Autumn 2018 Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to this term’s newsletter – a chance to try and find a report on some of the activities your son

has mentioned. And maybe even see your son’s name.

Camp Hill Boys is bigger than ever – 893 boys. The original school buildings were built to accommodate

540 boys. The latest extension to open was the new 6th Form building, built mainly with generous

donations from parents, old boys, governors and teachers, kindly topped up by the King Edward’s

Foundation. It was formally opened on 13 September though we had to wait a bit longer for the

furniture to arrive. It has clearly been well received by the 6th Formers; in fact, its heavy use serves to

underline just how needed it was. Thank you!

The autumn term is always long and busy. No area is busier than music. Apart from providing music for

school events (Open Day, Prize-Giving, Intermediate Prize-Giving carried over from last term, GCSE

presentation evening) and for external events (carol singing at The Hub, ditto QE Hospital) there are the

two big music events in the Christmas Concert and the Carol Service (still to come as I write). As usual

the boys have been wonderful; it’s astonishing to see them deliver such quality year after year.

Thinking of the creative arts leads me on to comment on the excellent Senior Drama Production of

Journey’s End. A powerful story superbly portrayed. It’s remarkable to see the talent of these young

men, some of whom seem to appear out of the woodwork as they near the end of their time here

having kept their talents well-hidden before. Thank you, of course, to Mr Southworth and Ms Lamb for

the astonishing commitment they show to these productions.

Sport, of course, features strong in this newsletter. Well done, I say, to the water polo players. It’s

many decades since the last time the school put a water polo team into a match. Congratulations also to

the Under 15 basketball players and Under 14 rugby players – your seasons have certainly got off to a

cracking start.

The King Edward’s Academy Trust seems to be getting itself into the news at the moment with its

proposals to change its schools’ admissions policies. Don’t forget to contribute to the consultation on

the Birmingham City Council website if you want to be heard.

The autumn term is not a time for staff turnover – at least not among the teaching staff. But this term

we have said goodbye to three members of the support staff team, two of whom have had roles that

have brought them into contact with parents. Although your sons will have known Caroline Thompson,

the senior lab technician, well, it’s unlikely many of you parents will have met her. We wish her well in

her dramatic career change, as she pursues her desire to be an accountant. Kay Bevan and Sally Hollins

have both had jobs that have brought them into contact with parents, though you may not have known

their names. Sally in particular, as receptionist and attendance officer, has spoken to many of you over

her 13 years here. She has set a wonderful tone for the office – always cheerful and friendly to visitors

and boys alike; she made sure that the first impression given by the school was always one of warmth

and friendliness. Kay Bevan was a superb administrator, so she carried out her role as Careers Officer

brilliantly, organising careers interviews and events with deceptive calm – deceptive in the sense of

making it look so much easier than it was. Sally leaves to enjoy life with three generations of her family;

Kay continues her work in the careers education field with the National Careers Service. We wish the

three of them well and thank them for their wonderful work here.

Have a wonderful holiday. I hope the Christmas break will give you all plenty of opportunity for rest and

relaxation with friends and family.

Yours sincerely

Martin Garrod

E-NEWSLETTER – Autumn 2018

Biology Field Trip On Monday 8th October 2018, thirty Year 13 biology students and four staff travelled to Nettlecombe Court in Somerset.

The first activity was in the back garden of the estate where boys were given a plant identification booklet and given time to explore the area, identifying any interesting plant species that they found along the way and calculating the differences in species density between two different areas of grass. After dinner, boys were taught how to set up a Longworth trap that would be able to catch nocturnal rodents that roamed the nearby woodlands. After adding straw, some food and water in the form of an apple, traps were hidden in the woods and boys eagerly waited the following day when they would see whether the traps had worked or not.

The second day was a full day of activities. Firstly, the boys checked their traps to see whether anything had been caught and to their excitement two of the traps contained a wood mouse each. After weighing both the rodents, they released them into the wild and left the site, heading for a nearby rocky beach, Porlock Bay. On arrival, boys were told explore the beach, and attempt to identify as many plant and animal species as possible. Following a lunch break, an activity was carried out further along the shore towards a freshwater stream where boys were taught how to identify different types of snails that have adapted to the tough conditions. Size and age measurements of the common top shells were taken and the evening session allowed an opportunity for the boys to carry out statistical analysis of their results.

The third day started with the 90 minute coach journey to Braunton Burrows. Here, boys learnt how sand dune ecosystems evolve and a fun activity at the start was for each group to design a model on the beach that would explain how the process works. After eating lunch (and some ice cream from a nearby ice cream parlour), we headed further into the sand dunes where boys used a line transect to determine how the presence of plant species changed with increasing distance from the shore.

On the final day of the residential, the boys rose early in order to make the most of the remaining time on the site. They spent the morning at a nearby freshwater stream, learning how to identify the species that lived there. These consisted mainly of freshwater shrimp, however one group found a bullhead fish in the stream. Boys perfected kick sampling and took abiotic measurements at the site. After designing a simple choice chamber experiment to investigate the effect of light on the movement of the animals, the return journey was made to Birmingham.

A special thanks must be given to the tutors at the centre, Bryony and Anelma, without whom we could

not have developed the understanding of ecology that we have now. Thanks must also be given to site

staff that kept Nettlecombe Court running smoothly throughout our stay. Lastly, but certainly not least,

we are very appreciative for the teachers of the Biology Department giving up their free time to allow us

the unique experience of studying ecology hands-on and for organising the trip.

Ryan Humphreys

Biology Club Autumn Term News

The boys have been busy outside this term planting bulbs, taking cuttings and tidying the planters at the

front of school. Recently, the rain has stopped our outdoor activities so the boys have been busy

researching and giving presentations about their favourite animals. Hun gave us a fantastic presentation

about ants. Of course our gerbils and hamsters always need attention and cleaning.

We have also been making grass heads and grass hedgehogs as Christmas presents, which will all need

haircuts soon.

Careers Department

This term 67 year 13 boys took part in our annual mock interview evenings. Pupils were put through

their paces by a panel of professionals, to boost their confidence and skills for upcoming university and

degree apprenticeship interviews. We are so lucky at Camp Hill to have such an army of supporters – a

huge thank you to all the parents and friends of the school who gave up their time and expertise on two

cold and wet nights in October and November for us!

A select group of pupils spent a morning in October, investigating the work of healthcare scientists at the

Queen Elizabeth hospital. We explored careers from sleep and respiratory science to maxillofacial

reconstruction, raising pupils’ awareness of the range of opportunities for professional scientists within

the NHS.

The Young Professionals App is a tool created by Dan Miller, a young entrepreneur from the Midlands to

connect employers with future talent. A group of year 12 pupils had the chance to find out about the

app and the companies on-board including IBM, Arriva, Barclays and EY at a conference at Aston

University in November. We even bumped into Camp Hill ‘old boy’ Muhammed Ali, now on a gap year

scheme at IBM who has promised to come back to do a careers talk for us.

Year 10 pupils turned career detective in December in a lesson that was a cross between speed dating

and ‘What’s my Line?’ Small groups of pupils quizzed visitors (who were only allowed to answer ‘yes’ or

‘no’ to their questions) about their jobs to work out what each one did for a living. Guests included a

barrister, airline pilot, engineer, IT expert, solicitor, civil servant, respiratory scientist, a surgeon, forensic

medical examiner, graphic artist, an RAF air traffic controller and an undertaker! Thank you to all of our

amazing volunteers – we hope you will all return to do it all again in June!

The spring term brings careers interviews for year 11 and 12 and hopefully offers of work experience

placements for year 11 boys too. Keep looking out for work experience opportunities as many

companies advertise schemes for summer placements in January.

Wishing you all a restful festive break and a happy, healthy and successful new year.

Chess

In October, the school partook in the BJDCL Blitz tournament at KES. In the tournament teams of 4 play

each other at Chess but with a twist, each player only has 3 minutes to play all their moves. Camp Hill

took 6 teams to the tournament, and all students represented the school well, achieving second place

overall, as well as the highest placed under 13 tournament.

In November, the Chess league began and each team has played 1 match so far. Our Division 2 team

played Five Ways a few weeks ago, achieving a draw overall. Many of the matches were very close, and

our players were unlucky not to win their matches. Daniel Chen and Karan Kukreja, both of Year 7,

played superbly against 2 Year 11’s, winning in both of their matches. Mowahid Shahbaz, Year 12, also

played very well, and helped to support younger members of the team.

Our Division 1 and U13 teams have experienced less success so far. Their matches were against the KES

A team, traditionally the toughest opponents in the league. KES’s division 1 team were very good,

achieving a victory in all of their matches. KES’s team were made up of Year 11’s and above where as the

Camp Hill team were all Year 10’s. As with the Division 2 team a number of the matches were very close,

especially the match involving Deniz Yoruk-Mikhailov, where Deniz was seconds away from beating his

opponent on time, but had the victory cruelly snatched away from him. The U13’s, playing a team of

Year 8’s, experienced a little more success, Harvey Murray winning one of his games, and Ryan

Alexander winning one and drawing his second game. However, they still lost overall. The KES team

were incredibly strong, but our students gained a lot from the experience, and will come back stronger

in future matches.

The Division matches resume after the holidays and there will be another tournament at KES in March.

House chess will also begin next half-term, which will hopefully be followed by further tournaments here

at Camp Hill later next year.

English

This term the English Department have run clubs, hosted a visit from another school, have taught

taster sessions and the list goes on.

Firstly, we would like to congratulate Kamran Gill and Belal Stitan, who have made it through to the

second round of the ESU Mace Debating competition. The first round took place this term at King

Edward VI Five Ways School. Kamran and Belal proposed the motion 'This House would ban the sale

and consumption of meat' in a hard-fought contest against a team from King Edwards High School

for Girls. Thanks to a combination of logical and ethical arguments (and a healthy dose of

performative flair), the boys now progress to round 2, which will be held at KES in the new year.

We have, as a Department, been in the lucky position of being able to work with other local schools.

Earlier in the term we hosted a visit from Heads of English from Wheelers Lane Technology College

and Kings Heath Boys to discuss best practice. In addition, both Mr Hill and Mrs Parmar have gone

into Ninestiles and Kings Heath Boys respectively to teach lessons to Key Stage 4 groups in order to

encourage them to apply to the Sixth Form at Camp Hill and there is visit to Wheelers Lane planned

in the near future.

Extra-curricular activities are always an important focus at Camp Hill. This term Year 7 and 8 have

taken part in ‘Readathon’, while the Year 13 A’Level set attended an excellent production of

‘Othello’ at Warwick Arts Centre. Film Club has continued as always and Mr Hill has instituted a new

Year 10 Media Club and we look forward to seeing their production after Christmas.

Looking forward to next term, we will of course be undertaking our annual Public Speaking

Competition and who knows what else the term has to bring…

Food tasting

Food tasting is held once per year by the modern foreign languages

department (MFL).

During the hour you can try many different types of food ranging

from salami, camembert and even octopus!

This year This year, we were able try foods from three different countries:

Spain, France and Germany. These meats, cheeses and patissiers

were kindly brought in by the amazing staff in the modern foreign

languages department.

French food This year’s food tasting contained many sweet dishes from france

as well as many different types of cheese: Camembert and brie.

The brioche and pain au chocolat were personally my favourite as I

have a very big sweet tooth.

German food (The best) German food is definitely my favourite type of food in the world as it is mainly savoury and contains

lots of meat. I highly recommend trying it if you have the chance.

Conclusion

I highly recommend the food tasting day as it allows you to try many different types of meat and

cheese which you wouldn’t really try in England (plus it’s a lot tastier).

Kien Astley

The German Exchange We set off on the 19th September to fly to Frankfurt, Germany. We met at the Lufthansa check-in desk at 6:55 to board at 9am in order to arrive for 12:00 (Berlin time). Lufthansa, the biggest of all the German airlines, provided us with refreshments such as coke and the choice between a sandwich or a cookie. Naturally everyone chose the cookie and we were in a good mood, however tired, for the start of our trip. A few minutes before landing , we were extremely excited as we had spotted land. We were blown away by the sheer size of the airport and all dashed off to the toilet once inside.

After we were finished with customs we had two packed trains to catch in the sweltering heat with our luggage followed by a 15 minute walk with the temperature still in the mid twenties.Then we met up with our partners followed by an awkward drive home and evening.

The next day we woke up with spirits high ready for the packed day ahead.We started of with two lessons with our exchange partners attempting and failing to understand a word that they said! We met at our rendezvous point and walked approximately 1 miles to the U-Bahn, which is the German underground.We arrived at the maintower (pronounced mi-an tow-er) and travelled roughly 56 floors up. We stayed at the the top of the tower for 20 minutes in awe of the views.

Next up, we went to the zoo.We were give half an hour of free time to split of into groups and explore the zoo but most people spent the bulk of their time petting goats. To conclude at the zoo many people entered the gift shop to buy souvenirs, but more importantly, ice creams to cool of from the near 30 degree weather.After a long day of travelling we all travelled back to their host families. In the evening most people travelled to the park.As soon as they arrived everyone ran to the basket swing were they would spend the next couple of hours.

Today was the most anticipated day of the trip. All the boys on Friday morning were buzzing with excitement as we were about to go to a Roman Fortress. The plan was to go spear throwing and archery. With everyone at the train station we all set off for another day full of activities. On the way there a group of us decided to stretch our legs, in result we ended up doing all the fortnite dances possible. 9:40, we arrived at the fortress and at first sight it looked monstrous. Firstly we had a tour around and the guide showed us the soldier's sleeping areas, Roman God’s shrines and armoury. 12 o'clock was lunch time but we all scooted it down within seconds so that we can move onto the archery and spear throwing.

Special mention to Toby Taylor for hitting bullseye! And Frau Thompson for managing to hit the target! But allas, nothing count last forever so we went come to our family and collapsed into our needs

readying ourselves for the Host Family Weekend. The next morning most people slept through however woke up refreshed. We can’t describe everyone’s weekend but activities included: Laser Tag, Bowling, Go Karting, Ice hockey, Football and many other exciting experiences. Laser Tag was the most popular experience because who doesn’t like shooting their friends?! Monday was here, the last day of activities and last night sleeping at a foreign home. Energy was low but excitement was high! Chocolate! We went to Palmengarten where we explored the uses of cocoa beans. And we were immersed in the environment of the wildlife. We even got to try a freshly fermented bean which is 100% pure dark chocolate so it was the most bitter thing many of us had ever tasted in our life. So after learning what it was that made chocolate we proceeded to make our own! Out of the whole group only Jobe made a chocolate that tasted nothing like what it was supposed to. But apart from that it was delicious and we felt that it was well deserved! When we returned some of us went shopping or some to the park and it was said that there had never been such a big basket swing. Finally it was time to go back to England for 12:55 but we were not done yet! We still had to complete our new music video full of cringey fortnite dances and what better place than the airport. The full video will be out soon! We wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in organising the trip, it truly has been an amazing experience so thank you so much Mr Rudd, Mrs Wells and Mrs Thompson. Written by Toby Taylor, Milan Ram and Bo Han Qiu “JOURNEY’S END”

Senior Drama at Camp Hill came early this year with a production, a fortnight ago, of R.C. Sherriff’s

famous First World War play, “Journey’s End”, set in the trenches, in 1918, immediately prior to

Germany’s great Ludendorff, or Spring Offensive. This set our cast a considerable test; between a

number of dramatic highlights, the text consists of a series of often long conversations between usually

two of the characters. If the audience is to be engaged, the acting needs to be crisp, nuanced and

natural. As so often happens, Camp Hill’s young actors rose splendidly to the challenge.

The roles of the young company commander of C Company, Captain Stanhope, and of his second-in-

command, 1st Lieutenant Osborne, are particularly demanding. As Stanhope, a man who copes with the

terror of trench warfare by consuming huge amounts of whisky, Belal Stitan, consuming huge amounts

of apple juice, dealt so convincingly with the often violent mood swings of his character. For all his

erratic behaviour, Stanhope must also emerge as an outstanding leader, a contrast Belal established

with impressive skill. Osborne, on the other hand, was an older officer who recognised Stanhope’s

qualities as a commander but was not blind to his faults. Ahmed Syed brought a wonderful calm to his

role; not only did he act as Stanhope’s one confidante, but he was prepared to defend the other officers

in the face of Stanhope’s sometimes morose bullying. This was a fine portrayal of the friendship and

comradeship which marked the experience of so many men during this awful War. In short, both Bilal

and Ahmed were outstanding.

The other three officers also impressed. Sam Gray’s Raleigh, a young officer pitched into war straight

from school, was enthusiastic, naïve and brave, but also anxious and baffled by the reality of trench

warfare and even more unnerved by Stanhope’s reaction to his arrival in C Company. This was a very

mature piece of acting. 1st Lieutenant Trotter represents the many, many officers, in the later days of the

War, who did not come from a list of acceptable Public Schools. Here, Luqmaan Rasheed’s performance

was a gem; adopting a near perfect Yorkshire accent, he created a very believable character, whose

cheery, if sometimes tactless, down to earth approach to the War, coupled with his love of food, kept

him sane. 2nd Lieutenant Hibbert is the odd one out - he has no way of coping. Fintan Hogan ably

presented a young man who was terrified and desperate to avoid the coming attack; he managed to

elicit from the audience some measure of sympathy for a character treated so harshly by Stanhope -

and by R.C.Sherriff.

Adil Ihsan played the Colonel; he cut an impressive looking figure but it was clear that here was a time

server, who did not do enough to protect his Battalion from the ill-conceived plans produced by Brigade

HQ , who showed staggering insensitivity over the death of Osborne. Mason, the officers’ servant and

cook, brought out the humour that often carried men through the War. Oliver Ebenezer has the ability

to make people laugh; his dead-pan delivery, in a dull Brummie accent, coupled with a fine sense of

timing, came as an occasional release from the intensity of the rest of the play. Proshanto Chanda, as the

Company Sergeant-Major, was suitably gruff and competent; he was clearly trusted by Stanhope to get

across to the Company the fact that they were facing a huge crisis, which few of them were likely to

survive.

Three other characters must be mentioned. Joe Clark, as a German prisoner, and the two privates,

Chang Lui and Milan Rochester-Muhammed, all played their brief roles well, and did much to help

behind the scenes.

Finally, to go back to the beginning; the play opens with Captain Hardy handing over his sector of the

front line to Stanhope’s Company. It is so important that this cameo is strong and convincing. Jonathan

Anderson made sure that our production got off to the best of starts. Hardy is everything that Stanhope

is not – lazy and inefficient, he is an insensitive gossip, who approaches the War with a devil may care

cynicism: Jonathan caught the character beautifully.

As always, the whole cast would wish to thank those behind the scenes. Our young Tech Crew, after

some wobbles, performed well – they must have loved having to produce so much noise! Mr Parkinson

produced the tickets and posters, while Mr Rudd made an important contribution to set construction –

the first of many, we hope. It was a delight to welcome back Mr Carman, who designed the set some 16

years ago when we first performed the play, to help with this new set. Mrs James, apart from helping

with refreshments for both the cast and the audience, continues her role as make-up artist and

wardrobe mistress – she spent many happy hours coping with a serious outbreak of split trousers. Mr

Downing was as always a tower of strength, building the set and dealing with every vaguely technical

problem brought to him by the Director. Ms Lamb, once she had been convinced that she could not

introduce song and dance routines into this show (!!), kept us all smiling with her unshakeable

enthusiasm; she lent superb support to both the cast and also to their harassed, old Director.

MRS

Music

Upon our return to school we were delighted with our ‘grade’ results of the Associated Board and Trinity

College, London from the Summer Term. It was particularly pleasing to see how many ‘distinctions’ and

‘merits’ the boys achieved.

Forename Surname Form Instrument Grade

Rohan Desai 7K Drum Kit 1 Distiction

Matteo Gianni 8S Baritone 2 Merit

Dylan Mbichire 7S Cello 2 Distiction

Harry Lownes 7S Guitar 2 Distiction

Pranav Chandar 9J Flute 3

Pranav Gupta Juloori 9S Flute 3

Udayan Nayyar 9J Jazz Saxophone 3

Daniel Elia 10J Trumpet 3

Aarondeep Singh Kalam 9M Clarinet 3 Merit

Matthew Jacob Skaria 9S Guitar 3 Merit

Prithu Krishnan 9K Violin 4

Oliver Smith 7J Trombone 4 Merit

Harvey Collett 8J Guitar 4 Merit

Jaidendeep Lall 11Z Guitar 4 Merit

Cyrus Maleki-Toosserkani 7J Guitar 4 Merit

Sid Bagchi 10M Guitar 4 Distiction

Zikriya Bukhari 10S Guitar 4 Distiction

Darius Maleki-Toosserkani 7M Guitar 4 Distiction

Viswamedha Nalabotu 9J Guitar 4 Distiction

Yuvanash Nirantharakumar 8M Euphonium 5

Simeon Humphries 9M Baritone 5 Merit

Alex Newsome 9M Jazz Saxophone 5 Merit

Udayan Nayyar 9J Guitar 5 Distiction

Billy Andrew Villabroza 9J Guitar 5 Distiction

Se Mouthaan Ward 8S Orch. Percussion 5 Distiction

Tommy Ransbotyn 11W Oboe 6

Judah Daniels 11W Clarinet 6 Merit

Ibraheem Mohammed 10J Guitar 6 Merit

Sam Cole 9S Trombone 7 Merit

Kevin Mathew 11X Oboe 7 Distiction

Johannes Beckett U7 Trumpet 8 Merit

Primo Agnello U4 Clarinet 8 Distiction

The first joint concert of the Autumn Term was the Chamber Concert. This is the first opportunity for

our new Year 7 pupils to perform in String Orchestra and Training Wind Band. The Strings began the

evening with a set of three dances called Let’s dance again! arranged by pat Legg. These were played

with good intonation and neat rhythms. A varied first half then included neat Guitar Ensemble coached

by Mr Rose, and an interesting composition for two bassoons by Tom Li, entitled Falling from a piano

stool into a pile of wet lettuce. A highlight though was the String Quartet’s fine performance of Waltzing

Matilda. In the second half we had an evocative performance of Einaudi’s White Clouds played by

Alexander Byrne, plus an attractive performance of Straighten up and fly right (Nat King Cole) given by

the Jazz Ensemble. The enjoyable evening was brought to a close by Training Wind Band playing Do you

want to build a snowman and Pirates of the Caribbean. These were bold and enthusiastic, and a fitting

way to end the evening.

We continue to have a large number of pupils representing the school in prestigious ensembles outside

school. We have boys playing in various music service ensembles, at Birmingham Conservatoire, and

singing in Birmingham Cathedral Choir and Ex Cathedra. We are proud of their achievements and are

pleased when they use their skills in school.

Our well qualified and dedicated team of visiting instrumental teachers continue to teach our pupils

effectively and help them progress. As we have so many violin and viola pupils we have taken on one

more teacher this term: Mr Zhivko Georgiev will be teaching in addition to Miss Goble, and between

them they will be directing our two String Quartets.

We continue to run three orchestras and three bands at different levels each week, and allow each of

them suitable performing opportunities. As well as this, many of our excellent visiting instrumental

teachers run their own specialist ensembles. These groups continue to evolve and develop. I am

particularly pleased that Jazz Ensemble is going from strength to strength in addition to Swing Band (run

by Mr Drew), that Brass Ensemble now has a dedicated membership (run by Mrs Butler) and that we are

starting a new String Quartet in addition to our Year 10/11 Quartet (run by Miss Goble and Mr

Georgiev).

In the middle of the term there are a number of events when it’s good to have some music. One of

these was the Presentation Evening which had been postponed from last term when it had clashed with

and England football match. One of our two Guitar Ensembles performed at this. They played Carillon

by Herbie Flowers with great style and musicality and it was enjoyed by all. The players were:

Viswamada Nalabotu, Udayan Nayyar, Billy Villabroza, Kishan Sambhi, Ben Hobson Taher, Siddharth

Bagchi and Zikriya Bukhari. Another similar event was the GCSE presentation evening. On this occasion

Judah Daniels (piano) and Rohan Silvestro (drums) played and improvised before the event.

Prizegiving is one of the most important and prestigious events in the school calendar, and we are ask

our most able musicians to perform. This year there was a wealth of talent on show, playing in a variety

of styles. Before the event Judah Daniels entertained with his stylish performances of Jazz Standards,

with much inventive improvisation. The first formal slot was then given by the String Quartet playing

Waltzing Matilda. This was confident and enjoyable performance. The highlight was then the very

talented pianist Eddie Yang. Eddie performed the exceptionally difficult and challenging Prelude by

Claude Debussy (Book2: No 12) called Fireworks. It was played with fine technique and a real sense of

occasion: we could almost hear the rockets and sparks flying!

The School Choir have worked really hard this term, and I am delighted with what they have achieved.

We were pleased to be able to take them out to a variety of events kin the last few weeks of term:

On Thursday 6th December we travelled to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and sang songs and carols for

them in the large main entrance Hall. The hospital were pleased with our singing, and many hospital

patients and visitors stopped to listen and give money to the hospital charity. Hospital radio was there

and recorded some of the singing. They also interviewed two boys and myself. We gather than this will

be broadcast on hospital radio on Christmas Day!

Two days later, on Saturday 8th December, a smaller group (as some of the choir had other

commitments such as other concerts, the school play and so on) sang in Harborne, St Faith and St

Laurence Parish Church, as part of a charity concert given by The Midlands Hospital Choir. This large

group – about 90 – give two Christmas concerts each year and invite local musicians to join them. The

event went very well and we all had a very good time. I was delighted with the feedback of our hosts:

one email proclaimed “you have a wonderful boys choir!”. I am delighted to report that The Midlands

Hospital Choir have invited us to sing with them again next year, this time in their main Christmas charity

concert in The Town Hall.

On Tuesday 11th the choir sang again for Hazelwell Parish church and The Hub Old Folks Christmas

Lunch. This is a small carol service in the church for the Old Folks from the area. They are very

appreciative, and it is a good way for the boys to contribute to the community.

On Friday 13th we visited The Robin Centre at All Saint’s Church, at the other end of Vicarage Road.

There we sang carols for those present. The ladies and gentlemen there really enjoyed seeing the boys

sing, and were keen to suggest carols and join in!

As ever the Christmas Concert was packed with good things, many of a festive nature. The evening

began with some very neat playing from Intermediate Orchestra in Polar Express and Night on a bare

mountain. Highlights of the first half included some neat and effective pieces by The Percussion

Ensemble and Little Donkey played by the Brass Ensemble. Our School choir was well prepared and

confident, and enjoyed singing Bye, bye, blackbird. The gentlemen of the choir then sang a most

affecting version of Bring him home from Les Miserables, before a rousing finish of Jingle Bells from the

whole choir. The second half was also full of musical riches: Wind Band began with some bold and

stirring pieces: Minuet from the Music for the Royal Fireworks, then Happy and finally It’s beginning to

look a lot like Christmas. We had excellent contributions from the Wind Quintet, the Jazz Ensemble and

Swing Band before finishing with Concert Orchestra. The Orchestra played pieces from The Capriol Suite

by Warlock then The Dambusters March. Finally the traditional Sleight Ride by Leroy Anderson, in which

we were pleased that Santa came along to distribute chocolates to the audience!

In the last week of term the School Carol Service is a very special event, held in All Saint’s Parish Church.

During the evening the story of the birth of Jesus Christ is told through readings and music. The School

Choir was particularly strong this year and sang some fine arrangements. These varied from lively Holly

and the Ivy arranged by June Nixon and Star Carol by John Rutter, to more restrained carols: African Crib

Carol (with the piano) and Silent Night (a capella). Particularly notable was the solo in the first verse of

Once in Royal David’s City by Joel Skaria (who had lost his voice just the day before!), and the solo

quartet of Matthew Anderson, Matthew Skaria, Sam Gray and Daniel Cole in the beautiful Coventry

Carol. We were delighted to also have with us Clarinet Ensemble conducted by Mrs Sharon Wall who

played carols before the event and also the a Slavonic Dance by Dvorak during the evening. A most

enjoyable and atmospheric event to look towards the real meaning of Christmas.

After a very busy term, I thank all school musicians and wish them a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

SFP

Schools’ Challenge Quiz

On the evening of Wednesday the 14th November, two teams arrived once more at KES to compete in

the Schools’ Quiz Challenge and try to replicate the success of 3 years ago. Schools’ Challenge Quiz is a

similar format to University Challenge, and involves teams of 4 – two seniors, two juniors – competing

on the buzzers to win the right to answer bonus questions, which are then passed over if gotten wrong.

Our second team of Alex Byrne, Rohan Jobanputra, Hemal Aggarwal and Eashan Varma were placed into

a round robin group with Solihull 2 and Shrewsbury 1. They sat out the first match between the two

other teams, and watched Shrewsbury comfortably beat Solihull. This meant they knew they had to beat

Shrewsbury to stand a chance of progressing. The match was close, but in the end Shrewsbury won out

with superior buzzing, leaving only our pride at stake for the last rubber. Although there was nothing to

play for, the team gave it their all and thrashed the Solihull side, taking second place in the group.

Meanwhile our first team of Alfie Green, Sreekar Somayajula, Peter Kippax and Connor Huss were in a

group with King Edward’s High School 2 and King Edward Stratford 1. We watched them play each other

first, and Stratford amassed over 1000 points in 25 minutes – the highest score I have seen in my 5 years

of going to this event. So we took our places opposite KEHS, and proceeded to score over 800 points

ourselves. This brought it down to a straight knockout match between us and Stratford. It was a very

close match, with some astonishingly quick buzzing on both sides, but in the end it was Camp Hill who

came out with the victory after a late buzzing charge by Alfie and some excellent classical music

knowledge by Connor. We progressed to the semi-finals, where we would face KES’s first team.

Possibly more than in any other competition, KES and Camp Hill were rivals, with our first teams having

met in the knockouts in 6 of the last 7 years, with us winning just one of those: 3 years ago, when we

came second nationally. The match was tightly contested, with all of the buzzer questions requiring very

pre-emptive buzzing to beat the other team. However, despite another late charge we came out second-

best once more, though this time only by 60 points, and had to settle for a place in the third place

playoff. There we met Rugby school, and finished on a high note by beating them comfortably.

Our thanks go to Mr Hill and Mr Renault for taking us there and watching over us as we competed. We

were unlucky this year, but with a strong batch of juniors coming through we have hope for the future.

Alfie Green.

Lord Mayor’s Sixth Form Megaquiz

Following last year’s success with the then year 13s taking victory ahead of the year 12s in second, we

had high hopes for the title once more. Our unchanged, now year 13 team Eta of Alfie Green, Alex

Byrne, Rohan Jobanputra, Ajay John, Ed Dempsey and Dom Poole were joined in the competition by the

mostly year 12 team Theta of Sreekar Somayajula, John Byrne, Madhav Manoj, Bhuvan Mahadevaiah,

Kevin Matthews and Vignesh Venkataramaiah. There were to be 10 rounds, worth 10 points each round,

with a joker to be played for double points that round. At the halfway point, Camp Hill Theta were

leading, having played their joker, with Camp Hill Eta only a few points back in fifth, but yet to play their

joker. This followed an unexpectedly good round for Eta in history, before us having to challenge the

scoring as we had wrongfully been not given a mark on the music round, which was then awarded to us.

The competition progressed, and it came to the beginning of the ninth round: sport, Eta’s joker. We

knew that a good showing here would make the trophy ours to lose, with our nearest rivals, Pershore

College having slipped up on their joker round. Cue contributions from the whole team as we scored 9

points doubled to 18, leaving us with just 6 needed from the last round on '2018' to guarantee victory.

This we achieved easily, and in fact we made 8 points, with our rivals slipping back further, to be caught

on the very last question by KES, who took joint second with Pershore.

This meant we retained the trophy, which was presented to us by the Lord Mayor Councillor Yvonne

Mosquito, and also means we have won this competition in 4 of the 7 years it has been held.

Our thanks go to Mr Hill for organising the team, supporting us and transporting some of us there.

Alfie Green.

RESULTS SUMMARY

TEAMS

PLAYED WON DRAWN LOST FOR AGAINST

RUGBY

1st XV

10

4

0

6

246

331

2nd

XV 5 2 0 3 69 137

U/16 1 0 0 1 0 45

U/15

B

11

1

4

1

0

0

7

0

257

27

267

20

U/14

B

12

4

9

2

0

0

3

2

303

149

232

86

U/13

B

C

D

11

4

2

0

1

2

2

0

0

0

0

0

10

2

0

0

135

145

70

0

470

95

50

0

U/12

B

C

D

8

2

2

1

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

6

2

2

1

165

20

35

10

290

75

50

25

HOCKEY

1st XI

9

3

2

4

18

22

2nd

XI 8 2 0 6 8 26

U/15 3 1 0 2 4 12

U/14 4 3 0 1 9 2

BASKETBALL

U/15

5

5

0

0

101

56

U/13 2 0 0 2 29 46

FOOTBALL

1st XI

6

4

1

1

21

15

2nd

XI 2 0 1 1 2 4

BADMINTON

U/16

B

3

2

3

1

0

0

0

2

9

3

0

6

U/14

B

1

2

0

1

0

0

1

1

0

4

3

2

1st XV Rugby

Whatever else happens this year in senior rugby, we will all always have that afternoon at Trinity Road.

In my first year of playing senior rugby at Camp Hill I remember the fixture against Aston finishing 17-17.

It was a bit of a bloodbath and it taught me just how much this fixture means to generation after

generation of Camp Hill and Aston boys. So winning it 48-0 this year in awful conditions was very sweet

indeed. And it was one of the best Camp Hill performances that I can recall in recent years. We played

with passion, confidence and discipline and thoroughly deserved the win.

Elsewhere, there have been some frustrations. Slightly more injuries than is usual have made stability in

selection a challenge, but younger and less experienced players have stepped in and made their mark.

Arguably the most frustrating match I have ever been involved in was the opener against Bablake.

Having scored 47 points at home, I was quietly confident that we had done enough, only to see our

belief begin to ebb away when Bablake started to score. Closer and closer they got, eventually pipping

us 48-47. They will write about this in sports psychology textbooks in years to come. Other defeats at

the hands of Bromsgrove School and Sandbach School exposed the gulf in standards of schoolboy rugby

across different levels of the game and I feel quite strongly that the RFU need to look carefully at the

schools’ cup competitions again. That said, we always gave our full commitment and I am proud to say

that nobody managed a clean sheet against us.

Other games could have gone our way but didn’t. We really ought to have beaten Five Ways… but

didn’t. And we can have few excuses for not beating King Henry VIII Coventry this year, but again we

just didn’t. However, there have been some very good performances as well. The standard achieved in

the first half of the Princethorpe match was enough to secure victory against opposition that have

dominated us in recent times. 35-19 was a very pleasing outcome. Also, our very mature and

disciplined defeat of Lawrence Sheriff was another victory of note, again chalking up over 30 points

thanks to the finishing prowess of our backline.

All told, despite one or two frustrations, this term has been an enjoyable one for the 1st XV. Led by Will

Lyons, and in his absence Josh Hall or Kamil Khan, the senior boys have played a significant part in

“educating” the younger players in the ways of senior rugby. In many ways the game hasn’t changed

that much since the 17-17 at Aston in 1993. And it is nice to be able to report that our senior squad are

still as passionate and committed and still seem to enjoy their rugby just as much as I did back then. I,

however, can only dream of beating Aston 48-0!

AJC

2nd Team Rugby Newsletter Report

Endeavour, varied and entertaining, sum up the 2nd XV’s season so far. Captain Dayyan Zulfiqar led his

troops to the picturesque Princethorpe College for the first encounter of the season. A fine performance

allowed for a 20-12 victory with tries coming from Jonathan Anderson, Pierre Lee and Ryan McNamee.

Luke Hemming chipped in with a penalty and a conversion. Unfortunately, the team then lost out to KES

and KE Aston in good, hard fought contests. First team regular Richard Amoshe starred against KES

showing his class by scoring a simple wonderful individual try showing pace and sublime agility. Oliver

Ebenezer also marshalled his troops well from fly half and contributed with five points from the boot.

Jonathan Anderson again found himself on the scoresheet as the lone try scorer against KE Aston in the

33-7 defeat. The 2nd XV then showed excellent ‘bouncebackabiltity’ in an enthralling game against

Lawrence Sheriff. The game ebbed and flowed and eventually Camp Hill ran out victors, 27 points to 24.

Ayub Ali, Kieron Taylor, Sala Ayub and man of the match Bradley Williams were the try scorers. Luke

Hemmings kicked two conversations and a match-deciding penalty. A strong Lawrence Sheriff team was

the last fixture of 2018 for the 2nd XV. Camp Hill were soundly beaten on the day but showed courage

and plenty of heart against a clearly more experienced side. Final score 43-7, Zak Ahmed the scorer for

Camp Hill. So there we have it! We played five, won two, three losses. Roll on the rest of the season.

TJB

U16 Rugby Newsletter

A tough draw in the North Midlands cup meant that the U16 team have only played one fixture thus far

this season. We were drawn against Bishop Vesey and made the journey across full of hope. However, it

was clear from the outset that we would be in for a tough day and so it turned out. A very strong Bishop

Vesey side were ruthless in attack and indefatigable in defence. Final score line 45-0. Ross Evans worked

tirelessly throughout and was a very deserving man of the match. With a number of boys returning from

injury, we are hopeful the second half of the season will be more fruitful in both the number of fixtures

and results.

TJB

U15 Newsletter Article December 2018

This season has been a turbulent one to say the least. The team have suffered some heart-breaking

defeats alongside some superb victories and the squad have dealt tremendously well to a string of long

term injuries to key players.

Early losses to Bablake and Old Swinford were quickly forgotten when the team gave superb

performances against Kind Henry VII and Queen Mary’s. Joe Day was extremely influential in these two

wins by scoring hat tricks in both matches with Sinai Ejechi also scoring three tries showing searing pace

to score three tries from the wing. Next up was a tragic loss to KE Five Ways, in which the opposition

scored in the last play of the game to progress to the next round of the cup. Ali Elsherbiny was the stand

out performer in the game, which would turn out to be his last for a long time due to an injury picked up

after the game. A resounding 51-14 victory against Kings Norton got our season back on track. Joe Day

(4), Emery Uzoma (2) and Jack Johnson (2) scored tries in a complete team performance, which was

followed by a very sporting game against Southam. As ever, our boys displayed the true values of rugby

and were happy to play for the opposition to make up the numbers. Pacey wingers; Ibraheam Shariff

and Yusuf Khan were impressive for Camp Hill to help earn a 22-12 victory.

An enthralling 32-31 defeat to Prince Henrys was arguably the game of the season. The game was end to

end with Captain George Lanham, Emery Uzoma (2) and Joe Day all getting their names of the score

sheet. However, it was converted flanker Ayman Hussain who took the man of the match plaudits, with

an action packed display.

Unfortunately, things did not get much better for the U15 in terms of results. Subsequent losses to KE

Lichfield, KE Five Ways and Princethorpe followed. Omar Ismail, Adnan Chowdury, Omaree Johnson and

Ali Iqbal have bolstered the squad and added some much needed steal to the team. This has been

matched by the play making abilities of Sam Morris, Jack Johnson and Kareem Mehanna. Sam Satodia,

Hugo Mulligan and the surreptitious Rajan Briing have been ever present in the back line and have come

on leaps and bounds. Yes, results have not gone our way, but the teams performances have got better

and better. A well-earned break as well as a large chunk of the squad returning from injury should help

the team in the New Year. Finally, a mention should go to the unsung hero’s in the pack; Simeon

Humphries, Reuben Robin, Matt Anderson, Pranav Chandar, Zidane Nadeem, Lorchan Halstead,

Muhammad Karim and Karthik Chinnaswamy who all get through a mountain of work that deserves to

be credited.

A final mention to all those who have been injured this season, the team spirit has been first class in the

squad, which is evident when players such as Will Taylor and Muhammad Asad turn out on a Saturday to

support the team. It is clear the boys love their rugby, even with all its concomitant worries. George

Lanham also deserves a huge amount of credit for displaying fantastic leadership skills in what has been

a very challenging season.

TJB

U14 Rugby

The Year 9 rugby squad have surprised many staff by their success this term. Having endured

two tough seasons lower down the school, the side are now reaping the benefits of having

stuck to their task and learnt from the tough encounters they experienced previously. Former

coaches of the group should take pleasure knowing that they laid the ground work for

intermediate and senior rugby.

Nine wins have come from twelve fixtures and the stats show a distinct positive in the tries

for/against column and in the overall points column. The players can be suitably proud of their

achievements so far.

Jobe Simpson is captaining the side with Toby Taylor as his assistant. They have both played in

every game, as have Asadullah Khan, Milan Ram, Vernon Kenworthy, Hasan Syed, Shabir

Ahmed, Raj Gahir and Emile Nguiessy (just!)

Shabir leads the try scoring, equal with Somto Achusiogu with 11, Jobe has 8.

The highlights for me were the win at Aston by 34-26, the second half of that game the team

first began to show the character needed to overcome strong opposition. Also the Fairfax game

this month, a 24-14 win in which the all-round team play was outstanding and the side showed

great mental strength and character.

A rest for a few weeks then boys, to return in January keen to push on through the second part

of the season and eagerly anticipate the Carlisle Tour in March.

MWD

U.13 Rugby

P 10 W 1 L 9 FOR 125 AG 405

As the record suggests, it has been a tough Autumn term for the U.13 squad. Despite their record, the

boys have remained in good spirits throughout, training positively and always giving their very best in

matches. The obvious highlight was the 45-20 win against King Norton, but the 25-30 defeat to Queen

Marys Walsall was probably the team’s best performance of the term. At the end of an exciting contest

in which five different players scored tries, the team knew that they had squandered an opportunity for

their second win of the season against opponents who had beaten them 5-45 the previous year.

The whole squad deserve praise for the commitment they have shown and attendance at training has

been excellent. However, a number of individuals deserve a special mention for their contribution this

term. On the wing, Chude Ndozi has been the team’s main source of line breaks which have brought him

an impressive 14 tries. Jonah Kippax & Faiz Bootwala have also been an attacking threat in the backs

and half backs Tom Isaac & Harley Hau have provided an effective link between backs and forwards.

The pick of the forwards have been Ismael Rahman & Ibrahim Tahir who have been tireless in both their

attacking and defensive duties. Captain Arnav Nailwal’s injury half way through the term has deprived

the team of another effective ball carrier. His return after Christmas should add to the attacking

potential of the team.

Matches this term have followed a predictable pattern, with the U.13 team often finding themselves

well beaten by half time, but they have never given up and have often played their best rugby in the

latter part of matches. If they can maintain this commitment into the second half of the season and

improve their defence, they could see some improved results in the New Year. Whatever happens in the

Spring term, I don’t doubt that they will play with a smile on their faces!

My thanks go to Mr Taylor for his support at training and U.15 players: Joe Day, George Lanham & Joe

Matin, who have also helped out on Tuesday evenings.

CMJ

U12 Rugby – Autumn Term 2018

The U12 rugby team has made a very positive start to their rugby career at Camp Hill. None of

them had played competitive age-grade rugby before so the first few weeks have been a steep

learning curve. Some really stand-out players are already beginning to emerge though and the

team have made massive improvements, both on an individual level and also as a squad. The

season opened with a win over Kings Norton Boys and then two close losses to Aston and KES;

games in which the boys learnt a lot and will no doubt come back fighting next term at the

Greater Birmingham Tournament. A poor turnout on a Saturday in November led to a loss over

a physically stronger Southam School, but then the boys beat Lichfield the following weekend

by a tidy margin. Games against Fiveways and Fairfax were lost, more to poor refereeing than

poor play and the lads certainly didn’t get the rub of the green after the second half of the

Fairfax game was inexplicably cut short by 5 minutes when they were only a try behind. The

overall ratio of wins to losses doesn’t do the team a fair justice, but I’m confident they will put

this right next term.

There have been some outstanding tries scored this term from several members of the A team.

Top try scorer so far is Karl Rodrigues with an impressive 21 tries to his tally. He can often be

seen churning up the turf in the distance, leaving a battlefield seen of missed opposition players

in his wake. Ayan Butt and Zinedine Zafar have also crossed the whitewash on multiple

occasions. Mention should also go to the calm and effectual play of no.9 Matthew Ransbotyn

and the line-breaking runs of Mathiwos Misghinia who has been outstanding all season. The

forwards have also developed into a tight pack of ball carriers and ruck-winners and the

physicality of the game has been impressive. With another five fixtures after the Christmas

break and the Greater Birmingham Tournament to look forward to there is no doubt this team

will go from strength to strength.

DJE.

2nd XI Hockey

When the season began back in September we were a little short on numbers for the senior

squad. Thankfully as the term has progressed a number of “transfers” have been secured,

either on short or long term contracts!

This has enabled us to fulfil our normal fixture list and the 2nd XI have played 8 games,

employing 26 players in total. Just two wins but great endeavour from the boys. The main

problems have been maintaining a team structure and hitting the back of the net.

Vignesh Venkatamaraiah has captained the side and been ably supported by James Thomas.

They have been joined by the ever present Andrew Lim, Abu Faiyaz, Maninder Kallay, Haseeb

Arif and Taef Showeb. Tom Heppel in goal has been an important asset, as has leading goal

scorer Joe Thompson and Prit Dey as a burgeoning talent.

My thanks to those who have stepped in when needed, I hope you enjoy the second half of the

season and find greater success when we return in the New Year.

MWD

Badminton

The annual South Birmingham network competitions took place at Camp Hill in November. We

entered two teams at both KS3 and KS4. We were beaten by neighbours KES at KS3, but won

the KS4 event. This qualifies the team for the Birmingham Schools Winter Games Finals on 13

February. Congratulations to Adarsh Palanikumar, Zak Malik, William Yang and Jamie Wen on

this achievement. They will also be anticipating the National Schools competition which gets

under way in 2019, although the specific details are as yet unpublished.

Closer to home, we are indebted to Noah Lloyd of Y11 and his coaching team for running the

Junior Badminton club on Wednesday evenings. This has been a well organised addition to the

extra-curricular timetable and has been attended by a wide range of pupils. This will continue

in January and focus on Y7 players.

MWD

School swimming

The Autumn term has seen a flurry of activity for the school swimmers. We have taken part in four galas

since September, including the ESSA relay gala at Bluecoat School.

Henry Belai has taken the reins as school swimming captain and he has done an excellent job so far of

encouraging and organising his younger peers.

Friday training has also seen the return of swimming team Year 11 stalwarts Anil Sivakumar and Miles

Balderson, who have managed to attend almost every after school session since they were in Year 7!

An exciting new development this term has been the school’s participation in a national Water Polo

competition. Simon Halstead and Matt Dixon have been coaching a team of boys on Friday lunch times,

ready to take part in the ESSA U18 Water Polo competition at the start of December. We placed fourth

in our group, putting up stiff completion against the more experienced team from Bolton School.

It might be that Water Polo becomes a regular fixture on the school sporting calendar: watch this space.

Well done to all of the boys who have taken part in Swimming and Water Polo this term.

SOM

Football Report

Autumn 2018 has seen a particularly busy start to the football season. The 1st XI had seven matches this

term, the 2nds managed only one.

Highlights of the season so far include an outstanding performance against Solihull Sixth Form College

with Dylan Rogers scoring 3 stunning goals and Imaad Tariq netting to overcome a very strong team 4-2.

The Solihull coach commented ‘The lad who scored the hat trick was unplayable today’.

This result led us confidently into a fixture against Bablake School which traditionally has been very close

in terms of results. With the influx of very talented players such Henry Hoare , Ciaran Cunningham and

Hassan Aktar providing quality, work rate and technical ability we were too strong for Bablake, winning

7-0. Another hat trick for Dylan Rogers and goals for Ciaran, Hassan and a wonderful finish from Jake

Tucker.

A match against a very physical Handsworth team led to a remarkable comeback for us when it seemed

the game was beyond us. An excellent finish from Dylan got us back into the game, a fantastic move

finished superbly from the gifted Henry and then possibly the moment of the season when Shuayb Ayub

was introduced at half time and scored two outstanding goals using his pace and power. The referee

after watching him warm up didn’t think this was possible. His goals led to a 4-3 victory.

Other highlights include travelling to Princethorpe where we had always lost against strong teams over

previous years. This was the highlight of the season in terms of a poor start and being 2-0 down. The

fightback was on with Sam Hope in inspired form; incredible leadership and a commanding performance

from Rumun Ark allowed Camp Hill to get back into the game and close the gap with a great finish from

Hassan, a goal from Ciaran whose tenacity and desire to win was outstanding and the man of the

moment Shuayb coming off the bench to get the winner and the first victory over Princethorpe with a 3-

2 win.

Away to Southam College proved another tough fixture. They were a strong footballing College with

some high calibre players across all areas. Sam Hope in goal was inspired with 3 world class saves.

Possibly the goal of the season from Abbas Mirza which was a rasping thunderbolt gave us the lead.

Defensively we just about held on with strong performances from Rumun, Jake, Mohammed and Harry

Yate. It was a shame we couldn’t hold on and came away with a fair 1-1 result.

Our only defeat of the season came against a very strong Stourbridge College team who compete in

College leagues and National College cup competitions. We were beaten 7-2 fairly comfortably but it

allowed us as a team to understand that despite the progress we have made beating strong teams there

is a still a lot to learn when playing teams and players of that calibre.

This has been a fantastic year so far with the team playing superbly well at times and wining 6 out of 7

games against really tough opposition. Rumun Ark has captained and organised the team extremely well

and led by example on the pitch. Dylan is leading the scoring charts with 7 and Shuayb on 5. An excellent

team ethos, work rate attitude and quality performances has led to an excellent start. With 9 fixtures in

the calendar for the 1st X1 and 2nds from January this could be the most successful Camp Hill football

team on record. There is still lots to play for!

A.S

U13 Basketball

There are just six schools in the league this season, so five fixtures to schedule. This term the

side have played twice, losing 15-22 to Bishop Challoner and 14-24 to St.George’s. Jonah

Kippax and Chude Ndozi have scored the bulk of our points, but we have not been able to score

consistently enough to win matches. Shooting practice is clearly a priority!

The quality of defence has been fine, but there needs to be greater composure when in

possession in order to create more effective attacking opportunities. The boys have been keen

and when Thursday training restarts in January I hope they have renewed determination to

work on these key elements of the game. Three further league matches (Kings Norton,

Queensbridge, St.Thomas Aquinas) and a tournament lie ahead, so try and get some practice in

over the holiday boys.

MWD

U15 Basketball Newsletter Report

The U15 team have made a flying start to their league season. A very talented group have played four

matches so far, all on one evening in a multi team round robin format. Camp Hill were undefeated and

brushed aside Kings Norton Boys (17-7), Bishop Challenor (14-12), Bartley Green (12-4) and St Thomas

Aquinas (17-14). Jack Johnson, Toby Taylor, Zach Hobson- Taher, Emery Uzoma, Omaree Johnson, Tobi

Ayaji, Joe Day, Emile Nguiessy and Omar Ismail all performed exceptionally well on the night. Captain

Sam Morris and talisman Mustafa Shoukat led the team superbly well and played some top quality

basketball. This was followed by another league fixture against Shenley Academy. After a close first half,

Camp Hill pulled away in the later stages and recorded a resounding 41-19 victory. Emery Uzoma was

hugely influential with 8 points and took the man of the match award. Other scorers were Joe Day 7,

Jack Johnson 6, Omar Ismail 6, Toby Taylor 4, Zach Hobson- Taher 4, Emile Nguiessy 4 and Omaree

Johnson 2. The team have one scheduled league game left to play against Dame Elizabeth Academy. A

win in should surely allow the team to progress into the play-offs. Well done to all the squad on a great

start to the season. Thanks to Mr Butcher who has held the team develop enormously.

TJB

Beaufort House

Still enjoying the afterglow of last year’s glorious victory, Beaufort started the year on a high, winning

the Intermediate Rugby competition. Senior Rugby was also a success, with our boys finishing second to

a strong Howard team.

The House Football championship also played out well for Beaufort: the Seniors shared first place in

both their 11-a-side and 5-a-side events. The Junior and Intermediate 5-a-side teams finished in second

and third place respectively, leading to an overall victory for Beaufort, just one point ahead of Howard.

Well done boys!

The House Quiz competition opened with the Senior event this term. Quiz veteran Jake Holloway came

back to lead the team into what turned out to be some tough matches. Despite some great efforts by

Jake, Salah Ayub, Dom Poole, Madhav Manoj and Michael James-Thomas, we had to settle for third

place. The Quiz championship will continue next term with the Junior and Intermediate sections.

It was good to see some Year 12s taking up responsibility in the Badminton competition. Bhuvan

Mahadevaiah and Nurali Rajbhai, alongside Vignesh Venkataramaiah and Jamie Wen, led Beaufort to a

joint victory with Howard and Seymour.

Beaufort regulars Hemal Aggarwal, Humza Irfan, Humza Rana and Mohammad Roheel all returned to

take part in the Junior leg of the Badminton competition, this year accompanied by Jibraan Rashid of 8K

and ‘wild card’ Safyaan Mahmood of 10M.

The House has held the Cross Country championship title for three years and Mr O’Malley was justified

in believing that we would hold on for at least one more year. All Year 7 to 10 boys take part in the Cross

Country standards to earn points for their Houses, and Beaufort scored the second highest, losing only

to Seymour.

On the day of the final the Beaufort boys put in some great runs: Cyrus Maleki-Tooserkani finished first

in the Junior race, closely followed by his brother Darius and then Akram El Hag and Arthur Breakwell

not far behind. The Intermediates performed exceptionally well; Peter Kippax, Joe Day, Ben Brown and

Sam Ankrah all finishing in the Top 6 – excellent work! Mr O’Malley was pleased that, unlike the other

Houses, Beaufort presented a full team of runners in the Senior section. Ross Evans was called in at the

last minute to run, with no complaints. Thank you Ross.

The combined efforts of the boys who ran standards and those in the final led to a decisive victory for

Beaufort, allowing is to hold on to the Cross Country championship for a fourth year.

House Basketball was less of a success for us this term. Rumun Ark did a great job of organising and

leading his Senior team, and similar thanks go to Arthur Breakwell and Jibraan Rashid for their effort and

performance in the Junior competition.

SOM

House Report for Howard Winter 2018

Always the bridesmaid… never the bride. In a term laced with melancholic shortening towards the

solstice, Howard were able to breathe fresh rays of light into the hearts of the finest quarter of the

school. It is fair to say that Howard House have been competitive throughout the autumn yet have no

silverware to reflect the glory of our participation. Spring-like enthusiasm has bounded from

Howardians young and old to give us a shot at the highest prize in the summer of 2019. It has been

great to welcome Kamil Khan as the major domo of Howard, captaining successfully the senior

contribution, with great help from Muhammad Kurji, Alfie Green, Will Lyons, Matt Haddon, Gurvinder

Bhohie, Josh Hall and countless others. The juniors and inters have also demonstrated great

commitment and resolve in organising their efforts and attending trials, thanks for all you have done –

with a special mention for Sam Morris and Emery Uzoma in Year 10. We started with a narrowly missed

first trophy in football – losing the crown to Beaufort in the final round of matches at the Futsal Arena,

well done though for the senior retaining their 11-a-side crown alongside the red peril. Badminton

finished with us languishing in last place after the senior rubbers, however, a Stakhanovite effort from

the juniors led to a second place overall behind the green machine. In cross-country we bottom of the

heap after standards but pulled up our bootstraps and with a full complement of 24 runners we were

able to claw up to - you guessed it - second place. The ball was in our court to win the Basketball,

however, it was not in the basket enough to enable us to overhaul the golden snitches. To cap it all

there was second in Intermediate Rugby and Senior Quiz. More seconds than a Villeroy and Boch Outlet

Store! Wishing you all a smashing break and hopefully a more silver-laden 2019.

GNH

Seymour September- December 2018

This term has been an eventful one to say the least. The main event has to be when close to 500 pupils

able to witness the first ever Camp Hills Got Talent (joint venture with the girls school), organised by our

very own Omar Ismail in year 10. A spectacular event raising over £950 for the special #youmatter

campaign all in aid of the charity Young Minds UK. First year; Jeevan Lal was able to bring home the first

prize, with a beat boxing masterclass. I was a very proud housemaster indeed; being able to watch such

a fantastic event unfold was fabulous.

Other highlights include winning the junior Futsal, senior quiz, overall cross-country standards, senior

badminton, junior and intermediate basketball competitions. Seniors Albert Chang, Alex Byrne and

Abbas Mirza deserve a huge amount of credit for contributing significantly to the Seymour house. Henry

Hoare in year 12, produced a stunning run to take the senior cross-country crown. Pranoy Nishanth (year

8) has also shown his sporting talents as well as leadership skills in both the badminton and basketball

competitions. The Seymour basketballers were on fine form in their respective events, sinking many a

basket. Reminiscent of the battle of Jutlant. After winning the Junior section of the basketball

championship, the intermediate and senior teams added some valuable victories to allow Seymour to be

crowned overall winners. Abbas Mirza sunk a giant jump shot in the dying moments vs Beaufort to earn

a huge 2-0 victory which sealed the basketball championship.

However, at times it hasn’t always gone our way. A couple of 3rd and 4th place finishes have left the boys

deflated but to the boys credit they have always been magnanimous in defeat. I would like to mention

the seven boys who turned up on a miserable Saturday morning to take part in the intermediate house

rugby competition; Simeon Humpreys, Ali Iqbal, Vernon Kenworthy, Matthew Anderson, Emile Nguiessy,

Jobe Simpson and Pranav Chandar. The tournament being 12- a side in nature effectively meant that we

had lost from the outset. However, the boys fought their hearts out and battled to the bitter end. I

refereed the games with a huge amount of pride for our boys!

Lets get back to the positives… A great feature to this term, has been the boys who have put their hand

up and contributed to the house in different ways. A number of year 10’s have produced and delivered

very insightful and powerful assemblies to the house. Adam Rarko spoke passionately about his riffle

shooting talents. Omar Ismail delivered a tremendous assembly on mental health issues around the

world. Adnan Chowdury produced a very mature balanced argument about freedom of speech and more

recently, Ardeel Hussain researched and conveyed very important messages about human rights around

the world. House Captain, Adam Li, was found to have more of a Laisse Faire approach when delivering

messages in assemblies, however it must be said they were just as impressive! All of these fabulous

assemblies have been matched by a perhaps little more generic but equally inspiring approach by the

housemaster.

A special mention to unsung hero Ali Iqbal who was pulled in as a last minute replacement in the cross-

country finals and produced a very admirable finish. Ajay Dhaliwal also produced a glorious second lap

to be the first Seymour finisher home in the intermediate competition. This whole running thing is

catching on! Even the housemaster, Mr Burgess has got in on the act. As part of the #youmatter

campaign he has set himself the challenge of running 13 half marathons in six months. Seven completed

so far, the remaining six due to take place during January- February. It is axiomatic that he cannot wait

to cross the final finish line! Donations very much welcome at

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/youmatter2018.

Thanks to all for contributing to the Gold army. Live more, do more, Seymour. TJB