Our Review 2021-22

While some restrictions were still in force following the Covid-19 pandemic and students who were self-isolating continued to join lessons remotely from home, it was a joy that pupils were no longer constrained in year group bubbles. Younger pupils were able to learn from the experience of their seniors and older pupils rose to the responsibility of leading by example.

We were able to resume a full co-curricular programme and pupils very much rose to the challenge of engaging in musical ensembles, sports fixtures, drama productions, voluntary service, CCF, DofE and so much more. It was particularly special to be able to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a range of celebrations. On the academic front, we continued to develop what we had learnt about the use of education technology and our pupils achieved impressive results at all levels of ability in the first proper set of public examinations for GCSE and A Level since the pandemic.

Our intention is to inspire young people and equip them to live fulfilling lives, making a positive contribution to society. This review demonstrates that the RGS continues to promote excellence and is committed to raising aspiration and attainment across the region. It provides a snapshot of the wide range of activities that took place during the year and celebrates many of the successes. All were driven by the energy and enthusiasm of our students, the commitment and expertise of our staff, and the continuing support of parents, Old Novos and donors. I hope you enjoy reading this review.

GEOFFREY STANFORD HEADMASTER

It is a great pleasure to introduce this review of the academic year 2021/22 which demonstrates how the RGS community embodies the sense of belonging, love for learning, belief in each other and ambition to succeed.

OUR ETHOS & VALUES OUR ETHOS & VALUES OUR ETHOS & VALUES

Belief in Each Other

Our ethos and core values run through everything we do at the RGS, in our work both within our school and outside in the wider community. Like fingerprints, our values appear invisible but they indelibly cover everything we do. While the vernacular may change – the Junior School use the anchors of STRONG, CALM, KIND and ABLE Superpowers, in Senior School you’re more likely to hear brave, ambitious, compassionate and curious in students’ daily vocabulary – absolutely everything we do is rooted in our ethos and values. It is who we are, we are RGS.

Belief in Each Other is the value of trust. When self-belief seems in short supply, we understand how believing in others can bolster confidence, make someone glow and foster their faith in themselves once again.

Belief can break all sorts of ceilings and there are no limits to what can be achieved with tenacity, sheer graft and people you trust at your back.

We celebrate everyone’s achievements and allow ourselves to be guided by those we believe in. We catch when others fall but most importantly, we help them get back up again. Wellbeing is at the heart of this value.

We work hard and believe that others will do the same – we’re in this together, whatever it may be.

We hope you enjoy seeing how our students pull together to make wonderful things happen.

Love for Learning

Love for Learning seems self-evident in a school built on its formidable academic reputation. However, we communicate unashamedly how passionate we are: about what we’ve been told, what we’ve found out and what we want to discover. We encourage everyone to enjoy school and believe that a positive approach each day can bring out the best in every learner.

Teaching happens in the most surprising and diverse ways and the best learning often happens by stealth, when it’s least expected, in the nooks and crannies of the curriculum. The thirst for knowledge and freedom to explore can help that love of learning grow. We support selfexpression, critical thinking and creativity in both teaching and learning – for academic success but also to make better people.

Challenge and difficulty, frustration and confusion: these are the hallmarks of learning and they are discernible in the pages to follow – for none of these achievements came easily. Nor did they come in isolation and help is always on hand, for everyone. We learn to love the tough times too.

This review captures a Love of Learning in action: we hope it’s the start of a lifelong affair.

Sense of Belonging

We value a Sense of Belonging, which combines our kinship with each other in the school community with our heritage on Newcastle soil, where we took root five hundred years ago. We are place and people.

We respect those around us, are open-minded and non-judgemental. Everyone belongs.

We are northern, where clanship is strong and bonds forged last a lifetime but we are of the global age. Borders and boundaries are transcended as the RGS family connects like other families spread across the world.

We rest in the heart of our Tyneside community. Collaboration sees us work within the wider educational and social landscape. Unity with our neighbours means an increased sense of belonging: we welcome others and want to keep learning about where we’re from.

We want to be good citizens: part of a network of people who strive for the greater good. In these pages, we celebrate belonging and anticipate more of the ties that bind us together.

Ambition to Succeed

Ambition to Succeed is to push forwards, move and innovate. This value is the thread that ties our other values together.

Students are encouraged to reflect on what we’ve done and how we might do it differently next time. We have the intellectual freedom to explore and take risks – so we can push boundaries in and out of the classroom.

We have a strong support network, both internally and externally, which helps us to change, adapt and respond together. We’re constantly evolving.

We’re ambitious for the future – because it’s our future and we’re excited by its opportunities.

We recognise that success looks different for each individual. Whatever it looks like, we hope everyone in our community can strive to challenge themselves.

We can be brave with academic content and co-curricular opportunities, encouraging that first small spark of ambition to flare. Conventional, eccentric, classic, left-field, surprising and delightful: leaf through some of the achievements we’ve celebrated this year.

It always gives me great pleasure to reflect on the year: cherishing the successes, learning from the experiences and enjoying the many moments of RGS family cohesion. Looking back at my notes, the year began with various Covid-19 restrictions that we can now (hopefully) banish to the history books, but they provided us all with the opportunity to demonstrate our resilience. I feel so fortunate to be part of a community of children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, staff, horses (Hazelnut) and tigers (Ferocious) who have such a positive attitude.

The reincarnation of the Parents’ Association (now the Parent Team) has been such a highlight and my sincere thanks go to all those who have contributed and particularly to the force of nature that is Sanjeev and Seema Vadhera and Kapil Vedhara. Their first event (Quiz Night) was a triumph, and this was quickly followed by the slickly organised RGS Fayre which combined to generate impressive funds for the Bursary Campaign and an as yet undecided charity that the children are set to vote for.

I must praise and thank the Junior School staff and children in equal measure as they have generated and enjoyed a huge amount of activity from the 70 weekly clubs to trips, fixtures, events and competitions. We salute the brilliant group of Y6s who move along to Y7 fuelled by their Superpowers –they shall be missed but not forgotten!

There is a tangible sense of energy around our lovely school, which makes it such a vibrant and enjoyable environment. In February we hosted the guest Superpower of LOVE where we discussed the different versions of love that make the world spin. We found it very hard to define and, in many ways, it isn’t necessary to do so – what is vital is that we feel it, we give it and we appreciate the joy of feeling loved.

Being part of the RGS Junior School is a privilege that I remind myself of every day.

With love,

MR JAMES MILLER HEADMASTER, JUNIOR SCHOOL

Our Junior Superpowers:School

Strong

Being able to call on strength of mind,body or soul when we need it.

Calm

Being able to take a step back so we can actaccording to our values rather than our emotions.

Kind

Remembering that thinking of yourself and othersin a kind way makes the world a better place.

Able

Having faith in our abilities and having anapproach to life that says, “I can do this!”.

Trip to Robinwood: overcoming fear in the forest

Y5 took a residential course at Robinwood, embracing the spirit of the Outlaw. Shloka from 5B describes so well how fears were overcome as they enjoyed freedom in the forest.

“We went to Robinwood for three days and two nights recently – it was so much fun!

We were separated into groups with other children and each group had a teacher and a member of Robinwood staff to help and guide us. We did activities like canoeing, zip wire, trapeze, archery, climbing and dungeon. My favourite was the giant swing!! A lot of these activities looked scary to me at first but, because I was attached to a harness and I had a helmet on, I felt really safe.

The Piranha Pool was shallow and freezing but there were no piranhas in it. The weather was good, although a few places were muddy. The food was delicious too.”

“I enjoyed my Robinwood trip and I wish I could go back there again.”

SHLOKA, Y5

Teamwork to treasure at Kirknewton

Y3 spent a very busy time proving  their strength of minds and bodies at Kirknewton, where our resilience was tested with a number of outdoor activities. Alongside a Treasure Hunt, we tackled fire making, shelter building, visiting the church, team problem solving, a nightline and hearty singing round the campfire.

Up, up and away for team gymnasts

Our determined U11 mixed team returned to Stoke for the Great Britain Floor and Vault Championships. Showing force, power and control as a result of some thorough preparation, the gymnasts produced some excellent work on both floor and vault and the whole team performed outstandingly. As a result, they were placed third overall. This is the first time a mixed team have made it into the final and what a fantastic result as our strengths and talents combine!

Blue Peter success in Class 3S!

While watching Blue Peter presenter Richie Driss show true fortitude as he scaled The Old Man of Hoy, Class 3S were stirred into a response. Off the northeast coast of Scotland, The Old Man is one of the tallest sea-stacks in the UK and Richie’s efforts were truly Herculean! We drew and wrote what he had inspired us to do in response to his courage and resilience.

As a result, we’re now proud bearers of the much-coveted Blue Peter badge!

Filled to the rafters

Our first live House Music competition in two years meant both nights were filled with joy, passion, fun and of course...music!

It was an honour to welcome Bradley Creswick as our adjudicator on both evenings. As the former leader of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the London Philharmonia and the Royal Opera House London Orchestra, we decided he was suitably qualified to judge our performances. Just to make sure of his credentials, we asked him to perform –a performance which left many children and parents open mouthed!

A day of rainbows at the Ingram Valley

On a day of sunshine and showers, Y6 travelled to the beautiful Ingram Valley for a science and geography field trip. Some intrepid walking was led by Mrs Baker and Mr Lloyd as we all negotiated the slippery slopes up to Brough Law, an Iron Age fort overlooking the valley and grateful thanks go to parents who helped us on such a wet day.

A fine example of a National Park right on the doorstep helped us to put our classroom studies into context. Pulling on our wellies, we immersed ourselves in what the River Breamish had to suggest about the environment and it was good news as we discovered the river is a healthy, unpolluted habitat. Evidence for this were the invertebrates we caught, such as mayfly and stonefly nymphs, as well as a couple of fish!

Wet socks and a wonderful day!

British Science Week gets us growing with ideas

British Science Week celebrated ‘Growth’ in all its forms and we got to grips with the Poster Competition as part of a massive series of events. Anything from plants and their evolution to personal growth, the challenge was embraced and the end results were displayed proudly. Only five entries were allowed from the school and what a difficult choice it was, with posters so informative and beautifully presented.

Congratulations to:

Olivia A-J (3T) George C (4LW), Ishaan O (4MH), Vivienne P (5C) and Bernard S (5C).

Diversitree bursts into life

Our ‘Diversitree’ is designed to represent the RGS Junior School and its wide variety of wonderful individuals who combine their strengths to make a community. Y6 were galvanised into action by Mrs Cree, Mrs McCulloch and Miss Noble and the project kicked off by using Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti as a stimulus. Apart from being eye catching and generally pretty cool, it stands for something dear to us all –embracing difference and spreading love.

Sports afternoons

Dancing our way through Diwali!

Y3 and Y4 took part in Diwali dance workshops and collaborated with poise to choreograph their own routines. This was followed by some tricky steps set by the instructor which were performed with great aplomb: there were some magnificent moves and even the class teachers joined in with a wiggle or two!

Chess tournament end game

The chess season came to an end with a final prizegiving to celebrate the focus, concentration and tactical skills of players from all year groups.

Terrence S (3T) won the Y3 Monday tournament, and Kush P (3S) won the Y3 Friday competition. Yannick H (4LW) won the Y4 tournament and in the Y5 competition, George M (5C) and Aditya J (5C) were joint winners. Aston K (6W) was victorious in the

Mental Health & Wellbeing Day

To celebrate and raise awareness of Children’s Mental Health Week, we held our own Junior School Mental Health and Wellbeing Day.

The morning began with an assembly reflecting on the differences between everyday small feelings and something which might be more significant; this led to each class thinking about their support networks and who they could talk to if they were upset, worried or angry.

While exploring the ways in which we can keep our minds happy and healthy, the students created some thought-provoking artwork inspired by Charlie Mackesy; discussed the importance of resilience; explored how music makes them feel; and practised some mindful techniques to calm and focus their thoughts.

It was wonderful to see everyone curious and positively engaged in discussions about mental health and wellbeing, emerging stronger and better equipped with the resilience, compassion and practices that they can use beyond their school years.

Class 5M get creative!

Drawing games turned into serious fun for 5M as they honed their skills during Art lessons.

The class investigated pencil pressure, patiently tackled the tricky task of drawing with their non-dominant hand, attempted upside-down sketching and even tried drawing without the sense of sight! The timed drawings and sketching with long pencils were particularly challenging –really testing our group’s self-control and tenacity – but we were helped by Mr Miller popping in to give it a whirl!

The following lesson we explored art through music to help us create an abstract, sensory piece inspired by Wassily Kandinsky (he suffered from a neurological phenomenon called Synaesthesia – a real but rare condition which enabled him to see colours when he listened to sounds).

Take a leaf out of 5M’s sketchbook: put on your favourite track and get creating!

“It’s important to be kind to others but also yourself.”

Y5 turn time detectives

Y5 slipped on their walking shoes and toured Newcastle on foot, tracking the history of RGS through its previous sites since 1525. Trying different ways of seeing (we learned to ‘look up’) it was possible to detect the original uses of some buildings – there were many clues! Other revelations included our site in Jesmond being used as the Corporation Manure Depot (cue wrinkled noses!) and a final tour of St Nicholas’ Cathedral. Standing where the school was first based, we thought about how the fortunes of the school were linked with those of our city.

Poppy Jingles pays a visit

We were extremely lucky to be paid an assembly visit by Poppy Jingles, the RVI therapy dog, along with her owner Katie, also based at the RVI as chaplain. A Springer Spaniel, Poppy Jingles was an instant hit with everyone as we heard how important she is in the lives of those who work at the RVI, Freeman and General hospitals. Helping staff to remain calm in difficult situations, Poppy Jingles can be patted and stroked, walked and talked to as Katie encourages whoever needs it to ‘mooch with a pooch’. We did just that at breaktime and despite the fuss and attention from us all, Poppy Jingles remained serene throughout! What a wonderfully calm and caring start to a week.

Rugby players power on through to victory

Our Rugby players started the HMC Rugby Sevens tournament with determination and grit and finishing top of their group meant that they were through to the cup stages. Not rattled at all by the fact that we hadn’t won this tournament since 2009, they stormed through three more performances of passion, commitment and energy. Playing QEGS, St. Peter’s and Hymers, the boys worked hard for each other, and these were outstanding team performances against some fierce Yorkshire competition. The long-awaited cup was ours!

Friday Café feast

Our Friday Cafés are renowned for their relaxed and friendly atmosphere, showcasing a variety of musical genres, as well as including performers from all age groups. From Vivaldi to Van Halen, and everything in between, the children sang, strummed, played and bowed their way through a musical extravaganza.

From the composure of the performers to the warmth and engagement of our audiences, we’ve definitely grown an appetite for the café lifestyle!

A very bookish morning

This book-filled morning was the first whole-school paired reading session ever done – but it certainly won’t be the last!

We started during lesson two, when the whole school partnered up (some with their buddies, others with their classmates) to enjoy a paired reading session. It was wonderful to see younger and older children sharing books, reading to each other and discussing their thoughts and views.

Following that, it was a pleasure to introduce the Y5 and Y6 classes to author Elle McNicoll – our first in-person author visit for two and a half years! Elle spoke clearly about her neurodiversity and her writing journey, and had the children enthralled. Their questions to her, as well as their responses to Elle’s questions showed understanding and real interest in what she was saying.

Y6 reflect on the History of Art

Making a start on this fascinating area of study, Y6 students considered the work of artists such as Monet, Seurat, Munch and Warhol. With a combination of observation and experimentation, their own watercolour skills continued to develop as they investigated the techniques of Impressionism, Pointillism, Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art.

Y6 were encouraged to think carefully about how art can portray moods and emotions and took time to think about the role of public opinion and success – lessons for life as well as History of Art.

Crossing the line together at Barlborough Hall

The HMC Cross-Country event at Barlborough Hall showed that distance running doesn’t have to be an individual pursuit. Some superb performances accumulated to secure wins for the U9 boys, U10 boys and U11 girls, suggesting that there really is strength in numbers. This was an incredible achievement, considering over ten schools competed in each race, so competition was stiff. Huge congratulations should also go to Yannick H (4LW) who finished first in the U9 boys’ race.

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors ready to support our school

We welcomed our new Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, who have completed their training with the prestigious Diana Award programme set up in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. These passionate young people believe in change for the better; by learning to identify different types of bullying and understand the impact that behaviour can have, they’ve been motivated to help and support their peers. Take a look at their manifesto:

· Bullying is not acceptable.

· You should never feel uncomfortable, upset or unsafe because of someone else when at school.

· We aim to shape attitudes and change any negative behaviours.

· We will support others and be a strong voice for the school community.

They encourage us to look out for Anti-Bullying campaigns in school as we all keep working to maintain a welcoming, respectful environment.

A mathmagical day conjures up support for NSPCC

NSPCC Number Day saw the whole school stand up and be counted in a day of funfilled activities. The enthused chatter and smiling faces of everyone collaborating whilst at play with numbers made for a fantastic event. We raised a grand total of £1,091 for the NSPCC and thoroughly enjoyed our magic with maths.

Christmas produce takes shape for Y6 mathematicians

Y6 students gave us something more to put on our Christmas lists with their masterful designs for the Christmas High Street shopping task. Constructing 3D shape products required a sure-handed approach as they drew nets, investigated properties and used their knowledge of the decimal number system to demonstrate some festive flair.

Small but perfectly formed: RGS Art of Hope

The Art of Hope campaign was one of the highlights of the year, with a whole community collaboration. The task? To represent ‘Hope’ and what that might mean to each of us. Along with the Senior School and the Old Novocastrians, Y6 got to work on their own 20x20cm canvas with the only brief being that we could let our imaginations wander at will. This led to a magnificent exhibition of all the work and a subsequent charity auction to raise money for the RGS Bursary Campaign and two other causes close to our hearts: the Newcastle United Foundation ‘mental health in schools’ project and North East Homeless. Everyone benefited from this brilliant project.

World Book Day reaches new heights!

5C spent a happy time counting and measuring the books collected during World Book Day as everyone was encouraged to donate something from the shelf at home.

The Junior School gave a grand total of 292 books which (if piled up) would measure six metres tall – the same as an adult giraffe!

Think of all those favourite stories stacked up on top of each other! We hope our RGS Partnership schools enjoyed them as much as we did.

A load of rubbish gets binned!

It wasn’t a conventional way to spend a lunch break but a wonderful group of our ‘self-starters’ took it upon themselves to request items that were unusual but very welcome: a bin bag and some gloves. Instead of the usual down-time activities, they got to grips with clearing up litter. We’re so proud of them for their care of our school and desire to keep it a pleasant environment for each other.

Superpowers in action!

Y5 give thanks for so many acts of kindness

Class 5C have composed some thoughtprovoking prayers while studying the form and content of an Iroquois prayer of thanks. Their ideas might remind us of the everyday care and kindliness we’re given – even by inanimate objects such as a pencil case!

“I thank my family and friends for being kind to me,

I thank where I live for the water and food, I thank my football coach for teaching me,

I thank my teachers for guiding me, I am grateful for everything I have.”

By Jake, 5C

“I thank my parents for taking care of me,

I thank my younger sister for playing with me when I am bored,

I thank my teachers for teaching me, I thank my friends for making me happy, I thank Miss Close for making me laugh, I thank my home for keeping me warm,

I thank my pencil case for supplying space for my stationery,

Lastly, I thank my violin teacher for teaching me lots of grades.”

By Annabelle, 5C

“I return thanks to Mr Cragg and Mr Wollerton for arranging sports fixtures,

I return thanks to the NHS for helping everybody be safe,

I return thanks to Mr Miller for arranging assemblies and cheering the school up in a hard time,

I return thanks to Mr Bulch for making delicious food,

I return thanks to my mum and dad for always being kind,

I return thanks to my brother for always cheering me up.”

By Oliver N, 5C

Clinometer Project: Y6

survey the local slopes

Exhibition Park provided perfect raw material for students to explore highs and lows, following in the footsteps of geologists and engineers as they collected valuable data. On return to school, knowledge of right-angled triangles and scaled drawings were used to calculate the actual height of objects. With forensic attention to detail, trigonometry was used to test the accuracy of drawings in some skilled work by Y6.

Y4 strike gold at The Great North Museum

Who would have thought we had Egyptian mummies as neighbours? Y4 discovered exactly that as they visited the Great North Museum to learn about how this ancient civilisation lived. Examining the mummies and journeying through the afterlife were particular highlights of this trip of treasures.

Matilda – ‘Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it’!

The Miller Theatre threw its doors open to a full house of revolting children (and their parents!) – the first live show we have been able to stage since 2019!

The cast did absolutely nothing by halves and were a pleasure to work with, showing strength, calm, kindness and a sparkling ability to engage and entertain their audience. Their performances were a joy and we’re very proud of Y6 for treading the boards once again.

A full house (and stage!) for the Spring Concert

What a treat it was to have another big musical event in the theatre. Hot on the heels of the House Music Competitions, which had involved every child in the school, the Spring Concert saw a whopping 120 children choosing to perform in the orchestra, musical ensembles and the most enormous choir. A wide-ranging programme from Dvorak to Razzamajazz Recorder, and everything in between, the children worked so hard to ensure a night of musical joy was shared with the audience.

Practical magic produces fairy art

By studying intricate depictions of the natural and magical, Y5 pupils took inspiration from artists Cicely M. Barker and Brian Froud to create their own fairy artwork, using a toolkit of watercolour paints, coloured biros and terracotta clay. The results? Spellbinding!

Move over Percy Jackson!

Y4 travel back to Ancient Greece

A fun-packed day of Ancient Greek activities had us donning our chitons and getting to grips with Greek temple design. We dedicated our handiwork to the most appropriate god (Zeus, Hera, Athena and Poseidon were the lucky winners) and then we met the challenges of a mini-Olympics event.

Listening to Greek myths galvanized us into creating our own mythical creatures, striking terror into the heart of any intrepid time-traveller. Fortified by sampling a range of Greek foods, we returned safely from our very own Y4 odyssey.

Ready, steady, cook!

Y3 put their cooking skills to the test for the first time in our teaching kitchen, with salsa and guacamole on the menu! Students learnt how to use a bridge hold and claw grip to chop vegetables and left eager for their next MasterChef lesson.

World War II Day: lessons from our past

Y6 students dressed as evacuees and travelled back to 1939 in a bid to explore and understand how life might have been during the war years. To help us, we were privileged to welcome Old Novocastrian Dr Stanley Ashman, one of the original RGS cohort evacuated to Penrith in 1941. His recollections as a boy of eight were fascinating to listen to and breathed life into the whole day, with Penrith stories enhancing work in the school archive.

A trip to Victoria Tunnel and artwork focused on the Blitz made for a full day, rounded off with a vigorous sing-song of wartime favourites.

The Archive was part of a bigger Junior School event learning about WWII. Our Y6’s got to see some archives relating to the school’s evacuation to Penrith during WWII, including an original cricket colours blazer worn during this time.

Y4 explore living history at Jarrow Hall

It was time to study the colourful world of Bede and the Anglo-Saxons as Y4 discovered how life was managed in Dark-Ages Northumbria. We realised a key requirement for an Anglo Saxon seems to have been a strong stomach!

“I learned that Anglo-Saxon medicines are very interesting and a bit disgusting! The most disgusting medicine was for warts.”

– George C, Y4

“I learned that herbs have medicinal value.”

– Alister C, Y4

BRUCE

1st

Back in the swim of HMC events

Two and a half years is a long time to follow up on our success in the HMC events of 2020. Our fingers were firmly crossed for a repeat performance. With a combination of team and individual tenacity, there were some great races and we returned delighted with our achievements and our well-earned collection of medals and trophies!

We had individual success for William P (3T), Allan Z (4AW), Yannick H (4LW), Tom H (6W), Emma B (5M), Amelia R (6L), Emily P (5B), Kate T (5M), Georgina D (4AW) and Bea W (4LW), as well as finishing U9 and U11 champions for the boys and U10 and U11 champions for the girls.

Y4 embrace the great outdoors at Howick Hall

Journeying up to North Northumberland, Y4 made the most of the landscape around beautiful Howick Hall, home to the Earls Grey for many centuries. The trip demanded a varied skill set, including careful experimentation to determine the speed of river flow and strategic cunning for a scavenger hunt. Paddling in the sea was an absolute must for our veterans of the outdoors and that ice-cream at the end of the day? A well-deserved treat!

“I enjoyed going inside the Thirlings Hall and telling stories around the fire.”

BEATRICE W, Y4

“My favourite activity was grinding the grain.”

L, Y4

In 2001, we welcomed 22 girls into the Sixth Form. By 2008, we were fully co-educational across all years. By 2021 girls made up 46% of the student population at the RGS.

SENSE OF BELONGING

Wellbeing focus continues apace as we fly the flag of pride

A key pastoral focus this year has been to build further upon our Sense of Belonging value. Our community has celebrated diversity on many levels, such as neurodiversity, race and religion, gender identity and sexuality. Increased PSHE and Wellbeing lessons allowed more guest speakers to come and engage with our students. We welcomed Newcastle West End Women’s Centre to discuss abusive relationships with Y10 and Bold Voices to deliver a healthy relationships workshop for Y9.

A vibrant rainbow arch at reception and Pride flags flew high on the school mast and around our main hall during Pride month, to represent our LGBTQI+ community. Photobooth fun and badges encouraged more open conversations and captured celebratory selfies, creating an atmosphere of support and joy. We have seen many shifts in conversation and action this year, from inclusive pronoun use to non-gendered uniform.

Since the interruption of the pandemic, we have regained pace in our efforts to work towards the Wellbeing Award for Schools programme by establishing a strategy to ensure the wellbeing of our students is front and centre in all we do at the RGS.

We have also expanded on our peer support within school, forming a team of Sixth Formers who received mental health awareness training from Blue Mental Health Education and Training.

RGS Historians: Witches, Weaponry & William Armstrong

RGS Historians were determined to get out of the classroom and to that end, Y12 and Y13 visited Newcastle Castle for a lecture on the Witch Trials in the city, together with a guided tour and a moment’s powerful reflection in the chapel built by Henry II. In contrast, Y12 also visited Pendle, the most famous location in the British Witch Hunts. It was agreed that a Y7 trip to a castle is one of the most enjoyable days there is, so these took place at Norham and Warkworth castles. Y10 had an excellent day with a private screening of ‘Selma’ to support their GCSE Civil Rights course, followed by a visit to the NELSAM military museum in Washington to support their Cold War course. Amongst other exhibits mirroring our studies, we found a part of RGS history in the form of artillery pieces made by Armstrong-Vickers, whose founder, ON William Armstrong used industrial proceeds to build Cragside, unrivalled in its day for its technical capabilities.

The past comes to light in the archive

Archive Club welcomed its first members in Autumn Term and each week a new historic item was unearthed. After growing interest, a joint project with HistSoc emerged which involved in-depth research to produce a display piece on a specific archive item. The location of the Penrith hostels used to house evacuated RGS boys during WWII was a particular research highlight.

Platinum Jubilee celebrations shine with music and stories down the decades

RGS marked Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee with an array of celebrations, from planting a tree for the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative to our Sixth Formers engaging in various service activities across the local community. A special Jubilee Concert, opened by the Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, showcased RGS’s incredible musical talent, including performances from some of our soloists, with the highlight being the sheer volume of people involved for the finale of ‘Zadok the Priest’ by all ensembles.

To further mark Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne, we created a series of short films covering each of the decades, exploring a timeline of key events at RGS as well as a wider history of the UK and Queen’s reign. Archive photographs illustrated each film, with staff and students narrating the story. Shown during our Lord Mayor’s Assembly, the hope was to encourage students to reflect upon how they contribute to the RGS community and beyond.

Classics conversations shared across RGS Partnership schools

Our Y12 Latinists were fortunate to enjoy a Classical Conversation with Dr Arman D’Angour, Professor of Classics at Jesus College, Oxford, on the subject ‘Catullus and his puella’. Attended by three other schools from across the North East, this virtual talk was part of the Partnerships work undertaken by the Classics Department.

We are fa-mi-ly!

Following a period where our extended community were restricted to visit our school site due to government guidance, we could eventually embrace the joy of one another’s company again at our annual RGS Day. Throughout the school, families were encouraged to explore all areas of our facilities with opportunities to enjoy STEM challenges, CCF insights and Art exhibitions. Meanwhile, spectacular gymnastic displays and impressive musical pieces provided entertainment and a backdrop to meet other parents.

Computer scientists workshop game designs

In order to support the development of computing and game design across the region as a Digital Schoolhouse, we have delivered Game Design workshops every week of the academic year, focusing on coding retro arcade classics.

We’re jamming! Recitals and gigs give musicians centre stage

The Lunchtime Recitals and Agora Gigs, which occur on a half-termly basis, have become very popular among the staff and students. These events present an opportunity for musicians of all abilities and ages to perform and gain confidence on stage, as well as offering a wide variety of music for others to enjoy.

The Lunchtime Recital involved both instrumentalist and vocalist performances from groups and soloists, alongside occasional entertainment from our school choirs and ensembles. This recital contrasts musically with the agora gig, a more casual event where a range of genres and styles are performed, frequently attracting singers.

Fundraisers join with local charities to take the weight

The RGS Fundraising Committee have completed various endeavours this year to create meaningful impact within our region. Organising a collection of over 55 full crates of food, supporting local charity ‘Feeding Families’ Christmas appeal and donating three lorry loads of essential items to the local Polish Church in response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, these are just some of the acts of RGS generosity. Next, our Y8s collaborated with Depaul UK, a youth homelessness charity, undertaking a sponsored ‘Weighted Walk’ carrying backpacks to represent the belongings of a homeless person.

Houses

House events returned with a bang, including squash, maths, languages and much more.

The Debating Society’s Annual Toast List Dinner returned for the first time since lockdown began in 2020 and involved (for the first time) two House debates. The Collingwood team stormed to victory in one and the Horsley team triumphed in the other. It was a memorable evening with great food, grand surroundings, and excellent speeches from our outgoing and incoming chairs.

House Drama was the only event that heroically battled on through the pandemic with an online version offered in 2021. This year we took the best from both worlds with recorded individual performances and a return to the Miller Stage for our large-scale scenes. Devising around their House colours our students came up with some innovative and engaging responses and we all enjoyed having a good laugh with our brave and creative stand-up comics. Horsley emerged victorious at the end of the show.

House Music was also a triumph, running two separate evening events, both very much student led. Horsley won both events which saw the usual outstanding solos and ensembles alongside some more ‘quirky performances’ in the newly reinvigorated House Shout...back by popular demand.

Continuing the Performing Arts theme, student leaders along with the Sixth Form directors and technical crew delivered another excellent House Drama competition with some wonderful entries and live performances, with Eldon narrowly winning over the judges this time.

The atmosphere of our tenth Gala, with all students in Y7–9 taking part, encapsulated the student and staff spirit, with House cheers reverberating around the pool.

An adapted series of Sports Afternoons temporarily replaced the annual Sports Day, with plenty of opportunity to represent their House against peers of similar ability. A fun filled week of running, jumping, throwing and pulling – the tug of war, as ever, was ‘keenly contested’ – capped off another excellent year for RGS House events.

The overall cup looked Horsley’s all the way but was made interesting by Eldon’s astonishing results in the final week. After all calculations were done, the House Cup was shared for the first time in recent history, between Eldon and Horsley (tied on 139 points).

LOVE FOR LEARNING

Computer teaching enhances network connections across the country

Young engineers make an impact with Nissan challenges

Given two very different problems, our intrepid Y12 aspiring engineers researched, designed, built and tested solutions, finally presenting them to a team of Nissan engineers. They received high praise, including one solution which was likely to be adopted immediately.

Recovering wasted heat energy from air compressors was the first problem and our students decided to create a heat exchanger to transfer this to the central heating system. A very wet set of practical tests later and they had data demonstrating the solution’s effectiveness beyond their expectations.

The second team were tasked with protecting a new battery according to UN regulations so that it could be safely transported by sea once manufactured in Sunderland. As part of this task, the team got to test it to destruction, way above and beyond the scope of the requirements, by having it flung from a speeding forklift truck!

This year saw further recognition for our departmental pedagogy. Miss Lynn was invited to pen an article for ‘Hello World’ magazine, relating how we use Japanese puzzles to help develop logical reasoning in young people. This magazine is distributed to Computing teachers and departments all over the country, and Miss Lynn has since been invited to present on this topic at the Common Room of the North to teachers from across the region.

Vindolanda visit for Y7

Treasures of the archive unveiled for the curious

We got involved in Explore Your Archive Week, a national campaign across the archives sector to encourage people to find out about archives. Showcasing some of our collections to staff and students during lunchtime open sessions, we also welcomed Y5 History students to dig into our treasures. During the course of a week, over 100 curious visitors came to archive events.

Our archives were further used in several lessons this year, including for Y9 History classes on the WWI. Students were able to handle original letters, publications and photographs relating to Old Novocastrians who fought during WWI, learning about the significance of each document and how the war impacted RGS.

Learning the past to comprehend the future

In Y7-9, Black History Month and study of the British Empire have been embedded more deeply into teaching, proving to be thought-provoking and beneficial.

GCSE numbers are at a record number for 2022-23, with a feeling from students that History has never been more useful and important in understanding current affairs.

In the final week of term, we took the whole of Y7 to visit the Roman fort of Vindolanda. There, students spent the morning exploring the ruins of the fort and ‘vicus’ (village), and the museum. Archaeologists could be seen at work on the site and were happy to discuss their recent discoveries. In the museum, students were able to look at the wonderful array of excavated objects, including the famous ‘Vindolanda letters’.

Understand, investigate, formulate, discuss: learning to think like scientists

Y7 took part in our Balloon Race Competition to build their understanding of the process of cellular respiration and designed an experiment to maximise its rate.

Meanwhile, Y9 students carried out an investigation into the enzyme pectinase, which supports their scheme of work revolving around thinking like a scientist and learning how to formulate and test hypotheses.

Y12 Biologists travelled to Edinburgh Zoo, sparking invaluable discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of in-situ and ex-situ conservation to support their syllabus work.

EDT showcases process: from prototype to product

Our annual Design Exhibition for parents and students included some outstanding computer aided design and digital simulation work.

Y9 were responsible for creative lighting prototypes made in their product design module. These incorporated traditional workshop manufacturing processes with digital techniques, such as laser cutting.

Y12 got to grips with the ‘Egg Mover Challenge’, a mechatronic problem-solving exercise involving the movement of a raw egg between two pre-determined locations and over a barrier without handling. Students presented their prototype solutions to our industry learning partner, Afshin Arfaie, from Rheinmetall British Aerospace Land Systems.

Y11 and Y13 students exhibited their exam coursework, communicating their proposed final designs to a range of stakeholders and those present at the event. Valuable feedback was gathered from the range of attendees by each student using surveys. This information was later used to evaluate the final design proposal and identify aspects for further development and modification.

Fire and stars: Science Club gets celestial

Y7 continued to enjoy experimenting outside of the curriculum each week after school, supported by two Y12 students. Activities included making fire extinguishers, writing with fire and carrying out several Royal Society of Chemistry mini-projects. These included making batteries, investigating the properties of hydrogels and Mission: Starlight to look at the behaviour of materials in space.

Lights down! Curtains up!

In person performances and full practical explorations were back up and running after 18 months of pandemic restrictions. From duologues to immersive adaptations, students were eager to experiment on stage again. To be certain that the show could go on, the Senior School musicals ran with two casts – double the work but double the opportunity for our students to get back on the Miller Stage.

Y7-9 produced a feel-good performance of ‘Shrek the Musical’ which had the audience smiling and laughing along, a spectacular effort in only eight weeks of rehearsals. Meanwhile, Y10-11 took us back to 1978 Philadelphia for divine disco music and a fun, frothy take on ‘Sister Act’. With huge song and dance numbers, a host of comic characters and a cast of almost 50 students, the production was met with standing ovations from the audience and huge fun and camaraderie backstage. For cast and crew, it was wonderful to have live theatre back on the stage at the RGS.

An unexpected Y10-13 production also entered our performance calendar: a searing 30-minute response to violence against women and high-profile cases such as the Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa murders. Written by Lucy Kirkwood, ‘Maryland’ was the sort of hard-hitting issue-based theatre rarely found in schools. Presented as a ‘script in hand’ performance and rehearsed over just a few weeks, the largely female cast worked to produce an emotional and challenging piece of theatre which was also presented to Y10 as part of their PSHE programme.

Meanwhile, Y12 created a thought-provoking devised performance questioning ideas and beliefs about the afterlife and what happens following death. Inspired by ‘Frantic Assembly’, students used movement to communicate ideas and concepts which even included some flying!

Statistics get reality check at Further Maths lecture

Y12 were fortunate enough to attend Professor Rhys Christopher Jones’ lecture ‘Weapons of Statistical Instruction’. Professor Jones, based in the faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey, emphasised the importance of context when using statistics and the need to use engaging real-world data sets in examples.

Subsequently, we invited Professor Jones to conduct a workshop with our A Level Maths and Further Maths students, with the aim of bringing to life the ‘large data set’ used in the Statistics part of our course.

Diverse projects foster independent learning across year groups

Project work is now embedded across the curriculum, with the aims to encourage independent thought and to allow students to make decisions regarding their learning. This helps them to further develop skills needed to become autonomous and reflective learners.

The Y9 project focussed on researching and writing academically. Students learned to use Google Scholar and JSTOR to research around a topic and produce a mini dissertation. The best essays were entered for the Aristotelian Award, a national competition run by the Perse School, Cambridge, and we were absolutely delighted that Krishen K came first in the Science category, and Nisna M was highly commended in the Arts/Humanities category.

A monster reading challenge: the North East Book Awards

The North East Book Awards (NEBA) was set up in 2005 and schools from all over the North East region take part. This was judged by students in Y7, who, after several months of reading, reviewing, and researching authors, shortlisted books before putting forward their winner. As usual the shortlist was varied, running the gamut from gothic adventure and historical thriller to environmental drama and mystery. For RGS students the winner was ‘The Monsters of Rook Haven’ by Padraig Kenny – an extraordinary tale with a dark twist.

Y8 reflected on and researched global sustainability goals, selecting which was most important to them and developing a creative response. We saw a variety of pieces, including art installations, animations, Tik Tok videos, board games, books and studies relating to our hometown. Each project was then presented to a range of students across the Senior School and the response was brilliant!

Y7 Race to the Line (the Rocket Car Project) continues to be a great success. The project has evolved slightly, and the students spent time designing, building and racing cars, informed by lectures on aerodynamics, speed and costing, programming of the micro bits, using Microsoft Sway for presentations, branding, and marketing. A very important part of the project was organising themselves and other team members to ensure the outcomes were met.

Project work in Y12 takes the form of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). One student produced a fantastic one-man play on loneliness inspired by the pandemic and we saw academic essays on themes as diverse as food poverty and women’s football.

BELIEF IN EACH OTHER

Robotics work has schools unite to succeed

This academic year we introduced Vex Robotics into the School’s co-curricular program, as a STEM challenge which involved the design and construction of a robot to play a challenging game involving four teams.

RGS teams competed for the first time in the Vex Robotics regional competition against 57 teams, with significantly more experience, and progressed to the national championship in Telford. The teams were RGS Robo Kai 36475A, comprising Jude H and Bede H, and RGS Robo Kai 36475B, comprising Dania A, Mina M, and Caleb N.

The teams advanced into the round of 16 where, to succeed, they had to join with another school to challenge for the title together. The Y10 team chose to form an all-North-Eastern alliance with Durham Johnston School. A particular highlight was when girls from both teams worked together quickly to replace worn gears on the RGS team’s robot between games. Meanwhile, the Y12 team were chosen to be in an alliance by a team from Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnett. Both teams were finally knocked out in the quarter finals. However, it was not for lack of superb team-working, effective tactical planning and superb robot driver skills.

Chemistry gets collaborative

Two Y12 students, Olivia V and Jennifer L, launched a new Sixth Form Chemistry Society. Every fortnight ChemSoc met and discussed a range of topics including artificial diamonds, blood doping and building molecular models from balloons. The society also hosted its first (digital) visiting speaker, Jemma Thew ON (19–21), who shared her experiences of studying Pharmacology at university.

Ready for the catwalk? Art students fired by fashion activism

Y9 and Y10 students communicated ‘What means the most to you, in the most iconic way’ in a fashion for social, political and environmental change project. They explored how fashion activism starts every day when you open your wardrobe during a ‘This is Creative Enterprise’ workshop; they also delved into the practice of using fashion as a means of awareness or change. After trying to predict future trends, it was time to design.

Frozen North to sultry South: musicians banish the winter chills

On a frosty January evening, a fiery RGS Jazz Night warmed the musical souls of the audience. The variety of pieces performed were a tour of the Latin world: from Brazil with the String Quartet playing ‘The Girl from Ipanema’, to Mexico for the Big Band’s rendition of ‘Tequila’, to South Carolina for songs by Dizzy Gillespie. Most impressive about the evening was the diverse range of performance types, including solos and large group performances across vocals, strings, wind, rhythm, and even a dance group.

The Spring concert was punctuated with high-energy hits like ‘Ain’t No Mountain’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’ from Senior and Intermediate Wind Bands respectively, and ‘Believer’ from the Intermediate Choir. We also enjoyed a diverse instrumental range: from Brass Ensemble, playing ‘Fire in the Galley’, to Guitar Ensemble, with selected Spanish and Latin-American pieces. Furthering this classical theme, Flute Ensemble played Tchaikovsky’s cheerful (with moody patches) ‘Danse des Mirlitons’. The new Ceilidh Band also made its concert debut. The event ended with Function Band, showcasing outstanding vocals in ‘Mercy’ and ‘Valerie’.

Linguists savour the delights of target languages

We were delighted to be able to spread our wings and offer students in Y10–12 the opportunity to participate in Tyneside Cinema film days and workshops. Students worked collaboratively on analysing and critiquing the films ‘Los Lobos’ and ‘Gagarine’ in target languages Spanish and French.

The Linguacuisine project at Newcastle University focuses on teamworking skills, digital literacy and language skills. Thirty students from Y8 French used the Linguacuisine App to learn a vocabulary set in French, cook crêpes in the digital kitchen and enjoy the culinary fruits of their labour. The group also took part in an Apprentice Challenge where they designed their own French café. With the use of tablets, they researched traditional dishes, their target market and similar establishments before designing menus for their respective cafés and making a pitch for funding.

Volunteers map the archive

A group of Sixth Form volunteers offered their help to organise various archive documents, undertaking a huge project to clean, re-label and list a location guide for our rare books’ collection – efficiently categorising almost 300 books!

Sporting a new look

A creation by Akithra K, Y8 as part of a national lockdown initiative by Y1 Hockey: ‘Design Your Own Stick’ is now used on our Junior and Senior hockey sticks and available for the public to purchase online. The bold use of Novocastrian colours, geometric shapes and a contemporary design was selected by our Head of Art as the clear choice, who declared it: “captured a modern era of the sport and identity of the teams at RGS”.

Y7 camp

Our Y7 students rounded off their first year in Senior School gallivanting around Windermere, The Lake District, as part of a whole year group activity week to encourage peer work outside the classroom. Intended to be a life-affirming experience, students were often pushed outside their comfort zones through acquiring survival skills and tackling various team building challenges. The outdoor education included canoeing, abseiling and camping, and many students returned eager for the next adventure with an attitude that they could conquer anything.

F1 in Schools: RGS races ahead

Our Y11 team, Hex Racing, competed at the Virtual National Finals, achieved fourth fastest legal car in the UK (time = 1.095s), were nominated for the Portfolio Award and won the Project Management Award.

Nomination (in the top three in the country) – Portfolio Award

WINNER: Project Management

Hex Racing are:

Henry Y, Y11 – Team Manager and Head of Engineering

Rob G, Y11 – Head of Research and Development

Aidan L, Y11 Head of Sponsorship and Marketing

Jacob C, Y11 – Head of Graphic Design

Will K, Y10 – Head of Manufacture

Meanwhile, our Y12 teams, Sigma Racing and Circe have had a busy year working on their projects ready for submission into the Regional Finals and their Gold CREST awards.

CCF cadets show strength in numbers

Face-to-face operations resumed as normal and the contingent threw itself back into a busy training programme, heading straight out to Albermarle Barracks on Exercise STALLION’S RESTART. Cadet numbers rose to over 150 active cadets following Y9 recruitment in October.

Flying activities for the RAF Section made a welcome return with gliding at RAF Dishforth and then flying in the Grob Tutor at RAF Leeming. A tour of the station at RAF Spadeadam highlighted the significance of electronic warfare, in particular equipment currently used by the Ukrainian Defence Forces.

The Army Section gave the Y10 cadets their first taste of being on Exercise, focussing on fieldcraft activities. Despite the best efforts of Storm Arwen, five cadets bravely managed to get through the resulting debris to take part in a tri-Service Climbing Competition at the Simonside Climbing Wall, achieving first, second and third places awarded in various categories.

The Army section practised various skills at summer camp. Team-building and confidence training saw three cadets set the fastest time for the Jacob’s Ladder challenge and the top mixed-contingent team on the obstacle course included RGS cadets. The year culminated in a celebration of the 111th Anniversary of the RGS Newcastle CCF.

1st

AMBITION TO SUCCEED

Accomplishments in

translation, talk and time capsules

Y9 German students started preparing their entries for the Anthea Bell National Translation Competition run by The Queen’s College, Oxford. The competition required students to translate a poem from German into English. Not only did the students have to give the translation a metre and try to make it rhyme, but they also came up with some excellent translations and their teachers selected five entries to send to Oxford created by: Tanvi N, Tarka S, Hazel D, Alex W, Henry S and Stewart S. Their translating talents received a commendation for the Level 2 North East German entry, and a certificate.

The judging panel for the European Day of Languages competition was very impressed by the quality and quantity of our entries, with 18 students receiving prizes in this national competition! The students rose to the creative writing challenge in a host of languages on the theme: ‘My Time Capsule’.

Success in the Cyber Arena for computering competitions

Our first foray into CyberCenturion was a successful one with six teams entering the competition. We hosted a practice round and two qualification rounds during the academic year, where our teams participated in ethical hacking exercises on virtual computers, built on a range of operating systems. We were really pleased to see two of our teams making national finals at the RAF Museum, London. The head of the American Airforce even commended them virtually, so huge congratulations go to Obamium and Cyber Diversity 3.0!

Another fantastic First Lego League season saw our three teams excelling at the regional finals and then representing Newcastle in the national finals held in Harrogate. A very strong performance saw them bring home the Judges’ Award.

Our ever-increasing curriculum offer saw a team of Y12 students working with a brand-new robotics platform during Complimentary Studies. Creation ’BJ-Bot’ was superbly engineered, configured, programmed and driven at regional finals, so much so that they were invited to the national final in Telford.

Chemistry Olympians go for gold, silver and bronze

The annual Chemistry Olympiad involved 36 members of the Sixth Form; the challenge also included participating in two seminars prior to the event. Two students achieved Gold Awards, seven bagged Silver Awards and 15 managed Bronze with a further 12 taking part.

Maths Challenge victors given further food for thought

A number of students voluntarily entered the Newcastle University Maths Challenges. All winners were invited to a prizegiving reception where they were treated to a fascinating talk by Dr Cora Uhlemann, about how simple ideas of mathematical proportion can be used to determine the structure of the universe, in the past, present and future.

Student Challenge Entered Award Given

Maggie L (Y8) Maths Challenge (Y8 and below) Certificate

Basma G (Y9) Senior Maths Challenge (Y10 and below)

Prize

Prize

Students also competed in the UK Mathematics Trust, achieving eight Gold certificates in the Senior Maths Challenge (meaning they were in approximately the top 10% of all entrants).

Enterprising students win creativity award

A team of Y12 students entered the Young Enterprise programme, a national financial and enterprise education charity and won the ‘Creativity’ category in the Company of the Year Awards for their illustrated children’s book. The book takes readers on a magical journey and supports their first steps in learning French, German, Italian or Spanish. To accompany the story, the team created an interactive website which provides pronunciation as well as learning more about Pedro the Parrot, his new friends and the importance of friendship. The book’s purpose is to instil a desire to understand new languages in a fun and educational way.

Love for language reaps literary rewards

Some notable achievements for pupils outside of the classroom: Katie R, Y10 won Highly Commended for her short story ‘Belvedere Hall’ for the Elmbridge Literary Competition, while Joe W, Y12 was shortlisted in the 15-18 age category of the Young Northern Writer Award 2022, organised by New Writing North. An extract of his poem ‘Killhope Cross’ is printed below: Killhope Cross

I

This is no country for the meek. The heather bites your ankles Like a thousand serpents, The lashing west wind

Whips your cheeks as raw As the tilled, brittle soil, And stains them red Like the cut flesh of young lambs.

Our home is the darking bracken And cold empty quarries, Left behind when all the lead Was dug from our soil.

II The crumbling heaps That trail for miles Along the heaths and moors Once housed crofters, Whose love of barren fields, A dozen sheep, And little food Bade them stay until their stomachs shrank And they moved on. Now the rotten planks Of dining chairs Are shelter for the sheep they left.

Bronze beckons for Arts Award students

Since January, a group of Y8 students worked towards their Bronze Arts Award. Outside of lesson time, these students developed a digital portfolio, incorporating their own research and evidence of their own artistic practice. Students submitted innovative and exciting projects which included fashion design and animation, as well as traditional drawing and painting. Another aspect of the award was a skill share, and this was combined with a Y6 transition day, where our Y8’s confidently taught a printmaking workshop to the younger pupils. Through self-reflective writing and discussion, students have also been able to analyse and reflect on what they have learned, demonstrating maturity and a love for the creative process.

Sport

After a difficult couple of years restricting sports activities, we recognised the efforts and achievements of our students at our Celebration of Sport Awards. The School has a proud tradition of sporting success but what was most pleasing to see this year was the sheer volume of students participating in a wide range  of co-curricular sport and representing their school.

To name a few highlights, we won three out of five games at the RGS Cricket Festival in High Wycombe, while Matt N and Bobby G broke the school batting record with a new total of 820 runs, including four centuries.

An outstanding national representation for Alex L, Y8 who was selected for England Independent Schools’ Football Association.

The Schools’ Cup Competition saw our cross-country runners make their way to the regional round, with the Junior and Senior girls qualifying for the National Finals; whilst Zak O received bronze for 800m in the English Schools’ Track and Field Championship final.

In swimming, Junior boys, Junior and Senior girls finished within the fastest 20 teams in the ESSA National Swimming Time Trials in the freestyle relay and medley, respectively. All teams qualified for the National Finals at the London Olympic Pool.

Netballers showed high levels of performance in multiple age groups, arguably a direct result of their resilience in competitive matches and consistent training despite poor weather.

Our U16s won the HMC U16 Rugby Sevens and we saw nearly 50 Y7 boys turning out to play for the school in the first U12 fixtures of their RGS careers.

We achieved the best school in Great Britain for gymnastics, with the highest number of teams qualifying for National Finals.

The focus and maturity of our 1st XI Hockey Girls led them to win the England Hockey Girls’ Schools Championship Tier 2 competition, sporting a bounce-back team spirit after coming runner-up in 2019.

Riding Club saw our best results in the history of the school, having competed in the Borders and at two international horse trials, with a young team clocking up three team and four individual qualifications both in Show Jumping and Arena Eventing.

GCSE RGS 2022: 86.3% 2021: 94% 2020: 88.3% 2019: 83.8% 2018: 85.2% 2017: 83.4% ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL NEWCASTLE

Our academic results, which won us The Sunday Times North East School of the Decade in 2021 and North East School of the Year in 2022, continue to outperform others in the region and national averages.

GCSE NATIONAL AVG 2022: 26% 2021: 28.5% 2020: 25.9% 2019: 20.7% A*/A 2018: 21.5% A*/A 2017: 20% A*/A

20% 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

2022

GRADE 9 GRADE 8 GRADE 7 49

NATIONAL AVERAGE COVID CENTRE ASSESSED GRADES

“Young people across the country have faced significant challenges during the preparation for this year’s GCSEs and these results are a tremendous reflection of the determination and commitment of our students at all levels of ability.”

GEOFFREY STANFORD, HEADMASTER

THE NATIONAL AVERAGE WAS 62.2%

A*–A

TOOK

IN EPQ

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAS 35.9%

PRIZES

SIR JOHN MCNEE PRIZES FOR ALL GRADE 9 RESULTS AT GCSE

Lucia Baker

James Booth

Bede Doe

Anna Dorman

Gina Elliott

Shreya Gellia

Kunjal Gopani

Aliza Hassan

Lucas Jessop

Lydia Mitchell

Rohan Narayanan

Ruby Naylor

Jai Premchand

Benjamin Rahmani

Heston Reid

Tanisha Sharma

Celia Talks

Parul Tiwari

Dhruv Varier

Henry Young Amy Zheng

Felicia Zhou

HARTWELL FOUNDATION PRIZES FOR ENTRY TO OXFORD OR CAMBRIDGE

Thomas Campbell

Rosanna Carrick Daly

Libby Chrisp

Scarlett Nixon

Cayman Osei-Bonsu

Harry Wheatley

RUTHERFORD PRIZES

Spyridon Emmanouil, Year 7

Anya Joseph, Year 7

Amelia McCready, Year 7

Aayan Qureshi, Year 7

Akshara Saranga, Year 7

George Toumi, Year 7

Hope Anderson, Year 8

Trystan Black, Year 8

Caitlin Cottee, Year 8

Matthew Cowan, Year 8

Imogen Longstaff, Year 8

Lara Savic, Year 8

Tom Aldridge, Year 9

Jesdina Daniel, Year 9

Izzy Irvine, Year 9

Bilal Kazi, Year 9

Angus Robson, Year 9

Imogen Stanley, Year 9

Keertana Adla, Year 10

Holly Brooks, Year 10

Rae Faith, Year 10

Will Rowe, Year 10

Saakshi Santosh, Year 10

Zach Tyrrell-Thrower, Year 10

Isabella Brown, Year 11

Aidan Lord, Year 11

Gargi Mannikar, Year 11

Ashni Nair, Year 11

Michael Shaw, Year 11 Honor Stobart, Year 11

Lottie Green, Lower Sixth

Leila Humphrey, Lower Sixth

Anna Leitch, Lower Sixth

Jennifer Lowrie, Lower Sixth James Oliver, Lower Sixth Ryan Shah, Lower Sixth

Siya Sharma, Lower Sixth Hannah Stobart, Lower Sixth

Jemima Thomas, Lower Sixth Isha Yadav, Lower Sixth

Laura Gray, Upper Sixth Alice Hattaway, Upper Sixth

Jemima Hawkins, Upper Sixth Fran Kurdi, Upper Sixth

Saul McQueen, Upper Sixth Naveen Naru, Upper Sixth Wendy Peacock, Upper Sixth Max Sloan, Upper Sixth Sam Stokoe, Upper Sixth

HEADMASTER’S PRIZES

Raffy Bonner, Year 7

Lola Clappison, Year 7

Akhil De Alwis, Year 7

Sophie Iliasova, Year 7

Kevin Kossinhala-Vithanage, Year 7

Aran Manak, Year 7

Meenu Nair, Year 7

Abena Oppong, Year 7

Phoebe Spyridopoulos, Year 7

Myleene Teo, Year 7

Avantika Aradhyula, Year 8

Prachi Arora, Year 8

Eadie Burns, Year 8

Alfie Davidson, Year 8

Alexa Hamilton, Year 8

Alexander Hewitson, Year 8

Olivia Lucherini, Year 8

Ann Olsen-Gallacher, Year 8

Henry Rewcastle, Year 8

Tim Xie, Year 8

Aarav Bhatnagar, Year 9

Anoushka Chakravarthy, Year 9

Tanish Kadarapura, Year 9

Janice Kuang, Year 9

Ewan McQueen, Year 9

Felicity Mendelow, Year 9 Zaher Mohammed, Year 9 Sajidur Rahman, Year 9 Emma Ashman, Year 10 Parth Jha, Year 10 Mehul Joshi, Year 10 Eesa Mumtaz, Year 10 Ewan Robb, Year 10 Thenuk Thennakoon, Year 10 Annanya Thumbarathy, Year 10 Harish Ulaganathan, Year 10 Rayan Ahmed, Year 11

Charles Baggett, Year 11 Jacob Beard, Year 11 Ellen Land, Year 11 Xingyan (Dorothy) Liu, Year 11 Harvey Pierson, Year 11 Ruairi Welby, Year 11 Thomas Williams, Year 11 Ciara Boaden, Lower Sixth Amy Davis, Lower Sixth Oliver Douglass, Lower Sixth Catherine Richardson, Lower Sixth Nikolina Rokic, Lower Sixth Charlotte Waldron, Lower Sixth Kate Winskill, Lower Sixth Haowei Yan, Lower Sixth Joshua Bulch, Upper Sixth Phillip Daniel, Upper Sixth Destina Dogan, Upper Sixth Pia Gupta, Upper Sixth Hannah Head-Rapson, Upper Sixth Marianne Murphy, Upper Sixth Evelika Oikonomi, Upper Sixth Theo Parry, Upper Sixth Leo Vinogradov, Upper Sixth Henry Wynne-Jones, Upper Sixth

ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT

Sean Beynon, Year 7

Dexter Brissenden-Lang, Year 7 Bethan Davies, Year 7 Charlotte Evans, Year 7 Coco Hu, Year 7

Nyle Khan, Year 7 Sama Mohammed, Year 7 Aarav Sharma, Year 7 Phoebe Twemlow, Year 7 Sophie Waite, Year 7 Amy Warneford, Year 7 Jess Whittle, Year 7 Benjamin Coleman, Year 8 Twisha Devalia, Year 8 Tyesha Dutta, Year 8 Rebecca Evans, Year 8

Jasmine Guan, Year 8

Raphael Horsman-Elphick, Year 8 Maggie Lu, Year 8

Aisha Mohd-Faez, Year 8 Jessica Searby, Year 8 Sofia Walker, Year 8

Tabitha Ayalogu, Year 9 Hana Dennison, Year 9 Hazel Downie, Year 9

Krishen Kashyap, Year 9

Alissa Lietz, Year 9

Nisna Malviya, Year 9 Melissa Murruni, Year 9

Maria Shenton-Pareja, Year 9

Julian Spyridopoulos, Year 9 HannahZheng, Year 9 Emil Brunsnes, Year 10

Tony Gao, Year 10 Medhansh Gaur, Year 10 Hugo Goodall, Year 10 Hugo Green, Year 10 William Longstaff, Year 10 Mina Mohammed, Year 10 Katie Robinson, Year 10 Rachel Tsang, Year 10 Samuel Wardle, Year 10 Anna Dorman, Year 11 Lachlan Ewart, Year 11

Kunjal Gopani, Year 11 Chloe Green, Year 11 Tara Gupta, Year 11 Katherine Johnson, Year 11 Seanan Kale, Year 11

Benjamin Rahmani, Year 11 Matthew Rees, Year 11 Duncan Seller, Year 11

Adam Aslam, Lower Sixth

Thiara de Alwis, Lower Sixth Wendy Deng, Lower Sixth Jaime Dykins, Lower Sixth Keerthi Komati, Lower Sixth

Josey Lawrenson, Lower Sixth

Akshita Ramesh, Lower Sixth

Anna Shenfine, Lower Sixth

Katie Thompson, Lower Sixth

Olivia Van Delft, Lower Sixth

Yaseen Ahmed, Upper Sixth

Nikhil Bajekal, Upper Sixth

Jasmine Cave, Upper Sixth

Athena Chan, Upper Sixth

Jiawen Dong, Upper Sixth

Shayan Malik, Upper Sixth

Anik Mitra, Upper Sixth

Peter Smith, Upper Sixth

Pinaki Trivedi, Upper Sixth Molly Warne, Upper Sixth

YEAR 7 PRIZES

Iris Bains Lewis, German

Srivathsan Balaraj, Drama

Sam Birkett, Maths

Eleni Maisy Groves Maniatopoulou, Geography

Fraser Hall, Physics

Catherine Hutchinson, Art

Iona Macfarlane, Biology

Nandini Menon, English

Viktoria Sileris, Latin

Archit Upadhye, Computer Science

Daniel Wang, Engineering, Design and Technology

Oliver Ward, Chemistry

Kaipo Wu, Music

Uma Yadav, History

YEAR 8 PRIZES

Max Beeton, English

Luke Cadamy, History

Eric Cheng, Maths

Bea Chinn, French

Roo Davies, Physics

Bobbie Doe, German

Hannah Gaffarey-Hedayat, Project

Johan Haniffa, Art

Daniel Johnson, Music

Alex Lienard, Engineering, Design and Technology

Nicholas Ojomaikre, Drama

Lyege Payne, Chemistry

Isobel Peat, Biology

Amelie Tones, Latin

Alfie Wallace, Geography

Chloe Wang, Computer Science

Isabel Yates, Spanish

YEAR 9 PRIZES

David Baker, Greek

Toyah Banerjee, French

Gareth Bell, Ancient History

Helen Chen, Physics

Oliver Clark, Chemistry

Hannah Cutler, Engineering, Design and Technology

Nina Ducker, Project

Basma Gharib, Spanish

Roshan Gupta, History

Anna Hamilton, English

Dan Hierons, Drama

Emmanuel Horsman-Elphick, German

Sarah Hu, Maths

Eleanor Irving, Biology

Eva Jones, Art

Aditi Kamanahalli, Latin

Tanvi Narula, Computer Science

Chalida Prapunwong, Geography

Nye Pritchard, Coates Head Prefects’ Prize

Thomas Slater, Music

YEAR 10 PRIZES

Dana Addai, Engineering, Design and Technology

Shaarav Baranwal, Ancient History

Sara Brizzi, French

Lara Elliott, English Literature

Izzy Goldberg, Biology

Esther Kim, Chemistry

Rishi Matla, Drama

Jasmine Mohammed, Physics

Advik Nair, Computer Science

Caleb Nicholls, Music

Esha Raja, Spanish

Annika Sarawgi, English Language

Rory Scott, History

Florence Stockdale, Economics

Anushka Taribagil, Latin

Evie Tones, German

Peter Van Orsouw, Maths

Alexia Ward, Geography

Abi Wright, Art

Jessica Yang, Greek

YEAR 11 PRIZES

Lucia Baker, Engineering, Design and Technology

James Booth, Trevor Fenwick Economics

Aliyah Bruce, Art

Oisin Caffery, Music

Bede Doe, Chemistry

Josh Eapen, Physics

Gina Elliott, Computer Science

Shreya Gellia, Geography

Rohan Narayanan, Biology

Ruby Naylor, Latin

James O’Connell Nash, English Literature

Ben Osborne, Ancient History

Tanisha Sharma, English Language

Imogen Stobart, Drama

Celia Talks, History

Daniel Thompson, Greek

Dhruv Varier, German

Oliver Wall, Spanish

Weiming Xu, Maths

Amy Zheng, French

LOWER SIXTH PRIZES

Aidan Baker, Computer Science

Daniel Bansal, Chemistry

Hannah Bansal, Geography

Beatrice Bartley, Drama and Theatre

Andrea Candal-Bescansa, Spanish

Daniel Edwards, Greek

Sam Gerrard, Ancient History

Helena Grundy, French

Martin Guy, Further Maths

Eloise Longstaff, Economics

Kush Mahawar, History

May Maung, Psychology

Matthew Osborne, Sports Studies

Emily Petch, Film Studies

Eleanor Rikkerink, Politics

Amy Rowe, Philosophy

Iris Seery, Art

Sanjana Shanbhag, English Literature

Grace Stobart, Music

Evie Tate, Harvard Book Prize

Ellie Van Der Merwe, Physics

Joe Warren, German Lewis White, Biology

Lucy Wright, Engineering, Design and Technology

Joseph Wright, Latin Eve Yates, Maths

UPPER SIXTH PRIZES

Faizah Ashraf, Stanier Prize for Service (by award)

Ayesha Bajwa, Dennison Prize for Outstanding Service (by award) and French

Jake Bradbury, Drama and Theatre

Thomas Campbell, Chemistry

Rosanna Carrick-Daly, Dennison Prize for Outstanding Service (by award) and Greek

Gautam Chauhan, Physics

Libby Chrisp, Stanier Prize for Service (by award)

Amelie Craig, Harding Prize for Service to the Community and English Literature

Joe Ducker, Music

Alex Ford, Latin

Pranav Gajawada, Design Engineering

Alice Geoghegan, The Ellen Barton

Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to Girls’ Games

Bobby Green, Stanier Prize for Service (by award) and The John Elders Senior Boys’ Games Player of the Year

Jemima Hutchinson, Joseph Petty Prize for an intending Law Student and EPQ

Vishnu Kaura, Dennison Prize for Outstanding Service (by award)

Ankit Kumar, The Bill Gibson Prize for Outstanding Mathematician in Upper Sixth, Collingwood Prize for Service to the Community, Music Prize and Further Maths

Charlotte Leonard, Stanier Prize for Service (by award)

Abigail Mableson, History

Lydia Matterson, Collingwood Prize for Service to the Community and U6SD

Rutherford

Kirstin McLeod, Harding Prize for Service to the Community

Harsha Menon, Biology

Adam Mumtaz, Maths

Poppy Nichol, Trevor Fenwick Politics Freddie Nickalls, Geography

Scarlett Nixon, Ancient History

Annabel Page, Philosophy

John Prescott, Dennison Prize for Outstanding Service (by award)

Kushi Rao, Trevor Fenwick Economics

Hannah Rollins, Kishore Prize for an intending Medical Student

Jess Slater, Art

Thomas Smail, Computer Science Harriet Tait, Psychology

Abi Tang, Stanier Prize for Service (by award)

James Taylor, Dennison Prize for Outstanding Service (by award) and German

Saffron Thompson, Sports Studies

Nikhita Varma, Zaamin Hussain Prize for an intending Medical Student and Spanish

Ewan Venerus, Stanier Prize for Service (by award)

Eleanor Warneford, Product Design Becky Wise, Film Studies

Theo Wride, Dennison Prize for Outstanding Service (by award) and Bewick Art

LEAVERS LIST

2020 LEAVERS SUPPLEMENTARY

Chloe Rana, Newcastle University, Medicine and Surgery, 2022

2021 LEAVERS SUPPLEMENTARY

Frances Clifford, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Lucy Conroy, Arts Ed, London, Musical Theatre, 2022

Benjamin Cressey, The University of Edinburgh, Biological Sciences (Biochemistry), 2022

Tatiana Dickinson, Durham University, Engineering (Mechanical), 2022

Olivia Ditchfield, University of Liverpool, Criminology, 2023

Olivia Dunstan, University of Manchester, Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies (4 years), 2022

Maisie Dures Taylor, University of Sunderland, Medicine, 2022

Jack Fletcher, University of Sheffield, Law and Criminology, 2022

Sebastian Fretwell, University of Nottingham, Geography, 2022

Sophia Frey, Deutsche Sporthochschule, Köln, Germany, Sports, 2022

Theodore Hoult, University of Bristol, Economics, 2022

Lucinda Jowett, University of Nottingham, History of Art, 2022

Georgina Kat, York St John University, Psychology, 2022

Poppy Latimer, University of Dundee, Dentistry, 2022

Rose Maxwell Macdonald, University of Bristol, Anthropology, 2022

Oscar May, University of Leeds, Geography, 2022

Sarika Nadkarni, The University of Edinburgh, Veterinary Medicine, 2022

Daisy Nicholson, University of Manchester, Architecture, 2022

Cayman Osei-Bonsu, University College, Oxford, Chemistry, 2022

Sahil Pabary, University of Nottingham, Medicine, 2022

Zeynep Polat, University of Bristol, Computer Science and Electronics, 2022

Ella Reid, University of Sheffield, Dental Surgery, 2022

Paris Robson-Holland, Northumbria University, Newcastle, Applied Sciences Foundation Year, 2022

Neil Shi, University of Leicester, Medicine, 2022

Jasmine Taylor, Nottingham Trent University, Business Management and Marketing, 2022

Zachary Welsh, University of Glasgow, Economics/ Geography (SocSci), 2022

2022 LEAVERS

Ojas Aggarwal, Lancaster University, Computer Science, 2022

Momin Ahmed, Northumbria University, Newcastle, Accounting, Finance and Economics Foundation Year, 2022

Yaseen Ahmed, Queen’s University Belfast, Medicine, 2022

Alexander Andriychenko, University of Sheffield, Electrical and Electronic Engineering with a Foundation Year, 2022

Faizah Ashraf, Newcastle University, Chemical Engineering, 2022

Nikhil Bajekal, University of York, Mathematics/Physics (Equal), 2022

Ayesha Bajwa, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Sophie Balmer, University of Leeds, Social Science, 2022

Dominic Beattie, Queen’s University Belfast, Business Economics, 2022

Anna Bliss, The University of Edinburgh, Social Anthropology, 2022

Xavier Bonner, University of St Andrews, Chemistry, 2022

Jake Bradbury, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Lucia Bradley, Newcastle University, International Relations, 2023

Matthew Brown, University of Liverpool, Business Economics with a Year in Industry, 2022

Joshua Bulch, University of York, Computer Science with Cyber Security (with a year in industry), 2022

Ashar Butt, University of Sunderland, Medicine, 2022

Sienna Campbell, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Thomas Campbell, University College, Oxford, Philosophy and Linguistics, 2022

Rosanna Carrick-Daly, New College, Oxford, Classics with Oriental Studies, 2022

Jasmine Cave, University of Nottingham, Medicine, 2022

Athena Chan, The University of Edinburgh, Medicine, 2022

Luke Chaudhry, University of Liverpool, Geography, 2022

Gautam Chauhan, UCL (University College London), Mathematics and Physics, 2022

Elizabeth Chrisp, Brasenose College, Oxford, Biology, 2022

Anna Clarke, University of Nottingham, Pharmacy (4 years), 2023

Charlie Combe, University of Sheffield, General Engineering with a Year in Industry, 2023

Amelie Craig, Loughborough University, English Literature (with placement year), 2022

Harry Crosby, University of Salford, Film Production, 2022

Phillip Daniel, University of Bristol, Computer Science, 2022

Fraser Davies, The University of Edinburgh, Engineering, 2022

Francesca Dent, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Destina Dogan, University of St Andrews, Psychology, 2022

Jiawen Dong, Newcastle University, Medicine and Surgery, 2022

Bethany Dornan, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Robert Dougal, University of Leicester, History, 2023

Joel Ducker, Berklee College of Music, Boston, USA, Jazz Performance, 2022

Angus Dunstan, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Joel Ellis, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Aidan Ewart, University of Bristol, Mathematics, 2022 Chiagozie Eze, University of Strathclyde, Mechanical Engineering, 2023

Alex Faith, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, Politics and Data Science, 2023

Bartholomew Farrier, University of Liverpool, Geography, 2022

Elyse Feenan, University of Bristol, English, 2022

Francesca Fenwick, Equine employment and training, 2022

Eden Fisher, Manchester Metropolitan University, Fashion Marketing, 2022

Alex Ford, UCL (University College London), Classical Archaeology and Classical Civilisation, 2022

Emma Forrest, University of Manchester, Politics and Modern History, 2022

Pranav Gajawada, University of Warwick, Computer Science, 2022

Malachy Gavin, Solent University (Southampton), CGI and Visual Effects, 2022

Alice Geoghegan, University of Glasgow, Medicine, 2022

Rebecca Gill, University of Sheffield, Medicine (Phase One), 2022

Laura Gray, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Robert Green, The University of Edinburgh, Veterinary Medicine, 2022

Maarten Gunning, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Pia Gupta, King’s College London, University of London, Economics and Management, 2022

Michael Hanson, University of Leeds, Mathematics, 2022

Chandana Hareesh, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Alice Hattaway, University of Birmingham, Medicine (5 years), 2022

Jemima Hawkins, The University of Edinburgh, English Literature, 2022

Matthew Hayes, University of Nottingham, History, 2022

Hannah Head-Rapson, University of Glasgow, Film & Television Studies/ History of Art, 2022

Logan Hill, University of Gloucestershire, English Literature and Creative Writing, 2022

Charlotte Hudson, University of York, Biochemistry, 2023

Jemima Hutchinson, University of Leeds, Law, 2022

Ted Imrie, University of Liverpool, Law, 2022

Thomas James, Sheffield Hallam University, Aerospace Engineering, 2022

Khushi Jan, University of Northumbria, Degree Apprenticeship in Law, Sweeney Miller Solicitors, 2022

Emily Johnson, Northumbria University, Newcastle, Criminology and Forensic Science, 2022

Michael Karam, University of South Wales, Film, 2022

Vishnu Kaura, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Frederick Keegan, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

John Keown, University of Bath, Architecture (with placement), 2022

Anish Krishnan, Newcastle University, Biomedical Sciences, 2022

Ankit Kumar, University of Bath, Mathematics (with Study Year Abroad), 2022

Imandi Kumarapeli, University of Central Lancashire, Bioveterinary Sciences, 2022

Francesca Kurdi, University of the Arts London, Fashion Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, 2022

Antoni Lane, University of Sunderland, Pharmacy, 2022

Charlotte Leonard, University of Exeter, Classics, 2022

Shanxing Li, Queen Mary University of London, Mathematics and Statistics, 2022

Niamh Linkleter, University of Leeds, Business Studies with Foundation Year, 2022

Jack Lydon, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, Politics and Philosophy, 2022

Abigail Mableson, University of Warwick, History, 2022

Elizabeth MacLeod, Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences, 2022

Layyah Madathil, University of Dundee, Medicine, 2022

Shayan Malik, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Tasha Malviya, The University of Edinburgh, Geophysics with Professional Placement, 2022

Krishan Mankoo, City, University of London, History, 2022

Oliver Marks, University of Bristol, Mathematics and Computer Science, 2022

Lydia Matterson, University of Bristol, Civil Engineering, 2022

Estelle McGhee, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Kirstin McLeod, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Saul McQueen, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Emma McWhinnie, Manchester Metropolitan University, Film and Media Studies, 2022

Harsha Menon, University of Nottingham, Medicine, 2022

Anik Mitra, Imperial College London, Aeronautical Engineering, 2022 Kanika Modi, Gap year

Santhosh Moorthy, Newcastle University, Medicine and Surgery, 2022

Hannah Muir, Lancaster University, Economics, 2022

Adam Mumtaz, King’s College London, University of London, Dentistry, 2022

Marianne Murphy, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, International Relations, 2022

Aravind Myagerimath, Lancaster University, Computer Science (with Industrial Experience), 2022

Naveen Naru, University of York, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, 2022

Frederick Nelson, Newcastle University, Chemical Engineering (Industry), 2022

Matthew Nice, Bellarmine University, Kentucky, USA, Liberal Arts, 2022

Poppy Nichol, University of Leeds, Law with Hispanic Law, 2022

Frederick Nickalls, The University of Edinburgh, Geography, 2022

Scarlett Nixon, Christ Church, Oxford, Classics, 2022

Evelika Oikonomi, King’s College London, University of London, International Relations, 2022

Annabel Page, University of Exeter, Politics, Philosophy and Economics with Study Abroad, 2022

Theo Parry, University of Manchester, History and Spanish, 2022

Ella Parvin, Gap year, Application to University, 2024

Maya Patel, University of Nottingham, Veterinary Medicine, 2023

Agha Pathan, University of Birmingham, Medicine (5 years), 2022

Wendy Peacock, London South Bank University, Baking and Pastry Technology, 2022

Josephine Peart, University of Leeds, Business Studies with Foundation Year, 2022

Edward Potier Godinho, University of Bristol, BA Modern Languages, 2022

Harrison Powell, Loughborough University, Mechanical Engineering with a Foundation Year, 2022

Teedawon Prapunwong, SOAS University of London, International Relations and Social Anthropology, 2022

John Prescott, The University of Edinburgh, Veterinary Medicine, 2022

Alexandra Quinton, University of Sunderland, Pharmacy, 2022

Kushi Rao, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Rohan Rawat, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Katharine Read, Anglia Ruskin University, Illustration [with Placement year], 2022

Anaïs Richardson, University of Hull, Law with Politics, 2022

Amelia Robertson, University of Tampa, Florida, USA, Liberal Arts, 2022

Hannah Rollins, University of East Anglia UEA, Medicine, 2022

Alan Roskilly, University of Sheffield, General Engineering, 2022

Shrikiran Ruppa Geethanath, University of Sunderland, Medicine, 2022

Alexander Russell, University of Sheffield, General Engineering with a Foundation Year, 2023

Kate Salthouse, University of Nottingham, Medicine, 2022

Shenali Scott, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, Finance, 2022

Amaad Shah, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Jessica Slater, Imperial College London, Civil Engineering with a Year Abroad, 2022

Max Sloan, Newcastle University, Politics and International Relations, 2022

Thomas Smail, Imperial College London, Computing, 2022

Peter Smith, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Samantha Stokoe, Nottingham Trent University, Primary Education (QTS), 2022

Katya Summerfield, University of Glasgow, Psychology (SocSci), 2022

Harriet Tait, University of Manchester, Chemistry, 2022 Abigail Tang, Newcastle University, Economics, 2022

Adam Taylor, University of Strathclyde, Business Analysis and Technology & Economics, 2022

James Taylor, Durham University, Physics, 2022

Simran Thapar, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, Management, 2022

Saffron Thompson, University of Nottingham, Pharmacy (4 years), 2022

Abbey Tilley, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Conservatory Program in Acting, 2022

Pinaki Trivedi, Newcastle University, Medicine and Surgery, 2022

Spencer Turner, University of Sheffield, Civil Engineering with a Foundation Year, 2022

Nikhita Varma, University of Manchester, Medicine, 2022

Ewan Venerus, University of Bristol, Economics, 2022

Leo Vinogradov, University of Aberdeen, Psychology, 2022

Aditya Viswanath, University of Sheffield, History and Politics, 2022

Ananya Viswanath, University of Glasgow, History (Medieval/ Modern or Medieval/Modern/ Scottish), 2022

Grace Wade, University of Liverpool, Psychology, 2022 William Walker, University of Glasgow, Economics (SocSci), 2022

Molly Warne, University of Glasgow, English Literature/ History, 2022

Eleanor Warneford, University of Northumbria, Degree Apprenticeship in Quantity Surveying, Gleeds Global Property & Construction Consultants, 2022

Jared Watson, University of Sheffield, Theoretical Physics with a Year in Industry, 2022

Yu Wei, University of Kent, Film with a Placement Year, 2022

Harry Wheatley, Oriel College, Oxford, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, 2022

Luis White, Leeds Beckett University, Criminology, 2022

Isabel Winter, University of Leeds, Civil Engineering, 2022

Rebecca Wise, Gap year, Application to University, 2023

Theodore Wride, University of Bristol, Mechanical Engineering, 2022

Alexander Wright-Todd, Newcastle University, Medicine and Surgery, 2022

Henry Wynne-Jones, University of Bath, Management (with Placement), 2022

Ariz Zaman, University of Leeds, Medicine, 2022

Leavers say goodbye in style

Our 2022 Leavers finally bade farewell in a rite of passage marked by having a chance to dress up, enjoy a formal evening and say goodbye to a selection of staff and their friends. They then dispersed with our best wishes, embarking on post-school life, be it university, apprenticeships, gap years or the world of work. Families were invited to attend the Leavers’ Breakfast, an opportunity to reflect on individual achievements and the vast, collective skills acquired during their Sixth Form time.

We also said goodbye to our Class of 2021 at the Vermont Hotel and hosted the Class of 2020, catching up with year groups who had dinners suspended due to Covid-19. Students – now ONs – came back after a year away for a truly magnificent reunion meal.

OLD NOVOS

ONA shares life experience

We invited back Old Novos who left school in the past five years to talk to our Y12 students about their undergraduate experiences: from choosing universities and halls of residence to which clubs to join. There was no doubt about the benefit of this wisdom and it was an extremely enjoyable afternoon, rounded off by a reunion cream tea where the ONs caught up with teachers and friends in the relaxed environment of the Sixth Form common room. We also welcomed back some ONs to the RGS Archive; Mike Barlow and David Goldwater have long-standing links with our historic collections and we’re so grateful for their support with our archive work.

Caitlin Jenkins ON visited the RGS, kindly taking time from her busy schedule to give us an insight into life as a lawyer working in Paris. With Mr Metcalf hosting the event, Caitlin talked to an appreciative Sixth Form audience, providing valuable insights into using French language in a professional context and practical considerations for living and working outside the UK. We hope the presentation played its part in encouraging several of our students to seek a sense of adventure and belonging in work experience placements further afield. Another highlight was the return of Henry Schmidt ON in his role as OddBalls Ambassador; as part of our Wellbeing awareness, Henry spoke to Y12 students about testicular cancer and how to regularly check for possible symptoms.

Remembrance Service and dinners: time for reflection

Members of the Old Novocastrian Association attended our moving Remembrance Service in School, with many also taking part in our formal assembly. Afterwards, our archive opened up a collection of fascinating artefacts relating to the WWI, including original letters, photographs and medals from RGS students who fought.

The ONA dinner in October 2021 was hosted in School with guest speaker Alistair Leithead ON, an ex-BBC Foreign Correspondent, regaling us with colourful stories. At the following London dinner, held at the spectacular RAC Club, Pall Mall, ONA President Paul Haggie pulled off a remarkable feat by standing in last minute as speaker, reflecting on his diplomatic career and keeping the audience fascinated.

Our social impact continued to grow in 2021-2022 and the graphics shown highlight some of the many ways in which RGS has positively, and we hope indelibly, contributed to our City, North East Region and beyond.

RGS is driven by the difference we can make, not only to the trajectory of the lives of students who attend our school, but also to our broader community and wider society. Founded almost 500 years ago during Henry VIII’s reign, Thomas Horsley, five time mayor of Newcastle, endowed RGS as the City’s first school; that early philanthropic gift and social vision has been a constant throughout our almost half a millennium of existence. Our social responsibility remains at the forefront of our minds and is central to our future endeavours.

We believe that RGS is uniquely placed to stretch and challenge bright young people, and consequently we have a well-deserved reputation for academic excellence, consistently outstripping national averages. Our students deliver phenomenal, nationally and internationally recognised achievements, with RGS often cited as an asset when encouraging inward investment to the North East.

However, we are an exceptional school in a relatively deprived area of the UK. While we are convinced of the infinite potential of young people from the North East, the social mobility statistics in our region are some of the worst in the country and the challenges have been compounded by the pandemic. Too many children are missing opportunities afforded to others born elsewhere.

RGS BURSARIES & PARTNERSHIPS RGS BURSARIES & PARTNERSHIPS RGS BURSARIES & PARTNERSHIPS

We believe that our model of a highly academic education ought to be available to any child who is intellectually curious, able and aspiring, and who would benefit from a fast paced and challenging curriculum through RGS Bursaries and RGS Partnerships.

• RGS Bursaries open access to our school for children who could not otherwise attend, which creates deep and generational impact for both bursary children and their families;

• RGS Partnerships encompass genuinely equal collaboration with state schools, to deliver broad impact to bright, capable children from across the entire North East region.

We are incredibly proud of our achievements in 2021-2022, as well as being ambitious about what more RGS can accomplish.

RGS PARTNERSHIPS

RGS SCHOOL

RGS, WHICH WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE COST THE TAXPAYER AN ANNUAL C£10M IF EDUCATED IN THE STATE SYSTEM IN LOCAL STATE SCHOOLS BENEFITED FROM RGS PARTNERSHIPS ACTIVITIES, FOR A TOTAL 23,000 HOURS

ACROSS THE REGION WERE INVOLVED IN RGS PARTNERSHIPS ACTIVITIES

OF VOLUNTEERING WERE DELIVERED BY RGS STUDENTS RECEIVED 1,500 HOURS OF CPD OR COLLABORATED ON CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT HAVE TAKEN PLACE, INCLUDING STEAM, SPORT, LANGUAGES, CLASSICS, DEBATING, UCAS MENTORING AND MUCH MORE

STAFF & GOVERNORS

Senior Leadership Team

HEADMASTER

Mr G Stanford, MA, St Hugh’s College, Oxford, MBA, FRGS

DEPUTY HEAD

Mr T E Keenan, BSc, Bradford, MSc, Northumbria, PGCE

DEPUTY HEAD ACADEMIC

Mr R C M Loxley, BSc (Econ), Birkbeck College, London, MEd, Newcastle, PGCE

DEPUTY HEAD PASTORAL

Miss S J Longville, BA, Newcastle, PGCE

DEPUTY HEAD CO-CURRICULUM

Mr A McBride, BA (Hons), Durham, MEd, Northumbria, PGCE, Northumbria

HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL

Mr J N Miller, BA, Northumbria

HEAD OF SIXTH FORM

Mrs N McGough, MSc, Imperial College, PGCE, MRes

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

Mrs R Amey, MEng (Chemical Engineering), Nottingham, ACMA

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Mrs S Beck, MSc (Marketing and Fundraising), Southbank, London, MCIOF(Cert)

DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS

Mr J A Smith, BSc, Edinburgh, MEd, Newcastle, PGCE

Senior School ART

MR G P MASON, BA, MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN, MA, NORTHUMBRIA, PGCE

Miss H C Bray, BA, MA, Northumbria, PGCE

Mrs C Egan-Fowler, BEd, Notre Dame College, Liverpool University, MA, Northumbria

Miss R Harvey, MFA, Newcastle, BA, Cumbria

Mrs K Nowicki, (Head of Year 12) BA, London Metropolitan, PGCE

Miss K Riley, BA, Newcastle, PGCE BIOLOGY

MR P J HEATH, BSC, SHEFFIELD, PGCE

Mrs L Astley, BSC, Durham, PGCE

Dr M H Bell, BSc, Aston, PhD, Aberystwyth, PGCE

Mr S Hall, BSc, Newcastle, PGCE

Mrs S F Hutchinson, BSc, Edinburgh, PGCE

Dr C J Murgatroyd, (Head of Year 7) BSc, Sunderland, DPhil, Newcastle, PGCE

Mr L Shepherd, MA, Homerton College, Cambridge, PGCE

CAREERS AND HIGHER EDUCATION

MR M G DOWNIE, BA, LANCASTER, PGCE Mrs R J L Laws, (Asst. Head) MA, Durham, PGCE

Mr S M F A Belfield, (Oxbridge Coordinator) BA, MA, New College, Oxford, MA, Birkbeck College, London, PGCE

Miss B Milburn, (Careers Coordinator, medical), BSc, Imperial College London, MA, Northumbria, PGCE

Dr M B A Read, (North American Universities Coordinator), BA, MA, Balliol College, Oxford, BA, Open University, MPhil, Darwin College, Cambridge, PhD, King’s College, London

Mrs C Towns, (Careers Coordinator, non-medical), Staatsexamen, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg, GTP

CHEMISTRY

DR S NOLAN, MSCI, BRISTOL, PHD, BRISTOL, PGCE

Miss S Best, BSc, Newcastle, PGCE Dr R Campbell, BSc, PhD Newcastle, PGCE

Mrs S L Coates, MChem, MSc, Durham, PGCE

Dr J L Greenhalgh, BSc, Northumbria, PhD, Newcastle, PGCE

Mrs C J Hutton-Stott, BSc, Open University, PGCE

Mr T Kelso, (Head of Year 10) BSc, Newcastle, PGCE

DR A J PULHAM, (HEAD OF SCIENCE), BA, KEBLE COLLEGE, DPHIL, LINACRE COLLEGE, OXFORD

Mrs M C Slack, BSc, Leicester Polytechnic, PGCE

Mr R W Wiggins, BSc, Imperial College, London, PGCE

Dr E A Smith, BSc, PhD, Newcastle, PGCE Mrs N Wright, BSc, MEd, Newcastle, PGCE

CLASSICS

MRS V C MEE, BA, MA, JESUS COLLEGE, OXFORD, PGCE

Mr S M F A Belfield, BA, MA, New College, Oxford, MA, Birkbeck College, London, PGCE

Mrs P R Coningham, MA, Newnham College, Cambridge, PGCE

Dr L E Hope, PhD Toronto, MA Florida, BA Massachusetts Amherst Dr D A MacLennan, BA, MA, PhD, Durham, PGCE

Miss P L Whitworth, BA, Durham

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

MR C J WILDE, BA, NEWCASTLE, PGCE Miss J Lynn, BSc, Edge Hill, PGCE Mr M Moore, MEng, Newcastle, PGCE

DRAMA

MISS S G DAVISON, BA, WARWICK, PGCE Miss J Blacklock, BA Sunderland Mrs R A Shaw-Kew, BA, Bretton Hall College, University of Leeds

ECONOMICS

MR J D NEIL, BA, DURHAM, MPHIL, HUGHES HALL, CAMBRIDGE, PGCE

Mrs L E Davison, MA, BA, Newcastle, PGCE, QTS

Mr R C M Loxley, (Deputy Head Academic) BSc (Econ), Birkbeck College, London, MEd, Newcastle, PGCE

Mr S O’Dwyer, BA, Bangor, PGCE, Nottingham

Mr P Shelley, BA, Liverpool, MSc, Southampton, QTS

Mr S Pearson, BA, Thames Valley London, PGCE, EMBA, Newcastle

Mr M J Smalley, BA, Manchester, QTS

ENGINEERING, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

MR P M WARNE, MENG, ST AIDAN’S COLLEGE, DURHAM, PGCE

Mr M Lowe, BA, Nottingham Trent Mrs C A Pipes, BA, Northumbria, PGCE Miss O Kenny, BA, Newcastle, MA, Sunderland, PHD, Sunderland, PGCE

ENGLISH

DR S J BARKER, BA, ST DAVID’S

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LAMPETER, PHD, UNIVERSITY OF WALES

Mrs H Chandy, BA, MA, St Andrews, PGCE

Dr C Goulding, BA, MLitt, PhD, Newcastle Mrs K J Keown, BA, Robinson College, Cambridge, PGCE

Mr A King, BA, MA, Newcastle, PGCE

Dr S C Masters, (Film Studies), BA, Newcastle Polytechnic, MA, Newcastle, PhD, Sunderland

Mrs L A Stadward, BA, MA, Northumbria, QTS

Mr B Watson, BA, Northumbria, PGCE, Durham

FOOD AND NUTRITION

Mrs M Aitchison, BSc, Northumbria, PCGE

Staff and Governors list accurate as of 31/7/22.

GEOGRAPHY

MR D A WILSON, BSC, KING’S COLLEGE, LONDON, PGCE

Ms S Buist, (Head of Digital Strategy), BA, Exeter, PGCE

Mr M G Downie, (Head of Careers & HE), BA, Lancaster, PGCE

Mrs K E Hammill, (Head of PSHE), BA, Sheffield, QTS

Mrs R J L Laws, (Asst. Head of Careers), MA, Durham, PGCE

Mrs R Leigh, (Head of EPQ) BA, MA, Newcastle, PGCE

Miss Z C Morrow, BSc, MA, Institute of Education, UCL, PGCE

Mrs H Petangoda, BA, King’s College, London, MA, St Mary’s, PGCE, QTS

HISTORY

MR D TYREMAN, MA, LANCASTER, PGCE

Mrs L Crowley, MA, MLitt, Glasgow, QTS

Mr O L Edwards, MA, King’s College, Cambridge, PGCE

Mr D C Greenhalgh, (Head of Year 8) BA (JtHons), MPhil, University of Wales, Bangor, MA, Aberystwyth, PGCE

Dr E S Matthews, MA, PhD, Lancaster, MSc, Stirling, PGCE

Mrs A J Palmer, MA, Dundee, PGCE

MATHEMATICS

MR N HAMILTON, ME, OXFORD, PGCE

Dr J Argyle, BSc, Durham, MSc, Sheffield, PhD, Durham, PGCE, MEd, The Open University

Mr H M W Bingham, BA, Pembroke College, Cambridge, PGCE

Mr A Delvin, BSc, Bristol, MSc, Manchester, PGCE

Mr G D Dunn, BSc, Northumbria, PGCE

Mrs J Gwillim, BSc, Nottingham Trent, PGCE

Dr P M Heptinstall, BSc, PhD, Newcastle, PGCE

Mr D A Jardine, BSc, Strathclyde, PGCE

Mr T E Keenan,(Deputy Head), BSc, Bradford, MSc, Northumbria, PGCE

Mr A Pearson, BSc, MEd, Newcastle, PGCE

Mr H Rashid, BSc, MSc, Newcastle, PGCE

Mrs S Sharp, (Partnerships), BA, MA, Cambridge, PGCE

Mr A Snedden, BSc, Newcastle, PGCE

Miss R M Watterson, BSc, Edinburgh, PGCE

Miss Z Winn, MMath, Bath, PGCE

MODERN LANGUAGES

MS K E SYKES, BA (DOUBLE HONS), BRADFORD, PGCE

Mr M S Bailie, (Head of Year 11) BA, Stirling, MA, Queen’s University of Belfast, PGCE

Miss J Budd, (Head of Year 12) BA, Aberystwyth, PGCE

Miss S Demoulin, University of Mont Saint Aignan, France

Mrs C L Diaz-Crossley, BA, Jesus College, Cambridge, PGCE

Mr T Harman, (Head of French) BA, Newcastle, PGCE

Miss E L Hayes, BA, Newcastle, PGCE

Senora B Membrado-Dolz, (Head of Spanish)

Mr M Metcalf, (Head of Year 9) MA, MPhil, Trinity College, Cambridge, PGCE Mrs C Towns, (Careers Coordinator, non-medical), Staatsexamen, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg, GTP Mrs D Williams, (Head of German) BA, Durham, PGCE

MFL ASSISTANTS

Mr S Straub, (German) Miss F Gervasoni, (French) Miss A Medinilla-Fernandez, (Spanish)

MUSIC

MR N. SMITH, BM, MM, NEWCASTLE, PGCE

Miss S L Bolt, BA, Newcastle, PGCE Mrs K Clappison, (Head of Junior School Music), MA, Glasgow, PGCE

LEARNING SUPPORT

Ms A E Lee, (Director of Progress, Learning and Support), MSc, Nottingham, BA, Newcastle, PGCE

Mrs H J Hardy, (Learning Support Assistant), BA, Sheffield, MA, Open, PGCE Mrs N Kyle, (Learning Support Assistant), BA, Durham, MSc, Northumbria, PGCE

Mrs S Huck, (Learning Support Assistant), BA, Reading, GCE Newcastle

PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION

DR M B A READ, BA, MA, BALLIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD, BA, OPEN UNIVERSITY, MPHIL, DARWIN COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, PHD, KING’S COLLEGE, LONDON

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

MRS A J PONTON, (DIRECTOR OF SPORT) BSC, LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES, PGCE

Mr W Angus, BA, Durham, PGCE Mr A G Brown, BSc with QTS, Sheffield Hallam

Miss N Harkness, BSc, Northumbria, PGCE

Miss J Harrison, BSc, Manchester Metropolitan, PGCE, Durham

Mr J Ingle, (Assistant Director of Sport) BSc, Loughborough, PGCE Miss H Larsen, BSc, Loughborough

Miss A Lill, (Assistant Director of Sport) BSc, Northumbria, PGCE

Mr R V Mackay, BSc, Northumbria Mr A E Watt, BA, Manchester Metropolitan Mr J A Wood, BA, Manchester Metropolitan, PGCE Sunderland

PHYSICS

DR R M HOUCHIN, MSCI, PHD, DURHAM, QTS, DIPED

Mr J L Camm, BSc, Manchester, PGCE

Mrs N McGough, (Head of Sixth Form) MSc, Imperial College, PGCE, MRes

Mr S McMenzie, BSc, Manchester, PGCE

Miss B Milburn, (Careers Coordinator, medical), BSc, Imperial College London, MA, Northumbria, PGCE

Mr E T Rispin, (Head of Exams), BSc, Newcastle, PGCE

Mr T Williams, (Partnerships) BSc, Durham, PGCE

PSHE

MRS K E HAMMILL, BA, SHEFFIELD, QTS PSYCHOLOGY

DR C M BONE, BSC, MANCHESTER POLYTECHNIC, MA, DURHAM, PHD NORTHUMBRIA PGCE

Miss K A Jacques, BSc, Newcastle

Junior School

HEADMASTER

Mr J N Miller, BA, Northumbria

DEPUTY HEAD

Dr A J Spencer, BSc, PhD, Birmingham, PGCE

ASSISTANT HEAD PASTORAL

Mrs K Wall, BA, University College of Ripon & York St John, QTS

ASSISTANT HEAD ACADEMIC

Mrs K Clappison, MA, Glasgow, PGCE

STAFF

Mrs C Baker, BA, Northumbria Miss H Close, BSc, Lancaster, MA, Sunderland, PGCE

Mr A Cragg, BA, Durham, QTS Mrs C M Cree, BSc, Newcastle, PGCE

Mrs H Dean, BEd, Newcastle Polytechnic Mrs L Hogg, BEd, Strathclyde

Mr T G Lloyd, BA, Nottingham, QTS

Mrs S J McCulloch, BA, Liverpool, PGCE

Mrs R Milligan, BA, Sheffield, PGCE Miss M A Noble, BA, Hull, MA, Northumbria, PGCE

Mrs C O’Hanlon, BA, Newcastle, PGCE Mrs L M Stairmand, BA, Leeds, MSc, Buckinghamshire, PGCE

Mrs R S Towers, BA, Leeds, MEd, Newcastle

Ms A J Whitney, BA, Southampton, PGCE Mr B Wollerton, BSc, Northumbria, PGCE Miss L R B Wood, BA, Newcastle, MA, Durham, QTS

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Mrs A Gilmore, CACHE Level 3

Mrs L M Johnston, STA, Northumbria, HLTA Level 4

Mrs H Sisterson, BA, CACHE Level 3

STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT Miss K Hobson, BA, Hull

AFTER SCHOOL SUPERVISORS

Mrs C Colley

Mr S Hails

Mrs S Spearman

Support Staff

ADMINISTRATION

Headmaster’s Secretary: Miss S Ellis

PA to Deputy Head Team: Miss S Versteeg, BSc, Masstricht

Exams Administrator: Mrs J Armstrong

Attendance & Cover Administrator: Mrs R Barrett, BA Accounting (Hons), Northumbria

Attendance Manager/ Staff Cover Manager: Mrs L J Wright, HND, Bedfordshire Compliance Officer & Clerk to the Governors: Mrs C Black, BSc, Aston

Office and Procurement Co-Ordinator: Miss R Johnson

Senior School Receptionist: Mrs J Cross

Senior School Secretary: Mrs J M Glendon

Junior School Receptionist: Mrs Emma Evans

Junior School Secretaries: Miss Noble, Miss A Gravely, BA, Hull

School Administrators: Ms T Barden, BSc London, MSc Cranfield, Ms R McCabe

Head of Admissions: Mrs A Perry

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Head of Marketing and Communications: Miss L Foad, BA, Newcastle, PCGE, NCTJ

Marketing & Communications Manager: Miss L Pringle, BA (Hons), Northumbria

Archivist: Miss L Piffero, BA (Hons), Sheffield, Masters of Archives and Record Management (Merit), Liverpool

External Affairs Administrator: Mrs R Robson, BA (Econ), Manchester, ACA

Events Manager: Mrs J M Graham

Bursary Access Officer: Mrs J Browne, BA, Newcastle

FINANCE

Head of Finance: Mrs A Findlay, BA, Northumbria, FCCA

Senior Finance Assistant: Mrs S A McGregor

Finance Assistant: Mrs M Keeler

Trainee Accountant Mr C O’Kane, BSc (Hons), Newcastle

HR

Head of HR: Mrs L Ledger, LLB, Leicester, LPC, College of Law, York

HR Advisor: Mrs S Forster, BA, Birmingham

CATERING

Head of Catering Services: Mr B T Bulch

Catering: Mr W Halfpenny (Head Chef) Mr J Gray, Miss C Lyon, Mr C Scott, Mr J Webb (Assistant Chefs)

Mrs M Armstrong, Mrs N Campbell, Mrs A Crisp, Miss T Carr, Miss L Docherty, Miss D Donaldson, Mrs G Gott, Mrs D Graham, Mrs L Hodgson, Miss S Knight, Miss C Ludbrook, Miss J O’Dwyer, Miss C Stewart, Mrs L Storey, Mrs S Turnbull (Catering Assistants)

FACILITIES

Head of Facilities and Estates: Mr S G Lymn, MA, Durham

Domestic Manager: Mrs J Gallagher, ABICsc

Domestic Supervisor: Ms J Tullis

Domestics: Miss G Carter, Mrs S Charlton, Mr M Conroy, Mrs S Davison, Mr J Fothergill, Mr A Francis, Miss P Irving, Mrs S Redhead, Mr G Reid, Miss T Smith, Mr J Murtha, Miss E Munro, Mrs C Fairlamb, Miss L Conlin, Mrs L Clark, Mrs T Day, Mrs L Hodgson, Mrs L Woodhead, Mr R Gonzalez–Rodriguez, Miss N Cushing

Grounds Staff: Mr D Payne, Mr J Rippon, Mr L Gilbert

Caretakakers: Mr G J Fuery BEM, Mr D Broom, Mr D Gibson, Mr O Gooding, Mr D Laffey Maintenance Staff: Mr M Graham, Mr S Blanchflower

IT

Head of Digital Strategy: Ms S Buist, BA, Exeter, PGCE

Database Manager: Ms J Shutt, BSc, Leeds

Specialist in End User Computing: Mr D Baker, BSc, Derby

IT Support Technician: Mr J Mayer

Audio Visual Manager Mr S Corrigall

Apprentice Network Engineer: Mr D Leddy

LIBRARY

Librarian: Mrs C J Richardson, BA, Newcastle Polytechnic

MEDICAL STAFF

School Nurses: Mrs M Thorniley-Walker, RGN, Mrs V Duns

School Medical Officer: Dr R Pedlow

OUTDOOR PURSUITS

Outdoor Pursuits Instructor: Mr R O’Hagan

DofE: Miss Z C Morrow

CCF Contingent Commander: Mrs C J Hutton-Stott

SPORTS CENTRE

Sports Centre Supervisor: Mr L Herbertson

Sports Centre Assistant: Mr O Young, Mr I Sprague, Mr M Hume

Graduate Sports Assistant: Miss C Meredith

Physiotherapist Mr K Mortland

SUPERVISORY ASSISTANTS

Miss R McCabe, Mrs A Bailey, Mrs L Roskilly, Mr D Brown

TECHNICAL STAFF

Art Technician: Miss R M Gibson, BA York

Head of Digital Media: Mr M R Burton, BA, Northumbria

Technical Manager (Performing Arts Centre): Mr B Squire, BA, University of West London

Performing Arts Centre Technician: Miss M Boyd, BA, Northumbria University

Senior Technician: Mr P L Emmerson, BA, Northumbria

EDT Technicians: Mr A Barker

Science Technicians: Mr G Bowman, BSc, Northumbria, Miss J English, Mr I Norris, BSc, MPhil, Newcastle, Mr C Robinson, Miss S Yakoob, BSc Newcastle

Self-Employed Staff

VISITING MUSIC TEACHERS

Dave Hignett, (Brass) BA (Hons), LGSM, PGCE

Peter Richardson, (Cello, Guitar and Bass) DRSMD (performance)

Dov Goldberg, (Clarinet and Saxophone) GMus RNCM (hons), PPRNCM dist. John Ferguson, (Classical Guitar)

Licentiate Trinity College London (LTCL) Stephen Wall, (Drums)

Sarah Davie, (Flute) M.Mus (perf), BA, CPGS RSAMD

Rebecca O’Donnell, (Oboe and Bassoon) M.Mus (perf), BMus (Hons) Mark Edwards, (Orchestral Percussion) M.Mus / PGDip

Annie Ball, (Piano) Dip ABRSM, BMus M.Mus

Lada Khazanovych, (Piano)

Nicholas Nowicki, (Piano) M.Mus (perf) RNCM, BA (Hons) MISM

Andrew Soulsby, (Piano and Harpsicord) B/Mus (Hons) Dip ABRSM, PGCE

Julia Jasinski, (Violin) L.T.C.L. (performers / teachers) A.R.A.M

Michael Walton, (Violin) B.Mus (R.C.M.), M.Mus

James Morgan, (Voice)

Katrina Conaty, (LAMDA) BA(Hons), ALAM

Timothy Burke, BA Oxford, ARCO Royal College of Organists, PGDip Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Cathy Geldard, (Ceilidh Band coach)

Gail Davies-Fidler, (Singing Teacher) Xing Wang (Visiting Mandarin Teacher)

COUNSELLORS

Miss A E Jordon, BSc Newcastle, PGDip Psychotherapy

Mrs E Thompson, Foundation Degree in Arts, Sunderland, BACP registered

COACHES

Chess: Mr D Eggleston

Climbing: Mr J Chamberlain

Dance: Miss J Rowe

Fencing: Mr I Aberdeen

Hockey: Mr T Dudley

Netball: Miss N Mills

Rugby:

Mr J Benson, Mr T Turnbull, Mr T Brophy Clews, Mr J Hayes, Mr J Blackett, Mr P Brantingham

Strength and Conditioning: Mrs T Hamilton, Miss D Peart, Mr C Lee

Yoga: Mrs D Hannant

Governors

Mrs J Berry

Mr H Fell

Mr A Fletcher (Chair of Governors)

Mrs S Green (Vice Chair)

Mrs A Gupta Professor M Hannifa

Mr A Lamb

Mr N McMinn

Miss S Milligan

Mr A Murphy

Mr M Robinson

Mrs C Stonehouse

Councillor T Thorne

Mrs S Woodroofe