The Savilian 2023

THE SAVILIAN

THE ADDAMS

LEAVERS’ BALL

THE SAVILIAN

Editor: Alistair Rees

Pupil Editor: Roman Tempest

Design: Harry Graham Inside Front Cover: Emilio Paniagua-Gutierrez

Old Savilian Enquiries: os@wgsf.net

AN ODE TO QUEEN ELIZABETH 1 ESA BUTT 12TJL

An ode, they told me, had to be writ

About Queen Elizabeth – and must contain some wit. I struggled for hours with nothing to say And worried about my performance today. But suddenly it was clear on how to proceed

To research Queen Elizabeth and how she did lead!

But my phone was dying and ‘I’m a Celeb’ was showing And quite frankly, my poetic juices weren’t flowing

Thank goodness for Google who helped me understand

All the great things her majesty did for this land

Making England a world power, defending our shores, Promoting literature and art as a worthy cause. Wikipedia says she’s the best ever royal (though don’t tell Charles or my head he will boil)

Known as ‘Good Queen Bess’ or sometimes ‘Gloriana’ (frankly the only thing that rhymes with that is banana),

So our school’s namesake you now should know Was a woman of strength who helped our country grow. Now my ode is finished, I take a bow So, can we have our half day now?

WELCOME FROM THE HEAD

It is with immense pride and gratitude that I look back on the outstanding achievements and remarkable moments that have defined QEGS over the past year.

Academic excellence continued to be a cornerstone of the school, as evidenced by the outstanding results in both A-Level and GCSE external examinations. Last Summer’s Leavers, now ‘Old Savilians’, have embarked on diverse and exciting career paths; a testament to the well-rounded education they received at QEGS.

Our Music Department once again took center stage, orchestrating a series of breathtaking performances throughout the year. The Summer and Christmas concerts, in particular, showcased the incredible talent and dedication of our pupils, leaving a melodic imprint on our school community.

The Dramatic Arts flourished too, with the Drama Department presenting a brilliant rendition of ‘Addams Family,’ while our Junior Section captivated audiences with their performance of ‘The Hound of

The Baskervilles’ and Matilda, too. The stage became a canvas for creativity and expression, with pupils acros the Foudation leaving an indelible mark through their theatrical prowess.

The school year was punctuated by a myriad of enriching experiences, from the exhilarating Ski Trip to Val Thorens to the harmonious Music Tour in Belgium. We also celebrated our first joint sports tour since the disruption caused by COVID-19, venturing to South Africa for a memorable athletic and cultural exchange.

In the realm of sports, our pupils achieved notable personal milestones, especially in Athletics, where our squads competed on the national stage in Chelmsford. These achievements underscore the dedication and resilience instilled in our pupils through their involvement in sports.

The year began with the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. This served as a moment of reflection, allowing us to contemplate her unwavering duty, love, and service to the

country. This poignant occasion provided our pupils with an opportunity to appreciate and emulate the values of duty and service that form the foundation of our school ethos.

Lastly, it is impossible not to mention the departure of Trevor Barker, a true legend of QEGS. For 40 years, he dedicated himself not only to the sports department but to all aspects of school life. His legacy as a QEGS legend will endure, leaving a mark on the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing him.

As we bid farewell to another remarkable school year, let us carry forward the values of care, contribute and aspire that define QEGS. The future holds endless possibilities, and I am confident that our pupils will continue to shine brightly in all their pursuits.

R Brookes

WELCOME FROM THE

JUNIOR SECTION

As we reflect on the academic year gone by, it fills me with immense pride and gratitude for all that we have achieved together at QEGS Junior Section. It has been a year filled with growth, learning, and unforgettable moments, and I am delighted to share some highlights with you.

Our school’s stage has been graced by the remarkable talents of our musicians, who have left audiences spellbound with their performances throughout the year. From the heartwarming melodies at Grandparents’ Afternoon to the festive cheer of our Christmas and Spring Concerts, our pupils have showcased their musical prowess and dedication to their craft, bringing joy to all who had the pleasure of witnessing their performances.

In addition to our musical showcases, each year group has taken to the stage to present their own unique productions. A standout moment was when our Year 6 pupils tackled the classic tale of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” with enthusiasm and creativity, delivering a performance that captivated audiences and showcased their theatrical talents.

Academically, our pupils continue to thrive, thanks to our exceptional teachers and facilities. Through innovative teaching methods and personalised support, we strive to nurture a love for learning and empower our pupils to reach their full potential. It is through their hard work and dedication that our pupils continue to excel academically and achieve their goals. The house system remains a cornerstone of our school ethos, fostering a sense of belonging, camaraderie, and healthy competition among our pupils. The friendly rivalry and spirited competitions provide an outlet for our competitive boys to showcase their talents and sportsmanship, both on and off the field.

Speaking of sports, our school teams have continued to uphold our proud tradition of excellence, representing QEGS with distinction in various competitions and tournaments. Their hard work, determination, and team spirit have been commendable, and we are incredibly proud of their achievements on the sporting field.

As we watch our Year 6 pupils move up into the next phase of their education, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude and best wishes for their future endeavours. They have been wonderful members of our Junior Section community, demonstrating leadership, resilience, and kindness throughout their time here. We are confident that they will continue to shine brightly in the senior section and beyond, carrying with them the values and skills instilled during their time with us.

In closing, I want to thank our parents for their continued support and dedication to our school. It is through our collective efforts that we have created a vibrant and nurturing learning environment where every pupil can thrive and succeed. I look forward to the year ahead and the exciting opportunities that await us.

RThompson

THE FOCUS IN YEAR

As we reflect on the past year, it’s evident that pupils across all year groups at QEGS have achieved significant growth and academic success. The plethora of competitions won, activities hosted and grades achieved are a testament to the dedication and hard work all the parents, teachers and boys have constantly exhibited. With the house system in full swing, pupils have been more engaged in extracurricular life than ever before. Despite a momentous effort from all house members (in which almost 70,000 house points were generated in the senior section), Cave managed a consecutive triumph in this year’s Calvert Cup; I’m sure the other Houses will be set on toppling them in next year’s competitions. QED continued to enrich; combined with the launch of QEGS Xtra and accomplishments in our charity work, enterprise, sports and arts, pupils have demonstrated tremendous engagement outside of the classroom. Being a more senior student of the school, it brings me immense pleasure seeing so many younger boys seizing the opportunities available to them and making the most of their time here.

Despite facing adversity early in the season in the form of an early National Cup knockout, the 1st XV showed unwavering determination to perform strongly on the rugby stage. Bolstered by a promising 2nd XV and an U16 team that reached Rosslyn Park’s challenging second day, it will be fascinating to see how the squad develops in the coming years. On the astroturf, Yorkshire Cup victories for the 1st XI, U14 (indoor) and U12 hockey squads rounded off a season where almost all teams saw extended runs in the National Cup. Many players competed in several age groups higher than their own, showcasing the emerging talent within the school. 2022/23 saw athletics at QEGS reach new horizons; Akintolu brothers Joshua and Daniel proved excellent leaders, spurring their squads to our first Junior level ESAA Track & Field regional victory since 2012. As ever, we have seen excellent performances in our cricket, tennis and cross country teams, with sports such as squash and golf steadily flourishing and gaining popularity.

In typical QEGS fashion, sport has flourished on all levels this year, with teams competing valiantly in all their respective competitions.

In the wake of the COVID-19 lockdowns, it’s been a welcome sight witnessing the boys proudly representing QEGS on their travels abroad. The Sports Tour to South Africa served as excellent preparation for next year’s sporting tournaments. The hockey 1st XI and rugby 1st & 2nd XV teams almost left the tour with an unbeaten record, along with lasting memories of the game drives and sightseeing tours they enjoyed in Cape Town and Aquila. Elsewhere, we saw skiers conquering the stunning slopes of Val Thorens and musicians crafting melodies and symphonies throughout Belgium. On behalf of all those who toured internationally with school this year, I’d like to extend my appreciation to everyone whose enduring commitment made these expeditions so memorable.

On stage, musicians and actors continued to impress audiences in events hosted throughout the year. December saw months of rehearsals culminate with a spectacular Foundation Christmas Concert. The QE Hall once again resonated with the festive spirit of all our bands and choirs. As expected, crowd-pleasers such as our Funk Band, Senior Orchestra, Foundation Chorus, and Barbershop quartet delivered outstanding performances. Our musical groups later took their vigour into the new year, performing once again in the Foundation Summer Concert. The boundless skill and flair showcased by all our musicians in these events is a testament to the dedication they have towards honing their talents. Our hall was also host to this year’s school production of the Addams Family. In a macabre display of talent, all our budding actors took to the stage to deliver a spellbinding performance filled with eerie quirkiness (and the occasional severed hand). Special mentions must go to those talented pupils, whose performances rivalled even the most seasoned West End entertainers. Recognition should not only go to the fabulous actors in the spotlight but all of the sound & light crew shifting sets between scenes; their tireless efforts across all three nights ensured a completely seamless production. It has been an absolute pleasure seeing so many boys perform for the school, something which I’m sure will inspire future generations of pupils to continue.

QEGS’ commitment to giving back to the local community continued as strongly as ever this year. Our boys have spread far and wide, raising a total of more than £12,000 for a multitude of different charities, welfare organisations and voluntary programmes throughout Yorkshire. Such is the extent of our tenacity that all our endeavours simply cannot be listed! Perhaps one of the more successful events held at QEGS is the Foundation Charity Fayre, an afternoon that never fails to provide entertaining games, (mostly) marvellous weather and an energetic atmosphere.

This year was no exception; all of our forms’ stalls accumulated a total of £1,000 for Cancer Research and Teenage Cancer Trust. The wonderful outdoors was also host to many other charity events: our Children in Need Ramble saw us raise £750, whilst our sixth formers generated more than £300 participating in the Wakefield Hospice 10k run. Indoors, we held numerous Macmillan Cake sales, non-uniform days and other memorable activities, all helping to raise funds for various charities. On the volunteering front, our efforts have been equally as successful. 2022/23 saw many local school children join our sixth formers for some interactive activities as part of our SHINE programme. We have held many different volunteering QEDs and have seen so many boys engaging with hosting events within school, ranging from antiques fairs to senior citizens parties and everything in between. It has been immensely fulfilling seeing so many pupils spending time to help less fortunate people around Yorkshire.

In addition to their extracurricular achievements, our pupils have demonstrated exceptional academic success in their major examinations this year. Our Year 11 cohort saw over 50 boys – almost half the year group – achieve at least one of those coveted Grade 9s in their GCSEs, with an even greater proportion attaining more top results. We’re certain that they will maintain their unprecedented work ethic as they progress through the school. In the sixth form, our Year 13’s endured challenging A-level assessments to receive equally impressive results. With 30% of boys being awarded top A* and A grades in all their subjects, we see many of them continue their education at top universities and degree apprenticeships across the country. They all set an exceptional standard for the rest of our boys to aspire towards in the coming years.

Many of our teachers, although often busy, well… teaching, embarked on personal journeys of growth and accomplishment, reaching noteworthy milestones in their lives. 2022 saw Head of Languages Mr Konopinski get married, with Head of Physics Mr Williams and his partner becoming parents after their daughter’s birth. We wish them all the best as they begin new chapters of their lives. Amidst these new journeys, we sadly bid farewell to other beloved teachers, especially in the sports and music departments. The curtains closed for both Head of Music Mr Lewis and his close colleague Mr Varley’s time at QEGS. Both were staples of the department and fostered an environment where musicians of all levels could flourish. We will dearly miss them and wish them the best of luck as they go on to teach at Culford School and pursue adventures outside of teaching respectively. In the Sports Department, the seasoned Mr Head and Mr Berry both hung their boots up on their time at QEGS. Their passion for sports made them both inspiring teachers and coaches,

energising budding sportsmen on the rugby pitch, hockey astros and tennis courts. Although they both leave for rivals Mount St. Mary’s College, we wish them the best of luck regardless. After slowly stepping back from teaching at QEGS, Mr Barker finally called time on his tenure in the sports department. We wish him the happiest of retirement.

Unfortunately, the beginning of the first term saw the death of our beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Her legacy of compassion, empathy and dedicated servitude has left an incredible mark on the country and, in particular, the QEGS community. As we mourn her passing, it is important to celebrate the values she has instilled within the future leaders and role models in school today. We also give King Charles III our best wishes in continuing such a profound legacy; I’m certain his reign will be equally as impactful on our local and national community.

With so much happening each week, it has been difficult keeping up with the plethora of events, activities and general commitments happening in school. There has been a genuine spirit behind everything that has happened this year; this is abundantly evident from the exciting activities and outstanding work showcased in this year’s magazine. I don’t think there has ever been such enthusiasm and sense of community at QEGS and I’m certain that this attitude will continue in the years to come.

TREVOR BARKER

The day finally came… Mr Trevor Barker’s retirement. Despite having hinted on many occasions across the years that ‘this will be his final one’, he decided to hang up the boots and whistle and his stellar career concluded at the end of the autumn term in 2022.

Starting his teaching career in 1980 at the Priory School in Barnsley, then moving to QEGS in 1982, Mr Barker, across his 40+ year career, has taught for 124 terms. Since beginning his career as a PE teacher, Trev (as he is fondly known) has also been a Form Tutor, a Head of Year, the Head of Cricket, the Head of Rugby and the Director of Sport.

During his tenure, the school experienced a remarkable set of sporting achievements. He highlights the period between 2006-2018 as arguably QEGS’ most successful period for sport, where we were recognised in the National ‘School Sport Magazine’ as being in the top 20 schools for sport in the country (also being in the top 10 schools not offering sports scholarships) - and, on top of all that, approximately 30 international school boy representatives across all sports!

Trevor also highlights the school’s major achievement and one he is probably most proud of is: “looking at the Sports Team Photos each year; we regularly have 250-300 different boys representing school at sport - which is nearly half the school!” Other achievements during this period are remarkable. In Athletics & Cross Country - Over 20 Northern Finals and 3 National Finals. In Cricket - Over 20 County Championships and 2 National Finals. In Hockey - 12 National Finals and 2 semi-finals. In Tennis - 3 Northern Finals & Winners of the National Mixed Doubles. In Rugby - 11 trips to Twickenham, including 2 wins in the National Schools Cup; 20 semi-finals and 30 quarter-finals; 3 Rosslyn Park National 7s wins and 3 runners up; and numerous County Cup winners and runners up.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Barker for his unwavering service over his 40 years at the school and wish him all the best in his retirement. He will be dearly missed but we’re sure he’ll continue supporting on the touchlines for many years to come.

Mr Wolfenden - Director of Sport

PERSONALITIES

DAVID DEAN

David Dean came to QEGS as Head of Classics in 2006, having previously been Head of Department at Birkdale. David was delighted to return, having previously been a pupil here from 1971. Indeed, David has a strong familial connection to the Foundation: his mum, wife and daughter all went to WGHS (with his mum teaching there too), and his son and uncle attended QEGS.

David was delighted to have the opportunity to build up the Classics department here to the point where today it offers three GCSEs (Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation) and two A-levels, with a number of students going on to pursue a degree in the Classics. The department also runs a nationally recognised partnership programme with Thomas a Becket’s school, teaching Latin GCSE to KS4 pupils there - testament to David’s evangelical passion for his subject.

A passionate and highly skilled musician, David was a member of the Foundation Chorus and played each year at the Poetry Promenade. At the recent Poetry Promenade, Mr Dean played a moving lament he had composed to mark the ending of his time at QEGS.

David will be remembered by his former students for his legendary trips to Rome, where his extensive knowledge of the city and its past inspired all who joined those trips. He also coached cricket for over ten years, and has taught prefects to waltz for their first dance at the Leavers Ball. We wish him all the very best for his retirement.

STEVE WOOD

Steve joined us in February 2013, initially as a part-time Drama teacher before going on to teach a range of subjects including English, Drama, Latin and Classical Civilisation. Steve has also been an exceptional form tutor - always getting to know the boys really well and they have always respected his fairness, kindness and genuine interest in them.

An Old Savilian, representing the 1st XI in the early 80s, Steve has contributed massively to sport at QEGS, and in particular contributing to something of a revival to cricket at the senior end of the school. Steve has also been a major contributor to QED and it is here that his constant willingness to throw enthusiasm and dedication into his sessions made him hugely popular with all the boys who have been taught by him. Steve is highly valued in this school by the boys and staff and has thrown his heart and soul into QEGS; he will be missed.

JANE HOSSAIN

Jane Hossain joined the Junior Section in 2009 as a Teaching Assistant, having previously worked as a nurse. Her contributions to the Junior Section cannot be underestimated and she has taken on many responsibilities during her time including: leadership of the Student Council; teaching of focus / intervention groups for a range of pupils; organisation and development of playtime activities, and generally keeping 160+ boys happy during playtimes; the management of Junior Section entrance assessments; and, probably the most challenging of all roles in school, the management of costumes for various school plays … including regularly sourcing and fitting over 50 pairs of sandals for the Year 4 Nativity!

Jane has very recently moved house and is very much looking forward to enjoying her new home, tackling her new garden and starting this new chapter in her life.

CHRIS LEWIS

Chris has been Director of Music at QEGS for the last 5 years, having previously held a similar position at Rishworth School. Chris is from a musical family, growing up in South Wales with brass banding in his blood. He has been a teacher of some kind throughout his career, beginning as a visiting brass teacher and then completing his PGCE through the Open University and entering the classroom.

Chris is rightly proud of the widening participation in music which can be seen in all year groups. His implementation of the practice rooms has helped all boys find a home to express themselves musically whilst allowing those for whom it is a more serious passion to soar to new heights. He is pleased to be leaving the recording studio for boys to develop their music technology skills and the efficient system he has implemented for timetabling individual music lessons - no mean feat with over 650 students taking lessons.

Chris is leaving us to pursue a myriad of other musical endeavours - performing, conducting and educating. His musical talent, creativity, drive, generosity and enthusiasm will be missed by all boys and staff who have worked with him - he is very dear to us all.

PERSONALITIES

ROB VARLEY

Rob joined QEGS as Assistant Director of Music in January 2014, having worked for four years as Head of Department at New College, Pontefract. During his time at QEGS, he has led some extremely successful musical ensembles - Concert Band, Swing Foundation, Senior Strings and the wonderful ‘Mantabile’, to name just a few. He also possesses an inimitable concert compering style - no-one will forget his woeful jokes, much as they might like to! He has also organised and led several concert tours, both in the UK and abroad.

Mr Lewis describes Rob as one of the finest musicians he has ever worked with, able to provide a professional level of support to our top performers as a pianist, and with an innate ability to inspire pupils of all ages and abilities in the classroom. Rob leaves us to take up the position of Director of Music at Culford School, Suffolk, and we wish him all the best for this well-deserved promotion.

CHRISTIAN HEAD

Standards, Standards & Standards…

Mr Head first came to QEGS on a University work placement and notwithstanding the Indie Rock facade, he was a perfect fit for the department from the off.

Perhaps mirroring the concept that ‘God created man in his own image’, definitely thanks to the then Director of Sport, Mr Trevor Barker, the flowing fringe quickly became a short back and sides, the blue Sambas turned into white Asics and the now famed ‘CH Standards’ were born.

Those who know Christian will already have a clear (and for some, very palpable) understanding, however to exemplify;

CH Standards as a professional:

- First season running the U13s resulted in a win in the National 7s at Rosslyn Park.

- First 2 seasons running the U15 Rugby team, the very same standards resulted in the National Final & then Quarter Finals respectively.

DANNY BERRY

Danny first joined us as the School’s Hockey and Tennis coach. He then became a qualified teacher and a full time member of the PE and Sport department. Pupils often strugged to switch from “hi Danny” to “hi Mr Berry” on the corridors of school.

As a very talented sportsman, having played both international hockey and county tennis, he has impressed as a teacher with the quality of his planning, ability to adapt lessons to the needs of individual pupils, and his enthusiasm for pupils to reach their physical potential.

He leaves us to work alongside Christian at Mount St Marys as the new Director of Hockey! Thank you, Danny!

CH Standards as a person:

- As a rugby player he took the phrase of ‘playing to the final whistle’ a bit too literally, as on one occasion this meant finishing the second half before going to hospital to have his right thumb surgically wired back together.

- Upon completing his second Marathon, he realised his ‘hurty foot’ that annoyingly slowed him down a bit, was actually a stress fracture.

Whilst we have enjoyed and definitely will continue joking about ‘the CH standards’, it is essential to acknowledge and highlight that whatever standards he sets, are always done so and applied with the greatest of care and aspirations for the pupils.

Christian will be greatly missed but we wish him all the best in his new role as Director of Sport (& Head of Rugby) at Mount St Marys.

PERSONALITIES

ALEK CHARLESWORTH

Alek joined QEGS in 2016 as a Year 4 form teacher and during his time here has held the positions of Computing Coordinator, Humanities Coordinator and Assistant House Leader for Bentley House. He has been a key contributor to the various QEGS productions over the years, particularly developing the sound and lighting for both Junior Section and Foundation shows. This has had a huge impact on the production standards of these shows.

Something that many will not know is that Alek is a huge railway and locomotive enthusiast, his vast knowledge being displayed on the recent school trips to the National Railway Museum in York. Rumour has it that his move to become Deputy Head at Bury Grammar School was inspired by the fact that there is a railway line at the bottom of the school fields!

Alek’s promotion is well-deserved - our loss is very much Bury’s gainand he will be hugely missed by all of us here at QEGS.

CATH WORSLEY

Cath joined the Foundation in January 2017 as Development Director. She was originally recruited around the time the Governors were purchasing the former Clayton Hospital site with a brief to develop our Fundraising streams to support the vision for the use of the site to bring the Foundation schools geographically and philosophically closer together. She made an immediate impact, securing the engagement of a number of major donors and achieving significant gifts.

Of course, the COVID pandemic made further fundraising challenging for all charities, with the Foundation not immune to those difficulties. Cath has decided that the time is right to take a sabbatical from work for the time-being. She is a great fan of skiing, and I know she is looking forward to spending more time on the slopes with her family. We thank her for all her service and wish her all the best for her next steps.

BECKY STEAD BRANNAN PEARSON

Becky joined us in the Junior Section at the start of this year as a Teaching Assistant and the After School Care Manager. Becky formerly worked in a nursery and her caring nature has been clear to see. She quickly developed very positive pastoral relationships with the boys and their parents. She also developed the provision Owls and many boys talk about how much they enjoy their time there, so much so that it has been known for boys to ask to go to Owls as a special treat for their birthday!

We’d like to think that being a member of staff at QEGS has been a positive experience for Becky as she will be starting a teacher training course in September. We wish her all the very best in her endeavours - she knows that we are always at the end of the phone if we can help with any teaching-related advice.

Brannan is a former pupil of both QEGS Junior and Senior Sections (and a member of Mr Thompson’s very first chess team!), and he slotted in very well to the QEGS way of working as a Graduate Assistant in September 2021. He has shown himself to be an excellent sports coach, after school care assistant and swimming teacher. He has led countless sports teams, supported a huge number of fixtures, events and trips and ensured that the sports-mad boys in the Junior Section After School Care had the chance to let off steam at the end of the day.

Brannan’s two years as a Graduate Assistant have come to an end, but he will be continuing his professional development as a Swimming & Sports Coach and we are expecting that he will continue with us next year as a swimming coach.

ON STAGE 2022/23

Lower School Choir

The Lower School Choir have enjoyed a super year from start to finish culminating in our summer trip to Wharfedale festival where the boys really pulled out all the stops with their performance of ‘One World’ by Philip Kern from the musical ‘Cosmic Pinball’ and their lively and fun rendition of ‘The Green Machine’ which included all the instrument sounds needed to replicate the old machine noises. I was very proud of their energy and vigour! A truly fabulous performance, boys!

Mrs D Rogers

Junior School Choir

Once again, the Junior School choir have had a very busy year with a number of performances throughout the year.

Our formal assemblies of Harvest festival, Remembrance and Founders’ Day are always fabulous events with a great sense of occasion, strong, confident singing and a deep sense of tradition.

At the end of the year, we were honoured to have been asked to perform at our annual Speech day where the boys sang One and a Million by Emily Barden. The words and their voices summed up the sentiment of togetherness and unity perfectly.

A big thank you from me boys, for always being cheerful, for your concentration and effort and for making Monday lunchtimes such a pleasure.

The Choir also performed at the cathedral this year as part of our Carol Service. Pratham Dwarakanath led the service with an unaccompanied version of the first verse of Once in Royal david’s City. Later on in the service they also performed an arrangement of Hark the Herald Angels Sing, set to the tune of Clocks by Coldplay.

This was followed by a wonderful version of Carol of the Bells, accompanied by the drum club which sounded wonderful in the setting of the Cathedral.

They have also taken part in the Wharefdale music festival, performing two contrasting pieces which this year included the fabulous, action packed ‘Saturday Afternoon’ by Alan Simmons in contrast to Full Fathom Five, a song taken from the BBC’s version of The Tempest. They also performed at the Spring Concert this year as well as for Grandparents afternoon this year too.

JS Grandparents’ Afternoon

For Grandparents’ Afternoon, our boys once again entertained with some of their best musical performances of the year so far.

The Lower School choir opened the proceedings with their performance of The Green Machine, a fun and light hearted song, using vocals and percussion together to full effect.

There were some stunning solo performances from both Joshua Badri and George Varley on piano and we were later also joined by Teshomi Kayode from last year’s Year 6 too.

The Junior Swing Band performed their version of Louis Louis, which included some great solo improvisations from a number of the band members across the different sections.

The Junior Orchestra concluded the entertainment with performances of Tequila and Sweet Caroline followed by a cover version of Paranoid by Black Sabbath to conclude their set. Well done to all the boys who performed to help make this a really enjoyable afternoon for all our grand parents.

ON STAGE

Inter-House Music

2023 brought another fabulous year of high class entries to the Inter House Music Competition at the Junior Section. There were some seriously great performances from a large number of boys this year and the standard overall was very high indeed. Some notable performances this year include a hotly contested battle on the piano ( as always ) between Oliver Lee, Zac Guo, Luke White, Joshua Badri and George Varley, an outstanding violin solo, also from Luke White and confident and dynamic vocal performances from Rohail Mahmood and Cameron Newsam. The overall individual winners were Cameron Newsam for the Under 9s’ competition and George Varley for the Under 11s’ overall winner. The winning house overall this year was Freeston.

ON STAGE Spring Concert

In this year’s first half of Spring Concert, we saw the range of musical talent, which our QEGS boys have to offer. There were exciting and highly competent performances from our Inter House music finalists and winners as well as a huge variety of ensembles including Mr Allen’s Junior Guitar Group, Mrs Clegg’s Drum Club, The Dukes of LeLe, our wonderful ukulele group run by the amazing Mrs Spawforth.

In addition, each of the Junior choirs performed some fabulous pieces this year. This included some very entertaining performances from our Junior Swing Band and Junior Orchestra, most notably including some of our staff helping out with our healthy version of Sweet Caroline, or rather Swede, Carrot, Lime ( Banana ) as kindly demonstrated by Dr Brookes, Mr Thompson, Mr Tiffany and Mrs Rogers.

ON STAGE Christmas Concert

Carol Service

This year’s Carol Service took place once again at the beautiful Wakefield Cathedral. This is always a very special event for the school and a special time of year. It is always a real pleasure to get to perform in such a beautiful building too. This year was a little different as we ran the Senior and Junior services back to back but this also meant that as well as the usual readings and carols, we also had the addition of the amazing Brass Quintet form the Senior Section to help us out with our Carols. What an incredible sound they make in combination with the Cathedral Organ, Choir and congregation. Somehow, this made it feel even more special this year, as I really do love the sound of Brass at Christmas time.

In time honoured tradition there were some other notable performances from the Staff Choir singing Gaudete this year and from Mrs Barratt’s wonderful solo singing which always sounds stunning, never more so than when surrounded with such wonderful acoustics. Both the Lower School Choir and Junior School Choirs were fabulous and they ended the service with a joint rendition of “How long will I love you”.

Year 3 - Dragon Days

Poor Desmond the Dragon. Alone and feared by the villagers of Stumbledorf, Desmond lives a solitary life in his cave. Then one day, brave Tommy Rumble sets off to rid the locals of a curse that has cast a shadow over them for years. On his quest to save the villagers, Tommy comes face to face with the dragon and comes to realise that looks can be deceiving. Dragon Days is a story of hope and friendship. The Y3 performed this year’s play with outstanding enthusiasm. Dedicated right from the start, these boys took directions, learned their lines, practised the songs (which had a HUGE amount of words) and were great fun in every rehearsal.

Boys, as I sat in the theatre on performance night, I could not have felt prouder of you all. It was one of the most memorable performances I have ever seen!

Mrs D Rogers

Year 4 present The Nativity

Once again, this year saw a song-packed show following the story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem in our own inimitable style, including some opportunities for some Christmas shopping along the way. Laden down with heavy bags of presents and gifts, they set off towards Bethlehem. ‘The Fireside Nativity’ was the chance for Year 4 to tell the story of how Bethlehem coped as visitors from far and wide descended upon their town during the census and the ensuing preparations for the birth of the baby Jesus. All boys gave it their all as they belted out songs that added a cosy and sometimes comedic twist to the traditional story.

Stand out performances from Horacio Winch as the Angel, Mrs Charlesworth as the Heckler as well as from all the campers telling the story around the campfire.

Very well done to and hats off to Jason Li for his characterful and entertaining take on Mary this year too. The boys did themselves proud as they all had to learn lines, dance moves and song lyrics and be part of a big team effort to put on a great show.

Year 5 - The Tempest

This year saw Year 5 perform an amazing musical adaptation of ‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare. This famous story was re-told through a combination of animation, narration and songs, which included some tightly choreographed actions and movement as well as some stunning solo lines from several of our Year 5 boys as well as some committed performances from the whole year group.

This was a truly impressive performance from our Year 5 boys and was thoroughly enjoyable to rehearse and to perform. Very well done indeed.

Year 6 - The Hound of the Baskervilles

‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, the 2023 QEGS Junior Section play was played to two good evening audiences on Wednesday, 28th June and Thursday the 29th, 2023.

Our lead, playing the redoubtable, famous, deerstalker-wearing sleuth, was Seth Fortas. Seth had a huge amount of lines, songs and moves to remember and portray convincingly and he did so with admirable, happy conviction, clearly enjoying himself throughout the extensive rehearsals and play performances. His tour de force was a song in Act 2 which consisted of him having to remember an impressively long list of rhyming Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories for which Seth received a deserved round of applause on both nights.

Seth was ably backed up by Will Anderon as the unfortunate Dr Watson, forever condemned to skulk in Holmes’ shadow. Will, like Seth, is a modest but naturally talented actor who played his comic scenes and songs with skill.

I hope both boys will keep ‘treading the boards’ and amazing appreciative audiences in the years to come.

Our two leads were ably supported by a typically strong QEGS Year 6 cast. Harry Beck enjoyed playing the doomed and dubious accented Henry Baskerville; Daniel Jones swirled around as the seemingly innocent but in reality cunningly plotting Caroline Stapleton; Dalton Day, following in his talented father’s footsteps,

was Dr Mortimer, keen to add Holmes’ skull to his anthropological collection and Edward Williams played Mrs Hudson, under instructions from Holmes to plot ever-increasingly diabolical plans to murder him. All four boys were joys to work with, giving up much of their own time to learn lines, moves, routines and songs. Both Daniel and Edward had fantastic solos and both commanded the stage, receiving well-deserved applause.

As always, our lead actors were ably supported throughout by a galaxy of talent, many boys working beyond their comfort zones, enjoying performance, entertainment and the scope of drama and combining to form a fabulous team. Haroon Ayub was the hapless Inspector Lestrade, Sebastian Williamson doubled up as the unappreciated Mr Van Gogh and Mr Mozart, Samuel Reynard was the tragic Charles Baskerville, Arthur Celliers the entitled Reverend Wolvern Smallpiece and Dimitri Adamou took the blame for the Baskerville curse as Hugo de Baskerville. Henry Baskerville’s staff, the Barrymores were played by Henry Roberts as the loyal butler and Abrahim Khan as Mrs Barrymore, Baskervilles’ housekeeper.

This was the second time that my revised play had been staged as a Year 6 performance. When it was first performed in 2014, I had had considerable difficulty trying to realise the star of the piece: the huge, monstrous, slavering Dartmoor hound. I had made a large, gargoyle-style, furred head which shrouded in misty stage smoke was scary if static.

Mentioning this problem one evening to Tim Spawforth, one of our Year 12 students and ‘Billy Bones’ in the 2017 Year 6 performance of ‘Treasure Island’, I was delighted when he decided to construct the Baskervilles’ hound as his EPQ project. Tim typically worked above and beyond what I had hoped for, realising the creature as a huge puppet consisting of a metal armature with fantastic, articulating toothed head, blazing eyes and jointed legs giving the monster movement, terrifying realism and making three spectacular, memorable and scary appearances. I am eternally grateful to Tim for all of his incredible, enthusiastic hard work and hope he enjoyed a return to the QEHall stage as part of a Year 6 production.

One of my favourite scenes was when Henry Baskerville, Watson and Mortimer, having arrived at Grimpen Mire railway station, encounter a yokel Station master played by Luke White and a criminal-searching soldier played by Joshua Howarth. With soft rain pattering around them, in the best traditions of Gene Kelly, they had an umbrella-holding dance. For me, it was one of the highlights of the show.

Two other favourite characters were the polar opposites of Sherlock: Professor Moriarty, enjoyably portrayed by Pratham Dwarakanath and his ‘would be but not very good’ sidekick, Jitters played by Raamis Zaki. They had a couple of crowd pleasing songs that described their terrible raisin d’etre: the ending of Sherlock and the advancement of crime.

Once again, the annual Year 6 play was a fantastic team effort, the coming together of a lot of happy, enthusiastic talent to produce a first rate pair of performances that were a credit to the many talented boys that our school has. I would like to thank the staff who helped throughout the rehearsals and performances: Mr Charleworth on the lights, Mr Haswell and staff who helped with the set construction, Mrs Spawforth providing some lovely, precise artwork to the set painting, Mrs Roddy, Mr Drury, Mr Hodson and Mr Tiffany as the stage crew resetting the impressively Dartmoor rock forms to Baskerville Hall and back again. I would also like to thank the ever-talented Mrs Barrett who once again lent her considerable choreography skills to organising the ‘Anything Goes’ Act 2 opening song.

Dhruv Bora as the hapless poacher, Jay Worby and Nate Walton as highwaymen, Alfred Pickering as William Burke and his associate Charlie Collins as William Hare, Preston Goodair as Dracula, Hector Inglis as Sweeney Todd, Oliver Marshall as the escaped prisoner Selden and Fraser Roebuck as Mr Hyde represented everything honest citizenry should be against.

Our gang of accompanying villains: Hashim Aslam, George Bardsley, Oscar Brandon, Rehmat Ghouri, Joshua Hannah, Hari Nanthakumar, Harry Okunkpolar, Freddie Ratcliffe, Rudi Schubert, Shriyan Sundar, Rohan Vemula, Raihan Waheed, Farrerty Wallis and Henry Watson tried to best our valiant police force of Joshua Badri, Isaac Bennett, Zaydaan Bhamji, Jacob Brewster, Jackson Charlesworth, Samuel Chineme, Oscar Gibson, George Varley, Alfie Worth and Hamzah Yusuf.

And of course, I am indebted, as always, to the ridiculously talented Mr Renshaw who once again handled all of the sound, music complexities and pyrotechnics to uplevel the production to heights unimaginable in any other school.

The 2023 Year 6 play, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ was once again a happy production that ably reflected the consistent talent that blesses our great school and was another strong team production that sits happily alongside its predecessors in this great annual tradition.

The Addams Family

The opening bars of The Addams Family are well known to all and kicked off a fantastic evening of locked crypts, meandering spectres and a kooky cast of ghouls.

The actors were incredible, Uncle Fester admirably sang and danced through his number. Morticia and Gomez were hilarious and Wednesday was predictably terrifying!

Musical director, Mr Besford could not have been more proud of them all and when the curtain was finally closed, with true love triumphing over all, the cast breathed a sigh of relief, delight and pride. But of course, Thursday and Friday came and they did it all again.

Special thanks should also go to SALT for all their behind the scenes shifting and carrying, to the WGHS PTA who served hundreds of cups of tea and coffee, Mrs MCKay, who inspired the Y10 enterprise teams to produce some fantastic merchandise, to the Estates team for turning out in hi-vis, to the senior prefects who checked tickets, dished out programmes and collected money for the Turkish/Syrian earthquake. And a huge shout out to Dominos Pizza who kept everyone fed!

QEGSON TOUR 2022/23

Swing Band in Belgium

Tuesday:

The Belgium tour started bright and early, with Swing Foundation, Swing Band and Barbershop meeting the minibus at 4:30 AM. After a masterful display of instrument jenga, orchestrated by Mr Varley and Mr Affleck, we departed from Wakefield bleary-eyed but brimming with optimism for the trip to come. A mere 6 hours later, we arrived in Dover and met with our Ferry to take us across the Channel. Many took this time to catch up on sleep ahead of our arrival in Calais. We were greeted by glorious weather with which we would be blessed with throughout the trip. Relatively soon after we arrived at the Youth Hostel in Bruges where we had our first rehearsal to iron out any kinks in our set list.

Wednesday:

Wednesday would see the Foundation travel to Ostend for our first performance of the tour at Wapenplein Bandstand. A considerable crowd gathered to watch Wakefield’s finest musicians play items ranging from Duke Ellington to Simon and Garfunkel. All in all the crowd seemed to love the set and gave everyone a huge confidence boot for the performances to come. After a quick lunch break we travelled back to Bruge and walked into the city centre to the Historium museum, where we would learn about Bruge’s vibrant history as one of Europe’s most important ports in the late middle ages through to the Renaissance. We then enjoyed free time in Bruges, where students enjoyed touring the city’s numerous historic buildings and churches. After returning to the hostel for our evening meal, we had the evening to ourselves. Many chose to use the field in front of the hostel to play football, while most 6th formers accompanied by Mr Varley and Mr Lewis travelled back into Bruges to enjoy the city in the sunset, before calling in just after dusk.

Thursday:

Thursday morning would start with a guided canal tour, weaving through the numerous waterways of Bruges. After which we went to Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk, De Panne; an ornate church which would host our next concert. The audience gave a full minute of standing ovation after both the Swing band and Swing Foundation concluded the performance with a rousing arrangement of Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf. That evening students faced off against each other and staff at bowling. It was a tightly contested game, with no clear winner until the final few frames. However, Mr. Lewis showed his prowess and rose above the rest, ultimately beating Mr. Affleck by one point. Friday: Friday, as the last official day of the tour, got underway with a trip to Ypres where we performed for the last time in the vast city square. Without a cloud in sight it was only fitting to feature “You are the sunshine of my life” sung by one of our Year 13 leavers, Antonia. At the end of our set we were met by cheers from the balcony of the bell tower, some 70 metres above us. We grabbed lunch in the heart of Ypres, before speeding off to Ghent to visit the Castle of the Counts and the historic city. Once gifts, souvenirs and mementos of all kinds had been bought we returned to the hostel for one final night of games, quizzes and awards, where prestigious titles such as Best Tom Jones Impersonation, and consistently earliest to breakfast. The staff and 6th form closed out the night playing pool against a dominant Mr. Varley, who did not drop a single game.

Saturday:

Saturday morning was spent repacking the coach for the final time, before the long haul trip back to Calais, Dover and eventually Wakefield, To everyone’s relief it only took 5 hours from Calais this time. A massive thank you must be said to all the staff who were involved in making this trip as special as it was. So, to Mr. Affleck and Mrs. Clegg, thank you for helping make this trip possible. And to Mr. Lewis and Mr. Varley, for which this was their last tour with school, thank you for everything. We hope you loved the trip as much as we did.

by Douglas Haigh

Senior Sports Tour to South Africa

After months of anticipation, on 5th July, our 1st XI hockey squad and 1st & 2nd XV rugby teams left the mundane Wakefield landscape on our way for South Africa. Despite some minor plane seat booking issues, our cross-continental journey was largely a smooth one. After spending almost 18 hours in the air we finally landed in Cape Town. As we landed in Cape Town, it was clear to see the disparity in living conditions between areas; our cable car journey to the top of Table Mountain certainly highlighted this difference. Nonetheless, our views over the city and neighbouring Robben Island were followed by an evening meal at the Victoria & Alfred waterfront shopping centre. We were even welcomed by some traditional African singing and dancing, ensuring our welcome to Cape Town was a warm one.

The following morning saw all our squads begin training for their coming fixtures.

We also got to taste some authentic South African cuisine from Sheila’s restaurant. where we were also treated to some exquisite singing and dancing. This was certainly an unforgettable experience, with many players taking to the stage to show off their own musical talents and dancing skills!

The next day marked our first taste of gameplay on tour. Nerves were certainly felt by everyone given the formidable reputation of South African sports players, particularly at the youth level. The hockey squad were dropped off at Belville and the rugby squad continued on to NTK rugby club. The 1st XV had the opportunity to sit in the stands and watch the 2nd XV play first where they came away with a good win

It was an excellent opportunity to stretch our legs and let off some steam following our long flights the day before. Many new players also took the opportunity to get used to their new squad.

Later that day, our visit to Langa township proved an extremely humbling and eye opening experience for almost all players and coaches on tour. Being one of the most poverty-stricken areas of Cape Town, our tour around the township helped us to appreciate how fortunate we are in comparison to the people living there. However, after hearing of resident Sheila’s experiences working late hours to get an education and create her own restaurant, it became quite apparent that life at Langa was also one filled with unwavering hope.

against a physical NTK side. During the 2nd half the 1st XV began to warm up and that is when, for me, the excitement kicked in at the fact we were really here and ready to play against a South African side.

Our rugby teams were pitted against NTK Rugby Club, one of Cape Town’s oldest and most established clubs. After settling in at their grounds, the 2nd XV kicked off their first game on tour. Despite facing an extremely well organised NTK side, they were able to out-play their opponents to come away with a secure victory. Our 1st XV, honourably captained by Harry Bowser, played their game straight after.

Their captain - likened to a 17 year old version of current Springbok captain Siya Kolisi due to his immense size - made it clear that the game would be a physical one.

However, our 1st XV were not phased and came away with an equally comfortable win, albeit with some worrying injuries. The ensuing post-game ceremony saw both teams show humility and friendship as they exchanged kit, ties and even wine (between the coaches).

The 1st XI hockey squad unfortunately saw some intense showers in their first game of the tour against Bellville High School. Despite scoring early, their opponents pressed high and, combined with deteriorating conditions filling the pitch with puddles, managed to score twice to take victory. However, a positive performance indicated that the team had significant potential. We spent that evening at the V&A waterfront, giving everyone the opportunity to try out different cuisines and shop for souvenirs. England Rugby U20 captain Lewis Chessum was even spotted at Cinnabon, with some lads taking the opportunity to chat with him before his fixture in the U20 Rugby World Cup.

Despite travelling with some tired tourists, the next day’s excursion to Seal Island was certainly an entertaining one. The rough seas on the way out to one of the most densely populated groups of seals in the world saw many lads getting soaked by large waves and led to a few green faces - Mr Head head certainly wasn’t feeling great when leaving the boat! We then headed further along the coast line to Boulders Beach.

The sheer abundance of penguins relaxing on the shoreline looked like a scene ripped straight from Happy Feet. After a lunch stop in Simon’s Town, we ventured towards the southernmost point of Africa: Cape Point. The views atop the lighthouse were exquisite; the setting sun perfectly framed the panoramic views of the vast, endof-the-world-esque scenery. After a great day out on the breezy South African coastline, we headed to the Athlone Stadium to watch England play France in their semi-final clash in the U20s Rugby World Cup. Unfortunately, England were on the losing side of “Le Crunch”, with the final score finishing at 52-31 to the eventual tournament winners. This was a fun game to watch for all; some even struck up conversation with some friendly Cape Town residents!

The following morning saw our squads resume training for their next fixtures. After a quick return to the hotel, we hopped back out to the V&A ready for a trip to the esteemed Robben Island. Our tour round the prison facility was another humbling experience. We were led around by a former inmate held there for 18 years, showing us the cells of Robert Sobukwe and Nelson Mandela - two of Robben Island’s most famous prisoners. It was incredibly interesting to hear of life as a prisoner on Robben Island, especially those who were imprisoned during Apartheid.

Meanwhile, on an unusually located pitch, our rugby sides had begun preparation for the matches against Elsies River. After sustaining some vital injuries, our 2nd XV were hampered in their game, closing off their tour with an unfortunate draw. On the other hand, our 1st XV were more successful; despite some unusual commentary from the opponents, the side managed to win comfortably. Our post match pleasantries saw us exchange playing kits and training equipment, supporting a close-knit community in a particularly under-represented area of Cape Town.

ostriches and elephants against a stunning sunrise. Despite the cold, it was a somewhat poignant yet almost cathartic experience knowing our return to the hotel marked the end of our time in the country. Before we knew it, we found ourselves flying back to Istanbul and, eventually, home.

A visit to the aquarium at the V&A the next day proved helpful in calming our nerves before our final matches on tour. After arriving at the venue, the hockey 1st XI began their game against DF Malan first. In a closely fought game, our valiant side managed to hold on to an early 1-0 lead to come away with a victory.

After a late evening at the V&A celebrating our victories in our games, we packed up early the next morning for a 3 hour drive further into the South African mountain landscape towards Aquila. Upon arrival, we quickly made ourselves at home, kicking off our stay with an impromptu cricket game and a lovely buffet. After spending the afternoon exploring the hotel grounds (where some of us made use of the relaxing spa facilities), we prepared for the first of our two game drives. Being on the doorstep of an incredible game reserve, our evening tour in our safari truck saw us spotting several of South Africa’s “Big 5” animals. After returning and having another delicious meal, we concluded the evening with the end of tour awards. This was an excellent opportunity for all players and coaches to reflect on the unforgettable experiences shared on tour. Mr Head, in one of his final moments with the squads before leaving the school, involved the whole tour party in a final rendition of “Climb, Climb Up Sunshine Mountain”, bringing everyone together for one last time.

With a final game drive awaiting us, the last morning was an early one. Our drive gave us the opportunity to witness the many hippos,

This trip truly was a once in a lifetime experience for all the boys. Experiencing different cultures and playing against new teams in such a spectacular country with so many of your mates, teammates and coaches is a difficult task to put into words. I certainly know that the memories created on tour will stay with us for a lifetime. On behalf of everyone fortunate to spend their summer touring South Africa, we would like to thank our parents, sponsors, staff and the school for making this trip so special and highlighting how important sport is to everyday life.

by Ciaran Reeves

QEGSON TOUR

Val Thorens 2023

It is never good for a school trip when you find yourself embroiled in an incident that is the headline news nationally but that is the situation we found ourselves in when we arrived to the Easter Holiday chaos at Dover. I would like to thank all the boys for their exemplary attitude despite the difficult circumstances- they were a credit to both you as their parents and the school as a whole. Not once in the entire delay did they complain, make a fuss or even pester staff about when we were going to get underway. They just patiently got their heads down and coped admirably with everything, including the 11pm arrival in resort, short night and rush to get everything ready for skiing on the Sunday. I would also like to thank our drivers who stuck with us, rather than turning around or abandoning us like many did. Tony and all of the team in the resort worked wonders changing plans and making sure everything was ready, including a full cooked tea, for when we eventually arrived. This was yet another example of the hard work that Ski4less put into making sure the trips run smoothly and why we have stuck with them for the past 10 trips. I would also like to thank them for their generous support of school skiing which enabled us to provide hoodies to the boys at no cost. Finally I would like to thank my colleagues on the trip for their time, patience and diligent hard work ensuring that the boys enjoyed their trip and experienced a memorable time in the alps. by Mr

Pesterfield

Everyone arrived at school in the early hours of Friday the 31st of March with a long day ahead of ourselves. There were many tired faces but you could tell that there was a buzz around the room. Everyone was packed up and ready to go and then we set off. When we got into London we went to the Natural History Museum where we got to see the new exhibit, the titanosaur. After 3 hours of being there we set off for a short trip to the Aroma. This is where we had our tea for the night. After the delicious food and the candy floss machine we set off for Dover.

Dover wasn’t a part of the trip to remember. We arrived at the port of Dover at around 9pm, when we got there we saw a large amount of coaches just waiting and many of us had no clue what was going on. After we had seen this the UK border force came onto the bus to check all of our passports. The time was around 10pm when we found out that our ferry had been delayed for 6 hours. At this point all of the boys and staff were shattered so many of them went to sleep.The people who were still awake at this time had to wait for 3 hours whilst we queued for the French border force. At 1am staff woke us up whilst we got off the bus for the border force. In the morning all the boys got off to go to the toilet for the longest part of the journey. When we boarded our ferry you could feel the sense of relief from everyone. After we arrived in France we set off on a long 9 hour journey to Val Thorens.This part was effortless for many as we gained quite a lot of time back because we only made 2 stops for the whole journey. The ascent up the mountain was not the scenic idea I had pictured , it was pitch black. This didn’t matter though because most of the coach was asleep. We arrived in Val Thorens at around 12 - 12:30, we then got pasta for dinner then everyone was in their rooms. The original plan was to arrive in Val Thorens at 2pm the day before get settled, collect our equipment and go back to the rooms and relax. But now we had to wake up early to collect our equipment for the long week of skiing ahead. The 1st day of skiing was one of the best because of the lush conditions and getting to know the people in your group. It was also good because you got to explore and experience these new slopes and fantastic views

After skiing we went back to our rooms for 1 hour to relax until we went out for dinner at the ‘a la Grange’ restaurant. After this we would go for our apres ski. For lunch in the mountains we went to a variety of restaurants including Wok Ski and The Panoramic. In the afternoons there was usually a dark grey cloud looming over the whole of the 3 vallees. So the instructors tried their hardest to keep us above the cloud for as long as possible.

Eventually we would have to ski down through the cloud. This would mean that visibility was not the best but the conditions were still as good as ever. Due to the heat in the morning and the cloudy weather in the afternoon the conditions were variable. This only meant more of a challenge.

The return journey was effortless compared to the embarking journey. The best part was the descent because you could see the picturesque views of the mountains and you could see where you would have skied down. It was also gloomy on the way down, reminiscing on the fact that you have just left the place where you had so much fun over the past week.

by Seth Morten

Before I start, I would like to say a massive thank you to all the teachers and the coach drivers that made this incredible trip possible.

The journey was very long and tiring on the way there but i think that we were lucky that we had a stop at a chinese buffet, the Natural History Museum and that the teachers made an unnoticed effort to get us all breakfast on the morning we got on the ferry. Soon enough we made it to the resort and had dinner, and got in bed. On the first day we got our boots, helmets, skis and poles sorted out which was surprisingly quick! Which meant we had not lost many hours to the delay and we were on the slopes at 11. I was in the advanced group and at the start of the trip we were skiing on blue slopes but towards the end we got to ski on reds and blacks! I think every skier and snowboarder at least got a chance to ski on a blue which is very good for people who had never skied before but with the help of the amazing instructors improved a lot! One of the best parts of the trips must have been the evening activities because we all got a reasonable amount of goes on all the activities and on the bowling we got a whole game to each person! Another thing that was very good was the food, it was a different meal every day and one night we got to cook our own chicken and steak which was very fun and a nice surprise! The cooks always had something for the vegetarians and vegans because obviously they have dietary requirements but the chefs always pulled something together. I didn’t mention the apartments! They were very impressive because I was just expecting a room with a toilet and beds but we had a full kitchen, sofa, balcony, and T.V!

Overall the trip was incredible and I’m sure that all the hard work the teachers did paid off, because all the boys made once in a lifetime memories, had new opportunities and overall had a great time on the ski trip! Many thanks to all the teachers and ski instructors as well, We all had a wonderful time!

by Alex Massey

Year 3 to York

We arrived at school and went into the school hall looking forward to our 2 days away in York. We boarded the coach and settled into our seats. It took us about an hour to travel to the centre of York. Then we walked to our first activity at the Dig. An archaeologist gave us a talk and showed us pottery and stones from Roman and Viking times. We also learnt about their battle tactics. We learnt about a Viking called Snottree who was the youngest in his family and grew up to be a leader (Jarl)

It was very exciting because we got to dig up remains from Celt, Roman, Viking and Victorian times! Next we walked to the River Ouse and boarded the boat. The sun was shining and we enjoyed a picnic lunch.

We were very lucky to have an ice cream when we got off the boat. Thank you to Jacob D’s great grandma!

We enjoyed a stroll back along the river to the York Youth Hostel. We dropped our bags off and then had an interesting workshop on how to decode Viking Runes!

After that we got our room keys and enjoyed some relaxing time in our rooms.

Year 3 to Magma

Year 3 went on their Autumn term trip to Magna. This is always such a fabulous first trip and such an exciting place to visit. It was a very hands-on trip with plenty of places to explore. We also enjoyed a workshop where we investigated how rockets and balloons are propelled and we got involved in creating some explosions of our own using vinegar and bicarbonate of soda!

Mrs

D Rogers

We had our tea at 5pm. There was lots of choice, we had burgers, waffles, baked potatoes and choc ices! It was so hot the ice cream started to melt!

Then we had playtime in the garden, we played frisbee, football, cricket and rugby! We were exhausted!

Next we went to our rooms and got into our pyjamas, collected our teddies and watched The Bee Movie.

After that we were all very ready for bedtime.

On day 2 we got up early, had a cooked breakfast and set off walking into the city. Our first stop was the Jorvik Viking Centre. We enjoyed a ride around the animatronic Viking village.

Our last stop was the York Chocolate Story. We made two types of chocolate. We had a tour and the guide told us how the chocolate is made. We also tasted the cocoa nibs and had chocolato which was a bitter drink! YUK! We were lucky enough to get chocolate samples to taste and take home!

We had a great time in York, thank you to our teachers for organising a great trip!

Written by Year 3

Plas y Brenin

Our

Wonderfully Wet Walk!

Wednesday 5 Oct 2022

Our Year 5 boys set off on their adventure exploring the hills and valleys of Wales! Initially, the boys were apprehensive to say the least... but they soon realised that it was refreshing walking in the rain! It was wonderful to be amongst the wildlife; the lichen; the trees; the bracken and the fast flowing water. Our QUEST curriculum topic really came to life and it was brilliant to hear the boys discussing tributaries and ‘waterfalls’. As we scrambled up the rocky paths, rushing water deafened our ears and the boys burst into life. They loved walking in the rain and they were full of enthusiasm; they rose to the challenges that the knowledgeable instructors set.

Challenge 1: Can they spot a bird?!

Challenge 2: Can they spot an oak tree & acorns?

Challenge 3: Can they spot sheep?

Needless to say, they were successful within minutes! On a serious note, they have had an excellent first day of activities, they were organised with their kit and they listened really well to the instructors.

Bravo gentlemen!

Up the river…

Thursday 6 Oct 2022

Groups 1 and 2 this morning went Gorge Scrambling up a local stream. After a short drive, the boys walked to view Swallow Falls, which was even more impressive than normal after the recent rainfall. Then the boys scrambled up a stream, showing fantastic teamwork, determination and perseverance to overcome all the challenges set by the instructor. Most boys finished with a full dunk under the water, just to make sure that all their clothing was fully soaked!

Wednesday 5 Oct 2022

This morning the brave boys experienced some indoor climbing. They learned all about effective climbing techniques and how to abseil down from dizzying heights.

I was super impressed with their valiant efforts and their ‘can do’ attitude. Their resilience, teamwork and determination was outstanding... and it was great to see how proud of themselves they were when they reached the top!

Click and Climb!

Day 1:

B u s hcraft CamperDi a yr

The adventure started when we got off the bus. We put our bags into a big metal trolley and walked to the camp. While we were walking it was surprising that the camp leaders knew a few modern songs like, ‘Everywhere We Go People Wanna Know’ and some more fun ones. It was fun singing them while we went down to camp.

When we arrived at the camp, we waited for someone to get the trolley down to the camp with our bags in. While we were waiting, the first thing we did was learn the rules and safety and we even got our own phrase to catch our attention inspired by a TikTok remix, 1, 2, Buckle my shoe.

Day 2:

On day 2 at Castle Howard, we woke up and at 7am, went into the tent to get changed, then met in the yurt to see the camp leaders. They explained what we would do that day with our tribe leaders, and we then went to breakfast. We could get a hot food option, a selection of cereals, and fruit. We went back to camp to wash our bowls and plates, and then started our activities.Our first activity was ponassing a salmon, they showed us how to safely cut and cook a fish as well as removing all indigestible parts.

Day 3:

Our last day at Castle Howard started with us waking up at 7am. We did our morning routine and went down to breakfast then practised our First Aid skills using DR ABC which stood for Danger, Response, Airways, Breathing and CPR.

We practised the recovery position, checking for breathing and using an orange tarp as a stretcher. After that we went on a nature walk and learned about new plants.

After that we walked into the yurt and had fun singing songs with actions, but before we knew it, the trolley came. The next step was to organise our bags in the tents so we could play games later! We played fun games such as, 21, where’s my monkey (a game where someone brings the monkey to base without being caught) and predator. Time must have passed quickly because we were already picking up sticks to light our own fire and cook a delicious beef burger (that was fun). After that, it was time to make our den. We had a few options on how we were going to make it but we all settled on the triangle format. And finally, at the end of the day, we all slept in our dens and tents, and we had a few bug bites to show for it!

Edward and Arthur ate a fish eye. Then we played some games and had pizza for lunch.After that, we did different activities depending on our tribe. Ellie and Steve’s tribes would do weaving and knife skills first, Keiran and Rosa’s tribes did archery and tomahawks (axe throwing). We swapped over so we all got to have a go at the fun activities.

We had dinner which was lentil and chickpea stew or camp shepherd’s pie. After that, we went back to camp and washed our plates. We had marshmallows and told stories around the fire, then went to bed.

Suddenly we heard an explosion and ran straight to it, which was weird, and we were doing a drill where we had to rescue people in a fake plane crash. We continued our walk to a badger house and it was large enough to fit a deer in! Afterwards, we got to see the Badgers toilets. Did you know badgers are very clean animals and when one of their own dies they block the room so it functions as a grave. We then did one last walk to lunch and had a wrap. We did a last sweep of the camp for litter, put our bags back in the silver trolley and lined up to get into the bus.

Year 7 Theatre Visit

On Tuesday 29th of November Year 7 visited the local Theatre Royal to see the pantomime Dick Whittington. Even before we reached the theatre the fun and excitement started when a rat emerged from somewhere running through the line of boys and apparently jumping through the student’s legs (only this would happen in Wakefield). Despite this, when we got there it was great fun. The star of the play was Mr Pottage who was invited onto the stage to beat off one-eyed Jack, a pirate ghost. QEGS had a “who could be the loudest” competition against another school visiting. Elected by Mr Pottage himself, Raf in 7DJP made a memorable performance shouting loud enough to be heard from outside. Apparently it was a draw, but we definitely think Raf won, (wink wink). On behalf of Year 7, I would like to thank the staff that took us and Mrs Roberts for planning it all. It was a great experience.

by Oliver Rose

Dalesbridge Expedition

The arrival of spring heralds the start of the D of E expedition season at QEGS. During the Easter holidays, four Bronze teams, three Silver teams and two Gold teams successfully completed expedition training in the Yorkshire Dales. Training was conducted from Dalesbridge, near Austwick at the foot of the Three Peaks area. The boys were blessed with glorious weather in which to walk and are now looking forward to their respective assessment expeditions later in the season. Thanks go to Nick Lambert, Anne Taylor, Marcus Fascione, Oliver Lambert, Caley MacKay and Hannah Chatterton for accompanying the expeditions.

by Mr P McWilliam

In the words of Jack Ilsley - Year 10

In the Easter holidays we took part in our Duke of Edinburgh Bronze training expedition, at Dalesbridge. We arrived quite late on Tuesday evening where we were shown to our bunk barns, had hot chocolate and cookies, then went to bed, but we were too excited to get much sleep! The next morning we were woken up at 7 o’clock. The first full day was the training day, and this day was to make sure that we knew how to use all of the equipment that we were provided with and also to make sure if anything happened we would be able to resolve any issues and make sure we were safe. Training consisted of putting up tents, learning how to safely use the gas stoves, checking our route plans and expedition food, and how to do first aid. We also packed our bags correctly and made sure they were the right weight for our body weight. It was a busy day and we were grateful to get to bed! The next morning we had our last proper breakfast, before we set off on our expedition. We spent the day walking in fantastic countryside and navigating under the watchful eye of our mountain leader instructor. It was great fun spending time with my friends and conquering the challenges that came with it together. When we arrived at the campsite we were all exhausted and hungry. We put up the tents and made our food, which consisted of the long life boil-in-the-bag type meals which didn’t taste amazing before getting into our sleeping bags. The next morning we woke up to a heavy frost on the tents and grass. We got packed up by half past eight and set off on our second day of walking back to Dalesbridge, navigating on our own. Finally we arrived back at Dalesbridge ready for the coach ride home. It was a great experience and we all really enjoyed it.

Bletchley Park

The trip started off early on a chilly Monday morning and 30 excited yet tired boys were ready to go, accompanied by Mr McWilliam, Mr Reed and Mr Becker. The bus ride was a few hours long and when we got to Bletchley Park we were all relieved to get off the coach. Firstly the activities started with a self-guided tour around the mansion and its grounds. Then we had a guided tour with an extremely knowledgeable volunteer, who explained how Bletchley Park was conceived as a top secret intelligence base during wartime, staffed by nearly 12000 codebreakers. To conclude the activities we did a practical class activity about symmetric and asymmetric encryption using boxes and padlocks. Shortly after that, another short coach ride dropped us at our accommodation, the Premier Inn. Once we had finished settling into our rooms we walked the short distance to Xscape. For tea, we had a choice of Pizza Express or Nandos. Of course, I chose PizzaExpress as it definitely is the superior choice! We returned to the Premier Inn for a well earned sleep.

The second day started with a hearty unlimited breakfast and a trip to Sainsbury’s to buy the day’s lunch. The cashier was a bit surprised to see 30 boys at 8.45am on a Tuesday, descending on the checkout all at once, clutching their sandwiches, Pringles, etc. Then we hopped back on the coach to the National Museum of Computing. This turned out to be the highlight of the visit. We enjoyed a full morning of activities provided by the expert staff at the museum. We saw working demonstrations of both a fully restored working Bombe machine and Colossus computer. Both machines were used to help decrypt German messages encoded using the Enigma and Lorentz machines. We spent some time coding on the BBC Micro, which was an interesting experience, and enjoyed some time playing retro games on classic computers, such as the Commodore 64 and Atari ST. To be honest, the teachers were more excited about this than the students! We jumped back on the coach at 1pm, eating lunch on the way back to QEGS and arriving just in time to attend our Y10 parent’s evening!

by Guy Bailey

QEGS ON TOUR Year 12 Coastal Trip

In the last days before the Easter holiday the Year 12 QEGS Geography Students (including 2 girls from WGHS) left school for the Cranedale Centre, an outdoor residential centre near Malton in the Yorkshire Wolds. The trip was organised to help us begin to develop investigation and field work skills that will be useful for our individual NEA coursework projects. The journey to Malton was uneventful and then we had a little time to settle into the Cranedale Centre, a farm converted into a field study centre. After a quick lunch we packed up and headed for Scarborough, where we took a look at a range of methods for taking measurements on the success of regeneration and how locals and tourists perceive the seaside town. The lovely weather also allowed us to enjoy some ice cream on the seafront. In the evening, after a very nice meal, we had to do some work on data presentation and analysis and had some free time. After a hearty breakfast the next day we visited Hornsea on the Holderness Coast, the fastest eroding coastline in Europe. Physical geography, coastal processes and coastal management strategies were the main focus. Unfortunately, on the second day the weather was not so kind to us and it rained all day. However, we persevered and made the most of our time with a detailed look at

the sea defences and practice at a number of fieldwork methods. By 2.30 pm the rain got the better of us and we left to return to school - but not without fish and chips first! Overall the trip was an enjoyable and very useful experience, and it certainly left us better prepared for starting our NEAs in the summer.

SOCIETIES & EVENTS

Year 13 Leavers

A-Level Results Day

It was wonderful to see so many boys and parents in school on the two Results Days. They can be bittersweet, as boys who didn’t quite get the grades they were hoping for still get their places at university, while others got grades beyond their expectations causing them to reflect on their “what next?”; but, on the whole, they were happy days (not least if a trip to Leeds-fest was on the cards).

At A-level, the headline figures of 70% A*-B grades and 47% A*-A grades were great outcomes; 8 boys (9%) achieved 3 A*s or better, and 28 boys (30%) achieved 3 As or better. We had been warned that results at the top end would suffer as grade boundaries were adjusted to return the national grade distributions to pre-pandemic levels, and that was the case - nationally, the A*-A rate fell from 36% in 2022 to 27% in 2023. Our boys were, of course, impacted by that, but they nevertheless did excellently, not least because this was their first set of public exams, having had Teacher Assessed Grades for GCSEs in 2021.

Well done and good luck, Class of 2023!

Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party

Monday 5th December 2022 saw the first Senior Citizens Christmas Party since the pandemic and it was very much enjoyed by all those who attended. The preparations started with generous donations of goodies for gift bags and raffle prizes from both parents and boys. The pile of goodies to pack was a tad daunting, however 12NJA came to my assistance and packed the bags in record time. This is an event that cannot come together without the support and assistance from a host of staff, and it is to them that I owe my thanks. The year 12 lads who helped out were brilliant : Esa, Arsh, Will F, Oliver M, Massimo and Zane - thank you. The evening began with entertainment provided by Mr Varley and his choir, band and somewhat Christmas Cracker style jokes, went down a treat. This was followed by a lovely Christmas meal and a raffle, where everyone was a winner.

A quote from one of the attendees sums up the special nature of this event and what it means to those who attended: “Thank you for a lovely evening we all enjoyed ourselves, it’s part of our Christmas, please thank the pupils who entertained and served us. Also your brilliant hard working staff including kitchen workers who made a lovely Christmas meal, as they always do.”

The senior citizens were filled with festive cheer, joining in with the school musicians performing some heartwarming carols; there were plenty of old favourites which we all knew, interspersed with the odd sole. Perhaps the height of the evening was Mr Varley’s compering with some comedic… well, interesting jokes! The guests seemed to be impressed with the 6th formers’ excellent assistance, serving cups of tea and coffee - with very specific instructions. Though a lot of them were more interested in Mr Palin’s offer of a warming nip of sherry and a mince pie (it was cold in the QEH after all!) Once the carols had finished, the seniors then proceeded to the dining hall and were instantly met with beautifully decorated tables, but it was the delicious (turkey) Christmas dinner which drew most praise. Holroyd Howe topped it off with Christmas cake drizzled in brandy sauce, prepared to perfection by the catering staff (easily 5/5 stars). Finally, we then went on to do the raffle, with Mr Palin loudly calling the lucky numbers from a very stylish hat. All in all, our guests had a fantastic time here at the QEGS Senior Citizen’s Party, with the added bonus of doorto-door transport so they were safely brought to and from home with care via the QEGS minibuses, ensuring no transport difficulties and a first class service.

by Miss N Allen by Zane Tam-Mcmillan

QEGS Enterprise

Congratulations to our final cohort of Y10 entrepreneurs who delivered our third and final enterprise fair of the academic year through the intervals of the Summer Concerts. Offering fabulous handmade concert merchandise, gifts and ‘concert style’ confectionery, the boys raised £197 for charity. Boys will be awarded on the basis of crucial enterprise and employability skills demonstrated throughout the process. Collectively, across the three events, Y10 have this year raised £1,110 in support of various charities, a fantastic achievement. Well done boys!

Societies & Events

Year 12 LEAP Event

Congratulations to our Year 12 LEAP teams who successfully completed an incredible six month enterprise journey that has enabled them to set up their own companies, learn business skills, teamwork and problem solve as well as gain confidence and crucial ‘employability skills along the way. An experience that will bode them well in future university and job interviews. The process culminated in them presenting their Company to a panel of Business Advisers and writing an Annual Report with financial accounts. This was followed by the LEAP Annual Awards Evening where both teams had their hard work recognised and celebrated, with Flickers & Flames winning 1st place for Best Company Website. Green Lead however, ran away with the evening and were placed across 10 out of 14 categories. Out of 25 teams from around the region, Green Lead were awarded with 3rd place for Best Presentation, Social Media, Company Report, Advert and December Trade Fair. Battling it out with another exceptional LEAP team in what was a very ‘on the edge of your seat’ evening, Green Lead were judged an extremely close 2nd place for ‘Best Company of the Year’ - a fantastic achievement, well done boys, we are extremely proud! Janik Peeters was also selected by the LEAP Board to write and deliver the Vote of Thanks for the evening and as such represented the 25 teams of students from various schools around the region, wowing the audience with his confidence and tremendous public speaking. The following is just a small insert taken from Janik’s speech: “LEAP has been an amazing and overwhelmingly positive experience and really helped us all to develop as entrepreneurs and people.

Professor A. C. Grayling visit

On Friday 13th January, Professor A. C. Grayling CBE visited the school. Professor Grayling is Master of the New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy and other subjects and, for several years, he wrote the “Last Word” column for the Guardian newspaper and a column for the Times. He frequently contributes to publications such as the Literary Review, Observer, Independent on Sunday and New Statesman, and is a broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, 3 and the World Service. After giving a talk on ‘How should one live?’ to the Year 7-9 Radcliffe Scholars and GCSE/A Level RS students, he invited students to take part in a Q&A session. Students from all Key Stages were eager to contribute, and their thoughtful questions were met with detailed and insightful responses. The Year 12 and 13 RS students (from both QEGS and WGHS) then joined Professor Grayling and a number of staff for a buffet lunch in the Reception area, taking the opportunity to ask philosophical questions within a more informal setting. Finally, in the afternoon, the A Level students were treated to two masterclasses, relating to topics within the current exam specification, on ‘Religion Vs Science’ and ‘Peace and Conflict’. We thank Professor Grayling for giving up his time to visit the school, and for the books he has subsequently sent us as a ‘thankyou’ for the hospitality and warm welcome that he received at QEGS!

by Mr O

Lambert

National Careers Challenge

Year 8 took part in The National Careers Challenge 2023; the UK’s largest careers and enterprise competition for secondary schools aimed at building skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, creativity, adaptability and motivation. The brief, set in partnership with Airbus, challenged the boys to look into the future of aviation technology. Drawing inspiration from the broad range of products and services offered by Airbus and their innovative concept aircraft, students were asked to create a concept for an Airline of the Future which would operate a zero-emission fleet. Teams began by considering the target market and USP of their airline, before developing a plan to reduce the carbon footprint of their proposed new service. They were also asked to consider how they could recruit new employees into their airline in a fully inclusive way before then preparing a presentation to deliver their concept to the panel of judges. It was an intense but highly enjoyable day where boys were encouraged out of their comfort zone with many commenting on their self-confidence that they felt had grown over the course of the day. All teams impressed throughout the day, and judging the selected presentations was a tough job! However, we are pleased to announce that the team crowned the winners of the day were ‘Clean N Green’ composed of Josh Timmons, Krish Daru, Vlad Ghencea, Tanaka Katema, Arthur Taylor and Alfie Chunnoo.

Masterchef 2022

On Friday 13th January, Professor A. C. Grayling CBE visited the school. Professor Grayling is Master of the New College of the Humanities, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy and other subjects and, for several years, he wrote the “Last Word” column for the Guardian newspaper and a column for the Times. He frequently contributes to publications such as the Literary Review, Observer, Independent on Sunday and New Statesman, and is a broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, 3 and the World Service. After giving a talk on ‘How should one live?’ to the Year 7-9 Radcliffe Scholars and GCSE/A Level RS students, he invited students to take part in a Q&A session. Students from all Key Stages were eager to contribute, and their thoughtful questions were met with detailed and insightful responses. The Year 12 and 13 RS students (from both QEGS and WGHS) then joined Professor Grayling and a number of staff for a buffet lunch in the Reception area, taking the opportunity to ask philosophical questions within a more infor

mal setting. Finally, in the afternoon, the A Level students were treated to two masterclasses, relating to topics within the current exam specification, on ‘Religion Vs Science’ and ‘Peace and Conflict’. We thank Professor Grayling for giving up his time to visit the school, and for the books he has subsequently sent us as a ‘thankyou’ for the hospitality and warm welcome that he received at QEGS!

HISTORY

QEGS re-write History

The QEGS annual Remembrance service, taking place 11th November, honoured past QEGS students and staff who admirably served and lost their lives in various wars. The service entailed a heartfelt rendition of ‘The Last Post” by James Smith acting as a precursor to the two minute silence held by the foundation and guests present. We all stopped to reflect on the courage and resilience that the young men and teachers have exemplified during wartime periods. The service closed with a prayer shared by Father Michael Hall, a fitting end to the service. On behalf of myself and the rest of QEGS we would like to thank all guests present at the service and your continued support of the school’s Remembrance Day.

Over the 2022 summer, a number of QEGS boys entered the Historical Association’s Young Historian of the Year competition - a national competition that is open to pupils in Key Stage 3, 4 and 5. With the huge success of last year’s entrants, expectations were high and once again our QEGS historians delivered. In the Key Stage 4 Local Historian competition, Chester Lomas was praised for his essay on coal mining lamps and was awarded Highly Commended. Esa Butt came second in the Senior Modern History prize with an essay on conflict in the Middle East and Ayan Sinha came second in the KS3 Spirit of Normandy prize with an essay on the Chindits in Burma. Both outstanding achievements in such competitive categories. However, fresh from his success in last year’s competition, James Maddison wanted to retain his crown and submitted a heartfelt account of his grandfather’s role in Italy during World War 2. The judges were bowled over by his essay and awarded him the Young Historian of the Year Award for an unprecedented second consecutive year. Added to this, Christopher Barnett was awarded the KS3 Local Historian of the Year with his take on the closure of coal mines in Yorkshire. Well done to all of these boys.

Remembrance Service

by Luke Ducker

Year 5 Bake Off

Thank you to the 24 boys and their families for supporting this competition with their wonderful entries. I have to confess that I look forward to the entries as I get to see new recipes and of course, not to forget, the wonderful samples of baking that kept arriving, almost on a daily basis, at my classroom door, yum, a very happy Mrs S! The difficult part for me is deciding who goes through to represent their house. This year Bentley was represented by Eesa and Luca, Cave by Kasper and Liam, Freeston by Robert and Elijah and Savile by Theo and Ilyas.

There were three baking rounds, run very much like the technical round in the TV Bake Off series. All the boys turn up without a clue what they will make, all the ingredients and equipment as well as a detailed recipe was provided. This year round one was raspberry buns, a recipe that I actually made when I was at school, so an ancient recipe! Round two was blueberry muffins with a crumble topping, absolutely delicious.

Round three was pizza swirls, a difficult challenge. Each recipe was chosen to get progressively harder to test the boys’ baking skills thoroughly. I scored each boy mainly based on what came out of the oven, with a few points deducted for any errors made during the making.

There was a clear winner with Theo winning all three rounds, so well done Theo, impressive. Interestingly there was a very close contest for 2nd and 3rd ( one point in it) and also for 4th and 5th (also one point in it). All the scores were combined by house to give a house total. These combined scores made Savile, both Theo and Ilyas, a very clear winner and their house will receive a boost of 100 house merits. Cave came second ( 75 house merits), Freeston came third (50 house merits) and Bentley came fourth ( 25 house merits). I must thank all who participated and I really hope everyone enjoyed the experience and will continue to bake.

Mrs Spawforth

Year 6 Masterchef

MAY BALL 2023

SHINE @ QEGS

SHINE at QEGS Saturday on 25th of February saw the Foundation’s sixth formers, staff and most importantly Y5 pupils from our partnerships schools of Greenhill, Park Hill, St Mary’s and Flanshaw J&I gather together in the Jubilee Hall at WGHS for the annual SHINE Celebration event.

It was the first time that we have been able to hold such a lovely gathering since 2019 and everyone was in high spirits. What was most evident was the way that the Y5 pupils has bonded with the sixth formers - all the children received a medal and a certificate for some notable aspect that had taken place during the 8 week Saturday morning programme, whether this was excellent architectural skills when devising the marble roller coaster, or encouraging and supporting each other to ‘walk the plank.’ During their time in the Foundation schools, the children had lessons in music, drama, maths, English and Latin to name just a bit of what was on offer. It was clear that, whilst a lot of learning took place, the key focus was on having fun and this is where the sixth formers excelled. It would be impossible to name them all and unfair to pick out just a couple, they were all exceptional. A huge thank you to Mrs Maher who coordinated the whole event and to all the staff who were involved.

SHINE in action:

This week, the children were able to participate in a fun challenge, ‘The Roller Coaster Marble Challenge’. Using cardboard and glue guns, they made ‘roller coasters’ by creating a tower and sticking strips of cardboard onto the side in a helter skelter-like fashion for the marble to run down. The winner would be the person who managed to keep the marble going down their run for the longest time.

Everyone greatly enjoyed brainstorming different ways to keep the marble going around their square tower of cardboard by contorting and cutting the strips of cardboard with folds and bends. The children were superb at the task, quickly picking up on the technique of making a functioning roller coaster. Additionally, the children all were enthusiastic to name their roller coasters and there were some fabulous names, including ‘The Roller Coaster of Courage’. At the end of the first session, everyone’s rollercoaster was tested and the lucky winner got a prize - a packet of chocolate fingers!

Next, a virtual trip to Japan was on the agenda as everyone headed to the Geography Department and was greeted by the passionate Mr Tribe and Mrs Keegan-Phipps. The children started with some mini whiteboard work, and wrote everything that they knew about Japan down on their board. After having a good discussion and sharing ideas, everyone got their own map and labelled it whilst looking at attractions such as Mount Fuji. The children also learnt about four main parts of Japan and discovered how to say them in Japanese. Then they were given detailed booklets about Japanese festivals and comparisons were made between festivals in the UK, and everyone picked their favourite festival. After a quick lesson on how to use chopsticks, there was a competition to see who could put the most pasta on the desk using the chopsticks which everyone was brilliant at, and incredibly motivated to win! Finally, the children were extremely enthusiastic and keen to colour in printed masks, learn some Japanese letters and numbers and to create origami monster masks, imitating the ones used in the Japanese Spring festival called Setsubun.

by Mr D Burrows

JS Charity Days

We once again held two spectacular Charity Days during the academic year.

The first was on Friday 21 October 2022 and the theme was linked to the topics that the boys study in their ‘QUEST’ lessons. These were:

Year 3: ‘Wonderful Wakefield’

Year 4: ‘Around the World in 80 Days’

Year 5: ‘Wonderful Water’

Year 6: ‘Blitz and Pieces’

The money raised was donated to The Sick Children’s Trust.

The second Charity Day took place on Thursday 30th March and the theme was ‘emoji’. We encouraged all pupils and staff to wear a costume that depicted an ‘emoji’ and there were some highly entertaining creations on display!

The money raised was split between to 2 different charities:

Save the Children: Turkey-Syria Earthquake Fund Motor Neurone Disease Centre in Leeds - a number of QEGS staff were running the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in May and we added our support to their fund-raising cause.

QJ Chess

Festival of Chess

Saturday 21st January saw QEGS and WGHS Junior Sections come together for the ‘Festival of Chess’. Well done to all of the boys who took part and a special congratulations to the following boys for winning their section:

Year 6: Rehmat Ghouri

Year 5: Rahim Ghouri

Year 4: Samir Narula

Year 3: Vishvan Sundar

A huge thank you to Mr Rowley, Mr Bray, Mr Cheffins and Mrs Sapwforth for running the day.

EPSCA Chess National Semi-Finals

We took 2 teams to the English Primary Schools Chess Association National Semi-Finals in Nottingham, the first time we have entered the competition since COVID stopped play. This competition is the pinnacle of school chess and the standard of play is always of a very high calibre.

The boys gave a very good showing, noticeably improving their matchplay as the day went on. Muhammad Aamir deserves a special mention for winning 4 out of his 5 games on the day - a superb achievement!

We look forward to entering the competition again next year and challenging some of the top schools in the north of England.

It was wonderful to welcome players from schools throughout the north of England to take part in our HMC Chess event.

120 players took part, organised into U9 and U11 sections, and there was some superb chess on display. QEGS entered 2 x U9 teams and 4 x U11 teams and gave a very good showing. Worthy of particular note were Joshua Badri who won 5 out of his 6 games, and Samir Narula who won 4.5 out of his 6 games.

The U9 A and B teams finished 3rd and 8th, respectively with the U11 A team finishing 4th overall.

HMC Chess

CLASSICS

During the first lockdown of the COVID pandemic, I created a series of videos on Classical subjects, partly to use “in class”and partly to spread the word about the Classical World. This has had some unexpected outcomes, and a degree of popularity far beyond my imagining during those dark days. One of the least expected has been my involvement with a project called Waterloo Uncovered. This project initially involved military personnel both serving and retired working as volunteers on archaeological digs researching the site of the battle of Waterloo. Its success encouraged wider participation in education programmes, particularly involving those who have suffered battlefield trauma and other forms of PTSD. One of my original videos, about how to make Roman Army bread, was seen by one of the archaeology leaders from the University of Utrecht, Vicki Haverkate, and was the stimulus material for a discussion on food and the military, particularly on the battlefield. I was invited to take part in online seminars during last academic year, which was a real honour and very interesting. Even more was being asked to make a video about sights, sounds and smells on the battlefield. I chose the Sicilian Expedition of 415 B.C. and this formed the basis of seminars about the experiences of the modern military. It was moving to be talking to people who had been to the Falklands, or who had fought in Iraq, and how their experiences compared with the Athenians more than two thousand years ago. It would be great if you were to visit the website of the project which is https://waterloouncovered.com/ and find out more about how Archaeology is helping military people. To find out more about my Classics youtube channel, go to https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidDeanClassics

Mr D Dean - Cave

When I joined QEGS in September, I quickly realised what a special place Classics had in the curriculum here and was excited to be part of it. Let me say, the boys did not disappoint! Whether it is the slew of excellent knowledge and questions on show by the boys in their Latin and Classics lessons, or the great attendance at Classics Film Club on a Friday lunchtime with Mr Dean, it is clear that the boys don’t see Classics as a dead subject, but as one that is very much alive and thriving here at QEGS. Over the recent October half-term, all Year 7 boys had the chance to enter the QEGS House Myth competition, entering a piece across a variety of genres based on a story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, going beyond what we have studied in lessons. Congratulations to all the boys who entered and earned some points for their houses, but particular congratulations go to Aurav V (Savile) for his special commendation, and to My First Impressions and Vision Siem N (Savile) and Will Y (Freeston) for winning the Writing and Artefact competitions respectively, and going through to the Cambridge Schools Classics Project’s national competition. Good luck boys! We also enjoyed a field trip, when students studying Classics and Latin in Years 10, 12 and 13 of both QEGS and WGHS, accompanied by me, Dr Boardman, Ms Ayres, and Mr Hargreaves, visited the British Museum in London to see some of the sources that we study and also gain a greater appreciation of World history at the time of the Greeks and Romans. We also attended the Latin Qvarter’s performance of The Song of Arms and a Man, covering the story of Virgil’s epic poem The Aeneid in both the original Latin and English. All in all, it has been a very busy start to my time here at QEGS, but a very exciting one too. The boys have blown me away with their enthusiasm and engagement with what we are offering, and long may it continue!

At the risk of cliché: floreas Wakefeldia!

Mr M Ellard - Savile, Head of Classics

CREATIVE CREATIVE

CREATIVE ART

CREATIVE GCSE D&T

Daniel Marshall - Caring for Animals

Archie Greenwood - Caring for Animals

Dom Marsden - Caring for Animals

Felix Milner-Moore - Caring for Animals

Freddie Davies - Caring for Animals

James Green - Caring for Animals

Josh Wood - Caring for Animals

Oliver Hobbs - Caring for Animals

Oli Mountain - Caring for Animals

Seth Barrett - Caring for Animals

Will Ryan - Caring for Animals

CREATIVE GCSE D&T

Morgan Bennett - Working From Home

Aryan Patel - Working From Home

Aidan Ross - Working From Home

Haider Ali - Working From Home

Sam Haywood - Working From Home

Will Evans - Working From Home

Daniyal Chouhan - Work From Home

Yaameen Zafar - Working From Home

Will Fletcher - Working From Home

Sebastian Carter - Working From Home

Will Ryan - Caring for Animals

Josh Liwonde - Souvenir from a place of interest

CREATIVE Year 12 D&T

Jamie Duerden-Brown - Outdoor Learning

Oliver Gibson - Outdoor Learning

Roman Tempest - Outdoor Learning

Oliver Gibson - Outdoor Learning

Tim Spawforth - Outdoor Learning

Tim Spawforth - Outdoor Learning

CREATIVE A-Level D&T

William Thomas

Austen Copley

Alfie Miller

George Grafton

Jack Brough

Ronnie Parker

Eamon O’Connell

Rory Ansdell

Ronnie Parker

CREATIVE YEAR

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE YEAR

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE

CREATIVE YEAR 3 ENGLISH 3P

A twisty, vast river with a steep riverbank in the The wild Highlands along the way, Getting closer and closer to the bay, Down the falls and through the valley.

Past the bridges, people walking their dogs, Holding shells to their ears, people going on weird things called trains, weird sticks left behind.

Big pebbles on the riverbed, a river meandering along the way, I’m a clear, crystal clean river, coming closer to the runoff, Normally I’m not that excited when we are close.

The reason I don’t like the sea is because you have a lot more things surrounding you,

minutes till I reach the sea I guess I have to say bye to the river, bye!

Joseph Cafferkey - The Raging River

Breaking news!!!

Residents in Leeds Road spotted a strange sight in the sky.

When the man was interviewed by our reporter he said, “I saw flying frogs when I was having my supper.”

The lily pads were on the road and stopping with lots of traffic.

Lily pads are on the road causing the road to close down. Detectives have come to investigate the weird situation. The detective brought sniffer dogs with him.

Last Tuesday another mystery was found. In Mr Reed’s farm there are flying pigs. Mr Reed didn’t know what happened.

Evan Zheng - Flying Frogs

Once there was a bear and a hare. They were in a forest with lush green grass frosted with a little bit of ice. There was a beautiful view of the mountains and the fresh cool breeze on their faces. The bear and the hare walked deeper into the forest.The bear looked up and a little delicate snowflake landed on his nose.

The bear stretched and yawned and the hare slid off the snowy slope. The bear was tired and sleepy, but they walked and walked and something caught their eye, something beautiful, tall and light. It was a Christmas tree decorated with oranges. They had never seen something so magnificent, it was a fir tree.

The bear went away into his deep,dark cave and he slept for a long long time. The hare couldn’t take it anymore. The hare went to the bear’s cave and checked to see if he was awake, but he wasn’t. The hare left him a present, with green wrapping paper and a red ribbon.

The bear opened it and it was a clock. The bear ran to the Christmas tree and he saw the hare. Then the hare ran to the bear and they became friends forever and ever.

Musah Formuli - The Bear and a Hare

CREATIVE YEAR 3 ENGLISH

Dear Diary,

Today was such an exciting day! I went to bed last night and when I woke up I discovered that I was suddenly in a deep dark cave! I saw a man in animal skins banging two stones together. Bang! Bang! Bang!

I tried to talk to him but I couldn’t understand the noises he was making and he couldn’t understand me either.

Another lady came into the cave followed by a tamed wolf. The wolf barked as it entered and ran towards the man.

Soon the cave was filled with a whole family of cavemen and cavewomen! There was also a baby, two sisters, a brother, an uncle, an auntie and the mum and dad. The mum started to paint something onto the wall of the cave. It was then that I noticed paintings of all shapes and sizes. It was fascinating!

I wonder what tomorrow will be like and what I will do with my new Stone Age family….

William Birch - Stone Age Diary

Inspired by reading The Worst Witch by Jill

Murphy

List of weird ingredients

3 pieces of lead from a pencil

4 pages of a book

2 jigsaw pieces from a puzzle

6 rotten stinking eggs

An expired carton of milk

Instructions

You will need a pot and a spoon. First put the pot on the stove and turn the stove on until it reaches 180 degrees C. Put the lead, pages, jigsaw pieces and eggs in first. Add the milk little by little while using the spoon to mix it all up.

To make the potion work you must then recite…. ‘Pigley Pigley Pigley Peep I’m going to make you fall asleep.’

When you take this potion and the words are recited, you will fall asleep within 5-10 seconds depending on how well it was made.

Jun-Ting Chen - My Incredible Potion

I was sitting alone in the laundrette, reading my book silently. I noticed a bright light. I got up and I peered inside the washing machine. Inside the washing machine was a sock fish. It was amazing. I opened the door to the washing machine and put my hand inside. Then I took my hand out. I held my breath and put my whole body inside the machine. It was like a wonderland. It was so beautiful. I swam further and further away. At one point, I almost caught the sockfish, but he wriggled away out of my grasp. Suddenly out came a shark with huge teeth, chasing me. I swam for my life, barely getting to the outside and the safe again.

William Dobson - Fishy Swishy Wishy!

CREATIVE YEAR 4 ENGLISH

Excitedly, Midas bent down and felt a flower. As soon as he looked down the flower had turned to gold. Stunned, he ran enthusiastically around his luxurious palace watching as everything turned into solid, smooth gold. He got so excited he thought he was dreaming but gladly he wasn’t. He never thought that he would have this much power. In fact, he was more powerful than he ever imagined. He knelt down, touched a stone and it turned into astonishing gold. After that, he touched a bird, a fence and his water fountain and they turned into gold.

As quick as flash, he flung himself into his palace (adoring the gold around him of course) and began feeling every object in sight. Fountains glistened and antiques shone. Cheerfully, Midas ran around his garden turning it into a rainforest of shining, glimmering, golden objects. Since Midas had been running around, his cooks prepared him a feast with the freshest meals in the land. Greedily, Midas picked up an apple but of course it turned into solid gold. “Ouch!” he screamed as the now golden apple crashed against his teeth. Constantly, the same thing happened when he tried to eat food, so after a while he gave up. Concerned, his daughter came up to him and gave him a hug, but she also turned into gold. Devastated, he went to bed, but it was very uncomfortable because his bed turned into gold.

Timothy Akintolu - King Midas

The vast view uncovered its appearance as the glistening river ran peacefully through the ancient land. Cloud-white butterflies fluttered around the children and into a small hole.

“What is this place?” gasped Beth. “This is my secret place over the village, I love playing here,” replied Timmy. Far deep in the Earth, it was true, the myth was true…the ancient, colossal fortress exists! Slowly, steadily and carefully, they dashed towards the fortress. Dancing happily, they reached the mystical fortress but little did they know, there was a beast guarding it. It had snuck up behind them and was ready to make its attack! Only a few hours ago, they were relaxing in a little cave; now they were facing a beast unlike any beast in this dimension.

“Why did we ever come here?” gasped Timmy.

“I don’t really know!” replied Beth. Like warriors, the children ran into a small hole and waited for the beast to leave… Bang! Crash! the beast made a loud sign that it was leaving…

It was a gloomy, summer night. The lake was gently flowing into the dark, rocky edge of the lake. The fire crackled in the dark, eerie forest. Beyond the treeline, the gorgeous, pointy mountains stood like soldiers with great pride. In the distance, grey wolves howled into the dark night sky. In the forest, the green, gloopy moss entwined in the branches, the wet dirty grass lay on the Earth’s ground. The log was used as a bench. The lemon tent sat in the camping area like a person sitting on a chair. In the distance, owls, wolves and crickets hooted wisely, howled bravely and chirped repeatedly.

Olly Gill - The Forest

Musa Mirza - The Castle

CREATIVE YEAR 5 ENGLISH

YEAR 5

DEAR DIARY,

I fear I do not have much time left… he is coming for me. I thought it was cute at first. A small little puppy - how could it harm me or anyone in any way? An animatronic dog had to be innocent, that was how it was designed. It looked like a present from heaven instead it turned out to be a hound… a hound from hell! It brought me things that fulfilled my deepest wishes but it didn’t do them as I wanted. It twisted my words and it did unspeakable things.

There was a small, wretched dog next door. I hated it as soon as we moved here in boring old Sleet Street containing fog, mist and dark. This place could drive a man insane. I wished it could be gone and soon I wished I did not say anything as when I woke up the next day I woke up to see Fetch, my animatronic dog, with the poor creature all chewed up in his mouth. It was a horrible sight, honestly horrible! I’d wanted the creature to be gone but not ‘gone’ as in ‘dead’.

I was scared. I stayed away from it as much as I could but I couldn’t avoid it forever. Then I said something while it was in the same room. It must have overheard me. I said I needed a new phone…

I hated what happened next. I came into the bathroom the next morning to see a mangled, rotting body in the corner under a white sheet that was white no longer. Next to the mangled old body was a smashed up phone.

OH MY LORD! It had killed an innocent person and given me the body and their smashed up old phone! So while the dog slept at night, I grabbed a baseball bat and tried to end him. He looked cute on the outside but now I could see the evil hound for by what it really was: a murderous AI animatronic.

Now that’s as far back as I can go now. It’s alive. I am locked up in my wardrobe. It’s the only safe place right now the animatronic is awake and out for vengeance…

I can hear him now he is coming for me. Oh dear reader, I believe this is the last you will ever hear of me…

He is on the other side of the door, snarling… growling…

It’s managed to get the door open… It’s making its way in…

On the hot, inhospitable Galapagos Islands, the famous Mr Darwin and I were observing the interesting specimens. In the calm, narrow cove, the Beagle was nodding in the clear blue sea like a ticking clock. Clumps of palm trees swayed in the warm, southern wind on the edge of the golden sandy shore. Their spiky leaves fanned out like an umbrella shielding the lush, dense vegetation from the scorching sun.

Boom! The volcano spat out hot molten rocks. “Quick Covington! Help me load the specimens onto the boat.” Frantically, Mr Darwin and I loaded the boat and pushed off the sandy shore. I rode into the choppy blue sea as the thick, black ash rose into the sky like water evaporating. Mr Darwin (whose face was sickly green) shouted, “Row faster Covington! The waves are getting rougher.” Mr Darwin was right, I would have to row faster otherwise everything in the boat would be swept overboard. Although the sea was choppy, somehow everything stayed in the boat.

I choked and spluttered violently as warm, salty water gushed out of my mouth like a fountain. As I lay bobbing on the cool, calm sea, I slowly lifted my eyelids and was met by rays of bright sunlight reflecting off this blue, wavy mirror.

To my relief, I spotted a sandy shore in the distance. Although I was drained, I used my last ounce of energy. I managed to crawl up and flop down on the warm sandy cushion. Wearily, I trudged up the beach, the silence only broken by waves crashing on the shore. Suddenly, I heard a piercing scream. A winged creature appeared in front of the hot, round sun, its shadow glowed like a flying fireball.

Unexpectedly, the sky beast swooped down from the sky and gently grabbed me with its sharp claws. We soared high up into the air. “Please don’t drop me!” I screamed. Surprisingly, I felt its grip loosen and I plunged into the cold water.

I held my breath as I hid under the water, afraid that the ferocious beast would return. After a while, I kicked my legs frantically and swam to the golden, sandy shore. I slithered up the shore on my belly and darted towards the protective dome of palm trees. I surveyed this haven and heard a rustling noise from a clump of bushes nearby. A friendly, scaly face hopped out and seemed to smile at me. An iguana then appeared and yelped excitedly.

Alex Armitage - Twisted

Oliver Lee - Darwin’s Dragon Narrative

CREATIVE YEAR 6 ENGLISH

In the ancient forest, tall trees poked their heads into the clouds. Small, cheerful birds were nested on old, strong branches singing out their hearts in a chorus of tweets. The strong, summer sunlight forced its way through the low, morning mist. A figure disrupted this natural day. She was clothed in red. She had a tall hat that flopped over her head and trailed behind her; a red tunic with a shining, gold amulet at the top, brown, leather gloves and black, leather boots with intricate gold details.

She had been walking for a long time. Her steps were heavy. A purple butterfly fluttered around her head, looking at the new arrival. After a few minutes, she walked across an aged stone bridge and along the riverbank. She walked through long, leaf-green grass that reached up to her waist. Ahead of her was a hill undercut, with tendril-like tree roots hanging down like teeth. As she walked under it, she felt like she was being watched and then, her eyes felt honoured to see such a wonder: two cliffs next to each other with a tree balanced on top creating a huge arch. Through the arch, dilapidated buildings were littered around in a jumble of grey. As she walked through what once was a city, she saw that nature was taking hold. Grass was growing through the cobbles on the ground and moss was swarming over the buildings. She walked around the whole city in wonder; hours felt like minutes to her. She only noticed this when the night fell like a blanket onto the day and the moon pushed the sun away.

She quickly looked for a place to sleep and found a small alcove to sleep in, cautiously. Soon her eyes started to close and her head started to loll to one side

As she fell asleep, everything turned pitch black. Everything was still… quiet. Then the whole world started to turn red and all the solid objects started to smoke. Black, demonic, red-eyed shadows flowed through into the city as the buildings started to crumble but when the falling city stones hit the shadow creatures they didn’t even flinch.

She woke up suddenly, panting and gasping for breath. Her breathing slowed, she stood up, put her bag on and brushed herself down. Snarls flung themselves maliciously around her as she stumbled back, fear smothering her face. A shadow loomed forward towards her. That was it! She ran, her feet barely hitting the ground. Emerging from the buildings, the monsters flowed, racing towards her, snapping at her heels.

As she ran, a rocky cliff appeared in front of her and perched on its top was an intact, temple-like structure. A snarl rang out behind her. She slid down a slope and ran onwards through a small, dense patch of trees. She stopped when a huge gaping gorge appeared in front of her with a rotten tree bridging the gap. She sprinted across the tree, jumped, rolled onto her shoulder, got up and carried on. The demonic creatures merged into a carpet of hatred flowing onwards after her. She scrambled through the rest of the woods. Her breaths were heavy and her feet pounded the ground. She reached a bouldered, rocky uphill slope and scrambled up it but tripped on a tiny stone.

The black creatures flowed towards her…

She woke up and looked, looked around for the creatures but they were nowhere to be seen. She gazed up at a huge temple towering above her ,peering at her with eye-like windows. She walked up the elegant, enormous stairs to the temple entrance and into the temple through the ornate archway and into the shadows.

Suddenly, the light turned red and the once ornate archway folded itself into a gaping mouth, a horror sent from death and SNAP! Everything went dark…

Luke White - Chaperon Rouge

CREATIVE YEAR 6 ENGLISH

As the warmth of the morning sun hit the crowd of observant trees, the peaceful sound of beautiful birds filled the quiet forest. Small puddles reflecting the clear, blue sky rippled with excitement as emerald-green leaves littered with faint sand-yellow veins fell gracefully, landing on the forest floor below.

In the distance, a small figure traversed through the large, crowded forest. As the trees whispered rumours, the figure pushed back the ruby-red robe, took one wrinkled hand and covered her tired eyes. The robe (lined with unique gold flakes) exposed her snow-white hair. A dull gold necklace - shaped like a tiger - hung at her neck.

An arched bridge - that led the way to an abandoned city - curled over a fast-flowing, rapid river. As she continued on, a large rock jutted out: thin veins dangled down like hands. Suddenly, a ruby-red butterfly waltzed gracefully across Little Red’s amazed face.

Journeying on, a large uprooted tree created a large opening. Small bits of mud and soil fell quickly as she passed through. Walking through, a dilapidated post-apocalyptic city stood before her. What had happened here? This question ran through her mind like a runner training for a marathon. As she stood fixed to the centre of the city square, Red felt the lonely souls of the past city-dwellers. Ancient buildings with mysterious patterns carved carefully into them filled her with curious questions: What had happened here? Where did the people go? Are there secrets to disclose?

The night crept closer. Before Red knew it, the sky turned jet-black and the melodious cacophony of crickets and owls filled the once peaceful city. As Red lay down to sleep on a piece of building jolting out of the ground, the weather turned quite windy and the place - like a light switch - turned quiet.

A luscious, green meadow lay silently as a few lights fluttered around, mysteriously. In the blink of an eye, blood red swept and covered the meadow instantly as trees and branches disfigured horribly into the shape of a revenge-seeking wolf.

The more the wolf roamed the meadow like a king, the more the trees transformed into slithering serpents searching for their prey. As the wolf scoured the land, following behind him were snakes. Obeying their master, the serpents obediently marched onward, like soldiers following their leader in battle. They crept, closer and closer, emerging from the land as the deathly red mist hovering in the dark sky thickened…

Red woke with a fright. The soft sound of birds filled the fresh forest air. Pant, pant. Red’s startled face - covered in hot, anxious sweat - thoroughly examined the forest horizon as an apprehensive gulp pushed its way down Red’s frail throat.

As she stood, weakly, the bottom of her red-red robe was littered with the mucky, brown mud that lay all over the floor. Dusting herself off, she noticed a menacing shadow cascading over her. With a worry, she stepped back into the dark, cold shade. It crept closer and closer. She ran…

She darted, in and out, left and right, avoiding anything that blocked her way. Leaping over trees, she never dared to gaze behind, fearing the worst. In the city, she ran. Into the forest, she ran. As fatigue overtook her, her concentrated focus drifted away.

The footrace resumed. As Red ran underneath a sky-scraping tree’s long, thick roots, a wolf instantaneously appeared. Taking Red by surprise, she dived to the floor, missing the monster’s blood-seeking jaws by an inch. She continued on. The instinct to run became overpowered as, slowly and surely, Red lost the ability to focus on her surroundings. In an instant, the luscious, green forest floor suddenly transformed into a steep, sharp cliff. In the few precious seconds she had to decide, Red took the decision to journey on. She leapt forward. She landedluckily on her feet. The drastic angle made her feet slide down and she tumbled over a tree. Gaining stability, she sprinted over a long, hollow log that seemed to be the only plausible path over the rocky canyon.

Pratham Dwarakanath - A narrative based on a traditional tale

CREATIVE YEAR 6 ENGLISH

Birds sang and chirped in the distance, the leaves danced gracefully down the towers of soldier-like trees. These trees stood closely like friends; shards of light pierced through the leaves from above. A small gust of wind whistled as it went by the peaceful paradise.

Mud-brown books quietly crunched the path as the stranger - who wore a blood-red cloak and had cloud-white hairstrolled into the clearing of bright light. She drew her hood back, took a large intake of air and put her hands to her head so she could see in the distance as the sun tried to blind her sight.

A crumbling bridge paved a path for our mysterious guest, water lapped gently below. Over the bridge, the strange and abandoned world introduced a majestic field. A small butterfly danced and pranced past Little Red’s tired eyes. A large rock loomed over the field, the roots hanging down reached for their prey.

Up ahead, an ancient town was crumbling. Little Red walked in looking around and thought: what happened here? Where are all the people? What could’ve happened? She continued looking at all the rubble wondering how it ended up like this. As day turned into night, crickets chirped and Little Red sat by a fire on one of the crumbled houses. She fell asleep.

The woods started to change: the once peaceful wood turned blood-red, the trees on the large rock loomed over, the field started to fade away into an eerie shadow. A spirit started taking the form of a wolf. Then, trees expanded and became shadows as spirits took over their body.

These spirits started slithering over the arched bridge and into the ancient city…rushing around…looking around… aiming for one target: Little Red.

With a sudden shock, Little Red woke up! She looked around her, looking for the spirits. She realised it was a dream; just a really bad dream. She rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the light, birds sang and chirped.

Little Red started dusting herself off before she heard a strange yet eerie sound - like the one in her dream - she took steps backwards. The sound became louder as whatever was causing it came closer. Little Red saw a shadow forming, its mouth opening larger and larger. Little Red knew she had to make a quick choice and she moved before the grasping teeth closed in on her.

Grim and eerie, deadly and sickening, the swirling clouds ravaged the land. The lightning pranced around the moonlit sky like a swaying lightbulb in a dishevelled shed. Mist covered all vision of sight yet Anna could envisage the joyous adventures she would have in Switzerland. But something in her heart was still nagging at her to show remorse towards her childhood town. Boom! A thundercloud was approaching; a fearsome storm was forthcoming; the cauldron (Earth) was concocting something wicked. Bullets of water bombarded the scene. Dejected weather filled the journey. Illuminating the night sky was a lighthouse in the distance. Claps of thunder shook trees at a great height; bolts of bright white lights cracked boulders of great strength. “Will the ever ease?” Anna questioned herself. Men were barking in disagreement at each other as if the storm was enraging them. This magnificent journey had turned into a dilapidated day as if the world had been torn apart by a malicious monste

Samuel Chineme - A naarative based on a traditional tale

Rehmat Ghouri - The Storm

SPORT

Athletics

National Finals - Chelmsford

At the end of term, whilst most boys were leaving school to start their summer holidays, the QEGS Junior Boys’ athletics squad was making its way down south to compete in the National Schools’ Athletics Finals in Chelmsford. It was a major achievement to get through the qualifying rounds and make it to the grand final and the boys knew that they would be competing against some of the best age group athletes in the country. Some of the Essex and London schools have a long tradition of success in this competition, so it was a good opportunity for the boys to test themselves!!

The team performed admirably in all events, showing real grit and determination throughout the day. They eventually finished 11th and there were some outstanding moments. Most notably Josh Akintolu won the high jump competition with an outstanding championship record of 1.76cm (previous record 1.72cm). Josh decided to come in for his first jump at 1.70cm when all the other athletes had finished - but he showed no signs of pressure and cleared it comfortably, before beating the record and then narrowly failing to clear 1.80cm. The future is very bright for Josh - he is an outstanding talent.

Equally, the performances of the three Year 7 athletes - competing a year under age - were also mightily impressive and they were totally unfazed, showing maturity beyond their years. Elias, Will and Ayo all have promising futures and will have learnt a lot from this competition.

After a nasty and distressing accident involving a triple jumper from another school - which led to the air ambulance landing in the stadium - the two QEGS long jumpers, Alfie and Will, showed calmness and focus when they finally got the go-ahead after a delay of over an hour to their event. They both jumped well in very difficult circumstances.

Finally, the team finished on a real high as the relay squad came home first in their heat - this was a great moment for the school and meant that we left after the final event with our heads held high. Well done to all the athletes involved, you were a credit to the school. Thanks also to the parents who came down to support the lads - it was hugely appreciated.

Junior Boys athletics team: Will Taylor, Ayo Fasae, Oliver Thornhill, Will Smart, Robin Stanley, Dexter Cooper, Jembe Worrell, Elias Locking, Alfie Chunnoo, Josh Akintolu, Makavo Togobo, Emmanuel Richards, Seb Garritt-Critchley.

Staff: Mr Westerdale and Mr Rees

2023 was a great year of athletics from the intermediate boys. Since the winter sports ended, lots of boys were involved in some form of athletics. Whether it be doing it competitively with the squad, showing up to lunchtime training or even just doing it in games sessions, it is clear that there was lots of passion and talent within this team.

On the 10th May, we kicked off our season with a high. We came 2nd place in the first round of the English Schools Track and Field Cup, scoring a total of 358 points. On the day, there was some excellent running from Lewis Harding in the 300m, William Hunter in the 200m and excellent throws from Ewan Walsh in shot put. This was enough to get us into the second round of the cup, which we were all very excited about.

The following day on the 11th May, the squad had the first half of the Wakefield trials to try and get a place into the West Yorkshire Championships. Getting into the West Yorkshire Championships would be an amazing achievement that we all longed for, so we made sure to get our heads in the right mindset before we competed. There was some even better running on the day from Sam Wood and Will Hunter in the 400m, Joe McCann in the shot put and Daniel Akintolu in the high jump.

The second half of the trials was even better than the first. This was a tough and competitive day - nevertheless, the boys managed to pull through with excellent results in the 200m by Lewis Harding and Matthew Murie, 800m by William Hunter, discus by Ewan Walsh and the 4x100m where Marcus English showed his speed. At the end of the trials, the boys selected to go through to the West Yorkshire trials were: Saw Wood in the 400m, WIlliam Hunter in the 800m, Daniel Akintolu in the high jump and Ewan Walsh in discus.

After our exams and the half term holiday, it was finally time for the West Yorkshire Championships. The event was held at Leeds Beckett University. Despite the good performances by all of us, no one in the intermediate age group got selected to compete in the West Yorkshire squad. Hopefully though, there is still an opportunity when we get to the senior age group so we didn’t let this loss dampen our spirits.

We did compete well as a team in the Independent Schools Intermediate Competition hosted by Mount Saint Mary’s College with some outstanding performances. It was great to see the Y9 Athletes perform over the course of the season. Special mentions go to Prince Ovie, Ayan Sinha and Miles English for their outstanding performances.

The highlight of the year - the National Schools’ Finals in Essex - which features in Mr Rees’ report.

by Daniel Akintolu

Rugby 1st XV

This season has been very enjoyable for the Year 13s as this is our first full season since covid where players have not dropped out or competitions been cancelled, and the great attitudes from the years 12s have massively benefitted this team.

We started the season with two red cards in the first game coming from myself and Mr Wolfendon, which I believe is a first for him and resulted in the first fines of the season, along with our first loss. At St Joe’s we had some tired faces from a few mistakes from the night before but still put in a good shift. Our highlight from the first day was leading Millfield at half time but a few quick tries from them in the second half then sealed the game to end 15-3. but as Mr Wolfenden always says only the first half counts not the second. We beat Marlborough College in a well fought game to progress to the shield final in day two where we narrowly lost to Whitchchurch.

Our cup run ended when we narrowly lost to Woodhouse Grove in the first round and a special mention to Ottie brown who I believe now holds the record for most knocks in a single game.

We managed to find our stride against GSAL, St Peters and Bradford Grammar resulting in some convincing wins in the first half of the season but unfortunately a close loss against Barnard Castle in the quarters of the national plate ended our cup run, but was some of the best rugby we had played all year.

This gave us good momentum leading into the 7s and 10’s season where we went undefeated at Dame Allan’s 7’s putting us in a good position for Rosslyn Park, in which we won our group, beating Millfield 2s, Bloxham and Framlingham.

In the knockout stages we came up against Bryanston who had a team of Mr Cook’s and Mr Lewis’ but they actually had the ability to run for more than a couple minutes ending our Rosslyn Park journey shorter than we had hoped for, but we were very proud with the performances we put in.

Finally into Sedbergh 10’s which was our final time playing in the black and gold where in the first day we beat king’s Mac but lost to Hampton and Seaford placing us in the plate.

A good second day saw us beat Cokethrope, and a great game against Hurstpierpoint saw us come out on top with a chance to head to the plate final, but again another loss on points difference to Barnard Castle meant we missed out narrowly but enjoyed the tournament and gained some great memories.

Overall this season has been great for the QEGS rugby in all years especially the younger ones have managed to stamp the name of QEGS all over the country.

by Josh Riding

2nd XV

2nd XV Rugby - Season Report 2022/23

Record: 3 wins, 3 losses.

On behalf of everyone who has been part of the highs and lows of the 2nd XV rugby journey this year, now is the time to reflect on the past season.

Competing in a pre-season match against King’s Macclesfield was an ideal way of helping brush off those cobwebs before facing a tough set of fixtures ahead. For this game, we had a new-look squad with many players on the team sheet making their debuts.

That was down to the quality shown by the Year 12 boys and left the older squad members under no illusion as to just how competitive selection for both the 1st XV and 2nd XV would be in the coming season.

This match was a vital part of preparing for our season, allowing all players to identify any weaknesses and fitness issues prior to our return to Macclesfield to play them competitively a couple of weeks later, as we kicked off our season for real.

In this, our first 2nd XV game of the season, we started extremely strong but, unfortunately, were just edged out, losing 41-34 in a match-up between two balanced sides. Despite the narrow defeat, we took away many positives, especially the performances of players like Ethan Evans and Jude McCann, who contributed the most to the points we tallied. It also gave us a strong platform on which to build - enabling us to keep our heads held high and giving us confidence for our next game against what is always a very tough St. Peter’s side.

The St. Peter’s game was our first win: gaining some revenge after last season’s battering! The whole team excelled in this victory, showing some strong glimpses of how accomplished this 2nd XV was. This game also led to many players competing for the 1st XV shirt after some very impressive performances.

Encouraged by this win, the 2nd XV couldn’t wait to get back on the field against Crossley Heath and prove themselves even further, hoping to break into the St. Joe’s side that would leave a week later, with a few U16 boys being given a chance to display their talent too. Whilst there was no shortage of memorable performances spanning the whole squad, we were sadly unable to double up and bring home another win.

After the 1st XV’s St, Joe’s tournament, the team regrouped and fielded a strong side against a powerful Prince Henry’s side; with the majority of the team playing at St. Joe’s within the week, meaning we had many tired legs, however, they were determined to represent the school in the best way possible. The team as a whole put up a very convincing battle, despite having played so frequently in the week prior. This took its toll and for all its best efforts, the team could not come out with a win - meaning the 2nd XV had now lost two games on the bounce.

We knew we would have to push our heads back up and work harder than ever to come back stronger and deliver a performance we knew we were capable of against our local rivals in Bradford, hoping to bring the short losing streak to a close.

We succeeded in doing just that. It was our standout performance of the year, putting a substantial scoreline past the Bradford Grammar School side. Again, many of the U16 boys were given the chance to showcase their emerging skills in the 2nd XV. They repaid the confidence shown in them by performing to an extremely high standard, with important performances coming from Year 11s’ Sam Mackenzie and Jack Bailey, and other noteworthy contributions from sixth formers Daniel Cockayne and Oliver Rushby. They spotlight how bright the sporting talent is throughout the three age groups.

This trend of backing youth continued into the next game, with the majority of the 2nd XV side being represented by the younger age groups, fulfilled by Year 11/12 boys. It paid off as we came away with a very solid win against a highly-respected Woodhouse Grove side, beating them 10-5. This meant the 2nd XV had levelled the number of wins and losses, underlining the fact that the team had massively improved after the Prince Henry’s low point of the season.

To conclude, we must thank the coaches and sporting staff accordingly for their continuous guidance and mentorship not just for this season but throughout our whole time at QEGS. From a 2nd XV perspective, we especially would like to thank Mr Lewis for his commitment to making every player grow on and off the rugby field. Some of us have had the privilege to be coached by Mr Lewis for over 10 years and the support he has given us, even in some very tough times throughout this year, can’t be thanked enough. It’s been a pleasure. by Seth Chew

U16

Well then another good year again for our U16’s Rugby Team which cultivated an unbeaten season. This started with a convincing win over Macclesfield where the game was called early as we had hit over 70 points without Conceding any points. All the boys wanted to finish the game early so they could get up to the 1st Team pitch to watch the drama playing out with Mr Wolfenden and the 1st Team Lol.

The stand out game of the Season was playing our arch rivals St Peter’s and what a game that was. In that game we probably played our best rugby and gelled our individual skills into a great team effort. We blew St Peter’s out of the park both forwards and backs controlling the game with some Champagne Rugby.

That was a day well worth waiting for as over the years they have been our Nemesis but on this day we were better in every department.

The last game of the season came with some local rivalry and bragging rights where we defeated the tenacious Rodillians but our superior Rugby Skills gave us the narrow victory.

Then on to the main part of the season which was 7’s where the road led to Rosslyn.

Woodhouse Grove 7’s Tournament. All we can say was that Woodhouse picked the groups and oh yes loaded in their favour. Hey Ho we will take it, we had a steady opener against Sedbergh yes Sedbergh who were immense at Durham and you know what we beat them fair and square every player being immense in attack and defence. We smashed the big boys straight out of the gate on a day which was cold and wet, a standard English day.

We then went on to beat every team in our group which I state again had all the best teams in. So in total we had played 5 games then we had a final with Woodhouse grove who surprisingly had only 5 teams in their group so only played 4 matches and had a hour’s rest before the final where we only had a 15 minute rest.

Yes the final went as expected. They won a close game but we were out on our feet after the efforts we had put in previously but Karma was a great way of evening things out which was borne out at Rosslyn Park we’re we smashed them. Justice I say for me and the boys.

Now on to Rosslyn Park the British weather giving its best wet and cold.

The first day we played brilliantly but in our last group game we took our foot off the pedal and paid the price and lost but we had already qualified for group stages. We then played a Welsh team who had been putting 50 points on all their opponents but we put them in their place and comfortably beat them.

Now onto the second day our first game was against Brighton. A tournament favourite at first they dominated but we got our game together and drew level at the final minute of the game. Only for the referee to play an extra 7 minutes until Brighton scored yes we feel aggrieved at that but worse was to come. Next we played Woodhouse Grove and smashed them. Then our last game came against RGS High Wycombe where we ran out of steam and they beat us easily 19-7 but we had enough points to go through.However this is where things went very wrong the ref scored the game 19-5 loss and had not recorded our obvious conversion. Obviously we contested this but they wouldn’t edit it to the correct score so we didn’t go through. So through a travesty Woodhouse Grove went through. Yes, next year they will pay for that.

Anyway all in all we had a great year and our team now look forward to Senior First Team Rugby next season and our Trip to South Africa. Also on behalf of the U16’s Team I would like to Thank all the Coaches, Sponsors and everyone concerned with Fundraising for this trip and our great kit. We’d like to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to all involved. We are a lucky set of lads to have this great experience.

See you all next year and just one more thing to say it’s been an honour and a pleasure to Captain such a talented set of lads. Also thank you to Mr Pearon for his great Coaching and all the other Coaches involved and lastly Thank You to you Fantastic Parents who support us through wind, rain, sunshine and are always there with a smile and encouragement. by Lance

Barker

U15 ‘A’

Shaky Start

Going into the season, we were confident and determined to get a positive start but faced tough first opponents in Kings Macclesfield. We all knew going into the game that it was going to be a tough one yet after a brutal performance from Macclesfield we were on the wrong end of a 39-7 scoreline. Our heads were down and it was not the start of the season we had hoped for but we were more than ready to bounce back and win against fierce local rivals, St Peter’s. Being our first away day of the season we needed to start very quickly with high intensity and in the first 10 minutes we knew it was going to be a good contest. At half time it was 5-0 to St Peters with both teams coming close but in the second half Peter’s scored another, preceding to miss another kick. We then scored to make it 10-5 and almost straight after, in the dying minutes of the game, we thought we had scored another, snatching the win. We were wrong, the game ended 10-5 due to what the touchline thought was a controversial decision. We were devastated to lose but at the end of the day the ref is always right.

Finding our Footing

After the first two games, being two tough losses, our heads were down. We thought we were in for a tough season. Then we faced our first cup match of the year against Woodhouse Grove. We won comfortably dominating the first half and then easing off in the second; the final score being 36-0. Then, we went into our first mixed team of the year which is always a highlight of the season as it gives opportunities for different players and to look at playing combinations. The match was against Crossley Heath and at home which gave us the advantage we needed and it helped. The result being 39-7 to the black and gold. Then it came to Kirkham away in the 2nd round of the National Cup. We all knew this was going to be a tough game for us. The lad’s confidence was low and I will never forget the quote ‘pep talk’ Mr Head gave us a week before the game. Long story short he said “you have the talent to make it as far as you want in this cup but it is whether you want to put the effort in and have the determination to do so”. The final result was 11-3 to QEGS; this was the turning point of our season. We were buzzing

and we really started to feel we were coming together as a team. Coming off of this made the boys realise if we started to put the effort in training and stick together as a team, we could accomplish more than we thought. We kept this winning mentality and the game against Bradford Grammar ended in a 52-7 win. This was a brilliant game as the boys really started linking all the play and started playing within the systems.

Build up to Sedbergh

We then went into the Woodhouse Grove game thinking we only had two games before the Sedbergh match and we needed to try some new plays and get the structure sorted if we were going to have any chance of beating them. Not to mention the atrocious condition with howling wind and it was chucking it down with rain. Yet, it ended with an even bigger score line than before as we managed to put 53 points past them and only conceded 8 points. We did exactly what we had hoped and played as a team throughout and didn’t step off of the gas this time. The team morale was high in the changing room. We celebrated in the joint changing rooms with the B team who also came off with a win. One of the best things about this season was the depth within the squad and camaraderie between the players. We had our last game against RGS Newcastle before the most anticipated game of the season, Sedbergh. We ended up winning by 53-19 vs RGS Newcastle with a very dominant performance. Up next were the undefeated Sedbergh at home in the next round of the National Cup and it was clear we were the underdogs, nobody outside of our group thought we could win.

U15 ‘A’

Just before the start of the game Mr Barker gave an inspiring speech which motivated us as a team. One of the things he said that has stuck with me throughout the game and many after was when he said ‘It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog’. We started with 3 points on the board by a successful penalty kick. Then just before half time, the score became 10-0 due to a driving pick and go try which was then converted. Sedbergh came back into the game in the second half by scoring a try with 20 minutes to go. Following this their conversion was hastily taken and missed. Our hearts were pounding with adrenaline surging through our bodies. 10 minutes left of the game and in quick succession we got 2 yellow cards. Down to 13 men the odds were stacked against us. They were hammering into us on our 5 metre line then the whistle blew ‘Penalty to QEGS’ the ref stated. We stayed resilient. We took the tap, passed the ball and kicked it out. We had done it. Against all odds we won the game. This was my highlight of the season and I am sure many others too. After the game you could hear the words ‘There’s only one Trevor Barker’ echoing around the changing rooms. Mr Barker was retiring at Christmas so we were so pleased we could give him one last big cup win on the 1st XV pitch.

Final stages of the cup

Next we had our rivals St Peters and after how that last game ended we were eager to beat them and with our new found motivation and form we were confident going into this game. The end score was 40-7 to QEGS. We had done exactly what we had wanted to do and in style. Then we had a friendly against Rodillian and after a very shaky start and losing at the break 17-12 we pulled it back in the end and won 42-17. Our last game of the season was against Warwick

U15 ‘B’

A season filled with many ups and a few downs has come to an end and I think it’s fair to say that the team can be proud of themselves. Close to 20 boys have devoted their Saturday mornings and Thursday evenings to training outside of school, striving to improve and for some, make into the A Team on a few occasions. The season was slightly frustrating however, due to weather problems that led to 4 games out of 9 being cancelled. To start, it wasn’t easy, the first two games of the season were tough and ended up as heavy losses to King’s School Macclesfield and St Peter’s. But it wasn’t for lack of effort and in fact we were leading both of the games right at the start and felt confident, yet it wasn’t enough and both teams prevailed.

Then, we went to Woodhouse Grove, where the weather was abysmal. However, it didn’t knock the team spirit and even though there were only 13 players we went and played superbly, winning 52-26. The highlight of the game was when Oliver Briggs, playing full-back for the first time, had to make a last-man tackle and did so in style against someone who was clearly the best player for the opposition.

in the Quarterfinals of the National Cup. It ended up being a great game of rugby with both teams winning for a good duration of the game but in the end the rolling mauls is what lead to our defeat with the final score being 31-20 to the blue and white. We felt we could have won however, credit to Warwick who managed to control the game better in the latter stages of the match.

The boys had an amazing end to the season after a slightly shaky start and I am proud of the whole squad, where we all developed so much as players and mates. If someone was to say that we were going to be National Cup Quarter Finalists after the shocking first 2 games of the season, everyone would have laughed in your face. The lads did themselves proud and kept putting in the graft on the field every week to have a great season. The lads can be proud of the 15’s season as being top 8 in the country isn’t so bad. Just wanted to say it has been an absolute pleasure to captain and play alongside you boys week in and week out. Roll on next season!

Special Mentions

On behalf of the whole squad we would like to thank Mr Barker for everything he has done for us this year and for school rugby as a whole throughout the years. We wish you all the best and a happy retirement.

We would also like to thank Mr Lawson, Mr Graham and Mr Wolfenden for all of their efforts in supporting all of us in the U15 squad. Lastly, we would like to thank Mr Head for a great season and we know you were really proud of how resilient we were and kept working to improve, we wish you all the best at Mount St Mary’s College.

by Henry Millican

A week later RGS Newcastle visited and it was fair to say they had a good team but we were much stronger. We played brilliant rugby all over the pitch in both defence and attack, we believe it was our best performance of the season. And what’s even better is that everybody was involved in everything and there was no stand out player because everybody put a shift in. Then after some terrible winter weather, we played our last game of the season against King’s Pontefract High School’s A Team. It was tough, they had some some powerful and quality players, we did lose but as a team we played for each other, came together and gave it our all.

So, while it was a tough season there were many positives to take from it, especially team spirit, effort and the best part of our game, our attack. Once we got going, it was hard to stop our attack and next season, with an improved defence, I’m sure we can get back to winning performances every week. So next season, we hope to give it our all and work harder and as a team, train more regularly so we can succeed and improve. by

Thomas Rose

U14 ‘A’

by Oliver Grafton

The U14 QEGS rugby team had a triumphant and successful 2022/23 season. The team showed immense dedication, teamwork, and skill throughout the season, even with injuries and illness, which led to several impressive victories and memorable performances. The report gives us an overview of the team’s achievements, key matches, notable players, and their overall progress.

The U14 QEGS rugby team showcased exceptional performances during the season, demonstrating our intuitive attitude to the sport and their eagerness to improve. The team’s training sessions were intense and focused, under the guidance of our dedicated coaches, Mr Masterson, Mr Graham, Mr Head, and Mr Wolfenden. Most players showed great discipline, determination, and sportsmanship, which clicked into place on game day.

The team participated in various challenging matches throughout the season, facing tough opponents from rival schools. One of the standout fixtures was the match against Woodhouse Grove, which took place on November 19, 2022.

The QEGS team displayed exceptional teamwork and strategic play, as we won a tough match in a 29-22 nail-biting victory. The match showcased the team’s strength in both attack and defense, with standout performances from the team’s forwards and backs. Later in the season, we encountered them again but swiftly took control and destroyed them 29 - 7 away in the National Cup Round of 32.

Another noteworthy encounter was the fiercely contested match against Rugby School on March 7th, 2023 which was our semi-final match. The game was tightly contested in the pure strength of both teams but we fell short and finished the match 38 - 15.

The team’s resilience and ability to perform under pressure never went unnoticed as we were 30 - 10 and they had just scored but from kick-off, we gritted our teeth and got over the line. Just to add on our defeat was quite humiliating when we were held up over the line several times which cost us the match, but we know what to do for next year.

Several players made significant contributions to our U14 team’s success during the season. Joe Hayes, a skillful and versatile fly-half, demonstrated exceptional decision-making abilities and provided accurate distribution to his teammates. Sam Dobson, a powerful and aggressive prop, consistently made crucial tackles and storming runs through the middle, solidifying the team’s defensive line and overall go forward.

I have to give credit to our amazing forwards, a bunch of animals you could call them. As a pack, we struck fear into our opponent’s eyes which already gave us the edge on the match we had trained for. We also didn’t just have big, strong, runners. We had decisive backs who would command and open opportunities to attack in different areas. Tom Taylor would be in my recommendations for the POTY because of his agile and nippy passing which always caused confusion for the other team.

The U14 rugby team showed remarkable growth and progress over the course of the season. The players’ technical skills, understanding of the game, and physical capabilities significantly improved through regular training sessions and competitive matches. They developed a strong bond as a team, demonstrating effective teamwork during matches.

The team’s success in the 2022/23 season is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the guidance of their coach. The U14 QEGS rugby team has set a high standard for future seasons and has undoubtedly left a lasting impression on their opponents.

The U14 QEGS rugby team had an outstanding 2022/23 season, characterized by impressive victories, notable performances, and significant progress. The players’ commitment, teamwork, and skill contributed to their success on the field. The season’s achievements will serve as a source of inspiration for future generations of QEGS rugby players, and the team can be proud of their accomplishments this season. Just to add we were unbeaten for 2 ½ years until Rugby School. We will never forgive them.

U14 ‘B’

4 wins, 3 losses

I believe our best performance was against Prince Henry’s Grammar School A Team. Although we lost, everyone put 100% into that game. After a slow start in the first half, we pulled ourselves together and got it to a draw. Unfortunately, towards the end we lost focus and small errors started to occur, leading us to concede tries. Despite that defeat, I am very proud of the team because we stuck together and tried our best.

I think our strengths are our desire to win and our teamwork. Although we had a few losses, our wins were well deserved and that is because we worked well together as a team. Our goal was to score more and more tries.

Our achievements come down to our attitude in the games. We want to win and we try our hardest to stop the opponent, make the tackle and score the try. In addition, we got more players involved and we had fun playing. We always looked forward to playing the games and generally the mentality of the squad was centred around winning (also having fun of course) and more often than not that goal was achieved.

I have enjoyed this season, working with my teammates and the coaches to make this year one to remember. I am very pleased with how this season has gone, even our losses. I have enjoyed working under the guidance of Mr Masterson and Mr Graham, my teammates and Vice Captain Buba. I thank you for the atmosphere you guys have created in making it an enjoyable experience, and this contributed to looking forward to the games and getting the team ready. We have learnt alot from this season, to not give up, try your very best and have fun.

I would like to thank everyone for giving me this opportunity to be Captain and I will remember it for life. I believe we have really progressed this season and this sets us up well for next season. I am excited to see what this team can do in the future.

For me personally, it has been quite an enjoyable experience, not only playing rugby with the others, but also the coach trips and the conversations in general. This was, in my opinion and I’m sure George agrees, a very passionate squad who cared about their teammates, how they were playing and how they could get involved more and I think those are traits that any player would want in their team and themselves.

This was a season of personal growth and team growth. Under Mr Masterson and Mr Graham, I feel as if I have realised what more I can actually do to contribute to a game, and that has occurred because of their guidance and their willingness to help out players in the squad, whether it’s during games or squad training sessions. These tips that they gave translated to the in game success of individual players and the whole squad.

I would like to thank everyone who supported me and George as captains throughout the season, after every win and loss and their complicity, as well as their contributions to the squad and what we’ve achieved. There isn’t a single player who doesn’t try their hardest game after game or in every training session, despite the fact we don’t always get the result we would have liked. We have acknowledged that and thank you for it. This is a squad that can play very good rugby week in week out and that is a reflection of their hard work throughout the season.

by George Bullas and Buba Sanyang

U13

This season as an U13s rugby team has been great. We have faced some challenges and learned many new things in the game and about our mindset. We have had a very large squad this year and lots of us have represented the school well.

To start our season we faced an unexpectedly strong Kings Macclesfield team, which we were clearly unprepared for. We came into the game with the wrong mindset thinking this would be a breeze which led to a tough first defeat of the season, the score ending 35-25.

After a poor loss we recouped in training and it clearly showed as we beat Crossley Heath 110-0. We were missing many of our A team players and some of the B team players stepped up to the team and put in impressive performances.

We maintained this form going into our next game against St Peters York resulting in a 55-15 win. In this game the whole team performed well against a good quality team.

Spirits were high on and off the pitch ready for a challenging game against King’s Pontefract. The conditions were rainy and muddy, this did not affect us and we persevered throughout the 60 minutes and came off with a 20-15 win.

Three weeks after our game against Kings Pontefract we were facing Bradford Grammar school. It was a dry and windy day, this meant the ball wouldn’t be easy to pass. We were playing great rugby and this resulted in a 45-5 win.

Two days after that game we went to the Mcarthy festival, it was hosted by Woodhouse Grove. The weather was against us. It was pouring with rain and the pitches were full of mud. We breezed through the group stage placing us 1st in the group, this meant we were going to play the top of the other groups. We beat all of them apart from our biggest rivals Hymers. Going into the final against Hymers we didn’t want the game as much as them, they started the game with aggression and power that got to us.

As a result of this game we came 2nd in the tournament and we were still very happy with this performance.

Our next game was against Woodhouse Grove School. We knew this would be a good team so we were well prepared for their skill. As of this we pulled off a good 20-0 win.

In our game against RGS Newcastle we had some of our players who had been selected to play for the U14 side that weekend. With that happening many people stepped up and had a great game scoring a try or two. As of these people leading the team we won 35-10.

The next weekend we were playing against Prince Henry’s Grammar School. We started the game well performing good tackles and moves. Soon we realised the pitch was thin and we weren’t able to play to our wings in space. The team picked up a couple injuries in this game. In the end we lost 0-20.

After this game we had a heap of bad weather causing our games against GSAL, Lancaster Royal Grammar and Hymers to be called off. This was an upset for the team as they are all good quality teams and good competition.

Our final 15-aside game before going into the 7s and 10s season was against a local rival Rodillion. This was a game the whole team wanted to win. As soon as we turned up on the Saturday morning we wanted this game so much we couldn’t think about losing. We all played great rugby making all necessary tackles and not dropping the ball. As of this we managed to beat them with a comfortable 35-10 victory.

Moving into the 7s season we spend lots of time working on our speed and fitness for much competition in 7s tournaments. We learnt the game very well thanks to our coaches. We had three tournaments up ahead.

To start our 7s experience we played at a St Peters 7s tournament. We had turned up and started some training. We got our group and played all 4 games. We had thrashed all the teams in our group moving us to the top meaning we would play the top of the other groups. We played three games and unfortunately lost all, placing us fourth in the tournament.

Next we had a tournament at Bradford Grammar. At this tournament we played incredibly and put a huge performance on for everyone. We had reached the game that would decide if we would win this was against Hymers again. We went into the game wanting it as much as them. We played great rugby and the game was 10-10 in the final 5 minutes we were keeping them out of our half and putting them under pressure. Unfortunately they got around us and scored in the final minute causing us to lose by a small margin of 10-15.

Next we had a competition at Woodhouse Grove, for this game we took a development side but still a team that would put up a fight. There were five teams in our group. We lost four of the games and drew one putting us joint last. We went into the 4 and 5 play-offs and won 3 of the four games and managed to place second in the 4 and 5 play off. This wasn’t our best day but was a fun day out.

To finish off our season we had a Caldicott 10s National Tournament. We travelled down on Friday morning down to London. We arrived later that evening and got settled into our rooms, ate our meals and socialised with the other teams. We all got an early night to maximise our performance the next day. We woke up the next morning, had showers and breakfast and got kitted up for the day of action.

U12

The season started off with the first match away against King’s School Macclesfield. Despite not playing for a while, both the A and B teams resulted in a victory. Perhaps the real kick off for the season was the Tates 10s. Down at Barnard Castle, the tournament lasted all day and had many games to play for all teams participating. Starting off well, we managed to win the group stages, (unfortunately there’s no official winner in under 12’s tournaments) and advance to the semis against a very strong team. But we came out with a victory and then beat Woodhouse Grove in the final.

We went out to the pitches and made camp with our bags and meals and had a look around the pitches. We got to training 45 minutes before our first game and trained for 30 minutes and had a short rest.

In our first game we lost by one try but this really boosted the team as we were so eager to win the whole tournament. We knew it was needed to get three tries in all of the games ahead if we wanted a chance of winning so we needed the bonus point. We managed to get that point in every game giving us lots of hope. We executed all of our plays to perfection and played really well. At the top of the table were us and RGS High Wycombe. We played them and that game we drew with both teams getting the bonus point. We played our last two games and won both with the bonus points. We had won most games and lost one and drawn one. The final game of the tournament was Caldicott vs High Wycombe. For us to win the tournament we needed Caldicott to draw or win this game. We stood on the sidelines cheering on Caldicott hoping for the win. The final whistle blew and before we knew it we had won. It was absolutely amazing we all ran up to each other and cheered with joy. We ran to the scoreboard to double check we had done it and we had. We all stood round for the awards presentation and when they called out our names we walked up and lifted the trophy with pride. After this we jumped back on the coach to get back to Wakefield.

This has been an unforgettable season and will definitely go down in all of our memories and we would like to thank the coaches as this wouldn’t be possible without all of your help and support. Bring on next season!

by Hugo Colver

For many people in the team, RGS is the one team we wanted to beat more than anyone. It was definitely a rough game but we won 25-10, a much wanted result. Finally the last 12 a side game was against Rodillian Academy, two players got well deserved hat-ricks and it was certainly a fantastic way to end the season before sevens.

The first sevens tournament was at Bradford Grammar. Two groups played everyone in their respective groups and then played the equivalent of the opposite group. QEGS topped first and faced off against St Peters. Ending in a stalemate, and coming down to most tries scored, we won the first sevens fixture of the year. The last one was at Woodhouse Grove where again we faced off against the other finalists, the hosts themselves. Unfortunately in the first half we went down 3-0 fairly quickly, but when the second half presented itself, we were ready to get back in the game. One try after another it was 3-3 like that. Unfortunately the game was finished which might have been a relief of a hindrance as the tide seemed with us when the game finished.

It has been a great first season and we can’t wait for September!

by Oliver Rose

1st XI Hockey

U16

The U16s have had an excellent season, dispatching their first few opponents in the National Cup 8-0 (Scarborough College) and 5-0 (St Peter’s) to set up a last 16 tie with Altrincham Grammar School. After a very tight 1st half QEGS found themselves 1-0 up with 10 minutes to go, only for the goal to be disallowed. Altrincham managed to convert not long after and with a couple of minutes to go scored a 2nd to end QEGS U16s run in the Cup this year. The boys have showed great promise and quality this season and will be looking to go one step further as part of next year’s 1st XI.

U15

This year’s 1st XI squad made great progress throughout the season of both indoor and outdoor Hockey competitions. Winning the Yorkshire Cup, unbeaten, was a highlight for them, along with beating a strong Worksop College side in the National Cup. After leading at half-time in the next round to Manchester Grammar they eventually tired and lost 3-2, ending their cup run for this year but will be more than capable of going further into the competition next year with a lot of the squad being current Y12s and some very strong Y11s moving up.

QEGS U15s have had a strong season which like a lot of the other age groups is not over yet. After a loss in the 2nd round of the Cup with a weakened squad due to injuries and trips away they found themselves in the plate competition where wins over RGS Newcastle and Bradford Grammar put them into the final knockout round.

U14

The U14 went into the county cup with high hopes having trained well and with a number of the team having played for the U15 cup team. After a strong showing in the group with 3 wins and a draw the team progressed to the semi-final where they faced GSAL. In a closely fought game the scores were tied 0-0 with both sides missing opportunities, in the latter stages, to win the game. The game was decided with penalty strokes with GSAL managing to convert all three flicks. A disappointing end to a good tournament.

U13

U12

Our U12s had a fantastic season. The A and B team had 2 very close matches with Hill House, the A team winning 5-4 and B team losing 4-3. The A team had a very successful Yorkshire Cup where they won 5 of their 6 games, only conceding and losing to St. Peter’s in a very closely contested match. This meant they finished runners up and qualified for the North of England Final’s, hosted at Kings Macclesfield School. They then finished second in their group, beating RGS, losing to King’s Chester and beat Calday Grange before losing 2-21 in the semi-finals to Yarm.

After a successful cup run the U13s were beaten by a strong Yarm game on penalty flicks in the last 16 of the National competition. The boys showed amazing progress from the beginning of the year where they lost 5-1 to Yarm, to then lead for the majority of the game only to concede with 2 minutes to go. They also entered the North-East Finals, which they. qualified for after winning the West Yorkshire round of the competition by topping the group and not conceding a goal.

by Mr O Leask and Mr D Binney

Cricket

1st XI

Season of mixed results but good progress - general motif for the season across all age groups.

This year has been a good learning experience for the 1st XI. Having a relatively young squad made it somewhat challenging to compete at the highest level but, nevertheless, it has been very reassuring to see the development of some of the players. What also impressed me in particular was the attitude of the team and the will to win, even in some difficult game situations.

Although the results haven’t gone our way this season, there have still been some standout performers: Oliver Whyte with the bat, Josh Wood with the ball, Tim Perrot in the field. A special mention must also go to Charlie Newton for his fantastic performance in the game against the MCC.

We hope for a strong finish in the Bradford 6’s tournament on Thursday.

Looking ahead to next season, I’m certain that if we continue to grow and evolve as players and as a team, it will be much more promising and rewarding. And I would just like to finish by thanking Mr Masterson, Mr Davies and Mr Graham for all their efforts and coaching over the course of the season; they will definitely play a big part in the team’s future successes.

U15

by Arsh Gupta

The 22/23 Cricket season was a mixed success, giving us a lot of work ons for the next few years. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing cricket for this team and I think that it has potential to be a very solid first team in the future.

Loss against St Peters.

The first game of the season was a 30 over game against a solid St Peters school, York. Losing the toss and being sent to bowl, we knew we had to keep the runs at a bare minimum.

After some solid opening bowling from Thomas Wood and Tauseef Hussain, we found ourselves with two wickets early on , however after a decent middle-order partnership and the higher of them scoring 50, they managed to get to a target of 144. Knowing that we were short on batting, our top order had to step up, however after losing three wickets in an over and after a nonsense runout, the score became evermore tricky and resulted in us being all out for 98 in the 29th over.

Not getting to the start of the season we wanted, the team was desperate for a win and our next game against Woodhouse grove was a perfect opportunity to do so. Winning the toss and batting first, it was a perfect opportunity to score some runs. With a good opening partnership from Aurav Vinta and Aarush Pillai, it set a perfect base to get a high score. Despite Aurav’s dismal following his well constructed 25, we kept on pushing. Aarush, who was at the crease for a fair amount of time managed to grab a 50 before shortly getting out. Eight overs to go, we kept on pushing and managed to reach a commendable score of 150. With them having a decent batting lineup, we knew that it was going to be a close game.

After a good opening spell from Thomas Wood and Siddarth Vineeth, we found ourselves on top, however, their next batsmen, managed to build a good partnership with the higher of them being bowled by Aarush Pillai. After this, it was smooth sailing with Usman Shabbir, Jack Ilsley and James Rawson getting wickets before Thomas Wood getting another 2 making it four for him on the day. In the end, it was a comfortable victory.

A few days later, we played a shortened 16 over game in the first round of the national cup against Humberston academy. Batting first, our openers, Charlie and Aarush managed to get a decent opening partnership before we lost our first wicket. Oliver Whyte came in and hit a good knock of 35 before being dismissed, however, shortly after this, our batting collapsed and our final score being 86-8 after our 16 overs. We knew we had to bowl well and started off doing so with a neat spell from Charlie Newton, earning himself a wicket. After this, it was shambles. Bowlers missing their marks, fielders with hands in pockets sulking because they didn’t get a bowl, and people seeming scared of the ball lead to us being eliminated in the first round in an unlike Q.E.G.S way. This was poor. As a result, Humberston managed to cruise to victory: 87-1 with an over and a bit to spare meaning that we lost by 9 wickets.

Loss against GSAL + Birkdale

After the half term holidays, we went and played a Birkdale side who we knew were going to be good.

U14

The year started off with a few training sessions before our first game at Hymers. Unfortunately the game got called off due to the horrible weather.

Leading up to the first cup game when we would play Kettlethorpe high school in our first game. We would bat first getting 103-3 of 20 overs. A few 20s to Joe, Alfie, Oliver and Dan. We then had a very strong bowling performance keeping them to 35-5 after 20 overs.

This was a very strong team performance with everybody putting a shift in and contributing, either in great fielding or brilliant bowling. Then going into our second game with confidence from our first win. We were playing St peters.

Winning the toss, we went out to bowl. With a good opening spell from Charlie Newton and Sid Vineeth, we found ourselves on the front foot and after a good spell from Oliver Strang, Usman Shabbir, Owen Bowley and an exceptional one from Harry Gillespie (picking up 4 wickets), we managed to bowl them out for 112. Going out to bat, We knew that we just had to see out their better bowlers but unfortunately after an early wicket and after a decent partnership from Charlie Newton and Usman Shabbir, our batting yet again, collapsed. Making our final score 78 all out. Another disappointing defeat especially after an exceptional bowling performance. But we knew that we had to work on finding the gaps in the field. The final game of the season was against GSAL.

In a blink of an eye, the last game of the season against GSAL arrived. The pitch was very inconsistent meaning that it was important to play with a straight bat. Going into bat first, we lost 2 quick wickets due to not playing the ball straight, however after a solid partnership between Sam James and Aarush Pillai, a solid foundation was set with Aarush finishing on 46 runs. After his dismissal, cameos from Sid Vineeth and Zidan Mirza were enough to get us to 124 runs after 20 overs. However, their opening batsmen came into bat and made an extremely quick 60 partnership in just 5 overs meaning that they only required 64 from the remaining 15. Despite managing to get their top scorers out and despite showing some fight late on, it simply wasn’t enough to grab a victory, hence them getting the required amount with 4 overs to spare.

by Aarush Pillai

This was an interesting game because we had a variety of players. This is because four of our more experience players were playing for the second team and acouple were playing for the u15s, This left an slightly inexperienced team with a few year 7 playing. We posted 63-7 and they got 64-1. This was a great chance for people too experience a competitive environment and gave other people a chance to step and lead the team.

Our next game was against Bradford grammar school. They had a good start but with some tidy bowling from Oliver hooper and Oliver strang we kept them too 106-4. We started off strong with Dexter and George batting well but then a few wickets started to fall. We ended crawling to 78 all out. The work ons for this game is managing our run rate and batting sensibly.

Going into our second cup game, we were ready and switched on to play. We started off well with Alfie getting a quick 19 and joe on 15 not out. Then Oliver and joe carried on to get a good partnership of about 80. Joe was the stand out batter getting 60 in quick time and Oliver supported him getting about 35 not out. Qegs finished on 147-3. This score proved too much for Kilkbalt as they scrambled to 78-5 with Henry and Alfie proving too much as they ripped their top order apart. This was a great performance by the team with everyone contributing. Some of our key work ons is our fielding with quite a few catches dropped in the season.

by Oliver Eldridge

This season the U13 cricket team hasn’t done that well. However, there has been a noticeable improvement from the start of the season. The squad was big so quiet a lot of people got the chance to represent the school.

Loss against St Peters. We started off the season with a game against St Peters. They were a very good team and they bowled us out for 67, and knocked it off in not many overs. As you would expect, this wasn’t the start we were hoping for. The B team hit 79 for 6 but St Peters got the runs with 6 wickets remaining.

The second game was against Bradford Grammar, we batted first and posted a total of 83. We did quite well restricting them to not many runs and getting some early wickets. However, they had a really good opener that we didn’t get out early and Bradford ended up knocking them off. This was a good improvement from the St Peters game.

Against Woodhouse Grove we batted first again and posted a pretty good total of 113. We got early wickets and stayed in the game for a long time. However they had a good and deep batting lineup that knocked it off comfortably.

by Sam Ilsley

Win against Birkdale. Against Birkdale, we bowled and fielded really well. We bowled them out for 66 and then knocked them off easily. This was great for the morale of the team and this brought a lot of joy and confidence into the team. It came just at the right time to help our not great season. This was undoubtedly our best performance.

Krish Daru (batting) has been one of the main key players this season scoring the bulk of the runs and somewhat rescuing innings. With the ball Max Baron (bowling) has done really well and is improving lots.

Next season we need to keep working really hard to get better and start to win games more often. We still have a long way to go but we have shown we have good potential.

As the captain of the U12 cricket team at QEGS, I’m thrilled to reflect on our exciting season. It all began with a thrilling victory against St Peter’s, York, setting the tone for what was to come.

Our Saturday fixtures saw us face tough opponents like Woodhouse Grove and GSAL, but we held our own and showcased our skills. Special mention to Aurav Vinta for his consistent and classy performances with the bat, leading us to victory against Birkdale and Holmfirth.

In the cup, we had some unforgettable moments, especially our dominant display against Kettlethorpe and our hard-fought victory over Holmfirth. Despite falling short in the semi-final against GSAL, we gave it our all and learned valuable lessons along the way.

Another stand-out day for us was the Super 8s at St Peter’s. This was new for all of us as it had some pretty whacky rules that took a while to get used to; for example a 10-ball over and runs worth double! We again, performed well and reached another semi-final!

I’m incredibly proud of my teammates for their dedication and effort throughout the season. My proudest achievement is giving every player the opportunity to represent QEGS cricket. Together, we’ve shown great potential, and I can’t wait to see what next season holds for us!

by Ethan Langstaff

E. Hunter - Wakefield Trinity

Back Row: H. Millican, J. McCann, S. Wood

Front Row: E. Walsh, M. English, J. Kalambay, H. Powell, W. Hunter

A. Vinta, T. Wood - Yorkshire CC

Back Row: O. Eldridge, J. Akintolu, O. Childs

Front Row: B. Marsden, M. Jayawickrama, A. Vinta, T. Wood, H. Wareham

Junior Sport

by Mr S Cook

As we reflect on the past year in sports at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, we are filled with pride and admiration for our pupils who have not only showcased their exceptional talents but also embodied the values of care, contribution, and aspiration both on and off the field. Throughout the year, our athletes have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and sportsmanship, inspiring their peers and leaving a lasting impact on our school community.

Rugby:

In the realm of rugby, our school’s teams have displayed commendable teamwork, determination, and resilience in every fixture. Over the past year, our rugby teams participated in 45 matches, securing victories in 32 of them. Whether competing in local tournaments or representing the school in regional championships, our rugby players have shown a deep sense of care for their teammates and opponents alike. Through their actions on the field, they have contributed positively to the spirit of camaraderie and fair play that defines our school’s sporting ethos.

Hockey:

On the hockey pitch, our players have dazzled spectators with their skillful play and unwavering dedication. This year, our hockey teams competed in 28 matches, emerging victorious in 18 of them. From mastering intricate manoeuvres to executing strategic game plans, our hockey teams have exemplified the values of care and contribution by supporting one another and working collaboratively towards shared goals. Their commitment to excellence serves as a source of inspiration for the entire school community.

Cricket:

Throughout the cricket season, our cricketers have showcased their talent and passion for the sport while also demonstrating a commitment to serving others. In the past year, our cricket teams participated in 35 matches, achieving success in 25 of them. Whether through fundraising initiatives, community outreach programs, or acts of kindness towards fellow competitors, our cricket teams have shown that sportsmanship extends far beyond the boundary ropes. Their efforts to make a positive impact both on and off the field reflect the values we hold dear at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.

Swimming:

In the pool, our swimmers have excelled with their speed, technique, and sportsmanship. This year, our swimming teams competed in 12 meets, with our athletes securing podium finishes in 8 of them. Whether competing in inter-school meets or representing the school at regional championships, our swimmers have embodied the values of care and aspiration by pushing themselves to new heights while supporting and encouraging their teammates. Their dedication to excellence serves as a shining example for all members of our school community.

Football:

In football tournaments, they have displayed not only their skill and athleticism but also a strong sense of community and social responsibility. This year, our football teams participated in 20 matches, showcasing their talent and sportsmanship throughout. Through charitable endeavors, volunteering efforts, and acts of kindness towards their peers, our football teams have demonstrated that success is measured not only by victories on the pitch but also by the positive impact we have on others. Their commitment to making a difference reflects the values of care, contribution, and aspiration that we strive to instill in all members of our school community.

As we look back on a year filled with athletic achievement and ethical values, we are reminded of the transformative power of sports to unite, inspire, and uplift. At Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, our players have demonstrated that success is not only about winning medals but also about embodying the values of care, contribution, and aspiration in everything we do. As we celebrate their accomplishments, let us also renew our commitment to fostering a culture of excellence and integrity both on and off the field.

HOUSE MATTERS

Sports Day

Well done to Savile, who won the 2023 Junior Section Sports Day. Every pupil took part and represented their house valiantly - it was a fantstci spectacle to be a part of!

University Challenge

On Friday the 10th of February, the Year 12 University Challenge finals took place with Cave facing off against Freeston 1st IV in the top flight, and Savile facing Freeston’s 2nd IV to determine 3rd and 4th place.

Each team had shown impressive knowledge of a broad range of subjects, from works of Shakespeare to chemical composition and everything in between. With Mr. Fitzsimons acting as our home-grown Jeremy Paxman, Mr. Archer at the helm of the scoreboards, and Mrs. Palin dutifully watching to decide on split-second buzzer decisions, the final was one that would be remembered in the history books.

Cave narrowly bested a well-balanced Freeston team, risking it all in the final question. Cave was up 35 points when Janik Peeters incorrectly answered the final starter question, docking 5 points from Cave in a dramatic fashion and opening up the match for Freeston to at least draw.

Unfortunately, the question was on BBC’s Happy Valley, which to their despair, none of the Freeston team had watched, and scored just 15 points from the question, resulting in Cave emerging victorious. University Challenge Y12 Final Congratulations to Janik Peeters, James Mckinlay-Smith, Toby Hobbs, and Douglas Haigh for a hard-fought win.

These events always take a large amount of time and planning, so thanks are in order to all the staff who submitted questions, Mrs. Palin for organising the event, Mr. Archer for keeping score throughout, Mr. Fitzsimons for acting as quizmaster, the spectators who were present at every match, and of course all boys who took part to make this such an enjoyable event to watch and take part in.

by Douglas Haigh

Football

Inter-house Football at QEGS Junior Section proved to be an exhilarating event this year, with enthusiastic participation from all pupils representing their respective houses.

In the highly competitive Year 6 ‘A’ tournament, Savile emerged victorious, showcasing their exceptional skills and teamwork to secure the coveted trophy.

Meanwhile, in the ‘B’ tournament, Bentley demonstrated their prowess on the field, clinching the title in an impressive display of sportsmanship. The tournament provided a platform for the boys to exhibit their talents, with each team exhibiting unwavering determination and effort throughout.

Congratulations to Savile for their triumph, solidifying their status as the reigning champions of the QEGS Sports Fields!

A GIFT THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School was founded over 425 years ago. Throughoutthat time gifts left in wills have helped shape our school. Many have enabled the completion of small yet important projects; others have inspired larger buildings. Most importantly f all, some have given the gift of a QEGS education.

Leaving your school a gift in your will is a great way to ensure generations will follow you at QEGS. By helping us provide outstanding teachers and top class facilities, you will enable us to inspire even more young people to tackle some of the world’s big problems.

Whether through science, music, industry, sport or the arts, QEGS has a long history of motivating young men to make a difference, some as world leaders, others serving their communities.A QEGS education will inspire the men of tomorrow, but to do so we need your help.

Whatever you want a gift in your will to achieve, it will make a real difference to those who follow you at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.

REMEMBERING FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Family and friends should always come first but, by also remebering the Grammar School in your will, you can give the gift of a QEGS education to future generations.

TAX IMPLICATIONS

QEGS is part of the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, a Registered Charity NO: 1088415. This means that there may be positive implications to leaving a gift to QEGS in your will.

1591 SOCIETY

In 1563 a local mercer, Francis Gaunt, left instructions in his will that a house and 10 shilling a year forever be granted “to the use of the free school if any such fortune be within the town of Wakefield”. This was the first of many gifts which enabled the founders of QEGS to approach the monarch to grant the school a charter.

Such a petition was granted on 19 November 1591 at the request of leading citizens in Wakefield, and so QEGS Wakefield was born. Those who follow in this tradition, by leaving a gift in their will to support the School, are invited to join the 1591 society. If you have already made provision for QEGS in your will, please do let us know. This will allow us to thank you for your generosity in your lifetime.

HOW TO MAKE A GIFT IN YOUR WILL

If you would like to make a gift to QEGS in your will we suggest that you contact your solicitor, bank or other will-writing service. There is a range of information available on our website, including a guide to updating or making your will. Simply search “QEGS Wakefield, A Gift in your W

If you would like to discuss your gift to QEGS in confidence, please contact Abi Cattley, Development Director, via email at: acattley@wgsf.net or 01924 231 642.