THE
Bulletin
ISSUE 233
FROM THE HEADMASTER
I have always believed in the importance of the eccentric and the idiosyncratic in bringing colour into all our lives; individuality truly enriches any group. As a community it is only right that we have shared values and shared goals, that we take pride in who we are and what we stand for. And yet, it is the richness of personalities in any one environment which provides the all-important vibrancy. This arguably is never more important than during the seemingly endless grey, dull days of January when conversation is dominated by talk of illness and the weather, and we all need the injection of a bit of brightness and energy. The RGS has always celebrated the power of the individual. After all, if you walk in the footprints of others, you will never make any of your own. Ambitious aspirations and being willing to follow one’s own passions and dreams are characteristics which allow an already talented group of students and staff to raise the bar of achievement even higher. The self-esteem and self-confidence of each individual – stemming from the foundations of a supportive, nurturing environment – mean our students are happy and at ease with themselves. This, in turn, allows them to express themselves, wherever their path leads them, with honesty and integrity, and with a smile on their faces. Old Guildfordian, actor and comedian Terry Jones is just one example of someone who certainly made footprints, footprints which in no small way contributed to a legacy which I genuinely believe still rings true. Terry was a phenomenally talented student as his Valete in The Guildfordian celebrates: School Captain, House Captain, various academic prizes for English Literature, full School Colours for rugby and captain of the 1st XV, chairman of the Debating Society and the English Society, editor of the School Magazine, to name just a few highlights. And yet, Terry epitomised the RGS spirit whereby he took what he did seriously, but he didn’t take himself too seriously.
“
We have shared values and shared goals; we take pride in who we are and what we stand for.
”
In Terry’s foreword to the RGS oral history he speaks of “a treasure trove of colourful and often hilarious details and anecdotes” from those interviewed which “cannot hide the affection which most of us have for the old place!” His memories of the RGS sparkle with personality, “Which headmaster, for instance, called in a graphologist to discover which boys had scrawled graffiti in the school lavatories? Which famous pop musician held a mass burning of caps on Top Court? Which year did the ink wells freeze up in the Old School?” As Terry’s final words to this foreword state: “I hope you enjoy this memorial of what is, when all is said and done, a magical place.” Other such examples abound. Ron Smoothey was appointed to the Art Department in 1947. As the School History notes, “By any stretch of the imagination he was truly a free spirit.” This flamboyant newcomer once, in a painting class, “erupted into a rage” after a disagreement between the students as to who should have the best brushes. Taking a two-inch decorator’s paintbrush, he proceeded to paint a spectacular seascape and sunset. A student commented, “We were spellbound… learning a lesson for life – with a bit of determined application, the apparently impossible can be entirely achievable.” The students adopted this mindset and, mimicking the Hollywood strapline Glorious Technicolour, adopted the mantra Glorious Smoothey Colour. So, as the drab days of January finally draw to a close, let us all take the opportunity to embrace and celebrate our own individuality and personality, and bring that little bit of glorious Smoothey colour and sparkle into the lives of others.
“
if you walk in the footprints of others, you will never make any of your own.
”
FORTHCOMING EVENTS Thursday 1 February Lower Sixth Form Oxbridge Seminar in the Auditorium. Tuesday 6 February RGS Scholarship Conference 2024 on the theme of Breaking Boundaries in the Seminar Room. Wednesday 7 February RGS Musician of the Year – 25th anniversary special – in the Recital Room. Thursday 8 February Second Form Parents’ Evening takes place online. Monday 12 February Half term begins.
WHAT’S ON? CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS
JOIN US TOMORROW!
CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS
THE GALLERY
LATEST NEWS
4000 CHARACTERS This essay competition, part of our Scholarship for All programme, challenges our Lower Sixth Form students to write an essay of no more than 4000 characters, including spaces. This mirrors the strict character limit of the UCAS personal statement, which almost all students will have to write as part of their university applications. The inspiration for this year’s competition was the adage, Don’t judge a book by its cover. Entries ranged from indepth character analyses of notable individuals whose life stories revealed far more than personal appearances may suggest, to carefully researched discussions of inventions that have had an impact far beyond their original remit. The submissions also included several more philosophical pieces reminding us of the importance of looking beyond initial impressions. The joint winners were Marcus Woodhouse and Raul Murphy; Highly commended were Dan Wright and Tom Dowson.
UNIVERSITY OFFERS With the UCAS application deadline about to close and offer-making in full swing, our Upper Sixth Form continue to receive significant numbers of offers for some of the most competitive courses from the leading universities in the country. To date just under 400 offers have been received including large numbers from Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Nottingham, Southampton and Warwick (all of whom tend to offer throughout the process) and growing numbers from Durham, Edinburgh, Imperial, and UCL (all of whom traditionally wait until close to the UCAS deadline before starting to make offers). It is also encouraging to see all of our Medics, Vets and Dentists being invited to multiple interviews. Recent focus has been on Oxbridge outcomes and we are delighted to have received 29 Oxbridge offers: 18 for Cambridge and 11 for Oxford – the most offers since 2016/2017. Of particular note is our conversion rate of 55% from interviews to offers and an overall application-to-offer rate of 44% which would place us among the very highest performing schools and colleges in the country. The range of courses is also pleasingly eclectic – from Design to Music, Archaeology to Engineering, Law to PPE, Classics to Natural Sciences. To place these results in context, the admissions landscape has changed significantly over the last seven years, not least in the number of applicants to Oxford and Cambridge which has risen from approximately 34,000 to 46,000. We also are very proud of those students who were, unfortunately, not successful in their application: they should all be phenomenally proud of the way they conducted themselves – working collaboratively, challenging themselves academically, and handling themselves throughout the process with integrity and maturity.
SPORTS NEWS
CHESS Our 1st VI had a good win in a nail-biter against Sutton Grammar School, finally winning by 3½ –2½; Magnus Borissow and Rohan McCauley won their games. They followed this up with a 6 – 0 victory at Reed’s School in the first knock-out round of the National Schools Chess Championship to progress to their regional semi-final next month. The 2nd VI recorded a 6 – 6 draw against Hampton School with Sebastian Allam and Aditya Sengupta winning both their games, while the 3rd VI achieved the same 6 – 6 scoreline despite being, effectively, 0 - 4 down having only travelled with four players due to sickness. On an individual level, Aditya Sengupta competed in an ECF Swiss Rapid Rated U18 Tournament and managed to claim the top spot out of 30 entrants.
FOOTBALL
FENCING
Highlights of the last fortnight have included wins for the senior two XIs against Christ’s Hospital and also Sutton Grammar School, with Kian Moodley scoring in consecutive games for the 1st XI and Oscar de Gentile-Williams getting a brace for the 2nd XI.
In the Leon Paul BRC Junior (U20) Foil, Xavier Wallin came 8th out of 42 fencers. In the Surrey Youth Epee (U18), Ben Kamstra finished as Bronze medallist.
CROSS-COUNTRY In the Surrey Schools Cross-Country Championships, RGS students achieved notable success. In particular, at Under 13 level, Sam Foster came in first place to be crowned Surrey Champion, thereby qualifying to run for English Schools in the County Championship. In the Junior Boys, Hugo Wilson finished in 14th position to qualify for a special training camp and two further races.
HOCKEY Highlights of the full block fixture against Churcher’s College included a 3 – 2 win for the 1st XI, with an open-play goal from Zac Tinkler, a penalty corner from Peter Jansen, and a brilliant goal from debutant George Wilson. In addition the Under 15 and Under 14 teams secured a clean sweep of victories. Unfortunately, the block fixture against St George’s College Weybridge fell foul of the heavy frost with only four fixtures surviving. RGS teams across the age groups have been busy in the various Cup competitions, highlight of which was an excellent 4 – 2 win for the Under 16As against Charterhouse School.
SHOOTING At Epsom College the RGS team put their Grouping, Rapid and Snap skills to the test, having been practising for the Country Life this term. The eight performed phenomenally well, out of a possible score of 760 the RGS achieved 706 comfortably beating Epsom’s 611. Shreyas Pasarkar earned the joint highest score of the day; Adam Zhang and Josh Jacobs secured the maximum possible scores in Grouping and Rapid along with Shreyas. The Epsom four made it a slightly closer contest with a final score of 341 out of a possible 380, but the RGS just beat them to the win with 343.
MEET OUR… Heads of Year / Section
Mr MF Baggs
Mr JC Witts
Head of Lower School
Head of Middle School
Mr I Wilkes Head of First Form
Mr MRF Royds Head of Upper School
Miss GE Spencer
Mr M Bailey
Head of Second Form
Head of Third Form
Mr J Marchiafava
Mr WHN Spouge
Head of Fifth Form
Head of Lower Sixth
FOLLOW US ON…
Mr AC Dodd Head of Fourth Form
Mr JDN Lythgoe Head of Upper Sixth