AMessagefromourHeadteacher
The end of another fantastic week at WGHS. We have thoroughly enjoyed our annual House Arts Festival and would like to thank all of the students who took part, all of the staff who make the event possible and you, the parents and carers, who support the event. For those of you who attended, we hope you enjoyed the show - the full results are detailed later in the E-Bulletin.
A reminder that on Tuesday school will be closing at 2.40pm, please make provisions for your daughter. If your daughter travels by coach, Abbey Coaches have been informed and will be collecting students at the earlier time.
Open Events will be taking place week commencing Monday 20 October for any parents with younger siblings or family th and friends that might be considering Girls’ High. If interested please register on our website: www.wghs.org.uk/openevents
Best wishes
Mrs Young
KeyDates
Monday 13th October
Y11 English GCSE Spoken Language Assessment Day
Tuesday 14 October th Early closure 2.40pm
Wednesday 15th October
Y8 Wellbeing event - Social Media
Thursday 16 October th Y8 Netball Hub after school
Friday 17 October th Y11-13 Art Galleries visit
RecentlyDistributedLetters
The Woman In Black - Letter to Parents Riga 2026 - Y12 History Students
Y12 Sixth Form Optional Enrichment - OCR AS Latin - Letter to Parents Lake Garda 2026 - Letter to Parents
Deadlines
Sunday 12 October: Y12 History Students – Riga Deposit Due th
Monday 13 October: The Parents’ Guild Christmas Raffle – Donations to be received by today th
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Friday 17 October: GCSE & A Level - The Woman in Black Theatre Trip –Payment and Permission Due
Sunday 19 October: Application for Instrumental Lessons Spring Term – Deadline for Submission 4pm. th
SchoolNews
Tuesday14 October-EarlyClosure th
On Tuesday 14th October 2025 we are scheduled an early closure for staff development training. Below are the adjusted timings of the day.
· 9am Lesson 1
· 10am Lesson 2 for KS3 and Rec for KS4/5
· 10.15am - Lesson 2 for KS4/5
· 10.45am Rec for KS3
· 11am Lesson 3
· 11.45am Lesson 4
· 12.30pm - Tutor/Lunch
· 12.55pm - Tutor/Lunch
· 1.20pm - Social/Enrichment
· 1.50pm - Lesson 5
· 2.40pm - End of school
The coach company has been contacted about the revised timings of the day.
After school provision for students who cannot be picked up at the end of the school day will run until 17:00 as per normal procedure.
Elevate Education will be hosting their next Parent Webinar on Tuesday with a focus on exam success. This is one of the most frequently asked questions Elevate receive from parents/carers is about how they can help their children prepare for exams so this is a great opportunity to pick up some top tips.
Live Parent Webinar: How You Can Help Your Child Set Up for Success in Exams -Tuesday 14th October 6:00-7:00pm (BST)
Click here to register
SchoolNews
Music Lessons for Spring term, January 2026
Music lessons are available from the start of each term.
If your daughter wishes to start music lessons from next term, or wishes to continue having lessons next term, you will need to apply for the Spring term by clicking this link: https://forms.office.com/e/aHXgkTgBZA
Students who are eligible for pupil premium support should apply via this link: https://forms.office.com/e/kC76hWP92x
The closing date for applications is Sunday 19 October. th
We will confirm music lesson allocations for the Spring term during the week commencing Monday 10 November. Payment details will also be advised within this communication.
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Please note, fees for lessons for the Spring Term will be due for payment in full by Sunday 30 November. th
If you do not wish your daughter to continue with music lessons in the Spring term, please do not complete an application.
Meet some of our peripatetic teaching team
MrsSEngland–TeacherofFlute,Saxophone,ClarinetandPiano
Mrs England is a graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with 30years of teaching experience in flute,piano,clarinet and saxophones. She is professionallyactive as a freelance flutist and regularlyplays in shows and orchestral concerts,as well as teaching atWGHS and several other schools acrossWolverhampton and Staffordshire.Mrs England endeavours to instil a love of musicin all her students alongside encouraging goals such as taking graded exams and performing.
MrOEyre-BAHonsMusicalTheatre,ArtsEd,London.TeacherofVoice
Mr Eyre is a classicallytrained singer in'Bel Canto' technique.At the age of 17,he auditioned for LordAndrew LlyodWebber who funded his degree tuition and provided mentorship at his London Drama school,Arts Ed.
From here Mr Eyre went on to appear in numerousWest End and Broadwayshows such as'The Phantom ofThe Opera',' HAIR,''Christmas in NewYork'and'Shrekthe Musical,'covering and playing lead roles.
Mr Eyre’s career highlights include appearing in the'25th anniversaryproduction of Phantom'at The RoyalAlbert hall and singing the as the finale soloist at'The OlivierAwards'live onThe BBC; as well as singing atTheWorld's biggest musicfestivals,such as Latitude andThe Isle of Wight,performing alongside the greats of the industry.
Mr Eyre has always coachedVocal technique alongside his performing,with near two decades experience.Teaching in Drama school settings,secondaryschools,colleges and his own private practice,he has mentored hundreds ofvocalists,manyof whom have gone on to become professional singers.Mr Eyre’s clients are currentlyworking in'Hamilton-West End cast,''CatsInternational tour cast'and'Royal Caribbean Cruise casts'to name a few.He is nowin his third year teaching atWGHS.
https://youtu.be/I7iNNbIHGcw-Linkto promotionalvideo of Mr Eyre
MrCWhite-Drums
MrWhite,drum kit and percussion teacher atWGHS,also has a busyandvaried playing career.Currentlyon a break from the European tour of‘Cats’,he is looking forward to the tour’s restart in November.
Recent credits include‘Chicago’(UK,European,and InternationalTours),‘Wizard of Oz’,‘Shrek’, and‘Annie’(UK Tour),as well as touring with formerWicked stars KerryEllis and Louise Dearman.
Beyond musical theatre,MrWhite regularlyplays percussion with the internationallyacclaimed Jamhot Showband and performs withvarious orchestras. Passionate about education,he supports his students at WGHS and across Sandwell in discovering the joyand fun of learning an instrument,from their favourite song to exploring diverse musicstyles.
SchoolNews
CrossCountrySuccess
On Tuesday 7th of October, a group of students took part in a cross-country race at Wolverhampton Grammar School. As team captain, I really enjoyed seeing all of the competitors from a range of different year groups cheering each other on. I loved seeing the amazing sportsmanship from everyone and it was a very supportive environment to be a part of. As a school, we should be very proud of all the amazing athletes showing their great perseverance and positive competitiveness. Many of our athletes have advanced to the next round of the competition where they will compete at Himley Hall on Saturday 18th of October representing Wolverhampton and have achieved medals for coming in the top 3 athletes, a special shout out to Poppy (Year 8) for winning her age category.
I would also love to thank all of the people who have helped make this event possible for everyone including the teachers at our school and from other schools. I am so proud to lead this team and it is such an amazing group of students to be part of. It was also a great opportunity for me and others to speak to other students with the same interests.
I really hope I have inspired everyone to keep on going and not to give up and I hope that in the future I will continue to inspire everyone to try their hardest.
Clara, Cross Country Team Captain,Year 10
StudentSuccess
WolverhamptonYoungCitizenoftheYearRotaryAwards2025
On Friday 19 September, Mrs Young accompanied 2 of our students to the 12 Annual Wolverhampton Young Citizen of the year awards at The Chancellor’s Hall at the University of Wolverhampton. The event was hosted by the Mayor of Wolverhampton , Councillor Craig Collingswood and the purpose of the Awards is to recognise young people who have gone the extra mile to help others or demonstrate good citizenship.
Congratulations to Jessica and Harleen, both from last year ’ s Year 13 cohort who were named as finalists.
SubjectInFocus: SixthFormOptionalEnrichment
First Aid -Optional Enrichment at WGHS
A First Aid Course is one of the many courses we offer as part of our WGHS Enrichment Programme at WGHS. A basic first aid course for Sixth Form students is an essential program that teaches them how to respond effectively in emergency situations. It covers important skills such as how to perform CPR, treat cuts and burns, manage choking incidents, and handle fractures or sprains. This course helps students gain confidence and the knowledge to provide immediate assistance before professional medical help arrives. By learning these practical skills, Sixth Form students can contribute to the safety and well-being of their friends, family, and community. It also encourages responsibility and awareness, which are valuable qualities both inside and outside school.
Mrs Cosnett Teacher of Physical Education
EnrichmentSpotlight:SikhSociety
We’re excited to share that our fantastic Year 8 students have launched the Sikh Society this year which takes place every Monday enrichment time in 016.
It’s a welcoming and supportive space where students play games like Mafia and Charades, and this week the girls made their very own malas (bracelets used for meditation).
Over the coming weeks, the group is also planning a series of debate sessions on various topics. The Sikh Society is a great place for any students, particularly new Year 7 students who might be finding their feet, to make friends and feel at home.
Mrs Kaur
TheBookNook
The Library is currently all dressed up for Black History Month. We have a number of books on display all starring Black characters in leading roles, as well as stories based on and inspired by real life experiences of the Black community. I've already had a number of recommendations from students of other books they'd love to see highlighted, and I would love to hear more.
Our KS3 and KS4/5 Book Clubs are off to a great startthanks to everyone who turned up! If your child couldn't make this month's meeting, they are welcome to join next month's meeting, which will be:
20th October for KS3
3rd November for KS4/5 The theme for both will be 'Spooky'- it would be fantastic if you could help support your child in finding some spooky book recommendations.
The final count for books taken out of the Library in September was 634 books! My sincerest thanks to you for encouraging your child in their reading journey.
Here are the current standings for October: 185 books have been taken out of the Library already- can we beat September's record?!
Our most popular book so far has been The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. My Star Library Borrower this month is... Jacqueline from Stafford House!
On eLibrary, 48 eBooks and audiobooks have been taken out so far. I would love to see this number go up massively in the coming weeks!
Our most popular book on eLibrary so far has been Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas.
My Star eLibrary Borrower this month is... Saanvi from Audley House!
As always, if you or your child has any questions, you can email me at growe@wghs.org.uk or come and visit me in the library.
Happy reading!
Miss Rowe ��
HouseArts2025
Audley
Synopsis
A family picnic turns sinister when a violent storm unleashes more than thunder. After a blow to the head Violet awakens to more than confusion. Secrets and a creeping sense of danger unravel. As her memories return she discovers betrayal lurking closer than she ever imagined. Blending mystery, movement and emotion this gripping tale of family, envy and hidden darkness will warn you to always expect the unexpected.
Synopsis
Welcome to Ferrers Funfair, where the lights dazzle, the laughter sparkles… and nothing is quite as it seems. When five friends wander into the fair on a warm evening, they expect candyfloss, rides and harmless thrills. Instead, they stumble upon a mysterious tent filled with dolls and secrets- and a Fortune Teller who seems to know them far too well. One by one, her eerie riddles begin to come true, twisting their night of fun into a nightmare of vanishing shadows, broken trust and haunting laughter. As reality and illusion blur, the friends must face the chilling truth: at Ferrers Funfair, the only thing you should expect… is the unexpected.
Synopsis
All within one night, pandemonium broke loose. The ‘ best night of their lives’ or so they thought, gets ruined when an unexpected death initiates a string of murders. Trust and love should power them through this macabre night; however, an anomaly lays between them. Someone who believes they do not fit these categories. How will Mara, the self-proclaimed ‘outcast’ integrate herself with the others? What will she do? Who will she have to confront?
HouseArts2025
Stafford
Synopsis
Our play is set in a small, sleepy town in 1980s Middle America. This town has one rule: do not wander into the woods on Halloween night. Legend has it that when the full moon rises, The Witch of The Wailing Woods awakes, her and her coven luring the unwary to their doom... but this is probably just a ghost story made up for the tourists! At least, our main character Brad Summers seems to think so. He's your typical, loud-mouthed, self-absorbed American jock, and he's actually spending his Halloween going out on a blind date! Meeting up with a girl you ' ve never met, on the one night you shouldn't go out he finds himself "Under Her Spell"!
HouseArts2025-JudgesFeedback
Mrs Booton-Ford - Script Writing,Tech and Programmes
House Arts has once again showcased the incredible creativity and collaboration across our school. This year, as a judge, I focused on scriptwriting, tech, and the house programmes, and I was genuinely impressed by the range of ideas and execution. Some plots were quite challenging to follow, but where scripts were particularly strong, they felt cohesive, with moments of humour, flair, and well-crafted turning points.
Often, simplicity is key. Stafford’s final twist - Brad’s blind date never arriving - was a brilliant surprise I didn't see coming. Audley’s Roald Dahl-inspired script and Paget's prom-themed concept were both original takes on the prompt Ferrers's circus themed concept was brilliant, as was the dialogue. Remember, with only 22 minutes to tell your story, the script is central to helping us connect with the characters. Where scripts were weaker were where they relied too heavily on gimmicks or their narrative arcs were too emotive. A great script moves us, but moments of levity in a short performance are really important
On the tech side, the best work was often the most seamless. The tech students had very little time to work with a new deck, added into the mix! Their resilience this year must be commended. Audley’s consistently reliable tech supported their performance beautifully, and it must be said that the use of black out in the evenings was an excellent idea. Their use of sound effects such as that you'd hear in a storm were a delight, whilst Stafford’s well-directed tech added moments of humour and theatricality, particularly during the car ride scene. Stafford's tech choices were a great example of the importance of the director being at the helm, standing at the tech desk to support during the performance. Ferrers’ use of sound during their powerful dance was particularly striking. Paget's opening was particularly strong and supported by great technical choices with interesting use of lighting throughout. The spotlight was wellutilised by several houses to backlight performers in the aisle, often creating an eerie effect.
Finally, the house programmes were a pleasure to read. Thoughtfully designed with beautiful covers, they often gave us valuable insight into your creative choices. Stafford’s front cover stood out, especially, being an excellent example of the use of negative space. A massive well done to everyone involved - the girls should be incredibly proud of the work they put into this year ' s House Arts, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to witness all the performances.
HouseArts2025-JudgesFeedback
Ms Douglas - Music
It has been a pleasure to be a part of the 2025 House Arts performances, and what a showcase it was! I had special attention over the musical elements, from the soloists, to the choirs and bands. Well done to all houses on achieving all these components. They were all applied differently, but all managed to showcase without seeming token or an afterthought. Most choirs performed at the end, finishing the script. With a large ensemble singing, simplicity is often the key, and those who had clear, simple melody lines, using soloists to add textural contrast and complexity were more successful. Ferrer’s choir and fabulous soloists gave contrast and impact – we didn’t want it to end. Using clear lyrics, simple harmonies and the sheer number of people singing was also clever – it gave confidence and helped create a cohesive sound. Stafford’s choir at the beginning of their performance was a contrast to the other houses. Although a smaller choir, they kept it simple and was an effective backdrop to the witches of the Waly Wood. There were some wonderful instrumental solos, of particular note was the flautist on stage improvising the slivering movements of a snake, and the impressive violin rendition of Danse Macabre.
Putting together a band is hard. What I want to applaud are the band leaders – those who stood up, conducted and organised the musicians – great to see conducting in both Audley and Paget Timing is essential, and Paget’s band and leader were impeccable in their timing. This was the only band to play an opening overture to their performance and provide significant underscoring and often in complete darkness and referencing earlier music. I also want to acknowledge Stafford’s diegetic music with the radio stations which was a joy to hear. Their music was a real nod to the 1980s, using Kate Bush as a backdrop was a clever move.
Bravo to all the musicians, band leaders and singers for all your efforts in all four performances.
Miss Fisher- Dance
The House Arts competition was a true celebration of creativity, energy, and teamwork. Dance stood out as a particularly strong category across all four houses, with group performances leaving us amazed - from the high energy of Ferrers’ Beggin’ to the powerful impact of Audley’s Thunderstruck, an incredibly clever song choice. The soloists, spanning from KS3 to Sixth Form, impressed us with their creativity, choreography, and stage presence. Costumes and make-up were equally remarkable, showcasing the vision and dedication behind the scenes: Stafford’s 80s shell jackets were a highlight, and every house displayed originality and flair in their designs, with make-up adding a wonderfully eerie edge. Special mentions go to Erin Davies as the clown, and the creator and performer of 'the red phone' in Stafford all of whom brought unforgettable moments to the stage.
HouseArts2025-JudgesFeedback
Mr Stonhill -Acting, Set and Props
What an array of fantastic performances built around some well developed characters, who in turn helped to drive the plot forward.
We had Prom queens, murderers, a DJ, Fortune teller, murderers, evil brothers, a mum who didn’t want to get her hair wet, a couple on a blind date, more murderers and even a wonderful telephone box.
Ferrers gave us a group of friends with such distinct characters. Audley gave us a strong family group – watch out for the brother. Paget gave us the larger than life Prom Queens and one very reluctant prom partner –Nelson!
Stafford gave us the ultimate spooky witches.
The set and props were so inventive, shivering trees, a funfair featuring the Ferrers wheel, the prom with DJ set up and the exploding car
My congratulations to all of our students and their amazing creativity.
HouseArts2025-Andthewinneris.....
Rising Star Award
This year, the Rising Star Award goes to a young performer in Year 7 or 8 who showed outstanding promise and presence on stage. This is a new award, in recognition of those students in the younger years who take the brave step to perform in front of the whole school!
Winner: Lucy P (Ferrers)
Best Acting Performance Award
This year, the Best Acting Performance Award goes to the individual whose performances were funny, electrifying and consistent every time.!
Winner: Sofia N (Stafford)
Best Dancing Performance A
This year, the Best Dancing Perfo the individual whose movement a both beautiful and skilled.
Winner: Adelaide S (Paget)
Best Singing Performance Award
This year, the Best Singing Performance Award goes to the individual whose voice captivated the audience.!
Winner: Aditi A (Ferrers)
The Best Music Performan
This year, the Best Music Perfor the individual whose skills on t rehearsed and improvised, were
Winner: Qiqi S (Paget)
House Band Award
House Dance Award
This year, the House Dance Award goes to a house that were well-drilled, energetic, and a joy to watch in every performance.
Winner: Ferrers House
This year, the House Band Award goes to the house whose band were so well-led and rehearsed, some of the judges believed their music was, in fact, a soundtrack!
Winner: Paget House
House Acting Award
This year, the House Acting Award goes to the house whose cast were incredibly consistent, physical and dynamic. They were energetic and demonstrated a real understanding of performance skills and dramatic techniques.
Winner: Stafford House
House Choir Award
This year, the House Choir Award goes to a house whose choir were both plentiful in number and incredible to witness, with a range of melodic harmonies and solos.
Winner: Ferrers
House Script Award
House Creativity Award
This year, the Creativity Award is awarded to a house specifically for their dance, which was creatively choreographed and executed. The judges enjoyed the creative use of costumes, make up and music choice.
Winner: Audley House
This year, the House Script Award goes to a house with a particularly clear, cohesive and well-written narrative and dialogue.
Winner: Stafford House
House Tech Award
This year, the House Tech Award goes to a house whose tech was reliable, creative, and supported the performance seamlessly. The tech leader for this house also kindly supported every other house, in a real demonstration of our school values.
Winner: Audley House
Lifetime Achievement Awards for Tech
We’d also like to recognise the efforts of five Sixth Form students whose contributions to tech at Girls’ High have been vast over the years, and whose expertise we shall greatly miss!
Winner: Jay E, Izzy L, Hannah E, Sana and Nancy R
House Artistry Award
This year, the House Artistry Award goes to the house with fantastic props, a great set and costumes.
Winner: Ferrers House
House Programme Award
The House Programme Award goes to a house whose highly professional programme demonstrated both artistic and technical skill.
Winner: Stafford House
Directors Chair Award
This year, the Director’s Chair Award goes to the House Captains whose leadership, vision and organisation helped their house put on an incredible show.
Winner: Ferrers House
HouseArtsWinners2025
And finally, this year ’ s Overall Winning House is the one that excelled across all categories and captured the spirit of ‘Tales of the Unexpected’. They were well-directed, skilled, a pleasure to behold, and a fantastic example of the talent we have on display at Girls’ High. This house’s performances were both the most consistent and the most polished, whilst managing to take the audience on unexpected twists and turns.
AttendanceMatters
House Attendance - week 5
Top Form Attendance - week 5
So far this term 799 students across our school have achieved 100% attendance.
2, 3 - 98.7%
Parents’Guild
MovieNight
The end of September,saw the first of this year ’ s movie nights, this one showing Barbie for Year 7. The girls enjoyed the film, snacks and games, and lots of fun was had. Thank you for supporting this fundraising event as parents, and a huge thank you to school for supporting us as always.
Joinus!
Would you like to be involved with our events and fundraising efforts?Whether you can offer a fewhours or a fewdays a year,we would welcome you on board.We are a small,diverse and friendlygroup of parents who meet a fewtimes a year,juggling this around workand family commitments.Join us to meet other parents,contribute to school and socialise! Email ParentsGuild@wghs.org.ukto sign up.
AGM
OurAGM this year will be held on Monday3 November via MSTeams at 7:30pm.All parents are welcome,drop us an email to receive yourTeams invite.
ChristmasRafflePrizeDonations
A reminder for any raffle prize donations to be sent to The Hub by Monday 13 October - Many thanks for all your support. th
