The Badger – July 2023

PART OF THE MALVERN COLLEGE FAMILY OF SCHOOLS
THE BADGER
Summer Edition
SUMMER 2023 | ISSUE 5
In this Issue
Pre-Prep 2 Academic Report 3 Art 4 Drama 7 Music 8 Sport 9 Scholarship
Success! 12 Boarding 13 Eco News 14 Marketing 15 Pupil Voice 16 The Friends of
the Downs 16
Community Engagement 18
Alumni 18
Year 8 Leavers’ Experience 19
In the last edition of The Badger, I suggested that 2023 promised to be a spectacular year and at the time of writing we were looking ahead with eager anticipation. Now that the Summer Term has reached its crescendo and we are now reflecting on the two terms that have passed since the last edition, we can certainly say that this academic year has more than lived up to expectations.
As has now become customary, the whole school has been abuzz with new ideas, as well as a sense of shared purpose and collective determined focus. As a result, there have been some notable achievements to celebrate. The whole school took pride in the National Award for the ‘Best Eco Initiative’ to accompany TDM’s newly acquired Green Flag status, demonstrating our commitment to environmental awareness. In addition, being shortlisted as ‘Small Independent School of the Year’ in the Independent Schools of the Year Awards has given us further reason to celebrate.
In terms of teamwork, 2023 has been an absolute showcase of achievement, from the U13 Girls achieving outstanding success with their 3rd Place in the IAPS National Hockey Finals, to the stellar performances of the cast and crew of Mary Poppins Jnr which set the bar high in terms of Prep School performances. Not to be outdone, the Junior Production of ‘Rats!’ showcased the burgeoning talent in the younger end of the school, and Pre-Prep also got in on the action with a wonderful Summer Soirée performance of ‘Croak’. When combined with the musical performances, swathe of Distinctions in Music and LAMDA exams
and the universal appeal of the newly formed Rock Band, we can certainly say that the Performing Arts are in rude health at TDM.
Personal and individual successes have also been recorded on a Local, Regional and National stage in a number of sports as well as several of our pupils playing County hockey and cricket and also a group of senior pupils qualifying for the National Athletics Championships held in the first week of the Summer Holidays. Congratulations go to Seb S who broke the National Records in both the discus and shot put events!
As we look ahead to the new academic year, we are excited about the relaunch of the Downs Light Railway, the refurbishment of the Music School and the introduction of Lego Coding and Robotics to DT lessons and the Hobbies programme to name but a few of the developments for next term. As well as the introduction of our bespoke TDM Baccalaureate to further enhance our academic provision for Years 7 and 8. As our motto, ‘Sapiens Qui Prospicit’ dictates, we will continue to be forward thinking and ensure that the outstanding educational experiences for pupils at The Downs Malvern continue to go from strength to strength. As ever, we welcome visits and contact from Old Downians of every generation as we say Good Luck! to our Year 8 leavers to whom the Old Downian baton is passed this year.
Andy Nuttall
Headmaster