RGS Review Summer 2014

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INSIDEMusic Distinctions and DiplomasRGS Top UK Medical School OffersDorking Halls PerformancesMoroccan Adventures Chamber Choir sing at Cathedral

Feelgood Spins a Political TaleQuestion Time Special Guests CCF Lake District AdventuresNo.1 Spot for UK Maths Challenge TeamEngland Selection for RGS Hockey Star

Review a_w April 2014_v3:Layout 1 21/5/14 17:33 Page 2

RGS Twitter FeedsContact the school departments using our individual Twitter addresses

Headmaster @rgsheadmaster

Reigate Grammar @ReigateGrammar

RGS Careers @RGSCareers

RGS Computing @rgsComputing

RGS Art Department @RGSArtDept

RGS Biology @BioRGS

RGS Business @RGSBusiness

RGS Chemistry @RGSChem

RGS Economics @RGSEconomics1

Catch Up OnlineAs this newsletter illustrates, RGS is an action-packed

school with a wealth of news and activities happening

around the clock. To keep up to date online, visit

our website or interact with RGS online via the

below channels:

School website: www.reigategrammar.org

RGS Twitter Feeds: As listed above

Facebook: www.facebook.com/reigategrammarschool

RGS English @RGSEnglish

RGS Drama @RGSDrama

RGS History @RGSHist

RGS Politics Dept @RGS_Pols

RGS Library @RGSlib

RGS Maths @RGSMaths

RGS Music @rgs_music

RGS Physics @RGSPhysicsDept


Reflecting on just how much the RGS

community achieved in the three

short months that constituted Spring

Term makes me more proud than

ever of the young people in our care,

and of just how much a Reigate

Grammar School education can

enable. Whether inside or outside of

the classroom, our students embrace

life and pursue goals whilst

maintaining a high set of

values and a modesty that

stands them apart.

It gives me a real sense of

pleasure to see the myriad of

good things that our young

people achieve, supported

and encouraged throughout

by the staff team here. It is clear that

they employ their abilities and

determination, together with the first

class teaching and coaching they

receive, to do good things often

gaining national recognition as a

result. From raising funds and

supporting others to high academic

achievement, demonstrating sporting

prowess and giving musical and

drama performances way beyond

their young years, I congratulate

them all.

As summer rolls into view, new

challenges and opportunities lie

ahead and I wish everyone the very

best for the months ahead. Our

enthusiasm to do our very best no

matter what the challenge is what

defines us. At RGS, we will

continue to support each other and

achieve together.

Yours

Shaun Fenton, Headmaster

/ReigateGrammarSchool

RGS has achieved the

highest rate nationally

for students gaining

offers from medical and

veterinary schools for the

second year running. All

eleven students applying

from RGS this year have

secured an offer to study

medicine, dentistry or

veterinary science.

RGS Tops the UK for Medical School Offers

Headmaster’s Welcome


RGS House Update

HODGSON Hodgson won the girls’ hockey

tournament with outstanding

performances all round and in the Third

Form boys’ B tournament, Hodgson put

forward a valiant effort to bring home a

victory despite having only five players.

A similarly depleted senior rugby side

came second, losing out to a very

strong Bird team.

At the inter-house sports day, five

members of Hodgson won individual

sporting awards and the swimming team

won the trophy by a sizeable margin.

Had there been a prize for support

alongside the running track, Hodgson

would have won hands down! In the

House singing Hodgson secured a solid

victory in the smaller group

competition.

The combined efforts of Hodgson and

Bird on Valentine’s Day saw the houses

raise almost £1000 for the Patrick Evans

Foundation through harassing teachers

with a guitar and a hilarious episode of

Take Me Out.

BIRD A tense House Quiz Final saw Bird edge

ahead of fellow finalists Williamson in

front of a packed Concert Hall. A fine

display of knowledge and memory, the

final followed the initial round which was

attended by the whole school.

As if the final had not tested their mental

metal enough, the victorious Bird team

then took on the staff quiz team in the

end of term assembly ‘friendly’ quiz

match. Thankfully, for the staff at least, the

teachers edged ahead to win the friendly.

CRANSTONCranston won the first ever competition

of the House system - the Fourth Form

swimming competition. From there,

things only got better for Cranston,

securing victories in singing, netball,

hockey and other events, crowned by the

most important of all events, Sports Day!

More recently, it has been nice to see

other houses getting involved. In

particular, Bird appears to be doing okay

with a win in the quiz and a few sporting

wins. Cranston acknowledges and

congratulates Bird for this, and welcomes

them to the field.

Huge congratulations to Cranston House

for a varied and convincing first year,

giving the House a worthy reputation to

build on in subsequent seasons.

WILLIAMSONWilliamson began its story last year at

sports day with star athletes leading the

house to moral victory, with some

outstanding individual performances. It

was obvious from then that Williamson is

a house of reserve and grace. With

Williamson’s First Form girls and boys

both wining their hockey and rugby, and

the Third and Fourth Form boys doing

the same, we got off to a gentle start.

In the bake-off Williamson bakers

cooked up some fantastic cakes and

goodies. The house raised £319.66 for

charity after teaming up with Cranston on

pancake day, and came a close second

to Bird in the House Quiz losing on the

final question!

The future for this house certainly

looks bright!



RGS’ Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band spent five

days in Germany’s Black Forest, where they gave two

excellent concerts to large and very appreciative

audiences. When not performing, the tour group spent

their time on a range of activities, including riding in one of

the longest cable cars in Europe at Freiburg, visiting a

glass-blowing factory and spending a day in Strasbourg.

Over 60 careers professionals and Higher Education

providers attended this year’s RGS Careers Convention.

The event enables students and their parents to meet

and ask questions of representatives from a vast array of

professions, gaining

invaluable insight and

guidance.

The event is part of a

busy calendar of

Careers events and

talks which aims to

give students exposure

of the widest possible

spectrum as they

consider their future

careers.

Careers Convention

Former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and

international human rights lawyer, Sir Keir Starmer returned

to his old school to give the annual Henry Smith Lecture.

Sir Keir outlined his inspiration for a career triumphing human

rights, the high profile cases and decisions made during his

time as DPP and touched upon the influences of life-long

friendships made during his time at RGS. Sir Keir also gave

generously of his time to host a working lunch with Sixth

Form students interested in pursuing a career in law.

Commenting on his time with RGS students, Sir Keir said;

“It is always fascinating to get the views of other people, but

particularly students at a school like this. In the 45 minutes

we have had over lunch, there is a huge range of views on

national and international issues and it’s fascinating to hear the

thought processes and influences.”

Sir Keir Starmer givesthe Henry Smith Lecture

Musicians Tour the Black Forest

World Book DayWorld Book Day was

celebrated at RGS with a

‘body in the Library’

mystery. Cryptic clues set

readers’ minds racing as

they completed a

detective quiz to establish

the identity of the literary

murderer.


Ten RGS students have received offers from

Oxford and Cambridge universities, bringing the

total number of students gaining Oxbridge offers

over the past decade to over 100.

Across the 230-strong Upper Sixth Form, 90% have now

received offers to the UK’s top Russell Group universities with

all those applying to medical or veterinary school gaining an offer

for the second year running.

Commented Shaun Fenton, Headmaster; “The key to our

students’ future success is guiding them to the right university

and to the right course for them. Our students work hard to

Oxbridge Offers

gain their places and also benefit from the excellent experience

and guidance of our Sixth Form and Careers teams, who leave

no stone unturned in their efforts to support and help our

young people as they move on to university.”

During the Reigate leg of the trip our guests joined in with

lessons, enjoyed bowling and a pizza supper and a day trip

to Brighton.

It was then the RGS students’ turn to live a different culture

and language for a few days as the entire group set aboard

the Eurostar for Lille. Attending a French school and

immersing themselves in family life gave a confidence and

language boost to all of the students and it was heartening

to see the genuine friendships proven by the sad goodbyes

when it was time for the Reigatians to return to Surrey.

French ExchangeFirm friendships were quickly established as RGS

once again welcomed French students from our

exchange partner school near Lille for the annual

Fourth Form exchange trip.

James Hawrych, Jenny Strange, Askhi Gupta and Isaac

Osterreicher competed in the regional heats of the Royal

Society of Chemistry’s Top of the Bench competition and won.

The competition is run by the RSC for 14-16 year old students.

ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY‘TOP OF THE BENCH’

Sixth Form student Katharine Smith has secured one of only

60 available places on PwC’s new Business Insight Scheme.

Katharine gained her place following a rigorous application process

including maths and verbal reasoning tests and an interview.

PWC BUSINESS INSIGHT PLACEFOR KATHARINE



RGS’ young Chemists made school history

by winning a record breaking number

of gold, silver and bronze awards in the

International Chemistry Olympiad.

Five students, Michael Ellis, Matthew Pardoe, Kasia

Warburton, Rhys Thomson and James Scott each

achieved Gold medals with a further nine gaining Silver

and fifteen students gaining Bronze medals.

Kasia Warburton’s score saw her achieve the second

highest score in the UK and selection by the RSC

Olympiad Committee to take part in a training weekend

The winter’s extremely wet conditions brought a

learning opportunity for RGS’ Weather Team whose

storm analysis was regularly quoted in local and

online media.

Mr Collins’ article on the River Mole’s flooding

characteristics saw him included in Radio 4’s File on

Four programme’s analysis of the winter’s weather

disruption.

Weather Station

Record Gold Medal Haul at InternationalChemistry Olympiad

Sixth Form Business Studies students gained a behind the scenes

look at a professional football club as they visited Brighton and

Hove Albion Football Club. The group listened to talks on

security, finance, maintenance, retail and ticketing and how these

areas contributed to the overall success of the business. The

students learned of the impact of promotion to the Premiership

with its estimated increase in revenue of over £80m.

Business Studies Tripto Brighton and HoveAlbion Football Club

held at Cambridge University. During the weekend Kasia competed in

theoretical and practical testing as part of a selection process for the

UK’s international Olympiad team.


Five young musicians are celebrating after achieving top marks and a coveted

‘distinction’ in their Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exams.

Emma Reynolds (Lower Sixth Form) achieved a distinction for her ARBSM Diploma

in Recorder, a truly remarkable achievement. Four fellow musicians gained a

distinction in Grade 8, the highest award before moving on to a diploma.

DISTINCTIONS AND DIPLOMAS FOR ABRSM STUDENTS

Rapturous applause rewarded the 200 musicians and singers who

took part in the Orchestral and Choral Concert at Dorking Halls.

The programme was packed with audible treats

from the Concert Band, Concert Band 2, Swing

Band, Junior Voices, RGS Singers, Intermediate

String Orchestra and the glorious sound

of the Symphony Orchestra.

A memorable performance of Concerto

in G (second movement) from senior

harpists Charlotte Ainsworth and

Rachael Munn was just one of the

highlights amongst many delivered by a

talented group of young musicians.

Dorking Halls Performancespulled on the

Heart Strings


MoroccanAdventures

The students enjoyed outstanding scenery and mixed

weather conditions as they climbed Happiness Valley

from from Tabant to Rbat then making a return via

the high ridges between the valleys.

The expedition covered a remote area of great

beauty where Berbers farm green agricultural land in

cultivated irrigated valleys beneath the brown and

yellow snowy peaks near Mount M’Goun, the second


A group of 17 intrepid Duke of

Edinburgh’s Gold Award

students completed their final

expedition in the High Atlas

Mountains of Morocco.

highest peak in the Atlas mountains. The weather was cold during the night

and, after brisk winds which brought Saharan dust, snow fell on two occasions

before days brightened up to the more familiar Moroccan azure blue skies

that dominated the end of the group’s visit.


A packed Spring Term programme concluded with a very special

evening of music which showcased the finest musical talent at

RGS. The breath-taking Singers and Instrumentalists Concert

held the audience spellbound with solo and group performances

including Purcell’s

Dido’s Lament,

performed by

Karolina Csathy

(voice), Catherine

Huntley and Emma

Reynolds (violin),

Miranda Harding

(viola) and Lauren

Cockerill (bassoon)

and Vivaldi’s

Domine Deus,

performed by

Madeleine Barratt

(voice) and Elizabeth Whitlock (oboe). RGS Barbershop

performed Bare Necessities and Afternoon Delight and Gaia

Moroni (voice) and James Ainsworth (harp) joined to perform

Over the Rainbow. The concert reached a memorable end with

all performers joining together to sing Bohemian Rhapsody and

clearly enjoying themselves as much as the audience!

Singers & Instrumentalists Shine

MoscowTrip

A group of 23 students and three staff toured St Petersburg under the wing of tour

guide Olga and from the base of their hotel which overlooked the frozen River Neva

and the Cruiser Aurora, which fired the opening shot of the Bolshevik revolution in

October 1917.

Highlights of St Petersburg included: the Peter

and Paul fortress; the cathedral where the tsars

who reigned since Peter the Great are

buried, including the recently found

remains of Tsar Nicholas II and

his family; the prison which

had housed revolutionaries

arrested after the 1905

revolution, including Trotsky and the decadent Yusopov Palace,

the location of Rasputin’s death.

An overnight train journey ended in Moscow station at 9am

where the group met their new guide, Alexander. First stop was

the Kremlin and the three cathedrals that form part of the Kremlin

complex followed by the Red Square and Lenin’s Mausoleum.

The final day saw the group visit Saint Saviors Cathedral, burial place

of many of the communist leaders at Novodevichy Convent, and the

Museum of Modern History which focuses on the last 150 years

of Russian history.

Sixth Form historians

immersed themselves in

the chilly scenes of their

Russian history studies during a trip to Moscow and St Petersburg.


RGS Geographers have been scouring streams

and seascapes as their lessons flowed outside

of the classroom. Lower Sixth Form students

enjoyed a field trip to Dorset to study the

intricacies of the Jurassic Coast and Swanage Bay.

First Form students took to Tillingbourne to

measure the width, depth and velocity of

the stream and identify channel shape variations

between meandering and straight sections

of the river.

Geographerson the Loose

Enduring grim but appropriate weather for a visit to World War 1

trenches, Second Form historians showed great maturity in their

appreciation of the different sites they visited. The group toured

Flanders Fields Museum, Hill 60, Langemark and Tyne Cot cemeteries

before visiting the Menin Gate for the memorial reading.

SECOND FORM TRIP TO YPRES

RGS’ Chamber Choir, Polyphony, took

part in an Evensong service at London’s

Southwark Cathedral. The eighteen boys

and girls, who together make up

Polyphony, took part in the traditional

sung service at London’s oldest cathedral.

Chamber Choirsings Evensong at SouthwarkCathedral



Lord Bowness Visit

The well-known author relayed how he had first approached RGS Head of

Chemistry, Mr Edd Roberts, some years earlier for emergency chemistry

lessons which related to a science based story he wanted to

write. The lessons were clearly a success as Simon Mayo’s first

book Itch, is now a best seller with a second in the series Itch

Rocks due out in paperback later this month. A third book in

the series is due out in the autumn.

Simon’s talk was rounded off with ‘fire and explosion’

experiments, ably executed by Mr Roberts and fellow chemistry

teacher Mr Welch.

It was then Third Form students’ turn to quiz Simon on his science

fiction expertise, in preparation for their own writing project. The

science fiction project was just one example of cross-curricular

projects that took place during RGS Science Week.

DJ and Author Simon MayoHeadlined Science WeekRadio 2 DJ and author of the Itch series of science fiction

books Simon Mayo visited RGS as part of Science Week.

Students welcomed Lord Bowness to RGS as he

gave a talk which explained the UK’s political and

parliamentary

process.

Lord Bowness met

with students from

RGS’ debating

societies and

Model United

Nations groups to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords.

Two Old Reigatians received recognition in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

Sir Keir Starmer QC was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)

for services to Law and Criminal Justice. Sir Keir was until recently the Director of the

Crown Prosecution Service and attended Reigate Grammar School from 1974 to 1981.

FORMER STUDENTS RECOGNISED IN NEW YEAR’S HONOURS


Feelgood is set at a Party

Conference in the year 2000, a

group of speech writers, aids and

special advisers come together to write the

Prime Minister’s speech. However, due to the

extreme incompetence of a government peer,

the conference and speech become part of a

wider cover up of a story that, if revealed,

would have disastrous consequences for the

government.

Congratulations to the talented cast and crew

for a brilliant performance that had audiences

laughing at every turn.

Feelgood Spins aPolitical TaleThe feel good politics of the early 21st century

were put under the spotlight as students staged a

performance of Alistair Beaton’s political satire.

Students enjoyed a double dose of language laughter as visiting

theatre group Onatti Theatre entertained with separate

performances in French and German.

ONATTI THEATRE VISIT


RGS Politics and Drama joined forces to stage a cross-curricular

Question Time event which followed the matinee performance

of Feelgood. Steve Punt, of Radio 4’s The Now Show, Reigate

MP Crispin Blunt and political journalist and television producer

Vanessa Elliott gave very generously of their time to form a

special guest panel.

Fielding a wide range of questions

from the audience of students,

staff and parents, the special

guests provided valuable insight

into the worlds of politics, the

media questions, spin and satire.

Question Time Special Guests


Caribbean Classroom

Calls StudentsSixth Form Geographers and Biologists swapped theclassroom for life inspiring field studies in Belize during theEaster holiday. The students explored rainforest andunderwater ecosystems, visited Mayan temples in addition tohelping the local communities by fundraising, wieldingpaintbrushes and playing volleyball. The majority of thestudents also learned to diveand navigate the underwaterworld of colourful reefcoral, shadowy caves andlurking lion fish. Thosediving and snorkelling alsosaw sea turtles, nurse sharks and magnificentlyelegant eagle rays.



Donning 1980’s fluorescent fitness gear, students

and staff embraced Sport Relief with gusto! Gone

were 21st century gadgets, replaced by pogo

sticks, space hoppers and all kinds of retro fitness

fun as break time saw the playground stage a

work-out even Jane Fonda would be proud of !

Needless to say, funds were raised a plenty for a

truly excellent cause.

Sport Relief

After winning the first heat convincingly, RGS’ intrepid junior team ventured to

Charterhouse School for the final of the SATRO problem solving competition.

The team was given 90 minutes to construct a winch which would raise a packet of

sweets from the floor to table level. They designed and then produced a superb

construction which achieved their goal at the first time of asking and saw them placed

first. The judges were so impressed that they took photos of the winch!

The winning team

comprised;

Eleanor Medcalf,

Connie

Bambridge-Sutton,

Sam Molyneux,

Ollie Beresford

and JJ Stewart.

SATRO Win for RGSProblem Solvers

Sherlock MasterclassTV and film music composer Michael Price

visited RGS to share the secrets behind his

recent work on the hit BBC series Sherlock

and give an insight into his career working

on films such as The Inbetweeners,

Wild Child, Wild Target and Hot Fuzz.

Michael also spent the afternoon giving a

masterclass to RGS string players, who

then went on to perform Michael’s String

Quartets for the national Pro Corda

Chamber Music Festival.


CCF Lake District Adventures

Combined Cadet Force cadets

enjoyed an action packed

Easter camp based at Halton

Camp, Lancaster. The group

trained with Wasdale Mountain

Rescue team, undertaking

practice rescues in addition

to enjoying archery,

rock climbing

and hiking.

Early April saw new Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

students embark on their first conservation day at

Petridge Wood. The group worked hard clearing trees

to recreate the diverse heath previously found here.

The group worked exceptionally hard and impressed the

local authority countryside warden who inspected their

work. The team listened well to advice and learned a

great deal about safe and efficient felling and clearing, in

addition to open fire safety.

Duke of Edinburgh’sConservation Day



Number One Spotfor UK MathsChallenge TeamRGS’ team of Connie Bambridge-Sutton, Aaron Gilchirst,

Ben Mackison and Khushveer Dhillon took on and beat 22

schools all vying for qualification for the UK Maths Challenge

competition. Challenges undertaken by the team included a

cross-number, a head to head competition and a relay round.

The four strong RGS team will now take up their place at the

National Final in June.

Over 200 people gathered at the Mansion

House in the heart of the City of London for

the launch of a fundraising campaign focused

on building support for finance assisted places

(bursaries) at Reigate Grammar School. The

‘Changing Lives’ campaign aims to raise funds

from donations to provide ‘open access’ to

RGS, which was originally founded by

philanthropist Henry Smith over 330 years ago

to educate the children of Reigate.

The campaign hopes to raise a sufficient amount

to fund fully at least twenty places by 2016 and

has already gained high profile support from past

students. In giving his backing to the launch,

David Walliams said: “I will always be grateful to

Reigate Grammar School. I was very fortunate to have some

inspirational teachers who provided me with wonderful support

Changing Lives Launch

and encouragement. Having

returned to RGS on several

occasions recently I realise that I

have much to be thankful for, and

am fortunate to have received

such an excellent education. That’s why I have become an

ambassador for the RGS Foundation ‘Changing Lives’ campaign.”

KASIA AT UK SENIOR MATHEMATICAL CHALLENGE

After an impressive performance in both

this year’s UK Senior Mathematical

Challenge and in the British Maths

Olympiad (Rounds 1 and 2) Upper Sixth

Form student Kasia Warburton was invited

to attend Olympiad Training Sessions

at Trinity College Cambridge in April.

Each July, about 100 countries send

teams of up to six students to the

International Maths Olympiad and

selection for the team will be decided

after the Cambridge training session.

Kasia has already been selected for the

UK team of four students who will take

part in the European Girls’ Mathematical

Olympiad in Turkey this summer.


Sports RoundupSENIOR RUGBYA memorable season has seen RGS players gain great benefit from the input of professional coach Paul Turner.

Early games showed the promise ofTom Vaughan who was quicklypromoted to the 1st XV. Other strongperformances were also seen fromAlex Moore and Tom Greenwood.Matt Norman quickly settled into hisrole as 1st XV captain.

The season highlights were the 1st halfperformance against Caterham, whichproved to be enough for RGS to winthe game 24-22, and the performanceagainst CLFS where we battled out a17-10 victory

The U16 rugby team experienced a tough season, in adversityshowing strong character. A win over Caterham was thehighlight of the season. In the Rugby 7’s the boys madeexcellent progress winning the Spoon at the Surrey 7s andexceeding all expectations in winning their group at theNational 7s.

JUNIOR RUGBY The U15As have continued to make a name for themselves asone of RGS’ best ever sides, having played 23, won 21 and lost just two. The U15Bs have also been a huge success thisyear, winning 13 games out of 15 giving them a win ratio of 87 per cent.

The U14 A’s ploughed through a tough season results-wise that did not dent their commitment to training and matcheseach Saturday. Notable players were David James for hisimprovement through the season and Tom Box who played forthe U15 NatWest Cup team and has become part of theHarlequins development squad.

The U14As played with good spirit and determinationthroughout the season securing good solid wins over Worth, St James’s and Glyn and saving their finest display of rugby fora 32-14 win over Caterham School.

Victories over Ewell Castle, Oxted, Worth, Lord Wandsworth,Sutton Valence, Caterham were the highlights for RGS’ U13A side. The U13Bs developed well over the season with a dominant win over WCGS and strong performances against Glyn, Sutton Valance and the 36-0 victory versusCaterham School.

The U12As enjoyed an encouraging first season at RGS whichstarted with a game against Ewell Castle and followed with a

22-5 victory in their first full gameagainst Wallington. The sideenjoyed good wins over St James,Lord Wandsworth and beat Hurst inthe pouring rain with the best try ofthe season by Owen Knowles.

The U12Bs’ commitment both intraining and in their matches wasexemplary The U12Bs saw a fittingend to their season and trainingefforts with a win against Caterham.

For full round up of the 2013/14RGS rugby season visit :www.reigategrammar.org/rugby

GIRLS’ SENIOR HOCKEYRGS enjoyed a fantastic season forgirls’ hockey with success across allage groups including winning the

U18 South Surrey Indoor Tournament. The school saw fourstudents selected as County representatives in the 1st XI aloneand one player in the England set up!

The 1st XI had one of the most successful seasons ever,winning seven of nine friendly games and drawing theremaining two, whilst overcoming the disappointment of theircup runs to win the South Surrey Indoor Tournament, afteronly a handful of training sessions.

The whole 2nd XI squad contributed to a successful seasonwith the girls developing their gameplay over the season. Back to back wins against St John’s and KCS, and further winsagainst Surbiton and Ardingly were the season highlights

The Third team trained and played hard and although successon field success eluded them, their commitment could not befaulted. As the season progressed they conceded fewer goalsand worked together as a unit with a number of playersearning call-ups to higher sides.

GIRLS JUNIOR HOCKEYThe season was impressive from the outset with some 200enthusiastic pupils taking part in pre-season training led byformer Olympic Gold medallist Steve Batchelor.

Hockey success across the age groups has been fantastic with the school achieving U14 South Surrey winners, U14 Surrey Cup competition third place, which led toqualification for the South Round, U13 East Grinstead HockeyTournament winners, U13 South Surrey Tournament winners,U12B South Surrey Tournament winners, U12A South Surrey Tournament winners, U12B 4th Place in Surrey Plate, U12ASurrey Cup Competition 3rd place, which led to qualificationfor the South Final.


UNDER 15RGS’ Under 15 A’s had a fantastic season, showing talent andcommitment throughout, which started with a strong 4-1 winagainst Kingston Grammar School. This match set the tone forthe rest of the season and established several key goal scorers.The team travelled to Jersey where they enjoyed a fantastic tourplaying some top level hockey including a draw against theJersey Island U15 team.

The highlight of the season came when the team put in afantastic performance against St George’s Weybridge, winning1-0. Supporters will remember this high intensity matchshowcased the strength of individual and team skills.

The season ended with the South Surrey tournament where theteam stepped up the challenge and came second overall.

UNDER 14The U14A girls enjoyed a truly outstanding season that sawthem crowned District Champions, third place in Surrey andqualifying for the Regional play-offs.

The girls also enjoyed good wins against Kingston Grammar (4-1), Gordons (7-0) and Tormead (8-1).

The U14Bs have shown commitment and good improvementthrough the season and have battled hard to hold somerespectable competitor A teams to draws. The girls came thirdin the South Surrey tournament and third in their pool in theSurrey Trophy where, despite losing to Tormead and Priorsfield,they drew with A teams from Sir William Perkins, Roseberryand Gordons.

Their best match of the season was the one they won 2-1against Ardingly, towards the end of the season.

UNDER 13The Under 13 season is varied with both seven and 11 a sidehockey played alongside each other. At the start we playedKingston Grammar in a seven-a-side game and came away withan impressive 1-1 draw. The East Grinstead seven-a -sidetournament saw RGS play and win five group matches includingBrighton College 2-0. In the quarter finals we had a tight gameagainst Cumnor House but won 2-1. In the semi-finals we wereup against Burgess Hill. A 2-0 win saw us progress to the finalwhere Timea Culverwell knocked in the winning goal against

St Bede’s school resulting in RGS winning the tournament! Theside’s second tournament was an 11-a-side round robin styletournament where the side played well beating St. Dunstan’s,Colfe’s and Portsmouth Grammar but drew with CLFS and lostto St George’s and Sevenoaks School resulting in a placing ofthird overall.

The weekend tour to Taunton for the weekend brought winsagainst Sherbourne School and Queen’s School to play seven-a-side. Spring Term saw the South Surrey tournament where theU13s beat Woldingham and Lingfield Notre Dame to winoverall. Wins against CLFS, Tormead and Woldingham, a drawwith Hawthorns and a loss to St. George’s in the SurreyTournament placed RGS third in the group.

The U13B hockey team demonstrated good commitment topractices which enabled them to overcome a frustrating start tothe season. The girls put early losses behind them with Octoberhalf-term the turning point from which they remained unbeatenfor the rest of the season.

UNDER 12The Under 12 A side had a great season and has showntremendous improvement which resulted in their winning theSouth Surrey Tournament and going through to the South Finalafter coming third on goal difference in the Surrey CupCompetition.

The U12 B, C & D teams have had a fantastic season. The B’slost one friendly game and enjoyed a fantastic tour to Tauntonduring which their best result was beating Queen’s SchoolTaunton 5-0. They were crowned South Surrey Champions withwins over Royal Alexandra and Albert School, Lingfield NotreDame, Warlingham and Woldingham and also won the B teamsection of the Priorsfield Tournament. In this year’s Surrey’s anumber of schools put their A teams in to the plate, a ratherdaunting prospect for the RGS’ B,C and D sides who did notcarry their fears on to the field and won 2, drew 1 and lost 1.This placed them second in their group so put them through tothe semi-finals against Rosebury’s A team. The girls weredisappointed not to have had a top three placing but theirsuccesses places them as the top B team in the Surrey Plate, afantastic achievement.

The C and D teams has been very fluid in an attempt to getevery girl a game as often as possible. All the girls have beengiven the opportunity to represent the school at least twice.The C team finished the season without a loss in friendlymatches and their best result a 3-1 win against Greenacre 3-1.They were also placed third in the B team South SurreyTournament.

The D team has always been close on their heels with so manyof the girls making fantastic progress this season. They had agood win against Kingston Grammar and were placed fifth outof seven in the B team South Surrey Tournament.

For a full round up of the RGS Girls’ Hockey season please visit:www.reigategrammar.org/girlshockey

BOYS’ SENIOR HOCKEY At 1st XI level RGS enjoyed a winning season with 13 wins andtwo draws from a total of 22 matches. In the Surrey U18Trophy RGS boys were frustrated to be placed second on goaldifference despite beating the eventual winners St John`s



Leatherhead along the way. The teams met again at Hartswoodin the annual `derby` match with RGS emerging victorious threegoals to two.

The 2nd XI had a challenging season but kept their spirits upand were pleased to score an average of two goals per game.Dominic Allison was a strong captain for a second year who ledby example, and the team produced some encouragingperformances towards the end of the season, most notably aresounding 4-0 victory over St John’s Leatherhead 2nd XI.

The last weekend of term saw senior players travel to the KESBath Hockey Festival, a national event with over 40 teamsrepresented and a fitting climax to the season againstopponents RGS does not normally encounter. The team werein a free-scoring mood, with three of four matches won and agoal tally of plus 13 overall for the festival. The team workedexcellently as a unit and supported each other over the courseof the weekend coping well with the intense schedule.

JUNIOR HOCKEYThe 2013-14 season witnessed a revolution in the provision ofHockey for RGS boys. For the first time, all pupils in the Firstand Second Form had the opportunity to experience Hockeyboth in games sessions and also for many in competitive schoolmatches. A term of Rugby was followed by a term of Hockey:with some boys excelling in both whilst others finding one ofthe activities more suited to their sporting aspirations.

At Under 12 and Under 13 level we fielded A, B, C and Dteams in the abridged seven-a-side format of the game. TheU13 teams also had the opportunity to play full 11-a-sidematches in some of their school fixtures. Team of the year inthese age groups were definitely the U13B, who only lost twoof nine matches played.

RGS’ U12 teams improved significantly as the term progressed,with players such as goalkeeper Harry Verity, midfield/strikerFinn Skinner and captain Edward MacTavish featuringprominently in matches.

RGS’ U14 squad achieved one of themost successful playing recordsenjoyed by this age group for anumber of years. With five wins andthree draws from their 14 games,the boys emerged with a 46 per centwin rate in their first season.Although individual performancescontributed a great deal, theunderlying reason for the team`ssuccess was undoubtedly thestrength in depth that the squadpossessed in virtually every position.

The U15A team found some of theirfixtures quite challenging, but theycompeted with determination insometimes trying circumstances.One obvious area of success wasthe selection of three of the playersfor the Surrey U15 squads, namelyEthan Quantick, Peter Doherty andJosh Van der Meulen. These players,along with Pankaj Lal in midfield and

player of the season George Hopkins in goal, provided thebackbone of the team.

For a full round up of the RGS Boys’ Hockey season pleasevisit: www.reigategrammar.org/boyshockey

NETBALL The 2013/14 season has been one of RGS’ most successfulseasons ever for school match fixtures. The squad is committedto being more successful in tournaments next season with thedriving aim a Surrey finals qualification.

The 1st V11 had a highly successful season despite losing EmilyBrookes after the first week of training with a broken ankle.Her height and accuracy in shooting were sorely missed but itgave Issie Keith an opportunity to step up to the mark and as aresult she improved tremendously as the season progressed.

A disappointing show in the Surreys saw RGS just miss out onqualifying for the finals. The girls were determined to move onand all credit for their positive attitude. RGS beat Croydon Highin the Nationals, a feat previously unaccomplished by RGS inthis competition. RGS also secured a very satisfying win againstLingfield Notre Dame and came away with three wins in total,only missing out on qualifying for the semis by one point. Latein the season RGS was rewarded with a tournament with theGreenacre Shield safely in the school’s hands.

The girls remained unbeaten in school matches from Octoberto April. Including their first round cup defeat, the girls played13, won 10, drawn one, and lost two and amassed 433 goalswith only 286 let in. Notable wins came against Ardingly andKing’s Rochester, scoring 57 goals to 16.

The 2nd VII netball squad has proven to be the strongest in anumber of years. Their attitude, cohesion as a squad and theirsheer determination on court was infectious and resulted in avery successful and enjoyable season. The girls played 10, won6 and lost only four. They started the season with very strongperformances beating Sutton, Sir William Perkins and Coloma.Their best performance was in a nail biting goal for goal match

away at Caterham School with RGS girlscoping well with the pressure, implementinga variety of tactics to emerge the worthywinners 38-34.

A large third team squad happily rotated inmatches and became adept at playing in arange of positions. Their attitude was beenexcellent throughout; relentlessly cheery at8am on a Saturday morning. They roundedoff an excellent season with consecutivevictories against Ardingly and King’s,Rochester.

For a full round up of the RGS Netballseason please visit:www.reigategrammar.org/netball

SENIOR SWIMMINGSwimming at RGS continues to go fromstrength to strength with a trainingprogramme of seven sessions per week andmany swimmers taking up the opportunity toswim before school.


We are fortunate that we are able to put out A and B teams inevery age group in the school. The senior girls enjoyed aconvincing win over CLFS, a remarkable achievement againstsuch a strong swimming school. In the District competitions theUnder 18 boys’ and girls’ team were both placed third while theUnder 16 boys’ were placed second and Under 16 girls’ third.

RGS’ Under 18 team competed in the Independent SchoolsBath Cup, the first event at the Olympic pool in Stratford. The boys’ and girls’ teams had a fantastic day with the girlsbeing placed half way out of 50 schools. Despite swimmingagainst some strong all-boys schools, RGS managed to secure afaster time than a number of the other competitors. It was afantastic experience for the students, and RGS’ ability to gainentry this year is a reflection of how much swimming at RGShas progressed.

James Lynn in the Upper Sixth Form competed in the SurreySchools Biathlon back in October. He put in a superb effort tobe placed first in the Swim and second overall. James’ successled to qualification to the National Schools Biathlon at theOlympic Park during the Easter holidays.

The Rotary Club Swimarathon saw our Senior Speed RaceTeam complete 196 lengths in 55 minutes. In doing so they alsoraised over £450 for charity.

JUNIOR SWIMMINGSwimming at RGS has progressed in the last 18 months withseven training sessions a week on offer varying from afterschool, to lunchtime to a 07.15 early morning slot. Theenhanced training and the addition of Mrs Cornelius ourswimming coach have translated into a very successful year.

RGS’ Under 15 teams have had a very successful season winningthe majority of their competitions, triumphing over Wimbledontwice, Caterham and CLFS. Some of our U15’s swam up at U16level in the District and Surrey Competitions. At District levelthe boys came a close second to Reigate School, an all club side.

The girls secured wins over Dunottar and Woldingham andalthough the A’s narrowly lost to Caterham, the B’s secured awin. The girls also swum well to be placed third in the Districts.

RGS entered the Surrey Schools for the first time in recentyears and were aiming for a top six finish. The boys came closewith a seventh and eighth place and the girls succeeded with afifth in the medley relay and sixth in the freestyle.

RGS’ Under 14 boys’ team had a fantastic season and securedtwo eighth place finishes in the Surrey Relays and were crownedDistrict Champions. They have won against Wimbledon,Caterham and had a superb win over City of London Freemans.

The Under 14 girls have been just as successful winning galasover Woldingham, CLFS, Dunottar and Caterham and only lostto Greenacre by one point despite racing against a number ofpupils from the year above. The girls secured a fifth place in theSurrey Championships and won the Districts.

RGS’ Under 13 boys had a mixed season with a win againstWimbledon College and a sixth placing in the Trinity Groupgala against some very tough opposition. The Under 13 girls hada slightly more successful season winning four of their fivefriendly galas and swimming particularly well in the TrinityGroup Gala to be placed second just behind Alleyn’s and ahead of Caterham.

RGS’ Under 12 teams are the strongest the school has seen in along time. The girls have won three of their four friendly galas,were placed fourth in the Trinity Group and second in theDistricts. At the Surrey Relay gala they showed great potentialfor the future as they achieved a fifth place in the freestyle relay.

The Under 12 boys have had the most successful season inrecent years at RGS. In the friendly galas they have won threeand drawn one. They won the Districts and were second in theTrinity Group gala, close behind Whitgift and ahead ofCaterham and Trinity.

Early in October 16 junior swimmers took on the challenge of the Surrey Schools Biathlon. Each student gave their all anddid RGS proud showing true team spirit on the day when,despite the pouring rain, they encouraged each other from startto finish.

Owen Knowles was placed fifth overall in Surrey and Amy Brill,Emelye Kenyon-Brown an d Gwen Subuh-Symons were placedsecond in the team event at U13 level. With all RGSparticipants being young in their age group, this was a fantasticachievement. As a result of their successes Owen, Amy, Ella Woods and Corey May qualified for the British ModernBiathlon Championships held at the end of November at theOlympic Park in Stratford. This is a fantastic achievement and afirst for RGS pupils.

FOOTBALL This season has seen a huge improvement for Football at RGS.The Lower Sixth Form joined a keen Upper Sixth to make adynamic and enthusiastic squad of players. Many heavy lossesagainst strong schools last season were turned into well-earneddraws this year. The most exciting of these was a last gaspequaliser at MPW just as the whistle was about to be blown! A fantastic team performance for the last match of the seasonagainst Royal Russell ended the season on a winning note andnot even three separate hail storms stopped the boys fromfinishing the season in high spirits.

GOLF Since September 2013, RGS’ golf sides have lost just one gameout of 10. In this time 30 players have represented the school(including two girls from Reigate St Mary’s Preparatory School).

The current senior side has been ably led by Greg Hodgson



over the past two seasons and his organisation andcommitment to the team cannot be under-estimated. He hasbeen well supported by his two Upper Sixth Form colleagues,Tom Massey and Mike Stephen, who have all performedextremely well in all games often against stronger handicaps.

There is a strong future ahead for RGS golf with another 12players all in the Fifth Form and below vying for 1st VI places.In the Fifth Form Sam Brill and Oli Driscoll have been regular1st VI players and Olly Massey has also featured strongly insome of the games. Sam Brill was our leading player in theprestigious Smarden Bell competition last summer and will be areal force over the next two years.

In March a team of Sam Brill, Sam Dukes and Will Dowling won the Surrey Schools Handicap Championships, with Sam Dukes winning the individual title and Sam Brill the runnerup, Whist our girls won their teamchampionship with Chloe Bader runner up inthe individual event too.

Highlights for RGS have been the wins overKCS. Wimbledon, King’s Canterbury, the drawwith a very strong Tonbridge and the mostrecent win away at Epsom College. This finalresult has seen RGS progress through to theSE England semi- final of the NationalIndependent Schools Championships. Thefuture of RGS golf is looking very strong.

INDOOR ROWING RGS’ second season of competitive IndoorRowing concluded with a highly successfulperformance at the Surrey inter-schoolcompetition with every RGS student who

raced achieving a personal best. Theo Petitt won in the ThirdForm boys’ competition, Sophie Elliss, Kendall Jowers, TomBushell and Harry Persand all won silver medals in theirrespective races with Mia Penfold, Taylor Weber and BethQuick securing bronze medals. All four relay teams won silverand everyone came away with at least one medal.

SQUASH RGS’ 1st V enjoyed splendid wins over Trinity, CLF, Cranleighand Westminster School. RGS’ team is well represented withCounty players and squad members including Mo Khan, (Sussexsquad), Libby Walters (Surrey squad), Lilly Pinggera (Surreyplayer) and Matt and Megan North (both top Sussex players),all ably supported by the excellent and ever dependable WillSaward and James Wright. RGS captain Mike Pinggera startedplaying nine years ago and amazingly has never lost a matchwhile representing Surrey at U13, U15, U17 & at U19 levels.

The U15 A team won through to the final stage of the Nat

West Cup and played brilliantly in very difficult conditions

against a strong side on their home ground, narrowly losing

12-15. The best an RGS team has done in years.

The side successfully defended their Surrey 7s title beating

Whitgift, Caterham, John Fisher and Dulwich.

NatWest Cup FinalRGS girls celebrated a win at the Surrey Indoor Athletics. The

seven-strong team got through to the Finals at the Surrey Sports

Centre following an earlier qualifying win at Reigate College in the

South Surrey competition. At the final the girls competed against

11 other area winning school

teams and seized the top spot

with four points to spare.

The event saw the young

athletes compete in various

indoor track and field events to

mirror an outside competition.

The boys also won their place at

the Surrey Finals having come

second in the South Surreys. The

boys achieved such a huge score that they were invited to compete

in the finals despite coming second but finished 6th overall.

Indoor Athletics



Following her place in the England

Under 16 Hockey side in 2013,

Sixth Form student Harriet

Mitchell has been selected not only

for Surrey representation but also

to be part of the Advanced

Apprenticeships in Sporting

Excellence, as part of the National

Age Group Squad Academy.

England Selection ForHarriet Mitchell

The Reigate Charity 7s is now well-established and regarded as

one of the top school tournaments in the country. Early March

saw RGS

Hartswood

welcome 32

boys’ and ten

girls’ U18 Rugby

7s teams.

In the Girls’ Plate

Competition,

there was delight

for the home crowd as a determined RGS side snatched victory

5-0 in a very tense final against Epsom College.

Presentations were made by Wasps and England star Joe

Launchbury who played in the RGS Charity 7s tournament several

year earlier. Funds generated by the event went to the Aplastic

Anaemia Trust and the RGS Foundation’s Changing Lives campaign.

England Star At ReigateCharity 7s

A bumper crop of County Hockey selections for both Surrey

and Sussex squads saw RGS sportsmen and women in

celebratory mood. The selections follow an increasingly strong

performance in Hockey with the rise in form largely attributed

to the introduction of professional coaches at every age level.

Harriet Mitchell,

David Gent and

Oliver Harvey

have all been

selected for the

Surrey Under

17 squad;

Catriona Lynn

and Amberley

Hodgson for the

Under 16 squad; Chloe Stimpson, Josh Van der Meulen, Ethan

Quantick and Peter Doherty for the Surrey Under 15 squad. Max

Clarke has been selected for the Under 14s and Timea Culverwell

and Taylor Weber selected for the Surrey Under 13s. Sussex

selections have seen Lucy Donovan and James Hawrych picked for

the U17 and U16s respectively.

Hockey County Selections

The winter hockey season close saw Reigate Grammar School’s

Under 12 (U12) Girls achieve second place in the South of

England Final. The silver medal winning team celebrated their

achievement which represented the highest ranking for their team

in the school’s history.

In their pool

games the team

faced tough

competition

playing Alleyn’s

(winner of the

London county

competition),

Claires Court

(winner of

Berkshire County competition) and St Georges’ B team (Surrey).

Undaunted, the girls made it through to the semi-finals where they

won against Kingston Grammar School 2-1. In the final they played

St. George’s A team in what was a very close and hard-fought

game. Despite a strong performance, the girls lost 1-0 but were still

delighted to take the runners up spot and collect their silver medal.

National Silver Medalists

Congratulations to RGS players who received theirCounty call up during the 2013-14 season:

Under 18 – Charlie BramhallUnder 17 – Laurie OvertoomUnder 16 – Alex ByrneUnder 15 – Joe GregsonUnder 15 Development Squad – Henry McCann, Oli BrooksUnder 14 Development Squad – Gus McGilligan

Rugby County Representatives


Des

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o.ukReigate Grammar School is an HMC, co-educational, independent day school for children aged 11 to 18. For more

information, log on to our website at www.reigategrammar.org or e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to obtain a prospectus and an application form, you may also contact us at the following address:Reigate Grammar School, Reigate Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0QS

Tel: 01737 222231 Fax: 01737 224201

Open Morning:

Saturday 27 September 20149.30 am to 12 noon

Headmaster’s Welcome Talks, Guided Tours, All Departments Open


Documents

RGS Review Summer 2014