pictorial record, 2010-11

YEAR IN PICTURES

COVER2010 - 2011

THE PORTSMOUTH GRAMMAR SCHOOL

A PiCTORiAL RECORd2010 - 2011

2010-2011: the year in which the school realised its vision of a 21st century science centre and in which pioneering members of our Sixth Form successfully gained the International Baccalaureate diploma for the first time in the school’s history.

From the Junior School to the Sixth Form, the Portsmouth Grammar School education is defined by a passion for learning and a belief in the value of a rounded experience beyond the classroom. And this year has been no exception.

The academic achievements have been impressive with 73% A*/A grades at GCSE and International GCSE. At A Level and the new IB diploma, 82% of grades awarded were A* to B or their equivalent 7, 6 and 5 at IB. Importantly, the vast majority of pupils affirmed their places at Russell Group and 1994 Group universities in one of the most competitive years on record for university entrance.

The wider achievements of pupils have been especially striking this year: three national cricket finals and the U15s crowned champions in the Lord’s Taverners’ competition; an outstanding team performance by our girls in the National Athletics Finals; a South Bank Sky Arts Award nomination for the Chamber Choir’s world premiere performance in the annual Remembrance Concert; our Economics students hailed Young Consumers of the Year; cutting edge drama at the Edinburgh Fringe.

It has been an excellent year and one in which the PGS community has grown larger and closer, thanks to the launch of the PGS Association and ever strengthening links with our alumni and friends. Even the Portsmouth Festivities reached a new peak with the finale of its Space City theme, Lift Off!

The Governors, Headmaster and staff congratulate pupils on the many fruits of their hard work and enthusiasm, and wish our leavers all the best as they march through the arch to an exciting future.

WELCOME

WELCOME 3

The Portsmouth Grammar School4

With their A-level exams finished, five Year 13 pupils swam the Solent for charity after months of training and preparation.

A little over two hours after they set off, the swimmers landed safely at Ryde beach, tired but happy having raised around £2,000 more than their original £2,000 target.

NEWS

NEWS 5

Four Year 12 pupils won the national title of Young Consumers of the Year and a £1,000 prize for the school.Keen economists Chris Hall, Will Morgan, Max Jewell and Jack Finnamore beat seven other teams in the finals of the University Challenge style competition held during the annual Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards Institute Conference at the Bournemouth International Conference Centre.


National CHAMPiONS

NEWS 7

The Bristow-Clavell Science Centre, named in honour of two famous former pupils who forged a friendship at PGS that was to last a lifetime, was officially opened during a ceremony attended by around 150 guests involved in its creation.


Bristow-Clavell SCiENCE CENTRE

NEWS 9

Renowned wildlife and military artist Mandy Shepherd helped celebrate the installation of the striking new inter-active sculpture, a talented fusion of the creative and the scientific. The specially commissioned five metre tall work – officially named Celestial Microscope - was crafted by Petersfield-based Charlie Carter and his team at his Froxfield Green studios and now stands at the entrance to the Bristow-Clavell Science Centre.


A Celestial MiCROSCOPE

NEWS 11

NEWS 13

Pupils celebrate reading on WORLd BOOk dAy

Students set their creative powers flowing by focusing on and exploring legends, from Arthurian and Greek to Old Norse and Aboriginal.

Students set their creative powers flowing by focusing on and exploring legends, from Arthurian and Greek to Old Norse and Aboriginal.


Mythical Project judged By FABLEd AUTHOR

NEWS 15

A climbing wall dedicated to the late Roger Harris OP, in commemoration of his life-long service to the school, was officially declared open by his widow Iris.


OP’s Generosity has whole school

CLiMBiNG THE WALLS!

NEWS 17


Over 25,000 people attended this year’s Portsmouth Festivities, hailed by many as the best yet. Around 80 events over 11 days marked Portsmouth: Space City, celebrating the city’s role as a centre of excellence for cosmology, astronomy and space technology.

Notable names from the world of science took part including Professor Lord Robert Winston, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Professor Simon Singh, Sir Patrick Moore, Jane Green, Mark Butler and Gavin Pretor-Pinney.

NEWS 19

FESTiviTiESPortsmouth: Space City


Outdoor events were a major feature this year. On the opening weekend Space Station Gunwharf Quays included a mobile planetarium, a Mars rover and satellite models, telescopes from the University and other entertainment for all the family. The Festivities ended with a day of celebration with entertainment across the city followed by LIFT OFF! - a colourful theatrical procession from Gunwharf Quays to Southsea Bandstand followed by a magnificent Twilight Fire Spectacle on Castle Field devised by Walk the Plank.

FESTiviTiESPortsmouth: Space City

NEWS 21

PERFORMiNG ARTS

PERFORMiNG ARTS 23


The Christmas musical, Sweet Charity, provided glitz and glamour over four nights at the end of the autumn term.

PERFORMING ARTS 25

SWEET CHARITY

PERFORMING ARTS 27

With a cast of 70, put through their paces by Director-in-Residence, Benji Sperring, this tenuous story - boy meets girl, promises the earth, then leaves – was nonetheless captivating, thanks to the quality of the acting; the decadent design and toe-tapping music of well known songs including ‘Big Spender’ and ‘The Rhythm of Life’.


SWEET CHARiTy

rehearsal

PERFORMiNG ARTS 29

This year, a tale of a man, a cunning plan and a turnip shaped like a thingy provided the material for the House plays. It was a blessed relief to find that each production stamped its own mark on the riotous romp that is Blackadder, rather than just mimic performances that we know and love oh so well.


House Plays‘A CUNNiNG PLAN’

PERFORMiNG ARTS 31

FATHER & SON STARin transatlantic tales of two families

Actor Tom Beard was busy in New York treading the boards as the Duke of Albany in King Lear while son Joe was on stage in the David Russell Theatre, playing a major role in Blood Brothers.

Joe and Charlie Galliver-Cooper played Blood Brother Mickey – one of the many principal roles which were shared to allow as many Year 7 and 8 pupils as possible to take part. The remaining cast of around 60 pupils formed a Greek-style chorus which was constantly on stage commenting on the action.

PERFORMiNG ARTS 33

Singing SiBLiNGS

Brothers and sisters from no fewer than seven different families were choristers at St Thomas’ Cathedral, Old Portsmouth last year. Hugh and Harriet Summers were Head Choristers for the boys’ and girls’ choirs, and two families – the O’Leary’s and the Gibbs – both had three children who were choristers.


PGS looks as if it has set a record for the most sets of siblings singing in a Cathedral’s choirs anywhere in the country!Brothers and sisters from no fewer thanseven different families are choristers at St Thomas’, Old Portsmouth.

MUSiC

MUSiC 35

The chamber choir won praise in The Observer for performing the world premiere of an especially commissioned work at the annual Remembrance Day concert ‘with a flair and precision way beyond their years.’


wins NATiONAL ACCLAiM

Remembrance PERFORMANCE

MUSiC 37

Composer Alexander L’Estrange accompanied choristers singing his vibrant African songs Zimbe! at St John’s, Smith Square, as part of the Gala Concert.

London Gala Concert A jOyOUS SUCCESS

MUSiC 39


To mark the opening of the new science centre, parents and OPs were invited to sponsor an element from the periodic table. Pupils in Year 9 were then set the challenge of presenting an element in a visually stimulating way within the constraints of a wooden box. The pupils were inspired by Joseph Cornell’s assemblages and used a variety of mixed media and found objects.

ARTART

ART 41

The troubling problem of growing consumerism inspired a group of Sixth Form pupils to create an art show in the heart of the city’s shopping centre as part of their exam coursework.


ART

ART 43

A magnificent 70 metre long charcoal picture inspired by Noah’s Ark was created by pupils in the city’s Anglican Cathedral as part of The Big Draw, an international art event. Every child in Year 7 had a hand in creating the extraordinary parade of animals which took just three days to complete and trailed around the nave of St Thomas’ and out of a door!


Noah’s animals A BiG, BiG dRAW

AT THE CATHEdRAL

ART 45

jACk TyACkE

GUy SiNCLAiR


IB Higher Level viSUAL ARTS

dANiEL LyTTON

ART 47

NURSERy

NURSERy 49

Nursery children know all about staying in good shape after successfully taking up the Healthy Pompey pre-school challenge, part of a project funded in the city by the Department of Health.


NURSERyAll our nursery children are little characters, but for World Book Day they came dressed up as ones from their favourite stories. Nursery Head Mrs Lois Johnson led the way as ‘The Cat in the Hat’ from Dr Seuss.

NURSERy 51

Farewell MRS FOSTER


jUNiOR SCHOOL

Year 13 pupils who joined the school in Reception or Year 1 gathered to wave goodbye to Junior School Headmistress, Pippa Foster. Pupils wished her well as she boarded the PGS Express for the last time.

jUNiOR SCHOOL 53

HELLO MR HOPkiNSONNew Head of Junior School

Mr Peter Hopkinson moved south from his native north west to become Head of the Junior School following the retirement of Mrs Pippa Foster who served the school for more than 20 years. A former PE teacher and Head of PE and Games, he is keen on the outdoors and music. This is his third Headship.

jUNiOR SCHOOL 55

Year Six staged a charming production of The Tempest at Portsmouth’s Theatre Royal in July last year. The pupils were as magical as the island itself, casting a spell over the audience each and every night. Among the cast, Prospero was played by Tom Ross, Caliban by Philip Macanovic and Ariel by Serena Graham.


The TEMPEST

jUNiOR SCHOOL 57

JS Director of Drama Guy Evans took one gamble too many when he played bookmaker Oliver Smooche - his character ended up dead in the Junior School Association’s latest fundraising Murder Mystery Evening, Bumped Off!


Who bumped off the bookie ANd WHy?

jUNiOR SCHOOL 59

No, you aren’t going dotty! The Junior School and Nursery

were spot on when it came to fundraising for the BBC

Children In Need appeal and raised a toppling amount of

money, almost £1,300.


Youngest pupils spot on IN HELPING PUDSEY

JUNIOR SCHOOL 61

Junior SchoolPancake day

Pupils try their hand at whisking up a better bit of batter to make a winning pancake mix for their Mums and Dads ahead of the Junior School’s pancake day races.


Junior SchoolPancake day

JUnIOR ScHOOL 63

Royal Navy cadets from the Combined Cadet Force excelled themselves on parade at the commissioning of the ice patrol vessel HMS Protector, the first warship to be officially affiliated to the school.A platoon of pupils joined Commanding Officer Captain Peter Sparkes, the ship’s company and guests for the ceremony in Portsmouth’s historic dockyard on the 50th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty.

ccF

cFF 65

Colonel Sanders PRAISES THE CCF


Commander of the Territorial Army’s 2 Logistic Support Group, Colonel David Sanders, inspected around 150 pupils in the Army, Royal Navy and RAF sections of the Combined Cadet Force during a biennial inspection at Hilsea playing fields and complimented them on their professionalism.

CFF 67

The U15 cricket team enjoyed a spectacular season emerging as England champions by winning the Lord’s Taverners Cup championship. They also reached the penultimate stage of the national schools’ Twenty20competition and took the Hampshire title.


SPORT

SPORT 69

National papers tip U15 rugby team AS ONE TO WATCH

The U15 rugby squad were tipped as the side to watch by The Daily Mail in the newspaper’s own countrywide schools rugby tournament.

The headline ‘Dark horses Portsmouth sound a warning as usual suspects gather steam’ heralded the side’s progression into the sixth round of the competition.

They were also chosen as Britain’s Team of the Month by the monthly magazine The Rugby Paper.


National papers tip U15 rugby team AS ONE TO WATCH

SPORT 71

Zimbabwe Tour for Rugby Players PICKED FOR ELITE BARBARIANS

Five boys - the most from any school - were selected for the Barbarians rugby squad and invited to visit Zimbabwe on the first tour of its kind there since political unrest began.Jacob Poulton, Freddie Hooper, Charlie Howard, Alex Wilcockson and Cameron Prentice had already turned out twice for the independent school’s 40 strong side.


Zimbabwe Tour for Rugby Players PICKED FOR ELITE BARBARIANS

SPORT 73

The U16 girls’ squad wrote themselves into the record books when they qualified for the final of the England Schools Hockey Championship in Staffordshire.


GIRLS HOCKEY SQUADFirst to tackle National Title

SPORT 75

This year’s Summer Art Show was held at the Square Tower in Old Portsmouth and showcased artwork from Years 7 - 13. Over two hundred visitors attended the event.

pictorial record, 2010-11

Documents

excellent year

portsmouth grammar school4with

portsmouth festivities

wider achievements of

vast majority of pupils

international gcse

junior school

national athletics finals