Nuntius - Wirral Grammar School for Boys...the creation of Australia’s very own Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. We moved south to the beautiful Gold Coast resort of Surfers Paradise

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NuntiusD e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0

W I R R A L G R A M M A R S C H O O LA F o u n d a t i o n B u s i n e s s & E n t e r p r i s e S c h o o l f o r B o y s

C r o s s L a n e , B e b i n g t o n , W i r r a l , C H 6 3 3 A Q | Te l : 0 1 5 1 6 4 4 0 9 0 8

On Sunday 11 July, 80 boys and 7 staff departed for Australia on the biggest overseas sports tour the school has ever embarked upon.

The tour was a huge success both in terms of results and perhaps more importantly, the fabulous experience of an 18 day trip to Australia!

The 1st XV won four of their five games, only losing to Merewether High School 12 – 11 in contentious circumstances.

The 2nd XV won three and lost two, and the U16s won one and lost one. The Hockey 1st XI won four and lost two of their games and the 2nd XI won five and lost one game. All the players deserve great credit for their performances on the field. They prepared well for the games and gave a good account of themselves in some tough fixtures.

However, there is much more to touring than playing fixtures! After landing in Brisbane, we began a couple of days acclimatisation at the ‘Sports Super Centre’ in Runaway Bay, a truly magnificent training environment with superb facilities and the choice of many international teams beginning tours ‘Down Under’.

A two night billet at John Paul College, Daisy Hill, just south of Brisbane followed, where we also took in a visit to ‘Australia Zoo’, the creation of Australia’s very own Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. We moved south to the beautiful Gold Coast resort of Surfers Paradise via ‘Dreamworld’, a theme park filled with ‘white knuckle’ rides, which very much lived up to their name!

The Gold Coast International Hotel is a fabulous base, and one enjoyed by previous tourists in 2007. The beach and surf here are second to none in Australia, and for many of the boys, this leg of the tour was a real highlight. The climate, a luxurious hotel and the ‘buzz’ of ‘Surfers’ was everything the tourists had been hoping for!

The second week of the tour saw us continue our journey south to Coffs Harbour via Byron Bay, the most easterly point of Australia, and surely one of the most beautiful. From Coffs Harbour we moved on to Newcastle before progressing to Sydney where we were based for our last four days.

Sydney is a magnificent city and all the tourists enjoyed it immensely. Some did the ‘Bridge Walk’ – 150ft up on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, others enjoyed corporate hospitality with their hosts at a rugby league game at the very impressive ‘Stadium Australia’, which hosted the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Everyone raved about the ‘jet boat’ ride around the harbour!

As on previous tours, we received many compliments about the appearance, behaviour and general demeanour of the boys from fellow travellers and hosting families. They were a credit to themselves, the school and their own families. They were superb ambassadors for British sport and deserve great credit for ensuring this was indeed the ‘trip of a lifetime’ as promised.

Mr P CrowleyHead of Physical Education

TOP AS LEVEL GEOLOGY STUDENT IN THE UK FOR 2010Jack Neil of Wirral Grammar School for Boys has gained the top mark in the United Kingdom for geology at AS Level this summer. As a reward for his success he has been invited by the British Geological Survey to their 175th anniversary science symposium on the 28th of September. The event is being held at the Royal Institution in London. The prize includes travelling expenses and overnight accommodation for one parent and himself. He will have the opportunity to question face to face a number of the world’s leading geologists and the two television personalities, Sir David Attenborough and Prof Iain Stewart. Mr Youd, his geology teacher, says that Jack is an extremely hard-working and intelligent student who should have a very bright future in front of him.

Rugby and Hockey Tour – Australia 2010

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0W I R R A L G R A M M A R S C H O O LA F o u n d a t i o n B u s i n e s s & E n t e r p r i s e S c h o o l f o r B o y s

WelcomeDear All

The Autumn Term this year has been an especially busy one and this is one of those issues of Nuntius where we have had to hold back some of the content and reserve it for the Spring Term issue.

Over the pages you will read a wide range of achievements on both the academic and extra-curricular sides to school life. It is very pleasing to see so many boys fully engaging in the life of the school in such a wide variety of ways.

Support for our Parents’ Associate continues to grow. This year’s Christmas Fair raised £5,500 which is a very impressive sum from a single event. Each year, PA funding is spent directly on resources that are of benefit to the pupils.

At the end of the term we say farewell to Mr Alistair Baker who has been with us for the duration of the Autumn Term while Mr Metcalf has been absent. We are very grateful to him for his support.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to extend very best wishes to everyone for the Christmas and New Year period. We have every expectation that 2011 will be another very successful year in the life of our school.

Yours sincerely,

David HazeldineHeadteacher

Meet the New French Foreign Language Assistant

Bonjour à tous,Je m’appelle Cécile et j’ai 20 ans. Je vis actuellement à Caen en Normandie, bien que je sois née à Nogent sur Marne, dans la banlieue parisienne. La Normandie est la région des pommes et du Calvados et nous avons des spécialités culinaires assez particulières, comme les tripes... (je n’aime pas ça!).

Je ne connais pas bien l’Angleterre car je ne suis allée que quelques jours à Londres où j’ai pu voir les monuments touristiques comme Big Ben et le British Museum. Pourtant Caen est tout près de la mer et du Ferry pour aller en Angleterre et la Normandie est fortement liée à l’Angleterre avec des personnages historiques comme Guillaume le Conquérant, ou des évènements comme le débarquement. Cette expérience dans votre pays sera une grande première pour moi!

Je viens d’obtenir un diplôme en Information & Communication donc je suis habituée à parler devant les autres et à beaucoup écrire. J’ai hâte de faire votre connaissance. Nous aurons beaucoup de choses à nous apprendre mutuellement et j’espère être à la hauteur de vos attentes pour cette mission qui m’est confiée.

Cecile Thevenon

Year 9 at the URENCO Challenge As part of our Business and Enterprise initiative eight Year 9 boys recently attended a full day Enterprise challenge held by URENCO at the Holiday Inn in Ellesmere Port. Up to 20 Merseyside and Cheshire based schools were invited to the event along with accompanying members of staff. URENCO are a manufacturer of nuclear fuels for the power industry and gave the invited students a presentation of the work of the company along with the opportunity to meet some young apprentices who have chosen a career with URENCO.

The challenge facing the boys was challenging indeed! Plan, design, cost and build a method of transportation for Uranium Hexafluoride (the fuel used in nuclear power stations) from The Wirral to Southampton. Factors such as safety, security, cost, publicity and viability all had to be taken into consideration. When completed, the team were given just two minutes to present their ideas to an audience of 250 people.

I close with saying what an enjoyable and rewarding day it was which gave the boys an insight into the career opportunities available in advanced manufacturing.

Paul RonayneCommunity Partnership Manager


Academy LatestOn the 9th November, the Governing Body voted in favour of moving to a formal consultation stage ahead of a conversion to academy status. All schools in the country have now been invited to become academies and increasing numbers are doing so. We are aware of sixty five Grammar Schools across the country that are in the process of converting. A change to academy status will not change the type of school we are in anyway and we would remain ‘Wirral Grammar School for Boys’. A more detailed letter will be sent to parents in January when a period of consultation will begin. Further information can be obtained from the ‘Academy Up-date’ link on our school website.

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Sustaining High Standards

Our public examination results for 2010 maintained the very high standards of recent years and there were a number of improvement in key areas.

At GCSE 97% of pupils gained five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C and 95% gained five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and Maths.

A Level results presented a number of new records for the school. New this year was the introduction of the A* grade at A Level and 10% of all grades were at A* standard. Over a quarter of all grades (28%) were A* or A grades and well over half were at top grades A*/A/B. 97.6% gained at least three A Level passes and 86% gained at least 4.

In the last week of the Autumn Term we celebrated the achievements of all students in last year’s Years 11 and 13 at our Certificate Evening at Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight.

Comenius Exchange 2010The NetherlandsYou may already know that Wirral Grammar School for Boys has been accepted into the Comenius Project. Towards the end of last year you may remember that students from Norway, The Netherlands and Spain came to England in the first part of the exchange. The second part of the exchange happened last week. 12 boys from the school along with one member of staff visited Emelwerda College in Emmeloord, The Netherlands. The title of our Comenius project is ‘What’s Happening’, and aim to see what teenagers think of the world around them.

Early Tuesday morning, we touched down at Schiphol Airport, ready for a day in Amsterdam before visiting the school. At 3pm, we met with the students from Norway and Spain, and then got picked up by the coach for a 2 hour coach trip to the school. When we got there, we went home with our host families for dinner and an early night!

Wednesday was the first day on the official schedule. First we had icebreakers, whilst the teachers had a meeting. It went on for about an hour and a half, working in groups of students from each country, where we had to come up with different things depending on the instructions. After the icebreakers, we went to the lesson our exchange student had. They aren’t much different from our lessons, except theirs only last half an hour.

After lunch we went to visit the ‘Old Land’. This was a section of the region that is connected by canals, with lots of history, as you can imagine. The only way to get out of the village is by boat.

On Thursday, we had icebreakers again, which was about the same thing as yesterday. We visited Urk, which is where we went to see a fish factory and how it produces the fish we get on our plates. It was smelly but interesting, and we learnt a lot about how it gets from sea to plate! After the fish factory we looked around the town to see the old houses and the geographical features of the area.

Thursday was the final day on the schedule. In the morning we showed the group presentations about our school and country, and the other students likewise. After this we went to visit the ‘New Land’, which was a few greenhouses and lots of fields, a large contrast to the old land! The greenhouse we first went to grew lots of different types of flower in different areas, each with its own temperature control. The second one we went to was specifically for roses, and grew, cut and bunched them up all in the same building.

That night was the buffet and talent show. The buffet was first, with food from Norway, Spain, England and the Netherlands for the families of the school to eat. There was a huge range of food, from biscuits to reindeer! The talent show signalled the end of our week in Holland. First, the Dutch had dancers from the school on, followed by a few more talents. The Norwegians offered a singing performance from one of the students. The Spanish had a pianist from their school, whilst England had all of us doing the Cha Cha Slide!

Early Saturday morning we departed the school for the airport, and landed in Liverpool at 10am local time. Andrew McLannahan 9IPT

Smile Train Collection

Throughout the world the lives of thousands of children are blighted by the fact that they are born with a cleft palate. Apart from the obvious facial disfigurement and difficulties in eating, they often suffer from serious prejudice, even to the extent that they are not allowed to go to school. A straightforward operation can give these children a fresh start and the Smile Train, a charity supported by US General Colin Powell, is dedicated to making this possible. Thanks to the generosity of our pupils giving their pennies and five pences (and in some cases considerably more) when confronted by a rattling collecting box we have already sent off £45 to support their work and there is more still to be sent. Every donation, however small, is greatly appreciated.Dr. D. Favager

Meet The New Spanish Modern Foreign Language Assistant

¡Hola chicos!Me llamo Carlos y este año seré vuestro auxiliar de conversación. Tengo 23 años, vengo de Aranjuez – que es una pequeña ciudad al sur de Madrid, la capital – y acabo de terminar la universidad. Soy licenciado en Filología Inglesa (todo lo que tiene que ver con la lengua inglesa) y en Literatura.

Hablando un poco sobre mí, entre mis aficiones se encuentran el fútbol y la música. Cuando era más pequeño jugaba de portero al fútbol sala en el equipo del colegio. Ahora que soy más mayor veo al FC Barcelona, mi equipo favorito, en la televisión. Mi música preferida es el rock, con grupos como The Beatles (¡qué suerte estar tan cerca de donde nacieron!) o The Who.

Este año espero poder aprender mucho de vosotros, y vosotros de mí. Espero que nos lo pasemos genial y que aprendáis un montón de español.

Carlos Garijo Resino


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POLITICS OF EUROPEAN UNION BROUGHT TO LIFE FOR WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR BOYSThe politics of the European Union were brought to life for students from Wirral Grammar School for Boys when they took part in a Mock Council of the European Union on 18th November.

News of the royal engagement on the same day in London made the day even more special for the students as the event was held in the historic Lancaster House right next door to Clarence House where the engagement was announced.

Twenty-nine secondary schools and colleges from across England gathered in Lancaster House on 16 November to debate and make decisions on the future of the Roma community and on the creation of an EU energy market for greater security of the gas supply. The event was organised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British Council and the European Commission and was held during International Education Week.

Each school represented one of the 27 EU Member States, the European Commission or the Secretariat-General of the Council. Wirral Grammar School for Boys represented The Netherlands.

Upper Sixth student Jack Neil said: “I found the day extremely interesting as I got to experience firsthand the workings of the European Council. I learned about the processes involved and improved my debating and organisational skills. It has inspired me to consider working in the EU and politics as a possible career. It was interesting to represent a different country to my own and to understand the issues from their perspective.”

Head teacher, David Hazeldine, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about the politics of the European Union. I am very proud of the way they researched, debated and presented their case at the Mock Council. It is a fantastic event that truly brings learning to life for our students.”

Minister for Europe David Lidington, who welcomed the students to the Mock Council, said: “The European Union is an institution that enables European countries to argue out their differences peacefully with respect for one another’s positions. The Mock Council is an excellent way to show young people just how the big decisions are made at a European level.”

British Council Chief Executive Martin Davidson said: “The way in which the students grasped the issues and debated them with such passion is commendable. The British Council works hard to build and ensure cultural understanding between the UK, Europe and countries around the world through initiatives such as the European Union’s Comenius programme and is pleased to be able to offer events like the Mock Council to our up-and-coming young leaders.”

Jonathan Scheele, Head of the European Commission Representation in the UK, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed chairing the debate on inclusion of Roma and was impressed by the research done by the students and their self-confidence in taking the floor and arguing their case. As a veteran of many such councils in my European Commission career, this experience was very close to the real thing, and I hope the students got a lot out of their day.”

UKMT SENIOR MATHEMATICAL CHALLENGE 2010There were 95 750 entries for this year’s UK SMC and this was the highest ever, showing the growing interest and importance of these events. Wirral had 30 participants from years 10 to 13 and once again some excellent performances, but many found the questions somewhat harder than the usual GCSE and A-Level stereotypes.

The grade boundaries were: GOLD ≥ 85 SILVER ≥ 70 BRONZE ≥ 58

Best performers were:• EdwardKenny(SCORE90)andthatconsistentperformerMichael

Hinchliffe (87) from Y13• BestinY12wasLukeCartwright(80)• BestinY11wasJamesWhitehouse(64)• BestinY10IsaacBarnesandPatrickRichardson(bothwith73)

All students are reminded that they can now download extended solutions to all questions from the website www.ukmt.org.uk.

Well done to the boys who took part!Mr J Hough, Maths Department

Footnote:Question 1. This cross-number was meant to be the easiest on the paper and accessible to all, but only 60% of those who answered it got it correct. Have a go – you will find the answer elsewhere in this Nuntius edition!

What is the digit x in this cross number?

Across Down1 A Cube 1 One less than a cube3 A Cube

A 2 B 3 C 4 D 5 E 6Answer is on the back cover

Business LinksIn July this year the school held its inaugural Business Network event which was an opportunity to develop the relationship between WGSB and local business partners. The keynote speaker at the meeting was Richard Mawdsley from Peel Holdings Ltd, a company involved in the current project to develop and regenerate the waterfront on both sides of the River Mersey-a scheme which could create 20,000 new jobs in Wirral. Following on from this successful venture the school has become a member of Wirral Chamber of Commerce which will enable it to develop and establish links with local, regional and national business partners.

Mr P Ronayne Community Partnership Manager

Mr. D Hazeldene and Mr P Harrison with Mrs Julie Knights from Wirral Chamber of Commerce

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Welcome to the New Community Partnership Manager!Hello!... I have recently taken over from Tony Boustead as WGSBs Community Partnerships Manager. I am looking forward to continuing the excellent work that Tony pioneered at the school and maintaining and developing the work with pupils, parents, the wider school community and the local business community. Please feel free to contact me at the school if you have any comments, ideas or suggestions, I look forward to speaking with you!

Mr. P. [email protected]

‘G E W’Stands for Global Entrepreneurship Week which this year took place between 15th and 21st November. Together with our partners Wirral Metropolitan College and Outhouse Design 16 Wirral Primary schools were invited to a GEW challenge around a theme of saving energy. The results will be judged at Wirral Grammar in early February.

Children at Thornton Hough Primary School working on their energy saving project during GEW

Primary School SupportAs part of Extended Services partnerships support to local primary schools is being offered and delivered in a number of areas. 6th Form boys have been giving assistance to schools in Maths, ICT, Science and MFL. Benjamin Caveen from L64 writes...

Ben and the Boys at Irby Primary School

‘On Tuesday 2nd November Sam Black, Chris Hatter, Matthew Brennan and myself volunteered to take part in Irby Primary School’s Maths Day. It was a great experience involving challenging tasks but each of us coped well and kept the Year 4 to 6 pupils entertained. We held quizzes and showed the children other fun ways of learning Maths. The day was organised by Mr. Ronayne (Community Manager) On behalf of all the volunteers we would like to thank him for giving us the opportunity to experience teaching Maths in a primary school, which we all enjoyed and I think the children did too.’

Paul RonayneCommunity Partnership Manager

Community Development

Doctor FaustusIf you had the chance to sell your soul to the devil and get everything you ever wanted, would you do it? Nine Year 12 pupils went to see Doctor Faustus at Manchester’s spectacular Royal Exchange theatre last month where the dilemma was directly addressed in such fashion that kept the whole audience on the edge of their seats. It was fantastic to experience such a quality production even with Mrs Campbell and Mrs Davies’ company! Peter Pegasiou L64KC

Mobile Phone Policy – ReminderOur policy on mobile phones is very clear. Pupils are permitted to have phones available for use before and after school but during the school day they must be switched off. Staff will confiscate mobile phones that are on view/in use during the day.

Admissions 2012 If you have a son who is currently in Year 5 and you are considering Wirral Grammar School for Boys for September 2011, please note that we will be holding an Information Evening on Tuesday 28th June 2011. Full details will be available on our school website from May onwards.



Geography Lake District TripWe departed from school on the 8th of October, along with a group of Wirral girls, on to what was surely going to be an interesting but amusing weekend, especially with the presence of Mr. Hughes (and Miss Strand). We arrived in the Lake District and set off on our study straight away in and around the town of Kendal, interviewing local residents, Oh the joy! After finishing this we went to our youth hostel for an evening of ‘great food’ (mainly consisting of Mr. Hughes’ jam and sponge cake) and the comfort of a warm bed.

On the Saturday of the trip, we set off on our study of the river Eea, gathering results at 4 different sites and stopping off in the small village of Cartmel for some deliciously spiffing sticky toffee pudding. We then had an evening meal and had the chance to celebrate another birthday and yet another fantastic cake made by the one and only Mr. Hughes. Another night at the hostel was topped off with some brilliant fashion sense, which included some amusing costumes, none better than a mankini!!

Sunday was our final day and we had a day on the beach, gathering information from the great sand dunes, just outside the town of Barrow. We enjoyed a long, hard morning of ‘sand-duning’ and at the end; we all had fun rolling around in the golden beaches.

Overall, it was a successful and enjoyable weekend, admiring the beauty and elegance of the wonderful scenery of the Lakes and also we had a few laughs and stories to take back to school with us. Sam Black L62DMF

An Introduction to EinsteinOn 6th October all 94 A Level physics students from our sixth form, as well as other students from across the Wirral, descended on Wirral Grammar School for Girls for a talk on Albert Einstein. Dr Peter Ford of the University of Bath and Dr Vincent Smith of the University of Bristol were conducting the talk.

Dr Ford began by discussing the work of two Russian scientists from the University of Manchester who had just been awarded a Nobel Prize. He then began talking about what life was like in 1879, the year Einstein was born. It was then that we learned of his early years in the German town of Ulm, including how he struggled at school in Munich despite being a very intelligent boy. We were also told of his five important papers which were explained in detail to us by Dr Smith.

Dr Smith discussed the theories which Einstein had put forward. He talked about Brownian Motion, the nature of light, E=mc2, the speed of light constant, and time slowing from very fast moving objects.

Peter returned at this point to talk of his life after the papers were published, specifically his life in America after fleeing Nazi Germany and his travels through several universities in Europe and America, for example at Princeton and Zürich. This concluded the talk which had proved insightful and beneficial to our A Level studies. We would therefore like to thank Dr Vincent Smith & Peter Ford for the talk as well as the girls’ school for hosting the event.

By Jamie Lamb & James Ollerhead U61

Why science? – Why indeed!On the 11th of November three Y9 pupils and I travelled to the “Why Science?” conference at Ridgeway secondary school. At the beginning of the conference we were able to speak to many different scientists. After meeting the scientists we then had a coastal protection workshop where we learned about under water exploration. We then had a speech by two mechanical engineers and learned how to make a maglev train. Finally we learned about nanotechnology and we made a football using it! Curtis Betley 9IPT

“It was really good because it showed us the science of medicine and making pills.” Lee Haslam 9IPT

“The mechanics and engineering were really fun and interesting.”Ben Barnard 9IPT

Abubkr Ahmed 9IPT also went along and had a good time!

Thanks to Mrs Senior for taking us.

Salters’ Chemistry Camp – York UniversityFrom the 18th to the 20th of August I participated in the Salters’ Chemistry camp at York University. The purpose of Chemistry Camps is to allow young people to explore some of the more fun and interesting aspects of chemistry, as well as broadening their knowledge of the subject as a whole.My experience of Salters’ at York was very enjoyable, and I would happily go again. It allowed me to perform experiments that I would never be able to do at school, such as cold light experiments and work with the so-called “fourth state of matter”, liquid crystals (used in LCD TVs, to my surprise!).

As well as chemistry, there were also a wide range of activities to do at the end of the day, such as a quiz, a materials lecture, sports and a “ghost walk”, where we were given a guided tour of the haunted sites of York. I also met some very interesting people, and enjoyed their company in a casual atmosphere. If anything, the Salters’ Chemistry Camp gave me something to do over the long summer holiday, and I did not regret attending.

I hope this has encouraged you to find out more about the camps, and possibly even persuaded you to come along. After all, the only way you can discover what it’s really like is to find out for yourself!

James Sexty 11CCC

Any Year 10 who is interested in applying for a Salters’ Chemistry Camp place next summer should see Dr Bromley.


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Coming in April 2011

CABARET COMPANY

Emcee Daniel Byrne Sally Bowles Sophie MoneyCliff David FieldSchneider Rowen DarrochShultz Ben Caveen Ernst Yyannis JohnsonKOST Jenny FinchSailor 1 / Waiter Tom Smith Sailor 2 / Waiter Mike Bowen Sailor 3 / Waiter Andy Arathoon Telephone Boy / Officer

Josh Finan

Telephone Boy / Waiter

Joe Oxton

Waiter & Party Guest Kieran France Waiter & Party Guest Andrew Sephton Waiter & Party Guest Daniel Galvin Waiter & Party Guest Chris Wiles Waiter & Party Guest Gareth Mattey Waiter & Party Guest Robert Barton Waiter & Party Guest Nathan Just Waiter & Party Guest Jon Howes Waiter & Party Guest Tom RamseyKit Kat Girl / 2 Ladies Gina SinclairKtt Kat Girl / 2 Ladies Catherine CassidyKit Kat Girl Laura CondonKit Kat Girl Vicki AdegokeKit Kat Girl Cara WilsonKit Kat Girl Abby HannahKit Kat Girl Annie FieldKit Kat Girl Charlotte Cumming

Kit Kat Girl Bex LeemanKit Kat Girl Hollie JacksonKit Kat Girl Hannah WinstanleyKit Kat Girl Becki KirkbyParty Guest Hannah BarnesParty Guest Steph MortimoreParty Guest Ellie MurrayParty Guest Emmily Goodyear

Geoff Hinde - DirectorOur school production this year is the musical ‘Cabaret’. Rehearsals are well underway. Please watch out for information about ticket sales next year and be warned... they will sell out quickly!

The Cabaret Company

is as follows:

Stepping Back to Medievil EnglandOn Tuesday October 12th, a theatre company called ‘Say Two’ came into school and performed a play on Medieval England and the key events of this period. This was for the whole of year seven. This was a great way of learning about the many significant events of the period, including the battles of 1066, the building of Motte and Bailey castles, the murder of Thomas Beckett and the Black Death.

At the end of the play we all had to split up into groups to do different workshops and then present them to the rest of the year. Most of them were plays but one of them, with the majority of the

people in it, saw us all re-enact the Feudal System. We all got to wear suitable costumes and were given instruction about how to move around the stage and project our voices.

It was great fun and everybody thought so, even the teachers. They taught the whole of Year Seven about things related to 1066 in a really exciting and inter-active way. Even though some people didn’t get picked to act, everyone enjoyed it, even just watching. In the play there was information and humour; a great way to learn about history!

Daniel Hale & Luke Cresswell 7RB



Nuffield Bursaries

This year the school had the three impressive entries for this science and technology university-based research project. This is a review of the work carried out by our students.

Ronan Duffey U68

The Geography Department at the University of Liverpool was the location for my Nuffield Bursary, where I was kindly hosted for four weeks throughout the summer as I investigated how changes in the environment have an effect on the composition of the lake sediments found in a particular area. My research used infra red spectroscopy to analyse lake sediment samples from four sites - Sweden, Norway, and closer to home from lakes in Cheshire. The work gave me a great insight into university research work, and it has improved my overall scientific knowledge considerably!

Jack Neil U64

For my placement I was kindly hosted by Liverpool University’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, within the Pure Mathematics Division. I worked on sequences of real numbers and investigated the strange world of complex numbers and how they behave when iterated. It gave me the opportunity to work independently, allowing me to steer the project in a direction I found more interesting. The placement also gave me an insight into how research is conducted at

a university, helping my decision of what career I may want to enter later in life.

George Schenck U61

After being initially disappointed having received a placement at Ness Botanical Gardens, I came to very much enjoy my Nuffield Experience. My project title was ‘Breadth and Specificity of the colour matching abilities of the Peppered Moth, Biston betularia’. This entailed measuring the colour change of 315 caterpillars exposed to different coloured artificial branches. I was working outside in the summer with three other students and it was great to ‘muck in’ with their projects.

The scheme gave me a great chance to experience real scientific research at first hand and helped confirm my career choice as a research chemist. Although the subject matter was not my original choice I learned skills such as experimental design and time management which will serve me for years to come.

Thanks, as always, goes to Tim Sibthorp and his team at Maestro Services Ltd who administer the Nuffield scheme in the North West. We would also like to recognise the contribution made by the Nuffield Foundation in providing opportunities for young scientists from this school and many others.

New Transition Programme for Year 6A new transition programme developed by the Local Authority called ‘Family Welcome’ was started this year for some Year 6 boys and their parents. The course was run by Mrs Walker, Learning Mentor and Mrs Bradshaw, Teaching Assistant.

The aim of the programme is to help and support boys and their parents through the transition of moving to secondary school and included sessions on self-esteem, motivation, friendship, working together, understanding and managing feelings.

The course started in July and ran as a pilot scheme with the support of Mark Holton, Headteacher at Higher Bebington Junior School and was completed in October.

Pupils reported “it was fun, I cant wait to start at Wirral Grammar Boys”, “I have learnt ways to calm down”, and some comments received from parents proved that the programme was a success “a great idea to help boys with the move to big school”, “we were lucky to have this programme offered to us in school”, “loved that we looked at positive stuff about our children, and turning negatives into positives”.Mrs Walker and Mrs Bradshaw will be running the course again next year and hope to make it available to students from three local primary schools from February 2011.

Sharon Walker, Learning Mentor

From left to right: Sharon Walker, Edward Elliott, Harvey Young, Kalem Bateman, Max Derbyshire, Sam Davis, Tom Gerrard, Oliver Lloyd, Cameron Buchannon,

Will Goodwin, Tom Forsey, Adrienne Bradshaw.


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Visit to MadridImagine the scenario: you’re packed and ready to go on what will be an enjoyable school trip, and whilst en route to the airport, you are told that your flight has been cancelled, due to a strike by French air traffic controllers. Unfortunately, such an occurrence befell the Upper Sixth Spanish group, as well as the Sixth Form Spanish groups from Wirral Grammar School for Girls. Arriving back at school to bemused, unsympathetic classmates, I’m sure you can imagine, seemed like rubbing salt in the wound. As anticipated, the trip was re-scheduled, and I’m pleased to say that a group of 30 students and 3 teachers departed from school on Thursday 11th November for a 3-night visit to Madrid.

Day 1 – ThursdayAfter a serious case of déjà vu, we left for Madrid from Liverpool John Lennon Airport just after lunchtime. Having arrived at Madrid in the late afternoon, we took a series of frequently busy metros across the capital to arrive at our accommodation. For dinner, we went to the Museo del Jamón (Ham Museum). It is an institution in Madrid, with joints of ham dangling rather peculiarly behind the bar.

Day 2 – FridayIn the morning, we travelled by foot to Madrid’s Atocha railway station to make our way to Toledo, a city roughly 40 miles south of the capital. Toledo is famed for being one of the former capitals of the Spanish Empire, and a city where Jews, Christians and Muslims enriched Spain’s culture and co-existed there for many hundreds of years. This is immediately apparent once you take in views of the city’s incredible buildings and architecture. Upon the backdrop of a clear, sunny day, the city’s Cathedral and the Alcázar fortification were breathtaking. We indulged in Spain’s serene café culture, sampling some of the local cuisine.

Day 3 – SaturdayIn the morning, we visited the Museo Reina Sofía. The highlights of the museum are those of the two greatest 20th century Spanish masters, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. The first stop was Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ painting; arguably his most famous and poignant work. The painting takes inspiration from the mass bombing of the Basque town during the Spanish Civil War. Supported by Fascists in both Germany and Italy, the large-scale destruction caused by the aerial attack was a prelude to the Blitzkrieg Campaign

of World War II. Picasso captures the mood with a scene of chaos and desperation. So significant is the painting that a tapestry hangs in the UN headquarters, serving as a stark reminder of the horrors of war.

Another marvel of the city is the Parque del Buen Retiro. The park is filled with elaborate sculptures and water features; it is also a perfect setting for a mid-morning walk away from the hive of activity in Madrid.

Day 4 – SundayBefore we left Madrid, we decided to visit El Rastro, a flea market which takes places every Sunday and bank holiday. To me, most of the items on sale were of limited value and use, and nothing really grabbed my attention. Nonetheless, it was a good opportunity to get gifts and presents for the teachers.

Another of the main museums of Madrid is the Museo del Prado, housing works of European art from the 12th to the 19th centuries. Amongst its main attractions are the works of Velazquez, El Greco and Goya; artists which make the museum the ninth most popular in the world. The sheer extensiveness of Spanish art was practically a timeline of Spanish history, reflecting the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods to name only a few.

Finally, on behalf of everyone, I have to thank the three teachers: Mr Hughes, as well as Mrs Anderson and Mrs Hammond from Wirral Grammar School for Girls who accompanied us on the trip and made it very enjoyable. I would definitely encourage those on next year’s trip to really reap the benefits of being in such a magnificent city.

Andrew Connell U65

Boys in Y9 and Y10 have almost completed paying in instalments for the trip at Easter. 47 boys plus 5 staff will be going to Berlin and Auschwitz for 6 days to enhance their History syllabuses at KS3 and GCSE. This is surely going to be a fascinating and enjoyable trip. Visiting sites of the former Nazi state and what should be a moving visit to the world’s most notorious former extermination camp are bound to stir emotions. Boys currently in Years 7 and 8 will have the opportunity to go on a similar trip in the future. Details of future History trips, not necessarily to the same venues, are given out in

the Summer term, so boys in current Y8 and Y9 should wait for this information which will be give out via History teachers and a notice on the door of Hi1. Previous pictures from previous trips dating back 10 years can be seen on the walls around Hi1 and in the classroom itself. These trips have been to Berlin, Belgium, Poland, France, The Netherlands and Russia. Watch this space!

Mr L McKibbin

History Trip Germany and Poland 2011



Anglesey Geology Field TripA geologist is only as good as his fieldwork, at least that’s the motto of teacher of 50 years, Mr Youd. With this in mind, A-Level geologists undertook three visits over a one month period to sites in Anglesey, a place with some of the oldest rocks, and some of the most complicated geology, in the British Isles.

Trips to Porth Dafarch, and Newborough Warren were planned for dates in September and October, with a total of 8 geologists on each. Diversity and a new perspective was acquired with a true cross curriculum relationship when sixth form Art students also made the trip to Newborough Warren, a place we were extremely fortunate to visit, as it is a site that has been voted as one of the most outstanding areas in the world. Further investigations into rocks and geological structures, some of which are up to 450 million years old, on the beach at Porth Dafarch, as well as igneous bodies of rock, reminded us that the Anglesey coast wasn’t always as serene and tranquil as it appears today.

On behalf of the A Level geologists, thanks must go Mr Hughes and Mr Youd for organising the trips, as well as Mrs Youd for her accompaniment and the additional insight she provided in the field.

Ronan Duffey U6

Bio-bots: Wirral Grammar in the First Lego League!This year a team of Year 9 students from Wirral Grammar School for Boys, named Doctor Bots, will take part in the First Lego League Robotics Challenge. We will compete at Manchester University on Thursday 9th December, with the potential to then move on to the national finals in London and then the World Festival in America.

The theme of the competition is Biomedical Engineering, which involves taking engineering methods and applying them to the medical field – pace makers, false eyes and mechanical arms are all examples of Biomedical Engineering.

For the Regional Tournament in Manchester we need to develop and complete certain tasks involving Biomedical Engineering:

• BodyForwardRobotChallenge For this part of the competition we have to design, build and program a robot

using NXT hardware and software, to carry out set tasks on a large game board. On competition day we will compete head-to-head with other schools and gain points for each of the tasks we complete successfully but we only have 2 ½ minutes to do them all.

• ResearchProject We have spent a lot of time researching into Biomedical Engineering to find

out more about it and to inform other people know about the subject. As well as this article, you have probably seen the information we have put up in the ICT department and around school. You may have also heard our team member, James Edmond, being interviewed about Biomedical Engineering on Livewire Radio. In Manchester we will present our research on display boards and will perform a play to a panel of judges – we will also show the play in our year group assembly in the run up to the competition – to show them how Biomedical Engineering has changed since it was founded in the 1800s.

• Teamwork The First Lego League judges will also be looking at how well we’ve worked

as a team to complete the tasks and challenges. We will be interviewed both formally and informally and points will be awarded to our team accordingly.

Our local rivals, Calday and St Anselms are also entering teams into the competition so we will be hoping to beat them in the robot arena as well as on the rugby pitch. Wish us luck!

Mr C LageuDesign & Technology

Author visits to the Learning Resources CentreThe Learning Resources Centre has this term hosted the visit of author Mark Walden, who came in to school to speak to pupils from years 7 and 8. The theme of his talk was “villains”, and what makes a good villain – an important concept in his popular series of H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute for Villainous Education) books. The visit was a huge success, and those boys who heard Mark have enjoyed reading his books.

Mark Walden

Building on the enthusiasm of Mark’s visit, the 6th December sees a visit by Joseph Delaney – the popular author of the Spook’s Apprentice series of books –who will also be talking to boys from years 7 and 8. All pupils will have a chance to meet Joe and buy signed copies of his books.

Julia HaleLRC Manager


N u n t i u s


A big welcome to all new musicians in the School! The Music Department now has 18 instrumental, vocal and ensemble teachers, together with 303 boys having lessons each week. There are seventeen instrumental and vocal ensembles which are represented by a Music Forum. This years’ representatives are:

President Ben Sharrock U61Vice President Calum Redhead L66Secretary Andrew Burgess L65Concert Band William Vick U61Choir Matthew Lochhead U61Pop Choir Oliver Wedgwood 10WSOrchestra Tom Ramsay U65Electric Guitar Group Matthew Dobson 11JLH String Group David Field L65Brass Group Richard Milnes L65Samba Band Jack Griffith 11JLHRock Bands Lewis Yii 11CCCWoodwind Group Luke Goldsmith 11JLHJunior Brass Group Sam Hartharn-Evans 9SMCTreble Choir Ben Turner 8KM

A true and accurate likeness of each of these important people is displayed in the Music Department as well as on the music notice board outside the Headmaster’s office for ease of identification. There is a Forum meeting once every half-term, and the minutes of these meetings are displayed on the Music Society notice board. Every boy who plays or sings in an ensemble is automatically a member of the Music Society, so if you have any questions regarding your ensemble, speak to your Forum representative!

The first few concerts of the new school year have now taken place, including the Chamber Concert on Wednesday 20 October involving 26 boys, 3 of whom are in the new year 7, (Freddie Tedstone 7RW on saxophone, Aled Davies 7GA on trumpet and William Bracken 7LEM on piano). The Autumn concert involved fifteen different ensembles which rehearse each week, and the highlights included diverse singing from the year 7 choir, full choir and the pop choir. The Carol Service with the traditional nine lessons and carols provided an opportunity for the Choir with accompanying brass group to provide a fitting musical setting for this joyous time of year, and was enjoyed by parents and friends in the evening service, and at the very least tolerated by years 7-9 in the afternoon!

Some examination results from the Associated Board were not with us in time for the last summer edition of Nuntius. Congratulations and recognition should therefore go to the following successful candidates:

Name Form Instrument Grade ResultGEORGE ANDERSON 10WS HORN 04 MeritJAMES BARNES 9JHH CLARINET 01 MeritJOSHUA BEALE 7AD VIOLIN 02 DistinctionJAMES BLUCK 8AJM B FLAT CORNET 02 MeritRYAN CLARKE 9JMC JAZZ ALTO SAX 01 MeritJAKE CLEMENT-JONES 8AJM VIOLIN 02 PassAARON COVE 9SMC FLUTE 03 MeritTHOMAS DEAKIN 11SPA TROMBONE 04 MeritMATTHEW DOBSON 11JLH CLARINET 04 PassDRUVI EDIRISINGHE 8KM CLARINET 01 MeritKEIRON EVANS 10AB CLARINET 04 PassJOHN FIELDHOUSE 8KM EUPHONIUM 02 DistinctionROBERT FOARD 9JMC TRUMPET 01 MeritLUKE GOLDSMITH 11JLH JAZZ ALTO SAX 02 MeritSAM HARTHARN-EVANS 9SMC TROMBONE 04 MeritLOUIS MCGILLOWAY 9JHH E FLAT HORN 03 MeritTOM SMITH U64 JAZZ ALTO SAX 02 MeritSAMUEL WICKS 10HS CLARINET 03 Pass TOM WOOD 10HS CLARINET 02 Pass

Two year 7 classes (7GA and 7RW) were treated to a visit by the School of Rock and Pop on Wednesday 17 November. Advertising their new evening school soon to open in West Kirby, the boys were all invited to play guitars, drums and make up a rock song, and by the end of the hour’s lesson, the whole class presented a respectable rendition of the song they had worked on. Anyone interested in finding out more about the Rock School and how it operates, please see Mr Thomas or Mr Snowdon.

The Music Department’s tour to Italy is gathering pace, although there are still 3 spaces available which we need to fill. Anyone interested in going on this trip of a lifetime should see Mr Snowdon as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you want to get the most out of music at Wirral Grammar School, get involved and get practising!

Mr P Thomas

MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS

YEAR 8 CAKE BAKE FOR CHILDREN IN NEEDOn Friday 19th November, Year 8 were invited to bring in home baked cakes to sell at break and lunch to raise money for the BBC Children in Need appeal. The five forms went head-to-head to compete against each other to see who could raise the most money for this fantastic cause. Four members from each form became the tradesmen on their forms’ stall to sell cakes to the masses and sell they did! The total amount raised was a massive £323.84! The winning form was 8AJM raising £86.31, followed by 8RR with £73.44, then 8KLJ with £61.88, 8KM with £45.63 and 8GWG with £28.51. As a prize for raising the most money for charity, 8AJM got to sample my very own special fairy cakes when I brought in cakes for all! Each form did a fantastic job and well done! Thank you to everyone who baked, bought, sold or ate the cakes on the day, parents included! A big thank you must also go to the Cove family – Mr Cove for baking the wonderful Pudsey Bear cake and Aaron Cove (9SMC) for selling the raffle tickets. The cake was won by Daniel Threlfall in 9OA and had raised £27.84 for the cause. Thank you also to everyone who helped to make the event a success (particularly those who had to clean the mess up afterwards!) I am very proud of the efforts of the entire year group and am already thinking up ideas for future charity events!

Mrs D Hynes (Head of Year 8)

MOTIVATED AND LOVING IT!Year Twelve were treated to a day of motivational coaching combined with study skills back in September. The company ‘MALIT’, delivered the day’s activities in a light-hearted yet practical manner and pupils learned a lot.



Former Pupil UpdateFrom time to time we receive updates on the career successes and achievements of former pupils. Such accounts are greatly welcomed and serve to provide our current pupils with examples of potential career progression.

Professor David Fishwick, Consultant Respiratory Physician and Honorary Professor of Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Medicine at the University of Sheffield. David was born in 1962 and was educated at St Andrews and Brackenwood Primary Schools, followed by Wirral Grammar School for Boys in Bebington, the latter between 1972 and 1980. He then studied Medicine at the Victoria University of Manchester, where in addition to gaining his MBChB, was awarded the Turner Prize in Medicine. He subsequently trained in General Internal, Respiratory and Occupational Medicine, being awarded the AFOM and MRCP, and later the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of London and Glasgow (FRCP).

Since completing his postgraduate training, he has worked in various hospitals in Manchester including the Manchester Royal Infirmary and Wythenshawe Hospital, Dryburn Hospital in Durham and Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne. During his time in Manchester he gained his MD degree, studying the plight of modern cotton and textile workers, and in particular the respiratory diseases they are at risk of developing. He later held a Research Fellowship at the University of Otago in Wellington, New Zealand

for 2 years, again focussing on the environmental respiratory influences on newborn babies’ lungs, as well as the occupational burden of respiratory diseases in New Zealand.

He now works as a Consultant in Respiratory and General Medicine at the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and has been in this role since 1997. He also works as the Chief Medical Officer at the Health and Safety Laboratory, Buxton and is a co-Director of the Centre for Workplace Health, a tripartite collaboration between STH NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Sheffield and the Health and Safety Laboratory.

In October 2010 he was appointed as an Honorary Professor by the University of Sheffield, following review of his work by an international panel coordinated by the Vice Chancellor. The panel also took into account ‘esteem factors’ such as David’s roles on HSE’s Asthma Board and Disease Reduction Programme Strategic Board, as well as his work on numerous peer reviewed publications. David married a Geordie and has a busy family life with three young children, but additionally remains passionate about preventing lung diseases, before they have the opportunity to destroy patients’ lives.

Building Programme Latest Unfortunately, poor weather and a relatively minor steel supply issue have led to delays in the completion of our new changing rooms. We now expect this work to be completed by the end of January. Work has already started on the creation of a new Food and Cookery Room and this should be completed next term. Work will commence on the new Art Teaching Area as soon as the current changing rooms are vacated. We expect all building work to have been completed by the end of Summer Term.

National Poetry DayTo mark National Poetry day in October, every pupil in Year Ten had an hour long session with the much lauded performance poet Ash Dickinson. As well as treating them to a taste of his ‘ Fringe’ material (Edinburgh 2010!) he helped pupils to write their own short poems. Whoever said poetry was boring?

GIFTED AND TALENTED SUMMER SCHOOLTwo pupils were fortunate enough to win a place at Durham University’s renowned Summer schools prior to the start of the Autumn term. A Y8 pupil spent a week studying Anthropology and a Y9 pupil Ancient History.

School Book GroupsThis half-term sees the Senior Poets (sixth-form) looking at ‘A Clockwork Orange’ by Anthony Burgess ; the Dead Poets (Years 10 and 11), William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies and the Junior poets ‘ Paper Towns’ by John Green. Mini poets (Years 7 and 8) will be discussing ‘The Stuff of Nightmares’ by Malorie Blackman. New members are always welcome.

FILM CLUBFilm Club member, Nathan Rimmer, successfully auditioned to become one of a small group of students from across the country chosen as Young Ambassadors. As such, he recently attended a Media Training Day in London where he met CBBC presenter Johnny Pitts and Blue Peter presenter Andy Akinwolere. Film Club Ambassadors get involved in attending film premieres, workshops and other activities. Nathan was recently interviewed on BBC Radio 5 – a recording of the interview can be listened to here: http://www.filmclub.org/past-vip-visits


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Geology : Traeth Bychan AngleseyOn the 16th of September our class travelled to Traeth Bychan in Anglesey, Wales. As we left the minibus, the rare Welsh sun shone down on us as if it were summer! We took our equipment and split into groups of threes. We set about instantly putting into action the skills we had learned in the classroom, and before long, we were all scrambling over the rocks, with clinometres and field notebooks in our hands. The beach stretched out as far as the eye could see and we slowly, but surely, made our way from one end to the other, to traverse seaweed and rocks to see the main attraction of the day, an ancient dyke formed millions of years ago by magma from the Earth’s core, forcing its way through cracks in the rocks before it broke free and cooled to form what it is now. We all spent a few moments staring at it in silence before taking more measurements and photographs. It was a really enjoyable day and we would all love to go back again.

Jack Griffith and Matt Siddorn 11JH and 11CCC

D of E Bronze Practice 2010At the end of September, 30 Y10 pupils braved the elements near Llyn Brenig for their Bronze practice expedition. The expedition was a huge success with all group members displaying excellent teamwork and communication skills – well done! All Bronze and Silver D of E members should now be working on their physical, skill and volunteering sections in their own time. Don’t forget to record your progress on the electronic D of E; if you haven’t received your username or password yet see me ASAP. Roll on Moel Famau 2011!

Mrs. B. Clements

1Goal Success Today, 69 million children in the world are denied the chance to go to school. These children could be our next generation’s leaders, sports stars, doctors and teachers. But they face a lifelong struggle against poverty. As part of our International Week celebrations in the summer term, the Art Department instructed the Key Stage 3 boys to design scarves to make our local MP aware of the 1Goal Scheme. During our summer prize giving ceremony our scarves were presented to our MP and guest speaker, Alison McGovern MP. Gary Lineker said: “Delivering education for the 72 million children that are currently denied access to education is an achievable dream. We know that the world has the resources to deliver it. Now it’s time for world leaders to make it happen – for rich countries to deliver the funding needed, and for governments of developing countries to ensure that education is the top priority in their country.” David Archer, International Board Member for the Global Campaign for Education said: “This year 1 million pupils in 9000 schools across the UK joined the Global Campaign for Education’s 1Goal Send My Friend to School campaign, linked to the World Cup, which focused on getting every child in the world into school. Pupils and teachers understand the importance of this issue. The UK government has already committed to keep up overall spending on aid but we need them to become a real champion by recommitting to the target of £1 billion in aid to education each year and by calling on other world leaders to put their hands up for education at the UN Summit next week”. Alison McGovern MP said:“I have been inspired by the efforts of the pupils at Wirral Grammar School for Boys. I was alerted to the important work that 1Goal does. Mobilising the passion millions of people have for football is a great way of raising the profile of a campaign which aims to increase access to education for some of the world’s poorest children. Education is a basic right and is the foundation for strong, prosperous and peaceful societies around the world. It is the most effective development intervention possible, contributing powerfully to economic growth, poverty reduction and better health.” Well done boys

James HughesHead of Modern Foreign Languages



Remembrance Day Service 2010 Our Annual Rembrance Service was held in school on Friday 12th November. The service is in memory of the 46 former pupils of our school who gave their lives in the Second World War. Former pupils also attended the service together with all pupils in Years 7 and 8. Two wreaths were laid before the Memorial Plaque in our Entrance Foyer; one on behalf of the ‘Old Boys’ and one on behalf of the school..

The service consisted of a collection of hymns and readings. Deputy Head Boy Jamie McCann read the Roll of Honour, the Head Boy, Jan Greenshaw gave a reading, and Deputy Head Boy, Andrew Rich read a prayer.

In his address, Mr Hazeldine emphasised that the act of remembrance is a very real and important one; “Their sacrifice is a monument to future generations” he said and “we have a duty to remember those who gave and continue to give their lives for values that we hold dear.”

Physics OlympicsOn October 18th 2010 a team of Abdullah Ali, Islam Ahmed, Sam WoodandIembarkedonajourneytoLiverpoolUniversitytoparticipate in the Physics Olympics 2010 competition. Firstly we were given a quiz sheet to answer throughout the day. In typical physicist fashion our answers had to be in the form of the power of ten required. The first task was to find the height of a crater on the moon using only an image of the moon, a close up of the crater and one or two distances. Using our knowledge of Pythagoras and triangle theory we attempted to find the depth using an estimated angle at which the Sun was hitting the moon. Secondly we applied our knowledge of aerodynamics to construct a paper aeroplane that would travel through a ring and land as close to a target as possible. We attached blue-tack to the head of our plane so it would drop rapidly instead of dragging away from the target across the ground. Unfortunately our thrower missed the ring, incurring a 2 metre penalty. However in a stroke of luck Sam Wood threw a random plane we had not tested and it landed 23cm away from the target and earned us 3rd place in that event! Next we used our knowledge of buoyancy and its relation to surface area to construct a boat of straw and paper to hold marbles. Our contraption held 180 marbles before capsizing. After this we needed to navigate a blindfolded member of the team around a course without using any speech or touch. We opted for a code of claps to signal linear movement, stop, 45 degree right turn and 45 degree left turn. We produced an impressive time but were unfortunately beaten by a team consisting of air cadets that apparently do this type of activity as part of their training. After completing our tasks we reported back to the main hall. Out of 35 teams our efforts earned us 5th place and a lovely physics mug (although admittedly they were given to everybody!) I recommend that any lower sixth form physicists try it next year, although, unfortunately, it will no longer be called the Olympics as there is a copyright issue with some, less important, event occurring in London 2012! Andrew Strong U65

Christmas Fair 2010 The school’s Christmas Fair took place on Saturday 27 November 2010. As well as the usual array of Tombola stalls, Book and Bric a Brac stalls, this year saw the introduction of a reptile room which proved to be very popular.

The fair is organised by the Parents Association on an annual basis. Chair person David Elliott said ‘ I am delighted to say that thanks to the support of the boys and their parents we have this year raised somewhere in the region of £5,500 which in the current climate is a fantastic result In particular I would like to extend my thanks to all members of the PA and all our helpers who helped achieve this’.


N u n t i u s


Jaguar Spanish TripOn 9th July 2010 Miss Burns and Mr McKinney took 30 boys from the languages department to the Jaguar and Land Rover factory in Halewood to see how languages are used in the workplace. When we arrived, we were split into 2 groups and shown around the factory. We saw how the different parts are made and the final construction of the car. After being shown around the factory both groups met up in an office upstairs where we met Alejandro and Pablo, two Spanish students studying at Liverpool University and now working at Halewood. They explained to us how important a second language is in a workplace and we then got the chance to ask them some questions in Spanish. They explained how easy it is to get a job with a second language as you are put ahead of people with only 1 language. After this we were all taken around the off road track in groups of 6 in one of the new Land Rovers. This was a good experience for all that took part and really enjoyable.

Daniel Edwards 11SPA

Senior Team Maths ChallengeOn Friday 19th November, Mike Parsons, Sean Cavanagh, Luke Cartwright and myself were taken to Christleton High School in Chester, thanks to Mrs. Brinkman, to take part in the UK Mathematics Trust and Further Mathematics Support Programme’s Senior Maths Team Challenge. Our team was bolstered by my confidence after having come third last year. Thus with me as captain, we had fairly high team morale.

In the first round, we were presented with a set of “warm up” challenges which the full team applied themselves to, and in which we established each other’s relative strengths and weaknesses. We scored highly in this round and positioned ourselves near the top of the leaders’ board.

The second round was a more difficult “cross-number” in which we were split into two teams of two and had to wait for across groups’ answers before we could fill in the answers to our down questions,

which proved fairly time consuming. Despite doing very well, we still managed to do relatively poorly when compared to our competitors, moving us down the leaders’ board.

However, as was the case last year, they decided to save the hardest for last. Round three consisted of immensely difficult questions in which we had to wait for the other pair to generate the correct answer before we were could calculate our own. It is safe to say this round was not the team’s strong point and was by far the lowest scoring round for our team.

When the scores were totalled we had finished mid-table, achieving eighth position out of 15 teams, a perfectly respectable result considering the quality of the competitors we faced. Overall, the day was very enjoyable and has shown me the type of Maths I should expect to face at degree level. Hopefully next year, the questions may be slightly less challenging and the competition slightly less fierce, enabling our school to return to former glory.

Edward Kenny U6

Le Paquet MysterieuxOn the 20th September, Set 1 French students from Year 10, were given the opportunity to see a play, completely in French, called, ‘Le Paquet Mysterieux’. The play focused on two characters, Lucas and Vanessa, who work at the same cafe/sports shop. On their way to work one morning they find that the shop’s door is open, drops of blood are everywhere and a mysterious package hidden inside. From there they come up with many theories about the mysterious package including, a bomb, drugs and a decapitated head!

Overall we thought the play was good and especially enjoyed the parts when a member of the audience was called upon to ‘help’ out. The play covered a wide range of topics from holidays to work experience and hopefully will come in useful at GCSE.Daniel Kowalski 10

Anti Bullying ConferenceWirral Grammar School for Boys hosted the Wirral wide conference on Anti –Bullying on Tuesday 16th November 2010. The conference was attended by approximately 60 delegates from many agencies, including Police, Merseytravel, Transport Providers, Youth Services, Healthy Schools, and Response. The theme of anti bullying week this year is ‘Taking Action Together – the role of the Bystander’ and we focused on safer schools transport.

The event was opened by the Interim Director of Education, Mr David Armstrong, and chaired by Corinne Lands, Principal Manager for PSHE at the Local Authority. Other Wirral schools also took part by sending pupils to attend the conference (Park High, Woodchurch, West Kirby Grammar, Wirral Grammar Girls, Joseph Paxton, and Weatherhead High School), showing the importance of all the schools and agencies working together to make a difference.

A number of presentations took place, including those from Bullybusters, Merseytravel and Wirral Youth Theatre. Two of our bus stewards (Lloyd Jackson & Scott Watson) also did a presentation on our new bus steward scheme.

The outcome of the conference will be a report compiled by the local authority to be sent out to all the schools on the Wirral in order to share ideas on the best way forward to improve the journey to and from school and to share examples of good practice.

Anti Bullying WeekA number of events took place during anti bullying week in school such as assemblies for each year group from 7 – 11 run by the heads of year with help from members of the anti-bullying committee, on the importance of making a difference to someone by standing up for them, not being a bystander.

Our cake sale was a great success, raising over £90. Many thanks to all the students, parents and grandparents who spent a considerable amount of time baking and icing!



Wirral Colts Played 11 - Won 7 lost 4

The Colts have had an excellent season so far and have been involved in some exciting rugby matches, with very close finishes. We are still in the Daily Mail Cup, and have progressed to the last 64 in the county. The competition started with a record entry of 596 school. The fifth round game will take place on the 24th November at Wirral against Woodhouse Grove.

The 4 losses have come against traditionally good rugby schools, when the squad has been depleted due to other school commitments. However the players that came in did not let themselves down and competed well against A team opposition. Kirkham, Hutton, Merchant Taylors and Kings Macc could all have been beaten. If we progress further in the Daily Mail we will have the opportunity to avenge our defeats. Excellent wins against Wilmslow, St Ambrose and Stockport have cemented our wins in the cup and the team is building nicely into a good rugby side.The Cup run has brought the squad together and the incentive of playing at Twickenham on April 6th has fuelled enthusiasm at training, with players competing for places. In the first round we beat Liverpool College in a hard fought game, which sent us to Bridgewater HS in Warrington, a team that were the current Cheshire Champions and one of the favourites for the competition. In what turned out to be an outstanding performance by the team, Ben Brookes converted 5 penalties, the last one with only seconds remaining. We were successful 15-12, if the game had finished tied, Wirral would have gone out on tries conceded, so imagine the joy at the full time whistle.

A bye in the next round meant we would have a home tie against Calday or Wilmslow, which turned out to be out local rivals Calday who won the game 59-0, a team we had never beaten before. Wet conditions at Wirral meant the team with the most heart would win, in the first half Wirral were on top and although coming close to scoring a try on a few occasions, great Calday defence and discipline kept the score to a solitary Ben Brookes kick 3-0. The reverse happened in a very exciting second half. With Calday on top, Max Sedgwick kicked a penalty to tie the scores 3-3, Wirral now having to score or go out as the home team. All seemed to be pointing to a Calday victory, and the game was deep into injury time when an offside by them in a kickable position gave Wirral a lifeline and one last chance at victory. This was literally the last kick of the match: miss and we were out, score, we would march into the next round, Ben Brookes placed the ball and calmly slotted the kick 6-3. Jubilation followed as the ref blew his whistle.

I would like to thank all the players for their efforts thus far, please continue to train, as we still have a long season ahead. Thanks to Tom Parry who Captains the team by example. I would also like to thank the parents for their magnificent support both home and away and my thanks also to those parents who help with refreshments on Saturday mornings.

Andy McKinney - Wirral Colts Coach

Year 7 Rugby The year 7 Rugby Squad have made a fantastic start to their first season as Wirral Grammar School rugby players. The squad as a whole have worked very hard in training and in games at both A and B team level.

The commitment and enthusiasm of the lads has paid off so far as the A team have had an outstanding, unbeaten start to the season, winning 7 out of their first 8 games and drawing the other. The ‘A’ team have been clinical in attack all season scoring 158 points in 8 games. Just as importantly, the defence has been first rate, with the team only conceding 4 tries so far this season.

The ‘A’ team started the season with a comprehensive 31- 0 win over Kirkham Grammar school. This was followed by our biggest test of the season, a 7-7 draw with Stockport Grammar School. Well earned victories followed over Hutton (43- 7), Bridgewater (5- 0) and Wilmslow (19- 7).

The team showed a great deal of character throughout this period and were then able to continue their run of impressive results with wins over Kings School Maccelsfield (24- 0), St Ambrose (21- 0), and Manchester Grammar School (17- 5) The squad has gelled quickly with a mixture of boys who have had some experience of rugby before and some boys who are getting their first taste of rugby as part of the year 7 squad. It is important that the boys stay focussed and aim to keep improving week on week. If they can maintain their current attitude I will be more than pleased. Congratulations must go to Scott Southwell who has been appointed captain of the ‘A’ team and has led the team well so far.

We look forward to the remainder of the season with much confidence and hope to continue our pleasing start.

Mr AtkinsonMaster in charge of Year 7 Rugby.

Year 7 “B team “ RugbyWhat a great start to the season! With an extremely strong squad and significant contributions from everybody who has been involved, the “Bs” have taken no prisoners and beaten all the teams faced convincingly.

We have scored the first try in all of our matches so far and then never looked back, amassing a huge total of 266 points and only conceding a meagre 20. Furthermore, we have not conceded more than a single try in any one game. This is outcome of the boys’ dedication and commitment in defence and their enthusiasm and directness in attack. There have been outstanding performances by all players and a fantastic team spirit. A large part of the thanks for the positive attitude in the team should go to the captain James Richards, who has led by example from the very first training session. Let’s stay hungry for points!

Mr J Marshall-Clarke


N u n t i u s


Year 8 Rugby Report (up to Saturday 20th November)Results so far: A team Played 10 won 4 lost 6; B team played 9 won 3 lost 6

This has been a tough time for the Junior Bantams squad with results not truly reflecting the performances on the field. I have been impressed with the level of commitment shown by many of the squad, and there are clearly some talented players in our ranks. Some games have been lost by the odd point and I would say that it was only Kings Macclesfield who have beaten us this term. However even in that game, 22-0 down at half time, the A team showed great character in only going down eventually by 27 points in a fine second half display.

Easily the most impressive performance came at home to Bridgewater. The visitors were a good and well organised side who took an early lead. But then the Wirral team fought back with some good play and determined defence. It was nip and tuck all game until Lewis Adams finally went over in the dying seconds to record a 14-10 in that was in fact well deserved. The A team have played well in other wins against Merchant Taylors, Hutton, St Ambrose, and could easily have won against Kirkham, St Edwards, Stockport and Wilmslow but didn’t take their chances in those games. The last game for this report was against Manchester GS and even though the eventual effort was pleasing to see, the first 15 minutes of that game cost them victory after conceding too many points! The B team have found victories hard to come by, mainly due to playing teams with bigger and more physical opponents. However they have stuck in there, and their most pleasing win was against Manchester GS by 27 points to 25. This game was a right ding dong affair, with George Welch scoring two tries and Alex Brophy converting at least 2, though apparently the ref didn’t see 2 others due to the fog!!

The squad has to improve on its basic skills and concentration in matches if they are to earn more wins after Christmas. A 7s season then beckons where the ability of this year group should shine through. I want to thank all those who have played and trained for the squad so far and hope that they keep up their commitment levels in the coming months. I would like to thank Mr McKinney for his help and to Mr Bailey and Mr Bowen for reffing games on a Saturday morning. Mr King has helped out too and the encouragement of parents on the touch line is always a bonus. I have to say though, for the first time in all my 25 years at the school how disappointed I am that some boys are refusing to play for the school teams at this level. I hope this is not a trend and that boys who are selected to represent their school feel it is an honour to do so. In all those years of involvement with school rugby I can only say that they are ultimately losing out in all sorts of ways. Nevertheless I wish all concerned a Happy Christmas!

Those who have represented the school this term are:

Harry Cumming (Captain), Callum Bedson, Alex Brophy, Matthew Callanan, Jake Clement-Jones, Matthew Crowe, Lewis Davies, Lewis Favager, James Porter-Smith, Oliver Sinclair Matt Sutton, Lewis Adams, Will Hardy, Liam Hayes, Theo Johnston, Elias Larsen, Michael Morris, George Welch, Michael Armand, Matthew Jardine, James Parnell, Ben Reilly, Sam Reilly, Ben Thomas , Sean Griffiths, Jack Johnson, Sam Lock, Ben Lockwood, Jamie Norris, Alex Ruscoe, Alex Lambert, Sam Hannah, John Fieldhouse, Ross Triggs, Nick Morris, Ed Williams, Tom Flooks, Liam Richardson Conor Baker and Tom James.

Mr L McKibbin

Year 9 Rugby ReportIt has been a very good start to the season for both A and B Teams with some very good victories. Both teams have given some very strong performances and produced some exciting Rugby which has been commented upon by the opposition coaches. This is due to their determination and positive attitudes on and off the pitch and to the energy they put into training.

The A team, captained by Arran Drury have played 11 games up to when this had been written. Out of those 11 games they have won 8 and lost 3 with 1 of those victories being in the Cheshire Cup against Chester Catholic High, where they had a strong performance, winning 43-10. They have had other big wins against other schools including Merchant Taylors (43-7), Hutton (34-0) and St Ambrose (43-5) where they were clearly the dominant side. Unfortunately, there have been 3 losses against Stockport, Bridgewater and Kings Macclesfield where our usual strong defence was not present. All 3 losses were disappointing as the boys knew the scores would have been different if they had played to the best of their ability.

However, take nothing away from the boys as they have had a great start to the season and there have been many standout performances by them. I believe this has also been helped by the positive support they have been receiving from the parents, who have been attending both home and away matches and who I’d like to thank and hope for it to continue in the New Year. As it stands the boys have scored 295 points and conceded 163 points.

The B team captained by Matthew Taylor have unfortunately been only able to play 5 games so far this season due to many schools being unable to produce a B team. However, this does not mean that they have been unable to develop as a team and produce quality performances. Out of the 5 games played they have won 4 and lost 1. After a close first game of the season where they played St Edwards and won 5-0 they went on a demolishing spree against Merchant Taylors (24-5), Kings Macclesfield (34-0) and Manchester GS (55-0). Unfortunately, they were beaten by Stockport who, as with their A team were a very strong outfit. Even with only playing 5 games the boys have produced some fantastic rugby and have attended all training sessions with positive attitudes, all eager to fight their way into the A team. As it stands the boys have scored 125 points and conceded only 48 points.

As a squad the year 9 boys season has started off very well and I believe this will improve further next year. As long as they all continue to give 100% at training sessions and in the games, I’m positive that this could be the best season they have had in the school so far and that they will develop to become a very strong team.

Mr A BakerPhysical Education



1ST XV RugbyThis is proving to be another tough, tough season for the First XV with the games following a similar pattern to last year. Our fixture list is very strong and need to be at our absolute best every week in order to win. Unfortunately, this season the opposition has been just too strong for us, despite our best efforts!

The highlight of the season so far has been our mini-run in the Daily Mail Cup Competition. We eventually went out in Round 4, losing 15 – 6 to a good Merchant Taylors team. We had previously beaten Liverpool College 44 – 7 and King William’s College, Isle of Man 36 – 24, playing some exciting rugby and scoring good tries.

A recurring theme is one of the scoreline very much flattering the opposition, and that for much of the game. We have parity and are very competitive. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to lose concentration and intensity for short periods and at these times we ship ‘soft ‘ tries and the score line racks up! Nevertheless, the spirit within the Senior Squad has remained high; and I am sure new First XV Captain, Jan Greenshaw and his Vice Captain, Jack Yarker, can rely upon the support of all the players in continuing to work hard and turn the season around with some good results in the new year.

Mr P Crowley (Head of Physical Education)1ST XV Coach

2nd XV Rugby ReportThe start of this year was somewhat confused by the lack of appointment of a 2nd XV skipper. Fortunately, Jonny Morris came to the rescue to start another year of Saturday morning rugby and Monday evening frolics.

The season started well enough with a win against St Edwards. The boys showed that they can play in sideways rain and the only damaged item was Liam Smith’s fringe. This was a pleasing aggressive performance with hope that we could move forward and bring on some of the lower sixth and Y11 pupils.

Naivety resulted in a loss against Merchants followed by tough games at Kirkham and home against Stockport. In those two fixtures we only scored one try despite, as always, the great efforts of all concerned.

We came back to form with a win against Hutton. Played five and won two; not bad considering the opposition. Then came Wallasey consortium; a team who were clearly so impressed with Wirral rugby that they decided to help themselves to our jerseys before the game. Even with our shirts returned we failed to perform and the lack of aggression and concentration that has blighted some games resulted in the most disappointing performance to date.

We had brighter outings at Wilmslow and Kings School, Macclesfield but never looked like winning either. A draw away at St Ambrose, with a last play wonder try by Michael Bowen converted impressively by Ronan Duffey, and a battle in the mud against Manchester have finished this phase of the season with a record of P10 W2 D1 L7.

Progress needs to be made in putting sides under more pressure at the breakdown and maintaining concentration for more than the fifteen minutes spells we are seeing now. However, there is great spirit and camaraderie and I would like to thank the squad and all

the parents who support their sons at home and on the side of the pitch. Special thanks go to Barry and Sue Smith who have patched together broken bodies from ours and other teams during every game this year.

Top try scorers – Ed ForshawTop points scorer - Ronan Duffey

Mr A P WhiteDeputy Headteacher

U16 Rugby 2010Played 8 Won 4 Lost 2 Drawn 2

This season started so well with an excellent performance against Merchants which saw Wirral winning 26-5. This was an emphatic win with the team being better in all areas of the pitch than the opposition. A draw against Kirkham away, and another good win against Stockport meant the team were in good spirits and good form.

The first defeat was against a very strong Wilmslow side who last year won the Daily Mail Cup. At half time there was nothing in the scores and even with ten minutes to go, Wirral were in contention at 27-19. There is no doubt that the score flatters the opposition and the match was much closer than the score suggests.

The match of the season came next in the Cheshire cup against St Anselms who really fancied their chances to win the cup this year. The first half saw Wirral in complete control but only one score ahead which was a travesty. Then St Anselms came back a little. Wirral scored again but then the opposition went ahead 17-12, with only minutes to go. At this point I was so proud of the players and was preparing my losers speech when we attacked from deep and scored with the last play of the game. We missed the kick but it did not matter as the away team go through in the event of a draw. This really was a superb match which Wirral thoroughly deserved to win and was as good a team performance as I have seen for many years. I was very proud, not of winning, but the way they played.

A loss was on the cards against Lancaster. The team was not at full strength because of injuries, but this was a game that got away and we simply made too many mistakes at key times. The season continued with two good wins against Manchester and Macclesfield away, which are always difficult places to go and get a result, but on both occasions, we were against huge players which made it difficult, but the result was ours.

All in all a good season so far keep it up lads and keep training as this is the key to even better performances.

Mr I F Davies

Danny Adkins Jack Portbury Alex GriffithsMax Hunt Frank Richards Simon FlavellTed Kinsella Tom Arthur Cameron Hibbert-Jones Danny Phillips Mark Grifiths Dave Neil Chris Crowley Danny Harris Harry Camp Brad Taylor Reece Orton Luke Harris Adam letts Olly Jackson Sandy RichardsonJohnny Greenall


N u n t i u s


Hockey UpdateThe start of the 2010 season came on the back of a very successful Hockey tour to Australia in which 30 boys enjoyedanexcellenttrip.Thetwosquadsplayed12games in total with 9 wins and 3 defeats, playing some impressive hockey throughout. Well done to all of the lads and I hope that the experiences live long in the memory. The new Hockey season has started well and majorprogressisbeingmade!!Thedevelopmentof each squad had seen a 1st and 2nd team group of 28 players. Their difficulties have been in training, which was restricted due to the slow opening of the Oval pitch after refurbishment and also the fact that due to the new timetable they can only play fixtures every other week.

The first term has seen 30 games played by all of the teams. The 1st team has been captained by Jack Evans and thus far has played some very encouraging hockey, without always getting the results. The team has had good wins against St Anselm’s (5-4), Neston (6-2 and 5-0), Bolton School (7-0), but in the cup fixtures suffered defeats against Calday (8-2), Birkenhead School (3-2) and St Anselms (3-1). In all of these games and the close defeats that we have had, have seen some excellent periods of play.

The junior sides have continued to flourish and perform very well. This has seen many of the boys playing regularly in the school team matches. The U16 team has been lea by George Wilkinson who himself has been played for the Pennine Pumas and achieved an England U16 assessment in November. The lads have been excellent making great progress in qualifying for the Wirral Cup final on the 9th January unbeaten, winning 6-1 against Birkenhead, 2-0 against Calday and 9-1 win against Neston and in a tight game achieving a 3-1 victory over St Anselm’s. In addition there have been some excellent performances against St Anselm’s (2-0 friendly win), defeat against a strong Kings Chester side (5-2), but a great win against Manchester Grammar (5-1). Notable performances have come from Jordan Cossins, George Wilkinson, Ben Crane, Sam Lamen, Matthew Dobson, Ben McGilloway and the consistent James Graham and Ben Parsons to name a few…. Against Manchester the four goals from Matty Jones were a sight to behold! Let’s hope that the lads can continue their performances into the second half of the season.

The U15 squad has been working hard on Mondays at the Oval and are all making good progress. Many of the squad including Syd Roberts, Andrew Heath, Josh Helsby and Coby Kendrick-Hall, have all played as part of the U16 team. Following on from last year’s National Finals success the lads are improving their individual skills and have been able to apply those skills in wins against St Anselm’s 1-0 (Roberts), Birkenhead School 10-1 (Roberts 4, Heath 2, Helsby 2 and Brooks) and a second win over Anselm’s 5-0 (Roberts 2, Brooks 2 and Helsby). The Year 9 team has been working hard on the tennis courts. After two defeats to Calday and St Anselms, the lads have three cup games before Christmas against Neston, Birkenhead and St Anselm’s in their bid to reach the Wirral Cup final.

In my absence from school I would like to thank Mr Cooper, Mr Thomason, Mr. Money and Chris Scott and all of the players for ensuring that when representing Wirral GS, whether it be playing, umpiring, coaching or supporting we give it our best shot! Good luck to all players in the fantasy league and for the rest of the season!

Mr. A Metcalf

Wirral Club reportWirral Club is located on Thornton Common Road, Clatterbridge and is the home of Wirral Rugby and Cricket Clubs. Formerly the Old Wirralians, it was set up in 1937 to cater for the leisure time of boys from Wirral Grammar School.

To this day many past and present boys use the facility for these sports. Currently, Wirral Rugby Club has 4 senior teams and Junior teams from Under 7s to Colts level. The success of these teams over the years has been considerable, and currently the First XV, coached by Mr McKinney, are playing in North West One which is a decent standard of rugby. Many Wirral Grammar School boys play in the Junior teams on a Sunday morning at the Club. The Cricket Section runs three senior teams and Junior teams from Under 9s upwards and will shortly after Christmas be putting in some pre season training in winter nets that will be advertised on the website and around school, so watch this space!

For further information re both rugby and cricket clubs, please visit:

www.pitchero.com/clubs/wirralwww.pitchero.com/clubs/wirralcricketclub www.pitchero/clubs/wirralccjuniors

Mr L McKibbin, Secretary Wirral Club

House Captains’ ReportThis has been an exciting term for the House system in Wirral Grammar Boys. From the creation of House banners, to the continuation of Vertical Tutor Groups and inter-House sporting fixtures, Islam Ahmed, Ronan Duffy, Edward Kenny, and I all feel privileged and honoured to have been able to be involved in the recent rebirth of the House system, one of the oldest traditions in the school.

As mentioned above, this term has seen the installation of custom House banners, now hanging proudly in the atrium. They are a testament to our school’s heritage, and to the creative efforts of both boys and the Art department, who strove tirelessly to produce something to do justice to their houses.

Despite what has already been achieved, I feel I can speak for all your House Captains, when I say that we have no intention of resting on our Laurels throughout the remaining two terms of the year. On the contrary, we have a variety of events in the planning process, designed to further encourage the House system that we are so proud to represent, that will become known to you in the very near future.

As yet, the House Point totals are such that Lever are heading the leader board, with 340 points, Barber are following closely with 290. In a close third place, are Hodgson with 280 points, and Dodds are, for the moment, in fourth place, with 260 points. These totals are by no means, final; there is everything to play for as the next two terms hurtle towards us, so keep earning those points!

Ryan Boocock U61Hodgson House Captain



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In the event of snow . . . We all remember the event of 6th and 7th January the year when, for the first time ever, snow caused massive disruption to Wirral and schools were forced to close. As a guide, our action plan is as follows:

1. If heavy snow falls overnight, we would make a decision early in the morning and a message would be posted on our school website and/or be issued by Parent Mail.

2. If heavy snow falls during the school day we will make a decision on whether to close the school depending on the time within the day. Above all, we will not put pupils at risk by simply ‘sending them home’! Whilst it may be inconvenient to collect pupils from school in the event of deteriorating weather, at least pupils are safe and warm and supervised.

3. Regular message updates will be issued through the school website and through Parent Mail. Please note that radio broadcast messages are not always reliable.

Admissions Enquiries: Enquiries relating to admissions should be directed to Mrs Tanya Fry in school on

0151 644 0908 or by visiting the school website:www.wirralgrammarboys.com/admission

Lost PropertyHundreds of pounds of unclaimed lost property is left around the school every year. Simple measures can ensure that missing items are returned to the owner. It is most helpful for school bags/PE Kit bags to have a key fob tag on them with the name of the pupil and form.

Cars on the School SitePlease note that for safety reasons, parents must not drive onto the school site at the end of school. Only when buses have departed is it safe to do so. Parents are welcome to drive into the car park when collecting boys from extra curricular activities.

Parent Mail ReminderAll letters are now being sent through Parent Mail and some letters are also sent out as paper copies. To remain effective, parents need to keep their email contact details up-to-date through the Parent Mail website (www-parentmail.co.uk) and by following the ‘parent log-in’ link.

Maths Challenge Answer is C

WINNERS AT WIRRAL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS AWARD

On 30th June 2010 at Wallasey Town Hall, Jan Greenshaw, Head Boy gave a presentation to invited delegates including the Mayor of Wirral, detailing the international activities we have pursued this year.

The event encourages international awareness and an appreciation of the many different cultures and customs taking place in Wirral primary and secondary schools. The Mayor of Wirral stated, “The presentations are of the highest standards and all involved should be very proud of themselves. The work is very impressive as is their commitment and enthusiasm. My congratulations go both to the students and teachers. They are a credit to not only their families and their schools, but also to Wirral.”

Operation Christmas ChildWhen Ms Razbully first brought this up during assembly, I jumped at the chance to make someone’s Christmas special. We got an old shoe box to start with; it wasn’t the most Christmassy thing. We started off with some festive wrapping paper, next, we went off to buy some presents. We were packing our box for a boy 5 – 9 years old, so we bought him some Lego, some art stuff and something that bounces 5 metres in air. We also bought a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Just to give it some class, we put some red tissue paper along the bottom. When the time came to hand our box in, I walked into Ms Razbully’s room and handed her my box just as Mrs Turner was giving in hers, and as I left the room, 3 house points richer, the warm feeling of caring and doing something good filled me. Ho-Ho-Ho Merry Christmas!Sam Blackwell 7RW

£6,000 Charity Success for ‘Help for Heroes’On Monday 27th September, the school was able to present a cheque for £6,000 to two representatives of Help for Heroes, the school’s chosen charity in the academic year 2009/2010.

This fantastic sum was the result of a year’s hard work by the outgoing Head Boy’s team, led by Harry Bush, who used a combination of non-uniform days, film screenings and a wide range of other initiatives in order to raise such a considerable amount. It must also be noted this total does not include the money raised as an emergency response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

This year, the school has elected to support UNICEF in its response to the 2010 Pakistan Floods. A multitude of events – cake sales, classroom collections and a closest to the pin competition to name but a few – are already underway in order to raise funds for this most worthy of causes. In particular, I would like to thank all those who supported ‘The Yorkshire Three Peaks Charity Event’, and also Michael Bowen and David Lawrie for joining me on the expedition. We have thus far raised in excess of £1,000 on behalf of UNICEF from this activity alone, a just reward for ten hours of arduous and sodden hiking. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend all pupils and parents who were involved in fundraising last year; I hope that you are able to support this year’s appeal with similar enthusiasm.

Jan Greenshaw - Head Boy

Documents

Nuntius - Wirral Grammar School for Boys...the creation of Australia’s very own Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. We moved south to the beautiful Gold Coast resort of Surfers Paradise