LOVING LIT! - Benenden School
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2 0 2 1 / 2 2 VO L . 1
AU T U M N
THE
TERM
LOVING LIT!
From the Headmistress
I am delighted to welcome you to the first of
this year’s two editions of The Term.
It is wonderful to be introducing the Autumn edition of
The Term against the backdrop of what has been a
refreshingly ‘normal’ term – in how we have been able to
operate and the pleasure that having the students all back
with us in person again and the majority of events taking
place as usual, has given. Benenden ‘on site’ has been
buzzing with activity, initiative and industry once more.
As always, we have been deeply impressed by the students’
sheer energy and commitment to their Benenden
experience. It is they that make and continue to develop the
wonderful culture we have at the School and it is with great
pride that I reflect back on their contributions and
achievements this term. Whether for the quality of their
performances in Much Ado About Nothing, the
professionalism they have shown when interviewing
high-profile visiting speakers or their enthusiasm for the
Weekend Programme activities, they have made us all
proud time and again this term.
Aside from settling back in after so much disruption over
the past two years, the School has seamlessly adjusted to
some strategic changes; I have been very pleased to see
our first day boarders absolutely thriving here at
Benenden, while our new Fourths have loved their first
term in the beautiful new Fourths’ House.
Other strategic focuses include our commitment to
ensuring we continually inspire the students to consider
their future steps through our Futures programme, and
in this magazine we speak to some inspirational Seniors
about their own paths to success, both at School and
since leaving Benenden. Expanding our partnerships offering is another important
priority and we are pleased to also showcase a return to in-person volunteering this term.
With the New Year almost upon us, our sights turn inevitably to the future and to our next exciting strategic
initiatives: the opening of the wonderful new School Hall and Music School and the launch of our bursaries
campaign in January, to which we are honoured to be joined by HRH The Princess Royal and are very much looking
forward to wecloming parents. We provide valuable updates on both these projects in this edition, with the promise
of more in-depth coverage in the Spring/Summer edition.
It will not have escaped your attention that our subject in the spotlight this issue is English (and I am grateful to our
English students for being such good sports and achieving the eye-catching front cover image!) – an ever-popular
subject that goes from strength to strength and for which the students are wonderful ambassadors.
As ever, there is plenty more in this edition that I don’t have space to mention – including a summary of some of the
student-led clubs, a behind the scenes feature on our cleaning teams, some excellent sporting success, and both the
finale of one Enterprise Challenge and the start of another! – so I invite you to explore the magazine and reflect on
what a sensational term it has been.
We hope you enjoy this edition; we wish you and your families a relaxing Christmas and look forward to seeing you
in 2022.
With very best wishes
Samantha Price
Benenden School, Benenden, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 4AA, UK
T 01580 240592 E schooloffice@benenden.school W www.benenden.school
Follow us on Twitter: @benendenschool Facebook: /benendenschool Instagram: @benendenschool
Editors: Lauren Barnett and Ian Read Design: Scott Thorneycroft
Front cover: English A Level students, from top, Aliya Adebowale, Lara Forbes, Alexandra Broad, China Miller and Isabella Barclay,
photographed by Adam Scott
This magazine would not have been possible without the efforts of the pupils in The Term Club:
Ebun Adeyinka, Cheryl Chan, Emma Chan, Rosalyn Chiu, Claudia Collins, Audrey Davidson-Houston, Toni Fasina,
Lauralie Flagg, Georgina Helm, Germaine Lau, Lauren Li, Amelia Lyle, Anika Malik, Ophelia O’Brien, Melody Oyewole, Chloe Park,
Delilah Salisbury, Katie Sham and Sophie Shih
CONTENTS 03
CONTENTS News
English Special
15 4 Benenden Senior Paints Wonderful Gift for the Class of 2020
5 Day Boarders Make Benenden History
6 Bursaries;
HRH The Princess Royal Guest of Honour at January Reception
7 School Captains Host Senior Prefect Event
8 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Nigerian Independence Day
9 Girls’ Schools Association Conference for Heads 2021
10 Eco Committee
11 GCSEs and A Levels 2021
Academic
12-13 Super STEM
14 Urban Environments Trip; Languages Competition
15-22 English Special
23-25 Upper Fourth Diploma
26-27 Fourths’ Enquiry Week
28-29 Art
Enterprise Challenge
32 Futures
30-31 My Career Path
32-33 Professional Skills Programme; Enterprise Challenge
34 Speakers: Patrick Grant
35 Speakers: Hannah Jackson
Co-Curricular
36-37 Music Scholars Look to the Future
38 Magnificent Music
39 BMUN XIV
40 Microlight
41-43 Drama; Much Ado About Nothing
44-45 House Dram
46-47 New Clubs and Societies
48-53 The Weekend
54 It’s Christmas!
55 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Outdoor Education
56 CCF
58
Lacrosse 57 Remembrance
Sport
58-59 Lacrosse
60 Netball
61 Hockey
62 Equestrian, Swimming
63 Squash, Fencing
Around Benenden
64-65 A Day in the Life of… the First Deputy
66-67 Behind the Scenes: A Morning with the Cleaning Team
Partnerships
68-69 Partnerships at Benenden
70 Charity
Seniors
82 Comings and Goings
71-72 Fourths’ House
73 My First Week
74-75 New Pupils, New Staff, Staff Leavers
76 Meet the Head Girl
Parents and Seniors
77 Carol Services
78-79 Parents’ Events
80-81 Two Generation Sports
82-83 Seniors
Development
84-85 School Hall and Music School
Exeat
86 A History of Isolation
87 From the Archives
04 SCHOOL NEWS
sted
Hannah with her painting of Hem
NEWS IN BRIEF
Cambridge Chemistry
Challenge
A number of Chemists sat the
Cambridge Chemistry Challenge,
set by the University’s Chemistry
Department and St Catherine’s
College, last term.
Thousands of students from all over
the country take the paper and the
fact that the average score is around
25 per cent illustrates how worthy
the task is of the title ‘challenge’.
The results came in over the
Summer Holidays and, from a range
of impressive results, three students
– now in Six Two – were recognised
with certificates.
Jill Zhang was awarded a Bronze
certificate and Emily Kerr a Silver.
Cindy Deng’s placement inside the
Benenden Senior Paints Wonderful
top 10 per cent of all participants
earned her a Gold certificate.
Congratulations to all students
Gift for the Class of 2020
who took part and in doing so
pushed themselves beyond the A
Level curriculum and seized this
opportunity to extend and of course
challenge themselves.
The Class of 2020 may have missed out on some of the traditional
Sixth Formers Hear From Benenden farewell events because of the pandemic – but they have
Mind Specialist now received a unique gift thanks to one of our artistic Seniors.
In September Ceri Hodgkiss, from
the West Kent Mind team, spoke to
Sixth Form students about mental
health and stress in particular. The School commissioned Benenden Senior and artist Hannah Buchanan N/Beeches 15 to produce a
painting of Hemsted House. Prints of Hannah’s artwork have been sent to every member of the Six Two from
The focus was on how to manage 2019-20, whose final year at Benenden was cut short by the UK lockdown in March 2020.
stress with the metaphor of a
container which can overflow unless While nothing can make up for the lack of events such as Muck Up Day and Speech Day taking place
you develop ways of ‘turning the tap in person, hopefully the Class of 2020 will agree that Hannah’s painting is a beautiful representation of
on’ to drain stress. The students had Benenden and that these prints will act as a lovely reminder of their time at School.
some great ideas on how to do this
Hannah said: “From an artist’s perspective, this was quite a technical challenge, but seeing the School emerge
which they shared with one another.
from the canvas was hugely rewarding. I would like to thank Benenden for helping my mad idea come alive
Ceri then spent some time with and I hope the prints represent some of the amazing times the leavers have had at Benenden.”
the Six One Big Sisters and peer
listeners. These programmes are set
up to help students in Founders and
lower down the School so that they
have an empathetic ear available to
Claudia Appears Live on National TV
help them.
We are very proud of Claudia Collins
Students’ New Amplify Claudia on the
Lecture Series Launches in the Fifth who appeared live on Good Good Morning
Morning Britain (GMB) in November Britain sofa
In November we saw the first of
the students’ new academic lecture as part of a campaign to highlight the
series, Amplify. negative side of social media.
In the first lecture, students and staff Claudia appeared alongside her father, Conservative
heard from the Head of English, MP Damian Collins, who is leading on the Online
Andrew Schagen, about the life and Safety Bill that is currently going through Parliament.
work of T S Eliot, with a focus on
his poem The Waste Land. Claudia was discussing topics she first raised in an
excellent article she wrote for the Telegraph, in which
This new initiative, set up by our she shared her experience of some social media
Academic Grey Jumpers Sophie platforms pushing harmful content towards children.
Moody-Stuart and Eliza Stevenson-
Hamilton, seeks to engage our She was interviewed on the GMB sofa by Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway, where she was incredibly
student body in short talks delivered articulate and informative. Her layer in Hemsted were watching live in the House Study and we are all very
on a range of topics by our own staff proud of her for raising such an important issue.
in School.
SCHOOL NEWS 05
Some of the new day boarders on their first day
Day Boarders Make Benenden History
In September the first day Yasmin Budd, Lower Fifth, said: “Obviously I was nervous at first
boarders started in the but I’ve fitted in quite well, it’s been really good so far. Before I came
here I thought it was going to be quite strict and that it was all about the
Lower Fifth and Six One, academics – but it’s not all about academics, there’s a lot more to it like
friendships and sports and things to help you in life.”
making Benenden history
in the process.
Six One Asia Davies said: “It’s been great, it’s definitely different to my
The day boarders’ exciting arrival last school. Everyone seems inclusive and the food’s great!”
marked the first time since the School
opened in 1923 that it has offered
anything other than full boarding.
The School has intentionally limited the
Harriet Raven, Lower Fifth, said: “Everyone was very welcoming and
number of day boarders joining each
I’ve enjoyed meeting new people.”
year to a handful of local students to
ensure they can be smoothly integrated
into Benenden.
On their first full day at Benenden, our Tilly Phillips, Six One, said: “It’s been really interesting because I’ve
new day boarders chatted with The Term always wanted to go to a country school. Everyone’s being really inclusive
about their first impressions and how it with the day boarders: we are included in everything, there’s no hierarchy
felt to be history-makers… and everyone’s really welcoming and it’s a beautiful site.”
The Best Thing
Lower Fifth Delilah Salisbury, who lives on site as her mother is Hm
of the Fourths’ House, said: “It’s been a really good experience because
most of our year group is boarding and it’s quite a good experience to be
on site but not a boarder in a way.
The best thing about day
boarding at Benenden, “So far it’s been going really well and I hope it will always be going very
h
according to the Lower Fift well!”
(on Day One!)
ry
“It feels like the world of Har Six One Holly West said: “It’s good, it’s completely different. I came
ilar
Potter because it looks quite sim from a day grammar school so it’s a bit of a jump. I feel like I’ve spoken
es me feel like I’m in a
to it. It mak to a lot of people and got to know everyone, everyone’s really talkative
storybook.” and friendly.”
Delilah
e
“It’s like a big family. Everyon
knows each other.” “It’s exciting,” said Lower Fifth Verity Lees. “There are more
Harriet opportunities here (than my last school). We’re meeting all new people
and it’s exciting just walking around where we’ll be for the next few
“Making new friendships.” years.”
Yasmin
makes
“Being the first day boarders
quit e spec ial!” Audrey Davidson-Houston in the Six One added: “It’s nice,
me feel
everyone’s trying extra hard to make sure we are included and not
Verity
forgotten.”
06 SCHOOL NEWS
NEWS IN BRIEF
Sue Wins Goldsmiths’
Competition
In October Six Two student Sue
Yuan won the Young Anthropologist
ther and Amber
Competition hosted by Goldsmiths, Elizabeth Fairwea
discuss their
University of London. Here, Sue Donovan-Stevens
e of rec eiv ing bursaries at
tells us more about her wonderful experienc Benenden
Iona Wa Andy Fairweath
competition win. r er and Seun Ow
the valu ne explains olabi
e of bur
saries
“The Young Anthropologist
Bursaries
Competition is an essay competition
founded by the Goldsmiths
University of London, and the “My experience at
prompt this year was ‘what do you
Benenden allowed me to be
hold dear?’.
surrounded and uplifted by academic
“Students were required to submit In November we were delighted to excellence while being nourished in a
an essay of 1,000 words and the
judging panel would select one
welcome back several recent Seniors homely environment. The days focused
on outstanding teaching while the
winner and two runners-up from to talk to some of the older current evenings I stayed in dorms filled with
the shortlisted candidates. I wrote
my essay on material anthropology, students about Benenden bursaries. laughter. Benenden has allowed me to
mainly focusing on how culture reach my fullest potential while caring
change and kinship can be Amber Donovan-Stevens N/Elms 15, The students for me each step of
manifested in small objects that Elizabeth Fairweather M/Beeches 20, Seun asked some great the way, I’ll forever be thankful.”
people value. Owolabi G/Beeches 21 and Iona Warne questions of our Elizabeth Fairweather
“I choose the topic of my essay N/Elms 21 spoke about their experiences panel and enjoyed Ma/Beeches 20, a Benenden
because of a book I read, The as bursary recipients and the impact that hearing their insights Bursary recipient
Comfort of Things, by British attending Benenden has had on their lives. into this vital element
anthropologist Daniel Miller, whom of Benenden life.
I cited in my essay. Elizabeth’s father Andrew, who was also on
the panel, spoke about the School’s bursary This was held ahead of our
“Throughout the essay I heavily
focused on introspection and provision from a parent’s perspective. exciting Benenden Society Reception in
self-analysis, and I feel like I had January (see below).
learned more about myself and my
relationship between my family and
objects that we value. I also placed
emphasis on the cultural identity
of being Chinese, and how that
contributed to the formation of my
values etc.
“When I was shortlisted, I told
myself that it’d be unbelievable
to even be one of the runners-up
– I was really shocked to win the
competition!” HRH The Princess Royal
Six One Transport to Guest of Honour at
1920s America
Six One Language and Literature
January Reception
students have been studying
demographics and sociological Wednesday 26 January 2022, 5.30pm to 9.00pm,
features of early 1920s America, One Great George Street, Westminster
with a focus on upper middle class
females, ahead of their study of the We are delighted to announce that HRH The Princess Royal will be our Guest of Honour at our
set text The Great Gatsby. Benenden Society Reception in January, to which all Benenden parents are warmly invited.
Using this knowledge, in October On Wednesday 26 January Her Royal Highness – who is President of The Benenden Society and
they wrote letters to problem pages patron of the Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation – will be joining this discussion
in role as a 17-year-old in 1923 – on the impact of transformative bursaries, and Benenden’s significant ambitions to grow bursary
finding a suitable boyfriend, worries
provision in the years ahead.
about skincare and society’s pressure
to be beautiful all feature! Alongside Her Royal Highness, Mrs Price will be joined by:
The students had to write with • Ali Henderson, CEO of Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation
the lexis and syntax of the 1920s.
• Andrew Fairweather, who will provide the perspective of the parent of a bursary recipient
Good to know that despite linguistic
change, the concerns of teenage girls • B
enenden Senior Elizabeth Fairweather Ma/Beeches 20, a Benenden Bursary recipient who is
are a constant! now studying Medicine at King’s College London
RSVP via the Events Board on benendenconnects.com
Benenden Head Girl Jessica Popoola instigated the Senior Prefects Event
SCHOOL NEWS 07
NEWS IN BRIEF
Innovators Club Launch
The Technologies Department
have launched a new Innovators
Club for the Lower Fifth this term
and the girls were introduced to the
workshop through three projects.
Over the past few years we have
been building from scratch a plastic
shredder and this is now being
finished off. This will allow us to
shred plastic materials ready for
recycling.
We have a group that are learning
to enamel silver and will be creating
jewellery, which will be sent to the
Goldsmith’s Company Assay Office
in London and returned with the
special Benenden assay mark.
School Captains Finally, we are providing the
opportunity for the girls to have a
Host Senior
go at leather work and they started
off by following a pattern to make a
leather penguin.
Prefect Event Fifths DebateWar Causes
In order to help the Fifths
Sophie Moody-Stuar t
shares her ideas understand the historical debates
around the causes of the First
Jessica Popoola, Head Girl, writes World War, in October they were
given one of the major powers
about a recent collaborative event to represent and were tasked to
she hosted at School for Senior write prosecution questions they
would ask other countries to blame
Prefects from peer schools. them for starting the war, whilst
also preparing their own defence
predicting what others would
The School Captains and I held a Senior Prefect accuse them of.
Event here at Benenden in November for an
They took it in turns to sit in the
afternoon of discussions – we welcomed the Senior
witness stall to be questioned, and
Prefects from Eastbourne College, Downe House,
held their own well. A vote at the
Cranbrook School and Wycombe Abbey. Honor Gibbs in discussion in the Café end found Kaiser Wilhelm II and
We kept the nature and specified objective of this Germany most responsible for the
event very open in terms of topic area, with the war – the lesson was certainly very
purpose of allowing flexibility to fit everyone’s private, single-sex, and co-ed schools; we were able animated!
priorities. We spent the day focusing on two key to hear a wide range of opinions.
themes: How we can improve collaboration between Students Enjoy ‘French
our schools? and What insights we can acquire from We hope that this is the first of many events Only’ Cooking Hour
how we manage our schools differently? between our schools, and that feedback will be
gathered for future conversations. Our main goal In October several students from
We explored potential charity, academic, sports, and this year was to create the groundwork for the future the Sixth Form came together to
artistic collaborations, all of which we are currently and determine what we think would be valuable for cook a Quatre-Quart, a French
working on. We also addressed how our schools deal a forum like this. pound cake, while speaking French
with issues including discrimination, rape culture only.
and mental health. It was insightful to see how It was tremendously satisfying to organise this event
different schools approach these concerns. Because and watch it succeed: event logistics will be an Students were only able to speak in
we had a combination of day, boarding, state, integral skill to have for the future. French when baking the delicious
French delicacy, which certainly
aided both their language and
cooking skills!
University Fitness Tests
In October the Upper Fifth GCSE
students carried out seven fitness
tests as part of their coursework
at Canterbury Christ Church
University’s sports lab.
From the results of the tests the
students chose one component of
We welcomed Prefects from four other schools fitness to improve in a six-week
training programme.
08 SCHOOL NEWS
Equality, Diversity
and Inclusion
Jess Granatt, the School’s Head of Equality, Diversity
and Inclusion (EDI), updates us on this term’s activity.
Following a school-wide survey last term, in the Autumn we have ensure our curriculum addresses complex topics in an inclusive
worked towards specific Equality, Diversity and Inclusion targets, way. This has ranged from how we address racism in texts, to
with a key focus on reintegration of the community after a year how different languages discuss gender.
of separation through induction, inclusion work in both House
and the curriculum, and staff training. Members of the EDI committee and other student-led groups
have also produced newsletters this term: for example, the
We held workshops for staff on psychological safety, inclusive September edition of NoodleSoc Magazine is a fantastic read.
language and inclusive leadership in September. Staff will also The editors of WordFactory, our creative writing magazine, have
have some training on gender and inclusion in January. The EDI also collaborated with EDI this term to promote the theme of
committee, led by Grey Jumpers Nicole Lee and Zoey Forbes, The Danger of a Single Story, led by Annabel Shen and inspired
have also been working extremely hard: in addition to creating by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
a name pronunciation database for the whole School, they have
helped us celebrate diversity in many forms, from Black History In the final week of term, we used our Inter-House Lacrosse
Month to diverse perspectives on remembrance. tournament to highlight Stonewall’s rainbow laces campaign, as
a way of showing allyship to the LGBTQ+ community in sport.
The catering team helped us learn about Diwali through Thank you to everyone who has made such a difference to EDI
delicious food, and various departments have been working to at Benenden this term!
Students of Nigerian heritage wore
traditional dress for the afternoon
Nigerian
Mimi Agbolade,
Tahlia Taylaur,
Atifah Pampam Ruth Okubajo,
and Jessica Popo
ola
Independence Day
In October we marked Nigerian
Independence Day and the whole School got
a taste of Nigerian culture and history. Six
Two Marianne Balogun tells us all about it.
During the day Nigerian students were able to wear their own in Nigeria, and more. We showcased Nigerian music, the ancient
national attire around the School. This varied from traditional history of the Niger region (pre-colonisation), gave language lessons
Yoruba clothing to more modern inspirations of Nigerian looks. in Yoruba, and talked about what it really meant to be Nigerian.
At break time we were treated to a Nigerian snack called Poff-Poff
or puff-puff, which was excellently executed by the kitchen staff. We then enjoyed a delicious dinner of Nigerian Jollof rice
and beef stew with fried plantain. What a great way to start
At the end of the School day, I and a group of other Nigerians led Black History Month!
an assembly with a focus on Independence Day history, current life
SCHOOL NEWS 09
Girls’ Schools
Mrs Price is the GSA President
for this academic year
Association Conference
for Heads 2021
This academic year Mrs Price is
the President of the Girls’ Schools
Association (GSA). In November, she
hosted more than 100 Heads from
independent girls’ schools across the
country for the association’s annual Benenden’s choir wo
wed the ballroom
conference. at dinner in Manch
ester
The historic Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester was home
to more than 100 Heads from leading independent girls’ schools in
the UK for the two-day GSA Conference, the theme of which was
Girls – The Voice for Positive Change.
Each year the conference is a great opportunity for school leaders
to share sector-specific knowledge, discuss some of the challenges
and lessons learned from the past 18 months and collaborate on
future plans and projects.
Mrs Price delivered a powerful opening address to the packed ing Marcus Wareing and
Mrs Price interview
conference room, in which she urged the older generations not The final session saw food sustainability
out
to criticise impassioned young people looking to take a stand Hannah Jackson ab
against injustice and inequality. She said: “We should challenge
anyone who dismisses this generation as ‘woke’, ‘cancel culture’ or with Hannah Jackson, The Red Shepherdess, on The Power of
‘snowflakes’. Mindset, Determination and Being Unapologetically Yourself.
“It would be unforgivable for the older The conference also included sessions and panel
generation to close its mind to new ideas... discussions on girls’ mental health in 2021,
and dismiss the energetic changes of this empowering the next generation of professional
This
generation as something to be referred to in leaders, eco-anxiety and the future of assessment.
derogatory tones and sighs. generation...
care about Delegates also enjoyed a wonderful service at
“What has really stuck out to me is that this... St Ann’s Church in Manchester, during which
generation are actually simply young people things: about Benenden students performed an array of hymns.
who care about things: about causes, about causes, about Benenden’s choir and instrumentalists also gave
the planet, about people. It ultimately comes stellar performances at the gala dinner, after which
down to something very simple: being kind.”
the planet,
they received an enormous round of applause from
about people. everyone in attendance. It was well worth the trip!
Mrs Price’s passionate speech opened the
conference, which then included an exciting After dinner the school leaders heard from Freya
two-day schedule of talks and Q&A sessions Lewis, a survivor of the Manchester Arena attack
with external speakers, lively roundtable discussions and various and enjoyed an energetic performance from Harry the Piano.
meetings and workshops.
The annual conference was rounded off with a fascinating session
Highlights from the insightful programme of events included a talk with Benenden parent Marcus Wareing, Michelin-starred chef,
from radio presenter and journalist Libby Purves on How to be Masterchef: The Professionals judge and author. Marcus was
Heard, a session with Carl Ennis, UK CEO of Siemens, on Female interviewed by Mrs Price on the topic of food sustainability and
Engineers Changing the World, a discussion with Dr Michael how to encourage more women into the industry.
Spence, President and Provost at UCL, entitled No Safe Space for
Unchallenged Thinking: The Art of Disagreeing Well, and a talk
NEWS IN BRIEF
10 SCHOOL NEWS
Students on the Eco Committee have outlined ambitious plans for Benenden to lead the way on green
issues
Eco Committee
Shares its Goals for
the Future
Benenden’s student-led Eco Committee has
regrouped after a brief hiatus and is back
bigger and better than ever, ready to tackle
their ambitious sustainability goals for the
School. Here, Six One Isla Forbes shares the
The Eco Committe
committee’s plans for the next academic year. help solve the clima
e is encouraging us
te crisis
all to do more to
The Eco Committee this year has set out an least once every half term, preferably once individual consumption more prevalent in
ambitious but achievable goal. We want to every two weeks, discussing what plans we both the staff and students’ everyday lives.
make Benenden a more sustainable place, could implement as well as hearing direct
We also recognise that there is much more
preserving our environment as best we feedback from students from all year groups
we can do, for both the local community
can and also focusing on long-term goals, about what is working or not.
and for those outside Benenden who aren’t
educating students about what they can do
We have already heard feedback from some as privileged as us, and who would benefit
individually and as a group, which they can
students, giving ideas such as including less largely from our attention and donations.
hopefully implement as they leave School
meat at meals, installing more recycling bins To achieve this the Eco Committee want to
and make differences on a larger scale.
around School and re-starting a vegetable work with both the Charity Committee as
To make this a continuous effort lasting garden that the School can involve well as the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
throughout the years to come, we have a themselves with, particularly with Weekend team to ensure the action we take involves
vision to become a recognised and affiliated Programme activities. There is so much raising attention to the most vulnerable
Eco School. Becoming an Eco School that we as a School already do; the catering people to climate change and taking as
is a seven-step process, which relies on team manage our food waste and recycling much initiative as we can to help them.
basic requirements being achieved, such very efficiently and are always wary about
Overall, these small steps that we are
as forming a passionate committee with the amount of plastic that we are using.
wanting to achieve and execute are a part
a representative from each year group, a Looking at boarding Houses individually
of a bigger picture to becoming a more
frequently updated board with our plans and what they do is a priority for us this
sustainable school, who constantly look to
and actions, passing an environmental year too, as we realise that there is an excess
prioritise the environment on a local and
criteria review assessed by an official amount of waste that is produced.
national scale.
external source, incorporating curriculum
This year, we have planned to re-introduce
links and many more. We believe that by showing the significance
energy and water usage competitions
and importance of becoming an Eco School
The Eco Committee has started by between Houses, making reducing our
through an inclusive lens, we will inspire the
encouraging as many like-minded people carbon footprint more fun, competitive and
strongest and most ambitious students to
who are eager to make a change at School rewarding. This will hopefully make the
take action.
as possible to join together. We will meet at awareness about the thought of reducingSCHOOL NEWS 11
Lexie Dykes, Roya
Power and JB van
Pelt celebrating their
excellent A Level grades
at Benenden
GCSEs and A Levels 2021
Benenden students celebrated strong results this summer after another
disrupted school year.
A Level GCSE
A Level exams were once again cancelled across the UK due As official exams were
to the pandemic. Instead, students’ results were determined by once again cancelled,
their schools based on evidence and internal assessments. Benenden’s GCSE
students went through
Eighty-three per cent of grades at Benenden were at A* or a rigorous internal
A – higher than last year’s 74 per cent and consistent with the assessment process, which
School’s trend over the past few years. included judging each of
An impressive 50 per cent of all grades were at the top A* grade them on a selection of
and 64 per cent of the year group achieved nothing less than an their coursework, class
A. assessments and previous
test performances
Headmistress Samantha Price said: “The students have in addition to sitting
thoroughly deserved these excellent grades. We always knew this formal assessments
was a strong year group who were likely to perform very well in the Spring and Caitlin Chiu and
and pupils achieved the grades we would have expected. Ca
Summer. Level 9 GCSE gr rlotta Wright achieved 22
ades betw een them
“Nevertheless, it has been a very difficult two years for them; Among the results
their entire A Level experience has been affected by the achieved, 71 per cent of all
pandemic, although undeniably the fact that they were able grades were Level 8-9 (equivalent to an A*).
to have a sustained education throughout – either online or in
person – has certainly enabled them to achieve these results.” Our top performer was Scarlett Mansfield, who achieved a clean
sweep of 13 Level 9 grades – the highest available. Five other
As ever, among the statistics there were some wonderful students achieved 12 straight Level 9s, while five more earned at
individual success stories. Our top performer was Freya Ridgwell least ten Level 9 grades.
who earned four A* grades and an A.
Headmistress Samantha Price said: “Many congratulations to
Eighteen other students achieved clean sweeps of A* grades this year’s Upper Fifth who have achieved some excellent results
across the board, with 16 of these leaving Benenden with four A – both collectively and on an individual basis, with every pupil
Levels at A*. fulfilling her potential.
“Students have thoroughly earned their GCSE results; they
“I’m so happy with have worked exceptionally hard in extraordinary
my results! When I first saw circumstances and I have been very impressed
them I kept on refreshing the page to “After School I at their commitment and determination.”
make sure the results were still there! I’m so would like to study medicine at
happy to have achieved my place at university.” university and these results are such a
Sofia Rigg Franco, who achieved good gateway to propel me towards my
A* A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, dream – these results are a great motivator.”
Economics and Maths Scarlett Mansfield, who was
Benenden’s top performer
at GCSE12 ACADEMIC
Super STEM
This term the STEM
amabssadors have been
busy assisting with a range
of activities and planning
for the year ahead. STEM
ambassadors Scarlett
Mansfield and Georgia
Halsted, Six One, give us a
full rundown of their plans
below.
Kitty Muysken,
, from left, Annabel Thomas,
STEM ambassadors; standing ia Woo lhou se, Georgia Halsted,
elia Lowis, Oliv
Charlotte Lai, Holly West, Am
Ger maine Lau
Front row, Scarlett Mansfield,
STEM ambassadors have hit the ground running this term, organising lots of exciting activities not only within the School, but also
reaching out to other surrounding schools in order to raise the profile of STEM at Benenden as a whole. Here is a brief overview of
what each committee has achieved and our plans for the future:
Promotions and Media Outreach
Overseen by Six One students Overseen by Six One students
Jamie Barbour and Germaine Lau Olivia Woolhouse and Holly West
The STEM Promotions and Media Committee Our main aim for the next academic
has been busy this term, highlighting all the year is to strengthen our relationships
fantastic events that have taken place so far. As with other schools through things such as
a committee, we have been organising weekly competitive activities.
updates of students’ experiments and projects
So far, we have proposed a Maths
in the Parent Bulletin as well as promoting
challenge, involving Benenden’s local and
exciting events, such as the upcoming Research
partner schools, which will be exciting
Evening.
and fun for all involved.
We also have many plans moving forward
Through events like this one, we hope to
into next term, such as expanding outreach
encourage more people to get involved in
within the School through the termly STEM
STEM and any exciting opportunities in
magazine as well as updating students on events
the future.
through the STEM social media accounts and
promotions around School.
Six One Chemistry
students collect gaseous
product via displacement
of water
Above: Amelia Shen
Right: Vanessa Leung
Far right: Holly WestACADEMIC 13
Lower Fifths Amy Kiruri and
Clementine Dawson
New Chemistry
Data Devices
To support development of
data interpretation and analysis,
the Chemistry Department has
expanded its range of Vernier
datalogging devices for use in
lessons at all levels.
To add to our already wide-ranging
capabilities to collect real time information
from pH meters, conductivity probes and
pressure sensors to name a few, in October
we took delivery of some new models of
Annabel Thomas and Caitlin Chiu investigate the rate colorimeter and temperature probe.
at which hydrogen peroxide decomposes in the presence
of a transition metal catalyst More than just a digital thermometer, these
will feed live data to an app which records
the measurements. The first students to enjoy
being the first to try the new technology in
Research Events their lessons – a Lower Fifth class – were
Overseen by Six One students Overseen by Six One students collecting data of the heating and cooling
Charlotte Lai and Annabel Thomas Amelia Lowis and Ella Mackel curve of Stearic acid.
As the heads of Research Committee in This term the Events Committee has helped
STEM, our goal is to get as many people organise a research soirée and begun planning
involved with research at Benenden as lots of exciting events for when we return.
possible!
We are planning an inter-school STEM
We are looking to start various projects competition, which will be a fun interactive
starting next term such as the Covid Big- event which will hopefully bring out
data project, where we carry out statistical Benenden’s competitive side as House points
analysis on real data produced around the are up for grabs. We would also like to have Sarah Stevens leads an exciting
world. a Careers in STEM week, with speakers in Physics experiment
the fields of Medicine, Economics and other
We have been holding meetings with those
who want to be involved and hopefully we
popular careers at Benenden. The aim of the
week is to inspire and encourage people to look
Medway Green
can get all the different projects up and
running after Christmas.
into a career within STEM.
School Visit
In November a group of students
Arcade Machine Build and teachers from Medway Green
A group of Six Two students are School visited Benenden for a
working with the Technologies team day dedicated to learning about
to build and code a desktop arcade Science.
machine. Mrs Ross started off the day in the Biology
labs with a look at onion and cheek cells
The machine is being constructed using an through microscopes, before the students
old noticeboard as we are trying to upcycle moved onto the DT Department to make a
manufacturing materials. Eventually the name plaque each, as a small takeaway from
machine will contain a Raspberry Pi which will the day.
Ava Nkwoji and Abigail Tang
have a selection of old arcade-type games and
will be taken over to the Founders Bar for the The students continued onto Mr Clinch in
Sxth Formers to use when they are relaxing. the Chemistry Department where they dug
deep into the Chemistry of slime-making,
The students have nearly completed the shell of the machine, having marked out the wood and and finally, in the Physics Department Ms
cut it, and are now in the process of drilling and screwing all the pieces together. Once it has been Stevens led an experiment launching bottle
assembled the machine will be painted and covered in arcade-style graphics. Both Ava and Abigail rockets into the air in the quad, which caused
pictured above are applying to study Computer Science at university, so this will be a great project a great deal of excitement among passing
to add to their portfolio! Benenden students as well!14 ACADEMIC
Upper Fifths’ Urban Environments Trip
In November the Upper Fifths embarked on a Geography trip to Stratford, East
London. This marked the start of our new topic, ‘urban environments’, the aim of
which was to investigate the contrast between regenerated areas and older areas.
To do this we visited four sites: East Village, Carpenters Estate, Our task was to investigate the general standard of living in
Westfield shopping centre and Stratford Broadway high street. the area and we questioned locals, asking a series of questions
However, prior to this we had a pit stop at the Emirates Cable regarding their lifestyle in East Village.
Cars, a great start to our day which was thoroughly enjoyed by
everyone. We then visited the home of the 2012 Olympics, the As our trip came to an end we reflected on the contrast
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. between the different areas we had visited: the developed areas
were busy whereas the older areas were deserted. Overall, our
trip to Stratford was informative and we achieved our aim of
being able to compare regenerated and unregenerated areas in
an urban environment.
The Upper Fifth at Stratford’s London
Stadium, now home to West Ham United
Students Enjoy Languages Competition
Every year since 2005, the United Nations has been Our students enjoyed translating literary texts ranging from a
celebrating multilingualism to highlight the critical classical Chinese poem from the Tang Dynasty to La Femme
role translators and other language professionals play Noire by Léopold
in multilateral diplomacy, ensuring understanding Sédar Senghor and
and inclusivity and enhancing cultural diversity. Reflexión de las Google was banned so
the Upper Fourths had to
vacaciones by
An important part of this celebration is the UN St Jerome use dictionaries for their
V Fleitas Diaz translation task
(the patron saint of translators) Translation Contest open where the use of
to UN staff and university students which rewards the best dictionaries is
translations in a number of languages. rediscovered,
Here at Benenden we are renowned for our pursuit and and the ‘Google
promotion of multilingualism, and in October we too were Beast’ is banned!
celebrating by holding a number of translation competitions
in a variety of languages including French, German, Italian,
Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, Russian and Spanish.English students China Miller, Alexandra Broad, Jade Chiu and Aliya Adebowale
ACADEMIC ENGLISH 15
WORD PERFECT!
In this issue’s Subject in Focus, over the next seven pages we delve into the wonderful
world of English at Benenden.16 ACADEMIC ENGLISH
‘After 20 years
Andrew Schagen recently led
one of the student-instigated
extended learning sessions,
Amplify
I still get ideas
from my classes
that are totally
new’
Andrew Schagen, Head of English, tells The Term about his vision for the
department and why he loves teaching the subject at Benenden.
How did you come to work in the English Department that are totally new to me. Often in English there aren’t any right
at Benenden? Could you tell us a little bit about your answers and that’s very exciting to me as I don’t know what I might
background? get next from my students. I had a student in my Six Two Lang/
Lit class this term who came up with an interpretation of a stage
I had nine years working in various schools in the state sector direction in A Streetcar Named Desire that had never occurred to
(single-sex, co-ed, academy, grammar school) and I wanted to give me and I’ve been teaching this play for 20 years!
independent schools a try next. I had never even set foot inside an
independent school until I arrived at Benenden for my interview in
March 2009 and I’ve been working here ever since! What do you want students at Benenden to get out of your
subject?
What is your favourite memory in relation to teaching I don’t have any expectation that every student will love every
English at Benenden and why? text that we study or every topic that we cover but I would like
every student to leave Benenden with at least one really positive
In my first year here I gave my first English Extension session on experience: to be able to say ‘I love that author’ or that genre, or
The Wasteland by T S Eliot. I was getting to the climactic ending that style. Even when students hate something, I want them to own
of the poem, which is about lightning striking The Wasteland and the tools to really express themselves about why. If students hate a
everything being swept away and destroyed: at exactly this point book and can explore why using advanced concepts rather than just
there was a power cut (it was December and dark outside) and shrugging their shoulders and saying ‘it’s boring’ then I know we’ve
we were plunged into darkness. Fortunately, I had a candle and a succeeded.
lighter as props for another part in the classroom and I managed to
finish the seminar by the light of one flickering candle: it was very
dramatic! What is your vision for the English Department?
Probably the most important thing for me is the level of engagement.
Who is in the Department and what are their roles? I want the absolute maximum possible number of students to want
to do English at A Level. I want the absolute maximum number of
There are a lot of us! Mrs Carroll does a superb job of running the A Level English students to think about doing it as a possible degree
Lower School curriculum and is my general right-hand person. Dr subject! I’m very selfish in that regard! I am really pleased to see an
McNally is in charge of English Extension generally and organising increasing number of students these days taking English not just
our support for students who want to read English at University. alongside other humanities but alongside sciences: English is for
Mrs Swales, Mr Humphrey and Mrs Collins are the ‘core’ teaching everyone!
team who live up in the English Office and we are very lucky to be
supported by the Hms Mrs Granatt and Mr Rendall as well as Mrs The other thing that is important for me in my vision for the
Tyler, who also teach within the department. department, looking ahead, is to ensure that we are being as diverse
as possible in the ways that we approach language and literature. I
want students to experience the widest possible range of authors and
What do you love most about your subject and why? texts and ideas from as many different backgrounds as possible. The
challenge for us is that we are constrained, to a large extent, by the
I love the fact that, even if I’ve taught a text lots of times, each time
requirements of exam boards, but I don’t want any student to leave
I teach it I’ll get something new from the students in my class. I’ve
Benenden thinking that English is exclusively about dead, straight,
been a teacher for over 20 years and I still get ideas from my classes
white men.ACADEMIC ENGLISH 17
Head of Department Andrew Schagen (back left) with team members (l-r) Lisa McNally, Chelsea Swales,
Charles Humphery, Carrie Collins, Jess Granatt, Sara Carroll, Nick Rendall and Lesley Tyler (inset)
How does your department strive to make English lessons exciting and
interactive?
One of the absolute best bits of my job is doing lesson observations: I get to watch
one lesson a week taught by other members of my fantastic team and I always think
‘wow, I wish I had had English teachers like this when I was at school!’
What I love
There are so many ways in which we can make English lessons more interactive and
exciting: sometimes this is to do with giving students ownership of a particular topic
most about
and making them the subject expert who has to teach the rest of the class, sometimes
this is to do with collaborative learning in groups, sometimes it’s to do with exploring
English
literature by using students’ own creative writing.
I saw an Upper Fourth lesson this week in which students explored how a Gothic
atmosphere was created by Edgar Allen Poe by using some of his words in their own “I often think it was being read
flash fiction. That to me is a great example of making a lesson more interactive – to as a child that started me off
don’t just learn by listening to the teacher explaining how atmosphere is created, and I can still remember the
learn by having a go at creating that atmosphere yourself ! delight at hearing stories; once
I could read for myself I read
a lot and the stories started to
English by numbers create a private world where I
believed they had been written
for me alone, and that is a
3
pretty special feeling.
Hours of English lessons each week for a
pupil in the Fourth to Lower Fifth “I became obsessed by
Shakespeare and poetry as a
115 Lessons in total taught by the English
Department each week
teenager and would read them
both out loud in my bedroom:
I started to love the way they
1603 The year Shakespeare is presumed to have sounded and the precise match
written two of the English texts: Othello and of words to subject. That is a
Hamlet long way of saying that I love
the way writers use language
to explore the world, while
39 Percentage of the Six Two studying English
Literature or English Language and Literature
in 2021-22
telling a story and creating
a personal relationship with
the reader. It just makes life
richer.”
32 Percentage of the Six One studying English
Literature or English Language and Literature
in 2021-22
Sara Carroll, English Teacher18 ACADEMIC ENGLISH
Creative Writing
We are pleased to share a selection of creative
writing from students across the year groups on
the theme of Winter.
Wolf and Me
My friend is a wolf,
bold and wild.
She jumps higher than the moo
snow, n
through the deep and howls in the night.
The wolf trudged
t in its path.
ents of raw mea We run
leaving strong sc
side to side,
d scary eyes
Its sharp ears an side to side.
e ice.
o approaches it lik all night.
leaving anyone wh And when
stunning soft skin
Underneath the day comes
ught.
the wars it has fo we sleep in our lair.
are bones of all
rt,
me for it to depa When full moon rises we strid
The time has co and when the moon centres
e to the lake,
e forest,
pidly through th
so the wolf ran ra we howl at the moon.
s
any secrets it hide
covering all the m Hunting for food and building
snow walls,
ain, Four th in our lair we keep our most
Amelia Nall-C precious items –
our first bone and a ragged silk
robe.
We sleep on some leaves and
get sleep all day.
And this is how I spend my day
s.
Anika Malik, Fourth
Autumn
ling
Red leaves are fal
nd is lit ter ed with them
The grou
on
The orange seas
Winter
to white
The world turned
so gr acefully
The snow falls
Like lit tle fai rie s
, Upper Four th
Emily HulbertACADEMIC ENGLISH 19
My Winters
My winters are hot, burning, burning,
burning, nineteen, eighteen seventeen
degrees, the wind blows and the rain
is still warm. Winter days filled with
raging winds, dancing and thrashing Winter on Pluto
the trees against one another, Pluto is the furthest ex-planet
branches fall and leaves twirl to the away from
the sun, and is therefore very,
ground. very cold. We
on Earth like to moan about
our winters
ows shake being brisk but on Pluto, its win
The wind is not to be ignored, wind ters go
great
and the sea roars in harmony with the from January to December (alth
ough that
its slum ber, a seaso n is how most British people wou
beast that rises from ld describe
start
change that lives within the air. Air cons their winters as well). When the
weather
t altho ugh the sun still shines gets too cold (on Earth), I feel
turning off at nigh like I could
es make be on Pluto too. When I’m wal
bright, puffer jackets and woolly scarv king alone,
my British born heart laugh. the opal black sky becomes the
vacuum
of space and the tarmac turn
hing ed white under the streetlights
My winters were once like fire, scorc acrylic crevasses and mountai becomes
Winters ns, all covered in a snow of froz
temperatures of twenty five degrees. methane. Everything else glitc en
swea t throu gh your shirt , hes away and I am there.
that made you
ing
peering through your fingers at the burn I stare at the cold empty spac
e in front of me and start to pan
bells play in every shop ping mall. ricocheting from my throat to ic, heart
sun as jingle my feet. There is no oxygen in
posts and because there is no air in spac space,
Reindeers decorate the warmed lamp e! There is only a vast expanse
air con. of black
lights go up alongside the ever blasting nothing; it is not even black bec
ause it has no colour. It is imp
s to be to grasp in my hands or in my ossible
And humidity so thick and wet it seem head the pure emptiness arou
lingers in But I wonder if, if you exhale nd me.
a living, breathing being of its own, hard enough, I could see my
dissonance the light of the distant sun, like breath in
the air. Such strange and wondrous under a streetlamp. Would the
past, terribly bright when it shines sun be
from my snowy winters of a long gone on Pluto? Would I need sunglas
g should ask my Mum. ses? I
instead wearing t-shirts and shorts, eatin
ing with the wind ows shut
Christmas pudd But my Mum isn’t here, she’s
its own. on Earth! How will I ask her
against the heat become a winter of my sunglasses? There’s no one about
to hear me shout or whine or
a burning complain. There’s no one to cry or
My current winters are not white or ask me how my day has been,
’re the grey ed but still beau tiful one to listen to hear me reply and no
yellow, they either ‘fine’ or ‘absolutely gha
that never won’t believe the morning I’ve stly, you
blue of the skies, the humidity in air had!’ There’s no one to discuss
and the never-changing winter weather the
dies, the hues of the rain blessed wood with. On Earth I’ll know win
ted a few shad es coming because someone will ter is
looming bark, a world pain complain about it in spring. Rig
the last. The pink s of flowe rs and I am a small and silly muppet ht now,
darker than who is not dressed appropriat
umb rella s toge ther in weather. ely for the
the blacks of a hundred
powe r again st the beat ing rain. The
a strange The cold empty abyss of spac
es slowly e takes its toll on the complex
sun still shines bright, and long sleev skin on my face is crumbling ion. The
ght. off, my muscles have frozen solid
join dayli my lips are blue. I am stuck in , and
this limbo of circling this plan
snow spins and spins and spins; wor et as it
My winters are not filled with startling ried that soon I will miss my
a gent le cold devo id and I will harshly collide with trajectory
or freezing rain, they’re the icy surface. Which would
are Chri stma s tune s playi ng to embarrassing if someone saw be very
of pain . They me.
that pour
another country’s summer, and rains However, it has at this point bee
sea from abov e, all the bette r they make n at least a few minutes, and
like a have not yet suffocated or split I
ntain sides , altho ugh apart at the limbs or crashed
the journeys across mou excruciating shame. I am sim with
more dang erou s but perfe ct for a hike ply still, as still and as solid as
a little the space debris waddling alon the rest of
suffocating g this galactic country road, whe
and a walk, besides long gone is the traffic is quiet and infrequent. re the
heat , inste ad migr ating birds and their
season,
wings beat to the sounds of a gentle I lounge above the surface of
Pluto, scanning the horizon of
ant and beau tiful, all the more reason, to Neptune, Uranus, the Sun, Ear stars for
pleas th. But they are dots, if that.
every year, So small
appreciate the winters that come by and so far away. But I know whe
n I open my eyes I will be bac
if they don’ t resem ble the ones I hear again, so there is no need to pan k there
even ic. I can stay a few minutes long
studi ed texts , my winters er.
from storybooks and Rosie Dare, Six Two
are still just as beau tiful as the next .
Annabel Shen, Six One20 ACADEMIC ENGLISH
Rosie Dare,
Inspiring
B enenden’s L
iterature Lau
reate
Professional
Writers
As part of her role as Literature Laureate,
Rosie Dare had the pleasure of interviewing
two Benenden Seniors who have become
professional writers, Sue Reid E73 and
Clare Best Ma72.
RD: Did you write creatively whilst at Benenden? Which sentence. She was a very good teacher – and a stickler for clarity.
genre/type? Mrs Waddington was passionate about poetry, and brought it to
life in her voice and performance, so that later the words leapt off
SR: Yes, I did – I wrote a lot of poems and stories – often when I the page even when I read the same poem on my own. Magic. I
should have been doing prep! Though historical fiction (and non- always looked forward to her lessons.
fiction) is my main genre now, I didn’t start writing it till years
later. I love history and research, however, so it suits me perfectly.
CB: At Benenden I mostly wrote what I was asked to write – RD: What did you do after you left school? Did you
academic essays. There wasn’t much creative writing at school immediately start writing?
in those days. Occasionally there was a chance to do something SR: I’d always written stories, ever since I was a child, but I
more imaginative, like a poem or story for the school magazine, didn’t think I could ever be a published author – and most
and I enjoyed that. I won the Jessamy James authors need to have another job
Essay Prize in 1972, my final year, and it anyway – so I trained as a secretary
made a big impression on me, knowing and did various jobs including several
that someone thought my writing was good years working as a radio production
enough to win. I still have my handwritten I won the Jessamy secretary/assistant in BBC Radio
essay on the subject ‘The pursuit of happiness James Essay Prize Drama, and then I was briefly a script
is a wild goose chase. Discuss’, and the prize: reader for BBC TV Drama. Later I
a handsome red-leather-bound edition of in 1972, my final
worked in children’s book publishing,
Shakespeare’s complete works. year, and it made a both full time and freelance.
big impression on
RD: Did you study English A Level? me, knowing that
RD: Does writing children’s
someone thought literature bring limitations?
CB: I did English, French and Geography A
Levels. English was my favourite subject, but my writing was Is it harder than writing adult
when it came to thinking about Oxbridge good enough to win. literature?
entrance, I was encouraged to go for SR: There are both limitations
Geography (silly advice!). I was offered and Clare Best Ma72
and opportunities when writing for
took up a place at Girton College, Cambridge, children. You have to be careful how
but after one term I knew I really didn’t like you tackle tough subjects like illness,
Geography and switched to English. Phew! I death and relationships. But children
learned that lesson well: follow your passions! have boundless imagination and
curiosity and that creates wonderful opportunities for a writer.
You also have to consider use of language – writing at the right
RD: Did you learn writing techniques at Benenden that level for the child’s age – and how much you need to spell things
influenced your work later on? out. I do remember my first editor saying I didn’t need to spell
CB: I loved my English teachers – Mrs Innes-Crump, things out so much, then another saying that I was sometimes
affectionately known as Scrump, and Mrs Waddington. Scrump too ‘oblique’! This depends on what age you are writing for, of
taught me to take care choosing each word, constructing each course.You can also read
