NEWS Michaelmas Term 2018 September – December
Classics On Tour During the October half term, 32 pupils and 4 members of staff embarked on a Classics trip to the Bay of Naples, Italy.
plaster casts of those men, women, children and animals who had perished in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. Later that evening, after dinner in the hotel, pupils had the opportunity to browse the many shops in Sorrento.
The flight to Rome went smoothly, and they soon began their transfer by coach to Sorrento including a short stop in Naples on the way, where the group had a guided underground tour. The enthusiastic tour guide took the group on a journey 40 metres below the ground, through 2,400 years of history, where they saw the Greek-Roman aqueduct, the remains of the Roman theatre and the air raid shelters from the Second World War. The braver amongst the pupils and staff also squeezed through a series of tight tunnels carved out of the rock.
A leisurely third day on the island of Capri began by taking the hydrofoil from Sorrento Port to Marina Grande and then the funicular up to Capri town. A minibus was braved up the winding roads to Anacapri to reach a chairlift which took the group up the steep slopes of Mount Solaro to admire the views and have an ice-cream at the Welcome café, once at the top. After a delicious lunch of homemade pizza in a restaurant at the foot of Solaro, the pupils took to the shops in Capri town to purchase their souvenirs. After dinner in the hotel, they headed to an ice-cream making workshop in Sorrento; the pupils learned about the art of making high-quality ice-cream, with hands-on opportunities for volunteers to create their own, and to sample the results!
The next day was spent touring the well-preserved ruins of Pompeii. It was a warm October day and many miles were covered, visiting the homes, theatres, bars, forum and amphitheatre of the Pompeiians as well as observing the
Their final full day was spent visiting a traditional Italian family-run farm that produced olives and the typical Sorrento lemons. A talk was also given, explaining the methods used to produce olive oil, with a demonstration of Mozzarella making, another product produced on the estate. After providing delicious home-made delicacies for all to taste, pupils relished the opportunity to buy gifts at the on-site shop. The afternoon was spent in Herculaneum. The group found it interesting to see the comparison between this wealthy town and the larger busier trading town of Pompeii, including the different way in which it had been preserved by the eruption. Seeing the skeletons of the families huddled in the boathouses for shelter was a poignant end to the day. The final evening was spent in Sorrento for some last minute souvenir shopping and an Awards Ceremony was held by the staff, thanking the pupils for their involvement and contributions during the trip.
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Q News | Michaelmas Term 2018
QEGS Community Treated to an Exceptional Performance of ‘Breaking the Code’
Alan Turing is a man who today is best known for his intellectual genius and as ‘father of the modern computer’; and yet, on 21st and 22nd November, the QEGS community was treated to an exceptional performance of Hugh Whitemore’s ‘Breaking the Code’, which brought Turing’s humanity and vulnerability to memorable theatrical life. Ben Ventress’ production promised the audience an ‘emotional and intellectual journey’ and it did not disappoint. This was an absolute tour de force from the small but exceptionally able cast. It is rare to find a school production as thoughtprovoking and engaging as this one; Turing’s story is as resonant now as it ever has been. Will Gedling was simply astonishing in the central role; every facet of his genius, his sometimes prickly social persona and his vulnerability were conveyed to us in equal measure. Turing’s immense monologues, chiming with deeply challenging mathematical and intellectual concepts, were delivered in a heartfelt, deeply understanding way - which is no mean feat for a student of Arts and Humanities! – to the point where we no longer felt like we were being treated to a lecture, but that we were simply basking in his boyish enthusiasm and intellectual passion. Yet it was his flaws, his essential innocence and his child-like sense of honesty and need for love which dominated Gedling’s deeply honest portrayal. Turing became a living character
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whom the audience wanted to protect, to encourage and nurture. The physicality of Gedling’s performance played a central role here, the stammer, the hunched shoulders, the nail-biting and the speed with which he slipped into ‘lecture’ mode all helping to create the illusion that we just might have been witnessing Turing himself speaking to us from beyond the grave. Knowing as we did how tragically it ended for him, the genius of the script still allowed the audience to commit to this time-hopping journey around his life, ideas, relationships and emotional life, supporting him, wishing him well, perhaps even willing for his story to have ended differently, even despite the almost upbeat way in which Whitemore’s work presents Turing’s final act of (apparent) suicide. The play was not just Gedling’s alone, however. The fabulous supporting cast depicted the mid-twentieth century period and its challenges with such conviction as to fully immerse the audience in the atmosphere of the time. Amy Roscoe, as his mother Sara Turing, was formidable in her portrayal of a character who only belatedly even began to understand her son and who ultimately experienced her own tragedy as a bereaved mother; the scene of confession and ‘coming out’ between mother and son in Act Two was arguably the most moving of the evening, with Roscoe’s revelation of her character’s long unexpressed maternal love heartrending in its intensity. Connor Roscoe was strong as Ron Miller, briefly Turing’s lover and ultimately the instrument of his downfall, lending the role a working-class bravado and nonchalance and portraying him as Turing’s opportunistic opposite in some ways. Their doomed and very short-lived ‘affair’
poignantly reminded the audience of how far short of his ideals Turing’s search for love so often fell. Roscoe ably conveyed Miller’s murky links to petty crime and his essential cowardice in the face of the law - which nevertheless granted him ‘conditional discharge’highlighting the vulnerable Turing’s flawed sense of judgement whilst also foregrounding his moral courage and passionate sense of honesty. Seb Roberts was excellent as Turing’s childhood love, Christopher Morcomb, the reference point and essential memory for all his subsequent adult life, conveying a genuine and sympathetic connection with him, both in his scene early in Act One and in the mimed sequences representing Turing’s inner life and memories which preceded both acts. He also ably doubled-up as the Greek youth Nikos, one of the last of Turing’s unsatisfactory amorous encounters, who almost becomes a re-incarnation of Christopher in their scene together towards the end of the play. Roberts impressively delivered all of Nikos’ lines in word perfect Greek, giving his portrayal of this effusive Mediterranean youth an element of welcome gentle comedy, even as the play progressed to its inevitable, tragic conclusion. Conveying her own less overt tragedy with considerable skill was Eleanor Connell as cryptanalyst Pat Green, a woman who could be celebrated for being equally intelligent as Turing and yet, following Bletchley and the War, was simply regarded as a housewife. This was a subtle, but significant twist as the audience was encouraged to consider society’s lack of recognition for the female intellect, whilst being acutely aware of the injustices inflicted on Turing himself. Connell perfectly
conveyed the character’s intellectual enthusiasm, leaving us in no doubt that her first scene with Turing was absolutely a meeting of minds. Their scene together in Mrs Turing’s garden, was a model of beautifully judged dramatic timing, drawing out all the pathos of Pat’s gently rebuffed declaration of love without a hint of sentimentality. The patrician, yet engaging Dilwyn Knox of Owen Davitt, completed the Bletchley circle, in an authoritative and entirely convincing portrayal which nevertheless communicated warmth and bluff public school charm, as well as a stoic pathos when facing his own mortality, even while simultaneously voicing society’s conventional judgement on Turing’s sexuality. Representing the ignorance and bigotry of 1950s Britain, as the intractable Detective Sergeant Mick Ross, was Rhys Millington, whose skill in conveying an air of casual menace with the authority of the law behind him went far beyond the actor’s years. The finely nuanced delivery of his scenes of increasingly menacing interrogation of Turing made him the dominant force in Act One, while his non-committal lack of true empathy in the wake of Turing’s end in Act Two simply added to the audience’s distaste for this instrument of historic social oppression. Equally convincing was Kyle Robinson’s portrayal of Ross’ superior John Smith, capturing as he did the falsely reassuring air of a figure who we were left in no doubt was still the mouthpiece of the ‘official’ judgement on Turing’s sexuality in the wake of his prosecution, and the supposed security threat it posed.
This was an intimate, in-the-round production, performed on a small temporary stage in the middle of the Main Hall. The fixed set consisted of just a few basic items of scenery, allowing for seamless changes in sound and lighting and for the focus to be on the characters’ interactions with one another across nearly a quarter of a century of Turing’s life. The incidental music, from Ivor Novello’s ‘We’ll gather lilacs’, which formed something of a motif for Turing’s memories of Christopher in Act One, to the use in Act Two of various works by Tchaikovsky, the Russian composer whose life and end oddly paralleled Turing’s in many ways, all served to clarify the emotional temperature of each scene and to provide a further window into Turing’s inner life. This was especially the case with the mimed sequences which preceded each act, beginning with an idealised representation of Turing’s and Christopher’s adolescent friendship – perhaps closer to what might have been than to actual reality – and accompanied by ‘We’ll gather lilacs’; and followed (before Act Two) with Turing dreaming of being rescued by his Prince (Ron the false one, swiftly replaced by Christopher as the true one) and accompanied by Al Martino’s ‘Here in my Heart’, (incidentally the first ever British Number One in 1951). Gedling, Roberts and Roscoe enacted these additional tableaux with impressive commitment and seriousness, hugely adding to the audience’s appreciation of the poignancy of Turing’s story.
This should be commended as one of the finest productions of recent years at QEGS and a real showcase of what phenomenal dramatic talent we have here and a measure of just what amazing things our young people can achieve, given the opportunity. All who were privileged enough to witness their work here agreed that they delivered a standard of performance which could easily grace the professional theatre. A bold statement, then, delivered with utter professionalism and a deep respect and reverence for the work and its subject matter, this was more than just the story of an intellectual; it was the compelling story of a man striving to be true to himself.
The expertly executed lighting changes from Miss Walmsley and her assistants, along with the similarly smooth scenery changes from Miss Bowker and hers were essential elements in helping to create a seamless dramatic flow to the whole evening.
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Q News | Michaelmas Term 2018
First Practices of the Season Lammack was a hive of activity on the first Saturday of Michaelmas Term as the QEGS Netball and Football Team trials took place. The drizzle didn’t dampen spirits out on the football pitches, as Year 7 took on Year 8 and Year 9 took on Year 10. In the Sports Hall, there were lots of smiling faces from the netball girls as they had their first practices of the season. Well done everyone!
Fun, Laughter and Lots of Poetry
The library was thrilled to welcome back to QEGS performance poet and author, Paul Jenkins, who took us through a day packed with fun, laughter ...oh, and yes, lots of poetry. The day began with the whole of Year 8 taking part in a poetry workshop. The theme for this year was ‘Change’. Paul made every effort to focus on ‘Change’, by using the novels Dracula and Frankenstein. The aim of the workshop was to embed pupils’ current topics being taught into the session, and with Paul’s enthusiasm he did just that. Following on from the first workshop, Year 13 students studying English Language and Literature also were given the opportunity to work with Paul, with in-depth conversations about the play, Othello. After a short break it was then time for all of our Year 7 to have a taste of the poetry fun there was much laughter during their lively session. Paul made time to promote his books, and of course, reading in general.
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Paul also highlighted the recently launched Great School Libraries campaign. He was eager to push and promote Libraries Week, which will be another busy week in the Library world. As though the morning wasn’t busy enough, during lunchtime a Poetry Picnic was held, with 45 pupils taking part from Years 7 and 8. Pupils enjoyed sharing their poetry with Paul, and in return, Paul shared his work too. Paul was thanked for an absolutely wonderful day and was presented with a small gift. Signed copies of Paul’s book, Poems form Villagetown Vol. 2 are now on sale in the School Library. More details about National Poetry Day, and all of our other Library events, can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/QegsLibraryBlackburn/
Science in London During Michaelmas term, 25 Year 10 Scientists along with Mr Bendell, Mrs Wild and Mr Peat visited London. The group travelled down by early morning train to Euston, then took a tube to the city centre where they walked along the Thames, seeing the sights of Parliament and Buckingham Palace.
In the afternoon the pupils visited the Science Museum, enjoying hands-on activities in the Museum’s ‘WonderLab’, followed by a tour around the Natural History Museum. It was a long day and, for some, their first visit to London. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Prize Giving 2018 In front of an audience consisting of pupils, students, parents, grandparents, governors and staff across Senior School with special guest Greg Hughes and Lady Mayor in attendance, QEGS celebrated the events and achievements of the past academic year at the annual Prize Giving ceremony held in King George’s Hall. Chair of Governors, Mr David Peat addressed the audience followed by Year 7 and the QEGS choir, with solos performed by Year 7 pupils, Condoleeza, Ayesha and Jayden, who entertained the audience with their rendition of ‘As Long As I Have Music’ by Don Besig. The Head, Mrs Gammon, took to the stage to deliver her report of the year, detailing the amount of money that has been invested into the many areas of school, and not forgetting QEGS’ outstanding GCSE and A level results.
Academic awards and trophies were presented to pupils in between listening to the plethora of achievements of pupils and students in academic, sporting, cultural and a multiplicity of extracurricular activities over the previous year, of which QEGS is extremely proud. This year, the guest speaker was OB, presenter and radio broadcaster Greg Hughes. In his address to the audience he regaled his time at QEGS, remembering his form names and even giving snippets from his school report. Greg always persisted to do his best, taking all the opportunities that QEGS brought his way. The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Mathew Fenton, Head Boy and Sara Hussain, Head Girl and the traditional singing of the National Anthem. Well done to all the musicians who performed on this day; a tremendous effort from all involved!
Great start for Golfers Well done to the QEGS Golf Team, who competed at Pleasington Golf Club in their first competition of the season. They came runners up in the Forty Club competition, narrowly losing 1st place to Bolton School.
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Act of Remembrance – Sam Marlor Mr Lockwood led an intimate service at St Marys Church, Mellor with a small group of pupils, students and staff. They paid their respects and remembered Old Blackburnian Sam Marlor who, after his education at QEGS, served in the Royal Fusiliers.
Show Your Spots A non-uniform day was held as part of our charitable activities for Michaelmas Term. The whole school had the opportunity to take part, and those who donated money to wear their own clothes on that day, some with a “spotty” theme, raised a staggering £1795.30 for Children in Need. A huge ‘Thank You’ to all who supported this event!
Question Time
Magical Malham
Four of our Year 9 pupils went to Witton Park Academy to take part in a Prevent event.
At the beginning of Michaelmas term, Year 9 pupils enjoyed a wonderful day developing cross curricular skills in humanities on a trip to Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales.
QEGS pupils joined with pupils from all over Blackburn with Darwen to prepare for a Question Time to be held at Blackburn Council Chambers. There was lots of lively discussion and ideas, designed to make the next event a successful one.
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Pupils visited the magical Janet’s Foss and walked across the famous limestone pavement featured in a Harry Potter film. Pupils developed essential skills on interpreting the landscape around them and the impacts it can have; these are skills which will help to support them in their GCSE examinations.
National Non-Fiction November National Non-Fiction November was an extra special month here at QEGS. Together with the Library’s weekly Book Club, eight handpicked young scientists from Years 7 and 8 soon became involved in the book prize, becoming expert judges by reading and reviewing the six shortlisted titles: Curiosity, Dinosaur Atlas, Science Academy, Women In Science, Optical Illusion and Exploring Space. Ideas flourished with one member of the group Samantha McDermott from Year 7, suggesting that we created a classroom within Google Classroom for the book prize, allowing pupils to submit their reviews, which resulted in a discussion page being created. It was overwhelming to see so much activity in the online classroom throughout the award (even during the half-term holidays). Scores soon started to feature on the page, with lots of discussions about each individual book. There was no need to ensure pupils stayed on task, or even meet their deadlines, as they were thoroughly engaged in the science book award. Dr Saunders also had a brilliant idea – Logic Alley (an initiative from a recent staff INSET, shared with us by trainer Jane Simister). Lots of fun and lively persuasion took place as pupils battled out the books, helping them to choose a final winner. Soon it was time to cast our own personal votes, which were emailed off to the Royal Society. An exciting time lay ahead as our group eagerly awaited their invitation to view the live-streaming of the final ceremony. Tensions were high as authors of the books were introduced with the final winner being announced – Optical Illusion!
Both Mrs Dewhurst and Dr Saunders would like to say a huge thank you to all of our young judges, who went above and beyond the requirements of a book club member. We very much hope we have the opportunity to take part in this prestigious book prize next year, with returning young scientists and new young scientists joining us. Well done to our young scientists: Hana Hanif 7EJG, Samantha McDermott 7EJG, Fatima Adnan 8BPV, Muhammad Ali 8BPV, Abdullah Amaan 8BPV, Christopher Chen 8BPV, Bilal Chishti 8SNR, Mohammed Patel 8SNR and Adam Sidat 8JLN. All pupils involved have each received a personalised certificate.
their generous book donations. Furthermore, and still celebrating National Non-Fiction Month, more than two hundred and fifty extra non-fiction books were borrowed this month. This was all down to the promotion surrounding the month and of course other key events which also took place; Remembrance Display with a wealth of history books and even some war memorabilia for all to see. Thank you to Miss Ash for her group bookings, short talks and research tasks in the Library. To see more about our Library events and happenings, please visit the Library FB page
A display put together by the judges can be found in the Science Department and the actual shortlisted titles will remain as Library stock. Thank you to The Royal Society for
QEGS ‘Wear It Pink’ During Breast Cancer Awareness Month QEGS staff wore pink for ‘Wear It Pink’ Day. The catering team delivered an amazing ‘pink themed’ buffet lunch and all staff arrived wearing anything from pink socks to pink tutus! They all donated at least £1.00, with an overall total of £118.50 being raised on the day for the charity.
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Q News | Michaelmas Term 2018
They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old QEGS held two very thought provoking and humbling Acts of Remembrance for Remembrance Day with Years 7-10 in the Main Hall and Years 11-13 in Big School. At 11:00 a bell sounded and all pupils and students were asked to stand. The Head (Mr Park for Years 11-13) then read the well-known words, “They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them”. This was immediately followed by a two-minute silence which was beautifully observed. After the end of the service, all pupils and students, in complete silence and wearing their poppies, respectfully filed past the War Memorials in Big School.
Miss Junior Teen Great Britain 2018
Afternoon Tea Fundraiser was a Huge Success
Eddison was crowned Miss Junior Teen Great Britain 2018 during Michaelmas Term and also received ‘Best Interview’.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Afternoon Tea during Michaelmas term. We are pleased to announce that the event raised £1,198.85, in just two hours!
She has raised over £1000 for various charities including Derian House Children’s Hospice. Eddison now intends to advocate for Children’s Mental Health charities and will use her title as a platform to push this topic.
The students would like to thank everyone who supported a lovely afternoon of cakes, tea and conversation. The atmosphere was great in the wonderful surroundings of Big School as Will Gedling entertained everyone with his guitar. Thank you to everyone who donated cakes and raffle prizes; every penny raised will go to the Good Samaritan Primary School for orphaned children when 20 of our students visit in July. Like their predecessors from QEGS, they are all working on their own fund raising projects to support the school and the children in Kampala, Uganda. Mr Buckingham is extremely pleased with the group’s fundraising efforts so far and is fully expecting the class of 2019 to be the equal of the fabulous groups of young people from our school that have visited in previous years. Well done to all of our students who worked extremely hard in making this event an amazing success!
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Aspiring Young Artists Year 5 have recently enjoyed an inspiring day at The Lowry, Salford Quays. They have been studying Lowry’s work in Art and writing biographies in English, so it was an amazing experience for them to see some of his famous art for real. During the visit the pupils split into two groups for workshops, one concentrating on industrial landscapes and one on Lowry’s lesser known portrait work. Each group produced a version of a famous work, guided step-by-step by an artist who was leading the session. After lunch, there was a chance to tour the gallery to see the range of Lowry’s work before settling down to sketch another one of his famous drawings. One group decided to attempt the complex painting called ‘Going to the match’, reputedly worth £1.9 million! All the children exceeded their expectations in drawing, even those who say ‘I can’t draw’, which made the trip very worthwhile.
Year 10 BTEC and Vocational Courses Assembly The Careers Department welcomed Chloe Williams from Blackburn College to give the whole of the Year 10 cohort an extended assembly on BTECs and vocational courses in which they might be interested Post 16. They obtained a great deal of information from the interactive presentation and short film, and also had the chance to ask questions at the end. This was an excellent opportunity and the pupils certainly were given something to think about as they start to research their post-16 options.
Widening Participation at Edge Hill University Mr Taylor, Head of Careers, and Miss Wildman accompanied a group of Year 11 and Year 12 pupils and students to Edge Hill for the day, as part of their Widening Participation programme. Pupils and students took part in a very informative morning workshop delivered by Anna Wooley and her colleagues from Student Services about the support services available at the university. Two current Edge Hill students then gave an excellent and informative tour of the campus before lunch in the Lakeside Café. After lunch pupils and students took part in a skills-based workshop designed to encourage them to think about their strengths and to work together in teams to create a brand new society for the Edge Hill University Students’ Union. They all came away from the visit having gained excellent information about university life, enabling them to think more clearly about their own possible options and career pathways.
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Christmas Wishes displayed in Blackburn Mall In the lead up to Christmas, our Year 2 pupils began learning about the Three Wise Men and the purpose of giving and receiving gifts. To celebrate the splendour of Christmas and the New Year, pupils wrote special messages to the community of Blackburn, thanking them for their hard work and sending them special wishes for Christmas and the New Year. Their messages were displayed on a Christmas Tree at Blackburn Mall during the festive season.
National Libraries Week
The celebration of National Libraries Week has pleasingly grown, from a day to a week! This means Libraries everywhere now have the opportunity to do so much more, through events, promoting the love of reading and continuing to share their resources. Here at QEGS the week was packed with lots of highlights and happenings, including the link with our Primary Phase and the book illustrator (Sarah McIntyre) colouring competition. A display of all the wonderful entries was put on show in the Senior Library. The week also included the sale of Paul Jenkins poetry books, our visiting author for National Poetry Day. Signed copies of his books were a huge hit - with everyone looking for something new and humorous to read. A display of gothic books soon took shape with Year 8 Pupil Librarians eager to please, in-keeping with topics being taught in English this term.
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Music also played a part of our celebrations, when our staff choir sang in the Library Annexe, which was music to the ears of those pupils in our Homework Club. The focus for National Libraries Week this year was wellbeing, and, as we all know, singing promotes health, breathing, circulation and digestion! The highlight of National Libraries Week had to be the launch of the Science Book Award - Royal Society of Young People’s Book Award for 2018, a collaborative work between the Library and our Science Department. As the award unfolded, our judges set off to do some amazing work; reading, reviewing and voting. Thank you to Dr Saunders for her contributions, pupil nominations and help in getting this award off to an excellent start.
Christingle Service The EYFS, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 pupils came together for a Christingle Service. The pupils all made their own Christingle and were able to explain why a Christingle is made and that each element of a Christingle has a special meaning. The orange represents the world, the red ribbon symbolises the love and blood of Christ, the sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations and the lit candle represents Jesus’s light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness. The pupils’ parents and carers were also invited to the service and enjoyed a hot drink and a delicious mince pie slice! Prayers were read and Year 2 ended the service by singing ‘Away in a Manger’.
Get Exam Fit
The Heart of the Community Jacob, who is a keen volunteer for a charity called ‘Heartbeat’ spent a Saturday afternoon at Bamber Bridge Football Club recently to help raise money for the charity. He began volunteering with his family for Heartbeat after his grandad suffered a severe heart attack.
Charlotte Hartley, who is a Team GB Hockey player, visited 23 Year 11 pupils for the second time this year to talk to them about getting exam fit for their upcoming external examinations.
The organiser commented, “The conversation with the football supporters at the match who donated money into the collection boxes was excellent, the dedication and commitment was a shining example of what our young children do nowadays.”
During her 2 hour visit she worked with the pupils in a classroom, where some great discussions were heard. Teamwork skills were put to the test in the gymnasium in which everyone participated successfully.
Being a young volunteer gives pupils an opportunity to get involved in their local community, meeting new people, learning new skills and most of all gaining valuable employability experience. It is a great opportunity to try something different, well done Jacob!
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Eureka!
Fifty-five extremely excited Year 1 pupils set off on their first trip of the year to Eureka!, the National Children’s museum. The pupils were keen to discover the ‘All About Me’ gallery and explore the museum. When they arrived at Eureka pupils were greeted by a robot who introduced them to the ‘All About Me’ gallery. They learnt about how their bodies work through some very practical activities such as stretching and jumping. Following this, they studied what happens in a dentist’s office and how the body changes when babies are born. The pupils were very excited to dress up in a variety of different uniforms to act out the many different professions. They then split into groups and began to explore the rest of the museum. Miss Airey’s class headed straight for the sound gallery where they found a huge array of different instruments and technology. Meanwhile, Mrs Crane’s class ventured to the Halifax Building Society where they withdrew money and also wrote some cheques. There was so much more to see, a Post Office, garage, house, building site and even a red telephone box! Both classes had a fabulous time and it is safe to say that our Year 1 pupils are turning into some outstanding young scientists!
Entrepreneurs in the Making
Year 11 Reflect and Prepare
Mr Taylor (Head of Careers) and Ms Walmsley (Head of Business Studies and Economics) took a group of 20 Year 12 Business and Economics A level students to a Careers and Entrepreneurship event at Blackburn College as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Year 11 recently took part in unique new workshops that challenged them to consider how they might respond to a significant terrorist attack if they were the leadership of their country.
The students heard a number of talks from local entrepreneurs about their business; how they set the business up, the obstacles that they have had to overcome and what they think it takes young people to become a successful entrepreneur. Students had the opportunity to speak directly to the entrepreneurs at the end of the event. Maybe in the future, this will inspire one of then to be the next Alan Sugar or Deborah Meaden!
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The workshop built key critical thinking skills, encouraged a greater understanding of world events, fostered team working skills, public speaking confidence and helped to promote fundamental British Values. Pupils took their turns to present plans for dealing with a terrorist threat given their country’s capabilities, being challenged on their reasoning and facilitating the opportunity to support difficult choices. Our pupils engaged enthusiastically and we can look forward to seeing some of them progress into successful political careers in the future.
Staff Sumo Wrestling Fundraiser Charity events come in all shapes and sizes, but the QEGS staff sumo wrestling competition was a big fat one that drew in quite a crowd at the end of the Michaelmas term. Not much salad was consumed in preparation for the event and some staff had to work harder than others to look the part (large padded suits did help to even things up). Eight QEGS staff crouched down looking big, beefy and mean, to show their wrestling credentials. It was rumoured that the pre-tournament favourites were Mr Hargreaves (The Blue Whale) and Mr Moriarty-Eames (The Pink Butterfly). However, as the tournament progressed most of these elegant athletes showed talents that few would have believed. Dr Butler (The Gruffalo) took no prisoners, and Mr Rafsha (The Beef Tomato) showed that he was wasted in teaching. Wrestling is his true vocation! However, in the end, it was the new comer and Head of Sixth Form, Mr Park (The Sea Slug), who came out on top. Many thanks to all of the wrestlers who took part, and we are delighted to report that over £500 was raised for the Movember charity.
ASK!
Budding Year 6’s
Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge for Schools and Colleges programme (ASK) is funded by the National Apprenticeship Service. The programme is designed to give schools support to develop and transform how pupils and students think about apprenticeships.
Year 6 went on a trip to the Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre in Ulverston during Michaelmas Term.
The Careers department was delighted to welcome Fran and Helena from Lancashire Forum to give an extended assembly to Year 10 on post-16 and post-18 apprenticeship options from local and national companies. The pupils had access to a great deal of up to date information and were able to discuss Helena’s own finance and accountancy apprenticeship experience as she is an Apprenticeship Ambassador.
The aim of the trip was to learn more about Buddhism from people who follow the religion themselves, and to further their knowledge of the topic as part of their current Religious Education work. The pupils asked many varied, thought-provoking questions throughout the day, learning about the practice of Buddhism. They had an amazing time, talking to a group of nuns to find out more about their lives, living as a nun, and even learnt how to meditate!
A group of 35 pupils were able to have an extended Q&A session after the main assembly with Fran and Helena to ask more in-depth questions about possible routes into level 1 and level 2 apprenticeships.
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Kings of the Ring The May brothers are now looking forward to competing next year at the British Boxing Championships following their Gold and Silver medal haul.
It was then the turn of Nathan to have his first bout of the weekend, where he eased to victory after beating an Algerian boy on points. Nathan was able to fend off a tough Albanian opponent, winning with a unanimous decision with all judges in favor of a win.
After a long hard fought weekend boxing, Rory came home with a Silver medal and Nathan with a Gold! Rory fought his way to the quarter finals and progressed through to the semifinals with a unanimous decision. However, in the final, Rory didn’t get the result he wanted against a local boy from Sweden, with two judges choosing him but the remaining three judges opting for the Swede.
It is a great achievement for the brothers to arrive home with a Gold and Silver medal from the biggest Boxing Cup competition in Europe. Well done!
Game On Year 7 have recently taken part in ‘Game On’ workshops, exploring how extreme ideologies, their views, opinions and their organisational tactics can impact on young people without them even leaving their bedrooms. The pupils were led through a programme of work that used theatre techniques, presentations and discussion to enable them to develop an understanding that will provide them with an awareness to challenge racism, extreme views and beliefs that could destroy the cohesive community in their schools and surrounding areas. The workshop helped the pupils to recognise and critically challenge extreme narratives and their ideologies together with exploring the pressures of social media, fake news and online gaming. Everyone engaged very well in the activity days and the visiting presenters were extremely complimentary about our pupil’s knowledge and ability to discuss these sensitive topics.
Food for Thought The pupils in Years 3 and 4 proudly presented their Harvest Assembly to pupils in Years 2, 5 and 6, teachers, special guest Ms Wharmby and most importantly their parents. The choir began the assembly by singing ‘Food for Everyone’, followed by class 3EP, who explained why we celebrate Harvest. Year 3 sang ‘Harvest Samba’ and 3KP presented their harvest rainbow. 4ZE explained the meaning of harvest, 4IJ performed ‘Pick it Clean’ and the whole of Year 4 sang ‘H.A.R.V.E.S.T’. The assembly was closed by a trio of Year 6 girls singing ‘Harvest of Love’ It was a pleasure to listen to guest speaker Barbara Foster from the Blackburn and Darwen Food Bank, she explained where all the food that had been collected would be donated to. Thank you to all pupils in the Primary Phase, parents and staff who contributed to yet another successful Harvest Celebration!
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Roald Dahl Day 2018 An absolutely splendiferous lunchtime event took place in the school library to celebrate and raise awareness of Roald Dahl Day. With the theme for this year being the book Matilda, the library decided to show the movie while pupils took part in the planned activities. The start of the event saw an introduction to the day, with time to share some history behind the great writer and his work. The event gave pupils in Years 7 and 8 the opportunity to take part in 3 different activities: the Make and Do competition, the Which Dahl Hero Are You activity and the Invent Your Own Marvellous Medicine Door Hanger. There was so much choice with some magical entries too, including some phizz-whizzing art work.
Year 9 pupil, Jimmi, has raised £510 for ‘Breast Cancer Now’ Charity. Jimmi wanted to do something for charity after his mum was diagnosed with breast cancer. He asked family and friends through social media, instead of giving presents for his birthday, to donate money to the breast cancer charity. His initial target was to reach £150 but, in just two weeks through the power of social media, managed to raise £510.
Nicole goes for Gold Nicole Saunders has had an extremely busy couple of months competing at various events across the Country. At an English Schools athletics competition, she represented Lancashire being placed 12th out of 18 in the U15 discus. The previous week she represented Lancashire at the Inter-Counties and finished in 4th place. At the England Championships, Nicole was placed in 8th position in the U15 age group and while competing at a Mid-Lancs medal meeting, Nicole won two gold medals in the hammer and discus events. Fencing took Nicole to Cardiff to compete in the Youth 5 Nations, where her sabre skills earned her a Bronze medal, and a Silver medal in the Team England Event. At the U17 Cadet National Championships and despite her lack of training for this event, Nicole managed to finish in 5th position. Nicole has also found further success this term in competing with a sabre when she was selected to fence in the sabre category for GBR U17 cadets in an international competition. She is currently ranked 11th in the U17 female sabre and if her success in these events continues, Nicole could qualify to be invited to fence in the final international event of the season which would see her travelling to France. Well done and good luck Nicole!
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Young Player of the Year 2018 Qasim Shah has been awarded the Young Player of the Year 2018 after completing an amazing year playing for the First Team at Burnley Cricket Club. In addition, he was also awarded a framed picture by the team that shared the celebration of Qasim in the T20 final between Burnley and Clitheroe, which proved to be the crucial wicket for Burnley’s victory. Well done Qasim.
Bea Joins the Elite Leeds Rhinos Netball Squad Congratulations to QEGS Year 11 pupil Bea Clarke who has been chosen from 120 girls to join the Leeds Rhinos U17 Elite netball squad. This is a fantastic achievement, well done Bea!
Spectroscopy in a Suitcase The Chemistry department were delighted to welcome staff and PhD students from Lancaster University into school for the day to deliver workshops to our Sixth Form Chemistry students. The workshops had a strong emphasis on encouraging our pupils to consider studying Chemistry at university and also highlighted the career opportunities available with chemistry qualifications. The experience aptly titled Spectroscopy in a Suitcase gave our students the chance to learn about spectroscopy through hands-on experience in making the drug, paracetamol. As well as covering the principles of spectroscopic techniques, the activities used real-life contexts to demonstrate the applications of the techniques. It was an excellent day and the students thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.
Sleeping Beauty On Monday, 17th December 2018, EYFS and KS1 enjoyed a Christmas treat when they went to watch the pantomime ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ they were all very excited! The pupils enjoyed the silly jokes, characters costumes and amazing dancing. At first glance of the dragon, the pupils were a little startled, but the prince and the fairies soon defeated him and were able to save Sleeping Beauty from her deep sleep. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic performance and can’t wait to see next year’s show!
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Head of Primary Award Ali-Hassan 3KP, was the first pupil of the Term to be given the Head of Primary award. Ali-Hassan achieved this award for showing kindness towards another pupil, he always demonstrates a willingness to help and support others, as well as encouraging independence. Well done!
Rosie Reaches the Semi-finals of ‘Miss Teen Great Britain’ Rosie Ahmed has reached the semi-final stage of the ‘Miss Teen Great Britain’ competition and will now go on to attend three further events. She will find out next year if she has been successful in reaching the Grand Final, which will take place in December 2019. This is not only a beauty contest, as Rosie had to progress through an interview stage which counts for 50% of the total score. Rosie commented, “It is a pleasure to be able to take part in such an amazing competition, I am honoured to be a part of Miss Teen Great Britain and to have got this far. It truly is a privilege.” Good luck Rosie in the next stages of the competition.
Science gets Competitive During half term Mrs Ainsworth set her science pupils in Year 8 a homework competition to produce a 3D pH scale to demonstrate their understanding of the topic. The standards of entry were very high; the pupils were assessed on their creativity, effort and content, Congratulations to Yusra Ahmed and Kate Cookson, who were both awarded joint first place.
Year 11 Meet the Employers at Blackburn Cathedral The Careers Department and the Year11 tutor team took the whole of Year 11 to the annual Careers event held in Blackburn Cathedral. Students were able to spend the morning talking to many local employers, universities and groups offering apprenticeships. They also had the opportunity to attend a number of employment specific seminars. This was an excellent event, which allowed students to collect a great deal of information about possible career routes.
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999 - Fire Safety It was a pleasure to have the firefighters join Year 2 during Michaelmas term. The pupils listened carefully to a video about what to do if there was a fire in their house, they then worked together as a year group to complete a fire plan quiz. Year 2 were very happy when they were told that they were the first class to get 5 out of 5 in the quiz this year! The fire fighters then showed the group all the protective clothing that they have to wear to keep them safe while tackling a fire and the hose they use to put the fires out. It was all very interesting! Some pupils were also lucky enough to dress up as a fire fighter, whilst the others acted out what they would do if there was a fire in their house.
A Walk in the Park
Our EYFS children took a short stroll to Corporation Park. They went to observe the changes in their local environment, looking out for signs of autumn, and collected leaves, twigs and conkers. The children also enjoyed playing in the playground! Back at school the children scrutinised their findings and discussed the changes they saw. They also made a hedgehog collage using the leaves that they had collected from their walk. They are very much looking forward to visiting the park again very soon to observe more seasonal changes.
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We’re off the see the Wizard… the Wonderful Wizard of OZ
As part of our Christmas celebrations, pupils from KS2 travelled to the University of Bolton Stadium to watch the Wizard of Oz performed live. All of the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the production and were enthralled by the fantastic acting, wonderful music and superb special effects. There was even an extra special performance by Toto, Dorothy’s dog, who captivated the children’s attention.
QEGS Swim from Strength to Strength
Charlotte Hartley gets Year 11 Exam Fit
QEGS swimmers have amassed a staggering 30 qualifying County Championship times between them, to compete at the Lancashire County Championships early next year.
Youth Sports Trust Mentor and Team GB Hockey Player Charlotte Hartley joined some pupils from Year 11 for the third time this year to help prepare them for their forthcoming GCSE Exams. Charlotte’s visit was aimed at inspiring our pupils through a project called ‘Get Exam Fit’.
Amy Ainsworth, Anastasia Hartshorn-Evans and Daniel Ainsworth, all swimmers from Blackburn Centurions Swimming Club and Baylie Seery from Pioneer 79, have all trained extremely long hours in the pool. Their hard work this year has paid off, as Anastasia has qualified for 2 events, Daniel for 7, Amy for 8 and Baylie for 13 events. With Lancashire having the toughest times to reach in order qualify for County Championships in the country, the pupils have swum extremely well to meet these required times. The competition will be held over two weekends in Manchester and Liverpool. Also, QEGS’ team swimmer and water polo player Jacob Gibson, has been invited to train in the Under 18 boys NW Academy. Still only being 15, Jacob is hoping for team selection to compete in the Under 18’s Inter-Regional Championships. We wish all of our swimmers the very best of luck.
Get Exam Fit aims to create a behaviour change in young people. It utilises the athletes’ experience of managing high pressured situations and developing strategies to alleviate the stress and anxiety associated with exams, to target this pressure and ensure that the pupils are well equipped to deal with these stresses. Our Year 11’s have thoroughly enjoyed and fully participated in the initiative and are looking forward to welcoming Charlotte back for their final mentoring session in the New Year.
Outward Bounds at Ullswater The Careers Department secured two places on a week long Serious Adventure Outward Bounds Course at Ullswater in the Lake District. They joined a group of pupils and students from other Lancashire Schools for an amazing experience. Raheem, one of the attendees, writes; ‘Being able to participate in the Outward Bound course had a positive impact on my life as I overcame an obstacle of fear
allowing myself to complete the various challenges. The course consisted of 5 main activities, swimming, abseiling, rowing, canoeing, and a 3-day expedition. My favourite activity was the expedition as it helped me to grasp the feeling of what the Duke of Edinburgh silver expedition would feel like, along with helping me appreciate the little things in life that most of the time would take for granted. Furthermore, it helped me get my mind-set straight again after all the stress of GCSEs and helped me to focus on many things that the future holds. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to attend the course because it let me experience the beautiful scenery that is mainly hidden by
cars and busy cities as well as making new friends from all different backgrounds, I enjoyed activities which I have always wanted to partake in. Overall, I would urge anyone who may be anxious to join the Outward Bound course to sign up immediately, it is the best way to unwind after your exams and to have the most adventurous summer yet.’ We thank Stuart Sykes and Rebecca Minto of the Outward Bounds Trust and we hope that this will become a regular opportunity for QEGS pupils and students to be part of in the years to come.
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Spanish Students Study at HOME Year 13 Spanish students visited HOME Arts Centre in Manchester to participate in a film workshop to help them deepen their knowledge about the Spanish film “Volver” directed by the world renowned Pedro Almodóvar. All the workshops and discussions were conducted in Spanish for the entire day, providing a real immersion experience which the students found invaluable as this will form part of their final examination.
Languages Maths Enrichment Day Inspiration
The whole of Year 11 had the opportunity to hear Old Blackburnian Ian Brown, talk about his personal experiences with regards to the value of languages within the world of business. QEGS was also fortunate to host two visiting speakers from the University of Lancaster who explained the various routes available to facilitate the development of language skills. Additionally, pupils participated in workshops of languages which were completely new to them - Catalan with Mr Wéber, Italian with Ms Mariner and Japanese with Mr Cordwell. This proved to be an eye-opening experience, which was very much enjoyed by the pupils.
This term pupils and students from Years 11-13 attended a Maths Inspiration Event at the Manchester RNCM Concert Hall. This was an ideal opportunity for the pupils and students to see how the mathematics they study at school links to the exciting applications in the real world. The speakers this year were Jennifer Rogers, David Acheson and Ben Sparks, with Matt Parker compering. The pupils and students enjoyed hearing about how statistics can be used to keep budget airlines such as Ryan Air in check and were invited to get involved with music and mathematical challenges to do with sound vibrations and spirals. David Acheson demonstrated how Maths is present all around the house and even proved that calculus can be seen in action at Christmas when building a snowman!
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National Skills Show Mr Taylor and Miss Purvis accompanied a group of Year 11 pupils interested in Apprenticeships to the National Skills show at the NEC, Birmingham. Whilst it was a considerable minibus drive there and back, it was an excellent event with a huge number of exhibitors covering an extremely wide range of careers. The pupils had the opportunity to talk to the representatives and to try out many of the activities on offer, from mechanics to floral arranging, and even having a go at bricklaying! The day was an extremely informative and worthwhile experience, from which the group will have gained a significant amount of knowledge.
National Apprenticeship Show A group of Year 11 students who have shown an interest in starting an apprenticeship post-GCSE attended the National Apprenticeship Show with Mr Taylor and Ms Sharples at the Bolton Arena. This was an excellent opportunity for the pupils to meet and talk to a large number of both local and national apprenticeship providers and employers including, BAE, Rolls Royce, BMW, The Armed Services, the NHS and many smaller providers. The pupils will certainly have benefitted from these individual meetings and the seminars provided.
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Chemistry in Action The Chemistry department took 29 Students from Years 12 and 13 to Salford University recently for an A level conference. The lectures included:
From Breaking Bad to Making Good Using the example of Breaking Bad, the students explored how ‘bad’ drugs (such as crystal meth) and good drugs (such as antibiotics), work, and considered cutting-edge research to glimpse the future of medicine.
How to Discover a New Element Ever wanted your name on the periodic table? Secrets were revealed of how to create a new chemical element, exploring a world where atoms are so unstable they exist for the blink of an eye.
Plastic Fantastic? It can be any shape, colour, property and lasts 500 years! Despite the damage plastic does to the environment demand has never been higher. Our students discovered the amazing properties of plastic and how to tackle the plastic problem.
Strange Ice “Strange ice” coinciding with the centenary of X-ray diffraction – guided students through the weird and wonderful properties of ice. The most bizarre, but so taken for granted on a day-to-day basis, is the phenomenon that ice floats on water. But almost every other solid phase of a compound is denser than its liquid counterpart. Making the Invisible Visible Someone has been shot, but witnesses were too scared to come forward. Students used cutting-edge techniques to reveal hidden evidence to establish the truth. The students had an extremely busy day and found the lectures very interesting and informative.
Blackburn with Darwen Cross Country Championships Well done and thank you to everyone who represented QEGS and competed in the annual Blackburn with Darwen Schools Cross Country Championships at Witton Park. You demonstrated superb character, resilience and determination. Team Performance Year 7 Boys Team 4th place Year 7 Girls Team 6th place Year 8/9 Boys Team 6th place Year 8/9 Girls Team 5th place Year 10/11 Boys Team 2nd place Year 10/11 Girls Team 3rd place Podium Finishers Year 7 Boys Year 10/11 Boys Sixth Form Boys Year 8/9 Girls Sixth Form Girls
Clean Hands Children and pupils from Primary Phase were organised into groups and took part in a ‘Rainbow Group’ session to help them to understand the importance of washing hands. Germs (pretend) were spread around the school and many posters were created to share a message: ‘Clean hands equals a recipe for good health.’
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Oscar Kelly Harvey Ashworth Alastair Keys Kate Cookson Hannah Cookson
2nd place 2nd place 1st place 3rd place 1st place
Love your Wellies It was a pleasure to invite local Labour councillor Jackie Floyd to speak at our Primary Phase Assembly. Jackie entered the Main Hall wearing her brightly coloured raincoat and wellies, armed with a large black bin bag and grabber! Her enthusiasm was contagious as she shared her knowledge in protecting our local environment and becoming healthier. As part of looking after our environment, Jackie began by discussing the importance of picking up litter. She then went on to discuss the benefits of walking to school, rather than jumping in the car, wearing the correct clothing and footwear, and the many advantages walking to school can have.
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Congratulations to Jasmin, Hannah, Maia, Will and Alistair, who all endured four days of driving rain and gale force winds to successfully complete their Duke of Edinburgh Gold expedition.
Jackie ensured all pupils fully participated which made the assembly extra special and thoroughly enjoyable.
Festive Fun in the Library Towards the end of the Michaelmas term, the library held some very festive activities. A book and gift sale was the first event to take place; including the ever-popular lucky dip, handmade crafts and a secret book Santa. The sale managed to raise £30.00, which will help towards purchasing craft resources for the Bookmark Club. Thank you to our team of Year 8 pupil librarians who helped to run the stall over three days, they all did a superb job in promoting the sale. The annual tradition of decorating the Christmas tree with book recommendations, once again was a great success, showing a
variety of books having been enjoyed. Many thanks to parent helpers Mrs Abahlous EP Satia and Mrs Ashraf, for their help in erecting two Christmas trees; the book recommendation tree and the Harry Potter themed tree. An array of festive books was also on display in the library, which helped to encourage plenty of borrowing. Books written by Charles Dickens were the most popular, along with crafting books also being borrowed. A group of Year 7 pupils took part in a festive crafting session, creating beautiful handmade festive gifts; paper trees, paper hats and paper chains.
Decisions decisions… for Year 11 The Careers Department welcomed Chloe and Jonny from Blackburn College to give the whole of the Year 11 an extended assembly on BTECs and vocational courses in which they might be interested Post 16. They obtained a great deal of information from the interactive presentation and short film, and they also had the chance to ask questions at the end. After the assembly, a group of 20 pupils were given the opportunity to have a more in depth Q&A session. This was an excellent opportunity, and the pupils certainly were given something to think about as they start to make firmer plans for next year.
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Year 3 take a trip to Ancient Egypt The whole of Year 3 were mesmerized as they entered their class room during Michaelmas Term, which had been transformed into an Egyptian workshop for the day. There were many fascinating artefacts laid out on show and two real life Pharaohs standing in their class to welcome them!
The pupils listened intently as the Pharaohs told them all about Ancient Egypt. They were also shown some Canopic jars with real body parts inside. The most memorable part was when Maha and Breeanna were dressed as mummies. First of all, they had all of their internal organs pulled out and their bodies filled with salt to make them shrivel up. Then, they were covered with beautiful smelling herbs and scents, and wrapped in bandages, their heads adorned with a death mask, before being sent to the afterlife!
Carol Service The Carol Service took place in Blackburn Cathedral on Friday the 21st of December where the school choir (including staff) were also accompanied by the Nelson Civic Ladies Choir and Vocalise Community Choir.
William Gedling performed a superb guitar solo of ‘Silent Night’ and was joined by soloist, Lea Robinson, and the choir. ‘Silent Night’ was first performed on guitar 200 years ago. Franz Gruber who composed this timeless melody had written the piece for organ accompaniment but on the eve of the first performance, mice in the church destroyed some of the organ pipes which is why it was performed on the guitar.
The school choir had been preparing for this performance since October. As well as singing the traditional seasonal carols they also performed three alternative pieces. ‘A La Nanita’, a gentle Spanish Christmas lullaby was the first of the first of these to be performed, and was wonderfully accompanied on guitar by Miss Murphy and the Cathedral organist Mr Turnbull.
The choir then carolled ‘O Holy Night’, and were joined by Miss Cockshott, Sebastian Roberts, Mr Garrett and Jake Horler Newsham (professional Tenor from the Royal Northern College of Music and former pupil of Mr Garrett). The quartet sang the chorus of this Christmas classic by Adolphe Adams.
The next piece, composed by Mr Garrett was called ‘The Gift’, and was written with the intention to help focus on the true meaning of Love, not only at Christmas, but at all times.
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The choir concluded with a rousing setting of the ‘Gloria”, written by Carole Stephens, which was a wonderful finale to the service.
Young Biomedical Scientists A team of five pupils went to the University of Central Lancashire covering all areas of modern bioscience and gaining first-hand experience of what makes a bioscience-based career fulfilling. The workshops varied from biomedical science and neurobiology, to emergency medicine and clinical pharmacology. The workshops gave pupils a good insight into the various roles of bio-scientists and helped them aspire to careers in these fields. Their knowledge was tested in a quiz as they completed the workshops with the content tying in nicely with both the ‘Cells and Organisation’ and the ‘Disease and Bioenergetics’ topics they are studying in GCSE Biology.
Bacon butties, Mince pies and Football The OB Annual Football Reunion took place on Saturday 22nd December. After months of training, there was a great turnout of finely tuned OB athletes lacing their boots at Lammack. seven teams in total. OB’s of all ages reunited, which made for a really enjoyable event, with parents and messrs Hopkinson and Grogan on the sidelines spectating. The leavers of 1997 were the victors, captained by Matt Parker, whose team defeated the Alex Gunn XI on penalties in the final. Long may the OB’s want to come back and play. A real highlight of the year!
OBA Annual Dinner 2018
This year’s OBA Annual Dinner was as popular as ever and the evening did not disappoint. There was a great mixture of regular and first time attendees, current and former students and staff.
Amongst our special guests this year was Edwin Booth DL, who gave the Loyal Toast; Regina Arkwright a former teacher, who, before delivering the Toast to School, gave us an insight into life at QEGS as the very first female teacher. Chief Guest was Peter Winders, also a former QEGS teacher.
It was great to see a number of current Sixth Form students at the dinner, some of whom took an active role in the night’s events. Jamal Hasan and Hannah Cookson said Grace, Aadil Diwan and Raya Alshatari delivered the ‘In Memoriam’ section. Four pupils wrote and delivered their own reports: Head Boy Matthew Fenton and Head Girl Sara Hussain (School Report), Deputy Head Boy Alistair Keys (Boys Sporting Report) and Deputy Head Girl Joanna Sleigh (Girls Sporting Report). The OBA would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their contribution and to thank all the current students who attended the dinner. They were a credit to themselves and to the school, and should be justly proud.
The OBA Annual Dinner is open to all former students and staff and is always thoroughly enjoyed by all who attend. If you haven’t been to one before, don’t be shy, get in touch, we’d love for you to join us in 2019!
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Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, West Park Road, Blackburn, BB2 6DF Call 01254 686300 Email reception@QEGSblackburn.com QEGSblackburn.com