Month: April 2024

Blue skies appeared above Sedbergh Prep School on Saturday 27^th April 2024, offering perfect conditions for the School’s annual Epic run (also known as the Prepic) for Years 7 and 8.

127 Prep and Senior School pupils (including both male and female winner of the Wilson Run), staff, family and guests lined up on the start line outside Holy Trinity Church, and at 11.00am Mr Newman sent them on their way, marking his final Epic as Headmaster at Casterton.

The challenging course sends runners up and over the top of Brownthwaite Fell before they race back down a steep descent to the finish outside the Sports Hall. Measuring in at 6.9 miles and with 1250 feet of ascent, the runners, and in particular the children in Years 7 and 8, were enthusiastically supported by the younger pupils and marshals, who helped to run the water stations along the route.

Crossing the line first was Dan Dean, winner of the 2024 Wilson Run, in a time of 49:47. The first Prep School pupil back was Year 7 boy, Magnus Foxwell in a time of 53:53, seeing him finish 3rd overall. Minnie Rowley was the first Prep School girl across the finish line in 59:43 – 3 minutes in front of her mum, Lucy who was the first adult female home.

The full results can be viewed here with the medal winners listed below. Photographs from various points on the course including the finish line can be viewed here.

The Prepic is a much-anticipated annual event that embodies the school’s ethos of embracing adventure. Celebrated as a hallmark of the Sedbergh Prep School experience, the Epic develops values of courage, ambition, kindness and collaboration by offering pupils the opportunity to take on a challenge that is both demanding and rewarding in equal measure.

Top Six Male Prep School Finishers		Top Six Female Prep School Finishers
1. Magnus Foxwell		1. Minnie Rowley
2. Harri Tancrel		2. Annabel Hinds
3. Monty Firth		3. Grace Goligher
4. Ferdinand Lambert		4. Emma Anderson-Bickley
5. Henry Coke		5. Bella Cooper
6. Oliver Stubbs		6. Blue Thompson
Top Three Male Finishers		Top Three Female Finishers
1. Dan Dean, Senior School pupil		1. Lucy Rowley, Parent
2. Richard Wells, Staff		2. Hannah Francis, Senior School pupil
3. Malo Marchand, Senior School pupil		3. Michelle Foxwell, Parent

As Sedbergh School prepares to mark its illustrious 500-year history, it is with great excitement that we announce the launch of our Quincentenary Events, a year-long celebration of academic excellence, community spirit, and enduring values.

Throughout 2025, Sedbergh will play host to a series of captivating events designed to honour our shared legacy and bring together generations of Sedberghians. Each event will serve as a testament to the strength and resilience of the Sedbergh community.

The festivities will kick off with a grand concert at the prestigious Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, setting the tone for a year of jubilation and reflection. Tickets for this unforgettable evening are now available for purchase via the Bridgewater Hall website: https://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/sedbergh-school-bridgewater-hall-concert/

“We are thrilled to embark on this journey of celebration and remembrance as we commemorate 500 years of Sedbergh School,” said Dan Harrison, Headmaster of Sedbergh School. “The Quincentenary Events are a testament to the enduring legacy of our institution and the remarkable individuals who have passed through our doors. We look forward to welcoming the entire Sedbergh community as we honour our past, celebrate our present, and embrace our future.”

As we came to the end of a busy Lent Term, we were delighted to welcome incoming Headmistress, Mrs Kate Martin, to Casterton, Sedbergh Prep School.

We sat down to interview Mrs Martin, when she answered questions submitted by our pupils, to help us get to know her better.

Mrs Martin will be returning to the Prep School on the 3rd & 4th May when she is looking forward to meeting current and prospective families. She will be joining us at our parents’ weekly coffee morning on Friday 3rd May and will also be attending our Open Mornings on both 3rd and 4th May. To register for our Open Mornings, click here.

What was it about the role at Casterton, Sedbergh Prep School that made you apply?

I first visited Sedbergh in 2001, and thereafter have regularly visited the school. For me, both Casterton and Sedbergh Schools are quite unique in that they have such a meaningful sense of place along with a strong family ethos. They are schools that are proud of their heritage, but are not afraid of change. They remain committed to their traditions whilst embracing innovation. Overall, this creates a vibrant and exciting culture that I will be proud to be part of. Accordingly, I very much feel that my own personal and professional values are in line with Casterton’s values. It will be both an honour and a privilege to be the next Head, and I am very much looking forward to joining the School in January.

Which of our Ways of the Wolf values do you most identify with?

What one thing would you like pupils to take away with them when they finish at the Prep School?

I think every stage of education is preparation for the next, and so my goal is that each child leaves the Prep School feeling both ready and excited for their next educational challenge. The friendships formed at a Prep School are so important, and many become lifelong relationships. The environment in an excellent Prep School is truly special, and I love seeing the way the children both support and champion one another as they move through the years. Confidence is also incredibly important, not only in themselves, but also in their approach to life with its inevitable challenges. Prep Schools allow children to develop meaningful resilience, not only in the everyday wobbles we all can face, but also in the classroom. Ultimately we shall strive for the best educational outcomes for each child; not only when they finish the Prep School, but also when they finish the Senior School (and beyond).

What do you think makes Casterton, Sedbergh Prep School unique?

What do you see as your key priorities, initially and longer term?

Every school has its own rhythm, and I am mindful that it takes time to learn this. My key priority will be to involve myself in as many areas of school life as I can so that I can learn the ‘language of Casterton’. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone and feeling part of the Prep School family. Longer term, my priorities will be to continue to ensure the very best educational experience for our pupils. We will always be able to improve, and I am never complacent.

What is the best piece of life advice you have ever been given?

If you could take one book to a desert island, what would it be and why?

Such a tricky question….. I love reading, so narrowing a choice down to one book is very hard! I love fiction, but in this situation I might take a book I do own, but have never read, which is ‘What to do in an Emergency!’

What is your favourite sport? Who do you support in this sport?

As a PE teacher I love lots of sports, and a highlight of every week is supporting my teams (I can be rather vocal on the sidelines…) School sport is an amazing thing. I went to a state school (post the 1980s teacher strikes), and the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular sport was dire, and so I really value the importance of these opportunities for young people.

If you could have dinner with any person from history, who would it be and why?

Tell us about your family…

I am married to Simon, and we have one son, Ted, who joins Sedbergh in School House in September. My mum and dad were both teachers; and so is my sister, so teaching is very much in my blood.

Do you have any pets?

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In 2020, after finishing A levels in Geography (A), Psychology (B) and Economics (C) at Sedbergh, James’ planned gap year trip to New Zealand had to be cancelled due to Covid – so instead he went directly to Newcastle University. Not being completely convinced that he wouldn’t change his mind about working in agriculture, he undertook geography and business as a combined honours course – which he ultimately feels gave him a more rounded background. Throughout his time at uni James worked, “We farmed a few sheep at home – just on a small scale – I also did a couple of harvest seasons and carried on doing lambing seasons. In my final year I ended up working part-time as a trainee farm consultant at GSC Grays”.

Who are GSC Grays?

I’m a farm consultant and I work for GSC Grays. We cover a broad range of rural services; our biggest team is the farm consultancy team but we’ve also got land agents and specialists – whether it be planning and development, environmental consultants, that side of things. We cover a large majority of the rural services and we’ve got over 120 employees.

What’s going on currently in British agriculture?

You’ve probably seen that farming is in the headlines a lot lately. A part of that is that our farmers have lost what was called the basic payment scheme (BPS), which was essentially an annual payment effectively given to farmers in support of farming the land. It was part-funded by the European Union and when Brexit happened, the UK government announced that they wouldn’t be continuing with the BPS payment. Between now and 2027, there’s going to be a phasing out of the payments.

So farmers are currently receiving about half of what their BPS payment was and whilst you might think, oh well it’s all right because they’ll be making a profit elsewhere, it is surprising how many farmers relied on that payment to make sure they earnt a profit each year; there’s a lot of people seeing the effect of that. Other factors, like the import of meat from abroad, whilst it’s not helping and has always been there, there’s an increase in the awareness of its impact.

The situation is forcing a lot of farmers to really fine tune their businesses and bringing it down to the individual enterprises. So, say you’ve got an operation that’s got a beef and sheep farm that’s got three different breeds of sheep, two different breeds of cattle doing all sorts of different things. When you fine tune it down to that individual enterprise, so whether it be a store cattle finishing enterprise or whether it be a Texel flock enterprise for example, when you see how they’re performing, it’s forcing a lot of farmers to analyse that and say, effectively th

is enterprise is losing me money. This one’s making me money. Let’s move that effort into the enterprises that are actually going to make the farm profitable.

There is opportunity out there – whether its diversification, which is quite hot in the press at the moment – especially along the lines of setting up farm shops or campsites and really utilising the farm and the environment to benefit the business. That is having a big effect on a lot of businesses.

What are the careers in agriculture?

People need farmers to farm the land to feed the nation. It’s as simple as that. But there are other opportunities that come along as a result of farming. These include:

• Farm Business Consultancy
• Land Management
• Estate Agency
• Sales & Acquisitions – Estates, Farms and Country Houses
• Energy & Telecoms
• Valuations & Surveys
• Planning & Development
• Environment & Sustainability

What issues are impacting the agriculture at the moment?

You’re seeing in all the headlines at the moment is obviously the uncertainty at the forefront with what we saw at France when they were pretty much as funny as sounds spreading story on their parliament buildings to what we’ve seen in Wales with a big rally, there is uncertainty. Where does that come from? We’ve lost what was called the basic payment scheme, which was basically an annual payment given to farmers for effectively farming the land. It was part funded by the European Union, so when Brexit happened, it was announced by the UK government that they wouldn’t be continuing with the BPS payment.

So between now in 2027, there’s going to be what they call dealing payments down. So farmers are now receiving about half of their original BPS payment and whilst you might think, oh well it’s all right because they’ll be making a profit elsewhere, a lot of farmers relied on that payment to make sure they were in a surplus each year. It is forcing a lot of farmers to really fine tune their businesses and bringing it down to the individual enterprises. So, say you’ve got a beef and sheep farm that’s got three different breeds of sheep, two different breeds of cattle, they’re doing all sorts of different things. When you fine tune it down to the individual enterprises and you see how they’re performing, it’s forcing a lot of farmers to analyse and say, effectively this enterprise is losing me money; this one’s making me money. Let’s ship our effort into the enterprises that are actually going to make the farm profitable. But there is opportunity out there, for instance, diversification is quite hot in the press at the moment – especially setting up farm shops, campsites and really utilising the farm and the environment to benefit the business.

Farm consultancy: What do I actually do?

A lot of my job revolves around going to farms, sitting down, having a cup of tea, talking about sheep and cows – which to me actually sounds pretty ideal. When we get into the nitty gritty of their farming businesses, the variety of work that we do is enormous. Whether it’s looking at the farm management side and actually seeing an agricultural business which either the owner can’t or doesn’t want to farm themselves. They may be going down a joint venture route; whether that be contract farming or share farming. Either way they need somebody to manage what’s going on and monitor it and really understand what business decisions are being made and why they’re being made. That’s something that I personally really enjoy.

Every farm is different, every farm business is different and nobody understands the land like the farmers themselves. So, it’s really important to build up that relationship with your clients and make sure that it works both ways. While you might have all the information in terms of what’s available and what might be possible – but its got to work both ways so you’ve got to listen to the farmer and you’ve got to build that relationship.

With farm consultancy, no matter what firm you go into, you always get the opportunity to decide where you’d like to specialise. You might choose to specialise based on what your family have done historically with farming. It might be a particular interest that you’ve got yourself. I myself am on sheep and beef side of things, although I still have to do a bit of dairy and a little bit of arable where there is in the area. So you develop the ability to understand all the enterprises, but you do get the opportunity to specialise in what interests you.

In November, we were thrilled to announce the launch of Sedbergh Vietnam, a collaborative effort with EQuest Education Group aimed at delivering top-tier British education overseas. Since then, Sedbergh Vietnam has been diligently working to finalize its exciting rebranding and transition. In March, the school achieved the prestigious “CIS Accredited School” status from the Council of International Schools (CIS), a recognition that places it among the finest international educational institutions globally.

We were delighted to welcome representatives from Sedbergh Vietnam to our Senior School, allowing us to share our distinctive culture, heritage, vision, and values with them. The insights gained during their visit will greatly benefit Sedbergh Vietnam in further developing the Cambridge Curriculum and ECA programs, while also integrating Sedbergh School’s ethos into their own.

Reflecting on the fruitful visit, Headmaster Dan Harrison expressed his sincere appreciation for the time and effort our esteemed guests dedicated to learning more about Sedbergh School. He found it truly rewarding to exchange perspectives on culture, values, and history. We eagerly anticipate the future advancements in Vietnam and the opportunities they present.

Additionally, the representatives met with COO Peter Marshall, who extended heartfelt thanks to the Sedbergh Vietnam team for their keen interest in understanding Sedbergh School better. Their visit provided an opportunity to explore various aspects of our institution, ranging from campus design to curriculum. We eagerly anticipate how these insights will contribute to the growth of Sedbergh Vietnam and our partnership with EQuest.

Looking ahead to 2025, we anticipate the possibility of once again hosting Sedbergh Vietnam at our Senior School as we celebrate our momentous 500th anniversary.