You are reading the online edition of the Old Camdenians Newsletter, September 2023.

Dear Old Camdenians

Welcome back from the Summer holidays. It has been a fantastic start to the new academic year and it is great to see all our learners focused on their learning. There has been a warm welcome to our new Year 7 families. We have been hosting visits from prospective students who are currently in Year 6 and I am very proud to show off the school to visitors who comment on how calm and focused our young people are in their lessons. We must also celebrate the achievements of our Year 11 students who did extremely well in their GCSE results. The improvement in all our GCSE measures was great to see as this was the first year of a return to normal GCSE exams after the pandemic. The focus now switches to our new Year 11 and their preparation for mock exams in November.

In other news Beacon High and the other Federation schools (EGA & Vittoria) will cease to be part of the Federation from the end of this term. It is time to plan for the future as a stand alone school once again. The partnership has proved fruitful in getting the school back on track but in order to further develop we must seek new partnerships.

We would also like to draw your attention to an article published in the Evening Standard: School pioneers: why exclusion is not the answer | Evening Standard . As a response to our work on reducing exclusions we have been inundated with requests from other schools across the country who want to visit to look at the ground breaking work we have done in supporting all young people on their journey to success. Please also see our go fund me page where we are raising funds to help our asylum seekers and refugee students purchase uniforms: Fundraiser by Beacon High: Uniforms for disadvantaged secondary pupils; any donations greatly received. Alan Streeter

There is much going on as we head into autumn. First off, many congratulations to the school’s students and staff on their excellent GCSE results. As Ray reports below, some of us were in attendance on results day in August, and it was a pleasure to see so many smiling faces.

The Futures Federation of schools, of which Beacon High has been a part, is being dissolved, with each school becoming a standalone entity, for their future benefit. Sarah gives details below, together with an appeal for new governors. if you feel you can contribute in this way, please step forward.

As it has throughout the year, the Old Camdenians Club continues with financial support for the school in sports and social activities, particularly in the provision of kit for the girls’ football team, and an award for sporting excellence.

Our celebrated alumnus Laurence Marks below gives a taster of what he will say at the Annual Lunch. Somewhat guiltily, I have to report that I won’t be there myself as I shall be in Australia for a long delayed family get-together. I hope to be able at least to be a remote presence at the AGM on Zoom, time difference and technology permitting.

Marta Monteiro, one of our bursary beneficiaries, gives an account below of her action-packed summer, including a joyful reunion with her younger brother in Portugal, a pleasure to read. See too the moving story of John Fransman, a Holocaust survivor who became a pupil at the school in the late 1950s; also Kathleen Maxwell’s account of the life of her stepfather RJ King, a pupil, teacher and ultimately headmaster of the school until he left in 1953 to take the reins at Highbury Grove.

Do keep sending in your stories and reminiscences, and remember to book your place at what promises to be an entertaining Annual Lunch. I shall be there in spirit! Denis Piggott

Dear all
We hope you had an enjoyable summer holidays and were able to fit in some well-deserved time off.
Our school teams were busy over the break preparing for the new school year and we hope our students are ready to hit the ground running. We welcome all our newcomers and wish everyone the best of luck in the upcoming year.

As you will all be aware, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (EGA), Beacon High & Vittoria (our newly formed primary school which has combined the former Copenhagen and Vittoria primary schools) form part of Islington Futures Federation. The Federation was set up in 2018 when it was felt that our schools would benefit from the opportunity to share resources, knowledge, experience and costs over the wider group. We have celebrated many successes in that time, with all of our schools being graded Outstanding/Good by Ofsted.

After much deliberation the Federation Governing Board has come to the decision that the time has come for the Federation to dissolve and for the schools to continue along their own individual paths. The date for the Federation dissolution has been set as 12th December 2023 – on that date individual school Governing Boards will also be established.

As a Governing Board we are confident that, by December, the schools will be in a strong position to move forward. Post-Federation we will be able to expand the individual Governing Boards with more Governors and we will use the time between now and December to recruit new Governors and train everyone on all
aspects of governance. If you are interested in becoming a Governor in one of our schools please contact Hilary Furey, the Federation Governing Board’s Clerk (Hilary.Furey@islingtonfutures.org).

Removing the overarching Federation Governing Board will allow each school committee to focus on their individual schools, which will be of a great benefit to students, staff, parents and the local community.

The work to make the above happen will go on in the background and there will be no impact to our everyday school lives. This is an exciting opportunity and there is a strong feeling within the Federation Governing Board that this is a decision that will only strengthen our schools.

If you have any questions regarding this matter please feel free to reach out to the Governing Board or the individual Headteachers.

Here’s to another successful year ahead! Sarah Evans

The following letter was sent to the Rt. Hon Gillian Keegan MP, Secretary of State for Education, on 14 September 2023

Dear Secretary of State,
I am writing to inform you that, pursuant to School Governance (Federations) (England) regulations 2012, the Governing Board of Islington Futures Federation of Community Schools met on Tuesday 12 September 2023 and formally approved the dissolution of the Islington Futures Federation comprising of Beacon High School, Islington (URN: 100453); Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, Islington (URN: 100457); and Vittoria Primary School, Islington (URN: 100426).
Background
Islington Futures Federation was established in September 2018 and initially comprised Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Secondary School (EGA), Beacon High Secondary School, Vittoria Primary School and Copenhagen Primary School. The Federation has been able to celebrate many successes since its establishment, however after much deliberation and discussion the Islington Futures Federation Governing Board has decided to dissolve the Federation as of 12 December 2023. This decision has not been taken lightly and we have noted below a number of deciding factors:
Economies of Scale
The Federation would have potentially performed at its optimum with a minimum of six schools, however, again, due to many factors, including the drive for schools to join Multi Academy Trusts, the Federation was unable to reach this number. This meant that we were unable to reach the economies of scale that we had hoped for. Due to falling pupil numbers in Islington and following a Local Authority proposal and subsequent consultation process, it was decided to amalgamate Vittoria Primary School and Copenhagen Primary School. This is an exciting prospect for the newly formed school, its students, staff and local community, however with it being the only primary school in the Federation, it raises the question as to whether it will fully benefit from being part of Islington Futures Federation with two secondary schools. This amalgamation reduces the Federation to three schools which again has an economy of scale impact.
Costs
Nationally, many schools are struggling financially, and all costs are being scrutinised. It was felt that the Governing Board was no longer in a position to ask the schools to contribute towards the overarching Federation Senior Leadership Team costs and a decision was made in June 2023 to make the Federation Executive Head position redundant. The Federation School Business Manager also retired in August 2023. These changes have had a positive financial impact on the schools, however removing this layer has resulted in additional work for the Governors, Headteachers and School Teams. Without this layer of support, looking to expand the Federation, be it by increasing the number of schools or investigating further opportunities for the existing schools to share resources, costs etc is difficult.
Governing Board
The previous Federation Chair of Governors stepped down in September 2022 and an Interim Chair of Governors was appointed. As is known nationally, Governor recruitment is currently a struggle, and this has been highlighted by the fact that we have not been able to find a permanent replacement. The Interim Chair is planning to stand down and a Governing Board cannot exist without a Chair. It is felt that with three schools being covered in some of the Federation meetings, proper scrutiny and discussion is limited. Currently, all Governors need to have a high-level understanding of each school and, post-Federation, Governors will be able to fully focus on their individual schools which in turn will benefit the schools, students, staff and local community. Post-Federation, we will also be able to extend the number of Governors per individual school committee, via the Instrument of Government which will assist with workloads and give each school the opportunity to recruit Governors with required skills. Each of the remaining schools have outstanding/good Ofsted ratings.
Summary
As agreed by the Governing Board, the current Governance arrangements will continue until Tuesday 12 Elizabeth Garrett Anderson December 2023 when Islington Futures Federation will dissolve and individual School Governing Boards will immediately be established. As maintained schools the new governance arrangements will be implemented under the auspices of Islington Local Authority. The School Governance (Federations) England Regulations 2012 require that the Local Authority establishes temporary governing bodies for schools leaving a Federation. It has been agreed that Islington Futures Federation Governing Board will work in conjunction with the Local Authority to put in place post-Federation individual School Governing Boards. The current Governing Board will work on post-Federation committee structures, the training of existing Governors and recruitment of new Governors. This decision has been agreed and approved by the Islington Futures Federation Governing Board as outlined in The School Governance (Federations) England Regulations 2012, and all stakeholders will be notified of this decision.
Yours sincerely
Hilary Furey
Council Tax Clerk to the Governing Board of Islington Futures Federation of Community Schools

If you are interested in becoming a Governor in one of our schools please contact Hilary Furey, the Federation Governing Board’s Clerk (Hilary.Furey@islingtonfutures.org).

I wish Sarah and Hilary all the best over the next three months to identify Governors for Beacon High School. We remember our own George Ives who was handed the Islington Education Services award for Long and Outstanding Service in recognition of his 14 years as Governor of Holloway School – if you are interested please contact Hilary or me.

Denis Piggott, Panos Nicolaides and I were invited to attend Year 11’s exam results day in August. We had a great time talking to many new Old Camdenians who left the school this year, including the Headteacher’s Ambassadors, about the club and the Bill & Nora Wraight Old Camdenians Memorial Fund. You will be meeting some of them at this year’s annual lunch.

The Committee have been busy supporting the girls football team and Sports Leaders with dedicated outfits which they are proud to wear and that carry the club’s logo and ‘Old Camdenians’. Sports Leaders are chosen from years 8 and 9 and are seen by many outside the school, especially primary schools and parents who have yet to decide which school their children should attend. Sports Leaders relinquish their role in year 10 to concentrate on their exams. They get to keep their Sports Leaders tops as a memento. Also, we have donated £1,000 to the school to be used to support pupils in their chosen sport: it is to be known as the ‘Old Camdenians Sports Bursary’. This will be reviewed annually by the Committee. In addition, Joe Fox, Director of Learning (KS4), asked if the club could assist with Year 11 Graduation Celebrations 2023; we donated £100 and they had a great time too – see below.

I am very grateful to Laurence Marks, Des Fanning, Kathleen Maxwell, John Fitzgerald and Christy Durand for their most welcomed contributions to our newsletter – thank you!

Our President has given us authority to place a memorial plaque and photograph of George and Pam Ives in the meeting room at the school. It became their office for so many committee meetings over the years and venue of many ‘Dining In the President’ functions. A fitting tribute to our two stars who gave 75 years dedicated support of the club, the school and its pupils. The unveiling ceremony will take place after the AGM and before our Annual Lunch. Hopefully, Dr Jane Steele will be there representing their family.

The AGM will be available on Zoom for anyone who wants to join us – let me know and I will send you the Zoom ID and Password.

Lastly, I am looking forward to seeing you again at our 96th Annual Lunch at the school, on 27th October 2023. I am keen to hear Laurence Marks transport us to the beginning of what is now known as The Swinging Sixties, so, please ensure that you have booked your place. Just send me an email to confirm and state with whom you would like to be seated. Ray Rowe

Year 11 Graduation Celebration 2023

Old Camdenians Sports Bursary

Melina Sankey Academy U15 Bronze Medal

Update from Henry T Gaspard Black Arrow Badminton Club

Melina continues to train on a Monday evening at Queensbridge Sports Centre with Black Arrows Coach Wayne Bridgeman and making good all-round progress. She attended 2 Middlesex Junior 4-day training camps over the summer in July and August to prepare players for the new county season. As a result of her tournament performances and at the training camps, she has been selected to represent Middlesex at U17 level representing the 1st team. Melina has competed in the Sankey Academy U15 Bronze tournament in Milton Keynes on the 2nd of September, where she won a Bronze medal in the Girls Singles. Melina has also competed in the DKWAY U15 Bronze tournament in Biggleswade on the 3rd September, where she again won a Bronze medal in the Girls singles, and just missed out on a Bronze medal in the Girls doubles. Melina will be competing in the Middlesex County Junior Restricted tournament on Saturday 7th October to establish her county ranking in Singles and Doubles. Melina will be competing in the Sankey U15 Bronze tournament on Sunday 8th October, playing both singles and doubles, where she is hoping to be amongst the medal winners again.

Melina is very much part of the Black Arrows family and has been embraced and supported by fellow coaches and players alike. She is actively involved on a Sunday morning working alongside myself at Britannia Leisure Centre, helping to Coach our Junior club members, where she is proving to be a great ‘Role Model’ for our female members, who are inspired by her playing ability, but more so of her willingness to help them improve and how humble she remains.  She certainly is someone we can be all be proud of, not only for her playing ability, but also for her willingness to learn and improve, to help others, to remain grounded and humble in her achievements to date. Henry T Gaspard

At this early stage in the new academic year and since the last newsletter last term and the intervening summer break, there is not very much to update you on.

The club is very grateful for any and all donations that we receive to make our donations to the school. However, since we do not have a members’ subscription fee our only other source of income is through the George Ives 50+ Club membership. Please help us to realise future causes and help change a life by joining the George Ives 50+ Club, which is £60 per year or a standing order of £5 per month. A number between 1 and 59 is selected and that is entered into a monthly draw which is determined by the first two numbers drawn in the National Lottery. Prizes are £100 (£200 in November) and £20 (£50 in November).  For more information contact us here.

Dear OCC

I hope everyone is well and had a lovely summer. I had one of the most interesting summer holidays this year. For once, I was sent to work in Andalucía for four days by my agency with a couple of my work colleagues. It was really fun and different; I met a lot of people from both the UK and Spain and got a chance to better my Spanish. I also travelled to France for the 1st time and stayed in Paris for a week, then I went to Portugal and stayed there two and a half months. I visited places and cities I had never been before, and it was nice to see new things and landscapes in my home country. Lastly, and I truly believe this must have been fate, I got to spend this month with my little brother, whom I hadn’t seen since he was three years old. It was bittersweet as I was so happy to see him, but I felt a little sad knowing we did not have the opportunity to grow around each other. In conclusion, it was a very enjoyable summer, and I am super grateful I got to experience these things this year. The other good news is that I passed all my modules this year and didn’t have to do a resit and I couldn’t be more proud of myself. I’m hoping that this year I can navigate through student life smoothly as my lectures start next week. Many thanks for reading and I wish everyone a lovely day. Marta.

You too can request details from our members to locate friends from school – just ask!

I am responding to Peter Eden’s request in the June Newsletter for information on people in his photograph of prefects. I remember Peter well from the A-level zoology/botany lessons we had with our biology teacher, Louis Watt. Louis was a wonderful teacher with an absolute dedication to improving the lot of those who were lucky enough to be his pupils. Peter and I were part of a tiny class which also included Alan Skye and a chap who suffered from asthma who, I think, was called Jenkins. As to the photograph, I know most of the names.

Bottom row L to R: Don’t know the first but next comes Ben Barker, Alan Mitchell (School Captain), Mr Bristow (I think) (Dep Head), Mr Brown (Head), “Bunny” Griffiths (Dep Head), Brian Collings, David Lee, John Fransman.
Top Row L to R: Me, Tony Tapping, Peter Eden, Derek Sweeting, Don’t know, Alan Smith, Reg Pritchett, Harry Levy.

Prefects and staff 1957

The only one I’ve kept in touch with is Brian Collings who has lived for many years in Australia. We used to meet up on his trips back here and a few years ago my wife, Val, and I had a very enjoyable time with him and his wife in their country.

You may know that John Fransman is a Holocaust survivor (see below). He tells the full story of his frightful childhood in Belsen Concentration Camp in a YouTube video created earlier this year – ” A Dutch Jewish Survivor’s recollections of the Holocaust, John Fransman”. I gather from the video that John now lives in Jerusalem.

As for me, I am embarrassed by my time at school. I was lazy and disruptive – a teacher’s nightmare. And it’s a great tribute to the school and staff that despite this, I was given what I regard as a superb education. After National Service, I fell into the Civil Service at a very basic level but woke up to the need for hard work and managed to create a fascinating and rewarding career, advising ministers in a number of policy areas. I had a career change at 50, when Val and I went into business together in Somerset, where we still live. Thankfully, we succeeded, creating employment for 16 people, and retiring 13 years ago. I am now engaged almost full-time, caring for Val, who sadly has Alzheimer’s. As a third career this is more difficult than the other two, but every bit as rewarding. Des Fanning

John Fransman was born on 14 August 1939, in Amsterdam and is a Holocaust survivor. He studied at Holloway School (1957/59) and went to Southampton University where he gained a degree in maths. John now lives in Israel and is shown below being interviewed by Lee Shackleford who has made a film about the Death Train at Magdeburg, which John and his mother were on in April 1945. I have included Lee’s post that gives you further information. Ray Rowe

Lee Shackleford, John Fransman, Mike Edwards, and Matt Rozell.

“Today we interviewed our first survivor from the train near Magdeburg.

John Fransman was seven years old in April 1945. He remembers when his family had been ordered to leave their home to “work in the German war effort.” They were promised a good home, fair pay, and so on – when of course they were really being sent to slavery and deprivation in the concentration camps. They were imprisoned first at Westerbork and then at Bergen-Belsen, where John’s father died of starvation. He remembers that people at Bergen-Belsen were dying faster than they could be buried, so there were stacks of dead bodies all around. One day word reached John’s mother that it would be possible to leave the camp on a train – a train to where? They did not know and most did not care — it was a way out of Bergen-Belsen!

(This was a remarkable insight for us since we have assumed everyone on the train had been forced into it. Apparently some were given a choice in the matter!)

John in his own words:

“My mother thought it would be better for us to… get out of the camp, because conditions were so awful. We went on this train and it went through the German countryside. It was going eastward — we didn’t know where. Some days it would go forward and then retrace some of its steps — it was going backwards and forwards…”

John and his mother learned later that the Nazi train soldiers had been ordered to transport everyone to Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia where a new extermination centre was under construction. Then the Nazis on the train received new orders as the Allies approached: drive the train over the destroyed bridge north of Magdeburg and drown everyone in the Elbe River.

But then the train stopped!

“… we saw the German officers of the train… they got together, were all tearing up their papers and they were burning them — having a little bonfire. They took off their uniforms and then they disappeared … they put civi [civilian] clothes on and then they disappeared into the forest!” “And thankfully, yes, the Americans found us in good time …!”

John observed, quite seriously, that you can see in his height the effect of poor nutrition in his early life. The other guys in the photo were indeed blessed”.
Post by Lee Shackleford
17th April 2023

I attended school 1979-1984 when it was a rough place to be. My form teacher was Angela Wasserman, who then became Angela Arnold. I wondered if any of these are members or still around. People in my class were: Mark Burdis; Michael Bradley; James Conway; Stephen Ellis; Mark Powell; Arnold Pridie; Ian Eldridge; Erkan Beyt; Sean O’Neil; Stephen Inskip (until he was bullied out); Steven Cartmill; Pritam Gopal; John ; and John Nyack. I actually remember school as non-stop years of fighting and violence. Maybe that’s why I am a PMC. Christy Durand

I was clearing out a top shelf, while I am still able, and discovered some photographs from my stepfather’s time at Holloway School. He was RJ King.

Richard J King was born on 5th August 1904 and was a pupil at Holloway School from about 1915 when he must have gained some kind of scholarship. Prior to that he had attended Burleigh Road school, I believe.

He went up to Cambridge in 1923, and graduated from Christ’s College in 1926, gained a teaching award in 1927, and a Masters degree in 1930, also from Cambridge. His subject was History, and his speciality was Constitutional History.

His first teaching post was at Dorchester Grammar School. I am not sure when he took up the post at Holloway, except that it was probably around 1930.

He was evacuated with the school, as indeed were my father and mother, to Northamptonshire when WW2 broke out, to Towcester, Paulerspury, and Hulcote. In fact Holloway School played a very large part of my life from the age of three months, when I was taken to my first summer camp at Royden in Essex.

He married my mother in the Spring of 1943, after the untimely death of my father, TN Jones, formerly a master in the modern languages department of Holloway School, from acute myeloid leukaemia in 1941, and became, not Uncle Richard any longer, but my Dad. And a great father he was to me, seeing me through my childhood, my rebellious teenage years, my departing for St. Andrew’s University, to my marriage to a Scot from Edinburgh whom he made very welcome as part of his family, and as a much loved grandfather to our two daughters.

It was with great sorrow that he eventually had to leave Holloway School in 1953 to take up his new position as Head of Highbury School, just down the road. Holloway had been his life, and ours, for so long that it seemed strange not to attend the many functions held at the school anymore. There had been speech days, Red House parties, cricket matches up at the sports field in North Finchley, summer camps for forestry, or harvesting, or fruit picking , Open days, and suchlike that we all missed. But life goes on, and he served as Headmaster at Highbury School until it was comprehensivised in, I think, 1965.

My parents then moved to York in their retirement where RJK discovered a love of gardening, and visiting gardens. And visiting my new home in various areas of Edinburgh and Fife.

Richard J King died on 6th June  1976, aged 71 years, his sudden death came as a great shock to us all and left an enormous hole in our lives which remains to this day. His funeral and cremation were held at Warriston Crematorium in Edinburgh , a very quiet affair with just my mother, myself and my husband present, and one or two others whose names I didn’t know. He had dropped dead at Ratho, near Edinburgh, on the way to visit us for a holiday on the first day of the notorious heatwave of 1976. He had just parked the car to see if a hub cap had dropped off a wheel. My mother thought it had. His heart, which was weakened by illness, just gave up in the heat. It was a terrible time for all of us, but it was quick for him with little suffering, and little fuss. He did hate fuss! He had reached his three score years and ten, much to his own satisfaction, but if only he could have seen his two granddaughters grow up and go to university. He would have been so very proud of them.

He was a great person who made the lives of all who came into contact with him the better for knowing him. He had a knack of realising the potential in his pupils and encouraging them to fulfil it.

I also acquired quite a few honorary uncles among the masters from my stepfather’s time as master at Holloway. There was Alain Ahier, whom we visited later in his native Jersey; Ted Griffiths, who gave me, and my younger daughter, our first teddy bears; Bill Seitz, who was extremely angry with me at a forestry camp when he saw me at the age of six wielding a billhook to swipe at nettles; Theo Crabtree, whose son was of an age with me; and Leslie Pond who we visited in Bournemouth whither he had retired with his formidable wife, Queenie; amongst others. I remember also that after Dad had completed the Times crossword each day, in pencil of course, he would rub it out and hand it to Doc Atkinson to do who I don’t think had access to the Times.

The 114th AGM will be held in the Camdenians Hall and, for the first time, Zoomed to our members who cannot be there. Please contact the club secretary for the Zoom ID and Password. The AGM will be followed by an unveiling ceremony of our memorial plaque to George and Pam Ives in the school’s meeting room,  This will be followed by our 96th Annual Lunch under the stewardship of Ann Tennant and her team, will be held on Friday 27th October 2023 at the school.

We do need your support to keep this yearly tradition that includes a tour of the school, followed by a reception with drinks, the AGM and then a sit-down meal with friends.

Laurence Marks, one of our school’s most celebrated alumni, has agreed to present  a sort of after-dinner speech, which he has no doubt that you will find amusing and it might even transport the more senior among us to the beginning of what is now known as “The Swinging Sixties”. So, please let us know if you would like to attend via ‘Contact Us’ or drop me an email.

Also, if you are interested in attending an evening event during the year, such as the quiz night or formal dinner please let us know and we will see if we can organise something for you.