerts continued this term andwe now have more children thanever performing in them. I amconstantly amazed at theconfidence and enjoyment which isshown in the performances and itjust highlights how much time andhard work the children dedicate tolearning theirinstruments.Congratulationsto all who haveperformed thisterm and overthe past year.B.L.C.

Blundell’s Prep MUSIC

Summer ConcertTea Time Concerts

Musical notes

Grey clouds and drizzle did not spoil the enjoyment of thePre-Prep children when Mervyn Bedford, of Musikgarten,visited the school. The inclement weather meant theyounger children started in the hall for their session with avariety of weather related action songs and rhymes. Thesun came out just as they were singing about a rainbowand so the children were able to go outside where theylearned a song about a mole which caused greatexcitement as they crawled through a tunnel. The mostpopular activity was pretending to be a long train withMervyn, like the Pied Piper, leading the children aroundthe trees. In addition the children learned about pitch andidentifying low and high sounds. The children had theopportunity to play different kinds of bells to accompany asong about bluebells. J.K.P.

Musikgarten

Blundell’s Prep MUSIC

“The most popularactivity was pretendingto be a long train withMervyn, like the PiedPiper, leading thechildren around thetrees.”

Blundell’s Prep NEWS

Four children from Years 5 and 6were invited to attend a WritingEnrichment Day organised byLendMeYourLiteracy as part of theTiverton Literary Festival in June.Molly Joyner, Estelle Tucker,Joshua Withey and Lucie Spencerjoined children from other localschools at the Beale Centre for aworkshop run by visiting authorCharlie Carroll. They thoroughlyenjoyed using Charlie’s creativewriting input to craft their ownstories – which can be viewedonline at Lendmeyourliteracy.com.

ear 3 wasfortunate tobe visitedby ‘Ancient

Greek’ Dom Russell.He was delighted tosee everyonedressed in authenticcostumes from thisera. We met in TheHub, which was our Ancient Greek base, andlearnt about life in a democracy (Athens) and anoligarchy (Sparta), by acting out variousscenarios. The children loved all the unusualfacts that Dom introduced, such as that Spartanchildren slept on beds made from thistles!

Next, the children re-enacted the battle ofThermopylae. The Persian king Xerxes (Nicky)led the invasion against the Greeks. TheSpartans chose to defend a narrow pass in themountains, so the Persians were forced to fightin a narrow space. Needless to say, great funwas had by all, under Dom’s guidance.

After this, the children were challenged to hita target with a catapult, find the answers to aquiz and complete a wooden shape puzzle,which was designed by Aristotle! Finally, Domshowed us Ancient Greek armour and weapons.The children all tried out the spear and sword,as well as dressing up in the headdress andbronze greaves.

Everyone had a very exciting and actionpacked day. Many thanks to parents forproviding the wonderful costumes. W.J.N.

Y

Children and parents from Nursery andKindergarten had great fun bringing theirfavourite furry friends to School to partake in theTeddy Bear’s Picnic at the end of term!

Many thanks to the Friends ofBlundell’s Prep for organising ourPJ and Movie Night this term.Whilst the younger childrenenjoyed The Penguins ofMadagascar, Paddington screenedin the Pre-Prep and the olderchildren settled down to A Night atthe Museum! Everybody wasexcited to don their pyjamas for arelaxing night of snack munchingcinematic entertainment!

Pyjamarama

Congratulations to Estelle Tucker, whose story’Hieroglyphics’ earned her the title ‘YoungWriter of the Year (Primary)’ at the inauguralMid Devon Gazette Pride Awards in June.Estelle’s story was highly commended afterhaving already made it through the first roundof Radio 2’s National 500 Word Short Storycompetition…

As Abisha peeped round the pyramidshe saw the most beautiful place shehad ever seen: waterfalls were sparklingin the moonlight, jewels were gleamingon the candle lit path, the new Kingwas dancing with Tutankhamen’s wifeon the twinkling amethyst dance floor.Tall pillars with emerald leaves carvedinto the base were towering over thepalace casting strange, dark out-of-shape shadows above the dance.Abishahad always dreamed of entering thepalace and going to the midnightdance…

Greece is the Word

Blundell’s Prep SPORTS

PRE-PREP SPORTS DAYOur Pre-Prep Sports Day had tobe held in the sports hall as theweather was unkind to us. Thisdid not dampen spirits thoughand our parents were treated to

an assortment of races from thetraditional sprints through to theless traditional teddy bear races,with prams and silly hats. Thechildren, some as young as three,had a wonderful time and did theirvery best in every event. Astradition dictates, the final tworaces required fathers to ‘bunnyhop’ across the hall and the mumsthen took on the potato and spoonrace! Needless to say, these werethe most competitive races of the

day! A greatafternoon washad by all,thanks to thechildren forgiving their verybest and to theparents forsupporting sowholeheartedly.A.D.S.

We started our season with the U9and U11 Trophy meeting atBlundell’s with the Senior Schoolhosting the event on their grasstrack. We got off to a superb startwith two excellent victories in the8OOm and a clean sweep ofvictories in the 200m. A strong fieldevents squad dominated theafternoon events and with analmost clean sweep of the relays,Blundell’s retained the U11’sTrophy for the 7th year in a row.The South West Championships atMillfield saw us taking a team of10 U12’s to compete in an eventwhich gains selection for theNational Athletics Championshipin Birmingham. We had mixedresults throughout the day withmany athletes finding the step uphard going. Despite this therewere excellent performances byEve Nugent in the 1500m (2nd),Anna Maunder in the 800m (2nd),Honour Huggett in the Shot Put(2nd) and a fine performance fromThomas Labdon who won the Shotand was 3rd in the Discus. All fourathletes were selected for theNationals, Anna Maunder placinga very creditable 5th in one of two800m graded finals and ThomasLabdon finishing an impressive 7thin the Boys U12 Discus. S.J.M.

PREP SPORTS DAYAll in the Prep School hadthe opportunity to take partand compete in manydifferent field events,including the mini discus,junior discus, vortex, shotput, cricket ball, rounders ball and long jump. Therewas an equal variety of track events open to all,including the 75m, 100m, 200m, 300m, 600m and800m, different distances suiting different runningstyles. The final races saw the best junior and seniorathletes taking the relay baton around the track in the4x100 relays. All of these races were very closelycontested and gave double points towards the Housetotals. After the last race the competitors and parentsgathered around the announcer’s tent and nearly 200medals were given out by Mr. Mildren, Mr. Hirst andMiss Edwards. Mr. Mildren has now fired his laststarting pistol at Blundell’s Prep. We all wishhim well in his next adventure and thank himon behalf of all of the athletes he has helpedto coach over his time at the School. It wasfitting that his House, Raleigh, won the PrepSchool 2015 Sports Day, with Grenvillesecond, closely followed by Drake.

Thank you to all of the staff team atBlundell’s Prep for helping to run the eventsthroughout the afternoon, and to the parentsfor creating such a wonderful atmosphere.S.G.S.

Athletics

RoundersBlundell’s Prep SPORTS

U8 ROUNDERSThe U8 A Team had a great first Roundersseason and made huge progress. Wecomfortably won four matches againstExeter Cathedral, St.Peter’s, Mount Kellyand Tidcombe and each match saw a greaterunderstanding of the many rules of thegame and an increasing awareness oftactics. Our toughest matches cametowards the end of the season where wenarrowly lost to Taunton and Exeter. The lastmatch against Exeter was definitely theclosest fought and I was so proud of thegirls. Ruby Wetherall, Amara Lilley and OliviaImregi made outstanding catches to getExeter players out and Grace Horan, MeleBorradaile, Amber Tucker and Maya Corbinfielded with excellence. Lucy FitzHerbertscored a rounder or half a rounder on everyball and played with great skill at backstop.Floss Crease bowled consistently wellthroughout both innings and made wisedecisions when fielding. It was a reallyexciting match to finish on and we only lostby one rounder. I was really impressed bythe ‘non sibi’ ethos developed in the teamand the words of encouragement heard foreach other in every match. As Ruby pointedout to the team before the Exeter match,“There is no ‘I’ in team.” Well done for allyour hard work girls. C.F.H.

It has been a fun packed term for the U8 BTeam this term. For most of the girls it wastheir first ever experience of playingRounders and certainly their first experienceof a Rounders fixture, both at Home andAway. I have been incredibly impressed withthe tremendous enthusiasm and drive to dowell that this young team has displayedthroughout the season. Although we havenot won all of our fixtures, the girls havedeveloped their skills in all aspects of thegame and, without exception, the battingand fielding skills of every team memberhave improved enormously. I have beenvery proud of the beautifully polite andcourteous way that the girls welcomedvisiting teams to our school while also beingvery impressed with the mature way thatthey handled themselves at our Awaymatches. Lovely manners and goodSportsmanship have been constantly inevidence. All in all a great term of energetic,lively and enthusiastic Rounders, so verywell done to all of the girls. J.W.

U10 ROUNDERSThe U10 A Team have had a near flawlessseason. If only there had been one moreweek of training before fixtures started!The girls have won every single matchthey have played this season with theexception of their very first game whenthey were defeated by ½ a rounder! Theyhave had victories over St. Peter’s,Taunton, Wellington, Millfield and ExeterJunior School. Batting has been superbfrom Kezia Holman, Rachel Brown andClem Bantock who have amassed ahuge amount of rounders betweenthem. Shea Clark and Elizabeth Honeyhave also connected with the ball welland have run cleverly between theposts to secure valuable halves. In thefield Millie Evans has demonstrated anaccurate overarm throw from herposition at backstop and has managedto contribute to running players out at1st and 2nd posts. Their final touch ofa Rounders bat this season took placeat the Millfield tournament where theywere crowned champions. A fitting endto a most successful season! A specialmention must go to Honor Tobin whostepped in at the 9th hour. Who wouldhave ever thought she was U9? Herbatting, fielding and bowling weresuperb! Another highly successfulseason – very well done! F.L.E.

The U10 B Team has come a long waysince the start of the Rounders seasonand the girls have worked hard in orderto improve their batting and fielding skills,as well as their understanding of thegame. The team came across sometough opposition but continued withcommitment, batting practice began toreflect in the girls' game and wasrewarded with rounders beginning to be

scored. The delightin the girls' faceswas evident andthey began towork together as ateam and developsome confidencein their game.Let's build on thisconfidence nextyear girls! B.L.C.

U9 ROUNDERSThe U9 A Team had a most successful,undefeated season. They worked hard inlessons, took on board suggestions forimprovement, thought carefully abouttactics and most importantly they worked asa team. It has been wonderful to watch theirconfidence grow and to see themcommunicate with one another on the field.They have beaten Exeter Cathedral, WestBuckland, Taunton, Mount Kelly, St. Peter’sand Plymouth College this term. They havehad some tough challenges too, facingstrong opposition at the MillfieldTournament. Their fielding was stretched asthey faced good batters, however, they stillmanaged to come 3rd. Sometimes it takesmore challenging experiences to help youlearn from some of the mistakes you makeand the girls certainly bounced back duringtheir following weekday game. Honor Tobinand Issy Morrison were outstanding whenbatting, scoring many rounders and showinggreat commitment when running betweenthe posts. As the season progressed FlossyAmes, Georgia Withey and Sophia Rochfortall became more consistent with bat in handand used their initiative to steal posts whenpossible. Flossy Ames bowled withconfidence saving many half rounders andmaking it difficult for the opposition to hitthe ball. At backstop Constance Paterson’sstrong and accurate overarm throw wassuperb; she helped get many a batter out at1st and 2nd. Georgia Withey and SophiaRochfort stayed alert in the field and did agreat job backing up 2nd. I was reallypleased with Lucy Squibb’s determinationand foresight to think about stumpingsecondary runners. A superb season – verywell done to all who contributed to thesuccess of this team! F.L.E.

The U9 B Team have gone from strength tostrength this season with their Roundersand have had great success as a team. Theyhave beaten Exeter Cathedral, St. Peters,Plymouth and Mount Kelly and only lost by anarrow margin to a strong Tauntonside. Florence Chapman has been adetermined and focused backstopplaying to a consistently high standardin every game and Tilly Lane andHattie Barnes have shared the role ofbowler, both demonstrating greataccuracy. All of the girls have fieldedwell and kept the other teams to a lowscore when batting and towards thelatter part of term there were a greatdeal more rounders scored by the teamas a whole. Well done. L.B.

U11 ROUNDERSThe U11 A Team have had anotheroutstanding term of sport,displaying the highest level of skillin all matches they have played.The biggest highlight was winningthe Millfield tournament againstsome very tough competition andalso getting through to the thirdround of the IAPS competitionwhere they narrowly lost toMillfield, who eventually camerunners-up in the National finals.Lottie Southgate’s bowling wassuperb throughout, putting hugepressure on the batters with her fastbowling, and Cosima Mundybacked her up brilliantly asbackstop, scooping up the missedballs and getting them to first orsecond post. Honor Huggett tooksome fantastic catches in the fieldand Freya Marr dealt swiftly withmany non-hitters by stumping themout on first. Anna Maunder took herbatting to the next level by using ahuge variety of shots to find thespaces in the field and was the topscorer of the season. Well done toall the girls this year and I lookforward to hearing of your futuresuccesses at the Senior School. L.B.

Wins at Queen’s, Taunton Prep, St.Peter’s, Maynard and PlymouthCollege saw the U11 B Team puttogether some very impressiveresults this season. The pairing ofIsabel Leyshon as bowler and MollyJoyner at backstop often reducedthe oppositions’ scoring chances.Estelle Tucker and Tyler Read bothimproved their catching skills at 1stand 2nd base and were very ablybacked up by some excellent deepfielding from Megan Sharp, EveNugent and Kaira Hinchliffe. Ourbatters often amassed some largescores with the best results comingfrom Eve, Meg, Isabel and Molly.Despite the one defeat againstMillfield, the B’s put together a nearperfect set of statistics and shouldbe very proud of their endeavoursthis season. S.J.M

Blundell’s Prep SPORTS

Blundell’s Prep SPORTS

Cricket

U9 CRICKETWith the weather not up to its usual tricks this year the U9 A Team were able to play and complete a very busyfixture list. The boys played with their customary attacking approach, a tactic our own national side has justbegun to employ to good effect. Runs came easily and our experienced batting pair of Harry Southgate andWilliam Maunder topped the batting averages, ably supported by Barnaby Hull and James Clarkson, who arefast emerging as two batsmen to look out for. Our bowling attack didn’t always prove accurate enough and weoften gave away too many wides and no balls. However, there were spells of excellent individualperformances, with Toby Low taking three wickets in an over on two occasions, and some fast and accuratebowling from James Clarkson, Harry Southgate and William Maunder. My thanks go to Harry Southgate whocaptained the side with a maturity well beyond his year, and to that hardy group of parents who follow us allover the county and have been so supportive this term. S.J.M.

The U9 B Team has the raw ingredients of energy, teamwork and a will to succeed, our batsmen have alwayscome out fighting, and all have made good progress, proving dedicated pairs cricketers ready to progress tohard ball and 20/20 matches. Well done boys, I look forward to seeing you developing your skills in actionagain next year. S.G.S.

U10 CRICKETThe U10 Squad has had a strong backbone ofplayers who have constantly played their partin both batting and bowling. In the nature ofcricket it is possible to miss-time a shot andlose your wicket, being out and for not manyruns. But the team has got batsmen throughoutthe order who contribute to the total. This wasseen as the whole year group was rotatedacross the A Team matches. Therefore all hadthe opportunity to experience hard ball 20/20matches, where being out ended their daywith the bat. The whole squad need to developthe confidence to hit the hard ball buteverybody bowled a couple of overs in everygame, showing the all-round qualities of theyear group and the energy in the field neverdropped, highlighting what an enthusiasticgroup of promising cricketers they are. I amsure next season will see the team mature intoa forceful victorious unit. S.G.S.

Not to be outdone bythe boys, the seniorgirls have also beenquick to the crease thisterm, keen to wield thebat and bowling the ballwith all of the spirit andenthusiasm of their malecounterparts, and thensome!

“...My thanks go to thathardy group of parentswho follow us all over thecounty and have been sosupportive this term..”

U11 CRICKETThere were highs and lows during thecricket season with the U11 A Teamexperiencing resounding wins alongsidenail-biting defeats. What remainedconsistent across the term was theboys’ determination to improve and togive their best to the team, somethingthat they should be very proud of. Gameone of eight saw the boys achieve a 92run win at Queen’s (Kit Barnes 50no,Joshua Brown 22no) and the team ofeight bowlers all contributing to get theseason off to the best possible start.Confidence was high as the boys tookon St. Peter’s on a postage stamp pitchand an exciting 7 run victory wassecured (Kit Barnes 29no, Nathan White24). Our third opponents were EastDevon and this was a tough task withthe side losing by 38 runs (Nathan White20, Joshua Brown 3-18, Finn Muirhead2-9). Game four saw us travel to WestBuckland for a thrilling match in whichdefeat was snatched from the jaws ofvictory, our opponents putting together a30 run 9th wicket stand to win by thenarrowest of margins (Nathan White 14,Finn Muirhead 2-4). With confidence stillhigh we travelled to King’s Hall and weregiven a lesson in cricket, being bowledout for 57 having been 2 for 4 at onestage (Finn Muirhead 23). King’s Hallthen scored the runs in 7 overs, with oneof their batsmen scoring a 15 ball 50which included 6 straight sixes! Anothertough fixture followed and a 99 rundefeat at the hands of Exeter School(Joseph Provis 23no, Nathan White 3-26)before a much needed victory at ExeterCathedral (Harry Huggett 36, Kit Barnes3-13), the boys winning by 40 runs. Thefinal match saw the team face Millfieldand in a game that went right down tothe last over, they could not manage toget over the line, losing by 3 wickets(William Venner 18, Henry Crease 2-6,Freddie Labdon 2-7, Harry Huggett 2-8).A mixed set of results when one looksback at the eight matches, but the teamplayed in the right spirit and always gavetheir very best. A.D.S.

All of the boys in the U11 B Team havehad a wonderfully enjoyable season thisyear and have improved enormously interms of their core skills and techniques.They were introduced to the hard cricketball as soon as their confidence allowedand, from then on, there was no lookingback as they displayed bravery anddetermination when faced with aspeeding missile being hurled orwhacked towards them. All of the boysstrengthened their existing skillsenormously throughout the term andthis was typified by the courageousbatting of George Worcester who wentfor three matches without beingdismissed. Further batting highlightswere achieved by Tom Swain, BenHutton and Christian Tiernan, all ofwhom scored freely and regularly. Onthe bowling front the excellent left-armactions of William Cave and Oscar Prior-Palmer were genuine delights, while thewonderful rhythm of Oliver Butler’sincreasingly rapid action thrilled hiscoach considerably more than thevisiting batsmen. Alongside this, thewicket-keeping of Alex Lawler wasincreasingly reliable as the termprogressed. Many congratulations mustgo to all of the boys who representedthe team with such excellentsportsmanship and friendship towardsall. It has been a wonderfully enjoyableseason and a genuine delight to spendsome sunny, and some not-so-sunny,afternoons coaching and umpiring thischarming group of young cricketers.J.C.K.

The start of thecricket seasonbrought aboutmuch excitementamongst the U8Squad – thechance to bringin their own bats,the opportunityto wear their newwhites and thepossibility ofhaving ‘tea’outside were allkey talking points!The first lessons

and matches played quickly identifiedthe need for lots of practice at bowling.In the format used for the Under 8’s,wide balls give away two runs – theboys soon realised that too many ofthese could lose a match before a batwas even picked up and so theymaturely spent lots of time at break,lunchtime, in Games lessons, down thecorridors and possibly in living roomsat home, practising their swings. Theresults were remarkable and theyshould be very proud of theimprovements that they all made as theseason went on. Wins against MountKelly, St. Peter’s and Exeter Cathedralwere all very well deserved, butperhaps the most exciting match was anarrow 5-run loss against Exeter School– who needs The Ashes when youhave tension like that?! Specialmentions must go to Will Edwards andHarry Clarkson for the way in whichthey delivered to a very high standardon a consistent basis, but praise mustalso be given to Edward Harris for hisbrilliant attitude through the term, toEthan Moran for his superb ‘sixes’ andto Charlie Cracknell for hisdetermination to make a speedyrecovery from his broken leg. Awonderful season of cricket, wellplayed everyone! D.J.M.

Blundell’s Prep SPORTSU8 CRICKET

Blundell’s Road, Tiverton

Devon EX16 4NA

Telephone: 01884 252393

Email: prep@blundells.org

w w w. b l u n d e l l s . o r g / p r e p

Speech DayChairman of the Governors Mr. Peter Johnson, Head Master Mr. Andy Southgate andGuest Speaker and Poet Matt Harvey all addressed pupils, staff and parents at SpeechDay. Mr. Southgate highlighted the many successes and achievements of the Schoolduring the past year, before Matt entertained the assembled guests with some of hispoetry – his poem entitled ‘My Doggy don’t go to the Toilet’ proving a particular hit –and urged the pupils to make the most of the many opportunities open to them. Mattalso gave out the prizes, many to Year 6 leavers, in recognition of the huge number ofpersonal triumphs achieved across the curriculum, and all in Year 6 were presentedwith their fabulous Leavers’ Books. The weather was not kind on the day, but whilerefreshments were served after the ceremony, Year 6 enjoyed gathering autographsfor their Leavers’ Books – as a fine reminder of their times at Blundell’s PreparatorySchool. L.P.M.