The Chronicle 2019 PUBLISHED BY King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys Vicarage Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7QJ Telephone: 0121 444 3188 King Edward VI Academy Trust Birmingham is a charitable company limited by guarantee · Registered No: 10654935 Registered Office: Foundation Office, Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham B15 2UD · Registered in England and Wales DESIGNED, TYPESET AND PRINTED BY BYTE & TYPE LTD · BIRMINGHAM · UK · 0333 666 4321 BYPreface THE HEADMASTER in the four-person Chemistry Olympiad team. or frustrates them most about the school Alex returned from Paris in July clutching a (including things I can’t change). Here are Silver Medal for his pains. In each of those four some, unedited. The first ones off the heap: years, our boy has done better than his pred- Good — almost everything ecessors. Alex can now boast that he is the 41st Bad — movement around the school best schoolboy chemist in the world. It’s a high Good — encourages socialising; range of bar for next year. subjects; range of ways teachers teach I tell the visitors about some myths. We’re Bad — nothing not all about maths and science. Look at our Good — learn quite a lot in the lessons music. Read about it. I tell them we had two Bad — students messing around boys take A-Level music. Both went on to the There are always more than a few that pick out Royal Academy of Music in London, one with the staff as one of their top positives: a scholarship (having turned down a place at — Staff really help you Oxford). I hope you’ve seen the orchestras and — Teachers welcoming and friendly heard the notes; now read the record. Look at — All the teachers, always ready to help you; the art work. Read the quality of the articles breaktime and lunchtime all there to help the boys write. Enjoy the accounts of trips to you France and Germany. Look at the drama. — Teachers are helpful Another myth, I say, is that we must sit the And I loved, ‘teachers are quite good boys behind their desks every minute of every (at teaching)’. The same boy had as his t was the Open Day a few days ago. I told the school day to achieve such exam results. If you bad point: ‘teachers make you do things.’ visitors that Camp Hill is a great school. That’s read The Chronicle you can’t believe that myth. Read The Chronicle to get some idea of the Ialways a bit frustrating, because I’m thinking, As well as the music, art and drama, you’ll read things teachers make the boys do. “They’re thinking, ‘He would say that, wouldn’t about quizzes, competitions, residential trips, In 2016’s Chronicle we said goodbye to he?’ ” But I mean it and I believe it. What makes field trips, overseas trips, skiing, rock-climbing, Mike Southworth after 50 years teaching the school great? How do the contents of this outdoor pursuits of every kind, Duke of Edin- here. (But he didn’t actually go.) In 2018’s magazine tell you it’s great? burgh Award, Engineering Education Scheme, Chronicle, we said goodbye to Tony Jackson A Beautiful site: House matches, team sports, individual sports, after 48 years. And this year we say goodbye look at the photos – pitches, tennis courts, clubs, societies; you start to wonder if they’re to Peter Jack after 48 years teaching here. (But swimming pool, sports hall. ever behind their desks. he’s not actually going.) That’s another thing A Great facilities: Another myth is that it’s all about exam that makes the school great. Dedicated, long- look at the photos – library, labs, new results. You won’t find anything about them in serving, experienced, committed staff. sixth form block. this magazine. That’s because this magazine Sadly, you’ll read about the other kind of A Great staff: tells a year in the life of a school; exam results goodbye. Mervyn Brooker was Headmaster read about the opportunities that have as much to do with that as my height and here when I first had connections with the they have offered the boys. shoe size have to do with a year in my own life. school when my sons arrived. What a remark- A Great kids: The boys are brilliant at collecting GCSEs and able man. After a Bolton sojourn he returned read about what they’ve been up to, A-Levels, of course, but our job is to educate to Wolverhampton, so we used to see him how they reflect on it, what they have them while they’re doing that. This record will here from time to time at staff functions. He treasured. tell you more about their education than a set was respected and admired; he is held in great I tell the visitors that our pride is in our of grades. affection. I shall miss him. product. If they want to understand Camp Hill, I tell the visitors what my Year 8’s tell me talk to the boys. And, as always, I feel it is neces- in their interviews. I ask many of them what L Martin Garrod, Headmaster sary to introduce them to a few that they won’t would be the first thing that they would think as they have now left. Read about Alex Byrne. of if they were recommending the school to He’s the fourth boy in a row to represent the UK someone else; and I ask them what annoys PREFACE KE CAMP HILL SchOOL FOR BOYS · The CHRONICLE 2019 Editorial The Chronicle here is always a strong feeling of relief at the end of the 2019 summer term. Tired teachers and students pack away, mentally and physically ready to enjoy the long break. And, when you read The Chronicle, you can hardly be surprised why. It CONTENTS Tseems quite amazing that we manage to fit so many different events in and still have time to teach! To be honest, I feel that is what makes Camp Hill such an exciting place to be – because we do not, as Leavers . 2 Mr Garrod confirms in his introduction, just teach. This year, as always our amazing staff ran trips to Italy, France, and Germany and to the Battlefields of France. In addition, our stu- Obituaries . 6 dents seem to be international – Chemistry always manages to send its students to the most far flung of places! I must think of an Eng- School Activities lish residential somewhere – maybe a grand European tour of burial sites of the Romantic poets? Foreign visits only cover a small fraction of the activities that Engineering and Computing . 11 take place at Camp Hill. I am not convinced that Mr Palmer sleeps; as he clearly spends so many hours, training and preparing students Mathematics . 13 for the numerous musical events that take place throughout the year. Furthermore, every year we seem to run a wider range of sport- Language and Literature . 17 ing activities and events from Chess (is that a sport?) through to Water Polo, tennis and so on… We have articles from Art, the Library Arts and Media . 19 and this year, for the first time, articles about all the charity events our students and teachers have taken part in – including Camp Hill’s Got Talent. Other Activites . 20 Mention must also go to the Modern Foreign Language Depart- ment, who run a wide range of trips and events to interest and House Reports . 24 inspire our students to learn a foreign language. And so on… I will leave you to read on… and to be amazed once again by Camp Hill. Domestic Trips . 27 L Joanne Parmar, Editor Foreign Trips . 38 Drama . 51 Music . 54 Sport . 62 Results Summaries . 80 House Championship Table . 81 KE CAMP HILL SchOOL FOR BOYS · The CHRONICLE 2019 EDITORIAL & CONTENTS | 1 Leavers Keith Downing riting a fitting article for colleagues like Keith would be so much easier if they had not spent so long being integral to everything that I hold as great Wabout Camp Hill! I know I am going to find myself apologising afterwards for all the things I have NOT written or remembered about this amazing friend. Born and brought up in Erdington, he still lives a stone’s throw from his childhood home. Having attended the local primary he passed the 11+, gaining a place at K.E. Aston. Much to the bewilderment of his parents, he declined that offer and took up a place at Marsh Hill Boys’ Grammar Tech, where he had been ‘lured’ apologise now for the bits I forget. admiration when sitting with him in a student by the workshop facilities. I am not sure his Joining an already strong department, he interview or a meeting with a parent. mother ever forgave him, but those of us who flourished here and it was no surprise that he Drama has always been a strength at Camp have watched Keith ‘at work’ know that this was appointed Head of Department in 1993. In Hill and Keith played a massive role in that suc- was undoubtedly the right choice for him. the workshop, he was an inspiration. From Year cess throughout his time here. I’m not referring Keith tells me he was excellent in school. 7 beginners to Arkwright Scholars and staff: all to his brilliant acting in CHAOS (I’m sorry to say Of course, I do not believe him; you do not have made use of his vast experience and skills. that I’m not being sarcastic there; his delivery become a brilliant pastoral leader without a bit Guaranteed to be patient, Keith coached the of lines as the hapless compere were superb) of ‘poacher turned game-keeper’ experience! boys to analyse the problem and develop the but rather his work behind the scenes.