Old Sulians' Association

Newsletter May 2008 – Part 2 of 2

April 2008

Dear Old Sulian,

The long process of reviewing school provision in Bath has reached its final stages. You will be aware that there is a proposal to create a singe Church of England Comprehensive School in the North of Bath and that St Marks and Oldfield would be closed. This announcement is not quite what was anticipated, although it is positive to see that the Anglican presence in Bath would not be lost under the new proposals. Give the significant level of Church of England primary provision in Bath and its environs this could well be seen as a sensible proposal.

As for Beechen Cliff, we are very pleased to see that single sex boys’ provision will remain and that we can look forward to many years of providing a high quality teaching, learning and extra-curricular rich environment for the boys of Bath. I must take the opportunity to thank members of the Old Sulians for their support during the process and the fact that so many were prepared to ‘come to the aid’ of the school in what could have been a time of need.

As always it has been a busy time for sport. A number of our boys have recently achieved great success in individual competitions. Anders Rees in Year 7 has already proved to be the best gymnast in his class within the South West. Harry Godwin, as well as being a useful rugby player, is officially the British Judo Champion in his age group, having achieved a Gold medal in the recent National Championships at Cardiff. Our Under 15 rugby team succeeded in progressing to the quarter final of the National Daily Mail Cup, losing in a very tight final against a Grammar school in Kent – one of the last two State schools in the competition. We anticipate winning the Somerset Cup in the Under 13, Under 14 and Under 16 competitions – the 1st XV having achieved this at the end of March. Would you expect less? Our tennis teams are also developing well, achieving success against Bristol Grammar and King Edward’s in recent matches.

The extra-curricular work of the school has advanced and the CCF, Tir-y-Cwm, Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh experiences have seen many of our boys and students taking an active involvement in school activities – John Young, Richard Stewart, Robert Ferry, Robert Holmyard, Mike Randall, to name but a few, have worked exceptionally hard to ensure that boys are given access to some wonderful opportunities. You will remember how much experiences of this sort provide lasting memories which one takes into adult life. I should also note that our students were highly commended in the recent Model United Nations Competition at Kingswood School. I believe this is the third occasion in three years.

Our Music Block Fundraising is moving ahead well. We hope to secure funding of about £1.5m to £2m to ensure that the facilities our pupils and the wider community deserve can be located on the site. Although much funding will be required from central sources such as the Local Authority, it is very much the case that a sizeable sum needs to be raised from our own resources. The support of many parents, through donations to the music fund, have helped to boost the current fund. We are delighted that the PTA has already raised more than £5,000 towards the fund (since November) and their long term commitment should see a further boost to the resources available.

On a final theme, a number of the Sixth Form boys are ‘resurrecting’ the Centurion Walk. This will take place during the weekend 27th June – 29th June. If any of the Old Sulians were involved in this experience in the past we would be grateful to have a written account – it could be added to the information we provide to the press and those excellent young people who clearly value tradition and the virtues of hard work.

Andrew Davies

“Showing You’re Working”

Old Sulians – I need your help!

Can you answer the question;
Do you use mathematics in your professional role/everyday life?
with a resounding yes?

…….then please contact me!

My name is Edward Gill and I have been working as a Maths teacher at Beechen Cliff since last September. I am currently working as part of a project that will hopefully help Maths teachers to answer the ubiquitous question ‘When will I ever need to use this in life?’.

If you think you might answer yes to the question above, then you might be able to help in one of two ways;
A)You could be willing to give details of how you use mathematics in the workplace. This would consist of a quick questionnaire which I could email to you.
B)You might be willing to give up some of your time to come to school at a convenient time, and we could set up an informal talk with students who would deeply appreciate your time.

In either case, I would love to hear from you. Please use my e-mail address below;

Many thanks to those members who have already contributed to the project’.

Ed Gill.

edwardgill@beechencliff.org.uk