Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96CovenTrian foreword 2016 This last academic year has been punctuated by a number of important milestones in our rich heritage. The start of the year saw the 40th Anniversary of the School becoming co-educational and it was a real pleasure to welcome back a number of the very first girls who entered the school in 1975. Their stories and anecdotes were hugely entertaining. Needless to say, the school has worked to develop and perfect its approach to co-education in the last 40 years. A constant throughout this time has been the warmth and welcoming nature of the community that these very first ‘Old Coventrian girls’ were eager to report. The School also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the death of one of its most prestigious, recent Old Coventrians, Philip Larkin. The symposium, organised to celebrate Larkin’s works last December, was well attended by academics and dignitaries alike, keen to share their thoughts on Larkin’s work. The relative quiet of the last Easter holidays saw the 75th anniversary of the air raid that devastated the school during the Second World War – arguably the closest the school has come in its 471 year history to permanently closing down. Events of this significance create a legacy which is both interesting and influential and we are privileged to belong to a community that has found a way to endure for so long. These collective experiences affect the approach of the school in a positive way, building our resilience. We should not forget our responsibilities as custodians of this heritage, and allow this tradition to reinforce our sense of belonging and strength. Thankfully, school inspections occur just once every six years. This last year saw a team of seven visiting inspectors arrive at the school in February, and for the first time during my tenure as Headmaster. There was some natural anxiety attached to this process, despite the huge amount of preparation that was made. Happily, the inspectors left at the end of the week having confirmed that the School was in the best health. We were rated ‘Excellent’ in every category of school operation. No other local independent school can boast this accolade. This phenomenal achievement has rightly been a source of pride for the whole school community and the Inspection Report will mark a high point in the efforts of our current batch of staff and students to add to the heritage of the School. The academic success of the School has always been a fundamental part of our educational DNA. I’m delighted to report that our current students have continued this tradition. Sixth Formers secured 99% pass rate at A level, with a five year high of 47% of all grades being an A* or A. An outstanding achievement. Three quarters of all results were awarded grades of A*, A or B. You have to go down to as low as 32nd on the order of merit before encountering a pupil that had anything other than all A* or A grades in their A level exams. It was also the year to have the surname ‘Smith’ as our three students with this label managed to amass 10 A* grades between them. Our GCSE results were also impressive with 60% of all those taken being awarded the top grades of an A* or A. A significant improvement on the previous year. A third of the students secured at least nine grades at A* and A. All but a few have progressed into the Sixth Form and we are well set to continue the success at A level in due course. On the sporting front, the year has seen a distinct variety in the success of individuals, with national champions in swimming, orienteering and horse riding. We’ve also had a professional sportsman as a current student in the Motorbike Supersport World Championship. If you add to the mix a member of the British Team for rollerblading hockey (the international competition was in Hawaii), then you get a real sense of the extent of talent among our current students. A highlight of the year in performing arts was the clarinet quartet who were finalists in the National Chamber Music Competition. This was accompanied by the news that the school had been awarded the Pro Corda Founders Trophy, awarded to a Music department that has made an outstanding contribution to schools’ chamber music at a national level. The profile of the School at a national level in music has never been stronger. The ‘Great Gatsby’ and ‘The Lion King’ were our main productions during the year and both were huge successes, particularly for the obvious enjoyment of the cast that was a high point in each case. Outdoor Education continues to form a huge part of the school’s extra curricular provision, complementing in a very positive way the School’s desire to provide a holistic education. No less than 84% of our Year 10 have now signed up for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Bronze Level. Our success was rewarded last Summer with an invite for Mrs Wade and myself to Buckingham Palace to help Prince Philip celebrate the 60th anniversary of the scheme. The School were also winners, at junior and senior level, of the ‘Tour de Trigs’, an international hiking competition. Our aim, at King Henry VIII School, is to develop an environment in which every single student is given the opportunity and support to achieve a level of performance beyond that which they might otherwise achieve elsewhere. This aim encompasses all children, to suit their individual interests and aptitudes. You will see in the following pages that Mr Sweetman (our new editor of The Coventrian) and his team, have done a fantastic job in capturing the diverse range of activities on offer at Henry’s and how our young people continue to build on the School’s long history. Mr Jason Slack, Headmaster 4 | The CovenTrian