Here - Bradford Grammar School

ace
for life
A team of over one hundred from Bradford Grammar
School joined up to two and a half thousand other
entrants at Lister Park’s Race for Life in June.
BGS had a team of runners, joggers, walkers and
supporters, consisting of pupils, former pupils, staff,
parents, grandparents and the Headmaster’s wife.
Many were supporting family and friends who have
been touched by cancer, and raised over £1000
towards cancer charities.
This was the third time the school has entered this
event and the numbers continue to grow each year.
Fifth Form pupil Poppy Briggs was the first finisher
for the school, closely followed by Katy Boden from
the Third Form. Refreshments in the Dining Hall
were a welcome end to this uplifting event and gave
everyone chance to share the experience.
300 bronze
awards
There are now over three hundred Bradford
Grammar School pupils who have achieved
their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award
through the school’s scheme. A further fifty
five have completed their Silver Award and
over thirty have achieved the Gold Award.
Last year ninety-eight pupils completed
their Bronze Award assessed expedition
and this year one hundred and seventeen
Fourth Form pupils are working towards
their Bronze Award. They completed their
training expeditions over two weekends in
May and the assessed expeditions took place
in June.
Gabi Swanepoel was officially the school’s
three hundredth Bronze Award holder. As
part of achieving her Bronze Award, Gabi
helped in Ilkley’s British Heart Foundation
shop for three months, reached Grade 4 at
the flute and completed expeditions in Lower
Wharfedale and Nidderdale.
rsc
chemistry
olympiad
The RSC Chemistry Olympiad is a national
competition open to Upper Sixth Chemists. Five
Bradford Grammar School students gained
certificates. Well done to: Jen Bonson (Bronze),
Jamie Davidson (Silver), Will Paget (Bronze) and
Jamie Boden (Bronze). Ben Gaunt, a Lower Sixth
student, achieved the highest mark in the school
and was only four marks away from achieving gold.
tae
kwon
do
Adam Haq from the Second Form
entered the 25th Traditional Tae
Kwon Do Team Championships.
Teams from all over the UK took
part in this event and the entrants
competed in individual fights.
Adam successfully won many
rounds to secure his place in the
final of his belt category. In the
final he came first and won gold.
Adam trains with the Leeds TTA
club who won a trophy for Best
Team Spirit in the competition. He
thoroughly enjoys Tae Kwon Do and will be taking his
black belt grading in September.
lady
elizabeth
kirk
Lady Elizabeth Kirk, daughter of RB Graham, who
was Headmaster of Bradford Grammar School from
January 1939 to December 1953, visited Clock
House for the first time since leaving Bradford. Lady
Elizabeth lived at Clock House from the age of ten.
The Junior School was the Headmaster’s house with
servants and gardeners. The children loved trying
to work out which rooms were which from her story.
By the time of her visit they all felt they knew her
and were all so excited because it felt like actually
meeting a fictional character from a book, but in
real life. They were spellbound and asked question
after question of Lady Kirk and her sister Margaret,
who seem to have been typical children squabbling,
getting up to mischief and thoroughly
enjoying life in the forties and early fifties.
She also mentioned the friendly ghost
that lives in Clock House which sent
the whole of Year Five on an afternoon
ghost hunt.
Lady Elizabeth returned to the school
to present the prizes at the Junior
School Prizegiving.
rounders
As always rounders has proved to be
a popular choice of summer activity
amongst the BGS girls. In an
unusual start to the season both the
U13 and U14 A squads had finals
to play (unfinished from last season
due to the weather) against Ilkley Grammar and St
Joseph’s College respectively. Both games proved
to be high quality with outstanding fielding skills and
tactical awareness demonstrated by all the BGS girls
despite it being so early in the season. Both our
teams came out victorious with the U14s beating St
Joseph’s by an innings and two rounders and in a
closer encounter the U13s coming out on top against
Ilkley with a score of 13½ - 9.
This season has produced some excellent teams at
all ages including the U12s who have taken on board
the tactical side of the game.
school
journeys
The school has recently adopted Frizinghall Station.
This will mean that the school has a great deal of
input and control over the security, appearance and
surroundings of the station. Initially there will be
flower beds and boxes on display. The art work at
the station will be BGS related. The school will be
working with others
in the community to
further enhance the
environment around
the station.
A number of Sixth
Form pupils will
be given free rail
passes and asked
Frizinghall
to act as train
wardens. It is
hoped that this will
enhance the pupils’ experience on their way to and
from school. The majority of our pupils travel by train
from either the Wharfe or Aire Valleys and many find it
a very social end to the school day.
BGS is delighted that due to an increased demand
from surrounding areas school bus services are likely
to be extended. Plans are being made to provide
a new bus service running from Rawdon, the Ilkley
service may be extended to start at Addingham
and the Halifax bus route could be extended to
commence at Hebden Bridge. Any pupils who wish
to consider using the buses please contact Julie
Smales on 01274 553750.
paris
Forty-one excited First and Second Form pupils and
six of their teachers met at school to start a five-day
visit to Paris. The first day started with the Eiffel Tower.
Most of the group took the lift up to the top of the tower
for the breathtaking views over the city. After lunch, a
walking tour of Paris included the Ile de la Cité, Notre
Dame Cathedral, the Hôtel des Invalides and the River
Seine. A party of art-lovers made
a detour to the Louvre museum.
They managed to see some of the
wonders of European art, such
as Leonardo di Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
Everybody enjoyed a leisurely cruise
on a bateau-mouche on the River
Seine.
The second day in Paris began in
Montmartre. Here the party saw the
Sacré-Cœur and the Place du Tertre,
admired the work of the street artists
and enjoyed the quintessentially
Parisian atmosphere. In the
afternoon, a coach trip round the main
sights of Paris took in the Champs
Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe with
its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The group was accompanied on both
days by fantastic local animateurs who helped guide the
pupils round Paris and who spoke to them in French
throughout the day.
The final day was spent at Disneyland. The pupils
enjoyed all the attractions of this theme park enormously,
and there were some scary tales from the thrilling roller
coaster experiences. The following day the group
returned to Bradford, having learned a great deal about
Paris and lots of French too.
first year walk
On Friday 1 June, the First Year celebrated the end of exam week with a sponsored walk to Ilkley. They managed to
avoid some rather excitable bullocks and enjoyed a leisurely picnic on top of Ilkley Moor. At White Wells Mr Richards,
the Ilkley town crier, greeted them in full regalia and delivered an ode, specially written for the BGS walkers. Cool,
cloudy but dry weather was perfect for the day and everyone enjoyed the chance to let off steam in good company.
lifeguard
awards
The school regularly offers pupils the opportunity to
complete lifeguard training awards. The following Third
and Fourth Form pupils have successfully completed
the Bronze Medallion: Hamzah Mushtaq, Jacob Flavell,
Frankie Williams, Elise Starling, Pippa Mack, Zoe Holmes
and Matthew Handy. The following Sixth Form pupils
have gained the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification:
Tom Holmes, Joe Allan, Sarah Ross, Luke Kopelciw,
Jack Robinson, Jacob Ellison, George Pearson. Fifth
Form pupils Eve Mannings, Ed Brownlee, Fergus
Walden, Jamie Woods, William Truby, Jacob Birkenhead
and Jeevan Khela have also successfully gained this
qualification.
sporting
round-up
Mark Scholefield continues to play wheelchair
basketball in the Superleague and First Divisions
for his club, Sheffield Steelers. He played for
Yorkshire U19s in the Junior League Finals and the
First Division League Final play-offs. He continues
to be part of the GB U22 squad, is a TASS
supported athlete (Talented Athlete Scholarship
Scheme) and has recently taken part in the Schools
Games in London.
Emile Cairess ran the London Mini Marathon on 22
April: he came eighty-first out of one thousand six
hundred runners and was the third British runner.
Freddy Hoban has been selected to swim two
events at the English Schools National Swimming
Championships (400 individual medley and the
200 butterfly) and has also qualified to swim at
the National Swimming Championships at Ponds
Forge in Sheffield.
shakespeare
This year’s Great Shakespeare Debate kicked off with
a first round based on the authorship debate. Lower
Sixth Form pupils Matt Procter, Chris Casson and
Georgie Henley were delighted to be one of the twelve
teams who reached the final round, which meant two
days in Stratford-upon-Avon. The students’ days
were jam-packed with workshops, debates, lectures, a
performance of Measure for Measure at the RSC New
Theatre and a Q&A session with the actor who played
the Duke. After four gruelling rounds of debate the two
highest scoring teams were announced for the final;
and Bradford Grammar School was one of them! In a
nail-biting final the team demonstrated their skill and
flair for debating: Georgie, in her first national debating
competition was confident and engaging, Chris was
analytical and precise in his argumentation and Matt
eloquently and powerfully summarised the debate as a
whole. It was a very close call and BGS did amazingly
well to finish second in this national competition!
usa trip
The Easter holidays saw the Geography department
embark on their fifth visit to the south west United States
of America. Forty-three students and six staff made up
the party embarking on what promised to be the trip of
a lifetime. They were not to be disappointed; as the trip
proved to be one of the most successful the department
has enjoyed.
One of many highlights was the day spent at Bryce
Canyon. The beautiful weather, the brilliantly clear light
and the patches of snow capping the salmon pink rock
hoodoos made it a spectacular experience. The students
particularly relished the two days spent in Las Vegas.
They were able to explore the many attractions that the
city has to offer: the Stratosphere rides, the New York
New York roller coaster, the view from the top of the Eiffel
Tower, the Bellagio fountains and in the evening outdoor
shows.
The trip also included a visit to the awesome Grand
Canyon, a memorable journey by boat from Glen Dam
through Red Canyon, the vertigo inducing views from
Horseshoe Overlook and the brilliant colours of the rock
formations and spring vegetation in Zion.
girls’ tennis
This term has been the most successful term for girls’
tennis since it was introduced. From U12 to U15 BGS
has won all fixtures apart from two. The fixture calendar
for girls’ tennis has been the busiest ever for all age
groups. The girls have had two successful tours, to
Stamford and Nottingham. To date we have held three
invitational tournaments at BGS and have achieved
the following results: 1st Senior IV won the plate
competition, U15s came third, U14s IV came second,
U13A came sixth, U13B came fifth and U12s came
third. Congratulations to Pascale Fisher for winning
the school round of the National Competition Road To
Wimbledon – twelve girls entered this and Pascale beat
last year’s winner Alex Christian to go through to the
qualifying round at South Leeds Tennis Centre. She
is through to the final Yorkshire qualifying tournament,
which means she is only one event away from going to
Wimbledon. The following girls have been selected to
represent BGS at the prestigious Independent Schools
Tennis Tournament at Eton in July: Megan Sadler, Chloe
Pinkney, Courtenay Fisher, Charlotte Cottle, Libby
Linfield, Krista Bennett, Lizzie Ayre, Emma Phillips,
Emma Peacock, Izzy Austin, Hannah Chaudry and Amy
Peacock. Good Luck Girls!
royalty
drops in
Mr and Mrs Riley were pleased to welcome Princess
Anne to Bradford Grammar School as she arrived
here by helicopter during a visit to the county. It
was the first time Mr Riley had greeted royalty
after becoming Headmaster in January. Her Royal
Highness The Princess Royal took time to speak to
those waiting and waved to pupil and staff onlookers.
art
Junior and Senior School artists have taken part in a
number of competitions and exhibitions this term. As
part of the Lord Mayor’s Little Diamonds competition
to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee, Junior School pupils
eagerly thought of a variety of fun activities.
The competition gave
a selection of
categories, but
placed firmly
on the
agenda was
a collaborative
approach to the
work. This work
is on display in
the Town Hall.
Junior School
artwork was
submitted to the
Saltaire Arts Trail
competition and
accepted to be
placed on display.
The pupils created a selection of
pieces in an imaginative variety of media on the theme
of Fun at the Fair.
A selection of Senior School pupils exhibited art work
at The Bowery Best of British exhibition. The students
were encouraged to create art inspired by what it
means to be British and how they identify with the
heritage of their home. The students at BGS worked
on a theme of afternoon tea. BGS art students have
provided the art work currently on display in the
judges’ rooms at Leeds Crown
Court.
Amy Peacock, Kate
Robertshaw and Jonty
Casson from 1SMH were
winners of the First Year
Design a Headdress
competition. Pupils based
their headdresses on carnival
designs. The masks were
developed from mod roc into
their final shapes and then
decorated with coloured
tissue paper, beads and glitter.
The winners received art
materials which were donated
by the BGS Art Forum. BGS Art Forum’s aim is for
parents and pupils to enjoy art together. For more
details about the forthcoming BGS Art Forum trip and
the group itself, please visit their website at www.
bgsartforum.weebly.com/
The term finished with the annual Art trip to Whitby.
faiths
in the city
The Faiths in the City event in April was a day to remember for the Third
Form. The all-day event involved a series of religious workshops from
a variety of faiths. The Hindu and Classical Indian Dance workshop
involved students learning about how important dance and music are
within Hinduism as an expression of Hindu belief and practice. The
students performed a variety of classical Hindu legends about particular
gods and goddesses. The Islamic calligraphy and art workshop allowed
students to creatively explore and produce Islamic art. The Buddhist
workshop enabled students to practise meditation and learn about
Buddhist practice and beliefs. The Christian workshop saw performances
from the York based Riding Lights Theatre Company. In this workshop,
students were challenged to think about Christian beliefs about Jesus and explore what it means for a young person to
have a Christian faith in today’s world. The Sikh workshop focused on the music of Sikh worship. Students were able
to listen to the harmonium and tabla (as well as other drums) and learn about the significance of music for the Sikh faith.
At the end of the day students presented what they had learned from the workshops. There were notable dance and
music performances as well as interesting presentations.
national
record
Abby Parkinson rode in the National Junior 10 mile time
trial in Sawtry. This competition is open to girls and
boys who are under eighteen; therefore at fourteen Abby
was one of the younger competitors. Abby put in an
impressive performance to finish in second place.
The School Games was
a massive success for
the Yorkshire Cycling
Team when they became
overall Inter-Regional
Road Champions. Abby
scored points for the
team in every race, the
girls got Bronze in the
Team Time Trial and
Abby achieved three
fourth places individually.
Abby found riding on the
Olympic Velodrome in
London an exhilerating
experience.
In June Abby broke the CTT National Championship
Record for the U16 10 mile Time Trial taking a staggering
fifty-nine seconds off the previous time. She recorded a
time of 21 minutes 44 seconds which was recorded on
the V718 course at South Cave, Hull.
biathlon
This year’s Junior School Biathlon was a great competition. It was organised in conjunction with Pentathlon GB. The pupils
enjoyed swimming, running, fencing and Olympic team games including throwing, sprinting and a penalty shoot-out.
Winners of each year group and budding Brownlees were: J6 Ben Moon and Milly Fewlass-Jones, J5 George Moran
and Eve Wellings, J4 Eve Atkinson and Jaime Berry, J3 Naina Krishna and Ben Grimmitt, J2 Ruby Qureshi and Oliver
Scales. Congratulations to all who took part and appreciated a day out in the sunshine.
george
galloway mp
One Friday evening in May, Bradford West’s new MP, George Galloway,
came to speak in school at the invitation of a number of school societies.
This was an initiative by the Sixth Form, and Upper Sixth student Rowan
Arthur deserves huge credit for all the work he put in to organising this
successful event. Mr Galloway entertained a packed Hockney Theatre for over
an hour and a half.
It was excellent for our students to see such a politician at first hand and to engage with
him. Their questions were intelligent and testing, often demanding a nuanced response.
amsterdam
This term the History Department organised a new trip to Amsterdam. Thirty pupils from the Second to Fourth Form
travelled overnight on the Hull to Rotterdam ferry. The centrepiece of the trip was a visit to Anne Frank’s house. The
house had a great impact on the pupils. They particularly enjoyed a very informative study session there, as well as
walking round the family’s secret hideaway.
Other highlights included a boat tour of Amsterdam’s canals and a visit to the Jewish Quarter. The destination proved
to be a successful initiative and will be repeated in following years.
peace jam
PeaceJam UK is part of an international youth
movement led by Nobel Peace Prize winners. This
year the BGS PeaceJam Society learned about
the Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu. They
delivered an assembly in January to raise awareness
of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and
sold wristbands around school to raise money for
the charity Children of Peace.
In April the PeaceJam Society went to the annual
PeaceJam weekend conference at Bradford
University. The students took part in a variety of
workshops and activities ranging from discussion
tasks and drama activities to learning the tango
in a dance workshop! All workshops were based
around different ways of resolving conflict. The
students also had an amazing opportunity to listen
to inspirational speeches given by Adolfo Esquivel, a
leading Nobel Peace Laureate, as well as presenting
their own projects and ideas for working for peace.
They were so inspired by Adolfo Esquivel and his
experiences that they came back to school and
delivered an assembly to the whole school about
what they had learned from the weekend.
bgs at the
olympics
Bradford Grammar School has involvement in the
Olympics from beginning to end. Mr Boden, father of
Katy and Jamie Boden, both current pupils at the school,
carried the Olympic torch on its very first day in the UK.
Mr Boden has worked as Head of BT’s communications
project for the Olympics for the past six years. The
Olympic torch passed the school on 24 June on its
journey from Bradford to Keighley. Former pupil Roger
Mosey is Head of BBC Olympics 2012 and is responsible
for the BBC’s entire delivery programme for the event.
Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee
are medal hopefuls in the men’s
triathlon. Whilst cheering on
Alistair and Jonny look out for
Director of Sport, Charles
Lines, who is a marshal
at the event in Hyde
Park. Former pupil and
previous gold medallist
Adrian Moorhouse is an
official British Olympic
Ambassador and will
be commentating on the
swimming events. Double
Olympian and former pupil
Richard Nerurkar is delighted
to be spectating with his
family this time round!
Finally, Fourth Form pupil
Jordan Murray will be
playing drums in the closing
ceremonies of the Olympics
and the Paralympics.