3-7 years (co-ed) Glyn House
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The Latest News from Ewell Castle School
"Meet The Artist" at the National Portrait Gallery
Boys from Years 9, 10 and Sixth Form travelled to London on 30th January to attend a talk at the National Portrait Gallery entitled 'Meet The Artist'. Jooney Woodward, winner of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011, discussed her winning photograph 'Harriet and Gentleman Jack', her work with Vogue magazine and recent projects. After the talk the boys had lunch in Trafalgar Square, and time to take some photographs of their own before moving back into the warmth of the gallery to visit the Taylor Wessing Exhibition. It was a most interesting and enjoyable day and provided an excellent opportunity for students of all ages to discuss the works together.
( posted: 3:00 PM, 31/01/2012 )
Year 10 History visit to The Imperial War Museum, Duxford
Year 10 History students recently visited The Imperial War Museum at Duxford in support of their studies on the Cold War. After an introductory presentation, they toured the American Air Museum, which contains examples of most of the important aircraft of WW2 and the Cold War. Mr Blencowe provided an introduction to the heavy bombers, focusing on the B29 Super Fortress and the masive B52 Strato Fortress which carried the nuclear deterrent during the Cuban missile crisis and bombed Vietnam in the Lineback missions. Mr Ashby then looked at spy planes, notably the U2 and the awesome Mach 3 Blackbird. The visit ended at a section of the Berlin Wall and a cruise missile launcher. Duxford is a fantastic place housing far more than can be seen in a single visit, so many of the boys resolved to return with their families in the summer.
( posted: 10:00 AM, 30/01/2012 )
Co-education in the Sixth Form at Ewell Castle from 2013
It is with great pleasure that I announce yet another exciting development at Ewell Castle, following on from building developments and the appointment of Mrs Michelle Philips as the new Head of Junior School in September 2012.
Ewell Castle has enjoyed considerable success for many years with a co-educational Junior School
(3- 11years of age) and a boys’ Senior School (11-18). We have undertaken several reviews of co-education during my tenure at the school and each time the status quo has been affirmed. Many parents of Junior School pupils have expressed a wish that their daughter be permitted to continue into the Senior School or to join the Senior School. A larger number of parents at the Senior School stress that they specifically chose the Ewell Castle as a boys’ school.
We are blessed within the area with many good schools. Significantly for parents there is diversity and clearly one aspect of choice is co-education versus a single sex school. This decision that Ewell Castle now makes is based upon a sound educational basis that that many boys, and indeed many girls, develop and perform better at Secondary school in a single sex day school. It is therefore a matter of choice for us as parents to determine what is best for our child. We have nevertheless held the view for some time that there are benefits of a co-educational Sixth Form (16+), both inside and outside the classroom. Different perspectives in the Sixth Form classroom, mutually beneficial social and extra curricular activity is enhanced and appropriate preparation is achieved for life beyond school. To this end we have enjoyed, and hope to continue close links and relations with local girls’ schools, particularly at Sixth Form level. During the past decade these links have taken the form of joint team building exercises, trips and visits, and shared aspects of the curriculum. The latter has become increasingly difficult with changing requirements in different schools and now, in addition to curriculum and staff planning, we also have the facilities and capacity to offer a wonderful and fully co-educational Sixth Form experience at Ewell Castle.
I wish to stress that there are no intentions for the Senior School to become fully co-educational. Our value added measures and strength in sport in particular reflect the success achieved, and the demand for places remains unabated even in these difficult economic times. We offer the opportunity of a balanced education, and now seek to enhance that provision.
Should any parent, of an existing or prospective pupil, wish to discuss with me this development and the potential impact upon their son or daughter, I would be pleased to do so.
A J Tibble - Principal
( posted: 8:30 AM, 27/01/2012 )
Junior School Festival Choir
On 30th November, the Junior School Festival Choir joined paralympic footballer Josh Beacham and The Children's Trust mascot Barney the Bear at the opening of the new Sainsbury's in Ewell. They attracted a great deal of attention from passers-by as they sang Christmas songs to usher in the festive season. The children had a great time getting involved with the local community and helping to raise money for The Children's Trust
( posted: 3:45 PM, 13/01/2012 )
U9 Football Team Remain Undefeated
The Ewell Castle Junior School Under 9 Football team have had a brilliant term, remaining undefeated with six wins and two draws. The boys have worked hard all term on their passing and goal-side defending and they have been rewarded with some excellent results. This has included impressive wins against Homefield Prep (4-0), Aberdour Prep (3-0) and Surbiton Prep (2-0). Congratulations to all the Under 9 footballers – a superb effort.
( posted: 3:30 PM, 14/12/2011 )
Ewell Castle Reach Regional Finals of National Young Mathematician Award
Congratulations to Ansh Vaidya, Tristan Winter, Soomin Lim and Emily Swepson (Year 6), who reached the Regional Finals of the Nations Young Mathematicians' Award. Primary schools from throughout the UK took place in the competition, organized by Explore Learning in conjunction with NRICH at the University of Cambridge.
The high level challenge required them to solve a problem, working as a team and demonstrating a systematic approach and good recording systems. The team performed well in the initial round and were selected for the Regional Finals. This round was a great deal more difficult and Ewell Castle narrowly missed the Nationsl Finals by just two points. The children were excellent representatives of the school and can be justifiably proud of their achievements.
( posted: 3:45 PM, 09/12/2011 )
Languages Day
Year 8 students took a 'trip around the world' on Friday 18th October, when the MFL department hosted a dedicated Languages Day. Accompanied by their tour guides for the day: Mr Saadallah (Spain), Miss Kennedy (France), Mr Blencowe (Italy), Miss Cronin (Ireland) and Miss Lunn (Japan), the boys enjoyed a brief cultural and geographic introduction to each country, as well as learning some basic phrases in each language. They also watched a Spanish play, took part in a French quiz and rehearsed and performed their own short plays in a different language. The day's events were rounded off with a mini rewards ceremony for the quiz winners, accompanied by croissants and pain au chocolat!
( posted: 2:30 PM, 30/11/2011 )
Brandon Hammond (7JRW) County Golf Selection
Congratulations to Brandon Hammond (7JRW), who was recently selected to play for the Surrey Elite U12 golf team in a match against Essex at Maldon golf club. The team won 6-3 and Brandon and his partner won their individual match on the 18th green. Further details of the event and a photograph of the team can be accessed via the link below.
( posted: 10:00 AM, 18/11/2011 )
The Somme Battlefields (Year 9)
On Thursday 10th November, Year 9 students travelled by coach and ferry to northern France to visit the battlefields of World War 1. The first day of the trip comprised a trip to the French National Cemetry at Notre Dame de Lorette, followed by a tour of the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy Ridge. The boys also saw the preserved trenches and underground tunnels.
On Armistice Day the boys attended a memorial service to the missing a Thiepval Memorial - a truly moving occasion. Mrs Harrison even managed to get herself interviewed for French national television. The rest of the day was spent visiting the Newfoundland Memorial at Beaumont Hamel and a number of sites on the Somme battlefield, including Pozieres, teh Lochnager Crater and Delville Wood.
The boys learnt a great deal, which they will be able to use to good effect in a project on trench life and their essay work on the Battle of the Somme.
( posted: 2:00 PM, 16/11/2011 )
Tower of London Visit (Year 7)
Year 7 recently visited the Tower of London, as part of their History project study on castles. During the day the boys watched a fascinating display by an actor in medieval dress on the ways to attack a castle. With great difficulty, it transpired, as well-built medieval fortifications were nigh on impregnable and any attack would have been lengthy and very costly in terms of lives lost. They also enjoyed a tour of the White Tower with it's great displays of arms and armour, not to mention the Crown Jewels.
( posted: 1:45 PM, 16/11/2011 )
Lysistrata - The Rose Theatre, Kingston
A level Classics students visited the Rose Theatre in Kingston to see Lysistrata by Aristophanes, as part of their studies of Greeka and Roman comedy. It was a racy but authentic interpretation of the story of how the women of Athens adopt a novel form of blackmail to persuade their menfolk to make peace with the neighbouring city of Sparta.
( posted: 1:45 PM, 16/11/2011 )
"School's Concert", St Mary's Church Ewell
On Saturday 8th October, the Castle Ravens, our resident Barber Shop group, represented Ewell Castle at the annual "School's Concert" at St. Mary's Church, Ewell. The boys, together with Mr Aruliah and Mr D'Souza, delighted the audience with their renditions of "My Evaline", "George Jones" and "Gaudeamus".
Our Junior School Choir also took part - their repertoire included "Sun Arise", "Rockin' All Over The World" and "Different Beat".
( posted: 2:30 PM, 26/10/2011 )
Wakeboarding Success for Matthew Muncey (7JRW)
Congratulations to Matthew Muncey (7JRW) who came first in the U16 category of the recent Ropes and Wires Wakeboard Competition at Box End last weekend. This was the last competition of a busy and successful season for Matthew, who became the UK U12 National Wakeboard Champion in July and has also been selected for the British Cable Wakeboard Squad. Matthew is looking forward to competing at International level next year.
This has been a busy year for Matthew who successfully auditioned for the cast of the Cameron Mackintosh production of Oliver!, which starts a UK tour in Cardiff in December. Matthew will play one of Fagin's gang and will be appearing alongside Neil Morrissey and Brian Conley, who are playing the role of Fagin.
( posted: 3:00 PM, 14/10/2011 )
Junior Business Game 2011
On Tuesday 11th October Year 6 took part in the annual Business Game Challenge run in partnership with SATRO and the Education and Business Partnership. The children had to work together in ‘companies’ to create bookmarks for profit. The company with the greatest profit by the end of the session won.
This year that honour went to the Epsom Equipment Company comprising Shalni Bernard; Eric Lee; Viraj Patel; Hannah Wade and Oliver Noon with an overall profit of £75.80! Congratulations to all the ‘companies’ who took part: Happy Books with a profit of £74.63; Super Stationery with a profit of £69.93 and Dynamic whose profit was £62. 85. Booky Banana made a profit of £66.30 and went on to win the afternoon Presentation challenge, in which the companies had to explain how they had worked as a team and evaluate their experience.
The children had great fun and yet learnt a great deal about working with others and had the opportunity to use the maths skills that they had covered in lessons. Soomin Lim stated: ‘I thought we would argue and everyone would just talk all the time but we worked perfectly well together and earned a fair amount of money, which I was happy about!’
As always the visiting personnel were extremely impressed by the attitude and general behaviour of the children and we look forward to another Business Game Challenge next year!
( posted: 3:00 PM, 13/10/2011 )
Success for Ewell Castle boys in Surrey Regional Football Trials
Congratulations to Darrian Holder (Year 7) and Tayler Woodcraft (Year 8) who have been selected to play for Surrey Elite, the Surrey Prep School Football Squad. Over 70 players took part in the trials and the selection level was very high, with players judged on technical ability, attitude and enthusiasm.
The boys will now have the opportunity to represent their County against other regional teams, and to work with highly qualified coaches, physiotherapists and sports psuchologists to develop and improve their game. They will also be offered an opportunity to travel abroad to represent Surrey and England at an International tournament in July 2012.
( posted: 3:30 PM, 10/10/2011 )
CAE Scholarship Award for former Ewell Castle student
Congratulations to former Ewell Castle student Alan Merchant, who was recently won the CAE Technology Services Annual Student Scholarship Scheme, beating 1000 other competitors from around the UK with a winning 1000 word report on his use of technology and its potential in a commercial business. Alan received a laptop, software and a glass trophy as a memento of his achievement.
( posted: 1:30 PM, 07/10/2011 )
Harvest Festival
Nursery was overflowing with a cornucopia of tinned and packet foods brought in by children to celebrate Harvest Festival. These were later combined with Years 1-6 gifts at St Mary's Church and donated to charities supporting the homeless in London and young people in Guildford.
( posted: 8:45 AM, 29/09/2011 )
U11 Football - Runners-Up
Congratulations to the Under 11 footballers on finishing runners-up in the Plate Competition at the Shrewsbury House Tournament on Saturday 10th September. A late goal in the semi-final against Staines Prep tied the match, with the team eventually progressing on penalties. The boys met strong opposition in the final, and despite defending extremely well, conceded two goals. Well done to all involved.
( posted: 8:45 AM, 21/09/2011 )
A fair wind blows for Henry Bloodworth
Congratulations to Henry Bloodworth (Year 9), for a successful weekend at the UK Windsurfing Association Cup Event at Christchurch in Dorset. Henry braved winds up to 26kph to come 6th overall in the Under 17's and 1st in the Under 15's.
( posted: 1:15 PM, 19/09/2011 )
Real Tennis at Hampton Court Palace
On the 23rd June 2011 Year 6 went to Hampton Court Palace to play Real Tennis. When we got there we split into two groups. First J6L played real tennis and J6D had their tour of the Palace. We met our tour guide called Lesley and she showed us lots of old rooms like the church, kitchens and the dining room. In the dining room we saw an actor playing Henry VIII with one of his wives, and we had to bow! After the tour it was our turn to play Real Tennis. We met the 5th best Real Tennis player in the world. He showed us the racket and how to use it, the ball and how it's made and then we played. There are 3 ways to score, they are ...
- To hit a picture of Henry VIII, called the 'grille'
- To hit a window with a bell hanging on it, called the 'winning gallery'
- To hit a big window behind the serving side, called the 'dedans'
After we played real tennis we went to have lunch. We went to sit under a tree and after we all had our lunch Mr Darlow took a fun photo of all of Year 6 to celebrate our final trip with Ewell Castle Junior School. Louis Eaves and I pretended to be spies! After the photo we went on the coach back to school. I really enjoyed the trip, the tennis was fun and I learnt a lot.
Alex Webb, J6D
( posted: 11:15 AM, 12/06/2011 )
Junior School Sports Day 2011
The sun came out on Monday 20th June for the Junior School Sports Day events. Year 1 and Year 2 held their event on the playing field at Glyn House. The children were split into house teams, each team completing a range of different activity stations, with all competitors scoring points for their house. The event was followed by a picnic for students and their parents. Congratulations to all the children involved, particularly those from Castlemaine House, who accumulated the most points. Years 3 to 6 held their event for the first time at the Poole Road athletics track, a venue well suited to our aspiring Olympians! Children competed for their House in a number of track and field events. Scores were incredibly close moving into the final relay but it was Essex house who took the victory. Well done to all competitors.
( posted: 11:00 AM, 12/06/2011 )
A new world record!
Former Ewell Castle student, George Atkinson, has become the youngest British mountaineer to climb Everest. George reached the 29,029ft at 2am on Thursday 26th May, also making him the youngest climber in the world to have scaled the tallest mountains on all seven continents.
At 12.30 a.m. London student Geordie Stewart, 22, had become the youngest Briton to perform that feat after completing his own Everest summit - but George snatched the seven-peak record just 90 minutes later. The previous British Everest record holder was Rob Gauntlett, who was 19.
George's mother, Penny, said "We are absolutely delighted for George and so proud but until he gets back down to Base Camp we are holding our breath."( posted: 2:00 PM, 27/05/2011 )
Royal Wedding Fair
On Thursday 28th April, Ewell Castle Junior School held a Royal Wedding Fair at Chessington Lodge. There were 12 activities including: name the bear, feed the dog, guess the number of sweets and pin the tail on the donkey. There was also a 50/50 raffle. All the money raised went to our two chosen charities - Centre Point and the Child Bereavement Charity. The pupils from Glyn House had a choice to dress up as Kings and Queens or in red, white and blue. Chessington Lodge pupils dressed up as princes and princesses. Prizes were awarded to the best costumes in the parade of the Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses. It was a lovely day and all the children had lots of fun! Eloise Brown (J6D)
( posted: 4:00 PM, 11/05/2011 )
Ewell Castle and Greenacre USA Tour Easter 2011
During the Easter holiday, 6th form students from Ewell Castle and Greenacre Schools united for a tour of California, Nevada and Arizona.
Their first stop was San Francisco, with visits to Alcatraz, a city tour including the Golden Gate Bridge and Park, Height Ashbury and Twin Peaks and an evening down town with a ride back to the hotel on the city's famous cable cars.
The next leg of the tour took them to Bakersfield for an evening of country music and line dancing at Buck Owen's Crystal Palace; then on through Death Valley to Las Vegas for two days,taking in the Strip, shopping and a show.
From the hustle of Vegas, they moved on to the beauty and serenity of the Grand Canyon, where they sampled rattle snake in a local restaurant. The final stage of the trip took them to Los Angeles with an overnight stop at Lake Havasu City, home of London Bridge. Los Angeles provided the opportunity for some students tomee a real live Hollywood film director, a visit to a theme park and an evening at a Dodgers baseball game. A tour of the city rounded off an action packed week.
( posted: 11:30 AM, 10/05/2011 )
1st XI Match Report
v. Wallington GS Saturday 7th May 35 overs a side WGS 137 ao. [Stephen Foss 3-31] EC 138-4 [Dhilan Patel 54] Won by 6 wkts
Ewell Castle 1st XI continued their fine opening to their season with a second successive victory, this time against Wallington Grammar School. Wallington chose to bat on a humid afternoon. However disciplined bowling and good catching reduced WGS to 67-7 after twenty overs, with captain Stephen Foss again leading the strike force. Dhilan Patel, Matty Patel and Amer Nazir each took two wickets. Thereafter concentration wavered amongst some Ewell Castle players. Sound technique and then forthright hitting from the Wallington lower batting order, resulted in WGS posting a competitive score. When Ewell Castle batted, Dhilan was selective in his shot making and achieved a well deserved half century. He was well supported by Amer and Craig Short in the face of some aggressive bowling, and victory was secured with nearly ten overs remaining.
( posted: 1:30 PM, 10/05/2011 )
1st XI open season with style!
Ewell Castle 1st XI opened their season with a resounding victory over local rivals Claremont Fan Court by 144 runs. Banstead Cricket Club provided a perfect setting for the opening match.
Ewell Castle set a formidable and well paced total. Harry Wright and Dhilan Patel laid the foundations with a half century opening partnership. Harry then accelerated the scoring rate and was very well supported by middle order contributions particularly from Jack Billington and Shamin Patel. When Ewell Castle took to the field their bowling and fielding complemented the fine batting display. Captain Stephen Foss led the way with opening partner Dhilan, and the accurate bowling was admirably supported with good ground fielding and fine catching, particularly from George Bell.
Final score Ewell Castle 184-6 inns. closed [Harry Wright 83] Claremont Fan Court 40ao [Stephen Foss 4-15, Dhilan Patel 3-14]
( posted: 2:00 PM, 05/05/2011 )
Former pupil takes to the boards
Congratulations to former pupil Kane Rodney, who has recently been selected for the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. A keen thespian throughout his time at the school, Kane was one of only 500 young people selected from the 4,400 who auditioned this year - a fantastic achievement.
The National Youth Theatre, a registered charity, was established 55 years ago as an educational centre of excellence, promoting the social and cultural development of young people across the UK through the medium of theatre. They have nurtured some of the country's leading talent, including Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig and Catherine Tate.
Kane will undertake a two week introductory course this summer, involving an intensive training in the disciplines of theatre with a professional director. He is currently seeking to raise funding to cover his course fee and accommodation - in the region of £755. We will follow his progress with interest and wish him every success in his future career.
( posted: 1:30 PM, 04/05/2011 )
Charity Day
A recent Charity Day, organised by the Senior Prefects, raised more than £1,000 for the charity Street Life. The charity, set up by the uncle of Matty Patel, one of our Senior Prefects, seeks to better the lives of the thousands of children living in the slums of Mumbai, primarily in the field of education by building schools.
Boys from throughout the school organised and ran events on the day. Years 7 to 9 held a raffle, a car wash, selling sweets, games of chance, a sponsored three-legged day and a sponsored silence. The latter was conducted by 9MT, who raised the most money of all the forms participating at over £300. The Sixth Form organised Tug of War and Sumo Suit Wrestling events, which drew large crowds, especially when student v teacher battles began! The day was great fun and the boys were overwhelmingly generous with both their time and their money in their fundraising efforts. Thank you and well done to all involved.
( posted: 3:15 PM, 06/04/2011 )
George Atkinson to attempt Everest
Former Ewell Castle pupil, sixteen-year-old George Atkinson is close to becoming the youngest person in the world to climb the Seven Summits - the highest mountain on every continent. George has just set off on his final climb, Mount Everest in Nepal, which at 8,850 metres is the highest mountain in the world. If he is succeeds in his ascent before his 17th birthday on May 29, he will be the first person to climb all seven summits before the age of 17.
George got the mountaineering bug from his father Mark, and by the age of 7 he had climbed the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales: Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdonia. He started his current challenge when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya at the age of 11 in 2005, before scaling Europe's highest peak, Russia's Mount Elbrus, in 2007. He then tackled Puncak Jaya, also known as Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia in 2008, followed by the South American peak Aconcagua later in the same year. George ticked off his fifth peak when he climbed Mount McKinley (known as Denali) in North America and in January this year he conquered Mount Vinson in Antarctica.
George has decided to complete this final climb in aid of the charity CHASE. Amongs their many activities, CHASE run Christopher's Hospice for children with life limiting illnesses. The hospice offered a great deal of support to George's friend Julia, who died of cancer while in her teens. If you would like to support George and CHASE, you can make a donation via his Virgin Just Giving site ( donate here ). You can follow his progress on Everest via his blog: www.george-seven-summits.blogspot.com
( posted: 10:15 AM, 05/04/2011 )
The Marsden March, Sunday 27th March
Congratulations to the Moet Marchers (aka Mrs Bellenger, Mrs Brown, Mrs Kaegler, Caroline Kaegler and Mrs Wilkins) who have successfully completed a 14 mile sponsored walk in aid of the Royal Marsden Hospital, in an impressive 3 hours and 40 minutes. Our current fundraising total stands at £1,175.15 to date. Thank you to everyone who has supported us so generously. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.justgiving.com/moet-marchers to donate online, or send your donation in via the school office in an envelope marked Marsden March
( posted: 9:30 AM, 28/03/2011 )
Year 3 visit to National Gallery
On Wednesday 9th February 2011, fifteen very excited children from Year 3 set off to visit the National Gallery in London. We were extremely lucky to have a driver who was happy to drive past all the famous sites of London and the children were thrilled to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Millennium Wheel and, of course, Trafalgar Square, to name but a few. How lucky we are to be able to see so many famous sites almost on our doorstep. Elliot Moore wrote about our visit:
( posted: 8:45 AM, 18/02/2011 )
Primary Mathematics Challenge 2010
Congratulations to Christopher Stone (Year 6) who achieved Gold Certificate in the national Primary Mathematics Challenge 2010 and has recently taken part in the National Finals Challenge.
( posted: 9:30 AM, 15/02/2011 )
The Strange Case of Mr One
On Friday January 21st Glyn House was visited by the Quantum Theatre Group who performed a mathematical musical! The story, which involved the theft of a special calculating machine from the British Museum was set in Victorian England and was punctuated with mathematical problems for the children to solve. Josiah Bloodhound and his niece Kitty Beagle led the story and did an excellent job in extracting answers from the children. The main focus was to encourage children to realise that there are a variety of methods available for calculating mentally. In the words of one of our Junior School pupils, it was 'brilliant' and demonstrated that 'maths can be fun!'.
( posted: 4:30 PM, 27/01/2011 )
Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood Visit
Two classes from Chessington Lodge recently went on an outing to a special toy museum. The children in J1 were consolidating their knowledge of toys through history. The older children looked at the exhibits from a science perspective, focusing on forces and the changes in material choices. The following is a report written by Kelechi Nwoko: On Wednesday 19th January 2011, J1 and J2 went on a trip to The Museum of Childhood. This museum is about how toys and clothes have changed from the past to the present. We had a look at toys from the past and the present. We also talked about gravity when we were looking at the wave machine. We found puppet shows, the new ones were easier to play with and more real. It was fun because I now know what sort of toys children used in the past and I prefer the ones that I use now!
( posted: 4:15 PM, 27/01/2011 )
Visit by Chris Grayling, MP for Epsom and Ewell
The door to No. 10 opened for Chris Grayling, MP, at Ewell Castle last week, when he paid a visit to the Sixth Form as part of their Enrichment programme.
The strategically placed and numbered door (actually a prop borrowed from the forthcoming school drama production) provided an amusing opening to Mr Grayling's visit. Following a short introductory address about his current roles as MP for Epsom and Ewell, and Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, Mr Grayling took questions from the floor. A wide and controversial range of topics were raised, including tuition fees, Government spending cuts and his views on the new coalition Government. Leaving through the 'door to number 10' at the end of the session, Mr Grayling gave a well-rehearsed 'ministerial wave'. The Sixth Form students agreed that it was a most informative afternoon, and we look forward to Mr Grayling visiting the school again in the future.
( posted: 2:15 PM, 16/10/2010 )
Rotary Youth Speaks 2010
On Friday 8th October two teams represented the school at the Rotary "Youth Speaks" public speaking competition held in Reigate.
Our Intermediate team of Simeon Carter (Chairman), George Thorpe (Speaker) and Daniel Crego- Bustelo (Proposer of the Vote of Thanks) addressed the topic of computer war games such as Call of Duty and whether these were an appropriate form of entertainment. Our Senior team: Chris Chipperton, Rohan Rice and Tim Gillies concerned themselves with the life and times of Jimi Hendrix.
The judges heaped praise on both teams for their enthusiasm, passion, preparation and skill in delivering to a difficult audience.
Congratulations to the Intermediate team who won their heat, and were awarded the trophy and £25 of book tokens each. They will now progress on to the Area Finals of the National Competition on 12th February. The Senior team also performed extremely well, taking Runners Up for the second time in four years, having won last year.
Well done to all who took part, and good luck to the Intermediate team in the Area Finals.
( posted: 10:45 AM, 12/10/2010 )
Junior Business Game 2010
On Wednesday 6th October, pupils from J6 joined Margaret Royle from The Surrey Education Business Partnership and representatives from the business world of IT software, finance and construction for the annual Junior Business Game.
The children were tasked with forming their own companies to create bookmarks. Within the companies, roles were allocated by the children themselves and the company with the greatest profit at the end of the day won the challenge!
A second challenge involved the children making a group presentation about their company. Devil Bookmarks won the first challenge with a fantastic £79.50 profit, while the Presentation Challenge was won by Brill Books.
The day involved a lot of hard work but provided an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable experience for all involved. In the words of the business men and women who supported us:
"A great day! A great school and lovely students!" "A lovely polite and engaged class of children." "A credit to the school."
Well done to all the teams, and congratulations to the challenge winners.
( posted: 9:30 AM, 12/10/2010 )
Breaking News - Senior School Building Project
The ground at the Castle will be broken on Monday 6th September following the decision made recently by the Governors of Ewell Castle to proceed with the planned building project at the Senior School.
Following on from the acquisition of Glyn House in 2002, this latest development undoubtedly supersedes that acquisition as the single most significant building development in the history of the school. The decision to proceed clearly indicates the confidence in the standing of the school, and the future prospects are now further enhanced by this development. The new building will provide accommodation for six new classrooms, kitchens, a dining/further assembly hall, and cloakrooms. Completion is scheduled for August 2011 i.e. ready for the new school year. Almost as significant as the provision itself will be the impact upon the site which will be transformed for students, staff and visitors alike with a landscaped central area to complement the existing outstanding features of the grounds.
( posted: 12:30 PM, 25/08/2010 )
Outstanding Academic Achievement at GCSE and A level
We would like to share our great pleasure regarding the outstanding achievements1 in the public examinations of this year. At GCSE, three school records were set with 94.3% pass rate (A*-C), 39.6% (A*/A), and an average 10.2 awards per student at A*-C. At A level, 98% pass rate (A*-C) was only one point off our record, and the number of top grades: 48% (A*-B) and 67% (A*-C) were impressive.
Pride of place amongst students this year at A level are:
Shahab Shahipasand (A*AAA) going to study Medicine at University College, London;
Andrew Biden (A*A*A*a) to read Law at Christ's College, Cambridge;
Jacob Nowell (A*AAcc) studying Mathematics at the University of Bath, and
Alex Woollen (AAAB) reading Architecture at University of Manchester
At GCSE, James Nicholas achieved 9A*, 3A, Frazer Carroll 10A*, 1A, 2B and Jayant Uppal 8A*, 5A.
Our particular congratulations go to these students, but I applaud all our candidates who in most cases reached or exceeded expectations at GCSE and A level. Interestingly, and contrary to reports in the media, our A level students who narrowly missed targets were well served by the Clearing process. For support in this venture and in preparing the students during the courses, I also applaud the teachers and careers advisors.
Comprehensive details of school achievements will follow.
( posted: 12:15 PM, 25/08/2010 )
Maths students shine in Team Maths Challenge National Finals
Congratulations to Dongsong Rhee (Y9), Jae-Jin Lee (Y9), Hyung Chan Chung (Y8) and Jason Lee (Y8) for their outstanding success in the recent Team Maths Challenge National Finals. The team achieved seventh place out of 86 schools taking part at the competition held on 21st June at Lawrence Hall in London - a fantastic result!
( posted: 9:30 AM, 01/07/2010 )
Ewell Castle student wins Maths Competition
Congratulations to Seungwoo Ko (Y10), who recently came first in a UK Maths Competition held by LSE!UK (The Korean Scientists and Engineers Association in the UK)
( posted: 2:30 PM, 01/07/2010 )
Y7 &8 Drama Production - Big Bad
After many weeks of rehearsals, students from the year 7 & 8 drama club produced two excellent performances of the much awaited production of Big Bad on 18th and 19th May. The 14 young boys acted with great maturity and flair, with many budding actors for the future. Thank you and well done to all involved.
( posted: 10:45 AM, 27/05/2010 )
Ewell Castle Team Through to UK Maths Challenge Finals
Congratulations to the Junior Maths Challenge team (Don Sung Rhee, Jae Jun Lee, Jeong Hun Lee and Hyun Chan Chung) who are through to the national finals of the UKMT Mathematics Challenge in London on 21st June
Following an impressive performance in the qualifying rounds, when they came 2nd out of 30 local schools, the boys are hoping that the speed and accuracy of their mathematical calculations will stand them in good stead for further success.
( posted: 3:00 PM, 20/05/2010 )
Congratulations to Team Ewell Castle Moonwalkers!
Congratulations to the ladies of Team Ewell Castle, who successfully completed the Playtex Moonwalk in aid of breast cancer through Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday morning.
A big thank you to everyone who has sponsored us and supported our fundraising events - we have raised a fantastic £4,500 so far. We would love to reach £5,000 - if you would like to sponsor us, it is not too late - just click on the link to go to our online fundraising page. Alternatively donations by cash or cheque can be submitted to the school office.
( posted: 10:00 AM, 17/05/2010 )
Ewell Castle Ladies - Playtex Moonwalk 15th May
On Saturday 15th May a group of 15 female staff will be taking part in the Playtex London Moonwalk - a walking marathon which takes place in Central London through the night in aid of breast cancer. Most of the team will be doing the Halfmoon Walk (13 miles), while a handful of brave souls (Debbie Bellenger, Kate Wallace, Cheryl Leeds, Morven McClean, Mary Way) have signed up for the full 26 miles. We have been training hard for the past few months, walking the highways and byways of Surrey and beyond in our black and fluorescent pink Team Ewell Castle T-shirts; we have also been fundraising (including a jewellery sale, Mufti day, Krispy Kreme doughnut sales) and, together with the generous donations of our family and friends have so far raised about £3,500. We would like to reach our (extended) target of £4,000 by the night of the walk.
As you may be aware, one of our colleagues at the Junior School is currently absent from school fighting breast cancer - it is in support of her and others known to us personally that we decided to sign up.
If you would like to support us in our fundraising donations can be made online at www.justgiving.com/ewellcastle (the advantage of this means of giving being that we can claim back the Gift Aid). Alternatively donations can be made by cash or cheque (made payable to Ewell Castle School).
We do hope that you will support us and thank you in advance for your support and generosity.
( posted: 9:30 AM, 11/05/2010 )
Steven Savile returns to Ewell Castle
Ewell Castle Old Boy Steven Savile paid the school a visit on Wednesday 24th March to talk to boys in the Lower School.
Steven is a successful writer, having had a number of science fiction and horror books published as well as some children's books linked to popular television programmes and blockbuster films including Star Wars and Jurassic Park. He has also worked on television programmes such as; Dr Who, Torchwood, Stargate and Primeval and some computer games including Warhammer.
He entertained the boys with stories of his school days at Ewell Castle (1980 - 1984) and gave them an insight into the work of a writer, be it tapping away at his computer in Stockholm coffee houses, (he now lives in Sweden), working at home till the early hours of the morning, or more glamorously on a film set.
We look forward to Steven being able to return in the not too distant future and treat other generations of Ewell Castle boys to his stories.
Mr M Coleman
( posted: 2:30 PM, 31/03/2010 )
J4 Visit The Natural History Museum
Year 4 went to the Natural History Museum on Friday 5th March. When we arrived we went straight to the Lets Investigate Lab where we talked about and investigated all the different things nature has given us - animals, plants and much, much more.
There were lots of interesting things in there including a stuffed fox, crocodile head and even a giant tortoise skeleton, I could go on and on, but the best bit was we could touch and handle most of it! Next we had lunch and then headed upstairs to look at and learn about the dinosaurs! The room we went to was packed with skeletons with their own facts too! Did you know T-rex means King and if it fell over it would have almost certainly killed itself with its weight of 200 ten year olds? After we had passed through there we went in to see the moving T-rex (which is very life-like)! It was very impressive with its swivelling eyes and defining roar.
All in all, I think everyone enjoyed it.
Emily Swepson (J4N)
( posted: 11:30 AM, 12/03/2010 )
The Countback Kid comes to Ewell Castle Junior School
Mathematics is one of those subjects that should be explored in a variety of ways if it is to be fully accessible to all children. On March 5th 2010 we were fortunate enough to be visited by the Quantum Theatre Company who presented The Countback Kid - a mathematically based play on calculation and problem solving.
The uses of negative numbers, divisibility rules, place value, number lines, odd and even numbers, written calculations and partitioning were ingeniously thread into a play set in the Wild West. The pace was fast and the children had to concentrate in order to benefit from the presentation but they definitely enjoyed themselves and answered any questions with confidence.
Back in class afterwards, the Year 5 and Year 6 children carried out challenges to reinforce their understanding of negative numbers and divisibility rules whilst the younger children focussed more on odd and even numbers and place value.
The Countback Kid was, in the words of the children: educational, energetic, enjoyable and very amusing!
Mrs D. Goff
( posted: 11:15 AM, 12/03/2010 )
The Grand Multiplication Challenge 2010
Once again, the commitment shown by children, staff and parents in preparing for this event has been very impressive. Special congratulations should go to those who scored 100%:
In Year 2 - Holly Cottam and Saskia Keogh
In Year 4 - Eric Lee
In Year 5 - Calum Clifford, Lachlan John, Eloise Brown, Brandon Hammond and Christopher Stone
Keep up the good work everyone! Learning your multiplication tables will set you up for life - so keep practising!!
Mrs D. Goff
( posted: 11:00 AM, 12/03/2010 )
Charity Week at the Castle
The School's charity week was held the week before half term to raise money for 'The Wings of Hope' charity which provides free education for those living in poverty in India and Malawi. The week involved many different events including pizza and cake sales, sumo wrestling and the 'Great Escape' where two teams of Sixth Formers had a day to travel as far away from school as possible for free whilst the pupils placed guesses on a giant map of the UK. The total raised was over £1200 so a massive thank you to all the boys who helped us break our target, it will be going to a truly worthy cause.
We will now wait to see if we have progressed to the semi-final of the competition, where the selected teams deliver their presentations to an esteemed collection of judges including Sir David Jason in the House of Lords.
Andrew Biden (Year 13)
( posted: 2:30 PM, 08/03/2010 )