Spring Fair

The annual Spring Fair organised by the Parents Association was a huge success and raised an amazing amount of money of nearly £10,000.  It was opened by our very own King Charles II (Mr Riley) as we are celebrating the 350th anniversary of the granting of the Charter.  A Pageant of Junior School pupils transported him to school in a flotilla of ships to present the Charter to the Headmaster of 1662 Anthony Coates (Mr Gabriel). The Fair was and amazing array of stalls, raffles, games, assault courses and food. The event was sponsored by Farnell Land Rover. To see a selection of photographs from the day Click here.

National Squad

Connor Bailey is in the national junior kayaking slalom training squad for a second year running and ultimately wants to get on the Olympic development programme. At the moment Connor attends twelve training sessions a week – at his club’s own Wagon Lane waters, plus the school gym, the canal and Nottingham Whitewater Centre.  At the age of 14 he is positioned 8th in the country for the J16s and England and 3rd for the J15s, this changes on a regular basis as only the results from the last four races are taken in to account.  He competed in Germany in the Vajda Teen Cup and was Britain’s top Junior K1 entrant for his age group.

World Champion

Jordon Murray becomes world champion.  Jordan attended the WGI finals in April with Rhythm X in Dayton, Ohio.  Not only did they win to become World Champions, they also achieved the highest score ever recorded, 98.263.  Jordan is the first British person to compete with Rhythm or at the WGI Finals making him the first ever British WGI World Champion.  WGI is the world’s premier organisation that hosts competitions for winter guard and indoor percussion.  To see the winning performance Click Here

Young Investor Challenge

A team of girls from the Lower Sixth have qualified for the national finals of the Young Investor Challenge, which is organised by the School of Finance and is regarded as the premier investment competition for UK students aged 14-19.  Jacqueline Li, Rebecca Leavor, Katherine Foxton and Zainab Patel qualified for the regional final, as a result of finishing as the top team in the North of England. In the regional round they were quizzed on their knowledge of British and global financial events and after finishing in the top two teams now progress to the final of the competition which will be held in London.

Spelling Bee

On April 18th, four First Form pupils travelled to the University of Hull to compete in the Regional Final of the Routes into Languages Spelling Bee.  Against 200 pupils from 32 other schools, Maryam Nisa, Katie Elmore, Zain Hussain and Aditya Anand each had to spell as many words in French or German as they could in one minute.  All pupils performed well and put in an excellent effort.  Zain reached the last five but just missed out on the nationals.  Maryam finished in second place, an outstanding achievement and will now go on to represent BGS and Yorkshire at the National Final in Cambridge in July.

'Faiths in the City'

Third Form pupils enjoyed a rewarding and enriching day spent with faith leaders from various religions.  The ‘Faiths in the City’ event involved faith communities opening a window into the world of their distinctive practices and beliefs through active workshops held around the school.  The students worked with the faith leaders and produced performances which will be shown in school during a Thursday ‘special’ assembly.

Netball

The netball staff are delighted to announce that Superleague player and trainee teacher, Dani Bloomfield, will be assisting with netball coaching next season.

Northern Schools Champion

The Cross Country Club returned to the Northern Schools Championships after a number of years of absence and acquitted themselves well.  Sarah Dewhirst was the first ever female BGS individual winner taking the inter-girls title.  Sarah is photographed with the rest of the intermediate girls’ team.

We Will Rock You

This year’s whole school production of the Queen themed musical We Will Rock You was performed over four days to a sell out audience and was one of the most energetic and colourful yet.  Fabulous costumes, innovative set changes and vibrant lighting gave the talented and enthusiastic performers the back-drop they deserved. To see photographs from the performance click here

Double Gold

Matthew Chivers achieved gold at this year's English Indoor Rowing Championship by completing 2000 metres in 6 minutes and 38 seconds at the Manchester Velodrome, earning him first place in the Junior 16 category.  He also achieved gold at the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships which were held at the Lee Valley Stadium in North London on Friday 15 March.  He came first out of 100 competitors from England, Wales and Scotland.  He rowed 1798m in 6 minutes and was 11m ahead of the silver medallist.

Fashion Show

The annual Netball Parents’ Association Fashion Show was another huge success.  The Fashion Show sees pupils model outfits from a number of local boutiques.  Former BBC presenter John Thirwell and his daughter Emily Evans-Thirwell, a television assistant producer, compered the evening.  Proceeds will be split between Yorkshire cancer charity Candlelighters and funds for the junior and senior school netball tours.To see more photographs from the evening click here

New Uniform Unveiled

Bradford Grammar School unveiled the new uniform at the annual charity fashion show.  A group of pupils, staff and parents helped to choose the style and colours of the uniform, which also includes a new-look sports kit.  They chose a Yorkshire supplier, Perry Uniform in Armley, Leeds and part of the clothing will be made using cloth produced in Bradford.  The uniform will be rolled out in September. To see more photographs click here

Rugby 7s

The BGS U15 rugby team have continued their hugely successful season by winning two 7s tournaments. The first was at Durham School where they beat the hosts in the final. The second was the BGS Storm 7s which saw them beat Sedbergh in the final.

New Appointment

BGS Rugby department is delighted to announce the return of former pupil and England International, Dan Scarbrough, to the school staff. Dan will be coaching the 1st XV and assisting in other departments from 1 August.

Maths Masterclass

BGS hosted a Maths Masterclass. Twenty-eight Year 6 pupils from the Excede Alliance of Schools were selected to take part in what is hoped to be the first of a number of joint ventures. The event was hosted by BGS Sixth Form pupils who aimed to encourage an enthusiasm for Maths.

Rugby Selection

Rory Macnab, Zander MacFarlane and Barney Vaughan represented the Northern IS Lambs in a match versus Sandal RUFC. They will now represent the Northern Lambs in a national tournament.
James Pinder, Isaac Green, Callum Manchester and Harry Sagar have been selected for the Yorkshire U15 rugby squad.

Professor Lisa Hopkins

Sixth Form English Literature students were treated to a guest lecture from a world renowned expert on Renaissance Literature and culture. Professor Lisa Hopkins, of Sheffield Hallam University, spoke and answered questions on the life and work of John Ford and on the entire Renaissance period. Professor Hopkins is the author of numerous books; a co-editor of Shakespeare, the journal of the British Shakespeare Association; and co-editor of the Continuum Renaissance Drama Series. Her visit was enjoyed by all students and she has agreed to become a regular visitor to BGS.

Brownlee Visit

The Senior and Junior School staff and pupils were delighted to welcome back Olympic bronze medallist and current World Triathlon Champion Jonny Brownlee. Jonny received a rapturous welcome as he entered the Price Hall. He took part in question and answer sessions with pupils from both schools.

National Cyclo Cross Champion

Congratulations to Abby Mae Parkinson who successfully defended her title from 2012 by winning the U16 National Cyclo Cross Championships.  Abby has also secured victory in the Cyclo Cross National Trophy which is a series of six races around the country, with Abby winning three, second place in two and third place in one giving her the highest points overall.  At Christmas Abby travelled to Belgium to race with the top girls over there in three races and extremely tough conditions.  Abby won all three of her events and wrote the following blog;  http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/cyclocross/article/cyx20130104-Under-16-Champ-Abby-Mae-Parkinson-makes-an-impression-in-the-sands-of-Belgian--cross-0

Christmas Concert 2012

A festive start of mince pies and mulled wine was provided by the Parents Association for this year’s Senior School concert.  The concert was an amazing array of Christmas carols, readings, music from the various music groups and the Senior School Orchestra.  The evening ended with the Orchestra playing a superb rendition of The Blue Danube. To see a selection of photographs from the evening Click Here.

British Physics Olympiad

A national competition designed to stretch and challenge the top young physicists in the country.  Over 1800 students from across the UK participated.  Ben Gaunt and Alfie Chapman did amazingly well and were awarded Gold and Silver respectively.   Ben Gaunt has also received an award for a top result in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge. This award acknowledges his outstanding performance, achieving one of the highest marks in this new competition, which was taken by 4300 students in 300 schools.

Aegon Tennis

U16 girl’s tennis team reached the semi-finals of the Aegon Cup.  Over 2000 schools entered the competition and the BGS girls were down to the last eight in the whole country making them the top team in the North. This is a great achievement and credit must go to Krista Bennett (U16 Captain), Libby Linfield, Emma Phillips and Lizzie Ayre not only for this, but for the commitment they have shown to improving their skills and match play throughout this year.

Daily Mail Cup

The School's U15 rugby team continued their unbeaten season with a strong Daily Mail Cup round 6 away win to RGS Newcastle on 4 December. BGS face another tough away fixture in the last 16 of the competition, they play Bishop Heber HS in January. Congratulations to the team on an outstanding season so far and reaching the final stages of this prestigous cup. The team are pictured during their win against Ashville in the previous round.

Speech Day

David Wootton returned to Bradford Grammar School for Speech Day.  David gave his first speech following his year as Lord Mayor of the City of London after handing out prizes to prize winning pupils.  Kevin Riley, Headmaster also addressed a packed Price Hall of over one thousand people made up of pupils, staff, governors, parents, former pupils and guests in what was his first Speech Day at BGS.

To listen to David Wootton's speech from the day click here

To listen to the Headmaster's speech click here

Legal Lunch

Members of the legal sector were invited to school for a lunch in the Pavilion. Former pupils, former parents, current parents and new contacts networked with staff and current pupils who are considering a career in law.  Guests also had the opportunity to see and hear about the school.

Art on Display

Bradford Grammar School Art pupils were delighted to be asked to provide art work for the judges’ dining and reception rooms at Leeds Crown Court. This was arranged by the High Sheriff and former Headmaster Stephen Davidson. Twelve pieces of art are on display showing the breadth of creative talent at the school.

Hamlet

Fifth Form pupils from 5SDR have been studying Hamlet for their English Literature examination. At BGS one of the aims of the English Department is to persuade students that Shakespeare plays are not words on paper but blueprints for a production and that every production is one interpretation of the play. To see more images from 5SDR's interpretation of Hamlet Click Here.

English Schools' Cup Competition

In the opening round of the English Schools' Cup competition Emile Cairess finished a fantastic first, winning the race by a long way. He was followed home by a team consisting of Alex Rhodes, Ollie Daffern, Matthew Wilson, James Pike and John Michael Burke, who will now progress through to the regional finals later this term. Click here for more images.

Ilkley Literature Festival

Pupils and staff from the Art department enjoyed a lecture by Christopher Sykes, biographer of David Hockney. Christopher Sykes spoke about the early life and work of David Hockney including his time at Bradford Grammar School. An event that BGS were proud to sponsor.

North of England Success

Congratulations to U13 rugby players Rory Mcnab, Barnaby Vaughn and Alexander Mcfarlane, who have all been selected to represent the North of England U13 Independent School Rugby Football Club invitation side. The boys took part in trials at Ampleforth in October.

Following a number of warm up fixtures the team will play against the South of England from which an England side will be selected to play the French in Toulouse.

Michael Palin

Bradford Grammar School was proud to sponsor the Ilkley Literature Festival. Pupils and staff from the Geography department enjoyed an illustrated talk by Michael Palin on his new book and four-part television series, Brazil.

Joanne Harris visits School

Joanne Harris famous author of Chocolate, Lollipop Shoes and Gentleman and Players visited school on 24 September.  Joanne was met in reception by members of the Chatterbooks Club who also enjoyed lunch with her.  Joanne gave an illustrated talk about her new book Runelight and was also available to answer questions and sign books.

BGS Showcase App

The school has launched a BGS Showcase app which is thought to be the first of its type in the UK.  The app is interactive showing photo galleries, music pieces to listen to and slides highlighting the pupils and the school.  It also includes films made with former pupils David Hockney, Adrian Moorhouse and the Brownlee brothers.  Visit the Apple Store to download our free iPad prospectus app.

Jubilee Wall Hanging

Stitch Club members Meggie Boyle, Emaan Zia, Jemima Lee, Bea Taggart, Maryam Hussain, Amaara Noor-Mundiya, Ellie Pinder, Maddy Silberberg, Hannah Rawnsley, Milly Websdale and Charlotte Pickard were pleased to have their stitch work placed in the Lord Mayor’s Office for Saturday’s Heritage Day Event at City Hall.  The girls completed blocks based on their own ideas relating to ‘Britishness’ and the Diamond Jubilee using a wide variety of techniques and embroidery stiches the final blocks were machine-pieced to form the hanging and hand-tied with buttons. 

Young Economist of the Year Competition

Many congratulations to Ravi Prasad who gained second place in the international 2012 Young Economist of the Year Competition.  From the final shortlist of 18 essays drawn from a total entry of over 750, the judging panel of Professor Richard Blundell (RES), Charles Bean (Bank of England) and Stephanie Flanders (BBC) selected four winners.  The overall standard was extremely high, with a number of entries from international schools.  Ravi has been invited to attend the Society’s Public Lecture at the Royal Institution in London in the afternoon of Thursday 22 November, where he will be presented with a cheque for £500.

Scholarship at Imperial

Congratulations to Tom Hobson who has been selected for a scholarship at Imperial, London to the amount of £2500 a year for all 4 years due to his excellent A-level grades. Tom acheived A*'s in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Electronics and will be going on to study Engineering.

Record Breaking GCSE Results

This year’s GCSE results are the highest ever achieved by the school!  Not only have 93% of papers passed with an A* A/B grade, a record-breaking 74% gained an A*/A.  The pupils and the staff are delighted to see all the hard work rewarded in this way and the school results going from strength to strength.

 

Celebrating A Level Results

Bradford Grammar School is delighted that its A Level results have shown a huge increase from last year’s already impressive results. The percentage of pupils passing with an A* A/B grade has risen from 78% last year to 84% this year.
"At both A2 and AS level BGS students have excelled this year; with 84% of grades being A*-B and 7 students achieving a clean sweep of A*’s, it’s been another golden moment for BGS."

Kevin Riley

 

Organ Diploma

Henry Websdale recently achieved his Associateship of the Royal College of Organists exam (ARCO), winning the Limpus, Shinn and Durrant Prize for the highest mark in the practical exam, as well as the Lord St Audries Prize for the highest overall mark for a candidate under 19. This makes Henry one of the youngest ARCOs ever in history, and possibly the youngest Limpus prizewinner ever in the College's history.

Leeds Peace Poetry Competition

Second Form pupil Saarah Yousaf was recently announced as one of the winners of the prestigious Leeds Peace Poetry competition. The competition has attracted thousands of entries since it was founded in 2003. This year's theme was Truce, in connection with the truce which was declared between warring city-states when the Olympics were originally held. Prizes were presented by Chief Judge Rommi Smith at the Leeds Civic Hall.

Teenage Cancer Trust

A cheque for an amazing £5,000 was presented to Teenage Cancer Trust in June. The money was mainly raised from the First Year sponsored walk which took place at the beginning of June. The whole of the First Year walked from BGS to White Wells, Ilkley. Well done to everyone involved.

Race for Life 2012

On Sunday 17 June 2012 more than 100 pupils, teachers and parents from BGS took part in the Race for Life event at Lister Park. This was the third year that BGS has entered a team and raised money for such a worthy cause. Click here to see photographs from the day.

Jubilee Celebrations

The Jubilee Celebrations were a great success and lots of fun! The senior school pupils dressed-up in red, white and blue for a non-uniform day and put on a Diamond Jubilee Variety Show. Lunch was a traditional British fayre of fish and chips or a full English breakfast followed by treacle sponge and custard! Click Here to see photographs from the day.

Naming of the Swimming Pool

Adrian Moorhouse, former pupil and an Olympic Gold medallist came in to school to officially name the swimming pool. The day consisted of a series of events including a family swim, followed by an OBA v School swimming match, and an OBA v School water polo match. Adrian said a few words about his time at school and unveiled the plaque which was followed by afternoon tea.

Spring Fair

The Parents' Association organised yet another fantastic Spring Fair with an amazing array of stalls, games and activities. New to the Fair this year were; a large climbing wall, birds of prey and a full size inflatable table football game. The day raised over £6,500 and was sponsored by Farnell Land Rover.