THE
Bulletin
ISSUE 229
FROM THE HEADMASTER
As the poet Robert Laurence Binyon wrote in his poem entitled For the Fallen, published in The Times on 21st September 1914, and now synonymous with the spirit of remembrance: “They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.” The School provides enduring memorials to ensure we will, indeed, remember them. The board in Big School, individually names the 58 Old Guildfordians who tragically lost their lives between 1914 – 18; a further 96 are recorded on the board commemorating 1939 – 45 in the same historic location. In addition to these very visible records, our annual Remembrance Service provides the opportunity for the School to come together to acknowledge our debt to those who served in the World Wars and in recent conflict, and to reflect upon their sacrifices. This sense of connection becomes ever more important. As the First World War becomes increasingly ancient history for our students and as the number of survivors of that period dwindle, it is all the more critical that our young people understand the significance of the act of remembrance. This message was powerfully brought home by the crosses which were placed on the front lawn. 58 crosses represented each one of our Old Guildfordians who died in the First World War: the youngest being just 19. These crosses depicted individuals who, as I articulated at our service, “walked the same corridors as you; had the same dreams and aspirations as you; and whose loss of life was a source of devastation for their friends, families and the School alike.” To recognise the link between generations, the name and age of those who died was handwritten on each cross by a current RGS student.
“
…walked the same corridors as you; had the same dreams and aspirations as you.
”
Against the context of terrible suffering, loss of life and humanitarian crises, as the result of conflict, which dominates our news at the moment, the desire for peace could not be more pertinent. As Lower Sixth Form student George Christiansen, who delivered the address, concluded, “Tragically, as we all know only too well, the First World War was not the war to end all wars. But through silence and remembrance the fallen live on, and with their memory endures their hope that one day we may all live in peace.” A moving and very personal service proved thought provoking and emotive for students, staff and Old Guildfordians alike. Despite the famous lines quoted above, it is perhaps the lesser known parts of the same poem by Binyon, however, which resonate for us as a school. The poet notes the youthful tragedy of the war losses: “They went with songs to the battle, they were young, straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.” This only serves to make the impact of their deaths all the more acute: “They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; they sit no more at familiar tables of home.” As the boards in Big School commemorate and as Binyon said, “We will remember them.”
INCLUSIVITY SCHOLARSHIP INTEGRITY
RESPECT COURAGE COLLABORATION
OUR VALUES
SCHOOL PRIORITIES 2022-2025
Our current RGS school development priorities are Diversity and Inclusion, Collaboration, and Student Experience and Equality. These priorities run on a three-year cycle.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION We are focusing on four areas: staff collaboration to develop and improve teaching and learning; sharing best practice between RGS and RGS Prep; co-educational opportunities and links for our students socially and academically; and linking with our international schools to provide students with cultural and academic exchange opportunities.
COLLABORATION This is an area of continual development; however, our current focuses are on student appearance; the reporting process; academic tracking and reporting; co-curricular participation; literacy; pastoral support; reviewing the Sixth Form curriculum provision; and effective use of student devices and the possibilities that AI offers.
STUDENT EXPERIENCE We have focused on student and staff voice, as well as experienced external providers, to inform our strategy which is currently centred around staff diversity; developing a more inclusive curriculum; and providing additional training and support for staff and students with the aim of making our whole community more tolerant and inclusive.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS Monday 20 November: A Level Options Evening is in Great Hall for the current Fifth Form. Tuesday 21 November: Fourth Form Parents Evening takes place online. Wednesday 22 November: Careers in Finance Seminar is held in the Auditorium. Thursday 23 November: Ensembles Concert takes place in the Auditorium. All welcome. Friday 24 November: Collection points will be located at all entrances to the School in the morning for donations for the tombola for the RGS Christmas Fair. Please see the letter from Mrs Rathmell for further details. Tuesday 28 November: First Form Parents Evening takes place in Great Hall. Wednesday 29 November: Orchestral Concert is in Holy Trinity Church. All welcome. .
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THE GALLERY
LATEST NEWS ILA/ORIS PRESENTATION EVENING
ILA/ORIS
For many students in the Sixth Form, their ILA (Independent Learning Assignment) or ORIS (Original Research in Science) independent research project represents one of the high points in their academic journey at the RGS. Speaking on a diverse range of topics from historically informed musical performance to hypersonic missiles, and from the failure of the built environment in the Parisian suburbs to the role of economic networks in successful business management, the standard throughout was exceptionally high. The calibre of underlying academic research was evident. However, what was perhaps even more impressive was the fact that all of the students were also able to present their ideas with such confidence and eloquence in front of a sizeable audience. After prolonged deliberations, the judges announced Shrey Bijlani and Jasper Morris as deserving winners in the STEM and Arts/ Humanities categories respectively. Shrey’s ORIS project at the University of Bristol investigated pain processing in the spinal cord of rats, while Jaspar’s ILA explored the influence of Classics upon the white supremacist movement.
KING’S LECTURE For this term’s prestigious King’s Lecture, we welcomed Angellica Bell back to the RGS, eight years after she fronted a feature on The One Show about the School’s involvement in the 1991 Juno space mission when the RGS was the first school to make radio contact with Dr Helen Sharman, Britain’s first astronaut on the Mir space station. Angellica interviewed former member of staff, Frank Bell who was in charge of the RGS’s Radio Club, as well as two original members of the club. Angellica delivered a fascinating talk entitled The Path to Authenticity and spoke about her belief that you have to be true to your own personality, values and spirit regardless of the pressure that you may come under – whether that be from peers, work colleagues or even strangers to act otherwise. She spoke about the experiences in her life which taught her to try and be the very best version of herself and the different tools she has used to help her achieve that. A glittering TV and radio career, she has realised that through thick and thin, learning to say no, accepting you cannot please everyone and sticking to your own values mean ultimately you have a more centred and more mindful existence.
LATEST NEWS MODEL UNITED NATIONS
MUSIC
Approximately 190 students from the RGS and twelve other schools came to our annual MUN Conference. Numerous complicated and controversial topics were debated, including: cultural erosion arising from globalisation; the issue of antibiotic resistance; teaching religious education in schools; and the global illegal arms trade. Our students conducted themselves admirably, taking the topics seriously whilst also embodying the School’s values of scholarship, respect, courage and collaboration. Numerous RGS students won Highly Commended and Outstanding awards; all students, however, can be proud of their participation and conduct.
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, has stood as place of worship and prayer for almost 900 years and was the imposing setting for our choir to sing Evensong. George Dyson’s fantastic setting of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in D major creates a sense of exaltation and this was certainly captured by the exciting performance given by the choir, who were on exceptional form. The chosen anthem Save us, O Lord, one of Edward Bairstow’s best-loved works, provided a moment of quiet reflection. The broad and expansive melodic lines were deftly handled by all sections of the choir alike, who maintained both technical control and sense of poise throughout the outer sections, whilst conveying a sense of anticipation and energy in the central fugal passage.
MODEL UNITED NATIONS
SPORTS NEWS
BIATHLON A team of students from the First and Second Forms competed in the GHS Biathlon Qualifier event. Each athlete completes a swim and a run and is awarded points for each based on their times; their points are totalled to determine their finishing position. Of particular note, First Form student William Browne came second; in the Second Form, Cillian Lee finished third and Jake Mills-Hicks, Hugo Wilson and Jack Jamieson came fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.
CHESS Three RGS teams travelled to Hampton to try to compete with the rather formidable home of the current national champions. Our 1st VI came away with a good win against Hampton’s 2nd VI – well done to Magnus Borissow (U6), Ronit Sachdeva (5A) and James Guo (3E) for winning their games. Our 2nd and 3rd VIs were beaten by Hampton’s 3rd and 4th VIs but did put up a good fight in many of the games – special mentions to James Fenwick (L6) for winning both of his games on debut, as well as Damin Lee (3R) and Marcus Rolton (2E) for staying undefeated on their debuts.
CROSS-COUNTRY In torrential rain, mud and high winds. our junior team ran in the latest round of the ESAA Cup. Sam Foster (1L) came fourth in a tough field, shortly followed by Hugo Wilson (2R) in tenth. Our first runner in for the Inter team was Eddie Wilson (4N) in 18th. In the Waverley and Guildford Schools Cross-Country Trials, despite slippery underfoot conditions, RGS runners impressed. In particular, in the Under 13 race, Sam Foster (1L) came in first place and in the Inter race, Eddie Wilson (4N) finished fourth.
FOOTBALL The 1st XI was back in floodlit action at Surrey Sports Park as they recorded a 4 – 2 win against Gordon’s School with two goals from Hayden Christian (U6) and one each from Charlie Walker (U6) and Fi Adeoshun (5P).
KICK-BOXING Joshua Ducker (1E) won a gold medal in the Hands-Down Inter-Club Martial Arts Tournament, a national kickboxing competition, in the 11 – 14 novice category. This was Joshua’s first kickboxing competition.
FENCING In the Leon Paul Under 14 Foil Open Lucas Ngai (2E) finished as Bronze medallist and is currently fourth in the Under 14 England Ranking: an incredible achievement.
RUGBY The RGS rugby season resumed with 18 teams taking the field in near perfect conditions. Our junior teams enjoyed a closely-contested block with Reading Blue Coat School before teams in the Middle and Senior school produced a series of high-quality performances in the Reed's School block, in which our teams won all but one of the matches. Of particular note, the 1st XV secured a 24 – 9 victory while the Under 16As continued their outstanding home record with a 52 – 10 win.
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