Jeff Kinney celebrates the release of his new book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot in Big School.
ALSO IN THIS EDITION: MEET THIS YEAR'S HEAD BOY AND HEAD GIRL SCHOOL FEATURES IN SATHNAM SANGHERA’S ‘EMPIRE STATE OF MIND’ ON CHANNEL 4
SIXTH FORM SUBJECT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD WINNERS
JOIN THE FRIENDS OF WOLVERHAMPTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL
The Autumn term has been one of innovation and restoration, with both impulses propelled by our desire to define the School for 2021-22 around the needs of its community, after 18 months of being shaped by powerful external factors.
Before reflecting on achievements since September, I salute the 2021 Upper Sixth leavers and Year 11 students for their excellent results: they worked hard against a challenging backdrop and showed a fabulous standard of attainment through our rigorous system of Teacher Assessed Grades. They have my admiration for their positive attitude and resilience, and their teachers my thanks for guiding them through the process.
Our major innovation has been the introduction of Infant classes at Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, making WGS an all-through school for the first time in our 509-year history. We were prepared for a gentle start but demand was so high that we opened up in September with 47 children across the three classes – twice our initial assumption. All our youngest children are making fantastic progress, and I am in awe of the work being done with them by Mr Peters, Head of Junior School, the class teachers Mr Griffiths, Mrs Stanton and Mrs D’Arcy, and all the teaching assistants and other support staff. It is incredible how naturally the Infant children have fitted in: for many of us, it already feels as they have always been part of the School.
In the Senior School, students from Year 8 to Upper Sixth are relishing their new Houses, Jenyns, Moreton, Nechells and Offley: a system which was part of the School until the 1990s, redesigned and relaunched for September 2021
as our pastoral organising principle to enhance continuity of care and to allow for more fun competition across a range of endeavours from sport, tug-of-war, photography, baking and quizzing to name just a few. As with the Infants, the system is already so fully embraced by students and staff that it is hard to believe it is actually new.
Extra-curricular activities, such an important part of WGS life, have been firmly restored for all ages and interests. As The Independent goes to press, I am looking forward to attending my first Christmas Concert ‘in real life’. Over in the Hutton, rehearsals are well advanced for A Midsummer Night’s Dream next term, with Mr Tyler and Mr Wood promising an interpretation to lift all spirits. There has been plenty of enjoyable and successful sport for girls and boys across various disciplines. I have just returned from Wycliffe College in Gloucestershire where we played an inaugural senior mixed hockey match: an interesting insight into the way some opportunities in school sport may now be moving.
Finally, I am sad to say that Mrs Carrie Bennett has decided to step down from her post as Director of Marketing & Communications, to concentrate on her recovery following an extremely challenging cancer diagnosis one year ago. Mrs Bennett joined WGS in 2014 and has served the School not only with exceptional professionalism and skill but also great love and kindness. She renewed our website and promotional materials, led a caring and effective team encompassing Admissions, Marketing and Reception,
brilliantly managed all the School’s communications and publications, and played a leading part in our move to Firefly, iPads and wider digitisation which served us all so well during the pandemic. Just as important as the many achievements that Mrs Bennett has to her name at WGS is the fact that she found time to be a friend to so many: a wise counsellor to colleagues throughout the School; a reassuring point of contact for parents, especially when new; a patient and compassionate figure for students. I know I speak for our whole community when I wish her the very best for her continued return to full health.
Alex Frazer Head
On Saturday 30th October, Upper Sixth students Rosie Bennett, Katie Goodridge, Anya Rogers and Katie Joyner took part in the Race for Life Pretty Muddy 5k muddy obstacle course.
The team have now raised over £2,200 for Cancer Research UK after scrambling over the A-frame and crawling through the mud pit!
If you would like to make a donation and help raise valuable funds for life-saving research against Cancer, please visit: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk. org/team/rosie-and-katies
Wolverhampton Grammar School officially became an all-through, co-educational independent school at the start of the academic year as we welcomed children in Reception, Year and Year 2.
The children have flourished during their first term at School taking part in a range of activities in and outside of the classroom, from celebrating key festivals in Reception to learning about Castles, Kings & Queens in Year 1, and being introduced to the Recorder in Year 2. We're incredibly proud of all our children for embracing School life so well.
There are still various ways that you can remain in contact with School over the festive period:
Email correspondence via info@wgs-sch.net
Telephone: 01902 421326
Parent Portal Social Media: @WGS1512
Wolverhampton Grammar School Official
Wolverhampton Grammar School Wolverhampton Grammar School
If you, or your child, is having any technical difficulties with the Portal or work set online, contact School by using any of the channels above and we will ask the IT team to contact you.
If your child is a student at our School and you have a COVID related question or query, please email covid@wgs-sch.net
Term resumes again on Monday 10th January (a ‘red week’ for the two week timetable).
International best-selling writer and illustrator of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Jeff Kinney, visited Wolverhampton Grammar School in November 2021 as part of the UK leg of his global tour to celebrate the release of his new book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot.
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Drive-Thru Experience on the evening of Wednesday 17th November saw families from Wolverhampton and cities across the UK enjoy a fun and interactive outdoor experience themed around Jeff’s new book. The experience enabled families to drive through sports-themed scenery and participate in basketball and football challenges before reaching the finish line where Jeff personally delivered signed books and posed for photographs with his fans.
The following morning, Wolverhampton Grammar School, Puffin Books and Authors Aloud UK organised a virtual event which was live streamed to over 80,000 school children from 800 schools across the country. Head Librarian at Wolverhampton Grammar School, Zoe Rowley, interviewed Jeff about his new book and his journey to becoming a global best-selling sensation.
Students in Years 6 and 7 from Wolverhampton Grammar School had the pleasure of being part of the live audience in Big School, and competition winners from the Junior and Senior School were fortunate to be able to ask Jeff questions about his life and what inspired him to write the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Intriguing questions were also posed to Jeff from school children as far away as Bristol, Cornwall, Coventry, Nottingham, Swindon and Plymouth.
“The virtual event was a huge success and we felt extremely honoured to welcome Jeff to our School as part of his global tour to celebrate the release of his new book. Interviewing Jeff in front of our students and the children who joined us from their classrooms was one of the highlights of my career; to be presented with a unique Team Wimpy top and welcomed into the team by Jeff was a personal favourite moment too!” Zoe Rowley commented.
Jeff Kinney is the number one New York Times best-selling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favourite Book and has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most
Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C. area and moved to New England, where he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.
In 2007, Jeff published his first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, introducing readers to Greg Heffley and his family, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and the dreaded Cheese Touch. More than 250 million copies later, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has become a beloved book all around the world.
State schools from across the City of Wolverhampton and the wider West & East Midlands were invited to join the free event as part of the range of projects the School conducts to help inspire reading for pleasure. The School has previously welcomed Claire Balding and Humza Arshad to its campus, alongside David Baddiel who launched his book The Taylor Turbochaser at the Grand Theatre in November 2019 in front of 1,200 children who all received a signed copy of the book as a free gift.
A huge congratulations to all our Year 11 (now Lower Sixth students) and former Upper Sixth students who performed extremely well this summer, despite a further year of disruption to their studies and school life.
The numbers in brief:
GCSE and IGCSEs
641 Grade 9, 8 or 7 awards (equivalent to A* – A) this year
837
83 students studied towards an incredible 837 GCSE and IGCSE awards
261
Coveted Grade 9s awarded –31% of all grades
99.4% Achieved equivalent A* – C grades
It was another year of top A Level, Cambridge Technical, BTEC, GCSE and IGCSE results for students at Wolverhampton Grammar School –judged “Excellent” in all areas by school Inspectors.
A Level, Cambridge Technical and BTEC awards
165 A* – B grades awarded –85% of all students
79
212 A Level, Cambridge Technical and BTEC awards Coveted A* grades awarded –41% of all students
100% Pass rate for A Level students
Alex Frazer, Head of Wolverhampton Grammar School commented: “Through a hugely difficult period in their education our students have kept their spirits up incredibly well and have worked exceptionally hard – I take my hat off to them. Teacher assessment has enabled those who know our students best –their teachers – to observe student performance and asses their ability using written and practical assessments, mock exams and coursework. Today’s results are testament to everyone’s hard work and dedication through what has been a difficult 18 months and I am incredibly proud of our student and staff community at Wolverhampton Grammar School.”
A full house of BTEC Distinction grades were awarded to Sixth Form students studying Music; 14 Cambridge Technical Distinction* and Distinction grades awarded to students studying Information Technology and Physical Education.
Sixth Form students achieved the highest number of A* - A grades for over 10 years, with 66% of entries receiving the top two grades. For those students who were awarded nothing but exceptional grade 9s in Year 11, their success is truly outstanding after such a challenging period of time.
Across the year there will be a number of competitions for students and staff to get involved in across the Junior, Senior and Sixth Form.
The autumn term has been jam-packed full of competitions, quizzes and interform challenges! One of the first House events across the Junior and Senior School was the Tug of War competition. Moreton's Piece came alive with cheers of encouragement which saw Moreton in the Senior School and Campbell in the Junior School come out on top.
To celebrate Halloween, Mr Humphreys led the Pumpkin Carving Competition which gave way to an eerie atmosphere in Big School later in the evening.
Congratulations to Olivia Hobbs (Nechells) for coming 1st place, 2nd place went to Esha Bharj (Moreton), 3rd place was awarded to Charlotte Chung (Offley) and finally, 4th place went to William Bowles (Jenyns). The Year 7 winner for this year's spooky competition was Eydi Grant and the winning staff entry went to Mrs Dyer.
After a very successful and eventful House Reveal in July, students in Years 8 - Upper Sixth were given their new House ties on the first day back to School in September.
The House system continues flourish across the Senior School with our new pastoral hub in The Derry and the competitive edge that being assigned to a House gives each student. House events and competitions are certainly bringing our community even closer together.
Well done to everyone who took part in this year's Junior and Senior School Bake Off competitions!
The Senior School competition saw Big School full to the brim with biscuits, cupcakes, cookies and showstoppers. Year 11 student Favour Apata (Moreton) won the competition after Mr Frazer was blown away by her showstopping two-tier WGS themed cake; topped with House ties, school books, pens and the crest –it certainly defined School life. Supporting Macmillian Cancer Support, the tasty treats were sold to staff and students at break and lunchtime and raised over £500 for the charity
Keep an eye out for more competitions, where winners receive extra prizes!
Times journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera (OW 1995), came back to the School in the Summer term to film elements of his for thcoming television series ‘Empire State of Mind’, based on his best-selling book ‘Empireland’.
Released last year, ‘Empireland’ featured in our 2020 edition of Wulfrunian. In the book, Sathnam demonstrates how so much of what we consider to be modern Britain is actually rooted in our imperial past. The British Empire ran for centuries, covered vast swathes of the world and is fundamental to understanding Britain today – yet empire is still a subject often hidden from view and obscured in school history books.
Notably during his visit, Sathnam held a discussion with members of our Prefect team (pictured) and met Dr Bernard Trafford, who was Headmaster of Wolverhampton Grammar School at his time in the School. Much discussion was had about the themes in ‘Empireland’, how the topic fits into the school curriculum and the wider discourse of Imperialism.
The series, ‘Empire State of Mind’, was shown in two parts on Channel 4 in November. There is no doubt that Sathnam’s exploration of how imperialism has shaped modern Britain, how this affected his upbringing in Wolverhampton and plenty more besides will be as fascinating and thought-provoking on screen as it is in the book. The School features mainly in the second episode but both episodes promise to inform, entertain and stimulate discussion.
This year, students have been working alongside Midlands-based photographer, Sarvjit Sra, to practice the art of storytelling through photography. Hearing his motivation and inspiration engaged the students in developing their own imagery throughout the summer – some working towards their A Level Personal Investigation, others building their own portfolios.
Workshop sessions were kindly delivered by Sarvjit Sra, as part of his Arts Council funded-project “Invisible”. After the sessions, he commented that, “It was wonderful to see the students work after the summer break. I was really impressed with not just the quality of the work, but the thought that had gone into creating the images”.
Well done to our cross-country runners who were trialed for West Midlands this term. With some very impressive performances in particular Zena Asbury who was 3rd & Leon Asbury 4th. Zena (right) is pictured with Year 9 student, Charlotte Anderson.
On Monday 6th December author, racehorse trainer and jockey, Charlie P. Brooks spoke passionately to Years 3 - 5 about his latest book in the Super-Secret Diary of Holly Hopkinson series. To really bring this magical adventure to life for students, Charlie was accompanied by his miniature pony, Beanstalk, who is one of the stars of the book series. Beanstalk was thoroughly entertaining and children loved hearing all about his real-life adventures.
Congratulations to Upper Sixth student Cian Gopal (left), Oliver Evans (OW 2019) and Lauren Evans (OW 2013) on representing Great Britain in their age group at the European Sprint triathlon in Valencia.
All participants completed a 750m swim, 20km bike followed by a 5km run.
Over 25 students sat the first ever WGS Sixth Form Subject Scholarships earlier this year in a range of subjects from Art to Physics. Year 11 students were invited to apply for any subject that they intended to study in the Sixth Form at WGS before sitting a subject specific paper followed by a general scholarship exam which tested their ability in verbal reasoning and numeracy. The standard demonstrated by students was incredible and all entrants attained extremely high results as they competed for the prize of £500, a Sixth Form Scholar’s pin badge and the title of Sixth Form Subject Scholar. Huge congratulations go to the following students who were successful in their endeavours and thanks to all students who entered. Current Year 11s will be invited to apply for the Sixth Form Subject Scholarships for 2022 later this academic year.
• Sophie Newey – Art
• Ahmed Imran – Biology
• Jak Sidhu – Chemistry
• Thomas Frith – German
• Jenny Chan – History
• Hamzah Ansari – Maths
• Edward Hamill - Physics
• Ella Grew and Vishwas Kumar –General Sixth Form Scholarship and Governors’ Academic Scholarship
Towards the end of each academic year, staff and students vote for who they would like to form the next Prefect Team.
The School's Head Boy and Head Girl are the student figureheads of our School community and play a vital role in supporting the day to day activities that go on across the Junior, Senior and Sixth Form from welcoming prospective families at open events to taking leading roles in School activities.
This year, Emma Herritty and Adithya Manigandan were chosen as our 2021-2022 Head Prefects.
The Prefect Team also consists of the following students: Rosie Bennett, Oliver Brookes, Arun Giri, Cian Gopal, Josh Harris, Morgan Lathbury-Cox, Lucy Munson, Olivia Roberts, Anya Rogers and Beth Seager.
Fact file: Adithya Manigandan
• Adithya joined Wolverhampton Grammar School in 2015, in Year 7, from the Old Hall School in Telford. Emma and Adithya were in the same form with Mr Wood in 7Q!
• Adithya is currently studying Maths, Physics and Geography at A Level and will be going on to study Aerospace engineering at university.
• He can often be found in the sports hall either using the cricket nets with Mr King or using the multi-gym.
• Adithya loves sports, playing centre back in the football 1st XI as well as being cricket captain.
• Did you know that Adithya really enjoys skiing and has been to Austria three years in a row in Years 8, 9 and 10 on the School ski trip?
Fact file: Emma Herritty
• Emma is studying English Literature, Religious Studies and Theatre Studies.
• She is a member of the National Youth Theatre after completing her intake course in August 2021.
• After Emma has completed her A Levels, she plans to take a gap year with plans to travel and focus on some passion projects before going to university.
• In the seven years she has been at the School, Emma has been in every school play available to her.
• Did you know that Emma knew she wanted to be Head Girl since Year 7? She feels very lucky to have achieved this goal after working incredibly hard during her time at school.
First held by the School in 1902, the purpose of the Founder’s Day Service has always been to reflect upon and celebrate the generosity and altruism of our founder, Sir Stephen Jenyns, as well as other benefactors who have helped the School over its 500 year history. Back in St Peter’s Church after a one year break due to Covid, the service was attended by students in Years 10 – Upper Sixth. A specially recorded version of the service was shared with all other year groups in school. Special thanks to Reverend Michael Loach for his interesting and engaging address
highlighting the importance of love and community, and to Reverend David Wright and all of his team at St Peter’s Church.
In celebration of National Poetry Day 2021, we were delighted to welcome rapper, poet and educator Breis into Big School to conduct a wonderfully entertaining poetry workshop with Year 9 students.
Breis stressed the importance to our students of writing on topics about which they are truly passionate. He went on to engage his audience by performing examples of his own rap poetry, which culminated in a freestyle poem linked to the items that our students had in their pockets. The end result of this final performance was particularly impressive leaving our students fully inspired and motivated to explore more poetry by Breis.
Following Breis’ workshop he and Annie Everall from Authors Aloud UK
Join a community like no other
The start of term saw the launch of our new 'Work with us' webpage and staff recruitment video. This all formed part of our mission to encourage more people to register their interest for job alerts, as well as to promote the benefits of working for one of the oldest schools in the country.
If you would like to watch our new video and register your interest for future job alerts, visit:
www.wgs.org.uk/work-with-us/
were guest judges for the School's Poetry Live Final in Big School. Congratulations to everyone who took part, but a special mention goes to our three winners for their expert performances and imaginative poems:
Ammar Saherwala in Year 7
Devina Sharma in Year 11
Laura Partha Sarathi in Lower Sixth
December is always an extremely busy month at School with a variety of House events, quizzes, competitions and productions taking place. The Junior and Senior School took part in Christmas Jumper Day and enjoyed Christmas lunch in The Derry with thanks to our awardwinning catering team, Holroyd Howe. Our Reception children walked to a local post box with Mr Griffiths, Mrs Fletcher, Mrs Lyford, Mrs Ralph, Mrs Whyton and Mrs Rangla to post christmas cards that they had written in class. The purpose of the trip was to help the children understand the purpose of writing, to begin teaching road safety and to extend their use of prepositional language.
Well done to all students in the Junior School who took part in Christmas productions before the end of term, and to our Senior School musicians who performed in front of their families in Big School.
Upper Sixth students George Atkinson and Jacinta Parmar each organised an event as part of their Cambridge Technical Diploma in Sport and Physical Activity. George ran this year's Christmas Fun Run on Wednesday 15th December which saw students from across the Junior, Senior and Sixth Form run one mile around school before being awarded with breakfast in The Derry. Jacinta organised the first Sixth Form doubles badminton tournament which took place after school on Thursday 9th December in the Sports Centre.
'Where is Santa?' made a return on social media and the Marketing team continued to encourage students from across the School to guess where Santa was hiding; well done to everyone who took part!
We supported The Well Charity which provides emergency food to those in Wolverhampton who are in the greatest of need. Items that were donated to The Well Charity included tinned fruit and vegetables, pasta sauce, special biscuits, non-alcoholic sparkling drink and gift toiletries. Thank you Mrs Powell and Mr Anderson for organising the collection, and Upper Sixth students Oliver Brookes, Arun Giri, Jivan Cheema, Sherwin Nabati, James Taylor and Mathura Prabakar who helped Mr Anderson deliver the donated items to the charity.
Congratulations to Tapiwa Mpedzisi in 7LD for winning this year's Christmas card design competition. The Head, Mr Frazer selected Tapiwa's design from a vast amount of entries.
The annual competition is run by the Art department and encourages students from across the School to create a design that reflects our School community. Well done to Betsy Moran (Offley), Preeya Bisla (Jenyns), Mya Bharj (Moreton) and Ella Hay (Nechells) whose designs also shortlisted.
The Friends of Wolverhampton Grammar School is our parent teacher association. The Friends meet once or twice a term and organise a range of fundraising events to provide vital funds for projects in both the Junior and Senior schools.
There are lots of ways to get involved. No contribution is too small. For example:
• Do you have a special skill or hobby that you can offer?
• Could you help with events – meeting and greeting or refreshments?
• Would you sell event or raffle tickets?
• Do you have ideas for future fundraising projects?
It’s a great opportunity to meet fellow parents and get to know the School.
For more information about the next Friends of Wolverhampton Grammar School meeting, please email The Friends at wgsfriends50@gmail.com
Well done to all Year 6 students who enjoyed a day in the Senior School in November. As part of their day students listened to Mr Birch, Head of Year 7, as he spoke about what a typical day in the Senior School is like such as learning more about the timetable to how lunchtime operates in The Derry.
Students took part in a variety of different lessons including Art, Design & Technology, Drama and Science. In the evening, Year 6 students and their parents joined Senior School teaching staff in Big School and heard from the Head, Mr Frazer about life in the Senior School.
Ayanna Dennis and Destiny Nwachukwu in Year 10 spoke confidently about the Windrush Generation and prominent Windrush campaigner, Paulette Wilson during a virtual assembly to fellow Senior School and Sixth Form students.
Throughout the course of the autumn term, tutor time has been much spent discussing topics such as the Empire Windrush, Food Poverty, Climate Activism, Slavery, Human Rights and War.
Students and their form tutors are given resources to watch and read before carrying out an activity based on the topic at hand.
As part of Black History Month, Adeo Fraser (OW 2009) appeared in ITV News Central 'In My Shoes' feature. Adeo spoke about his experience as a barrister in the Midlands.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) opened a new headquarters in the city centre on Friday 10th September. Old Wulfrunian and former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, The Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP invited musicans from Wolverhampton Grammar School to perform at the grand opening.
Well done to all Year 7 students who have made the successful transition to Senior School. Year 7 marks a key transition between primary and secondary school life and the start of an exciting and special journey at Wolverhampton Grammar School.
Year 7 students have started to develop a strong sense of community by taking part in inter-form competitions and events. Prefects, Rosie and Oliver, are also responsible for helping Year 7 settle into the Senior School and took a role in delivering the news to all form groups when their new form names were announced.
Mr Birch worked closely with Mrs Erskine to communicate with six Old Wulfrunians and their families that the School would like to name a form group in their honour.
Well done to the following students for representing the School: Sophie Adams, Jenny Chan, Emma Herritty, Mason Holles, Lucy Munson, Natalie Saunders and Beth Seager.
Catering Manager, Mr Mason and Head Chef, Mr Fowkes were proud to offer students a range of breakfast items at the beginning of the School day. From 8am - 8.30am, students in the Senior School can now go along to The Derry and select from a variety of healthy options – why not grab a breakfast sandwich or a bowl of cereal to kick start your day at School.
Mrs Clarke's form is now 7WB named after William Beards (OW 2020).
Mrs Fellows's form is now 7MS named after Mia Seager (OW 2020). Dr Green's form is 7EA named after Lizzie Anderson (OW 2021).
Dr Pounder's form is now called 7BT named after Brandon Taylor (OW 2021).
Mrs Rowley's form is now 7LD named after Lauren Dennis (OW 2013). Lauren sadly passed away in 2018, aged 23.
Mr Smith's form is now 7AM named after Amandip Maheru (OW 1992). Amandip sadly passed away in 2011, aged 37.
These names will change each year with the exception of Lauren Dennis and Amandip Maheru who, in memory of them, will remain form names in the coming years.
Each student or their families wrote a good luck card to their respective form groups where these were shown and read by this year's Prefect team Rosie Bennett and Oliver Brookes. Rosie and Oliver are also the Year 7 Captains and help Mr Birch and the Year 7 form tutors organise fun activities for the students.
On Monday 13th December 2021, we launched this year’s 400 word creative writing competition themed around ‘The Journey’. We are challenging children aged 8 - 16 across Wolverhampton to create an original story which will captivate our judging panel of best-selling children’s authors. Our judging panel includes authors Ben Davis, Jo Cotterill and Sufiya Ahmed.
Changing leaves, frosty and misty mornings are all part of transition from summer to autumn, and our Grounds and Estates team do a fantastic job keeping our 25 acre campus well maintained all year round.
Mr Bourne, one of our Site Supervisors, loves to look out for these picturesque sights during his day to day activities.
All entries for the competition should be submitted to:
400Words@wgs-sch.net by Friday 7th January. Following this, up to 40 finalists from schools across Wolverhampton will be invited to showcase their stories to our guest authors in February’s live final.
Extra and co-curricular activities returned with a bang this term as we welcomed a number of new and exciting club across the School from Ukulele Skills with Mr Parker to Graphic Design Club with Mr Piggott; Sports Journalism club began with Mr Blything and football teams such as Newcastle and Arsenal were all up for discussion and examination.
The School suppor ts over 100 extracurricular activities and there really is something to suit all abilities and interests.
Senior School students can also attend Homework Club every day from 4.15pm5.30pm.
Mrs Munson launched Le Club Chouette with students in Years 7 – 9, and with the help of Upper Sixth student Isobel Bladon, on a Tuesday after school too.
Students were able to discover the popular Belgian cartoonist Hergé and his creation: Tintin.
Mr Doman started a Photography Club with Reception, Year 1 & 2 where they enjoyed capturing moving people after school on Moreton's Piece.
Mr Humphreys began a Medicine Club for Sixth Form students and this half term they have focused on the Renal aspect of medicine, which led to one of our Sixth Formers teaching students from Years 9-11 how to dissect a kidney.
Have you got an idea for an extra or co-curricular club? Pop along and speak to Mr Anderson or email njca@wgs-sch.net to share your thoughts!
The move to Senior School or Sixth Form is a natural progression for students at Wolverhampton Grammar School. Year 6 children are already being prepared for their move to Year 7 and Year 11 students are beginning to think about their Sixth Form subject choices. Parents are also preparing for the transition too.
There is no need to reapply for a place in the Sixth Form. All students in Year 11 are automatically offered a place in our Sixth Form, providing you meet our entry requirements.
• Talk to your family and teachers about what Sixth Form subject options you are interested in. School will ask you to submit your Sixth Form subject options in the Spring.
• Work hard! Your mock exams will really help you practise and identify what you need additional support with. They will also help you decide the right subjects for Sixth Form.
• There is a place in Sixth Form if you want it and 2022 is your time to shine. Do your best in all your exams, make the years you’ve spent in the Senior School count! Ask for help – there is lots of support available; just ask.
• What about results day? Unlike other schools, there is a whole team on hand here at WGS to support you and your family on results day to make sure you have all the information you need and know what to do next. If you don’t think you’ve met the entry requirements, you’ve changed your mind about the subject choices you want to study, or anything else – come and speak to us and we’ll guide you through the process.
This Scholarship is offered to a student (or students) living in the Wolverhampton postcode area (WV postcode) who is either a current Wolverhampton Grammar School student or transfers from another school and joins Wolverhampton Grammar School for Year 12, and has strong sporting ability demonstrated through one of the following:
• Up to 17% off School fees
• Based on the best mock GCSE results
• There is no need to apply for this Scholarship opportunity: they are automatically awarded by the School.
This is an opportunity to recognise current Year 11 students who are excelling in a subject which they wish to study in the Sixth Form. Applicants will sit scholarship exams next term.
• A £500 academic grant to be awarded in September 2022
• Presentation of a Sixth Form Scholar’s Tie
• Publication as a Sixth Form Scholar in The Independent and Wulfrunian (alumni magazine)
• The deadline to apply for a Sixth Form Subject Scholarship is Tuesday 4th January.
• County/Regional/National representation at their chosen sport
• Member of Elite group and / or Academy linked to a professional sporting club or organisation
• National ranking in their chosen sport
This Scholarship is a means tested award and is equivalent to one full fee
paying place to be offered to a student (or students) who fulfil the above criteria.
If you would like to be considered for this Scholarship, please contact Jane Morris at School by Friday 11th February. You will then be required to undertake an interview with the Head of Sixth Form and the Director of Sport.
Every year,
students (Old Wulfrunians) and other friends of the School if they are in a position to offer any financial support to families who need it. We may therefore be able to offer some limited financial support to current Year 11 families who apply.
• Awards of up to 100% off School fees dependent on family circumstances and availability of funding.
• In order to be considered for a Bursary, as a guideline your household income should not exceed £60,000 per annum.
• If this is something you would like to be considered for, please do contact Jane Morris at School by Friday 11th February who will send you the appropriate financial documentation to complete.
Students should be working at ABRSM/Trinity Grade 6 standard (and should be looking to reach Grade 8 standard in the Sixth Form). Music scholars are expected to make a significant contribution to the musical life of the School.
• Up to 25% off School fees
• Free music tuition at School
If you would like to be considered for this Scholarship, please contact Jane Morris at School by Friday 11th February. She will then ensure your child is invited to audition for this award with the Director of Music
All children in Year 6 are automatically offered a place in our Senior School and there is no requirement to sit our Year 7 Entrance Test in January, unless you would like to be considered for either the Junior Scholarship or one of the Head’s Awards. All Year 6 families have already been written to with details of how and when to apply for a number of Awards and Scholarships, including:
• The Junior School Scholarship is awarded to the top performing Year 6 student(s) in the Year 7 Entrance Test.
• This Scholarship provides up to a total of 50% off School fees and is awarded regardless of family income.
• This Scholarship provides up to a total of 25% off School fees.
• Plus free music tuition on the instrument of your child’s choice, up to and including Grade 8.
• It is awarded regardless of family income.
• Students will be required to audition for this Scholarship and if awarded, will be expected to make a significant contribution to musical life whilst they are at the School.
• Ten Head’s Awards are available for September 2022.
• They are only available to children joining Year 7 from Year 6 and are awarded to the top Year 6 performers in the Year 7 Entrance Test. The Awards offer 5% off School fees, regardless of family income.
• The School offers several means-tested bursary awards annually to entrants at Year 7.
• Awards range between 5% and 100% dependent on family circumstances and availability of funding.
• In order to be considered for a bursary, as a guideline, your household income should not exceed £60,000 per annum.
If you have any questions about your child’s future, or would like to come and take a look at the facilities on offer in the Senior School or Sixth Form, please contact us at any time and we can offer advice and arrange a personal tour just for you.
Year 6 students have walked to West Park and Bantock Park with Mr Cothey and Miss Yates, picking up littler around the local community on the way to and from the parks.
Miss Watson took a team of Year 8 students to the RAF Glider Challenge at RAF Cosford in November. Having spent lunchtimes preparing for the challenge, the team had a fantastic day and are looking forward to taking part again next year.
Well done to our U14s, U16s and U19s who represented the School at the County Schools netball tournament. A special mention to the U19s who have qualified for regionals and will play in the next round on Saturday 30th January –good luck!
To celebrate Emergency Services Day on Thursday 9th September 2021, the front of School was illuminated in red. The colour red was chosen to support the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity who were asking local landmarks and companies across
Alongside the World Mental Health Day event, in collaboration with Jenyns Library, Mrs Abbi, our School Counsellor, has been busy facilitating over 20 workshops alongside the one-to-one counselling support she offers students.
Most of the Year 7 students have had the opportunity to attend a Year 7 Settling in Session. Students got to visit the counselling room and talk as groups about their hopes and fears around starting a new school.
It's an important time for our Year 11 students as they prepare to sit their mock exams in the New Year. Mrs Abbi has been focused on ensuring they have self-care strategies in place by attending the Managing Exam Stress and Relaxation Sessions during lunchtimes.
Sixth Form students have received training on Wellbeing Peer Mentoring –something we hope enables them to not only build new skills, but also to bring about a sense of care and kindness across the School.
The RAF Youth & STEM team at the RAF Museum sponsored this year's Challenge which saw students conduct research before designing their gliders and presenting a poster and pitch to a panel of judges.
Well done to Rumaysa Taj, Trishna Kainth, James Margetts, Matthew Lyford and Hrithik Dugh for representing the School.
Congratulations to our award-winning catering team who, for the fourth year running, have achieved their Cer tificate of Excellence in Allergen Management and a food hygiene rating of 5.
This term we have supported local and national charities by donating a range of items to help and support those in need. We were inundated with donations towards the Afghan Community and Welfare Centre Walsall and Care4Calais in October, so much so that a School mini-bus and a car were jam-packed with items. Both charities were extremely pleased to receive the donations and were overwhelmed with the generosity shown by so many in our School community.
This term saw the beginning of a new club for Sixth Form students to develop their skills of oration, presentation and intellectual dexterity. The Pudding Lectures, so called because students (and staff) eat cake whilst watching a lecture, have been on topics as broad as the role of F1 in medicine and whether murder can ever be moral. Sixth Form students volunteered to undertake the lectures before taking questions from the audience of staff and students. The subject matters have been fascinating and well researched giving the opportunity for both the audience and the lecturer alike to learn about something completely new! Students are welcome to attend on Fridays at 1.30pm in the Sixth Form Seminar Room: come along, watch a lecture, ask some questions, eat some cake - what’s not to like?!
Mr Tyler, Mr Wood and Mr Payne are delighted to announce that the Senior School production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by William Shakespeare will be coming to the Hutton Theatre early next year.
Rehearsals have already started to take place after school this term and Mr Petford has begun thinking of new ideas to bring this well-anticipated performance to life.
Well done to all our Music Scholars and Award Holders who produced a wonderful virtual concert, alongside students from the Senior School and Sixth Form who performed as part of the teatime concert in November.
wWith special thanks to accompanists
Mr Clarke, Mrs Morgan, Mr McMahon, Mrs Reynolds, and Mrs Cuthbert for putting together the videos for our parents.
Miss Bowater and the Art Department were thrilled to showcase the incredible artwork produced by the Class of 2021 in September. Hosted on the same weekend as the Old Wulfrunians (OWs) Sports Festival, the belated 49th annual summer art exhibition returned to the Hutton Theatre.
In Lower Sixth, students all started their own projects with the title of Identity, each of them taking separate paths from there, such as mental health, sexuality, suffering and more. The exhibition was a chance for their final pieces to be shown to their families, visiting OWs and the public. "It was an occasion to say a massive thank you to our teachers for the support they gave us throughout these uncertain times, whether in person or virtually over Microsoft Teams. They have played a key role in helping us to develop our projects and artistic abilities."
Elena Martellini, Chair of the Viner Society (2020-21)commented.
