Yearbook 2025 by NottsHigh

YEARBOOK 2025

Contents

Introduction

p.4

Trips,Visits & Activities

p.8

Options

p.34

Clubs & Societies

p.46

Creative Arts

p.51

House News

p.72

Sport

p.80

Welcome to the Yearbook for 2024-25. This has been another excellent year for Nottingham High School that has seen many changes, not least the transition from myself as Acting Headteacher to Andrew Holman as our new Headmaster from September 2025. I hope that you enjoy reading about the past year as much as I, and the students enjoyed ‘living it’. I continue to be astounded by what the students of Nottingham High School are capable of, but year on year they continue to excel in so many areas. Highlights for me would have to be the many Co-curricular activities on offer, the U16 Boys winning the National Hockey finals and the end of term outdoor music festival, all of which were then topped off by truly outstanding GCSE and A-Level Results from last year’s Year 11 and 13. I wish Andrew all the very best as he leads the school into the next phase of it’s amazing history and personally look forward to working with him once again, as we did some 27 years ago when we were both new to the Maths department, and both a ‘bit younger!’ Paul Spedding

Well, to follow on from Paul's endpoint, as the saying goes, "Age and Treachery will always beat Youth and Skill"! I'm really looking forward to diving in to this edition of the Yearbook; I'm sure it will cement the observations I've made already this year in person: that the students here are remarkable, throw themselves into so much, and do it all with big smiles on their faces. The great thing about publications like this is that, in such busy, bustling places, it's very easy to forget about how much has been achieved, how much success and progress has accrued. The Yearbook provides us all with an opportunity to sit back and reflect upon that - not least the students themselves, for whom the nature of their lives means that they are always swiftly moving on the next stage and forget what they've recently accomplished. So - enjoy! Andrew Holman

Mr Andrew Holman

Mr Paul Spedding

Headmaster

Acting Head Teacher

Senior Leadership Team

Head Boy

Sasmeet S.

Head Girl Emily D.

Eloïse C. Chloe J. Holly P. Ollie J. Nathan SP., and Harry W.

Welcome to our new Year 7s

Trips, Visits & Activities

YEAR 12 BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP 2025 On Wednesday 25th June, the Biology department took our year 12 biologists on their ecology field trip to Filey Brigg and RSPB Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire. They investigated zonation on the rocky shore and linked the coastal ecosystem to its important role in the phosphorus cycle, amongst other ecological processes.

Biology

YEAR 10 BIOLOGY FIELDTRIP 2025 On May 21st, we returned to Perlethorpe Environmental Studies Centre for our annual GCSE Biology field trip with year 10. The students identified plants along a transect across a meadow, entered a stream to assess the diversity of aquatic invertebrate species and compared species diversity in grassland versus woodland.

Geography Yr 12 Fieldwork to South Devon Oct 2024 The Yr 12 Geography students had a great time in South Devon. Covering a wide range of physical geography topics from rivers, weathering, mass movement, coastal erosion, sea level change and the management of our coastline all made for a heavily packed schedule. Quotes: The views along the coast and across Dartmoor very fantastic. Even the seals came out to see us. The group work and community spirit shone through. The fish n chips – enough said.

Yr 10 Holderness Fieldwork May 2025 As part of their GCSE studies 100 Year 10 Geographers had a day at the Holderness coast. Blessed with good weather we studied coastal process and landforms around Flamborough Head before studying coastal management at Hornsea. Quotes: Actually seeing the landforms made it all make more sense. I loved clambering through the caves, arch and geo, it was great fun and enhanced my understanding.

Yr 8 Burbage Brook June 2024 Year 8 had a great time exploring the Burbage valley. Measuring the changes in both the valley and the river as it moves downstream. In was a fun day out blessed with plenty of sunshine, plenty of team work and lots of learning. Quotes: We had a great fun in the river. I really want to take my family back to see where we went.

BRAIN DAY Perhaps a highlight of the Psychology calendar is the annual Brain Day hosted here in school in conjunction with Dr Guy Sutton, the expert Neuroscience Specialist and lecturer of Nottingham University/ former academic post holder of Cambridge University. This day is for year 13 A level students and builds on their knowledge of Biopsychology and everything there is possibly to know about the Brain! The day is run in a conference style way with lectures including up to date research about key topics linked to the Brain such as the Criminal Brain and the brain of patients with Schizophrenia. This day is also valuable inset for staff to learn the most up to date research such as last year there was the 2024 research on Autism. These lectures compliment the year 13 Bio Psychology unit and offer stretch and challenge. The day also involves the dissection of a Brain, which whilst not for the very squeamish is very popular with the students! The head of department also runs breakout rooms and runs revision day style sessions on the biology part of the A level specification. This is a hugely popular day, with invites to other schools on an annual basis. These schools are from the Warwick group and we also gift some places to the local state schools to widen participation for all students. Requests come in early from schools to join us for this hugely popular day!

Careers Week

It was great to welcome Dante and Cameron from Nottingham Forest/Ideagen who talked about apprenticeship opportunities in Nottingham, and who led workshops on AI and technology in sport. ONs Tom Gribby (HOST Talent Management), Harry Franklin (Jaguar Land Rover), Simon Crowther (Flood Protection Solutions), Carl Elston (Group Lotus), and Callum Brewell (Williams Racing) all gave talks about the paths they have taken from School into their careers. Finally, it was great to see students at our Careers and Higher Education Fair engaging with visiting exhibitors from institutions such as King’s College London and the 14 Universities of Bath and Warwick.

GCSE and A Level Round Up Years 11-13 had an excellent year with highlights in multiple areas. Our careers programme went from strength to strength with a wide range of visits, trips and speakers. On top of a successful careers week, students enjoyed talks from a diverse set of visitors, including representatives from Jaguar Land-Rover, Lotus, Williams F1, White & Case, Experian, BBC, CitiBank and Rolls Royce. A new Connect and Inspire initiative hosted by Cushman and Wakefield was popular with students and the Old Nottinghamians who hosted them. Our skills challenge continues to run successfully too, with thanks to the wide range of former students and current parents who come in to listen to the student presentations and carry out mock interviews, providing valuable feedback on how our students can most effectively present themselves in the wider world. Our team of tutors supported and championed our students across the whole spectrum of their personal and academic development, including their UCAS or apprenticeship applications, revision programmes, as well as celebrating a host of individual achievements. It was fantastic to see so much success being celebrated on results day and the balls at Colwick and Ramsdale were enjoyed by all.

Chemistry ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN THE C3L6 CAMBRIDGE CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE AND THE RSC CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD COMPETITIONS The C3L6 Cambridge Chemistry Challenge aims to stretch and challenge students interested in chemistry, and provides an excellent experience for anyone considering taking their studies further. It is designed to be accessible to Year 12 students but takes them significantly beyond the syllabus and encourages them to think about science in the way they would at university. The paper is a genuine stretch and challenge exercise, aimed at the brightest Lower Sixth Chemists in the UK. It is a huge credit to the students within the Chemistry Department that they were able to attain such impressive results, with 4 Gold (Hussein A, Matthew M, Michael S-G, J Zhang), 9 Silver and 1 Copper certificates achieved. Many of the Year 12 students who took the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge also took part in the Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad 2025, along with a good number of our top Year 13 Chemists. The Chemistry Olympiad paper was sat in January, a two-hour paper of really challenging chemistry which is written to stretch the best A Level Chemists across the country. The preparation and performance of High School chemists was very impressive, with 2 students attaining the prestigious Gold Awards (Will M, Shlok S-B), whilst 17 attained Silver Awards and a further 4 attained Bronze. We really do have some very talented Chemists at the High School.

Y13 CHEMISTRY TRIP – SPECTROSCOPY MASTERCLASS In January Mr Heath, Mr Tan and Mrs Afzal accompanied all of our Year 13 A Level Chemists to the Chemistry Department at the University of Nottingham The visit itself provided the students with experience of organic analytical Chemistry in a university environment and also tutorials in the use of mass spectrometers, infrared spectrometers and NMR, techniques which are on their A Level syllabus but not available to us in School. Staff at the University were fantastic as they welcomed us into the department. Our students prepared and analysed organic compounds in the state-of-the art university undergraduate laboratories, were able to look closely at the eye-wateringly expensive Nuclear Magnetic Resonance equipment and experienced presentations in the large lecture room facility normally used by the university students. It was a valuable experience for our chemistry students and we were really pleased to continue our long-standing partnership work with the University of Nottingham.

PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY COMPETITIONS RSC Top of the Bench Having qualified strongly, hopes were high as Evelyn, Tanish, Ebu and Mahd boarded the minibus heading for Derby University and the regional final of Top of the Bench. After a Chemistry Quiz, the team then headed into the lab to test their practical and teamwork skills. Although they didn’t win, they gave a good account of themselves and thoroughly enjoyed the experience’ Students involved; Evelyn Acharya, Tanish Paul, Ebu Nwaiwu and Mahd Jala Chemistry Sixth Form Reading Group In the “Sixth Form Chemistry Reading Group,” we read Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed the World by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson. We explored how molecules such as ascorbic acid, piperine, and phenol have influenced health, society, and geopolitics, even helping to redraw the world map.

CHEMISTRY OUTREACH DAY – MURDER AND MYSTERY

On 17th June, teams of Year 4 pupils from local primary schools visited the Chemistry Department to take part in an exciting ‘Murder Mystery’ forensics challenge. Guided by some of our Sixth Form students, the pupils carried out a series of chemical reactions and used their detective skills to narrow down the suspects and identify the culprit. It was a fantastic day of science and fun, enjoyed by everyone involved!

Modern Foreign Languages

TRIPS July 2024- Year 12 Trip to London to visit to see French, German, and Hispanic artwork. October 2024- 6th French Debating Team were victorious at the Business Language Champions Debating Event which took place at The King’s School, Grantham. October 2024- Andalucía Trip- 35 students from years 9 and 10. Highlights included: visiting the Alhambra in Granada, Plaza de Toros in Ronda, visited the towns of Cádiz and Málaga. April 2025- Year 7 trip to Alsace, France and The Black Forest, Germany. Highlights included: Europapark, Bateaux Mouches Cruise in Strasbourg, visiting Strasbourg and Freiburg city centres and the Triberg Waterfalls (highest waterfalls in Germany). March 2025 (Years 10 & 12) Visit to Solihull school to the Festival of Languages.

COMPETITION SUCCESSES THE LINGUISTIC OLYMPIAD Rumaysah I, Marcus J-K, Patrick R, Josh Z, - BRONZE INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSES Priya M, Year 12: Top 10, Translation Competition, University of Sheffield (Spanish to English) Alice D, Year 9: Winner Oxford University German Olympiad (Years 7-9) Elyssa B, Year 12: Winner Fitzwilliam College German Translation Competition Harry S, Year 12: Top 3, University of Sheffield Translation Competition (GermanEnglish) Elyssa B, Year 12: Top 10, University of Sheffield Translation Competition (GermanEnglish) ANTHEA BELL TRANSLATION COMPETITION, QUEEN’S COLLEGE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY George W, Year 10: Commendation (Spanish to English- LEVEL 3) Layla I, Year 7: National Winner (French to English- LEVEL 1) Harry S, Year 12: National Winner (German to English- LEVEL 4)

Food and Nutrition

FOOD AND NUTRITION 2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS Our Food Clubs have enjoyed working with the Gardening Club to make a huge quantity of chutney that was given as gifts to guests who attended the Community Action Christmas Lunch. They also made delicious beetroot brownies. Interfaith celebrations ran throughout the year, including Diwali, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year, Pancake Tuesday, Eid -Al Fitr and Eid Al-Adha, Christmas and Easter. Mr Hipkiss and his Culture Club joined us to make Focaccia bread with the club’s own grown culture of yeast and ginger biscuits with the ginger they had grown. We have continued with our fantastic relationship with the Guru Nanak Mission and our Food Clubs and Community Action Team have helped to cook and serve over 350 hot meals for local people in need. Health and Wellbeing has been a new development this year working with Mr Samra and the Well Being Centre for some special events throughout the year. These have included healthy Christmas snacks, smoothie making with Year 7’s for activities day with Pulp Friction local charity and for ‘hydration awareness day’ with the wellbeing centre. Year 7 Food club also made jam and scones in the summer for the Wellbeing Centre - Mental Health Awareness Week.

YEAR 7 AND 8 FOOD CLUB – DIWALI CELEBRATIONS 2024 Food club had the wonderful opportunity to make samosas to celebrate Diwali. Preeti Mills, chef and owner of Mango Ginger Cookery School, gave us all an amazing masterclass in making samosas the authentic North Indian way with her traditional family recipe. In the cookery workshop we learnt that samosas are often made at Diwali time, where Hindus come together to celebrate the victory of good over evil (the victory of Rama over the demon king, Ravana) and when Rama, Sita and Lakshmana return to their kingdom after fourteen years in exile. On Diwali, people often meet up in their traditional clothing and jewellery to make samosas, delicacies and sweets by hand, while also catching up and chatting. They also decorate their houses with lots of lights to allow the Goddess Lakshmi (The Goddess of Wealth) to come and bless their house. Traditionally, samosas are supposed to be warm and comforting to everyone so it was an enriching experience to make something that we all love. The vegetable samosas, dips and poppadoms we made were absolutely delicious and we would like to thank Preeti for sharing her recipe and pastry making skills with us in school. Tanvi K

BBC Good Food Show Trip Highlights of the trip were Jane’s patisserie with Jane Dunn at the Big Kitchen and seeing Nadia Hussain cooking a seasonal casserole and an espresso chocolate liquid cake. We visited all of the stalls, sampled different ingredients and between us purchased an array of foods from cookies and brownies, to sausage rolls and samosas. An enjoyable day was had by all. Arthur MC. Food Club Food club has provided us many opportunities to learn and to give to our community. We have made many different things, our favourites include: churros, Easter cupcakes, pastry cheese twists, tomato soup. We were even lucky enough to have someone come in and teach us her famous family samosa recipe. We have also helped the community multiple times throughout the year by cooking vegetarian dishes in bulk. Hannah, Charlotte, Ishani, Izzy and Chloe Year 8 Activities Day Vietcentric Cultural Cooking Experience. A fantastic group of year 8 students visited Sneinton Market, the cultural centre of Nottingham where they explored many local businesses and spent a few hours learning about Vietnamese culture and preparing and cooking and eating Vietnamese summer and spring rolls. ‘It was great to find out about Vietnamese culture, their use of ‘ying and yang’ within their ingredients and make and taste some fantastic food.’ – Diya MalarMannann

History Congratulations to the our A Level Historians who have engaged with History beyond the curriculum, entering a number of prestigious competitions throughout the academic year to critical acclaim: Emily D. – Highly Commended in Trinity College, Cambridge’s Robson History Essay Prize, 2025. Henna Q.– Commended in the Senior category in the Young Historian Project, 2025. Ethan C. – Highly Commended in the John Locke Essay Competition In addition to this, the History Department hosted the regional heats of the Historical Association’s Great Debate. History students from across Nottinghamshire came to present on an individual from their local area that they found inspiring. Judged by Professor Greenwood (Professor of Health History at Nottingham University), Ethan Corne won the regional heat, with his speech on Lewis Heymann, and went on to the virtual semi-finals. Emily David was awarded runner up for her presentation on women’s football and Mary Earps. We also welcomed in John Whitfield (ON 1959) who delivered a series of talks on the Kennedy and the Cold War for our GCSE and A Level students. It was enlightening for our current 6th Form to not only engage with an academic, but to also consider how a lived experience of historical events can impact the way we talk about the past. The History Department has also provided a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities for our students in KS3 and KS4. Most notable, was the opportunity for students in Year 6 to Year 9, to develop their understanding of Empire and women’s suffrage through a play about Princess Sophia Duleep Singh entitled ‘Fire: A Princess’ Guide to Burning Issues’, put on by Historic Palaces outreach team. Furthermore, our annual WWI Day for y.10 students was hugely successful, with students working as a medical team to recover their injured comrade from the battlefield. We also had a lot of fun commemorating key historical anniversaries and ‘History Months’ in School ; from a Remembrance address exploring the contributions of the Chinese Labour Corps in WWI; y.11 students delivering an assembly to y.4-6 during Black History and South Asian Heritage Month on the Black and Asian soldiers who fought in WWII; Ms Luxford’s exploration of how History has interpreted ‘difficult women’ such as Elizabeth Bathory and Anne Boleyn; and a joint Assembly with the IJS to commemorate Refugee Week. Finally, a huge shout out to Daisy, Victoria and Neha, in y.8 who have spearheaded ‘Connected Club’ at the Junior School. They have led weekly meetings, delivered ‘hand of friendship’ assemblies to IJS House Assemblies and generally shown fantastic leadership. 27 Mr Crossland and I are most impressed and appreciative of their hard work.

Philosophy, Religion and Ethics

Residential trips abroad are very important to us and Miss Davis will be leading the RS and History trip to Munich in October, having previously joined trips to Andalusia, Germany and France with the Languages Faculty. Visiting speakers have enriched student engagement, including Old Nottinghamians, a medical ethics barrister, and a Sikh parent.

The department have developed strong links with the IJS, bringing pupils into the Senior School for interfaith learning around Hanukkah and Diwali, and supporting plans for a faith celebration area on their site. This continuity of values-led education is a model of inclusion and respect. Beyond our school, we have deepened community ties through outreach projects such as the Christmas Food Bank campaign, and are exploring partnerships that embed ethics into lived experience. Miss Davis has also arranged for Year 7 to collaborate with Warren Primary Year 6 pupils – they will continue as RS ambassadors next year. Academically, the department continues to excel. At A Level, 100% of students achieved A*-B grades, several exceeding predictions through targeted support. GCSE results remained strong, with 82% achieving grades 7–9. Our schemes of work are continually refined to incorporate current events and cross-curricular relevance. We were especially proud of a Year 9 student winning the University of Cambridge Faculty of Divinity film competition. This has been added to our department celebration video which is viewed at Open Day. Eight Year 12 students took part in the University of Nottingham’s Ethics Cup, debating topics from AI parole decisions to assisted dying. They excelled in teamwork, confidence and respectful dialogue, earning praise from university professors. Although Arnold Hill won overall, our students’ impressive scores and collaboration made the school proud.

Wellbeing

The Wellbeing Centre has remained a vibrant hub of activity, hosting a variety of engaging events for students. Among these were the popular Grab and Go sessions, which offered students a welcoming space to relax and enjoy their lunch together. Interactive activities like smoothie making and lively games encouraged social connection and creativity. A highlight of the season was an outdoor picnic, where students gathered on the lawn for classic games, collaborative art painting in the fresh air, and delicious homemade food prepared by the students themselves. These events fostered a wonderful sense of community and wellbeing.

Options

Duke of Edinburgh Another very successful year for DofE students across the year groups with over 220 students starting new DofE Awards, resulting in over 4160 hours by contributed by our students to local volunteering activities with an estimated social value of £26 623. (certificate attached) The summer expedition season was incredibly busy with: 95 Y9s completing their Bronze expeditions in the sunny Peak District, 64 Y10s trekked through a very wet Lake District on their final Silver expedition, 32 Y12s tackled the tough terrain of Eryri to summit Yr Wyddfa on day 2 of their qualifying Gold expedition, and 18 intrepid Y12s explored the River Wye to complete their expedition section by Canoe. A huge thank you as always to the School staff who support students on these expeditions.

SCOUTS

Our fantastic Scouts year included an unforgettable Summer Camp at Hay on Wye and another adventurous Easter Camp in Ennerdale. We honed skills like pioneering, skateboarding, and swimming in our fun Friday programmes. Highlights also included challenging hikes in the Peak District, summiting Mam Tor, a thrilling night hike, and exciting water sports activities.

HIGH SCHOOL EXPLORERS The new year 10 students have now settled into the Explorer unit and several of them recently joined some of the year 11 explorers on a day hike from Edale and onto kinder Scout. The new leadership team (made up of Explorers) are currently planning their programme and 2026 summer camp.

Combined Cadet Force

Community Action Between July 2024 and July 2025, Community Action students have supported our local community in a number of ways. Highlights include: serving over 200 meals to those in need of a hot meal, organising various campaigns for food banks, care centres for the elderly and toy collections for children in Nottingham, as well as supporting in local primary schools across the city. Chloe, Year 9 on visiting a local primary school:

“All the children in Year 2 were so sweet, and I had the opportunity to help them with Guided Reading and writing; it reminded me of my own primary school.” Tiya, Aarya and Emma, Year 10 on their work in The Arboretum Park

“It was so rewarding to see the results of our work - the arboretum looked so much cleaner, and we even got thanked by a few members of the public!” Alice, Abbie and Chloe, Year 9 on feeding those in need

“This was an amazing experience, which we enjoyed and really it taught us how grateful we should be for our life and opportunities. The evening was non - stop which left us quite tired but the smile we were serving made our efforts worthwhile.”

Clubs & Societies

Culture Club When Mr Hipkiss told us about his family's 10 year old yeast culture, nicknamed Elizabeth, Culture Club became a fascinating concept to us. The club explores the world of microbiology, fungi and botany, through a range of practical projects. We started the year by making our own yeast cultures, using nothing more than raisins, water and flour. We had to take care of them carefully by adding more flour into our cultures each week. This taught us both how to be patient, and the importance of following methods carefully to maintain our cultures. Our cultures were used to make delicious focaccia bread. Later in the year we grew slime moulds – simple unicellular organisms that have the ability to find their way around a maze to find food. We prepared 3D printed mazes for them with the help of the DT department. The moulds were filmed solving the mazes in a 900 frame time-lapse movie, with the final movie allowing us to discover more about the behaviour of the mould. Two further projects also resulted in delicious food to take home. We grew tropical Chinese ginger in the lab, and used our harvest to make very fiery ginger cookies. Another highlight was cultivating yellow oyster mushrooms in the lab, which were delicious in soups and stir fries. Our final project was especially fun. Avocado peel and stones were used to prepare a vivid pink clothes dye, which we used to stain tote bags and t-shirts. The results were so vivid and stunning! Culture Club has been a fascinating experience for us all. Xue H, Zoe Q, Lana P and Alisha K.

School Climbing Team The school climbing team now has 18 members, who climb and train at the Nottingham climbing centre on either a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday after school. Some of the team have just finished competing in the midlands rounds of a national competition. The whole team are now working towards the 2026 Youth climbing competitions.

Lunch Time Climbing Club The school wall is used on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday lunchtime for anyone who wants to climb, or learn to climb. We have had a lot of new year 7 students come along this term and regularly get between 15 and 18 climbers a session. Several of these students have now joined the school climbing team.

Creative Arts

Art

Music CAROL SERVICE, DECEMBER 2024: BY NATHAN S. ONCE AGAIN, the choirs of Nottingham High School filled the ancient church of St Mary’s with the tones of singing and the blast of trumpets for the 2024 Service of Nine Lessons and Carols led by the Curate, Reverend Philippa Scott. In addition to the usual carols and High School favourites (such as O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Carol of the Bells), this year’s music list included some more ambitious and adventurous items such as Taverner’s The Lamb and Kachelmeier’s Winds Through the Olive Trees, the latter accompanied skillfully by Hattie Jamieson on the flute. The variety of music from Thirteenth Century chant to Spanish polyphony to 21st Century choral works showed the versatility of the school’s musicians as well as the wide range of interests within the Music Department. As usual, the Chamber Choir, both Pop Choirs, Community Choir, and Brass Group were involved with the Service. They were also joined this year by the newly formed Lower School Chamber Choir (which I was excited to rehearse and conduct), as well as an Upper Sixth Quintet. Movingly, during Once in Royal David’s City, we had our youngest singer at the Service (in Year 6), singing with older students and even ONs in the Community Choir. We look forward keenly to returning to the Parish this December “to hear again the message of the Angels”, or rather to sing it for ourselves.

CHAMBER FESTIVAL & KS3 ART EXHIBITION, MARCH 2025: BY HATTIE J. The chamber music festival and art exhibition took place in March 2025: it was a great opportunity to perform in front of friends and family. There are many chamber ensembles to take part in at school including flute, saxophone and clarinet groups, trios, as well as string quartets and quintets. I performed as part of the flute choir in the concert and we played The Galway Piper (a traditional Irish piece) and Gypsy dance from the opera Carmen by Bizet. Additionally, as part of the concert, artwork created by KS3 students was showcased around the recital hall. There were a range of art pieces including paintings of sea creatures, sculptures and pottery. In the art department, we study a range of different art forms and the art exhibition was a great way to show what we had worked on and achieved throughout the year so far. I enjoyed the evening and look forward to performing in lots more concerts in the future.

THE BRIDGE CUP, OCTOBER – NOVEMBER 2024: BY SEBASTIAN C. Every year, this outstanding event brings a thrilling start to the academic year, illustrating all the pupils' remarkable talents and musical gifts that they possess. From bringing students from different years together, to singing beautiful melodies and the creative and innovative verse speaking, The Bridge Cup never fails to delight. The house singing was spectacular and ingenious: Whites sang Unwritten, Coopers chose to sing Marry You, involving one student proposing to another, resulting in a few chuckles from the crowd and the judge! Maples sang Uptown Funk and last but not least, Mellers selected Don’t Stop Me Now. All the time and effort were worth it, the performances were incredible, and I really enjoyed working with the different years to sing as one choir. The results were tremendously close, and the judge had to make an extremely tough decision. Maples were triumphant, directed by William Harwood; their performance of Uptown Funk was captivating, melodious and impactful. The sequel to the house singing, was the invigorating, individual instrumental competition. I was lucky enough to make it to the winner's concert and listen to a dazzling range of beautiful pieces from the Baroque to the Modern era. It was a spectacular opportunity for everyone to shine and show off their skills: anyone could have won! The judges commented that the decision was phenomenally challenging because of the outstanding standard of the entries: I was over the moon when the judging panel selected me as the Junior Winner (Y7 & 8). Evan Au-Yong excelled in his performance on the violin and created a graceful and mellifluous sound; he connected us with the performance through the movement and tone of his playing. He won the Intermediate winner's prize (Y9 & 10). Otto Wylie’s exquisite performance on the piano took peoples’ breath away, it was flawless and deeply emotive, I felt engrossed in the music: he was definitely deserving of the individual senior (Y11 – 13) winner’s prize and the overall Nottingham High School Young Musician of the Year. The music department were blown away by this year's level of performance from all the solo instrumentalists and singers. Overall, the Bridge Cup has been a highlight of the year for me and many others, bringing together the whole school community and engaging students to love and make music. I’m eager to see what joys and thrills the 2025 Bridge Cup will deliver!

PEGGY’S SKYLIGHT GIG, DECEMBER 2024: BY JAMES G.

On the 3rd of December 2024, our school big band had the incredible opportunity to play a gig at the local jazz club venue ‘Peggy’s Skylight’ in the centre of Nottingham; performing with us was the world-renowned saxophonist Dave O' Higgins. Earlier in the day, a lucky few of students (including myself) received a 1 on 1 masterclass workshop with the professional Saxophonist. It was very enlightening for me as it opened up a whole new route for my saxophone playing: Improvisation. It was great to perform to Dave O' Higgins and hear his feedback, facilitating improvement in my playing. We were also fortunate to welcome our special guest to the Jazz gig in the evening, where he performed some awe-inspiring solos. Performing alongside such a talented musician was both aspirational and thrilling; it made the whole concert a truly memorable experience. The ‘Peggy’s Skylight’ venue was fantastic, with amazing facilities (and great food!), which added to the wonderful atmosphere. The venue was full of families, fellow students and school staff all chatting, laughing and enjoying the music. The Big Band had been practising all year for this performance, and it was great to demonstrate the range and depth in musical variety that the band was able to play, from ‘Bad Bad Leroy Brown’ by J. Croce to ‘Natural Woman’ by A. Franklin. In addition, for some of the pieces we were joined by outstanding vocal soloists – both students and teaching staff! It was a superb chance to showcase our school’s jazz talent and to be part of an evening that celebrated live music at its very best.

CHORAL FESTIVAL, MARCH 2025, BY MANUELLA D,A. This year the choral festival was in the Player Hall and we sang to a full audience. Many choirs performed, ranging from the Junior Chamber Choir, Lower School Pop Choir and Chamber Choir, to many of the barbershop groups. The pieces that were performed that day were also very enjoyable with some well-known ones such as Copacabana, performed by the year 11 barbershop and A Thousand Years, performed by the Lower School Pop Choir. Abi Moore, a well-known local singer/songwriter, worked with all the choirs and a cappella groups during the day, and she was very inspiring. To close the event, we ended with a song in which everyone participated and I think this created a lovely atmosphere. Overall the choral festival this year was a really enjoyable event and I’m excited to perform again next year!

BATTLE OF THE BANDS, JANUARY 2025: BY EVAN L. This year’s Battle of the Bands, held on January 23rd, was a thrilling showcase of musical talent from the school’s Year 7–11 rock bands. The packed Recital Hall was treated to a high-energy concert filled with heavy guitar riffs, standout vocal performances, and plenty of memorable moments. As the evening of incredible music came to a close, the Year 10 rock band was crowned the winner, thanks to our renditions of “Slide Away” by Oasis and “Haunted” by Taylor Swift. Behind the scenes, the bands had put in weeks of dedicated rehearsals throughout the previous term. A workshop run by an external company earlier in the day offered invaluable advice and helped boost performers’ confidence ahead of the big night. Overall, it was an unforgettable event—and I’m already looking forward to performing in and watching next year’s Battle of the Bands.

BELGIUM MUSIC TOUR, APRIL 2025: BY WILL L. Over the Easter holidays we travelled to Belgium on a music tour. We had to wake up at 5am so we could get all our instruments onto the bus and start our journey. After many hours of sitting, we got to the ferry port in Dover and following some much-needed breakfast, we boarded the ferry to Calais. We then took a small trip to our hotel in Kortrijk, Belgium. After a refreshing sleep we had breakfast and boarded the bus for a day of waffles and chocolate in the city of Bruges. This culminated with our first concert at a museum in Diksmuide and an unforgettable performance at the Menin Gate in Ypres, as part of the daily ceremony. The next day we spent at the Plopsaland De Panne theme park – this was great fun! Later that day we performed at a beautiful church in De Panne. The following day we went to Ghent for a tour around the stunning Gravensteen Castle and later on we performed our fourth and final concert at St George’s Memorial Church in Ypres. Sadly, that was the end of our journey, but we made some fantastic memories and I would love to go again.

JAZZ & CHINESE EVENING, JANUARY 2025: BY CHARLIE M. On Friday 31st January, the lanterns glowed ready for our annual jazz evening – this year with a Chinese twist! The sell-out evening commenced with a warm up from the Year 11 Rock Band, taking us through some 90’s classics from Oasis through to Pulp. As the clock struck seven, the lights dimmed, and the Senior Big Band took to the stage to kick off the jazz performances with a rendition of Mack the Knife. The Senior Saxophone ensemble then demonstrated some serious skill in their performance of ‘The Lone Arranger’, moving seamlessly through a fast-paced medley of twenty familiar tunes, showcasing the finale of the William Tell Overture. The audience was then treated to a series of solo and duet vocalists, including show tunes from Cabaret and a Sinatra swing number. This was followed by a more contemporary performance as the Year 10 Jazz Band brought us Back to Black by Amy Winehouse.

Sublime a capella performances were the order of the day from the Barbershop collectives, all the way up from Year 9 to Year 13. Next it was time for a jazz evening tradition with the arrival on stage of the Staff Band, this year Mr Lole channelled his best Frankie Valli with a smooth performance of ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’. The evening finished with the Senior Big Band returning enthusiastically to the stage with another six numbers where they started off ‘Feeling Good’ and by the end were left ‘Kung Fu Fighting’. A huge thank you to Mr Toon, as always, for putting together a fabulous night of entertainment, and to the catering staff for a delicious Chinese feast; we look forward to next year’s event on Friday 30thJanuary with an evening of Jazz & Jamaican.

MATT GLENDENING (ON) VISIT, JANUARY 2025: BY ELOÏSE C. A highlight of the musical year for many was on the 14th of January, when we had the privilege of welcoming Matt Glendening - an Old Nottinghamian and fantastic clarinettist - back to school. Since leaving school, Matt has had remarkable success with some of his achievements including performing with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House (to name just a few). During the day, he gave masterclasses to individuals and clarinet groups, and he finished with an inspirational solo performance accompanied by Ms Johnson after school. I was fortunate to be one of the pupils selected for a one-to-one masterclass. His professional insight, encouragement, and guidance were incredibly helpful and deeply appreciated. Matt’s performance after school was awe-inspiring. The recital hall was packed - with his former teachers, student musicians, and even non-musicians - all captivated by a repertoire that showcased his expertise across a wide range of genres. Matt concluded the recital with Solo de Concours by A. Messager, a piece that highlighted his technical brilliance and expressive melodic phrasing, leaving the audience with goosebumps.

SUMMER FESTIVAL, JUNE 2025: BY ALICE D. This year the summer festival was the Schools biggest one yet! The sun was shining as the Y8 rock band took to the stage to open the rock section of the festival, with APT by Bruno Mars and Rose. It didn’t end there as Y7, 9 and 10 put in great performances from a wide range of well-known artists. After the rock bands were some of the choirs, a particular highlight being ‘For Good’ from Wicked sung by the junior school chamber choir, ‘How far I’ll Go’ from the Junior choir and ‘Defying Gravity’ by the lower school pop choir. It was great to see so much talent! Following on from that came a variety of ensembles. The stage was jam packed with harps from the Infant and Junior ensembles. Then the woodwind, strings and percussion ensembles performed a mix of everything, including classical pieces by Mozart, a student’s own composition and the well-known ‘Yellow submarine’ by the Beatles! As the sun started to fade and the concert was nearing the end, there was just enough time to hear a great performance from the Junior School swing band and the senior school Big Band. The Senior Concert Band closed the concert with a memorable performance of ‘Blinding Lights’.

SPRING CONCERT, MARCH 2025: BY TANISH P. This year’s Spring concert was a brilliant celebration of music; a chance for students across the school (Y7-13) to showcase their talents. From the lively opening of the Concert Band (inspired by Disney’s Aladdin) to the loving finale, the evening shined with energy and emotion. Highlights included the Y13 Barbershop Quartet’s performance of “Smile”, the Y7 Chorus with their joyful rendition of “Happy”, and the Senior Strings’ moving interpretation of Grieg’s “Peer Gynt Suite”. A true variety of music. The Chamber Choir brought rich harmonies with Monteverdi and Haydn, while the Big Band impressed with their jazz numbers, featuring outstanding solos and demonstrating strong musicianship. Performing together in all-black attire, it was a night for all present to be united. Focusing and admiring the work of a plethora of students. The concert was not just about performing, it was about connecting with each other and with the audience through the immaculate power and appreciation of music. It was an unforgettable evening and a reminder of how special it is to be part of Nottingham High School’s talented musical community. The privilege and respect of such an opportunity can only be described as outstanding, fostering memories and invoking feelings which will last for years to come.

Drama

2024-2025 was another busy and successful year in the Drama Department, with impressive academic results and wide-array of cocurricular opportunities on offer. Drama Academic successes: A-Level Drama & Theatre Studies – 100% of students achieved A*-B and GCSE students 100% A*-B (9-6). Year 7 Teatime performance – November 2024 Year 7s began the year with their first opportunity to perform in front of a live audience.After working hard developing their vocal and physical performing skills, they presented their interpretation of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes to an invited audience of parents in the Les Wilkinson Drama Studio. The Upper School Production – December 2024 Directed by Mr Huntbach, the Upper school wowed audiences with a sell-out retelling of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth. Students enjoyed learning iambic pentameter, multi-media storytelling, and mastered some impressive sword-fighting sequences from a professional stage combat instructor.

The Studio Production – February 2025 Directed by Dr Askew, Year 9 and 10 students performed a riotously funny farce, Murdered to Death in the Les Wilkinson Drama Studio. The Junior School Production – March 2025 Directed by Dr Askew and Musically Directed by Mr Corin, the Junior school staged The Little Mermaid to great success. Impressive musical theatre skills were on display from Aqua and Coral casts! The Lower School Production – June 2025 Directed by Mr Huntbach, Years 7-10 rose the challenge of performing Emil and the Detectives a play about a young boy who is robbed on at rain but teams up with a group of neighbourhood kids to catch the thief in 1920s Berlin. Another successful 3-night sell-out performance! Production Team The successful creation and running of our shows would not be possible without the dedication and skill from our student-led Production Team, who meet every Monday to help construct the set and props, source costumes, operate the lighting and sound, and act as front-of-house and assistant stage managers.

House Drama Competition – June 2025 In the Summer Term, School Houses competed by honing their dramatic devising skills by responding to an initial stimulus – the Beatles’ Song ‘She’s Leaving Home’. Over weeks of lunchtime and break time rehearsals, student rehearsed their pieces before performing in a special extended assembly. Old Nottinghamian, professional actor and producer, Stefan Boehm was the guest judge, who awarded the winning house – White’s – with the Boehm Cup.

LAMDA Successes – June 2025 The summer term saw the culmination of a students’ LAMDA studies as they individually performed for the visiting examiner. This academic year saw excellent results - 15 merits (4 level 6 Bronze medals), 21 Distinctions (7 level 6 bronze medals and 1 level 8 gold medal).

Thespian Society Trips The Thespian Society trips offers students an opportunity to access co-curricular local theatre tips at a reduced rate, taking in a variety of genres. December 2024 – Pantomiming, Nottingham Playhouse – Jack and the Beanstalk May 2025 – Puppetry, Theatre Royal – War Horse Drama Residential Trip – March 2025 March 2025 saw the annual Drama London residential trip. Students had the opportunity to take in two West End shows - The Phantom of the Opera and The Play That Goes Wrong. Students assembled in front of the famous statue of Sir Laurence Oliver before taking a backstage tour of the National Theatre. External Drama workshops Year 9 students honed their physical theatre devising skills under the guidance of visiting theatre company Highly Sprung. Year 10 students had a similar workshop with the acclaimed physical theatre company Frantic Assembly. To aid their devising Non-Assessed-Examination work, KS5 participated in a bespoke practitioner workshop, centred around Stephen Berkoff for Year 13 and The Paper Birds for 68 Year 12.

Curricular Theatre Visits GCSE and A-Level Drama student visited theatres both locally and nationally to enrich their practical and theoretical study of Drama. Trips included The History Boys at the Theatre Royal, Othello at the RSC, and Our Country’s Good at the Lyric Hammersmith. Drama Club Year 7-9 students meet every Monday lunchtime to participate in fun Drama exercises and games, improvisation skills and prepare short, informal performances under the guidance of the Year 10 Drama students.

Bridge Cup At the start September 2024, the Bridge Cup competition was launched. Students from each House took the time to record and upload performances to the Google Classroom – totalling at over 300 entries! Other members of the House came together to form a Singing and Verse Speaking choir. After weeks of practise, the final week of half term saw the individual finals and the choir performances take place. Robert Marshal ON was the guest adjudicator for both events, and explained how he was thoroughly impressed with the standard of music on show and wanted to congratulate all of the students for their efforts. Congratulations to the winners listed below! House Singing Choir – Maples’ House Verse Speaking Choir – Mellers’

Maples’

House

This year, the dedication of students in Maples' House across all 20 + House events was particularly evident. There were countless occasions where students went above and beyond to gain points for the Wheeler Cup. Reflecting on this year, I am filled with pride and gratitude for the accomplishments and camaraderie of Maples' House. As we thank the outgoing Year 13’s for their contributions, I send best wishes to our new House captains, Anagi and Ahmed, whose passion for the House events will no doubt result in another fantastic year.

Cooper’s

House 2024-2025 has been a fantastic year for Cooper’s house. The first time in a very long time, Cooper’s won the Wheeler cup. This was down to the amazing efforts of so many students across the year. Participation and having fun is central to everything we do as a house and it has been great to see so many students get involved across a number of really fun events. Students have also been raising money for the ‘Chardi Kala’ foundation which helps people in Nottinghamshire and further afield who are living with Parkinson’s disease. Students have organised football tournaments, run 5k and brought in their amazing bakes to sell at our bake sale. This year we hope to continue to work with the charity and raise even more money.

Mellers’

House Mellers’ House have enjoyed another successful year in the school. Participation has been superb in the community, with complete contributions towards the House Charity Operation Orphan and a multitude of house activities. Highlights of the Mellers’ House year included the Rowing, Climbing and Bridge Cup – particularly the winning performance of the Verse Speaking Choir.

White’s

House White’s House had an excellent year with plenty of activities and competitions for students to participate in. I am so proud of all students who took part in Sports Day and helped us to victory! It was a fantastic day and every athlete helped to make a difference. The Bridge Cup wasn’t to be ours this year but a huge thank you goes out to all who were involved, and third place is not too shabby and the taking part counts! I didn’t know we had such good basketball players in the school nor junior chess players who again added to our victories this year. I am looking forward to another year of House Drama, rowing, Swim Gala and so much more.

Sport It has been another incredible year for school sport. The Number of athletes training and competing remains high, and school sport continues to flourish. The year in numbers;

88%

Participated

Elise C, most selected 39 fixtures; Thomas R, most selected male 30 fixtures

86%

Participated

Clemmie R, and Katharine Z, most selected 33; Harald F, most selected male on 32

92%

Participated

Hattie S, and Cora F. D, most selected 35; Kieran W, most selected male on 30.

Y10

84%

Participated James A, most selected 41 fixtures; Rumaysa I, most selected female on 35 fixtures

Y11

74%

Participated Sienna W, most selected 26 fixtures; Roman E, most selected male on 23.

Y12

48%

Participated Armaan B, most selected 36 times; Gracey M, most selected female 26 fixtures

Y13

54%

Participated

Zail G, most selected on 26; Isla S, most selected female on 25.

Sixth form participation in school sport numbers do seem low compared to our other years, but there are a number of students at the top end of the school who now specialise in sports beyond the school curriculum; we have international level sailors and rowers, international level performers in cheer and ice skating; regional level rowers, club level athletes in badminton, basketball and climbing, all of which demand additional time in training and fixtures beyond school. Our aim is to support these athletes fulfil their personal goals in sport alongside the school’s provision in team sports. Participation is the bedrock of our school sport, but we do aspire to perform also, and this year has provided the school with some performance opportunities too.

Individual sports prospered in different ways; The 2024/25 rugby season saw over 240 boys represent the school across the Senior and Junior School. Once again, our U15’s and U18’s entered the National Cup, with our U15’s being knocked out by QEGS Ashbourne. Our 1st XV exceeded all expectations as they went all the way to the regional final, defeating Shrewsbury School in a last-minute thriller. The national quarter final proved a step too far with a narrow loss to King Edwards Stratford ending the journey. The senior boys can reflect on a very successful season. Lower down the school, there were some fantastic wins with the new year 7’s emerging victorious in their first ever rugby match away at Bablake in Coventry. The year 8’s battled hard throughout the season as did the year 9’s, and it was great to see us getting two 81 teams out in both these age groups.

In what has been Mr Read’s final year in charge of Hockey, the season was incredibly busy, (Hockey is now the most played sport in school). 597 students played this sport for one or more of our 44 teams across 2 terms with both boys and girls representing the school each week in fixtures. Attendance at after school training has been strong and the number of students now attending club hockey sessions has increased. During the girls' term there were several strong performances across the teams and most notably was the 1st XI girls who took an impressive victory with a last minute winner over Trent 1st XI away in the last game of the season. It has been brilliant to see the girls’ programme continue to grow year on year.

On the boys’ side it has been another outstanding year with large blocks taking place each week and the number of games per team remaining high giving all boys the opportunity to compete in fixtures. Highlight of the season is the continued success shown by the U16 team who narrowly missed out on a place at the indoor National Finals to Repton with a narrow 3-1 loss, as well as their most recent success at the outdoor Tier 3 National Finals where they were crowned National Champions. The growth shown by the boys has been nothing short of incredible and I am excited for what is to come in both the boys and girls programme as the hockey programme transitions under new leadership next year. We thank Mr Read for all he has done for Hockey on the school and wish him all the best for the future.

The netball season was a revolutionary one. Our Head of Netball Miss Bray left us for pastures new at the end of last year, but we were very fortunate that Miss Wilson was in school to take on the role for this season. Her organisation and management of the programme was excellent, as we trialled a new initiative with Nottingham Forest Netball who worked with us on the coaching side of the programme. This first year was not without hiccups, but the overall results have been our strongest yet. Netball provided the school with its most successful team in terms of season long performance with the U14A side winning all 9 of their regular season matches, qualifying for the regional finals and just missing the national finals by 1 goal. I wish to thank Miss Wilson, Corey McGlynn and all the coaches from Forest for their incredible work this year, and we look forward to seeing how our netball can continue to develop as the partnership grows next season. Throughout the two winter terms, Cross Country continued whatever the weather. Our dedicated athletes competed across the Midlands under Mr Allison’s guidance. We were City Team Champions at Y7,8,9, both boys and girls, and had individual champions in Sofia C, Tarun B, Isla K, and Jamie C. Sofia, Tarun and Charles P, all qualified for and competed at the England Schools XC finals. Our Swimmers had a short but successful season. Our Under 15 boys team qualified for their national finals in Birmingham for the 2nd time in a row. The squad has grown in strength which is just as well as one of the team fell ill on the day, but we were confident in the ability of our other swimmers. We were able to secure a top 20 finish again this year.

Summer term sport was dealt a heavy blow with Valley Road being unfit for Cricket. Despite this setback, our cricketers have worked incredibly hard and we are grateful to West Bridgfordians CC who kindly agreed to host us for the term’s lessons. Pitch space for fixtures in Nottingham however has been much harder to source, and we have had to play all of our fixtures away from home. This has inevitably meant that we have had fewer matches than we would have liked for both boys and girls, and we are working hard to remedy this for next season. Despite these restrictions the U15 A side won the County Cup final, and progressed to the regional final under the captaincy of Ben C-B,. Playing sport away from home never seems so bad if you are on tour, however and our U15 team had a fantastic trip to Bryanston, winning all 3 of their fixtures against Bryanston, Merchiston Castle School and Glenalmond College. Many of these boys also ventured further on the summer’s tour to Sri Lanka. Our Athletes have managed to complete a very good season. 15 school records were broken this season, including 2 from the decade that gave Nottingham Forest their first taste of European Cup glory! In 1976 (a very hot summer as I recall!) N Crowe set a new Y10 400m record of 51.9 seconds. This was finally eclipsed this year when Gabriel ran 50.0 dead. That is a great achievement but there was an even longer standing record which fell this year. In 1970 J Waddle set a new school 800m record for Y8 of 2.19.7 seconds. This stood for 55 years until it was broken this season by Harald F, who in athletic terms obliterated it running 2.14.6 seconds.

We are City Champions at Y8 and Y10 for both boys and girls. Had 11 students qualify for and compete at the County finals, and of those 11 4 became county champions in their events. Congratulations to Antoine B, Gabriel O, Sofia C, and Sohaib Q, who then represented Nottinghamshire at inter county level. Sofia, Charles, and Gabriel O, have all qualified for the English Schools’ finals, and Gabriel has been awarded East Midlands athlete of the year.

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Nottingham High School, Waverley Mount, Nottingham, NG7 4ED