Attention: You are using an outdated browser, device or you do not have the latest version of JavaScript downloaded and so this website may not work as expected. Please download the latest software or switch device to avoid further issues.
This was Andrew Corbett’s final year as headmaster ending 12 years at the helm.
Music was especially busy in the summer term with Pre-Prep, junior and middle group concerts as well as the Leavers’ concert.
The Community Art Project continued to be very popular with local primary schools expanding from 16 to 24 pupils.
Katie Rieckmann helped raise over £1,200 for the school’s gym fund allowing the school to purchase two vault run ups and a new springboard.
James Marjoribanks became the new headmaster.
The Colllings Building was opened in October after the Block (a collection of fourteen classrooms which were erected on a temporary basis in 1965) was demolished the previous year.
Malcolm Freeman left Holmewood after 39 years at the school.
The school celebrated the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
The 1st XI cricket team won 12 of their 13 matches. All the squash teams went undefeated.
The school celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.
Holmewood got into the Olympic spirit hosting a ‘Mini Olympic’ afternoon.
The Year 8 Leavers’ performed The Shakespeare Convention after only four days of rehearsals.
Oliver Marshall won the IAPS Under 42 Kilos Judo.
In the Junior School, Wacky Races and the Mini Olympics were replaced with a full programme of running, jumping and relays culminating in the tug of war.
An extra summer concert at Langton Green church was organised by Mrs Johnson. Old Holmewoodians were invited back to take part.
More than 65 students took part in the first ever ‘Just Dance’ at Holmewood House. A range of dances were performed from tap to ballet.
49 Year 6 Pupils went camping in Oxfordshire. They had hoped for sunshine but it rained for 50 out of the 54 hours they were there!
A new group, Abracadabra performing company, was formed and performed a shortened version of Gospell as their first piece. The first music tour since 2009 also took place with 40 pupils touring in Belgium.
The football 1st XI won all of their matches – a feat that had not been achieved since 1993.
Ian Soutar left Holmewood after 39 years at the school.
The Pre-Prep Summer Show focused on the Arts Week theme of outdoor learning. Robin Hood was the main feature in the show.
The U13 gymnastics team excelled at the IAPS with gold in the group sequence and the team silver.
The first Science Day took place culminating in the inaugural Patrick Moore Memorial lecture.
The first bees were introduced at Holmewood. Building the hive stands took place in January with the painting completed by June. The first two colonies arrived in May with a captured swam also settling into the apiary.
The Arts Week theme was the Queen’s Birthday culminating in a street party planned by Friends of Holmewood.
In July the Year 8 Leavers were treated to a day of in depth forensic analysis when Sci-High Science came to Holmewood.
The 1st netball team were unbeaten winning the Hazelwood Versatility Tournament and performed well at the Regional IAPS Tournament, missing out a place at Nationals by one place.
The new £4.5m Cloisters building was opened, made up of the Learning Hub, Learning Support Centre and 8 new classrooms.
James Marjoribanks retired and Scott Carnochan took over in September.
The school production of Peter Pan was a huge success. Forty students were in the cast with others helping behind the scenes with lighting and sound.
The 3rd annual Science Day and Patrick Moore memorial lecture occurred focused on DT and engineering.
The 1st team netball team was undefeated and won the Hazelwood Versatility Tournament.
24 Year 8s got to go to China for an inaugural exchange with Fang Cao Primary School. Holmewood also hosted two schools from China in return.
Abracadabra Productions put on their last production with a production of Oz.
Award winning mosaic artist Tamara Froud ran a week of mosaic workshops. This was funded by the Friends of Holmewood and culminated into a huge mosaic based on local ecosystems.
The U13 rugby team were undefeated winning the Tonbridge Festival Cup.
The Upper School put on a production of Bugsy Malone. The technical and stage crew were pupil led with many stand out performances on stage too.
After an absence of many, many years the Inter House General Knowledge competition returned to the Spring Term programme. Cob won the Senior competition while Ash won the Year 5 and 6 competition.
Paul Gripper retired after joining Holmewood in 1987. He left having been on 30 ski trips, winning 84 out of the 150 1st XI football team matches he coached and as the only person to be Housemaster twice.
The 1st XI boys football team went undefeated and were runners-up in the Shapira Cup. The 1st and 2nd boys cricket teams were also undefeated.
The shooting team won the St. Patrick’s Shield three times (once in each term across the 2018/19 year).
A difficult year globally after the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Teaching moved online via Holmewood@Home. The Community Support Fund helped support those experiencing difficulties.
Prior to lockdown one production of the School of Rock took place and the U13 boys rugby team won the coveted Hudson Cup for the first time in over 60 years of the event being played.
The Year 8 leavers’ programme consisted of a zoom call with Porchlight to learn how COVID had affected homeless people. Pupils had the opportunity to sleep out in their garden raising money for the charity via a Just Giving page.
Christian Levack raised money for Heatherbank school in South Africa by climbing Mount Snowdon in February 2020. The money went towards a new games equipment shed. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the exchange to South Africa could not take place.
Again, disruption to normality was caused by the pandemic with Perspex screens and masks as well as times when teaching was again moved to Holmewood@Home.
Webinars replaced certain trips including a webinar on Hinduism rather than the annual visit to the magnificent Baps Shri Swaminarayan Mandir,
Across the 2020/21 year, Holmewood celebrated its 75th birthday. Celebrations included Tim Norris working with pupils on a collaborative sculpture project. Each pupil decorated on a copper leaf which was then attached to a sculpture tree.
Ruth O’Sullivan became headmistress, becoming the first female head in Holmewood’s history.
The return to ‘normal’ began. Bede’s Orchestral Day took place as did various school productions including Year 5’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was the first Holmewood production to be performed in the round, and a 48 pupil cast taking on Matilda. Competitive sport was also back including the 1st VII girls’ hockey team becoming IAPS regional champions.
‘The Friends Pond’ was formally opened on the 20th of September 2022 by Dr John Feltwell.
The gymnastics team celebrated the history of gymnastics at Holmewood House. Sixty gymnasts, some attending from the original 1989 first intake enjoyed the archive display as did many mums who also returned to Holmewood.
Peter Cook retired after 29 years at Holmewood teaching English, Maths and Sport as well as being Beech Housemaster for 25 years and being the only man to wear shorts in a ski resort every evening.
Chris Bass-Gualbert also left after 29 years in the music department. He helped produce many talent musicians including Dan Stevens, Minn Majoe, Freddie De Tommaso and Jamie Woollard as well as going on many school trips and coaching multiple school teams.
Mary Scott-Miller passed away. She had been a squash coach for more than 30 years at Holmewood House.
The 1st XI boys football team won the Shapira Cup for the second year in a row while the U11 girls hockey team won the regional IAPS tournament and finished 7th in the country at nationals.
Natalie Davies rejoined Holmewood in September 2023 after being responsible for setting up gymnastics at Holmewood in 1990.
The Board of Governors signed off the creation of a new Medical and Wellbeing Centre.
The inaugural Photography Competition took place, organised by Mrs. Seecharan. These were turned into postcards to be purchased and professionally displayed in the upper school corridors.
A new course called Exploring Instruments was introduced allowing children to experience what it is like to play different instrument. This has increased the number of children enrolled in instrumental lessons at Holmewood.
The 1st XI boys football team were undefeated winning both the New Beacon Tournament and the Shapira Cup.
Holmewood had great success at one of the first ever Prep School Esports competitions winning both the Rocket League and the Minecraft Capture the Flag finals.
