WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON

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WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
BULLETIN
 News from Senior School and Sixth Form                                                September 10th, 2021

n Our new Year 7 students and staff were excited to be starting yesterday.

WELCOME BACK!
It is wonderful to be here, as Head of              By MR JULIAN NOAD               our boarders, old and new, earlier
Queen’s College.                                       Head of College              in this week; and then all yesterday
In many ways this is a repetition of my                                             (Thursday).
                                            community.
address to all staff on Monday of this      I thank you all for your welcome.       It is a very happy and excited Queen’s
week and to our pupils in Assembly          Everyone has been so kind to Jane, my   that we have all seen this week.
today (Friday).                             family, and me.                         We very much look forward to
I know that I have said this before         In return, it has been terrific to      welcoming many of you to our ‘Head’s
but it deserves repetition: this really     welcome back pupils: including Sports   Welcome’ this evening (Friday) from
is a wonderful school and I am so           and Performing Arts students for        7pm on School House lawn in front of
very excited to be joining this great       pre-term training and preparation;                    n Continued on page two.

    1                      @queenstaunton                        queens.college            www.queenscollege.org.uk
WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
n Continued from page one.
the College (let’s hope that the weather holds out).
The summer has been busy at Queen’s with
magnificent summer camps on offer as well as much
activity to improve our estate.
You will be delighted to learn that new reception
areas at both Senior School and Prep School make a
big difference for visitors. Both are now much more
accessible and at the very front of the College: front of
Cotlake for the Prep; and via the main School House
doors for Senior School. I urge you to pop in and take
a look – you can be assured of a warm welcome.
With weekend activity aplenty, including the first proper
Sports fixtures of term, as well as training, and auditions
for Performing Arts, I look forward to seizing the
opportunity to meet other parents on the touchline or
simply when ‘dropping off’; the pavilion will be open       n Mr Noad is pictured with our new Heads of School, Ali and Jenny,
for refreshments and I hope to catch up with each of        as they arrived back yesterday (Thursday). Below: More photos from
you soon.                                                   the return to school.

 SCHOOL CALENDAR                                                                                 September 11th to 19th
               Saturday, September 11th                                         Saturday, September 18th
            End of Year Exam Resits – Year 13                   12:45    Hockey Girls 2nd XI v Leweston School (H)
13:00   Rugby Boys - Year 7-13 Pre-season Training              12:45    Hockey Girls U15A v Leweston School (H)
14:00   Hockey 7s Girls U13A v Wells Cathedral School (A)       13:45    Hockey Girls 1st XI v Leweston School (H)
14:00   Hockey 7s Girls U12A v Wells Cathedral School (A)       14:30    Rugby Boys 1st XV v Plymouth College (A)
14:15   Hockey Girls 2nd XI v Wells Cathedral School (H)        14:30    Rugby Boys U16A v Plymouth College (A)
14:15   Hockey Girls U14A v Wells Cathedral School (H)          14:30    Rugby Boys U13A v Plymouth College (A)
15:00   Hockey 7s Girls U12B v Wells Cathedral School (A)       14:30    Rugby Boys U12A v Plymouth College (A)
15:15   Hockey Girls U15A v Wells Cathedral School (H)          14:30    Rugby Boys U15A v Plymouth College (H)
15:15   Hockey Girls 1st XI v Wells Cathedral School (H)        14:30    Rugby Boys U14A v Plymouth College (H)
                                                                14:30    Hockey Girls U13A v Leweston School (A)
                 Monday, September 13th                         14:30    Hockey Girls U12A v Leweston School (A)
                  Week B timetable starts                       15:00    Hockey Girls U12B v Leweston School (A)
                                                                15:15    Hockey Girls U14A v Leweston School (H)
                 Friday, September17th
All Day Vocal Musical Workshop with Apollo 5                                     Sunday, September 19th
                                                                12:30    Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award local walk

   2                      @queenstaunton
                          Queen’s College Taunton               queens.college
                                                                     @QueensTaunton            www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                               www.queenscollege.org.uk
WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
Curtain up for a packed programme of Performing Arts
                                        The eve of term saw our first        preview of the new hip hop
                                        Performing Arts Day – and            and commercial dance styles
                                        it proved to be a resounding         on offer with international
                                        success.                             choreographer Chris
                                        The Queen’s Hall and the             Jones, who will be offering
                                        Wyvern Hall were buzzing             professional dance insight this
                                        with singers, dancers and            term.
                                        actors all getting acquainted        There were also ballet
                                        with the plays and musicals          sessions together with a talk
                                        planned for this term.               on techincal theatre for those
                                         In preparation for this             interested in working behind
                                         weekend’s auditions, there          the scenes.
‘SHREK’ AUDITIONS START TOMORROW!        were tips on ‘Shrek’ songs          If you missed the Performing
                                         and characterisations while         Arts Day, you can still be
                                        a workshop explored the              involved this term.
                                        political theatre style of ‘Animal   Participation in ‘Shrek’ and
                                        Farm’.                               ‘Animal Farm’ is open to all
                                        Years 7 to 9 students were           students in Year 10 and above
                                        also introduced to the lively        – no need to audition unless
                                        award-winning musical ‘Honk!’        you would like a principal role.
                                        which will be performed later        As live performances start to
                                        in the school year.                  bring audiences together again,
                                        Dance students were given a          why not join in?

3             @queenstaunton
              Queen’s College Taunton
                                              queens.college
                                                   @QueensTaunton
                                                                              www.queenscollege.org.uk
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WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
Fantastic summer of successes in LAMDA Speech exams
 We’ve had some fantastic LAMDA                                                       n Osa Eribo: Distinction.
 Speech exam results this summer.                                                     Millie achieved 96% and Lily wasn’t far
 LAMDA (London Academy of Music                                                       behind with 95%!
 and Dramatic Art) has been running                                                   Mr Matthew Kirby, Speech teacher,
 since the 1880s and examines pupils all                                              said: “This is absolutely fantastic news.
 around the world.                                                                    “I am so proud of all the pupils who
 Eleven of our students took exams                                                    have worked incredibly hard this
 with the average mark being 84%                                                      year in such challenging times. Many
 and with no fewer than nine awarded           n Lily MacNeice: Distinction.
                                                                                      congratulations to everyone.”
 Distinction.                                  n Isla Tilsley: Distinction.
                                                                                      If anyone is interested in starting
 n Aria Maryan-Verona: Distinction.            n Falah Faridi: Distinction.           lessons to take LAMDA exams, please
 n Clara Gill: Merit.                          n Shad Akhtar: Merit.                  email Mr Kirby for more details and
 n Thomas Nash: Distinction.                   n Prakriti Wood: Distinction.          information:
 n Millie Gubby : Distinction.                 n Lucia Edwards: Distinction.          mak@queenscollege.org.uk.

Keep in touch with the Queen’s Community group
For all our day-to-day news and                                                         Queenians.
information, sign up for the Queen’s                                                    To join, all you have to do is:
College Community group on
                                                                                        n Click on the More tab on the
Facebook.
                                                                                        Queen’s Facebook page.
We launched the group – as part of
our main Queen’s page on the social                                                     n Click on Groups.
media channel – in May and it now                                                       n Select Queen’s College
has more than 750 members.                                                              Community.
It’s a platform for useful information     community, including parents and             n Tick if you are a Parent/Guardian,
specific to current members of our         grandparents, students, staff and Old      Staff, Student, OQ or ‘Other’.

Uniform information
Our approved supplier is Perry Uniform
                                                                                   Building bridges ...
and you can visit their website by going to
www.perryuniform.co.uk.
If you are looking to buy or sell used items
of uniform or sport kit, you can join our
special Facebook page – Queen’s College
Taunton Uniform.

 Monsters adorn Day Room walls                                                     Mr Joe Mann conducted a team-building
                                                                                   exercise with his new Year 10 tutor
                                                                                   group to develop communication skills,
                                                                                   problem-solving and creative thinking.
                                                                                   Working in teams, the students had to
                                                                                   build bridges out of only sheets of paper
                                                                                   and masking tape to safely suspend an egg
  Year 6 students produced some outstanding work in the Art                        over a 50cm gap between two desks.
  Department on one of their transition days last term.                            The winning team ended up supporting
  Their monster creations are now adorning the walls of the Year 7 Day             not just the weight of an egg but 4kg of
  Room.                                                                            flour and sugar!

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                           Queen’s College Taunton
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                                                                        @QueensTaunton
                                                                                               www.queenscollege.org.uk
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WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
Barnstorming evening of team bonding for Sixth Form

                         Our
                  new Sixth Form
               certainly got to know
             each other at the end of
             their first day back. They
            were swinging their partners
             with the Lucy Lastic Band
              at a Barn Dance in the
                    Wyvern Hall.

5         @queenstaunton
          Queen’s College Taunton
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                                                @QueensTaunton
                                                                 www.queenscollege.org.uk
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WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
New boarders enjoy an exciting start to life at Queen’s
It was wonderful to see our students arriving for the start
of school including a large contingent of new boarders.
On Monday, they enjoyed a barbecue in the sunshine
down at the Sixth Form Centre followed by the chance
to have a go at archery while the next day they played
zorb football and tennis, took a trip into Taunton and had a
music session.
Their pre-term adventures concluded with an activities day
at Wimbleball Lake on Exmoor (see next page).

  6                      @queenstaunton
                         Queen’s College Taunton
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                                                                    @QueensTaunton
                                                                                     www.queenscollege.org.uk
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WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
Our new boarders’ day of adventures at Wimbleball Lake
on Wednesday featured sailing, canoeing and SUP (stand
up paddleboarding). They also enjoyed a walk around the
picturesque Exmoor lake.
Mr Mark Neenan, Head of Outdoor Pursuits, said:
“Everyone was really enthusiastic and prepared to have a
go. Well done!”

  7                    @queenstaunton
                       Queen’s College Taunton
                                                           queens.college
                                                                @QueensTaunton
                                                                                 www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                 www.queenscollege.org.uk
WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
Welcome to our new staff for 2021-22
n We’ve a number of exciting additions to the Queen’s staff for 2021-22 and they took part
in a busy Induction Day last Friday (right).
n They were welcomed by the Chair of Governors, Mr Mark Edwards, the Head of College,
Mr Julian Noad (himself a new starter!), and the Head of Prep, Mr Henry Matthews.
n Here we feature some of the new faces … we wish all the starters every happiness and
success at Queen’s!

 Mr Julian Noad (Head of College) and family

We start our feature by            at Clifton College,
welcoming the Head, Mr             Bristol, including six as a
Julian Noad – along with his       Housemaster.
wife, Jane, and their children,    A lifetime passion for sailing
Molly and Henry.                   includes yacht racing,
Mr Noad has moved                  holidays on or in the water,
from Oswestry School in            and running sailing teams at
Shropshire, where he had           both Clifton and Rydal.
been Head for the past             Mr Noad has also enjoyed
seven years.                       playing and coaching rugby,
Prior to joining Oswestry, he      football, squash and fives,
was Deputy Head of Rydal           but has more recently              Mr Noad said he was              know everyone and working
Penrhos – like Queen’s, a          focused on cross-country           “honoured, excited, and          with pupils, staff, parents
member of the Methodist            running, coaching as well as       delighted” to be the new         and governors to embed
Independent Schools Trust          running into the hills for his     Head of Queen’s.                 a vision for outstanding
(MIST).                            own wellbeing with his dog,        He added: “I very much           education, rich experience,
He also spent 12 years             Percy.                             look forward to getting to       and individual care.”

 Mr James Vecchio (Head of Rugby)                                    Mr Joe Mann (Head of Food and Nutrition)

Mr Vecchio previously                                               Mr Mann – who has moved
worked at King Edward’s                                             from the same position at
School in Birmingham and                                            Torquay Girls’ Grammar
has been working with Bath                                          School – was named ‘Best
Rugby as a Development                                              Teacher in England’ by the
Coach, before recently                                              British Nutrition Foundation in
switching to a similar role                                         their 2020 Education Awards
with Bristol Bears.                                                 for championing Food and
He played for Bath U18s                                             Nutrition.
and Cardiff Met Uni before                                          Previously, he has won both
joining Bournville RFC in                                           ‘Devon Teacher of the Year’
the Midlands.                                                       and the award for ‘Best School
Mr Vecchio, who                                                     Food Education’ in Devon.
completed his teacher             enthusiasm into the Sports        He takes over from Mrs
training at Bath Spa, said: “I                                      Yvonne Mackey, who has            the opportunity of teaching at
                                  team at Queen’s.
can’t wait to get started –                                         moved to a teaching role          Queen’s.”
                                  “Through his links with
it’s so exciting to be joining                                      in Dubai, and said he was         Mr Mann has developed
                                  Bristol Bears and other
Queen’s.”                                                           “extremely excited” to be         resource materials for both
                                  well-respected coaches
Our Head of Sport, Tom                                              joining the team.                 primary and secondary
                                  in the South West, I’m
Walter, added: “I am                                                “I know I have some very big      schools and written Food
                                  confident we will be
delighted we have managed                                           shoes to fill after Yvonne has    and Nutrition teacher training
                                  able to build a fantastic
to bring someone with                                               done such a fabulous job, but     modules for the Department
                                  rugby programme for the
James’s expertise and                                               I am really looking forward to    for Education (DfE).
                                  students.”

    8                       @queenstaunton
                            Queen’s College Taunton
                                                                       queens.college
                                                                            @QueensTaunton
                                                                                                      www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                                      www.queenscollege.org.uk
WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
Mr Deven Bell (Head of Strength & Conditioning)                     Mr Charlie Speyer (Head of Physics)

Originally from Zimbabwe,                                           Mr Speyer has been teaching
Mr Bell represented                                                 Physics and Science for
Zimbabwe U19s at cricket                                            ten years and joins us from
and hockey and played                                               King’s College, Taunton,
professional cricket there.                                         where he has spent the
Since moving to England,                                            past four years as a Physics
he has worked as a Strength                                         teacher, was an officer in
and Conditioning and Sport                                          the CCF and helped with
Coach at Wellington School                                          outdoor education.
for the past four years.                                            Before that he worked at
He was also Lead Strength                                           Okehampton College as a
and Conditioning Coach                                              Science teacher, was Ten
with the Western Storm                                              Tors team manager and led
regional development team          understanding of movement        a school expedition to the
in 2019.                           and the benefits and             Himalayas.                      chased by a Komodo
Mr Bell said: “This is a very      enjoyment of exercise.           Prior to becoming a teacher,    Dragon in Indonesia,
exciting time for sport at         “I will be supporting the        Mr Speyer was a manager         breaking a national Maoist
Queens.                            senior sports groups on          in Deloitte’s Consulting        lockdown in Nepal, to
“This new role will be heavily     the physical aspects of          Practice and, between           almost being shot for being a
focused around helping             performance in collaboration     management consultancy          terrorist in Kurdish Turkey.
to improve not only the            with Mr Walter (Head of          and teaching, he took 18        Mr Speyer is very excited
physical abilities of all pupils   Sport) and the team to help      months out to cycle home        about joining Queen’s and
but to develop their overall       with the preparation for         from Tasmania.                  hopes he can pass on
physical literacy through the      training and games.”             During the 24,500km ride,       some of his excitement for
                                                                    he had some interesting         the universe and the great
                                                                    experiences from being          outdoors to the community!
 Miss Lorna Johnson (Houseparent)

                                                                     Also new for this year ...
For the past 12 years, Miss
Johnson has worked within
pastoral care and welfare
at some of the UK’s most
prestigious boarding schools,
gaining a diverse level of
experience and skills in a
number of different roles
ranging from House Assistant
to Head of Boarding.
She is excited to be working
within Highgrove House,
encouraging and supporting
our Year 13 girls into the next
phase of their academic,           can feel valued and inspired.”    It’s been an
working life and the wider         Graduating from Darting           incredibly busy
world beyond Queen’s.              College of Arts in 2006 with      summer of
“I am thrilled to begin my         a BA Hons in Arts & Cultural      improvements across
new position and look              Management & Visual Arts          the site including a
forward to getting to know         Practices, Miss Johnson has       new reception area
everyone”                          combined her passion for          and staff room.
                                   arts and events, working dual     Thank you so much
“I enjoy encouraging students
                                   roles within both education       to all of the hard-
to be the best version of
                                   in term time and the creative     working Estates team
themselves and shine a light
                                   industries during the summer      for their efforts.
for others so that they too
                                   holidays.

    9                        @queenstaunton                         queens.college                 www.queenscollege.org.uk
WELCOME BACK! - BU LLETI N NEWSFROMSENIORSCHOOLANDSIXTHFORM SEPTEMBER10TH,2021 - QUEEN'S COLLEGE, TAUNTON
Praise for our A Level and GCSE students
Yet again, we
reported an
outstanding set
of results at both
A Level and
GCSE.
First to receive
their certificates
were the A
Level students
(right).
On one of her
final days before
leaving as Head,
Dr Lorraine
Earps paid
tribute to both
the students and
staff.
She said: “We                   work and dedication means     and there were more         them and know they will
are absolutely delighted        that the impact of COVID      celebrations (below).       continue to take the world
that, after the challenges      was minimised for these       Dr Earps, spoke             by storm as they step into
of the past 18 months, our      students.                     of her pride at the         the next phase of their
students have achieved the      “All subjects were able to    grades achieved by the      educational journey.”
grades which will enable        complete their courses        “exceptional” students.     Dr Earps added: “These
them to move into the next      in full and access material   “They have always been      results are also testimony
stage of their life.            across the full range of      exceptional, and this has   to the hard work and
“It is a day to celebrate the   the subjects, meaning that    never been more obvious     dedication of our
achievements and resilience     our students are as well      than during the past 18     wonderful staff here at
of this cohort of students,     prepared for their next       months in which they have   Queen’s.
who have continued to           steps of their educational    faced the challenges of     “They have supported
work hard and develop           journey as possible.”         COVID with good humour      the students brilliantly,
through an uncertain time.      Two days later, it was the    and positivity.             particularly during the
“I would like to thank all of   turn of our GCSE students     “We are immensely proud     incredible challenges of the
our teachers, whose hard        to receive their results      of each and every one of    pandemic.”

 10                     @queenstaunton
                        Queen’s College Taunton
                                                              queens.college
                                                                   @QueensTaunton
                                                                                          www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                          www.queenscollege.org.uk
Just a few of our exam success stories ...
                                                      n Two of our top performers in        education, particularly during
                                                      the A Level results were Molly        lockdown.”
                                                      Kelly and Rohan Fidell, who           Another student achieving
                                                      both achieved four A* grades.         four A* grades was Yvonne
                                                      Molly, who was also Head Girl,        Guo, who is going on to study
                                                      is going to the University of         Economics at King’s College,
                                                      Edinburgh to study Medicine           London.
                                                      while Rohan will take Natural         Other international students also
                                                      Sciences at Lancaster University.     achieved some great results.
                                                      Molly said she was “over the          Sophia Hao recorded three
                                                      moon” with her results and            A* grades and an A and will be
                                                      thanked all of the teachers.          studying Business and Marketing
                                                      “I would not have got in without      at Edinburgh while Lewis Yu and
                                                      their help – particularly in taking   Samuel Li both achieved three
                                                      Biology in only one year.”            A* grades.
                                                      Rohan said he was “a bit              Lewis is off to the Chinese
                                                      overwhelmed” and that his             University of Hong Kong to
                                                      results hadn’t really sunk in yet.    study Quantitative Finance while
                                                      “I’m very proud and also              Samuel is taking Mathematical
                                                      thankful to the school for            & Physical Sciences at the
                                                      providing such a great                University of Toronto.

n One of our top GCSE performers is a true all-rounder.
Pippa – among four students to achieve the top 9 grade in
all 11 of her subjects – is also talented at sport and music.
She plays hockey in the South West performance centre,
part of the pathway to England selection, and has been
selected for Somerset U17s at cricket.
Pippa, who plays for Queen’s at both sports, can also been
seen regularly on the school stage – she plays both the
flute and piano.
She has now moved into our Sixth Form where she is
taking Biology,
Chemistry and
Maths with the
                                                                n One family flew over from Hong Kong specially for
aim of going
                                                                GCSE Results Day.
to university
                                                                Smiley, who achieved nine top 9 grades, was joined by her
to study
                                                                parents and sister, Jessica, who also went to Queen’s and
Medicine.
                                                                is now studying Physiotherapy at Cardiff.
“I’ve been at
                                                                With them was another student from Hong Kong, Jane –
Queen’s since
                                                                currently staying locally with a host family – who achieved
Nursery and
                                                                the top 9 grade in all 11 of her subjects.
love it here,”
                                                                Both girls are now looking forward to taking their A
she said.
                                                                Levels here with Smiley studying Chemistry, Biology and
Pippa also                                                      Maths and Jane taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and
paid tribute                                                    Computer Science.
to Mrs Megan                                                    Jane said: “It feels more like home here than a school –
Neenan, Year                                                    I’ve been here a while now and love the environment.”
11 Lead, for                                                    Smiley added: “I really enjoy being at Queen’s – the
her support.                                                    teachers, the environment and the boarding house.”

 11                      @queenstaunton
                         Queen’s College Taunton
                                                                queens.college
                                                                     @QueensTaunton
                                                                                                www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                                www.queenscollege.org.uk
n Three of our students       Edinburgh.
                                                                are eventually hoping to      Also aiming for a career in
                                                                become doctors after          health are Molly Rucklidge,
                                                                receiving their A Level       who is going to study
                                                                results.                      Physiotherapy at the
                                                                Lauren Lowe and Tom           University of Liverpool, and
                                                                Hopwood will both be          Andrew Smith, who is going
                                                                studying Medicine at the      on to take a Chiropractic
                                                                University of Sheffield       degree at the University of
                                                                while Molly Kelly is off to   South Wales.

                         n Two more of our top GCSE performers were Hazel and Joseph,
                         who both achieved the top 9 grade in all 11 subjects they took and
                         have now moved into our Sixth Form.
                         Hazel is taking Psychology, English, Spanish and Art while Joseph is
                         studying Physics, Maths, History and Spanish.
                         Hazel said she loved the community feel here at Queen’s, adding: “I’ve
                         made so many friends here and it’s great that so many of them are
                         staying on for Sixth Form.”
                         Joseph, who has been with us since Nursery, said he was “very
                         pleased” with his results and that he really enjoyed school life.

n Falah – who achieved the top 9 grade in all ten GCSE
subjects – celebrated results day in Pakistan.
He said: “I’m still somewhat in disbelief about getting 9s in
every subject.
“I just wanted to say thanks to all the teachers – I know I
couldn’t have done this well without all of them.
“I’m also grateful for having supportive and amazing friends,
peers and family who encourage me to strive for my best.
“For A Levels, I’m continuing at Queen’s and I’m taking
RPE (Religion, Philosophy and Ethics), History, Maths and
Further Maths and am still exploring what options I can
take beyond that in the future.”

                                                                                                             n We are
                                                                                                             proud to
                                                                                                             provide
                                                                                                             the full
                                                                                                             educational
                                                                                                             journey
                                                                                                             from
                                                                                                             Nursery to
                                                                                                             Sixth Form
                                                                                                             and these
                                                                                                             successful
                                                                                                             GCSE
                                                                                                             students
                                                                                                             are among
                                                                                                             those who
                                                                                                             joined in
                                                                                                             Nursery.

 12                      @queenstaunton
                         Queen’s College Taunton
                                                                queens.college
                                                                     @QueensTaunton
                                                                                              www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                              www.queenscollege.org.uk
It’s been another extremely busy Summer@Queen’s!
                                          After being thwarted by the pandemic last year,
                                          our Summer@Queen’s holiday programme
                                          proved as popular as ever when it returned.
                                          There were master classes in the Performing
                                          Arts and Creative Writing & Illustration, a week
                                          of Adventure Activities and coaching sessions in
                                          a variety of sports. We also saw the welcome
                                          return of Ultimate Activity Camps.

Millie’s dance triumph

                                                   Izzy stars in festival
                                                    Izzy, who joined us in Year 9 last term, had a
                                                    great day at the Somerset Women’s Cricket
                                                    Festival at Ilminster.
Millie, who has moved up to Year 11, had a          Despite being the youngest player, she took
fabulous weekend in the prestigious Summit          ten wickets and hit the most runs to be
Dance final championships.                          named player of the tournament as her Ilton
After competing in four separate dance              side reaching the finals.
heats, she qualified in all her sections.
She won six golds, two silvers and a bronze,
then was announced overall champion               Something for all in new season
of the competition, winning a week’s
                                                  We are delighted to announce            n A selection of concerts plus a
scholarship to the renowned Urdang
                                                  the new season of plays, musicals,      wonderful open workshop with
London Academy.
                                                  concerts and lectures                        renowned cellist Angela East;
She had a great time at the renowned              at Queen’s.                                  n Powerful drama with
Urdang London Dance Academy and then
                                                  Our exciting                                 ‘Animal Farm’ and not
enjoyed a summer school at Tring, where
                                                  programme includes:                          forgetting the family favourite,
Mrs Elliott trained.
                                                  n Monthly lectures                           ‘Shrek - The Musical’.
Millie took part in an end-of-week
                                                  by the Arts Society                          Details of all these events
performance of ‘Hairspray’ and, to top
                                                  Taunton and the Historical              can be found via our Box Office -
things off, won the Tring talent show, singing
                                                  Association;                            CLICK HERE.
‘Unruly Heart’ from the musical ‘Prom’.

 13                      @queenstaunton
                         Queen’s College Taunton
                                                               queens.college
                                                                    @QueensTaunton
                                                                                              www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                              www.queenscollege.org.uk
SPORT

 Packed week of pre-season training for rugby and hockey
                                            Last week saw a busy programme of
                                            pre-season training sessions for our
                                            rugby boys and hockey girls.
                                            It culminated in a hockey friendly
                                            against Rendcomb College from
                                            Cirencester.
                                            The game resulted in a 3-1 victory
                                            for our girls who start their fixtures
                                            at home to Wells Cathedral School
                                            tomorrow (Saturday).
                                            There’s more rugby training here
                                            tomorrow with fixtures kicking off
                                            v Plymouth College the following
                                            Saturday, September 18.

Hockey partnership gets under way                                                     Eleana’s award
We are excited to             Queen’s students, staff     discount on club fees for
announce a new                and Old Queenians can       the new season.             Eleana (Year
partnership with Taunton      join this training and      To register, please use     13), captain
CS Hockey Club who are        develop their hockey        the Pitchero App (www.      of our 1st XI
running their training on     skills. Anyone from         pitchero.com) and find      girls’ hockey
our pitches.                  Queen’s will be given a     Taunton CS Hockey.          team, has
                                                                                      had a busy
                                                                                      summer!
 Read all about a remarkable summer                                                   She
                                                                                      represented
 Mr Jake Lintott called in at Queen’s                                                 Wessex
 during the holiday before setting off on                                             Leopards
 the next leg of his whirlwind summer –                                               at the Futures Cup in St Albans
 playing in the Caribbean Premier League.                                             where she took one of the decisive
 The OQ spoke about a remarkable few                                                  penalty shuffles to win gold in the
 months which have seen him propelled                                                 final against Wales and was awarded
 from being our Head of Cricket to                                                    Player of the Tournament for her
 making headlines among some of the                                                   team.
 game’s top stars.                                                                    She then represented one of the
 To read the interview in full, CLICK                                                 England teams at the School Games
 HERE.                                                                                at Loughborough University.

   14                       @queenstaunton
                            Queen’s College Taunton
                                                                 queens.college
                                                                      @QueensTaunton
                                                                                            www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                            www.queenscollege.org.uk
PROMINENT OQs                                                                                     John Gibbs (OQ 1916-20)

With the new rugby season                                         When at school, his pace           the first four years of the
about to start, it’s a topical                                    was evident – although             tournament.
return for Geoff Bisson,                                          he never won the 100               He played with many
OQA Secretary, as he                                              yards sprint – primarily as a      notable figures at Harlequins
continues his look at the                                         footballer.                        including Douglas Bader, the
outstanding achievements                                          The Wyvern of Autumn 1919          air ace who lost both his legs
of our former students.                                           reported that he ‘uses his         in a flying accident in 1931.
                                                                  speed and he has a good            In 1939, John joined the
John Clifford Gibbs was                                           shot’.                             RAF and became Squadron
the first OQ to play for the                                      Such was his talent that he        Leader in Bomber
England rugby team.                                               was offered a trial by Fulham      Command, and was
His debut was on January                                          FC but he had also enjoyed         mentioned in despatches.
3, 1925, against New                                              rugby at Queen’s and, on           It was John who organised
Zealand at Twickenham.                                            leaving school, he opted to        the drop by the RAF of
Known as ‘The Invincibles’,      it was severely damaged          join Harlequins instead.           new artificial legs to Bader
the All Blacks won 17pts-11.     by fire, the result of boys                                                when he was a PoW in
Following the match, John        smoking there.                                                             Colditz Castle.
exchanged shirts with M.F.       Until recently, the charred                                                After the war, John
Nicholls, the opposition’s       shirt (pictured right) hung in                                             returned to Purnell’s,
No 12.                           the Sports Hall.                                                           the printing company, a
Two months later, on             John’s second international                                                business started by his
March 14, John played in         was against Wales (in the                                                  cousin.
a charity match between          photo, below, he is second                                                 John was successful
Queen’s Past and Present         from the right in the back                                                 in securing the
and Taunton RFC. Following       row).                                                                      accounts of the first
the game, the All Blacks shirt   In this match it was said that   His association with the club      Sunday newspaper colour
was auctioned to swell the       “England’s best moves came       was life-long. In his career at    supplement, the Radio
proceeds of the gate money       when Gibbs got away”.            the club, between 1920 and         Times, the AA Handbook
which went to Taunton            Doubts about John in             1933, he played 169 times          and Enid Blyton’s books.
Hospital.                        defence limited the number       scoring 155 tries.                 John was closely involved
The shirt was purchased by       of his international caps        After retirement, he was           with the Methodist Church
the President of Taunton         to seven but he is widely        the Membership Secretary           and, in 1929, he took over
RFC, Mr G. Farrant, who          regarded as the fastest wing     until he was 93, chasing slow      from his father as Honorary
generously presented it to       three-quarter to have played     payers of subscriptions with       Superintendent of the
the school as a souvenir of a    for England.                     infinite courtesy.                 Bromley Central Hall.
great occasion.                  The legendary commentator,       He was a natural for the           He was involved in several
The shirt was kept in a glass    E.W. Swanton, considered         seven-a-side game and was a        services each Sunday and
display case in the cricket      “there was no more thrilling     key figure in the Quins’ early     held weekday meetings.
pavilion from 1934 until         sight than that of J.C. Gibbs    monopoly of the Middlesex          He devoted much time to
November 13, 1961, when          speeding down the wing”.         Sevens which they won for          helping the young at the
                                                                                                     local youth club and as
                                                                                                     Chairman of the Juvenile
                                                                                                     Court. He was committed
                                                                                                     to improving others.
                                                                                                     In a letter of December 1931,
                                                                                                     he wrote: “A healthy mind
                                                                                                     and a healthy body are not
                                                                                                     enough – we must cultivate
                                                                                                     a healthy spiritual life”.
                                                                                                     Under the pseudonym, L.R.
                                                                                                     Plover, he wrote a regular
                                                                                                     column for Life of Faith.

    15                     @queenstaunton
                           Queen’s College Taunton
                                                                  queens.college
                                                                       @QueensTaunton
                                                                                                    www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                                    www.queenscollege.org.uk
As part of our continued drive to broaden the opportunities
 available to our students giving them the chance to challenge
 themselves and help them embrace the great outdoors, we
 are launching a major fundraising campaign at Queen’s.
 The Adventures Appeal aims to enhance our outdoor pursuits’
 facilities and opportunities for children aged 4 in Reception
 to 18 in the Sixth Form.
 An exciting programme of fundraising events is planned –
 more details to follow – and we are also looking for people
 to organise sponsored events and other activities to help
 us reach our goal.

 3 AMAZING
 PROJECTS
  There are three amazing projects being planned:
     A state-of-the-art Climbing Wall to be installed
        in the Sports Hall for use by all students.
            A new bespoke Adventure Play facility
                      for Prep School.
                    New Playground Equipment
                  for Reception and Years 1 and 2.

                        To Donate
          Go to our Queen’s College Foundation’s Just Giving Page:
          https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/adventuresappeal

 Queen’s College Foundation have kindly agreed to match fund all monies raised for this appeal.

16                                 @queenstaunton
                                   Queen’s College Taunton
                                                                                                  queens.college
                                                                                                       @QueensTaunton
                                                                                                                        www.queenscollege.org.uk
                                                                                                                        www.queenscollege.org.uk
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