RGS Review Summer 2014

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SUMMER 2014

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Design & Print: www.schoolscreative.co.uk

INSIDE Music Distinctions and Diplomas RGS Top UK Medical School Offers Dorking Halls Performances Moroccan Adventures Chamber Choir sing at Cathedral

Feelgood Spins a Political Tale Question Time Special Guests CCF Lake District Adventures No.1 Spot for UK Maths Challenge Team England Selection for RGS Hockey Star

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RGS Twitter Feeds Contact the school departments using our individual Twitter addresses Headmaster @rgsheadmaster

RGS English @RGSEnglish

Reigate Grammar @ReigateGrammar

RGS Drama @RGSDrama

RGS Careers @RGSCareers

RGS History @RGSHist

RGS Computing @rgsComputing

RGS Politics Dept @RGS_Pols

RGS Art Department @RGSArtDept

RGS Library @RGSlib

RGS Biology @BioRGS

RGS Maths @RGSMaths

RGS Business @RGSBusiness

RGS Music @rgs_music

RGS Chemistry @RGSChem

RGS Physics @RGSPhysicsDept

RGS Economics @RGSEconomics1

Catch Up Online As this newsletter illustrates, RGS is an action-packed school with a wealth of news and activities happening around the clock. To keep up to date online, visit our website or interact with RGS online via the below channels: School website: www.reigategrammar.org RGS Twitter Feeds: As listed above Facebook: www.facebook.com/reigategrammarschool

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Headmaster’s Welcome life and pursue goals whilst

prowess and giving musical and

maintaining a high set of

drama performances way beyond

values and a modesty that

their young years, I congratulate

stands them apart.

them all.

It gives me a real sense of

As summer rolls into view, new

pleasure to see the myriad of

challenges and opportunities lie

good things that our young

ahead and I wish everyone the very

people achieve, supported

best for the months ahead. Our

and encouraged throughout

enthusiasm to do our very best no

Reflecting on just how much the RGS

by the staff team here. It is clear that

matter what the challenge is what

community achieved in the three

they employ their abilities and

defines us. At RGS, we will

short months that constituted Spring

determination, together with the first

continue to support each other and

Term makes me more proud than

class teaching and coaching they

achieve together.

ever of the young people in our care,

receive, to do good things often

and of just how much a Reigate

gaining national recognition as a

Yours

Grammar School education can

result. From raising funds and

Shaun Fenton, Headmaster

enable. Whether inside or outside of

supporting others to high academic

the classroom, our students embrace

achievement, demonstrating sporting

RGS Tops the UK for Medical School Offers RGS has achieved the highest rate nationally for students gaining offers from medical and veterinary schools for the second year running. All eleven students applying from RGS this year have secured an offer to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary science.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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RGS House Update HODGSON

BIRD

congratulates Bird for this, and welcomes

Hodgson won the girls’ hockey

A tense House Quiz Final saw Bird edge

them to the field.

tournament with outstanding

ahead of fellow finalists Williamson in

performances all round and in the Third

front of a packed Concert Hall. A fine

Huge congratulations to Cranston House

Form boys’ B tournament, Hodgson put

display of knowledge and memory, the

for a varied and convincing first year,

forward a valiant effort to bring home a

final followed the initial round which was

giving the House a worthy reputation to

victory despite having only five players.

attended by the whole school.

build on in subsequent seasons.

came second, losing out to a very

As if the final had not tested their mental

WILLIAMSON

strong Bird team.

metal enough, the victorious Bird team

Williamson began its story last year at

then took on the staff quiz team in the

sports day with star athletes leading the

At the inter-house sports day, five

end of term assembly ‘friendly’ quiz

house to moral victory, with some

members of Hodgson won individual

match. Thankfully, for the staff at least, the

outstanding individual performances. It

sporting awards and the swimming team

teachers edged ahead to win the friendly.

was obvious from then that Williamson is

A similarly depleted senior rugby side

a house of reserve and grace. With

won the trophy by a sizeable margin.

Had there been a prize for support

CRANSTON

Williamson’s First Form girls and boys

alongside the running track, Hodgson

Cranston won the first ever competition

both wining their hockey and rugby, and

would have won hands down! In the

of the House system - the Fourth Form

the Third and Fourth Form boys doing

House singing Hodgson secured a solid

swimming competition. From there,

the same, we got off to a gentle start.

victory in the smaller group

things only got better for Cranston,

competition.

securing victories in singing, netball,

In the bake-off Williamson bakers

hockey and other events, crowned by the

cooked up some fantastic cakes and

most important of all events, Sports Day!

goodies. The house raised £319.66 for

The combined efforts of Hodgson and

charity after teaming up with Cranston on

Bird on Valentine’s Day saw the houses raise almost £1000 for the Patrick Evans

More recently, it has been nice to see

pancake day, and came a close second

Foundation through harassing teachers

other houses getting involved. In

to Bird in the House Quiz losing on the

with a guitar and a hilarious episode of

particular, Bird appears to be doing okay

final question!

Take Me Out.

with a win in the quiz and a few sporting wins. Cranston acknowledges and

The future for this house certainly looks bright!

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Musicians Tour the Black Forest RGS’ Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band spent five days in Germany’s Black Forest, where they gave two excellent concerts to large and very appreciative audiences. When not performing, the tour group spent their time on a range of activities, including riding in one of the longest cable cars in Europe at Freiburg, visiting a glass-blowing factory and spending a day in Strasbourg.

Careers Convention Over 60 careers professionals and Higher Education

Sir Keir Starmer gives the Henry Smith Lecture

providers attended this year’s RGS Careers Convention.

The event enables students and their parents to meet

Former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and

and ask questions of representatives from a vast array of

international human rights lawyer, Sir Keir Starmer returned

professions, gaining

to his old school to give the annual Henry Smith Lecture.

invaluable insight and guidance.

Sir Keir outlined his inspiration for a career triumphing human rights, the high profile cases and decisions made during his

The event is part of a

time as DPP and touched upon the influences of life-long

busy calendar of

friendships made during his time at RGS. Sir Keir also gave

Careers events and

generously of his time to host a working lunch with Sixth

talks which aims to

Form students interested in pursuing a career in law.

give students exposure of the widest possible

Commenting on his time with RGS students, Sir Keir said;

spectrum as they

“It is always fascinating to get the views of other people, but

consider their future

particularly students at a school like this. In the 45 minutes

careers.

we have had over lunch, there is a huge range of views on national and international issues and it’s fascinating to hear the thought processes and influences.”

World Book Day World Book Day was celebrated at RGS with a ‘body in the Library’ mystery. Cryptic clues set readers’ minds racing as they completed a detective quiz to establish the identity of the literary murderer.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY ‘TOP OF THE BENCH’

PWC BUSINESS INSIGHT PLACE FOR KATHARINE

James Hawrych, Jenny Strange, Askhi Gupta and Isaac

Sixth Form student Katharine Smith has secured one of only

Osterreicher competed in the regional heats of the Royal

60 available places on PwC’s new Business Insight Scheme.

Society of Chemistry’s Top of the Bench competition and won.

Katharine gained her place following a rigorous application process

The competition is run by the RSC for 14-16 year old students.

including maths and verbal reasoning tests and an interview.

Oxbridge Offers Ten RGS students have received offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities, bringing the total number of students gaining Oxbridge offers over the past decade to over 100.

Across the 230-strong Upper Sixth Form, 90% have now received offers to the UK’s top Russell Group universities with all those applying to medical or veterinary school gaining an offer for the second year running. gain their places and also benefit from the excellent experience Commented Shaun Fenton, Headmaster; “The key to our

and guidance of our Sixth Form and Careers teams, who leave

students’ future success is guiding them to the right university

no stone unturned in their efforts to support and help our

and to the right course for them. Our students work hard to

young people as they move on to university.”

French Exchange Firm friendships were quickly established as RGS once again welcomed French students from our exchange partner school near Lille for the annual Fourth Form exchange trip.

During the Reigate leg of the trip our guests joined in with lessons, enjoyed bowling and a pizza supper and a day trip to Brighton.

It was then the RGS students’ turn to live a different culture and language for a few days as the entire group set aboard the Eurostar for Lille. Attending a French school and immersing themselves in family life gave a confidence and language boost to all of the students and it was heartening to see the genuine friendships proven by the sad goodbyes when it was time for the Reigatians to return to Surrey.

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Record Gold Medal Haul at International Chemistry Olympiad RGS’ young Chemists made school history by winning a record breaking number of gold, silver and bronze awards in the International Chemistry Olympiad.

Five students, Michael Ellis, Matthew Pardoe, Kasia Warburton, Rhys Thomson and James Scott each achieved Gold medals with a further nine gaining Silver and fifteen students gaining Bronze medals.

Kasia Warburton’s score saw her achieve the second

held at Cambridge University. During the weekend Kasia competed in

highest score in the UK and selection by the RSC

theoretical and practical testing as part of a selection process for the

Olympiad Committee to take part in a training weekend

UK’s international Olympiad team.

Business Studies Trip to Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club

Weather Station The winter’s extremely wet conditions brought a learning opportunity for RGS’ Weather Team whose storm analysis was regularly quoted in local and online media.

Sixth Form Business Studies students gained a behind the scenes look at a professional football club as they visited Brighton and

Mr Collins’ article on the River Mole’s flooding

Hove Albion Football Club. The group listened to talks on

characteristics saw him included in Radio 4’s File on

security, finance, maintenance, retail and ticketing and how these

Four programme’s analysis of the winter’s weather

areas contributed to the overall success of the business. The

disruption.

students learned of the impact of promotion to the Premiership with its estimated increase in revenue of over £80m.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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DISTINCTIONS AND DIPLOMAS FOR ABRSM STUDENTS Five young musicians are celebrating after achieving top marks and a coveted ‘distinction’ in their Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exams.

Emma Reynolds (Lower Sixth Form) achieved a distinction for her ARBSM Diploma in Recorder, a truly remarkable achievement. Four fellow musicians gained a distinction in Grade 8, the highest award before moving on to a diploma.

Dorking Halls Performances pulled on the Heart Strings Rapturous applause rewarded the 200 musicians and singers who took part in the Orchestral and Choral Concert at Dorking Halls.

The programme was packed with audible treats from the Concert Band, Concert Band 2, Swing Band, Junior Voices, RGS Singers, Intermediate String Orchestra and the glorious sound of the Symphony Orchestra.

A memorable performance of Concerto in G (second movement) from senior harpists Charlotte Ainsworth and Rachael Munn was just one of the highlights amongst many delivered by a talented group of young musicians.

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Moroccan Adventures A group of 17 intrepid Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award students completed their final expedition in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

highest peak in the Atlas mountains. The weather was cold during the night and, after brisk winds which brought Saharan dust, snow fell on two occasions before days brightened up to the more familiar Moroccan azure blue skies that dominated the end of the group’s visit.

The students enjoyed outstanding scenery and mixed weather conditions as they climbed Happiness Valley from from Tabant to Rbat then making a return via the high ridges between the valleys.

The expedition covered a remote area of great beauty where Berbers farm green agricultural land in cultivated irrigated valleys beneath the brown and yellow snowy peaks near Mount M’Goun, the second

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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Singers & Instrumentalists Shine A packed Spring Term programme concluded with a very special

(viola) and Lauren

evening of music which showcased the finest musical talent at

Cockerill (bassoon)

RGS. The breath-taking Singers and Instrumentalists Concert

and Vivaldi’s

held the audience spellbound with solo and group performances

Domine Deus,

including Purcell’s

performed by

Dido’s Lament,

Madeleine Barratt

performed by

(voice) and Elizabeth Whitlock (oboe). RGS Barbershop

Karolina Csathy

performed Bare Necessities and Afternoon Delight and Gaia

(voice), Catherine

Moroni (voice) and James Ainsworth (harp) joined to perform

Huntley and Emma

Over the Rainbow. The concert reached a memorable end with

Reynolds (violin),

all performers joining together to sing Bohemian Rhapsody and

Miranda Harding

clearly enjoying themselves as much as the audience!

Moscow Trip Sixth Form historians immersed themselves in the chilly scenes of their Russian history studies during a trip to Moscow and St Petersburg.

A group of 23 students and three staff toured St Petersburg under the wing of tour guide Olga and from the base of their hotel which overlooked the frozen River Neva and the Cruiser Aurora, which fired the opening shot of the Bolshevik revolution in October 1917.

Highlights of St Petersburg included: the Peter and Paul fortress; the cathedral where the tsars who reigned since Peter the Great are buried, including the recently found remains of Tsar Nicholas II and his family; the prison which had housed revolutionaries arrested after the 1905 revolution, including Trotsky and the decadent Yusopov Palace, the location of Rasputin’s death.

An overnight train journey ended in Moscow station at 9am where the group met their new guide, Alexander. First stop was the Kremlin and the three cathedrals that form part of the Kremlin complex followed by the Red Square and Lenin’s Mausoleum.

The final day saw the group visit Saint Saviors Cathedral, burial place of many of the communist leaders at Novodevichy Convent, and the Museum of Modern History which focuses on the last 150 years of Russian history.

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SECOND FORM TRIP TO YPRES Enduring grim but appropriate weather for a visit to World War 1 trenches, Second Form historians showed great maturity in their appreciation of the different sites they visited. The group toured Flanders Fields Museum, Hill 60, Langemark and Tyne Cot cemeteries before visiting the Menin Gate for the memorial reading.

Chamber Choir sings Evensong at Southwark Cathedral RGS’ Chamber Choir, Polyphony, took part in an Evensong service at London’s Southwark Cathedral. The eighteen boys and girls, who together make up Polyphony, took part in the traditional sung service at London’s oldest cathedral.

Geographers on the Loose RGS Geographers have been scouring streams and seascapes as their lessons flowed outside of the classroom. Lower Sixth Form students enjoyed a field trip to Dorset to study the intricacies of the Jurassic Coast and Swanage Bay. First Form students took to Tillingbourne to measure the width, depth and velocity of the stream and identify channel shape variations between meandering and straight sections of the river.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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FORMER STUDENTS RECOGNISED IN NEW YEAR’S HONOURS Two Old Reigatians received recognition in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

Sir Keir Starmer QC was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) for services to Law and Criminal Justice. Sir Keir was until recently the Director of the Crown Prosecution Service and attended Reigate Grammar School from 1974 to 1981.

Lord Bowness Visit Students welcomed Lord Bowness to RGS as he gave a talk which explained the UK’s political and parliamentary process.

Lord Bowness met with students from RGS’ debating societies and Model United Nations groups to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords.

DJ and Author Simon Mayo Headlined Science Week Radio 2 DJ and author of the Itch series of science fiction books Simon Mayo visited RGS as part of Science Week.

The well-known author relayed how he had first approached RGS Head of Chemistry, Mr Edd Roberts, some years earlier for emergency chemistry lessons which related to a science based story he wanted to write. The lessons were clearly a success as Simon Mayo’s first book Itch, is now a best seller with a second in the series Itch Rocks due out in paperback later this month. A third book in the series is due out in the autumn.

Simon’s talk was rounded off with ‘fire and explosion’ experiments, ably executed by Mr Roberts and fellow chemistry teacher Mr Welch.

It was then Third Form students’ turn to quiz Simon on his science fiction expertise, in preparation for their own writing project. The science fiction project was just one example of cross-curricular projects that took place during RGS Science Week.

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ONATTI THEATRE VISIT Students enjoyed a double dose of language laughter as visiting theatre group Onatti Theatre entertained with separate performances in French and German.

Feelgood Spins a Political Tale The feel good politics of the early 21st century were put under the spotlight as students staged a performance of Alistair Beaton’s political satire.

Feelgood is set at a Party Conference in the year 2000, a group of speech writers, aids and special advisers come together to write the Prime Minister’s speech. However, due to the extreme incompetence of a government peer, the conference and speech become part of a wider cover up of a story that, if revealed, would have disastrous consequences for the government.

Congratulations to the talented cast and crew for a brilliant performance that had audiences laughing at every turn.

Question Time Special Guests RGS Politics and Drama joined forces to stage a cross-curricular

MP Crispin Blunt and political journalist and television producer

Question Time event which followed the matinee performance

Vanessa Elliott gave very generously of their time to form a

of Feelgood. Steve Punt, of Radio 4’s The Now Show, Reigate

special guest panel.

Fielding a wide range of questions from the audience of students, staff and parents, the special guests provided valuable insight into the worlds of politics, the media questions, spin and satire.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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Caribbean Classroom

Calls Students Sixth Form Geographers and Biologists swapped the classroom for life inspiring field studies in Belize during the Easter holiday. The students explored rainforest and underwater ecosystems, visited Mayan temples in addition to helping the local communities by fundraising, wielding paintbrushes and playing volleyball. The majority of the students also learned to dive and navigate the underwater world of colourful reef coral, shadowy caves and lurking lion fish. Those diving and snorkelling also saw sea turtles, nurse sharks and magnificently elegant eagle rays.

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Sport Relief Donning 1980’s fluorescent fitness gear, students and staff embraced Sport Relief with gusto! Gone were 21st century gadgets, replaced by pogo sticks, space hoppers and all kinds of retro fitness fun as break time saw the playground stage a work-out even Jane Fonda would be proud of!

Needless to say, funds were raised a plenty for a truly excellent cause.

Sherlock Masterclass TV and film music composer Michael Price visited RGS to share the secrets behind his recent work on the hit BBC series Sherlock and give an insight into his career working on films such as The Inbetweeners, Wild Child, Wild Target and Hot Fuzz.

Michael also spent the afternoon giving a masterclass to RGS string players, who then went on to perform Michael’s String Quartets for the national Pro Corda Chamber Music Festival.

SATRO Win for RGS Problem Solvers After winning the first heat convincingly, RGS’ intrepid junior team ventured to Charterhouse School for the final of the SATRO problem solving competition.

The team was given 90 minutes to construct a winch which would raise a packet of sweets from the floor to table level. They designed and then produced a superb construction which achieved their goal at the first time of asking and saw them placed first. The judges were so impressed that they took photos of the winch!

The winning team comprised; Eleanor Medcalf, Connie Bambridge-Sutton, Sam Molyneux, Ollie Beresford and JJ Stewart.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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CCF Lake District Adventures Combined Cadet Force cadets enjoyed an action packed Easter camp based at Halton Camp, Lancaster. The group trained with Wasdale Mountain Rescue team, undertaking practice rescues in addition to enjoying archery, rock climbing and hiking.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Conservation Day Early April saw new Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award students embark on their first conservation day at Petridge Wood. The group worked hard clearing trees to recreate the diverse heath previously found here.

The group worked exceptionally hard and impressed the local authority countryside warden who inspected their work. The team listened well to advice and learned a great deal about safe and efficient felling and clearing, in addition to open fire safety.

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KASIA AT UK SENIOR MATHEMATICAL CHALLENGE

International Maths Olympiad and selection for the team will be decided

After an impressive performance in both

to attend Olympiad Training Sessions

after the Cambridge training session.

this year’s UK Senior Mathematical

at Trinity College Cambridge in April.

Kasia has already been selected for the UK team of four students who will take

Challenge and in the British Maths Olympiad (Rounds 1 and 2) Upper Sixth

Each July, about 100 countries send

part in the European Girls’ Mathematical

Form student Kasia Warburton was invited

teams of up to six students to the

Olympiad in Turkey this summer.

Changing Lives Launch Over 200 people gathered at the Mansion House in the heart of the City of London for the launch of a fundraising campaign focused on building support for finance assisted places (bursaries) at Reigate Grammar School. The ‘Changing Lives’ campaign aims to raise funds from donations to provide ‘open access’ to RGS, which was originally founded by philanthropist Henry Smith over 330 years ago to educate the children of Reigate.

The campaign hopes to raise a sufficient amount

and encouragement. Having

to fund fully at least twenty places by 2016 and

returned to RGS on several

has already gained high profile support from past

occasions recently I realise that I

students. In giving his backing to the launch,

have much to be thankful for, and

David Walliams said: “I will always be grateful to

am fortunate to have received

Reigate Grammar School. I was very fortunate to have some

such an excellent education. That’s why I have become an

inspirational teachers who provided me with wonderful support

ambassador for the RGS Foundation ‘Changing Lives’ campaign.”

Number One Spot for UK Maths Challenge Team RGS’ team of Connie Bambridge-Sutton, Aaron Gilchirst, Ben Mackison and Khushveer Dhillon took on and beat 22 schools all vying for qualification for the UK Maths Challenge competition. Challenges undertaken by the team included a cross-number, a head to head competition and a relay round.

The four strong RGS team will now take up their place at the National Final in June. /ReigateGrammarSchool

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Sports Roundup SENIOR RUGBY A memorable season has seen RGS players gain great benefit from the input of professional coach Paul Turner.

22-5 victory in their first full game against Wallington. The side enjoyed good wins over St James, Lord Wandsworth and beat Hurst in the pouring rain with the best try of the season by Owen Knowles.

Early games showed the promise of Tom Vaughan who was quickly promoted to the 1st XV. Other strong performances were also seen from Alex Moore and Tom Greenwood.

Matt Norman quickly settled into his role as 1st XV captain.

The U12Bs’ commitment both in training and in their matches was exemplary The U12Bs saw a fitting end to their season and training efforts with a win against Caterham.

The season highlights were the 1st half performance against Caterham, which proved to be enough for RGS to win the game 24-22, and the performance against CLFS where we battled out a 17-10 victory The U16 rugby team experienced a tough season, in adversity showing strong character. A win over Caterham was the highlight of the season. In the Rugby 7’s the boys made excellent progress winning the Spoon at the Surrey 7s and exceeding all expectations in winning their group at the National 7s.

JUNIOR RUGBY The U15As have continued to make a name for themselves as one of RGS’ best ever sides, having played 23, won 21 and lost just two. The U15Bs have also been a huge success this year, winning 13 games out of 15 giving them a win ratio of 87 per cent.

For full round up of the 2013/14 RGS rugby season visit : www.reigategrammar.org/rugby GIRLS’ SENIOR HOCKEY RGS enjoyed a fantastic season for girls’ hockey with success across all age groups including winning the U18 South Surrey Indoor Tournament. The school saw four students selected as County representatives in the 1st XI alone and one player in the England set up!

The 1st XI had one of the most successful seasons ever, winning seven of nine friendly games and drawing the remaining two, whilst overcoming the disappointment of their cup runs to win the South Surrey Indoor Tournament, after only a handful of training sessions.

The whole 2nd XI squad contributed to a successful season with the girls developing their gameplay over the season.

Back to back wins against St John’s and KCS, and further wins against Surbiton and Ardingly were the season highlights

The U14 A’s ploughed through a tough season results-wise that did not dent their commitment to training and matches each Saturday. Notable players were David James for his improvement through the season and Tom Box who played for the U15 NatWest Cup team and has become part of the Harlequins development squad.

The Third team trained and played hard and although success on field success eluded them, their commitment could not be faulted. As the season progressed they conceded fewer goals and worked together as a unit with a number of players earning call-ups to higher sides.

The U14As played with good spirit and determination throughout the season securing good solid wins over Worth, St James’s and Glyn and saving their finest display of rugby for a 32-14 win over Caterham School.

GIRLS JUNIOR HOCKEY The season was impressive from the outset with some 200 enthusiastic pupils taking part in pre-season training led by former Olympic Gold medallist Steve Batchelor.

Victories over Ewell Castle, Oxted, Worth, Lord Wandsworth, Sutton Valence, Caterham were the highlights for RGS’ U13A side. The U13Bs developed well over the season with a dominant win over WCGS and strong performances against Glyn, Sutton Valance and the 36-0 victory versus Caterham School.

Hockey success across the age groups has been fantastic with the school achieving U14 South Surrey winners, U14 Surrey Cup competition third place, which led to qualification for the South Round, U13 East Grinstead Hockey Tournament winners, U13 South Surrey Tournament winners, U12B South Surrey Tournament winners, U12A South Surrey Tournament winners, U12B 4th Place in Surrey Plate, U12A Surrey Cup Competition 3rd place, which led to qualification for the South Final.

The U12As enjoyed an encouraging first season at RGS which started with a game against Ewell Castle and followed with a

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UNDER 15 RGS’ Under 15 A’s had a fantastic season, showing talent and commitment throughout, which started with a strong 4-1 win against Kingston Grammar School. This match set the tone for the rest of the season and established several key goal scorers.

The team travelled to Jersey where they enjoyed a fantastic tour playing some top level hockey including a draw against the Jersey Island U15 team.

The highlight of the season came when the team put in a fantastic performance against St George’s Weybridge, winning 1-0. Supporters will remember this high intensity match showcased the strength of individual and team skills.

The season ended with the South Surrey tournament where the team stepped up the challenge and came second overall.

UNDER 14 The U14A girls enjoyed a truly outstanding season that saw them crowned District Champions, third place in Surrey and qualifying for the Regional play-offs.

The girls also enjoyed good wins against Kingston Grammar (4-1), Gordons (7-0) and Tormead (8-1).

The U14Bs have shown commitment and good improvement through the season and have battled hard to hold some respectable competitor A teams to draws. The girls came third in the South Surrey tournament and third in their pool in the Surrey Trophy where, despite losing to Tormead and Priorsfield, they drew with A teams from Sir William Perkins, Roseberry and Gordons.

Their best match of the season was the one they won 2-1 against Ardingly, towards the end of the season.

UNDER 13 The Under 13 season is varied with both seven and 11 a side hockey played alongside each other. At the start we played Kingston Grammar in a seven-a-side game and came away with an impressive 1-1 draw. The East Grinstead seven-a -side tournament saw RGS play and win five group matches including Brighton College 2-0. In the quarter finals we had a tight game against Cumnor House but won 2-1. In the semi-finals we were up against Burgess Hill. A 2-0 win saw us progress to the final where Timea Culverwell knocked in the winning goal against

St Bede’s school resulting in RGS winning the tournament! The side’s second tournament was an 11-a-side round robin style tournament where the side played well beating St. Dunstan’s, Colfe’s and Portsmouth Grammar but drew with CLFS and lost to St George’s and Sevenoaks School resulting in a placing of third overall.

The weekend tour to Taunton for the weekend brought wins against Sherbourne School and Queen’s School to play seven-aside. Spring Term saw the South Surrey tournament where the U13s beat Woldingham and Lingfield Notre Dame to win overall. Wins against CLFS, Tormead and Woldingham, a draw with Hawthorns and a loss to St. George’s in the Surrey Tournament placed RGS third in the group.

The U13B hockey team demonstrated good commitment to practices which enabled them to overcome a frustrating start to the season. The girls put early losses behind them with October half-term the turning point from which they remained unbeaten for the rest of the season.

UNDER 12 The Under 12 A side had a great season and has shown tremendous improvement which resulted in their winning the South Surrey Tournament and going through to the South Final after coming third on goal difference in the Surrey Cup Competition.

The U12 B, C & D teams have had a fantastic season. The B’s lost one friendly game and enjoyed a fantastic tour to Taunton during which their best result was beating Queen’s School Taunton 5-0. They were crowned South Surrey Champions with wins over Royal Alexandra and Albert School, Lingfield Notre Dame, Warlingham and Woldingham and also won the B team section of the Priorsfield Tournament. In this year’s Surrey’s a number of schools put their A teams in to the plate, a rather daunting prospect for the RGS’ B,C and D sides who did not carry their fears on to the field and won 2, drew 1 and lost 1.

This placed them second in their group so put them through to the semi-finals against Rosebury’s A team. The girls were disappointed not to have had a top three placing but their successes places them as the top B team in the Surrey Plate, a fantastic achievement.

The C and D teams has been very fluid in an attempt to get every girl a game as often as possible. All the girls have been given the opportunity to represent the school at least twice.

The C team finished the season without a loss in friendly matches and their best result a 3-1 win against Greenacre 3-1.

They were also placed third in the B team South Surrey Tournament.

The D team has always been close on their heels with so many of the girls making fantastic progress this season. They had a good win against Kingston Grammar and were placed fifth out of seven in the B team South Surrey Tournament.

For a full round up of the RGS Girls’ Hockey season please visit: www.reigategrammar.org/girlshockey BOYS’ SENIOR HOCKEY At 1st XI level RGS enjoyed a winning season with 13 wins and two draws from a total of 22 matches. In the Surrey U18 Trophy RGS boys were frustrated to be placed second on goal difference despite beating the eventual winners St John`s

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Leatherhead along the way. The teams met again at Hartswood in the annual `derby` match with RGS emerging victorious three goals to two.

The 2nd XI had a challenging season but kept their spirits up and were pleased to score an average of two goals per game.

Dominic Allison was a strong captain for a second year who led by example, and the team produced some encouraging performances towards the end of the season, most notably a resounding 4-0 victory over St John’s Leatherhead 2nd XI. The last weekend of term saw senior players travel to the KES Bath Hockey Festival, a national event with over 40 teams represented and a fitting climax to the season against opponents RGS does not normally encounter. The team were in a free-scoring mood, with three of four matches won and a goal tally of plus 13 overall for the festival. The team worked excellently as a unit and supported each other over the course of the weekend coping well with the intense schedule.

JUNIOR HOCKEY The 2013-14 season witnessed a revolution in the provision of Hockey for RGS boys. For the first time, all pupils in the First and Second Form had the opportunity to experience Hockey both in games sessions and also for many in competitive school matches. A term of Rugby was followed by a term of Hockey: with some boys excelling in both whilst others finding one of the activities more suited to their sporting aspirations.

At Under 12 and Under 13 level we fielded A, B, C and D teams in the abridged seven-a-side format of the game. The U13 teams also had the opportunity to play full 11-a-side matches in some of their school fixtures. Team of the year in these age groups were definitely the U13B, who only lost two of nine matches played.

RGS’ U12 teams improved significantly as the term progressed, with players such as goalkeeper Harry Verity, midfield/striker Finn Skinner and captain Edward MacTavish featuring prominently in matches.

RGS’ U14 squad achieved one of the most successful playing records enjoyed by this age group for a number of years. With five wins and three draws from their 14 games, the boys emerged with a 46 per cent win rate in their first season.

Although individual performances contributed a great deal, the underlying reason for the team`s success was undoubtedly the strength in depth that the squad possessed in virtually every position.

The U15A team found some of their fixtures quite challenging, but they competed with determination in sometimes trying circumstances.

One obvious area of success was the selection of three of the players for the Surrey U15 squads, namely Ethan Quantick, Peter Doherty and Josh Van der Meulen. These players, along with Pankaj Lal in midfield and

player of the season George Hopkins in goal, provided the backbone of the team.

For a full round up of the RGS Boys’ Hockey season please visit: www.reigategrammar.org/boyshockey NETBALL The 2013/14 season has been one of RGS’ most successful seasons ever for school match fixtures. The squad is committed to being more successful in tournaments next season with the driving aim a Surrey finals qualification.

The 1st V11 had a highly successful season despite losing Emily Brookes after the first week of training with a broken ankle.

Her height and accuracy in shooting were sorely missed but it gave Issie Keith an opportunity to step up to the mark and as a result she improved tremendously as the season progressed.

A disappointing show in the Surreys saw RGS just miss out on qualifying for the finals. The girls were determined to move on and all credit for their positive attitude. RGS beat Croydon High in the Nationals, a feat previously unaccomplished by RGS in this competition. RGS also secured a very satisfying win against Lingfield Notre Dame and came away with three wins in total, only missing out on qualifying for the semis by one point. Late in the season RGS was rewarded with a tournament with the Greenacre Shield safely in the school’s hands.

The girls remained unbeaten in school matches from October to April. Including their first round cup defeat, the girls played 13, won 10, drawn one, and lost two and amassed 433 goals with only 286 let in. Notable wins came against Ardingly and King’s Rochester, scoring 57 goals to 16.

The 2nd VII netball squad has proven to be the strongest in a number of years. Their attitude, cohesion as a squad and their sheer determination on court was infectious and resulted in a very successful and enjoyable season. The girls played 10, won 6 and lost only four. They started the season with very strong performances beating Sutton, Sir William Perkins and Coloma.

Their best performance was in a nail biting goal for goal match away at Caterham School with RGS girls coping well with the pressure, implementing a variety of tactics to emerge the worthy winners 38-34.

A large third team squad happily rotated in matches and became adept at playing in a range of positions. Their attitude was been excellent throughout; relentlessly cheery at 8am on a Saturday morning. They rounded off an excellent season with consecutive victories against Ardingly and King’s, Rochester.

For a full round up of the RGS Netball season please visit: www.reigategrammar.org/netball SENIOR SWIMMING Swimming at RGS continues to go from strength to strength with a training programme of seven sessions per week and many swimmers taking up the opportunity to swim before school.

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RGS’ Under 14 boys’ team had a fantastic season and secured two eighth place finishes in the Surrey Relays and were crowned District Champions. They have won against Wimbledon, Caterham and had a superb win over City of London Freemans.

The Under 14 girls have been just as successful winning galas over Woldingham, CLFS, Dunottar and Caterham and only lost to Greenacre by one point despite racing against a number of pupils from the year above. The girls secured a fifth place in the Surrey Championships and won the Districts.

We are fortunate that we are able to put out A and B teams in every age group in the school. The senior girls enjoyed a convincing win over CLFS, a remarkable achievement against such a strong swimming school. In the District competitions the Under 18 boys’ and girls’ team were both placed third while the Under 16 boys’ were placed second and Under 16 girls’ third.

RGS’ Under 18 team competed in the Independent Schools Bath Cup, the first event at the Olympic pool in Stratford.

The boys’ and girls’ teams had a fantastic day with the girls being placed half way out of 50 schools. Despite swimming against some strong all-boys schools, RGS managed to secure a faster time than a number of the other competitors. It was a fantastic experience for the students, and RGS’ ability to gain entry this year is a reflection of how much swimming at RGS has progressed.

James Lynn in the Upper Sixth Form competed in the Surrey Schools Biathlon back in October. He put in a superb effort to be placed first in the Swim and second overall. James’ success led to qualification to the National Schools Biathlon at the Olympic Park during the Easter holidays.

The Rotary Club Swimarathon saw our Senior Speed Race Team complete 196 lengths in 55 minutes. In doing so they also raised over £450 for charity.

JUNIOR SWIMMING Swimming at RGS has progressed in the last 18 months with seven training sessions a week on offer varying from after school, to lunchtime to a 07.15 early morning slot. The enhanced training and the addition of Mrs Cornelius our swimming coach have translated into a very successful year.

RGS’ Under 15 teams have had a very successful season winning the majority of their competitions, triumphing over Wimbledon twice, Caterham and CLFS. Some of our U15’s swam up at U16 level in the District and Surrey Competitions. At District level the boys came a close second to Reigate School, an all club side.

The girls secured wins over Dunottar and Woldingham and although the A’s narrowly lost to Caterham, the B’s secured a win. The girls also swum well to be placed third in the Districts.

RGS entered the Surrey Schools for the first time in recent years and were aiming for a top six finish. The boys came close with a seventh and eighth place and the girls succeeded with a fifth in the medley relay and sixth in the freestyle.

RGS’ Under 13 boys had a mixed season with a win against Wimbledon College and a sixth placing in the Trinity Group gala against some very tough opposition. The Under 13 girls had a slightly more successful season winning four of their five friendly galas and swimming particularly well in the Trinity Group Gala to be placed second just behind Alleyn’s and ahead of Caterham.

RGS’ Under 12 teams are the strongest the school has seen in a long time. The girls have won three of their four friendly galas, were placed fourth in the Trinity Group and second in the Districts. At the Surrey Relay gala they showed great potential for the future as they achieved a fifth place in the freestyle relay.

The Under 12 boys have had the most successful season in recent years at RGS. In the friendly galas they have won three and drawn one. They won the Districts and were second in the Trinity Group gala, close behind Whitgift and ahead of Caterham and Trinity.

Early in October 16 junior swimmers took on the challenge of the Surrey Schools Biathlon. Each student gave their all and did RGS proud showing true team spirit on the day when, despite the pouring rain, they encouraged each other from start to finish.

Owen Knowles was placed fifth overall in Surrey and Amy Brill, Emelye Kenyon-Brown an d Gwen Subuh-Symons were placed second in the team event at U13 level. With all RGS participants being young in their age group, this was a fantastic achievement. As a result of their successes Owen, Amy, Ella Woods and Corey May qualified for the British Modern Biathlon Championships held at the end of November at the Olympic Park in Stratford. This is a fantastic achievement and a first for RGS pupils.

FOOTBALL This season has seen a huge improvement for Football at RGS. The Lower Sixth Form joined a keen Upper Sixth to make a dynamic and enthusiastic squad of players. Many heavy losses against strong schools last season were turned into well-earned draws this year. The most exciting of these was a last gasp equaliser at MPW just as the whistle was about to be blown!

A fantastic team performance for the last match of the season against Royal Russell ended the season on a winning note and not even three separate hail storms stopped the boys from finishing the season in high spirits.

GOLF Since September 2013, RGS’ golf sides have lost just one game out of 10. In this time 30 players have represented the school (including two girls from Reigate St Mary’s Preparatory School).

The current senior side has been ably led by Greg Hodgson

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over the past two seasons and his organisation and commitment to the team cannot be under-estimated. He has been well supported by his two Upper Sixth Form colleagues, Tom Massey and Mike Stephen, who have all performed extremely well in all games often against stronger handicaps.

There is a strong future ahead for RGS golf with another 12 players all in the Fifth Form and below vying for 1st VI places.

In the Fifth Form Sam Brill and Oli Driscoll have been regular 1st VI players and Olly Massey has also featured strongly in some of the games. Sam Brill was our leading player in the prestigious Smarden Bell competition last summer and will be a real force over the next two years.

In March a team of Sam Brill, Sam Dukes and Will Dowling won the Surrey Schools Handicap Championships, with Sam Dukes winning the individual title and Sam Brill the runner up, Whist our girls won their team championship with Chloe Bader runner up in the individual event too.

raced achieving a personal best. Theo Petitt won in the Third Form boys’ competition, Sophie Elliss, Kendall Jowers, Tom Bushell and Harry Persand all won silver medals in their respective races with Mia Penfold, Taylor Weber and Beth Quick securing bronze medals. All four relay teams won silver and everyone came away with at least one medal.

SQUASH RGS’ 1st V enjoyed splendid wins over Trinity, CLF, Cranleigh and Westminster School. RGS’ team is well represented with County players and squad members including Mo Khan, (Sussex squad), Libby Walters (Surrey squad), Lilly Pinggera (Surrey player) and Matt and Megan North (both top Sussex players), all ably supported by the excellent and ever dependable Will Saward and James Wright. RGS captain Mike Pinggera started playing nine years ago and amazingly has never lost a match while representing Surrey at U13, U15, U17 & at U19 levels.

Highlights for RGS have been the wins over KCS. Wimbledon, King’s Canterbury, the draw with a very strong Tonbridge and the most recent win away at Epsom College. This final result has seen RGS progress through to the SE England semi- final of the National Independent Schools Championships. The future of RGS golf is looking very strong.

INDOOR ROWING RGS’ second season of competitive Indoor Rowing concluded with a highly successful performance at the Surrey inter-school competition with every RGS student who

NatWest Cup Final

Indoor Athletics

The U15 A team won through to the final stage of the Nat

RGS girls celebrated a win at the Surrey Indoor Athletics. The

West Cup and played brilliantly in very difficult conditions

seven-strong team got through to the Finals at the Surrey Sports

against a strong side on their home ground, narrowly losing

Centre following an earlier qualifying win at Reigate College in the

12-15. The best an RGS team has done in years.

South Surrey competition. At the final the girls competed against 11 other area winning school

The side successfully defended their Surrey 7s title beating

teams and seized the top spot

Whitgift, Caterham, John Fisher and Dulwich.

with four points to spare.

The event saw the young athletes compete in various indoor track and field events to mirror an outside competition.

The boys also won their place at the Surrey Finals having come second in the South Surreys. The boys achieved such a huge score that they were invited to compete in the finals despite coming second but finished 6th overall.

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England Selection For Harriet Mitchell

Hockey County Selections A bumper crop of County Hockey selections for both Surrey and Sussex squads saw RGS sportsmen and women in

Following her place in the England Under 16 Hockey side in 2013, Sixth Form student Harriet

celebratory mood. The selections follow an increasingly strong performance in Hockey with the rise in form largely attributed to the introduction of professional coaches at every age level.

Mitchell has been selected not only for Surrey representation but also

Harriet Mitchell,

to be part of the Advanced

David Gent and

Apprenticeships in Sporting

Oliver Harvey

Excellence, as part of the National

have all been

Age Group Squad Academy.

selected for the Surrey Under 17 squad; Catriona Lynn

England Star At Reigate Charity 7s

and Amberley Hodgson for the Under 16 squad; Chloe Stimpson, Josh Van der Meulen, Ethan Quantick and Peter Doherty for the Surrey Under 15 squad. Max

The Reigate Charity 7s is now well-established and regarded as

Clarke has been selected for the Under 14s and Timea Culverwell

one of the top school tournaments in the country. Early March

and Taylor Weber selected for the Surrey Under 13s. Sussex

saw RGS

selections have seen Lucy Donovan and James Hawrych picked for

Hartswood

the U17 and U16s respectively.

welcome 32 boys’ and ten girls’ U18 Rugby 7s teams.

National Silver Medalists

In the Girls’ Plate

The winter hockey season close saw Reigate Grammar School’s

Competition,

Under 12 (U12) Girls achieve second place in the South of

there was delight

England Final. The silver medal winning team celebrated their

for the home crowd as a determined RGS side snatched victory

achievement which represented the highest ranking for their team

5-0 in a very tense final against Epsom College.

in the school’s history.

Presentations were made by Wasps and England star Joe

In their pool

Launchbury who played in the RGS Charity 7s tournament several

games the team

year earlier. Funds generated by the event went to the Aplastic

faced tough

Anaemia Trust and the RGS Foundation’s Changing Lives campaign.

competition playing Alleyn’s (winner of the

Rugby County Representatives

London county

Congratulations to RGS players who received their County call up during the 2013-14 season:

Claires Court

Under 18 Under 17 Under 16 Under 15 Under 15 Development Squad Under 14 Development Squad

– Charlie Bramhall – Laurie Overtoom – Alex Byrne – Joe Gregson – Henry McCann, Oli Brooks – Gus McGilligan

competition), (winner of Berkshire County competition) and St Georges’ B team (Surrey).

Undaunted, the girls made it through to the semi-finals where they won against Kingston Grammar School 2-1. In the final they played St. George’s A team in what was a very close and hard-fought game. Despite a strong performance, the girls lost 1-0 but were still delighted to take the runners up spot and collect their silver medal.

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Open Morning: Saturday 27 September 2014 9.30 am to 12 noon

Reigate Grammar School is an HMC, co-educational, independent day school for children aged 11 to 18. For more information, log on to our website at www.reigategrammar.org or e-mail us at info@reigategrammar.org If you would like to obtain a prospectus and an application form, you may also contact us at the following address: Reigate Grammar School, Reigate Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0QS Tel: 01737 222231 Fax: 01737 224201

Design & Print: www.schoolscreative.co.uk

Headmaster’s Welcome Talks, Guided Tours, All Departments Open