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THE BRISTOL GRAMMAR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Spring 2015 Issue 29
OXBRIDGE SUCCESS
for BGS Sixth-formers
BGS INFANTS
fifth birthday
ALL IN A GOOD CAUSE
Charity at BGS
BGS BATTLE
of the Bands
CHARTER DAY • OBS ANNUAL DINNER • SPORTS NEWS • WORLD BOOK DAY
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Spring '15 Issue 29
From the Headmaster
This term has been shorter than some and so has felt for us at School – and
perhaps for you at home too – like something of a gallop. However, that just
makes the range of activities undertaken all the more impressive.
W e enjoyed some notable
‘firsts’ this term – including
in girls’ cricket where our
U13 and U15 teams both won the local
round of the Lady Taverners’ Cup and
will next represent Bristol in the county
round of this competition. We also saw
success for our Economics and Business
Studies students in local competitions.
But of course there were so many
achievements by our students; many
congratulations to all and a big thank you
to everyone for making these valuable
experiences possible.
This year was also the first time when the
whole School – from Infants and Juniors
right up to Sixth Form – took part in
activities to celebrate World Book Day.
It was fascinating to observe the range
of literary preferences displayed in the
costumes chosen and very moving to
see our school community engaged in a
common celebration in this way.
Of course, the highlight of our shared
community life is Charter Day. The
organisational changes we have made in
recent years with the school procession
down Park Street to the Cathedral
provides an ever more visible and striking
statement of our identity and our place at
the heart of this great city. Charter Day is
when we celebrate the soul and heritage
of our great community, reminding us all
of the values upon which all our other
activity throughout the year is founded.
Long may it be so.
I wish you and your families a very
happy Easter.
Roderick MacKinnon
P.S. As I write, we wait expectantly for
news of the planning permission for our
proposed new Performing Arts Centre
which we hope will further enrich our
community life.
BGS
MODEL UNITED
NATIONS
At the start of February, Bristol Grammar School held its seventh
annual Model United Nations (MUN) conference, with over 250
delegates attending.
The conference, organised by Dr Massey
and the Sixth Form MUN team, was
a huge success. It consisted of seven
different committees, each chaired by
BGS students, where issues of current
interest were debated in the morning.
After lunch, everyone met in the Great
Hall to work together on the fictional
Emergency Scenario, in which the Pope
had declared war on terrorists.
Sixth-former Tommy Soppitt who took
part in the event said: “Model United
Nations is a fantastic way to develop
confidence and public speaking skills,
and we had an all-time high of twelve
BGS delegations attending, which shows
the ever growing popularity of MUN.
They all performed extremely well, with
the USA delegation receiving the ‘highly
commended’ award.
“Overall, the day was thoroughly
enjoyable, and I highly recommend
participating in the conference next year.
Model United Nations is increasingly
becoming a larger part of Bristol Grammar
School, and our success has led to us
being invited to conferences in Harvard,
Canada and India. Why not get involved?”
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Spring '15 Issue 29
News
Spring and STEM
growth continues
In February BGS student
Isabella
took part in the
county-wide Poetry by Heart
competition. After recording a
section from Paradise Lost for
the BBC Radio Bristol Drivetime
show, Isabella made a dash to
Bath to reach the Egg Theatre in
time for the competition.
Just before Christmas several students
visited the House of Lords to listen
to Sir Ben Ainslie, Olympic sailor,
talk about his dream of bringing the
America's Cup back to Great Britain.
As with many sports, performing at
the top level must include cutting edge
design and advanced technology. Ben is
heading up a team that will design and
build the boat that he hopes will be the
outright winner.
This term we have seen a good range
of STEM events. The start of January
saw a dozen students from Years 6 and
7 visit the Natural History Collection
of the Bristol Museum. The assistant
curator, Rhian Rowson, showed the
students around and explained why
scientists from around the world
continue to find the collection a
valuable resource.
The Renishaw Prize Giving was again
a wonderful occasion to celebrate the
writing talent of our students. Entries
from Year 8 to the Lower Sixth were on
display and William Paul, Applications
Engineer from Renishaw, was on hand
to award the prizes. The prize winners
were: Middle School Section Sarah
1st and Saty
2nd and
Senior School Section Tom
and Scott
joint 1st and Kate
and Dan
joint 2nd.
The range of articles was impressive,
covering subjects such as prosthetics, 3D
printing, electronic noses, alternatives to
antibiotics, thermal energy conversion
and quantum computing, and were a
delight to read.
In February BGS was visited by Dr Alun
Gunn who gave a brilliant STEM Café talk
on Forensic Entymology, or how insects
can solve crimes. We are looking forward
to further STEM cafés on Heart Health
and Why Buildings Fall Down.
March saw girls from Years 8 and
9 attend the launch of the Airbus
Industrial Cadets programme. This ten
week project aims to inspire students to
think about using their STEM subjects
in careers involving science and
engineering. We wish them well.
There she went head to head, poem to
poem, against fourteen participants from
schools around the south-west. The entries
ranged from jovial extracts from Through
the Looking Glass, to devastating scenes of
trenches and trains in the First World War
section.
Reflecting on the experience, Isabella
said: “It was interesting to witness all the
techniques used by the readers; while
some were pronounced and eloquent,
others were more in the vein of expressive
monologues. I particularly enjoyed reciting
a part of the visceral, violent Death of King
Arthur. My readings brought me forward
to the final round of the competition,
where I came third and won a poetry
anthology. The experience was fun, it was
invigorating to talk with other fans of
poetry from across the county. It’s pleasing
to have poems in my arsenal to whip out
at a moment’s notice, and to have brought
Lucifer to south-western
rush-hour traffic!”
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Spring '15 Issue 29
News
Soirée
M O D E R N L A N G UAG E S
The Modern Foreign Languages
Soirée brought the first half of
term to a close with a fantastic
evening of music, sketches and
multilingual fun. With poetry,
readings, and several silly hats,
Senior School students showed
off their linguistic prowess and
kept the audience gathered in
the JCR thoroughly entertained.
WILDLIFE
PHOTOGRAPHER OF
THE YEAR 2015
This year’s BGS Wildlife Photographer of
the Year competition is now open. With
categories for all ages of student, plus
staff, parents and OBs, everyone can
take part. To inspire you, this photo of a
kingfisher was taken below Cabot Tower
by a Year 4 pupil in the Junior School
photography activity, run by last year’s
judge, Iain Green. Closing date for entries
is 15 May 2015, so get snapping.
SCIENCE
In January Year 11 students attended
Science Live at the Colston Hall. This
annual event aims to inspire GCSE
science students about some of the
major issues in science today.
They enjoyed presentations from
five scientists, each representing very
different fields of expertise. From ‘A
star in a jar’ and nuclear fusion (Dr
Kate Lancaster) and the possibility of
colonising Mars (Dr Maggie AderinPocock) to topics much closer to home:
what it means to be human (psychologist
Professor Bruce Hood), the very first
hours of human life (delivered by
legendary fertility doctor and pioneer
of IVF treatment, Professor Lord Robert
Winston) and the synthesis of new
materials and compounds (inorganic
chemist Professor Andrea Sella).
The trip was a great success and
the day left everyone with a deeper
understanding and appreciation of the
wonders of the universe but, perhaps
more importantly, even more questions
than when they arrived.
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Spring '15 Issue 29
Charter Day
Tuesday 17 March was the date for this year’s Charter Day service,
commemorating the award of Bristol Grammar School’s Charter
in 1532. Blue skies and daffodils on lapels created an uplifting
springtime feeling as the whole School processed in the sunshine
down Park Street to Bristol Cathedral to celebrate the School’s
heritage and history.
ALL IN A
GOOD CAUSE
Last term the Charity Committee was
raising money for Hft, a charity that
works to support adults with learning
difficulties. In September, to support
the charity's national ‘Dress like a Pirate’
day, the whole School dressed up, sold
pirate key rings and drenched a few brave
teachers in ‘Soak the Teacher’. The Charity
Committee also sold toffee apples,
provided refreshments during the School’s
production of Grease, and held the annual
Christmas Market – a hugely successful
event. All this hard work (and fun) meant
the Charity Committee was able to send
an impressive £4,643.86 to Hft.
The Charity Committee hopes that this
term’s fundraising efforts for Age UK
Bristol will be just as successful. They
ran the highly entertaining ‘Battle of the
Bands’, during which students performed
brilliantly in musical groups of two or
more. They also held a charity tombola,
and sold Valentine’s cards and roses
around the School. With the addition
of money raised by the Senior School
dressing up for World Book Day, this
term’s total is already at £1,400.23.
Our thanks go to the Sixth-formers of
the Charity Committee whose hard work
and organisation helps us raise such a
fantastic amount for such worthy causes.
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Spring '15 Issue 29
Infants & Juniors
Mr Huckle writes …
One of the hallmarks of the School is our commitment to partnership
with parents to achieve our common aim – helping children to
grow and flourish socially, academically, culturally, morally and
physically. In addition to supporting their own children throughout
their learning journeys, many parents are tremendously supportive
of the whole school community.
Our parents’ association (JISPA) does
great work for the School. This term, JISPA
has organised discos for Years 3 and 4
and Years 5 and 6 (following last term’s
JISPA Infant Disco), has run an Infant Film
Night (a Frozen singalong with most of
the children in costume) and a Junior Film
Night featuring the classic Back to the
Future. In addition, JISPA has donated two
Shaun the Sheep to provide company for
our two Gromits (previously donated).
The Infants and Juniors have enjoyed the
chance to decorate and care for their copy
of Shaun.
Many parents also come in to help the
children – with reading, by talking about
their work, by accompanying trips and so
on. There is always tremendous support
when our sports teams play and it is
wonderful that the emphasis is always
on positive encouragement and the
appreciation of good play by all. Parents
are also invited to attend many events
in School – some during the school day
such as the Year 1 India Day or Year 2
Australia Day and others after school such
as our amazing MADD evening this term.
Parents also played a part in supporting
our impressive choir who performed in
the Young Voices concert at the Genting
Arena, NEC, Birmingham.
I hope that the reports on a cross-section
of School events and activities in this
edition of View give you an idea of why
LETS
GO
The first half of term was brought to a close by two
great events, BGS Juniors’ Celebration of Singing and
Performing Arts Day.
The Celebration of Singing
saw each class and House
perform a song, with visiting
Senior School staff acting as
judges. They faced a difficult
task with so many excellent
performances to choose
from. This was followed by
Performing Arts Day. One of
the great features of this day,
packed full of dance, drama,
singing and playing is the
support the children provide
for each other and the genuine
pleasure they take in each
other’s successes. It is a day
when the spirit of BGS shines
through.
All this talent was on display
again at MADD evening, when
the Great Hall audience was
able to enjoy a wonderfully
varied programme of singing,
dancing, acting and playing,
celebrating the power of
performance and the uplift we
all get from the creative arts.
our parents are so proud of all that their
children achieve at the School.
Peter Huckle
Headmaster,
BGS Infants & Juniors
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Spring '15 Issue 29
WE ALL SING TOGETHER
Almost 120 children travelled
from BGS to Birmingham to
take part in this year’s Young
Voices concert. To be part
of a marvellous celebration
of singing with such high
quality musicians, inspiring
professional performers and
a tremendous conductor
was unique and made for an
unforgettable, if extremely
tiring, experience.
WORLD BOOK DAY
There were some impressive
costumes on display for
World Book Day, including Mr
Huckle as Mr Tumnus from The
Chronicles of Narnia. It was
lovely to see the enthusiasm
and creativity which had gone
into dressing up as a favourite
character.
There was a literary theme
to the whole week, with Year
4 visiting Year 1 to share the
story books they had made
in DT with the Infant children
and, thanks to JISPA, the
Infants ended World Book Day
with a bedtime story and hot
chocolate. What a happy ending!
NOW WE ARE FIVE
BGS Infants celebrated its fifth birthday in
January with a lunchtime party – and of course
the all-important birthday cake.
The Infants were joined by
four of the first members of
Year 2 who joined when BGS
Infants opened its doors in
January 2010; they are now all
in Year 7 in the Senior School.
As well as joining the birthday
celebrations, they also had the
chance to add their names and
thoughts to the very special
birthday card which all the
Infants helped to make.
Reflecting on five years of
BGS Infants, Mr Huckle said:
“Remarkable things have been
achieved in such a short space
of time by the Infant staff
team. It has been a pleasure
and privilege to have been
involved in the development
of BGS Infants, and to watch
the children who joined us at
the very start of their school
journeys progress onwards
through BGS.”
A RUBBISH TRIP
The destination for Year 3’s trip in January was a
little unusual – a visit to the rubbish tip.
The children went to
Avonmouth Recycling Centre
to learn about sorting and
recycling waste as part of
their Geography topic ‘What
a waste’.
The children saw all sorts of
things which could have been
recycled; glass, paper, tins and
even a perfectly good sofa!
There were also lots of piled
up Christmas trees, sparking
a really good discussion
about whether having a real
or artificial tree was more
environmentally friendly. The
children are now using what
they have learnt to set up their
own recycling campaign.
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Spring '15 Issue 29
Infants & Juniors

ACTIVE
BGS Infants and Juniors alike enjoyed the
chance to get outside and get active (and, in
some cases, muddy) with Mojo Active this term.
Under, over or across, no challenge was too
great for the BGS adventurers who ended the
day tired but happy.
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Spring '15 Issue 29
A VIKING
EXPERIENCE
The Reception children started the term with a trip to one of
Bristol’s favourite destinations – the zoo. They had a great day
and the children really enjoyed the Polar Experience talk, learning
all about the North and South Poles and the different animals
that live there. They were also lucky enough to meet a very cute
chinchilla and stroke his soft fur.
The Junior School Hall was
overrun by Vikings this term
when Year 4 had a Viking
experience day, learning more
about how the Vikings lived,
fought and explored the world.
This fabulous event really
helped bring the topic to life
for the children.
A DOG’S LIFE
HE
RL
O
W
D
Reception’s topic in January was ‘Winter and the weather’ and
almost on cue the snow came down for their trip to Failand,
letting them throw snowballs and make snow angels. They
also did some brilliant art work, painting winter trees which
looked amazing.
AR O
UN
D
T
WINTER
WONDERLAND
1P were lucky enough to have
a visit from a local lady and her
guide dog, AJ, this term. The
children were very excited as,
inspired by last term’s study of
‘Light and Dark’ and finding out
what it is like if you are visually
impaired, they have sponsored
their own Guide Dog puppy,
Dasher. Meeting AJ let them see
what Dasher was being trained
to do and how important a
role he will play in the life of his
visually impaired owner.
Year 1 and Year 2 beat the winter
blues by focusing on Australia and
India respectively as their topics in
the New Year. It was wonderful to
be joined by lots of parents for the
final themed day of the topic, when
the children were able to show off all
their excellent work.
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Sixth Form
Sixth-formers at BGS have
had the opportunity to
improve their photography
skills, thanks to the Sixth
Form Photography activity.
SNAP
HAPPY
The group meet every Tuesday afternoon
and, under direction from photographer
Iain Green, take photos around the School
and the city. Subjects have varied from
pictures of their fellow students on the
BGS climbing wall, to cityscapes taken
from Cabot Tower.
Lucy Thomas, who joined BGS Sixth
Form in September, had already taken
GCSE Photography and was keen to get
more help to take the best quality photos
with her camera. She now feels confident
in setting her camera for different types
of pictures, a life skill she can use in the
future. A real highlight for the group was
their trip to a wildlife photography gallery,
where they saw some amazing pictures
taken all around Britain, inspiring them in
their own photography.
BASE
REGIONAL
WINNERS
On 11 February two teams, each
made up of six Sixth-form students,
represented BGS in the annual
business, accounting and skills
education (BASE) competition,
along with 24 other schools.
The day was very informative with
several presentations from people that
run the event as well as an opportunity
to network with representatives from a
number of large businesses.
The competition required the students
to analyse a fifty-page business case
study and use the information to answer
a series of questions. The teams then had
to prepare a four-minute presentation
on their findings and deliver it to a
panel of judges as well as their fellow
competitors. Despite having undertaken
several preparation sessions in advance,
on the day the BGS teams were both very
nervous. Once they had got to grips with
the questions and case study however,
they began to settle down and the day
became very enjoyable.
The teams initially made their
presentations to twelve of the 24 teams
and the judging panel. Both BGS teams
gave excellent presentations that
were clear and enthusiastic as well as
containing lots of interesting and accurate
knowledge from the case study. They
were also well informed and able to
answer calmly the questions fired by the
judges, helping both teams secure places
in the final.
The final was in front of all 24 teams
and a panel of judges and again both
BGS teams performed well. The final was
very close and the judges had a difficult
decision to make but they announced
Gordano as the runners-up and one of the
BGS teams as the winners and the other
placed in the top four.
Congratulations to both BGS teams,
especially the winning group who, as well
as receiving certificates and a trophy, will
be heading to Birmingham on 25 June
as regional winners to compete in the
national finals. We wish them the best
of luck.
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Spring '15 Issue 29
BEST
DRESSED
The gauntlet was thrown down to the
Sixth Form on World Book Day, with each
tutor group challenged to pick a book
and then dress up based on that theme.
From Where’s Wally? to Lord of the Rings,
there was a broad range of literary works
represented. Congratulations to joint
winners, U6AJN (Peter Pan) and U6SJB
(The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe).
Oxbridge
SUCCESS
Fourteen Bristol Grammar School students have received
offers of places from the UK’s two leading universities,
Oxford and Cambridge, for entry in October 2015.
Six students are holding offers from Oxford and a further eight from Cambridge. The
offers cover a broad spectrum of subjects, ranging from Medicine to History of Art,
and Spanish and Persian to Natural Sciences.
The full list of successful students and their proposed courses is:
Oxford
PIPPA BECK
English Literature
JOSEPH BUNTINGLaw
MADDIE BURNELL
History of Art
GRACE JALLEH-SHARPLESLaw
LAURA TURNERChemistry
SERENA WATSON-FOLLETT Spanish and Persian
Cambridge
Wadham
Magdalen
Worcester
St Edmund Hall
Pembroke
Christchurch
EMMA MCAULIFFE
French and Russian
Trinity Hall
CHARLOTTE NEWPhilosophy
Trinity
AMELIA PECK
Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Corpus Christi
JAMES PRIDEAUX-GHEE
Natural Sciences
Emmanuel
ISOBEL RUDD
French and Russian
Clare
KATE GARGAN*Medicine
Fitzwilliam
AMY STUART*
Natural Sciences
Newnham
EMMA WILLS*
Psychology and Behavioural SciencesRobinson
*OB, Class of 2014
Alongside Oxford and Cambridge, two
more UK universities appear in the top
five of the QS world university rankings:
Imperial College and University College,
London. BGS students are holding an
impressive nineteen offers from these
two institutions (thirteen from UCL and
six from Imperial).
Commenting on the students’
success Director of Sixth Form Justin
Harford said:
The Oxbridge selection
process is very challenging,
both academically and
personally, and it is a real
triumph for these students
to have their hard work and
dedication rewarded with an
offer. The students’ success
also demonstrates the
dedication of their teachers
and tutors at BGS which
helps ensure all our Sixthformers find the right path
for them after BGS.
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12
Exploration
In the February half-term 32 boys left Bristol, bound for Spain
and a four-day hockey tour of Barcelona. The group contained an
U15 squad as well as an U18 squad.
a
n
o
l
e
c
ar
B
2015
LA BELLE FRANCE
Day one saw the group enjoy the sites of
Barcelona including the Sagrada Família
and the Olympic Park, before the younger
squad enjoyed watching a Barcelona
match while the senior side played their
first match of the tour. Playing against a
strong ladies side the boys quickly looked
to make the most of the clear speed
advantage they had while appreciating
the high skill level of their opposition.
A 4–0 victory was recorded with
Lloyd (2),
Mantzos and
McConnell all on the score sheet. As for
the football, the junior side saw a rare
Barcelona defeat against Malaga.
Day two saw Athletic Terrassa host the
first match for the junior side. In a closely
contested match with both teams playing
some excellent hockey, a winner in the
final minutes of the game from
Brewer secured a 3–2 victory. The senior
side playing a strong local club found the
pace and individual skills of the opposition
difficult to contain and lost 1–5.
Sunshine greeted the final full day of the
tour and where better to head than the
beach for a quiet morning’s preparation
before the final tour matches. Beach
soccer, volleyball and the compulsory
Frisbee entertained all before a trip into
the hills to the Illaro Hockey Club where
all were treated to a barbecue feast. A
couple of hours’ rest prepared the boys
well as both teams played some highly
impressive hockey. The junior side won
5–0 with goals from
Brewer,
Abraham (2),
Windmeijer
and
Nelson, and the senior side
won 5–2 with goals from
Cullum
(2),
Stainer,
Harrison and
Hodgson. A great end to a great tour.
In the February half-term a group of
A Level French students spent a week
in Bordeaux in order to improve their
French language skills and learn more
about the culture. The week consisted of
intensive French lessons in the mornings,
followed by afternoon excursions and
activities. Highlights of the trip included a
trip to the medieval village of St Émilion
and a wine-tasting session at Château
Montlau. Throughout the week the group
also enjoyed cooking their own lunch,
spending their free time around the city
centre and going to the cinema.
Being immersed in French culture
through the combination of these
activities and time spent with their host
families greatly improved the students’
all-round French skills. Everyone really
enjoyed their week in Bordeaux and the
students are grateful to Ms Corrigan for
organising the trip.
13
a
d
n
o
R
R E T U R N TO
At February half-term a group of 22 students from
Year 10 to Upper Sixth went to Ronda on the return leg
of the Spanish Exchange.
Arriving in Ronda very late on the
Saturday evening after a long day
travelling, they were all eager to meet
with their exchange partners and get
some sleep. The next day was allocated
to free time with their host families;
most toured Ronda however a few also
went shopping or played football, and
all got to experience an enormous late
Spanish lunch.
Four of the next five days were spent
visiting places in and around Ronda:
seeing the stunning cathedral in Seville
and the impressive Mezquita (mosque/
cathedral) in Cordoba, playing football
in the sun on the beach in Marbella and
admiring the luxury yachts in Puerto
Banús. There was also a day of school
with their exchange partners which was
very different to school at BGS due to the
lack of school uniform and how casual
it felt.
Reflecting on the trip, Alex
(Year 10) said:
WE WERE GIVEN MANY
OPPORTUNITIES TO PRACTISE
AND IMPROVE OUR SPANISH AND
WE ALL HAD A WONDERFUL
EXPERIENCE THAT I WOULD
STRONGLY RECOMMEND.
NATIONAL
MUSEUM OF
COMPUTING
On 10 February, students from
Year 10, Lower Sixth and Upper
Sixth went on the annual trip to
Bletchley Park and the National
Museum of Computing to learn
about the history of computers.
The students didn’t waste any of the day,
using the coach journey to complete
code breaking tasks in preparation for
the day’s jam-packed schedule. On
arrival at their destination the students
learnt the difference between codes and
ciphers before enjoying a tour and a
coding workshop.
On the tour the group viewed the oldest
working computer, the WITCH and learnt
about Tunny, the machine that broke the
German Lorenz cipher. They also saw
Colossus, the world’s first programmable,
electronic, digital computer, built to
increase the speed at which German
messages could be deciphered.
After this fascinating look at the early
days of computer development, things
moved into the more recent past with a
hands-on workshop of old-school coding
on BBC Basic machines. For a generation
used to modern computing power,
packed into ever smaller devices, this
was a brilliant demonstration of how far
computer technology has come.
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Performing
Arts
BATTLE
OF THE BANDS
s
t
r
e
c
n
o
C
H
OU
SE
The Mackay Theatre was the scene
for not one, not two, but three House
concerts this term as Catchpole’s,
Goodman’s and Edwards’s all took
to the stage. With a mix of music,
sketches, skits and (just a little bit of)
mayhem, everyone involved, audience
and performers alike, had a great time.
At the end of January, the audience
assembled in the Mackay Theatre
was treated to a brilliant evening of
entertainment when the musical talents
of BGS went head to head in the Battle
of the Bands. As well as being a lot of
fun, the evening also raised funds for this
term’s charity, Age UK Bristol. Well done
to everyone who took part, especially the
winning acts:
JUNIOR WINNERS
Ada’ora and Ed
ONES TO WATCH
Mia, Holly, Harriet and Nicola
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Oscar, Jack, Dan, Winston, Abbie, Lydia
SENIOR WINNERS
Emily, Cara, Alex, Ed, Nathan
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Spring
CONCERT
On Wednesday 18 March the musicians of
BGS filled the stage of St George’s to perform in
the Spring Concert.
From Cantata and the
Chamber Orchestra to
Khameleonz and the Ceilidh
Band, there was a broad range
of musical styles represented.
Each ensemble performed
beautifully, ensuring the
audience at one of Bristol’s
foremost music venues was
treated to a thoroughly
enjoyable evening.
LET'S DANCE
From the Infants to the Sixth Form, students at
BGS have been pulling on their dancing shoes
and taking to the dance floor. At the end of
last term the Whole School Dance Production,
Pass the Remote, captivated audiences over
two nights in the Great Hall. This term has seen
the ever popular Senior School House Dance
competition and Reflections, the GCSE and A
Level Dance performance evening. It has been
a delight to see the enthusiasm with which
our students have embraced the opportunities
offered and the standard of performance has
been incredibly impressive. We congratulate
everyone involved.
NATIONAL THEATRE’S
CONNECTIONS FESTIVAL 2015
Twelve BGS students, aged from 14 to 18, have taken
part in the National Theatre’s Connections Festival
2015. The group staged The Crazy Cool Girls’
Fan Club, a new play written specifically for the
Connections Festival.
Their experience mirrored that
of a company producing a
new play in any theatre in the
country, creating marketing
campaigns, designing sets and
costumes, operating lighting,
sound boards and stagemanaging their performances.
Following a performance at
BGS, the play transferred to
the Bristol Old Vic for a Festival
performance on Thursday
27 March. If BGS is selected
from all the festival entrants,
the group will also be invited
to perform The Crazy Cool
Girls’ Fan Club at the National
Theatre in London, as part of a
five-day summer festival.
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Literary Events
CREATIVE WRITING
WORKSHOP
WITH MARCUS SEDGWICK
Etherington
THE
B R OT H E R S
On 5 February some 140 children from
Years 3, 4 and 5 enjoyed a wonderfully
entertaining hour in the Junior School
Hall with the Etherington Brothers, Robin
and Lorenzo. From the very first minute,
the celebrated graphic novelists held
their audience transfixed with a host of
different characters, wonderful ideas, and
some inspirational delivery.
Here are just some of the comments the
children made afterwards:
'It was really good, because they told
things in a funny way.'
'They gave me lots of new ideas for
writing stories.
'I loved the way they think outside the
box with their characters.'
'Amazing imagination!'
'I loved their acting, when people in the
audience made suggestions.'
'They gave it their all.'
This surely ranks as one of BGS Juniors’
most successful literary events ever, in so
many different ways: copies sold, level of
participation and, most importantly, the
children’s continuing enthusiasm after
the presentation. The buzz throughout
was incredibly positive, and the message
was clear: ‘Don’t leave it too long to come
back and visit us again!’
Steve Marsh
On 3 March our AS Creative Writing class
was lucky enough to have author Marcus
Sedgwick – former writer-in-residence
on Bath Spa University’s well-regarded
MA Creative Writing course – as our
guest teacher. Throughout the ninetyminute session he challenged us with
amusing and rewarding exercises
involving different approaches to writing:
describing a landscape without the sense
of sight; limiting sentences to just seven
words; avoiding the letter ‘e’. These were
particularly helpful for writing poetry, as
Marcus does in his latest novel, The Ghosts
of Heaven.
‘THE USEFULNESS OF TRYING
BIZARRE THINGS …’
It was a privilege to work not just with
a great novelist, but also with a fantastic
teacher. Marcus brought the group
together with an impressive talent for
remembering names, and an approachable
manner that gave us confidence to
share our work. He acknowledged that
writing is a subjective process, and talked
our ideas through, rather than seeking
to push them in particular directions.
He showed enthusiasm for whatever
we decided to share, no matter how
awful, or undeveloped, we might have
considered them.
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Spring '15 Issue 29
‘KEEP THINKING OUTSIDE
THE BOX AND DON’T USE
FILLER: WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO
INCLUDE IS VITAL.’
As well as being approachable, he was
also incredibly humble, never talking
down to us, but teaching us as equals and
emphasising how writing was a different
experience for each of us. He also proved
very interesting about the research that
went into some of his books, and honest
about his writing schedule (or lack
thereof!). Overall, it was a very helpful
session, filled with new methods and
approaches we shall all take away with
us. We are all very grateful to Marcus, and
hope to see him again next year.
Rhiannon Sidhu, L6
SARAH BENWELL
BGS was the venue for the launch of The
Last Leaves Falling, a remarkable new
novel for young adults. Author Sarah
Benwell and her literary agent Gill McLay
(Director of Bath Children’s Literary
Festival) talked about ‘her journey’ as a
young writer. Hers began when she was
very small, sharing stories with her father;
at thirteen she joined an adult book
group, and at fifteen a creative writing
group. Sarah travelled and worked abroad,
before returning to Bath Spa to study –
only to realise that she wanted to switch
to a different degree, creative writing. And
now, still in her early twenties, she has had
her first novel published, to great acclaim.
Sarah herself can hardly believe it.
Her advice to aspiring writers? ‘Keep
at it, stubbornly, persistently. Don’t let
people tell you that you can’t.’ She spoke
about how helpful she finds being part
of a supportive (often virtual) group that
offers feedback. Twitter is where she finds
‘critique partners’. From the BGS audience
came the question, ‘Was that scary?’ ‘Yes,
but not having one is scarier.’
Sarah is keen to push Young Adult Fiction
If you read one début novel this
year, this is the one to read."
The Bookseller
beyond its conventional comfort zone.
The main character in The Last Leaves
Falling is a Japanese teenage boy dying of
ALS, a rapidly degenerative – and always
terminal – form of motor-neurone disease.
One fascinating fact: the area of the
story dealing with teenage suicide had
to be expunged from the American
edition, which necessitated so much
re-working that Sarah ended up with an
entirely different book for that market.
However, as she told us, she likes both
editions equally!
Jennifer Benn
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TOBY CLEMENTS
Historical novels seem to be all
the rage this year, with Hilary
Mantel and Philippa Gregory
paving the way, and so it was a
pleasure to have Toby Clements
visit and talk about his new
book Kingmaker: Winter
Pilgrims, the first in an
exciting trilogy.
JOHN DOUGHERTY
The sound of delighted giggles could be
heard pouring out of the Infant School
when author John Dougherty came to
visit, holding children from Reception to
Year 2 completely captivated.
He read animatedly from two of his
latest books – Stinkbomb and KetchupFace and the Evilness of Pizza, and Finn
MacCool and the Giant’s Causeway – using
a stream of different voices, accents and
facial expressions. Just when it seemed
the children could laugh no more, he had
them in stitches again singing one of his
own songs entitled, simply…Underpants.
A sure-fire winner.
He then told the children about his own
writing, explaining how the inspiration for
the popular Stinkbomb series came from
his own two children, now aged 12 and 14.
John, a former primary school teacher,
told his audience: “My children started
trying to make each other laugh, and
make me laugh, by calling each other silly
names and as we were all giggling away,
they started calling each other Stinkbomb
and Ketchup-Face and the more they did
it, the more they giggled and I thought to
myself ‘those are great names and I am
going to use them in my silly story’.”
John also talked about the importance of
enjoying writing, having fun with stories
and above all, having a go.
“The best way to make sure you never
make mistakes is never to write anything,”
he said. “Everyone makes mistakes
when they are writing and that’s ok. The
most important thing is to write your
story and make it as good a story as
you can and have fun with it. You can go
through it later and check for things like
spelling mistakes.
HAVE LOTS OF FUN WRITING AND
HAVE FUN READING TOO. THERE
ARE LOTS OF BOOKS OUT THERE
FOR EVERYONE AND THERE WILL
BE A TYPE OF BOOK THAT SUITS
YOU BEST. YOU JUST HAVE TO
GET OUT THERE AND FIND IT.
The children left for lunch full of ideas
and singing, of course, the chorus
from Underpants!
Lizzie Peck
Kingmaker follows Thomas and Katherine,
runaways from their respective monastery
and convent, as they get caught up in
the Wars of the Roses. Full of bloody
battles and political intrigue the book is a
gripping read, which Mantel calls her ‘best
historical novel this year’.
After an upbeat and funny introduction
by Joe
Toby talked us through
the everyday lives of people in PreTudor England, regularly ignored by
novelists, who focus on the nobility. It was
fascinating to learn more about the food
they ate, clothes they wore, and products
they made, creating a new, albeit grim,
picture for us. I had never thought about
the effort that had to go into every
activity, and it made me very thankful that
I do not live in a time when we have to use
rotten wolf as eye medicine!
‘Loyalty to thy Lord’ played a key part
in the Wars of the Roses and Toby talked
us through how one half of the country
could be pitted against the other, simply
by a ‘family squabble’ among the nobility.
It was very interesting to hear how such
a little thing grew to become one of the
bloodiest wars in English history.
As the Reformation is a key part of the
A Level course, it was fascinating to learn
how the Wars affected that. To see Henry
VIII through Toby’s eyes, a man desperate
not to repeat the war over inheritance,
made me far more sympathetic to the
King, not an easy feat. On behalf of the
History Department I’d like to thank Toby
for his wonderful talk.
Olivia Clements
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Sport
Golden girl
ADA'ORA
Talented athlete Ada'ora Chigbo (Year 11) claimed
two gold medals at the England Athletics Indoor Championships
in Sheffield in March.
Ada'ora cleared 1.78m to win the
under-17 women's high jump, just short
of her recent personal best of 1.81m.
She then went on to win the shot with a
championship record throw of 14.25m.
As a result of her impressive
performances, Ada'ora, who trains at
the University of Bath, was selected to
represent England in an athletics match
against Wales at Cardiff.
CROSS COUNTRY
ORIENTEERING
Rosie
(Year 8) was
selected to represent Avon at the
English Schools Cross Country
Championships on 14 March.
The lunchtime Orienteering Club has
helped introduce twenty Year 7 students
to this exciting sport. BGS has been
performing very well in the Sunday
Avon Schools League events with team
members enjoying the competition both
between themselves and other schools.
BGS are currently in third place in the
local league. Notable performers are Sam
n and Adam
(Year 7), and
James
Jake
and Ben
(Year 8).
This was an impressive achievement as
selection was taken from Years 8 and 9.
She also came first in the third Gwent
league race at Blaise Castle, leaving
her in gold medal position with one
race remaining.
BADMINTON
The School’s badminton Key
Stage 3 and 4 teams have been
competing in the Center Parcs
National Schools’ Championship
this term.
The girls’ team did very well in their
first fixture for the School, but lost out
in the first round to more experienced
opponents. The boys' teams both
comfortably won their first round
tournaments to progress to the Bristol
final. There the Key Stage 4 boys came
second to an impressive Gordano School
while the Key Stage 3 team overcame the
same opposition to win the competition
and progress to the south-west finals
in Exeter.
The team, consisting of Siddharth
Aabhas
, Shashwat
Om
and Alex
was the only team with
two Year 7s and hence went with hopes of
gaining experience rather than securing
victory. However, after powering through
the group stage with the loss of only one
individual game, expectations were raised.
The final, against King’s School, Dorset,
was much tougher and BGS suffered a
narrow loss in the first singles match.
However, Om and Alex fought back against
a more experienced and more powerful
pair to claim a 21–19 win. Aabhas's
calmness under pressure saw him win
his singles and then combine with Alex
to claim the match winning doubles tie,
securing the School's place at the National
Final as one of the top nine schools in the
country. This is only the second time BGS
has achieved this, and the first time at Key
Stage 3 Level. Congratulations to the team
and best of luck in the finals.
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FOOTBALL
GIRLS’ FOOTBALL GIRLS’ CRICKET
The First XI have had one of their most
successful seasons to date, recording
victories against Taunton, Wells Cathedral,
St Edward’s Cheltenham, Wycliffe,
Bromsgrove and King’s Taunton,
while the Second XI and
U15 sides have gained
almost equal success. With
more boys playing and
taking part in competitive
fixtures, the standard of
football at BGS has been
raised significantly.
There is equal enthusiasm for football
amongst the girls of BGS. The Year 7 and
8 girls have played two fixtures against
Red Maids’, losing 2–0 then winning 3–2.
Further up the School, Olivia Ball and
Ellie Bunker (both Year 11) were selected
to represent the South West team in the
ISFA U18 National Tournament at Harrow
School in March.
y
e
k
Hoc
The boys’ First XI hockey team has been in a
period of rebuilding this season. After a shaky
start, as the season has progressed they have
begun to adapt to the pace and precision of the
opposition and have beaten Taunton, Sir Thomas
Rich’s and Rendcomb. Further down the School,
the U12, U13 and U14 age groups are all enjoying
highly successful seasons. With such talent,
energy and enthusiasm for hockey at the School,
the future is looking bright.
A piece of history was made this term
when the U13 girls represented BGS in
their first ever competitive indoor cricket
tournament; the Lady Taverners’ Cup. A
squad of eleven players, many of whom
only began playing cricket this term,
stepped up to face three other schools in
the group round. Strong batting and tight
bowling saw them through to the final
where they defeated an experienced team
from Colston's School to progress to the
district round of the competition.
Not to be outdone, the U15 girls also
delivered victory in the competition.
The team got off to a great start taking
a wicket first ball. This competitiveness
and skill was continued throughout the
first and second group games, where
consistent bowling and impressive batting
saw BGS through to the final.
The final again saw BGS take on
Colston's School. With BGS chasing 64,
Ellie
had to retire after scoring
twenty. Colston's were able to dismiss the
rest of the side with three runs required
and three balls remaining; fortunately
Ellie was able to return to bat and hit the
winning runs with two balls to spare. Like
the U13s, the U15s now progress to the
district round of the competition.
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Spring '15 Issue 29
Sport
RUGBY
SWIMMING
In Sevens this term the U16 group has
progressed to the final of the Wellington
Sevens and won the Plate competition
at the Wycliffe Sevens. Our U13 boys
are Bristol Schools’ Sevens champions,
a trophy they won despite having four
key players injured, demonstrating the
excellent depth of talent in the squad.
The School swimming team fared well at
the Bristol Schools’ championships with
a number of the team qualifying for the
March finals. In the finals, the senior girls
won both the medley and freestyle relays
and the overall aggregate point cup for
senior girls. Our congratulations go to
the team.
NETBALL
CLIMBING
The senior team has faced tough
opposition this term but has still recorded
victories over Badminton, Wellsway and
Dean Close. Most impressive has been the
number of girls participating in netball
at BGS; it is common for sixteen sides to
be in action at the weekend, with equal
numbers involved in practice during the
week. We are grateful to the ever-growing
band of parents who cheer them on at
Failand, impressed by the efforts being
made by all the girls on the courts.
Congratulations to the Junior Climbing
Team who won the South West Schools’
Climbing Competition in January. The
students were: Imogen
Eleanor
Charlotte
Raf
Neo
and Anthony
Imogen
also won the
individual prizes for bouldering and top
rope climbing.
JUDO
Congratulations to Eleanor Ward (Year
8) who competed in the U17 open weight
category at the Independent Schools’
National Judo Championships. Despite
being by far the youngest and lightest in
her category, Eleanor won all her fights
by maximum points to become National
Champion. Her coach was delighted with
her success and described her as ‘’… a
talented, determined and focused young
lady whose conduct whilst representing
the School was exemplary’’.
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OBs
Old Bristolians’
A N N UA L DI N NER
just finished a UK tour with Macy Gray,
was the Society’s guest and played some
tracks from her latest album. Ella is a
very talented singer-songwriter and we
will follow her career with great interest.
The music continued with post-dinner
entertainment from the School’s Battle of
the Band winners, Five Mile End, playing
whilst the Old Bristolians continued to
socialise into the early hours.
The Society’s next event is the London
Dinner at Painter’s Hall on Wednesday
13 May; details can be obtained from
the OBs Office or from Anna Freeman,
[email protected], in the
Foundation Office.
Peter Jakobek
For the last 103 years the Old Bristolians’ Society has been
holding a Dinner to celebrate Charter Day. Originally this was
held in a local hotel but soon moved to the Great Hall.
The tradition was continued on Saturday
14 March when the Great Hall was full
again of Old Bristolians. Some are regular
attendees while others were returning to
the School for the first time in many years.
Earlier this year we posted a picture of
the first girls to attend the School on our
Facebook group. The picture generated
a lot of interest and brought together
old friends. They then decided to book a
table for the Dinner and spent the evening
reminiscing about their School days. We
were also delighted to welcome another
group of Old Bristolians who left BGS
twenty years ago.
At the Dinner the guests were welcomed
by Head of School Maddie Burnell
who also said grace. The Headmaster,
President of the Society, David Yeandle
and President Elect Mike Burmester, also
addressed the assembled alumni.
Ella Rothwell, Class of 2011, who had
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Spring '15 Issue 29
OBs
BGS WELL
REPRESENTED
AT THE VARSITY
HOCKEY
OB S VS B G S FO OTBALL
Before the Old Bristolians’ Society Dinner on 14 March,
an OBs XI took on the BGS First XI at Failand. Despite
a valiant effort from the OB side, the School XI proved
too strong for them, winning 4–1.
Fundraising
N E WS
BGS Foundation is delighted to announce
that at the end of last year we received
a substantial legacy from Drs Peter and
Jean James, to be used to provide a
Bursary at the School. Peter attended
BGS between 1933 and 1939, going on to
study Medicine at Bristol University. One
of the goals of BGS since the end of the
direct grant scheme has been to try and
maintain a wide social mix and keep up
the tradition of educating Bristol’s young
children, irrespective of their families’
means. We currently offer assistance
to over a tenth of our pupils, but can
achieve this figure only as a result of the
generous donations we receive from the
BGS community.
If you are interested in supporting
the School Bursary or capital projects,
please contact Anna Freeman,
[email protected]
0117 9339637.
We were delighted to hear
that two of our OBs had been
selected to play in the Oxford
vs Cambridge Ladies’ hockey
match on 8 March.
Whilst many universities have a ‘Varsity’
match when they play a rival university,
the Oxbridge Varsity is probably the
oldest. Izzy Murphy is now in her second
year at Trinity College, Cambridge reading
Modern Languages while Annie Koehli is
in her first year studying Geography at
Keble College, Oxford.
The game was well contested with
Cambridge taking an early two-goal lead
which they held until the last five minutes
when Oxford staged a late comeback and
scored. The final result was a win for the
light blues but Annie is hoping that she
will get her revenge next year.
As an added bonus for the staff that
travelled down to watch the match, OBs
Mike Balderson and Gavin O’Connell were
playing for their Colleges, Worcester
College, Oxford and Downing College,
Cambridge in the Cuppers Cup Final.
Worcester won on penalty flicks after a
1–1 draw.
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Spring '15 Issue 29
Diary dates
April
Wednesday 15 April: INSET Day
Thursday 16 April: Start of Term
May
Monday 4 May: Bank Holiday
Tuesday 5 May: Infant Teatime Concert
Friday 8 May: Whole School Open Morning, 10am–12noon
Bristol Grammar School
University Road
Bristol BS8 1SR
Senior School 0117 973 6006
Junior School 0117 973 6109
www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk
PERFORMING ARTS
CENTRE
We are delighted to announce that we have received planning
permission for the construction of our Performing Arts Centre.
Some enabling works will begin in the Easter holiday and we
hope to start construction for the major works after external
exams finish in the summer – more information will follow
next term.
Friday 15 May: Infants’ Sports Day
Wednesday 20 May: Year 6 Play performance
Thursday 21 May: Year 6 Play performance
Senior School Activities Day
Friday 22 May: Senior School INSET Day
June
Friday 5 June: Junior School Sports Day
Thursday 11 June: Senior School new pupil induction day
Friday 19 June: Friends of BGS Jazz Barbecue
Wednesday 24 June: Senior School Sports Day
Thursday 25 June: Upper Sixth Farewell reception and concert
Friday 26 June: Sixth Form Leavers’ Dinner
Tuesday 30 June: Junior School Prize Giving
July
Wednesday 1 July: Senior School Prize Giving
Thursday 2 July: End of Term
KEEP UP-TO-DATE
For latest news from BGS and to find out what’s
coming up, you can keep in touch via our website
www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk
We also have a Bristol Grammar School
Facebook page and you can follow us on
Twitter @BGSBristol
Design: adartdesign.co.uk
Printed on 100% recycled stock using vegetable inks
Bristol Grammar School is a Registered Charity No. 1104425