The Hall Newspaper Summer 2022 No 22

SUMMER

N E W S PA P E R ISSUE 22. 2022

∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙NEWS
BEYOND THE SCHOOL GATES SCIENCE DRAMA DESIGN TECH SPORT ART ECO-SCHOOLS MUSIC

NEWS BEYOND THE SCHOOL GATES

4 The JS Goes Watery 42 Oxford Libraries Visit
5 Year 1 Underwater 43 Old Operating Theatre Visit
7 Lila and the Secret of Rain 44 Year 3 Teambuilding Day with St Christopher’s
8 Antarctica Day 44 Year 3 Visit London Zoo
10 Grandparents’ Day 45 Reception go to Hampstead Heath
11 Year 3 Bake Sale 45 Year 2 Thames Trip
12 Year 1 Maths Learning 46 Summer Days at Wilf Slack Playing Fields
12 Year 2 Hatch Eggs 48 Year 7 Geography & Science Field Trip to Swanage, Dorset
13 6th Form Society Talk
13 Viking Day 2022 COMPUTING
14 Poetry Reading Competition 2022
14 YMSA Competition 50 Tamagotchi Exhibition
15 Katherine Rundell Visit 52 Living Library Project
16 Leo Suter Visit
16 Public Speaking Competition 2022 DESIGN TECH
17 Platinum Jubilee Celebrations
18 Quiz Club 53 Year 4 Project
18 Chess News 54 Year 4 Homes Project
19 Triathlon Team 2022 55 Year 6 Project
20 Support for Norwood 56 Year 7 Project
21 Harry Potter Week 56 Year 8 Project
29 Summer Activities
CREATIVE WRITING
IN PARTNERSHIP
58 The Hunchback in the Park
31 Primary Schools’ Reading Competition 59 Fisherman
31 The Rosary Primary School Home Room 59 Starry Night
33 Boules & Baguettes Enrichment Event Summer 2022 60 Year 2 Creative Writing
32 Mental Health & Wellbeing (MH&WB) Project
33 Play Therapy ME AND MY...
33 After School Drama Club
33 Roman Culture Workshops 61 ...eFlute Festival
34 Science Teaching Project
34 Games Club ART MUSIC
35 Saturday Club
62 SS & MS Art Exhibition 74 Music School News
ECO-SCHOOLS 63 Year 3 79 Chapel Choir
64 Year 4
36 Walk to School Week 67 Year 5 DRAMA
37 Water Aid Day 69 Year 6
37 Climate Coalition 2022 70 Year 7 80 Rats’ Tales
38 Eco News 72 Year 8
73 Art & Pottery Clubs
SCIENCE
SPORT
39 Sublime Science
40 The Catapult Challenge 84 Sports News Cricket
41 Palaeontology Talk 85 MS & SS Cross Country Race
86 Ski Squad
23 Crossfield Road, London, NW3 4NU 87 Summer Sports
Tel.: +44 (0)20 7722 1700
W: www.hallschool.co.uk EDITOR: Sue Godwin, IMAGES: The Hall School, Becky Mursell
E: [email protected] [email protected] COVER: Benjamin Gu
Registered Charity No. 312722 DESIGN BY: Brigita Butvila,
www.graphicdesigner2b.co.uk Copyright © 2022 The Hall School. All rights reserved. Reproduction in
whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

2

Headmaster’s Address Welcome!

Start of Term Service at St. Peter’s Church
Belsize Park, Friday 9th September 2022

Good morning, students, staff, parents and all members of The Hall community. I begin this Welcome to the Autumn Term to you this morning,
as the country and the world reverberates with the news yesterday of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Despite the Queen’s age and increasing frailty,

we are shocked by her death and still coming to terms with the reality that she has been a constant, steadying presence in the background
of millions of lives for 70 years. In this, our start of year service, we will give thanks for Queen Elizabeth and her exceptional reign,
her deep affection for her people, her lifelong desire to serve the common good, her humility and grace, hard work and dedication.

Looking further back to the summer holidays, I see from your faces In our school community, we have articulated a set of values to guide our
and hear from your chatter around school that many of you and thoughts and behaviours together. We hold dear the values of courage,
your families have spent time in the sunshine, hopefully happy endeavour, community, self discipline and humility at the heart of
times with your families and friends, enjoying the freedoms that have relationships between students, staff and parents, shaping our interactions
been denied to us over recent years due to the global pandemic and all and enabling us all to flourish both within school and beyond.
that ensued. At times of anxiety and pressure it is difficult to be true to our values. Our
world currently has plenty of instances of behaviours that are attached
While our own focus may naturally have been on spending happy times to values at the opposite end of the spectrum from ours; sadly we see too
with our families, enjoying the freedom of the post-lockdown world, it many instances of people who want power over others instead of showing
has nonetheless not been possible to ignore the fact that it has been a kindness and respect for all people; people who value status instead of
summer where on a world scale, conflict, dispute, uncertainty and - at humility; others who value wealth instead of honesty and generosity;
times - suffering have all been very evident. others who show self-indulgence instead of self-control, or revenge
instead of forgiveness.
We have seen clashes of belief, culture and values resulting in various So, as we head off into the new school year together, I want to dwell on
areas and regions of the world remaining dislocated and fractured. Often three particular values and ask you to think about how you can bring your
the youngest and most vulnerable have been most affected and left with daily lives into harmony with them. Perhaps in foccussing on small step
very little hope for the future. The summer also brought some extreme changes in attitude and behaviour, we ourselves can feel empowered
weather conditions; heart-breaking images of the devastation wreaked and emboldened through taking decisions for the good of our immediate
by floods in Pakistan are in the news. family, our classmates, our school and our wider neighbourhood.
First the concept of integrity; please think about how you can demonstrate
Although I want to keep optimistic for our year ahead, it does sometimes honesty and trustworthiness; how you can stand up for what is right; how
seem to me that the world has not moved on much, if at all from that you can appropriately voice your personal moral views; act with fairness
described by Martin Luther King in a sermon in 1957. He analysed the and respect at all times and acting with humility. Every day, in every
‘messed- up’ world that he saw, a description which can perhaps be situation that an opportunity presents itself.
applied to situations in certain parts of the world this summer; Second, please think about taking responsibility in these ways; take
responsibility for your own learning and behaviour; demonstrate care for
“The problem is with man himself and man’s soul. We haven’t learned how others and support them in what they do; acting in accordance with school
to be just and honest and kind and true and loving... Through our scientific expectations; show that you understand your role and duties in the school,
genius we’ve made of the world a neighbourhood, but through our moral and as well as the local community and the wider world. Every day, in every
spiritual genius, we’ve failed to make it a brotherhood.” situation that an opportunity presents itself.
Third, I would ask you to demonstrate endeavour; don’t be lazy, push
It is very hard to understand and ‘work through’ the complexities of yourself to give of your best in all things, continually aspiring to your next
the world we live in. Thankfully, we at The Hall are somewhat immune goal in the classroom and beyond; find motivation to support others in our
from the challenges that many people face around the globe, but can we community as well as for personal fulfilment. Every day, in every situation
understand what is at the heart of such turmoil and conflict and learn for that an opportunity presents itself.
the future? Is it inevitable that people holding different beliefs and values Thank you for your attention. I trust that you have listened and heard my
cannot get along? What can we do in the face of world challenges that are hopes for our school goals and priorities for the year ahead and I wish
out of our control? What small steps can we take in a community such as you all a strong and steady start to this year.
ours to get ready for a life in such a world?
HEADMASTER
I believe that everyone’s journey through this school into adulthood or
the wider world entails prioritising and attaching ourselves to specific
values, as guidelines for shaping our daily decisions and behaviours as
we navigate our way through life. Perhaps it involves understanding how
relationships within our family, within our school and within our wider
society influence and even challenge our values?

WELCOME 3

News

WateryTHE JS GOES StanleySOMEBODY SWALLOWED

Over the Summer Term, all the classes in the JS took on the Reception learnt all about the effects of plastic in our oceans and
collective topic theme of ‘Water’ and transformed the classrooms how important it is to recycle/reuse when we can. Through the story
and corridors of the JS into wonderful water themed environments 'Somebody Swallowed Stanley,' the children learned about Stanley,

that caused quite a splash with the boys! a red and white striped plastic bag, which gets lost in the sea. All
sorts of creatures swallow
him, including a whale which
later blows him out through
her spout. A seagull with a
sharp yellow beak takes him
up to the sky flapping and
squawking. He gets ripped
up and sinks to the bottom

of the sea. …scared, he
eventually washes up on the
shore and lies on the beach …

After a while he hears the
footsteps of a kind boy

who tugs Stanley free and
using a rope and branch he
makes something new out
of Stanley, safe from the sea
and all the creatures below.
He recycles Stanley into a

kite!

4

UndYEerAwRa1ter

In late May, Year 1 classes took to the stage
for their “Underwater” class assemblies.
1M gave a comprehensive, rhyming guide to the creatures we
might find in the different zones of the ocean, while 1C gave
a beautiful recount of the story of The Rainbow Fish and the
wonderful feeling inside that sharing with others gives us.
1L delivered a delightful assembly focusing on lighthouses.
All the assemblies highlighted what confident little
performers Year 1s have become, all ready for Year 2.

NEWS 5

As well as producing some wonderful dioramas and art work related to the sea, the
Year 1s enjoyed making some highly imaginative topic books.

6

Jack Van Clarke

SLecilraetaonfdRtahien

As part of the theme focus upon Water, Year 2 enjoyed the
story of "Lila and the Secret of Rain" written by David Conway

and illustrated by Jude Daly.

The story reveals how the sun has burned down on Lila's Kenyan
village for months and months. It is too hot to gather firewood, too hot
to weed the garden, even too hot to milk the cow. Without rain the well

will run dry and the crops will fail. Lila is so worried that when her
grandfather whispers to her the secret of rain, she decides to go and
talk to the sky herself. Year 2 boys were challenged to write their own

ending to the story…

My End to the Story of
‘LILA AND THE SECRET OF RAIN’

Francisco Benzinho

When Lila reached the immeasurable mountain, Lila started to climb the mountain
sulkily because Lila was tired. The higher Lila climbed the hotter she was. Then Lila

finally reached the top and using staff her grandfather gave her, she snapped it
in half. On one side of the staff there was a hole. The sky said to find a royal blue
crystal in the sand. Lila dug deeper and suddenly something went clang and it was
the crystal. She put it in the place, and she gave it to the sky. Then it started to
pour for the whole year. The village was very joyful, and they drank litres of water.

The villagers were happy and so was the sky.

NEWS 7

Antarctica
DAY

8

NEWS 9

Grandparents,
DAY

In mid-June, our Reception boys hosted their grandparents at Wilf Slack for
Grandparents’ Day. Relatives travelled from all over the world to attend the event

coming from as far away as Chicago, Kenya and even Siberia.
They were greeted with some accomplished violin playing from Oliver (3P) and flute playing

from Daniel (3M). It was a wonderful afternoon; the boys delighted in performing poems
and songs for their grandparents before playing some
lawn games and tucking into a fabulous afternoon tea.

An afternoon full of memories to be cherished by all who
attended. A huge thank you to the Reception team for the

huge lengths they went
to, ensuring it was an
event to remember.

10

BakeYEAR 3
SALE
Kevin Dobson

In mid May, it seemed as though there was a never-ending supply of
mouth-watering cakes appearing in the JS that even Mary Berry would

have been proud of!

The Year 3s sold cakes to all year groups and then to parents and
families at the end of the school day. Once counted up, it was known

that the boys had raised an unbelievable, an incredible £800. This
amount was shared between Choose Love, a charity to support refugees

and displaced people and our partnership charity St John’s Hospice.
Fantastic work Year 3!

NEWS 11

MathsYELARe1arning HatYEcAhRE2ggs

Year 1 had some fun exploring with a range of non-standard At the end of April, it was exciting for the Year 2s to observe
units such as hand spans, finger spaces, blocks and feet to eggs, incubated over a two-week period, hatch into chicks.
become familiar with the concept of measuring classroom
items (including Mrs Mendoza!) and reinforcing concepts of ‘Chick cam’ was in place for everyone to experience the
comparative measures, such as heavier, lighter, longer, shorter, hatching of 10 fluffy chicks, with us for 10 days.
etc. before going on to begin to master the skill of accurate
HAVING THE CHICKS WAS REALLY FUN.
measurement and converting units of measurement. WHEN WE HAD THEM ON THE CARPET, WE
GOT TO PICK THEM UP BY OURSELVES.
SEEING THEM PIPPING THEIR WAY OUT WAS ALSO
FUN. WHEN THEY GREW, LITTLE WINGS CAME OUT
AND THEY COULD HOP ABOUT FOR A FEW SECONDS!
IT WAS REALLY EXCITING HAVING THEM IN CLASS.

12

6th Form Society Talk
JAMES BULGIN

We were delighted to welcome James Bulgin to the school in
March, to speak to the Sixth Form Society,
following Holocaust Memorial Day.

James was the guiding force behind the
new Holocaust Galleries at the Imperial

War Museum which opened in early
2022 and he spoke to the Year 8s about

how he put together such a project
and how it came to fruition. It was an
excellent opportunity for the students
to gain an insight into the workings of
the Imperial War Museum and to see

what it takes to lead such a project.

Viking Day2022

History Off the Page came to lead the Year 4s back in time to
the year 878. The Vikings under King Guthrum have taken over
England and the Anglo Saxon King Alfred has gone into hiding

and wants his kingdom back. Which side will prevail?

As Vikings, Year 4s time-travelled back into the midst of the
action as rumours swirl of the coming battle between Alfred and

Guthrum. They took on everyday tasks in a 9th century village,
including weaving, pottery, metal working and candlemaking.

NEWS 13

Poetry Reading YMSA

The JS Poetry Week was held in mid May, in which JS boys spent a fortnight practising Michael Asimacopoulos
and performing their poems to their classmates. The chosen poem recitals from each
class competed in mid-May in front of a packed JS Hall and Mr Pinkus, who was there “Maths is my favourite subject at school and I had just
been learning about triangles and angles. I also have
to judge a winner from each year group.
always liked pirates and treasure maps so writing
The MS & SS Poetry Reading Finals were later, in June, held in the MS Hall to an this story was the perfect way to combine all these
audience of parents and kindly adjudicated by Ms McLachlan. Class winners / finalists ideas! I really enjoyed writing and illustrating this
mathematical picture book because it allowed me to
and overall winners are shown in bold below. Very well done to everyone! show my love for maths and creative writing at the
same time. I think the YMSA competition is a brilliant
RECEPTION YEAR 3 idea to encourage students from around the world to
Benjamin Tombs (RE) Charlie Joye (3B)
Persie Ashrafian (RL) Evren Yildiz (3M) explore maths in a fun and imaginative way”.
Johannes Soquar (RS) Finlay Hutchings (3P)

YEAR 1 YEAR 4
Leo Leung (1M) Silas Fraiser (4C) – ‘Sick’, by Shel Silverstein
Leo Presley (1C) Rafi Zorza (4C) – ‘Popcorn’, by Evaleen Stein
Michael Green (1L) Rayaan Jan (4D) – ‘Popcorn’, by Evaleen Stein
Jack Utting (4D) – ‘Little Red Riding Hood’,
YEAR 2
Shay Khowala (2M) by Roald Dahl
Isaac Dean (4E) – ‘Forgiven’, by A.A. Milne
Natty Oates(2B) Kasra Rahmani (4E) – ‘Smart’, by Shel Silverstein
Niam Shah (2T)

YEAR 5
Ben Chen (5S) – ‘Fishbones Dreaming’, by Matthew Sweeney

Dylan Shorthouse (5P) - 'ABC', by Spike Milligan
Cyrus Sarikhani (5N) – ‘Green Man in the Garden’, by Charles Causley

YEAR 6

Tomas Demiguel-Perez (6D) – ‘Sick’, by Shel Silverstein
Christian Lonberg (6P) – ‘Jabberwocky’, by Lewis Carroll

Laith Mason (6L) – ‘The Tyger’, by William Blake

Year 7
Elliot Bloch (7S) – ‘On a Ruined Farm near the His Master's Voice

Gramophone Factory’, by George Orwell
Benjamin Moser (7C) – ‘Lady of Shalott’, by Alfred Tennyson

Sam Saron (7G) – ‘The Cats Will Know’, by Cesare Pavese

YEAR 8
Rokeby Crichton-Brown (8W) – ‘Oh Captain! My Captain!’, by Walt Whitman

Finlay Schelin (8E) – ‘The Hippopotamus’, by T.S. Eliot
Ned Van Steenis (8N) – ‘The Skylark’, by John Clare
William Gentle (8S) – ‘Why English Is Hard To Learn’, by James Donovan

14

Christian Lonberg Katherine Rundell
VISIT
On the 6th of May, English author Katherine Rundell came
to visit us here at the Hall school. Katherine Rundell is Freddie Osborne
the author of many award-winning books. For example,
her novel Rooftoppers, which in 2015 won both the overall Katherine Rundell gave a spellbinding talk about many of her
Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book recent novels, focusing on how she takes real-life experiences and
Award for Best Story and another novel, The Explorer, won the transforms them into fiction. The stories she told were so vivid and
2017 Costa Children’s Book Award. fascinating that I’d like to share some of them with you.

It was fascinating to hear from such a coveted author as Katherine Katherine Rundell began by speaking about her best-selling book in the
Rundell. What I found most interesting was that she always UK, The Explorer. She described a scene where Fred (the main character)
researched anything she did to add in what she called “Urgently swims next to a pod of pink, Amazon River dolphins. She then explained
true details.” For example, when she wrote The Explorer, she how in her own adventures in the Amazon, researching the book, a pod of
went to the Amazon to research everything that the characters in river dolphins came up to her boat. This moment stuck in her brain and
her book were doing, feeling and eating. (She once ate a rat just was of course included in her book later. She also revealed that she tested
to write about it.) Normally, we boys just skip over these minute and has tasted every single food in her books, except for one. This was
details when we are writing, so it was great to hear, not just from the tarantula in The Explorer. Katherine Rundell could never quite bring
our teachers, but from an author that these “Urgently true details” herself to eat one of those things (and frankly, I don’t blame her) so she
really matter. asked local children about the taste (they said it was a bit like fish) and put
that description into her book. A few years on, some of her fans persuaded
Not only this, but we understood the process of writing a book. It her to try tarantula. She managed to buy a tin of it and prepared herself
takes her about two years to write her books and half of that is just for the taste. It was, apparently, disgusting but as it was tinned, she felt the
research. She also writes about 17 drafts before her final draft is description of the fresh tarantula eaten by the children in the book could
stay as it was.
published which shows real
interest and determination. Katherine Rundell then revealed the idea behind another of her books,
(It also turns out that the Rooftoppers, that about children living on the rooftops of Paris. The book
first draft of the book was sparked when she found a beer bottle on the rooftop of her college
Matilda by Roald Dahl, in Oxford. This made the ‘what if?’ question that she says is needed
made Matilda very mean for a story. What if people lived on the rooftops of Paris? This exciting
and rude. An extremely concept was (after some digging by Katherine Rundell) defused when she
contrasting character to discovered that a builder had simply left it there, but this didn’t matter
the Matilda we all know because ultimately, she was left with the brilliant idea for her book.
today.)
Finally, Katherine Rundell talked about The Good Thieves (my personal
Overall, it was a wonderful favourite), and about her team of heisters in the book, each with their
experience to hear from own ‘skill’ to help the overall team. For instance, the main character, Vita,
Katherine Rundell. We very spends a lot of time in bed due to her polio, and during this time has got
much look forward to next good at throwing things, her skill in the team. Katherine Rundell read an
year’s author visit to The extract from this book, where a raven helps break somebody out of prison,
Hall and to hearing more thus proving the animal’s worth in the team.
about what it is to be a
writer. In the last ten minutes of her talk, Katherine Rundell gave a kind of
masterclass in how to write a story. First, you have to think up the
characters, the setting, the ‘what if question,’ and the first sentence. We all
created a story with her featuring a blind character and a musical character
alone in a haunted house. It was an exciting end to a talk which I thoroughly
enjoyed.

NEWS 15

Leo Suter Do you recognise the student on the left?
VISIT (Clue: he is now a teacher in the SS!)

In the Spring Term, the MS students enjoyed a talk
from Hall alumnus, Leo Suter. He spoke about his

acting career and recent work on the historical
drama @NetflixValhalla.

YEAR 4: Public Speaking
Sam Coren (4D) - We should stop eating beef
James Fishman (4C) - Hawaiian pizzas should be banned COMPETITION FINAL
Oscar Thing (4E) - We should have a four day week 2022

YEAR 5: This year's Public Speaking Competition final took place in the
Luca Buraschi (5P) - Why we should be allowed MS Hall on 23 March. Open to all students in Years 4 to 8, the
finalists delivered a 2-3 minute speech on a subject of their
to have Pokémon cards in school
Oliver Samuels (5N) - Soup is not a food! own choice, to the invited parent audience.
Ethan Vincent (5S) - We Need a Safer London
What a lively range of topics they selected to entertain us!
YEAR 6: Caroline Gill, Head of Year 9 and Politics teacher at St Paul’s,
James Hassan (6D) - Clowns are Evil
Noah Hutchings (6L) - Ban Animal Testing who kindly adjudicated the competition, expressed her
Christian Lonberg (6P) - The Conservative Party admiration of the high standard achieved by all finalists.

should be Banned The winners are highlighted below in bold:

YEAR 7:
Benjamin Gu (7G) - The Importance of Resilience
Vansh Rathi (7C) - The Importance of School Discos
Ladi Sodeinde (7S) - Gambling should be banned in the UK

YEAR 8:
Shiv Ahluwalia (8W) - Make Nepotism Illegal

Alex Noonan (8S) - Mandatory Meatless
Mondays are Meaningless

Albert Sparks (8N) - Nuclear fusion is the
future of Global Energy

Cassius Yechiel (8E) - The Power of Words

16

Platinum Jubilee

CELEBRATIONS

On 2nd June, 1953, one year and four months after becoming Just a few days before, Mr Soskic had celebrated in style the
Queen in February, 1952, Queen Elizabeth II was driven opening of the central section of the Elizabeth Line. This ground-
past The Hall on her coronation day. The whole school breaking new route appears on the iconic Tube map as a double
stood in Buckland Crescent outside the Head Master’s house to purple line rather than a solid line to differentiate the Elizabeth
cheer and wish her well. line as a new railway as opposed to a London Underground line.

This year on 2nd June we held ‘street parties’ in the JS and in the
Yard, in celebration of Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne. The
JS boys wore their very own crowns, whilst in glorious sunshine
we chatted and ate ice creams. A commemorative mug has been
designed for all students and teachers to remind us of this special
Platinum Jubilee celebration.

NEWS 17

Q uiz CLUB At one point early in the competition Team 5 was second overall
but they finished with the highest placing among our teams in a
The six teams below took part in the Quiz Club General respectable 12th place with an impressive score of 1630 points out
Knowledge Semi-Final in early March with all performing of 2000. Team 1 came in 17th place with 1565 points, Team 4 were
really well in a hard-fought competition involving 61 teams 23rd with 1465 points. All three of these teams have qualified for the
from around the country. final which takes place in London at the end of June. Team 2 was
47th with 1290 points, Team 6 were 51st with 1225 points and Team 3
TEAM 1 Hugo Thompson, Freddie Lee, Ronak Bansal, Leo were 52nd with 1215.
Alhadeff
TEAM 2 Leo Vulcano, Rufus Jewell, Misha Prosyankin, Finals Euston Monday 4th July.
Finlay Tyler Three Hall teams attended the Quiz Club Finals at Euston, a
TEAM 3 Arun Burman, Daniel Valeev, Tim Crothers, Savva highly competitive event with 30 teams taking part. Our students
Gorelik performed well with the team of Max Mast, Bertie Duralski Cross,
TEAM 4 Isaac Magid, Milo McCluskey, Oliver Holmes, Jack Atticus Stowe & Daniel Sprake finishing highest of our three teams
Bunn in 12th with 1505 points. They were as high as 4th in the early stages
TEAM 5 Max Mast, Bertie Duralski Cross, Atticus Stowe, of the competition. The winners scored 1740 points.
Daniel Sprake
TEAM 6 Alexandre Raynal, Jonah McNamara, Loucas Hugo Thompson, Freddie Lee, Ronak Bansal & Nihil Gill came
Katsoulis, Nihal Gill 18th with 1390 points.
Isaac Magid, Milo McCluskey, Oliver Holmes & Finlay Tyler came
22nd with 1310 points.

Congratulations to
all on some very good
performances throughout
the competitions and for
making the most of this
opportunity to represent
the school. Many thanks
to Mr Grant for managing
the administration and
logistics of the Quiz Club
this year and to Mr Lloyd
for attending the event in
Euston.

Angela Eyton (Year 3) and Shay Khowala and
Hugo James (Year 2). Congratulations on your certificates!
JUNIOR SCHOOL CHESS The online Junior Four Nations League went well this year. We
had three teams competing every other Thursday. Our top team
In March, the Barnet teams played in the Southern Zone of the was promoted to Division 1 this summer and the Division 3 and
National Association Team Championships, finishing in 1st and Division 4 teams both won their matches.
6th place.

Junior School students taking part were Sebastian Hansjee
(Year 4), Theo Litvin, Alfie Hall, Sebastian Hodges and Gus Kanarek

18

THE HALL U11 TEAM AT THE NATIONAL SCHOOLS meant we finished in a close 4th place (just 1.5 points from 2nd).
FINALS
We are very proud of the boys' team spirit and tremendous effort,
The National Schools Championship took place in a it really was outstanding to reach the Finals of a Year 6 competition
reduced capacity this year with only one team at U11 and with only 2 out of 6
U9 permitted to attend face to face. The Hall participated players actually in
in teams of 6 players, competing for the two places available for Year 6.
qualification to the Finals.
Many thanks to
In July, the top eight schools in the country met at Daventry Angela Eyton and
Court Hotel in Northamptonshire to compete in seven long the parents for
games of chess over two days. their support to
the chess teams
The first day ended with The Hall in 1st place and leading the throughout the
group. The second day was tougher, playing against many England year.
International team members. A heavy defeat in the last round

Triathlon Team stopping en route for a quick
2022 coffee break in the idyllic
surroundings of Thame
The Hall Triathlon Team participated again, in May 2022, at Cricket Club.
the Blenheim Palace Triathlon at the beginning of the half
term week. With lots of ‘new’ triathletes
in the Tri Team, including some from
In near-perfect cycling conditions, the Tour de Godwin cyclists amongst Hall staff members, the team
also braved the 112km distance from NW3 to the Palace again, numbered over thirty five! All that
gruelling training over the long Winter
months and into the Spring paid off, with
all triathletes completing the course without injury or mishap, to
raise over £45k for Cure EB, a local charity supporting research
into a debilitating skin disease.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for your amazing
commitment!

NEWS 19

SUPPORT FOR

In the Summer Term, 8N worked with the charity Norwood,
a Jewish charity which supports and cares for people with
learning disabilities and/or autism. In the residential homes
run by Norwood, the residents all have quite severe physical and
educational disabilities and they are all non-verbal communicators.
8N’s fundraising ideas were plentiful, ranging from offering peers in
the MS and SS the opportunity to wear either red or purple clothing
(the colours of the Norwood logo) for a donation of £2 to support the
charity, to setting up a ‘Benefit Bakery' selling goods
in the yard during break times, to organising games of
chess and a book sale in the Pit. Several raffles were
held and the Speed Spinner was in action in the Yard
too. The students even designed and sold their own Year
8 Leavers mugs.
In July, 8N went to a Norwood home in North London to
help refurbish their garden using money raised by the
group over the previous weeks. They tackled the weeds
and tidied up as well as undertaking some planting and
made the garden more inviting for the residents living
there, who are mostly wheelchair bound.
Thank you to Mr. Grant for his support of this
initiative.

20

Harry Potter
week

Matthew Valentin

During the week of the 1st of March, we had Harry Potter week. It was full of
exceptional activities and cross-curriculum subjects. It was fantastic!

Each of the four houses were allocated a Harry Potter house The rest of the week’s highlights for
by the famous Sorting Hat. Green house (my house) was me were, firstly, English where we
chosen as Hufflepuff, Blue House was Slytherin, Purple either wrote a fact file about your
House was Gryffindor and Orange House was Ravenclaw. own unique creature which you made
up, or a story using your creature as
On Monday, we went to assembly as usual and were taken by the leading character. I did a fact file
surprise to see lots of the teachers dressed up as Harry Potter on, the one, the only... Banana Griff!
characters. My favourite was Mr Gordon as Hagrid (but well done Secondly, games in
to all the other teachers too!). which we played
My highlights of Monday were, firstly, the Harry Potter themed Quidditch. I know
that this may sound
Latin lesson in which we learned the a bit weird as we do
meanings of the spells as they originated not usually play sport
from Latin. Did you know that confundo is on a broomstick, but
from the Latin confundus, which means to the sports team did a
confuse? Thank you to Mr Grant. Secondly, spectacular effort in
Art where we drew our own mythical recreating it. They did
creatures from Fantastic Beasts and Where to this by hanging two hula
Find Them. hoops around the top
of the hockey goals and
using an element of 4D
rugby.
4D rugby is not Miss Duncan’s class playing rugby, but rugby
played in a way that if you have the ball then you must not move,
however you can pass the ball in any direction. To score points you
must either, for three points, throw the ball into one of the two
hoops or, for one point, throw the ball into the hockey goal. This
proved to be quite difficult as there was a goalkeeper with a flag

NEWS 21

guarding the goal and is therefore why we played with two balls to During the seventh week of the
attack at a faster rate. spring term, The Senior and
Thirdly, Maths. In Maths we learnt how to draw a to scale map. To use Middle School were delighted
the Harry Potter theme, we drew our very own maps of somewhere in to have a Harry Potter-themed week. NIKOLAS
the magical world of Harry Potter. I drew The Quidditch Pitch which The week had a magical start! Walking HORVAT
was quite popular in my class. To ensure that we became familiar into the Middle School Hall, or should
with the precise art of drawing scale maps we started by drawing
and measuring somewhere we knew very well. The most interesting we say, Great Hall, we were greeted
choice of place to draw and measure was Wilf Slack which did, over
time, prove to be difficult. by Mr Gordon, who was dressed up

Fourthly, TPR or Theology, Philosophy, Religion. as Hagrid. Walking into the Hall filled
In TPR we had some relaxation time
where we got to colour in something our ears with the traditional piece of
to do with Harry Potter or witches,
wizards and magic. Perfect for a Hedwig’s Theme, a classic in the Harry Potter series. When we sat
Friday before lunch!
down, we were greeted by Mr Godwin, or should we say, Professor

Dumbledore. He wisely spoke to us, announcing what events would

happen throughout the week. Mr Godwin would tell us that our

lessons would be Harry Potter-themed.

For example, throughout the week, the Year 8's would create
Harry Potter-themed revision booklets. We would soon learn our
Hogwarts themed Houses towards the end of the assembly. For
example, Blue House would be the infamous Slytherin. Their Head
of House would be the malignant Severus Snape, whom Mr Perry
Parks improvised. Green House would become Hufflepuff, and their
Head of House, Professor Sprout, whom Miss Rocha Pope acted.
The rest of the houses would be Blue, in the famous Gryffindor
house. The mighty orange, however, would be Ravenclaw.

After assembly, we would go to our first lessons. I can say that all
the students enjoyed their magical lessons. Throughout the week,
we would have Harry Potter themed lunches and even a unique
mufti themed day on Friday. However, leading up to the mufti day,
the four houses would have to earn their way to glory. At the end
of the week, Mr Godwin would announce the house competition
winners. The one that gets the most points, or credits by the end
of the week, would win the competition. In the end, Ravenclaw
would win, who was Orange House. The boys enjoyed the house
competition immensely because the tension between the houses
was excellent. The boys were meticulous with their endeavours.
They would learn that some actions may be severe. However, their
triumphs would impact their house significantly, in such a positive
way. Students would make their wands throughout the week in
Design and Technology. They would be able to make their design
with the help of Miss Austin. Another Harry Potter themed lesson
that the students enjoyed was when the Year 8's, created a map
that showed all the Harry Potter film locations.

Today would be one of the most memorable days at the Hall for
everyone! However, the highlight of the week, without a doubt, was
Friday's Harry Potter themed mufti and lunch. As students walked
into the school that morning, there was an aroma of magic in the
air. Students walked into the school wearing robes and holding
their wands. It was fascinating seeing how much effort the students

put into their costumes. Walking into the assembly, we
would be greeted by the cheerful Hedwig's Theme.
During the assembly, we would reflect on the
week. Today was all about Harry Potter. Joyful
memories spilt into our minds. The spirits
were high towards the end of the day; the
weekend was near. However, as the week
came to an end, the students would reflect
on all the incredible memories they would
have experienced during the week.

22

Finally, DT or design-technology.
In DT, those in the Year 5 class
made wands using flashing
L.E.Ds and some special paint
which caused a faint glittering
effect. Awesome!

These activities that I have
just mentioned are only a few
of the many cross-curricular lessons that the teachers put lots
of their spare time into preparing so that we could have a really
fulfilling and eventful week. To summarise: drama, geography,
history, French, science, music and computing were all as carefully
planned and as exciting as English, maths, art, TPR and DT.

Over the period when Harry Potter week was going on, Mel and
her lunch team did a wonderful job in providing us all with Harry
Potter themed food. In my opinion, the best main course that was
served that week was the cottage pie. The best desert was the No-
bake butterbeer cookies. Thank you Mel and team! You are the best.
On Friday, the last day of Harry Potter week, we had a school mufti
where you could dress up as a character from Harry Potter or dress
up in your Harry Potter house colours. Yellow for Hufflepuff, green
for Slytherin, blue for Ravenclaw and red for Gryffindor. As I looked
around, I saw a lot of Harry Potters, a few Dracos and some people

wearing their Harry
Potter house colour.
Friday was 100% the best
day of Harry Potter week.

Overall, I thought that
Harry Potter week was
probably the best week
of my Hall School life!

NEWS 23

YEAR
4

24

YEAR
5

NEWS 25

YEAR
6

26

YEAR
7

NEWS 27

YEAR
8

28

SUMMER
ACTIVITIES

NEWS 29

30

In Partnership

PRIMARY SCHOOLS’
READING COMPETITION

It was exciting that the inaugural Hall inter-schools Reading Competition
Finals took place in the Summer Term, held at Edith Neville Primary.

The Finalists were top readers from three of our partnership primary
schools, selected by their peers and teachers to represent their

school in the event, following hours of reading and rehearsal over the
academic year, led by each school’s Literacy Co-ordinator. This hard
work and practice culminated in a friendly competition led by The Hall’s
Mr Pinkus, Head of English and jointly adjudicated with Dr. Luckhurst,
our Librarian. The enticement of a special trophy, kindly donated by
The Mercers, meant there was a palpable competitive edge to the

event! Congratulations to the Rosary Primary School
on being the winners of this year’s competition!

THE ROSARY PRIMARY SCHOOL IKEA - TERTIAL £9 x 3 MDF/ ply shelving on sandhult brackets DAALS - £320
HOME ROOM Blackboard paint above desk Cut to fit walls - full length and full height
IKEA - KALLAX £129 Painted to cover
Work started in February 2022 at The Rosary Primary School in Belsize Fixed unit
Park, on re-modelling a former classroom into a more ‘home-like’ room to house computer IKEA - Sandhult £3 HABITAT - £575
to be used for therapeutic cooking, pottery and gardening sessions with to control the monitor
children and for parent support groups, counselling and workshops. This IKEA - Pinnarp £150 Sheer curtain IKEA - Gladom- £19
development was enabled due to funding raised by Hall parents and Sheer curtain
through the Winter 2021 Hall Cycling Team sponsored ride. HABITAT - £201

Reconstruction of part of the classroom and the installation of AMAZON - cushions x 8 £60? Magnetic paint for pinup board WAYFAIR - £33
kitchen equipment hit several barriers (including ongoing IKEA - Småstad £65 x 5
Cushion to top approx £20 x 5 Painted MDF/ ply shelves
absence of maintenance staff due to Covid), but in May 2022 with greenery
the new furniture and resources were delivered and the room
WAYFAIR - lamp on adjustable
was officially opened in a low-key ceremony to mark the cord
occasion.
Preloved circular table - GUMTREE? HABITAT - £160 a pair
Huge thank you to everyone who supported this venture. x 3-4 pairs

WAYfair- £180
240 x 300cm

IKEA - Savedal cupboard £76 MDF/ ply shelving
Cut to fit walls (alcove)
Painted to cover

HOME ROOM

The Rosary Catholic School

Sheer curtain pair - 300cm ca £60 x 2 IKEA - Pinnarp £150 x 2 IKEA - Savedal £30 x 4 + sidepanel
+ curtain rail ca £30 x 2

IKEA - Tenhult £20

IN PARTNERSHIP 31

BOULES & BAGUETTES ENRICHMENT
EVENT SUMMER 2022

In-school teaching continued over the Spring and Summer Terms with Hall
teachers delivering weekly French lessons at Fitzjohn's and Christchurch

Primary schools for Years 4 – 6 students.

The year culminated in a fun morning, in spite of the rain, full of French
enrichment activities for sixty Year 5 and 6 students from Fitzjohn’s and Christ
Church primary schools, held at the Wilf Slack Playing Fields at the end of June.
Led by The Hall French Department and several fluent Year 8 students, coaches

brought the students to the fields for games of boules, a quiz conducted in
French and some construction activities of famous French landmarks. Students
were put into mixed teams, so that everyone made new friends and practised
their language skills. There then followed a Mrs Casey special – a sandwich lunch
of ‘baguettes’ which the students could make up themselves (to practise using

new vocabulary) and a variety of flavoured ‘glaces’.

Huge thanks to Mme Davies, Mme Parks and Mme Garnier for their
skillful planning and enthusiasm!

MENTAL HEALTH As part of the Hall’s MH&WB Project, funded by The Mercers, the focus has been on
& WELLBEING implementing a Resilience course for young primary school children devised by an
(MH&WB) organisation called iheart (Innate Health Education and Resilience Training). The course
is both educational and preventative, aiming to support young people to improve their
PROJECT lives in the areas of mental health, resilience and wellbeing, behaviour, motivation in life,

and managing relationships.

An external facilitator delivered the course at Fitzjohn's Primary through the Spring
Term 2022 for thirty Year 6 students and then, once qualified as a facilitator, the Hall’s
MH&WB project lead was able to provide the 10-session course to thirty Year 6 students
in Edith Neville Primary school over the summer term as they prepared to transition

to their secondary schools in September 2022. It is planned that this course will roll
out across our other partnership schools free of charge from the Autumn 2022 for the

duration of the partnership MH&WB project.

32

PLAY THERAPY AFTER SCHOOL DRAMA CLUB

Edith Neville Primary School was the venue for a An After School Drama Club was run at The
term’s Art Therapy sessions (including Clay Therapy) Winch by The Hall’s Community Partnerships
Manager over the Autumn 2021 and part of the Spring 2022
delivered to a small group of Afghan Refugee Terms, culminating in a performance for the students’ parents
students and Ukrainian children (Years 3-5) by Hall
held in The Cooper Hall.
teachers over the Summer Term 2022.

ROMAN CULTURE WORKSHOPS

Mr Grant and a team of Year 8 classicists headed down on
the bus to Richard Cobden Primary School in Camden and
up to the Rosary Primary School in Belsize Park to share a
day of activities relating to Roman history with classes of

Year 6 students.

To start with, the Year 8s presented some pieces of drama
for the Year 6s to set the scene and share some interesting

facts about the culture and lifestyles of the Romans,
including the importance of their gods.

The Year 6s particularly enjoyed the hands-on sessions
involving writing secret messages in Latin cursive script,

and making mosaics using small tiles. Our Year 8 boys
really enjoyed their day and learned much themselves from

working with younger students.

IN PARTNERSHIP 33

SCIENCE GAMES CLUB
TEACHING
PROJECT An early morning Games Club ran at The Rosary
and Edith Neville primary schools over 6 half
The Hall Science Project lead continued to provide support for
a number of partnership schools throughout this academic year. terms across the whole academic year, led by Mr
Mavroudis of The Hall every Thursday morning
Schemes of work for Year 4 and Year 5 National Curriculum
topics were devised, some supportive team teaching happened before school for 15 different boys and girls each
as time allowed, several teacher CPD sessions were offered at half term.
The Hall to partnership school Science Leads and most fun of all,
we welcomed visits of Year 4 pupils to The Hall laboratories for In the Autumn term, friendly football enrichment
enrichment afternoons of Chemistry and Physics experiments. sessions culminated in games with Year 3 Hall
Huge thanks go to the whole Science department for the time boys held at Wilf Slack Playing Fields. Then,
during the Winter Term, Mr
and effort put into organising these in-lab sessions. Mavroudis delivered weekly Rugby
training sessions at Edith Neville,
We have also been systematically developing Science 'libraries' every Thursday.  
based at The Hall, that are intended for sharing across the
partnership schools, to include schemes of work and lesson "Working with Edith Neville
plans that mix suitably-pitched theory material comprising was an absolute pleasure. The
PowerPoints and worksheets with experiments, details of children were a joy to work with
and were highly receptive to the
‘kitchen science’ type experiments for delivery in classroom as introduction of a new sport for
well as new actual physical equipment for loan.
them: Rugby!  

Every child had a ball each and the focus was
to ensure high contact time with the ball and
a general understanding of
the game. We trained once a
week, covering a wide range
of Rugby skills, scoring tries,
passing and catching the
ball. We discussed in detail
the importance of technique,
body position and footwork.  

Since all the participant
children displayed a keen
interest in the sport, the
standard was high and this made for some
interesting, competitive matches. It was great
to see the children trying to implement the
skills we had practiced and game management

we had discussed, in the small-
sided games. We had a thoroughly
enjoyable Winter Term of Rugby; the
children at Edith Neville should be
proud of the effort and commitment

applied by all. 

A huge thank you to Edith
Neville for being fantastic hosts, we
will hopefully see you again soon!”

Alexi Mavroudis

34

Saturday Club students enjoyed the continuation of the established courses in Oracy, Saturday
Maths, Science and Photography over the Spring and Summer Terms this year.

In the Photography THE HALL SCHOOL
course, Year 5s began
Exceptional learning, distinctive lives

putting their portfolios

together in application

for the Arts Award. The

wonderful opportunity not

only to work with artist and

photographer Debbi Clark from the Hubert von Herkomer

foundation, but also to share their work with an invited

audience at an exhibition in the Alon Zakaim Fine Art Gallery,

was enjoyed by students and families alike.

Science in the laboratories continues to develop the The Presentation and Debate sessions furthered the students’
students’ specialist knowledge and skills, as they work self confidence and oracy abilities in speaking to an audience,
towards the Crest Awards. while the project based Maths course supports students to
apply maths ideas and concepts in real-life situations. In the
Alexi Mavroudis summer a session was also held in the Computing suite, in
which students tried out some new
software that we hope will equip
them for a new venture that is
going to be offered to the students
as they progress into the Year 6
Enterprise Project beginning in
September.

IN PARTNERSHIP 35

ECO-Schools

ECO

COMMITTEE

NEWS

Chloe Taylor So, every day in the selected week, the Eco reps in each class tallied
how their peers travelled to school. At the end of the week the
Walk to School 'greenest' year group was announced, their prize being the award
WEEK of a ‘wear green day' at the end of the on Friday 27th May.'

In our Eco-School Action Plan, we have made it a priority to cut Congratulations to Green house for topping the charts
air pollution, alleviate congestion and provide a safer walking this time round!
environment for our school community.

Walk to School Week was in May this year, promoted by the Eco
Committee in assemblies across the school, in which all students
were encouraged to travel sustainably to school every day.

It was highlighted by the Committee members that not only does
walking to school improve the air quality but is a great way for us
to build more exercise into their daily lives, helping us to arrive to
school healthier, happier, and ready to learn. Walking to school is a
very real way in which we can have a positive impact on the world
around us, just through making small changes to our daily lives.

36

Water AidDAY

In March. members of our Eco team presented an
assembly about World Water Day to raise awareness
about some of the issues faced by global communities
in which many children and families around the world
do not have access to clean water, decent toilets, and

good hygiene. 

Later, the JS boys came to school dressed in blue
clothing to raise money for Water Aid and had the chance

to take part in some fun World Water Day activties.

Climate Coalition2022

This February, we showed we truly are a school of green hearts by joining the
Climate Coalition in their #TheFightThatUnites campaign. In our aim to encourage
policy makers to protect our planet from the worst impacts of climate change, we

wanted to send a powerful message to those in power that we want to see a
greener, safer future for generations to come.

The Eco Committee encouraged the school to dress in green and ‘show the love’
with their green hearts. The hope was, from local community groups to schools to
churches, people from all walks of life can use the power of green hearts to show
decision makers that we want to see urgent and decisive action to tackle climate

change for our families, homes and livelihoods.

ECO-SCHOOLS 37

Eco

NEWS

Huw Scourfield

Late February saw the JS join the Climate
Coalition in their #TheFightThatUnites
campaign which saw us dressing in green and
‘showing the love’ with our green hearts.
We even managed a whole Junior School Green

Heart photo.
Further information on this can be found

following the link
Show The Love — The Climate Coalition -

www.theclimatecoalition.org
38

Science

SSacnCiencnuhIcaaEelllreNWanneggCeeeksEoianfgteaWaailnkrlsyfE,oMer ExtahprecKehrsimtbu2redon0eutngs2thsat.n2idts

SUBLIME SCIENCE

“Before the Sublime Science assembly and workshop, I had no idea what We were happy to welcome
dry ice was and in fact I hadn’t even heard of dry ice! I now know that dry a Sublime Science teacher back
ice is frozen carbon dioxide. The first thing the scientist showed us was a to The Hall again this Spring to work
bowl full of dry ice and then she poured a kettle full of hot water over the with Years 3 and 4, launching the start
of a fun filled Science week with tons of
dry ice and steam come out all over the place!”
active workshops and talks.

The focus of learning and experimenting
was related to dry ice for the Year 3s and 4s;

favourite experiments included freezing
flowers and finding them ‘rock solid’ a
few moments later, inflating balloons,
making smoking bubbles and, perhaps

the most popular, making ice
cream! Thanks to all the Science

department for a fun week
of learning!

SCIENCE 39

THCEHACLALTEANPGUELT MAKING CATAPULTS

Following a talk by Mr Gordon, students were Murray Sugasa
encouraged to put their knowledge of History and
Science to the test in the annual YEAR 5 CATAPULT First my Dad and I took a trip to Homebase to get
CHALLENGE! supplies. In our cart were wood strips and four jumbo-
sized elastic band packs and a glue gun. Then at home I did
• In England the catapult first made its appearance at some improvising to find an object to work as a catapult’s arm.
the Siege of Dover in 1216, crusaders had picked up After a long time, I chose my mum’s pasta serving spoon, but
the technique. my Mum insisted, because it was her favourite spoon, that I should
use something different. I urged her to buy me the same spoon from
• The early catapults were simply a way in which to Amazon. That’s when I knew I had all of my supplies.
increase the size and range of a crossbow. They were
to become the key weapon in warfare during the How I made my catapult
medieval period. 1. I lined up my wooden strips for the rectangular base.
Then, once I was happy with them, I glued them together.
• The catapult was eventually replaced by gunpowder 2. Then I used my wooden strips and built uprights which were
from circa 1650. supported by triangles of wood. Once happy with the positioning, then I

MAKING glued them down.
CATAPULTS 3. Then I put on a stopper which I had to build for the arm to stop.

Oliver Samuels When happy with the position, I glued it in place.
4. Then I attached the arm to a slick cylinder which allowed the
To start off my catapult, I went to
Homebase to gather all of my materials. arm to go really fast.
I began by making a base out of two stacks 5. Then I attached the elastic band to the frame.
of five lolly pop sticks. I then stuck two 6. Finally I added rubber studs on the bottom of
clothing pins underneath to give it a slant
upwards. Next I stuck two more clothing pins each corner to make sure that the catapult
vertically this time, and placed a door hinge in wouldn’t move too much.
between them. Afterwards I glued a pencil

in the small gap. On this pencil I stuck
two small wooden planks and three
felt circles. I attached my top and
attached loads of rubber bands
and that is how I made my
catapult!

40

PALAEONTOLOGY TALK

We were excited to welcome back palaeontologist DR. DEAN 90 million years ago. During
LOMAX to give an online lecture to the MS and SS students this time period, it would have
during Science Week 2022, sharing his recent involvement in been right at the top of the
a thrilling and quite serendipitous discovery at Rutland Water food chain, as an ultimate
Nature Reserve! apex predator, perhaps one of
the biggest animals in the sea
Dr. Lomax, who works at the University of Manchester, was worldwide. Palaeontologists
shown some photographs taken of some bones, discovered estimate the one found in
during routine maintenance in Rutland. Conservationist Joe Rutland is between 181.5 to 182 million years old.
Davis who is the team leader at Leicestershire and Rutland
Wildlife Trust was walking across a drained lagoon with Paul Dr. Lomax described to the Hall students how the
Trevor, who also works on the reserve for the trust, when he paleontologist team began the ichthyosaur excavation in
saw what appeared to be clay pipes sticking out of the mud. August 2021, completing it in fourteen and a half days spread
After closer inspection, they realized it was a large skeleton. over 3 weeks. They used plaster reinforced with wooden frames
"We followed what indisputably looked like a spine and Paul to protect sections of the skeleton before lifting them out.
discovered something further along that could have been a
jawbone," said Davis; "We couldn't quite believe it”. “A significant part of the excavation was to understand the
ancient environment in which the ichthyosaur lived and died,”
Dr. Lomax immediately said Dr. Lomax. Whilst removing the clay from the bones, the
recognized the images as team were careful to look out for and collect additional fossils
ichthyosaur vertebrae; it turned in the associated matrix, which included numerous molluscs,
out that Davis had accidentally principally ammonites and belemnites.
discovered the largest and
most complete ichthyosaur The next task for the team was to remove the plaster jackets
skeleton in the UK, measuring and prepare the specimen for research and display, which was
more than 32 feet in length, estimated to potentially take another 18 months.
with a 6.5-foot-long skull that
weighs about a ton! Dr. Lomax, who has spent his career studying ichthyosaurs
across the world, described the Rutland skeleton as one of the
The ichthyosaur is a large greatest finds in British
marine reptile with paddle- paleontological history.
like limbs and sharp teeth. “This is the height of
It emerged on Earth around my career,” he said
250 million years ago and to our students, “it’s
became extinct approximately incredible.”

SCIENCE 41

SBcheyooonldGtathees

Oxford Libraries The first of the three colleges we visited was Brasenose, a beautiful
VISIT group of buildings with a magnificent library. Inside we went up a
steep, old spiral staircase and looked at the rare books, such as the
Felix Twining Bible of the founder which was over 500 years old. We also found a
mysterious cat on the table and spent ten minutes speculating as to
On May 10th, 8N and the librarians visited three colleges and whether it was real and stuffed, or fake. Ultimately, we discovered
the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. that it was a fake and a replica of the founder's cat.
In the Pitt Rivers there were thousands of amazing artefacts The next in line was Queens College which had a colossal collection
from all over the world dating back hundreds of years. Popular of books. There were in fact so many that – as we were shocked to
favourites among students were the samurai swords, the Franchi find out - it had three levels for storing books. In addition to the
SPAS-12 and the small hand-crafted boats. My favourite was existing ground floor library and upper library, Queens have built
the Haida totem pole because of its intricacy and huge 11 metre a new one underground! We had to be quiet because the students
height. We split into groups and went excitedly from object to were studying for exams, but that did not stop us from enjoying
object, staring in awe at one and then catching a flash of steel or a looking around.
glance of pottery and hurriedly going over and examining it. After The last library we visited, in All Souls College was, in my opinion,
spending interesting hours looking at all the ancient items, we the most beautiful. The architecture was stunning. The vastness
found a place to sit outside and have lunch, everyone eager to find of the library and the number of rare books was startling, and it is
out what else Oxford had to offer. no wonder that it is one of the most famous libraries in Britain. It
was also fascinating to see how the college has managed to display
the truth about the library's founder, Codrington, who was a
slave trader. They have projected cracks onto the statue together
with the list of people he enslaved – an innovative idea. We heard
from the librarian and bursar of the college that this is a work
in progress. They were keen to have our feedback and they may
contextualise the statue differently in future.

42

Omid Eftekhari Old Operating Theatre
VISIT
This May, a group of scholars and librarians visited Oxford Felix Baldock How
University. The trip started with a visit to the Pitt Rivers
Museum, located in the centre of the city. Class 4D went to the Old Operating Theatre, the oldest hospital
still standing in Europe.
The Museum, founded in 1884 by Augustus Pitt Rivers, is a As you climb up the stairs with your guide you feel cramped in and
fascinating collection of anthropological artefacts. It houses more must hold onto a rope. When you get to the top of the stairs there is a
than 500,000 objects, photographs, and manuscripts from all over gift shop with toys and key chains.
the world, and from all periods of human existence. Next you are taken down the corridor into a room full of herbs, a pot
of leeches (not real), pigeons and most interesting a plague doctor’s
Our wonderful tour guide introduced us to the collection by mask from the 13th century! Also, you can see anatomy including
telling us all about the (very prominent) native Canadian totem skeletons and a cut in half healthy human lung (fake again). Next you
pole that was on display in the middle of the building and how go into another corridor with scary looking tonsils and knives and a
the native Canadian tribe who constructed it reluctantly gave it frame with an eye in in it.
to the Canadian authorities. She drew attention to changes which Next, they take you into the room where they used to amputate
are currently being made to the museum and which address the limbs. Please do not read this part if you are squeamish. First, they
problematics of colonialism. use the knife to cut through the skin, then they get a saw to get rid of
the bone. If there are any bits of the bone sticking out, they remove
We then split up into groups and were left to explore the Pitt Rivers it with pincers. They had people who held the patients down because
on our own. The top floor of the building, containing all types of they were awake when this was happening. The surgeons did not
guns, was inevitably very popular with everyone but my group was clean till late 18th century meaning that their aprons had blood and
more interested in the body art section, featuring traditional tribal guts on them to show they were the best surgeon. I do not want to
tattoos from places such as New Zealand and Guatemala. We also give away any more spoilers so that is all I am going to tell you….
took a look at the Colonised Gender exhibit, learning about the William Edwards commented on this trip, “It was very good!” Jack
wide gender spectrum that was revered during pre-colonisation Utting (aka Silverthorn) said “I really liked the gory bits!” As for
Congo. After our tour of the museum, we all had lunch and then myself, “I would love to go again!”.
were off to the college libraries.

BEYOND THE SCHOOL GATES 43

YEAR 3 TEAMBUILDING London ZooYEAR 3 VISIT

St CDhArYisWtoITpHher,s
Alexander Bailey

Year 3 enjoyed four activities with St Christopher’s.
We did 'capture the flag', wink murder (which was a drama game),
teambuilding games and races with Mr Payne, and then we made

objects using the nature around us with Miss Burr and Mrs
McLachlan.

When these were all finished, we had lunch with the girls from
St Christopher’s. Afterwards, we had an amazing playtime in a
playground before coming back to school. It was an incredible day!

In their Endangered Animals workshop at London Zoo, the Year
3s explored how animals can become endangered or extinct due

to threats such as hunting and habitat destruction.

The challenges facing many animals in the wild were discussed,
alongside examples of positive things that people can do to help.
Many of the animal skins and other objects from the natural world
used in the session were from real animals hunted in the wild.

What a day of discovery!

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Hampstead HeathRECEPTION GO TO ThaYmEAeRs 2Trip

Reception managed to get out for a trip to Hampstead Heath
this summer, despite the rail strikes.

They enjoyed a fun packed day enjoying the sunshine with their
classmates, whilst hunting for mini beasts, feeding the ducks and

swans and playing in the playground.

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Wilf Slack PSUMMER DlaAyYinSgATFields

RECEPTION

Reception visited Wilf Slack for the
first time in mid May, enjoying a lovely
morning of team games and playing in the

wide open space together.
They also took the opportunity to visit
St. Stephen’s House with their extensive
gardens and playground just next door,
taking in a beautiful woodland walk.
The boys had a great time, despite the
inclement weather and particularly enjoyed

their hot chocolate mid morning.

YEAR 2

In early June, Year 2 ventured out
to visit Wilf Slack to participate
in a range of activities including
watercolour painting, balloon
modelling and their sponsored running activity.
Some boys chose the sack race, some the 'egg and spoon'
(which was a racket and ball really) and some chose to
run their 400m backwards. The spirit of encouragement
in the cheering on their class mates was a wonderful
sight to behold, especially as 400m was twice
round the track!
The boys then ended the afternoon by taking part in a
house team relay race - demonstrating a wide variety
of interpretations of the rules of a relay race. Whilst
no team can be said to have won, an ice-lolly was
nevertheless provided, by Mrs Casey, which
went down very well indeed.

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YEAR 1

Year 1 took the opportunity to visit Wilf Slack
for a Circus Skills workshop in June.
They spent the day trying
out various activities, such
as flower sticks, plate
spinning, diablos, juggling
and tightrope walking and
everyone mastered at least
one new Circus skill!

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Geography &YSEAciRen7ce Field Trip
TO SWANAGE, DORSET 2022

Mr Lloyd, Head of Geography and Mr Chambers, Head of Science

On Monday 27th Part of this coastline is the Jurassic Coast, which stretches 96 miles
June, Year 7 set from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland in Dorset. It contains
off for Swanage examples of different landforms, including the natural arch at
in Dorset for the annual Durdle Door, Chesil Beach and Old Harry Rocks.
Geography and Science During the three-day residential, the pupils stayed at the Youth
field trip. It was the first Hostel Association (YHA) in Swanage. The pupils were split into
time the trip had run two groups with each one having a Science or Geography focus.
since the pandemic. The first group completed an ecosystems investigation on the sand
Dorset’s coastline is one dunes of Studland Bay. For this they used quadrats and ranging
of the most visited and poles to look at dune processes, landforms, and succession. The
studied coastlines in second group were taught about coastal processes and landforms.
the world because of its This included a lovely walk to Old Harry Rocks and up over Ballard
unique geological and Down to Swanage. At Swanage, the pupils learnt about the different
ecological features.

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approaches to coastal management with hard and soft engineering.
There were many other highlights from the trip too. The boys
completed a beach clean at Swanage and searched for plastics.
They also enjoyed fish and chips and spent both evenings playing
games and building sandcastles on the beach. It was great to see
the year group enjoying playing and learning outside especially
after such a busy year for them.
The Year 7 Geography and Science trip to Dorset is a real highlight
in The Hall’s calendar and successfully introduced them to the
topics of Coasts and Ecosystems.

DORSET’S COASTLINE IS ONE OF THE
MOST VISITED AND STUDIED COASTLINES
IN THE WORLD BECAUSE OF ITS UNIQUE
GEOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL FEATURES.

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Computing

Tamagotchi EXHIBITION

As part of a 12-week project in DT and Computing, Year 6 students designed,
coded and manufactured a Micro Bit Tamagotchi. Then, in mid-May,
the Tamagotchi Exhibition, now an annual event, took place in the Cooper Hall. 
Micro-bit code downloaded, batteries charged, the students were ready to stun visitors
to the exhibition with their energy and enthusiasm, not just in demonstrating the final
versions of their products, but in describing the process and work that had gone into
developing their ideas.
These toys were originally marketed in Japan in the late 1990s and became popular due
to their novelty as the first digital pet for children. The original Tamagotchi was a small
electronic toy with a screen, programmed to behave as if it were a pet, requiring the owner
to push buttons as if to feed it, clean it, and so on. 
The genuine attachment experienced by owners for their digital friends became quite a

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