Reigate Grammar School Pilgrim Review Spring/Summer 2020

REVIEW THE PILGRIM

SPRING/SUMMER 2020

SCHOOL OF THE YEAR FOR PASTORAL CARE AND WELLBEING TES INDEPENDENT SCHOOL AWARDS

SURREY'S HIGHEST RANKING CO-ED SCHOOL THE SUNDAY TIMES PARENT POWER

"HAPPY KIDS, GREAT RESULTS" THE GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE

SCHOOL OF THE YEAR 2019 PASTORAL CARE

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HEAD GIRL AND HEAD BOY’S MESSAGE ...WITH A NEW YEAR COMES A FRESH START, MAKING NOW THE PERFECT TIME TO TAKE THE FOCUS OFF YOURSELF AND CHANNEL IT TO THOSE LESS FORTUNATE.

FROM THE HEAD GIRL AND HEAD BOY

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ow is a better time than ever not only to look back at your previous year, but to also look forward to what next year brings. For all of us, these early weeks, not just of a new year but also of a new decade, mean it is the time to determine what we want to make of ourselves and our upcoming experiences. In doing this we can adjust our expectations for the next 12 months. Whether in the school community, at home or in more unfamiliar surroundings, we learn from previous experiences, and drawing from them allows us to revise our priorities.

With such an eventful global schedule forecast for the upcoming year, it is easy to forget those facing everyday challenges closer to home. The year 2020 also represents another year where so many require aid and support. In treasuring how lucky we are, surrounded by friends and family, we often forget the situation of others. I encourage you to make it possible for others to experience what we take for granted. So, if we strive to adjust but one thing this year, focus on it being your selflessness and willingness to help those who really need it. With a new year comes a fresh start, making now the perfect time to take the focus off yourself and channel it to those less fortunate.

As predictable as it may seem for me to promote the idea of ‘treating others how you want to be treated’, maybe we should pause for a moment and properly appreciate this cliché… after all, how we externally treat others is a reflection of our internal self. So, let us act compassionately and display our selfless morals in the new year, working together to achieve our aspirations for 2020.

Best wishes to all, Amy Brill Head Girl

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lthough we are already well on our way into this school year, 2019 has only just drawn to a close.

The memories we made won’t be forgotten but instead will be arranged into 'cupboards' to leave space for the new experiences to come. We must all see this coming term as a time in which we can build upwards from the bases we built in autumn.

Haruki Murakami proposes that “there are a lot of people who don’t improve, no matter how much they practise.” However, I think it would be better to say that we can’t improve without trying; as students we need to recognise that our work isn’t put to waste, and that we spend this new year with a view that we might all grow as people.

Now, I don’t believe that becoming a better person just happens because of some New Year’s resolutions; no matter how hard we try I don’t think we can begin again overnight. In the end this year is just a year like the rest of them, what makes it significant is the realisation that we might change. We can change as people whenever we want, we just need to realise what it is we want to change, whether this is our approach to lessons and learning or how we treat other people. I’m not saying we should all change as people, we don’t have to do anything, but it is important that you know that we can do something. Of course, I’m not encouraging that we spend our days looking back on what has happened, leaving the present to escape us, what is done is done. However, perhaps in looking back we can look forwards, we can improve on the past. We can all form little waves of good that spread around us, we just have to try.

It is a brilliant time to be a pilgrim.

All the best, Mark Jones Head Boy

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HEADMASTER’S WELCOME ...WE WANT EVERY CHILD TO FEEL VALUED, LISTENED TO, LOOKED AFTER AND ABLE TO FLOURISH. THAT IS WHAT MATTERS.

FROM THE HEADMASTER

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ur talented young people are having a fabulous time at school whilst crafting their futures. The wonderful range of opportunities at RGS is no accident: the decades ahead will need agile solutions; great team players; strong leaders; principled key players; and experts in a range of disciplines. I am lucky to see our students first hand – the finest of their generation.

In any school, the academic journey is important – both the day-to-day experience in joyful learning as well as outcomes.

Academic qualities and qualifications do help to open doors of opportunity at university and help secure a place on a professional short-list in the future. However, I maintain that it will be a Reigatian’s qualities of character that will make the biggest difference – as leaders and team mates, as friends and colleagues, creative and reflective. I ask Reigatians to be aware that what we achieve isn’t all that matters, rather, how we achieve great things is what truly matters: the way in which we respect those around us in an ever more interdependent world, a world with a compelling urgency about environmental and other issues. History teaches us that our world full of problems will be addressed as much through quality of relationships and values such as trust, decency and compassion as through any technological or scientific breakthrough. I hope that an education at RGS serves to prepare and commission the young adults who leave us to go forward as pilgrims. Reigatian Pilgrims are, I suggest, on a special journey with a good purpose – to make the world a better place.

Pastoral care is our priority as we build on the momentum of the Wellbeing Award we earned just a few months ago. Our children all need our care and attention at some point and we are determined to get it right. Our work in the High Performance Learning (HPL) programme continues with all teachers involved in developing their practice and we were honoured to be designated a World Class School by the HPL organisation. It serves as a call to action – children have one main chance of an education and we will get it right.

It takes a village to raise a child and a global village to educate an international citizen. Our international schools project continues to grow into Asia and Africa. Our first school in China is open and a second RGS International school is due by September 2020 in Morocco. As these partnerships mature, they will offer opportunities to students and teachers for cultural, sporting, scientific and artistic enrichment, the exchange of ideas, visits and secondments. Students in Reigate will benefit from an enriched community, a more global perspective and be better placed for a world full of opportunities. These projects align well with our educational values. In a few years' time, some will also offer financial benefits to us.

RGS is School of the Year for Pastoral Care 2019 (TES) and School of the Year for Community Engagement 2019 (ISP) having been nominated for more national awards than any other school.

The Good Schools’ Guide summed up their conclusion as "Happy kids – Great results". For 2020, we are nominated as TES School of the Year, once again shortlisted amongst the top eight schools in the country. We are also on the shortlist for the TES School of the Year award for Creativity 2020 and anyone who saw Les Misérables before Christmas or RGS in Concert at Dorking Halls or who has seen the wonderful student art work dripping off the walls at every turn at RGS will not be surprised. Of course, awards and acclamations are never as important as the day-today experience of a child in our care. We want every child to feel valued, listened to, looked after and able to flourish. That is what matters.

At RGS we try to help children cherish their childhoods and embed a sense of fun and adventure into a great education. A full and rich journey for our Reigatian students includes the arts, sport, cultural and other opportunities for students to learn about themselves and about the world. This Pilgrim Review is some of highlights of the Reigate way.

Shaun Fenton Headmaster 2

R EI G AT E G R A M M A R SC H OO L

les misérables "Truly spectacular.” (TW, Facebook)

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ecember saw the hotly anticipated production of Les Misérables, performed in-the-round in front of an appreciative, sell-out audience. The action moved from revolutionary France to the present day, bringing the play’s themes of political protest, oppression and revolution right up to date. The Concert Hall was transformed into a graffitti-covered concrete bunker in which over 120 members of the cast, crew and orchestra delighted audiences and brought them to tears with the story of the episodic life of Jean Valjean (Archie C) and his constant quest to evade capture by Javert (Sam K). Eibhlin G was spell-binding as Eponine, whose love for Guy G’s Marius is unrequited, as he only has eyes for Freya M’s enchanting Cosette.

Marius also gets involved in the revolutionary plans of his friends, including Josh H as Enjolras, which can only end in trouble.

Lauren K moved the audience to tears as Cosette’s mother Fantine, whose death leaves the child in the care of the menacing and hilarious Thénardiers (Caspar M and Louisa G). Tom W was touching and cheeky as Gavroche.

The week-long run included special performances for GCSE and A Level Drama students, a matinée attended by the entire First Form and students from Reigate School, a community matinée and also a special reunion performance, where the audience included twenty members of the cast and crew of the 2005 RGS production.

Throughout the week the play went from strength to strength, as audience after audience enjoyed the brilliant orchestral playing (conducted by Mr Evans), live fire, explosions, fights, weddings, battles and, of course, brilliant singing throughout. Miss Branston put together a true ensemble piece, and it will live long in the memory of all who saw it.

 Just seen an exceptional, modern, dystopian version of Les Mis! Incredible direction/ design, superb musicianship from the pit, stellar acting & singing. West End quality!

MA, Twitter 3

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What a brilliant show – many, many congratulations to the amazing RGS Drama and RGS Music and all the wonderful students who made it fly!

CSL, Twitter

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DRAMA Drama students, Lauren K (Upper Sixth Form) and Josh H (Fifth Form) won places on the National Youth Theatre (NYT)’s Acting Course in 2019, as a result of which both are now National Youth Theatre Company Members.

Both said that the audition day was nerve-wracking but ultimately inspiring, and fun.

Lauren picked up some new singing techniques that she put brilliantly into practice as Fantine in Les Misérables, and says that she’s learnt that connecting with herself helps her not only in acting, but in everyday life too. Josh feels that he can already see a difference in his Drama GCSE work back at RGS, and shared with us the best piece of advice that he was given: “If you’re tiling someone’s bathroom and they want blue tiles but you have red, you can’t do the job right. When they do want red tiles, however, it will be your turn to get the role.” Moral of the story: keep trying – it’s not because you’re not good enough, it’s because they wanted something different.

Josh intends to audition for NYT productions in 2020, while Lauren hopes to be an actor and feels that the opportunities NYT offers will help her to achieve that goal.

...IF YOU’RE TILING SOMEONE’S BATHROOM AND THEY WANT BLUE TILES BUT YOU HAVE RED, YOU CAN’T DO THE JOB RIGHT. WHEN THEY DO WANT RED TILES, HOWEVER, IT WILL BE YOUR TURN TO GET THE ROLE.”

Josh performing as Sanchez in RGS Drama's production of Molly and the Stardust (2018)

Lauren performing in RGS Drama's multi-award winning production of Find Me (2019) 7

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DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

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HENRY SMITH STUDIES: ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROJECT

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The late great Zaha Hadid once said: “I don’t think you can teach architecture. You can only inspire people.” These words have been the inspiration for the inaugural Sixth Form Henry Smith Studies course in Architecture. The new course has been an opportunity to learn about how we can radically change the built FW25 environment, and how we can address FW26 crisis in the UK. the growing housing

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has partnered with one of the UK’s largest construction companies, working closely with the Head of Design and Innovation from Osborne to design and develop a pre-fabricated home, planned for construction in 2020. Students will be busy producing the final prototype models that will be shown to stakeholders and clients throughout the UK. This has been a fantastic opportunity for budding architects G to learn more about F2 the discipline.

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3D DESIGN: BIOMIMICRY Third form 3D Design students were given the brief of biomimicry (the design and 7 production of materials, structures, G0and systems that are modelled on biological entities and processes).

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Each student produced a piece of lighting which reflects their research and iterated ideas. All students used SolidWorks 3D software which gave them a virtual model as well as the final prototype through laser cutting.

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CHARITY The autumn term was action-packed on the charity front, with much of the activity overseen by the Sixth Form Charity Committee.

All age groups have been involved, along with many staff including Mr Fenton and Dr Stones, who gamely dressed in Pudsey Bear onesies and acted as goalkeepers, contributing to nearly £1000 raised in aid of Children in Need.

The Sixth Form hosted the first Volunteer Fair, in which a number of local charities had stands in the Harrison Centre to explain their volunteering opportunities to Sixth Formers.

The First Form dressed in neon eighties gear for the Zumbathon in aid of Lepra, raising over £4000 for the charity this term alone.

Second Form students took part in a read-a-thon, reading as many books as they could in a term and raised almost £1500 for St Catherine's Hospice.

The school clearly has a collective sweet tooth, as the £476 raised thanks to homemade goodies at the Macmillan Cake Sale shows.

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Two Second Form students attended the Schools Awareness Day at The Children’s Trust in Tadworth, learning about the charity’s services and projects and taking part in a number of activities designed to highlight the difficulties faced by children with brain injury.

The Studio CafĂŠ was the venue for a welcoming tea party for elderly Live at Home members, who very much enjoyed interacting with First Formers, sharing homemade cake, and listening to RGS singers.

RGS's partnership with local charity Loveworks continues to go from strength to strength with Christmas being one of the most difficult times of year for those in food poverty. Students organised donations and collections of food items, and staff took a van full of boxes to the Merstham food bank; the school's biggest collection to date.

A huge thank you to everybody who has donated, volunteered and given of their time and energy for worthwhile community causes this term.

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WORKS OF ART

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Mia P

Emily M

Lucy G

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Rosa H

Natasha S

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POP ART First Form students have been drawing from small scale everyday objects and have developed their compositions into colourful reduction prints, taking inspiration from the work of the pop artist Michael Craig-Martin. Second Formers have created some bold relief prints inspired by the German expressionist wood cuts.

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CERAMICS The First Form has been exploring the human form in ceramics. Having studied Picasso the students created coil pots embellished with human form and glaze.

Second Form students, having studied the work of Peter Randall-Page, explored depictions of natural form in varying media. Their clay works celebrate the textures, patterns and form of natural artefacts.

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DARKROOM DISCOVERIES As part of the Lower Sixth Form Introduction to Darkroom Photography, students used a variety of techniques such as photograms and solarisation.

Finn T: Photogram of feathers

Finn T: Positive and negative darkroom photography

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PROSTHETICS Prosthetic, Make-up and Casualty Effects students applied a variety of readymade prosthetics based on themes such as science-fiction, mythical or aquatic creatures. Students used various painting techniques, thinking carefully about the colour and detail in their designs to achieve realistic results.

Lizzie B: Double exposure

Antonina T: Solarization of photograms 18

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MUSIC

is at the heart of life at RGS. Throughout the autumn term musicians took part in over 30 events including concerts, church services, ensemble arrangements, a cathedral tour and numerous individual performances. Many students also took the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exams just before Christmas.

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Following the adrenaline high of RGS in Concert at Cadagon Hall earlier in 2019, musicians from all year groups have been involved in areas of musical participation across the school.

Having been in school for just two days, the entire First Form gave a rousing performance of Feelin’ Good at this year's admissions ceremony as Reigate Grammar School welcomed new Reigatians.

The Wind and Brass Showcase featured RGS's most talented soloists and performers from across the school.

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MUSIC At RGS Unplugged students selected and performed a range of songs from Frank Sinatra to Harry Styles, all accompanied by acoustic guitar or piano.

Cabaret Night saw a packed Old Library enjoy songs from musicals as wide ranging as the 1950s Bernstein hit On the Town and current West End hit Waitress. Accompanied by a live student band, the performers gave some hugely affecting performances.

RGS’s most accomplished pianists demonstrated their talent in immersive solo performances at the Piano Showcase. With repertoire from Baroque to Bossa-Nova, the audience in the Recital Room enjoyed the skill and dedication on show.

The Ensembles Concert started with an upbeat and lively performance from the percussion ensemble playing The Big Noise from Winnetka. The evening demonstrated the depth of talent within the school across a wide variety of genres and instruments.

The term’s main event, RGS in Concert at Dorking Halls saw more than 200 musicians perform to a sold out auditorium. The quality and professionalism of the musicians was demonstrated throughout night from the opening selections from Chicago performed by the concert band to the closing performed by the symphony orchestra - Night on Bare Mountain - Mussorgsky arr. Rimsky-Korsakov.

2019 ended with the uplifting Carols by Candlelight at St Mary’s Church which heightened the festive spirit as the term and year drew to a close.

October half term's cathedrals choral tour saw performances in Worcester Cathedral, evensong at Hereford Cathedral and a stunning performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria at Malvern Priory.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH RGS musicians enjoyed the opportunity to take part in a number of community outreach schemes throughout the term including an instrumental recital at St Matthew’s church and a Live at Home afternoon tea event where a number of songs were performed to an audience of elderly members of the community. Students entertained the elderly at Wray Common Nursing home with Christmas tidings in December and those attending Reigate’s annual Christmas fayre were royally entertained by the RGS Godfrey Searle Choir and Polyphony who sang a selection of carols in the High Street, prior to the lights being switched on at the start of the festive season.

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The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) had a brilliant term, busy from the off with afloat training at Mercer’s Park and a Skill at Arms weekend, shortly followed by Field Day which was a great opportunity for all cadets to experience the thrill of white water rafting.

Remembrance weekend was, as always, a moving occasion. Cadets proudly represented the unit, with the Corps of Drums leading the contingent.

COMBINED CADET FORCE

New members did a brilliant job on Recruit Cadre, learning all about being a cadet and starting their proficiencies. The same weekend saw a Drill Cadre where older cadets were able to learn to run parade, helping them work towards their advanced drill.

RAF cadets had another chance to hone their flying skills at the flight simulator in Dorking and Army cadets developed their skills, making great progress on the digital shooting range in Hampshire.

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DUKE OF EDINBURGH

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he Reigate Grammar School Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award continues to go from strength to strength with more and more students taking part and an almost limitless timetable of activities and excursions. The autumn term saw activities, expeditions and a varied and extensive volunteering programme at each level of the award scheme.

BRONZE Fourth Form students completed their two-day Bronze DofE qualifying expedition before half-term. All groups displayed a hugely positive attitude in spite of dreadful weather and very damp campsites, and put in a good effort to achieve the high standards required to pass the expeditions.

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Bronze canoe groups completed their qualifying adventure in similarly soggy conditions on the Lower Thames. Despite the inclement weather, morale remained high and students supported each other throughout the expedition.

SILVER On Activities Day, Fifth Form students threw themselves into a multi-activity team building day on Headley Heath building rafts, canoeing and orienteering. This was in preparation for their qualifying expeditions, during which all students were spirited and purposeful and pushed through the three-day hike in pretty challenging conditions to finish at Arundel.

DofE Courses Students continued Bronze First Aid, Silver Sign Language and Gold Leader training courses during after school sessions.

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DUKE OF EDINBURGH CONSERVATION DAY Bronze DofE students undertook conservation tasks at Queen Elizabeth plantation near Bletchingly at the end of term. They worked hard to remove Norwegian Spruce which was shading out emerging saplings of native species such as birch, ash and oak. This vital work improves the habitat for wildlife and also provided students with free Christmas trees to take home!

This is the eleventh year of RGS DofE conservation work. RGS students have made measurable improvements to local habitats around Reigate which have improved ecosystems for both wildlife and people.

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ENGLISH DROP EVERYTHING AND READ WEEK The second Drop Everything and Read Week was a huge success. Across the school novels, articles and poetry were enjoyed; biographies, journals and reports were dissected. Across all departments, students were set reading instead of homework and also had the chance to start the day with some quiet reading in form time.

Students were invited to bring books into the library to exchange in a book swap and a photo competition was held to see what kind of books pupils’ pets might borrow in the zoologically unlikely event that they could read them.

The aim of this week is to encourage students to carve out some time to read even when busy studying for exams.

HUGO IS PUBLISHED Hugo R has always loved writing poetry.

He won the local round of the Rotary Young Writer competition with his Stephen Hawking poem this year and was previously a national runner-up in the same competition with a piece on energy.

Award-winning author Onjali Raúf won the 2019 Blue Peter Book Award, the 2019 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal Children’s Book Award. Onjali read one of Hugo’s poems and liked it so much that she asked if she could use a line as the foreword of her new book, The Star Outside My Window. Onjali also invited Hugo to the book launch in London to read his poem out to the audience.

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NATIONAL POETRY DAY 2019 Students were invited to take part in a treasure hunt to match lines from poems with the authors who crafted them.

First and Second Form students enthusiastically roamed around school looking for famous poets, armed with only the names of their poems as a guide.

The English department was delighted with the level of participation on the day and enjoyed running a twenty-first century Haiku workshop. The day was also celebrated in English lessons with a wide range of interesting and inspirational poetry being read and enjoyed.

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THE BEVIS HILLIER CREATIVE WRITING SHIELD 2019 Bevis Hillier, renowned English art historian, author, journalist and Old Reigatian judged this year’s eponymous creative writing award. All Fifth Form students entered the competition and produced some exciting pieces; the year group contains quite a number of talented writers and artists.

The students were set the challenge of writing no more than 500 words on one of three titles. The 2019 Bevis Hillier Creative Writing Shield was awarded to Will S for his excellent piece titled The Secret of the City. Lucy R, Anny W and Maddie W were all Highly Commended, with Charlie H and Cara M joint runnersup.

Mr Hillier kindly spent a generous amount of time providing positive feedback on all of the shortlisted students’ entries.

We look forward to reading next year’s entries as this popular competition continues into its second decade.

A NOVEL APPROACH

MACBETH THEATRE TRIP The Fifth Form had the opportunity to witness some real "double double toil and trouble" as they headed to Chichester Festival Theatre to see an exciting production of Macbeth, which they are studying for GCSE English Literature. The play took place on a cleverly designed stage which allowed the key scenes to involve wild multimedia backdrops,

atmospheric sound and even a live fire for the epic scene as the witches cast their spell.

Beth S said: “The way that symbolism was used really helped me to understand its importance in the text.” Charlotte N added: “The presentation of the witches was really innovative, especially the final scene.”

Enjoying a surge in interest, RGS's foremost literary society, home to those who enjoy a lunchtime think or two, has explored an enormous variety of writers and ideas. It has marked special occasions, such as Magi Orient-ated poetry at Christmas and been fangful for vampires at Halloween.

Ever novel, the students have discovered the poetry of the rap-artist Lamar, thanks to an excellent lecture by one of the Lower Sixth Form attendees, explored the writings of the flaneur, and gone Back to Black with Sylvia Plath. They have considered the importance of trees in preparation for entering Christ Church Oxford’s Tower Poetry competition, and even had a debate, packed to the rafters with students keen to discuss whether we should judge past literature by the standards of the present, as part of the New College of the Humanities (NCH) essay competition.

All students from the Fourth Form upwards are welcome to attend and are invited to give a talk should they wish.

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FOOD AND NUTRITION

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he Third Form enjoyed their trip to local butcher The Blue Cow, where they learned about meat provenance and the structure of meats along with useful guidance on, for example the best and most economic cuts for slow cooking.

They also had hands-on experience in the art of deboning a chicken.

At the end of a very busy term GCSE (Third and Fourth Form) students were set a Christmas Bake Off challenge where they were asked to create their own versions of Christmas pies, showcasing their pastry skills. The results were amazing, and delicious!

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COMPUTER SCIENCE

A group of Lower and Upper School students are currently in the midst of building two robots, one of which will be their entry for Pi Wars 2020. This is an international, challengebased robotics competition in which teams build Raspberry-Pi controlled robots and then compete in various non-destructive challenges to earn points. The competition takes place over a single weekend in March at the University of Cambridge. The students will be regularly updating their progress on their blog: https://pjm290.wixsite.com/piwars

A Level Computer Science students attended the Computer Science in Action enrichment day in London. Students participated in five lively sessions delivered by experts on a range of topics including Robots that Work Together, Algorithms + Data Structures = Animation, and how state-of-the-art machine learning and smart devices can solve huge societal problems.

In November, over 250 students from the Second Form upwards participated in the UK Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge 2019. This involves students completing a set of 18 tasks based on problems that computer scientists often encounter and solve. The tasks can be solved without prior knowledge but require problem-solving skills, logical thinking and techniques that software engineers use to write programs and applications.

A number of RGS students achieved Merit or Distinction at each of the three age levels: Intermediate, Senior and Elite. 51 students achieved scores in the top ten percent top of their age group and, as a result, were invited to enter the TCS Oxford Computing Challenge which takes place in March.

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CLASSICS

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he highlight of the term for the Classics department was undoubtedly the overseas trip to Greece. The odyssey through mainland Greece was a whirlwind tour of fascinating historical sites and spectacular scenery.

After an early morning flight, students quickly found themselves wide-eyed in wonder at the beautiful location of the temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.

This cliff-top monument suitably kicked off a week of marvel at the architectural achievements of the ancient Greeks, with the incredible Parthenon temple and Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus being particularly impressive. Students walked the Sacred Way at Delphi, ran the first race at Olympia (congratulations to Roman T-L for winning), and climbed the hillside fortress of windy Mycenae before getting some much needed rest by the beach at Tolon.

The Lower School Classics Club has also been busy, starting the year learning about Greek and Roman myths and legends. The budding classicists showed off their knowledge through stories and quizzes and worked together to create Roman wall designs of classical myths. There was also a series of sessions about the Greek and Roman gods, kicked off by the launch of Cambridge University’s Make Your Myth project, and finished the year with a celebration of Roman Christmas during a Saturnalia party.

In the Upper School and Sixth Form students enjoyed a talk from Mr Ingham on Ancient Brexits and from Upper Sixth Form student Louis C on The Rule of Law in Ancient Greece and Persia. The department is very excited about the new exhibition, Troy: Myth and Reality, at the British Museum and looks forward to taking students there next term.

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GEOGRAPHY This term has seen Missing Maps Club and GeogSoc continue to thrive with student-led talks on subjects such as green politics, sustainable urban architecture and ocean salinity really stretching and challenged everyone's thinking and engagement.

The Geography department has operated a number of field trips. Lower Sixth Form students spent the day in Brixton investigating urban change and gentrification, while A Level students visited Gatwick Airport for a guided tour of flood management and water quality projects.

Third Form geographers received a guided tour of the Olympic Park as part of their GCSE sustainability studies where students were shown why the continuing regeneration of the area is seen as a blueprint for other cities and major sporting events.

Practical fieldwork required observation, recording and evaluation of all the impacts on the area. Warming up at lunchtime in the velodrome was welcome and allowed everyone to watch the time-trials on the indoor track.

On Activities Day students were once again in London, this time for a guided tour of Spitalfields and Shoreditch. These are areas rich in history and geography, with waves of immigration creating a vibrant and culturally diverse community which is now undergoing gentrification. In the afternoon, the group scaled the dizzy heights of the Walkie Talkie building for spectacular views of London and the Thames.

New York Times bestselling author and journalist Tim Marshall gave a talk to a captivated audience of around 300 students and parents from RGS and other local schools in November. Inspired by his latest book Divided: Why we are Living in an Age of Walls, his theme of geopolitical ‘walls’ conveyed the positive and negative effects of globalisation, climate change and political instability. It was immensely inspiring to hear such a topical lecture from a renowned journalist and political figure: an invaluable experience in such turbulent social and political times. Tim’s talk encouraged students to develop an analytical view of the international landscape.

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HISTORY AND POLITICS Half term saw History and Politics students jetting off to the USA, landing in New York, continuing on to Gettysburg and finishing in Washington DC. A boat trip past the Statue of Liberty to Ellis Island, an afternoon at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and a tour of the UN Building ensured three busy and thought-provoking days in New York.

In the beautiful Pennsylvanian countryside, the small town of Gettysburg and the battle by the same name saw the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War. Incredibly, one of the students on the trip is related to a Unionist war hero, John Gibbon, who fought at Gettysburg. With great pride, she was able to take her photo next to his statue, which stands on

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the battlefield, going on to find his grave in Arlington cemetery later in the trip.

Rounding up in DC, the group dined in one of Obama’s favourite restaurants, and enjoyed tours of the US Congress and Supreme Court. However, the highlights of the time spent in DC were two inspiring talks given by notable political figures based in the USA. The first was by the Director to the NAACP’s Washington Bureau. In an engaging session, Mr Shelton explained the role of the NAACP and its political work. The group was then fortunate to spend time with Reigatian Andrew Sullivan, a political journalist.

The trip proved to be a highly successful and inspiring week which will live long in the minds of the group's receptive and inquisitive students.

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HISTORY AND POLITICS SOCIETY: THE MAYOR’S FORUM AND STUDENT LECTURES

LOWER SIXTH FORM WALKING TOUR

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Mayor’s Forum, the History and Politics Society took a large group of students to Reigate and Banstead Council Chambers on the invitation of the Mayor.

In October, Lower Sixth Form History and Politics students enjoyed a guided walking tour of Westminster and the Palace of Westminster itself as part of Activities Day. Students were particularly interested to hear about the history of Parliament Green as a place of protest, as the Extinction Rebellion members were just starting their two weeks of protest.

Introduced by the Mayor, the discussion focused on ways in which the local councils, at both County and Borough Council level, can improve and adapt their policies to meet the growing sustainability crisis.

After the debate, students discussed local issues with a range of councillors, and a number of students have subsequently become Youth Council members. We look forward to next year’s discussion and debate.

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Student Lectures The society has hosted a wide range of lectures on diverse topics from How to remember the fallen during Remembrance to Modern slavery in Britain.

As ever, the lectures have shown a breadth of academic interest and a high quality of historical and political insight. A huge thank you must go to Sofia G and Katie H who have been outstanding CoChairs this year.

Students then walked up Whitehall to visit the National Portrait Gallery.

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HISTORY AND POLITICS 53.3%

63.3%

44.0%

of RGS students voted in the 2019 Mock Election

of RGS students* believe that BREXIT and the environment are the most important policies in a party’s manifesto

of RGS students* believe that the national General Election voting age should not be reduced to 16

*poll of 357 RGS students

GENERAL ELECTION 2019: HUSTINGS AND MOCK ELECTION On 18 November, the Upper Sixth Form and Politics students from the Lower Sixth Form attended a General Election hustings in the PMH. Moderated by A Level Politics students Isabel A and Katie H, local candidates from four major parties, including Reigate MP Crispin Blunt, gave a three-minute pitch to open proceedings.

Labour’s candidate Suzanne Gregory opened with a greeting from Reigatian Sir Keir Starmer. All four candidates then answered questions from students on thorny electoral issues including the viability of the four-day week proposed

by Labour, whether or not a vote for any party other than the Conservatives is a wasted vote in this constituency, and university tuition fees.

As Head of Politics Mr Haskey said: “With over half of our Upper Sixth

Form having the vote for the first time, it was a great opportunity to help them make an informed decision. The debate was organised and run by the students themselves and there was little doubt that they rigorously interrogated all the candidates.”

On 12 December, 53% of students voted in the 2019 Mock Election, staged in the Old Library. The result was decisive but very different from the national story: the Lib Dems won 47.9% of the vote and the Conservatives just 23.8%, with Labour coming in fourth, behind the Green party. In addition, 66% of students (from a poll of 357) felt that the national General Election voting age should not be reduced to 16, while 63.3% agreed that Brexit and the environment were the two most important policies for any party’s manifesto.

JUNIOR DEBATING It has been a busy and exciting term for Junior Debating. Students have covered wide-ranging questions and topics including Were the moon landings faked? and As a nation, we have become unhealthily interested in our pets. A highlight was certainly the balloon debate which saw Einstein, Churchill, Mandela and Jesus compete to be of most value to the world.

There have been 36 fantastic speeches, several students have enjoyed acting as the chair and using the gavel, and very interesting points have been made from the floor.

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HOUSE NEWS

T

he RGS House Cup runs from Easter to Easter. Going into the second term of the Cup at the start of this academic year, Bird was just one point ahead of Cranston and Williamson with Hodgson not far behind..

The new year's competition kicked off at Run Reigate with students manning the water stations and cheering on the thousands of runners during the ever popular event.

The Houses have chosen their new charities which this year are: Bird – Surrey Care Trust Cranston – CLIC Sargent Hodgson – Surrey Young Carers Williamson – Dementia 1st This year each House will organise a charity day for their chosen organisation.

Cranston led the Christmas event with carol serenades, candy cane gifts, a name the reindeer competition, a guess the number of sweets contest, cake sales and selfies with Santa. The enthusiasm shown by all was great to see.

House singing was as always a highlight of the term. The harmonies were impressive and the unisons involved every student in the school. Congratulations to Bird on winning for the second year in a row.

This year's biscuit themed Bake-Off was judged on taste, skill, presentation and uniformity. Scores were very close in both competitions, with Cranston coming out first overall.

The House Quiz took place on the last day of term and the teams impressed both staff and students with their knowledge. Some of the questions were more than worthy of University

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Challenge! Congratulations to Bird on taking the title for the second year in a row.

With the scores totted up the Competition Cup placings at the start of 2020 are: Bird - 1st Williamson - Joint 2nd Cranston - Joint 2nd Hodgson - 4th Unfortunately torrential downpours put a bit of a dent in the House Rugby competition but four age groups managed to compete in close matches with Cranston taking the overall victory.

House Hockey saw plenty of cheering and skills on display in both the junior and senior competitions. Once the points from all rounds had been added up it was Williamson who found themselves worthy winners.

The overall Sports Cup rankings for this term are: Williamson - Joint 1st Cranston - Joint 1st Hodgson - 3rd Bird - 4th Cranston and Williamson take the victory for the autumn term and also lead overall after two terms. However, with art, debating, chess, the Cannon Run, football, boys' hockey, netball, golf and three more charity days still to go, there is much to look forward to play for.

R EI G AT E G R A M M A R SC H OO L

MATHS BERLIN TRIP The Second Form German visit to Berlin included many highlights such as a guided tour in the Jewish Museum, a visit to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz and the Film Museum. Students walked through the Brandenburg Gate, past the Holocaust Memorial and learnt about the fascinating history of this cosmopolitan city.

The guided tour of the Jewish Museum was one of the highlights as well as the visit to the glass dome of the Reichstag and the Christmas markets in Berlin. After a long days out exploring the city, the group relaxed in the evenings with bowling cinema visits.

UKMT MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD FOR GIRLS Lauren C and Alex H competed in the UKMT Mathematical Olympiad for Girls. They tackled five challenging questions requiring full written solutions, the style and difficulty of problems being quite different from familiar school mathematics.

UKMT SENIOR MATHS CHALLENGE Fifth and Sixth Form mathematicians put in an impressive performance in the annual UKMT Senior Maths Challenge achieving 14 gold, 35 silver and 36 bronze medals between them.

Congratulations to gold winners Chris M, Jack R, Ziyan S, Lauren P, Cici X, Tae K, David H, Ahmad H, Harry A, Bernie C, Amelie D, Noah F, Oliver S, Lakith G. A special mention goes to Tae K who achieved RGS's highest score. All 14 gold award winners went on to sit the Senior Kangaroo paper in the next round.

UKMT SENIOR TEAM MATHS CHALLENGE

LINGUISTS OF THE TERM Rewarded for excellent engagement, effort, enthusiasm and progress.

German

After weeks of practice a team of four: Captain Chris M (Upper Sixth Form); Tae K and Amelie D (Lower Sixth Form); and Thomas K (Fourth Form), was selected to represent RGS at the regional final of the UKMT Senior Team Maths Challenge.

First Form

Lenny H

Second Form

Matthew O

Third Form

Fayyad F

The contest comprises three rounds: a group round; a crossnumber; and a shuttle round. In the group round questions must be answered in just 45 minutes. The team achieved full marks!

In the second round, a cross-number where all answers are two, three or four digit numbers, Reigate again achieved perfection scoring 66/66. The last round was a shuttle round where RGS scored an impressive 49/60.

Fourth Form

Kanika K

Fifth Form

Izzy S

RGS came second overall of the 20 schools present, only losing out to Hampton, who remarkably achieved full marks.

HANS WOYDA The RGS Hans Woyda team consisting of Chris M, Tae K, Amelie D, Lakith G, Thomas K, Jamie M and Taylor S put in a strong performance, placing second in their group and in doing so qualifying for the ongoing plate section of the competition.

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Spanish First Form

Ellie K

Second Form

Edie W

Third Form

Cameron H

Fourth Form

Nehya K

Fifth Form

Grace G

Sixth Form

Ella W

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MFL

ONATTI PRODUCTIONS PRIMERA CITA First to Fifth Form students enjoyed Onatti Productions' latest Spanish play, Primera Cita (First Date). This story was a hilarious observation of two Spanish teenagers, María and Carlos, getting ready for that important primera cita! There was hysteria, panic, fear and apprehension. María had issues with her make-up, her

hair, her clothes and a very untimely spot on her face while Carlos, in his room, attempted his first ever shave!

CERVANTES THEATRE TRIP

JUNIOR CULTURE CLUB

Lower and Upper Sixth Form Spanish students visited the Cervantes theatre in London to see a stage production of La Casa de los Espíritus (The House of Spirits) by author Isabel Allende. The national best-seller, first published in 1982 continues to captivate readers across the world.

The story charts the rise and fall of the Trueba family in an unnamed Latin American country. The play, written by Svich, spans the 1920s to the 1970s as the country moves through enormous socio political changes that culminate in a devastating dictatorship.

Students thoroughly enjoyed the show and some were even invited on stage for some improvised involvement.

A varied term in Junior Culture Club saw activities as diverse as quizzes on countries currently being studied and salsa. Craft activities were very popular and with cultural creations like Diwali divas, Halloween pumpkins and Christmas mash-up posters from around the world.

The end of term raffle was popular and students tasted delicious foods from around the world.

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REIMUN

I

t has been another hugely successful term for Model United Nations (MUN). Over 300 students from schools across the South East took part in the annual ReiMUN conference, now in its 23rd year.

A stimulating and unique debating exercise emulating the real United Nations, MUN is a fascinating way to engage with pressing world issues and work to deliver solutions. Representing over 50 different member states, students took part in eight committees all chaired by experienced RGS students, discussing a plethora of topics from genetically modified crops to the controversies of honour crimes.

One particularly exciting addition to this year’s conference was the inclusion of a Historical Security Council, where students were tasked to imagine themselves as delegates form 1962 working to mitigate the impacts of the Cuban missile crisis. The cooperation and dedication shown by all students was espoused by both Headmaster, Shaun Fenton, and guest speaker – Reigatian Lee Adamson (Head of Marketing at the International Maritime Organisation), who spoke of the importance of international cooperation in increasingly turbulent times.

I felt privileged to be able to open the conference with the words of former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Anan – “To live is to choose: but to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go, and why you want to get there.”

Many thanks must go to my fellow conference Secretary-General, Malvika S, as well as to MUN director, Mrs Fullalove, without whose tireless dedication, this conference would not have been possible.

Looking forward to the coming year, students are busily preparing for the Wycombe Abbey MUN conference, where RGS is hoping to have representatives in the United Sates Senate, as well as the Security Council and Arctic Council. Furthermore, students are in the process of passing on leadership roles to current members of the Lower Sixth Form and are working on outreach programmes to promote the ethos of the school through MUN at other schools.

Louis C Secretary-General of ReiMUN 23

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MUN CLUB Wednesday's MUN Club has gone from strength to strength with a huge range of complex issues being discussed, from far right extremism to the death penalty with a much more light-hearted one for Christmas on Santa Claus’s role.

The MUN team also took part in two further external conferences this term: two teams attended the Royal Russell School’s MUN conference and a further two delegations attended the MUN Conference at Croydon High School.

Both were a success for RGS students.

Azsvin M achieved an award for representing Israel at RRMUN and went on to gain the Outstanding Delegate award for his role in the Security Council representing The Dominican Republic at CroyMUN. Conor F was also named Outstanding Delegate at RRMUN. All teams prepared with great vigour and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to both hear and take part in quality international debate.

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SCIENCE

A

busy schedule in the Science department has seen a plethora of enriching trips and activities throughout the term. Upper Sixth Form biologists developed their ecological knowledge and investigative skills during the annual residential field-trip to Nettlecombe where they explored rocky shore and freshwater ecosystems, measured succession on the Quantocks, designed their own ecological enquires and enjoyed lots of cake. Biologists have also enjoyed exploring a range of challenging concepts through attendance at discussion groups. Students meet to read articles on recent developments, discussing the underlying principles and their application – a great opportunity to broaden their understanding and develop their love of the subject.

Psychology students cemented their understanding of how biological processes impact human behaviour with a trip to the Body Worlds Exhibition where they were able to see the structures they have been, and will be studying, in order to gain greater context for their learning.

Through the new Psychology and the Media lunchtime activity, students have had the opportunity to consider how psychological issues are portrayed in the media and the impact this may have on our understanding and treatment of them. This has generated much discussion and greater awareness of the diverse nature of psychological study.

Physicists attended a range of fascinating lectures at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster. Over the course of the day, a wide variety of topics were covered, including the physics of smart buildings of the present and future, the changing definitions of crucial SI units, the wonders of the visible and invisible universes, the unusual physical properties of solid water, and the analysis of sounds produced by the spectacular (and somewhat unexpected) gymnastics of the tongue and larynx.

Later in the term physics students also witnessed the practical applications of the electric and magnetic fields section of their syllabus on a visit to the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy. Here they saw how the Joint European Torus (JET), the world's largest operational magnetically confined plasma physics experiment, is utilised and managed to progress the future of fusion energy, a clean and alternative source to fossil fuels.

Lower Sixth Form chemists attended the Chemistry in Action conference in London as well as New Scientist Live. Both days offered opportunities to hear from leaders in industry.

Second Form students built molecules in the Molymod challenge and Third to Fifth Form chemists tested their practical skills when RGS hosted the annual Royal Society of Chemistry competition, Top of the Bench for schools from the surrounding area.

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F

irst Form students have explored the meaning of Theology and Philosophy (T&P) and begun diving into the Big Story, an exploration of the Bible through discussion and creative activities such as their project on Desert Island Rules. The Second Form meanwhile created some wonderful presentations for their Knowing God projects, creating a piece of art that explains how people may connect with God. T&P is more popular than ever with record numbers selecting the subject at GCSE. Younger students have begun exploring issues surrounding peace and conflict, while those in Fifth Form have been looking at human rights and social justice.

An introduction to ethical theory and rationalism verses empiricism kicked off the A Level course for Lower Sixth Form

THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY students while the Upper Sixth Form has been exploring topics as diverse as gender roles in society and religious language.

Philosopher Steven Law once again visited the school and provided a workshop and talk on religious experiences and sexual ethics. The religious discussion revolved around the reliance on visions of God and whether or not they are evidence for God’s existence. During the sexual ethics section Christian views on homosexuality and Thomas Aquinas’ natural law were discussed. Issy G said "The talk was an informative and concise summary of some of the topics we cover throughout the A Level syllabus.“ The Upper Sixth Form also enjoyed a trip to London where they participated in a variety of lectures aimed at gifted and talented students. The lecturers included theologians Keith Ward, Daphne Hampson and Tom Greggs.

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SPORT

#TeamReigate

I

t comes as no surprise that it has been another fantastic term for #TeamReigate. Whatever metric is used it was very successful and thanks go out to all of the staff, students, parents and the wider community for the time and consideration that is given to make sport such a fun and inclusive part of school life.

The sporting year started in August with a very successful Hockey tour to Holland, 150 students attending pre-season netball and rugby camps and the introduction of football for all year groups.

Cup competitions were in full flow through the early part of the term with football, netball, hockey, rugby, swimming, golf and squash teams all competing in local and national competitions.

Highlights of the competitive term included the U15 boys' football team winning away at traditional powerhouse

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Hampton School, the U13 footballers taking a hovercraft to a fixture on the Isle of Wight, the 1st XI hockey team establishing themselves as a top competitor in the Tier 1 National Cup and the First Form students having extraordinary results on the netball court and rugby pitch.

741 STUDENTS HAVE REPRESENTED RGS ACROSS NINE SPORTS FIRST EVER GIRLS' FOOTBALL MATCHES COUNTY CHAMPIONS IN SWIMMING AND HOCKEY INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL BIATHLON CHAMPIONS RGS TENNIS ACADEMY LAUNCHED

Swimmers have had a remarkable time with the girls winning the county relay and individual championship. The boys also had a brilliant result helping #TeamReigate claim a double county title as they too won the county individual championship.

The 1st XV rugby team has led by example with a very competitive season in testing conditions. The U14 San Sebastian tour was a great experience for all as students were spurred on by the England's success at the rugby world cup.

This term has also seen badminton, ultimate frisbee, squash, futsal, cross country and cricket matches.

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NETBALL Netball at RGS is more popular than ever and the increasing participation is beginning to reap rewards. There is a real buzz around the school about netball which is great to see.

Performance squads have been training hard throughout the winter and are leading other year groups through the netball season. The run up to Easter is jam-packed with exciting fixtures including county champions Guildford High, national champions Brighton College and local derby days against Caterham and St John's.

Following the Christmas break, the juniors headed north for a five-day Manchester tour. 24 talented Second Formers took on an intensive pre-season programme with training sessions from the likes of Manchester Thunder's Captain and England superstar, Laura Malcolm and the legendary Tracey Neville, former England Head Coach. As well as learning from the best of the best, the girls had a chance to play against some of the top netball schools in the country. Of course, there was some well deserved downtime including the chance to take on the Ninja Warrior course and showing of their dance moves on the ice!

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CRICKET

TOP 100 SCHOOLS

RGS CRICKET GAINS TOP 100 SCHOOLS ACCOLADE FOR THE THIRD YEAR RUNNING RGS has once again been selected by national magazine The Cricketer as one of the top 100 senior schools in the country for excellence in cricket. The Playing Fields of England annual report follows an exhaustive process which saw a record number of schools submit entries to be included in the guide, and recognises schools that have the best coaching, facilities, results, fixture lists, community engagement and sustained support for the wider game and its players.

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“I AM DELIGHTED THAT CRICKET AT RGS HAS BEEN RECOGNISED FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW. RGS STUDENTS HAVE OUTSTANDING OPPORTUNITIES TO EXCEL AT THE SPORT AND WE AIM TO DEVELOP WITHIN THEM A LIFELONG LOVE OF THE GAME”.

MR JAMES LECK, RGS HEAD OF CRICKET

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#TeamReigate INDOOR CRICKET The U13 and U15 girls' teams successfully qualified from the Surrey Cricket Foundation South East Quadrant Indoor Competition to make the County finals which take place in March. Both teams recorded two wins out of two to qualify, with all players having the opportunity to contribute with both the bat and ball.

COUNTY SELECTION At the end of the 2019 cricket season, a number of RGS cricketers were put forward for Surrey County Cricket Club trials. This year has seen a record number of students selected for both the boys and girls county age-group programmes.

Congratulations go to all those selected who have worked hard to progress to and in some cases, stay at this level.

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HOCKEY

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#TeamReigate The girls’ hockey season got off to a hot start as the teams travelled to sunny Almere in Holland for the annual pre-season trip, where a fun-filled few days of matches, training, theme parks and hospitality awaited them.

The away theme continued with a trip to the South West for younger age groups. Taunton provided a busy weekend of matches and training along with lighter entertainment in the form of bowling, swimming, meals out and birthday celebrations.

The introduction of England Hockey’s new Tier 1 league provided the 1st XI squad with the opportunity to travel across

the South East and to test their methods of play against new opposition to great effect.

Successes so far this year have included the U18s making it to the south finals of the England Hockey indoor competition; the U15s becoming county champions for the fourth year running, and the U14s winning the Surrey championship and placing third at the England Hockey south finals, once again narrowly missing out on a place at the nationals.

At the time of writing the U13s, U15s and U19s are all in the final eight in the country of the Independent Schools Hockey Cup (ISHC). As well as the team successes, large number of students have once again been selected for county and regional squads.

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RUGBY

RGS Rugby enjoyed another exciting and competitive season, continuing its focus on both performance and mass participation.

Fielding 19 teams, a total of 175 matches were played giving all the opportunity to enjoy the great British game of rugby regardless of ability.

Nearly 3000 points were scored across the teams, demonstrating the free-flowing RGS style of rugby the school seeks to promote and develop.

Excitingly the school was once again able to field A-E teams in the First Form with the A team proving particularly impressive, going all season undefeated.

Representation at a higher level also continued with several boys and girls selected for the Harlequins DPP setup as well as the Surrey county teams.

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#TeamReigate

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#TeamReigate

SWIMMING AND BIATHLON

RGS

swimmers continue to thrive in the pool. They excelled at the Surrey Schools Relay Championships where the senior girls were crowned county champions in both the freestyle and medley relay. There was also success in the intermediate girls’ freestyle, intermediate and junior boys’ medley with bronze medals all round.

The impressive performances qualified the senior and intermediate girls for the English Schools Swimming Association (ESSA) national relay final. Once again the girls swam exceptionally well achieving 11th in the senior girls’ freestyle relay, 15th in the senior girls’ medley relay and 16th in the intermediate freestyle relay.

The biathlon season included a very successful competition at the east region biathlon championships where Eva M (U15) and Issy H (U16) took golds in their respective age groups. There were also great results at the Whitgift event where Sam A won the U12 and James C the U16 boys’ events, and for the girls Gabi H won at U14 and Clara A at U16 level. Silver medals went to Tomos K and Jemima P in the U17 boys’ and girls’ events.

Successful competitions at regional level lead to a number of students attending the British Biathlon Championships where there were further successes for #TeamReigate: U14 Girls Gabi H 1st U15 Girls Eva M 2nd U12 Boys Sam A 10th, Barney S 44th U15 Boys Morgan C 26th, Lukas K 28th 58

R EI G AT E G R A M M A R SC H OO L

JUNIOR SKI TRIP

A

s a busy autumn term drew to a close, 62 students from Second to Fifth Form packed their bags and headed off to Saas-Grund and Saas-Fee in Switzerland for an action-packed week of skiing.

The group was treated to three days of exceptional conditions with blue skies and lots of fresh snow. The beginners progressed quickly, and the more advanced groups enjoyed learning how to ski in ungroomed conditions.

Stormy condition forced the closure of the resort for the other two days meaning lots of fun messing around on the beginner slopes, sledging, snowshoeing and souvenir-shopping in Saas-Fee. In the evenings after dinner, students enjoyed family fortunes, bingo, ice skating, mini-Olympics and the increasingly infamous nightly disco. At the end of the trip, Reigate’s Got Talent was won by a well deserving group of Second Form boys led by Billy R.

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#TeamReigate

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CAREERS

T

he RGS Careers department organises a packed timetable of events throughout the year, many open to the local community as well as RGS students. These events are hugely popular and see ever increasing numbers of attendees, keen to hear from and meet with the visiting speakers and representatives.

In addition to the evening talks and lectures, lunchtime presentations and various workshops the Careers department provides a wide range of advice and guidance to students as they start to think about life beyond RGS. As ever, the contribution from parents, former students and friends of RGS who have given up their time to talk to our students has been invaluable - the RGS careers programme would not be as successful as it is without their support.

The main focus for Upper Sixth Form students has, of course, been their UCAS applications, and it is pleasing to see the offers are now pouring in.

This year's timetable has included presentations on applying to US universities, careers in medicine, social justice, careers in the Arts, and veterinary medicine. There was the annual presentation on CV and covering letter writing for Fifth Form students, and Mrs Budden presented to Lower Sixth Formers on the subject of Oxbridge applications, advising them on how to make themselves excellent university candidates. Fifth Form students have also been busy taking careers profiling tests along with follow-up interviews.

Several RGS staff volunteered to put prospective medics and dentists to the test with multi mini interviews (MMI). Students move from station to station undertaking a range of interview 61

questions, role plays and tasks which aim to simulate what they will face in their medical interviews. The event was both good practice and good fun, despite being necessarily challenging at times.

There have been two major careers events so far this year.

The Accounting and Finance Evening which was, as ever, very well attended; Ian Magness (Reigatian parent), Maggie Stilwell (current RGS parent) and Jamie Mehmood (Reigatian and current RGS parent) gave informative presentations; and Ed Forsyth (Reigatian) and Iain Dewson (Reigatian and current RGS parent) took questions from the floor.

The Degree Apprenticeship Evening was attended by more than 200 people reflecting the level of interest in this route.

Representatives from Withers Law Firm, Pearson College and NestlĂŠ gave their views, and Nick Harrison from Waterman Group (Engineering/Environment) and Antony Auston from Huntley Cartwright (Quantity Surveyors) joined the panel of experts.

WEEKLY EVENTS The weekly Medical Discussion Group is a forum for students who are interested in medicine, veterinary science or dentistry to discuss current issues in these fields, present and listen to presentations from each other and from outside speakers and to share experiences of interviews and applications.

The group has been an important factor in the school's continued success at helping students to get into university to study these subjects.

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ECO COMMITTEE The Eco Committee has stepped up its mission to influence students and parents to consider the environment when making daily decisions.

Students from all year groups have had an opportunity to write to MPs, watch and discuss documentaries, and plan events and assemblies.

recycled. In December, students discussed solutions to tackle the enormous amounts of waste generated over the festive period by suggesting gifts for a conscious Christmas. In the Spring, they will be looking to combat the UK’s reliance on fast fashion by promoting a swishing event, when pre-loved clothes can be swapped and re-loved rather than sent to landfill.

The Eco Prefects attended the Mayor’s Forum at Reigate Town Hall with members of the Politics department where they voiced young people’s concerns about the environment and shared and discussed solutions to help combat major issues. They met with local Green councillor Jonathan Essex to look at what problems we face locally and have since written to MP Crispin Blunt to raise their concerns.

Eco Prefects have met with the new school caterers Chartwells, to discuss what can be done to help students make ethical decisions in the canteen and around school, such as increasing the use of reusable cups and introducing the use of reusable food containers from home where a takeaway lunch is required.

Members of the committee even visited the Grundon Recycling Plant to find out where waste goes and how it is reused or

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R EI G AT E G R A M M A R SC H OO L

THE REIGATE GRAMMAR SCHOOL GLOBAL VILLAGE

I

t takes a village to educate a child, and it takes a global community to educate an international citizen. This brings huge educational benefits such as pupil and teacher exchanges, enhanced cultural understanding, and the opportunity to embrace new ideas and methods in pedagogy and beyond.

These international partnerships in Asia and Africa are motivated by the values we place on friendship and open-mindedness: they help RGS to form bridges of understanding, not walls of ignorance and as a school RGS feels strongly that we owe it to today’s students to prepare them for the world wide opportunities of the future.

Following the developments in China, RGS has become the first UK independent school to enter into a partnership with a school in Morocco. The first school, British International School Casablanca (BISC) is already open in Casablanca with others to follow in Tangiers and Rabat. The schools are co-ed, follow the British curriculum (IGCSEs and A Levels) and cater for children from kindergarten to Sixth Form.

The first project to launch is in China and the first school is now open in Nanjing, with building of the second in now well underway.

In addition to China and Morocco, RGS has welcomed school parties from: China, Vietnam and Cambodia, signing a collaboration with Zhixin High School.

Reigate Grammar School Nanjing Main School Entrance

T H E PI LG R I M R E V I E W S PRI N G / S U M M E R 2 02 0

RGS Zhangjiagang Kindergarten Building

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The Reigate Grammar School Foundation reception at the House of Commons

A reception at the House of Commons attended by 200 members of the Reigatian community kicked off the new academic year.

The aim of the event was to raise awareness of the work of the Foundation, particularly focusing on the important work of the Changing Lives campaign, now celebrating its fifth anniversary.

Since its launch, over ÂŁ5 million has been raised.

In attendance at the event were eminent Reigatians Lord Sterling of Plaistow GCVO, CBE (RGS 1945-1949) and Sir Charles Masefield (son of former Chair of Governors, Sir Peter Masefield).

The evening was complemented by wonderful music from some current music students, Matthew O on the piano and Isabelle A on the flute, and some memorable solos from Oxford University student Maddy Withers (’17).

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rgs.foundation RGS FOUNDATION: OUR ROLE, OUR WORK

WE REACH OUT

in friendship to engage and build relationships

WE CONNECT

our community and develop the Reigatian network

WE INFORM

through communications and raising awareness

WE ASK The RGS Professionals Network is open to all Reigatians whether they are alumni, parents or friends of the school. You can join by contacting the Foundation office foundation@reigategrammar.org or by joining the LinkedIn group Reigate Grammar School Professionals

for support to make a philanthropic impact “We exist to support the school and its aim of providing students with an outstanding educational experience. True to our ethos and moral purpose, we have an Open Access vision, where Reigate Grammar School is able to provide opportunities to any talented child no matter what their background.�

Sean Davey, Head of Foundation and International Business Development

RECENT EVENTS...

RGS Professionals at Morrisons

RGS Professionals at Moorhouse

Reigatian Regional Gathering in Bristol

Wayne Barnes at Dream Steam Social 66

RGS Hartswood Sports Ground

CATCH UP ONLINE As this Review illustrates, RGS is an action-packed school with a wealth of news and activities happening around the clock. To keep up to date, visit our website or join in with RGS online:



facebook.com/reigategrammarschool

 Follow our news and views on Twitter: Headmaster @rgsheadmaster

RGS Cricket @RGScricket

RGS Hodgson @RGS_Hodgson

RGS Science @ScienceRGS

Reigate Grammar @ReigateGrammar

RGS Drama @RGSDrama

RGS Library @RGSlib

RGS Sixth Form @RGS_SixthForm

RGS Art Department @ArtDeptRGS

RGS Economics @EconomicsRGS

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RGS Bird @RGS_Bird

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RGS Swimming @SwimmingRGS

RGS Careers @RGSCareers

RGS Foundation @foundationRGS

RGS Music @rgs_music

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RGS Williamson @RGS_Williamson

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RGS Hockey @HockeyRGS

RGS Scholarships @RGSScholars

RGS Weather @RGSweather

Reigate Grammar School, Reigate Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0QS 01737 222231 info@reigategrammar.org reigategrammar.org