Newsletter

December 2017 Principal’s Welcome

A week is a long time in the life of a school. The snow has completely disappeared but this time last weekend I was glued to social media and the online weather forecast, trying to make sure that I’d got every available piece of information to help me decide about school closure. Regardless of the decision, there was one thing that would not be in doubt - there was always going to be somebody who would disagree. This has always been the case, but what is noticeably different now is the willingness with which some individuals rush to post their outrage online, including some who are old enough to know better.

I guess I should see this as part of the territory, a challenge amongst many of being Principal of such a high-profile institution as AGS. I think I've learnt to deal with it pretty well, but it did bring home to me just how difficult it must be for some of our youngsters when they first enter the online world, unaware of its capacity for irrational and harmful content and the opportunities for people to comment without thinking. It’s been a sensible decision that in my professional capacity I stay away from Facebook, and don’t use WhatsApp - an app that has many useful features but whose overuse we are beginning to see increasingly associated with poor mental health due to the distress caused by over-sharing or sharing of inaccurate information. And that’s before we get into the inadvertent safeguarding risks of sharing information about a child with a group where you cannot be 100% certain of the background of everyone.

It's now become clear that the creators of some of the most common social media and communication platforms have incorporated features akin to those in slot machines or arcade games. This makes them highly addictive and easy to spend far too long on. The more time you spend on them, the more chance of encountering something unpleasant. After a couple of days on Twitter last week posting updates, it was quite a challenge to put my phone down when we got back to school, but within a few hours I felt much happier for it.

This holiday I urge you to take some time out with your children to make sure that they avoid some of the most common pitfalls. Some of the students tell us that what they really want for Christmas is to have quality time with their parents and loved ones. They’ve explicitly described their wish for time when everyone's phones are away and they can relax together without the pressure of having to capture the moment, or compete online with their peers for validation.

So switch off, enjoy each other's company, and I look forward to seeing you all in the new year. If any of you do wish to exercise your freedom to email me over the holidays, let me make it clear that I will be exercising my freedom to disconnect my work emails until at least the day before we come back to school! Grammar School

We are grateful to all those parents who have already pledged a regular monthly amount to our school fund. If you have not already done so, please read the letter from the Principal and Chair of Governors on our website at : http://www.alcestergs.co.uk

The level of funds raised will determine to what extent the school will be

able to deliver the “essential extras” - those extras which contribute so much to the quality of education at AGS but which soon won’t be able to How you can help secure be supported from our budget in the light of reductions to our funding. our financial future Exams update

Well done Year 11 for all the hard work you have put in for your mock GCSE exams. All missed papers from our ‘snow days’ have been rescheduled for 08/01 and 09/01 - details are in your portal. Timetables for Summer 2018 entries are also available on your AGS portal, so please do take a look.

Year 12 mock exams begin on 10/01/18 - please check your AGS portal for timetables and clash resolutions. ID cards will be issued in the Spring Term which you will need to bring to every exam.

All Year 13s can now access both their mock and summer entries via the AGS portal; and don’t forget you can apply for re-sits directly on ParentPay.

Years 10 to 13 - if you have any spare time over the holiday you can always check out the Examinations section of the school website, where you will find links to past papers, the ‘Route to Success’ exams handbook, and the rules and regulations set by the JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications).

Have a very Merry Christmas!! Mrs Dancy, Examinations Officer Sixth Form Open Evening

The Sixth Form Open Evening on 16th November was busier than ever with in excess of 500 students pre- registering and the theatre ‘sold out’ for the three presentations - standing room only. A fantastic whole staff effort showed the range and quality of what we do here in the Sixth Form, despite the difficulties of the current financial environment.

Key messages were our adherence to keeping the option open of AS exams, studying four subjects to retain flexibility, the huge range of options and, of course, the emphasis on quality pastoral care and being a decent human being. Mr Young, Head of Sixth Form

Year 13 visit to Westminster On Friday 24th November Year 12 history students enjoyed a day visiting Parliament. It was an excellent day although Friday traffic out of London delayed the coaches a little.

All students took part in workshop on Democracy and voting systems. Being the end of the week, it was a shame that students could not meet with their local MP as most parliamentarians spend Friday's in their constituencies. However this did give our tour guides the chance to take our students into the House of Commons and enjoy the experience of standing the at very heart of the British political establishment. Mr Kendall Hot off the press - Psychology trip to Munich

39 students braved the snows of Munich for this year’s Psychology trip. Some of the highlights were the Dachau concentration camp, the Nazi rally grounds of Nuremburg and the famous Trial buildings themselves . Library and Information Centre … … working together

… … reaching goals together

A warm welcome to our new Library Independent Services Assistant, Mrs Jenni Maltby who will be working part time with Mrs Watson, Wednesday to Friday. Jenni succeeds Mrs Louise Beeson who retired at the end of the Summer Term.

Jenni has joined us from another educational environment and with two children herself and previous management experience is already proving to be a great asset to the team.

BOOKBUZZ Our new Year 7s will shortly be given the opportunity to buy a book at a reduced cost as part of our annual Bookbuzz programme, a reading programme from Book Trust, which supports schools to encourage reading for pleasure, independent choice and develop a whole school reading culture.

Students will be able to choose their own book to keep from a list of 17 titles suitable for 11-13 year olds and selected by a panel of experts.

REFURBISHMENT A selection of some of the mainstream titles included: We have been delighted to receive  Murder in Midwinter – Fleur Hitchcock new book cases in the Upper  The Boundless – Kenneth Oppel Library/Sixth Form area. These are  S.C.R.E.A.M. – The Mummy’s Revenge now housing our Sixth Form history  The It Girl: Superstar Geek – Katy Birchall and careers section and look very smart.  Wonder – R J Palacio  Ocean Animals – Johnna Rizzo  Phoenix – S F Said  Danger is Everywhere – David O’Doherty

6TH FORM BOOK CLUB (with cakes) Now in its 3rd year but with our new Student Library Assistant Manager, Jennifer Mills in charge.

Jennifer will soon be re-launching the student book club and has some great new ideas. The club will run regularly on the 3rd Thursday of every month and will include homemade cakes or biscuits!

For further information on joining the group, please see Jennifer or ask at the Library desk. Library and Information Centre … … working together

… … reaching goals together

YEAR 7 LIBRARY ASSISTANT TRAINING/DUKE OF EDINBURGH We now have our team of Librarian Assistants and DofE volunteers up and running with their new training programme. Some of our students continued from last year so have been able to hit the ground running with their knowledge and have been a great help in supporting the training of the new team.

We will be joined by a member of the Schools’ Library Service team , Hannah, towards the end of the year to help provide further training to enhance the students understanding of the value of the Library.

ALCESTER SCHOOLS’ BOOK AWARDS Returning for its fourth year is the eagerly anticipated Alcester Schools’ Book Award. Librarians and Student Librarians from the three local schools; AGS, & St. Benedict’s, are currently shortlisting 5 books for the competition.

This Year, AGS will be playing host to a visit from a successful author. The event is hugely popular and really gets the students excited about reading again.

In the past we have had incredibly imaginative writing and illustrating workshops as part of the visit so watch this space for an update of what to expect this coming year!

A sneak - peek at some of the shortlist….

BOOK DONATION ‘Trouble Makers by Catherine Barter’ We have recently been sent a gift of Catherine’s excellent, new novel.

Catherine was a student of in the 1990’s and her debut book has been well received with a positive review in ‘The Guardian’. We would like to wish her all the best with her future writing career. Further information can be found at: www.andersenpress.co.uk

Catherine Barter grew up in Warwickshire, and then lived in Norwich for ten years, where she worked in a library, a bookshop, and for an organisation campaigning for the rights of garment workers. After gaining a PhD in American literature, she swapped academia for the lucrative world of independent bookselling. Currently she lives in East London and co-manages Housmans, a radical independent bookshop in King’s Cross. English News

SCHOOLS’ CHALLENGE On Monday 20th November eight students from Years 10 to 13 ventured off to the faraway lands of Worcester to compete in the Schools Challenge competition.

After not getting lost, courtesy of Mr Owen, we waited to find out the order of our playoffs. Split into two teams, we filed off, with one team besting both of their opponents, while the other team faced the remaining A teams.

After a long-fought battle and significant victories, one AGS team reached the semi-final stage. In the semi-finals (the eventual winners) fielded an excellent team and unfortunately spelled the end of this year’s run.

I want to say a big thank you to all who took part, as well as Miss Humphries and Mr Owen, and hope that as the old AGS guard move on you’ll keep on impressing the myriad of private schools that take part. Harry Brooks Year 13

THINKING SKILLS AS LEVEL Thinking Skills AS level was once again launched at Sixth Form Open Evening for the most able students in Year 11, as part of our Aim High programme for those who aspire to study medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry and at Oxbridge.

The syllabus is run by Cambridge International Examination Board and provides students with an outstanding opportunity to hone their high level problem solving and critical thinking skills. It has proven most popular with our current Year 12 cohort who are taught by Dr Carr (Aim High co-ordinator) and Mrs Atkinson (Head of English).

Both internal and external students were invited to apply for this prestigious and exclusive group. 25 successful applicants from an outstanding field attended their first Thinking Skills session with Dr Butterworth (Head of Chemistry) and Mr Gill (Aim High co-ordinator from January 2018) on Wednesday 6th December. They will continue to attend monthly sessions throughout Years 11 and 12, culminating in the AS exams in summer 2019. Completing the team is Thinking Skills Year 11 co-ordinator Ms McLean (Assistant Head of Sixth Form), who will teach the next session, and under whose aegis these exceptional students will undoubtedly continue to flourish.

SOVEREIGN EDUCATION Once again, our Sixth Form English students have been offered the opportunity to attend the university level lecture days in preparation for their A levels.

Wednesday 29th November saw a day of lectures on Othello, and this will be followed by a revision day on the classic play A Streetcar Named Desire in March 2018. Mr Owen

WRITING CLUB The Aspiring Wordsmiths are continuing to meet under the expert guidance of Jennifer Mills in Year 13. Any budding writers out there, do come along! We meet on Tuesdays at 12.40pm in EN1. Mrs Bremner-Smith Maths News

SENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE Over 60 students in Year 12 and 13 recently took part in the Senior Maths Challenge. The challenge involves intriguing multiple choice question papers, which are designed to stimulate interest in maths in large numbers of pupils. Of the 60 that took part 49 students gained a certificate with 6 of these qualifying for additional rounds.

Jamie Brown, Robin Mason and Matt Tristam qualified for the Senior Kangaroo. Izumu Mishima, Thomas Hawkins and Mehrdad Halali qualified for the prestigious British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1.

The Maths Department would like to wish these 6 students the best of luck with their upcoming rounds.

SENIOR TEAM MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE Izumu Mishima, Thomas Hawkins, Mehrdad Halali and Alexander Stronach recently represented Alcester Grammar School in the Senior Maths Challenge.

The STMC is a competition testing mathematical, communication and teamwork skills, and students compete against teams from other schools and colleges from their region.

The students performed brilliantly gaining second place in this very challenging competition.

MATHS IN ACTION Year 12 and 13 mathematics, further mathematics and statistic students had the opportunity to visit London to enjoy inspirational mathematics lectures at our new venue in the Emmanuel Centre in central London. The lectures included topics ranging from those classical and intriguing problems that mathematicians have puzzled over for centuries to cutting edge applications of mathematics to computer systems, encryption and science.

Some of the topics included ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem,’ ‘Drinking from the Firehose – Data Science,’ ‘Getting things Done,’ ‘A Mind for Maths,’ ‘Are we Made of Maths?,’ and ‘Science v Sport.’ The lectures were targeted specifically to sixth form mathematicians and proved both challenging and enjoyable. Students then had several hours to explore central London in small groups and partake in the many social and cultural attractions that are located within walking (and tube) distance of our new venue in the heart of Westminster. Many students chose to visit the Parliament Buildings, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, the British Museum and Oxford Street.

Our journey to and from London and through the London Underground was smooth without even the suggestion of a delay (amazing based on previous years!). Both trips proved a massive success and the students’ behaviour and attitude were exemplary. I am immensely proud of all of the students who came with us and it was wonderful to see them all acting as mature young adults when given such a high degree of freedom and independence. We hope they found it a valuable and memorable experience! Mr Wade Science News

Physics

SIXTH FORM LED PRIMARY MASTERCLASSES IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ROYAL INSTITUTION Throughout the autumn term, 8 of our Year 13 students have been working hard to plan and deliver a series of after school sessions for students from some of our local primary schools. The sessions are part of a Masterclass series which have been developed with the support of The Royal Institution, who trained the students on how to plan and deliver the sessions.

Every week, the primary students have come to AGS and received an hour and a half long session focussing on some aspect of the use of maths in physics, with the sessions been entirely planned and delivered by our Year 13 students. They have had sessions on density, speed, gravity and electrical circuits. They were then visited by Alison from the Royal Institution who talked them through Magic Squares and how to create their own mathematical problems. The final session then involved reviewing all the work they had done over the previous 5 weeks.

The response from the primary school students has been superb, they were animated and engaged (despite coming to us having already completed a full day at school) and thoroughly enjoyed getting a taste of what physics will be like once they begin secondary school.

Our Sixth Form students worked very hard to plan their sessions at an appropriate level and were able to build great relationships with the students very quickly. Despite probably never having done anything like this before, they were able to enthuse and inspire them about studying physics and maths at a secondary level.

We already have our Year 12 students lined up to deliver the sessions next year and are looking forward to welcoming our next group of primary students.

A LEVEL PHYSICS OLYMPIAD The annual Oxford University Physics Olympiad is an examination-based competition that has a dual purpose: to challenge and reward the best physicists in British schools and to select the UK Physics Team for competition at international level. The competition takes place in a number of rounds, beginning with the A2 challenge. This year we had 6 students take part. The students completed a 1 hour paper which required them to extend their thinking well beyond the work they have done in the classroom. The questions really stretched and challenged students, and gave them an insight into what University – level physics may be like. It was a huge achievement to have completed the paper. Having completed the A2 challenge, 4 of the students then completed Round 1 of the selection process by completing an additional 2 hour and 40 minute paper focussing on all aspects of A level physics and beyond. Huge congratulations go to all who took part; Luke Embley, Tom Hawkins, Izumu Mishima and Sam Price whose papers have now been sent to Oxford University Physics department for marking and we look forward to hearing how they got on. Science News Biology

BRISTOL ZOO TRIP OCTOBER 2017 Our first trip since starting at AGS. The day started with a coach trip, but it was worth it because we had such a fun experience; touching what might be the softest mammal alive, buying exclusive gifts for family at the Bristol Zoo shop.

One of the best parts was when the whole class became one group at the end and we all entered the twilight zone (which is an enclosure for nocturnal animals), we had to be extremely quiet to not startle or frighten these creatures. Some of my classmates say that their favourite part of the trip was when Mrs O’Mahony let us go around in small groups at the end.

We didn’t get away from doing some work though. We had to fill in a worksheet containing a challenging crossword and completing around six to seven mini fact files to help the class to remember key information about their favourite endangered animal. There was a lovely prize for the best sheets in each form.

We even got to meet our distant relatives, monkeys. Did you know that 99% of species of animal that ever lived are now extinct? It was a great day trip and I would recommend it to anyone joining AGS in September.

Emily Martin 7LW

YEAR 10 SCIENCE IN ACTION TRIP This December, we had the opportunity to visit Warwick University and attend numerous science lectures beneficial to the current GCSE syllabus, which wasn’t nearly as boring as it sounds. The lectures themselves covered a variety of interesting topics, ranging from chemistry you can do in your kitchen, to the kind of science you might read about in Sci-Fi books – things like bringing back extinct animals or embryo implantation and DNA modification. Not only was the venue and style of the day a real insight to university science, but the diversity of lecturers proved that, regardless of whether you’re younger or older, male or female, all kinds of people can ‘do science’ and be experts in their field, which was very inspiring. Overall, the ‘Science in Action’ trip proved that science can actually be pretty cool and that learning the stages of mitosis is actually worth it. Evie Beard Languages News

We started the Autumn Term celebrating the European Day of Languages.

WORLD BAKE OFF COMPETITION Our World Bake Off competition was incredibly popular again this year and we were delighted by all of the delicious entries. Our Sixth Form judging panel worked very hard, sampling the amazing entries from all across the globe and we all eventually decided on our winner. This year's Star Baker went to Kirsty Deely and Coralie Newman for their gluten free roulade and to Ellie Clark for her Black Forest Gateau.

Huge congratulations to everyone who took part. We are looking forward to next year's competition already!

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE VOCABULARY COMPETITION Our entry to the Northern Hemisphere vocabulary competition was another highlight this term. AGS were delighted to finish 3rd overall for German and 16th overall for French. AGS students answered almost a quarter of a million questions between them. We were able to give out an incredible 52 awards to students. Special mentions go to Ethan Yau, Abbey Venables and Nicholas Wing Hei Ho who scored more than 3000 points each and achieved the gold award. Dedicated linguists from across the school also took the opportunity to try out many new languages as well. Some of our students' comments were:

“I love doing this as it is a great way to learn languages in a fun and competitive way.” “This is so much fun.” “A very good app that allows students to learn their languages a lot easier.” “I think it’s a good way to revise.”

We are already looking forward to warmer weather and to our foreign visits in the summer of 2018. Over 120 students in Year 8 have booked their places on our residential visits to France and Germany in the summer term. Plans are progressing well and Miss Blud and I can’t wait to take so many of our students to these beautiful areas of Europe in July 2018. If you have reserved a place on either of these trips, please check Parentpay for details of further payments due for these trips. Languages News

LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA Ms Valera organised a trip on the evening of Friday 8th December for Year 13 Spanish students to watch the play they are studying as part of their course at the Cervantes Theatre in London. The play was in Spanish and the actors were all from Spain and Latino-America. It was a fantastic experience for our students to see such an authentic and amazing performance.

The students thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a real asset to help them analyse the main themes of the play.

On Wednesday 22nd November Ms Valera and Mrs Mason took a group of our Sixth Form linguists to Aston University to participate in their Languages Day. The students had the opportunity to find out about the large variety of courses involving languages that they can study at university, together with specific information about Aston University Campus.

In the afternoon they experienced taster sessions on a language of their choice. Many of our students really enjoyed learning Chinese while others enjoyed Arabic and Portuguese. They also had an opportunity to learn about a wide range of cultural topics and practise their speaking skills which allowed them broaden their language knowledge. Overall it was a very enjoyable day and we look forward to taking our linguists again next year , if possible.

WORK EXPERIENCE A Level language students are also seizing the fantastic opportunity to travel abroad to complete their Sixth Form work experience placements.

Several Year 12 students have now booked their places and we can't wait to hear about their visits and placements later in 2018. This is an excellent opportunity to stand out in your UCAS application or indeed any future job applications, and you will certainly have an incredible time.

Please see your language teachers for further details.

Back at AGS, the Modern Languages department have been busy supporting our exam classes with extra sessions. Year 11, 12 and 13 students should be encouraged to attend these sessions next term, as they complete the final preparations for their summer exams.

Finally, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas - Joyeux Noël, Frohe Weihnachten, Feliz Navidad. Mrs J Rose and the MFL Department Drama News

Our GCSE and A level pupils have had a busy term devising some fantastically innovative and entertaining theatre and showing AGS’s Drama Department off in the best possible light.

GCSE DEVISED EXAMS GCSE pupils showed creativeness beyond their years developing some brilliantly topical theatre utilising ensemble movement, versatile set design and engaging plot devices to show their skills off in their best light.

TIME An homage to the great woman of history this play looked at the dreams of a series of female workers in the offices of TIME magazine, a workplace dominated by sexist males who treat woman like thoughtless machines. Their dreams took the audience on a journey through time showing iconic female role models who stood up for what they believed in. However, these dreams eventually inspired the woman to take drastic but necessary action, against their male bosses, in order to be heard. With a climax that left the audience guessing until the last moment this physical, fast moving piece of theatre was a whirlwind to watch. The play starred Louis Hempell, Sophie Duff, Ella Morrow, Alice Dankenbring, Georgie James and Ben Hall.

ASSISTED A play sensitively dealing with the subject of Euthanasia, this piece focused on the life of terminally ill patient Natalie and the impact her illness and eventual choice to have her life ended has on the life of those around her. Her friends and family look for answers while her Doctor and other hospital staff becomes embroiled in her choice and finds the aftermath of the event particularly tough to take, leaving them searching for redemption. With a cleverly adaptable set and live music interwoven beautifully with the narrative this play was a charmingly thought-provoking piece. The play starred Ailsa Dobbie, Greg Harris, Emma Elias, Morgan Sanghera, Natalie Petrie-Hay and set was designed by Eleanor Timothy.

CONSEQUENCES A group of friends find themselves locked in a room together with the dark figure of “Consequence” looming over them watching their every move. They quickly realise that they are contestants competing against each other in a sinister gameshow of which they are unaware of the rules or how anyone can truly win. Slowly but surely Consequence reveals the motives behind their imprisonment and they are left asking if they will ever break free from the nightmare they are in. The brilliantly contrasting characters narratives in this piece developed the play in a thrilling manner up until the last possible twist. The play starred Alex Fox, Lenni Wright, Tara Rafferty, Charlie Dalton, Olivia Hunt and Clare Coates. Drama News

A LEVEL DEVISED EXAMS A level pupils took on the daunting task of working in the style of one of the most complex and innovative practitioners of our time, Complicite. With seamless ensemble movement and intricate use of technology weaving its way through their productions Complicite are at the forefront of modern theatre making and pupils did them justice in their dramatic interpretations.

A NUMBER Mya has never felt at home around her family and has always longed for a place to feel needed and accepted. The army are the backbone of this futuristic dystopian society and everywhere adverts cry out for the public to enlist and help fight for the greater good. Her childhood drawings of soldiers reflect her desire to serve and lead her to enrol in the army where she hopes to do her family proud and serve her country. However, as she leaves her family and takes to the battlefield she realises that she has become nameless, a faceless entity on a frontline where soldiers are known solely as their number and are used as a cog in the bigger machine of the government. Mya feels as lost as she did at home and it is only when she sees her comrades fall in droves without the faintest acknowledgement from authority that she realises her error all too late. Film, music and motion were interwoven innovatively to develop this complex but moving plot. This play starred Ellie Butcher, George Bicknell, Toby Newton, Sophie Price and Jennifer Mills.

CARPO Six strangers wake up in a locked room with no recollection of how they arrived there. Despite their appeals for information they are left to piece together how they are all connected and what has brought them to this fate. The play follows key moments of each characters’ life which connect them in interesting and intriguing ways. The events weave a clever narrative that reveals a sinister corporation “Carpo” that have generated a deadly virus in order to cull an overbearing population that is destroying the earth. Flashbacks were ingeniously explored using a combination of live footage and fist person camera angles and a soundtrack of calm classical music underscored the sinister events creating an effective juxtaposition of artistic ideas. The play starred George Bray, Freya Liddell, Sarah O’Shea, Eamon Harrison & Rebecca Greaves.

F.E.A.R In a society where fears can be cured instead of crippling you, James, Charlotte and Sophie are all anxious to get treatment for their ailments. James’ lives his mundane life in fear of death. Charlotte’s mother has forced her into treatment for her ridiculous doll fear after it ruins a family birthday party and Sophie cannot bear being near the unwashed masses at her work as her OCD consumes her. F.E.A.R’s facilities are clean and professional and seem like the solution to all of their problems but their techniques are mysterious and controversial. This brilliantly abstract piece of theatre used ensemble movement and cleverly placed video interludes to move the narrative along and leave the audience questioning where the line is drawn between treatment and experimentation. This play starred Millie Henderson-Purves, Florence Minchella, Caitlin Taylor, Ben Evans & Lauren Osborne. Drama News Alcester Grammar School Presents Guys & Dolls

Set in 1930s New York, Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit are serial gamblers whose love of betting gets them both in hot water with their leading ladies. Sarah Brown, a devout missionary and Miss Adelaide star of the “Hot Box” cabaret give the guys a run for their money in this fast-paced tale that takes us from the sewers of Broadway to the bars of Havana in Cuba, showing the lengths a guy will go to for a doll! A fantastic cast from Years 9 – 13 give every bit of their energy to this witty, funny and physical piece of theatre. Starring Florence Cain (BBC Chorister of the Year), Ben Hall (Black Belt in Tai Kwondo), Tom Pedley (Level 4 Recorder) and Phoebe Smith (Year 12s Sassiest Female) it is defiantly one to put your money on. 6th, 7th & 8th February 7.30pm Tickets £10, £7 for concessions Tickets Available in January on ParentPay Music News

It has been a very exciting and busy term for AGS music department and our pupils. Although it has only been a relatively short space of time since September, our incredibly talented pupils have achieved so much that they can be proud of.

The recent specification changes in music introduced nationally last year has seen our new GCSE and A level students getting to grips with a whole host of new and challenging subject material. Notably, it is the first time that any female composers have been featured as part of the curriculum and it is exciting that we are able to cover a wider range of different music with our pupils.

On Monday 4th December, our chamber choir visited The Shakespeare Hospice to perform in front of patients and staff there. Their first public performance of the year was so well received that they have been invited to perform again next year. The group is organised by sixth formers and have performed challenging material this term, including a stunning rendition of the four part A Capella choral piece ‘Locus Iste’ by Anton Bruckner.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT Tickets were sold out for the annual Christmas concert in the AGS theatre on Thursday 7th December. With over one hundred students involved there was a fantastic variety of acts on show. The concert also featured some exceptionally talented soloists who performed challenging repertoire, including Alex Bond in Year 11 who achieved a Merit for his Grade 8 piano exam earlier on in the week!

A number of our sixth formers also performed including: Florence Cain in Year 12, who sang If I Were A Bell from this years’ AGS musical production of ‘Guys and Dolls’, Hannah Gough in Year 13 who gave a superb rendition of ‘White Christmas’ and Beth Parry who played the first movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major.

The concert showcased excellent performances from Beat It! Strum, Senior Choir, Jazz Band, Wind Band and Orchestra among others. The talent on display also extended to the staff, a number of whom performed in the concert alongside students.

Thank you to all the students that have given up their time to be part of the music ensembles this term. It takes a lot of commitment and we are very grateful to all those who have attended rehearsals regularly and been so helpful in the run up to the concerts. A special thank you in particular goes to the stage management team for their exceptional stage managing skills on the night of the Christmas concert. The music department thanks you!

Thank you also to all of the staff that have supported the music department and helped out this term; your support is greatly appreciated. We look forward to making a lot more music in 2017!

On behalf of the music department, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ms Olivia James Director of Music Art News

PICTURE IT: YOUR ENVIRONMENT PHOTO COMPETITION This competition offered budding photographers an opportunity to get creative and explore how they interacted with or were inspired by the environment in everyday life. There was a fantastic response to the competition with nearly 1,000 entries and the judges had the hard task to shortlist nine finalists.

We're very pleased to announce that Charlotte Flower in Year 8 made it into the final nine shortlisted images.

To make the shortlist, images were judged on their originality, visual appeal, their description and how they captured the impact of environmental science on the photographer. Hundreds of visitors to the UnEarthed showcase in Edinburgh were then asked to pick their personal favourites.

What a fantastic achievement for Charlotte!

HOT OFF THE PRESS Chandler Tilling (Year 13) joined AGS in the Sixth Form with a keen interest in railways, automotive and aviation photography. He has continued to hone his technical skills during the A level photography course. His attention to detail, editing skills and his ability to spot a great composition has caught the eye of Railways Illustrated magazine.

Congratulations Chandler, for a very impressive feature in the December issue of the magazine.

YEAR 13 ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY CHRISTMAS SHOW The Year 13 art and photography Christmas show, which was due to be held on Wednesday 13th December, will be rescheduled for next term.

We will inform you of the date when it has been rearranged. Mr Smith Art News

GCSE MOCK EXAMS Our Year 11 students have been working on their mock exam projects throughout the autumn term. During this process they develop and fine-tune their ideas by improving their technical skills and by researching a wide range of artists.

The students were able to produce some excellent outcomes during the two day mock exam this month. Here are a small selection of their final pieces. PE News

TENNIS Our U18 boys have again entered the Aegon Senior Students Championships this year and have, thus far, had a very pleasing campaign.

With a tough group comprised of , KES Camphill and Hagley Catholic High School it was a huge achievement to not only top the group but also go unbeaten throughout. The knockout rounds now loom and this is something that both staff and students are very much looking forward to.

Players involved are Barney Williams, Harvey Williams, Tom Walsh, George Rogers and Spencer Knight.

CROSS COUNTY We always give a huge amount of respect for those students who train and compete in cross country; it shows a huge amount of physical fitness and mental determination.

The South Warwickshire trials, held at AGS showed an encouraging start, where a huge number of students competed for places in the South Warwickshire team. The pick of the results were as follows. Tulah Searle placed 3rd in the minor girls, Edie Hutchinson 3rd in senior girls, Isaac Bridge and Oscar Golinski 2nd and 3rd in minor boys, Adam Farrow and Isaac Searle 1st and 2nd in junior boys and Rhys Mahon 3rd in inter-boys. A large number of students were selected for the inter area event and acquitted themselves very well, with South Warwickshire winning five of six divisions. Well done to Oscar Golinski, Adam Taylor, Isaac Bridge, Gianluca Gladden, Ewan Morrish, Sam Godfrey, Tulah Searle, Abi Skinner, Rosie Barker, Amy Harthill, Isaac Searle, Jamie Robinson, Chris Hunt, George Fox-Rowe, Arthur Trotter, Harvey Ravenscroft, Ty Adkins and Rhys Mahon.

From strong results at this event a small selection of runners were given the privilege of running for Warwickshire. Tulah Searle finished as the top Warwickshire runner (12th) and both Tulah and Rosie Barker (67th) did fantastically well in their first Warwickshire senior school representative runs. We had consistent results in the minor boys age-group with Oscar Golinski (17th) and Adam Taylor (20th) displaying good endurance. In the juniors events Grace Golinski placed 43rd and in the boys race Adam Farrow (29th) , Isaac Searle (52nd), Jamie Robinson (60th) and Chris Hunt (64th) worked hard in a tough field.

Finally the inter boys race saw some strong running from Ty Adkins (55th) and Rhys Mahon (60th). Well done to all.

Each year we also enter the English School Cross Country Cup, and this year produced our best ever result. The junior boys team placed 8, 10, 13, 15, 18 and 25 (3rd overall) with the inter boys coming 4, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 (3rd overall).

We look forward to the Warwickshire School championships in January. PE News

RUGBY Rugby has had a very pleasing start with attendance at club being regularly high throughout the year groups, with one session hosting over 70 boys and girls! This positive start has seen us carry on into the dark nights for the Year 7s, 8s and 9s under floodlights at nearby Alcester RFC and still numbers continue to be encouraging.

At the start of the season we sent a combined Year 10 & 11 over to Prince Henry’s to take on a full Year 11 side, coming away with a fantastic 38-5 win on a beautiful summer’s day.

Year 9 have had a fantastic season. After a shaky start against Prince Henry’s they have since rallied to record a superb win against Warwick School and also go unbeaten in a recent tournament involving St Benedict’s, Henley and Myton. Well done!

Lower down the school Years 7 and 8 have both played excellently on the pitch. Most notably were two tournament performances: The Year 7 team went unbeaten at Alcester RFC against Southam, Myton, Alcester Academy, St Benedict’s and Shipston whilst the Year 8 team also went unbeaten at Stratford RFC against Shipston, Myton, Aylesford and Studley!

The 1st XV have had a strong start to the season winning 4 out of their first 5 matches. Encouraging displays against Prince Henry's, KES 5 Ways, Arden and Lucton have put the squad in a good position going in to a tough bout of matches both before and after the Christmas period.

With squad numbers finite, the boys are giving an excellent account of themselves so far this campaign and long may it continue.

A fantastic effort from all involved and thank you to those parents who have come along to support during the dark, cold nights. PE News

NETBALL As ever, it has been an incredibly busy start to the netball season at AGS, with over 150 students playing netball across Years 7-13. We are increasingly proud of the commitment our students show to the sport, with many now honing and developing their skills at clubs outside of school.

The enthusiasm and sportsmanship that our players display is outstanding, and makes all the hard work and late nights worthwhile!

The following are our results to date, with more to follow in the Spring term:

6TH FORM We have welcomed a large number of new players to our 6th form teams, and it’s always great to see the sixth formers using sport as a positive way to get to know each other. We are currently running 3 squads, but in reality could probably field a 4th as well! The Warwickshire county tournament is always on the calendar a little early for our A squad, while they are still in the process of gelling as a team and learning about each other’s strengths. This year we came up against tough opposition in the group stage from Higham Lane (eventual winners), Rugby and KES. The team demonstrated considerable improvements throughout the evening, and achieved a more than creditable 7th place. Our Wednesday afternoon fixture calendar has included matches against KES, Kingsley, and Lucton so far and we were delighted that both the A and B teams secured wins against Princethorpe - the first time in 4 years.

YEAR 11 Our Year 11 netball squad has gone from strength-to-strength this year as they continue to work hard and commit to matches and practices, despite a busy schedule away from the netball court. They are always an absolute pleasure to spend time with and the girls are a real credit to themselves and their parents. Most notably so far this season they achieved runners-up position at the South Warwickshire tournament, which is their best ever result. They were spurred on to success with the promise (bribe?!) of microwave passes to be used in the PE office. An unusual request, but one that clearly worked!

YEAR 10 Our Year 10 team have continued their success from Year 9 in the South Warwickshire league, and are unbeaten so far after matches against Stratford, Shipston, Studley and Henley. They went to their South Warwickshire tournament as defending champions, however just couldn’t perform to their best on the night, achieving 4th place. This will be a good test of the mentality of the squad to see if they can bounce back and win the league at the end of the season. You learn just as much, if not more, from a loss rather than a win, so we have things to work on and look forward to coming back stronger in the new year. Watch out South Warwickshire! PE News

YEAR 9 We continue to have over 25 girls playing netball in Year 9, so the squad rotates regularly during league and friendly matches. The squad has suffered some injuries this year, but this hasn’t stopped them demonstrating excellent progress and commitment.

We are still waiting for our first league win, but achieved a creditable 6th place at the South Warwickshire tournament in October. A number of players are developing excellent leadership skills, and I know their hard work will pay-off when league matches begin again in February.

YEAR 8 Over 30 girls are playing netball in Year 8, and so again there is a lot of rotation of squads in matches. Despite this, the girls have played some awesome netball and remain unbeaten in the South Warwickshire league. They all have excellent potential, and the relative ‘fight’ for places in the South Warwickshire tournament squad in February is very high. I can’t wait to see how they continue to progress and test their talents against the rest of South Warwickshire, and then Warwickshire. Exciting times ahead! The girls even managed to persuade some boys to our club, (who are always more than welcome), who were put through their paces and quite shocked by the standard of our teams!

YEAR 7 It’s always exciting to see how many new students to the school will join our extra-curricular clubs and make the most of the opportunities on offer. Our Year 7s have made a strong start to their AGS sporting life, and all committed players have been involved in a minimum of 2 matches so far, with more to come. They are learning and developing quickly and achieved their first win in mid-November against Studley. They are realising that our AGS ethos is about ‘sport for all’, and so we haven’t yet settled into ‘squads’ (and don’t intend to!) so that every player has an equal opportunity to improve. The pinnacle of the season will be the South Warwickshire tournament in February, so watch this space!

Individually, congratulations to Isobel Bridge (Year 10) who was selected for the Wasps U16 hub team, which is an outstanding achievement. Please continue to let Mrs Parsons know of individual achievements – she loves to hear about them!

SWIMMING The annual ESSA (English Schools Swimming Association) relays gala was held at Warwick school on the 6th October. We entered teams in the senior girls, intermediate boys and junior boys age-groups, with success across the board.

Our senior girls team (Issy Griffiths, Meg Moss, Poppy McGourlay, Rachel Joseph – all in 6DS) achieved the highest placings on the night, winning the medley relay and coming 3rd in the freestyle. Nationally, this placed them 43rd and 47th which meant they narrowly missed out on a place at the National finals.

The intermediate boys team were 6th in both the medley and freestyle relays, with the junior boys team 10th (medley) and 8th (freestyle).

We are currently hoping to take some teams to the Bromsgrove invitational gala in January, and then the South Warwickshire event will follow later in the Spring term. PE News

HOCKEY We have had a fantastic term of hockey this year with an impressive number of boys and girls involved from Year 7 through to Year 13.

Year 7 had a good start to the year playing in a mini tournament against Prince Henry's and winning all of their games. They have had a fixture rearranged for later on in December against Stratford and Shottery, in addition to a fixture against King Henry's Coventry and their South Warwickshire tournament that is coming up in January. Numbers at Friday lunch time hockey club have also been fantastic with over 20 attending each week.

Our Year 8 team have also had successful trips to Prince Henry's, Shottery and Stratford High. It is promising to see so many students joining local hockey clubs allowing them to play regularly at the weekends.

Year 10 and 11 have had a range of results against Aylesford, Prince Henry's, Stratford and in their South Warwickshire Tournament where they ended up finishing 3rd.

We have had a record number of fixtures and students involved in hockey this year which has been fantastic for development.

The newly formed 6th Form hockey team have had two mixed fixtures so far and have won both fixtures

With a lot of potential in the team we are looking to secure more fixtures in the new year.

A special thank you to Mrs O'Mahony, Hope Dickson and Ella Longden for helping out at hockey club. PE News

BASKETBALL This year’s basketball season has started in earnest with over 60 students regularly attending their respective training sessions.

Year 7 students have been training hard and have shown themselves to be a talented year group of players. We wish them well in their imminent South Warwickshire tournament and their fixture in the Junior NBA Birmingham competition.

Year 8 have had an influx of new players, as well as some returning from last season. They recently took on the Year 9 team and despite a loss, gave a good account of themselves to prepare for league matches in their South Warwickshire pool against St Benedict’s and Alcester Academy.

The Year 9 team had to dig deep against Alcester Academy, who had improved hugely from last season, but the addition of a few new and capable players has bolstered their squad with additional height and skill. Their first national league match against George Salter Academy was a close affair, with AGS running out of time after closing down their opponents in the second half. Final score 34-29.

Most of Year 10’s fixtures this year are scheduled for after Christmas, but have many talented players, some of which are getting game time with the Year 11 team. Come next year, they will be a very skilled team.

Year 11 have had a most successful start to their national league campaign, winning both of their matches and bagging themselves a place in the national knock-out rounds. Their confidence and motivation is high and this bodes well for their district cup match and are hoping to qualify for the Level 3 school games finals.

A special mention should go to the 6th form team, whose commitment to training has been exceptional.

With a large squad, we have been able to rotate players who are less experienced but also win matches! Their national league game against George Salter has extended their unbeaten run, winning 70-80, and look forward to future results.

ROWING On 20th November AGS competed in the regional indoor rowing competition at Alcester Academy. The school entered a team into the combined Year 7-8 competition and Year 9-10. Both teams were hugely successful and won the event in their respective year group.

The Year 7-8 team won by over a huge 300m and the 9-10 team managed to beat close rivals Shipston by 150m with a dominant relay display. Congratulations to both teams who will now go on to represent South Warwickshire at the level 3 games.

Years 7-8: Aaron Ke, Ethan Yau, Sulli Berry and Chris Hunt. Years 9-10: Addi Price, Jake Simian, Dan Bastock and Duncan Repton. PE News

FOOTBALL Although the football season is yet to be upon us there are still cup runs to report in both Year 8 and Year 11. The Year 8 team started their campaign with a strong win against Alcester Academy in the Mid and South Warwickshire Cup but were unfortunate to lose narrowly to Kineton in the next round. The squad then turned their attention to the Midlands Divisional Cup with a tough home fixture against , resulting in a very encouraging 5-3 win after a resurgent comeback from the visitors in the closing 10 minutes. Next up was Q3 Academy and once again the draw was kind to us with a home fixture. The whole team rallied and fought ferociously throughout, resulting in a very pleasing 5-4 victory! The next round now awaits as we now look to likely travel away and continue the momentum.

The Year 11 team approached the Premier League U16 Small Schools’ Cup buoyant this year after last year’s pleasing run. A bye in the first round meant they travelled away for their first game against Bicester School fairly rusty and out of practice. After a close game in which AGS could’ve possibly nicked a goal, the tie finished 0-0 and went to penalties. A great save from Oli Jerrim coupled with some excellent and composed penalties from our boys, meant the result ended 5-4 in our favour. We now look forward to the last 32 of the competition and a home draw against The Kibworth School.

6th Form football has kicked off with vigour this season, with the school running 3 representative teams. The 1st XI, have produced some strong results with wins over Southam and a huge 7-1 win over Aylesford. Although they were knocked out of the ESFA cup to a strong South Bromsgrove team, they have reached the semi-finals of the mid and South Warwickshire Cup. The 2nds and 3rds have had mixed fortune, often playing against older and more experienced opposition. The 2nd team highlight so far has been a 3-3 draw against , having gone 3-0 down. Both 2nds and 3rds also remain in the Mid and South Warwickshire Cup and have knockout fixtures approaching soon.

CALSHOT 2017 Another fantastic year in Southampton at our annual trip to Calshot Activity Centre. Year 12 A-level P.E students braved the sunny but cold conditions of an October sea to participate in a range of fantastic activities, including Windsurfing and Kayaking. It’s safe to say this group aren’t lacking a competitive edge.

The 25 strong group threw themselves at any opportunity and challenge that was put their way. There were some impressive performances during the activities. Particularly the Speed Climb which was completed in 19 seconds. A new record for visitors to the centre. Other activities included Velodrome track cycling, ski-ing, climbing and a range of shooting activities. All of which approached with a sense of team work and in high spirits.

The students and staff all enjoyed the trip and there were murmurings of taking up some of the new activities they had experiences. Charitable News

On 11th November AGS hosted the third annual Manisha UK Row Everest challenge. Excellent levels of commitment and fitness were shown by all those who took part. Congratulations to Duncan Repton, Jake Simian and Addison Price who all completed the 8,848m row individually in very respectable times.

A special congratulations to Guy Allison who became the youngest person to complete the challenge individually. A huge thank you to all who took part, a fantastic event for a truly worthwhile cause.

AGS KIT IN UGANDA

We were delighted to receive the attached photograph of youngsters in Uganda wearing AGS kit which was donated and sent to them over the Summer. It seems a fitting way to ensure that old/second-hand kit continues to be well used, and the boys look ecstatic (with the notable exception of the youngster in the front row without AGS kit!!)

MCMILLAN COFFEE MORNING We were pleased to host a Macmillan coffee morning again this year in the staff room on Friday 29th September.

The event was very well supported, with a number of staff baking some yummy treats, and many more eating them!

The total amount raised was £202.58 and we were proud to be able to support such a good cause.

Thank you to everyone who was involved. Volunteering News

INDIA Over October half term, a group of 16 Year 12 and 13 students and staff travelled to India, taking in the sights of the infamous ‘Golden Triangle’ in Northern India. Our first stop was Jaipur, where, despite the majority of students (and staff) having slept through the bus journey and missing out on the beautiful sights and sounds of Jaipur, everyone was rested enough to enjoy the elephant rides around the Amer Fort the following day. From here, we travelled to Agra, home to one of the modern wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. Having marvelled in the wonder of this huge marble mausoleum, and taking our fill of cliché tourist photos, replicating the classic ‘Princess Diana’ pose, we hopped on another bus, taking us to Ramthambore. After a sweltering 6-hour journey, once we’d finally arrived at our accommodation, Miss Dilks and Mrs Mackey jumped into the swimming pool fully clothed to cool off! Here we were fortunate enough to spot a tiger whilst on safari, an increasingly rare sight, which made us all feel as though we were on an episode of Planet Earth!

The next week was spent volunteering at a local primary school in Jodhpur, as part of the Mandore Schools Project. This allowed students to make a positive impact on underprivileged communities, and to improve their own practical skills! Over the course of the week, we built a new toilet block and painted the children’s classrooms, alongside teaching the children everything from basic English phrases to shapes, colours and animals, as well as of course playing sports with them in their down time. In the afternoons, we took excursions to the Thar desert, riding camels and racing down sand dunes. We were also lucky enough to watch the beautiful sunset from the desert, which was an experience that will not be forgotten for years to come. We also tried our hand at some adventure sports, zip wiring over Jodhpur fort, which was a unique way to see the city, and even the staff plucked up the courage to have a go!

Our final stop was India’s capital city, Delhi, where we visited some of the main sights, such as the Red Fort and the Gandhi’s house and memorial sight, giving us a great insight into India’s troubled yet varied history. This truly was an incredible trip where both students and staff learnt a great deal about the cultural differences between the UK and India and were able to explore a rich and diverse country.

Many thanks to all staff who accompanied the trip, and to our Indian guide, Sanjay, without whom this trip would not have been possible. DofE News

This term has been one of the busiest ever on the DofE front. In September, 7 teams successfully completed their Silver assessed expedition in the Peak District while at the start of October our biggest ever Gold group of 42 students navigated their way around the Black Mountains to complete their assessed expedition. We have also had over 200 students complete an award this term with a bumper crop of Bronze awards due to the changes in the age students can start Bronze. This term has also seen many ‘behind the scene’ changes as the school has successfully been certified as a ‘Directly Licensed Centre’.

Congratulations to the following students who have recently completed an award:

Gold: Thomas Savage, Max Britton, Ellie Wakefield-Clarke, Ellie Hughes, Jesse Higson, Eve Warrender, Alexander Dior and Isobel Wilson

Silver: Alice Ragsdale, George Bray, Oscar Holland, Victoria Robbins, Chloe Bishop, Rebecca Harrison, Tazmin Chape, Gwilym Davis, Lucian Devas, Ewan Dunnett, Edie Hutchinson, Luca Bartlett, Millie Knight, Marianne Botterill, Jamie Brown, Eleanor Fenton, Stewart Crossland, Gregory Moore, Henry Sherrington- Lodge, Samuel Woodger, William Sanderson, Kaziah McGahan, Robin Mason, Jenny Markham, Dominic Furey, Evelyn Mallon, Lauren Linekar, James Lake, Jenna Hughes, Megan White, Noah Heward, Erin Gailey, Patrick Bonsall, Kathryn Phillips, Thomas Grace, Olivia Casey, Bradley Usher, Joe Hunt, Jonathan Lee, William Perry, Kirsty Witheford, Hannah Whitehead, Felix Shears.

Bronze: Liam Amor, Jack Arrowsmith, Rose Ashley, Jake Barnes, Olivia Beattie, Luke Bridger, Aidan Budd, Esme Cottam, Charlie Dalton, Aimee Drake, Talei Dunn, Amber Elliott, Matthew Farrell, Patrick Fewins, Alexander Fox, Thomas Garstang, Lucy Goldsmith, Benjamin Hall, Tom Hipwell, Daniel Hudson, Olivia Hunt, Georgina James, Ogo Juwah, Katie Macnee, Phoebe Malin, Rory Mallon, Rebecca Parkin, Harry Parmar, Ben Possee, Molly Poyner, Morgan Sanghera, Ella Shalom, Benjamin Shepherd, Matthew Smith, Eleanor Straker, Lorna Thackway, Nicholas Thornton, Joseph Tipping, Leo Welzel, Hannah West, Francesca Wiseman, Hannah Bamford, Benedict Coupe, Rory Deely, Daisy Denning, Eleanor Foster, Anna Gionis, Yasmin Grinham, Eleanor Jones, Stephanie Jones, Mohammed Khan, Rhys Mahon, Amelia Melville-Green, Jodie Palmer, Thea Pepperell, Thomas Perks, Tara Rafaty, Agatha Scholes, Molly Seaborn, Eleanor Turner, Thomas Vaughan, Louis Walsh, Euan Roberts, Molly Gill-Swift, Zain Iqbal, Evie Beard, Calum Blackie, Taiya Cooper, Abigail Dauncey, Grace Hollis, Isabelle Hopper, Isobel Howroyd, Ava Mathias, Lucy White, Arran Willmott, Alex Evans, Caitlin O'Hanlon, Luke Smith, Bertie Borodi, William Flynn, Lorna Higham, Joshua Hull, Emily McMillan, Oliver Smith, James Baker, Ty Adkins, Louis Barnard, Daniel Bastock, Lily Bell, Matthew Bell, Abigail Perrott, Amelia Frost, Amy Gemmill, Krishma Dheir, Harry Lyden, Naman Kalyan, Emilie Cooke, Charles Harrison, Madelaine Clark, Ross Sumners, Suzune Mishima, Freya Ramsay, Amity Fenton, Aran Woodger, Sophie Smith, Bryony Trotter, Alexander Theodossiades, Lydia Mitchell, Madeleine Price, Duncan Repton, Elena Nakariakova, Jamie Noble, Matthew Tingle, Natasha Formby, Maddie Hyder, Jack Smith, Addison Price, Anna Scicluna, Rebecca Griffiths, Sam Bayliss, Theo Brettell, Molly Povey, Ben Earls, Harry Sugden, Ella Yendall, Samuel Long, William Whiting, Bethan Cox, Jacob Hague, Mollyn Gwynne, Harjot Sahota, Katie Lees, Sophie Duff, Isobel Kynoch, Charlotte Ashmore, Emer Flanagan, Isobel Bridge, Jamie Chance, Euan Owen, Henry Teehan, Dominic Padro, Dylan Jones, Cameron Palmer, Daniel Bowen, Kim Jackson, Joseph Winter, Celia Wright, James Johnson, Abishek Elangovan, Maisie Gravestock and Jack Chew.

SPORTS HALL The aim of Alcester Grammar School Sports Facility is to develop sport, particularly for young participants, by making the facility available to sports clubs who offer structured sporting opportunities, or by providing sessions run by qualified coaches. The Sports Hall is available for booking 6-10pm Monday-Friday. Weekend availability is dependent on business needs.

THINKING OF STARTING A NEW CLASS OR A NEW VENTURE? Booking charges per hour: Sports Hall (whole) £30 Sports Hall (half) £20 For further details please contact the school on 01789 762494 or email Louise Bennett, [email protected] for more information. AGS Term Dates 2017-18

Spring Term 2018

Term begins Monday 8th January 2018

INSET day Friday 2nd February 2018 (no students in school)

Half Term Monday 19th - Friday 23rd February 2018 (inclusive)

Term ends Thursday 29th March 2018

Summer Term 2018

Term begins Monday 16th April 2018

May Bank Holiday Monday 7th May 2018

Half Term Monday 28th May - Friday 1st June 2018 (inclusive)

Term ends Friday 20th July 2018

Autumn Term 2018

Term begins Wednesday 5th September 2018 (Year 7 Welcome Day; Year 13 Welcome Back Day; No Years 8-12s in school) Thursday 6th September 2018 (Year 12 Welcome Day; Year 13 Reading Day; Years 8-11s return)

Friday 7th September 2018 (All students in school)

Dates for your Diary All of our school events are available to view on the school calendar. Visit alcestergs.co.uk to access the calendar and download it.