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top gcse<br />
results<br />
League tables produced this term confirmed BGS as the top school in the <strong>Bradford</strong> and district area according to last<br />
year’s GCSE results, with ninety-eight per cent of pupils getting at least five A* to C grades at GCSE, including English<br />
and Maths, placing it in the top 200 of schools nationally. Headmaster Kevin Riley said: ‘We have bright, aspirational<br />
children, hard-working, dedicated staff, and fantastic facilities at <strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong>. We have got these great<br />
ingredients, and if you can’t bake a cake with that, you shouldn’t be in the kitchen!’<br />
gala performance<br />
The school celebrated its 350th Royal Charter Anniversary with a Gala Performance evening in the Price Hall. Over<br />
250 guests enjoyed an evening of song and recital in a cabaret style setting. Stunning singing performances and<br />
mesmerising music talent was punctuated with entertaining, enlightening and at times humorous readings on the history<br />
of the school. The audience were highly entertained and amused in equal measures.<br />
fashion<br />
show<br />
The annual BGS Netball Parents’ Association Fashion<br />
Show was an outstanding and very professional show<br />
supported by a number of local boutiques who had their<br />
clothes expertly and enthusiastically modelled by pupils<br />
from the Sixth Form, Fifth Form and the Junior <strong>School</strong>.<br />
The models strutted on the catwalk to lively music<br />
and performed carefully choreographed pieces, which<br />
were mainly created by the pupils. The evening was<br />
compered by ex-BBC presenter John Thirwell and his<br />
daughter, former Head Prefect Emily Evans-Thirwell, who<br />
works as an Assistant TV Producer. Both evenings had<br />
a fantastic atmosphere and were superb for those taking<br />
part and watching. The money raised exceeded £8,000<br />
(a Fashion Show record) and will be split between<br />
Candlelighters and supporting the Junior and<br />
Senior <strong>School</strong> netball tours.<br />
Candlelighters is a charity fighting children’s<br />
cancer in Yorkshire. Established in 1976,<br />
Candlelighters is a charity formed and<br />
run by parents of children who have<br />
or have had cancer, ex-patients<br />
and the medical staff who treat<br />
them. Based in Yorkshire,<br />
Candlelighters provides<br />
essential services and<br />
support to children<br />
with cancer and their<br />
families.<br />
we will<br />
rock you<br />
This year’s whole school production of We will rock<br />
you was one of the most energetic and colourful yet.<br />
Fabulous costumes, innovative set changes and vibrant<br />
lighting gave the talented and enthusiastic performers<br />
the back-drop they deserved. Back stage pupils<br />
included directors Roisin Reynolds and Katie Shepherd,<br />
choreographers, costume and make-up assistants as<br />
well as many technical assistants. Pupils were supported<br />
by staff from the Music and English/Drama departments.<br />
Every single performer excelled themselves to create<br />
an accomplished production. Ruby Hendry relished<br />
the role of Killer Queen, Matt Boyle and Georgie Henley<br />
were superb together as Galileo and Scaramouche and<br />
other memorable scenes included Will Truby and Hannah<br />
Mears-Young as Brit<br />
and Meat.<br />
dan<br />
scarbrough<br />
England rugby star Dan Scarbrough is returning to his<br />
former school to coach the school rugby team which first<br />
started his career. The former <strong>Bradford</strong> Salem and Leeds<br />
Tykes winger has accepted a coaching and teaching<br />
post at <strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong> from 1 August. Mr<br />
Scarbrough, originally from Bingley, was a pupil at the<br />
school until 1994 and began his rugby union career here<br />
as a schoolboy. He will be moving back to Yorkshire<br />
following a player/coach role at Lille Metropole Rugby<br />
Club in Northern France.<br />
He said: ‘I have experienced rugby at the highest level<br />
and am very keen to help enrich the future of the game<br />
through my experiences.’<br />
Director of Sport, Mr Lines, said: ‘It is a very exciting<br />
prospect to have Dan return and I am sure his expertise<br />
will be of great benefit to the school’s rugby. We are<br />
much looking forward to working with him and learning<br />
from a professional who is just leaving the game.’<br />
skiing<br />
The Senior Ski Trip is very popular and Tignes is one of the pupils’ favourite destinations. Tignes offers superlative<br />
skiing conditions and this year didn’t disappoint. There was a great base layer of snow, regularly topped off with fresh<br />
powder allowing students and staff to play in a variety of conditions, making for great skiing and boarding.<br />
The après-ski pinnacle was the world famous Party on the Piste for New Year’s Eve. What better way to see in 2013<br />
than at a piste party of 15,000 ski-monkeys and in the company of your friends and guest DJ Martin Solveig? Whilst the<br />
staff pretended to have heard of the superstar DJ, their blank faces and embarrassing attempts at dancing betrayed<br />
their ignorance. For those young and cool enough to appreciate something a little more raucous, his set will be long<br />
remembered. The Ski Trip 2012/13 was memorable for all involved and for many their last BGS trip with friends who<br />
have been together for over ten years.<br />
Last year, <strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong> piloted a mentoring<br />
project with children’s charity Barnardo’s. Barnardo’s<br />
young carers are buddied up with Sixth Form pupils at<br />
<strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong> who assist the young carers<br />
with their studies. Following the huge success of the<br />
pilot, Barnardo’s are hoping to roll out the model across<br />
the country. This year the project has more than doubled<br />
in size at BGS with twenty-one mentors from the Sixth<br />
Form giving one to two hours a week to work one-to-one<br />
with young carers. The carers are paired with students<br />
who can specifically help in areas of need: writing<br />
essays, assisting with general studies and preparing for<br />
examinations. Many of the young carers have missed<br />
time at school because they need to look after parents<br />
or siblings. The pilot project highlighted that these<br />
weekly sessions not only helped with school work, but<br />
also helped increase confidence and aspirations. The<br />
BGS pupils receive training from Barnardo’s in mentoring<br />
and safeguarding, and take away a huge sense of<br />
achievement as well as valuable life skills.<br />
berlin<br />
In the February half-term, nineteen members of the Sixth<br />
Form took part in the annual trip to Berlin. After a very<br />
early start from Liverpool airport on a cold Saturday<br />
morning, they had a full day of visits which included<br />
the History of Berlin Museum where students had the<br />
opportunity to experience what life might have been like<br />
in an underground bunker during a nuclear strike. Other<br />
visits included the Reichstag, the Stasi Museum, and<br />
Sachsenhausen, the notorious labour and death camp<br />
set up by the Nazis. Fortunately, there were moments<br />
of light relief at the Chameleon Theatre. Students<br />
returned exhausted but satisfied that the trip had been an<br />
excellent learning experience.<br />
physics olympiad<br />
The Physics Olympiad is a national competition designed to stretch and challenge<br />
the top young physicists in the country. Over 1800 students from across the UK<br />
participated. Ben Gaunt and Alfie Chapman did amazingly well and were awarded<br />
Gold and Silver respectively. Ben Gaunt has also received an award for a top result<br />
in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge. This award acknowledges his outstanding<br />
performance, achieving one of the highest marks in this new competition, which was<br />
taken by 4300 students in 300 schools.<br />
princes<br />
trust<br />
The regional final of the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Challenge<br />
was hosted by <strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong>. Five schools<br />
were represented: BGS, Ripon <strong>Grammar</strong>, Rastrick High,<br />
Wakefield Girls and The Mount <strong>School</strong>, York. Each school<br />
made presentations about their activities to raise money for<br />
the trust and were judged by three Dragons on the amount of<br />
money raised, presentation skills, risk taking and innovation.<br />
The BGS group were represented by Jack Appleyard, Blair<br />
and Libby Illingworth, Roma McNeil and Liza Nelson Laidler.<br />
They presented on their activities such as the<br />
Christmas Fair stalls, Christmas Pudding sales,<br />
Take Me Out, Teacher Quiz and Staff v Sixth<br />
Form Football. The BGS team raised the<br />
most money, £1460, and earned praise<br />
for Take Me Out but the overall<br />
winners were Rastrick High.<br />
new<br />
governor<br />
Lady Lynne Morrison, Chairman of Governors<br />
at <strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong> and Kevin Riley,<br />
Headmaster, are delighted to announce the<br />
exciting appointment of Sir David Wootton to the<br />
Governing Body.<br />
Sir David received his Knighthood in the New Year<br />
Honours list following his very successful year<br />
as 684th Lord Mayor of the City of London. His<br />
Mayoral year, an exceptional one, was undertaken<br />
during the Queen’s Jubilee Year and one in<br />
which London hosted the London Olympics and<br />
Paralympics.<br />
Educated at <strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong> and<br />
Cambridge University, where he read Classics<br />
and Law, Sir David became a Partner at Allen &<br />
Overy, the international law firm based in London.<br />
Throughout his illustrious career he has been<br />
generous with the time he has given to promote<br />
business, education and sport in all communities.<br />
He has pursued his interest in the sport of rowing<br />
following his success as a pupil at <strong>Bradford</strong><br />
<strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong> and at Cambridge. He is also<br />
a member of the world famous Leander Club.<br />
During his year in office as Lord Mayor two of<br />
the charities he supported were The Rowing<br />
Foundation and London Youth Rowing. His<br />
prestigious appointment as a Steward of Henley<br />
Royal Regatta has just been announced.<br />
Lady Morrison said: ‘We are thrilled that Sir David<br />
has accepted the appointment, his experience<br />
across the private and public sector offices he<br />
has held together with his involvement with the<br />
charitable sector across education and sport will<br />
be invaluable. He is a man much in demand, but<br />
his loyalty and affection for the school, coupled<br />
with the opportunities we are able to give to our<br />
bursary students, made our offer one he could not<br />
refuse. We will enjoy working together.’<br />
model united nations<br />
An Inter-<strong>School</strong> Model United Nations Competition was held at <strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong> with over ninety pupils<br />
taking part from nine schools throughout West Yorkshire which included Beckfoot <strong>Grammar</strong>, Batley <strong>Grammar</strong>,<br />
Broughton Business College, Carlton Bolling, GSAL, Laisterdyke College, Queensbury and BGS.<br />
This year’s competition was entitled The Post 2015 Global <strong>Age</strong>nda and had forty-eight countries<br />
represented.<br />
The debating competition mirrored a lot of what happens at a UN debating chamber General<br />
Assembly. Each delegation carefully examined the draft resolution and produced an<br />
amended resolution, reflecting the views of their countries. Each delegation presented a one<br />
minute introduction outlining the main agreements as well as vital amendments that would<br />
need to be made. On the day, the aim was to begin working towards a final resolution paper<br />
for the post 2015 Millennium Development Goals. Every single pupil from all the schools played<br />
an exceptional part in a very inspiring event. Judges from all the schools awarded the winners<br />
as follows: Best Speaker representing Botswana was George Lofthus from Beckfoot <strong>School</strong>,<br />
Best Amended Resolution Paper representing Greece was Emeka Okorie and Ibrahim Amin from<br />
<strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong>, Best Delegation representing Niger was Ben Scantlebury and Oscar<br />
Barber from <strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong> and Best Contribution representing Spain was Matt Procter<br />
from <strong>Bradford</strong> <strong>Grammar</strong> <strong>School</strong>.