The Independent - Spring 2023

The Independent Wolverhampton Grammar School Newsletter

WORLD BOOK DAY

WGS shares World Book Day with Cressida Cowell and over 750 pupils from 20 schools across the region

Spring 2023

ALSO IN THIS EDITION: Year 6 Adventures in Arthog Sixth Formers visit Morocco to teach primary school children Triumphant return of the House Talent Show Competition

The Independent

Head’s Welcome Welcome to the latest edition of ‘The Independent’, showcasing news, events and activities from Wolverhampton Grammar School over the Spring Term.

This term, our expanded Careers Department has been hard at work opening students’ eyes to a wide variety of sectors and professional opportunities. A group of nine Year 11 and Sixth Form students took part in a virtual work experience scheme in investment banking which kept them busy over eight lunchtimes. Students from Year 9 to Upper Sixth attended a Psychology and Public Services Careers Fair at School, speaking to representatives from the West Midlands Police, the West Midlands Ambulance Service and the Armed Forces among other employers.

March was Creative Networking Month, giving students the chance to engage during lessons and lunchtime talks with a number of professionals from the creative industries which, with around 2.3 million jobs, make up 6% of the UK economy.

Among our visitors we welcomed former WGS students: actor and singer Me’sha Bryan (OW 2001) and music executive Jonathan Badyal (OW 2007), along with Birmingham-born author Mike Gayle and the artist Zarah Hussain. 32 Year 8 students enjoyed an eye-opening visit to Sky Studios in London, where they learned about careers in television and audiovisual media.

The Spring Term has also provided plenty for us all to enjoy in the creative and performing arts. Our excellent class of Lower Sixth A Level Art students exhibited their work to great acclaim in the Viner Gallery, and a select group of Art students contributed to an exhibition of sculptural projects at the Newhampton Arts Centre in Wolverhampton. Meanwhile, on the stage, Years 3 and 4 put on an entertaining portrayal of Hansel and Gretel and the Senior production Shakespeare in Love

played to three sell-out audiences. An uplifting Dance Showcase provided exceptional feel-good entertainment over two nights in the penultimate and last weeks of term, featuring individual dancers and groups from Year 3 to Upper Sixth.

Also in the last week of term, the Spring Concert offered an engaging and enjoyable programme of instrumental and vocal performances.

The desire to reach out and make a positive contribution to society, close to home and further afield, continues to inspire and motivate large numbers of our students. Charity fundraising is driven by well-attended committees and clubs in both Junior and Senior School as well as by the new Diversity Champions group in Senior School. The annual Coast 2 Coast Challenge, celebrating its 25th year, is well into the training stage. The team has chosen to run in support of Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity, and there has been a strong start to fundraising; more details are on page 21. Between its inception at WGS in 1999 and this year’s anniversary outing, 248 students will have completed the challenge alongside countless members of staff and parent supporters, covering 4,280 miles between them and raising over £100,000 for 25 different charities. It’s a wonderful tradition, and we shall look forward to the next 25 years!

improving their reading confidence and their desire to read for pleasure. This academic year, I have been delighted to forge a link with an educational charity in Morocco, which enabled an inaugural group of Lower Sixth Formers to spend their February half-term teaching English to children at a primary school in the countryside outside Marrakech. They had a truly life-changing experience, which you can read about on page 14.

Finally, huge congratulations to our Under-11 boys (Year 6) who outplayed a number of tough opposition schools to emerge as regional champions in their Independent Schools’ Football Association age-group. I wish them the best of luck for the national finals in May!

Alex Frazer Head

Year 6 students have continued their Friday afternoon litterpicking missions around Bantock Park and other nearby spaces, garnering much praise from members of the public. Opportunities for Senior School students continue to expand, including the ongoing Discover Reading Project run by Head Librarian Mrs Rowley in conjunction with our partners at Southern Connecticut State University: following a period of training, Sixth Formers are working with reluctant readers and their families from a number of our partner primary schools,

www.wgs.org.uk

Sixth Form students aim to make a difference at Youth Council Congratulations to Lower Sixth student,

group being the largest

Jaipal Uppal, who has been elected as the

membership recorded.

Chair of Wolverhampton Youth Council.

The Youth Council meet

Jaipal and fellow Sixth Form student, Stefan Pataki, joined the Youth Council in September, after being nominated

by WGS History and Government & Politics teacher, Mr Taylor, to represent the School. Jaipal and Stefan were amongst 50 other young people aged 11-18 from across the city who attended

once a fortnight to discuss issues and projects within the local community, alongside attending additional events such as scrutiny panels with Wolverhampton Council and youth summits. Current projects and issues that the Youth Council are discussing include recycling and the cost of living.

a ceremony at the Civic Centre’s Council

Both Jaipal and Stefan are hopeful of a

Chamber in November to be officially

future career in politics and we wish them

named and welcomed by the Mayor

the best of luck in their endeavours. We

of Wolverhampton, Councillor Sandra

are very proud of their involvement in the

Samuels.

Youth Council and look forward to seeing

Wolverhampton Youth Council has been

the projects they help to get underway.

Year 9 Aristotelians Congratulations to Year 9 students: Trishna, Sophia, Riches and Sanuka who were selected as finalists to represent the School in the Year 9 Aristotelian Award.

The Award, which is in its second year, was launched by The Perse School in Cambridge to promote

in operation for 20 years, with this year’s

the development of independent research skills in young people.

Children in Year 9 from across the

Students excel in Physics Olympiad

UK were invited to write a 1,500 word essay chosen from five titles in two categories: Arts/Humanities or Sciences.

All Year 9 students at WGS entered

Congratulations to 15 of our Year 11

Mason achieved a gold award, placing

and Sixth Form students who have

them in the top 16.8% out of 5,653

been awarded for their achievements

students nationally. Six students received

in the British Physics Olympiad (BPhO)

a silver award, and four achieved bronze.

Assistant Head, Mr Yarnley, to enter

Thank you to Mrs Wainwright for

of WGS. WGS Head, Mr Frazer,

encouraging and organising the entrants

congratulated the students and

and well done to all our students.

presented them with prizes.

competitions hosted by the University of Oxford. These prestigious competitions are designed to encourage the study of physics and recognise excellence in

a School competition, from which four finalists were selected by the main competition on behalf

young physicists.

Upper Sixth students, Olu and Vishwas, participated in Round One of the Senior BPhO in November and both achieved a Silver award, putting them in the top 36% of the 2,830 students who took part nationally.

This was followed by 13 Year 11 students taking part in the Intermediate Physics Challenge Online. George, Marc and

We await the results of the national competition and wish all our finalists good luck.

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World Book Day Reading for pleasure was royally

The How to Train Your Dragon author

celebrated on Thursday 2nd March,

and Waterstones Children’s Laureate

as over 750 school children from 20

(2019-2022) Cressida Cowell spoke to

schools across the region joined our

the children about her latest children’s

Year 5 and 6 students at a special World

book Which Way to Anywhere, inspiring

Book Day event with the much-loved

them to have the confidence to put their

children’s author and World Book Day

own stories down on paper and to read

Trustee, Cressida Cowell. A packed

as much as possible for pleasure. In

Wolverhampton Grand Station was a sea

sharing her personal journey to becoming

of colour with costumes ranging from the

a best-selling author, Cressida excited the

BFG, Anne of Green Gables and Cruella

young audience with her tales of magical

de Vil to Willy Wonka, Where’s Wally and

worlds and linked a love of reading to

many more!

being successful in life, regardless of background.

As an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust, Cressida told us that for one in seven children, a World Book Day book is the first book they will own.

At WGS we are so lucky to have the wonderful Mrs Rowley and Mr McAllister organising events and activities through the Jenyns Library but this is not the case nationally where only one in seven primary schools has their own library. It was therefore extra special to share our World Book Day celebrations at Grand Station and to see every child gifted a signed, hard-back copy of Cressida’s latest book,

Students enjoyed a Where’s Wally? treasure hunt around the senior school.

Following Cressida Cowell’s author visit, our pupils have started to draw maps showcasing the whereabouts of events in the books they are reading, once again showing that true passion for reading and its vivid impact on our children’s imagination. Many thanks for your continued commitment to inspiring a community of young readers across Wolverhampton, Zoe and the WGS team.

Emily Birch, Teacher St Bartholomew’s Primary School.

thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Merchant Taylors’ Foundation.

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The Independent Spring 2023

Discove

r Readin

g Projec

t

Cressida Cowell’s b estselling series, Ho for this te w to Train rm’s Disc Your Drag over Read on has be in g Project.

Formers, en the foc Supporte children a us d by our fa nd their p ntastic te arents fro have take am of Six m Merrid n part in in th ale and C teractive aldmore story ses dragons.

Primary S sions and The Disco c h o ols designed ver Readin and made g Project Southern th e is ir Connecti delivered own cut State at WGS in University partnersh whilst ins and is de ip piring rea with signed to ding for p boost lite leasure. F resources ra c y a s milies all kills to enable receive fr them to c ee books ontinue their read and ing journe ys at hom e.

Returning to Wolverhampton Grammar School, it was the turn of Years 3 and 4 to take part in a draw-a-long with Cressida in the Jenyns Library. They were able to ask her lots of questions and it was a fantastic end to a busy day of World Book Day activities in the Junior School.

We thank Mrs Rowley and Mr McAllister for their amazing work in pulling this huge event together and bringing World Book Day to life. We hope you enjoy the photos which capture some of the wonderful book costumes and the event at Grand Station.

In addition, to ensure that all students were truly inspired to read on World Book Day, the Jenyns Library distributed free World Book Day books to students across the Junior and Senior Schools.

Enjoying the World Book Day event at Grand Station.

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Students interview prospective CEOs

BBC Young Reporter Throughout the term, members of

In our last edition of The Independent, we

BBC Young Reporter Club have been

reported that Thomas, Andrew and Jaipal

finalising their entries for this year’s

attended the ASCEL Conference to speak

competition. It has been fascinating

on the theme of Libraries, Young Activists

to learn about the news stories that matter to our community. This year’s entries include topics surrounding musical theatre and a lack of engagement from boys, the impact of food allergies on eating out, and the link between heading a football and dementia. As part of this year’s research, we have supported our

and Climate Change. Their ideas, clarity Young Reporter members interviewed

of thought and communication skills

the UK Executive Director of the

were extremely impressive and really

Concussion Legacy Foundation and

resonated with all the delegates at the

OW Alastair Norton, who successfully

conference. All three WGS students were

established his own theatre company

later asked to be part of the interview

after graduating from Mountview

panel for the new CEO of ASCEL, further

Academy of Theatre Arts.

to it becoming an Arts Council linked organisation and a charity.

students to undertake interviews with specialists.

Towards the end of term, we were

Many congratulations to Thomas, Andrew

excited to work with BBC Young

and Jaipal for conducting themselves

Reporter to put on an event during

in the interview process with the utmost

National Careers Week. Students

professionalism and for brilliantly

from St. Peter’s Collegiate School,

representing WGS.

Codsall High School, Aldersley High School and Coppice Performing Arts School joined our Year 11 for a day of media skills. Topics included finding out about fake news, disinformation On Tuesday 31st January, students visited Heavenly Desserts in Wolverhampton to interview an allergy specialist. In addition to gaining a valuable insight into how they safely prepare food for customers suffering from nut allergies and coeliac disease, students were treated to a selection of

and the tools to help navigate news; content creation sessions, podcasting and information about the skills and experience needed to work in the creative industries. Activities and workshops were delivered by a range of BBC staff from BBC News and local radio, alongside BBC Academy

their delicious desserts.

trainers.

Other interviews have seen BBC

Award-winning children’s author, Cliff

runner-up. Elinor in Year 11 was also

McNish, attended the event to share his

judged Highly Commended. The winners

Stories of Hope

advice with the budding young authors

were delighted to have their stories

Over 500 children in Years 3 - 11 from

and to announce the winners who have

recorded by Cliff and to receive their

across Wolverhampton entered this

had their stories read and recorded by

trophies. You can read their winning

year’s Wolverhampton Young Authors’

Cliff himself. Cliff is best-known for his

entries on our school website.

Prize competition, organised by WGS

debut fantasy series The Doomspell

librarians Mrs Rowley and Mr McAllister.

Trilogy, which has been published in 26

They were asked to write an original

languages worldwide.

400-word short story based around the theme of ‘Hope’. 108 Finalists from WGS

Congratulations to Dylan in Year 4 who

and seven local schools were invited to

won the Year 3 – 5 category, with his

attend the Grand Final which was held in

wonderful short story Cinammon lost at

Big School on Tuesday 14th February.

the train station, and Siya who came

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The Independent Spring 2023

Jenyns Library Monstrous Fun with Guilherme Karsten Guilherme Karsten delivered a monstrously entertaining presentation to children from Reception to Year 2, along with visiting pupils from Merridale Primary School.

As an author and illustrator, Guilherme’s work has been published in over 15 languages. His books have also won worldwide recognition with awards such as the Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB)’s Golden Plaque in 2019, the Golden Pinwheel Grand Award (China) in 2019, and the Jabuti Award for ‘Best Illustrated Book’ (Brazil) in 2021.

Guilherme’s event marked the UK launch of his latest book, Are You a Monster? The event featured a draw-along, an interactive story time and a visit from a very special monster from Guilherme’s book.

Andy Jones Author Visit On Wednesday, 1st February, author Andy Jones visited the Junior School to share his latest book, Bob vs the Selfie Zombies, with children in Years 4 and 5. Andy’s inspiring presentation was filled with creative writing tips, humour and zombies! Children left the event fully enthused to discover more about Bob’s time travelling adventures. Thank you to Merridale Primary School, Christ Church Junior School and St Bartholomew’s Primary School for joining us for this event.

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Shakespeare in Love A huge congratulations to the

of the Elizabethan theatre in London

by wealth and class and the constant

exceptionally talented cast of this year’s

1593. It begins with a young William

possibility of personal and financial

Senior Production of Shakespeare in

Shakespeare pondering over what he

disaster. Perhaps not such a far-away

Love. They delivered three successful

should compare “thee” to…

world after all!

sold-out performances of the charming and highly amusing romantic-comedy to packed-out audiences in the Hutton

The stage is filled with writers desperate to make a living, women denied the

Theatre.

opportunities men have, out of work

The stage adaptation of the popular 1998

craving attention, arrogant rich snobs,

screen play of the same title takes us on

dodgy agents, crooked businessmen, a

a journey to the seemingly far-away world

queen who loves dogs, lovers divided

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actors working in a pub, celebrity actors

The Independent Spring 2023

A very proud Mr Tyler commented, “Taking a film script, which is heavily reliant on visual effect, and translating the same excitement and dramatic action to a stage is a daunting task, but thanks to the wit of the original script, a wonderful set, stunning costumes and a talented and hardworking cast of actors - it was a really great evening of theatre! Love, laughs, sword fights and a comedy dog - what’s not to like?! We were completely sold out each night and the audiences revelled in the fun and energy of this captivating production of Shakespeare in Love.

A palpable hit!”

We are now looking forward to the Lower School Production of Macbeth next term. From Wednesday 24th May to Friday 26th May, Years 7-10 will take to the stage in Splendid Theatre Company’s engaging and entertaining one hour reworking of Shakespeare’s classic play. Plenty to look forward to!

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Life in the Junior School

Students interview prospective CEOs

Do you know your Tyrannosaurus from

Plenty of dinosaur-themed learning

Then it was time to plan their own

your Triceratops? Reception certainly

activities followed as the children

dinosaur adventure stories by setting up

do! Returning to the classroom after the

enjoyed learning all about prehistoric

new scenes with their small dinosaur

Christmas break, they were greeted by a

reptiles. They drew pictures and

figurines. With the help of their dinosaur

new dinosaur den which they have had

discussed their favourite parts of The

friends Reception also learnt lots of

lots of fun playing in.

Dirty Great Dinosaur by Martin Waddell,

adjectives such as bumpy, scaly, noisy,

which they found very funny in places.

and long – well done everyone!

Year 1 Artists In Art this term, Year 1 have studied

Mrs D’Arcy was most impressed

the works of Italian artist, Arcimboldo,

with the lovely pieces created by

and French artists Paul Cezanne and

the children in the style of each

Henri Matisse. They learnt lots of facts

artist – from pictures made with

about each artist including about their

natural materials to still life using

life growing up, early influences and

watercolours and Matisse-inspired

the style of art they eventually became

fruit collages our Year 1 artists have a

famous for producing.

fantastic gallery of work to look back on this term.

Year 2 on Safari A visit to West Midlands Safari Park

Lily was wondering if any might share her

provided a wonderful conclusion to our

name in the future!

Spring term learning. Throughout the term, Year 2 had been studying Kenya

In the afternoon the children had the

and Africa in their topic work and art

chance to get up, close and personal with

studies, as well as writing about animals

meerkats, lemurs and penguins before

in their non-fiction writing. Tour guide

watching a sea lion show - the clear

Adam was impressed with the facts that

highlight of the day.

the children could recall as he took them on a guided coach tour of the park. The children learnt all manner of fascinating facts including the fact that all the new animals born in the park in a given year have a name with the same initial letter.

In 2023 this is the letter L, and sure enough a baby zebra born the day after the WGJS visit, was named Lola.

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The Independent Spring 2023

Life as a Roman Year 3 have thoroughly enjoyed their

The term’s highlight was the day Titus,

Humanities studies this term and are now

a Roman Centurion, visited the Junior

experts on all things Roman! The children

School. The children were able to try on

discovered how life in Britain changed

pieces of Roman armour and handle some

considerably as the Romans established

weapons and artefacts. They were also

trading routes and eventually invaded and

instructed how to go into battle and tried

stayed in Britain. Life in Britain underwent

out several of the battle formations using

considerable change as the Romans set up

shields to create different formations to

housing and a very successful army. Year

fend off the enemy.

3 studied lots of different aspects of life creating mosaics, enjoying a Roman feast and learning about the many Roman gods and goddesses that were worshipped.

River study

Mars Bar Tectonics

Year 4 have produced some fantastic

Following on from their super

river models in their Humanities

presentations on natural disasters,

lessons. They used card to build the

Year 5 have been discussing the layers

river, painted it and then labelled the

of the earth. They were very focused

key features. They then carried out their

when they heard that they were going to

own research before writing a non-

be using chocolate to help them learn

chronological report on a chosen river,

about tectonic plates! Working in groups

including the Nile, the Ganges and the

the children created slides to show the

Amazon. To end their topic the children

three different movements: convergent,

were tasked with designing their own

divergent and transverse/conservative

flood-proof home and came up with

with the visual aid of oozing mars bars!

Students interview prospective CEOs

some fantastic designs!

Turn over to read about Year 6’s adventures in Arthog...

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Year 6 Adventures in Arthog At the end of January, Year 6 enjoyed an

After tucking into a filling breakfast, the

Burgers and curry to cater to all tastes

action-packed few days in Arthog, Wales.

groups were split into underground mining,

were wolfed down at dinner before the

Their teamwork skills were tested to the

canoeing, gorge walking and hiking for the

last activity of the day – the night line –

limits and the many challenging activities

first full day of activities.

which allowed students the opportunity

such as gorge walking and orienteering provided some wonderful adventures.

Mr Palmer’s group scrambled energetically up the floors within an old slate mine, ate lunch by candlelight and found out about the history of the slate industry before emerging at the top of Wrysgan mine, then hiking back down to the minibus.

Meanwhile, the other groups both had a wonderful time gorge walking and canoeing – two perennial favourites.

The gorge provided its usual thrills and spills of freezing water in wellies and

After a winding journey and plenty of ‘ooohs’ and ‘aahhhs’ at the beautiful Welsh scenery, Year 6 arrived at Arthog Centre just before 1pm. The children soon knuckled down to the hard task of making beds – not as easy on a top bunk as some found out – their first foray into teamwork!

The first day’s activities ranged from balance games in the rope area, to rope swing group work and a quick walk to the beach. A hearty dinner was followed by a lovely night-time walk along the

culminated in the infamous ‘gorge splash’.

Canoeing on the lake was great fun; ball games and races were enjoyed and no matter what the boys say – Mrs Jones won the race!

Miss Gibbons’ group loved their hike over the ‘dragon’s back’ hill of Pared y Cefn Hir with lunch inside a temporary shelter, before making a bushfire and finishing off the day with some beach dune scrambling.

to show their leadership skills.

‘Wacky Wednesday’ as the instructors now refer to it, saw the children starting to get a little tired from the challenging activities and later nights. However the day was still as action-packed as any other. The grey, slate town of Blaenau Ffestiniog is well known for its slate mines and two groups went into the Wrsygan mine.

Miss Gibbons’ and Mr Palmer’s groups ventured to a beach slightly further away with excellent ‘slab’ type rocks for scrambling and climbing. The students enjoyed finding crab claws, as well as trying the challenging harnessed climbs as the waves crashed into the shore just metres away.

The evening’s activity was a quieter one: a fun, mini orienteering exercise around the centre, which tired legs, minds and bodies hugely appreciated!

Fairbourne railway.

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The Independent Spring 2023

On the last full day Miss Gibbons’, Mr Cothey’s and Mr Palmer’s groups finally got round to the canoeing and gorge walking activities. Canoeing was tricky, with the wind determined to blow everyone onto the far side of the lake.

Gorge walking, as ever was exhilarating with some brave souls fully submerging after the mini natural water slide.

Climbing on the beach with Ms Guidotti’s group allowed the opportunity to scale a large rock slab and attempt some ‘weasling’ through boulders which provided some hilarity.

Mrs Jones’ group ventured a little higher into the wind for their climb, with some children proving that scaling the heights in the cold was very much their cup of tea.

In the evening, leader Jay, a legendary storyteller, regaled the children with the story of the Welsh faerie folk under the waterfalls of a Cadair Idris, followed by Abraham Wood’s travellers’ tale of poor old Jack the farmer. It was a wonderful end to a busy week.

Braving the ‘Gorge Splash’.

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Volunteering in Morocco Following our successful return to

Normale Supérieure de Marrakech

overseas trips in the Autumn term, we

(part of the Cadi Ayyad University in

were pleased to run two more trips

Marrakech) who are currently studying

this half-term – a welcome return

for teaching degrees; they helped

to the ski slopes in Austria and a

them by translating in Arabic and

brand-new volunteering opportunity in

French when communication barriers

Morocco.

arose.

The exciting Moroccan link was

It is believed that this is the first

forged by French-speaking Head,

time that anyone has brought school

Alex Frazer on a recent visit to meet

students from overseas to teach and

with Saâd Baddou of Association

as a result the project attracted the

Aghbalou, an educational charity,

interest of the Moroccan Education

and staff at L’École de Douar Shib,

Minister and local press. We felt

a primary school 15 miles outside

very privileged to be a part of the

Marrakech.

work that is being sponsored by Association Aghbalou to embed additional educational programmes in the school. Investment has already benefited L’École de Douar Shib with better classroom and playground facilities and our visit was also to serve as good publicity for the inspiring work that is happening there which is certain to have a measurable impact on pupils’ academic and pastoral development.

Maisie, who is interested in becoming a teacher, found her interests in education were furthered by her time in Morocco and shared her experience: “The children in my class didn’t speak any English but they

Ten eager Lower Sixth students

were able to learn from us and start

were quick to sign up for this

using words and phrases both inside

once in a lifetime experience and

and outside the classroom. It was

began six weeks of training with

rewarding to see the growth in their

Mrs Grigat-Bradley, learning useful

use of language by the end of

teaching skills to equip them for the

the week. It has certainly made me

classroom. Arriving in Morocco, they

even more determined to pursue a

enjoyed a day of acclimatisation and

career in teaching.”

cultural activities before beginning their programme of teaching. This consisted of three hours of English tuition every morning with other subjects such as Art, Music and Sport taught in the afternoon. Students were supported by students from L’École

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This life-changing opportunity has made a truly memorable impression on all the students involved and we look forward to continuing this partnership and seeing many more students benefit from these visits.

The Independent Spring 2023

Ski Trip to Obertauern Early on a Saturday morning a group

mountain by the end of the week, and

On the final day there was just time for a

of 41 students and six staff, set off to

the intermediate and advanced groups

four-mile hike to a local café to enjoy a

Obertauern for a week’s skiing and other

tackled many of the harder black slopes

hot chocolate before catching the coach

fun activities. After a day of travelling, a

on offer at Obertauern.

to the airport.

Après-ski was equally enjoyable with

Skiing was obviously the highlight, but

enjoying a traditional Austrian meal.

plenty of fun activities arranged for the

the combination of all the evenings’

evenings. The first night was spent bum

activities made for a wonderful trip

A fantastic week of skiing was enjoyed

boarding before enjoying hot chocolate

which was enjoyed by all and will be

by all, with great conditions despite some

under the stars. Other activities during the

fondly remembered for a long time. All

unusually warm weather. With four ski

week included a quiz and fun challenges

the instructors, and several members of

instructors assigned to the party, there

and activities in the hotel, a pizza night

the hotel, commented on the politeness

was something to suit everyone based on

in a local village where students made

and thoughtfulness of all of our students,

experience and skill level. Everyone made

their own individual pizza, sports games,

which we were very proud to hear.

excellent progress during their four hours

bowling and the standout favourite – a

of lessons each day. Both beginners’

visit to the local water park.

warm welcome greeted the group who then set off to explore their rooms before

groups were skiing all the way down the

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Art at WGS This term our WGS artists have been

Towards the end of term, award-winning

create three-dimensional works. Each

treated to some fantastic opportunities

contemporary British Portrait Painter,

piece reflects a subject that was

to meet with professional artists. Jamie

Jane French ran an oil portrait painting

important to them, with work showcasing

Millichamp (2019 OW) delivered a Zine

workshop over in the Art Studio for our

concepts linked to relationships and

workshop with students from across

Sixth Form artists. They also benefited

the environment. Students’ work will be

the Senior School. A Zine is similar to a

from her guidance on the portraits

exhibited as part of a regional project at

magazine but with a difference - Zines

they would be including in their A Level

Newhampton Arts Centre.

are usually self-published by the writer/

portfolios.

artist/creator rather than commercially sold. They are a collection of images and text, sometimes as a collage, and can be photocopied to make distribution easier.

Students explored what a Zine is and how to make one from a single sheet of paper!

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Our Sixth Form Viner Society students led Year 10 artists to select a theme and develop their idea using their chosen materials. They worked as individuals and in small groups to independently

The Independent Spring 2023

Building on traditional Fine Art skills, our own Viner Gallery opened its doors with a Lower Sixth Exhibition combining soft pastel, oil paint and sculpture to explore a diverse range of themes and subject matter from Shakespeare to Horror cinematography.

The Art Department are now busy preparing for the annual Summer Show on Saturday 1st July which traditionally brings together the final pieces of art produced by our A Level and GCSE students. The large scale A Level pieces are all individually hung from the roof of the Hutton Theatre, providing an extraordinary setting for some truly exceptional pieces of work. GCSE student work will be displayed in the spacious Viner Gallery.

Congratulations to all our artists!

Photography Trip At the beginning of March, WGS artists met artist Tom Hicks to learn about his ongoing urban photography project, ‘Black Country Type’ which focuses on words and typography within the post-industrial Black Country landscape. Tom took the students on a short photo walk around the city to capture their own photos. A selection of the work produced will be displayed at Wolverhampton Art Gallery this summer.

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Students interview prospective CEOs

Sport

U11 Boys on Top Form Our U11 boys’ football team have

After winning three of their group

continued to enjoy an incredibly

matches and narrowly losing one, the

successful season following their win

team needed to win their final match

at the Plate Competition at the IAPS

against RGS The Grange to qualify for

Nationals in November.

the semi-finals. It was an incredibly

Congratulations to Lower Sixth student,

tense game, but WGS managed to

Ryan, who won a bout in March

come from 1-0 behind to win 2-1; with

contributing towards the Midlands Cup

thanks to Ted who scored a fantastic

by a TKO in the second round. We wish

equaliser and Harry who scored a free-

Ryan the best of luck for the rest of the

kick in the final minute. The whole team

competition.

On Wednesday 18th January, they won the Cup at the annual Matty Thacker Football tournament at Winterfold School. Over the course of the day, the team were victorious in all eight of their games, keeping a clean sheet. Their outstanding team performance led to qualification for the Cup Competition which they proceeded to win 5-0 with a thoroughly dominant display in the final.

Following on from this success they went on to win the ISFA Seven-a-Side Midlands competition. The major tournament, hosted by Repton School, saw 13 teams from across the region battle it out to become Midlands Champions. The teams were split into

performed exceptionally and played their part in the eventual win, well done Harry, Owen, Zane-Cole, Nolan, James, Aarin, Jayden and Ted. In the semi-finals, the boys beat a formidable Warwick Junior School team 1-0, progressing to the final where they beat The Elms 1-0. By winning the competition, the team have qualified for the ISFA National Finals which will take place at St George’s Park (the England team’s training centre) on 2 May.

two groups, with the WGJS team facing

Thank you to Mr Griffiths who has

high quality opposition including RGS

coached the team to success and

The Grange, The Blue Coat School,

congratulations to the boys - we

King’s St Alban’s, The Elms, and

wish the team the best of luck for the

Leicester Grammar School.

National Finals.

18

Boxing Success

Ryan is also one of three Sixth Form students who run a weekly MMA club for students in Years 7 and 8.

The Independent Spring 2023

Football Girls’ Football at WGS has gone from strength to strength over the past season, with both our U13 and U15 teams qualifying for their respective City Cup Finals. Both finals were played at Compton Park which was a fantastic experience for the girls.

The U13s were runners-up in the City Cup after an incredibly tense final against Our and St Chad Catholic Academy on Monday 20th March; whilst our U15 girls beat St Edmunds 6-0 in the Cup semi-final and also went on to play a very strong Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy side in the final, finishing as runners-up.

In the boys’ competitions, there have been mixed fortunes with our Year 8s and Seniors leading the way. The U13s beat Colton Hills 8-0 in round one and St Matthias 2-0 in the quarter final, but sadly lost by one goal, 4-5, against Thomas Telford UTC in the Wolverhampton City Cup semi-final. They also reached the quarter-finals of the Independent Schools’ Football Association Cup. However, the U18s are still in the mix after winning two matches, 1-0 against St. Edmunds in a replay and 2-1 in a nail-biting victory versus SWB in the semi-final.

We wish them luck for the Cup Final to be played at Old Wulfrunians FC after the Easter break. Good luck to all involved.

U

m.

ball Tea

’ Foot 13 Girls

Sports Leaders A group of 19 Year 9 students have been training for their Level 1 Sports Leaders’ qualification over the last

U15 Girls’ Foot

ball Team.

two terms. This has involved delivering events for local schools under the Wolverhampton Schools’ Partnership.

They hosted an Indoor Athletics competition for 60 Year 5 and 6 pupils from three local primary schools in November and in January, a Multi-Skills event was run for 50 Year 1 and 2 pupils from three local schools, focusing on agility, balance, and coordination.

During the course students have learnt the skills and behaviours of a Sports leader, how to plan and deliver sports activities, effective communication skills, organisational and motivational methods of delivery and how to adapt activities to meet participants’ needs.

As the term drew to a close, all students successfully completed their final assessment and were awarded their coaching qualification. Congratulations!

Congratulations to our Sports Leaders.

19 7

WGS Gymnasts

Spring Fun Run

As the term came to an end, Junior and Congratulations to two WGS gymnasts:

Senior School students and staff joined

Charlie Hulme (Year 11) and Jamie Reyner-Corbett (Year 7) who

together for an early morning Spring

were both selected to compete at the Gymnastics British Championships in

Fun Run around Moreton’s Piece and the

Liverpool at the end of March. This was following successful performances at

Valley.

the English Open Championships, the second biggest competition in the country - a fantastic achievement in itself!

Charlie did extremely well against tough competition in the U18 Men’s category.

Meanwhile, Jamie competed in the Women’s Artistic Aspire category, finishing an incredible 4th out of 39 on the Floor Apparatus and finishing 8th overall. We are extremely proud of both of them.

Athletics, Netball and Cricket At the start of the term, the City Indoor Athletics Championship took place. WGS entered boys’ and girls’ teams in all age groups and there was success for our

There were House points awarded to all

Year 7 boys who were crowned City Champions and our Year 8 and Year 10 girls’

those taking part and prizes for the best-

teams who were runners-up.

dressed and for the fastest boy (Ryan Mehan) and fastest girl (Zena Asbury). A

Congratulations to the U13A Netball team who only

celebratory bacon roll and hot chocolate

conceded one game all season and came away with

were enjoyed in the Derry afterwards!

gold medals beating The Queen’s School, Chester, in a tight final at the Packwood Haugh Tournament.

At the very end of term they were named City Champions; whilst the U14s came runners-up.

The U15s have also seen success, recently winning the City Tournament. They played a round robin and didn’t lose a single game – congratulations girls!

Cricket continues to be enjoyed by boys and girls alike, even in winter when our U13 and U15 teams competed at the county indoor cricket competition. The U15 girls did well to reach the final, and the U13 and U15 boys’ teams both won their finals. At the end of term, our U15 boys took part in the Wolverhampton Schools Championships competing amongst 10 schools and were winners of the semi-final competition.

20

The Independent Spring 2023

Coast 2 Coast 25th Anniversary This year’s Coast 2 Coast Challenge will be the 25th time that a group of WGS students have run the 170 miles from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire as a tag team in just 24 hours.

The 2023 team is made up of: Ashwin, Charlie, Charlotte, Chris, Dylan, India, Matthew, Reuben, Tia and Zena. They have already started their 16 weeks of training before, during and after school, including braving some of the more extreme wintry weather we have experienced this term! Their challenge will start at 7am on Saturday 27th May from St Bees, with the aim of arriving in Robin Hood’s Bay by the same time the following day.

Along with the huge sense of personal achievement for the students involved, it is customary for the event to raise much needed funds for charity. This year, our runners have chosen to fundraise for Place2Be, the UK’s leading school-based mental health charity, providing support to children, families and school-based staff when they need it most. One in six children and young people now have a diagnosable mental health issue. That’s five children in every classroom with a condition like depression or anxiety.

Fundraising began in earnest on 21st March with a samosa sale and the team are off to a great start with £1,320 raised to date.

You can join friends and family in making a donation:

www.justgiving.com/page/wgscoast2coast2023.

Meet this year’s Coast 2 Coast team.

21

Dance Showcase On Wednesday 22nd and 29th March, 80 young dancers took to the stage to a sell-out crowd for their 2023 Dance Showcase. Students from Year 3 to Upper Sixth performed dances they had been learning throughout the year, in a range of styles. Miss Manning was so proud of how her students inspired each other to be bold, confident and fabulous - cheering each other on, every step of the way.

It was wonderful to welcome back former pupils to watch the show including last year’s Dance Captain, Kate Fitzpatrick (OW 2022).

Our very first senior dancers at WGS, Sophie Burnell and Emily Hunt (OWs 2018), were also delighted to present the Dancers’ Dancer Award during the showcase. Congratulations to this year’s winner: Millie Wyant.

“Here at WGS we strive for excellence, building confidence and skills in an environment where students feel supported and at home. Our dancers showed that beautifully on stage in our Showcase and we are incredibly proud of them all. A special thank you to our current Dance Captain, Jenny Chan, for being a wonderful role model to all our dancers.”

Miss Manning, Dance Teacher

22

The Independent Spring 2023

Wellbeing The addition of a helipod outside

After the talk students

the Derry was an exciting sight as

were able to

students came to school on Thursday

explore the helipod

23rd March. As part of our Wellbeing

(a decommissioned

Programme, students have the

MAAC helicopter) to

opportunity to learn about the world of

understand more about

work and specifically careers that are

how real casualties are airlifted to

linked to Wellbeing. It was therefore a

hospital. Junior School students also

pleasure to welcome back Midlands

enjoyed a visit to the helipod and were

Air Ambulance Charity, who visited

guided around the aircraft by Mark

earlier in the term to teach CPR to Year

Richardson, Events and Logistics

7, to speak to Year 9 and also visiting

Co-ordinator.

students from Smestow Academy.

Other Wellbeing activities this term

Kay Starkey from MAAC explained

have included discussions in response

that the charity started in 1991 and is

to the rise of social media influencers

a helicopter-led emergency medical

and a ‘Keeping safe from Crime’

service covering six Midlands counties.

production by Loudmouth Theatre. Mrs

The charity responds to some of the

Keeley was also delighted to welcome

most traumatic incidents including

over 100 senior school parents and

cardiac arrests, road traffic collisions

students to her first Wellbeing Evening,

and sports injuries. Their aircraft can

which covered topics such as revision

reach remote locations to attend

tips and coping with exam stress,

to patients unreachable by land

internet safety, careers and wellbeing

ambulance.

through fitness.

PI Day Congratulations to Head Boy, Vishwas, who beat the current school record of 187 by reciting 224 digits of Pi! Meanwhile in the Junior School, Evelyn in Year 5 recalled an incredible 189 digits of Pi to set a new Junior record!

Congratulations Emily!

Congratulations to Lower Sixth student,

performer, Casey Bailey. Emily spoke

Emily Connor, for delivering a fantastic

with incredible confidence about the

presentation at the Articulation Prize

work of American artist, Suzanne Lacy,

2023.

renowned for socially engaged practice

The Articulation Prize is an annual competition that invites post-GCSE students aged 16 - 19 to deliver a

and an art style involving collaboration and participation, usually focusing on political issues.

10-minute presentation to an audience

We are very proud of Emily for her

about a work of art, artefact, or

amazing achievement. Thank you to

architecture of their choice. Over

WGS Head of Art, Miss Bowater for

1000 young people compete annually

supporting Emily’s entry to the Prize.

in regional heats and finals held in museums and galleries in 10 regions across England.

Emily was selected to represent WGS at the regional heat at Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry, judged by award-winning writer, educator and

23

Hansel

Hansel & Gretel This Spring, the Junior School have been especially busy putting together their Year 3 and 4 show, Hansel and Gretel, which was written by our very own Mr Peters.

From an evil witch to dancing woodland creatures, the children have enjoyed getting into character with face paint and costumes alike. With Miss Austin as director and choreographer, the two show nights were an all-singing, all-dancing affair that delighted and dazzled our proud parents. Well done to all involved.

24

The Independent Spring 2023

WGS Charity Club Charity Club has been a popular addition to

Other fundraising activities this term have

incredible buzz around Big School as

our extra-curricular clubs and activities at

included two samosa sales, the first in

everyone piled in to show their support for

WGS this year. Headed up by Mrs Young,

aid of the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake

the charity. Thank you to Holroyd Howe

our new Charity and Community Action

Appeal, and the second to kick-start

who baked and provided 800 cupcakes for

Co-ordinator, it has regularly seen over

fundraising for the mental health charity,

decoration. Congratulations to the winners

60 students in Year 7 to Sixth Form in

Place2Be, which is the Coast 2 Coast

of the Cupcake Competition: Darcie Rose

attendance each week.

chosen charity this year.

(Year 7), Tom (Moreton, U6), Amarachi

Our four senior Houses have worked hard

On Red Nose Day our Charity

to support a number of local causes and

Ambassadors partnered with TV chef

received an overwhelming response from

Sabrina Gidda (OW 2005) to raise an

the school community. Thank you to all

amazing £1,000 for Pancreatic Cancer

our WGS families for supporting with

UK, an amount that shall be doubled by

Money was also raised through a non-

donations: over 750 hygiene products for

the Freddie Green & Family Charitable

uniform day encouraging senior school

the Haven (Nechells), food donations for

Foundation in partnership with the charity.

staff and students to come dressed in red

The Well (Offley), clothes donations for The

Sabrina recently became an Ambassador

(representing Comic Relief) and purple

Way Youth Zone (Moreton) and support

for Pancreatic Cancer UK after sadly losing

(for Pancreatic Cancer UK). There was a

for a blind penalty shootout to raise money

her mother, Sukey, to the illness in October

prize for the ‘best-dressed’ – well done Mrs

for Eyecan (Jenyns). In addition, teachers

2021.

Dixon and Angelina in Year 7!

delved into the archives to support Year 7’s ‘Guess the Baby’ competition, raising funds for Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice.

(Nechells, Year 11), Mya (Jenyns, Year 11) and Nimrah (Offley, Year 11). Sabrina also piped hundreds of cupcakes to be sold to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK .

Sabrina kindly visited the WGS Charity Club at the beginning of February to discuss potential ideas for a collaborative fundraising event. Inspired by Sabrina’s successful career as a chef, our WGS Charity Ambassadors were keen to plan an event that incorporated her passion for food. Students and staff were challenged to pipe and decorate their own cupcakes and enter them into a House competition to be judged by Sabrina. There was an

25 7

Pathway to Oxbridge

Students volenteering in Morocco

At the end of February, 18 Year 10

Amongst the presenters were Head, Mr

Nottingham University. Tom reflects

students were joined by students

Frazer; Deputy Head, Mr Hughes; and

that his experience in preparing for

from Beacon Hill Academy for a day

Teacher of Business and Economics,

Oxbridge enabled him to be accepted

immersed in Oxbridge preparation

Mrs Keys, who all attended Cambridge

at another highly regarded university.

as part of a “Pathway to Oxbridge”

University. We were also delighted to

partnership programme created by

virtually welcome Katie Naylor (OW

Head of Careers, Miss Kailey.

2018) who graduated from Oxford

The programme is designed to support students who wish to pursue Oxbridge applications from Year 10 through to the end of the process in Year 13. The event held in our Sixth Form Centre, was attended by numerous presenters who provided advice and guidance to the students; all guest speakers had either graduated from Oxbridge, experienced the application process, or had been offered a place in the next academic year.

University in 2021 with a Degree in Neuroscience. Upper Sixth students Vishwas and Tom who have just been through the Oxbridge application

The day of talks was followed by a visit to Oxford University for a campus experience day, where students were able to speak to current Oxford undergraduates and dine in the famous Oriel College dining hall.

process also came along to speak of their experiences. Vishwas has recently accepted an offer to study Engineering at Oxford University in the next academic year and Tom was placed in the ‘Winter Pool’ at Cambridge University but after much thought and consideration, has decided to accept an offer for Veterinary science at

Considering a future in TV Year 8 students were excited to visit Sky

It was a wonderful day, with everyone

Studios in London to experience a day in the

leaving the studio excited about the prospect

life of an employee at Sky. The 32 students

of a future career in TV and Media. Who

enjoyed a tour of the studio, seeing the

knows, we might be seeing one of them on

Sky media workforce in action; they even

our screens in the near future? Thank you to

witnessed the live filming of Sky Sports.

Miss Kailey for organising this insightful trip.

Personally, I found Sky Studios very interesting and informative but most of all quite insightful as it showed me the roles and effort that goes into making a movie. I think that it was especially useful as it let me know that a career in media

The afternoon was spent at the Sky

is not just acting but also editing

Academy, working in teams and using the

and many other important roles.

latest technology to produce a short film.

Even if you don’t want to be a news

Students learnt about the different media

presenter or a reporter then maybe

roles, such as editor and camera operator,

editing or filming from behind the

choosing from a range of green screen

camera is for you.

backgrounds, directing scenes and even choosing outfits from the wardrobe!

26

Faris

The Independent Spring 2023

Developing a new prototype for HS Marston Aerospace This term Mr O’Malley, Head of Design

various challenges such as pressure,

adding improvements and further detail to

& Technology, took Sixth Form students

creating an adequate seal to ensure it is

them. We used our additional time in the

Alex, Carter, Dan, Rohan and Sam to

airtight, and the cost of the solution, as well

workshop to begin our product write-up

Loughborough University for a two-day

as many other issues. All the research for

and the documentation of the design and

engineering workshop with engineers from

the product is done by us, then the partner

manufacture process. We also started to

HS Marston Aerospace Limited.

company helps to ensure the data is correct

make a new prototype which is currently

and whether the design will work. We will

being researched and developed so it is up

then produce a final solution and present

to standard with the other prototypes.”

The visit was made possible through the Industrial Cadets Scheme, a nationally accredited programme that partners students with industry-leading experts.

our design to the owners of the company, which they will then implement into their

Thank you to HS Marston Aerospace

facility.

Engineer, Jack Law, and his colleague

Cadets Scheme, formerly known as the

“In the workshop we were planning to make

mentorship. The team will continue to work

Engineering Education Scheme, for over

some basic to-scale models of our initial

on the project until they are ready to make a

20 years and has partnered with the likes

ideas, then improve upon them during

formal presentation to HS Marston’s senior

of GKN AutoStructures, Ansaldo Nuclear

our visit to Loughborough University. We

team, including their CEO.

Engineering Services Limited and Corus Hot

started by sorting our pre-made pieces,

Rolled Processing Centre.

which we cut at school using the laser

WGS has been participating in the Industrial

We asked Lower Sixth DT Scholar Dan, to tell us more about the project: “Our partner company is HS Marston Aerospace Limited; we are designing a new test chamber for their dry matrix test stack (jet engine coolant transport plating their product). To do this we need to overcome

cutter, into the areas they needed to be in for the start of construction. On the first day we assembled our first two designs and glued them, leaving them to cure overnight.

The next day we began the construction of the final and most complex prototype.

Loughborough University provided us with all the tools and equipment we

Ambrose Morris for their fantastic

Good luck to Eve and Nalin who have been supported by WGS to apply for an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. To date 14 OWs have benefited from the scholarship programme since 2014. As well as a £500 bursary award, students are linked with an engineering company to gain valuable work experience.

needed to finish the prototype, as well as

7 27

Music This term has seen a flurry of fabulous

tunes, songs from musicals and classical

and his band and witnessed incredible

musical activities in the Junior School.

music blended gloriously to provide a

performers such as vocalist Heather

Wonderful singing, composing, and

joyous and eclectic musical afternoon.

Small, the Beatbox Collective and violinist

recorder playing in weekly classroom lessons, the joyful sound of instrumental lessons ringing through the music department and an array of extracurricular clubs has ensured that our young musicians remain inspired and musically nourished.

In February, Years 3 and 4 were treated to a trip to The Symphony Hall where

At the end of term children were visited by the immensely talented Toscana Strings Quintet. Through music, dance and storytelling, children were captivated and inspired by the beautiful presentation of the The Monkey Puzzle, a book by Julia Donaldson.

part in this vocal spectacle.

Music Workshops disc jockey 2NV. Following a careers talk,

recently took part in one of the largest

students then had lots of fun trying out

children’s choir concerts in the world on

his decks and mixing their own tunes. Mrs

Tuesday 10th January. They joined the

Cuthbert has purchased some decks for

Young Voices choir of over 6,000 children

school and looks forward to running a DJ

at the Resorts World Arena for a day and

club in the near future!

evening of song.

to a DJ workshop with a professional

We also welcomed Jonathan Badyal (OW 2007) from Universal Music to talk to students about his incredibly inspiring career journey. Jonathan’s musical

designed for KS2 children, included

career began in the Department for

pieces composed by Brahms, Silvestri,

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport where

Shostakovich and Elgar.

28

it was in an incredible experience to take

A group of students from Years 5 to 8

The programme of music, specifically

performances. Rock classics, TV theme

songs and dance moves and as always

Y9 and GCSE music students were treated

of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

to over 30 fabulous solo and ensemble

thoroughly enjoyed practising plenty of

Young Voices

they were dazzled by the 80 strong City

The termly Teatime Concert played host

Anna Phoebe. Here at WGS we have

he campaigned to protect the Grime industry. He currently works as Director of During the show the children sang with

Communications at Universal Music UK.

professional conductor David Lawrence

The Independent Spring 2023

Congratu

Concert

lations to

who were

Devina, S

Time

ophie, Ja samaar, S to perform achi, and Summer in th e Wolverha Recital Ev mpton M ening at th usic e end of March re presentin Many pare g WGS. nts, direc to rs , s ta Spring Co ff and stu dents join ncert wh ich focus ed us for ed on Ch and show our amber m cased ou u r Upper S sic this y invited a ear ixth Music professio Scholars nal quart . We also et to acco and aria p mpany ou erforman ces. r concert o

Service’s

selected

Catherine’s Winning Vocal Congratulations to Lower Sixth student, Catherine, who won the Vocal category of the Wolverhampton City Rotary Young Musicians’ Competition. The event took place on Sunday 5th February at the Wolverhampton Music School. 13 of Wolverhampton’s most talented young musicians were selected to perform on a variety of instruments from Drum Kit to French Horn. Catherine was joined by fellow WGS students: flautist Charlotte (Year 10), and violinists Jasamar (Year 10) and Sophie (Year 11) who also delivered splendid performances.

Catherine went on to compete in the District Finals in March where she performed extremely well against a highly

We are so proud of our young musicians; to be selected to perform at this standard is an exceptional achievement.

This is the first time we have entered this competition. The quality of music-making was exceptionally high.

Mrs Cuthbert, Director of Music

talented field.

Wolverhampton City Rotary Young Musician winner: Catherine Chung

29

Cupcake Competition

Senior Houses

Minecraft Competition

Due to the bad weather at the end of

House competitions come in

last term, both the House Netball and

many guises and the Minecraft

Football were completed this term.

competition hosted by Mr Jones

The outcome of the netball went down

had a royal theme and was hotly

to the final competition with Moreton

contested by around 40 students.

finishing in top position. This year’s

Congratulations to Nechells who

House Football winner was Nechells.

were the overall winners and well done to our individual winners:

The bleep test was once again a huge

hundreds of students joined in a cupcake decorating competition in Big School to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK. Charity Ambassador and OW Sabrina Gidda was overwhelmed by the support from WGS: “I would like to say a huge thank you to the WGS charity team for helping plan this event and for volunteering their time to help deliver such a brilliant day. It is tremendously special to see students of all ages realise the difference they can make when they come together - and

success with over 20 sixth formers

in this instance I am so honoured they

and staff joining in to compete for

chose to support Pancreatic Cancer UK.

their House and determine the overall

Thank you to everyone for helping raise

average score. A special mention must

such vital funds - and for creating such a

go to Ryan Mehan in the Lower Sixth

memorable day.”

for the highest individual score of 13.8.

This year’s results were both higher

House points were amassed as

Best crown: Kayleigh (Y8, Nechells)

and closer than last year which means

Read more in our Charity round-up on page 25.

as a school we are getting fitter!

And this year winners, retaining their title with and average bleep test score of 7.5 was Moreton.

Mixed hockey continues to be very

Best throne: Charlotte (Y9, Offley)

popular and there was an excellent turnout for all year groups. Year 8 brought the competition to it’s conclusion on the penultimate day of term. Congratulations go to the winning House - Jenyns.

30

Best castle: Charlie (Y9, Nechells)

The Independent Spring 2023

WGS has got talent!

Junior House Music

Friday 17th February saw the return of

the winner, we were lucky to witness

The theme of this year’s Junior House

the highly anticipated WGS House Talent

an exceptional rendition of “Boyish” by

Music Competition was Eurovision!

Show. Each House put forward two

Japanese Breakfast, by last year’s winner,

Congratulations to all our WGJS

acts to battle it out on the Big School

Tar (Lower Sixth).

musicians for their individual and

stage. Hosts, Head Prefects, Vishwas and Ella, did a fantastic job hyping the audience and introducing each act. From a voice and piano duet to a tap-dancing ninja turtle - it was an action-packed show enjoyed by all. Well done to all our wonderfully talented performers.

Whilst our wonderful Old Wulfrunian judges, Dave Cant (OW 1963) and Andy

Congratulations to Elianna Botchway (Year 9) who won this year’s competition for Offley, with her elegant ballet dance.

group performances. The winning House was Campbell, who won with an impressive performance of Puppet on a String by Sandie Shaw.

We are proud to share that alongside a samosa sale on the same day, the show raised an incredible £822.22 for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s TurkeySyria Earthquake Appeal.

Husselbee (OW 1979) deliberated over

Junior Swimming

Winning House: Campbell

It was fantastic to see the return of the WGJS House Swimming Competition this term. Organised into width and length races, it was wonderful to witness all of the participants enjoying the competitive, yet friendly, inter-house competition.

Congratulations to Barnes, who won, earning their House 20 points. Well done to all involved and thank you to Miss Bassett for organising this major event (for the first time since 2019!). The House Swimming Competition will now return as an annual Winning House: Barnes

favourite.

7 31

The Independent Wolverhampton Grammar School Newsletter

Spring 2023

If you would like to hear more about anything featured in this edition of The Independent please contact the School email: marketing@wgs-sch.net Wolverhampton Grammar School Compton Road Wolverhampton WV3 9RB 01902 421326 www.wgs.org.uk

Key Admission Dates for Summer Term 2023

Thursday 4th May 2023 New Year 7 Parents’ Evening, 6pm-8pm Saturday 13th May 2023 Discovery Day for Year 5, 9am-3pm

@WGS1512 Wolverhampton Grammar School Official Wolverhampton Grammar School Wolverhampton Grammar School

Thursday 22nd June 2023 Sixth Form Open Evening, 6.30pm - 8.30pm