Well done to Woodlands who have won the Year 9 Inter-House Debating competition
News > Well done to Woodlands who have won the Year 9 Inter-House Debating competition
The Year 9 Inter-House Debating competition has come to a conclusion and the standard of debate this year has been exceptionally high. The semi-final matches were hotly contested, with Woodlands seeing off the challenge of Queens’ and Farfield holding out against a very strong Oakeley.
The final took place for the first time in the Dyson Building as Woodlands – Isaac B, Xander B and Johnnie O – proposed and the Wild Card, Farfield – George J, Tristan B and Alex B – opposed the motion This House believes that the UK should follow the lead of Ireland, Norway and Spain and recognise Palestine as a state.
Both sides displayed a mastery of the complex history and issues related to Palestine and Israel and responded very well to Points of Information and some very tough questions from the floor.
The final result was very close but proposition Woodlands emerged victorious and lift the Carolyn Thomas Cup for 2024.
A group of brave pupils took on the National Three Peaks Challenge
News > A group of brave pupils took on the National Three Peaks Challenge
The Charity Challenge event this year looked to build on the success of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks from last year and take it to the national level. Taking on the National 3 Peaks is not easy; Ben Nevis 1345m, Scafell Pike 978m and Snowdon 1085m, each is a day’s walk in their own right. The total walking distance this is 23 miles (37km) and the total ascent 3064m (10,052ft) – twice that of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, over a similar total walking distance. The team went for the recognised 24-hour challenge with the option of dropping onto the ‘sensible’ challenge – competing all 3 peaks up and down in under 15 hours – useful should the half term traffic not be on their side.
On the Thursday of the summer half term, they departed after weeks of preparation and kit checks. To break up the mammoth 9-hour journey (even longer in a restricted minibus) to the start in Fort William, they stopped and tried their hand at panning for gold in the Leadhills and stayed the night in Moffit. Mr Majid led the prospecting team which may have had limited success but they were happy to be out of the bus all the same. After a couple of hours, they conceded there was not enough gold for a retirement fund, so headed back to Moffit. They found an Italian restaurant for the team to get their final carbohydrate intake, then returned to the hostel for one final kit check.
When they finally arrived in Fort William there was still a wait to be had as the departure time of 1700 had to be stuck to, to ensure maximum light and the least amount of traffic, or so they thought. Mr Daniels led the team and Mrs Brighton-Watt set a great pace as they attacked the steep slopes of the first peak. Ben Nevis took them 5:38:04 which was only slightly slower than expected. Leaving the base of Fort William in the dark, driven by O Liberman and N Liberman, they made great time to the Lake District. After a quick breakfast they were up and down Scafell in an amazing time of 3:51:44. Sadly their luck turned, and they hit some terrible half term traffic on the M6 which would meant they would not finish in the 24 hour window. With the planning, effort and distance travelled, they knew we had press on all the same. It was poetic to be walking off Snowdon, the final peak with the sun setting down the valley. With 4:30:14 on the clock, they got into the minibus for one last time. The team’s total walking time was 14:00:02 which was an hour quicker than the average time taken on the mountains and achieving the Sensible Challenge! Lydia F D, Callum B, Will S, Sammy H, Limony A, Inez C, Finn S and Alf S made up the rest of the summit team and raised a great amount of money for charity and pushed themselves to the limit, not just physically and mentally on the mountain but what also the amount of time one can spend on a minibus.
The CCF held a tri-service afloat camp at Hickling Broad during the half term break. On Saturday and Monday the cadets took RYA training focused on courses in powerboating and dinghy sailing with cadets earning stage 2 & stage 3 qualifications in sailing and level 2 powerboating. Sunday was an upriver trip to Potter Higham in sail and powerboats. All cadets also enjoyed evenings of paddleboarding & canoeing, all delivered by our own qualified instructors. It was a great weekend of water-based activities, despite the relentlessly challenging wet weather! We look forward to more afloat activity on CCF field days and further adventure training events in the future.
Charlotte Ambrose spoke to pupils about her career path to becoming a Systems Engineer
News > Charlotte Ambrose spoke to pupils about her career path to becoming a Systems Engineer
Charlotte Ambrose MPhys ASEP MInstP MINCOSE MWES visited our Year 12 Physics pupils to talk to them about her career path to becoming a Systems Engineer and her 5-year university education, leading to a Masters degree in Astrophysics. Charlotte shared some of the exciting projects she has been part of, including sensing software for stealth aircraft, designing and building satellites, and conceptual aircraft designs.
Our girls tennis teams have played some excellent matches this term
News > Our girls tennis teams have played some excellent matches this term
Our girls tennis teams have played fixtures against Framingham, Kings Ely, RHS, Cromer, Beeston, Norwich High School and North Elmham. The senior team have competed in the national Aberdare Cup tournament narrowly losing to Framingham. The junior team are still in the competition having had a first round win against Norwich High, which they won in a fiercely contested battle 4-2. There has been some fantastic tennis played with good results for both senior and junior teams, the Junior A team still remain unbeaten.
Maddi W in Year 12 has once again received a commendation in the 2024 Anthea Bell Young Translator’s Competition for her Spanish entry. Maddi worked on a text entitled “Aviso de Correos” and the extract was from the opening of La nostalgia de la Mujer Anfibio by the Galician writer Cristina Sánchez-Andrade. The novel is inspired by events surrounding the sinking of a steamship in 1921 off the Galician Island of Sálvora. Huge congratulations to Maddi for this commendation in a competition with over 16,000 participants.
Rain doesn’t stop play; a successful start to the boys’ tennis term
News > Rain doesn’t stop play; a successful start to the boys’ tennis term
The announcement in April that England had endured the wettest 18 months on record (since 1836!) was a rather ominous start to the tennis season; and, unfortunately, we have not been blessed by the weather gods in the first half of the “summer” term, meaning we are yet to host a senior boys’ fixture on our chapel grass courts and lots of training sessions on the hard courts with the girls’ teams. Nonetheless, we have still managed to play plenty of tennis and enjoyed a successful start to the season, winning 5/7 matches under the captaincy of Seb B and excellent coaching of Mr Thomas.
In our first senior game of the season on 20th April, we hosted an experienced Cromer Men’s team on the astros. For the only time this season (due to exams and injuries) we managed to field our strongest team, winning 5-1 and 9-0 respectively. Year 10 pupils Connor M and Ted K deserve a mention for convincingly winning all their matches, as does Liam M who played his final game after representing the 1st VI over the past two seasons.
In our second fixture of the season, on 27th April, our senior boys’ teams travelled to Framlingham. The 1s narrowly lost 7-5 in a well contested fixture against a strong side. Liam (whose IB exams had just begun) was sorely missed, although Marc R stepped up and played brilliantly in his debut alongside Nikolaus P, as did Charlie R and Morris J in their 1st team debuts. Meanwhile, our 2s again won comfortably, winning 9-3, with Alessandro D and Severin G winning all their matches.
The following week, on 4th May, the senior team were on the bus on the A140 once again, this time to RHS. Our 1st team bounced back brilliantly from the previous week’s defeat, winning 9-0, a perfect farewell to Nikolaus P and debut for Tomas R-C. Meanwhile our junior team kicked off their season on a positive footing, winning 12-3 on the grass against the RHS juniors. Connor M and Ted M continued their strong run of form, winning all their matches, whilst Arthur L, Emilio H, Fernando M, Myles D and Ulysses O made their junior debuts. However, the juniors met their match against a strong King’s Ely team the following week, losing 6-4.
This week, the U15a’s (Connor M, Ted K, Laurie W & George J) begin their LTA competition journey, against Hethersett, before playing Wymondham and Norwich next half of term.
Meanwhile, the seniors thoroughly look forward to the return fixture on Cromer’s fantastic grass courts and the rescheduled Adney Paine Invitational, which was cancelled due to driving rain, hopefully this time on the chapel grass courts in the sun.
The Careers Department held a successful Lower Sixth Conference and have exciting work experience placements lined up
News > The Careers Department held a successful Lower Sixth Conference and have exciting work experience placements lined up
Work Experience
Lots of Sixth Form pupils have got some excellent summer work experience placements lined up:
Charles K & Will N were both successful in their interviews for a week’s placement at Stockbrokers Barratt & Cooke in July.
OG Jonathan Beckett has given back in helping with placements for Amelia H at the Burgess Yachts Monaco office, Zac J crewing with Burgess Yachts from Italy to Greece and Fred B with a week in the London office getting insight into yacht brokering
OG & MP Duncan Baker North Norfolk is providing work experience weeks with his constituency office for Eva O’D, Emily G, Austin K
Purcell UK Architects are providing work experience for Polina Z, Finn S, Dan L
Surface Generation Ltd are providing engineering work experience for Aidan R
Caspian G will be doing half term work experience at Adarga in Southwark to learn more about cyber security.
Lower Sixth Conference
All of the year group together with their parents attended talks to give a broad cross-section of options for post Sixth Form.
The event included talks from universities on the application process / personal statements / applying to competitive universities, as well as:
OG Joe Oxtoby returned to talk about his Gap year experience, to now studying at LSE and what it’s like to study and live as a student in London
OG Isabelle Reading returned to talk about her journey to doing an apprenticeship with Investment Bank JP Morgan and the positive pathway of where doing an apprenticeship can lead.
Greg Murphy from Balfour Beatty came in to talk about the variety of roles in Construction and Civil Engineering.
Mrs Futter and Miss Emily talked about applying for Performing Arts / Drama School and University Applications.
The Armed Forces gave insight into joining the Army, Officer Entry, the Army Medical Corp.
The University Guys gave insight into applying to study in the USA
A Career in Fashion / Buying / Marketing – Natasha Colk, Buyer with Bakers and Larner’s, gave insight into her university learning and fashion buying career
Norwich University of the Arts talked about their variety of arts and culture courses
On Friday May 3rd a group of Gresham’s pupils from Years 9, 10,11 and 12 performed in a concert presenting music for a spring evening at Stiffkey church. This event is always a highlight of the musical calendar as it gives the Year 12 pupils the opportunity to take up the mantle as leading performers in the school. They performed a wide range of musical theatre, classical, instrumental, and vocal works to a packed church. It’s exciting to think what these young performers will be able to achieve next year.
The Tallis boys braved an unusually wet ‘Farmer-Wright Run’
News > The Tallis boys braved an unusually wet ‘Farmer-Wright Run’
On Friday 3rd May 2024 at 4pm the boys of Tallis steeled themselves for an unusually wet ‘Farmer-Wright Run.’ Blazing sunshine the day before cruelly lingered in the minds of the 70 boys who trudged over to the start line to undertake our annual 10k run to Sheringham with only the prospect of fish and chips, and a number of soggy parents at start and finish, to encourage them. However despite our collective reticence this was one of our best runs yet – maybe our spirits were hardened and lifted by the collective adversity faced! The mood of the boys throughout the run and particularly on the finish line as we welcomed the runners in was exceptional and one of the best advertisements of the character of Tallis and those that call it home. With the North Sea too turbulent to consider the usual spontaneous charge towards it, the boys looked somewhat relieved to put their towels and trunks back in their bags! Tired legs and heads were then the broad experience of many that evening and an uncharacteristically quiet House. The Tallis Run is an event that Mr Cox continues to hold is beyond compare here at the Senior School revealing as it does in all their glory those virtues which we champion here at Gresham’s and in Tallis; ambition, tenacity, kindness and plenty of character. This year the run demanded these qualities to even greater degree and the boys proved themselves more than worthy of the challenge!
