WGS Spring Bulletin 2023

Withington Girls’ School’s two weeks of wellbeing returned for 2023 with a full roster of activities designed to enable all in the school community to focus on personal development; reflect on what makes us fulfilled and well; try out new ideas and activities; make connections across the Withington community and, most importantly, have fun together.

In addition to the more traditional elements of health and self-care such as focusing on physical activity and healthy eating, pupils could explore aspects such as self-understanding, decision making, spiritual and cultural awareness, and social development and collaboration, through whole school activities or dedicated time to focus on their own journey. Continued...

HEAD’S LINES...

Dear Readers

A very warm welcome to our Spring Bulletin. We hope you will enjoy reading of the wide range of endeavour, achievement, great teamwork and fun which has characterised this second term of the academic year at Withington.

The Spring Term began back in January and concluded at the end of March by which time our pupils and staff, supported by Withington parents and the wider school community, have sustained the very best that our school makes possible in all areas from our learning and teaching to our activities beyond the classroom, including an abundance of enhancing co-curricular programmes and projects, partnership work and charitable fundraising. We have also very much enjoyed meeting our new pupils and their families who will be joining us at Withington in September, it has been a pleasure getting to know them.

As you will see here in our Bulletin, our ethos at Withington is very much one of the importance of developing the skills and attitudes our pupils need to be effective lifelong learners, and to make a positive contribution to their school and to the world beyond. To that end, the opportunities and experiences here and curriculum in its widest sense are exceptional.

Just this term our pupils have taken part in numerous extension and extra-curricular activities ranging from workshops, trips and competitions connected to their subjects, to House activities, alumnae events, sports tournaments, including success in national trophies, musical recitals and concerts, drama and LAMDA showcases, debating, Model United Nations, including three outstanding conference wins, and Young Enterprise in which our team received a ‘Best Customer Service Award’.

...Head’s Lines, continued...

The Spring Musical Showcase was a wonderfully uplifting evening in which pupils from across the school took part and the sheer quality, breadth and enjoyment of music at Withington was evident for all to see and share.

Following the restrictions of the last few years, we can without doubt say that our programme of trips is back to full strength with our Juniors and Seniors enjoying fantastic day trips and residentials, which have included trips to Paris, to Spain, to Bath, to the First World War Battlefields of France and Belgium, and our ever popular Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.

This term has also seen Withington highlights, Feel Fab Feb and Culture Day, with our focus on personal development, wellbeing and community; our partnership programme Shine Together which has seen Saturday courses continue for its sixteenth year; Withington’s first Iftar which was a very special evening of friendship and community, and raised an inspiring £32,000 for the WGS Bursary Fund; our PTA Spring Fair as enjoyable as ever, bringing pupils, parents and staff together for a fun morning which raised over £5,000, a new record for this event; and an outstanding £5,800 for various charitable causes raised by our pupils with the support of their teachers. Many thanks indeed to all in the Withington community for supporting these events which are beneficial in so many ways - your support is very much appreciated by us all.

Summer Term will soon be with us and there is much to look forward to. We wish our Year 11 and 13 pupils all the very best for their examinations. And our annual celebration of the life of our school, Founders’ Day, takes place in May when the WGS community comes together to celebrate our Year 13 and all that has been achieved in the past year. The final weeks of term will see the muchanticipated WGS productions of Mary Poppins and Sister Act. Until then I wish you a most enjoyable break and send you best wishes from all at Withington.

With best regards

MRS SARAH HASLAM Headmistress

Activities for discussion and reflection included informative assemblies on mental health and digital wellbeing which addressed the importance of switching off from devices and saw the launch of a new online pastoral hub. We were also delighted to host our second Faith Panel as part of Feel Fab Feb with the focus this year being on faith, empathy and understanding others. We were joined by four experienced speakers and faith practitioners: Rabbi Zvi Gefen, Imam Umair Tayyab, Sharon Cavad and Dr Anna Maynard.

Miss Diana Bruce, Head of Religious Studies, said: “Our students asked challenging questions to the panellists about how their faith influenced their ability to be empathetic and if empathy was innate or learnt. It was a real joy to be able to spend a lunchtime reflecting on these key messages from major world religions about the treatment of others and the students who attended showed great respect and interest. Thank you again to our four guests for giving their time and wisdom.”

Artistic pursuit was encouraged with opportunities to take part in a mindfulness art walk around the field to uncover the simplicity and beauty of nature. There was also a whole school art project that invited pupils to illustrate a thumb print marking with what makes them unique. The WGS Garagebands put on a gig to raise money for the nominated Feel Fab Feb charities: Young Minds and The Girls’ Network.

Mr Joe Walsh, Performing Arts Technician and Garageband Manager, explains:

“Garageband started in September 2020. After dodging lockdowns and concert cancellations, it finally got a footing at the start of 2022. This February, as a part of Feel Fab Feb, we put on our first gig in The Studio which went down an absolute storm. Four acts performed a mix of familiar rock and pop tunes.”

The ‘Spoken Word Festival’ offered a warm and welcoming space for participants to share literary and musical influences of significance to them. Each year group had been set a poem to learn such as The Eagle by Lord Tennyson and Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas with many participants electing to perform poems of their choice or specially written pieces. We heard from pupils across the school in Year 7 to Year 13, and staff members who performed poems and songs in many different languages including: Afrikaans, ancient and modern Greek, Arabic, Cantonese, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin.

Dalia Mahmood, Year 7, said:

“The poem that I chose to recite was called ‘Baghdad’, a song by famous Arab poet and singer, Fayrouz. It talks about Baghdad and how majestic it is. For the Festival, I did plenty of preparation and revision so I could give a great performance. This festival was really special as we got to hear

wonderful, cultural poems from around the world. I hope we get to hear more wonderful poems in the coming years.”

Lara Gupta, Year 8, said:

“I have been learning Italian since lockdown and thought this would be a great opportunity to share my love of the Italian language with those around me. The piece I chose, ‘Il Lampo’ by Giovanni Pascoli, is a poem that I have always enjoyed reading and it embraces my Italian culture. On the day it was great fun to hear everyone’s recitals, many in different languages I had never heard before and a huge array of different works too. I wasn’t nervous for my recital and enjoyed the experience and the event tremendously!”

As a community, Withington was pleased to take part in the Manchester Youth Democracy Day. With the theme of ‘starting powerful conversations’, the event was held at the People’s History Museum. Seven Year 9 pupils attended, meeting several other schools from across Greater Manchester to discuss issues facing young people in the city with local councillors and charity representatives.

The three topics that were discussed at length were: improving mental health, improving access to sports and/or clubs for young people, and support for LGBTQ+ students.

Prior to the event, four Withington pupils, who last summer were involved in the #BeeWell campaign, worked on the steering group for the event led by The Politics Project. The pupils put forward their thoughts on what is important to them and their peers, and what they thought should be discussed on the day.

Food was a prevalent theme throughout the fortnight signifying both the importance of nutrition on wellbeing and the role food plays in bringing people and communities together. Year 9 Design Technology and Food and Nutrition pupils delivered a hugely successful pop-up café providing hot drinks and freshly baked tasty snacks at break and before school for Junior pupils and parents. The ‘C³’ concept had been created by the pupils, in addition to specially designed artwork for cups, branded t-shirts and drink stirrers which all culminated in an authentic ‘café culture’ experience, complemented by the seating arrangements and atmospheric music. Over two lunchtimes, Sixth Form leaders of the South Asian Club offered pupils the chance to learn how to make pani puri, a popular Indian delicacy.

Zainab Mazhari, Year 12, Founder of South Asian Society said:

“With Feel Fab Feb came an abundance of opportunities to share and experience different cultures. As Founder of South Asian Society,

I decided to share a bit of culture through food. Pani Puri, Gol Gappe, Puchka and Phuska are so many names for one delicious street snack. I alongside Zaina Ilyas held two pani puri workshops over the course of the fortnight, and both proved to be very successful with many people leaving the food room with happy faces. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Mrs Watson and Ms Da Silva, and I am so grateful for the continued support. In the future South Asian Society hopes to hold many sessions exploring music, films, and languages.”

Caterers, Holroyd Howe, put on a spellbinding lunch on the final day of the fortnight. With the theme of Harry Potter, the dining room was transformed into the Great Hall of Hogwarts, entered by the gate at platform 9¾. A highlight for pupils was the specially decorated ‘Sorting Hat’ cupcakes with hidden icing in the four House colours of Hogwarts which directly match the colours of Withington’s Houses. The value and enjoyment that can be found in physical exercise was evident throughout the two weeks. The daily mile offered pupils a chance to walk, run or jog around the Astro and importantly, get some fresh air, unwind, and boost their mood before afternoon lessons. There were two special netball fixtures that saw the Withington senior team face a strong WGS staff side and Manchester Grammar School Year 13 pupils.

Georgia Campbell, Head Girl, said:

“It was fantastic to host the charity netball match against MGS and we saw an impressive turnout in support of both sides. The boys’ rugby and basketball skills were on full display, and with an MGS goal in the first minute of the match, we started to worry that we were heading for defeat. Luckily for us, we managed to turn things around with some superb shooting and team spirit, eventually leading to a victory of 17-7. Our opponents had never played netball - let alone a full match - before the day’s game, but what they lacked in experience they certainly made up for in enthusiasm and we were definitely all impressed by their performance. Thanks so much to everyone who came to watch and took part - it was such an exciting event for all involved!”

Withington’s pupils were very much at the centre of the planning of Feel Fab Feb with the Student Council and Pupil EDI team at the helm of the project, working with Ms Jen Baylis, Deputy Head Pastoral, and the Pastoral Team. The Student Council and EDI Team are made up of representatives from each form in each year group, as well as the Head Girl Team, and they set out ideas for the events and activities including building on the success of last year’s inaugural Culture Day.

The Pupil EDI team undertook a review of the fortnight and shared what pupils enjoyed most:

The Year 7 group said:

“

Fab Feb is really important as it helps us focus on our mental health and wellbeing. We liked that the activities were about making new friends and trying new things, and it’s helped us all make new friends, not just in Year 7.”

The Year 10 group said:

“

Feel Fab Feb brought our community together for a common cause. We really liked the sing-along in assembly as it was a great way to start the week.”

Dina Taher in Year 13 said:

“The Daily Mile is something that I’m going to incorporate into my everyday routine. Doing it during Feel Fab Feb highlighted the importance of going outside and exercising, even for a short while, and the benefit it will have mentally and physically is rewarding.”

Nanaki Singh in Year 13 said:

“Feel Fab Feb and Culture Day were both so pupil-led, it was inspiring to see our community come together as it did.”

Feel

HAZEL GROVE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Three Withington pupils took part in the Hazel Grove Music Festival on Friday 24th February. Emily Edge, Year 10, won the vocal duet class as well as the musicals singing class, the first time she had performed in this category. Emily came runner up in the classical voice and later won the brass class on the French Horn. Sisters Jennifer and Natalia Mei, Year 13 and Year 9, also won first place for their piano duet. They all performed at the Gala Concert on Saturday 11th March. Congratulations to them on their success!

ART AND ABOUT...

TEXTILE WORKSHOPS

Local artist Sally Craig visited Withington on two occasions during the Spring Term. Sally led a millinery workshop for Year 9 pupils who created floral accessories of all shapes and sizes to embellish small top hats they had made previously. Year 8 pupils learnt several weaving techniques in their workshop and created vibrant designs using season-inspired colours. They will continue to work on these skills next term.

KNIT FOR FRANCIS HOUSE

The WGS Knitting Club had a busy term creating Easter chicks and rabbits for Francis House Children’s Hospice. Each spring, the hospice asks for donations of these creations to fill with chocolate eggs to be sold at Easter to raise funds for the charity’s vital work. Thank you to our pupil, parent and staff knitters who have made such lovely woollen creatures.

LIVERPOOL TRIP

The Art Department took the Year 11 GCSE Art pupils on an exciting and educational trip to Liverpool to visit the Walker and the Liverpool Art Galleries. Both venues provided ample critical and contextual reference material for pupils to collect a wealth of interesting visual recordings in the form of photographs, observational drawings, sketches, etc. All research gathered will be used as preparation work for their examination unit.

The group visited the different exhibitions in the two galleries including the Turner Prize exhibition at Tate Liverpool. They also benefited from a talk by gallery staff on the shortlisted artworks.

CERAMICS WORKSHOP

Year 10 GCSE artists enjoyed a skills workshop with ceramic artist Anastassia Zamaraeva who taught them some clay building and surface pattern techniques that will be useful in the next stage of their coursework when they design and create their own ceramic vessel. Anastassia shared her expertise and useful tips for working with clay, whilst helping pupils create mosaic tiles and vessels with facial features.

PARIS TRIP

Year 13 A Level Art students visited the City of Light to explore the abundant art scene and experience the wealth of visual inspiration on offer in the French capital. As well as visiting the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, there was much inspiration to be sought right across the city. From the grand palatial architecture to the modern industrial exterior of the Centre Pompidou, to the shopping districts that offered independent shops selling ceramics, to the take-over of the Louis Vuitton shop by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.

WHITWORTH VISIT

All of Year 7 visited the Whitworth Art Gallery on Thursday 30th March to enhance their skills, knowledge and understanding of Art and Design. The pupils took part in a two-hour practical workshop creating vibrant and colourful patterns influenced by the ‘Althea McNish: Colour is Mine’ exhibition - the first major retrospective of the first Caribbean designer to achieve international recognition and one of the most influential and innovative textile designers in the UK.

Pupils also enjoyed a gallery talk during which they got a closer look at specific artworks, and there was time for a self-directed tour in small groups around the Gallery. Throughout the visit, pupils sketched and made notes in their sketchbooks, drawing inspiration from around the Gallery.

LATIN AT MAULDETH ROAD

MRS JO HOWLING Head of Classics

PHILOSOPHY VISIT

During the Spring Term, five Year 12 pupils have been teaching Latin at Mauldeth Road Primary School. This is an important partnership project which we have been running for several years and the children there both enjoy and benefit from these lessons which give them a taste of a language they might not otherwise meet and supports their literacy work in Year 5.

Well done to Lorna Abbott, Anushka Acharya, Larissa Karski, Zainab Mazhari and Bella Smart who have been very enthusiastic and have really impressed me with their confidence and natural teaching skills. They gave up their lunchtimes to teach two Year 5 classes. The course was nine lessons long, using the Minimus Latin course as a starting point. The pupils were introduced to vocabulary, grammar and mythological stories. In the final session of the term, the children thoroughly enjoyed created their own Pandora’s Box with the Latin word for hope (spes) at the centre.

Children from Mauldeth Road have commented:

“The staff are excellent. They really help if you’re stuck and they’re just really nice people in general. The lessons teach us a lot and I have learnt a lot of new Latin words.”

“I loved that they were always patient and enthusiastic. I really liked learning Latin.”

“I loved learning about and watching the myths, as well as the last lesson where we learnt numbers and played bingo. Thank you for teaching us.”

“Latin is different. It’s a different language. I’ve never heard anything like it so that’s why it’s an adventure! It’s even better when the people are so friendly and encouraging. I love Latin!”

FLYING AID

Sixth Form Philosophy students were lucky to spend a morning at the Kadampa Meditation Centre in Chorlton, where we met Thonchog. Thonchog is a monk at the centre who spoke to us about fundamental Buddhist beliefs, which we are studying as part of our A Level course. Thonchog led us in a short meditation and explained that he meditates numerous times a day. Students looked at the shrine and were fascinated that there were offerings to the statues of the Buddha, even though he is not viewed as a God. Students asked questions about the very difficult concept of ‘sunyata’, emptiness, and Thonchog was impressed and said he could teach a year programme on just that topic. The students had a wonderful morning and are grateful to Thonchog and the Centre for their warm welcome.

MISS DIANA BRUCE Head of Religious Studies

In March, Gal Lusky visited Withington to speak about her work with Israeli Flying Aid, a non-profit, volunteer-based, non-governmental organisation (NGO) that aims to provide humanitarian life saving aid and relief to communities in areas stricken by natural disaster or territorial conflicts. She works to provide assistance to all who are in need by distribution of relief items and medical assistance. Over the last ten years, her organisation has provided aid to people all over the world, including Georgia, Kashmir, Indonesia, Haiti, Eritrea, Sudan and Syria.

CONGRATULATIONS TO...

... Pako Elseehy, 12L, on winning gold in the under 17 age group at the Youth Series Foil Fencing 2023 in February.

GERMAN SCHOOL VISIT

On Tuesday 21st March, Withington welcomed 25 students of Sixth Form age from Germany to learn more about life at WGS, and education and schools in England more generally. The group took the opportunity to speak to WGS pupils in both English and German, discussing topical subjects including school uniforms, extra-curricular activities and what other languages they spoke.

Visiting from Vocational College in Peine, Lower Saxony, the students and their three teachers including the Head Teacher, were being hosted on their trip by Mrs Qaisra Shahraz MBE whose novels are studied in Germany as part of the English curriculum. In addition to sightseeing in Manchester, the group were in the city to learn more about the holy month of Ramadan, and the diverse communities in Manchester, as well as visiting the Khizra Mosque and attending an iftar meal there.

ARTS AWARD

EXPLORE Juniors

Our Arts Award Explore course began in a plume of charcoal in January! Our current theme is Landmarks, and our young artists began the programme by producing drawings of the Seven Wonders of the World using willow charcoal sticks. The resulting drawings are expressive and show our artists’ eye for detail. Following this excitement, we moved on to create stunning sunset cityscapes painted on mini canvases in acrylics. When the paint was dry, we added glowing windows and sparkly stars using special metallic marker pens. The canvases are extremely eye-catching when lined up together and we are having a good think about where best to display them. We are now in the middle of a research project where we are finding out about a local artist based in Stockport. The girls have collated lots of facts and are now making pretty watercolour studies of our school in the same style. After the Easter break, we are going to complete a little more research before moving on to a 3D mixed media activity. The girls are very enthusiastic, and we are lucky to have so many hardworking and happy artists in the Junior School.

BRONZE Year 7

This term, our Arts Award Bronze artists have been dedicating their time to producing beautifully presented portfolios. They have researched the life and work of tapestry weaver Marta Rogoyska, and they have laid out facts, images and their own reflections with flair and creativity. The girls have also meticulously sewn their own mini tapestries inspired by the artist, and these textile pieces celebrate colour, shape and pattern. Alongside this area of work, we have also undertaken an informative and fun trip to The Lowry. As a group we explored contemporary art and also a vast collection of paintings and drawings by L.S. Lowry. The girls conducted themselves extremely well during this excursion and the gallery staff were more than happy to provide us with extra resources, information booklets and handouts. We are now in the early stages of planning and delivering the special Skills Share module of the course, and the girls are thinking about artistic techniques and methods that they would like to pass onto their peers. We are thoroughly enjoying our Arts Award Bronze classes and the girls are demonstrating that they are passionate and gifted artists.

SILVER Years 8 & 9

During our after-school sessions this term, our Arts Award Silver artists have been focusing entirely on their Arts Challenge. The Art Studio has hosted a myriad of printmaking projects, and the girls have enjoyed developing their final pieces using silk screen methods, gelli printing, poly printing and dry point etching. Our pupils have embraced different themes and subject matters that mean something to them personally, and their artwork is as unique as they are. All the final pieces are going to be displayed together and will form a substantial part of our artist’s portfolios. As an additional experience for our Arts Award Silver cohort, we visited the Imperial War Museum North on Saturday 4th March. We listened to a volunteer talk about the impressive poppy installation before witnessing a light and sound show in the main gallery space. The event was organised so that the pupils were able to collect valuable research for their portfolios, and our pupils will reflect on their findings as part of a compulsory module on the programme. We were very pleased with their focus and interest in the gallery. Going forward, our students will continue to refine and work further into their portfolios, and we will be excited to share it all with friends and family during our exhibition planned for the summer term.

ESTATE PLANNING ONLINE SEMINAR

6.30PM , THURSDAY 27 TH APRIL

We are holding an event for members of the Withington community that may be of interest.

Our free online Estate Planning Seminar on Thursday 27th April at 6.30pm will have information about the importance of making a Will, how to go about it and what needs to be considered when creating your Will. Making a Will is one of the single most important things that you can do, yet it is often one of the things that we put off or don’t quite get round to doing.

We are delighted that Richard Bate, a partner in leading UK law firm, Weightmans, has kindly agreed to present the Seminar. Richard, a former Withington parent, leads their Wills, Trusts and Estates team nationally and has a broad experience and is a regular presenter of estate planning seminars for companies and local authorities.

We are holding this event to coincide with our newly produced publication for those who are considering making a gift to Withington in their Will. Gifts in Wills are invaluable in helping us to continue the school’s aims to provide talented girls with the opportunity to shine through all that a Withington education can offer, irrespective of race, religion, social background and financial situation. This can be viewed on our website or if you could like a printed copy, you can request one in confidence by contacting Lesley Dowdall on ldowdall@wgs.org.

Of course, if you are not considering a gift to Withington in your Will, you would still be most welcome to attend the Estate Planning Seminar.

LEGO LEAGUE

On Monday 27th March, six Year 10 pupils travelled to Manchester University to compete in the Manchester regional First Lego League competition against schools from across the area. After months of planning, building, and programming their robots, they faced a tough competition. A solid performance by their robot was backed up by thorough descriptions of their design and construction process and a detailed presentation on their solution to an engineering problem. After a productive day of friendly competition the team were recognised for their positivity, collaboration, and support of others. The Core Values trophy speaks to the fantastic teamwork and considerate approach of the whole group. Congratulations to team members Anya Borland, Maisa Farrukh, Eshaa Rao, Joy Zhu, RafaellaRubie Ingleby-Castleton, Danae Petrouis and Laura Parsons.

NATIONAL READING CHAMPIONS

On Wednesday 1st March, eight of our Year 8 students took part in the Merseyside and Greater Manchester’s live heat of this year’s National Reading Champions Quiz at The Birkenhead School, Wirral. The quiz is funded by the National Literacy Trust. With the help of the English Department, all Year 8 students completed the school’s individual Reading Quiz heat in their English classes, with the top eight girls then forming two teams to represent the school in the regional quiz. They were Tannishtha Ganguly, Rawdah Ahmad, Aashia Davidson, Isabella Zheng, Sofia Vega-Hidalgo, Francesca Harrison, Emma Parsons and Kate Rosenthal.

Twenty one teams from 14 schools took part. The teams answered 80 questions from eight rounds, each round consisting of ten questions. The rounds included questions on characters, colours, places, animals, and poetry from children’s literature. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the morning’s quiz and, although both teams were vying for second and third places through rounds one to six, they just lost out in the last two rounds. I would like to thank Miss Choudhury for the help and support she gives during the school heats and on the day of the live heat.

MR DENIS WHELAN Librarian

ALUMNAE ONLINE REUNIONS

The Development Team continues to host online reunions for Withington alumnae celebrating special anniversaries for when their year group left Withington. This term has seen the Class of 1998 and the Class of 1988 meeting online to catch up with each other and reminisce about their time at school. The online format allows alumnae to join us from anywhere in the world and recently this has included Norway, Canada, France and India. We look forward to meeting up with the Class of 1978 and 1968 online next term and to our in-person Decades Reunion in September for those year groups whose Classes end with a ‘3’.

Withington once again hosted a successful series of Saturday morning classes for children in Years 5 and 6. Held over six weekends this term, 79 boys and girls from 15 Manchester primary schools attended one of seven subject courses offered free of charge. Courses were offered in Complete Creativity (Food & Nutrition, Art and DT), Computing, Creative Writing, Drama, German, Music and Science.

RUTH BAYLEY ILLUSTRATION COMPETITION

The Ruth Bayley Illustration Competition was set up in memory of WGS alumna Ruth Bayley, a successful illustrator of many children’s books. Each year, Withington pupils are set a theme which this year was ‘labels’. Illustrator and comic maker, Emmeline Pidgen, was our guest judge and choose the overall winners from the shortlist selected by the Art Department. Well done to all those who entered the competition - there was a real variety of interpretation of this theme and demonstrable skill and creativity.

We are very grateful to the executors of Ruth Bayley’s will who continue to generously support this competition.

The children benefited from exciting programmes delivered by specialist Senior School Teachers, supported by Sixth Form volunteers who gave their time to help run these courses. Our Partnerships Award was given to the following pupils based on how many sessions they helped at:

OVERALL WINNER

1: Beatrice Richards 7Y

HIGHLY COMMENDED

2: Ava Lin 7W

3: Eilidh Milner 9X

4: Manal Nasir 11W

5: Bella Smart 12Y

BRONZE

Ronita Ghosh, Sonali Koku Hannadige, Rosa Littlewood & Maya Nalluri

SILVER Emily Booker, Charmaine Chamapiwa, Chloe Chiu, Pako Elseehy, Lily Goodley, Ananya Koteyar, Kate Ponter & Zunaira Shah

BATTLEFIELDS TRIP

It has been 106 years since the Battle of Arras. Its importance, as well as that of studying the First World War in general, remains today. It was, therefore, one of the focuses of the Battlefields Trip undertaken by 42 Withington pupils. At 5am on Thursday 30th March, pupils from Years 10, 11, 12 and I (the sole representative of Year 13) set out for France and Belgium to explore the complexities and nuances enshrined within one of the greatest conflicts in history. Joining and leading us was Mrs Air, Mrs Kimpton-Smith, Mrs Wallis, and Madame Menzies, as well as John Lee, an outstanding historian and writer. John’s knowledge of World War One and its aftermath is vast and impeccable, leaving us all simultaneously well-informed and in awe. His expertise shaped the trip; we could not be more grateful to him.

Across four days, we looked at various types of historic sites to obtain a holistic understanding of WWI, its origins and consequences. Cemeteries and memorials played a key role in our comprehension of the loss of life that occurred during the war, as well as the difficulties of acknowledging this after its end. We visited Thiepval Memorial, the largest memorial to the missing, with over 72,000 names on it. Not only did its sheer size convey the scale of loss, but also the 600 graves alongside it, many of which were inscribed with ‘A Soldier of the Great War, Known Unto God’ or ‘inconnu’ (‘unknown’, as on the French graves). We saw Essex Farm Cemetery, where I was honoured with the task of reading ‘In Flanders Fields’, Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial, and the Liverpool and Manchester Pals Memorial, which proved an evocative reminder of home. At the Menin Gate, we heard the ‘Last Post’ played, as it has been at 8pm since 1928. John taught

us the significance of features of the cemeteries and memorials, like the Cross of Sacrifice and the Stone of Remembrance, and he emphasised the importance of individuals and their stories, such as Valentine Joe Strudwick, who had lied about his age to enlist and was only 15 when he died. It is remembering the individual that is crucial.

In contrast, we visited two German cemeteries, Langemark Cemetery and Neuville-St Vaast Cemetery, which were markedly different from the British cemeteries. Indeed, exploring the efforts of other nations in the war was a vital part of the trip. We visited the Memorial for Indian Soldiers, the Nepalese Ghurka Monument, Ulster Tower (for Northern Irish soldiers), and two Canadian memorials: the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial and the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. For a look at what the war was like for the soldiers themselves, we walked through a mock trench at the Hooge Crater Museum, viewed the Lochnagar Crater, and toured the tunnels where soldiers lived in the week leading up to the Battle of Arras at the Carrière Wellington Museum. Most comprehensive of all was the In Flanders Fields Museum, where we were given poppy bracelets that allowed us to interact with the exhibits. In total, these cemeteries, memorials, and museums thoroughly immersed us in the history and importance of WWI. Our base of operations during the trip was the Hotel Hinterland in Alveringem. There, we enjoyed three course meals and evening entertainment, including games and quizzes. We also visited the Belgian chocolatier Leonidas and nearly bought the whole shop. The trip was also not without its amusing moments. Clearly looking very lost on the way to the Liverpool and Manchester

Pals Memorial, we were stopped by a man, who did not speak any English and tried to explain the way. Eventually, he hopped back into his own car and showed us how to get there. Without him, we might still be driving in circles around Montauban. We constantly found ourselves amidst heavy rain and wind, but we pushed through, suffering only from mild dampness and muddy trousers. On route to Vimy Ridge, the coach was chased and barked at by a local dog. Finally, our rallying cry throughout the trip was ‘Follow John!’, since he, undoubtedly, knew where we were going and it was said so many times that it became something of a trip joke. When we met before the trip, John told us that Withington had the number two spot on his list of favourite schools to take on tour. It was our mission to reach the number one spot. Shortly before leaving us, John told us that we had not only reached number one, but smashed the record entirely. It was difficult for everyone to say goodbye.

What I have taken from this trip is immense and hard to summarise. I have learned about WWI in an immersive and powerful way and have tried, through various scribbles in a notebook, to remember even a fraction of everything I have been taught across those four days. What also stood out to me was the sensitivity and care with which all of the younger years approached the trip and its themes. At times, mostly due to the weather and the topics we discussed, it was difficult, but our perseverance only strengthened our enjoyment. I am pleased that I can proudly declare how wonderful my last school trip at Withington was, and I would like to profusely thank all of the teachers and John for ensuring it was so.

junior journal...

TRIPS AND VISITS

Withington Juniors enjoyed many trips out this term, the first being a visit to the Whitefield Hebrew Congregation, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue. Here, Upper II found out a lot about the Jewish day of religious observance, the different parts of the synagogue and their significance and the ways in which they worship. The following week, Lower II had an informative visit to Khizra Mosque where they learned about prayer rituals, why there are patterns on the wall rather than pictures, as well as how sound travels inside the mosque’s dome. Transition learnt more about Hinduism when Mrs Malhotra, a WGS parent, visited them. Mrs Malhotra spoke to them about what it is like to be a Hindu, and showed several important artefacts associated with Hinduism and photos of her family celebrating various festivals. The term ended with a fascinating talk delivered by Dr Anna Maino about Buddhism.

The spring term has seen the girls enjoying a focus on Science and this has been reflected in visits out of school as well as activities in school. The Upper II classes visited the Museum of Science and Industry where they deepened their understanding of Manchester’s role within the Industrial Revolution. The highlight of the trip came in the afternoon when they were able to try out various practical experiments on their own, focusing on magnetism, gravity and friction. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the day and it proved to be an excellent link to their Science and History topics this term.

Form I also enjoyed a Science trip to Catalyst Science Discovery Centre. Taking part in hands-on workshop about gases, the girls also conducted experiments including making a liquid rainbow, a fire extinguisher and a mini vacuum using a marshmallow. The group explored the various exhibitions and enjoyed getting involved in

the interactive ones, acting as a TV meteorologist and playing the ‘Guess Who’ game with elements.

Transition and Form I were visited by some rather unusual guests as we welcomed Rebecca’s Beasts to school to introduce tropical insects and crustaceans to the girls in a hands-on workshop. The girls were all very excited to meet the creatures which included giant African snails, hermit and fiddler crabs, a Giant Floridian Katydid; scorpions that when a UV light was shone made their bodies glow a luminous blue; and a Curly Haired Tarantula named Einstein. The workshop brought to life the girls’ art topic of creepy-crawlies in a memorable and informative way, whilst educating them more about the beauty and intricacies of these, at times, less appreciated members of the animal world. In March, Lower II visited Chester Zoo where they learnt about rainforests. They took part in a workshop exploring the importance of the rainforest to both people and wildlife, the classification of animals in the rainforest, and threats to this habitat. The girls discovered the many animals of Chester Zoo, from high flying birds to the biggest snake in Europe, butterflies and primates such as Orangutans and Gibbons, linking Geography and Science as they learned about this beautiful habitat.

This term also heralds the start of the year’s residential trips, with our youngest pupils being the first to spend a couple of nights away from home. From canoeing, climbing and caving, to the trapeze, high ropes challenge course and zip wire, it is safe to say Transition and Form I had a fantastic time at Robinwood this year. Over the course of the three days, they each took part in 13 different activities, creating memories, forging friendships and taking on challenges together.

MUSIC FESTIVAL SCIENCE WEEK

The Junior School finished the half term with what can only be described as a musical and dramatic extravaganza. In the morning, the Junior School Music Festival took place, with over 100 entries of varying instruments and specialities being showcased. Students were split into instrument classes and performed for our guest adjudicators, Miss Sophie Smith, Peripatetic Teacher of Percussion at WGS, and Dr Valerie Langfield, renowned pianist and founder of Retrospect Opera. The morning was a wonderful showcase of musical talent within the Junior School, whilst also acting as a fantastic opportunity for students to receive tailored feedback on their progress from professional musicians. Both Miss Smith and Dr Langfield highlighted the high level of talent within the performances, as well as the welcoming and positive environment created by competitors in support of their fellow students.

The day rounded off with the awarding of certificates to the winning competitors, as well as the awarding of the Junior Music Festival trophy, which went to Williams. House points were awarded for both entries and placements, and there was great excitement when the winner was announced.

MR SAM EASTON Music Administrator

THE BEXWYKE LECTURE

On Thursday 23rd March, Manchester Grammar School hosted the Bexwyke Lecture, this year with the theme‘determination’. A small group of Lower II pupils attended the morning workshops during which they created parachutes utilising materials such as bin liners and string. They later tested the efficacy of the creations, experimenting using the parachute to give eggs a safe landing.

The guest speaker was Holly Budge, adventurer and conservationist who has, amongst many other things, skydived from the top of Everest and raced across Mongolia on wild horses. She addressed the pupils in the afternoon session and proved to be an inspirational speaker.

All attendees had been asked to prepare a poster presentation about the day’s theme and Mili Patel was awarded overall first prize. Mili writes:

“After the lecture, Holly announced the winner of a competition which all schools there had taken part in. I was shocked to hear my name being called as the winner. I was given a book voucher and my poster had been framed. Holly shook my hand and I could see all my teachers and classmates cheering for me. When I sat down they all congratulated me.

Finally, my whole year were photographed together with Holly Budge and my poster. It was a brilliant day and I will never forget this experience, and will remember Holly’s words in the future.

It really inspired me to follow my dreams no matter how big they may be. I hope that I am able to go on some amazing adventures in the future. One thing I would love to do but terrifies me, is travelling into space. With Holly’s advice I hope this will be possible one day, if I maintain a positive mindset and attitude.”

The Junior School enjoyed a wonderful spectrum of scientific activities during Junior Science Week. The girls thoroughly enjoyed all the activities and involved themselves fully in all of the different experiments.

On Monday 20th March, each of the Junior classes took part in a workshop on ‘connections’ by BubbleWorks. In this lively and exciting session, they learned about circuits, different forces, and electricity through an assortment of experiments. They particularly enjoyed generating static electricity using balloons and the effect the Van de Graaff generator had on their friends’ hair, caused great hilarity!

Transition and Form I also took part in a workshop where they built a giant tetrahedron. As part of the activity, they also learned all about civil engineering and what a career in a STEM industry might look like.

In class, each form has also carried out a special ‘connections’ class activity, these ranges from ‘Plant Your Pants’ in Transition to lunar dials in Lower II.

junior journal...

AJIS MUSIC FESTIVAL FEEL FAB FEB

Eight schools performed at this year’s annual AJIS Music Festival held at Bury Grammar School. The standard was incredibly high, but our choir rose to the challenge. Performing ‘Cantar’ from Sing 2 and ‘California Dreaming’; they sang beautifully, carrying out all that Mrs McLean Hall had trained them to do. They remained engaged and smiling throughout and should be incredibly proud of their fantastic performance.

BOOK WEEK

Book Week activities began with a visit from popular children’s author Sufiya Ahmed. Sufiya delivered an insightful assembly to the whole school promoting reading for pleasure and creative writing. Sufiya shared her inspiration for her books which are based on true life stories, the girls especially enjoyed hearing about Noor Inayat Khan, who was a young British Indian female spy, working for the British Army in Paris in World War Two. Throughout the day, Sufiya worked with Lower II and Upper II classes on creative writing workshops. After learning how to piece together a compelling tale, the classes wrote the start of their own story set during the French Resistance.

The Scholastic Book Fair took up residence for the week and all year groups enjoyed looking at and choosing new books to read. Across the years, pupils shared books suggestions and reading quests. Many pupils were also hard at work, writing short stories and poems for the BBC Blue Peter Creative Writing competition.

The enthusiasm for reading culminated in a celebration on World Book Day when the whole of the Junior School came together dressed as ‘Where’s Wally’. In the morning assembly, led by Ms Arschavir, pupils shared their favourite book of all time and tips on how to pick a book whether that is by looking at the cover or reading ‘the blurb’. We had a whole school photo on the netball courts which was later reproduced on a tea-towel and sold at the Spring Fair.

As part of the Seniors’ Feel Fab Feb fortnight, Junior pupils and their families were invited to attend a special ‘pop-up café’ run by Year 9 Design Technology and Food and Nutrition pupils. The Senior girls had developed their own cafés, creating menus, logos, uniforms and of course tasty treats which were available to purchase.

On Culture Day, Sixth Form pupils offered mini language tasters to the Junior girls at lunchtime, in the style of a ‘talking tables’ event. The girls had the opportunity to learn a few simple phrases e.g. ‘Hello’, ‘How are you?’, ‘I am called’ and ‘Goodbye!’ The languages included were Hindi, Arabic, Urdu, Japanese, Bengali, Japanese, Cantonese and Mandarin.

NETBALL

Netball is extremely popular amongst the Junior girls and Mrs Lane continues to be impressed by their enthusiasm and dedication, both to practices and during games. The teams have played many fixtures against schools across the region and competed in various festivals and competitions including the AJIS Netball Tournament for U10s and U11s.

Both tournament days were held at The King’s School Macclesfield on Thursday 16th and Friday 17th March. Two WGS Year 5 teams competed in the U10 competition - the A team finished fourth in the cup and the B team finished fourth in the plate. Over 20 schools competed in the full-day tournament. The A team were pipped to a medal in the last second of the game!

At the U11 tournament, hosted by Withington at King’s, two teams played in the competition. The A team finished seventh in the cup and B team were second in the bowl - again, beaten to the win in the final moments of the game.

All teams put in amazing performances and the girls should be incredibly proud of their play and attitude throughout the competition. A huge thank you to the parent supporters who attended and cheered on the girls.

FOOTBALL

Year 4 played their first football match against The Ryleys in January. An exciting last-minute goal gave them an 8-7 win. The girls put in an impressive performance with some accurate passing and super saves from Emma.

In February, a mixed Year 4 and 5 squad played in a football competition held at the Platt Lane complex. They worked well as a team and finished third in their group.

GYM AND DANCE DISPLAY

The annual Gym and Dance display was a wonderful display of enthusiasm, energy and excitement, as well as great skill, creativity and hard work. Both individually and within teams, the girls worked so well together to put on a splendid show.

AJIS INDOOR ATHLETICS

The AJIS Indoor Athletics Tournament was held at Robin Park, Wigan on Thursday 26th January. The girls demonstrated superb effort in all their track and field events with wonderful results. Our team gained medals in a host of disciplines: speed bounce, balance, standing long jump, standing triple jump, obstacle relay and the Paarlauf relay.

LACROSSE

Our Lacrosse team came third in the plate competition of the Pop Lacrosse Finals on Thursday 23rd March - a great experience for all involved.

¡ANDALUCÍA!

36 pupils in Years 10, 11 and 12 enjoyed five glorious days in the Andalucía region of Spain. Departing on Thursday 9th February, the group explored the cities of Málaga, Granada, and the ancient city of Córdoba. They visited the Museo Picasso, the Moorish sites of the Palacio Nazaríes, Alhambra and the Mezquita Catedral, Plaza de Bib-Rambla, and the Jewish Quarter of Córdoba.

On the final day, they learnt how to make authentic paella at a local cooking school. Throughout the trip, there were several stops for churros and souvenirs which offered the chance for pupils to practise their Spanish.

EPQ PRESENTATIONS

Year 12 pupils undertaking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) had the opportunity to showcase their projects and discuss their findings with parents, pupils and staff at the Presentation Evening on Monday 20th March.

The topics were wide ranging and included:

• Advances in Cosmetic Dentistry

• What was the most significant impact of China’s one child policy?

• How effective is the United Nations?

• What measures are NHS Hospitals taking to reduce their carbon footprint and provide sustainable healthcare?

• To design and evaluate a Passivhaus suited to a family of four in an inner-city environment

• When is cancel culture justified?

Mr Mike Boyle, Teacher of Biology and EPQ Coordinator, paid tribute to this group of pupils:

“I have been greatly impressed by the eagerness and motivation they have displayed. They have worked diligently as their projects progressed, meeting challenge and showing care in their research. Their passion for their projects was evident on the evening, as they demonstrated great skill at answering the most challenging questions. Well done to them all!”

SPANISH DEBATE

On Thursday 26th January myself, Eve Beckford, Swetha Selvarajan and Shreya Mehta were given the opportunity to participate in the North Schools’ Modern Languages Debating Competition for Spanish. The topics for the debate were ‘Digital technology is making young peoples’ lives better’, ‘Simple is better than complex’ and ‘Religion has a key role in modern society’.

Shreya and I argued in favour of ‘Simple is better than complex’, securing a win in our debate and Eve and Swetha argued against ‘Simple is better than complex’ using very complex ideas and language structures resulting in a very successful debate. We had a wonderful evening whereby we were able to make the most of our speaking skills and of course, we also put our Spanglish to the test whilst disfrutando the delicious comida that the kitchen staff provided us with! We would also like to say muchas gracias to Sra Wagstaffe and Srta Noya for accompanying us.

ZAINA ILYAS 12L

CULTURE DAY 2023

The aim of Culture Day was for pupils to express their cultural identity, learn more about their own, each other’s and wider world cultures and develop their cultural competency. Culture Day was an event in our personal development and wellbeing initiative, Feel Fab Feb, and it again also formed part of the Muslim Arts and Cultures Festival (MACFest) - a local event that spans international borders to celebrate Muslim heritage.

The day began with a high-energy assembly led by two Year 12 pupils who transported the audience around the world on WGS Airlines Flight 1890. With each stop came a procession of pupils and staff from their home countries including Portugal, Ukraine, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, South Africa, Iraq and Israel. The assembly concluded with a whole school sing-along of ‘This Is Me’ from The Greatest Showman. Pupils sat in their Houses, striving to sing their lines with the greatest enthusiasm.

The focus on exploring cultures from around the world didn’t stop there as throughout the day lessons were centred on investigating global practices, beliefs, and histories. In Art, Year 7 explored Islamic patterns and painted their own mosaic designs; Year 8

Pupils comments also include:

“I was able to make friends in different year groups with whom I share my culture. I didn’t know them before, but seeing them in their cultural dress, we spoke to one another.”

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, Culture Day 2023 was a spectacular showcase of the vibrant diversity of our school community. The Withington community once again made every effort to celebrate one another’s cultures and be united in our differences.

pupils experimented with the Peruvian tradition of dying wool with natural products such as turmeric or blueberries; and Year 9 investigated headwear from around the world.

All year groups explored Augusto Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed with a focus on Forum Theatre in their Drama lessons, whilst in English, pupils took part in an ‘interactive museum’ event and moved around the classroom doing different activities and learning about poetry and poets from different cultures. In Design Technology, Years 7, 8 and 9 researched designers from every corner of the world and produced a new product in the style of the designer which they presented to their peers.

In History, Year 8 examined the Algonquian peoples and explored British colonialism from the perspective of native Americans. Year 12 looked at the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 17th century and Year 13 historians also explored this period but through the lens of popular literature. In Biology, all year groups analysed practices of traditional medicine and modern medicine. Looking at how modern medicines are often derived from cultural/traditional ones and looking at which of these treatments are effective.

In Religious Studies, Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils compared the national census data to a Withington questionnaire that asked pupils to identify their ethnicity and religion; GCSE pupils explored the reasons behind the increase in secularisation and A Level Philosophy and Theology pupils looked at Queer Theology. There were also lots of extra-curricular opportunities for pupils such as henna art, home language taster sessions, East meets West dancing, African drumming and food stalls from around the world at lunchtime. We were joined by special guests, Mrs Qaisra Shahraz MBE, coordinator of the Muslim Arts and Cultures Festival, and Hanane El Hadioui who spent the day visiting classrooms and hearing the discussions and findings our pupils made on that day. Our pupils on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team and School Council played a vital role in bringing Culture Day to fruition and ensuring it aligned with the needs of our pupils. The sentiment towards Culture Day was wholly positive with many pupils expressing that it is the day they look forward to the most.

“I appreciate the opportunity to openly ask my friends questions about their cultures.”

“Culture Day brought us together as a community, though we are all different we came together.”

“I really enjoyed my Geography lesson as we learnt about the diverse backgrounds and heritage of the people in our class. We discussed the definition of identity and what things shape someone’s identity.”

DRAMA

LAMDA EXAMS AND SHOWCASE EVENING

From Wednesday 1st to Friday 3rd March, our senior LAMDA examinations took place for 39 students in Upper Fifth and Lower Sixth. During these examinations, the students performed their repertoire of pieces and answered a variety of questions from the visiting examiners for their Grade 6, 7 and 8 examinations. On Thursday 2nd March, we welcomed family, friends, staff, and students to enjoy examples of their work. We hosted two performance showcases; one for Lower Fifth students to perform their work for a supportive audience, followed by a second showcase for Lower Sixth students to perform their Grade 8 work. The standard of the performances was truly impressive and the range of pieces was extremely varied in terms of theme, era, and style. The evening really took the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions! The results were outstanding, with most of our students receiving Merit and Distinction level medals. I would like to extend my thanks to the fantastic LAMDA teachers at Withington; Ms Radcliffe, Ms Lavell, Ms Guest and Ms Paul for their incredible support, guidance and willingness always to go the extra mile. This marks the end of the Lower Sixth’s LAMDA journey at Withington. We are truly proud of all that they have achieved. Well done to all!

HAMILTON AT THE PALACE THEATRE

We are thrilled to have secured 70 tickets for the forthcoming tour of the multi award-winning musical, Hamilton. We will offer tickets to students studying GCSE and A Level Drama, Politics, and Music and the remainder will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. Hamilton is touring the UK for the very first time, opening in Manchester for a 15 week season.

It is indisputably one of the most brilliant, ground-breaking, contemporary musicals of modern times.

Hamilton is the story of America then, told by America now, relaying the story of one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. It features a score that blends hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and classic Broadway music. We are so excited for February 2024!

We invited staff and family and friends of our A Level and GCSE Drama students to enjoy their scripted examination performances in the Drama Studio on Thursday 23rd March. This was a delightful evening which showcased the fantastic work of our students.

It’s True, It’s True, It’s True by Breach Theatre

Year 13 A Level Drama students were tasked with performing their scripted piece, It’s True, It’s True, It’s True in the style of a particular theatre practitioner and they did so in spectacular style using the techniques of Shared Experience, a company renowned for their expressionistic approach. Shared Experience has pioneered a thrillingly distinctive performance style that celebrates the union of physical and text-based theatre. Tackling potent universal themes, Shared Experience explores the relationship between the world we inhabit and our inner lives. It’s True, It’s True, It’s True is Breach Theatre’s gripping dramatisation of the 1612 trial of Agostino Tassi for the rape of the young painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Based on surviving court transcripts, the play blends history, myth and contemporary commentary to ask: how much has really changed in the last four centuries?

Our Upper Sixth A Level students presented an innovative, thought-provoking and challenging performance, transforming the Drama Studio with a huge canvas cyclorama, which was suggestive of an art inspired courtroom. They cleverly used step ladders to represent the stand, climbing up and down the ladders fluidly to capture the many shifts in power. The play ends with the victim calling on the mythical figure of Judith before the cast bravely depicted the famous artwork of Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi. Ending with a real moment of true female empowerment, all three cast members belted out ‘Gloria’ by Patti Smith on microphones, whilst painting in red paint #MeToo on the pristine canvas to draw parallels with examples of 21st century gender inequality.

Cast: Eliza Bransby, Emma Docker & Leila Shakoor.

Head of Drama, Mrs Berry said: “The A level students were so brave and innovative in their approach to this extremely mature and challenging piece, and I am extremely proud of them all!”

On Thursday 23rd March, 20 Year 11 GCSE Drama pupils shared examples of their scripted work which they had performed for the visiting examiner on Monday 21st March. Our audience thoroughly enjoyed the showcase, and were treated to a wide variety of performances, which included group pieces and monologues in a variety of styles and genres.

Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by Steven Canny & John Nicholson

This is a wonderfully comedic adaptation of an extract from Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes story written for a cast of three, who play all the roles. The students performed two extracts, the first outlining the story of The Hound of the Baskervilles. In the second extract the cast perform the hilarious opening to Act II, skilfully incorporating the whole of Act I in very inventive and amusing ways at breakneck speed!

Cast: Sophia Babalola, Sophia Betesh & Ruby King.

Red, Red Shoes by Charles Way

The play tells the story of Franvera who lives in a country ‘so very near so very far away’ who on her birthday is given a pair of red dancing shoes. When her country collapses into war and ethnic cleansing the shoes become both her link with her old life and also a symbol of the trauma she suffers. The students used beautifully choreography and ensemble storytelling to capture this tragic story and the piece showcased the outstanding dance skills of the performers.

Cast: Ella McManaman, Alyssa Mehta & Zoe Tower.

Sparks by Simon Longman

This is a touching play about abandoned responsibilities; what we choose to remember and what we thought we had forgotten. In the performed extract, Eleanor performed a highly entertaining scene of a character recounting their walk to the park to feed the ducks, only for it to be disturbed by a greedy swan and her ensuing moment of sheer madness.

Cast: Eleanor Bayes

Girls Like That by Evan Placey

A photo of Scarlett goes viral. Rumours spread across smart phones like wildfire and her reputation becomes toxic, threatening to shatter the fragile unity of the girls she has grown up with. But how long can Scarlett remain silent? And why isn’t it the same for boys?

Girls Like That is an urgent and explosive play that explores gender equality and the pressures on today’s digital generation. The students used exciting physical theatre, ensemble storytelling, comedy and a range of non-naturalistic techniques to tell Scarlett’s story.

Cast: Megan Ballantyne, Zaynab Chowdery, Saanvi Jairath, Anika Ramesh, Lilli Rosenblatt & Daisy Simpson.

Alice

By Laura Wade

This is a modern adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, starting with Alice at her brother’s funeral and ending up in Wonderland. Through her interactions in Wonderland, Alice explores her reaction to her brother’s death. At the end of the play, she returns to the real world and talks with her parents. The students created the highly comedic scenes exploring Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and their rivalries and a tense scene showing the trauma experienced by the Mad Hatter with the Queen of Tarts. They skilfully used a range of physical theatre techniques to create humorous moments and intriguing movement sequences.

Cast: Maya Chudley, Sreya Das & Zixi Guo.

Shakers by John Godber

This is a play set in Shakers Cocktail Bar, THE place to be! In Shakers the four young waitresses reveal the lives of staff and customers and offer an insight into their hopes, dreams and disappointments. The students performed the opening scenes from the play and cleverly played multiple roles, including the waitresses, the men they encounter and the excitable girls who work in the local supermarket and are celebrating a 21st birthday. The students also performed the end of the play, and Evie-Rose Pietkiewicz performed waitress Mel’s monologue, revealing her dark secret to the audience.

Cast: Adhyavi Gupta, Nishi Panwar, Evie-Rose Pietkiewicz & Poppy Winnard.

Head

of Drama, Mrs Berry said:

“The

students

worked incredibly hard on their scripted extracts, and they should be very proud of their fantastic achievements!”

MACE DEBATING COMPETITION

Shreya Mehta 13C, Maisha Lorgat 13C, and Rosa Littlewood 12E accomplished an impressive feat by advancing to the Regional Final of The EnglishSpeaking Union Schools’ Mace debating competition. The team had progressed through two rounds in November and January, successfully debating for the motion ‘This house would ban the sale and consumption of meat’ and against ‘This House would not allow countries with poor human rights records to host sporting tournaments’, displaying exceptional critical thinking, reasoning and communication skills along the way. In early March, The King’s School in Macclesfield hosted the Regional Final where six of the top teams vied for a single spot in the National Final. Withington performed outstandingly, debating against the motion ‘This House would introduce a 100% inheritance tax’. Despite not advancing to the National Final this time, the team can take pride in their exceptional performance and in being one of the strongest teams on the day. We wish the girls the best of luck in future competitions at school or university and we hope this achievement inspires more students to hone their skills in critical thinking and effective communication by trying out debating. Senior Debating Club takes place after school on Mondays in Room 8.

MR CHRIS LAMBERT Teacher of English

Dof E SILVER EXPEDITION

Our planned practice for the silver expedition to Whithough Outdoor Centre just beneath Pendle Hill in Lancashire unfortunately had to be postponed due to the unseasonal freezing temperatures and predicted large snowfall. This is the first time in memory that we have had to postpone an expedition due to the weather. We had already planned an expedition to the Peak District for the end of March which initially should have been the qualifier expedition. However, with the support of our DofE assessment team, we were able to re-organise the routes so that this could then be used as our practice expedition.

Leaving school on the Saturday morning by coach, the group of 46 Year 10 pupils travelled to Edale in the Hope Valley. After walking up to the camp site, the teams pitched their tents; each team then spent the day working with a DofE mountain leader to learn and practice the skills that they would need for the expedition. This included sessions on bag packing, expedition nutrition, fitting back

packs correctly, in addition to the more usual navigation exercises and route planning. It was unfortunate that the day was cold and showery with a gusty wind and the groups did not see the White Peak at its best.

On the second day, the groups packed up camp and navigated their way to Hathersage, carrying with them (for the first time) their tents and Trangias. At silver award level the expectations are three days, each of approximately seven hours of walking and exploring. This was a challenging day in terms of distance travelled and gave the teams an insight into the reality of walking for three full days, carrying a full backpack over unfamiliar terrain. Although cold, the day did at least stay dry and all teams made it to the camp site and were able to set up tents and cook a hot evening meal in the daylight, before settling down for the night. All groups were up and organised impressively early on Monday morning after a cold night and were eager to be on their way. All teams hiked up to Stanage Edge to meet the instructors

and practised different first aid scenarios on the hillside. Teams then navigated their way down the valley to Bamford station for the debrief sessions. Teams and individuals were encouraged to think about what had gone well and what had gone less well, and how they could make changes to ensure the success of the qualifier expedition in the future. It was encouraging to see so many pupils making use of the public transport railway network and catching a train back into Manchester and making their way home from there.

This was a very successful, even if rather cold, practice expedition and we were proud that the teams worked cohesively, always supporting each other through some of the more challenging moments. The WGS staff and DofE team were all very impressed with how much these groups had learned on the practice and we all look forward to a very enjoyable and successful qualifier expedition in September.

DR SUE MADDEN Assistant Head

DRAMA FOR FRENCH & SPANISH STUDENTS

In March we were pleased to host the Onatti Theatre Company, who presented two original foreign language plays in the Arts Centre to pupils in Year 8 and 9. ‘La Maison Hantée’ was a spooky ghost story delivered entirely in French, which ramped up the tension and kept the audience on the edge of their seats throughout. ‘Mi Personalidad’ was a quirky comedy which drew laughs from the Spanish pupils watching. The students were able to understand the plays and, although the cast for both plays was minimal (just two actors apiece), each actor took on multiple roles, making the stories feel bigger. They were helped out in both plays by audience volunteers who themselves became part of the unfolding tales. Well done to Eldan Bokre, Year 8 and Charlotte Allinson and Dhaani Singh, Year 9, who were invited to the stage and accepted the challenge without hesitation! The French and Spanish actors were impressed by our pupils and we all felt transported to France and Spain for an hour. We look forward to welcoming back the Onatti Theatre Company when they put on a German production next year.

LANGUAGE CHAMPIONS

On Monday 6th March, Withington’s Modern Foreign Language Department was honoured to host the annual Business Language Champions inter-school contest. There were 78 pupils representing seven North West schools for the Dragon’s Den-style competition. Participants were set the task of dreaming up a launch and marketing strategy for selling confectionary products to various European markets. Eight business experts were on hand to offer advice and to judge. Twenty of our Lower Fifth language students participated in the event, mixing with visiting pupils to form dynamic teams, each of whom presented their pitch in their chosen modern foreign language. It was heartening to see German, French and Spanish all represented across the different pitches in some forward-looking and exciting collaborations.

CONGRATULATIONS TO...

... Sonali Koku Hannadige, 12C, on being named St John Ambulance Regional Cadet of the Year for the North West.

After winning the title of District Cadet of the Year for Cheshire, Sonali attended the national final in Nottinghamshire over the weekend of the 17-19th February where she was one of 36 cadets eligible for the North West award.

Inspired by the work of the organisation during the pandemic, Sonali began volunteering with St John Ambulance in October 2021. Based at the Warrington unit, Sonali is an Operational First Aider and Demonstrator, and her role also consists of advocating for all cadets and young people within Cheshire and the North West.

Sonali said:

“I would wholeheartedly recommend to absolutely everyone to become a volunteer with St John Ambulance! Everyone can be reassured that they will be immediately welcomed with open arms into our community, and will be able to take part in the most outstanding and possibly even life changing events.”

MUSICAL MOMENTS... AUTHOR VISIT

On Tuesday 28th February, we welcomed author of the STAGS series, M.A. Bennett, who delivered an insightful talk to Year 9 and Year 10 pupils about the creative writing process. M.A. Bennett explained that much of her inspiration for her novels was drawn from real-life sources such as places she had visited including Oxford where she did her undergraduate degree, tales told by friends and local history.

M.A. Bennett also attended Book Club where discussions were had on her first novel in the series. The takeaway message was to show interest in the world as you don’t know what might inspire you, and to read.

MUSICAL SHOWCASE

On Wednesday 29th March, the WGS Musical Showcase took place with almost 200 pupils from both the Junior and Senior school taking part in what was a highly entertaining and enjoyable extravaganza of WGS music at its best. The concert was a fantastic celebration of the musical talent we have here and the central role that music plays in the life of our school. Encompassing various groups and an array of genres, guests were also treated to an interval show by the WGS Garagebands. A truly joyous celebration and a notable feat, well done to all pupils and staff involved.

SENIOR RECITALS

Such was the take up to perform at the Recital Evening that the event took place across two evenings on Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th February. The opportunity to perform in a friendly and welcoming environment comes with many benefits. Each performer showed great passion and pride when they took to the stage, and they should be incredibly proud of their performance.

STEM WEEK

In conjunction with British Science Week between 10th and 19th March, WGS’s STEM week offered pupils the opportunity to engage with STEMrelated activities and discussions under the theme of ‘connections’. The week began with an insightful assembly by alumna Clare Sibley who is Head of Quality and Manufacturing Engineering at Williams Racing. Clare specialised in Materials Science during her last two years of a Natural Science degree at Cambridge, and since has embarked on a career in Formula One as a Materials Engineer at Mercedes before moving to Williams. After this talk, students interested in exploring engineering were invited to stay behind to speak to Clare in more detail.

Tuesday’s assembly focused on STEM ambassadors including WGS staff and Emma Walker, the first female Master Blender of Johnny Walker Whisky. The assembly looked at the personal attributes and skills professionals working in STEM have and how these contributed to their achievements. There was also the announcement about the 2024 Rainforests trip to Costa Rica. The theme of STEM ambassadors continued into lunchtime with a ‘walk and talk’ session. Pupils could learn more about working in STEM from WGS staff and share their own plans for working in STEM.

Central to British Science Week this year was celebrating diversity in science and engineering and having conversations about the people and roles that make up this varied sector. Conversations were had in Form time about the transferable skills used by those working in STEMrelated jobs. These might include being observant, creative, patient, good at communication, or curious. The aim of this task was with the understanding of these skills, stereotypes of those working in the field would be reduced.

During the week, there was also a glider making workshop looking at the forces of flight and how to optimise lift and lessen drag to fly further and better. We were pleased to welcome Gabriella Marfani, WGS alumna, to school who spoke to pupils speak about her professional path. Gabriella studied at Imperial College London, graduating in 2022 with a Masters in Engineering, she now works at Google as a Site Reliability Engineer. Open to all pupils was British Science Week’s annual poster competition on the theme of ‘connections’. Five entries are allowed per school and a shortlist of WGS designs were chosen based on creativity in approach, content and effective communication. We hope to report good news in our next issue.

CHEMISTRY RACE

On 4th February, Anushka Acharya (Year 12) and I, alongside three UVl students, Ranvitha Chaparala, Fiona Meng and Mahaab Ahmed, attended the Cambridge Chemistry Race, organised by the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. An international competition with roots tracing back to the University of Pardubice in Czechia, the competition entails a series of unusual yet stimulating chemistry-based questions, with teams from across the nation racing to complete as many as possible within two hours!

To prepare for this exciting competition, we arranged to meet up as a group via Teams and worked our way through questions set in previous years. This was a fantastic opportunity to give us a taste of what the day would be like, as well as allow us to devise strategies on how to adapt our thinking and to approach the questions in the most time-efficient manner. It was interesting to see how our standard A Level knowledge could be so relevant to everyday principles, such as AdBlue, global warming and washing powder, albeit quite confusing at times! Fortunately, we were allowed to bring resources with us on the day to support us during the competition, such as formula sheets and textbooks and we tailored these to topics in science in which we were not so confident.

On the day of the competition, we were one of 60 teams huddled inside the Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre for the welcoming ceremony where we were introduced to the competition and reminded of the rules. Then the real fun began! Starting with six challenging questions, we worked together to answer as many questions as possible, having to run down to the front of the lecture room to check each answer with a judge and receive a new question if it was correct. The competition was intense, and the live leaderboard of the scores certainly added to the pressure. Nonetheless, our perseverance and teamwork prevailed, and before we knew it, the time was up!

Though we did not win, the day proved to be incredibly worthwhile, and we really enjoyed tackling some truly interesting questions. During our free time, we walked around Cambridge and the various colleges, which was a great way to unwind after the intensity of the competition! Overall, the experience has opened our eyes to the many ways Chemistry, as well as Biology and Physics, is integrated into the world around us, and how far it can really take us in the future!

SONALI KOKU HANNADIGE Year 12

SCOTLAND: OCEAN NATION

WGS Alumna and adventurer, Cal Major, who was our Founders’ Day speaker in October 2020, has just released a threepart series of her extraordinary journey around Scotland’s wild and dramatic coastline last Summer; Scotland: Ocean Nation. Cal, who is also a trained vet and an ocean advocate, has made the series in order to examine our human connection with the sea and to highlight the importance of the ocean’s role in the light of the current climate and biodiversity crises. The series is available for the next twelve months to anyone online in the UK and can be accessed via STV Player:

https://player.stv.tv/summary/reelsoulscotland-ocean-nation

CATERING

Within the Catering Department at Withington Girls’ School we are striving to improve the catering provisions on a termly basis, not only does this include the day to day core menu for the school but also introducing new foods, tastes and cultures into the menu.

This term we have had very successful demonstration tables including celeriac and breads from around the world. Culture Day featured cuisines from Greece, South America, South Korea and Japan and there was also a Harry Potter theme day later on during Feel Fab Feb. This was followed up by a beautifully coloured display of cuisine for the Holi Festival in March.

Junior School pupils have enjoyed the Food Explorers Club this term which has given them the chance to try such foods as Quinoa, Goji Berries and Okra. Moving forward into the Summer Term, there will be theme days such as World Food Market, paella and shawarma demos.

We are also seeking to hold more Food Council meetings with Junior, Senior and Sixth Form pupils so we can understand fully what is and isn’t enjoyed about the menus and get feedback about breakfast and break offers and more. It is important to us to understand how we can improve and evolve our menus so that everyone can enjoy and look forward to lunch at Withington.

PHIL SEARLE Catering Manager

THE GAMBIA 2022

In our last issue we reported that our pupils and staff on The Gambia 2022 visit had just set off on their travels. This was the first visit to the African country by Withington since 2019. Fourteen Lower Sixth pupils and four members of WGS staff departed Manchester Airport on Sunday 11th December, returning home on Monday 19th December.

Before departure, the team were tasked with fundraising £8,000 to help fund various projects, specifically at the Mama Tamba Nursery School in Illiassa. Fundraising activities included a teddy tombola, a Family Fortunes event, a dog show at the PTA Spring Fair, a 5K colour run, the 17-mile-long Welsh three peaks challenge, and the ever popular Strictly Come Dancing. The money raised from these and other activities has contributed towards the sponsorship of the teachers working in the nursery school, which ensures that all the children are able to go to school at no cost.

Additionally, the money raised was used to build a new kitchen area for the multi-purpose hall, a space used by the school and local community which opened in 2018 with the help of funds raised by WGS, as well as four new guest houses which can accommodate visiting teachers and school groups. The ‘bantaba’ (a Gambian bantaba is a traditional meeting place with open sides and a roof) was also repaired with the money raised by this group.

Over the course of the week, the group took part in a number of activities which included artistic projects, teaching the children at the Mama Tamba Nursery and exploring The Gambia. After a five-hour journey by ferry and jeep, the group arrived at the school where they had some refreshments and began working on painting three baobab trees in the area surrounding the multi-purpose hall.

Bella explained:

“Grace, Shenara and I had carefully planned creative intricate patterns, presuming the trees would provide a smooth canvas for us to decorate. How wrong were we! Instead, we were met with these huge trees, vast and uneven bark with deep ridges and grooves all around the 5-meter diameter. With no time to waste, we quickly drew up new simpler designs and with very limited paint, it truly was a test. Children from the surrounding houses were quickly on hand to help; they thoroughly enjoyed being part of the process, painting their hands and leaving personal handprints. They loved getting messy and with it being the first time we met many of them, it was a great bonding experience.”

The group were also tasked with painting the nursery classroom. They first had to whitewash the room so there was a blank canvas on which to work. The group divided up the workload and with the help of Ms Browning and Ms Halfhide they produced new artwork. Now the walls of the classroom are adorned with paintings of the solar system, a counting line, an alphabet tree and shapes. On the project, Sonali said:

“Painting the nursery classroom was one of the many highlights of our time at Mama Tamba Nursery School and the experience was a testament to teamwork and perseverance in true Withington fashion.”

The pupils split into three groups to teach children of different ages from three to six years old. Drawing influence from The Gambia’s famous wetland bird life, in one group’s session, the children created birds from paper cups, feathers and string. In another class, the children played games including hokey cokey and Kiln Kiln Tan (duck duck goose) before beginning t-shirt painting and mask decorating activities. In the third

class with the youngest of children, Withington pupils helped them create caterpillar hand paintings and moulding plasticine into different shapes. They also sang, learning alphabet and number songs. The children played football with the Withington pupils and staff. We have been able to donate bibs and a ball pump to the school.

On teaching, Sophie said:

“ Teaching the children of Mama Tamba Nursery is certainly one of the most important activities on The Gambia itinerary. It is extremely rewarding but requires much preparation to ensure its success. During the lesson, the children showed lots of interest and they enjoyed the experience.”

The impact of Withington’s continuous efforts over the past almost 20 years were highlighted to the group by Tamba, the Headmaster. The development of the school has benefited the local community: Tamba has established a bakery where employees bake and sell fresh bread and biscuits and 200 chickens were purchased in order to sell eggs and poultry. Employees also make and sell organic soap and body cream products containing local organically grown ingredients like aloe vera, moringa and beeswax. Money generated from the sale of these products pays the wages of the young people working on the project with the remainder invested back into the initiatives.

The Gambia Team experienced the vast opportunities that the country has to offer including a visit to Baboon Island where they took a wildlife boat journey and saw chimpanzees and a hippopotamus in the wild. The group also visited the sacred Wassu stone circles, a heritage site where the huge stones are believed to be burial mounds of kings and chiefs from ancient times and have been dated to between 750-1000 AD, and Kachikally,

one of three sacred crocodile pools. They visited Arch 22 in Banjul, which was built in 1994 as a symbol of the previous president’s power. They climbed the spiral staircase of the arch up to the top and looked out across the view of predominantly low-rise buildings stretching out towards the Atlantic coast.

Throughout the trip, the pupils experienced The Gambian culture: music and entertainment were a big feature of the trip with drumming, singing and dancing and in the long jeep rides, the pupils learnt phrases in Mandinka (the local language). They also learnt the national anthem and were tested on their political and historical knowledge of The Gambia by their guide. The pupils loved the food, citing that it is some of the best food they have ever had.

Katie said:

“Overall this trip was an eye-opening experience which left us in awe of the hard work and dedication evident in the numerous projects we visited. Supporting Mama Tamba Nursery is such a rewarding experience and the memories we made with the children, and each other, will remain with us forever. Although at times we were a bit out of our comfort zone, this trip has allowed us to see another way of life and has challenged our outlook and made us think about the countless things that we often take for granted like running water and even rubbish collections.”

This was Withington’s 16th annual expedition to The Gambia following a three-year hiatus. Our work with the Mama Tamba Nursery over the past two decades wouldn’t have been possible without our Withington community who each year get behind the fundraising initiatives and help to support the remarkable work of our friends in The Gambia.

INTERMEDIATE MATHS CHALLENGE 2023

Year 10 and Year 11 pupils took part in this challenge at the beginning of February. All pupils performed very well, achieving some great results. Well done to all the participants.

YEAR 11:

12 Gold, 23 Silver & 20 Bronze certificates.

YEAR 10:

4 Gold, 18 Silver & 20 Bronze certificates.

Those who gained the top marks were invited to take part in the next round: The Pink Kangaroo. Entry to the Challenge is by invitation only and is based on a qualifying score, which is variable from year to year. This challenge took place on Thursday 16th March 2023. Very well done to all participants. Certificates were awarded to the following pupils:

Uma Abbas, Poppy Button, Maanya Jasti, Hannah Lam, Anika Ramesh, Arya Saravana, Kimi Tokala, Jessica Williams & Joy Zhu

LATIN SCRABBLE

Seven GCSE and A Level Latin pupils played Latin scrabble at Manchester Grammar School on Monday 20th February. The pupils all had fun applying their language knowledge and played well. One game was very close, where both teams managed to put down all seven letters at once to gain the extra 50 points, but WGS won by one point.

MRS JO HOWLING Head of Classics

ALUMNA CHRISTINE RICE AWARDED MBE

We were thrilled to hear that alumna Christine Rice was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list for services to opera.

Christine (Class of 1988) studied Physics at Oxford before pursuing her interest in music and studying singing at the Royal Northern College of Music. Since then she has forged a very successful international singing career, becoming one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation. She has performed at the major European opera houses, including Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper, ENO, Oper Frankfurt and Teatro Real, as well as appearing in concert. She was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2022 in the Outstanding Achievement in Opera category for her performance as Phaedra in the Royal Opera House’s 4/4. Coincidentally, in the same week as being awarded her MBE, Christine could be heard on Radio 3, performing the role of Elizabeth l in English National Opera’s concert staging of Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana, written to celebrate the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth ll. Christine last visited Withington in 2009 for a memorable visit which included a performance to staff and students of O Don Fatale from Verdi’s opera Don Carlos. Mrs Haslam said:

“ We’re extremely proud of Christine’s achievements and her visit to Withington was truly incredible. We hope that we have the opportunity one day to welcome her back to Withington so that a whole new generation of students can be inspired by her wonderful talent.”

SUITCASE SPECTROSCOPY

On Tuesday 31st January, A Level chemists had the opportunity to see spectrometry in action. As part of our A Level course, we have been learning about analytical techniques in organic chemistry including mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy and infra-red spectroscopy.

We were delighted to welcome Dr Frank Mair from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Manchester to give us a workshop with his spectroscopy in a suitcase equipment. It was surprising to see a sleek touchscreen device as many of the traditional equipment involves huge machinery and requires ladders to even reach it. We were given several complex spectra to analyse and had to identify the unknown compound. Finally, at the end of the workshop Dr Mair went into further detail about how the machine actually works, going into the theory of spin-spin coupling, some of which was complicated but nonetheless very interesting to learn about.

ANANYA PURETI 13M

Photo courtesy of Patricia Taylor

MRS LAURA THOMAS Executive Assistant to the Headmistress

MR MARTYN TOREVELL Governor

DR LOUISE MAYNARD-ATEM Governor

MODEL UNITED NATIONS

This term, the Withington Model United Nations (WiMUN) team have taken part in three conferences: StonyMUN (Stonyhurt College) 21st January; MUNHigh (Manchester High School for Girls) 4th and 5th February; ShrewsMUN (Shrewsbury School) 18th and 19th March.

StonyMUN was the inaugural conference to be hosted by Stonyhurst College. 14 WGS pupils attended the conference with Mr Cumberford and Madame Menzies in Clitheroe, Lancashire, along with representatives from 11 schools. Withington were assigned two delegations, Poland and Vietnam, on a day where the debate was loosely centred on the theme of ‘Sustainability’. StonyMUN marked the second conference in a row at which delegates from Withington Girls’ School were declared the winners of the day.

At MUNHigh, 20 WGS pupils represented the countries of the United Kingdom, Lebanon and Cuba. 15 schools participated in this conference and Withington came away with a suite of accolades.

Competing against 12 other schools and representing Australia, Withington once again took the prize for best delegation at ShrewsMUN. Every member of the Withy delegation was garlanded in the awards ceremony.

This has been an incredibly successful season for WiMUN, who are working towards hosting Withington’s conference in July. Congratulations to the following pupils on their accolades:

ALEEZA AHMED Highly Commended Delegate - Human Rights Committee (MUNHigh)

SAMA BEDEN Commended Delegate - Security Council (StonyMUN)

Highly Commended Delegate - UK Delegation (MUNHigh)

Best Delegate - Security Council (ShrewsMUN)

ANEQUA FAZAL Highly Commended Delegate - Health Committee (MUNHigh)

SAFIYA FAZUAN Best Delegate for Poland - Ethics Committee (StonyMUN)

Best Delegate - SPECCOM (ShrewsMUN)

DALOLA KAJOPAYE Highly Commended Delegate - Political Committee (StonyMUN) Commended Delegate - Envirosci (ShrewsMUN)

AASTHA KHANDELWAL Highly Commended Delegate - Youth Committee (MUNHigh)

SONALI KOKU HANNADIGE Best Delegate - Health Committee (StonyMUN)

Best Delegate - EcoFin (ShrewsMUN)

ADHYA GUPTA Special Mention - Historical Committee (MUNHigh)

ROSA LITTLEWOOD Best Delegate - Human Rights Committee (StonyMUN) Best Delegate - Human Rights Committee (ShrewsMUN)

LIYANA MALIK Special Mention - World Health Organisation (MUNHigh)

OONAGH MATHUR Commended Delegate - Education Committee (StonyMUN) Best Delegate - Youth Committee (ShrewsMUN)

ELEANOR MITCHELL Highly Commended - Economics and Finance (MUNHigh)

SATU RAJASHANKER Special Mention - Youth Committee (MUNHigh)

ANIKA RAMESH Highly Commended - Disarmament (MUNHigh)

RIDA TAUQIR Best Delegate - Environment Committee (StonyMUN) Outstanding Delegate - World Health Organisation (MUNHigh)

ERIN SAMARANAYAKA Commended Delegate - Health Committee (StonyMUN) Outstanding Delegate - Political Committee (MUNHigh)

ARYA SARAVANA Commended Delegate - Disarmament (MUNHigh)

JANANI VELAYUTHAM Highly Commended Delegate - Education Committee (StonyMUN) Highly Commended Delegate - Health and Social (ShrewsMUN)

CHARITY FUNDRAISING

The Withington community has been busy this Spring Term raising money for various charities, some local and others international.

There have been some very exciting fundraising events by the Senior School Forms. We had an ‘own shoe day’ which prompted some eclectic footwear and raised an impressive £518 for the Alzheimer’s Society. As we approached Easter, 12U ran a chocolate tombola, raising an impressive £322.77, and 12U held an egg hunt for Francis House.

During ‘Feel Fab Feb’, we raised over £1,000 for Young Minds and The Girl’s Network, supporting children’s mental health in schools. The Sixth Form charity netball match against MGS alone raised £250. The Junior School was busy supporting the Turkey and Syria Earthquake appeal, raising over £1,600 with a non-uniform day and bracelet sales. A pupil in Year 5 also raised £164 for The National Autistic Society in honour of World Autism Acceptance Week.

Raising funds for the Mama Tamba Nursery School in The Gambia which they will visit in December, The Gambia team made approximately £1,300 from teddy tombola and Easter hamper competitions.

A huge well done to the PTA who hit a record number raising £5,000 from the Spring Fair.

Throughout the term, we continued to support to the Fallowfield and Withington Food Bank and donated to Smartworks, a Stockport-based charity who support women to find employment.

I would like to personally thank parents, staff, and pupils for their kind donations and continued support in raising money and helping those in need. I am pleased to report that thanks to your generosity, our total for this term is close to £6,000.

MRS NADINE MORGAN Fundraising Coordinator

NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE

Throughout this term, students enjoyed an array of live screenings of the National Theatre at Stockport’s The Light Cinema with the English Department: in January whilst they were studying the play in English lessons, Year 9 attended Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a partially fictionalised story of the infamous Salem Witch Trials during 1692-93; in February Year 12 and 13 English Literature students saw a new production of William Shakespeare’s enduring tragedy Othello, a set text for A Level; and in March Year 8 watched the Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s best-selling novel Life of Pi about a 16-year-old boy stranded on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger. In addition to the live screenings, the Year 8s and Year 9s also had a fantastic time bonding over a fun-filled evening of bowling and pizza before the show. These trips were all highly successful and provided valuable opportunities for students to engage with the arts, broaden their cultural experiences and strengthen their relationships with classmates.

CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD

The Royal Society of Chemistry has released the results of Round One in this year’s Chemistry Olympiad, in which over 11,838 pupils from 950 schools competed.

Withington Year 13 students have once again done incredibly well with all pupils gaining certificates, including five golds (a standard that is awarded to 9.2% of national candidates), eight silver (given to 23.4%) and one bronze (awarded to 39.5%).

Many congratulations to the Year 12 students who sat the examination. They all gained certificates, including two golds, eight silvers and nine bronze; an incredible achievement! Well done to Sonali Koku Hannadige and Zunaira Shah for being awarded gold certificates on this examination aimed at Year 13 pupils.

A special mention to Ananya Pureti, Fiona Meng, Swetha Selvarajan and Sonali Koku Hannadige who exceeded the 45 mark threshold needed for their papers to be sent to Cambridge. Ananya gained the top mark in school, with an outstanding 57 marks.

GOLD

MEDICAL EXPLORATION

On Tuesday 7th March, Year 11 History students took an educational trip to the Thackray Museum of Medicine as part of the GCSE ‘Health and the People’ course. The museum, located in Leeds, boasts a variety of unique exhibits that explore the development of treatments, surgery and public health through time.

In the morning, we took part in an interactive revision workshop in which we studied sources and artefacts that dated from as early as the Hippocratic Oath. Working in teams, we explored sources and consolidated our knowledge on the treatment of disease, pioneering individuals and government interventions.

After lunch, we were able to explore the rest of the museum and visited various exhibits such as an apothecary room with the earliest jars being constructed during the medieval period. Here, we investigated many herbs that have been used through history and discovered that some are still used today, but others that are not due to their harmful side effects. We then moved on to the ‘Cutting Edge’ exhibition in which we viewed a wide collection of surgical tools and innovations that had been developed throughout the ages and we were fascinated to see how they had adapted and evolved into the techniques used in modern surgery.

SILVER

The highlight of our day was the trip through ‘Disease Street’. This was an immersive experience in which we could wander through a replica of the grimy streets of Victorian Leeds and experience the sights, sounds and smells. Whilst on our journey through the street, we followed a character’s story and learned about the challenges they faced throughout their lifetime.

BRONZE

of English

MR CHRIS LAMBERT Teacher

ZOE SALMON & ADHYA GUPTA 11X

Maira Rana

Ranvitha Chaparala, Zofia Jenkins, Ananya Agarwal, Riya Vasireddy, Rebekah Babar, Nanaki Singh, Hazel Sibanda & Mahaab Ahmed

Ananya Pureti, Fiona Meng, Swetha Selvarajan, Chloe Tsang & Grace Lu

PHYSICS OLYMPIAD

In March, Year 11 pupils took part in the highly prestigious British Physics Olympiad Intermediate Physics Challenge. Well done to all who completed the Challenge, and congratulations to the following pupils who were awarded certificates.

GOLD

Uma Abbas achieved an outstanding Gold award and is placed in the top 10% of the country.

SILVER

Niha Gudena scored in the top 16% of the country having achieved a Silver award.

BRONZE

Haleema Ashraf, Munza Baig, Sama Beden, Krishna Bhagdev, Isabelle Burns, Nikita Chakraborty, Diamond Fasogbon, Anequa Fazal, Mimi Gu, Olivia Harou, Aarya Kumar, Haidal MacDonald, Meera Mahadevan, Aasiyah Mia, Manal Nasir, Nishi Panwar, Zoe Salmon, Erin Samaranayaka, Arya Saravana, Rhea Sud, Kimi Tokala & Zainab Vohra

COMMENDATION

Aleeza Ahmed, Rayanna Ahmed, Scarlett Holmes & Alyssa Mehta

WGS IFTAR

On Tuesday 28th March, the very first WGS Iftar took place at Vermilion Restaurant, Manchester. It was a very special evening of warmth and friendship and we are delighted to report that £32,000 was raised for the Marjorie Hulme Bursary Fund.

This will fund more than two years of a full bursary and will support a talented girl who would otherwise miss out on all that a Withington education offers.

We are extremely grateful to Withington parents for their support in organising this event and for their suggestion that we take the opportunity to raise funds for bursary provision at Withington. We would also like to say a huge thank you to Action for Humanity, MCR Property Group and MWG Solicitors for their support and sponsorship of the event. It was wonderful to see so many families from our Withington community, present and past, come together for the event. The evening was hosted by Dr Shameela Islam-Zulfiqar, a doctor, successful business woman and humanitarian activist. Dr Shameela spoke passionately about the importance of education for young women and the difference this can make to their lives in the future. The importance of education and supporting access to education was reiterated by Imam Abid Khan, Deputy Imam and Director of Education at Cheadle Mosque, who also spoke. Thank you to Year 9 pupils Inayah Munir and Isha Majid who conducted beautiful readings and translations of verses from the Quran and to our Islamic Society committee for their help on the evening. Many thanks also to Rida Tauqir and Miss Bruce who both spoke about their experiences of being a bursary holder at Withington and the difference that this has made to them.

Finally, thank you to all those who so generously donated on the night. One of our Bursary Ambassadors best reflects the power of a community coming together in this way when she summed up what bursary support meant to her:

“ The bursary means a lot to me. It allowed me to know that I’m not alone - because I’m a member of this community and it’s inspiring to know that there are people that I’ve never met that have my best interests at heart. A bursary is not just a one-time investment, it is an investment in our futures.”

BOOK CLUB

This term, the Year 10 and 11 Book Club visited Manchester High School for Girls in January to discuss Ian McEwan’s Atonement. Towards the end of the term, Withington hosted both Manchester High and Manchester Grammar pupils to discuss the 2016 science fiction novel by British writer Naomi Alderman, Power. The meetings have been high-spirited and prompted interesting debate about the two novels of focus and wider reading materials.

WGS - TOP 50 FOR SPORT

NATIONAL NETBALL TITLES

Withington has ended the winter sports season on a high with three netball teams winning national titles, and a number of other trophies secured at different levels.

Our U13 and U15 squads won their respective finals at the Independent Schools National Netball Cup, held at the University of Hertfordshire on Friday 3rd March. Withington teams played in two of the three age group finals and both teams faced Cheadle Hulme School. The U13s won 34-33 and the U15s won 55-45. The Most Valuable Player awards were granted to U15 Captain Ava and U13 Vice-Captain Amelie.

The U14 team also have a national title after winning the Sisters n Sport Cup, a week after narrowly finishing as second in the country at England Netball’s National Schools Final. In the SnS final, played on Thursday 23rd March at the neutral ground of Bromsgrove School near Birmingham, they beat Hurstpierpoint College 52-33, and Player of the Match was awarded to Sophia. Many thanks to the parents who have travelled to support the players at fixtures across the country.

EALING FIELDS FRIENDLY

On Friday 24th March, Withington hosted Year 8, 9 and 10 pupils from Ealing Fields High School, London for a friendly netball tournament against Withington’s Year 7 players. Three WGS teams - A, B and C - played against three sides of London pupils, winning all three matches. A team won 15-3; B team won 14-2 and C team won 7-0.

“

U12A said:

We were a really strong team throughout this match, so in order to keep it competitive we decided to all play out of position in the second quarter to give our defenders an opportunity to practice shooting and shooters an opportunity to defend. Our defenders, Manvi and Bea, did really well swapping to shooting; Laurel was given player of the match. We then played their Year 10 team for two quarters. It was a challenge playing against Year 10s but we all played really well and worked the ball down court to a 9-7 win. Annabel was given player of the match.”

Scarlett and Dalia on the B team said:

“ We won the match 14 - 2 and enjoyed playing their team. We did some great interceptions and towards the end some of our players played out of their usual positions. Next time we could improve on cutting in front of our players. At the end of the match Dalia got player of the match.”

Esme on U12C said:

“Everyone played extremely well. Throughout the game we played out of position which was challenging but despite that, we all played brilliantly. We can improve our shooting accuracy and driving for the ball. The player of the match was Melissa, and it was very well deserved.”

U13 ISNC Champions

U12 County Champions

U14 Sisters n Sport cup winners

U16 County runners-up

U15 ISNC Champions

LACROSSE NATIONALS

Two Withington teams played at England Lacrosse’s National Schools Championships this term. The U19 competition took place during the weekend of Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th March. After a string of successful matches on the first day of the tournament, the U19s reached the final 16 played on the Sunday. It was a tough day for the team who fought hard, remaining determined and positive throughout the competition.

Due to bad weather, the U14 competition that was due to be played on Monday 13th March was postponed. Withington’s U14s rose to the challenge of competing in an age group up and they played in the U15 competition. The team of Year 8 and Year 9 pupils worked well together to secure a win, a draw and two narrow losses on the first day of the tournament, though not enough to go through to knockouts. The team should be proud of their achievement in playing so well against older pupils.

The ranking includes both independent and state schools, co-ed, all-boys, and all-girls schools, and it is based on performance in national competitions. This achievement is testament to the hard work and dedication to sport of our pupils and staff. Congratulations to all!

U13 LACROSSE COUNTY TOURNAMENT

17 WGS pupils represented Lancashire or Cheshire at the under 13 lacrosse county tournament at the end of March, marking the biggest representation we’ve had at this tournament. Congratulations to the following pupils:

LANCASHIRE

Y8 - Tolu Akinola, Amelie Bramer, Keziah Cooke, Genevieve Flanagan, Lara McManaman, Henrietta Nelstrop, Alexandra Peach, Imogen Polly, Ruby Senior, Ava Shah & Clara Wilkinson.

Y7 - Annee Grover, Anaya Jaiswal, Anushka Khunger & Annabel Lama.

CHESHIRE

Y8 - Katie Conway

Y7 - Emilia Cichocki

N.B. Not pictured Clara, Gen, Anushka, Anaya, Annabel, Annee, Emilia.

NORTH SCHOOLS LACROSSE

At the North Schools Lacrosse Tournament, the U15s won their age category, the U12s and U13s finished as runners-up and the U14s placed in fourth. Well done to all our players.

PREPARATION FOR NATIONALS

In preparation for the netball and lacrosse national finals in March, our pupils had the opportunity to play some special fixtures. The Senior Team enjoyed a competitive match of lacrosse against students from the University of Manchester, resulting in a 12-4 win. The U14 netball squad played Manchester Thunder’s U14 pathway team of which several Withington pupils are also members. Thanks to our opponents for these two great games.

LACROSSE HOME INTERNATIONALS

Withington is to be well represented at the Lacrosse Home Internationals with four current pupils, two members of staff, one of whom is a WGS alumnae and three other alumnae participating in the competition.

Eva Bowie and Carys Bucknall will represent Scotland alongside Mrs Roberts, Teacher of PE, who will play on the Senior team; sisters Kit and Eliza Towers are representing Wales, and playing in the men’s competition and representing England U20s is Mr Bickerton, Lacrosse Coach. Withington alumnae at the competition are Ailsa Stott, Head Coach of Scotland’s Senior Women, Chess Grey (Scotland) and Charlie Bell (England).

The Lacrosse Home Internationals are being held in Nottingham on 15th and 16th April. We look forward to updating on this competition in the Summer Bulletin.

BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

On Thursday 16th March, 14 WGS pupils attended the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships being held at Birmingham Arena. It was a unique experience for all and one which was thoroughly enjoyed.

Withington achieved its highest ever ranking by School Sport Magazine as a top sporting school in the UK. Of all the schools listed in the ‘Top 200 Sporting Schools of 2022’, WGS is named 43rd.

U19 Nationals

U14 Nationals

U13 North Schools: Runners-up

U12 North Schools: Runners-up

North Schools: Winners

WINTER SHIELD

During the Autumn and Spring Terms, House events contribute to the awarding of the Winter Shield. These include hockey, lacrosse, football, badminton, and volleyball contests, the Library Blind Date with a Book challenge, the Spring Fair stalls, quizzes, scavenger hunts, dodgeball, the House Carol competition, Bake Off and many more activities.

The 2023 Winter Shield results are:

1ST SIMON - 208 POINTS

2ND HERFORD - 205 POINTS

3RD LEJEUNE - 191 POINTS

4TH SCOTT - 187 POINTS

ARTS COUNCIL

New to Withington this term is the Student Arts Council, set up for pupils to share their voice on Art, Drama and Music activity at school.

The group first met on Tuesday 7th March to establish a cross-curricular audit and identify where subject areas already overlap and where this could be strengthened. The group also spoke about planning a local trip to better get to know one another through shared interest. Each meeting will start with sharing something good (or bad) relating to the Arts since the last meeting.

The Student Arts Council are working towards delivering an assembly about their work and how others can get involved in the Summer Term.

YOUNG SCIENCE COMMUNICATORS

FLASH BANG SHOWS

The Young Science Communicators delivered two Flash Bang Shows during the Spring Term. The first took place at Manchester Academy and the second show was held at Withington where the audience comprised Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from West Didsbury CE School and Withington’s own Juniors. The team delivered incredible shows displaying great knowledge, skill and confidence explaining Science to the younger pupils. Inspired by the magic learnt at Hogwarts, the Flash Bang Show explored many different topics through the delivery of enticing and engaging experiments. There were colour-changing potions, dry ice, colourful flames, luminous solutions and even making things disappear. The experiment known as ‘elephant’s toothpaste’ was a resounding favourite. Congratulations to all the pupils and staff involved in continuing the success of this long-standing Partnership project.

WORKSHOP FOR PRESENTERS

On Saturday 28th January, the Young Science Communicators programme launched for the Year 12 Chemists with a workshop led by Xplore Science, a science discovery centre based in Wrexham. The day began with an introduction to effective communication, and what STEM and science might mean to different age groups. We then learnt how we would explain scientific concepts to different audiences, such as four-year-olds, teenagers, adults and senior citizens and how to make science accessible for all.

Following this introduction, we got the opportunity to get involved in some ‘kitchen chemistry’, making slime - an activity that was much enjoyed by all.

After a quick lunch break, the team from Xplore led a highly impressive ‘Pick of the Pack’ show, involving short, engaging experiments which provided us with some inspiration for what our own projects could be like. One particular favourite experiment was setting fire to water, where bubbles of washing up liquid and gas were set alight on a trough of water. Finally, the presenters gave us a thorough insight into how we can achieve a Gold CREST Award, and how to deliver a successful, crowd-pleasing show.

ZUNAIRA SHAH 12U & MAHNOOR AKHTAR 12M

OXBRIDGE INFORMATION

The yearly Oxbridge Information Evening took place on Monday 27th March. Over 70 parents and pupil attended the session to hear from WGS alumna and current student at Brasenose College, Oxford, Elin Donnelly. We were delighted to welcome Elin back to school to discuss, in detail, the various elements of the application process at Oxford and Cambridge universities. Elin’s presentation covered the following key areas: Why Oxbridge?; Differences between Oxford and Cambridge; Choosing a subject; Choosing a college; Student life; The application process; How to strengthen your application process.

After a short session considering ‘next steps’ for those students interested in applying to Oxford or Cambridge, including the support offered to them at WGS, we were delighted to be joined by some of this year’s successful Oxbridge applicants who shared their experiences of the application process.

The evening ended with a lively and informative Q&A session, in which many of the myths associated with the application process were identified. At the end of the session, the Year 12 pupils left the room with a full appreciation of strategies that will help them to strengthen their applications to Oxford and Cambridge. Moreover, the advice given will also be valuable for applications to other excellent universities. We thank Elin for her time and sharing her expertise with our pupils. Her talk was excellent and incredibly well received by WGS parents who commented:

“Could you please pass on my thanks to Elin Donnelly for producing a delightful talk. Her talk was clear, concise, content was on point, and it was delivered with aplomb.”

“ Thank you for organising such an informative and positive evening. Young Withingtonians fill me with amazement and pride with their coherence and confidence in public speaking.”

YOUNG ENTERPRISE

This year’s Young Enterprise team, Rags2Bags, aimed to highlight sustainability and recycling as important principles in their business idea, which was to repurpose fabric from old clothing and turn it into bags and other useful items. The team have taken part in a Trade Fair at the Trafford Centre and an online Dragons’ Den. They also successfully negotiated a partnership with a local retailer selling sustainable products and refills, Lentils and Lather, who agreed to sell the team’s bags and who were delighted to work with a local school team.

In March, Rags2Bags attended the Area Showcase event at Manchester High School for Girls where the team were a real credit to Withington. Prior to the event they had to submit a company report and on the day they answered judges questions and delivered a presentation to an audience of pupils, teachers and business advisors. There was stiff competition at the event and, sadly, the team didn’t progress to the next round but we can be very proud of them.

Participation by our students in Young Enterprise is made possible through the support of Mr Hugh Campbell, a trustee of the Pastest Charitable Trust. We are extremely grateful and delighted that the Pastest Charitable Trust has agreed to continue to support the YE Companies programme in this way for a further two years.

FARADAY CHALLENGE

Five Year 8 pupils took part in the annual Faraday Challenge on Wednesday 25th January. Held at Cheadle Hulme School, the team competed against other schools to design and build a prototype, using their engineering skills. The task: create a landing pad for a drone delivering post to homes. The team worked fantastically together and came up with many innovations and inspired ideas throughout the day.

Congratulations to: Kaya Askander, Ceci Chan, Sadie Horwich, Monica Polisetty & Avika Rao

Teeba Ali, Charmaine Chamapiwa, Pako Elseehy, Hufsa Haq, Ananya Koteyar, Kaiya Matharu, Megan McAuliffe, Alice Nolan & Rida Tauqir

MP VISIT

On the Friday 3rd February, we were paid an eagerly anticipated visit by Jeff Smith, MP for Withington and Shadow Minister for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Music. The talk began with Mr Smith introducing himself as a Member of Parliament and briefly explaining what a week in his life tends to consist of, travelling between Manchester and Westminster. Following this, the floor was opened to an enthusiastic audience where we were given the opportunity to ask Mr Smith plenty of questions including his opinion on a codified UK constitution and an insight to his life as a former senior opposition whip in Parliament. Amidst all the questions, we learnt about Jeff Smith’s long history with his constituency as well as his double life as a Manchester DJ which was clearly a surprise to us all. Overall, his visit proved to be a great experience, with the A Level Politics students claiming it as ‘one of the highlights of our week’.

MAHNOOR AKHTAR 12M

OXBRIDGE OFFERS FOR WITHINGTON ELEVEN

Nine Upper Sixth pupils are celebrating offers from the universities of Cambridge or Oxford, as well as two of last year’s leavers who have secured unconditional places at Oxford for September 2023.

Offers from Cambridge have been made for: Economics - Churchill; English - Peterhouse; Medicine - Gonville and Caius; Philosophy

- Corpus Christi, and from Oxford: Biology

- Lady Margaret Hall; Computer Science

- Merton; Economics and ManagementPembroke; English Language and Literature

- Queen’s and Oriel; Philosophy and Theology

- Pembroke; Spanish and Beginners’ ItalianLady Margaret Hall.

The nine offer holders represent 13% of our Upper Sixth cohort, many of whom are celebrating receiving conditional places from universities of their choice. Offers have arrived from the UK’s top universities including Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, King’s College London, Manchester, and Warwick.

Courses are varied and include Accounting, Biomedical Sciences, Chinese Studies, Dentistry, Economics, English, History, Law, Marketing, Medicine, Modern Foreign Languages, Neuroscience, Pharmacy, Politics, Product Design, and Psychology.

Mrs Sarah Haslam, Headmistress, said:

“ We are so pleased for our pupils whose distinct enthusiasm for learning and passion for knowledge have culminated in offers of places from such excellent universities. The range of courses represented in the offers across the Upper Sixth reflects the breadth of opportunity at Withington where pupils can explore their interests in a stimulating and collaborative environment. We are equally pleased for our two alumnae, who after both achieving three A*s last year, have secured places at Oxford. After leaving Withington in Year 13, our pupils continue to be supported in their future plans. We thank

“

and congratulate them all for the wonderful contribution they have made to the life of our school and the wider community.”

Dr Cristina Vilela, Head of Chemistry and Oxbridge Coordinator, said:

The Oxbridge application process is a demanding one and each of our successful applicants are to be congratulated. We are so incredibly grateful to our alumnae and friends of the school who give willingly of their time to run interview practice and provide tailored advice and helpful guidance to all of our pupils who apply to a wide range of universities.”

In 2022, all eight Oxbridge offers were met and two 2021 leavers earned firm offers from Oxford. 52 pupils (72% of those who applied) began courses at Russell Group universities.

PTA SPRING FAIR

There were plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy from games to raffles, face painting, and delicious treats. The Withington Houses ran stalls for the first time and a competition was run to raise the most amount of money. Congratulations to Scott, the winners of the challenge, who raised over £100. This year’s Young Enterprise team, Rags2bags, sold their sustainable and hand-made bags, and the Folk Ensemble performed brilliantly,

keeping guests entertained. The Sustainable Uniform Store (SUS) was in full operation for parents and guardians to buy uniform.

The Spring Fair, held on Saturday 18th March, was a thoroughly enjoyable morning, very well attended and with a fantastic atmosphere. An example of our school at its very best!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the event. By sending in gifts on the non-uniform day, making it possible for their daughters to attend on the Saturday morning, and attending and showing support. Warm thanks to our PTA for making it all happen - we couldn’t

do it without this wonderful group of parents who give so generously of their time. We are pleased to share that this year our Spring Fair has raised over £5,000, a new record for this event, and no small reflection on the work of our superb PTA.

A special thanks to Bella Smart, Year 12, for photographing the event and capturing the joyful mood so splendidly.

0161 224 1077

Withington Girls’ School, Wellington Road, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6BL office@wgs.org

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