Oakeley House held their annual Charity Valentine’s Ball for all Sixth Form pupils. All the girls in the house, led brilliantly by the Oakeley prefects, organised a cake sale, a Sixth Form bingo night, a chapel talk, home clothes day, and the Oakeley Ball to raise money for our chosen charity. The theme of the ball was Gatsby and included a delicious three-course meal and dancing for over one hundred Sixth Formers.
Year 12 IB Spanish pupils have been studying the World of Work while examining relevant text types, such as formal letters.
Pupils were tasked with applying for a Language and Culture Ambassador job, entirely in Spanish. After writing successful CVs and cover letters, the face-to-face interviews began with a fierce panel of employees – their classmates!
The ability to conduct the interviews entirely in Spanish required significant skill, and the pupils did exceedingly well. After considering the candidate’s strengths, Harry successfully secured the position. Well done to Cerys, Harry, Fergus, and Balth on a brilliant effort.
Pupils studying IB Visual Arts have been hard at work this year, creating powerful and thought-provoking exhibitions. Among them, Year 13 pupils Mia K and Luisa S have explored complex themes through their projects, offering audiences a compelling artistic experience.
Mia K’s exhibition explores the negative relationship between humans and the environment, highlighting the ways in which we exploit nature while attempting to conceal our role in its destruction. Her work critiques overconsumption and waste, featuring green-painted rubbish sculptures that camouflage as nature and screen prints resembling nature.
A key piece in the exhibition, a short film, illustrates the burden of excessive consumption, depicting how it metaphorically ‘drags us down’. The screen prints on the wall mimic planets and a universe, only to reveal themselves as photographs of rubbish bins, symbolising how the planet is turning into a massive waste container.
Both still life pieces are a reminder that everything is obsolete and that we, as individuals, will not be here forever. However, Mia’s painting of “my art studio” offers a glimmer of hope, encouraging individual reflection and action in addressing environmental challenges.
Luisa S’ exhibition takes a different approach, offering an immersive multifaceted atmosphere that invites viewers to explore the spirituality and dynamics of nature. By utilising a colourful variety of techniques, Luisa seeks to provide a personal yet authentic interpretation of our environment.
In her write-up, Luisa shares:
“Nature has long been an ever-evolving artistic muse, sparking discussions about life. The relationship between life and death is one of the central themes of my exhibition.
Immediately upon entering, the viewer is drawn to the fabric creation at the centre of the exhibition. This delicate piece employs a pleating technique on fine, shimmery fabric. The shadows cast by the folds create the form of a bird, adding an element of freedom to the piece. Freedom is another central theme echoed throughout the exhibition, particularly in relation to flexibility.
I also explore the interaction between humans and nature, which is evident in my head sculptures and modern coral. The head sculptures, made of clay and inspired by Damien Hirst, demonstrate how nature carves into artificiality. The coral, on the other hand, is made from styrene circles and illustrates consumerism and the ignorance toward nature that is deeply embedded in modern society.”
We were delighted to welcome WaterBear Music College, affiliated with Falmouth University, to Gresham’s for an insightful enrichment talk on the evolution of the music industry—from the 1990s to today. Pupils discovered how the industry’s economic growth has sparked diverse career opportunities beyond performance, spanning law, finance, distribution, journalism, AI, logistics, and more.
This energised and engaging talk highlighted how academic subjects link to a vast range of skills and roles within the industry, proving that music isn’t just about being on stage, it’s about the people behind the scenes shaping its future.
The talk generated fantastic enthusiasm, and resonated with our Sixth Form pupils. We look forward to welcoming WaterBear back for a return visit and workshop.
As part of LGBT+ Month, Mr Chart-Boyles delivered an engaging and insightful talk that took Year 12 pupils on a journey through the history of the LGBT+ community.
Pupils were encouraged to reflect on why LGBT+ history matters to them, to explore the importance of allyship, and to learn about the many ways they can offer support. The session involved an interactive quiz, a timeline showcasing key moments in LGBT+ history, and a deep dive into the landscape of the UK today.
The inaugural Gresham’s Piano Festival took place in Fishmongers’ Recital Hall on Saturday 8 February. This event, open to Prep and Senior School pupils, provided our pianists with a platform to experience formal performance in a familiar, supportive and rewarding setting.
The Music department was able to draw on its own staff for the adjudicators. Chris Green-Armytage and Archie Bonham are both renowned pianists and popular teachers at Gresham’s Senior School. Throughout the day, they gave feedback at the end of each class, and the common theme of which was to congratulate pupils on their performance whilst giving positive critique.
Parents, pupils and staff were treated to some wonderful performances, from pre-Grade 1 or Grade 8 and beyond. Our Prep pupils rose admirably to the task of performing in the recital hall on the Steinway C, a piano which can be a challenge to tame and is very different to the small uprights they have their lessons on!
Bravo to Hummer and Hansen W, Etta F, Francesca E, Pheobe C, Rowan B, Blake P, Ottilie B, Larissa C, Nathaniel G-B, Willow H, Georgie and Oscar B-W and Zia T.
The afternoon session showcased the Seniors in classes starting at Grade 3 and 4, up to recital level. It was clear the pupils had worked hard on their chosen pieces which delighted the adjudicators and audience alike, who were treated to familiar pieces by Chopin, Grieg, Mussorgsky, Debussy, Einaudi and Beethoven.
Congratulations Jack S, Samuel B, Shemi A, Pablo B-G, Tara G, Amelia M-L, Elie G, Lene N, Peter R, Evie M, Amelie B, Naomi H-S, Ferdinand vD, Benny S, Milan H and Hugo J on contributing to an afternoon of impressive musicianship.
The highest achievers from the festival will be invited to play in the Piano Recital on Wednesday 12 March which is open to the public.
There were lots of tapping toes and smiling faces in Chapel on Saturday for our Gospel Service. The choir sang a variety of gospel-inspired pieces, including the first performance of Peter Yarde Martin’s ‘Gospel Responses’ outside of London – an exciting new setting to the traditional words of the Book of Common Prayer.
It was also wonderful to hear from our guest speaker Tom Hume, Chair of Trustees at The Holt Youth Project. He thanked the school for their continued support of the project and challenged the pupils with Jesus’ words ‘Those to whom much is given, much will be expected.’
At the beginning of February, Gresham’s School CCF (RAF) Section was lucky enough to have six cadet slots for Gliding at RAF Honington, the home of 611 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.
Five cadets from Year 10 and one from Year 13 got to experience the thrill of flight in a Viking T1, a two-seat glider. This is first time Gresham’s have been airborne out of RAF Honington.
Taking to the sky via winch launch with their glider pilots, cadets enjoyed flying in the airspace around RAF Honington. They were able to take control of their aircraft to learn more about the principles of flight and how control surfaces work on the aircraft. They were also fortunate enough to soak up some amazing views from the cockpit
Gliding is just one of the incredible opportunities that members of the CCF get to take part in. CCF has something for everyone. Some the highlights include shooting, leadership training, and adventurous training like kayaking and mountain biking.
The magnificent cathedral at Ely was the destination for the Year 7 trip this term, where pupils learned about monastic life in the 1300s.
As part of their studies, pupils created medieval medicines, concocting their own recipes to cure all ills. They also examined mysterious samples of ‘urine’ to diagnose what might be ailing the patients in the infirmary.
Year 7 pupils also explored other tasks undertaken by monks, such as illuminating manuscripts and making beeswax candles. They gained valuable insight into how the monastery would have existed alongside the cathedral before the Reformation.
The Gresham’s School Inter-House target sprint competition recently took place at the start of February. Each of the seven Houses entered a Junior team (Y9 & Y10) and a Senior team (Y11, Y12 & Y13), containing five competitors. The event has been adapted slightly, in order to make it very spectator friendly and also to allow those that had not done very much shooting the opportunity to be competitive. Each competitor was required to run 200 meters before coming into the air rifle range and shooting down five targets. Once the five targets had been knocked down then the next runner set off around the track. Adding to the excitement, it was run under floodlight, at 8 o’clock in the evening. Both the track and the range were floodlit to create a wonderful atmosphere.
A huge congratulations, and thanks, must go to the 70 pupils that took part and that were involved in the event. Particularly well done to Woodlands for winning the Junior trophy and to Oakeley for winning in the Senior trophy. Howson’s were consistently good in both races (finishing in 2nd place in both races) and therefore won the combined overall trophy. Well done to all of the winners.
