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FROM THE HEADMASTER

As the poet Robert Laurence Binyon wrote in his poem entitled For the Fallen, published in The Times on 21st September 1914, and now synonymous with the spirit of remembrance: “They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.”

The School provides enduring memorials to ensure we will, indeed, remember them. The board in Big School, individually names the 58 Old Guildfordians who tragically lost their lives between 1914 – 18; a further 96 are recorded on the board commemorating 1939 – 45 in the same historic location. In addition to these very visible records, our annual Remembrance Service provides the opportunity for the School to come together to acknowledge our debt to those who served in the World Wars and in recent conflict, and to reflect upon their sacrifices.

This sense of connection becomes ever more important. As the World Wars become increasingly ancient history for our students and as the number of survivors from that period dwindle, it is all the more critical that our young people understand the significance of the act of remembrance. This message was powerfully brought home by the crosses which were placed on the Headmaster’s Lawn. 58 crosses represented each one of our Old Guildfordians who died in the First World War: the youngest being just 18, the same age as some of our Upper Sixth Form students. These crosses depicted individuals who, as I mentioned to the School at our service, “walked the same corridors as you; had the same dreams and aspirations as you; and whose loss of life was a source of devastation for their friends, families and the School alike.” To recognise the link between generations, the name and age of those who died was handwritten on each cross by a current RGS student.

Against the context of terrible, modern-day suffering, loss of life and humanitarian crises as the result of conflict, our desire for peace could not be more pertinent. Despite the global nature of warfare – easily accessible at the touch of a button through online platforms – at times it can feel that Guildford and Surrey are sheltered from such hostility. In this context, the address at our Remembrance Service by Upper Sixth Form and History student, Sebastian Cunningham, was all the more pertinent and impactful. As Sebastian so eloquently articulated:

“Guildford, like many other towns at the start of the war, experienced a surge of patriotism at a scale that cannot be imagined in today’s world. Around 4000 men from the town signed up to fight, which in today’s numbers may not sound much, but the population of Guildford at the time was only around 25,000. With 32% of the male population suddenly leaving, the atmosphere of the town completely changed. Nearly every family would have the father, as well as many of the sons leave, uncertain whether they would ever meet each other again.

…walked the same corridors as you; had the same dreams and aspirations as you.

Cover photo –The Officers’ Training Corps (OTC) proudly pose on the Headmaster’s Lawn in the early 1920s as they display silverware won in recent shooting competitions.

In today's world, one can hardly imagine what it would be like to have a third of the male population suddenly depart. It meant families felt empty, full of worry for whether their sons, husbands, fathers or brothers would ever return. For most, that is an impossible thing to even consider.”

A moving and very personal service proved thought provoking and emotive for students, staff and Old Guildfordians alike. Despite the famous lines quoted above, it is perhaps the lesser known parts of the same poem by Binyon, however, which resonate for us as a school. The poet notes the youthful tragedy of the war losses: “They went with songs to the battle, they were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.” This only serves to make the impact of their deaths all the more acute: “They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; they sit no more at familiar tables of home.”

As Sebastian concluded in his address: “While the vast majority of soldiers did return home, a considerable number did not. 440 of the 4000 soldiers who fought never returned home, 58 of those being old Guildfordians, with some as young as 19. Boys like us, who were in the same position as us, and faced the same experiences as us fought in those trenches. An additional 150 Old Guildfordians faced life-changing injuries from the war, whether that be blindness from a gas attack, or a missing leg from a grenade. In remembering these sacrifices of not just this school, but from Guildford as a whole, we remember a community who sacrificed their livelihoods to help defend not only their families, but their country.”

As the boards in Big School commemorate and as Binyon said, “We will remember them.”

Our Vision

A high-performing and inclusive independent day school, which provides a great education so that students can lead happy, successful lives and have a positive impact on society.

Our Strategic Priorities

Integrate our pastoral and wellbeing offer, and tailor this to meet the needs of a modern-day student community.

Develop a more focused co-curricular offer, organised around a character development framework based on our school values.

Enhance our academic strength, in terms of exam results, developing minds and preparing students for higher education.

Maintain a healthy future pipeline of students in the face of increasing demographic, market and regulatory challenges.

NOTICES

Forthcoming events

Tuesday 18 November

Lower Sixth Form Parents’ Evening takes place online.

Wednesday 19 November

Advent Service in Holy Trinity Church. All very welcome.

Thursday 20 November

Junior Scholarship Conference in the Auditorium.

GCSE Evening for the Fifth Form in Great Hall.

Monday 24 November

RGS Rock at The Boileroom.

Wednesday 26 November

Orchestral Concert at Holy Trinity Church.

Thursday 27 November

Major Drama Production of A Christmas Carol in the Auditorium, first of three performances on consecutive days.

Saturday 29 November

RGS Christmas Fair in Great Hall

LATEST NEWS

OLYMPIADS

Due to the popularity of the national Physics Olympiad, Round 0 was introduced for the first time this year. With 559 schools entering 9,500 candidates and only 1,921 continuing, this was a competitive and rigorous process. We are delighted to announce that the following students progress to Round 1: Angus Whyte, Ayaan Bhagat, Zaki Mian, Mohammed Ben Othman, Yuvan Raja, Ronit Sachdeva, Ritam Sen, Dylan Wall and Sam Wilkinson.

ACADEMIC

Our annual ILA (Independent Learning Assignment) /ORIS (Original Research in Science) Presentation Evening is, undoubtedly, one of the highlights of our Scholarship for all programme. A packed Auditorium of students, parents, staff, visiting students and friends of the school were treated to ten wonderful presentations by members of our Upper Sixth Form. The calibre of this research shone through in all of their presentations; even more impressive was the confidence and poise with which they were able to present their findings, carefully explaining complex concepts in an accessible and engaging manner. The panel of judges, including representatives from our family of international schools, after lengthy deliberation, ultimately selected Yuvan Raja as the winner of the ORIS category, for his research on modelling acoustic scattering via fractal mesh decomposition. Joe Millar was the winner in the ILA STEM category for his investigation into how altruism and prosocial behaviour can be explained from an evolutionary, psychological and chemical perspective; while Oscar Ford was selected as the winner of the ILA Arts/Humanities category for his insight into the singing technique of the Germanic School and Garcian School.

SENIOR MATHS CHALLENGE

After a six-year break due initially to Covid, the popular Senior Maths Challenge made a welcome return, held this year at Woking College. The competition was fierce, with many of the top schools in the area participating, including Hampton School (previous National winners) and KCS Wimbledon. Our team of Yuvan Raja (captain), Archie Draper, Aryan Sharma and Jack Thomson were ruthless in their accuracy, finishing the competition with a maximum 180/180 marks, and a share of the spoils with KCS who also secured full marks. Both schools now progress to the National Final in Manchester.

HALF TERM TRIPS

A really busy half term saw students from throughout the School involved in adventurous, cultural and academic trips in the UK and further afield. These included: the French trip to Rouen; the German Exchange trip to Tübingen; the History Trip to the WW1 Battlefields and Normandy; the Spanish trip to Seville; the Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Practice Expedition in the New Forest; and the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Practice Expedition on Dartmoor. As always, the students were excellent ambassadors of the RGS and tackled rain and sunshine with equal enthusiasm!

SPORTS NEWS

CHESS

The RGS A narrowly lost out 2 – 4 to a strong Wilson’s B team; Ronit Sachdeva and Aditya Sengupta WON their games. The RGS B then came out on top, by 7 – 5, in a tightly-fought affair at Sutton Grammar School. Will Quayle and Edward Lefever won both their games; Mike Amos picked up a win and a loss on his B team debut.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Our Senior and Inter teams participated in the ESAA XC Cup Regional Round at Judd School, after they had qualified in the first round. Our Inter team comprising Albert Adams, Sam Foster, George Holmwood, Edward Reid, Etienne Victor, and Zac Winn-Smith ran impressively and qualified for the final. Our Senior team also did themselves proud finishing in eighth position in the region; our first runner through was Eddie Wilson, shortly followed by Eshan Toase and Ted Edwards-Davies.

RUGBY

18 RGS rugby sides took to the field in our first block fixture since half term in the A3 derby against Reed’s School, including our junior teams for the first time. RGS teams impressed across the age groups, winning 12 matches and drawing one. The 1st XV followed up an excellent 22 – 20 victory mid-week against Lord Wandsworth College in the National Schools' Plate Round 2 with a 36 – 13 win against Reed’s. The 2nd XV continued their rich vein of form with a 20 – 14 scoreline in their favour, while the Under 16s and Under 15s completed a clean sweep of wins.

SKI RACING

The RGS entered two teams into the NSSA UK National Schools Outdoor Championships at Aldershot. The competition also recognises individuals, and after a good afternoon’s racing, our skiers gained many podium positions: Jamie Courts – 2nd Place U12 boys; Freddie Lueken – 3rd Place U12 boys; Ryan Xu –3rd Place U14 boys; Freddie Judd – 3rd Place U16 boys; Elliott Schafer – 2nd Place U16 boys; William Judd – 1st Place - U19 Boys. Our Junior Team consisting of Jamie Courts, Freddie Lueken, Ryan Xu and William Hall were also on the podium for the event team competition.