The internationally renowned pianist, accompanist and chamber musician Michael Dussek has provided inspiration and tuition for Berkhamsted School’s most advanced pianists. 

Edmund, one of the School’s most accomplished musicians has played cello for 10 years, piano for eight, as well as the electric guitar for the last seven years.  In the workshop Edmund focused on the Prelude and Fugue in C Minor by composer and musician Johann Sebastian Bach. 

The performance techniques that the group developed included the different types of articulation a pianist can use. On reflection of the masterclass, Edmund said, "The subtleties of articulation and tone are fine shades of grey in piano playing, and this was the principle theme of our learning in Michael Dussek’s masterclass. 

"The process of understanding a composer’s music and exploring its possibilities is a fulfilling and an emotional experience. It was a thoroughly enjoyable masterclass for Ben, Joe and me. 

"It was inspirational for us to work with a musician of Mr Dussek’s international acclaim. Not only will we benefit from refining our piano skills, but also the passion and feeling with which he played and encouraged us will have a lasting effect on our performances."

Ben Noithip, Director of Co-Curricular Music was delighted that Michael Dussek, who is also the head piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music, was able to visit to the school. He said "The sessions highlighted why Michael is considered a highly inspirational coach and each of the students involved were challenged to think about both technical and expressive aspects of their performance."

With the boys’ performances in the House Music Competition and the Music Scholars’ Concert already drawing acclaim this term, the next event in the school music calendar is the St Cecilia's Day Concert on Tuesday 22^nd November.  Performances will include major ensembles such as Orchestra, String Orchestra, Junior Girls’ Choir, Senior Choir, Big Band and Barbershop, as well as a preview of the Senior Musical 'Grease'. 

Later this term many of the students involved in the workshop will be taking Grade 8 piano including Ben Howell, followed by Edmund Wilson next term. Joe Beadle is taking LTCL Diploma in December.

For 33 years, from 1966 to 1999, David Pearce (known to many as DRAP) occupied a special place within Berkhamsted School life, holding positions of Head of English for 30 years as well as Housemaster of first Adders and then Incents. David continued his involvement with the School even after leaving, supporting numerous events over the years and maintaining many personal contacts. In return for his loyalty, it was our pleasure to be able to invite David, an ardent monarchist, to sit at the same table as Her Majesty The Queen at the luncheon held in honour of our Patron’s historic visit to the School on Friday 6 May. 

The moment David was presented to Her Majesty The Queen at St Peter's Church.

During his time at the School, David made so many other contributions to School life. He coached cricket and Fives, which he taught himself from scratch in his late fifties. He ran the School library for several years and was a talented producer of plays. In 1980, David wrote and produced a play entitled Something for Incent to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of the School’s founder, Dean John Incent. It was performed on 10th July 1980 and involved all pupils and staff in the School; a school production on this scale has never been repeated.

David Pearce (right) and John Davison

DRAP will live on as one of Berkhamsted School’s iconic teachers, remembered by the generations of pupils whose lives he touched. The words used by John Davison to conclude the valete remain utterly appropriate:

David on horseback dressed up as former Headmaster Revd Edward Bartum on the occasion of a sponsored walk.

Please click on the link below for more photographs:

The prospect of public speaking and presenting an informed argument is something that is often feared even amongst top business executives with years of experience. 

However, 17 year old Tara Sallis burst onto the Berkhamsted debating scene after her talents were first recognised by Politics teacher Mr Anker.  Almost exactly a year later, the Year 13 student has learned she has been selected to represent England at the World Schools Debating Championship 2017 in Bali. 

Tara joined Berkhamsted Sixth in September 2015 having never previously debated.  The magnificence of her progress is undebatable. Within a matter of months Tara was teaming up with her fellow students to face some of the most respected debating teams in the country.

With only the experience of four debating competitions behind her, Tara would not even dream of travelling to Indonesia to take on the best debaters worldwide at this point. On realising she was one of only five debaters selected by the English Speaking Union for the World Championships, Tara said “When I found out I was selected, I was of course very excited, but at the same time it was very unexpected. 

“The whole competition process will be an exceptional experience, the coaching I have already benefited from has improved my debating immeasurably, and I look forward to putting everything I’ve developed into practice.“

The competition style is known as World Schools format and teams have just an hour to prepare their arguments. Tara recognises the skills that debating has helped her develop. She said “In debating you have such a short time to prepare for the motion, so you have to be able to think on your feet to develop your argument whilst responding to the debate going on at the same time. Competition days are a lot of fun, but the number of debates that you do over a day means you have to be prepared to respond to feedback and to keep trying to improve your performance. Overall debating has made me more confident and adaptable.”

Anna England-Kerr, Team England Manager said "This is the most prestigious debating competition in the world featuring some of the most skilled orators and thinkers of their generation. 

“The selectors were very impressed by Tara's ability to produce sophisticated and nuanced arguments and present them in a compelling way. We have high expectations of Team England and we believe that Tara will play a key role in a team continuing England's proud history of success at the competition.

“The fact that a pupil of Berkhamsted School is on Team England is a testimony of the outstanding educational environment your school creates."

Graham Appleyard shared his gripping journey to become an international marketing director having begun his career labouring in vineyards in the South of France.

During his time working and living among French-speaking people, Graham never resorted to speaking his native language. Within months he found he was thinking and dreaming in French and could officially recognise himself as fluent.

This experience, together with immersing himself within the local culture and lifestyle helped him on his way to securing a job in the highly competitive field of commercial marketing.  Of an estimated 100 candidates who applied for the job, Graham testifies he was appointed because of three simple words on his CV ‘Languages: English and French’. 

Another fascinating presentation from an Intelligence Analyst (whose name is withheld for security purposes) at GCHQ provided an insight to working at the Government agency responsible for protecting the security of the country along with MI5 and MI6.

The role involves scanning, translating, transcription, analysing and presenting data that could present a major threat to national security including terrorism, serious crime and weapons of mass destruction. Students learned that niche languages such as Swahili, Sylheti and Pashto are in demand as are the skills to learn and adapt to ever-evolving jargon, slangs, accents and dialects.

Students were also fortunate to listen to Greg Hands MP, Minister for International Trade, who became fluent in German while living in West Berlin after leaving school. Greg has a passion for languages, he emphasized the value of learning a language and its potential for boosting trade. Students were left with the MP’s notion that graduates boasting an additional language earn a higher salary on average, while learning a language is more than a gateway to a job, it’s an unrivalled insight to foreign culture and opinion.

Chinese was the subject covered by the final two speakers. An excellent presentation by Emily, a first year university student, explained the value of learning Chinese together with her Business degree.  Then a remarkable session delivered by Berkhamsted School’s very own Nicola Heslop successfully taught the pupils Chinese numbers from 1-99 and all the months of the year in just ten minutes!

Berkhamsted School’s Head of German, Lucy Briand said “The aim of the conference was to raise the profile of Modern Languages in our school and in our community in order to promote the uptake of MFL at GCSE and A-level, and to encourage pupils to go on to study languages, including ‘less traditional’ languages at university. We wanted the pupils to broaden their view of where languages can take them, and to inspire them with a global perspective.”

Thank you to all of the guests speakers, and to Wren Academy and Ashlyns School for joining us for the conference. 

Having a close connection with the town, may I congratulate @berkhamstedsch on their initiative, and thank @GregHands@berkhamstednewshttps://t.co/SXrivzEoUk

— Mark Higton (@Alfromeo) November 24, 2016

Physics teacher Victoria Hyman, who orchestrated the event, said: ‘It was a really successful STEM careers speed-dating evening for Year 11 boys and girls. During the evening, the students were able to speak with professionals from 10 different STEM walks of life in small groups and learn about various STEM careers. Everyone enjoyed the evening immensely and got a lot out of it.”

At a time when it is acknowledged that females are significantly under-represented in STEM careers, Mrs Hyman added she was delighted that 45% of attendees at the event were girls.

Berkhamsted Sixth Form has a tradition for supporting pupils in this area, 169 students completed a total of 219 A-Levels in STEM subjects in 2016 with many securing a place to study a related subject at university. 

STEM Careers say “People with STEM qualifications are in demand: you put yourself in a stronger position in today's competitive job market. Studying STEM subjects leads directly to a huge variety of exciting and rewarding career opportunities.”

Around the time when John Incent founded the school, there was little understanding of the human body because no anatomic book had ever been created, and it was still believed that the Earth was the centre of the solar system (rather than the sun).

A newly revealed mural covering the full length of a corridor in Newcroft building represents a 475-year timeline of scientific breakthroughs and landmark dates for Berkhamsted School.

The group dubbed ‘The 475 Club’ worked week in and week out over three terms to create the piece. An array of materials and techniques were utilised including painting, printing, drawing and 3D work. Contributors ranged from younger pupils learning new techniques to Sixth Formers with prospects of studying at Art College.

Year 13’s Callum Halpin introduced Principal Richard Backhouse to the mural at the unveiling. Callum said “It was great to be involved with the 475 Club for this group project.

“Now I’ve seen it up on display, the mural looks impressive in size, you can see straight away that it’s very colourful and inviting and I’m sure passers-by will appreciate it.

“My contribution was created using acrylic paints, watercolour, crayons. For one piece of the mural, mono colour printing was particularly effective to represent the atom (Rutherford’s Model, 1911).

“Every Monday over the last three terms I've really enjoyed being involved in the project. It’s been great to work together with students in different year groups."

Callum is currently studying Art at A-Level and plans to complete an art foundation course next year before studying an art-related subject at degree level.

The project was completed under the guidance of Jeannelise Edelsten (taking over from last year’s Artist-In-Residence) and supported by Biology Teacher Andrew Hopper. Jeannelise, who leaves Berkhamsted School this month to pursue her art career, used Photoshop to choreograph the collection of art and prepared the final mural design for printing.

The mural displays scientific breakthroughs that have happened since the school opened 475 years ago including:

• Robert Hooke’s invention of the microscope in 1665.
• Nobel prize winning physician/chemist Marie Curie and her discovery of Radium and Polonium in 1898.
• Edwin Hubble’s 1924 discovery of galaxies beyond the milkway.
• ‘Dolly the Sheep’, the first mammal to be cloned in 1997.

Head of Physics Dr Steve Redman said "On behalf of the Science department, thank you to everyone involved in the 475 Club for the spectacular masterpiece that is the 475 Mural.

"The design is absolutely lovely, and it has brightened up two corridors and turned them into something for us to be proud of."

Integrated into the mural are key dates in the School’s 475-year history, such as Berkhamsted School for Girls opening in 1888, at the time one of only a handful of schools for girls in the country.

Berkhamsted School’s 1st XV have convincingly defeated Tonbridge by 53-19 at the showpiece game under the lights at Allianz Park. 

Pens: Barton (1)

The trio will enjoy travelling the nation, and benefit from playing at the finest venues in the country throughout 2017.  Both the Choir and the Orchestra are described as having a ‘world class’ reputation with an intensely competitive application process. 

9-year-old Madeline, an exceptionally talented cellist, is said to have reached the standard of grade 6 by learning through the Suzuki method - a philosophy that mirrors the learning of a native language through listening and repeating. 

Olivia, in Year 7, has earned her place at the National Children’s Choir only months after joining Berkhamsted School on a Music Scholarship. 

Freddie, also in Year 7 has been playing the cello since he was five years old and successfully passed several days of auditions in Hitchin and Luton. 

He said “Earning a place at the National Children’s Orchestra is one of my biggest achievements in life so far.  It was really quite daunting arriving at the audition with so much at stake, but the panel were really welcoming and made me feel right at home. 

“I try to practise every day for at least half an hour. I also play at home with my dad and accompany my mum and sister, who play violin. 

“I’m particularly looking forward to the week-long residential courses the programme offers. It’s a great opportunity to get to know people really well. I’ve already made some really good friends at a regional orchestra, so I’m hoping this will continue.” 

Freddie could follow the pathway of Year 11 (and fellow member of Bees House) Joe Beadle who has progressed to the National Youth Orchestra and received rave reviews in The Telegraph for his performances at the BBC Proms this year. 

Freddie added “I hope to progress with the orchestra, my ultimate aim is to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, that would be really amazing.” 

Fiona Gillett, a cello teacher at Berkhamsted School who has taught Freddie since he joined in 2014 said “Freddie has progress very well, he has a good natural ear for hearing and feeling the music and those qualities will help him as his technique develops further. 

“He plays the cello very intuitively, and he will experiment during the lessons until he works something out.  The demands of playing in an orchestra mean you have to be able to sight-read and produce music with no time to prepare, and Freddie is very competent when put under this pressure.  

“It's a tremendous achievement for anybody to get in to the National Children’s Orchestra and National Children’s Choir, comparable to representing your country in an activity such as football or netball. 

“Freddie, Madeleine and Olivia have all worked very hard to get to this level. They will benefit from this national programme enormously and they will have the chance to network, learn from each other, and develop so many transferable skills, which will help them whether they pursue a career in music or not.” 

Les Bushell is always on call. As a caretaker at Berkhamsted School he responds to all sorts of jobs within the Estates Department.  As a firefighter his pager could go off at any moment, day or night, requiring him to get to the station and be on route to an emergency within four minutes.

In a school the size of Berkhamsted, where a stroll from a classroom to the car park could easily take that amount of time, Les is needed to down tools, travel to the Fire Station on Castle Street and get ready for the emergency in just 240 seconds. He repeats this for up to 20 calls per month.  

If you ever see a member of staff sprinting down Kings Road it may well be Les. Whether he is setting up the hall for an event at Kings Campus or attending to a job at the boarding house, his response time could be the difference between life and death. 

Les joined the Fire Service in 2003 and joined Berkhamsted School four years later. Now donning the prestigious white helmet, his promotion to Watch Commander makes him responsible for 10 fellow firefighters. He manages their availability, training, holidays, and oversees each emergency response. 

Undoubtedly, Les is providing a valuable service to the local community with the Fire Service, at the same time supporting an Estates team who work tirelessly to provide the perfect environment for pupils of Berkhamsted School to study and to achieve their potential.

Les said “I get great satisfaction out of both my jobs, and there are many ways the experiences with the Fire Service help with my work at Berkhamsted.

“I’m always prepared to take an adaptable approach to work. At a road traffic accident, for example, ‘Plan A’ could be to cut the roof off to free the injured party, but there are so many variables you always need a Plan B and C. None of this is in writing, it requires thinking on the spot and every small decision you make will affect the outcome. 

“I am fully supportive of the education work the school do in partnership with the Fire Service. Last term Sixth Form organised a very impactful session for students to learn about road safety.  In December Year 1 enjoyed a visit from Berkhamsted Fire Station, and we gave them the chance to sit in the fire engine and see the equipment works.  Even at such a young age, there’s an important message for them to take home after the fun but constructive experience.”

When asked if the pupils and staff should feel extra safe by having a full time firefighter on site Les said: “Berkhamsted School take a very thorough approach to fire safety, and we’ve dedicated members of staff trained to lead on this. Perhaps having an experienced firefighter on site provides an extra level of security, as I’m always on the look out to find new ways the School can further improve their practice.”

Fellow estates worker James Smillie will become the second Berkhamsted School member of staff to join the Fire Service, when he starts in February. Rono Wellington, previously a media technician for the school has since gone on to serve full time in Hemel Hempstead.

Estates Director Rob Grant said "Berkhamsted School is very proud of Les’ achievements and we are always happy to support members of the Berkhamsted School family in providing help and support to the wider community of Berkhamsted.”

Sophie Beard, one of Berkhamsted School’s finest young  sportswomen has earned a place with Surrey Storm, Netball’s Superleague Champions of 2015 and 2016.

18 year old Sophie, who is currently studying four A levels, will play in the National Performance League as Storm aim to develop a world class squad of athletes for the future.  Sophie becomes the first student in the School’s history to play netball at this level.  

Playing as Goal Attack, Sophie helped Berkhamsted’s 1st VII reach the National Schools Championship in 2016 and has been a key player in the school’s highly successful 1st XII Lacrosse team.

With Surrey Storm, who play their home fixtures in Guildford,  Sophie will compete against the UK’s most elite Superleague Youth teams including Hertfordshire Mavericks, Team Northumbria, Loughborough Lightning , Team Bath, Wasps Netball and Manchester Thunder.

Sophie said “I was in complete disbelief when I first got the news of my selection. I’ve grown up watching the girls in the Storm Squad, they play at such a high level, so it was hard to believe. But I was just over the moon to get a place in the team, I’m so happy.

“It has taken a great deal of hard work and training to get to this level, I’ve spent lots of time practising and working to link up with my Goal Shooter in particular.  As a Goal Attack, I come up against some strong and physical players in the defensive positions, so I’m always looking to develop this side of my game. 

 “The sports staff at Berkhamsted School have been amazing, I really couldn’t have reached this level without their support. I am truly thankful to my Netball coach Mrs Wates and Lacrosse coach Miss Gray for providing such exceptional opportunities at school. The coaching we have all received, all the technical training, and the team spirit we have developed together has helped us reach our potential.  

“Also, Mrs Vila has been my mentor this year and she’s been really understanding and really focused on helping me achieve my aims not only in sport but throughout my school life. I'm so grateful for all of her support.”

Lead by Director of Sport Jo Vila,  Berkhamsted boast eight national titles in the last two years while pupil enjoyment and participation remain at the heart of everything the department do. 

Jo said "Sophie possesses all of the components required for the ‘complete’ athlete package, and as a department we are absolutely thrilled that she has finally received recognition for her hard work, commitment and obvious talent we see and work with on a daily basis. I wish her every success as she embarks on her first season with Surrey Storm and the beginning of what will hopefully be a long and successful playing career in representative Netball.

Sophie will sit her A Level exams in summer 2017 and then take a year out from academic studies to purely concentrate on netball.  She plans to start university in September 2018 while continuing her progress as an athlete. 

Tickets for a series of performances and concerts during Berkhamsted Music Festival 2017 are now available.

Starting on Tuesday 24^th January, the Festival includes a week full of musical performances, workshops and educational events led by professional guest musicians and staff from Berkhamsted School’s Music Department.

Over 500 music fans are expected to be involved in one of the biggest music events of the year at the School. Tickets are available on a first-come first-served basis. All are free of charge.

Head of Music Ben Noithip said “The Music Festival launched in 2016 as an opportunity for a series of lectures, workshops, masterclasses and concerts all to take place within one week.  Previous topics have included a Percussion &‘Spoons’ Workshop, Lecture recitals on Baroque Music, an Interactive Lecture on the Growth of Electronic Music and also a workshop on Improvisation.

“The aim of the Music Festival is to showcase educational and cultural values for pupils, staff, parents and the local community. We hope to widen awareness of mainstream and alternative musical genres.”

Festival Concert 1

All welcome - admission is free of charge. Doors will open from 6.45 pm and refreshments will be available after the concert. 

Festival Concert 2

Festival Concert 3 - Lunchtime Recital – ‘A Romantic Journey’

This event is open to members of the public to attend free of charge (although the audience will be invited to contribute to a retiring collection in aid of the Church Choir). 

Festival Concert 4 -An Introduction to Chinese Music

This event is open to all members of the public, including the local community and members of Berkhamsted School. Attendance is free of charge.

Our year 12 students, together with students from 9 other local schools discovered the various careers falling under the umbrella of law before focusing on the training involved to become a solicitor or barrister.

Whether their ambitions included protecting human rights, providing commercial legal advice to blue chip companies or defending individuals in court students learned the next steps of their journey to a career in Law.

The day concluded with a Student-Lead Negotiation Exercise to facilitate teamwork, communication, compromise, strategical thinking and decision making, giving students a true flavour of what they will encounter in everyday legal practice, as well as the types of skills they will be expected to employ as fully fledged lawyers.

The event was delivered by an experienced lawyer/legal education professional from The Lawyer Portal. 

Berkhamsted School has been named as one of Britain’s most successful independent schools in sport. 

School Sport Magazine ranked Berkhamsted 10th based on performances across 20 major sports in 2016, the only school in Hertfordshire to make it into the top 30. 

Led by Directors of Sport David Gibson (Boys' Sport) and Jo Vila (Girls' Sport) the School Sports department said "Berkhamsted Sport is flourishing and is undoubtedly achieving its biggest successes within the last decade.

“Our focus is not just on titles and silverware. Our approach is to enthuse, motivate, inspire and instil a love of sport for every participant at Berkhamsted School. Teachers, support and ground staff have worked tirelessly to give our pupils the most positive experience of physical activity possible throughout 2016.”

Piano prodigy Joe Beadle has been awarded the LTCL (Licentiate of Trinity College London) diploma from Trinity College London – recognised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as the equivalent to an honours degree! 

At 15 years of age Joe is among the youngest in Britain to be qualified at this level. He had been working on four pieces since summer 2015 to perfect his performance for the final exam. 

Joe’s essay submission and recital of Mozart, Liszt and Ravel at Peregrine's Pianos Studio in London was adjudged to meet the diploma standards.  

He said " Preparing for the diploma was nerve-wracking and a real challenge, but it was a very enriching experience which allowed me to develop as a musician. My biggest thanks go to my amazing teacher, Fiona Harris at the Royal Academy of Music, who has supported me every step of the way these past six years. I feel so proud to have achieved the diploma - the long hours of practice finally paid off!" 

It has been a testing period for the multi-talented Berkhamsted pupil, who is itting his mock GCSE exams this week, but he is already thinking ahead to the next stage. 

“I am looking forward to starting my A-Level studies at Berkhamsted this September, studying French, Spanish, Maths and English Literature. 

“In the future, I'd love to make a solo piano album that includes my interpretations of modern pop songs”

In addition to playing the piano, Joe has Grade 8 Distinctions in Drum Kit, French Horn and Organ. He is also a budding conductor and was notably seen directing the band in last year's musical production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

As House Captain, his influence guided Bees to overall winners of the 2016 Boys’ House Music Competition. He has performed in front of HM The Queen, at the BBC Proms and toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Related News 

It was not Mr Kirwan’s first appearance on television. Back in 1999 when he was teaching at Sandringham School his lesson was filmed for a BBC Breakfast news piece on science in education, and he was interviewed by a young Susanna Reid. 

Spoiler Alert! 

After a successful audition the team met up for several pub quizzes and established Mr Kirwan would be saved for the final round where the challengers faced general knowledge questions against the Eggheads to win the £7,000 cash prize. 

Mr Kirwan could only look on as his teammate tied 2-2 in the science round before eventually defeating the Egghead in sudden death. 

In the final, Mr Kirwan’s first moment to shine came when he correctly provided the answer to Namibia’s former name. 1-0 to the challengers. 

Millennials and pop music fans would have watched with amusement when the challengers were faced with the question: ‘Work’ was a worldwide hit for which singer in 2016? Katy Perry, Taylor Swift or Rhianna.’  Mr Kirwan’s desperate glance toward his teammate told the story, while he pondered the three choices asking out loud ‘who is big worldwide?’ 

The challengers unfortunately answered incorrectly, and the dream was soon to be over. 

Mr Kirwan said “Although the prize on offer was £7,000 the money was never a personal concern. We all agreed long before the day that if we had won, the money would go straight to the cricket club to help pay for new covers or other improvements. 

“It was a fun experience challenging ourselves against the Eggheads. I hope to leave the message with my pupils to be adventurous, and always be open to trying new experiences. 

“Finally, thank you to all the staff at the studio in Glasgow for looking after us so well. Thank you also to the Eggheads who were a very friendly bunch.”

Berkhamsted have won three team titles at the National Schools Equestrian Association’s County Championships at Bury Farm. 

It was the team’s most successful competition ever, and every competitor in the squad should be proud of their performance. Jake Barton’s exceptional display placed him ahead of 78 competitors to finish overall winner across all counties. 

A report by the School’s Equine Coordinator Mrs Barton: 

The Mini team (70cm) of Daisy Fowler, Charlie Woodrow, Maddie Nagele and Anthony Berry jumped outside in sub zero temperatures. Faultless rounds from Daisy, Maddie and Anthony meant they finished on 0 penalties to beat 11 other teams and win not only the Herts County Championships but also the Tri Counties competition with Anthony and Daisy also getting individual placings. They will now go on to represent Hertfordshire at the National finals in April.

The Novice team (80cm) of Daisy Fowler, Tamar Duncan, Maddie Nagele and Taila Clarke also jumped well outside. Clear rounds from Taila and Daisy secured them 5th place against 17 other teams with Daisy getting placed individually. Charlotte Lavery, riding as an individual, jumped a fantastic double clear on Gem who she had never jumped before, and only just missed out on a placing - a brilliant achievement.

In the Open competition (1m) we had two teams who both jumped well. Our team of Rebecca Taylor, Taila Clarke, Jake Barton and Josh Barton finished up winning both the Herts County Championships and the Tri Counties competition so they too will go on to represent Herts at the National finals. The other team of Rebecca and Jake on their other horses, Georgia and Anthony finished 4th. Josh jumped a brilliant clear on Connor to win the overall competition and the County Championship title.

On Saturday 21st January the Berkhamsted Rowing squad competed in the Weybridge Winter Head. 

The 3000m course along the River Thames was packed with many crews despite the freezing temperatures. 

Rob Smith and Joe Markby competed in the men’s J18 category.  They competed well being placed 6th overall with a time of 13.12.  Given that this was their first outdoor competition this is a very impressive result.  

Heather Dunmall and Lucy Hubbard competed in the women’s J18 category which was closely contested between 9 very strong crews.  Over the course of the race they managed to overtake two crews and remained ahead of all who started behind them.  They finished with a raw time of 12.23 and an adjusted time of 12.28 due to a time penalty putting them in fifth place overall.  

Eight Berkhamsted School students have earned offers at Oxford and Cambridge universities. 

With around 35,000 Oxbridge hopefuls entering the rigorous application process, only 20% receive a place to study at two of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions. This ever-increasing competition for places puts into perspective the magnitude of success at Berkhamsted.

Phoebe Jarvis and George Devey have both received conditional offers for Cambridge to read Natural Sciences. Congratulations also to the six students who received offers for Oxford: Alexandra Burgar (German/Russian), Oliver Hansen (PPE), Alice Hart (PPE), Emma Rawkins (Law), Tara Sallis (History), Hannah Williams (History).                     

Richard Petty said “This is a fantastic moment for these students, who have worked so hard to achieve this.  There is much work for them to do, but we should pause to reflect on just what a superb achievement this is.

“There’s an enjoyable academic environment here at Berkhamsted Sixth for all learners; those who choose to avail themselves of opportunities such as Crawford Society, debating, subject-specific discussion groups and practice interviews give themselves a good chance of success in applications to the best universities.

“Much as Oxford and Cambridge applications are so competitive that there are simply no guarantees of an interview or an offer, even for the very best students nationally, our students have again excelled themselves – well done.”

Students applying for the majority of university places in 2017 completed their UCAS application earlier this month and will start receiving offers throughout Lent and early Trinity term.

Berkhamsted School has an excellent record in supporting students to achieve successful university applications. In 2016, 80% of Berkhamsted Sixth leavers were placed at their first or second choice university, and 61% of leavers went on to study at a Russell Group university.

Over 300 Berkhamsted School pupils have participated in Music Festival 2017. This year’s topics introduced pupils to Jazz and Improvisation, World Music, Traditional and Contemporary Ensemble Vocal Techniques and included Masterclasses by exceptional visiting musicians on Strings, Woodwind and Brass. 

On the opening evening over 100 musicians from across our family of schools gathered in Deans’ Hall to perform as a large-scale ensemble. 

Our guest musician Paul Barritt delivered four back-to-back workshops before combining with Berkhamsted School’s string players to perform at Centenary Theatre.  With Paul’s expertise and enthusiastic coaching, each pupil benefited tremendously from his visit. 

Returning for their second appearance at Berkhamsted Music Festival, Tom and Alexandra Ridout led Brass and Woodwind workshops.  Tom and Alexandra, both award winning young Jazz musicians, provided a great inspiration to pupils. Their exceptional talent was on display as the Jazz band combined to include Berkhamsted School teacher Mark Ridout for the concert inside the atmospheric Chapel on Castle Campus. 

St Peter’s Church hosted a Lunchtime Recital by some of Berkhamsted’s most talented musicians.  A glorious series of performances entertained an audience with the theme ‘A Romantic Journey.’ 

To celebrate Chinese New Year, our guest musician, Ruard Absaroka and his ensemble led an Introductionto Chinese Music, and formed part of the Boarders’ Cultural Evening. 

Festival week concluded with engaging sessions of beat-boxing and contemporary singing. Tommy Ludgate and Kelly Fraser led a large group of pupils to perfect a performance of ‘Rather Be’ by Clean Bandit.   

Year 9 and 10 language students have enjoyed a Spanish performance by a production company specialising in using theatre to complement the learning of a language.

The title of the play by Onatti Productions Ltd ‘¿Cuántos me gusta tienes?’ translates to 'How many ‘likes’ do you have?' 

The story unravelled a social media crisis where lead character Alejandro found himself in trouble after deceiving his friends on Facebook to get more ‘likes.’

Pupils followed the dialogue performed by native Spanish speaking actors, and there were outbursts of laughter in the audience, as they understood the fast-paced jokes and humorous scenes.

There was a starring role for one Year 10 pupil who was picked out at random to perform on stage. James Green stepped up to act in the play, and displayed a great flair for Spanish language to answer the many spontaneous questions fired at him.

Head of Spanish, Anna Ashby later delivered a follow up lesson for her Year 9 class, where pupils revised and analysed the script before being testing on their freshly developed language knowledge.  

Francesca Anderson in Year 9 said, “In our follow up lesson we read through the first scene of the play and acted it out so we could have a go ourselves. Then we had a small quiz in teams on the play’s vocabulary and themes.”

 “The Onatti Productions play helped because it gave us lots of vocabulary to work on and also helped us to understand how they have conversations in Spain with their friends, this meant it helped us with pronunciation and fluency of speaking.” 

A big thank you to Ms Alyson Le Francois for organising the event not only in Spanish this term but for French students last term along a similar theme.