Barcelona Football Tour

During the second week of the Easter holidays, 43 students from Years 9 and 10 travelled to Spain for the junior football tour. The 3 teams played in two fixtures each against local Spanish opposition, as well as playing in a tournament against other UK touring schools and enjoying a ‘masterclass’ coaching session at FC Riudoms. Students spent some time sightseeing in Barcelona, including a tour of FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium and admiring their trophy room - less enjoyable for Marcos who is an avid Real Madrid fan!

The tourists appreciated their time together, both on and off the pitch, including their thrill-seeking day at Port Aventura Theme Park.

Netball News

Following the local round in November all of our squads qualified for the Regional round held at EIS Sheffield in January. Our U14 squad narrowly missed out on qualifying for Nationals, finishing 3rd in the region overall. Our U16s had a phenomenal day and finished Yorkshire & Humberside Champions and the U19s qualified in 2nd place following an incredibly intense day!

England U18 Squad

The teams travelled to the National Finals in March to play against the top 18 school teams in the country. The two squads each played in 8 very intense games at the highest level and we are so incredibly proud of them. Our U19s were ranked 13th= and our U16s ranked 9th= nationally after the event.

Our netballers also had an incredible run in the Sisters n Sport National Netball Cup with the U19s, U16s and U13s all reaching the cup semi-final! To have 3 teams finish in the final four in the country is outstanding and a definite first for Grove Netball.

A record breaking season and the last season for our Year 13 girls, who have had an astonishing Netball journey at The Grove; reaching Nationals in 2 consecutive years. We hope that they continue to play netball as they embark on the next stage of their educational journey. As true Grovians you have inspired the girls coming through the school and shown them what is possible and for that we are incredibly grateful.

Congratulations to Ned McCormack, Year 13 who played superbly for England in the U18 Six Nations Festival; awarded Man of The Match against France and scoring a try against Ireland. Ned has also signed a professional contract for Leeds Rhinos.

Following in Ned’s footsteps is Alfie Longstaff, Year 12, who has been selected for England U18's Rugby Union squad going to South Africa this summer, and hopes this will be a springboard into the squad for next season.

Football Focus

Congratulations to Rafe McCormack, Year 9, who this season has trained and played in numerous fixtures as part of the England U15 Squad. The squad won both fixtures against Belgium in February and more recently Rafe was involved in a tournament in Spain drawing with the US, winning against Japan and losing 2-1 to the eventual winners, Spain.

Congratulations to Year 11 pupil Jess Strudwick, who represented Wales earlier this year at the U17 Netball European Championship. Jess performed excellently throughout the tournament and played in every match.

Cricket Highlights

The boys 1st XI have recorded good wins against Bradford Grammar, GSAL and QEGS. Jaden Webster, Max Chaplin and Kian Tennant have been amongst the top performers with the bat, whilst Jaden Webster and Harry Pinkney are so far top of the wicket takers for bowling.

Our Years 7 to 10 teams have all progressed to the Quarter Final and Semi Final stages of their respective Yorkshire Cups.

Congratulations to Adam Hussain, Year 9, who has had a fantastic season and was presented with the match ball after scoring 100 against QEGS.

Athletics Success

A successful start to this years’ athletic season saw both our Junior and Inter Girls track and field teams qualifying to represent West Yorkshire at the regional finals of the English Schools Track & Field Cup. There were some great performances at the regionals with both Macie Donaldson, Year 8, and Charley Clark-Taylor, Year 9, winning their 1500m races. Amarachi Nleme, Year 9, was second in the Inter girls 200m and Maisey Bellwood, Year 10, was third in the Inter girls 800m.

The girl's 1st XI recorded their first win with a brilliant performance against Ampleforth College. They are improving with every game and competing with some of the more established girls' teams in the county. The U15 & U13 teams are doing brilliantly in the West Yorkshire Women & Girls league. The U15s sit 3rd in the league whilst the U13s are top of the table and have secured a place at finals day!

In addition, 19 pupils represented Bradford at the recent West Yorkshire Championships with the following making the podium;

Ayomide Solaru - 1st Inter Boys 200m; Maisey Bellwood1st Inter Girls 1500m; Sam Johnson - 1st Junior Boys shot; Macie Donaldson - 3rd Junior Girls 800m; Cleo Hainsworth - 3rd Junior Girls 300m; Ben Dickinson - 2nd Junior Boys 300m; and Charley Clark-Taylor - 2nd Junior Girls 1500m.

Tumbling Championships

Congratulations to Austin Burnett, Year 7, who having achieved gold in all previous competitions, was eligible to compete at the British Tumbling Silver Championships in Telford in June. Austin thoroughly enjoyed the experience and was placed 6th overall.

In February, we were delighted to welcome Michael Dawson, former Spurs football captain and England player, for a Q&A session with Mr Bradburne. Michael reinforced that hard work, determination and a positive attitude are key to a successful career, both on and off the field. It was interesting and inspiring to listen to Michael talk about his experiences during his 20-year career as a professional footballer.

We say farewell to our Year 13 boarders and wish them well on their continued journeys. Our leavers in girls boarding added their fingerprints to the Miller tree to be forever remembered by their Miller family.

Great Yorkshire Weather

Since Christmas, our boarders have enjoyed a number of day trips, including Ninja Warriors in Leeds and Clip 'n Climb in Ilkley. They have also cooked together, laughed together and celebrated moments where many cultures have come together, such as the King’s Coronation ceremony and Liverpool hosting the Eurovision Song contest.

The recent sunshine encouraged some of our boarders out for a walk around Ilkley Moor. They enjoyed exploring the beautiful countryside that surrounds The Grove.

What a contrast to the weather experienced in March!

Boarding Visit to China and Hong Kong Inaugeral Grove Summer School

Mr King (Head of Boarding) and Mrs Cadman (Director of Marketing and Commerce) enjoyed two weeks in China meeting current, new and prospective students and parents. A busy and extremely ambitious trip enabled them to explore Shanghai and Nanjing before venturing along the coast to Quindao and Yantai. Mr King then continued his travels to Beijing, whilst Mrs Cadman joined the Headmaster in Hong Kong to meet prospective families and to host an alumni event.

Mr King commented; 'The highlights of the trip were meeting the families of current and prospective students, exploring the local culture and embracing the local cuisine. It was an amazing experience and words cannot describe the incredible levels of hospitality that we received throughout our trip.'

We are delighted to announce our first International Summer Camp will take place in July. The two week camp will provide children with the opportunity to experience life as a Grovian and be exposed to British culture as well as enjoying our on-site facilities and local excursions. Thirty students will join us from Spain, Italy and China during the two week Summer school.

9 to 14 year olds will undertake a Science Education and Activities Programme. Students will also have the opportunity to mix with our current students in a number of co-curricular camps. The programme will also include the opportunity to explore Yorkshire and develop their knowledge and understanding of the local heritage and culture.

14 to 18 year olds will take part in an International Business and Leadership+ and Activities Programme which focuses on developing selfawareness, self-confidence and resilience whilst improving their critical thinking, communication and teamwork skills.

The international relations element of this course examines how our global society influences the way in which people, teams, organisations and countries interact with one another.

Gardening Club

Though the current hot and dry spell is causing some gardening challenges, it is encouraging some strong plant growth.

Coronation Celebrations

We held an indoor street party to celebrate the King's Coronation. Our children had a fantastic time decorating their own picnic boxes before they were filled and topped off with a coronation bun.

Ashdown Lodge pupils joined in the fun – Pre-Nursery decorated crowns to wear for their Coronation picnic and Reception learned what a Coronation was and some facts about King Charles III before painting portraits of him.

The polytunnel seems to be paradise for the tomatoes, chillies and cucumbers right now and our potatoes are thriving too - there are even a few coming through in last year’s bed!

There have been regular visitors of the furry kind too; moles to be specific and there is a theory that the most likely culprits for the annihilation of last autumn's broccoli crop were deer.

Year 3 enjoyed making cards fit for a King in preparation for his coronation. Other year groups made coronation art, studied a coronation souvenir book, as well as a telescopic coronation momento from Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1952.

On a more scientific note, Year 4 and Year 6 researched the weight of the coronation crown and were quite impressed by how heavy it was!

Dina Nayeri - Award Winning Author

We were privileged to welcome Dina Nayeri, a former refugee and now award-winning author, to the Grove. Dina engaged students in Years 7 to 12 with her amazing story of survival, determination, and happiness and then shared her incredible journey with key stage 2 pupils at Brontë House.

At ten years old, Dina was forced to flee Iran with her mother and younger brother and eventually made it to Oklahoma via a refugee camp in Italy. Pupils learned how Dina must have felt to leave behind her father and her friends, and go to a strange country on the other side of the world because her life was in danger. Those in the group listened very carefully, asked some excellent questions and were a credit to the school.