The Review: 2022 - 2023

WGHS REVIEW The official magazine of Wakefield Girls’ High School 2022-23

CLASS OF 2023 STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND STUDENT VOICE THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARDS RESIDENTIALS SPORTS UPDATE

Artwork by Amelia Mo

Welcome

It feels like this year has gone in a flash. We have seen so much activity, been part of so many amazing things that school life has been fast paced and a bit of a whirlwind. It’s been a super year with lots to celebrate.

You will see in this bumper edition of the WGHS Review just how busy we have been with academic trips and challenges, house events, music concerts, drama performances from Year 6 (Peter Pan), Key Stage 3 (Matilda) and Key Stage 4 and 5 (The Addams Family). You will also see some wonderful sporting achievements in addition to all the other ‘extras’ we offer including our Pathways to Success programme, Duke of Edinburgh and, very importantly, how we care about people and issues within our wider community through our commitment to supporting fundraising for various charities.

At Wakefield Girls’ we encourage our students to use their voice and be heard, advocating for themselves and for others in our wider society. We love to learn, to question, to research and go the extra mile and we are proud of this. Our students are therefore acutely aware of what is happening around them, they want to drive change and they are ready to debate and express an opinion but will listen and are willing to change their mind, or indeed, sometimes, agree to disagree. In short, we empower our students and celebrate who they are. We celebrate what each and every member of our community brings to our school experience - our quirks and individualisms - but we also celebrate our collective spirit and we are very much together as a community.

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These are ALL the best bits of being a Head in a school like ours!

It’s about the relationships, observing that growth and development, creating the opportunities for others to thrive and flourish. I feel incredibly proud and fortunate to be part of a wonderful school community surrounded by intelligent, talented, confident, funny and excited people that help make this world of ours a better place to be. This year it has been wonderful to welcome the following new staff to our school community: Mrs Katie Grundy (Year 4 teacher), Miss Hannah Coe (Year 6 teacher), Louise Robson (Junior Section TA) and Miss Cherie Ayres (Classics).

We also celebrated with Mrs Bethan Vare the birth of Lucia.

We say farewell to the following staff: Mrs Janet Lonsdale (Maths), Mr Jim Cunningham (Maths), Dr Fiona Dunlop (English), Mr Brent Carlin (DT and Duke of Edinburgh), Mrs Sarah Stringer (Year 5 teacher), Mrs Annette Wilson (Year 5 teacher), Mrs Wendy Milner (TA), Mrs Tina Haystead (Year 6 teacher), Miss Sarah Roche (Year 6 teacher), Mrs Kirstine Stones (Junior Section Receptionist), Mrs Cath Worsley (Development Office), Mrs Louise Ladds (Director of Pastoral Care and Wellbeing and MFL teacher) and Dr Joanna Rhodes (Director of Sixth Form & Chemistry teacher). Earlier this year we also expressed our thanks and said goodbye to Miss Emily Duckitt (Head of French) and Mrs Fran Bullough teacher of MFL). Collectively there are many, many years of experience, service and time given to all at Wakefield Girls’ High School and I am incredibly grateful to everyone for all they have contributed over the years and for the lovely memories they leave us with.

We very much hope to keep in touch with everyone as they turn the page onto the next chapter of their lives.

I hope you all had a super summer break.

Ms Heidi-Jayne Boyes - Head 2 WGHS REVIEW

13 We are grateful to all the girls and staff who have contributed to this magazine. A particular thank you must go to the girls in the Creative Writing Club and Student Leaders Amelie Stephenson, Georgina Dews, Tiffany Djagnikpo, Khadijah Sarwar, Amber Ventris-Crowley, Amelia Parkin, Saarah Jogi, Rhiona Lahiri and Mikaela Agyepong and Shara Vijay Kumar for their contributions to this year’s magazine. The Editor would also like to thank the winners of the Calendar Competition for the additional photography complementing the work in the Review Magazine this year. If you have any comments or would like to submit images or text for consideration please contact The Editor, WGHS Magazine, Wakefield Girls’ High School, 1 Wentworth Street, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 2QS. This 2022-23 edition covers the period Summer 2022 - Summer 2023. Artwork on front cover by Amelia Mo. Artwork on rear cover by Molly Dainty. Once a High School Girl, always a High School Girl.

Editor, Mrs Jennie Megson

Designed by Shuffle CMS Ltd

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40 Contents

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04 EXAM NEWS 05 CORONATION MORNING 06 EDGE 08 PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS 10 SENIOR CLASS OF 2023 14 JUNIOR CLASS OF 2023 16 STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND STUDENT VOICE 19 OUTREACH 20 MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES 22 CREATIVE WRITING 26 SCIENCE 36 THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARDS 38 READING, THEATRE TRIPS AND AUTHOR EVENTS 40 MUSIC 44 DRAMA 52 ART GALLERY 58 PHYSICAL EDUCATION 72 CREATIVE CAROUSEL 74 EVENTS AND TRIPS 76 THE WGHS EXPERIENCE 77 RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS 78 REMEMBRANCE EVENTS 79 WINTER EVENTS, CHARITIES AND WELLBEING 81 MATHS 82 HISTORY 83 GEOGRAPHY 84 CLASSICS 86 RESIDENTIALS 92 CALENDAR COMPETITION 94 HOUSE NEWS 96 INCOMING HEAD GIRL TEAM 98 FAREWELLS The Wakefield Girls’ High School Review is published by Wakefield Grammar School Foundation. A Registered Charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee. Company No: 4258359 Reg Charity No: 1088415.

WHERE

GIRLS BECOME WHO AND WHAT THEY WANT TO BE

2022-23 3

IT’S THE WAY WE GIVE STUDENTS THE SKILLS AND RESILIENCE TO SUCCEED

Exam News

Empowered girls with excellent A-level and GCSE results We are incredibly proud of our Year 11 and 13 students our Class of 2023.

As well as the brilliant results our students have received in their GCSE and A-level examinations, I am hugely proud of everything they have achieved during their time here at Wakefield Girls’.

They make a valuable contribution to school life, combining their academic studies with leadership roles, a wide array of extracurricular activities and personal development.

Once again, we are celebrating many successes, including our students’ determination, commitment and grit which will ensure they continue to achieve the highest possible standards in all that they do. More than a third of GCSE grades were at the top level 8 or 9 and our A-level results have consistently been amongst the top independent schools in the North. We are delighted to not only maintain but improve our performance against the 2019 benchmark exceeding our highest performance since the move to linear A-levels. 75% of students achieved A* - B at A-level, with one third of the cohort celebrating results with at least 3 A* - A grades and more than half of all grades at A*/A. Heidi-Jayne Boyes

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WHERE

GIRLS HAVE FOCUS

King's Coronation Celebrations

Coronation Morning at WGHS and QEGS Juniors

To mark the Coronation of King Charles III, the Junior sections of both schools joined together to celebrate with a morning of exciting coronation activities. To make the morning even more unique, one class from each year group spent the morning at their respective school, experiencing life in a mixed class with new teachers and a new school environment.

The students learnt all about the importance of the coronation and what style of monarchy the new King will bring to the country. Everyone took part enthusiastically in different year group activities allowing them to foster new relationships, make new friends and work collaboratively on year group projects. A whole school commemorative postage stamp competition enabled the students to share ideas and express their creative design skills. Other activities included a jigsaw style collage, designing a replica of the crown, an escape room investigation and a whole year group debate.

It proved to be a very exciting and enjoyable morning, a chance to celebrate, learn about the new monarch and was a fantastic opportunity to experience life in a different school environment, socialising and meeting new people. A great learning experience for all.

Miss S Morris

Creative commemorative stamp designs

“

The students learnt all about the importance of the coronation and what style of monarchy the new King will bring to the country

”

Working collaboratively

2022-23 5

EDGE

IT’S THE WAY WE GIVE STUDENTS THE SKILLS AND RESILIENCE TO SUCCEED Musical Theatre Showcase

Dog Handling. Tilly and her dog Milo

Yi-Jhen and Evie enjoying boardgames

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I started ‘Teaching’ in the Junior School EDGE block with Mrs Haystead’s Year 3 IT class. I’ve been helping them out every other week by showing them how to solve unexpected errors when logging on to their computers and giving them encouraging feedback when they show me the products of their coding. In the other weeks, I’ve been helping with a Year 6 class, doing printing for displays, taking photos of their work and other activities. I love getting the opportunity to interact with the girls in the Junior School as they are always a pleasure to talk to. I was given the chance to help in a different Year 6 class who were studying languages of the world. I study French and Spanish at A-level and have a big passion for linguistics so the opportunity to help out in this lesson was amazing. Mrs Cunningham kindly let me show the girls through the PowerPoint that had been prepared for them and I shared with them lots of linguistic facts whilst listening to their own language endeavours, meeting girls who spoke languages such as Arabic and Punjabi. I loved sharing my passion for languages with the girls and really enjoyed listening to their observations when we looked at different language families, some of them pointing out similarities or differences that I hadn’t spotted myself. I would really recommend this EDGE block to those who it is available to next year as I feel I have gained a lot of confidence and experience from it and above all, looked forward to Thursday afternoons every single week.

Katie Scollick - Year 12

“

EDGE

Every Thursday afternoon, we offer an unparalleled range of over 80 extra curricular options, on and off site, to develop skills and passions

”

Enriching and Developing Girls Education

Anaya playing Volleyball

Zizi Rock climbing in Leeds

Herculean Odyssey

THE

Grace perfecting her Interior Design

Pearl, Amie and Tilly enjoying golf

Japanese Culture Students Sophie, Freya and Mariam

WAKEFIELD WAY WAY AHEAD

2022-23 7

YOU’LL LOVE THE WAY GIRLS HAVE BRIGHT FUTURES

Pathways to Success Thanks to its increasingly diverse alumni body, WGHS has been able to share the experiences of former students.

They have highlighted the skills, knowledge, entry requirements and aptitudes required by specific universities, apprenticeships, professions and sectors of the economy in what is an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

Their contributions ranged from whole school assemblies and year group lectures to Year 11 Futures Thinking lessons and events such as EmpowHER 23.

Gordana Balac

Becky Baker

Year 11 Futures Thinking lessons included contributions from: Name

Role

Organisation

Gordana Balac Louise Watson Louise Barnes Joe Warren-Barratt Holly Bemrose Kate Wilding Catherine Parkin Becky Baker Hassan Mohammed Anna Crecraft Katie Teal

Litigation Caseworker (Barrister) Head of Fund Tax Head of Applications & Delivery Business Management Graduate Clinical Psychologist Merchandiser Director Founder & CEO UNFCCC Negotiator Director Tactical Firearms Commander

Home Office Link Group Novuna Laing O'Rourke Central & NW NHS Foundation Moda in Pelle Red Wigwam K9 Nation COP26 Unit, Cabinet Office Anna Crecraft Interiors West Yorkshire Police

On Instagram Live (Thursdays 5pm) the career journeys of the following alumni were highlighted: Name

Role

Organisation

Kathryn BellGreco Liane Farrer Hattie Grunewald Chloe Bennett Rebecca Ward Sophie Wright Rachael Mountain Emma Clifton Georgina Freeman Debra Lodge Sally Jackson Linda McQue- Michael Katharine Hart Lesley Bland

World Food Programme advisor Communications Manager Literary Agent Digital PR Strategist Sustainability Analyst Aircraft Configuration Controller Associate Director of Investments VFX Consultant & Supervisor for Feature Films Barrister MD International Global Healthcare Consultant Retired European Civil Servant Marine Biologist Midwife

United Nations Acquila Air Traffic Management Services Blair Partnership Digital Loft Radley Yeldar Jet2.com Mediacom Various

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HAPPILY

HSBC World Health Organisation (WHO) Council of Europe Turks & Caicos Islands Government NHS

EMPOWERING GIRLS

Pathways to Success Becky Baker (K9 Nation) delivered a Key Stage 4 GEM Lecture. Cat Chadwick (Mental Health Lecturer at Huddersfield University) and Lucy Oddy ( Partner Allen & Overy LLP) each presented Hepworth Lectures to the Sixth Form students.

The annual University Webinar took place with the aim of showcasing universities and degree courses of students at different stages of their university experience.This academic year we were grateful to contributions from the following:

Name

University

Course

Year

Sophia Hussein Kyra Gunara Sangeeta Unnikrishnan Sophie Russell Kirsty Jackman Eleanor Bowen Emily Pridham Olivia Heywood

Newcastle Aston Durham Imperial College,London Derby Oxford, St John's College Bath Manchester

English Economics & Management PPE Engineering Professional Policing Classics with Asian & Middle EasternStudies Pharmacology (with year in industry) Fashion Marketing

2 3 2 (Year in Paris) 1 2 1 1 3

This was complemented by the Alternative Routes Webinar, which focuses on modern apprenticeships.This year we were grateful to the following for their contributions:

Name

Organisation

Millie McDade Harriet Kirby Brown Romy Jackson Charlotte Eastwood Tahlia Longhurst Sophie Browning

Marsh Insurance Sagars Accountants Atkins Global Ramsdens Solicitors Shark Ninja Nestle Food & Drink

Deborah Lodge

Sophie Wright

In the autumn term Becky (K9 Nation) and Sarah Baker (Assistant Chief Constable, West Yorkshire Police) combined to become the first alumni sisters to present a whole school assembly, followed by Sadie Pridham of Deloitte.

Jonathan Lewis (Partner & Chief Investment Officer at Olympia Capital Partners), Tahlia Longhurst (SharkNinja), Louise Watson (Head of Fund Tax at Link Group) and Jo Butterworth (Associate Director for Scotland at EY) led a whole school assembly to celebrate International Women's Day and the recent progress of women in financial services.

Towards the end of the summer term the inaugural EmpowHER Conference took place as part of WGHS outreach programme.

Lizz Wainwright, Head of Marketing Operations for Amazon Prime Video chaired the event with the support of:

Name

Role

Organisation

Sophie Browning Faith Ridler Rebecca Ward Becky Baker Kanika Kapur

Procurement Executive Political Reporter Sustainability Analyst Founder & Entrepreneur Medical Advisor

Nestle Sky News Radley Yeldar K9 Nation UK Clinical Studies Unit

Left to right: David Eggleston, Jonathan Lewis, Tahlia Longhurst, Louise Watson, Jo Butterworth, Heidi-Jayne Boyes.

Year 9 and 10 students, just before their week of Work Experience, participated in a new venture with the services, “May the Force be with You” in which the Navy, Army, Air Force and Police Service provided an insight into the career opportunities each has to offer.

Throughout 2022-23, students have enjoyed a rich insight into higher education opportunities, alternatives routes into employment and the ever-evolving labour market. Hopefully it has provided them with the information, inspiration and determination in which to carve out their own careers pathway and route to success.

Mr Eggleston - Deputy Head (Teaching and Learning)

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Senior Class of 2023

CELEBRATING THE

Outgoing Head Girl Team and House Officials 2022-23

Senior

Head Girl Hooriya Fida-Hussain Deputy Head Girl Charlotte McKinlay Senior Prefects Esther Raw Betty Chamberlain Jessica Morrison Antonia Maddan Leah Davis Lizzie Mackenzie Mathusa Logeswaran Molly-Ann Pritchard Naomi Pridham Sophie Burrell

Heads of House and Deputies BLAKEY: Head of House Eden Perez Deputy Head of House Liv Fulton CLAYTON: Head of House Komal Kaur Deputy Head of House Jahaan Raza LEE: Head of House Lucy Blanchard Deputy Head of House Ava Dunn MACKIE: Head of House Manya Dhingra Deputy Head of House Eleanor Cooke

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“

We are so honoured to have been chosen by the WGHS community to take on the roles of Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl. As we move onto our next chapters and embrace becoming “Old Girls”, we look forward to hearing about the events of years to come

”

2023

Senior Class of 2023

We are incredibly proud of our fantastic leadership team and everyone in Year 13 who have made our year entertaining, fulfilling and fun. We have laughed and cried, agreed and disapproved, looked the part and fallen over!

It’s all part of a rich tapestry of highs and lows woven into creating lasting memories of our final year at WGHS. Year 13 is tough: we have our studies, part-time jobs, music, sports, extracurricular commitments, UCAS or apprenticeship applications to juggle, alongside our leadership roles. We are extremely grateful for the continuous support of an incredible Senior Prefect Team who have risen to every occasion and delivered a range of legacies for students in the years to come – thank you.

Our Senior Prefects have channelled their energies into a range of areas including Wellbeing, Diversity, Environment, Marketing and working closely with the Junior Section and Pre-Prep. This year has also been a first for the four Heads of Houses being welcomed into the leadership team, again bringing with them a wealth of ideas and skills setting up a precedent that future students can continue to develop.

With the support of the prefects, lunchtimes have been staffed. Our Open Day, Sixth Form Information Evening, parents’ evenings and many other school events have been managed and supported. We are very grateful to all the students and prefects who have contributed their time and efforts to a packed school calendar and are hopeful they will forgive us for the nagging!

Finally, the May Ball which was a fantastic way for the whole year group to come together and celebrate their time at the school. Despite nerves, giggles, and last-minute ballroom dance rehearsals, we and our Senior Prefects delivered a near-perfect waltz, just before the rest of u the year could “shake it off” on the dance -H ida F a floor. Thank you to a magnificent committee for Hooriy organising a wonderful event including the “Awards” ceremony with some worthy winners (including both of us!).

We also extend our gratitude to the staff team who came equipped to cover all hiccups, making sure dress straps were re-sewn, crocs were on hand for aching feet and misplaced mobile phones were retrieved!

ss ain

Class of

That’s a wrap! We are so honoured to have been chosen by the WGHS community to take on the roles of Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl. As we move onto our next chapters and embrace becoming “Old Girls”, we look forward to hearing about the events of years to come. We wish the best of luck to Clara, Amina and the team of 2023-2024 for an incredible year.

Hooriya Fida-Hussain, Head Girl and Charlotte McKinlay, Deputy Head Girl 2022-23

Our Christmas Revue has to be one of our favourite highlights which involved the whole year either writing the script, acting, editing clips or chasing the QEGS boys with skirts and tea towels! We hope the school community enjoyed our endeavours (which started in June if you can believe it!) and those of the amazing staff who took part.

We will certainly miss this incredible school tradition which officially marks the beginning of the Christmas holidays.

WHERE

GIRLS HAVE EACH OTHER

2022-23 11

Senior Class of 2023

Senior Class

Fancy Dress

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WHERE

GIRLS HAVE EACH OTHER

Senior Class of 2023

2023

MAY BALL

“

The May Ball was a fantastic way for the whole year group to come together and celebrate their time at the school

”

2022-23 13

Junior Class of 2023

CELEBRATING THE

Carol concert

Junior

Forest School

Carol concert

House dance

Leavers Hoodies

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Carols around the tree

2023 Junior Class of 2023

Class of

Samba workshop

Spring concert

Warner Bros Studios

Yeast Investigation

Warner Bros Studios

Easter story workshop

WHERE

GIRLS HAVE EACH OTHER

2022-23 15

Student Leadership and Student Voice

IT'S THE WAY WE EMPOWER EVERYONE TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL

A wealth of opportunity at WGHS

WGHS Senior Food Council members

WGHS Senior Food Council serving up a treat

Early Leadership – Junior School Council Leaders

The school councillors meet fortnightly with Year 5 teacher Mr Bray, who helps to chair meetings and guide the girls to become confident and articulate leaders. Our Junior Director (Mr Rowley) meets termly to discuss ideas for school improvements.

Our Junior section is an empowering and vibrant learning community where each of our students discovers who she is, who she wants to become and how she will make a positive difference in the world. Through leadership opportunities, students energise one another, and our Junior School Council plays a big part in this. Working with peers in their classes, each councillor explores interests and contributes to a wide range of opportunities, developing talents and exercising leadership skills.

So far this academic year, the Junior School Council have arranged: a student quiz which was popular with all students who worked together with enthusiasm and excitement, a foodbank collection, a seasonal Reindeer Run raising funds for Wakefield Hospice, an Easter Cookie competition where winning designs will be created by our catering team as a special Easter treat and a PJ Day to help raise awareness for our Random Act of Kindness Day. The councillors have also worked with the catering team to feedback on student views about our menus, helping to shape future catering options.

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Well done to our Junior School Council!

The WGHS Junior School Council members

Pyjama Day

WHERE

Food bank collection

GIRLS FEEL EMPOWERED

Student Leadership and Student Voice

My Leadership Journey at Wakefield Girls’

Making A Difference

By Esther Raw, Wellbeing Senior Prefect

The Wider Student Experience From joining the school in Year 7 I have always looked up to the Senior Prefect Team and what they do. I also have always been encouraged to make the most of every opportunity throughout my time at the High School. I have taken up various leadership roles to develop a variety of skills, particularly in Year 12 when I was elected Deputy Head of Clayton House and also served as a Chemistry Student Leader. Both roles improved my confidence and communication – there was lots of speaking in front of people and listening with younger years. As the first Deputy Head of Clayton House this role especially required a lot of agility and teamwork. By the time Year 13 arrived, I felt ready to take on a wider student leadership role.

By applying for a Senior Prefect role it would enable me to give back to the school community, gain more experience and work with others.

A Senior Prefect supports the school in a variety of different ways. For example Senior Prefects are part of the Head Girl Team and therefore are required to collaborate and work as a team. This year, having specific areas has also enabled everyone to work in a particular area that we are most dedicated to with a few others as well before delivering it back to the Head Girl Team. The role of Senior Prefect also requires you to attend various events such as Open Day throughout the year to support and encourage others.

Overall, being a Senior Prefect is a role of responsibility as you will be seen as a role model to younger students and also represent the school.

Future Senior Prefects I would encourage younger students to get involved with clubs to participate in so you can develop your leadership skills. By applying your skills in Years 10-12 you can see what areas you are interested in as well, for example I was a part of Project Joy that enabled me to deliver assemblies on well-being topics and also completed my Mental Health First Aid course. This along with being a peer mentor led to me applying to be a Wellbeing Senior Prefect in Year 13. Overall, I would say be enthusiastic and make the most of the opportunities presented to you and try to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Tasty Leadership Opportunities at Wakefield Girls’

By Madison McNair

Food Committee Student Leaders are in the unique position to make a difference to the dining experiences here in school. Meeting every half term to discuss the food served in school at our fabulous canteen, Peppers, Food Committee Student Leaders work collaboratively with their peers, Sixth Form Leaders and staff to create real change. They tackle a mix of issues covering any problems faced by their peers and idea development based on student feedback and drive change to represent the voice of their fellow diners.

‘Each for all’ is the first part of our school’s motto, with all girls being given the opportunity to serve others. Upon joining Wakefield Girls’ in Year 7, I took my first steps to serve by joining the school’s Food Committee, one of the many leadership roles offered. It was an intriguing prospect at such an early stage in my journey through school, being able to meet with other committee members to discuss the school’s menu, to try to shape the way in which the whole student body had their nutritional needs met.

Being a part of the Food Committee was a very rewarding experience, it really felt like I was making a difference, that I had a voice.

It enabled me to improve my communication and social skills, as part of the role was to talk to fellow students in my form group and get feedback from them about the menu choices available. This was then fed back in turn to the catering team so any improvements or amendments could be made.

Food Committee Leaders, Sophie, Amelia, Eleanor, Mikaela and Hareem shared their experiences: Why did you choose to be a Student Food Committee Leader?

“Being a Food Committee Leader is very important to me as I can help my fellow students by getting their feedback and opinions and use this to bring about improvements so everyone enjoys and appreciates a variety of good food to eat.”

What have you enjoyed most about being a Student Food Committee Leader?

“I love the feeling when you know you have an impact on school life in a visible way, and that is something I have experienced firsthand being a Food Committee Leader. The meetings are fun because you get to work with people from Year 7 to 13 to represent the whole student body, creating change that everyone is happy about.”

How do you get involved as a Food Committee Leader?

“Speak to your Form Tutor about joining. Being a Food Committee Leader shows that Year 7 have a voice and that they can say their opinions, as well as all the students in older year groups. Being part of the food committee has helped get my ideas across and also has really helped me to listen to other people’s ideas.”

What are the highlights of the role?

“I love food, voicing my opinions and being the voice of my class.

I love that school gives us so many opportunities to share our opinions and teaches us how to be heard and make the changes we’d like to see happen.”

What projects have you been involved in?

“As a Food Committee Student Leader for two years, I have enjoyed developing links with other Student Leaders in school. I particularly enjoyed teaming up with peers who are leaders in the Eco Committee, to organise a meat-free day to reduce our carbon footprint.”

“We were recently engaged in the review of the catering provision in school including a highlight sampling of different catering choices! We played a big part in the appointment of Holroyd Howe as our new catering partner.”

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Student Leadership and Student Voice

Diversity and Inclusion

Culture Day

Culture Day

Culture Day

The Afro Caribbean committee and the South East Asian committee worked simultaneously alongside each other this year, as a result they have been able to contribute more to support the other. Interesting and informative assemblies such as Black history month, Palestine, and Ghana and South Africa independence days have come out of this.

Culture day was colourful as everyone came in wearing their ethnic attire, celebrating their own and their friends' cultures. A large sum of money was made for the flood victims in Pakistan as a result of the cultural food sale filling the day with contentment and delicious food.

Khadijah Sarwar - Year 12

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Together, empo we aware_ student red, vo heard in assemb ices are ly

Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 5 students present an assembly about Ghana independence

Outreach

#empowHER On 23 June 2023, Wakefield Girls’ welcomed guests from primary schools across the region for our inaugural #empowHER conference. Girls in Years 4 to 6 came to Wakefield Girls’ for a day of empowering and inspiring girls in the top five future facing skills: communication, engagement, problem solving, teamwork and leadership.

The conference, specifically designed for 8-10 year old girls, featured alumnae and role models whose messages aligned with Wakefield Girls’ philosophy of happily empowering and educating girls. Lizz Wainwright, Head of Marketing Operations, Amazon, Prime Video served as Chair of the event alongside session hosts alumnae Sophie Browning, Nestle, Faith Ridler, Sky News, Rebecca Ward, Radley Yeldar, Becky Baker, K9 Nation and Dr Kanika Kapur, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals.

Chair Lizz Wainwright opened #empowHER by setting intentions for the young leaders in the audience to seize every opportunity. Interactive sessions helping girls to understand their strengths and how to use them took place during the morning, followed by sessions on risk-taking, collaboration, a mini Cop on Climate Change and a grand finale which included goal setting and action planning. Head, Heidi-Jayne Boyes wrapped up a day of inspiration and empowerment at the end of the conference, by reiterating the importance of being true to yourself, knowing your worth and making the most of opportunities.

WHERE

GIRLS HAVE BIG FUTURES

in Years 4 to 6 “ Girls came to Wakefield Girls’ for a day of empowering and inspiring

”

2022-23 19

Theaterstücke, débat, vacaciones y más leading the way in foreign language learning and enrichment at WGHS Niederwald monument near Rüdesheim am Rhein

This year we have welcomed Onatti back to the Foundation to perform French, German and Spanish plays to students in Years 9-10. We visited the ‘Careers with German’ fair at the University of Manchester, took part in the regional MFL debating competition and have undertaken visits to the Rhine Valley and Barcelona in June 2023.

Mrs Lister - Acting Head of MFL Faculty Enjoying an ice cream

Fountain in Cochem

Castles and cruises in the Rhine Valley Our trip to the Rhineland, Germany, was a great opportunity to practise the language that we had been learning in class, as well as being able to experience German culture. We stayed in a Jugendherberge (Youth Hostel) above Koblenz which gave us beautiful views of the Rhine, the Mosel, Koblenz and fantastic sunsets every evening. On our first day, we visited Burg Eltz which is a very pretty castle not far from Koblenz. We had an excellent tour of the castle and learnt about its interesting history. We then had time in Cochem where we bravely practised our German to order food, before going swimming at Moselbad which is an outdoor swimming pool. This was superb since it was very hot in Germany and was a nice chance to cool down and relax with friends. We finished off the day by going bowling.

The next day we went on a cruise down the Rhine which allowed us to see the surrounding landscape, as well as the beautiful buildings and monuments. I enjoyed going down the Rhine as it was a chance to relax whilst being able to look at the natural beauty that Germany has to offer. We visited a very pretty town called Rüdesheim for lunch and then took the cable car over the vineyards up to the Niederwald Monument. From there, we had a vast view of the area. The final day we had in Germany was spent at Phantasialand which is a huge theme park in Germany. It was definitely an exciting way to end our trip! I thought this trip was amazing. It was a great experience and would highly recommend this trip if you get the chance.

Amelia Martin - Year 9

Onatti Productions French Play ‘La maison hantée’

Spanish Play ‘Mi Personalidad’

German Play ‘Im Alten Saloon'

“The play was very entertaining and très amusant! The actors played their roles really well and they picked superb sound effects.

The vocabulary is something we can take on in our future if we take French for our GCSE. This play was absolutely amazing. La maison hantée est très incroyable.”

“This play was all about finding your personality and the message that it showed was that you don’t have to be someone else to fit in, you just have to be yourself. This play was very interactive and funny. The actors spoke really clearly and slowly so that we could all understand it. This play made us realise that we understood a lot more Spanish than we thought.”

“Even though it had only zwei actors, there were so many engaging characters to enjoy.

Es war sehr lustig and really fun to see. My favourite part was the talent show because I got to be a judge and judge the contestants.”

Rhea Lahiri 9AKE

Rhiona Lahiri 9EJL

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WHERE

Mikaela-Devonne Agyei-Agyepong 9DAH

GIRLS ARE ENRICHED

Modern Foreign Languages

Plaça Reial, Barcelona

The Palau Nacional near Poble Espanyol and Montjuïc, Barcelona

Barcelona 2023 Year 8 and 9 had the opportunity to spend three days in central Barcelona where we visited many beautiful and historical sites.

We had three busy days spent immersed in the environment and culture of Barcelona and it was amazing.

We visited Poble Espanyol, an open-air architectural museum, where each area is based on the traditional style of house in a specific region of Spain. We got time to walk around and enjoyed a meal there. After this, we took a cable car and saw the breathtaking views of Barcelona from Montjuic. To end the day, we went to Plaça Reial to watch a flamenco show and enjoyed the traditional style of dance and music.

The Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family), otherwise known as the unfinished church, is a church that was originally designed by Antoni Gaudí in 1852 and has yet to be completed. This is due to the extravagant sculptures and art that cover the church. If you ever get the chance to go inside this amazing church, then you must! The group had a fascinating guided tour of the

Meet our inspiring Modern Foreign Languages Assistants ¡Hola! My name is Maria. I come from beautiful Sevilla, Andalucia, Spain. It is the second time that I have had the luck to live in Yorkshire. Its landscapes are splendid and its people are friendly. Everyone welcomed us, which is always very helpful when you move abroad and everything is brand new. Luckily, we adapted quickly to the WGSF schemes of work and soon we could see the students become more comfortable speaking with us. It has been great to see how they have improved. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the extraordinary WGSF language departments. Their teamwork and skill for teaching are inspiring. I have enjoyed British schools so much that I'm planning to stay longer in the country, making more students feel as passionate about my culture as I feel about theirs.

architecture inside and learnt all about his vision and what the different parts of the church Barceloneta Beach represent. This, along with Parc Guell which is a local heritage site containing a mix of gardens and architectural features all decorated with vibrant mosaics, were the highlight of the trip for many. My favourite part of the trip was visiting the Sagrada Familia since the statues were breathtaking and I found the history behind the unfinished church interesting.

I also enjoyed the flamenco show since it is a style of music and dance that I have always found beautiful. Overall, it was a fantastic trip because there was something for everyone to enjoy learning about whether it was the food, the music, the beach, the shopping, the history or the culture.

Georgina Dews - Year 9

Grüß euch! My name is Viktoria and I am from Innsbruck, Austria. I worked with WGSF students and helped them improve their German speaking skills. We talked about different Austrian dialects, cultural differences between British and Austrian people and much more. Working with students who are interested in learning German and the cultural aspects that go with it was a real pleasure. At Christmas, I had the opportunity to make Weihnachtskekse (Austrian Christmas cookies) with one of my groups.

I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Looking back at my time in Wakefield, Ma non I feel grateful for all the places I got to nd (Frenc h Assistant) a Vik toria explore, the experiences I gained and the (German Assistant) wonderful friends I made. Man sieht sich immer zweimal im Leben. Bis bald!

2022-23 21

Creative Writing

Rhubarb!

Can Wakefield Girls write poems about rhubarb?

Yes, of course they can!

Margaret Knott Poetry Competition 2023 This year saw the inauguration of the Margaret Knott Poetry Competition, generously supported by WGHS alumna Mrs Barabara Hunt. Entrants wrote poems on the theme of 'rhubarb', fitting neatly with the new season in the Rhubarb Triangle. The competition is named after Mrs Hunt's English teacher at WGHS who inspired her with a love of poetry. The overall winner of the competition, and winner of the Margaret Knott trophy, was Kinga Ozga. Awards were also given to Arushi Barua (Year 6), Rhiona Lahiri (Year 9) and Imogen KirkSmith (Year 11). The awards were celebrated with a Finalists’ tea in March, where Ms Boyes presented the prizes and a trophy to the winners. Though, sadly, unable to attend in person, Mr and Mrs Hunt were able to join by means of Google Meet.

Dr Dunlop - Head of English

Winners of the Inaugural Margaret Knott Poetry Competition 2023 Rhiona, Kinga, Imogen and Arushi

Overall winning poem

From Spring to June In Spring we met under the apple tree And how fitting, Since your lips taste of apple green.

How bitter, what I would do to sweeten them once more Like I did in early April.

You smiled, reddish blush smeared across your cheeks : my insides crumbled.

Forest green, the colour of your eyes Or so they seemed to be under candlelight.

Held in a trance Your poison found its way into my bloodstream Yet I could not find it in myself To stop.

Hawks champagne, The colour of your lips, And hair as dark as the soil in which You found yourself covered in, When you harvested Your favourite veg.

And how I found it funny, To see the resemblance between the two of you, But laughter stuck in my throat When you left in June.

Just Like Rhubarb.

Written by Kinga Ozga - Year 12

Margaret Knott Poetry Competition finalists

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Creative Writing

Key Stage 3 winning poem

Rhubarb I see you from my bedroom window staring knowingly into the horizon, Your tall, lean structure holds you up against the wind.

Camouflaged in the garden, what a find!

Reds and Piggy pinks your colours surprise my eyes, There is so much flavour inside something with such a small size!

You get along with everything, but especially strawberries, You’re not a scary thing, looming over the garden, Instead, you cast a warm glow over all things sowed.

Even in the toughest seasons you always persevere, You add a pop of flavour into all the dishes.

When I add you into custard, I feel like a magician.

Who could make such a taste from just a seed?

The more care that goes into growing it comes out, And you will be able to feel it with just a bite.

The simple things are beautiful just like a rhubarb seed, Who withstands the elements and always persists, Never gives up so we can experience the sweet sourness and freshness that people love so, Rhubarbs are strong and yet so beautiful, Lessons can be learnt from Rhubarbs alone…

Written by Rhiona Lahiri - Year 9

Key Stage 2 winning poem

Rhubarb Rhubarb planted in fields of pink and green Grows when autumn is at its peak Luscious leaves and bright eye catching stalks The bittersweet of the harvest crop

Key Stage 4 winning poem

The Long Red Road The long red road to the verdant wood Can only be travelled in Spring, The path is caved by the weight of feet Who bring gifts from God to their kin.

The path soon cracks its different ways For each to journey home, Yet from the roots of the long red road A malicious sickness grows The Spring has faded behind the leaves And Summer has taken ahold, Yet those too keen to cease their sport Still travel the long red road.

With heat the sickness sprouts its wings To plague the pilgrims all, Gifts from God are now too scarce For families to recall Yet when the Spring returns again And the leaves of the wood turn green, Families remember the gifts of God They remember the annual treat And so the red road feels the feet Of those who yearly travel, To delight in the wonders of the verdant wood Its piquant pleasures unravelled Written by Imogen Kirk-Smith Year 11

Rhubarb glistens in the shining sun like a diamond The harvest growing as slow as time itself Their days are numbered for soon will come harvest Watching the children as it chats to its friends As the time becomes the coldest and The rhubarb sways like a willow in time with the whooshing wind shortest the red rhubarb grows old The pink stalks begin to grow as it goes from summer to autumn It rains cats and dogs as the rhubarb smiles to itself Cold and wet winters come but the rhubarb stays strong Pushing through it is a fierce lion The pie it makes as well as the crumble Is the tastiest thing for humans in the season of autumn People give the rhubarb tender, love and care as it flourishes Awaiting for the crumble many think about harvesting the crop

WHERE

GIRLS ARE CREATIVE

People come as the rhubarb says goodbye to its fellow plants And soon comes the new beginning Rhubarb planted in fields of pink and green Grows when autumn is at its peak Luscious leaves and bright eye catching stalks The bittersweet of the harvest crop Written by Arushi Barua 6HC Mackie

2022-23 23

Creative Writing

JUNIOR CREATIVE WRITING

YOU'LL LOVE THE WAY WE ENCOURAGE CREATIVE WRITING An Imaginary World

Lucy stepped into the enormous wardrobe. She pushed the soft, fluffy coats apart and moved deeper inside. Suddenly, she noticed that there was something delicate falling on her head. Green leaves were falling from the sturdy trees. Then she felt something tickling her feet! It was soft prickly grass. She realised she was in a completely different world!

Lucy saw brightly coloured parrots flying in the bright, blue sky. She realised that it was really hot because of the blazing, bright sun. On the hard, solid ground there were stone yellow houses which looked as though they had been handmade.

She saw tired, weary farmers growing juicy mango trees which looked really yummy! Beautiful black horses ran across the grassy fields and zooming motorbikes were speeding all around.

Lucy heard the roaring of motorbikes that seemed to be everywhere. Little children were singing lovely songs and big yellow bells were ringing from the rooftops. Birds were tweeting in the trees and violin music could be heard all around.

Written by Meera Vinta 3SM

The Hedgehog Snail hunter Leaf lover Belly dancer Worm snatcher Slug eater Winter sleeper Berry nibbler Spike prickler Bush hider Eyes grow wider!

Garden dweller Autumn teller One small hedgehog Written by Isabel Taylor and Mimi Varley in Year 5

The Spooky House on the Hill As the cold, chilling mist swirled around the stone roof tiles, rattling them loudly, a mysterious light clicked on. The old, stone house looked abandoned but was it? Surely it couldn't be? The eerie, glowing light was very bright and flickering slowly in the room that had the drawn curtains.

Lightning flashed suddenly and thunder boomed as loudly as a bass drum. The cold mist got heavier and heavier and I could hear the large, broken clock ticking boldly on the abused wall. There were stone gravestones, some saying whose they were, others saying “rest in peace” but some were strangely blank.

The strangeness of the whole place was extraordinary compared to the other completely ordinary houses that surrounded it. The brown, uncared for lawn had a few damp, twisted rotten trees swaying dangerously close to the bright, creepy room with the strange and mysterious light. Suddenly, a suspicious shadow glided past the window, what on earth could it be?

Written by Emie Reynard in 4VH after exploring the features of a setting description

24 WGHS REVIEW

WHERE

GIRLS ARE CREATIVE

Creative Writing

JUNIOR CREATIVE WRITING

SENIOR CREATIVE POETRY

The Spaceship

Swimming

I woke. Startled by screeches and rumbles. What could it be? It was like nothing I’d ever heard before. I glared out of my window but nothing was in my immediate vicinity. Tentatively picking up my telescope, I peered curiously through the lens. I could not believe what I saw.

Hovering in the dim space above, a cylindrical shaped U.F.O pranced around.

The smell of fumes filled the air as it jerked past the glowing planet manoeuvring like a tiger pouncing onto its prey. Its high pitched sound piercing everybody’s ears with dread. The object’s flames roared as it gained speed. Drawing closer to me, the rumbles getting louder.

She is a swimmer Diving into a pool of letters and words and sentences.

The deeper she swims, the stronger the force of connection: The lines blurring until she can no longer distinguish between Fiction and reality.

Fixated, I could see the finer details. The spaceship had illuminating, oval-shaped lights - blinding to the naked eye. The phenomenal object had outstanding, metallic paint with a futuristic touch. It was shaped like a cylinder with high-tech boosters. Glistening like a star; its flames swaying as it glided past my house.

The rumbles faded... I wonder where it was going?

Georgina Ellis - Year 11

Curious, I dashed downstairs to find out where the ship was destined. After a while, it came to a halt and landed.

I stopped for a second and thought: where are we?

Suddenly, I froze in shock, hidden behind a small wall which revealed an extravagant fleet of spaceships!

Frightened, alarmed and intrigued, I eagerly explored the nearest ship.

Automatic doors with matted, grey streaks opened to reveal ruby-red spacesuits with special effects including a crackling walkie-talkie. Overwhelmed by the numerous buttons and switches, my attention was drawn to an unfamiliar sound. I tried so hard to race out; little did I know I had walked into a room full of...

ALIENS! Written by Amaani Ali 6HC

Soon she will rise to the surface, Gasping for breath.

She will long to be back in the water; Back in the story where She can escape.

Others do take pleasure in exploring the depths of the pool.

But for her, It is more than just a hobby to occupy her mind.

Swimming through stories of happy endings and love, Keep her from drowning In her life above the surface.

Now I am alone The night was cold It was snowing.

Your favourite type of weather unlike others who like the sun you liked the snow, I sat there at our favourite place waiting for you But instead of you coming there were just the happy memories.

The memories kept on flooding.

I wanted to forget them but I couldn’t because that would be like I was forgetting you.

All the memories were like little parts of you.

Why were they still here if you weren’t?

My flowers that I arranged so beautifully for you were drooping They were your favourite colour, a light blue like the sky when the earth was happy.

But now it seems that they are the only colour in this place.

Since the war broke out everything turned black and white.

The cold was now biting at my cheeks but the sound of screaming in the distance didn’t push me away.

I decided to wait a bit longer and longer and longer I felt so alone without you.

I refused to believe that you had gone.

So I waited even longer and longer till it was curfew I will come back tomorrow, just you wait...

Rhea Lahiri - Year 9

2022-23 25

IT'S THE WAY OUR GIRLS LOVE SCIENCE

House Science Fair

Prize winners experience: Art in Science at the Year 8 Science fair

The House Science Fair was a huge event for our year, with the added pressure of it being the first Science fair our school had ever done. It was a large event, with many parents, grandparents and teachers attending, as well as Year 6 and 7 students. The range of projects was astonishing, and there were so many different interpretations of the theme - connections.

There were two categories of the House Science Fair, Scientific Investigation, and Art in Science, with a winner in each. We did our project, Art in Science, on the main organs of the body, using only old, unwanted, recycled materials to create the organs, inside a human body, accompanied by a fact-board, with information, images, and fun facts about the workings of our bodies. The display was hugely successful, with us winning our section, with the runners up being a project on the solar system, digestive system, and parts of a robot. We will never forget the shock of when our names appeared on the screen! The House Science Fair was fun and interesting for all of Year 8, as well those who attended.

We hope next year's Science fair will be even better!

Anna Danforth-Johnstone and Catherine Mellor Year 8

26 WGHS REVIEW

Harriet and Tilly investigating the science of honeycomb

Isabella connecting with her robot

Science News

Great British Grass Off

Savannah and Kate with their mouldy bread

“

The range of projects was astonishing, and there were so many different interpretations of the theme - connections

”

Modelling biological systems

I won the Year 8 Science Fair with my project, titled 'Great British Grass Off.' The objective of my project was to determine the optimal conditions for plant growth and connectivity. During the Science Fair briefing, our teachers emphasised the importance of choosing a project that we enjoyed, as investing time in something we were genuinely interested in was crucial. Initially, I had planned to explore chick incubation, but I soon realised it was too challenging. After brainstorming ideas and searching for inspiration online, I decided to take a different approach.

I made a list of my personal interests, such as running, netball, and animals, and then considered how I could incorporate plants into a Science Fair project. This led me to the idea of 'The Great British Grass Off.' Starting the project while others were already halfway through was nerve-wracking for me. The next day, I purchased compost, shallow plastic planting pots, and sought advice from a local lawn mower shop employee who recommended the fastest-growing grass seed. I set up my experiment, ensuring proper conditions, recorded the initial data, and took photos. From there, it was a matter of tracking the data on a daily basis. Once all the grass samples had grown, I had to create a poster board presentation. While data and scientific aspects were essential, I understood the significance of attracting attention. Decoration played a crucial role in this regard.

I incorporated decorations related to grass, such as fake grass, and used green and blue background colours.

Additionally, I included numerous pictures showcasing the growth process, enabling viewers to absorb the information visually rather than solely relying on text.

Understanding the project's background and effectively explaining it to different audiences was another key aspect. For instance, I researched why different grasses exhibited varying growth patterns, allowing me to explain the findings in a comprehensible manner. Lastly, social skills were essential in engaging with people and capturing their attention, as it was crucial to generate interest in the project. Overall, my winning project, 'Great British Grass Off,' involved choosing a subject I enjoyed, conducting the experiment, tracking the data, creating an attention-grabbing presentation, understanding the project's background, and effectively communicating with others.

Lily Kitson - Year 8

House Science Fair

WHERE

GIRLS HAVE SPARK

2022-23 27

Science News - Chemistry

WGHS are proud to host Schools’ Analyst Competition 2023 WGHS this year was given the opportunity to host the Schools’ Analyst competition, and so once again Chemistry students were assessed on their ability to carry out a series of tests, in order to solve the Bake Off sabotage. There were six teams, each consisting of three students, where one student carried out a titration experiment, another student carried out a chromatography experiment and the other student carried out a series of chemical tests.

The titration experiment included twelve titrations in total, with some calculation questions at the end to determine the percentage of bicarbonate of soda in each of the cakes, to figure out what could have gone wrong! The chromatography experiment was an attempt to match the ink of the saboteur's pen to the different inks used by the contestants, allowing us to figure out who had interfered with the baking competition. This was carried out on a thin-layer chromatography plate and by matching the retention factors of the different inks in the different pens we were able to unmask the culprit. For the other experiment, the student was presented with nine chemicals which had to be identified through a series of chemical tests. By completing flame tests; Benedict’s reagents test; biuret tests; tests for halides and more simple chemical tests we were able to deduce the chemical in order to solve the Bake Off sabotage.

Dr Duerden-Brown - Head of Chemistry

28 WGHS REVIEW

WHERE

GIRLS LOVE SCIENCE

Competition time with the Atoms Family

Science News - Chemistry

The Chemistry Race 2023, held at Cambridge University, was an enlightening experience. The sheer talent in the room left me and my team amazed.

Teams from across the UK participated and it was very exciting to see such determined and passionate students. The style of the competition was something I thoroughly enjoyed and the questions were very challenging, motivating my team to strive and work harder. The whole competition lasted for 2 hours, wherein we tried to answer as many questions as we could in the given time frame. The buzz of the competition along with the skills on display was incredible, as rightly credited in the closing ceremony.

I was very honoured and grateful to represent my school in a subject I am very enthusiastic about. Our dedicated staff that made this possible, allowed us to participate in such a prestigious event and bring back with us a renewed appreciation for the scope and extent of the subject.

Rucha Korde - Year 13 Competition time with the Atoms Family

Silver and Bronze Awards in RSC Chemistry Olympiad 2023 In January, A-level chemists from across Years 12 and 13 participated in the 2023 Chemistry Olympiad from the Royal Society of Chemistry. Tackling a two-hour exam paper, designed to challenge and inspire, students applied their understanding of ideas in chemistry to a range of complex novel applications - from rocket fuel to bubbles in cheese, and from the compounds produced during vaping to quantifying electronegativity; the challenging questions demonstrated why the UK Chemistry Olympiad is the leading chemistry competition for students in secondary education across the British Isles.

Despite this high degree of challenge, A-level Chemistry students showed a fantastic mastery of complex ideas and a breadth of contextual understanding with complex and multistep problem solving throughout. With the competition open

to all Sixth Form Chemistry students, we were once again impressed to see a number of Year 12 students challenging themselves by taking part, despite having only studied A-level Chemistry for a few months at that point. Alongside this, the fantastic Year 13 entrants displayed some excellent understanding of the most complex ideas underpinning chemical processes.

Well done to all participants, with particular congratulations to Year 13 student Fope Olusola who achieved a silver award. In addition to Betty Chamberlain, Leah Davis, Grace Hillier, Elizabeth Hilton, Rucha Korde, Suvethikaa Subaskaran and Harriet Whitehead who all achieved a bronze award for their work.

Mr Murtland - Chemistry

2022-23 29

Science News - Biology

Generation Earthshot Since the introduction of the Generation Earthshot Committee at the start of the year, we have created many exciting challenges to help Wakefield Girls’ become more eco-friendly, with this year's focus being to reduce our carbon footprint. One challenge created to increase sustainability awareness was the Environmental Christmas Challenge. Students from all years got involved, for example, by singing to a Christmas song in the shower to reduce water usage! Another successful event was our first ever ‘plant based, in season’ lunch on Earth Day. We hope to do more of these next year with a focus on plant based food from different cultures. The Junior school has also been a huge part of our drive to become more eco-friendly, by taking part in a gardening club. Our aim is to spread the crucial message of increasing environmental sustainability.

Amina Khan, Y12 biology student leader

“

Another successful event was our first ever ‘plant based, in season’ lunch on Earth Day

”

Year 13 Generation Earthshot team members introducing the Junior Section to Earth Day 2023

Year 9 modelling the human body...

30 WGHS REVIEW

Science News - Biology

Year 8 field trip to RSPB Fairburn Ings Do you know what this one is?

Year 8 biologists

We can identify these wildflowers!

Year 13 field trip to Filey At work

Y13 students on Filey Brigg during the field trip

WHERE

GIRLS ARE EXPLORERS

And at play

2022-23 31

YOU’LL LOVE THE WAY WE LEARN, TO QUESTION, TO RESEARCH AND GO THE EXTRA MILE

Year 6 at the top of Latrigg!

Learning about marine life at The Deep We went to The Deep during the Polar Fest Challenge and had a number of tasks to do to get prizes. We learned about marine life and how our actions have an impact on it. We did a session where we learned about plastics, and got to see these cute (but tiny) fish- yes we did need a magnifying glass! My favourite part was the underwater glass elevator, where you went in the middle of a huge water area teeming with life, fish, crabs, and sharks!

4KG at Fairburn Ings

Year 4 go hunting for minibeasts at Fairburn Ings 4VH at Fairburn Ings

Zoya Khan - Year 7 On our trip to The Deep in Hull we learned about the extraordinary journey of Sir David Attenborough (the boat) all the way in the Antarctic. We learnt about how the scientists manage to survive the harsh weather conditions using equipment like adventure tents and massive warm gloves. We learnt about topics like the effects of climate change in the Antarctic and how plastic in Antarctic oceans is travelling and spreading everywhere. Plastic is now inside all of us. If the food you're eating has touched plastic, it now contains miniscule amounts of plastic that end up in your body. Polar Fest is supporting The British Antarctic Survey who owns Sir David Attenborough (the boat) and is in charge of research and support for the wildlife in Antarctica.

Hunting for minibeasts

Finding toads and

Ella Woodhouse and Olivia Woodhead - Year 7

32 WGHS REVIEW

WHERE

GIRLS ARE INSPIRED

newts

Science News In May, Year 6 students ventured over the Pennines to Threlkeld, Keswick, in the stunning Lake District National Park for their educational trip to the Blencathra Field Study Centre (FSC).

Upon their arrival at Threlkeld, the students and teachers were greeted by the breathtaking views of the Lake District National Park. The area's natural beauty served as an ideal backdrop for their three-night stay and the various planned activities relating and enriching their study topic of Mountains and Rivers.

Year 6 work ‘welly deep’ in the great outdoors at Blencathra

Activities included orienteering, mammal trapping, bushcraft, and canoeing. These activities not only allowed the students to enjoy the beautiful surroundings but also promoted teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.

To expand the students' knowledge and understanding of their current study topic, Mountains and Rivers, they participated in a half-day river study. Well-prepared with suitable wellies and waterproof clothing, Year 6 had to work 'welly deep' in the great outdoors, alongside their FSC guide. They measured the width, depth, and flow of a local river at various points, collecting valuable data. We were very lucky to have perfect weather conditions for our trip, which made our outdoor exploration of the beautiful British countryside even more enjoyable. The combination of hands-on learning, outdoor activities, and personal development opportunities made for an unforgettable adventure in the Lake District National Park. We hope the students enjoyed the trip and have made memories to last.

Year 6 Team

Year 6 step back in time at Thackray Medical Museum

Canoeing on Derwent Water

Toasting marshmallows

The rubber hand illusion

Year 6 visited the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds.

Upon arrival, students were greeted by a Tudor Apothecarist and led to a workshop to ‘Cure the King’. Year 6 learnt all about Henry VIII’s failing health since his jousting accident and how a previous apothecarist had been executed for their repulsion at his leg wound! After exploring how medicines were labelled and categorised, students were informed about how the stars can have an influence on someone’s health. The session included making medicines using herbs (which can be messy), and the students getting to take some Tudor medicines home with them.

Working together to move the ball

Time to dress up!

The other half of the day was spent exploring the museum starting with ‘Disease Street’ where Year 6 investigated the poor living conditions of the Victorian Era. Following this, everyone learnt about how conditions have improved since then including food hygiene and sanitation. On the second floor, students immersed themselves in a gallery celebrating health heroes and medical innovations through the years.

Linked to our project ‘The Benefits of War?’ students were also able to learn about the impact of war on advances in medicine.

Year 6 Team

2022-23 33

Science News

Science Week

in the Junior Section As part of British Science Week 2023, Junior students participated in many exciting activities including an “Escape Room” challenge! The favourite of most students was the Science House Challenge. During an allocated time and only using art straws, lollipop sticks, A4 paper, sellotape and masking tape, their challenge was to design and build a strong bridge between two tables which could sustain the heaviest amount of weight.

The Junior House teams worked exceptionally well to design and build their bridges. They used fantastic inquiry, risk-taking and communication skills to consider ways to make their bridge stronger, and also worked alongside and consulted with some of our Sixth Form students who prompted deeper considerations resulting in some exceptional and intriguing outcomes. There is nothing like a House Challenge to bring out the very best in our Junior students!

Mrs Hutchinson

Escape the Safari Park Challenge in Year 4 by solving clues about living things and their habitats

Science Week House Challenge which House built the strongest bridge

34 WGHS REVIEW

We loved our hands-on lessons with Mags from Creature Ark who brought some fascinating animals to show us

We’re not afraid of tarantulas!

Astronomers discover Jodrell Bank

In March a number of GCSE Astronomy and A-level Physics students visited the Bernard Lovell Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank, near Manchester. The largest steerable radio telescope in Britain, it has played an important role in many of the discoveries about our Universe over the last sixty years.

On arrival, the students attended a radio astronomy workshop. They learnt how the radio waves are reflected to a single point and how the nature of waves makes it necessary for the telescope to be so large and built to such a high degree of precision. They also found out how readings from the Lovell telescope can be combined with radio telescopes from around the world to give us an ever clearer picture of our galaxy and beyond.

Later on, the students analysed some data taken by one of the radio telescopes on the site. They looked at how an effect known as redshifting gives us information about the movement and rotation of one of our galactic neighbours, known as the Triangulum Galaxy, and were able to perform maths, courtesy of Isaac Newton, to weigh the entire galaxy.

After the workshop, the students attended a presentation in the planetarium. They were shown some of the constellations visible from Britain during late winter and early spring.

Science News

Astronomy and A-level Physics students at Bernard Lovell Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank

“

The day trip was an opportunity for the students to not only learn new things but also for them to contextualise what they had already learned in Physics and Astronomy

”

Before leaving there was time to see some of the exhibits around the site. These included a series of photographs taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts, the First Light exhibitions as well as a number of outside, hands-on exhibits demonstrating scientific principles such as reflection, acceleration due to gravity and moments of inertia.

The day trip was an opportunity for the students to not only learn new things but also for them to contextualise what they had already learned in Physics and Astronomy. They were also able to use the skills they had acquired in other subjects such as Mathematics. They were also able to hear from people who are part of our continuous quest to find out more about our Universe.

Hopefully students had an educational and enjoyable experience and I’m sure that they would join me in thanking Mr Wilson, Mr Hannard and Mrs Baldwin for helping to make the visit possible.

Dr M Durell - Physics

Bernard Lovell Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank

WHERE

GIRLS CAN REACH FOR THE STARS

2022-23 35

2023’s Year 12 Gold cohort at the summit of Mam Tor during their very warm practice expedition in the Peak District

YOU'LL LIKE THE WAY WE VALUE SMILES AS WELL AS SUCCESS The Duke of Edinburgh Awards

Going for Gold!

A group of Sixth Form students travelled to London to attend the Gold DofE ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Accompanied by their DofE coordinators, the students had the opportunity to socialise with fellow students, speak to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, and reflect upon their hard work that earned them their award. They also receive a gold badge or brooch to commemorate their achievement.

“

The sun shone upon us in the gardens of Buckingham Palace as we marked the culmination of many years of hard work and determination through Bronze, Silver and Gold

”

The sun shone upon us in the gardens of Buckingham Palace as we marked the culmination of many years of hard work and determination through Bronze, Silver and Gold. The ceremonies are an excellent opportunity for the participants and their families to celebrate and receive acknowledgement of their dedication, not only to the award scheme and their own personal development, but also to the wider community.

Achieving a Gold DofE Award is a substantial achievement. The programme is demanding, taking between 12-18 months to complete and includes activities in five sections – Physical, Skills, Volunteering, a five-day Residential and a four-day expedition.

In October, we held our annual Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme presentation ceremony. Awards were presented to 136 students who achieved their Bronze, Silver or Gold DofE award in the last academic year.

Mr Carlin and Mr Wilson

36 WGHS REVIEW

Sixth Formers at Buckingham Palace to collect their Gold Awards

WHERE

GIRLS ARE ADVENTUROUS

The Duke of Edinburgh Awards

Gold Award

Silver Award

Bronze Award

Anisha Ahir Imogen Barnwell Erin Bates Lucy Blanchard Holly Bott Suzanne Brooke Betty Chamberlain Martha Crook Leah Davis Hooriya Fida-Hussain Adrianna Green Grace Hillier Shaya Karunanithy Hannah Poulton-Haselier Esther Raw Sophie Russell Isabella Rust Ella Shaw Luchia Shaw Elizabeth Sykes Abbeygail Wrennall

Widad Abubakar Imogen Barnwell Emelia Batty Freya Baxter Hollie Bott Alero Boyo Evie Brown Sophie Burrell Betty Chamberlain Amelie Cresswell Lucy Crook Davina-Liesel Dugboyele Hooriya Fida-Hussain Adrianna Green Maisie Heathcote Katie Helliwell Tabitha Higgins Amelia Hudson Imogen Hudson Izzy Jowett Sarina Kaur Yasmin Kumar Elizabeth Mackenzie Ja’dae Magadza Chloe Midgley Jenny Morrell Amelia Parkin Janushruthi Ravichandran Annabelle Scott Annabel Simpson Matilda Smith Aranie Sureshkumar Leina Tordoff Amber Ventris Crowley Orla Ventris Crowley Isobel Wood

Haimee Ahir Zahra Ali Matilda Bellas-Crookes Isra Bhamji Holly Biggin-Wilcox Evie Brown Isabelle Chapman Amelia Collings Sophie Crawshaw Charlotte D’Arcy Ife Fasae Elaha Formuli Niamh Garratt Freya Gatenby Hareem Ghouri Isabel Hale Fatima Hashmi Daisy Hawkins-Swaffer Frankie Heaton Sophia Hilton Fleur Hornsby Eve Hunter Aleena Hussain Saarah Jogi Ruby Kim Ishani Kundu Hettie Langrick Edie Lewis Sascha Manomano Martha McEnhill Alice McKinlay-Smith Emilia Milne Alessia Newman Emily Oldroyd Lucia Partridge Arianna Pascale Amaya Patel Tia Patel Eiliyah Pervais Safa Qasim Tiana Ramchandani Harriet Randall Suha Rashid Matilda Ryder Sara Sarlak-Chiva Aamnah Shahid Aamina Shahzad Freya Sheahan Tilly Simms Emilia Smith Georgie Staveley Vienna Taylor Lucy Thornton Nancy Tidy Sophia Tolson Mallory Wigglesworth Aimee Woodhead Eleanor Wray Rihaam Zaki

DofE Award Ceremony 2022

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IT’S THE WAY WAKEFIELD GIRLS LOVE READING

Matilda Awards 2023

The Matilda Awards is our annual reading challenge, pushing students to broaden their reading horizons and enjoy books they might normally not read. This year, the theme of the booklists was ‘Books that take you on a journey and broaden your horizons.’ Travelling was at the heart of each of these books and students who participated enjoyed reading and reflecting on texts as diverse as Life of Pi, Gulliver’s Travels and The Beekeeper of Aleppo, to name but a few. For the first time this year, students who have completed the challenge in previous years were instrumental in shaping this year’s reading lists, sharing their passion and knowledge about reading with other students.

Students also enjoyed the new creative tasks that they were invited to develop in response to what they had read, selling a location from one of the novels they read as in the style of a travel brochure and re-creating a narrative account of one of the journeys in the novel from the perspective of a different character.

Mrs Besford

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National Reading Champions Quiz 2023

Together, Empowered, Aware: Wakefield Girls love our WGHS Learning Resource Centre Science Reading Challenge This year saw six students participate and four complete the process and gain an award. Reading Challenge 2023 has been launched and continues to encourage students to read outside their subject and explore real-life science.

Books, Displays and Assemblies We have marked the following events in the LRC with books, displays and assemblies: n n n n n n

Holocaust Memorial Day Black History Month LGBTQ+ History Month Windrush Day Refugee Week / International Refugee Day Autism Acceptance Month

Olivia Ahmad Olivia visited us in May for World Book Day (delayed from March by a snow day). She delivered an assembly to the whole school about her work as the Artistic Director at the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration and the path that took her there. She then held workshops for all of Year 7 in the LRC, creating short comics and exploring the unity between text and pictures.

Cartoon workshops with Olivia Ahmad

Reading, theatre trips and author events at WGHS Student Librarians As ever we have had a full rota of Student Librarians from Years 8 - 13, as well as Librarian Student Leaders. The Student Librarians have been brilliant this year, helping cover staff out when I have been off work, helping me with jobs and of course, helping other students to borrow and find books. Thank you!

National Literacy Trust Quiz A team of four Year 9 students participated in the Yorkshire Heat of the quiz, live in the LRC - they placed best ever, missing out on the finals by just a couple of points!

Amelie Stephenson, Georgina Dews, Lucy Prentice, and Mikaela Reading Champions at the NLT Quiz 2023 Agyepong, worked together to answer questions related to books. There were eight rounds and each one had a different topic. Some were related to fantasy books, some were related to illustrators and some were puzzles about general book knowledge. At the end it was revealed that they scored 46 points which was one point away from earning third place.

Amelie Stephenson said her favourite part was “the competitive nature of the quiz” whereas Georgina Dews said she enjoyed the “calm and relaxed atmosphere” and the “fun nature of answering questions with friends.” It was a very fun experience and they said the host had too much energy for a Monday morning but that just encouraged them to try their hardest. All four said they wanted to participate next year and hope to place in the top three.

Ms Harries - LRC Manager

Great to meet the author!

Author Peter J. Murray visited Juniors to read his book Poppy Warrior to our students...

An Inspector Calls a ‘whodunnit’, a political play or a modern day morality play?

In February, Year 11 went to York Opera House to watch a production of An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley. Everyone had studied this play as part of GCSE English Literature, so to see it onstage was really interesting as it made a play we had only read very real. This version of the play was very interesting as it contrasted the 1912 setting of the play with a eerily silent 1940s ensemble, reminding us when this play was written and who would have been watching.

From a curricular point of view, this play was very useful in cementing my knowledge of the play and the character dynamics which can be hard to understand on the page.

However, it was also an incredible watch without the studied text to go with it. Obviously, the fabulous base text helps to create such an amazing show, but the set design, music, and fantastic acting were what made this play so immersive and interesting to watch, and made me rethink my view of the play as a whole.

While this play may be framed as a simple ‘whodunnit’ with the classic structure of a victim, detective and five unlikely suspects, it is so much more than that if you care to look just a little deeper. When J.B. Priestley wrote this play in 1945, it shared a clear socialist message at a time of political upheaval, clearly emphasising the idea of ‘collective responsibility’ that he felt was so desperately needed at the time, and some may argue is just as relevant now. This play was originally written to influence the middle-class voters who were able to go and see live theatre, in an attempt to change their minds, something I really began to understand after seeing it performed. Given the strikes this year, Priestley's idea of the rich empathising with the working class, especially in terms of wage increases, is a really prominent and current one. However, for me, this play will live on as a morality tale about caring for others, and accepting your responsibility, a key theme throughout the play. Even though the political message is clear, the sentiments shared within could more clearly be seen as moral advice about equality more than associated with a political leaning.

Whatever you thought J.B. Priestley was trying to convey, this performance of An Inspector Calls was amazing to watch, and allowed me to understand the text more deeply in the way it was meant to be presented, reminding me of the importance of equality and responsibility in our modern lives.

Amelia Parkin - Year 11

WAKEFIELD WHERE

GIRLS LOVE READING

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A-level students at the Wakefield Cathedral Concert

The Foundation hits all the right notes!

This year has been jam packed with a wide range of music events from playing at Founders’ Day to the accompanying music to The Addams Family production as well as the traditional summer and Christmas concerts.

The final week of last year saw our Youth Brass Band and String Ensemble go on tour to Jersey. It was a brilliant experience, enjoyed by all. Our musicians stayed at Chateau Vermont (home to Jersey Music Academy) and had a wonderful time rehearsing, playing concerts in a castle and a beautiful park bandstand and exploring the island.

Last summer’s Jersey Band and Strings Tour

We started the year off in September with our annual Founders’ Day service at Wakefield Cathedral. We heard some wonderful music from the Youth Brass Band (who had been well rehearsed in Jersey during the summer), Cantabile and soloists Antonia Maddan (playing Billy Joel with her own backing band) and Isobel Skinner (flute). As the first whole school event of the year this was a fantastic opportunity to come together to show thanks to the founders of our school as well as showing our respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. String Quartet at Open Morning

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WHERE

GIRLS ARE MUSICAL

Music - Seniors As the year progressed, WGSF Swing Foundation opened Marsden Jazz Festival in October. This allowed many students the opportunity to show their improvisation skills through jazz solos as well as hearing a solo performance by Antonia Maddan (vocals and guitar). October was an eventful month with the Cabaret evening also taking place. This brilliant evening was a chance for senior section singers to display their vocal talents, with a range of music on display from the world of Musical Theatre as well as Classical, Jazz and Pop genres. It provided a marvellous evening of entertainment for all who attended.

In December the Foundation Brass Band performed carols at Pinderfields Hospital to help raise money for the My Hospital Charity. This provided entertainment for hospital visitors and staff and spread much joy and Christmas Spirit at lunchtime. Before the end of the Christmas term, the school came together to celebrate and reflect on what Christmas means to us at the Carol Service, and we saw the return of some old favourite groups and the debut of some new ones during the annual Christmas Concerts. This has to have been one of our favourite events of the year - getting everyone into the festive mood.

Our annual school production was in February, where we enjoyed three amazing evenings of The Addams Family. This involved a number of students acting and singing solos as well as a choir and full band to accompany the actors, providing a wonderful atmosphere. We had lots of fun and all the hard work definitely paid off.

Youth Brass Band play for the coronation with new brass teacher Mr Dodd

Cabaret Evening

Cabaret Evening

In March, the annual Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 House Music Celebration was held where students performed to an audience made up of family and friends and our guest adjudicator and opera singer, Sarah Ogden. Alero Boyo and Grace Hillier won Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 Musician of the Year following their incredible performances on piano and tenor saxophone. This earned them 50 house points each to feed into their house totals.

We finished off the academic year with the summer concerts which were a great celebration of ic the skill of all the musicians at us 5M d both WGHS and QEGS and even n a Key Stage 4 involved Ms Boyes getting to her feet to join in dancing during one of the many performances. One of our highlights has to be Horns in Hats, who donned funky hats and trousers, with saxophonists playing and dancing up the aisle and onto the stage. It certainly provided us all with a night to remember. In addition to all of the music performances, there was also a chance for our Year 13 musicians to reflect on all the opportunities that Music at WGSF has given them, as they took part in their final music concerts. It was a great chance to celebrate as they did their final performance of ‘I feel good’ exhibiting the talent of all musicians involved. For Year 13’s final assembly, an ensemble of Year 10 musicians gave a moving performance of ABBA’s ‘Slipping Through My Fingers’ with Ellie Burrows on vocals, which gave us the chance to reminisce over our happy memories at the school.

However, the musical adventures don’t stop there as the WGSF Swing Foundation are heading off to Bruges in Belgium, on a tour where students from Year 7-13 have the opportunity showcase their abilities to an international audience in a number of performances in Ostend, Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk and Grote Markt, Ypres. All of the students involved are really excited about this trip as they get to experience the city and immerse themselves in their music, and we can’t wait to hear all about it when they return!

Grace Hillier, Betty Chamberlain, Jess Morrison and Charlotte McKinlay - Year 13

Prize-Giving Performance

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Music - Juniors

“

You’ll love the amazing musical opportunities for all at WGHS Juniors!

Under 11 Choir performing at the Harvest Festival

Under 9 retain the trophy as defending champions of the Wharfedale Music Festival and the Under 11 choir are crowned winners of the Rothwell Music Festival

”

This year has been full of some amazing musical opportunities for all our junior community. The Under 11 Choir sang at our Harvest Festival in St John’s Church and some of our top musicians provided music at the start and finish of the service.

Under 9 Choir Wharfedale Music Festival Winners

The Year 3 and 4 pupils took part in a Singing and Signing workshop with Paul Whittaker alongside QEGS boys - a truly unique experience for them to be able to take part in.

December heralded the start of Christmas. The Year 5 and 6 pupils once again were able to support Wakefield Hospice, performing as part of their Light Up A Life Series. The concert showcased our whole Year 5 and 6 taking part in the semistaged performance of Rock the Baby, with additional festival performances from the Flaxonets and the Under 11 Choir as well as the traditional finale of ‘Must Be Santa’.

Rock the Baby at the Cathedral with Year 5 and 6

Year 3 and 4 put on a performance of Jerusalem News at St Austin’s Church, again all pupils were involved in the singing and acting, we also had performances from the Suzuki Group and the Under 9 Choir.

The Under 11 Choir were also invited to sing as the guest choir for Skelmanthorpe Male Voice Choir’s Christmas Concert at the Cathedral, singing an impressive seven items during the course of the evening. The term ended with the whole school in St Johns singing carols and Christmas rch songs around the Christmas Tree hu sC Jeru ’ n i t s salem accompanied by our Flaxonets. u News at St A 4 with Years 3

and

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Flaxonets

Music - Juniors

2023 Inter House Young Musician of the Year Under 9 Sections Winners

Young Voices 2023

Junior Inter House Young Musician of the Year Under 11 Section Winners

The Spring term started with the whole of Year 5 and 6 travelling down to Sheffield Arena to take part in Young Voices, a chance to celebrate our ‘Music for All’ mission and allow all pupils in those years to take part in a choir of over 4000 other primary school pupils from across the region in a massed choir, accompanied by a live band, professional dances and lighting. In March we held our Junior Inter-House Young Musician of the Year. In the heats we had over 250 performances by pupils from Years 3 to 6, and the final, adjudicated by Nick Meredith featured the best musicians in our Junior Section, competing in the Under 9 and Under 11 Categories.

The winners, Fei Fei Wu in the Under 9 category (piano) and Azariah Heppinstall (saxophone) in the Under 11 category then went on to perform their winning solo in the Spring Concert.

At the end of March our Under 11 Choir competed in the Rothwell Music Festival, and were awarded first place, winning the trophy and fending off stiff competition from other schools.

All performers in the Grand Finale

The term finished with our Spring Concert which was a true celebration of Suzuki Violins all the fabulous variety of ensembles that we have going on in the Junior School (and the Year 2 Choir), as well as the amazing musical talent.

In May the Under 9 Choir competed in the Wharfedale Music Festival, and came home triumphant, winning the trophy for another consecutive year.

2023 Under 11 Choir Rothwell Music Festival Winners

WHERE

GIRLS ARE MUSICAL

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The Addams Family WGSF Presents...

A truly gruesome production!

In February, WGHS collaborated with QEGS to perform Marshall Brickman and Rick Elise’s The Addams Family.

Many people enjoyed watching these spectacular performances, saying things such as ‘Congratulations to Mr Besford and the cast - a truly gruesome production’, and it was the culmination of months of blood, sweat, and tears (well, certainly the latter two).

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WHERE

The whole process of creating this show started with auditions in June of 2022, and was followed by months of weekly rehearsals together, allowing us to feeling ‘really close, like a family’ (Oscar Smith, Gomez Addams), a sentiment echoed by Tilly Simms (Morticia Addams) who said ‘I don’t know what I’d do without the rest of the cast’. Obviously, a key part of why so many people enjoy performing is because of the confidence it gives you to be yourself, even while pretending to be someone else. Olivia Portman (our very own Wednesday Addams) said her experience in Addams Family helped her ‘feel confident about being on stage.’

GIRLS HAVE CHARACTER

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Olivia Portman (our very own Wednesday Addams) said her experience in Addams Family helped her ‘feel confident about being on stage

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Drama

Meet the Cast Gomez Oscar Smith Morticia Tilly Simms Wednesday Olivia Portman Pugsley Harry Boswell Fester Lewis Girvan Grandma Amelie Williams Lurch Timothy Spawforth Mal Michael Dube Alice Bella Boswell Lucas James Rawson Ancestors Riya Bhagat Annie Earnshaw Gabrielle Estlin Alana Glennan Isabel Hale Sophia Hilton Grace Homer Tanaka Katema

Romilly Keen Lily Kitson Joshua Liwonde Charlotte Marshall Eliza McEnhill Amelia Parkin Freya Reid Alice Simmons Annabel Simpson Ayan Sinha Vienna Taylor Max Whitfield Amelie Williams Sam Williams Evie Wright Frighteners Darcie Brammah Maisie Cunliffe Mae Deakin Rafi Hassan Freya Johnson Ruby Kay Millie Knaggs Cece Langrick Poppy Lawrence Martha McEnhill Emily Oldroyd Yasmin Tempest Francesca Tinker Samuel Walker

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Drama

The Addams Family

A mysterious and spooky night!

After months of rehearsals, the show turned out better than we ever thought it would, an achievement that can only be attributed to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. One of Oscar’s highlights of the show was the ‘applause when we finished our final rendition of When You’re An Addams’, which seems to be a joyous yet bittersweet moment for many. However, this sentiment reigns especially true for Freya Reid, for whom this show marked her final WGSF production before heading off to study Drama at university. She reflected on her experience, saying: ‘It was such an unbelievable experience. The friendships that were formed through the lengthy rehearsals are some I hope to keep forever. Our cast were (and are) some of the most kind, talented and incredible people I’ve had the privilege of working with over the past five months.

It was such a joy to see the entire show put together in the end and had me in tears when it was over.’

So all that’s left to say is thank you to all the cast, stage crew, SALT, and musicians for putting on such an incredible show, and a huge thank you to Mr Besford for helping us to create an Addams Family we could all be proud of. Here’s looking forward to next year.

Amelia Parkin - Year 11

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Drama

“

It was such an unbelievable experience.

The friendships that were formed through the lengthy rehearsals are some I hope to keep forever Freya Reid

WHERE

GIRLS HAVE CHARACTER

”

2022-23 47

The ‘ Revolting Children’ of Key Stage 3 present...

Roald Dahl’s

Matilda the Musical!

Matilda was a fun production for Key Stage 3 and people could get more involved as there was a smaller select group for casting. If you watched the shows on Tuesday and Wednesday night, you would have seen how much effort went into the musical as a whole.

I was the acrobat for the show and I enjoyed it because I got to do it with my friends and other people my age. My favourite bit of the show was the song ‘The Hammer’ because you got to see another side of the Trunchbull, as you wouldn’t exactly expect the Trunchbull to suddenly break out in song and create a ballet performance out of nowhere.

Penelope did a great job performing as Matilda and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw her perform in the whole school musical next year. Alana was perfect for the role of Miss Honey and showed how kind and caring the character is. My favourite character has to be the Trunchball and Freya who was playing her fit the part really well even though she is the opposite of her character in real life. She played it perfectly and no one would be able to take her part.

The person we owe this to though is Mr Besford, to come up with something in three months is a big stretch. Even though it felt on the first night that we had only been practising for a week, everything went smoothly. And to think that we only got two of the most important props, the chocolate cake and the Pigtail doll, just before the first performance it went well and everyone loved performing.

Annie Earnshaw - Year 8

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WHERE

GIRLS HAVE CHARACTER

Drama

MEET THE CAST

“We’d been overwhelmed by how many students wanted to take part in Matilda JR. It's such a popular musical that the opportunity to perform this adapted version was too good to miss. It's not just the performers who have been keen but we’ve had a large number of students wanting to help out with painting our letter blocks and working on the stage crew, or sound and light team. Staff have also been very helpful, offering their time and support to the production, including sourcing and creating the materials we need for the show.

Working with Katy Ray, our visiting choreographer who came up with some fantastic showstoppers for Sister Act and The Addams Family, has been a great experience for our Key Stage 3 students, and many of them have been inspired to contribute their own choreography during the rehearsal. We hope they have enjoyed themselves and taken pride in the work they have created together and the new friends they have made in the Foundation community.”

Mr Besford - Foundation Director of Drama

Matilda Penelope Bellas-Crookes

Dad Ayan Sinha

Honey Alana Glennan

Rudolpho/Dad/Russian Oliver Grafton

Trunchbull Freya Johnson

Sergei Sam Rock

Bruce Teshomi Kayode

Hortensia Riya Bhagat

Michael Harry Boswell

Tommy Samuel Walker

Mr Wormwood Tanaka Katema

Nigel William Priest

Mrs Wormwood Ruby Kay

Big Kid 1/Mum/Russian Lily Kitson

Lavender Imogen Firth]

Big Kid 2/Mum/Russian Annabel Brewin

Mrs Phelps/Mum/Russian Tara Rehal

Big Kid 3/Dad/Russian Alex Day

The Escapologist/Dad/Russian Ayan Sinha

Kids

Theo Martin

Acrobat/Mum/Russian Annie Earnshaw

Lucy Keyworth

Amanda Isabella Taylor Eric

Annabel Grafton

Nicholas Robins

Darcie Brammah

Alice Cece Langrick

Harriet Anderton

Zoya Khan Yasmin Tempest

Luke Gallagher

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Drama

Year 6 Present...

Peter Pan

The roof was raised as our Junior students welcomed friends and family to Jubilee Hall for their highly anticipated performance of Peter Pan. Year 6 students brought their Junior school journey to a gradual close with their grand final performance for friends, families and the wider school community.

With their fellow Year 5 students in supporting roles, we were treated to some wonderful performances with well delivered and timed scripts, beautiful songs, lots of stage energy, fun and camaraderie.

“

Thank you to Year 6 student, Felix Campbell, who played Peter Pan:

Thank you Mrs White – you are amazing at teaching, outstanding at multitasking and have the biggest heart. Mrs White has taught me so much it is unbelievable how much I have improved by having her by my side as a teacher. I was Peter Pan which included singing solos. Now if I, and many others, did not have Mrs White – being the fabulous teacher she is – I wouldn’t have been able to perform in front of our audience.

Who knew four years ago that any of us would be in this position ready to go to Senior School having been so prepared. Mrs White uses her talents to teach everyone the best talents ever, to have courage and to believe in yourself. Thank you for everything!

Felix Campbell, Year 6

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Design and Technology

First Lego League Challenge: Key Stage 4 team win the trophy!

In December, WGHS sent two teams to participate in the First Lego League Challenge at Bradford University. We worked for months in school, creating a robot game, a robot design and working on our innovation projects: turbines that generate small amounts of electricity, and a way to produce clean energy. Although we were separate teams we helped each other and gave feedback which was consequential to the other's success.

o on Ele

On arrival, we were allocated a table and worked on perfecting our robot games and setting up our innovation ra projects and trialling them. When it was ,K ey our turn we were taken to a lecture hall to Stag e 3 team present our innovation projects. It was a very nerve wracking process, however as we began presenting we all slowly began to ease into the process and ended up doing a presentation that was amazing. We all felt that it was definitely rewarding when it came to our next challenge, which was telling the judges about our robot design and robot game process, and how we incorporated the vital core values into them. The Key Stage 4 team took an approach of making a portfolio in a sketchbook. Every session we would write what we had done and what we had achieved, alongside some photos. The Key Stage 3 team took a different approach, and made a slideshow to show their journey. While this was happening, the robot games commenced. We got two games each and our best score went forward. We all really enjoyed this part as we could show everything we had worked towards.

Arianna, Annabelle, Aimee, Eiliyah, Dae and Rihaam - the Key Stage 4 team

After lunch, it was time for the awards ceremony: we were all on edge waiting to see how we did. Finally, it was announced that our Key Stage 4 team won the trophy for the robot design presentation and a commendation for our innovation project. Although our Key Stage 3 team didn’t win the award, we all thought that they did amazing, and their teamwork was unfaltering. This was a really rewarding experience for both teams and was made even better because we got to work on it with our friends.

Arianna Pascale - Year 10

INSPIRING TEXTILE ARTISTS OF THE FUTURE A-level Textiles students welcomed prize winning Cheshire based artist, Nikki Parmenter into school at the start of the academic year. Nikki had prepared a special session explaining the development of her work from paper pieces to larger mixed media images in which textiles feature strongly. It was an informative visit covering the wide range of different materials Nikki uses in her work, including felt, fabric, threads, beads, metal, acetate, Angelina fibres, wire, hose pipe, pipe cleaners, plastics, jewellery, wood, car spray, paint, padding, metal mesh, felt pens, paper and funky foam to create original highly embellished textiles pieces. The afternoon was superb enrichment for our Sixth Formers studying Textiles, who are planning and producing their own textiles portfolios.

A Parent & Daughter Workshop followed, guided by Nikki sharing a wide range of examples, materials and discussing the techniques she uses as well as the inspiration behind her pieces. We were delighted to welcome parents into school and were very impressed with the wonderful creations that were produced.

WHERE

Nikki Parmenter

Parent and Daughter Workshop

Student Work

We also welcomed the embroidery artist Jess Grady in February and we hope to continue to have inspirational artists in the coming year.

Mrs Critch - Head of Textiles

GIRLS ARE INNOVATIVE

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Faron Buckley Anderson

Art gallery Phoebe Vincent

Maja Banas

Here’s a selection of some of the amazing talent from our A-level and GCSE exam students

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Emmy Van

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GIRLS ARE CREATIVE

Emelia Batty

Molly Dainty

Lily Wynne

Freya Reid

Hannah Armitage

Max Whitfield

Maya Langley

Madison Ducker

Molly Clark

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Husnaa Dasoo

Art gallery

Amelia Mo

Kara Schuyler

Here’s a selection of some of the amazing talent from our A-level and GCSE exam students

Niamh Garratt

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Hana Umer

Antoinette Zulu

Komal Kaur

Antonia Wallis

Aisha Khalil

Ellie Hart

Abbey O'Donnell

WAKEFIELD

Amber Ventris Crowley

GIRLS ARE CREATIVE

Sofiyah Choudry

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Luba Makoni

Art gallery Vienna Taylor

Orla Ventris Crowley

Here’s a selection of some of the amazing talent from our A-level and GCSE exam students

Amelie Cresswell

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WAKEFIELD

GIRLS ARE CREATIVE

Megan Rosendale Aima Ohiosimuan

Romilly Keen

Zahra Ali

Grace Gooder

Ellie Tingle

Amelia Hudson

Grace Hyett

Georgina Ellis

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Athletics Hockey Netball Equestrian Tennis Volleyball Cricket Dance Cross Country Swimming

FROM DANCE STARS TO YORKSHIRE FINALISTS Wakefield Girls' Junior PE champions are hard to beat CLUBS AND PRACTICES A range of squad practices and open clubs have been offered at lunchtime and after school, with an excellent uptake from our students in all year groups. These clubs have included a variety of sports such as hockey, netball, cricket, tennis, rounders, athletics and multi-sports. Martial arts club, dance club and musical theatre clubs are run by external coaches.

HOCKEY The Under 11 squad competed at the regional IAPS tournament at Loughborough Grammar School. 16 schools from across the North and Midlands played three round-robin matches in four sections followed by knock-out semi-finals and a final. The Under 11 squad got through to the plate competition.

Athletics match - Under 9s against Sheffield High School

Hockey fixture - Under 10 and 11 versus Hill House School

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The Under 11 hockey squad also played in three rounds of the In2 hockey competition. In the West Yorkshire round, they were runners up to GSAL which meant that they qualified for the Yorkshire round, held at Leeds University’s astroturf at Weetwood. In this tournament, they finished as runners up qualifying for the Yorkshire and North east finals. At this competition they finished in joint third place.

House netball tournament Year 4 Clayton versus Mackie

Christmas netball tournament

Physical Education

SWIMMING Students in Year 5 and 6 participated in individual and relay events at the IAPS time trials held at Repton School.

CROSS COUNTRY RUNNING As well as the House cross country event, our runners competed in one other race which was part of the Wakefield School’s series held at Outwood School. Longer distance running has become an integral part of our Games lessons and we are reaping the benefits of this in these events.

House netball competition - Year 3 champions, Blakey

IAPS netball - Under 11 North regional round at Sedbergh

Easter netball tournament with bunny ears!

House dance competition- Year 4 champions, Clayton

Cross country race - Under 11 squad at Outwood Grange

Dance Evening - lyrical duet

House dance competition - Year 5 winners, Bollywood theme

DANCE All students in Years 4, 5 and 6 had the opportunity to perform in a Dance Showcase for their peers. Students performed a variety of dances as a solo, duo or in a group.

From the showcase event, students were invited to perform in the Dance Evening.

Forty students joined with students from the Senior Section to perform at the Dance Evening held in QEGS Theatre.

This event showcased a variety of dance styles, including ballet, Bollywood, lyrical, pop and cheerleading alongside an eclectic mix of music and vibrant costumes.

IAPS Hockey - Under 11 regional at Loughborough

HOUSE EVENTS House events have taken place in a number of sports. Years 3 to 6 all played in the House netball tournament and Years 5 and 6 in the House hockey competition. The House cross country was run as a joint event with QEGS Junior section with students running distances of between 1.5 and 2.00 km.

All students have choreographed group routines as part of the House Dance competition. These routines were performed for the initial judging round and three groups chosen from each year to go through to the finals. This year’s themes were line dancing for Year 3, cheerleading for Year 4, Bollywood style for Year 5 and a lyrical style for Year 6.

In2 hockey - Under 11 North finalists

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Development netball squad Under 11 fixture

Miss Fear

GIRLS ENJOY TAKING PART AND COMPETING

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SPORTSWOMAN’S DINNER 2023:

Physical Education

THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITY WITHIN A TEAM

Once again the Sportswoman’s Dinner event allowed us the opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate the success and progress we have achieved as a school community across a multitude of sports. Over the course of the evening we had the pleasure of listening to all of our Sports captains and representatives delivering their speeches sharing fond memories of their superb accomplishments in Athletics, Cross Country, Tennis, Indoor Cricket, Indoor Hockey, Netball, Hockey, Volleyball and Equestrian. Old girl, alumnae and Team GB Hockey player, Joie Leigh, also sent an inspiring message to our audience demonstrating the importance of unity within a team and supporting their overall ambition to succeed.

Special presentations were also made to Ben Davis, our outgoing Hockey Coach, to thank him for all his contributions over the last five years and to our Year 13 leavers, who between them all have represented the school in so many different sports. The North Shield was shared between our National team finalists the U18 Indoor Hockey Squad, the U16 National Schools netball squad and the U15 Sisters n’ Sport netball squad. Individual athletes were also given special recognition for their achievements this year and prizes were presented to the following students: Molly Robinson (Tennis), Abbie Grafton (Gymnastics), Tilly Simms (Table Tennis) Holly Coughlan (Football) and Lucy Crook (International Hockey Umpire).

Mrs Robinson - Director of Sport

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The opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate the success and progress we have achieved as a school community across a multitude of sports

Seniors qualify to represent Wakefield in West Yorkshire Cross Country Championships

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Following a full return to sport after several years of disruption the school’s runners found themselves with many different sporting commitments, leaving a small squad to enter the Wakefield League Cross Country events. Following some great racing at Ackworth, Outwood and QEGS where notable successes included Millie Knaggs and Winter Bullen finishing 2nd at QEGS and Ackworth respectively and Maddy Patel finishing 5th at Outwood, Millie, Winter and Maddy qualified to represent Wakefield in the West Yorkshire Championships at GSAL in February. Unfortunately, Winter and Maddy were unable to run due to other sporting commitments. Millie had a strong race but narrowly missed out on gaining a place in the West Yorkshire squad for the national finals.

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WHERE

GIRLS ENJOY TAKING PART AND COMPETING

Physical Education

Creativity and choreographic flare at the Junior and Senior Section Dance Evening 2023 On Tuesday 25th April, over 60 students from Years 4-12 performed in our annual Dance Evening, held in the QE Hall at QEGS. It was a wonderful opportunity to invite family and friends of the Foundation to observe and enjoy the vast talent we have in school.

The evening consisted of a range of dance styles and genres including ballet, hip-hop, cheerleading, lyrical and Bollywood, performed by individual students as well as our Dance Clubs and, of course, winners from our House Dance competitions. It is also important to note that the majority of the performances were choreographed independently by the students themselves, either during PE lessons or at home in their free time. This meant there was a wonderful array of different moves, tempos and levels, so it was a great opportunity to see the student’s creativity and choreographic flare.

In the first half of the evening, we had plenty of amazing solo and group performances from Riya, Rebecca, Tilly, Hana, Arushi, Azariah, Anna-Maria, Pippa, Annabel, Heidi, Dulcie, Emmy, Isabel, Charlotte, Sophie, Dabira, Claudia, Sienna and Frankie. The Year 7 and 8 Dance Club performed an amazing synchronised dance to ‘And you don’t even know it’ from the musical ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’. Following on from this, the Year 4 and Year 6 House Dance competition winners performed. In Year 4, Imogen, Evie, Layla and Edith from Clayton performed to ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor.

In Year 6, Felix, Felicity, Alex, Anniyah and Annabel from Lee performed to ‘Giants’ by Dermot Kennedy.

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There was then a brief intermission for audiences to enjoy some refreshments and snacks before taking their seats to watch even more talent leap up onto stage!

In the second half of the evening, we enjoyed solo and duet performances by Pippa, Luisa, Riya, Maddie, Daisy, Erin, Imaan, Sophie, Charlie, Rosa, Phoebe, Lucy and Thevi. The Year 7 and 8 Dance Club then performed their second routine of the night, dancing to ‘Don’t Lose Ur Head’ from the musical Six. The Junior Section Dance Club also performed, dancing to ‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus. We were all very excited to watch the Year 5 House Dance competition winners, with Pippa, Tilda, Mimi, Arya, Olivia, Mila from Blakey taking the stage to perform to ‘Chogada’ by Darshan Raval and Asees Kaur.

Many thanks to our performers, Nicola Schofield who choreographed all of the Dance Club sequences, porters and caretakers for their help with this production and the PTA for much appreciated event refreshments.

Mrs K Robinson

The evening consisted of a range of dance styles and genres including ballet, hip-hop, cheerleading, lyrical and Bollywood, performed by individual students as well as our Dance Clubs and, of course, winners from our House Dance competitions

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EQUESTRIAN:

Physical Education

Championship qualifiers make optimum times at Hickstead In January Chloe Ellam jumped clear to win the 70cm section for West Yorkshire, and qualify for the championships at Hickstead. At Epworth’s Eventer’s Challenge qualifier Florence Smith jumped clear but incurred some time penalties to finish 14th. Tilly Smith suffered a disappointing round due to a delayed start. Isobel Wood jumped clear, close to the optimum time in the 80cm class to finish third and qualify for the championships at Hickstead.

At Northallerton Chloe Ellam competed in the Showjumping with Style and won the West Yorkshire section. In April Chloe, Isobel and Tilly competed in the One Day Event at Epworth. Chloe was 4th in the 70cm class, Isobel came 6th in the 80cm class, and Tilly came 7th in the 90cm class.

We have had a season filled with ups and downs, but have overall come away rather happy with our results.

Isobel and Chloe both had a great time at NSEA Championship, Hickstead in May. Isobel flew round just having one very unlucky pole: “Our time was very close to the optimum meaning we would have finished in the top ten but were finished as the third highest place - 4 faults out of over 230 starters!”

Isobel and Mia competing at Hickstead in the 80cm Eventers Challenge Championship

Chloe had a fantastic experience jumping clear in the 70cm Showjumping class and hopes to qualify for the championships again next season.

Miss Dollive

Tilly in the Eventers Challenge at Epworth

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Chloe competing in the 70cm showjumping at the NSEA championships at Hickstead

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We have had a season filled with ups and downs, but have overall come away rather happy with our results

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NETBALL: National finalists and fourth in the country a fantastic season of netball!

Physical Education

U16 Netball National

Schools finalists, a

fantastic achievement

The U14s have seen an impressive growth in participation and our squads have been consistently strong. The Sisters in Sport Shield squad made it to top eight in the country and showed a brilliant display of teamwork, regularly doing extra training and dedicating their free time to be as successful as possible. Impressive wins of the season include triumph over Prince Henrys, Yarm and RGS Newcastle. Both squads entered the District tournament and placed first and third.

Year 7 netballers aiming high

It has been an excellent season for WGHS netball.

We are extremely proud that participation levels are as high as ever with over 140 students across Years 7-13 representing the school. We are Wakefield District Champions at every single age group, reached National Finals at U16 and were declared fourth in the country at U15. We are delighted to report on the season below and as you will read through the age groups, you will hear just how the students’ dedication to practice and development over the years pays off.

The U12s showed brilliant improvement throughout the season and had an impressive turnout rate to practices.

Nearly half the year group attended practice and through a lot of hard work from Mrs Robinson and Year 10 coaches, Tara and Nancy, they triumphed at the Wakefield District Finals with an extra time win over Horbury.

The U13s are a talented group of players who have had some excellent success this season. Winning matches against strong netball schools like Silverdale, RGS Newcastle and Prince Henrys, the squads are developing into a force to be reckoned with! Also District Champions, the A squad only conceded seven goals throughout the entire tournament. Four players from the squad were invited to train with the U14 National Schools team highlighting the strength of the performance pathway that has been established at school.

The U15 Sisters in Sport squad were declared top four in the country. They were undefeated on their Saturday fixtures and an impressive six players were invited up to play with the U16 Nationals team. This is a very talented group of players who have grown in confidence and ability all year. Memorable highlights include very loud singing on the bus to and from matches and the fact that six of these students help junior teams by giving up their lunch times to support the coaching staff.

The U16 squad made it to the National Schools Finals, beating schools at county and regional level to earn their place amongst the top eighteen schools in the country.

A brilliant team on and off the court, the talent runs through the entire squad. The team were declared fifteenth in the country out of over five hundred entered.

Within the squad are players who have been selected onto the NPL (England Netball performance league) for both Leeds Rhinos and Manchester Thunder.

Senior netball has been well and truly established again post Covid. A total of seven major fixtures have been played with some wonderful success as well as two triangular tournaments. Most importantly the students have enjoyed being part of school sport again, have practised weekly and have found their love for netball.

We sincerely hope that the outgoing Year 13s continue to play for as long as possible.

D North

WHERE

GIRLS HAVE EACH OTHER

2022-23 63

HOCKEY:

Physical Education

Seventh heaven for Indoor Hockey!

A confident playoff win at the National Finals for WGHS U18 Indoor Hockey team makes them seventh in the country

U16 Indoor Hockey Squad 2022-23

U16 Indoor Hockey Squad 2022-23

Our indoor hockey players have demonstrated dedication and hard work during their EDGE training sessions this year and this has resulted in some fantastic performances. The U16 team comprised a mixture of students from Years 9-11, with some players more experienced and some new to the game. By training along the U18 squad they improved rapidly during the season and felt well prepared for the North East Finals. Unfortunately a spate of head injuries meant that some of the more experienced players had to miss the tournament, but the team still felt confident to go on and compete. They achieved a fantastic 4-0 win against Queen Ethelburgas, a close 0-1 loss to Yarm and a hard fought 1-1 draw with Hymers. Unfortunately, the other games in the group did not go their way so they finished third in the group and did not progress to the semi-finals.

However, the team were proud of their achievements and all that they had learned throughout the season.

The U18 squad started the season determined to not only qualify for the National Finals but to go there and really compete with the top sides in the country. In their North East Finals they played some superb hockey and really dominated the competition. Highlights included beating an excellent Scarborough College side 5-0 and then beating a tricky RGS Newcastle team 2-0 in the final to finish as North East Champions.

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They then travelled down to Repton for the National Finals where they faced a tough first game against Millfield, renowned for being the top sports school in the UK. This did not phase the team and goals from Lucy B and Leah gave them a 2-0 lead at half time. Millfield came back strong and scored one in reply but some excellent defending saw them take the win, with the players, coaches and supporters all celebrating wildly! The second game was even tougher against reigning National Champions Repton. Unfortunately, their numerous international players were too strong and we finished with a loss. The final game was against Framlingham, who had won the competition at U16 level the previous year. Some fantastic flicking, paired with some controversial umpiring decisions gave them the lead at half time and while we rallied in the second half scoring two superb team goals from Lucy H and Zoe we could not quite close the gap and finished with a 6-2 loss.

These results meant that three teams finished in joint second place in the group, but unfortunately our inferior goal difference meant that we could only reach the 7th place playoff, rather than the quarter final. However the team picked themselves up and went back out to play more fantastic hockey to beat Kings Chester. Leah added two more to her total, leaving her amongst the highest scorers in the competition, before Zoe added a third to ensure that we won the playoff. Although disappointed not to have had the opportunity to play for a higher position, the team are incredibly pleased to have finished 7th in the country.

Mrs Morgan

GIRLS HAVE FOCUS

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS FOR WGHS HOCKEY HEROES: U18 are top four in the whole country!

Physical Education

U19 ISHC 2023

This season has been another fantastic one for the WGHS hockey teams. We have had regular Saturday fixtures against other local schools as well as competing in a range of national competitions. Our U13 squad competed in the National Schools competition where they faced a tough first round. They played some excellent hockey but unfortunately finished third behind Bradford Grammar and National Finalists GSAL meaning that they sadly did not progress to the next round.

U14 win through to National Schools semi-finals The U14 team also performed well in the West Yorkshire round of the National Schools Competition. They beat Silcoates and Bradford to finish in second place and progress to the North East round. Here they again played brilliantly as a team to reach the semi-finals, but unfortunately lost to Pocklington meaning that they did not reach the North Finals this time round. Our U15 squad made a great start in the Independent Schools Hockey Cup, beating Queen Margarets with a fantastic 7-2 win in the first week of the season. Unfortunately, some tricky draws meant that they lost to Yarm and Kings Macclesfield to end their run in the competition.

U16 reach top sixteen in Tier 1 National Schools The U16s had a strong squad this year and were excited to compete in Tier 1 of the England Hockey National Championships. They were superb in front of goal, winning 7-2 against St. Peters and 8-1 against Ampleforth. Unfortunately, they were then drawn against reigning National Champions Repton in the following round. Despite some solid defending and great goals, they were unfortunately beaten and their run in the competition came to an end. However they should be incredibly proud to have finished as one of the top 16 teams in the country and were only knocked out by the eventual winners of the whole competition.

U16 Hockey Squad

Top four in the country for U18 Ethelburgas but unfortunately narrowly losing to local rivals GSAL to end their run in the competition. However they were still involved in the ISHC plate competition where they went on a fantastic run, beating Queen Ethelburgas followed by GSAL to gain their revenge. Following this there was a double header versus Kings Macclesfield followed by Cheadle Hulme the next day. The squad performed brilliantly despite their tired legs to beat both of these strong teams and set up a semi-final against Bromsgrove.

After a long journey down to the midlands, they started slowly against a lively Bromsgrove side. However they soon found our breakthrough with Molly scoring from the back post. They couldn't celebrate for long, as Bromsgrove began to pile on the pressure which saw them score two goals in quick succession. A quick counter attack saw WGHS finding a goal through Henny to take the game into extra time. Despite dominating the 10 minutes of extra time they couldn't find the all important goal and the game went to shuffles. Leah and Lucy H scored their shuffles and Alice made a great save but they sadly lost 3-2 and narrowly missed out on a place in the finals.

All in all, it has been a brilliant hockey season with a number of excellent team and individual performances. Well done to all our students who have been selected for County sides, as well as Henny, Lucy H, Lucy C and Lucy B who have all been involved in the England Hockey Talent Academy set up.

Mrs Morgan

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FOOTBALL:

Physical Education

Heroic WGHS footballers are victorious

The moment of great anticipation had arrived as the girls travelled to GSAL for their encounter, this would be the first time that both the U12 and U13 teams had represented the school and it would turn out to be a momentous occasion, in which both groups battled to overcome the opposition for a hard fought victory.

The U12 Squad started well but found it hard to convert their possessional play into a goal. They narrowly missed the post on two occasions but GSAL scored their first goal on a counter attack. Both teams finished the first half with passages of great play with both GK’s making some fantastic saves. Nevertheless GSAL started the second half with a bang scoring straight from the whistle however this seemed to spur this squad even further and soon the score was level at 2 goals a piece. Lexie then scored an amazing goal from a left footed cross taking the win for WGHS. The U13 Squad also started strong and their first goal came from Matilda Wray who found herself in possession and scored the first goal with an angled 10 yard shot. After going behind GSAL came back all guns blazing with wave after wave of attack, these attacks being brilliantly repelled by the WGHS custodian Smilijanic. The pressure from GSAL paid off however, just 5 minutes to the break the WGHS goal was breached. A GSAL corner from the left wasn’t cleared and after a fortuitous sliced half shot the ball looped into the roof of the net.

CRICKET:

U12 and U13 football heroes

WGHS held out until the break, thanks again to the defence and keeper that were performing heroics. In the second half the coach made some tactical changes in an attempt to bolster the midfield. These changes had the desired effect, the superior fitness of the WGHS girls became more evident in the 2nd half, WGHS had good chances from Matilda Wray and Sienna Norris but just failed to expedite these situations. Sienna Smilijanic was still performing heroics at the back for WGHS as the game became more and more stretched. It was with 5 minutes to go that the decisive blow was administered and what a strike it was! Ayo Bakare who’d been moved into a more advanced central attacking midfield berth, took up possession and unleashed an unstoppable 25 yard strike that left the GSAL keeper clutching thin air.

It was with great celebration when the final whistle sounded as both teams had deservedly triumphed in their inaugural fixture. Congratulations to all players involved and we look forward to building on this success next academic year.

Dedicated and strongWGHS cricketers reach North Finals We have had mixed results in our Indoor Cricket this season. Both the U13s and U15s had dedicated squads who have worked hard throughout the year to develop their skills with bowling, batting and wicket keeping. During the Lady Taverners competition the U15s faced tough opposition in West Yorkshire and although had some individual bowling and batting successes were unable to beat a very strong Holmfirth School side. The U13s progressed well through the tournament becoming West Yorkshire and Yorkshire champions and qualifying for the North Finals. Despite getting to the semi-finals undefeated and showing how far they’d come both in skills and tactics, they narrowly missed out on National Finals losing to Sedburgh School the eventual winners of The North.

U13 Indoor Crick

et Squad - Yorks

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hire Champions

D North

VOLLEYBALL:

Physical Education

U18 Volleyball team in action

Smashing it!

Well-deserved victories for WGHS volleyballers!

Volleyball is well and truly established at WGHS and continues to go from strength to strength, with students from Year 7 through to 13 attending practices. This year has been the strongest and most successful to date which is fantastic. We have managed to put out an U16 and U18 team and compete against established and experienced clubs in the Volleyball England Grand Prix competitions. Hollie Bott and Megan Rosendale have both also been playing in tier 1 volleyball competitions with Leeds Volleyball Club, competing against some of the strongest club teams in the country.

The U18 team competed in two Grand Prix competitions. In the first one we lost all five matches and showed nerves and inexperience. Yet the team spirit was high and the support for each other and the fun we had shone throughout the day. Our confidence and belief in ourselves and each other has certainly grown and some great friendships have been formed.

The second Grand Prix was attacked with positivity and belief.

Unfortunately, we again lost all the matches, but the score lines were very close and the team certainly deserved a win.

Our last match of the season was against Bradford Eagles, an experienced club who train regularly. We lost our first set 1225, but came back fighting and took the second set to a tie and won 27-25. With our confidence and belief in ourselves high, we won the 3rd set 25-19 and the fourth 11-5. This was a perfect ending to the volleyball season for our team to end with a well-deserved victory.

U16 team

Year 7, 8 and 9 volleyball club

The U16 team has also had a positive season with many of the players competing in both the U16 and U18 fixtures. Although they lost their Grand Prix, it has to be noted that they took an experienced West Riding team to a 25-25 tie and narrowly missed out on winning the set due to our panicky and rushed serves. A special mention goes to Megan Rosendale for receiving the Most Valued Player award and to Davina Dugboyele for Most Improved Player for the 2022-23 season.

Mrs Hunter

WHERE

U18 team

GIRLS HAVE EACH OTHER

2022-23 67

INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSES Physical Education

Impressive top eight finish for Molly Robinson in U16 Grade 1 Tennis National Finals

First place for Synchronised Swimmer - Maddie Fish

Maddie is a National and International artistic swimmer for City of Leeds Synchronised Swimming Club and also currently part of the GB Youth Squad 2022-23. Last year, after a gruelling team selection, she was selected to be a part of the GB Youth team. Alongside this she has also competed in regional as well as national competitions. In October, after a successful competition in the Scottish Nationals, Maddie claimed two silvers in solo and figures and she narrowly missed out on a medal with her duet partner however the team event was a huge success setting a new PB and claiming gold. In early March, Maddie competed in another regional competition where she placed second in figures and solo with only two points between herself and first place. In her duet, Maddie and her partner claimed first place and as a team once again they performed very well and secured first place.

Backing up her semi-final place Molly finished one step further and reached her first final in the Women's British Tour singles event in Scotland.

She also won the Grade 2 Nationals U16 singles and doubles and this helped her to qualify for the U16 Grade 1 National Finals held at the National Tennis Centre in London. Here she made it through to the quarter final stage losing to the eventual winner.

As a result of this she finished top eight in the country. In addition to this as part of the reigning U18 British Team Tennis National Squad she will now go on to compete in the National Finals to try and become club national champions for the third year in a row with Cultiv8 Tennis Academy.

Later on in March, Maddie attended the National Age Group Championships where she came 27th out of 125 in figures and in her duet they came 8th in the country. Their team was a massive success and they exceeded their PB placing 6th overall. Over half term, Maddie was in Bristol training with GB to finish the routines for the Primorje Cup in Croatia in June.

Top Hockey player and umpire - Lucy Crook

Captain’s armband for Libby Cree - U13 Hockey National Tournament During the Summer of 2022, Libby was selected as captain of the Team North East U13 hockey squad to play in the national tournament. Due to her impressive performance in the competition, she was selected as part of the UK Lions squad. She has spent the past year representing UK Lions in a range of international tournaments, travelling to Rotterdam, Exeter and Barcelona and was named as captain of the squad for the latter.

She has also trained with the UK Lions indoor hockey team during this period. Libby still has more to look forward to as she will continue to represent the UK in both Belfast and the Repton Cup later in the summer and we wish her the best of luck in both of these tournaments.

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As well as being one of our top hockey players, competing in both the Indoor National Finals and Independent Schools Hockey Plate semi-final for school this year, Lucy has also been progressing as an umpire for the sport.

Last summer, she not only competed in the England Hockey Challenge Cup with the Yorkshire U17 squad, she then went on to umpire the U15 competition as well! This year, having continued to umpire regular weekend fixtures, she was then given the opportunity to umpire her first international match at the end of April; England U18 Girls vs Wales U18 girls.

It is always fantastic to see our students taking on a range of roles within their sport and we couldn't be prouder of Lucy for her commitment to both playing and umpiring at such a high standard.

GIRLS ARE SUCCESSFUL

Physical Education

Table Tennis Division 2 Winner - Tilly Simms Tilly has had a very successful and busy schedule of Table Tennis tournaments. She reached the last 16 in the U16 National Schools Table Tennis competition and finished joint seventh in the Table Tennis Cadet National Cup. Although she was the tenth seed here she was the only player to beat the overall cup winner. Tilly’s team also won the U19 Division 2 England Junior British Table Tennis League and they were awarded the team of the weekend.

1st in the county and 5th in the country for Badminton Lilly Mae Wood We are delighted to share the Badminton successes of Lilly Mae in Year 8. Lilly Mae is part of the Yorkshire Badminton squad and is Captain of the U14s first team. She has competed in a variety of U15, U17 and U19 Badminton England Gold, Silver and Bronze tournaments throughout the season winning a number of gold medals in both the ladies and mixed doubles, whilst building up points to qualify for national finals in each age group. The U14 Yorkshire mixed doubles team qualified for the County Finals having remained undefeated throughout the season. They narrowly missed out on the medals after being knocked out by Leicestershire, the eventual winners.

Additional achievements include winning gold in the ladies and mixed doubles in the Annual Huddersfield adult handicap league tournament. This was against the best adults in Huddersfield, Lilly had a -5 handicap and fought ferociously to come out victorious. Lilly Mae is now ranked first in the County for mixed doubles and fifth in the Country in the U15 Badminton England Rankings. We are extremely proud of the progress Lilly Mae has been making and congratulate her on a fabulous season.

Equestrian Finalist Isobel Wood Isobel Wood has had a fantastic season in Arena Eventing qualifying for two finals - the NSEA championships at Hickstead and the Arena Evening Championship at Aston Le Wolds.

Future Lioness Holly Coughlan The Youth Lionesses talent pathway aims to identify potential talent and as a part of the England football programme, Holly attends the future lionesses goalkeeping centre which is led and coached by Head Coach and First Team Goalkeeper Coach at Sheffield United Women and the England U15 England Goalkeeping Coach. Holly has now been selected to join the high-performance learning group with high level players and coaches. This consists of classroom classes and top high-quality sessions and will hopefully lead to exciting opportunities and experiences.

Female Gymnast of the Year 2022 Abbie Grafton Abbie is part of a five girl team from Leeds Gymnastics Club that won the British Team Championships. Leading on from this she was also awarded Female Gymnast of the Year 2022 alongside her four team mates for winning this competition.

Abbie is also in regular contact with Head Coaches from Yale, New Hampshire, Temple and Wisconsin Colleges in the USA so there are exciting times ahead!

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SPORTS DAYS 2023 Physical Education

Senior Congratulations must also go to all the senior girls representing their houses on a fantastic Sports Day. It was fabulous to see the camaraderie on the day, with students cheering on their own year groups as well as those from other age groups from their house. There were some excellent individual performances, with Dulcie Crowther equalling the Year 7 High Jump record of 1.30m and Hettie Tidy setting a new record in the Year 8 Javelin competition of 22.56m. Congratulations must also go to the overall house winners Clayton for their combined efforts!

Junior Our annual Sports Day was held at WGSF track with every student in the Junior Section competing on the day. They competed in a range of traditional athletics events which included a mixture of track and field events along with fun events such as egg and spoon, skipping, sack and an obstacle race. The weather was very hot and sunny however students were well catered for with extra gazebos for shade, caps and plenty of water and it did not stop them performing to a very high standard. Due to the very hot weather the longer distance running events were held in cooler weather at a later date. Five existing Sports Day records were broken - Thea in Year 3 400 metres, Arianna in Year 3 sack race, Avi in Year 3 skipping race, Rosa in Year 5 75 metres sprint and Eleanor in Year 6 hurdles. One new record was set by Olivia in the Year 4 hurdles as new equipment was used in this event. Top performers were Rosa in Year 5 who won 4 gold medals and Eleanor in Year 6 who won 3 gold medals. Medals were presented for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. These were our new sustainable wooden medals which had been laser cut by the Senior Section DT Department and designed by students. Cups were awarded to competitors who won each event.

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Physical Education

WGHS Tennis teams perform with grit and determination WGHS competed in the LTA U13 and U15 Team Tennis competitions this year. The U13 team put in strong performances against both GSAL and Abbey Grange.

They showed conviction against Roundhay School and it paid off as they played fantastically to win 8-4. The U15 team have faced strong opposition from GSAL, Woodhouse Grove and Roundhay School. They performed with grit and determination to beat Roundhay School which was great to watch.

Seventy six tennis players in Year 7-9 had the opportunity to compete in two friendly fixtures against QEGS. Every court was filled! Taking these fixtures into consideration, our super keen students have had an opportunity to compete and be involved in tennis, which we are really proud of and hope to continue to build upon. Our senior players competed in the Aderbare Cup and had a tough first draw against South Hunsley. Molly Robinson, Maddy Patel, Betty Chamberlain and Eve Patel played some excellent tennis with both Molly and Betty winning their singles. The team fought well but unfortunately the experienced team from South Hunsley were too strong on the day and the team lost 4-8.

Year 7 and 8 Junior Athletics Squad win the English Schools Athletics Regional B Final In the English Schools Track and Field Competition, the Junior team put in a solid performance in the West Yorkshire round in order to qualify for the Regional B Final in Grantham. Here they produced some fabulous performances in events that many of them are still learning in order to win the competition with a score of 293 points!

The Intermediate team performed exceptionally well in the first round of the competition to score a whopping 420 points to qualify with ease for the Regional A Finals in Derby. Here they put in another strong performance to finish on another excellent total of 413 points, but were sadly narrowly beaten by an outstanding QEGS Ashbourne team. Despite their disappointment not to reach the National Finals as they had hoped, the squad should be incredibly proud of their achievements in this competition.

U13 team tennis

U15 team ten

Year 7 and 8 Junior Athletics Squad win the English Schools Athletics Regional B final

In June, a number of girls were selected to represent Wakefield in the West Yorkshire Athletics Championships.

On the track, Annabel Massey came second in the Junior Girls Hurdles, Libby Cree came second in the Junior Girls 300m and Molly Butterworth came second in the Inter Girls 300m. Sascha Manomano produced an outstanding performance to win the Inter Girls 200m and be crowned West Yorkshire Champion. We also had two County Champions in the field with Addi Bruce and Hettie Tidy winning the Junior Girls Discus and Javelin respectively.

Finally, Emily Dimbylow came third in the Inter Girls 100m and by running a rapid time of 12.87s, she was able to qualify for the English Schools National Finals in July to represent West Yorkshire.

nis

WHERE

GIRLS ARE TOGETHER

2022-23 71

Creative Carousel

The Creative Carousel continues to be a success!

The second year of the Creative Carousel in the Junior Section has been full of impressive pieces of art, complicated coding and some intricate designs.

Year 3 & 4 Art

Year 3 & 4 Drama

Creative prowess was in abundance in our classes in Year 3 and 4 this year.

Year 3 explored the intriguing world of modern art with unique representations of cubism and pop art in their individually inspired pieces.

Year 4 enjoyed experimenting with dot painting to create their own interpretations of aboriginal art before delving into the surrealist world of Arcimboldo.

With each new group we start by looking at what the important elements of drama are: characters, plot, dialogue, movement, teamwork, listening. We put these ideas into practice by learning how to properly utilise a playscript, whilst also learning to improvise within the context of the plot of our given play.

Miss Morris

Year 3 & 4 DT “We really enjoyed DT! We made mechanisms and levers and it was really fun. We used a piece of cardboard and every week we made sliding things. We made a hammer that moves up and down, a saw that moves left to right and a crocodile that opens his mouth and two hands that wave just by using paper! Our favourites were the crocodile mouth and the sliding card that we made in the last week. The teachers are really nice!”

Isabella and Anais - Year 3

Year 3 & 4 Textiles Year 3 leaf printed a pattern onto fabric using acrylic paint and cotton calico material. They embroidered detail on their leaf print using running stitch and further embellished it with buttons and beads. This was then sewn onto a small drawstring bag with their initials embroidered on the back.

Textiles in Year 4 has been based on the work of textile artist Anne Kelly. Students created a landscape scene on a felt background. Detail was added using the textile techniques of appliqué, felting, reverse appliqué and embroidery.

Mr Bray

Year 3 & 4 Robotics “Robotics was one of the creative curriculum lessons. We used lego pieces and learnt the names of the different parts to put them together to make robots. There were twelve stages to make the robots then we found out that we were going to make them move! We used the chrome books and learnt about coding. This made the robots move forwards and backwards.

We tested how good they were at moving and we even had a race! I really enjoyed this lesson.”

Aoife Webster-Dell - Year 3

Year 3 & 4 Food & Nutrition “Food and nutrition was amazing!

My favourite thing that I made was the breadsticks and I found that the steps on each recipe made it really easy for me to make some tasty dishes. My family all enjoyed eating the oat and choc-chip cookies that I made, they were delicious!”

Priya Heppinstall - Year 4

Miss Fear

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GIRLS ARE CREATIVE

Year 6 showing off their creations!

Year 5 & 6 Art

Year 5 & 6 Textiles

Year 5 & 6 Drama

Year 5 focused on the work of William Morris and used various printing techniques to create their own wallpaper. They also created optical illusions making straight lines look like they were moving. Year 6 artists have created self portraits based on the work of Andy Warhol and created excellent stories using lego photography focusing on perspective in their storytelling.

In Year 6 the girls have made heart-shaped pin cushions, fabric covered bookmarks and also a headband. They each chose their own fabric for each piece, cut out their own patterns, pinned their patterns onto the fabric and cut around and then sewed the pieces together using a double back stitch to ensure the pieces were secure. They also added elastic at the base of their headbands. In Year 5 Creative Carousel, the girls completed a crossstitch sampler, linked to our project What the Victorians did for us. They firstly planned their own design and then did a practice sample piece. They then completed their sampler using a selection of stitches and colours. Most girls added their name or initials, as on a Victorian sampler.

In Year 5 Drama sessions, we have developed the ability to act in the role of a different character through the use of our voice and facial expressions.

Applying the skills we learnt, we created our own scripts and performed our short sketches to our peers, who helped us evaluate our performance. We had lots of fun trying out different voices and loved the opportunity to perform. In Drama sessions in Year 6, we travelled back in time to WWII, where we experienced the evacuation process and the roles people played. We used a range of techniques such as sound effects, props and expression to make our performances as realistic as possible. Using the information we learnt, combined with the drama skills we practised, we created a short performance for our peers.

Miss Roche

Year 5 & 6 DT “In DT, we enjoyed making a wildlife hide out of paper straws and cardboard.

First we experimented with different designs and learnt that triangles make a strong structure. We planned our wildlife hides and labelled our designs before constructing our models using paper straws, cardboard and a glue gun. In the end, we evaluated our designs to consider the good points and also areas for improvement. It was great fun and we cannot wait for our next DT challenge!”

Megan Kirk, Matilda Palmer, Haviisha Balakrishnan and Patricija Joksaite Year 5

Mrs Wilson

Year 5 & 6 Food & Nutrition “In food and nutrition the first delicious recipe we followed was kaleidoscope couscous. It was a refreshing dish with peppers, tomatoes and much more.

Some of the delicious food we have made is: mozzarella pizza, white chocolate and raspberry muffins and focaccia. I have learnt many interesting skills during food and nutrition.”

Amaani Ali - Year 6

Miss Coe

Year 5 & 6 Robotics “In Robotics, we have learnt how to use and code a LEGO EV3 robot. We used gyros and sensors which detect colour to complete an obstacle course that was set up for us to try and complete within the lesson. Some of us were successful, some of us unfortunately not. I enjoyed this creative curriculum very much.”

Sienna Pidsley - Year 5

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Events and Trips

Events and Trips...

Year 9 visit Roundhay Park for adventure, animals and afternoon tea!

At the start of the year, we went on a trip to Roundhay Park to visit Tropical World. We spent the day at the park completing tasks and we got to see the meerkats and other animals in Tropical World. We finished the day with afternoon tea at the mansion. It was a great opportunity to spend time with friends that I hadn’t seen since over the summer holidays and overall it was a great day.

Addi Bruce - Year 9

Year 8 enjoying a sweet treat and Christmas quiz at Rassams

Year 9 enjoying afternoon tea at Roundhay Park Mansion

Team building at Another World Adventure centre

Year 8 & 9 ‘Beat the Blues’ winter trip to Pizza Hut and Cineworld

Segway Adventure for Year 13 at Dalby Forest

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Events and Trips

Year 12 enjoy a trip together at Ripley Castle

Year 10 enjoying a yummy bake sale in aid of HAWWA

What a year for Year 11!

WHERE

GIRLS HAVE FUN

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THE WAKEFIELD VOLUME 1, CHAPTER 13 EXPERIENCE SAYING GOODBYE

The WGHS Experience

“ To describe leaving WGHS is extremely difficult as it doesn’t truly feel like it is the end of the story. The best way I can describe the journey I have been on is to look back on how it has shaped me as a person. When first writing this article I thought about the leavers’ events that have taken place within the past few months as we said our goodbyes - the Amarillo run, where we ran through Jubilee Hall in fancy dress, May Ball (a night of pure dancing and delirium) and the leavers’ barbecue with Dr Rhodes’ “iconic women” cocktail bar. Despite the excitement at the exquisite cocktails available, the reality that we would soon be on our own two feet to perhaps become one of those “iconic women” was most eye opening.

WGHS has shaped every student through every step of their journey. It has allowed us to build a strong foundation of connections. When looking around the people you surround yourself with in the school community, having confidence that you have a strong foundation of friends that you can rely on and trust is arguably one of the most important gifts WGHS gives you. The alumni within the WGHS and QEGS community have always gone the extra mile to help out current students who need any guidance, especially with insights into their careers or help with applications- not only do I look forward to joining the community but also playing my role to help the next generation of students.

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Aiming high and having high expectations for ourselves and those around us is vital

”

Saying goodbye to our teachers was possibly the hardest aspect of leaving the school. They provide the safety net that surrounds us, whether it's answering our panicked emails before exams, spending their lunchtimes taking us through various parts of the curriculum or simply teaching us to love our work - it's hard to imagine our lives without their priceless input. Saying goodbye to our teachers also means saying goodbye to the lessons we love: the History lessons spent imagining ourselves in communist China or children in the 18th century workhouse, the Art lessons getting more paint on ourselves than in our sketchbooks or the Chemistry lessons watching “the impossible” appear before our eyes. It is safe to say WGHS has made schoolwork be missed. However, more importantly the teachers and lessons have not simply given us the knowledge to master our chosen subjects, they have sent us out into the world with a secure support base and confidence to aim high and learn to love whatever is thrown at us. Settling is simply impossible within WGHS. Aiming high and having high expectations for ourselves and those around us is vital as. Our own personal goals whether it be simply achieving coursework deadlines or ascertaining our dream jobs or university drives us to unlock our potential.

Although my time at WGHS has come to an end I am beyond grateful for the lessons it has taught me. Although there are still more to be learned, I feel confident stepping out into whatever the future holds knowing that I have an engrained drive to aim high with a strong network of friends and teachers who will support me through this journey.

Leaving WGHS doesn’t really feel like I'm saying goodbye as it will forever be a part of me.

Shara Vijay Kumar - Year 13

GIRLS HAVE EACH OTHER

WAKEFIELD - IT'S THE WAY WE MAKE TIME FOR REFLECTIONS ON RELIGION

A-level RPE Students with A.C. Grayling

RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS One particular highlight was our A-level trip to London in November, which was a series of lectures given by philosophers such as Professor A.C. Grayling and Professor Richard Swinburne. The debates included Secularism and Immanuel Kant. A.C. Grayling also came to deliver a series of masterclasses at QEGS in January.

Year 12 and 13 RPE students in Londo

n with Mrs Keegan-Phipps

Two groups of Year 9 pupils visited the tranquil Pocklington Buddhist Centre. They interviewed a Buddhist nun about her faith, asking very thoughtful questions. As well as meditation, they also saw a genuine Buddhist shrine.

Our Religion of the Month assemblies included the fascinating topics of Confucianism, Taoism, the Jewish festival of Tu B’Shvat (incorporating a very popular ecoraffle for the Woodland Trust), the concept of light within religion, and the annual Christmas assembly.

We also run the Japanese Culture: A to Zen sessions in EDGE. We were very fortunate to be awarded a grant for some Japanese hiragana and katakana textbooks as well as a workbook, from the Japan Foundation, London.

Hopefully they will inspire further exploration of Japanese language and culture in the future! The sessions will also be useful in preparation for the exciting RPE / Geography trip to Japan in July 2024.

Mrs Keegan-Phipps - Head of Religion, Philosophy & Ethics

Year 9 at Pocklington Buddhist Centre

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Remembrance Events

WAKEFIELD IT'S THE WAY WE JOIN TOGETHER AND REMEMBER

Remembering and Celebrating the Founders of WGHS On the 16th of September, we commemorated Founders' Day by all coming together at Wakefield Cathedral for a service of celebration. The congregation of the whole school at the start of the new academic year was a wonderful chance to reflect on the creation of the school in 1878 and all those who have enriched the life of the school. There was an array of musical talent from the Brass band, Cantabile and Antonia Madden on guitar and vocals. We were treated to addresses by Dr Rhodes, Ms Boyes, Head Girl, Hooriya, Deputy Head Girl, Charlotte and former Head Girl and alumna Sarah Shah. These speeches and readings focused on the themes of kindness, happiness and how we can support one another and those in our community. They gave us the chance to think about how we as members of WGHS could make a difference this year and help our peers. The service ended fittingly by remembering the Queen and welcoming the new King by singing the National Anthem.

Betty Chamberlain - Year 13

Remembrance Day In 2022, the 11th November fell on a Friday. The High School remembered its contribution to the war effort with an assembly by Mr Hargreaves to start the day, and at 11 o’clock staff and students paused to hear the Last Post played in the Quad and for wreaths to be laid in Room 19 at our memorial plaque.

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Winter Events

Learning about the importance of the Christmas Story: Year 3 visit to Wakefield Cathedral As part of the R.E. curriculum Year 3 visited Wakefield Cathedral in November to learn about the importance of the Christmas story and its significance as an important festival of remembrance in the Christian faith. Many of the students had not visited the cathedral before so it gave everyone the opportunity to marvel at its splendour. It is known for having the tallest spire in Yorkshire, even higher than York Minster, so it is an impressive building on the Wakefield skyline.

During the afternoon visit, we were able to explore the unique aspects of what makes the cathedral so special before delving more deeply into the story of the birth of Jesus. We were able to investigate different aspects of the story using craft materials to create a scene from the town of Bethlehem, we told different parts of the story using role play and completed our visit by creating a tableau which depicted an inclusive scene of all the important elements of the Christmas story. All the students thoroughly enjoyed the visit which created an eager anticipation of the forthcoming Christmas festivities.

Miss Morris and Mrs Butterfield Year 3 at Wakefield Cathedral, Our Bethlehem tableau

Christmas Fayre raised £1,260 for The Alzheimer’s Society

Sixth Form Winter fun!

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GIRLS HAVE EACH OTHER

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More fund raising fun and games..!

St Catherine’s Foodbank

We have had two food bank collections this year for St.Catherines Foodbank.

Back by popular demand - The Teacher’s eating comp raised £175 to buy educational resources for refugees in the Wakefield area.

Year 8 Charity afternoon took part in a sponsored fancy dress run to raise money for the FCF.

Year 8 charity aftern

Teacher’s eating com

p

oon

Junior Section:

Enjoy lots of wellbeing events!

Feel Good Friday- Compliments t-shirts made by all the students

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Children’s Mental health week themed cookies

Wellbeing Week- Just Dance!

Wellbeing Week- Odd Socks Day

Feel Good Friday- Valentines cards for our families

WHERE

GIRLS RAISE AWARENESS

Maths

Maths Kangaroos bounce through to next round of UKMT Maths Challenges Founded in 1996, the UK Maths Trust has been inspiring a love of problem solving through competitions for over 20 years. The Senior, Intermediate and Junior Maths Challenges receive over 700 000 entries each year, with the highest scoring students being invited to take part in follow-on rounds. In November, all students taking A-level Maths sat the Senior Challenge. They were rewarded with 14 bronze certificates, 4 silver certificates and a gold certificate. Leah’s score allowed her to progress to the next round of the competition, the Senior Kangaroo.

In February it was the turn of Years 9 and 10, along with a small number of Year 11, to sit the Intermediate Challenge. They were rewarded for their efforts with an excellent 25 bronze certificates, 14 silver certificates and 3 gold certificates. Eleanor in Year 10 qualified for the next round of her competition, the Pink Kangaroo and Sharon in Year 9 qualified for the Grey Kangaroo. Both gained outstanding merits in these challenges. Finally, in April, it was the turn of Years 7 and 8 to sit the Junior Maths Challenge. They came away with an impressive 47 bronze certificates, 18 silver certificates and 2 gold certificates.

Mrs Rees - Head of Maths

MathsCity

Maths Magic in Leeds: Year 7 thrilled at MathsCity visit Year 7 students enjoyed a visit to MathsCity in Leeds during the Spring Term, excitedly travelling by train from Wakefield to Leeds.

MathsCity is the UK’s first National Mathematics Discovery Centre. The centre is a hands-on interactive experience devoted entirely to mathematics and its applications giving Year 7 a chance to experience the fascination and power of Mathematics in person.

Students explored over twenty interactive exhibits, including climbing inside a giant kaleidoscope, enveloping themselves in an expanding bubble, cracking codes, solving puzzles and even building a huge Leonardo Dome! Year 7 were lucky enough to have the whole of MathsCity to themselves, with a team on hand to help them get to grips with all of the activities.

I was extremely impressed by the mature and sensible way Year 7 conducted themselves on the journey, both on the train and through Leeds. One group even found time to play a game of Uno on the 14 minute train journey! Once at MathsCity they got stuck into the activities with great enthusiasm. The favourite exhibit was the giant bubble machine, closely followed by the giant Leonardo Dome, an impressive self supporting structure that they all had a chance to build (and knock down!).

Mr Webster

MathsCity

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History

Using periscopes

Olohi’s canopic jars

Recreating Trench Foot

Cartouche

Poppies

A whole lot of History events for Year 6 from developing trench foot to designing Ancient Egyptian headdresses In the Autumn Term, we examined the benefits of war as well as looking at the destruction it caused. We recreated the conditions soldiers would be living in resulting in them developing trench foot and made our own periscopes utilising the technology of WW1.

In November, we created felt poppies demonstrating a range of sewing techniques. Come the Spring Term, the focus was on the Ancient Egyptians and the development of hieroglyphics so we created our own cartouche with our initials. Impressed by Ancient Egyptian clothing, we each designed our own headdress and came up with a goddess name and role. We also learnt about how important the afterlife was to Ancient Egyptians and, as a result, reproduced our own canopic jars.

Egyptian goddess artwork

Revision made easy on Year 11 History trip to York...

History students from Year 11 went on an informative trip to York city centre to take part in a student conference and revision day on Elizabethan England. This was run by notable historians with guest speakers such as Tracy Borman and exam markers to advise us how to get top level answers in our exams. They helped to prepare us both in knowledge and understanding, but also specific technique and self-reflection. The trip was a lovely way to learn and grow in our history knowledge outside of school and bond as a cohort, in order to further understand how we all learn and support each other now and during the exams. Visiting this historic city provided a sense of history coming alive, and I know that this trip was a useful and exciting venture for all who went.

Roisin Daly - Year 11

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Geography

Broadening horizons and making memories - it’s the Wakefield way This year got off to a flying start with some outstanding results from our Year11 and Year 13 students and a wonderful Geo photo competition on open morning which attracted hundreds of votes and some stunning entries from all year groups. The department has continued to be a hive of activity throughout the year.

This past academic year WGHS began our Eco-Schools journey with the end goal being an Eco-Schools Green Flag and making a positive impact on the planet. It has been led by four Year 13 students who, with their team of students from across the year groups, have displayed an indefatigable spirit and laid the foundation for new leaders to emerge next year to take us onwards to accreditation.

We look forward to building on these foundations with our existing and new student leaders and to make our little bit of the world a better place.

We have done some local fieldwork but the highlight of the year was the Year 12 field trip - an eventful four days in the Lake District National Park once we managed to get the minibus through the snow and up the hill to Blencathra. The purpose of the visit was to prepare for the non-examined assessment coursework at A-level and we experienced a huge range of fieldwork techniques and were lucky enough to study glaciated landscapes which actually contained snow and ice. As one student aptly put it, “It was also a really good opportunity to spend more time together as a class outside of lessons and we all made memories together we will have forever.” In that one sentence she captured the essence of a geographical education and we look forward to making many more memories with our wonderful students next year with trips planned already to Iceland and Japan.

Mr Tribe - Head of Geography

Year 12 - Easdale in the snow

WHERE

GIRLS HAVE INSPIRATION

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‘THEY CAN BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY CAN’ Rome, by Hercules’ temple

VIRGIL, AENEID, BOOK 5

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WHERE

Everyone climbing the stairs to Room 19 sees Virgil’s original Latin - possunt quia posse videntur - and this year Classics students and staff have pushed hard to achieve personal goals, as well as things that have felt out of reach for some time.

2022-23 has seen the department once again travel beyond the school gates to see at first hand the achievements of the Greeks and Romans. At the end of the Autumn term, GCSE and A-level students visited the British Museum to study our courses’ source material, as well as attending a fascinating performance of extracts of the great Roman epic, the Aeneid, accompanied by the diaulos, an ancient reed instrument. In EDGE Year 7 students have continued to compete in ancient Olympic events on the Quad, including the ‘race in armour’.

One of the highlights of the Classics year is the Ancient Drama Festival produced by the Classics Department at the University of Warwick, and this year we listened to lectures about, and watched a performance of Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen.

GIRLS ARE ADVENTUROUS

Classics

Year 8 re-enacting the morning salutatio in the House of the Wooden Partition, Herculaneum

Year 8 at Herculaneum

In the Spring term holidays we were excited to see the return of our Junior and Senior Classics trips. In February we travelled to Italy with Year 8 to explore Pompeii and Herculaneum, while at Easter a group of GCSE and A-level students joined forces with Year 9 students - who had missed out because of the pandemic - to travel to Rome and the Bay of Naples. Both trips saw staff and students working hard to make the most of our time to engage with and enjoy an enormous range of evidence.

We were kept going by plenty of water from Roman and Pompeian fountains, gelato, and of course both Neapolitan and Roman style pizzas! As well as extending our understanding of the Romans, everyone made life-long memories, and we are already preparing for our travels in 2024.

Our Student Leaders also give their time every week to support their peers as they display determination to develop their classical skills and knowledge in the welcoming environment of the Wednesday Classics Clinic.

2022-23 has been an exciting time, too, as we welcomed two new members of staff: Ms Ayres at the High School and Mr Ellard, the new Head of Classics at QEGS who teaches joint courses in the Sixth Form. Both have made an instant impact!

And all the Classics staff are working - with our colleagues in Warwick and across Yorkshire - to develop new and existing courses to enthuse our students and provide opportunities to explore the ancient world and engage with themes relevant to today’s world.

Mr Hargreaves - Head of Classics

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Invaders and Settlers: Year 3 learn all about the Vikings in York We went to York to learn more about the Vikings because we are studying Invaders and Settlers. When we had walked into York, we started by waiting to go inside the Jorvik centre and then we went downstairs under the ground and saw where the houses had actually been and a gateway that the Vikings had used. When we went on the ride around the town we noticed it was a bit smelly! It must have been like this during Viking times. The clothes they wore were different to ours and they had small houses with everything in one room! Two people were arguing in the Viking market because something cost too much money. The end of the ride was extra smelly because the Vikings had outside toilets. After that we went to the Dig and had a real dig under the ground to see what the Vikings had left behind. qu

A

The following day at Danelaw Viking Village we found out about the really cool things the Vikings had. The main house had a proper bed in the corner and it had curtains around it. In every house there was a fire in the middle to cook and keep them warm but this meant they had lots of smoke in the house too. The main house had benches too to sit on and to sleep on which we don’t think would have been very comfy! They had tapestries on the wall for decoration and they told stories too. They stored their food on a shelf at the top of the house so they could keep it through the winter. One of the best bits was guarding the village and scaring away the Anglo-Saxon invader, they ran the other way!

We loved our trip and learned loads of new things.

Imogen and Hareem - 3JB

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Residentials

MAKING MEMORIES IN MALHAM

WITH YEAR 4

Success! Reaching the top of Malham Cove

Starting our hike to Malham Cove

At the bottom of Malham Cove

As part of their topic, Year 4 have learnt all about India.

They have compared and contrasted the different locations within India to understand how lifestyles would differ within a variety of locations, before recognising the similarities and difference these would have compared to England. One place in particular where these features were recognised was Malham, this is why Year 4 visited this location as part of their residential.

Year 4 thoroughly enjoyed their residential trip to Malham, they were extremely excited to be staying away for a night, especially to an area where most students hadn't visited before. When we arrived at our final destination, we quickly dropped our bags at the YHA before exploring the village of Malham. Unfortunately, the heavens opened during this time, so during our scavenger hunt around the village to locate important features, we became very wet.

After lunch, the rain stopped which provided the perfect time for us to start our voyage towards Malham Cove.

The scenery was beautiful leading up to the cove and the children were amazed with how high the limestone walls

WHERE

At Janet’s Foss

climbed. This was especially evident after climbing all the steps up to the top, which after counting, there were approximately two hundred and fifty steps! Finally at the top, we located where Harry Potter was filmed before trudging through the muddy fields to walk back around to the YHA. After filling up on some delicious food, we enjoyed developing map and compass skills with our leaders from the site before tucking up into bed.

On the second day, after eating a hearty breakfast to prepare ourselves for the day, we set off on our second adventure to Janet's Foss and Gordale Scar, not forgetting to stop off at the ice cream van for a tasty treat.

Walking through the woods and smelling the wild garlic before sitting and taking in the beauty of the waterfall provided us with time to reflect on how mesmerising the nature is around us. After a full day of walking and feeling pretty exhausted by this time, we climbed back onto the bus and headed back to school having made memories that will last a lifetime.

Year 4 team

GIRLS HAVE EACH OTHER

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A successful trip with lots of Year 5 happy campers at Castlehead

t adventure_ Risk taking is part of a grea was no different d Hea y phre traversing Hum

Happy campers

ation and Resilience, communic is ready raft our tion ora lab col

A tight squeeze

Girl power - raft building

The high ro the high rop Double trouble course conquered

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es

pes course

Discovering what lives on Morecambe Beach

WHERE

GIRLS ARE BRAVE

at it’s finest

- time for a

challenge

Residentials

Bletchley Park, bowling and Warner Bros Studios tour: Year 6 enjoy a fantastic overnight residential trip To support their project based lessons on the ‘Benefits of Warfare’, Year 6 headed first of all to Bletchley Park in Northamptonshire – home of the WW2 codebreakers.

Students loved exploring the Mansion House, wartime huts and other exhibits to discover more about this fascinating period in history and how the work of Alan Turing helped shape modern computing and society as we know it.

Later that evening Year 6 ventured to the Hollywood Bowl in High Wycombe – the chosen venue for our House bowling competition! A closely fought but fun event saw Blakey House take the win! Strikes were scored by; Anna-Maria, Tabitha, Tilly, Aanu, Sophie, Jess G., Annabel, Eliza, Ophelia, Erin and a double for Amy – well done.

The following day, after a good night’s sleep, Year 6 set off for the Warner Bros Studios tour: The Making of Harry Potter in Watford. They had an incredible day learning about the amazing sets, props and special effects that brought J. K. Rowling’s fabulous stories to life on the big screen. It was particularly interesting for students to see how Dumbledore’s office and The Great Hall compared to their own descriptive writing work that they have been doing in English.

Year 6 Team

“

They had an incredible day learning about the amazing sets, props and special effects that brought J. K. Rowling’s fabulous stories to life on the big screen

” 2022-23 89

Residentials

Climbing and abseiling fun

YEAR 7 MAKE FRIENDS AND HAVE FUN AT YMCA LAKESIDE! After only being at WGHS for two weeks, the whole of Year 7 enjoyed a great two night trip at YMCA Lakeside. This trip was filled with exciting activities such as: rock climbing, catapult building, raft building, canoeing and we even swam in Bassenthwaite Lake, which according to some, is the only lake in the Lake District. The others are classed as ‘waters’ or ‘meres’.

At the YMCA, we also had a wide variety of some amazing food and drinks. We were all presented with a fresh, hot English breakfast every morning while also having a well-prepared lunch, dinner and hot chocolate and biscuits for supper. We shared a room with six people and got to know everyone very well while we also made some good friendships and incredible memories. Despite the mud while we were doing activities such as sliding through the blue tubes and the torrential rain whilst doing the YMCA dance standing up in our canoes, we had an amazing time. We had a wonderful yet tiring trip which will be remembered for the rest of our lives.

Anika Sinha and Abigail Calvert - Year 7

Wet on Windermere

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Residentials

“

Dancing the YMCA whilst standing on the canoe

Despite the mud while we were doing activities such as sliding through the blue tubes and the torrential rain whilst doing the YMCA dance standing up in our canoes, we had an amazing time

”

Learning how to tie knots and building a catapult

Lifting the catapult - will those knots hold

YOU’LL LOVE THE WAY

Getting muddy on the blue tubes

GIRLS MAKE FRIENDS AND HAVE FUN

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Calendar competition 2022-2023

Calendar Competition Here’s a selection of some of the amazing talent from our Calendar Competition students.

Dr Joanna Rhodes

Tilly Simms (November)

Priyah Heppinstall (July) Dayanna Shrivastava (August)

Hareem Ghouri (January)

Lucy Hamblett (December)

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WHERE

GIRLS ARE CREATIVE

Calendar competition 2022-2023

Anika Sinha (May)

Lila Moczynska (February) Rebecca Trout (June)

Phoebe Howell (March)

Cadence Dollive (April)

Charlotte McKinlay (September) Lily Wynne (October)

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House News 2022-23

A fun-filled year for the WGHS Houses

Danceathon

Pumpkin carving competition

MindRace

Mackie Cake

Junior spelling Bee Y5 & Y6 winners

Lee Cake

Wow! There is no doubt that it has been a fun-filled year for the Houses! With the House system established only two years ago, the Head of House team strived to organise numerous exciting events this year, to showcase all that the system has to offer. During the Autumn term, the pumpkin carving competition, the World Cup FIFA sweepstake, and of course the Jingle Mingle (to name a few!) encouraged students from Years 3-13 to be 10% braver and embody House values, including teamwork, camaraderie, and leadership.

Later in the year, the Spring term certainly brought out the students’ competitive sides with many of my personal favourite events: the legendary House Bake Off, the wonderful House Science Fair, and the MindRace heats organised by Dr Rhodes and Mr Murtland. In many of these events, there was a deep-seated commitment to charity, with vast amounts of money raised for the individual House charities. The Summer term was rounded with the amazing House Finale Day and a spectacular colour run.

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“

There was a deep-seated commitment to charity, with vast amounts of money raised for the individual House charities

”

It has been an honour to serve as the Head of Mackie this year, and this role has truly allowed me to embrace my creative (and slightly crazy!) side and build meaningful connections across the Junior and Senior Sections.

I could not be more grateful for the immense support I have received from my Deputy Head of Mackie, Eleanor Cooke; my fellow Heads of House (Komal Kaur - Head of Clayton, Lucy Blanchard - Head of Lee, and Eden Perez Nijjar - Head of Blakey); my lovely staff House Leader, Mrs Manson; the House Coordinators and the incredible students who have been involved.

Manya Dhingra (Head of Mackie House)

House News 2022-23

Junior spelling Bee

Clayton Cake

Junior spelling Bee Y4 winner

Junior spelling Bee Y3 winner

Junior Inter House Cross Country

House Bake Off winners

Heads of House 2022-23

Danceathon

Blakey Cake

YOU'LL LOVE THE

WGHS HOUSES

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Looking ahead WE SAY HELLO TO OUR INCOMING HEAD GIRL TEAM AND HOUSE OFFICIALS 2023-24

Dedicated to WGHS and enthusiastic about their new roles, Clara and Amina share their thoughts on becoming Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl 2023-24.

HEAD GIRL

Clara Elliott DEPUTY HEAD GIRL

Amina Khan SENIOR PREFECTS

Holly Bestwick Mia Crecraft Lucy Crook Tiffany Djagnikpo Abigail Gatenby Kumbi Katema Anna Reynolds Khadija Sarwar Mariella Shuttleworth Bayan Yousif HEADS OF HOUSE

Lee - Ava Dunn Clayton - Louis Lemmon Mackie - Heather Bullers Blakey - Liv Fulton

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As always, the new Head Girl Team was announced this year in March through voting and hustings. The team includes the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girl, ten Senior Prefects and four Heads of House. Senior Prefects have each been assigned a role, for example, environmental, wellbeing and many more. These roles are catered to the Senior Prefects interests, allowing them to fulfil their roles with utmost enthusiasm and dedication.

Tiffany Djagnikpo, a Senior Prefect, states her ambitions for her role and the importance of feeling safe at WGHS: “My role, as one of the Diversity and Inclusion Prefects for WGHS, makes it integral that I try to find informal ways to implement a mindset on the students of our school in order to make sure tolerant, and overall well-mannered behaviour can be found, which aligns with the school’s own policies on self-conduct of students. We will strive to continue to make a long-lasting impact on students across the Foundation, so everyone feels safe and heard in our community.”

Abbie Gatenby, who is also Senior Prefect, states her aims for her role and her enthusiasm to carry it out: “My role is a liaison to the Junior School and Pre-prep. This allows me to get to know a much wider range of students and create links throughout the whole Foundation, I really cherish this experience and would like to continue the Y3 Science club into next year, as well as create more links between the Senior and Junior sections of the school, allowing more students to get to know each other. Wakefield Girls’ has given me this incredible opportunity, which I will enjoy over the next academic year.”

GIRLS ARE WARM, KIND AND CARING

Incoming Head Girl Team 2022-23

IT'S THE WAY OUR GIRLS ARE SURROUNDED BY ROLE MODELS

We are also looking forward to working closely with the WGHS House Team. Lois Lemmon, who is thrilled to be appointed as Head of Clayton House, told us: "As the Head of Clayton House for WGHS, my main aim is to work with our entire House community from Year 3-13, and QEGS to implement new ways to allow our community to connect and become a family.

I will focus on organising events with other Heads of Houses, and making sure that Clayton House is keen to take part in these events! I will try my hardest over the next academic year to meet these aims, and lead Clayton to victory once again!"

Qualities that we all share as WGHS officials are optimism and ambition. Liv Fulton, Head of Blakey, spoke to us about her hopes for the next year in office: “As the current Head of House for Blakey, I want to ensure that the House system is a community that all feel a part of. I want to bridge the gap between the years through various team building and bonding exercises and by the end of the year, I hope that not only my House, but the House system as a whole becomes something that they can look forward to and enjoy being a part of.”

It is extremely important to us that school is a welcoming, and empowering environment for all students and so the team also engages with younger students, as well as try and find new opportunities where we can work alongside the Head Boy Team at QEGS. As Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl, we will both work together and with the team to encourage WGHS, as well as the whole Foundation, to be one community where we can each shine in our own ways.

Clara Elliott and Amina Khan

Heads of House - Heather, Ava, Lois and Olivia

NEW YEAR 6 HEAD GIRL AND DEPUTY HEAD GIRL Congratulations!

Aurelia Bullen and Izzy Bate are looking forward their leadership roles as WGHS Juniors Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl 2023-24.

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Staff farewells - Senior Section

This year’s

Farewells

We've had some amazing staff come through the WGHS gates over the year, bringing a wealth of talent and experience as well as many happy memories.

Louise Ladds Director of Pastoral Care and Wellbeing: Assistant Head Louise was thrust into life at Wakefield Girls’ during lockdown. For the first 18 months she never really had the opportunity to see Wakefield Girls’ in all its glory due to the bubbles we had to create. However, that didn’t stop Louise taking every chance to embrace school life and all things pastoral. Louise has put safeguarding for students and training for staff absolutely at the heart of her role as pastoral deputy. Ranging from her two-year programme of bite-size video clips, to the weekly question in our bulletin, her knowledge is second to none. Her door is always open to students who are greeted with the calm, friendly approach that makes them feel so supported and cared for.

During the week she is often the first to school and the last to leave, making sure she has time during the school day for students and staff alike who have benefited from her wisdom.

Louise’s love of gardening is evident in all she does through the nurturing and gentle way she supports our students. She is also a big lover of sports and activities meaning there is always room for her competitive nature to shine through. Whether it’s a staff challenge or a house event, Louise will be there. One of our fondest memories is of Louise in the Sixth Form Revue carpool karaoke, singing her heart out and dressed in the appropriate festive outfit.

Dr Fiona Dunlop Head of English Dr Fiona Dunlop joined WGHS as Head of English in January 2013 and since then, the English Department has been a place of calm, diligence and good humour. She has been an outstanding HOD, especially throughout Covid, keeping us all sane during a stressful and difficult time. She is always keen to provide support, seeking out development opportunities to further our subject knowledge and pedagogy. She meticulously attends after-school webinars and reads educational theorists to remain current.

Fiona has always motivated her colleagues to do their best, without ever being dogmatic; she is a great advocate for her department and leads by example, always with honesty and self-effacement. Her departmental meetings are a lesson in sticking to the agenda, with her catchphrase of ‘Moving on’ a quick deterrent when colleagues digress. Her wry sense of humour often emerges, especially when dealing with people ‘who just don’t get it’!

Fiona is widely-read and knowledgeable, not only about language and literature, but also about film, politics, history, and many other areas. She passes on her love of literature (particularly detective fiction) and often recommends novels to others. Fiona is also unfailingly kind. Birthdays and Christmases are always acknowledged, and the gifts she gives are considered and appreciated.

Fiona’s students appreciate her consistency and insight as she guides them to reach their full potential. She has prepared English Literature students carefully for Oxbridge exams, but also steered the department through changes in A-level or GCSE syllabuses. Fiona has organised countless theatre trips, author visits, debating and literature competitions. Her thoughtful selection of readings for school events exemplify her vast knowledge of literature and ability to capture the poignancy of the moment.

Louise leaves to start a new role as Deputy Head Pastoral at Bloxham School in Banbury, Oxford where she will be working alongside her husband, Alex and back in the family home with the boys nearby and the dogs at her feet. Always diligent and equally charming, the gain of the Cotswolds is WGHS’ loss. We wish her every success in her new role, personally and professionally.

We wish Fiona every happiness as she returns to her native Northern Ireland, but the English Department won’t be the same without her. We will miss her dearly.

Go néirí an bóthar leat!

WGHS SLT

The English Department

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Staff farewells - Senior Section

Dr Joanna Rhodes

Mr Brent Carlin

Director of Sixth Form: Assistant Head

Head of Design and Technology

There is an argument presented by some that Polymaths no longer truly exist. However, these theorists have not had the pleasure of meeting Dr Joanna Rhodes. Joanna knows something about most things and it’s not a light touch. If she doesn’t know, she’ll find out, making it her mission to master her understanding. Joanna does everything proficiently and she specialises in everything. Her talents as a chemist and teacher are well known, as is her pedigree in writing Maths textbooks, playing musical instruments and writing novels. Less so her ability as a cyclist, potential astronaut and Russian speaker! This all adds up to someone with a rare talent who tries to maximise every hour of every day. As she once remarked to Mr Eggleston, “I don't have any downtime. It's inefficient.”

Mr Carlin has left the building. This seems unfathomable to me; a flight of fancy, and yet, sadly, it is a truth that we all at WGSF have had to come to terms with over the summer term of 2023; his last term. Starting here in 2004, Brent Carlin has lived his best life at WGHS. His inclusive style has united our department, and he has encouraged us all to shine in our areas of expertise, and challenged us to expand into new areas of our related subject specialisms.

Picture this: travelling to the HPL Award Dinner, most of us were looking forward to a pleasant chat en route. Joanna, however, was thinking otherwise. Headphones on and screen open there were things to be done..! It was after all a 3 hour journey. Her thirst for knowledge and commitment to lifelonglearning and work are second to none and if she hasn’t got a project working alongside her incredibly busy job she gets a little restless and has to take on a new challenge.

Joanna’s first thought is always for her students ranging from her incredible knowledge of UCAS, apprenticeships, and job applications to taking flip flops to the May Ball so the students can change out of their high heels and dance, her care and attention to detail is second to none. The door to her office has always been open for students and staff. However busy she is she’ll make time to offer a cup of tea, a friendly chat and she is a great listener.

Working beside her as a member of SLT has been a pleasure as she is a great team player, keen to offer help and support to the rest of the team when required and always quick to step in when a job needs doing. Joanna’s energy, rigour, enthusiasm and commitment must be applauded and will be greatly missed. Joanna leaves us to commence as Vice Principal at Leeds Mathematics School.

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WGHS SLT

Her thirst for knowledge and commitment to lifelong-learning and work are second to none

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Hundreds of students have enjoyed being taught

by Mr Carlin. His lunchtime clubs have thronged with children wanting to be part of the Soap Box Challenge, Rotary D&T competitions, Lego League, and Young Engineers, and hundreds more students have traipsed up hill and down dale with him on Duke of Edinburgh adventures come rain or shine.

His passion for encouraging women to work in the fields of design and engineering have meant that he has worked tirelessly with Sixth Form students applying for Arkwright Scholarships, and many of our students have headed for specialist higher education destinations thanks to his support.

We have said goodbye to a man who gets things done, and gets them done well. The school’s only unicyclist, promoter of crazy charity fundraising challenges, stalwart Christmas Revue comrade, fixer of things, maker of signs, designer of solutions, and general factotum. Fit as a lop, he has raced around school, always determined to see every day as a pint pot into which a quart must be fitted. He has been an inspiration to us all, and we shall truly miss him, but we wish him so much good fortune in his new school, where he will be in charge of setting up a brand new D&T department.

He leaves us a legacy of innovation, authenticism, determination and inclusivity. Mr Carlin, you have been the best Head of Department, and a fabulous role model for our students.

Mrs Maher

GREAT MEMORIES ARE MADE

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Staff farewells - Senior Section

This year’s

Farewells

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We've had some amazing staff come through the WGHS gates over the year, bringing a wealth of talent and experience as well as many happy memories.

He has been a Form tutor to many different year groups, travelled to New York with the Economics Department and shared his geological knowledge on Geography field trips

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Mrs Janet Lonsdale Maths

Mr Jim Cunningham

Janet joined WGHS in 2011, following previous spells working at Mulberry House and QEGS, working initially in both the Computer Science and Mathematics departments. Janet has a passion for Maths and likes nothing more than wrestling with a good Maths problem. This led her to develop the Maths puzzle page which will be remembered fondly by many students as a welcome distraction during Covid lockdown. Her calm and patient approach with students who are finding maths more challenging has been appreciated by many students over the years, both in her classes and during individual tutorials.

Maths

Outside of the classroom Janet has a passion for cricket and enjoyed helping out with the U13 indoor cricket team the year they got to the national finals at Lords, a trip she will always remember. In her spare time Janet learnt to play the clarinet and was a regular fixture in Senior Concert Band, Senior Orchestra and Wind in the Willows, playing alongside her children, Jacob and Frances, fellow woodwind players. I am sure that Janet will be busier than ever over the coming years, visiting her children at university and following her beloved Liverpool Football Club around the country and possibly into Europe.

Mrs Rees - Head of Maths

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Janet has a passion for Maths and likes nothing more than wrestling with a good Maths problem

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Jim started teaching at WGHS in 2005, although he already had a strong family connection with the foundation as his two daughters, Hannah and Ruth, and their cousins all attended WGHS and QEGS and his wife, Jo, taught at the Junior School.

Jim certainly couldn’t be accused of having a job for life. Initially putting his degree to good use as a petroleum engineer with Shell-BP, he then became a teacher, before deciding he would like the challenge of running his own business. When he decided that it was time to sell the business the call of the classroom was too great and Jim returned once again to teaching, this time settling at WGHS. Jim has told us that this is not retirement, but just another career change!

During his time at the High School he has been responsible for KS4 Maths and coordinating the UKMT Maths Challenges. He has been a Form tutor to many different year groups, travelled to New York with the Economics Department and shared his geological knowledge on Geography field trips.

Anyone who has met Jim knows how much his family means to him and I am sure he will appreciate having more time to spend with Jo, Hannah, Ruth, Wilf, Ivy and the wider family.

Mrs Rees - Head of Maths

GREAT MEMORIES ARE MADE

Staff farewells - Senior Section

Emily Duckitt

Laura Robson

Modern Foreign Languages

Technician

A former pupil, from Dr Collett’s tutor group no less, Miss Duckitt joined the Modern Foreign Languages team to teach French and Spanish in 2015. She quickly established herself as a kind, enthusiastic and very competent teacher with enviable organisational skills.

Her pupils enjoyed lively lessons with engaging activities, and really appreciated her positive and supportive manner. Before long she became Assistant Head of Year 7, as well as Key Stage 3 Coordinator for French. She organised several trips to The Deep, and also accompanied trips to Caythorpe, France and Iceland. When Mrs Hotham retired she earned a promotion to Head of French, a post that she held until November 2022, when she decided to explore other professional opportunities. We wish her all the best and know that she will succeed in whatever she decides to do because of her work ethic, professionalism and likeability.

Laura has been part of the Physics Department for eight years as our indispensable Technician. A talented artist and karate expert, Laura has supported the teaching of Physics and Chemistry through her dedicated work. Laura has been keen to discuss practical approaches, seeing equipment in use in lessons and developing new ideas to enrich our learners’ experiences.

During her time at WGHS, Laura has had the opportunity to meet astronauts such as Moon-walker Alan Bean, Shuttle Commander Eileen Collins and Scott Altman who flew the stunts in the film Top Gun as well as being on the space shuttle.

Laura recently drew on her experience and skills to write the Foundation Radioactivity Policy, an essential piece of guidance that enables teachers in both WGHS and QEGS to use appropriate resources to enrich the learning experiences of our students at a time when many schools are shying away from such practical work. We have appreciated her help in Chemistry and also the valuable contributions she has made to Year 7 Science and Year 7 STEM. We have used Laura's artist talents to create the amazing displays that you see in and around the Physics classrooms.

Mrs Dale - Head of Spanish

Mrs Fran Bullough Modern Foreign Languages Fran taught French and Spanish for many years at a school in Sheffield before joining the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation in September 2017. She was a kind and diligent colleague who is missed by staff and students alike since departing at Easter 2023. She always worked hard for the students and to promote language learning. In the summer of 2022 she accompanied Mrs Walker with students from Year 8 on an educational visit to Paris. I am sure that the students will remember the experiences they shared in the classroom and in Paris for years to come. Fran was also a respected member of the pastoral team working with Tutor Groups in Years 8 and 9. She loved dance and incorporated this into our Languages Week celebrations. We will value the time that we worked alongside her in the French, German and Spanish departments and wish her the very best in using her language skills in a new role outside of teaching.

Mrs Lister - Acting Head of MFL Faculty

Mr Hannard and Dr Duerden-Brown

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Laura has been keen to discuss practical approaches, seeing equipment in use in lessons and developing new ideas to enrich our learners’ experiences

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Staff farewells - Junior Section

This year’s

Farewells We've had some amazing staff come through the WGHS gates over the year, bringing a wealth of talent and experience as well as many happy memories.

Sarah Stringer Junior Section Sarah is without question one of the most loyal, supportive and hardworking people you could wish to have in a school (her 1 hour 10 min - 110 miles round trip to school, bears this out!)

She always puts the needs of the girls as her number one priority.

To say Sarah has a wealth of experience in teaching, would be an understatement. She began her teaching career at a middle school in Doncaster, where she taught for 9 years. She then went on to teach at a Junior & Infants school for the next 10 years in Pontefract. In 2000, she was appointed as a Year 6 teacher at WGHS JS, where she stayed for the next 10 years, contributing to the end of year performances.

Sarah also taught for a short time in Year 4 and in recent years in Year 5.

Over the years, Sarah has held responsibility posts as both Art and Science coordinators. She has supervised the Eco-club and has contributed to many of the school trips including Blencathra, Malham and Castle Head. Some of her happiest memories are spending time with pupils and witnessing those lightbulb moments; also working with colleagues.

As Sarah grew up on a farm in South Yorkshire, this created a lifelong interest in horses, dogs and the countryside, which she is looking forward to pursuing and also, to spend more time with her children, Robert and Ruth.

Mrs Annette Wilson Junior Section A Yorkshire girl, Annette grew up in West Ardsley. Her first career as a Recruitment Manager for a security company, was to prove a useful foundation in people skills.

In 1993, Annette was blessed with a daughter, Anoushka - and this wonderful experience prompted a change of career. She embarked on a four year English degree with QTS and retrained as a teacher.

September 2006, saw Annette appointed as class teacher at WGHS, initially with Year 4 before moving to Year 5.

As Humanities Coordinator, she has led the school and developed an exciting and rich curriculum through project work. Her very popular Debating club (always over subscribed) has helped students to express their opinions clearly as well as practise teamwork skills. In addition, Annette has worked tirelessly, editing the school magazine, showcasing the fantastic work of students at WGHS. Arriving at school on the dot of 7am, Annette’s strong work ethic, excellent organisation and planning skills have shone like a beacon. Her friendly face and guiding hand will be missed by staff and students alike. We wish Annette a happy retirement and know that she will be very busy as always, baking, gardening and visiting Anoushka in Kent.

Mrs Stringer

Wendy Milner Junior Section Teaching Assistant Under the leadership of Miss Collingwood, Wendy started her career at Wakefield Girls’ High School in Kindergarten over 36 years ago. When Nursery opened in 1996 she made the move from the Junior School buildings to the newly renovated nursery in Mulberry House. She worked under the leadership of Linda Cholewa and they made a lifelong friendship together. Wendy was an integral part of the PE team with her interest and dedication to Junior School netball and often gave up her evenings and lunchtimes to support the girls. Wendy has been on countless residentials including Blencathra, Norfolk, Malham and York to name but a few, not including the countless day trips.

During the twilight of her career, Wendy has worked as part of the Junior team for more than a decade and has embraced changes over the years, but has remained a supportive and loyal teacher and colleague to many. We will miss her hugely; she will be a hard act to follow. We wish her a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Mrs Wilson M McGrath, L Robson, S Gibson, M Moorhouse WGHS Junior Section TA Team

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Staff farewells - Junior Section

Tina Haystead

Sarah Roche

Junior Section

Junior Section

After working at WGHS since Jan 2012, Tina has decided she is ready to take on the amazing challenge of a life-changing adventure, to teach at an International school in Jeju, South Korea.

Sarah joined Wakefield Girls’ during the pandemic and initially worked in Year 4. She quickly became a popular and valued member of the Junior team. She supported her colleagues with the new technology and ways of working and was instrumental in helping us further develop our remote learning provision. For the last 2 years, Sarah has taught in Year 6. Her great sense of humour and high level of pastoral care has been a hit with our older pupils. She has created a classroom environment where every pupil feels they have a voice and are valued and cared for. Outside of the classroom, Sarah is known for her close attention to detail, time table mastery and her love of a spreadsheet. These traits have affectionately earned her the nickname of 'Quality Control'. Her catchphrase - “I’m on it!”

Throughout 12 years of working across both the Junior School and Mulberry House, Tina has had the experience of being a fantastic Acting Head of Juniors, Deputy Head, ICT Subject Leader, House Coordinator, colleague, class teacher and friend. She was particularly valued by colleagues for her calm guidance and support when she was part of the Senior Leadership team during the Covid pandemic.

My favourite memories of Tina are from working with her in the Year 2 team and enjoying every day that we all worked together - her sense of humour and fun was thoroughly appreciated by all! One of my funniest memories of Tina will be the fact it became quite clear that we have a very similar dress sense when we both separately purchased the same spotty blouse from Next - Tina insists on messaging me every single time she wants to wear the blouse to work, to check I am not wearing it on the same day too!

Tina found it very hard to come up with her favourite memory from her time at WGHS; she feels there have been so many, from helping students achieve "lightbulb moments" to laughing every day with colleagues. She will be fondly remembered by students, parents and colleagues for her enthusiasm, dedication and care when teaching. The positive impact she has had on people's lives during her time at WGHS will ensure that she will be one of those fabulous teachers that we all remember from our school days.

Mrs Hutchinson

Sarah is also the Junior Creative Curriculum Lead and has brought energy and enthusiasm to the House team as the Lee House Leader. Her competitiveness was clearly evident as she dived under the cargo net at the Red Nose Day Silly Races! When I asked Sarah what she would miss most about working at WGHS she said definitely her colleagues’ comedic efforts in the staffroom accompanied by home made treats (particularly Maria’s Mars bar crispie traybake!)

Sarah leaves WGSF to pursue a career in learning development at Walker Morris. She will be greatly missed by us all but we wish her the very best in her new career.

Tina Haystead

Kirstine Stones Junior School Secretary Kirstine had two children, Ben and Freya, at WGSF when she decided to join herself in 2016 as the Junior School’s secretary. She soon became a key member of the team, popular with both staff and pupils for her infectious energy, great sense of humour and her heart of gold!

Pupils will remember her as their ‘Accident & Emergency First Aider’, the member of staff who ‘seeks and finds all their stuff’ and for being ‘The Keeper of Mobile Phones’!

Staff will remember her for tying her hair back when under pressure, ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs and for pestering them about class folders!

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I personally will remember Kirstine for being my ‘Wingman’ during the pandemic. She attended school every day - unless a dusting of snow stopped her top of the range 4X4 from getting up the small slope at the end of her road(!) and helped me in any and every way she could in all operational aspects of the school.

We all wish Kirstine every success with her new adventure and business and we will miss her hugely.

Tina Haystead

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YOU’LL LIKE THE WAY WE EMPOWER EVERYONE

TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL

Artwork by Molly Dainty

wgsf.org.uk E wsoffice@wgsf.net T 01924 372490 @WGHSYorkshire Wakefield Girls’ High School, Wentworth Street, Wakefield WF1 2QS