News | Independent School | Wells Cathedral School

23 Mar 2020

Confirmation Class

Thursday’s weekly Confirmation Class, run by Wells School Chaplain, Sarah Curl, covered the topic of prayer, providing the pupils involved with the opportunity to make prayer beads in situ in Cedars Drawing Room in Wells, and also remotely from their homes in other parts of the world! Next week’s Class will be run on google classroom.

18 Mar 2020

Success at the Millfield School Team Mathematics Challenge 2020

On Thursday evening a four-person mathematics team consisting of Jason Kong and Ethan Turnbull in Year 10 and Rocket Brooks and Joel Sergeant in Year 11 took part in the Millfield School Team Mathematics Challenge. The evening was run by Lower Sixth mathematicians from Millfield and overseen by staff in the Millfield Mathematics department. The teams took part in five rounds, which included a Group Round, a round based on the game Fizz Buzz, a Speed Round, a Head to...

18 Mar 2020

Badminton Regional Champions

Congratulations to the Key Stage 4 Boys Badminton team, who won the Regional Finals of the Badminton England National Schools Championship on Monday at Torbay Leisure Centre in Paignton.They beat The Woodroffe School in Lyme Regis, Dorset (4-1), Prior Park College in Bath, Avon (5-0) and Farmor’s School Fairford, Gloucestershire (5-0) to win the Finals.

17 Mar 2020

Intermediate Mathematics Challenge 2020

In February, 86 pupils from across Years 9, 10 and 11 sat this year’s Intermediate Mathematics Challenge, a 60 minute multiple choice test.The top ten percent of achievers are awarded Gold Certificates by the UK Mathematics Trust. Eight of our pupils achieved this standard: Jason Kong, Ethan Turnbull and Yuhan Zhang in Year 10; Rocket Brooks, Joshua Christensen, Imogen Moorsom, Joshua Ng and Joel Sergeant in Year 11.19 pupils were awarded Silver Certificates; whilst 11 were awarded Bronze. Ten pupils have...

17 Mar 2020

Senior School Careers Fair

Senior School pupils from Years 10 to the Lower Sixth had the opportunity to take part in an evening Careers Fair on Friday, an excellent introduction to a wide ranging variety of careers and job opportunities. Old Wellensians, current parents and industry experts generously gave their time to provide targeted presentations on a range of subjects such as architecture, forensic psychology, law, the Military and music journalism. In total there were 22 speakers who covered 18 different careers. Over 100 Wells pupils...

17 Mar 2020

Hamlet A Level Trip

In mid-March Sixth Form pupils studying English Literature attended a conference on Hamlet at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-Upon-Avon. The conference included lectures from leading Shakespeare scholars, the chance to work on the play from a performance perspective as well as a visit to Shakespeare’s birthplace.The conference presented an exciting opportunity for pupils to extend and enrich their understanding of a set text for their A level exams and, moreover, perhaps the greatest play ever written!

17 Mar 2020

Spring Adventure in Paris

Senior School pupils from Years 10 to the Upper Sixth recently returned from the School’s first four day trip to Paris, where they enjoyed a vast range of cultural experiences, benefited from morning French lessons, tried out a funky new youth hostel and made the most of the opportunity to practice their French whilst exploring the beautiful city.Pupils enjoyed a packed itinerary of activities on top of their daily French lessons, visiting the magnificent Palace of Versailles and its glorious...

16 Mar 2020

Sophie Selected for England!

Congratulations to Year 9 cross country runner, Sophie Nicholls, who came in the top three out of 344 girls in Saturday’s National Schools Cross Country Championships in Liverpool, and has subsequently been selected for the England Junior Cross Country Team! Sophie, who is not yet 14, ran in the U15 age group, a year younger than her age group. Director of Sport, Tom Webley said, “In a field of 344 runners, all kinds of things can go wrong so it’s quite...

16 Mar 2020

U19 Netball County Cup Runners Up

Congratulations to the First Girls Netball team who were runners up in the U19 Somerset County Cup after a fantastic afternoon’s netball at Taunton Vale last Wednesday, winning a shield for the trophy cabinet. The tournament comprised teams from all the schools across the county, with Wells beating teams from King’s Bruton, King’s College Taunton, Richard Huish College and Wellington School.

16 Mar 2020

Lower School Paramedic Visit

On Friday, pupils in the Lower School took part in a First Aid and Careers themed Assembly. Upper Sixth pupil, Polly Palmer, explained about her work volunteering with St John Ambulance and demonstrated how to manage two dining hall related scenarios: anaphylaxis and choking. She also explained how her work with St John Ambulance contributed to her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, and about the variety of careers in health and primary care. Polly has a place to read paramedic...

16 Mar 2020

Year 7 Science Challenge

Science pupils in Year 7 perfected their construction skills whilst learning about Forces on Thursday, when they designed 30x30cm square tinfoil boats to carry large numbers of marbles. Sophie Jackson and Keziah Whitehead designed a boat that carried the whole jar of marbles – all 97 of them! Hugo Paton-Freeman and Mike Gillbanks’ boat carried 57 marbles before it capsized. Forces in action!

12 Mar 2020

¡Viva! Brass

Wells brass and percussion musicians joined forces with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Brass Ensemble for an evening of exhilarating music for brass and percussion in Cedars Hall on Wednesday, following a lively afternoon practice session.Musicians presented a colourful exploration of over 300 years of music, from Handel’s Royal Music for both Water and Fireworks, Rimsky-Korsakov’s grand depiction of the Procession of the Nobles, Leonard Bernstein’s soundtrack to the 1954 film On the Waterfront, a suite describing...

11 Mar 2020

Under 18 Somerset Badminton Champions

Congratulations to the First Girls’ Badminton Team, who have been crowned Somerset Champions again, after winning the Somerset Schools League Under 18 Division 1, for the second time, at Queen’s College Taunton on Monday. They convincingly beat Wellington School, Queen’s College and Richard Huish College, gaining 34 points out of a possible 36. Well done to Year 11 pupil Natalie Leung, Lower Sixth pupils Serena Chung and Dora Wong and Upper Sixth pupil Samantha Chiu on their success!

10 Mar 2020

Event on the Lawn 2020

This year’s successful Event on the Lawn took place across the School site on Saturday evening, a musical extravaganza which showcased the dance and rock, pop and commercial musical talent at Wells. It was a fully pupil-led celebration, with proceeds from the ticket sales going to the School’s Sierra Leone Project. Acts were performed inside Cedars Hall as well as on the main stage, kindly provided by Old Wellensian, Michael Eavis, which was constructed outside Cedars House. Acts ranged from solo vocal...

10 Mar 2020

Regional Performance Centre Selections

Congratulations to Year 9 pupil Florence Gummer and Year 10 pupil Charles Rowley, who have both been selected for the West Region’s Hockey Performance Centre.The West is split into four cluster-centres, based at Bristol, Guildford, Southampton and Taunton. Florence plays at U15 level at the Taunton centre, while Charles plays at U17 level at Bristol. The four cluster-centres play against each other and then eventually feed into the Wessex Leopards Futures Cup squads.Florence and Charles are looking forward to forthcoming...

04 Mar 2020

Orchard and Raised Vegetable Beds

The Senior School Gardening Club, which gathers to work the land during Wednesday afternoon Activities, has been busy this term planting a beautiful orchard and creating a raised vegetable bed in grounds behind the Music School. We are hoping to be able to supply the school catering team with fresh fruit and vegetables in due course!

04 Mar 2020

National Hockey Tier 4 Champs!

Congratulations to the U18 Girls Hockey Team, who won the Investec Girls Schools Tier 4 Championship at the National Finals at Reading yesterday!The National Finals, held at Reading Hockey Club, took the form of a round robin tournament. Wells were unbeaten during the tournament, scoring 23 goals and conceded none, beating Bancroft’s School in the Final.

03 Mar 2020

CSA Composition Competition Prize

Congratulations to Lower Sixth pupil Francois Cloete, who has been awarded one of the top two prizes in this year’s CSA Composition Competition, for his vocal composition O Come Let Us Sing to the Lord.The competition was judged by composer and Musical Director of the Guildford Choral Society, Jonathan Willcocks. He said, “I thought that overall it was the highest standard of work that I have seen in recent years, and it is so encouraging to know that many of...

03 Mar 2020

The Great Wells Cathedral School Write Off

The Great Wells Cathedral School Write Off was a great success this year, with a high standard of entries from across all Senior School year groups. The panel had difficult decisions to make and would like to commend all those who submitted an entry for the competition.The prizes were awarded to the following pupils:Lower School: Joint winners: Woody Collins, Year 7 – The Knock and Megan Curl, Year 9 – Dimension 5.6 Upper School Winner: Oscar Howe, Lower Sixth – TritonUpper...

02 Mar 2020

BBC Young Musician Finalists

Huge congratulations to three Wells musicians and Old Wellensian Meggie Murphy, who have all been selected for the Category Finals of the BBC Young Musician Competition 2020. With four in the Finals, this year Wells has the highest number of musicians represented from any of the UK’s Music Schools.Year 11 recorder player Eliza Haskins has reached the last five of the Woodwind musicians and will compete in the Woodwind Category Final, for the second time; Year 11 pianist Bridget Yee...

02 Mar 2020

Jersey Young Musician of the Year

Congratulations to Upper Sixth saxophonist, Charlotte Arthur, who has just been crowned Jersey Young Musician of the Year following success in the annual competition over the weekend which included a performance in the Final at the Jersey Opera House. Charlotte was also awarded the Audience Choice Prize for her performance.Head of Instrumental & Vocal Coaching and Coordinator of Woodwind and Jazz Studies, Ed Leaker, said “Competition was tough as standards were very high so this is a real achievement for...

02 Mar 2020

U16 Boys Hockey Team Reach National Finals

Congratulations to the U16 Boys Hockey team, current Somerset Champions, who played well in the Regional Finals of the Tier 3 category of the Notts Sport Boys Schools Championships on Thursday, qualifying for the National Finals which will take place after Easter.

02 Mar 2020

Volcano workshop

Dr Pete Rowley, Senior Lecturer at the University of the West of England, visited Wells on Thursday to run a series of workshops for Year 11 geographers and A level geologists. GCSE pupils were tasked with a crisis management exercise using volcano monitoring data. They reacted to the changing behaviour of the volcano by deciding when and where evacuations should take place and considering the consequences of their proposed actions. The A level groups analysed satellite images and cross sections of Anak...

02 Mar 2020

Pancake Flipping

Wells Girl and Boy Choristers had fun flipping pancakes on Shrove Tuesday!

13 Feb 2020

Sevington History Trip

Year 6 pupils enjoyed stepping back in time this week when they visited Sevington Victorian School in Grittleton. Pupils took on the role of Victorian working class children and experienced life in a village school. Authentic activities took place in the school room where the boys were taught the ‘Three Rs’, Science and Maths, while the girls were only allowed to take part in the handwriting and drawing sessions. Outside the school room, the boys made beeswax candles and learnt...

11 Feb 2020

Badminton County Champions

Congratulations to the Wells KS4 Boys’ Badminton team, who won the County round of the Badminton England National Schools Championships on Friday and were crowned Somerset champions. The tournament was held at Court Fields School in Wellington and Wells played teams from Haygrove School, Ansford Academy and The Castle School in Taunton. The team, comprising Year 10 pupil Jason Kong, Year 11 pupils Kevin Luk and Joshua Ng, and Year 12 pupil Hani Chui, played well and supported each other brilliantly. They...

11 Feb 2020

Sophie Qualifies for the Nationals

Congratulations to Year 9 pupil Sophie Nicholls, who won the Junior Girls’ race at the South West Cross Country Championships on Saturday, following on from her victory at the County Championships last month. Sophie has now qualified to run in the National Championships to be held in Liverpool in March.Wells Director of Sport, Tom Webley, said, “This is a remarkable achievement for Sophie – competing against the best runners in South West England and juggling chorister commitments as well!”

10 Feb 2020

Quiz Club National Science Finals

Congratulations to members of the Junior School Science team who have qualified for the National Finals of the Quiz Club’s Inter-School Championships, a Science championship for pupils in Years 5 and 6. With more than 400,000 Key Stage 2 children taking part each year, the Quiz Club National Championships are the largest Inter-School competitions in the country.The Wells team qualified after scoring highly in the South West heat held at Millfield Prep School in November. Area heats run nationwide during the...

10 Feb 2020

Mendip Area Primary Schools Quicksticks Hockey Festival

On Friday morning, Wells welcomed 220 local primary school pupils from nine Mendip schools to take part in a mixed Quicksticks Hockey festival and competition. Older pupils from Years 5 and 6 took part in the Somerset Activity Sports Partnership (SASP) Competition, with coaching from Wells Graduate Sports Assistant and hockey specialist Liam Hedaux, followed by a round robin tournament. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 benefitted from an intensive coaching session led by 12 Wells Senior School sport scholars.Pupils from...

05 Feb 2020

U16 Boys’ Hockey Tier 3 Somerset Champions

Congratulations to the U16 Boys’ Hockey team who have been crowned county champions in the Tier 3 category of the Notts Sport Boys Schools Championships this season. They will now proceed to the regional finals which will be held at the end of February.

05 Feb 2020

Bibi Wins the Kingsfield Cup

Congratulations to Year 9 pianist Bibi Redford, who won the Kingsfield Cup in the Piano category at the opening event of this year’s celebrated Taunton Festival of the Arts.The Piano category was adjudicated by pianist Deborah Brittain, Associate of the Royal College of Music and a member of the British Federation of Music Festivals.

05 Feb 2020

U14 Somerset Hockey Tier 2 Champions

Congratulations to the U14 Boys’ Hockey team, who were crowned county champions of the Tier 2 category of the Notts Sport Boys Schools Championships, held at King’s Taunton last week. The boys beat teams from King’s Bruton, Downside School, Queen’s College Taunton, Wellington School as well as Millfield School’s B Team. They now move on to represent Somerset at the West Finals, to be held in mid-March.The boys’ win means that this year, both the U14 Boys and Girls teams...

04 Feb 2020

A Level Geohazards Student Conference

Wells A level Geology and Geography pupils attended a Geohazards Students Conference at the University of Plymouth on Monday as part of their academic enrichment.Lectures included Communicating Geohazards and Disaster Risk by Professor Iain Stewart, Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute and BBC television presenter, Hidden Hazards: Sinkholes by Chloe Sheppard-Muir, a Geo-Environmental engineer, Tsunamis: Past and Present, from the UK to Japan by Dr Sarah Boulton, Associate Professor in Active Neotectonics, Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards in the Eastern Caribbean by Dr...

03 Feb 2020

Lower Sixth Enrichment Interviews

On Friday afternoon, 116 Lower Sixth pupils took part in 20 minute enrichment interviews aimed at providing key life experience and preparing them for the world of work. Preceded by a presentation to introduce pupils to the interview process, and supported by a comprehensive workbook, each pupil had 15 minutes to present why they would be an ideal candidate for a potential role, before being critiqued by a formal interviewer. 30 volunteers from a wide range of business sectors including accountancy, HR,...

03 Feb 2020

Dave Smith & Fofoulah Inspire Percussionists

Wells percussionists took part in a fabulous collaboration with Old Wellensian Dave Smith and his energetic band Fofoulah on Saturday evening in Cedars Hall. Dave Smith is one of the UK’s great drums pioneers, who plays with Robert Plant’s Sensational Space Shifters and Juju. With Fofoulah he matches African rhythms against a range of styles from rap to dance. Described in The Guardian as, “A bravely adventurous fusion band”, Fofoulah includes talking-drums expert Kaw-Secka and Batch Gueye with his chanting African...

27 Jan 2020

University Offers 2020

Many of the School’s Upper Sixth pupils have been receiving offers from universities from across the UK over the last few weeks. Meanwhile, many of our musicians await final decisions from conservatoires.To date, pupils have received over 100 offers from Russell Group and other top universities, with offers to study a wide range of subjects, from Anthropology and Archaeology to Engineering, History of Art to Theoretical Physics. Six Wellensians in total have received Oxbridge offers. Two have offers from the University...

23 Jan 2020

Promenade Concerts

Over two evenings this week, Wells musicians performed vibrant promenade concerts in the stunning surroundings of Wells Cathedral. On Tuesday evening, brass and percussion musicians, along with guests from the woodwind department played the extraordinary Royal Fireworks Music, by Johann Friedrich Fasch, written for the wedding of Catherine the Great, with Elgar Howarth’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s thrilling Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition.The following evening, Wells woodwind musicians, together with selected guests from across the whole music...

22 Jan 2020

Menuhin International Violin Competition

Huge congratulations to Year 9 violinist, Dawid Kasprzak, who has been accepted into the Menuhin International Violin Competition Junior Section which will take place in Richmond, Virginia, in mid-May 2020.Dawid was selected, one of just 22 participants from a list of 152 applicants, to take part in the competition following submission of a recording in October and a rigorous audio screening process. The Menuhin Competition is the world’s leading competition for young violinists, receiving entries from the top conservatoires and music...

20 Jan 2020

Kevin Hits Top 35 Ranking

Congratulations to Year 11 pupil Kevin Luk, who won the Oxfordshire Senior Bronze Badminton Tournament held in Abingdon over the weekend, his first senior tournament win, which has resulted in a top 35 Badminton England ranking. To reach the finals of the Oxfordshire Tournament, Kevin had to beat both the captain of the University of Warwick’s Badminton Team, and also a member of the Wales National Team. Kevin was awarded a financial prize as Tournament Champion.

20 Jan 2020

Young Musicians’ Gala Recital

On Saturday evening Upper Sixth trumpeter Danni Woodnutt, and Lower Sixth pianist Sejin Yoon performed in the first of this year’s Young Musicians’ Gala Recitals in Cedars Hall.As finalists in the School’s Concerto Competition, the pupils presented an exciting and eclectic range of classical masterpieces for solo piano and solo trumpet. The recital also included the world premiere of Minds for Trumpet and Timpani by Paul Denegri, with fellow Lower Sixth percussionist Stan Talman as guest performer on timpani.

15 Jan 2020

EDF Day

On Tuesday pupils in Year 9 were visited by electricity company EDF, which supplies electricity and power across the UK. Following a talk about power stations from the EDF team, pupils were shown a video about the construction of the new Hinkley Point C reactor at Bridgwater, before being split into small groups to make their own wind turbines, helped with advice from the EDF team and Wells science teachers. Each group was given exactly the same materials and they had...

07 Jan 2020

Senior School Ski Trip 2019-20

Fifty pupils and five staff enjoyed a successful week skiing at Les Menuires, in the Belleville valley of Les Trois Vallées, over the New Year. The skiing conditions were perfect, with blue skies and well covered pistes. All ability groups made excellent progress, but a special mention should be made to congratulate our 26 beginners who made incredible progress by skiing a slalom course by the end of the week! Many thanks to Martin Ashton, Ken Padgett, James Mayes, Harriet...

07 Jan 2020

Luke Returns to NYOW

Congratulations to Year 9 violinist, Luke Doyle, who has once again been chosen for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. Founded in 1945, the NYOW has the distinction of being the first national youth orchestra in the world and is Europe’s longest-standing national youth orchestra. This year, the orchestra will work for the first time with the New Zealand-born conductor, Holly Mathieson, as well as with a first-class team of professional musicians, before going on to perform three concerts across Wales....

10 Dec 2019

Celebrating Christmas with The Salvation Army

Talented Year 9 chorister, Sophie Harbridge, performed the beautiful and spiritual Pie Jesu to a packed audience of 5,000 at the Royal Albert Hall in the first week of December, as part of the annual Christmas Celebration with the Salvation Army.Celebrity guests and Salvation Army musicians kicked off the festive season with a celebration of Christmas music, carol singing, and readings. In addition to Sophie’s uplifting performance, the annual festive event saw doyenne of British baking, Mary Berry and EastEnders...

10 Dec 2019

Senior UKMT Maths Challenge

17 Senior Wells pupils have achieved an award in this year’s Senior UKMT Maths Challenge.The Challenge is a 90-minute, multiple-choice competition aimed at pupils across the UK. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.Five Wells pupils achieved Gold and were selected for the follow-on Kangaroo papers; six pupils achieved Silver; whilst six achieved Bronze.Congratulations to the following pupils:Gold Award: Harry Chantrey, Francois Cloete, Amber Cooknell and Leo Li, Lower Sixth; and...

09 Dec 2019

Unbeaten Season for U14 Hockey Team

Congratulations to the Under 14 Girls’ Hockey Team and their enthusiastic coach, Fiona Robertson, who have enjoyed an unbeaten season this year, as well as being crowned Tier 2 County Champions at the Somerset Hockey Tournament in October.

09 Dec 2019

Grease is the Word

Congratulations to the cast, band and creative team of this year’s dynamic Senior School Production – the popular and high octane musical, Grease, performed at Strode Theatre over five shows in the first week of December. Produced and directed by Damian Todres, with music directed by Paul Denegri and vocals directed by Laurence Whitehead, the show involved over 80 pupils, acting, singing, dancing and involved in creative production backstage. Since its electric Broadway and West End debut in the early 1970’s, Grease...

09 Dec 2019

Longleat Festival of Light

Nicky Connock and her team of helpers took 25 pupils from the Senior School to visit the spectacular Longleat Festival of Light on Friday, as part of the activities organised for boarding pupils. This year the theme was Myths and Legends, which provided a sensational odyssey of colour and adventure as extraordinary creatures, ancient deities and magnificent scenery were brought to life in glorious technicolour!

09 Dec 2019

Sugar Plum

The bright and vibrant musical bonanza, Sugar Plum, featured all the pupils in the Wells Nursery and Pre-prep classes in this year’s wonderful Pre-prep Christmas Show. The play follows the North Pole adventures of the fairy Sugar Plum, Elvin the cheeky elf and a whole cast of entertaining characters, as everybody learns lessons about the true meaning of Christmas. Pupils were involved in every aspect of the show’s preparation: designing and making parts of the set; decorating the programmes; and...

03 Dec 2019

National Youth Orchestra

Congratulations to the following ten Wells musicians on their recent selection for the prestigious National Youth Orchestra for the 2019-20 season:Luke Lane, Year 11, trumpetImogen Moorsom, Year 11, french hornIsabelle Nettle, Year 11, violaRebecca Pughe, Year 11, oboeSummer Brooks, Lower Sixth, violaTom Mahoney, Lower Sixth, double bass Stan Talman, Lower Sixth, percussionAlfie Creber, Upper Sixth, percussionElla Leonard, Upper Sixth, oboeEliza Talman, Upper Sixth, trumpet

03 Dec 2019

Geology Schools Challenge

Congratulations to the Wells A level Geology Team who have qualified for the National Final of the Geological Society Schools Challenge, after competing against teams in the Western Regional round from Bishop Wordsworth’s School and South Wiltshire Grammar School (combined team) and Cirencester College.The team was led by Upper Sixth pupil Nicholas Richards and included Ellie Ager, Humphrey Boot, Edward Harris, Megan Taylor and Isaac Wiessler.This year’s theme in the Western Regional round was The Solar System and Beyond. The...

02 Dec 2019

Inter-House Public Speaking Competition

A packed Cedars Hall was thoroughly entertained by a range of stimulating presentations at our annual Inter-House Public Speaking Competition on Friday evening. As a fitting climax to the celebration of St Andrew’s Day, 250 pupils were treated to a series of topics ranging from ‘Does Money bring Happiness?’ to ‘Parents should be kept off social media!’. Other subjects included the relevance of feminism today, the place of military intervention, the benefits of a Gap year, dystopian fiction and the consequences...

02 Dec 2019

Parents’ Association Christmas Fair

The annual Parents’ Association Christmas Fair took place on 1st December, festively heralding the start of the Christmas countdown at Wells. The Eavis Hall and the John Baxter Foyer were filled with colourful stalls selling Christmas gifts; whilst parents enjoyed hot chocolate, mulled wine and mince pies provided by the catering team. Members of the Pre-Prep and Junior School ballet club performed a beautiful rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Snowflakes from The Nutcracker; pupils from across the Junior School sang...

27 Nov 2019

Development Day for Oxbridge

On Friday Wells was delighted to co-host the inaugural Oxbridge development day alongside Millfield School. This invigorating event saw 80 pupils from local state and independent schools join together to ready themselves for Oxbridge interviews.Pupils were challenged to think laterally, develop their opinions and discuss their ideas through a carousel of four activities. By the end of the day pupils were intellectually exhausted and felt better prepared for their forthcoming interviews. One pupil commented, “The day taught us to come up with a large variety...

26 Nov 2019

Musical Legacy from Pete Handley

The Wells Percussion Department are honoured to have taken possession of a fantastic Roland Electronic drum kit originally belonging to former Wells percussion teacher, Pete Handley. Pete, a much-loved member of the Wells community, who introduced the School’s Drumline, tragically passed away in 2014. His family have generously given his drum kit to the School, so that Wells musicians can benefit.Head of student experience, and percussion, Jayne Obradovic, said, “We miss Pete enormously, his passion for music education was infectious...

26 Nov 2019

‘Vicars’ Close’ Composition

Woody Collins, a young musician and composer in Year 7, has been inspired to compose a song about Vicars’ Close and Wells Cathedral. Using the knowledge of his time at Wells as a chorister and his own choral skills, Woody has integrated chorister singing and computer-generated Cathedral bells into his work, as well as Stuart Beer’s Alleluia, to depict the effect of the Cathedral looming over the Close. Woody’s long term aim is to capture the atmosphere of Wells by writing...

26 Nov 2019

Modern Languages Film Nights

The first of this year’s film nights, run by the Department of Modern Languages, featured the award-winning Canadian French-language drama Monsieur Lazhar, a moving tale of immigration and education. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the culturally-enriching opportunity to see the Oscar-nominated film, in French, but with English subtitles, and are looking forward to future film selections from the Modern Languages team. Look out for upcoming language films in the months ahead!

25 Nov 2019

CSI Club

Chemistry teacher, James Davis, has introduced an exciting new club for aspiring young forensics and detectives. CSI Club offers pupils the opportunity to learn real-time techniques used by Crime Scene Investigators. Pupils learn a range of techniques, from blood pattern analysis, fingerprinting and fingerprint pattern analysis, footwear and toolmark casting, evidence collection and general crime scene processing techniques for both indoor and outdoor crime scenes. This is proving a fun, challenging and fascinating course for all budding detectives and crime...

25 Nov 2019

Open Recorder Days in Amsterdam

Over the October half term break, Wells specialist recorder players performed at ‘Open Recorder Days Amsterdam’ (or ORDA as it is known). This is an international festival of recorder playing which features classes for all levels of young performer, recitals and masterclasses. This was an amazing experience for all the Wells musicians, but particularly for Year 11 musician, Eliza Haskins, who went on to come first in her class – the first time a UK solo entrant has achieved this...

20 Nov 2019

New Percussion Repertoire

Head of student experience, Jayne Obradovic, and percussion teacher and principal timpanist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Matt Hardy, have recently had a new book of percussion music published by Southern Percussion. The book, Concert and Audition Pieces for The Young Percussionist, features pieces written by Jayne and Matt for Wells pupils over the years and is now used in ABRSM examinations. It follows, 20 years on, from a book of music that Jayne had published for the Trinity...

19 Nov 2019

John Baxter becomes a Foundation Fellow

Last Saturday, former Headmaster, John Baxter, was honoured with a Foundation Fellowship for his commitment and services to the School at the annual Foundation Dinner, which took place alongside the official opening of the John Baxter Foyer in Cedars Hall. It was great to see many familiar faces who were teachers and parents at the School during Mr Baxter’s tenure and to have the opportunity to thank him for all the support he has given the School over the years.

Community event hosted at our Specialist Music School

19 Nov 2019

Side By Side Orchestra Day

On Tuesday, Wells ran a side by side orchestra day for 40 prep school pupils from King’s Hall School in Taunton, Farleigh Prep School in Andover and St Peter’s Prep School in Exmouth. The young pupils spent the day rehearsing alongside Wells specialist musicians and were joined by musicians from our own Junior School. Paul Denegri and Harvey Brink conducted the orchestral sessions, with brass, strings and woodwind sectionals run by Wells music teachers. At the end of the afternoon, the...

18 Nov 2019

Girls Hockey First XI Crowned Regional Tier 4 Champions

Huge congratulations to our Girls Hockey First XI who triumphed in the Investec Girls Schools Under 18 Tier 4 Regional Finals held at Clifton College last week, and have been crowned regional champions. The team won all eight games in the regional tournament and now qualify for the national finals to be held in Reading in March.

18 Nov 2019

Sixth Form Climate Change Conference

On Monday Wells Sixth Form pupils were invited to attend a Climate Change Conference hosted by Wells Cathedral, benefiting from a morning of inspiring speeches, interactive workshops and a plenary session.Speakers included Robert Varley, Chartered meteorologist and former Chief Executive of the Met Office; Dr Andy Parsons, a member of Greenpeace who has researched the effects of climate change on polar ecosystems; and Caroline Pomeroy, Director of Climate Stewards.

RAF Caving at Our Independent Sixth Form College and Independent Senior School

18 Nov 2019

Caving with the RAF

Wells RAF Flt Lt, Ken Padgett, took a group of RAF cadets caving in the Mendips on Wednesday afternoon. The group visited Swildon’s Hole, the longest and possibly, wettest, cave system in the Mendips! It is connected to Priddy Green Sink and forms part of the Priddy Caves Site of Special Scientific Interest. The group enjoyed an active and challenging journey through the caves, experiencing a more sporting journey than the previous visit to Goat Church Cavern, and seeing some stunning...

15 Nov 2019

Wells Hosts Amnesty International Conference

On Thursday, Wells Cathedral School hosted Stand Up! A Schools Human Rights Conference, run by Amnesty International for senior pupils at schools and colleges across the UK.Just under 150 pupils and teachers from across Somerset, Bristol and Dorset gathered at Wells for the first ever Amnesty Human Rights Conference held at the School to hear about current Human Rights issues and take part in workshops and direct action.Head Master Alastair Tighe and Amnesty’s South West Speaker, Tom Wilson, welcomed the...

11 Nov 2019

Remembrance Sunday Commemorations

Members of the School CCF Army, Navy and Royal Air Force sections as well as the School Drumline once again played a major part in this year’s Wells City Remembrance Sunday commemorations. The Wells cadets and their officers formed a key part of the city parade, lining the St Cuthbert’s Memorial as prayers were said and wreaths were laid outside the Church and later at the Harry Patch Memorial. Wells Cadet Company Sergeant, Lucy Harris laid a wreath on behalf of...

08 Nov 2019

Sierra Leone Trip

14 Sixth Form pupils spent ten days in Freetown, as part of the Sierra Leone Project, over the October half term break. As part of the trip, pupils taught maths, using Sudokus, maths robots and even Countdown; English, using poetry, nursery rhymes and short stories; French by encouraging communication and story listening; and physical activity, at the JT Reffell French Memorial School; whilst music was taught at the Ballanta Academy of Music. Every afternoon, the team gathered for outreach concerts...

06 Nov 2019

New English Study Guides

Congratulations to Wells Head of English, Neil Bowen, who has recently published three new books in his Peripeteia Press series.The Art of Drama Volume 2: Macbeth, is a critical guide on Macbeth, aimed at GCSE level & beyond, written by Neil Bowen, Neil Jones, Kathrine Mortimore and Michael Meally.The Art of Drama Volume 4: Jerusalem, is a critical guide on A-level set text, Jerusalem, written by Neil Bowen and Jonathan Peel.The Art of Poetry Volume 19: Songs of Ourselves, is...

06 Nov 2019

Wells awarded Bronze Coachmark

After 15 months of hard work, Wells has taken a significant step towards establishing itself as a School that embraces and makes the most of performance coaching to develop and improve key areas of teaching and learning.The successful completion of the Coachmark Bronze Award is the first step on a journey to the achievement of the gold standard. It signifies that the School has demonstrated a philosophy and approach that sets high standards and challenges; whilst providing the support to...

06 Nov 2019

Last Post Trumpeters

17 trumpeters from Wells Cathedral School will play The Last Post and Reveille at Remembrance Services at Wells Cathedral and in schools and churches across the region over the Remembrance Weekend and on Remembrance Day. Wells musicians will play at services in Castle Cary, Coxley, Doulting, East Pennard, Maiden Bradley, Meare, North Wootton, Rode, Wells , Wookey, Wookey Hole as well as Alderney in the Channel Islands.Thanks to Joshua Knott, Year 7; Charlie Ballamy, Year 8; Erin Davies, Grace Davies, Felix Melia...

06 Nov 2019

Badminton team progresses to County stage

Congratulations to the Key Stage 4 Boys’ Badminton team, who won all of their matches in the National Schools Badminton Championship in the local stages at St Dunstan’s School in Glastonbury on Tuesday, and will now progress to the County stages of the tournament.The Girls’ team played well but were narrowly beaten.

05 Nov 2019

Charlotte selected for live saxophone final

Congratulations to Upper Sixth musician Charlotte Arthur, who is one of only six saxophonists nationally to be chosen for the live final of the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britain Young Saxophone Soloist Competition.Charlotte will be performing at the final at Craxton Studios in London in the second week of January.

05 Nov 2019

BBC Young Musician Competition

Congratulations to the following eight Wells musicians, who have reached the next round of the prestigious BBC Young Musician Competition 2019: Ruby Cheung, Year 11, Keyboards (piano); Eliza Haskins, Year 11, Woodwind (recorder); Ella Leonard, Upper Sixth, Woodwind (oboe); Max Li, Lower Sixth, Keyboards (piano); Jack Luk, Upper Sixth, Keyboards (piano); Nellie Whittam, Lower Sixth, Strings (violin); Bridget Yee, Year 11, Keyboards (piano); Sejin Yoon, Lower Sixth, Keyboards (piano). The pupils will now compete in the next stage of the competition in Cardiff in late November and early December....

05 Nov 2019

Under 14 County Hockey Champs

Congratulations to the Under 14 girls’ hockey team, coached by Fiona Robertson, who were crowned Tier 2 County Champions at the Somerset Hockey Tournament held at Millfield at the end of October, winning all of their keenly-fought matches. The girls now join the 1st XI at the forthcoming regional Finals.

04 Nov 2019

Community Sports Hall Championships

Wells once again successfully hosted the annual Mendip Area Sports Hall Championships during the half term break. The competition was attended by nearly 300 pupils aged from 9 to 13 from a range of local schools, including Brookside Community Primary School, Catcott Primary School, Crispin School Academy, Horrington Primary School, Hugh Sexeys School, Oakfield Primary School, Selwood Academy, St Vigor and St John Walton Primary School and West Pennard Primary Schools. The demands of hosting keenly contested, loud and frantic competitions...

04 Nov 2019

Wells Badminton Tournament

Wells Cathedral School held its first Badminton Tournament in mid-October, involving teams from Ansford, Sexeys Bruton and King Arthur’s Community School in Wincanton. The tournament as split by age group, with an under 15 and an over 15 category. Seven Wells players took part in the tournament, with Lower Sixth pupil Simon Chan beating Lower Sixth pupil Dora Wong in the Over 15 singles category; then both players winning the Over 15 doubles together.Many thanks to Adam Feather for organising and...

04 Nov 2019

World War II Battlefields Trip to Normandy

A mixed group of pupils from Years 9, 10 and 11 spent four days over the half term break experiencing an action-packed tour of World War II battlefields, cemeteries, museums and the Normandy Beaches with experienced and enthusiastic guides Chris Eldridge, Sam Broderick, Glyn Lancey and Lucy Tout. From Wednesday 30th October to Saturday 2nd November, the group’s itinerary followed the routes and graves of Old Wellensians and relatives of people associated with the trip.Pupils visited four of the Normandy beaches:...

04 Nov 2019

Successful Parachute Jump

Members of the Wells CCF completed their parachute jump over the half term break, following their weekend of training earlier in the term. Well done to Freddie Falzon and Hector Gummer.

24 Oct 2019

Proud Sponsors of the Festival of Literature

Wells Cathedral School is proud to be part of the Wells Festival of Literature. This year we sponsored two events: Adam Rutherford who discussed his book The Book of Humans (A Brief History of Culture, Sex, War and the Evolution of Us) and Professor Angela Gallop (the renowned forensic scientist who has dedicated her career to bringing about the right prosecutions and correcting serious miscarriages of justice) discussed her book, When the Dogs Don’t Bark. She was thrilled to hear we...

16 Oct 2019

CCF Range Day

On Wednesday, members of the Wells CCF enjoyed a day of adventure activities off-timetable for the annual Contingent Range Day. Cadets participated with enthusiasm in a diverse array of physical outdoor activities and tasks organised for them by the Wells Outdoor Education team, former Royal Marine and Wells Director of Outdoor Learning, Stuart Elks and Glyn Lancey, School CCF Staff Instructor and Training Officer, as well as a passionate team of teachers who lead each sub-contingent. Members of the Army Contingent travelled...

15 Oct 2019

The Big Draw at Hauser and Wirth

On Thursday 10th October Year 10 artists attended the ‘Big Draw’ event at Hauser and Wirth, Bruton. An informative and interactive talk was given to pupils by the education team on the latest exhibition, ‘David Smith: Field Work’ – the Gallery’s debut solo exhibition by the eminent American artist. The exhibition has been conceived as four chapters of work spanning over three decades, from 1933 to 1964, that aim to demonstrate Smith’s diverse visual language and multifaceted creative process. Wells pupils...

14 Oct 2019

Choralia Reach the Let the Peoples Sing Finals

Congratulations to Choralia, the Wells Cathedral School Upper Voice Girls’ Choir of 30 vocalists, who reached the Grand Finals of the prestigious European Let the Peoples Sing Competition, held in Barcelona over the weekend. Let the Peoples Sing is organised biennially by the European Broadcasting Union and is the choral equivalent of European Young Musician. Each national broadcaster is asked to nominate choirs, and it was the BBC who entered Choralia to represent the UK, on the back of the Choir’s...

14 Oct 2019

Primary Schools Shakespeare Festival

Wells Cathedral Junior School hosted a Primary Schools Shakespeare Festival in mid-October involving pupils from four local primary schools, as well as pupils from Wells Junior School.Pupils from Stoberry Park School, Catcott Primary School, Chewton Mendip Primary School and Butleigh Church of England Primary School joined two classes of Year 6 pupils from Wells to perform half hour versions of six of Shakespeare’s most well loved plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing and...

07 Oct 2019

Sandhurst STEM Fair

On Friday 27th September, 16 Wells pupils attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, STEM Careers Fair. The group took part in a panel discussion with four industry experts, where pupils took the opportunity to ask questions about life in industry; before exploring a variety of stands from industry-leading employers. The focus of the event was on STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths, with the aim of promoting career paths available in those fields. It was spread over two days, with...

07 Oct 2019

Inaugural Organ Recital

On Sunday, Wells Lower Sixth organists, François Cloete and June Rippon, gave the inaugural recital on the newly-installed Walker Organ in Quilter Hall. The organ was kindly donated to the School some four years ago by Mr Jim Cook, in memory of his brother, Richard who owned the instrument and who was a very keen organist.June and François both played a selection of works by Bach and then pieces by Mendelssohn and Hindemith.

03 Oct 2019

Cricket World School Groundsman of the Year

Huge congratulations to Wells Head of Grounds, Craig Keast, who has been chosen as Cricket World’s School Groundsman of the Year for 2019. Craig attended an award ceremony at Lord’s last Wednesday, along with Deputy Head of Grounds, Wayne Bradshaw, and Director of Sport, Tom Webley. Following an award-winners lunch at The Tavern Restaurant at Lord’s Cricket Ground, Craig was presented with his prestigious trophy. The presentation was attended by Chris Wood ECB Pitch Advisor, Karl McDermott MCC Head Groundsman at Lord’s,...

03 Oct 2019

Study Abroad Roadshow

On Wednesday morning, many senior and Sixth Form pupils attended a Study Abroad Roadshow, held in the foyer of Cedars Hall. This provided pupils with invaluable information from international and European agencies, giving them a wider perspective on future study and career opportunities, as additional, complementary guidance to the excellent resources and advice provided by Head of Careers, Sally Rowley.

02 Oct 2019

Drawing Masterclass

Last week artists from Year 10 and the Lower Sixth attended a drawing masterclass with internationally renowned artist, Ian Murphy. Using their own photographs for reference, they were introduced to new techniques and processes, using a diverse range of surface textures and drawing media. Head of Art, Linzi Stockdale-Bridson, said, “We all enjoyed two very exciting, informative, inspiring and challenging days and the pupils produced some incredible work.”

30 Sep 2019

Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition

Over the Exeat weekend, 43 Year 10 pupils pitted themselves against the rugged Quantock Hills of West Somerset to complete their Silver Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition. Despite wind and rain, every group successfully navigated the challenging route over three days to complete their practice expedition. They will now spend the winter months working towards their physical, skill and voluntary commitments before they embark on their qualifying expedition on the first weekend of the Easter holidays. A special thanks must...

30 Sep 2019

Parachute Wing Training

Over the weekend 13 Wells CCF cadets, along with CCF Contingent Commander, Stuart Elks, Ken Padgett and Jack Coward, attended the Joint Service Parachute Wing for a day of parachute training. All cadets and staff passed the training with flying colours and are therefore now qualified to complete a solo static line parachute jump. They all look forward to their jump when there are clear and windless skies later this term!

26 Sep 2019

Head of Schools Conference at Wells

Following on from last year’s successful conference, 44 pupils from Independent Schools across the South West arrived at Wells Cathedral School on Wednesday to engage in workshops and activities as part of the Head of Schools Conference hosted by Wells.John Wright, a local businessman with a successful history of leading many new businesses, started the conference with an inspirational presentation entitled ‘Spread Your Wings’ where he advocated the importance of creative thinking, setting high standards and the need to challenge...

26 Sep 2019

The Countess of Wessex Celebrates 25 Years of Girl Choristers

On Tuesday, the Countess of Wessex GCVO visited Wells Cathedral and Wells Cathedral School, in her capacity as Patron of the Wells Cathedral Chorister Trust, to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the foundation of the Girl Cathedral Choristers.The Countess of Wessex met the boy and girl choristers, attended a short musical performance by musicians from Wells Cathedral School, listened to a Chorister rehearsal in the Cathedral and took part in the cutting of a celebratory anniversary cake.She was later joined...

23 Sep 2019

Badminton Bonanza for Kevin

Congratulations to Year 11 pupil Kevin Luk, who has achieved considerable success in a series of national Badminton tournaments since the start of the new academic year. In early September, Kevin played in the singles competition of the Badminton England Gloucester Senior Bronze tournament at Cheltenham. This was his first senior event playing against competitors ranked at a much higher level than him, and he reached the semi-finals, losing narrowly to Shane Wilson, a member of the Jamaican National Badminton Team,...

23 Sep 2019

New School Chaplain Commissioned

On Monday, during the School’s morning service, the new School Chaplain, Sarah Curl, was commissioned by the Rt Rvd Peter Hancock, The Bishop of Bath and Wells, at Wells Cathedral.

23 Sep 2019

Save the Children Walk

In heavy rain and high winds, hardy pupils, staff and their families took part in the annual Save the Children fundraising walk on Sunday morning. Kitted out warmly in wellies and raincoats, or in running shorts and trainers, over 300 determined walkers and runners set off bright and early to complete the picturesque but rain-drenched route through the muddy Somerset countryside to raise money for this inspirational charity. The annual walk comprises two routes; a shorter 5 mile walk for...

19 Sep 2019

Adventures in Japan

Over the summer, a group of Upper Sixth pupils experienced the trip of a lifetime when they visited Kyoto in Japan, as part of a science enrichment opportunity with Charlotte Farmer, Head of Physics and Academic Enrichment. The trip provided both pupils and teachers with a multitude of experiences that challenged and enriched them. Lab-based workshops were core to the programme and the pupils relished the opportunity to engage with real lab experience. Culturally, the historic sites the pupils visited...

17 Sep 2019

GCSE and A Level Art Exhibition

A selection of work from this summer’s GCSE and A level Art is now on display in the John Baxter Foyer of Cedars Hall.

17 Sep 2019

Lower Sixth Enrichment

As part of their induction into the Sixth Form Lower Sixth pupils enjoyed a challenging and diverse critical thinking day hosted by Wiser Words. Pupils were set tasks to complete that were outside of their comfort zone, with bombs to diffuse, gorillas to rescue, murders to solve and loot to rescue. As one pupil said “It was a great opportunity to meet and bond with new pupils’. We look forward to seeing our pupils apply their new skills in the...

16 Sep 2019

International Film Premiere for Luke

Year 9 violinist, Luke Doyle, has just returned from a star-studded trip to Canada, where he was invited to attend the celebrated Toronto International Film Festival as a key member of the cast of upcoming Serendipity Point film, The Song of Names, which premiered at the Festival. Luke was joined on the red carpet by fellow actor Tim Roth, as well as composer Howard Shore. He was also interviewed about his role in the film for the Canadian media. The Song...

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