Friends of BRGS Edition 40 Summer 2019

Bacup & Rawtenstall

Issue 40

Grammar School

Summer 2019

Friends of BRGS A newsletter produced by BRGS for former students, parents & the community

Reunion Date: Saturday 12th October 2019 On Saturday 12th October 2019 BRGS is hosting a reunion providing an opportunity for all former students of any age to return to BRGS whilst getting together with friends from your year group. We would like to contact as many former students as possible so please share widely using #brgsreunion.

The provisional programme is as follows with more to be added:

2.00 pm

School Open

2.30 pm & 3.30 pm

Maths Bingo (30 minute sessions)

3.10 pm & 4.10 pm

English activities (30 minute sessions)

3.50 pm & 4.20 pm

Science activities (30 minute sessions) BRGS Young Musician Concert in the Canopy

2.30 pm

Lower School (Years 7-9)

3.15 pm

Middle School (Years 10-11)

4.00 pm

Upper School (Years 12-13)

3.00 – 3.10 pm OR 4.00 – 4.10 pm

Brief update and welcome from the Headteacher

2.30 – 5.00 pm

Complimentary hot drinks and cake available in the newly-extended and refurbished Dining Room.

6.00 pm

School Closes

Items from the school archive will be available for viewing in the Learning Resource Centre.

Please do advise us if you are intending to come by emailing Emma Gauntlett at ecg@brgs.org.uk so that we have an idea of numbers. Please do feel free to attend with family members – they do not need to be former students; they are all welcome!

Further details will be posted on the BRGS website at https://www.brgs.org.uk/events/2019-10-12brgs-reunion and on the BRGS Official Facebook site. www.brgs.org.uk

1

Welcome!

By the end of the school summer holiday we should have a newly extended and improved dining room alongside a more spacious sixth form centre.

These physical changes to the building alongside others which have taken place in the intervening years since our Centenary Reunion will be in place for you to see on Saturday 12th October for our reunion. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you back for the afternoon and hope that you enjoy the opportunity to meet with friends from BRGS. Wishing you a wonderful summer!

Emma Emma Gauntlett Development Director ecg@brgs.org.uk Tel: 01706 234500/01706 234502 (direct) www.brgs.org.uk

Former sixth form student, Keira Walsh played a key role in England’s World Cup Football Squad and was part of the England team that won the SheBelieves Cup in the US earlier this year. Keira signed her first professional contract with Manchester City in 2015 at the age of 18. The midfielder received her first international call-up at the age of 12 to the under-15 squad in 2009. At only 22 years old she was one of the youngest players in Phil Neville’s 23-strong squad.

BBC Sports’ Alistair Magowan commented that Keira was a “World Cup debutant who looked comfortable in the England midfield. Offers the type of crisp passing that England have missed, and can break lines or ping the ball crossfield.”

Photo courtesy of Ian Walton, FA.

Former student Charlotte Hartley was shortlisted as Student Science Journalist of the year with her article on DNA. Charlotte was a finalist in The Association of British Science Writers annual ceremony where writers at the top of their field are recognised for their contribution to journalism in science. Charlotte's article titled On genes, ancestry, and why we're all descended from royalty was published online in Durham University's The Bubble. To read the article go to https://www.thebubble.org.uk/current-affairs/science-technology/genes-ancestrydescended-royalty/

42 Year 12 students A level Biology students participated in the annual British Biology Olympiad with some excellent results:  

10 students received commendations and 5 students were highly commended.

8 students were awarded Bronze Medals with Chloe, Jerry and Erin receiving Silver Medals.

Orla was awarded a highly sought after Gold Medal.

The British Biology Olympiad (BBO) intends to challenge students with an interest in biology to extend their skills and demonstrate their knowledge and is open to students in post-16 education. The competition consists of two, 45 minute multiple choice papers taken under exam conditions. www.brgs.org.uk

3

Junior Maths Challenge Seven Year 8 pupils recently proved themselves to be among the best young mathematicians in the United Kingdom.

After achieving Gold certificates on the UKMT Junior Maths Challenge at the end of April and being placed in the top 3% of the 300,000 pupils who sat that challenge nationwide, Afraz, Benji, Dylan, Finlay, Gabriel, Holly and Muddasser were invited to the follow-on round, called the Junior Kangaroo.

Benji and Holly produced excellent performances on that paper and were awarded Certificates of Merit, while the other five pupils were awarded Certificates of Qualification.

The Kangaroo is a multiple-choice paper of 25 questions testing various aspects of mathematics for pupils in Year 8 and below.

The UKMT award certificates to the top 25% of all entrants, meaning Benji and Holly were in an exclusive number of pupils who achieved both Gold and Merit certificates, so very well done to them.

One of their questions was: There are 30 pupils in my class. 20 pupils like Maths and 18 pupils like English. Twice as many pupils like both subjects as like neither of them. How many pupils like only Maths?

A. 20

B. 16

C. 12

D. 8

E. 4

The initial Junior Challenge was taken by 90 Year 8 pupils and they achieved excellent results overall.

Over 270,000 pupils in Year 8 or below from across the UK sat the Challenge, with roughly the top 7% receiving a Gold certificate, 13% Silver and 21% Bronze.

The percentages for BRGS were 14% Gold, 42% Silver and 22% Bronze Maths teacher Mr Wilbraham, who organises the Challenge, said: “This is only the fourth time we have entered Year 8 for the UKMT Junior Challenge and seven pupils qualifying for the Kangaroo is our best level of performance.

“All 90 pupils who sat the original Challenge should be congratulated for their results, as the questions do test some rather abstract concepts and require thinking beyond what they would normally do in the classroom.

“As time goes on, the pupils will be expected to answer more problem-solving questions in their school Maths lessons and the UKMT Junior Challenge is an excellent precursor to what they will meet at GCSE level.”

Pictured with their certificates are Dylan, Gabriel, Holly, Afraz and Finlay.

Year 10 students achieved a range of awards in the 2019 UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge.

Of the thousands of students who take the Challenge nationally, certificates are awarded to the top 40%. At BRGS, 66% of those who sat the paper were awarded a certificate at either Gold, Silver or Bronze level.

The top scorer was Joseph, who scored a superb 132 marks out of a possible total of 135. This continues his successes of recent years when he was one of the top scorers in the country on the Junior Challenge and the best at BRGS when he sat the Senior Challenge with sixth form students in November.

Joseph qualified to sit a follow-on paper – the Hamilton Olympiad – which requires full written solutions to problems rather than selecting from multiple-choice options. In that paper he scored very highly to become one of the top 50 scorers in the entire country!

Other Year 10 pupils to qualify for a further round were Elijah, Josh and Jessica, who took the Pink Kangaroo. Elijah top scored and received a Merit certificate, while Josh and Jessica received Qualification certificates. www.brgs.org.uk

5

Year 13 Prom was enjoyed in glorious sunshine at The Dunkenhalgh.

Photos courtesy of TJ Photography and SJ Photography

Enrichment Week 2019 Enrichment Week takes place in the last week of the academic year. This year it included a whole host of activities including the 'old favourites': Year 7 Activity Day & Year 9 Camp as well as a trip to Blackpool for nearly 400 students!

Students experienced a varied programme including a STEM activity day; cultural trip to Manchester; Helmshore Mill History Trip; musical instrument making workshops; International Day; visits from external speakers; cryptopgraphy and much more.

Photos of Year 7 Activity Day courtesy of SJ Photographers.

www.brgs.org.uk

7

Fond Farewells At the end of the summer term we said farewell and thank you to the following colleagues: Suzanne Gordon our Music Administrator is leaving us to relocate to the beautiful Scottish village of Portpatrick with her family. During her time as Music Administrator she has had an enormous impact on the smooth running of hundreds of instrumental lessons, exams and the general day-to-day life in the Music Department. Her bubbly and sunny personality coupled with her ability to turn problems into solutions will be missed.

After completing a successful NQT year at BRGS, Rebecca Winchester is leaving the weather in Rossendale for the warmer, sunnier climes of Valencia in Spain. Our thanks and best wishes go to her for her tireless work both within the department and on a whole-school level. Her pupil-centred approach to the classroom and her drive and willingness to build on good practice was appreciated within Modern Languages and we are also grateful to her for her support of school trips and fundraising efforts over the course of the year.

Joel Duncan joined the Mathematics Department in September 2015 and since then he has taught every year group and regularly volunteers to support students during lunchtimes, giving up his time to run through topics they are unsure about. Joel’s love of football led to him working with both the Year 9 football team and the 6th form team, taking the latter to the finals of the Lancashire Cup twice and winning in 2017. He became the unofficial school lifeguard on trips after qualifying in 2018 and he has given up his time to support numerous school trips including Paris, Anglesey, Year 9 Camp and trips to America and China. We wish him well in the next step in his career.

Kate Byrne is leaving BRGS to return to Sale Grammar School and to take up the role of the Head of Science Faculty. She has made an enormous contribution to BRGS in the nine and a half years that she has been with us and she will be greatly missed. Kate is a passionate biologist who uses her enthusiasm, personality and passion for the subject to deliver engaging and enriching lessons. In her time at BRGS she has been responsible for overseeing the implementation of the new A Level and GCSE science courses as well as creating a huge bank of superb resources. Outside of the classroom Kate has provided pastoral support to countless students and we will miss her wonderful sense of humour.

Andy Cairns is sadly leaving BRGS after nine years focusing on a range of roles from Laboratory Technician to Cover Supervisor, Educational Visits Coordinator and Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator – many of these roles at the same time! Andy has also worked as an Exams Officer and in more recent months he has provided cover in Science which has led to the next exciting step in his career as he starts teaching training in September. His joke of the day sent with the cover arrangements brightened up our days and his warm-natured personality will be sorely missed.

After becoming a Governor in 1996, David King, Chairman of Governors, announced that he would be stepping down from the role when his term of office concludes at the end of August 2019.

David became Chairman of Governors in 2007 and has also served the school as Chairman of the PTA. During his tenure, he has worked alongside three headteachers: Martyn Morris who is enjoying his retirement on the south coast and is a school governor himself; Marc Morris who is now Global Director of Education for Dulwich College International and our current headteacher, Alan Porteous.

There have been significant physical changes to the school during David’s Chairmanship and education has been through many policy changes under the leadership of 15 Education Secretaries.

David’s wife, Anne was a valued member of the school community, responsible for growing the school computer network inordinately and both their sons are also former pupils.

David was presented with a copy of the Chairman of Governors’ Chair from the school stage which our Design and Technology Department created. The base is from an old technology workbench so that David will have a piece of BRGS in his home. We thank him sincerely for the countless hours that he has dedicated to the school and it’s wider community.

In a similar vein, Heather Skilling, Vice-Chair of Governors who was formerly Headteacher at St. Mary’s Primary School, Rawtenstall and is an alumnae of BRGS, is also retiring from the Governing Body. Her child-centred focus and service coupled with her wise counsel will be missed.

For 2019-2020 we will be welcoming Malcolm White (current Chairman of the Curriculum Committee) to the role of Chairman of Governors and Peter Terry (current Chairman of the Finance Committee) will be the Vice-Chair of Governors. www.brgs.org.uk

9

Sutton Trust Summer School Year 12 student Anna Cormack has obtained a place on the highly competitive Royal Veterinary College Sutton Trust Summer School in August 2019. We look forward to hearing all about the opportunities it will offer Anna as she progresses towards her chosen career.

Cambridge First Class!

Congratulations to former student Eilidh Thompson on her First class degree in Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic from Clare College, Cambridge. We wish her every success!

Dr Robinson awarded British Empire Medal Dr Arthur Robinson, who was a Deputy Head at BRGS from 1990 until his retirement in 2007, was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours for voluntary service to the community in South Cumbria.

He was the joint leader of a project to install B4RN hyperfast broadband throughout three parishes east of Kendal. About 500 houses and businesses now have world class broadband with speeds of 1000Mbs for both downloads and uploads and unlimited usage for a low monthly fee.

The project involved liaison with 140 landowners to agree free wayleaves for the underground ducts, the raising of over ÂŁ450,000 and work by 80 or more volunteers.

The installation included laying 39 miles of duct, constructing 116 underground chambers, and digging under 112 walls, 57 hedges and 33 streams.

London to Paris Bike Ride for Breast Cancer Charity

Photo courtesy of the Rossendale Free Press

Former student Mark Shorrock was the front runner leading a team of cyclists on a 350 mile mission to cycle from London to Paris to raise money for breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel. The team raised over £44,000 through their efforts and the event was organised on behalf of Kevin Murphy hair care brand, whose products he distributes in his job as Head of Hair Care for Sweet Squared in Leeds. The cyclists had to spend up to eight hours a day in the saddle, past the Normandy beaches, villages of northern France and on to Versailles and Paris.

Kailey McGowan Former student Kailey McGowan has honed her acting skills first developed at Burnley Youth Theatre and BRGS, graduating from Manchester School of Theatre and now performing in Mark Murphy’s Small Histories, a play which explores love and loss.

Directed by Kerry Kawai and presented by the Out Of Kilter Theatre Company, the play is an emotional rollercoaster tracking the lives of six generations of women over 100 years from the final months of World War One. Kailey said: “The women who have gone before us in our family have probably endured great trials and tribulations but we never hear about them.”

Kailey has been commissioned by Lancashire County Council three times since leaving Burnley Youth Theatre and she has also achieved her ambition of creating her own drama company. Something Good Theatre was launched earlier in 2019 with the objective of shattering stigmas and stereotypes.

Kailey has also penned a play It’s Probably Thrush which she will star in later this summer. This is a tale that focuses on endometriosis whilst exploring modern relationships and mental health issues.

www.brgs.org.uk

11

Sports Reports For all the latest BRGS Sports News then do follow BRGS PE Department on Twitter @BRGS_PE

Hockey Success BRGS student, Ibrahim Omar has gained a Gold Medal in the England U16 Hockey Championships with Bowdon Hockey Club. Bowdon had a tough group in the draw which included previous year's Champions Surbiton. However, after remaining unbeaten in the group stages, Bowdon narrowly progressed to the final by surpassing Surbiton's goal difference by one goal. In the final, Bowdon met a strong Fareham Hockey side and after a closely fought game, Bowdon managed to come out on top winning 4-2 and becoming National Champions! A massive achievement for Bowdon Hockey Club and also for Ibrahim!

Athletics Achievements Congratulations to Isabelle on becoming the Lancashire U15 1500m Champion 2019!

BRGS were Rossendale Champions in all categories in the Rossendale Schools’ Athletics Championships. In addition,  

BRGS gained Gold in the Year 7 and 8 Tennis Championships.

Y10 Rounders Team were Rossendale Champions.

Obituaries Joan Collins née Sellers (1939-2019) died on the 23rd April 2019 after a short illness. She was the widow of L. Brian Collins and mother of Wendy and attended BRGS from 1945 – 1951. She will be sadly missed by her family and many friends.

Duncan Heys died on the 31st January 2019 aged 92. Duncan was very proud of BRGS and especially the football team! He spent many years in Pembrokeshire. He joined St David’s Cathedral Choir, often singing solo pieces. However, he always remained a ‘Lancashire Lad’.

Follow us: Do follow us on twitter @BRGS_1701 and on our Facebook site which is BRGS (Official Facebook).

Year 11 Prom Photos 2019 Photos courtesy of TJ Photography

Glen Road, Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancashire BB4 7BJ

www.brgs.org.uk

T: 01706 234500 E: enquiries@brgs.org.uk W: www.brgs.org.uk

Sixth Form: T: 01706 233400 E: sixthform@brgs.org.uk

13