Welcome to LWC News
Dear Parents and Guardians,
And so we are into the second half of spring term, with plans coming to fruition and still much to look forward to in the weeks ahead.
Below, you will find an update from our intrepid fundraisers in Iceland, news of our extraordinary equestrians and stories of students taking on some personal challenges of their own during the half-term break.
Happy reading.
Comments and contributions to LWC News are always welcome via stories@lordwandsworth.org
Calendar & Sports Schedule
The school calendar can be viewed using the link below:
LWC CalendarThe school sports calendar can be viewed using the link below:
LWC Sports CalendarPlease view the Sports Weekly Schedule here:
Sports Weekly ScheduleHere’s a guide to required kit per sport:
LWC SPORTS KIT LIST
News
They’re Off!
It’s a long way from Long Sutton…
A team of Sternians, LWC parents and staff are making their way across Iceland’s challenging, snow-covered terrain right now, to raise money for the life-changing Foundation.
LWC Fundraising Manager, Kate Boyd has provided us with an update from Reykjavic:
“Yesterday was a great first day. We drove out to the National Park and walked 10km – setting off in beautiful snow! The terrain was really tough, with heavy snow having fallen overnight. We needed our poles, crampons and snow gators! We worked well as a team, walking along the North American tectonic plate, which was incredible. Days two and three are set to be even more challenging – so wish us luck. Your support means everything.”
If you would like to sponsor those taking part, you can do so via the team’s Just Giving page.
County Champions
From one challenge to another, with a remarkable result….
LWC’s riders have been crowned Hampshire County Dressage Champions for the third consecutive year after a stellar performance at Parwood, near Guildford.
A team consisting of Will, Alice and Lucie will now represent the county at the National Schools Championships at Hickstead in May.
Meanwhile, just 24 hours later, LWC’s Arena Eventing Team featuring Immy, Erin, Holly and Bella won the 90cm Arena Eventing Competition at Coombelands – also qualifying them for the Championships in West Sussex. They join the 70cm team who had already booked their place.
There were some stand-out individual and team performances with LWC’s Head of Riding, Camilla Read summing up the weekend’s action: “Super riding and wonderful ponies, with some lovely team spirit. Thank you all!”
Back the Boys
LWC’s U15A rugby team face Wellington College in the semi-finals of the CTS Cup on Sunday.
Following their close-fought clash with Collegiate earlier this month, they take their record-breaking rugby to Aylesbury Rugby Club for the next stage of the national competition.
Kick off is at 12.15pm and a coach is being laid on for supporters (details have been communicated separately).
If you can’t get there, we’d love you to cheer the team on remotely. The game will be live-streamed by England Rugby here.
LWC Head of Rugby, Lewis Starbuck said,“To be one of the last four schools in the country left in the competition is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the effort the boys have put in. I’m sure they will keep this going as we prepare for the semi-final. Please come and support, if you can. This has been key to the cup run so far.”
Follow us on socials to see a few good luck messages for the boys, from some famous faces.
A Way Out of War
This week saw the third anniversary of conflict breaking out between Russia and Ukraine.
The war led Ukrainian, Sofia to LWC in 2022.
Displaced by the fighting in her home country, Sofia was awarded a fully-funded place by the College and left last year, having earned three A*’s and an A in her A-levels.
She’s now studying for a degree in Politics with Economics at the University of Bath and has been updating us on her progress:
“I’m really enjoying my time at Bath! I think it was the right choice for me in terms of academic life as well as the city. I’ve been getting involved in so many societies at the university (11 to be precise!). Being a flexi-boarder at LWC before arriving helped me so much, in terms of managing my own space, building relationships and sharing responsibilities. I miss my LWC friends, our DW squad (including my canoe partner, Grace) and going to Basingstoke Canal on Wednesday afternoons for a paddle!”
Drama Scholars’ Evening
It was an opportunity to showcase LWC’s wealth of Performing Arts talent.
Our Drama Scholars’ Evening gave students a chance to perform on their own or in pairs, to a supportive audience in the Nadine Uppal Theatre just before half-term.
LWC’s Head of Performing Arts, Gemma Reeks commented, “The highlight was seeing how our wonderful scholars developed pieces which demonstrated their abilities. The evening featured a huge variety of genres and topics.”
She added, “Those who took part felt very proud. It’s always a brave experience performing solo or in a duo.”
Confirmation Service
A record number of 23 students were confirmed this week, in a service led by the Bishop of Basingstoke at All Saints Church in Long Sutton.
A confirmation reaffirms the promises made during baptism.
The ceremony was followed by a reception at The Orangery.
LWC’s Head of Junior House, Pete Maidment organised the event and said, “The Bishop led the service with real style. He was entertaining and challenging; speaking about the hope that we have in this generation and dreaming of the difference that they might make to the world in the future. We filled the church, which meant that the students felt unbelievably supported.”
“I Want to Help You Raise Resilient Kids”
Award winning GP, mental health expert and author, Dr Dominique Thompson will deliver the latest in our Parental Engagement Programme sessions next Saturday (8th March) at LWC.
‘How to Grow a Grown-Up’ is open to all parents of 3rd Form through to Upper Sixth and takes place in the Nadine Uppal Theatre between 9.30 and 11am.
“I often get messages from parents after I’ve done these sessions to say that it’s changed how they’re going to talk to their teen,” Dominique explains. “I talk about how the teenage way of thinking can explain some of their behaviours like risk-taking and why they’re so embarrassed by us, before moving on to discuss building independence and why that matters.”
Dominique’s bestselling co-authored book, How to Grow a Grown-Up was inspired by her own experience. “I wanted to know what I should be doing as a parent,” she continues. “There are multiple books about raising babies and toddlers, but not enough about raising a teen now, with all of the current challenges.”
You can register for your free place at Dominique’s Parental Engagement Programme seminar here.
The deadline for registration is Monday (3rd March).
Rwandan Adventure
The half-term break provided some pretty impressive opportunities for a few members of the LWC community.
4th Former, Lottie flew to Rwanda to coach cricket and support communities in the East African country. It was part of a scheme set up by the Indatwa Cricket Foundation, alongside the Hampshire Cricket Board and Cricket Without Boundaries.
Lottie revealed, “It was great to meet all the children and get to know them. They really welcomed us to Rwanda and were eager to know more about us, even with their limited English. We also got to play alongside the Indorwa and Indatwa teams. Some of the Indatwa girls represent their country.”
Lottie was one of 35 volunteers on the trip, who took part in a range of activities aside from coaching and playing cricket. These included teaching English, painting murals and building cricket nets. She also got to see a few local children wearing donated LWC sports kit! (pictured).
A Different Note
Meanwhile, on a different continent, Upper Sixth Former, Freya was touring with the Hampshire Chamber Orchestra.
The violinist explained, “The orchestra goes to Giessen in Germany every two years. We performed Beethoven’s Symphony No.1, before teaming up with a choir for Haydn’s Nelson Mass.”
She continued, “It was an amazing experience. We stayed with host families of the German choir and when we were not rehearsing, we were spending time with and getting to know them. I loved hearing the choir and playing with them and I’m very excited for their visit to our concert at Romsey Abbey!”
Hitting the Highest Point
Towering over all of us at half-term, was Lower Sixth Former, Joshua who took on the challenge of scaling Ben Nevis during the break.
Joshua decided to tackle the climb with his father, who shares his love of the outdoors.
“We left our hotel early on the Sunday morning,” Joshua revealed. “We managed to make good progress and it took around four hours to reach the summit at 1345 metres. It was certainly a challenging hike. At some points, the mountain seemed to be much larger than it actually was and I was exhausted by the end of it. But it was worth it, as I was given some truly amazing views along the way!”
World Book Day
The 27th World Book Day is being celebrated next Thursday (6th March) and there is a week of activities planned at LWC to mark it.
Monday sees Sternian speechwriter and author, Simon Lancaster returning to the 1200 to talk to students in 3rd, 4th and Sixth Form about his career and delivering messages that matter. For more on Simon’s story – see below.
A week-long ‘Who’s Behind the Book?’ quiz will also be running in tutor groups, with students battling it out to identify the members of staff pictured reading (some in less conventional ways than others).
LWC Library Assistant, Helen Komrower added, “I hope that pupils will see that a variety of staff are reading a range of books in their own time and purely for pleasure. Reading can be fun, as well as informative and it can be done using all kinds of different formats.”
Bringing Science to Life
4th Form students were given the opportunity to hear from five of Britain’s top scientists, as part of GCSE Science Live in Oxford before half-term.
Broadcaster and author, Professor Jim Al-Khalili and expert in nuclear fusion, Dr Kate Lancaster were among those selected for the event; chosen for their ability to bring their subjects to life.
The objective, at the city’s New Theatre, was to generate enthusiasm for science amongst those studying for GCSE’s.
LWC Teacher of Chemistry, Nicole Jinadasa said, “Most students found it fascinating, interesting and engaging.”
Coram Shakespeare Festival
There’s just over a week to go until LWC 4th Formers take part in the world’s largest youth Shakespeare festival.
The group will be performing Hamlet at Basingstoke’s Haymarket Theatre on Tuesday, 11th March as part of The Coram Shakespeare Festival.
The event aims to give schoolchildren from across the country, an opportunity to perform Shakespeare’s work in a professional theatre.
Tickets are for the final performance are available here.
A Taste of the Czech Republic
Basingstoke’s Anvil Theatre was the setting for an LWC music trip just before the break.
Students attended a performance by the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
LWC Musician-in-Residence, Max Rhodes revealed, “It was a very interesting and entertaining evening, with the orchestra beautifully demonstrating how much emotion and drama can be put into a live performance. The size of the orchestra was also very impressive, with a very large string section in particular.”
3rd Former, Henry added, “I thought it was a great chance to see some live music being played. I especially liked the pianist who did an improvised piece.”
Making Waves
LWC’s marathon canoeists have been stepping up their activity on the water.
The team took part in the first of their build-up races ahead of the Devizes to Westminster race in April.
LWC was represented by ten boats on the Kennet and Avon Canal. Within the schools section, the College finished with fastest boys (K2) and in first and second place in Mixed K2 and Teams.
Marathon canoe coach, Richard Lovell remarked, “The bar has been set high after last year’s Marathon Canoe Team, but it’s looking pretty good and the hard training is yielding results. The DW is a real team event, not only within the boat, but with the support team who feed and water the crews during the race. This was the first time the support team had to work in race conditions (very similar to the pit crew at a F1 Grand Prix).
We’re looking forward to the next race on 16th March, this time on the River Thames.”
A Chance to Shine
Next Wednesday (5th March) sees LWC host its inaugural Junior Netball Tournament.
Eleven teams will be competing at Under 11 and Under 13 level, from schools across the area.
LWC’s Head of Girls’ Sport and Head of Netball, Poppy Lake added, “The aim is to host a high level prep tournament and give U11’s and U13’s exposure to high-level netball. We hope they enjoy themselves first and foremost, but also come away with a good experience of the game when it’s played at a this standard.”
A senior tournament follows in the 1200 next Saturday (8th March) with an intermediate event later this month.
Spring Blooms
The first day of meteorological spring is tomorrow (Saturday) and it’s starting to feel as though we’re finally seeing more daylight.
There are signs of spring all over campus, thanks to our talented Grounds Team.
If you have a glorious photo of the 1200 in any weather, we’d love to see it via stories@lordwandsworth.org
“I’ve Written Two Thousand Speeches”
Simon Lancaster always wanted to be a songwriter.
The Sternian would spend every opportunity in the LWC Music Department or at the Junior House piano, during his time in the 1200.
But it wasn’t to be for the man who went on to write speeches for some of the most recognisable members of Tony Blair’s Labour Cabinet.
Ahead of a trip back to LWC to mark World Book Day next week, he’s keen to point out the similarities between song and speechwriting though. Something that he first learned as a Foundationer at the College.
“I had one of the most important lessons of my life at LWC,” he explains. “It was from Bernard Newman, who was Director of Music at the time and it was a half-hour lesson on songwriting. It talked about how you come up with words, how to use meter, alliteration and all of those literary devices that I’ve been using ever since. It lit a fire which is still burning.”
Simon left LWC after his A-levels in 1989 and eventually worked his way up the Civil Service ladder at Whitehall, to become Private Secretary to former Home Secretary, Alan Johnson. He then moved into full-time political speechwriting. Since leaving to set up his own company in 2007, he has gone on to write the words delivered by CEO’s of some of the world’s largest companies, along with penning four bestselling books on communication.
He can pinpoint the catalyst for his love of speeches with ease. “The Headmaster at LWC, Guy Dodd did an assembly where he played the audio of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” he continues. “I still can’t hear that without getting shivers down my spine. There’s something about that man’s voice that tells you he’s at breaking point. He’s begging. It’s such a powerful appeal from the very core of his being. I remember hearing that speech and being blown away.”
Writing the words for some of country’s most significant figures has required Simon to retain this need for authenticity, first spotted in that Martin Luther King speech.
“You have to find what they want to say, what do they care about? What are their stories?” he reveals. “As a speechwriter, you have to defend your principal’s position. To work out how to make that defence, you have to understand what gets them going and how they speak. Alan (Johnson) was very much motivated, in my view, by a desire to create a society that was at ease with itself. That’s very different to the kind of almost-angry sense of injustice that would motivate someone like Gordon Brown.”
When he talks to LWC 3rd, 4th and Sixth Formers this Monday, he doesn’t intend to stray too far from this message. “You’ve got to find out what it is that you want to say. What’s your message to the world? Then say it. The people trying to please everyone will please no one”.
You can read more of Simon’s story here.
Road Closure Reminder
Hayley Lane (between Long Sutton and the B3349) is scheduled to close from 8am on Monday (3rd March) until 4pm on Wednesday (5th March) because of roadworks.
Access into Long Sutton via that route will still be available. However, a diversion will be in place to exit the village, using Long Lane.
You can find more information here.
Exams on the Horizon?
Next Level Camps are offering GCSE and A-Level revision sessions at LWC during the Easter holidays.
Subject specialists will lead tuition in Maths, English, Science, Spanish, French, Geography and History.
A programme of classes will run from Monday 7th until Thursday 17th April.
You can find out more and book here.
A 15% discount is available to the LWC community, with the code TME308
Easter Camps
If you’re already turning your attention to more general Easter holiday activities, Next Level are also offering a camp for 4 to 14-year-olds at LWC.
Running from Monday 7th April until Thursday 17th, a programme of entertainment is available between 8am and 6pm.
You can book here.
Again, a 15% discount is available to the LWC community with the code TME308. Childcare vouchers are accepted and there are reduced rates for siblings and weekly bookings.
Key Dates
Parental Engagement Programme Seminar: How to Grow a Grown-Up, Nadine Uppal Theatre
9.30-11am, Saturday 8th March
Cotterill Cup Music Festival Prize Winners Concert, Nadine Uppal Theatre
7pm, Monday 10th March
LWC performs Hamlet at the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival, The Haymarket, Basingstoke
7pm, Tuesday 11th March
Whole School Futures Fair
8.30am-3.30pm, Friday 14th March
Cotterill Cup Open Section Recitals, Nadine Uppal Theatre
7pm, Friday 14th March
Parental Engagement Programme Seminar: Adolescent Emotional and Mental Wellbeing, Gavin Hall
9.30-11am, Saturday 15th March
Dance Show, Nadine Uppal Theatre
7pm, Tuesday 18th & Wednesday 19th March
Parental Engagement Programme Webinar: Parenting Teenagers; Building Resilience and Self-Esteem
7-8.30pm, Thursday 20th March
Musical Scholars’ Recital, Nadine Uppal Theatre
7-8.30pm, Monday 24th March
Giving Day
Starts Tuesday 25th March (and continues for 36 hours)
Foundation Day
Thursday 27th March
End of Spring Term
Noon, Friday 28th March