WGS Spring Bulletin 2025

The

WGS Dance Competition made a triumphant return!

It truly captured the spirit of Withingtona community where everyone comes together to create something special. What a way to end the term!

HEAD’S LINES...

Dear Readers

A warm welcome to our spring bulletin which records the many highlights of this vibrant and successful term in the life of our school. From their classroom learning to their enthusiastic participation in music, sport, drama and so much more, our pupils have shone this term, not just in their achievements which are many, but in the attitude, sense of responsibility, commitment, care for others and fun they bring to all they do, which makes working with them so very rewarding.

In February, we were delighted that the Independent Schools Inspectorate recognised the special qualities of our school in their overwhelmingly positive report following their visit to Withington. The report, which you can read in full on our website, gave a resounding stamp of approval to the educational experience at WGS, and also included the rare accolade of a ‘significant strength’, something few schools receive and, in the case of Withington, was recognition of the way the school develops mutual respect and understanding amongst our pupils, something we see lived each day in school and of which you will see many examples in this bulletin.

After the event was introduced by Year 12 students in an assembly back in February, pupils got to work preparing their routines. Their hard work culminated in an unforgettable evening of dance and entertainment. Continued on page 2...

Our annual festival of wellbeing and personal development, Feel Fab Feb, brought lessons in self-care and teamwork, the opportunity to reflect on the issues of our time and to hear from inspirational guest speakers, whilst the visit to school of the Feel Fab Feb farm on a beautifully sunny day, was much enjoyed by young and old alike. Later in the term, Withington’s second Iftar was a wonderful example of Withington’s community spirit in a special evening

Continued on page 2...

...Continued from page 1... of friendship, which also raised much appreciated funds for Withington bursaries.

Our Year 12 Presentation Evening brought pupils, their parents and teachers together to celebrate our Year 12 students’ outstanding GCSE results and everything they have achieved so far in their school careers, whilst at our EPQ Fair our Year 12’s presentations showcased their intellectual curiosity and skills in independent learning and research they are developing here, skills which will stand them in such good stead for their lives beyond school, as well as their fascinating projects!

Withington pupils have excelled in so many arenas this term, demonstrating creativity, flair, entrepreneurship, determination, courage, exceptional teamwork, energy and verve. Model United Nations debating and Young Enterprise wins, fabulous music concerts, compelling drama and LAMDA showcases, inspirational gym displays, outstanding sporting successes, perhaps most notably the U16 netballers’ national win in Sisters n Sport, and then at the end of term the quite exceptional and very memorable Dance Competition full of joie de vivre, have all seen our school at its brilliant best.

Next term we look forward to welcoming the next generation of Withington pupils and to sharing a highlight of the Withington calendar, our Founders’ Day, this year marking the 135th anniversary of our school.

The special chemistry and Withington magic have been very much in evidence this term. I hope you will enjoy reading of them in our bulletin and look forward to seeing you in the summer term!

With my best regards

MRS SARAH HASLAM Headmistress

...Continued

The theme, ‘Dancing Through The Decades’, transported the to different eras,

with iconic music, fashion and dance styles. Year 12 began the show with an assortment of dances before Matilda and Rosie took to the stage. Expertly compered, kept the audience entertained in between dances with comical punch lines and continuous costume changes. also introduced the two charities the event raised money Downing House and Family Fund.

From the swinging sixties to the modern day, the spirit of each decade was dutifully displayed. It was clear thought, effort and care had gone into each element dance. Everything was crafted by the pupils themselves.

Well done to all our dancers, choreographers, costume stylists, hair and makeup artists, light designers and sound technicians, supported by Mr Walsh, our Performing Arts Technician.

The audience was fantastic - full of energy and enthusiasm, cheering the girls on throughout. What a show it was! calibre was exceptionally high and our three guest did not have an easy task at hand. Adjudicating on evening were Mrs Susan Guest, LAMDA Teacher, Mrs Hannah Curran, Director of the YSBD Theatre Academy and choreographer of WGS’s production of Legally Jr, joined by Mrs Julie Buckley, who initiated the Dance Competition over 20 years ago.

Whilst the judges discussed the results, families left Arts Centre. This enabled the pupils to populate the to hear the results. But first, the staff dance! Everyone on their feet clapping and singing along to Don’t Stop by Queen. You might have thought that the excitement couldn’t get any higher, but the Arts Centre erupted when Mrs Haslam, Ms Baylis and Mr Bennett took to With blow-up guitars in hand, they executed the guitar with style.

An enormous thank you to every member of our school community. From sourcing costumes, to buying tickets, donating raffle prizes, purchasing refreshments, and providing encouragement at home, your support is greatly appreciated!

The show’s success was a testament to the dedication and commitment of the Year 12 Dance Committee, orchestrated the spectacle with precision and passion. Throughout the process, they developed invaluable leadership, teamwork and organisation, but what they the school community, however, was priceless – memories last a lifetime.

from page 1...

‘Dancing Decades’, the audience eras, filled students before Henny, compered, they with their changes. They money for: spirit clear that element of the themselves. costume and the Performing enthusiasm, was! The guest judges the Mrs Academy Blonde Dance left the the stands Everyone was Stop Me Now excitement levels erupted in roars to the floor. guitar solo school tickets, and is dedication who passion.

invaluable skills in they gave memories to

THE RESULTS…

Best Teamwork

Best Costume

Best Year 7 Dance

Best Year 8/9 Dance

Best Year 10/11 Dance

11Y Hips Don’t Lie

9W Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

7W Aint No Mountain High Enough

9Y Thriller

10Y Ice Ice Baby

Best Year 12/13 Dance Y13 Levitating Remix

Most Authentic To The Decade 11X Single Ladies Judge’s Award

Y12 Beauty and a Beat

OVERALL WINNING DANCE 10Y ICE ICE BABY

ISI REPORT 2025

“Leaders provide pupils with opportunities for discussion and reflection in relation to their own and other cultures. Pupils develop respect and appreciation for different cultures... This is a significant strength of the school”*

The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) has given Withington Girls’ School a resounding stamp of approval in an overwhelmingly positive report. The report shows that all of the Independent School Standards are ‘Met’ and reflects the outstanding experience Withington pupils receive in all areas of school life.

“Leaders provide a warm, caring and supportive environment. The school has a clear sense of community.”*

Withington was inspected under ISI’s new framework at the start of February. During their three days in our Junior and Senior Schools, the inspectors analysed survey responses; examined the school’s curriculum, an extensive range of documentation and samples of pupils’ work; observed many lessons and extra-curricular activities; attended form meetings and assemblies; and interviewed pupils, staff and governors.

“Staff have in-depth knowledge of pupils’ academic and pastoral needs, enabling them to plan for individual support. They manage behaviour effectively and motivate pupils to show interest in their learning. Pupils are therefore willing to apply intellectual effort and demonstrate high degrees of self-motivation.”*

Headmistress, Mrs Sarah Haslam, said:

“ The report confirms the very special qualities of our school, the education provided, and the way in which our pupils engage with their learning and develop as people, inspired and supported by their exceptional teachers.”

“A broad and enriching curriculum enables pupils to develop self-esteem, moral values, spiritual knowledge and an understanding and respect for one another.”*

Mrs Haslam added:

“It also highlights the depth and breadth of our educational provision and the exceptional experience our pupils receive across academic,

pastoral, extra-curricular and much more, supporting their outstanding development as learners and as people.”

“Co-curricular activities are many and diverse. Pupils have the opportunity to experience a variety of physical, creative, fun and thoughtprovoking activities, enabling them to develop their talents and explore their interests.”*

“ We are also very proud that the inspectors have identified in our school what ISI call a ‘significant strength’ – an accolade which few schools receive,” Mrs Haslam explained, “The inspectors recognised the way in which the school promotes mutual respect and understanding amongst pupils. This is a key part of the culture we aim to nurture at Withington and something that we see lived every day in school in the quality of relationships between pupils and between pupils and staff.”

“Pupils’ sensitivity to and awareness of the needs of others are reflected in their voluntary work and community and fund-raising activities where they participate in local, national and international projects.”*

“Pupils take ownership of their contributions to school life and wider society.”*

“Pupils feel safe and supported.”*

“ The success of this inspection was very firmly rooted in the excellent work we see here every day. At Withington, our pupils are known and understood as individuals and in our supportive and inspiring school environment, they are nurtured and encouraged to be their very best,” said Mrs Haslam.

“My heartfelt thanks go to our inspirational staff whose dedication is reflected across this report, to our parents and guardians for all their support and for working in partnership with us, and to our outstanding pupils whose enthusiasm for learning and kindness and respect for themselves and for each other embody the ethos of Withington and make it such a joyful place to learn and grow.”

11 TO 6 DAY

Year 11 spend a day in our Sixth Form! They explored new subjects, sampled free periods and made use of the dedicated Sixth Form areas. The group came together to hear from entrepreneur Leah Chowdhry who shared tales of swimming the English Channel, as well as insights into being a business owner. It was an enriching and enjoyable experience.

TEN OXBRIDGE OFFERS

Earlier this term, ten Year 13 students received offers from the universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

The six offers from Cambridge are for Economics, Law (2), Medicine and Natural Sciences (2), and from Oxford, Ancient and Modern History, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Music (Choral Scholarship).

Those who applied to university this year, which is most of the year group, have also celebrated great offers. More than 80% of all the offers received are from Russell Group universities and our students have applied for a wide range of courses from Architecture to Chemical Engineering, Media and Television Production, Physics and Astrophysics, and lots else in between.

Students have also been supported in applications for other routes of study. Nikita is holding an offer from JP Morgan for a degree apprenticeship, whilst Meira will start a course in vocal studies at the Royal College of Music, after a suite of offers from top conservatoires.

We look forward to celebrating all that our Class of 2025 have achieved and contributed during their time here at Withington on Founders’ Day next term.

ALTYMUN

On Saturday 25th January, Mr Eckersall, Mr Latham the inter-school contest, delegation won silver

Very well done to our as follows:

From our Myanmar delegation: Anna Martin was Best Kaaya Hira took Best

The Myanmar delegation

From our United Kingdom Serena Yang was Commended Three further delegates EnviroSci, Ciara Halpenny Arctic Council

Tia Patel received a Special Dhaani Singh was Best Finally, Emily Edge won Security Council.

January, 12 delegates from Withington, accompanied by Latham and Mr Cumberford, competed in ALTYMUN 25. At contest, many individual accolades were won and the UK overall. Marvellous achievements indeed.

students who participated. The prize winners were delegation:

Best Young Delegate in Security Council Young Delegate in Human Rights Committee delegation was also awarded Best Notepaper. Kingdom delegation:

Commended Delegate in Health Committee delegates were also Commended - Cara Mooney in Halpenny in Human Rights Committee and Emily Wan in

Special Mention in EcoFin

Best Young Delegate in Political Committee won the top accolade of Outstanding Delegate in

ALUMNAE ADVICE

We had the pleasure of welcoming back alumnae Ailsa Longmuir (Class of 2001) and Dawn Bell (Class of 1993) to Withington in March. After school, they both studied at Oxford University, unaware that their paths would eventually converge at Centrica, where Ailsa is General Counsel and Dawn is the Group Chief Risk Officer.

They delivered an assembly to all Senior pupils, giving an insight into their careers and pathways into work. Afterwards, they facilitated a Q&A with Year 12 Economics students who were poised with questions.

After graduating with a degree in Jurisprudence, Ailsa worked at the London office of an American law firm before moving to Centrica. Ailsa discussed the differences between working in an in-house legal team and a law firm, emphasising that different settings suit different people. She enjoys being in-house as it allows her to work across departments and with a range of people. Dawn read Mathematics and after graduating, she explored various roles before joining EDF Trading. She took the role, not previously knowing that energy companies had trading functions, and became Head of Market Risk in three years. Dawn encouraged the students to ‘be open to new opportunities as they may surprise you’.

They offered fascinating insight into the worlds of law, trading and risk management. We are very grateful to Ailsa and Dawn for their time and expertise!

AN INSIGHT INTO ENGLISH & OXBRIDGE

We are always very pleased to see our former students and, in January, three Class of 2023 alumnae very kindly hosted a working lunch with Year 12 students studying English.

On Wednesday 8th January, Georgia Campbell and Libby Rees who attend Oxford and Jennifer Mei, at Cambridge, all in their second year, shared invaluable insights into their experiences at university and the application process.

Indeed, they covered a lot in the one-hour session. They discussed personal statements and interviews, offering helpful advice to the Sixth Formers about what to expect more generally, and specific tips for an English/Oxbridge application. They emphasised that no reading goes to waste, and it is important to read widely, not forgetting the classics. They also spoke about life at university and balancing work, social activities and extra-curricular pursuits.

The Sixth Formers asked a range of questions on the topics of careers, work experience, choosing a degree, deciding on a college, and university accommodation. The Year 12s were very grateful to hear this detail first-hand as they prepare to begin their own university applications.

A huge thank you to Georgia, Libby and Jennifer for your time and expertise.

RICHARD

Our A Level English students II at The Bridge Theatre. Hytner, the show did not was fantastic and they Bolingbroke and how this Prior to the matinee Treasures Gallery and

RICHARD II

students had a wonderful time in London to see Richard Theatre. Starring Jonathan Bailey and directed by Nicholas not disappoint. The group thought the production they were very keen to discuss the representation of this differs from discussions in class! showtime, they visited the British Library’s and had lunch at Borough Market too.

... Amy Cai, 8Y, who took part in the English Alpine Championships in February. Amy competed with her team, Alpine Performance Racing in Bormio, Italy.

INTERMEDIATE MATHEMATICAL CHALLENGE

At the start of this term, our Year 10 and Year 11 pupils sat the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, which rewards mathematical problem-solving. Fifty pupils achieved a bronze certificate, 41 silver, and 11 gold.

Congratulations to Kody Li and Natalia Mei who were awarded best in school for their year, and along with Emily Blackwell, Harmony Coleman, Kaaya Hira, Jasmine Sastry and Serena Yang, qualified for the Pink Kangaroo round for which we are awaiting results.

Very well done to all certificate winners!

MRS ROSEMARY STATTER Teacher of Maths

ARTS AWARD

EXPLORE Juniors

This term we have loved exploring new ideas and finding out about artwork and artists from across Asia. We began our new topic by painting beautiful peacock portraits and learned that peacocks are the national bird of India. After this, we moved across to China and Japan and created lovely collage and poster paint artworks depicting pink cherry blossom trees. Our dedicated artists are now developing their understanding of different Japanese artists and are making their own colourful drawings in response to a range of sculptures, paintings and installations. After the Easter break, we will explore artefacts in gallery collections, learn about basket weaving from Cambodia and we will share the outcomes from this project with others.

BRONZE Year 7

Our cohort of talented Arts Award Bronze pupils have been working with passion and excitement this term. Our students have recently completed two artist research projects. The first was based on textile artist Marta Rogoyska. Once the written information was complete, our artists had the opportunity to have a go at designing and making their own mini tapestry. Following this task, everyone then chose their own artist to review and explore. The girls were encouraged to find a creative person working in any art form and the variety of visual artists, craftspeople, musicians and actors covered was fantastic! We also had a very useful and beneficial trip to the Imperial War Museum North, and we received comments from museum staff that our pupils conducted themselves very respectfully; they were enthusiastic and focused on the task in hand. The girls have now presented all their research and sketches from the trip carefully in their Arts Award books.

SILVER Years 8 & 9

Our group of artists have been working towards their Arts Challenge this term. They have been focused on creating their own unique and personal project, utilising different print-making techniques such as gelli printing, dry point etching, screen printing and press-printing using polystyrene plates. They are now tasked with considering the best way to present these artworks and after the Easter holidays we will window mount the prints and place them in attractive picture frames. Alongside this project, our pupils enjoyed a weekend trip to the Imperial War Museum North, and they were particularly intrigued by the ‘Chila Welcomes You’ exhibition that celebrates Punjabi heritage. Our artists practiced their photography skills and made lots of quick sketches of the colourful objects on display, as well as observing the luminous neon light installations and an engaging video piece. The girls are now taking their time to present their findings in their sketchbooks using watercolours and lots of fancy pens!

CAMBRIDGE CHEMISTRY RACE

Five of our Year 12s had an incredible day in the Chemistry Department at University of Cambridge, competing in the challenging Cambridge Chemistry Race. Racing against the clock and 59 other schools, our team showcased excellent teamwork and problem-solving skills.

After a busy day of academic challenge, it was lovely to meet up with three 2024 leavers who provided a campus tour and some insight into the life of a Cambridge student.

BOOK CLUBS

The inter-school Sixth Form Book Club met twice this term. The novels up for discussion were Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan and L.P. Hartley’s The GoBetween. Pupils enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with their peers from The Manchester Grammar School and Manchester High School for Girls.

DISCOVERING DESIGN

Our GCSE Design Technology students spent a day at What More UK’s factory in Burnley.

As the UK’s largest manufacturer of plastic storage boxes and housewares, there was plenty to see such as manufacturing processes in action. The visit was a fantastic learning tool which supports their GCSE curriculum and we are very grateful to What More for accommodating us.

UK LINGUISTICS

More than 60 language challenging puzzles of was to use their analytical translations in unfamiliar

MUNHIGH

On Saturday 8th and Mr Cumberford, Mr Hunnisett MUNHigh Conference,

The standard of debate delighted that the following in the closing ceremony:

For Ukraine, Sonia Amonkar Commended delegate.

For the UK, Aastha Khandelwal received a special mention; and Dhaani Singh were Delegates and Jasmin Cara Mooney were Highly Well done to all who took

LINGUISTICS OLYMPIAD

language enthusiasts spent a morning completing the of the UK Linguistics Olympiad. The task for pupils analytical and problem-solving skills to uncover unfamiliar languages.

MUNHIGH

Sunday 9th February, 15 pupils, accompanied by Hunnisett and Ms Kusznir, participated in this year’s Conference, hosted by Manchester High School for Girls.

debate was high and the competition fierce, and we are following delegates were recognised with accolades ceremony:

Amonkar was delegate. Khandelwal mention; Emily Wan were Best Young Snader and Highly Commended. took part!

ART IN ACTION!

What a joy it was to watch artist Mark Demsteader work live in our Art Studio!

Our Year 12 A Level Art students observed Mark’s technique and skill as he demonstrated his artistic process. Mark also held a Q&A at lunchtime, which was popular with students and staff keen to learn more about his work and career. A huge thank you to Mark!

junior journal...

SYNAGOGUE VISIT

In January, our Upper II girls visited the Whitefield Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. This trip was in line with their Religious Studies coverage of Judaism. The volunteers supporting the visit were very knowledgeable. They were impressed by the girls’ understanding of the religion and of different places of worship. As ever the girls made us proud as they asked carefully considered, intellectual questions.

BLUE PETER

Six of our girls featured on a special Blue Peter episode to celebrate Chinese New Year. Chloe, Harper, Brittany, Evelyn, Catherine and Isabelle performed traditional Chinese dances with their dance school. The girls, and their parents, spent a morning at the BBC studios in Salford Quays to record the show. There was great excitement when it came to air, and we were lucky to see some of their performance during an assembly. Well done girls.

SCIENCE

At the end of English Masterclass with four other completing word styles and genres. enjoyed their Our Junior girls Professors, an in schools with and encouraging discoveries, that was certainly were opportunities their hand at and even creating

January, three pupils attended an Masterclass at Stockport Grammar School other schools. They spent the day word puzzles and writing in different genres. Audrey, Chimarisa and Vanya their day out expanding their creativity skills.

WORKSHOPS

girls enjoyed a visit from the Science an organisation that delivers workshops with the aim of inspiring young learners encouraging them to explore the world, make and never stop asking questions. Well certainly achieved with our girls! There opportunities for them to get involved and try at bouncing bubbles, popping ballons, creating clouds.

At the start of the year, the girls made bird feeders to support the wildlife during the winter months. They used lard, bird feed and seeds to create ‘fat balls’, which were hung from the trees in the school grounds. It was hoped this would encourage birds to visit Withington, ahead of the annual Big Schools Birdwatch. This took place just before the half term, and a committed group of girls surveyed the grounds and took note of the different birds they saw. Eco Club have been busy bees planting seeds and bulbs. The planters around our outdoor classroom are bustling with colourful spring blooms and frogspawn has been introduced to our pond – we are waiting in anticipation.

EXPLORING THE EARTH

We were so pleased to welcome Mr Hingston (Robyn’s Dad) into school in March. His presentation on meteorites was fascinating. This links with the Lower II Science topic, Earth and Space and the Solar System. We are so fortunate to have parents who work in a variety of different fields and who have such a broad range of interests that are able to support our rounded curriculum.

junior journal...

Following the success of the Senior Open Mic Sessions last term, Teacher of Music, Mrs Dent, ran some Junior karaoke specials. The girls loved their chance on the stage and the audience equally enjoyed singing along and cheering on their friends.

YOUNG SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

The girls fully immersed themselves in the telling of Hamlet, learning this is where the well-known phrase ‘To be, or not to be’ comes from. It was a fabulous production with opportunities for the girls to get involved too!

During Feel Fab on their emotional is to focus not mental health

In addition to physical and beautiful dogs. dogs. They were even saw a few and the girls

The animal theme Farm took up enjoyed meeting goats, as well Senior School

Parents also mobile phones shared research, range of platforms and supporting important take conversations

Fab Feb in the Juniors, the girls reflected emotional wellbeing and how important it not only on our physical health but our health as well.

to dedicated activities with a focus on mental health, Mrs Clucas visited with her dogs. Each class spent some time with the were able to stroke them, give treats and few tricks. The atmosphere was calming thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

theme continued when the Feel Fab up residency on the school field. The girls meeting the chickens, rabbits, pigs and well as spending time with the pupils in School as they rotated around the animals.

benefited from a workshop on phones delivered by our IT team. They research, personal experiences and a platforms to support with monitoring supporting phone and app use. The most take away was to continue having open conversations with the girls about their devices.

CULTURE DAY

Another highlight of Feel Fab Feb was of course our Culture Day. This was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the diversity here at Withington. Girls and staff dressed to showcase their culture and presentations were shared in class. It was so pleasing to see the girls’ enthusiasm and passion for their own cultures, but also their curiosity and inquisitiveness towards those of their friends.

junior journal...

AJIS CHOIR

For another year, Withington visited Bury Grammar School for the AJIS Choir Competition. Nine schools performed and the standard of singing was incredible. Withington finished in the final three. They got a special mention from the adjudicator about one of their songs, Lake of Blue.

CATALYST MUSEUM

Form I enjoyed a great day at the Catalyst Museum, starting their trip with a workshop all about gases. The girls did some hands-on investigating and created their own fire extinguisher by using vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. The session finished on a high with the girls observing a controlled methane gas explosion!

Following the tasked with wearing favourite book/character to share with favourite book/character. footprints, decorated personalised

The highlight sessions. Girls Lower II and older girls had the books they girls. There was The girls also the Scholastic to see them and hearing

The girls loved exploring all the museum had to offer. They especially enjoyed the interactive games, including a green screen weather forecast activity. They finished the day watching a science show about solids, liquids and gases. The girls had front-row seats to watch demonstrations with viscous liquids, compressing gases and experiments with dry ice. There was even some audience participation with Sophie dipping a daffodil into dry ice and then being able to smash it into pieces! A wonderful day! Both Transition some time with Lab. The girls chromatography tip pen. They oil, water, food a fabulous time the science happen

INVESTIGATING

BOOK DAY

the theme of ‘clues’, the girls were wearing an accessory relating to their book/character and creating something with their class that gave clues about their book/character. There were detective decorated magnifying glasses, and even personalised potatoes.

highlight of book week was our book swap Girls in Transition worked with those in our Form I girls worked with Upper II. The had clearly thought very carefully about they would be sharing with the younger was a real buzz during these sessions. also enjoyed perusing and purchasing from Scholastic Book Fair that week. It was fantastic choosing such a wide range of genres their reviews!

INVESTIGATING CHEMISTRY

Transition classes were lucky enough to spend with Dr Smiles in the Senior Chemistry girls were given the opportunity to test out chromatography using a coffee filter and black felt They then made their own lava lamps using food colouring and Alka-Seltzer. They had time and thoroughly enjoyed watching happen before their eyes.

RED NOSE DAY

Red Nose Day proved very popular. The girls bought noses throughout the week, made even more exciting by the variety of new and familiar noses to find. On the Friday, our fundraising festival of retro games was a huge hit! Pupils and staff alike enjoyed turns on space hoppers and sack racing, took penalty kicks against Mr Goodwin and Mr Lazenby, and did their best to figure out the number of sweets in the jar. More than £900 was raised for Comic Relief – an incredible amount. Thank you to all our Junior families.

MUSIC FESTIVAL

Many of our pupils took part in the Junior Music Festival! There were nine categories that the girls could perform in: Lower and Upper Piano; Woodwind; Lower and Upper Strings; Percussion; Lower and Upper Vocal and Harp.

The day concluded with a presentation of certificates and the judges choice performances. It was incredibly heartwarming to see how the girls supported and congratulated their peers, and as the results of the House points were awarded, there was great excitement in the air. It was a wonderful day filled with musical talent!

junior journal... BEXWYKE LECTURE

Lower II enjoyed a visit to The Manchester Grammar School when they attended the annual Bexwyke Lecture. A small group also took part in a series of workshops on the topic of happiness during the afternoon.

This year’s theme was ‘Making a More Beautiful World’, with the keynote speech delivered by Louis Weinstock, an inspirational speaker, who believes that a more beautiful world is possible, that the human heart is magnificent and that we are capable of so much beauty and love, tenderness and joy. He has spent years guiding both children and adults through the toughest challenges that life can bring. He proved to be a captivating orator and clearly was seen as an inspirational role model by our girls as well as the staff.

SINGING EXAMS

Just before the end of term, our voice students took their London College of Music (LCM) Singing Exams, covering both Musical Theatre and Classical Singing. We have already received the results, and… 100% of the Junior girls achieved a distinction level award! Remarkable!

Well done to all our girls and a big thank you to our voice teachers for preparing the girls.

ROBINWOOD

Our Transition few days on The girls fully literally the highs

Transition and Form I pupils and staff had a brilliant the lower school residential to Robinwood. fully embraced every aspect of the trip, quite highs and lows of all the obstacle courses.

Relationships were strengthened and new friendships formed as the girls conquered fears and improved their teamwork and communication skills too.

junior journal... NETBALL

As ever, netball has been very popular in the Junior School and the girls have developed their skills so well since the start of the season. There are multiple teams in each year and the players have enjoyed a mix of home and away matches. Some highlights from the term:

Over 20 girls in Transition and Form I played away at Terra Nova School in March, winning every match.

Both our U10s and U11s were in action at the AJIS Netball Tournament at the end of the season. The U10 team won the tournament after beating Cheadle Hulme School in a final that went to extra time, and the U11s finished 8th out of 20 schools. Fantastic achievements all round!

The U9 tournament takes place next term on Friday 25th April – good luck girls!

During one week, all year groups competed in netball against Moor Allerton Preparatory School. It was great to see so many parents at these games and it was evident that the girls were enjoying themselves. For some of our girls it was their first time representing the school in netball.

ATHLETICS

A group of girls attended the Schools (AJIS) January. Held full day of activity were won, and lots learnt that forthcoming

SWIMMING

Girls from across Grammar School new event for so proud of all team commented sportsmanship’. We look forward Summer term.

girls from across the year groups the Association of Junior Independent (AJIS) Indoor Athletics Tournament back in Held at Robin Park Arena in Wigan, it was a activity for the group. Individual medals and overall, it was a great experience with that can be put into practice during the athletics season.

SWIMMING GALA AT MGS

across the school visited The Manchester School for a swimming gala. This is a for Withington and MGS and we were all the girls. A member of the MGS commented on the girls’ ‘camaraderie and sportsmanship’. Well done to all our swimmers. forward to seeing you progress over the term.

HOCKEY AT MGS

Our girls also enjoyed friendly fixtures in hockey against The Manchester Grammar School and Manchester High School for Girls. MGS hosted the festival which was incredibly well attended.

FOOTBALL

The appetite for football continues and our girls have enjoyed a number of competitive games throughout the term. Our U11s took part in a football festival at Platt Fields Park, winning two of three games. They also faced Bolton School at home. A tough opposition, the WGS team lost 5-1 but learnt lots from the challenging game.

Two U10 sides played Wilmslow Prep and later hosted Greenbank Prep during the final week of term.

CROSS COUNTRY

The cross country season came to an end just a few weeks ago. There has been a committed group of girls attending the meetings at Wythenshawe Park on Saturday mornings since September. Very well done to all our pupil and parent runners - two of our dads placed in the top three. Well done to Mr Lowe and Mr Daley!

SHREWSMUN

Over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd March, 12 pupils, accompanied by Mr Bean, Ms Kober and Mr Cumberford, participated in the ninth annual Shrewsbury School Model United Nations conference.

Withington was assigned Denmark and Japan, and our delegates put in a fantastic performance in their respective committees. Our Japan delegation won the conference outright with the ‘Best Delegation’ award.

The following individuals won accolades:

For Denmark -

Kaaya Hira in EcoFin, Nabeeha Saqib in Health and Social, and Cara Mooney in Special Committee all won commended delegate awards.

For Japan -

Mariam Abdelghani got a Special Mention in Youth;

Aastha Khandelwal was commended delegate in Human Rights Committee;

Tia Patel was highly commended in Health and Social; and Jasmin Snader, Emily Wan, Dhaani Singh and Ciara Halpenny all received the highest accolade of Best Delegate in Justice Council, Envirosci, EcoFin and SpecCom respectively, which is our highest ever Best Delegate haul.

TERRIFIC

Our Year 8s and Year local artist Sally Craig. weaving and felt craft their techniques in lessons.

TERRIFIC TEXTILES

9s enjoyed textile workshops delivered by Craig. Sally shared her skills and expertise of craft with pupils who will continue to develop lessons.

AT HOME!

Our Year 12 Drama students saw a fantastic performance of One Punch by the John Godber Company at HOMEan independent cinema, theatre and art gallery. Its effective choreography and successful multi-roling provided ample inspiration for their devised piece.

OPEN MIC SESSIONS

We enjoyed several Open Mic Sessions this term, which included the addition of Junior karaoke specials and a one-off staff event as part of Feel Fab Feb.

A huge well done to all those who took part and a big thank you to our audience members, Mr Walsh and the Tech Crew.

We count ourselves very lucky at Withington that we have such a breadth of musical talent throughout the school, but every so often there are moments where we are able to shine the spotlight on exceptional individual musicians. We were therefore thrilled to host a special solo harp recital in the Arts Centre for Dorothy Lee in Year 13. Dorothy has played an integral role in multiple ensembles during her time at Withington and those who have attended one of our many concerts will have seen Dorothy’s exceptional talent and the dedication to her craft. Those who attended the recital were spellbound by an hour-long, high-quality programme performed with real artistry and poise; no mean feat with both the principal harpists from the Royal Northern College of Music and Hallé Orchestra in attendance.

This recital served as a showcase of the programme Dorothy prepared as part of her successful LCTL Diploma examination, a qualification equivalent to a final year degree recital, a first for us at Withington and a massive achievement for Dorothy. Huge congratulations to her and to Ms Thomson, Teacher of Harp, for her guidance and leadership of our growing Harp Department!

MR SAM EASTON Music Administrator

SCIENCE COMMUNICATORS

Sparkle and Shine - This Communicators Show.

Our team of Year 12 Chemistry spectacular range of experiments explained the science and aahs throughout.

We were thrilled to share girls, but pupils from Academy High School.

A huge congratulations

SCIENCE COMMUNICATORS

This was the title of this year’s Young Chemistry Show.

Chemistry students impressed their audience with a experiments focused on colour, light and fire. They science behind each demonstration, sparking lots of oohs throughout.

share this exciting event with not only our Junior St Kentigern’s RC Primary School and Manchester School.

congratulations to this year’s team for their incredible efforts!

CREATIVITY IN THE CAPITAL!

Our Year 11 and Year 13 Art students had a busy but rewarding day in London. The exhibits at Tate Britain and Tate Modern proved to be a treasure trove of inspiration and the boat ride between galleries was a perfect way to see the city’s iconic architecture.

CONGRATULATIONS TO...

...Wei Ann Ho, 7V, who competed in the Grand Final of the National Junior Inter-League Swimming competition in January, when regional league winners are invited to compete at a national level. Wei Ann’s team finished third overall, and Wei Ann was awarded the best girl award for her age group.

THE LAW’S THE THING

Chloe Mattison (Class of 2005), a Senior Lawyer at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero based in Manchester, had kindly agreed to visit Withington to speak to HEP Soc (History, Politics and Economics Society) about her law career. Having studied Law at Oxford University, Chloe completed her training contract at a magic circle law firm in London, qualifying in Commercial Litigation in March 2012. She moved to a firm specialising in media and sports before becoming part of the Government Legal Department.

This was an area that Chloe hadn’t considered previously. She explained to students how much she enjoys what she does, especially that her work makes a difference; from energy to security, health to human rights, the Government Legal Department helps Government to deliver life changing laws. Part of Chloe’s role is to advise on and draft legislation. She also spoke about the opportunity available to work in different departments and areas of law, or to specialise in one area. Chloe also gave students valuable advice on the different routes to becoming qualified in Law and some of the changes currently being implemented.

YOUNG

The Year 12 Young Enterprise since September to write Enchanted Garden’, aimed Along the way, the team publishing and marketing. their choice of seeds growing the seeds to envelopes when they the ones ordered!

Ever since the team’s term, it has been a busy attended the Trafford presented with the Judges Company of the Year impressed the judges and the quality of their Regional Final next term. Do take a look at their https://ayanabooks.wixsite.com/ayana-books

YOUNG ENTERPRISE

Enterprise team, Ayana Books, have worked tirelessly write and illustrate their book called ‘Ayana and the aimed at 3–8-year-olds. team have become experts in graphic design, marketing. They conducted market research to inform and their attention to detail has included them check their viability, as well as hand-crafting 200 they realised they had not checked the dimensions of

book arrived in school at the start of the Spring busy but successful few months. Ayana Books Trafford Centre Trade Fair in February where they were Judges Award. More recently, the team were named at the Greater Manchester Showcase. They judges with their attention to detail, novel business idea their product. They will compete in the North West term.

their website for more details: https://ayanabooks.wixsite.com/ayana-books

MS NICOLA KOBER Head of Futures

PURIM CELEBRATIONS

Our Jewish Society enjoyed a special Purim lunch, courtesy of The Abraham Effect. The charity’s founder Rabbi Johnny Hughes visited the group and shared interesting stories along with some musical performances. Everyone donned colourful hats and enjoyed the delicious food!

CONGRATULATIONS TO...

... Jasmine Wallace, 8X, who was named club champion for her age group by her swimming team, Stockport Metros, in January. At the club’s awards ceremony, Jasmine was presented with seven gold medals for the best times in individual races.

We had an incredible fortnight focused on personal development and wellbeing with lots of activities

Charity Netball Match

Mindful Art – Rose Art / Mug Painting

Valentine’s Afternoon Tea

Golden Time

Finding Your Passion Friendship Photos

activities and opportunities to explore new things, reflect and connect, all whilst having fun.

Music Recital

Drop Everything and Read

Food Bank Collection

Culture Day

Feel Fab Farm

GYM & DANCE DISPLAY

There was so much to enjoy in the Gym and Dance Display with individual and group routines, and class performances by each of our Junior forms. Simply, wow!

The enthusiasm on stage was matched by the audience who clapped and cheered the girls on. A huge well done to all our dancers and gymnasts, and to the PE Department for masterminding such an exhilarating showcase.

LANGUAGE AMBASSADORS

In November, a group of 19 pupils in our Year were accepted onto the Language Ambassador Programme, a joint project with Year 10 pupils from The Manchester Grammar School. The purpose of this project is to work collaboratively to create fun, language-themed events and activities for younger pupils. We had our first ever meeting at MGS, where we started with an icebreaker activity to get to know each other. Afterwards, we got ourselves into groups of about eight and we started planning a Languages Challenge for Year 7 pupils that will be launched in the Summer term. Each group came up with different ideas and presented them to everyone else.

At our second meeting, the MGS Language Ambassadors came to Withington to work some more on this Year 7 Languages Challenge. We decided that all our ideas should be collated into a booklet and distributed to pupils in Year 7. There were activities such as create a lip-sync video to your favourite song with German lyrics, learn a foreign-language poem by heart and design a logo for the MFL Department. When these activities are completed by the Year 7s, they will receive points depending on how hard the task is, and those with the most points will win a prize. In our next meeting, we will use a website called Canva to develop the design of the booklets, ensuring they look polished and ready for printing.

Along with our meetings with the pupils from MGS, the Withington Language Ambassadors took turns to teach pupils in Year 4. With them, we explored various different cultures and languages through fun games and activities. The sessions ranged from colours in Spanish to traditional Dutch dancing, that both entertained and educated the pupils. As Language Ambassadors, this club is one of the most rewarding moments in the week as the younger pupils are so eager to interact and learn from us. Through managing this club, we feel that we have all developed skills in leadership, time management, communication and creativity. This is not only useful for the Language Ambassadors Programme, but also for our futures.

Thanks to the help of Madame Hegarty, Head of MFL, along with many other language teachers both in WGS and MGS, the Language Ambassador Programme has done a considerable amount of work to raise awareness of the importance of languages and cultural understanding. Overall, we feel so lucky to be a part of a fun project where we can share our passion for languages both within and outside of our school community.

LEARNING

One Saturday in March, and A Level students theatre. We were excited of the students have artefacts or vases which Latin GCSE, and Classical We then went to the Old starring Rami Malek and of Sophocles’ tragedy interpretative dancing. play drew to a climax those who will study weather and so were London Eye before heading

KAYA ASKANDER , KATIE CONWAY & DIEMA SABIR Year 10

LEARNING IN LONDINIUM

March, the Classics Department took a group of GCSE to London to visit the British Museum and the excited to be able to view the Elgin marbles, as many studied the Parthenon, as well as several other which the girls recognised from lessons in Greek and Classical Civilisation A Level.

Old Vic theatre to see a production of Oedipus, and Indira Varma. This was an adaptation tragedy which was very accessible and included dancing. It was rewarding to see their reactions as the climax and it was a great experience, particularly for the play next year. We were blessed with lovely able to enjoy a little walk along the river by the heading back to the station.

THE GREAT DEBATE

Very well done to the three Year 12 students who competed in the regional heat of the Historical Association’s Great Debate at The Manchester Grammar School. Interest in the competition was so strong that an internal heat was held in school in December.

The top two spots were secured by WGS students, and Faye Davies, as regional winner, progresses to the final in London. Congratulations!

LONDON REUNITED

In February, Withington alumnae gathered in London for a second joint reunion with The Manchester Grammar School and Manchester High School for Girls, this time at the Escapologist in Covent Garden. Everyone enjoyed meeting up and reconnecting with old friends. Some were more closely connected than others – WGS alumnae sisters Debbie Griffiths (Class of 1975) and Suzanne Grocott (Class of 1979) attended with Debbie’s daughter Isobel (Class of 2017) and alumna Suzi Sendama (Class of 2001) arrived with her Dad, an alumnus of MGS!

MRS JO HOWLING Head of Classics

WGS IFTAR 2025

Thank you to everyone who attended the WGS Iftar on Saturday 15th March in support of the Marjorie Hulme Bursary Fund. The evening was hosted by Year 13 pupils Ifra Niazi and Zainab Vohra who did a wonderful job, not only welcoming pupils, parents, alumnae, staff and friends but also introducing guests and other pupils during the course of the evening.

The recitation and translation of the Quran was ably delivered by Year 9 pupil Ebaa Yousif and Khadija Zakria from Year 7. Mr Latham, Head of Religious Studies, then reflected on the importance of fasting across different cultures whilst Imam Abid Khan talked about its significance in Islam. Sixth Formers Dalola and Haleema spoke eloquently about what being a Bursary Ambassador means to them. Thank you to current parent, Mr Chowdery, who also spoke about the significance of giving to charity during this time.

All our pupil volunteers were outstanding ambassadors for Withington and contributed significantly to making the event a success. We would also like to extend our grateful thanks to our sponsors and to the parents who helped to organise the event. A total of £10,000 was pledged on the night.

WGS IFTAR

SATURDAY 15TH MARCH FUNDS RAISED WILL SUPPORT THE MARJORIE HULME BURSARY FUND

BIOLOGY

In February, 24 biologists part in the Biology Olympiad. two 45-minute papers the A Level specification solving skills. This is for Year 12 who had only specification by this point. Over 18,000 students competition this year. either a Gold, Silver or being Highly Commended Special mention goes and was placed in the Gold medal. This meant round of team selection The awards are as follows:

GOLD Mimi SILVER Sofia & Niha BRONZE Amy Alyssa HIGHLY Cara COMMENDED COMMENDED Zhilin & Tenesha

GEOGRAPHY

In March, our Year 11 big screen at the Odeon workshop focused on advice was shared by left feeling even more

BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD

biologists from across Year 12 and Year 13 opted to take Olympiad. This national competition consists of papers taken online. It assesses students’ knowledge of specification and beyond, alongside testing their problemtherefore an especially challenging competition only covered about a third of the A Level point.

students from over 1,000 schools took part in the year. We are delighted that 10 students achieved or a Bronze medal, with a further eight students Commended or Commended.

goes to Mimi Gu who scored the highest mark in school the top 5% of all students who took part, achieving a meant that Mimi then qualified to take part in the first selection for the International Biology Olympiad. follows:

Mimi Gu

Sofia Dhawahir-Scala, Henrietta Peach Niha Gudena

Amy Hueting, Yasmin Duncalf, Maisa Farrukh, Alyssa Bhatti, Chloe Leung & Zoe Lau

Cara Mooney, Tara Sumra & Saleha Malik

Zhilin Fan, Eshaa Rao, Shira Prabahar, Karinne Leong Tenesha Swarbrick

GEOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

GCSE geographers swapped the classroom for the Odeon cinema at the Trafford Centre. They attended a on examination techniques. Lots of useful tips and by the subject expert from tutor2u and the students more prepared for the Geography papers.

... Emily Edge, Year 12, who started at the Royal Northern College of Music with a scholarship this term. Emily attends the college on a Saturday and her day consists of a series of classes, individual tuitions, and ensembles, and always begins with a singing lesson. Emily is studying conducting, composition and entrepreneurship, and close harmony ensemble.

On her experience so far, Emily said: “I’ve enjoyed my conducting and composition classes the most. I’ve always loved composing, and it’s been amazing to get specific tuition in this area. I’d never really tried conducting before, but I am absolutely loving it so far and am looking forward to continuing to refine my abilities further. I honestly think the thing I’m looking forward to most is just the ability to keep learning! I leave the sessions every week with so much new knowledge which I’ve found so useful with all the other music extra-curricular I complete, as well as my A Level Music course. I’m looking forward to furthering this.”

Emily’s GCSE Music composition will be performed at Founders’ Day next term.

CHARITY FUNDRAISING

Withington pupils and staff have been busy this Spring term raising money for charities throughout the school.

The Senior School Forms have been raising money for various charity organisations since January. 8Y raised money for the RSPCA with a Jellycat raffle, raising over £120 and we also had a wear your own shoes to school day for a local Manchester based charity to help new mothers and newborns called Early Essentials.

More recently, there has been a lot of Easter themed activity. A giant chocolate egg was the prize of a raffle run by 11W for the local charity Children’s Cancer Research Fund and 7V’s jar full of mini eggs puzzled particpants as they attempted to guess how many yellow chocolates were in the jar, with funds going to the National Autistic Society. Francis House once again ran their knitted rabbit and chick fundraiser. Our students and staff not only crafted some creative and colourful animals, but we received several hundred to sell in school – you may have spotted these in reception. Filled with a crème or caramel egg, they were very popular and more than £800 was raised.

During Feel Fab Feb, the charity netball match raised over £327 for Young Minds. Spectators paid to watch and bought refreshments; they enjoyed the live music entertainment and celebrated WGS’ victory over MGS.

As always, Red Nose Day was very popular in the Junior School. Girls bought different noses throughout the week, and on the Friday, there was a spectacular array of retro games, in keeping with the 40th anniversary theme. Pupils and staff alike enjoyed turns on space hoppers and sack racing, took penalty kicks against Mr Goodwin and Mr Lazenby, and did their best to figure out the number of sweets in the jar. More than £900 was raised for Comic Relief.

The Gambia Team 2025 have been busy raising money in the run up to Easter and have made close to £8,000 – a great start! They have secured a large amount of sponsorship through their GoFundMe page, as well as holding an Easter tombola and a Mother’s Day stall which sold handmade cards and gift bags. They are in the process of organising a pink hamper, tickets for which will be sold around the time of our production of Legally Blonde Jr, as well as planning their stall for the PTA’s Summer Fair. All proceeds will go towards supporting our partner school, the Mama Tamba Nursery School, and associated Baobab camp in The Gambia. If you are in a position to support our continuing partnership work, you can donate here:

https://gofund.me/0426ca62

The WGS Dance Competition alone raised around £4,000. We’re still working on the final total but the funds raised from ticket sales, a raffle and refreshments are going to support the work of local care home Downing House and Family Fund.

Staff have held monthly coffee mornings, enjoying cake and conversations and raising money for MacMillan Cancer Support. This term has seen more than £300 raised. Staff have also donated toiletries to Bare Necessities, a Cheshirebased toiletry bank run by a WGS alumna. Throughout this term, we have regularly donated to Emmeline’s Pantry, a local foodbank. There was a drive during Feel Fab Feb, and our staff collected 115 Easter eggs in the last few weeks of term. This term we have raised over £15,000 including our fundraising for The Gambia. This tremendous achievement is a tribute to the great efforts of our pupils, parents and staff. Thank you for all your continued support in raising money and helping those in need.

FUNDRAISING CONDUCT AND CHARACTER CUP

Following the introduction of the new Code of Conduct at the start of the school year, the Conduct and Character Cup is awarded termly to the House which receives the most Daybook entries for positive and kind behaviour. For a consecutive term, Lejeune were the winners!

The Forms who earned the most points in ascending order are 9X, 9W and 12U, who will have a special reward next term.

Our trip to The Gambia at the end of last year was hugely successful and particularly special in the 20th anniversary year of this friendship and partnership.

In a whole school assembly in January, The Gambia Team 2024 spoke about the many skills and qualities they developed during the visit: independence, empathy, collaboration, patience, communication, flexibility and adaptability.

They shared some of their highlights of the trip too which included teaching at the Mama Tamba Nursery School, visiting a maternity health centre, exploring the capital city, as well as a boat safari along The Gambia river and seeing the Wassu Stone Circles – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The group also reflected on their time visiting other projects led by Tamba, the Headmaster of the nursery school. They saw first-hand some of developments supported by WGS funds such as a garden with chickens, a juicing facility, soap and lotion making, and the most recent addition of fish tanks, stocked with catfish. Tamba has overseen the planting of 300,000 mangrove

seedlings in an aim to restore the natural ecosystems of The Gambia. The group got stuck in and planted banana trees and sampled some of the fruit grown there.

The jeep journeys were an integral part of the trip as students and staff spent hours singing, chatting and soaking up the atmosphere. The jeeps were open top which allowed them to fully experience the landscape. Music and dancing also played a central role with the group getting the opportunity to play African drums, as well as singing with the children in the nursery.

Mrs Pickering, who was Withington’s Headmistress when The Gambia partnership began, accompanied the group of 12 pupils, Sister Campbell, Mrs Edge and Ms Browning, our WithGambia Coordinator.

Since WGS funded the building of Mama Tamba in 2007, 723 students - 353 boys and 370 girlshave completed their nursery education before transferring to the Lower Basic Cycle School to continue their education. Over 250 WGS pupils and many staff have visited the country over the years and in this commemorative year, we were pleased to surpass £30,000 in fundraising – our biggest total ever.

We are very grateful to our students, staff and parents, past and present, who have supported our work in The Gambia over the years. Your generosity is very much appreciated.

DRAMATIC TIMES

LAMDA EXAMS & SHOWCASE EVENING A LEVEL DRAMA SHOWCASE

On Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th March, our senior LAMDA examinations took place for 33 students in Upper Fifth and Lower Sixth. During these examinations, the students performed their repertoire of pieces and answered a variety of questions for the visiting examiners for their Grade 6, 7 and 8 examinations.

On Thursday 7th March, we were delighted to welcome family, friends, staff and students to enjoy examples of the work from the examinations in our Drama studio. We hosted two performance showcases. One began at 6pm for Lower Fifth students to perform their work and this was followed by a second showcase at 7.15pm for Lower Sixth students to perform their Grade 8 work. The standard of the performances was truly impressive and the range of pieces was extremely varied in terms of theme, era and style. The evening really took the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions!

We have already received the exam results for the grades 7 and 8 and they are truly impressive - 97% of the grades were at the very highest level of Distinction and 100% of the grades achieved at Merit or Distinction level. For our Lower Sixth students, this evening marks the end of their LAMDA journey at Withington and we are truly proud of all that they have achieved. Well done to you all!

More than 200 students take LAMDA lessons across the Juniors (54) and Seniors (156). The remaining 177 students are busy preparing to take their exams in May and June. We would like to wish those students all the best in their preparations for these examinations.

Here at Withington, we are thrilled that LAMDA has continued to grow as students recognise the benefits of working with a specialist teacher to help improve their public speaking skills, increase their confidence and develop their vocabulary.

I would like to extend my thanks to the fantastic LAMDA teachers at Withington; Ms Guest, Ms Hotten, Ms Radcliffe and Ms Paul for their incredible support, guidance, and willingness to always go the extra mile.

On Tuesday 1st April, we were delighted Devised examination performances DI, VIV AND ROSE

Performed by Sophia Betesh, Ruby King, Ruby, Sophia and Lilli performed an Bullmore’s Di, Viv and Rose. This contemporary witty, charming, comfortable, endearing specifically the enduring friendship meet at university in the mid-80s. their student house, complete with and passionate belief in the world to the present day, through the ups Lam was the lighting designer for For the A Level course, students are scripted piece in the style of a particular the students selected to explore the a theatre director renowned for his storytelling. Calista selected Richard Designer practitioner. Pilbrow worked construction and design of the National

SHOWCASE EVENING

delighted to invite staff, family and friends of our A Level and GCSE Drama students to enjoy their Scripted and performances in the Drama Studio. This was a delightful evening which showcased the fantastic work of our students.

TOP GIRLS

King, Calista Lam & Lilli Rosenblatt an extract from Amelia contemporary play is a warm, endearing drama about friendship, friendship between three women who The play follows them from with cassette-playing boombox world of opportunities open to them, ups and inevitable downs. Calista the extract. are tasked with performing this particular theatre practitioner and the techniques of Mike Alfreds, his actor-centred approach to Richard Pilbrow as her Lighting worked with Laurence Olivier on the National Theatre in London.

Performed by Sophia Babalola & Maya Chudley

Caryl Churchill’s landmark feminist play, Top Girls, unfolds during the early years of Margaret Thatcher’s reign. It shines a spotlight on women’s experiences amidst the shifting political landscape of Britain in the 1980s. Sophia and Maya performed a naturalistic scene from the final act of the play where sisters Joyce and Marlene confront each other in one of the most emotionally charged scenes in the play, revealing the deep ideological and personal rift between the sisters. Their chosen practitioner was Max Stafford-Clark, who famously directed the original production. His approach to script work is rooted in detailed textual analysis and active exploration of subtext to achieve naturalism. The students all performed their work to a visiting examiner on Wednesday 2nd April following the showcase evening. The Upper Sixth work this year was exceptional. They all delivered a truthful and believable performance in their selected practitioner’s style.

DRAMATIC TIMES

YEAR 12 DEVISED SHOWCASE GCSE SCRIPTED SHOWCASE

BEYOND THE BADGE

Performed by Poppy Button, Ava Robinson, Rosie Wallis & Matilda Wright

On Tuesday 2nd April, our Lower Sixth students delighted an audience of family and friends with their devised performance, inspired by the style of practitioner, writer and director John Godber.

Known for his observational comedies such as Bouncers, Shakers and Teechers, Godber creates plays rooted in Northern culture, often set in the North of England, featuring multiroling and minimalistic sets. As part of their creative process, the students saw One Punch at Home Theatre, Manchester. The production by The John Godber Company follows the lives of three paramedics dealing with the aftermath of a fatal incident caused by a single punch.

This performance served as inspiration for the students’ own piece, which was set in a police station and followed three police officers and their boss as one of them is dismissed for misconduct. The play explored several issues faced by police officers, revealed through the criminals passing through the station.

During lunchtime on Tuesday 1st April, visiting examiner just the day before. which included group pieces and monologues

GIRLS LIKE THAT BY EVAN PLACEY

Performed by Valentina Burns, Sophie Nya Grant, Erin Mehay & Dhaani Singh

A photo of Scarlett goes viral. Rumours spread across smart phones like wildfire her reputation becomes toxic, threatening to shatter the fragile unity of the girls she has grown up with. But how long Scarlett remain silent? And why isn’t same for boys? Girls Like That is an and explosive play that explores gender equality and the pressures on today’s generation. The students used exciting physical theatre, ensemble storytelling, comedy, and a range of non-naturalistic techniques to tell Scarlett’s story.

SHOWCASE

April, our Upper Fifth pupils shared examples of their scripted work which they had performed for the before. Our audience thoroughly enjoyed the showcase, and were treated to a wide variety of performances, monologues in a variety of styles and genres.

PLACEY

Sophie Forster, Singh Rumours wildfire and threatening girls long can isn’t it the an urgent gender today’s digital exciting storytelling, non-naturalistic

SPARKS BY SIMON LONGMAN

Performed by Rosamund Faithful

Sparks by Simon Longman offers a glimpse into the lives of two estranged sisters, Jess and Sarah, who reconnect after 12 years following the death of their mother. Rosamund Faithful performed two monologues for her examination. Her first, a comedic monologue, gave the audience insight into how grief had affected Sarah’s life, as she recalls a story about feeding ducks that hilariously went wrong.

Rosamund then performed Jess’s monologue, in which Jess grapples with the grief she has experienced since their mother’s death and attempts to explain why she left, abandoning her sister. Rosamund successfully captured the complexity and emotional depth of two well-developed female characters.

PRIMA FACIE BY SUZIE MILLER

Performed by Eilidh Milner

Prima Facie was first performed by Jodie Comer at the Harold Pinter Theatre. In this one-woman show, Comer plays Tessa, a young and brilliant barrister who has risen from working-class roots to the top of her profession. An unexpected event forces Tessa to confront the intersection of patriarchal power, the burden of proof, and personal morality in what has been described as an “unforgettable moment of theatre”.

Eilidh performed two extracts from this powerful play. In her first piece, she portrayed Tessa at the height of her career during a court case. In her second extract, taken from the end of the play, Eilidh delivered a moving performance as Tessa reflects on the failings of the legal system from her perspective as both a victim and a witness.

GREAT DEBATE FINAL

After excelling in the regional round of the Historical Association’s annual public-speaking competition, which you will have read about earlier in this Bulletin, Year 12 student Faye Davies advanced to the semi-final heat. Her impressive performance earned her a spot in the national final, held at Windsor Castle on Saturday March 29th.

On her experience, Faye said:

“On Friday 28th March, I travelled to Windsor to compete in the Historical Association Great Debate Final which took place on the Saturday in Vicar’s Hall, Windsor Castle.

There were 20 students from across the UK and we each gave a 5-minute speech answering the question ‘How can your local history tell a global story?’

I talked about the abandonment of Hulme Hippodrome and its symbolism in history. After the speech, we answered a question from one of the three judges, including the President of the Historical Association, Professor Alexandra Walsham.

It was a great day, and it was inspiring to hear other speeches as you could tell the depth of passion that everyone had for their topic. We had special access to the castle, and we even got to watch the changing of the guards and take a private tour of St George’s Chapel.”

EUROPE U17 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Held in Northern Ireland Event brought together Europe and the United the competition for France for England, training with

On her experience at “I enjoyed every moment know my teammates to playing at an elite My favourite moment sharing a room with Overall, we placed seventh first competitive tournament. we had the opportunity This was a challenge learnt from it as we beat seventh place in the every day on the Europe match analysis after Congratulations to both A huge achievement for

Keziah Cooke

EUROPE NETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ireland at the start of March, the Europe Netball U17 together young players representing countries from across United Arab Emirates. Keziah Cooke in Year 10 played in France and Year 11 pupil Sophia Howard was selected with the team ahead of the competition. the tournament Keziah said: moment of this tournament, from being able to get to teammates better and form lifelong friendships and memories, elite level of netball against some amazing opponents. moment was receiving the title of ‘Coach’s Player’ and my teammate, Annabelle.

seventh of 10 teams - a milestone for France in our tournament. We were undefeated in our group, meaning opportunity to play the Republic of Ireland on the Friday. challenge for our team, but we took the defeat well and beat Gibraltar the next day, resulting in us receiving competition. Each our matches was streamed live Europe Netball TV YouTube, meaning we could do postafter every game, which was also useful for our team.” both Keziah and Sophia on their national selection. for them both.

...Lucie Lui, Year 7, who competed at the Gymnastics British Championships in March. Lucie was one of the youngest qualifiers at just 12 years old and despite an unlucky fall on the beam, she finished an impressive 34th in the country. This tournament is the most prestigious artistic gymnastics competition in the UK. Also competing were Team GB gymnasts and Olympic medallists Jessica Gadirova and Jake Jarman – and it aired live on the BBC.

Prior to this competition, Lucie qualified as a UK Elite gymnast after achieving Excel 3 and competing in the national finals.

Cooke Sophia Howard

EPQ PRESENTATION EVENING & FAIR

On Monday 10th March, the Hub was abuzz with discussions on Richard III, the Post Office Scandal, football ownership, artificial nanoplastics and flying cars. These are just some of the wide-ranging topics explored by Year 12 students as part of their Extended Project Qualification. They each did a fantastic job of presenting their research and sharing their insights with other students and staff.

The EPQ Fair was very fittingly followed by our GCSE Presentation Evening for our Year 12 students. Always a genuine highlight of the year, this was no exception and it was a great pleasure to celebrate our Year 12’s exceptional GCSE results with them, as they received their certificates, and to reflect together on the outstanding young women they are.

In January, our Sixth Languages debate held All teams debated very the best time of one’s is more important than for winning all their debates.

HOME

The Home Internationals Training Centre between There continues to be international lacrosse. Towers played in the and Cara’s side reached Also playing for Scotland Gray and Steph Roberts, also a former WGS pupil.

Class of 2022’s Charlie team. She joined senior

In other lacrosse news, part of the U20 England (Year 11) has been selected

MFL DEBATE!

Form linguists competed in a Modern Foreign held at Cheadle Hulme School.

very well in their language on topics such as ‘Youth is one’s life’, ‘We can never know what is true’ and ‘Success than happiness’. A special mention to the French team debates. Very well done all.

INTERNATIONALS

Internationals were held at the Sport Scotland National Sports between Friday 4th and Sunday 6th April.

be strong representation from Withington in lacrosse. Year 12 students Eva Bowie, Cara Mooney and Kit U20 teams for Scotland and Wales respectively. Eva reached the U20 final in which they played England.

Scotland on the Senior Women’s team were alumnae Chess Roberts, Head of PE at WGS, led by Head Coach, Ailsa Stott, pupil.

Charlie Bell was part of the winning England Women’s B senior level after progressing into the development team. news, Olive Harou (Year 13) and Emily Porter (Year 12) are England National Academy program and Emilie Claymore selected for the U20 Scotland development squad.

LESSONS FOR LIFE

In January, we were delighted to welcome journalist Karthi Gnanasegaram online to talk to Year 9.

Karthi is well known on the BBC and Sky Sports for her reports on many different sports, but particularly tennis. Last year, she spoke at Buckingham Palace to the young people who achieved their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award and so we invited her to talk to our Upper Fourth about pursuing your dreams, choosing subjects for GCSE and the benefits of the Duke of Edinburgh’s award, as they embark on this path with the Bronze Award.

Karthi, who studied Classics at Cambridge University, spoke about choosing the subjects which you loved, the importance of work experience and the skills she learned balancing her many extra-curricular activities at school, which prove useful to her now. We were very grateful to her for taking time out of her day to talk to us.

MRS JO HOWLING Head of Classics

LATIN AT MAULDETH ROAD

Our Sixth Form Latin students, Rebecca Coughlan, Kira Limbert, Oonagh Mathur and Kit Towers, have helped to maintain our relationship with Mauldeth Road Primary School, teaching Latin to the two Year 5 classes (60 students). They delivered a course of lessons over nine weeks during their lunchtime, teaching language skills, derivations and myths. They themselves developed confidence and presentation skills and built up a great rapport with the children, who presented them with lovely cards at the end expressing how much they’d enjoyed this opportunity.

MRS JO HOWLING Head of Classics

DATES FOR

As we approach the final look forward to!

PTA JUNIOR SCHOOL

AFTERNOON TEA Friday 25th April, 1.45-3.30pm. Tickets are £10 and available through ParentPay.

AFTERNOON

FOUNDERS’ DAY

Monday 28th April, 1.15-2.15pm,

The Bridgewater Hall Our guest speaker is Denise Parnell, Wimbledon Championship Referee. is free to attend and be booked here:

https://www.bridgewater-hall. co.uk/withington-girls-280425/

FOR YOUR DIARY!

final term of this school year, there is still lots to

SCHOOL

1.45-3.30pm. available

PTA SUMMER FAIR

Saturday 21st June, 10am-2pm

You can expect fun for the whole family at the Summer Fair. There will be live entertainment, games, competitions, stalls, giant slides, bumper cars and plenty of delicious food!

1.15-2.15pm,

Wimbledon Referee. The event tickets can https://www.bridgewater-hall. co.uk/withington-girls-280425/

WARM WGS WELCOMES...

LEGALLY BLONDE JR

Monday 23rd, Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th June, 6pm

Excitement is building for our whole school production of Legally Blonde Jr, which will run for three nights! Pupils and staff are working hard to deliver what promises to be a spectacular production. Tickets will be available soon. You won’t want to miss it!

...

AND FOND FAREWELLS

MR ALASTAIR THORLEY Librarian

MR DENIS WHELAN Librarian

MR TOM HUNNISETT Teacher of History

SILVER Dof E

On the weekend that the clocks rolled forward, 46 Year 10 pupils set off from school to travel to the village of Barley, at the foot of Pendle Hill in Lancashire. Already organised into seven teams, we all stayed at the Whitehough Activity Centre for three days and two nights.

On arrival the groups all pitched their tents in areas of the field that they judged would be the driest in the case of rain. After this, each team worked with a DofE mountain leader for the rest of the day to brush up on the skills that had been learned on the Bronze expeditions; this included, expedition nutrition, first aid, bag packing and cooking using a Trangia. Each team went on a short circular walk with their instructor to focus on navigation using a map and compass, and to learn how to look at the scenery around them to identify where they were on the map.

After cooking their evening meals, the groups made full use of the indoor classroom, out of the

wind, to plan their routes for the next two days. Most groups then retreated to the shelter of their tents and the warmth of their sleeping bags. On the Saturday morning it was bright and sunny but with a cold wind. Each group followed a route that they had planned the evening before around and over Pendle Hill. Three groups went in one direction and four went in the opposite direction. Each group was closely monitored by the DofE team and WGS staff, and when navigational mistakes were made, the teams were brought back to the correct route very quickly.

It did unfortunately start to rain in the later part of the afternoon, which combined with the cold wind, made the conditions more challenging for those groups still out walking. We were impressed by how the teams worked hard to keep each other cheerful and positive despite the difficult conditions. Conditions such as these do highlight the need for every girl to have a warm hat and gloves, spare clothes packed in plastic bags and a good set of waterproofs.

The loss of an hour’s sleep did not seem to deter the teams from an early start on day three, with the first two groups all packed up and away before 9am. This was a lovely warm, dry, sunny day, although still with a blustery wind. The teams were now focused on following their planned routes back to Clitheroe and were closely checkpointed throughout. The DofE team worked with the groups who were still having navigational issues, and all were successful in navigating their way to the final checkpoint. Two groups who were moving more slowly were collected by minibus, but all the groups had been collected by 4.30pm and were on their way home.

We were proud of the resilience and determination shown by the girls despite the challenging weather conditions. We are sure that they will all have benefited from this experience and feel better prepared for the qualifying expedition to the Hope Valley in September.

Many thanks to all the DofE staff for their support and patience and to the WGS staff (Mr Parry, Mr Bean, Mr Williams, Mrs Kusznir, Mrs Khan) who gave up their weekend to enable the girls to have this opportunity.

WINTER SHIELD

A busy two terms and lots of House activities led to a close final score sheet for the Winter Shield. Activities since September have included dodgeball, House carols, the Biology Spelling Bee, winter sports and the House quiz, which took place on the last day of this term.

The results are...

1 SIMON 141 POINTS

2 SCOTT 140 POINTS

3 LEJEUNE 136 POINTS

4 HERFORD 126 POINTS

MEM CHALLENGE

Mathematical Education on Merseyside (MEM) is an organisation which brings together staff from the three universities in Liverpool and local school teachers to devise, enable and promote mathematical activities throughout the region.

Each February half term they issue a new challenge for Year 8 and below and Year 10 and below.

Congratulations to the following pupils on their results. They have been invited to attend a prize-giving evening.

Year 8 and below:

ANNA CRAWLEY (Year 7) - Certificate of merit

SHAYMAA ELBEY (Year 8) - Second place

Year 10 and below:

TRINITY YU (Year 9) - Third place

You may like to give these sample questions a go:

YEAR 8 OR BELOW

Jelly Babies:

Susha is trying to divide a packet of jelly babies between her four children. Firstly, she gives some to the eldest; the second gets a third of what is left; the third gets 5/8 of what’s left; and the youngest receives the rest of the packet, which is 2/5 of their eldest sibling’s share. Each child receives fewer than 20 jelly babies.

How many are in the packet and what number does each child get?

YEAR 10 OR BELOW

Selection Box:

Ellie the Quality Assurance Manager has decreed new regulations for selection boxes, so they must contain no fewer than nine and no more than 20 sweets, and must comprise the following:

i) One third or more must be pear drops.

ii) At least two sweets, but no more than one third, must be eclairs.

iii) One fifth must be truffles.

iv) One fifth or more must be mints.

Fractions must be rounded to the nearest whole number; e.g., a selection of 11 needs exactly two truffles.

How many of each of the four types of sweet should be contained in a selection of nine?

How many distinct ways can you fill a selection of 20?

This term sees the busiest partnerships. SHiNE Together We offered 65 primary the opportunity to attend Computing, Makers Masterclass Creative Minds (English and Drama). Fifty Year sessions over these five commitment and the younger pupils. An impact from our senior pupils, well as their parents, Latin teaching at Mauldeth A Level students delivered (60 children). Children family, in engaging and much progress the younger their teaching abilities

The Science Communicators held here in our Arts careful planning, the Juniors were joined by from St Kentigern’s RC schools, in the audience. and thoroughly enjoyed Other partnership events collection of items of to the foodbank recently. of donations of sugar, and Emmeline’s Pantry media channels. Behind the scenes, the reflect our latest case Sings has been completed. representative from the multi-academy trust that regarding the possibility This request was sent

MRS CLARA EDGE

busiest time of the year for our various academic Together ran for five weeks from January-March. primary school-aged pupils from 20 partner primaries attend classes in one of the following subject areas: Masterclass (Art, DT, Food and Nutrition), Science, (English and Mindfulness) and Take to the Stage (Music Year 11 and Year 12 pupils volunteered to help at five weeks and we have been delighted with their excellent relationships they have formed with the impact evaluation for the event including comments pupils, the primary school children who attended as parents, is currently underway.

Mauldeth Road began in January for six weeks. Four delivered a series of lessons to two Year 5 classes Children were taught some Latin vocabulary to do with and memorable ways. We were impressed by how younger students made and how much confidence in abilities the older students gained over the weeks.

Communicators project concluded with a flash bang show, Centre. After many weeks of rehearsals and ‘Sparkle and Shine Show’ was fantastic. Our WGS by Year 7s from Manchester Academy and pupils RC Primary School, one of our Manchester Sings audience. The spectators were captivated throughout enjoyed the array of experiments.

events this term have been a whole-school of food for Emmeline’s Pantry, which was delivered recently. We were able to collect a very large number sugar, tuna, coffee, washing up liquid and cooking oil Pantry recognised this contribution on their social

the Schools Together website has been updated to case studies and an impact evaluation for Manchester completed. As the school’s Partnerships lead, I met with the Changing Lives in Collaboration (CLIC) Trust, a that includes two of our partner primary schools, possibility of our staff applying for school governor roles. sent to all staff and encouraged as part of valuable CPD.

EDGE Partnerships Coordinator

MEDICAL MARVELS

Our Year 11 GCSE historians visited the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds. Equally informative and interactive, the visit furthered their understanding and knowledge of medicine through time. They saw some of the tools and techniques used in bygone eras as part of the gallery displays and in the Victorian operating theatre, a limb amputation was demonstrated with the help of our students.

GEOGRAPHY IN THE FIELD

For four days in January, the Year 12 Geography students were based at Cranedale Field Centre in Yorkshire. They undertook a variety of investigations, honing their fieldwork techniques and practical skills in the process. The residential enabled them to gain the essential practical experience required for the syllabus and examination papers.

the sport report

NETBALL

The U12A side performed brilliantly at the county tournament this term. They finished top of their group, earning them a spot in the semi-final. After what was a tough game, they finished in joint third. They also reached the finals of the Manchester Schools Knock-Out.

U12B won the Manchester Schools final, held here at Withington at the end of March. They faced St Bede’s and demonstrated a super strong defence and wonderful shooting. The final result was 30-13.

The U13 team are through to the finals of the Manchester Schools Knock-Out in May.

The U14s also reached the finals of the Manchester Schools Knock-Out, and at their county tournament, they finished third in their group. They narrowly missed out on the semi-final on goal difference.

U15 A picked up silver medals in their county tournament. They played fantastically well to reach the final was a close fought fixture with a 8-13 finish. They made it to the fourth of the Sisters n Sport championship.

U15B finished third in the Manchester Schools League.

Our U16s are twice national finalists! They were crowned champions in Sisters n Sport tournament. They the final 31-17 after beating the U16 England Netball National Champions, Putney High School, in the semi-final.

Earlier in the same week, the team played in the England Netball National Schools Final. They entered the competition undefeated and as the top team from the North West. Only the top 18 teams in the country play at this national level which is a huge achievement.

LACROSSE

National Schools

Our U19s finished as a top eight team at the England Lacrosse National Schools Finals in March. The team took eventual championships winners to extra time in the quarter-final in what was a thrilling game.

their final which 8-13 round championship. Manchester finalists! the won U16 Champions, semi-final.

team National the Only play huge

Our U14s played just a few days later and progressed to the round of 16 after finishing second in their group. They faced a talented Queen Anne’s team and fought hard, but the game ended in a 4-2 loss. A fantastic experience to be at a National Championships and finish in the top 16 in the UK.

North Schools

Four WGS sides compete in the North Schools Tournament in March. Our U15s came away with a second place finish, U14 and U12 both finished third in their age group and the U13s had a difficult draw but won three of seven games.

Edinburgh

Our U15s enjoyed a brief tour in Edinburgh which included fixtures at three schools across the city, along with visiting Edinburgh Dungeon, bowling and a spot of shopping.

the sport report FOOTBALL

Both our U13s and U15s won their respective Manchester Schools Inspire league and made the quarter-finals of the Greater Manchester Cup.

ORIENTEERING

In a Withington first, a group of Year 7 students experienced orienteering at Alexandra Park before half term. Everyone enjoyed putting the skills learned at Orienteering Club into practice as well as using some new technology. Well done all!

HOCKEY

U12 and U13 trainings and county tournaments

The U14 side and played in Competitions week of term. away with six The U15, U16 and the ISHC tournament are hoping to

teams have seen a great turnout at and enjoyed some competitive fixtures, tournaments and some wins this season.

finished third in the county tournament in the Independent Schools Hockey Competitions (ISHC) in Nottingham during the final term. After two days of hockey, they came six wins, three draws and three losses. and U18 hockey squads also competed in tournament and faced tough opposition; they to build on their successes next season.

BADMINTON

At the Manchester Schools Singles Competition, three of our four players picked up silverware, with an all-Withington final in the KS3 competition.

In the county round of the National School Championships, our U14s finished second overall and the U16s progressed through to the regional finals where they finished a close second.

EQUESTRIAN

Izzy Caldwell (Year 12) and Melissa Hargreaves (Year 9) have both been successful within the Team GB dressage programme. Melissa has been named on the long list for U21 British dressage and awaits further selection, whilst Izzy has competed for Great Britain at an international competition earlier this year.

Izzy Caldwell

Melissa Hargreaves

Withington’s SHiNE Together Saturday morning education courses were run for the 17th year during the Spring term. We welcomed 65 boys and girls in Years 5 and 6 from 20 Greater Manchester maintained primary schools to attend classes free of charge in one of five subject areas.

Sessions were offered in a variety of subjects and delivered by WGS teachers, making use of the specialist facilities in school. The sessions were also supported by enthusiastic volunteers from Year 11 and Year 12 who came into school on Saturday mornings with welcoming smiles for the visiting primary pupils.

Computing has always been a popular subject choice at SHiNE Together and that continued this year with the school computer suite full of the sound of excited pupils tapping away on keyboards. The children created games using Scratch - an educational platform which allows pupils to begin to learn to code in a very visual way creating games, animations and interactive stories. They were proud of what they learnt during the sessions and one pupil explained how they felt their skills using Scratch were now ‘much more advanced’.

In the carousel of Maker’s Masterclass (Art, Design Technology and Food and Nutrition), pupils made their own pizzas to take homewhich were delicious according to much of the feedback! They also learnt about the importance of healthy, nutritional eating. In Design Technology, they worked with circuits to produce ‘moving monsters’. And a massive hit were the

keyrings which students designed and made using shrinking plastic. Two relaxing sessions were spent in the Art room with pupils painting beautiful floral patterns onto their own silk fans.

Creative writing has always been an important part of SHiNE Together and this year the sessions were expanded to become Creative Minds. As well as crafting their own colour poems using symbolism and onomatopoeia, pupils had two sessions of yoga and mindfulness. Working in the mind and body studio, pupils relaxed with breathing exercises and learnt techniques to manage their feelings. One pupil explained how much she enjoyed writing her colour poem and ‘learnt much more about working out the connotations of words’.

New for this year was Take to the Stage - a course combining elements of Drama and Music. Pupils enjoyed getting to know each other through games and using body movement to explore emotions. They even learnt how to stage fight, no-one came to any harm and a lot of fun was had by all!

Finally, those with an interest in Science put on their lab coats and carried out a variety of experiments including a heart dissection, the extraction of DNA, and ‘bubbles and fizz’, as well as witnessing the wonders of chromatography appearing right before their eyes. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the practical work and described the experiments as ‘amazing’. One pupil explained how she was fascinated to learn that ‘strawberries have their own DNA’.

As well as being a great opportunity for the primary students who attended the sessions, there were record numbers of students from Years 11 and 12 who volunteered to help. Fortyeight WGS students volunteered across the five Saturday mornings, and many asked to do additional dates after their first one as they enjoyed it so much.

The WGS volunteers explained why they enjoyed helping at SHiNE Together, with one student commenting, ‘I enjoyed meeting lots of children and helping them, not only with the activities, but to come out of their shells.’ We are very grateful to our students for giving their time on a Saturday morning and we celebrated their contribution to the programme with a breaktime ‘tea and biscuits’.

As ever, both pupils and parents were extremely enthusiastic about the SHiNE Together programme and feedback from parents demonstrated this. One parent explained: “My daughter looked forward to Creative Minds every week and couldn’t wait to tell me everything she had learnt when she left. Her confidence has grown massively, and she is so much more comfortable talking about her feelings and strategies to deal with them all if she is finding them tricky.”

A big thank you to all our staff who helped to deliver another successful year. There are many contributors from across the school. The legacy of SHiNE Together could not be upheld without you.

MRS JENNY STOCKTON Partnerships Assistant

Withington Girls’ School, Wellington Road, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6BL office@wgs.org wgs.org

withingtongirlsschool 0161 224 1077

withingtongirlsschool @wgsjuniors

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