RGS Review Autumn 2013

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WINTER 2013

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Design & Print: www.schoolscreative.co.uk

INSIDE Top Grades For Results Day CCF Summer Camps Choir Tour To America Chariots Of Fire Fancy Dress DofE Expeditions

Summer Music Highlights New RGS House System Animal Farm South Of England Quidditch Champions RGS Regatta

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RGS Twitter Feeds Contact the school departments using our individual Twitter addresses Headmaster @rgsheadmaster

RGS English @RGSEnglish

Reigate Grammar @ReigateGrammar

RGS Drama @RGSDrama

RGS Careers @RGSCareers

RGS History @RGSHist

RGS Computing @rgsComputing

RGS Politics Dept @RGS_Pols

RGS Art Department @RGSArtDept

RGS Library @RGSlib

RGS Biology @BioRGS

RGS Maths @RGSMaths

RGS Business @RGSBusiness

RGS Music @rgs_music

RGS Chemistry @RGSChem

RGS Physics @RGSPhysicsDept

RGS Economics @RGSEconomics1

Chemists Visit Oxford University Third Form students made the journey to Oxford University for a ‘Chemistry, Medicine and Materials Day’. The day started in the university undergraduate chemistry labs where pupils extracted limonene from oranges and then purified and analysed their compound. The students then had a guided tour of the university’s botanical gardens where they learnt how plants are used in the production of modern medicines like Taxol.

The day concluded with a visit to the Science History Museum for a look at how penicillin was discovered.

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Headmaster’s Welcome which is already in full flow

the challenge. Reigate Grammar

here at RGS.

School will always be about so much more than examination results. The

As we set off on another

experiences gained through extra-

year of adventure and

curricular, sporting and artistic

achievement, I am delighted

endeavours help shape our young

to take this opportunity to

people and give them the confidence

share the successes and

to move into adulthood knowing

highlights enjoyed by our

who they are and that they can make

students in this latest edition

a difference.

of the RGS Review.

I hope you enjoy reading about our The start of the new school year is

I’m sure that you will agree as you

one of the most exciting times of the

read through this magazine, that

year for me. The busy summer of

what characterises RGS students is

Yours

trips, activities and training makes

their enthusiasm to get stuck in and

Shaun Fenton, Headmaster

way for an even busier term and one

do their very best no matter what

latest exploits as much as I have!

A Snapshot In Time Arguably one of RGS’ most notable Alumni, David Williams’ return to Reigate Grammar School was broadcast in an hour-long programme entitled Snapshot in Time. The ITV show saw David recreate his and his friends’ starring roles on the RGS stage in All the King’s Men.

David remembers the play as a watershed moment in his school life, one that he believes set him on course to become one of Britain’s best known and appreciated comedians and authors.

It was wonderful to welcome David and his fellow Old Reigatians back to RGS for the filming and we are all extremely grateful for the length of time he spent with the

“I actually think it does take other people to unlock it in you when you’re a child, and encourage you. I don’t think you can take it for granted.

There must be loads of brilliantly funny people out there who didn’t quite get a chance, and then the moment passes. Whereas for me, I had this lightning-bolt moment, aged 11, and that really set me on this path.”

students, even giving up his own breaks to sit and chat with them in the dining hall.

What was inspiring for all of us was to see how much the experiences and

David Walliams.

encouragement David had at school motivated him.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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FULL MATHS MARKS FOR JACK Congratulations to Jack Kelly who gained 100 per cent in both iGCSE Mathematics papers taken a year early. Jack was one of 42 Fourth Form students who sat the iGCSE early before moving on the AO Level Maths at the start of the Fifth Form.

Top Grades for Results Day Summer 2014 saw RGS celebrate a 14-year unbroken run of a100% pass rate at A Level alongside record breaking numbers of students securing offers at Oxford or Cambridge Universities and record numbers off to Medical School and Veterinary College.

This year’s A Level grades saw

A* to C, including Further Maths,

students achieve more A and A*

History, Economics and Politics.

grades than all of the other grades

From a cohort of 122 students, 41

put together. There were record

achieved three or more A*/A grades

numbers of A* grades and, at AS

including Joseph Sheridan who gained

Level, the results were the best ever

five A*s and Alexander Upstone who

secured by students at the school

attained four A* grades. Elanor Bond

with 81 per cent of students

and Wakana Yasuda both gained

achieving the top A to B grades.

three A*s and one A grade, closely matched by Ellis Clarke, Isobel Tilley

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12 academic subjects achieved a

and Matthew Gill who each achieved

100% A Level pass rate at top grades

three top A* grades.

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Cambridge Award for RGS Poet Sixth Form student Ailsa McDougall won

Ailsa enjoyed further success with the

third place in the 2013 Woolf Essay Prize

publication of her poem Hostess. Ailsa’s

competition run by Newnham College,

work was published in the third issue of

Cambridge with an essay exploring the

The Belleville Park Pages, a literary

significance of names in an array of

publication produced in Paris which

ancient and modern literature. Ailsa won

prints the work of contemporary

£100 and was invited to attend the prize

writers.

giving ceremony at Newnham College.

A Star Jump for GCSE Results GCSE results recorded a jump in the number of A* grades awarded, up to 43 per cent.

Three quarters of all grades awarded were the top A* or A with 59 students achieving ten or more A* or A grades. Biology, Chemistry and Physics were among the 17 academic departments celebrating a 100 per cent pass rate at the top A* to C grades.

Twin sisters Emma and Lucy Findlater broke school records

Emma and Lucy were among a total of 17 students who

by each achieving 11A*s at GCSE along with an A grade in

achieved a minimum of 10 A* grades including Sacha Lee,

Advanced Level Maths, trumping twins James and Edward

William Saward and Evangaline Scott who also gained

Buchanan who each gained 11A*s in 2008.

at least 11 A*s.

Creative Writing Award

Debating Finals

Art Historian and Old Reigatian Bevis Hillier returned to Reigate to announce the winner of this year’s Fifth Form Creative Writing Competition.

The summer term saw the finals of the school’s class debating competitions with speakers exploring topics such as Is the future really brighter? and Are children growing up too quickly?

First prize and the Bevis Hillier Creative Writing Shield was awarded to Cara Moore with Oliver Cann and Harry Fleming following closely behind in second and third place respectively.

Rhetorical speech, probing questions and impressive verbal flair were all on display. Well done to all the

Bevis awarded the prize and spoke to the students about his

finalists and congratulations to the winners in each year

writing career, his biographical writing projects, including his

group: Lewis James (Second Form), George Elliston

biography of Betjeman, and gave useful advice to the students

(Third Form) and Fenella Lloyd (Fourth Form) who won

about gaining publication of their work.

the Debating trophy for the academic year 2012/13. /ReigateGrammarSchool

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RGS WELCOMES UCAS CEO MARY CURNOCK COOK Students and parents enjoyed a highly

university education and advising

informative Higher Education Evening

students to look carefully at the vast

with guest speaker Mary Curnock Cook

array of available courses rather than

(OBE), CEO of UCAS, speaking

simply picking an A Level subject that

enthusiastically about the high quality of

they enjoy.

Choir Tour To New York And Washington A long day’s travelling (including waiting at the gate while Heathrow Airport was closed down due to a plane fire!) saw 20 weary students and three weary staff check in at the Hotel Bedford on 40th and Lexington, New York City, late in the evening on Friday 12 July. However, the following morning saw us galvanised by an authentic New York Deli breakfast (bacon and maple syrup – it works!) and ready to hit the tourist trails.

where the 38 degree heat did not stop us from walking to the White House for the inevitable photo call.

Next day we were singing at the awe-inspiring National Shrine, the biggest cathedral in all America, followed by an afternoon spent in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

Our last concert, on the Wednesday,

We sailed on the Staten Island Ferry,

On the Sunday we sang in the service

was a wonderful Mass participation at

walked around the World Trade Centre

at St Peter’s Lutheran, where we were

the Cathedral of St Matthew to a large

where the Freedom Tower now rises

given a warm welcome. We also

and appreciative congregation, and we

where the Twin Towers once stood, and hit 5th Avenue and Trump Towers

managed to visit the Metropolitan

also gave a recital after the service. We

Museum of Art and climb the Empire

finished the tour with a memorable boat

– if only to window-shop. That evening

State Building.

trip from Georgetown down the

we took in Chicago on Broadway and

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Potomac to Alexandria, where we

marvelled in the assault on the senses

Monday was a travel day, via Philadelphia

celebrated Katie and Connie’s birthdays

that is Times Square by night.

and Baltimore to Washington DC,

with pizza and cupcakes.

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ACABELLES WIN AWARD The Acabelles, RGS’ female a cappella group, performed at the Voice Festival UK Youth Event at Wellington College. The girls narrowly missed re-claiming their crown from 2012, but managed to come away with a well-deserved choreography award.

Summer Music Highlights During the summer term a number of musical highlights took place.

Polyphony sang a lunchtime concert to hundreds of visitors at St Paul’s Cathedral, to great acclaim. The Acabelles and Junior Girls’ Voices wowed the audiences at the Reigate and Redhill Music Festival, with the former walking away with an ‘outstanding’ award and an invitation to sing in the Gala concert at the Harlequin Theatre. The Leavers of 2013 gave a memorable final concert, and the Cantata Choir performed Faure’s Requiem and Vivaldi’s Gloria to a packed St Mary’s Church, with a number of student soloists and instrumentalists.

Musical highlights of the Summer Festival included An Evening with the Swing Band, the Junior Concert and a wonderful evening of songs from the shows entitled Music of the Night, organised in its entirety by Elanor Bond and Wakana Yasuda – a real treat that will remain in the memory.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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Junior Reigate Model United Nations Conference RGS hosted the school’s third Junior

from other schools and the teacher

ReiMUN Conference which was

advisors were particularly impressed

attended by a number of schools from

by the quality of support that all

across the South East. The day saw

students received from the RGS

RGS Second Form students Aaron

student chairs and instructors, Eli

Gilchrist and Isaac Osterreicher

Bond, Tom Morris and Will

confidently represent Azerbaijan with

Humphreys. A visiting teacher kindly

Aaron winning a Highly Commended

commented; “There were a few

Delegate award, a fantastic

students sceptical of MUN … when they

achievement at his first ever conference. RGS students were

set out this morning, but they have all returned brimming with

mature, enthusiastic and willing to share ideas with delegates

enthusiasm - exactly what a beginner’s conference should do!”

RGS House System Much debate, a whole school vote and a fair degree of

system and encourage friendship and healthy competition within

speculation made for a tense build up to the announcement of

the school community. The four Houses take the names of four

the new School Houses. The House system was reintroduced

early Headmasters of Reigate Grammar School.

to RGS after several decades to augment the school’s pastoral

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Head of Bird: Mr Abraham

Head of Hodgson: Dr Goldsmith

Head of Cranston: Mr Russell

Head of Williamson: Mrs Cline

nference

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Chariots Of Fun The annual fancy dress dash for cash did not disappoint as Fourth Formers tore around the Hartswood course for as long as their home-made chariots could carry them.

This year’s Pram Race raised funds for The Children’s Cancer Trust and saw a spectacular array of themed carts and characters.

Second Form Château Adventure

The half term break saw a group of Second Form students enjoy a four day adventure in a French château where they engaged in

activities which allowed them to speak French and have fun at the same time.

The group made mayonnaise and visited a snail farm and chocolate factory.

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TASTE OF THE FUTURE FOR SIXTH FORM With AS examinations complete, Lower Sixth Form students enjoyed A2 transition week. The students took part in exciting and inspiring sessions covering a wide range of subject related topics chosen to expand thinking beyond the confines of the curriculum and prepare them for their A2 courses. The sessions included making ice cream with liquid

nitrogen; DNA finger printing; The Great Gatsby, Flappers and the roaring ‘20s; the Dam Busters and the bouncing bomb; writing a soundtrack for an advert; an exploration of the concept of German melancholy and multicultural influences in modern German rock and pop music and much more.

Onatti Productions: Nichts zum Anziehen (Nothing to Wear) Following the success of the Spanish production of En el Campamento and the French Les Filles, Onatti Productions returned to RGS to perform a play in German. Nichts zum Anziehen was an hilarious observation of two love-struck German teenagers, Nicole and Leon, getting ready for that most important first date! The stage was divided into two – on one side a girl’s bedroom; on the other a boy’s bedroom. In both rooms there was hysteria, panic, fear and apprehension which was avidly followed by the audience of RGS students.

Cantabria Trip On the last day of the summer term, Miss Thomas, Mr Appleton and 11 girls in the Fourth Form travelled to Santander in the north of Spain. The following five days consisted of trips to authentic Spanish markets, cultural museums and visits to breath-taking mountain regions.

There were a number of opportunities to try traditional Spanish food which we purchased ourselves from the food markets. The Spanish lessons organised in the mornings and activities which involved interacting with Spanish residents gave us a chance to practise our Spanish, which proved to be very beneficial. Luckily, it was sunny for the entire time of our stay. Everybody on the trip thoroughly enjoyed it and we all found it upsetting that such an amazing trip had come to an end.

4 10

Hafsa Majid and Nicola Rohr

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PENDLEY SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Bird House Captain, Daniel Beasley spent three weeks as Deputy

Director, Peter Broad. The Pendley Festival allows the top

Stage Manager at the Pendley Shakespeare Festival in

students in the country to complete a summer internship

Hertfordshire. Daniel was responsible for the smooth running of

with professional theatre creatives. Reigate Grammar School

the Festival, working on Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, alongside

students continue to forge partnerships with theatre

professional actors and stage crew to realise the artistic vision of

professionals in all areas of the creative arts.

Puppet Theatre Company debuts at The Brighton Fringe Festival A packed Jubilee Theatre in Brighton was the venue for RGS Puppet Theatre’s debut performance of Little Joe’s Cautionary Tales.

Fourth Form students spent the year working together as an ensemble to create the production which went on to tour local junior schools as part of the RGS Summer Festival.

Their students’ aim was to create a tight ensemble of performers skilled in both Children’s Theatre and Puppetry.

Following three previous performances based on established children’s stories, this year the puppet theatre performed an original piece entitled Little Joe’s Cautionary Tales penned by the genius of Mr David Jackson and which centred around little boy Joe Egg with a cautionary tale about the dangers of being over-protective.

The students described performing as exhausting! Children’s Theatre needs stacks of energy to keep the audience focussed and engaged at all times. The students were shattered, but rewarded by a fabulously enthusiastic Brighton Fringe audience.

South of England Quidditch Champions The whole school community embraced RGS’ first Hogwart’s Day, a brilliant idea put forward by Upper Sixth Form students who were keen to share their last day in school with staff and younger students. The day saw teachers and students don robes and wands and the Sixth Form students dish out butterbeer and chocolate frogs for younger students. The lunchtime Staff v Students Quidditch match attracted a substantial crowd and saw RGS crowned ‘South of England Champions’.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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CAREERS TALKS RGS students benefitted from visiting speakers from a range of

Dr Rawson spoke to students about the life of a GP, Dr

careers as part of RGS’ ongoing Careers Talks programmes which

Patrick Williams about qualifying as a doctor and Mireia

provide insight and a ‘from the horse’s mouth’ view of different

Welsh from Trinity Bridge Careers gave a thought provoking

working fields and environments. During the summer term,

talk on alternatives to university.

Summer Festival - Annual Art Exhibition The Art Department was a hive of activity this summer with pupils visiting a variety of exhibitions and creating imaginative and exciting work in lesson, lunchtime, after school and holidays and culminating in the magnificent annual Art exhibition as part of the Summer Festival.

The exhibition featured work from all

innovative. All who came to the private

year groups. In the Wright Gallery we

view felt in awe of the scale, ambition

experienced some of the wonderfully

and quality shown by the pupils. This

talented Upper Sixth Form students

was also reflected at Lower School level

work; an eclectic mix of both abstract

with some beautiful work being

and more representational pieces which

produced by the pupils.

provided a stunning taster of the exhibition as a whole, which filled the

The private view was a wonderful

Sports Hall to the brim. The work on

evening, with Eleanor Medcalf ’s harp

show in the Sports Hall showed how

playing providing the perfect backdrop

fantastically diverse the ideas are from

to a stunning exhibition that students

our AS and GCSE pupils.

were rightly proud of.

The work produced by all the students

Mrs Burns, Head of Art

was rich, unique and incredibly

design@rgs A celebration of design at RGS was enjoyed as parents, students and visitors gathered in the Peter Masefield Hall. RGS ‘models’ hit the catwalk, accompanied by a live band, to showcase collections made during Textiles Club and in the Festival CAD/CAM jewellery and textiles workshop days. The evening also saw an impressive display of 3D, prdouct and architectural projects from this year’s talented 12

GCSE and A Level students.

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CAMBRIDGE CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE A team of 13 RGS students gave an able performance at the

chemistry of the recent horse meat scandal. Kasia

Cambridge Chemistry Challenge netting two gold, five silver and six

Warburton and James Scott brought home gold for RGS

copper medals. Organised by St Catherine’s College, Cambridge,

with the whole team deserving a big pat on the back.

the challenge posed extremely tough questions including one on the

RGS Regatta The sun shone as RGS students took to the water for the annual Festival Regatta. Sailors, windsurfers and canoists competed in races and skills events in the high summer heat watched by parents.

RGS Higher Education Convention The RGS Higher Education Convention for Lower Sixth Form students saw 22 recent leavers returned to school to share their experience of university. To kick off the session, six former students took questions from the whole year group. These were Hannah Wing (OR 2012: Psychology, Bristol); James Adderley (OR 2012: Business Administration, Bath); Tom Addison (OR 2010: History and Politics, Warwick); Anny Souresh (OR 2012: Law, Durham); Daniel Hanson (OR 2011: Mechanical Engineering, Manchester); and Ryan Smith (OR 2012: Politics, Durham). Questions ranged from ‘How different have you found studying at university to studying at school?’ and ‘What are the advantages of a campus university over a non-campus one?’ to ‘What is the weirdest society at your university?’

Following this, students had the opportunity to put questions on a one to one basis to the 22 former students to reveal the realities beyond the glossy prospectus brochures.

Modern Languages Day The First Form participated

Contemplation Week

in fun activities such as playing boules, tasting

The Dance Studio was transformed

foods from around the

into a ‘Soul Space’ for the first

world, trying their hands at

Contemplation Week to provide a

Japanese and origami plus an

wonderful opportunity for peace and

entertaining Euro trivia quiz.

reflection during a busy time of the

One of the highlights was

school year. All members of the

the Japanese Taiko

school community were encouraged to

drumming sessions which

participate in activities which

culminated in a performance

considered the challenges of faith

to the whole group at the

(non-denominational,) forgiveness,

end of the day.

self-image and world issues. /ReigateGrammarSchool

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Animal Farm

DofE Conservation Day 26 RGS Bronze DofE students spent the day working on Nutfield Marsh nature reserve improving habitats.

The moors area of the wetlands has no public right of way and the group was given special access to conduct important conservation work with RACV (Reigate Area Conservation Volunteers).

The students removed invasive typha (bullrushes) from the water courses to gives native species a better chance of success and improve the habitat for migratory birds, amphibians, grass snakes and insects. The group worked extremely effectively all day and did a fantastic job, really working in a spirited manner despite the inclement weather.

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ANNUAL DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD EVENING RGS welcomed Mr Christian Scott, Director, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) South East to the school’s annual DoE Awards Evening. Mr Scott was highly complementary of the school’s programme and confirmed that RGS is one of the most successful DofE schools in the country. Besides Mr Scott’s generous speech, the highlight of the evening was four excellent Gold Award student speakers- Luke Prior, Hannah Taylor, Harriet Riches and Jessica Pritchard who gave inspiring talks on their DoE experiences.

Gold Expedition To Wales Described as ‘probably the best Gold qualifying expedition ever’ by Mr Collins, the summer holidays saw nine groups of some 60 RGS students complete their Gold award qualifying expedition to Mid Wales. Enthused Mr Collins: “From the outset they were organised and efficient, they navigated well, left no trace at camp and, above all, were just a fabulous bunch to supervise, back up, assess and assist. Staff, external leaders, assessors, local farmers, land owners and shop keepers at the end (thanks Cwm Trannon Community Shop in Trefeglwys) all agreed that this was a superb group of students who did the school proud.”

After an initial soaking on day and night one, the expeditioners enjoyed dry and bright weather in the hills. The ground was unusually dry after the heat wave in July and midges were almost non-existent despite some high humidity and low winds, quite extraordinary and much appreciated!

Silver Qualifying Expedition

Bronze Training Expedition

More than 80 Fifth Form students completed their Silver

The Bronze expedition fell before summer had dawned in the

qualifying expeditions along the South Downs in early July in

South East. 14 groups completed their Bronze training hikes in

very hot conditions. Starting from Lewes, the group trekked

cold, grey and showery conditions with overnight temperatures

over 30 miles to the finish point at Amberley Station.

falling to near freezing. Navigation was generally sound and most errors corrected quickly, apart from some notable exceptions on day two! Camp craft, leaving no trace and keeping facilities clean was accomplished to a good standard by most groups. Overall, a good hike with a spirited performance from everyone in unusually cold May weather!

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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SNOWDONIA TRAINING CAMP Five cadets recently accompanied Major Ellen,

days of excellent weather in the high mountain

Flying Officer Robinson and Second Lieutenant

ranges of North Wales whilst training for their

Suchy to Capel Curig Training Camp in

Bronze National Navigation Award. All five

Snowdonia, for a weekend of walking and

cadets, Sarah McManus, Emma Foster, Zeb Bond,

navigation training. The cadets experienced two

Jasper Haward and Hassan Ali passed the Award.

The Sun Shines on the CCF RAF Section Summer Camp RAF Valley on the Isle of Anglesey was the venue for this year’s RAF Sections summer camp.

The weather was spectacular as was the coastal scenery. The Combined Cadet Force units from four schools combined to make this a memorable camp with activities ranging from orienteering to a night exercise plus many visits to various sections around the station. One lucky cadet was rewarded with a flight in the back seat of a Hawk fighter jet. RGS’ Lance Corporal Rushby enjoyed a poignant visit to the control tower where his grandfather was once stationed and Cadet Maley took to the controls of a Hawk flight simulator

Gliding Scholarship Successes Three Combined Cadet Force high flyers; Fiona Harrington (Lower Sixth Form), Natalie Liu (Lower Sixth Form) and Oliver Corney (Fifth Form) celebrated success. Fiona was been awarded a gliding scholarship and a place on the leadership course at RAF Cranwell during the summer holiday. Natalie Liu joined Fiona having also been offered a place on the leadership course at RAF Cranwell. Oliver Corney managed to find some time during his GCSE revision schedule to complete his gliding scholarship over the 16

half term holiday at RAF Kenley.

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Biennial Inspection The CCF held their Biennial Inspection at Longmoor Camp at the start of May. The event was attended by service personnel, the Headmaster, school staff, Old Reigatians and parents. The Inspecting Officer, Colonel Anthony Lamb, was very happy with what he saw and congratulated the entire contingent on a wonderful day.

The day began with a formal parade where the Inspecting

Inspecting Officer and guests were met with a varied mix from First Aid

Officer had a chance to meet all the staff and cadets formally.

scenarios to Section Attacks and Shooting to Navigation. The Gun Run

The afternoon was a chance for cadets to show off the range

finale provided an excellent culmination to the day. Congratulations to the

of activities that they undertake on a regular basis and the

RAF Section who won the toughly fought Inter Section Competition.

CCF Summer Camp

Corps Of Drums

The CCF enjoyed a very warm and sunny week down at

The Corps of Drums, although still relatively new, has been a

St Martins Plain Camp, Folkestone during the first week

very visible part of ceremonial occasions for both the CCF and

of the summer holidays.

the school. The Corps has taken part in Remembrance Services at Shaw’s Corner, Redhill and at Reigate Grammar

A mixture of ages attended from brand new Third Form

School and also played a very key role in the CCF Biennial

cadets to the experienced Sixth Form cadets. They had a

Inspection in May. During the summer term the drummers

varied training package which consisted of shooting,

worked hard to gain the coveted Drummer Qualification

fieldcraft, survival skills, watersports, obstacle course,

Badge, congratulations to Katherine Lyon, Coral Johnson and

competitions, an overnight expedition and a rare chance

George Hopkins for passing the course. Along with

to experience the Urban Village range at Hythe. Both the

performances this term the Corps of Drums will be on a

cadets and staff finished the week very bronzed and very

recruiting drive to gain more members and are looking for

tired but achieved a great deal. A special mention should

trained percussionist and flute players but also can train

go to cadet recruits Jasper Howard and James Bennett

students up who are interested in learning the Snare drum,

for picking up Best Cadet awards at the end of the week.

Flute or Bugle from scratch.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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Sports Roundup House Sports Day The first House Sports Day was a fitting launch for the new house system. A more colourful and energetic scene at RGS Hartswood would be hard to imagine with students, staff and parents bedecked in house colours and full of passion for their side. The entire event was driven by the enthusiasm of the Sixth Form students. The quality of performance on the field matched the fine weather with a number of records being broken throughout the day.

Form Winners: First Form: Hodgson Second Form: Bird Third Form Cranston Fourth Form: Hodgson

Overall Winners: 1st Cranston 2nd Hodgson 3rd Bird 4th Williamson

ATHLETICS A superb term for Athletics saw a significant number of boys selected for the South Surrey Athletics Team. Current Fourth From students Charlie Bennett, George Blackburn, Max Coyle, Rupert Heap, Wilfred Hoad, Henry McCann, Lucas Overtoom and Sean Watters; and Fifth Form students Tom Frost, Dom Maillot, Harry Morris, David Webster and Cris Zaccarini.

Edward Hundleby and Oscar Subuh-Symons in the Fourth and

Surrey. Eight RGS students have been selected to represent the county at inter county championships in Basingstoke this coming weekend.

The three county champions covered both track and field with Clara Grinyer succeeding in the junior girls 800 metres, Rupert Heap triumphing in the junior boys high jump with a personal best of 1 metre 67 centimetres and Sophie Ellis winning through in the girls 75 metre hurdles.

Congratulations to all of the students who took part and a special mention to both Miss Davies, RGS Head of Athletics, and Gregory Knott of Reigate’s Priory Athletes for their training talents that have so clearly had a positive impact on the squad.

Three RGS athletes, Sophie Ellis, Clara Grinyer & Tilly Hooper went on to represent the school at the English Schools Championships.

A total of 26 RGS athletes represented the school at the County Championships held at Kingsmeadow Stadium, Kingston. Eight have been selected to represent Surrey at the inter county championships this coming weekend. They are: Clara Grinyer Sophie Ellis Rupert Heap Max Coyle Izzy Keith Clare Hunt Henry McCann Tilly Hooper

(junior girls 800 metres) (junior girls’ 75 metre hurdles) (junior boys’ high jump) (100 metres) (shot put) (long jump) (1500 metres) (pole vault)

SQUASH Third Form students Lilly Pinggera and Holly Dowling played for the Surrey Girls U15 Squash team and were placed fourth nationally.

Third Forms respectively competed in the National Biathlon Finals at Crystal Palace at the end of the spring term. They both swam competitively and ran in a temperature of -1oC! Edward was placed 22nd nationally and Oscar moved up from his original ranking of 54th to 35th place.

The girls’ and boys’ intermediate athletics teams came away from the District Athletics meet placed third and fourth in their respective competitions. As a result a school record of 26 RGS athletes were selected to represent the South Surrey District at the County Championships. The girls’ and boys’ team also qualified for the Regional Finals (South East) of the ESAA Track and Field Cup which was held in June, a fantastic achievement.

RGS enjoyed runaway success at the Surrey District Athletics Championships in early June with three students crowned County Champions and 14 students finishing in the top six in 18

CRICKET The first XI had a terrific season with huge wins over Caterham, RGS Guildford, KCS Wimbledon and Sevenoaks.

The young team showed great desire and trained extremely hard through a busy exam period. Notable performances came from Luke Haughton, David Drage, Tom Massey, Matthew Norman and Michael Ellis. David Drage was awarded player of the season after scoring 360 runs at an average of 40 and taking 20 wickets.

Tom Massey lead from the front as captain and set an excellent example to all players. The squad will remain the same over the 2014 season and we have high hopes for RGS Cricket.

A special mention must be made to congratulate Will Saward (11 A*s) and David Gent (9 A*, 1 A) for their excellent GCSE results; both players managed to balance their work load and cricketing commitments throughout the summer term.

The 1st XI also travelled to St Albans for a 20/20 festival during cricket week.

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Harriet Mitchell represents England Harriet Mitchell was selected and played for the U16 England Squad as they took on Belgium in early July. The match was preceded by a three-day training camp in Kent before the squad took on their cross-channel rivals Belgium.

Harriet has risen through the U16 national ranks and received the good news that she’d been selected for the squad early in January. To gain England selection, Harriet competed against a group of 80 girls in the regional play offs.

Harriet made the final cut from an elite group of 35 girls chosen to attend a final trial for the England U16 National Age Group Squad.

1st XI v MCC The annual MCC match was a fantastic opportunity for the 1st XI to finish their season on a high. In line with tradition the MCC were asked to bat first and started slowly due to some excellent bowling from Matthew Norman and Jack Elliss. The intensity was high and the team bowled and fielded brilliantly, causing the visitors to make regular mistakes. After a fantastic lunch the MCC resumed on 130-5 and managed to scrape their way to 220. The RGS chase started well with Luke Haughton look extremely fluent, however after some skilful bowling from Steven Hurst RGS were reduced to 70-3. The middle order continued to work hard for runs and edged us closer to victory, however regular wickets meant it was going to be a tight finish. The final wicket pair of Matthew Norman and Jack Elliss put on a handy 30 but with 25 left for victory the final wicket fell.

Although we did not get the victory we wanted it was another fantastic day at Hartswood.

The players thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and were a credit to the school.

Congratulations to James Dodsworth in the Second Form who was selected to play for Surrey County Cricket U12 team over the summer.

GOLF Oliver Kail in the First Form was selected to play golf for Surrey beating Middlesex 3-1. Surrey went on to win the overall match.

RUGBY Congratulations to Sixth Form student David Reeves who was recently selected as the most improved player in the Surrey U17 Rugby Squad this season.

We welcomed Matt Keyte (OR, England U18, Bath and London Welsh) back to RGS to provide a Scrum Half Master Class for all scrum halves in the school.

TENNIS RGS entered all Surrey age group competitions from U12 to U15. Despite no conclusive wins, our sports men and women put in some solid performances and good matches.

Archie Trevor in the U13 squad showed excellent promise.

Highlights for the senior squad included a 6-3 victory over Caterham School. We competed in the ISTA event at Eton with the senior boys securing a 2-0 victory over Whitgift and the deciding singles won thanks to Kieran Jackson’s excellent performance.

Top Five South of England Ranking Early summer saw the U12 Girls’ Hockey Team compete in the South of England with their performance earn them fifth place overall in the South of England. This is a terrific achievement and the first time the U12s at RGS have reached this level. Well done to all the girls, coaches and parents who enabled this to happen

Region Trials Seven RGS hockey players were selected for the Regional (South of England) Hockey Trials early in the Summer Term. As part of their selection Chloe Stimpson (U15), Amberley Hodgson (U16), James Hawrych (U16), Catriona Lynn (U16), Harriet Mitchell (U17), Greg Hodgson (U18) and Edward Hawrych (U18) benefitted from a six week training course with the regional squad.

Jersey Cricket Tour At the start of May, 28 boys headed off to the Channel Islands for a cricket tour over the long May Day Bank Holiday weekend. The U13Bs played 6 matches during the four days, including four Twenty20 matches and two longer games. The boys were playing mainly A teams so the fixtures were hard and the cricket was of a high standard.

Mr Lewis had the opportunity to work on a few things to improve the boys’ cricket, and they went on to enjoy a winning streak when returning to the mainland.

The U13As played 4 longer games of cricket, the highlight of which was an amazing 1 run victory in the first match; batting first against De La Salle, captain Matthew Crighton and his opening partner Hamish Massey put on 183 for the first wicket. Hamish made 61, and Matt went on to make his highest score of 97. Reigate made 241-2 in the 40 overs and we were confident of victory, but De La Salle had three big hitters who scored quickly. Fortunately, Reigate got them out, but with two overs left it was looking bleak with DLS only needing three runs with two wickets left. Fergus McGoogan bowled the penultimate over, and a single was scored off the first ball, which brought their new batsman on strike. Fergus bowled him, to bring their last batsman to the crease; his job was to survive the 4 remaining balls of the over and leave the other player to score the winning runs in the final over. He survived the first, and the second, and the third…one more to go – probably Reigate’s last chance, Fergus’s final ball.

Fergus bowled him, and Reigate had won. Thrilling!

The boys also enjoyed visiting the beach, cinema, bowling, the tour quiz and eating some excellent food.

/ReigateGrammarSchool

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Dates for the Diary Winter Term Culture Club

6.00pm Tuesday 1 October

Drama Studio

Lunchtime Concert

1.00pm Thursday 3 October

St Matthew’s Church, Redhill

Grandparents Afternoon

2.00 pm Friday 4 October

Main School, RGS

RGS Cantata Choir Come and Sing Day

11.00am Saturday 5 October

Concert Hall &

CCF Mess Dinner

7.00pm Saturday 5October

Peter Masefield Hall

Informal Concert

4.15pm Thursday 10 October

Recital Room

PFA Quiz Night

7.00pm Friday 11 October

Peter Masefield Hall

GCSE Exam Showcase

1.30pm Monday14 & 1.30pm Tuesday 15 October

Drama Studio

RGS Unplugged

7.30pm Thursday 17 October

Recital Room

Choral Concert

7.00pm Thursday 7 November

St Mary’s Church, Chart Lane

Informal Concert

4.15pm Thurday 14 November

Recital Room

PFA Ball

7.00pm Saturday 16 November

Concert/Sports Hall

Ensembles Concert

7.30pm Thursday 21 November

Recital Room

Informal Concert

4.15pm Thursday 5 December

Recital Room

Drama: Carousel

7.30pm Wednesday 11 December

Concert Hall

Drama: Carousel

7.30pm Thursday 12 December

Concert Hall

Drama: Carousel

7.30pm Friday 13 December

Concert Hall

Drama: Carousel

2.30pm & 7.30pm Saturday 12 December

Concert Hall

RGS Christmas Fayre

1.45pm Tuesday 17 December

Concert Hall

Carols by Candlelight

8.00pm Tuesday 17 December

St Mary’s Church, Chart Lane

RGS Cantata Choir Carol Concert

7.30pm Wednesday 18 December

St Mark’s Church, Reigate

Reigate Grammar School is an HMC, co-educational, independent day school for children aged 11 to 18. For more information, log on to our website at www.reigategrammar.org or e-mail us at info@reigategrammar.org If you would like to obtain a prospectus and an application form, you may also contact us at the following address: Reigate Grammar School, Reigate Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0QS Tel: 01737 222231 Fax: 01737 224201

Design & Print: www.schoolscreative.co.uk

St Mary’s Church, Chart Lane