1 Issue No 22/2015-2016
Thetford Grammar School
The small, friendly school that gets results for individuals.
11th March 2016
Dear Parents and Pupils,
Another very busy and exciting week here at Thetford Grammar School has blurred by. We
are marking Sport Relief with a non-uniform day and a sponsored Conga on Fulmerston Site
later on this afternoon. I am certain that all members of the school will have a particularly
enjoyable day supporting an exceptionally worthwhile cause.
We held our Parent Focus Group meeting on Tuesday morning. Mrs Peace, Head of Prep
and Pre-Prep, Mrs Elders, Deputy Head and I focussed on a number of initiatives and events
that are being considered. These include:
1. Technological provision for teaching and learning, including new behaviour
management software being trialled in Prep School and laptops/notebooks and their
future usage in the school from Year 7 onwards.
2. New bus routes are being considered by the school to assist with transporting children
to school and home. The consideration is to start with, perhaps, two routes and then
gauge how positively they are received by parents and children.
3. Feedback and comments were provided from the recent TGS Parent Survey (conducted
in January). I do thank the 58 respondents for their time. There were many positives
from the questionnaire e.g.
“a small school with excellent pastoral care as well as an outstanding academic
record”;
“children are polite and all respect school values”;
“…impressed by the rapport between boys and girls of all ages”
and many items that we are considering and reviewing for school improvement
purposes.
We also mentioned two important forthcoming dates for next
term:
Friday 29th April, 7.00pm in Old School – the official
launch of David Seymour’s, a former Head of History
at TGS, book ‘Thetford Grammar School’. This
wonderful book explores the fourteen centuries of
educational heritage on this site. More information
and invitations will be sent out in due course. Please
contact the school for further details.
Saturday 2nd July – TGS Summer Fete, starting in the
morning with OTA vs TGS cricket, then moving to
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the school for an afternoon of refreshments, games, fun and special events. We shall
be delighted to welcome all members, friends and families of the TGS community
Yesterday, we had the distinct privilege of welcoming the Mayor and Mayoress of Thetford
to the school. Mayor Robert Kybird, an Old Thetfordian himself, provided a very interesting
account of his role and civic responsibilities. He also fielded some excellent and probing
questions posed by many members of the school.
Our German Exchange left yesterday morning led by Mr Andy Durling and Miss Karen
Humphrey. I shall wish them a very happy and safe time with lots of exciting learning
opportunities. We shall look forward to hearing about their adventures upon their return
next week.
I do wish you all a very happy and healthy weekend.
Mr Mark S. Bedford
Headmaster
Y10 TRIP TO THE SKILLS EAST FAIR
Last week, Y10 spent the morning travelling through the
delightful Essex countryside to visit the annual East of England
Careers Fair, which this year was held in Colchester. The aim of
the event is to promote all the opportunities that are available for
students once they have completed their GCSE courses.
At the event the pupils could sample penalty shoot outs with
Essex F.A., flight simulators with the R.A.F and work on a
scenario in a real ambulance supplied by the East of England
Ambulance Trust. There were also many other stands for pupils
to visit and find information to help guide them in their future careers. One of the highlights
of the trip to Writtle College, was the cycling simulator which saw Toby Culling and Henry
Bittleston go head-to-head in a battle to see who would become the school’s version of Sir
Bradley Wiggins.
Henry also won the Worlds’ Biggest Easter Egg when he
correctly organised the Periodic Table on another stand.
Mrs Pearson who organised the trip said the she was ‘delighted
with the success of the Fair.’
Mr Bradley Young
Head of English
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TASTY BOOK COMPETITION
An array of fantastic looking and tasting cakes gave the
judges much food for thought! Thank you to the
judges, our Governor Mrs Brenda Canham and Head of
Art, Miss Sherring, who spent their time deliberating
over the inspiration behind the entries, the fabulous
decoration and, of course, the sumptuous flavour of the
cakes in the competition. Congratulations to all who
took part - the judges were impressed by all the entries!
Also thank you to everyone who helped to raise £48.50 towards books for the TGS libraries.
Madeleine Trussell Sam Bercovici Zoe Kendall Louise Macrow
1st Prize Senior School 1st Prize Prep School 2nd Prize 3rd Prize
Joseph Ramsbottom Adrian Jenkinson
Merit Adult Winner
Mrs Julie Settle
Librarian
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SKI TRIP
We are fast approaching the departure date for the ski
trip next week. Could I remind all pupils that we need
their passports, EHICs, Euros and consent forms in to
the office as soon as possible.
Mrs Alison Alecock
Trip Organiser
PREP SCHOOL BOOK CHARACTER DAY
Pupils in Prep School were invited to come in to school on World
Book Day dressed as a book character of their choice. Pupils
came dressed in a wide range of costumes including Grandpa
from David Walliams’ ‘Grandpa’s Great
Escape’; characters from Harry Potter,
Horrid Henry and James Bond were
also seen in school. All pupils who took
part looked spectacular and a super day
was had by all.
Mrs Nicki Peace
Head of Preparatory School
TOWN CRIER ASSEMBLY
Oyez, Oyez, Oyez! On Friday 4th March, Mr Mike Wabe
Thetford Town Crier, visited our whole school assembly
to speak about the history of Town Criers; why they
carried out the job that they do and their importance
especially in the past.
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He went on to explain why he wears a particular set of
regalia and then the pupils were treated to a
demonstration of a Town Crier in action!
Iris in Pre-Prep said ‘He had a bell’ and Holly declared ‘It
was very loud!’ Tom, from Y5 told us that he would
definitely like to enter the competition (below) as he
would also like to be a Town Crier!
Pupils have got the chance to participate in the Junior Thetford Town Crier competition
which takes place in August and is open to children aged between 6 and 14. Please see the
attached entry form for information.
Mrs Nicki Peace
Head of Preparatory School
MARY ANNING
On Thursday 3rd March the Prep School from Y4-Y6
went into the school hall ready to hear the life story of
Mary Anning told by Mandy Hartley. Mandy asked for
some volunteers to play the lead characters. Cassidy
played Mary Anning, Hamish was the Dad, Ethan as her
brother Joe and Freddie as Professor Charles Darwin.
Mandy re-told the story of Mary and how her family were poor and spent most of their days
digging for fossils along the beach which Mary sold at
night. The story developed into how Mary and her brother
Joe found the first skeleton of a dinosaur measuring 10
metres. It took Mary months and months to uncover.
Mandy was extremely impressed by the questions that the
pupils asked and told Mrs Peace that their behaviour was
impeccable!
Miss Kim Fitch
Teaching Assistant
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CONQUERING THETFORD’S CASTLE HILL
On Monday 7th March 2016, Y7 went to visit Castle Hill. In History
we have been studying early Norman castles like the Motte and
Bailey castle in Thetford. We have been learning about their
layout and their strengths and weaknesses. Lucky for us Thetford
has the second largest Motte and Bailey castle in England.
Mrs Kathrin Elders
Deputy Head
So, for the trip we were given the opportunity to visit the place
where the real Motte and Bailey castle would have been. Before
we studied this topic I had no idea what a Motte and Bailey castle was or that Castle Hill
was in fact a Motte and Bailey castle built in the 11th
century.
After Mrs Elders explained the layout we were asked to
imagine that we were the attackers trying to get into the
castle. We had to think about the fact that we would have
carried heavy armour and weapons whilst trying to get
through the moat, climb up the ditch and then get past
the two meter high palisades which would be well
protected by archers.
After having conquered the Bailey where all the people including the Lord lived, we were
encouraged to climb up the Motte to see what it would be like trying to storm the last
defence when the bridge would have been destroyed. I
learnt much about attacking and defending a Motte and
Bailey castle. Miranda 7H
This trip had been organised to explore the experience of
how hard it would be to attack and take over a Motte and
Bailey castle, especially in bad weather conditions. It was
easier for us than it would have been for the rebellious
English because there are now no palisades anymore and
no one was shooting arrows at us. Tom 7H
I really loved climbing up Castle Hill. It made me notice
how hard it must have been to attack it. I think its only
weakness was that it had been made from wood as it
could be destroyed by fire or siege engines. Franzi 7S
Our trip to Castle Hill was one of the best trips I have ever
had – even though it was also one of the shortest trips I
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have had. The reason I really liked it was the fact we could
climb up the Motte and the mounds of earth after running
down into one of the ditches. We had this trip as we were
exploring the experience of how hard it would be to attack
and take a Motte and Bailey castle, especially in the rain. It
was easier for us than it would have been for the English as
we didn’t have any palisades blocking our way into the
Bailey nor to the top of the Motte. We also didn’t have
archers shooting at us whilst we were climbing the Motte.
Sam 7H
I enjoyed climbing the Motte and Bailey castle. It was exhilarating to think that maybe our
ancestors had tried it too. Will 7S
I thought it was a good trip because we saw how tall a
Motte and Bailey castle is and it seemed even more
impressive when you take into account that it was man
made. The Motte was very steep and it was challenging
enough getting up the hill but getting down the hill turned
out to be even harder and most of the class got really
muddy. If you were in the battle then you would want to
be in the castle and not
trying to get into it. You
would have had to carry a lot of armour and your weapons
whilst trying to climb up a steep ditch and avoid being shot
by lots of arrows. Luca 7H
I really enjoyed climbing up the hill. It gave you a real sense
of how hard it would have been to attack the castle and how
strong its defences were. It was great to be on top of the
Motte and able to see for such a long way. Madeleine 7S
HALLO AUS DEUTSCHLAND
The TGS German Exchange pupils arrived
safely at Dortmund airport on Thursday
afternoon. They then travelled on to Brakel
to meet their German Exchange partners and
their families. During their visit they will be
enjoying a day in Hamelin with the Pied
Piper and much more.
Mr Andy Durling
Head of MFL
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YEAR 6 CRUCIAL CREW
On Wednesday 9th March Year 6 attended a Crucial Crew event at
Letton Hall, Shipdham. This is an interactive safety programme
which recreates situations of crime and danger. The pupils
experienced and participated in a range of realistic situations
which are potentially life-threatening. This was to raise their
awareness of what they can do to increase their own and others
safety.
Activities they took part in included:
The pupils found this to be a very
exciting day and learnt a great deal
about how to be safe themselves and
how to keep others safe.
Miss Kim Fitch
Teaching Assistant
ARTS AWARD SUCCESS
On Wednesday 2nd March the Arts Award moderator visited school to view pupils’ and
students’ work, with entrants from Y9 to Y13. Ten students from Y9 produced excellent
portfolios based on their visit to Perry Green, the home of sculptor Henry Moore. Eight
students from Y10 and Y11 worked independently on Silver portfolios studying textiles,
fashion, decoupage and painting as well as developing their leadership skills through
projects ranging from staging exhibitions to teaching craft workshops. This was the first
year we had a Gold student entered for moderation - Megan Gallacher took on the role of
Graphic Designer for the Fulmerstonian Magazine to develop her leadership skills then
First Aid Electrical Safety Home Preparedness Personal Safety
Fire Safety Street Safety Seaside Safety
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successfully extended her own arts practice into film making. A super achievement for
which she gains UCAS points, as well as the coveted gold badge!
BRONZE awards were gained by:
Hattie Long Sophie Gornall Ben Trowell Alana Wilson James Blackman
Andrew Forbes Megan Sidery Isabel Curley Eleanor Pringle
SILVER Awards were gained by:
Clarissa Katsikides Eleanor Dickens Emily Tomkins Ellie Vinton
Isobel Tod Sophie Rose-Land Charlotte Long Alex Ackerman
GOLD award gained by:
Megan Gallacher
Congratulations to all the pupils involved for their dedication and hard work. Please note,
Trinity College who issue the certificates for Arts Award will take up to 6 weeks to do so.
They will then be awarded in School assembly during the Summer term.
Mrs Lucy Perry
Arts Award Co-ordinator
EASTER ‘EGGS’TRAVGANZA – 9TH MARCH 2016
On Wednesday 9th March pupils and staff in Pre-Prep welcomed visitors
to join them in an Easter ‘Eggs’travaganza activity morning. Easter
cookies were decorated ready to eat and plants were potted ready to
take home to admire them growing. The Pre-Prep department was a
hive of activity with some very busy little fingers being ‘eggs’tremely
creative!
Noah, ‘I liked making the biscuits’
Holly, ‘I loved making rabbit bags to put my things in, I love
ggstravaganza’
Miss Julie Blakemore
Pre-Prep Teacher
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SCHOOLBLAZER
As the summer period gets particularly busy, Schoolblazer are
offering free delivery on all orders placed during the 3rd – 17th July
2016.
SPORTS RELIEF FRIDAY 11th MARCH
Pupils in the Prep and Pre-Prep School, as well as volunteer Senior
School pupils, took part in a sponsored Kilometre-Conga at lunch time
today. This was to raise money for Sports Relief on 18th March. We are
aiming to raise as much money through pupil sponsorship as we do
through the £1 donation for non-uniform.
Also, a reminder to all pupils who took part that all sponsorship forms and money are to
be collected by the end of Wednesday 16th March. Thank you!
Miss Daniella Dunsmore
Charities Co-ordinator
PREP SCHOOL EASTER BONNET COMPETITION
Our annual Easter Bonnet Competition will take place
during lunchtime next Thursday 17th March. All Prep
School pupils are invited to take part and designs can be
as creative and artistic as you like. Prizes will be awarded
to the best entries!
Mrs Nicki Peace
Head of Preparatory School
SAINSBURY’S ACTIVE KIDS VOUCHERS
Just a reminder if you have any Active Kids vouchers from any Sainsbury’s stores please
bring them into the school office or place in the Prep School foyer in the special box
provided. Last year we received some new sports equipment, games and cooking
equipment for the children to use during their break, lunchtimes and cookery lessons. Thank
you for your support in this venture.
Mrs Issy Cracknell
Prep School Secretary
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CONGRATULATIONS
Well done to the U13 Netball team who won their Area
Netball Tournament recently. The winning team are
pictured although Grace Tod and Elizabeth Wright are
missing from the picture.
Congratulations to the following pupils that received certificates from Mrs Peace in the Prep
School’s Monday morning assembly this week.
Max Hanspal Jiya Changela Matthew Kendall
Cathy Joshua Kriehn-Morris Arlo Greenwood
There were several presentations in whole school assembly this morning; congratulations to
the following pupils:
Oscar Foreman in Y6, was presented with his medal for coming in second place in the
Backstroke at last week’s Norfolk County Council Swimming Gala. Well done Oscar.
Jamie Robertson in Y9 received his participation certificate for taking part in ‘Raise your
Game’ an Organist’s Inspiration Day in Norwich. Well done Jamie!
Minnie Molyneux in Y8 was awarded a Sportsmanship Award for ‘her dedication to early
morning swim training’ from the Norfolk Schools Games.
A big well done too for the entrants to the Tasty Book Competition:
Madeleine Trussell Louise Macrow Zoe Kendall Joseph Ramsbottam
Sam Bercovici Andrew Forbes Grace Tod Mr Adrian Jenkinson
Tom Bercovici Jemimah Bedford Evangeline Bedford Miranda Patalidis-Thomas
Megan Gallacher Y13, Kudzi Garikayi Y10 and
Joseph Ramsbottom Y7 were presented with
their Certificates for their success in the
‘Thetford through a Lens’ competition. Hannah
Clark Y10, was absent today and will receive
hers in next week’s assembly.
Joseph, Hannah, Megan and Kudzi pictured
with their entries along with Mr Bedford and
Miss Sherring.
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MATCH RESULTS
Friday 4th March U11s Hockey Match v Downham Prep Won 1 – 0
U11s Hockey Match v Glebe House Drew 0 - 0
Tuesday 8th March U16 Netball Area Semi-final v
Wymondham College
Lost 33 - 13
NEXT WEEK’S FIXTURES
Monday 14th March U14 Hockey v OBHS (H) 4.00pm. Pick up 5.15pm
Tuesday 15th March U14 Area Netball Semi-final v OBHS (A) 3.30pm. Pick up 5.00pm
Y10 GCSE PE group Hockey v Eccles Hall (H) 2.45pm. Pick up
4.00pm
Wednesday 16th March U12 Area Netball Tournament @ OBHS (A) 4.00pm. Pick up 5.45pm
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Monday 14th March Commonwealth Observance in London
Tuesday 15th March GCSE & AS Art Exam
Prep School House Activities Morning
Wednesday 16th March German Exchange return
GCSE & AS Art Exam
Prep School Project Sharing Assembly at 9.00am in WH
Thursday 17th March Prep School Easter Bonnet Competition
Y10 Gielgud Theatre visit 11.30am
Friday 18th March Pre-Prep visit to United Reform Church at 10.30am
House Music Competition WH
Y4-13 Easter Service at St Cuthbert’s Church, Thetford
Last day of term
Saturday 19th March Ski Trip departs 6.45pm Bury Rd Car Park
Sunday 27th March Ski Trip returns 11.30am approximately
EASTER REVISION
If pupils would like to participate they will need to sign in at the School Office before going
to their revision classes. Please check which room you will be based in when you arrive.
Date Subject Time Staff
Thursday 24th March History Y11 10.00am – 3.00pm EJB
Tuesday 29th March Maths Y12 10.00am – 3.00pm TB
English Y11 10.00am – 3.00pm JAB
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Maths Y13 10.00am – 3.00pm MW
Wednesday 30th March Religious Studies Y12 9.00am – 3.00pm DD
ICT Y10 9.30am – 4.00pm MF
Biology Y12 9.00am – 1.00pm TG
Maths Y11 10.00am – 3.00pm TB
Maths Y11 10.00am – 3.00pm SW
Thursday 31st March Religious Studies Y13 9.00am - 3.00pm DD
ICT Y11 9.30am – 4.00pm MF
Friday 1st April Religious Studies Y11 9.00am – 3.00pm DD
Monday 4th April History Y12 10.00am – 1.00pm EJB
BAKE SALE
Thank you to everyone who sent in cakes for the bake sale – we still have some tubs here in
school which need to be collected. If you think one belongs to you please come into the
office and we will try and reunite you!
Mrs Cathie Reynolds
School’s Secretary
LOST PROPERTY
A pair of JABRA Revos headphones have been lost in the music room – they are mostly grey
with some orange on them. If you come across them please hand them into the office.
Ethan Harris ‘Patrick’ Rugby sock – named
Hamish Russell Blue Sondico Shinpad
Ben Mason Black PE sweatshirt and TGS school black jumper. Both items are named
ATTACHMENTS
Town Crier competition entry form. Click here to view.
FORTHCOMING LETTERS
Pre-Prep-Y6 Project Sharing Homework Assembly
Pre-Prep Visit to United Reformed Church
Y4 – 6 Easter Service at St Cuthbert’s Church
If you would like a printed copy of this newsletter please contact the office.