Fulmerstonian 2015-16

THE FULMERSTONIAN 2015-2016 "Challenge, Inspiration, Opportunity"

Contents 4 Headmaster's Introduction 6 Prizegiving 8 Destinations and Preparatory Prizegiving 12 EYFS and Year 1 14 Year 2 and Year 3 16 Year 4 and Year 5 18 Year 6 20 Preparatory Sports 22 Christmas Production 24 Summer Production 28 Fine Art and Photography 30 Design and Technology 32 Drama 34 English and the Library 36 MFL French 38 MFL German Exchange 40 History 42 Geography 44 Science 46 Music 48 Physical Education 50 Computing and ICT 52 Mathematics 56 Arts Award and London Art Trip 58 Year 11 Prom 60 Charities and House Competition 62 Sports Day 64 PSA Summer Fete and Duke of Edinburgh 66 Prague Trip 68 Barcelona Trip 70 Denmark and the Model European Parliament 72 Morocco Trip 73 Valetes and Credits

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Headmaster's Introduction I am delighted to welcome you to the annual Fulmerstonian Magazine 2015-16, celebrating another wonderful year of success, enterprise and dedication at Thetford Grammar School.

The following pages reflect the very replete and exciting school year for all pupils and students offered by our dedicated staff. A year in the life of any school is busy and packed full of learning opportunities, but here at Thetford Grammar School we are particularly proud of the range and breadth on offer for our pupils.

I am very proud to have completed my first year as Headmaster of Thetford Grammar School. I have received lots of warm and generous support from all stakeholders in the school. Pupils, staff, parents, governors and the wider community have provided a very kind welcome to both me and my family. With three children attending the school, my wife and I fully recognise from a parent’s perspective the tremendous benefits of a TGS education.

At the important 2016 public examinations we excelled and improved considerably on last year’s already impressive results. This summer our A level students this acheived 20% of grades at A* (national average in 2015 for comparison: 8.2%); and 38% were A*/A (national average in Aug. 2015: 25.9%). More significantly, of course, is that over 80% of Year 13 were accepted into their first choice university. Leading the way for the cohort were: • Thomas Dennis with A* Chemistry, A* Further Mathematics, A* Mathematics, A Biology (AS), will read Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath; • Omar El Oakley A Biology, A* Chemistry, A* Mathematics, A* Physics. Omar is taking a year out to gain work experience before applying for Medicine; • Robert Heighton A* Chemistry, A Further Mathematics, A* Mathematics, A* Physics.

Robert is moving on to study Physics at Durham University.

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At GCSE level 18% of grades were awarded at A* (national average in 2015 for comparison: 6.6%); 43% A and A* (national average in Aug. 2015: 21.2%), and 94% A and C (national average in Aug. 2015: 69%). Some of our top pupils at this level were: • Jacob Wright with 10 GCSEs Grade A*, EPQ (equivalent to half an A Level) Grade A; • Jack Bercovici 9 GCSEs Grade A*, 2 GCSEs Grade A, EPQ Grade A; • Philippa Buckley 9 GCSEs Grade A*, 1 GCSE Grade A, EPQ Grade B. This is truly an outstanding set of results and testament to the hard work of our pupils and the inspiration they draw from their superb teachers. Our youngsters have achieved excellence across many subject areas and, in many cases, in the rigorous Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) examination.

Examination results are extremely important, of course, but they do pertain to only one aspect of the school: we are reminded of that regularly by employers, industry and the press. At TGS certainly our endeavour is to provide opportunities for personal growth; we endeavour to broaden the horizons of our youngsters beyond the classroom.

Our pupils and older students were busily involved in a number of scientific and mathematical endeavours. Four Year 10s, Max Elders, Toby Culling, Henry Bittleston and Brynmor Jenkins, won the Maths Feast National Competition. Moreover, a number of TGS students took part in the British Physics Oympiad: Omar El Oakley and Liam Vinton both received commendations, whilst Robert Heighton was awarded a Bronze certificate.

In the Senior UKMT Maths Challenge Robert Heighton made it to the Kangaroo Round.

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During the year our pupils have travelled to a wide variety of places including the Ancient House, High Lodge, Duxford, Cambridge, Norwich, Nottingham, London, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary as well as the Somme Battlefields. We also welcomed visitors from France, Germany and Slovakia as part of a variety of exchange programmes. In addition, Sixth Form students represented the UK at two sessions of The Model European Parliament (MEP) in Berlin and Budapest; while four groups of Year 12 students gained work experience in Denmark.

At the International Children’s Art/ Photography Competition in Lidice, Megan Gallacher was presented the highest award, the ‘Rose of Lidice’ and Ellie Dickens, Ben Trowell and Elliott Sanders were awarded Honourable Mentions out of over 20,000 entrants worldwide. In the Spring Term, Megan went on to win a local photography competition here in Thetford; Thetford Through a Lens. With Runners Up certificates presented to Kudzi Garikayi, Joseph Ramsbottom and Hannah Clark.

On the sporting front, our U14s became Norfolk County Netball Champions in April winning a very impressive 5 out of their 6 matches.

The U14 Rugby team also reached the Norfolk County Plate Final. We also reached the Norfolk 20/20 U15 Cricket Final. Eleanor Pringle, Toby Culling, Cecily White, Oscar Foreman, Minnie Molyneux, Kudzi Garikayi, Christoph Prior and Alana Wilson have all received certificates and awards for sporting achievements at County and/or National level.

a former pupil at TGS. Frank Onians joined the school at the age of 5 in May 1937 and was fondly nicknamed ‘Onions’ throughout his time at Thetford Grammar School. He went on to enjoy a wide and fulfilling career running electronic companies on both sides of the Atlantic and still divides his time between here and California.

It is, of course, our pupils and students both young and old; past and, particularly, present that make what we do all worthwhile. And here at TGS they really do. The vital ingredient here at school is the joy and energy that the pupils bring. It is hugely satisfying to harness that energy and to watch pupils growing, maturing, learning, and knowing that we are making a difference. Each exciting school day is punctuated by encounters with pupils and students from 3 to 18 years old, reminding us all why what we do matters so much: encounters that are filled with enthusiasm, hope and optimism, love and laughter, pride and joy.

Finally, parents and families have a vital role in the education of their children; we actively encourage close cooperation between home and school. I have been exceptionally privileged to work with a dynamic group of very active PSA members. New members are always welcome!

I shall look forward to even greater sharing, support and collaboration for the benefit of Thetford Grammar School and our pupils.

I hope you enjoy reading this year’s magazine as it offers an excellent overview of life at our busy and successful school.

To commemorate the 450th anniversary of the refoundation of the school under the terms of Sir Richard Fulmerston’s will, two of Thetford Grammar School’s Patrons, Lady Kay Fisher and Professor Richard Scase, joined the Chair of Governors and more than 60 other guests at the official launch of David Seymour’s new book on the History of Thetford Grammar School.

David, a former Head of History at Thetford Grammar School, makes a claim for over 14 centuries of learning on our school site.

Our Guest of Honour at Speech Day in September 2016 at St Edmundsbury Cathedral was a former Old Boy of Thetford Grammar School, who returned to his school a couple of times over the course of the year. He presented the complete works of Thomas Paine in commemoration of his brother, Richard, also THE FULMERSTONIAN

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Prizegiving Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Art Jenni Kingsnorth

Art Kate Shelton

Art Benjamin Trowell

Art

Design Technology Isabelle Murfitt

English Grace Tod

Biology Will Pollard

Biology Chloั Sorrell

Drama Michael Heslop

Design Technology Isabel Bourne

Physical Education Rory White Eleanor Pringle

Mathematics Toby Culling

English Miranda Patalidis-Thomas

Drama Christian Eade

French Eleanor Pringle

French Tom Bercovici

French Elizabeth Shelton

Chemistry Stefan Richer

Geography Eloise Perry

German Thomas Buckley

History Franziska Elders

Mathematics Shaswathan Sanjeevvijay

Computing and ICT Samuel Jones

Computing and ICT Sebastian Floyd

Mathematics Madeleine Trussell

Music Oliver Peace

Music Christoph Prior

Physical Education George Nicklin Sophie Jacklin

Religious Studies Amy Smith Science Charlie Trowell Physical Education William Hartley Zoe Kendall Progress Luca Prior

Design Technology Hattie Long Drama Isabel Curley English Daisy Simons Mathematics Liam Dargan Computing and ICT Alana Wilson

Business Studies Hannah Clark Chemistry Angus Russell Design Technology Roland Richer English Brynmor Jenkins French Maximilian Elders Geography

Clarissa Katsikides History Clarissa Katsikides Computing Matthew Ruddy Music Henry Bittleston

Religious Studies James Stevenson-Rutter

Geography Alana Wilson

Science Minnie Molyneux

German Megan Sidery

Physical Education James Gornall Georgia Reardon

History Rory Donoghue

German Georgia Reardon

Music James Robertson

Physics Tomรกs Morgan

Religious Studies James Blackman

Religious Studies Chloe Garrett

Progress Sophie Gornall

Progress Cameron Anderson

Geography Elizabeth Wright History Frank Summers Progress Frank Summers

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Physics Andrew Forbes

Kudzi Garikayi

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Year 11 Prizes for Achievement at GCSE Max Albury Jack Bercovici Philippa Buckley Daniel Connolly Evie Pettingale Jacob Wright

Year 13 Art Emily Bell Biology Emma Ruddy Business Studies Edward Briars Chemistry Thomas Dennis Mathematics Thomas Dennis Design Technology Luke Foster English Louise Wigglesworth

French Holly Simpson Geography Holly Simpson History Jacob Dunn ICT Patrick Davis Photography Megan Gallacher Physics Robert Heighton Religious Studies Phineas Humphris

Jane Brunt Memorial Prize for Academic Excellence at A Level Emma Ruddy Bartram Gold for Academic Excellence at A Level Robert Heighton Omar El Oakley Thomas Dennis

School Prizes Advantage Technologies ICT Award Patrick Davis Beales Prize for Chemistry Rebecca Grimmond Blaydon Bequest for Civics Omar El Oakley Gordon Carter Award for Effort in Physics Omar El Oakley Crossman Award for Environmental Awareness Jack Hendrie Danny Baker Memorial Prize for Poetry Sebastian Floyd John Lovick Prize for French (Year 11) Philippa Buckley Lynsey Coker Memorial Award (Year 11) Ella Mason Mary Rolton Memorial Award Luke Foster

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OTA Prize for Leadership Harry Mayall Augustus Altuccini PSA Prize for Service to the School Megan Gallacher Richard Easten Essay Prize Phineas Humphris Richard Scase Award for Creativity Emily Bell Rotary Award for Community Service Lauren Haylock Rotary Award for Promise in Modern Languages Eleanor Pringle Sybil Wheeler Memorial Prize Jacob Wright Tilley Prize for Drama Gabrielle Hunter-Short Form Charity Bowl 7H 2015-16

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Destinations Emily Bell Gap Year – applying 2017 James Betts Gap Year - Sheffield Hallam University (International Tourism Management) Edward Briars Northumbria University (Business and Management) Roberto Castillo-Olivares Gap Year – Music Apprenticeship 2017 Patrick Davis Bournemouth University (Business Information Technology) Thomas Dennis University of Bath (Chemical Engineering) Niamh Donoghue Gap Year (Employment/Volunteering abroad) Jacob Dunn University of Manchester (Modern History and Politics) Omar El Oakley Gap Year – applying 2017 Luke Foster Nottingham Trent University (Product Design) Megan Gallacher Bath Spa University (Graphic Communications) Ross Gallacher Bath Spa University (Environmental Science) James Greatbanks Apprenticeship Suzanna Hayden University of Surrey (Adult Nursing) Lauren Haylock Gap Year (Employment) Robert Heighton Durham University (Physics) Phineas Humphris University of Birmingham (English Literature and Drama) Charles Lamport-Beale Gap Year – applying 2017 Brandon Morris London Metropolitan University (Business Law) Emma Ruddy Durham University (Chemistry) George Rupp Coventry University (French and International Relations) Trina Sengupta Birkbeck, University of London (Philosophy) Holly Simpson Durham University (Economics with French) Liam Vinton Loughborough University (Civil Engineering) Freya Webb University of Manchester (Medicine) Louise Wigglesworth University of Kent (European Studies with French)

Senior Prefects for the year ahead

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Head Boy William Honeywood Head Girl Megan Curley Deputy Head Boy Patrick Taylor Deputy Head Girl Clemency Wood THE FULMERSTONIAN

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Preparatory Prize-Giving EYFS Mathematics Max Hanspal

Year 6

Literacy Holly Mabbett

Art Maia Foreman

Communication and Language Annabella Ellis

Music Maia Foreman

Physical Development George Bullen

Design Technology Samuel Sidery

Expressive Arts and Design Sophie Codd

Drama Hamish Russell

Understanding the World Amelia Worsley

Religious Studies Ethan Harris

Personal, Social, Emotional Noah Sanders

History Ethan Harris Arthur Summers

Year 2 Form Prize Connie Foreman Progress Prize Gabriel Galveias

Mathematics Matthew Kendall Science

Joshua Kriehn-Morris PSHCE Ryan Bourne French Sam Bercovici

Physical Education Arthur Summers Sophie Peace

Geography Sam Bercovici Form Prize Sam Bercovici Progress Ryan Bourne Max Ladell

Computing and ICT Thomas Hayden Frederick Bayne

Year 4/5 Form Prize Henry Elmer Progress Prize Fearn Bourne

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reparatory School The Prep School aims to provide a curriculum full of opportunities. All of our pupils from EYFS-Year 6 develop their skills in a variety of ways every day. The children learn in a happy environment in which they feel secure, ensuring that progress is made within every subject.

Every child is taught by their form tutor, with increasing opportunities as they progress through the Prep School to be taught by specialist teachers, both from within the Prep School and the Senior School. Our specialist subjects include PE, Music, PSHCE, Art, History and RS. The pupils also represent the school in a variety of sports including netball, rounders, football, rugby, cricket, swimming and athletics, displaying excellent sportsmanship and gaining the respect of visiting teams and their teachers.

Alongside sport, the pupils thoroughly enjoy participating in musical events including the Christmas performance; ‘When Sasha got swept up the Chimney’ and the Summer musical; ‘The Keymaster’. The pupils always approach these events with tremendous enthusiasm and their performances are well rewarded by rapturous applause.

Pupils leave the Prep School with many happy memories, feeling proud of all they have acheived, both in and out of the classroom.

EYFS and Year 1 EYFS started the new school year with a trip to High Lodge, complete with wellington boots, to link the topics of ‘Ourselves’ and ‘Journeys’.

Everyone enjoyed ‘The Gruffalo‘ walk and used their senses to discuss what they could see, hear, smell and touch to fully support their phase one phonics. A super morning was had by all.

animals and pets. The children and Daisy enjoyed a game of fetch, a discussion about how to care for a pet, and a show of Daisy’s marvellous tricks. After a welldeserved tummy tickle (for Daisy!) and some water it was time to say goodbye to our new friend.

Over the course of the term the classroom was transformed into a Winter Wonderland with an igloo, perfect for our visiting guests in December; Missy the Elf and Cecil the Snowman.

Father Christmas sent them from the North Pole to collect Elvis the Elf, who had been very mischievous in the classroom.

Over the Christmas break there was a transformation of the Pre-Prep classroom and on the first day of the new term the children were very excited to see the arrival of a dinosaur egg, a safari jeep and a campsite into their class. The children discussed what might be inside the egg and were eager to see it hatch; there was also further discussion about how the children would need to care for the egg.

Another visitor was Daisy, Mrs Foreman’s dog, who came to show the children how dogs like to be treated and how to behave around unfamiliar

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‘Gong Hey Fat Choy!’ The start of the Spring term saw the class enjoying their Chinese New Year celebrations. They were lucky to have George’s mum and her niece visit. The children were treated to some delicous food, were able to try on traditional Ao Dai dresses and they even had a go at learning some Vietnamese and Chinese words. Great fun was had by all.

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Spring is a time when flowers grow and baby animals are born. This spring was no exception and the class were able to experience first-hand their topic of ‘Growth and Change’. Sunflower seeds were planted and watered, with the children waiting patiently to see what would happen over the weekend. On Monday morning, pupils were really excited to see that their sunflowers and beanstalks had had a rather impressive growth spurt over the weekend.

This theme continued with a trip to Church Farm, where children were able to walk through the animal trail talking about the different animals, meeting the baby animals and they even had the opportunity to bottle feed the lambs. Pupils were treated to a tractor ride around the farm and were able to feed the famous and cheeky ‘Figgy the Piggy’. The indoor straw barn provided great enjoyment and the day was rounded off with a magical glimpse at a lamb, just five minutes old.

Heave ho me hearties! The end of February saw the pupils having the best pirate adventure ever! The pupils followed the story of Redbeard, solving clues on the way to find the hidden treasure. All pupils had tremendous fun singing pirate songs and trying out scientific experiments used in the story. A big ‘thank you’ to Mandy Hartley for a super scientific pirate experience.

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Year 2 and Year 3 Year 2 and 3 demonstrated their enthusiasm for learning, across all areas of the curriculum. The year started with a trip to Thetford Forest to create large-scale art collage work using natural objects.

Once back at school the collages were used as stimulus for creating art work using the computers. The children also used the leaves and twigs they collected for printing; painting on them before pressing them on their paper.

In Maths the children have been very busy learning all about money. They have learnt what the coins are, how to add them together and also how to find change if they wanted to buy something in a shop. The children have used coins, number squares and number lines to help them in their investigations and have worked really hard.

Connie said “I have learnt that 100p is £1 and also I have learnt how to work out how much change I should get” and Elliot added “I have had fun learning about all the different British coins”.

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Multiplication and Division proved a little trickier, but the children persevered and designed their own word problems to illustrate a particular sum. They have also had fun learning about Time using clocks with moveable hands and our interactive board to answer a range of questions, with correct answers accumulating points for a fun game at the end.

In DT the children had fun learning about combining flavours and colours when they designed and made their own fruit salads.

The children chose their fruits, cut them up carefully and mixed them all together.

The hardest bit was having to wait until the end of the lesson before they could try what they had made.

History lessons had the class learning about the Vikings, especially how they travelled to get to places to invade. They learnt that the fastest way to travel was by boat and they enjoyed making replicas,

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complete with stripy sails and shields to defend against attackers on the seas.

Music is always full of fun, and this year was no exception. The class learnt how to play a selection of notes on the recorder and the handbells and enjoyed performing to other pupils and their parents at the Prep School concerts. Using a variety of tuned and untuned percussion, the children enjoyed accompanying songs and stories, learning how to control their volume and speed.

When looking at the topic of ‘Humans’ in Science, Year 2 considered what constituted a healthy diet, keeping good hygiene and how to stay healthy, including taking exercise. This could also happen whilst dressed as our favourite World Book Day characters! The pupils looked at different types of exercise and designed new ones that would keep them fit; either keeping their bodies flexible or that would help build strength in their muscles.

The Summer term saw the introduction of caterpillars that the pupils could observe, feed and nurture in the hope they would grow into beautiful butterflies. Observations included measuring and plotting the results in graphs, diary entries and photographs.

Once the children had named the caterpillars and they had hatched from their chrysalises, it was time to say ‘Goodbye’ and watch them fly away to their new flowery homes.

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Year 4 and Year 5 Year 4 and 5 have been using lots of different ways to learn about the curriculum this year.

Learning by doing is always a very effective, and fun way of understanding more about the world around us.

On the European Day of Languages, Years 4 and 5 were excited to research Italy. During the day, they learnt some Italian words, which were used in short conversations with classmates.

They also researched facts about the country and created informative posters, showing aspects of the Italian culture, food and the meaning behind the three coloured bands on the Italian flag: green, white and orange. These were all displayed in the classroom, after a Prep School assembly where each class demonstrated what they had learnt. The whole class came into school wearing clothes that showed the colours of different European flags.

The class all enjoyed taking part in a tasty way to learn about fractions. After preparing their fruit, pupils chose the combinations they wanted in order to make their own fruit salads.

Following on from this, children wrote the fraction of each fruit in their fruit salads and created equivalent fractions for each. Finally, the pupils had the opportunity to eat their tasty fruit salads – a worthy reward after a busy morning of Maths.

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In DT the class studied Food Technology, in particular baking bread. In smaller groups, the children made bread rolls in various shapes, including cottage loaves and plaits, and completed a taste test on the finished product. Everyone agreed that although it can be quite time-consuming to make bread and waiting for the yeast to take effect, the end result was definitely worth it!

In History we took a journey through time. This incorporated early art and the prehistoric paintings created by cave men; the art of the Ancient Egyptians and their hieroglyphics; the Ancient Greeks and their decorative clay vases; and finally a study of famous Tudor artists and their styles of work.

“I liked working with the Sphinx during our Egyptian Art topic because modelling with the clay was fun.” – Sarah “I liked drawing my cartouche so I could see what my name looked like in Egyptian times.” – Arlo “I enjoyed working with the Sphinx because I got to play with clay and paint my model.” – Fearn “I liked working in the style of Hieronymus Bosch because it was really colourful and fun.” – Albert “I enjoyed making the coil clay pot when learning about The Ancient Greeks because I loved making all of the coils and painting it.” – Alexis

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Year 6 Year 6 started their year by making shelters in Design Technology. Different types of shelters were discussed first and the pupils then had to think about what type of shelter they would like to make.

The planning stage incorporated a rough design of what they wanted to make, the materials they would use and then a stepby-step plan of how they would tackle the project. The exciting part was the actual making of the shelter. The final part of this topic was evaluating their finished results and discussing how successful everyone’s shelters were.

Later on in the year, the Year 6 pupils made motorised cars. Different types of vehicles were discussed first and then the pupils had to design the type of car they wanted to make. The planning stage incorporated a rough design of what they wanted to make and the design criteria.

The children then went over to the Senior DT room where they started to make the chassis for their car.

In the Spring term, Year 6 became Ancient Greeks for the day as they immersed themselves in Greek culture. Children came to school dressed in white chitons and togas with wreaths of olive leaves.

Some children preferred to come dressed as a warrior, complete with swords and daggers. They spent the day learning about Greek letters and maths, Greek food and completed their range of activities

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with making and decorating Greek pots, which were then decorated in authentic terracotta and black designs.

One of the highlights of the year was a Science Fair, organised and presented by the class, to the rest of the Prep School. There was a choice of 7 different science experiments and children worked hard in groups of 3 to develop the experiments and research the science behind them in preparation.

Arthur, Ethan and Tom chose ‘Colourful Chromatography’. This involved using water to separate the colours in felt pens. This is a very successful separating technique and produces lovely colourful results. Gracie, Matthew and Sophie were given ‘Sugar Crisis’ and started off investigating dissolving sugar, but this quickly took a change in direction and they decided to investigate if the colour of an ‘M&M’ affects how quickly the sugar coating dissolves. Hamish, Owen and Ben’s activity was ‘Bubble in a Bubble’ where participants had to see if they could blow a bubble on a table and then blow another bubble inside it?

Joe, Kit and Ryan spent time investigating separating techniques. They were given some different mixtures and had to decide on how to separate them using sieves, magnets, tweezers, funnels and filters. Sam, Cassidy and Freddie chose ‘Fizz Pop Rockets’. This was a very

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dramatic experiment involving a Berocca tube, an Alka Seltzer tablet and some warm water. Many great explosions followed! Josh and Max were investigating dancing raisins.

They explained how carbon dioxide bubbles can be made when vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are mixed and that the bubbles of gas attach themselves to the wrinkly surface of the raisins making them bounce up where some bubbles pop, so the raisins drop back down again.

Maia, Sam and Emily looked at how different acids and alkalis change the colour of paper soaked in universal indicator paper. All the pupils in Prep School really enjoyed attending our Science Fair to have a go at all the different experiments. Max, Elliott, Gabriel, Connie and Harry all left festooned in stickers having had lots of fun and excitement. Year 4 and 5 also enjoyed themselves, especially with the Fizz Pop Rocket and they left with a certificate each.

The afternoon was full of energy and everyone appeared to enjoy themselves whilst learning some science. A huge ‘Thank-you’ to Mrs Salt for organising the whole event.

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Preparatory Sports

Sports Day

A pleasantly warm day in June provided perfect conditions for this year's Prep School Sports Day. A variety of races, including sprint and middle distance, Early Years' and parents' races, were enjoyed by all. Well done to Coles, the overall winners and also to the individual winners of the Lower School Victor Ludorum; Harry Lyes, Lower Junior Victrix Ludorum; Anabella Ellis and Connie Foreman, Upper Junior Victor Ludorum; Ryan Bourne and Upper Junior Victrix Ludorum; Fearn Bourne.

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PREPARATORY SCHOOL The pupils in the Prep School have enjoyed a wide range of sporting activities this year.

In weekly practices and arranged matches, the children have excelled themselves in their dedication, patience and sportsmanship.

Every Tuesday, an excited group of Preparatory School pupils attended our lunchtime Netball Club in the Fulmerston Hall. The club was run

by Sixth Form students Holly Simpson and Suzie Hayden. The club was extremely well attended this year with lots of children from Years 4 to 6 learning new skills every week. It has been lovely to see the players improve and for some of them to have the confidence to play in their first ever match.

Football, tag rugby and cricket have all been very well represented by a strong Year 6 team this year, with our younger pupils also having the opportunity to compete in matches against other schools.

Well done to all the competitors in this year's Swimming Gala. Pre-Prep pupils took part in a variety of mini races and games in the learner pool whilst the Prep School pupils took part in 18 races in total, including Relays, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle, Butterfly and even a Kipper Sandwich race! The overall winners were Coles House, scoring an excellent 59 points, closely followed by Millingtons with 56. Reeds were third scoring 34 points and Cronsheys were fourth with 32. The staff were very impressed with the sportsmanship shown on the day by the children and the House Captains did a great job making sure that everybody was ready for their races. Thank you to all staff who helped on the day, and also behind the scenes, in preparation for our annual event.

After a fierce selection process that saw some of our swimmers compete against others from local schools, five of our swimmers qualified for the Norfolk Schools Games, which took place at the Sportspark in Norwich. This was a prestigious occasion for the squad and everyone swam their hardest, with Oscar Foreman being awarded a Silver medal for Year 4 backstroke. Well done to all those who competed.

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௹hristmas Production "When Sasha Got Swept Up The Chimney"

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‘When Sasha Got Swept Up The Chimney’ was a wonderful journey through Victorian London and across the skies via ‘reindeer-cam’ to the North Pole.

The story followed a group of orphans as they all made their Christmas wishes. The children did not choose presents or money, all they wanted was a family to call their own. After meeting a group of friendly chimney-sweeps, some mischievous fairies and a herd of fitnessobsessed reindeer, the children were treated to a sleigh ride over Bethlehem to witness The Nativity and the true meaning of Christmas, before being returned to London, where their new parents were waiting for them. Poor Sasha though, who believed there would be no parents waiting for her. Luckily for her, Mr and Mrs Santa had always wanted a child of their own, so with Sasha, their family became complete.

The children performed confidently, from the very youngest pupils to the more experienced Year 6s. Everyone enjoyed learning the songs and performing them with the actions. The teachers and parents were all really impressed with the quality of the acting and the performance.

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Summer Production "The Keymaster" 'The Keymaster’ saw the pupils in Year 4 to Year 6 journey through time, after an unconventional, rather wacky supply teacher turns up to teach them History.

This was not to be taught by looking at books, though. The pupils were transported to different points in history to experience life for themselves. 1066 and The Battle of Hastings was recreated as a football match on Senlac Hill, culminating in Harold receiving a nasty injury to his eye. Next saw a visit to the Tudor doctor – not a positive experience. Guy Fawkes was caught, after creeping around the Houses of Parliament and the Industrial Revolution saw large numbers of workers being replaced by machines. The early 20th Century had the suffragettes finally getting the vote.

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The time-travellers got the nastiest shock of all when they went into the future and saw death and destruction, caused by man’s greed. Thankfully, we all have the ability to change the future by thinking about what impact we are having on the world as we live in it. The message was passed around that we can change the future, starting today. The whole cast worked tirelessly, over a short timeframe, to produce an excellent production. Special mentions must go to both Keymasters; Maia Foreman and Hamish Russell, who shared the role over the two productions.

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enior School The Senior School curriculum is designed to provide a rigorous academic challenge for all whilst supporting individual needs and educating them about the wider roles, opportunities and responsibilities in modern society.

All pupils have extensive opportunities to extend their studies beyond the normal school timetable. It is a natural expectation that they will be able to express themselves through a wide range of creative media, whether that be Art, Design, Performance or Writing.

They visit castles and battlefields to develop their understanding of History and develop a genuine understanding of the impact they and others can have on society in the future.

Technologically, our pupils are exposed to the newest ideas and methods in both the teaching and use of computer systems in schools.

All of this ensures our children flourish in a stimulating and supportive environment: commonly contributing as much as they gain from school life.

Fine Art and Photography The annual Art exhibition yet again showcased the wonderful and diverse creative talent here at Thetford Grammar School. GCSE pupils displayed paintings, prints, sculptural pieces and fantastic textile creations alongside their impressive sketchbooks.

Work created for the new AS Art examination was on display showing exciting responses to the task in a range of disciplines including Fine Art, 3D Design, Textiles, Photography. A Level Art and Photography work impressed the visitors to the exhibition with their skill, the volume of accomplished work and the inspirational creativity on display.

Of particular note, visitors enjoyed a range of engaging and beautifully shot films by Megan Gallacher and Emily Bell's selfportrait exploring the theme of power proved to be an extremely popular exhibit. Alex Ackerman’s delightful textile pieces and sketchbooks were also much remarked upon.

It is always exciting and valuable for staff, parents, visitors and pupils to have the chance to appreciate the pupils’ endeavours and see them showcased in a formally staged exhibition.

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SENIOR SCHOOL Terry Beard Workshop for GCSE and A Level Pupils Terry introduced new ways of working, showed examples of her own painting and challenged pupils to experiment with paint in a new way. The pupils responded in a very positive way and everyone had numerous interesting pieces of work and more fully developed ideas by the end of the day. Comments from the pupils about the day were all positive and ranged from: ‘I found the day really valuable and inspirational in developing my ideas for the exam’, to ‘I had a great time and it has helped me to understand my ideas for the final exam a lot more. I thoroughly enjoyed the day. It also taught me new skills.'

We would like to thank Terry for taking time out from her busy schedule. Her work can be seen at her studio in Ely every July during ‘Cambridge Open Studios’.

Magnificent Collections Celebration Day The five pupils who had their work chosen and displayed on the Sainsbury Centre’s website were invited to participate in a celebratory afternoon. The pupils displayed their work and were part of an MA research project on ‘the reception of interactive projects in art galleries.’ Jude Blakemore, Isobel Tod, Alex Ackerman, Chloë Sorrell and Kudzi Garikayi talked about their work and described how their collections had been chosen and displayed. The standard of the work and the way that the pupils conducted themselves, in what was mainly an adult environment, was exemplary.

Sainsbury's Centre for Visual Art's Visit The whole of Year 8 visited the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art to explore World Art and its influence on Modern Artists. The day started with a tour by the museum guides, who brought the intriguing objects and world renowned works of art to life with stories and facts about their makers and how they were made. Pupils took notes and then chose artworks to draw in the gallery. They worked like seasoned art students, looking, sketching and exploring the often wondrous objects before them.

They will be using their findings to inspire their own personal investigations in class, but were able to start this practical process off in the afternoon with a workshop led by one of the museum artists.

A mini lecture and slideshow began the afternoon, as pupils simultaneously handled African artefacts.

The creative activity used feathers clay and plaster of Paris with each pupil producing a cast of a mask/ face to bring back to school.

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Design and Technology The Design and Technology department displayed a most impressive array of products designed by GCSE and A Level pupils showing off the many talents of their students at the annual exhibition.

Luke Foster's sophisticated twist on the cigar box guitar was particularly successful, incorporating a wide range of hand skill, routing, laser cutting and mother-of-pearl inlay into his unique design. The Year 7s were not to be outdone however, with their highly creative 'Out-of-the-box' designs that evolved into lighting, sweet dispensers and clocks.

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SENIOR SCHOOL

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Drama "Grimm Tales"

GCSE Drama At the start of the new year Mrs Boyce filmed Gabrielle Hunter-Short and Emily Neary in the devised production, which formed part of their GCSE examination. The 20 minute performance, written by the girls, told the story of the demise of a hard working lawyer who sacrificed her family relationships for success, before succumbing to dementia. On film it became a powerful morality tale about the problems surrounding this issue.

The winter’s activities ended with a flourish as the Drama department performed its latest extravaganza, ‘Grimm Tales’, their own version of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales.

Each story followed the general plot line of the original tale, however every version offered a dark twist to the narrative, in keeping with the original tales. As a result, many of the young actors had to act out the gory as well as the sweet parts of these well-known tales.

As with every school performance, the opening night is the culmination of a frenetic period involving many extra rehearsals. This year was also the first production by our new Head of Drama, Mrs Boyce and was a meritorious success.

Outstanding performances came from many students; particularly Emily Scott, Charles Mead, Ben Doyle and Alfie Bloomfield.

However, this year we had an influx of excellent actors lower down the school, notably Miranda Patalidis-Thomas, Rosabella Coleman, Oskar and Luca Prior, Evangeline Bedford and Euan Miller.

Other worthy performances came from Andrew Forbes, Gabrielle Hunter-Short and James Sibley, all cementing their reputations as fine actors.

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SENIOR SCHOOL Overall, this year's school production was an outstanding success and Mr Young paid tribute to all the performers and his back stage crew of: Emily Neary, Evie Pettingale, Isobel Tod, Sophie Rose-Land and Joseph Ramsbottom; as well as the technical crew of Gus Altuccini, Roberto Castillo-Olivares and Rory White.

Three special students, however, must be thanked for their tireless work throughout their time at TGS. Year 13 students Emily Bell, Phineas Humphris and Ross Gallacher have performed, directed, operated lighting or organised part of every show during the past six years and Grimm Tales was to be their last production. Mrs Boyce and Mr Young thanked them for all their efforts and wished them well for their future careers.

LAMDA In the Spring we received another round of first-rate results.

Grade 8 Gold medals were awarded to Charles Mead, Phineas Humphris and Emily Scott, while Grade 6 Bronze medals went to Pippa Buckley, Evie Pettingale, Isobel Tod and Sophie Rose-Land. These results, at LAMDA’s highest level, also contributed to the students’ UCAS points.

The standard of the work produced by all our pupils across the grades was high and the results demonstrate how talented our young pupils are. Other results were: in Year 7, Jenni Kingsnorth, Franzi Elders and Madeleine Trussell all gained Distinctions. In Year 8, Robbie Ackerman and Elizabeth Wright were also awarded Distinctions with Katie Doyle, Tilly Pettingale, Emma Sibley and Grace Tod all gaining Merits. Year 9 pupils included Rory White and Andrew Forbes who were awarded Merits and James Blackman who gained a Distinction.

Finally, a breathless dramatic year ended with Mrs Boyce drawing together the talented actors from Years 7 and 8 to perform ‘Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations’ by Alan Ayckbourn as part of our Summer Fayre.

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English and Library The Penalty The ref blew up, ‘Penalty’ chanted the crowd, It was our chance to win the cup, The chanting was ultra loud.

Silence fell as I was handed the ball, And placed it upon the spot, I thought that I would fall, I was shaking, nervous and hot.

I hit ball sweet and true, The crowd roared and roared, I looked up and in it flew, I had scored, I had scored!

I reeled away in celebration, The cup was ours, the cup was ours, The team joined together in celebration, The cup was ours, the cup was...ours!

Frank Summers

WHEN ROBOTS RULE THE WORLD When robots rule the world And humans are in shackles We sell our souls and our dignity To the robots with the digital cackles I remember it all so well The chirp of a bird, clang of a bell The crunch of the autumn leaves Now all I see are my crushed dreams Where did we go wrong?

The sweet smell of peace and harmony Laughing playing having fun Now everything’s duller even the sun Now all that’s left of this world Are the dying plants The echoing chants The clamp of metal feet Every day I always wonder Why our distrust in robots slumbered When they came our army was blundered And it haunts me every minute That my days are numbered Tom Buckley

Mrs Bull gave us our first taste of success in December when her entries for the 'Spine Chillers' short story competition saw the following pupils having their work selected for publication. Well done to Isabel Curley, Alana Wilson, Daisy Simons, Zoe Kendall, Tom Bercovici and Samuel Jones.

In the spring Mr Young's poets were equally successful in the annual Poetry Games competition where the following pupils were selected for publication: Sebastian Floyd, Minnie Molyneux, Tilly Pettingale, Evie Pettingale, Shaswathan Sanjeevvijay, Lily Simons, Daisy Simons, Ye-Yint Win Naing, James Stevenson-Rutter, Mia Lyes, Christian Eade, Tom Buckley, Frank Summers and Sophie Jacklin Our readers were not far behind as Mr Young and Mrs Settle set up two reading schemes which ran at different times during the year. Firstly, our Reading Passport scheme was a great success in encouraging pupils to select books which would stretch them; while the reading group were involved in selecting the winners of the Carnegie Children’s Book Award.

Finally, Mrs Wingham continued to inspire our young politicians through her love of non-fiction as she set up the school’s first Eco Council.

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SENIOR SCHOOL

At the start of the year, Mrs Settle embarked on a full series of activities in the libraries.

During the first autumn half term she organised the Autumn House Lit Quizzes for Years 5 and 6 in Prep School and Years 7 and 8 in Senior School. With questions such as 'What is Atticus Claw’s full name?' and 'Who became the Children’s Laureate in 2015?' All the competitors were put through their paces.

The winners were an all boys team from Millingtons and Reeds.

Mrs Settle also ran the regular Friday lunchtime Lit Club alongside Mrs Bull, where quizzes act as a trial for the school’s Kid’s Lit Quiz team. This group of readers always performs well in the regional heat of this international competition and this year was no exception, as we came a creditable third out of 25 teams in the Eastern Region competition.

On 22nd February we took part in a Guinness World Records' official attempt to have the most people take part in simultaneous literary quizzes. At 2:00pm the Williamson Hall was full with 111 pupils from Years 4 – 9, organised into their houses for a Bumper House Book Quiz. The quiz master was Mr Young and a small army of invigilators were in attendance as part of the verification process for such an enormous event. Sixth Formers and staff were also involved in helping to mark the quiz and record the event.

The winning house, Reeds, was closely followed by Millingtons in second place. Mrs Settle said that she was ‘delighted with the success of the event’ and thanked everyone who participated. The results of the record attempt were published a few days later and we soon discovered that 115 schools, book shops and publishers joined in and 11,828 people successfully took part - that was nearly four and a half times the previous record!

World Book Day is now a Guinness World Record holder and TGS Years 4 – 9 can be very proud of being a part of it!

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The following week was packed full of activities to celebrate World Book Day. Firstly, we were entranced by awardwinning author Alex Scarrow, who came into school to talk to Years 7 - 9 and give workshops for Years 7 and 8. On the same day EYFS – Year 2 took part in ‘A Pirate Adventure’ with the Little Story Telling Company.

Thursday, World Book Day, started with a ‘Whole School Read’ at form time. The Prep School pupils participated in a Book Character Day and Years 4 – 6 worked with The Little Story Telling Company in their presentation of 'The Story of Mary Anning’, during which the children made 'fossils'.

Finally our celebrations were rounded off with the ever popular 'Tasty Book Competition' in which pupils were rewarded for making cakes, biscuits or pies with a book-related theme. The Prep School and Senior School first prize winners were Sam Bercovici and Madeleine Trussell, with second place, third place and a Merit award going to Zoe Kendall, Louise Macrow and Joseph Ramsbottom. The adult first place was Mr Jenkinson. The cakes were sold at break and lunch times and raised £49 to fund books for the TGS libraries. Thank you to Miss Amanda Sherring and our governor Mrs Brenda Canham for judging the competition.

The Seniors library year was rounded off by the Year 7 visit to Thetford Library in the Summer Term.

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MFL French As they were working on the notoriously difficult Perfect tense in French, Year 10 students studied a poem called 'Déjeuner Du Matin' by 20th Century French poet Jacques Prévert. They then wrote their own poem in the style of Prévert using their knowledge of the Perfect tense.

They produced some truly remarkable poetry and here are some of the best poems. A special mention goes to Toby Culling for his outstanding piece.

Ils sont assis sur la terre Le soleil est tombé sur le monde Mais la fille n’a pas regardé Et le garçon n’a pas regardé Ils se sont regardés Et elle a souri Sa main a touché sa main Son cœur était rapide Elle a essayé de parler Ils sont assis sur la terre Le soleil est tombé sur le monde Mais la fille n’a pas regardé Et le garçon n’a pas regardé Ils se sont regardés Et elle a souri Sa main a touché sa main Son cœur était rapide Elle a essayé de parler Mais elle n’a pas pu Donc elle a souri Sa bouche a touché sa bouche Son cœur était rapide Elle a essayé de parler Mais elle n’a pas pu Donc elle a souri

(sequel to the original poem) Il est retourné Il m’a vu Je l’ai vu J’ai souri Il n’a rien dit Il avait oublié son sac Il l’a pris Et il est parti Je n’ai pas pleuré pour lui Je m’en fiche de lui Je recommencerai sans lui !

Elle s’est assise sur la terre Son cœur était rapide Son œil a essayé de lire son visage Mais elle n’a pas pu Donc elle a souri

Un bébé est né Elle a mis le bébé dans le bain Elle a lavé le bébé Le bébé est retourné à sa mère Sa tête dans ses bras Elle l’a bercé tranquillement Pour dormir.

La mère est restée avec le bébé Enfin, le sommeil La mère est partie de la chambre

Son cœur était lent Il a essayé de parler Mais il n’a pas pu Il a essayé d’aimer Mais il n’a pas pu Ils se sont embrassés Mais elle n’a pas souri Car elle savait Qu’elle était seule.

Emily Tomkins

Max Elders

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Toby Culling

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SENIOR SCHOOL French Exchange 2016 On Tuesday 17th May, Mr Maringue and Miss Dunsmore accompanied 8 pupils to France to participate in part 2 of the annual French Exchange programme with Collège Monod, Compiègne.

Pupils were greeted by their host families in the early evening and had an evening to settle in before getting to know each other as a group during the day trip to Amiens on the Wednesday. Brynmor Jenkins highlighted this event as one of the most enjoyable moments of the week. Pupils were introduced to the prolific writing of the father of science fiction – Jules Verne – during a tour of his house in Amiens before exploring the beautiful aesthetic of Amiens Cathedral. The surviving stained glass work and the Gothic sculptures were to some, breath-taking and provoked a number of different responses. The ambition to take a photograph that included the group, as well as the height of the Cathedral in its frame, proved too much!

A boat ride in the Hortillonages gave Alice Christian unprecedented levels of excitement in learning the pronunciation of new French vocabulary, including references to the Hans Christian Andersen classic, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ or 'Le Vilain Petit Canard'.

Thursday allowed for pupils and staff to spend the day in Collège Monod with their exchange partners, followed by an official welcome by the Deputy Mayor in Compiègne’s Town Hall. Mr Maringue was also delighted to be able to deliver letters written by his Year 7 classes to the equivalent aged group in our exchange school – a prelude of relationships to come. Miss Dunsmore’s birthday also allowed for her premiere experience of Café Gourmand – not to be forgotten.

Friday’s activities tested perseverance and culminated in the Bradley Wiggins Award for Cycling Perseverence being awarded to Andrew Forbes. At 30 kilometres in total, it was a tiring but fantastic day, taking us through the beautiful Compiègne forest to the vast and striking château of Pierrefonds – the filming site of the BBC’s ‘Merlin’.

In the afternoon, pupils also cycled to the Armistice Museum containing the carriage used to sign the 1918 Armistice.

I really enjoyed spending a week in your school. Thank you for making me feel welcome, students and teachers have been very kind to me. School in England is very different from school in France. Lessons last only 40 minutes, sports fields are really big, you have Drama lessons, you can buy cakes at break time, classes are small and teachers are fun! I will have great memories of my stay here.

Finally, the weekend allowed for pupils and staff to relax with their French hosts and while some travelled further afield into Paris, others enjoyed the more local festivities in Compiègne.

While the visit undoubtedly offered cultural and educative insights into French language, living and cuisine, the social aspects of the trip provided an invaluable opportunity for comradery and personal development. It was not just a special trip for pupils, but special also for the accompanying members of staff. Thank you to everyone who made this visit a success.

Thank you for everything.

Nicolas

Mr Maringue and Miss Dunsmore

AU REVOIR THETFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL A message from our French visitor Nicolas who spent week with Y7 pupils. It was lovely to meet you Nicolas.

‘J’ai beaucoup aimé venir dans votre collège pendant cette semaine. Merci de m’avoir accueilli de cette façon, les élèves et les professeurs sont très gentils. Le collège anglais change beaucoup par rapport au collège français. Les cours ne durent que 40 minutes, les terrains de sport sont très grands, on fait des cours de théâtre, on peut acheter des gâteaux à la recreation, les classes sont plus petities et les professeurs sont rigolos! Ce sera pur moi un excellent souvenir.

Merci pour tout!’

Nicolas

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MFL German Exchange March saw the departure of the annual German Exchange trip to Brakel, near Hamelin. Eight pupils, accompanied by Mr Durling and Miss Humphrey, travelled to Stansted Airport and, after a smooth flight to Dortmund, the travellers were met

by Herr Hentschel, the English teacher from Gymnasium Brede. A short coach ride from Dortmund airport brought the intrepid adventurers to our host school in Brakel, where the German exchange partners and their families greeted their guests with a warm welcome followed by the first evening at home with the German families.

The first full day started with teachers and pupils sharing their experiences so far. After a short tour of the school Stefan and Will said a few words of thanks in German and presented Herr Koch with a copy of the latest Fulmerstonian and other TGS gifts before departing for the excursion to Hamelin.

All enjoyed a very warm welcome from the very entertaining Pied Piper, the 'Rattenfaenger' (the original German 'Rat Catcher'), as he led the TGS-Brede group through the quaint old streets of Hamelin, whilst telling the true story behind this famous legend. Fortunately the group was not led away to perish in the river Weser, nor to disappear into a cave full of sweets! He safely delivered everybody back to the old town centre where time was available to explore the town in search of a warm snack or two.

After the lunch break the group walked to the famous Glashuette glass-blowing workshop where the warm air from the workshop's kilns (only 1200 - 1500 degrees Celsius) kept everybody comfortable as they

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SENIOR SCHOOL received a bilingual demonstration of the traditional local glass-making craft.

Pupils enjoyed many varied activities with their host families, including trips to Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, a horse-riding event, bowling, open-air evening laser show at the local Hermann monument and many more.

The TGS pupils attended a lesson with their German partners before posing for a group photo for the local Press. A formal ceremony of welcome with the Deputy Mayor followed in the Town Council Chambers before discovering the history of Brakel on a town trail.

The following day saw one of the main highlights of the programme - the day at VW's exciting Autostadt Science Park in Wolfsburg. Here the pupils were transported through the state-of-theart production, witnessing the busy technicians and computers assembling the new VW vehicles. Everybody also enjoyed visiting the main exhibition halls where some of the world’s most precious and unusual vehicles were on display as a reminder of VW’s world-wide role.

A cosy, farewell evening followed in an 18th Century tavern. The delicious buffet was followed by a skittles competition and a brief slide-show to enable everybody to relive what was a really enjoyable and successful trip.

The last day saw the pupils attend a morning lesson and then repeat their travel home again, where parents were waiting, eager to hear all their exciting stories.

This exchange trip, a tradition since 1995, was a great success, enjoyed by TGS pupils and the Brede pupils and their families alike, who had clearly enjoyed hosting their English visitors.

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History Battlefields 2015 In October, 21 Year 9 pupils and 4 teachers set off for our annual visit to the Battlefields of the First World War. Once again we were fortunate to be accompanied by Pipe Major Ray Russell.

On the Thursday we toured the battlefields of the Somme and learnt about the major actions of that battle and visited sites such as the crater at Beaumont Hammel. We also commemorated our TGS Old Boys who died in the battle – always such an emotional and poignant aspect of our trip.

On Friday it was off to Ypres to learn about the three battles that took place in this key area. This was a new dimension to our trip this year and gave us the opportunity to pay our respects to the TGS Old Boys who also fell in this area – something which we consider to be very important. A highlight was learning about the conditions in the trenches by visiting the preserved trenches at Hill 62 where we had the opportunity to walk through a set of preserved trenches, complete with tunnel.

Perhaps the pinnacle of the trip was taking part in the world famous Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony. This ceremony takes place every evening at 8pm to commemorate the fallen.

It is a very special event. Year 9 pupil James Blackman laid a wreath on behalf of our school and Pipe Major Ray played a lament – a real honour for both and I thank them for taking part.

As there was a New Zealand delegation at the ceremony, we also heard some Maori singing - an unexpected highlight.

On Saturday we paid our final respects to one of our Old Boys with one last performance of the song Battle of the Somme with Pipe Major Ray. Then we headed home.

Pupils reflected that the highlights of the trip were the engaging lectures from Mr McGahan and Mr Braden, honouring the Old Boys of TGS, finding the graves of their own relatives and of course, singing with Pipe Major Ray! I would like to thank the pupils for taking part in the trip and also the staff team of Mr Braden, Miss Dunsmore and Mr McGahan. Once again, the pupils were wowed by the captivating lectures of Mr Braden and Mr McGahan and I thank them so much for bringing these important events alive and for all of their hard work in preparing these talks.

The new Year 9 shall take part in this trip in November when we shall visit the Yprès region.

This year we shall be paying our respects at the grave of a TGS Old Boy recently discovered by Mr McGahan.

Miss Emma Bailey On Monday 25th January pupils in Year 7 visited Norwich Castle for a ‘Storming the Castle’ workshop where the children learnt about the invasion of Norwich Castle in 1216. This is an excellent workshop which spreads across the subjects with the children using their skills in English, Mathematics and History to solve the problems of withstanding a siege, how much a battle would cost, how much armour weighs and measuring walls to find their weak points.

This is what the pupils found out during the day: 'To defend a castle whilst under siege you had to be ready. You had to have a good supply of food and

On our return, Pipe Major Ray treated the parents with a beautiful rendition of the bagpipes. I would like to thank him on behalf of the school for volunteering to come with us on this trip, it always means so much to be able to sing with him and honour the fallen in this special way.

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SENIOR SCHOOL water because once the attackers had surrounded the castle no one could go in or out. They had to ration food and water.’ Amy 'The defenders at Norwich Castle had a well and four rain collectors, on each corner at the roof of the stone keep.‘ Oskar Prior 'We worked out how long the water would last for in the event of a siege. The amount of water we had would last for just over 13 days. You can survive for three weeks without food, but only three days without water, so the siege could not last for longer than 16 days before people began to die.’ Madeleine Trussell 'No one could go out of the castle so people trained birds of prey to fly out and bring back small rodents and other things for them to eat. The birds did not eat much or drink too much water so they were easy to keep.’ Charlie Trowell 'As attackers we needed to work out the true dimensions of Norwich Castle. We did this by measuring the width of one of the outside walls of the castle, then we had to measure the width of a 'to scale’ model of the castle which was located in the great hall and then we worked out the scale and concluded that the real castle was about 28m wide.

We then measured the height of the model, used our scale and worked out that the real castle was 21m high.

This information could be used when attacking the castle because we now knew how tall the ladders had to be.

The only problem with that was that the defenders could easily push the ladders back and send the men climbing them to their deaths.

Another way of getting into the castle as attackers was using a battering ram at one of the castles gates.

This was usually a large tree with a large metal piece attached to the front. About half a dozen men on each side or more held it and tried to knock the gate down; but this plan also had a flaw, as the men charged at the gate the defenders could pour boiling wax over them from above. The boiling wax would go through the flesh and even the bones of the enemy and would eventually kill them.’ Franziska Elders ‘Lady de Burgh taught us a strategic game called “Fox and Geese. It goes like this: You have one fox and ten geese You play on a grid and can only move on the lines

You take turns and can only move one at the time The aim of the game is for the geese to surround the fox and for the fox to eat all the geese one by one .‘ Jenni Kingsnorth 'One of the most effective ways to defend the castle was using the arrow slits to fire at your enemy.

It was nearly impossible for the attacker to fire through them and kill the archer behind.’ Ella Perry 'My favourite activity was the weapons session as we could see how heavy the armour was and learnt different ways of attacking our teachers and we also learnt who carried what weapon.’ William 'Longbow men had to be able to shoot ten to twelve arrows per minute. Consequently, an army consisting of five hundred archers needed 300,000 arrows per hour and over three million arrows for ten hours shooting.’ Sam 'The chainmail is the most effective armour but it takes a lot of time, and costs a lot of money, to make.

The armour that you can wear in battle can weigh up to 7 stone. To make a chainmail shirt could take up to 6 to 8 months.’ William 'I enjoyed looking at the armour and weapons and trying on a helmet, shield and gauntlets. I was also able to touch a short sword, a long sword, a flail, a longbow, a cross bow and chainmail.’ Sam Mrs Kathrin Elders

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Geography Wellies and waders were much in use over the year as the Geography department carried out their learning both inside and outside of the classroom. We said ‘Goodbye’ to Mr Law, who will be stepping away from the Department next year. We thank him for his time, effort, energy and advice this year and the decades of dedication to TGS. GCSE Controlled Assessment Trip to Cambridge During the Autumn Term the GCSE Geography pupils descended on Cambridge to collect primary data for their Controlled Assessment. Fortunately the weather remained reasonably fine and much valuable data was collected. As the day progressed, some pupils plucked up the courage to conduct their questionnaires on the poor unsuspecting public, whilst others had no problems whatsoever in approaching as many people as they possibly could in the time allowed. In the following months pupils worked extremely hard, using these responses to produce top quality Controlled Assessments. As expected, the pupils were a credit to the school.

A Level data collection trip to the River Lark in Suffolk and to Cambridge A small team of Year 13 Geography students donned their wellies and waders and jumped (literally) into their data collection days with enthusiasm and determination.

It would be fair to say that more fun was had assessing river channel variables by splashing along the River Lark compared to the more relaxing time spent meandering along two transects in Cambridge, from what seemed like from one coffee shop to another. However, the students did collect excellent data from both locations, which was analysed in preparation for their Geographical Skills Examination Paper.

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SENIOR SCHOOL

Year 7 'A River’s Journey’ As part of their introduction to some of the main themes in Physical Geography, Year 7 pupils are asked to produce a diagrammatic representation of a rivers journey from its source to its mouth. Pupils are encouraged to include features of erosion and deposition and how river channel variables and land use changes with distance downstream.

Year 7 'A Tour of Britain' By the end of Year 7 pupils will have gained a much improved knowledge of the British Isles. The final assessment piece is a presentation entitled 'A Tour of Britain', where pupils decide on a number of significant 'physical' and 'human' locations around the British Isles. Pupils describe each of these and explain their importance.

Year 8 'Comparing Countries' As part of the Year 8 syllabus, pupils study a specific country during lesson time, in this case Japan, and compare the similarities and differences with a contrasting country of their choice. This is an excellent example of the effort that the pupils put in to researching the country of their choice and presenting the information effectively.

Year 11 'Population Change: Migration' Could you get your point across without using any words? Encouraging pupils to present information in different forms than they would normally is proven to help understanding and retention. This example is part of a case study assessing the impact of European migration to the U.K. This is quite a hot topic at the moment and led to some interesting debates.

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Science Science Camp Toby Culling was successful in gaining a place on the prestigious Science Camp work experience week for Gifted and Talented students at the John Innes centre in Norwich.

He spent the week experiencing first hand new techniques and finding out all about the different research projects the centre is involved in.

Here he recounts the visit and the fantastic experience it gave him: "On Monday the 27th of June I visited the John Innes Centre for a Science Camp purely for 12 Year 10 pupils selected from 50 applicants. The week included a tour of the centre and learning how Biology is being applied in the real world. I also spent time carrying out work experience in a lab with some very interesting and welcoming scientists. Each pupil was given a different aspect of Biology to work with and my particular assignment was in the Genome Analysis Centre where I found and analysed DNA strands from an Arenosa Arabidopsis plant. Later, I got a rare chance to witness the meiosis cell division of this plant under a microscope and try to work out how its meiosis differs from that of a wheat plant.

The purpose of this was to understand how a diploid cell (Arenosa Arabidopsis) works differently to a hexaploid cell (Wheat). The team of scientists that I was among believe that wheat evolved to be hexaploid during the most recent ice age and therefore by understanding its function we could potentially find new ways of coping with climate change in the distant future through genetic modification.

Beyond the science, I made some great friends throughout the week, who were kind and entertaining.

I would thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone interested in Science, and Biology in particular. It is a great experience and opens your mind to what Science would be like as a future career."

Toby Culling Year 10

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John Innes Centre Sixth Form Visit In November Mrs Granger and the Year 12 Biologists headed to Norwich to visit the microscopy suite at the John Innes research centre. Having studied the theory of the scanning, transmission and laser scanning confocal microscopes in class this was an opportunity to see them in action. At a cost of over ÂŁ200,000 each these are not your average school microscope!

After a short introductory talk to set the context of scale we saw all 3 types of microscope. Despite its lower magnification the laser confocal microscope is perhaps the most impressive because it uses fluorescent dyes which can be attached to living parts of the cell. We observed the process of mitosis and cytoskeleton building down the microscope.

Written by Year 12 students

Year 6 and Year 12 Breaking New Ground Project Over the course of this academic year, Year 6 and Year 12 Biologists and Geographers have taken part in this exciting project run by Mia Witham.

The scheme received Heritage Lottery funding to deliver a range of Heritage and Landscape Projects in the heart of the Brecks. TGS are one of just 5 schools in the Brecks to take part in 3 projects: 1. Starting a tree nursery with the aim of germinating pine tree seeds to replenish a pine line in Breckland.

2. Collecting wildflower seeds to sow a bee and butterfly garden in the school grounds 3. Making a small area of heathland on the school field.

Our first session with Mia started with a presentation about the Brecks, telling us a bit about the local area and especially Thetford Forest. We then split into groups with 2 Year 12 and 4 Year 6 pupils in each group. Next followed a quiz to find out what we knew about the creatures and features found in the forest. For example, did you know there are 5 native owl species in the forest? Or that 'pingo' means hill not pond, which is what most groups thought.

The second session was called 'If I was a Tree, what would I be? If I was a Tree, what would I see?’ The pupils found out about the importance THE FULMERSTONIAN

SENIOR SCHOOL of trees today and in the past. They talked about how long trees live for and then estimated how long the pine tree that they would be planting in the grounds may live and what it will see in its life time. Using materials provided by Mia, the pupils then made tree decorations which were inspired by the future, i.e. what the tree will see.

Following on from this practical session, Years 6 and 12 were joined by the rest of the Prep School to watch the planting of the pine tree near the DT room and hanging our decorations on another tree to mark the schools involvement with the Breaking New Ground project.

Session 3 was time to finally get our hands dirty. Half the group went over to the sports field, where an area of land had been cleared in preparation for planting grass to recreate an area of Heathland. The other half of the group worked on an area of cleared ground near to the DT room. They planted over 60 plants and then both groups came together to scatter wildflower seed over the whole area to create a bee and butterfly garden. Our pine tree nursery was built by the maintenance team and we planted lots of baby pine trees which will be used to replenish pine lines in the Brecks.

Year 12 have also used the Breaking New Ground project to complete one of the practical assessment skills for their A Level. They researched and designed an experiment to find out whether the time of stratification of Pinus Sylvestris seeds affects their germination.

They found that up to 10 days in the cold made no difference to the number of seeds that germinated, but after cold exposure for 30 days a much higher percentage of seed germinated.

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Music

Senior School Christmas Concert 2015 A wealth of musical talent was heard at the Christmas Concert as pupils performed to a large audience in Williamson Hall.

Many of the schools ensembles performed, including items from the String Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Senior Choir and Vocalease. The many intrepid soloists included: Henry Bittleston, Megan Gallacher, Roberto Castillo-Olivares, Elliott Sanders, Phineas Humphris, Tom Bercovici, Maia Chalfen, Emma Ruddy, Jamie Robertson, Jack Bercovici, George Rupp and Omar El Oakley. The evening concluded with all the performers and audience joining together for the popular ‘Christmas Singalong’.

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SENIOR SCHOOL Vocalease were invited to sing at the Mayor’s Carol Service at St Cuthbert’s Church in December 2015.

They sang beautiful versions of ‘Away in a Manger’ and ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ and joined with the St Cuthbert’s Choir for ‘See The Baby Boy’. Dr Stoppard conducted, whilst Mr Ian Smith and Mrs Jane Weeks provided accompaniment on the organ and piano. This was all performed to a candlelit packed church, which included the Mayor and Sherriff.

The School’s Service of Lessons and Carols took place at St Cuthbert’s Church on 11th December to mark the end of the busy Autumn Term. Omar El Oakley and Mollie Carlyle were the organists for this event, showing considerable commitment, with many visits needed prior to the service to rehearse on the unique St Cuthbert’s Organ. Elliott Sanders sang the haunting first verse solo for ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ and the choir performed the descant for the last verse. The ancient ‘Coventry Carol’, dating from 1591, was sung by the Choir, accompanied by George Rupp on the 'cello and Phineas Humphris on the violin. The choir also performed ‘Noel Let Us Sing’ and Vocalease added smaller ensemble items. In keeping with TGS tradition, three boys sang the parts of the three kings in ‘We Three Kings of Orient Are’. These parts were admirably performed by Henry Bittleston as Melchior, Omar El Oakley as Caspar and George Rupp as Balthazar.

House Music The House Music Competition in March was again a closely fought and competitive event. Each House must perform a song and a group instrumental item for the whole school in Williamson Hall.

They must also choose two pupils to perform vocal solos and two instrumental solos which are judged at a separate event in Old School. The lead judge, Mrs Foreman, was impressed by the exceptionally high standard of the soloists this year. Henry Bittleston won the vocal solo for Millingtons, whilst Omar El Oakley won the instrumental class for Cronsheys. The solos entries were as follows: Reeds Eireann Alderson: voice Emily Scott: voice Jamie Robertson: bass and piano Holly Simpson: flute

Millingtons Temi Ade-Coker: voice Henry Bittleston: voice Emma Ruddy: piano Megan Gallacher: saxophone Daisy Simons: clarinet

Coles Jenni Kingsnorth: voice Christoph Prior: voice Aria MacFarlane-Kubota: piano Gus Altuccini: guitar

Cronsheys Phineas Humphris: voice Maia Chalfen: voice Omar El Oakley: piano Elliott Sanders: cornet Oli Peace: drum kit

Summer Concert As is traditional, the Summer Concert provided an opportunity for many of the year’s leavers to showcase their talents. The TGS main school band provided a rousing start with ‘Jupiter’ by Holst, complete with timpani in an extended percussion section. The Choir continued to go from strength to strength and many of the more senior pupils requested to sing some of their favourite repertoire, including ‘The Power of Love’ and ‘California Dreaming’. The Year 13 Leavers, who have all been such an important part of the Music Department over several years, arranged and performed a group item together. This included: Omar El Oakley (piano), Holly Simpson (flute), Phineas Humphris (violin), Emma Ruddy (oboe) and George Rupp (cello). The final piano duet by Omar El Oakley and Henry Bittleston demonstrated the incredibly high standard of musicianship.

ABRSM Exams The Music Department has operated as a centre for Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music exams for a number of years and visiting examiners often comment on the high standard exhibited

by TGS pupils. We also work with other local music teachers and groups such as The Thetford Music Project to enter their pupils for exams who would otherwise struggle to travel to Norwich or Bury St Edmunds as the next nearest centres, allowing local children and music teachers to access this prestigious qualification. The results were as follows: Holly Simpson Grade 8 flute Distinction; Henry Bittleston Grade 6 piano Distinction, Grade 8 singing Distinction and Grade 7 double bass; Ryan Bourne Grade 1 piano; Sebastian Floyd Grade 1 flute Merit; Clarissa Katsikides Grade 4 piano; Emma Ruddy Grade 7 oboe Merit and Grade 8 piano Merit; Shaswathan Sanjeevvijay Grade 5 piano Merit and Grade 1 alto saxophone, Sam Sidery Grade 1 piano; Kate Doyle Grade 3 piano; Tom Bercovici Grade 1 singing Merit; Elliott Sanders Grade 3 singing Merit; Phineas Humphris Grade 5 singing and Grade 7 violin; George Rupp Grade 5 cello and Grade 7 piano; Sophie Ogilvie Grade 2 piano; Kirishoban Sanjeevvijay Grade 6 piano; Elizabeth Wright Grade 3 piano; Jacob Wright Grade 4 piano Merit; Sophie Peace Grade 1 piano Merit; Eleanor Pringle Grade 2 piano; Philippa Buckley Grade 4 piano Merit; Roland Richer Grade 4 piano Merit; Roberto Castillo-Olivares Grade 4 piano Merit; Tom Hayden Grade 1 piano; Maia Foreman Grade 4 singing.

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Physical Education The U16s played 1 game against Finborough but unfortunately lost. However, Oscar Lane, Daniel Connolly, Oliver Lingard, Ben Hayden and Angus Pringle all played well.

The U18s also lost their game against Finborough with Charlie Stephens, George Hammond, Ed Briars and Luke Foster all performing well.

The main sport this term for the boys has been Football. The statistics are: played 11, won 6 lost 5.

The U13s have played 4 games, winning 2 and losing 2 with George Dickens, Frank Summers, Will Gadd, Kai Rourke, James Stevenson-Rutter and Nathan Greatbanks playing particularly well.

The U14s just had the 1 game, narrowly losing to Finborough 2-1 with Rory White, Liam Dargan and Sam Sprigings playing well.

The U15s have been the team of the term winning all 3 of their matches, scoring 21 goals along the way and only conceding 1. A great team effort from all the players but particularly from Jonny Storey, Cameron Anderson, Toby Culling, Owen Bradfield, Jude Blakemore, Louis Dunn and James Gornall.

The House Football competition took place during Games lessons and the results were as follows: Year 7 and 8 Millingtons were 1st, Reeds were 2nd, Coles were 3rd and Cronsheys finished in 4th place. In Year 9 and 10 Coles were 1st, Millingtons 2nd, Reeds 3rd and Cronsheys 4th.

Elsewhere this term, some swimmers from Years 4-9 qualified for the Norfolk gala held at UEA. Oscar Foreman came 2nd overall in the Backstroke. Ryan Bourne, Sam Bercovici, Minnie Molyneux and Ben Trowell also all swam well.

Sports Colours have been awarded to: U14 – Rory White, Liam Dargan and Sam Sprigings U16 – Oscar Lane, Daniel Connolly, Thomas Cash, Oliver Lingard, Nick Woodhouse, Ben Hayden and Angus Pringle U18 – Ed Briars, Luke Foster and James Betts

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SENIOR SCHOOL Netball The U16 netball team have had a very successful year. They only lost one game and came second in their area league, unfortunately they then lost to Wymondham College in their area semi–final.

U16 netball colours go to: Ellie Vinton, Sophia Colasante, Emily Stainsby, Alex Ackerman, Megan Brown, Gaby Hunter-Short, Ruby Robertson, Charlotte Long, Eireann Alderson, Kudzi Garikayi, Cecily White and Rowena Grimmond.

10 teams. They also won their area league, area tournament and crowned the year by becoming County Champions.

Well done to the squad of Alana Wilson, Eleanor Pringle, Alice Christian, Sophie Gornall, Isabel Curley, Isabel Bourne, Sophie Jacklin, Hattie Long and Zoe Kendall. They all receive netball colours.

The U13s won 2 games, lost two games and then performed superbly to win their area tournament Hockey The U16s drew both their games with Sharon Satish, Eireann Alderson, Ruby Robertson, Gabrielle Hunter-Short and Cecily White all playing well.

The U16 mixed Hockey team also drew both of their games with Thomas Cash, Daniel Connelly and Oscar Lane all putting in good performances.

The U15s won 2 and lost 1. Players earning a special mention are Kudzi Garikayi, Emily Tomkins, ChloĂŤ Sorrell, Clarissa Katsikides and Chloe Garrett.

The U14s only had one match, which they won.

Eleanor Pringle scored and Alana Wilson and Megan Sidery were players of the match.

The U13s also played one game which they drew.

Isabel Bourne, Lily Simons, Elizabeth Shelton and Aria MacFarlane-Kubota all played well.

The U15s have been the most improved team of the season, losing their first two games but winning their last two games.

The U14s have been the team of the year. They qualified for the County round of the National School Championship were they came 5th out of

Hockey colours go to : U16 Maia Chalfen, Eireann Alderson, Alex Ackerman, Gabrielle Hunter-Short, Charlotte Long, Ruby Robertson, Sophie Rose-Land, Sharon Satish and Cecily White.

U14 Alice Christian, Isabel Curley, Sophie Gornall, Hattie Long, Eleanor Pringle, Megan Sidery, Daisy Simons and Alana Wilson.

Rounders The Summer term saw the girls take to the Rounders field and despite the soggy weather they managed to play 12 games; winning 7 and losing 2.

The U15 and U16 teams were both undefeated with Alana Wilson, Eleanor Pringle, Megan Sidery, Isabel Curley, Hattie Long, Georgia Reardon and Kudzi Garikayi all putting in good performances.

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Computing and ICT The Computing and ICT department is constantly changing and evolving. Over the course of this year, pupils have continued to develop ICT skills through the use of applications such as Excel and Word in order to ensure they are fully prepared for the practical work environment after TGS. As such, a number of pupils took GCSE as a Twilight subject after school. They worked within a narrow timeframe to produce a significant amount of coursework and all achieved high GCSE pass marks.

Three students taking GCSE Computing as a Twilight also achieved 100% A-A* grades. Their achievements are particularly commendable.

A Level Development work

Achievement at A Level was similarly outstanding. Patrick Davis gained an A* in ICT through his production of a 'Rifle Range' database that he designed for the school Range in order to maintain leagues and control stock levels. James Greatbanks produced an excellent Purchasing system in Excel to support the purchase of stationery equipment from the School Shop. The system kept track of stock and had an elegant point-of-sale purchase screen that totalled purchases and calculated change.

Evie Pettingale's Spreadsheet task

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Our Year 12 students stepped bravely into the new A Level Computer Science curriculum and we look forward to the first set of full results next August.

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SENIOR SCHOOL

Year 7 Computer Systems

by Madeleine Trussell

The new Year 7s quickly settled into the new and developing Key Stage 3 curriculum, learning both Computing and ICT skills and had the benefit of receiving free BBC Micro:Bits. They undertook a range of tutorials in the summer term to learn how to use the devices, developing their understanding of text-based programming and more visual interfaces such as Microsoft Blocks. Some pupils went even further, attaching peripheral devices such as phones, speakers and servo motors to control sound and movement.

Our Year 8 pupils learnt new skills in Python programming. Learning the basics of the language and then applying their new skills to develop a quiz or to support users who need expert advice by developing an 'Expert System' that can diagnose problems from user responses to a range of questions. They also explored the use of Microprocessor technology, programming robots to play tunes, move around avoiding obstacles, follow lines and draw patterns.

Year 8 Introduction to Python

by Elizabeth Wright Looking ahead to next year, we look forward to welcoming our first cohort onto the GCSE Computer Science course. This new Specification will create even more opportunities for our pupils to develop their programming skills and take increasing advantage of new technology as it emerges.

Year 7 exploring BBC Micro:Bits

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Mathematics Senior Team Challenge

Maths Feast 2016 Report

On Tuesday, 24th November, a team of four pupils travelled to City of Norwich School for the Regional finals of the Senior Team Challenge. The challenge is organised by the Further Mathematics Support Programme (FMSP) and the Mathematical Trust (UKMT) and consists of three rounds, one being a cross number. The challenge is aimed at students in Years 12 and 13, but due to numerous trips involving Sixth Form students we had no Year 13s in our team, making it a very young team. However our team did not lack talent or experience, as most of the pupils have participated in similar events in Year 8 and 9.

On Tuesday 9th February four individuals, Maximillian Elders, Toby Culling, Henry Bittleston and Brynmor Jenkins, participated in a "Maths Feast” competition run by the Further Maths Support Programme (FMSP) at St Benedict’s School in Bury St Edmunds.

The team members were Gus Altuccini (Year 12), Kirishoban Sanjeevvijay (Year 12), Jack Bercovici (Year 11) and Henry Bittleston (Year 10).

Each student contributed to the challenges and they worked well as a team. Of the 22 schools participating in our region, only the top three schools were announced, the winner being Culford School. We all enjoyed the day out with some challenging Mathematics and are looking forward to the next Senior Team Challenge in 2016.

Mrs Beukes

This is a national competition which combines mathematical, communication and teamwork skills and offers pupils another way to express and develop their enjoyment of mathematics. The competition was considerable, with fourteen other schools in total fighting for the coveted first place.

The first round, their mathematical entrée, was a true or false round, pitting the boy’s wits against challenging questions. In this round Brynmor took the lead by demonstrating his mental agility, helping to bag the school 20 of the 24 points available in the round, coming in top position for this section of the competition.

The team moved onto a Countdown-style round, having to find one number, using six given, in just a minute. Toby excelled in this round, using his mathematical prowess to earn yet more points for the team.

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Maths In Action Day Holly Simpson, Robert Heighton, Tom Dennis, Omar El Oakley and Emma Ruddy, accompanied

by Ms Wharton and Mr Braden left TGS early in the morning to catch the tube at Epping on the way to central London. Wrist-banded and registered we joined a thousand other Maths students from London and beyond (we travelled the furthest!). Lectures started just before 11.00am in the Logan Hall, a well-appointed lecture theatre.

Halfway through the competition, the staff declared Thetford to be in the top six. Spurred on by this encouragement, the boys tackled the third round with great gusto, seeing the boys create a rectangle using unique pentomino shapes.

Maximillian Elders dominated in this round, using his shape visualisation to construct complex shapes.

The penultimate round added immense pressure on the team, as the boys had to, under timed conditions, learn algebraic notation on ‘imaginary numbers’. Henry came into his own this round, displaying his broad knowledge of Mathematics to score the boys 15 of the 20 points, a score noted even by the invigilator.

The final challenge, and the last chance to prove themselves, was a rapid relay round. The boys felt the pressure mounting, with cracks becoming evident throughout the team. Easy marks were often dropped, but despite this Thetford pulled through, showing outstanding teamwork, and securing their position in 1st place.

First off was Simon Singh, the author and broadcaster, who told us of those who had tried and failed to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem before telling the story of Professor Andrew Wiles who conquered the challenge after working in secret for seven years.

We then heard from Chris Good of Birmingham University who told us of Greog Cantor, who developed a theory of infinity which developed into a modern branch of Mathematics called Set Theory. After lunch at Pret A Manger we heard from Vicky Neale from the University of Oxford on the 7 things we need to know about prime numbers before Richard Elwes of the University of Leeds, explained Geometry and the Art of Optimisation.

Then it was time for the top of the bill, Professor Kenny Patterson of Royal Holloway, University of London, who told us that Cryptography was everywhere. His principal being that cryptography uses many different kinds of mathematics to make our world more secure.

Then it was back on the underground and to TGS at 7pm. A long, but satisfying day.

Overall, the event was an astounding success. A very well done to all the boys who participated, as well as Mrs Beukes who helped organise the event.

By Brynmor Jenkins, Toby Culling and Maximillian Elders

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xtra Curricular Our school day never ends at 4.00pm and our 'holidays' are often seen as a chance to do new and different things. As such, we provide many opportunities for further development whether that is trekking through Morocco, helping the poor and disadvantaged or finding new mediums for creative and artistic expression through Arts Award and much more. All this contributes to the vibrance and dynamism of our pupils who are increasingly independent, caring and confident when working with and leading others. This section provides a glimpse into this exciting world.

Arts Award

On Wednesday 2nd March the Arts Award moderator visited school to view pupils’ work, with entrants from Year 9 to 13. Ten pupils from Year 9 produced excellent portfolios based on their visit to Perry Green, the home of sculptor Henry Moore. Eight pupils from Years 10 and 11 worked independently on Silver portfolios studying textiles, fashion, decoupage and painting as well as developing their leadership skills through projects ranging from staging exhibitions to teaching craft workshops. This was the first year we had a Gold student entered for moderation; Megan Gallacher took on the role of Graphic designer for the Fulmerstonian Magazine to develop her leadership skills then successfully extended her own arts practice into film making.

A super achievement for which she gains UCAS points, as well as the coveted gold badge!

Silver Awards were gained by: Clairssa Katsikides, Eleanor Dickens, Emily Tomkins, Ellie Vinton, Isobel Tod, Sophie Rose-Land, Charlotte Long and Alex Ackerman.

Gold award gained by: Megan Gallacher Congratulations to all the pupils involved for their dedication and hard work. It is exciting to note that many of these young people have already begun their journey onto the next level of Arts Award.

I have really enjoyed doing Gold Artsaward as I feel it has pushed me out of my comfort zone and I have learnt so many new things, from how to be a successful Graphic Designer to how to produce a successful film. It is definitely worth the amount of seemingly endless work and time it takes because the experience is so worthwhile. I recommend Gold Arts Award to anyone as it really does give a fantastic foundation to any creative career! A huge thank you to Mrs Perry for all the help and support she gave me throughout the year to complete it!

Megan Gallacher

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Bronze awards were gained by: Hattie Long, Sophie Gornall, Ben Trowell, Alana Wilson, James Blackman, Andrew Forbes, Megan Sidery, Isabel Curley, Millie Perry and Eleanor Pringle.

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London Art Trip On the 12th October, the Art and Photography students took a trip to London for the weekend. We visited the Victoria & Albert Museum, The British Museum and the two Tates, catching a river boat from one to the other. As usual there was so much to photograph and sketch and we all returned home with a vast collection of new ideas and material to add to our projects.

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Year 11 Prom

On June 23rd the Year 11 Class of 2016 enjoyed the annual Summer Prom at Ravenwood Hall. Despite the rainy weather it was a beautiful evening. On arrival we were greeted with fruit punch and throughout the evening indulged in a buffet of delicious food and drink.

To capture this special evening, individual and group photos were taken by Megan Gallacher, who captured the night beautifully. We were so surprised when we received all the photos because there were so many moments that we did not think had even been captured. It was lovely seeing all the unexpected 'candid' shots.

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As the night drew on, the girls in their stunning ballgowns and the boys in their smart suits graced the dance floor along with some of the TGS staff who helped round up a fantastic evening.

The Prom was a fantastic way to not only celebrate the end of GCSE exams, but to wave farewell to those leaving us next year. It was a very emotional evening but the hard work and effort paid off, as it was a perfect night had by all.

Sophia Colasante

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SENIOR SCHOOL

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Charities TGS have supported a number of charities this year, through a range of events and support targets.

Our Macmillan Coffee Morning raised close to £650. Parents, pupils and staff enjoyed sweets and savouries and donated generously, allowing us to raise even more than September 2014.

March saw innovation in not only a non-uniform day but also a sponsored Conga-K around Fulmerston field, raising £689.09

October saw a successful Staff Coffee Morning in support of The Children's Society; while Christmas seemed to come early as we wrapped 72 boxes of Christmas goods for the Link-to-Hope Shoebox Appeal.

In December, we were able to contribute more than 90 bags of sugar to the Sugar for Shelters Buckingham Emergency Food Appeal.

Staff baked again in aid of Childline in February; closely followed by a whole-school bake sale in support of MS – this followed an inspiring and engaging assembly delivered by Mrs Sallyanne Scott who ran the London Marathon to support this cause.

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House Competitions Quiz 1st

Reeds

10pts

House Points

2nd

Coles

8pts

1st

Reeds

1041

3rd

Millingtons

6pts

2nd

Coles

887

4th

Cronsheys

4pts

3rd

Millingtons 842

12pts

4th

Cronsheys

8pts

Public Speaking 1st

Reeds

10pts

2nd

Millingtons

8pts

3rd

Coles

6pts

4th

Cronsheys

4pts

Drama 1st

Reeds

20pts

2nd

Coles

16pts

3rd

Millingtons

4th

Cronsheys 8pts

12pts

Coles

10pts

2nd Millingtons

8pts

3rd

Cronsheys

6pts

4th

4pts

Reeds

20pts 16pts

732

Overall House Championship

House Cross Country 1st

1st Reeds 74pts 2nd Coles 62pts 3rd Millingtons 54pts 4th Cronsheys 34pts

Christmas Turkey Shoot 1st

Reeds

10pts

2nd

Millingtons

8pts

3rd

Coles

6pts

4th

Cronsheys

4pts

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Sports Day

On Tuesday 28th June the Senior School Sports Day took place. The weather was kind and a very competitive competition followed.

Results: 1st Millingtons

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Two new School Records were set on the day.

George Nicklin ran 27.00 secs for the 200m breaking the previous record of 27.45 secs set by Richard Whitehurst in 2000. Ben Hayden threw the Javelin 35.51 metres, breaking Aaron Blumfield’s record of 34.02 set in 2007.

2nd Reeds

372

3rd Coles

350

4th Cronsheys

304

Tug of War Champions:

Millingtons

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SENIOR SCHOOL Junior Victrix Ludorum Sophie Jacklin

Junior Victor Ludorum George Nicklin

Intermediate Victrix Ludorum Eleanor Pringle

Intermediate Victor Ludorum Louis Dunn

Senior Victrix Ludorum Eleanor Vinton

Senior Victor Ludorum Liam Vinton

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PSA Summer Fete An excellent number came to support our Summer Fete on a Saturday in June. The weather was kind to us, if a little breezy. An ideal day to come out and enjoy the atmosphere.

Following the TGS v OTA Cricket match, which was won by TGS, the cricketers came across to have refreshments and mingled with the parents, staff and pupils who were enjoying the stalls and games.

The stocks, as usual, were very popular and a big thank you to the staff who volunteered to have wet sponges thrown at them. Face painting and a bouncy castle were enjoyed by younger and older children while parents were able to enjoy the refreshments on offer.

Thank you, as always, to the PSA committee for their hard work and organisation, as well as the staff and maintenance team.

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Duke of Edinburgh 16 pupils from Year 11 completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award practice expedition during the Easter holidays in the North Yorkshire Moors. It was a very mixed bag weather-wise; it seemed like we experienced all 4 seasons in one day, going from warm sunshine to a hail storm.

After arrival, the first night was spent at Rosedale Abbey campsite, where the pupils put up their tents and ensured that they had everything ready for the expedition. The next morning the expedition started with their route taking them over the top of the moors to Goathland, otherwise known as Aidensfield from the classic TV series Heartbeat. It was a very wet day and recent rain meant a muddy campsite.

On day 2 the pupils packed up their muddy tents and set off for Hutton-Le-Hole on a much brighter day. The campsite was lovely and spirits were high after a demanding but rewarding hike.

The weather remained dry for the start of the final day and the pupils were able to pack up and set off on their routes back to Rosedale Abbey.

Navigation was difficult on the final day and one group in-particular had to use all their skills to get back on track after a slight detour. The pupils made it back to Rosedale to complete their expedition and enjoyed a well-earned pub dinner to finish it all off.

Well done to all pupils that took part and good luck for your qualifying expedition to the Peak District in the summer.

Mr Hill

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Prague Trip

This combined Art and Ethics visit marked our fourth visit to Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Based in the memorial village of Lidice, pupils in Years 11, 12 and 13 stayed in the Ministry of Culture’s hostel on site, where they were welcomed by the Director of the adjacent art gallery, Mgr Ivona Kazalicka.

The combination of cultural, reflective, artistic and recreational activities was planned to balance the lows with corresponding highs. The original village was destroyed in 1942, following the murder of most inhabitants as a reprisal for the assassination of key Nazi, Reinhard Heydrich. The visit began at the stark museum. We were then guided around the memorial sites by a German intern.

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I loved looking at the bronze children, although it was so sad…

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SENIOR SCHOOL Now home to a major art gallery, Lidice is the headquarters of the International Children’s Exhibition of Fine Arts. It is renowned as an Arts Centre, attracting entries from budding young artists across the World. Our 2015 medalist, TGS photography student Megan Gallacher, was presented with her medal and diploma by one of the original Lidice children, Marie Supikova. Marie spoke movingly about her own traumatic early years and the precious nature of family life.

The busy five-day tour included two in the Czech capital, Prague, to take in the major tourist sights, including a riverboat cruise and exhibitions of work

by Warhol, Mucha and Russian Revolutionary Artists. Ethics students encountered Kafka, before experiencing the grim days of Soviet domination as portrayed in the Museum of Communism, which shares a building with a casino. That evening there was a lively debate by way of reflection.

We also visited the adjacent village of Bustehrad, birthplace of author Ota Pavel and home to the museum created to celebrate his life and works by Ivona and friends. Poignant readings from his work at the village pond, where Ota and his father once fished for carp preceded an evening in a Bohemian inn, complete with cabaret.

Organiser and Head of Sixth Form Mr Stephen Spencer said, “The group now understand why they have been asked to become ambassadors for Lidice.

They are keen to tell you about it too.”

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A beautiful experience which gave you a feel of what Czech life is really like...

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Barcelona Trip On Saturday 24th October 2015, history was made as TGS sent its finest footballers to Spain in an attempt to win its first ever European trophy.

Mr Hill, along with his assistant Mr Young, had produced a team ready to take on the best that Spanish football could throw at them, and by the night of the fixture, against the might of FC Ganarolles of Catalonia, the squad were ready.

However, the defence did hold firm and after twenty minutes our playmaker at the back, Cameron Anderson, was able to take a grip of the game.

The match began with the Spaniards playing controlled passing football. They regularly created smooth attacks which brought out the best in Jonny Storey and Henry Bittleston. For long periods TGS were under immense pressure and if it had not been for the calming influence of Joe Hobbs at full back, things could have been a lot worse.

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As a consequence of Cameron’s increasing influence, skilful players such as Louis Dunn and Thomas Cash were beginning to find time on the ball ... and so the tide turned. One excellent passage of play saw Anderson pass smoothly to the elegant Oliver Lingard whose pass found Nick Woodhouse rampaging through the middle; and if it had not been for some sharp goalkeeping TGS would have taken the lead against the run of play.

By half time the score was 0-0 with everything to play for.

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SENIOR SCHOOL

During half time the crafty Mr Hill had spotted a weakness in the Spanish team and so he quickly changed the formation. Joe Hobbs sacrificed himself to go in goal and out came Oscar Lane, whose driving runs were to prove vital if we were to turn the game around.

The second half began with the midfield of TGS taking the game by the scruff of the neck.

Mr Hill’s sharp tactical brain had found the weakness in the Spanish defence and soon Oscar was supplied with a constant stream of good ball play from the clever feet of Jude Blakemore.

With one of these passes Jude and Oscar paved the way for James Gornall to steal in and make history by scoring the first ever TGS goal on foreign soil.

This stung the Spaniards who stormed the TGS defence only to come up against the brick wall of Angus Russell and Brynmor Jenkins.

As the game wore on the outcome was still unclear until a perfect intervention by Lane saw him attack the near post of the Spanish goal to calmly slot home an excellent second goal for TGS. Now Mr Hill applied his master stroke by introducing Tomàs Morgan as a barnstorming centre-forward whose job was to terrorise the opposing defence. Such was Tomas’s influence that our new formation saw Nick Woodhouse finally begin to show off his silky skills, with the result that he sealed the game for us with an excellent third goal to round off a tireless display.

Morgan almost scored a fourth after some more tricky wing-play by Woodhouse, but the game was not settled yet as the Spaniards had one last trick up their sleeve. A sharply taken header at the near post saw the score at 3-1 with ten minutes to go. Could a tiring TGS hold on? Yes, thanks to man of the match Cameron Anderson, who snuffed out every attack thrown at the defence.

With a minute to go the inspiring captaincy of Oscar Lane saw him rewarded with another goal to round off a historic night in Spain not only for TGS but for British football!

The final score reads: FC Ganarolles 1 - TGS 4

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Denmark During the Easter holidays Charlie Stephens, EsmĂŠ Holt, Rachel Brown and I travelled to Aalborg, Denmark as part of a work experience trip, giving us a great opportunity to experience a different culture and build some independence.

The idea of the visit was to teach and educate Danish students about England and discuss with them the similarities and differences between our two cultures, as well as improving their English communication skills. This took place at the 'English House', run by Cheryl the English teacher.

The group of students had kindly organised various things to do in the evenings which meant we all got to know each other really well.

When you are given the opportunity to take part in this unique trip, you really should take advantage of it. We all had a fantastic time with some great people and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

William Honeywood

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Model European Parliament We are privileged and fortunate to be able to represent the UK at the Model European Parliament (MEP). The programme is run at TGS

by Miss Bailey and Mrs Elders and we work in partnership with Wymondham College and Oundle School.

The MEP was created in 1994 to enable young people to gain an understanding of the workings of the European Parliament (EP) and to raise awareness of European citizenship. Student delegations representing most EU states, meet bi-annually in a host nation to discuss topical EP issues. Members of the delegations form committees that mirror those of the EP. Each Committee is chaired by a student who has participated in a previous MEP meeting. The Committees then discuss an issue and devise a resolution. Once the resolutions have been approved by the committee members, the national delegations can lobby for any changes they wish to make. These are raised in the General Assembly when all delegates vote on whether to pass a resolution or not. The programme develops political awareness and an understanding for Europe’s cultural diversity, whilst enabling the young people taking part to develop their leadership and interpersonal skills.

In November 2015, Charles Lamport-Beale and George Rupp were selected to represent the UK as part of our national delegation at the MEP in Berlin.

Here is their account of the event:

“The first day of official MEP commitments consisted of team building, for us that meant a guided tour of Berlin, where we mingled and befriended our fellow committee members. As the sun set, we took a tour of the Bundestag, as well as enjoying an exceptional view of the city we would be spending the next week in. On Tuesday the official Opening Ceremony took place at the Town Hall of Berlin, the Berlin Rathaus. There, the Heads of Delegations gave their introductory speeches followed by guest speakers who orated their thoughts on the MEP and current affairs.

After the Opening Ceremony we were escorted to our committee meeting locations, one of which included the Federal Ministry of Defence. After committee meetings, the UK delegation was invited to visit and tour the British Embassy. There, we spoke to Counsellor Nick Leake (Head of EU & Economic Section) about his life in the civil service.

Wednesday comprised entirely of finalising our resolution as a committee in preparation for lobbying the next day. On Thursday we had our only, but well deserved late start. Our free time in the morning was spent at the East Side Gallery (the remaining part of the Wall). At midday we set off on a boat for a cruise on the water, upon which discussions about the resolutions and possible amendments were had. Our final two days took place at the Berlin Abgeordnetenhaus, the Parliament of Berlin, where the General Assembly was held. Each resolution was debated and voted on in a formal manner, eventually being passed or rejected. Any speeches given were in attendance of 200+ people. On Saturday morning, the entire assembly was devastated upon learning of the attacks in Paris the night before. The most poignant speech we ever heard was delivered by a French delegate, and every delegation lowered their flags to half-mast as a symbol of unity and compassion.

Nevertheless, the debating of resolutions continued, albeit with a notably more merciful opposition. The MEP experience was challenging, enlightening, fulfilling and thrilling. It’s an opportunity we urge anyone who can take it up, to take it up. Not only do you brush shoulders with the future leaders of Europe, but you will also make some incredible friends.”

George Rupp and Charles Lamport-Beale

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Morocco Trip On Tuesday 5th July a group of 12 students and 2 members of staff departed on their 2 week expedition to Morocco.

The first day involved Expedition Preparation, meeting up with Charlotte, our expedition leader, collecting and checking kit, and making sure all those last minute questions were answered. After “camping” overnight at Uxbridge College we set off very early next morning to Gatwick for our flight to Morocco.

We landed in Marrakech at 10.00 a.m. It felt like England, a little cloudy and pleasantly warm, but that was before the early cloud had burned off, and it was not long before the temperature rose into the 30s. From there we took the bus to the city centre and then walked to Hotel Ali. That day and evening was spent exploring the wonderful souks of Marrakech, sourcing an in-country mobile phone, changing currency and then sampling the sights, sounds and food in the Jemaa El Fna, the main square in the middle of the city that comes to life every evening, with music, food, snake charmers, Henna tattooists and street traders – a real burst on the senses.

and too hot to continue beyond mid-day. We also visited many local sights: the Asni street market, a fiercely competitive football match between Asni and a neighbouring town and the beehives of the local honey project. We learned to write Arabic and some of us were invited to one of the houses we had supplied with water, for mint tea and bowlfuls of food.

Our last night saw a presentation evening for us all. We gave gifts to the local children, but also received gifts from the project leaders.

This was then followed by lots of loud music and dancing.

The next day we were met by two minibuses and our guides Mohammed and Youseff, who were to accompany us to the start of our trek through the remote Jebel M’Goun region of the Atlas Mountains. The drive took about 5 hours, with the last 2 hours following steep, winding roads, some with considerable drops off to the side. We eventually arrived at our gite for the night, our start point for the five day trek.

The next day we drove to the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, to the town of Asni, where we were to start our project phase. We were met by Hassan at the Community Centre that would be our home for the next 3 days. We were made very welcome and it was not long before many of the local children came to see their new visitors and join in with a game of football on the dirt pitch next to the centre.

Our project involved helping at the Centre to develop the facilities in and around the community. Some of us were involved in digging new trenches down the streets and fitting water supply pipes to provide running water to the houses. Others were involved in digging irrigation channels to help improve the fruit trees around the centre. It was incredibly hot during these working mornings

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SENIOR SCHOOL The next day we took a large minibus, via Marrakech, all the way to the town of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast. We had arranged our accommodation whilst on the trek and were pleased to find a small hotel within the fortified walls of the town that proved to be very pleasant, especially the breakfast on the rooftops each morning. The coast was cooler and provided us with respite from the heat, and we spent our next 2 days sightseeing, camel trekking, souvenir hunting and one afternoon spent swimming in the pool of a nearby hotel.

The following days saw us trek through the mountains. This beautiful landscape of fertile valley floors, steep desert conditions once out of the valley and high mountain passes proved to be a challenging venture. Accommodation was in tents, pitched at sites near to water, which always had to be purified, sometimes near to villages, but it was definitely “wild” camping. Jo was the man in charge of the trowel and was awarded the honorary title of “Digger of Holes”.

We only had to carry day packs as all our big equipment and food was transported by mule with our team of muleteers to the next camp. Each day we would set off early in the morning, walk till lunch time, meet up with Brian (Brahim) our cook who had gone on ahead of us to prepare lunch, which was set out on mats and cushions in a shady spot en-route. Mint tea was always the first thing offered, followed by copious amounts of food, then a siesta until the temperatures dropped later in the afternoon. From there we then trekked on to our camp for the night, and if we were lucky we even had a toilet tent!

Our last day saw us return to Marrakech and the heat. We were going to take public transport, but the bright idea of contacting our transport and trek provider, Ben Brahim resulted in us having an air conditioned journey in one of his minibuses, door to door to Hotel Ali, for less than the cost of the combined bus fares. That night we ventured back to the Jemaa El Fna, to the restaurant we found on the first night, with its terrace overlooking the square, for our final taste of Morocco.

This was a wonderful expedition. It had been challenging and exciting, taking most of us out of our comfort zone at times. It was, however, immensely rewarding and an experience of a life time. The experiences and skills gained from this trip will stay with us for a long time.

The last 2 days saw us trek through the fabulous M’Goun Gorge. We swapped walking boots for sandals, as much of our time was knee deep in water. Occasionally it got to waist deep, but thankfully there was no rain, or the water levels could have been dangerously high, forcing us to take an alternative route. The deep gorge and cool water gave us a very pleasant break from the heat.

The last day saw us arrive at our gite for the night.

This was pure luxury in comparison to the “wild” camping. We had our final meal with Mohammed and Youseff, gave them gifts as a 'Thank-you' and prepared for our final phase.

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Valetes Mr Stephen Spencer Mr Spencer was appointed as Head of Modern Languages and French in 2001 and immeduiately injected his own special kind of enthusiasm into the teaching of French and German. His love of travel inspired 'Spencer Tours', which enjoyed great success with regular Activity Week trips to Compiegne and beyond. These were complemented by the French and German Exchanges. I think you’d find it very hard, if not impossible these days, to find a teacher who would organise a French Exchange and a French Study Trip to coincide in one location … with 60 pupils from one school! But 'Spencer Tours' managed it and didn’t stop there. Since Stephen’s arrival in 2001 there have been over 30 overseas trips, exchanges, work experience projects providing unique opportunities to TGS pupils: projects which all owe their existence to the positive energy displayed

by Stephen and his continued support for those around him.

Stephen has always been the Master of Many Projects. In modern educational speak, one could certainly say that Stephen has been an outstanding Marketing Tool for the School. As Head of Sixth Form over the last 6 years, he has continued to internationalise the students; arranging work placements in Denmark and assisting colleagues in promoting the many trips to the various MEP locations.

His wit, humour and love of word-play have enriched some very entertaining assemblies over the years.

His expert teaching skills and subject knowledge have won him the respect of all his students and colleagues. His dedication to good causes, his belief in helping others – most recently recognised by his invitation to Lidice to receive his Medal of Honour from the President of the Czech Republic, are just a couple of the many qualities of this true all-rounder.

Dr Marie Stoppard Dr Stoppard joined TGS as Director of Music in 2010. Additional appointments during her time here include Head of Cronsheys House and Operations Manager.

The Music Department recently received an award from the Incorporated Society of Musicians for being in the top 10% of all schools nationally for GCSE Music.

Dr Stoppard worked for the Sports and Arts Committee of the Society of Heads for Independent Schools to run and organise an International competition for music, involving schools as far away as Kenya.

In her typically enthusiastic style, she encouraged pupils to apply for Cambridge University Choral and Organ Scholarships, creating links with St Cuthbert’s Church in Thetford, Bury St Edmunds Cathedral and Wymondham Abbey to allow organ scholars access to instruments. Notable successes include Polina Sosnina, Organ Scholar at Cambridge University; Sophia Sosnina, Choral Scholar at Cambridge University and Omar El Oakley, Organ Scholar at St Peter Mancroft, Norwich.

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Her PhD in Electroacoustic Music has led to the establishment of Music Technology at A level at the school, whilst contacts with universities, film, TV and radio have led to students such as Tom Scarlett pursuing careers in Audio Production.

Dr Stoppard has left to take up a new teaching and management position at another establishment. We wish her all the best in her new venture.

Miss Karen Humphrey

Miss Humphrey was an extremely dedicated and versatile member of the Science department. Equally at home teaching Science to Year 7, Physics or Chemistry to Years 9 to 11 and AS Chemistry. She often went well beyond the call of duty and would give up much of her free time at lunchtime or after school to help students individually with any help they needed.

She was a Year 7 tutor and a formidable money raiser for charity, organizing a marathon in a month event with her form that saw them walk away with the form Charity shield for raising the most money. As Head of Reeds House she encouraged participation in house drama, sports day and the many other events in the house calendar with Reeds picking up the house trophy. An avid supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh scheme she spent many weekends supporting the PE department on expeditions. We wish her every success in whichever of her varied plans she has for the future.

Mrs Lucy Perry Lucy worked at Thetford Grammar School for 8 years. and has worked in both the Art department and DT department. She has played an invaluable role in raising the profile of Art on the curriculum.

Photography became a key subject under Lucy’s guidance and she contributed wholeheartedly to, and led, many of the huge variety of activities that the department had to offer.

Lucy started Arts Award and saw the school's first ‘Gold Award’ presented before she left. Many pupils have benefitted from her wide range of expertise and we wish her every success in her new ventures.

Mr David Bradfield Mr Bradfield joined us in 2014 to help to develop Computer Science in the school. He has been instrumental in the introduction of BBC Micro:Bits in Year 7 and has supported technical staff greatly.

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Miss Francesca Atkins Miss Atkins has worked as a Teaching Assistant in EYFS and has been a tremendous asset in supporting Preparatory school over the last year. We wish her every success in the future.

2015-16

Credits Wing Commander Philip McGahan Phil McGahan was appointed to the post of Bursar and Clerk to the Governors in 1998 and quickly established himself as a tower of strength within the Thetford Grammar School Community.

His expertise in financial and administrative matters and familiarity with ever-changing Health and Safety legislation were essential in ensuring the smooth running and efficient integration of all aspects of school life.

Never being one for self-promotion or for suffering fools gladly, it was, perhaps, only those who knew him well and for an extended period of time who fully appreciated the enormity of Phil’s contribution in promoting the school to the wider community. For example, without his input it is doubtful as to whether David Seymour’s ‘History of Thetford Grammar School’ would ever have reached the publication stage.

His contributions to minibus driver training, school cricket and the annual History trips to the Somme Battlefields were also greatly valued by pupils, students and staff. Phil did indeed become a true champion of the Thetford Grammar School cause.

We wish Phil every good fortune for the future, particularly in his new voluntary roles with the Imperial War Museum and East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Mrs Issy Cracknell Issy joined TGS as Junior School secretary in 2009, supporting all the Junior staff with administration, letterwriting, newsletter formatting and a friendly smile. Breaktimes were always busy with Issy administering plasters and ice-packs to various bumps and bruises. We all wish her the very best in her new ventures.

In typical TGS style, this year's magazine is once again a collaboration of many of our pupils, students and staff, who write the articles and contribute the many hundreds of photographs. Our thanks goes to them all.

The following people have made particularly notable contributions and deserve special thanks: Students Brynmor Jenkins Toby Culling Maximillian Elders Sophia Colasante Megan Gallacher Staff Sue Roochove Elaine Brooks Cathie Reynolds Julie Foreman Mark Foreman We hope you have enjoyed this celebration of our school year and look forward to another exciting ahead.

Beryl Jones Beryl has worked in the kitchen of TGS for many years. She has been extremely popular with both staff and students, with her warm greeting and caring attitude. We wish her a very happy retirement.

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Thetford Grammar School Bridge Street Thetford IP24 3AF Tel: 01842 752 840 Website: www.thetgram.norfolk.sch.uk VLE: www.thetgram.co.uk Facebook: Thetford Grammar School