BGS View - Spring 2013

View The Bristol Grammar School Newsletter Spring 2013 Issue 23

Industrial cadets fly to Airbus

Activities at BGS

Oxbridge Success for thirteen

Sing Up Platinum Award for Infants and Juniors

School Concert • Off-Piste Adventure Sporting round-up • Tuppence Middleton

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From the Headmaster The defining mark of this Spring term has surely been the quality and extent of our students’ participation in the performing arts.

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rama, music and dance have always been a valued part of BGS life but it seems as though we’re riding the crest of a particularly impressive wave at the moment.

I was delighted to hear that the judges of the national Sing Up campaign had awarded the Infant and Junior School the highest possible rating – a Platinum Award – to recognise the integral role of singing in School life.

For those who do not have regular cause to be among our younger students, I encourage you to pay them a visit: it is truly inspiring to hear small but enthusiastic voices trilling from every corner – they even sing their times tables in Maths lessons!

Our older students also performed to the high standard we have come to expect of them at the School

Concert, which was once again held in the magnificent surroundings of St George’s Brandon Hill. This is a professional concert hall which attracts the nation’s musical elite – and our students certainly looked and sounded as though they belonged in the environment.

Together with many other events such as House Plays, Concerts and the annual Dance Competition, I am convinced that these opportunities to perform build confidence, collaboration and the sort of transferable ‘soft’ skills which are more difficult to develop in purely academic contexts.

Performance is a key part of the overall ‘adventure of learning’ which we seek to promote at BGS, and I am excited that we are in the early stages of exploring how we can achieve a step change in the quality of facilities we provide for this part of the curriculum.

As ever, I hope you enjoy reading in the following pages about the many and varied exploits of our students over this past term, and look forward to all that lies ahead in the summer.

I wish you and your families a happy Easter. My thanks and best wishes to all those involved in School expeditions and trips over the break – at some periods in the holiday we have almost 300 students and 30 staff out on adventures!

Roderick MacKinnon

News

Presentation of ‘A’ level certificates It was a pleasure to welcome many members of the Class of 2012 back to BGS in January when we celebrated their impressive academic results and presented them with their ‘A’ level certificates. Our thanks go to OB and former BGS Deputy Head Robert Gullifer, now Headmaster of New College School, who returned to BGS to address our leavers and make the presentations.

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News Model

United Nations

Some fifteen BGS delegates took part in the Bath International Schools' Model United Nations at the beginning of March. Starting with the opening ceremony and intensive lobbying on Friday evening, BGS delegates representing the Czech Republic, Madagascar and South Korea worked hard to represent their countries' views on a range of international issues.

BGS girls fly to Airbus as Industrial Cadets On 8 March 27 girls from Years 8 and 9 attended the launch of the Industrial Cadets programme at Airbus in Filton.

One of the aims of this programme is to raise awareness of the opportunities offered by industrial and manufacturing companies in the Bristol area. The programme is sponsored by Airbus

Showing we care This term’s Senior School charity was Cancer Care UK and the fundraising effort was enthusiastically embraced throughout the School. Charity Week saw the return of the ever-popular cake sales, plus a special Big Quiz in the Great Hall where members of the BGS community could demonstrate their knowledge on subjects big and small.

A pink-themed Non-Uniform Day took place to match Cancer Care UK’s colour and the usually-red Valentine’s roses went pink for the occasion too. Overall, the week’s events raised more than £2,000 for this very worthwhile cause.

and will include hands-on activities at Airbus together with Airbus engineers visiting the girls at School as mentors for their case study. A final graduation event is planned at Airbus in late June.

We wish the girls luck in this new and exciting adventure.

After busy days on Saturday and Sunday, awards were announced at the closing ceremony. All delegates represented BGS with flair and distinction, continuing a longestablished tradition of fair debating and fine public speaking. Particular congratulations go to Will who won a Highly Commended delegate award for his work in the Environment Committee for South Korea, and Sonny who won a Commended Delegate Award on the Economics Committee on behalf of the Czech Republic.

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News Friends of BGS

Masked Ball HiSPARC launch

Thanks to generous donations from the Friends of BGS and the Institute of Physics, BGS Sixth-form physicists have been given a unique opportunity to research an important issue facing scientists today.

Cosmic rays are high-energy particles that constantly bombard the Earth from outer space, but currently no one is sure where they come from. Some of them originate from the Sun and cause the Northern Lights, but many have such high energy that they must have been emitted by another source in the galaxy, possibly a supermassive black hole or supernovae, as the biggest stars die and explode.

BGS students have built a cosmicray detector and installed it on the roof of the Science Department. The installation was made possible thanks to the help of BGS IT and Facilities Departments, Bristol University and the Physics Technicians. We were pleased

to welcome representatives from many of the groups who have helped make this project possible to a launch ceremony this term.

Our detector is part of the international HiSPARC project, in association with Bristol University. There are other detectors at schools and universities across Europe, and all send data back to a central server in the Netherlands. All the data is accessible to the participating schools, and our students will now start cutting-edge research projects to determine possible sources of the rays.

If you would like to find out more about this exciting, new initiative here at School, log on to www.hisparc.nl/en

BGS Library Launches Blog

tips, stock updates, BGS Library promotions, news, comment and reviews, the blog can be accessed at any time at www.bgslibrarian. blogspot.co.uk

If you are keen to improve your study skills, find out about literary events and publishing news, or just fancy a good book recommendation, then the new BGS Library blog is for you. In April BGSLibrarian will officially launch as an extension to the services that our librarians already provide. Including useful resources, information literacy

When adversity is all around, call it the Triple Dip, the chilly Beast from the East or the Fruitless Search for a Feathered Mask on Whiteladies Road, it’s good to know that BGS parents can come out and enjoy a soul-lifting party.

Costumed figures and Venetian masks looked down on a glowing Great Hall where guests were met by Sixthform musicians, a fencing pair, court jugglers and waiters for the champagne reception. A delicious dinner was followed by generous bidding for the auction, raising ÂŁ6,000 for the Penny Brohn Cancer Centre. Then the night was given to dancing to The Love Vultures, propping up the Sports Tour 2014 Bar and, for those whose dresses could cope, a bungee run.

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Charter Day At Bristol Cathedral on Friday 15 March BGS commemorated the award of its School Charter in 1532 at its annual Charter Day service. In a change from previous years the service took place on the actual anniversary rather than the nearest Saturday, but the tradition of pupils wearing daffodils on their blazers remained, this year sold by Diamond’s House in aid of their House Charity, Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal.

Activities One of the most popular elements of life in Years 7 and 8 at BGS is the Activities programme. On a five-week rotation students have the chance to try new activities and learn new skills, as well as enjoy a change of pace from the more academic side of School life.

The Year 7 programme sees students trying their hand at Fencing, Circus Skills, Dance, Textiles, Cookery and learning more about BGS in BGSi, with Swimming, First Aid and Photography, alongside Dance, Textiles and Cookery, to look forward to in Year 8. What do our students like about Activities? Almost everything!

Eren: “ I enjoyed the fencing tournament we had. I had never fenced before and I was better than I expected.”

chloe: “ I’m looking forward to Circus Skills: I’ve heard it is really good fun.”

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Activities When asked if they would change anything, a few suggested being allowed to choose their activities but most felt being made to try something new was actually a positive. Elliot explained “Trying new things is a great way to widen your interests and to get interested in lots of things. If you discover something you want to keep on doing, then there are things like Fencing or Cookery Club you can join.”

Want to try the Triple Chocolate Pudding for yourself – here’s how…

Ingedients • 150g (5ozs) Self Raising Flour • 30g (1oz) Cocoa Powder • 1 level teaspoon of Baking Powder • 125g (4ozs) Brown Sugar • 125g (4ozs) Butter • 2 Eggs • 1 tablespoon of Raspberry Jam • 3 tablespoons of Warm Water • 125g (4ozs) Mixed Plain, Milk and White Chocolate Chips • 1½ Pint Pudding Basin suitable for Microwave and a Jam Jar. Method 1. S ift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into bowl.

2. A dd sugar, butter, eggs, jam and water and beat until smooth.

3. A dd chocolate and stir in.

4. P our into microwavable bowl and put on high for 6–7 minutes.

5. R emove and stand for 5 minutes, then turn out.

Sauce • 125g (4ozs) Plain Chocolate • 30g (1oz) Butter • 2 tablespoons of Golden Syrup • 2 tablespoons of Water • ½ teaspoon of Vanilla Essence Method 1. M ix all ingredients in microwavable bowl.

2. P ut on high, microwave for 1–2 minutes.

3. R emove, stir and pour over pudding.

ethan: “I wasn’t expecting to enjoy the Dance Activity but it has been good fun.”

charlotte: “My favourite Activity so far was Cookery, especially making the Triple Chocolate Pudding!”

Henry: “It’s been great. The nearest thing we did to cookery at my old school was making a sandwich.”

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Activities emily: “We’ve been making a David Hockney picture which is great as you make your own piece, but it will be put together with all your friends’ work to complete the whole thing.”

Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme

Encouraging students to try new things, have a go, and get involved – right from the start of their time at BGS – is one of the reasons so many of them go on to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, for which BGS is one of the largest centres in the south-west.

Sophie: “I like Activities as it’s more relaxed than normal lessons and a chance to get to know the others in my House.”

The Awards have four elements – Volunteering, Physical, Skills, and Expedition (with a fifth element, Residential added at Gold level) – and the requirements of each element increase as a student progresses from their Bronze to Gold Award. The current BGS Sixth Form boasts no fewer than 135 students undertaking their Gold Awards. One of them, Sonny has written about his experience: On 5 February the latest cohort of Gold Duke of Edinburgh applicants from BGS had their first taste of adventure as they embarked upon the prelude to their expedition. To prepare students for the gruelling challenge of trekking across Snowdonia National Park, DofE co-ordinator Mr Carr organised a practice walk around the Bristol area under simulated challenging trek conditions. This was the first time that students had worked in their teams of seven and they were loaded with packs of up to one-third bodyweight!

One aim was to improve a student’s fitness, as the four-day trek they will participate in to complete the campaign is an incredibly tough test of stamina and resilience. Furthermore, students must learn to work together and cooperate in their working groups to effectively complete the expedition.

However, Expedition is only one of the areas in which candidates must excel to obtain a prestigious Gold Award which, if completed, is presented at

Buckingham Palace. Another area is Volunteering in a local community or organisation to help others. One student, Qays, has been helping at a local community radio station over the past few months. He said: “My highlight so far has been the opportunity to speak to the Bristol Mayoral candidates for the station, and help to spread their messages to the electorate.

“On a personal level, I feel that helping out on a local radio station actually helps my local community – figures show that community cohesion is a key factor in reducing crime – and I am using my talents to contribute to my local area.”

At BGS we believe in the value of cocurricular activities and this enthusiasm is shared by the DofE scheme. As such, all Gold Award candidates must participate in a sport for a period of at least six months and take on the challenge of learning a new skill. It is not necessarily about performing at a high level but about inspiring students to try new sports or activities and enjoy them, thus improving their long-term health and well-being.

Teamwork, fitness, new skills and service to others are all encapsulated in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, making it a valuable and worthwhile undertaking for any young person, reflected in how widely it is embraced at BGS.

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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. This term parents have been even more involved in School activities than ever. The role of the Parents Association (JISPA) has been central to this.

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ISPA has provided outside play equipment for the Infants, indoor play equipment for the Juniors, new overalls for Art and DT work and Maths resources. JISPA has organised discos for Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 (following last term’s JISPA Infant Disco) and has made exciting plans for social events for the children and families to enjoy in the Summer and Autumn terms. In addition, JISPA has donated two “Gromits” so that the Infants and Juniors can both play a part in naming and decorating a Gromit to form part of the Gromit Unleashed Schools Trail around Bristol.

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 fantastic 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, Year 2 Australia Day and Infants Mother’s Day assemblies and others after School such as our fantastic MADD Evening this term. Parents also played a part in supporting our successful application

to become a Sing Up Platinum Award School thus giving us recognition as one of the top singing primary schools in the country.

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 our parents are so proud of all their children achieve at the School.

Peter Huckle Headmaster, BGS Infants & Juniors Photo courtesy of The Post

Fun in the snow!

The snowy weather allowed members of BGS Infants and Juniors to enjoy a magical experience at Failand. The trees were covered in thick snow and there were fields of white all around – it was just like Narnia! The children had lots of fun and worked in teams to build igloos before moving to the warmth of the Pavilion for some games while their coats and gloves dried off!

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Simply the Best!

Sing Up Platinum Award BGS Infants and Juniors was pleased and proud to receive confirmation this term that the School has been awarded the Sing Up Platinum Award.

This is the highest level of these national awards which recognise and celebrate schools that place singing at the heart of school life, and support those who strive to achieve this. After a day talking to children, staff, parents and Governors about singing at the School and experiencing first-hand the quality and variety of our singing Mrs Kathleen Still, the Awards Verifier for Sing Up, was obviously very impressed with what she had seen, writing:

amazing australia Year 1 took a (virtual) trip Down Under this term, leaving a snowy Bristol to touch down in a very toasty 38-degree Sydney! During their stay the children learnt all about Australia with a tour of Sydney, a trip to Uluru (Ayers Rock), and learnt all about Aboriginal symbols and Dreamtime stories.

Finally, it was Australia Day and, after learning about Captain Cook’s discovery of Australia, the children celebrated with Anzac biscuits and Australian activities: making the Australian flag, Aboriginal paintings, origami koalas and moving kangaroos.

It was a great afternoon and our thanks go to the parents who came along to join the fun and help out.

Inspirational India I’m delighted to endorse Bristol Grammar Infant and Junior School’s Platinum Award. It has been a pleasure to learn about the singing in your school and it’s clear that all staff and pupils are dedicated to maintaining a singing school ethos throughout the day.

Congratulations on achieving your Platinum Award.

It is very well deserved. I hope you celebrate with song.

As is fitting in a singing school, the children have had plenty of chances to do just that this term, with the wonderful Celebration of Singing Day in February, incorporating the Class and House Singing competition, and Performing Arts Day which featured not only amazing vocal performances but also the musical, dance and dramatic talents of BGS Juniors. Well done to everyone who took part, especially those selected to perform at MADD Evening at the end of term, a wonderful event celebrating the artistic talents of our pupils.

Year 2 explored India as their topic at the start of this term with the country inspiring their learning across the curriculum. In English the children wrote and read out their own Indian traditional stories based on the story of The White Elephant. In RE the children learnt about Hinduism, finding out about deities like Ganesh, Krishna, Vishnu and Lakshmi and learning the stories behind them. There was also a fantastic India afternoon when the children (and their parents) danced, sampled Indian food and created an Indian elephant in Art. Thank you to all of those parents who were able to join us for the afternoon, especially those who provided the delicious food!

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Infants & Juniors

Happy to help

Gromit Unleashed

This term our Reception classes have been learning all about people who help and care for us. They have enjoyed visits from doctors, vets, dentists, the police, and a barrister and talked about how each of them help us. The children were excited to use a stethoscope to hear Lottie the dog's heartbeat, and they enjoyed the chance to explore a police van and hear the sirens. There was also some toothbrushing practice with our visiting dentists and the opportunity to dress up in a barrister's wig and gown. A big thank you to everyone who gave up their time to come in and visit us.

I spy…

At the end of January, children from BGS Infants and Juniors were keeping a very close eye out of the windows as they took part in the RSPB's Big Garden Bird Watch. Mr Marsh, along with a group of Junior School children, set up some bird feeders in the garden hoping to attract lots of wildlife and the children helped to keep a tally of the different types of birds spotted. With more than twenty different species identified, it was a fabulous opportunity for the children to learn about the wildlife around them.

There was great excitement at the start of March when members of JISPA came in to School to lead our Infant and Junior assembly in the Great Hall.

Led by Mrs Davies, ably supported by JISPA Chairman Ms Yates, Mr Davies and Mr and Mrs Morrow, the children heard about the plans for Gromit Unleashed in Bristol this Summer, the history of Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal and how BGS is actively involved in both. ‘Wallace and Gromit’ then made a special appearance to unveil the big surprise – two 75cm high Gromits provided by the Parents' Association for the Infants and Juniors to name, decorate and keep. Many thanks to JISPA for this fantastic initiative and for capturing the children’s imagination so effectively.

Mum’s the word

BGS Infants celebrated some very special people in their Mother’s Day Assemblies on Friday 8 March. Mums – if you were able to join us, we hope you enjoyed hearing about just how important and special you are.

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Fundraising Fun The Junior School Charity Committee has been very busy this term coming up with lots of wonderful ideas to help to raise money for our three chosen charities of the Children’s Hospice South West, New Hope and PAT Dogs (Pets As Therapy).

There have been Fairy Cake Fridays which have proved to be immensely popular in both the Infant and Junior Schools and the cakes always vanish! In addition we have held two mufti days for our charities. Our “Raise A Smile” mufti day coincided with Performing Arts Day and the children looked amazing in the huge array of costumes, wigs, odd socks and shoes as well as face painting. Many of the staff got into the spirit of things dressed as a mixture of rabbits and ducks in some onesies!

There was also a red-themed mufti day for Comic Relief.

Many of the children have been collecting loose change from around their homes and have been storing them in “A Jar of Hearts” which is what the Committee decided to call the jars! Some have come in already – it is amazing how much a jar with £3.91 in it can weigh!

A step back in time Year 3 and Year 6 both took a trip into the past this term, heading to St Fagans and the Swindon Steam Museum respectively. At Swindon, Year 6 learnt all about life for a wartime evacuee while Year 3’s trip through history took them back in time to a Celtic settlement. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the trips were a wonderful way to bring the past to life.

Year 1 at the Library Year 1 have been learning all about children’s author Julia Donaldson this term and got their topic off to a flying start with a trip on the bus to Bristol Central Library. Working in pairs, the children scoured the shelves for books written by Julia. They were surprised to find she had written so many and that there were lots they hadn’t heard of.

In small groups they selected books to read together and to each other and looked out for characters from other stories hidden in the illustrations.

World Book Day There were some very familiar faces on display on World Book Day as the children came to School dressed as a character from their favourite book.

See how many you can recognise in the photo below.

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Sixth Form A tale of two (Cambridge) cities

New Joiners Every year around 35 new students join the Sixth Form at BGS, keen to experience all that the School has to offer. It’s always interesting to see the School through fresh eyes and hear how they view BGS, so we asked some of last year’s joiners to share their thoughts on life in the Sixth Form.

“The academia is amazing. I especially like the use of the smart boards. The varied teaching styles means there's something for everyone which is very inclusive.”

“The openness and friendliness of students meant that I immediately felt welcome in the year-group as a whole.”

“BGS careers advice really is very useful, with the Old Bristolians’ Careers Day and research day helping me find my ideal career path.”

“The House system is extremely impressive. I like how it encourages more socialising between yeargroups and I particularly loved House Singing.”

Cambridge, England and Cambridge, Massachusetts can both lay claim to being home to one of the world’s leading universities, as the location of Cambridge and Harvard respectively.

Head of School James is in the fortunate position of choosing between them as his destination after BGS. James has an offer to read Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and is confident he can meet the entry requirement of A*AA in his Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics ‘A’ levels, plus a minimum of a C in German. However, with an offer from Harvard to join their Liberal Arts course, he has a difficult decision ahead.

With the excitement of life in another country alongside the attraction of a course which allows much greater freedom in terms of areas of study (which would allow James to continue to study German), Harvard is currently his preferred destination. With around 35,000 applicants for 2,000 undergraduate places at Harvard, James is to be congratulated on having successfully completed two such competitive admissions processes and whichever Cambridge he chooses, we wish him all the best for his future.

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Sixth Form

Inspiring, Entertaining, Informative…

A long-standing feature of life in the Sixth Form at BGS is the Headmaster’s Lecture. Instigated in the 1940s by then Headmaster John Garrett, the lecture series sees a guest speaker deliver a talk to the Sixth Form on (almost) anything!

In this academic year alone, the Sixth Form have enjoyed talks from speakers as diverse as journalist David Aaronovitch, conservationist and ornithologist Mark Avery, OB and adventurer Alan Lock, and John Hoskison, who shared his experience of spending time in prison.

The talks offer a wonderful opportunity for our Sixth-form students to explore life beyond their ‘A’ level subjects, and to hear from people whose experiences and interests will hopefully inform or inspire them.

A highlight for many this term was the visit of former England Rugby International and surgeon Jonathan Webb. Keen Rugby player, Tom wrote the following report: On Monday 4 March ex-England international Rugby player, Jonathan Webb gave a talk about his life as a Rugby player and how he became a surgeon.

Jonathan Webb represented England in 33 Test matches between 1987 and 1993, and he scored a total of 296 points for his country; he also played club Rugby for Bristol and Bath, mostly at full-back. He attended medical school in Bristol from 1982–1987

competing for, you should never give that opportunity away for someone else to have a chance, otherwise it becomes difficult to regain your position. Jonathan decided to give up Rugby and return to being a surgeon; this affected his Rugby career because when he decided to return to playing he couldn’t get back into the team thus ending his England career.

To conclude, I thought the talk itself was very well presented and in terms of the sporting side it has given me more knowledge when it comes to competition for places. It has also inspired me to work harder and push myself further to try to achieve the goals I’ll set throughout life. I might not become an England Rugby player as Jonathan did, but to look back in future years and say I did the best I could do then I will be just as happy.

Oxbridge Success

working an average of eighty hours a week alongside continuing to train and play Rugby. Although I’m not interested in pursuing a medical career, it was interesting to hear just how hard Jonathan had to work to gain the status he has in his profession.

One of the many things I took away from the lecture was how you can’t allow your outside life to affect your work. For Jonathan, this meant making sure he focused on his patients and didn’t allow his Rugby form or results to influence his mind set. This helped me to understand the impact that other factors can have on the way we work in society.

Returning to the sporting side of Jonathan’s life, I learnt that if you’re given a position in sport that you’re

An impressive thirteen Bristol Grammar School pupils have been successful in their applications to Oxford or Cambridge this year, with three receiving offers of a place at Oxford and a further ten at Cambridge.

No fewer than eight of the offers are to study STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

Medicine, Modern Languages, History, and Human, Social and Political Sciences round out the offers. This success across the subject areas for our students is a testament to the quality of teaching and learning across the curriculum at BGS. Director of Sixth Form Justin Harford said: “We are very proud of the achievement of these talented students; it is testament to the commitment they have given to their studies. Their academic endeavours began back at GCSE with a rack of the highest grades, followed by outstanding AS results last summer, creating them the perfect platform from which to tackle the challenges of the highly competitive Oxbridge admissions process.”

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Literary Events

Colourful learning at BGS Infants

Years 1 and 2 enjoyed a special visit from talented picture book illustrator Roz Streeten, creator of Rosie Flo’s colouring books, in January. Inspired by her two daughters’ constant requests for drawings of pretty dresses Roz decided to produce her drawings

in book form and there are now thirteen books in this popular and successful series.

The children enjoyed exploring the beautiful drawings and were fascinated by the variety of themed books – the black pages in the night-time colouring book and the baking paper in Rosie Flo’s Kitchen colouring book – and amazed by the Japanese, Spanish and American versions too! Roz challenged the children to use their imaginations, telling them “If you can imagine it can help you draw” and asked them to consider the answers to the following questions: Who is your character? How are they feeling? How can I show this in my drawing?

This led on nicely to a special drawing and colouring activity with Roz. The children jumped at the opportunity to embellish drawings and make important decisions on character and facial expressions, and did a great job.

Another fun and colourful morning in the Infants!

Rekha Mamuda

An Afternoon in the Arena There was great excitement when Simon Scarrow, bestselling author of ancient Roman historical fiction, visited BGS to speak to our Year 7 students.

Within minutes he had the whole room in the palm of his hand as he talked about his latest book Street Fighter.

This is the second book in his young adult Gladiator series, which follows the young Marcus as he is orphaned, sold into slavery and trained to fight in the arena. Interestingly, Scarrow claims that the inspiration for this character came not from the history of Ancient Rome, but from his own childhood fear that his parents would vanish and he would be left to fend for himself. This honest, potentially universal theme certainly must have contributed to the books’ success with children and adults alike.

A history lesson followed, providing a rapt audience with a no-gory-detailspared account of the daily life of a

Roman gladiator and the origins of the ancient entertainment. Then it was the students’ turn to show off their knowledge with Ms Shepherd’s Kids’ Lit Quiz, which rewarded the most widelyread teams with a signed Gladiator book. A final round of questions with Simon Scarrow brought the event to a close and I for one was left with a renewed enthusiasm for all things Roman, and fully intend to take on the Gladiator series as soon as I can wrest a copy back from the equallyenthused students.

Rob Hancock

The Perks of Being an Element Hunter Stamps. Figurines. Mugs. Magazines.

Key rings. Commemorative coins.

These are the kind of things normal people collect: harmless objects that amuse or interest us, that are simply pleasing to own. But Itchingham Lofte, hero of Simon Mayo’s popular Itch series, is not a normal person and neither is his collection. Itch collects the elements of the Periodic Table. Mayo visited our Year 6 and 7 students to tell them about the trouble that collecting the elements causes Itch.

From the moment the BBC 2 Radio DJ-turned-children’s author stepped onto the stage in the Great Hall he had complete command of the room, showing videos of chemistry in explosive action and drawing us all into the story of Itch.

Having discovered an exceedingly rare and impossibly powerful new element in the first book of the series, Mayo’s hero returns in Itch Rocks as a schoolboy with a secret that could quite literally save or destroy the world.

It was particularly interesting to hear that Mayo based his books on the reallife story of David Hahn, a boy scout who built a functioning nuclear reactor in his garden shed!

Originally conceived as a short story to entertain his science-mad son, Mayo’s books are part of a growing trend in young adult publishing which breaks down the traditional opposition between science and the arts. He certainly succeeded in engaging our students in science, as was made clear by their excellent and numerous questions. We were even treated to a rendition of Tom Lehrer’s seminal Elements Song by our very own Jamie from Year 7!

With three more Itch books in the works, Simon Mayo is set to be making science cool and inspiring new Element Hunters for years to come.

Rob Hancock

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Adventures in Space Author Lucy Hawking visited the Junior School to talk to us about her series of George books.

Chris Ryan Live Chris Ryan, a veteran of the SAS and thriller-novelist for both adults and younger readers, joined an eager audience of Year 6s in the Junior School Hall on World Book Day. He gave a thoroughly engaging presentation which was streamed across the Nation, after which he answered questions from both the audience and his Twitter followers.

Ryan spoke mainly about his work in the SAS to explain the context and inspiration for his novels. He brought with him most of the standard equipment he had used in training, to demonstrate: Tom a member of the Upper Sixth, was slowly dressed up in fire-proof outer overalls, the holster for a 9mm P226 Sig Sauer, training body-armour, an operative waistcoat, a respirator, a helmet and night-vision goggles! He received no sympathy from Chris Ryan, who explained that the full operative equipment was much heavier at 120–150 kilos!

After revealing his favourites among his own novels (The Watchtower and The Fisherman’s Daughter) Chris let slip that he has another name – “Mollie Jackson” – under which The Fisherman’s Daughter was published.

He explained the inspiration behind Code-breaker, the latest of the series, as being his wish to introduce

the character Malcolm – a genius code-breaker and hacker inspired by the young boy who hacked into the CIA and the Pentagon a few years previously.

Chris Ryan left the audience with the old saying of his school librarian Mrs Robinson: “You don’t like reading? You just haven’t found the right book.”

Sarah

, Lower Sixth

She started by telling us about her first book George’s Secret Key to the Universe, including about Freddy the pig escaping and George meeting other characters Annie, Eric and Cosmos. George and Annie go into space, stupidly without genius scientist Eric; the villain, Dr Reeper, steals Cosmos and traps Eric in a black hole.

Lucy Hawking still managed to have enough time to tell us about the birth of a star and showed us some amazing pictures of the stars.

Next it was on to George’s Cosmic Treasure Hunt where she talked about a competition she held to find out what people would say as the first person on earth to talk to an alien. Lucy told us about how we could contact aliens and a little about her father, Stephen Hawking, who thinks it would be best if we didn’t make contact with them (if we discover any).

Lucy also talked about what might be in outer space, with some interesting facts (there may even be a toothbrush!).

She considered time travel and even discussed worm holes in space. While discussing which planets may be habitable and telling us about George in her novel trying to find a new home for his pig on one of the planets in our solar system, it turns out that only our planet, Earth, is habitable to our type of being – the slides she showed us were jaw-dropping.

Lucy Hawking took questions from the pupils after her talk. One pupil in his first year of the Junior School asked whether worm holes in outer space would be connected to Einstein’s theory of relativity. Lucy was impressed!

As were the other pupils!

Didier

, Year 6

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Performing Arts

Edwards’s House Concert

Spring Concert

at St George’s

Once again the School’s musicians put on an amazing performance at St George’s in a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable evening of music.

The programme was a mix of ensemble and solo performances featuring music ranging from classical to the present day, with a wonderful rendition of The A Team by Ed Sheeran from the Girls’ Choir. An undoubted highlight of the evening was the Wind Orchestra’s performance of Gaelforce. Peter Graham’s adaptation of three Irish folk tunes allowed each section of the Wind Orchestra to shine in turn, and their hard work in preparing what is a challenging piece was evident in their beautiful performance. Congratulations to them and to all the other performers whose hard work and talent produced such an outstanding concert.

The combined talents of the Blue House were used to great effect at Edwards’s House Concert at the start of March. The evening featured music, dance, drama and laughter with contributions from students in every year-group. Every performer deserves praise but it was especially nice to see so many Year 7 students take to the stage in their first House Concert. The evening was a great success, enjoyed by all and raising funds for the House Charity, Hammer Out.

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H O U S E

DANCE Competition

The Great Hall was the venue for the annual House Dance Competition where students from Years 7–10 contested the Junior solo and group categories and those in Year 11 upwards competed in the Senior categories. There was also an entertaining staff competition which revealed some unexpected talents. The judging panel of BGS Dance teacher Mrs White, Library Assistant and competitive Latin and Ballroom dancer Mr Hancock and parent Miss Yaker Ekall, faced some difficult decisions in deciding the winners with the honours eventually going to:

House Plays

Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Monopoplay

— Junior solo: Diamond’s (Stephanie

— Senior solo: Diamond’s (Rachel

— Junior group: Catchpole’s — Senior group: Gunawardana’s — Staff dance: Diamond’s (Mr Watkins and Miss Le Poer Trench) Trench) There was a further demonstration of the dance talent in the School at the Reflections Dance Showcase at the end of term. This event was designed to celebrate and showcase all of the work created by Year 11 GCSE Dance students and featured students from Years 10 and 11.

Members of Catchpole’s and Diamond’s took to the stage this term in two quite different House Plays. While Catchpole’s performed four of Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Cap, Snow White and Ashputtel), cleverly linked by the ‘behind-thescenes’ discussions of their directors, Diamond’s put on Monopoplay – a spirited comedy written by Head of School James This comic tale told the story of the employees of a board-game design company, who had just one day to come up with two new games. As their boss disappeared and strange events occurred, the challenge seemed insurmountable.

What linked these two productions was the commitment and enthusiasm displayed by their casts and crew in getting them to the stage, and the high standard of the performances. Well done to all those who took part.

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Exploration During the half-term break ten Bristol Grammar School students and three staff, led by two experienced mountain guides, enjoyed a fantastic week’s skiing off-piste in Chamonix.

Highlights of the trip included a descent of the Vallée Blanche in oncein-a-lifetime snow conditions and an adventurous ski tour from France into Switzerland over the Tête de Balme.

The group were superb and their skiing was praised by the guides as being superior to many of the adult groups they work with.

This was the fourth off-piste trip BGS has run and we are quite confident that we are the only UK school offering this type of trip every year. As well as having an amazing ski experience the trip also makes the students familiar with the decisions, technical equipment (avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe and airbag rucksack) and knowledge required before venturing offpiste safely.

Off-Piste adventure

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Bordeaux Study Trip

On 10 February four ‘A’ level French students undertook the long journey from Bristol to Bordeaux via Toulouse to spend a week living with a French family and immerse themselves in French life culture and language.

B arce l ona Hockey Tour

The First XI hockey team escaped the grey skies of Bristol at halfterm, flying to Barcelona for a four-day, three-match hockey tour.

In their first two matches BGS took an early lead before being overwhelmed by their stronger and more experienced Spanish opponents, losing 1–6 to Real Club de Polo and 1–7 to the Castelldefels U18 side. Well done to tour captain Michael and Jonah who opened the scoring in the first and second matches respectively, and to goalkeeper Ben who was outstanding in the second game.

With no game on the third day, the tour party enjoyed a tour of the Camp Nou, the home ground of FC Barcelona, including a look at the (very large) trophy cabinet. In the afternoon the boys went to explore the city. Some enjoyed some typical Spanish Tapas (while others explored the menu of a typical Spanish McDonalds!) and many visited the famous La Rambla and Gaudi’s Cathedral. In the evening the boys went to a La Liga game, played by the other football team of Barcelona, Espanol.

The last day of the tour brought the final match and a determination to win against opponents Iluro U18. After

conceding a soft early goal, the boys stepped up a gear and dominated the remainder of the first half with goals from Redd and Greg In the second half, the boys reaped the reward of their determination not to give up a winning position with Alec scoring once and Brook twice. The final scoreline of 5–1 was just reward for the boys’ hard work on the pitch throughout the tour, and showed how much they had learnt and improved from the experience of playing against Spanish opposition.

Well done to the player of the tour Redd to Ciaran the rock of the BGS defence, and Jack who was outstanding in midfield – especially considering he was one of the younger members of the tour.

Once they were settled with their host families, the students faced the challenge of negotiating the Bordeaux streets to find the Alliance Française.

Once there, under the guidance of teacher Francoise, the group enjoyed lessons including a class in advanced French cooking. They also had lunch at Flunch (an invitingly-named fast-food experience) and toured the beautiful vineyards of St Émillion. In what time there was between these exciting excursions, the students could be found enjoying the coffee and crêpes of the local Bordeaux cafés. At the end of the week the genuine sadness at departing was tempered by the warm invitations from host families to return soon, something our students would be pleased to do after such an enjoyable and educational trip.

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Sport

Netball The Senior School girls have enjoyed playing on the new courts at Failand and their enthusiasm and dedication has enabled BGS to regularly field five teams at senior level.

The undoubted highlight of the term was the First VII’s victory in the Malvern Invitational tournament beating Christ College Brecon 12–6 in the final. With large numbers regularly training in the junior teams, a strong future for netball looks assured.

In the Junior School, the U11‘A’ team travelled to Millfield for the IAPS regional tournament on Thursday 7 March. The standard is always high at IAPS events and the girls faced tough opposition in their group. They made a strong start but conceded in the last seconds to lose 2–3 to Richard Pate School. A defeat 7–2 to a tall and strong Mount House was followed

by a tremendous match against Kingswood just before lunch, which BGS won 5–2. They then suffered a defeat to Moor Park 1–5 but showed great determination to beat St John’s 4–2, and, in a nail-biting final match against Wycliffe, our girls managed to score just before the whistle to win 5–4. Unfortunately this wasn’t enough to make the play-offs, but the girls played tremendously well all day and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Well done to the squad: Katie , Rosa Freya C), Lucy Nina Holly Alysia Tilly and Megan

Badminton Bristol Grammar School hosted the Bristol Schools’ KS3 (U14) event this term with nine schools taking part in the competition.

BGS entered two boys’ and two girls’ teams who all did well with one of the boys’ teams finishing undefeated as overall winners.

The KS4 (U16) competition was held at St Bede’s. Again the BGS boys’ team performed well, although the competition was much tighter and they faced a tough match against Cotham School to secure victory.

As winners of the Bristol Schools’ events, both teams qualified for the county tournament with the KS4 team winning by just one game and the KS3 team once again remaining unbeaten for them both to go forward to the South West Regional finals on 14 March.

In the Junior School two pairs represented the School at the IAPS Badminton Tournament at Colet Court, London. Josh and Sopigan finished fifth in their group and unfortunately failed to reach the next round, but Alex and Om finished third in their group and qualified for the Plate Competition, where they lost in a nail-biting semi-final 15–14. Well done to all four boys.

Athletics Two Year 10 students, Jonny and Ada'ora were part of the Avon U15 boys’ and girls’ athletics teams which both won at the South West Regional event, qualifying for the final at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

An injury meant Jonny did not have much involvement after his first event, but Ada'ora came second overall for U15 girls, winning the shot-put and coming second in the standing longjump. Congratulations to them both.

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Boys'

skiing Year 9 student Issy is now placed in GBR skiing rankings. In the Welsh Open Championships in Switzerland she took gold in the Slalom and competed again in Norway during half-term before the National Championships in Bormio in Italy. Her good form this season could see her reaching number 3 in the GBR rankings for Slalom. Well done Issy.

HOCKey The First XI have made an excellent start to the season, losing only one game from their regular fixture list which has seen them beat Taunton School, King’s Gloucester, Queen’s Taunton and Wells Cathedral School. Their good form also saw them claim victory in the U18 County Championship, firmly establishing BGS as a true strength in the region.

The U13 team was victorious in the Booker Shield – an invitational tournament in memory of former BGS teacher Michael Booker – and have only lost one regular fixture, as have the U15s and U12s, while the U14 agegroup remains unbeaten suggesting a very bright future for boys’ hockey at BGS.

Cycling

Junior School hockey

The U11 team has also been enjoying a good season, qualifying for the national finals at Wellington College in Berkshire. In a tough group the boys lost all four games; their heaviest defeat was a 5–0 loss to Foremarker Hall, the eventual winners.

This put the boys into the Bowl competition, playing The Beacon in the semi-final. A 2–0 victory took us through to the final to play Altrincham Prep. It was a very tense game with chances for both teams to score. Finally three minutes from full-time, Jack scored, however Altrincham equalised immediately. Golden goal extra time couldn’t split the teams and the game went to penalties. Two successful penalties from BGS and two saves by our stand-in goalkeeper Ben saw BGS finish as Bowl Winners.

Well done to the squad: Ned Henry Ludo Luke Tom Patrick Jack Ben Charlie and Tom

Well done to Tom (Year 11) who has been selected for the Great Britain U18 track cycling team. In a recent international event in Belgium he and his team were placed second in the team sprint. As man two in the team Tom broke his 250m Personal Best with a 14.3 second lap, averaging close to 65km per hour. As well as the team sprint, Tom also took part in the match sprints and the keirin.

CONGRATULATIONS Edward , who is part of the GBR Youth Sailing Squad and attended the RYA training camp in Weymouth in February.

Year 8 student Hugh who finished ninth in the Junior Boys’ section of the South West Schools’ Cross Country Championships and was selected for the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships.

Sixth-former Miranda who joins her brother Hugh at the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships.

Oliver who became the U13 Gloucester County 800m freestyle champion in his first-ever 800m race, winning by over a length in a time of ten minutes two seconds – not bad for 32 lengths.

Rory who has become the U12 Gloucester County 800m freestyle champion. He also won a bronze medal competing in the U12 1,500m freestyle race.

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Sport

Football

The football teams have been playing well this term although the weather has disrupted some fixtures. Results have been mixed but considering the quality of the schools we are competing against in the Mercian League, the teams can be proud of their performances.

The First XI have won one, drawn two and lost one so far. Jonny has captained the side very well, showing great leadership qualities; there have also been standout performances from James Dom and the latter’s two Laurence goals in the win against St Edward's Cheltenham being a highlight.

The Second XI have won two, drawn one and lost one. Tom has done a good job as captain while the likes of Chris Tom and Harry are performing strongly.

CLIMBING It has been a great term for climbing at BGS, bolstered by some exceptional individual performances.

At the end of January BGS regained both the Junior and Senior trophies in the Bristol Schools’ Climbing Competition, with BGS climbers claiming victory in the Junior speed and bouldering competitions, and in the Senior competition winning in bouldering, routes, lead climbing and circuits. However, it was the fantastic team effort of all who took part which helped secure victory with an overall points total of 441 for the Junior team and 519 for the Seniors.

They took this good form into the final of the South West Schools’ Climbing League where BGS recorded the following results after four rounds:

The Third XI also claimed a win (the first in several seasons!) against Wycliffe recently, and it was very pleasing to get four senior sides out in the fixture against QEH at the beginning of term, showing the popularity of football in the School.

Junior boys’ team: First place (Rob Matthew

, Hugo

Senior boys’ individual: First place (James place (Hamish

and second

Senior girls’ individual: First place (Clare

RUGBY Our U8 and U10 teams both qualified for the national finals which were held at Epsom on 3 March. As ever the competition was fierce but both teams performed well and can be proud of their achievement.

The Senior School Sevens teams have been working hard this term in preparation for the tournaments held just before the Easter break, and they are looking forward to the challenge of the National Sevens at Roehampton.

Look out for a report on how they got on at www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk

Junior boys’ individual: Second place (Matthew

)

This was an excellent result for Clare in her final climbing competition for BGS after four years of commitment to both training and helping younger climbers.

The Junior boys’ team victory was particularly pleasing as there was strong competition from other schools. James and Hamish continue to impress all who see them climb: In several rounds they were climbing F7a boulder problems at their first try, something most other competitors would not be able to climb regardless of the number of attempts!

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OBs

Tuppence (and her mum) at the BIFA awards in London

Back at BGS, playing Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, 2004

O n e t o wat c h

Tuppence Middleton Former BGS student Tuppence Middleton’s star is rapidly rising in the acting world, just four years after graduating from Drama School.

Tuppence signed to play a leading role in her first film, Tormented, before even graduating, and has worked steadily since. Her portrayal of two very different characters in recent major TV productions has been attracting media attention, with features in both The Sunday Times Culture section and the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine.

The first of her two high-profile television roles this year was the part of Gem in White Bear, an episode of Channel Four’s Black Mirror series. As Gem, Tuppence played the guide and protector of Victoria (Lenora Crichlow), who had woken up with no memory of her life, in a nightmare-world whose only inhabitants either mutely filmed her on mobile ‘phones or were tracking her down to kill her.

With Tank Girl and Lara Croft as character inspiration, the all-action Gem couldn’t be more different to Tuppence’s next television appearance – playing Iris Carr in a BBC production of The Lady Vanishes. The part – originally played in the famous 1938 film by Margaret Lockwood – is one of a spoilt socialite who, travelling alone back from The Balkans, has to persuade her fellow travellers that a

lady has indeed vanished from their train, and solve the mystery of why.

With the audience’s willingness to care about and support the spoilt and slightly-annoying Iris resting on Tuppence’s portrayal of her, her performance was crucial to the success of the remake. Did she manage it?

Commenting in The Sunday Times, interviewer Stephen Armstrong said: “Fortunately for the director, Diarmuird Lawrence, Middleton rolls the show up and steals it.”

With a role in Danny Boyle’s upcoming Trance opposite James McAvoy, Tuppence won’t be vanishing from our screens anytime soon. As Mark Monahan, reviewing White Bear in The Daily Telegraph, wrote

Tuppence Middleton… is more than an unusually pretty face and name – I've a hunch we'll be seeing far more of this fine young actress soon.

OBs Annual Dinner There was good food and great company awaiting the OBs who attended the Society’s 101st Annual Dinner in the Great Hall on Saturday 16 March. The evening saw Don Furze installed as President, while Geoff Cutter gave the after-dinner speech to the assembled guests. He shared memories of his Olympic experiences as a hockey player at the Games in 1956, 1964 and 1968. Athlete and OB Emily Diamond, who was a member of Team GB for London 2012, was also a guest of the Society.

OBs Rugby and Netball Before the Annual Dinner the focus of the weekend’s celebrations was at Failand, with a netball tournament followed by Rugby as an over-30s team from the Old Bristolians’ Rugby Club took on a team of BGS Legends.

In a fantastic afternoon, six netball teams turned out for what proved to be a very competitive tournament. It was fabulous to see the current BGS girls enjoying playing with mums, sisters, fathers, friends and relatives.

The tournament ended in a joint victory between the Blue Team (a mix of Year 10–13 girls) and the Old Girls (a team of Old Bristolians and current staff).

In the Rugby, after last year’s narrow defeat, the Legends were determined to reclaim the title. An exciting and entertaining game of Rugby saw BGS Legends defeat the OBs team 27–14.

Thank you to everyone who took part and to referee Mr Huckle, the caterers and ground staff for their support.

If you’d like to get involved next year, keep your eye on the Bristol Grammar School Old Bristolians’ Facebook page for details.

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Diary dates

Bristol Grammar School University Road Bristol BS8 1SR Senior School 0117 973 6006 Junior School 0117 973 6109 www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk

April

July

Monday 8 April: INSET Day

Monday 1 July: Junior School Prize Giving, Great Hall 3.00pm Year 1 to Year 6 New Parents’ Evening, Great Hall 6.30pm

Tuesday 9 April: Start of Term Friday 26 April: Whole School Open Morning, 9.45am–12.30pm

May Wednesday 1 May: Friends of BGS Year 11 Pot Luck Supper, JCR 7.30pm Monday 6 May: May Day Bank Holiday Tuesday 7 – Friday 10 May: Senior School Charity Week Friday 10 May: Junior School Sports Day, Failand 9.00am–3.35pm

Tuesday 2 July: Senior School Prize Giving, Great Hall 6.30pm Wednesday 3 July: Term ends, 12.00 noon

TV/radio 'Queen of Herbs' and culinary expert

Jekka McVicar

Herbs are more than a garnish 30 April 2013, 6.00 for 6.30pm Tickets £7 (no concessions) Price includes live music and light refreshments

Thursday 16 May: Infant Sports Day, Failand 10.00am–12.30pm Tuesday 21 – Thursday 23 May: Year 6 Play, Mackay Theatre 6.30pm Thursday 23 May: BGS Activities Day, Year 9 World of Work Day Friday 24 May: INSET Day Monday 27 – Friday 31 May: Half-Term

June Thursday 13 June: New Year 7 Induction Day, 9.00am–3.30pm New Year 7 Parents’ Induction Evening, Great Hall 6.30pm Friday 14 June: Jazz BBQ, 7.00pm–9.30pm Monday 17 June: Wildlife Photographer of the Year Presentation Evening, JCR 7.30pm Tuesday 18 June: School Concert, Great Hall 7.30pm Wednesday 19 – Friday 21 June: Middle School Play, Mackay Theatre 7.00pm Monday 24 June: Infant Summer Concert, Great Hall 3.00pm New Reception Parents’ Evening, Great Hall 6.30pm Wednesday 26 June: Senior School Sports Day, Newport Thursday 27 June: Upper-sixth Parents’ Farewell Reception, Great Hall 6.30pm–7.30pm Leavers’ Concert, Great Hall 7.30pm Friday 28 June: Leavers’ Dinner, Great Hall 7.00pm for 7.30pm

Design: adartdesign.co.uk Printed on 100% recycled stock using vegetable inks

BOSWORTH – THE BIRTH OF THE TUDORS

by MP and Old Bristolian

Chris Skidmore

Thursday 6 June 2013, 6.30 for 7.00pm Tickets £5 (no concessions) include light refreshments and live music An evening with best-selling author

Charlie Higson

He will talk about and sign copies of his latest book The Sacrifice Wednesday 19 June 2013 6.00 for 6.30pm Tickets £5 include light refreshments

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

Bristol Grammar School is a Registered Charity No. 1104425