Flourish

FLOURISH

Welcome AGS

FROM THE HEADMASTER

Welcome to the Autumn edition of Flourish, our brand new termly publication celebrating life at Aylesbury Grammar School.

September is an exciting time of the year, the beginning of the meteorological autumn (within the Northern hemisphere) and the start of the academic year for those in education…. September brings new beginnings.

It is the chance to embark upon a new journey equipped with fresh ideas, renewed energy and determination, ready to make a mark in the upcoming time. For our new starters, it is perhaps one the most important journeys so far and a privilege for me, as Headmaster, to be the first person to officially welcome them to the AGS community.

Schools events, educational visits, fixtures, and returning Old Aylesburians have filled the autumn calendar and it has been really so gratifying to see these return to full capacity following the Covid era. With an increasingly broadening and diverse range of extracurricular activities and ever popular House Events, participation across the School has been exceptional.

A testament to our students’ courage and resilience.

@AGSHeadmaster

As we move towards the end of term, it is wonderful to be able to end on such a high with the results of our recent visit from Ofsted. Our purpose is to inspire and enable our students to flourish throughout their lives, and the judgement of ‘Outstanding’ demonstrates how our plans to date have provided the environment for this to happen.

As a School we are absolutely delighted to have received this fantastic news and I am incredibly proud that Ofsted recognised the pioneering excellence of all our staff and captured the culture of our amazing School in their report. We especially value the commitment of the team here and thank them for their passion, dedication and inspiration. We are acutely aware of everyone’s individual contribution to this accolade and your support of the process has been greatly appreciated. The Ofsted review is only one point in time, but we know that the commitment and passion for the School is ever present, both before and after this process.

My sincerest thanks to all the staff, students, Old Aylesburians, governors and parents who have contributed and continue to contribute to our exceptional environment. We hope you will all take great pride in this achievement.

Next year, throughout 2023, our School celebrates the 425th anniversary of Aylesbury Grammar School’s foundation in 1598. As part of our celebrations, we are producing a very special book detailing the history of the School. It is a beautiful, illustrated book, tracing the sometimes turbulent history of our School, through key events and personalities that have left a lasting impact on the School. We hope it is a book you will all want to enjoy and we will make it available to our parents at a discounted price. More on that in the new term.

In the meantime, we look forward to the exciting new year ahead and wish you a wonderful and restful break.

Mark Sturgeon, Headmaster

Events AGS

FLOURISH IN ALL YOU DO

Welcome the very first edition of our brand new publication, Flourish. Taking a termly look at our vibrant and inspiring community.

The autumn term calendar is always bursting with exciting School events and activities ranging from educational visits, to celebration days, to workshops, sporting fixtures, House events and OA’s returning to share their expertise!

It has been a joy to see the return of in person School events with Prize Giving, Open Events, Subject Fairs and Carol concerts filling the Foundation Hall once more.

September brings new faces and families to our vibrant community as we formally welcome Year 7 students to AGS, together with over 200 students (some old, some new) joining our successful and hugely over-subscribed Sixth Form.

Introducing our new Head Boys of School

Huge congratulations to Silas (Denson 13), Nick (Paterson 13) and Ben (Ridley 13) for being appointed as the Head Boys of School for 2022-2023. Three amazing ambassadors for the School, who have made a huge impact this term directing the Student Leadership Team.

There is no better way for prospective parents and students to gain a feel for a school than visiting it.

Throughout September and October our series of sucCessful morning and evening Open Events offered prospective parents of students in Years 5 and 6 a real insight into moving up to secondary school and life at AGS.

Our Open Events are dedicated to making visitors feel as welcome as possible with tours showcasing our School and students, together with talks from the Headmaster, Mr Mark Sturgeon and opportunities to ask questions.

We were delighted to host our annual

the first time since the pandemic.

It was wonderful to see so many students together with their families enjoying tours of the School, listening to talks from current Sixth Form students discussing life at AGS and embracing the opportunity to speak to staff about their options for Sixth Form education.

A huge thank you to all the staff and students involved.

Sixth Form Open Evening for current and prospective Upper School students for

Events AGS

PRIZE GIVING

September saw the welcome return of Junior and Senior Prize Giving.

After such a long break it was a joy to see the Foundation Hall bursting at the seams again for two wonderful evenings celebrating our students truly outstanding achievements.

A huge thanks to OA Matthew Dickinson (Denson ’05), Managing Director of DICE, a Medical Comms Agency, for being our Guest Speaker at Senior Prize Giving.

Congratulations to all students who received prizes.

Events AGS

FLOURISH IN ALL YOU DO

The Battle for the Watson Trophy 2022-2023, began with Senior House Public Speaking and we were delighted to welcome Tom Ward (Hampden ’06) to adjudicate the competition. The list of topics discussed showed a real depth of thought and passion from our Speakers.

Topics included, “Is politics becoming more polarising?”, “The Climate Crisis: Who plays the bigger hand?, “Freedom of Speech” and “Moving On”. After much deliberation, it was Paterson House who came away with first place, followed by Lee House and Denson House in joint second place. A fantastic result and congratulations to all who took part.

Year 12 and 13 House Badminton opened for the Brodie Trophy with an overall win for Denson House and Mr Walker, followed by House Cross Country and Hampden taking first place. House Squash saw Denson and Ridley receive the most points overall putting them in first place and second place place respectively.

Tom Ward (Hampden ‘06)

@AGSHouses

Events AGS

FLOURISH IN ALL YOU DO

Events AGS

FLOURISH IN ALL YOU DO

After two years without being able to stage a live production, a large cast burst onto the stage again with a tremendous production of High School Musical. The show was performed in the Main Hall at Aylesbury High School on 16 - 18 November 2022.

The musical tells the story of the burgeoning romance between Troy Bolton the school’s basketball star and Gabriella a new girl to the school with a talent for science quizes. They defy the status quo by both opting to audition for the school musical much to the dismay of drama queens Sharpay and Ryan.

The cast of over 80 filled the stage with unalloyed energy, passion and talent and made it very clear how important a school production is to the life and heart of our school communities.

The show ran with joint casts. Fin Power (Ridley 13) and Ewan Crafts (Phillips 11) played Troy Bolton, Isaac Forward (Hampden 9) and Bow Oyedepo (Lee 13) played Ryan, Liam Purchase (Paterson 13) and Will Hinton (Phillips 11) played coach Bolton, Stanley Sturgeon (Ridley 11) played Chad, Aymen Bedjaoui played Zeke and Sujatro Dubey (Denson 12) played Jack Scott.

All of the main cast were fabulous. Special mention to Ewan who made his acting debut and to Sujatro whose comic timing was spot on. He amassed a fan club during the matinee performed to Year 6 from Bedgrove School and was happily signing autographs after the show. The main cast were ably supported by superb chorus of 65 students.

The staff from the High School including Mrs Hughes, Mr Warner (making his Musical Director Debut) and Miss McKendrick should be rightly proud of their creative efforts that enabled the students both onstage and behind the scenes to make such joyous comeback to the world of live performance.

When Arthur Hughes (Paterson ‘10) worked with the AGS drama department on his audition pieces for drama school we choose a scene from Shakespeare’s Richard III.

Arthur is now an established professional actor working in all mediums from radio (The Archers, Doctor Who audio for Big Finish), television (‘Then Barbara Met Alan, BBC and The Innocents, Netflix) and theatre (the Solid Life of Sugar Water, Julius Ceassar, La Cage Aux Folles).

The School was thrilled to learn that Arthur was cast as Richard III in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production at Stratford Upon Avon.

Arthur has Radial Dysplasia in his right arm. He is the first disabled actor to play Richard for the RSC. Arthur is a tremendous advocate for disabled rights and has used the platform given to him from playing this high profile role to further teach us of the many ways in which disabled people are too often negleted in society. His many media interviews including Channel 4 and the New York Times taught us many inspiring ways to increase the inclusion of marginalised groups in all aspects of our society.

His performance of Richard III in both Henry VI part 3 and Richard III was superb. I was lucky enough to see him perform the role four times throughout the run. Arthur, who was Deputy Head Boy at AGS is always very generous with his time, meeting up with staff who went to see the show and running a Q&A with Year 12 drama students who saw the show towards the end of the run in September.

We wish Arthur continued success in his stellar acting career.

Mr Warner, Director of Drama

Visits AGS

EMBRACE OPPORTUNITY

Mid September saw our AGS Young Economics Team reach the YES! Grand Finals in Hamburg.

Yuv (Hampden 12), Alex (Denson 12), George (Paterson 12) and Sanjit (Denson 12), together with Ms Chalk, attended the grand finals in Germany, representing the UK in a fantastic competition for young economic thinkers.

With an enviable list of associated organisations and inspirational speakers, the team presented their pitch, showcasing alternatives to pandemic lockdowns, to a host of experts.

They did an incredible job and received many compliments, describing them as a “credit to the School”. We are extremely proud of the team and all of their hard work. An incredible experience and one they will remember for a very long time. A huge thanks to Ms Chalk, Head of Paterson and PSHE Lead, for all of her support and encouragement.

Wonderful to see Year 13 back in Paris together with students from Aylesbury High School for the A Level French trip. Plenty of autumn sunshine to aid presentation planning in the beautiful Jardin Du Luxembourg.

@AGSFrench

Visits AGS

EMBRACE OPPORTUNITY

Arriving in Catania, Sicily, to warm sun and clear skies our Year 12 and 13 Geography students enjoyed an epic trip to Italy during October half term.

From hydrofoils, to eruptions, to a classic cinema treat, this year’s Geography trip had it all! Including a little Ancient History!

Taking a hydrofoil to the small island of Vulcano the team enjoyed great views by the sea, before moving onto Stromboli where they hiked the final 400m of the active volcano to witness magnificiant eruptions just after sunset.

With a tight schedule jam packed with activities the trip continued through Milazzo and onto Etna.

The following day students and staff earned their pizzas by hiking the Etna Nord (all 12 km!) exploring craters along the way, en route to one of the many lava flow caves of Etna, the Grotto of Raspberries -no raspberries but a geographers delight nonetheless!

Just look at these incredible pictures.

Visits AGS

EMBRACE OPPORTUNITY

Here are a few images from the Art Department’s KS4 and KS5 trip to the Tate Modern.

Students enjoyed an amazing day of modern and contemporary art, taking in the poignant new artwork for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, Brain Forest Quipu.

@AGSArtDept

Year 11 enjoyed their first AGS History trip in a while to English Heritage site Dover Castle, as part of their GCSE Warfare course.

Rising above the famous White Cliffs of Dover, above the English Channel, Dover Castle is an icon of England.

Built soon after 1066, this mighty fortress has been the site of royal intrigue and epic sieges, and was at the centre of the crucial effort to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Allied troops from the beach of Dunkirk.

Despite being in Year 11 they couldn’t resist sitting on the throne and trying their hand at Medieval warfare. Rumour has it, a number of wooden swords were purchased in the gift shop!

@AGSHistory_Dept

Visits AGS

EMBRACE OPPORTUNITY

At the end of October, our Year 13 German students enjoyed a culture rich 4 day trip to Berlin together with students from Aylesbury High School.

This immersive and collaborative visit enabled students to explore Berlin’s vibrant culture, architecture, many museums as well as discovering the traces of history (both historical and contemporary) in countless places around the capital. All themes closely linked to their A Level studies.

After getting their culture kicks and sampling delights from the popular food outlets, students were tasked with presenting a piece, a ‘Referat’, imparting their newly found knowledge of the above mentioned themes and sharing it with their contemporaries resulting in some fantastic, thought provoking pieces from the students.

@AGSGerman

Visits AGS

EMBRACE OPPORTUNITY

The Under 15 and Under 16 AGS teams enjoyed an incredible Rugby Tour experience to remember!

Travelling to Paris over the half term break, students took in the Capital’s beautiful sights, including the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe and enjoyed cheering on local rugby teams, Racing 92 and Montpellier.

They also enjoyed a bespoke training session at Racing 92’s incredible facility together with a tour of their fitness suites

and gyms. The following day, they relished the opportunity to test their might against the much older Under 19s and, despite the result, thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

The Tour ended with a spectacular trip around France’s national stadium, the Stade de France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis and then onto Disneyland Paris. Magical!

@AGSSportandPE

Life AGS

NURTURE YOUR CHARACTER

The Professor William Mead library has been a real hub of activity this term.

From taking exciting deliveries of whole year group reading books, to smashing Beanstack’s Reading challenge, hosting a plethora of lunchtime activites as well as celebrating awareness weeks such as Black History Month and Anti Bullying Week.

Special Delivery...

Copies of Wolf Hollow were given to all Year 7’s during their 2 day induction.

Can you see Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott were specially selected for by our Literacy Lead, Miss Holliday, for the Year 8 students to read.

@AGSPWMLibrary

The last week in September was Banned Books Week and, as part of their library lessons, Year 9 participated in the library’s banned books talk and enjoyed animated discussions about the books on the ‘banned’ list .

Life AGS

NURTURE YOUR CHARACTER

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Team Hagrid’s Son taking first place in the AGS Annual Harry Potter Quiz (now in its 6th year!)

Black History Month

These are a few of the fantastic posters the Library created to celebrate Black History Month for display around the School. Students enjoyed a number of engaging activities and recommended reads about the event.

This term the AGS Professor William Mead Library challenged students across Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9) to spend a total of 150,000 minutes reading.

With 44 days to go it was incredible to see that the students had smashed their target already!

Huge congratulations to all who took part.

With over 110 students from across Year 11, 12 and 13 participating in the Senior Maths Challenge we are delighted to share the amazing results.

22 Gold, 41 Silver and 27 Bronze! Congratulations to all who took part and a special mention to Morgan (Ridley 13) for a perfect score of 125 - Best in school!

Most recently, we were delighted to see students qualify for the UKMT - Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo (the follow on round from the Senior Maths Challenge) and special mentions to those who achieved merits: Ayaan (Lee 13), David (DJ) (Phillips 13), Jaco (Lee 13), Shreeharsh (Hampden 13), Aadhav (Ridley 13), Edwin (Lee 12), Kamran (Hampden 12), Hafeezur (Denson 12) and Daksh (Hampden 11).

In early December five Year 12 A Level mathematicians, George (Paterson 12), Pragvansh (Paterson 12), Aryaman (Ridley 12), Yuv (Hampden 12) and Jamie (Ridley 12), took part in Ritangle, a free mathematics competition aimed at Sixth Form students with winners receiving a maths hamper containg a mix of prizes for individual members and their School. We wish them good luck and look forward to the results in the new year.

Delighted to welcome back the incredible Hip Hop Artist/Performance Poet/ Author Karl Nova to AGS for a range of Poetry workshops and as guest judge for our Year 8 Poetry Slam competition. It was wonderful to see the School’s Lecture Theatre filled with so many engaged and inspired students.

@AGS_Maths

@AGSEnglishDept

Life AGS

NURTURE YOUR CHARACTER

We were thrilled to welcome back to AGS Birkbeck, University of London’s Professor of Classics and Ancient History, Catherine Edwards.

Joined by students from Aylesbury High School and Beaconsfield High School, Catherine presented a Classics Curriculum Lecture to students from a range of year groups including Years 11, 12 and 13 about Imperial women in Suetonius and took many fantastic questions from the students.

Catherine is a British ancient historian and academic. She is Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck College, University of London where she is a specialist in Roman cultural history and Latin prose literature, particularly Seneca the Younger. Catherine is also a regular contributor on ‘In Our Time’ and BBC 4 series women in the Imperial Court.

We were delighted to have her back (it was 10 ten years ago that she last visited!) and was just as fantastic then.

@AGSClassics

Life AGS

NURTURE YOUR CHARACTER

It has been a very busy autumn term with students participating in fixtures across a number of sports and it has been great to see the level of engagement from students. A huge thank you to staff for their support in ensuring students have had the opportunity to represent the School at events, by a rough calculation, we have participated in over 150 fixtures / galas / competitions from September to November.

The start of the academic year saw AGS awarded the Silver School Games Mark for 2021/22. The School Games Mark is a government led awards scheme (launched back in 2012) that rewards schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community. Criteria included participation, competition, workforce and clubs. A real accolade for the School and a huge thanks to all those who supported the application process.

With the introduction of additional extra-curricular clubs this term, such as Ultimate Frisbee and the AGS Climbing club, it has been really impressive to see the progress being made by our students. The under 15 (Year 10) climbers who, supported by Mr Taylor, have been heading over to ClimbQuest in Milton Keynes each Monday participating in a 6-week climbing programme. In the new year, the Under 14 (Year 9) group will start their sessions. Together with potential fixtures on the agenda for Ultimate Frisbee (a huge thank you to Mrs Rogers and Mr Chappell who have been leading this club) the range of sports and diversity of these activites is a huge credit to the School.

Another exciting opportunity coming to AGS Sport and PE is Golf lessons. Working closely with Chiltern Forest Golf Club, students will have the opportunity to sign up for a block of Golf lessons at Dynamic Driving Range in Bierton. More details to follow and a big thank you to Mr Dudmish for arranging these links and opportunities for the students.

The Year 13 Sports Leaders have been busy this term planning and running sports related sessions for Year 6 students at St Edward’s Catholic Junior School. As part of their Level 3 Sports Leader Award, a two year qualification, students engage with local primary school children to develop skills through physical activities.

Finally, it has been great to welcome on board the following companies to help support Sport at AGS: GABA Property Investments, Elite Physical Medicine, The Works, Glamper RV, The Watermead Inn and MIYA. We are hugely thankful for their support.

Wishing you a restful Christmas period and looking forward to the busy new year ahead.

Mr Duggan, Director of Sport

News AGS

LEAD WITH HUMILITY

1335 students. Over 160 members of staff. 1 morning!

It was an early start for the photography team, who were busily setting the stage as the autumnal sun rose over the Sports playing field. Perfect conditions to capture a special moment.

Here at AGS, whole School photographs are taken every 5 years and this year’s is particularly special as we celebrate our 425th Anniversary.

An incredible feat of effort, organisation and teamwork -a huge thank you to all who were involved. The results look amazing!

Goodbye to a Queen, a mother, a grandmother and a great grandmother

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving monarch in our history, served as a distinct moment in all our lives.

In a complicated world, her decency and calm brought confidence to many and a serenity that has been unrivalled. Her character shone through recent events, and the outpouring of emotion and the tributes from across the world for a life well lived. Leaders of nations, speaking of the same decency, calmness and respect that one woman showed to them and their people.

The passing of the second Elizabethan age, part of our School’s history as we were founded in the first Elizabethan age.

On the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, AGS came together as a School to remember all those who have given their lives to protect our freedom.

Lest we forget. ‘Once an Aylesburian, always an Aylesburian...’

A poignant article taken from the AGS Archives’ 1953 edition of the AGS Aylesburian magazine. How Aylesbury celebrated the Coronation of ‘our young Queen Elizabeth II’.

LEAD WITH HUMILITY

Delighted to share with you our artist in residence, Ollie Evan-Howe (Phillips 13), second installment from his “AGS architecture series”.

This incredible illustration captures so many different elements of the School building in terms of architecture, style and design and Ollie has shared with us his creative process. Look out for his exclusive Q&A in the next issue of the Aylesburian Magazine to discover where his creative interests come from and what inspires him.

An insight into the creative process...

The Gardening Club have been busy harvesting autumnal goodies from the School Vegetable garden this term.

They have also supported the Chiltern Rangers by helping to plant trees along Platimun Way in Aylesbury.

Our youngest gardner harvested the AGS pumpkin and challenged Mr Ramsbottom to carve it for Halloween! Which he duly accepted!

This term year 8 students studying Spanish have been discovering more about the wider Spanish-speaking world in the Latin American Society.

We have met at lunch and found out about traditions and culture such as the Mexican Lottery, which is based on pictures and words rather than numbers, and the Day of the Dead, where the students competed to design the best skull mask.

Students also made their own piñatas and next week we will be discovering what Disney’s “Encanto” can tell us about Colombia.

Clubs and Societies AGS

CELEBRATE DIFFERENCE

Introducing our Student Committee for Change Team. Committed to shaping the ethos of the School through listening to the views of others, bringing about positive change and taking action to lead initiatives across all areas of diversity so that every student at AGS knows that they belong, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability or any other aspect of diversity.

The goal of the Committee is to enable students at all levels to significantly enhance the school community and benefit all. We will encourage your voices and ideas to be heard, bringing about change to our community for the better.

@AGSSCC

AGSMedicalSociety

A busy start to the year for our AGS MedSoc students.

They have been preparing for their Medical School interviews and participating in mock interviews with OA’s and parents from medical backgrounds supporting their journey.

@AGSMedSoc

James, Gabriel, Mustafa, Vaibhav, Kizr, Kevin, Shom, Bradley, Chris, Harry, Aryan, Yuv, Abshay, Fraser and Ajan.

StudentSupport AGS

EXTRAORDINARY CARE AND SUPPORT

Student Support at AGS continues to be busy and this autumn term has been no exception. Here is a taster of what the department and our students have been up to.

Student Support provides advice and support to students who present with a whole range of profiles and challenges. These can be academic or emotional, and support is not limited to those students with a formal diagnosis - it is whole School.

If you or your young person is struggling and in need of support, please email either Mrs Richards or studentsupport@ags.bucks.sch.uk.

Talks to Staff and Students

Earlier this term, as part of our Staff CPD programme, teachers listened to a talk by one of our Year12 students, Ben Hallett. Ben spoke most engagingly and openly about how he experiences the School day as someone with ASD and ADHD.

Feedback from teachers was overwhelming and included ‘The best CPD session ever’. Ben then presented a similar talk to Year 7 students where he was asked lots of questions about different SEND diagnoses. Our hope is that by making Year 7 more aware of different learning needs, they gain both a better understanding of themselves and some of their peers.

www.autism.org www.adhdfoundation.org.uk www.mind.org.uk www.dyslexia.uk.net

Out for SEND Conference

Miss Brooks (Student Support Assistant) accompanied three of our Key Stage 3 students to the Bucks ‘SHOUT OUT FOR SEND’ Conference organised by Bucks Council.

There were students from lots of Bucks Secondary Schools who all participated in lots of activities surrounding the theme of inclusion and the role schools play in ensuring all their students feel safe and included. Miss Brooks had her day filled with activities too and was also able to do some useful networking with staff from other schools.

The Conference was a great opportunity for students and staff to learn together and for teachers to learn from each other. Our students returned with a model of their ‘ideal classroom’ and some new ideas for inclusion. In addition, our students met some important representatives from Bucks Council and had the opportunity to voice their opinions on all things SEND.

The conference leaders fed back how well AGS students engaged with the acitivties and how well they represented the school. The Conference was a very successful outing for all those involved.

Shout

FROM HERE TO ANYWHERE

Our Class of 2022

Our class of 2022 went onto study at 54 different institutions embarking on a wide range of courses, some students began apprenticeships and some took a gap year. Our congratulations to all of our class of 2022.

@AGSSixthForm

54 different institutions...

Aston University

Bedford College Group

Birmingham City

Bournemouth University

Brunel University London

Buckinghamshire New Uni

Canterbury Christ Church

Cardiff University

Coventry University

Durham University

Imperial College London

King’s College London

Lancaster University

Leeds Beckett University

Liverpool John Moore

London School of Economics

Loughborough University

Newcastle University

Nottingham Trent Oxford Brookes

Queen Mary London

Royal Holloway London

Sheffield Hallam

Swansea University

University of Edinburgh The University of Law UCL

University of Bath University of Birmingham University of Brighton University of Bristol University of Buckingham University of Cambridge University of Chester University of Chichester University of East Anglia

University of Exeter University of Hertfordshire University of Kent University of Leeds University of Leicester University of Liverpool University of Manchester University of Nottingham University of Oxford

Exeter Hertfordshire Kent Leeds Leicester Liverpool Manchester Nottingham Oxford

University of Plymouth University of Portsmouth University of Reading University of Sheffield University of Southampton University of Surrey University of Sussex University of Warwick University of York

Staff AGS

SPOTLIGHT ON STAFF

It’s always a pleasure to celebrate success across our community and with a new Spotlight On Staff section you can now share in our staff news beyond their roles at AGS.

It all started with Dr Smith and his ‘Big Idea’ for staff development.

Reflecting on the post Covid era, the effects of School closures and the challenges of remote learning, it’s no understatement to say that the world became a rather different and unfamilar place for staff as well as students.

To reconnect and generate those vital conversations again, Dr Smith together with the Senior Leadership Team developed the idea of a whole School staff reading programme. Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed for non-teaching staff and Running the Room by Tom Bennett for teaching staff.

The AGS Staff Advisory Group, are a body of staff members made up of both teaching and non teaching staff who meet fortnightly to discuss, examine and act upon issues relating to all aspects of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Examining the extent to which the School’s current structures, norms and routines ensure equity of opportunity for students and staff from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

They are passionate about their subjects and have been working on individual projects relating to thier areas of expertise.

Discovering hidden talents is always a highlight for us! This amazing painting was created by our very talented Cover and Collaboration Manager, Mrs Turner.

We were delighted to hear that our Development Director, Alison Cox had been asked to lead on this insightful editoral (planning for long term income) for Fund Ed magazine. Fund Ed magazine provides inspiring case studies, expert guides and highlights trends across the sector.

We were thrilled to see her brilliant article in print discussing the important topic of school budgets and the vital role Development plays in schools by bringing together the philanthropic support of the wider community.

Also in print this term, was Mrs Gruar’s, Teacher of Classics, excellent research into inclusive classics. Starting in 2019, Mrs Gruar investigated whether the department’s change of textbook from the old Cambridge Latin Course to the newly-published Suburani had an impact on students’ awareness of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people within the Roman Empire. Well over a hundred members of year 8 and 9 filled in questionnaires, some even volunteering to give up their time to join focus groups. The results showed a noticeable increase in student consciousness that the Roman world was indeed a multicultural one.

The project continued into a second year, with the original paper from the school’s research journal “Flagship” being edited as a chapter for publication in Expanding Classics: Practitioner Perspectives from Schools and Museums. Meanwhile the questionnaires and focus groups were repeated, confirming further progress as the department continued to adapt delivery, sharing the historical and archaeological evidence for diversity and deepening our focus on areas where the research revealed that students were interested in finding out more. Mrs Gruar’s thanks go to all those, both staff and students, who helped in this research.

We were thrilled to learn that Mrs Gruar’s piece, “Student perceptions of BAME people in the Roman world: a comparision of Latin textbooks,” was included in the Routledge Focus, First Edition of “Expanding Classics” by Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson.

Huge congratulations!

AYLESBURIANS Old

SHARING EXPERTISE

For our students, being able to tap into the experience and expertise of our thriving OA community is an enormous asset, which can have a tremendous impact on a young person’s decisions about their future. We are forever grateful to our Old Aylesburian community for continuing to support the School and its future generation of OA’s.

John Curtis (Ridley ‘03)

Shared his story, details of his brilliant career to date, and spoke about his research specialisms within the Northern Ireland Protocol and NI-related aspects of Brexit.

Finn Bell (Lee ‘19)

Our brand new AGS Law Society welcomed OA Finn Bell back to AGS to talk to them following his recently acquired successful application Training Contract with White & Case LLP.

Scott Davies (Phillips ‘04)

Scott returned as part of our Inspiration Speaker’s Programme to share his utterly incredible story with our Sixth Form students in a packed Lecture Theatre.

Bernie Bernard (Denson ‘05)

Always a pleasure to welcome Bernie back to AGS. We were delighted when he agreed to support our Character Education sessions and deliver his thought-provoking talk on character to our Year 9 students.

Cameron MacDonald (Lee ‘19)

Cameron visited the School in November to also share his expertise and experience with our newly established AGS Law Society.

Kieran Lindars (Paterson ‘15)

Following his incredible sub 8 hour performance at the 2022 European Triathlon Long Distance Championships in Amsterdam. Kieran popped in to chat FTPs and nutrition with Mr Duggan and Mr Ramsbottom!

We loved celebrating our ‘97 and ‘98 cohort with some very special guests on Friday evening. Thanks to Seni Mylvaganam (Hampden ’97) and Titu Basu (Phillips ’98) for their valuable help in rallying the troops. It was great to see some familiar faces but also meet OAs who have not reconnected with the School since they left. A marvellous trip down memory lane for them, together with much laughter and reminiscing.

We hope to see you at future events so please keep in touch and look out for information via our termly newsletters or postings on social media. The next events in the pipeline are the Celebration of Sport Dinner on Saturday 18th March, when some of our OAs will reflect on the impact of the sport they participated in at AGS, and our 425th anniversary celebration - please save the date - Friday 29th September 2023 – keep an eye out for further details in the new year.

If you would like to get involved, be it part of our Inspirational Speakers Programme, offering career advice and mentoring or at one our OA events, please get in touch.

Email: development@ags.bucks.sch.uk Thank you!

Event Hosts, Titu Basu (Phillips ‘98) and Seni Mylvaganam (Hampden ’97)

@OldAYLESBURIANS

Development AGS

INVEST IN OUR FUTURE

AGS is more than just a School, it is community and a family built upon nearly 425 years of history and as a School we inspire and nurture our students to explore for themselves who they want to be and find their place in the world.

The School’s Messaging House (image below) sets out the clear strategic vision for the School, together with its purpose, promise and values that make up the School’s DNA.

This vision is then delivered through excellent Pastoral Care (Values Learning), Curricular (Academic) and Extra-Curricular (Participation) Learning.

Further to our vision as a ‘free School for Aylesbury’ we are humbled and delighted that over 81% of the new Year 7 cohort starting AGS in September lived within the Aylesbury Vale area making Aylesbury Grammar School the School of choice for local families, preparing our community to succeed.

Introducing our brand new 425th Anniversary commemorative logo

Next year Aylesbury Grammar School celebrates its landmark 425th anniversary. With its long history of inspiring and nurturing young people to explore for themselves who they want to be and find their place in the world there is no better time to celebrate 425 years of nurturing character.

We are delighted to introduce our commemorative anniversary logo. Instantly recognisable, with its symmetrical Georgian structure and large white windows together with distinctive cornicing and facades spreading outwards from a central entrance, the School building provided rich inspiration for this wonderful asset.

During the creative developmental process minute details such as deliberate spacing between block elements representing the intricate cornicing and, inclusion of the building’s signature circular roof window complete with keystones were carefully considered and added to the image to bring a connection and warmth to the digital interpretation.

In the run up to our anniversary we shall be releasing exciting new visuals and messages from Old Aylesburians celebrating this special event.

Keep an eye out on our socials for these bespoke icons and be sure to follow #AGS425 via our @Founded1598 Twitter account in the run up to our celebratory season.

During October, we were delighted to welcome back the amazing CRY UK team for our second annual heart screening programme. Over 100 students were screened here at AGS over one day and we were proud to hear of such high praise and positive feedback for our students.

Together with this fantastic team, we are proud to be able to offer such an important opportunity to our students. With national statistics citing at least 12 young people die from sudden undiagnosed heart conditions every week, testing their heart has never been more important.

A special thanks to Mr Ramsbottom, Head of Year 13, for his incredible fundraising efforts in supporting this important cause.

We are keen to encourage all students to develop and grow through participation learning and extra-curricular activities at School whether that be sport, the arts or the numerous clubs and societies on offer. Afterall, not all learning can be done in the classroom, and so we want to continue to provide our students with life enriching opportunities to help them grow in other areas.

AGS Sport is just one of those areas and is a high priority. We are appealing to our local community to understand if there are any opportunities for support. We have several sponsorship opportunities such as sponsoring a kit with branding together with other appropriate local organisations, or stand-alone branding, or sponsoring a specific event or activity.

Any of these options can be tailored to suit an organisation’s individual needs and there are numerous benefits.

Please get in touch if you can help. acox@ags.bucks.sch.uk

Development AGS

THANK YOU

All of us here at Aylesbury Grammar School would like to extend our warmest thanks to all those who have supported our fundraising efforts this term by making a gift donation via our Aylesburian Annual Fund, or informing us of their intention to leave a legacy, or volunteering their time.

We know how challenging times are, however, donations are the lifeblood of our School and without them we would be unable to improve outdated facilities, making them fit for purpose. Donations are not used to top up our Department of Education budget – they are used to help make us the exceptional School we are.

For further information on how to support the School, visit our website or email Alsion Cox, Development Director at acox@ags.bucks.sch.uk

Thank you.

Governors AGS

SUPPORTING STRATEGY AND VISION

Welcome to the Governor section of the Aylesbury Grammar School’s new publication, Flourish. A new School year brings with it the opportunity of reflection and the chance for us, as Governors, to look back and reflect upon the many positive outcomes from the previous year. There have certainly been challenges – but we feel it has been a very successful year.

Here are just some of the highlights:

• A successful return to face to face learning culminating in some outstanding GCSE and A Level results

• The successful implementation of the School’s Digital Learning strategy saw students across Key Stages move to Chromebooks for class and homework learning as part of the School’s Development Plan for Learning and Teaching.

• A Curriculum review introduced GSCE Food and Nutrition, a brand new offering.

• Excellent parent and student feedback occurring, together with a highly commended “Leading” Challenge Partner’s Quality Assurance Review.

• Within Community and Development, the School’s Welfare strategy was further developed resulting in the charity’s MIND Silver Award for having made demonstrable achievements in promoting staff mental health.

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion developments and the launch of Student Committee for Change which offers students the opportunity to lead initiatives across all areas of diversity.

• The new School entrance and staff room were successfully completed as well as the reconfiguration and refurbishment of the new Food Technology room with strategic direction from the Resources and Finance committee.

Looking forward, this year’s School Development priorities focus upon Enhance Learning through technology, Extra-Curricular provisions, plus further development of the School Welfare strategy. As a Governing Body, we shall focus upon continuing to provide support and to offer strategic guidance to the Headmaster and his Senior Leadership Team as well as overseeing the School’s Financial performance during these challenging times.

Following the recent review by Ofsted, we were delighted to see the ‘Outstanding’ outcome from Ofsted for the School. The School has been judged as outstanding in all categories of the Inspection Framework, namely Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Sixth Form Provision, and Leadership and Management. A fantastic accolade for the whole School community. For us, were delighted that it was stated that governance is a strength of the School, and that Governors and trustees are knowledgeable and passionate, and offer appropriate challenge to school leaders and are generous in their support of the School as well.

We are always open to feedback: indeed, we positively welcome it. So please look out for us at events: there will almost always be some of us about.

Williams, Chair of Governors

Richard

Who We Are...

Beyond the Headmaster and his Senior Leadership Team, the Governing Body is ultimately responsible for the performance of the School. It plays a key role in both establishing overall strategic direction and ensuring that the highest standards of education, safeguarding and financial matters are upheld.

Through constructive support and challenge the Governors are responsible for overseeing the management side of the School, enabling it to run as effectively as possible by working alongside Senior Leaders and supporting teachers and non teaching staff to provide an excellent education. They exist to ensure that educational and safeguarding standards are continuously improved so that each AGS student has the opportunity to reach their full potential by exploring for themselves who they want to be and find their place in the world.

Here at AGS we are fortunate to benefit from a passionate and committed Governing Body, with a wealth of expertise and professional experience ranging from engineers, to teachers, to financiers, to analysts, to lecturers, to consultants, to armed forces veterans, to neuro-scientists, to dog whisperers - the calibre speaks for itself!

The Governing Body meet termly as a Full Governing Body (FGB) and then in sub committees. There are four sub committees: Learning and Teaching, Community and Development, Resources including Finance and Personnel and Pay. Each committee has an appointed Chair to oversee statutory meetings.

Governing Body Scheme of Delegation

In addition to the Committee structure, there are a number of governors who have either volunteered or have been appointed to address specific areas of speciality: such as the role of Development Governor, Diversity / Equality, Additional Educational Needs etc.

Once established, these governors are required to make frequent visits into School and meet with the specialist in that area, to better understand their precise responsibilities.

Governance is a strength of the School...

Ofsted Report, November 2022

We are always looking for fresh ideas and volunteers! If your interested in finding out more about us then we would love to hear from you!

Email: pta@ags.bucks.sch.uk

Thank you!

PTA AGS

GET INVOLVED

Welcome to the PTA section of Flourish!

We are a group of parents, who organise and run events, together with the support of the School, to raise funds for Aylesbury Grammar School. We meet regularly to brainstorm ideas and organise activities (usually in a very sociable environment) for the whole AGS community.

We run a variety of events throughout the school year, such as Curry & Quiz Night, Burns Night Supper, Laser Tag Day, the Summer Fete and many more! These are always well supported and provide a great opportunity to meet other AGS parents and staff.

Every autumn the PTA arranges a sell-out team building activity for Year 7 students. A weekend outing to get to know each other better outside of the classroom environment.

This year students enjoyed a great day at Green Park (the photos speak for themselves!) climbing, orienteering and much more!

Here are a couple of ways to support us...

Amazon Smile

Why not shop through Amazon Smile (instead of Amazon) next time you order online and select ‘Aylesbury Grammar School PTA’ as your charity. From here the PTA will receive 0.5% of all purchases.

Easy Fundraising

Over 7,000 popular retailers will give a percentage of your spend to our School if you register your cause as Aylesbury Grammar School PTA and access your usual online shopping retailers through the Easy Fundraising web site.

Sign up using this link below to earn a bonus donation when you have raised specific amounts as a supporter.

For more details visit: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk

Remember to click on the Browser Extension tab and activate the Donation Reminder so you know if the site you are shopping on will make a donation.

Please forward the link to friends and family members - anyone can help.

@AGSPTA

THE AYLESBURIAN

OUT NOW

Your copy will be delivered by ‘student-post’