A member of the UnitedWestminster Schools’ Foundation

Registered Charity No. 309267

Founded in 1576 by William Lambe

InformationFor information about Sutton Valence School or to request a prospectus, please contact:

• the Admissions Office at Sutton Valence on 01622 845206 or email enquiries@svs.org.uk

• Sutton Valence Preparatory School on 01622 842117 or email enquiries@svprep.svs.org.uk

SUTTON VIEWS

Edition 59 December 2014

Sixth Form student Ioana Pupaza is celebrating, havingbeen awarded a scholarship to continue her violin studiesat the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Theaward was made following auditions in mid-Novemberand Ioana will now join Annabelle Pullar, who left lastyear, at this esteemed institution.

Ioana came to Sutton Valence Sixth Form in 2013 asone of only six Romanians to win an HMC scholarship tostudy in the UK. Balancing her academic work with hermusical commitments, Ioana has worked incredibly hardover the last year and a half to achieve her goal. Along

Phoebe and the Duchess Page 4

Cheerleading Champion Page 7

CCF’s Momentous Term Page 10

The Voice of Sutton Valence School

Sutton Views December 2014 1

Continued on page 2

Prestigious Scholarship forSenior School Violinist

2 Sutton Views

with the School’s other accomplishedviolinists, she was fortunate to receive termlylessons with Nicholas Miller, Professor ofViolin at the Royal Academy of Music. Ioanaalso performed in a number of masterclasses,both as a soloist and as a chamber musician.

“The dream that I had before coming toSutton Valence”, she said, “was to study theviolin in a British conservatoire. Now that Ihave achieved this, I am very thankful for allthe help that I have received from myteachers here at Sutton Valence and for allthe opportunities that the School has givenme. I am tremendously honoured to have

Continued from front page

won a scholarship at the Royal Welsh Collegeof Music and Drama and I cannot wait for mycourse to start in September."

During her time at the School, Ioana hasled Senior Strings and has formed a PianoTrio. She is also preparing to perform aconcerto movement with the ChamberOrchestra later in the academic year.

“Scholarships are notoriously difficult towin,” said David Holmes, Head of Strings,who was a student of Professor Miller’s at theAcademy. “We are all tremendously proudof Ioana’s achievement.”

Music has always been, and will always be,a great strength and love of the Prep School.The Christmas Concert at the end of termwas most impressive. We saw theappearance of ocarinas and ukuleles for thefirst time, which involved all the Years 4 and5 respectively, to compliment the wonderfulsinging and more traditional instrumentalcontributions we so enjoy.

Today, 5A played ‘London Bridge is FallingDown’ on our ukuleles; it was such fun! MrsGeering taught us how to play C and G7 (alittle trickier). We found out that the goldbars are called frets and that we need to holdthe ukulele against our tummies when weplay. We were really excited because wehaven't played them before! I hope that wemight learn another chord next week andplay another new tune. I like Music,especially now that Mrs Geering is here toteach us new and exciting tunes.

George Baster 5A

Ukuleles, Ocarinas and so much more

December 2014 3

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I mayremember, involve me and I learn.” It is thisBenjamin Franklin quotation that pithilysums up the theory of “discovery learning.”

A Sutton Trust study, released at the start ofNovember, suggests that some schools andteachers continue using methods that causelittle or no improvement in student progress,and instead rely on anecdotal evidence toback fashionable techniques such as“discovery learning,” where pupils are meantto uncover key ideas for themselves.

Instead, more traditional styles that rewardeffort, use class time efficiently and insist onclear rules to manage pupil behaviour, aremore likely to succeed, according to thereport – touching on a raw nerve within theBritish teaching profession, which has seenvigorous debates between “progressive” and“traditional” best practice.

Of course, as in most things, the answer isnot clear cut, it is not black and white. Wemust inhabit the world of grey if we are to beas effective as we can as educators. Theanswer is two-fold: effective learning takesplace in and out of the classroom andrequires a variety of experiences andteaching styles if it is to be truly effective.The danger of abandoning traditionalteaching methods in favour of the latest, “ontrend” popular educational theory is that ofthrowing the baby out with the bathwater:good teaching comes in many guises andpupils learn in a variety of ways.

Education is not just about learning withina classroom setting, it is so much more thanthat, what at Sutton Valence we call our TotalCurriculum where discovery learningdefinitely has a significant role to play. Theexperiences and opportunities we offeroutside of the classroom to complement ouracademic lessons allow all of our pupils thechance to learn through discovery andinvolvement.

Discovery out of the classroom is, in myopinion, vital if pupils are to learn. Whetherit be pursuing an Extended ProjectQualification, being involved in the YoungEnterprise scheme, building a car or a WorldWar One replica plane, partaking in a ModelUnited Nations event or preparing for apublic debate, all require independentresearch that embeds good learning. Our co-curricular programme of sport, music, dramaand activities builds self-esteem, allowingpupils to understand their strengths andweaknesses and that nothing is achieved

Discovery learning: a weapon in theteaching arsenal

4 Sutton Views

Phoebe and the Duchess

without commitment and effort. Trips to thetheatre, or to help in overseas charity work,being a member of a sports tour orundertaking a Duke of Edinburgh’s Awardexpedition all educate through experience.Leading a team, coaching younger pupils orserving the local community allow pupils todiscover humility, communication skills andmore about themselves. At Sutton Valence,our Academic, Community, Co-curricularand Leadership Journeys all exist to promotediscovery learning and independent growth,experiences and thought.

However, within a classroom setting, bestteaching practice is an amalgam oftechniques not slavishly adhering to any one

style, trend or theory. Incorporating the bestof traditional and progressive methods, tocreate an impressive arsenal of teaching toolsto call upon as necessary to aid and interest,is vital if proper differentiation is taking placewithin the classroom.

It was Abraham Lincoln who said “give mesix hours to chop down a tree and I willspend the first four sharpening the axe”. Tosharpen our pupils’ metaphorical axes weneed to teach in a variety of styles and in avariety of contexts. All of our pupils areindividuals and, therefore, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. That is the joy of workingwith the uniqueness of human beings.

Bruce GrindlayHeadmaster

To mark the visit of The Duchess ofCornwall to Chapel Down vineyard, PhoebeTresnan (Year 4) designed and helped tomake the bouquet she would then presentto Her Royal Highness.

Phoebe looked at the Duchess's weddingbouquet for inspiration and researched herpreferred flowers. A selection were used forthe bouquet, along with some of Phoebe'sfavourite flowers.

Her Royal Highness was visiting ChapelDown in her capacity as president of theUnited Kingdom Vineyards Association(UKVA) to commend the winery on itsoutstanding performance in the UKVAEnglish and Welsh Wine of the Year Awards,earlier this year.

Phoebe's father, Guy Tresnan, Sales and

Marketing Director at Chapel Down, said,"Phoebe was terrific. The Duchess ofCornwall spent some time talking to Phoebewhen she presented the bouquet. She wasdelighted with the flowers Phoebe hadchosen. I'm terribly proud of her; she was agreat ambassador for the School and ChapelDown at such a prestigious occasion."

December 2014 5

Ones to WatchAnna BakerTell us a bit about yourselfI’m in Upper Sixth and live just outside of

Biddenden, with my Mum and Dad and mysister Emily, who left Sutton Valence twoyears ago. My passion is hockey, but I alsolove golf; I have a low handicap, which hashelped the School golf team reach threeregional finals in four years and I have playedfor Kent. I play hockey at least three times aweek and I have to commit to fitness andtraining sessions, both at School and for myclub. I’m also studying for A levels inGeography, RS and Maths, plus BTEC level 3.

What is it that inspires you?Playing with world-class team mates at

Canterbury. Watching what they can achieveand how they improve, in the hope that I canaccomplish what they have done. Seeing theOlympics and other sport on the televisionand thinking ‘that’s where I want to be’.

Where do you see yourself in tenyears?

I hope that I will have a good degree inGeography and will still be playing forCanterbury’s 1st XI, having had a seasonabroad in, perhaps, the USA, Germany orHolland. I would also wish to be involved inEngland Hockey.

How do you like to relax in your sparetime?

I like to spend time with my family andseeing my friends whenever possible.However, with all my sport and schoolcommitments, my time is limited.

What would be your top tip for otherpupils hoping to follow in your path?

If you know what you want to achieve goout and get it and give it your best shot. Haveno regrets, as with sport, especially, age is afactor and time is limited. Whatever yourskill, be organised, committed anddetermined; but balance is key.

Good friends, family and school teacherswill show you support and understanding,which will make completing work andsocialising less pressured. This will only beavailable to you if you work hard and givesomething back, which they will appreciateand respect you for what you are trying toachieve.

This is what I have experienced, especiallythrough Sutton Valence, who havesupported me and continually asked aboutmy progress. They recognised what wasneeded in order for me to improve and I can’tthank my coaches and tutor enough.

6 Sutton Views

Summary of achievements:• Selected for the England Hockey High

Performance Assessment Camps at age14, one year early;

• Four seasons with Sutton Valence School 1st XI and two for England Hockey U16;

• GCSEs: 2 A*, 7 A and 2 B grades;• School Prefect and CCF Army Sergeant;• School ‘Blue’ for sustained academic

endeavour, community contribution andco-curricular involvement;

• Two seasons with Premier League Canterbury Ladies 1st XI;

• Captain, Saxon Tigers (England Hockey’sSE regional squad) who won the FuturesCup 2014 in October this year;

• Trialling for England U18 from November 2014;

• Nominated for Higgins Award: Hockey Writers’ Association Junior/Youth ‘Player of the Year’;

• Canterbury’s ‘Most Promising Player’ award.

(Abridged from an interview for A+ Education)

Oli Dillon (FifthForm) spent threemonths in Belfastearlier in the yearfilming the third seriesof The SparticleMystery, a CBBCaction adventure,science fiction drama.Set in a modern-dayworld without adults,the new series followsthe tribe Sparticles asthey try to solve theirbiggest mystery todate. Oli is reprisinghis role as Fizzy, whois short tempered,violent and powerhungry and rules hisempire with an ironfist. The showpremieres on theCBBC channel earlyin January 2015.

The Sparticle Mystery Series 3 for Oli

December 2014 7

Cheerleading Champion

Max and Katie stepup in style

During the last weekend of November,Max and Katie Harrison (Fourth and ThirdForms) travelled to their latest dancecompetition and came home as EnglishJunior Ballroom Champions for 2014; afantastic achievement.

Their versatility and expertise were judgedacross a range of dance styles, winning theOpen Masters Viennese Waltz and the OpenMasters Jive and they were runners up in theUK Open Latin Masters.

Calia Cordell (Year 5) took part in aNational Cheerleading Competition lastSaturday, held at Crystal Palace. It wasattended by approximately 60 teams from allover the country. After a gruelling day offierce competition Calia’s team gained aseventh place, two seconds and two firstsgiving them first place overall. They werecrowned Grand Champions!

8 Sutton Views

Award-winning School GardensOver the past four years, Guy Pullen, Head

Gardener, has worked with his team to strikea balance between creating formal gardensthat befit the stature of a school such asSutton Valence and the wish to create anenvironment that encourages wildlife and isecologically sound. Winning a Silver awardat their first attempt in the Kent WildlifeTrust’s ‘Garden Award Scheme’ this year hasseen their efforts across the whole siterecognised.

“To win a Silver in our first year is veryrewarding, said Guy. “The judging criteria arequite wide-ranging, but in most areas weeither meet them, or are significantly downthe road to meeting them. For example, wehave a wide range of pollinating flowers forinsects, nest boxes (with insect houses as thenext stage), undisturbed areas for smallmammals and we are working towards fullorganic practice. We have spottedhedgehogs, foxes and sparrow hawks on site,so there must be food here for them, whichshows that we are providing the righthabitats.”

In addition to the main gardens, theSchool’s Wildlife Site, including a pond andmeadow developed over a number of years,at various stages has involved Lower Sixthstudents involved in Community Service –both to originally establish the pond and sitein general and to maintain it over the years.

It not only provides an area to attractwildlife such as newts, wild flowers, a host ofinsects and birds, but also provides anoutdoor classroom, which has been visitedby many Biology classes as part of theirstudies of the more ecological topics that

feature on the schemes of work.

Mr Kennedy (Head of Biology), Mr Pullenand a number of students attended theawards ceremony in Faversham at the end ofterm. Mariana Mason and Harvey Sladden(First Form), who are in the Gardening Club,received the award on behalf of the School.

December 2014 9

U10 and U11 girls both triumph inCoursehorn Cup!

The Under 11C and Under 10 B/C teamstravelled to Dulwich Prep School to take partin their tournament, the Coursehorn Cup, inSeptember. The Under 10s were particularlyexcited as, for most, it was their firsttournament. Both teams started stronglywith wins in their sections, remembering theskills they had practiced in their lessons. Onthe whole, they managed to keep theirpositions well and played the ball wide ratherthan up the middle of the pitch.

The Under 11s won two games againstDulwich and lost against Holmewood House1-0. When the points were totted up, theU11s had the same as Holmewood, but wonon goal difference! The Under 10s also won

two matches against Dulwich teams, drewwith Holmewood and finished winners oftheir league!

A special mention must be given toClémence Reading who was presented withthe Under 10 ‘Player of the Tournament’award.

Since then, the U11A team havesuccessfully reached the regionals in twohockey championships for a secondsuccessive year. The girls will be representingKent, in March, alongside Junior King’s. Thisis a fantastic achievement and testament tohow the girls have been playing this season.

10 Sutton Views

CCF’s Momentous TermFrom the Headmaster:I am delighted to inform you that I heard from the MOD this week that, following

representation from schools and other interested parties, the Defence Secretary has decidednot to change the funding arrangements for Combined Cadet Force units. This means that wewill be able to continue offering and growing the CCF, which is a vital part of our TotalCurriculum and gives our pupils opportunities which shape their lives in such positive ways.

Biennial Inspection

Centenary celebrations

December 2014 11

I am enormously grateful to all staff, parents,Old Suttonians and, of course, Governors whovoiced their support and helped to bringabout this favourable outcome.

BCW Grindlay

WW1 football match

Lord Lt. Cadet of the Year School Ypres trip

WW1 commemorative football match

12 Sutton Views

actors need to understand what they aresaying; secondly, the actors need to be ableto communicate the story visually as well asthrough the language, and, finally, the castneed confidence and energy. All of thiscombined aids the audience inunderstanding the story, even if they areunsure of the language. The cast and crewachieved this in abundance, the talent thatwas on display, especially from the leads wasexceptional.

For many involved, this will be their lastSchool production, before they head off touniversity and beyond. The discipline,enthusiasm and commitment that they haveshown throughout this project will servethem exceptionally well as they move on tothese new challenges.

Just before the end of term, audienceswere treated to Sutton Valence’sinterpretation of Romeo and Juliet. Set in the1990s, the production focused on a group ofteenagers caught up in a long-standingfamily feud, which transpired as twoopposing basketball teams. Symbolically, thePrince was the referee to this violent gamethat the families played, as she tried her bestto control the situation. Friar Lawrence’sincompetency is highlighted through herplant-loving, hippy characteristics thatplaced her in no stable position to make suchlife-changing decisions for Romeo and Juliet.

Romeo’s cousin Benvolio and best friendMercutio were also played by girls and thiscreated a very interesting relationshipbetween the three, none of whom wereafraid to physically fight for what theybelieved in. Romeo and Juliet continued tobe head-over-heels in love and completelyblind, to not only their naivety, but also tothe situation that they were puttingthemselves in, as young, immature andattention-seeking teenagers; they foundthemselves having to grow up all too quickly.

When it comes to putting on a piece ofShakespeare, there are a number ofelements that need to be right in order for itto be engaging for the audience. Firstly, the

Romeo and Juliet

December 2014 13

140th Rugby Season

The game against Colfe’s on Saturday 6thDecember 2014 marked the end of the 140thRugby XV season. Over 100 parents, OldSuttonians and staff gathered to support the1st XV play on a beautiful, clear, crispafternoon.

The match was well fought, with the hometeam making several attacking surges intoColfe’s half. Both teams scored, finishing thefirst half 5 – 5. In the second half, SuttonValence attacked with determination andvigour creating several try-scoringopportunities. Unfortunately, it was notmeant to be and the match ended 5-5.

After the match, supporters and playersgathered in the Refectory for an informalmeal. Mark Howell, Head of Rugby offeredthe School’s thanks to Colfe’s for supportingthe game and said, “I’m very pleased withand proud of the squad this year. They have

brought commitment, discipline, team spiritand camaraderie into everything they do.”

Several have gained RFU coachingqualifications, which they have put to gooduse in training our younger teams and ourPrep School rugby teams. This has allowedour players to develop leadership andcommunication skills that will assist themboth on and off the rugby pitch.”

14 Sutton Views

Sutton Valence brings home the silver!All our speakers did very well, showing

spirit and character. We were the only teamwith any humorous touches and this wascommended by the judges.

It is notable that both main speakers arerecent arrivals at the School, but readilyagreed to take part in the major roles.Alexander is not an English native speaker,but he performed excellently. Of all thosewho spoke in the competition, he wasperhaps best at engaging with the audience.

The Rotary Club's Youth Speakscompetition took place at the beginning ofDecember at Benenden School and, yetagain, Sutton Valence triumphed as bestteam, coming home with a silver rose bowl.

Our speakers were Freddy Parker(chairman, nobly standing in on the day forLouisa West, who had unfortunately fallenill), Graham Falconer (senior speaker),Alexander Gurtovoi (intermediate speaker)and Josh Craven (vote of thanks).

if we were only playing internal matches in1874, that still puts Sutton Valence in the firstcohort of schools to turn to rugby football.

Many schools took up rugby football afterus in the nineteenth century, for exampleGiggleswick (1875), Warwick (1885) andExeter School (1898), and many others didnot adopt the game until the twentiethcentury: Greshams (1902), Felsted (1916)and Queen’s College, Taunton (1925).

So 140 years of rugby football at SuttonValence School is certainly something tocelebrate!

Historical contribution by Richard Mant (StMargaret’s ’61)

Richard Mant (St Margaret’s ’61) andAndrew Scott (Founder’s ’71) awarded Manof the Match trophies to Sutton Valenceflanker Tom Mitchell and Colfe’s hooker.

Not many schools were playing rugbyfootball pre-1874 and possibly only Rugby,Marlborough, Cheltenham, Clifton,Haileybury and Wellington College. Of theseschools, only Marlborough, Cheltenham andClifton had inter-school matches pre-1874.Somewhat surprisingly, Wellington Collegedid not play its first inter-school match until1887 (against Marlborough) and even moresurprising perhaps, Rugby did not play itsfirst inter-school match until 1896 (againstCheltenham). In those days, and before theformation of the Rugby Football Union in1871, the schools largely played inaccordance with local rules.

Sutton Valence’s first recorded match wasin 1880, but there are references to matchesplayed before this date. If Sutton Valenceplayed an inter-school match in 1874, thenwe were certainly in the forefront of schoolsplaying rugby football in the early days. Even

December 2014 15

Turkey claws and dog biscuit skeletons!Year 4 have been learning about bones and

skeletons in their Science lessons this term.

To find out how tendons work, they all hada chance to experiment with turkey claws tosee if they could make them curl up. Thenout came the dog biscuits so that they couldall practice using the different shapes torepresent the bones of a skeleton.

to the second round next term, when we arealso entering the English Speaking Union'scompetition for the first time.

No other school even comes close toSutton Valence's record in this competitionover the last few years and we now progress

16 Sutton ViewsCompiled and edited by Helen Knott, Development Manager

Prep School pupils saw stars!before inviting them to be the first to lookthrough the enormous new telescope.

Prep School Head Malcolm Gough said,“The visit was part of the pupil’s study into‘infinity and beyond’. They explored hands-on science exhibits through hearing, seeingand feeling, focusing on the earth andbeyond and worked together to balanceplatforms, create sound waves andinvestigate pulleys – and were in awe whenthe Observatory roof opened to reveal theskies beyond.

The fact their trip coincided with thehandover of the telescope was a real coupand they were thrilled to meet a ‘real’scientist and quiz him about space.”

The day ended with a fascinating scienceshow where the children were dressed asfamous scientists and allowed to createexplosions.

Pupils from the Prep School were the firstto get an extraordinary view of the heavens,through a magnificent new telescopedonated to the Herstmonceux ObservatoryScience Centre in East Sussex.

The Year 2 children’s visit coincided withthe handing over of a Coronado 90mm solartelescope to the centre, by Stephen W.Ramsden the director of the US-basedCharlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project in theUSA.

The scientist was in the UK to attend theastronomy photography awards in Londonand to give talks, lectures and promote solaroutreach activities, so decided to visit inperson to hand over the mammothtelescope.

The Prep School pupils listened in awe asMr Ramsden told them about space,answered their questions and gave themsolar glasses so they could look at the sun,