The Bulletin 244

ISSUE 244 Sept 2024

FROM THE HEADMASTER As a school which has been established in the heart of its local community for over 500 years, a school which has collaboration as one of its core values, the themes of self-sacrifice and charity, kindness and compassion, would seem particularly fitting. In the 21st century – at a time where there are so many challenges globally in terms of conflict, equality, poverty, the environment – the need for altruism, partnership and collaboration could not feel more critical. In this light, our annual Commemoration Service served to remind us all of the extraordinary debt we owe to those individuals and families who selflessly put others’ interests before their own and without whom today’s Royal Grammar School would not exist.

Guildford Cathedral provided the wonderful setting for us to unite in communal celebration this afternoon: a chance to welcome those new into our community – staff and students alike – and to reflect on a rich tradition of which we are all proud and privileged to be a part.

Our service of thanksgiving allowed us to recognise the good fortune of the RGS and to thank those who have supported the School.

The RGS is, undoubtedly, as I mentioned in my address, a very fortunate school and has been throughout its 500-year history. From the initial endowment of Robert Beckingham to the support of King Edward VI, our early history was blessed and secured by the benevolence of others. That good fortune continued through the struggles and trials of our existence, even through to the 1970s when the School faced the prospect of losing its name and identity when comprehensive education was being endorsed for the young people of Guildford. Our Service allowed us to express formally our gratitude to “our founders and many benefactors, men and women whose generous gifts and dedicated service have built, maintained and improved the School over the centuries”. These individuals showed exceptional vision and generosity to support an institution which continues to educate and inspire so many talented local students.

We have a duty and a responsibility in the twenty-first century to continue to embed this generosity of spirit. I firmly believe that our values and our learning habits mean that we are nurturing students who have a conscience and an awareness of their responsibility as citizens to make a difference, students who are capable of listening and collaborating with others. As the RGS family continues to grow – both locally and internationally – this sense of working together has never been more fundamental. Over the summer I attended Old Guildfordian events in New York and also San Francisco and it was inspiring to see the diverse pathways which our former students have taken. Our latest international school in Muscat has now opened and this, alongside our other international schools, as well as our partnership schools in Cambodia and Nepal, mean the RGS family has never been more geographically diverse and yet ironically never more connected and united.

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Share our similarities, celebrate our differences.

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Despite each school’s individuality, personality and character, at heart we all share our fundamental School Values of inclusivity, scholarship, integrity, respect, courage and collaboration. As author Morgan Scott Peck once said, “Share our similarities, celebrate our differences”; this particularly chimes for me.

Every time the RGS has faced challenges and threats to its very existence, we have been supported by the individuals we celebrated today. Our school has been tested throughout its history and has always risen to meet such trials and to overcome them; resilience, flexibility and adaptability have always been the RGS way. This mindset is very much in keeping with the nature of this school and our DNA. As our global family increases, so the values and ethos which make the RGS so special give me great confidence for the future and make me immensely proud to be part of what is such an extraordinary family.

INCLUSIVITY SCHOLARSHIP INTEGRITY

RESPECT COURAGE COLLABORATION

OUR VALUES

SCHOOL PRIORITIES 2022-2025 Our current RGS school development priorities are Collaboration, Student Experience and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In the coming weeks, we will provide an update on each of our priorities and highlight just some of the projects which have been integral to progressing our three school priorities.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION Based on feedback from our Student EDI Group, we encouraged our staff to explore ways to make the academic curriculum more inclusive and reflective of our increasingly global society. We began with an audit of our current offerings, after which academic departments were tasked with expanding the resources used in their lessons; this initiative has resulted in curriculum changes across all year groups.

For example…

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…new texts are being studied in English, activities that challenge stereotypes are being introduced in science, art from different cultural backgrounds is being explored, and the diversity of different religions is being celebrated more frequently, to name but a few!

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Sports Fixtures We very much welcome parental support this term at weekend sports fixtures including rugby at Bradstone Brook. May we politely remind you that dogs are, regrettably, strictly not allowed. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

May we also remind parents that for any midweek hockey fixtures at Broadwater School which take place during the school day, unfortunately, parents are not allowed to watch owing to visitor regulations which are dictated by Broadwater School. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Finally, with unpredictable weather this term please remember to check our sports cancellation policy and social media platforms prior to leaving home to ensure there have been no cancellations or changes to the published arrangements.

Monday 23 September Field Day 1, including the First Form Bushcraft residential trip (until Tuesday 24 September).

Thursday 26 September Monday timetable.

Friday 4 and Saturday 5 October RGS Open Day.

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THE GALLERY

LATEST NEWS MUSIC Alex Davey and Marcus Walsh have officially been installed as the new joint Head Boy Choristers at Guildford Cathedral.

Theo Barker and Alex Oke are the new Deputy Head Boy Choristers. We are very proud of our links with Guildford Cathedral as its Choir School, and have no doubt that our partnership will continue to flourish.

On an individual level, Ruvin Meda received a 1st and 2nd place in two out of the four categories of the Guildhall Young Artist Release competition. His composition Love Testament for trumpet and piano won the Release the Brief category and, as a result, will be published by Warwick Music (the UK's leading publisher of music for Brass and Wind) for global sale.

SCIENCE This year, 17 Sixth Form students have carried out ORIS (Original Research in Science) projects. The research was conducted in a number of universities including Cambridge, UCL, Surrey, Bath, Bristol, Southampton Edinburgh, and St Andrews. The breadth of research was very impressive and spanned the whole of science. Topics studied include neurology, NMR, computer science, Cardiology, aeronautical engineering, sodium ion battery, and condensed matter physics. The Sixth Form students demonstrated extraordinary scholarship and more than held their own against much more experienced researchers.

SPORTS NEWS RUGBY In the first block fixture of term against The Judd School, there were a succession of physical, tightlycontested fixtures. Of particular note were the Under 16As who got their season underway in eyecatching fashion, running in seven tries en route to a comprehensive 47 – 17 victory; there was also an excellent 35 – 15 victory for the 2nd XV. In midweek, the 1st XV beat Lord Wandsworth College 21 – 5 to progress to the next round of the National Cup. This week has seen more than 350 boys involved in 19 matches overall as we welcomed Wimbledon College. The RGS dominated the block with wins coming in all year groups. The 1st XI ruthlessly ran in nine first-half tries to lead 51 – 0 at the midway stage before making wholesale changes to create a more competitive second half. Approximately 80 First Form students made their competitive sporting debuts for the RGS in glorious sunshine at Bradstone Brook and although, as they were billed as training matches, the scores were not recorded, the students enjoyed very successful and enjoyable debuts wearing the red and green!

SWIMMING Freddie Browne has qualified for seven individual events and one relay event at the British Swimming Championships held in the International Sports Centre in Sheffield. At the Championships, he made two finals, finishing fifth in the 200m butterfly final, and ninth in the 400m freestyle final. He has subsequently been selected

by Swim England to attend the National Age Group Development Programme which is for a small number of the highest performing swimmers in the country, and part of Swim England’s national and international talent pathway.

CHESS Ronit Sachdeva finished 26th in the English Chess Championships & 56th in the British Chess Championships, including victory against a Candidate Master and a draw against a Grandmaster: a phenomenal achievement. Aditya Sengupta underlined the strength in depth throughout the School as he won the Wimbledon Junior Rapidplay to become Under 14 Champion.

FENCING Lucas Ngai achieved a bronze medal out of 54 fencers in the Under 14 British Ranking A event in Nottingham.

BASKETBALL In the LISBA (London Independent Schools’ Basketball Association) League, the RGS Under 18 team was pitched against a strong, experienced Whitgift School team.

The RGS team impressed with their determination and never-say-die attitude and emerged with significant credit at the end.

MEET OUR… SAFEGUARDING TEAM = Designated Safeguarding Lead = Deputy DSLs

Mr NW Gough Assistant Head Pastoral (DSL)

Mr MF Baggs

Mr M Bailey

Mr AC Dodd

Mrs SL Kidgell

Head of Lower School

Head of Third Form

Head of Fifth Form

PA to Senior Deputy Head & Heads of Year

Mr JDN Lythgoe Head of Lower Sixth Form

Miss JL McAllister

Mr JW Pressley

PA to the Headmaster

Senior Master

Mr MRF Royds Head of Upper School

Miss GE Spencer

Mrs JSR Thorpe

Mr I Wilkes

Mr JC Witts

Head of Second Form

Deputy Head

Head of First Form

Head of Middle School

FOLLOW US ON…

Mr AU Woodman Senior Deputy Head