11 minute read
SCHOOL NEWS
from The Reigatian 2021
by RGS
SCHOOL NEWS
Reigate Grammar School’s Combined Cadet Force won the Most Outstanding Service Personnel in Lockdown (Group). The school was honoured to be the only CCF unit shortlisted in the Armed Forces Community Lockdown Awards – run in association with the Invictus Games Foundation. Contingent Commander, Lieutenant Andy Pruvost (RGS staff 2019-present) said, “I’m incredibly proud of our contingent. They are a pleasure to work with and deserve this recognition.”
The RGS CCF has had an incredible year. For the first time in the history of the school we opened CCF to the Second Form, with 20 young cadets joining the contingent. We are also one of the only CCF units in the country, to have both First Sea Lord Cadet (Chief Petty Officer, Esther W) and Lord Lieutenant Cadet (Company Sergeant Major Charlie B).
Without a doubt, RGS CCF is a flagship for the National CCF. With a summer camp in Gibraltar and a winter camp in Canada being planned, who wouldn’t want to be part of the CCF? We cannot wait to see what the future has to offer! Above: (l-r) back row: Deputy Head, Dr Stones (RGS staff 2013-present), Max W, Jack R, Mr McCarten (RGS staff 2017-present), front row Miss C Gill (RGS staff 2021-present), Miss P Lewty (RGS staff 2016-present)
CYBER SCHOOL OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Computer Science department was proud to be nominated and shortlisted for a Cyber School of the Year 2021 Award. The awards aim to reward those who are committed to cyber education, innovation, cyber-crime reduction and protecting citizens online. Current Sixth Former, Max W, and former student Jack Roberts (RGS 2013-2020) were both shortlisted in the Cyber Student of the Year category. Both Max and Jack completed their EPQs (Extended Project Qualification) in cyber-related topics.
OUTREACH ELECTIVES
This year the school launched Outreach Electives for the first time for pupils in the Third and Forth Form. This proved tremendously popular and pupils have visited local care homes, primary schools, Stripey Stork and Loveworks.
In October, RGS also launched a programme of masterclasses, to provide enrichment support to Year 5 and Year 6 pupils in local primary schools. Mr Marley (RGS staff 2019-present) ran the Maths masterclass, alongside the Royal Institute, with help from fellow maths teachers and Sixth Form pupils. Miss Lewty (RGS staff 2016-present) ran a Creative Coding class with the help of ICT staff and Sixth Formers (pictured). These have been incredibly well-received and the school has received many emails commenting on how valuable the children found these sessions.
The First Form also spent time creating their own personalised Christmas cards for the Live at Home scheme. Cards were designed, written and posted to a vast number of elderly people living alone in our local community.
ReiMun
The MUN leadership team was delighted to host ReiMUN 25 in person in October, attended by over 200 delegates from schools across the South of England. A day of fruitful debate was chaired by an enthusiastic student leadership team. The guest of honour was James Gater (RGS 1990-1997), who was Secretary General of ReiMUN in 1996 and 1997. James exlained that, as a serving Naval Officer, he has visited 76 of the 193 UN member states. James said, “The capacity to probe, to debate, to call into question others’ views and hold them to account; to haggle, to offend, to gracefully take offence, and to understand whilst not agreeing, are not just techniques for the debating floor, not just things that will get you noticed here. They are the swords and shields of our age.” Mid-way through the Conference, the leadership team staged a mock crisis, in which students were informed that a coalition of the Taliban, China, Pakistan and Iran had invaded Israel with the aim of creating the State of Palestine. Troops (thanks to the CCF!) lined the Sports Hall to maintain order and delegates were asked to arrive at a peaceful resolution. Congratulations to all students for their enthusiasm and commitment! JUNIOR ReiMUN: In May, RGS held its fifth annual Junior ReiMUN Conference on Microsoft Teams, with over 120 delegates and advisors from across the UK taking part. Sixth Formers, Steven C and Piya P held the roles of Secretaries General. The team spent months in contact with other schools, writing resolutions on a myriad of topical debates, such as de-radicalisation and colonisation of the Moon. Workshops included How to write a UN Resolution and How to Chair a UN Committee, before delegates began debating.
CRICKETING SUCCESS!
Reigate Grammar School is delighted to be included in The Cricketer Schools Guide 2022 for the sixth year running. To feature in this 156-page supplement, schools submit entries, which are judged against a set of criteria, which includes a compelling commitment to cricket in the curriculum, facilities, fixture programmes and coaching. Also considered, was how schools kept the game alive during the pandemic, and how they look to ensure cricket remains a central part of school life.
We are also thrilled to announce that three students, Emily B, Lily F and Rosie F have been selected for the Surrey girls’ Emerging Player Group (EPG) programme. This enhanced training programme is for players deemed to have high potential, who have stood out within their county age group squad, and provides additional coaching and resources to further aid their development. Only nine girls were selected, so RGS represents a third of the group!
MUSIC
We are delighted to report that a full complement of live music-making returned to RGS in 2021. Ensemble rehearsals have been in full flight, with 27 sessions (in excess of twenty-two hours) a week, as pupils eagerly prepare for a variety of performances and events.
Informal concerts have taken place in the Recital Room, giving students the chance to perform to small audiences.
In November, RGS ensembles returned to Dorking Halls for the first time since 2019. For many of our musicians, this was their first live concert as RGS students. A member of the First Form choir wrote, “I felt quite nervous on the day, but I knew it was going to be amazing. I felt very proud to be representing the school... I could feel the vibrations of the drums flowing through my body, my favourite part was the drum solo – it took my breath away. I felt very proud when we were singing and, when we finished, everyone clapped... I don’t think the night could have gone better. The music was brilliant, the songs were amazing, the atmosphere was fantastic. I enjoyed listening and watching everyone and I loved being part of the choir.”
The Music department is a hive of activity. Keep up-to-date with the latest news by following @rgs_music on Twitter and enjoy a wealth of recordings via the RGS Music channel on YouTube.
ART, PHOTOGRAPHY AND DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
The Second Form art club has been exploring new materials, techniques, and processes. They produced a dry point etching of natural forms, thinking about ways to ink up, choosing different colours and printing onto marbled papers which they created themselves. The Photography department, inspired by artist Olafur Eliasson, set up three coloured lights in the dark room and had people pose against a white background to create colourful shadows and shapes, exploring how distance affected sharpness and distortion. In the autumn term, DT students embraced newly installed Blender software. This means complex organic shapes can be produced quickly and enables photorealistic renders of the final form. In many cases, this can be outputted to the newly acquired 3D printers.
DRAMA
The RGS Drama department began 2021 with a sense of optimism and endeavour, combining new streaming and online abilities with in-person performance. RGS Live continued, showcasing highlights from past productions. We introduced RGS Masterclass – live, online workshops led by former students and friends from the theatre industry. In the summer, RGS Drama took over the Headmaster’s garden with a full-scale junior production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Featuring over a hundred Second and Third Formers, the show included live music, acrobatics and brilliant storytelling. The autumn term saw an extraordinary production of Oliver!. Brought up to date with a contemporary twist, the production featured nearly 90 on-stage performers, with 30 more behind the scenes. The cast stepped up to the challenge of entertaining sold-out audiences over six performances, leading to standing ovations each night. Visit rgsdrama.net.
SPORT
Reigate Grammar School has continued to focus on two key pillars of sport: engagement sport and performance sport. While not mutually exclusive, engagement sport is our pathway to involve, inspire and support pupil participation, while the performance sport pathway aims to develop athletes to be the best they can be at a competitive level. There are over 50 sports clubs each week with more than half of students having taken part in 2021.
RGS was again recognised in the Top 100 Cricket Schools in the Country by the Cricketer Magazine. In rugby, the 1st XV produced fantastic results – only losing one fixture in the autumn term. The U14 team won every Saturday fixture and reached the last 16 of the School Sports Magazine national competition. In hockey, students enjoyed specialist coaching, with many gaining successful entry to the England Hockey Player Pathway programme. Netball continues to go from strength-to-strength with four pupils selected for Super league franchises – a school record! We have also had several successes, in both swimming and biathlon competitions.
RGS INTERNATIONAL
The RGS International team at the signing ceremony hosted by Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long and First Secretary Tran Huong Ly
A global epidemic isn’t the best time to enter complex international negotiations, but despite delays and disruptions, wrought by Covid, Reigate Grammar School International has succeeded in establishing a new educational partnership in Vietnam. It is the first of its type between a British school and Vietnam.
An official signing ceremony took place at the Vietnamese Embassy in London in September 2021, hosted by Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long and First Secretary Tran Huong Ly.
Joining this special event live from Vietnam was the British Consul General for Vietnam, Emily Hamblin, and our new partners, led by Chairman, Bich Thuy Mai.
In his opening speech, Ambassador Long said: “Education is a very important pillar of cooperation between the two countries… this is a flagship project and an example for others to follow.”
Consul General, Emily Hamblin, stressed: “This is a milestone moment for our UK-Vietnam education partnership. We are celebrating the first UK independent school to have a franchise and trademark in Vietnam. High-quality education is needed now more than ever.”
The International School of Vietnam (ISV), in Hanoi, is a not-for-profit establishment that caters for children from pre-kindergarten to Sixth Form and serves both the international and local communities.
Founded nine years ago, under the terms of the agreement, ISV will be renamed Reigate Grammar School Vietnam. A strong IGCSE and A level programme will accompany the current International Baccalaureate.
Mai Bich Thuy, Chairman of ISV, said: “We believe that this cooperation will open up many learning opportunities, allowing our students to grow, thereby laying the foundation for them to enter world-class universities.”
On signing, Sean Davey, Managing Director of RGS International, highlighted that there were also plans to open an international Sixth Form college in the city in 2023 and, potentially, a third school soon after. He said: “This is a great opportunity for us and it is a privilege to be able to take the outstanding education that RGS provides into a fascinating and vibrant part of Asia.”
Reigate Grammar School Vietnam will now join a family of RGS schools, here in the UK, in China and Morocco. At RGS, we relish the fact that all of us – our students and the whole Reigatian community – are part of a global family.
In his closing address, RGS Headmaster, Shaun Fenton, said: “It is a great honour to embark on a special journey to make this world better through the children in our care. Today we lay a founding stone for a global village and we prepare a bridge of understanding. We break down the walls of ignorance and prejudice and offer a hand of friendship instead. This partnership between RGSI and ISV is a blend of excellence. Together we can create a new paradigm and a stronger version of international education. Every great journey starts with a single step.”
The team at Reigate Grammar School Vietnam
