Month: July 2023
After Brexit made UK medical schools unaffordable, Leo, an international student from Germany, successfully applied to a medical school in Cyprus. Leo’s initial interest in studying medicine stemmed from a life-long curiosity about biology which led to an inspiring stint of work experience in Nepal and created a passion for supporting medical practice there. Leo joined Sedbergh in Year 9.
WHAT A LEVELS ARE YOU STUDYING?
I’m studying Chemistry, Economics, Biology and German for A level. Biology has always been my favourite subject.
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM FOR UNIVERSITY?
My plan is to study medicine. I was going to study in England but because of Brexit the fees have changed for me so I’ve applied in Cyprus because they offer a degree that you can use in the EU, America and the UK – which is not common.
I decided to study medicine because I’ve got a lot of friends and people from my old school [in Germany] who’ve studied medicine and they said it’s the best choice of their life. When I told Mr Lucas that I wanted to study medicine he told me I would have to do work experience. I started with a week in a clinic in Germany run by a family friend. He then gave me connections at the hospitals. In total, I did five weeks in Germany in different hospitals and three weeks in Nepal with a kid’s health organisation. I really enjoyed it.
I used both of my work experiences to write my personal statement. For my application I had to do an interview and say why I wanted to study medicine – to see if you’re really interested in it [medicine].
DID YOU PURSUE ANY EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS?
I go to the School of Athens every week and Dr McMeechan made me head of Burke & Hare – the biology society.
What’s been the most valuable thing you’ve done for the purposes of preparing your applications?
Obviously my work experience in Germany was great – everything was state-of-the-art and perfect – but the three weeks in Nepal it was the total opposite and that made me want to do it even more. It was quite rough because, for instance, there is only one MRI scanner in the entire country – there is pretty much is no medical system at all. So, it was quite rough driving through the streets and going to the hospital and seeing people who can’t get treated because there is no money there at all. So, I found that the most valuable experience.
Have you taken away anything from that work experience that will influence your career?
Yes. I’m planning that I’ll finish my degree, work for several years to get experience and then go back [to Nepal] in the summers.
How has Sedbergh supported your ambitions?
My biology teacher, Dr McMeechan, prepared me for all of the extra biology exams that I had do for interviews. Mr Lucas showed me what paths are best to take – especially after Brexit when the university fees for non-UK citizens went up – he helped me to see that there are other options than the UK for medicine as well.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP YOURSELF CALM AND RELAXED DURING EXAM TIME?
I don’t really get stressed because of exams. So, I don’t need to do that much [to stay relaxed]; probably my approach is just don’t worry about it; I don’t see the point in trying to get full marks – that’s not going to happen. I’m also in a corridor with two other people in the same position as me; that helps.
Was there anything that made Sedbergh School stand out for you when you were choosing a School in the UK?
The size of it – another was school I looked at was a bit too big for my liking. The surroundings as well. The biggest part of it though was Sedbergh is about 98% boarders – another school I looked at was more like 10% – so, obviously at that school during the day its fine, but if you’re alone after school – like I would be – it would be a bit rubbish.
What did you gain most from being at Sedbergh?
I would say probably independance and friendships. In Germany you get given everything; here you get a lot of support but in sixth form you manage everything yourself if you want to. In Germany its very different; there is no school sports and you don’t live with your friends.
I really enjoyed the School’s sports programme. In Germany I didn’t do as much sports as at Sedbergh because for every sport you have to join a club. You go there yourself. As much as I can, I will try to keep my sports going.
I would 100% definitely recommend a stint boarding overseas for other students. When I leave I’ll miss the Sedbergh environment; I won’t live with my friends anymore, you don’t have that close relationship with your teachers where you get coached by them and have lessons and chapel with them.
Ella joined Sedbergh in Year 10 is hoping to pursue a career as a psychologist – specifically the way behaviour shapes children as they grow up. She’s done work experience in pre-schools and found that area really interests her. She’s currently studying geography, biology and psychology at A level – but psychology is her favourite.
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM FOR UNIVERSITY?
My dream is to attend Bath university – I went to an open day – but the grades are really high for that; it’s A*, A, A. I’ve also been looking at other universities like York and Warwick – and Durham because that’s its quite close to home. An important factor in my choice of university is that different universities offer different modules that you pick up. For example, Newcastle is quite biologically based, which I don’t mind because I like biology, but I’m more interested in the behaviour of humans rather than the brain and things like that so I ruled that out. Edinburgh is quite maths-y.
Psychology can be a 3 or 4 year course because some unis offer a placement year where you can either go abroad or go into a clinical setting – often the NHS. I’d be quite interested in a placement year but it depends; if I go on to a postgrad course then I wouldn’t do a placement year.
I’m also looking at the place [location] because four years of your life is quite a long time. I want a campus uni, I think because I’m more of a small area person than a big city person.
Have you always wanted to study psychology?
Not always; I didn’t really know it was an option when I was doing my GCSEs. I became aware of the psychology pathway at an A level fair; I listened to previous A level students talk about the subjects. If you didn’t take the subject at GCSE its a bit of risk taking it for A levels because you might not enjoy it, but I have always been interested in how people think. When I first started looking at courses [for university] I was looking at joint honours courses because I thought maybe I’d do more biology, but a lot of the jobs that come out of that are research-based or lab-based and I’d rather work with people.
HOW IS SEDBERGH HELPING YOU WITH YOUR UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS?
The School has been good at helping me get to Open Days – they organised transportation when I went to Bath. You get two days out of each term to go an visit universities. They’re also very supportive of the whole university application process; they don’t hold your hand… but more, guide you through it. I’ve had informative personal statement talks on what to put in there.
HAVE YOU PURSUED ANY EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS?
I do work experience over the summer break and during term-time, as a part of my Duke of Edinburgh, I volunteer to help Year 9s with John Muir. I’m also doing my first presentation for the Burke and Hare Society; its a joint presentation with Millie who wants to study medicine so we’re looking at two sides of depression.
How do you relax during downtime?
I go out with friends – watch the cricket and support my brother. We like to kick a ball around.
WHICH OF SEDBERGH’S HARK VALUES DO YOU MOST IDENTIFY WITH?
Obviously they’re all important, but if I had to go with one, it would be ambition. I think if you don’t have ambition you’re not going to get anywhere. You don’t have to be the smartest one in the room but if you’re not driven to be the best person you can be then you are stuck going nowhere. Some people don’t go to uni but they’re driven and they end up being massive CEOs. Obviously it comes with all of the other things because if you’re not kind no-one is going to like you!
Sport is a dominant part of Sedbergh School’s DNA; we have a justifiably strong reputation for sporting excellence that derives from our comprehensive sports program, but pupils also learn from the examples that are set by our staff. In July, eighteen staff (including some spouses) competed in the Great Kindrochit Quadrathlon (The Quad) – “an exhilarating test of stamina, strength and fitness through some of the most spectacular and historic areas of the Scottish Highlands”. The terrain was a smorgasboard of rocky paths, grassy verges, ridges, scrambles… everything. Katy pipes up to tell me that there were even some good bogs (she disappeared up to her knees in one)!
Competitors enter and participate in Teams of Two, completing all sections together. All up 52 pairs undertook the challenge, including 9 pairs from Sedbergh. There are different levels of competition and the challenge is slightly different for each, but it consists roughly of:
- Swim 1.2k
- Run and hike 24k across 5-7 Munros
- Kayak 11.5k
- Bike- 50km
We hear of so many people taking on challenges – and even though a challenge is definitely a matter of perspective, it’s possible that the word has been over-used. Speaking with a few of the Sedbergh staff after the event – a picture emerges of how tough this event really was and what physical and mental strength was required to finish. Competitors pushed themselves past exhaustion for fifteen hours in weather that was at best difficult, at worst, scary. It’s clear that this was a challenge worthy of support.
The team competed to raise money to support the ongoing work of Siobhan’s Trust in the Ukraine. If you are interested in donating their Just Giving page is still available.
Thoughts from Jordan, Katy, Saoirse and Flor the week after completing the Quad
How important is raising funds for Siobhan’s Trust to the team?
Sedbergh School has a deep relationship with Siobhan’s Trust and we’re acutely aware of the impact of their work in the Ukraine. David [Fox-Pitt, founder of Siobhan’s Trust], gave an address at Speech Day which was really helpful because it meant that Siobhan’s Trust was in the forefront of our minds whilst racing. Having him personally talk about why it’s so important and what Siobhan’s Trust do that is so different to other charities working on the ground in the Ukraine; how mobile and reactive they can be to the situation. You understand how incredibly brave they are because they’re just ordinary people who’ve decided they want to make a difference and this is how they’re going to do it. During the safety briefing the night before the event, David [also the organiser of the Quad] wove-in information about Siobhan’s Trust and why we were all there to do the challenge, into our preparation for the event. It set the tone.
Jordan
What really stuck with me was when David said that the biggest fear that the Ukrainians have is that the west will forget about them.
Saoirse
Do you feel, in any way, that you’re role-modeling behaviour for our pupils?
I do feel that pupils at the senior School see us doing exercise all the time, so this isn’t very different, however, there was a cool moment when Clare and Cath were coming in from the kayak section and they had 90 seconds to make the changeover or they would be cut-off. Clare and Cath are teachers at the Prep School and they teach the children of Nils, my partner in the challenge. The weather was coming in and it was bad so we were all sure Clare and Cath wouldn’t want to go on… but they were adamant they were going to make it. The children were cheering them on, that was really cool. Nils said it was amazing that his daughters were getting to grow up seeing their teachers doing something like this – this is perfect.
Then there was Alexander, a piper [bagpipes] and new School prefect in Hart House, who travelled to the event village in Scotland for the weekend. He asked us personally after Speech Day if he could come and play the bagpipes. He piped us out at the race start. It was so uplifting!
Jordan
How was it? What did you find the most challenging part?
For me, coming off the last Munro [Scottish mountain with an elevation over 3000ft], we got to the top and we said to ourselves, ‘Yes! We’ve done it – that’s it!’ And then we got completely lost on the way down. I’d say it probably took us another 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get off the last mountain. We were on a high coming into the last mountain and that really made us dip. So, we went into the kayak really feeling like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so hard!’ and that made the kayak part really difficult.
Saoirse
For me it was the swim because on that day it was very windy and the lake was choppy. It was like you were swimming in the sea. The day after, the lake was calm! But that day, it was just freak weather.
Flor
It’s tough you do so much swimming in the pool and you do a couple of open water swims and you think it’s about fitness. It was nothing to do with fitness! It’s about how you can handle the waves. For the first 10 minutes I just couldn’t swim, I just couldn’t catch my breath. The dynamic of the pairs makes it really interesting. I really wanted my partner there checking that I was OK because it was rough. Then when you finish you’ve got to climb over all these rocks to get out.
When we got out of the swim we were middle of the pack. Going into the run my biggest challenge was not getting too excited because we’re very competitive! Nils was good because he was super chill.
With these hills we’re used to elevation and going up and down hills is grand. But after the run I remember thinking that we’ve been out there 5 hours and that we were pretty much about half way. That realisation made me say, ‘Geez, OK, how is this going to last?’ I can run around on adrenalin for only so much. I got into the kayak and after about 10 minutes I thought, ‘my shoulders are done’. I’d done about 600m of 11k. I didn’t want to say anything to Nils [ my partner]. I was behind him and I was thinking that I need a break! But actually it just went away. The kayak was tough.
Jordan
The night before at the safety briefing they’d warned us all about what to do if the lightening strikes when we’re out on the water – so, the whole time in the kayak, my partner Dan and I are just thinking, ‘Oh my god! Oh my god!’ I was totally freaking out! ‘We’re too far, we’re too far!’ We were having a panic, but we survived!
I found the kayak tough and it was partly because I had rolled my ankle; we had about 5 miles to go in the run after I rolled my ankle on the fells. By the time we got down to the kayak, stopped to refuel, and sat in the kayak, my ankle was starting to swell up and it was going stiff and that was excruciating because those kayaks aren’t comfortable to sit in for anybody! We also had the anxiety about the thunder and lightening coming, we were paddling into the wind… That was one of those moments when you just did deep and get through it rather than enjoy it.
Katy
What is the biggest thing you learned by doing the event?
I wish I’d gone harder. Gone faster. I was really worried about pacing myself so I started off really really slow and also my partner, Dan, hadn’t done any training we felt it was more important to go slow and get all the way around [Dan stepped in at the last minute after Katy’s original partner broke her ankle a few weeks before the event]. It took 15 1/2 hours but I’m going to aim for 12 hours next time!
Katy
It reminded me that you can do all the zone training and all the stuff you want in the lead up but if you haven’t got cramp and you’re not injured, if you feel you’re alright – you literally can keep going endlessly. I remember thinking that at different points of the race – feeling wrecked on the bike, I just ate more and I felt great again.
Jordan
In these type of events you realise how powerful your mind is. Your mind can be very strong, but also it can say, ‘No, I can’t do it’. When we went into the swim my partner said she couldn’t do it, if we weren’t together as a pair, I think she’d wouldn’t have gone on.
Flor
What does a training schedule look like?
Variable[laughing]! At Christmas, we sent out a training programme that was a run/swim/bike mix. Very similar to how you would train for a triathlon. It’s a really unique event; everyone that went could do a 50k bike with no worries, everyone could do the swim or the run, no worries. But the combination of them is the tough thing. In our training we identified early on that it was going to be less about aerobic capacity – that’s the foundation – and more about strength; how strong can you keep your knees and your hips throughout the event (for example) because if they go you’re knackered. So, we put in a lot of strength work in early in our training.
The biggest thing to get in there is having experiences that keep you out for six or seven hours. That’s the hardest bit and if you’re going into race day and you haven’t been exercising for that long before, that’s a problem. The next thing is fuelling – knowing how often you have to eat and how much water to drink.
With a busy life at School it’s hard to get those long sessions in; often you’re doing that over the holidays.
Jordan
Sometimes getting the long sessions in means 3am starts! I’ve got two little boys and my husband works away a lot so basically the nights when he’s home – I say, ‘Goodbye! I’m heading out to train!’ Three weeks out from the event, Rachel [another competitor] and I went and did the Yorkshire Three Peaks which was the best thing we could have done because it meant that we had that very long experience and it was a good practical experience of practising fuelling. Both of us would get to a point where we’d say we can’t finish – then we’d eat something, and we’d be fine! So, we learned that when you feel like that, you just eat something! We both felt that on the day, the resilience we’d got from doing such a long training session was really helpful.
Katy
So, what’s next?
There isn’t a plan yet but there is talk of maybe a triathlon. Or a 300km cycle around Anglesea. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Sedbergh School, renowned for its commitment to excellence in education and cricket, is thrilled to announce the appointment of James Anyon as the new Director of Cricket. James, originally from Lancashire, brings a wealth of experience and a passion for nurturing young talent to his new role. In January 2024, he will be relocating with his wife and their two young children from Hurstpierpoint College, where he has served three years as Cricket professional and the last three years as Head of Cricket.
James’ impressive career in the cricketing world makes him an ideal choice for this significant position. After completing a degree in Sports Science at Loughborough University, James embarked on an exceptional professional cricket career that spanned over 12 years. He featured in 110 first- class matches, 43 A games, and 26 T20 matches, representing prestigious teams including Warwickshire and Sussex.
Throughout his career, James has demonstrated his commitment to coaching and player development. He spent two years as the Head Coach for the Sussex Women’s team in 2017 and 2018, contributing to their success. Additionally, he served as a bowling consultant for The Netherlands in their preparations for the T20 World Cup. James’ involvement in the Sussex County Pathway, as an age group coach and a specialist bowling coach, showcases his dedication to nurturing talent at all levels.
James’ coaching prowess extends beyond cricket. He has also coached rugby, hockey, and football, demonstrating his versatility and passion for sports. Outside of work, he loves the outdoors and frequently engages in camping and hiking activities with his family.
Expressing his enthusiasm about joining Sedbergh School, James said, “I am very much looking forward to joining a school with such an outstanding reputation for its cricket. I believe providing a solid technical foundation provides the platform for all good players to then build their own style of play with bat and ball.” In his role as Director of Cricket, James will also oversee the programme at Casterton, Sedbergh Preparatory School, ensuring a comprehensive and unified approach to cricket development.
Dan Harrison, Headmaster of Sedbergh School, shared his delight in welcoming James Anyon to the school community, stating, “We are delighted that James has accepted the role of Director of Cricket and look forward to welcoming James and his family to Sedbergh in January. He has demonstrated so many of Sedbergh’s values in his career, and we cannot wait for him to further inspire our pupils and develop our cricket programme across the Prep and Senior Schools. We look forward to sharing some exciting developments with our cricket offering over the next few months. Sedbergh has a strong sporting reputation, and I am confident that under James’ leadership Sedbergh will continue to be a leading school for boys’ and girls’ cricket.”
We eagerly anticipate the arrival of James and the positive impact he will have on our cricket programme and the overall development of our pupils. His expertise and dedication will undoubtedly contribute to our continued success as a leading institution for cricket education.
The Independent Schools of the Year awards are well-established as the independent school sector’s leading awards programme. Against entries from hundreds of independent schools across the United Kingdom, Sedbergh is proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for two awards in categories that recognise our efforts in two areas underlying of special importance to Sedbergh.
Sedbergh School has been shortlisted for Independent School of the Year for Sporting Achievement.
Sport is a part of the Sedbergh School’s DNA – and hugely important to us. Our philosophy is that everything is about improvement; you work hard and you have fun. We believe that success naturally follows from that.
Jaclyn Leach, Head of Girl’s Sport explains, “it doesn’t matter where you start any session, the point of every single thing that you do, no matter whether you are playing badminton for games, or you’re the England under 18 captain – everything is about wherever you are, you are working to get better; whether that’s by 1% or 50%, it doesn’t matter. Our job is to create a positive and professional environment where every pupil is challenged to reach their potential. The journey is different for every pupil here.”
At Sedbergh we take great pride in offering a broad range of sporting opportunities for all pupils, whatever their aptitudes and abilities. Our knowledgeable and enthusiastic coaching team work tirelessly with pupils to ensure that they enjoy their sport and fulfil their potential. And because we believe that there is a sport for everyone; our curriculum includes a wide range of sports. All pupils – even those who are athletes with a talent in a particular activity – participate in a range of sports.
Stuart Oliver, Head of Sport expands, “Every sport is not right for every pupil, we try and find something that is for them. We want to inspire them and if that means that whether they’re in the shooting range or if they want to just do aerobics or spin cycling, that’s fine. We’ll, facilitate that.”
Casterton, Sedbergh Prep has been shortlisted for the Independent Prep School of the Year award.
Casterton Sedbergh Prep School could look towards either its rigorous academic curriculum or our thoughtful programme of extra-curricular opportunities to unearth the seeds of our success – however, we believe the most significant factor is our strong values, the Ways of the Wolf; ambition, creativity, courage, collaboration, responsibility and kindness.
The Ways of the Wolf help to motivate our pupils to make better decisions about everyday alternatives and when faced with bigger issues or conflicting choices. Strong values also help our pupils forge positive relationships and be more resilient in the face of challenges and obstacles. Pupils who exemplify the Ways of the Wolf become role-models in our school community and influence other pupils to follow their lead.
At the start of the academic year, Mrs Follett set Year 4 a target to collectively read 3 million words through the Accelerated Reader programme used across the School.
The children read and quizzed during the whole of the Michaelmas Term, through the Christmas holidays and into 2023. In March they had finally got to their target and celebrated with a trip to the local book shop, The Book Lounge, where they enjoyed a story session and perused the books for sale. The children all brought some pocket money from home and bought more reading material from the 2nd hand section.
But they didn’t stop there, not only did they keep reading, but they started to get faster and faster! In May they hit 4 million words and all received a commemorative bookmark.
Mrs Follett then challenged them to get to 5 million words before the end of the year and in June they did it!
The Year 4 reading champions headed up to the Senior School, aglow with their achievement, to celebrate. They had the special honour of taking part in a reading celebration during the Sedbergh Book Week Festival in the beautiful Senior School Library. Here they shared their reading books with Year 9 pupils and staff and thoroughly enjoyed a story telling session from Dr Downes, Head of English. A huge congratulations to the Year 4 reading ninjas for your phenomenal achievement!
Sedbergh School has a strong tradition of giving back #SedberghGivesBack. During Challenge Week 2023 pupils undertook community service projects in and around Sedbergh and Kendal – including: filling pot holes, renovating bus shelters, resurfacing car parks, fixing picnic tables, tidying the surrounding areas, cleaning road signs and supporting local community initiatives .
Headmaster Mr Harrison says, ““That we identify different projects all around the North and help out at a variety of organisations is the right thing to do and makes our pupils think about the true meaning of community. All pupils should leave Sedbergh with a deep understanding of the role that they individually can play in giving back to their community with humility and kindness.”
We’ve compiled a gallery of pupils hard at work on various projects!
Its been a big year for Archie – the swimming sensation of Hart House. In March Archie set a new British record in the SB11 50m breaststroke at the Paralympic Swimming World Series event at Ponds Forge – unprecedented for someone of his age. In April, he was chosen to represent English Schools’ Swimming Association in the International School Sport Federation (ISF) U15 World School Games taking place during August in Rio de Janeiro.
“I’m really pleased to have set a personal best – it could be recorded as a British record as well which is really exciting.”
Archie
In April, the ISF World School Games in August seemed a long way off, now, it’s close and Archie is in training with his coach Zoe Cowan. Zoe feels that “Getting picked up for Rio off the back of that British record it shows how much Archie has still got to give and what potential is there for him”.
His parents and whole family are supporting his training plan for Brazil – they explain that Archie is very focused and trains non-stop.
Ultimately, Archie has his ambition set on getting to the Paralympics, “To go to the Paralympics at some point in the future would be pretty cool. My coaches Zoe Cowan and Keith Harper at Richmond Dales are really good and I’d like to thank them for their support.”