2017 – 18 THE REVIEW
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
CONTENTS
3
21
55
JUNIOR SCHOOL H I G H L I G H TS
SENIOR SCHOOL H I G H L I G H TS
HOUSE COMPETITION
69
71
73
PRIZES
L E AV E R S ’ L I ST
G OV E R N O R S A N D STA F F
1 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
WELCOME It is a pleasure to offer this warm welcome to the review of the Royal Grammar School Newcastle academic year 17–18. As ever, this publication, although packed with reflections, can only cover a small taste of the broad range of activities which took place in our very busy school. Every student and their parents, and each member of staff, all played their component part in making what RGS is - a vibrant and dynamic day school which celebrates every individuals’ talents. One of our bursary students recently told us ‘everyone has something they’re insanely good at. RGS has the unique ability to help students to find that thing, then challenge and stretch our abilities beyond anyone’s imagination’. It is the breadth of the activities in the school, plus the depth of care and commitment of our staff, that enables RGS to celebrate the wonderful endeavour and achievement highlighted in these pages. I do hope that you enjoy reflecting on another year in our school.
JOHN FERN 2 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
JUNIOR SCHOOL H I G H L I G H TS
3 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
4 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Year 6 perform Mary Poppins
5 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
C H R I ST M A S H AT COMPETITION
PA R L I A M E N T VISIT Gillian Bell from Parliament’s Education Service visited the Junior School to speak in assembly and also deliver workshops to our Year 6 students. There was a lot of enthusiasm on show from all of our students as they shared some of their ideas for parliament and asked Gillian some fantastic questions. In the workshop, Year 6 explored the history of UK suffrage and had a go at a debate, just like in the in the House of Lords.
It was time for the hats to do the talking (for some, literally!) as our annual Christmas hat competition saw a remarkable 58 entries. There was everything from Christmas dinners to life-size snowmen, snow globes and Christmas puddings. Mr Fern had a very tough job of determining the winners. Well done all! Year 3: Tess Parr Year 4: Will Pullman Year 5: Imogen Stanley Year 6: Daisy Cumpson
The Junior School gather for the Christmas hat parade
Staff: Miss Whitney
“Art day was so much fun. My favourite part of the day was making the Tiwi bird sculptures.” A N E E S A N AY YA R (YEAR 4)
Year 6 visited the Senior School Art rooms on Art Day
A RT DAY Art Day is always an immensely popular event in the Junior School, and this year was no exception, with children learning about arts and crafts from all around the world. Year 3 visited the Laing Art Gallery, where they took part in a Paul Nash workshop. Year 4 spent the day with an artist from BALTIC who showed them Aboriginal art, with students then creating their own original pieces. Year 5 studied the arts and crafts of Africa, making African Kanga sculptures and African sunset scenes using watercolours. Finally, Year 6 investigated art from North America, and built a large tepee in our garden with the help of a willow artist, which can now be enjoyed by everyone.
Year 3 visited the Laing Art Gallery
6 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Our dance represented the spirit of all children around the world, but it also showed our own culture in a very effective way. The Duchess loved it, and the Duke said that their daughter loved Bollywood dancing. They shook our hands and had a photo with us. The experience was phenomenal! ISHIKA PURI (YEAR 6) A group of students from RGS perform for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
GIRLS PERFORM FOR DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE Junior School students Ishika and Shivika Puri (Year 6 and Year 3) teamed up with Jessica Berry (Year 7), Kanika Modi (Year 9) and Advika Uppal (Year 8) to form a dance group outside of school for a top-secret performance. No one but the troupe leader knew who the group would be performing for, so it was all very hush-hush as the girls set about polishing their routine. It turned out that the girls would perform a Bollywood routine for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they visited the Music, Arts and Culture Quarter in Sunderland. What a fantastic opportunity for the girls that was thoroughly enjoyed by the Duke and Duchess.
7 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Rachel Robinson rehearsing
R AC H E L W I N S TO P R O L E Year 6 student Rachel Robinson auditioned for the Youth Music Theatre and was offered a role in Cautionary Tales at the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth. The rehearsal schedule was pretty tough, sometimes lasting from 9am until 9pm! She worked with a team of creative directors, designers and choreographers, and had a fantastic time learning more about the theatre.
ZO E M A K E S H E R W E S T E N D STAG E D E B U T Year 5 student, Zoe Brissenden-Lang, made her West-end debut after being accepted into the Westend Stage, the UK’s premier theatre summer school for young people aged 8 to 21. Zoe spent a week at the Guildhall School of Music, attending various workshops led by theatre stars such as Alistair Brammer, in singing, dance and drama. She was taken to see hit musical Wicked!, and received a very special and private question and answer session with a number of the cast. To top off a brilliant week, Zoe then got to perform at Her Majesty’s Theatre , home to The Phantom of the Opera.
DA N I E L AWA R D E D S P EC I A L P R I Z E F O R G U I TA R Year 6 student Daniel Read, was awarded the London College of Music prize for the second year running, after he achieved the best regional mark in the Classical Guitar grade exams (92% at Grade 2). Thanks to this exceptional grade, Daniel was invited to perform in a special concert in Durham and received his trophy from Professor John Howard.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
RGS REMEMBERS R E M E M B RA N C E
DUSK IN THE FIELDS
The blood-red poppies smell of pain reaching up towards the rain, as man after man falls in vain.
The setting sun casts its glow upon the blood; the trees and the hedgerow.
No comfy bed on which to lie, mud and cold and hopeless cries, and the reason why fades and dies. The screaming whistle calls, `Advance!` The frightened men take their chance over the top in deadly chance. As they struggle on one by one, deafened by the roar of guns, red faces turn and ask the sun, `Have we lost or have we won?`
The final birdsong fades away, ending the plight the soldiers faced that day. The burning flame slowly dies, its embers illuminating the nightingale that flies. The poppies close as darkness falls, and silence awaits the first blackbird call. The turtle dove heralds dawn. It`s soft song starts to heal life that is torn. A gentle breeze fills the air, carrying beautiful scents. We will remember them. Hugo Green (Year 6)
One hundred years ago they died. Nations together, side by side, we stand to honour and with pride. There is no more hate or blame. History now records our names in hope and memory poppies came. Idris Pritchard (Year 6)
8 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
C H EC K M AT E ! 35 chess enthusiasts made up five U11 teams and four Under 9 teams for the HMC Chess Championships at QEGs Wakefield.
G I R L S W I N N O RT H E R N CHESS COMPETITION Sai Naresh Kumaar (Year 6), Tanvi Manchineni (Year 6) and Prachi Arora (Year 4), travelled to Manchester for the Northern semi-final of the National Girls’ Under 11 Schools’ Chess Championship. This event saw teams of three compete over five rounds. The three girls all scored a perfect 5/5 on their boards to take the title and qualify for the nationals.
A L L D I F F E R E N T, A L L EQ UA L
The tournament was very fast paced, with each team only allowed 15 minutes per game. Our Under 11 A team and Under 9 A team were both victorious, winning their age group. The Under 11 A team (Yichen Han, Year 5, Tanvi Manchineni Year 6, Varnu Boora, Year 6, and Sai Naresh Kumaar, Year 6) scored a very high 22/24, with three of the team achieving a perfect 6/6. The Under 9 A team, who finished with half a point more than Under 11 A team, won the tournament with 22.5/24. Prachi Arora (Year 4), Craig Liang (Year 5) and Henry Rewcastle (Year 5) won all their games.
As an extension of Anti-Bullying week, the Junior School had a visit from Firehorse Productions who performed The B-Word. The play focused on three characters, Dan, Phoebe and Tom, who all attend school and experience some form of bullying, highlighting the serious effects this can have on all those involved. A number of our students volunteered their services and took to the stage to help the actors with some of their scenes.
“I liked how it taught us a lesson of how to make people feel welcome and happy.” VA R U N G U D I PAT I ( Y E A R 4 )
THE REVIEW 2017–18
Always a firm favourite when he visits, Technology Tom was back in the Junior school with a challenge for all our students to build a bridge out of paper and other small materials. There were some wonderful designs and creations, all of which had super strong structures.
“I really enjoyed the day with Technology Tom because I enjoyed making the bridges.” JINFAN CHEN (YEAR 3)
The B-Word performance by Firehorse Productions
9
T EC H N O L O GY TO M V I S I T S TO B U I L D BRIDGES
Y E A R 6 A R E E VAC UAT E D !
All of Year 6 went to Home Farm at Beamish Museum and the Victoria Tunnel, to experience what it would’ve been like to be evacuated during World War II. First task for the students was to get a house ready for a black-out and make carrot cookies. Following this they went to the tunnel to shelter during an air raid. The students got the opportunity to speak to Basil and ask him lots of questions about what it was like as a small boy in World War II. Basil was someone who used the Victoria Tunnel as a shelter during the war, and spoke about what Newcastle was like at the time.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
R O B I N S T E V E N S C O M E S TO V I S I T One of our students’ favourite authors, Robin Stevens, visited the Junior School to talk about her fantastic book series: Murder Most Unladylike. Robin talked about her journey to becoming an author and what her strategy is when she is writing a book. She also read an extract of her newest book, Spoonful of Murder and chatted to a number of students, signing books as she went.
Author Robin Stevens with Junior School students The Junior School celebrating the Royal Wedding
T H E R OYA L W E D D I N G C E L E B R AT I O N S To celebrate the marriage of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, our Junior School held a day of craft making, coming into school wearing red, white and navy colours of the Union Jack. Each student was asked to make their own themed plate, and there was such a variety of designs which represented Prince Harry and his American bride. After an assembly of fact finding (including how many tiers and the flavour of the wedding cake), our students enjoyed ice-cream and orange juice to toast the happy couple.
“She was very inspiring and I learnt a lot. I have just finished reading her new book and loved it.” PRACHI ARORA (YEAR 4)
SPRING C O N C E RT The Spring Concert was a wonderful end to the Spring term, with everyone enjoying an evening of music from our talented musicians, singers and staff. This year saw a hugely varied programme ranging from Vivaldi to the Flintstones, The Final Countdown to Simon & Garfunkel! All of our performers worked very hard alongside our visiting music teachers to prepare for their performances. The Junior School orchestra perform at the Spring Concert
10 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
P H OTO G R A P H Y C O M P E T I T I O N This year we encouraged all of our students (and staff) to dust off their cameras and take pictures of wildlife around them. We really do have some very talented young photographers in school. There were some simply stunning entries.
Year 3: 1st place – Tess Parr, 2nd place – Akshara Saranga, Fraser Hall Year 4: 1st place – Luke Cadamy, 2nd place – Sai Srikailash, 3rd place – Bobbie Doe
1st place – Hannah Cutler ( Year 5) Year 5: 1st place – Hannah Cutler, 2nd place – Charlie Wilson, 3rd Place – Nye Pritchard Year 6: 1st place – Zuhair Abdullah, 2nd place – Daniel Read, 3rd place – Holly Brooks Staff: 1st place – Miss Gravely, 2nd place – Mr Craig, 3rd place – Miss A Noble
Students on the Fly XL
EXPLORING T H E C OA S T As we were blessed with some excellent weather during the Summer term, our Year 6 students headed down to the coast for a day of activities. Some of them surfed at the Longsands, others had a go at paddle boarding (standing up), kayaking and the Fly XL at Cullercoats Harbour, whilst another group cycled up to St Mary’s Lighthouse and tried some coasteering. A great day was had by all.
1st place – Tess Parr (Year 3)
M A RY P O P P I N S
Year 6 perform Mary Poppins
11 THE REVIEW 2017–18
The last week of Summer term saw our Year 6 students take to the stage in Mary Poppins. They delivered a spectacular performance to a packed Miller Theatre. It was one giant team effort with students acting as backstage crew, sound and light technicians, and costume teams as well as performing on stage. It was definitely a well-loved show, with parents, Senior School members of staff and others, commenting on how excellent the performance was.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
CHARITY Students take part in the North East Children’s Cancer Run
Raising money for Children in Need
CHARITY J E A N S F O R G E N E S DAY
U N I F O R M S TA L L
A group of students (Sophia Young, Sara Brizzi, Jasmine Mohammed and Mina Mohammed, all Year 6) put a request in to support the Jeans for Genes charity by allowing all of the Junior School, staff and students, to wear their jeans to school for a day. A total of £331 was raised for the charity which supports children from the UK who are affected by genetic disorders.
Our second hand uniform stall, Threadaware made a grand total of £1,963 this year, a fantastic amount raised for the RGS Bursary Campaign.
S A L’ S S H O E S
Another of our Junior School’s tremendous fundraising efforts saw them donate 14 huge boxes of shoes to charity, Sal’s Shoes. The charity delivers the shoes to children around the world who are in desperate need G O I N G S P OT T Y F O R of a pair of shoes. Many children CHILDREN IN NEED cannot attend school without shoes, The whole of the Junior School turned and are at serious risk of infection and other foot injuries. spotty in November in an effort to raise money for Children in Need. As well as everyone wearing something spotty, there was also a huge number of fundraising activities taking place throughout the day. Overall, a very impressive £1,223.69 was raised.
N O RT H E A S T CHILDREN’S CANCER RUN A huge number of students and parents took part in this year’s North East Children’s Cancer Run raising money for a very worthy and popular cause. £792 was raised by all of our runners.
Our runners ready for the North East Children’s Cancer Run
12 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Year 6 explore the River Breamish
13 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Year 5 enjoying the water-based activities at Robinwood
YEAR 6 EXPLORE THE I N G R A M VA L L E Y
Y E A R 5 G O TO R O B I N WO O D
Year 6 went to the Ingram Valley, taking in the sites around the River Breamish. The students investigated the depth of one of the river’s tributaries, the Knock Burn, before walking along the River Breamish, noticing the changes to its shape and course that had occurred over the years. Their final task was to investigate what lives in the river by using fishing nets to find a fascinating range of creatures.
All of Year 5 visited the Robinwood Activity Centre in late September for three days of activity-filled fun. The activities kept the students going all day and included climbing, caving, zip-lining, the giant swing, canoeing and attempting to cross the piranha pool successfully.
Y E A R 6 H E A D TO K I R K N E W TO N Just a mere few days after the school year had begun, it was time for our Year 6 students to head off to Kirknewton for some adventures. Whilst the weather wasn’t on their side, they still enjoyed all the activities which included pitching and sleeping in their own tents, trekking up Yeavering Bell, (which saw our students taking charge of organising the route), watercolour painting of some nature scenes and some bushcraft activities.
Year 4 gather around the camp fire at Patterdale Hall
“Putting up the tents was hard, but it got so cosy and the tent didn’t flop on us!” ISHIKA PURI (YEAR 6)
“Kirknewton was simply awesome.” P E T E R VA N ORSOUW (YEAR 6)
YEAR 4 VISIT PAT T E R DA L E H A L L Year 4 travelled to the Lake District to spend some time at Patterdale Hall, where they took part in a range of outdoor activities which included canoeing, archery, tackling a low ropes course, bushcraft and exploring nature. Favourite moments included having hot chocolate around the camp fire.
“Patterdale is great because you have the chance to do things that you can’t do in the classroom.” A L E X A H A M I LTO N (YEAR 4)
“The best thing about Patterdale was making new friends and doing lots of fun activities out in the wilderness.” ABBIE FARRELL (YEAR 4)
14 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
YEAR 4 VISIT THE H O U S E O F O B J EC T S For Year 4’s technology day, they visited the House of Objects to take part in an electricity workshop. Not only did the students explore the fascinating artefacts on display, but they also got to test their creativity and building skills to make squishies and ornaments.
Year 4 visit The House of Objects
“It was amazing! They certainly had lots of objects and there were so many thing to use. I made two squishies and an ornament.” ANIKA KONETI (YEAR 4)
“It was extremely fun going there because we could build whatever we wanted.” ERIC CHENG (YEAR 4)
SKI TRIP 42 students headed for snowy Les Orres in the French Alps for a skiing adventure at Easter. Thanks to the wonderful snowfall, Les Orres was a skier’s paradise. Our students had ski lessons everyday that saw them focus on turning, stopping, jumping and for some, even slalom racing. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the skiing and improved immensely by the end of the week. It’s safe to say all the students caught the ski-bug!
15 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
E X P L O R I N G H A R RY P OT T E R ’ S WO R L D With so many Harry Potter fans in Year 6 it seemed only right that this year’s visit to London had a distinct Harry Potter theme. On arrival in London, our students went on a sightseeing tour, taking in all of the capital’s top sights such as Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. In the evening the group got to go and see Wicked! which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The following morning it was Potter time as the group headed to ‘The Making of Harry Potter’. The students were able to walk down Privet Drive, where they saw Harry’s house. They had a go at flying a broomstick, bought some butterbeer from the butterbeer stall and tried to get onto Platform 9 ¾ to catch the Hogwarts Express.
The Chess teams at Prestatyn for the English Primary Schools’ Chess Competition
CHESS O N TO U R Heading for the Hogwarts Express
“It was one of the best school trips I’ve ever been on and everyone really enjoyed themselves!”
Every year our chess teams visit Prestatyn in North Wales for the English Primary Schools’ Chess Competition. This year saw five teams taken: two in Under 11, two in Under 9 and one in the Under 11 plate event. There was a lot of chess played across the weekend and a lot of fun was also had in and out the competition, thanks to the entertainment provided by the resort. The standard of the competition was extremely high and it was unfortunate that our Under 11 A team just missed out on qualifying for the final by half a point.
SOPHIA YOUNG (YEAR 6)
All the teams did exceptionally well with nearly all finishing in the top 10 – a great achievement with more than 24 teams entered in each age group.
Year 6 outside The Making of Harry Potter
16 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Sports Day action
17 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
B R A D F O R D R U G BY F E ST I VA L In October, our Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 rugby teams competed in the Bradford Rugby Festival, one of the largest RFU school events, which saw over 300 boys taking part. It was an opportunity for all the boys to play against schools they wouldn’t usually face. Compared to other festivals which focus more on the competition element of rugby, this festival was all about playing opportunities, developing skills and having fun. It was a great experience for all the boys.
H O C K E Y F E S T I VA L Almost 100 girls from five local schools took part in our Year 3 Hockey Festival, which saw them involved in a number of hockey activities overseen by some of our Senior School hockey players. There were a lot of skills challenges as well as some fun mixed-team matches, which meant all of the girls got to work with girls from the other schools, and learn from each other.
IN2HOCKEY WINNERS
Through winning all of their games, the team qualified for the Tyne & Wear finals.
Our Under 11 hockey team took part in the In2Hockey competition this year. The girls breezed through the county qualifier with some strong play and great defending which saw them win the tournament with a score of 30 points and a clean sheet, thanks to some superb saves in goal from Rae Faith (Year 6).
The Tyne & Wear finals were held in some of the worst conditions you can imagine! Competing against nine schools from across the area, the team of Cara Lee, Saakshi Santosh, Gabriella Oliver, Elena Baggett, Hugo Green, Drew Taylor, Idris Pritchard and Rory Linkleter (all year 6), didn’t let the rain phase them and they stormed through the group stages without conceding a goal. The semi-final saw them come up against Fellside, but with the quality of our team’s hockey, they pushed through to the final with a 4-0 victory. In the final they faced Cullercoats, who they’d already beaten in the group stages. It was another outstanding performance from the squad and they won 4-1 to become Tyne & Wear Champions.
Our mixed Year 6 team also competed in an In2Hockey tournament, this time the Newcastle Primary Schools’ Festival. The team had five games against local schools including Byker Primary, Westerhope and St. Thersea’s, and showed fantastic goal scoring ability throughout the tournament which saw them amass 26 goals and only concede one.
The Junior School mixed hockey team
B OYS W I N U N D E R THE FLOODLIGHTS On a chilly January evening, our Year 6 football team took part in the Floodlit Football tournament held on the ATP. It was a tough tournament featuring some of the best schools from in and around Newcastle. The boys were fantastic in every game with solid defence and a slick attack, which saw them reach the final and beat Gosforth 1-0. Not only did they win, but they managed to keep a clean sheet throughout the whole tournament.
VAU LT I N G TO S U C C E S S For the past three years a group of Junior School boys have been working hard to achieve something their peers did three years ago: win a British Gymnastics title. This year, Angus Robson (Year 5), Dan Beale (Year 5), Patrick Magill (Year 6), Nomin Udawatte (Year 5), Rishi Matla (Year 6) and Tanish Kadarapura (Year 5) achieved their goal and became Under 11 British Champions. At the national finals, held in Stoke, the boys excelled in all areas of their routine, with particular highlights being Dan Beale and Angus Robson who both scored 15.8 on the vault. These were both outstanding scores, with the highest possible score being 16. Over the last three years, the boys have been on an incredible journey, experiencing success and failure, and slowly, but surely, working their way up the national rankings.
“I am incredibly proud of the boys for their dedication, focus and determination. They are truly amazing gymnasts.” R O D D Y M A C K AY, GYMNASTICS COACH
18 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
C R O S S C O U N T RY S U C C E S S Under 9 boys’ team win silver at City Cross-Country Championships
Under 9 boys’ team take on the Mowden Hall challenge
The City Cross-Country Championships
Under 9 girls’ become City Cross Country Champions
The cross country season was a very successful one for our Junior School runners, with a number of outstanding performances across the year.
The first competition of the season was the Northumberland Primary Schools Team Cross Country competition at Gateshead Stadium, where Years 3, 4 and 6 joined a number of other schools to tackle a rather blustery (and twisty) course. Despite being slightly late for the start of the Year 3 race, Iona Murray worked her way to the front, and came home the eventual winner. She was closely followed by Maggie Copland who finished 3rd. Alongside their teammates, Clara Lingam, Alice Dent, Lena Rifat and Elizabeth Land, they also took the overall schools’ title. The Year 3 boys’ team came 4th, with Elliot Butler finishing just outside the medal places in 4th place. The Year 4 girls’ and Year 6 girls’ teams also finished 4th, the Year 4 boys’ team finished 7th and the Year 6 boys’ team finished 8th.
19 THE REVIEW 2017–18
The next competition was the Mowden Hall Challenge and again, Iona Murray and Maggie Copland had strong races to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively. Elliot Butler finished on the podium in 2nd place. There were also top 10 finishes for Clare Lingam, (Year 3) 8th, Milo Hickleton, (Year 3) 5th, Josh White, (Year 3) 8th and Dan Morgan, (Year 3) 9th. In the Under 9 event, both the girls’ and boys’ teams were overall winners thanks to Bobbie Doe (Year 4) 4th, Isabel Yates (Year 4) 6th, Ava Vardy (Year 4) 7th and Lara Savic (Year 4) 10th, in the girls’ race. Johan Haniffa finished (Year 4) 2nd, Massimo Johnson (Year 4) 4th, James Muir (Year 4) 7th and Billy Young (Year 4) 13th in the boys’ race.
Junior School runners at Mowden Hall
Towards the end of the season the teams competed at the City Cross-Country Championships in Blakelaw. Roughly 130 runners lined up for each race, which made it a tough challenge for our runners. The Under 9 girls’ team became City champions with some super team running. Bobbie Doe led the pack finishing second, however all the girls finished in the top 20: Isabel Yates, 4th; Iona Murray, 8th; Daniela Gamez Jimenez, 9th; Lara Savic, 13th; and Ava Vardy, 16th. The Under 9 boys’ team finished second overall with Johan Haniffa (Year 4) getting a podium finish (3rd). Nico Gurteen (Year 4), finished 7th and Indra Shah (Year 4), finished 13th. The Under 11 girls’ team also finished second, with Flo Elliot (Year 6) winning silver and Julia Asherson (Year 6) finishing 8th to be our top placed girls. Finally, the Under 11 boys’ team, mainly made up of boys from Year 5, finished a very creditable 8th. An incredible season for all of our runners with a huge amount of podium finishes, and championship titles coming back to RGS.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
FRANKIE FENCES I N TO TO P T E N
BOB MADDISON CUP
Despite only starting to fence when he joined RGS, Frankie Foster (Year 3) put himself in the spotlight winning a number of local titles before taking part in the British Under 10 Fencing Championships where he finished a very respectable 10th. Frankie is definitely one to watch in years to come. Young fencing champion, Frankie Foster
Our winning Year 6 netball team
GIRLS WIN SCHOOL GAMES NETBALL FINALS
In March our Junior School netball team competed at the City Netball Finals at the Walker Activity Dome. They were convincing winners of their group, defeating everyone with some Despite some unpleasant weather, terrific netball. In the semi-finals our Year 5 football team took part the girls faced a tough contest that in the ISFA North East tournament The boys played some very attacking finished 5-5. Needing a winner, the game went to extra time and golden football, and also put on a strong defensive display, to remain unbeaten goal (whoever scores first wins). Our girls took the initiative and scored throughout the tournament with the golden goal which put them three draws and three wins. Their through to the final. The final saw 12 points was enough to see them them face group opponents NPS, become ISFA North East champions. and with tiredness showing in both sides, our girls worked hard to win 2-0 and take the City title.
Y E A R 5 A R E N O RT H E A ST F O OT B A L L CHAMPIONS
Our Junior School football team had a very successful Bob Maddison Cup run, which saw them reach the final where they would face Gosforth Junior Academy at the impressive Newcastle United Academy facilities. In the final, they had plenty of early chances to score, however it became clear that they up against a very powerful and skillful side. At half time, the score was 4-0 to Gosforth, despite some superb goalkeeping from Tobias Smith (Year 6), and to our boys’ credit they restricted Gosforth during the second half, the score remaining 4-0. Reaching the final in a very competitive cup (of 38 teams) is a huge achievement in itself.
Our footballers take on Dame Allan’s
I A P S N AT I O N A L SWIMMING FINAL S Year 6 student Thomas Newton got to experience the London 2012 Olympic Aquatic Centre when he competed in the IAPS Swimming National Finals. This was the first time the event had been held at the Olympic venue, and was a wonderful opportunity for all the swimmers to experience swimming in the same pool as some of their idols. Thomas was the only swimmer to qualify from RGS this year, in the 25m butterfly. The standard of the competition was extremely high, but Thomas swam superbly to finish 16th.
20 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
SENIOR SCHOOL H I G H L I G H TS
21 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
22 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Students perform Fiddler on the Roof
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
JOSEPH AND THE T EC H N I C O L O U R D R E A M C OAT
Fiddler on the Roof was an impassioned revival of Joseph Stein’s famous tale about an impoverished Jewish family in Tsarist Russia, trying to get by in an ever-changing world. The problems of Tevye (played by Isaac Marchant, Lower Sixth), his wife (played by Charlotte Dargan, Year 11), and their seven daughters were played out highlighting the daily breadline struggle and the influx of suitors, with each less eligible than the one before, which disturbs the peace of their clan.
The first major production of the year was from Year 7 and 8 as they performed Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat. The popular stage show has seen many of the top names in showbusiness play out the lead parts, but our cast excelled themselves with a stellar performance of the colourful production.
The acting was without fault (even everyone’s Russian accent was brilliant!), but perhaps the most rewarding surprise of the show was the beauty with which the songs were performed. Tilly Osborne (Year 11) and Lucy Hatton (Upper Sixth), playing Chava and Hodel respectively, wowed the audience with their performances, and the whole ensemble’s boisterous rendition of Tradition received rapturous applause from the audience. Isaac and Charlotte’s portrayal of Tevye and his wife earned them a standing ovation at the end of the show.
Grace Stobart (Year 8) who took on the role of the Narrator, gave the part suitable energy. Unfortunately Grace lost her voice half way through the Friday performance, but she showed steel and determination to get through the show. The production was fantastic, and would not have been a success had it not been for the people behind the scenes; those in charge of the music, the costumes, set design and make up as well as the stage crew.
The characters of Joseph and the Pharaoh are usually played by male actors, but Amelia Lewis (Year 8) and Amy Davis (Year 8) were cast as Joseph and the Pharaoh respectively. Both did an amazing job, with Amelia demonstrating the maturity of her voice.
23 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Students perform Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
J A Z Z A M ATA Z We have a number of incredible jazz musicians, and these were on display at our annual Jazzamataz concert. The RGS Big Band opened the evening with a sophisticated yet fun number of songs from some of the classic Jazz icons, including Etta James and Louis Armstrong. Their pieces included full-band numbers as well as an array of solos. Alexandra Irving-Wilson (Lower Sixth) joined the band for a couple of songs, displaying her vocal talent.
The Senior School Carol Service at St George’s Church, Jesmond
C H R I ST M A S C A R O L S Parents, special guests and local residents gathered at St George’s Church, Jesmond, for this year’s Senior School Carol Service.
Christian Cooper (Lower Sixth) played a classic Scott Joplin piece, highlighting his real talent on the piano. The Blue Blazer Choir then closed the evening with a wonderful rendition of A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square, captivating the audience and stealing the show.
The evening began with a welcome from the Rev. Canon Brian Hurst, before Mr Fern delivered a bidding prayer. Next, it was time for our students to shine as Cressey Osborne (Upper Sixth) lit up the evening with her rendition of the first verse of Once in Royal David’s City. The congregation joined in from the second verse and sang in unison. Following a reading by Alexandra Irving-Wilson (Lower Sixth), the Junior Chamber Choir performed a beautiful rendition of All on a Silent Night. Three more readings followed from Matthew Hudson (Lower Sixth), Bede Doe (Year 7) and Amanda Chakkoria (Year 11).
Cressey Osborne (Upper Sixth) performs at Jazzamataz
A N K I T I N VO LV E D I N N AT I O N A L M U S I C F E S T I VA L
It was then the turn of the Blue Blazer Choir who performed O Little Town of Bethlehem and Go, Tell It on the Mountain, followed by a short piece by the Brass Ensemble. The Senior and Community Choirs then combined to perform The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy. Finally, the Symphony Orchestra played a stunning rendition of Farandole by Bizet. The service concluded with Hark the Herald and a closing blessing, the organ voluntarily being played by Frederick Peacock. Ankit Kumar (Year 9) performs at the Music for Youth National Festival
Ankit Kumar (Year 9), performed at the Birmingham Symphony Hall with the Houghton Youth Area Band. The experience was part of the Music for Youth National Festival that ran in July across some of Birmingham’s great music venues. For Ankit, it was a fantastic opportunity to play in one of the country’s most revered venues.
24 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
THE SOUNDS OF SPRING The Senior School Spring Concert saw more than 120 students take to the stage in the Miller Theatre as eight ensembles, orchestras and choirs entertained the audience. The audience, made up of parents, friends, staff and fellow students, were impressed by the high level of musicianship on display. There was something for everyone. The Percussion Ensemble opened the show, showcasing a range of percussive sounds and complex rhythms in Mambo Schambo and Danielle’s Cha Cha. Next came the Sinfonia Orchestra who created a full sound in Elgar’s Andante From Six Pieces and Holst’s Themes from Jupiter. Ending the first half of the concert was The Blue Note Wind Band who performed some modern numbers including Meet the Flinstones and Adele’s Rolling in the Deep.
The Intermediate Guitar Ensemble were next to take the stage and their renditions of Ragtime and Constant Billy showed just how cohesive a group they are, performing a very well balanced set. The Senior Piano Trio also demonstrated their musicianship in superb versions of Romance and Intermezzo from Frank Bridge’s Miniatures. The energy and exuberance of the Blue Blazer Choir delighted the whole audience with their renditions of Close Every Door and Chattanooga Choo Choo. The RGS Concert Band headed to the movies for their set, delivering Beauty and the Beast and Pirates of the Caribbean with tremendous energy and passion. Closing the concert was the RGS Symphony Orchestra, who enthralled the audience with their performance of Tchaikovsky’s March Slave and Bizet’s Farandole. The concert demonstrated the amazing talent of our students, and the success of the concert would not have been achievable without the time and effort of all the staff and visiting music teachers who prepared all the ensembles so well.
Alex Adamson (Year 10) on the violin
M U S I C I A N S E XC E L I N E X A M S A number of students took LAMDA, ABRSM and LCM exams this year with all of them achieving impressive results. In the LAMDA exams, students achieved 68 distinctions, 21 merits and one pass. Willow Morris (Year 8) achieved an exceptional 99/100 at Grade 3 and Cressey Osborne (Upper Sixth) achieved 98/100 at Grade 8. In the ABRSM exams, students achieved three distinctions, seven merits and 11 passes. Rachel Rees (Lower Sixth) achieved a distinction in her Grade 8 flute exam, Alex Adamson (Year 10) achieved a distinction in his Grade 8 violin exam, and Thomas Rees (Year 11) achieved a distinction in his Grade 5 trumpet exam.
The Guitar Ensemble perform at the Spring Concert
25 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Finally, in the LCM exams, students achieved three distinctions and one merit. Simon Henderson (Year 8) achieved 89% in his Grade 4 classical guitar exam, Henry Slater (Year 8) achieved 86% in his Grade 3 classical guitar exam, and Adam Carey (Year 7) achieved 87% in his Grade 2 classical guitar exam.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
ST U D E N T S R A I S E T H E R O O F AT M U S I C F E ST I VA L • Oliver Waterhouse (Year 11), Our students once again attended won the Piano Solo title and was The Wansbeck Music Festival, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity awarded The Elizabeth Spowart Rose Bowl. to showcase their musical talents.
The Blue Blazer Choir, winners at The Wansbeck Music Festival
The festival is a superb competition that allows our students to perform in front of an audience and be judged by a panel of leading experts. This year was an exceptional year for all of our performers as they managed to win a number of classes: • The Blue Blazer Choir won the Under 16 category, being awarded a distinction. • Grace Stobart (Year 8), won the Vocal Solo for boys and girls Under 18 category, being awarded a distinction.
• The Stobart sisters (Grace and Hannah, Year 8, and Imogen and Honor, Year 7), stole the show in 2017 with their stunning solos and quartet performances, and they were excellent once again in 2018, winning the String Quartet (under 13) category and were also presented with the Cecil Dunn Cup. To celebrate their achievements, all the soloists, the quartet and the choir were invited to perform at the Festival’s closing concert, a wonderful celebration of music and a fitting end to this year’s event.
Alex Parry and Cressey Osborne, Upper Sixth students perform at the Leavers’ Concert
L E AV E R S ’ C O N C E RT The annual Leavers’ Concert, saw the Miller Theatre full of students, staff, parents and special guests to see our Upper Sixth musicians and actors perform for one last time. Highlights from the concert included compelling acting from Laura Peto and Cressey Osborne, superb singing from Jasmine Banerjee, Alex Parry and Cressey Osborne, lyrical playing from Will Stevenson on the euphorium and Lucy McCarthy on piano, and brilliant performances from Laura Baxter on cello, Luca Bennett on trumpet, Dan Edwards on guitar, and Andrew Murtagh on drums. All performances were delivered so beautifully making the evening very personal and providing a superb musical farewell.
AMELIA STUNS THE JUDGES AT T Y N E DA L E M U S I C F E S T I VA L Year 8 student and singing sensation, Amelia Lewis, added more trophies to her impressive collection in the 2018 Tynedale Music Festival. Amelia won three trophies and was awarded outstanding, both technically and artistically, for vocal solo classes at all three age groups, including under 13, under 16 and under 18. Amelia Lewis (Year 8) takes on the role of Joseph in Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat
She was then invited to perform in the Festival’s Concert of Highlights at the Queen’s Hall, Hexham. Amelia performed Bist du bir mir by Bach, and was delighted to be presented with the Tynedale Arts Council Trophy for the most outstanding performance of the whole festival. The talented soloist also won a place with the Samling Academy for 2018. A superb achievement considering the minimum age is 14 and the majority of students that auditioned were university age. Amelia was invited to attend a workshop and perform at Birmingham Cathedral with the Choristers’ of Britain Choir.
26 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
The army section of the RGS CCF in drill practice
27 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
“All the hard work and meeting up two, three or more times per week, paid off. We are so pleased to have won.” A B I TA N G (YEAR 9)
YEAR 9 ST U D E N T S WIN SUBSEA U K ST E M CHALLENGE
The Subsea UK STEM Engineering Challenge winners The challenge for the finals was to design a wind turbine that would generate enough energy to power a home and to make a prototype of their design that they could present and test at the final.
The group visited the Aberdeen Science Centre where they explored A group of budding engineers from some of the displays, before presenting Year 9 travelled to Aberdeen for the their model for testing in a test tank. Subsea UK STEM Engineering Challenge Unfortunately, their model failed national final where they became the first time around. However, they national champions. were given the opportunity to fix and improve it before testing for The team of Jiawen Dong, Abi Tang, a second time. Aidan Ewart, Phillip Daniel, Sandric Andriychenko, Katy Read and Following testing, the competition Faizah Ashraf, designed and created then moved to the BP headquarters a floating wind turbine, being judged where the team delivered their the only team to address all aspects presentation to a panel of judges of the design brief that was set. made up of representatives from Their competent presentation left SMD, Oceaneering, SAAB, Subsea the judges speechless and unable to UK and BP. In the group’s pitch, they come up with any questions regarding discussed the unique selling points, the design and build of their model. the cost, anchoring and buoyancy, Having won the regional heat of the Subsea UK STEM Engineering Challenge with their underwater vehicle (made from LEGO), the group were invited to the national finals. Their winning prototype was programmed to lay down cables underwater as if on the sea bed.
aerodynamics, blade design and the problems they faced, before handing the judges a copy of their design sheet, advertising poster and manufacturing log. After sitting through the other teams’ presentations, the RGS team were named winners and presented with the trophy.
“Visiting the Granite City, seeing the home of BP and exploring the Aberdeen Science Centre was so much fun. We were very lucky to also be invited into the cockpit on our flight home to be congratulated by the pilots.” J I AW E N D O N G (YEAR 9)
The Physics team build their model at the Physics Olympics
P H YS I C S O LY M P I C S A group of Year 8 students took part in a Physics Olympics competing against a number of other schools. Leila Humphrey, Charlotte Waldron, Sebastijan Hunt and Aryan Sharma were given a range of physics tasks, which included building a rather tall tower! The day was a lot of fun and also saw the group put the skills they’ve been learning in the classroom into practice.
28 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
EES TRADITION CONTINUES B U S I N E S S AC U M E N S K I L L S P U T TO THE TEST
Our successful teams in the EES competition The tradition of students doing well in the Engineering Education Scheme continued this year as both of our teams did extremely well in this year’s regional competition, which saw the Nissan Trophy return to RGS. The first of our teams, Hamish Burnett, Rajiv Mistry, Rohit Singh and Shriram Ruppa Geethanath (all Lower Sixth), designed and produced a bolt distribution system for the production line at Nissan, which builds both the Leaf and Qashqai models with the cars sequenced randomly. The kit built by the boys would supply the operator with the four correct bolts for whatever type of car that would be in front of them at that time. The unique system uses a light gate to select and count the bolts and then present them to the operator to pick up easily. The system also uses a Poke-Yoke or a fool-proofing tool (a requirement of the brief), so the operator isn’t able to fit the incorrect bolts to the car.
The system designed by the team fitted the brief they were given, and the judges were suitably impressed, rewarding the team with best overall project. Coming in a close second was our other team of Lauren Robson, Darina Andriychenko and Naini Mandal (all Lower Sixth). They designed and produced a system to dispense exactly 12 bolts, or eight nuts to the operator of the Infinity training jig. Similar to the boys’ system, it had to use Poke-Yoke techniques.
Lower Sixth students Juliette Clark, Lara Blackett, Will Mackay and Joe Dalton made it through to the final round of the prestigious ICAEW BASE business and accounting competition. The competition sees students from across the country compete against one another in a range of business tasks. A total of 520 schools entered the competition, with our team acquitting themselves brilliantly in a series of business challenges and in their presentation. They then answered some incisive questions from a panel of judges including the Finance Manager of Virgin Media and the Head of Corporate Communications at ICAEW. The team felt that they had honed vital skills valuable both for university interviews and beyond. They received high praise for the quality of their contributions and for their final presentation.
The girls’ system used an electromagnet to lift the nuts and bolts, and a load cell to count them, with the electromagnet being moved by a system of motors. The whole assembly was controlled using an Arduino. The girls’ design certainly impressed the judges panel and they were awarded second place.
Our students at the ICAEW BASE competition
29 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
T E A M W I N S N AT I O N A L CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP The chess team travelled to London with ambitions of becoming national champions in the Team Chess Challenge National Finals. James Moreby (Year 10), Joseph Dalton (Lower Sixth), Yichen Han (Year 5) and Jamie McIntosh (Year 8), qualified for the finals by winning the regional event, with the help of Zheming Zhang (Year 11). The competition format saw each game played with a very fast time control; just ten minutes per game and an extra two seconds added after every move to prevent players losing on time. The team were second seeds for the tournament and had it pretty straightforward for the first two rounds, securing 4-0 victories over Highgate School and University College School respectively.
It would take until the fifth round for the team to drop their first point, but a 3-1 win against Manchester Grammar School saw them march on.
Bede Doe (Year 7) entered the national Divine Chocolate Poetry Competition which sees entrants write a poem about chocolate’s journey from seed to the shelves. Here’s Bede’s effort:
Going into the final round four points clear, the team knew that as long as they didn’t lose 4-0, they’d be crowned winners.
Rustle. Off comes the paper. Crack. The bar in two. Mmm. The taste is a jamboree. But I’ve got a question for you.
Eltham College proved to be the toughest opponents the team faced. Despite losing their only game, 2.5-1.5, they were crowned national champions.
Have you ever considered, The effort it takes, To create a soiree in your mouth? This is what the farmers create.
The youngest member of the team, Yichen, was the most impressive player of the tournament, securing five victories from five and had six or seven minutes left on the clock at the end of every game.
Three Lower Sixth students, Alice Keown, Sarah Shepherd and Jack Brannen, travelled to Cambridge representing RGS at the Grand Final of the 2018 ARTiculation competition. ARTiculation is a national public speaking competition that sees young people deliver presentations about artists and their work discussing their curation, art history and the cultural connections between their subject matter.
What an immense journey, Your chocolate comes from afar, It all starts in Ghana, A small bean becomes a bar. The process is exhausting, If only there was a helping hand, But the farmers have fair pay Communities can therefore expand. Who provides the remuneration? Who can we revel about? It’s Fairtrade, with Divine chocolate, A partnership that deserves a shout out.
Top seeds, Hampton School, were next, and a tense first two games went right to the wire. However, the team emerged victors with another impressive 4-0 win.
T R I O D E M O N ST R AT E T H E I R A RT I C U L AT I O N SKILLS
BEDE’S POEM EARNS R U N N E R S - U P S P OT I N N AT I O N A L C O M P E T I T I O N
So when you next hear that rustle, The crack and the mmm of bliss, Celebrate and taste joy and happiness, It’s a party that you can’t afford to miss. Our students at the 2018 ARTiculation final Alice, Sarah and Jack all made it through to the North East regional finals held at BALTIC, and were then invited to attend the Grand Final to hear all of the national finalists’ presentations before having a tour of the art collections and architecture held in Cambridge. All three enhanced their research and presentation skills throughout the duration of the competition.
30 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
K AT Y C O N T I N U E S TO I M P R E S S W I T H THE CAMERA Year 9 student and talented photographer, Katy Read, has impressed the judges of every competition she has entered this year. Some of her competition highlights include photographing a European Shag on the Farne Islands, and being shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Her shot of a wild rabbit was the winning photograph in the Mammal Society’s Photographer of the Year competition, with another image, a grey squirrel, being highly commended. Both of these formed part of an exhibition that was held at Exeter University. Her shot of a Crested Tit reached the finals of the Scottish Nature Photography Awards (Under 18s) and was published in their annual coffee-table book. Katy was runner-up in the Under 14 category in a big Italian competition, Oasis International. This saw her placed the highest of any of the British entrants across both juniors and adult categories. Finally, she was shortlisted for European Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Under 15) which in itself is a fantastic achievement. With her knowledge and success in a number of competitions, Katy helped the Junior School with their wildlife photography competition that ran across the Summer term. Not only did she provide some tips for those taking pictures, but she also chose her favourites from the competition.
Students get involved in Hausearrest
O N AT T I R E T U R N W I T H T H E I R L I G H T- H E A RT E D P R O D U C T I O N S A number of our modern linguists from across the school were given the opportunity to watch a performance by the Onatti Production Company in one of the languages they are learning. Our Year 8 and Year 9 German linguists watched Hausearrest, while our Year 9 and Year 10 Spanish linguists saw La Casa Encatada, with both performances full of fun, farce and frivolity.
S T U D E N T S C R E AT E T H E I R OW N CLASSROOMS Year 9 art students and members of the RGS Architectural Society spent a day in a workshop working with Ryder Architecture as well as lecturers and students from Northumbria University’s Architecture Department. The workshop got them to look at their favourite memories from school, and use these to develop new designs for future classrooms, with the emphasis on bringing nature into the learning environment. Students present their ideas at Ryder Architecture.
Squirrel’s Eye View, Katy Read (Year 9)
31 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Our students impressed themselves as well as the actors with their knowledge and understanding of what was going on during the performance.
Student workshop led by Ryder Architecture The students were then invited to show and present their models and ideas at Ryder Architecture, before visiting NBS Construction to put any questions they had to their technical team. The project, which was part of the learning and outreach programme of The Great Exhibition of the North, was a wonderful learning experience for our students who embraced the knowledge and instructions passed to them as they developed their concepts.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
F1 TEAM LAND PODIUM FINISH After qualifying in third place at the regional F1inSchools event, Fenice Racing headed to the home of British motorsport, Silverstone, for the F1inSchools National Finals. Joining them at the finals were NeoFusion, who were offered a place just 10 days before the start of the competition due to another team withdrawing. The finals saw 42 teams from around the UK head to Silverstone to present and test their cars. All of the teams had to design, build, test and race a miniature F1 car, and have their entries judged in a number of categories including scrutineering, engineering, a verbal presentation, a pit display and enterprise portfolio as well as the car’s speed being tested on the official F1inSchools track – a 20 metre long drag strip.
NeoFusion at the F1 in Schools Finals, Silverstone
AWA R D W I N N I N G AU T H O R V I S I T S Y E A R 7 Award winning author, Sarah Govett, visited the school to talk to Year 7 about her books and some of the topics they highlight. Sarah’s books are critically acclaimed, with The Territory being shortlisted for The Times’ Chickenhouse Children’s Fiction Prize. It also won the Gateshead YA Book Prize in January 2017 and the Trinity Schools’ Book Award. Year 7 students meet Sarah Govett
Sarah’s gripping novels are set in a future UK that is threatened by hunger, disease and rising sea levels. Sarah spoke about the moral questions that the books throw up and asked students what they would do, especially if they had a decision to save someone’s life even though it might mean condemning others to a worse fate. Year 7 thoroughly enjoyed Sarah’s visit, finding the topics of discussion very thought-provoking. For those who hadn’t already read her books they were eager to start.
Both Fenice Racing and Neofusion had fantastic competitions and sufficiently impressed the judges with their entries to be awarded a prize. Fenice Racing won the Research and Development Award in the professional class, and Neofusion won the Sportsmanship Award, also in the professional class. The awards were a result of the fantastic effort and work produced by all the students involved.
F E N I C E R AC I N G
N EO F U S I O N
Shameer Hassan (Lower Sixth)
Talha Pathan (Year 11)
Ollie Lowes (Lower Sixth)
Matthew Abraham (Year 11)
Alaap Subramonia (Lower Sixth)
Joe Wise (Year 11)
Samuel Njoroge (Lower Sixth)
Peter Lord (Year 11)
Max Sajjanhar (Lower Sixth)
Aaryan Sehgal (Year 11)
Jackson Drummond (Year 10)
32 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
C C F TA K E A T R I P D OW N T H E T Y N E The Navy section of the CCF were invited aboard HMS Example to sail out to sea and gain some insights into life on the open water, being in the Navy, and to explore the Tyne riverside and Tyneside coastline. Oscar Black (Year 10), gives a flavour of what the group’s afternoon with the crew of HMS Example was like: ‘Myself and the rest of the RGS Navy section travelled to the River Tyne Police launch at Jarrow to sail out to sea on HMS Example, which is usually berthed at HMS Calliope, our affiliated base.
Navy cadets on board HMS Example
‘After sailing down the river, passing the busy Port of Tyne and HMS Tyne (which was docked at North Shields), we left the river mouth and powered towards Sunderland. On leaving the Tyne we were able to go the boat’s maximum speed of 22 knots.
‘Following a briefing on the equipment of the vessel, and trying on the safety suit (as you never know when you might fall in...), we were allowed onto the ship’s wheel and everyone was given a chance to perform some manoeuvres including figure-ofeights (opposite the mouth of the River Wear), and stopping on a command in a certain direction. ‘Once everyone had taken their turn, we headed back down the Tyne and docked again at Jarrow. ‘Overall, the trip was insightful and enjoyable, plus, being given the opportunity to be in charge of the boat was great fun.’
STUDENTS PERFORM FOR L O C A L P R I M A RY S C H O O L
Our Maths team at the Regional Finals Year 9 Drama students perform for Shield Row Primary School Year 9 Drama students visited Shield Row Primary School in Stanley where they performed a play especially created for the day. Our students were set a task to create a performance for the students of Shield Row, which would be a dramatisation of a favourite children’s book using the skills and knowledge they’d learned in lessons.
33 THE REVIEW 2017–18
M AT H S T E A M C H A L L E N G E After watching our students perform, it was then the turn of the Shield Row students to understand and learn some of the methods and techniques in a practical workshop run by our Year 9 and Sixth Form students. It was a fantastic day, with the performances and workshops being enjoyed by all the students from both schools.
A team of four maths enthusiasts, Athena Chan (Year 9), Jared Watson (Year 9), Aryan Kakwani (Year 8) and Aryan Sharma (Year 8), competed at the regional Junior Team Maths Challenge tackling maths problems and questions in a bid to go to the national finals in London. The team did superbly, winning the regional competition, before taking on 87 other teams from across the country. The team thoroughly enjoyed the finals experience and the complex tasks they were given.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
¡ LU Z , C Á M A R A , AC C I Ó N ! Linguists from Year 10 and the Sixth Form spent time at the Tyneside Cinema where they were involved in language-based film events. Sixth Form linguists watched Ocho Apellidos Vascos (Spanish Affair), which is a comic tale of a forward, quick-witted Andalusian seeking to win the heart of a somewhat spikey Basque girl. There were some funny takes on well-known Spanish stereotypes, regional identities, and cultural contrasts between the south and the north. The whole event was in Spanish from start to finish and involved small group work before and after the screening led by student ambassadors from Newcastle University. Similar to the Sixth Form linguists, the Year 10 students spent time prior to their film screening developing their speaking skills through activities in Spanish. Their film El Olivo (The Olive Tree), was a deeply moving human story of the broken and unbroken bonds between generations. Both events provided our students with an excellent opportunity to develop their language skills, thanks to the support of the student ambassadors from Newcastle University.
Green Plan It students meet Marian Foster
S T U D E N T S TA K E O N G R E E N PLAN IT CHALLENGE A number of students from Years 8 and 9 were involved in a ten-week challenge set by the Royal Horticultural Society, which saw them imagine and design a garden for the school.
The Year 9 team’s design complimented the Year 8s’ and was a garden that would be attached to the wildlife area, and included an outdoor classroom with a green sedum roof and raised beds.
The Green Plan It Challenge saw our students compete against several other schools in the North East, presenting their ideas to a panel of experts and assessors at Kirkley Hall, Northumberland.
The students were supported by industry mentors, Peter Cunliffe, an award-winning landscape designer, and Marian Foster, a BBC Radio presenter who has her own gardening programme.
Our Year 8 team designed a wildlife garden that could be used as a teaching resource with bird boxes, hedgehog boxes and a pond that had a seating area for students.
Both teams were very successful in their presentations to the panel with the Year 8 team winning some plants for the mood board they created to support their ideas, and the Year 9 team won £100 of garden vouchers and took home a trophy for being one of the top four designs.
34 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Rush Racing at the 4X4 in Schools Challenge
T E A M R E L AT I V I T Y WIN 4X4 IN SCHOOLS CHALLENGE
Team Relativity, winners of the 4X4 in Schools Challenge
35 THE REVIEW 2017–18
In the very first year of entering the national Land Rover 4x4 in Schools Challenge, one RGS team became national champions.
We had two team competing at the national finals: Team Relativity and Rush Racing. Both teams impressed the judges, which included Jaguar Land Rover graduate engineers and retired engineers, all of whom were keen to support and educate the students involved in the competition.
Team Relativity, consisting of five Year 10 students (Alexander Waldron, Adam Fuery, Toby Green, Kush Makkapati and Dan Somerville Roberts) won the development Team Relativity stole the show class competition, and also picked up with a number of judges heaping nominations in three other categories. praise on them. As well as winning the Development Class, they The Land Rover 4x4 in Schools were also nominated for Best Challenge sees students from across Engineered Vehicle (in their the country form teams of three class), the Innovative Thinking to six people who build a radio Award and the Pit Display Award. controlled 4-wheel drive vehicle to the specifications set by the judges. Rush Racing, a team of four The vehicle must then navigate an Lower Sixth students (Edward off-road test track. Atkinson, Christian Cooper, Matt Rush, Christopher Thomas), The finals were held at the British were nominated for the Judges’ Motor Racing Museum in Gaydon, Recommendation Award, awarded Warwickshire, and saw all teams to teams just outside of the top take part in a range of activities and awards who have impressed challenges including engineering the judges. careers speed dating, JLR coding challenge and RS components All of the students in both teams Titan-Truck, which were filled were awarded an Industrial Cadet with hands-on robotics and Silver Award. virtual reality experiments. The success of both teams could not have been achieved without the fantastic support and backing of the EDT department and each of the teams’ sponsors.
The Year 7 bake sale, part of Charities Week activities
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
CHARITIES WEEK During the last week of November, we held our annual Charities Week, this year supporting local charities, Us and Maggie’s. During the week, Jemima Hawkins (Year 9) went along to Us to see how the charity operates. Over the past 18 months, Us has helped many young people who are struggling with mental health illnesses such as anxiety and depression, by delivering exercise and fitness related programmes. Jemima was lucky enough to see the progress of one teenage girl who has overcome her fear of talking to people and fallen in love with running, highlighting the success of the charity’s work. Representatives from our other supported charity, Maggie’s, came to talk to our students about the work they do at their care facilities for anyone who is suffering or affected by cancer. The representatives brought along one of the beneficiaries of the charity, David. David shared his battle with prostate cancer and how the logistical benefits of the Maggie’s centres help him to aid his recovery from the disease.
“It was amazing and rather touching to see first-hand the impact that our donations make on someone’s life.” GRACE HESLIN (YEAR 10)
YO U N G E N T E R P R I S E T E A M C R E AT E C A N D L E BUSINESS A group of Sixth Form students joined forces to create a range of eco-friendly products that they were able to sell just in time for Christmas. The Cosey Candle Company made and sold candles from recycled glass jars collected from local businesses, finished off with handmade wooden tags with an inscription of a candle on them. The group then sold their products at a number of local craft and Christmas events.
Charities Week activities included a bake sale, University Challenge (teachers versus students), a staff gym challenge, readathon, buskers, a musical showcase in the Main Hall, and plenty of staff versus students sporting activities. It was a great week of fun activities that raised plenty of money for our chosen charities.
The Young Enterprise company programme is a national initiative that sees groups of students aged 15-19 form a business to raise share capital and create, sell and market products in an attempt to generate a profit. Each business/team is then judged at a local or regional event where the teams must create a trade stand and present their business plan and product performance to a panel of judges. The Cosey Candle Company did an excellent job to impress the judges of the regional rounds and were invited to take part in the national finals.
Making candles for The Young Enterprise company programme
36 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
GCSE AND A LEVEL A RT WO R K O N S H OW In May, we welcomed students, their families and friends of the RGS, to this year’s Private View, showcasing some of the extraordinary work produced by our GCSE and A level students. The Art studios, Dining Hall and PAC were adorned with some very creative pieces including Amy Forrest’s (Upper Sixth) Internal and External, Isobel Leonard’s (Upper Sixth) BoJo and Olivia Gill’s (Upper Sixth) Black Dog.
Students looking through an A level project book at the Private View
Michael Shaw (Year 7) enjoying some of the project work on display
BoJo, Olivia Gill (Upper Sixth)
Connections, Gemma Watson (Year 11) A painting from Lucy Hatton’s (Upper Sixth) A level portfolio.
Hazel Mehlawat’s (Year 11) GCSE project
37 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Honor West’s (Upper Sixth) A level project
Some of the great A level and GCSE artwork on display at the Private View
Matt Robertshaw (Year 11) in front of his GCSE project
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
H E N RY ’ S O U T S TA N D I N G E P Q Upper Sixth student, Henry Haslam, was presented with an award for his Outstanding Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). Henry demonstrated originality and inventiveness in his project on recycling plastic, also showing great entrepreneurial skill in all aspects of the project. Henry was presented with his award during assembly by ONA Committee member, Kate Harman (06-08), demonstrating the ONA’s support to all students involved in EPQ. The EPQ is part of our complementary studies programme for Lower Sixth students. They have to take on a self-motivated and largely self-directed project, choosing a topic and then planning, researching and developing their idea before deciding on their finished product.
Winner Philippa Sanders (Year 11) alongside runner up, Rachel Rees (Lower Sixth) and ON Luke Hughes (05-10)
P H I L I P PA W I N S I N AU G U R A L R O RY ALLEN MEMORIAL PRIZE The Rory Allan Memorial Prize, Here’s a small piece from Philippa’s supported by the Old Novocastrians’ winning entry: Association (ONA) was established this “Wishing that British Twitter politics year in memory of the late Rory Allan had personality may be a step into (03-10) who was a prolific writer. the absurd, but wishing that each Students were asked to submit up tweet didn’t include some form of to 1500 words on the question kowtow to superiors or a link to the Should Politicians Tweet? government website isn’t. At the Philippa Sanders (Year 11) submitted moment, modern British politics the winning entry, her piece being looks like a massive grey wall of intellectually stimulating, containing triteness and a quick glance at moments of amusement and good Twitter confirms that.” arguments throughout. Henry Haslam (Upper Sixth) with ON Kate Harman (06-08)
38 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
RGS v Durham rugby
39 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
The infamous Millfield were our second opponents of the day, and we surprised everyone by scoring within the first couple of minutes – an impressive deflection from Sarah Carluke (Year 11). Millfield came back fighting but couldn’t get a penalty past our hero, Holly Wilson (Year 11), in goal. The game ended 4-1 to Millfield, but we were learning every game, finishing with plenty of positives that we could take with us into day two of the competition.
Our Under 16 indoor hockey team
UNDER 16s COMPETE AT I N D O O R HOCKEY FINALS
Having qualified for the Indoor Hockey National Schools’ Championship Finals, our Under 16 team headed to Bromsgrove School for the final stages of the competition. Year 11 student, Kirstin Gerrand, tells us how the competition went: ‘Having qualified from the North England indoor competition, we headed down to Bromsgrove School for the Under 16 Indoor Hockey National Schools’ Championship Finals, as prepared as we could be after a week of intensive training. We were all really excited for the weekend ahead. Our first match was quite late on the Friday morning, which meant we felt energised and ready for the day ahead. After a motivational pep talk from Mr Wood, and a warm-up brightened by a couple of comical moments, we were ready for the first game. We found tough opposition in Wellington College, the ultimate winners of the finals, with the score line of 7-1 reflecting their skill and organisation, but not our continuous efforts and tenacity. A fantastic goal from Megan Cottee (Year 10) was some compensation for the tireless work we displayed.
Next up, bright and early, was Trent College. Despite a 3-0 loss, it was the closest game yet. A stunning performance from their goalkeeper left us unrewarded, despite many shots on target. We worked so much better as a team, getting the ball to our forwards more and more. Our youngest player, Sarika Nadkarni (Year 10), showed her pace throughout, terrifying the opposition with her speed. A few errors in our defensive game led to penalty corners, leaving us practically helpless against a lethal penalty flicker. Queenswood were our final opponents of the tournament. We very quickly found ourselves 2-0 down and in a difficult situation following a green card and a penalty flick against us. Luckily, Holly stepped up and made another exceptional save. Filled with determination, we fought harder and Megan found the opposition’s net. They struck again, leaving us 3-1 down at half time. The final half of the competition showed our resilience. Having had two goals disallowed, we were left somewhat disappointed, but pleased with our persistence, however, the score line remained unchanged. The competition was a hugely positive experience for all of us. We all enjoyed the challenge of competing against some of the best schools in the country, and definitely learnt a lot, both in our own style of play and also how we can counteract other teams’ styles. The team was solid throughout and mutually supportive. The defence, made up of Kirstin Gerrand, Abbie Peyton, Jemima Barreto and Trudie McCarthy (all Year 11), never failed to give their best efforts. The attackers, Fran Southwood (Year 11), Sarika Nadkarni, Sarah Carluke and Megan Cottee also fought to the end. Holly Wilson was a star, as ever, in goal.’
40 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
A N T H O N Y TA K E S TO THE ICE WITH ENGLAND Anthony Wetherell (Upper Sixth) on his England debut
“Having spent most of my time on the ice, it is truly an honour to represent my country. Not many [people] get this opportunity and I’m going to keep working hard and push for a place in the Great Britain squad.”
Upper Sixth student, Anthony Wetherell, found himself part of a 167-strong England Ice Hockey contingent that travelled to Bratislava for the 2018 development camp, where they took part in on and off ice training, and competed against local and guest international teams. It’s been quite a journey for Anthony, who first took to the ice a week after his fifth birthday. His first club was Newcastle Vipers, where he was part of a successful Under 10s team for four years, who went unbeaten to win the league and Northern Shield in Anthony’s final year there. He was also top scorer in the league that year with 58 goals. Anthony moved clubs to Whitley Bay, where he has played ever since. He is currently with the Whitley Renegades Under 20s team, but has also appeared for the senior side, Whitley Warriors, over the past two seasons playing in the national Ice Hockey League North.
British Taekwondo Champion, Ciaran McGovern (Lower Sixth)
THE REVIEW 2017–18
Anthony’s selection for the England Under 19s is his first national representation and he has his sights firmly set on making the Great Britain Under 20s squad. The trip to Bratislava was a great experience for Anthony, not only was it his first time in a high performance environment, but he also provided the assist to England’s third goal in their first game against Romania, which netted him some key performance points.
Lower Sixth student, Ciaran McGovern, has been steadily progressing through the ranks of the British Taekwondo squad with a number of podium performances on the international circuit over the last year. His solid performances led to selection for the British Junior squad to go to the World Junior Championships. Ciaran competed in the Austrian and Luxembourg Open G1 tournaments, which both acted as rankings events that the GB selectors use for national squad selection. Despite not winning a medal at the Austrian Open, Ciaran took away a number of positives and knew what he had to work on in order to be successful in Luxembourg. The Luxembourg tournament proved to be exactly what Ciaran needed and he won his category.
CIARAN IN FIGHTING FORM
41
Anthony was part of the Under 19 England team that also played the Romania Under 18 team who were preparing for their title defence at the World Championships the following week.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Rory Hanley (Lower Sixth) in the nets
Chidera Obonna (Lower Sixth) and Phil Brantingham (Year 11) celebrate their England call ups.
R O RY M A K E S I N R OA D S AT S E N I O R L E V E L Talented cricketer, Rory Hanley (Lower Sixth), had an impressive season with both the bat and ball, picking up a number of end of season awards, including a special cap for his 144* for Northumberland Under 17s v Cumbria. He also impressed his academy coaches at Durham who put him forward for his first senior appearance with Durham’s second team. Rory also had his senior debut for Northumberland when he was picked to play in the 1st XI T20 match against Cheshire as well as a three-day minor counties match against Hertfordshire.
R U G BY B OYS I N V I T E D TO E N G L A N D C A M P S A number of our rugby stars were rewarded for their great performances for both school and the Falcons Academy with invitations to England squad and development camps. Matthew Deehan (Year 10) was invited to attend the Under 15 regional development camp after impressing selectors at the 12 a-side Academy Festival. Chidera Obonna (Lower Sixth) attended regular Under 17 development and Under 18 squad camps throughout the season alongside Phil Brantingham (Year 11).
S W I M S E N S AT I O N L O L A B EC O M E S D O U B L E N AT I O N A L C H A M P I O N Swimming sensation Lola Davison (Year 10) was a storm in the pool this summer as she won two national titles and a bronze medal at her first ever national championships. Lola qualified for four freestyle swimming finals at the British Summer Championships; 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle and the 800m freestyle. Lola finished 9th in the 100m freestyle before getting a podium finish in the 200m freestyle when she finished 3rd after a tight final 50m which saw 2nd to 4th place finish within 0.5 of a second of each other!
Lola’s gold medals came in the 400m freestyle and the 800m freestyle, where she smashed both of her personal bests. She is now listed 19th in the all-time list for the 400m freestyle for her age, joining some of the biggest names in British Swimming, such as Rebecca Adlington and Jazz Carlin. Lola’s aim now is to break into the British Junior team and compete at some of the international swim meets that take place across Europe.
Double national swimming champion, Lola Davison (Year 10)
42 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
I S A K B O U N C E S I N TO N AT I O N A L S Q UA D
Amelia Robertson (Year 9) at the Regional Championships
AMELIA HITS T H E WAT E R F O R N AT I O N A L CHAMPS Talented swimmer Amelia Robertson (Year 9), swam her way into the British Summer Championships after winning two golds at the Swim England North East Regional Age Group Swimming Championships.
Isak Cornelissen (Year 8) has continued to perform at the very top level on the trampoline as part of the Great Britain Junior squad. Isak is currently one of five boys in the national squad younger than 19. Throughout the competitive season, Isak finished on the podium at every competition. He qualified very smoothly for the British and English Championships with the added bonus of being selected for the World Championships at the end of 2018, his second outing at a World Championships.
With a medal very much in his sights, Isak put everything into his final voluntary routine in the hope of reaching the finals and being in the hunt for a medal. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be as Isak suffered a fall, putting him out of the competition. Despite the disappointment, Isak was very proud of his performance and for having the courage to attempt a difficult voluntary routine. He’ll be hoping to go even better in the 2018 World Championships.
Isak started the 2017 World Championships in superb form, achieving two personal bests and was placed in the top three after the compulsory routines.
Amelia’s first gold came in the 100m backstroke, which she won in a time of 1.07.70, a full second ahead of the swimmer finishing second. This was one of the quickest times set this year and put her 25th on the all-time list for her age. Her second gold came in the 50m backstroke. Amelia touched in a time of 31.50 seconds, just ahead of her Tynemouth team mate. These results and times saw Amelia qualify for the British Summer Championships (which act as the national age group championships) and she competed in all three distances in backstroke. Despite some great swimming, Amelia unfortunately didn’t qualify for any of the finals.
Isak Cornelissen (Year 8) with his British Championship’s medal
43 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
B R OT H E R S TA K E TO T H E T R I AT H L O N STAG E Brothers James and Harry Morris (Lower Sixth and Year 10) are looking to emulate another set of very successful British Triathlon siblings, the Brownlees, and began their quest in the Junior Super Series, a competition they were competing in for the first time. James and Harry have been working really hard to break into this elite league and were successful at the British Triathlon performance assessment, which led to an invitation to compete in the Super Series. The boys competed at both the Sospan Triathlon in Wales and the SuperTri event at Dorney Lake, Berkshire. The brothers did well in both events with Harry getting two top 30 finishes in a field of 75 plus in both events. The boys will be hoping that their profiles continue to build over the next year and that they receive more invitations to compete in the Super Series competition.
LEO’S GOLDEN SWIM Year 9 student, Leo Vinogradov, swept the board at the British Finswimming Championships, winning four gold medals and setting a new national record for his age group as well as the two above.
Finswimming is an underwater sport competed over similar distances to the standard swimming disciplines. It consists of four techniques using fins, either on the water’s surface (using a snorkel with monofins or bifins) or underwater (with a monofin and holding ones breath or using scuba diving equipment).
Leo Vinogradov (Year 9) gets ready to dive in
“I’m very proud of my achievements and am looking forward to working as hard as ever to achieve even higher goals I’ve set myself.” S AU L S C O R E S P L AC E I N N AT I O N A L S Q UA D Saul McQueen (Year 9) had a very impressive season as a member of the Under 14 Independent Schools’ Football Association (ISFA) squad. Saul was in great form in goal on the squad’s tour of Scotland, where they played against a number of Scottish club academy sides including Kilmarnock.
Saul McQueen (Year 9) picked for ISFA U14 squad 2017/18
He was then selected to attend the ISFA’s national Academy Camp in August as part of the Under 15 squad where he joined boys from all over the country at Harrow School as players from the under 14 to under 18 programmes all congregated for the weekend camp.
44 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Mass celebrations followed (on the pitch and the sidelines!), and with just enough time to resume the game before the referee blew the final whistle, RGS were the winners. It was a great performance from our squad, with every single member deserving praise for their ability, skill and spirit. Our opponents for the Tyneside Senior Schools’ Cup were Park View School from Chester-le-Street.
TO BY S H O OT S FOR SUCCESS Year 7 student, Toby Aberdeen, won our first ever pistol shooting medal when he represented RGS at the British Shooting Schools’ Pistol Championships. Held at Stoke Mandeville, Toby travelled as the only (and first ever) representative of the school at the championships, and shot very well to be awarded silver. Toby’s success saw him selected onto British Shooting’s talent pathway, which develops young, talented shooters who have the potential of reaching a future Olympics. Following his success on the shooting range, Toby was invited to be a part of the Everyone Active Sporting Champions national athlete support programme. As part of the programme, Toby was invited to a camp in St Albans where he attended workshops and mentoring sessions held by Olympians Colin Jackson and Max Whitlock. Toby also had a successful year in another sport, Triathle, which saw him compete at the European Championships. Toby continues to rise through the ranks of this sport internationally which is great to see.
45 THE REVIEW 2017–18
The 1st XI, City Cup winners
F O OT B A L L E R S F I N I S H S E A S O N ON A HIGH Our football 1st XI finished the season with a busy schedule after reaching two cup finals. The City Cup final first, then the Tyneside Senior Schools’ (TSS) Cup final just 24 hours later. Here’s how they got on: Heaton Manor were first up in the City Cup final, a competition RGS has won the past two years.
RGS were first out the blocks, being the better side for much of the first 20 minutes. However, Park View scored first and their confidence grew after taking the lead. Half time arrived and the belief within our side was evident, and their never-say-die ethos came to the fore as they scored a delightful goal thanks to Joseph Dalton (Lower Sixth).
Sadly, within five minutes Park View hit a wonder goal, but heads didn’t Thanks to a bit of water on the pitch, the first half saw neither side take hold of the game and there was very little drop, yet Park View went on to score a third. flowing football played. The team struggled early to get to grips with Heaton Manor’s style of play but, as the game advanced, the boys started to pose a few questions for the opposition. The second half started with RGS continuing to apply pressure, and despite some attacking play, a goal was to prove elusive and extra time loomed. Both sides created slim chances, and it looked to be heading to a penalty shootout. With barely a minute left on the clock, Tommy Rispin (Upper Sixth) won a corner which was delivered to the near post area where a goal-mouth scramble ensued with Rispin back-heeling the ball, rebounding off players from both teams and finding its way into the back of the net. Official goal scorer? Who knows! It was given to Ashraf Alam (Upper Sixth), but plenty of others claimed it later!
Was the game over? Not in the slightest! Pressure built, which allowed Tosan Evbuomwan (Lower Sixth) to scramble the ball over the line. With the score at 3-2, the boys searched for an equaliser, but that would prove difficult and Park View came away worthy winners. It was a great game, and the boys can hold their heads high knowing they gave Park View a good run for their money.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
M EGA N M A K E S E N G L A N D D E B U T This involved Megan attending regular national training on top of her normal regional training sessions in preparation for national matches in the Spring and Summer. Megan spent some time with one of her heroines, Kate Richardson-Walsh, when she visited RGS in early September, with Kate presenting Megan with her first England vest. Kate Richardson-Walsh hands Megan Cottee (Year 10) her first England vest Following a superb outing at the 2017 Futures Cup, Megan Cottee (Year 10) was rewarded with selection for the England Hockey Under 16 squad for the 2017/18 season.
Megan was selected to be part of the squad who took on Ireland in the Spring, before then taking to the field later in the year against Germany and Belgium. Megan has a bright international future ahead of her, and she’ll be looking to retain her place in the age-group squads over the forthcoming years.
MILLIE’S RISE ON THE I N T E R N AT I O N A L S TAG E Year 11 student Millie Robson represented British Fencing for the first time when she took part in the European Cadet competition in Klagenfurt, Austria. Millie was part of a squad of 30 cadets who competed against fencers from USA, Japan and other European countries. Millie won four out of six of her poule fights earning herself a rank of 65th as she went into the direct elimination rounds. She was given a bye for the first elimination and drew a very strong US fencer in the second. It was a closely contested bout, with Millie unfortunately losing 14-15. Millie finished the competition ranked 88th (out of 210) and was the fifth highest placed GB fencer, a super achievement in her first European competition. Millie also competed for Scotland at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships for Juniors and Cadets. With over 500 fencers from 17 countries competing, this was one of the strongest fields Millie had competed in. Millie captained the Cadet ladies epee team guiding them through the early rounds against New Zealand and Wales before taking on England in the final. Taking on some of their GB team mates in the final, Millie and the rest of the Scottish team had a superb final and walked away with the gold medal.
Tosan Evboumwan (Lower Sixth) at the European Championships
TO S A N H I T S T H E C O U RT W I T H G R E AT B R I TA I N
Millie Robson competes for Scotland
Tosan Evbuomwan (Lower Sixth) helped GB Basketball set new records in the summer as he took to the court with the Under 18s at the European Championships in Latvia. Competing for the first time in a number of years at Division A level, Tosan and the rest of the GB team recorded their highest ever finish at a European Championships when they secured 7th place after reaching the quarter finals stage. Tosan has worked extremely hard over the past year to break into the national squad, backing up his impressive display at the Europeans with a top 10 placing at Deng Camp, a national training camp that sees the best young British basketballers learn some of the tricks of the trade from GB and NBA legend, Luol Deng. Tosan will be looking to cement his place in the GB squad heading into 2019 when GB will be hoping for an even better result at the 2019 European Championships.
“Meeting fencers from across the world was amazing and the level of competition was phenomenal. It was an honour to be captain of the Scottish team.” 46 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
G B O LY M P I C HEROINE SPENDS T H E DAY AT R G S Olympic gold medallist Kate Richardson-Walsh visited RGS in September where she hosted a masterclass skills session with our Year 8 girls and helped run the inaugural FlickFest, a joint venture between RGS, Newcastle PE and School Sport Service and England Hockey. Five local state primary schools, Wingrove Primary, Ravenswood Primary, Walkergate Community Primary, St. John Primary and St. Charles RC Primary, from the Newcastle city borough took part in the festival, working with our senior girls’ hockey team to develop their skills through fun activity-based games. Kate also took time out of coaching to chat to our Head Girl and 2nd XI hockey captain, Heloise Gerber (Upper Sixth), 1st XI hockey captain, Alice Wilson (Upper Sixth) and England’s latest hockey recruit, Megan Cottee (Year 11). The girls had plenty of questions for Kate, including what her normal match-day routine was and what her hopes and aspirations are now she has retired from the game. They also got their hands on Kate’s Olympic gold medal, won at London 2012.
GRESHAM HOCKEY’S F E S T I VA L A number of our boys’ hockey teams were invited to Gresham’s School in Norfolk to take part in their annual hockey festival. It was a new experience for all of the boys as none had been to Gresham’s before. The boys played outdoor and indoor hockey, testing both sets of skills, and played against some very well established hockey schools from across the country.
47 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Under 19s Regional Champions
TRIO COMPETE AT S C H O O L GA M E S FINALS 2018
R EG I O N A L F L O O R , VAU LT A N D T R I O CHAMPIONSHIPS
Three students, Toby Aberdeen (Year 7), Kate Salthouse (Year 9) and Lottie Craven (Year 11), were all selected to represent the North in their chosen sport at the School Games finals which were held at the during the summer at Loughborough University. Kate and Toby competed in the Laser run, whilst Lottie competed in Indoor Rowing. All three had great competitions and thoroughly enjoyed their School Games experience, however, Lottie was crowned School Games Indoor Rowing champion in her age group.
Our gymnastics teams are strong across all age groups and always enjoy competing at the Regional Floor, Vault and Trio Championships. The 2018 event saw our best ever results with podium finishes for all of our teams. The Under 11, Under 13 and Under 19 boys all finished first, the Under 11 and Under 19 girls finished 2nd, and the Under 13 girls finished 3rd. All of the teams apart from the Under 13 girls’ team qualified for the British Championships.
U13 Boys’ Hockey team in action at Gresham’s Hockey Festival
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
R G S R E TA I N T H E M E TC A L F E C U P
RGS took on Durham School in the annual rugby fixture at Kingston Park in September with an increased playing schedule that saw the Under 14s, Under 15s and Under 16s also match up against Durham, and the Metcalfe Cup closing the event on the main pitch. The curtain raisers before the 1st XV game saw the Under 14s win 39–0, whilst Durham picked up wins in both the Under 16 and Under 15 games.
With the focus now on the main pitch, the 1st XV were looking for a similar result to that of the year before which saw them win the inaugural Metcalfe Cup 36–3. It was a very close game between the two sides, with both showing some terrific defensive work, especially in front of the try-line. The afternoon was a successful one for the 1st XV as they retained the Metcalfe Cup, 13–3 victors. The rest of the season saw some really good results for the squad, despite injuries to a number of key players. The team enjoyed a good run in the National Schools’ Cup, being defeated in the North final, and had a successful campaign at the St Joseph’s Festival, surprising a number of schools with their style of rugby to finish 4th. At Rosslyn Park 7s, the team had a fantastic run to the semi-finals of the Bowl competition, losing to the eventual winners.
Olympic gold medallist, Kate Richardson-Walsh, delivers a hockey masterclass to Year 8.
48 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
SKI TRIP Just before New Year, more than 100 students flew out to Alpe d’Huez for the annual school ski trip. Everyone had five hours of ski lessons a day, despite the weather not always being the best. With a storm making its way through the Alps that saw all the lifts shut, the students instead spent time doing some jumps in the play park, sledging and for one group, they walked to the top of a run to ski back down! As the group were in Alpe d’Huez for New Year’s Eve, they spent the evening at a disco with flashing lights, hot-chocolate and light-up bow ties! Professional dancers and torch displays were just some of the entertainment that occurred during the evening, as well as the students versus teachers dance off. For the rest of the week the students enjoyed a multitude of evening activities including a climbing-based obstacle course, ice skating, outdoor swimming, quizzes, and plenty of discos in the hotel. The final day of skiing saw a number of students take to the slopes in fancy dress for one last ski. It was certainly a memorable trip for everyone who went.
“It was a very well organised and highly enjoyable trip. Thanks to all the staff who went away with us.” E M M A DAV I S (LOWER SIXTH) 49 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
The amazing facilities at CERN
DRAMA STUDENTS VISIT LONDON’S G L I T T E R I N G W E ST E N D Year 11 Drama students began the school year in earnest by taking a trip to London on the last few days of their summer holidays. Visiting some of London’s most revered theatres, they enjoyed 48 hours in the capital seeing some of the West End’s best shows.
ST U D E N T S V I S I T T H E HADRON COLLIDER Two sets of students were lucky enough to visit the facilities at CERN, which is home to the world-famous Hadron Collider. The groups took part in a cloud chamber workshop and also got to tour the fantastic facilities at CERN. Both groups visited the History of Science Museum, hiked up Mont Saleve for some impressive views over Lake Geneva, and visited the Red Cross Museum. Whilst the trip was physics based, the students were able to sample a lot of the history and culture of the region as well.
First on the list was the performance of Jez Butterworth’s new play The Ferryman, which had received rave reviews and standing ovations from audiences. The students thoroughly enjoyed the play and it was certainly a topic of conversation for the rest of the trip. Next was a hop across the river for a tour of the National Theatre, which gave students plenty of insight into the workings of the venue. After this, and as the heavens opened, the group ventured along to The Globe Theatre for a very soggy performance of Much ado About Nothing. The rain certainly didn’t wash away any spirits, and they rounded off their brief, but jam-packed theatre tour, watching the world-famous Les Miserables. Year 11 Drama students go behind the scenes at the National Theatre
Students outside the History of Science Museum, Cern
50 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
B AT T L E F I E L D S
Students walk up to the Vimy Memorial RGS has a close bond with the cemetery, as it was named by the Northumbrian division who fought around the site. There are a few names belonging to men who attended the school including I cannot begin to explain if my West H.M. Pelham (07) who fought encounter with a sea of 11,871 bravely in numerous battles. It is gravestones at Tyne Cot Cemetery difficult to imagine a young man was one that was good or bad. It was who once walked the very halls that harrowing, yet extraordinarily moving. I do, went to war and gave his life to We wandered the cemetery at our benefit his country. own pace listening, seeing and We next visited Langemark, a German understanding our own emotions as cemetery. The entrance is a large we took in the enormity of the site. wooden walkway covered in the The fact that 70% of men lying names of men known to be buried beneath my feet were only ever there, but with no known grave. remembered as “Known unto Rather than gravestones, each grave God” was painful, but difficult has a slab of stone, and is home to to comprehend. five soldiers. Every year, Year 11 students embark on a sombre tour of the Battlefields of Europe, visiting a number of World War I sites. Miriam Mitchell (Year 11), explains her journey to the Battlefields:
The most harrowing part of Langemark was the mass grave that contains 24,917 out of the 44,292 men buried there. Realising this, was something that will forever live in my mind.
51 THE REVIEW 2017–18
If you can imagine a bridge on which only angels can walk, that is how the Menin Gate appeared to me. It was colossal and carved into its walls were the names of all the men with no known graves who died in the Battle of the Somme. We were all shocked into silence as the ritual that had taken place every day at 8pm since the end of the war (apart from the years that Germany was in control), began. The Last Post is a ceremonial act I will always remember and is a proud moment not only in my history, but the world’s history. Day two of our trip saw us visit Beaumont Hamel, a battlefield preserved in remembrance of the 1st Newfoundland Regiment that fought and died there. Next on our tour was Thiepval Memorial, a commemorative memorial for British and French troops, which shows the strength and power of the allied forces. Inscribed into its structure is the 72,000 names of all those with no known grave who died in the battles of 1916 and 1917 at the Somme.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
The biggest French war memorial, the Notre Dame de Lorette was next destination. This memorial contains graves of 20,000 men and another two mass graves, where a further 20,000 men are buried, all of whom died at the Battle of Lorette from late 1914-15. There is a new memorial now at the site called the Ring of Remembrance. This includes the names of the 579,606 men who died in Nord-Pas de Calais during WWI no matter their nationality, religion or side they were fighting on. The memorial is in the shape of 500 steel plaques arranged in a circle. Our final stop was Vimy Ridge. This site was home to one of the key battles that the Canadians were part of. This battle saw them build underground tunnels that led to the German line where they set off mines, helping the allied forces claim victory here. In honour of their efforts, there is now a memorial built on Hill 145. It has five figures resting on two pillars that represent honour, faith, justice, hope and peace, which seemingly point to heaven. Mother Canada stands behind the memorial, turning away from the scene of destruction with her hollow face resting in her clenched left hand, her right hand holding an olive branch, signifying her anguish and defeat, yet hope for the future. The most significant part of the trip has been the visits we’ve made to all the small cemeteries across the French and Belgium countryside. Each one is different and has a story to tell, with each soldier buried also having his own tale. The Great War, an event that should never be forgotten and this experience has shown me why.
War Horse on stage
Y E A R 7 S E E WA R H O R S E Year 7 had the privilege of witnessing one of the most spectacular shows on stage at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford: War Horse. War Horse, written by Sir Michael Morpurgo, tells the story of a young boy, Albert, and his horse Joey, who are brought up together. When Joey is sent to war, Albert lies about his own age to follow him. They encounter a number of dangers, losing many friends, but gaining others too.
As War Horse is told through the eyes of a horse, it is interesting to witness how this is portrayed through a play. The stage show does this marvellously with The Handspring Puppet Company creating life-size horses that are manoeuvred in perfect synchronisation. The play is full of comedic moments that add a light-heartedness to the emotion and move the audience away from thoughts of the horror of war.
“War Horse made us laugh, it made us cry. It made us think about the hardships and horrors of war. A brilliant production that should not be missed. ”
Year 11 students at Thiepval Memorial
BEDE DOE (YEAR 7)
52 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
L OW E R S I X T H V I S I T S O M E OF THE BIGGEST FIRMS IN THE CITY Lower Sixth Economists spent a day in London visiting some of the biggest financial firms where they would learn more about some of the big issues affecting the UK and global economies in 2018.
Lower Sixth Economists visit London
Firstly, there was a visit to HSBC where they met Liz Martins who discussed the issues facing the UK economy. Liz leads HSBC’s analysis of the UK economy and provided insight into how HSBC are navigating the economic landscape following the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Next the group visits UBS, where Dean Turner, UK economist, talked about the global economy.
YEAR 7 CAMP
CHINA TRIP
In mid-May, all of Year 7 set off to the Lake District to spend a week learning about the great outdoors; sleeping in tents and taking part in a number of team-building activities. Everyone’s favourite activity seemed to be ghyll scrambling, closely followed by sailing and kayaking. Each group learnt bushcraft skills, and had a go at rock climbing, the king swing, canoeing and much more. Every night the group would sit around the large camp fire sharing tales of their day over a cup of hot chocolate.
In October a group of students travelled to China for two weeks of culture which included spending time at TangShan High School. Our students got to experience a typical school day in China, spending time in lessons and taking part in other school activities. The group also visited The Great Wall of China, a panda sanctuary, the Terracotta Army Museum and many other great sights of Chinese culture.
Year 7 students canoeing on Lake Windermere
53 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Thanks to our partnership with TangShan High School, we then welcomed a party of their students and teachers to RGS in February. These were students who had played host to us in China, and it was now our turn to return the favour, showing them the sights of Newcastle and what happens at RGS during a school day.
Dean is responsible for formulating the macroeconomic views for the UK and putting these into investment strategies across the fixed and sterling markets for UBS. Finally, it was the turn of UK Export Finance (UKEF) and a meeting with their Chief Executive, Louis Taylor. The former RGS Chair of Governors and ON, discussed trade and globalisation with the group and what role UKEF will have as the UK prepares to leave the EU. Despite the long day, our economists thoroughly enjoyed all three informative talks, and came away with plenty of knowledge and ideas.
The Great Wall of China
Spending time at the TangShan High School
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
R G S R E T U R N TO SOUTH AFRICA
Zip-lining in South Africa Over the summer, our third tour to South Africa took place with the students experiencing the varied and diverse culture of the country and its people. The party of 38 rugby, and 25 hockey players from Year 11 to Upper Sixth, spent 18 days in this remarkable country, from the vast mountains and lush green countryside of the Western Cape, to the more rugged desert land of Pretoria and Pilanesberg. They played some of the best school teams in the country and visited the Afrika Tikkun Centre to see how the money they raised is being spent. Afrika Tikkun’s aim is to provide education, health and social services to young people and their families through centres of excellence in South African townships. There are now four centres across Gauteng and one in the Western Cape. It was a great experience for our students to see the work being done at the Centre, and they enjoyed getting to know some of the children and joining in with song and dance activities. There were plenty of activities lined up for the group before the tour-match schedule started including, a trek up Table Top Mountain to see the impressive sights of Cape Town from 1000m above, zip-lining, a trip to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, a seal cruise and for some, a shark-diving experience. The group then split into rugby and hockey as they headed off for their first matches and to stay with host families. During the trip, the rugby teams would play four fixtures and the hockey team would play five.
The first fixture for the rugby teams was against Paarl Boys High, playing on a pitch with the stunning Paarl mountains as a backdrop. The seconds came up against some very physical opponents losing 36-5, whilst the firsts, who dominated early proceedings, would fall to a 14-5 loss. After the first match the group reunited for a cruise and tour of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 20 years in isolation. Here, they had a guided tour of the now disused prison and learnt more about Mandela’s experiences whilst he was imprisoned there. Matchday two would see the rugby squads take on De Kuilen and the hockey squads play Bellville High. Both rugby teams would have a much improved game and despite some injuries in the second team, they would push De Kuilen all the way, in the end being defeated 26-20. The first team had most of the possession, but De Kuilen never backed down and it wasn’t until a late breakaway try that would ease the nerves for the first team, seeing them run out 38-17 winners. Both hockey squads picked up victories with some solid defensive work which enabled fast breaks and good goal scoring opportunities. The seconds won 1-0 and firsts, 2-1. Before setting off for Johannesburg, the hockey squads would have one more fixture against Strand High. Both teams would secure big victories cheered on by the rugby squads. It was an 8-2 win for the firsts and a 5-0 win for the seconds, putting them in good spirits before heading north.
Following a travel day, it was straight back into things at Centurion Sports Club for both rugby and hockey squads. Despite a close and tight first half for the rugby seconds, which saw both sides score, the Harlequins took full control and ran away 54-5. It was a different story for the firsts, who swept Centurion away from the off. Five tries were scored in the first half, and this was followed up with another three in the second, seeing them win 48-5. For the hockey squads, they played on a very different surface: grass! As synthetic pitches are the norm in the UK, the seconds struggled at first but saw out a well-deserved draw. For the firsts, it was another win as they got their heads around the alien surface and remained unbeaten on tour. The final match day arrived for everyone against Zwartkop, and despite some weary legs, both the rugby teams would secure victories. The seconds were involved in a tense and nail-biting match, which saw them score the winner with minutes remaining to take their only victory of the tour, winning 33-29. For the firsts, their journey to victory was a little smoother, running in a number of tries to win 34-7. Both hockey teams would also secure victories, bringing the sports element of the tour to a fantastic end. Before the group returned to the UK, they spent a couple of days in Pilanesberg, enjoying South Africa’s amazing wildlife, visiting the Apartheid Museum and having fun at the Sun City Waterpark.
The first fixture for the hockey teams was against DF Malan which saw plenty of resilience from the girls. The seconds losing 3-0 and the firsts battling hard for a 2-2 draw.
54 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
HOUSE COMPETITION
Junior School House Dance competition
House Events happen right across the school in all manner of activities, from sport to art, debating to music, with House points on offer for everyone. Here’s the overview of what happened in our House competition this year, in both the Junior and Senior School.
55 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
The Junior School Choir gave a special performance of songs from the Sound of Music
JUNIOR HOUSE HOCKEY
JUNIOR HOUSE R U G BY F E S T I VA L
Horsley took two out of the four year group House hockey titles (Year 3 and Year 6) to help them on the way to the overall Junior House Hockey competition. The Year 6 team scored an impressive 10 goals in their three matches and didn’t concede a single goal.
This year our House Rugby Festival had a very unique scoring system, it wasn’t just about how many tries you could score. Points were awarded for the core values of rugby, which are: sportsmanship, teamwork, discipline, respect and enjoyment. Points were then also awarded for the principles of play: pressure, going forward, content possession, support and continuity. It was an extremely close competition in every year group and overall, six points separated first from fourth!
Final results: 1st: Horsley 46 2nd: Eldon 34
M I L L E R T H E AT R E COMES ALIVE WITH SONGS FROM THE STAG E
3rd: Stowell 32 (12 goals for) 4th: Collingwood 32 (11 goals for)
Overall positions: 1st: Collingwood, 197
House Rugby gets underway
2nd: Stowell, 196 3rd: Horsley, 194 4th: Eldon, 191
Nearly all of the Junior School took to the Miller Theatre stage to perform in the House Music competition. There was everything from House Choirs to our hugely talented soloists and some not so small vocal groups! Every performer worked very hard in preparation for the competition and it was a tough job for the judges to decide their winners, but here they are:
J U N I O R H O U S E DA N C E COMPETITION This year’s House Dance competition was incredible with lots of amazing routines from all of those who entered. The audience were in awe of the choreography on display and it was very hard for the judges to decide on the winners. The prizes awarded were:
Year 3 Soloist: Kaipo Wu, Eldon Year 4 Soloist: Eric Cheng – Stowell Year 5 Soloist: Ray Li – Eldon Year 6 Soloist: Anushka Taribagil – Eldon
Best female: Sai Naresh Kumaar (Year 6)
Year 3/4 small vocal group: Horsley
Best male: Archie Parbery (Year 6)
Year 5/6 small vocal group: Eldon
Best performance: Daisy Cumpson (Year 6)
Year 3/4 choir: Eldon
Best Bollywood: Tanvi Manchineni (Year 6)
Year 5/6 choir: Eldon Year 3/4 overall winner: Eldon
Talent Showcase winner: Daniel Read (Year 6)
Year 5/6 overall winner: Eldon Junior School House Dance competition
Overall winner: Horsley
56 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
JUNIOR SCHOOL H O U S E C R O S S C O U N T RY House cross country was a pretty competitive event in the Junior School. We used the Town Moor and Exhibition Park for the race, and thankfully, the weather was great! Every race was run in great spirit.
Final standings: Year 3 girls winner: Iona Murray Year 3 boys winner: Elliott Butler Year 4 girls winner: Isabel Yates Year 4 boys winner: Johan Haniffa Year 5 girls winner: Alice Warneford Year 5 boys winner: Dominic Colbeck Year 6 girls winner: Flo Elliot
House swimming gets underway
Year 6 boys winner: Patrick Magill
H O U S E SW I M M I N G GALAS
HOUSE CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Our House swimming galas in the Junior School saw some fantastic contests and some very close races, one of which was the Year 5 individual medley, won by Ben Ponton. There was plenty of support for the swimmers in the pool with lots of cheering from the sidelines.
With so many talented chess players in the Junior School, the House chess championships was always set to be a hotly contested event. In the Year 3 tournament, Kaipo Wu won the trophy after a playoff game against Jinfan Chen. Year 4 was won by Henry Rewcastle, who scored 6/7. The Year 5 tournament was won by Daniel Rajiv after a playoff game against Tanvi Manchineni, and finally, Yichen Han, won the Year 6 tournament with an unassailable 7/7. Mahi Mehta (Year 3) took the girls-only title with a score of 6/7.
House galas provide a great opportunity to see how much our swimmers have developed over the year, whether this be personal best times, improving technique or just being more confident in the water.
Final house scores: 1st: Horsley 2nd: Collingwood 3rd: Eldon 4th: Stowell
Final house scores: 1st: Eldon, 268 2nd: Stowell, 246 3rd: Horsley, 184 4th: Collingwood, 118
57 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Students take part in the Junior School House Cross Country in Exhibition Park
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
HOUSE DRAMA Now in its second year of a new format, House Drama saw some of our most accomplished actors on stage competing for House points in the first House competition of the year. Stowell were the worthy winners with some very strong performances.
One of the groups perform in the Senior House Dance competition
S E N I O R H O U S E DA N C E The House dance competition was another spectacular show full of great performances from everyone who took part. We had solo performances as well as group dances all in different types of dance from ballet to contemporary, jazz to disco.
Year 8 students get stuck into Maths problems in the inaugral Maths Fest
HOUSE MUSIC Our talented musicians from across the Senior School were involved in this year’s House Music competition, showcasing their extraordinary talents as soloists, ensembles and choirs.
Final results:
Winners:
1st: Horsley
Best female: Bella Van Delf, Horsley (Year 10), for skill and technical prowess
Joint 2nd: Collingwood and Stowell
Best male: Jake Bradbury, Collingwood (Year 9) Best performance: Chloe Dickinson, Eldon (Lower Sixth) Best group: Leila Humphrey, Jui Nadkarni, Evie Tate and Siya Sharma, Eldon (all Year 8)
Overall: 1st: Horsley 2nd: Eldon 3rd: Collingwood 4th: Stowell
4th: Eldon
M AT H S F E S T Our students are always eager to try and solve any Maths problem their teachers challenge them with, so this year, Maths was added to the House programme.
One of our bands perform at the Senior House Music competition
The inaugural Maths Fest saw 70 Year 8 students working in small teams to solve problems for House points. The ingenious Maths department created three superb rounds which saw students compete against each other and the clock! The final round saw the excitement levels reach a crescendo with the noise level at full volume (thankfully the competition took place in the Sports Hall!). Huge congratulations to winning house, Eldon.
58 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Junior Shot Put competition at Sports Day
S P O RT S DAY Plenty of House sporting competitions took place throughout the year with rugby, girls’ hockey and gymnastics taking place in the autumn term, netball, football and boys’ hockey in the spring term, and swimming and climbing in the summer term. Concluding the House sporting events was Sports Day, held at Monkton Stadium on a glorious summer’s day. It was a fantastic day and every event was contested in great spirit. Horsley were the overall winners of Sports Day with Eldon a close 2nd, Stowell 3rd, and Collingwood 4th.
MILLER CUP
Intermediate Girls’ long jump competition
Over 230 students took part in our House cross country races across the Town Moor, with the seniors taking on a more challenging route than the junior runners. Collingwood were victorious in taking the overall title.
Overall results:
Intermediate Boys:
Junior Girls:
1st: Horsley
1st: Horsley
2nd: Collingwood
2nd: Collingwood
3rd: Eldon
3rd: Eldon
4th: Stowell
4th: Stowell Senior Girls: Junior Boys:
1st: Eldon
1st: Eldon
2nd: Collingwood
2nd: Horsley
3rd: Stowell
3rd: Collingwood
4th: Horsley
Senior Boys’ 100m
4th: Stowell Senior Girls’ 200m
Senior Boys: Intermediate Girls:
1st: Horsley
1st: Collingwood
2nd: Collingwood
2nd: Eldon
3rd: Eldon
3rd: Horsley
4th: Stowell
4th: Stowell
59 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OWAT H O N Students from across the Senior School tackled the Rowathon during Charities Week with great enthusiasm. Almost 300 students took part, with the vast majority enjoying it as well! As it was also an event for Charities Week, they also raised £750 for Us and Maggies.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
In the overall House competition, Horsley were the eventual winners. Congratulations to everyone who took part, big or small, in the House competition across the year.
Junior House winner:
Intermediate House winner:
Senior House winner:
Horsley
Stowell
Joint – Horsley, Eldon, Collingwood
AND THE WINNER IS
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Horsley
Eldon
Collingwood
Stowell 60 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
OUR YEAR IN PICTURES
Upper Sixth on Leavers’ Day
Students chat with Head of Year 11, Miss Longville after collecting their GCSE results
Parth Mannikar and Atul Ramesh speaking to Mr Fern after collecting their A level results.
61 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Students celebrate A level success
Fran Southwood and Daniel Buffham collecting their GCSE results
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Upper Sixth students Yasir Rahman-Chowdhury, Joshua Talks and Luca Bennett at the national Big Bang Fair
Students ghyll scrambling at Year 7 camp
Lower Sixth students visit SMD
Rock climbing at Year 7 camp
Hamish Burnett (Lower Sixth) tests out gravity swing in Cern
Upper Sixth students visit Cern, Switzerland
Year 10 students visiting Nissan
The debating team after a successful event in Manchester
62 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Training in the South Africa sun
xxx
The 1st XI celebrate a tour win in South Africa
CCF Summer Camp
Students on the South Africa tour prepare to dive with sharks
The EDT egg challenge
63 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Golfers on the St Mellion course for the Schools’ Championships
Chess club
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Year 3 and 4 Christmas Carol Service
The Junior School Chamber Choir enjoying ice cream
The Junior School Christmas hat competition
Winners of the group dance at the House Dance Competition, Eldon
Christmas Assembly in the Senior School
The Wind Band perform at the Christmas Assembly
Year 3 and 4 Christmas Carol Service
Junior School students enjoy the Halloween Disco
Year 5 and 6 Christmas Carol Concert
64 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Under 15 netball team celebrate winning the Condover netball tournament
Emily Scott-Bromly (Year 10) at the Floors International Trials
The hockey 1st XI 2017/18 Golfers at the Schools’ Championships, St Mellion
Charlotte Hudson (Year 9) at her rowing trial
Under 13 boys at the Gresham’s Hockey festival
65 THE REVIEW 2017–18
The annual ON v RGS 1st XI football fixture
Staff take on the fitness challenge during Charities Week
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Year 7 girls at the Tyne & Wear Schools’ Athletics Championships
Senior House netball in action
House climbing in action
The RGS 1st XV take on a touring school from Australia
Lower Sixth students Orla Jackson and Molly Woodburn meet Kate Richardson-Walsh
Year 3 boys rugby festival
Jack Peter (Lower Sixth) kicks the ball away for the 1st XV vs QEGS Wakefield
Izzy Chaudhry (Lower Sixth) takes part in the National Cross Country Championships
Isak Cornelissen (Year 8) competes for GB at the World Trampolining Championships
66 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Year 3 students at Kirknewton
Junior School Art Day
Lower Sixth students take part in MMI practice exams
Steve Judge inspires our Lower Sixth students
67 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Year 3 exploring fossils at The Great North Museum
Junior School Art Day
Students perform at the Spring Orchestral Concert
Imandi Kumarapeli (Year 9) with her county rugby awards
ON Keir Shiels speaks to Lower Sixth students about his career.
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Long Chin Chueng with Mr Kelso at the Leavers’ Dinner
Upper Sixth students James Mackin, Findlay Edwards, Christian Hilling and Tom Karat enjoy the Leavers’ Dinner
Upper Sixth students entertained by a magician at the Leavers’ Dinner
Tom Karat and Freya Horrocks (Upper Sixth) at the Leavers’ Dinner
Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Cllr David Brown,
Isaac Marchant (Lower Sixth) speaks to the school at the Lord Mayor’s Assembly
Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Cllr David Brown, inspects the CCF
68 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
PRIZES HARTWELL FOUNDATION PRIZES FOR ENTRY TO OXFORD OR CAMBRIDGE Thomas Bilclough Alice Buckley Boyu Chen Cristina Chui Rosalind Fraser Nina Harvie-Clark Jamie Johnson Roisin Kennan Anish Kumar Laura Smith James Standfield Joshua Talks
SIR JOHN MCNEE PRIZES FOR ALL A*, 8 OR 9 RESULTS AT GCSE Anushka Aradhyula Daniel Buffham Amanda Chakkoria James Critchley Alexander Dent Ruby Edmiston Harry Gallagher Finnian Gavin Emilia Keavney Keshav Krishnan Saul McCabe Rachel McWhinnie Katie O’Connor Daniel Partleton Talha Pathan Eashan Ragbir Thomas Rees Philippa Sanders Rhea Sarawgi Jonathan Scott Aaryan Sehgal William Slater Francesca Southwood Sophie Thompson Benjamin Walker Gemma Watson Holly Wilson Joseph Wise
RUTHERFORD PRIZES Sonny Drummond, Year 7 Lilia Immanuel, Year 7 Rob Jones, Year 7 Srilekka Ratneswaran, Year 7 Ben Robinson, Year 7 Sophie Somerville Roberts, Year 7 Aidan Butler, Year 8 Iris Klenka, Year 8 Jui Nadkarni, Year 8 Libby Reid, Year 8 Maia Snedden, Year 8 Jakey Weech, Year 8
69 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Jemima Hawkins, Year 9 Vishnu Kaura, Year 9 Kanika Modi, Year 9 Manasa Reddy, Year 9 Aditya Viswanath, Year 9 Ananya Viswanath, Year 9 Rohini Biswas, Year 10 Thomas Dryden, Year 10 Kush Makkapati, Year 10 Sarika Nadkarni, Year 10 Elliot Sheriff, Year 10 Neil Shi, Year 10 Elliott Ashton-Edminson, Year 11 Dan Clarke, Year 11 Archie Elliot, Year 11 Trudie McCarthy, Year 11 Ben Milne, Year 11 James Telfer, Year 11 Makeen Baroudi, Lower Sixth Frances Bird, Lower Sixth Dylan Cave, Lower Sixth Juliette Clark, Lower Sixth Caitlin Cressey, Lower Sixth Isaac Marchant, Lower Sixth Joe Reay, Lower Sixth Rosa Shiri-Feshki, Lower Sixth Kieran Stables, Lower Sixth Amy-Mae Taylor, Lower Sixth Emma Head-Rapson, Upper Sixth Bethan Hudson, Upper Sixth Cameron Kirk, Upper Sixth Jamie Lishman, Upper Sixth Mahdi Mousavi, Upper Sixth Freya Murphy, Upper Sixth Nathan Pili, Upper Sixth Georgina Smith, Upper Sixth Steven Waggott, Upper Sixth Nick Wharton, Upper Sixth
HEADMASTER’S PRIZES Aliyah Bruce, Year 7 Ollie Davison, Year 7 Dylan Duffy, Year 7 Sarah Frey, Year 7 Chloe Green, Year 7 Aliza Hassan, Year 7 Lucas Jessop, Year 7 Lydia Mitchell, Year 7 Anna Clemmetsen, Year 8 Taylor Hannant, Year 8 Leila Humphrey, Year 8 Anna Leitch, Year 8 Jennifer Lowrie, Year 8 Akshita Ramesh, Year 8 Olivia van Delft, Year 8 Amy Varghese, Year 8 Carlo Fazlic, Year 9 Jemima Hawkins, Year 9 Kanika Modi, Year 9 Marianne Murphy, Year 9 Naveen Naru, Year 9 James Taylor, Year 9 Simran Thapar, Year 9 Katie Wynne-Jones, Year 9 Lucy Davis, Year 10 Matthew Deehan, Year 10
Aaryan Dharmadhikari, Year 10 Krish Gupta, Year 10 Maria Jatin, Year 10 Paris Robson-Holland, Year 10 Nuyara Udawatte, Year 10 Farah Yossry, Year 10 Matthew Abraham, Year 11 Safiyah Bholah, Year 11 Amanda Chakkoria, Year 11 Aadam Haq, Year 11 Nikhil Ponna, Year 11 Chloe Rana, Year 11 Jonathan Scott, Year 11 Susie Thomas, Year 11
YEAR 7 PRIZES Zaina Ahmed, Drama Sana Arif, Chemistry, French & Maths Lucia Baker, French, German, History & Music James Booth, Maths & Physics Jacob Colbeck, Biology, Design Technology & Geography Bede Doe, Biology, Drama, English, Geography, Maths, Physics & the Coates Head Prefects’ prize Anna Dorman, Latin Josh Eapen, Biology & Geography Gina Elliott, Art, Biology, Chemistry, Design Technology, English, Latin & Physics Sophie Feenan, English & German Shreya Gellia, Biology & Music Kunjal Gopani, Design Technology, English, Geography & German Tara Gupta, Drama Cat Hierons, Art Ruby Naylor, History Meghana Padeti, Biology Jai Premchand, Art, Drama & History Joe Prescott, Chemistry & English Abbie Rafi, German & Latin Duncan Seller, Geography & Physics Tanisha Sharma, Chemistry, Drama & French Celia Talks, English & Physics Irvin Thanacoody, History & Maths Parul Tiwari, Art, Chemistry, Drama, French & Latin Nehan Udawatte, Latin Oliver Wall, French Alex Wride, Art, Geography, German & Latin Weiming Xu, Maths Henry Young, History Amy Zheng, French, Maths & Music
YEAR 8 PRIZES Adam Aslam, Biology, German, History, Maths, Music, Physics & Spanish Aidan Baker, Design Technology Daniel Bansal, Biology, Chemistry, English, Geography, Latin, Maths, Music & Spanish
Hannah Bansal, Biology, French & Music Ciara Boaden, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Physics & Spanish Amy Davis, Drama Thiara De Alwis, Art & Physics Aryan Kakwani, Design Technology & Maths Kush Mahawar, English May Maung, German & Latin Tom Mitchell, Art Willow Morris, Design Technology & Drama Laki Palaniappan, Chemistry & Music Emily Petch, English Ruby-Anne Reynolds, Drama Eleanor Rikkerink, History Aryan Sharma, Geography & Maths Evie Tate, Art, Chemistry, German, Maths & Physics Jemima Thomas, Drama, French, Latin & Spanish Advika Uppal, Latin Charlotte Waldron, Biology, Chemistry, French, Geography, History, Latin & Music Laura Wisse, Design Technology, German & Latin Lucy Wright, Art Isha Yadav, Biology & Spanish Eve Yates, History, Maths & Physics
YEAR 9 PRIZES Emily Allison, French & Spanish Faizah Ashraf, Drama, English & History Jake Bradbury, Drama Elise Brechin, Geography & Spanish Thomas Campbell, Music & Physics Rosanna Carrick Daly, Ancient History, English, History & Latin Jasmine Cave, Geography & History Athena Chan, Chemistry, Maths & Music Gautam Chauhan, Biology, Chemistry, English, German, History, Latin, Maths, Music & Physics Libby Chrisp, Art, Geography & Physics Anna Clarke, Design Technology & German Francesca Dent, Chemistry, Geography, Greek & History Jiawen Dong, Biology, Design Technology, French, Latin & Maths Aidan Ewart, Design Technology Alice Geoghegan, Geography Rebecca Gill, Biology Bobby Green, Chemistry & Music Maarten Gunning, English Jemima Hutchinson, Design Technology, English & Spanish Ankit Kumar, French & Music Imandi Kumarapeli, Art, Design Technology, Geography & German Charlotte Leonard, Drama Elizabeth MacLeod, History & Latin Oliver Marks, Greek & Physics Harsha Menon, Ancient History, French, Maths & Physics
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E Amelia Miller, Art, German & Spanish Anik Mitra, English, Latin, Physics & Spanish Adam Mumtaz, French & Spanish Kushi Rao, Biology, Chemistry, Greek & Maths Abi Tang, Ancient History Spencer Turner, Art Nikhita Varma, Ancient History Theodore Wride, Art, German & Latin
Luke Todd, Chemistry, Engineering Design Technology, English Literature & Physics Ben Wardle, History Alistair White, Ancient History Sam Whiteside, Latin Rosa Whittingham, Economics, English Language, Geography & History Zi Yang, Art, Biology & Engineering Design Technology
Francesca Southwood, English Literature & Music Rosa Thomas, Art Sophie Thompson, Geography & Latin Sunny Wang, Greek Oliver Waterhouse, Biology & Latin Gemma Watson, Art & Music Joe Wise, Geography
LOWER SIXTH YEAR 10
YEAR 11
Alexander Adamson, Latin, Maths & Music Harry Baldwin, Music Iona Boyer, English Literature, Latin & Drama Emma Busby, Economics, English Literature, French & History Agi Cornelissen, Engineering Design Technology Ben Cressey, Ancient History Thivani De Alwis, Geography & Music Tatiana Dickinson, Art Emily Dunstan, Biology & Spanish Helen Edwards, English Language, German, History & Greek Sophia Frey, English Language & History Toby Green, Engineering Design Technology & German Raiyan Haq, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Geography & Spanish Grace Heslin, Art, English Literature & Drama Dominique Hewitson, Drama Dominic Hodgson-Bajoria, Drama Millie Ireland-Carson, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English Language, Geography, German, Maths, Physics & Spanish George John, French, Maths & Ancient History Lucinda Jowett, Greek Rahul Kamat, Economics, Latin & Maths Sree Kanakala, English Literature, German, Maths & Physics Harshita Komati, Chemistry & Spanish Morgan Lant, Physics Max Lawlor, English Literature, German & Latin Oliver Longstaff, English Language, Spanish & Ancient History Jakub Mis, Chemistry, Economics, English Language & German Harry Morris, Physics & Ancient History Seb Moulds, Drama & Music Laura Naylor, French Elizabeth O’Brien, Art Marshall Osei-Bonsu, Geography & Ancient History Daniel Prime, Chemistry & History Ella Reid, Geography Emily Scott, Biology, French & Drama Daniel Somerville Roberts, Art Lucy Thompson, Biology, French, Latin, Maths & Spanish
Anushka Aradhyula, Economics, English Literature & Spanish Peter Baker, Engineering Design Technology Jemima Barreto, Latin Joe Boaden, Ancient History Daniel Buffham, Economics, English Language & French Kimiko Cheng, Maths Kraig Coutinho, Music Lottie Craven, Ancient History James Critchley, English Literature, German, History, Latin & Drama Justin Cronk, Chemistry & Physics Alexander Daniel, Maths Charlotte Dargan, Drama Alex Dent, Biology, Chemistry, English Literature, French, History, Latin, Maths, Physics & Greek Jake Dorman, English Language Coral Economides, Engineering Design Technology Maisie Fisher, Drama Finnian Gavin, French & Spanish Kirstin Gerrand, Music Miles Gittins, French, History & Spanish Hector Hawkins, Greek Nisar Khan, Geography, German, Maths & Physics Keshav Krishnan, Art, Biology, German, Maths & Spanish Mikey Lawlor, Biology, English Literature, German, Latin & Spanish Andrew Liang, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English Language, Geography & Physics Rachel McWhinnie, English Literature & Drama Jatin Naru, Art Unna Palaniappan, English Language Daniel Partleton, Chemistry, Geography & Physics Eashan Ragbir, Physics & Bank of England Economics prize Thomas Rees, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English Language & Ancient History Millie Robson, French & Greek Philippa Sanders, English Language, History & Ancient History Rhea Sarawgi, Art & Economics Jonathan Scott, Chemistry & Engineering Design Technology Aaryan Sehgal, Economics & Maths
James Anderton, Film Studies, Philosophy & Psychology Darina Andriychenko, Maths & Spanish Jack Brannen, Politics Joel Brown, Italian Hamish Burnett, Geography Sophia Cheltenham, History & German Louisa Clarke, Psychology Gus Coningham, History & Latin Joseph Dalton, Latin Emma Davis, English Literature Katherine Deck, Biology, Chemistry, Maths & Latin Chloe Dickinson, Art & English Literature Carolyn Dickson, Art, Greek & Psychology Tosan Evbuomwan, Economics Grace Forsyth, Politics Manav Gupta, Geography Rohan Gupta, Further Maths & Physics Helen Hall, Biology, Chemistry & Maths Rory Hanley, Italian Emily Hanson, Art Shahmeer Hassan, Physics & Engineering Design Technology Grace Hill, Film Studies Matthew Hudson, Ancient History Steve Jiang, Further Maths Alice Keown, History Safa Kindawi, Biology, Chemistry & Maths Walid Kurdi, Economics & Geography Annabel Lee, Art & Biology William Mackay, Economics & History Mohid Malik, Biology, Chemistry & French Naini Mandal, Further Maths & Engineering Design Technology Alisha Nadkarni, Chemistry, Maths & Physics Lakshmi Nair, Latin Marc Padget, Ancient History Jason Pahatouridis, Further Maths & Physics Thomas Pascall, Music Jacob Payling, Music Rachel Rees, English Literature, History, Maths & Latin Otis Robson, Spanish Ambika Sehgal, English Literature & Ancient History Sarah Shepherd, Art & Ancient History Rohit Singh, French Rosie Spragg, Geography & Psychology Joseph Stonor, English Literature
Maartje Wisse, Further Maths, Physics & Greek Molly Woodburn, English Literature & Latin James Wright-Todd, Economics
UPPER SIXTH Ashraf Alam, Sports Studies Lauren Ball, Psychology Jasmine Banerjee, Engineering Design Technology & Stanier prize for service (by award) Laura Baxter, Philosophy Luca Bennett, The Music prize Indrajeet Biswas, Ancient History & Psychology Alistair Blackett, The John Elders senior boys’ games player of the year Andrew Brown, Further Maths & Physics Alice Buckley, French, Maths & Spanish Isabel Burridge, Biology, Latin, Maths & the Kishore prize for an intending medical student Grace Chambers, Biology & Maths James Dale, Stanier prize for service (by award) Omkar Dixit, Economics Daniel Edwards, Chemistry, Meikle Further Maths, Physics & Stanier prize for service (by award) Findlay Edwards, Economics & Politics Kirsten Elliott, English Literature Jack Ford, Criddle Classics for Ancient History Rosalind Fraser, History & Duncan Latin Prose Heloise Gerber, English Literature, Middlebrook History, Duncan Latin Prose & Collingwood prize for service to the community William Hands, Geography Ellie Harris, Geography Henry Haslam, Art Lucy Hatton, Art & Theatre Studies Isabel Howe, Chemistry & Meikle Maths Bethan Hudson, Stanier prize for service (by award) Tori Humble, History & Politics Jamie Johnson, Middlebrook History, Meikle Maths, Trevor Fenwick Politics & Dennison prize for outstanding service (by award) Richard Langley, Criddle Classics for Ancient History Isobel Leonard, English Literature, Politics & Bewick Art Prize James Mackin, History & Politics Parth Mannikar, Trevor Fenwick Economics & Dennison prize for outstanding service (by award) Lucy McCarthy, Biology, Sanofi Winthrop Chemistry & Stanier prize for service (by award) Priya Miah, Psychology Aidan Nylander, Philosophy
70 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E Laura Peto, Joseph Petty prize for an intending law student Yasir Rahman-Chowdhury, Further Maths & Physics Atul Ramesh, Dennison prize for outstanding service (by award) Olivia Rhodes, English Literature Laura Smith, Biology, Maths & Dennison prize for outstanding service (by award) Andrew Stembridge, Engineering Design Technology Chiron Tait, Biology Joshua Talks, Meikle Further Maths, Physics & Collingwood prize for service to the community Elspeth Taylor, Film Studies & Psychology Charley Thompson, Film Studies Laura Thompson, Harding prize for service to the community Matthew Turner, Joseph Petty prize for an intending law student Alice Wilson, Chemistry, Trevor Fenwick Economics, Bank of England Economics prize, Dennison prize for outstanding service (by award) & The Ellen Barton Trophy for outstanding contribution to girls’ games Haoyuan Yan, Sanofi Winthrop Chemistry & Further Maths
L E AV E R S ’ L I S T Frederick Adams, Law, Nottingham University Benjamin Ager, Law, Liverpool University (2019 entrance) Sameer Ahmad, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Leeds University Ashraf Alam, Geography, Nottingham University Jake Armes-Reardon, Politics and International Relations, Nottingham University Matthew Bailey, Medicine, Manchester University (2019 entrance) Ammar Bajwa, Chemistry, Queen Mary’s University, London Jonathan Baker, Film Studies, Warwick University (2019 entrance) Lauren Ball, Law, Bristol University Jasmine Banerjee, Product Design, Sheffield Hallam University James Barnard, Spanish, Leeds University Laura Baxter, Politics and Sociology, Bristol University Luca Bennett, Engineering Mathematics, Bristol University Indrajeet Biswas, Psychology, Durham University Alistair Blackett, Economics, Newcastle University Joshan Bratch, Business and Management with Professional Practice, Lincoln University
71 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Finlay Brechin, Physics, St Andrews University Andrew Brown, Physics, Manchester University Alice Buckley, Modern and Medieval Languages, Jesus College, Cambridge Isabel Burridge, Medicine, Bristol University Grace Chambers, Veterinary Medicine, Glasgow University Emma Chandler, Medicine, Leeds University (2019 entrance) Kieran Charlton, Economics and Business Management, Heriot Watt University Rebecca Charlton, Chemistry (with year in industry), York University (2019 entrance) Boyu Chen, Engineering, Christ Church, Oxford Marietta Cherian, Economics, Newcastle University Long Ching Cheung, Medicine and Surgery, Lancaster University Manav Chopra, Economics, Warwick University Raiyan Chowdhury, Computer Science, St Andrews University Cristina Chui, Classics, Trinity College, Oxford Georgina Clarkson, Biomedical Sciences, Newcastle University Phoebe Copestake, Psychology, Manchester University (2019 entrance) Ariane Cornall, Geography, Kings College, London Nicolline Coutinho, Medicine and Surgery, Newcastle University James Dale, English with Film Studies, King’s College, London Oliver Daniels, French and Spanish, Bristol University Stella Deckers Coulter, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Omkar Dixit, Economics and Industrial Organisation, Warwick University Patrick Douglass, Geography with Business, Nottingham University James Dudley, Chemistry, Edinburgh University Jake Duffy, International Business with Spanish, Edinburgh University Daniel Edwards, Computer Science, Warwick University Findlay Edwards, Economics and Politics, Edinburgh University Archie Elder, Economics, Loughborough University Kirsten Elliott, English, Bristol University Anna Emmerson Robinson, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Jack Ford, Ancient History, St Andrews University Amy Forrest, Politics, Glasgow University Rosalind Fraser, Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, St Hilda’s College, Oxford
Oliver French, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Newcastle University Eshaan Gaur, Biomedical Sciences, Newcastle University Heloise Gerber, English Literature, Durham University Olivia Gill, Art History, St Andrews University Zoe Gilroy, Biology, Newcastle University Maria Gomez Greig, Business and Management, Glasgow University Sally Griffiths, Common Law, Glasgow University Faye Groom, Psychology, Leeds University Elliott Groves, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Suyog Gurung, Mechanical Engineering, Manchester University William Hands, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Nottingham University Ujwal Hareesh, Economics, Heriot Watt University Ellie Harris, Civil Engineering, Birmingham University Henry Haslam, Engineering Design (with year in industry), Bristol University (2019 entrance) Lucy Hatton, Art, Edinburgh University Sophie Head-Rapson, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Ellie Heydon, Psychology, Liverpool University Christian Hilling, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Jack Homewood, History, Newcastle University Rebecca Hopkinson, Law (Qualifying), Sunderland University Anna Horrabin, Mathematics, Edinburgh University Freya Horrocks, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Isabel Howe, Natural Sciences, York University Bethan Hudson, Chemistry, Nottingham University (2019 entrance) Jack Hughes, Economics, Heriot Watt University Victoria Humble, History and Politics, Edinburgh University Katija Hunt, Medicine, Birmingham University James Johnson, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Pembroke College, Oxford Matthew Johnston, Law, London School of Economics and Political Sciences George Jones, Integrated Wildlife Conservation, University of the West of England, Bristol Rory Judd, Computer Science (Games Engineering), Newcastle University Tom Karat, Political Sciences and International Relations, Birmingham University Cameron Kirk, Gap year, application to university in 2019
Amanpreet Lally, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Richard Langley, Geography, Sheffield University Isobel Leonard, Fine Art, Edinburgh University Jamie Lishman, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Robert Loughney, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Robert Macindoe, Psychology, Sheffield Hallam University James Mackin, Gap year, application to university in 2019 William Magnay, Mathematics, Bristol University Parth Mannikar, Economics, Warwick University Lucy McCarthy, Chemical Engineering (with industry experience), Birmingham University Lucy McLeod, Psychology, Newcastle University Om Merchant, Applied Medical Sciences, Swansea University (2019 entrance) Priya Miah, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Thomas Millman, Modern Languages, Southampton University Kushagra Modi, Economics, University College, London Enrique Monem, Medicine, Imperial College, London Mahdi Mousavi, Medicine, Liverpool University Will Murgatroyd, History, Edinburgh University (2019 entrance) Freya Murphy, Education, University of East Anglia Andrew Murtagh, Live Events Production, University of Bolton Vikram Nadkarni, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Muhriz Naeem, Architecture, Newcastle University Priyanka Nair, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Aidan Nylander, Philosophy, Bristol University Charlie O’Brien, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Thomas Ord, History, Stirling University Cressey Osborne, Psychology with foundation year, Sussex University Jack Parkin, Film Studies and Production, Queen’s University, Belfast Alex Parry, History, Nottingham University Maria Paul, Psychology with foundation year, Liverpool John Moores University Laura Peto, Law, York University Nathan Pili, Phsyics with Astrophysics, Manchester University Frederick Potier Godinho, English, Nottingham University
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E Yasir Rahman-Chowdhury, Mathematics, Newcastle University Atul Ramesh, Economics, Warwick University William Ramshaw, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Olivia Rhodes, Law, Newcastle University Thomas Rispin, Journalism, Leeds University (2019 entrance) Jake Roberts, Law, Newcastle University (2019 entrance) Kinjal Sensarma, Buisness Management, Northumbria University Daksh Sharma, Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics, Warwick University Matthew Sheerin, Economics, Loughborough University Sujata Shrestha, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Apoorva Singh, Economics, Newcastle University Georgina Smith, Social Anthropology and Politics, Edinburgh University Laura Smith, Medicine, Peterhouse, Cambridge Benjamin Snaith, Politics, Edinburgh University (2019 entrance) Max Southern, History, Sheffield University Andrew Stembridge, Product Design, University of West of England, Bristol William Stevenson, Gap year, application to university in 2019 Adrian Taghavi Khanghah, Medicine, University of East Anglia Chiron Tait, Medicine, Birmingham University Joshua Talks, Engineering, Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge Felix Thomas, Computer Science, Bristol University Charley Thompson, Real Estate, Northumbria University Laura Thompson, English Literature, Leeds University Leon Tufts, Mathematics, Leeds University Matthew Turner, Law, York University Joshua Tyrrell-Thrower, Chemistry, University of East Anglia Suzanne Verrill, Civil Engineering, Bristol University Steven Waggott, Chemistry (with a year abroad), Nottingham University Bryn Waller, Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering, Sheffield University Bryn Walton Williams, History, Glasgow University Honor West, History of Art, Manchester University William Westgarth, Management, Bristol University Anthony Wetherell, Sport and Exercise Rehabilitation, Newcastle College
Nick Wharton, International Business with Language, Birmingham University Sage Williams, Financial Mathematics, Heriot Watt University Alice Wilson, Financial Economics, St Andrews University Lucy Wilson, Psychology with Management, Heriot Watt University Haoyuan Yan, Mathematics, Warwick University (2019 entrance) Sophie Yeomans, Primary Education, Durham University Winnie Yi, Electrical and Electronic Engineering with Management, Imperial College, London
THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS LEFT IN 2017 AND FOLLOWING A GAP YEAR, HAVE GAINED A PLACE AT UNIVERSITY: Thomas Bilclough, English, Magdalene College, Cambridge Matthew Bradbury, Economics, London School of Economics and Political Sciences Matthew Cheng, Medicine, St. George’s, University of London Richard Coulthard, Environment and Business, Leeds University Alexander Dawson-Tait, Politics and Economics, Newcastle University Hannah Egan-Fowler, Fashion Marketing (with year in industry), Leeds University Rowan Grimshaw, Law, Sheffield University Elliot Hair, Medicine, Leicester University Nina Harvie-Clark, History and Modern Languages, King’s College, Cambridge Abigail Huntley, Biomedical Sciences, Newcastle University Roisin Kennan, English, Robinson College, Cambridge Inayah Khan, Law, Northumbria University Khaleel Khan, Medicine and Surgery, Newcastle University Paul Konovalov, Mechanical Engineering, Newcastle University Rudy Kuipers, General Engineering, Durham University Anish Kumar, Veterinary Medicine, Pembroke College, Cambridge Thomas McKeen, Chemical Engineering (with international study), Birmingham University Habiba Nabi, Psychology with Foundation year, Northumbria University Imogen Parker, Medicine, Liverpool University Imogen Penn, Spanish, Glasgow University Isaac Robinson, International Business Management, Newcastle University Annabelle Simpson, Economics, Edinburgh University
Sukhdeep Srai, Philosophy and Theology (with international study), Exeter University Hannah Sparkes, Psychology, Durham University Fergus Stembridge, History, Durham University Robyn Welsher, International Business with Spanish, Edinburgh University Frederick Winter, International Relations and Politics, Sheffield University Madeleine Woodburn, Design Engineering, Imperial College, London
THE FOLLOWING STUDENT LEFT IN 2016 AND NOW HAS A PLACE AT UNIVERSITY: James Standfield, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Somerville College, Oxford
THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS LEFT RGS IN 2014 AND NOW HAVE PLACES AT UNIVERSITY: Nicola Goodship, Dentistry, Manchester University Caroline Taylor, Anthropology, University College, London
72 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
G OV E R N O R S A N D STA F F CO - O P T E D G OV E R N O R S Mr P A Walker, BA (Hons) (Chair until 1st December 2017) Professor A C Hurlbert, BA, MA, PhD, MD (Vice Chairman until 1st December 2017) Mr A J Applegarth, BA Mr P A Campbell, MA, DBA, FRSA Mrs N C D’Cruz, LLB Mrs J Drummond, BA, MA (Chair from 2nd December 2017) Dr I O Evbuomwan, MBBS, MD, FRCOG Mr R H Fell, FRICS Mr A Fletcher, LLB (Appointed 27th April 2018) Mrs A Gupta (Appointed 26th April 2018) Ms T Hartley, MRICS, BSc (Hons), MSc, MBA District Judge P A Kramer, LLB (Until 21st December 2017) Mr A Lamb, BA, CA (Appointed 27th April 2018) Ms S Milligan, LLB (Appointed 26th April 2018) Mr T Murphy (Appointed 26th April 2018) Mrs C S E Murphy, BSc Mr I R Simpson, ACIB Mrs C Stonehouse (Appointed 6th June 2018)
N O M I N AT E D G O V E R N O R S Appointed by xthe Senate of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne Professor S Hambleton, BA, BM, BCh, MRPCH, DPhil Professor M Hannifa, BSc, MBBCh, MRCP, PhD Appointed by the University of Durham Professor E W N Glover, MA, PhD, CPhys, FInstP, ILTM (Until 22nd February 2018) Appointed by Northumberland County Council Councillor T Thorne
SENIOR SCHOOL HEADMASTER
ART Mr G P Mason, BA, Manchester Metropolitan, MA, Northumbria, PGCE* Miss H C Bray, BA, MA, Northumbria, PGCE Mr P Edwards, BA, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, PGCE Mrs C Egan-Fowler, BEd, Notre Dame College, Liverpool University, MA, Northumbria Mrs K Nowicki, (Head of Year 7), BA, London Metropolitan, PGCE
BIOLOGY Mr P J Heath, BSc, Sheffield, PGCE * Dr M H Bell, BSc, Aston, PhD, Aberystwyth, PGCE Mrs S F Hutchinson, BSc, Edinburgh, PGCE Mrs J A Malpas, BSc, Brunel, PGCE Dr C J Murgatroyd, BSc, Sunderland, DPhil, Newcastle, PGCE Mr L Shepherd, MA, Homerton College, Cambridge, PGCE Mr C J H Wancke, BSc, Newcastle, PGCE
CAREERS AND HIGHER EDUCATION Mr M G Downie, BA, Lancaster, PGCE * Mrs R J L Laws, (Assistant Head of Careers) MA, Durham, PGCE Mr O Edwards, (Oxbridge Coordinator), MA, King’s College, Cambridge, PGCE Dr M B A Read, (North American Universities Coordinator), BA, MA, Balliol College, Oxford, BA, Open University, MPhil, Darwin College, Cambridge, PhD, King’s College, London Miss B Millburn, (Careers Coordinator, medical), BSc, Imperial College London, MA, Northumbria, PGCE Mrs C Towns, (Careers Coordinator, non-medical), Staatsexamen, AlbertLudwigs-Universitat Freiburg, GTP
Mr J C Fern, BA, MA, Exeter College, Oxford, PGCE
CHEMISTRY DEPUTY HEAD Mr A A Bird, BMus, Sheffield, MEd, Newcastle, FCCT, LRAM, PGCE
BURSAR AND CLERK TO GOVERNORS Dr M Pitkethly, CEng, FIMMM, BSc Imperial College London, PhD, Surrey
73 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Dr E A Smith, BSc, PhD, Newcastle, PGCE* Dr R Campbell, BSc, PhD Newcastle, PGCE Mrs S L Coates, MChem, MSc, Durham, PGCE Dr J L Greenhalgh, BSc, Northumbria, PhD, Newcastle, PGCE Mrs C J Hutton-Stott, BSc, Open University, PGCE
Mr T Kelso, (Head of Year 13) BSc, Newcastle, PGCE Dr A J Pulham, (Head of Science), BA, Keble College, DPhil, Linacre College, Oxford Mrs M C Slack, BSc, Leicester Polytechnic, PGCE Mrs J C Whitfield, BSc, UMIST, MSc, Sunderland, PGCE Mr R W Wiggins, BSc, Imperial College, London, PGCE Mrs N Wright, (Head of EPQ) BSc, MEd, Newcastle, PGCE
CLASSICS Mrs V C Mee, BA, MA, Jesus College, Oxford, PGCE* Mr S M F Belfield, MA, New College, Oxford, MA, Birbeck College, London, PGCE Mrs P R Coningham, MA, Newnham College, Cambridge, PGCE Dr L E Hope, PhD Toronto, MA Florida, BA Massachusetts Amherst Dr D A MacLennan, BA, MA, PhD, Durham, PGCE Miss P L Whitworth, BA, Durham
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND COMPUTER SCIENCE Mr C J Wilde, BA, Newcastle, PGCE*
DRAMA Mrs R A Shaw-Kew, BA, Bretton Hall College, University of Leeds Miss D M Tonkinson, BA, Northumbria, MA, Sunderland, Cert Ed Mr T Walters, BA, Sussex, PGCE
ECONOMICS Mr J D Neil, BA, Durham, MPhil, Hughes Hall, Cambridge, PGCE * Mrs L E Davison, MA, BA, Newcastle Mr R C M Loxley, (Director of Studies) BSc (Econ), Birkbeck College, London, MEd, Newcastle, PGCE Mr S O’Dwyer, BA, Bangor, PGCE, Nottingham Mr P Shelley, BA, Liverpool, MSc, Southampton, QTS Mr M J Smalley, BA, Manchester, QTS
ENGLISH Dr S J Barker, BA, St David’s University College, Lampeter, PhD, University of Wales * Miss S G Davison, BA, Warwick, PGCE Mr L J Gilbert, BA, Newcastle, PGCE
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
Dr C Goulding, BA, MLitt, PhD, Newcastle Mrs K J Keown, BA, Robinson College, Cambridge, PGCE Mr A King, BA, MA, Newcastle, PGCE Dr S C Masters, (Head of Film Studies), BA, Newcastle Polytechnic, MA, Newcastle, PhD, Sunderland Mrs L A Stadward, BA, MA, Northumbria, QTS
MODERN LANGUAGES
Mr D A Wilson, BSc, King’s College, London, PGCE * Mr M G Downie, (Head of Careers & HE), BA, Lancaster, PGCE Mrs R J L Laws, (Asst. Head of Careers), MA, Durham, PGCE Miss S J Longville, (Head of Year 11), BA, Newcastle, PGCE Miss Z C Morrow, BSc, MA, Institute of Education, UCL, PGCE Mrs K E Hammill, BA, Sheffield, QTS
Ms K E Sykes, BA (double hons), Bradford, PGCE * Mr M S Bailie, (Head of Year 10), BA, Stirling, MA, Queen’s University of Belfast, PGCE Miss J Budd, (Head of Year 12) BA, Aberystwyth, PGCE Miss S Demoulin, (Head of French), University of Mont Saint Aignan, France Mrs C L Diaz-Crossley, BA, Jesus College, Cambridge, PGCE Miss E L Hayes, BA, Newcastle, PGCE Senora B Membrado-Dolz, (Head of Spanish) Mr M Metcalf, (Head of Year 9) MA, MPhil, Trinity College, Cambridge, PGCE Mrs C O’Hanlon, BA, Newcastle, PGCE Mrs C Towns, (Careers Coordinator, non-medical), Staatsexamen, AlbertLudwigs-Universitat Freiburg, GTP Mrs D Williams, (Head of German) BA, Durham, PGCE
HISTORY
MFL ASSISTANTS
Mr S E Tilbrook, BA, Birkbeck College, London, PGCE * Mr O L Edwards, (Oxbridge Coordinator) MA, King’s College, Cambridge, PGCE Mr D C Greenhalgh, (Head of Year 8) BA (JtHons), MPhil, University of Wales, Bangor, MA, Aberystwyth, PGCE Dr E S Matthews, MA, PhD, Lancaster, MSc, Stirling, PGCE Mrs A J Palmer, MA, Dundee, PGCE Mr W Simmons, BA, Durham, PGCE
Miss Louise Bucher, (French Assistant) Miss Viktoria Hainfellner (German Assistant) Miss Veronica Gonzalez (Spanish Assistant)
GEOGRAPHY
Mr Z Fazlic, BA, University of Sarajevo, PGCE * Miss S L Bolt, BA, Newcastle, PGCE Mrs K Clappison, (Head of Junior School Music), MA, Glasgow, PGCE
PASTORAL Mrs S J Baillie, (Pastoral Director), BA, Leicester, PGCE Mrs H J Hardy, (Learning Support Assistant) Mrs N Kyle, (Learning Support Assistant) Ms A E Lee, (Director of Student Progress), MSc, Nottingham, BA, Newcastle, PGCE
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION Dr M B A Read, (North American Universities Coordinator) BA, MA, Balliol College, Oxford, BA, Open University, MPhil, Darwin College, Cambridge, PhD, King’s College, London*
PHYSICAL EDUCATION Mrs A J Ponton, BSc, Liverpool John Moores, PGCE * Miss R Anderson, BSc Northumbria University, PGCE
JUNIOR SCHOOL HEADMASTER Mr R J Craig, BEd, Leeds
STAFF
Mr E T Rispin, BSc, Newcastle, PGCE * Mr J L Camm, BSc, Manchester, PGCE Mrs P M Gill, BEng, Sheffield, PGCE Dr R M Houchin, MSci, PhD, Durham, QTS, DipEd Miss B Milburn, (Careers Coordinator, medical), BSc, Imperial College London, MA, Northumbria, PGCE Mr P Wilson, BSc, Newcastle, MSc, Sunderland Polytechnic, PGCE
Mrs E Barlow, BSc, Ulster, PGCE Miss C Bolam, BA, Northumbria Miss H Close, BSc, Lancaster, PGCE Mr A Cragg, BA, Durham, QTS Mrs C M Cree, BSc, Newcastle, PGCE Miss C E Gardiner, BA, Teesside, PGCE Mr T G Lloyd, BA, Nottingham, QTS Mrs S J McCulloch, BA, Liverpool, PGCE Mr J N Miller, (Deputy Head), BA, Northumbria Miss M A Noble, BA, Hull, PGCE Mr J A Pollock, CertEd, Carnegie College, Leeds Miss R Scott, BA, Sheffield, PGCE Dr A J Spencer, (Deputy Head), BSc, PhD, Birmingham, PGCE Mrs L M Stairmand, BA, Leeds, PGCE Mrs R S Towers, BA, Leeds, MEd, Newcastle Mrs K Wall, BA, University College of Ripon & York St John, QTS Ms A J Whitney, BA, Southampton, PGCE Miss L R B Wood, BA, Newcastle, MA, Durham, QTS
PSHE
TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Mrs K E Hammill, BA, Sheffield, QTS*
Mrs A Gilmore, CACHE Level 3 Mrs L M Johnston, STA, Northumbria, HLTA Level 4 Mrs H Sisterson, BA, CACHE Level 3 Ms S Harrigan, After School Supervisor
PHYSICS
MUSIC
MATHEMATICS Mr J A Smith, BSc, Edinburgh, MEd, Newcastle, PGCE * Dr J Argyle, BSc, Durham, MSc, Sheffield, PhD, Durham, PGCE, MEd, The Open University Ms L Atkinson, MA, University College, Oxford, PGCE Mr H M W Bingham, BA, Pembroke College, Cambridge, PGCE Mr A Delvin, BSc, Bristol, MSc, Manchester, PGCE Mr G D Dunn, BSc, Northumbria, PGCE Dr P M Heptinstall, BSc, PhD, Newcastle, PGCE Mr D A Jardine, BSc, Strathclyde, PGCE Mr T E Keenan, (Head of Sixth Form), BSc, Bradford, MSc, Northumbria, PGCE Mr M J Poole, BSc Birmingham Mr H Rashid, BSc, MSc, Newcastle, PGCE Mr A Snedden, BSc, Newcastle, PGCE Mr S D Watkins, BSc, Newcastle, PGCE Miss R M Watterson, BSc, Edinburgh, PGCE
Miss H J Atkinson, BA, York St John, PGCE Mr A G Brown, BSc with QTS, Sheffield Hallam Mr H R Chadwick, (Deputy Director of Sport), BSc, Loughborough, QTS Miss O Chapman, BA, Leeds Metropolitan, PGCE Mr F Dickinson, BEd, Carnegie College, Leeds Polytechnic Miss J Harrison, BSc, Manchester Metropolitan, PGCE, Durham Mr R V Mackay, BSc, Northumbria Miss K Smith, BSc, Birmingham, QTS Mr C Ward (Graduate Sport Assistant), BSc Northumbria University, PGCE Mr A E Watt, BA, Manchester Metropolitan Mr J A Wood, BA, Manchester Metropolitan
PSYCHOLOGY Dr C M Bone, BSc, Manchester Polytechnic, MA, Durham, PhD Northumbria PGCE* Miss K A Jacques, BSc, Newcastle
ENGINEERING, DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY Mr P M Warne, MEng, St Aidan’s College, Durham, PGCE * Miss R Harvey, MFA, Newcastle, BA, Cumbria Mrs C A Pipes, BA, Northumbria, PGCE Mr C J Wilde, (Head of Digital Technology & Computing), BA, Newcastle, PGCE *denotes head of department
S U P P O R T S TA F F ADMINISTRATION Administrative and Exam Assistant Mrs J Pringle Attendance Manager/ Staff Cover Manager Mrs L J Wright, HND, University of Bedfordshire Admissions Officer Mrs A Perry Bursar’s Assistant/ Compliance Manager Mrs A D Goodwin, BA, Newcastle Polytechnic
74 THE REVIEW 2017–18
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E Communications Manager Mrs J Macleod, BSc, Northumbria, PGCert, Royal Holloway Development Manager Ms J C Medcalf, BA, Leicester Performing Arts Manager Mrs J M Graham Senior Finance Assistant Mrs S A McGregor Finance Assistant Mrs M Keeler Finance Officer Mrs A R Findlay, BA, Northumbria, ACCA Headmaster’s Secretary Miss S Ellis Junior School Secretaries Mrs E Evans Miss A Noble Miss A Gravely, BA, Hull Outreach Manager Mrs J Ross, MA, Aberdeen Receptionist Mrs J Cross Administrator Ms T Bardon Miss R Gibson, BA, York Senior School Secretary Mrs J M Glendon
AUDIO VISUAL Audio Visual Manager Mr S Corrigall
CARETAKERS Caretakers Mr G J Fuery BEM Mr D Broom Mr O Gooding
CATERING Catering Manager Mr B T Bulch Catering Mrs M Armstrong Mrs A Crisp Miss L Docherty Mr I Flowers Mrs G Gott Mrs D Graham Mr W Halfpenny
75 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Mrs L Hodgson Miss S Knight Mrs L Lawson Miss C Ludbrook Miss C Lyon Miss J O’Dwyer Miss C Stewart Mrs L Storey Miss C Thomson Mrs S Turnbull Mr J Webb Miss H Wilkins
COACHES Chess Mr D Eggleston Fencing Mr I Aberdeen Karate Mr S Emmerson Rugby Mr L Patton Music/LAMDA/Dance Mr T Abell Mrs S Austen Miss A Ball Mrs S Burchell Mrs K Conaty Mrs S J Davie Mr M Edwards Mr J Ferguson Mr D Goldberg Mr D Hignett Mrs M Hitch Mrs J Jasinski Ms L Khazanovych Mr J Morgan Mrs J Nicolls Mr N Nowicki Mr F Peacock Mrs J Quilliam Mr P Richardson Mr A Soulsby Mr S Wall Mr M Walton
COUNSELLORS Miss A E Jordon, BSc Newcastle, PGDip Pyschotherapy, Mr D J Merritt, MA Cambridge, PGCE Newcastle, Dip Pastoral Counselling.
DOMESTIC STAFF Domestic Manager Mrs J Gallagher, ABICsc Domestic Supervisor Mrs J Tullis
Domestics Mrs M Adair Mrs R Burns Miss G Carter Mrs S Charlton Mrs L Clark Mr M Conroy Mrs S Davison Mrs L Ferry Mr J Fothergill Ms S Francis Mr A Francis Miss G Hudson Miss P Irving Ms E Munroe Mrs S Redhead Mr G Reid Mrs A Rundle Mrs B Ruszkowska Miss T Smith Miss N Spence Mrs S Spearman Miss S Watkins Miss J Emmerson
FACILITIES Facilities Manager Mr S G Lymn, MA, Durham
GROUNDS STAFF Mr D Payne Mr D Gibson Mr J Rippon
IT Director of IT Services Mr P J Miller, BSc, MSc, Newcastle Database Manager Ms J Shutt, BSc, Leeds Network Manager Mr P Bodman Specialist in End User Computing Mr D Baker Support Services Technician Mr G Brooks
LIBRARY Librarian Mrs C J Richardson, BA, Newcastle Polytechnic Library Assistant Mrs S J Brown, BSc,MA, Northumbria
MAINTENANCE STAFF Mr M Graham Mr S Blanchflower
MEDICAL STAFF School Nurses Mrs M Thorniley-Walker, RGN Mrs V Duns School Medical Officer Dr R Pedlow
OUTDOOR PURSUITS Outdoor Pursuits Instructor Mr R O’Hagan CCF Mr P Barlow
SPORTS CENTRE Sports Centre Supervisor Mr L Herbertson Sports Centre Assistant Mr L Blackburn, BSc, Leeds Metropolitan Physiotherapist Rob Tyer
TECHNICAL STAFF Art Technician Miss R Gibson, BA, York Performing Arts Centre Technical Manager Mr M R Burton, BA, Northumbria Assistant Technical Manager (Performing Arts Centre) Mr B Squire Senior Technician Mr P L Emmerson, BA, Northumbria Technicians Mrs L Bartsch, BSc, Bradford Mr B Bickerton Mr G Bowman, BSc, Northumbria Mrs S Graham Mrs D Menton Mr I Norris, BSc, MPhil, Newcastle Mr C Robinson
R OYA L G R A M M A R S C H O O L N E W C A S T L E
76 THE REVIEW 2017–18
Royal Grammar School Eskdale Terrace Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4DX Tel: 0191 281 5711 Royal Grammar Junior School Lambton Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4RX Tel: 0191 281 8955 General Enquiries: hm@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk or communications@rgs.newcastle.sch.uk www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk
Designed by Altogether.