One of the highlights of Chapel this Half Term has been a new series of ‘Gresham’s Does Desert Island Discs.’
Deputy Head Pastoral, Mrs Alexander, and our Deputy Head of School, Eva O, were (metaphorically) cast away to a desert island. But before embarking on this imaginary adventure, they were asked in Chapel to share the music tracks, book, and luxury item they would take with them.
We heard a diverse range of tracks from artists including ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, Harry Styles and Wham!.
Year 13 pupils were given an insight into leadership as Dominic Reid, CEO of the Invictus Games and the Lord Mayor’s Pageant, delivered an inspiring enrichment lecture on Monday.
Dominic shared his personal journey—from his academic background to his career timeline, and how this led to leadership roles. He provided a fascinating perspective on what makes a great leader, talking through his personal style and the ability to bring out the best in others.
Dominic’s talk left pupils with valuable lessons on leadership, offering them guidance as they prepare for their future careers.
On Monday, the Senior School marked Holocaust Memorial Day in Chapel.
Pupils Zinny B, Lucy D, and Sophie D played John Williams’ theme from Schindler’s List as each Head of House lit a candle.
This was followed by a time of silence as we remembered the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust under Nazi Persecution, along with those killed in the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.
Last week, Gresham’s hosted an Agriculture Conference in the Auden Theatre, focused on Sustainable Food Production: Present and Future.
We welcomed pupils from Fakenham Academy, Reepham High School, Stalham High School, and UTC Norfolk (UTCN) to take part in a full day of learning and exploration.
The conference featured three sessions centred on five key questions, with pupils attending keynote lectures from Dyson Farming, Ben Burgess, Phileo, Savills, and Westover Vets. Despite the rain, pupils visited Gresham’s under-development teaching farm and engaged with companies exhibiting at the event, where many secured work experience placements as a result.
The day also included talks from seven organisations offering career advice and support for young people in the sector.
With 150 pupils, staff, and industry professionals in attendance, the event was a great success, inspiring the next generation of agricultural leaders.
On Thursday evening, Gresham’s A and B teams travelled down to St Benedict’s Catholic School in Bury St Edmunds for the second round of the English-Speaking Union Churchill Public Speaking Competition.
Lola H gave a confident and assured speech exploring the quotation from Martin Luther King “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” and performed very well under cross examination. Her partner Hennie D then chaired the next debate, whilst Irene T delivered some probing questioning.
In our third debate, Sophia L was a friendly Chair who summarised the debate superbly, whilst Katharina M carried out impressive follow-up questions. The evening concluded with a memorable speech performed by Pullo W on the topic ‘Borders do not separate people, they separate ideas.’
The standard of competition was very high with only two teams being selected for Round 3 and Gresham’s B – Sophia, Katharina and Pullo – was one of those selected. This is the furthest we have progressed in this competition so far, so many congratulations to all six, but especially to Gresham’s B.
Thank you to the ESU for providing three expert judges and to St Benedict’s for hosting.
On Friday 31st January, the Gresham’s School Charity Committee will be taking on the challenge of cycling 12-hours overnight on an exercise bike to raise funds for the Holt Youth Project. This amazing local charity works tirelessly to provide support, guidance, and opportunities for young people in Holt and the surrounding areas.
The team of pupils will be cycling through the night and all in support of this fantastic cause. Every penny raised will go directly to the Holt Youth Project, helping to create a positive impact on the lives of young people in the community.
Your generosity will make a huge difference. Whether you donate £5 or £50, your contribution will help provide essential activities, and support to local youth.
To make a donation, click here.
Gresham’s recently welcomed former members of staff, Angela Dugdale and Michael Allard, to share their memories of the 1990 Choir Tour to Odessa with Year 12 pupil Margie G. The tour, set at the end of the Gorbachev era, was an extraordinary and eventful experience.
Whilst the choir experienced dreadful food and bedbugs and saw first-hand the contrast of ‘black-market’ riches and stark poverty, they performed to packed out audiences in Odessa’s Opera House and newly reopened churches.
The repertoire of choral music required the assistance of the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie.
Their trip even resulted in an exchange visit from the Gordienko Children’s Choir of Odessa, who were delightful.
All in all, it was an eventful and memorable October Half Term.
Gresham’s is thrilled to celebrate the remarkable success of Year 13 pupil, Milan H, in gaining a place at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, one of the world’s leading conservatoires. Milan, a gifted musician, has also been awarded a scholarship in recognition of his extraordinary talent and dedication.
The Royal Academy of Music, steeped in history since its founding in 1822, has trained some of the most renowned musicians globally, including Sir Elton John and Dame Evelyn Glennie. Securing a place is an incredible accomplishment, as the application process is rigorous and highly competitive.
Milan’s versatility as a musician is truly inspiring. A talented cellist, bass player, singer, composer, and producer, he has consistently demonstrated excellence across a wide range of disciplines. Alongside this outstanding offer, Milan also secured a place at the Royal Northern College of Music, another prestigious institution where he would have followed in the footsteps of previous recent Gresham’s alumni.
All at Gresham’s are immensely proud of Milan and look forward to following his journey as he continues to excel in his musical career.
This week, the Prep School has launched a new reading mentor scheme. A group of Year 8 volunteers have started to support Year 3 pupils once a week with reading, and are set to continue through the academic year.
Their reasons for volunteering ranged from the desire to work with younger pupils and empathy for those who find reading more difficult, as many of the volunteers have experienced difficulties in their own literacy development.
The younger pupils were thrilled with the positive and kind attention, and the Year 8 pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Before their first session, they all had a training session that introduced the principles of “Pause, Prompt, Praise” so they could keep in mind the need to allow the younger reader to work out the difficult words by themselves, supported by various prompts and clues. The training also instilled the need for positive encouragement.
Studies have shown that such peer mentoring schemes are a win-win situation for both the mentor and tutee, showing gains not only in reading skills for both parties but also in self-esteem.
Mother Tongue Other Tongue was devised by staff at the Faculty of Humanities, Languages and Social Science at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Routes into Languages North West in 2012. It has since been adopted as a Laureate Education Project and rolled out across the country. In June 2024, in what has become an annual event, Gresham’s pupils from Years 9, 10, and 12 wrote poems for the competition.
There are two categories:
Mother Tongue – pupils whose first language is not English, or who speak another language at home, are encouraged to submit a poem or song in their mother tongue. This can be an original or a ‘remembered’ piece. It can be written in any language, except English. Entries are judged on a short paragraph in which pupils explain the piece and its significance to them.
Other Tongue – pupils learning another language in school are encouraged to get creative with their other tongue and submit an original poem for the competition.
Massive congratulations to the following pupils who have been shortlisted for the final:
Other Tongue
Year 9: Lachlan M
Year 10: Lottie H and Connor M
Year 12: Eva O
Their poems will feature in the Mother Tongue Other Tongue anthology, published later this year and pupils will receive a copy. Their entries will also go forward to the final competition, and judging will take place at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge in March as part of the Cambridge Festival of Ideas.
