29th May 2020 — In response to the cancellation of GCSEs during the lockdown period, Upper Fifth pupils at Bishop’s Stortford College have been undertaking a ‘Preparing for Sixth Form’ course. Before embarking upon their pre-A Level lessons, the pupils were tasked to research and produce their own three-minute ‘TED-style’ talks based on topics linked to their A Level curriculum.

Covering a wide range of subjects, projects varied from ‘Ageing: What it is and how to reverse it’ and ‘Earthquakes don't kill people; buildings do’ to ‘The Myers-Briggs Personality Test’ and whether ‘Being morally good will always lead to happiness’.

Following the submission of their completed projects and videos, pupils were assessed on the quality of their research, evidenced by their knowledge and understanding of their chosen topic, their communication skills and ability to effectively trim down their research into a three-minute talk aimed at an audience of non-specialist peers.

Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Katie Banks, commented, “The quality of the research that went into these presentations was superb and will stand them in excellent stead for the Independent Research Programme in the Lower Sixth. What stood out amongst all the presentations was the quality of oral presentation our Upper Fifth possess: they had well-structured scripts which were delivered flawlessly. This is an excellent development of their 21st Century skills; a feature of the Pathways Programme in the Sixth Form at Bishop’s Stortford College.”

The College would like to extend congratulations to the following Upper Fifth pupils who were awarded prizes for the outstanding quality of their research and presentations:

Ellie B – ‘An Investigation into the Threats Facing Bees’

William C-S – ‘The Influenza Pandemic of 1918’

Madeleine F – ‘How Are Women Represented in Greek and Roman Mythology?’

Aveline Mae G – ‘La Rome Francaise: presented entirely in French’

Sophie I – ‘The Causes of Schizophrenia’

Philip L – ‘Strychnine Poisoning’ AND ‘Ernst Thalmann Pioneers TED Talk’

Vibha M – ‘Strychnine Poisoning’

Catherine M – ‘Women in Greek Mythology’

Tara M – ‘Bending the Truth: The Science Behind Why We Lie’

Arnav P – ‘Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity’

The ‘TED talks’ will be available to view on the College website, https://www.bishopsstortfordcollege.org/16829/pre-a-level-course-ted-talks.

14th February 2020 — A team of four Lower Sixth students from Bishop’s Stortford College have battled their way into the Student Investor Challenge semi-finals, beating over 9000 teams from schools around the UK and abroad.

The Student Investor Challenge, run by The London Institute of Banking & Finance, challenges teams of school children to invest virtual money on the London Stock Exchange and trade stocks and shares to make a profit.

The College team, called ‘OG’ consists of Dara S, Emelia M, Lizzy T and Tabitha B who successfully invested virtual money and came 293rd after the first round of trading. Only the top 500 teams progress to the semi-finals. They will now go on to battle the remaining 499 teams, in an online contest over the next four weeks. The eight best performing teams from the semi-finals will be invited to the live national final. The final, consisting of a number of business challenges, will be held in London late April/early May with the winning team receiving a trip to New York.

Mr Murtagh-Howard, Teacher of Economics and organiser of the Student Investor Club at the College said, “This is an outstanding achievement by these four students; it will not only inspire others but will build confidence for life. The next round will be difficult, but we wish them all the very best on reaching the finals in London.”

Catherine Winter, Managing Director of Financial Capability at The London Institute of Banking & Finance commented, “This competition is a powerful way of engaging young people with how the finance sector works and relating it to everyday life. The movement of stocks and shares, currency fluctuations and central bank activities can feel quite remote and difficult to get to grips with. By bringing it to life through a trading game, young people have proved they can grasp how economies work and the basics of investment. So, congratulations to the semi-finalists for making the top 500, it’s a great achievement!”

31st January 2020 — Bishop’s Stortford College pupil, Alex James, has been selected to play hockey for the Wales U16 National Age Groups (NAGS) squad.

After an intense hockey trial which took place over two weekends in Cardiff during the Christmas holidays which assessed Alex’s skill, stamina and ability to play a very high level of hockey, he was delighted to be selected for the U16 NAGS squad.

The NAGS high quality training programme prepares junior athletes for the rigorous demands of international hockey, covering technical, tactical, lifestyle and mental skills as well as strength and conditioning.

Alex was introduced to hockey at the age of 7 during his PE lessons at the College. Although he was a Herts County tennis player until the age of 12, his passion for hockey soon took over at age 11 when he joined Bishop’s Stortford Hockey Club. He was selected to join the County team within a year.

Alex played with the Bishop’s Stortford Hockey Club until 2019 when he moved to St Alban’s Hockey Club and was selected to join the Men’s National League Squad within just a few months. He now trains with this team twice a week and plays matches almost every weekend (school fixtures permitting).

Alex’s selection to the Welsh U16 NAGS team was the result of a recommendation from his Herts County Hockey Coach. This progressed to an invitation to join the Welsh ‘Aspire’ training sessions where Alex was scouted by the Welsh U16/18 NAGS Head Coach to attend the trials in December last year.

On top of his continued commitment to the St Alban’s Men’s National League squad, Alex’s NAGS training involves sessions in the Wales Satellite Centre at Woking, several Sundays a year plus further training in Cardiff during each school holiday.

As a result of his wonderful achievement, Alex has also gained sponsorship from Gryphon, a specialist hockey kit and equipment brand.

Graham Brooks, U16 Indoor Hockey Coach at the College commented, “This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication Alex shows to his hockey. He is a highly skilled and determined hockey player who, at left-back, was instrumental in our indoor success this year. We’re really proud of his selection and cannot wait to see what the future holds for him.”

The College would like to congratulate Alex on this incredible accomplishment and wishes him the best of luck in his future matches.

30th January 2020 — Following a fantastic rugby season and an intensive selection process prior to and over Christmas, Bishop’s Stortford College is delighted to announce that Sixth Form student, Tom Howell, has been selected to play rugby for The Lambs.

Founded in 2006, The Lambs exists to create openings for boys to showcase their rugby skills at a representative level when they have been unable to do so due to other commitments or lack of selection opportunities.

Tom’s selection means he has been invited to join The Lambs Tour of South Africa; visiting Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Hermanus, and Aquila later this Spring. The Tour includes intense training sessions with many of the best South African coaches, as well as Lambs coaches. There will be matches against the best of the rising rugby stars from this World Cup winning nation, as well as visits to Table Mountain, Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated), a cheetah sanctuary, whale watching and a safari game drive. Most definitely the trip of a lifetime.

Head of Rugby, Andre Beukes commented, “This is not just a huge achievement and honour for Tom, but for Bishop’s Stortford College as well.”

The College extends many congratulations to Tom for this wonderful recognition of his talent and commitment and wishes him all the very best.

14th January 2020 — Celyn Emanuel, Sports Coach and a Resident House Assistant at Bishop’s Stortford College, has been selected to play for the Wales Senior Netball Team.

After a rigorous selection process which assessed Celyn’s stamina and skill over an intense 5-day trial in December, she was selected as one of 26 players (narrowed down from 95) to represent Wales in their upcoming test matches. Made up of players ranging from 17-34 years old, the squad, which has just improved its International Netball Federation ranking to 9th in the world, is currently training for a year of international netball, including qualification for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Commenting on the new squad, Rachel Bayley, Welsh Netball’s Head of Performance said, “I would like to congratulate all of the athletes who have been selected for the 2020 Wales senior squad and thank everyone who participated in the trials process. The coming season will see preparations towards the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 World Cup escalate and I know that after such a successful 2019, this new group of athletes will be hungry to compete on court and continue our excellent run of form.”

Celyn’s passion for netball started at the age of 8 during her time at primary school before she progressed to playing for a local club in Wales. She now plays for the Hertfordshire Hornets and has been training with the Wales squad at the Sport Wales Centre in Cardiff since the beginning of the 2019 netball season in October. Celyn will play in the positions of Wing Attack and Centre, with Wing Attack being her preferred choice.

On hearing of her success Celyn said, “I was delighted to be selected to represent my country, it is an honour to be a part of such a talented squad. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to progress as a player and to come up against some of the best teams in the world. I look forward to furthering my netball career after this and my long-term goal has always been to make it to the Commonwealth Games.”

Having been selected in the final 15, Celyn’s first matches of the test series will be against New Zealand and South Africa on Thursday and Friday this week in Nottingham. Celyn commented, “I know both games are going to be extremely tough and will challenge me massively but it’s an amazing opportunity to play against two of the best teams in the world.”

The College wishes Celyn and the rest of the Welsh Senior Netball Team the very best of luck in their forthcoming matches and netball season. The College looks forward to Celyn inspiring a whole new generation of netballers.

10th January 2020 — Bishop’s Stortford College Senior School pupil, Harriet H, has won the 2020 Specialist Crafts Catalogue Cover Competition, which sees her artwork featured on the Pottery and Ceramics cover page.

The annual competition, which receives hundreds of entries from pupils in countries across the globe, gives aspiring young artists the opportunity to display their work in public through the Specialist Crafts online gallery and catalogue with the best pieces being selected to appear in their 644-page catalogue.

13 pupils from Bishop’s Stortford College Upper Fifth Form submitted a selection of their GCSE coursework and final examination artwork to the competition in June. Specialist Crafts commented, “Each year we are delighted to see the incredible artwork submitted to our Catalogue Cover Competition from hundreds of talented art students.”

Describing the selection process as “almost impossible”, the arts and crafts company announced in December that Harriet’s ceramics piece, which she created using a centuries old Japanese technique known as Raku firing, was one of the winning pieces and would be printed in the globally distributed catalogue. Harriet’s prize also includes a voucher which can be used to buy supplies from the 16,000 arts, crafts and design products featured in the catalogue.

The College would like to congratulate Harriet on this wonderful achievement. Her winning piece can be viewed online and in the printed version of the Specialist Crafts Catalogue 2020.