The Grovian 2021/22

The Grovian 2021/22

Official Reports

It was a huge honour and privilege this summer to welcome to Woodhouse Grove our Guest of Honour, Revd Peter Whittaker, who, of course was no stranger to Woodhouse Grove Prize Days. Following many years of distinguished and unstinting service as a School Governor, Peter retired from the Board at the end of August 2022. During his enduring relationship with the School, Peter has been an incredibly active member of the Governing Body. Prior to joining the Board in his own right, Peter served as an ex o cio Governor in his capacity as Chair of the West Yorkshire District of the Methodist Church, an appointment he held with distinction for 16 years. It is the case, therefore, that Peter’s contribution to this community has been significant. He will leave a mark on The Grove that very few will ever match.

Our final weekend of the academic year provided an ideal opportunity to celebrate another very productive and successful year for The Grove, enriched by the thoughts of two excellent speakers in Revd Peter Whittaker and Revd Atkins, who spoke for the final time as our School Chaplain at the Leavers’ Service on the last Sunday of the Summer Term. I am certain that Revd Whittaker’s warm, intelligent and wise words will have resonated with our Year 13 Leavers and their parents, as will Revd Atkins’ wonderful sermon. Furthermore, I am sure all those present at Prize Day will have been mightily impressed with the thoughtful and moving reflections on their time at the School from our Senior Prefects, whose speeches were delivered with poise, confidence and great aplomb.

of a community. This school teaches and instils the confidence in our young people to believe that if they really want it enough, they can achieve anything they want to in life; their destiny is in their own hands - and throughout life, no matter how old we are, we never stop learning and developing. Moreover, learning at The Grove is not confined by the walls of the classroom, and I am delighted that educational visits, trips and tours have once again resumed in earnest following an enforced break due to the pandemic.

When I sat down to write this Grovian Report, it gave me another opportunity to reflect on what a tumultuous two years the school and the wider community have faced. As we move on from the pandemic to coronavirus being endemic and hopefully subsiding within the population, I hope we can look forward to things returning to some kind of normality. On the other hand, we have to accept that Covid-19 has changed things; and we should try to resist just going back to how it was, and instead work hard to embrace the positive changes brought about by Covid. What we do know for certain is that our students and sta are much more adaptable to change than we might have expected before the pandemic.

Perhaps the greatest success over this incredibly challenging period is that pupils and sta have simply found ways to carry on, to keep learning, to

Our Grovian Values guide us all on how to live, work and play with others in society and the value of being part

keep smiling and to make the best of the situation. The pandemic has reminded us all, that for every achievement, and to be truly fulfilled, there is a challenge, or a struggle. Adversity, and sometimes failure, provide us with an inner strength. That we emerge wiser and stronger from setbacks means that we are, ever after, secure in our ability to survive.

The current crop of Grovians is a generation that has been hit hard by adversity and setbacks. Out of war time, I cannot think of a group of young people of whom more has been asked, or from whom more has been taken. However, today’s Grovians are also a generation that is politically aware, socially responsible and engaged with the world. They display energy, creativity and a sense of purpose. And this has never been more evident than over the last two years. I salute them all.

Thanks to Covid and unhelpful Government interventions, the curriculum continues to ebb and flow. Like our students, parents and teachers, today’s Headmasters have much to contend with. Yet it remains a great privilege to be part of such a vibrant sector, to lead such a brilliant school, and to work alongside such energetic and talented sta ; whose raison d'être is to serve those who really matter, our young people.

The poet WB Yeats once said that “education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire”. At Woodhouse Grove, we are firmly committed to providing the kindling which fires a distinctive, full and whole person approach to education; one that seeks to inspire, enlighten and empower.

We remain incredibly proud of our rich history and Methodist heritage and continue to celebrate our legacy to this day. Our Grovian values are at the core of everything we do, yet we are also a school with a modern outlook and a fresh approach. Individualised teaching and learning, dedicated pastoral care, an exciting and wide-ranging co-curriculum and fantastic facilities; all combine powerfully to make for a special place to learn, live and grow.

One of our primary goals is to ensure that our young people are prepared for life beyond the school gates, not just with the academic credentials and skillsets they will need for the next stage, but likewise the aptitudes, attitudes and leadership qualities that will enable them to make a positive impact on the world beyond education. We want them to go on and exercise authentic and compassionate leadership. We want them to make a di erence.

Plans are well on the way to build a new Sixth Form facility to enhance and complement the impressive accommodation already enjoyed by our Year 12 and 13 students. This new, state-of-the-art provision will have seminar rooms suitable for Sixth Form teaching, lectures and career talks delivered by our numerous Grove Business Partners. There will be increased space for individual and collaborative working and integrated technology for the live streaming of topical issues – and, of course, the now ubiquitous Zoom calls! Elements of the space will have a much more corporate, workplace, feel.

The successful school of the future will regard preparation for work as more important than preparing its students for A-levels and BTECs.

Emotional intelligence, reaction to failure, leadership, perseverance, resilience and the ability to improvise and adapt on one’s feet, are becoming increasingly important. As has been well documented of late, soft skills – personal attributes that enable individuals to interact e ectively and harmoniously with one another – are best inculcated in schools such as The Grove. In the modern, rapidly evolving employment landscape, the ability to anticipate and prepare for future skills requirements is not a concept that the world of education has fully grasped. A school that truly cares about the future of its young people must regard preparation for work as equally important as preparation for examinations. With excellent vocational courses and apprenticeship opportunities available, there is a real onus on schools to provide timely, well-informed and impartial careers information.

Whilst it is every school’s primary aim to secure the highest possible academic outcomes for its young people, this is no longer enough. Exam results and Higher Education qualifications certainly open the door to university courses and job interviews but in the rapidly evolving workplace of today, they are not always enough to secure employment beyond education.

Having spoken to our ever-growing number of Grove Business Partners, it is becoming increasingly obvious

to me that employers no longer care about what you know. What they really care about is what you can do with what you know. Young people need to be o ered vocational opportunities and experiences and be encouraged to think about their academic life beyond the narrow confines of the syllabus. They need to be able to think on their feet and be confident and well formed – not just well informed.

I believe our revisited, remodelled and refreshed Sixth Form curriculum and Pathways Programme is at the cutting edge of what a forward thinking, modern day Sixth Form should look like. The advent of a new purpose-built facility will provide another tangible expression of Woodhouse Grove’s genuine desire to prepare our Sixth Form students for the workplace and life beyond school.

At its heart, the business of Woodhouse Grove will always be rooted in the people that make up our community; the building of strong relationships forged between parents, sta and pupils; and the value placed on each individual.

Finally, I should like to record my thanks and gratitude to the team responsible for putting together another excellent edition of The Grovian.

Mr James Lockwood - Headmaster

Head Prefects’ Report

Sophia: The word ‘unprecedented’ has certainly been overused in the last few years, and has come to define a time of uncertainty and change for, not just this school community, but for wider global one. The Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the few times that the school has had to close its doors to a large number of pupils, but it has not been the first time that The Grove has had to endure and adapt to adversity.

Charlie: Throughout its 200 year history, the Grove community has withstood the devastation of war and endured many challenging global events, so Sophia and I decided that we would look at the school’s archives to see how the Grovians of yesteryear came together in other ‘unprecedented’ times.

Sophia: 2020 was not the first time that the school has faced disruption from a global pandemic, so we thought we’d take a look at The Grovian magazine from 1918 – the year that the Spanish flu caused similar global disruption, and the world was weary from four years of warfare.

Charlie: We anticipated that the 1918 school magazine would reflect the ‘doom scrolling’ tendencies of our present day – a preoccupation with bad news and communal anxiety. But what we found was – surprisingly – quite the opposite. The Grovians of 1918 were resilient and resourceful, reflecting upon their school year with an attitude of humour and optimism.

Sophia: Take, for example, this humorous quip at the long-su ering school choir:

“On Saturday, a plan was formed to entice the school choir into Roundhay Lake. We supposed that this was for the purpose of drowning the lot of them. Unhappily, the following day, most of us were disappointed to find them still alive and dry, as usual.” This anecdote perhaps explains why our music master, Mr. Tedd, has starting coaching swimming this year. We hope that our peers in Grove Singers will, after tonight’s leavers ball, also be “alive and dry as usual” in chapel, tomorrow morning!

Charlie: Surprisingly, there was only one mention of the Spanish Flu in the whole of the 1918 Grovian. It was in relation to a new initiative that the boarders had developed:

“The school’s anti-mouse campaign has taken a favourable turn. North House and the Prefects’ room have loyally obeyed the call to arms of the Anti-Mouse Association, and the mice now cease to trouble us. Either we have successfully assassinated the brutes, or they are all down with the flu”.

Charlie: Although we’ve never had to wage a war on the school's mouse population, we have had a school experience like no other. Sophia and I are going to give you some of the highlights from the last school year. Just a quick disclaimer: we prepared this speech thinking that there was a good chance we’d be delivering it as a video call over Microsoft Teams, so please be patient with us if we encounter any unforeseen technical glitches.

Sophia: Charlie, would you like to start with the sports highlights?

Charlie: Yes, sure. I’ll start with sport.

Sophia: Because obviously, if I’m talking about the performing arts, we have to save the best until last.

Charlie: We all know that’s not true, but I’ll be the bigger man – literally – and go first. Rugby at the school continues to be as successful as ever. We have taken part in well over 100 fixtures during the season, and 250 boys have represented the school. Some of my highlights from the season include the rugby tour to the South West, otherwise named by captain George Worthington as ‘the Tiverton Riviera’ - not quite South Africa but still a fantastic way to end the season. The Friday Night Lights game against Sedbergh and a truly fantastic win over Denstone College are also favourites of mine.

The netball season has also been hugely successful. We have had 300 girls represent the school in fixtures and have seen our largest numbers attend after-school training sessions with sessions regularly having 30-40 girls per year in attendance. Special mention goes to our first team netball players who were U19 National Finalists.

The football season has been as popular as ever, with the girls’ football squad representing the school for the first time this year, which resulted in the U15s taking part in the National Cup Competition.

The Grove’s cross-country squad made school history this term when all four of our teams qualified for the national final of the English Schools’ Cross-country Cup in Newquay. We’ve also seen a revival in fencing thanks to the enthusiasm of Mr. Exeter, not to mention the popularity of the school’s other key sports: cricket, climbing, squash, basketball, badminton, tennis and since we are apparently saving best until last, swimming.

Sophia: Despite twenty months of no live performances, the arts at the Grove have continued to thrive. They may have had a tumultuous start to their time here but Year 7 and 8 have really involved themselves in the arts with shows like ‘Spotlight’ and the superb ‘High School Musical’. The senior production this year was the amazing musical, ‘Legally Blonde’ and, finally, Years 9 and 10 had their chance to

shine in our summer term outdoor production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. These productions were directed with enthusiasm by Mrs Baker and Ms Evers and the audiences had a superb time watching them.

The arts have continued to be a vital part of life for many of the members of the Grove and allowed students to connect to causes that go beyond the school, as seen with the Charity Rock Concert put on by two of our Sixth Form students Lucy Hart and Amy Cavaliere. One of the highlights of the year for Year 13 was the Leavers’ Soirée, which saw the return of individuals who have not performed in a long time come together with our regular performers, gracing the school’s theatre with one final show. It was a perfect way to remember and conclude our arts career at the Grove.

Charlie: Our time at The Grove has, of course, not been exclusively made up of sports or performing arts, but mostly academics. I think Sophia and I speak for the whole student body when we say that we are very grateful for all the support we’ve been given by our subject teachers and form tutors, you guys have been amazing. I would personally like to thank the two best departments in the school, Physics and Maths. Sorry Mr Bean, you'll have to take the joint first place. Who would have thought Mrs Kerr was right when she told us in Year 7 that maths and further maths was actually fun and one of the best A-levels?

Sophia: I’d have to disagree with you. English Literature and English Language are the best subjects. The English department is essentially the perfect mix of feminist wit, Mrs Goodwin Bates’ iconic salted caramel brownies and our teachers’ borderline unhealthy obsessions with linguistic professor David Crystal and Poet Laureate Simon Armitage. They would be the first to admit that they don’t get out much. Like many other Year 13s, I also hugely enjoyed Philosophy and R.S., and am very grateful to both Mr. Robb and Mr. Jennings for giving us what was a bizarrely enjoyable and well-structured existential crisis.

Thank you to Mrs Fisher who, despite frozen screens and failed Teams calls, still managed to get us through the mountain of content for psychology. Whilst our last years at the Grove have been characterised by technological di culties, uncertainty and constant change, one thing that has remained consistent, at least, has been the enduring presence of the school. The change from a physical environment to a virtual one unveiled the true heart of the school: us. The Grove isn’t just a series of buildings. It is every pupil, every sta member, every parent, governor and friend of the school. The Grove has been able to endure adversity and continues to thrive because of the sense of community that fuels it.

Charlie: We are part of an established history and have made our mark on a legacy that will extend far past us. That is something we should celebrate. We would like to draw to a close by returning to the pages of The Grovian from 1918. The magazine’s anonymous editor presumably a school leaver - reflects upon the beauty of the school’s setting, the memories woven into its history, and the bittersweet poignancy of moving on from school life with both excitement and some trepidation. Encouragingly, he also notes the frequency with which Old Grovians return to the school to reminisce with fondness – an observation that gives Sophia and I great comfort. We will leave you then, not with our own words, but with the words of a fellow young Grovian from over a hundred years ago:

Sophia: “With all the summer term’s bright happiness, its open windows, and fresh mornings, there is a wistfulness in the sunny days and long evening hours that touches our joy with a little sadness. It is a time, too, which we have grown accustomed to associate especially with partings, with the losing sight of familiar faces, with the vague feeling that the old order is, in part, changing and giving place to what may be next. Nor are we comforted by the times in which we live, for the outside world is so weary and so full of its own uncertainties that it cannot respond to our need for cheerful encouragement. But quite the most pleasing feature of this term has been the number of visits from Old Grovians who have come from their great works to linger an hour or

two in old haunts, to remember the glad and forget the unhappy. Here, Grovians, both past and present, seem to embody the spirit and the belief that the best is yet to be.”

Nwachukwu Charlie Plein

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Sophia

Chairman’s Report

I was delighted that this summer, we were able to hold our first full Prize Day since 2019. It is wonderful to return to normality. And, I am equally delighted that normality at Woodhouse Grove continues to be something really rather special…

The School has recently been re-accredited with the Wellbeing Award for Schools. A strong community is one which o ers its members high levels of pastoral care and support and Woodhouse Grove is rightly proud of the pastoral care it provides. As we move into a post Covid world, the School continues to do a huge amount to support pupil mental health and wellbeing.

Thank you to all the pupils, parents and sta who supported the School in the recent accreditation process, which has seen the Grove gain the Wellbeing Award for Schools for another three years. Receiving this award from Optimus Education is a tremendous accolade and a tangible reminder that Woodhouse Grove is one of the leading Schools in the country when it comes to addressing students’ positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. Three years ago, we were the first Independent School in the country to receive the award and we are now the first Independent School to be re-accredited for a further three years. Thank you to everyone involved.

I am pleased to report that, having weathered the Covid storm, the School is in a very stable financial position. Despite current economic challenges and with support from MIST, we have further plans to develop our sites over the next 18 months. We have proposed Planning Applications for £5 million of capital projects, including a new Sixth Form Centre, covering the Netball / Tennis Courts and a 3G pitch at Brontё

Turning to the sta – both teaching and support – we cannot thank you enough for your sterling e orts and adaptability over these past two years. We are all extremely grateful. To the sta who left us at the end of the Summer Term, thank you for your contribution to the Woodhouse Grove family. We wish you every success in the future.

I would like to mention one member of the team to whom we bid farewell after 27 years as a key member of our School community – Head of Ashdown, Mrs Ali Hinchli e. Ali’s vision, enthusiasm and unwavering commitment to the children in her care is what makes Ashdown the thriving community it is today. Many Grovian families have benefitted from Ali’s care and expertise; her knowledge and passion for the development of young minds has been a driving force at Ashdown for many years. We thank her for her years of service and wish her the very best for the future.

For the past ten years, since MIST purchased Moorlands School, the administration and responsibility to MIST for Moorlands has been via Woodhouse Grove and we formed a Moorlands Subcommittee within our Board of Governors. From 30th September 2022, Moorlands became a fully independent MIST School, reporting directly to MIST, with its own Governing body.

I would like to thank Revd Peter Whittaker (Chair of the Moorlands Committee), along with our Governors, Allison Cook, Palwinder Kaur and Gill Wilson, and also our Finance Director, Vanessa Bates, for working with Moorlands’ Head, Mrs Jacky Atkinson. They have ensured Moorlands is in a healthy position. Going forward we will continue to o er support to our fellow MIST School.

I would like to thank all my Governors for their considerable e ort and again, the incredible flexibility, time and expertise they have shown and given so willingly and freely in order to enhance and support Woodhouse Grove. At the end of the Summer Term, five Governors retired from the Board.

I have mentioned Allison, Palwinder and Gill transferring over to the Moorlands Board. I thank them for their many years of service on the Grove Board. As well as the Moorlands Committee, Alison also served on the Audit, Governance and Risk Committee and Moorlands Enterprises Limited. Gill also served on the Education Committee, Appeals and Complaints Committee, Safeguarding Committee (including Moorlands Representative) and also as Governor covering Early Years.

Richard Hemsley retires from the Board after nine years of service, after being appointed in 2013. Richard is a retired Chartered Accountant and former Partner in RSM UK. He holds a number of Trusteeships and held the position of Clerk to the Governors of Woodhouse Grove from 2008 until 2013. Richard has held the position of Chairman of the Finance and General Purposes Committee and was a member of the Budget Committee. We wish him a long and healthy retirement.

Reverend Peter Whittaker also retired from the Board in the summer, after 27 years of service. I don’t think there are any Committees on which Peter has not served. I do know that at the time he retired, he was a member of five Committees; Chair - Moorlands School Committee, Chair - Prep Schools Education Committee, Audit Governance and Risk Committee, Budget Committee and Appeals and Complaints Committee. I joined the Board in 2002 and it will be strange not seeing Peter at meetings. His impact on our School is immeasurable and personally I can’t thank him enough for his support and wise advice over the past 20 years.

We welcomed the following Governors to the Board in September 2021:

Dr Kully Johal – Old Grovian – Managing Director, Piccadilly Properties

Beverley Proctor – Former Parent - Executive Director, Medical Protection Society

Andy Wood – Current Parent – Yorkshire Managing Partner, Grant Thornton And the following Governors joined us in July 2022:

Michelle Phillips – Old Grovian – MD / Owner, Carelink Homecare Services Limited

Sarah Huby – Old Grovian – Headteacher, Holy Trinity C of E Primary, Halifax

Finally, I am delighted to report that, in spite of the challenging marketplace, the popularity of Woodhouse Grove amongst parents seeking a place for their children continues to be very high. The School’s reputation is such that there is a great deal of interest in securing a place at Woodhouse Grove at every level. I cannot thank the entire Woodhouse Grove family – teachers, support sta , parents and pupils – enough for that being the case.

be an inclusive and socially proactive school is something that I particularly appreciate about Woodhouse Grove. This year we have taken part in Interfaith Week, Refugee Week as well as Holocaust Memorial and Racial Justice Sunday.

Earlier in the year we interviewed for my replacement and were most fortunate to appoint Reverend Rob Drost to take over the Chaplaincy in September 2022. I wish Revd Rob every success and pray that he will soon feel immersed in the special community that is the Grove.

Revd Vicky Atkins School Chaplain

Alan Wintersgill BEM, FCA Chairman of Governors

Chaplain’s Report

This is my final report as Chaplain and I must say that it has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve the diverse community that is Woodhouse Grove.

This year has continued to be shaped by many varied experiences, some of them life enriching and some of them infused with sadness. As Covid restrictions began to be lifted, Chapel became a place of celebration once again. We have come together as a community to remember, share stories, sing, celebrate Christmas and Easter, and of course lament over what has happened in Ukraine. We held two prayer vigils in chapel at the beginning of the conflict, sta and students lit candles, wrote prayers and came together to mourn for the people a ected by the violence.

Chaplaincy at Woodhouse Grove is very much responsive to the changing needs of the community. This year we have created a ‘Multi Faith Prayer Room’ in school and I have spent time creating opportunities for interfaith dialogue between students of di erent faiths. The desire to

Year 13 Results

Grade A* and A (or equivalent) passes are marked with an asterisk.

Jones

Kalusova

Kaye

Kendrick

Knight

biol, eng lit, phil, psych econ, hist, pol ent, media, psych, sport* bus, ent*, phil drama, eng lit, media biol*, chem, geol fin, geog, phil, psych media, phot biol, maths, sport* eng lit*, fre*, hist*, span* fin*, fre, maths*, phys ent, sport maths*, frth ma*, phys*, span* chem*, maths*, phys* bus, fre*, maths*, span* art*, maths, phys biol, bus, chem biol, chem, maths, phys* biol, eng lang, psych biol*, bus*, sport* drama*, eng lit, hist, mus* bus, ent, sport bus, fin*, ger*, maths, mus bus, fin, psych, sport* fin, mus tech* art, bus, eng lit eng lang*, ger*, hist*, pol* eng lit, phil*, psych bus, geog, media geol, psych, sport* chin*, maths*, frth ma, phys econ, pol, sport* comp*, maths*, frth ma*, phys* art, bus, eng lang bus

art*, eng lit*, maths, psych* econ, sport* bus, econ, fin, psych eng lang, geol, pol bus, design, fin, psych chem, maths*, frth ma, phys* biol, bus, psych* art, eng lang, sport* biol, bus, chem eng lit*, hist, media art*, biol, bus, eng lit

Marcus

Masiye

McElhone

Naik

art, bus, ent* art, fin, geol, psych biol*, chem*, maths* ent, hist, sport bus, ent*, geog, hist eng lit, pol, span drama, eng lang, psych eng lit, psych biol, geog*, geol biol*, fin*, geol, phys bus, econ, fin*, geog comp, eng lit, maths eng lang, fin, psych, sport* eng lang, eng lit*, media* design, ent, geog biol, psych*, sport* hist*, phil*, pol bus*, chin*, ent*, psych* eng lang*, eng lit, phil, psych biol*, chem*, maths* ent, sport* drama*, eng lit, media* ger*, maths*, frth ma*, phys* geol, hist, maths econ, fin, phil, pol bus, eng lit, fin*, phil biol, geog*, geol* chem*, fin*, maths*, frth ma*, phys* eng lang*, eng lit, media biol*, chem*, phys* chem, comp, maths fre, hist, pol biol, econ*, maths phil, pol, psych maths, phil, psych* chin*, econ, maths*, frth ma* bus*, econ*, fin*, pol* eng lang, fin, geog biol, eng lit*, psych design, phys eng lang*, ger*, maths*, frth ma*, phys chin, mus bus*, econ, fin*, sport* biol*, maths, phys* bus*, econ*, maths* bus, design, ent*, fin*, geog chin*, comp, maths*, frth ma ent*, media, phil biol, chem, psych econ, fin*, hist, pol*

GCSE Results

The number following the student’s name represents the number of GCSEs attained at Pass grade or better.

Z Abbas 9 S Ahmed 9 Y Amrat 9 S Anderson 9 Z Arif 9 N Armstrong 10 A Asif 9 C Atkins 9 M Bardouille-Lewis 10 J Beese 9 M Benito Martin 10 H Bhangoo 10 N Boakye 8 A Broome 10 E Bywell 9 H Cheng 9 Y S Cheng 9 Y C Cheng 10 R Clark 9 S Craven 3 T Craven 9 C Culyer 8 O Defurey 10 A Denby 7 S Denson 7 J Eaglestone 9 J Edgley 9 Z Farid 10 I Farrar 9 K Finn-Hirose 9 N Flynn 9 J Gilbert 8 F Green 3 E Greenwood 9 M Gri ths 10 T Haddock 9 R Halliday 8 E Hammond 5 B Hardy 1 N Hawkshaw 11 L Henderson 9 R Henderson 10 R Higgins 8 E Hinchli e 9 D Horne 9 R Horton 10

E Hunter-McDonald 9 A Hurford 7 H Hussain 9 J Hussain 8 L Hussain 9 U Hussain 9 C Hyland Dugbo 9 M Jennings 9 A Johnson 8 J Jones 9 M Jones 9 S Karroum 8 H Kerfoot 9 U Khan 5 Z Khan 9 X Khawaja 9 R Kirby 7 J Knapton 7 S Lawrence 10 C Lee 9 D Leslie 6 A Lewis 10 Y Li 9 C Long 9 L Lund 9 F McCormack 9 E Meek 9 M Middleton 8 J Moore 6 M Murphy 10 R Ngai 9 F Oakes 9 W O and 9 G Oldridge 8 N Partridge 9 J Pearson 7 S Pickles 9 L Plein 11 H Poole 10 K Priestley 3 F Robb 9 A Robinson 8 E Robinson 7 T Rowe 9 A Sarai 9 A Sherlock 9

N Shyllon 9 K Singh 10 E Smith 9 O Speck 9 T Steel 9 L Stoner 9 Y Tao 9 W Tate 9 G Thirkill 9 N Trimby 11 S Vernon 9 M Warland 7 M Wilson 7 W D Wong 9 P Wright 10 C Yim 9 S Yusuf 10

Colours & Credit Awards

Elsa Beese*, Ella Francis, Reece Hahn, Lucy Hart, Sebastian Howles, Elizabeth Kalusova, Alex Song, Raj Palit, Liza Solomanchuk, Luke Schoeman*, Lucy Thornton*, Tom Vernon*, Harry Willard Y12

Kiah Bardouille-Lewis, Kadiatou Barry, Sam Binns, Chloe Cater, Amy Cavaliere, Lizzie Deall, Evie Hamer, Ruby Hawker, Jayaa Kaur, Ritika Kanda, Ella Manogue, Aaliyah Mian, Emma Okpala, Olivia Ranson, Molly Richardson, Andy Salvador Medina, Samuel Siu, Olivia Speed, Lily Sugden, Isla Swarbrigg, Alice Wright

Creative Arts

Sam Binns, Chloe Cater, Mia Chan, Tim Eichert, Lucy Hart, Ruby Hawker, Beth Jenkinson, Katherine Knight, Bella Lawson, Ella Manogue, Lily Sugden, Isla Swarbrigg

Sports

Football

Diego Carrasco, Lewis Coates, John Emmott, Luke Harrop, Daniel Kaye, Rafael Marcus, Aakash Naik, David Olubiyi, Billy Peaker, James Tate, Kian Tennant, Freddie Ziegler

Netball

Summer Anderson, Annabelle Beckley, Scarlett Birdsall, Chloe Cater, Josephine Gorton, Evie Hamer, Ruby Hawker, Annabelle Hudson, Lillian Hughes, Harriet King, Emma Okpala, Isla Swarbrigg

Rugby

Paul Blakey, Will Eastell, George Heptinstall, Max Hassan, Oliver Kendrick, Rafael Marcus, Jake McFarlin, Ned McCormack, Archie Medway, Charlie Plein, Ben Turpin, Harry Willard, Louis Worrall, George Worthington, Freddie Ziegler

Climbing

Oscar Robinson

Year 7

Aaron Ahmed, Georgie Cothli, Matilda Couzens, Milly Cross, Alex Dawson, Caragh Jemmett, Katie McWilliams, Luca Nelson, Poppy Richards, Ruby Stansfield, Abigail Stirk, Josiah Stockill, Simeon Tedd

Year 8

Megan Atkins, Thomas Edgar, Adam Hussain, Nihal Johal, Isabelle Sowerby

Year 9

Adam Bashir, Lily Bickle, Zac Nelson

Year 8

Megan Atkins, Miranda Bayliss, Millie Batty, Rosalind Bayliss, Lucy Bedford, Alex Butler, Anya Choudry, Laura Clarke, Charley Clark-Taylor, Connie Dawes, Grace Dunn, Isla Eaglestone, Tom Edgar, Harry Edwards, Thalia Felipe-Scargill, Matilda Holt, Grace Howes, Erin Isbister, Hiero James, Sam Johnson, Prabhekam Kaur Grace Manning, Rafe McCormack, Freya McDonald, Charles McLarnon, George Ng, William O’Toole, Lilly Peacock, Libby Pierson, Theo Pollard, Betsy Raj, Harrison Riley, Matty Roberts, Dexter Small, Issy Sowerby, Ashton Spanton-Namany, Tilly Sugden, Lois Turner, Maya Verma, Ilaria Walton, George Webster

Year 7

Aaron Ahmed, Moses Amedzro, Ellie Beaini, Sebastian Cadman, Manraj Chana, Lander Crew, Georgie Cothli , Matilda Couzens, Milly Cross, Lily Davison-Monk, Archie Duggan, Isabelle Fuller, Jacob George, Will Gracey-Shaw, Cleo Hainsworth, Thomas Howcroft, Zara Jaques, Caragh Jemmett, Amber Khan, Belle Kerr, Eleanor Limbert, Rosie Lockie, Isobel McKie, Sophie Mo at, Caelan Molloy, Luca Nelson, Vida Richmond-Coggan, Charlie Rimington, Oliver Simpson, Suzy Simpson, Tifi Solaru, Ruby Stansfield, Abigail Stirk, Simeon Tedd, Isaac Tong, Poppy Watmough, Alice Wighton, Leisha Woo

Year 7

1st Gabriel Berry 2nd Ruby Stansfield 3rd Alice Wighton

Year 8

1st Connie Dawes 2nd Miranda Bayliss 3rd William O’Toole

Year 9

1st Erin Nulty 2nd Liam Matley 3rd Laiqa Hussain

Year 10

1st Anna Parsons 2nd Tilly Raj 3rd Ayomide Solaru

Year 11

1st Marta Benito-Martin 2nd Ashley Broome 3rd Matilda Wilson

Year 7

1st Matilda Couzens 2nd Milly Cross 3rd Manraj Chana

Year 8

1st Maya Verma 2nd Anya Choudry 3rd Harry Edwards

Year 9

1st Izza Malik 2nd Filly Yonas Brhane 3rd Chase Dobbins

Year 10

1st Annabel Smith 2nd Gaelle Carrasco 3rd Oscar Binns

Brontë House

Head’s Report

With the previous two years blighted by Covid, we were determined to start academic year 2021/22 with a bang! Whilst retaining some elements of sensible precautions to keep sta and children safe, well and in school, we began the year fully operational and optimistic for some normality.

The Co-curricular Programme was subject to a complete overhaul from September, with children a orded a choice of a sports club, a creative activity or an academic endeavour each evening. From Knitwits to Mandarin, table tennis to Art Club: with nearly 60 activities on o er each week, we hope we have something to spark the interest and enthusiasm of every child. The traditional, Late Prep session was also joined by an Early Prep, to allow those children leaving to pursue their own hobbies and past times out of school to benefit from a quiet, supervised time to complete their homework.

Much to the delight of the children, September also saw the return of the Fixtures Programme. Once again, we were able to enjoy sporting competition against schools far and wide. Representing Brontë in this way is such a proud moment for the children; it was wonderful to see the return of this very important element of school life.

Celebration assemblies each Friday morning took on a new look. After a break of eighteen months, parents were once again able to join us to celebrate children’s successes. As a precaution, to reduce numbers in attendance, we divided the School and invited half to

attend each week. This allowed more time for sta to explain children’s accomplishments and for children to provide some feedback as well – a system that worked so well that we will be continuing this into the next academic year.

In October, Mr Phenny led two separate Harvest Festival services, for Lower School and Upper School respectively. This was the first time, since March 2020, that we had heard large groups of children singing and the beautiful surroundings of the Grove Chapel made the experience really quite moving.

Much-loved events from the ABA also returned to the calendar. Our very first Pizza and Pyjama parties took place in November, to be joined by the traditional discos later in the year. In the following term, much to the delight of the children, we were able to open our new adventure playground, thanks to the hard work and endeavours of the ABA members past and present, who have given their time so selflessly to support us.

No fewer than nine Christmas performances took place in December; Mr Phenny was pleased when the end of term arrived! The Ashdown canopy was the setting for the outside performance of the Nursery and Reception Nativity. With donkeys from Bethlehem in short supply, Mrs Hinchli e found some in Blackpool and arranged for one to deliver Mary as she made her entrance – a first for a Brontё Nativity! December weather can be unpredictable but not even the high winds and lashing rains of Storm Barra could detract from the star quality of our Ashdowners! Ambitious performances from both Years 1 and 2 were also enjoyed by parents, as well as a beautiful Chapel service, led by our oldest children in Years 5 and 6.

January saw the introduction of our new English teaching methodology: Pathways, with much focus on how we could continue to improve our children’s writing across the School. To introduce their new class text, Year 2 returned on the first day and found that a dinosaur had, rather carelessly, left an egg behind in their classroom; whilst Year 5 children were engrossed in their latest work on the Norse Gods – helped by their already extensive knowledge of the Marvel characters. Year 3 dived into an old classic, The Iron Man, by Ted Hughes; and Year 1 followed the animal footsteps around the school, stalking the animals from their text, The Lion Inside.

At the same time, the programme of external trips and visits recommenced in earnest. These add another dimension to the children’s learning and help to bring topics ‘alive’. We visited Cartwright Hall to investigate the paintings of LS Lowry with Year 1; Year 4 journeyed to North Yorkshire to Stump Cross Caverns to complement their topic work and Reception enjoyed a fantastic day at Herd Farm, engaged in a range of outdoor pursuits.

The first half of the Spring Term proved extremely di cult, with many sta across the school testing positive for Covid; it was a real battle, at times, to ensure that school remained open due to soaring levels of absence. February half-term arrived at the best possible time.

Following the break, Years 3 and 4 delighted parents with what can only be described as a truly spectacular performance of Aladdin at the Grove

Theatre. Mr Phenny amazed us, once again, with yet another highly polished showstopper, combining the acting, singing and dancing skills of the children across two year groups.

In the Summer Term, children in Key Stage Two enjoyed their first residential trip in two years. Year 3 and 4 travelled to Northumberland to spend 2 nights at an outdoor pursuits centre; Year 5 had such an amazing time in Windermere that Mrs Rayner has extended the trip from 2 nights to 3 next year; and Year 6 enjoyed weather in Wales that looked similar to the Caribbean, spending their days paddle boarding and gorge walking around Plas Menai. Friendships were a rmed, boundaries pushed and self-esteem built: what amazing opportunities for learning outside of the classroom environment.

In June, all members of the School community came together to run the Brontë Big Pink Marathon, raising over £5000 for our chosen charity: Candlelighters. The children came dressed head to toe in pink and a fantastic amount of money was raised for this very worthy cause.

All too soon, the end of the year was upon us and it was time to say goodbye, not only to our oldest children in Year 6, but also to some long-serving sta . Mr Graham, one of our popular Key Stage Two sta , left us to project manage a new restaurant development; Mrs Downs decided to focus on her creative talents full time; and Mrs Hinchli e left us to pursue pastures new after 27 years in Ashdown Lodge. We thank all of our talented sta for their hard work and commitment to the school.

At the end of another academic year, we look forward to the opportunities that the new year will bring and we are extremely grateful for the successes and experiences this year has brought.

Mrs Sarah Chatterton - Head

Ashdown Lodge

The Summer Term in Ashdown brought more of the planned improvements in the form of new flooring and toilets in the Nursery, an improved all weather play area around the back of the Pre-Nursery classroom and new tables and chairs that are perfect for our children to work at comfortably. More renovations are due in the near future in our Reception classrooms. These continued upgrades to the environment are not only modernising Ashdown but are continuing to make it a fabulous place to work and learn.

Along with changes to the environment, there have been considerable changes to the sta too. As well as new faces, new sta means new ideas, new initiatives and a new look to the future of Ashdown.

Three long-time serving sta members left the tight-knit community that is Ashdown at the end of the Summer Term to pursue other areas of interest and to accommodate changes to circumstances in their lives as their own children grow up. Mrs

Hinchli e, Ms Willis and Mrs Metcalfe all made the decision to move on to pastures new and they take away some fabulous friendships and memories with them.

'Out with the old and in with the new.'… Mrs Hannah Foster has taken the helm as our new Head of Early Years. Hannah is an extremely experienced practitioner and manager and, as a parent herself, fully understands the importance of a good start to a child's educational life. Her career has seen her work across Early Years and Key Stage One in many di erent roles, such as an Assistant Head leading on Assessment, Phonics and Safeguarding. Hannah is passionate about giving children memorable lifelong experiences that help make learning fun as well as giving children firm foundations to achieve academically.

Other new sta to join the team are Lauren Emmett as Acting Pre-Nursery Room Leader and Siobhan Storton and Shaaiza Tahir as Nursery Practitioners in

Pre- Nursery. All sta members are a huge asset to the Ashdown community and will ensure the very best care and education to our youngest members of the school.

Reception visited Herd Farm for the first time this year. After talks between ourselves and the team there during the lockdown period, it was decided that they would take on a whole new area for Early Years trips, and so they developed a bespoke and wonderful set of activities for our children (and now children from other schools) to enjoy. Reception have been on many trips over the years, but this was truly one of the best, o ering the children challenging experiences that pushed them out of their comfort zone and helped them to build that all important positive mindset and resilience that helps to build their confidence and therefore their future learning in many years to come. The children had fun working as a team to complete the obstacle course where they had to climb over the net and balance the seesaw. They took part in a crate stacking challenge to see how many crates they could stand on without them falling over. Many of the children started the day saying, 'I can't do that' and by the end of the day, they were amazed at what they could actually achieve.

Mrs A Hinchli e

Performing Arts

Although some Covid 19 restrictions were still in place at the beginning of the academic year, and we were still not singing as a whole school community, it was a delight to invite audiences into school to see our pupils performing in the way they do best - ‘live’.

We began with our Harvest Festival Service. Actually, I should say services as, due to social distancing, we had two - one for Years 1 to 3 and one for Years 4 to 6. As there was still no congregational or whole school singing, each year group performed two songs each. Although it was very di erent to past services, it was nonetheless very successful and it was just lovely to see the enjoyment on the faces of our pupils while performing for an appreciative audience.

After the half term break our thoughts soon turned to how we would safely perform our plethora of Christmas shows. We decided to keep the performances within year groups and limit the size of audiences. Our younger pupils certainly rose to this occasion. Audiences were treated to ‘Shine Star, Shine!’ (Year 2) and ‘The Innkeeper’s Breakfast’ (Year 1). For the first time ever, we performed an ‘open air’ nativity. Reception and Nursery braved the poor weather and performed ‘The Big, Little Nativity!’ Although the audience and performers were cold and damp, everyone’s heart was warmed by the sight of Mary riding on to the stage on a real, live donkey!

Although the Year 5 and 6 Carol Service began with the beautiful solo voice of Austin Burkett singing the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’, it marked a turning point as, at last, we could all sing together. Pupils and congregation relished the opportunity to sing out together for the first time in two years.

While the Nativities were going on, Years 3 and 4 were beginning rehearsals for their show‘Aladdin Trouble’ This was performed at the end of March in the Woodhouse Grove Theatre to packed audiences who were amazed at the professionalism and comic timing of the performers. As well as Aladdin, the show contained the usual range of pantomime characters including; Widow Twankey, Wishy, Washy, Princess Jasmine and Abanazar - the archetypal panto villain played brilliantly by Wilf Holt.

The academic year ended with Year 6 performing ‘Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies’. This hilarious reimagining of the Robin Hood story saw Robin and his Merry Men (AKA The Men in Tights) as a band of entertainers who defeat the wicked King John and Sheri of Nottingham through the mediums of song and dance!

As well as large scale productions, our pupils presented several ‘curriculum inspired’ assemblies to parents. These assemblies were a mixture of dance, drama and song. ‘The Great Fire of London’ and ‘The Victorians’ were presented by Years 2 and 5 respectively and Year 6 presented their own ‘mini musical’ inspired by Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhyme - ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Each Year 6 class composed two songs that were woven seamlessly into the poetic retelling of this traditional tale. The songs were so good that many of the audience hadn’t realised that the pupils had written the lyrics and music themselves until it was pointed out to them.

In the last half term, the whole school gathered to mark the opening of our Outdoor Learning Day and Summer Fair with a tribute to Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. Everyone from Reception to Year 6 stood together on the Brontё House playground and sang an upbeat song, with a distinct Caribbean feel, that listed the achievements of Queen Elizabeth.

Although Covid 19 has had a somewhat detrimental e ect on the numbers of pupils playing orchestral instruments, we have exciting plans in place to rectify this over the next academic year. Those pupils who have taken external music exams have done very well and many of them have passed with merits and distinctions. Particular mention must be made to all the pupils who took Speech and Drama exams at the end of the academic year, as every one of them passed with distinction. Well done to everyone and thank you to our team of peripatetic sta who work tirelessly to prepare our pupils for these exams.

Mr P Phenny

Year 5 Lake District Trip

Year 5 were the first to venture out on a residential post Covid. What a treat it was to stay at Windermere’s youth hostel - set in 4 acres of glorious grounds, overlooking the lake and countryside! The perfect location in which to pursue adventurous activities, and hopefully, initiate a life-long love of the great outdoors.

Experiences included: gorge scrambling, canoeing, climbing, team challenges and a mountain adventure. It was undoubtedly the children’s highlight of the year.

Next year’s cohort are already looking forward to 2023’s trip to The Lakes. Fortunately, we have secured an additional night’s stay, so that through

our residential program at Brontё, we can provide even more learning opportunities designed to help the children:

• Build friendships with others

• Enhance their health and wellbeing

• Participate in exciting adventurous activities with highly qualified, specialist sta

• Work cooperatively and support others in challenging situations

• Develop improved communication, problem solving and decision-making skills

• Improve self-confidence, overcome any fear and develop greater independence

• Connect with nature and the environment

and above all … have fun!

Mrs N Rayner

Year 6 Wales Trip

In May, Year 6 went to Plas Menai, the National Outdoor Centre for Wales which is situated on the banks of the Menai Strait in North Wales. It is also a recognised RYA and BCU training centre, owned and operated by Sport Wales. Its mission is to unleash the power of adventure, and it did exactly that.

The children had an amazing time, facing their fear of heights on the ‘leap of faith’ and climbing wall. The children enjoyed getting wet and having the opportunity to try new sports such as windsurfing, stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking. The children were really pushed out of their comfort zone when they had a day out of the centre gorge walking, and they had the opportunity to mountain bike to Caernarfon for a well-deserved ice cream. In the evenings, the children worked together in teams to make a catapult and compete in an ‘egg drop’ (it was good to hear so much laughter!) They were introduced to archery and enjoyed orienteering for clues around the centre.

The children had a fantastic time and they displayed courage, resilience, teamwork and independence. It was a great opportunity to consolidate friendships and make some long-lasting memories.

Year 3/4 Ford Castle

Years 3 and 4 travelled to Northumberland for their residential trip to Ford Castle during May. In glorious sunshine the children enjoyed a variety of confidence building activities, ranging from raft building to high ropes trapezes. It was brilliant to see everyone pushing themselves outside of their 'comfort zones' and being part of a team, helping each other through some tough challenges. The resulting benefits from such challenges are invaluable, and the maturity and manners of our amazing children were commented upon by numerous members of sta at Ford Castle.

Mrs H Simpson

Mrs F Pearson

Rugby U9s

The season began well for the under 9 Brontё House rugby team with super performances at the Yorkshire Prep Schools Festival at Ashville College. This was followed by better defensive performances against Moorlands and St Olave’s. It was clear to see the boys were improving in their passing and being less selfish on the ball match on match, and this led to a brilliant

Rugby U10s

display away at BGS in November. Highlights from after Christmas included excellent team displays at Aysgarth, GSAL and QEGS, where the boys played with a good shape to the team and made very few errors. Well done to everyone on a super season.

Mr M Marshall

The boys had a great season this year, especially after having so much time away from the game. We kicked the season o with a highly competitive triangular fixture with Ashville and Bradford Grammar. The tackling was ferocious and the boys managed to move the ball well.

The busy fixture list continued with games against St. Peter’s York, Birkdale and Hill House, over in Doncaster. All the time the boys were building on

Rugby U11s

Year 6 had a great start to the rugby season 21\22, after missing a whole season due to Covid. Some of the team were new to the school and some new to rugby, yet made an impressive impact on the pitch. Taylor Cody, Henry Holt and Ben Baker had a fantastic first season, some great tackles, scoring many tries, contributing in every single game.

There were so many great individual performances. James Howcroft stands out for his all round excellence, fearless tackling, quick and smooth handling skills and great spatial awareness on the pitch. George Carnochan is a force to be reckoned with in every match, running clever lines and making crunching tackles. Joseph Besau is incredible in the ruck, defending the ball and winning turn overs. Later

their skills and their confidence and the results started to reflect this.

After Christmas, we finished the regular season with an incredible 35-35 draw at Birkdale and our usual finale of a mass trip to QEGS, where all the boys in the year represented the school. All in all, it was a very successful season and the boys represented the school brilliantly.

Mr T Waterhouse

in the season as his confidence within the team grew he could be heard motivating and directing the play, which was a great help. Also useful in the ruck was Cameron Wiley. Joe Gilbert made some fantastic tackles and made a lot of ground in every game. Sam Dowsland used his size and power to our advantage running the ball in and scoring some great tries.

Our first fixture of the season was the Gateways’ Festival. Ashville, GSAL and Richmond House were some of the schools there. We had some success and I thought we, as a team, played really well for our first games together.

One of our biggest wins was a triangle with Birkdale and Yarm. We played so well it irritated some of the opponents! In total we scored 30 tries to their 5.

The Harrison Cup at QEGS was our biggest fixture. We had lots of support from parents and not forgetting Mr Marshall, who gave us such a good team talk before playing QEGS. We gave our best performance of the day, beating them 7 tries to 5.

We finished the season with a 7s tournament at St. Peter’s York. I won Rock Paper Scissors for most of the games which was a huge di erence for me

Netball U9s

With their first season under their belt, the U9 teams have been a pleasure to coach. They have played in both High 5 and 7s competitions and individual fixtures.

All the girls have represented the school and have had the opportunity to move round the di erent positions.

from the rest of the season. My favourite match was the last of the day when I scored the last try of the season which won us the match. It’s such an honour being chosen to be Captain, I have enjoyed every moment. I look forward to seeing the boys improve as we go through Woodhouse Grove together.

Leo Bridge - Captain

They have grown in ability and confidence through this game play and have produced some great team work and results in competitive situations. A fantastic first season.

Mrs C Couzens

Netball U10s

The U10 netball teams have had a very positive season. The teams have had a strong mix of attack and defence and have shown great progress in their understanding of game play. The teams have interchanged and there has been a mixture of individual matches and festivals.

Netball U11s

Throughout the season the U11 netball team have shown great determination and have developed as a team. Having not played competitive matches in the previous year, it has been a delight to watch them flourish in a competitive situation.

Their game play and court awareness, along with their positive attitude has increased match by match.

With a mixture of individual matches and small festivals they have produced some excellent results

The players have shown fantastic commitment and encouraged each other in both training and fixtures.

and held their own against all their opposition.

The end of the season finished with the HMC tournament where we finished in a very respectable place. With very strong competition, the team dug deep and produced some of their highest standard of netball.

Well done Penny Lofthouse for captaining the team.

Mrs C Couzens

Mrs C Couzens

The cricket season began for the U9 A and B teams back in the Summer Term with a tough opening fixture against Aysgarth. It was evident immediately that the boys had considerable potential with the bat, but needed to look after their wickets so they did not lose runs. This they did better in their next fixture against Richmond House, winning the match comfortably and scoring numerous boundaries. The boys were now finding

Cricket U10s

We had a relatively condensed season this year but, nonetheless, the boys played brilliantly. For many, it was their first time playing with a hard ball, which can be daunting!

We started with everyone’s favourite away trip, up to the beautiful school of Aysgarth in North

their groove from regular lessons, clubs and even practice at break times! The season was rounded o with an entertaining performance against Bradford Grammar School, in which we batted well and showed an increase in bowling accuracy. Well done to everyone who represented the U9s this season. We are proud of you!

Mr M Marshall

Yorkshire. The game was competitive, but the Beadale boys were just too strong in the end and won convincingly. After a couple of weeks training in the nets, we played Richmond House and the score was much closer, testament to the boys’ hard work. The lads got a fantastic win away at Bradford Grammar School, where the

game looked dead in the water, only for our boys to mount a heroic comeback, bowling out their last four batsmen for only 12 runs! We finished the season with a highly anticipated match

Cricket U11s

against GSAL, only to have the whole thing rained o after just ten minutes!!

Well done lads, you were great!

Mr T Waterhouse

The Summer Term is always far too short...if cricket is your passion! However, we were able to get stuck in straight away, with practices after school on Mondays for Years 5 and 6 with Mr Bedford and Mr Waterhouse, and on Thursdays for Years 3 and 4. There was a great turn out for these sessions – with lots of enthusiasm shown by boys and girls alike.

The U11 started our season with a much anticipated trip to Aysgarth - taking a full coach of Years 5 and 6, where we played 4 matches. Henry Sewards, George Carnochan and Sam Dowsland putting on strong batting performances. Leo Bridge, James Howcroft

and Sam Dowsland all taking wickets when we fielded. We put up a strong fight but were sadly beaten in our first game.

Our second fixture was also going to be tough – away at Bradford Grammar – with A teams for Year 5 and 6 travelling. George Carnochan and Sam Dowsland both putting on strong batting performances, and although the U11 fought well, returned home defeated whilst the U10, under Captain Henry Sewards, were victorious. A much anticipated day of cricket for the HMC U11 tournament was next on the calendar. A beautiful, hot and sunny day, spent in the grounds of Woodhouse

Grove, where we hosted an impressive 14 teams from HMC schools. The A and B teams were in separate groups and played fixtures against GSAL, QEGS, RGS Newscastle, Hymers, Ashville, Barnard Castle, Pocklington, Ackworth and Birkdale. Louis Brook, Freddie Atkinson, Oliver Neville-Brady, Zeb Wilson, Tom Goodison, Taylor Cody and Edward Burdett represented the B team. Sam Dowsland, George Carnochan, Leo Bridge, Joe Besau, Henry Holt, James Howcroft and Henry Sewards played in the A team. Highlights from the day were Sam Dowsland’s hat trick, Henry Sewards and George’s batting, James Howcroft’s bowling – not to mention the fantastic team ethic and e ort for the whole

Swimming

It has been a delight to be back in the pool and having swim galas against other schools this year. The squad have worked hard to improve their techniques and times and have made impressive progress.

Cross Country

The Brontё House Cross Country team ran once again in the North Bradford League this year, and certainly did not disappoint with their e ort and endeavour throughout the year. After the 4 races were completed, the boys finished in second place – a fantastic result which shows the depth of the team. The girls also did well, finishing in eighth place overall.

day. Everybody had opportunity to bowl and practise their skills, and a fabulous day was had by all.

Our final match versus GSAL was scheduled for the following week, but alas, the great British weather put paid to us securing a result. However, the informal final game of Y6 leavers vs parents was reinstated after Sports Day – to the enjoyment of all involved. With thanks to all the pupils who played over the season, and of course to the sta who gave up their time to support us for our fixtures and training.

Sam Dowsland Captain

There have been some excellent individual events with some very close finishes and some great relays.

Mrs C Couzens

Another highlight was the HMC Cross Country event at Barlborough Hall where 30 Brontё House children competed from Year 4 to Year 6. Well done to everyone for representing us so superbly this year, your hard work during training at Cross Country Club certainly paid o !

Mr M Marshall

Boarding

Boarding Review

The Boarding community came back in September 2021 hoping to establish some normality after an especially di cult period.

The Autumn Term is always challenging when trying to embrace change, revisiting old routines and habits after a long summer break. This started with Freshers’ Weekend, where new and old boarders came together to enjoy some fun games ending with a battle of strength - fighting it out during the tug of war event. Needless to say, it ‘broke the ice’ and settled some early nerves at the beginning of what would be a long term. Two weeks later our boarders went to Alton Towers for the day. The trip was a success with plenty of happy faces, despite some testing rides! Half term was soon approaching. To celebrate pulling through the toughest period, we took some of the boarders ten-pin bowling. Great fun was had by all with some top scores (even with the bumpers up…mentioning no names!). After the break, the boarders were treated to some fireworks and toasted marshmallows for bonfire night. Over the next three weeks the boarding community enjoyed trips to the Escape Rooms and the Cinema. The term culminated with the highlight of the year - ‘The Boarders’ Christmas Ball’. The evening

was a great success with boarders enjoying a three-course meal, bumper cars, a disco, an instant photo booth and a firework display. Plenty of memories were made, leading us to a well-earned break, but not before singing some Christmas Carols in the chapel during the final week.

The New Year soon came around where the boarding community were treated to some Scottish culture celebrating ‘Burns Night’. It is fair to say that plenty tried the Haggis, despite its acquired taste. Over the coming weeks the boarders went Ice Skating at a new rink in Leeds and had an amazing array of Chinese cuisine to participate in another cultural experience marking Chinese New Year.

Throughout the remainder of the term there were plenty of in-house events to maintain our Red versus Green competition, as well as other initiatives to boost moral through the darker months of the year. Spring was a welcome sight taking us towards the Easter break and finishing with the boarding ‘Easter Egg Hunt’. There were plenty of cream eggs to find to earn their chocolate prize. The holidays were upon us once more, giving us the chance to rest and recuperate for the final term of the year.

The Summer Term is always the one boarders look forward to the most, with lighter evenings to enjoy playing tennis, walks around the site and various games on the fields. We were one week in and Exeat was already upon us. 30 boarders stayed in Brodwell House to enjoy a weekend of activities, as well as the sights of the local area and Leeds city centre. When the fun was over, there was a sharp focus on academic study to prepare for what was to come. When the boarders weren’t in the books, they had the opportunity to go on trips to Go Ape and Nando’s for a Friday night meal. This led us nicely to a well-deserved half term break to recharge before the bulk of the examinations. On their return, students had camping and paintballing to look forward to. This was a real chance to get their own back on boarding sta , especially Mr Whitlam! Later in the term our community enjoyed a trip to the local trampoline park. The Year 13 leavers were treated to a meal to say our farewells and to celebrate their success at the Grove, before the real deal where they attended Prize Day and

the Leavers’ Ball. The remainder enjoyed Sports Day and Red versus Green ‘Silly Olympics’ to decide the winning team for the year. The following week, our community dispersed to their homes for a very well-earned summer break. It was a challenging year and our boarders should be proud of what they have achieved. Well done to all.

As I depart The Grove, I want to o er my sincere thanks to all the boarding sta for their support over the past four years. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the boarding community. I also want to say thank you and good luck to all the students that I have gotten to know so well. You are what makes our community so special. Please remember, be yourself and never give up. I have every faith you will be successful in your ventures beyond the boarding walls.

Mr Whitlam Head of Boarding

Out of the Classroom

Duke of Edinburgh

The Grove’s Duke of Edinburgh Award saw record numbers this year, with 93 students in Year 10 signing up to complete their Bronze Award. It has been wonderful to see students making a di erence either within the school or wider community, as they participate in volunteering, learn new skills and undertake a physical activity. The highlight of the Award is the expedition section, with students journeying across the Yorkshire countryside, carrying everything they needed for two days: food, tents, cooking equipment and clothing. For a number of the students this was the first time they had walked for 6 hours carrying a heavy pack. Students trialled a practice expedition round Ilkley moor, through Baildon and around to Bingley. They learned how to work as a team, improved their communication and resilience and had great fun toasting marshmallows! The assessed expedition saw students walk from Baildon to Otley Chevin, past Eccup reservoir and finishing at Harewood House. Many congratulations to those who demonstrated true Grovian values and have successfully completed their Award!

boarding, raft building and sailing. The raft building was particularly competitive, however not many rafts made it back in one piece, with plenty of capsizing taking place across all disciplines. This was a fantastic day, with everyone wanting to go back again!

Year 10 Adventure Day

Having missed a lot of outdoor activities during the pandemic, the school ran a special Year 10 Adventure Day in June, as a celebration for the completion of their end of year exams and a chance for everyone to get out in the fresh air, learning new skills on the water! Year 10 were able to try their hand at raft building, Canadian canoeing and paddle boarding, as well as land-based activities of mountain biking and orienteering at Rother Valley Park. There was plenty of fun had, especially when the teachers got involved and became the target of capsizing! It was wonderful to see everyone out, after such a di cult few years away from adventurous activities.

Miss F Alimundo

Trips & Tours

Cornwall Cross Country Trip

The Grove’s Cross Country Squad made school history last year when all four of our teams qualified for the national final of the English Schools’ Athletics Association’s Cross Country Cup. The first round took place at GSAL, followed by the regional round in November in She eld. The final, however, was much further afield; the squad enjoyed a three day trip to Newquay, Cornwall.

We trained hard in our Tuesday and Thursday night sessions for the race; William said that “all the hill training we did beforehand really helped with the steep hills in the race”. Then, on Friday 3rd December, the excited squads met at 7:30am to embark upon the nine-hour journey to Newquay. The long journey did not quell their enthusiasm. George felt that one of the highlights of her trip was “bonding with the other Grove squads and getting to know them better”, and the long coach rides allowed plenty of opportunity for them to do this. We stayed in the Blue Room Surf Lodge, Newquay, and, according to Ollie, our young athletes were “so excited to stay in bunkbed dorm rooms”. On our first night, we had a meal at the Concho Lounge – several of the Junior girls made light work of their steak and chips, with Tife and Cleo agreeing that “the food we had was definitely one of the best parts of the trip!” Breakfasts and pack lunches were prepared by TV chef and sports nutritionist, Rosie Mansfield.

Our athletes then had an early night to prepare for the race the next day. We were up early on Saturday and, although we were all nervous, we were also very excited. Even a broken-down coach couldn’t dampen our spirits. As this was a National Final, the course itself was a challenging one, with steep hills and sharp corners. The first race was the Inters Girls, who ran in a rare glimpse of sunshine. Maisey Bellwood went out hard and worked her way up the pack, finishing in an incredible second place. She was followed by her teammates, Club Captain Eilidh Molloy, George Rayner, Gaelle Carrasco, Alyse Warburton and Jenny Ingham. Eilidh reflected on “how great it was to be able to support other squads once we had finished racing”, which shows what a marvellous ethos these young athletes have. Next up there was the Junior Boys’ squad, who raced hard but were also surprised to see how fast the start really was. James McClarnon was our first junior over the finish line, working his way through the pack to end-up in 51st place. He was followed by Rafe McCormack, Simeon Tedd, Ollie Hall, William Thornhill and Henry Shimmin. Simeon said that “the course was really di cult, and we learnt that, next time, we’ll have to push our way through the pack at the very start to get those high positions.”

Next was the Inters Boys’ race and, of course, the high winds that had already made running di cult that day were made even more unpleasant by the addition of horizontal hailstones. Archie Peaker, who finished in 9th place, remarked that “the hailstones were the hardest part of the race – they pelted your face and

eyes, but we just had to push through it”. The other Inters Boys to cross the finish line were Inters Captain Harry Bates, Ethan Taylor, Zach Taylor, Ayomide Solaru and Jacob Best. The last race of the day was the Junior Girls’ race; Macie Donaldson was followed by Charley Clark-Taylor, Harriet Williams, Cleo Hainsworth, Tife Solaru and Georgie Cothli . The conditions underfoot were hard for these girls; five races’ worth of runners had churned the ground up.

Overall, the Inters Girls finished in 16th, Junior Boys 18th, Inters Boys 19th and Junior Girls 27th. The celebratory meal at Pizza Express that evening was thoroughly enjoyed by our group of very tired and hungry athletes.

We started our final day, Sunday, with a jog down to the beach just after sunrise. Although it was an early start, the runners were excited to play on the beach, jump in the waves and do a little barefoot jogging on the sand before the long coach ride home. Miss Hughes, Mr King and Mr Tedd were so proud of them for reaching the National Final and for running so hard on a tough course, battling their way to the finish. This is such a promising set of young athletes – 17 of the 24 making their debut this season. They have a bright future ahead of them in the sport, and we can’t wait to see the next step in their journey.

Y8 Watersports Trip

In August, 70 students journeyed to Buddens Activity Centre in Dorset for 5 days of adventurous fun! Students stayed in glamping bell tents and spent the day undertaking activities such as rock climbing, paddle boarding, orienteering, raft building and canoeing. Everyone brave enough had the opportunity to try the zip line and Jacob’s ladder and in the evening we toasted marshmallows, played team games and nattered into the evening. Towards the end of the week, we took a day trip out to Dorset Adventure Park and students were able to try their hand at the total wipeout lake-based assault course in the morning and tackle the ‘Mud Run’ in the afternoon –apologies to those parents who found half of Dorset’s mud allocation in their child’s pockets!

There were no electronic devices taken on the trip and it was wonderful to see the students play and be kids, with most saying they welcomed the time away from the screen to just be with their mates!

F Alimundo

Miss L Hughes

Miss

Performing Arts

Performing Arts Review

The Year 2021-222 saw a return to normality and, as we all know in the Davy block, that means a whirlwind of events and performances. Sadly, as the year returned us to normality, it also exposed us to the normality of sta leaving.

Mrs Priestley left us after more than a decade of loyal service. Kind, caring, considerate and committed would be an alliterative way of describing Mrs P. The latter adjective perhaps linking neatly to her setting of one of the darkest dramas to grace the Grove Theatre when Mrs Priestley directed Lord of the Flies, set in a disused lunatic asylum, which she claimed was not set on her view of life in the Davy block. Mrs Priestley leaves us to gain several hours each week in reduced commuting time.

Monty Norman, composer of the legendary James Bond theme, wrote his last notes this year and with a similarly devastating e ect, Dr Adam Longbottom (OG) has decided to resign his post as teacher of woodwind, theory and leader of the school Swing Band. ‘Doc’ is now focusing his attention on his composing and publishing business and leaving the area for pastures new, apparently he was last seen working from a villa near Venice awaiting the delivery of a new boat! ‘You only live once’ may well have been Doc’s thoughts on his resignation.

The Year 7 and 8 Drama Club was founded by Mrs Priestley, to relaunch junior drama after something of a hiatus, with around 35 students in regular attendance. The students explored popular texts such as The Wind in the Willows and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Lord of the Flies across the year.

Music:

Academic Year 2021-22 was something we had all been longing for and a year when we were able to plan and deliver a programme of events, shows, concerts, chapel services and a legendary night of rock.

The Autumn Term saw a return of some of the many ensembles lost during the last two years: Flute Choir, Clarinet Group, Fake Band and Barbershop being the first to return. A taster series of lessons was launched at WGS to try and replace the over 100 pupils who stopped instrumental tuition during the last 20 months, with initial results showing some promising finds amongst those who had missed out on chances to learn over the previous years.

The year kicked o in short order with music for the Year 7 Meet the Parents Evening and informal concert. The former saw jazz keys from Robbie Higgins and classical piano from Loretta Zhao as parents mingled amongst the canapés. The latter event saw a feast of music (and cake) when many of our Year 7 pupils opened their account in the Grove music records.

Break-time concerts fairly fizzed with contributions, as many pupils took the opportunity to perform amid the clatter of cups and the gentle burbling of the co ee machine. The Bayliss twins vied with Helaina Lamb for the accolade of most prolific performers, with Mimi Jones close behind.

The Years Seven and Eight Spotlight, on Wednesday 3rd November was the school’s first live performing arts event in the theatre for 20 months. This new event was an exciting and high-quality a air featuring 18 pupils from the year groups in an hour celebration of Dance, Drama and Music. Highlights were di cult to call as all items were very well received but Matilda Holt (who had recently qualified into the fourth round of The Voice UK) was definitely one of the best, as was Moses Amedzro on drums, Thomas Howcroft on guitar and Charles McLarnon with a monologue.

The Christmas Concert on Tuesday 14th December saw the Swing Band, Senior Rock Band, Junior and Senior Choirs, Concert Band and Junior Orchestra on fine form in an evening of hot rhythms and cool numbers. The Senior Rock Band’s Underneath the Tree and Year 10 Band’s What Christmas Means to Me were two of the many highlights along with exceptional readings including the Grove’s newly appointed Poet Laureate, Lily Edwards, reciting Carol Ann Du y.

The House Music competition on Thursday 3rd March saw a rise in the stock of singer-songwriters. Benji Saia (Vinter), won the junior solo category, playing guitar and singing his own piece Anywhere, whilst Winnie O and (Stephenson) won the equivalent senior category playing piano and singing her own piece Untitled.

The top three ensembles were:

Vinter with Lean on Me by Bill Withers

Towlson with Shut up and Dance by Walk the Moon

Southerns with Valerie as sung by Amy Winehouse

The final results (after lengthy discussions) were:

The Chamber Concert on 10th March saw musicians turn out for a festival of vocals. Benji Saia and Winnie O and each delivered another fine example of their singer-songwriter craft, whilst Clarinet Group launched the night with Beat it by Michael Jackson.

Amy Cavaliere and Lucy Hart organised a Rock Night as part of their National Citizenship Service. The charity event on Wednesday 23rd March was entirely student led, with sound engineering by Joel Featherstone. The event featured several soloists as

well as bands from Years 7, 9 and 10 and the Senior Rock Band. The highlight of the evening was the impassioned performance of Leah and Maia in the Year 10 Band including more tracks from Benji Saia’s portfolio. The Rock Night was a great success, raising almost £300, with Mr Caroleo’s catering team supplying excellent baked goods for the refreshment sales.

The Easter Charity Concert, Thursday 31st March, was yet another sold-out event with the usual large ensembles interspersed with poetry from Speech and Drama lessons, including an ode to Mr Crawford and a poem about how cool the ‘cello is. Swing Band headlined with a rip-roaring version of Earth, Wind and Fire classics whilst Pop Choir hit the zeitgeist with a stylish and enthusiastic performance of Wellerman

On 16th June, a selection of musicians performed an early soirée for parents, featuring a number of flute, piano and vocal items including Berlioz’s Gypsies’ Chorus by Flute Choir. Standout moments included Annabel Smith’s delivery of Opening Night Jazz by Martha Mier, on the piano.

The Year 13 leavers gathered to perform solos one last time in the Grove Theatre in the Leavers’ Soirée in mid-May. Among the highlights were Koya Tsang playing Galloping Horse, a Chinese Melody on the erhu (two-stringed fiddle). Tim Eichert played bassoon one last time and vocalists thanked us for the music (Catriona Cochrane), reprised Riptide (Laith McElhone) and enjoyed Mamma Mia (Bella Lawson and Cameron Tonge). Katherine Knight performed on the saxophone, as well as Bella on the flute and Cameron on the drums. It was fantastic to see sixth form soloists return to the stage after far too long away from it.

Mr Pickles and Mrs Priestley bade farewell to the Grove during the Arts Dinner on 20th May where 75 students and sta gathered to celebrate the arts in its various forms. Speeches by sixth form leavers from each department were made and the Art department showcased work from the past year. The gently sarcastic and ironic content of Mr Pickles’ usual fare was altered in an impassioned speech about the importance of inspirational teachers, citing his early experiments with English. Mrs Priestley paid tribute to the people she would miss and the times she had enjoyed over the course of the previous decade.

Mr Brickel’s annual bateria festival on 23rd June saw drummers from across the year groups perform a selection of tracks with live-stream video of their feet and hands. It was worth coming along to see them and enjoy close-up shots of the pupils performing with such dexterity.

Brass Group led the music at Prize Day and Jazz Band provided music for the ball reception on

Saturday 2nd July. Given a sudden shortage of personnel, the Jazz Group improvised more than usual with instrument substitutions to cover the gaps as they played versions of pop and jazz tunes to entertain the ball goers.

The Swing Band, Fake Jazz Band and Years 7, 9, 10 and Senior Rock Bands all performed at the Leavers’ Music Festival on Sunday 3rd July. A highlight of the day was the Old Grovians Swing Band, when leavers from across the last eight years took up instruments to perform favourite jazz numbers.

The Summer Concerto on Thursday 7th July closed out the academic year with a wide range of performances from the large ensembles. The newly re-formed Soul Band set the summer vibe with the James Brown classic I Feel Good before a plethora of crowd-pleasing performances, including Concert Band’s Poker Face by Stefani Germanotta, Junior Orchestra’s Avenger’s Theme and Swing Band’s Timberlake tribute Can’t Stop the Feeling kept the audience entertained.

The final performance of the year was a Swing Band gig on the hallowed grass of the quad, much to the delight of assembled pupils, many of whom may have never previously been allowed on the grass. The Swing Band, under the guidance of Sixth Form leavers, swung their way through four numbers to put pupils in the holiday mood for the rapidly approaching summer vacation.

The most prolific performers of the year, who were in regular action for external events, were as follows:

Chloe Cater, 18 Ella Manogue, 17 Catriona Cochrane, 16 Kitty Hawker, 15

These top few averaged a public performance almost every fortnight of the school year, in addition to a selection of in-house break-time performances.

The most prolific Year 7 pupils were Moses Amedzro (Rock Band and Pop Choir), Oliver Simpson (Brass Group and Orchestra) and Simeon Tedd (Rock Band and Pop Choir) who each notched up eight public performances in their debut year.

Chapel and Services:

Chloe Cater performed the Last Post and Reveille at 11:00 on Thursday 11th November in the yard for the whole school act of remembrance. A moment of reflection appropriately and solemnly observed, and faintly echoed up the hill in Brontё, where Ruby Hawker was delivering the same musical act of remembrance.

Grove Singers, supplemented by Old Grovians, were at the heart of the Remembrance Service, on 14th November, singing an elegiac and sparse Ubi Caritas, along with the lyrical setting of Psalm 23 by Howard Goodall. Ella Manogue delivered the Last Post and Reveille with great solemnity and poise.

The Christmas Carol Service on Sunday 12th December saw the Grove Singers, Brass Group and Junior Choir leading the service in an atmospheric and delightful first part of the festive season. The order of service included Rutter’s Jesus Child from the combined voices of Junior Choir and Grove Singers, whilst the service ended with Carol of the Bells by Leontovich and Wilhousky.

There was the long-awaited restart of singing in Chapel on Monday 7th March, although after an almost exactly two-year silence some pupils were very reticent at first. We soon raised a joyful noise with school favourites like Shine, Jesus Shine and Jerusalem

Grove Singers led the service for our Upper Sixth leavers on 3rd July opening with a gospel arrangement of This

Little Light of Mine, quite a rousing start for some of our sleepier congregants. Rutter’s All Things Bright and Beautiful marked the midpoint of the service and the customary The Lord Bless You and Keep You closed the service.

O site:

On the afternoon of 14th November, the Brass Group provide hymns including O God our Help and the National Anthem for the Rawdon Remembrance Service, with the Last Post and Reveille performed as a trio by Chloe Cater, Ruby Hawker and Ella Manogue.

It was back to Rawdon, for the Brass Group, on Tuesday 7th December as they provided festive music for the Rawdon Christmas Light Switch On at 19:00. The band were a popular addition to the mobile stage, resplendent in red hats and tinsel (mostly), following on from Santa Claus and close by the fairground attractions, it was di cult to improve on.

Swing Band and Fake Band performed in glorious sunshine to an audience of over 1,000 in Micklefield Park for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations on Friday 3rd June. Messr’s Lambert, McGu e and Wears marshalled the students in a very well-received element of a historic day. The day proved a real hit with local residents with the Grove providing a key part of the celebrations. The ensembles were received with delight by the crowd and the proximity of the fairground rides inspired Mr Wears to write a piece for the Fake Band to perform at the Summer Concert.

Beyond School:

Tilly and Betsy Raj were nominated for scholarships in Tap, Modern, Ballet and Theatrecraft (all four possible genres). These are awarded to candidates receiving high distinctions in their IDTA exam

session. Both will compete in their respective grades at the Theatre Dance Awards in Manchester in February 2023.

Tilly has been accepted to the Elmhurst Ballet School Young Dancer Programme and trains in Birmingham every Saturday in addition to her Royal Ballet Senior Associate training (it is her sixth year with The Royal Ballet School). In August, Betsy reached the finals in both Tap and Ballet at the British Championships in Blackpool and was awarded ‘The Most Promising Girl’ of the championships.

Tim Eichert played the 1st Bassoon in the City of Leeds Youth Orchestra in the academic year 2021/22 and supported the Wind Orchestra for all their performances.

Annabel Smith played first flute in the City of Leeds Youth Wind Orchestra.

Ruby Hawker played with the Drighlington Brass Band as Principal Cornet and was picked out for special commendation at the National Brass Band Competition.

Exam Results:

Whilst a reduced number of pupils took practical music and drama examinations during this academic year, the standard was higher than ever with 74% of candidates gaining a Distinction and nearly all of the remainder scoring Merits. Many candidates took several grades after the disruption of the previous year as pupils rushed to get back to the standards on their particular flightpath. Several students took two exams in the year but Chloe Cater deserves special mention for taking four separate practical exams at Grade Six and above,

The top grades were as follows:

scoring distinctions in three of them!

Continuing the theme of outrageous success, Catriona Cochrane gained her ARSM diploma on the saxophone with a distinction, the first diploma of that calibre at WGS for the last 15 years. Diplomas are rare in school but ones gained with distinction doubly so.

Sta :

Mr Matthew McGu e joined the team as clarinet and piano teacher, as well as director of the Swing Band whilst Miss Anna Hamilton joined the team as saxophone teacher and leader of all things saxophone. We knew Doc was special but when it takes two new members of sta to replace him, it confirms all we suspected.

Grove Camps:

The Summer Performing Arts Camps in association with the Pauline Quirke Academy were, once more, a great success, with a full roster of thespians turning out to tread the Grove’s boards in workshops run by Mrs Baker.

The academic year has been a great success founded on musical excellence, this is only a result of long hours of practice from the many pupils involved - too many to name - tireless enthusiasm from the peripatetic team and support of our army of concert-going families. In the words of several artists ‘Guess who’s back, back again...?’ It appears that the Performing Arts are back, as big and enjoyable as ever. If you haven’t caught a concert, play, show or event, you have definitely missed out.

See you in the year ahead!

Mr P Tedd

Bella Lawson Flute Grade 8 Distinction

Ella Manogue Music Theatre Grade 8 Merit

Chloe Cater Speech & Drama Grade 7 Distinction

Amy Cavaliere Speech & Drama Grade 7 Distinction

Lucy Lund Flute Grade 7 Merit

Chloe Cater Music Theatre Grade 7 Merit

Leah Spence Music Theatre Grade 7 Merit Anna Jarvis Piano Grade 7 Merit

The top marks in grades six and below were:

Moses Amedzro

Speech & Drama

Grade 1 95%

Lucy Thornton Music Theatre Grade 6 93%

Katie McWilliams Music Theatre Grade 3 93%

Rosalind Bayliss Singing Grade 3 93%

Edward Cooper Speech & Drama Grade 1 93%

Charlotte Powell-Wi en Music Theatre Grade 3 92%

Chloe Cater Speech & Drama Grade 6 91%

Eilidh Molloy Speech & Drama Grade 3 91%

Charles McLarnon Speech & Drama Grade 2 91%

Harry Wilde Speech & Drama Grade 3 90%

Fran Tartaglia Recorder Grade 5 90%

Lander Crew Clarinet Grade 1 91%

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

During the Summer Term, students in Years 9 and 10 took part in a unique outdoor production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The setting for this play was the beautiful school surroundings of the Quad, with audience members encouraged to bring blankets and chairs, along with their own picnics to enjoy during the entertainment. The audience also arrived onto the Quad to music provided by Anna Jarvis, Anna Parsons and Mr Tedd, plus our onsite bar team ready to provide refreshments.

Taking our theatre production outdoors was a new adventure and challenge for the Performing Arts Faculty and students had also taken the time to fully rehearse the show inside our theatre in the event of bad weather. Luckily, the sun shone on us throughout an otherwise dreary week and the audience were able to enjoy the full event outdoors.

Students took on this 2 Act version of the play with great enthusiasm and it was clear from the first rehearsal that their understanding of the Shakespearean language was already to a high standard, thanks to the English department! The cast of 25 actors attended rehearsals regularly over a three-month period. They even gave up some evenings and one of their Sundays to rehearse outdoors the week before the show, whilst also maintaining schoolwork and other co-curricular commitments. As is Shakespeare’s way, many of the cast also had a huge amount of complex dialogue to learn, which they managed brilliantly.

In preparation for the production, students were taken to Leeds Playhouse’s spectacular costume department. There, students were able to source the perfect clothes items for their characters and it was also a great opportunity to explore the expanse of costumes the

Leeds Playhouse has on o er. We’ve been very lucky to use items from here for a number of school productions and it is always an exciting trip.

To support our school’s mission to lower our carbon footprint, audience members were also encouraged to view the show’s programme via their devices, with QR codes displayed before the performance began.

Performances across the board were truly fantastic, however standout applause must be given to new members of our school production team, Ben Vernon and Ned Waterhouse – for their hilarious performances as Bottom and Flute. Their delivery of the ‘Play within a Play’ towards the end of the show was hilarious and a total show stealer. Liam Matley’s Oberon was also strong, demanding and the delivery of his long speeches was exceptional. Scarlett Swinney also e ortlessly stepped in for an extra performance as Helena when another cast member was unwell, delivering her role with maturity and confidence.

Comments from audience members included, ‘The production was fantastic. A real WOW performance and a truly magical setting’ and another, ‘I have been blown away by students who are usually quiet and have suddenly come out of their shells to deliver such beautiful performances. Well done everyone!’

Mrs Baker and Ms Evers were thrilled to work with this cast on such an exciting production. It was also fantastic to welcome so many new faces into the Performing Arts Faculty for this show. A huge congratulations to the hugely talented cast on a magical performance.

Mrs K Baker

High School Musical

In March 2022, students from Years 7 and 8 took part in their production of Disney’s High School Musical Jr. They performed over two nights for large audiences in our Grove Theatre and were met with a brilliant reception to their hard work.

Throughout the term, students had attended rehearsals two to four times per week. They worked hard to perfect their skills in singing, dance and drama, along with Mrs Baker and Ms Evers. The show had a great deal of large musical numbers and the students always showed great enthusiasm in the rehearsal process to get these performances looking fantastic.

Stand out performances came from Amber Khan and Emily Robinson as the demanding Ms Darbus. Both students shared the role and were fantastic at commanding the stage in such a large role. This was met with equal enthusiasm from Ben Dickinson in the role of Coach Bolton and Moses Amedzro, sparkling as Troy Bolton. Moses rarely left the stage and had a huge amount to learn plus various solo singing moments.

The lead cast were supported by an energetic ensemble made up of jocks, cheerleaders, brainiacs and thespians. Students selected their own costumes to support their character’s unique style and worked hard to ensure choreography and music were well rehearsed within each of their groups.

Our Year 7 and 8 productions always draw a large cast and it was fantastic to see so many students join the Performing Arts Department for this production. We were also lucky to be supported by

a great technical crew featuring Phillip Wright, Daniel Burrows, Tim Eichert and Georgina Dutton. Plus, a hugely encouraging backstage crew made up of supportive older students; Chloe Petch, Holly Lamb, Ash Poplar and Marta Benito-Martin. Thank you to you all.

Mrs Baker said, ‘It has been fantastic to work with a group that has so much energy and enthusiasm for a production. The students have also been hugely supportive of each other throughout the rehearsal process and it has been impressive to see how they have juggled their school work and club commitments whilst still taking part in rehearsals. I hope to welcome many of these students back into our show next year!’

Mrs K Baker

Gavin Priestley Photography

Gavin Priestley Photography

Legally Blonde Jr

Legally Blonde Jr. follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. When Elle's boyfriend, Warner, dumps her and heads to Harvard, claiming she's not "serious" enough, Elle takes matters into her own hands, crafting a showy song-and-dance personal essay and charming her way into law school.

Primarily performed by students from Years 11, 12 and 13, with a supporting cast from Year 10, the production was performed in the Grove Theatre and involved more than 30 students, both on stage and behind the scenes. This production was a real team e ort led by Mrs Baker, alongside theatre technician, Miss Meredith-Walne. To complete the team, they were delighted to be joined by Head of DT, Mr Allison, who was on board to create an amazing set, plus Ms Evers who provided production assistance and student support.

Students rehearsed the production after school three times per week and were highly committed in their attendance. The cast featured a number of students who had never taken part in a Grove production before, taking on lead roles and ensemble characters. The cast was also supported by student volunteers from Year 13 as backstage crew.

On the 1st and 2nd December the cast performed to a very supportive audience full of family, friends, and teachers. Everyone was blown away by the energy on stage and audience members commented on how much fun the cast were clearly having. Legally Blonde is a feel-good show and Mr Lockwood commented to the audience that it was great to have such uplifting energy on stage after so long away from it.

Cast member Amilia Newsome said, ‘This was my first ever production at the Grove! I really enjoyed gaining amazing friendships with the rest of the cast and both Ms Evers and Mrs Baker!! I have never been interested in drama but pushed myself to join the school play and I wish I had done it sooner. I loved every minute of the rehearsals and turns out I loved being on stage singing and dancing! Everyone did a fabulous job and I can’t wait for the Year 13 show! Thank you so much to Ms Evers and Mrs Baker for giving me such a great part in the show and giving me the confidence I never thought I would have to perform in front of an audience!!’

Gavin Priestley Photography

Thank you to everyone involved in this production.

The hard work and talent showcased on stage has been a wonderful sight to behold after the Grove Theatre has been dark for so long. Mrs Baker commented, “It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with the students of WGS on my sixth production for the school. Once again, students have showcased their commitment and enthusiasm for the Performing Arts, supported one another and created a production they can all be extremely proud of.”

Have you been a lead in previous productions?

I have never been in a school production before, in fact I have only performed in concerts prior to this production. I have, however, been a lead in drama productions I have done outside of school.

What part are you playing?

I play the part of "Professor Callahan", a respected and feared lecturer at Harvard Law School. Were you excited to get a main part in the production of Legally Blonde Jr?

I was incredibly excited to get a main part in Legally Blonde Jr. I have always loved musicals, and they, for a large part, forged my love for music. To have been able to get this lead role definitely excited me, until I realised the amount of work I had to put in, but, as it happens, I have managed well with the workload, and in fact, rather enjoyed being so busy.

Had you seen the musical or the film before you started this production?

Prior to the production I wasn't even aware of Legally Blonde's existence. It was only due to some very rushed audition practices that I had gotten a quick overview of the play, but when I got the part, I did watch the film to get a good grasp of my character.

What was your favourite song in the show? Having a favourite song in this production is very di cult, as there is my own song which is undoubtedly fun to sing and listen to, as well as others filled with so much energy. However, I must say that "Ireland" is an incredible song, if not for its unique feel, and it being a stand-out song, then certainly for the magnificent performance that Paulette (played by Lily Sugden) does for this song, being beautifully sung and full of emotion.

What do you think to the set design?

The set design for this play is by far my favourite of any production the school has done before. Its simplicity, yet massive functionality, gives it an incredibly professional feel. Well done to Mr Allison and the other DT sta for making such a great set!

How were rehearsals? Has it been easy to fit in learning songs/lines around other school work?

Rehearsals for me have certainly been stressful, although I can happily say not as stressful as they have for others. Although my studies are intensive, my relatively low amount of lines I have to memorise is certainly a help. I also only have one costume change that I get plenty of time for, unlike some of the others who have incredibly fast costume changes, and many of them.

Winnie O and

What part are you playing?

I play Elle Woods

Were you excited to get a main part in the production of Legally Blonde Jr?

I was so excited to get the part, Elle is such a fun and bubbly character to play and I was so excited to get to play her.

What was your favourite song in the show?

My favourite song would probably have to be ‘Legally Blonde’ the song, even though it’s the saddest and slowest in such an upbeat show. I love the emotion in it and how the audience get to see another side to Elle.

What do you think to the set design?

I love the set design, Mr Alison did such an amazing job of building the set and it spins! Which is so incredible and looks so professional.

How were rehearsals? Has it been easy to fit in learning songs/lines around other school work?

Rehearsals are going very well, it’s not been easy fitting everything in but everyone’s so supportive of the show and it’s such a nice thing to do at the end of every day, that it’s worth every second.

Have you been a lead in previous productions?

I played Miss Honey when we did Matilda in Year 8 and I also played Tallulah in Bugsy Malone just before we went into Lockdown - but playing Elle Woods and doing Legally Blonde has been my favourite by far.

Interviews with some of our cast members:

Samuel Binns

Mrs K Baker

Gavin Priestley Photography

Arts

Amy Fidler, Y12

Nina Hawkshaw, Y11

Scarlet Jones, Y12

Grace Thirkhill, Y11

Lena Plein, Y11

Lillian Hushes, Y13

Beth Jenkinson, Y13

Amy Sherlock, Y11

Beryl Tao, Y11

Amy Fidler, Y12

Mia Chan, Y13

Lucy Hart, Y12

Nina Hawkshaw, Y11

Amy Fidler, Y12 Beth Jenkinson, Y12

Mia Chan, Y13

Lena Plein, Y10

Lucy Hart, Y12

Nina Hawkshaw, Y11

Beth Jenkinson, Y12

Eleanor Smith, Y11

Sports Reports

Athletics

The athletics season was another successful one for Grove athletes, competing in individual and team events.

The Junior & Inter Girls’ & Boys’ Teams competed in the county round of the English Schools‘ Track & Field Cup. The Junior & Inter Girls both came 1st, the Junior Boys 2nd, missing out on 1st place by one point and the Inter Boys were 5th.

The individual competitions saw a large number of junior athletes competing in the Bradford Schools’ Championships.

Notable performances came from:

Year 7 Girls

Isabelle Fuller 1st 80m, Kyna Whitson 2nd 80m, Poppy Watmough 3rd 80m.

Bolutife Solaru 1st 400m, Cleo Hainsworth 2nd 400m, Georgie Cothli 3rd 400m.

Bella Strudwick 1st HJ.

Ellie Beani 1st rounders ball throw, with a CBP. Sienna Sewell 1st LJ, Esmae Appleby 2nd LJ. Macie Donaldson & Abi Stirk were 1st & 2nd respectively in the 800m, both running some impressive times.

Year 7 Boys

Ollie Hall & Lander Crew were 1st & 2nd in the 80m. Luca Nelson 2nd 400m.

James McLarnon & Harry Hainsworth 1st & 2nd 800m.

Xavier Spanton-Namany & Seb Cadman 1st & 2nd in the HJ.

Ben Cooper won the LJ in a CBP and Charlie Rimington was 3rd.

George Cameron’s 1st place in the cricket ball throw saw an impressive CBP with over 50m.

In the Junior Girls & Boys events: Belle Nimmo was 2nd in the 100m and Laura Clarke 3rd .

In the 300m, Alyse Warburton won in a CBP and Nicole Cater and Pippa Bennett were 2nd & 3rd respectively.

Charley Clark-Taylor took the win in the 800m. Maisey Bellwood won the 1500m in an impressive CBP of 4.46 min.

The field events saw Lucy Bedford win the LJ and Lois Turner come 3rd.

Betsy Raj won the HJ and Matilda Holt was 2nd. The Junior Boys were also successful with Evan Morton winning the 100m and Matty Roberts in 2nd. Ben Dickinson was 2nd in the 200m.

Will Thornhill 2nd in the 800m.

Archie Peaker ran a dominant 1500m, taking 1st place.

In the shot put, Marcos Benito Martin took the win and Morgan Crew 3rd.

From these performances, the following Grove athletes were selected to represent the district at the West Yorkshire Championships:

Belle Nimmo

Alyse Warburton

Nicole Carter

Pippa Bennett

Charley Clark Taylor

Maisey Bellwood

Lucy Bedford

Betsy Raj

Evan Morton

Matty Roberts

Archie Peaker

Marcos Benito Martin

Lola Henderson

Grace Ross

Phoebe Turner

Georgina Rayner

Gaelle Carrasco

Eilidh Molloy

Ayomide Solaru

Barnaby Steer

Danny Morgan

Benji Saia

Harry Bates

Adela Durmekova

Results on the day were as follows:

1st

Maisey Bellwood JG 800m

Archie Peaker JB 1500m Phoebe Turner IG HJ

2nd

Belle Nimmo JG 100m

Lucy Bedford JG LJ Grace Ross IG 200m Ayo Solaru IB 400m Adela Durmekova SG 100m

3rd

Evan Morton JB 100m George Rayner IG 800m

Maisey Bellwood then had the qualifying time for the English Schools’ Championships in the 800m and was selected to represent West Yorkshire at the national competition in July. An amazing achievement!

Many thanks to all sta who helped with the coaching and o ciating duties throughout the season.

Mrs K Jennings

Rugby

Rugby - 1st XV

We were entering the unknown post-covid and there was an air of apprehension about how we would fare.

However, there was very little to worry about as the 1st XV had a very successful season, winning 9 out of 11 full matches. The only defeats coming against a powerful Sedbergh team under lights at Wharfedale RUFC and away to Barnard Castle in the last 16 of the Schools’ Cup.

The season got o to a good start with an unbeaten pre-season festival at King’s, Macclesfield and a training match at QEGS, Wakefield.

The first match of the season was against an excellent Barnard Castle team and was live streamed by XV Rugby. I’m not sure the boys realised the importance of the fixture at the time, but they played some great rugby against a team full of Newcastle Falcons and an odd England player. Ben Turpin showed his class with an opportunist try and put Will Eastell away with a cut out pass to edge the match 17-12. Following the defeat to Sedbergh, where the boys ran out of steam against a team with so much strength in depth, we headed to RGS Newcastle and played some of the best rugby I’ve seen from a 1st XV. We ran in four fantastic tries and the game was over by half time. 31-7 was the end result. Winning then became a habit with a 14-13 victory over Denstone College in a game

we had no right to win. A late Paul Blakey try saved the day against another quality opponent.

The Schools’ Cup campaign got o to a disappointing start as Bradford Grammar School awarded us an away walkover in the first round. This meant we played QEGS, Wakefield at home in round two. QEGS is traditionally a very tough fixture, but we played them o the park that day, with a 31-0 victory. Archie Medway scored a hat-trick of powerful tries with Thomas Rowe from Year 11 and Captain George Worthington adding the others. The players went into half term on a high and looked forward to progressing further in the competition.

GSAL was the first fixture back and we stuttered our way through after a three-week break, yet recording another comfortable home win 41-17. We made a few changes to the squad for the Durham game and the players didn’t disappoint with another 40-point victory and we were building nicely for round four of the National Cup.

The QEGS match was cancelled due to Covid and this meant all focus was on the last 16 Cup match this time away at Barnard Castle. We scored the first try of the game but from that moment things didn’t go our way. An injury to Ned McCormack, who had been outstanding all season, derailed us and it was di cult to claw the game back against a quality team losing 24-38 in the end.

The Hymers match was also cancelled that weekend, so we had time to re-group for St. Peter’s, York who are one of the toughest opponents on our fixture list. Dubbed the Yorkshire Final, as we had beaten every other team in the County, the boys wanted to put in a performance to prove they were the best around. After a scrappy first half, we took control of the game with some clinical finishing from the likes of Freddie Ziegler and Thomas Rowe. We were comfortable winners in the end 24-8 and we were delighted to complete the clean sweep. A comfortable midweek win against Ripon GS meant we could look forward to a weekend away in Cornwall playing for the Crewe’s Cup against Truro school. It was a fitting end to a great season as a mostly upper-sixth team took to the field and put in a great display. George Heptinstall scored a hat-trick of tries and Harry Willard was able to enjoy pulling on a 1st XV shirt for the first time after a long injury lay-o .

It was a pleasure to coach the 1st XV this season. They are a fine set of young men who enjoyed each other’s company and played the game of rugby the way it should be played. I would like to thank Mr Wenham for his support coaching the team, George Worthington for his outstanding leadership as 1st XV Captain and the parents for their support on the touchline. Finally, thank you to all the players for their outstanding commitment to Grove rugby and for leaving the shirt in a great place for next year’s team to take forward.

Played: 11, Won: 9, Drawn: 0, Lost: 2 Points For: 326, Points Against: 148, Points Di .: 178

Barnard Castle (H) Won 17 – 12 Sedbergh (Neutral) Lost 13 – 33 Bradford GS (A) Won - Away Walkover (School’s Cup – Round 1) RGS Newcastle (A) Won 31 – 7 Denstone (H) Won 14 – 13 QEGS, Wakefield (H) Won 31 – 0 (School’s Cup – Round 2)

GSAL (H) Won 41 – 17 Durham (A) Won 41 – 13 Barnard Castle (A) Lost 24 – 38 (School’s Cup – Last 16) St Peter’s, York (A) Won 24 – 8 Ripon GS (H) Won 52 – 0 Truro School (A) Won 38 – 7 (Crewe’s Cup)

Players’ Player of the Year – Paul Blakey Coach’s Player of the Year – Ben Turpin Most Improved Player of the Year – George Heptinstall

1st VII

The 1st VII enjoyed a successful sevens season with some outstanding performances during the term. The first tournament was at Ampleforth and the boys showed their potential by reaching the final.

Unfortunately, a strong Sedbergh team prevented the boys from taking home the trophy, losing 0 – 19. The North of England 7s was next, with the tournament continuing to be one of the most competitive in the country. The Grove won the group comfortably, beating RGS Newcastle, Malvern and Manchester GS, which meant we had Kirkham GS in the quarter final. An outstanding performance in the quarter final put the team in to the semi-final against Denstone College and despite going down to six players early on, the players showed great character to lose by a last-minute try.

After two tough defeats, the players finally got what they deserved with a tournament win at Hymers College the following week. The Grove lost to Barnard Castle in an early group match but qualified for the knockout stage as runners-up. This gave the boys a chance to redeem themselves against a strong Barnard Castle team in the final. They certainly did that, with a convincing display and win, 34 – 14.

The final HMC tournament at Mount St Mary’s allowed the players to complete their preparation for the Rosslyn Park National 7s with a semi-final defeat to Barnard Castle. The loss proved to be a great lesson and reminder of what was needed to win at the top level.

The Rosslyn Park tournament is the biggest and quite possibly the best schoolboy competition in the world and the Grove boys certainly did themselves proud. The best schools from the UK and beyond were in attendance and this year it was as physical and competitive as ever. An early morning match against Denstone proved to be a qualification decider without knowing it at the time, which was won 24 – 15 and paved the way to Day 2. A defeat to Whitgift on the main pitch did not prevent the team from progressing with two further victories against Cobham and the City of Oxford College. Qualifying for Day 2 is always a great achievement, but the players were not satisfied with just being there. The plate competition got o to a bad start with a defeat to Rugby School, however the team bounced straight back beating Llandovery to set up a semi-final qualifier against Brighton College on the main pitch. Despite going ahead twice in the match, the players couldn’t hold on to their lead and conceded a late try, losing 14 – 17. The boys were out on their feet and had given their all, but it just wasn’t enough on the day.

Everyone who represented the 1st VII was a pleasure to coach and their attitude was first class throughout the sevens season. Thank you for your e ort and commitment to the Grove Rugby 7s programme.

Rosslyn Park – Qualified for Day 2

North of England – Cup Semi-Finalists –Lost to Denstone 19 – 21

Hymers – Cup Winners

Ampleforth – Cup Finalist – Lost to Sedbergh 0 - 19

Mount St Mary’s – Cup Semi Finalist –Lost to Barnard Castle 12 - 24

We enjoyed winning some matches, players improved, the team developed, and we never failed to put a team out, unlike several of our opponents (though for these matches the coach was tempted to appoint himself as an uno cial “pools panel” and claimed wins, whether home or away!)

Despite some heavy defeats the squad showed character in adversity. We lost several key players to long term injuries and 1st XV call ups. In all, with reinforcement support from the talented U16 squad, 52 players represented the team. Several U6 players returned to rugby after planned “retirements” or sabbaticals to help us out and throughout the season an e ective team was cobbled together of the ambitious and aspiring combined with those of more social and recreational outlook and performance improved as a team spirit built among the 52 players who contributed.

The victories were memorable, particularly away at Newcastle RGS and an equally hard-fought home encounter with our friends from Frizinghall. Other victories included Ashville 1st XV and Durham. With several opponents also being opposition 1st XVs there are no easy matches on our list and our final playing record reflects this. Arguably our major triumph was to field a side regularly, have strong turnouts for training and to show considerable improvement throughout the campaign with regards strength, skill, toughness, understanding and self-belief. Captain, Luke Schoeman (Coach’s Award) displayed encouraging leadership qualities and attacking skills, dynamic Charlie Popelyour most versatile player and main attacking threatwas voted Players’ Player, while hard working Oscar Robinson was awarded Most Improved.

Thanks to all the players, several of whom were new to the game, others who remain long term stalwarts of Grove Rugby. All improved and contributed (along with much appreciated touchline parental support) to making a challenging season an enjoyable one.

Played: 11, Won: 4, Drawn: 0, Lost: 7, For: 203 Against: 285, Di erence: 82

Mr R Howard

We started the season with a high after a big win against Barnard Castle. The following week we travelled to Sedbergh, which was a tough fixture where there were big step-ups from the likes of Grayson Oldridge, who filled the big boots of Fergie McCormack at 10 and Jamal Hussain, who had a very strong performance. Although the outcome was not what we wanted, no one backed away from the challenge and we finished strongly.

Following the loss, the team went through a rough period where we had some strong individual and team performances but didn’t quite get the wins. This changed when we had a mid-week fixture against Prince Henry’s which attracted a large crowd of sixth formers and year 11s, which provided us with encouragement to win the game 27-7 after the boys put in a right shift against a very physical side.

Another highlight of the season was the 53-0 win against Harrogate Grammar, not only because of the win but also because lots of players had the opportunity to represent the school. Our U16s season ended with a narrow away loss to St. Peter’s. Although the game ended with a disappointing loss, everyone left with high spirits after the second half where the team came to life and fought hard.

The team never lost spirit through the ups and downs of the season even after su ering crucial losses from call ups to the first team like Archie Hurford and Tom Rowe and also to injuries like Fergie McCormack and Archie Robinson.

Now for the sevens season. We started o the season with a strong win at Durham. The group stage games were not the best of performances with a loss to Sedbergh. However, we came back strong beating Sedbergh 28-7 and beating Barnard Castle in the final comfortably.

Later on in the season, we played at Sedbergh with tough group stage wins against Kirkham and GSAL and progressing to the semi-finals against RGS Newcastle. The tournament ended after we closely

lost to Sedbergh on their first team pitch 15-17. The team’s heads didn’t drop after a good day out.

At Rosslyn Park we had a very strong group stage, winning all 3 of our matches racking up over 100 points from the group stage games. Not having much of a break in between our third and fourth game, we faced a fresh Rugby side who were better on the day. However, it was a great experience for all the lads who went down. Thank you to Ayomide and Oscar Binns for stepping up and joining the squad.

Overall, the season was a great experience for the players, going through some rough patches but sticking together as a team. For some, it will be a farewell season as it will be the last time they will be playing in a green shirt so we want to thank you for being part of the team and wish you good luck wherever you go next.

Played: 8, Won: 3, Drawn: 0, Lost: 5, For: 172 Against: 210, Di erence: -38

Archie Hurford and Hugo Poole

U15s A & B

If the season was to be judged on results, then it could be suggested that the U15 A team had an indi erent campaign, however, there are many reasons why it was a successful year for the group.

There were excellent victories against Durham, Barnard Castle, RGS Newcastle and Lancaster, a tightly contested cup match against Sedbergh, 27 players represented the A team and there were regularly 30 players attending training. There was a strong culture within the group, and the B team had some tough fixtures against Barnard Castle, GSAL, RGS Newcastle and St. Peter’s. It was a shame that some schools could not field a B team, as it would’ve provided the squad with more opportunities to play and develop. 28 di erent players represented the B team which shows the depth across both squads and the willingness to play and represent the school across the North of England. There were a number of players who transitioned from B to A over the course of the season and I have no doubts that this squad will all have very successful senior rugby careers at The Grove.

The A team had a number of very close defeats and were unlucky not to finish the season with more wins, however, the development and progress they made was evident during the sevens season. The team went to two tournaments: Ampleforth and Bradford. Across the two tournaments, the team only lost one game, playing an exciting brand of rugby, and were strong defensively.

At the Ampleforth Sevens, the team topped their group, beating Denstone, Scarborough College and Bradford Grammar in the pool stages. After winning the quarter-final, the team advanced to the cup semi-final, where they lost in the final play of the game.

At the BGS sevens, the team went undefeated through the group, but went into the shield competition on points scored. Here, they met Sedbergh in the final and ran out comprehensive winners. This was testament to the dedication and commitment the team showed over the course of the season, and it was fantastic to see players who started the season in the B team, ending the season in the sevens team.

Thanks must go to Mr Wood and the grounds team for preparing excellent playing surfaces over the course of the season, to Mr Caroleo and the rest of the catering team who provided superb post-match refreshments, to the parents who supported the players all over the North of England, to Messer’s Wenham, Bedford, Borrington, Exeter and Wright who all assisted with either coaching during the season or looking after the teams at the weekend, and finally to the players; it was a very enjoyable season, with huge progress made. It’s been a pleasure to work with you over the course of the season and I look forward to seeing you continue to flourish on the rugby field at The Grove.

Played: 13, Won: 6, Drawn: 1, Lost: 6, For: 147 Against: 211, Di erence: -64

U15B

Players’ Player: Finley Hainsworth, Coach’s Player: Elliot Tattersall, Most Improved: Charlie Wright

U15A

Players’ Player: Jack Tattersall , Coach’s Player: Henry Barton, Most Improved: Barnaby Steere, 7s Player: Oscar Binns

Mr N Barr

The boys started the season well with a strong performance against a travelling Barnard Castle side. From the start it was clear the lads had an abundance of skill, speed and experience but we knew that our size could be the sticking point, especially against the schools who traditionally field larger, stronger players. And so it was. We had a string of hard fixtures against the likes of Sedbergh, Rodillian Academy and RGS Newcastle and, despite playing some brave rugby, the boys were often overwhelmed by the size of so many of the opposition. It’s very hard to play our style of free-flowing rugby when you don’t have the ball. It wasn't all doom and gloom however and we finished the year with a couple of cracking performances against Crossley Heath and Hill House.

After Christmas the 7s season commenced, and the boys came into their own. We had successful games at the Durham Festival and the boys relished their first experience at the famous Rosslyn Park 7s event, where they played some of their best rugby, resulting in some well-deserved wins.

Huge thanks to the boys for all their hard work and commitment this season and, as ever, a big thanks to the parents for their support.

U14s B

After a sustained absence from school fixtures, it was fantastic to be back playing a full set of fixtures for the U14Bs in the 2021-22 season, enabling many pupils to represent the school.

The season got under way with an emphatic away win against Barnard Castle. A dominant first half display from Robin Simpson saw him moved up to the A team pitch at the break. It was also fantastic to see one of our international boarders, German Espluga playing in his first ever competitive game of rugby, having only just been introduced to the sport.

We then faced Sedbergh at home, unfortunately a role reversal of the Barnard Castle game. The team worked extremely hard against a fierce opposition, scoring a well deserved try in the corner and keeping the deficit considerably lower than the previous season. A great test of character and resilience building for all.

The boys bounced back with impressive performances in their next 3 fixtures, narrowly losing to RGS Newcastle and GSAL at home, with a comfortable away win against Denstone College in between. Notable performances in that match were from Marcos Benito Martin and Alex Salvador Medina, who both scored hat-tricks, and Lezain Shyllon who carried the ball over the line twice for a brace.

Josh Dickinson, Captain and scrum half, led the team superbly all year and spoke eloquently at the end of season awards. It was fantastic to see so many boys contribute to training sessions and matches throughout the term, and I look forward to seeing their skill developed as they progress to U15s and head towards senior rugby.

Mr M Dobson

We started the season on a high with a big win against Barnard Castle, with an outstanding performance from Robin Simpson, who very quickly moved up to the A team.

We moved through the year, meeting some tough opponents along the way who were much bigger than us! However, as a team we faced each match with the same resilience and determination right to the end of each game. We have developed and improved as the year has gone on and I think we can be proud of the progress we have all made.

As a team we’ve always had lots of support from the side lines, so a big thank you to parents and family for showing up each week. Lastly, I want to thank the teachers, Mr Dobson, Mr Waterhouse and Mr Barr for their hard work throughout the year. We are looking forward to seeing where next season takes us.

Josh Dickinson - Captain

Mr T Waterhouse

It was a thoroughly enjoyable season and a real boost to return to fixtures this season. The Under 13 team were an absolute pleasure to coach and played some super rugby throughout the season. The ambition was always to move the ball wide and play expansive attacking rugby and this was certainly how the team tried to play. The playing record is pleasing, although I know a couple of the defeats will be targets for the team to reverse those results next season.

The team’s best performances came against RGS Newcastle, Barnard Castle and Denstone College. When we played on the Grainge pitch, the surface really suited our game, the rugby played against Prince Henry’s in particular was superb.

A highlight of the season was the fabulous tour to Leicester and Warwick. Watching the Tigers V Saints game on the Friday night was a fantastic experience and James Whitcombe spent some time with the boys at the end of the game. We then travelled on to Warwick and played two great games; beating Old Swinford Hospital and just coming up short against Warwick.

Our sevens season was a huge success. The team won 2 of the 4 tournaments entered including a victory at St Peter’s York, beating QEGS and Durham in the Cup group. It was lovely to finish the season with our home tournament and ending up victorious. Some of the rugby played was very special and the team really understood how to play the game, move the ball and free the speed merchants to score some outstanding tries.

I would like to thank all of the players for their e orts throughout the season. Special thanks to Harrison Riley and Sam Johnson for all their help as co-captains. Additional thanks to Mr Eaglestone for his tireless support throughout the season.

I wish all the boys every success with their rugby as they move through the school.

Mr A Cadman

Played: 10, Won: 7, Drawn: 0, Lost: 3

For: 320, Against: 225, Di erence: 95

Without sounding like a stuck record (which, interestingly, are getting more popular again) the success of a year group’s A team is a function of the strength of the B team, and with the case of the U13s, this was no exception. Players develop at di erent rates and the B team ensures a steady supply of extra players in future years. Unfortunately, we were at the mercy of covid regulations that meant, on 6 occasions, matches had to be cancelled to the frustration of players and coaches.

The regular fixture list against larger schools is always tough but the boys acquitted themselves well with particularly strong results against Barnard Castle and Denstone College. Overall, only 7 fixtures were able to be played in a fragmented season.

One huge highlight of the season was the U13 squad trip to the Midlands. The squad travelled to Leicester on Friday afternoon (battling the M1) to check in to our hotel. After a quick change, we got back on the coach to travel to Welford Road to watch Leicester Tigers play Northampton Saints in a grudge derby game. Leicester Tigers were victorious and, after the game, the boys got to meet OG James Whitcombe and have numerous pictures and selfies with him. The next morning, we played a competitive fixture against Warwick School. Trips like this will stay long in the memories of all who participated.

As ever, the season would not have been able to take place without the coaching guidance of Mr Cadman and support of the parents, whether home or away. One mention that cannot go unrecorded is the superb catering provided by Mr Caroleo and his team. Whilst other schools could not provide catering, citing covid as the reason, the team ensured all players and coaches from both teams were able to refuel on post-match food.

The awards for the season were as follows: Players’ Player (voted for by the players) – Ben Dickinson, Coach’s Player – Will Wright, Most Improved Player –Jesse Monovis Finally, well done to all who played and committed their time to the team…as ever, another hugely enjoyable season.

Mr K D Eaglestone

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the U12 rugby squads this year and have been really pleased by the levels of progress that they have made. It is never easy starting in the senior school, however rugby has been the vehicle to not only help develop students physically and mentally, but equally as important, to help develop new social relationships in school and ensure that they settled well into life at Woodhouse Grove. These relationships have gone from strength to strength; wet and windy training sessions and waking up early on Saturday mornings to travel all over the Northeast have helped forge these relationships. This year group have a very exciting future ahead of them and I look forward to following their development over the coming years. Finally, a massive thank you to all parents for your commitment and support this year, it is always a proud moment to see our support outnumbering the opposition even if we have to travel 2+ hours.

Mr King

We have really enjoyed our first rugby season at the Grove, there have been some really good wins throughout the season, close draws and only one narrow loss. Unfortunately, we did not get to play all fixtures due to COVID. We have really enjoyed all the training sessions during the season even when it was wet and windy, everyone still looked forward to the sessions during the school day. The long bus journeys to away fixtures were always good fun as we got to

spend time with our team mates on the bus and it was always good fun. It was also good to visit other schools for the first time. Thank you to Mr King, Mr Higgins and Mr Borrington for their hard work and patience this year.

Seb Cadman and Roman Morgan

Played: 7, Won: 4, Drawn: 2 , Lost: 1, For: 235 Against: 100, Di erence: 135

Swimming

What a year it’s been! After two years of the Jubilee Pool not being in use due to covid, we were finally back in September 2021.

We started the year with a bang; the first swimming gala was at home to GSAL, it was great to see so many new pupils represent the school through the swim team. The girls were victorious by eight points (118-110) but unfortunately the boys lost 104-123 points – this meant that GSAL were overall winners 233-222.

In December, we welcomed Bradford Grammar School to the pool, where we had a mixture of events, both individual and team relays. Unfortunately, BGS were just too strong for us and despite a great e ort from the WGS team, BGS came out winners with 273 points to 183.

A couple of weeks, and a few more covid restrictions later, we had our first gala of 2022, against Ripon Grammar School. This time, our luck had changed. Or maybe it was all the Christmas treats and the work we had put in to training over Christmas. WGS won 262-194 points! It was great to see that we had just as many committed swimmers as we did at the start of the year in September.

After a short break, we then hosted Harrogate Ladies’ College in March. The girls showed that actual training, not just Christmas treats, could also win Galas. We were once again victorious, 135 points to 105.

To end the season, there was a Year 9 and Year 10 Girls’ Relay Gala that was hosted at GSAL, where five of our intermediate girls, Libby Bennett, Eilidh Molloy, Maisey Bellwood, Jenny Ingham and Georgina Rayner represented the school. The girls did us proud with three wins from three.

Even though we missed out on some planned galas this year due to covid restrictions and enforced isolations, it was great to see that swimming at The Grove is still very much as

popular and successful as ever. We have had a great season and would like to say thank you to everyone who took part and represented The Grove this season, you guys have been amazing!

Full swimming colours this year were awarded to Charlie Plein.

Climbing

Climbing has continued to go from strength to strength, with clubs running across three nights for all year groups. The school wall has a brand new set of routes, o ering over 35 new climbing and traversing problems for students to tackle. 2022 saw the Grove participate in its first inter-schools climbing competition, the return of House climbing and the reinstating of bouldering at the Depot wall.

Miss F Alimundo

Half colours were awarded to Evie Burns, Chloe Cater, Jasper Hunt, Rafael Marcus and Isla Swarbrigg.

Evie Burns & Charlie Plein - Captains

Netball 1st VII

This season I have had the honour of leading the first team and taking on the captaincy role. Although at first, the prospect of this felt quite daunting, especially as I only joined in the Sixth Form, I can whole heartedly say that it has been a joy from start to finish. This is a complete reflection of the 11 girls I have trained with week in, week out, over the course of this year... the coaches are not too bad either. This reflection allows me to recognise and commend each player for their outstanding dedication, e ort and attitude that remained so consistent over the season, even during our rocky beginning of a losing streak. From the very beginning of the season, it was clear this team was special in many ways. It was an immediate bond between all the girls and hopefully one that will last outside of netball.

Going into the first round of Nationals we had only won 5/12 matches, despite this we all turned up with a winning attitude. For me, our victory against GSAL at this tournament was the pivotal point in the season for us. As a result of this win, we qualified for the second round of National Finals.

Prior to the Christmas break we were fortunate to have a trip down to Truro School. An impressive performance saw us take the win, 52-17. Playing with the squad was great but everything else that came with the team only helped to cement our bond and

friendships o the court. After the trip we certainly found our groove just in time for the 2nd round of Nationals. Another amazing day and solid performances from everyone, and we had qualified for National Finals. In the build-up to Nationals, we increased the intensity and frequency of training, with us playing university and club sides to help us prepare. What a day. The squad did not disappoint, they left absolutely everything on the courts, coming from behind in many games to take the win. Securing a 5th spot position was such an achievement.

Our final fixture of the season was the QM Senior Tournament. The weather, for a change, was nice to us and we had the best day! It was complete Grove domination, as both 1st VII and 2nd VII reached their finals, and took the win. The atmosphere was insane and what a fantastic way to end the season.

We would like to thank Miss Dudley for her commitment to the team this season. We are extremely grateful to her for giving up her weekends to support us on our trips and at Nationals. Without this support the trips would not have run, so thank you on behalf of the whole squad!

Finally, Miss Thompson. The real superstar of Grove Netball. As well as having us to coach, Miss

Thompson is Head of Netball, so I can only imagine how hectic her life is. She has always found time for us and has gone above and beyond to prepare us for Nationals this season. She inspires us all to become better players and we hope we have made her proud and showed her that all her hard work has not gone unnoticed. Thank you for always pushing us to be better.

Josie Gorton Captain

Netball 2nd VII

This year we started o with 4 Year 13s, 2 Year 12s and 8 Year 11s. A group of people who had never played all together, but excited to see what we could achieve after 2 years of not playing competitive netball. We started with a tough opening match of the season v Cheadle Hulme.

However, the following weekend was the start of a successful season, winning the Alex Reid Memorial Tournament, going the whole day completely unbeaten. Following this we secured 2 wins against Bury and local rivals BGS. A sunny day in York at the St Peter’s Super 7s tournament sadly didn’t see us win but a great day of netball was had by all. We started 2022 o well with a 24-19 win against Pocklington, which was followed up with a convincing win against Rishworth. Our next set of league results were mixed with some tough opposition, yet we displayed two strong performances against Giggleswick and Fulneck.

Our final home game for the season couldn’t have been better with an enormous win against RGS Newcastle, with the game ending 54-7. We travelled to Queen Margaret’s to play in the QM Senior tournament. We played all of our group games exceptionally well and came out winners of the group. We then faced St Peter’s in the semi-final, who we had previously lost to in the season, so we knew what to expect. But the team were on fire and we came out winners and into the final, with a large audience. We then knew we were

going to face Hymers who we had also previously lost to in the season. By the end of the half we were down by 2 but we knew we were still in with a chance. A final hand in of the season was quite emotional for me and Pearl. We started the second half o very strong and the supporters were the loudest I've ever heard. The final whistle was blown and then a series of screams and celebrations followed from all Grove players. We couldn’t have asked for a better end to the season and to the end of our Grove netball journey.

I would like to thank the whole team for their dedication across the months, you’ve made our final season at the Grove outstanding. I hope that all netballers continue to commit to this amazing experience (and that includes going to training!) because before you know it your time as a Grovian netballer will come to an end. But there is one person who we would like to thank the most, Mrs Curtis. She has pushed us all season, yet still being the kindest person.

Jess McCormick Captain

Netball 3rd VII

This season the 3rd Team was lucky enough to have 18 girls representing the school throughout various fixtures within the year. Due to our unusually large squad, this allowed for many di erent combinations and meant we could put together strong teams each week for our fixtures. Out of the 17 fixtures played this year, we came away with 11 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses, scoring a total of 471 goals between our shooters. Our opening fixture was against Cheadle Hulme, which resulted in our first draw of 31 all. After half term we returned with a great win over Stockport Grammar, 29-27. The next few weeks saw some tough away matches against St Mary’s and Gateways.

However, the team worked hard in training to minimise our error rate which meant we came out with wins at our next two fixtures against Stonyhurst College 42-17 and a local win against GSAL 27-10. We continued our winning streak with results against

Ashville of 30-8, Giggleswick School 23-1, Fulneck 2nds 27-6 and a second win against Stonyhurst College of 38-8. Our penultimate fixture of the season was a second game against Ashville, where we su ered an unfortunate loss of 19-27 but we finished the year strong with a convincing win against RGS Newcastle with a final score of 33-14. We would like to thank all the girls for their amazing e ort throughout the season and the commitment towards the team. We would also like to thank Miss Thompson for organising so many fixtures for the 3rds as we know they are sometimes hard to come by! And finally, a massive thank you to Miss Pearce for coaching us through this season and I think we can all agree we are looking forward to continuing the great work next season too.

Olivia Speed and Harriet Jones Captains

Netball U15s A

After Covid impacting the past two seasons I think everyone would agree that it has been great to be back together playing sport with our amazing team. We have welcomed in several new players across the season, who have all had a positive impact on the squad. The competition is high to make the squad due to such a talented year group, this motivates us all to perform to the best of our ability in every session. After a few days of hard pre-season training, we were all looking forward to the season ahead.

Following a first narrow loss against Cheadle Hulme in our first match, the squad was ready to bounce back. To keep pushing ourselves we often played other schools’ U16 or Senior squads, this really forced us to play together and stick to our tactics. We were entered into both the ISNC and Sister in Sport National Cups. Within the ISNC we faced Sedberghwho, due to Covid, we had not come up against before. This game was definitely one of the highlights of the season for us, finishing the game 51-22.

Unfortunately, our cup runs came to an end in the quarter finals. I was super proud of all the girls for never giving up and giving it everything they had until the final whistle. Our season finished with a weekend

down to Shropshire at Boreatton Park. This weekend was full of netball and lots of activities for us to enjoy. We managed to finish the weekend unbeaten, and it was great to bring back a trophy to The Grove. Hopefully we can take this form into next season next year and get a positive result against Cheadle Hulme and push for the U16 National Schools’ Finals.

We also had 4 girls within our squad representing at pathway level. Phoebe, George and Jess representing Leeds Rhinos and myself at Manchester Thunder. We also have many players who play club netball and are working their way towards club nationals.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole squad for a great season, especially after a couple of crazy years. A massive thank you to all the coaching sta and our parents for their continued support. It is really appreciated. Finally, on behalf of all the girls, a huge thank you to Miss Thompson for coaching and supporting our team throughout the season, helping us to grow and improve as a team. We are so lucky to have you at The Grove.

Grace Ross Captain

Netball U15s B

What an amazing season of netball for the U15Bs this year, with some very tough matches. We have had some great wins and some tough losses. We were lucky enough to have 14 players in our squad, which allowed us to work on many di erent combinations, as the season progressed, we made stronger connections and became much more familiar with our styles of play. After a tough pre-season we were all super excited to wear our new netball dresses and represent the Grove for the 21/22 season. We had many highlights over the course of the season. One of the main ones has to be our win against GSAL after going on for the final quarter down by 6 and winning the game by 1. Another great game was our contest against Roundhay School, with the score finishing at 22-3.

Finally, I couldn’t not mention our trip to Shropshire at the end of the season. We had the opportunity to try out lots of activities including high ropes and swings, a dance battle, team challenges and not forgetting the netball tournament. We had the best weekend with lots of memories made. I would like to thank all my teammates for the e ort and dedication they have shown this season and finally a massive thanks to our coach, Mrs Jennings.

Isla Bagshaw Captain

Netball U14s A

This year’s netball season has been an amazing journey for the U14A team and we are all very thankful for the opportunities we have been given this year. After not playing for almost 2 years due to covid, we couldn’t be happier to be back. We started the season o strong, however we still had many improvements to make. Our first major tournament was the National Schools’ County Round where, despite many cuts and bruises, we played the best we’ve ever played and had lots of smiles and laughter throughout it. Although it wasn’t the result we wanted, we were eager to improve for the remainder of our matches. We trained even harder and worked together to make big improvements to our game. We managed to improve our goal di erence week by week, which also saw us winning more and more matches.

We have had so many amazing memories on our Saturday morning trips and have built so many great friendships, so thank you to all the girls for making it such an enjoyable season. Finally, thank you to Mrs Curtis for being our fantastic coach this season and to all the other coaches for their support on our Year 9 netball journey.

Cecily Cothli Captain

Netball U14s B

This year has been an exciting, interesting and hardworking journey for the whole team. We all bonded as the season continued, resulting in better results as we worked together and got to know everyone. Week by week we scored more goals, gained more interceptions and had more injuries. The results varied throughout the season, however we are super proud of ourselves and in particular for our result against the Pocklington A team, 21-12. Playing against some schools’ A teams provided us with some really tough challenges, yet we could take confidence from these knowing we had competed with them, even if the score didn’t go in our favour. Fulneck was another highlight for us and my favourite game of the whole season. The defensive pressure was so great we turned over so much ball leading to a great win. As a team we have had many laughs, some of my memories have been the coach journeys to away games, feeling the excitement and support from all Grove teams, it’s always a great environment. To finish our season, we were lucky enough to have a trip to Boreatton Park, which involved lots of netball, activities and more laughs. We even managed to make the semi-finals of the tournament! Thank you to all the sta who organised and attended the trip - we loved it!

It has been such a great opportunity and pleasure to lead this team during the season and observe the improvements we have all made. We definitely couldn’t have performed as well without our coaches, so thank you to Miss Dudley and the netball sta for their input with us this season. We can’t wait to do it all again!

Jenny Ingham Captain

As the Captain of the U13A team this season I have been asked to write a small summary of our year... The season started o with a rocky start against Cheadle Hulme, so rocky we won’t mention the score. By our second match we had managed to secure our first win and start to really define ourselves within the squad to have more success over the coming weeks.

Unfortunately, our team took a hit from covid, which lead to some cancelled games and disruption to our winning ways. Our first tournament of the season saw us finishing in joint first with GSAL in regular time, however they manage to just edge us in the extra time. A very exciting game for all involved. A long trip to Stonyhurst saw our streak come to an end, however we were not disappointed with our performance, knowing we had given it everything we had. With a recent loss and draw, we were all eager to get back to the winning feeling. The team always worked to a great intensity at training and training with the U14s on a Friday allowed us to be pushed and challenged every week. Although we were all at netball for the fixtures, the bus journeys and training sessions have provided us with so many memories and laughter, they have definitely made some of the season’s highlights for me. On behalf of the whole team, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our parents for sacrificing their Saturday morning lie ins, all the Netball sta for their commitment to us and finally Miss Thompson for all her support and hard work in making us the players we are today.

Netball U13s B

We started the season o with a few tough games. Our first match was a long journey to Cheadle Hulme, which really set the bar high for the season ahead. Not long after, we hosted Bury Grammar School, which was our first win of the season.

Although it was a tough match, the girls all came together to grind out the win. Although the winter weather had an impact on many of our fixtures, we were never deflated at training and gave it everything we could knowing it would pay o when fixtures were able to resume. During many of our training sessions we worked on our footwork and passing skills, which had a huge impact on our success rate for the rest of the season. Overall, it has been a great season with lots of progress being made along the way. We would like to thank our parents for getting us to school (far too early) on a Saturday morning and especially to Mrs Jennings and the netball sta for coaching us. We cannot wait for next year. We’ll be ready for Cheadle!

Marshall and Millie Batty

Netball U13s C

The U13C team experienced a season of both highs and lows this year. I am incredibly grateful that I have been able to share this season with: Sara, Summer, Poppy, Erin, Emily, Ash, Tilly, Izzy, Maya, Anya and Emily. Everyone worked with such a great enthusiasm in all our sessions, which I believe is one of the main reasons we have been able to make such good progress. The team were great at accommodating various positions on the court to make sure that everyone got to take part in all our fixtures. During the season we had some really tough fixtures against other schools’ A and B squads, this really highlighted our need to come together as a squad and use our communication and teamwork skills to get some wins. The team have done a great job in supporting one another, both in matches and at training, really helping to

Naomi Musariri

Daisy

boost our confidence. A lot of us came to The Grove with no netball experience and we are all immensely proud of ourselves in terms of how far we have come. Thank you to all our super coaches who have given us a real passion for netball. This time last year I didn’t think I would make any team and here I am now, after captaining this amazing C team for a season. We look forward to making even more exciting experiences and memories as a team next year.

Netball U12s A

This year has been the beginning of our netball journey at The Grove. We have formed great friendships and grown together as a team. Our team came from all di erent prep schools, everyone with di erent playing experiences. We have made so many improvements to our match play since September and worked on lots of di erent combinations. We cannot wait to keep making progress next season and see how successful we can be.

We have been lucky this year in the fact that Covid-19 has not had an impact on our season, which has enabled us to play many fixtures throughout the entire year. We also experienced some great, yet challenging, fixtures in the School Sport Magazine Cup. The high points of the

season have been a great win over Wilmslow Grammar, including the sing-along on the bus trip and the quarter final match v Yarm school. Unfortunately, we could not take the win, but we will be ready to take them on next year and hopefully come out on the other side. As a team we would like to thank all the parents and teachers that have supported us this year, and a special mention to Miss Pearce for being our coach this year. We have thoroughly enjoyed representing the school and we are all excited for next season to start already.

Bella Strudwick

Netball U12s B

Having missed out on a season of netball fixtures in Year 6, this season has really felt like a fresh start, with a new school and a new team. Although some of the girls had previously played together at Brontё House, getting to know everyone in Year 7 netball and working on new combinations and positions helped to get the season o to a great start. We had a tough journey to the success we see today on the court. With some questionable footwork and inconsistent passes at the start of the season, we had a shaky start but with the dedication and hard work from the girls to stay behind for extra training and being out there no matter the weather, we were all able to make huge progress this season. This would not have been possible without the unwavering support from our fantastic coaches, Miss Pearce and Miss Dudley. We look forward to seeing what progress we can continue to make next season!

Harriet Williams

Ammarrah Malik-Akram

Cricket 1st XI

The first full cricket season after the covid pandemic for the first XI started with a pre-season trip down to the Midlands. A 13-man squad of sixth formers and Year 11s travelled down for the week-long trip. The trip started with a T20 against a strong Oundle side. Oundle batted first and scored a formidable 171 with the Grove coming 75 runs short in reply. The team then travelled to Uppingham School to face another strong outfit. A tough game all round for the team but some good points to take into the last game of the tour before the season started. After a day of training at Derbyshire County Cricket Club and assistance from Derbyshire player Alex Hughes, the lads were confident going into the final game. Oakham batted first on one of the best decks of the season and posted a very challenging total of 298 from their 40 overs. A steady innings from the Grove to get some minutes at the crease saw us come short against a very strong side.

The season o cially started with a T20 match at home against local rivals GSAL. Captain Rafael Marcus won the toss and chose to bat first, with Tennant (53) and Popely (39) putting 86 on for the first wicket, the Grove were in a good position at the halfway mark. Backed up with quick cameos throughout the rest of the batting order, 153-5 was put on the board batting first. GSAL got o to a strong start but were restricted in the middle by

spinners Pinkey and Khan setting up a fascinating finish. GSAL just about getting over the line with a flurry of late boundaries from the edge of the bat gave them a 7-wicket victory.

The first Saturday game of the season was a short trip to rivals Bradford Grammar. The Grove bowled first and a brilliant performance in the field and some brilliant bowling from start to finish, Bradford were bowled out for 120. The 2nd innings started with a small top order collapse, however the innings was rescued by a brilliant 44 from young gun Max Chaplin and, when needed, a critical Captain's innings from Rafael Marcus (23*) saw us home and get our first win of the season.

The start of the National T20 competition started with a trip to Ampleforth. We started our first round with a draw against Mount St. Mary’s and a steady innings with the bat, followed with some brilliance with the ball, saw us home by 1 run and progress to the next round to play the hosts Ampleforth. A tough result in the 2nd round, with Ampleforth dominating from the start, saw us crash out in the early stages.

A trip across the Pennines saw us take on Manchester Grammar. Winning the toss and bowling first looked like a bad decision after a strong start from MGS, however spinners Pinkey and Khan took the majority of the wickets and a strong performance in the field meant we pulled

the game back in our favour and restricted MGS to 150 all out. A slow start with the bat and tight bowling from MGS meant the Grove struggled to get going, however skipper Rafael Marcus played a Captain’s knock, scoring 49 and taking us so close to what would have been a fine win. However we fell short by 20 runs.

Two tough fixtures followed with heavy defeats to QEGS and St. Peter’s, took us to Ashville. Bowling first and a tough slog in the field, we were chasing 214. After an early wicket, a strong partnership from Thirkill (40) and Popely (50) put the game in the balance. However, on a slow wicket and even slower bowling, boundaries were hard to come by and another close game went in the favour of the hosts.

Next on the list was the historical MCC game. The ‘gentlemen's toss’ was won by MCC and, after a strong bowling performance led by Oldridge, keeping it tight after the lunch interval, a strong fielding performance, including a run out from Wood in the opening overs of the day, gave the team a lot of confidence. Batting in a game where anything could happen, the Grove batted out 40 overs and managed to draw against a strong MCC side.

The lads welcomed Huddersfield New College and an exceptional e ort in the field with the ball restricted to 165-8. After the interval, the fireworks began. As ever, in Barbadian fashion, Webster brought the fireworks with maximums all around the park, hitting a brilliant 70 not out on debut. Backed up by 60 not out from Popely, this gave the Grove an impressive 9 wicket win.

Both games against Yorkshire Cricket College and Old Grovians were abandoned due to the weather, where the lads were in strong positions to win both matches. This led us to our final game for the season and a regular fixture of a 2-day game against Gresham's. A new format of cricket that none of the lads had played before, everyone was excited for it. Winning the toss and batting first on a very dead track, a solid e ort of 206 in our first innings, with contributions from Tennant (38) Popely (31) and Tattersall (24) put a good show from the lads. Gresham's ended the day on 141-2. Gresham's took a lead of 60 before declaring and Tennant again led the charge with the bat, with an impressive 75 against a team who could have talked for England. This led us to lead by 121 before being bowled out. A strong performance throughout the 2nd innings took us so close to a historic victory, however Gresham's came on top with a 2-wicket win.

A tough season with a new, young squad showed signs of promise throughout that can be built on going into the 2023 season.

Cricket 2nd XI

Played: 11, Won: 0, Lost: 11

After a sustained absence from school fixtures, the school’s 2nd XI returned to full flow for the 2021-22 season, enabling many pupils to represent the school. From avid cricketers who were on the cusp of the 1st XI, to those who were developing their game and enjoying the social element of the sport, the 2nd XI continued to cater for all. Numbers at training were consistently high, and the enthusiasm and camaraderie throughout all sessions and matches was excellent.

All the fixtures were tightly contested, but unfortunately, we frequently lacked the experience to get across the line and see out games in the last few overs. We are excited for next season and will be looking to work hard during winter nets to give us the best chance possible to pick up some wins.

A particular highlight of the season was Luke Schoeman’s fine batting display against Bradford Grammar, scoring his first ever century. Some of the U15s made their 2nd XI debuts against QEGS, with some excellent wicket keeping from Danny Morgan, and super all-round play from Elliott Tattersall and Lewis Howard. The team enjoy putting on the green T20 kit, with 2 fiercely close matches against Ashville, both being decided in the final over of the games. My personal favorite memory of the season was watching Tim Eichert, Brodwell House Captain, play his first ever games of cricket, quickly becoming one of our most reliable fielders.

The season culminated with the Durham 2nd XI T20 tournament; a fantastic 2-day event in which The Grove entered the competition as reigning champions from 2019. Whilst we were not able to retain the trophy, a great time was had by all, and it was a lovely way to end the season together as a squad.

Mr M Dobson

Charlie Popely

Cricket U15s Cricket U14s

Played: 9, Won: 2, Lost: 7

A very enjoyable season to have been Captain for. Some mixed results, but most importantly we had willing and budding cricketers who wanted to play, even so much we were able to put out two teams against Ampleforth due to the increasing number of pupils who wanted to get involved in the cricket programme. Being able to put two teams out shows the players’ dedication and commitment, as well as how much they enjoy the sport. It has been great seeing first timers, like Finlay Hainsworth, Charlie Wright, Dhilan Patel, and Matthew Roberts coming down to net sessions and getting involved, as well as some of the other players repicking the bat up and getting back into it full on; Oscar Binns, Harry Davison, Justin Crowther and Will Gray. It was also great to see some of the players like Zak Shahzad, Vinay Toor, Lewis Howard, Elliot Tattersall and myself, getting involved in first and second team games towards the backend of the season.

All members of the team made it a memorable season, it has been a lot of fun and I have really enjoyed all aspects of being Captain this season and watching the progression of the players. The commitment and dedication were exemplary, the team made a lot of progress throughout the season and we all look forward to joining the senior cricket programme next year.

Thank you, Mr King, for being our coach and for the boys to have played the game in such great spirits.

Harry Bates Captain

The results do not tell the story of the journey that the team has taken and the levels of development that they have made, both individually and collectively. This group have been a pleasure to work with, they train and play with a smile on their faces and we have had some fantastic moments and created many memories this season. I wish them all the very best in the future and look forward to watching them continue their development in Year 11.

The first game of the season started with Bradford Grammar away. It was a tough time for the bowlers, with Bradford managing to get 225-2. Unfortunately, it was a heavy loss with Woodhouse getting bowled out for 84 o 18.

Next to follow was Bradford Grammar but in the Cup this time. With a change of team, we knew we had a chance. Max Chaplin confidently putting us into bat first, one early wicket fell but with the Captain’s knock of 113 saw us getting to a total of 193-4. Theo McLelland opened the bowling, getting us o to a good start with no wickets coming but 3 very tight overs. They managed to pull it back and o their 20 overs they got 170-1.

Next game was a heavy loss to Manchester with us getting bowled out for 49 and then Manchester knocking it o in 10 overs.

Then came Ampleforth, where Ethan Taylor with a very good 50 got us to a total of 181-7 and then a good bowling display had us bowling them out for 61.

Then we were onto the next round of the Cup and it was South Craven. Max Chaplin confidently putting us into bat again and got a good score of 73, leading the team to a total of 151. Another brilliant bowling display from Theo and Oliver Riley Radcli e saw us bowl them out, finishing on 98.

Then onto Ashville with us getting a total of 132 but then bowling Ashville out for 94. Then in the third round of the Cup we had Ilkley and we knew it would be tough with us getting bowled out for 84 and Ilkley knocking it o with only 4 wickets lost. Onto Prince Henry’s in quite a close game. Prince Henry’s set a total of 140 but unfortunately Woodhouse finished on 120.

Last game of the season was a local derby between the Grove and Leeds. GSAL set a total of 138 and we finished on a disappointing 102. Despite the mixed results, we enjoyed the season and have improved as players. Onto next year.

Max Chaplin

Cricket U13s Cricket U12s

Played: 10, Won: 5, Lost: 5

The Under 13 cricket season was a season of ups and downs! The team are full of cricketers with huge potential who, I am confident, will go on to be a very successful side.

The bowling and fielding throughout the season was very impressive. The bowlers showed excellent control, mostly bowling a good line and length. The fielding was good at the start of the year, but really improved throughout the season and we were regularly taking a run out in each match by the end of the season. This showed an increased understanding of the game and better awareness.

Often bowling first, we managed to restrict opposition teams to a very chasable target. The batting was a source of huge frustration for the coach and the players. The team seemed to find very unlucky ways of getting themselves out, including being runout at the non-striker’s end and fielders taking some amazing catches.

Some of the batting failures though, were down to concentration and decision making. Deciding which balls to play at and which to leave, is a skill in itself; perhaps too much T20 on the television encourages players to play at every ball. This led to the team not batting their full allocation of overs which cost us in some close games.

Towards the end of the season though, the top order finally fired and the whole team performances against Lancaster RGS and GSAL were superb; chasing down 163 & 146 respectively.

The team were an absolute pleasure to be with. They all encouraged each other and were keen to help each other improve. They all wanted to improve and acted upon feedback given. My thanks go to all the team for their e ort throughout the season and to Mr Higgins and Mr Shah for their help and support at training.

Mr A Cadman

The boys worked hard during the Winter with Mr Borrington and were eager to go at the start of the season. In the first game of the season, we started o by putting a score of 50 on the board which resulted in an 8 wicket loss to Bradford Grammar. This was a shame because we didn’t show how well we could play. We then went to Manchester Grammar hoping for a better performance against a very strong side. In the first innings Manchester put on 189/7, with George taking a one-handed screamer. We responded by putting on 78, but batting all 30 overs and showing more promise with the bat.

In the 3rd game of the season against Aysgarth we narrowly lost by 7 runs. Aysgarth put on 137/9 and we responded with 130/8. This was a much better performance and it was clear that we were starting to click as a team. Our win finally came against QEGS. We bowled QEGS out for 89 with some excellent bowling from Will and Charlie Dibb; spin it to win it! We chased it down with 4 wickets left with me and Jack finishing the chase o .

We then made the long journey to Stonyhurst with confidence by putting on 154/6. This was an excellent batting performance with Seb and George retiring after excellent knocks. With a good score on the board we ended the game by bowling well and taking 7 wickets, to win by 64 runs. Soon after, we went to Ashville ready to put on a score, the batting went very well by putting on a solid 164-3 after our 25 overs, in our bowling we skittled them for 79 all out with 4 wickets from Will and 3 from Charlie Dibb. It was fantastic that we managed to have a big squad training and we played some ‘B’ team fixtures as well. There were lots of players that played in both teams, showing that there is a lot of competition in the squad. It was a very fun season and I enjoyed being captain and I would like to thank Mr Barr and Mr Eaglestone for coaching us and taking us to fixtures.

Thomas Halstead Captain

Girls’ Cricket

Cricket has been on the girls’ PE curriculum for a few years and we have previously entered a few competitions, but the 2022 season was the first year that we saw girls’ cricket grow across the school with the U12, U13, U14, U15, U16 and 1st XI team all playing matches for the school.

The inaugural Girls‘ 1st XI, captained by Emily Hinchli e, faced Hill House in their first match at the beginning of May and despite a narrow loss, it was fantastic to see Grove girls playing competitive cricket. Our U15s and U13s went on to play 6 games across the season with matches against many local schools.

The junior teams were all entered into the West Yorkshire Indoor Tournaments for their age groups, the results were mixed but the U13s came out with a win; they all enjoyed the experience and it ignited their passion for the sport.

We are looking to build on the fixture list next summer and with our new Head of Cricket, Mr Randhawa already planning girls’ cricket nets, we are sure that the 2023 season will see growth and success in girls’ cricket at The Grove.

Fencing

Since its recent reinstatement , the Woodhouse Grove Fencing Club has gone from strength to strength, and last year was certainly a bumper year.

Woodhouse Grove fencers attended debut, external tournaments, with ten pupils represented the school at the Yorkshire County Championships in February 2022, bringing home a silver and bronze medal in the girls Under 12 category. In May 2022 eight pupils competed at the Northern Youth Challenge, and a number of our fencers attended a friendly team event at Harrogate Fencing Club.

Kira Grahamslaw, Year 11; the club’s most experienced fencer was selected to represent Great Britain, in her debut international tournament, competing in the Cadet Epee category over in Belgrade, October 2010. Kira has also been a massive support, helping to coach the younger pupils and o er advice and guidance. Kira has again been selected to represent internationally in the 2022/23 season.

The club numbers have grown and grown, with great representation in school Years 7 – 10, and in recent months some sixth formers have started to attend training. Woodhouse Grove hosted its first Fencing Summer Camp in August 2020, which was well attended with Woodhouse Grove and external fencers. Woodhouse Grove fencers have also attended evening training at the University of Leeds fencing club, where they have gained valuable experience, training with older athletes. The club enjoyed their first o cial team sports photo.

The club was delighted and thankful to receive funding from Friends of Woodhouse Grove and purchased new electric boxes, masks and weapons, which has all been a massive help with the ever growing numbers. Parents have been a massive support this year and must be thanked for driving pupils to various events.

The club intends to greatly build on the success of the 2021/22 year and expand in both a performance and participation manner.

Mr T Exeter

Football 1st XI

The senior football season kicked o with a 6-a-side tournament in York where we had two teams in the tournament. An enjoyable afternoon where one of the teams won their league and this showed what strong team depth we had going into the season.

The first game of the season was against Bradford City and to our credit, we did far better than we expected. An early goal from Fred Z gave us an early lead but unfortunately, this didn’t last. We then carried on our slow start with two draws against St. Peter’s School, York and GSAL. The GSAL game was played in very tough conditions, so this was a good result.

We finally kicked into gear against Barnard Castle, and we definitely played our best football against them. Everyone worked hard that game and we were disciplined, trusted each other and it resulted in David O scoring his first goals of the season which would soon help him to become joint top goal scorer. The man of the moment that specific game, was James T who hit a hat-trick despite playing out of position. However, his hat-trick wasn’t the only one of the season as his own brother, Will T, scored a debut hat-trick against Giggleswick a few days later.

Following the February half term break, we had an interesting game against Birkdale where Lewis C and Tom R inspired a comeback from 3-0 down to 3-3 with 10 minutes to play. However, we didn’t quite manage to get the win and it went down as our only loss of the season. But we showed what we were about and didn’t go down without a fight, which we know Mr. Softley was extremely proud about.

We finished o the season in great form, with James E hitting his third of the season from Centre Back and Diego C scoring on his return to the 1st XI. Aakash N and Lewis C also contributed on the score sheet. It was a great season and a 6-2 home win against Ampleforth was a brilliant way to end our footballing career at the Grove.

Looking back over the years, we’ve come a long way, from conceding around 14 goals to GSAL in Year 7 to winning 2-1 on aggregate this season and this demonstrates how far we have come. However, one of the best memories of our school football career was our tour to Lisbon in 2019, where we were able to experience playing football in Europe.

Something we are proud of is that we have continued to create a strong culture within the senior football team and we are certain that the younger students will carry this on next year.

John Emmott (Captain) and James Tate (Vice Captain)

Played: 8 Won: 4 Drew: 2 Lost: 2 Goals For: 30

Goals Against: 19

v Bradford City U17s – Lost 6-1

v St Peter’s – Draw 2-2

v GSAL – Draw 1-1

v Barnard Castle – Won 8-2

v Giggleswick – Won 8-1

v Birkdale – Lost 5-3

v GSAL – Won 1-0

v Ampleforth – Won 6-2

It has been an entertaining season for the second team with a range of standout moments. Despite some heavy defeats, there were also some great results and performances on display throughout the course of the campaign.

Our season started with a game away at St. Peter’s. Emotions were high and despite the result, it was a promising performance to start the season. After going behind early on, the team were keen to bounce back towards the end of the game. It was a much better display in the final 45 minutes with Will and Hussam scoring towards the latter stages.

After a disappointing result against GSAL, we managed to get our first win of the campaign against Barnard Castle with a fantastic 4-1 win. It was a great performance from the whole team, with a special mention to Diego Carrasco who put on a classy display grabbing two goals. It was a strong team performance which gave us confidence and momentum going forward.

However, we can’t talk about the highs without mentioning the lows. In the world of football, no team is perfect, and this was demonstrated, quite strongly, in our home fixture against Hymers College which was played in front of a sold out 4G arena. If I’m being completely honest, I don’t know what the final score was, and to be fair, I don’t want to know what the final score was.

This brings us onto the last game of the campaign in a home fixture against Ampleforth College, where the team were desperate to make amends and finish the season with a win. We started the game excellently with Noah winning a penalty which was coolly slotted away. After a good goal from the opposition, we went into half time level. The second half started similarly to the first with an early goal from Noah. Ampleforth drew level again as we headed into the final minutes of the match. In the dying embers of the game, we won a corner and after a failed clearance by the opposition defenders, Will put his body on the line as the ball

cannoned o his right leg straight into the net. It was a fantastic way to end the season and a great send o for the pupils in Year 13 who had played their last game for the school.

Will Sherlock Captain

Played: 8 Won: 2 Drawn: 0 Lost: 6 For: 10 Against: 32 Di erence: -22

Football U15s

A football season that was defined by outstanding tenacity, dedication and maturity. The playing record speaks for its self; such success on the circuit on which we test ourselves is certainly not to be sni ed at. However, it was the camaraderie and team values which have impressed the most. 23 players across the year group represented the A team at some point across the term, with a further 14 players having the opportunity to pull on the coveted green and red jersey for the Bs.

The playing squad, expertly led by skipper Oliver Howes and his 2nd in command Harry Bates, have displayed outstanding and unrivalled commitment to the program, which, in turn, has led to some memorable performances. Having gone down in the first game of the season, it was clear that the side would not allow this to happen again; remarkably going unbeaten for the remainder of their time. The most memorable of which, overturning a 4-0 half time deficit to come back and win 7-4 in front of their raucous home fans. A day, I’m sure, that will live long in the memory.

For the players, the season closes with somewhat of a heavy heart; a last chance to take to the football paddock as a year group, as they progress onto senior football. But as chapters go, what a way to end it.

Players’ Player of the Season: Noah Melake Coach’s Player of the Season: Oliver Howes Most Improved Player of the Season: Cameron Bojas

Mr F Wenham

Played: 6 Won: 4 Drawn: 1 Lost: 1 For: 25 Against: 19 Di erence: 6

Football U14s

This season has seen the team grow from strength to strength as the last time we fully played for the school football team was back in Year 7. Bradford City was our first game and we were truly put to the test. We had a brilliant start to the game with an early goal from our pacey winger Ibs but couldn’t shut Bradford out who later scored and went on to win 4-1.

Next, we went to our close friends and rivals GSAL with A and B teams full and arguably the most anticipated game besides Bradford. With typical British weather in full force, managing the wind was the key factor in winning or losing. Some very good performances were put in from Philip, Josh, Henry and Daniel. They went on to win 4-0 and 7-0. These two losses were our motivation to push on and improve for the rest of the season.

Mount St. Mary’s College were our next opponents and challenged us throughout. They took the lead and made it and dominated by winning the second in the middle of the park but a penalty from Marcos gave the equaliser. In quick succession, a curler from Tish and a beautiful ball from Joe into the path of Marcos sealed the third goal just before the end of the first half. The second half was as tough and with an intense final 5 minutes, some brilliant play from Marcos, again we got a hard-fought draw. Key players from this game were Marcos, Jude, Jesse and Joe. Hull Collegiate saw us being able to field two teams again. Standout performances were from our CB partnership, Lewis with early last-ditch tackles and Ethan with towering headers and also strong performances from Tatenda and Awais.

On our away trip to Birkdale School, we unfortunately couldn’t field a full 11 a-side team and settled for a 9v9 with no subs but the boys forgot about that and produced the goods with a big 4-2 win and more great performances from Zach, Henry, and a brilliant header from Max.

St. Aidan’s and St. John Fisher was another close game with them taking an early lead and us quickly scoring but they nicked a late goal 4-3.

The Bs had their final game against GSAL, again in a 6 a-side fixture, and pulling out a brilliant 4-3 win.

The As final game was against Oldham Hulme and we played our best game of the whole season winning 6-3 and Marcos with a hat-trick and Zach scoring his first of the season.

I would like to thank the players that took the time to train on Friday and play early on Saturday morning, the parents that supported on the side line and Mr Barr and Mr Eaglestone for coaching us to become better versions of ourselves.

Oluwatisefunmi Onigbogi Captain

Award Winners: Most Improved: Max Chaplin Coaches’ Player: Marcos Benito Martin Players’ Player: Oluwatisefunmi Onigbogi

Played: 9 Won: 4 Drawn: 2 Lost: 3 For: 29 Against: 26 Di erence: +3

Football U13s

This was a tough first season for the football team with multiple ups and downs. We kicked of the season against Bradford City u12 academy. I think we can all predict how that went, the score ended 5-0 to them, but we gave it our all and it was a reliable performance to start the season o . Unfortunately, the woodwork was not in Matty Roberts favour, hitting the woods multiple times.

The next game was against GSAL, also against the weather. Not even Sam’s kicks could go further than the five metre, with the goal kicks almost ending in own goals.

After two tough matches, the boys managed to bounce back and secure the first win of the season - Mount St. Mary’s, with a little help from the academy ballers and excellent saves from the two keepers, Jesse and George.

Next, we had a local derby against Immanuel with Rafe and Theo controlling the attack and Joe and Jenson securing the defence. The boys’ heads were up, ready for the exciting season ahead.

With the lads raring to go, we headed into the next game against Birkdale School. This was one of the most exciting and toughest games of the season with shots from every point of the pitch and some excellent attacks by the deadly trio of Adam, Harry and Matty H.

The next match was against St. Aidan’s and St. John Fisher. Let’s just say that the score was as long as the name.

The following match, we had a lot of the boys out at rugby fixtures, but the B teamers stepped up and put out a brilliant performance, stepping up to the mark, with Thomas Jenning setting a good team example.

After back-to-back losses and one game to go, the lads didn’t want to leave anything on the field so gave it their all, beating Harrogate Grammar 7-1, with the only thing left on the field being some water bottles and a Lucozade.

Overall, the boys had an amazing season with some great wins and some unfortunate losses. We would like to thank Mr Borrington and Mr Cadman for coaching us and taking us to fixtures. BRING ON THE NEXT SEASON.

Nick Bagshaw & Harrison Riley

Football U12s

It has been a fantastic football season with a great group of students who have all shown exemplary levels of motivation and commitment to attend training and represent the school in inter-school fixtures this year. We have seen over 50 students represent the school this year in inter-school fixtures, with 30+ regularly attending after-school training sessions. We have seen some fantastic football being played, and the progress made as the season progressed was outstanding. The levels of dedication have been first class from all the players and parents, who have supported us across the Northeast in all weather conditions this year.

Mr D King

U12A

The A team had 10 matches this season. 3 were cancelled, we lost 2, drew 2 and won 2, with the final match fielding a mixed team as we were called for a Rugby 7s tournament. We never played GSAL and hope to be able to play and win that fixture next year.

Everyone in the team is amazing and brings a di erent quality that we need. Ollie is simply rapid. Halstead is fierce and put away an awesome halfway goal in one match. Elias’s tackling proving his bravery of a lion is in football as well as rugby. George making too many saves to count and keeping us in the game. Lander an absolute rock in centre or defence. Ben’s pace keeping us out of trouble so many times. Charlie R stepping up and being an octopus in net. Archie attacking and creating great chances. Jake always adding finesse and a needed boost when available. Charlie H making some great left foot crosses and a number of players making debuts or multiple appearances from the Bs, demonstrating the quality we have over all the teams in Year 7.

A special thank you to our coaches Mr Madden and Mr Keegan who helped us train during many a cold dark night and of course to Mr King who supported and motivated us relentlessly during our matches.

Lewis Riley

Played: 7, Won: 2, Lost: 3, Drawn: 2, For: 12, Against: 13, Di erence: -1

U12B

We’ve had a mix of results, to say the least. There’s been some landslide victories, such as the 12-2 against Mount St Mary’s, and some slightly less flattering results too, we’ve even had an own goal or two. For me, the best part of it has been having fun – the banter on the bus on the trips to away matches, the cold, winter nights, training with new friends and the early Saturday morning matches at school followed by food in the hall. It’s all been made possible by the dedication of all our teachers, so a big thank you to Mr King, Miss Barran, Mr Madden and finally Mr Keegan.

Guy Wilkinson

Played: 5, Won: 4, Lost: 0, Drawn: 1, For: 26, Against: 6, Di erence: 20

Girls’ Football Tennis

Boys

It has been great to see the development of girls’ football within school this year through the students’ enthusiasm and passion for the sport, leading to high numbers of involvement. We have had over 20 students play for each of the U13 and U15 teams, both attending extra training sessions and competitive fixtures. This included taking part in the National Cup for both age groups which was an excellent and historic occasion for girls’ football at Woodhouse Grove. The U13s narrowly missed out on the next round to a 2-1 defeat to Lightcli e Academy whilst the U15s travelled to South Hunsley School to play the overall winners of the national competition. Other fixtures this year have included GSAL at home and away, Harrogate Grammar and Crompton House School.

Some of our players commented on their thoughts from this year:

“From having no girls football team at all 12 months ago, to having competitive matches, we are really starting to show signs of great teamwork and improvement. The excitement level before the games is always high and our favourite fixture was against GSAL where we kept going all the way until the end, scoring 4 goals as a team.”

Megan Atkins and Pippa Bennett (U13)

“This year we have all really enjoyed taking part in girls’ football, it has allowed us to develop our skills further whilst having fun in matches and training. It is a great way to take part in a team sport creating friendships with people in our year.”

Evie Edgley and Ella Hamer (U15)

I hope girls’ football continues to develop next year with many more competitive fixtures.

It was excellent to get back on the courts playing competitive tennis again. The boys were entered into the Y7/8 and Y9/10 Division 2 leagues where they faced local schools and had some very competitive singles and doubles matches throughout the term. The senior boys were entered into the Glanville National Cup where they faced Hymers in round 2. This ended up in a loss, but the students played some good tennis considering how early in the season it was.

On a weekend, we either hosted or travelled to a range of schools in the North of England and the boys played doubles matches against their respective age groups. As the season progressed, the students improved their understanding and tactics of doubles, and this resulted in some good performances against tough opposition.

Training this year for each age group has been very popular and the students enjoyed working on their ground strokes and playing against each other. There was the chance for the players to compete in the ‘Play your way to Wimbledon’ competition and we saw Daniel Littlejohns and Will Gray then go on to represent the school in the regional finals.

Miss Barran

The final weekend of the season saw the return of the match against the Old Grovians. Although the Old Grovian team were the overall winners, there were some very competitive matches, and it was good to see our current students play against our talented Old Grovians who returned to play.

Girls

During the 2021-22 season, the girls represented The Grove against various other schools. The tennis season started early in March for the seniors playing Queen Margaret’s in the National Cup. Over the course of the Summer Term, each year group played regularly in a mixture of singles and doubles fixtures and experienced a wide range of opposition. By the end of the season, the girls had secured their knowledge of the doubles and singles games and improved their groundstrokes dramatically.

The younger year groups also benefited from a trip to the ‘Ilkley Challenger’ tournament. Here they got to experience small, interactive coaching sessions led by ex-professionals (also featuring an Old Grovian!). They then got the chance to observe some professional tennis games in which the athletes use the competition as a ‘warm up’ to Wimbledon.

The newly titled ‘Play your Way to Wimbledon’ was a welcome challenge for our girls and boys in Years 7-10 this year. A doubles round robin format held on a Saturday meant plenty of challenge for everyone. Winning all their games, Natalie Flynn and Dara Treanor (Year 9) were put through to the regional round at the John Charles Centre, Leeds. Amazingly, due to lack of girls entries from other schools, they were given a bye straight through to the finals! This was held at the All England Club, Wimbledon in August. The girls played in an exciting doubles tournament at the prestigious venue and made some lifelong memories.

Cross Country

The Cornwall escapades of the cross-country team were not the only success from the year. We saw National and local success at individual and team level with record numbers at training.

In early October ten athletes took on the English Schools’ Fell Races at Sedbergh. It was a brutal course with both seriously challenging ascents and technical descents but, as ever, we had stars in our midst. Maisey Bellwood took silver in the U15 girls’ race and Archie Peaker battled hard for fifth (in one of his few ‘lucky cap’ outings of the year) with Harriet Williams best of the rest in 13th place at U13 level.

The four-event series of Leeds League XC races saw great achievements and debuts from the squad. At the sharp end, Charley Clark-Taylor clinched the title with an almost perfect average points score of 1.5 per race (one point for a win!). Archie Peaker used a couple of races as tune-ups so wasn’t eligible for the league title but scoring a first and second place.

James McLarnon and Simeon Tedd vied with each other across the league meetings, ending 5th and 7th in the U13 category. Harriet Williams worked hard for eighth overall whilst Jacob Best indicated his emergence at U15 level with an overall fourth place.

Mr C Softley (Boys’ Tennis)

Mrs K Curtis and Miss G Thompson (Girls’ Tennis)

The Summer Term King Henry VIII relays are the de facto National Schools’ Road Relay Championships. The race is an open under 18 competition, with a roll call of Olympians and famous endurance athletes amongst the 50-year history. Our entry of two teams for boys and two for girls was a signal of intent when most of our runners were U14 and below. All the runners made an impact, never at the back o the field despite the age-gap for most of our team and it was great to have Upper Sixth pupil Will Eastell back running for the club after a four-year absence. The Girls A team were 11th out of 35 teams with Maisey (Year 9) an astonishing 12th fastest U18. It was particularly pleasing to see our pupils, some of whom were U12 battling well against what was the best ever field in the race’s history.

The Grove Aquathlon (swim-run) was a bumper edition with 120 entries and 83 finishers from seven schools. The WGS athletes put on a great show, taking five of the twelve individual medals, as well as taking the gold in the U15 and silver in the U13 team competitions. Simeon Tedd and Will Thornhill took gold and silver in the U13 boys’ race with Charley Clark-Taylor taking bronze in the girls’ race. At U15 level, Oliver Goodison and Eilidh Molloy were both victorious on a day of fast pool times and great racing all round. Eilidh Molloy raced for West Yorkshire in the triathlon relay at the School Games final, missing out on medals after an infringement by another athlete meant the team had a time-penalty to serve.

A record fourteen pupils were selected to run for Leeds Schools Cross-country Team. Harriet Williams, James McLarnon, Simeon Tedd, Henry Shimmin and Alex Dawson in Year 7; Charley Clark-Taylor in Year 8; Maisey Bellwood, Archie Peaker, Jacob Best, Zac Taylor and Oliver Goodison in Year 9, and Eilidh Molloy, Gaelle Carrasco and Harry Bates in Year 10.

Maisey and Archie went to the English Schools XC final in Kent where Archie narrowly missed top 20, with 21st despite being a ‘year young’. Maisey ran well for 29th, again at the younger end of her age-group. We anticipate seeing them out next year in the final, hopefully on a hillier course where their strengths and extra year of physical maturity in the U15 age group will pay dividends.

Three Year 7 pupils went to the National Finals in Cross-country. Macie Donaldson ran strongly in a packed field whilst Simeon Tedd 31st and James McLarnon 71st took team silver with West Yorkshire, the day after battling it out in the House Cross-country competition!

Archie Peaker was second in the Inter-counties Fell Race, also taking a team gold with the Yorkshire Junior Boys’ squad. Maisey Bellwood was second in the English Fell running race at Ilam but also took home the overall U15 National title. We look forward to another exciting and action-packed year with our superb cross-country and triathlon squad.

Mr P Tedd

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House Reports

A particular focus for me as Atkinson House mistress is that all students feel confident, willing and able to participate in a wide variety of house events. It is important for students to push themselves outside of their comfort zone, take part in some healthy inter-house competition and earn themselves some all-important house points. This year Atkinson students certainly delivered. I have been in awe of students’ willingness to go above and beyond in representing their house and showing the other five houses what Atkinson is really made of!

As I reflect on the highlights of the year, let us start with racket sports where Atkinson certainly started o strong. Atkinson scored first in senior badminton, junior boys’ squash, senior table tennis, junior badminton and second place in junior girls‘ squash. A special mention to Oliver Defurey who won both matches in his league with an impressive 9-1 and 9-0 victory, as well as Ruby Clark and Annabelle Hudson who won both their matches in league one. Thank you, also, to Lucy Xu who represented Atkinson in senior house badminton. Not only was it her first time representing the house, but she proved to be a highly valuable player in beating the formidable Towlson badminton team and securing Atkinson first place.

More highlights in the Autumn Term include our junior debaters, Ellie Fisher and Connie Dawes coming second place in junior debating. It was clear that they were disappointed in not coming first but it was tough competition and they both debated extremely well under pressure – they certainly made Atkinson VERY proud. Alongside this, a special mention to all those who took part in house swimming (a personal favourite house event of mine) and in particular to Atkinson girls who finished in second place.

As the school returned from the Christmas and New Year slumber, we were eagerly awaiting the performances in house music. I always have so much respect for students who beat the stage fright and perform their musical talents. Liam Matley on clarinet and vocalist Ruby Clark performed beautifully as Atkinson soloists. Atkinson ensemble certainly delivered an ABBA-solutley incredible performance of Mamma Mia. The energy, the dance moves and the smiles were unlike anything the recital room had ever seen before. Although we were placed last (personally I think we were robbed) everyone had so much fun at this house event and left feeling that little bit lighter and brighter. Music does tend to have that beautiful e ect on people!

As we welcomed in the Summer Term, students were invited to take their marks... get set.... and BAKE to

raise money for Candlelighters. During a mouth-watering house bake o , Atkinson House raised an incredible £191.22. Whilst there were too many student contributions to mention everyone here, it was an incredible show of teamwork and I would like to thank everyone, students and parents alike, for their involvement and support in making the event such a success.

And finally, the long-awaited return of Sports Day from its three year hiatus. The sun was shining, the energy was high and Atkinson certainly put on a show! First places go to Grace Ross (inter girls’ 200m), Georgina Rayner (inter girls’ 800m), Barnaby Steere (inter boys’ 100m and inter boys’ high jump), Libby Bennett (inter girls’ high jump), Molly Ripley (junior girls’ discus), Noah Melake (inter boys’ discus), Georgie Cothli (junior girls’ javelin), Cecily Cothli (inter girls’ javelin), Isla Eaglestone, Dexter Small, Daisy Marshall and Victor Hanson (junior medley relay) and Georgina Rayner, Cecily Cothli , Gaelle Carrasco and Grace Ross (inter girls’ 4x100m relay). Many thanks to every single student who supported Atkinson at Sports Day (again, too many to mention everyone). Long may the enjoyment of Sports Day continue!

None of Atkinson’s achievements would have been possible without the support of the senior prefect team; Luke Schoeman, Scarlet Jones, Rafael Marcus, Evie Hammond, Christian Maisye, Harry Willard and Elizabeth Kalusova. These students have been consistently reliable, displayed healthy competitive spirt and made a positive impact on the house throughout the years. To highlight their dedication, it is worth mentioning that both Scarlet Jones and Christina Maisye received their Platinum award for 50 house points, whilst Rafael was just shy on 46 points. However, I would like to say a very special thank you to Luke Schoeman. Throughout his seven years in Atkinson House he accumulated a truly outstanding 87 house points. To mark such an incredible achievement ‘The Luke Schoeman Dedication to Atkinson House’ trophy, very kindly donated by the Schoeman family, will be awarded to the Atkinsonian who has gone above and beyond for their house. My hope is that this new trophy and accolade will inspire and motivate students to follow in Luke’s impressive footsteps for years to come.

Overall, Atkinson House proudly finished in podium position of third this academic year. Thank you to all Atkinson sta , parents and students for all your continued support. It is your support that makes the Atkinson House spirit so strong and in my (admittedly biased) opinion, the best house to be a part of!

Miss L Holloway

It has been fantastic to return to our usual way of working, with the House meeting altogether once again, rather than via a pre-recorded video, and events taking place across the year groups rather than in carefully controlled bubbles.

Competition during the course of the year has been hard fought and wins were somewhat illusive. Having said that, I was delighted that the senior girls’ netball team were once again triumphant, regaining the crown we have so often won. The team was comprised of Jess McCormick, Isla Swarbrigg, Jess Wilde, Summer Anderson, Lola Henderson and Nicola Trimby. The House’s other win was in the junior science competition. William O’Toole created an informative and hilarious video on photosynthesis, ably helped by his sister and a stu ed toy rabbit! The senior debating team of Laith McElhone and Fiona Trimby came through the rounds and reached the final. Unfortunately, due to various circumstances the final didn’t take place; I know we would have won anyway!

Second places were achieved in the Year 9 and Year 10 basketball competitions, which took place during games at the end of the Autumn Term. Other second places were gained in the senior quiz in which the whole House took part during an assembly time, and in the senior boys’ football, comprising of John Emmott, Josh Green, Ben Turpin, George Worthington, Max Hassan, Sanjeev Singh and Will Wood.

Cross country and running in general have been events which Findlay have tended to do very well in over the past few years and the expectation was once again high. Whilst we didn’t reach the dizzy heights of previous years due to injury, in particular in the seniors, Year 9 came second overall and Year 7, along with the seniors, both coming in 3rd place. However, it was great to see Harry Bates come first in both the 800m and 1500m in the athletics event. Our final notable successes were third places in the junior netball and junior quiz.

It has been great to see so many of Findlay taking part in the wide variety of house events and the spirit in which participation has been exercised. It is always pleasing when students rise to a challenge. Here I must mention both Aaron Ahmed and Illaria Walton, who both swam up a class in the swimming competitions at the end of the Autumn Term. Cricket made its debut in the calendar but the weather took its toll on the final results. However, the senior boys was won literally single-handedly by Will Wood! There were very strong standings in the Year 7, 8 and

10 girls’ cricket competition with the boys doing well in Years 7 and 10 prior to the tournaments being a ected by the traditional cricket English summer weather: rain stopped play!

There is clearly great potential coming through the House and I look forward to next year to greater success in 2022-23.

Apart from the house competitions, there has been an opportunity during the year for the House and the School as a whole to show its generosity. Two events have demonstrated this: the food-bank collection and the charity bake sale. Findlay House were most generous in the support of the food-bank, with the collection box being filled to overflowing on several occasions. The charity cake bake saw Findlay raising over £150 towards the School’s two chosen charities this year: EduKid and Candlelighters. It is perhaps this show of compassion and support which makes me proud that I am the Housemaster of Findlay.

During the course of the year, there have been a huge number of recipients of silver and gold badges. It is a sign of commitment and dedication to the House, even if we do not collect the winning trophy. Thank you and congratulations go to all of the following:

Silver Badges:

Year 7: Aaron Ahmed, George Bellamy, Milly Cross, Tom Howcroft, Caragh Jemmett, Isobel McKie, Sienna Sewell, Abi Stirk and Jack Yeadon.

Year 8: Alex Chan, Toby Hanson, Juncen Li, Zach Parsons, Max Phillips and Elizabeth Smith.

Year 9: Olivia Brashaw, Jesse and Jude Gordon, Ibrahim Khan, Sonny Knowles-Fitton, Jack McElhone and Tatenda Toperesu.

Year 10: Grace Bentley, Lily Edwards, Emily Marshall and Elliott Tattersall.

Sixth Form: Sanjeev Singh, George Heptinstall and Mia Hodges-Burrill Gold Badges:

Year 8: Aarian Amrat, Jack Eastell, Harry Edwards, Matilda Holt, Naomi Musariri and Isabelle Sowerby. Year 9: Adam Bashir, Grace Roy and Thomas Yeadon.

Year 10: Alicia Ayub, Harry Bates, Lexie Cadman, Harry Davison, Trey Halliday, Lucy Hanson, Daisy-May Hurford and Charlie Watterston. Sixth Form: Archie Davison, John Emmott and Josh Green.

In addition to all of these badges, I was delighted to be able to present a trophy to Isla Swarbrigg in recognition of achieving 50 House Points: a truly remarkable achievement! The Michael Allewell Trophy was awarded this year to Anna Parsons (Year 10) for her commitment, achievement and support of all house events and competitions.

Finally to thank yous and goodbyes. Thank you to the whole of Findlay House: without you it wouldn’t be the house! Goodbyes to the Upper Sixth especially as they leave the Grove but also to those in other years moving onto passages new. Thank you to all of the prefects, especially the Seniors: Will Eastell, Catriona Cochrane, George Worthington, Ben Turpin and Jess McCormick. They have been an amazing team, particularly Will as Head of House, who have always been pushing for events to happen and ensuring events do happen. And finally, finally, goodbyes to three members of sta who leave the House: Mr Borrington, Ms Smith and Miss Barron. Best wishes and good luck to all of the leavers.

Mr A Crawford

Another fantastic year for Southerns! I am pleased to report that 98 members of our house participated in at least one house event this year, some with confidence and experience and some taking themselves out of their comfort zone and trying something for the first time. We have experienced some wins and some losses, but overall, we have achieved our goal for this year; to finish in a higher position than the last and I would like to share my gratitude to every person that has been part of making this happen, as being all inclusive - where everyone has an opportunity - is more important than the win, moving forward with pride and hope is more important than treading water. We have learned some lessons along the way and laughed a lot!

There have been many highlights, the greatest being that we were finally able to move out of our bubbles and integrate once again! In the first term, we performed well, we stood firmly within the top 3 houses, with some strong performances particularly in the senior categories, taking 1st place in senior photography, 2nd place in senior boys’ and girls’ squash, 2nd place in inters badminton, and 3rd place in senior badminton and junior photography.

In the second term, again we held strong, the highlight for this term being the junior netball performance, despite challenging weather conditions, we fought hard to secure 1st place. We achieved 2nd place in Year 7 basketball, music, senior table tennis, Year 8 and senior cross country and we took 3rd place in boys‘ swimming, Year 8 and 10 basketball, junior girls’ squash, senior netball, junior badminton, inters quiz, Year 10 cross country and junior science.

We started to slip in the final term, just when we thought we were in with a shot of lifting the trophy at the end of the year. Our success was not as plentiful but splendid all the same and, in fact, it was our most rewarding term. We secured 2nd place in inters debating and junior chess and 3rd in the bake o . This term was the most memorable because it was the term of giving something back; we triumphed in the foodbank challenge. Although we did not receive house points for this particular event, it is the one that meant the most to us as a house, we donated the most generous amount of food and we couldn’t have been happier, not only to see our significant contribution but the collection of food across all houses making a di erence in our local community.

Although we didn’t triumph as a house on Sports Day, it was a great afternoon and we competed with our hearts on our sleeves. It was a great event to end the year with, especially for Belle Nimmo, it was a great

honour to award her with The Jennings Cup for achieving the Inters Girls Victrix Ludorum at sports day this year. Not only was this a first for Belle, but it was also a first for the house.

I would like to thank our senior prefect team, led by Freddie Ziegler, Oscar Robinson and Georgia Hague. Each bringing a di erent dynamic to the team, they have complimented each other well, inspiring and supporting others passionately, consistently and tirelessly. The Year 13s will be missed, and I wish them all the very best for the future and it goes without saying that they will always remain part of the Southerns family.

I would also like to extend my thanks to Matthew Roberts and Kirsty Muchechetere for being excellent inters prefects this year, they are true ambassadors of the house and very much lead by example. I am looking forward to seeing them both grow into greater leaders of the future and I am certain that their Southern spirit will remain strong as they become seniors next year.

The Southern spirit remains steadfast and strong amongst us, and we are, as ever, optimistic that we will again, improve our position in the final house standings 2022/23.

Miss L Watmough

The 2021/22 year was another incredibly busy and exhilarating one for Stephenson House. In total, there were 87 house events that o ered variety, opportunity, and excitement and as ever, Stephenson students tried their best to be competitive and win points for the house. The year started in impressive form with a fantastic performance in the junior table-tennis competition, winning 9 out of 12 matches to finish 1st overall: special mention to Nihal, Josiah, Theo, and George. Unfortunately, we were unable to back this up and spent the next few weeks finishing middle of the road in a number of events including photography, badminton and swimming. Towards the close of the Autumn Term, we managed to win two more events, inspired by Stephenson sta member and Mi/c of basketball, Mr Dobson, we won Year 7 mixed basketball and Year 9 mixed basketball, gaining valuable house points in the process, and keeping us within touching distance of the other houses. Our next event wins came in senior chess and junior quiz, special mention to Sam Binns, Tom Vernon, and Lillian Hughes for their e orts in senior chess. Our final event win came in the junior chess competition where Nihal and Isaiah won 17 out of 20 matches: no mean feat! Whilst it is easy to celebrate the event wins, there were also many occasions where our Stephenson students competed exceptionally well and finished in 2nd or 3rd place; a tremendous achievement when the level of competition is so high. Some of these events included senior netball, inter badminton, inter football, junior athletics, boys’ athletics and inters quiz.

This year there was a new spin on the popular house bake-o competition, with students bringing in their baked goods to sell at break time, with proceeds going towards the school charities, Candlelighters and Edukid. This was a wonderful addition to the calendar with the six houses selling sweet treats in the quad over two days. It’s impossible to mention every Stephenson student who baked and sold their treats on the day, but I would like to thank every one of them for their e ort to support the house event but, more importantly, help to raise much-needed funds for two excellent charities. In total, over £900 was raised by the 6 houses and everyone who contributed should be immensely proud of themselves. A special mention to Mrs Nulty who coordinated the event, with support from Mr Caroleo.

The final event of the year was Sports Day, and it was amazing to be able to finally host a ‘normal’ Sports Day again after 3 years. On a beautiful, sunny day, with plenty of spectators present, the Stephenson team was in excellent form and managed to secure some fantastic results. Before mentioning some

stand-out performances, I would like to thank every Stephenson student who participated, cheered on their peers and added to an incredible atmosphere to make Sports Day such a key day in the school calendar. Notable performances came from Jesse who won the 300m, Evan who won the 100m and 200m, Grace who won the 300m, Macie who won the 800m and finished second in the 1500m, Ben who won high jump and his older brother Josh who won Javelin. The highlight for me, however, was watching our relay teams compete ferociously with the support and backing from the rest of the house. Sports Day really brings the house together and I hope this community feeling will remain next year.

A big thank you must go to the Heads of House, Tom Vernon and Lillian Hughes. Tom and Lillian have been fantastic, acting as role models for the younger students in the house. They have been relentless in their willingness to participate in events, encouraging others to sign up and generally displaying the Grovian Values at all times. They have been wonderful ambassadors for The Grove and will no doubt be very successful in their next venture.

Finally, thank you to the Stephenson students who have been excellent all year; I am confident that next year is our year!

Mr N Barr

This year House finally managed to go back to “normal” and it was fantastic to welcome back all the year groups in one house assembly. This gave me the opportunity to introduce this year's Heads of House, Mille Howe and Paul Blakey as well as a fantastic senior prefect team. We started o the year with a win, the senior boys squash team of Sam Lund, Paul Blakey, Callum Atkins, Tom Steel and Ed Bywell storming to victory. We then had semi-final and final appearances from our junior (Rosalind and Miranda Bayliss) and senior debaters (Aaliyah Mian and Imogen Idle) and very respectable 2nd places for the senior (Pearl Jepmond-Senior and Millie Howe) and junior (Simeon Tedd, Helaina Lamb and Ruby Stansfield) photography teams. The junior students also took part in table tennis this term, the inters students’ badminton and the senior students’ squash and badminton. Every year group ended the year with house swimming; the boys kicked o with a respectable 4th place, all the students stepping up and pushing themselves out of their comfort zone, but a particular mention should go to Zonain Shahid for his backstroke. Raj Patel and Lewis Coates also managed to get their first Towlson house points finally finding an event that did not clash with their Bradford City commitments. The girls then stepped-up and swam out of their skins to get overall 1st place; Lucy Lund, Maisey Bellwood, Safron Haigh, the senior medley and freestyle relay teams all coming 1st.

The Spring Term was a particularly busy term. Years 7 to 10 took part in house basketball in their games lessons and whilst there are too many students to name, a great time was had by all the students, the girls bringing their netball skills to match the boys and their basketball ones! Seven Year 7 to 10 students also took part in junior squash, coming a respectable 3rd place. Originally both junior and senior netball were cancelled because of the terrible weather, however, once the sun shone the teams achieved 4th place (seniors) and 6th place (juniors). The inters team achieved 3rd place. The junior girls’ squash team of Megan Atkins, Amelia Cooper, Kitty Hawker and Caitlin Marshall achieved 1st place and the junior badminton team, a respectable 6th. As ever, house music was a fantastic evening with Max Warland and Poppy Freeley performing the solos and Ruby Hawker and Ella Manogue putting together a fine band of twelve students for the ensemble. We also had senior teams taking part in table tennis and chess. The chess team of Paul Blakey, Max Warland and Ed Bywell coming 2nd and the table tennis team, whilst only coming 5th, showing what house is all about by all seven team members getting a game and enjoying the event. We also had two fantastic house science

entries from Ruby Stansfield and Amelia Grimshaw for the juniors and Miranda and Rosalind Bayliss for the seniors. This year, House Quiz was done online and in assembly, this meant that we had record numbers of participants and therefore success; the juniors came 2nd, inters 4th and seniors 1st. The end of term was as busy as the beginning with Years 7 to 10 taking part in cross country in games, the junior and inters boys having a successful Saturday morning at house football and the seniors determined to keep up their winning streak on the last games lesson before the holidays as well as senior cross country.

Whilst the Summer Term was not as busy, it was by no means less action packed! Amelia Cooper and Kitty Hawker came 3rd in inters debating, as did Miranda and Rosalind Bayliss in junior chess. The whole term culminated in Sports Day. Towlson had a total of 25 students take part and the excitement was as sizzling as the weather. We had 1st places in the inters girls’ 300m, junior girls’ 200m, inters boys’ 400m, junior boys’ 800m, junior girls’ high jump, junior and inters boys’ long jump, junior girls’ shot put, junior and inters boys’ shot put, junior

boys’ discus and junior girls’ and boys’ 4 x100m relay. As a team we won the junior cup, and the boys’ and girls’ athletics trophy. Overall, the house took 1st place. Individual success was a family a air with Bolutife Solaru winning the Wickens Cup, Victrix Ludorum (junior girls) with 63 points and Ayomide Solaru winning the Howard Trophy, Victor Ludorum (inters boys) with 54 points.

Finally, I am very proud to say that Towlson house won the house trophy this year. This is very much an achievement of all the students who took part in house events and by the leadership shown by Paul and Millie. This report is too short to name everyone but, all the students have balanced a generosity of spirit, that everyone who wants to take part should take part, with a competitive edge, and have come up with a winning combination. They are a remarkable group of young people. Well done!

Heads of House: Paul Blakey and Millie Howe

Mrs C Spencer

Vinter’s Housemistress up until Easter was Miss L Follos. Mr J Bedford then took up the reigns until the end of the academic year.

Miss Follos:

Vinter has been delighted to return to our more normal assemblies this academic year. We have had the privilege of listening to multiple assemblies from our talented student leadership team. A huge shout out to Fin, who has spoken multiple times around a variety of topics; always with community and support at the heart of his messages. Jake also has produced some outstanding videos which capture what it truly means to be part of Vinter. They have inspired, motivated and led the house dutifully. I am so proud of what an inclusive, supportive and motivated house Vinter is. I am in no doubt Year 12 have some big shoes to fill and the only way is up.

Whilst we have all enjoyed the student led assemblies, we have also focused on teamwork within this time. Interactive assemblies have been a large part of Vinter and working together to create a positive community atmosphere is key. Reflecting back at my favourite assemblies, crafting ‘cheer’ signs encouraged students to put their design skills to the test. We now use these signs at competitions to encourage and support others who are taking part. Students wave their cheer signs with pride. GO VINTER!

Students were set a challenge for Lent by our amazing Rev. The challenge was to give something up and donate to the foodbank. As part of our Lent assembly, students had another challenge. This time they were asked to work together, whist blindfolded, to get a ball into a hoop. With lots of support and cheers, many students succeeded - showing students the power of working together and the feeling of team success. GO VINTER!

Whilst I always look forward to the challenges of a new year, this year has been remarkable. With sometimes two or more house events on within a day, students have had to be organised, reliable and resilient. The variety of both sporting and academic events give opportunities for students to flourish in any area. Whilst not every event is our strongest, Vinter will always give things a go! Team spirit and team motivation is never in question.

Vinter Leadership Team

Heads of House: Finlay Sheard, Matty Thorning

Deputy Heads of House: Katherine Knight, Ella Francis

Prefects: Elsa Beese, Jake McFarlin

Junior Prefects: Thomas Edgar, Erin Isbister Inters Prefect: Eilidh Molloy School Council: Philip Wright, Chapman Yim

Vinter Wins

Junior Debating

Alex Dawson & Harriett Williams did three outstanding rounds to win the debating. They grew in confidence and ability with each round. New to the school and new to the house system, their Vinter spirit was already strong and they celebrated an amazing victory!

Junior Photography

Lucy Bedford, Lois Turner, Thomas Edgar, Erin Isbister produced some beautiful photographs. Another amazing win for this incredible team! Photography is always a Vinter favourite.

Senior Girls Squash

Emily Hinchli e, Lena Plein, Abi Lewis and the unstoppable Naomi Partridge competed victoriously in some really tough games. Naomi may be quiet but she is unstoppable on the squash courts.

Inter Badminton

Oscar Binns, Emma Burrows, Zac Shahzad, Benji Saia, Phoebe Turner and Charlie Wright were the amazing badminton team. Cheering each other on was the winning formula for this strong team.

Boys Swimming

The boys swimming had some exceptional races, and each was cheered on from the side lines. Well done Alex Broome, Jasper Hunt, Ashley Broome, Chapman Yim, Sam Hall, George Ingham, Oli Stoner, Henry Hinchli e, Charles McLarnon, Jenson Wade, Thomas Edgar and Caelan Molloy. I am always blown away by the cheerleading and support for each other at this event. Some real talent and skill was shown - leading Vinter to another victory!

Swimming Combined

One of the biggest and loudest events of the year is swimming. Vinter always looks forward to house swimming and every year brings together amazing teams. Student leadership has a chance to shine at this event, and this year was no exception. A fantastic job done by the students and some really close races. A huge congratulations to all students who swam and those involved in organising.

Year 10 Basketball

A large event this year with high student participation. A big congratulations to both girls and boys who participated in this fun, fast-paced event.

Inter Netball

Inters netball had huge participation this year and a big well done to all those who played! Some amazing matches, led to an overall win.

Music

Benji Saia did an outstanding job of performing an original song for house music this year. Winning the junior title and the hearts of all the audience. Benji is one to watch for the future and Vinter will always be cheering him on!

The ensemble – Chloe & Nicole Cater, Katherine Night and Benji did an awesome job, combining some incredible talent and musical skill. Well done to Katherine and Chloe for pulling together and organising the material and rehearsals.

Senior Science

Lena Plein and Abi Lewis strike again with another incredible house science entry. There really is no stopping these two - taking another win for their amazing video entry! I cannot even dream what these two will have in store for next year!

The last four years serving as housemistress have been a delight. I have so many amazing memories of events, student participation, sta support and overall amazing Vinter times! I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone. I am so incredibly proud that Vinter house is so inclusive and so supportive. All of which comes down to each student. You have stepped out of comfort zones, stepped into teams for events you have never done before and always had a smile (sometimes small) whilst doing it.

I am sure you would all agree that our leadership team this year has been outstanding. From heads of house, deputies, prefects, school council and juniors, you have all taken on true Vinter spirit and been incredible. Our Vinter covid comeback has seen us stronger than ever. I am in no doubt they have inspired the up and coming house leaders to step up and get involved.

We have created a community to which we all belong. This is something I will never forget. I am so sad to be leaving Vinter, I will miss you all hugely and I will still be cheering you on!

Mr Bedford:

It was a real pleasure to be asked to be interim Head of Vinter house following the departure of Miss Follos. I really enjoyed getting to know the students and see them in a di erent setting. The highlight of the year was Sports Day when the whole house came together to support each other. The Juniors and Inters performed to a very high standard and the Sixth Formers were a tremendous help on the day, organising the athletes. Although we ended up coming in 2nd place, I was extremely proud of the e ort everyone put in. The Cake Sale was also a huge success and the time and energy individuals put in to bake such lovely cakes and then sell them on the day, was amazing.

I now hand over the reins to Mr Exeter who I have no doubt will do a fantastic job and drive the house forward with vigour and enthusiasm. I look forward to working with him and encouraging the students to continue performing to such a high level.

I am the very best of me...

I am every teacher who has inspired me. I am every lesson that has opened my eyes. I am every maths problem I have solved. I am every book that has captivated me. I am every science experiment that has surprised me. I am every sports tour that has motivated me. I am every drama class that has transformed me. I am more than just academic. I am everything I want to be. I am prepared. I am gracious and generous. I am resourceful and resilient. I am ambitious and committed. I am understood. I am my unlocked potential. I am an individual, yet I am part of something incredible.

I am Grovian.

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