REVIEW SUMMER / AUTUMN 2015
A FOND FAREWELL FROM OUR SENIOR STUDENTS Top Co-Educational Day School in Surrey YOUNG CREATIVE WRITERS IMPRESS RGS SPORT UPDATE: NATIONAL RUGBY 7s CHAMPIONS 2015
RGS CHOIR RUGBY WORLD CUP RGS MUSIC’S VIENNESE WHIRL RHYS WINS BIOLOGY MEDAL FOR THE UK TIME TO CELEBRATE: RECORD RESULTS FOR GCSE & A LEVEL STUDENTS
2015 NATIONAL RUGBY 7s CHAMPIONS Winners of the Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools Sevens Colts Competition An exciting final with a nail-biting, last-gasp finish saw RGS crowned Rosslyn Park HSBC Rugby 7s National School Champions, beating Stowe and Wellington College en route. The National Final saw David Cameron’s Eton versus David Walliams’ Reigate Grammar School. Max Coyle won the game with a sudden death score in extra-time and the whole school gave the winning team a standing ovation in a special assembly the next day.
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WELCOME
“The friends, memories AND experiences we have had here will shape our future, and have paved the way for the rest of our lives.� Dannie Harris and James Taylor Head Girl and Head Boy 2014-2015 (see the final page for their farewell message to RGS students)
From the HEADMASTER I am thrilled for our young people who have achieved so much in the last few months, doing things that they love and are passionate about, all whilst continuing to study, learn and achieve top A* grades. At RGS we pride ourselves on the care of children and on giving them the opportunities and confidence during their time here that will stay with them for life. I am enormously proud of the record number of students heading off to the top Russell Group universities, drama school, art college and music conservatoires to pursue their passion for learning.
I am always struck with admiration at how Reigatians can secure the best results that the school has ever received and at the same time deliver such an inspiring programme of artistic, sporting, cultural and other highlights with RGS securing more national level successes in these areas than ever before. I hope you enjoy discovering what we have been up to in the pages of this magazine.
Shaun Fenton Headmaster
House SPORTS DAY 2015 A hotly contested Summer Term for the RGS Houses culminated in an equally hot day at RGS Hartswood. The 2015 House Sports Day was a carnival of colour with parents joining students and staff to cheer on competitors. Individual records were broken in track and field events and the House tug of war was ultimately won by Cranston. Williamson were overall winners of the day and made sure they celebrated this victory.
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DofE conservation
RGS conservation work, running for over seven years now and supported by Surrey Wildlife Trust and Reigate Area Conservation Volunteers (run by Old Reigatian Simon Elson) has discovered a special botanical record: the damp-loving Marsh Pennywort (Hydrocotyle vulgaris), not recorded on the heath since 1952 and currently listed as a threatened species on the Red List for England (2014) has made a come-back thanks directly to the work of RGS students. Along with the many seedlings of Cross-leaved Heath Erica tetralix and Ling Calluna vulgaris (both also now on the Red List as Near Threatened) this makes this area a true RGS conservation success story! Further recognition for RGS conservation came as two Duke of Edinburgh’s Award students Anna Anderson and Connie Bambridge-Sutton were selected by the RSPB to take part in a film about their work. The film was shown in Brussels in June as part of an EU programme showcasing exemplar restoration projects for wildlife and has also appeared on the RSPB website.
Enrichment Week Sixth Form
Lower Sixth Form students honed their study skills and extended their understanding beyond the A Level syllabus as they engaged in the RGS Sixth Form Enrichment Week. Projects during the week included the study of codes and ciphers, creating film music, DNA profiling and debating whether apes should have rights. Enrichment Week also saw a panel of Old Reigatian undergraduates return to school to share their experiences of university and the application process.
Leatherhead Drama Award
Hot on the heels of winning the Junior Section of the Leatherhead Drama Festival, RGS actors Max Vidler, Alex Pangalos, Andrew Murdymootoo, Will Tuckwell, Zach Evans and Jimi Jan Walker were invited to perform in the National Finals at the prestigious British All Winners Festival in Woking in July. The National final features the best drama from festivals around Britain.
MICHAELA GASTON WINS Science essay competition
Michaela won the Unofficial Guide to Medicine Essay Competition, an international competition for secondary school and medical school students. Michaela wrote an original, insightful and carefully researched essay, choosing Evidence-Based Medicine as the most important advancement of the past one hundred years.
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Summer Serenade
RGS’ festival fortnight began with a toetapping evening of music in the gardens of One Chart Lane. The RGS Swing Band kept umbrellas twirling in time to the beat as summer rain blessed the scene but did not dampen the high spirits of the audience.
Summer Concert
CHESS CHAMPION
With a glass of Pimms in hand, parents and friends of the school enjoyed a beautiful evening of summer music performed by the First to Fourth Forms. The audience was enthralled by performances ranging from a lively rendition of Wipeout by the Percussion Ensemble to a stunning performance of Carmen Fantasy by Third Form pupil Gabriele Brasaite, which had the audience on its feet.
Alex Golding had much to celebrate over the summer break. Alex is currently ranked the number one Chess player in the Under 12 category for both the English Chess Federation and FIDE, the World Chess Federation. He was the youngest player at the British Chess Championships where he was awarded the John Robinson Annual Fellowship. Alex also won the Under 11 title, at the Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge and has set a record by winning the title and the Patrick Rebello Cup in three out of the last four years.
Quintus Concert
Under the direction (and notable enthusiasm) of Upper Sixth Form student Karolina Csathy, students Rachel Dungate, Harry Morris, William Medcalf and Hugh Blayney together organised, rehearsed, scheduled and performed a varied and hugely enjoyable programme at the spectacular Quintus concert in aid of the RGS Opportunities Fund.
Weather Station Met Mark
The excellent work of RGS’ very own weather station has been recognised with a Met Mark by the Met Office and Royal Meteorology Society. The award was given for excellence in weather teaching and promotion of both weather and climate issues across the school and the wider community. The school was chosen for innovations such as the fantastic RGS high altitude balloon launch, the school’s significant web presence and the involvement of students in our weekly weather club, in addition to local forecasts and weather reporting in local media.
Landscape Art Competition Winners
Young artists Sereena Pallana and India Rawlinson won accolades for their work in a national competition. The girls’ submissions to the Haileybury School Festival of Arts saw India awarded school winner for a beautiful piece created in embroidery and textiles while Sereena gained runner-up for a landscape piece in acrylic.
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CCF Update
THIS YEAR’S CCF TRI-SECTION SUMMER CAMP WAS ONE OF THE BUSIEST AND most EXCITING I CAN REMEMBER. Cadets from all three sections attended St Martin’s Plain Camp in Hythe near Folkestone. The RAF Section went to RAF Benson for Air Experience Flights in the Grob Tutor while the other cadets enjoyed an ‘Urban Village’ blank firing exercise. There was also a brilliant computer generated firing range testing the cadets’ marksmanship skills! The camp offered a tough assault course that the cadets valiantly got to grips with and which was the highlight of the week for many. The contingent enjoyed a fantastic day of water based activities and climbing at a nearby Army camp. There was dinghy sailing, kayaking and raft building. It was a great exercise in team building and
design culminating in hilarious and hard fought races. A challenging climbing tower provided a diversion away from the waterborne fun. The programme of activities included survival skills, orienteering and field craft leading to an overnight exercise sleeping on the forest floor under the protective cover of our own bashers. I am relieved it didn’t rain that night! All in all, a great week enjoyed by all cadets! Tim Mahoney Fg Off RAFVR(T)
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Annie
The bold, brash and at times ridiculous characters and plot lines of Annie: The Musical, provided a lot of laughter in addition to a surprising history lesson for the packed audiences who enjoyed the six sell out performances run at RGS.
Although comic and surprisingly intellectual (introducing the concepts of Communism, Socialism, Capitalism and tap dancing) the best thing about Annie the Musical was that it holds dear what all of the great musicals have: heart. What made Annie (Gwen Subuh-Symons) moving is her relentless optimism and hope, Annie is never truly cowed by the evil Miss Hannigan (Molly Munday) or the failure of her parents to rescue her from the orphanage. Deep down, she knows that the sun will come out tomorrow.
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Living History WWI event
In preparation for their trip to the trenches and battlefields of World War I, the Second Form gained an insight into life 100 years ago as men endured the harshest of conditions in the front lines. Military display and living history group the 10th Essex Battalion visited RGS and provided a well informed and balanced ‘visual Remembrance’ of those brave men of the Battalion and others who served in the British armed forces throughout WWI.
RUN REIGATE All Run Reigate runners were encouraged by the RGS House teams who manned four water stations around the route and made sure that people kept hydrated and healthy. They were also on hand to shout calls of encouragement when exhaustion started to set in. RGS Fifth Form student, Oscar Subuh-Symons, ran the 10K as part of the Changing Lives team and finished as the fastest under 18 runner in the whole race and in 4th place overall with a fantastic time of 37:41.
Lower School trip to France The Baie de Somme area of Northern France played host to 30 young RGS linguists during the summer half term break. The First and Second Form students practised their listening and speaking skills in addition to learning how to make mayonnaise and interviewing market stall holders in the pretty seaside village of St Valéry. Visits to a chocolate factory and a sweet factory were balanced with a trip to a snail farm.
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RGS Band Night RGS Band Night proved that RGS music rocks, no matter what the genre. The Concert Hall was transformed with lighting and special effects as bands took to the stage at the RGS Band Night. Four bands from the Upper School entertained the crowd with a mixture of classic and contemporary rock music.
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RGS SINGS AT THE RUGBY WORLD CUP Our Choristers were selected from hundreds of choirs from across the nation to sing the official tournament song World in Union. Students from the RGS First Form through to the Sixth Form as well as RSM students (the RGS Junior School) made up the RGS Godfrey Searle Choir. They welcomed the national team of Wales to the tournament at the team’s welcome ceremony at the Guildhall in London on Monday 21 September in front of an audience which included HRH the Duke of Cambridge. The welcome ceremonies marked the official start of the World Cup and saw the players capped and celebrated as they entered the third largest sporting event in the world. Everyone involved has felt a huge sense of pride at performing for the Rugby World Cup. Helping with the welcome ceremonies was an honour and one which the choristers feel privileged to have
been a part of. Hugh Blayney RGS Head Boy and Henry Morris RGS Senior Prefect commented, “It was undoubtedly a once in a lifetime experience and an extremely special day for all the choristers. The feeling we got as a choir whilst performing not only to our sporting idols in the Welsh Rugby Team, but also to Prince William, was an emotion that will be hard to equal. A rather humorous side to the occasion was watching Mrs Glynne-Jones conduct beside the towering 6ft 9in figure of Luke Charteris. To round off a truly momentous day, we were later treated to a performance of ‘Ar Lan y Mor’ by the Welsh players themselves. However, I can confidently say that the choristers well and truly showed them how it is done. A lot of the boys managed to get signatures from the Welsh team, who themselves were so friendly and generous. Ed McTavish, who had been playing Cajon (a percussion instrument) to accompany the singing, managed to get his Cajon signed by the whole team!”
RGS Music’s Viennese Whirl We had a wonderful trip to Vienna with 35 members of RGS Singers and Polyphony. The choirs performed concerts in St Stephen’s Cathedral, the Votive Church and St Peter’s Church – all major churches in central Vienna. We had huge audiences (St Peter’s was standing room only) and our performances were very well received. We also performed in front of the Schonbrunn Palace for a very large crowd. When not performing we visited all the major sights of Vienna and also the Esterhazy Palace in the town of Eisenstadt, where Haydn was the resident composer throughout most of his career. We also had a great day at the Vienna Prater Park on the banks of the Danube. Mr S Rushby Director of Music
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Parliamentary Candidates Enjoy School Lunch Grilling 2015 parliamentary election candidates for the Reigate seat spent their lunchtime at Reigate Grammar School facing a grilling from first time voters. Sixth Form politics students were joined by younger students at the school’s Question Time event. 18 year old Chris Whyte chaired the debate with fellow Politics student Eleanor Riches managing questions from the floor which explored the issues of migration policy, membership of the European Union and zero hours contracts. The closing question saw each candidate summarise why young people should vote for them. While answers and points of view clashed, all present concurred on the importance of voting.
Young Creative Writers Impress Author and Historian
Tadworth Court Run
State Street Visit
RGS’ annual Tadworth Court Run for The Children’s Trust raised much needed funds for the charity’s vital work. Following the race Cecily Hamilton and Tom Tatham visited Tadworth Court to receive an award for RGS’ fundraising efforts which total over £107,000 since the school started supporting The Children’s Trust 25 years ago.
Lower Sixth Form Economists revealed their competitive side as they took part in a trading simulation with ‘real-life’ news updates and minutely timed deadlines during a visit to State Street Bank in Canary Wharf. Many thanks to Richard Hannam (OR 1984) for hosting RGS and for making the group so welcome.
A tale of soldiers returning from World War I has won the prestigious Bevis Hillier Creative Writing Shield for the best piece of creative writing. 16 year old Clara Grinyer’s piece was selected from over 140 entries. The annual competition is judged by renowned English art historian, author, journalist and Old Reigatian, Bevis Hillier. Entries spanned a wide range of subjects including stories from terrifying murder to sophisticated philosophical twists. Following his education at Reigate Grammar School and Magdalen College Oxford, Bevis Hillier became a well-known published writer and a columnist for The Times, the LA Times and lead reviewer for The Spectator magazine. He established his reputation as a biographer with a three-volume exploration of the life of Sir John Betjeman.
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Art and Design Exhibition Summer 2015’s Art and Design exhibition was a wonderful celebration of talent and skill of RGS’ art students. The Concert and Sports Halls were adorned with work from the youngest to the oldest RGS artists, with visitors to the exhibition serenaded by harpist Eleanor Medcalf.
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Brighton Festival for RGS Puppet Theatre Company The RGS Puppet Theatre Company performed at The Brighton Fringe Festival to sell-out audiences. Children and adults sat spellbound as Little Joe’s Cautionary Tales unfolded at the Spiegeltent Bosco Theatre.
Pram Dash Raises Charity Cash Prams of all colours and designs raced around Old Reigatians Rugby Football Club’s grounds as Reigate Grammar’s Fourth Form students gave a big push for two charities, Cancer Research and The Alzheimer’s Society. The teams of students adopted themes ranging from Spitfire crews to surgeons and sumo wrestlers raising well over £2,000 for two wonderful charities.
Following its appearance in Brighton, the show returned to Surrey as part of the RGS Summer Festival and toured local junior schools.
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Grease is the Word for Students’ Final School Day Upper Sixth Form leavers at Reigate Grammar School shared their last day at school with the whole school community. The 17 and 18 year olds enjoyed a brief well-earned break from their studies to let their hair down as they dressed up as characters from the film Grease. Squeals of delight emanated from Broadfield Lawn throughout the day as each year group, from the First to Sixth Forms, took a little time out to enjoy the dodgems and giant slide, supplemented by enormous ice creams and popcorn as the students demonstrated a clear hunger for fun! A big thank you to the PFA for their support to make the event possible.
MACBETH / DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE DEEP LEARNING DAY The Fourth Form students embarked on a journey through the plot, context and genre of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for their English Deep Learning Day. The
Guildford Shakespeare Company took pupils through the complexities of Macbeth with a dramatic and interactive performance; Shakespeare expert James Sheldrake illuminated the social and historical
context of the play with a guided tour of London in the early 1600s.
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RGS SPORT HOCKEY
GOLF
National HMC Schools Foursomes Finals The RGS golf team won through to the National HMC Schools Foursomes Finals at Purley Downs.
RGS’ Hockey players were in action across the globe this summer as Harriet Mitchell represented her country and Stephanie and Taylor Weber attended the USA Futures National Championship tournament. After being selected for the England Hockey Under 18 girls squad Harriet played in two matches, first against Scotland at the Commonwealth Stadium in Glasgow and then against Belgium in Canterbury. Harriet then took part in the European Hockey Under 18 Championships in Spain. The England team was beaten by Holland in the semi-final but recovered with a convincing win over Belgium in the bronze medal match.
Stephanie and Taylor travelled out to the USA having been picked for the USA Futures National Championship tournament. Following the event, Stephanie was selected to play in the USA Junior Olympics as part of the top 100 Under 16 girls in the United States.
Hockey Junior Regional Performance Centres Seven RGS players have been nominated for Hockey Junior Regional Performance Centres, an excellent achievement and the next step towards regional team selection.
They are: Under 18: Amberley Hodgson, Catriona Lynn and James Hawrych; Under 17: Chloe Stimpson; Under 15: Timea Culverwell, Stephanie Weber and Taylor Weber.
Despite the odds the RGS team punched above their weight and in the final afternoon during the individual pairs Stableford, Sam Jones and Sam Dukes finished second, which represented a remarkable achievement.
South East England HMC Schools Final The 1st VI golfers triumphed in the SE England HMC Schools Final, beating St Colomba’s College 2-1. The win secured RGS’ place in the national finals and puts the school in the top eight schools in England, Wales and Scotland.
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CRICKET
An inexperienced 1st X1 side was led superbly by Upper Sixth Form captain David Gent. The team can be proud of victories against Sevenoaks School, City of London Freemen’s School and Wilson’s School. David Gent’s 100 against RGS Guildford was a standout moment of the season. Junior teams continue to progress and the Under 13s enjoyed a fantastic short tour to the island of Jersey. The 1st XI v Old Reigatians Class of 2014 XI 20:20 cricket match at Hartswood saw a closely fought match with the Old Reigatians winning by just a few runs. There was a lovely atmosphere with several other ORs supporting the game in addition to a number of current and former parents.
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Athletics Sophie Elliss and Tilly Hooper represented Surrey at the prestigious English Schools competition at Gateshead. Sophie finished 2nd in the Inter Girls 80m Hurdles and went on to represent England in a home international and Tilly finished 4th in the senior girls pole vault. RGS also had 22 Athletes in the Third Form and Fourth Form representing South Surrey at the County Championships. We finished the day with two County champions; Sophie Elliss, 80m Hurdles and Max Coyle, 400m. Francesca Petitt also had a good day finishing with the silver medal in the Discus and also being selected to represent Surrey at an Inter counties meet. The Intermediate Boys’ and Girls’ Teams and the Junior Girls’ Team all won through to the South East Regional Finals of the Track & Field
Cup. The Junior Girls’ Team accumulated 401 points; our highest total of any team to date. They missed out on the National Final by just five points. Lily Grant is currently ranked 11th in the UK for 800m, Katie Mackison is ranked 34th for Javelin and Lucy Broderick 25th for 1500m. These girls were also part of the First Form Girls’ athletics team to be crowned County Champions in the Surrey Sportshall Athletics Competition earlier in the year. The First, Second, Third and Fourth Form Girls’ teams all won their respective District competitions, whilst the Boys’ teams all came 2nd. Following this, 19 athletes were selected to represent South Surrey at the County Championships. Adding strength to the Junior Boys’ team, a promising young athlete in the First Form, Theo Lewis, has recently been ranked 5th in the UK following an U13 Pentathlon competition.
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Swimming NATIONAL FINALISTS AND SURREY CHAMPIONS RGS reached the National Finals and were placed 7th in the Country. That success continued over the summer when Second Form student Tomos Knowles competed at the Welsh National Swimming Championships and achieved a personal best in every race. Third Form student Owen Knowles represented the South East Schools in the National Championships over the summer and was also placed 17th in Great Britain for 50m Breaststroke. Jake Maxwell had an amazing summer which saw him placed 2nd at the English National Championships for 50m Butterfly. He was also ranked 12th in Great Britain for 50m Freestyle and 16th in Great Britain for 100m Freestyle, a truly amazing achievement. This term the RGS Swim Team competed in the Surrey Schools Relays Championships. Having achieved five sets of Bronze Team Medals last year, we were determined to see if we could do even better this year. The Junior Boys and the Senior Girls were crowned Surrey Champions in the Medley Relay, Senior Girls (Freestyle) and Inter Girls (Medley) achieved 2nd place and the Junior Boys (Freestyle) and Inter Boys Medley secured Bronze Medals. Congratulations to all the swimmers who did RGS proud but in particular to our Junior Boys: Tomos Knowles, Thomas Elkeles, Lakith Gabrielsen and Toby
RGS JUNIOR SWIMMING CUP 2014-2015 OVERALL WINNERS: FIRST FORM GIRLS: Bernadette Cheng-Whitehead & Machayla Dewdney FIRST FORM BOYS: TOMOS KNOWLES SECOND FORM GIRLS: AMY BRILL SECOND FORM BOYS: OWEN KNOWLES THIRD FORM GIRLS: ASHLEIGH SMITH THIRD FORM BOYS: JAKE MAXWELL FOURTH FORM GIRLS: ISABEL WOOD FOURTH FORM BOYS: HUGH MCKENDRICK
Records were broken by: Ashleigh Smith (4) Thomas Wilbraham (1) Jake Maxwell (3) Isabel Wood (3) Rachel James (1)
Stewart and Senior Girls: Georgina Robinson, Georgia Graham, Josie Wood and Isabel Wood for their Championship Wins. Swimming goes from strength to strength. RGS’ Individual Swimming Cup Competition saw strong performances from the school’s strongest swimmers with twentythree school records broken by eleven students: congratulations to Amy Brill, Bernadette Cheng-Whitehead, Mary Cruickshank, Machayla Dewdney, Rachel James, Owen Knowles, Tomos Knowles, Jake Maxwell, Ashleigh Smith, Thomas Wilbraham and Isabel Wood.
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Rugby ‘The South Africa rugby tour was an amazing experience. We had the opportunity to play against fantastic opposition and experience South African sporting culture at its best. One of the highlights was watching South Africa vs New Zealand at Ellis Park.’ Max Coyle, Lower Sixth Student
South Africa Rugby Tour Over the summer 45 students travelled to South Africa on a pre-season tour. The boys played eight matches, winning seven. Whilst in Cape Town the boys visited Cape Point, along with its monkeys, Newlands Stadium (home of the Stormers Rugby team) and toured a local township. The group then travelled to Johannesburg and Pretoria, where they visited Pretoria University’s sports complex (High Performance Centre), and Loftus Versfeld (Home of the Blue Bulls Rugby Team). A highlight of the tour was the chance to watch the match between New Zealand and South Africa. In addition to the fine rugby, the RGS group took the opportunity to learn about the history of South Africa with a visit to the Apartheid museum and Robben Island. The tour finished with a trip to Mabula Game reserve where the group attempted to find the ‘Big 5’. The boys gained some life-long memories and made some new friends in a new part of the world. The trip placed the boys in an excellent position for a successful season ahead.
Harlequins Development Group We are immensely proud that we have a wide range of age groups selected to the Harlequins Development Group: EPDG: Max Coyle, Paul Marshall, U16: Tom Box, U15: Tom Allen, U14: Finn Skinner and Harrison Watts. It is great that we can see the boys progress through the development programme, growing in confidence and skill. This is a huge achievement for RGS and we look forward to watching how the boys progress through Quins, with the hope that some of them may go onto a professional contract.
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Tennis RGS enjoyed a strong showing at the Independent Schools Tennis Association Tennis Championships as the Senior Boys won through to the last 16 in the Public Schools Tennis Tournament held in the closing days of June. Particular congratulations to Kieran Jackson, James Miller, Oliver Hangartner and Alistair Luckman.
competition with Amelia and Maisie Kellard also reaching the quarter finals of the plate. Stephanie Weber and Taylor Weber played in the Under 15 girls and made it through to the plate competition.
The Under 15 pairs of Declan Kelly and Jack Wilson-Smith, Anna Palacci and Amelia Robley-Dixon played well but had tough draws in the main competition against Yarm and Millfield respectively. Anna Palacci and Amelia Robley-Dixon reached the last 32 of the main
Under 13 boys James Gerrard, Rowan Edwards, Joel Martin and Maximus Sutton-Parker played in the Plate competition whilst Grace Greaves and Tabitha Green made it through to the final stages of the Under 13 main draw.
Freya Biggs and Simone Kellard won the Under 13 Plate competition beating St Mary’s Calne 6-2 in the final.
Fencing Luke Jones came 14th out of the 108 registered fencers for the Junior Épée event at the British Public School Fencing Championships. Luke won eight of his eleven fights but was eventually knocked out by a member of the British Fencing Squad 15-10. Luke came third at the South East fencing championships in the Under 16 Épée event which meant he was one of four South East regional fencers who qualified for the British Fencing Championships in Sheffield in May.
REIGATE & BANSTEAD YOUNG SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR 2015 Third Form student Owen Knowles, has won the Young Sportsperson of the Year 2015 for the Reigate & Banstead district and goes through to the Surrey Sports Awards in December.
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Top Co-Educational Day School in Surrey Daily Telegraph 2015
This summer’s public examination results have seen RGS placed as the top co-educational school in Surrey for the second consecutive year. The Daily Telegraph’s league tables also put RGS in the top six co-educational schools in the country. The Sunday Times’ Parent Power listings positioned RGS as the top co-educational school in Surrey in 2014 and 2015.
A Level Record Results Secure Top University Places
STUDENTS CELEBRATE GCSE RESULTS
A remarkable year was topped by summer 2015’s public exam results. A Level results with 93 per cent of grades at A* to B have once again placed Reigate Grammar School in the ‘premier league’ of UK schools. This year’s A Level grades were the best results ever achieved by RGS students with more grades an A* or A than every other grade put together. 98 per cent of RGS leavers gained a place at their university of choice from a cohort of 125 students.
where he secured a bronze medal as one of the four-strong UK Biology Olympiad team, 18 year old Rhys Thomson gained five A* grades. Madeleine Fisher, Laura Upstone and Emma Findlater all secured four A* grades. England Hockey star Harriet Mitchell returned from competing for her country to discover she had gained three A grades at A Level and will now take up her unconditional place at Birmingham University whilst still pursuing her international Hockey career.
For the third year running every RGS student who applied to medical school was successful and all 15 students with an offer from Oxford or Cambridge University took up their place. Having recently returned from competing in Belgium,
Laura Upstone, Isobel Richards and Lucy Donovan were amongst students who did not drop a single mark in an A Level exam. Laura and Isobel achieved 100 per cent in Art and Lucy 100 per cent in both History and Art.
“For the third year running, every RGS student who applied to Medical school was successful and all 15 holding offers from Oxford or Cambridge took up their place.”
Hot on the heels of record A Level results, 2015’s GCSE results were once again exceptional. RGS students secured a 100 per cent pass rate at GCSE with over 93 per cent of grades at A* to B. Reigatians were consistently successful this year with the average score higher than 10 A grades per student. The majority of students secured more than 5 A* grades each, a truly remarkable achievement. George Colvin, Charles Lee, Jenny Strange and William Tuckwell are amongst RGS students who scored an A* grade for every single subject. Year 9 twins Theo and Francesa Petitt both gained an A* in GCSE Maths despite sitting the exam a year early.
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A FOND FAREWELL FROM OUR STUDENT HEADS OF SCHOOL UK BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD MEDAL WINNER Sixth Form biologist Rhys Thomson won a bronze medal as part of the four-strong UK Biology Olympiad team competing in Belgium this summer. Following a gruelling week of practical and theoretical examinations, Rhys received his medal during the closing ceremony. His selection as part of the UK team confirms his status as one of the best four young biologists in the country. “The International Biology Olympiad brings together over 240 of the best young biologists from around the world. We are delighted for our students who proved once again that the UK educates some of the brightest biologists in the world!” Rachel Lambert-Forsyth, director of education and training at the Royal Society of Biology
A record 6,189 students took part in the first round of the British Biology Olympiad. Medal winners including the UK team members attended an awards ceremony at the Royal Institution in July to celebrate their achievements. The UK team then had a busy few weeks preparing for the IBO with training at the Natural History Museum, Kew Gardens and the University of Warwick before flying to Denmark.
“The friends, memories and experiences we have had here will shape our future, and have paved the way for the rest of our lives.” The people here are our best friends. They are the people we have turned to, the people we have laughed with and the people who we will all remember for the rest of our lives. Even if we might not still see each other every day, we will never forget the times we have shared and the memories we’ve made. During our time here, we have often turned to teachers for advice and without their care and support, I doubt we would look back so fondly on our time here. They have helped us when we have been struggling, looked out for us when needed, always doing their best to ensure we have been successful in the classroom and happy beyond it. However, no feeling of happiness could compare with our experiences this year. Being chosen as Head Boy and Head Girl has been both an honour and a privilege. It truly has been the pinnacle of all things that have ensued throughout our time at RGS, and it means so much to us that we have been able to represent such a fantastic and amazing group of people. You are all amazing people, in your own individual ways, and our experience really has been such a pleasure because of you all.
Our times at RGS do not end as we leave. Whichever path we follow, we will always have this school in common. We will never forget it. It is a part of us, and the people of RGS have made all of that possible. We came to this school as children. And we will all leave as adults. As we say our final words to you all, we’d like to leave you with this quote from Invictus, by William Ernest Henley: ‘It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul’. Thank you all so much for the support you have given us throughout the last seven years.
Dannie Harris and James Taylor Head Girl and Head Boy 2014-2015
RGS Hartswood Sports Ground
Catch Up Online As this newsletter illustrates, RGS is an action-packed school with a wealth of news and activities happening around the clock. To keep up to date, visit our website or join in with RGS online:
facebook.com/reigategrammarschool
Follow our news and views on Twitter: Headmaster @rgsheadmaster
RGS Chemistry @RGSChem
RGS Maths @RGSMaths
RGS Sport @RGSSport
RGS Williamson @RGS_Williamson
Reigate Grammar @ReigateGrammar
RGS Economics @RGSEconomics1
RGS Music @rgs_music
RGS Classics @ClassicsRGS
RGS Ultimate @RGSUltimate
RGS Careers @RGSCareers
RGS English @RGSEnglish
RGS Physics @RGSPhysicsDept
RGS Geography @RGSGeography
RGS Weather @RGSweather
RGS Computing @rgsComputing
RGS Drama @RGSDrama
RGS First Form @RGSfirstform
RGS Trips @RGSTrips
RGS Rugby @ReigateGSrugby
RGS Art Department @RGSArtDept
RGS History @RGSHist
RGS Lower School @RGSLowerSchool
RGS Bird @RGS_Bird
RGS Cricket @RGScricket
RGS Biology @BioRGS
RGS Politics Dept @RGS_Pols
RGS Foundation @foundationRGS
RGS Cranston @RGS_Cranston
RGS Modern Languages @RGSLanguages
RGS Business @RGSBusiness
RGS Library @RGSlib
RGS DofE @RGSdofe
RGS Hodgson @RGS_Hodgson
Reigate Grammar School, Reigate Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0QS 01737 222231 info@reigategrammar.org
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