This week there has been a real buzz about netball among the girls at Brandeston Hall.

It began with our training sessions on Monday being particularly directed towards short matches in preparation for the tournaments at the end of the week.

A block fixture with Barnardiston on Wednesday saw the U11A team fight back to get a well deserved draw and the B team win the matches at home, whilst the U13A and U12A teams won convincingly away at Barnardiston. In fact a number of players in both teams played part of the game in most unfamiliar positions but hopefully gained useful insights from the experience.

The U11A squad departed early on Thursday morning to play in their regional IAPS tournament hosted by Felsted. The weather conditions were not conducive to playing netball but to the girls’ great credit they performed to the best of their ability and certainly benefited from the experience. On Friday, in equally appalling conditions, the U12A and U13A squads played some excellent netball in a very competitive arena. Their attitude was fantastic despite being soaked in the pouring rain and they should all feel very proud of their efforts. Both teams came midway in their respective groups. As always our girls were fabulous ambassadors for Brandeston Hall.

Our week of netball culminated with a trip on Saturday to the Herts Sports Village in Hatfield to watch the Netball Superleague match between the home team Hertfordshire Mavericks and the visitors Loughborough Lightning. Twenty four girls from years 6, 7 and 8 enjoyed the opportunity to watch top class netball played by several England internationals. It was a very close match at times with Mavericks trailing Loughborough Lightning for quite a lot of the game. However Mavericks really took their play up a gear in the final quarter to win by ten goals, the final score being 55-45. Everyone was amazed by the speed of movement and ball skills and the girls were able to pick up tips from players in their favourite positions to incorporate into their own games in the future. We enjoyed meeting the Mavericks’ mascot Miranda the meerkat and lots of the girls had the chance to chat with their favourite players, get autographs on the programmes and t-shirts they bought or to have a photo taken. We stopped on the way home for supper and some tired but happy girls arrived back at Brandeston in the snow having had a great end to a busy netballing week.

Jessica Owles (Year 5) and William Donsworth (Year 8) scored the most points in their year groups last week. The spotlight for this week falls upon Years 3 and 6. Remember that the points are accumulated Saturday to Sunday so Mrs Russell reminds everyone to complete their set ‘Mathletics’ Prep and use the on-line activities to practice mental agility and problem solving as well as look up any tricky maths vocabulary using the ‘Mathletics’ Dictionary/Concept Search - make the most of the wonderful resource to help you reach your latest Maths learning targets.

Following their success at the East Region IAPS competition at Bishop’s Stortford on Monday last week, the U13 boys travelled to Millfield for the National Finals on Thursday 14th March. Having driven down to Somerset the day before and having had a refreshing nights sleep, the boys woke in confident mood. The weather, although cold, was bright and most importantly dry. Upon arrival at Millfield, there was a real buzz in the air as the 20 different teams went through their warm up routines. This was also an opportunity for the boys to get used to the water based astro surfaces on which the competition would be played.

The boys got their tournament underway with an impressive win against Downs 4-0 with a hat trick from Archie Winter. With a good break and a rest, the boys played Beeston for the second time within a week and once again the Brandeston boys prevailed 5-0, with another hat trick from Archie Winter. The next game saw Brandeston take on Lambrook, which was a tighter game but once again the boys came through with a successful 3-0 win. Having made a perfect start to the tournament, the next game against OBH would decide who topped the group and who came runner up. Having played OBH four times already this season the boys knew it was going to be a tough encounter. Following a scrappy game and chances at both ends, the game ended in a 1 all draw, meaning Brandeston went through as group winners. Knowing that any games in the latter stages of any competition would not be easy, Brandeston prepared themselves to play St Andrew’s, Woking in the quarter final. Depiste Brandeston taking a 2 goal lead the game was very open. With the nerves starting to tell as time was running out, both teams scored again, but Brandeston played defiantly leaving the final score 3-2 and with it a place in the semi-final against Chaffyn Grove.  With the final just a game away the boys focussed on the game in hand and looked confident as they took to the pitch. The game proved to be end to end, with both teams creating opportunities that neither could finish. Eventually the deadlock was broken by Chaffyn Grove with a very well finished goal. Brandeston steeledthemselves and despite testing the goalkeeper and coming incredibly close on a number of occasions, Brandeston couldn’t level the score line and lost 1-0. The boys were inconsolable, having come so close and giving absolutely everything. However, after reflecting on the tournament they realised finishing third in the competition was a huge accomplishment. There is no doubt the boys will benefit from playing in the finals and now look forward to the National school finals in May.

Mr Tom Gregory, Head of Boys’ Hockey at Brandeston Hall said, “This is another excellent achievement from this group of boys in the space of two weeks. They should be incredibly proud, as they have made all us here at Brandeston Hall incredibly proud.”

Brandeston Hall celebrated the 25^th anniversary of Comic Relief on Friday 15^th March 2013 (some of the staff can remember being involved with first one!). The day started with House Assemblies where pupils watched a video about children’s lives in Africa. Many children in Africa cannot go to school as they are too poor to afford the £5 needed to send a child to school for a month.

The fundraising then kicked off with a coffee morning hosted by ‘Friends at Brandeston Hall’ in the Hobbies Rooms. Coffee and Danish pastries were on offer and there were some lovely cakes on sale and a raffle to win some quite fantastic hampers. A magnificent total of £466 was raised.

The pupils paid a donation to wear their home clothes [which included something red] and at break time they all amassed in the dining hall to buy some of the delicious homemade cakes on sale. The total raised here was just over £640.

When the totals were added together a fantastic sum of £1100 was raised.  This was  enough money to send the equivalent number of African children to school for a month as there are pupils at Brandeston Hall – that made the fundraising very worthwhile!

The Brandeston Hall U13 Girls took part in the East Divisional Tournament of the National In2Hockey Championships as a result of becoming County Champions last November.  Brandeston played three games in their first round-robin group. They recovered well from their initial loss to Felsted by beating Spalding High 1-0 and Haileybury 2-1. Finishing runners-up in this group they entered the quarters where they were beaten by a tough Gresham’s team. This resulted in them going into the group playoffs for positions 5th to 8th. In the round-robin competition, Brandeston were undefeated beating Newport Free Grammar 2-1, Kent College 3-1 and drawing with Bedford 0-0. The girls played some super hockey and all members of the squad made a significant contribution that lead to them becoming the 5th best team in the East of England.

After the success of coming runners up in the County finals the U11 girls travelled to Redbridge for the re-scheduled regional finals. 

After success in the County Championships earlier in the term and also a terrific day at IAPS last week winning their group, the U11 team looked to continue their progress this term at the Regional Finals held at Greshams School. First up was Town Close, who were a side we had not come across yet this term. After a very evenly contested first half the boys dug deep to find a goal which came midway through the first half after a brilliant break from Haydn Macaulay with Max Russell applying the finishing touch. The final score was 1-0 which got us off to the best possible start.

We were then straight back on against the team who came 2^nd in Essex; Edwards House.

It was a very even first half with chances at both ends and some great work from Hugo Lewis but it was the opposition who scored the two goals in the first half. Knowing that we needed to score the next goal to have a chance of getting a result the boys fought incredibly hard with some superb defending by Finn James and cracking saves from William Gladwell. As the second half progressed more players were pushed higher up the pitch, which created gaps in our defence. Edwards House unfortunately capitalised on this and score a third goal so leaving the final score at 3-0.

The boys then had a match off before their next game against Bedford B. We were looking to bounce back after our last defeat, and we did just that. Some great interplay between Theo Salsby, Freddy Heldreich and Max Russell saw us take a 3 goal lead at half time. The second half saw many chances being created that were unable to be converted, but James Hardy did some hard work to set up some of those chances. The score against Bedford B ended 4-1.

We were then straight on again against a St. Faith’s side that we had lost to in our first match in the IAPS the week before. Here it was St. Faiths who put us on the back foot by scoring first, just as they had done last week. What changed this time around is that everybody kept their heads up and still believed that they could come out on top. After a lot of play in the middle of the field the ball broke loose to Max Russell who converted quite brilliantly to equalise just before half time. Going into the second half it was clear to see that the momentum was with us and it was just a case of taking our chances. Midway through the second half some great interplay from Harry Williamson and Haydn Macaulay [who passed 2 defenders] meant that we were able to take the lead. We hung on to the victory (2-1) to the delight of the players, the parents and Mr. Wright.

After another break our final game was against a Bishop’s Stortford side who were IAPS champions from the week before.  It was therefore interesting to see how our boys reacted. Some great hockey was played by both sides with some end to end action and short corners for both sides. But, after a hard fought battle it ended scoreless.

We finished joint 2^nd in our table but just lost out on goal difference to Bishop’s Stortford to finish in a very respectable position.

Overall it was a fantastic day.  Well done to the boys for again continuing to progress and also a massive thanks to all of the parents who came to watch.  I think the support shown was incredible and meant a lot to Mr Wright, Mr Cutting and all of the participating children.

Congratulations to Alexandra Howard Smith and Lucy Westmacott who both receive Headmaster’s Commendations for outstanding work in Art.  The very colourful work is Alexandra’s and is part of a growing portfolio including a superb study of Van Gogh.  The drawing is Lucy’s and is just a snippet from a series of observational work that she has produced in her own time.

Congratulations also to Rose Cadman in Year 2, who receives a Commendation for her lovely story written at home.

During the Easter break, a team of 11 pupils supported by parents and staff journeyed to North Africa.

Their collective aim was to explore the cultural and geographical diversity of sunbaked, ancient Morocco. The expedition began with a five day trekking expedition in the High Atlas Mountains ascending heights of 2800m or more and living amongst the Berbers in their clay-walled, terraced farming villages. Oddly enough the trek started with an unusual cold snap and 4 inches of snowfall made walking slow and arduous, but soon the baking sun broke through and the snow gave way to reveal arid yellow, orange and red dusty mountains dotted with juniper trees, goat herds and ancient mule trials. A bus journey then whisked the team to the coast affording the expeditioners a chance to relax and explore the fortified, white washed, costal fishing port of Essaouira. This windswept, timeless, Portuguese town was crisscrossed with twisting, shady, narrow alleys, high walls and arches that might have come straight out of the the story of ‘Aladdin’. The children bartered for goods in the markets and played football with the locals on the expansive sands. The exploration then continued to the bustling, noisy, colourful myriad of moped infested streets of Marrakech past souks draped with rugs, bulging with brass work, scented spices, leather goods and fake goods. This was no holiday and throughout the expedition the youngsters took it in turns to lead and also assume a variety of roles from accommodation officer, to journalist and caterer to navigator. They rose to the challenge and left with many happy memories and an experience of a life-time.

A full gallery of photos will be available shortly.

Congratulations to Seth Faulkner who received a Headmaster’s Commendation in assembly this morning for his outstanding English work. Congratulations also to Ella Sunderland and Lucy Westmacott who were both awarded Commendations for outstanding work in Religious Studies. As usual their work will be displayed on the Celebration Board in the White & Black Hall.

We have a few places and a table left for the forthcoming Marrakesh Ball on Saturday 4^th May. 

If you are not part of a large group or table and would like to come along, you are more than welcome to come and join others.  It is a great opportunity to meet parents from other year groups and people from the local area.

If you would like to book a table or discuss joining another group please contact Lucy Bryanton.  lbryanton@brandestonhall.co.uk or 01728 685331.

Thirteen year old Brandeston Hall pupil Jack Hobbs started the cricket season with a fine unbeaten century in Wednesday’s match against South Lee School. Jack, who represents Suffolk Under 13′s scored an outstanding 118 not out. His innings included 15 fours and 3 sixes.

The Headmaster of Brandeston Hall, Mr Martin-Myers-Allen said, “Jack has a terrific attitude to his sport and he has practiced very hard during the winter months. He is an incredibly dedicated and talented young man who is developing tremendously under the guidance of our cricket professional, Ben France. We at Brandeston Hall are so very proud of him and are absolutely delighted with his latest achievement.”

Magical is the perfect word to describe Year 6′s trip to the Warner Brothers Studio – The Making of Harry Potter.

36 wizards and 6 muggles entered this amazing experience and were able to practice their wand waving, ride on a broomstick, seek out the fifteen golden snitches and visit Privet Drive. On display were the paper models of the sets as well as the ‘real thing’, a walk around view of Hogwarts and Diagon Alley was just as it appears in the films. Even having to sample Bertie Botts vomit, dirt and soap flavoured jelly beans couldn’t put a dampener on the day!

As part of their work in PSHE pupils in Year 7 organised a school disco to raise money for charity. This year the chosen charity was Beating Bowel Cancer.  The pupils also wanted to raise some money to buy extra items for their new Common Room.

Both the junior and the senior discos were a great success and everyone had a great time. Refreshments, crisps and glow-sticks were sold to raise extra money to add to the money from ticket sales. A generous donation of £100 from the DJ Paul Payne meant that an amazing sum of £670 was raised £450 of which is being donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer Charity.

Congratulations to Year 7 for their hard work and a big thank you to everyone who came along to support the discos.

5 Brandeston Hall pupils have made it through to the IAPS Swimming Finals at Crawley Leisure Centre on Saturday 11^th May. The top 16 swimmers per age group qualified nationally for each event. Freddie Heldreich (Year 6) qualified in 13^th place in the U11 25m Butterfly, Lottie Summers (Year 7) qualified in 14^th place in the U12 50m Backstroke and Els Cogdell (Year 7) qualified in 4^th place in the U12 50m Freestyle. Our U12 4 x 25m Freestyle relay team (Els Cogdell, Liberty Salsby, Lottie Summers and Rose Winter) qualified in 11^th place and so will also compete on the day.

The regional rounds for this event took place back in February at Bishop’s Stortford College where 19 girls and 2 boys participated from Year 4 – 8 after having only been swimming in the newly formed Brandeston Hall Swim squad since September.  A handful of swimmers only joined the squad in January with some of them never having competed in a swim meet apart from in the Inter-house swimming competition.

When you consider that the swimmers competed against some Prep schools with recognised competitive swimming programmes this is an amazing achievement by all. What is really exciting is that we have a talented crop of younger swimmers who with the training behind them and the experience of this year will hopefully go on do some great swims at future IAPS rounds. All of the squad swimmers now have the opportunity to train three times a week at Framlingham College under the guidance of Head Coach Audrey Tovey and Assistant Coach Neil Wrigglesworth.

Participating swimmers were: Lily Reader, Hattie Reader, Georgie Gardens, Megan Jackson, Jessica Owles, Mimi Salsby, Eden Harris, Ellie Bone, Poppy Mayall, Faith Reader, Els Cogdell, Lottie Summers, Liberty Salsby, Rose Winter, Grace Bowden, Lucy Westmacott, Tiffany Ferguson, Lily Woodruff, Lily Kooreman-Abs, Freddie Heldreich, and Robert Monaghan.

Lucas is a committed, competitive and successful tennis player who is well-know on the circuit and who is hard to beat. Over the last few years he has been accumulating an impressive collection of medals and trophies and has a reputation for upholding the highest qualities that you would expect from a true sportsman.  This year he was top of the leaderboard in the U9 Winter County Tour and, in recognition, received a County Tour Badge from the Lawn Tennis Association.  The Headmaster, Mr Myers-Allen, reported, ‘We are all very proud of Lucas and congratulate him on his well-deserved success.  The example he sets is tremendous and he has proved that hard work pays off!’