In this Issue: 1. Headmaster’s Foreword 2. Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Lunch 3. Dicey Conference 2012 4. School Drama 5. Wind Farm Challenge 7. Construction of The Gym – a student’s view 8. School Council 9-10 Flying at RAF Wytton & Duxford Jubilee 11. Bachellor Monkhouse Schools Competition 12-14 Nature Introductory Model 15-17 Loire Valley Trip

18. Yr 7 Science Club 19. Skinners’ Library 20. Chemistry Teachers’ Conference 21. Moonlight Catwalk 22. Kent Schools Skiing competition 23-24. BBC School Report 25. Sports Stars 26. Old Boys Hockey 27. Freedom Pass 28. Club 2000 29. Dates Ahead 30. Term Dates 31. STOP PRESS…

Skinners’ Pupil and Teacher carry the

Olympic Torch!

HEADMASTER’S FOREWORD

Many years ago, I remember the summer term as a time of

relaxation in the school year. Pupils and staff had a welcome rest from the busy routine. Cricket was played and we all moved a little more slowly in the warm sunshine. Sadly, that is no longer the case - we seem to be busier than ever this term, with only a host of different trips and successes to reconcile us to the pace. Even the cricket and the sunshine seem to have been cancelled this year – of seven scheduled fixtures for our 1st XI, none have been able to be played. Despite these challenges, two of our cricket teams have made the Kent Finals – as I write we have won one and the other has yet to be played.

With three recent Open Mornings, the school has been presenting itself to prospective parents. More than 600 came to see what life was like on a typical morning at Skinners’. We were delighted to welcome so many, but the wide interest in the events only underlines the increasing pressure for places at our school. Once again, our pupils have used the summer term to explore the far corners of the world. We have two teams of trekkers in the Indian Himalaya at the moment. They are climbing to altitudes of 18,500ft – truly an extraordinary experience. We look forward to their photographs and stories on their return. Another team has just returned from the jungles of Mexico. They visited a remote area where jaguars are still to be found. The team swam with wild dolphins and conducted important research into biodiversity. Yesterday evening I discovered that another group of our pupils will make a foreign trip. Skinners’ School won the Kent Wind Turbine Challenge to send the team of young scientists to Denmark to visit renewable energy sites. Finally, I was grateful to parents and pupils for their response to our biannual independent survey of opinion. These surveys are an important measure of our performance as a school and are vital in guiding us to further improvements. I intend to hold an evening meeting at 7pm on 2nd October for parents, where I will present the responses to the survey in full. Suffice it to say here that the school was given a performance score of 91% by parents – an exceptional endorsement. The pupils gave us a similarly high score; Kirkland Rowell report that these are amongst the best scores that they have seen. I was particularly pleased that of the 466 responses that parents made to the school, 100% stated that they would recommend the school to another parent. We are grateful for the continuing support of parents and pupils and will use the survey to further improve our service. Have a lovely summer break; we look forward to returning in September refreshed and (hopefully) tanned.

Mr S J Everson

Headmaster

I don’t often have recourse to pinch myself,

but standing in the Great Hall at Westminster awaiting the arrival of Her Majesty was probably a good reason. I was fortunate enough to be invited as a guest of the Skinners’ Company to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee lunch, held at Westminster Hall and hosted by the livery companies of the City of London. Having marched through the jostling crowd and over the police barrier, I walked briskly along the front of the Great Hall. I had felt quite relaxed until I was told by a policewoman, “Don’t look so nervous, you’ll be fine”. Consequently, this had the complete opposite effect and I suddenly became very aware of the onlookers’ eyes and cameras of the crowd. Having slipped past the BBC television cameras interviewing a few unfortunate guests, I eventually found the Skinners’ Company Table. It was an ornate and impressive scene with people in tailcoats or military dress, accompanied by renditions of Elgar (and some Harry Potter) from the National Children’s Orchestra. Nonetheless, I did feel like I was back in school when Black Rod silenced us and duly reminded us that there were strictly no photos allowed, which was then ignored by one member of our table. The proceedings began with the trumpeters signalling the arrival of the Royal family, through the Sovereign’s entrance at the back of Westminster as opposed to the front of the Great Hall, where I was facing. However, I soon registered their arrival as the entire Royal family

paraded past within five feet of me. Some guests, who had rehearsed this moment, bowed, but the most I could muster was a huge grin of disbelief. I had heard rumours from some of my fellow guests at the Skinners’ table that the Queen would be sitting nearby, she was in fact two tables away. After Grace by the Speaker of the House of Commons, we settled down to roast loin of Cambrian Mountain Lamb, which was unfortunately whisked away from me mid-meal by an over-eager waiter whilst I was deep in conversation. Following dessert, the Queen’s exit was heralded by lines of beefeaters and I caught a glimpse of the departing carriage as they headed back to Buckingham Palace. I am extremely lucky to have the personal experience of such a momentous occasion and memories that I will never forget.

Dominic Dark Head Boy

The Dicey Conference is an annual conference designed to provoke debate between sixth formers from a

balance of excellent State and Independent schools in the country. The trust, set up in honour of the McWhirter

brothers – creators of the Guinness World Records - and run by the McWhirter Foundation, aims to give

students an insight in to the world they will live in, share informed and colourful opinions with them and make

sure the conference is fun and enjoyable.

Dominic Dark, our new Head Boy, and I attended Dicey 2012 for two days between the 13th and 14th March.

The theme this year was, “How is technology changing the relationship between state and individual?” The

conference is held at Trinity College, Oxford each year as this was the college the where the McWhirters studied.

The small college of only 400 students, empty at the time due to exams and half term, created an exclusive VIP

atmosphere for the 86 sixth formers present.

We were in groups of ten or eleven students with an adult syndicate leader whose role was to instigate the

group discussions. We heard four presentations over the two days, from a range of professionals involved in the

media. Our first and most engaging speaker was The Times columnist David Aaranovitch, who broke the ice to

the conference and managed to impress everyone…...even if he wore trainers with his suit.

Once he had spread all the inside gossip about the Leveson inquiry, he left us to our syndicate groups.

We naturally entered in to serious deep and academic talk about media, television and how our seemingly

shallow generation only cares about having instant messaging services such as BBM, access to 1000 TV channels

and an uninterrupted internet connection.

Barney Tysoe

Dominic Dark - Head Boy (left)

Barney Tysoe - House Captain (right)

As they took their bows, amid rapturous applause in the Thomson Theatre, the face of this

year’s Upper Sixth Theatre Studies contingent betrayed an understandable sign of

relief. This A2 devised piece was the final flourish in an illustrious collective dramatic career and they are to be congratulated on achieving their first complete A-level, under the tutelage of Mrs Lennon. The manner of their theatrical grand finale was fitting in its encapsulation of their finest qualities. In time honoured tradition, the final rehearsals and preparation for Tuesday night’s performance was stressful, even frantic, I am reliably informed. It was, however, as people tend to say, alright on the night, which was unsurprising to those who know the people involved. The first piece, from Owain Withers, Joe Ditton, Drummond Freeman and Aidan O’Flynn, was an enormously entertaining adaptation of the Johnny Cash song, ‘A Boy Named Sue’. Particularly impressive was the dynamic use of physical techniques and their characteristic humour, brought together with a nifty bit of line dancing. What followed, from Harry Gibson, Charlie Hurlock and Benny Martin, was a very different but equally accomplished piece, based on the reflections of a murderer, on the subject of which, I am told, they conducted considerable research. There were moments of black comedy, but most memorable was the emotional power and technical excellence of the three performances, not to mention a well-constructed, verbose script.

And so, their remarkable dramatic exploits pass into the annals of school history and, one day, into legend, if posterity provides any justice. They’ll be missed and always remembered; gone, but never forgotten. I salute you. Mark Wood U6

WIND FARM CHALLENGE ‘The Wind Farm Challenge’ is an annual competition in Kent hosted by Danish Oil & Natural Gas (DONG Energy), KCC Skills and Employability Service, Thanet College and Swale Skills Centre. Eight secondary schools from across the different districts of Kent were invited to design and pitch the best wind farm array model and business plan. The teams were required to consider the wider aspects of constructing wind turbines in the context of their local communities; to spend time researching the wind farm industry in and around Kent, including wider UK developments; and to prepare a marketing case to sell the concept of wind generation to their local community. This year we bettered our previous attempt at the competition by bringing home the first prize, consisting of an all expenses paid trip to Denmark. The team of six lower- sixth formers were:

Team Leader: Barnaby Tysoe Matt Cornford Henry Groenen Luke Gray Bill Hardiman Lewis Bowen We spent two days in July at the ‘Swale Skills Centre’ in Sittingbourne, where we were presented with, planned and executed the four phases of the project. Specifically designed and scaled for students, the competition required a balance of mathematical, computer, engineering and business skills to be successful. This consisted of a research phase,

where we had to investigate and select our desired set-up; a technical phase, to build and test our turbine model; a period to prepare the business ‘pitch’ and finally the end game where we presented our plan to the ‘Board of Investors’. Over the two days we completed the project phase by phase with specific deadlines to meet concerning the speed at which our plan developed and the need for approval from the competition administrator. With a DONG apprentice helping and watching us, the need for team work and discipline was essential. In our team we further divided the group to specific roles such as technical manager, business planner or team leader. This proved key to our success as it was in part our recognition of how the roles fitted together in a business, that so impressed the judges in favour of our design. Our end product was a controversial yet successful six-bladed turbine wind array consisting of 150 turbines 39km off the Lincolnshire coast. Our design proved economically viable plus we had the raw data and statistical analysis to present a fully costed and coherent business plan.

With a significant contribution by Matt Cornford, our presentation amazed the judges with its excellent level of detail and use of visual aids which conveyed and justified all our decisions. The ‘Apprentice’ style presentation to the business panel went smoothly and we were able to present a strong business case for the technical merits and economic viability of our plans. We discovered that we had won the competition when attending the KCC Celebration of Learning awards ceremony in Gravesend on 16 July where our winning design was cited for its ‘Realistic and viable plan, excellent use of statistical manipulation, impressive and technical presentation and no weaknesses in the preparation and teamwork that went into its creation.’ We will now be taking two days in November 2012 to visit sites of interest in Denmark with a specific emphasis on engineering and renewable energy. Many thanks to Mr Lennon and Mr Walters for making all the necessary arrangements for our participation in this competition.

Barnaby Tysoe, Year 12

The siting of a significant building project on the school site seemed too good a learning opportunity to miss for aspiring students of construction and architecture. After initial

approaches, the main contractor MORGAN SINDALL generously offered to let a student shadow the construction, to gain a real insight into a major project. The placement offered exposure to a range of generic business processes such as project management, value engineering and profit achievement in extremely harsh economic times - as well as the full range of construction issues which could be seen from the planning and through the construction phase. Wayne Harris of

MORGAN SINDALL was extremely generous with his time and gave the chosen student, Craig Thomas, an invaluable insight into a possible future career. Craig’s summary of the experience is below:

The construction of the new sports hall has undoubtedly been a major development at Skinners’ over the past year. I was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to gain an insight into the workings and planning of such a big project. I had the opportunity to study the initial architect’s drawings and was amazed by how much detail is included. Being presented with 3D drawings of the sports hall, helped give a very clear picture of the complexity of the build. I think the most interesting part of my experience was having a tour of the Sports Hall. To see first-hand the problems the builders had to overcome, such as the noise level to neighbours and waterproofing the whole building, made me realise just how much planning needs to go into the construction of such a large project. Luckily I was able to see the process from obtaining planning permission and raising the funds, to presenting the new Sports Hall to the school. I was amazed by how long it can take to receive planning permission; as long as 10 years! Overall I was very impressed by the new Sports Hall and am privileged to be given this opportunity. I would like to thank Mr Dedman for giving me this opportunity and Wayne Harris, the project manager, for spending his valuable time showing me the process of building a new sports hall.

Craig Thomas L6

As the new leader of the School Council, I

have only been in the post for a few weeks. However, I would like share some of the progress the school has made over the past few years, as well as our plans for even more improvements.

Role of the School Council The main role of our School Council is to develop new ideas to make Skinners’ an even better environment to learn in, to provide an interface to encourage members of all years and staff to collaborate. All facets of school life are therefore made as pleasurable as possible for all students.

Student Council Working

Committees Last year, working committees were set up in order to review homework, teaching and learning, extra-curricular activities and premises and buildings. Each of these committees includes representatives of all years. Several initiatives were influenced by this pupil forum. We now have water in the Dining hall and refurbishments of the Sixth Form and school toilets. This was facilitated by generous donations from the Parent’s Association funding. With regards to homework, the School Council’s views were incorporated into plans which include the reduction in set tasks and curricular work, in favour of more time for independent study between years 7 and 9. This was a large success with many of our younger pupils being able to enjoy more time for extracurricular interests. This year the council was keen to perform

active research. We wanted to know ‘what it is like to be a pupil here at Skinners’. This question was posed to all form groups, which promptly fed back to Mr. Lennon and Mr. Bee. The School Council also has whole council meetings to discuss any issues raised in form time.

A New Year on the Horizon

My aim for the next year is for the effects of the School Council to be felt on an even greater

scale. With the Space for All Project nearing completion and a new year on the horizon, I hope that together we can help Skinners’ live up to its highest standards. Thank you very much.

Toks Fadipe Leader of School Council 2012-13

My first flying lesson was the best experience I have had with the CCF so far. On Friday 25th May a small group of recruits went to RAF Wyton in Cambridgshire alongside Maidstone RAF Division for the opportunity to fly and perform aerobatics in a Grob Tutor. Upon arrival at RAF Wyton we were briefed by an RAF Pilot about safety precautions and procedure in the event of an emergency. This included instruction on the use of parachute and exit procedure of the aircraft. Once completed, we waited for our greatly anticipated turn. Eventually, kitted out with flying suit, helmet and parachute, I walked towards the plane. I could feel the adrenalin starting to flow as I climbed into the cockpit. My instructor sat beside me and was very informative and interesting to talk to. He asked if it was my first time and asked whether I wanted to perform aerobatics. I replied, “I would love to; I would like to do as much as possible.” After take off, the instructor allowed me to take control of the aircraft, whilst instructing me how to be a smooth flyer. We performed various aerobatic manoeuvres including loop the loop, corkscrew, barrel rolls, negative G and a. The experience was exciting, exhilarating and I cannot wait to do it again. I hope that CCF will offer more opportunities like this so that recruits can experience all aspects of the Armed Forces. Two days later Mr Coltella and Mrs Stanley were generous enough to take several of us to watch the Diamond Jubilee Airshow at Duxford. This was an interesting and relaxed day. The group enjoyed looking around the museum which included many World War II aircraft and even a Concorde. The show itself was great, with historic and contemporary aircraft from the past 60 years and beyond celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Whilst the day was ‘laid back’, I also learnt about different planes and kept imagining being in the cockpit flying the planes, especially as my first experience of flying was only two days previous. Of course they were performing much more impressive manoeuvres than I had. Over all, the weekend was a huge amount of fun and I got a lot from it. It was enjoyable doing something different from normal CCF trips and experiencing the airforce aspect of the CCF.

By James Woodroofe, Year 10 Recruit

The school recently won £1,000 in a competition for £1,000 organised by the Batcheller Monkhouse Company (www.batchellermonkhouse.com/schools-competition). The task was to design a three bedroom house for a farmer’s son to live in, which had to be constructed from locally sourced, renewable and sustainable materials. The boys on the team were Ashwin Manivannan, Charlie Elsesser, Theo Merchant, Miles Atkinson, Harry Hammond, Daniel Jaworski and myself, Nathan Davey. On the Research team were Dominic Allen, Ben Loxton and Robert Pyne. Our team name was ‘Learning from Nature’. The idea behind this title was that nature has had thousands of years to perfect techniques, so why not adapt our own ideas to follow a system that we know works. A group of boys from year 7 also entered the competition.

After our initial design had been made we sent off our entry and were delighted to hear that we had made it to the finals! After giving a presentation to the 6 judges on the final day we were awarded First Prize!

First Place to Skinners’ Team Final results :

First: The Skinners’ School, year 9 team Second: Marlborough House School Third: St Leonards Mayfield Fourth: The Skinners School, year 7 team Fifth: Robertsbridge Community College Special thanks go to Mr Moody - for letting us use his classroom at lunchtime; Mr Knowlson and Mr Walters for providing us with the facilities to build our model, and all of the teachers who excused us from lessons to give us the time needed to complete our project when time was running short.

Nathan Davey 9R

Monday: Our Adventure Begins Despite rising at an ungodly hour, we were all full of anticipation. All exhilarated with adrenalin as the coaches left the school, the weary amongst us captured precious moments of sleep on the coach before being awoken by the chanting and hyper pack of raging teenagers. Before we knew it we had arrived at Dover port for the ferry trip across the Channel to France. Once on-board the vessel we were free to roam around. We immediately cracked into our supply of money - the majority of us bought plenty of chocolate and sweets before venturing out on to the deck where we were hit by the wild and raging gales. Our first glimpse of the French coast renewed our excitement for the days ahead. After a long and tiring journey, we were glad of the meal which was ready for us, after which the sight of our beds was very welcome. Before returning to our rooms for showers and our beds at 9.30pm (French time) we released our energy by playing intense games of football, basketball, table tennis, table football, boules and board games.

Tuesday: Activities Begin After another early wake up we swiftly made our way down to a breakfast of cereal and luscious, rich and steaming hot chocolate that warmed us in preparation for the busy day ahead. Our first activity was a visit to the nuclear power plant (Centrale Nucléaire de St Laurent Des Eaux) where we were fascinated to learn from a worker at the plant. He gave us a presentation about nuclear fission and the process inside the reactor core, which was motivating and inspiring. During our French lessons this year we have learned about posing questions, tenses and activities. Therefore, in the afternoon, we visited the town of Romorantin and conducted interviews on people in the town square. Our questionnaire asked questions about people’s lives and personal likes and dislikes. We used small microphones to record what they said and later played the tapes back and wrote notes as a finale to our day’s work. Task finished, we were allowed onto the pitches for evening activities, after which we fell into bed at the end of another busy day.

Wednesday: Another Exciting Day Once more the wake-up call was early as we had to leave for the animal park (Parc Animalier d’Autrêche) to allow for the hour and a half journey. Upon arrival we had a ride on the Zoo Train that took us around the park, stopping at the Hog, Stag, Deer, Ostrich, Emu and Bison sections. This gave us a chance to see these animals close up from the safety of the train. The most fascinating sight was the vast size of the Bison and the towering Ostrich. When we returned at the hotel we had a surprise visit from a French drama, dance and music group who entertained us and initiated a jolly singalong. However, many of us were confused as they spoke predominantly in French (including the jokes) but nonetheless it provided an good evening’s entertainment.

Thursday: The Best Day On Thursday we visited a simulator theme park called ‘Futuroscope’. This was an all day trip so we took packed lunches provided by the hotel. However many of us had to buy extra food as the heat made us hungry and we already had eaten our lunch by the time we arrived! Futuroscope had a water park, a 4D film, an enormous playground, simulators, cyberworld, a ride called ‘Dancing with Robots’, an animal park, a water show and countless more activities. There just wasn’t enough time in the day to do everything. Before leaving many of us bought souvenirs or presents for friends and family back home. After another delicious evening meal back at the hotel we had some more competitions of football, table tennis, connect 4, boules, badminton, chess, table football, basketball, Monopoly and cricket . After a hard fought battle by the teams, plus some special performances from several competitors, the results were calculated by Mrs Jung and the competition ended as a 5-5 draw.

Friday: An Historical Final Day We set out to a town called Amboise, an historical and beautiful town on the river Loire. We visited Clos Lucé, the home of Leonardo Da Vinci where he spent the last three years of his life after being invited to live there by King François I. We visited the house and gardens, which now display large models of some of his inventions such as the flying machine, pump, helicopter, canons, parachute, tank, paddle powered ship, crane, bridges, turbine and the cam. His mind was one of the greatest seen throughout history. After a rest for lunch and a bit of window shopping in Amboise we visited the Chateau d’Amboise, a great castle built during the 15th and 16th century, and home to much of the royal history of France. This castle used to be a great deal larger but many of the buildings were demolished so that the materials could be sold. Only the great castle, the queen’s quarters and the chapel remain today. Evening activities and dinner followed.

Saturday: Heading Home After packing and room inspections, our bags were loaded onto the coaches. We ate our final breakfast, said goodbye to the hotel staff and farewell to Romorantin before staring the long journey home. We made two service station stops where we bought food and drinks and had a packed lunch - our last taste of French food. The ferry seemed to approach more rapidly than expected and before we knew it we were back on British soil. As Tunbridge Wells crept closer I think we all started to long to see our parents. Our spirits lifted as we approached the school - our journey was coming to an end. Many thanks to all the teachers who gave up their time to come on the trip, and a special thank you on behalf of all the year 8s to Mr Renaudie for organising this amazing trip.

Cameron Wilson

8Knott

Last term in Year 7 Science Club, we explored chocolate ‘tempering’ and the Chemistry of chocolate which was nicely rounded up with an Easter egg making session in our school kitchens!!! As you can see from the photographs, the boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves and got to take home a tasty treat! This term we have been exploring electric circuits and how we can make batteries from household equipment!

Flaming June – this did not appear to be true, as the rain fell very heavily and the deluge was so great, that the drainage system from the roof above the Library was unable to cope. Consequently, the water found an exit via the Art Room and through the ceiling of the Library. What excitement for the class of lads from year 9 who were having their Library lesson when the water poured through the ceiling and light fixings! Thanks to the quick thinking of Mrs. Deller and Mrs. Tourle, who managed to remove the fiction section hurriedly with the aid of some sixth formers who had arrived to revise before their afternoon exam, the damage was limited. The Library was closed whilst the damage was inspected, the electrical systems checked, the shelves and walls cleaned and the books dried and sorted into some semblance of order, ready to be replaced on the shelves in due course. This took a week to organise and finally we re-opened on the 20th June 2012.

Thanks to the Boys

The Librarians would like to thank those lads, who we are sorry to say did not leave their names, for their unselfish offer of help, despite the fact that they had an exam an hour later.

Mrs. Weaver - Librarian

Chemistry Teacher’s Conference at Sussex University

Ms Everard and I attended this conference in June, which helped keep us up to date and refresh our enthusiasm for Chemistry. During the morning we had a tour of the spectroscopy labs and learnt more about the way various techniques are used for research. We then heard about the research being carried out at Sussex University at present. Green chemistry, an important topic in both AS and A2 chemistry featured heavily. Professor Geoff Cloke spoke to us about his research on removing carbon dioxide from the environment using organometallic complexes. Sussex has an international reputation for its work in the field of organometallic compounds. We then heard from Dr Qiao Chen about using nanomaterials to harvest solar energy. Dr Simon Ward then spoke to us about the subject of medicinal chemistry, covering topics such as drug discovery and development for schizophrenia. Needless to say we found all of these sessions fascinating. After lunch we had an extremely interesting session on Careers for Chemistry Graduates, featuring Sussex graduates of course, but I was very pleased to hear that the School of Life Science and Chemistry is truly on the up, after announcing a few years ago that the chemistry department was closing. I would now happily recommend our students to apply to Sussex. The highlight of the day was the keynote speaker, Prof Sir Harry Kroto, Nobel laureate, who won his Noble Prize in 1996 when he was working in Sussex for Buckminster fullerene, a substance every Skinners’ boy will come across when studying GCSE. Sir Harry’s presentation was both fascinating and inspiring and I am afraid I have to admit to being a little star struck, especially when he agreed to have his photo taken with us.

Mrs Mason Head of Chemistry

‘UP HILL AND DOWN DALE’ not quite, but one Friday night in June a group of staff was seen traipsing eight miles around Tunbridge

Wells on the Hospice in the Weald Moonlight Catwalk . The gods were kind and the rain held off at the critical time as hundreds of shocking pink T shirts set off along the pavements of Tunbridge Wells. Inspired by the charity fundraising efforts of our students throughout the year we chose to support our local hospice which is not part of the NHS and provides free specialist care for those with life limiting illnesses. It needs to raise £5 million each year to provide the 17 bed in-patient unit and the Day Therapy Centre which treats up to 20 patients daily. A big thank you to all the staff who walked or ran

on the evening and to those who sponsored us – our final total raised was £789! Mrs L Wilson

Charities Committee

KENT SCHOOLS SKI RACE 2012 SKINNERS' RESULTS

Bib No Name Year Category Timed Run 1

Timed Run 2

Time Rank

12 Jack Hilliard 10 SEN 11.67 11.29 22.96 15

11 Toby Cornwell 10 SEN 13.60 13.60 27.20 46

16 Zak Ellis 8 MID 15.82 15.26 31.08 83

15 James Murdoch 7 MID 15.82 15.80 31.62 90

14 Hugo Toyne-Bridges 8 MID 17.13 16.04 33.17 105

13 Jack Burcom 7 MID 17.77 15.83 33.60 110

9 James Pancaldi 9 SEN 17.85 15.78 33.63 111

10 Cameron Green 9 SEN 18.27 15.77 34.04 113

KENT SCHOOLS RACE 2012

The Ski Race was held at Bromley dry ski slope on 20th May. The race was a slalom course consisting of approximately 14 gates over a 150m course, followed by a team duel slalom race. There were 250 competitors and representing Skinners' were: Jack Hilliard Year 10 Skinners’ A Seniors Toby Cornwell Year 10 Skinners’ A Seniors James Pancaldi Year 9 Skinners’ A Seniors Cameron Green Year 9 Skinners’ A Seniors James Murdoch Year 7 Skinners’ B Mids Zak Ellis Year 8 Skinners’ B Mids Hugo Toyne-Bridges Year 8 Skinners’ B Mids Jack Burcom Year 7 Skinners’ B Mids

competition this year with 250 racers, 10 Senior teams and 8 Mids teams. The boys all skied very well with all completing both runs. The senior team came fifth and the Mids came forth in their respective categories. In the

team duel slalom James Murdoch’s team came second, with James awarded a silver medal.

L to R top row: Toby Cornwell Jack Hilliard Zak Ellis Hugo Toyne-Bridges James Pancaldi

L to R bottom row: Cameron Green James Murdoch Jack Burcombe

As part of BBC School Report’s summer of reporting, we have been working on a variety of stories relating to the

Olympic and Paralympic Games, exploring whether the games is an event just for London or the whole country, finding out about training opportunities for athletes for the future and what its lasting legacy will be. After much research and preparation at school, Mr Coltella secured interviews in London for four intrepid year 10 reporters: Max Bates, Oli Woodcock, Harry Robinson and myself, Fraser Barber. Our day began with an early train journey to Charing Cross, from where we walked to the Olympic Clock, located in Trafalgar Square. Officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport allowed us to join the regular press pool for the launch of the

Paralympic Team GB at the 50 day count day event. In Trafalgar Square we met up with Angie Pitt, a senior producer at the BBC who helped us record interviews for Radio Five Live. Our first interview of the day was the Minister for Sport, Hugh Robertson. This was an amazing opportunity filming him in front of the countdown clock, just before he spoke to Sky News. The Minister was incredibly friendly and gave insightful answers to our many questions! We then made our way to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for the press conference. We set up our video camera amongst all the huge professional TV cameras and placed our microphone on the desk – ours did pale in comparison to the others!

B B C

After battling with the many interested passers-by who seemed intent on joining Max in the shot, we managed to record our final piece – only 16 takes from Max. We now know how frustrating it must be for real reporters!

Our final destination was the Skinners’ Academy in Hackney, one of our sister schools, in order to link up with their BBC School Report team. We were warmly welcomed into the newly built school, whose facilities were incredible – I’ve never seen so many Macs! We interviewed some of their students and teachers for our story, and then switched roles to give them material for their report. It was great to meet pupils from another Skinners’ School and to talk about different aspects of our respective schools only to discover the links between us, for example, sharing house names. Despite getting along so well, we had to leave to catch a train back to Tunbridge Wells, but not before a tour around their school site. Overall, the day was a great success and a real eye-opener into the world of broadcasting. We managed to get all the footage we needed for our report which we are busily

editing. Watch the BBC School Report section of the school website to see our report in full.

Fraser Barber

On the panel were four Paralympic athletes: Sophia Warner, Sprinter, Derek Derenalagi, Discus, Jonnie Peacock, Sprinter, and Libby Clegg, Sprinter, alongside Hugh Robertson MP, Craig Hunter, Chef de Mission for Team GB and Peter Eriksson, Head Coach of the UK Athletics Paralympic Program. The press conference was exceedingly beneficial for us as we got a taste of what a real press conference was like. Afterwards, we were able to interview two Paralympic Athletes, Derek and Libby, who were both very enthusiastic about being

selected for Team GB. Following the press conference, we made our way to Stratford, the location of the Olympic Park. After a quick lunch, we found a great area to film a piece to camera, with the Olympic Park in the background as, unfortunately, we weren’t able to go inside.

Hugo Toyne-Bridges competed for Skinners’ at the Royal Leisure Equestrian Centre, Henfield, West Sussex in two classes - 70cm and 80cm Show Jumping. He had two lovely rounds and came 4th out of 27 competitors in the 70cm class.

Oscar Hargreaves (Form 8K) passed his black belt in Karate -an incredible accolade after 4 years of incredibly hard work

Kent U18 Rugby 7’s final - Skinners’ won the competition for the first time since 2006, and the first time that Judd have been beaten since 2009

SPORTS

STARS

The Old Boys’ game caps off an

excellent season

With many players missing due to school trips, Skinners’ had to rope in the experience of coach Johnson to play in the centre back role and colleague Flower, offering his ‘pace’ on the right side of midfield. The sunny afternoon mirrored the jovial atmosphere that the game began with. Indeed, it was pleasing to see Old Skinners’ stalwarts Holding and Fitzwater amongst the side line support. This soon changed when the Old Boys set an early marker on the game by scoring an aggressively worked goal. Skinners’ quickly replied with some strong running from Collins to score a breakaway goal. Skinners’ prolonged pressure led to winning a short corner. Clarke-Knowles managed to round the first defender to send the ball towards the goalkeeper’s right, with Johnson applying the final touch to slot the ball home. The Old Boys quickly replied with some strong breaks and silky passing. With former PE Department Assistant, Wood securely in Wisby’s pocket, these were easily stamped out. That said, Old Boys managed to gain another goal with a series of

short corners, leaving the score 2-2 at half time. Following a productive team talk from Clarke-Knowles, the school side felt that this game was theirs for the taking. Both teams came out firing for

the second half. Skinners’ won an early short corner which Collins managed to convert with a strong slap to the bottom corner deceiving the keeper. 3-2. This was soon followed by a strong run by captain Clarke-Knowles to fire the ball, on his reverse, across the keeper and into the bottom corner, pushing the score to 4-2. This strong lead left Skinners’ complacent and we quickly lost two easy goals.

Victory snatched in dying minutes With the score tied at 4-4 and only 5 minutes to go it took a strong run from ‘colleague’ Flower to win a short corner. The corner was slickly pulled out. The planned move began to fall into place. However, colleague Flower saw an opportunity to seize victory. Rather than slipping the ball back into the middle to his awaiting teammates, he assumed full responsibility and slid the ball into the bottom right hand corner, to snatch the victory with only minutes on the clock. The final score ended 5 - 4 to Skinners’. Thanks must go to Umpires Watts (Teacher) and Eric Watts (Teacher’s Dad!).

C. Johnson

Coach, player and appreciative reporter

Skinners’ School vs. Old Boys Hockey Match Report - April 2012

If your child already has a Kent Freedom Pass, it will cease to be accepted for travel at the end of August 2012. KCC have advised us that the key dates for renewing, or applying for a pass for the first time, are as follows: Monday 11 June - Applications open for 2012-13 passes - please do NOT apply before then Friday 27 July - In order to have a pass available from the start of term in September, you MUST apply by this date. If your application is not received by KCC by this date, then your pass will NOT be available at school on the first day of term and you WILL have to pay the non-refundable bus fares until the pass is ready. Please remember that applications can take up to 28 working days to be processed. The fees for applying for a Kent Freedom Pass are staying the same for 2012-13: £100 - In academic year 7-11* £50 - In receipt of Free School Meals in academic year 7-11* £0 (free) - A Young Carer or a Young Person in Care or a Care Leaver (please refer to the scheme leaflet or the KFP website for precise definitions) *Children who by age would ordinarily be in year 11, but have been put forward a year into year 12, are also eligible. Like last year, if you are paying the standard fee of £100 you will be able to apply and pay online by credit or debit card and the website will be available from 10am on Monday 11 June 2012. Unlike Free Home to School Transport, the Kent Freedom Pass is a discretionary scheme run by Kent County Council - there is no obligation on the Council to provide the scheme, or to provide it in any particular way. Please therefore read the information leaflet and terms and conditions carefully before applying.

CLUB 2000 UPDATE

Some of you will be aware that at Skinners’ we have our own answer to Lotto – Club 2000

For those of you who do not know about this fund raising venture, here are a few details…………………….…….. Parents and friends of the School sign up, either by way of a bank standing order or annual personal cheque, purchasing “tickets” at the cost of £1 each per month. 50% of the money raised is paid out in prizes, the remaining monies assist with a variety of purchases across the school - purchases that may otherwise not be possible in today’s difficult financial climate. Generally, the first, second and third prizes have been paid out as £225, £75 and £37.50 respectively. There is also an annual accumulator prize drawn at the end of the summer term, usually around £300.

Club 2000 has helped towards the purchase of audio visual equipment, assisted with PCs and printers for

the 6th form and notice boards for displays. It has also made a contribution to the School Development Fund to help with costs associated with the Sports Hall Development. If you would like a monthly chance to win and at the same time support our boys, e-mail me at denise.tourle@skinners-school.org.uk and I will send you registration forms.

Denise Tourle Chairperson, Club 2000

CLUB 2000 WINNERS

March 2012

1st Mr S Yelland £200.00

2nd Mrs F Morgan £100.00

3rd Mrs S Simpson £50.00

April 2012

1st C Morpeth £200.00

2nd S D Wright £100.00

3rd M Gonella £50.00

May 2012

1st B Harrison £200.00

2nd L Smith £100.00

3rd M Mustapha £50.00

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September 2012 1,2 U16 Blundells Rugby Tournament in Devon 3 Pre season rugby training in Biarritz all week 4 Staff Development Day 5 Year 7 & 12 Induction day 6 TERM 1 BEGINS (Week A) 6 Year 13 Ethics Conference pm 10 PA Committee Meeting 7pm 11 Yrs 11-13 Oxbridge Evening 7 – 8pm in School Hall 12 Photographs for new year 7 and year 12 pupils 9 – 10am 13 Drama Workshop in Thomson Theatre 13 Sixth Form Parents’ Welcome Evening – 7pm in Dining Hall 15 125th Celebrations & Sports Hall Opening 17 Year 7 CATS tests in School Hall 19 Yr 10 Art Trip to Marle Place 19 Yr 10 GCSE Information Evening 7pm in Dining Hall 20 Governors Ed & Dev meeting at the school 5.15pm 21 Devon Music tour (yrs 8 & 9) departs 22 Rugby v Whitgift 23 Devon Music Tour returns 27 Independent Learning Conference 27 Yr 11 Art Trip to Marle Place 27 HE Convention in School Hall & Dining Hall 5.30 – 9.00pm 28 Parents’ Association New Parents’ Evening 8pm 28 CCF Cadsam @ Pirbright

October 2012 1 Yr 10 GCSE Drama Workshop (all morning)

2 Careers Visit from Wing Commander Wynn (RAF) 3 Parents’ Meeting – Kirkland Rowell Survey 7pm in School Hall 4 Open Evening 4pm – 8pm 4 6th Form Art Trip to Spain (Until 8th Oct) 5 Staff Development Day 6 CCF to Pippingford Park 7 Rugby vs Colfes 7 Yr 13 trip to Krakow (returning on 9th) 8 Governors Finance & General Planning meeting at Skinners’ Hall 9 Yr 10 Drama Workshop in Cranbrook 11 Year 6 Open Morning 10.30am to 12.00pm 11 Yr 12 trip to the National Theatre ‘Damned by Despair’ 12 U12 Rugby vs Judd 12 PA Junior Disco 7 – 10pm 13 Rugby vs Judd 16 Governing Body meeting at Skinners’ Hall 6pm 18 Yr 6 Open morning 10.30am – 12.00pm 16 CCF Field Day 19 U12 Rugby vs St Olaves 22 Fire Service talks in School Hall 23 Yrs 11, 12 &13 Art Life Classes in School Hall all day 24 Yr 7 Residential Trip (until 26th Oct) 26 Term 1 Ends

TERM 1

Tuesday 4 September Staff Development Day – no pupils

Wednesday 5 September Induction Day - Yr 7, L6 and selected staff

Thursday 6 September Term starts

Friday 5 October Staff Development Day – no pupils

Friday 26 October Term ends

TERM 2

Monday 5 November Term starts

Thursday 20 December Term ends

2013 TERM 3

Monday 7 January Term starts

Wednesday 16 January Staff Development Day – no pupils

Friday 15 February Term ends

TERM 4

Monday 25 February Term starts

Thursday 28 March Term ends

TERM 5

Monday 15 April Term starts

Monday 6 May Bank Holiday – no pupils

Friday 24 May Term ends

TERM 6

Monday 3 June Term starts

Friday 19 July Term ends

Term Dates 2012 – 2013

Stop Press………………………………

And so we end where we began, with the Stop Press of our front page. Sam Hayes from year 9 was nominated and selected to carry the Olympic torch because of his competitive swimming (swimming this year for Kent, Regionals and the Welsh Nationals later this month).

Rob Hardy, an ex- Skinner who returns to us in September as a teacher of science, was nominated by Olympic Champion, Jason Gardener to carry the Olympic Flame . After joining Bristol University in 2007, Rob, who studied Physics, spent countless hours coaching a variety of sports to Bristol school children of various ages. RELAYS and its 13 partner HE institutions in the South West are providing opportunities for students to volunteer. Having students like Robert supporting their work makes a huge difference to what they can achieve.

FEEDBACK on the newsletter is always welcome. DO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

Please feel free to email any comments or suggestions to:

yourvoice@skinners-school.org.uk

For a printer friendly version of this newsletter – click here.

Susan Phyall

Assistant Head

Olympic Torch

Honours for Skinners’

Boys !