Spring 2015 Issue - Wirral Grammar School for Boys

Spring 2015 Issue - Wirral Grammar School for Boys

Nuntius
WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A Business and Enterprise School for Boys
NatWest Cup
Semi-Final
for U15s
After navigating through
the year’s season fixtures
undefeated, the season
culminated in a well deserved
place in the semi-final of the
national NatWest Cup at Allianz
Park Stadium, North London,
against QEGS Wakefield.
With plenty of support in the stands
and the match being streamed live
through the RFU website, the lads
put on a brave performance. The first
half was a particularly tight and tense
affair, with our boys arguably dominating
the possession and territory but QEGS
were the ones that found themselves
in front 10-0 at the break. Conceding
first after half time meant we were
always chasing the game and despite
Will Tyrer collecting his 33rd try of the
campaign the opposition eventually
ran out 29-5 winners.
Spring 2015
British Airways
Language Flag
Award Success
Despite the result, we enjoyed a
fantastic experience over the weekend,
and the boys will have come away with
memories to cherish long down the
line. Take nothing away from this group
of players, who have become Wirral
Grammar School’s most successful U15
side to date. It has been an absolute
pleasure to coach the team this year
and see them develop into tremendous
players, and I would like to thank the
whole squad for all of their efforts.
Thanks must also go to Mr. Crowley
and Mr. McKinney for all their help and
support, and to all the parents who have
followed and supported the team so
diligently both home and away.
Mr Griffies
U15 Coach
We are pleased to announce that
British Airways have recognised the
school as being the most outstanding
for this year. The school received
two trophies and a prize of £500
Linguascope vouchers.
We received the following news
from Deborah Workman, Languages
Programme Manager: “I am pleased
to say that this year your school has
achieved the highest number of passes
out of all the schools and all of the
teachers in the UK. It is a real pleasure
to be able to congratulate you on your
fantastic achievement.”
The British Airways Language Flag
Award is a language qualification which
our Year 9 sat last year in order to give
them recognition for their achievements
within French. The qualification mimics
real life situations. We are thrilled with
the boys’ success.
Mr J Hughes
Head of Modern Foreign Languages
Cross Lane, Bebington, Wirral, CH63 3AQ Tel: 0151 644 0908
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A Business and Enterprise School for Boys
Headteacher’s
Welcome
RSC Young Analyst’s
Competition
It has been a pleasure to see pupils excelling
in so many varied ways and benefitting from
some very special enrichment opportunities
this term.
On Saturday 7th of March Sam Fisher, Luke Hassall and myself (Elliot Fisher)
travelled to Liverpool University with Dr Bromley as a team of chemists to take
part in the Young Analyst Competition run by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
We arrived and registered at 9.00am for a briefing and introduction in the
lecture theatre which included how to use the equipment safely. The whole
competition was to test for the amount of chlorine found in swimming pools
which is used to kill microorganisms such as cryptosporidium. Our task was
to carry out a series of titrations in great precision to determine the exact
amount of chemicals being used in the pool water. This was achieved by
adding chemicals together drop by drop until the indicator went from black to
colourless. Overall we spent two and a half hours in the undergraduate lab,
filled with about twenty other teams from North West schools all competing for
the most accurate results. The time raced past, but we managed to finish and
record all our calculations before going to lunch to relax.
As I write this piece, the final rehearsals for
‘Evita’ are underway; the set is in place and
our student led backstage team is putting the
final touches to the technical details. I have
no doubt ‘Evita’ will be a huge success and
provide lasting memories for everyone who
has taken part.
Sporting achievement has been a particular
joy this term and we were delighted to see
our U15s in the NatWest Vase Semi-Final
down at Allianz Park (home of the Saracens)
in North London. Despite playing a superb
game we were defeated by a very strong QEGS
(Wakefield) side. For our boys to be performing
so well at National level at this stage, bodes
very well for the future. A further sporting
success has been for our Year 9 Basketball
Team who won the Wirral Schools’ Basketball
Competition in March.
Both our Music Society Competition and our
Spring Concert took place before Easter and
it is always a pleasure to see so many pupils
taking part across our full range of ensembles.
Well done to our Music Competition Winners
this year: Peter Clough (Junior Section), William
Bracken (Intermediate Section) and Sam
Hartharn-Evans (Senior Section). Performances
by all of this year’s competitors were a joy
to behold.
Following lunch we were invited to a lecture by Dr Lorelly Wilson. She gave
demonstrations showing how chemistry isn’t just about calculations and how
“wonderful” it can actually be. Dr Wilson only used household chemicals such
as lard, olive oil and bicarbonate of soda to display what we can do with our
knowledge of Chemistry. She was enthusiastic and shared her knowledge in
an exciting way that we found inspiring.
Overall it was an inspirational day. We were pleased to have taken part in it
and the experience definitely gave us a positive insight into university life,
along with excellent practice for our Chemistry practical exam.
Elliot Fisher 12 L/SPA
Over the course of the Spring Term there has
been a range of very special visit opportunities
and these have included the visit by a group
of students to South Africa, our annual ski tip
to Austria, the politics visit to the House of
Parliament, the Languages Department’s visits
to Paris and Madrid and the Geography visit
to Iceland.
As Easter draws near the prospect of the
external GCSEs, AS and A2 examinations loom
larger. As we enter the final preparation and
revision phase, I wish all pupils every success
for these exams and I hope that they prove to
be a true reflection of their ability.
Finally, on behalf of everyone at Wirral Grammar
School, I hope that you have an enjoyable and
relaxing Easter break.
Stop press news: Whilst the team did not win overall, we have since learnt
that their result for the first titration was 100% accurate which is very promising
should this come up in the practical exam!
D R Hazeldine
Headteacher
2
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
Dr Bromley
Spring 2015
House Matters
Barber House
Daniel Dorda
- Barber House
Captain
It has been a
very tough half
term for Barber.
Our house commendation
lead, which was always huge
and significant, has diminished
significantly, with Barber being ahead
of Hodgson by only two points at one
time. However, even worse than that are
our charity efforts. Barber is significantly
behind the other houses. I would urge all
pupils and parents of pupils to take an
active role in house charity matters as it
only takes a little to get involved.
Although our current situation is not stellar,
there are new opportunities for us to really
take off in the next half term. How? With
the £10 Challenge - a house event in
which every form gets £10 to do their own
independent charity events. Feedback
has been great so far. Students are really
getting involved and coming up with
brilliant ideas, and I hope that every form
can do their bit to raise even more money
for the school charity. I won’t mention
the fact that every £10 raised adds 4
commendations to the total, which is just
an added bonus. I am looking forward to
the next half term and am excited to see
what we can do. Hopefully, next time I
am writing this I will have the pleasure to
say that Barber House are on top again
- but I won’t be able to say that without
everyone’s involvement.
Dodds House
Jack Hulme
- Dodds House
Captain
Dodds are
currently
topping the
charity fundraising tables by
a considerable margin, having
raised almost £1,000 pounds
for our school charity since September.
The House has multiple exciting events
planned for the next term including a
cross bar challenge and a baby face
competition! This is where pupils have
to identify photos of staff as children,
which should be good fun and help raise
money for charity. Our house council has
been brilliant in ensuring every form is
contributing significantly to our school
charity through a variety of methods
including cake sales, basketball shots
and guessing the names of teacher’s pet
animals. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my last
term as House Captain and am looking
forward to the next!
Hodgson House
Jack Kelly
- Hodgson
House Captain
After the
numerous
successes of
last term, Hodgson have made
a clear statement to our rivals we are not going down without
a fight. Personally, the highlight of last
term had to be the Christmas Fair, as there
was a true atmosphere of unity between
Hodgson and Lever. We really set the
bar last term, so it would be great if our
achievements could prosper throughout
2015. There are many events we have
planned including the Onesie Run, House
Captain Zumo Wrestling and of course,
the all new “Clash of the Titans”. Thank
you for all of your efforts and I look
forward to seeing you at the next event!
Lever House
Udit Shankar
- Lever House
Captain
Another term
has drawn to
a close and it
has been a very successful
one for the members of Lever.
Lever still sit in third place in
House Commendations but the gap to
second and first is not unassailable by any
means. Lever had two main events during
this term: the Christmas Fair, organised
jointly with Hodgson, and the hugely
successful FIFA tournament organised
by myself, Ryan Clarke and Mr White.
The tournament began before Christmas
and after much blood, sweat and tears
had been shed, we at long last reached
the semi-finals of the tournament which
featured Louis McGilloway (Dodds) and
Ahmed Abdu (Lever) in the first semifinal and Max Furlong (Dodds) and Joe
Kimpton (Hodgson) in the second.
The semi-finals and the finals were both in
the hall and the enormity of the occasion
attracted large crowds enough to fill the
hall. The finalists were Louis McGilloway
and Joe Kimpton. Before the final, which
took place on 6th February, we had a
guest appearance match between two
great rivals in Mr Yee and Mr Webb with
expert commentary and punditry from Mr
Thomason. After a hard fought contest
Mr Yee emerged victorious with the score
line finishing 2-1. The final lived up to its
hype with Joe Kimpton coming out as the
eventual winner with the final score at 7-4.
Congratulations to all those who entered
the competition and for contributing to
what has been a brilliant event all round.
A final total was calculated to be £512.99
which is a fantastic achievement for one
event. I would like to thank Ryan Clarke for
organising the fixtures for the event and
anyone else who heroically gave up their
lunchtimes to supervise the group stage
matches. And finally a big congratulations
to Joe Kimpton who played extremely well
and was a deserving winner.
The Hodgson /
Lever Christmas
Fayre in Review
On Thursday 18th of December, Lever
and Hodgson combined to organise a
Christmas themed fair for the school.
There were a number of stalls including
‘Pin the beard on Mr Webb’, dart
throwing, guess the weight of the cake
and many more. All in all, this was a
very successful event which raised over
£200 for the school charity, the Walton
Neurological Centre in Liverpool. I
would like to thank all who participated
and contributed in any way shape or
form to the fair and I hope to organise
more events like this in the future.
Udit Shankar
Lever House Captain
I would like to express my gratitude
to everyone involved in the Hodgson/
Lever Christmas Fayre, which raised
a staggering £200 in under an hour!
Fantastic effort for a great cause and
I look forward to organising more
charitable events in the future. Special
thanks to Mrs Ahern and Mr Riley for
helping with the event and coordinating
behind the scenes.
Jack Kelly
Hodgson House Captain
Nuntius
3
WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A Business and Enterprise School for Boys
‘Evita’
At the time of the publication of this issue of Nuntius,
final preparations are underway for this year’s school
production, ‘Evita’.
“Evita” is the story of Argentina’s most controversial First Lady,
Eva Perón (1919 - 1952.) Her awe-inspiring funeral, attended by
seven million devoted followers, is the opening to the musical,
with the narrator then bringing the story back by over a decade,
explaining how a B-movie actress became the object of such
controversial devotion.
Trapped and bored with her family in rural Argentina in the late
1930s, Eva Duarte convinces a womanising musician to take
her with him, back to the capital city, Buenos Aires, where she
is determined to become a star. After being abandoned by the
musician, Eva endures humiliations and poverty before using
her feminine wiles to climb the ladder of the city’s entertainment
scene, eventually becoming a well-paid radio and film actress.
At a benefit to aid the victims of an earthquake she meets
Colonel Juan Perón, an ambitious politician with designs on the
presidency. They fall in love and Eva encourages his plans to
become dictator of the country, even using her star power to
get him released from prison when his enemies order his arrest.
Perón is elected president with a huge majority, but it quickly
becomes apparent that it’s his glamorous wife who’s the focus
of the people’s love.
Affectionately nicknamed ‘Evita’ by her millions of devoted
followers, Eva founds a huge charity to alleviate the suffering
of the nation’s poor. Throughout it all, the beautiful first lady
is lavishly dressed and accused of being a distraction for the
people, rather than an aid. With millions of people still utterly
devoted to her, Evita continues to appear in public, dazzling
her supporters and infuriating her enemies, despite keeping
secret her illness. The musical is famous for a number of songs,
including “Oh what a circus!” “Buenos Aires,” “Rainbow High,”
“The Money Kept Rolling In” and the show’s signature solo,
“Don’t cry for me, Argentina.”
By the time you read this issue, ‘Evita’ performances will have
taken place. A big ‘thank you’ to all cast members and back
stage crew – and a special thanks again of course to the lead
staff: Amy Chalmers (Musical Director) and Geoff Hinde MBE
(Director). It has all the makings of yet another truly tremendous
performance.
Head Boy Charity Update
Charity Update: The Ark Project
Last term I was pleased
to present a cheque for
£10,049.85 to Mrs Irene
Axon from Alder Hey,
marking the conclusion
of a highly successful
year. Fundraising is now
in full swing for the Walton
Centre, which is our new
school charity. Standing at an impressive £5,209.85, the balance is
healthy and growing at an impressive pace. I am sure with hard work
we will surpass last year’s totals. We were lucky to receive a talk from
a representative from the Walton Centre, who talked about the exciting
projects for which the money we are raising this year can be used,
ranging from the upkeep of family rooms to paying a part of the cost
of a new scanner for the hospital.
An appeal for the Wirral Churches’ Ark Project
homeless charity during the Spring Term aims to
bring in new household items to help out the former
homeless moving into new homes. Whenever a person
moves into a new home they require many new items
which we take for granted around the home. The Ark
Project relies on donations to give to their clients when
they move away from their hostel and we want to aid
them in their effort to help out the homeless.
James Evans
Head Boy
4
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
We will be very grateful for any small donations of
household items such as bedding, towels, plates,
pans, cooking utensils and other non-electrical
household goods. All donations will be greatly
received by the charity and we would like to thank
all that give to our appeal.
Joe Lawton and Aaron Drury
Deputy Head Boys
Spring 2015
Music Department Update
Name
Oliver
Christian
Harvey
Edwin
Richard
The Annual School Music Competition, now in its eighteenth
year, has had a make-over. Almost every boy currently receiving
music lessons, a total of over 200 boys, performed to their
House Captain and Mr Thomas over the course of 4 days in
March. There were house winners in each year group who
are listed below, but sixteen of our best musicians were then
selected to play again in the final on Thursday 19th March.
The audience were treated to some command performances
which were adjudicated by Mr Stephen Pratt, a music professor
at Liverpool Hope University who has conducted his own
compositions with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
The winners of each section are:
Junior (Years 7-9):
Intermediate (Years 10-11):
Senior (Years 12-13):
(trombone)
Peter Clough (cornet)
William Bracken (piano)
Sam Hartharn-Evans
Finalists: Dominic Wearne 8L/DW, Matthew Parkes 8H/CD, Tom
Green 8D/AS, Jonathon Kowalski 8D/OJA, Peter Clough 9H/HM,
Harry Mackenzie 9B/KJS, James Tarver 10H/RB, Thomas Rogers
10H/GA, Philip Powell 11B/AW, Joe Houghton 11D/HD, William
Bracken 11D/NM, Andrew Gill U6H/CL, Sam Fisher 12D/AJ, Ben
Albuquerque 12B/KJ, Sam Hartharn-Evans 13B/RR, Robin Leach
13L/BDO
House
Winners
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
6th Form
Barber
Dodds
Hodgson
Lever
Naseem Veevers
Ross Kaszuba
Harry Mackenzie
Harry Pickard
Philip Powell
Sam HartharnEvans
Vinay Varghese
Tom Green
Harry McKenzie
David Noble
William Bracken
Sam Fisher
Matthew Baker
Matthew Parkes
Peter Clough
James Tarver
Michael Golding
Ben Turner
Peter Taylor
Dominic Wearne
Oliver Ritchie
Daniel Carter
Owen Salem
Robin Leach
Congratulations as well to the following successful Music
Exam candidates who took the exam in February. Results of
music theory exams, as well as singing and keyboard exams
with the London College of Music, are not yet with us, so watch
out for a list of successful candidates in the summer term
edition of Nuntius.
David
Tom
Samuel
Jonathon
James
Connell
Sam
Alexander
Elliot
Ben
James
Samuel
Smith
Williams
Lipton
Price
OscroftWainwright
Marrow
Kenningham
McEvoy
Kowalski
Wright
Finnegan
Tempest
Wallis
Fisher
Noble
Tarver
HartharnEvans
Form
7H/GWG
8H/SLJA
8H/GA
8L/MY
9L/LW
Instrument
Clarinet
Violin
Violin
Violin
Piano
Grade
1
1
2
2
2
Result
Merit
Distinction
Pass
Pass
Merit
7B/AMC
7B/AW
8D/CH
8D/OJA
8L/MY
11D/JB
9B/AMC
11D/HD
L6L/SPA
L6B/RR
10H/RB
U6B/RR
Trombone
Cornet
Trumpet
Jazz Flute
Euphonium
Flute
Clarinet
Jazz Flute
Violin
Horn
Piano
Trombone
3
3
3
3
3
3
5
5
5
6
7
8
Pass
Merit
Merit
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Distinction
Our 6th form music students were treated to a masterclass in
composition by Ian Stephens on Friday 23 January. Ian, who
lives on the Wirral, has his own compositions regularly performed
by professional orchestras, including at the Royal Albert Hall in
London at the BBC Proms in 2013, and an opportunity to receive
his advice was warmly received.
The whole of Year 8 travelled to the Philharmonic Hall on
Thursday 26 February to listen to the world-renowned Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra perform well known popular classics
whilst exploring how music communicates with an audience.
Performed to a full house of key stage 3 pupils, for many this
will have been their first experience of listening live to a full
professional symphony orchestra.
At the time of writing this article, the school production Evita will
have taken place and it remains for me to thank the musicians
in the band, made up of local professionals, students and pupils
from school, who with just a couple of rehearsals performed to
an exceptionally high standard all week.
The usual Spring Concert is on Wednesday 1 April with a
matinee performance in the afternoon. This matinee concert is
given to an audience made up of children from local primary
schools, this year attended by St Andrews, Brackenwood and
Higher Bebington Primary School.
Plans for the next music tour to Budapest are continuing apace,
with concert venues and excursions in the process of being
finalised. A bag pack in Morrisons in West Kirby has been
arranged for the start of next term which will help towards some
of our additional costs, but I hope all 56 boys and 7 staff are
looking forward to the trip in July, which will hopefully include
the Choir performing in Budapest’s Cathedral and the Concert
Band apparently out in the middle of a lake. Concerns of Health
and Safety over electrical equipment are surely unfounded...
Next term promises to be just as busy - so get involved and
get practising!
Mr P Thomas
‘Nuntius on-line’
Larger articles can be found by accessing the ‘Nuntius On-Line’ link via the school website
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
Nuntius
5
WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A Business and Enterprise School for Boys
Politics Workshop
EU Mock Council 2014
On Wednesday 10th December Sixth Form
Politics students visited West Kirby Grammar
School to meet representatives from each of the
major parties; several people from Young Labour,
a local councillor for the Conservatives, two
Liberal Democrat Party members, two Green Party
members and a member of UKIP. After splitting
off into groups we listened to a presentation
by each of the speakers; each one discussing
different things they considered important,
such as local issues by the Conservative local
councillor and environmental issues by the Green
Party members. This was followed by a Q&A
session and debates arose on various issues,
focussing heavily around the EU and immigration,
the current economic climate and the upcoming
general election.
In December 2014, two Year
13 students, Graham Fisher
and Joe Crawford, together
with Mr McKinney, visited the
Foreign and Commonwealth
Office in London to take part
in the European Union Mock
Council, where schools from
around the UK represent one
of the 28 member states of
the EU or the EU Commission. The day was a mock session of the EU
Council, debating two issues: whether, and if so how, the EU should
set energy efficiency targets, and whether the EU should harmonise the
treatment of minors being tried in criminal cases in EU member states.
We represented Denmark.
Despite many being grouped with those they
were unfamiliar with, the discussion thrived with
various different events being referenced, several
of which I was unaware of. The trip was extremely
beneficial to my A-Level studies, as it made me
aware of diverse views on issues and why people
thought the way they did. I assume many others
also found the experience to be helpful and will
use the knowledge gained throughout the day in
their studies.
Josh Devoy Y12L/MY
Three debates were held, one on each of the topics above, and a final
session discussing both topics; all the debates were lively, with some
very interesting points made. Local undergraduates studying
interpretation provided translation from various European languages
to English, as would be provided at the real EU Council.
The event was a very interesting insight into how the legislative system
of the EU works, and I would highly recommend that any A-Level
students studying relevant subjects, for example Politics or a Modern
Language, consider attending. We are very grateful to the EU
Commission representation in London for organising the event, as well
as to Mr Hughes and Mr McKinney who worked hard to get us there!
Joe Crawford U6 B/KJ
Civitas Event
On Tuesday 2nd December, Parliamentary Candidate
for Wirral South and former lecturer John Bell visited
the school’s politics students.
In a talk, also open to the school’s other students and those
at the Girl’s School, Mr Bell discussed the formation of the
EEC and the European Union, Britain’s motivations for joining
and his own thoughts on the issue. Although not concealing
his own Euroscepticism, the group was encouraged to debate
with him throughout, and starkly opposing views were offered;
well considered educated rebuttals were aired that at least
made several of us consider an alternative perspective.
Topics of note included the EU’s economic deficit and the UK’s
rebate on contributions made to the partnership. Discussions
between him and several of the A2 students were especially
heated and entertaining at points- and Mr Bell extended the
courtesy of apologising to those he didn’t get a chance to
discuss with and recommended various texts to the group.
We would like to thank him for informing us on a very relevant
and contentious issue and making us consider a different
viewpoint, and look forward to seeing him again in March
2015 on the School’s Question Time panel.
Craig Ashman Y12 L/BDO
6
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
Spring 2015
Peer Support
Group Anti-Bullying
Outreach Workshop
Eight members of the PSG, along with Mrs
Smith (Learning Mentor) and Mr Nutt (Teaching
Assistant) visited Rock Ferry Primary School
recently, to deliver exciting anti-bullying
workshops to the Year 5 pupils.
The aim of these visits was to support them in writing their
own ‘Pupil Anti-Bullying Policy’. During the first session,
each member of the PSG took their group of five students
around various stations to focus on a specific aspect of
bullying, for example “Why do people bully?” or “Where
does bullying take place?”. Later on in the session, the
pupils were set a task similar to Dragon’s Den. Each
group had to come up with a way to combat bullying in
their school and then present it to the rest of the class,
whether as a presentation, a short scene or a song. The
winning group included an Anti-Bullying rap which was
well-received by the entire group.
During the second workshop, there were more work
stations to visit and as information was fed back, the
Anti-Bullying policy started to take shape. In one
classroom we had groups writing the specific parts of
the policy and in the other classroom, the pupils were
each designing their own Anti-Bullying logo. Half-way
through the session the two groups swapped over and
eventually, the class voted for the logo which they would
like to see on the face of their Anti-Bullying policy. The
winning image was then scanned and the pupils saw their
policy brought to life. During this time, one group of pupils
interviewed the headmistress who provided a statement
for the policy.
Both sessions were undoubtedly an overwhelming
success with each pupil and member of the PSG
thoroughly enjoying them.
By James Pennell Year 12
Visiting Politics Speaker
- Stuart Wilks-Heeg
On the 29th January, we were visited by Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Head
of Politics at the University of Liverpool. He came in to give us a
lecture on the current UK political system. We were also joined by
history and politics students from Wirral Grammar Girls. For the
first hour we were taught about the gradual move away from the
main political parties, then for the second hour the lecture took on
a more casual discussion format and we discussed the UK’s voting
systems and possible changes to them. The session proved both
informative and enjoyable.
Jonathan Flynn 13B/ASD
Photography Club
and Competitions
A monthly Photography Club started in February 2015 and in
March, Bebington Rotary Club chose entries for their regional
photo competition. Rubin Holt (Y8) and Ben Morris (Y13) each
submitted 3 excellent images around the theme of ‘Light Up The
Community’. WGSBs Photography Club will have its own photo
competition which will be judged before the summer break, the
theme being ‘Nature.’ Take advantage of the good weather and
get out and about with your camera! For further details please
contact Mr Ronayne or Mr Holliday.
Reading Reward Draws
Last term’s winners; collecting a £10 book card each, were Will
Morris, Harry Jones and Tom Green of Year 8, and Archie Clark,
Fin Heyes and James Binns of Year 7. Reading reward raffle tickets
are awarded to pupils who provide evidence of regular reading for
pleasure outside school, a key indicator of future academic success.
Mrs K Campbell
English Department
Nuntius
7
WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A Business and Enterprise School for Boys
WGSB Student’s Unique
Opportunity to Visit Westminster
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Decision Making
On Tuesday 2nd December, I took
the opportunity to visit the Houses of
Parliament to meet with Ivan Lewis, MP
for Bury South and the Shadow Minister
for Northern Ireland. I attended to discuss
Labour Young Persons Manifesto and how
to promote politics to young people, in
order to increase the percentage of young
people voting next May.
After meeting Mr Lewis at the Labour
Party Conference in Manchester earlier
this year, we both agreed that young
people’s views weren’t being represented
in UK politics and it was about time that
someone acted to change that. We met
for several hours in Portcullis House and
spoke in depth about several key concerns
that young people have. We discussed
the Apprenticeship Wage, the lowering of
tuition fees, travel costs and we discussed
the idea of job security for young people
and future prospects post full time education. We spoke about the creation of a
young person’s job centre and advice forum online and to increase the number
of careers conventions across the country.
Following our discussion, I was invited to several regional and national meetings
about Labour’s Young Persons Manifesto and I shall hopefully meet with Mr
Lewis again. I was also taken into the special guest viewing gallery in the House
of Commons to observe the day’s debate which was on the recent incidents
in Hong Kong. There were many faces I recognised such as James Langdale,
William Hague, Daniel Alexander and Theresa May.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and I very much look forward to meeting with
Mr Lewis again, campaigning to get young people’s views heard and to help
make a difference in UK politics.
Graham Fisher 13 L/MY
Salters’ Chemistry
Camps Update
Every year a few students from Year 10 are chosen to go on residential trips,
known as Salters’ Chemistry Camps, to universities. They find out more about
chemistry, university life and generally have a good time. So far this year two
students, Tom Rogers and Calum Heslop, have successfully gained highly sought
after places at Cambridge University. There are still some places available at other
universities so if you are interested see Dr Bromley straight away.
Dr Bromley
Head of Chemistry
8
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
Parliament
School Trip
On 21st January we went on a trip to
Parliament as part of our Politics course,
accompanied by the Girls’ School.
Arriving at London Euston, we travelled
by tube to Portcullis House. After waiting
outside to get our entry passes we
went in to the building one by one, all
thoroughly checked and cleared for entry.
As we walked up through the building to
meet Alison McGovern, Wirral South Labour
MP, it was interesting to see the pictures on
the wall of PM’s such as Margaret Thatcher
and Tony Blair. We walked into a long board
room where Alison sat and following a brief
introduction, told us about herself and some
of the history of Parliament, discussing with
us some issues and her personal role in the
House of Commons and her constituency.
We watched the live streaming of Prime
Minister’s Questions on the TV and she
explained to us a lot of what was going on,
which many of us didn’t know. We were
engaged in debates on various matters
which was very interesting. Later on Alison
McGovern took us to Westminster Hall so
that we could watch a debate in the House
of Commons. Whilst we were waiting,
however she gave us more of a historical
insight to the background of Westminster
and also pointed out how significant parts
of the building were. For example there is a
statue with a big cut in it from where one of
the female suffrage activists attached herself
to the statue to protest for female suffrage,
before she was forcibly removed!
After being fortunate in entering the public
gallery to watch part of an Opposition
Debate in the House of Commons we had a
small walk around some of the grounds and
inevitably towards the gift shop to round off
the trip. The day provided us with a useful
insight into the workings of Parliament.
Alex McDemott 12H/SLJA
Spring 2015
Sixth Form Geography Trip to London
During the last week of the Autumn Term, Year 13 Geographers
were treated to a two-day trip to London as part of their Human
Geography Course, which involves studying world cities and
their role in national development. Having boarded the train
to London from Chester, we commenced the first part of our
studies: understanding the transport links that run between
London and other cities, not only for commuters and tourists,
but also for freight, keeping it connected to the rest of the
UK. The London Underground provided a valuable insight into
understanding how metro train systems are vital to a city of
this size.
Alighting at Tower Hill, we walked across to Tower Gateway,
where we boarded the Docklands Light Railway (another
transport system, this time automated and linking the City
with Stratford and South East London) to the Royal Victoria
Dock. Here, situated right next to the Emirates Air Line, was
The Crystal, a Siemens exhibition based around future cities
and sustainable development. It was an incredibly educational
visit, which encouraged students to challenge and change the
way they think about our cities, now and for future generations.
Through interactive exhibits, films, and animations, students
could explore a range of issues including city trends, urban
planning, smart buildings, safety and security, energy, water,
healthy life, environment, and mobility, whilst constantly
being referred to case studies from cities around the world for
innovative ideas to support us in our exam.
After lunch we embarked on a cruise up the River Thames.
Numerous building projects were underway to extend the
city skywards, and the sheer scale of the existing landmarks
such as the Shard and the Gherkin was breath taking. As
we travelled past tourist hotspots, including the Tower of
London, London Bridge, HMS Belfast and the London Eye, we
realised how significant this industry was to the city. Following
some daytime sightseeing, we headed to the West End for
our evening meal and a performance of The Lion King at the
Lyceum Theatre.
The following morning we departed on a coach tour of London,
heading for Stratford, a real example of urban regeneration.
We took a tour around the Olympic Park, learning about how it
benefited the local, regional and national economies and is now
being redeveloped as part of an urban regeneration project with
the conversion of existing structures into a residential area.
Our return journey allowed us to reflect on what an incredibly
educational visit this had been. We are now equipped with the
knowledge and experience to use London as a case study in
our exams, as well as use the experience to further develop our
understanding of the world around us and global development.
On behalf of the students, I would like to thank the Geography
Department for organising such a successful trip; especially
Mrs Little, who navigated the underground expertly and
provided invaluable knowledge of London that allowed us to
take in so much information in such a short space of time. It
is quite remarkable to think about how much we learnt, whilst
enjoying the trip to such an extent that we didn’t actually realise
it at the time.
Andrew McLannahan 13H/SLJA
Nuntius
9
WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A Business and Enterprise School for Boys
A Visit to the Land of Fire and Ice - Iceland 2015
every 5-7 minutes- this is a longer time than it seems when
standing anxiously with a camera. Our visit to Thingvellir National
Park completed the trio of natural wonders on the Golden
Circle Route before we returned to the hotel to dry off from the
Icelandic weather and have a quick bowling trip at night. On the
second day we went horse riding. Icelandic horses turned out
to be far from the stallions we were expecting and certainly had
their flaws as Rhys Greening discovered when he found himself
in a ditch. Despite the odd success, such as Mrs Dodd managing
to gallop off into the horizon, the majority of us will certainly not
be carrying on horse riding as a hobby when we are home!
Thanks to the military style organisation of Mr Hughes, having
flown from Manchester to Keflavik, we arrived at the Blue Lagoon
eager to experience one of Iceland’s most popular attractions.
After the standard group photo stop, we hurried into the visitor
centre… to join the back of an hour long queue! This didn’t
dampen the excitement though and the toasty 40°C water that
was heated by volcanic vents gave a nice contrast to the not
so comfortable 3°C outside air temperature. We spent an hour
relaxing in the lagoon whilst certain teachers tried out the natural
face masks before bravely exiting the pool to get back inside.
The day finished by relaxing in the hotel after our meal of fishsomething to become a regular occurrence throughout the trip.
The first full day began with an early breakfast before meeting
our tour guide, Gunnar. On route to Kerid, a collapsed volcanic
crater which now contains a lake, we stopped briefly at a
Geothermal Power Station which was using heat from volcanic
activity to provide free energy for Iceland. We moved on to see
the sights of Gullfoss, a spectacular 33m double waterfall, and
then Strokkur, a geyser that erupts boiling water to around 30m
10
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We spent the next day seeing more of the snow-covered sights
of Iceland in anticipation of what was to come on our fourth full
day away… the glacier walk. This was definitely one of the most
impressive parts of the whole trip which began when we got our
shoes fitted with crampons and were let loose with precariouslooking ice-picks before starting the journey. The scenery formed
was spectacular and the scale of this relatively ‘small’ glacier
was unbelievable, especially as it was retreating back into the
valley at 100m per year. Our time on the ice unfortunately had to
draw to an end but not before an unfairly judged ice-hole digging
challenge saw Zach Jones crowned king of Iceland 2015.
After this experience we continued to head back to Reykjavik,
stopping to visit the communal outdoor swimming pool in a brisk
-5°C just to make sure we remembered not to complain about
British winter weather again.
On the final day, we returned home on Icelandair’s ‘Hekla
Aurora’ plane which recreated the Northern Lights (unseen by
most) both inside and outside of the cabin during our flight. This
was a final reminder of the stunning natural beauty Iceland had
to offer throughout our time away which made our trip incredibly
fun and enjoyable.
Matthew Herbison 13B/KLJ
Spring 2015
A-Level Students’
Visit to Madrid
On 27th November 2014, an intrepid collection of Sixth Formers
from both the Boys’ and Girls’ schools, accompanied by Mr
Hughes, Mrs Lampkin and Miss Hammond, embarked on a
soul-searching trip to Madrid in order to soak in the rich culture,
and to aid with the study of Spanish at A-Level. Our first day
involved a visit to the royal site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the
historical residence of the King of Spain and home to an equally
impressive monastery. After lunch our journey took us to the
Valley of the Fallen monument, the final resting place of infamous
dictator Francisco Franco.
Saturday 29th finally came, the day eagerly anticipated by
everyone as it involved the long-awaited viewing of Guernica.
Actual art at the Reína Sofía museum was then viewed and
discussed by the artier of us in the group, before leaving the
building and undertaking a walking circuit of Madrid’s scenic
highlights including the Retiro Park, the Puerta de Alcala and
Cibeles, a square that has become an iconic symbol of Madrid.
The day ended with a trip to San Gines café, an establishment
famous for its high quality churros (a traditional Spanish sweet
dish, often dipped in hot chocolate), and indeed the reviews were
true - I honestly ‘doughnut’ believe they could have been better.
Unfortunately our trip was nearing its inevitable conclusion. With
no time to waste we busied ourselves searching through Rastro
market, eager to encounter deals. Following our final Spanish
meal we divided the remaining time between one group taking
a guided historical tour, and the other travelling by train to the
Bernabeu football stadium to see where Real Madrid C.F. play.
Finally having accomplished the full itinerary, we said a ‘Spainful’
goodbye to the country that had welcomed us for several
days. It was a fantastic few days, and a superb opportunity
to experience the fascinating culture that Spain has to offer.
Muchas gracias to Mr Hughes, Mrs Lampkin and Miss Hammond
for organising and supervising the trip, which for many of us is
our last ever school trip.
Robin Leach U6/LBDO
History Trip to Berlin
May 2015
Those 53 boys in Year 9 and 10 who have been selected
to go on the annual History trip will be setting off from
Manchester Airport on May 21st. A great trip awaits them
and all the learning they will achieve will be something they
might not gain for a while to come. I will write a report in
the next edition of Nuntius. Also, next year’s trip will be
announced in the summer term, and it will be available
to boys in current Years 7-9. Watch out for the notice!
The choice of destination could be Poland or Belgium
and the Netherlands.
Mr McKibbin
Nuntius
11
WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A Business and Enterprise School for Boys
Year 11 Chester Zoo Trip
Sixth Form Paris Trip
On the dawn of a bitter February morning, a group of 30 French,
Politics, Art and History students accompanied by Miss Mahoney,
Miss Hammond, Miss Jones and the trip organiser, Mr Hughes,
we journeyed swiftly by Eurostar emerging in the Ile-de-France
two hours later. Over the following days we covered a vast array
of ‘arrondissements’ or quarters of the city, discovering the culture,
food and attractions the city famously offers. Somehow in a handful
of days, we managed to cram in visits to the Plaza at Trocadero,
the Cathedral Sacré-Cœur at Montmartre, the boutiques at Les
Champs Elysées, The Mona Lisa at La Louvre, L’Arc de Triomphe
and of course La Tour Eiffel, from which you could see the vast maze
of streets lacing the city of Paris.
Some would say a trip to Chester Zoo in the
middle of winter is slightly unusual, but not
for the Year 11 Business Studies students
who were more than keen to visit.
On Monday 15th December 2014 approximately 60
business students visited the UK’s number one wildlife
attraction to find out about how they provide their
customer care (as well as animal care). Chester Zoo is
a familiar attraction to many of the students; however
this visit was different and allowed us to see a different
side to the zoo. Averaging around just 700 guests per
day during the cold winter months, the park was very
quiet when we visited and the weather was surprisingly
mild for this time of year.
We were lucky to have such a large business like
Chester Zoo on our doorstep to research and so it
didn’t take long before we were getting off the coach
and entering the zoo itself. During the day we had the
opportunity to go around the zoo and try to find out for
ourselves about the methods that the zoo undertook
to provide its customer service. The more we looked
the easier it was to find these features that we would
have usually taken for granted. From bins to signposts
and from seating to information boards, it was all there
for us and is a large part of the exceptional customer
service that the zoo is well-known for providing and
partly explains why the zoo is so successful.
Later on that day we had a talk from a member of
staff at the zoo who told us about their customer
care procedures. We were able to use the information
he provided us with to aid us with our controlled
assessment on customer service. This information was
extremely useful to us as well as interesting from the
viewpoint of a regular customer to Chester Zoo.
Overall, this trip was an extraordinary experience and
a great day out for all of the business students and I
am sure that many will want to return to this attraction
in the future. In addition, I would also like to thank on
behalf of all the students Mr Harrison, Mr Cresswell
and Ms Kennah for organising this trip.
Daniel Head 11 L/MY
12
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
We all attended a conference as part of the trip called: Your Future
In Europe, held in the Palais de Congres. This gave us the opportunity
to hear from many spokespeople, in particular UK economist Evan
Davis who briefed us on the economic advantages of having a European
Union. The final hour of the conference brought the chance to pose
MPs of the major parties our questions, and to allow them to debate
their opinions upon important political topics. We all found this insightful
and thought provoking.
So for all of you pondering on taking a language at A-Level, learning
a language is the best way to unlock different cultures, have unique
experiences and the opportunity to visit native countries to practice
your language skills. I found that this trip realised just that.
John Lacey 12B/KC
Spring 2015
U16 Hockey Finals Success
in the game in which we largely
dominated was to blame! To finish
as the 4th best team in the North
West has been a superb effort.
The Year 10/11 house matches
saw Barber, Dodds, Hodgson and
Lever battle it out at the Oval with
Barber and Lever coming out on top.
They will play out the last round of
matches before Easter for the title.
Excellent performances from Gordon,
Lunn, Demetrious and tireless work
from Hayes and all 4 dependable
goalkeepers have ensured we had a
good competition. Well-done fellas!
The senior Hockey players have had a tough season in which hard
work does not always account for results. We have played very
well in large parts of matches but struggled to score enough goals.
The 1st and 2nd teams have maintained a hard working ethos
on a Wednesday afternoon since September and at times have
played some good hockey. However, since Xmas there have
been matches affected by weather and exams. Despite this we
have played in the National U18 Cup and not fared well losing
in the first round of the Cup v Denstone and in the Plate against
Shrewsbury. The inconsistency of the teams and the issues of
not playing every week, has affected the continuity and results
of the U18 squad.
The experience of playing at the North indoor finals for the
U18 & U16 squads has been again very good with good
performances in the tournaments at Bradford. There has been
a massive amount of progress by many of the lads in the U6
throughout their time at school playing Hockey who have played
against some excellent teams. As we approach the end of the
season, we look forward to the summer league.
The U16 team have had an excellent season with wins against
Birkenhead 3-0 and St Anselms 1-0. Despite narrow defeats
to Calday and Neston results in other matches went our way
and we qualified for the Wirral Cup final on goal difference. The
lads went to the North West finals after February half term with
a difficult group with very good wins over Sedburgh 2-0 and
Baines 2-1 leading to the crunch game against Weaverham.
A good short corner routine was our undoing. A failure to score
The U15 side have worked hard on
their basic skills on a Monday and
have come on as a group immensely.
Led by Joe Wade and Joe Hood, wins
against St Anselms, Rydal and Bolton
have been highlights but superb
performances and running teams like
Neston and Calday close bodes well
for next season. Simon Lunn and
Will Minchew have had excellent seasons and represented the
Year 11 squad. Many have played for the U16 and in the recent
house matches.
The Year 9 team have made good progress. Early results were
poor but the team improved playing well in parts, and for many
of the lads they have not played much hockey before. Matt
Winstanley has had an excellent season and the experience
of playing games has helped individual skill levels. The Year 9
team played in the Rydal 7 aside competition and came a solid
third, playing at times good hockey and as a group enjoyed the
matches despite not getting the results.
I have been impressed by the lads in Year 8 who have been very
keen all season and have trained on many occasions at the Oval.
They won in competitive games against St Anselms and fared
well in the In2Hockey competition at Kings Chester. Some more
hockey experience and practice at the start of the summer term
should set the lads up well for next season.
This season has seen, across all teams, in excess of 80 matches
played; this has aided the hockey playing skills of all individuals
involved and enabled them to play as part of a team. This would
not happen without the help and time given by Mr Cooper, Mr
Money and Mr Thomason, whose efforts are much appreciated
by the boys and myself. I hope that our success continues into
next season and that we can build on what we have already
achieved so far.
Mr A Metcalf
‘Nuntius on-line’
Larger articles can be found by accessing the ‘Nuntius On-Line’ link via the school website
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
Nuntius
13
WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A Business and Enterprise School for Boys
Year 9 Rugby Report
The Year 9 rugby squad
has enjoyed a successful
season. The A team
played 20 and won 19.
The B team won all its
6 games.
A pity we can’t play more
matches at this level. I have
been so impressed with the
attitude of this squad…as
good as any! The approach to
training and preparation has
been excellent and there was
never a moment I felt that the
boys did not give their best.
Across the season, of course,
there are dips in performance,
and for the A team, virtually
their only one came at Kings
Macclesfield away. We were just
unable to reach the high levels
of expectancy I have come to be
used to with the A team. Never
mind, they should learn from
this and build on some notable
victories after Christmas. Calday
GS, were well beaten and a
tough away win at Adams (B
team won 52-5) was achieved.
A clinical display against
Altrincham GS was probably the
best performance of the season.
In the two 7s competitions, we
went to Bradford GS for the
first event. The boys played
some good stuff and improved
as the tournament went on. We
got to the semi finals where
RGS Newcastle faced us. The
boys were almost out on their
feet, and this could have gone
either way but it was RGS who
won and went on to win the
tournament. In the Wirral GS
7s, the boys started slowly but
gained in composure as the
event went on. They topped
their group and faced Kings
Macclesfield in the semi final.
meant the next team to score
would win the tournament.
Unfortunately, Wirral couldn’t
do it but what a gallant effort
by all in the squad.
I am sure that this squad will
go on to bigger and better
things and I wish them all the
best for the future. As long as
they continue to develop and
enjoy playing, a good future
is expected! I want to thank
Captain Jacob Ainscough and
his Vice Captain Euan Aldis
who have provided first class
leadership throughout the
season. Also, to Mr Walker
who has been enthusiastic in
his approach and to the many
parents who have come along,
home and away, to support
their sons.
The following boys have played
in the games this season:
Jacob Ainscough (Captain),
Euan Aldis (Vice Captain), Jack
Purnell, Joe Fletcher, Jacob
Ainscough, Lewis Hayes,
Daniel Carrol, Rob Golightly,
Joe Bathe, Tom Golding, Tom
Palin, Matthew Munnerley,
Tom Lockwood, Harrison
Bryan, Simon Pattinson, Will
Thomas, Alex Hodkinson, Joe
Cunningham, Jack Templeton,
Lewis Quail, Jack Ewart, Adam
Green, Jonathan Pearce, Sal
Allen, Elliott Verry, Louis Botes,
Matt Lacy, Lucas Beaumont,
Ewan Roberts, Cameron Daulby,
Callum France, Sam Croll, Lewis
McKeown, Jamie Finn, Max
Bradshaw, Euan Aldis, Andrew
O’Hagan, Luke McCall, Joe
Duckers, Cameron McLachlan
and Harrison Drury.
Mr McKibbin
This time, the Wirral boys
were up for it and a thoroughly
convincing performance, 28-5
saw the lads to the final. St
Ambrose are a good side and
this would be tough. The visitors
took an early 10 nil lead, only for
Wirral to claw it back to 10 all at
full time! Then the “golden try”
14
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
From LRC to LFC
I was lucky enough
to meet the Liverpool
football players over
half term. To pass
the time after long
practice sessions
at Melwood training
ground, the players
like to play table
tennis. Liverpool
Football Club
contacted me and asked if I would like to play Jose
Enrique, Alberto Moreno and Javier Manquillo in a
challenge match for TV. It was an amazing day and
the players and all the staff at the Melwood complex
made me very welcome. The matches are to be aired
on television next month.
Mr J Taylor
First XV Report
It was a mixed season for the 1st XV with the final
playing record standing at:
Played: 18
Won: 8
Drew: 1
Lost: 9
Points for: 450
Against: 367
During the second half of the season we progressed
to Round 5 of the National NatWest Cup, only to
go out to a strong Pocklington School side, but
immediately bounced back with an emphatic 57-8
win over local rivals Birkenhead School, who
had previously been enjoying a very successful run!
After Christmas, we went out of the Cheshire Cup to
NatWest Cup Semi Finalists, Wilmslow High School.
With 15 minutes to go, there was only 1 point in
it, but unfortunately, we shipped 3 late tries to go
down 30-7 – a scoreline that was very flattering
to Wilmslow and in no way reflected the game.
However, we did record excellent wins against
Merewether High School from Newcastle, Australia
(36-15), Altrincham Grammar School (12-8), and
finished the season on a high with a final day 43-15
win over St Edward’s College.
After three very successful years, in which we have
recorded sixteen plus victories, this might appear
a mediocre 1st XV season, however, it was far from
that! We have a very strong fixture list and enjoyed
some very tight games against quality opposition,
and on another day, if a decision or the bounce
of the ball had gone the other way, then the result
might have been different. My thanks to Skipper
Jordan Price and Vice-Captain Aaron Drury and all
the senior squad for a very enjoyable season!
Mr P Crowley
Master i/c Rugby
Spring 2015
Junior Bantams
All Weather Pitch Appeal - full steam ahead!
A team Played 19 W 13 D 2 L 4
B team Played 10 W 6 D 1 L 3
Our Hockey Pitch Appeal is gathering
huge momentum and thanks go to
everyone who has contributed so far.
A very big ‘thank you’ to our Parents’
Association who have donated £15,000
so far - a terrific effort!. Fundraising
will continue through until the end
of the school year. We now have
advertising banners for sale for those
who might be interested; these will be
attached to the perimeter fencing of
the pitch. Banners are £500 for 3 years
of advertising. With over 2,000 users
each week, this may be of interest to
local businesses. We are delighted to
announce that our first major sponsor
is Havard Law Solicitors of Hamilton
Square, Birkenhead. Liz Bird from
the company stated that they were
‘delighted to be part of this exciting
Both the Junior Bantams teams have had
an excellent season and their records show
a massive improvement from last season.
Although the B team season slowed down,
with many schools not being able to get 2nd
teams the A team excelled with some great
performances. Convincing wins over Lymm,
Birkenhead, Sandbach and Adams showed
the standard of rugby the boys are now
playing. However the highlight must be the
turnaround of a 25 nil defeat to Calday last
year, to a 62 points to 5 victory this season.
The final game proved a little disappointing
with a loss to a MASSIVE St Edwards team.
The lads stuck at it, but in the end the power
of Eddies was too much.
The climax to the fifteen a side season is
always the tour to Cowbridge, South Wales.
We played two games, comfortably beating
Stanwell in an excellent game and losing to
Cowbridge 10 nil in a very tough encounter.
The Cowbridge game was played in awful
conditions and the lads battled against a
superb Welsh outfit only to succumb to two
late tries. We had a tour of the Millennium
Stadium and enjoyed watching Cardiff against
Carmarthen at the famous Cardiff Arms Park.
The boys were also allowed onto the hallowed
turf at the end of the game to show the Welsh
how rugby should be played.
The sevens season started with the trip
to KEQM`s being cancelled due to frozen
pitches and snow. The same team then went
to the Birkenhead sevens without playing
one game. The boys were great and topped
the group of death, comfortably beating
Lymm, Sandbach and Stockport. The quarter
final saw us beat Altrincham and the semi
pitted us against our arch rivals Calday GS.
It was an excellent game of sevens rugby.
Unfortunately we lost 28-14. Stockport won
the final, who we had beaten well in the
group stages. Our final sevens tournament
is at Bradford and we should go up there
full of confidence.
I would like to thank all the players for their
efforts and Mr Hughes for his work, over the
season. I would also like to thank the parents
for their magnificent support both home and
away and to those parents who help with
refreshments on Saturday mornings. Finally
I would like to wish all the Junior Bantams
players the best of luck and continued
success for next season.
Junior Bantams Coach
Mr A McKinney
project’. You can make a donation to
support the pitch appeal by purchasing
the netting squares around the pitch
for as little as £2.00 each or become
a ‘Principal’ sponsor with 20 or more
squares, a ‘Premium’ Sponsor with
50 or more squares. Both Principal
and Premium sponsors can have their
names added to signs around the
pitch. Do you own or are connected
to any business that may wish to take
part in a sponsorship opportunity?
Please contact Mr P Ronayne at the
school for further details. pronayne@
wirralgrammarboys.com Donations
can be made via Parentmail2, cash
or cheque to the Finance Office
or Paypal-transfer to hockey@
wirralgrammarboys.com
Basketball
This year, we have three teams (Years 8, 9 and
11), in the Finals of the Wirral Schools’ Basketball
Championships. All three teams were unbeaten
in the group stages and we are hopeful that they
can continue their excellent form and win their
respective Finals to be played later this month.
Congratulations to all the boys concerned.
Stop press news: Congratulations to our Year 9
Basketball Team who won the Wirral Schools’
Championship! After going undefeated in their
Group through the regular season, they beat Ridgeway HS 24-8 in the semi-final
before overcoming Calday Grange GS 20-18 in a very tight final! Well done to all
our Year 9 players on such an impressive performance.
Mr P Crowley
Head of Physical Education
Representative
Honours
School Rugby
Dinner Date
Massive congratulations to Matty Palphreyman,
who has been selected for England Rugby 18
Group Schools and Clubs, after representing
the North in the Divisional Championships. A
fantastic achievement, and our first International
Rugby Honour in ten years! We are still hopeful
that Matty Dalton will gain International Honours
at 16 Group. He played for the North against
the South West last weekend and by all reports
gave an excellent account of himself. Fingers
crossed! Again, many congratulations to both
players for their achievements on the rugby field
this season.
Advanced notice of this
year’s School Rugby Dinner.
It will take place on Friday
8th May in the School Hall
(6.45pm for 7.00pm). The
evening should finish at
approximately 9.15pm.
All boys who have played
regularly for the School
Rugby teams this season
are expected to attend.
Mr P Crowley
Master i/c Rugby
Mr P Crowley
Head of Physical
Education
Nuntius
15
WIRRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL
A Business and Enterprise School for Boys
Visited our website recently?
Over the last two terms, our website has grown into a
very important source of information about the school:
news, forthcoming events, guidance materials, sporting
achievements etc are all to be found on the website
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
Parent Mail: Is your email
address up to date?
The majority of parents with computer access have registered
an email address with us and ‘Parent Mail’ is proving to be a
fast and effective means of getting letters and messages to
parents. To remain effective, parents need to keep their email
address information up-to-date. If you have not registered, or
if your email address has changed, this can be amended by
logging into the Parent Mail website: www.parentmail2.co.uk
and following the ‘parent login’ link or by contacting the school
Finance Office.
Mobile Phone Policy
- Reminder
Our 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.
Ways to Keep In Touch
Wirral Grammar School for Boys has a
Twitter feed and we can be followed @WGSB
Those with Facebook can be kept up-todate with achievements, developments and
events through our secure, school managed
Facebook page: Wirral Grammar School for Boys (Education).
To have our up-dates in your Newsfeed, simply
‘like’ this page.
May Open Evening 2015
Each year we hold an Open Evening in the Summer Term for
parents of boys who are currently in Year 5 of their primary
school and who are considering Wirral Grammar School as
their preferred choice for the following year (September 2016).
The Open Evening is primarily intended for parents who are
less familiar with the school. Please note that this does not
replace the Open Evenings which take place in September/
October and on these occasions, many staff and pupils will be
in school and there will be lots of ‘hands-on’ activities.
At the May Open Evening, parents will be able to have a
look around parts of the school and hear a talk given by our
Headteacher, Mr Hazeldine about life at Wirral Grammar
School and our admission procedure. This year, our May Open
Evening is being held on Wednesday 6th May at 6.30pm.
GCSE Pod is a revision tool for
pupils in Years 10 and 11 and is
especially useful for preparing
for exams and tests. GCSE Pod
contains a wide range of revision
materials: short questions, long questions, media clips, test
activities etc. These resources are available across a wide
variety of platforms: android phones, iphones, tablets, and pcs.
To find out more about this helpful resource, please check the
website: www.gcsepod.co.uk
Best Wishes!
With ever increasing competition for university courses,
apprenticeships and employment, there has never been more
at stake. I personally want to wish all our students taking
AS, A2 and GCSE examinations every success. There is no
doubting your ability to do well and with effective preparation,
you should each do so. We look forward to another excellent
set of results in August.
Mr D Hazeldine
Headteacher
Admission Enquiries
Enquiries relating to admissions should be directed to our
Admissions Manager, Mrs Tanya Fry on 0151 644 0908 or by
visiting the school website: www.wirralgrammarboys.com
Absence Requests
Parents are reminded that the rules have changed regarding
parental requests to take boys out of school during term time.
The new regulations now clearly state that “Headteachers may
not grant any leave of absence during term time”.
16
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
www.wirralgrammarboys.com
• news • achievements • events • admissions
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