E-weekly Issue 299 - 2 May 2025

Welcome

I've thoroughly enjoyed spending time this week looking at the incredible GCSE and A Level Art, Ceramics and Textiles work – such impressive talent on display.

Our Year 11 and 13 students continue to work with great focus as their exams draw near, with language oral examinations now underway. Meanwhile, Year 12 completed their mock exams today, and I’ve been so pleased to see the mature and thoughtful way they’ve approached the process.

I'm also really looking forward to seeing many of you at the Sports Dinner next week. It promises to be a fantastic evening, and we’re especially excited to be welcoming Funmi Fadoju, star of London Pulse and the Netball Superleague.

And finally – you should have received an email from me earlier today featuring my very first video message. Attempting to be brief on camera was no small feat for someone with a well-earned reputation for talking! Joking aside, I do hope you'll take a moment to watch it and share your thoughts – Mayfield has always been a true community, and we genuinely value the voice of our parents.

Wishing everyone a wonderful bank holiday weekend.

Deborah Bligh, Headmistress

In the News This Week...

Mayfield Girls Excel in LAMDA Exams!

The LAMDA results are in, and we are thrilled to announce that our Mayfield students have achieved Distinctions across the board! This is unprecedented at Mayfield, and is testament to the talent and hard work of all the actors, ranging from Years 8 - 13. The examiners were extremely impressed by the students' breadth of repertoire, from Shakespeare to gritty contemporary female playwrights such as Suzie Miller and Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini. We are extremely proud of all our young actors, many of whom have a bright future in the performing arts! 

Our next batch of examinations will be in November, so do sign up if you are interested. We have also welcomed Ms Canale as our new LAMDA teacher, who is a professional actor like Mrs Junemann, ensuring our students get the highest quality of teaching from industry professionals. 

LAMDA is a brilliant way to further your passion for drama and/or public speaking. You can take solo lessons, or work with a friend as a duologue, developing skills in vocal technique, confidence building and exploring different roles. The higher grades also provide UCAS points, and our LAMDA results at Mayfield are consistently high. If you are interested in taking LAMDA lessons, please contact Miss Allen (rallen@mayfieldgirls.org).

Mrs Jen Junemann, LAMDA Teacher

Martyna Wins Third Prize in Photography Competition

Martyna in Year 12 has won third prize in a Polish photography competition entitled "To Love a Man", submitting some of her photos from Mayfield. Martyna's photos have regularly featured in the e-weekly depicting the girls enjoying their Welly Walking activity and showing off the natural beauty of the school grounds and surrounding woodland. We are delighted that her photos have been awarded so highly, particularly since she was competing against professional photographers. Congratulations Martyna!

Information about the competition can be found below, translated from Polish:

The National Biennial of Photography "To Love a Man", under the patronage of the Association of Polish Art Photographers and the Mayor of the City of Oświęcim, refers to the International Festival of Non-Professional Films "To Love a Man". The Biennale has been held every two years since 1999 and transfers the idea of the festival to other forms of artistic expression. The aim of the biennale is to shape attitudes of love and respect towards man, to present photographic topics related to all aspects of life and to present creative aspirations and achievements in the topics defined in the programme slogan.

The Biennale is open to all photographers. It is attended by artists from all over Poland with many achievements, as well as people taking their first steps in the art of recording characters and events. The first biennale met with great interest among photographers, received acceptance from the community and was recognised by the Artistic Council of the Association of Polish Art Photographers as one of the most important photographic events in Poland. In thirteen editions of the biennale, 1244 authors took part in the competition, and submitted 6447 photographs. Entries were evaluated by the jury, which decided on the qualification for the competition, for the exhibition and on the prizes. These photographs are a wonderful read. Beautiful and moving. Filled with wisdom. Important. Dealing with obvious and basic matters.

Martyna's winning entries can be found on their website below, along with the other winners and honourable mentions:

Oświęcim Cultural Centre - XIV National Biennial of Photography To Love Man 2025 – post-competition exhibition

Sports News

We hit the ground running at the term started of term, literally!

Cricket
It was a tough first game of the season for the U13A team. The first day back of the summer term saw us travel to Bede's in a cricket league fixture and after losing the toss and being asked to bat first, we lost a quick wicket and found ourselves 1-1. A good partnership between Ana and Isobel got us up to 44-2 but once Ana was run out, the wickets fell and we were bowled out with the last ball of the innings after making 73. We started really well with the ball with Isla, Ana and Isobel all keeping the extras to a minimum and made Bede's work for their runs. Eventually, Bede's got over the line with 7 overs left. In the end, we just didn't post enough runs and give ourselves a chance to defend it; however, we bowled and fielded incredibly well which was pleasing. It was a decent performance against a strong Bede's team. There's plenty to work on as we move forward, however there were lots of positives to take.

On Saturday 26^th April, our senior 1st XI opened up their cricket season with a well-contested game away at Eastbourne College. After winning the toss and putting Eastbourne into bat, the girls started brilliantly as they got a run out in the first over. This trend of good fielding continued for a few overs as Annabelle, Maggie and Flo bowled some good overs and kept the Eastbourne girls under pressure. Maggie ran in at great speed and took a good wicket. The pressure then flipped onto our girls as Eastbourne started scoring runs freely. This resulted in our bowling and fielding taking a dip as we bowled more extras and after a few misfields, Eastbourne found themselves on 150-3. Flo Y then came back into the attack and took 2 wickets in successive balls. The hat trick wasn't to be and Eastbourne finished their innings on 153-6.

The run chase started with the girls scoring runs, but just not at the rate required. Flo B was seeing the ball well and got to 16 until she realised time was against her, tried to play more attacking strokes and was dismissed. Maggie top scored with a well made 17 but it wasn't to be as the girls finished on 104/5, a defeat by 49 runs. Our team included two Year 9s, four Year 10s, two Year 11s and four Sixth Formers for this game. Considering this, it was a brilliant effort from our girls who gave a strong Eastbourne team a good game. Had we remained focused in the field and attacked earlier with the bat, the game may have had a different outcome.

Exciting times for the season ahead!

In addition, our U15s played against Eastbourne College. Eastbourne scored 168 runs and Mayfield fell short of the total, but again, lots of positives and plenty to work on for the rest of the season.

Athletics
At the Diamond League Athletics, at Eastbourne Sports Park, there were some fantastic performances and Personal Bests being achieved, across the age groups, which bodes well for the next Diamond League events and the English School's competition in a fortnight.

We wish the athletes well for the Diamond League event at K2, Crawley tomorrow.

Tennis
Finally, the tennis competitions have also begun. The U15 Squad played their first match of the year at home to Seaford College in the LTA Youth Sussex Schools Competition.

On Monday, against Seaford College, each girl played one singles match, followed by a doubles match. It was great to see some quality tennis on display and the matches were all very well contested. In the singles, Savannah won her tie 6-3, with Emma, Darcey and Lizzie narrowly beaten (5-7, 5-7, 4-6). In the doubles, Savannah and Emma were beaten 2-6, with Lizzie and Darcey losing 4-6. Despite Seaford College having the edge over Mayfield on the day, there were some real positives to take into the upcoming fixtures. Well done to the four girls who played!

On Tuesday, Mayfield took four Year 10s to play in the School Sport Magazine National Schools U16 Tennis Cup away vs St Lawrence College. It was a competitive and challenging fixture on some tricky courts, but the girls put in a really positive display and played some good tennis. 

Final scores in the singles: 6-0, 6-7 (win), 6-2, 6-4.

Final scores in the doubles: 6-3, 4-6 (win).

Well done to Kitty, who came from 2-5 down to win her singles match 6-7 and keeping her nerve in the tiebreak. Darcey and Emma were able to win their doubles match 4-6, with Darcey demonstrating some strong net play and Emma controlling the tempo of the points from the baseline.

Final score: St Lawrence College won 4-2 overall.

Students Attend Inspirational Talk by Hari Budha Magar

Through the generosity of Mayfield parents Mr and Mrs Hakes, seven girls attended a truly inspiring talk last Friday by the first double amputee to summit Mount Everest – Hari Budha Magar, legendary mountaineer and former British soldier – at the Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells. This is what Charlotte and Annette had to say about it:

"Hari Budha Magar gave an inspirational talk, and I was truly amazed by his strong mindset in the face of difficulties and tough situations. He shared his journey of innovation and resilience, and how he eventually reached the summit of Mount Everest. I particularly liked the part when he said, "Limitation is in our mind." It made me realise that we should always stay positive and have confidence in our beliefs. His experience has also motivated me to face the challenges and work towards conquering my dreams. A big thank you to Mrs Kilvington, Mrs Aherne, and Miss Petty for organising such a special and memorable trip!" - Charlotte, Year 10

"I found Hari Budha Magar's talk incredibly inspiring and captivating. Through his motivational words, he demonstrated how resilience, determination, positivity and self belief can help overcome difficult challenges. His journey showed that through perseverance, anyone can 'climb their own mountain'. This talk was a memorable experience for me, and it has encouraged me to follow my dreams without giving up during harder periods. Thank you to Mrs Kilvington, Mrs Aherne and Ms Petty for organising this memorable trip." - Annette, Year 10

Year 9 & 10 Boarders Enjoy Yoga in the Sunshine

The boarders from St Gabriel's took part in a fun afternoon last Saturday learning some new yoga poses and having a go at practising some partner poses too. It was lovely to do Yoga outdoors and great fun seeing the girls taking part and most importantly having fun. They all deserved some well-earned relaxation afterwards!

Ms Corinne Richard, Teacher of French, Spanish & Yoga

Scholars Kick-Start Term with Thought-Provoking Talks

The first event on the Scholars' calendar this term was the Scholars' Tea last Thursday. Miss Petty, Director of Sport led a discussion on the history and ethics of performance enhancing drugs, and their impact not just on sport but on wider society. It was a fascinating exploration of cross-curricular themes and brought both Academic and Sports Scholars together to consider the wider ramifications of doping, considering the impact of the issue on geopolitics and the global economy, whilst not forgetting the individuals at the heart of the stories. Hopefully this will be the start of even more collaboration and discussion between different groups of scholars.

Scholars' Society also kicked off this week with a look at some different types of Oxbridge interview questions, including 'Tell me about a lightbulb', 'What would happen if the Classics Department burnt down?' and 'What is the point of using NHS money to keep old people alive?' The scholars engaged particularly strongly with the last question and it was very reassuring to ultimately see idealism trump pragmatism! 

Mrs Kasia Kilvington, Director of Scholars

Year 9 Explore Mayfield for Bronze DofE Practice

Last weekend, 25 of our Year 9 girls headed into the beautiful countryside around Mayfield for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Practice Expedition — a crucial step in their journey toward achieving one of the UK’s most respected and recognised youth achievement awards. The expedition forms part of the DofE Bronze Award, which also includes volunteering, physical activity, and skill development.

Our four Bronze teams successfully navigated a different route each day, designed to test their map-reading skills, teamwork, problem solving skills and resilience whilst carrying rucksacks packed full of essentials including waterproofs, sleeping bags and enough food to feed a small army!

Highlights of the weekend included cooking meals on Trangia stoves and setting up tents at the campsite (aka Mayfield School), many for the first time. All of the school’s DofE staff were impressed with the teams' enthusiasm and determination and felt that the Practice Expedition was a real learning curve for all the teams.

The Bronze DofE Assessed Expedition will take place later in June and the teams are already planning improvements based on what they learned from their Practice Expedition.

Well done to all involved — and best of luck for your Bronze DofE Assessed Expedition later in the summer. My thanks, as always, goes to Mayfield’s wonderful and enthusiastic DofE staff, who help me to run the expeditions.

Mrs Mary Saunders, DofE Manager

Curry & Quiz Night - Friday 9^th May

Our curry & quiz night is just around the corner! If you have yet to book your place, please do so using the link below.

Book your places here

Chaplaincy News

The Conclave
In 1270, the Cardinals of the Catholic Church had deliberated for over two years, but failed to elect a new pope. The people of Viterbo - entirely fed up at this point - rounded up the cardinals and locked them in the Episcopal Palace, rationing their food, and boarding up the windows. When this didn't produce consensus, they removed the roof. Incredibly, it took a further year to finally elect Pope Gregory X!

One of Pope Gregory's first priorities (understandably!) was to reform the papal election process, establishing the famous conclave (literally "with key" - locked in). And this is the process that will begin in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday of next week. The cardinals will be locked in, and the whole world will wait for the famous white smoke and the announcement "Habemus Papam" - we have a Pope! (Or in full:  “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; Habemus Papam.”)

The election process is expected to take around two days, though may stretch to three (if only two, then next Friday's e-weekly should be a doozy!). If a consensus hasn't been reached after three days, the cardinals will take a rest day before continuing their deliberations.

Here's a slideshow produced by the diocese of Arundel and Brighton, if you'd like to learn more about the election process.

The Conclave

In the meantime though, I hope you'll join me in praying for the humility and discernment of the electors, with a short, simple prayer:

Lord God,
hear our prayers for the cardinals
entrusted with electing a successor to the Apostle Peter.
May they be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit
as they discern the needs of the Church in this age.
May they choose a worthy shepherd
to lead us and guide us.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Next Week's Daily Prayers

Daily Prayers 5-9 May
Mass on Sunday is at 11am. Please note the changed time. Holy half hour on Tuesday evening is at 6pm. All are welcome!

Mr Ronan Lavery, Chaplain

From the School Shop

Welcome back everyone, we hope you had a good Spring Break and thank you for bringing the fine weather with you.

New in the School Shop
We carry suntan oil / cream at Factor 50 in the school shop and some after sun lotion. We also have Mayfield school caps. Please ensure you cover up and protect yourselves from direct sunlight on warmer days.

Further to the PE department's email to parents, I can confirm that athletic vests are being stocked in the school shop. These are plain navy with the Mayfield logo on them. These retail at £12 each (including VAT) and are optional.

Sister Jean's Marmalade - Last Call!
We only have 10 pots left, and once they are gone, sadly we will not have any more. Each pot is £2.50 (cash only please) and all proceeds go to Mary’s Meals.

Revision and Exam Aids
We carry stationery essentials in the shop including clear pencil cases, calculators, maths sets, pens etc. If you think there is anything you would like us to have to assist you in revision and the exams, please email sbowles@mayfieldgirls.org with your suggestions.

Year 11 & 13 - Second Hand
Once you are on study leave and have a reduced need for certain parts of your uniform, if you wish to send this back to the school shop for second hand, please do the following:

1. Please make sure you have uniform for Mayfield Day which is on Saturday 21^st June – including your house polo.
2. Make sure all the items are washed and ironed. If we must launder them, we will consider the item a donation as we will need to cover the cost of laundering them - this includes ironing.
3. Please make sure they are the current uniform. We do not take back obsolete uniform (i.e. Kukri sports kit or items with the old logo – no cross in the centre, old house polos or wrap round and zip kilts etc).
4. We do not take back things like white shirts, swim caps, hockey socks etc, but you can send them in and they will be responsibly recycled.
5. All items must be in good condition - have no holes, rips, broken zips, or stains and not be faded.
6. You may leave the names on them; we can remove these for you.
7. If you are in doubt, send it all in and what we cannot take for second hand we will recycle for you.
8. Items taken in (and not sent for recycling) will be credited to your school shop account straight away. Therefore please make sure all items you wish to sell are with us by the last day of term. After Friday 4^th July any items received if you are leaving, will be considered a donation as your account will be shut. For those in Year 11 going into Year 12, if we receive items after term has ended , we will credit you on the next available bill run.
9. We respectfully ask to remind you that there is no official agreement to take back second hand and the credit we give you is final and non-negotiable. If we deem an item too old or in too poor condition to sell, we will just dispose of it responsibly. Likewise, if we have too many of a specific item, we will not be able to credit.
10. For Year 11 - please remember to keep your sport bag and any sport kit you know you will need for next year. If you are unsure of your sport choice yet, please keep all your sport kit and then bring items you will not need to me in the Autumn term once you have chosen your sport.

Name Tapes
If you are leaving us, and you had the naming service please come to the school shop and collect any surplus name tapes towards the end of term.

Mrs Susan Bowles, School Shop Manager

Save the Date - Michaelmas Fair 2025

 

Photo of the Week

Our favourite photos this week come from our welly walking group, discovering the beauty of bluebells in the woods on Tuesday, and keen welly-walker Elsie who shares a photo of a flower she came across on her travels around the school grounds. There are splashes of colour everywhere you look! 

We would love to receive submissions for future 'photo of the week' stories. Please send your chosen photos to jtompsett@mayfieldgirls.org.