Gresham’s cellists took part in a concert at All Saints Church in Briston

Three Gresham’s cellists – Mia W, Milan H and Zinny B – took part in the launch concert of the Twin Tracks Upcycling Festival at All Saints Church in Briston on Tuesday evening. They performed Franz Schubert’s Serenade as a trio and then Zinny went on to perform a solo of Bach’s Bourree No. 1 from Cello Suite No. 3. The performance was greatly received by a packed-out audience in the church.  

The pupils were also fortunate to witness a performance of Briston’s famous 300-year-old iron cello.  

The festival is raising money for the repair of local churches and more details of the events being held may be found by clicking here.

This year’s Enrichment Lectures began with a talk marking the 22nd anniversary of 9/11

The enrichment lectures got off to a superb start with a presentation on the Impact of World Disasters, marking the 22^nd Anniversary of 9/11. Gresham’s Historians Mr Kinder and Mr O’Donnell delivered a poignant talk and historical timeline to a packed sixth form pupil audience in the Auden Theatre.

Year 9 English pupils are studying an Experiences of War unit

To complement the History Department’s upcoming battlefields trip, Year 9 are studying an Experiences of War unit in English lessons to gain an insight into the experience of conflict from a range of different perspectives. One famous poem the pupils might study is Charge of Light Brigade by Alfed Lord Tennyson. Big School Hall is an excellent venue for re-enacting the battle with paper canons! 

Our international cohort enjoyed a Welcome Tea Party

On Thursday, our international cohort at the Senior School – both returning pupils and those new to the school – got together for a Welcome Tea Party in the library. Despite the heat there was a real buzz with pupils from 16 different countries getting to know each other, swapping experiences and picking up tips on school life.  

Prefects formed human pyramids to demonstrate the effectiveness of strong foundations

Mrs Alexander led Chapel on Wednesday morning on the topic of kindness and resilience. To give a visual example of how effective strong foundations are, this year’s prefect team formed two human pyramids. No prefects were harmed in the making of the pyramids and the message was well received by the pupils.

Arkell House has been declared open by John Arkell

A new, co-educational day house, Arkell, has been officially opened at Gresham’s Senior School. Arkell was declared open yesterday by John Arkell, Headmaster of Gresham’s 1991-2002, accompanied by Douglas Robb, Headmaster, and some of Arkell’s new pupils.

Arkell is the first day house at Gresham’s and follows the model of an independent day school closing at 5.30pm each day. To reflect this, the school fees are similar to those of local, independent day schools.

Pupils in Arkell can enjoy the depth and breadth of a Gresham’s education alongside all other day and boarding pupils and are encouraged to participate fully in the academic and co-curricular activities on offer. We look forward to their participation in House Competitions!

Gresham’s is once again celebrating a fantastic set of GCSE results

Gresham’s is once again celebrating as another set of fantastic results have been achieved by our pupils this summer, this time for our Year 11’s. Results show significant improvement on 2019 results in all metrics, from top grades to pass rate, despite the media reporting that results would return to those levels. In fact, the pass rate is higher than that of 2022, when grading was more generous, and A*-B/9-6 grades are up to the highest level in recent memory, excepting the years of alternative grading systems. Almost 50% of GCSE exams were graded at A*, A, 9, 8 or 7.

Our highest achieving pupils have excelled: one has achieved the extraordinary distinction of all 9’s and 16 pupils have an average of 8 and above, while we have also received an email from the OCR exam board informing us that one of our GCSE Art & Design: Three-Dimensional Design pupils has been awarded a certificate as one of the highest performers in the world this year, as the Dyson Building continues to provide our pupils access to the facilities necessary to achieve these exceptional outcomes.

We are particularly thrilled to share the news that 75 pupils have at least one grade 9 or 8 this year, showing that Greshamians are being recognised for their individual talents, achieving excellent results across the full breadth of subjects on offer – and there were an impressive 41 subject options reporting results this year!

Fantastic results for our A level and BTEC students

Gresham’s is delighted to announce fantastic results for our A Level and BTEC students. 45% of A Level exams were graded at A* or A with 86.3% graded A* to C. Our entire BTEC cohort secured results of Merit and above with a quarter graded at Starred Distinction.

They have bucked the national trends that are being reported with the percentage of A* grades above our 2021 results and all measures from top grades to pass rate significantly above pre-pandemic levels from 2019.

Our students have also successfully fulfilled the requirements of their university offers with over 96% of those applying for 2023 entry securing their places already! A further 17 who have applied since leaving last year have all secured places too. Thanks to their hard work and that of all members of the school community, Old Greshamians will be heading off to Bath, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Exeter, Edinburgh, Goldsmiths, KCL, Leeds, Loughborough, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton, Surrey, Sussex, UCL, UEA, Warwick, Westminster and York; as well as specialist institutions such as the Royal Agricultural College, Harper Adams, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Leeds Conservatoire, Manchester Conservatoire, University of the Arts London, Norwich University of the Arts, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; as well as degree apprenticeships, Oxford University (2) and a sport scholarship

Leicester Tigers Open Training Session at Gresham’s

Leicester Tigers supporters are invited to watch the squad in action during the week-long training camp in Norfolk as part of pre-season preparations for the 23/24 campaign.

Dan McKellar’s playing group will be spending the penultimate week of the pre-season in Norfolk as they continue to prepare for the new campaign, which kicks off with a pre-season fixture against Nottingham Rugby at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Friday, September 1.

Following the session, the players and coaches will be available to meet supporters and pose for selfies, sign autographs and chat about the upcoming season.

A mobile Club Shop will also be onsite for any fans looking to get kitted out in the brand-new ranges ahead of the 23/24 season.

OPEN TRAINING SESSION
When: Wednesday, August 16
Venue: Gresham’s School, Norfolk (NR25 6EA)

Timings:

• Entry from 9.00am (enter via the Sports Entrance)
• Watch training from 9.30am
• Meet the team at 11.00am
• Departure at 12.00pm

Parking is available onsite at Gresham’s School.