Horizons Autumn 2015

1SENIOR SCHOOLPrizegiving

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NURSERYHarvest Festival

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SIXTH FORMDiplomatic Links

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JUNIORWhen I’m 25

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AUTUMN 2015 023 9236 0036 www.pgs.org.uk

Merry Christmas!

Though the Junior School brass band had to be moved inside and Father Christmas couldn’t make his usual “superstar” entrance, spirits weren’t dampened as the Junior School Christmas Fayre started the countdown to Christmas. The Junior School Association organised another fantastic Fayre with a range of gifts and treats to choose from as well as the chance to meet Rudolph before he starts his December training camp, in preparation for Christmas Eve!

It’s not just the Junior School pupils who have become increasingly excited about Christmas. In a feat of engineering ingenuity, truly worthy of the most senior pupils in the school, the Sixth Form managed to decorate the tree in the atrium of the Sixth Form Centre to the very top, which also signalled the beginning of the Sixth Form Council Christmas campaign.

Twas the term before Christmas, when all through the schoolEvery pupil was smiling, in anticipation of YuleThe Christmas trees were up and decorated with careIn hopes that the end of term soon would be there…

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CHARITY BEGINS AT SCHOOL

As pupils came back to school after the summer, the cause on everyone’s mind was the humanitarian refugee crisis unfolding in Europe. Pupils, staff and parents came together to work on ways that the school could best respond to make the greatest impact and decided on two responses – a collection of necessary items to take to refugees living in camps in Northern France and a financial collection for Syrian refuges through the Save the Children charity.The CollectionWe were overwhelmed by the huge response of the school community to the appeal for items to be taken to Northern France with the collection tent literally bursting at the seams. Each morning pupils came in with boxes of items to donate and the collection at the Junior School Harvest Festival was fantastic – it was such a positive experience for pupils to be helping directly with such a desperate situation.

A massive thank you must go to parents Helen Wilson and Kyrie Wallis who helped to organise the collection and then took the items to France.

“Like most people, I had been moved by events across the Middle East & Europe and decided to do something practical to help. I had been in contact with two charities established specifically for the camps in Calais & Dunkirk, and worked with them to ensure that the supplies taken were the most appropriate for that time,” says Helen.

“We were stunned not only by the size of the camp but by the environment, the exposure to the elements, the mud & the rubbish and the sheer number of unsuitable tents. We swiftly parked in the centre of camp and immediately a line formed behind the van and we began the distribution of your food parcels. After a few minutes we were unable to see the end

of the queue and it never really reduced in size, despite a bag or box of food being passed to over 400 people. I handed the parcels to each person and on each occasion I was met with warmth, politeness, friendliness, gratitude and sometimes humour.”

“I wish to say how enormously grateful I am to those who donated items for the recent refugee appeal in both the Junior and Senior schools,” concludes Helen. “The sight in the Cathedral and in the red tents in the quad was overwhelming; your thoughtfulness and generosity was clear to see.”

To The StageIn addition to donating items to the collection Senior School pupils took part in a fundraising drive for the Save The Children Syrian Refugees Campaign. Pupils spent the day fundraising then organised an evening of fantastic entertainment in the DRT. Expertly hosted by Year 13 pupils Alice MacBain and Emily Tandy, over 20 Senior School pupils and our Gap Year Students took to the stage. An exceptional £1,200 was raised for this aspect of the campaign.

Thank you to everyone for your generosity in supporting these two initiatives.

The Autumn term started with the whole school coming together to fundraise and support causes close to the heart of the school community.

Refugee Crisis Appeal

3AUTUMN 2015 www.pgs.org.uk

Pupils were bouncing off the walls for charity when the very popular Zorb Football returned as part of a fundraising day for UNICEF and Chai Thom School in Cambodia. During the day there was also a very popular cake sale and all the Senior School pupils came in wearing Mufti. In total almost £2,600 was raised during the day.

Even the Headmaster got involved by running a bracing Chariots of Fire mile for UNICEF with other Heads at the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference in St Andrews!

MISSION CHRISTMASThe Sixth Form Council has worked hard to support worthwhile local charities this Christmas as part of their annual campaign. Boxes were filled with supplies for food banks that run in the city; the boxes overflowed with staple foods and some festive treats. The Council also supported the Wave 105 Toy Appeal, the donations from Sixth Form pupils meant that over £600 worth of toys could be bought to distribute to some of the many children living below the poverty line in Portsmouth to ensure they received a gift at Christmas.

CAKES, BOUNCING AND BEACH RUNS

Chai Thom SchoolSince opening in 2010 the UWS School, Chai Thom has served the people of a remote community in Northern Cambodia. The community are from the Charai tribe, a minority ethnic group within Cambodia who prior to the opening of the school had never been able to access an education.Chai Thom has been partnered with The Portsmouth Grammar School since its start and has developed hugely in that time. The school sits at the centre of its village community, bringing people of all ages together to learn. On some days, it serves as many as 200 pupils, with growing attendance and punctuality. The village takes education very seriously and they have been delighted with the updates to the school, including the addition of solar power. This has expanded greatly the number of people who can access education, allowing night classes for students who need to work in the fields during the day and their parents. Even the village chief has been joining the children in learning how to read and write. This year we also added a vegetable garden which has allowed the school to supplement the mainly rice diet of the village with much needed vegetables including corn.

Next year a PGS pupil, Isabelle Welch, is becoming a long term volunteer and working in Chai Thom for 3 months.

Spots and Stripes at LargeCongratulations to pupils in the Nursery and Infants who raised over £250 this year for Children in Need. Pupils wore spots and stripes in for the day to raise money and made some delicious Pudsey biscuits!

DID YOU KNOW?Mufti is a term of Arabic origin; it’s a legal advisor in Islamic

law. In the Music Hall era, people would dress up as Mufti, in

traditional garb, which because of the Ottoman Empire was a

fez with a tassle and a dressing gown. This was then picked up

as not being in uniform, which is what it means now in English.Photo by: Gillman & Soame

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The Junior School community joined together to remember those who had fought for their country in wars and conflicts. Whilst the Infants worked in their classrooms making and painting poppies, the Juniors assembled at Portsmouth Cathedral, joined by parents and family members alongside members of the Cathedral community.It was a beautiful and moving service featuring music from the Junior strings and brass players, readings, personal stories and prayers from across the Junior years, a poignant song from the choir and art work from Year 6.

George Tolcher played the Last Post with amazing clarity and great confidence, Canon Peter talked about the meaning of remembering.

Throughout the Service the pupils showed great respect and maturity, helping deliver such a powerful reminder of why we must never forget.

THE SENIOR SCHOOL REMEMBERSOn Armistice Day the Senior School gathered in the Quad for silent reflection and commemoration of those who have fallen in wars of the past. As the Last Post echoed around the Quad, heads were bowed. On Remembrance Sunday the CCF cadets were honoured to take part in the City Remembrance Service in Guildhall Square with Junior School pupils laying a wreath at the cenotaph.To complete a week of Remembrance events we were delighted to welcome Professor Carl Bridge from King’s College London who delivered the annual We Will Remember Them Lecture entitled

Gallipoli 1915: Myths, Legends and Facts. “The depth of mythologizing of ANZAC day was new to me,” said parent Andrew Sharpe who attended the lecture. “It really was an excellent talk.”

Age Shall Not Weary Them


Gallipoli RememberedThis year’s Remembrance Concert marked the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign, with three world premieres of pieces commissioned by the school from Australian and New Zealand composers. Stephen Leek’s Dead Dog Lies and Gordon Hamilton’s Dulce et Decorum Est both used dramatic choral techniques in vivid responses to powerful texts, whilst Andrew Baldwin’s O Te Pouri combined a beautiful Maori waita with imitations of the sounds of traditional Maori instruments in a poignant setting of words by New Zealand poet Vincent Sullivan. The Chamber Choir rose magnificently to the challenge in a virtuosic display that brought the texts to life and left the audience stunned. Visiting conductor Graham Ross (director of music at Clare College Cambridge) described it as ‘a performance to remember for a lifetime’. He brought the concert to a thrilling close with Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, featuring four recent graduates from Clare College as soloists alongside the Chamber Choir in sparkling form.

The first half of the concert also featured two rarely-performed orchestral works specially chosen to provide moments for reflection. Lara Wassenberg (Year 13) was viola soloist in Howells’ Elegy for Viola, String Quartet and Strings composed in 1917 in commemoration of the life of his friend, the composer Francis Purcell Warren. Accompanied by the London Mozart Players, Lara’s performance was spellbinding and deeply moving. Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe’s Small Town was the perfect complement, evoking the innocence of a quintessential Australian town as described by D H Lawrence. The performance included PGS pupils Ben Priory (Year 9), Corin Nelson Smith (Year 9), James Taylor (Year 11), Louis Sumner (Year 10) and Lydia Carter (Year 12) making their professional debuts alongside the LMP as percussionists and oboe soloist.

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Full TummiesThere was a week of Harvest Festival fun in the Nursery this half term as the children took part in a range of activities to mark the turning of the season and to learn about where their food comes from. The week started with the children bringing in a food item that would then be donated to the RUCSAC appeal, a local charity that collects money for the homeless people of Portsmouth.

The fun really got underway towards the end of the week when the children started to prepare a feast of Harvest foods for their parents, who were amazed at the food that had been made and had great fun sampling the wares. As one parent said “it was all really delicious!”

Parents and children went home that evening with full tummies. Harvest week was made all the more special to know that the food that they had collected would also be helping the homeless people of Portsmouth to have a warm meal and have full tummies too.

CHECK MATEBy Jonathan Entwistle, Year 13

PGS Chess is going from strength to strength with a recent away match against Meoncross School a resounding victory. Meoncross fielded a number of Sixth Form pupils as part of their team against a young PGS team consisting mainly of Year 7 and 8 pupils. The pupils held their ground and performed extremely well with the age difference making the victory even more satisfying. The final score was 9 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses for PGS.

Top of the BenchThe Mid-Southern Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry held the heat of the Top of the Bench competition in the BCSC and Chemistry department laboratories.

The aim of this competition is to select a local school to represent the region in the final, which is held at the University of Loughborough early next year. Fourteen schools from across Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire sent teams, which consist of pupils from Years 9 to 11. The competition comprised of two

practically-based challenges and a written test and once again the standard of chemical practical ability and theoretical knowledge was amazing.

The day culminated with a brilliant demonstration lecture conducted by Professor David Read from the University of Southampton.


Toy DetectivesWith great excitement, Year One trooped off to the Science Centre this term to find out about toys from the past. The day started with the children looking at a rocking horse and some teddies, looking for clues that would help them decide how they could tell the age of the toys. Owen in 1J said “I was really happy because I was chosen to find broken bits on Harry the Horse to show he was old.”

After that the children became toy detectives! Sifting through boxes of soil to see if they could find any toys and working

out if they were old or new; exploring toys from across the ages and investigating how to play with all the different toys on offer.

It was a great day and the children were excited to take home the toys they had made to share with their families. Evie in 1J commented “I really enjoyed making the ball and cup toy because my mummy helped me!”

Flying the CoupBy Mr Ben Charles

Simon Lockyer joined PGS in September 2009 as a fresh-faced, youthful and blonde Second Master, as I’m sure the photo taken at the time will demonstrate. Simon arrived with a strong background in pastoral care having been a Housemaster at Wellington College and it soon became apparent that his wealth of knowledge and understanding would be of huge benefit to the school.

Simon and I had the great fortune to join the PGS Senior Management Team together which meant that much was shared between us when getting to know a new school. In the six and a half years that Simon has spent here, there is no doubt that he has contributed significantly to the school’s long-term strategic planning as well as the more prosaic day-to-day running of the school. Pastoral care has grown even stronger under Simon’s leadership with a clear emphasis on the Tutor as being at the heart of our work and his ability to create opportunities for staff development and pupil voice have been much appreciated. Simon has provided colleagues, parents and pupils a consistency of approach and clarity of purpose that is necessary in a large school like PGS and he has done this with integrity, skill and aplomb.

It is difficult to identify all that Simon has achieved at the school in just one short article although the list of his accomplishments include leading and implementing pastoral care at the school; leading the school’s IT strategy including the recent introduction of tablet technology; the introduction and reinforcement of pupil councils as platforms for pupil engagement; leadership of the nitty-gritty that schools like ours need to function – safeguarding, health and safety, fire protection, event planning and management – the list goes on. What is perhaps less well known about Simon is his passion and energy for teaching, which, coupled with his genuine love of his subject, Biology, makes for a heady mix in the classroom. He was a PGS pioneer in the delivery of the Biology IB course to our first cohort of pupils back in 2009 and even

today, the teaching of his Yr 7 group brings him much fulfilment and joy.

Of course, some will also know of Simon’s co-curricular love of ornithology – if you’re in the Quad or out and about with Simon, you have little chance of getting a word in edgeways if a marsh warbler chirps up; his passion for cricket – Test Match Special is often playing on his computer during the summer months; and, of course, his palpable pride and love for his wife, Abigail, and their three children, Thomas, Archie and Hermione.

It is with a mixture of happiness and sadness, therefore, that we say farewell to Simon at the end of this Autumn Term as he moves to Suffolk to take

up the post of Headmaster of the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook. We’re happy that Simon has achieved an ambition that has burned within him since becoming a teacher over twenty years ago, yet sad that we lose a very good colleague, friend and advocate of PGS. Simon, we wish you all the very best of luck for the future. We hope that you keep in touch, initially through the family as they stay in Portsmouth until the end of the academic year, but certainly beyond, as you move to the next stage of your career. You leave a rich legacy behind you.

God help his successor.

Ben Charles and Simon Lockyer, November 2015 ...and in 2009

NOW

THEN

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Children from seventeen schools across the city headed off in to space this year when they attended the Junior School Bright Sparks event.

The pupils enjoyed three very different workshops, one English based, one mathematical and one scientific, but all using the theme of space to teach and inspire. The University of Portsmouth brought their astrodome which enabled the children to travel through the night sky and visit other planets as well as identify stars. A Maths Magician needed help identifying patterns with the planets encouraging the children to become code-breakers. They also had fun creating and acting out their own

aliens and monsters and making lava lampsOne visiting pupil summed up the day for

everyone, “It was stupendous!”

It was with a flourish and applause that the sculpture welcoming pupils, families and guests to the Sixth Form Centre was unveiled in September. It was a poignant occasion as the Guest of Honour was Dr Rosemary Hill; it was the poem Come to the Edge by her late husband the poet and former pupil of The Portsmouth Grammar School, Christopher Logue, that inspired the sculpture.The unveiling of the sculpture by Stephen Hitchin was the beginning of an evening of celebration as the school community gathered for the annual Prizegiving ceremony to recognise the success and achievements of the last academic year, with over 200 awards being handed out to Senior School pupils.“The Prizegiving Ceremony is our opportunity to honour the extraordinary achievements of our pupils in the last academic year,” says Headmaster, Mr James Priory, “and to celebrate and inspire everyone to ensure our school community continues to be a special place to learn and grow.”In Dr Hill’s speech to pupils at the Prizegiving ceremony she encouraged pupils to believe in what they do and to embrace life’s often difficult journey,

“Lives and careers can often take a zig-zag course,” she said. “What we learn at school is not necessarily what is taught. You may be on the edge of one thing right now and on your way to the next, although life at that moment of change is not always comfortable. Embrace and believe in what you do.”

Dr Hill closed by reading one of Christopher Logue’s pieces of poetry, O Come All Ye Faithful. In an evening which celebrated the achievements and dedication of pupils and staff over the last year and looking to our pupils’ future, it was a fitting way for the evening to end.

COME TO THE EDGE

COME TO THE EDGECome to the edge. We might fall. Come to the edge. It’s too high! COME TO THE EDGE! And they came, and he pushed, And they flew.

Shining Stars and Bright Sparks


Pupils from the Junior School had a particularly grand day out during half term with a little help from the 1851 Trust, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Shaun the Sheep!Pupils were invited by the 1851 Trust to attend an event at BAFTA to celebrate the launch of the new Aardman film, Shaun The Sheep: The Farmers Llamas. Representatives and children from charities supported by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry were invited to the special event where they got to watch the film and take part in Shaun the Sheep themed model-making workshops with the animator team from Aardman as well as having the opportunity to meet the royal guests.

The highlight for the Portsmouth pupils was being invited up on to the stage to take part in a demonstration of how stop-start animation works. The pupils were asked to slowly walk along the stage and pretend to get into a large suitcase. For Mei Mei Reilly a little stage fright took hold, which was spotted by the Duchess of Cambridge who offered to hold her hand and go up on stage with her.

“I enjoyed being at BAFTA, what made it better and really special is that I got to hold Princess Catherine’s hand and she helped me get over my fears of getting on stage in front of people,” said Mei Mei.

Music rang out across the Quad, delicious smells floated in the air and the atmosphere definitely crackled and buzzed as we welcomed almost 2,000 guests to the school on our Open Morning.Every part of the school was once again open to visitors who enjoyed a range of displays and activities that had been superbly organised by pupils and staff.

Let There Be Fun

A ROYAL ANIMATION

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Sky Full of Stars The skies above Hilsea Playing Fields were lit up at the end of half term when over 800 people enjoyed the annual firework display. This year the fireworks began not only with a bang but also with a musical note that between the oohs and aahs got everyone’s toes tapping.

This popular event would not be possible without a large number of staff giving up their Sunday evening, so thank you to everyone that made it such a successful and popular event.

Swinging OutOctober truly started with a swing when the London City Big Band arrived at the school to fill a day and an evening with music.During the day pupils had the opportunity to work alongside the band which comprises some of the finest young jazz musicians in the UK. The workshops were highly anticipated events with Year 8 even writing their own blues songs in preparation!

The culmination of the day was a brilliant concert presented by the London City Big Band – which included a short set from the ever-popular PGS Big Band and a stunning guest solo by Year 13 pupil Francesca Strongitharm-Cornell.


A GENIE-US SHOWThe Christmas season started in the Junior School with the traditional Year Four pantomime.

This year, we were taken to far away lands (or the DRT) with Aladdin, the tale of a young man or ‘A Lad in Trouble’, who finds a magic lamp of unlimited power and a genie full of terrible jokes and painted bright blue! Hot on his heels and intent on ruling the world from his own private holiday resort is the wicked sorcerer, Abanazer or A Bandana or Ebenezer or... can no one get his name right?

With a script crammed with corny jokes and a cast of weird and wonderful characters (among them a flying carpet with attitude- no one walks all over him), colourful dance routines and toe tapping songs, not to mention a couple of beautiful looking Widow Twanky’s with rainbow tights, the Year Four pupils ramped up the feel good factor for an audience of delighted parents.

A Thoroughly Toe-tapping TreatAn air of anticipation builds around the school each November as the performance of the Senior School musical draws near and this year, anticipation was met with great delight as pupils laid on another remarkable theatrical feast for the audience.

Thoroughly Modern Millie is a fun-filled musical that follows the arrival in 1920’s New York of the title character, Millie Dillmount, who is determined to have a ‘modern life’ and is fiercely independent, though still looking for love, which she finds after many twists and turns, with Jimmy Smith. The musical numbers were sung with a passionate verve and the whole cast tapped their way flawlessly through many light-hearted dance routines including an impressive whirl of desks and typewriters.

Meanwhile, in a feat more expected in the language lab at school, Rory Greenwood and Jonathan Yang delivered lines in Mandarin, working great comic timing in to a complex language with apparent ease. The leads,

Caitlin Hoddle and Robert Merriam, shared many touching moments, portraying the 1920’s changing times and relationships, with a mixture of both subtlety and slapstick.

Cast and crew ensured that the performances were of the very highest quality, encouraging the reviewer from The Portsmouth News to summarise neatly the depth of talent on show. “All through Portsmouth Grammar School’s Thoroughly Modern Millie I reminded myself that I was watching 12 to 18-year old amateur, untrained performers,” said James George. “In a city that seems to have more amateur companies per square mile than, well, the rest of the planet combined, this cast can be considered among the very, very best. Top, top marks.”

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WHEN I’M 25…Mr Priory was the special guest at a Year 6 assembly this term to receive letters that the pupils had written to their 25-year old selves. This project was introduced last year to commemorate the opening of the Sixth Form Centre, when the first batch of letters were presented to Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex.

In the letters the pupils are encouraged to write about what they like now and what they think they might be doing in 15 years’ time. The children all wrote about the future careers they may have ranging from marine biologists to dancers, vets and even a Headteacher. They also wrote about what they think the world may be like in 2030/31.

The letters will now be stored and the children invited back to PGS for a special event to mark their 25th year.

In Reception Take One Picture this year was a slightly wet event! The children spent time looking at the clouds and the patterns they make in the sky. Then after watching the all-time wet weather classic, Singing in the Rain, they dressed up in waterproofs and wellington boots to recreate the song in the playground.The children had a fantastic time in the rain (aka Mrs Carlin with the hosepipe), they were dancing and laughing at clouds with a smile on their face…

Singing In The Rain

Olé!The Modern Languages Showcase provided a treat for those who attended with a range of performances from Years 7 to 13. Particular highlights included the Year 8 creation of the Spanish playground and the Year 10’s extraordinarily long German words. Further enrichment was provided by poems in French, a film by Omar Farook and a rap by the Year 13 IB! Overall, the pupils gained a great deal of confidence from the challenge of performing in another language.

WELCOME TO PGSWe were delighted to welcome Katie Moore to PGS in September when she joined the school as Head of Nursery.Katie has taught at a number of schools across the city as the Early Years lead where she has looked after both Reception classes and early years units, teaching children from 2-5 years old.

“Having worked for the local authority as an Early Years advisory teacher I knew The Portsmouth Grammar School Nursery well,” says Katie. “It was an immense pleasure to be appointed as Head of Nursery and to become part of such an amazing, thriving and happy school. I look forward to further developing the nursery and working with both a wonderful team and wonderful children.”


Global CitizensAfter the visit of Hassan and Lydia to PGS, Miss Fiona Nicholson travelled out to Uganda during half term for the second half of the exchange. “Thanks to everyone that gave of their time, energy, resources, and opened their homes, classrooms and lives to Hassan and Lydia when they visited, you all helped to make it a wonderful time. It was not long before I made the return visit to Kikaaya. As anticipated I was warmly welcomed to the school. The most enthusiastic welcome came from the most un-pc source - young local children, barefooted, dirty nosed, dressed in scraps of clothing, running alongside me screaming ‘mzungu’ which means ‘white’ in the local language - but with the biggest smiles on their faces; it was all part of the fun - especially when I turned around and chased them! Pupils and staff at the school were really keen to hear about pupils and staff they had met on previous visits, and I was forever being asked ‘When are they coming back? We miss them! We had such a good time!’

Whilst there I took part in lessons - with one class having 141 pupils in it I was reminded of the huge challenges the Ugandan education system faces. I met truly inspirational pupils and staff whose faith and perseverance in the face of so many hardships was utterly humbling; and it was met with such grace. I spent 3 hours and 20 minutes at the church service run by the Scripture Union at the school on the Sunday morning – surrounded by pupils singing and dancing, drumming and hugging – it was so uplifting. Pastor Grace runs a good ship there. Pupils are actively trained in Ugandan dances and songs, it is a rich part of their heritage and a source of great pride and community cohesion, so it was lovely to watch them training at school. I was also treated to an evening at a special restaurant with a professional troupe of singers, musicians and dancers which was spectacular. On my final evening, one of the pupils (the aptly named ‘Talent’) organised a party for me. Pupils performed songs and dances – I even attempted a tap dance for them!

The link was greatly strengthened by these reciprocal visits. Staff in Uganda really took on board the Global Citizenship angle of our work. PEG (Pupils’ England Group) is now established, to be run by Hassan; pen-pal letters have been lovingly and creatively sent, and the WiFi at KCS will be receiving a boost courtesy of PGS, so that 10 computers in their lab will receive the internet – this will transform teaching and learning for this school; and textbooks are on their way over! I also had the opportunity to visit Kikaaya Junior School – what a happy and vibrant place that is! Watch this space for further developments on that front ….”

OUR TRIP TO THE PORTSMOUTH GRAMMAR SCHOOL, ENGLANDBy Hassan Lubega and Lydia Nalwoga

“On 9 October 2015, we left for England for a ten-day teaching and

learning experience. We were so grateful for having been chosen

to represent Kikaaya College School (KICOS) at The Portsmouth

Grammar school by Mr Charles Mubiru, the Headmaster of KICOS.

We reached England for the first time ever in our lives and it was

amazing to experience a new weather condition – autumn! During

our study in England, there were many lovely people who offered us

a lot and became so important to us despite the fact that we didn’t

know some of them before we arrived.

During our stay in UK we visited interesting wonderlands like Kew

Gardens, Salisbury Cathedral, Old Sarum, Southsea and London. We

tasted a variety dishes a Sunday roast lunch, fish and chips, apple pie,

onion rings and French fries to mention but a few!

We thank the British Council’s Connecting Classroom programme

that created a vast platform for us to explore the importance of global

citizenship and global education. We wish to thank Miss Fiona

Nicholson who co-ordinated our trip and stay. We would also like

to thank the staff and the families that hosted us without knowing

anything about us. Finally we would like to thank the Headmaster

of The Portsmouth Grammar School; Mr James Priory who gave us

the invitation, treated us as part of his staff and allowed us to observe

lessons in his school which broadened our academic experience. May

God reward you all abundantly.We will never forget our trip to England - this has been the

greatest experience of our lives so far.”

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PGS CollidesBy Charlie Henderson, Year 13

Over half term 30 Sixth Form pupils travelled to the Swiss city of Geneva to visit CERN and its most famous experiment, the Large Hadron Collider. Staying in central Geneva we were well placed to visit the city’s multitude of museums, with highlights including the Red Cross Museum and the offices of the United Nations situated in the magnificent Palace of Nations. On our second day we travelled half an hour north of the city to CERN where we were given a lecture on what the aims of the facility are and how they go about achieving them. We then travelled to the other side of the LHC’s 27km ring to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. We were lucky enough to get a guided tour of one of the two caverns which make up the experiment that are situated 100m below ground level and the site’s control room.

Thank you to Mr Thomas for organising the trip and the accompanying staff for making the whole thing possible.

PGS LEGAL ELEVENEleven PGS Year 11 and Sixth Form pupils from the PGS Law Society participated in the second annual PGS/Blake Morgan moot in early November, held at Blake Morgan’s Southampton Office.

Presenting their arguments before real

lawyers was a challenging experience but one which they responded to well and found very valuable. It was also a great chance to gain a sense of what life in a law firm is like, and we are very grateful for being given this opportunity.

A MARWELL TALEOn a sunny September day Year 2 headed off to Marwell Zoo to learn about African animals, their Autumn term topic. At the Education Centre the children were given the opportunity to touch and handle the actual skins, teeth and skulls of African animals, there was even an elephant tusk which they could pick up. Great excitement and trepidation greeted the arrival of a snake which they could stroke if they wanted to - a big step for some of them!

Then it was out in to the zoo searching for animals that came from Africa. The big favourite were the giraffes, especially as one had lost his tail and the keeper had to explain how this had happened several times while inquisitive Year 2’s came up with more and more questions. There was also a very close encounter with the White Rhino which came up to the fence to say hello just before everyone headed back to the bus and said goodbye to a great Marwell day.


LAND AND WAVEBy Aimee Jennings, Year 5

Just before half term Year 5 headed off to Dorset for their Land & Wave residential trip.“Year 5 went on a school residential to The Old Malt house in Langton Matravers. We split into five groups and I was with Mrs Reader. My favourite activity was coasteering. We had to put on a wetsuit and wetsuit socks then we went to Lulworth Cove by mini-bus. Our group was split into two and we swam out to the rocks. After climbing up, we all jumped off the small rocks. Then we climbed to the top of the giant rock and leapt into the sea. It was amazing!!”

PGS ESTABLISHES DIPLOMATIC LINKSSix IB Diploma pupils and one A Level pupil formed the first ever PGS delegation to an overseas Model United Nations conference, MUNISH 2015, during half term.

This was run at The International School of The Hague, itself a large IB School in this most international of cities (The Hague is also the home of the International Baccalaureate Organisation). Over a thousand pupils from 13 countries attended the conference, which was celebrating its 25th year. Representing Nepal and The World Food Programme, the PGS delegates were unperturbed by the scale of the occasion and participated vocally in their various committees, debating contemporary issues and pressing or defending their points with vigour, rigour and conviction. This included Ross Watkins’ address to the main General Assembly of over 500 delegates.

Our delegates stayed with local pupils, many themselves studying the IB; this gave a real insight into the country as well as the world of diplomacy.

Fitting neatly with the IB’s ethos of encouraging international-mindedness as well as offering an excellent opportunity to develop debate and public-speaking skills, MUNISH 2015 was a fantastic experience, eagerly snapped up by the pupils who were first class ambassadors for the school (and their nominated countries). It also offered some excellent sharpening of interview skills for those involved in the UCAS process this term!

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THE WILLIAM SMITH FUNDThe William Smith Fund was launched on Founder’s Day in July and got off to a cracking start. A team of young alumni who have left the school within the past few years worked alongside the Development Office team in the new sixth form library for three weeks during the summer holidays, telephoning current and former parents, alumni and other friends of the school. Many hundreds of conversations took place and thanks to the generosity of the hundreds of families and individuals who have already supported the Fund, we have been able to invest in a broad range of projects which are already benefitting current pupils through their academic and co-curricular programmes. We will also be able to increase the number of means-tested bursaries we offer to especially bright and promising boys and girls from modest backgrounds for entry in September 2016. Thank you to everyone who is helping to sustain our founder’s vision of providing a world-class education for the young people of Portsmouth and the surrounding area, right at the heart of their home city. We are enormously grateful.

To Sixth Form and BeyondA Level or International Baccalaureate? Where do you want to be at 25 and how can PGS help you get there?These were all questions Year 11 pupils started to think about this term to help them form their ideas and aspirations for the future. As well as individual meetings with the Headmaster to discuss what they would like to do, pupils also took part in the Sixth Form and Beyond Day.

During the morning pupils had the opportunity to meet the Sixth Form team and to hear about life in the Sixth Form. The afternoon was then an opportunity to visit different departments to understand more fully the subject choices available to them and to try out some hands-on activities organised by staff.

In the evening we were delighted to welcome parents of Year 11 pupils when it was their turn to learn more about what the Sixth Form at PGS has to offer.

Welcoming Johnny BallThe inspiration for a generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers was warmly welcomed to the school when Johnny Ball came to give the annual Brunel Science Lecture in September. Before the lecture Mr Ball spent some time speaking to pupils and parents, sharing memories of his Play School years – for those that could remember!

During the lecture his enthusiasm and love for maths and science shone through and there were plenty of opportunities for the audience to get up and get involved.

Many pupils were in attendance and it can be assured he enthused a new generation. “It certainly inspired my son Thomas,” said parent Mr McCallum, “and taught me a few things too! What a fun and informative evening.”


India’s New HorizonMarking a cultural note we were delighted to welcome Dr Virander Paul, the Deputy High Commissioner for India, to the school to speak to pupils and parents about India’s position in the world, its challenges and successes. The occasion held particular poignancy as it was also ‘Gandhi Jayanti’, a national day of celebration in India that marks the birth of Mahatma Gandhi and in tandem the United Nations International Day of Non-Violence.A packed Bristow-Clavell theatre listened intently as Dr Paul talked about the Indian economy, the emergence of a very young population and the emphasis by the government on ensuring that they are skilled to take India forward, the Indian government’s rapid economic development objectives, it’s delicate relationships with neighbouring countries and Russia as a military partner.

Then, ably hosted by pupil Sophie Parekh, Dr Paul took questions on a range of subjects such as discussions about the future of Kashmir and the bilateral solution required. He also fielded questions on the need for India’s national infrastructure to be developed, the role of women in India’s evolving economy, policies on income equality, the transparency of government, pollution, the efficiency of the court system and many more.

“We hope that inviting speakers such as Dr Paul to the school encourages our pupils to think more widely about the world that they live in and the challenges faced by other cultures,” said Mr James Priory. “It was interesting and inspiring to hear Dr Paul speak about India’s future and the work their government is doing to take their country forward.”

The Lord and Lady Parekh, who are grandparents of pupils Emily and Sophie also attended the event. Lord Parekh is an acclaimed academic in the field of political philosophy and author of the Parekh report into the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain (2000).

Photograph, left to right:Mr Nitin Parekh, Miles Hughes, Lady Parekh, Sophie Parekh, Ethan Creamer, Dr Virander Paul, Mr James Priory, Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Jack Ross, Emily Parekh

VÄLKOMMEN GUNILLAIt would not be September at PGS if we didn’t welcome the Swedish pupils and crew of the tall ship TS Gunilla to the school. This year we were delighted also to welcome Katarina Lindgren, the Headteacher from Öckerö Seglande Gymnasieskola, the school

near Gothenburg which the Gunilla pupils attend and which our pupils visited last year.

Thank you to all the families that kindly hosted Swedish pupils during the week of their visit; it was very much appreciated by them all.

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SPORT SHORTSCongratulations to TOM MILLER (Year 12) who had a fantastic athletics season in 2015. Over the summer holiday Tom came second in the U17 English Schools’ 100m Hurdles. He also won a silver medal in the England Athletics Decathlon and silver again in the 100m hurdles at the Sainsbury’s School Games in Manchester. In September Tom competed in the English Schools’ multi-events and won another silver medal for the collection!

Our team of triathletes took first place in the Portsmouth Triathlon back in September. BRANDON CHOI OP (swimming), HARRY STALEY OP (cycling) and ROB WEEKES in Year 13 (running) were quick off the blocks and won the team relay event.

The GIRLS’ SKI TEAM continues to go from strength to strength and in October finished in second place at The English Schools’ Open Championship. Four PGS pupils have been selected for the ESSKiA 2016 national training squad - congratulations to ANNA CALDWELL, PATRICK CALDWELL, CAMERON MANSON and NADINE HUGEC.

The U14 AND U16 NETBALL TEAMS have had a great start to the season, dominating the Hampshire round of the National Schools’ Championships. They will now represent the county at the Regional Finals in January.

SERENA WHITE (Year 10) and ETHAN HODDLE (Year 11) represented Wessex Leopards in England Hockey’s Futures Cup during half term. This is a regional competition for the top players in the country to compete for national selection.

Congratulations to REBECCA HAWDON (Year 10) who, as part of a youth TeamGym team competed in the International TeamGym Cup in France this October and were placed first by a good margin. TeamGym consists of a floor routine with all ten members synchronizing gym moves to music, a tumble which is a series of front flips, back flips and somersaults in the air along with more complicated moves; they then have the vault and trampette which includes a number of complex flips and twists.

The Junior School had its very first representative side in girls’ football this term. This historic first was a cup match against Berrywood Primary School and the girls’ enjoyed the experience, representing the school superbly. To cap an already memorable afternoon off they won and were through to the next round.

In their second round match against Flying Bull Academy the girls got off to a great start, going two goals up. Flying Bull responded well with some strong attacking play but they couldn’t break through the PGS defensive line. The second half saw a flurry of goals from PGS to take them to a convincing 7-0 win.

The girls will now be playing in the quarter finals of the cup after Christmas and are looking forward to further extending their cup run!

PGS Squash has enjoyed a successful term with new players making their mark.

In Hampshire League Division 5 two of our new players from Year 7, Finn de Trafford and Ollie Jameson, won all their matches. In Division 4 James Hudson and Huw Thomas enjoyed similar success, while Captain, Alex Cummings, gave a faultless display storming all his matches without a hitch.

In November the Senior Team travelled to Bryanston School for a National Cup fixture, unfortunately losing in a tight 2-3 thriller.

The sport is gaining in popularity in the school thanks to the great job being done by Mrs Di Spencer and Mr Brian Robertson in promoting and developing PGS Squash.

The U13A Hockey team have had a storming start to the season. They won a hard fought match against King Edward VI School, Southampton in the early season which set them up well to face Kingston Grammar School (KGS) a few weeks later. KGS girls’ hockey is always strong and provides our teams with a welcome challenge. The U13A girls’ only had 5-minutes to warm up but then went on to play with great energy from the first whistle with some great passing, a couple of fantastic goals and a clean sheet. Their performance during the match gained them the coveted ‘team of the week’ by Mr Dossett.

At the end of term they played magnificently at the In2hockey Hampshire tournament to win the County Title and secure a place in the South finals next term.

HISTORY GIRLS

Bouncing off the Walls

GO GIRLS!


National Cricket ChampionsThe U17 Cricket team won the School Sports Magazine National Cricket Cup at the beginning of the term, beating Sedbergh School in a tight final.As the match reached the final over, PGS required just three runs to win with two wickets remaining. Harry Wratten who had played a mature innings in his 9th wicket partnership with Hoolahan was bowled. This brought PGS’s youngest player Joe Kooner-Evans (14 years old) to the crease. With four balls left in the match Kooner-Evans took a single, the equation was now two runs from three balls with one wicket left. The third ball of the final over was eventful, Hoolahan tried to take a single but was sent back wisely by Kooner-Evans and with the Sedbergh opening bowler charging through in his run-up and having all three stumps to hit from 4 yards away he missed. By this stage Hoolahan was able to dive back in to his crease before the follow up throw hit the stumps. After a brush down and covered in dust from his efforts in making his ground, Hoolahan faced up with the equation now at two runs to win from two balls. His next shot was the defining moment being able to hit the ball just out of the reach of mid-off and taking 2 runs ensuring that PGS would be U17 National Champions for 2015. Harry Hoolahan finished 26 not out.

“It was an outstanding team performance from all players involved,” said Mr Scott Curwood, Head of Cricket. “They should be extremely proud of this National title and all the hard work they have put in throughout their years at PGS. This result is just reward for all their impressive commitment, team work and dedication.”

Team: Sam Caldera, Jay Hartard, Alex Willoughby, Ben Caldera (Vice Captain), Jadon Buckeridge (Captain), Daniel Mugford, Ned Renwick (W), Harry Hoolahan, William Futcher, Harry Wratten, Joseph Kooner-Evans, Charlie Connaughton (sub).

Hilsea’s Hallowed TurfFootball fever descended on Hilsea at the end of September when eleven teams from across three counties took part in the U11 tournament.PGS U10A, B and C teams were involved in a double header against Pilgrims and Oakwood with all the teams played incredibly well, either winning or drawing their matches.

Nearly 200 boys were playing football on our hallowed turf at the tournament! The sportsmanship shown by all players, staff and parents was excellent to see.

For all the latest PGS news follow @PGS_1732, @Head_PGJS and PGS_Junior on Twitter and ‘like’ ThePortsmouthGrammarSchool on Facebook. For all the latest on how our sports teams progress follow @DOS_PGS and @PGJSSport on Twitter.

Heading in One DirectionFollowing on from a fantastic second place at the regional tournament amidst great excitement the U11A girls’ hockey team headed off to Repton School, Derbyshire to the IAPS National Finals. Mrs Ann Evans, Director of Sport and Physical Education in the Junior School, reports on the day.“It’s a little colder up north so we dusted off the thermals and donned gloves and hats for the day at Repton School. The tournament was made up of teams in four groups. We started well with wins against Twyford, Eagle House and Chafyn Grove and narrow losses to Red Maids and Manor Prep. We then progressed to the quarter finals. In my personal highlight of the day the girls were outstanding drawing 0-0 with Kent College, who had beaten them 0-5 in the regional final only 10-days earlier. We then lost the match 1-2 in penalty shuffles. Putting that disappointment behind them

the girls then rallied to win a further two matches against long-time rivals Hoe Bridge and Holy Cross to finish 5th out of 20 in the country. It was a fantastic achievement. I am so proud of these nine girls. Their sportsmanship, enthusiasm, hard work and determination to develop their hockey is outstanding. Their team spirit and enjoyment of the experience are what is important in sport and demonstrated to me everything that we try to instil in and help our pupils develop through sport. Thanks to our parents and supporters that made the long journey and braved the conditions to cheer the girls along. Finally as the driver to and from Derby I was, sadly not in charge of music choice, and I can honestly say I never want to hear a 1D song again!”

WORLD BEATINGCongratulations to Year 13 pupil Maisie Sharp who as part of the England U18 Ladies Indoor Netball Team became a world champion this October.

A thrilling 51-47 victory over South Africa for the England U18 Ladies saw them become 6s World Champions at the Indoor Netball Association World Cup in Brisbane. They had topped their group with four wins from six matches. In lifting the trophy they become the first England side to win gold in the history of the event.

CONTROLUNDERPRESSUREIn atrocious conditions at the beginning of November the U16A Rugby battled to a momentous win against Millfield School at Hilsea Playing Fields.

The team raced to a 19-0 lead with a high intensity start to the match before being pegged back by Millfield to 19-7 at half time. An early Millfield try in the second half led to a tense finish with some heroic defence from the whole PGS team. Eventually the whistle ended the game with a 19-12 victory for PGS.

This is only the third PGS team victory against Millfield in the 7-years we have had the fixture and was a great achievement for the team. The team have since gone on to record a magnificent 14-game winning streak. Do check @DOS_PGS on Twitter for the latest news on the team.

Documents

Horizons Autumn 2015