Summer 2015

Leweston Life

Head’s Welcome 3

Inspection Findings 4

Academic Awards and Successes 5

Trips and Visits 7

Creative Life 10

Senior Sport 14

Junior Department 20

Nursery 31

Boarding 32

Spiritual Life 34

Dates for your Diary 36

Contents

www.leweston.co.uk

Page 18

Page 28

Page 31 Page 9

Cover image: Year 5 and 6 residential trip to Braeside

Welcome from the HeadI am delighted to be able to write to you at the

end of what has been a busy and successful year,

and of course, my last as Head of Leweston.

I write this after our Speech Day celebrations, a

fitting way to mark the end of the academic year.

We were delighted to welcome Dr Geoffrey Guy, a

Leweston parent with over 30 years of experience

in medical research and global drug development,

as our guest speaker at our Senior School event.

Geoffrey brought with him a special message for

our pupils from one of the most inspiring young

women of their

generation: Malala

Yousafzai, activist for

female education and

the youngest-ever Nobel

Prize laureate. Dr Guy

relayed Malala’s words of

hope and aspiration to

our girls and our Upper

Sixth were presented

with signed copies of

her book (pictured left).

This is something that

they will no doubt

treasure forever.

One aspect of a change

of Head is that there will

be new ideas and fresh

legs and these are really

healthy for an

institution. Kate

Reynolds who will be taking up the mantleship of

Leweston will I have no doubt move the school

forward. She is a first class teacher, a person of

energy and culture, and has high expectations

across school life.

I leave Leweston in good form. You will see the

many achievements of the last two terms outlined

on the following pages but highlights include the

excellent outcomes of our 2015 inspection report

outlined on page 4, the Senior School and Sixth

Form study tours to Washington and New York,

Salamanca and Paris and Braeside for the Junior

Department pupils. Audiences were thoroughly

entertained at the outstanding Choral Society

Concert in March, the ever impressive GCSE and

A Level Art and Design exhibition and the summer

term’s production of Alice in Wonderland featuring

pupils from Years 5 - 8. Our growing record of

success in the fields of Cross-Country and

Pentathlon continues to grow and details can be

found on pages 14 - 19. All in all we have seen

another wonderful year of achievements where

the pupils have, as ever, committed themselves

across the spectrum of schools life and generated

outstanding successes across a range of

disciplines.

I would like to finish by saying that it has been a

privilege to be part of the education of all the

pupils at Leweston. I have greatly enjoyed my nine

years as Head and am myself, a proud parent of

two ‘Old Antonians’. I have no doubt that

Leweston will continue to go from strength to

strength in the years ahead and that the school

will continue to encourage all the young people

who pass through its doors to ‘rejoice and do well’

for many years to come.

3

Adrian Aylward

Headmaster

The Senior School is delighted with the

findings of its recent ISI (Independent Schools

Inspectorate) inspection report.

Leweston was given the top ‘excellent’

judgment for the quality of its academic and

extra-curricular provision and achievements,

the spiritual, moral, social and cultural

development of pupils, pastoral care and the

quality of the school’s boarding provision.

The school is also celebrating strong inspection

reports for Junior Department Boarding and

the Early Years Foundation Stage. We are

delighted with the findings of both reports,

which commend the provision we offer to our

young boarders and recognise the strong

foundations that have been built in the Early

Years Foundation Stage, especially given the

rapid expansion of Leweston’s Nursery and

new baby unit since September.

Leweston School Celebrates Inspection Findings

Adrian Aylward - Headmaster

“I am delighted with the outcome of the reports,which provide external verification of all that Ibelieve to be true at Leweston: that the quality ofthe pupils’ academic achievement and learning isexcellent, as are their extracurricular achievementswhich are underpinned by our outstandingcurricular, extracurricular and pastoral provision.It is gratifying that the reports acknowledge not onlythat our pupils achieve well academically, but thatthe less tangible indicators of success, such aspersonal, spiritual and moral development, sofundamental to what we offer at Leweston, are alsoexcellent. These judgements are borne out in themany achievements at Leweston over recent monthswith the pupils, as ever, committing themselvesacross the spectrum of school life and generatingoutstanding successes across a range of disciplines.”

To read the Inspection Reports in full please visit our website at

www.leweston.co.uk 4

5

Following success at this year’s

Cambridge Chemistry Challenge,

Leweston School is celebrating

outstanding performances at the

2015 UK Chemistry Olympiad, an

annual competition organised by

the Royal Society of Chemistry for

the nation’s most talented Sixth

Form pupils.

Congratulations to Alina

Pietruszewicz and Katarzyna Zator

who were awarded Gold

certificates and were amongst the

top 7% of candidates who

entered the competition. Well

done also to Jenny Lau who was

awarded Silver and Daisy Lewis

and Christy Ling who secured

Bronze certificates.

“This is an extraordinaryachievement, won against thebest chemistry brains in theUK. The pupils’ enthusiasmand dedication should be aninspiration to others”.

Dr Oznur KemalHead of Chemistry at Leweston

SIXTH FORM SUCCESS INUK CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD

Academic Awards and Successes

TOP 8% IN IFSSTUDENT INVESTORCHALLENGE

Leweston has had a second

successful year taking part in

the IFS Student Investor

Challenge: a UK wide stock

market game where pupils

have to make as much

money as they can from an

initial £100k investment. Five

teams took up the challenge,

two of which came in the top

8% out of 8720 teams! An

outstanding achievement.

OutstandingOffers forUpper SixthWe are once again celebrating

excellent offers for our Upper

Sixth pupils. Many girls have

received offers to study at the

most selective Russell Group

establishments including

Cambridge, Imperial and UCL.

All the girls applying to study

medicine have received offers,

further building on Leweston’s

strong record of success in

this area. Good luck to all the

girls expecting their results

in August.

Best Ever Leiths Results forLeweston Sixth FormersLeweston is celebrating a record number

of Distinctions, Merits and First Class

passes for the Leiths Basic Certificate in

Food and Wine. Leweston is one of a

select few schools in the country to run

this internationally recognised qualification and has been doing so for 5

years now.

Leiths teacher Susan Larkin commented, “I am delighted with thisachievement for the girls and know they will put into practice what theyhave learnt, either professionally or for pleasure, as many of the girlswho have previously been through the programme are already doing.”

6 6

ThinkingFaithLeweston would like to

congratulate Daniel Kearney,

Head of Religious Studies

who, this year, has had two

articles published by

Thinkingfaith.org. The first,

entitled The Jesuits and the

Tudors, explores how the

early Jesuits tried to preserve

Catholicism during the reign

of Elizabeth II and the second,

entitled Peter Canisius:

Countering the Reformation in

Germany explains how

Canisius came to earn the

title of ‘the second apostle of

Germany’. Both articles can

be found at

www.thinkingfaith.org/

Sixth Former Awarded a Placeon Prestigious HeadstartEngineering CourseYear 12 pupil Aoife McCarthy has

beaten over 20,000 applicants to

secure one of a few places on the

Head Start Engineering course at

Exeter University this summer. The

course, entitled Engineering the 21st

Centurywill explore how many of

today’s greatest challenges will require

radical new engineering approaches

and will give participants an insight

into how exciting new developments

in areas such as nano-materials may

play a part in addressing these global

issues. Good luck Aoife.

PUPIL WINSSCHOLARSHIPFROM THE GERMANGOVERNMENTCongratulations also to Year 12

student Helen Cridland, who has

won a scholarship to

study in Germany

over the summer.

The scholarship is

funded by the

German

Government and

Helen had to

compete against

hundreds of

applicants to win a

much coveted place.

Leweston’s Latinists have enjoyed a busy start to 2015. We were

delighted to welcome Professor Chris Pelling of Christ Church College,

Oxford University to Leweston in March to deliver his fascinating talk

titled Cleopatra: An Illustrated Talk on the Great Egyptian Queen. The

lecture was engaging and stimulating and provided a thought-

provoking backdrop to the girls’ studies in class.

Lower down the school Leweston’s Year 8 Latinists joined in May’s

election fever by comparing modern and ancient elections, culminating

in an in-class election between the ‘iuvenes’, ‘mercatores’ and ‘pistores’.

Leweston’s ever popular Classics Club has had a distinctive culinary tone

this year. The girls marked the end of the spring term with a Roman

Dinner Party, complete with togas and delicious treats inspired by the

Ancient World! More culinary inspiration followed in the summer term

when the club created the Colosseum from biscuits – needless to say it

lasted a lot less time than the genuine article! Cleopatra and Culinary Creativity for Leweston’s Classicists

Washington and New York Study TourFebruary saw a group of 18 Sixth Formers depart on the biannual trip to

Washington and New York. The packed itinerary gave the girls a wide

range of historical and cultural experiences including a tour of the Capitol

Building, the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials, the White House, the

Empire State Building and a variety of museums. The girls also had the

incredible opportunity to visit the UN in New York, where they enjoyed

a guided tour of the three chambers of council and discovered the

working structure of the organisation. A wonderful experience for

all involved.

CHALKE VALLEYHISTORY FESTIVALAn intrepid party of girls

from Years 9, 10 and 12

embarked upon a voyage of

discovery through the ages

at the Chalke Valley History

Festival in June. The girls

enjoyed the vast array of

exhibits including the

Spartans at Thermopylae and

The Incredible Unlikeliness of

Being: Evolution and the

Making of Us. They were able

to explore medieval magic,

experience trench warfare

and discover Roman

medicine. An engaging and

informative trip.

TRIPS AND VISITS

Pupils visit the United Nations Headquarters in New York

8

Thirty five GCSE students from

Leweston and Sherborne School

took part on a study visit to

Salamanca over the February half

term. Students stayed with local

families and attended morning

lessons at Mester Language

School. As well as practicing their

language skills, the girls enjoyed

sampling local cuisine and visiting

the most important sites in this

remarkable and historical city

immersing themselves fully in the

culture of the region.

Year 13 Biologists Attend DNA Technology WorkshopA group of Upper Sixth journeyed to Bristol in March to

attend a workshop on DNA technology. The workshop, ‘a

bitter taste’ offered by @Bristol, allowed the girls to

experience first hand the molecular biology techniques

they had learned about in class. The exploration of the

day’s tasks gave the girls conceptual awareness of the ever-

expanding field of genetics and personalised medicine.

Thank you to @Bristol for a wonderful visit.

Viva La España!

DesignInspiration atthe AlexanderMcQueen:SavageBeautyExhibitionDesign students from Years 11, 12

and 13 visited the Alexander

McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition

at the V&A in March. This incredible

exhibition is the first and largest

retrospective of the late designer’s

work to be presented in Europe. A

particular highlight was The Cabinet

of Curiosities: an iconic display of

McQueen’s designs which was set in

a two story room with revolving

manikins and accessory displays.

The vast array of different fashion

collections allowed the girls to look

at everything from garments with

a gothic romantic style, to the

iconic Plato’s Atlantis collection

which included the famous

armadillo shoes!

Science ComesAlive for Year 11“The future of Science is in

YOUR hands!” was the message

that all Year 11 girls received at

the Science Live! event at

Bristol’s Colston Hall. The girls

had the opportunity to listen

to, and ask questions of,

inspirational speakers such as

Professor Robert Winston and

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock,

about topics ranging from

the future of nuclear fusion

to the controversial issue of

third parents.

Pupils in Years 9 and 10 enjoyed

a study tour to France in May.

From Picardie to Paris, the girls

discovered iconic and historical

French sites including the

Thiepval Memorial, the

Lochnagar Mine Crater

Memorial, the Newfoundland

Memorial Park and the Historial

de la Grande Guerre museum in

Péronne. The girls were then

completely immersed in Parisian

culture enjoying a boat trip on

the river Seine, walks in the

Louvre courts, the Tuileries

gardens and Montmartre.

Highlights of the trip included

the breath-taking views from the

top of the Tour Eiffel and Arc de

Triomphe and the irresistible ice

cream from the Ile St Louis.

Paris

9

Leweston ChoralSociety puts ona truly ‘SacredConcert’ Leweston’s Chapel was packed for

this year’s Choral Society Concert

which saw the choir take on Duke

Ellington’s rarely performed

Sacred Concert, a stunning

compilation of sacred text settings,

dances, voices and big band

accompaniment.

The Choral Society, made up by

pupils from Leweston’s Schola

Cantorum and Cantemus, as well

as parents, staff, governors and

adults from the local community,

was directed by Leweston’s

Director of Music, Claire Hawkes

and accompanied by

internationally acclaimed jazz

musician Andy Williamson and his

Big Buzzard Big Band. They were

joined by esteemed jazz pianist

Philip Clouts and by the very

talented professional soloist,

Joanna Woolvett. The audience

was treated to a breath-taking tap

dance solo by renowned tap

dancer Annette Walker and the

programme also included some

superb performances by Schola

Cantorum and soloists Evie Davis

(Year 11) and Harriet Guy (Year 13).

“It was wonderful to be ableto involve Leweston girls andthe local community in suchan exciting musical project,working with jazz greats suchas Andy Williamson andPhilip Clouts. The eveningwas a resounding success: theChoral Society raised the roofwith their fantastic harmonies,the soloist was sensational,the tap dance ‘percussion’innovative and theaccompanying instrumentalistsnothing less than world class.Ultimately, all elements, bothaudio and visual, coalesced tocreate an incredible spectaclefor the assembled audience.We look forward to next year’sevent!”

Claire Hawkes - Director of Music

Creative Life

11

Leweston was delighted to

take the top spots in three of

the dramatic categories at the

114th Mid Somerset Festival in

Bath in the Spring.

Congratulations to Portia

Alexander and Olivia

Kennington (Year 9) who won

the Duologue Acting Under 15

Years; and Antonia Redpath

(Year 13) and Old Antonian

Olivia Macintosh who won the

David Garrick trophies for

Shakespeare Acting Under 19

Years and the Noral Ball cups

for Duo Acting Under 21 Years.

There were also many strong

placements in the duo

categories: Year 8 pupils

Madeleine Austin and Annelies

Nicholson came a very close

2nd in the Duo Acting Under

13 Years against a large field;

Sarah Newton and Abi Hardy

(both Year 12) took home two

2nd place medals each – the

first for the Duo Acting Under

17 Years and the second for

the Duo Acting 16 Years &

Under Shakespeare; and

Poppy Bailey and Daisy

Pilkington (Year 8) came 2nd

in the Duo Acting Under

14 Years.

Fantastic Results at the

Mid Somerset Festival

of Speech and Drama

SUCCESS AT THESHERBORNESOLO ACTINGCOMPETITIONCongratulations to Lexsis Nyeko

and Isabella Humphreys (both

Year 12) for their winning

performances at the inaugural

Sherborne Solo Acting

Competition hosted by Sherborne

School in January. Lexsis took first

prize in the Senior Classical

category and Isabella won the

Senior Modern category.

Leweston would also like to

congratulate Rose Sullivan (Year

13) for her superb performance in

the Senior Classical category.

PERFORMINGPROWESSIt has been an exciting time for

Year 7 drama scholar Jessamy

Bowditch who won a place in the

final of the ‘Let Me Entertain You’

competition at the Octagon

Theatre following a flawless,

amusing and powerful

performance of I Know It’s Today

from Shrek the Musical.

This is the latest in a string of

dramatic successes for Jessamy

(pictured above) who was also

recently involved in a charity

concert to raise money for street

children. The Mpongwe People’s

Charity Show featured a headline

performance by 2005 X Factor

runner up Andy Abraham who

debuted his new charity single,

Cardboard Box in the Rain,

featuring backing vocals by

Jessamy and her fellow Castaway

Theatre Group members.

Well done.

The King and ICongratulations to the following

girls who were selected for roles in

the Yeovil Amateur Operatic

Society (YAOS) musical spectacular

The King and I: Grace and Daisy

Pilkington (Years 6 and 8), Erin

Cassingham (Year 6), Sophie

Worrall (Year 6), Jessamy Bowditch

(Year 7) and India Cole (Year 8).

Pupils from Years 4, 5 and 6

enjoyed a trip to the Octagon

Theatre in Yeovil to show their

support for the girls who gave

outstanding performances. Well

done all.

Summer Art &Design Exhibitions

For the first time Leweston has hosted an exhibition of Art

and Design pieces by pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 as well as the

summer’s well established GCSE and A Level event. The

impressive collection of work from the pupils at the lower

end of the school showcased the work created by pupils

including observational drawings inspired by the work of

Jim Dine, portraits influenced by Henri Matisse, card

sculpture inspired by the work of Naum Gabo and abstract

art influenced by the Cubist art movement.

The summer term saw the much anticipated annual

exhibition of GCSE and A Level coursework and exam pieces,

some of which are shown here.

• Eleanor Evason ‘Elements’ A Level Coursework

• Kate Zibrova Year 13 Final coursework

• Harriet Cooke Year 13 Graphic Design Bookillustrations for Dracula

• AS Coursework Natasha Lau Textiles Year 12 12

• Jasmina Tims GCSE Coursework Textiles Year 11

• Chloe Suen Year 10 GCSE Exam Piece

• Eve Southcombe GCSE Exam piece ‘Decay’

• Wilhelmina Froy Year 10 GCSE Landscape project

• Lauren Sewed Year 10 GCSE Landscape Project

• Constance Reynolds Year 11 GCSE Graphic Design

14

LEWESTON PUPIL RANKEDAS THE WORLD’S TOP

U14 BIATHLETE The year could not have got off to a betterstart for Year 9 sports scholar Libby Tolleywho was ranked as the world’s top U14biathlete in January following herperformance in the 2014 Biathle World Tour.Over the course of the year Libby recordedwins at races in Italy and Germany and wasplaced 7th at the European Championships in

Portugal. Libby also competed in the 2014Biathle British Series; a series of six racesthroughout the summer across the countryand finished as the runner up overall. Theseare outstanding achievements and we wishLibby luck for this year’s events. No doubt abright sporting future awaits.

Senior Sport

In Other Biathle /

Biathlon News

15

Congratulations to

Leweston’s Under 17

(pictured above) and Under

12 biathletes who took

home team gold and bronze

respectively at the

prestigious National Schools’

Biathlon Championships

held at the Olympic Park in

London at the end of March.

12 girls, ranging in age from

10-18, competed for

Leweston at this hotly

contested event and the

school is immensely proud

of the wonderful results

produced by each of them.

Leweston’s Senior biathletes

also enjoyed a successful

day at the National Schools’

Biathle in June. Leweston

pupils recorded two

individual wins from Year 9

pupil Libby Tolley and Year

12 pupil Georgie Kemp and

the Year 8, Year 9 and Sixth

Form teams all emerged

victorious. Leweston also

amassed 5 team wins at the

Dorset Schools’ Biathle

Relays and more success

came at the South West

Schools’ Biathle

Championships held at

Leweston in May. The school

recorded three individual

golds (Lily Amor, Year 5,

Libby Tolley, Year 9 and

Daisy Liddle, Year 12). In the

team competitions, the Year

7s picked up team bronze,

the Year 4s won team silver

and the Year 9, Year 5 and

Years 12/13 girls all won

team gold. Good luck to the

six girls from Years 7 to 13

who have been selected to

represent Great Britain over

the summer at the World

Tour Biathle Race in

Portugal. We look forward

to reporting on their

progress in due course.

Success at NationalPony Club TriathlonChampionshipsFollowing the development of

Leweston’s flourishing

tetrathlon/triathlon programme,

Leweston pupils have achieved

much success on the pony club

circuit this year. Elektra Covell

(Year 7) and Issy Colwell (Year 6)

were both selected to represent

Area 14 in the National Pony Club

Triathlon Championships in March

following a very successful season.

Both girls put in strong

performances which resulted in

Elektra finishing in 12th place

individually and Issy in 13th.

Elektra also won the Area 14

Winter accumulator prize for Mini

Girls out of 20 pony clubs, for the

four best scores accumulated in

triathlons over the 2014/15

season. Well done.

Hockey Star Qualifiesfor National FinalsCongratulations to Poppy Boyden

(Year 9) who qualified for the

National Hockey Championships

held at London’s Olympic park in

May as a member of her local club

(the Sherborne and Yeovil Hockey

Club U14 A team). Sherborne and

Yeovil were one of only 8 teams

competing in the prestigious

competition where they finished

in a respectable 4th place.

Congratulations also to Freya

Logan (Year 12), Beth McMillan

and Molly Parsons (both Year 11),

who have all been selected for the

South West JRPC (Junior Regional

Performance Centre) for Hockey.

We look forward to their

continued progress.

}

16

Leweston Wins Summer Netball League

Congratulations to Leweston’s netballers for their victory in the Leweston

Summer League for local schools and clubs. This was the second year

of the competition which this year attracted over 100 competitors

from the area. We look forward to the league’s continued growth in the

years ahead.

Tennis TriumphCongratulations to sports scholar

Mollie Parsons who was part of the

victorious Dorset team in the 2015

Tennis County Cup.

Leweston once again played host to the annual Easter Training Camp for the sports of Pentathlon, GB Biathle,

Tetrathlon and Triathlon. The six day camp, now in its third year, continues to grow in popularity and welcomed

over 100 athletes aged 9-18. The camp culminated with the South West Biathle Championships where Leweston

was well represented with pupils competing successfully in each age group. Notable results for Leweston

included: First and third place in the Youth A Girls division (Georgie Kemp and Daisy Liddle, both Year 12); second

in the Youth D Girls (Anya Evans, Year 6); and third in the Youth F Girls (Molly Colwell – Year 3). Earlier this year

Leweston was made a specialist training centre by Pentathlon GB and we look forward to these successful events

continuing in the years ahead. Please visit www.leweston.co.uk for more details.

Record Numbers Attend Easter Training Camp

LEWESTON ANNOUNCES EXCITING MULTISPORT TOUR TO SRI LANKA

Leweston is excited to announce that it will be running a Senior Sports Tour to Sri Lanka in July

2016. The tour will offer girls in Years 10-13 the opportunity to compete in sports events in

stunning locations around the island of Sri Lanka. There will also be time for local excursions

which will include feeding baby elephants at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, taking part in a netball

coaching clinic with local children and visiting the Turtle Hatchery in Kosgoda.

17

Senior Runners Dominate the Local Circuit

The Senior Cross-Country team has

enjoyed another tremendous

season, further building on

Leweston’s strong record of success

in the sport. Of nine local

competitions since January, the

team recorded wins at eight and

finished 2nd in the other. Victories

were recorded at the Downside,

Kingswood and Milton Abbey

races, the Sherborne Trophy held in

the Castle grounds, the Ken Baily

races organised by Bryanston

School, as well as the Clayesmore,

King’s Bruton and Bryanston Relays.

A special mention goes to Year 9

pupils Libby Tolley and Poppy

Boyden and to Year 12 pupil

Georgie Kemp, who were all

selected to represent Dorset at the

2015 South West Championships.

“The girls should be proudof their determined,dedicated, and cheerfulapproach to both trainingand racing. They have beena pleasure to both guideand coach.”

David BarlowCross-Country Coach

MODERN PENTATHLONCongratulations to the two girls who helped the Dorset

Pentathletes take gold at the South West Modern Tetrathlon in

February. Elektra Covell (Year 7) took the top spot in the U13

division, with Year 5 pupil Lily Amor coming 5th in the same

category despite being only 10 years old! Well done also to Libby

Tolley (Year 9) who came second in the U15 event. There was

more success for Elektra (pictured) at the National Modern

Pentathlon Championships which saw her

finish in 5th place overall against the best

pentathletes in the country. This is an

incredible achievement at such a competitive

event. Well done Elektra.

Well done also to the Leweston girls who

completed at the Pentathlon GB National

Triathlon in April. Elizabeth Tolley (Year 9) won

the U17 age group helped by a personal best in

the swim phase. In the U13 event, Lily Amor

(Year 5) produced a personal best in the shoot

phase to finish in 12th place overall. Elektra

Covell (Year 7) also featured in this event, finishing 13th. Well done

to all three girls whose strong performances helped the Dorset

Pentathletes to two team golds.

YEAR 13 PUPIL TO TAKE PART INENGLAND RUGBY TRIALSCongratulations to talented rugby

player Maddie Kirby (Year 13) who has

been selected to trial for the England

Women U20s. This is the latest in a

string of success for Maddie who has

only been playing competitive rugby for

three seasons. She is currently team

Captain for the North Dorset RFC; Pack

Leader for the Dorset and Wilts team;

and has Vice-Captained the England

Junior Academy South West team.

Records

Smashed at

Inter-House

Athletics

Competition

and Swimming

GalaLeweston enjoyed a

wonderful afternoon of

Inter-House Athletics in the

last week of term which saw

several long standing

records toppled in fine

fashion. A number of new

Inter-House and age group

records were broken,

including two held by Old

Antonian’s for over 20 years!

The 800m is now held by

Libby Tolley (Year 9) and the

1500m is now held by

Georgie Kemp (Year 13). Yet

more records were broken at

the Inter-House Swimming

Gala. Congratulations to our

new record holders: Alice

Liddle (Year 10) Backstroke

50m and 25m, Libby Tolley

(Year 9) Butterfly 25m

and 100m open, Eve

Southcombe Freestyle 50m

and Aoife McCarthy 200m

Open. 17 year group records

were also broken. Well done

to all competitors.

18

The 29er EuroCup

Congratulations to gifted sailor and Leweston Sixth Former Izzie Berkley

who travelled to Spain to compete for Great Britain in the 29er EuroCup in

February. Izzie and her teammate Luke Robinson took part in the

international competition where they overcame tricky weather

conditions and problems with their boat to finish in a respectable 27th

place. 61 teams from 12 nations took part, with Sweden crowned the

eventual winners. Izzie and Luke have since competed in the Youth

Nationals in Portland and look forward to the National Championships

and World Championships in August. Good Luck!

Leweston pupils are riding high

thanks to the largest equestrian

team the school has ever seen. The

17 strong team includes girls aged

from 8 to 18, each exceptionally

talented in their chosen

equestrian field. Leweston’s

equestriennes successfully

compete in the disciplines of

dressage, show jumping, and

eventing, as well as Tetrathlon and

Pentathlon events. The girls

represent the school and their

local Pony Clubs, with some riding

for the county and even aiming to

represent Great Britain.

One of the team’s older members,

Immie Jones (Year 12) is putting

her hard work, dedication and

hours of training into practice as

she starts on an exciting journey in

the dressage world. Immie is

working towards her goal of being

selected for the National Junior

Team and representing Great

Britain. She recently attended the

British Young Riders Dressage

High Performance Camp, which

gave her access to the country’s

top trainers, and offered a wealth

of sports science support for both

horse and rider.

Like Immie, Perdi Digby (Year 7) is

also aiming for the top. Perdi

competes in premier Show

Jumping events around the UK

and is hoping to qualify her ponies

for various championships,

including the prestigious Horse of

the Year Show. On top of all this,

Perdi was recently presented with

the Dorset Leading Junior Rider

Award which is given to the best

under 16 year old riding ponies.

Tetrathlon is also a popular sport

for the equestrian team which

benefits from the school’s

impressive strength in multisport

events. Many fantastic results have

been generated over the past few

seasons not least at the Bicton

Inter-Area Tetrathlon in May where

Leweston girls won all three

phases: Elektra Covell (Year 7) the

shoot and swim phases and Issy

Colwell (Year 6) the running phase.

Well done also to Alice

Southcombe (Year 7) who won the

shoot and swim, to come 2nd

overall in the Novice Junior Girls

section. Their results, alongside a

strong performance from Eve

Southcombe (Year 10), helped to

ensure their Area team came 1st

overall.

Leweston is very proud of all of

the girls on the team and how

they successfully combine a

busy school life with their riding

and training.

Riding High: Leweston’s Largest Ever Equestrian Team

19

Junior Department

Leweston Junior Department was

delighted to welcome local author

Gill Lewis to the school in

February. Gill, who is also a vet, has

written a number of very popular

children’s books inspired by the

people she has met during her

working life as well as her love of

wild animals and wild places.

“It was an inspiring visit;there were a great manyfascinating ideas and lots ofhelpful advice. We alsolearned about differentspecies of bear – there areeight! Gill told us herwriting tips and I loved heridea of drawing hercharacters and forming theirpersonalities around them.”

Eve Fidler - Year 6

The literary theme continued in

March with World Book Day

celebrations which saw various

activities surrounding a book

launch. These included building a

web page, making a video,

composing and recording a jingle

and creating merchandise.

LITERATURE COMES TO LIFE AT LEWESTON

21

Green Earth Day atLeweston JuniorDepartment

Pupils from Nursery to Year 6

enjoyed celebrating Green

Earth Day by wearing varying

shades of green and taking

part in a range of activities

provided by Beth Coleman

from the Carymoor

Environmental Trust.

The pupils threw themselves

into this informative day and

were delighted to raise over

£50 for the Woodland Trust.

The World’s Gone French

Pupils in the Junior Department were delighted to attend a French

workshop hosted by the Senior School alongside pupils from Hanford

and Knighton House. The day involved pupils from all three schools

working collaboratively to write a play in French before acting it out in

front of their peers and culminated in a performance of the play The

World’s Gone French! by well-known schools’ theatre company Onatti.

The play itself was a big hit with all the students who particularly

enjoyed the audience participation!

PUPILS SHARE A SMILE FOR SAFERINTERNET DAY 2015

Safer Internet Day 2015 was

celebrated globally on the 10th

of February with the slogan ‘Let’s

create a better internet together’.

The day offers the opportunity to

highlight positive uses of

technology to help make the

internet a better place. Pupils

joined in during their lessons by

learning about safe and

responsible ways to use the

internet, by writing their own

Safer Internet Day pledges

(pictured above) and by creating

‘smileys’ for SID’s ‘Share a Smile’

social media campaign.

22

Green Fingers

The children in Reception

and Year 1 have started a

project to create a

vegetable patch in the

school garden.

We look forward to seeing

the fruits of their labours

later this year!

Leweston Pupils put on a Show StoppingPerformance at Youth Makes Music

Pupils in Years 5 and 6 put on another masterful performance at

the annual Sherborne Rotary Club Youth Makes Music concert in

Sherborne. The children confidently demonstrated the abundant

performing arts talent in the Junior Department and left the

audience amazed!

Romans for a Day

Pupils in Year 3 took part in a fun

and informative Roman

Workshop with Toby Stok of

Hands on History in May. The

children enjoyed immersing

themselves in Roman life and

learning about the period by

handling both original and

replica artefacts. Many of the

items they explored were from

the Roman villa that used to exist

at the Westlands site in Yeovil!

PUPILS CELEBRATE ENGLISH SPEAKINGBOARD EXAMINATIONS RESULTSCongratulations to the Junior Department pupils who took English

Speaking Board examinations in the spring term. All candidates were

rewarded for their efforts with either a Merit Plus or a Distinction.

These are the best set of results that we have had for many years.

Well done all.

23

The Junior Department’s inaugural and ambitious Service of Thanksgiving

for Animals was a great success. Held in the walled garden in June, the

service was led by Fr Peter Clarke and we were delighted to be joined by

Yetminster Choir for this special occasion. As well as the pupils and their

families, we were joined by dogs, cats, ponies, chickens, budgerigars, rabbits,

a tortoise, guinea pigs, a hamster and even some fish! All the pets were

beautifully behaved with one of the dogs even joining in with the hymns!

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

Congratulations to Lily Amor

(Year 5), Luisa Cianfanelli (Year 3) and

Lilly Redman (Year 5) who made their

First Holy Communion at a special

service in April. Thank you to Fr Peter

Clarke, our celebrant for this important

moment in the lives of the girls and their

families.

Service of Thanksgiving for Animals

Pupils in the Junior

Department have held several

events for charity over the

course of the spring and

summer terms. A cake sale

raised £40 for Mosaic, a Dorset

wide charity offering support

to bereaved children and their

families. Comic Relief was

marked with a fun mix-and-

match mufti day, mixing their

school uniforms with their

wackiest and brightest items

of clothing and raised over

£50. Pupils have also raised

£50 for the Woodland Trust,

£40 for Marie Curie and nearly

£500 for the charity School in

a Bag.

FRIENDS’ NEWSThank you to the Friends’ of Leweston Junior Department who

held a number of successful events this year including the ever

popular annual Easter Egg Hunt and the annual Junior

Department Summer Fayre which boasted a fabulous array of

traditional stalls, including face painting, hook-a-duck, tombola,

lucky dip, cakes, a bouncy castle and much more. Both these

events have become real highlights in the Junior Department

calendar, enjoyed by pupils, parents and staff.

Thank you to the Friends’ committee for their continued support.

Charity Events

Easter Egg Hunt

23

24

Trips and Visits

NURSERY, RECEPTION AND YEAR 1 TRAVEL TO THE OCTAGON THEATRETO WATCH ‘ROOM ON THE BROOM’

Year 5 Geography Field Trip: Sherborne Town Trail

Year 6 visit StudlandYear 3 and 4 Visit Stonehenge

Year 5 Geography Trip to the River Wriggle

2015 has seen many trips and

visits for the pupils in the

Nursery and Junior

Department. These

opportunities provide the

pupils with the chance to

broaden their horizons,

deepen their subject

knowledge and take their

learning outside of the

classroom and they are an

important part of the

curriculum at Leweston.

A selection of the trips and

visits that have taken place so

far this year can be seen in the

accompanying photo gallery.

Braeside

Braeside

The Three Wishes

‘Room on the Broom’

Sea Life Centre

Studland

Sherborne Old Castle

25

Year 6 Visit to LV Streetwise safety education centre

YEARS 3, 4 AND 6 SPEND THE DAY AT GORE FARM

The annual 3 day residential trip for Years 5 and 6 to Brilliant Braeside!Reception and Year 1 enjoyed a trip to The Three Wishes Café in Sherborne

to support their literacy topic of Traditional Fairy Tales. Nursery visit Weymouth Sea Life CentreYear 4 trip to the Tutankamun Exhibition

Braeside

Braeside

River Wriggle Sea Life Centre Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Gore Farm

Gore Farm

Tutankhamun ExhibitionLV Streetwise

Alice in WonderlandDazzles AudiencesA cast of girls from Years 5 - 8 put on a

stunning performance of Lewis Caroll’s Alice

in Wonderland at the end of the summer

term. Playing to a full house over three

nights, the supremely talented cast dazzled

all in attendance with their professional and

polished performances. It was a joyous riot

of song and dance, with Caroll’s wonderfully

wacky world brought to bright and vibrant

life in the school theatre.

The production could not have taken place

without the tireless work of the supporting

crew. Composed of a team of pupils and

staff from across the school, the crew

oversaw everything from the first class

costume and set design, to the direction,

lighting, sound, make-up and much more.

Creative Life

“It was a truly spectacular show;congratulations to all involved!”

Jane Robotham Head of Music and Performing Arts

26

A Sensational Spring Concert

27 27

The Junior Department staged a sensational concert to

mark the end of the spring term featuring performances

by soloists, ensembles and the Year 5 and 6 Performing

Arts Group, as well as a selection of English Speaking

Board presentations by pupils in Years 5 and 6.

A particular highlight was the performance of The Selfish

Giant by the Reception to Year 4 Performing Arts Group.

Led by Nancy Murphy (Year 4) as The Giant and Lachlan

Marsh (Year 3) as The Boy, the play was a joy to behold,

with superb performances by the entire cast.

Photos by Millie Pilkington

Junior Department Sport

GOLD AT NATIONAL SCHOOLS’ BIATHLE

FOLLOWING EXCELLENT PERFORMANCES AT SEVERAL

BIATHLE GB SERIES EVENTS LEWESTON ATHLETES

DOMINATED THE NATIONAL SCHOOLS’ BIATHLE HELD IN

JUNE. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE YEAR 3/4 TEAM AND

THE YEAR 5 TEAM WHO BOTH FINISHED IN SILVER MEDAL

POSITION AND TO THE YEAR 6 TEAMS WHO TOOK GOLD

AND BRONZE! THERE WAS ALSO MUCH INDIVIDUAL

SUCCESS FOR LEWESTON PUPILS BUT MOST NOTABLY

FOR YEAR 6 PUPIL ANYA EVANS, WHO FINISHED 1ST TO

RETAIN THE TITLE OF NATIONAL CHAMPION!

28

29

Netball Festivalfor LocalPrimariesLeweston Junior Department was

delighted to host the inaugural

Netball Play Day and Festival for local

primary schools in February. 65 Year 5

and 6 pupils from 5 local primary

schools plus the teams from Leweston

took part. Leweston’s team of

specialist netball coaches provided

high-quality individual coaching for

the players, before inviting them to

participate in some match play. The

focus was on fun games, played

competitively and in good spirit, using

the skills and tactics learnt during the

afternoon. All participants received a

commemorative medal and each

team was given a special accolade,

such as the ‘Fancy Footwork Award’

and the ‘Artful Dodgers Award’.

National Successfor SwimmersJunior Department pupils have enjoyed much success in the

pool this summer. Anya Evans, Issy Colwell, Esme Clifford (all

Year 6) and Lily Amor (Year 5) qualified for the ESSA National

Swimming Relays in June following outstanding performances

at Millfield in the South West Regional competition. Lily and

Anya also qualified for the prestigious IAPS National Swimming

Finals held in May as one of the top 16 swimmers in their age

groups for girls from IAPS schools nationwide. The Junior

Department swimmers also showed their style and speed in

the North Dorset U9 Swimming Trials where they won both the

25m breaststroke and 25m front crawl events, with excellent

swims from Flora Spenlove-Brown and Ginny Bruce (both

Year 4). The medley and freestyle relays were also both won by

Leweston. Great competing girls!

Sara GuyHead of Netball

“It was a very enjoyable and funafternoon, with the girls relishingthe interaction with their localpeers and showing someimpressive improvement over thecourse of the session. We hopethat our passion for netball caninspire girls to continue playingthe sport, at school and/or in oneof the local netball clubs.”

Congratulations to

sisters Issy and

Molly Colwell for

their victories at the

New Forest Pony

Club Tetrathlon in

May. The girls took

part in the event as

representatives of

the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Pony Club and were

delighted to win their classes. They made a huge effort in all

the events, generating personal bests in all phases.

Sisters Enjoy Tetrathlon Success

30

Congratulations to the U11 team who

competed at the 2015 IAPS National Cross

Country Championships. The girls rose to

the occasion, putting in some outstanding

runs and finishing in strong positions. A

special mention goes to Year 6 pupil Anya

Evans who was the highest placed small

schools runner – an outstanding

achievement. More success came for the

Year 6 runners at the Canford Relays with

Anya and Issy Colwell taking first and

second place respectively. Their

teammates Lily Amor and Kitty McCosker

also put in strong performances to ensure

a team win!

INTER HOUSE EVENTS 2015

This year’s Sports Day and Swimming Gala both proved to be super spectacles, reflecting the pupils’ hard work

and effort across the year. The coveted prize of the House Cup was awarded to St Anne on Sports Day with the

title of House Swimming Champions going to St Antony. Well done to all competitors.

Well done also to the Year 6 athletes who recorded some

fantastic individual successes at the Senior Wessex Schools

event. Anya Evans won Gold in the 1500m, ensuring that

Leweston once again qualified for the National Athletics

Finals in Birmingham. This is the 5th year that Leweston has

qualified for this prestigious event. Anya also won bronze in

Discus by throwing a personal best. Well done to Issy

Colwell who had a strong race in the 800m finishing in 5th

overall. Congratulations to all the competitors.

Winners at Wessex AthleticsJunior Department pupils enjoyed much success at the two

Wessex Schools athletics competitions held in June. At the

Junior Wessex Schools event Year 5 pupil Lily Amor took the

bronze medal in the 200m final and came in a creditable

7th place in the 800m final. Molly Colwell (Year 3) finished

in a fabulous 4th place in the 200m final and 6th in the U9

Long Jump event. Ginny Bruce (Year 4) finished 20th in the

Long Jump, 11th in the 200m and in an excellent 7th place

in the 800m. Alice Anderson took home 10th place in the

Long Jump and Flora Spenlove-Brown (Year 4) exhibited a

lovely technique over the hurdles finishing in 11th place.

CROSS COUNTRY HIGHS

Our first two terms of weekly

specialist swim sessions for our 3-4

year olds in the nursery have got

off to a flying start! Led by Ali

Parnell, a qualified ASA level 2

teacher, they have proved so

popular that we will be running

two sessions per week from

September. The children have

been having a great time

developing their water confidence

and we certainly have some

budding swimmers in our midst! Nursery Swim Sessions are a ‘Splashing Success’

Make New Friendsat Leweston!It’s never too early to join the

Leweston community. We run a

weekly Parent and Toddler

Group for newborns to 4 year

olds on Thursday mornings from

9.45 until 11.30 and an Aquatots

Group for parents and toddlers

aged from 3 months to 3 years

every Wednesday from

10am-10.45am at the Leweston

School Pool. £3.50 per session.

HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!

We are delighted that our Nursery Activity Mornings have continued to

grow in popularity with record numbers of families attending the three

events this year.

NURSERY OPEN EVENTSDRAW THE CROWDS!

You can find out more about future Nursery Activity Mornings and Open

Mornings on our website www.leweston.co.uk

Nursery

With record numbers and the recent Nursery expansion, it has been a

busy start to 2015 in the Nursery. In the Baby Unit our youngest pupils

have flourished, enjoying the many indoor and outdoor activities that

the staff have provided. The Toddlers are relishing this stage of their

development which has included increased physical play and plentiful

opportunities to socialise with the older children using the ‘Free-Flow’

practices within the Nursery. The Pre-School group recently enjoyed the

delights of the sensory bus during its visit to Leweston and Sports Day

in June was also a great success. The children put in lots of practice

before the event with our specialist PE staff and their efforts were

rewarded with some excellent performances on the day!

A Busy Time in Nursery

Its been an action packed 2015

so far for our boarders and a

selection of the fun had during

the trips, visits, activities and

socials that have taken place

over the spring and summer

terms can be seen here...

Boarding AUSTRALIA DAY 2015CHINESE NEW YEAR

CHOCOCO CHOCOLATE COMPANY SPINNAKER TOWER, PORTSMOUTH

STUDLANDMINTERNE HOUSE

SWANAGE AND PURBECK ROYAL SIGNALS MUSEUM

CHEDDAR GORGESPLASHDOWN

KINGSTON MAURWARD

32

JUNIOR AND MIDDLEHOUSE BOARDINGTASTER NIGHTSWe were delighted

to welcome our

aspiring Middle

House boarders to a

fun packed taster

night in February.

The girls took part

in an evening of

pampering and

enjoyed a movie

night with the

obligatory popcorn

befor taking part in an exhilarating day at

Bournemouth’s new Rock Reef Activity Centre

on the Saturday.

A fun filled boarding taster night in Junior

House followed for our younger Year 4

boarders in the summer term. The action

packed evening saw the participating girls

complete stage 1 of the ‘Boarding Pass’,

explore Leweston’s extensive grounds with

the parachute, tour all the boarding houses

and enjoy a delicious supper before watching

a film. The girls were then presented with their

‘Boarding Pass’ certificates by one of the older

Junior House boarders. We hope that you

enjoyed your taste of life in the Boarding

House and look forward to welcoming you

back soon!

...

34

Spiritual Life

Pupils Celebrate theirConfirmation Mass and First HolyCommunionCongratulations to Elizabeth Tolley, Charlotte Treichl (Year 9)

and Ella Glydon (Year 10) who made their First Holy

Communion at the end of April. This wonderful occasion

was followed by a very special Confirmation Mass the

following week, to which we were delighted to welcome

the Rt Rev. Mark O’Toole, Bishop of Plymouth. Ten Confirmands from Leweston (pictured) were joined by

Confirmands from Sherborne School, Sherborne School for Girls and Milton Abbey School for this special event.

Congratulations to all the Confirmands and their families.

YEAR 12PILGRIMAGEYear 12 embarked on the

annual two day Pilgrimage

walk to Chideock at the end of

the summer term. They were

blessed with the sun, setting off

from Melbury Bubb and

finishing on the first day at the

wonderful Parnham House just

outside Beaminster

(approximately 12 miles). The

following day the group

continued to Chideock where

they finished their walk with a

prayer in the beautiful

surrounds of Chideock’s

Chapel, attached to the Manor

House. The pilgrimage was a

great experience for both the

staff and the girls alike.

Leweston Raises Funds forNepalese Sister School Following the devastating earthquakes in Nepal in April, Leweston has

held several events to raise funds for Jana Jyoti, our Nepalese sister

school. The school was within the zone of the quake’s epicentre but

luckily sustained no serious damage and no human casualties. However,

the local area has been badly affected and although the school buildings

are all standing, they need much repair.

Leweston is delighted to have raised over £2200 so far, from proceeds

from our tuck shop, a collection at Confirmation Mass, a cake sale and a

school mufti day. We are also collecting donations online on our

justgiving page at http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/leweston-

school/jana-jyoti. Thank you to all who have donated.

LEWESTON WOULD LIKE TO

CONGRATULATE THE TWO OAS

named in the 2015 New Year

Honours List.

Liz Male (’85)was awarded an

MBE in the New Year Honours for

her services to the construction

industry and consumer

protection. Liz is Chairman of Liz

Male Consulting Ltd, a company

which she established in 2001.

The company is best known for

its PR, communications and

marketing campaigns in the

property, architecture, building,

construction services and energy

efficiency sectors. Liz is also the

non-executive chair of TrustMark,

a government-backed initiative

to assist consumers to find a

reputable contractor.

BAFTA award winning actress

Kristin Scott Thomas (’78)was

appointed Dame Commander of

the Order of the British Empire

(DBE) in the New Year Honours

for services to drama. Kristin,

who lives in France, was

previously awarded an OBE in

the 2003 Birthday Honours and

was named a Chevalier of the

Légion d'honneur by the French

Government in 2005. Perhaps

best known for her Oscar

nominated role in The English

Patient (1996), Kristin is now

currently focusing on theatre

and is set to portray the Queen

in the play The Audience

at the London Apollo from

April 2015.

REJOICE AND DO WELL!The summer term concluded with the celebration of this year’s many achievements at the Senior School’s

Speech Day and of course we said a fond farewell to our 2015 leavers and new Leweston Old Antonians at

the Leavers’ Ball that evening. Good luck to all the girls who will be getting their results in August. We

have no doubt that you will continue to ‘Rejoice and Do Well’ in the years ahead!

OAs Named in New Year Honours List

OA News

“The biggest lesson I have learntwhilst at Leweston is that we needto live fully in every chapter of ourlives. Relish the good, and don’tfear the bad. I leave Lewestonwith unbreakable friendships andsome unforgettable memories andI’m indebted and proud to say thatI’ve spent these years of my life,with people like you, in a placelike this.”

Charlotte EdwardsHead Girl 2014/15

LEWESTON SCHOOL, SHERBORNE, DORSET DT9 6EN01963 211010 ADMISSIONS@LEWESTON.DORSET.SCH.UK

WWW.LEWESTON.CO.UK

Saturday 26 September

Leweston Inter-Schools’ Show Jumping Competition

Wednesday 14 October 12.00

Lunch for Local Leweston Old Antonians

Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October

Activity Day and Junior House Boarding Taster

Weekend (for prospective Senior School pupils)

Friday 16 October 17.00

Leweston Fashion Show

Thursday 5 November 18.30

Bonfire Night and Hog Roast

Friday 6 November

Sixth Form taster experience (for girls in Year 11)

Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 November

Sixth Form Scholarships for 2016 entry

Deadline for applications: Monday 9 November

Monday 30 November

Junior Department Scholarships for 2016 entry

Deadline for applications: Monday 23 November

Saturday 5 December 10.00 – 16.00

Leweston Christmas Fair

Tuesday 8 December 16.00

Senior School Carol Service in Sherborne Abbey

Thursday 10 December 11.00

Junior Department Carol Service, School Chapel

Weekly Events:

Aquatots: : Every Wednesday from 10.00 – 10.45

in the School Pool.

Parent and Toddler: Every Thursday from 9.45 –11.30

in the Nursery.

For more information about any of these events,

or to register your attendance, please call

01963 210783 or emailoffice@leweston.dorset.sch.uk

Dates for your Diary…

Friday 2 October 2015Joint Schools Open Day 09.45

Sixth Form Open Information Evening 17.00

Thursday 8 October 2015Nursery Activity Morning: Forest Skills 09.45

Bank Holiday Monday 2 May 2016Joint Schools Open Day 09.45

Open Days 2015/16

Leweston is a registered charity number 295175