2009

Guest Speaker, Councillor Brock, Chairman, Ladies, Gentlemen and children,

Welcome to our 24^th Speech Day and a particularly warm welcome to our guest speaker and ex-parent, Mr Pete Winkelman.  We are delighted that you could join us. I would also like to join our chairman in wishing Mr Urquhart every success when he becomes Headmaster of Broughton Manor next term.  He joins a very competent and committed team and having spent this year there as deputy, is already forming good relationships with children, staff and parents alike. Any job is a steep learning curve, but you have the experience, motivation, personality and sense of humour to make it a success.  Enjoy it!

SENIOR SCHOOL RESULTS

Independent Schools Results 9 pupils passed to Bedford Modern School, 3 to Dame Alice Harpur School, 2 girls to Bedford High School , 2 to Bedford School

Grammar School Results

33 reached the required standard at 11+, 5 of which were on appeal, 3 achieved the maximum score. All have been allocated a school, although not all of their first choice, including those living in Milton Keynes.

 ANNUAL ACADEMIC AWARDS

 This year Scholarships go to: Anna Coaton and Genevieve Thomson, both in class 7

 Annual Academic Awards go to: Harvey Mack and Leyna Roy

STAFF, We welcomed several new members of  staff this year :

 Mrs Ing,  Miss Hayward, Miss Lundgren, Mrs Sentpeteri and Mrs Bowe to the pre-prep department at MKPS

Miss Compton to the prep department at BMPS

Mrs Semark to the pre-prep department at BMPS

Mr Redding, ICT Technician

 We also welcomed a number of new staff to work with our younger children:

 Staff Promotions

 I congratulate staff on their promotions, which take effect from September:

In September we welcome:Miss Lucy Stewart, Head of Girls Games, Mrs Sandra Crompton to the preparatory department at MKPS, Miss Vienna Guy, Pre-Prep Music

 DEVELOPMENTS 

We now have a new hard sports area at the back of school. We have a football pitch, 4 tennis courts, netball courts and a volley ball court.

The Early Years Foundation Stage became statutory for all schools, including independent schools, last September.

EVENTS

Schools’ Prom at Milton Keynes Theatre In January we organized the first Milton Keynes Prom at the theatre, showcasing the wealth of musical talent in our local independent and grammar schools. Our Chamber Choir took part. The theatre was an excellent venue for this prestigious event, with great acoustics and very good facilities. The evening was presented by Mr Hilary Davan Wetton, former conductor of the Milton Keynes City Orchestra. Pupils aged 8 to 18 took part in what was a wonderful and special evening of diverse musical performances.

Independent Schools’ Exhibition In October last year we again hosted the Independent Schools’ Exhibition in the Middleton Hall, Central Milton Keynes, which we have run for a number of years.  This is an opportunity for families to meet other prep and senior schools in the area, all in one place.  Over 20 schools exhibited. 

 An art exhibition ran alongside and children performed on a central stage throughout the day.

Grandparents’ Day Each year we welcome grandparents into school to share the day with their grandchild.  Gandparents are invited  next week on pre-prep Sports Day.

International Market Day Thank you to all our parents who supported our International Week last year.  Through classroom activities and an International Market our children gained a valuable insight into their own and others’ countries and cultures. Parents participated in our one-day International Market in the sports hall, where different countries had stalls displaying artefacts and food associated with that country.  It was a great success and is to be repeated next Thursday.  Further volunteers from the different countries are still welcome.

 TRIPS and VISITS

 Residential School Trips There have been 2 residential trips so far this year, for the prep department and one to come:

Ski Trip 42 children from classes 9, 10 and 11, including 8 from BMPS, travelled to the Aosta valley in Italy for the annual school ski trip.  They were fortunate to have the best snow conditions in the region for 25 years and some clear blue skies. All the children made fantastic progress – the beginners were skiing the “blue” baby bowl by Wednesday and the top group skied the black run known as the “Wall” by Thursday.

Dubai In March Mr Bates led a sports trip to Dubai. This year 13 boys and 10 girls played football and netball at various schools throughout the Middle Eastern Emirate. Our teams played very well against some very strong opposition and the boys narrowly missed qualifying for the Unity Cup final.  

France

In the summer holidays Mrs Cave is taking a party of senior prep pupils for a week to Normandy.

History Trips Class 11’s trip to the British Schools Hitchin saw the children undergo a day of old fashioned discipline and rigorous instruction in an authentic Victorian school room.  Some adapted to the harsh conditions better than others!

Class 9 stepped back in time during their visit to Verulamium Museum in St Albans.  They not only were able to handle many different genuine Roman artifacts, but some lucky children got to model the fashions of the day.

 Class 10 learned what it was like to be lavishly entertained by Henry V111 when they visited Hampton Court Palace in March.  The tour included a visit to Henry’s State Apartment and the Tudor kitchens.

 April saw class 9 enter the hot and humid world of The Living Rainforest near Newbury.  They learned about the rich variety of animal and plant life that lives in the rainforest and how they have adapted to their special environment

Football The under 8 team has enjoyed a successful season and were runners-up in both the Wellingborough and Bedford Modern tournaments.

 The under 9 teams are continuing to improve all the time and are developing an excellent team ethic.  They finished off the season with a convincing display at Akeley Wood (the A team winning 1-0 and the B team drawing 1-1).

 The under 10 boys finally won the cup/shield they deserved by winning our indoor tournament in March.  The A team also finished runners-up in both the Berkhamsted and Kingshott tournaments this year.

 The under 11 A and B teams played some excellent football again this year and have competed well in all their fixtures.

Netball The 8s and 9s girls have shown great potential this year and can only improve with continued effort. The under 8s girls played some pleasing netball with a good victory against Kimbolton Prep.The under 10 girls gained some valuable experience at the Swanbourne House tournament, finishing 3^rd overall.The under 11 girls are a very enthusiastic team who played with good team spirit during the season.

Hockey The under 10 girls have played some excellent hockey including a 4-0 victory over Northampton High School. Clarice Davu has been exceptional in goal. The under 11 girls produced some strong displays this year with some good wins.  I am sure they will all be a great addition to their senior schools. The under 9 and under 8 boys hockey teams gained some valuable experience this season and have a great deal of potential. The under 10 boys played some superb hockey this year and can be proud of their efforts in all their fixtures.The under 11 A team competed in the IAPS tournament at Haileybury and were unlucky not to progress past the group stages. Garth Johnston, Hallden Barnes-Garner, Charlie Brinicombe, Robert Churchill, Raajpal Tanday, Miles Everitt, Felicity Linden, Naomi Harwood and Raffaela Martuccio were all put forward for county hockey trials.

Cricket The under 10 boys have played some very good cricket and are developing into an effective team.

ARTS OUTREACH PROGRAMME

Gaunton Percussion Drumming Workshop

In November classes 6 to 11 experienced a full day of drum circles and rhythm with a visiting African drumming teacher.

Just Trombones

The Glyndebourne Orchestra trombonists visited in November and ran interactive workshops for class 5 and class 10.

History of Panto and Theatre Tours

Classes 8 and 9 visited the Milton Keynes Theatre for a back stage tour and workshops, to learn about the history of pantomime.  This was followed by a matinee performance of Peter Pan.

 Chamber Choir out in the Community

In December our Chamber Choir sang in the community at a number of venues including the theatre on the Press night for the pantomime, in the Middleton Hall, at Willen Hospice and at local residential homes for the elderly.

 CATS Musical Theatre Workshop

Class 10 pupils enjoyed a series of CATS musical theatre workshops run by Richard Reynard, who plays the lead role in Blood Brothers in the West End.  The workshops were arranged through Tring Park School for the Performing Arts.

MK Parks Trust Days

Throughout the year pupils of all ages have been discovering more in our local parks with Ranger guided visits under the Parks Trust Education Programme.

MUSIC The music department has enjoyed another busy and productive year both in and out of the classroom. Chamber Choir has continued to grow from strength to strength with the highlight of the year being a highly impressive performance at the first MK Prom. One would never have known that for the majority of our young singers, this was their first ever experience of singing on a theatre stage to a near full capacity audience.Both Junior Choir and Orchestra continue to thrive and members of the orchestra were invited to take part in a Prep School Improvisation Day at Stowe School. The day was both enjoyable and enriching. External exam results have been most pleasing with many children achieving merits. Well done to you all!

 At Christmas, every child in prep sang in our Christmas production “Rock Around The Flock”.

 And in our recent summer production, Ocean Commotion, special mention goes to Charlotte Cox, Robert Hanlon, Laura Gregory, Ellie McCague and Lucy Jackson for their outstanding performances!

 ART

Class 11 visited the Royal Academy of Art to see the exhibition Miro, Calder, Giacometti, Braque Exhibition.The sculptor David Odwar ran a clay workshop based on African masks Class 11 visited The National Gallery for a lecture tour of selected paintings.

Class 8 attended a workshop at Artworks MK, Great Linford, experimenting with clay and printmaking techniques.Some children went to Campbell Park to look at sculptures.  This one is a slate shadow caster.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

 The 8s have been hunting down minibeasts in different habitats around the Farm.  They have also been looking at what we can recycle and have visited the Milton Keynes Recycling Facility at Wolverton.The 9s have identified the many different tree species found around the Farm.  They have devised ways of measuring and recording the weather and have studied flowering and non-flowering plants.The 10s have delved into decomposition and considered farming techniques that are considerate to wildlife.The 11s have been considering wildlife on our doorsteps and designed wildlife gardens for a specific species.  They have also considered the concept of food miles and how far our food travels from field to fork.The prep department has again had a chance to observe the amazing transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly, before releasing the Painted Lady butterflies back into the wild.

ENGLISH AND MATHS After Exams, senior prep pupils enjoyed a creative writing project on Canals.  They also visited the National Waterways Museum, where they dressed up as Victorian canal families and explored Blisworth Tunne In June we set tests to compare ourselves with the4 national average in English and Maths. 

CHARITIES Our school charities this year have been Willen Hospice and Keech Cottage, our local children’s hospice.So far we have raised in excess of £3,500.Additionally we have supported Comic Relief, Children in Need, The Marie Curie Cancer Appeal and the British Legion Poppy Appeal.

GOVERNORS At Christmas Mrs Jane Billing retired from the Board of Governors  (for the second time!).    Jane made a valuable contribution to the school as a governor, and more recently, as piano teacher and Arts Outreach organizer.  She and George are thoroughly enjoying their retirement, but Jane will be back to help with the January 2010 prom at the theatre.Also this year Dick Panter retired.  Dick was a founder member of the board of governors and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for the tremendous support he has given to the school over the years. At their meeting this term, the Governors were very pleased to welcome Mr David Dean to the board of governors.  He officially takes up his position in September.I would like to publicly thank all my governors, and in particular Peter Squire, for their unfailing commitment.  

Now to my      MANAGEMENT TEAM

 Mrs Ort’s 4 children  are all  ex MKPS pupils who went on to Harpur Trust schools.   Her eldest 2 sons both had their first babies this spring – Tom, who works for an Australian bank, and Chas who is Head of Marketing at Disney Studios.Mathew, who is Production Manager for a pyrotechnics company,  has a one year old, Gabriel, who has already spent a couple of days here in our Nursery. And her youngest, Lucy, was married last autumn and has trodden the strong MKPS Maths tradition to become a Chartered Accountant. 

Mrs Elcock’s daughter Jamie left MKPS in 1993 to go to grammar school and is now putting her Zoology degree to very good use.  She is a trainer for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and has spent time here visiting the children in class 6.

Mrs Cave’s sons are both ex pupils, who went on to Bedford Modern School when they left us.William is a Midshipman and about to embark upon his Masters degree before going to the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth as an Aero Engineering Officer.George is an Officer Cadet in his first year at Strathclyde University, aiming to become a Warfare Officer on a Submarine.  Currently he is in China, as an ambassador for his university engineering department.

Matron’s grandchild Megan left here in 2006.Megan attends The Royal Latin School where she has been elected to the School Council.  She is still involved in music and drama, as she was at MKPS.

We congratulate Mr Canwell on his engagement to Penny and they get married in December. 

THE FAMILY

Lisa Pauley, my daughter-in-law, is going back to her design roots and branching out as a freelance graphic designer.  She will work with Pauley Design,  my middle son Nicholas’s business, on a number of projects including a new prospectus and website for our schools.

Philip, my youngest son, got engaged to Caroline and they get married next year.   Andrew, my eldest, who runs Pauley Construction, 

Henry and I get such pleasure from being grandparents.  I promise you all that it is something special to look forward to!

And so to the class of 2009:

CLASS 11 We have with us today someone who has got to be the most determined person I have ever known …..….. Someone who has proved to so many people locally and nationally that determination, perseverance and energy can in the end make miracles happen. Who would have thought that Milton Keynes could not only have its own football team, but also a brand new stadium. Most of you will have watched as the story of the Milton Keynes dons and its stadium unfolded against tremendous odds and with one obstacle after another.I am sure that there were times when he was daunted, but each time he came fighting back, until today we can all now enjoy his success in a most tangible form.

Take that lesson with you.If you want to succeed, if you want something badly enough, Be determined, Persevere, Fight for it

And if you have little setbacks don’t be despondent, find new energy and just keep on trying.You have the best role model for success here today, that anyone could wish for.

 Good Luck Class 11!!