David Clark, Headmaster of Battle Abbey School - Blog, 31st Jan 2014.

Dear Parents,

Despite the incessant rain, it has been a remarkably active and inspiring couple of weeks at BAS. Only last night, a full house at the PAC was treated to an evening of both curricular and extra-curricular dance. The audience gained a valuable insight into the thinking and ideas behind the performances and came to understand and appreciate the multifaceted nature of the subject. The energy, skill and creativity were captivating and the final dance, performed by the senior dance company, had us all entranced. It was a piece entitled Hourglass that they had performed to rave reviews at the recent Chelsea Dance Festival in Eastbourne. Well done to Miss Bryant and all those involved.

The Saturday before, Battle Abbey School hosted the regional meeting of the Open Discovery Space Project and combined it with a conference discussing how new technologies can help in schools. First up, speakers from the Prep and student speakers from the Senior School gave engaging and brilliantly researched presentations. The latter part of the afternoon focussed on the latest innovations in astronomy and participants got to ‘play’ with a stunning range of telescopes and learnt about the likes of ‘The Space Elevator’, ‘Extreme Astronomy’ and  ‘Target Asteroids’. Many thanks to Dr. D for all his hard work in, bringing Science to life once again in the historic surroundings of the Abbey.

I was delighted with the excellent turnout at our Careers Evening and I would like to thank both Mrs Morgan and Mrs Valentino for their efforts in staging such an informative occasion. Feedback from both students and parents was very positive and the intention is to continue holding such events in the future with talks from a wider range of different professions.

There are many more exciting events to look forward to in the coming weeks not least the Spring Disco and the next Evensong in the Abbotts Hall. In the meantime I would like to wish good luck to the students awaiting mock results and I look forward to catching up with Year 9 parents at the Options Evening next Wednesday.

Best wishes

David Clark

David Clark, Headmaster of Battle Abbey School - Blog, 17th Jan 2014.

Dear Parents,

I very much hope that you all spent a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas break and that 2014 proves to be a successful and fulfilling year.

The school term has resumed in earnest and the student body has readjusted to Abbey life in a typically positive and purposeful manner. Last Saturday, we hosted a very successful enrichment day and I would like to thank all the year 8 students for their help and support. Junior and Senior School play auditions have been in full flow too and we have been overwhelmed by the dramatic talent at the School. Equally, I would like to congratulate both James Slacke and Sultan Babaev who have been selected to represent England at the World Kickboxing Championships in Spain later this year – an exceptional honour for both of them.

The senior students have taken their mocks this week and I have been generally impressed with the way in which they have approached these exams – and by how hard they have worked. Additionally, our Upper Sixth students returned in good heart – buoyed by a flurry of fantastic UCAS offers (including some rarely granted unconditional offers) that has given them added motivation to face the challenges of their last few months in School.

As many of you probably know, Mr Payton sadly announced his impending retirement last term after 17 years of outstanding service to the School. He will be sorely missed by the whole student body and by his colleagues as well as by countless former students and parents. His retirement however, has given me the opportunity to potentially restructure the senior management of the school and details of that restructure will become clear over the course of this term.

Like us, you have all no doubt endured some punishing weather conditions over recent weeks. Alas – the end is not in sight and I daresay we will soon experience the chaos that is Britain’s transport system under snow. Can I stress that due to the boarding students living at the Abbey, the school will never fully close and we will make every effort to offer some sort of programme to as many students as possible. Could I therefor ask that you follow the instructions in this newsletter which will outline the procedures we will follow if and when the snow comes?

Best wishes

David Clark

David Clark, Headmaster of Battle Abbey School - Blog, 13th Dec 2013.

Dear Parents,

We have made it to the end of a very busy and successful term and there has been so much crammed into the last two weeks. The production of ‘Into the Woods’ was probably the most impressive student musical I have ever seen and the cast and staff are to be applauded for their extraordinary efforts in staging such a difficult yet captivating piece of theatre.

The dust had hardly settled on the play when the school launched itself into a simply amazing week of Christmas celebrations. Proceedings started on Sunday in the evocative setting of the ruins for the Evensong service. The choir did us proud as ever and we all enjoyed a very moving, very special occasion together. Attention turned to the Prep School on Monday as we took part in a wonderfully entertaining ‘Carols at the Gate’ which saw a combination of singing, dramatic story telling and the odd killer joke. Next, the Senior School hosted Carols round the Fire on Tuesday which was much appreciated by a packed audience in the Abbots Hall. Wednesday, unsurprisingly, didn’t give the students a chance to breathe as the 6th Form vs staff football match kicked off in front of a sell-out and highly partisan crowd. Thursday was soon upon us as we came to the memorable tradition of the Christmas lunch which, this year, was preceded by the 6th Form panto.  The turkey and trimmings were accompanied by some hearty singing and the most astonishing (and wacky!) paper fight I have ever seen – ably ‘refereed’ by both Mr Malewicz and Mr Payton. We just about managed to digest our Christmas pud before we headed to the Prep School to watch their panto of Dick Whittington – which saw every student from year 3 upwards participating in one way or another. I don’t imagine that any other school in the land does Christmas quite like Battle Abbey – it has been a truly spectacular week*.

I hope that, like me, you enjoyed the recent Time Team Special on the controversy surrounding the site of the Battle of Hastings. It was fantastic to see our school featuring so prominently on mainstream television and seeing the aerial views just reinforced how lucky we are to be part of this internationally significant historical community.

Finally – can I take this opportunity to thank all our staff and students for their many contributions this term and to wish you all a restful holiday and a very happy Christmas?

David Clark 

*Video highlights of Christmas week will be available to view on the school website in the new year.

David Clark, Headmaster of Battle Abbey School - Blog, 29th Nov 2013.

Dear Parents,

I have just had a fascinating hour with a former pupil who was at Battle Abbey School from 1957 to 1963. She reminisced fondly about various aspects of school life (though not about the lack of heating!) and then told me about how wonderful it was to celebrate the build-up to Christmas at the Abbey. Not surprisingly, she loved seeing the Christmas tree in the Abbott’s Hall and she was delighted to hear that many of the Christmas traditions that she enjoyed many years ago, were still going strong today. Needless to say, the whole school community is looking forward, with anticipation, to the many wonderful Christmas events over the next two weeks.

I experienced my first ever Scholar’s Music Concert last week and was completely overwhelmed by the talent on show that evening. It was particularly encouraging to see so many younger students performing with such confidence and assurance – music at Battle Abbey School is certainly in safe hands for many years to come. On that note, I do hope that as many of you as possible can join us next week for the production of ‘Into the Woods’ and for our Evensong in the Ruins – both are occasions not to be missed.

The boarding community at Battle Abbey plays a very special part in the wider family of the School. We are privileged to have students with us from 14 different countries ranging from Nigeria to Spain, from Hong Kong to Germany. I hope that, like me, you come to really value the unique contribution that they make to our School and I would urge all of us to continue to be as welcoming and hospitable as possible to our overseas contingent. Thanks also are due to all the boarding staff, teachers and matrons, who offer so much support to the boarders every day of the week.

Could I finally applaud my hockey team for their wholehearted commitment to the cause yesterday and also wish good luck to the equestrian team who are competing at Golden Cross this Saturday?

Best wishes

David Clark

David Clark, Headmaster of Battle Abbey School - Blog, 15th Nov 2013.

Dear Parents

Many things about Battle Abbey School have impressed me this term, not least the selfless attitude of the staff and pupils towards charitable endeavours. It is wonderful to see students taking a lead in campaigning for and supporting a variety of worthwhile charities. The engagement with the ‘Love in a Box’ project was hugely encouraging as was the student body’s response to Remembrance Day and to Mr Carver’s excellent and moving Assembly.

Another special aspect of Battle Abbey School is the fact that we are effectively one school in three parts. On that note, I have particularly enjoyed visiting and hosting the Prep School and Nursery on several occasions this term. It is the best therapy imaginable popping down to the Bexhill site on a weekly basis and being greeted by a sea of smiling faces as well as a tsunami of energy and enthusiasm. Furthermore, I managed to spend time meeting each year 6 pupil individually this week and was impressed  by their talents and with the way in which they interacted with me in such an open, confident and positive manner – they are a real tribute to their School.

Half-term has come and gone so quickly but I would like to thank all the staff who worked so hard to organise the very well-attended Harold’s Night Disco and the Languages Department for their efforts in overseeing another very successful German Exchange. I was also delighted with the success of the equestrian team over the holidays and I would like to congratulate Ms Malewicz on winning two silver medals in the recent Kick-Boxing World Championships – another exceptional achievement.

I was pleased to meet a good number of parents at the recent 6th Form Consultation Evening and I look forward to meeting more of you in the coming weeks. Finally – I hope to welcome as many of you as possible to the Music Scholar’s Concert next Tuesday.

Best wishes

David Clark

David Clark, Headmaster of Battle Abbey School - Blog, 18th Oct 2013.

Dear Parents,

It seems like only yesterday that I was addressing the School for the first time in whole School Assembly and already we have reached half-term – time really does fly when there is so much going on. On that note, I would like to thank all the staff and students for their efforts in making such a positive and purposeful start to the year.

One of the highlights for me over the last few weeks was Founders’ Day in early October. It was a very special
occasion and so good to see current and former students
mingling together. Equally, I will long remember the chat I had with a lady who joined the school in 1936, telling me in
amazing detail about how life was for her in those early days. Yesterday’s Harold’s Night Disco was another unique Battle Abbey occasion and I can’t imagine any other school in the country hosting a function that sees Prep School pupils and 6th formers enthusiastically sharing the same dance floor – just magical.

This term has also seen much success for students in academic pursuits, in sport, in music and the performing arts and you will be able to see details of that success in the pages of this newsletter.  I would especially like to applaud the achievements of the martial arts students with many of them grading and some are doing so well in the sport that they are on the cusp of national recognition. Congratulations are also due to Ms Malewicz on her recent selection to join the England squad for the World Kickboxing Championships in Cyprus over
half-term – a tremendous achievement.

Finally, we were all very sad to hear about Mrs Adams, mother of former Battle Abbey pupils Liam, Sophie and Holly who tragically lost her battle with cancer this week. The whole
family were tremendous supporters of the school and they made a large number of friends amongst staff and pupils alike, and so our thoughts and prayers are very much with them at this difficult time. My predecessor Roger Clark will be
attending the funeral on behalf of the School.

Best wishes.

David Clark

David Clark, Headmaster of Battle Abbey School - Blog, 27th Sept 2013.

Dear Parents,

I have just made it to my desk after witnessing a very exciting afternoon of sport. The senior girls’ hockey squad played a 6-a-side match against Uplands – and over four quarters emerged with a 10-9 win. It was a fantastic effort and, as their coach, I was immensely proud of what they achieved especially as some of the girls hadn’t picked up a stick in nearly a year.

This bodes really well for the season ahead and I am looking forward to taking them to more matches in the coming months. Congratulations must also be extended to Mr Mercer and his football teams who have made excellent starts to the term – with a win / loss ratio of 4:1 in our favour so far.

Also on the sporting front – I hugely enjoyed my visit to the Prep School for the charity ‘Race for Life’ in aid of Cancer Research. It was a lovely family occasion and dozens of children were faced with the daunting challenge of running round as many laps of the Prep fields as possible within the hour. I was there with my 2 year old son Henry and was hugely impressed when he managed to complete 7 laps unaided – 3 more than me!

The FOBAS Cheese and Wine Evening was an equally special occasion and I was grateful to have been able to meet with a good number of new parents. I am greatly indebted to FOBAS for their wholehearted support of the school and for their efforts in bringing parents, staff and pupils together.

Finally, I hope that you managed to receive a copy of the 2013 Battle Abbey School magazine and I would like to take this opportunity to thank both James Dennett and Jo Simpson for producing such a fantastic publication that gives a real insight into the many aspects of the school and its very talented students.

Best wishes

David Clark