There are many fine young mathematicians at Hall School Wimbledon Junior School, but perhaps none quite as talented as Hiroaki Endo in Year 5 who is taking his Mathematics IGCSE at the tender age of 10.

“I knew we had someone special,” recalls Mr Brook, Mathematics Teacher, “when Hiro used quadratic equations to solve a problem which he himself had invented in a Year 4 lesson. His workings showed great maturity and an excellent command of English too.”

It is not just his mathematical knowledge that has impressed his teachers; he also insisted that he be entered at the highest degree of difficulty, the ‘Extended IGCSE’, to set himself the greatest possible challenge.

Hiro, whose favourite subjects are Games and Mathematics, says that he finds some topic areas more difficult than others, and that he really enjoys algebra.

On Tuesday 8th May, he arrived at our Senior School and mingled with the Year 11 pupils as they waited for their first examination to begin. We wish him and all the IGCSE candidates well in their second paper on 14th May and wait with baited breath to find out their results in August.

During the Easter holidays Year 7W pupil, Lucas Heappey, travelled to Senegal with his family and his friend, Pelayo, to present the village of Badian with a football kit, school equipment and baby clothes that were bought with donations from Hall School Wimbledon and its families.

Lucas is British but lived in Madrid, Spain, until 2011 when his family moved back to the UK and Lucas joined Hall School Wimbledon. He first visited Senegal with his family in October 2009 and became involved with a Spanish non-profit association called Campamentos Solidarios. The main objective of this organisation is to contribute to sustainable development in areas of extreme poverty in the third world by building and maintaining ecological tourism camps that generate both employment and income for the areas in which they work.

During the Easter Term, Lucas gave a presentation about Campamentos Solidarios to the Junior School children and set up displays at both the Junior and Senior Schools to highlight the work that the organisation does. He also kindly asked if Hall School Wimbledon pupils and parents could bring in any old or unwanted CDs and DVDs which he could then exchange to help buy a football kit for a children’s team in Senegal.

Lucas is extremely grateful for the generosity of the school and its families:

“I would like to say thank you to Hall School Wimbledon families for all your help with CDs and donations to Campamentos Solidarios. During the Easter holidays, I travelled to Senegal and presented the football kit, that you helped pay for, to a village football team. They all looked very smart and the HSW symbol is sewn onto each shirt.

We were also able to buy lots of school equipment, stationery and baby clothes with the money we raised. I loved my holiday and enjoyed seeing a different culture from Fulham (and Wimbledon). I played football with the team in Badian, I swam in the River Gambia and I visited lots of villages. I went to a shallow part of the Gambia River and saw four hippos – they looked aggressive so we left! I also saw warthogs and a lot of baboons. We ate fish most evenings (which my parents said was delicious) and lived in a village hut. It was a brilliant holiday and my friend said it was the best holiday he had ever been on.

Thank you for all your help for the people of Senegal!”

On a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon last week, Hall School Wimbledon, together with international hockey players, Rob Moore and Ben Marsden, hosted its first inter-schools hockey tournament. Teams of boys and girls in Year 5 from The Harrodian, Prospect House, Kew Green Prep, Thomas’s Clapham and The Roche joined Hall School Wimbledon at KCS playing fields to compete for the title of tournament champions.

Hall School Wimbledon pupils enjoy Olympic quality coaching from Athens and Beijing Olympian, Rob Moore, and fellow Beijing Olympian and Wimbledon Club Director of Hockey, Ben Marsden. Rob is now preparing for his third Olympic appearance and Hall School Wimbledon is proudly supporting him on his road to London 2012.

Following a warm up, the teams were welcomed to the tournament by Mr Svarovsky, Head of Games at Hall School Wimbledon, and each participant was given a Hall School Wimbledon water bottle and an energy powder sachet to keep hydration and energy levels up throughout the afternoon. Each team was then photographed with Rob and Ben, before the Group Stage matches began.

The participating schools had been divided into two groups (A+B) and the three teams in each group played each other once. Our 5Y team got off to a great start with a 3-0 win against Kew Green and scored in the final minute of their match against Prospect House to become winners of Group A. Meanwhile, over on Pitch 2, Thomas’s Clapham defeated The Harrodian and The Roche to become the Group B winners.

At 3.30pm, the play-off matches began and resulted in The Harrodian, Prospect House, Kew Green and The Roche coming in third, fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively. HSW then positioned themselves on the pitch for the final match of the day against Thomas’s Clapham. Unfortunately, Thomas’s had a strong team and we lost 2-0 but our 5Y team must be commended for their superb play and teamwork – this was the first time that our boys and girls had played together competitively.

The afternoon ended with the presentation of medals and certificates by Rob and Ben and a final chance for the children to have their water bottles and hockey sticks autographed by the Olympians. All participating schools thoroughly enjoyed the tournament and we have already been asked if it is going to become an annual event! Well done to our silver medalists in 5Y!

A selection of photographs taken during the tournament is available to view in our Photo Gallery.

On Wednesday 22nd February 2012, Hall School Wimbledon was delighted to welcome Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, to the Junior School. He had come to open The Levels, our new playground at Beavers Holt. He also inaugurated Sapna’s Way, a newly laid path, which skirts The Levels and winds up to the school and which is dedicated to the memory of Sapna Haria, a pupil of the R year group.

The Mayor of London was picked up from Wimbledon station, in a Hall School Wimbledon minibus, by the Headmaster and Principal. He arrived at the Junior School to the welcoming cheers of excited pupils, parents and staff. He was accompanied by Richard Tracey, Member of the Greater London Assembly representing Merton and Wandsworth, and Munira Mirza, the Mayor’s Advisor on Culture and Youth.

Mr Hobbs welcomed the Mayor and spoke about Sapna Haria and the path which has been named after her. He explained that Mr Johnson would be using a Roman gladius (sword) to cut the ribbon and that he would then blow a whistle to start play. This silver whistle was engraved with a message of thanks from the children and was a thank you present. He then handed over to a group of five Year 11S pupils who confidently welcomed Mr Johnson in Latin. Mr Johnson, while listening, skilfully scribbled a response (in Latin!) on a scrap of paper. The Mayor then greeted the audience.

He began by expressing his delight that the playground had not been made too safe and that there would still be opportunities to fall and graze a knee. He reminded us of the establishment of London by the Romans and joked about their defeat by an ‘Essex girl.’ He referred to this as the first instance of banker bashing in the Roman era. Leaving the classical theme well aired, he moved on to congratulate the school on The Levels – a magnificent feat of construction completed to plan, on time and on budget… just like the London Olympics!

“I tried not to think about all the people watching. The pressure was mounting, particularly for me, as I was the last Latin speaker but I took a deep breath and ‘went for it’! With a final flourish, a Latin ‘hip hip hooray’, our moment in the limelight was over. I was filled with a sense of pride and amazement when Boris Johnson replied in Latin.”
Eden Sharrad, Year 11S.

To formally declare The Levels open, Mr Hobbs gave the Mayor the Roman sword with which he then attempted to slice through the ceremonial ribbon… but to no avail. He swapped the blunted blade for a pair of scissors and duly announced The Levels open! Year 11S pupil, Caroline Harding, then presented Mr Johnson with the whistle and he blew it noisily to signal that the children, patiently waiting in position, could now…play! Instantly, the combined forces of 6X, 5Y, 4Z and 3A leapt to their stations and streamed over all the new equipment.

While the children traversed the climbing wall, scaled the six metre high rigging pyramid and crawled through the tube nets, Mr Johnson greeted parents and some of our younger children, who were lined up along Sapna’s Way. He made a point of speaking to Sapna’s parents, Asit and Mala Haria, and her two cousins who also attended the event.

Following a couple of media interviews, Mr Johnson was grilled by Hall School Wimbledon’s very own press team from The Beavers Holt Times. Find out what advice Mr Johnson would give to anyone wanting to be Mayor of London and what he’s most looking forward to at London 2012 in our special issue of The Beavers Holt Times Online…coming soon!

When he eventually reached the school gym, Mr Johnson and his party were served tea and cake by Julie Barratt, Year 8V Senior Tutor and London 2012 volunteer, and then introduced to England and Great Britain hockey player, Rob Moore, who will make his third Olympic appearance in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Pupils at Hall School Wimbledon have enjoyed Olympic quality coaching from Rob Moore and fellow Beijing Olympian, Ben Marsden.

Before heading off to his next engagement (by Hall School Wimbledon minibus!), there was just enough time for Mr Johnson to chat to parents and some of our older pupils, and to have his photograph taken with HSW parent, Lindsay Williams, and his ‘Boris bike’! In October 2011, Mr Williams cycled 205 miles over the Olympic marathon course and Olympic Men’s road race course (nine climbs of Box Hill) on a ‘Boris bike’ to raise money for the charity, ‘Opportunity International’. To date, Mr Williams has raised more than £3000.

“He was a friendly man and seemed so normal that it made me think that I could do what he is doing. I want to study Politics for A Level and meeting Mr Johnson has really inspired me.”
Charlie Penny, Year 11S.

On a very busy day for the Mayor, which began with his attendance at a large scale training exercise simulating a terror attack on the Underground during the 2012 Olympic Games, we were the penultimate visit of the day. We were very grateful that Boris Johnson took the trouble to visit the school and then to introduce himself to so many of our children and parents. Of course, being driven by the Principal and accompanied by the Headmaster to and from school, he was also subjected to some high grade propaganda and a gentle introduction to the school’s issues and concerns with planning, road traffic management in Merton and much more! Hall School Wimbledon couldn’t have been more delighted to welcome the affable Mayor of London. What better person to open our playground than the enthusiastic and playful Boris Johnson!

Click to view the 11S Latin welcome speech.
Click to view a selection of photographs of the event in our Photo Gallery.

On Tuesday, the Hall School Wimbledon Senior School girls made Mrs Knock and Miss McMaster extremely proud at the Merton Borough Netball Tournaments. Under tough weather conditions of blustery winds and rain showers, they entered the tournament in high spirits after many weeks of practice.

Seven schools across the London Borough of Merton turned up to compete for the title of ‘Merton Borough Champions 2011’. Years 7W and 9U came a very respectable 3rd place in each of their tournaments, while Years 8V (pictured) and 11S won all of their games and were crowned ‘champions’.

Well done to all of the girls who took part.

On Monday morning, international hockey players Rob Moore and Ben Marsden hosted an inspiring assembly for Years 3A, 4Z, 5Y and 6X pupils at Beavers Holt.

Rob Moore has racked up 211 caps for England and Great Britain and made his Olympic debut at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games where he was a member of the team that finished 9th. He made his second Olympic appearance at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and will make his third Olympic appearance in the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Ben Marsden has 87 caps for England and Great Britain and competed alongside Rob at the Beijing Olympic Games. Ben is now a qualified hockey coach and Director of Hockey at Wimbledon Hockey Club, which is currently sponsored by Hall School Wimbledon.

Dressed in their GB Olympic tracksuits, Rob and Ben introduced each other to the children and silenced them with an impressive list of achievements from their professional hockey careers to date. Some of our children already know Ben and Rob, having been coached by one or both of them during school hockey lessons.

Rob brought in bronze, silver and gold medals won at previous European Championships and then talked through a selection of photos of Ben and Rob taken during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The children were also treated to some exciting video footage of the England hockey team winning gold against Germany at the 2009 European Championships.

Finally, the floor was opened up for questions and the children quizzed Rob and Ben on when they first started playing hockey (about the age of 11), the speed at which Rob can hit a hockey ball (about 80mph!) and what food they ate when they were living in the Beijing Olympic Village (they have a food marquee in which caterers, brought in specifically for the event, are able to provide every type of food possible – Chinese, Indian, Mexican, British… – for the 6,000 athletes living in the village!).

The children thoroughly enjoyed the assembly and were reluctant to leave the hall while Ben, Rob and the medals were still there! We are certain that the children will take on board the athletes’ sound advice – to take every opportunity and put everything you’ve got into everything you do – both in their sporting and other fields.

Hall School Wimbledon is very grateful to Ben and Rob for their time and will be avidly supporting and following Rob on his road to London 2012: http://hsw.co.uk/news/supporting-rob-moore-on-his-road-to-2012

Today, the 93rd Armistice Day, falls on the auspicious date of 11.11.11. At both the Junior and Senior Schools, the Union flags were lowered to half mast and staff and pupils remembered all members of the armed forces, worldwide, who have died in the line of duty since World War I.

At Beavers Holt, all pupils gathered in the front playground and a group of Year 6X pupils recited the poems ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae, ‘We Shall Keep the Faith’ by Moira Michael, and ‘For the Fallen’ by Lawrence Binyon.

The ringing of the bell signalled the start of the two minutes’ silence after which former R pupil, Tom Mudie, played the Last Post on his trumpet. Hall School Wimbledon was delighted that Tom, who left The Downs last year, was able to take time out from his new school, Habersdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College, to return to Beavers Holt and keep up this tradition.

Meanwhile, over at The Downs, break stopped at 10.50am and lessons were paused as pupils, teachers, office and kitchen staff gathered together on the top playground. More than 200 members of Hall School Wimbledon, each wearing a poppy, lined up and listened as Mrs Healey, on behalf of Mr Hobbs, reminded everyone of the history, meaning and purpose of Armistice Day. ‘The Ode of Remembrance’ from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ was also read at the Senior School, by 11S pupil, Josh Porter:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning 
We will remember them.

The two minutes’ silence was observed before Charlie Penny, another 11S pupil, played the Last Post on his trumpet, marking the end of HSW’s observance of Armistice Day 2011.

A small selection of photos of Armistice Day is available to view in our Photo Gallery.

11S are thoroughly enjoying their final field trip with Hall School Wimbledon; – to Borrowdale in the Lake District. On Tuesday, the children were led on a demanding mountain walk by four mountain guides. They walked north of the Honister Pass to the top of Dale Head fell (2470 feet above sea level). The guides shared their expertise of the mountain and the culture of the Lake District, This arduous walk undertaken on day one, was to ensure that the children, sustained by sandwiches and Kendal mint cake, experienced the scale and magnificence of their new environment and to give an early context for their Geography and English work. See below for pupil, Caroline Harding’s, account of the hike.

The next day, the Geographers carried out their field work on the Glenderaterra Beck, which courses down the valley between Lonscale Fell and Blencathra while the others walked to Derwent Water along the Borrowdale Valley before taking a motor launch from Lodore Falls to Keswick.

Yesterday, the children went back to the mountains, visiting the Honister Slate Mine, in between preparing for their GCSE Speaking and Listening Controlled Assessment. At 3.30pm they were back at base for toasted Bryson’s Plum Bread and tea by the fire at Borrowdale.

Today was our poetry workshop. With a preliminary introduction to the Romantic Poets, and especially Wordsworth, we drove (not walking this time!) to Dove Cottage. Dove Cottage is where William Wordsworth lived during his most prolific period at the turn of the nineteenth century. Wordsworth preferred a sparse diet – with a breakfast and lunch of porridge and a supper of bread soaked in milk. So we duly began the day with porridge (served with treacle) and this evening we will have bread and butter pudding (after chili con carne, served with dandelion and burdock!). We sat out of the rain at the end of the day, eating Sarah Nelson’s ginger bread in Grasmere. Tomorrow night we have our Sketch Show and High Tea before the long drive home on Sunday, at the end of a glorious era of field trips for the S Year Group.

A selection of photos taken by Elizabeth Harris (GCSE English Teacher) is available to view in our Photo Gallery.

From the Wandering Aengus Centre
By Caroline Harding

Today, 45 of us set off up one of the Lake District National Park’s tallest mountains, Dale Head. Having got up at 8.00am, we sat down to the usual Hall School Wimbledon breakfast of eggy bread, Cumberland sausages and bacon. We then organised our day bags and set off with our guides. We were all feeling mildly apprehensive, not only by the looming mountains above us but with the difficult prospect of walking 20km.

As the walk progressed, it soon became clear why we were doing the walk. The surrounding landscape was staggeringly beautiful and I was shocked at the sheer scale of the mountains. After what seemed like hours of marching, we finally reached the summit of Dale Head. Feeling exhausted but euphoric, we gazed upon the magnificent beauty that is the Lake District.

Hall School Wimbledon is delighted to announce the results of our pupils in the 2011 series of IGCSE and GCSE examinations. Our children must be congratulated on achieving our best overall results in the 10 years that we have been a GCSE (and more recently an IGCSE) school.

Four hundred and fifty three (453) IGCSE/GCSEs were taken by HSW pupils from Years 11R and 10S in the 2011 examination season:

• 84% of these were graded at A* – C
• 36% of these were graded at A*/A

Please visit our GCSE Success 2011 page to read about some of our pupils who did particularly well this year. In addition, hear what their parents have to say about their GCSE results and their time at Hall School Wimbledon.

Interpreting our Results

In Year 8 all Hall School Wimbledon pupils take the ISEB Common Entrance Examination.

London’s ‘top’ boys’ schools (remembering that Common Entrance is, strictly speaking, a boys’ examination), which might include St Paul’s, King’s College School Wimbledon and Westminster, require candidates to achieve ‘at least 65%’.  London’s ‘middle range’ schools, which might include Emanuel, Epsom College and St John’s Leatherhead require candidates to achieve at least 55-60%.  Other, very good, London schools set a pass mark of at least 50%.

Using these broad categories of: at least 65%, at least 60%, at least 55% and at least 50% we have revisited our results for the R year group (8R Common Entrance and 11R I/GCSE).  If we were a selective school requiring candidates to score ‘at least 65%’ and only accepted those children that did so, how would our results look?

It is clear (and you would need to study the actual published results of specific schools) that children are performing as well or better than they would do at other schools with more competitive entry requirements.  This is the crucial test for a mixed ability school to pass. Can children achieve top quality GCSE grades at a mixed ability school? Yes they can.

If you compare ‘like with like’ then… our results are ‘as good as’ KCS.

This year Epsom College recorded that 16 children achieved nine or more A*/A grades from a year group of 132 (12%)*. Well, 7 HSW children achieved nine or more A*/A grades from a year group of 45 (16%)!

As to Emanuel School (essentially an 11+ school with their own 13+ entrance examination – citing a requirement of at least 55% at 13+), in their recent Public Examination Report for 2011** they give the figure of 55.5% at A* or A with 99.2% of GCSEs at A*- C.  The direct equivalent for HSW is 64% at A* or A with 97% of GCSEs at A*- C. (see above)

*  “College Celebrates as GCSE results Rise”

** Public Examination Report for Current and Prospective Parents GCSE and A2 results August 2011 (available online from Emanuel School Website)

In Year 9 all HSW pupils take NFER [National Federation for Educational Research] cognitive ability tests, which generate a set of predicted GCSE grades. Essentially these tests measure potential.  They generate individual predictions, including the probability of a child scoring 5 GCSEs at A*- C and the ‘best possible’ and ‘most likely’ grade in each GCSE subject that he or she may take.  Each year we have carried out an exercise calculating each individual’s total GCSE score (A* = 8, A = 7 etc) and comparing that with the total of that individual’s ‘most likely’ grades.

The R year group as a whole scored 11% better than the most ambitious predictions of their potential grades.

Published HSW IGCSE/GCSE Results

Parents should be aware that the results released on our website might vary from those included in Government and Press generated league tables.  If a child sits his or her I/GCSEs ‘out of year’ (in the case of an August birthday perhaps) then these results, good or bad, are excluded from league tables.  Any GCSEs taken in Years 9 or 10 are excluded from the calculations. Furthermore, IGCSEs are not included in certain league tables, creating the impression that children have not taken examinations in core subjects.

Early last Saturday, we had unexpected visitors to Beavers Holt. Our gardeners called to warn us that a swarm of bees was taking an interest in our playground excavations. They later confirmed that the bees were settling in and had attached themselves to an abandoned post. What to do with bees in biblical proportions and the threat of mayhem when the children returned on Monday? And… what could be done on a Saturday?

Mr Hobbs, Headmaster, provides the answers…

“Quite simple googling revealed the magic – ‘swarming bees hotline’ provided by the Wimbledon Beekeepers’ Association and only half an hour after our call for help, ‘Phil’ turned up with a cardboard box and blue pashmina (carried not worn).

By now, fierce rain was reducing visibility and the bees joined wings and drooped from their post. But Phil knew his stuff. The pashmina he laid on the ground, and then the box he positioned in the middle. He then raised the post above the box and gently thumped it down. The bees obligingly fell off, in and around the box. I glanced around nervously – it all looked a bit too ritualistic for a Putney Vale Saturday afternoon; Phil in his khaki overalls with net mask, me sheltering under an inverted rubble bag.

Happily, no-one was about and over the following hour, Phil and I sat and watched the bees slowly seek out their Queen under the (now) inverted box. I learnt a lot about bees from the obliging expert. Numerous dead bees that surrounded the box had just ‘run out of energy’ – I knew the feeling. Little trails of half-formed combs appeared on the box’s edge from the zealous but disorientated bees. After two hours of patient watching (keeping?), the bees were all wrapped up and safely in the boot of Phil’s estate.

‘How much do I owe you, Phil?’ I asked. He replied ‘Oh, nothing at all, we’re a charity,’ and then looked both intrigued and amused, ‘Do you know how much these bees are worth?’

Between £300 and £400 for our 9,000 bees apparently! The hive of bees will be briefly fostered before being found a permanent home.”

Hall School Wimbledon is grateful to Phil at the Wimbledon Beekeepers Association for his expert help and efficiency. Phil encourages you all to find out more on their website and, if you ever want to become a beekeeper, you know who to ask.