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Stopfordian 

The 

2011–2012

The Stopfordian 2011–2012 

CONTENTS 

The Year’s News ................................................5 

Activities and Awards........................................24 

Trips..................................................................51 

Music, Drama and Art ......................................67 

Sport ................................................................80 

Junior School ..................................................111 

People ............................................................125 

Old Stopfordians’ Association ........................129 

Highlights 

Library News 

p21-23 

MUN 

p44-45 

History and Art trip 

to America 

p57-58 

Gala Concert with 

the RNCM 

p69 

Junior School Sport 

p118-123


EDITORIAL 

It has been a momentous year for Stockport Grammar School. 

We have marked another milestone in the school’s history by 

celebrating the 525 th anniversary of our foundation. It has 

been exciting to share this celebratory year with the London 

Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Across the 

school there have been a whole host of activities to 

commemorate one or other of these significant events: the 

Junior School held a red, white and blue street party for the 

Jubilee, while the Senior School Head Boy and Head Girl 

were guests of the Goldsmiths at a Jubilee lunch held in 

London. Numerous events also marked the school’s 525 th 

anniversary, as documented in the pages that follow. As we 

also saw the completion of the new Woodsmoor building, a 

time-capsule of music, drama, photography, artwork, and 

recordings of life within and beyond the school gates in its 

525 th year was put together in the school’s inaugural crosscurricular 

day. 

The Second Years enjoyed another cross-curricular day with 

an Olympics theme and Sports Days in both the Junior and 

Senior School seemed to have greater significance and 

poignancy as we looked forward to seeing Team GB succeed 

at the Olympic and Paralympic Games over the summer 

holidays; we even had our own torchbearers amongst current 

and former pupils of the school. 

have certainly inspired so many of our pupils to achieve 

success and to develop life-long hobbies and interests as well 

as to make friends who will last a life time. It never ceases to 

amaze me when I read and re-read the articles submitted for 

the magazine, how many of our pupils reach such high 

standards in their various pursuits and how rich and varied 

their experiences are, whether on a sports pitch, debating 

arena or overseas. 

As always, I have a number of people to acknowledge who 

have helped to produce this bumper edition. David Ayre at 

Fine Print has expertly arranged the text and photographs with 

aplomb, accepting late additions and my requests or 

amendments with unflustered patience. Dr Krywonos, Tom 

Fern and Laughtons have supplied numerous photos, to 

supplement those provided by article submitters; Miss Barrett 

and the External Relations team have assisted with proofreading. 

I am very grateful for all their efforts. 

Karen Palfreyman 

Editor 

Whilst our school motto could apply to 

the successful Olympic and 

Paralympic athletes, the 

London Olympics motto 

“Inspire a Generation” 

seems as appropriate for 

SGS in 2012 as the 

Games themselves, as 

the academic and crosscurricular 

opportunities 

New Woodsmoor 

building

UPDATED AND CORRECTED VERSION The Stopfordian 2011–2012 

STOCKPORT GRAMMAR SCHOOL 

Patron 

THE PRIME WARDEN OF THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF GOLDSMITHS 

Governors 

Chairman: Mr R.L.E. RIMMINGTON, B.A. (Econ), F.C.A. 

Vice-Chairmen: Mr P. A. CUDDY, B.A & Mr R.H. ASTLES 

LADY BEATSON, MA 

Mr F.A. BOOTH, FCA 

Miss S.E. CARROLL, BA 

Prof J. DAINTON, MA, D.Phil 

Mr P.H. DAVIES, LLB 

Mr C. DUNN, MA 

Mr P.L. GIBLIN, MA, MEd 

Mrs S. LANDSBURY, LLB 

Mr K. LANSDALE, MRICS 

Mr P.H. LOCKE, BVSc, MRCVS 

Dr E.M. MORRIS, MB, ChB, DCh 

Mr P. MILNER, BA 

Dr S. NUTTALL, BSc, PhD, FRSA 

Dr R. SHAH, MBE, DL, BSc, PhD, JP 

Mr D. WITHINGTON, LLB 

Mr R.P. YATES, FIMI 

Bursar and Clerk to the Governors 

Mr C. J. WATSON, M.A. 

Deputy Head (Proctor) 

J.P. ASHCROFT, B.Sc., M.A., Dip.Ed.Man. 

Headmaster 

Mr A.H. CHICKEN, B.A., M.Ed, F.R.S.A. 

Assistant Bursar 

Mrs B.H. KERSHAW 

Deputy Head (Director of Studies) 

Miss V.L. BARRETT, M.A., NPQH 

Senior Tutor 

Mr D.W. HOWSON, M.A. 

Assistant Masters and Mistresses 

Mr D.S. MARTIN, MA, FRGS 

Mr J.R. METIVIER, BSc, PhD 

Dr W. KRYWONOS, BSc, MSc, PhD 

Mrs H.K. BRIDGES, BSc 

Mrs C.S. MUSCUTT, BA 

Mr J.P. BIRD, BA 

Mr A.B. CHESLETT, BSc, MSc 

Mrs G.M. LOCKWOOD, MA 

Mrs R.G. JOHNSON, MA 

Mrs L. LAMMAS, BA 

Mr C.J. WRIGHT, BA 

Mrs C.A. BECKETT, DipAD 

Mrs R.E. GROVES, BA 

Mr R.W. WALLINGTON, BSc 

Mr P.J. GRANT, BSc, DipEd 

Mr P.A. URWIN, BA 

Mrs A.C. HICKS, BA, FRGS 

Mrs D.L. HARRIS, BSc 

Mrs S.L. BELSHAW, BA 

Mr A.S. HANSON, BEd 

Mrs H.J. JONES, BA 

Mr R. HOWARTH, BA 

Dr S.J.D. SMITH, BA, PhD 

Mrs S.J. BRAUDE, BA, MEd 

Mrs K.A. PALFREYMAN, MA 

Ms H.R. LAWSON, MA 

Mrs H.M. FENTON, BSc 

Miss M.E. HIGGINS, BSc 

Mrs C.L. MARSHALL, BSc, MSc 

Mr A.C. THORLEY, BA 

Miss S. WITHINGTON, BEd 

Revd L.E.J. LEAVER, MA, BTh 

Mrs G.A. COPE, BA 

Mrs K. WILKINSON, BA 

Mr R. YOUNG, BEd, MEd, MILT 

Mr N. YOUNG, MA 

Mrs A. LARKIN, BSc 

Mrs Z.A. VERNON, BEd 

Mrs L. WITHERS, BA 

Mrs H.R. ASHTON, BA 

Dr T. KAMPELMANN, MA, PhD 

Mr E.H. CORBETT, BA 

Mr N.I. BROWNE, BSc 

Mr S.A. MOORE, BA 

Mrs T.H. SAMWAYS, BSc 

Mr J.D. WILSON, BA 

Miss L.J. SERVICE, BSc 

Mrs P.W. HODKINSON, BSc 

Mr G.M. WHITBY, BSc 

Miss R.J. UPTON, BA 

Dr J. GILBERT, BA, PhD 

Mrs H. TADMAN, BEng 

Mrs K.J. CHESTERTON, BA, MA 

Mrs M. WHITTON, BSc 

Mr J.P. RUSSELL, BA, MA 

Mr M.G. DOW, BA, MA 

Mr D. LORENTZ, M.Phil 

Mr B.J. MASTERS, BA 

Mr A.G. EHEGARTNER, BA 

Mrs S.L. MOORE, BA 

Mrs E.M. SHORT, MA 

Mr R.A. DAVIES, BA, MA 

Mrs Z. DAWSON, MSci 

Mr R. PARKER, BA, MA 

Miss S.M. GIBSON, BA 

Dr L.A. PITTS, BSc, PhD 

Mr R.D. HEYES, BSc 

Mrs J. WHITE, BA 

Ms K.E. FLAHERTY, BA 

Mrs J.D. MASKERY, BEd 

Mr M.J. FLAHERTY, BSc 

Dr E. ZANDA BURNS, BA, PhD 

Mrs K. CHRISTMANN, MA Diploma 

Mrs C. BARTLETT, CEd, DipEd, MBA 

Dr M. ELLIS, BSc, D.Phil 

Mr I.H. KILLEY, B.Eng, BSc 

Mrs M.H. EVANS, BA 

Mrs R.C. TAYLOR, BSc 

Mrs E. TAYLOR, B.Mus 

Mr R.J. BOWDEN, BA 

Mrs A.M. WILSON, MA 

Mr N.S.J. CLARKE, BA 

Miss E.E. SPENCE, BA 

Mrs A.K. MOFFATT, BA 

Miss K.A.M. PSAILA, BA 

Mrs D.H. MEERS, BA, MEd 

Dr A.L. GLARVEY, M.Chem, Ph.D 

Dr K. AIREY, BSc, PhD 

Mrs L.M. MORGAN, BA 

Dr M. HAMILTON, MSc, PhD 

Mrs C.M. HIRD, BSc 

Ms M. FOTHERBY-O’BRIEN 

Mrs J. WATSON, BSc 

Miss R. HINDLEY, MChem 

Miss C. STEPHENSON, BA 

Mr J. SWANN, BA, MA 

Miss L.E. TOPPING, BSc 

Director of External Relations 

Mrs R.M. HORSFORD, MA, MSc, MCIM 

Librarian 

Ms J. PAZOS, BA 

Headmaster’s Secretary 

Mrs J.E. BAKER 

Network Manager 

Mr S. BRANDT, B.Eng 

Head Boy Deputies Head Girl Deputies 

HARRY ALLPORT EDWARD APPLEBY MADELEINE HARDY SUZANNA EAMES 

EDWARD GREAVES 

CAITLIN GORMAN 

ROSS HOLLOWAY 

ELIZABETH HEALEY 

ALEXANDER KYRTSOUDIS 

RACHEL HULME 

ANDY PROSSOR 

ANGHARAD SMITH 

CHRISTOPHER ROBINSON 

SHELBY WHYATT 

Prefects 

HINA ALI 

JACK ASHBY 

CHARLOTTE BAILEY 

PAULINE BARKER 

JOSEPH BILLS 

TANYA BIRKETT 

MELISSA BRADLEY 

JOSEPH BRIGGS 

ISOBEL BULL 

NATHAN CADOGAN 

OLIVER CARTLIDGE 

HAMEEM CHOWDHURY 

NAOMI CLARKE 

LORNA COLE 

TOM COOMBES 

LUCY CROSSLEY 

MIRANDA CUPIT 

JOSEPH DANIELS 

STEPHEN DICKIE 

LUKE DOBSON 

REBECCA DYSON 

RACHEL EGAN 

YAHYA EL ASMAR 

RACHEL ELLIS 

SOPHIE FEATHER 

JAMES FLYNN 

HANNAH FRAIS 

ANDREW GARTON 

JESSICA HADFIELD 

ANTONIA HEIJBROEK 

CHRISTOPHER HELME 

SARAH HINDLE 

KRISTEN HOLLAND 

MARK ISHERWOOD 

SOFIA JASSIM 

SAM JOHNSON 

TRISTAN KEMP 

KRISTIAN LEE 

CATRIONA LEGGATT 

JENNIFER LOGUE 

VERITY LUKES-MOONEY 

ARRAN MACKAY 

CHRISTOPHER MARSHALL 

BECCY MASSIE 

SALLY McROBERTS 

JENNIFER MEIKLE 

KATE MITCHELL 

LORNA NICHOLSON 

MISHAL NIAZ 

LEIGHANNA O'FARRELL 

EMILY PARKER 

MILLIE RALSTON 

ALISTAIR RAMSAY 

MATTHEW ROBINSON 

JAMIE SIMPSON 

SOPHIE SKELTON 

JULIA SUTHERLAND 

HELEN TOPHAM 

EMMA TRIMMINGHAM 

ELSPETH WALLACE 

ALASTAIR WATTS 

CHLOE WITHERS 

AMY WOOD 

EMMA WOODHEAD


STOCKPORT GRAMMAR SCHOOL 

ASSOCIATE STAFF 

Bursary Administration External Relations 

Mrs E. ALIMUNDO Mrs S. GAFFNEY Mrs V. ARROWSMITH 

Mrs S. ELLWOOD Mrs S. GULSON Mrs H. ATENYAM 

Mrs K. SEWELL Mrs C. HELME Mrs T. SHNECK 

Mrs J. HOLLEWORTH 

Miss M. LAVIN 

Mrs J. MOSS 

Mrs S. PHELAN 

IT Dept Caretaking Dept. Maintenance Dept. 

Mr T. FERN Mr P. CROFT Mr L. JONES 

Mr M. HARTE Mr A. FIRTH Mr S.J. MARKHAM 

Mr J. QUINN Mr P. SLINGSBY Mr D. MATTHEWS 

Mr F. SKINNER Mr F. SPENCER Mr C. NOCK 

Library Assistants D o E Co-ordinator Grounds Dept. 

Mrs J. HOLT Mr S. POWNALL Mr P. CHATWOOD 

Mrs B. ILLINGWORTH 

Ms M. HURST 

Mr J. O’REILLY 

Mr L. WHITWORTH 

Exams Officer 

Mrs S.J. ROBINSON 

School Nurse Biology Lab Technicians Chemistry Lab Technicians 

Mrs P. WARD Mrs C. CROSSMAN Mrs K. HUDSON 

Mrs C. GOLTEN 

Mrs M. LOWE 

Mrs A. NORMANSELL 

Mrs J. MATTHEWS 

Mrs H. PARSONS 

Music Administrator Food Technology Technician Physics Lab Technicians 

Mrs S. JOHNSON Mrs C. GLEDHILL Mrs I. MELLOR 

Miss J. ROBERTS 

Mr C.D. WRIGHT 

Art Technician 

Mrs J. PERKINS 

D & T Technician 

Mr P. CLARKE 

Careers Co-ordinator 

Miss L. SMITH 

CATERING DEPT 

Catering Manager 

Mrs S. BROOKES 

Miss K. BAMFORTH Mrs N. DUFF Ms S. RICHARDS 

Miss F. BEIRNE Mrs N. FERGUSON Mr P. RIDGWAY 

Mrs V. BONES Mrs J. GIBSON Mrs L. SMITH 

Mrs C. BRADDOCK Mrs K. GOSLING Mrs D. SZAKAL 

Miss E. BRAKEWELL Mr P. GRANZOTTO Mrs C. TAYLOR 

Mrs C. BROADBENT Miss A. HIGGINS Miss T. TAYLOR 

Mrs K. CHAMBERLAIN Mrs P. MITCHELL Miss J. THOMPSON 

Mrs A. CLARKE Mrs D. NELSON Mrs H. TILLEY 

Mrs S. CLARK Mrs P. NICHOLLS Mrs J. TURNER 

Mrs G. COWELL Mrs A. POTTER Mrs L. WRIGHT 

Mrs C. DREHER 

French Lang. Assistant German Lang. Assistant Spanish Lang. Assistant 

Mr O MERLE Mr F. LOHMANN Miss E. SANCHO 

Junior School Mid Day Assistants 

Supervisor 

Mrs C. TONGE 

Miss L. ACOTT Mrs R. LUDLOW MRS J PAWSEY 

Mrs A. LOMAS MRS NORMAN MRS C STEELE


CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 

This year has been one of special memories for me. Not only 

has the School celebrated its 525 th anniversary, but the year has 

also marked the 50 th anniversary of my leaving School, the 20 th 

anniversary of my becoming a Governor and the 10 th 

anniversary of my being elected Chairman, in March 2002. In 

this, my 11 th and final Chairman’s Report, I should like to look 

back over my time as Chairman and recall some of the 

developments in the last few years. 

In the 2001 A levels 66% of the entries achieved A and B 

grades, in 2006 the percentage was 69% and the number of 

UCAS points per candidate was 311. In 2011 the percentage 

for A*, A and B grades was 86% and the UCAS points 390. In 

2012 the percentage was again 86% subject to possible 

increase as a result of re-marks. In the 2001 GCSE exams 44% 

of the entries were A grades; in 2006 63%. In 2011 the 

percentage of A* and A grades was 70% and the results for 

2012 showed a further improvement to over 73%. Such 

results show an impressive progression, particularly in the last 

few years. All the pupils concerned, the Headmaster and all 

the teaching staff can be immensely proud of such results and 

I congratulate them all. 

It is the people in a school who matter. An outstanding and 

inspiring leader, Headmaster Andrew Chicken has been 

responsible for numerous improvements of the school over the 

last 7 years, enhancing and strengthening the Senior 

Management Team and addressing the issues raised in the 

2005 and 2011 Inspection reports. He has been keen over 

that 7 year period to continue to improve academic and 

pastoral provision and ensure that all the staff develop their 

skills. In an extremely competitive area for independent 

schools, the School is fortunate to have a Headmaster in Mr 

Chicken who is determined to offer the widest possible 

educational and extra-curricular opportunities in order to 

attract and retain pupils. 

One member of the Senior Management Team, Mrs Kim 

Bridges, retired this summer after 31 years at school, having 

made an outstanding contribution to its academic and pastoral 

development. As well as teaching Biology with distinction, 

since 2003 she was Head of Middle School, looking after the 

interests of pupils in their GCSE years with genuine concern for 

the welfare of each pupil. She also led many exciting 

expeditions to far flung corners of the world, including Cuba 

and Swaziland, Vietnam and Venezuela. She also played a 

major part in the development of our Community Service 

programme. 

Mrs Gill Lockwood also retired this year after 26 years’ service. 

Not only was she an inspirational teacher of Physics, but she 

devised and directed the work experience programme for 

hundreds of pupils. She supervised stage lighting for many 

musicals and plays, managed and coached U14 hockey teams 

and supervised the Climbing Club, as well as leading Arden 

House and accompanying ski trips. She was also an inaugural 

member of the Governor/Staff Information and Consultation 

Committee, where she always made very constructive and 

useful comments. 

They and other teachers contribute to the diverse extracurricular 

activities which the pupils enjoy. The opportunities 

for sport, travel, music and drama are outstanding. The 

musical productions over the period of my Chairmanship have 

been wonderful: Guys and Dolls, Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the 

Roof, Les Misérables and this year a show which would have 

graced the West End stage, Oliver! I should like to congratulate 

Michael Dow, Alison Moffat and all the cast, backstage, lighting 

and front of house staff – most of them pupils - for the 

magnificent production. The Junior School production of 

Clusical was also outstanding. 

Over the 20 years I have been a Governor the School has 

carried out several major building projects as well as numerous 

significant maintenance projects – the Governors have always 

endeavoured to maintain the fabric of school to a high 

standard. In that 20 years my predecessors Alan Kershaw and 

Charles Speight oversaw the construction of the Reeman’s allweather 

surface in 1992, re-building of the Junior School, 

acquisition of the Davenport cinema which created space for 

future development such as the Sports and Technology Centre 

and for the traffic system and car parking, and the acquisition 

of the Kwik Fit site for very long term development. In my time 

as Chairman we re-constructed the all-weather surface in 

2003, built the splendid Library and Physics building in 2005 

and recently acquired some of the flats on Royle Close as an 

investment for the future. 

After several years detailed consideration and planning, in May 

this year the new Woodsmoor building was completed and 

subsequently was gradually brought into use. Further work is 

to be carried out on the Languages block in the autumn. The 

total Woodsmoor project is costing some £4.5m, and is being 

The Year’s News 5

Head Girl Maddie Hardy receives her school medal 

from Mr. Rimmington 

financed from the surpluses we have built up over the years 

and from bank loans repayable over the next 10 years. This 

has been the most ambitious project financially we have ever 

carried out (even taking into account inflation) and I should 

like to pay tribute to our Bursar, Chris Watson, for his control 

and co-ordination of the project and liaison with the 

Governors’ Building Committee, the architects Taylor Young, 

Stockport Council Planners, local councillors, Globe 

Construction, many sub-contractors and last but by no means 

least, the neighbours on Woodsmoor Lane. Mr Watson spent 

many hours every week on this project as well as carrying out 

his day job. 

During the period of my Chairmanship the School has enjoyed 

an excellent relationship with the Goldsmiths’ Company, one 

of whose Prime Wardens, Sir Edmond Shaa, was of course the 

School’s founder. The Clerk, Dick Melly, has been a great 

friend of the School and it was largely through his good offices 

that we held a splendid 525 th anniversary reception at 

Goldsmiths’ Hall on 2 nd May, attended by 200 pupils, 

parents, teachers, Old Stopfordians and guests. We were 

made very welcome not only by Mr Melly but also by the 

School’s patron, Prime Warden Hector Miller, who presented 

the prizes at last year’s Speech Day. Two days after the 

Reception, the Headmaster and I were again guests of the 

Goldsmiths at the Trial of the Pyx lunch, commemorating a 

ceremony dating back some 850 years. 

Then, on Jubilee Tuesday, the livery companies held a lunch at 

Westminster Hall for the Queen and other members of the 

Royal Family. The Goldsmiths hosted a table which included 

our Head Boy, Harry Allport, and Head Girl, Maddie Hardy. 

What a wonderful experience for them – one they will 

remember for the rest of their lives. 

I should now like to pay tribute to the Governors. None of the 

Governors receive any salary, fee or other payment. All have 

been and still are very committed to Stockport Grammar 

School. Over the years we have built a multi-skilled team 

comprising educationalists, lawyers, doctors, property experts, 

human resource specialists, senior police officers, accountants 

and other professional and business people. Several have 

been or still are parents, like me. Several have been former 

pupils, also like me. We have a total complement of 18 

Governors and certainly over the last 10 years we reached 

most of our decisions on a consensual basis, with very little 

dissent. Although I cannot name every one of them in this 

report, I should just like to mention a few of them who have 

given outstanding service over the last several years. 

Firstly Lady Beatson, who joined the Board one month before 

me and was Vice Chairman from March 2002 until October 

2009. She has lived either in Oxford or Cambridge for the 

whole of her time as a Governor and has rarely missed a 

meeting. She is a barrister and is a Tribunal Judge in the Health 

Education and Social Care Chamber in London. I have always 

appreciated her wise counsel and am particularly appreciative 

of the advice she gave to Chris Watson and his predecessor in 

the process of the incorporation of SGS in 2007. Her 

grandfather and father were Chairmen of Governors in my 

days as a pupil. Thanks to a legacy in her father’s will, a 

commemorative clock is to be placed on the right hand 

Northern gable end of the new Woodsmoor building. 

Ron Astles, a retired Chief Superintendent with G. M. Police, 

has been a Governor since December 1993 and Vice 

Chairman since 2002. He was Chairman of the Stopfordian 

6 The Year’s News


Parents’ Association when his son Chris was at school. He has 

served on numerous Governors’ committees, including 

Management, Finance and ICT. He chairs the group which 

identifies and interviews potential new Governors. He is a very 

regular visitor to school and I have valued his support and 

advice throughout my chairmanship. I am delighted that Ron 

Astles has taken over from me as Chairman at the end of the 

Summer Term. 

Solicitor Philip Cuddy joined the Board in 1998 – he also was 

a parent of children at SGS. He too has served on several 

committees, including the Appeals Committee, which deals 

with disciplinary matters – fortunately its meetings have been 

rare, but they were often difficult. He is responsible for 

reviewing any formal complaints under our Complaints Policy. 

He took over as Vice Chairman from Lady Beatson in October 

2009 and was a great support to me. 

Old Stopfordian Roger Yates joined the Board in April 1993 as 

the Old Stopfordians’ nominee governor. He is a businessman 

and for several years he has been advising garages and other 

businesses on getting best value on utility bills. He has been 

advising the Bursar on utility contracts completely free of charge 

and in the process has saved the School tens of thousands of 

pounds. He has been a valuable member of the Management 

Committee since 1998 and joined the Finance and Building 

committees in 2002. Since then he has chaired the Building 

Committee and with Governor Keith Lansdale for all that time 

has helped successive Bursars in masterminding the Library and 

Physics project and currently the Woodsmoor project, as well as 

agreeing all the necessary maintenance projects. They have 

been joined on the Building Committee by David Withington, 

who is Treasurer of the Old Stops’ Association and a 

Distinguished Life Member of that Association. 

Stuart Nuttall joined the Board six years ago after he retired as 

Headmaster of Bablake School in Coventry. He is a Reporting 

Inspector with the Independent Schools Inspectorate . He has 

led the Governors’ Education Committee and been a valuable 

member of the ICT committee. He was very helpful to the 

Headmaster and to Larry Fairclough in the Junior School in 

preparing for the School inspection 18 months ago and in 

carrying out the curriculum review. They have greatly valued 

his wise experience and advice. Dr Nuttall retired from the 

Board at the end of the Summer Term and I am sure the other 

members of the Education Committee, Dr Morris, Prof 

Dainton and Mr Giblin will miss his leadership. 

Dr Margaret Morris, a former parent of three girls at the 

School, joined the Board in 1998 and serves on a number of 

committees. She is the Governor responsible for Child 

Protection and carries out the vital role of ensuring that proper 

protection procedures are in place and being carried out. 

Andrew Booth, a Chartered Accountant like me, joined the 

Board and the Finance Committee 6 years ago. He keeps a 

watchful eye on the School’s finances, taking over the 

Chairmanship of the Finance Committee several months ago 

and he has been the School’s lead negotiator with the bank in 

arranging loans totalling £1.9 million to go towards financing 

the Woodsmoor project. I am sure the Bursar’s management 

of the school’s finances will continue to be overseen prudently 

by Mr Booth, supported by Messrs Astles and Yates. 

Earlier this year Philip Davies, a nominee of the Hallam Trust, 

retired as a Governor when the second of his three year terms 

came to an end. As well as being a valuable member of the 

Management Committee, he had the difficult job of chairing 

the Appeals Committee. He has been replaced as the Hallam 

Trust nominee by solicitor Chris Dunn, also an Old Stop and 

a parent as well as an old boss of mine when I used to work 

in the legal profession. I know Chris will bring wise advice to 

the Board. 

Paul Milner became a Governor a year ago and as a Human 

Resources professional advises the Headmaster and Bursar on 

personnel matters. Another new Governor in the last 12 

months is solicitor Samantha Lansbury, also a parent of two 

boys at School. Paul and Samantha reduced the average age 

of the Board considerably! They, along with the other 

Governors whom regrettably I do not have time to note and 

thank individually, will continue to contribute to the success of 

the Board and of School. 

It has been a memorable experience for me to serve on the 

Board of Governors. To all the pupils who have left at the end 

of the Summer Term I wish every success at University and 

beyond. To those pupils staying on next year and beyond, 

continue to strive academically and to enjoy all the activities 

that this School has to offer. To the Headmaster and 

teaching staff, to the Bursar and support staff, to my former 

colleagues on the Board, good luck for the future. I know that 

I am passing the Chairmanship into the safe hands of Ron 

Astles, to whom I also wish good luck. I know that you all will 

continue to improve my treasured alma mater, Stockport 

Grammar School. 

R. L. E. Rimmington 

(Chairman of Governors 2002-2012) 

On behalf of the School I would like to thank Richard for his 

commitment over the many years of his association with the 

School and wish him every success in his future endeavours 

and hope his golfing handicap improves. 

R. Astles 

(Chairman of Governors) 

The Year’s News 7


HEADMASTER’S REPORT 

Company of Goldsmiths. This year our Head Boy Harry Allport 

and Maddie Hardy, our Head Girl, were the guests of The 

Company at the Jubilee Lunch held in honour of Her Majesty 

the Queen in Westminster Hall and in May we marked our 

anniversary year with a Reception in the equally palatial 

surroundings of Goldsmiths’ Hall; we are most grateful to the 

Prime Warden and his colleagues for granting us this privilege. 

The principal aim of schools, even very ancient ones, and SGS 

is one of the nation’s oldest schools – is to predict and mould 

the future of individual boys and girls, to stimulate their 

imagination, challenge their potential and, in doing so, to 

enable society as a whole to benefit from their skills and talents. 

So it is important that, whilst taking time to reflect upon and 

celebrate our past, we do not lose sight of the fact that schools 

are about the future and that we use this anniversary to focus 

on how we can best secure Shaa’s legacy in the years ahead. 

In his ‘History of Stockport Grammar School’, published in 

1946, Benjamin Varley summarised the personal qualities 

which lay behind Sir Edmond Shaa’s success in navigating the 

violent and unsettled times of the Wars of the Roses. 

Any man of eminence needed discretion, tact and prophetic 

vision even to survive. That he was warmly acceptable to and 

fully trusted by three such different kings as Edward IV, Richard 

III and Henry VII betokens that he possessed these desirable 

qualities in rare degree. But of these three qualities, that which 

we value the most is the last, for by its guidance Sir Edmond Shaa 

conceived in detail and established upon a sure foundation the 

Stockport Grammar School. 

Whilst ‘prophetic vision’ seems in short supply amidst the 

maelstrom of political, economic and social uncertainty that has 

dominated so much of the media over the last twelve months, 

the most valuable benefit from the study of history is surely the 

development of our capacity to reflect upon and exercise a 

proper perspective on the pre-occupations of our predecessors. 

By any criterion, in this, the 525 th Anniversary of Edmond Shaa’s 

Foundation, Stockport Grammar School continues to reflect his 

vision for the young people in the town of his birth whilst 

developing its influence in ways beyond the imagination of 

even the most fanciful prophets of his time. 

Shaa would, I am sure, be both delighted and surprised not only 

by the survival, but by the strength and vigour of his creation 

today. As an historian and a Freeman of the City of London, I 

am very conscious of the significance of the historic link which 

he established between his school and the Worshipful 

Our academic reputation remains very strong indeed. A Level 

students at Stockport Grammar School obtained outstanding 

results last summer with nearly 90% of all entries receiving */A 

or B grades in a 100% success rate, a level of success, only 

fractionally behind the best ever results of 2010. This ensured 

that nearly every one of our students was able to proceed to the 

university of his or her first choice. Such a record is not 

achieved by chance. If pupils are to achieve their full potential 

in the examination hall, it is essential that their progress is 

carefully monitored and their performance evaluated to ensure 

that appropriate measures of challenge can be provided along 

with the necessary support and encouragement. For several 

years we have used the A Level Performance System (ALPS) to 

set targets for Sixth Form pupils and also to provide a valueadded 

assessment of the quality of our A level results. We have 

consistently been graded as ‘outstanding’ for the quality of 

teaching and learning and both ‘The Sunday Times’ and The 

Financial Times’ have again ranked us in their ‘Top Hundred’ 

tables. The quality of our university guidance was highlighted 

in a report published earlier this year by the Sutton Trust in 

which Stockport Grammar School was identified as one of ten 

schools nationally having a significantly higher acceptance rate 

to university than other institutions with similar A level results. 

Our leavers win places at the most selective universities in the 

country to read challenging courses; it is that path which equips 

them for success in the highly competitive professions such as 

law, medicine, architecture, engineering and academia. 

Whilst nobody would deny that academic results matter, too 

many commentators fail to recognise that education is not 

defined simply in terms of examination grades and that the best 

examination system is one that matters less than the education 

it seeks to measure, not more. Once you have left school few 

outside academia want to know what grades you obtained at A 

level, what is of more concern is your capacity to think broadly 

and intelligently together with qualities of motivation, 

application, commitment, sensitivity, creativity and enterprise: 

talents which cannot be assessed in the examination room. So 

it is essential that our excellence in academic study is 

complemented by an extensive range of extracurricular 

activities guided by a broader vision of education. 

It is difficult to exaggerate the value of participation in 

extracurricular activities in fostering personal development 

8 The Year’s News


and although last year’s Inspection Report described the 

provision for extra-curricular involvement as ‘outstanding’, we 

seek to improve and extend it even further. 

The range and variety of our drama was evident in 

productions of David Howson’s City United, which enabled 

many younger pupils to participate in drama for the first time, 

and the Sixth Form classical production of The Persians which 

was performed to equally enthusiastic audiences. Oliver!, 

directed by Alison Moffatt and Michael Dow, was a 

memorable and striking demonstration of the talents of our 

pupils and the vision and skill of members of staff. The 

musical brought together nearly 200 pupils from across the 

school and each performance reflected the dedication of 

pupils and staff throughout the months of rehearsals and 

preparation. The Music Department has also been very 

active, staging an extensive programme of recitals and 

concerts with the highlight of the 525 th Anniversary Gala 

Concert, held at the Royal Northern College being a fine 

performance of The Nelson Mass. We are also represented in 

the ranks of the National Youth Orchestra and the National 

Youth Choir. 

In this Olympic Year our sports teams have enjoyed very 

successful campaigns. At national level James Flynn and 

Martha Watson have been selected for the England U18 

Rugby and U18 Hockey squads respectively whilst Jamie 

Simpson fenced in the Junior Commonwealth Games in 

February. Record numbers of pupils have been chosen for 

county and regional representative teams. Our Under 15 

rugby team reached the last 16 (of 400 schools) in the 

prestigious Daily Mail Cup Competition whilst their senior 

counterparts went one round further to the quarter-finals of 

the Vase. In hockey the 1st XI reached the North Final of the 

National Schools, where they were unlucky to lose on 

penalties. The Under 13 team advanced to the National 

Finals of their tournament where they were placed third in the 

country. Our netball teams have been successful at county 

and regional levels and our reputation as a strong football 

school continues to strengthen. Sport in the Summer Term is, 

of course, inevitably affected by the pressures of public 

examinations; nevertheless there has been much to celebrate. 

Tennis has been particularly successful, whilst our athletes 

continue to dominate the local track leagues and both boys’ 

and girls’ squads have progressed in the English Schools’ 

Athletics Championships. Despite the challenging weather, all 

our cricket teams built strong records with each of the junior 

sides advancing to the latter stages of their respective Cheshire 

Cup competitions. In the light of such sporting success, it was 

fitting that in June the Olympic Flame passed the front gates 

of Stockport Grammar School. Claudia Thomas, a pupil in the 

Third Year, had the honour of carrying the Olympic Torch 

during the Stockport leg of the relay with Old Stopfordian 

Richard Howarth also selected to participate in the Torch’s 

journey through the North West. 

Our pupils did not, however, wait passively for the flame to 

arrive in Stockport. Over the Easter holiday, our classicists 

travelled to Olympia, site of the first Games held in 776BC; 

and Delphi, the magical place of prophecy as part of a tour of 

Athens and the Peloponnese. Pupils in the Second Year 

participated in a successful and innovative Olympic Study 

Day. Our mathematicians and scientists have distinguished 

themselves in academic Olympiads and the search for The 

Young Scientist of the Year, whilst competition in events such 

as ‘Masterchef’ and the Sixth Form’s charity version of ‘Strictly 

Come Dancing’ has been intense in the extreme. As part of 

the extensive lecture programme of distinguished academics 

and authors organized by the Library, we were privileged to 

welcome Old Stopfordian John Amaechi OBE, a director for 

Stockport Grammar School Senior Prefects


the London Organising Committee and former NBA 

basketball player, who was a sporting ambassador for Amnesty 

International reporting on human rights issues in China during 

the Beijing Games. 

Even the prophetic powers of Edmond Shaa would struggle to 

encompass the global vision demonstrated by current 

Stopfordians. In March over 200 pupils from schools around 

the country congregated for our Model United Nations 

Conference, which was a fine example of the capacity of 

young people to think both for themselves and of others. Our 

Duke of Edinburgh Award programme goes from strength to 

strength. A major expedition to Namibia last summer was an 

enriching experience for those fortunate enough to take part. 

Nearer to home the Music department’s performances at 

Salzburg attracted appreciative but very damp audiences, 

geographers and cricketers enjoyed sun in Iceland and Malta 

respectively and linguists gained work experience in France. 

Outdoor enthusiasts took advantage of the opportunities at 

Grasmere and in the Peak District whilst the annual Alpine ski 

trip to Austria and the German Exchange programme remain 

very popular and successful. Historians and artists visited the 

East Coast of the United States. Our clubs and societies 

programme has been expanded to include opportunities for 

pupils to acquire language skills in Mandarin, Japanese, 

Russian, Swedish, Italian and Spanish. Whilst Sir Edmond 

Shaa may have been a little disconcerted by this litany he 

would, however, have felt on much more familiar territory 

with the visit of a First Year party to Alnwick Castle, the 

medieval stronghold of the Earls of Northumberland during 

the Wars of the Roses. 

The first record of the buildings of Stockport Grammar School 

appears in 1607 when the school occupied the upper storey 

of a single house in Chestergate in the centre of the town. 

How times have changed! Farsighted investment by 

successive Boards of Governors has provided us with facilities 

that are amongst the very best in the country. Our major new 

Woodsmoor development opened this summer and gives us 

outstanding facilities for the teaching of arts subjects. It is a 

fitting way of marking the 525 th Anniversary. 

But we do not build in bricks and mortar alone. Schools like 

ours flourish as educational communities, where every 

individual is supported and encouraged to fulfil his or her 

personal ambitions both inside and outside the classroom. 

Success is the product both of individual talent and endeavour 

together with an environment in which every one of us has 

the opportunity to exceed what we had thought possible. 

Whatever age we are – in schools we often learn the most 

important lessons from each other. So it is a matter of deep 

regret that Stockport Grammar School is now closed to many 

families in the local community, in that access is primarily 

through the ability of families to pay fees. Social exclusivity 

was far from Edmond Shaa’s intention – his school was about 

providing the opportunity to present and future generations of 

children in the town of his birth. A key focus of our 525 th 

Anniversary programme has been to enhance awareness of 

our Bursary campaign that seeks to ensure that local boys and 

girls can contribute to and benefit from the education we offer 

irrespective of family circumstances. There is no better way to 

mark this anniversary year than by celebrating and promoting 

the influence of Edmond Shaa’s legacy to future generations. 

In the medieval period of history much scientific knowledge 

was developed by alchemists, men who tried to find a formula 

that would transform ordinary materials into gold. As a 

goldsmith Shaa had, of course, punctured the myth of alchemy 

– but we want his school to preserve it in human form. 

Examinations, buildings and technology may or may not serve 

to develop the potential of the young; but people matter more. 

Talented and inspirational teaching is the engine of education. 

As the slogan said: ‘nobody forgets a good teacher.’ 

The opportunities Stockport Grammar School offers to its girls 

and boys are the consequence of the commitment of 

members of staff to giving generously of their expertise and 

talents in all areas of school life. I thank each one for their 

hard work, professionalism and support throughout the year. 

This article also provides me with an opportunity to thank 

parents, Old Stopfordians and Governors for the faith they 

place in the school and the support they give to activities on 

a day-to-day basis. The SPA has continued to flourish this year 

under the energetic and inspirational leadership of Mrs Lisa 

Provan whilst the Old Stopfordians’ Association has supported 

and sponsored a major initiative to ensure that we remain in 

active contact with recent generations of leavers, building on 

the success of this year’s reunions of the 1980s cohort and 

events in Wasdale and Oxford. 

Finally, of course, this summer marked the retirement of the 

Chairman of Governors, Richard Rimmington. It is fifty years 

since Richard left the School, he has been a Governor for two 

decades and Chairman for ten years. Let me assure you that 

to serve as Chairman is far from a sinecure. Richard has been 

tireless in the effort he has devoted to preparing for meetings 

and there is no governor who probes the finest detail of 

accounts with such an eagle eye or has such an appetite for 

the cut and thrust of debate in the Governors’ Room. Over 

the years he has travelled many thousands of miles from his 

home in North Wales to attend meetings and, supported by 

Angela his wife, countless school events and concerts. 

Richard’s pride in his school is evident in the delight he takes 

in representing SGS at functions in St. James’ Palace or in 

Goldsmiths’ Hall as well as in the care he takes to keep in 

close contact with his contemporaries or to develop new links 

with the wider Stopfordian community. Although his 

professional training and commitment to the preservation of 

tradition have made him, at times, rightly sceptical of the 

wider shores of prophetic vision, he has nevertheless been 

determined to ensure that the School continues to move 

forward in both facilities and management whilst preserving a 

genuine concern for each individual member. I have greatly 

valued his advice and strong support and have yet to meet 

anybody with a stronger attachment or a fiercer loyalty to the 

past, present and future of our school. He has been at the 

forefront of the successful development of Stockport 

Grammar School for the last two decades and there has been 

no more faithful steward of Edmond Shaa’s legacy. 

A. H. Chicken 

10 The Year’s News


HELLOS AND GOODBYES 

We welcomed several new colleagues to the school in 

September. Miss Rachel Hindley joined the Chemistry 

Department from Oxford University and her PGCE training at 

Manchester Metropolitan University. Miss Carrie Stephenson, 

another Oxford graduate, joined the Modern Languages 

department from Walkden High School. Mr Jamie Swann 

moved to the Philosophy and Religious Studies department 

from Runshaw College. We said “Hello again” to Miss Laura 

Topping, who returned from her travels to become Head of 

Girls’ Games and P.E. 

Some colleagues’ “Hellos” were rather more brief. Ms 

Michelle Fotherby-O’Brien, who had already been working 

with the PE department to develop dance, was also with us for 

part of the year to teach some Music as well, before moving 

south with her family at Easter. Mrs Jennifer Watson has spent 

the year teaching Geography part-time, and we wish her well 

as she moves to a new post at Manchester High School. Miss 

Laura Smith spent a year with us as a full time Careers adviser. 

Mr Brian Cassidy and then the ever-green Mr Don Potts 

provided maternity cover in the Physics department during 

the year. We thank them all for their work. 

We also offer congratulations to Dr Glarvey (née Abbott) and 

Mr Heyes, members of the Chemistry department who 

celebrated their respective marriages during the summer. We 

also congratulate Mrs Claire Hird on the birth of her 

son, Zac. 

The summer of 2012 also heralds several departures from the 

school. Mrs Maggie Wilson has been teaching History parttime 

since 2009 and enthused many Lower School pupils with 

her project-based approaches and the establishment of a 

lively History Society. Miss Laura Service, who is herself an 

Old Stopfordian and whose father taught Mathematics at the 

school for many years, departs for Switzerland and the Alps to 

teach Biology at Le Rosey School. We wish her every success 

in her new adventures and are grateful for all her 

contributions to academic activities, extra-curricular 

involvement and expeditions since her arrival as a teacher 

in 2003. 

Two long-serving colleagues are retiring: Head of Middle 

School Mrs Kim Bridges and Physics teacher Mrs Gill 

Lockwood. Mrs Bridges first came to the school as a student 

teacher in 1978 and has taught Biology since 1981. She 

became Head of Middle School in 2003 and has led many 

expeditions to far-flung corners of the globe, including 

Swaziland and Venezuela. Her pastoral care, attention to 

detail, academic rigour and sense of fun will be greatly missed 

by all. Mrs Lockwood joined the Physics department in 1986 

and has enabled many pupils to gain their first taste of 

employment through the organisation of the Work Experience 

programme. Amongst her other many services to the school, 

she has been an indefatigable hockey coach and 

arranged the lighting and organised technical crews for many 

productions and events. We wish them both a happy, healthy 

retirement and look forward to hearing news of their 

adventures and exploits. 

Lengthier tributes to all leaving staff can be found on page 

125. 

V. L. Barrett 

DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD 

The Gold Award has been gained by Harry Allport, Rachel 

Bates, Miranda Cupit, Joe Daniels, Bikash Deb, Elizabeth 

Healey, Joshua Holgate, Kristen Holland, Sam Johnson, James 

Leung, Arran Mackay, Katie McCay, Christopher Robinson, 

Louis Staples, Julia Sutherland, Andrew Warwick, Heather 

Warwick, Shelby Whyatt and Robin Wilson. 

The Silver Award has been gained by Matthew Allison, 

Michael Bates, David Berry, Joseph Brook, Victoria Cartwright, 

Joshua Chapman, Robert Clarke, Amelia Cropper, Alex 

Curran, Florence Eastwood, Carla Edwards, Meredith Ellis, 

Hannah Gregory, Lydia Griffiths, Iona Griliopoulos, Max 

Hadfield, Simon Hardy, Sarah Hindle, Ciaran Johnson, Jenny 

Johnson, Nathan Jones, Ryan Jude, Anna Logue, Rachel Lord, 

Vinay Mandagere, Ray McCulloch, Alex McKeown, Josie 

Napper, Shola Odusanya, Alastair Paterson, Edward Reynolds, 

Ben Richmond, Daniel Smith, Hannah Taylor, Daniel 

Thorburn, John-Paul Tyrrell, Jennifer Warwick, Emily Weeks, 

Lauren Winder, Laura Wynne and Charlotte Yandell. 

The Bronze Award has been gained by Charlie Abbott Booth, 

Yusuf Ahmed, Leah Allcock, Tom Allport, Shay Anand, 

DISTINCTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS 

Christian Anderson, Rhian Armstrong, Paige Bagley, Utkrisht 

Bajaj, Emily Banks, Michael Bates, Fergus Bell, Jonathan 

Bennett, Ciara Berragan, Luke Berry, Henry Betts, Jessica 

Black, Joseph Blashill, Craig Bowie, Kia Bracegirdle, Thomas 

Brett, Matthew Brook, Freya Bruce, Jessica Campbell, 

Matthew Carricker, Samuel Clarke, Hannah Clayton, Thomas 

Clough, Jonathan Collins, Emily Daniels, Emily Dow, Ellen 

Downs, Patrick Duffy, Alice Dullehan, Jeremy Dunn, 

Benjamin Dyson, Maisie Eastwick, Alyssia Edwards, Qalam 

Eusuf, Rebecca Fernandes, Sarah Gaskin, Maya Gordon, 

Eleanor Gowrie, Sam Haley, William Hanson, Luke Harvey 

Jones, Francesca Henderson Cox, Alexa Holland, Faye 

Holleworth, Simon Howard, Thea Hudson, Felix Hulse, 

Jalisha Javed, Marcus Jones, William Jones, Ross Kennedy, 

Jennifer Kent, Harry Keyes, Nabeel Khan, Anastasia Krywonos, 

Animit Kulkarni, Adit Kulkarni, Alisha Kumar, Jaimin Lakhani, 

Benedict Lambon Ralph, Oluyemi Lijadu, James Longbottom, 

Anna Madden, Gabriella Malone, Alex Mayo, Jessica McNeill, 

Keira Mistry, Jaina Mistry, Victoria Morgan, Daniel Mossman, 

Victoria Mowat, Jennifer Muellenbach, Sachin Nanavati, 

William Noakes, Adam North, Lydia O’Donoghue, Tom 

O’Mahony, Rachel Orr, Mehul Parekh, Ashni Patel, James 

Pearse, Alexander Pickstock, Jonathan Pine, Alexander 

Provan, Mark Ray, Edward Robinson, Olivia Ronnie, Abigail 

The Year’s News 11


Roskilly, Lucy Rothwell, James Ruddock, Chloe Rutter, James 

Samarji, Jake Sanders, Fasih Shahid, Megan Smith, Michael 

Solomou, Emily Spencer, Benjamin Stollery, Lucy Sumner, 

Niyati Takiar, Anand Thalava, Mark Tordoff, Matilda Towsey, 

Joseph Trimingham, Aaqib Vohra, Elyzaveta Vul, Bebe Warren, 

Gabriella Watkins, Lee Westwell, Elizabeth Wilkinson, 

Johanna Worley, Elizabeth Worthington and Joanna Yeung. 

THE BRITISH MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD 

This has been another excellent year for competitive 

Mathematics. At the Senior level there were six Gold awards 

with Suzanna Eames and Tristan Kemp qualifying for the 

Olympiad. At Intermediate level there were twenty three 

Gold awards and eight pupils qualified for further rounds. 

These are Amy Bradley and Tom Taylor in the Third Year, Will 

Jones, Adit Kulkarni, Alexa Holland, Anand Thalava, Ana 

Krywonos, Jessica Black, Emily Dow and Tom Allport in the 

Fourth Year and Max Hadfield, Ryan Jude, Tasmin Ray and 

Will Spence in the Fifth Year. Merits were achieved by Amy 

Bradley, Max Hadfield and Will Spence. Our Senior Maths 

team, Suzanna Eames, Tristan Kemp, Zoe Harris and Milan 

Lakhani won the regional finals and went on to finish 20th in 

the National final in London. 

PHYSICS (OLYMPIAD & CHALLENGE) 

In the A2 Physics Olympiad Alastair Watts achieved a Bronze 

I medal and Tristan Kemp achieved a Bronze II medal. 

Commendations were awarded to Jack Ashby, Miranda Cupit, 

Elizabeth Healey, Kristian Lee and Matthew Rowson. 

In the AS challenge, also organised by the Olympiad 

committee, Bronze medals were gained by Sam Allport, Sam 

Arrowsmith, David Bennett, James Brett, Zoë Harris, Philip 

Hanson, Tom Hosfield, Leo Hotchkies and Alex McCann. 

A team of U6 took part in the Physics Olympics at Liverpool 

University. They came fourth but were within one point of 

third place. They came a very strong first in the Fermi portion 

of the competition. Congratulations to Alastair Watts, Tristan 

Kemp, Miranda Cupit, Liz Healey and Kristian Lee. 

ENGINEERING EDUCATION SCHEME 

In the Engineering Education Scheme, Olivia Briggs, Quintus 

Carr and Laura Chitty of the Lower 6th all gained a Gold BA 

CREST award for their work with United Utilities and 

Liverpool University on a real life mechanical engineering 

project. The BA CREST Gold Award is a well known and 

nationally recognised award, which allows the students to 

explore their own ideas in engineering and required over 100 

hours of project work to complete. 

BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD 

The aim of the Biology Olympiad is to challenge and stimulate 

gifted students with an interest in Biology and to expand and 

extend their talents. Gold Certificates were awarded to Chloe 

Withers and Rachael Hulme. Silver Certificates were awarded 

to Adam Afife, Kristen Holland, Edward Appleby, Sally 

McRoberts and Ross Holloway and Bronze Certificates to Alex 

Kyrtsoudis, Rachel Ellis, Hannah Goldsby and Rebecca 

Massie. Sophie Skelton was Highly Commended and Andrew 

Prosser received Commended. 

MUSIC 

Naomi Clarke has won a Choral Scholarship offer to Gonville 

& Caius College, Cambridge. Henry Brearley won a Public 

Recital Prize at the Oundle Festival (Advanced Organ 

Scholars’ Course). Alex Jones has gained membership of the 

National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain (double bass). 

Jennifer Kent has gained membership of the National Youth 

Choir. James Holt, Stephen Dickie and Edward Greaves have 

gained membership of the Hallé Youth Choir. 

MODEL UNITED NATIONS 

This year has been a busy one for the Model United Nations 

society. We have attended two conferences, hosted by 

Cheadle Hulme and Wesley College, Dublin where we won 

Best Delegation in General Assembly, and we have introduced 

Mini-MUN for Lower School students interested in world 

issues. In March we hosted our own hugely successful 

conference attended by over 200 students from around the 

country. In July we are attending two more local conferences 

and next academic year we are hoping to run an international 

trip as well as return to Dublin. Our own conference will now 

run annually and will take place the first weekend in 

December. 

YOUNG ENTERPRISE 

Our Young Enterprise company, Necessories, invested a great 

deal of time in product development and came up with the 

Portapunch, an innovative product designed to hole-punch 

handouts as a permanent part of a lever-arch file. At the 

Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside finals, they won 

the award for best company report. They also won an award 

for best product at the Dragon’s Den event. Not stopping 

there, they are still going and won the Greater Manchester 

Media award. They will compete in the North West Finals for 

this award later in June. Yet again, our Sixth Form students 

have made a superb effort. Peter Smith and Ayoni Medagoda 

deserve special mention for their leadership and 

management. 

MASTER CHEF 

The annual Master Chef competition was sponsored again this 

year by Grill on the Edge Restaurant in Alderley Edge. The 

competition is open to all pupils from First to Fourth Year. The 

winner was Emma Winder. 


The Stopfordian 2010–2011 

525 EVENTS 

2012 represented an important milestone in the life of 

Stockport Grammar School, as we celebrated 525 years since 

the School’s foundation by Sir Edmond Shaa, Mayor of 

London and Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company. A 

programme of celebrations was devised to mark the 

continuation of his vision of a school that would nurture 

intellect, foster character and provide opportunity for the 

children of Stockport. 

25th February 

14th to 17th March 

22nd March 

23rd March 

2nd May 

4th May 

28th June 

8th September 

Gala Concert in collaboration with 

Chorale and Cheshire Sinfonia at 

the Royal Northern College of Music 

Senior School production of Oliver! 

Shaa lunch for legators and donors 

Founder’s Day 

525th Anniversary Reception at 

Goldsmiths’ Hall in London 

Oxbridge Dinner at 

Hertford College, Oxford 

Speech Day at The Plaza, Stockport 

Heritage Open Day 

Open house for guided tours 

The special year was also marked with a fundraising initiative 

in support of the School’s continuing bursary campaign to 

help bright children from all backgrounds fulfil their potential. 

525 th Anniversary Reception at Goldsmiths’ Hall 

Old Stopfordians, Governors, parents, representative staff and 

pupils and members of the Goldsmiths’ Company gathered at 

Goldsmiths’ Hall in London on 2 nd May as part of the 

anniversary celebrations. The reception celebrated the 

ongoing relationship which began with the foundation of the 

School by Sir Edmond Shaa, Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ 

Company and Mayor of London. Speeches by Clerk to the 

Goldsmiths’ Company Dick Melly, Chairman of Governors 

Richard Rimmington and Headmaster Andrew Chicken 

focussed on the connection between the Company and the 

School, the present day achievements of pupils and staff and 

the importance of the bursary campaign that accompanies the 

525th anniversary celebrations. 



UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS 2012 

Name University Course 

Adam Afife Manchester Biomedical Sciences 

Hina Ali Nottingham Law 

Holly Allcock Hull Primary Teaching 

Harry Allport Oxford (Brasenose) Economics and Management 

Edward Appleby Oxford (Christ Church) Medicine 

Jack Ashby Bath Mathematics 

Charlotte Bailey Durham Law 

Alice Baillie Huddersfield History 

Pauline Barker Durham General Engineering 

Rachel Bates Nottingham Nutrition 

Cillian Berragan York Electronic and Computer Engineering 

Joseph Bills Leeds French 

Tanya Birkett Durham Law 

Gabrielle Blackwell Sheffield French and Business Management 

Melissa Bradley Leeds English Language and Literature 

Joseph Briggs Sheffield Civil Engineering 

Isobel Bull Nottingham Law with French and French Law 

Nathan Cadogan Sheffield German and Hispanic Studies 

Oliver Cartlidge Bath Mechanical Engineering (Sandwich) 

William Chance Swansea Marine Biology 

Hameem Chowdhury Warwick Economics 

Naomi Clarke 

Reapplying 

Lorna Cole York French and Spanish Language 

James Collins York Economics 

Thomas Coombes Cambridge (Downing) Geography 

Lucy Crossley Lancaster Management and Organisation 

Miranda Cupit Cambridge (Homerton) Chemical Engineering 

Joseph Daniels Sheffield Psychology 

Bikash Deb Loughborough Sport and Exercise Science 

Simon Dickens Loughborough Construction Engineering Management 

Stephen Dickie Bath Natural Sciences (with Year Abroad) 

Michael Dillon 

Luke Dobson Nottingham Engineering with Foundation Year 

Rebecca Dyson Birmingham Psychology 

Suzanna Eames Cambridge (Downing) Law 

Rachel Egan Birmingham Medical Science 

Sam Eghtesad Manchester Computer Science and Mathematics 

Yahya el Asmar Nottingham English and Philosophy 

Rachel Ellis 

Reapplying for Veterinary Science 

Yasmeen Elturkie Nottingham Trent Photography in Europe 

Daniel Fazelynia Edge Hill Business and Management (Marketing) 

Sophie Kate Feather Leeds Nutrition 

James Flynn Manchester Metropolitan International Business 

Rachel Fowden-Hulme Oxford (Keble) Archaeology and Anthropology 

Hannah Frais Nottingham Psychology 

Samuel Fraser Sheffield Hallam Psychology (2013) 

Cory Fritz Sheffield Sociology 

Charlotte Garner Nottingham English 

Andrew Garton Manchester Chemical Engineering 

Hannah Goldsby 

Reapplying 

Mark Goodstadt Nottingham Ancient History and History 

Caitlin Gorman Staffordshire Medicine 

Edward Greaves Cardiff Mathematics 

Jessica Hadfield Nottingham French and Spanish 

Celia Hall Sheffield Hallam Business and Marketing 

Oliver Hall Nottingham History and Politics 

Madeleine Hardy Nottingham English Language and Literature 

Elizabeth Healey Durham Civil Engineering 

Jack Heaton Leeds German and Russian 

Antonia Heijbroek Gap Year, applying 2013 

Christopher Helme Sheffield Geography (2013) 

Hugh Hewitt 

U6 year at College 

Sarah Hindle University College, London Architecture 

Kristen Holland Royal Veterinary College Veterinary Medicine (2013) 

Ross Holloway University College, London Medicine 



Cameron Hughes Nottingham Trent Business Management and Entrepreneurship 

Rachel Igoe Sheffield Hallam Criminology 

Mark Isherwood Manchester Geography 

Sofia Jassim Nottingham Architecture 

Connor Johnson Swansea Marine Biology 

Sam Johnson Nottingham Geography 

Tristan Kemp Bath Mathematics 

Jay Kothari Sheffield English and History 

Alexander Kyrtsoudis 

Reapplying 

Alasdair Lammas 

Reapplying 

Patrick Lavin 

Reapplying 

Jake Lee 

Seeking employment 

Kristian Lee Durham Engineering 

Catriona Leggat Leeds Geography 

James Leung Swansea Civil Engineering 

Samuel Lightfoot Manchester Computer Science 

Emma Lingard Newcastle Modern Languages and Business Studies 

Jennifer Logue Leeds Metropolitan Sports, Physical Activity & Health 

Verity Lukes-Mooney Glasgow Zoology 

Arran Mackay Newcastle English Literature 

Christopher Marshall Leeds International Business 

Rebecca Massie Royal Veterinary College Veterinary Medicine 

Dylan McDonnell Liverpool Ancient History 

Sally McRoberts Nottingham Chemistry with an International Study Year 

Jennifer Meikle Newcastle English Literature 

Oliver Mills York Music 

Kate Mitchell York History 

Winston Ngo Leicester Chemistry 

Mishal Niaz Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan Business Administration 

Lorna Nicholson Macclesfield College Art Foundation 

Olivia Norton Leeds French 

Leighanna O'Farrell Leeds Geological Sciences (International) 

Lucy Page Lancaster Psychology 

Emily Jane Parker Lancaster Management and Entrepreneurship 

Andrew Prossor Keele Medicine 

Emily Ralston Edinburgh Philosophy and Politics (2013) 

Alistair Ramsay 

Reapplying for Medicine 

Christopher Robinson Leeds Geography 

Rachel Robinson Leeds Sustainability and Environmental Management 

Matthew Rowson Nottingham Mechanical Engineering 

Abigail Saunders Reading Food Marketing and Business Economics with 

Industrial Training 

Matthew Schofield Nottingham Trent Business Management and Economics 

James Simpson Imperial College, London Chemistry with Molecular Physics 

Sophie Skelton King’s College, London English Language and Literature (2013) 

Angharad Smith Nottingham Ancient History and History 

Christopher Spencer Leeds Environmental Science 

Julia Sutherland Exeter Psychology 

Aabid Syed Manchester Metropolitan Biomedical Science 

Hollie Tanker Leeds Fashion Design 

Khalid Tayan Salford Computer Science 

Alexander Thomas Swansea Ancient History 

Helen Topham Nottingham Ancient History 

Luke Townley York Physics 

Oliver Tozer Nottingham French and Russian 

Emma Trimingham Newcastle Modern Languages 

Elspeth Wallace Manchester Geology with Planetary Science 

Alastair Watts Oxford (Wadham) Physics 

Alex Wetters Nottingham Trent Business 

Shelby Whyatt Cambridge (Selwyn) English 

Chloe Withers Cambridge (Fitzwilliam) Medicine 

Amy Wood Royal Holloway, London English and Classical Studies 

Emma Woodhead Manchester Metropolitan Early Years and Childhood Studies 

David Wright 

Reapplying 

Saam Zonoozi York Electronic and Computer Engineering 



OLYMPIC TORCH 

When I first found out I would 

be carrying the Olympic torch 

back in December I could not 

believe it. I was so excited and 

happy to be given the honour. 

I was nominated for some 

charity work I have done over 

the years with various charities 

for animal rights, antitrafficking 

and homeless 

people. I first got involved at 

the age of eight through a 

friend selling key rings and 

then when I was twelve I 

started to volunteer with my 

mum at the Wellspring in Stockport; I then decided to give my 

birthday money away to different charities each year. 

On the day I had to be at the Adidas centre in Bramhall very 

early in the morning; it was very scary as I was the youngest 

person there and did not know anybody, but we were then 

told how the day was going to go and everything was fine. We 

all got on the bus and got to the first drop off point for the first 

torch-bearer to alight. When I got off the bus it was so scary, 

as I had watched all the others before me and they had been 

surrounded by people. The torch-bearer in front of me came 

running and then lit my flame; with three police officers either 

side of me I started to run. It was such a good feeling to run 

with it and to see all my friends and family cheering me on at 

the end was amazing. After my part of the relay, I got back on 

the bus and we then taken back to the Adidas centre where I 

was interviewed with another torch-bearer. The whole 

experience was incredible and I am so happy I was given the 

opportunity to carry the torch. 

Claudia Thomas (3S) 

SPEECH DAY 

The Plaza Theatre was once again the venue for Speech Day 

in June when pupils, parents, Governors and staff celebrated 

the school year. 

Chairman of Governors, Mr Richard Rimmington, opened the 

programme with his final address before retiring after ten 

years as Chairman and two decades as a Governor, having left 

the school as a pupil over fifty years ago. Mr Chicken paid 

tribute to Mr Rimmington, thanking him for his service, saying 

he “has been at the forefront of the successful development of 

Stockport Grammar School for the last two decades.” 

As well as stunning musical performances from the Chamber 

Choir and Big Band, the audience was also treated to a pair of 

superb ten minute videos created by Lower Sixth Form pupils 

Alex Longson, Chris Holleworth and Will Byrne, which 

provided an insight into the great diversity of co-curricular 

activities and opportunities for personal development at SGS. 

The day’s performances and speeches showcased all that is 

positive about the school before Mr Rimmington awarded 

prizes to the pupils who excelled in their subjects or made 

outstanding contributions to school life last year. Earlier in the 

day, the Chairman also awarded the prizes at Junior School 

Speech Day, held at the school, to the children who had 

achieved in their subjects or helped make a difference during 

the past nine months. 

After the Senior School ceremony, prize winners, their parents 

and Sixth Form leavers returned to the school for a 

reception in the recently-opened new Woodsmoor 

building – the first time many of our pupils and 

Governors had been inside the impressive new 

facility. 



LENTEN VISIT 2012 – ROUGHSHOD THEATRE COMPANY 

CHAPLAIN’S NEWS 

The Lenten visit is an annual 

event that focuses on the 

spiritual. This year we were 

delighted that the York 

community theatre company, 

Roughshod, made a return visit 

to school. This dynamic group 

performed in assemblies and to 

all of the First Years, in addition 

to running workshops with 

smaller groups throughout the 

day. They provoked both 

laughter and tears as they told their very real life stories 

through drama. They encouraged us to think about what we 

believe and why we believe it. They also challenged us to 

look beyond life in the UK, in particular at the hidden costs in 

our electronic goods and the horrendous working conditions 

of some of the producers. 

It was a powerful experience for all those who were privileged 

to see them perform. 

DALAI LAMA IN MANCHESTER 

On the 16 th June 2012, the Dalai Lama came to the MEN Arena 

in Manchester to give an inspirational speech to young people 

entitled ‘Stand Up and Be the Change’. In this speech he 

shared his views about forgiveness and internal happiness. He 

told the youths in the audience that the 21 st century belonged 

to them and that “My generation belongs to the 20th Century, 

it has already gone, so my generation are ready to say bye 

bye.” He told the audience about his beliefs and way of life 

and how he never gave up hope through his difficult childhood; 

“At the age of 16 I lost my freedom. At the age of 24 I lost 

my own country. During these 50 or 60 years I have faced a 

lot of problems but I never give up hope. Hope based on 

truth, hope based on reason.” He taught about his Buddhist 

principles and morals and shared his views for an ideal future, 

free from violence and conflict. Russell Brand accompanied the 

Dalai Lama and he also participated in the introduction and 

questions and answers; “I’m very conscious that I have to be 

very respectful and polite, like if it was the Queen or 

something. Or your Nan”. The Dalai Lama was also 

accompanied by a translator who translated the questions into 

Tibetan, as he could not speak fluent English. The audience 

also watched video speeches from Desmond Tutu and a girl 

who forgave the killer of her father after listening to the Dalai 

Lama teachings about forgiveness. 

The Dalai Lama’s tour aimed to 

spread the 76-year-old 

Buddhist’s teachings of peace 

and understanding to 

youngsters. The crowd at 

Manchester Arena was mainly 

made up of under-25s who were 

given free tickets for the event. 

The Dalai Lama told the 

audience the future was in the 

hands of young people who 

could make change happen. 

He enlightened us with inspirational talks and came out with 

some motivating ideas. He said vision, warm-heartedness and 

determination were necessary and that young people were 

more open-minded than older generations. 

His talk really filled me with happiness and left me feeling 

thoughtful. As I walked out of the building I felt like my voice 

mattered and the Dalai Lama spread confidence and morale 

throughout the audience. 

Ciara Berragan (4Z) 

Jaina Mistry (4W) 

CONFIRMATION - JULY 2012 

In our 525 th year, the setting was St Mary’s Church in 

Stockport, another institution founded by Edmond Shaa. Pupils 

were in the congregation and choir. Elspeth Wallace (U6) 

joined Stopfordians of all ages, from Brinnington to Bramhall, 

to be confirmed by the Bishop of Stockport in a moving 

service. Confirmation is when a young person or adult makes 

for themselves the promises made for them at baptism. Elspeth 

gave the following reason for making this decision. 

I think I have always been aware that I was a Christian and, 

although I didn’t go to church, I still believed in God and 

wanted to live by what I believed was the right way by Him, so, 

when a friend invited me to join a Christian youth group about 

six years ago, I jumped on the chance to learn more in a 

friendly environment with people my age. It was nice to learn 

more in this way about God, but recently I’ve joined St 

Georges choir, and going to church twice every Sunday and 

enjoying being immersed in Christianity and surrounded by 

other Christians has made me sure that I want to be like 

them. I think I’m finally beginning to understand and fully 

think about what I’m learning about God instead of getting the 

general gist and moving on like I have in the past. I’ve been 

thinking about getting confirmed for a while now, and now I’m 

18 I think I’ve spent long enough debating about this decision: 

I’m old enough by law to know my own mind, so why not act 

on something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time? 

Rev. L.E. Leaver 



CAREERS CONVENTION 

On 26 th November, Stockport Grammar opened its doors to 

representatives from universities, apprenticeship providers 

and many professions from up and down the country. This is 

a biennial occasion where pupils from Fourth Year to Sixth 

Form, along with their parents, are given the opportunity to 

find out about degrees, professions and courses by speaking 

directly to specialists. With over 80 representatives present 

from professions ranging from the army to solicitors’ firms, the 

atmosphere in the Dining Hall was buzzing; there was a sense 

of enthusiasm in the air with questions flying through the 

room. The night was a very useful and enjoyable experience 

and many pupils gained from the occasion. 

Ruby Cotter (L4) 

CHARITIES 

VERNON SHOW 2012 

The hotly anticipated Vernon Show of summer 2012 

showcased a range of talent from all age groups in the school. 

There were a range of musical and comic talents and a strong 

presence from the lower school this year, including a unique 

comedy act from Arisha-Jane Marsh, original music from Lara 

O’Donohue, a duet from Georgia Burns and Molly Royle, as 

well as a star turn from ‘Those Fours Girls’, a singing and 

dancing girl group from 1S. 

Vernon House stalwart, Ismaeel Ramzan contributed an 

entertaining act with his regular ‘crew’and Ed Robinson 

stepped in too, as well as his own stellar performance with 

Jamie Simpson, which had everyone ‘hippity-hopping’ back to 

period 4 after the show! Ade Ferguson and Natalie Clarke 

played an extremely well-received acoustic set and the Special 

Guests of the show, ‘One Education’ provoked a lively amount 

of audience participation. Special thanks must go to Chris 

Holleworth, Alexander Longson and their team for organising 

the sound and thanks also to Adam Griffiths for doing the 

lighting. The two shows, despite depleted audiences, due to 

study leave, raised £334.00 for the House charities. 

‘ONE EDUCATION’ COME TO SGS! 

Imagine my delight when I heard that the boy-band of my 

teenage years; those heart-throbs I had papered my bedroom 

walls with; those dream-boats I had wept over when they split 

due to ‘artistic differences’ were playing here. Here at SGS. My 

place of work. Mr. Moore rolled his eyes cynically as I leapt 

around screaming in delight. I dug out my faded, but still very 

wearable ‘One Education’ t-shirt and put it on! I dug out my 12” 

singles and the vinyl copies of all their albums and wished 

desperately that I still owned a record player! The Vernon Show 

was going to be full of talented people and now was also going 

to feature my all time favourite band. I was BEYOND excited. 

I knew the audiences at the Vernon Show would love them as 

they have recently had one of their hits covered by a new band 

known as ‘One Direction’. These young men do a reasonable 

job of the song, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ but are not a 

patch on the original version. 

One Education 



The day dawned damp and cloudy, but nothing was going to 

dampen my excitement and enthusiasm. The show was 

fantastic. There were great performances from ‘Those Four 

Girls’ in 1S, Jamie Simpson and Ed Robinson strutted their 

hippity-hoppity stuff and performances from pupils in the 

second year were fabulous. The time was near. I was almost 

crying with excitement when the ‘boys’ arrived on stage one at 

a time in a beautifully choreographed set piece. They hadn’t 

aged at all and still all looked as handsome as I remembered. 

It was an outstanding performance. They were lovely in real 

life and even signed my t-shirt. 

S.L. Moore 

FAIRTRADE TUCK SHOP 

This year a group of Fifth Year pupils, Maddie Garton, Sarah 

Hammond, and Megan Casey took on the challenge of setting 

up the Fair Trade tuck shop. This sells fairly-traded goods 

weekly at break to the school community, as well as providing 

a superb experience in managing a small business. All profits 

go towards supporting EducAid, providing education for those 

in Sierra Leone. 

WELLSPRING 

This year Emily Klomp and Emily Weeks decided to expand 

their efforts to support the Wellspring charity, by organising 

more collections for this homeless centre in Stockport. These 

go to provide food and support for the homeless and almost 

homeless in Stockport. A number of Fifth Years helped 

organise the harvest produce in the food store and some First 

Years had a tour of the centre. 

LOWER SIXTH STRICTLY COME DANCING CHARITY EVENT 

The Autumn Term came to a spectacular close with the Lower 

Sixth charity Strictly Come Dancing Competition. A group of 

eighteen Lower Sixth pupils volunteered themselves to be 

dancers in the impressive charity event, which sought to raise 

money for the school charities. Students underwent two 

weeks of intensive training to reach the demanding standards 

of the Strictly Competition. With help and choreography from 

experienced ballroom dancers Mrs Chesterton, Rebecca 

Helme and Charlotte Helme, everyone was able to execute 

their performances to an impressive high standard. 

Amazing IT from Chris Holleworth and Alex Longson brought 

the magic to life with interactive videos and score cards and 

made the competition as close to the real thing as possible. 

Lighting and sound organised by Tom Walton, Dan Paigge and 

Will Byrne ensured a magical atmosphere as the main hall was 

transformed into an elegant winter ballroom. 

On the last day before the Christmas holiday the ten couples 

competed against each other in the four disciplines of 

ballroom dancing, in a show performed in front of the Lower 



Sixth. Nerves where at a high, however all dances were 

performed to standards greatly exceeding expectations. Kate 

Spence, Edward McDermott, Martha Watson, Thomas 

Hosfield, Alex Collingwood and Karolina Amstruz performed 

the cha-cha; Olivia Simpson, James Gaskin, Ade Ferguson, 

Rachel Hopwood, Walid Hassoon and Catherine Latus 

performed a scintillating Jive, while Natalie Clarke, Robert 

Deans, Samuel Arrowsmith and Laura Chitty performed the 

Quickstep with aplomb. Alice Carr and Jamie Rahman and 

special “celebrity” guests Mr Masters and Mrs Fenton 

performed the Waltz. 

With Mr Russell fronting the show and throwing out “Brucieesque” 

jokes, all eyes turned to the judging panel. The judges, 

Mr Howson, Mrs Chesterton, Mrs Wilkinson and Mr Thorley 

(aka Bruno), judged the competition with ‘expert’ knowledge 

of the subject, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the feared 

‘Strictly’ panel of judges. After a nail biting wait for the scores, 

the eventual winners were revealed to be Alice and Jamie. 

Live music was provided for the competitors’ dances by the 

musically gifted Jessica Martin, Will Robinson, Harry Vernon 

and Peter Smith. The live band really lifted the event and the 

packed main hall audience were soon clapping along. 

The event was an enormous success and enjoyed by all, 

raising an incredible £730 for EducAid and Christies charities 

and we would like to thank everyone involved for their effort 

in raising this amount, especially Mr Russell and Mrs 

Chesterton who made the event possible. 

Alice Carr (L7) 

IRONMAN WALES 

30 weeks, 320 hours and more early mornings than I care to 

remember. 

On Valentine’s Day 2011 I began my long and, at times, 

tortuous journey to the Pembrokeshire Coast for Ironman 

Wales. And at 8.19pm on September 11th it was all worth it 

when a finishers’ medal was hung around my neck. 

An Ironman Triathlon is a race which combines a 2.4 mile 

swim, a 112 mile bike and a full marathon into a single, nonstop 

endurance challenge, and the Welsh edition had the 

added interest of the tail end of Hurricane Katia thrown into 

the mix. The seas were choppy, the hills were energy sapping 

and the run in Tenby was far from flat but despite all this I 

crossed the line in 13 hours and 19 minutes, exhausted but 

over the moon! 

For my efforts I managed to 

raise £ 871 for the Genesis 

Appeal and the British 

Heart Foundation and, 

through the agony and 

ecstasy of the day, this was 

a great motivation for me. I 

would like to take this 

opportunity to thank all the 

colleagues, pupils and 

parents whose generous 

sponsorship helped me to 

surpass my fundraising 

target. 

J. D. Wilson 

The total amount raised for school charities this year was £8295. 

A. Hicks 


AWESOME AUTHORS 


LIBRARY HIGHLIGHTS AND HIGH-LIFE 

The library was a hive of activity this year welcoming pupils and staff during class time as well as hosting a range of extra-curricular 

events and activities. Here is a taster of some of the things we got up to: 

Author visits aim to inspire reading and nurture the reading 

habit, and stimulate both writing and creativity in general. 

Everyone would doubtlessly agree that reading is an 

invaluable skill and research consistently indicates that 

reading for pleasure is linked with academic achievement, 

well-being and a multitude of other benefits. We also know 

that reading now has to compete with so many other activities 

popular amongst young people. Therefore, in the Library we 

strive to create a buzz around reading through author events 

organised with the support of subject departments, in 

particular the English department. This year we have been 

fortunate to organise a variety of events and each one has 

brought something unique to our pupils. 

Our first author visit of the year came during the first half term 

just around the time that First Year pupils were choosing their 

free Booked Up book. Jon Mayhew, author of one of the 

available titles, Mortlock, came into school to share his 

experience of writing fiction. He ran “Gory Stories” 

workshops for First and Second Year pupils using traditional 

ballads as a departure point for writing chilling tales. Also a 

keen musician, ballads had provided inspiration for his bestselling 

début novel Mortlock, shortlisted for the Waterstone’s 

Children’s Fiction Prize in 2011 and winner of various regional 

awards. Between workshops, Jon spent lunch time in the 

Library where he regaled a rapt audience with tall tales, 

Jon Mayhew Kjartan Poskitt Kjartan Poskitt book signing 

readings and writing tips. Along with other props, he brought 

along his own ideas book so that pupils could appreciate first 

hand how his novel had taken shape from a collage of 

sketches and notes, giving them a real feel for the creative 

process. 

Our next author, sometimes described as a “mathsmagician” 

(though his talents went far beyond maths) was the former 

children’s TV presenter Kjartan Poskitt, author of the extensive 

Murderous Maths Series and various other publications. This 

visit, which took place on National Non-Fiction Day, was 

organised in conjunction with the Maths department with the 

intention of demonstrating to First Years that Maths is both 

inspiring and fun! From the very beginning of the show he 

had their full attention and there was a sea of raised arms as 

pupils vied for an opportunity to assist him with his tricks on 

stage. He then met with pupils from other age groups during 

an engaging author talk and book signing in the Library at 

lunchtime. Even Sixth Form fans turned up to meet him as he 

had inspired in them a love for Maths from an early age. 

Incidentally, by honouring his engagement with SGS, Kjartan 

Poskitt was unable to collect his prize for “The Murderous 

Maths of Everything” at the Information Book Award 2011 

organised by the School Library Association! 

GOTHIC AND GORY! 

2012 saw the centenary of Bram Stoker’s death. The writer of 

Dracula may be dead (or perhaps not if you’ve dipped into 

Will Hill’s Department 19 series...), but the appeal of gothic 

literature lives on for young people; many of the best-selling 

writers of children’s and young adult fiction draw inspiration 

from this genre and our first three visiting authors of 2012 

reflected this. 

First came début author Bryony Pearce to share her 

experience of writing and discuss the themes and inspiration 

of her recently published book, Angel’s Fury, winner of the 

Leeds Book Award 2012. Nightmares, reincarnation, social 

experimentation and 

even the holocaust 

feature in this exciting 

young adult novel 

inspired in part by the 

author’s own vivid 

dreams. The novel is 

packed with symbolism 

and puzzles for the 

reader to crack as they 

discover Cassie’s curse 

and the trials she has to 

Bryony Pearce 



face to finally rid herself of the nightmares. Bryony Pearce 

spoke to keen readers during a lunchtime session in the 

Library before answering questions and signing books. She 

then captivated two Third Year classes with her interactive talk 

which included a mock Milgram experiment revealing how 

ready they would be to inflict pain. This book, which has 

been enjoyed by many pupils, is the fruit of seven years’ work 

from conception to publication, clearly demonstrating the 

competitive nature of the publishing industry and confirming 

Bryony’s conviction and message that writing is hard work but 

that you must pursue your dreams. 

Darren Shan 

Adele Geras & 

Mary Hoffman 

One of the most read authors in the Library, Darren Shan, 

“Master of Horror”, visited SGS in May during his national 

book tour for the release of the final novel in The Saga of Larten 

Crepsley. Without high definition or special cinema effects, 

merely reading with great animation from one of his favourite 

books, Lord Loss, Darren Shan had our First and Second Year 

audience on the edge of their seats. After speaking about his 

writing projects and in particular Larten Crepsley, he then 

devoted 20 minutes to answering many varied questions posed 

by the audience. He spent another hour signing books and 

chatting to fans – which included pupils right up to the Upper 

Sixth! He had got them hooked on reading and they hadn’t 

forgotten. He was also interviewed by our pupil journalists for 

the SignPost newspaper. Since his visit more young readers 

have sped through his various series and are likely to be eagerly 

awaiting the first publication from a new series due for release 

in September. 

Shortly after Darren Shan’s visit, Will Hill returned to SGS in 

response to pupil request. He first visited in March 2011, a 

week after the publication of his first book Department 19. 

He was delighted to be at the school “where it all started” - 

the first place he visited where the audience had already read 

the book and were brimming with questions – his first fan 

base! At lunchtime he re-met his early fans and eagerly 

engaged in an animated discussion about the recently 

published second book in the series, showed plans and 

illustrations, shared ideas and signed books. Fourth Year 

pupils were also inspired by his down to earth approach and 

enjoyed an interactive talk on gothic 

literature, reading, writing and video 

games! After a reading from 

Department 19 and frankly answering a 

multitude of questions, he was 

rewarded with keen applause and many 

pupils approached him individually at 

the end to thank him and express their 

interest in his writing. Hopefully he will 

be back next spring with book 3. 

The last author visits of the school year 

took place in the framework of the second Manchester 

Children’s Book Festival (set up by Carol Ann Duffy when she 

became Poet Laureate) during the last week of term. Classics 

and English pupils were able to enjoy a duo event: veteran 

authors Mary Hoffman and Adele Geras in conversation. Both 

share a love of history and many of their books (between them 

they have written nearly 200!) fall into the historical fiction 

genre. They quizzed each other on their research methods 

and writing practices. Unlike other authors, these quirky 

ladies made writing and publishing sound easy! They did, 

however, advise that aspiring writers “serve an 

apprenticeship”: read a lot, write a lot and throw away a lot! 

Adele treated the audience to an impassioned reading from 

her book Dido – a re-imagined telling of the Queen of 

Carthage’s doomed love affair with Aeneas, and Mary 

Hoffman read from her latest book, City of Swords, the latest 

in her Stravaganza series, released that very day! 

That same evening a group of pupils attended a key event of 

the Festival at Manchester Metropolitan University: Philip 

Pullman in conversation with Sherry Ashworth. During an 

entertaining hour and a half this much-loved, frank author 

shared his musings on the future of writing and publishing, his 

interest in religious questions, revealed his literary touchstones 

(starting with Noddy!) and, to fans’ delight, divulged that he is 

working on a sequel to the His Dark Materials Trilogy – 

advancing at 3 pages a day! Unfortunately the wait to get 

books signed was nearly as long as the talk, but then it’s not 

every day you meet Philip Pullman! 

Will Hill 

AN OLYMPIC LIBRARY 

Author events are not the only way to raise the profile of 

reading; we also sought to capitalize on Olympic fever 

through our Reading Olympiad. From February to June 

“Reading Olympians”, both pupils and staff alike, read a 

minimum of six books based around Olympic values or books 

that exposed readers to international authors and different 



cultures and countries. Sport 

was naturally another category 

they could choose from. The 

reading challenge incentivised 

pupils and staff to make time for 

those books we keep meaning 

to read and discover many 

more! It was also a way of 

sharing the reading experience, 

exchanging ideas and 

diversifying one’s reading 

habits. Thanks to support from 

the SPA, all completing 

participants were rewarded with a “Reading Companion 

Pack” – a pen, travel mug and chocolate – perfect for when 

you curl up with a good book, or to take along to a sporting 

event. Additionally, reading Olympians were entered into a 

prize draw to win even more goodies. Some pupils really ran 

with the challenge and our record breaking Olympian read 48 

books in all! 

During this period, alongside the reading challenge, we 

focused on Olympic regions through displays, quizzes, book 

recommendations and themed days, creating a mini window 

on the world, in an endeavour to foster greater awareness of 

other countries and cultures. We were privileged to receive 

Old Stopfordian John Amaechi, a director for the London 

Organising Committee for the Olympic Games Board and a 

sporting ambassador for Amnesty International at the Beijing 

Games, who spoke to pupils and staff about his sporting 

experiences and Dr Chen, a textile engineer from the School 

of Materials at Manchester University who gave a presentation 

on sports textiles. 

LIBRARY SCIENCE 

The Sixth Form Café Sci team continued to work with the 

Library to host a series of cafés throughout the year. Governor 

Professor Dainton led the first debate entitled “What’s the 

Matter?” which appealed to many pupils and staff curious 

about Particle Physics. “Loved it! Especially found it 

interesting to know more about string theory, which was my 

Physics coursework subject,” enthused one Sixth Former. 

Another Sixth Former declared as “excellent” Dr Vernon- 

Parry’s talk “What’s in my stuff?”, a thought-provoking exposé 

on the components found in mobile phones and an 

exploration of the issues concerning their sourcing and 

extraction. Café Sci and our Olympic celebrations converged 

with the sports textiles presentation given by Dr Chen. Our 

last external speaker was Dr Malpus, clinical psychologist at 

Wythenshawe hospital. She gave a stimulating, interactive 

talk on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which was of great 

interest to Psychology students and a useful link for work 

experience may have been forged. These cafés have been a 

great success in providing opportunities to extend pupils’ 

knowledge and fire their interest in diverse scientific topics. 

We then considered that this format was an ideal way of 

tapping into and sharing pupil knowledge and expertise 

(perhaps the fruit of coursework assignments, work 

experience or acquired in some other way), so at the end of 

the year our last speaker was Sixth Former Azmeralda 

Abraheem. She impressed pupils and staff with her confident 

public speaking and presentation skills when she gave an 

informative and interactive talk on OCD (Obsessive- 

Compulsive Disorder). It proved to be an ideal forum to 

stretch and challenge our pupil speakers, extend the value 

and audience of coursework and enable our school 

community to attend stimulating and enriching events. 

BOOK ENDS 

To ensure reading would be on summer agendas we rounded 

up the year with Book Ends, a fortnight of Library celebrations 

and explorations. During this time, in addition to author and 

Café Sci events, we ran competitions and quizzes, rewarded 

our Reading Olympians and Library VIPs (otherwise known as 

top readers) facilitated a French Library trail, encouraged pupil 

participation in book selection, and hosted our very own, 

hilariously engaging, literary version of the panel game Just a 

Minute (or Two…) with some very sporting staff and pupils. 

Last but not least, our Summer Reading Challenge: Globe Trot 

2012, allowing readers to “travel the world over” by 

accumulating reading “air miles” was launched, so hopefully 

we’ll find out about pupils’ reading adventures when we 

return to school in September. 

J. Pazos 

Librarian 



ARDEN 

House Captains: 

Ed Appleby 

Sofia Jassim 

Chris Marshall 

Chloe Withers 

Charity Reps: 

Angharad Smith 

Yahya el Asmar 

Last year was a hard act to follow for Arden’s new House 

captains. For the first time in many years Arden had won the 

Fallows’ Shield; could the members of Arden House rise to 

the challenge of defending their hard won title? As in previous 

years, the first competitions were for the Senior age group. 

The Senior House netball was held on Open Evening and 

visitors were certainly impressed by the commitment and 

camaraderie shown by the girls – ultimately we won a welldeserved 

first place; a glimpse of things to come? After the 

chess and two of the basketball competitions Arden were 

neck and neck with Nicholson House in first place. 

volunteer and make sure that full teams were always there. 

Come the winter holidays, Arden held a narrow lead in the 

Fallows’ Shield competition. 

The first competition after the break was the Swimming Gala; 

some magnificent performances by departing Upper Sixth 

Form stalwarts, Chloe Withers and Joe Briggs gave the House 

a strong second place. However such was the prowess of 

Warren House that they leapfrogged up into first place, and 

this now proved to be the story for the remaining months until 

the final competition of the year. 

A new innovation was the inaugural Junior School House 

Assemblies given by our House Captains, organised by Mr 

Johnson. A brief taste of what 

Arden House is like in the seniors 

was given and the Senior School 

results were read out, greeted with 

great enthusiasm and excitement. 

It was now time for the 

Intermediate age group to show its 

mettle – this has, since their start in 

the First Year, proved to be an 

extremely strong unit both in the 

boys and girls and this year 

certainly proved to be no 

exception, with the boys winning 

their House rugby competition in 

style. Again I would like to 

compliment all the Arden 

competitors who continued to 

The new intake of First Years again showed their worth to the 

House, winning their netball and cricket and contributing 

immensely to the hockey and tennis. The Fallows’ Shield 

winners could not be announced on Speech Day as there 

were only three points between first and second with Sports 

24 The Year’s News 

24 Activities and Awards


Day to come. Would the weather hold out? Arden had not 

won Sports Day for over twenty five years. The Senior age 

group had already had their afternoon and rose to the 

challenge winning both the Boys and Girls sections – Toby 

Jones winning the Senior Victor Ludorum. 

As a result, with Arden recording a total of over 1000 points on 

Sports Day, enough points were accumulated to give a last gasp 

victory in the Fallows’ Shield. Arden was victorious, for the 

second year on the trot, with tremendous commitment being 

shown by all the boys and girls over the past three terms. 

The final Friday arrived; field events took place and new 

records were broken by Arden First Years Wolodymyr 

Krywonos (High and Long jumps), Max Wood (Discus) and 

Francesca Wilkinson (High Jump). Such was the wealth of 

Arden athletic talent that the following were awarded the 

Victor or Victrix Ludorum for their age groups 

1st Year Boys’ Wolodymyr Krywonos & Dan Woodside 

2nd Year Girls’ Lauren Hunt 

2nd Year Boys’ George Smith 

4th Year Girls’ Holly Hunt (jointly) 

4th Year Boys’ Will Hanson 

At the final House Assembly of the year, the result was 

announced to all the House. In her farewell speech as she 

retired, Mrs Lockwood, as a previous Head of House, said in 

her years in that role she had never won the Fallows’ Shield 

and she wished us all great success for the future. 

W. Krywonos 

Activities and Awards 25


NICHOLSON 


Holly Allcock 

Millie Ralston 

Sophie Skelton 

Chris Spencer 

Charity Reps: 

Emma Trimmingham 

Lizzie Healey 

The 2011-2012 school year started with fresh energy and 

enthusiasm, and offered a new responsibility and leadership 

opportunity to the House system in the form of Charity 

Representatives. The rationale behind this is to empower the 

pupils and allow them to take responsibility for the four 

charities nominated by the school community; Diabetes UK, 

EducAid, Christies and CALLM. It is intended that between 

the Houses, various events and fund-raising activities will take 

place in order to raise money for these charities. The charities 

are a mixture of local, national and international organisations 

and have a particular significance to several pupils and staff 

who have been supported by or had a personal experience 

connected to them. Emma Trimmingham and Elizabeth 

Healey were welcomed into the role this year alongside our 

new House Captains, Holly Allcock, Millie Ralston, Sophie 

Skelton and Chris Spencer. 

The House Captains took their role very seriously and coordinated 

some excellent assemblies to welcome, motivate 

and raise awareness of what the House system has to offer. 

The main emphasis was on participation and encouraging all 

pupils to try something new, which at times perhaps took 

them out of their comfort zone. 

The first two events of the academic year were Senior Netball 

followed by Senior Rugby. Senior Netball raised the standard 

in terms of team spirit within the Nicholson House. Sporting 

fashionable red tights to highlight their proud identity, and 

screaming at the top of their lungs, we knew we were in for 

another good year. Upon completion of these events, 

Nicholson had made a strong start and were joint first in the 

battle to win the Fallows’ Shield. We were also solid 

competitors in the Inter Basketball. Luke Harvey Jones took 

on the role as team captain for the Basketball team and did a 

splendid job in leading the team. They were victorious in all 

three matches and gained the maximum 10 points that were 

on offer. This set the tone for the younger members of house 

and was a real inspiration. Well done! 

Second place in Chess managed to gain further points to 

maintain our lead in the race for the Fallows’ Shield. Jack 

Nicholson, the House mascot, made several appearances and 

alongside other keen supporters, there was much excitement 

and fun to be had by all. Mr Cheslett and Mr Hamilton very 

kindly co-ordinated and umpired the chess matches again this 

year with an expert eye always nearby watching and checking 

play. We thank them for their time and skill given in this 

event. 

The Autumn Term was rounded off with the First Year House 

party which was expertly co-ordinated by Mrs Wilkinson and 

Mr Hanson of Warren House. The First Year quiz with Quiz 

Master Mr Corbett was the most exciting First Year quiz I have 

ever experienced with some brilliant visuals and VERY 

enthusiastic participation. Jack Nicholson (the bear) made a


surprise appearance alongside Father Christmas and the catering staff provided a feast for all, which went down a treat. We 

thank Warren House and the catering staff for their help and support with this event. 

The Christmas pantomime was the last event where the whole 

House were involved before the New Year. The House 

Captains did a sterling job of co-ordinating a festive version of 

the television show ‘take me out’ with an array of interesting 

costumes and characters from various famous children’s 

stories and nursery rhymes. 

After the Christmas break many of the Intermediate matches 

took place. A cold January evening saw the Inter House rugby 

take place with a keen team including Mark Orpen, Jonny 

Collins, Kyle Clapperton, James Samarji, Patrick Duffy and 

Michael Solomou gaining valuable points and Inter Netball in 

early January who played a spirited game and came a very 

close fourth, but were worthy contenders. 

Pupil extracts: 

On Tuesday 7 th February the Intermediate House netball 

matches were held after school. Our first match was against 

Vernon, we got off to a bad start which continued to the final 

whistle losing 4-1, but all the team enjoyed themselves. The 

second match was against Arden, another loss of 8-3. A 

catastrophe was, however, avoided after Nicholson’s Goal 

Shooter fell and almost took Arden’s goal Keeper down too. In 

the final match against Warren there was a battle to be had. 

The team rallied at half time where we were 5-0 down and 

managed to pull it back to 7-6, the closest and definitely the 

most exciting match of the evening. 

Well done to all the girls who played and 

for sporting such a great team spirit right 

to the end! 

On Tues 28 th February hundreds of pupils packed into the 

swimming pool to take part in the annual House Swimming 

Gala. As usual, it was full of excitement and drama. Nicholson 

had an incredible turn out with a competitor for every race. 

We had a huge amount of support on the sidelines and as 

always everyone had high morale. We started off well and 

started to gain points. The Third Year races brought drama and 

last minute wins and the Fourth Year races were much the 

same. The Senior races were as always fast and furious with 

brilliant performances from Julia Sutherland and Millie Ralston. 

The end came and to finish off the excitement the relays began. 

With some top quality swimming from Alex Jones and Hannah 

Jones we managed to win a few of the relays. The end of the 

gala came and although we didn’t win, we came a strong 3 rd 

and a huge amount of fun was had by all involved; the 

spectators and swimmers. Well done to everyone! 

Amber Reece-Greenhalgh (4Y) 

Hannah Jones also broke a new school record for the second 

year backstroke and the First Year boys relay team took over a 

second off the old record. Well done to all involved, some 

great achievements. 

Senior House hockey followed the gala with the majority of 

the team unsure of the game, it was encouraging to see them 

willing to have a go at a sport they would not usually play. 

Lizzie Worthington (4K) 

and Leah Allcock (4U) 



cross-country coming a confident first place, as did the First 

Year rugby 7s team. Second Years also did well participating 

in cross-country and cricket whilst the Seniors were busy 

playing tennis. Rounders and football were also played by 

years 1-4 and Junior and Inter tennis gained us further 

valuable points. 

There was great team spirit with plenty of banter and support. 

A good time was has by all with Martha Watson playing 

superbly in goal and plenty of attacking play from the House 

Captains and Lower Sixth players Kate Spence, Lauren 

Newman and Jess Cowell. The sun even came out in the 

second and third matches! 

There was a good turn-out for both the Inter and Junior 

hockey teams. Leah Allcock and Rachel Fitzsimmons did a 

great job in goal and with a big team list for both we managed 

to get everybody on the pitch through the three matches. 

Nicholson came a strong fourth on Senior Sports day with 

some outstanding performances in particular for two Senior 

boys. Chris Spencer managed to break two new school 

records; the long jump which has not been beaten since 

1989, and the triple jump which has been held since 2010. 

Sam Fraser also had two great throws in the Shot breaking a 

record from 1977 and the discus which has not been beaten 

since 1976. They have now created a new legacy to be 

beaten by future Nicholson House members. 

Boys’ tennis was the last event before Sports Day. The First 

and Fourth Year boys did particularly well coming top in their 

year groups with Second and Third Years giving a sterling 

performance to bring Nicholson out on top with a very 

valuable clutch of points. 

The final result for the Fallows’ Shield did not go in our favour 

this year, but we had a great time taking part in all the events 

and have certainly got a great fighting spirit which will see us 

win it in the near future. We did, however, win the Brown 

Cup, awarded for academic effort over the year; well done to 

the entire house as everybody’s effort grades and academic 

achievements contributed to the mighty Nicholson winning 

this trophy again. 

Over the course of the academic year the Charity 

Representatives tireless efforts had paid off, raising over £7000 

between the four houses. This has more than doubled the 

funds raised in the previous year. An incredible achievement 

and a huge thank you to all who contributed with individual 

events including a sponsored silence, Christmas stalls in the 

quad, Valentines surprises, Easter treats and bake offs. The 

money will be presented to the charities next term. 

Finally, I would like to thanks all the House staff who have 

supported, helped and attended House activities over this 

academic year. We appreciate all that you do and look 

forward to what the next academic year has in store. 

R. J. Upton 

Sports day was upon in the Summer Term and teams had 

been organised. First, Second and Fourth Year squads were 

outstanding on the day and we managed to come second 

overall for the Sports Day events, a brilliant achievement. A 

huge number of pupils were involved from sports participators 

to Senior pupils helping out on the day getting pupils to the 

right place for the right event at the right time. There was a 

great atmosphere and the rain held off for most of the events 

and most importantly for the afternoon races when the 

spectators offered great support to their houses. A special 

mention goes to Sally Best who broke a new record in the 

Third Year girls 200 metres, Paul Wong for a super speedy 

200m run for the Second Year boys smashing the old record 

comfortably and finally to Anna Madden for her outstanding 

contribution, she was awarded the Fourth Year girls Victrix 

Ludorum trophy. Congratulations! 

Many other House events took place throughout the year in 

Games lessons. These included First and Second Year 

basketball where we came 1 st and 2 nd respectively. First Years 

also completed their swimming standards, netball, cricket, 



VERNON 


Sarah Hindle 

Hannah Frais 

Alex Wetters 

Daniel Fazelynia 

Charity Reps: 

Alex Wetters 


It has been a roller coaster of a year for Vernon. Point scores 

have been high and low, victories have been won and lost, but 

throughout the year, the spirit of Vernon House has shone 

through from all of its members. We’ve seen record numbers 

of willing participants signing up to represent their House and 

great support at team events. 

House Captains were fantastic from the outset, getting 

younger pupils involved, working on the charity committee, 

organising and doing assemblies. They were a delight for the 

House staff to work with and their infectious, unwavering 

enthusiasm was appreciated and admired by those further 

down the school. 

The new First Years came in bubbling with confidence and 

their first real ‘event’ was the House Christmas party, 

organised superbly by Warren this year, so hats off to them for 

such a splendid do. The Vernon First Years were clearly the 

best looking, most charming, the hippest dancers, most coolly 

dressed and, as it turned out, the best when it came to the 

First Year quiz! Maybe all the fizzy drinks and promise of 

pizza were what did it, but certainly they scored highly and 

won clearly; a great result. 

This was followed up by First Year boys coming second in the 

basketball as the sporting season got under way. Rugby 

matches were delayed due to poor weather, but also due to 

school sports success in regional and national competitions; 

by late spring we had the results in. 

Chess was an exciting and tense autumn event, taking place 

over three weeks of lunchtimes. We had a super number of 

potential competitors willing to take part and just as many 

coming along to show their support. Until I took over as Head 

of House, I had never realised how exciting a competitive 

chess match could be! 

The Sixth Form Christmas pantomime showcased some great 

talent. Particularly impressive was that the whole story was 

written in rhyming couplets by our very own Ollie Mills. It 

was a fun assembly, with inspired costumes and it was 

impressively executed by the cast. Well done and a big thank 

you to all those who took part. 

The annual Swimming Gala took place in February and 

Vernon scored highly, with some stunning swims, great team 

work and a whole heap of enthusiasm. Alas, we did not score 

quite highly enough to beat Warren; next year, perhaps? 



As Sarah Hindle, House Captain said, her favourite event is 

‘Sports Day, because it is the one event of the year where 

everyone can get involved and have fun. Everyone always 

enjoys themselves!’ This year was no exception. Seniors 

came second in their Sports Day overall and the camaraderie 

and light-hearted competitive spirit was there in all those 

taking part. It was also quite an emotional day, as for so many, 

this was their last House sporting event. 

Victory was Vernon’s in the Senior Hockey and the top score was 

then followed up by a win from the Inter Hockey event too and 

the Juniors came a very respectable and comfortable second. 

Come May, the hotly anticipated Vernon Show of summer 

2012 showcased a range of talent from all age groups in all 

Houses. There were a range of musical and comic talents and 

a strong presence from the Lower School this year, including 

a unique comedy act from Arisha-Jane Marsh, original music 

from Lara O’Donohue, a duet from Georgia Burns and Molly 

Royle, as well as a star turn from ‘Those Fours Girls’, a singing 

and dancing girl group from 1S. 

Our fabulous House Captains were fine examples of taking 

part, having a go and smiling through both successes and 

failures. They encouraged the younger members of the 

House, performed some very memorable assemblies; I don’t 

think anyone will forget the group of Sixth Formers following 

Dan Fazelynia in standing on chairs to ‘do the macarena’! 

Finally, we are very lucky in our never-ending support from 

the Vernon House staff and special thanks must go to Mr 

Thorley for his dedication, particularly his superb assembly on 

his memories of the Vernon Show and, this year, for his 

inspired contribution to the show itself and for persuading the 

rest of the ‘band’ to join in. Thanks also to Mr. Young, Mr. 

Lorentz, Mrs. Vernon and Mrs Fenton. A very special extra 

thanks must go to, again, Mr. Thorley, Mr. Masters, Mr. Russell, 

Mr. Ehegartner and Mr. Hanson for all being truly ‘Beautiful’. 

S. L. Moore 

Vernon House stalwart, Ismaeel Ramzan contributed an 

entertaining act with his regular ‘crew’and Ed Robinson 

stepped in too, as well as his own stellar performance with 

Jamie Simpson, which had everyone ‘hippity-hopping’ back 

to period 4 after the show! Ade Ferguson and Natalie Clarke 

played an extremely well-received acoustic set and the special 

guests of the show, ‘One Education’ provoked a lively amount 

of audience participation. Special thanks must go to Chris 

Holleworth, Alexander Longson and their team for organising 

the sound and thanks also to Adam Griffiths for doing the 

lighting. The two shows, despite depleted audiences due to 

study leave, raised £334.00 for the House charities. 

Summer Term firmly in place, we achieved first place in the 

First to Fourth Year Rounders events and were heading 

towards Sports Day. The Sports Day events are great. 

Everyone takes part, be it through competing or supporting 

and this year was no exception. Despite a very dodgy 

summer of bad weather, both the Sports Days did go ahead 

without being rained off. 



WARREN 


Emma Lingard 

Rachel Egan 

Alastair Ramsay 

David Wright 

Charity Reps: 

Harry Allport 

Caitlin Gorman 

writing this? No, it’s the other half of Warren who, despite her 

efforts to highlight issues like “mass participation” and 

“inclusivity”, was equally eager to bring home the shield. 

Despite the fact that we got off to a slow start in some of the 

Autumn Term events, we put on a good fight throughout the 

year. Akin to the Manchester derby, you could argue the 

Arden/Warren fight for the Fallows’ Shield dominated our 

efforts, thoughts and intentions all year round and we 

attempted to hang on in there for as long as we could. 

If you were lucky enough to have witnessed the sporting and 

cultural splendour on offer in London at the end of the school 

year 2011/12, the Fallows’ Shield and all of its excitement 

might have paled into insignificance, but for Warren House, 

our emotions were running high right though into the Summer 

holidays. 

There were notable performances in the Inter Netball, with 

Sophie Cookson, Olivia Ronnie and Sarah Doran exciting the 

crowd with their dynamic play around the circle. We came 

into our own in the Swimming Standards and the Swimming 

Gala, with Mollie Tinker, Maddie Crompton, Ciaran and 

Connor Johnson performing brilliantly. The Senior Hockey 

squad gave us a chance to prove ourselves, with exciting play 

from House Captains Emma Lingard and Rachel Egan, as well 

as Nicola Reeves and Natalie Clarke showing us what House 

matches are really about. The results of the First and Second 

Year Cross Country made us all smile, with particular mention 

for Morgan Hanson and Mollie Tinker (once again), Patrick 

Magner and Josh Foran, proving to us that Warren have got a 

great future ahead of them. Inter Girls’ and Fifth Year Girls’ 

Tennis together with Second Year Boys’ Cricket were 

additional highlights and although sporadic in our first place 

positions, we were very much in the running right through to 

Sports Day. It was only in the final hours that we had to let go 

of our hopes of winning the shield. 

As the Ferguson/Mancini battle continued in the football 

premiership, a similar battle for first place in the Fallows’ 

Shield continued throughout the year. Is it “The Hanson” 

Despite this last minute defeat, we continued to smile. With 

our House Captains as the perfect role models, we held our 

heads high, remained courteous in defeat, and applauded 

Arden in their achievements. We could not fault the initiative, 

integrity, teamwork and trust that our House members 

demonstrated. We were able to witness some outstanding 



performances from Junior, Inter and Senior pupils alike and it 

is therefore only fitting, before we go any further, that we 

should thank all members of Warren for all that they do. 

There is so much more to the House System than winning and 

losing. Our venue this year was the ‘Pavilion Gym’; particularly 

fitting for many of the challenges, games and quizzes which kept 

us entertained, but not such a great venue for the House 

pantomime where the panto horse made its appearance from 

within the gym cupboard and caused all sorts of Health and 

Safety implications as the cast were wheeled in on the ‘mat 

trolley’! The Junior School made regular appearances and kept 

us entertained with their match reports and successes and took 

it upon themselves to invite us over to their territory for their funfilled 

assemblies. We look forward to welcoming some lively 

and enthusiastic Warrenites into our House in years to come. 

The Christmas House Party was a huge success, so much so that 

we have now been given the job of hosting the party every year. 

Our thanks go to all pupils who helped in the preparation and 

presentation of such a fabulous evening and particular thanks to 

our resident D.J. Lightfoot who created a phenomenal 

atmosphere. I am just not sure who enjoyed it most: the staff, 

the pupils, Sixth Formers or Mr Chicken!. The House quizzes 

are a regular highlight and it is a delight to witness the diversity 

of knowledge, interest and general trivia that our pupils have at 

their fingertips. Their ability to retain general knowledge, 

popular culture, sporting news and general “gossip” astounds 

me! Easter egg hunts and challenges, slide shows and 

presentations continued to brighten our Wednesday morning 

get-togethers as well as ‘farewell sing-a-thons’ and “goodbye” 

speeches which brought a tear to our eyes at times. Hallowe’en 

challenges and Valentine’s specials, ‘Battle of the Sexes’ and 

Christmas Carol singing continued to make the House system 

such a wonderful aspect of the school to be part of. 

Our House Captains demonstrated their exceptional 

presentation and organisational skills. As we approached the 

Summer Term and waved them off, we reflected upon the 

work they had done and we can honestly say that we were 

delighted with our selection. They were incredibly 

independent and showed great initiative in a whole host of 

assemblies, activities and organisational duties. 

Caitlin Gorman and Harry Allport worked their magic as our ‘inhouse’ 

Charity Representatives, raising thousands of pounds for 

Cancer Research and Francis House. Sponsored events, stalls, 

auctions, raffles and much, much more ensured that Warren 

was incredibly successful in raising funds. A big “Thank you” to 

all pupils who contributed in some way to our charity work. 

It is also right and fitting that we take the opportunity to thank 

our regular House staff who support us every Wednesday 

morning and at mid-week fixtures and meetings, as well as our 

ICT staff who did a marvellous job all year round in setting up 

equipment for presentations. 

I asked the House Captains to provide the highlights of their year. 

“After being in Warren House since I joined the school in 

Reception, it was an honour to be appointed as House 

Captain this year. I have always enjoyed taking part in House 

events so to be able to help organise them and cheer on The 

Warrenites was great fun. One of the highlights of the year 

was the Christmas pantomime which, although very stressful 

to put together, came together eventually and was something 

that I will never forget!” 

“The 300 strong Easter egg hunt in one of our House 

assemblies was something that I’ve never seen been done 

before and it was a great success. Being a House Captain has 

boosted my confidence in front of large audiences and this is 

something I will be able to carry with me into my future. I 

would like to thank Mr Hanson and Mrs Wilkinson for 

everything they do for Warren as a whole and also for the 

support that they have given me throughout my time at 

school. I will always have fond memories of Warren House 

and enjoyment that it has given me.” 

“It has been a great honour and pleasure to have been part of 

yet another successful year for Warren House. I have also felt 

proud to have represented and supported Warren in a variety 

of sporting and academic events throughout the year. Although 

not the most popular event with all pupils, my personal 

highlight of year was the Swimming Gala for two reasons. 

Firstly, our Olympic-standard swimming abilities ensured that 

we won the Gala and secured our rightful place at the top of 

the Fallows’ Shield! However more importantly, across all races 

there was not one empty Warren lane, which highlighted the 

enormous sense of team spirit that is shared within Warren 

House. I would like to thank Mrs Wilkinson and Mr Hanson for 

making Warren such a successful and friendly House, and also 



thank everyone who has taken part in House events this year. 

Green will always be my favourite colour!” 

Opening Ceremony at the Olympics vs Warren House Party? 

There wasn’t much in it!” 

“Highlight? There were too many to mention. However, the 

House party was immense. Not least because it was down to 

Warren to organise and together; we put on a great show. 

Thank you Warren, another great year! 

K. Wilkinson 

HOUSE COLOURS 

ARDEN 

Senior 

Adam Afife 

Joseph Briggs 

Carla Edwards 

Yahya El-Asmar 

Rebecca Fernandes 

James Flynn 

Andrew Garton 

Mark Goodstadt 

Rachel Hulme 

Katherine Weeks 

Intermediate 

Akshay Anand 

Emily Banks 

Ciara Berragan 

Joe Blashill 

Adam Cawthorn 

Jeremy Dunn 

James Gilboy 

William Hanson 

Faye Holleworth 

Holly Hunt 

Will Jones 

Jennifer Kent 

Jessica McNeill 

Victoria Mowat 

Mark Ray 

Lucy Sumner 

Junior 

Charles Beischer 

Penny Bowring 

Jessie Brook 

George Chatterton 

Daniel Hodson 

Lauren Hunt 

Oluseun Odusanya 

George Smith 

Peter Withers 

NICHOLSON 

Senior 

Jack Ashby 

Sam Fraser 

Henry Barnes 

Matthew Proctor 

Martha Watson 

Sam Arrowsmith 

Will Bryne 

Emily Cheyne 

Jess Cowell 

Tom Fraser 

Lauren Newman 

Kate Spence 

Emma Trimmingham 

Liz Healey 

Intermediate 

Liz Worthington 

Liza Vul 

Emily Spence 

Leah Allcock 

Amber Green-Halgh 

Mike Solomou 

Adam North 

Luke Harvey Jones 

Johnny Collins 

Anna Madden 

Junior 

Lucy Daniels 

Jessica Carroll 

Sarah Stretton 

Henry North 

Freddie Clarke 

Alex Jones 

Francis Yates 

Paul Wong 

Molly Clarke 

Rachel Fitzsimmons 



VERNON 

Senior 

Charlotte Bailey 

Sophie Feather 

Hannah Frais 

Sarah Hindle 

Catriona Leggat 

David Cartwright 

Rowland Williams 

William Chance 


Jake Lee 

Khalid Tayan 

Alex Wetters 

Intermediate 

David Bennett 

Alex Collingwood 

Kate Dabrowski 

Danny Fazelynia 


Hannah Frais 

James Gaskin 

Sarah Hindle 

Lara Knowles 

Hester Martin 

Ismaeel Ramzan 

Javier Sanchez-Capuchino 

Pippa Simons 

Andrew Ward 

Alex Wetters 

Junior 

Francesca Bailey 

Evie Barlow 

Joanna Brown 

Hamaad Chaudhry 

Rob Coulson 

Juliet Downs 

Will Edwards 

Oli Finch 

Ben Golden 

Arisha-Jane Marsh 

Rachel Whatley 

Jake Young 

WARREN 

Senior 

Nicola Reeves 

Kelsey Nolan 

Grace Jennings 

Bella Kasler 

Natalie Clarke 

Matthew Robinson 

Ben Heyes 

Mark Cox 

Max Murphy 

Ade Ferguson 

Leo Hotchkies 

Richard Horrocks 

Nicola Reeves 

Kelsey Nolan 

Intermediate 

Fiona Cunningham 

Alice Dullehan 

Maya Gordon 

Lydia O’Donaghue 

Martha Vernon 

Tom Allport 

Sam Haley 

Marcus Jones 

Alex Mayo 

Brady O’Farrell 

Tom O’Mahoney 

Fiona Cunningham 

Junior 

Erica Hukin 

Lara O’Donaghue 

Anna Hanson 

Ellen Mobley 

Hannah Hughes 

Jack Ronnie 

Will Travis 

Tom Travis 

William Wicks 

Jaimal Brown 

MATHEMATICS COMPETITIONS 

MATHEMATICS TEAM COMPETITIONS 

The UK Mathematics Trust holds two team competitions 

annually. Our Junior team of Third Years Amy Bradley and 

Tom Taylor and Second Years Joanna Brown and Paul Wong 

came a creditable second in the regional competition. The 

team competition has individual, team relay and pairs rounds 

as well as a poster competition. Our Senior team won the 

Regional Final and went on to compete in the National Final 

in London. In previous years SGS had made 48 th position in 

the UK but this year the team of Suzanna Eames and Tristan 

Kemp from the Upper Sixth and Zoe Harris and Milan Lakhani 

from the Lower Sixth came 20 th ; a fantastic result! Mr Cheslett 

trained both teams for the competitions with plenty of early 

morning practices before school to ensure the teams were 

ready to face their tough competitors. 

INDIVIDUAL COMPETITIONS 

Last summer was the first European Girls’ Maths Olympiad. 

Suzanna Eames competed and was ranked an amazing 11 th 

out of all entrants. In the Senior Maths Challenge there were 

six Gold awards with Upper Sixth Formers Suzanna Eames 

and Tristan Kemp qualifying for the Olympiad round. Harry 

Allport, Zoë Harris and Milan Lakhani qualified for the 

kangaroo round. All five qualifiers should be proud of their 

achievement. A special mention should also be made of 

Jessica Black who gained a Silver, and Alexa Holland who 

gained a Bronze. Both girls entered the Senior Challenge, 



despite only being in the Fourth Year. To gain awards at such 

a young age is a great achievement. At Intermediate level 

there were twenty three Gold awards and eight pupils 

qualified for further rounds. Best in School was Fourth Year 

Will Jones, who scored very highly indeed despite being in 

competing against Fifth Year pupils. Pupils qualifying for the 

next rounds were Amy Bradley and Tom Taylor (Third Year), 

Will Jones, Adit Kulkarni, Alexa Holland, Anand Thalava, Ana 

Krywonos, Jessica Black, Emily Dow and Tom Allport (Fourth 

Year) and Max Hadfield, Ryan Jude, Tasmin Ray and Will 

Spence (Fifth Year). Merits were achieved by Amy Bradley, 

Max Hadfield and Will Spence. At Junior level there were 

thirteen Gold awards with Sam Howard in the First Year 

achieving Best in School and qualifying for the next round. 

Sam was awarded a Silver medal for his performance on this 

very tough paper requiring full written solutions. A Silver 

medal is rare indeed and shows formidable mathematical 

talent combined with excellent written communication. 

Congratulations not only to the pupils listed above, but to all 

our pupils who participated in any of the challenges or the 

team selection processes. Our pupils have once again 

demonstrated their intuitive flair, determination, resilience 

and talent by achieving highly in all of these demanding 

competitions. These competitions test mathematical ability 

well beyond the requirements of examination syllabuses and 

we are proud of our pupils’ accomplishments. 

D. Harris 

CHEMISTRY EVENTS 

The Chemistry department has had an exciting year with many pupils involved in extra-curricular activities and events and many 

competition winners. 

CHEMQUIZ 

THE MORNING 

On Wednesday 28 th March 2012, Dr. Krywonos took Daniel 

Jones, Georgia Burns, Ali Khattab and Ana Krywonos (Captain) 

to Chemquiz 2012 at Manchester Metropolitan University. 

After a brief introduction from the organiser to tell us what 

was happening throughout the day, we were ready for the first 

section – The Quiz. The quiz was held in the main lecture hall 

and split into four rounds – the team was split in two for the 

first and second rounds and then worked together on the last 

two rounds. The quiz consisted of questions, anagrams, word 

searches (with no given words), diagrams and descriptions to 

test our quick thinking and memory. 

After a short break and discussion of how well we thought we 

were doing, we moved on to the multimedia section in 

another lecture room just along the corridor. Again, we 

worked in pairs for the first round and all together in the 

second. The first section was a comprehension about written 

experiment reports and the second involved live experiments, 

shown to us by scientists at the front of the room. 

Next, we were taken to the sixth floor of the John Dalton 

Tower to do the experiment – our third section of the day. We 

had to measure the amount of time an emulsion would take 

to separate once mixed. We also had to plot a graph, produce 

a table, clear up and write up the evaluation, improvements 

and conclusion in the space of quite a short time. It was close 

but we made it – we were ready for lunch! 

Daniel Jones (2S) 

THE AFTERNOON 

After a jam-packed, eventful morning, and a hard-earned 

lunch, Daniel, Ali, Ana and I all sat in the main lecture hall, in 

rapt anticipation. We listened to the host explain a taxing but 

fun task - Chemistry Sudoku, while the results from the 

previous hours were being analysed and totalled. Many 

chemical symbols later, the winners had been identified and 

the tension mounted. The Chemquiz experience had been 

fulfilling enough, but we were also eager to walk away with a 

prize. With expectations high, the prizes earned by teams for 

specific sections and teamwork were announced. Finally, the 

top three teams of CHEMQUIZ were revealed. The organiser 

unveiled the third placed team, Stockport Grammar School! 

Entirely surprised and overwhelmed, applause filled the room 

and we all trooped down the steps to receive our prize. 

White envelopes were placed in our palms after we shook the 



hand of the Head of Chemistry. Genuine grins uncurled upon 

our faces in addition to flushed, rosy cheeks. As we retook 

our seats in the lecture theatre, rewards on our laps, I was 

proud and still somewhat startled; this may have been due to 

the fact that we were told we had to have our photograph 

taken for the University newspaper. We listened to the last of 

the results and prepared for our photographic memoir. 

Smiling, the moment was captured, our names written and 

remembered, and our goodbyes said. 

The day we spent at CHEMQUIZ was extraordinary. The 

activities were entertaining yet challenging, the experience 

inspiring and memorable. Overall, the day of chemistry and 

light hearted competition was one of the best days of my SGS 

life. 

Georgia Burns (2S) 

BRONZE CHEMISTRY CREST AWARD 

CREST is a project based awards scheme for the STEM 

subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). It is a 

national awards scheme run by the British Science 

Association. The task for our Bronze Chemistry CREST award 

was called “Squeaky Clean”. The aim of this was to test a 

group of common household washing powders and 

determine which one was the best, based on price and ability 

to clean. This had practical applications as many people in 

this economic climate wonder if spending more on expensive 

products is really worth it, or if they are being duped by big 

corporations with impressive but fictitious claims. 

The club was split into small groups, each planning and 

running their own experiments. The groups each stained a 

number of similar fabrics and washed them using each of the 

different washing powders. Most groups predicted that the 

most expensive powders would clean better, as they should 

have been more vigorously tested to make sure they do the 

job well and be of better quality. They also contained more 

surfactants, which are chemicals which lift dirt from fabric, 

making them more efficient at cleaning. We compared our 

results and judged powders by which one cleaned the best 

and was the best value for money, so we could decide which 

one was truly the best cleaner. My group decided that Surf 

washing powder, only the second most expensive of six 

tested, was the best powder. 

Each group prepared our results into a presentation which was 

shown to a representative from the British Science 

Association. He was pleased to see the hard work that had 

been put into the project, and hoped that we would continue 

our interests in the STEM subjects to a higher level. We were 

all presented with certificates to recognise our achievement. 

The groups all enjoyed the project, and many of us intend to 

complete the Silver or even Gold CREST Awards higher up the 

school. 

Laura Cooper (3R) 

LOWER SIXTH CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD 

A record 36 Lower Sixth pupils took the Olympiad challenge in June. James Brett’s paper was sent to Cambridge University 

and he was subsequently presented with a Gold award. Silver awards were gained by Jake Bradshaw, Quintus Carr and Zoe 

Harris and 17 further pupils achieved a copper award. This represents outstanding achievement and we look forward to 

continued success with next year’s Upper Sixth Olympiad. 

UPPER SIXTH CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD 

The Upper Sixth Chemistry Olympiad is a brain-numbing two 

hour examination set by the Royal Society of Chemistry that 

Sixth Formers sit for FUN! This year’s questions included the 

synthesis of Lipitorâ, nanocars and the chemistry of perm 

solutions. The Upper Sixth put in a fabulous effort, with 

Alistair Watts and Miranda Cupit winning Gold awards, Ed 

Greaves, Kristen Holland, Kristian Lee, Chloe Withers and 

Jamie Simpson winning Silver and Hameem Choudhury and 

Matthew Rowson winning Bronze awards. 



In November all Upper Sixth chemists took part in a 

spectroscopy day here at school run jointly by Manchester 

University and the RSC. The pupils used organic synthesis 

techniques to make N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethanamide 

(paracetamol to the rest of us!) and then performed infra-red 

spectroscopy on their samples with a spectrometer brought in 

by the university to assess the purity of the compounds they 

had made. The day gave invaluable experience to the pupils, 

linking closely with their A level studies and providing a 

broader awareness of the pharmaceutical industry. 

YOUNG ANALYST 

Memona Shahid, James Brett and Walid Hassoon were 

selected to represent the school at the Northwest round of the 

RSC’s young analyst competition at Manchester Metropolitan 

University. They had an exciting day in the University 

Chemistry laboratories and undertook practical analysis far 

beyond the level usually studied in school. 

LEGEND OF THE DRAGON SHOW TO YEAR 

3 JUNIOR SCHOOL PUPILS 

As part of Science Week, Rosie Broadbent, Walid Hassoon, 

Luke Howarth and Alex Longson designed and performed this 

fabulous tale of chemical wizardry to enthralled Junior School 

pupils. The aim was to give an insight into the study of 

Chemistry in the Senior School whilst promoting creativity 

and use of imagination through the fairytale story. 

A. Glarvey 

ENGINEERING EDUCATION SCHEME 

bar screens and one hydraulic compactor, with no washing 

facility. Current regulations place a requirement on 

Wastewater Treatment Works to remove gross solids to 6mm 

and to wash captured screenings prior to disposal. 

The team worked on several designs before choosing a final 

design, costing it and producing a full report on the project. 

They got to spend time at the wastewater site to see the 

current system, as well as spending three days at Liverpool 

University where they got to use the Engineering 

Department’s facilities, including the flow channels in the Wet 

Laboratory. 

This year’s Lower Sixth team was Olivia Briggs, Quintus Carr 

and Laura Chitty. We were paired with United Utilities 

Whaley Bridge branch to design a screening system with 6mm 

perforations and a washing facility to replace the current 

15mm perforated screens installed in Whaley Bridge 

Wastewater Treatment Works. 

The inlet at Whaley Bridge Wastewater Treatment Works 

treats water from the River Goyt and consists of three 15mm 

On the assessment day in April, the team received praise from 

the board of Senior Engineers who assessed the quality of the 

project through their final report, presentation and open 

questioning. 

All members of the team were also awarded the BA CREST 

Gold Award for their hard work over the course of the year. 

Overall, another successful year! 

R. Heyes 



“Being part of the EES team has been a great experience for me. 

It has developed my skills in report writing, communicating, 

working within a team and has also improved my confidence, 

which will all come in useful later on in life. The scheme has 

given me the opportunity to tackle a problem and solve it and 

in doing so overcome a number of challenging obstacles. 

It has given me an insight into other types of engineering and 

the way engineers work. This has been useful as it has helped 

me to come to the decision to go down the engineering or 

designing path for a career. 

The site visit to Whaley Bridge wastewater treatment works was 

an interesting experience and I learnt a lot about the process, 

which helped throughout writing the report. I particularly 

enjoyed the three day workshop in Liverpool, although we 

encountered some problems with making our model, and I 

enjoyed being independent and meeting new people. 

I would like to thank Mr Heyes and Ross for all their help and 

for supporting the team throughout the Engineering Scheme.” 

Olivia Briggs (L3) 

“I have enjoyed working in the EES team. I have not had the 

experience of working on an extended project before, and have 

found it to be very beneficial. It has highlighted the 

importance of teamwork to me, and has given me a chance to 

develop my skills in areas such as design, practical work, team 

organisation and written accounts. 

I have found working on the project an invaluable insight into 

the world of engineering. It has given me an idea of what sorts 

of problems an engineer can be faced with and how to go 

about solving them. It has given me the opportunity to 

consider studying engineering at University and possibly pursue 

a career in the field. 

I found the three day workshop during the scheme most 

beneficial. As well as seeing the engineering facilities at the 

University of Liverpool, I had practice at delivering a 

presentation and answering questions about the project. I also 

enjoyed being able to use the specialised equipment at the 

University, such as the water channels in the Hydraulics 

Laboratory. 

I would also like to thank Mr Heyes, Ross Heaton and the EES 

staff for their assistance during the project.” 

Quintus Carr (L8) 

“Working as part of the EES team has been an enjoyable and 

enlightening experience for me, having never participated in a 

long-term group project before and having little engineering 

knowledge. The skills I have learnt or expanded upon will all 

be relevant in my future studies and career, such as reportwriting 

and communicating with outside sources. 

I found the practical and organisational aspects of the project 

very beneficial, as well as delivering the presentation and 

answering questions on the project. I enjoyed the practical 

tasks and using the Hydraulics Laboratory at Liverpool 

University, where we tested our screens using the water 

channels. 

Being independent and mixing with like-minded people has 

also been a valuable experience, and I am considerably more 

certain about my career path. 

I would like to thank Mr Heyes, Ross Heaton and the EES and 

Liverpool University staff for their assistance and support 

throughout the project.” 

Laura Chitty (L3) 



JUNIOR MASTER CHEF 

As I love cooking I decided to enter the Junior Master Chef 

competition. The first round was a food tasting and 

Identification round. From this 16 pupils progressed on to 

round two where we had to prepare a meal for one person. 

Mrs Groves and Mrs Samways judged the meals and nine 

finalists were chosen. For the final we had to cook a two 

course meal for one within one hour. The judges were Ben 

and Adam, chefs from the Grill on the Edge restaurant in 

Alderley Edge; they observed and spoke to each of us whilst 

we were cooking, asking us about the dishes and what 

inspired us. I had chosen to cook a prawn Thai green curry 

with sticky coconut rice and a chocolate torte with 

raspberries. At the end of a frantic hour our dishes were laid 

out and we had to leave the room. It took the judges 

another hour to judge them based on taste, presentation, skills 

used and preparation. 

Eventually the winner was 

announced after they had 

commented on each of our 

dishes. I was surprised and 

pleased to have won, with 

Natasha Hurst coming 2nd 

and Ellie Goldstein 3rd. 

Thank you to Mrs Groves 

and Mrs Samways for 

organising this event. 

Emma Winder (1T) 

had loads and loads of fun. We 

meet every Blue Tuesday at 4 to 

cook up a different innovative 

dish. This year we have made lots 

of great tasting meals including 

chicken nuggets, chocolate tiffin, 

Mediterranean salads, Jubilee 

cupcakes and puff pancakes, and 

that’s just naming a few. If you 

are in the First Year and enjoy 

cooking or just want to give it a go 

then put your name down outside 

T5 a few days before, get the 

ingredients and pop along on a 

Blue Tuesday prepared for some 

culinary creativity. 

CREATIVE CUISINE 

This year I have thoroughly enjoyed attending Creative 

Cuisine. We have cooked up some fantastic meals and have 

Christopher Corcoran (1Q) 

THE GOOD FOOD SHOW 

On Wednesday 23rd November at around 6.30 am, we 

arrived in the school car park to find Mrs Groves ready and 

waiting in the minibus. Wrapped up, we started the journey 

down to Birmingham for the Good Food Show. As we walked 

in, all of our senses were tantalised by smells, sights, sounds 

and tastes, from the huge selection of complimentary food. 

Our favourite was the Sainsbury’s stand, offering Christmas 

products like mince pie ice cream. 

Equipment demonstrations also filled the room; the Vita-mix 

blender had our attention for at least 40 minutes. It is a new 

blender that could do at least ten different functions, from 

making hot soups and stews to blending rice to make rice 

flour. 

The best of it all was the live show of Saturday Kitchen with 

James Martin in the Supertheatre, where we saw an omelette 

challenge and many celebrity chefs making a variety of dishes. 

The day finished with us all grabbing a Starbucks and heading 

home, looking forward to next year. 

Luke Howarth (L1) 



TACTICAL GAMES CLUB 

Every Friday lunchtime, an eclectic mix of pupils from First 

Years up to Upper Sixth flock to M6 to play a variety of board 

and card games provided by Dr Ellis. These involve using 

tactics and strategies to outwit their opponents. The greatest 

fun seems to be achieved by beating Dr Ellis or myself! Many 

of the games played are rather obscure - Ave Caesar, Bang, 

Bluff, Buffalo, For Sale - but they are really rather good. 

“Euro” games have become more and more popular in recent 

years. Their big advantage is that they can be played to 

completion in 30-90 minutes. In fact, pupils become so 

involved and interested that they are desperate to come after 

school on Fridays to play more involved games such as 

Dominion and Settlers of Catan. 

Pupils sometimes bring in part of their Warhammer armies, 

and set up a mini-game. This year, we were able to enter a 

team of four pupils in the National School League. These 

were Luke Dobson (U6), Kyle Palmer (L6) and two Third Years, 

Richard Almond and Oliver Nolan. This team, very kindly 

escorted by Luke’s dad, were winners in the Regional Heats, 

progressing to the National Finals at Warhammer World in 

Nottingham last June. Here they finished in 12th place 

nationally: an excellent result. Also, Luke was invited to 

participate in a Warhammer event in America. 

A.S. Larkin 

CHEF CHALLENGE 

plus £200 in vouchers, and fellow Stockport Grammar pupils 

Ed Robinson and Katy Bacon were also highly commended. 

Speaking about Jaina’s win, James Martin said: 

“The standard of entries this year was extremely high and Jaina 

has done exceptionally well to be named regional winner. 

Her recipe was innovative, nutritious and well presented – but 

most importantly, it tasted great! It was clear that everyone 

worked really hard, so choosing the national champion is going 

to be a really tough choice. 

Fourth Year pupil Jaina Mistry beat off competition from ten 

other local students to be come Red Tractor Beef and Lamb 

Young Chef Challenge regional winner for the North-West. 47 

youngsters were selected from hundreds of sumissions to 

represent their regions at six cook-off events judged by TV 

chef James Martin. 

On Monday 14th November, Jaina was awarded the regional 

title by James after wowing the judges with her innovative 

meatball curry with salad and naan, with points scored for 

originality, nutrition and presentation. She won an iPod Touch 

It’s now more important than ever before to inspire young 

people to cook properly and this challenge is a perfect 

platform for them to learn about food, cooking and nutrition. I 

hope that Jaina’s success will encourage more young people 

from the local area to get cooking and to try out new and 

different recipes.” 

Jaina was invited to a live interview on BBC Radio 

Manchester, where she told how the recipe had been handed 

down through her family and she was delighted to be taking 

part in the competition, doing something she really enjoys. 

CAKE DECORATING CLUB 

Mrs Marshall and Mrs Brown gave up their time 

to share their cake decorating skills with pupils 

who were completing this as a skill for the Bronze 

D of E. Mrs Marshall made a selection of 

Halloween cupcakes which pupils then made. 

Mrs Brown showed pupils how to do run outs. 

In the final week pupils put together their own 

cake design. 



CHRISTMAS CAKE CLUB 

November marked the start of Christmas for me, as I gained 

the opportunity to contribute to the Christmas dinner. 

After enjoying the Creative Cuisine club in the early part of the 

Autumn Term, Mrs. Groves gave pupils such as me, the 

opportunity to make our first ever Christmas cake from 

scratch. During the following weeks, we set about producing 

what would be the centre pieces of the dining table on 

Christmas Day. My peers and I learnt numerous skills along 

the way, the most enjoyable part being the icing and 

decorating of our cakes. 

Since I have been tasked with producing a cake from now on, 

I will certainly be heading off to the Christmas cake club once 

again this November to refine my skills. 

David Ward (4H) 

GRADUATE FASHION WEEK 

On Monday 11 th June the Lower Sixth Textiles students went 

to the Graduate Fashion Week at Earls Court in London. We 

had the chance to look around stands displaying work from 

the Textiles, Fashion and Fashion Marketing degree courses 

from over 40 universities. These showed a great range of 

work including the graduates’ final collections, as well as 

seeing and comparing their marketing strategies. We also had 

the chance to browse through their portfolios which provided 

inspiration for our own coursework projects which we will 

start next year. In the evening, we attended the Nottingham 

Trent fashion show, where graduate designers showcased their 

collections. At the show, there were many differences 

between each graduate’s collections. They were individual 

and original, with collections varying between menswear and 

womenswear, knitwear, evening wear and beach wear. While 

at the show we managed to meet Katie Williams (OS 2008) 

who was on the Leeds University stand. Katie, whose 

specialism is menswear, has just graduated with a first and so 

it was great to look through her portfolio. 

Stephanie Hargreave (L6) 

DEBATING REPORT 

Debating continues to be valued as a vehicle of expression for 

a large number of Sixth Formers and each year group yields a 

unique set of enthusiastic debaters who quickly establish 

themselves as reputable speakers and play a dominant role in 

selecting topics for discussion and setting a standard and style 

of debating throughout the year. There were some fiery, 

quirky and impassioned debaters emerging from the Lower 

Sixth this year and they swiftly wrested control of debating 

from the core Upper Sixth debaters, who were swallowed up 

by the demands of Oxbridge applications and academic 

pressures in the second half of the Autumn Term. 

As is frequently the case, the motions are informed by events 

in current affairs, hence the impetus for the first debate of the 

year arose from the controversy surrounding the rights of 

travellers to remain on Dale Farm. Sam Allport and Chris 

Helme took a harsh line on the travellers, arguing for the 

motion that they should be evicted from Dale Farm, but it 

failed owing to the very meticulously prepared counterarguments 

of Shelby Whyatt and Tom Fawcett. In another 

early debate some Sixth Formers were keen to re-visit the 

question of the value of the monarchy. The motion, ‘This 

House believes that the monarchy should be abolished,’ was 

proposed by Joanna Boon and Tom Fawcett, who faced a 

strong opposition in the form of Harry Allport and Quintus 

Carr. Despite some individuals’ concern about the 

overworked nature of the motion, the debaters were able to 

bring fresh angles to their arguments, members of the House 

produced spirited arguments and the motion was passed. 

Another memorable debate early on in the year arose in 

response to Mr Ehegartner’s Anti-bullying Week. The purpose 

of the debate was to raise consciousness about the 

psychologically damaging effects of using the term ‘gay’ as an 



insult and to encourage as many as possible members of the 

Lower School to attend. After some agonising, we formulated 

the motion as follows: ‘This House believes that using the 

word ‘gay’ as an insult is never acceptable.’ Harry Allport and 

Josh Smith argued very sensitively and convincingly for the 

motion but the moral arguments were on this occasion unable 

to win the day, and our younger pupils supported the more 

populist views of Tom Fawcett and Sam Allport that the use of 

the term ‘gay’ in a negative context is innocuous. 

In November SGS hosted the first round of the English 

Speaking Union Schools Mace Debating competition. The 

motion allocated to Stockport Grammar was ‘This House 

would ban computer games that require the user to simulate 

a violent criminal act,’ and Tom Fawcett and Sam Allport were 

chosen to represent SGS, opposing the motion. A somewhat 

anomalous situation arose in this round owing to a team from 

a school (no names mentioned) dropping out at the eleventh 

hour. SGS had to provide a ‘dummy’ team, hence Tom and 

Sam found themselves competing against their own peers, 

namely, Jamie Rahman and Quintus Carr, who had one day to 

prepare a seven minute speech. This was an extremely lively, 

entertaining debate, with Tom and Sam arguing with a passion 

borne of a genuine belief in their viewpoint. Jamie Rahman 

bewitched the audience with his humour and flamboyant 

style while Quintus provided gravitas to the SGS teams with 

his slow, deliberate style. All gave impressive performances 

and Sam and Tom were awarded first place, while Jamie and 

Quintus took second place with Alsager School and 

Newcastle-Under-Lyne coming third and fourth, respectively. 

In the second round, which took place at Silverdale School in 

Sheffield in February, Tom and Sam faced stiff competition 

from Silverdale School and, although they put up a creditable 

performance, opposing the motion that harsher punishments 

should be imposed on celebrities who commit crimes, in the 

end they lost to Silverdale. 

Debates this year have been inspired by philosophy, politics, 

economics, social issues and international events. ‘This 

House believes that free will is an illusion’ was proposed by 

Sam Allport and Tom Fawcett while Zoe Harris and Joanna 

Boon opposed it and the motion was passed. On the 

international front, we debated, ‘This House supports military 

intervention in Syria’ and ‘Iran is being unfairly treated over its 

nuclear armament programme.’ Other lively debates were, 

‘Cannabis should be legalised’, ‘Plastic surgery for cosmetic 

purposes should be banned’, ‘Religion is a force for good,’ 

and ‘ The top rate of tax should be reduced from fifty to fortyfive 

percent.’ While debates can become heated and 

competitive, and chairpersons have to intervene quite forcibly 

at times, our debaters, to their credit, never overstep the 

boundaries of decorum and generally remain good-humoured 

in the face of defeat. 

S. J. Braude 

MFL DEBATE: GERMAN 

Shelby Whyatt and I represented Stockport Grammar School 

in the MFL Debate in November 2011 which was, to our 

shock, something of a success. Preparation for the debate 

was, without a doubt, intense; in order for us to defeat the 

opponents, who in recent years had triumphed over us, it was 

necessary for Shelby and I to meticulously plan each and 

every debate title (8 altogether), making sure there were no 

gaps in our arguments which our opposition could exploit and 

use against us. No, we were simply not having it this year; we 

were not going to be humiliated. 

After weeks of scrupulous preparation, the day of the debate 

drew ever nearer. The morning of 5 th November was filled 

with wracked nerves from all sections of the Languages 

Department, teachers and pupils alike! In the first round of 

the competition, the first debate of the day in fact (therefore 

added pressure), Shelby and I were against Bolton Girls’ 

School. The topic of debate was “Defend yourself and your 

property at any cost!” The planning and preparation paid off, 

as Shelby and I prevailed over our opponents. In the second 

round we were pitted against the Bolton Boys’ School and, 

after having obliterated their female peers with relative ease, 

we could detect that they were somewhat shaky. 

Things heated up as we advanced to the semi-finals. Our 

adversaries from the King’s School Chester were significantly 

tougher than our foes in the early stages in the competition. 

The debate was fierce, and didn’t seem to end. However, 

when the results had been 

announced, to our 

amazement we had 

advanced to the final round 

of the competition. 

The final round of the 

debate was ferocious; one 

could almost feel the heat 

emitted from the intensity 

of the arguments, from both 

us and our opponents, 

Cheadle Hulme. At the 

end, after having left the 

room, Shelby and I could 

hear people’s conversations, talk of a “close one”. Either side 

was in with a good chance of winning. Unfortunately, we had 

been defeated by our opponents, yet we held our heads high 

with pride. After all, we did not expect to reach the final 

stages of the competition. The experience of being able to 

debate in a foreign language was fantastic, and I would 

recommend giving it a shot to all linguists in years below. I 

extend my thanks to Frau Christmann, for putting in an 

inhumane number of hours work to further our success and to 

Miss Gibson for coming along to support us. 

Jack Heaton (U9) 



RUSSIAN ESSAY COMPETITION 

Jack Heaton, U6, who has been 

learning Russian for 3 years in the 

Russian lunchtime Club, took part in 

the Sixth National Russian Essay 

Competition 2012, which received 

entries from 390 candidates. He 

wrote an excellent essay about the 

Russian scientist Mendeleev and won the special prize for 

“Thorough research of the subject”. The results of the 

competition with the names of all winners will be printed in 

the forthcoming issue of Rusistika. Jack is now studying 

Russian and German at Leeds University. 

K. Christmann 

SIR RHYS DAVIES MOCK TRIAL COMPETITION 

The Sir Rhys Davies Mock Trial Competition takes place every 

November and gives SGS’s Sixth Formers the chance to try a 

case in front of professional judges at Manchester Crown 

Court. The barristers are in wigs and gowns and the witnesses 

in fancy dress. This year, the team achieved the outstanding 

feat of coming runners-up, having won their group earlier in 

the day. 

All our teams performed outstandingly well, with Arran 

Mackay and Suzy Eames defeating St Bede’s and the 

Dickensian combination of Fawcett and Earley seeing off their 

opposition. In the final trial, it was all to play for, with Abi 

Jones and Eleanor Harper inflicting a rare defeat on 

Altrincham Girls’ to secure our top spot, reducing the 

opposition to tears in the process. It’s serious business! There 

was an anxious wait to find out if Manchester Grammar had 

knocked us out of the final, but by the margin of one point, 

we were there. Andrew Ward and Emily Cheyne stepped up 

in the final, but were narrowly defeated into second place. 

Andrew described the experience as ‘terrifying but 

exhilarating’ which just about sums up the day, alongside fun 

and slightly surreal. 

Combined with Charlotte Rowe’s victory in the Law Reporting 

Competition, where she had to watch a trial and then had an 

hour to write a newspaper report summing up what had 

happened, it was a successful day for SGS. Many thanks and 

congratulations to all the barristers, witnesses, ushers and 

journalists who contributed. 

S. A. Moore 



MUN AT SGS 

Stockport Grammar School’s first Model United Nations 

conference this year was a huge success. Over 200 pupils from 

15 schools around the country came to debate at our 

conference, which was run by a committee of Sixth Form pupils. 

At MUN, pupils are divided up into countries and then into 

committees such as Disarmament. Each committee has a 

representative from each country and attempts to find 

solutions to global issues. These solutions are known as 

resolutions and are debated and written in the same format as 

the real UN. 

Our conference experience on Saturday was enhanced by MP 

Andrew Stunell OBE, who spoke about international politics 

in a riveting address to the General Assembly. On Sunday, we 

were delighted to welcome Mr. Paul Smith, from 

PriceWaterhouseCoopers, who spoke on the importance of 

technology and the internet on globalisation and politics. 

Mr Smith’s speech was followed by the General Assembly 

debate, which took an imaginary crisis issue which countries 

got together to find a quick and efficient solution. Backed up 

by realistic newsflash videos, featuring Mrs Lawson, the crisis 

debate was a huge success. Every delegation participated in a 

debate in the Main Hall, which involved eco-terrorists 

threatening to damage global technology using an EMP 

device. Backed by reasonable demands, the issue made for 

interesting debate. 

The weekend was so successful that Miss Spence and Mr 

Browne (MUN coordinators) have decided that Stockport 

Grammar will host a second conference in December. Aided 

by appointed Secretary General Zoë Harris, Miss Spence and 

Mr Browne made the conference a huge success which was 

enjoyable for all those involved. 

Peter Smith (U2) 

MUN DUBLIN 

Political committee were: the question of the protection of 

journalists in conflict zones, the role of religion and democracy 

in a state, and the issue of integrating post dictatorships into the 

international community. The last issue was particularly good 

and focused around the effects of Arab Spring and how the UN 

could contribute to stabilising the situation. The level of 

debate throughout the weekend was exceptionally high and 

challenged the opinions I held, whilst also building the 

confidence of all those who expressed their views. 

Model United Nations is a debating conference that provides 

a wonderful opportunity for like-minded individuals to come 

together and debate issues about which they are passionate. 

The trip to Dublin last February was, therefore, a fantastic 

opportunity for all those lucky enough to take part. One 

delegation from SGS attended this prestigious conference: 

seven students and two teachers, Miss Spence and Mr Browne. 

As the conference did not start until the evening, we had some 

free time to explore the city when we first arrived. We were 

lucky as the weather was perfect and I had not realised before 

how pretty Dublin was with the impressive Georgian 

architecture. It also gave us time to prepare for the debating 

for, as soon as we arrived at the conference, we were straight 

into it. We lobbied our resolutions on arrival, which is always 

a good opportunity to meet people and get a sense of what 

direction the debating will go in. There are various 

committees, such as Health and Disarmament, and every 

committee did slightly different things the first evening. I was 

in the Political committee, where we had an impromptu 

debate that got us thinking on our feet and eased us into the 

rest of the conference. The three issues I debated in the 

Despite the talent displayed by all delegates at the 

conference, our delegation still stood out as one of the best 

there. Zoë Harris and Sam Allport won Commended awards; 

Alistair Watts and I won Highly Commended and, most 

impressively of all, Tom Fawcett gained the Outstanding 

award, for which he won a gavel. Our achievements did not 

end there however, and we went on to win Best Delegation in 

the General Assembly, which was a great way to round off 

such a fantastic experience. Tom and Sam performed 

particularly well in GA and even got a standing ovation for 

their speeches. The excitement of GA didn’t end there, 

however, and Amy Wood and Naomi Clarke were flattered to 

receive a lettuce from the Chairs of GA. This highlights the 

fun, social side of MUN and we all met loads of great people 

through the course of the conference. 



On the first night we arrived, we all took part in speed dating, 

which was an ‘interesting’ experience to say the least, but did 

help us get to know people. There was also a social on 

Saturday night which was good fun and we were all sorry to 

leave the next day. However, we couldn’t even leave Dublin 

without something exciting happening and we were stopped 

at the airport by some people filming. They asked if they 

could interview us on what we had been doing in Dublin and 

so we ended the trip by being broadcast on Irish television 

about our successes at the conference. 

We all came away from the experience having had a great time, 

with raised confidence and a renewed enjoyment for debating. 

Joanna Boon (L4) 

GRAMMAR RAIL 

Having been eighteen months in the building, the baseboards 

for the new layout, Barmouth Junction, are now complete and 

have not suffered any warping whatsoever. Hand-built 

pointwork has been placed in situ at the triangulations and it 

just now remains to add the SMP track and wire up the three 

sides. The layout will initially have dead-end fiddle yards at 

each of the three corners to allow for Pwllheli - Ruabon and 

Pwllheli – Dovey Junction workings to use the two principal 

sides of the triangle while light-engine movements across the 

Mawddach estuary will allow us to turn engines prototypically 

via the third side where attention will be focused on the 

marshalling of freight stock. 

While the three fiddle yards will allow us to have the layout 

operational by next spring, the longer-term idea of adding a 

continual run between the three corners will simplify the 

layout’s operation. The three fiddle yards will demand 

communication and co-ordination between three separate 

teams operating the layout strictly according to a timetable. 

That of itself will be the ultimate test of teamwork and, under 

exhibition conditions, will call for sustained concentration and 

cool heads. 

Away from the project work, the group visited the Severn 

Valley Railway late in the Summer Term. This was our first 

excursion for some time and gave us an opportunity to have a 

close-up look at a number of locomotive classes which 

actually ran through Barmouth Junction, together with 

examples of coaching and freight stock which were familiar 

sights there during the fifties and sixties. It still remains for 

Bachmann to release their models of the ‘Dukedog’ or Earl 

Class 4-4-0s to make the model scene complete. Having 

spoken with Bachmann, the locomotives will not be available 

until later in 2013, which is a disappointment as their release 

was first announced in their 2011 catalogue. 

Work has continued on the two N-Gauge layouts, both of 

which have at last seen train movements. Although the 

layouts are not ideal in their design, the younger members 

have learnt a lot about track-laying, scenery and wiring while 

getting the two systems back into running order. Several 

members have also put together very commendable buildings 

for the two layouts, including houses, a church and, most 

importantly, a brewery. It is a pity that some of their pieces 

were badly damaged by rainwater which had come in through 

the roof of Convent House and had subsequently made its 

way down into our accommodation in the basement. Damp 

continues to be a problem which is affecting progress on all 

fronts. Nonetheless, the mood in the group is very positive 

and the membership has remained constant at its all-time high 

of 14. What is equally pleasing is the number of Fourth and 

Fifth Year pupils whose interest remains as high as ever. 

If we can exhibit Barmouth Junction at next summer’s 

Stockport Exhibition, we are confident that we shall be invited 

to exhibit our work at several other exhibitions over the 

coming years. Exhibiting a layout at an exhibition for a whole 

weekend is a tiring business but one which the members are 

keen to experience, as it is now three years since our last 

layout, Bridport, made its final exhibition appearance. We are 

all looking forward to rekindling happy memories of past 

events. My thanks go to all for their enthusiasm and 

commitment over the past year and to the school for affording 

us the opportunity of pursuing this satisfying hobby together. 

J. P. Ashcroft 



Bronze practice 

expedition June 

2012 

Glossop Mountain 

Rescue help out 

with the first aid 

course. 

Alex McKeown's Silver physical section 

Silver navigation training at 

Bowden Bridge 

Emilia Biondi's Bronze skill, 

cake decorating. 

Leah Allcock fundraising for her Bronze volunteeering section 

Sunrise over Bakewell Bronze expedition Sept 2011 

Lydia O'Donoghue performing her 

circus skills at the presentation 

evening 



Gold expedition July 2012 

Gold expedition team ready to start their 

4 day venture in the Lake District 

Gold expedition training 

in the Yorkshire Dales 

Rosie Broadbent's Gold physical section 

Gold practice expedition 

April 2012 

Laura Potter and Will Aldridge 

at St James’ Palace 

Gold practice expedition 

Kinder in April 

Walid Hassoon's Gold 

residential in Cumbria 

Joe Daniels having received the outstanding contribution award 

from our presentation evening guest presenter Karl Kirkpatrick 

Joe Daniels performing at the 

annual presentation evening 



THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD 

and the “Stormin Normans” (Robert Clarke, Meredith Ellis, 

Hannah Gregory, Raymond McCulloch, Daniel Smith, Lauren 

Winder and Charlotte Yandell) took the team award for the 

Expedition section. Rebecca Fernandes was given the Ruth 

Groves award and Joe Daniels received the outstanding 

contribution award for his hard work and assistance during his 

time participating from enrolling at Bronze to achieving his 

Gold award. 

It has been another busy year with the Award here at SGS; 

with popularity and numbers increasing nationally, Stockport 

Grammar School is no exception. At the enrolment evening 

in March an incredible 136 enrolled onto the Bronze level 

from the Third Year. We also had our highest number of 

awards achieved, at our annual presentation evening in July 

our guest presenter Karl Kirkpatrick, an international rugby 

referee, presented awards to 119 pupils that achieved Bronze, 

41 pupils achieved Silver and 20 completed the prestigious 

Gold award. 

Special awards were given for each of the sections, Raymond 

McCulloch for the volunteering section, Rhian Armstrong for 

the pPhysical section, Lydia O’Donoghue for the Skill section 

The Expedition section was particularly tough this year with 

the assessed expeditions for Bronze and Silver taking place 

from the end of March to the beginning of May, when poor 

weather and sub-zero temperatures at night made the 

challenging routes even more difficult. This has not deterred 

the pupils from progressing to the next level with 82 

continuing to Silver and 43 on to Gold. 

We had four expedition teams in the Lake District in July for 

their four day assessed expeditions, some quite arduous 

routes through the mountains and again poor weather added 

to the challenge. All 23 pupils successfully completed their 

ventures with excellent comments from their external 

assessors, and all are currently working towards completing 

the other sections for their Gold award. 

S. Pownall 

DUKE OF EDINBURGH GOLD DIARY 

Then next leg was relatively level. Looking at the map we saw 

that we were approaching Sty Head where there were many 

paths intersecting, so we were ready with compasses to 

ensure we left following the right path. On reaching Sty head 

we took a bearing and after much discussion managed to 

leave on the right path heading for Wasdale Head. The walk 

down to the valley was very steep downhill so we managed to 

reach the valley bottom very quickly. The last leg to the 

campsite was relatively flat and with only a small amount of 

navigational difficulty found our way to the campsite. 

DAY 1 

The mini bus dropped us off in the small village of Chapel 

stile. It was overcast but surprisingly warm, so we set off 

without the need of waterproofs and in high spirits. We 

walked through Great Langdale Valley with the beck beside us 

for about an hour before we saw the first photo opportunity 

for the ducks, so we had a short stop and took a few photos. 

We continued at a steady pace and managed to make the 

440m climb in just under two hours with a few short rests on 

the way up. Once we reached Angle Tarn we had already 

done the majority of the height for that day and this boosted 

our morale. 

We pitched the three tents while the weather was still decent. 

Charles (our assessor) came to check up on us and was happy 

to find there had been no problems. We cooked our meal of 

tomato soup, pasta with tomato sauce and chocolate 

brownies. We just managed to finish eating before it started 

raining and we had to retreat to our tents to play cards. We 

had an early night as we knew we would need the energy in 

the morning. 

DAY 2 

We woke up after a good night’s sleep and two of the group 

began making our breakfast of porridge and cereal bars while 

the others took down the tents. Once the tents were packed 

away we left with our hopes high. Looking at the route plan 

it was apparent that we would soon have a massive 550m 

climb around Kirk Fell; this dampened out mood. We 



managed the climb, having rests on the way up to take more 

photos of the ducks. We were walking through a particularly 

boggy area when I had the misfortune to step into a bog that 

went up to my knee. After a quick stop to change my sock I 

was ready to keep going. 

Fortune was still on our side as the weather remained overcast 

but without rain. We continued walking for the next few 

hours without incident and were relieved to see the descent 

down to the Slate Mine which was a welcomed change from 

all the uphill we had done so far. At the Slate Mine we met 

Paul (our supervisor) who gave us some much needed 

encouragement. We followed the road for a few kilometres 

before veering away up a small incline and on to our 

campsite. 

We quickly set up our tents on a small embankment as we 

could see some ominous black clouds approaching. However 

we were forced to cook 

our evening meal under 

a tree because of the 

rain. We sat talking and 

playing card in the tents 

as this campsite was not 

luxurious as the one we 

had stayed in the 

previous night. 

DAY 3 

DAY 4 

We woke up to the sound of rain and were forced to make 

breakfast and take the tents down in the rain. We made our 

chocolate spread fajita lunch for the last time and set off in the 

heavy rain on our lower altitude, bad weather route. For 

about half an hour the rain continued and then it stopped to 

be replaced by clear skies and sunshine, but we were not 

complaining. We passed Rydal Water and High Close Youth 

Hostel, where we had stayed the night before we started the 

expedition. We had a rest in Elterwater before continuing on 

for another 3km before turning towards Ambleside, our 

finishing point; we were now on the home straight. 

We followed a main road most of the way to Skelwith Bridge 

were we had lunch and a well-deserved rest. There were a 

few steep points but they could not dampen our spirits as we 

continued on for the next few kilometres in the glorious 

sunshine. We were now within sight of Ambleside and could 

see the car park, which was our finishing point. Paul and 

Steve were there to congratulate us in the car park while we 

all took our boots off; we were ready to get home and have a 

warm bath. Charles gave us our de-brief and we told him our 

highlights of our expedition. We then went to the fish and 

chip shop in Ambleside before getting on the minibus and 

heading home. The four days that we spent together in the 

Lake District were really enjoyable and I have many fond 

memories. 

Javier Sanchez-Capuchino (L7) 

As with the previous day the first leg was relatively flat and we 

had another huge climb of 420m on the second leg. We 

managed the climb with little trouble but the last section was 

especially steep and required a few rests on the way up. The 

next few kilometres was very boggy and required caution to 

avoid losing a boot. 

We were now walking along a ridge and the wind was picking 

up so we put on our waterproofs to avoid getting too cold. 

We continued along the ridge towards Helm Crag where we 

saw the Lion and the Lamb and took a very nice photo of the 

ducks. We had our lunch and started the descent down to 

Grasmere with our spirits high. The next few kilometres to the 

campsite were flat and easy to navigate so we were able to 

enjoy the scenery. 

We had a little bit of difficulty locating Rydal Campsite but 

were relieved to see its excellent toilet block complete with 

showers. We were now experts at assembling the tents and 

got them up in no time at all, which was lucky as the heavens 

opened and we were again forced to cook our meal under a 

huge oak tree. Our spirits were high as it was the last night 

and we had all had lovely warm showers. However the rain 

continued and we were told that we would have to take the 

bad weather route on the last day as our original route would 

be too dangerous in this weather. We got into our tents for 

the last night content in the knowledge that this was our last 

night in a sleeping bag. 



RESEARCH PROJECTS IN BIOLOGY AND PHYSICS 

Each summer, the Biology Department send two students to 

MRI to work with Professor Heagerty’s Cardiovascular 

Research Group. The students are selected after submitting a 

research summary and subsequent interview earlier in the 

year. The best student receives a Nuffield Bursary. During the 

summer of 2012, Gina Belk and Ayoni Medagoda were 

selected. They spent six weeks with the team, investigating 

the effect that PVAT (fat tissues) has on small coronary arteries 

from young rats and the influence of Type 1 Diabetes. This 

was a continuation of last year’s project, which enabled a 

comparison to be made between the age of the rats and the 

progression of Type 1 Diabetes. During their time with the 

group, they developed their practical skills, gained a greater 

understanding of how to conduct scientific research, how to 

handle data and how to write a scientific report. They have 

entered for the Gold Crest Awards. 

The Physics Department similarly select two students to visit 

Manchester University Materials Science Department, where 

they are also involved in a research project. Alice Carr and 

Zoe Harris were selected. 

This Summer I spent 4 weeks at Manchester University 

working on a project in the Materials Science Department. 

Working alongside Dr Tim Burnett, I gained invaluable 

experience using optical and scanning electron microscopes. 

Using these apparatus I provided the data and micrographs; at 

optical and electron scales, for a mobile application, enabling 

the microstructure of around 40 materials to be presented. 

The application, with help from David Withers, is now 

functional. 

I also began a new task to devise an educational game 

whereby the player can experience the effort needed to make 

large transportation products and the costs to be 

‘environmentally friendly’. I am continuing to work to refine 

this game for public use. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and relished the 

opportunity to use instruments at the forefront of technology 

that not many people would come across in their lifetime. 

Alice Carr (L7) 

J. Gilbert 



SPANISH TRIP TO MADRID 

During October Half Term a group of students from the Fifth 

Year and Sixth Form went to the bustling metropolis that is 

Madrid for an action-packed five days of fun. After a short 

transfer from school to Liverpool airport and a two hour flight 

to Madrid, we all arrived safely and were raring to go. 

Our first activity was specially designed to help develop our 

Spanish speaking skills as we had to complete a set of tasks 

which included buying a postcard and communicating with 

the locals. We all succeeded and our reward at the end was 

sitting down and having a nice relaxing drink as the sun went 

down. We then all retired to the hotel, so we would be fresh 

for the next action-packed day. 

Our first full day consisted of a trip to Madrid’s ‘Las Ventas’ 

bullring, the bullring with the largest fighting arena in the 

world. This visit was followed by a tapas making session 

where we made gazpacho and tortilla española amongst other 

things. We then enjoyed an enormous traditional tapas lunch 

prepared by the chefs at the world famous “Corral de la 

Trips 51


Morería” restaurant. ¡Fue muy delicioso! After we had all 

filled our faces, we spent a relaxing couple of hours in Retiro 

Park where we hired rowing boats and spent some time 

wandering around the park in the sunshine. That evening we 

had a fun night of bowling and trying to beat Steve, Miss 

Psaila’s fiancé, who also came along on the trip. 

The following day, we went to the Bernabéu Stadium, Real 

Madrid’s home ground. We had a guided tour and were even 

allowed to sit in the dugouts! After lunch, we had a flamenco 

dancing and castanet lesson, followed by a flamenco show 

done by the professionals. It was amazing to see how fit they 

were. In the evening, after dinner, we spent an hour or so in 

a -8 degree bar dancing around and drinking cocktails 

(alcohol-free of course!) in Madrid’s very own Icebar. 

On the Saturday, we went to visit Segovia and its Alcázar, the 

castle from which Walt Disney got his inspiration for his fairy 

castle. We had free time to explore the city and went to see 

its famous aqueduct which is made from only stones and no 

cement. On return from Segovia, we spent the afternoon 

shopping in the heart of Madrid. 

On the very last day, we were all very sad to go but, after 

having a typical Spanish breakfast of churros with hot 

chocolate, were cheered up by a trip to the Warner Brothers 

theme park before departing. We were fortunate to not have 

to queue at all for the rides because it wasn’t busy and we 

were exhausted by the end of the day. 

We all want to give our thanks to Miss Psaila and Steve for 

taking us and for the best trip so far; we would definitely 

recommend this trip to anyone in the future. 

Catherine Whatley (5U), Will Johnson (5A) 

and Isaac Round (5A) 

52 Trips


RS TRIP TO POLAND 

At 4:00am on 7th December a group of Fifth Year pupils, 

along with Miss Flaherty, Mr Clarke and Mr Swann departed 

the school car park to Liverpool airport. Many of the pupils 

were tired due to the early start but also excited about the 

upcoming trip. In no time we were checking in at Liverpool 

airport, readying for our flight. We had time to grab 

something to eat quickly before we got onto the plane. Many 

people had a sleep on the flight, waking up in Poland. 

The weather was cold, but nothing like what we had prepared 

for. We were ready for near Arctic weather: cold winds, deep 

snow and white landscapes. We were surprised to be greeted 

by weather similar to England. 

Our tour guide took the bus with us from the airport and gave 

us an insight into the culture of Poland and some of its history. 

She then went on to explain more about Krakow. I began to 

understand that it is steeped in history and is the centre of 

culture in Poland. Armed with this knowledge, we arrived in 

Krakow for some free time and for lunch. 

Krakow has a central market place which consisted of an 

outside Christmas market and an indoor one too. The town 

centre looked beautiful, with fantastic architecture. We were 

sad to leave it, however we had to as we were to journey into 

the Kazimierz district. This was the place where the majority 

of the Jews in Krakow had stayed. 

We learned from our excellent guide that nearly all the Jews 

either moved away from or did not return to this district, nor 

any other area of Krakow. The quarter entrance and the 

synagogue still remain, however. We looked around the 

various remaining places, understanding more about Jewish 

culture and its place within Krakow. Something which was 

apparent and emphasised was that the Jews had nothing to do 

with the war and only discrimination against them brought 

them into it. This tied with our lessons as we have been 

learning about prejudice and discrimination. This part of the 

trip made us realise how innocent the Jews were in this 

conflict and how they hadn't done anything to provoke it. 

We next stopped outside the ghettos, seeing a chemist where 

people risked their lives to provide Jews with valuable items to 

survive. After this, we went to The Schindler Museum. This 

was a fascinating place as it made us realise just how hard it 

was to support the Jews and how one man, Schindler, did. Not 

everyone supported the Nazis’ plan but most were too scared 

to do anything about it. This museum was situated at the 

factory where Schindler hired the Jews to work for him, saving 

their lives. The museum also contained artefacts from the 

invasion of Poland during the war and made us understand the 

poor quality of life that everyone in Poland had to endure. 

After a tiring day, we all reached our final destination for the 

day, the Hotel Krakow. We had time to relax in our rooms 

before dinner. Everyone was grateful for a warm place to stay, 

a meal and some time to wind down. On the first evening, 

the majority of the people watched one of the two 

Manchester Champions’ League games. After a disappointing 

night for both sides, we all went to bed, longing for a rest after 

a long, educational and thought-provoking day. 

In the morning, straight after breakfast, we departed for 

Auschwitz. The mood was nervous. People were not sure 

how they were going to react to a place such as this. We were 

split into two different groups, each with a guide. The tour 

took us firstly round Auschwitz, showing us displays explaining 

how many people were killed, where they were from and 

how the camp worked. The guides revealed a genuine feeling 

for the people who had suffered here. It made me realise that 

the textbooks can only teach you so much. The people who 

suffered in Auschwitz are not just a figure to learn for a test. 

Each and every person had a valued life and should be 

respected that way. I think for everyone, it allowed them to 

reflect on the gravity of what had happened there. We were 

showed displays containing belongings of the people staying 

there, including their shaved hair. 

On the bus trip to Birkenau, we all reflected on what we had 

just seen, before visiting the infamous death camp. It was 

bitterly cold and further allowed us to imagine the terrible 

conditions in which the Jews had to survive, wearing only thin 

pyjamas. We were shown the huts where they stayed and 

also the train tracks. However the most thought-provoking 

part of the trip had to be the remains of the gas chambers and 

the memorial next to it. This was the point which made me 

realise just how many people were killed. Each chamber killed 

2000 people in 15 minutes. 

We had time to discuss what we had just seen over lunch at a 

nearby restaurant before going back to Krakow for some free 

time. When we were picked up again we were in a much less 

melancholy mood for returning back to the hotel and for our 

evening meal. Everyone was excited for the trip to the 

bowling at Fantasy Park, where we had a great time. We 

returned to the hotel with engrained memories of our trip to 

Poland, ready for the journey home. 

The plane home took much longer than the plane to Poland 

due to a strong headwind but we were all glad to be back on 

English soil. I recommend that everyone goes to Auschwitz at 

some point in their life. 

Joe Brook (5R) 

Trips 53


GERMAN TRIP TO AACHEN 

about the hot water springs around and under the town. We 

also learnt about Aachen printen, a special type of food that 

looked like gingerbread. We then had lunch inside the market 

where a lot of our group tried traditional German sausages. 

After lunch we had a sheet of activities to do. One of the 

activities was to each ask a local their name, if they had 

brothers or sisters, if they had a pet and what they did in their 

free time. Other activities included asking for some drinks in 

a café, buying some printen, buying a stamp and postcard and 

asking for a map. We then had a treasure hunt to complete 

all around the town. After we had finished the activities we 

had some time for Christmas shopping and souvenir buying. 

We all had a great time! 

At 4.45 on the cold, damp, dark morning of 9 th December a 

large group of Second Years were dropped off at the school 

gates. As the coach filled up we all knew that it was going to 

be a long journey. It was only after we had crossed to France 

using the Channel Tunnel that everybody started to get excited. 

As we parked up at the hostel everybody was wide awake and 

keen to get off the coach. After a short briefing we finally went 

to have dinner; this was followed by a quiz on Germany and 

then we retired to our bedrooms. It had been a long day. 

We’d had breakfast in England, a snack in France, lunch in 

Belgium and dinner in Germany, so we all slept well that night. 

We had dinner back at the youth hostel then we had the 

opportunity to experience the Aachen ice skating disco. It was 

great, even though most of us kept falling over or knocking 

other people over! We had a lot of fun with barely any 

accidents although we did have a few bruises in the morning! 

The next day we had a traditional German breakfast with 

bread rolls, hams, salamis and cheese and then we headed out 

to explore Aachen. We had a tour all around the town in 

which we saw the Cathedral and the markets and found out 

The next morning it was time to pack our things, have another 

fantastic German breakfast and head back to England. Overall 

the trip was fantastic; it improved our German, helped us 

learn more about the culture, make stronger friendships 

within our year group and we had a lot of fun in the process. 

I couldn’t think of a better way to learn German. 

Thank you also to all the teachers who went on the trip. 

Molly Clark (2T)


SKI TRIP 

The 2012 Ski trip to Mayhrofen, Austria began at a foggy 

Manchester airport, with thirty two Senior School pupils and five 

members of staff. The flight was relatively short, just under two 

hours, and upon arrival we were soon to learn the temperatures 

we were set to experience in the mountains, as we entered 

minus 15 conditions as soon as we stepped off the plane. 

Saturday, was the best day skiing of the week. Beautiful blue 

skies, perfectly bashed slopes and great company combined 

to make it a great ending to what had been a truly enjoyable 

week skiing. 

The first couple of days were spent in fair conditions, gradually 

rebuilding our confidence on the slopes as some had not skied 

for months, years or had never placed a ski boot on before! 

On the Wednesday, however, we were met with treacherous 

conditions and most of us assumed it was bad enough to 

render us unable to ski as we all awaited any sort of news in 

our hotel rooms. At 10am we got the message that the 

instructors had managed to find places within the vast ski area 

of the Zillertal Valley that were sheltered from the wind and 

snow and where the visibility was sufficient for safe skiing. 

We were all relieved to be going back out, as six days skiing 

goes very quickly. 

On the day of departing, we were given the opportunity to 

visit the local swimming baths to unwind and give our bodies 

some well earned rest. Some however, chose to brave the 

waterslides which were scary even for a Sixth Former! To 

finish off the day, before catching our return transfer to 

Munich, we all got the opportunity to explore the beautiful 

town of Mayrhofen and sample the local food. The meat 

shop, opposite the gondola, provided fantastic sandwiches 

which were very reasonable and quickly everyone from SGS 

had one in their hand. 

Each day provided something new for the pupils, from new 

terrain covered, new techniques shown by the instructors and 

different weather conditions. The final day skiing, on the 

Once again we thank Mrs Muscutt for her time and effort 

which is paramount to the success of this annual trip, but our 

utmost appreciation must go to all the staff who make the ski 

trip a truly memorable experience and retain its integral part 

of the spring calendar at Stockport Grammar School. 

James Gaskin (L1) 

Trips 55


CLASSICS TRIP TO GREECE 

On 2 nd April around 50 pupils and six staff went to Greece. 

After a bleary-eyed meeting at the school we began our long 

coach journey to Heathrow airport, where Mr. Thorley 

initiated his bullet-proof gate-system as a means of counting 

the pupils. With the comfort of this impenetrable security 

scheme we then flew to Athens, welcomed by clear skies and 

Mediterranean temperatures. We were then whisked off in 

the coach to our city centre hotel, where our beds were 

calling after a long day of travelling. 

We were greeted with yet another early start on the second 

day as we had to leave the hotel at 6:45 to catch the ferry to 

Aegina. Equipped with our packed breakfasts and our illadvised 

rain coats we set off on our first day of experiencing 

the ancient wonders of Greece. On reaching the charming 

island of Aegina, our coach took us to the far side of the island 

to the beautiful Aphaia temple, which many of the Sixth Form 

pupils were able to appreciate, having studied it at AS. There 

was then time for lunch and for the daring to have a quick dip 

in the sea before heading back to Athens. We went straight 

from the port to the New Acropolis museum and, due to the 

several innovations in the building’s architecture, we were 

able to marvel at the wonderful sculpture surrounding us and 

the archaeological treasures beneath our feet. Throughout 

the visit, we were beguiled by glimpses of the magnificent 

Parthenon, giving us a taste of what was to follow the next day. 

We were rewarded with a later wake-up call the following day, 

setting off with slight apprehension about the trying climb up 

the Acropolis, whilst looking forward to viewing the epitome of 

high classical art and architecture. We 

visited the National Archaeological 

museum in the morning which boasts a 

wide range of sculpture from the early 

archaic to the late classical period, whilst 

also holding pieces from the Mycenaean 

period (1400-1200 BC) including the 

notable death mask of Agamemnon. It 

was then a short metro ride to the 

Ancient Agora, the centre of the ancient city, where we visited 

the Hephaestion and began our ascent up the Acropolis, which 

wasn’t as arduous as we had anticipated. As we emerged from 

the Propylaia (the entrance gateway), the Parthenon stood 

before us in all its architectural splendour beside the bizarre 

but intriguing Erechtheum. We then headed to the seaside 

town of Tolon, which would be our base for the next two 

nights, with our pretty beach located hotel. 

Our exploration of the Peloponnese then started with visits to 

Mycenae and Epidavros. The hilltop citadel of Mycenae 

boasts stunning views and a rich history, accompanied by 

hidden tombs and secret passageways - a play-ground for 

venturing tourists and intrigued archaeologists. We then 

travelled to Epidavros which is dominated by a 14,000 seat 

theatre where we tested the acoustics where a finger-click or 

a dropped coin at the bottom can be heard at the very top. 

Epidavros houses several other sites such as the Tholos, which 

is also studied at AS so Sixth Form pupils were yet again able 

to view elements of the Classics syllabus first hand. 

The next day tested the travelling stamina of the group, with a 

long trip to Olympia via the Temple of Apollo at Bassae. The 

relatively inaccessible location of the temple meant a rather 

eventful attempt at reaching the remote site in the 56 seater 

coach. The precarious ascent to the mountainous area was 

well worth it though, with the impressive scenery and imposing 

temple. The rest of the day was spent travelling to Olympia. 

The early arrival onto the Olympia site 

exposed the tranquil nature of the 

sanctuary, with it not being particularly 

busy. Olympia has some of the most 

celebrated sites of the ancient world, 

such as the stadium (the site of the first 

Olympic games in 776 BC) and the 

Temple of Zeus which housed the Zeus 

56 Trips


statue made out of gold and ivory (one of the seven ancient 

wonders of the world). We had a number of races in the 

stadium including a teachers’ race which was enjoyed by all; 

thankfully none of the races were competed in the traditional 

attire. The museum at Olympia contains many treasures of 

the Ancient world which we were all very lucky to experience. 

Possibly the highlight of the trip for many was revealed on the 

last day with the trip to Delphi where we visited the sanctuary 

to Apollo. With clear and radiant skies, this very much 

reflected the mood of the group as we were in awe of the 

spectacular surrounding scenery and the valley below. In the 

evening we took the funicular railway up Lycabettous Hill to 

get the panoramic view over the Acropolis and the city of 

Athens which was a very fitting end to a fantastic trip. 

After our seven days of sanctuaries, museums, ancient citadels 

and countless miles, we were all left with so many fantastic 

memories of a rich and diverse art and architectural history. 

Huge thanks are due to the members of staff who 

accompanied us (Mr Urwin, Dr Zanda, Mr and Mrs Moore 

and Miss McAllister) and especially to Mr Thorley who, due to 

his labyrinthine security system, managed to return with all 50 

pupils who embarked on the trip. 

Charlotte Helme (L1) 

HISTORY & ART TRIP TO AMERICA 

After more than a year of anticipation for the trip of a life time; 

fifty pupils and six teachers embarked on a journey to New York. 

This was the first of our three destinations on the History and 

Art trip to America, the others being Philadelphia and 

Washington DC. As well as visiting famous landmarks, Art 

Pupils could see some of the best Art Galleries in the world 

and History students had many opportunities to learn about 

Americas past, which is relevant to GCSE and A level 

examinations. 

Arriving in New York in the evening was amazing, seeing the 

beautiful cityscape illuminated. For many of us this was our 

first visit to New York and it did not disappoint! Our first day 

in New York started with a typically American breakfast: 

pancakes with maple syrup, bagels and anything else you 

could think of. 

Feeling energized by our enormous breakfast, we made our 

way around Manhattan. Thanks to our brilliant, enthusiastic 

tour guides we saw many famous places, such as the 

magnificent Grand Central Station, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, 

the grand Trump Tower, Central Park and the John Lennon 

memorial within it. We also visited Broadway and Times 

Square which was very exciting. In the evening we visited the 

Rockafeller Tower, which had amazing views of New York, 

including the Empire State and Chrysler Building. 

The next day we boarded a ferry to Ellis Island and studied the 

impact of immigration on America’s History. On the island we 

Trips 57


visited the museum, which was bursting with interesting 

history and saw the iconic Statue of Liberty which had 

inspired so many. Back on Manhattan Island we visited the 

Stock Exchange and Ground Zero, both very thoughtprovoking 

sites for very different reasons. It was especially 

interesting to see some of the protests and feelings of 

animosity towards the financial district. 

The America trip was outstanding. The culture, food, views 

and atmosphere were all so different to England. There were 

a few surprises along the way such as the brilliant food in 

Bubba Gump’s Restaurant, a subway containing some of the 

Berlin Wall, Times Square and even meeting Dave Myers (one 

of the Hairy Bikers) in the motorway service station! 

After the bustling streets of New York, Philadelphia could not 

have been any more different. After the coach journey there, 

we were all eager to see the Liberty Bell and the city of the 

Founding Fathers – a very important place to Americans and 

for many the home of the constitution. 

Washington was also a calm city with many beautiful 

buildings, such as the Capitol Building and the White House. 

Whilst in Washington, we walked to Arlington Cemetery 

where we had time to think about the people buried there, 

including John F. Kennedy, America’s 35 th President. Next, we 

headed off to the famous monuments in Washington, such as 

the Korean, Vietnam, Lincoln and Martin Luther King 

memorials. To stand in the footsteps and shadows of so many 

great American leaders was incredibly inspiring. To end the 

day, we went to the Smithsonian Museum, one of the most 

enthralling museums in the world. The trip would not have 

been complete without a visit to the enormous Potomac Mall; 

it was amazing. 

It was a never-to-be-forgotten experience thanks to Mrs 

Ashton, Mr Clarke, Mr Davies, Miss Topping, Miss Upton and 

of course Mr Russell, the trip organiser. The trip was a huge 

success with every student on it gaining memories that will last 

a life time. 

Gabriella Watkins(4P) 

HISTORY TOUR TO MUNICH, NUREMBERG AND BERLIN 

On the last morning of term 43 Third, Fourth and Fifth Year 

pupils departed on the History Department’s tour to 

Germany. The trip was designed to cater for all age groups 

attending and covered Nazi and Cold War history as well as 

offering some cultural experiences. 

Munich was first on the itinerary and a weary group arrived in 

time for a welcome breakfast on Saturday 7 th July. What 

followed were a superb couple of days, blessed by fantastic 

weather. After a teacher-led trip to central Munich, the group 

was split into two and engaged on a tour of the city, bringing 

in sights such as the rooms where Adolf Hitler joined the Nazi 

58 Trips


That afternoon came the first ‘break’ from Nazi history as the 

pupils took to the mountains and enjoyed, after a very warm 

30 minute walk uphill, the sights and scenery surrounding 

Neuschwanstein Castle. Although a modern (19 th Century) 

building, it gave pupils insight into the medieval style of 

German architecture, living space and art. This was followed 

by the journey to Nuremberg and a welcome supper on 

arrival at the hotel. 

The week continued to be blessed with wonderful weather 

with caps and sun block a must! 

Party, the sites of the Munich Putsch of 1923, the university, 

where youth opposition to the Nazis was conducted by the 

White Rose group, and the Nazi built art gallery to name a 

few. We enjoyed dinner at the famous Munich Hofbrauhaus 

and returned exhausted to our great hotel on the outskirts of 

the city. The next day the group undertook a guided tour of 

Dachau Concentration Camp, where pupils engaged 

thoroughly with the history of political opposition to the 

Nazis, understanding more about the early pre-war camp 

days for all who were considered unsuitable to the Reich. 

Monday 9 th July gave the group the opportunity to be guided 

around the Nazi rally grounds, found at various points on the 

outskirts of Nuremberg. Our superb guide, Ann, answered 

numerous pupil and staff questions and reflected on the 

history throughout the period 1933-45, and the significance 

of such architecture and meetings for this period of German 

history. The afternoon visit was to the Court room, where the 

Nuremberg trials were held after the Second World War. It 

was fascinating to see how small the room, still used as a court 

of law today, is, and how the proceedings against the 

Trips 59


period and beyond as the signs of re-unification are evident all 

around. A guided visit to the ‘Road to German Democracy’ 

Museum gave further background to the pre-Nazi period and 

explained the politics behind Hitler’s gaining power in 1933. 

This was followed by a visit to Checkpoint Charlie and a much 

needed lunch break. The highlight of Tuesday was the guided 

visit to the ‘Topography of Terror’ exhibition. Standing on the 

site of the Gestapo Headquarters the exhibition revealed the 

people behind the horrors and allowed pupils to gain a greater 

understanding of the German people’s perspective of the 

Reich they were living in 1933-45. 

This was followed by a teacher-led tour of the Jewish 

Memorial and the Brandenburg Gate, before heading to the 

famous Ku’damm and the Hard Rock Café for dinner. The 

coach then took us on a ‘Berlin by night’ tour, allowing pupils 

to see the Reichstag lit up and the longest remaining section 

of the Berlin Wall. 

numerous war criminals were relayed back differently to the 

public of the allied countries. A fine exhibition above the 

court room aided pupil understanding further. Later that 

afternoon we set off for our final tour destination, Berlin. 

Staying in the midst of the old East, with the Soviet television 

Tower in view, the group arrived to a fine dinner and more 

great weather. Berlin gave pupils the opportunity to extend 

their knowledge beyond the Nazi period, into the Cold War 

On our last morning in Germany the group travelled by train 

the Olympic Stadium, famous home of the Nazis’ 1936 

Olympics and propaganda triumph, following by a more 

sobering guided tour of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. 

This was a very packed and worthwhile tour, offering insight 

that cannot be conveyed as easily in the classroom. Pupil 

behaviour was excellent at all times and I thank those who 

attended the tour for this. I would also like to convey my 

thanks to Dr Smith, Miss Topping and Mr Grant, for 

accompanying the tour and giving of their free time to do so 

H. R. Ashton 

STRATFORD TRIP 

On a rare sunny day in June a group of literary Sixth Formers 

gathered at the school gates in anticipation of a few days of 

Shakespearean indulgence in Stratford. ‘A horse! a horse! my 

kingdom for a horse!’ Such came the cries. Fortuitously, Mr 

Masters had gone a step further and we were instead able to 

travel in a minibus. 

The journey was pleasant and filled with intelligent chatter. 

On arrival in Stratford, we made the most of the sunny 

weather and explored. Following a lunch break, we 

reconvened close to the Swan Theatre and made our way 

down to the river’s edge to embark on a boat trip along the 

Avon, taking in the sights. Our guide was originally from 

Transylvania, who ‘had so much to live for’, or so thought 

Abigail Jones, who cried out this opinion as our guide climbed 

to the edge of the boat to make some nautical adjustments. 

Fortunately, we had not driven him to pursue a watery grave 

and all normality was quickly restored. 

The first evening was spent attending the Swan Theatre to 

watch King John, part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 

Nations at War season. The story is that King John’s claim to 

the throne is challenged by France, which threatens war 

unless he steps aside in favour of his nephew, Arthur. A bitter 

political struggle ensues as a weakened King clings to power, 

no matter what the cost. The performance was stunning. 

Alex Waldmann took the title role with Pippa Nixon as The 

Bastard. The play was full of contemporary music and 

costumes and this was a very modern and lively production 

which included Mr Masters heading an escaped balloon back 

towards the stage and a scary moment when our pupils were 

approached by ‘The bastard’ with a microphone in the hope 

that they would join in the musical performances happening 

on stage. Our walk back to the hotel was filled with lively 

60 Trips


discussion about the different ideas and directorial choices 

that had made the play so enjoyable. We all found ourselves 

humming the tune to Madcon’s catchy tune, ‘Beggin’ for the 

rest of the trip! 

Thursday was an action-packed day, beginning with a trip to 

Shakespeare’s birthplace on Henley Street, where we learned 

about the Bard’s family and childhood circumstances. The 

tannery run by his father is still in the house and we learnt that 

gloves are mentioned seventy times in Shakespeare’s plays 

and also that the phrase ‘goodnight, sleep tight’ came from 

truckle beds, the base of which had ropes which needed 

tightening every night before the sleeper could retire. 

Following our tour, we relaxed in the gardens and listened to 

some actors reciting some famous speeches. Impressively, on 

request, they performed some Richard III for us – even 

fetching a sword. This prepared us for our lecture on Richard 

III, which was educational, interesting and informative and 

after lunch we headed to our afternoon workshop on the 

same play. This was one of the highlights of the trip. On 

arrival, we were introduced to two actors, Simon and Oscar, 

who were to run the workshop. Oscar we immediately 

recognised as the actor who had played the Dauphin in King 

John the previous evening. Both workshop leaders were 

professional RSC actors and we had an afternoon of mime, 

games, insults (Shakespearean of course), speeches, sword 

fights, grim deaths, body language and detailed exploration of 

the ways in which an actor might interpret the famous ‘This is 

the winter of our discontent’ speech. 

Now, ‘An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told’ so I’ll 

move on. The workshop and the morning lecture had been 

fantastic preparation for the evening performance of King 

Richard III, which enabled us to see what directorial approach 

had been taken and to compare a more traditional 

performance with the modernised play the night before. We 

returned to the hotel tired, but full of new information and 

insights. We celebrated this (and Andrew Ward’s 18th 

birthday) with a chocolate cake and retired for the evening. 

On Friday morning we said goodbye to Stratford and had a 

pleasant morning exploring Oxford, before returning to SGS. 

All in all, a wonderful whirlwind of Shakespeare. We returned 

with new ideas and wisdom, but not too much; we hope after 

all, ‘So wise so young, they say, do never live long.’ 

S.L. Moore 

OXFORD TRIP 

The Oxford trip was a wonderful experience for all the 

students who went and gave us a real flavour as to what life in 

Oxford would be like. Reverend Leaver helped us get the 

most out of the trip by providing an information booklet 

before we went, which included a map of the colleges and 

events that were on while we there. This helped us plan our 

visit so that we could find out as much possible about the 

university and the courses we wished to study there. 

However, we were also given a large degree of responsibility 

to plan our own itinerary which was a great experience in 

itself as we went round Oxford by ourselves or in small groups 

and had to arrange meeting with professors or lecturers 

ourselves. Whilst teachers were always on hand to offer 

advice or help, it was fun to go round the colleges with 

friends. 

Going to the university gave me a far better insight into the 

course and student life, than simply trawling through their 

Trips 61


website could have done. Everyone on the trip had the 

opportunity to talk to members of staff and students and I 

came away with a better idea of whether Oxford was for me 

or not. It is of course a beautiful city and I thoroughly enjoyed 

having time to explore it. Although the university was clearly 

the focus of this visit, I also enjoyed being able to go to 

Blackwell’s and nearby museums, as this revealed what a 

wonderful city it is and the large number of opportunities 

available there. 

Although we were responsible for planning the programme for 

our days, the staff organised entertainment during the evening. 

On our first night there we went punting in little groups and 

Zoë, in my group, kindly said she would punt first. As she had 

done so before we all thought this was a good idea; we 

couldn’t have been more wrong. All of a sudden there was a 

splash and I spun round to see the punting pole floating off 

down the river away from us and, a half second later, Zoë 

appeared up out of the water grabbing for the boat. Her 

determination to keep hold of the pole had caused her to fall 

head first into the water; although she was not hurt fortunately 

and was already laughing as she tried to climb back into the 

boat. After such a shock however, it was of course necessary 

for us to go out for crepes and hot drinks, despite the hot meal 

we’d had at the college not an hour before. 

Throughout our trip we were lucky enough to stay at one of 

Oxford’s colleges, St Hugh’s, which gave us a real flavour as to 

what kind of accommodation we might enjoy as a student. It 

was very helpful to go round the colleges as, although we 

were assured everyone grows to love the college they go to, 

there was a significant difference in the size and ethos of the 

colleges which I had not fully appreciated before. We also 

had the opportunity to talk with a member of staff who was 

part of the admissions process and it was invaluable to hear, 

from her perspective, what the university was looking for. 

Although this was somewhat daunting, everyone on the trip 

came away with refreshed determination to apply and work 

hard enough to make this successful. 

The trip helped me appreciate what a wonderful place to 

study Oxford would be, not least because of the private 

tutorials which are unique to Oxford and Cambridge. The 

atmosphere there was wonderful and everyone was incredibly 

friendly and helpful throughout our stay. It was clear the 

university had done their best to ensure any queries we might 

have would be answered throughout the Open Days. There 

were talks on all subjects, tours available at the colleges, 

lectures on student life, drop in areas where you could chat to 

students and innumerable members of staff around to answer 

any questions. All this, along with the combination of the 

responsibility and advice offered by staff was brilliant and 

made for a thoroughly enjoyable trip. 

Joanna Boon (L4) 

SPANISH WORK EXPERIENCE 

During the Easter holidays, through the Halsbury Work 

Experience scheme, we were given the opportunity to spend 

a week in Spain. Salamanca, just two hours west of Madrid, 

was a fantastic destination with its beautiful buildings; it is also 

the most important university city in Spain generating a 

diverse, multicultural environment. 

The journey began by meeting twenty other students from 

across the UK at Stansted airport along with our two Halsbury 

leaders, Maria and Alex. Prior to our placements, the 

weekend gave us the chance to make friends and explore the 

city. Heather aspires to a career in chemistry and therefore 

the opportunity to work in a pharmacy was perfect. Along 

with practical tasks, communicating with the customers was a 

challenge, but also a great way to gain confidence. Hester 

wants to study Spanish at university and her placement in the 

nursery ‘Colorin Colorado’ provided an ideal learning 

environment to communicate on different levels with the 

children, parents and staff. 

The trip also further introduced us to Spanish culture as we 

adjusted to the different lifestyle; our typical working hours 

were broken up by the siesta. The demands and challenges 

faced throughout were highly beneficial especially before our 

AS examination in May. Halsbury run language trips across 

Europe and it is an excellent and enjoyable experience for any 

linguist. 

Hester Martin (L9) and Heather Tallents (L7) 

62 Trips


FRENCH WORK EXPERIENCE TRIP TO ARMENTIÈRES 

By the time we pulled into Armentières, anxiety had long 

since transformed into terror. From this point on I cannot 

speak for anyone but myself because we soon went our 

separate ways, but I think the situation was similar for us all. 

In my case, the dread was completely unfounded. I soon 

remembered that I had spent 6 years learning French and I 

found that the family were patient and helpful when it came 

to listening to me struggling to express myself. We all became 

used to the language remarkably quickly; when we met up in 

Lille three days later we all initially found it difficult to stop 

translating every thought into French. Experiences varied; 

stories included awkward family arguments, nearby attempted 

robberies, false accusations of shoplifting and one particularly 

eccentric drinks salesman. 

In June, some of the French A-Level students took part in a 

week of work experience in and around the small town of 

Armentières, near Lille in Northern France. Not only did we 

have to survive for a week in the French workplace, each of 

us had to stay, alone, with a genuine, card-carrying French 

family. In the days leading up to the trip, we were all looking 

forward to the prospect of honing our linguistic skills, 

expanding our vocabulary and eating as many croquemonsieurs 

as possible. As the Eurostar left London, however, 

attitudes changed, and the gravity of the situation slowly 

began to dawn on each one of us. The further from the 

comfort of effortless communication we travelled, the more 

we started to doubt ourselves: “What if I don’t get on with the 

children?” “What is my boss going to make me do?” “How 

do I ask for a spoon?” 

The variety and unpredictable nature of working in a 

completely foreign environment provided the kind of French 

lesson that is impossible to 

teach in the classroom. We 

each returned to England after 

six days feeling enriched, not 

just linguistically, but culturally 

and as people. That said, for 

the first few days back on 

home soil, discussions of all 

things French were strictly offlimits. 

Will Robinson (L5) 

GRASMERE 

On Saturday 7 th July excited pupils in the Second Year jumped 

onto minibuses and headed for Cumbria. The Grasmere trip 

was a great experience. Over the four days we took part in 

many different activities from hiking over the Langdale Pikes 

to getting absolutely drenched as we climbed up waterfalls in 

Langdale. We had great fun swimming in Stickle Tarn where 

we tried, but failed, to push the instructors in. The sun shone 

for three of the four days we were away which made the trip 

all the more enjoyable. We also mastered kayaking on 

Derwent Water and went rock climbing indoors at Keswick. A 

fantastic time was had by all. 

Sarah Stretton (2R) 

Trips 63


Ghyll scrambling involved 

negotiating routes up the 

waterfall, which this year had 

plenty of water in it, jumping in 

to plunge pools and taking a dip 

in full waterproofs in Stickle Tarn 

“4 Peaks Challenge” , 

Mr Cheslett’s route 

was very demanding 

(The four peaks were 

Loft Crag - 690m, 

Pike o’ Stickle - 703m, 

Harrison Stickle - 730m, 

Pavey Ark - 700m) 

Kayaking on Derwentwater . We 

learn not just how to kayak but 

also play games, do balancing 

acts and get to jump in the lake 

off the jetty 

Total distance: 4 

miles/6.5k 

Ascent: 822m 

Time: 6hours 30 mins 

PHYSICS TRIP TO CERN 

After a year of hard work, 21 of the Lower and Upper Sixth 

Physicists travelled to Geneva, in order to visit CERN. We 

started off by visiting the UN building. The building still 

retains the old League of Nations wing; it was very interesting 

to see the contrast between the old and new architecture. 

During the tour we were able to see several of the conference 

rooms and many of the amazing gifts given by the many 

member states of the UN. After a great lunch in the UN 

cafeteria we moved on to the exhibits at CERN, starting with 

the globe. The interactive exhibition was really interesting, 

especially as the staff provided us with a quiz! The icing on 

the cake came with the visit to the microcosm exhibit, which 

showed the technological advancements that have been 

made due to the research done at CERN. This ranged from 

the first ways of storing results of the tests to electrical parts 

that have been taken off the detectors. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent around Geneva allowing 

time for shopping, including the obvious chocolate shops and 

a chance to go down to the lake which we had seen from the 

plane. We finished off the day with a traditional meal in a 

typical Swiss restaurant named Edelweiss. The majority of the 

pupils and even some staff decided to go with a three course 

meal of fondue, fondue and finally even more fondue. To add


to the ambiance, a music group sporting traditional musical 

instruments played a variety of music ranging from ABBA to 

the Sound of Music (Edelweiss, of course). 

The next day the much anticipated tour of CERN meant 

getting up early. Once we arrived at CERN we started by 

watching a slide show on what CERN is and what takes place 

there. After the presentation we split off into two groups 

before visiting the ATLAS detector visitor centre, where we 

saw the control room where the detector’s temperature and 

other vital properties are monitored. The results of the 

experiments are also recorded in the control room which is 

under continuous observation. Lunch was in the cafe in 

CERN before we left for the Youth Hostel and headed for the 

airport and finally home. We would like to thank Mrs Fenton 

for organising the trip and Mr Killey and Mrs Lockwood also 

for looking after us. 

Fiona Hollin (L3) 

SNOWDONIA 

Thankfully we still had 

enough emergency rations! 

Then a tour of the Police Air 

Support Unit to find out 

about the role of helicopters 

A forecast of strong winds and snow meant that we could not 

tackle any high mountains so off to Aber Falls for lunch 

Trips 65


A visit to Ogwen Mountain Rescue Base learning about the equipment and practising scenarios 

Bushcraft – learning how to light a fire 

Scrambling 

Tryfan scrambling 

Adam and Eve on the summit of Tryfan 

– not for those with a fear of heights! 

C.S. Muscutt 

66 Music, Trips Drama and Art


MUSIC 

Once again it has been another busy and very rewarding year in 

the Music Department. Our pupils continue to show dedication 

and commitment, producing performances time and again of 

which the school can be extremely proud. Every day there is at 

least one rehearsal, often several, in preparation for the next 

concert, recital or service. And this year provided a fitting 

opportunity to celebrate the 525 th anniversary of the school 

through a number of musical events. 

For many the highlight of the year was the outstanding 

production of Oliver! in March. More than any other Music- 

Drama collaboration in recent years this was very much a 

celebration of the whole school and featured approximately 200 

boys and girls of all ages in a wide variety of roles both on-stage 

and off. The music was stunning from start to finish and 

congratulations go to every single member of the chorus and 

band as well as all the leads for their parts in such a memorable 

show. Special mention should also be made of Ollie Mills for 

composing and musically directing the excellent performances of 

Clusical with the Year Six pupils in the Junior School. This was the 

first such collaboration between the Senior and Junior schools in 

recent years and all the more impressive given that this took place 

some three weeks after Ollie had just starred as Fagin in Oliver! 

Choral Music continues to thrive at Stockport Grammar. 

Approximately 120 pupils in Chorus produced an outstanding 

performance of Haydn’s Nelson Mass in February at the Gala 

Choral Concert in the RNCM in collaboration with Chorale, 

Cheshire Sinfonia and professional soloists. Chamber Choir 

provided an uplifting start to this concert with a rousing 

performance of Handel’s The King Shall Rejoice and also lit up the 

Founders’ Day service with Mendelssohn’s O For the Wings of a 

Dove. Maddie Hardy should be congratulated on her delightful 

solo in this in front of the whole school, a feat she repeated 

equally well on Speech Day. Junior Singers have excelled again 

under the direction of Mrs Short and have given accomplished 

performances of repertoire ranging from Godfrey’s Day by Day to 

Rule the World by Take That. 

One of the highlights of the Autumn Concert was the 

performance of Strauss’ Horn Concerto in E flat by First 

Orchestra, with Stephen Dickie (U6) featuring as a highly 

distinguished soloist. It is an outstanding achievement to perform 

such a demanding piece at this age. String Orchestra has 

continued from strength to strength under the direction of Mr 

Griffith, and both pupils and audience alike greatly enjoyed the 

Piazzolla Latin American dances at the Autumn Concert that Mr 

Griffith himself had arranged. Pupils in Second Orchestra 

demonstrated that the future of instrumental music will be in safe 

hands with a polished account of a movement from Haydn’s 

Military Symphony conducted by Mrs Short. 

Mrs Taylor has worked extremely hard to develop and strengthen 

wind playing at SGS. All three of the wind bands have 

consistently given excellent performances throughout the year. 

Junior Band highlights have included pieces such as You’ve Got a 

Friend in Me, Jamaican Farewell and Spider Pig. Concert Band 

delighted audiences with the likes of Ritual Fire Dance, Stevie 

Wonder in Concert and The Final Countdown. Wind Orchestra 

have similarly impressed with pieces ranging from arrangements 

of Bizet’s Farandole and Custer’s Forest Gump Suite to the 

obligatory Sleigh Ride at the Christmas Concert. Moreover, those 

present will be unlikely to forget the memorable rendition of The 

Stripper at the Leavers’ Concert, and in particular the prominent 

solo contributions of Edward Greaves and Suzy Eames! 

A significant development in recent years has been the formation 

of the Brass Ensemble. This year the band has been stronger than 

ever thanks largely to the great encouragement and direction 

provided by Mrs Johnson, and performances at the Autumn and 

Summer Concerts were extremely well received. Mr Griffith has 

similarly led the establishment of a jazz tradition at SGS, and the 

bands have given excellent performances during the year of 

numbers such as Oye Como Va and Spain. The members of A 

Brighter Shade of Orange were invited to play in the Wellspring 

Variety Show at Stockport Plaza Theatre in December, presented 

by Gordon Burns, and impressed a full house with their 

performances of Hide and Seek, Here’s That Rainy Day and 

Sonnymoon for Two. Both of the Big Bands have similarly 

benefited from the outstanding leadership of Mr White, giving 

sparkling performances of numbers such as Route 66, Mack the 

Knife, Virtual Insanity and High Maintenance at the Leaver’s 

Concert. 

Interspersed between the above concerts, services and shows, 

several lunchtime and after-school recitals have provided 

opportunities for individual performances, and my thanks here go 

especially to Mrs Johnson for organising these. I should also 

congratulate all those that have conquered their nerves to 

perform solos on these occasions and also in the Music Festival, 

adjudicated by Mr Andrew Dean, which once again provided a 

fitting end to the year and displayed the outstanding talent of our 

musicians. 

The end of the Summer Term also featured a wonderful weekend 

of music-making and outdoor pursuits in the Lake District. In 

between sessions of ghyll walking, canoeing, archery, raft 

building, hill walking and orienteering, we rehearsed and 

performed various choral and instrumental numbers and found 

time for the traditional cabaret, featuring some excellent items… 

…….and also a number of other ones. (I think here largely of the 

staff item, which survived one or two changes in personnel this 

year to maintain the dreadful standard of recent years.) A special 

thank you again to Mrs Taylor for her meticulous organisation of 

the weekend. 

Finally, I should congratulate certain pupils on distinctive 

individual achievements: James Holt, Stephen Dickie and 

Edward Greaves gained places in the Hallé Youth Choir; Jennifer 

Kent was invited to join the National Youth Choir; Alex Jones 

(double bass) gained a place in the National Children’s Orchestra 

of Great Britain and Henry Brearley was awarded a Public Recital 

Prize at the Oundle Festival Advanced Organ Scholars’ Course. 

Overall, it has been a wonderful year. I repeat my thanks to all 

my colleagues in the Music department – Mrs Taylor, Mrs Short 

and Mrs Johnson – as well as all the peripatetic Music teachers, 

who collectively teach approximately 250 music lessons in the 

department each week. Thanks also to other academic staff, the 

caretakers and catering team for all their additional help with the 

running of concerts. 

M. Dow 

Music, Drama and Art 67


AUTUMN CONCERT 2011 

This year, the annual Autumn Concert went ahead having 

been cancelled last year when beaten by the November snow. 

Although stylistically a smaller scale event than the Christmas 

concert (which follows the week after), it was a requirement 

that the concert take place in the Dining Hall in order to fulfil 

the high demand of tickets. 

Junior Band kick-started the proceedings by performing 

Sparke’s arrangement of Jamaican Farewell, Randy Newman’s 

You’ve got a friend in me and Spider Pig, which was very much 

a favourite amongst band and audience alike. 

The Swing Things followed with two pieces that brought them 

away from their roots as a Jazz Band. They premiered a brand 

new Funk piece, Lime Green, written by the band’s pianist, 

Upper Sixth Former Ollie Mills and performed the Santana 

track, Oye Como Va, which required the players to sing in 

Portuguese. 

Apart from that, Junior Singers, conducted by Mrs Short, were 

the only vocal ensemble to appear in the concert, adding to 

the eclectic mix of styles and genres found in the programme. 

They performed a moving rendition of Sway, before lifting the 

mood once more with an arrangement of Journey’s Don’t 

Stop Believing. 

Stephen Dickie wowed the audiences with his virtuosic 

performance of Strauss’ Horn Concerto in Eb, accompanied 

by First Orchestra, bringing the first half of the concert to an 

impressive close. 

String orchestra opened the second half with three Spanish 

pieces, arranged for the ensemble by Mr Griffith. Brass 

ensemble proceeded to delight us with a tranquil rendition of 

Dear Lord and Father of Mankind and Second Orchestra 

showed the instrumental talent found in musicians lower 

down the school, performing the second movement of 

Haydn’s Military Symphony. The concert concluded with a 

performance by our second jazz band, A Brighter Shade of 

Orange, who were a fitting finale to what had been an evening 

of enjoyable and easy listening. 

Ollie Mills (U7) and Lorna Cole (U9) 



CHRISTMAS CONCERT 

In December, the Christmas Concert heralded the festive 

season with a wide variety of music. Concert Band opened 

the concert with a lively set of pieces, ranging from The Final 

Countdown to a Christmas version of the James Bond theme. 

This was followed by a small vocal ensemble performing the 

well-known Carol of the Bells. Senior Big Band contrasted this 

with numbers such as Bradley’s Groove Shop and Jordu. To 

finish the first half, the Wind Orchestra performed three 

pieces, sticking to tradition by ending with a rousing rendition 

of Sleigh Ride. 

Chorus began the second half with a less customary item, a 

medley of songs from the musical Miss Saigon. This featured 

solos by Charlotte Yandell, Tasmin Ray and Ollie Mills. Junior 

Big Band provided another spot of light relief and brought us 

the usual Christmas feeling, playing a big band version of 

Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Chamber Choir ended the 

evening with a reflective interpretation of The Christmas Song 

before wishing everyone a merry Christmas. We would like to 

thank all the teachers involved as it was a thoroughly 

enjoyable evening. As our last Christmas concert, this 

certainly provided a night to remember. 

Amy Wood (U2) 

The 25th February 2012, saw a return to the Royal Northern 

College of Music where both Chorus and Chamber Choir 

performed alongside the Chorale and the Cheshire Sinfonia. 

The concert opened with the Chamber Choir and Chorale 

singing The King Shall Rejoice by Handel, conducted by the 

Chorale’s conductor, Peter Stallworthy. The orchestra then 

gave a lovely performance of Mozart’s Symphony no. 38. 

After the interval, Chorus, again with the Chorale, gave an 

impressive performance of the Nelson Mass by Haydn, 

conducted by Mr. Dow. This was a tremendous experience 

for us to be involved in such a large scale choral work. 

GALA CONCERT AT THE RNCM 

The concert showed not only the sheer number of pupils who 

take an interest in singing at SGS, but the high quality to which 

they strive to achieve. It was enjoyed by all who attended and 

will hopefully lead to future successes at the RNCM. 

Suzanna Eames (U5) 



LEAVERS’ CONCERT 

As ever, the Leavers’ Concert was a highlight in the music 

calendar of the school; an emotional experience for a number 

of pupils, parents and staff – especially the Upper Sixth Form. 

This concert was the last opportunity for a particularly musical 

year of leavers to (collectively) showcase their musical talent 

amongst the many groups the school has to offer. I believe it 

was thoroughly enjoyed by all. 

The music began with Junior Big Band, conducted by Mr 

White. They played the bluesy Route 66 and then transported 

the audience to the Caribbean with St Thomas. They then 

finished with the very popular Mack the Knife. 

Chamber Choir, conducted by Mr Dow, followed with It was 

a lover and his lass and Who is Silvia? from Songs and Sonnets 

followed by the athletic (and very wordy) Renaissance piece Il 

est bel et bon. Mr White then returned with Big Band. They 

played Jamiroquai’s Virtual Insanity and the technically 

demanding High Maintenance; never before has the band 

looked and felt quite so tired at the end of their slot. 

Wind Orchestra, conducted by Mrs Taylor, concluded the first 

half with The Dambusters March and West Side Story’s 

America. The band was joined by vocalist Maddie Hardy for 

an arrangement of Feelin’ Good, resulting in lots of applause, 

cheering, whistling and a standing ovation from some. The 

interval began, officially, and the audience’s exit was meant to 

be accompanied by Wind Orchestra playing The Stripper. 

However, everyone stayed to watch and everyone was in 

stitches when Eddie Greaves and Suzy Eames left their 

instruments to provide, erm………., a visual performance to 

go with the music. Nothing too risqué, although clothes were 

certainly thrown into the audience and I discovered that I 

could still read music while crying with laughter. 

The second half began with Concert band, conducted by Mrs 

Taylor, playing The Ritual Fire Dance and Stevie Wonder in 

Concert. Everyone loves some Stevie Wonder, even if it 

doesn’t feature the man himself. Next up were Chorus, 

school’s largest musical ensemble, who sang California 

Dreamin’ and Wicked’s Dancing Through Life. 

Most importantly the Leavers’ Ensemble ended the 

proceedings. This year’s leavers decided to sing the theme 

from Friends, I’ll be there for you, in an arrangement 

coordinated by our very own Ollie Mills. Ollie also conducted 

the ensemble. The vocalists were backed by Yayha El Asmar 

on piano and younger pupils playing the guitar, bass and drum 

parts. The audience enjoyed this greatly and someone 

shouted for another rendition afterwards. Of course, they got 

their wish. At this point people were getting a bit emotional 

and even Ms Barrett had to fight back a tear in her closing 

announcement. 

On a personal note I’d like to thank this year’s leavers for 

being such role models to younger pupils and such good 

friends to me. You will be missed, truly, and the thought of 

having to step into your shoes next year is a daunting one. I 

hope your involvement within the musical life of the school 

has been unforgettable. 

Harry Vernon (L9) 

MUSIC TOUR 

Splitting into boys and girls choirs, we each rehearsed a 

mixture of popular songs, as well as some funny rounds, all in 

4 part harmony of course! After this relaxed rehearsal, filled 

with many laughs and giggles, we took to the grass for some 

recreational football and a game of rounders. You would not 

be wrong in thinking that the games were serious however, as 

they brought out the competitive side in staff and pupils alike. 

When it was finally too dark to see the ball, we all begrudgingly 

drifted back into the warm, to get some rest and prepare 

ourselves for what was sure to be an intensely fun day ahead. 

The Music Tour, as is always the case, was a major highlight of 

every participating pupil’s Summer Term. This year saw us 

back to the Outdoor Activity Centre Glaramara in the Lake 

District, a beautiful venue in an idyllic setting. With some of 

us having been there two years ago, we couldn’t wait to return. 

We departed on Friday 29th June with 50 pupils and staff and 

we can safely say that everyone enjoyed the coach ride there, 

singing along in true music tour fashion. We arrived just in 

time for dinner and everyone was pleased to be able to tuck 

into a home cooked, hearty meal, before the evening 

activities commenced. 


The next morning we got down to some serious music. After 

first rehearsing some upbeat, well known instrumental music, 

followed by more singing, we all bounded into lunch for some 

more excellent food. The afternoon saw our first activity. We 

went kayaking, and despite the miserable weather, we all had 

a great time. Initial concerns about getting wet were cast 

aside once we were moving and by the end of the activity, 

everyone was in the lake, laughing their heads off. Once 

again our competitive sides were revealed as we played on 

(and off) shore games. The water fight that broke out in the 

middle of Lake Windermere, was probably a highlight for 

everyone involved. 

We then returned back to Glaramara and once showered, 

warm and dry again, we had two hours to prepare for what 

was inevitably going to be the highlight of the trip – the 

cabaret! There was not a room free in the centre, with groups 

rehearsing for the performance to come, and although we 

were lucky enough to have a piano to practice on, it provided 

us with some interesting out-of-tune notes that we weren’t 

aware existed! 

The air was crackling with excitement in the evening as 

cabaret was due to begin. Hosted once again by Ollie Mills, 

along with some ‘special guests’, everyone was awaiting in 

apprehension at what musical (or non-musical!) features 

would hit them during the evening. The biggest hit was, as 

always, the staff ensemble, which had everyone in fits of 

laughter. Everybody was a part of the cabaret in some way 

and we all had a great evening, laughing at ourselves and 

others alike! This well-humoured night is always truly 

memorable and this year’s was no different. The event drew 

to a close with an emotional finish as the Upper Sixth realised 

that they were on their last tour with the music family of SGS, 

but we all pulled through and started the Macarena in the 

living room, Glee style, to take our minds off it! 

With tired heads, we went to bed with thoughts of our last day 

approaching. We woke, had breakfast and set out on our last 

activity. We gorge walked, which involved climbing a river in 

huge teddy-bear suits, and it is safe to say that it was definitely 

refreshing. If we hadn’t already been fully awake, we 

certainly were after that! Sliding down the flow and 

clambering through a tunnel, put a lot of us in an 

uncomfortable situation, but we all managed to conquer 

something that day and we returned back to the centre in high 

spirits for the performance to follow. 

With the technical expertise of Mr. Flaherty and Mr. White, 

we were lucky enough to be able to record our performances 

on the final day. Splitting into wind and strings sections, we 

jazzed away to a ‘Blues Brothers Medley’, while the strings 

thoroughly enjoyed their rendition of ‘The Girl from 

Ipanema’. More singing followed, with ‘Uptown Girl’ and a 

Beatles Medley being the boys’ hits, whilst the girls embarked 

on a gorgeous rhyming round all about a fictional life of 

Mozart on a go-kart in ‘A la Karte’. Finally, we all came 

together for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The music recorded was 

put on a CD which was given to every member of the music 

tour ‘family’ for them to take home and listen to. 

With the performance over, it started to rain, as always seems 

to be the case when we need to pack up the coach, and we 

departed the centre for another year, enjoying the coach ride 

home. The music still didn’t stop, with another rendition of 

all the songs sung and learnt over the past three days and with 

many tired voices we can safely say that this year’s music tour 

was yet another busy trip and a great success. 

This amazing trip would never have happened without a 

committed group of teachers, who are not only great support 

for everyone, but also great fun too. Many thanks go to Mr 

Flaherty, Mr White, Dr Glarvey (a new valuable member of 

the tour family), Mr Dow and of course Mrs Taylor, without 

whom this trip would not have been possible. 

Zoe Harris (L8) and Rosie Broadbent (L8) 



MUSIC FESTIVAL WINNERS 2012 

First Year Instrumental Solo 

Second Year Instrumental Solo 

Highly Commended 

Third Year Instrumental Solo 


Fourth and Fifth Year Instrumental Solo 


Sixth Form Instrumental Solo 


Junior Vocal Solo 

Intermediate Vocal Solo 


Senior Vocal Solo 


Elsa Shah 

Alex Jones 

Emily Howling 

Marcus Page 

Simon Fraser 

Sam Gilliatt 

Alex Smith 

Naomi Clarke 

Edward Greaves 

Ali Drabu 

Jenny Kent 

Henry Brearley 

Charlotte Yandell 

Natalie Clarke 

Oliver Mills 

Junior Ensemble 


Senior Ensemble 


Georgia Curwen 

Emily Howling 

Alex Jones 

Emily Howling 

Elsa Shah 

Sam Arrowsmith 

Naomi Clarke 

Lorna Cole 

Edward Greaves 

Zoe Harris 

Oliver Mills 

Jamie Rahman 

Harry Vernon 

Amy Wood 

Naomi Clarke 

Lorna Cole 

Oliver Mills 

Elspeth Wallace 

Wind and Brass Cup String Cup Pianoforte Cup 

Edward Greaves Alex Jones Sam Gilliatt 

Flute Trophy 

Hannah Clayton 

Most Promising Lower School Musician 

Alex Jones 

Adjudicator’s Cup 

Naomi Clarke 



CityUNITED 

The Autumn Term saw the production of CityUNITED, a 

brand new, never before seen play written by our very own 

Mr Howson. CityUNITED took us through the romantic story 

of a world ruled by football, where an oppressive referee, 

played by Sam Arrowsmith, makes the choices not only where 

the game is concerned, but in the lives of everyone in the 

community. 

Set twenty years into the future, the world is crumbling and 

the people are torn apart by their home teams-City and 

United. Amongst the turmoil and chaos on the streets, two 

lovers from opposite sides: Jack, played by Cyrus Bulsara, and 

Wendy, played by Liza Vul, are desperately searching for a 

way to escape the referee’s grasp. Accompanying them in 

their escape plan are an elderly couple, played by Jonny 

Collins and Leah Allcock, who are willing to risk everything for 

freedom. The play culminates in a final game of football 

which will decide their fates. 

Add in a few references to Shakespeare, some Bruce 

Springsteen, and a little wit and sarcasm, and you have a play 

about the tribal nature of football and the right to freedom. 

Mr Howson, who was also director, rehearsed tirelessly with 

an enthusiastic cast to show the play for two nights, in which 

it was a huge success and left the audience with a compelling 

thought of what the world would be like if it were ruled by 

football. We would like to thank Mr Howson for putting on 

such a fantastic show, which we thoroughly enjoyed being 

part of! 

Liza Vul and Elizabeth Worthington (5K) 

CLASSICS PLAY: THE PERSIANS 

and entertaining dramatic performance that also presents its 

audiences with difficult questions about themselves and 

modern society. This year’s production of The Persians was no 

different. Through this ancient play with its complex language 

and alien style, we were forced to confront the very real, very 

topical issue of animosity between east and west and to ask 

ourselves, over 2000 years later, why we have not learned 

from the past. 

For the ancient Greeks going to the theatre wasn’t just about 

being entertained. Playwrights felt a responsibility to educate 

their audience and they created dramas which compelled 

their audience to question aspects of their society and which 

tried to provoke discussion on the human condition. Mr 

Thorley’s productions of Greek tragedy continue this 

tradition: last year’s production of Trojan Women brought 

home the realities, not only of the Holocaust, but of the 

displacement of women and children in any war, and 

Antigone in the previous year inspired its audiences with 

individuals who had put their lives on the line to stand up for 

their beliefs. Every year, the Classics play provides a thrilling 

This issue was made clear from 

the outset. Amy Wood’s chilling 

performance of a monologue, 

“Left Behind”, written by Maddie 

Hardy, forced the audience to 

consider how we can ever know 

who is on the side of ‘right’ in war 

and to look upon the individuals, 

the innocents who are often left 

to suffer most. Naomi Clarke’s 

cold and distant soldier, acting 

‘under orders’, really drove home 

the emotional and physical 

suffering of the woman left 

behind by the young male 

‘heroes’. This short drama, 

written and performed by 

students in the current Upper 


controlled emotion of the Persian queen, left behind when her 

son went to war and, despite her youth and completely 

different life experience, she was credible in the role. 

Perhaps the most dramatic moment of The Persians is the 

appearance of the ghost of King Darius. Tom Fawcett played 

this role superbly, delivering an intensely dramatic speech that 

made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The 

audience held its collective breath as he held us captivated, 

berating his son Xerxes (Alex Collingwood) for his hubris in 

attacking Greece. Alex Collingwood was excellent as the 

young king, struggling to justify his actions in the face of 

defeat. Together the three (Ayoni, Tom and Alex) effectively 

portrayed the dynamics of the royal family, grappling with 

both a private grief and a public sense of loss. 

Sixth, set the tone for the evening, one of intensity and gravity, 

and highlighted the central themes of the Greek tragedy to 

follow, such as the woman left behind, the loss of young life, 

how the actions and decisions of those in charge impact on 

individuals, and, most prominently, the endless animosity 

between east and west. 

The Persians is the only surviving Greek tragedy to have a plot 

based on history rather than mythology. Not only was its 

subject historical, it was taken from fairly recent history, 

describing the aftermath of a war that many members of the 

contemporary audience would have remembered. What 

makes it more interesting is that it focuses wholly on the 

‘enemy’ of the audience, the losers of the war, just as 

Maddie’s short play did. What came across strongly in both 

plays was the sense that the enemy was both unquestionably 

foreign and at the same time unquestionably human. 

From the outset, the staging transformed Hallam Hall into a 

Persian palace. The set, created again by Dave Matthews, 

beautifully and authentically recreated Assyrian architecture, 

immediately transferring the audience to ancient Persia. The 

costumes had been designed and made by Mrs Vernon and 

her Lower Sixth Textiles set (Stephanie Hargreave, Amy 

Hickson, Pippa Simons and Kelsey Nolan). They were both 

authentic and breath-taking. Beautiful and alien at the same 

time, they captured the feel of the foreign, alien and ancient 

world. The masks of the chorus, researched and made, again, 

by Lower Sixth students (Stephanie Hargreave and Holly 

Travis), were amazing. Cut in profile to echo images from 

ancient Persian art, they had the appearance of actual stone 

and cleverly enabled the chorus to be presented as a unified 

group in an effective and powerful way. The way they masked 

who was speaking created an eerie effect which had the 

added benefit of allowing the audience to focus on the words 

of the chorus. The costumes and set design certainly 

enhanced what was an exciting and intense performance. 

The language of The Persians with its complex, foreign names 

would be easy to stumble over, but the actors, especially the 

chorus (Toby Jones, Walid Hassoon, Ben Hayes, Will 

Robinson, James Earley, Luke Cawthorn), many of whom were 

in their first dramatic roles, and the messenger (Sam Allport), 

performed professionally, delivering outstanding 

performances, as they spoke of their fallen friends. These 

characters provided an emotional balance to the controlled 

response of the queen. However, the costumes, masks and 

language ensured that the characters retained their 

foreignness and thus distance from the audience, just as they 

would have for an ancient audience. 

As always, the special attribute of Mr Thorley’s direction was its 

ability to highlight the relevance of the ancient play for a 

modern audience. In this production, the programme and the 

short dramas preceding each performance of the play helped to 

highlight this, but within the play itself, the audience was given 

quotes and examples from history which forced us to focus on 

this continued animosity. We were forced question this ‘us’ and 

‘them’ view, to question whether ‘us’ = ‘civilised’ and ‘them’ = 

‘barbaric’, to wonder why the same war has been fought so 

many times throughout history: will we ever learn? 

The Persians was an impressive, insightful, and intense 

performance of Greek tragedy. The remoteness of the setting 

was awesome but the inspired staging made its message both 

accessible and powerful. It was a triumph in every aspect and 

a credit to all involved. 

Gemma Ball (Ex SGS Staff) 

From her arrival on stage, Ayoni Medagoga, carried herself as 

a royal and exotic queen. Wearing an exquisite and luxurious 

gown she took to her throne with a regal air which she 

maintained throughout the play. Her performance showed the 

74 Music, Drama and Art


OLIVER! TITLE 

Many students took to the stage in their first experience of 

theatre at school. With many young cast members, including 

the lead, Alexander Grant, who was in the First Year, it gave 

opportunities for all years to be involved. Not only was a lot 

of work put in on stage, but also backstage with a huge 

support crew consisting of lighting and sound technicians, 

stage hands, make-up artists, set and programme designers 

and of course the wonderful orchestra, which was comprised 

of some of the best musicians in the school. 

Oliver! was one of the dramatic and musical highlights of the 

year. The well-known musical written by Lionel Bart, based 

on the original novel by Charles Dickens, was the life of nearly 

200 pupils at the school, for many months. The four shows 

would not have been pulled off without almost a year’s work 

of rehearsing, starting with scripting and of course casting. 

From then on, the committed cast were stretched to their 

maximum both vocally and physically, as this upbeat musical 

came with many group songs and routines, that all had to be 

ship-shape before the performances in March. 

The school recruited a dance teacher, Abbie Downing to push 

us to our limits and to really help us get into the characters 

that would be typically found on the 19 th Century streets of 

London. With our dance shoes on, the cast were split into 

youngsters, known as ‘Fagin’s Gang’ and the rest of us were 

placed in the street scenes, with roses and apples and books 

galore, to sell of course! 

With all hands on deck, we managed to produce four 

incredibly successful performances and the box office hit will 

be remembered as one of the best, most professional 

performances in the school’s history. This, however, could not 

have been achieved without the amazing effort and 

commitment of the staff involved. We are all grateful to the 

willing teachers who volunteered their evenings to prevent 

any backstage chaos and also those who assisted on the door. 

Thanks go to a long list of individual staff; to Mrs Lockwood 

for providing the lighting, yet again, and Abbie, the 

choreographer, without whom our dancing skills would not 

have been allowed to shine. Without Mr Dow’s musical 

direction, chorus numbers and solos would have been lacking 

and Mr Flaherty, our own Cameron Mackintosh, who pulled 

all the backstage crew together. Our final thanks go to our 

forever enthusiastic director Mrs Moffatt, whose theatrical eye 

made the performances ones to remember. 

Rosie Broadbent and Catherine Sharples (L8) 

OLDER CHORUS 

ROSIE BROADBENT’S (L8) STORY: 

This was the first school musical I had been in and I 

thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I loved working with all 

the pupils and I made many new friends from all years. 

Feeling a part of such a great team was amazing as we all 

loved what we were doing and the happiness shared was of 

reminder of why I love music so much! 

CATHERINE SHARPLES’ (L8) STORY: 

Having always had an active involvement in theatre, musical 

and otherwise, outside the school, Oliver! was an opportunity 

to share my dramatic passion in another part of my life. The 

rehearsals may have been time-consuming and exhausting at 

times, but this reminds me what I love about the practice: the 

commitment. Both on and off-stage, a tremendous effort was 

put in, making the show the success that it was. I think I speak 

for all cast when I say that everyone could enjoy the show 

with or without prior experience of musical theatre. 

Music, The Drama Year’s and News Art 75


TITLE 

YOUNGER CHORUS: 

WILL WICKS’ (2Q) STORY: 

I enjoyed my experience in Oliver!, as it was really fun being 

a part of something including the whole student body. In 

Oliver! I learnt to work in a team, I also learnt to manage my 

time better, as rehearsals were regular and time consuming. I 

also improved my singing and acting skills. This has been a 

great experience that I will remember for a very long time. 

LEAD ROLES: 

NATALIE CLARKE’S (L5) STORY: 

Playing the role of Nancy was an amazing experience. In 

particular, I enjoyed getting to know students from other 

years, who I would otherwise have never met. Performing in 

front of a packed audience every night, as well as the chance 

to work with the brilliant backstage crew, were all highlights of 

the show for me. 

BACKSTAGE: 

OLIVIA GORRIE (L3) AND LUCY COBB (L6): 

During our time as stage managers of the school production of 

Oliver!, we learnt many things, one of these being how to 

work as a team with the fellow stage managers. Working 

behind the scenes and experiencing all the effort which goes 

into such a huge production was a thoroughly enjoyable 

experience. The strong friendships formed will stay with us 

for a long time and the skills we have gained will help in later 

life. 

GEORGIA CURWEN (2U): 

When I found out that I was going to be part of the chorus in 

Oliver! I couldn’t have been happier as I knew how high the 

standards of SGS productions are because I had seen them 

before, the Wizard of Oz and Les Miserables were some of my 

favourites. Little did I know just how much work is needed to 

put on a musical like this. There was a rehearsal almost every 

single day that consisted of learning the songs at first and 

finally learning dance routines. Because of this we had to put 

in a lot of our time and effort. Mrs Moffatt said that a play is 

like a swan swimming, the audience sees a swan gliding across 

water but its legs are working like crazy under the water. 

Backstage had a lot to do to ensure props were in the right 

place at the right time, to sort out the cast and put makeup on 

everyone; it made us tired just watching them rush to and fro. 

All of the hard work and effort really paid off and we felt so 

proud of ourselves when we got our applause at the end of 

the performance. Standing on that stage with the entire 

audience clapping, standing and whistling is one of the best 

feelings in the world! 



BLITHE SPIRIT 

A farce of a farce. What better way to describe this year’s Sixth 

Form production of Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward. 

Performing a play is never the easiest task. Managing a group 

of 17-year-old teenagers is an even harder task, and 

performing a play in just five days is near impossible. Despite 

this, we took on the challenge. 

As we all arrived at school on that bright sunny morning in 

June to begin our first rehearsal, there was an air of quiet 

confidence and optimism amongst the cast. This did not last 

long. The day started badly, with Luke Howarth being the 

only one of our two directors there to guide us. Despair 

increased throughout the day as we began to realise that none 

of us knew our lines. Fantastic. We still ended the day quietly 

hopeful that everything would naturally come together. 

The next day we were all pleased by the return of our second 

director Abbie Jones. Our optimism renewed, we were eager 

to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse to get it perfect. Still 

something was missing; the character of Charles Condomine, 

played by Tom Fawcett. After spending half of the morning 

trying to contact him, with no success, we attempted to 

rehearse the play without him; not the easiest task to achieve 

when he features in around 90% of the play. The next 

morning we received a message that Tom had had his tonsils 

removed. No set, no costumes, no Tom, no memory of our 

lines and only three days left until the performance. Then 

Jamie Rahman arrived mouthing the words “guys, I’ve lost my 

voice”. This was all just too much. 

no hurry to remember it. As the audience took to their seats 

(unaware that our director Abbie was hiding under the table 

centre stage, or that director Luke was hiding behind an 

armchair both prompting the cast) we knew we could do this. 

Adrenaline kicked in and the play began. Despite his voice 

issues earlier in the week, Jamie Rahman truly captured the 

role of the eccentric psychic Madame Arcarti, not even 

blinking an eye when makeup artist Ayoni Medagoda slapped 

on the makeup. Elle Harper pulled off the part of Ruth 

Condomine perfectly; sipping many a glass of wine (water) in 

between lines to sooth her poor lost voice. Tom’s 

performance as Charles Condomine was masterly and Alice 

Carr’s portrayal of the jealous (and very much dead) Elvira 

effectively spooked the audience. Sam Allport and Natalie 

Clarke showed a true chemistry on stage in their parts of Dr 

and Mrs Bradman. It was during the performance that we 

truly made Blithe Spirit our own. Not knowing our lines no 

longer mattered, with every member of the cast filling 

awkward silences with witty comments and improvisation. 

The audience laughed more at our blunders than the written 

jokes and were by now very aware of the indiscreet and 

frantic prompting from under the table and behind the sofa. 

In spite of the week’s stresses, the play was a true success. 

Not only did the audience enjoy it, but we did too. A huge 

thanks to everyone involved; cast, crew and Mrs Moffatt. It 

was the efforts made by all that made Blithe Spirit the true 

success and farce it deserved to be. 

Martha Watson (L4) 

Day four was our first rehearsal day with all cast members 

present but still there was only one way to describe it. A 

disaster. It was then that the true abomination that was our 

play hit home. Panic set in. We rushed around finding props, 

muttering our lines in between scenes, hunting down missing 

cast members. Then Mrs Moffatt arrived, bringing order to the 

chaos. We worked and worked, trying our absolute best. We 

left school that night prepared for the long night of learning 

our lines. 

Thursday. This was the day. The sun shone and we erected 

our set in the Sixth Form Quad, ready for the performance 

that evening. Everything was going well (undeterred by Elle 

losing her voice); and then the heavens opened. We dashed 

inside to avoid the thunderstorm that seemed to last forever, 

watching the rain pour down onto the set we had so lovingly 

created. At last, the rain stopped and we ventured outside to 

discover what was left of our play. Two hours to go. 

The next stage of preparation is a complete blur and I am in


NOTES FROM LEONARDO 

While it is too simplistic to sum up teaching as a series of events 

and deadlines that take place over a period of twelve months 

and then repeat themselves ad infinitum, it would be easy to 

believe that there is a degree of truth to be found in that 

definition. I am fortunate, therefore, to be part of a school in 

which a serious work ethic exists among the pupils that ensures 

that teaching the subject never becomes routine or stale and 

where the work that emanates out beyond the department can 

been seen across the school throughout the year. 

A regular part of the school calendar, and indeed, the 

culmination of the year for our GCSE and A level pupils, is the 

end of year show. For many this is the stepping stone onto the 

next stage of their art education and among our A level 

candidates this year were pupils who have been accepted to 

study Architecture, Fashion and Photography at degree level 

and also onto the Art Foundation course. It is by no means a 

straightforward application process for those choosing to 

pursue a course in these disciplines however, and, as well as 

the work that was displayed as part of their A level show, each 

pupil had been required to prepare a separate portfolio and 

produce a response to a set task which they then took to 

interview. I am pleased to report that all our candidates were 

successful in their applications and we wish them well in their 

future studies. 

Of course, not all those that study the subject at GCSE or A 

level choose to opt for an Arts based degree. Nonetheless, 

judging by the number of pupils, parents, staff and governors 

“It’s not a matter of painting life, it’s 

a matter of giving life to painting.” 

Pierre Bonnard 

who regularly attend the show, there is no doubting the level 

of significance they attach to it. This year visitors were once 

again treated to a tremendous display of work at each level and 

which merited the many praiseworthy comments that were 

forthcoming on the night. Perhaps most impressive is the lack 

of a ‘house-style’ that exists and the range of media that pupils 

use in the development of their work which encompasses 

painting, textiles, photography, print and sculpture. 

Of course, for there to be a successful end of year show, there 

needs to be a prolonged and sustained period of study leading 

up to it. For the Sixth Form, this begins with two days spent 

out of school making visual recordings (drawing) that are then 

used in their subsequent developmental studies when they 

return to the studio. This year, we chose to visit a new site, 

Salford Quays, as it provided an interesting environment with 

plenty of contrasting elements: steel and glass architecture, 

reflection, water, perspective etc. This was followed a few 

days later with a shorter session around the Castlefield Basin 

in central Manchester, another mine of good source material. 

These out of school visits are always challenging, and often 

attract a good deal of attention from members of the public 

(not all of it beneficial to the process!) but the outcomes are 

often superb and provide encouragement to those pupils 

initially intimidated by the scale of their subject matter. 

It is the department’s firm belief that there is real benefit to be 

had in understanding the subject in broad terms and, to that 

end, the London trip that takes place 

early in the Autumn Term is always very 

useful. There can be no substitute for 

seeing Art ‘live’ and, although the 

day can seem quite exhausting, it is 

of great benefit in getting pupils to 

The Fifth Year on the steps of 

The Walker Gallery, Liverpool 

respond to the subject and to 

develop their critical 

understanding. Later in the 

year, the GCSE pupils spend 

a day visiting the Walker 

Gallery in Liverpool and this, 

too, is invaluable in assisting 

them in their response to the 

GCSE examination paper. 

Winners of the Oliver! ticket 

design competition 

We value opportunities for 

work to be seen by a wider 

audience, both the 

competition to design the 

front and back cover for the 

School Carol Service at St 

George’s Church, won by 

Gwen Harris and Rebecca 

Hill, as well as the ticket 

design for the school’s 

production of Oliver, 

proved to be popular and 

attracted a very high 

standard of entries. 

The Sixth Form outside the National Gallery in London 



Jessica Hadfield 

Further afield, the Living Edge Annual Schools’ Art 

Competition displayed the work of Jessica Hadfield, Gwen 

Harris and Rebecca Hosfield in an impressive exhibition held 

at The Lowry in Salford. While all three of our pupils can be 

very pleased with their achievement, Jessica deserves 

particular praise for finishing as runner-up in the senior 

category with her large, and very accomplished, abstract 

painting. Later in the year Helen Topham, also of the Upper 

Rebecca 

Hosfield 

Sixth, was shortlisted from 

almost 1500 entries for the Royal 

Academy’s Annual A level 

Exhibition - a tremendous 

achievement in the first year that 

the school has submitted work. 

Helen Topham 

Gwen Harris 

Perhaps the most noteworthy event of the year however, took place during the Easter 

holiday when the department joined the school’s historians on the USA trip to New York, 

Philadelphia and Washington. The opportunity to visit some of the most important 

collections of Art held anywhere in the world was not lost on those that went and the 

experience was nothing short of fantastic. In New York, the party visited The MoMa and 

The Guggenheim and then, in Washington, The National Museum of Art, The National 

Museum of American Art and The Philips Collection. It goes without saying the debt of 

thanks owed to all those staff who accompanied the trip and particularly to Mr Russell 

whose impeccable organisation assured its success. I should also add that the good-natured 

spirit among the pupils made the trip all the more pleasant. 

I began by stating that teaching art at SGS never becomes 

routine or stale and, looking forward to next year, the diary 

seems already busy with possibilities. Along with my 

colleagues Mrs Beckett, Miss Upton, Dr Kamplemann and Mrs 

Perkins I am sure that with so much talent among our boys and 

girls we can look forward 

and be optimistic for 

what next year will bring. 

R. A. Davies 



Clockwise from top left: 

Natural forms, Niamh Clarke 1T, ink; 

Boot, Emily Dixon 1T, pencil on paper; 

Still life, Erin Gaughan 1R, mixed media; 

Untitled, Natasha Lodhi 3U, card; 

Untitled, Tom Pearse 3R, card; 

Trapeze, Libby Colbert 2Q, wire; 

Running man, William Rothwell 2Q, wire; 

Studies for a wire figure, Amy Griffiths 2Q, pencil on paper.



Portrait, Jessie Brook 2S, ink; 

Portrait, Lilia Sebouai 2Q, ink; 

Untitled, Georgie Blears 3R 

and Ella Bromley 3R, 

pencil crayon; 

Rugby player, Hannah Collins 3Q, 

pencil on paper; 

Rugby player, Louis Jones 3W, 

pencil on paper.


Clockwise from top left: Self-portrait, Gwen Harris, mixed media; Untitled, Victoria Cartwright, acrylic; 

Still life, Shannon Marsh, acrylic; Untitled, Daniel Thorburn, mixed media.

Clockwise from 

top left: 

Shopfronts, Amber 

Maguire, acrylic; 

Covent Garden, 

Xav Warburton, ink; 

Coast, 

Jennifer Warwick, 

batik; 

Still life, 

Jed Holloway, 

pencil. 

The Stopfordian 2011–2012


Clockwise from top left: Untitled, Lucy Pilling, acrylic; Coast, Meredith Ellis, acrylic; Untitled, Charlotte Sheard, mixed media; Carp, Nicola Ellwood, acrylic.



Hibiscus, Mari-Elena 

Tittle, acrylic; 

Untitled, 

Jennifer Warwick, 

mixed media; 

Untitled, 

Hannah Taylor, acrylic; 

Untitled, 

Lucy Rowe, acrylic; 

Withy Grove Stores, 

Portia Hunt, pencil.


Bridge, Daniel Paigge, pencil on paper 

Untitled, Kelsey Nolan, mixed media. 

Circuit Board, William Robinson, acrylic on canvas.


Bridge, Arabella Kasler, dry-point; 

Castlefield, Daniel Paigge, photogram; 

Gran, Arabella Kasler, acrylic on canvas; 

Self-portrait, Katherine Weeks, batik; 

Grids, Alexander Pollard, clay. 

The Stopfordian 2011–2012


Above: Hangers, Sofia Jassim, acrylic on canvas. 

Cloisters, Charlotte Garner, acrylic on canvas.


Untitled 

Jessica Hadfield, 

Acrylic on Canvas. 

African Landscape, Sarah Hindle, pastel on paper


Untitled, Kate Mitchell, mixed media on paper. 

Figure study, Yasmeen Elturkie, pastel on paper


Above left and right: Hanging Forms, Helen Topham, acrylic on canvas.


SPORT 

It is with pride that we can reflect on another fine year of sport 

at the School. Record numbers of our pupils have 

represented teams and a growing number of others are taking 

part in activities throughout the week. Weather permitting, 

sport takes place every Saturday throughout the year. This is 

in addition to mid-week fixtures and the many sporting clubs 

and activities that form an important part of the week. The 

spectrum of achievement is wide. The pinnacle was reached 

this year by two of our pupils. Both Martha Watson (Hockey) 

and James Flynn (Rugby) were selected to represent England. 

This is an incredible achievement and I hope that their success 

will inspire others to follow in the future. 

My thanks go to the Catering, Caretaking and Grounds 

departments for all their support throughout the year and also 

to the many parents who brave the elements on Saturday 

mornings. My thanks also go to the team of academic staff 

who coach teams and run activities throughout the year, and 

to my colleagues in the PE Department who work tirelessly to 

make the provision of sporting opportunities so outstanding at 

the School. 

C. J. Wright 

Sports captains 2011-12 

RUGBY 

The 2011-12 rugby season was one of un-paralleled success, 

on both a regional and national scale. 

The Senior teams had an excellent season with the 1 st XV 

(sponsored by Brooks Macdonald Wealth Management) 

progressing to the Quarter-Finals of the Daily Mail Vase 

competition, where they succumbed to The Leys’ School in 

Cambridge who went on to win the competition. The 2 nd XV, 

under Mr Urwin’s expert tutelage, had their most successful 

season in recent memory, only losing one game throughout 

their campaign. 

National success was not only limited to the 1 st XV, with the 

outstanding U15 side, under Mr Hanson’s masterful guidance, 

experiencing unrivalled success throughout the season 

winning 16 games and in the process scoring an impressive 

817 points. One of the best age-group sides to have been 

seen at Stockport Grammar, they made it all the way to the 

last 16 of the Daily Mail Cup competition before losing to an 

outstanding side, and eventual winners of the competition, 

The Grammar School at Leeds. The squad was equally 

impressive on the Sevens circuit, claiming the titles at the 

prestigious Myles Marshall Sevens, the Giggleswick Sevens 

and runner’s up in the Cheshire Sevens. 

The Junior sides acquitted themselves very well on a number 

of levels. The U14s progressed to the Cheshire Cup semifinals 

and played some exciting rugby under Mr Hilton and Mr 

Cottrell, winning 14 of their 19 games. The U13s made 

excellent progress thanks to Mr Ehegartner and Mr Bowden 

and finished the season winning silverware at the KEQMS 

Sevens and The King’s 

School’s tournament. Mr 

Wright and Mr Morton 

worked tirelessly with the 

U12s, who in their first 

season showed a lot of 

potential for the future. 

James Flynn, 1 st XV Captain, 

was rewarded for an 

excellent season by being 

selected to represent 

England U18 Clubs and 

Schools and it was just 

reward for his hard work 

and dedication. A record 

number of players received representative honours and are 

involved in the EPDG at Sale Sharks. 

I would like to thank Mr Urwin, Mr Hanson, Mr Hilton, Mr 

Cottrell, Mr Ehegartner, Mr Bowden, Mr Wright, Mr Morton 

and Mr Grant for their unstinting support throughout the year, 

without whom it would not be possible to run so many teams. 

The Grounds staff continue to work wonders and produce the 

best playing surfaces in the region. Finally I would like to 

thank all of the parents for their continued support of rugby at 

Stockport Grammar School and I can assure you that the 

future is most definitely bright! 

E. H. Corbett 

80 Sport


Senior Rugby squad 

1ST XV RUGBY 

Played 19 Won 12 Lost 7 For 473 Against 293 

At the start of each season we always set ourselves a goal; this 

year our target was to win more games than we lost. This 

season we won 12 games and lost 7, a huge improvement on 

the previous season’s record of winning 8 and losing 8. This 

reflects the hard work and effort that the Senior squad has put 

in this year. 

The hard work started at pre-season training, with the 

dreaded bleep test and a couple of gruelling fitness sessions 

taken by a specialist coach, but the boys got stuck in, dug 

deep and this attitude was maintained throughout the year. 

We decided to take on a more professional approach to the 

season, with fitness sessions across the week and I believe this 

was a large contributing factor to the success of the team. 

Such success on the pitch culminated in wins, such as beating 

Cheadle Hulme 68-12; this is always a closely contested 

battle, being the local derby and many of the players knowing 

the opposition. For the first game of the season we could not 

have asked for anything more from the players and I would 

like to make special mention to Mark Cox and Ben Hayes who 

performed brilliantly in the centres, with Mark Cox scoring a 

hat-trick. Other wins included beating Audenshaw 44-0 and 

Rishworth 19-6. 

However, I believe the standout performance was against 

Bolton School, always a highly ferocious game, which we won 

18-7. The commitment and effort that was put in from the 

lads was the best I have ever seen in a Stockport Grammar 

shirt. This game was the turning point in the season and in the 

development of the young players such as Si Hardy and Tom 

Morton. 

1st XV Rugby Squad 

The middle of the season is often a very complex period and 

especially after Christmas when training is limited. 

Unfortunately, there were a few disappointing losses, but the 

mind-set and work ethic brought about victories in important 

Daily Mail matches, where hard fought games over Rishworth 

and Dutchess Community College took us to the Daily Mail 

vase quarter final, which is the furthest the 1 st XV has reached 

in many years. This was a result of countless hours of training 

and huge sacrifice from each and every player throughout the 

squad as well as the coaching staff. 

After travelling down to Cambridge, it was unfortunate to 

come away with a loss, but many of the younger players were 

able to gain vital experience in playing such important and 

high profile matches which will undoubtedly assist them in 

similar scenarios in the future. 

Sport 81


It is often the players that get the attention and praise for 

certain performances; however, all this could not have been 

achieved without the huge amount of dedication and effort 

that has been put in by the coaches, Mr. Corbett and Mr. 

Urwin. I would just like to say a huge thank you for doing so 

much - the season would not have been anywhere near as 

successful as it was without the support, dedication and 

passion that you both gave throughout the year. 

Finally, I would like to finish by saying that it was a huge 

privilege and honour that I could spend my last year at 

Stockport Grammar School as 1 st XV Rugby Captain. I believe 

myself to be very fortunate to have had that role and the 

privilege of playing along-side my team-mates for the past 

seven years and I would just like to thank them all for their 

commitment over the years, namely Chris Spencer, Sam 

Fraser, Jake Lee, Will Chance, Bikash Deb, Alex Wetters, 

Alistair Ramsay, and Andrew Garton. 

James Flynn (U2) 

2ND XV RUGBY 

2nd XV Rugby Squad 


As always there was a sense of great anticipation at the season’s 

start. A talented and exciting back line promised tries aplenty 

if we could secure enough possession. The transition from 

U15 to Senior rugby is most obviously seen in the difference in 

size of the opposition. Fifth Formers are suddenly up against 

Sixth Form boys. However, my reservations about securing 

possession were unfounded as a superbly courageous, not to 

mention tenacious, pack led admirably by Nick Dove, met the 

physical challenge head on. Outstanding throughout the 

season were the indefatigable Holloway and Tyrell who tackled 

everything that came their way and scavenged loose ball with 

great skill. Ferguson also made his considerable presence felt; 

this combined with an impressive turn of speed, resulted in 

him bagging a number of excellent individual tries. 

To have half backs of the quality of Hardy and Barnes in a 2 nd 

XV was a real bonus and the two of them played exceptionally 

well all season. The pace and skill of our back line cut swathes 

through the opposition as early wins were secured against 

Cheadle Hulme 59-5 and Newcastle Under Lyme 59-0. The 

first real test came against Wirral GS and though they put us 

under pressure up front, we did not buckle eventually running 

out deserved winners 21-17. MGS are always formidable 

opposition as the number of boys they can call upon is far in 

excess of ourselves. In a close fought game we eventually 

went down 11-17 despite some heroic defence. This was to 

be our only defeat of the season – quite remarkable. Further 

wins were recorded against a very talented St Ambrose side 

22-17, where in a high scoring game Sanchez-Cappuchino 

bagged a hat trick of tries and Ramsey was immense in the 

forwards. St Bede’s 40-0, Audenshaw 66-5, and Bolton 46- 

0 were also put to the sword. 

As has become depressingly familiar in the last few seasons, 

inclement weather put paid to all but one of our fixtures after 

Christmas; in our only fixture King’s Macclesfield were 

vanquished 18-12, despite fielding the biggest schoolboy 

rugby player I have ever witnessed. At 22 stone it seemed that 

he could have scrummaged against our entire pack and given 

a good account of himself. The look of horror from our front 

row when he came on to the pitch told its own story. 

Even allowing for the cancelled games against sides who would 

have given us a very competitive game, this still constitutes a 

wonderfully successful season. My thanks to the whole squad 

who enjoyed the experience as much as I did; thanks 

especially to Henry Barnes for captaining the side and to those 

Upper Sixth boys whose loyalty was so important. A special 

mention must also be made of Tom Fraser who left the school 

at the end of his Lower Sixth year. His consistent performances 

at outside centre made him invaluable to the 2 nd XV . 

P. A. Urwin 

82 Sport


UNDER 15 RUGBY 


This season was as easy as it gets as a rugby coach. We had a 

large squad of athletic and keen players who had a fantastic 

work ethic. They were fully committed to training and 

massively focussed on match day, yet I did still have a nagging 

feeling of under-performance come the end of the season. 

Winning 16 out of the 18 games played shows you the quality 

we had and I would be a liar to say I hadn’t plotted a major 

run in the U15s Daily Mail Cup. The underlying problem for 

this team was getting them credible opposition who would 

challenge, test and push them. This is where, in hindsight, I 

wish I had organised fixtures against stronger opposition. 

The season had a very gentle start and easy victories against 

Cheadle Hulme 65-0 and Wirral G.S. 55-17 proved they had 

retained their form from last season. In late September 

Manchester Grammar proved much tougher opposition and 

the squad had a shock, being down by 14-10 at half-time. A 

spirited comeback saw Stockport score 24 unanswered points 

in the second half to secure a cosy 34-14 win. Due to Daily 

Mail Round 2, the Q.E.G.S. Wakefield mid week fixture was 

cancelled and this would have been a very good test of how 

much progress the team had made. This team needed to be 

put under pressure and to lose this type of fixture would cost 

us dearly once the big games arrived. 

Again good performances were put together against St. 

Ambrose 54-5 and in Round 3 of the Daily Mail against Lady 

Manner’s, Bakewell 50-19. My nagging feeling was that apart 

from a 30 minute spell against Manchester this team were not 

being challenged and therefore progress was limited. The 

planned Round 6 clash with Leeds Grammar was still on the 

horizon and everything was building for a massive game. We 

beat St. Bede’s College and Wilmslow High without 

conceding a point in early November and we scored over 40 

points against Audenshaw, Bramhall H.S., Bolton, Rishworth 

and Fallibroome H.S. 

Tuesday 6th December was a day to remember in round 6 

(last 16) of the Daily Mail Cup. It brought together two 

exceptionally good teams who had been unbeaten for over 

two years. On a wet and gloomy winter afternoon a battle 

commenced which certainly was more like a 1st XV game 

than a normal U15s contest. Leeds were a very well organised 

team in both attack and defence, but it was a man-of-thematch 

performance from GSAL full back Tom Gorman which 

was the main difference between the teams. He scored twice 

in the first half to take Leeds into the break with a 12-7 lead 

and he completed his hat trick scoring near the end of the 

Under 15 Rugby Squad 

game. The game finished 29-7 to Leeds. I do believe you 

learn more in defeat than you do in victory and, although it 

was hard for many of the players to take, losing to Leeds 

certainly improved them as individual rugby players. The only 

consolation was that Stockport were beaten by the best team 

in the country as, in late March, Leeds beat RGS High 

Wycombe in the final at Twickenham by 17-12. 

As seems to be the way with the weather now the season 

petered out after Christmas as only two games were played. 

A good performance against Birkenhead (53-0) was then 

followed up by a completely lacklustre performance against 

King’s Macclesfield. In a game where there was absolutely no 

continuity the team completely under-performed and lost 17- 

0. A poor end to an outstanding season. 

The team was magnificently captained throughout the season 

by Sam Haley and although every member of the squad 

played their part seven or eight individuals stood out. In the 

pack Michael Solomou, Adam North and Ben Stollery always 

performed well above expectation whilst James Gilboy was a 

thorn in every team’s side. In the backs, Mark Ray and 

Marcus Jones looked a quality pairing at half-back as did Tom 

O’Mahony and Will Jones in the Centres. Will Hanson and 

Adam Cawthorn were exciting at the back. 

Thank you all for a very enjoyable season and please keep on 

playing, because although winning comes high on my agenda, 

making sure lads get involved in Senior and club rugby is my 

number one priority. 

A. S. Hanson 

UNDER 15 RUGBY SEVENS 

If I felt slightly deflated after the fifteen-a-side season then the 

7s squad certainly lifted my spirits with a superb finish to the 

season. Having a strong pack of forwards and a couple of 

elusive backs is not the normal profile for a successful 7s squad, 

but with athletic and intelligent rugby players you are always 

going to have a chance at winning tournaments. 

The competition season kicked off with the Cheshire 7s on at 

Lymm HS. We knew if we played with structure that we 

should reach the knock-out stages. We were comfortable in 

the group stages beating Weaverham HS, Holmes Chapel HS 

and Sandbach School. We therefore progressed as group 

winner into a quarter-final clash against St. Ambrose College 

Sport 83


Under 15 VII's Squad 

and after defeating them came a confident win against 

Bridgewater HS to reach our first final. After a long day we 

lost the final 21-12 to a very fit and organised Lymm HS team. 

Runners-up in our first tournament was a pleasing result but 

things were to get much better. 

The structure of the U15s Sevens’ tournaments was far from 

ideal as we were in action the next day at Audenshaw School. 

We were a little under strength due to a couple of injuries 

picked up at Lymm, but this allowed me to see two new 

players perform. In a fashion similar to the day before we 

won all three group games beating Manchester GS, Bury GS 

and St. Ambrose College. We beat Bramhall HS in the 

quarter-final before narrowly losing to Wilmslow HS in the 

Semi-final. Playing back-to-back tournaments certainly took 

its toll and it was fatigue rather than skill which halted our 

progression into another final. 

The Myles Marshall 7s at King’s Macclesfield has grown over 

the years into one of the most prestigious tournaments in the 

North of England. It also has added interest to me personally 

as I won the competition captaining King’s in 1985. We were 

dealt a really poor draw with some of the best rugby schools 

in the area in group B. On a fresh March morning we started 

well, beating Merchant Taylors’ Crosby easily. The second 

game was against Cheshire Cup winners Lymm HS. I took a 

gamble and rested three of our strike attackers and although 

we lost the game 22-18 the decision would pay dividends 

later in the day. Next was the minor hurdle of Sedbergh 

School, but with some of the best sevens I have witnessed we 

cruised past them 46-12. RGS Lancaster were our final group 

opponents and we beat them to qualify as runners-up in 

group B. Any side making it to the Cup knockout have done 

well, but the 7s penny had dropped and we were playing with 

total control and confidence. Stockport beat Solihull School 

24-7 in the quarter-finals and London Oratory 28-12 in the 

Semi-final. A second final in 4 days and we were to play 

Lymm again. Our rested players were back in and we were 

quick out of the blocks, building a sizeable 21-0 lead at halftime. 

Lymm looked tired and, although they improved 

considerably after the break, our defence held strong for a 

memorable 21-12 victory. This was a well earned trophy 

success. 

Confidence is everything in 7s and five days later we travelled 

up to Giggleswick School in North Yorkshire. Again the 

tournament had some very strong opposition, but nothing that 

could stop us if we could reproduce last Saturday’s 

performance. We beat Manchester GS, RGS Lancaster and 

Durham School in the group and therefore went through 

winners again. We played Arnold in the Semi-final and the 

hosts Giggleswick in the final. We ran out comfortable 

winners and left with our second trophy of the campaign. 

I have always used 7s rugby as a great coaching tool and this 

year group certainly worked hard at getting it right. They were 

a hugely successful fifteen-a-side team but arguably they are 

now actually a better Sevens’ squad. The future looks bright 

for Rosslyn Park as U16s next year. Thank you for finishing the 

season on such a memorable note. Congratulations. 

A. S. Hanson 


U14 ‘A’ 


U14 ‘B’ 


Under 14 Rugby XV Squad 

We started the season with high hopes after reaching the final 

of the cup competition last year. We began very well with 

convincing wins against local rivals Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall 

and MGS. In the first five games of the season we had scored 

175 points and conceded 55, showing that we had a good 

attacking structure. We then went away to Q.E.G.S. 

Wakefield. This was always going to be a challenge; the coach 

trip down did not help with the team preparation and in many 

84 Sport


ways the game was lost before the whistle had gone. It was 

not all doom and gloom, however, we did manage to score, 

the final result being 53-5. 

We then went on to play local rivals St Ambrose. After losing 

to Q.E.G.S. we felt like this would be an easy game back, but 

it was far from it! Ambrose played some great rugby and we 

did not switch on until late in the game; we then played some 

good rugby but just lost out on the last play of the game. The 

final score was 12-17 to Ambrose. Next, we faced a touring 

school midweek. This was undoubtedly the best game of the 

season. Both teams played some great rugby and showed a 

very good attacking mindset to achieve a final score of 31-31. 

This was a turning point after just losing to a local rival and 

seemed to spark a series of convincing wins (6 in a row) 

We then had two games on the same weekend so we sent a 

mix of A and B players to each one, gaining a convincing win 

at Rishworth, but losing 12-25 at Fallibroome. It was a month 

until our next game against Calday in the cup. It was a very 

close game but we won 14-12. 

We had a few games called off due to the weather and then 

played Birkenhead to secure a win of 52-0. The season had 

gone well up until now with 526 points for us and 263 against. 

In the final game of the regular season we played King’s 

Macclesfield. This game was a test for the team as we had lost 

out in the final last year. The forwards played well with some 

good linking, but poor defence early on led to King’s building 

momentum and the final score being 27-7 to them. 

It was then nearly two months until we played again, this time 

at Wilmslow High School. We expected an easy game and a 

comfortable win, but they had other ideas. We took the lead 

early on with a converted try but Wilmslow struck back with 

two of their own in the closing minutes of the first half. 

Stockport had a few chances to score but it seemed we could 

not finish and lost the ball in contact, giving Wilmslow counter 

attack ball which they made good use of. The final score, 12- 

15 to Wilmslow, was a disappointing end to a good season. It 

has to be said to Harry Mellor and Louis Jones played 

consistently well both in attack and in defence throughout the 

whole season. 

Tom Power (3U) 


U13 ‘A’ 


U13 ‘B’ 


Our first game of the season was against local rivals, Cheadle 

Hulme School. Our backs and forwards looked polished and 

comfortably beat Cheadle 36-7. 

As the weeks passed and our games rolled on, we were 

beginning to establish a good winning streak and, in order to 

continue, we had to beat Wirral who we drew with last 

season. I remember this game being the most physical game 

of the year with some huge hits going in from Alex Jones (big 

A.J.) and our captain and scrum half (little A.J). One of our 

tackles knocked their winger 2 metres into touch! On the last 

play of the game the scores were equal and we had a line out 

on our own line; unfortunately this line out went wrong and 

fell to their number 10 who scrambled over the line. 

In that very week were the three most competitive and well 

fought games of our season. Although we lost all of them 


against Wirral (7-24), QEGS (17-19) and Ambrose (0-5), our 

forwards played out of their skins and I am sure if all of these 

games had not been in the same week, we would have won 

at least one of them. 

After progressing through a couple of rounds of the Cheshire 

Cup, we once again came up against our friends from Wirral 

Sport 85


Grammar. We unfortunately came into the game with several 

injuries and some new players stepped up to the ‘A’ team at a 

very hard time. Many thanks to Paul Wong, Charles and Dan 

Hodgson. Although we lost the game against the favourites of 

the tournament, our whole team showed character to play on 

to the end with no significant injuries. 

As the end of the season loomed, we gained some 

comfortable victories where our team looked like a really well 

drilled team, thanks to Mr E. Our achievements included 

beating Rishworth School 50-10 and Calday Grange Grammar 

40-26. 

We ended the season on a high, winning silverware in two 

Sevens tournaments. Mr Corbett even treated us all to a 

McDonalds on the way home! 

Hopefully our winning streak will continue next season. 

Well done to all of the boys who turned up to training every 

week and showed great commitment to our school. 

George Chatterton (2T) 


following weekend Bramhall were the visitors and Captain 

Daniel Woodside had an outstanding match, helping us win 

14-0. An away trip to Bolton in late November should have 

given us a hat trick of wins, but another late try conceded due 

to frail defence meant we had to be content with a draw (10- 

10). There was to be one more Saturday fixture before 

Christmas and we selected two even teams to play against the 

A XVs of Rishworth and Fallibroome. Both matches resulted 

in defeat, but 40 boys had the opportunity of a game. 


U12 ‘A’ 


U12 ‘B’ 


At the beginning of September, an enthusiastic group of 

prospective U12 rugby players gathered for their first training 

session. They appeared to be physically small, but certainly 

keen to impress. Whilst this cannot be described as a ‘vintage’ 

season, there were highlights and a number of players have 

shown huge potential. 

The Wasps (U12 A XV) began their season with an away game 

at Newcastle-Under-Lyme. A brace of tries from Theo 

Whitley looked to have secured victory, but late in the second 

half, Newcastle’s 6 ft 2” number 8 decided to flex his muscles 

and we conceded a try to lose the game. Spirited 

performances against MGS and Wirral G.S. gave the team 

some encouragement and training sessions were well 

attended. What was to be the toughest match of the season 

took place away at St Ambrose College. The match was 

played at Bowden Rugby Club and sadly, two of the team who 

had decided to travel direct, lost their way leaving us light on 

resources. St Ambrose were an outstanding team and it was 

a harsh lesson. 

We needed a victory, and thankfully a superb performance 

against Audenshaw (41-0) gave the team confidence. The 

The weather in the Spring Term was severe. The matches 

against Wilmslow and Birkenhead were both cancelled, but 

we enjoyed a hard-fought victory away at Calday G.S. (12-0), 

a game in which Will Kay gave a man-of-the-match 

performance. The final fixture was against King’s 

Macclesfield. They were an excellent team and we suffered a 

heavy defeat – a sad way to end the season. 

It is often said that you learn more from adversity than 

success. I hope this is the case for this squad of players. They 

certainly have potential, but greater levels of fitness and an 

enhanced pride in defence are required. A number of players 

deserve mention for their efforts: Daniel Woodside led the 

team with great determination; Edward Parry and Will Kay 

were the pick of the forwards; Thibault Greenhalgh and 

George Lyth are talented players. Others who represented the 

Wasps on a regular basis were: Ben Jones, Hugo Taylor, 

Nathan Kingsley, Patrick Chatterton, William Spendlove, Max 

McCormack, Max Wood, Josh Doyle, Theo Whitley, Wasil 

Hussain and Elliot Galloway. 

The Bees (U12 B XV) played seven matches and recorded 

three excellent wins. Captained by fly-half David Paterson, 

the side were victorious against MGS, Audenshaw and Calday 

G.S. 

In total, 47 boys represented the U12 rugby teams during the 

season – an encouraging statistic! My thanks to Mr Morton 

who assisted with coaching and to all those parents who 

supported the boys during the season – I hope your 

commitment is rewarded with future success. 

C. J. Wright 

86 Sport


HOCKEY 

The 2011-12 season was a 

very memorable one for the 

Hockey teams and possibly 

our most successful during 

my time at Stockport 

Grammar School. The 1 st 

XI, captained by Charlotte 

Bailey won the Great 

Manchester Schools Under 

18 trophy and missed a 

place in the National 

Schools Finals by penalty 

strokes on two occasions 

despite having the better 

chances in the games 

against Kirkham Grammar 

School and Cheltenham Ladies College. The Under 13s, 

reached the National Finals of the Under 13 Mini Hockey 

Tournament, and were placed third in the country under the 

guidance of Mrs Jones and Lara Acott. They took great delight 

in being presented with medals from one of our Olympians 

and wore them with pride. 

The Under 15s also won the Great Manchester Schools 

competition and several of the squad also played on the 1 st XI. 

The 2 nd XI also had their share of successes under the 

leadership of Head Girl, Maddie Hardy. The Under 14s 

welcomed Miss Hindley who assisted Mrs Lockwood this 

season and the squad developed as the season progressed. It 

will not seem the same at SGS without Mrs Lockwood and I 

thank her for all of her hard work and time over the years. 

The Under 12s could not curb their enthusiasm and the coach 

was certainly livelier on a Saturday morning when their 

fixtures began!! 

My thanks go to the Grounds Staff who work tirelessly to 

prepare our pitches and to the catering staff for their hard 

work on a Saturday morning. Also to the parents who not 

only drop-off and pick-up but also come to watch far and 

wide on a Saturday morning. 

More pupils represented the County and the Region than ever 

before this season and the roll of honour can be seen below, 

but special recognition must be given to the 1 st XI ‘keeper 

Martha Watson who was selected and played several times for 

England Under 18, her shirt is now on display on the Sports 

Hall Corridor. 

S. Withington 

COUNTY/REGIONAL AND NATIONAL HONOURS 2011-2012 SEASON 

England Under 18 

Martha Watson 

North Under 21 North Under 18 Greater Manchester Under 18 

Emma Woodhead Martha Watson Charlotte Bailey 

Martha Watson 

Lily Harrison 

North Under 17 Cheshire Under 18 North Under 16 

Lara Knowles Lara Knowles Sophie Hall 

Meghan Myers 

Emily Spencer 

Greater Manchester Under 16 North Under 15 Greater Manchester Under 15 

Carla Edwards Maya Gordon Maya Gordon 

Sophie Hall Holly Hunt Holly Hunt 

Meghan Myers Megan Smith Ellen McPherson 

Emily Spencer 

Megan Smith 

North Under 14 Greater Manchester Under 14 North Under 13 

Amy Bracegirdle Amy Bracegirdle Hannah Hartas Pearson 

Sophie Cunningham Sophie Cunningham Francesca Bailey 

Lauren Hunt Georgina Dare Lily Wolstenholme 

Lauren Hunt 

Greater Manchester Under 13 

Francesca Bailey Evie Barlow Ellie Burns 

Rachel Fitzsimmons Hannah Hartas Pearson Sarah Stretton Lily Wolstenholme 

East Cheshire Under 13 

Anna Hanson 

Sport 87


1ST XI HOCKEY 

A memorable match during the season was against Arnold. The 

team consisted of a bare 11 players and we were all exhausted 

from the full day of hockey the previous day at the North West 

finals. We put up a brave fight throughout the match, and in 

spite of two injuries we managed to keep the score to a narrow 

2-3 loss. I am confident with our full 1st XI we would have easily 

won and for me, the match was proof of the determination and 

capability of the team. 

1st XI Hockey Squad 

It has been a privilege to be 1st XI hockey captain this year, 

particularly as we had such an amazing season. The 1st XI came 

in the top 10 teams in England, closely missing out on qualifying 

for the National Finals, and I am proud to have played a part in 

such a successful team. 

The season started off slowly with a 3-0 loss against a strong 

Kirkham team, who were consequently our rivals for the rest of 

the season. It was a shock and taught us that we needed to learn 

from our mistakes in order to fulfil our potential, especially with 

the Manchester round of the Nationals Tournament approaching. 

We arrived at the Greater Manchester qualifier for the Nationals 

and won our box with ease, conceding no goals and scoring a 

total of 18. This took us through to the semi final against 

Altrincham, a nail-biting match which we won in the last 2 

minutes from a short corner strike, providing us with our ticket 

to the final. It was a close match against local rivals, Cheadle 

Hulme; however, our teamwork provided us with the ability to 

win 2-1 and take us through as winners to the North West round 

of the tournament. 

We continued our winning streak at Timperley in the North West 

round as a 1-1 draw against KEQM and a 1-0 win against 

Sedbergh meant we were victors of the group. Building on from 

our matches earlier in the day, we played confident hockey in 

the play off against Saint Mary’s which lead to a strong 4-0 win 

and a place in the North finals. 

The highlight of the season was without a doubt the North Finals. 

We had the opportunity to travel to Leeds the night before 

which prepared us well for the day and added to the team spirit. 

We got off to a great start with a 5-1 win against Hymers, this 

continued with a 1-1 draw against a strong Greenhead team and 

an easy 5-0 against Wilmslow High. Unfortunately, we missed 

out on a place in the finals, being beaten by penalty strokes. 

Despite this disappointment we remained focused with a 6-0 win 

against Newcastle Under-Lyme. Our top form continued into the 

Greater Manchester Tournament where we proved ourselves yet 

again. We were deserved champions beating Cheadle Hulme, 

Altrincham, St Bede’s and Withington Girls’ convincingly and the 

tournament was a fantastic way to finish our season. 

Miss Withington and Nigel did a fantastic job throughout the 

season and I would like to thank them for their coaching and 

umpiring which gave us the opportunity to develop so much as 

a team. I would also like to thank all the supporters who came 

to cheer us on at every match whether at school or in Leeds - 

your support was greatly appreciated. 

Good Luck to the squad next season, we deserved to reach the 

National Finals this year and I am certain you will do it next year! 

Finally, I would like to thank the team for their effort and 

commitment, even when it involved getting to school for 8 a.m. 

on Saturdays! It would not have been such an enjoyable season 

without such a fantastic team. 

Charlotte Bailey (L6)


SECOND XI HOCKEY 

The Second Team had a successful year, securing victories 

against Cheadle Hulme, Manchester High and Withington 

Girls’. Despite many games being called off due to the 

weather, throughout the season the Second XI succeeded in 

bonding well as a team and when the season ended, 

possessed the skill to adjust to the game because of 

knowledge and awareness of the strengths in their own 

players. 

The season began with a difficult match against Kirkham, 

although Stockport held their own, only losing 1-0 with an 

unlucky goal in the final half. The match against Manchester 

High was a great victory for the Second XI, with the score line 

at 2-0, although the game unfortunately had to be called short 

because of an injury to one of our own players. A further 

victory was against Cheadle Hulme in November in a tightly 

fought match culminated in the final minute when Hannah 

Keegan managed to score from a penalty corner leading the 

Second team to a well deserved 2-0 victory. 

Despite the lack of games, the Seconds have managed to keep 

up the momentum throughout the season at practices and 

enthusiasm at the hockey socials. The team possesses the 

ability to listen to one another when on the pitch which 

2nd XI Hockey Squad 

proved invaluable when playing skilled opposition and 

flexibility needed to be achieved quickly. 

I have no doubt that the team will continue in their success 

next year and wish them the best of luck! 

Maddie Hardy (U4) 

UNDER 15 HOCKEY 

The U15 hockey squad had a successful season. The season 

began with us winning every game on Saturday mornings, 

home and away from School. This came as a result of our 

hard work in training with the help of Miss Withington and 

our parents who supported us in every game come rain or 

shine, but mostly rain! 

We played schools near to home like MHSG, St Bede’s, AGGS 

and Cheadle Hulme and those a greater distance away, 

Kirkham Grammar, Newcastle-Under-Lyme and Arnold 

School. Although we had a sticky few weeks half way through 

the season, due to some of our players, Maya Gordon, Holly 

Hunt, Meghan Myers, Megan Smith and Emily Spencer being 

elevated to the 1 st XI, it did not stop us from comfortably 

winning the Manchester Schools’ Under 15 Tournament when 

we were all re-united on the pitch. In some games, our goalie 

Maya Gordon, didn’t touch the ball, due to the dominant play 

from the team. 

A number of the player in the squad have gained County and 

North Representative honours: myself, Maya Gordon, Holly 

Hunt, Meghan Myers and Emily Spencer. Holly and Emily 

also attended England assessment centres. 

Under 15 Hockey Squad 

The U15s had one of their best seasons thanks to Miss 

Withington’s enthusiastic coaching and encouragement and 

we are all looking forward to the new season and the 

challenges it will present. 

Megan Smith (4Y) 

Sport 89



McPherson, Sophie Cunningham and Flo Harrison. When we 

reached the final we were up against local rivals Cheadle 

Hulme; we came out victorious! 


This year has been a very successful year for the Under 14s; 

we won the majority of our matches. We did, however, have 

a few matches cancelled due to snowy weather. We had a 

couple of outstanding results such as Newcastle –Under-Lyme 

winning 7-1, and Rishworth winning 8-0. 

We also competed in the Stockport Schools’ Tournament. We 

stormed through each match with great goals from Ellen 

As the season progressed our confidence and skill improved 

hugely. Throughout the whole season Alice Coombes played 

incredibly well in goal, making many fantastic saves. Flo 

Harrison set up the majority of our goals and Rebecca 

Hosfield flew down the wing and made an uncountable 

number of ‘Roll Outs’. This year our team work has been vital, 

and our team spirit has never dropped. We realised that 

winning is great but doing it in spirit as well is 10 times better. 

We have created so many memories this season, and will 

never forget to mark players now Mrs Lockwood has glued the 

saying ‘Knicker Elastic’ in our heads! 

Sophie Cunningham, Ellen McPherson and I secured a place 

on Greater Manchester county hockey team; Sophie has also 

been selected to have trials at the Junior Regional 

Performance Centre. I would like to take this opportunity to 

offer our thanks to our great coaches Mrs Lockwood and Miss 

Hindley for taking us to matches and holding great practices 

with us. 

Sophie Cunningham (3R) 


All the girls played their best and we won every game and 

became victors once again. 

From this we progressed to the North finals in Leeds. We 

were all very nervous but thanks to great coaching and 

teamwork we managed to reach the final vs Hymers College; 

we were leading 1-0 but Hymers managed to sneak in a goal. 

At the end it was still 1-1 so it went to penalties. 

Unfortunately we lost very closely but we still reserved our 

place in the National Finals in Cannock. 


The U13s hockey season started and ended on a high. At the 

start of the season many people attended the lunchtime and 

after school practices to get a place on the team but once the 

squad was sorted we were up and ready to go. 

We won our first match convincingly against Altrincham Girls 

Grammar School and continued on our winning streak losing 

only one match all season. During the season we entered the 

Mini Cheshire’s which was an U13 7-a-side tournament. 

Winning this competition led us on to the North West round. 

On the day the squad consisting of Francesca Bailey, Evie 

Barlow, Jessica Carroll, Georgina Dare, Rachel Fitzsimmons, 

Anna Hanson, Erica Hukin, Lauren Hunt, Sarah Stretton and 

Lily Wolstenholme, did not know what to expect and we 

made a slow start losing our first match 2-1. But we bounced 

back, winning our next three games against Malvern, Felsted 

and Queens by scoring 9 goals and only conceding one. This 

led us into the 3rd and 4th play offs where we played our old 

rivals Hymers College. This time we made no mistake and 

gained revenge with a crushing 3-0 victory this placed us third 

in England. 

We had an amazing and fun Season and we would like to say 

thank you Miss Withington, Lara Acott and especially Mrs 

Jones for coaching us all season and for all their support. 

Francesca Bailey (2Q) 

90 Sport



I would like to start off by saying a huge “Thank you” to Miss 

Withington, who has been an amazing inspiration and coach; 

we have learnt skills and valuable teamwork which led to a 

very successful season for the U12 Hockey squad. I would 

also loke to thank Nigel Stanhope, Mrs Jones and Lara Acott 

for additional training skills. 

We have played numerous schools and celebrated several 

wins. In November we first played against Queen’s Chester 

and made a great start to the season with our A team winning 

4-0 and our B team drawing 0-0. 

After that we travelled to Arnold where the A team drew 1-1. 

At St. Bede’s the A team once again won 4-0 with the B team 

drawing 1-1. On the 26 th November we played against 

Rishworth. We had outstanding results: the A team won 6-1 

and our B team won 7-0. Kirkham Grammar was a tough 

opponent with both teams either losing or drawing. 

As the year went on we grew a stronger bond as well as a 

strong defensive and attacking system, thanks to the after 

school and lunchtime clubs. 


Even though we have lost some matches, they have never 

broken our team spirit – SGS FOREVER! 

Nicole Tunney (1Q) 

FOOTBALL 

The fixture list has grown stronger in the last few years and the 

1st XI paid the price this season with our first ever losing 

season. It was still a hugely enjoyable season with a really 

dedicated group of players. A youthful 2nd XI enjoyed some 

excellent results, whilst the Under 14s produced the first 

unbeaten season by a Stockport Grammar XI. A 0-0 draw 

with Wilmslow being the only ‘blemish’ on a perfect set of 

results. The Under 12s also enjoyed some success, winning 

the Plate at the Manchester Grammar 8-a-side tournament. 

A big thanks to all our hard working managers – Mr Young, Mr 

Makinson, Mr Heyes, Mr Masters and Mr Lorentz. The 

prestigious SGS Manager of the Year Award went to Mr Wilson 

for his sterling effort with the U14s and a mention in 

dispatches for Dr Airey with his roving role of coach to any 

side in need of a safe pair in hands. 

R. J. Bowden 

1ST XI FOOTBALL 

Our season opened with a disappointing trip to King’s 

Chester. Despite taking the lead through a Mark Goodstadt 

penalty, we came up against a very strong side and ended up 

losing 7-2. We had lost many players from the previous year’s 

team, so for many new members of the 1st XI this was a harsh 

introduction. With a tough fixture list to come, we had to 

move on quickly and make sure a result like this would not 

happen again. 

We travelled to Altrincham the week after and put in a very 

spirited performance. A goal poacher’s finish from Ed Appleby 

brought the scores level in the second half but, as we pushed 

for a winner, we were caught out and conceded a soft penalty 

late on. Despite hitting the bar in the last minute, we ended up 

losing 2-1; however, it was a clear improvement on the week 

before and the team looked more resolute and organised. 

We recorded our first victory away at St Bede’s. We were 

now taking our work from training onto the pitch, and our 

1st XI Football Squad 

fitness levels were improving. An early goal from Oliver Hall 

capped off a strong team move. St Bede’s equalised soon 

Sport 91


after, owing mainly to some poor SGS defending. We played 

well though and midway through the second half I ended up 

scoring from a corner to give us a deserved win. 

However, we failed to take this momentum forward, losing 

our next two games to Q.E.G.S. Blackburn (0-1) and 

Wilmslow (2-5). The Blackburn game showed us how well we 

can defend as a team, with a great display on a very large 

pitch (plenty of substitutions took place!), but again a sloppy 

goal let us down and we missed many good chances. Away 

at Wilmslow we found ourselves 3-1 down and up against it 

with 15 minutes to play, but a goal 10 minutes from time for 

us gave us confidence and we pushed forward. This left us 

very exposed and we conceded 2 late goals to leave a very 

unfair score line. Overall, two frustrating results against two 

very good sides, but we knew when we came back in 

February that we could compete with the top sides. 

Helped by the fact we did not have any games, we went 3 

months unbeaten through December, January and February! 

Our first game of 2012, home to Q.E.G.S. Blackburn ended 

up in a 4-1 defeat. We had been working hard in training all 

season and knew we were going to have to step it up in 

matches if we wanted anything out of the season. Our next 

game was a winnable fixture against Crompton House. Our 

hard work finally paid off and a header from Sam Johnson 

(everyone on the pitch did a double take!) was the difference 

between the sides as we ran out 2-1 winners, with Ross 

Holloway battling hard up front, and Tom Coombes, Mark 

Goodstadt and Dave Wright having excellent games in the 

middle of midfield. 

I think our next two games summed up our season; a 2-0 loss 

to Sandbach and a 1-0 loss to Altrincham. These were two 

matches we could have won, and we played well in both. We 

looked solid and hard to beat, but losses in concentration, no 

natural goal scorer, and sometimes luck just not going our way, 

meant that two more matches came and went where 

everyone walked away disappointed. 

An 8s tournament in March gave us a break from 11-a-side, 

but we were knocked out at the group stages having won just 

one game. Man of the tournament, Tom Coombes, played 

well in each game despite tough opposition. 

Defeats to Cheadle Hulme and Wilmslow towards the end of 

the season did not reflect how well we played, with some 

excellent individual performances, but unfortunately we came 

up short despite battling extremely hard. 

Our final game was against Liverpool College and, with a large 

crowd, we did not disappoint. We were organised 

throughout and were very difficult to break down. Matt 

Proctor, Will Byrne and Bikash Deb were superb at the back 

and Sam Johnson played extremely well in midfield. 

However, it was our pairing up front of Ross Holloway and 

Oliver Hall who caused problems throughout and Oliver 

scored a late winner to send everyone into wild celebrations. 

A great end to the season! 

Congratulations to Footballer of the Year - Tom Coombes, and 

1st XI Player of the Season - Mark Goodstadt. Both had great 

seasons and, along with the whole team, showed 

commitment and dedication throughout, whilst often being 

on the receiving end of a defeat. Results aren’t everything 

though and the team has had an enjoyable year, which has 

had many highs and perhaps a few more lows! 

Finally, on behalf of the team, I must thank Mr Bowden. He 

has managed us superbly and his training sessions have been 

innovative and extremely enjoyable. We certainly knew 

about it when we weren’t good enough and despite a tough 

season he has stuck with us and been a great manager 

throughout out 1st XI careers. 

Harry Allport (U6) 

2ND XI FOOTBALL 

Results Played 15 Won 6 Drew 2 Lost 7 

Goals for 28 Goals against 36 

Home Form Played 8 Won 6 Lost 2 

Away Form Played 7 Won 0 Drew 2 Lost 5 

2nd XI Football Squad 

This was an immensely enjoyable season with fine progression 

in terms of skill improvement. With each match the boys 

grew more competitive, tactically aware and demonstrated 

real positional and team understanding. There was great 

flexibility as 21 players slotted in and did us proud. We had 

a range of attacking options and 12 players contributed to goal 

scoring. A big thanks go to all squad players and each have 

their own particular favourite match. The Sandbach 4-0 

victory was a Barcelona style delight, as we dominated 

possession and showed superb passing and movement. Wins 

versus Blackburn, Bury and Leeds and an excellent draw away 

92 Sport


at Bolton, revealed how far the boys had grown as players. 

Mike Schofield, Ryan Jude and Aaron McRoberts were 

strongly influential but this season was represented by a 

determined team effort. Well done to all! 

R. Young 

UNDER 15 FOOTBALL 

The season opener for the Under 15s was a home fixture 

against a strong Sandbach side. The away side started 

stronger and, despite having the majority of the possession, 

Henry Betts scored the first goal, a lovely chip over the keeper 

to give SGS the lead at half time. Sandbach piled the pressure 

on in the second half and were level from a corner. They 

continued to pressure us and it told with less than ten minutes 

to go as they struck again, with a long distance hit that turned 

out to be the winner. 

A few changes were made for the Altrincham game and the 

team started well, passing the ball around, keeping it tight at 

the back but creating few chances going forward. The second 

half was much the same until five minutes to go, when 

Altrincham managed to break the deadlock and ran out 

winners. Joe Blashill was again excellent in goal, making many 

vital saves. 

The next fixture was mid-week against Manchester Grammar. 

We made a strong start and created plenty of chances before 

going 1-0 up. The lead could, and probably should, have been 

increased before conceding four goals before half time due to 

a loss of organisation in midfield and defence. The second half 

started brightly until three injuries hampered any chance of a 

comeback and Ben Gardiner’s second goal was mere 

consolation in reply to the eight shipped in at the other end. 

The team regrouped for the next fixture against Wilmslow. 

There was a remarkable improvement in marking, pressure 

and passing from the previous match and despite not scoring, 

they more than held their own against a strong Wilmslow side. 

The effort levels continued into the second half, but the team 

were undone by a header from a corner and an excellent 

long-range effort, giving a final score of 0-2. 

The final match of the season was away to Cheadle Hulme. 

With the bare bones of a team, we showed grit and skill and 

came away with an impressive 3-1 victory. Will Hanson 

scored an excellent hat-trick, building on a solid defence and 

a creative, skilful midfield performance by all concerned. 

R. Heyes 


The 2011-12 season was our third year together and proved 

to be our most successful yet. As we started the season we 

were introduced to our new coach, Mr Wilson, who was 

aiming to build on the success we enjoyed under Mr Masters 

in First and Second Year. 

This season also saw some changes to the playing squad as we 

welcomed back Kyle Clapperton, who returned to the side to 

reclaim the goalkeeping jersey, a move which saw George 

Francis return to a more familiar central midfield role. In his 

first year at the school, Oli Hamilton came into the squad, 

excelling at left back. 

The season began with a 5-0 win against West Hill High 

School. As we welcomed Oli for his debut, first half goals from 

Nino Orton-Clarke helped to set up a fairly comfortable win. 

Following on from this we travelled to Sandbach for what 

turned out to be a very hard fought 4-2 victory. Having led 4- 

1, a late Sandbach goal resulted in some nervy moments 

towards the end of the game but the defence of Arjun Takiar, 

James Travis, Scott Helsby, Oli Hamilton and Michael 

Sidebottom stood firm and we held on to claim the victory. 

Under 14 Football Squad 

The third game of the season was against Altrincham 

Grammar School. Alfie Earith and Lewis Braddock were 

amongst the scorers in a 7-5 win. 

The next game saw us run riot away to Manchester Grammar 

School, scoring eight goals without reply with a second half 

strike from Jonty Coombes arguably the pick of the bunch. An 

honest admission from George Francis to the referee, 

Sport 93


informing him that the lively Tom Collins had been in an 

offside position when he scored what would have been our 

ninth goal of the day, served as a reminder of the sporting 

spirit within our squad. 

Our penultimate game of the season put an end to our hopes 

of a 100% win rate for the campaign as we had to settle for a 

goalless draw at home to Wilmslow. Despite some neat 

second half link up play from Sam Harvey and Max Lederwerg 

on the left wing, we were unable to find a breakthrough, with 

the Wilmslow goalkeeper capping a fine individual 

performance with a late penalty save; sorry, guys! 

We ended the season in style with a 5-2 win against a good 

Cheadle Hulme side in humid conditions. This meant that we 

finished the season unbeaten, having won five games and 

drawing one. 

As a group, we would like to thank our coach Mr Wilson for 

his help and support throughout the year. We would also like 

to mention our friends from the school who are not in the 

squad but continue to come to games and cheer us on from 

the touchline. 

On a personal level, it has been an honour to captain this 

team and I would like to thank all of the squad for their effort 

and commitment this season in what proved to be our first 

unbeaten season. I hope we can take our team spirit and 

togetherness into next season. 

Joe Donnarumma (4M) 


Just under a week later we travelled to Manchester Grammar 

School. Our squad was under pressure because we knew 

from previous years that they have a very strong squad. We 

started well, with some strong challenges, but during the first 

half MGS scored the first goal. We kept our heads up but 

soon they put another past us. We had a few efforts which 

came close but we could not find the net. Manchester 

Grammar kept the pressure on; unfortunately, the final result 

was 6-0 to Manchester Grammar School. 

Our next game was against Wilmslow High, who also have a 

very strong side. We tried our best but we could not seem to 

get many shots on target. Wilmslow had two very talented 

strikers who dominated the game. We battled hard but we 

got beaten 8-0. 


The Under 13 Stockport Grammar football squad enjoyed a 

mixed season. Our first fixture was against Sandbach. It was 

quite an evenly matched game. We got off to an excellent 

start, scoring the first goal, but every time we scored Sandbach 

seemed to come up with the equaliser. After battling hard 

throughout the game, we clinched the winner. The final score 

was 4-3 to Stockport Grammar. 

The next game was against Altrincham; this game was slightly 

easier for us. We got off to another great start by taking the 

lead. There was a lot of strong tackles and we played some 

brilliant football. The end result was 3-0 to Stockport. 

The squad’s last game was against Cheadle Hulme. 

Considering that we had lost 8-0 the previous year the team 

should be very proud of the performance. We were the 

underdogs as our opponents had got to the quarter-final of the 

National Cup. We defended very well but they eventually 

broke the deadlock and scored. Cheadle Hulme went on to 

score another. We did manage to score one goal, which was 

a penalty earned by Zain Saeed and scored by Myles 

Cartwright, but the final result was 3-1 to Cheadle. 

Overall we had a very enjoyable season. Many 

thanks to Mr Lorentz for being a great coach and 

Mr Bowden for supporting us and organising the 

fixtures. 

Myles Cartwright (2U) 

94 Sport



The term’s fixtures began well with a 7-0 home win against 

West Hill, with Ben Jones scoring a hat trick, Edward Francis 

scoring just before and after half-time, and Theo Whitley and 

Charlie Ruddock also getting on the score sheet. It was 

Charlie’s first touch of the game, no less, not bad for someone 

who arrived fifteen minutes after kick-off! 

The following week we were away at Sandbach. Although we 

went a goal ahead and the game was evenly balanced at 1-1 

at half-time, we lost the fixture 5-4. Giving away two cheap 

penalties did not help our cause. Ben Jones scored two, the 

second, a scintillating volley. Adam Clifford also got on the 

score sheet, as did Edward Francis converting a free-kick 

which cannot have been more than a couple of yards past the 

half-way line. For most of the game, he was the most 

prominent player on the park, working tirelessly in defence 

and midfield and often ghosting through four or five players to 

break onto goal. 

We struggled again the following week, again away from 

home. 10-0 defeats are rare and painful and not easy to 

explain away. Altrincham Grammar School fielded an 

exceptional team, however. Their track record said it all: 

seventeen wins in eighteen fixtures. Thankfully, the half-time 

Jaffa cakes worked wonders: we only conceded three goals in 

last thirty minutes. 

The following Wednesday, glorious sunshine more than made 

up for the fact that three players failed to bring shin pads to 

Manchester Grammar School. I wonder what advice 

Ferguson, Di Matteo or Mancini would have on this thorny 

issue. Conceding one goal in the opening minute did not 

bode well, either, though the score was level at 2-2 at halftime, 

with goals from Ben Jones and Edward Francis. Secondhalf 

goals from Will Callan and a header from Junaid Hussain 

should have sealed a victory, but the game ended 4-4 after 

two late goals from M.G.S. 

Our next game was at home against Wilsmlow. After the 

‘gentle teasing’/savage mockery of the previous week, I was – 

secretly – delighted that the U12s provided SGS with the only 

win of the weekend. After goals from William Callan and Ben 

Jones, we were 2-0 ahead at half-time. Ed Francis scored a 

third in the second half, but then, after a purple patch of 


passing, Wilsmlow clawed back to 3-3. A wonder goal from 

Niall Manford, on his début, put us once more into the lead. 

It was much deserved after his tireless harrying of their back 

four. Edward Francis sealed the victory with a free-kick from 

30 yards. 

Mr Wright took the squad to a an eight-a-side tournament at 

M.G.S., where we won the plate competition, with Edward 

Francis scoring a hat-trick in the final. It was a drama-filled 

afternoon that went on way into the evening. The first game 

was a comprehensive thrashing against a team who it later 

transpired comprised solely of Second Years. Their member 

of staff read the competition as a Year Eight rather than a eighta-side 

competition. Thanks to Mr Wright, who took charge in 

my absence. 

Our final game was the derby against Cheadle Hulme at 

home. Cheadle had won the M.G.S. eight-a-side competition 

that week. We lost 3-1 after dominating the game for long 

periods and holding them at 1-1 much of the game. The 

highlights included beautiful, blue skies and a great free kick 

from William Callan, one of our key players of the season. 

We can draw plenty of positives from the season. This is a 

talented squad and they are eminently coachable. Thanks as 

ever to Mr Bowden for his help with training sessions. 

B. Masters 

NETBALL 

Returning to Stockport 

Grammar School for the 

2011-2012 netball season 

filled me with excitement; I 

could not wait to get started! 

As always, the netball fixture 

list was action packed from 

the first weekend in 

September. The Under 14s 

and Under 15s travelled to 

Condover Hall in Shropshire 

for a tournament, coming 3rd 

overall in both age groups; it was a great way to prepare the 

squads for the season. 

The first piece of silverware came in October at the HMC 

Netball Tournament at Stonyhurst, the Under 13s were 

undefeated on the day, being worthy winners and they 

continued their winning ways by beating Cheadle Hulme in 

the Stockport Schools' competition and coming runners up in 

the Manchester and District tournament. The biggest netball 

competition of the year was getting closer and we had high 

hopes in reaching the next stage of the National Schools’ 

competition in the Under 16s age. 

Sport 95

On a cold Saturday morning in November the Under 14s and 

Under 16s travelled to Bolton School, nervous and 

apprehensive of the challenge ahead. To our delight the U16s 

reached the semi-final stage and they were only one victory 

away from reaching the next stage of the competition. They 

faced Oldham Hulme with a very tall goal shooter and 

narrowly lost by one goal. This disappointment did not 

dampen their spirits, with all the squads having some great 

wins in December against Bury Grammar – U12s winning 15- 

8, U14s winning 19-4, U15s winning 34-22, U16s winning 

22-9 and the Seniors winning 44-18. 

After Christmas all the players took part in the North West 

Netball ‘pink week’ to raise money for breast cancer; the 

squads wore pink and made a donation to charity in their 

match against Q.E.G.S. Blackburn. It must have inspired them 

as they played exceptionally well and produced an excellent 

set of results. The season finished with the Under 15s winning 

the Stonyhurst tournament and the Under 12s being runners 

up in the Stockport Schools' tournament. 

All the netball squads have shown a huge amount of 

commitment and on behalf of all the staff I would like to thank 

all the players for making this job so enjoyable. Finally, a 

special thanks to Mrs Wilkinson, Mrs Maskery and Mrs Bartlett 

for their hard work and dedication to all the squads. 

L. Topping 

SENIOR NETBALL 

round of the National Schools' competition, narrowly losing to 

Oldham Sixth form College, as a result this placed us third in 

the group just missing out on the semi-final spot. 

We had some great wins throughout the season; Newcastle 

Under Lyme 26-14, Q.E.G.S. 23-22, Stonyhurst 19-18, 

Withington 32-30, Bury 44-18 and Bolton 27-22. Our final 

game was against Cheadle Hulme; unfortunately, this result 

did not reflect the effort that each player put into this game 

and every other in the season. 

I would like to say a huge thank you to Miss Topping for 

making the Upper Sixth girls' last season so enjoyable. It 

would not have been the same without you! 

1st Netball Squad 

This season of netball has been extremely successful with us 

winning the majority of our games. As the season progressed 

I feel that the team strengthened and bonded, both on and off 

the court, due to the loyalty, hard work and commitment from 

every member. We came very close to qualifying into the next 

I would also like to thank Caitlin, Sofia, Jen, Holli, Lizzie, 

Catriona and Sophie. I couldn’t have asked for a better group 

of girls to have spent the last seven seasons with. We will all 

go to university with very fond memories of netball at 

Stockport Grammar School. 

Jennifer Logue (U4) 

UNDER 16 NETBALL 

The season has been very successful. Despite closely losing 

our first match of the season 14-16 to Altrincham, the U16 

squad have won 7 out of the 9 matches played. We entered 

the National Schools’ Tournament, coming 3rd after a close 

96 Sport


match in the semis against Oldham Hulme. This was a match 

in which Anna Logue played admirably, when faced with an 

England player who was much taller than her! 

A highlight for the team was our last tournament of the 

season, the county tournament; we came third after losing by 

just 1 goal in the semi-finals. 

Throughout the season, all our shooters have been brilliant at 

scoring under pressure and getting the majority of shots in 

whilst the defence have played extremely well developing 

their tactics. Another highlight for the whole team was beating 

Cheadle 39-9 in our last match of the year. 

The team would like to thank Mrs Wilkinson, for all her hard 

work in coaching our team this year. 

Josie Napper (5D) 

Under 16 Netball Squad 


This season has been a great success. The netball tour to 

Shrewsbury was excellent and an ideal use of squad bonding 

time before the season kicked in. Both teams played very well 

throughout the weekend with the A team coming 3rd overall. 

Shortly after the tour, we won the Stockport Schools' 

Tournament, beating Cheadle Hulme 9-2 in the semi-final and 

then going on to beat St. James' 8-3 in the final. 

We faced all of our matches positively and with confidence, 

and only lost two games throughout the season. The B team 

always played with a positive attitude which was highly 

commendable. 

The highlight of the season was winning the Stonyhurst 

Tournament, beating St.Bedes, the previous winners 15-6. A 

terrific way to end our best season! 

Many thanks to all of the squad for their hard work and 

commitment. A big thank you to Mrs Maskery for her 


encouragement and excellent coaching throughout the 

season; we are already looking forward to next season. 

Sarah Gaskin (4W) 


This season has been a rollercoaster of events for our U14s 

netball team. We had struggled in our first two years as a 

squad due to the conflicting nature of our netball/hockey 

commitments and it was only as we hit Third Year that we 

began to gel as a squad and became fully at ease with a more 

regular Saturday and mid-week fixtures. 

We started the year not winning many (well, any!) of our 

matches and although our morale faltered, our heads were 

always high and we maintained our commitment levels. With 

some excellent coaching and strong team spirit we managed 

to turn the tables dramatically with a huge winning streak. We 

have performed brilliantly in our tournaments, especially the 

Stockport Schools' where we only lost out narrowly in the 

semi-finals. 

The improvement this year has been phenomenal and there 

are very high hopes for the season to come. Well done to 

anyone who played in the team and a special thanks to Mrs 

Wilkinson for making us believe in ourselves and become the 

the best that we have ever been. 

Amy Suddards (3T) 

Sport 97




accurate passing from all, a fantastic conversion rate from the 

shooters and some brilliant defending. 

In the semi-final we face a strong Priestnall School. Tight 

marking, great interceptions and accurate shooting were 

needed in this nail-biting match which was a draw at the final 

whistle and it went to ‘sudden death’: play carried on but the 

first to score would win. We kept our cool and, with Mrs 

Maskery cheering us on from the sideline, we were thrilled 

when we got the ball in the net to earn our place in the final 

against Cheadle Hulme. After such a hard day we won the 

match quite comfortably to be declared winners of the 

Tournament – it was great to end the season on such a high. 


We began and ended our season with two great tournament 

wins. Our first success was early in the season in the North 

West HMC Festival Tournament at Stonyhurst School where 

the whole team gelled together to produce some outstanding 

netball. Despite tough opposition from local schools such as 

Bolton, Cheadle Hulme and King's Macclesfield, we won all of 

our matches to be crowned champions. 

Next came the Manchester and District tournament where, 

with a match-winning goal on the whistle in the last game of 

the tournament, we became runners up, missing out on the 

big title by just one point. 

The highlight of the season was the Stockport Schools' 

tournament at Bramhall High which was also the final game of 

the season. We won our first four games with ease, with fast, 

Perhaps one of our most memorable results from our regular 

Saturday matches was again Queen Elizabeth’s in Blackburn 

on what felt like the coldest day of the year. Although we were 

dressed in pink to support North West Netball’s ‘Pink Week’, 

we probably looked more blue than anything! We bravely put 

aside our frostbite to go ahead and win the match 46-4. 

We have had some mixed results throughout the season but 

within all the games there was a great team spirit and 

everybody played with enthusiasm, commitment and 

determination whatever the result, or weather. The whole 

squad has improved a great deal and we would all like to say 

a huge thank you to Mrs Maskery who has coached, 

supported and encouraged us. Also a big thank you to all the 

netball staff who have organised the matches and 

tournaments for us. We all have had great fun this season and 

we cannot wait until next season. 

Rachel Fitzsimmons (2S), Ellen Mobley (2P) 

and Penny Bowring (2P) 

98 Sport



The Under 12 netball squad this season composed of almost 

all the girls in the First Year! Their enthusiasm and dedication 

to training made selecting teams every week a very difficult 

task. At their first fixture against Wilmslow High School 

players eagerly warmed up on the outside courts waiting to 

hear what position they would be playing. To my delight they 

did not disappoint the supporters with a clean sweep of First 

Year results; 4-2, 10-1 and 4-0. 

Their determination continued in training as they developed 

their knowledge and understanding of the game. Some great 

wins in the season came against; Bolton 24-2, Bury 18-7 and 

Werneth 10-4. They reached the final of the Stockport 

Schools’ competition where they faced Cheadle Hulme High 

School. Narrowly losing the final, the girls were still delighted 

with their first taste of success. A special thanks to all players; 

it has been a pleasure to coach you and I hope you are all 

looking forward to next season. 


L. Topping 

CRICKET 

Despite the challenging weather of the summer, our cricket 

teams played many matches and achieved a great deal of 

success. Pick of the teams were the U12 and U14 XIs who 

were both winners of their respective Cheshire Cup 

competitions. The two sides will now represent Cheshire in 

National competitions in the summer of 2013. 

On the coaching front, Jimmy Ormond (ex England) joined 

the staff as 1st XI coach. We hope that his stay with us will be 

a long and successful one. 

My sincere thanks go to the following staff who committed so 

much time and energy into running the teams: Messrs. 

Bowden, Corbett, Howarth, Moore, Ormond, Urwin and 

Wallington. 

C. J. Wright 

REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS 

Cheshire U15 Cheshire U14 Cheshire U13 Cheshire U12 

Adit Kulkarni Sebastian Croft Francis Yates Edward Francis 

Joe Ganley-Yates Mark Orpen Ben Jones 

Daniel Woodside 

1ST XI CRICKET 

The most rainfall for one hundred years made life difficult for 

cricket teams all over the country. Large numbers of fixtures 

were cancelled, practice was reduced to the bare minimum 

and general enthusiasm was sapped by the damp, cold 

conditions. It was challenging for players, coaches and 

grounds' staff alike. A special mention of Phil, John and the 

Grounds' Staff at SGS must be made. As well as putting in 

extra hours on the main square to improve practice and 

playing facilities, they also went out of their way to ensure the 

artificial nets (that regularly became waterlogged) were 

available for use. A big thank you to all! 

Despite the rain, there was some entertaining cricket on display 

this season. The weather may have prevented high scoring 

matches but low scoring games, where bowlers are on top, can 

make for tense and thrilling cricket. A notable victory over 

King’s Macclesfield in the first game of the season, and 

determined displays against Cheadle Hulme School and the 

MCC (the only game played in glorious sunshine in late May) 

showed the boys’ character and skill. However, when this team 

looks back on the season, they will undoubtedly be 

disappointed with the results. At times, this talented group 

needed to exhibit greater discipline and will to win, especially 

Sport 99


1st XI Cricket Squad 

with bat in hand, if they were to compete with some of the 

school’s bigger rivals during matches. The squad’s commitment 

to practice was excellent throughout the year and while not 

every member of the 1st XI squad had the opportunity to play 

in matches, their attitudes were exemplary nevertheless. 

As one generation departs, the likes of David Wright, Oliver 

Hall, Mark Isherwood and the outgoing captain Chris Marshall 

will leave a hole in the team and especially the batting lineup. 

The introduction of Joe Ganley-Yates and Mark Orpen has 

given them an early taste of 1st XI cricket and hopefully they 

can use this season’s experience and join Max Murphy, 

Michael Schofield and co. on a regular basis next year. On the 

bowling front there were some fine performances and the 

stand-out bowler of the season was Al Jones. He was ably 

supported with the new ball by David Wright, who had a 

strong season with both bat and ball. Adit Kulkarni bowled his 

brand of offspin with great maturity, especially against the 

MCC. Matthew Proctor found his feet later in the season and 

showed good pace. Overall, the bowling and fielding was 

impressive and Michael Schofield behind the stumps put in 

some outstanding performances. 

There is plenty of cricketing talent at the school and I look 

forward to seeing how these promising cricketers develop 

over the coming seasons. 

J. Ormond 

UNDER 15 CRICKET 

bowling from Provan, Samarji, Jones and Stollery, Macclesfield 

were restricted to a modest total. Traditional batting frailties, 

however, ensured that this total was not seriously threatened. 

Impressive wins against Cheadle Hulme and Audenshaw 

followed and Joe Ganley-Yates started to fulfill his undoubted 

potential with the bat. A solid 32 in the first of these fixtures was 

followed by an outstanding unbeaten 130 in the second. 

Similarly, Adit Kulkarni’s bowling really progressed this season and 

these two individuals, alongside James Samarji, Tom O’Mahony, 

deserved their promotion to the 1st XI when it arrived. 

Under 15 Cricket Squad 

This turned out to be an extremely frustrating season for an 

enthusiastic group of individuals. Duke of Edinburgh 

commitments, awful weather and even the appearance of 

Blackpool F.C. at Wembley, all conspired to rob the team of 

fixtures in what was already a very short time slot. Early games 

against Manchester, Bolton and King’s Macclesfield were all 

lost to clashes with DofE, although the latter was thankfully 

rearranged to become a midweek fixture. The game when 

eventually played revealed traits all too evident in the 

previous season. Sharp in the field and with penetrative 

In an abridged season such as this, a good cup run is a real 

bonus, but this was not to be. Almost predictably, our first 

round opponents dropped out after much delay and this set 

up a fixture against a solid, but not spectacular West Hill team. 

Again Stockport ended up shy of a two figure total despite 

resistance from Duffy and Hanson. Later fixtures against 

Altrincham, Chester and Sandbach fell victim to the inclement 

weather and the season somewhat fizzled out. 

The challenges of Senior cricket now lie ahead and there is 

enough ability for many of these individuals to make a real 

mark given sustained application. 

R. Howarth 


After a summer blighted by rain, the Under 14 cricket season 

did not finish until September with the much delayed County 

Cup final against Birkenhead. After an afternoon dodging 

heavy showers, at the mid-way point the game was in the 

100 Sport


balance, despite an excellent innings from George Francis. 

Superb bowling from Seb Croft and Alfie Earith chipped away 

until finally a comfortable victory was assured. The 

celebrations began at the cup presentation and continued 

throughout the journey home. What an end to the season! 

Prior to that grand finale, the season itself was frustrating. 

Tough conditions for batsmen made scoring runs difficult, but 

nonetheless George Francis impressed with a series of sensible 

knocks, taking full advantage of the fact people cannot bowl 

at left-handers! Seb Croft, Mark Orpen and Lewis Braddock 

made important contributions and Ned Barlow seemed to 

alternate between half-centuries and being caught at long-off 

for a duck. 

The team plan revolved around taking wickets with the new 

ball and Louis Jones, Ned Barlow and Seb Croft frequently 

made early inroads. Once the middle order was exposed, 

Alfie Earith emerged as a cunning medium-pacer who was 

often too good for the opposition and recorded some 

outstanding figures. Arjun Takiar could also be relied on to 

sneak the odd wicket at the end. 

It is not often that a team records an unbeaten season and this 

side showed great character and resilience, not least when 


defeating Altrincham on an appalling wicket. Mark Orpen 

was the successful captain, leading the troops well and 

maturing as a tactician. The rest of the squad didn’t let 

anyone down – Messrs. Page, Travis, Fraser, Kiani, O’Brien and 

Jassim all had their highlights and contributed to the team’s 

success. Next year is the National Competition and I look 

forward to future success. 

S. A. Moore 


The season was anticipated with enthusiasm from a large 

squad keen to attend net practice and to stake a claim in the 

starting XI. To this end Travis (w) put down an early marker 

with a good all round performance (28) and 4-13 in our 

opening victory against Bolton School. 

The Cheshire Cup saw us drawn against Bramhall H.S. Those 

spectators arriving slightly late almost missed the game as our 

opponents were routed for just 15 - victory secured by 10 

wickets. 

Our winning start continued against local rivals Cheadle 

Hulme School – a solid knock by opener Jones (40) and useful 

contributions from Towle (25) and Yates (19) ensuring our total 

of 143 was too much for our opponents. A hastily re-arranged 

fixture against Audenshaw was one we had cause to regret. 

Arnold, our original opponents, had decamped to Wembley 

to watch Blackpool in the play-off final. A nine wicket defeat 

saw us struggle against a hostile pace attack. 

We fared better in the Cheshire Cup, winning comfortably 

against Bishop Heber HS where Towle struck a splendidly 

belligerent 72 in a total of 154. Inclement weather then put 

paid to our next two games and it was perhaps a lack of match 


practice that saw us eliminated by Birkenhead School in the 

quarter final of the Cheshire Cup. 

In all a mixed season but in spite of this and the sorry weather, 

we were delighted by the spirit and enthusiasm of the whole 

squad; led admirably by the captain, Yates. 

P. A. Urwin / E. H. Corbett 

Sport 101



James Fleming to come in at the end and score a breezy 20 

not out. Despite the efforts of one of their players who was 

left stranded on 51 not out at the end, Altrincham were 

dismissed for 83 giving us another comfortable victory by 39 

runs. Woodside bowled beautifully as ever and finished with 

4 for 10 and Max Harari, one of three very good leg spinners 

in the team got 4 for 28 with the help of a couple of slick 

stumpings by wicket keeper Jones. Ed Parry also underlined 

his potential with a very steady opening spell. 


It was clear from the start of the season that this year’s team 

had the potential to do very well and as ever our aim was to 

win every game but to ensure that everyone had the 

opportunity to show their potential. 

Our first match as usual was away at King's Macclesfield. The 

weather was appalling and it is to their credit that we managed 

to play at all. We batted first and posted a score of 165 for 2 

from 25 overs. Both openers, George Lyth and Edward Francis, 

retired on 50 and Ben Jones went on to be 38 not out at the 

finish. King's made a great game of it and got to within 9 runs 

with one over to go. Fortunately, Josh Doyle kept his nerve and 

bowled a splendid last over conceding only one run and 

getting a wicket on the last ball to ensure victory by 7 runs. 

The next game was the first round of the Cheshire Cup against 

Wilmslow HS. We won the toss and batted first. Thanks to a 

solid opening partnership from David Paterson (33) and Dan 

Woodside (40 n.o.) and some savage hitting from Ed Francis 

(68 n.o.) we posted a massive 172 for 1 from our 20 overs. 

Wilmslow, to their credit managed to play out their 20 overs but 

could only manage 29 for 8, the wickets being shared amongst 

the ten bowlers used, hence an emphatic victory by 143 runs. 

The following Saturday we were away at Bolton who normally 

provide stiff opposition. Again batting first, both openers Jones 

and Francis retired on 50 each and this provided a platform to 

score 146 for effectively the loss of no wickets from 30 overs. 

Bolton made a good fist of their reply but came up 40 runs 

short for the loss of 8 wickets. The pick of the bowlers being 

Doyle with 2 for 8 and Woodside with 2 for 3. 

The only blip in the season came against Cheadle Hulme. 

After restricting them to 92 for 6 from 25 overs we should 

have comfortably got past that total. All of the first 5 batsmen 

got settled in but could not go on to reach a significant score 

and the lower order collapsed leaving us 9 runs short. 

Altrincham G.S. were our next opponents and the game 

followed a familiar pattern. We batted first and scored 122 for 

4 from 20 overs. The runs were shared out, with Woodside, 

Jones and Lyth showing their undoubted class; it also enabled 

Charlie Ruddock to show his potential as a pinch hitter and for 

In the next round of the Cheshire Cup we were drawn against 

St Ambrose. We batted first and posted 124 for 3 from 20 with 

Jones top scoring with a classy 39 not out. St Ambrose were 

dismissed for 57 mainly due to some suicidal running, as well 

as some good fielding which resulted in four run outs. Lyth, 

one of our other leg spinners, showed his class with the ball 

taking 2 for 13, including the now customary stumping from 

Jones. The semi final against King's Macclesfield beckoned. 

King's won the toss and decided to bat first but only managed 

to score 70 for 8 wickets, mainly due a steady opening spell 

from Woodside and Parry (2 for 5 from 4 overs) and all three 

leggies, Doyle being the other one, chipping in with a wicket 

apiece; wicket keeper Jones this time claiming a hat-trick of 

stumpings. It is no wonder that with performances like this he 

received the Cheshire Youth Cricket award as their most 

improved player. In reply and despite losing Francis early on 

and Ruddock managing to run himself out without facing a 

ball, Woodside and Jones seemed unperturbed. They did, 

however, cause a few finger nails to be bitten near the end 

and almost enabled King's to snatch victory from the jaws of 

defeat. Some may argue that the run chase was perfectly 

timed but to leave it till the fourth ball of the final over was a 

little too close for comfort. 

The atrocious Summer weather had meant that quite a 

number of our regular Saturday fixtures had been cancelled 

and the next match was to be our last: the final of the 

Cheshire Schools' Campey Cup. The match was played at 

King's Macclesfield and it was against King's Chester, who 

normally prove to be very difficult opponents. We won the 

toss and decided, given the somewhat unfavourable batting 

conditions, to bowl first. King's made a slow but steady start 

until Woodside got a couple of wickets in his third over and 

thanks to a neat run out from Paterson their top order had 

been removed. It was time to unleash the spinners and the 

match descended into somewhat of an anti climax to the 

season as King's were bowled out in 15 overs for a meagre 41 

runs. Harari, who was given the man of the match award, 

produced his and the team’s best bowling figures for the 

season taking 6 for 11 from 4 overs. The 42 runs needed for 

victory came from just 10 overs so we were now Cheshire 

Champions and will go on to represent the county in the 

National Lords Taverners' competition next year. 

R W Wallington and C J Wright 

102 Sport


ATHLETICS 

Over the past decade the athletics at Stockport Grammar 

School has become not only a force locally, but after our 

success in the English Schools’ Cup last year, we know we can 

also compete competitively against the best schools in the 

region. Unfortunately, because of a number of factors, I feel 

that progress from the boys has been limited this summer. 

The key to success with the athletics is getting off to a positive 

and quick start to the season. We have an intense early-season 

schedule designed to develop fitness and increase participation 

from all years. This year, due to awful weather at the end of 

April and at the start of May, the season got off to a very 

frustrating start. Our Inter-Form competition and the King’s 

relay were both cancelled do to waterlogged tracks and all our 

practice programme was thrown into disarray. 

Finally, after being back in school for two weeks, the poor 

weather eventually broke and we managed to re-arrange the 

traditional First and Second Year Inter-Form Competition. This 

track-only event enabled us to cast our eye over the new First 

Year crop, whilst also giving the Second Year pupils an early 

season test. 1S were convincing winners of the First Year 

competition and 2T just pipped 2P to take home the Second 

Year title. It was obvious that the extended break had done 

nothing for our fitness levels and although the First Year girls 

looked strong, we were lacking quality and quantity with the 

boys’ squads. 

League athletics then took over and on Wednesday 2nd May 

we travelled to Woodbank Park for the first round of the 

Stockport Schools’ Athletics. Over 250 local athletes from 

seven different schools competed in what was a very 

competitive event. Stockport Grammar won all 8 categories, 

from First Year boys and girls up to Fourth Year. So after three 

very unproductive weeks we were finally up and running and 

had got some wins under our belts. 

After a very successful first year in the English Schools’ Cup in 

2011 we took a bold decision to double up this year and enter 

both Junior and Intermediate teams for both the boys and the 

girls. Unfortunately the competition date at Longford Park, 

Stretford was Thursday 17th May, slap bang in the middle of 

internal examinations for Years 1-3. We therefore had to 

withdraw the Junior teams and juggle the Inter teams to include 

as few Third Years as possible. The format is complicated and 

getting the right balance within each squad was very time 

consuming. Each athlete has to compete in two disciplines and 

points are awarded for their performance, similar to the 

decathlon. The boys have a squad of 14 and the girls a squad 

of 12 and all points are totalised for a final overall score. 

The Boys’ team was certainly much weaker than last year, but 

the girls were confident of making the A final. The girls scored 

a creditable 276 points and were second overall, just 20 points 

behind the winners Manchester High School. The boys 

worked hard for bronze position with 364 points behind West 

Hill School and St. Matthew’s R.C. High School. The girls had 

done really well and had qualified for the North-West A Final 

in Blackpool. This year the boys would have to settle for the B 

finals in Warrington. Well done, girls! 

A week later were the Stockport Championships at Woodbank 

Park and confidence was obviously high. Again, all pupils 

performed with huge effort which resulted in two 

Championship wins, two second places and two third places. 

The Fourth Year girls and boys continued their success and 

were crowned Stockport Champions for the fourth consecutive 

year. The success continued as all eight teams won their 

respective league fixture at Stockport Grammar on 13th June 

which put them into the league final in early July. 

The following Stockport Grammar pupils were also selected to 

represent Stockport in the Greater Manchester Championships 

at Longford Park, Stretford on Saturday 16th June: 

Fran Castillo – Shot, Michael Solomou – Discus, Will Jones – 

Javelin, Maya Gordon – Discus, Harry Mellor - Javelin, Matt 

Carricker - High Jump, Brady O Farrell - Long Jump, Holly 

Hunt - Triple Jump, Ellen Downs & Juliet Downs - 800m, 

Ciara Berrigan - 100m, Sally Best - 200m, Carla Edwards - 

1500m, Jaime Sanchez Capuchino - 200m and Patrick 

Magner - 800m. 

Tuesday 19th June took the girls back to Blackpool for the 

North West Regional A Final. The squads had trained well over 

the last few weeks and, although we knew we would face 

much stiffer competition, expectation was high. Unfortunately, 

due to the injury of some key performers the Stockport girls 

finished well down the pack behind some big named schools 

like Kirkham Grammar and Cannon Slade. The boys 

performed very well in the B final at Victoria Park, Warrington 

to finish a creditable 3rd. Well done to all involved. 

The final event of a very disjointed season was the league finals 

back at Woodbank Park. It is great to finish a season with a 

memorable event and we signed out in style. Impressively, all 

the girls’ squads finished overall winners of all four age groups. 

The Second Year and Third Year boys were both winners, whilst 

the First and Fourth Year boys could only manage second place. 

Six wins and two silvers was a brilliant finish to a wet season. 

A huge thank you must go to all the staff who have helped out 

over the season with fixtures and training. Mr Corbett, Miss 

Withington, Mr Wright and Miss Topping have all contributed 

to make this another successful season. Well done to all 

athletes on a fantastic summer. 

A. S. Hanson and K. Wilkinson


FENCING 

As another year in fencing has come to a close, we can safely 

say that it has been a successful one. We have enjoyed 

inviting new pupils from the Junior School to join in with the 

sport and, as ever, the members have been energetic and 

lively and we have all had a great time. “It is always good to 

see new and returning faces to the club,” said one of our 

coaches, Lee, and it is true. 

It was sad to see some pupils go as we will miss the dedication 

and hard work from Jamie Simpson, Luke Dobson, Arran 

Mckay and Kristian Lee, who have brought hours of fun to the 

club and I’m sure they will have many happy memories of 

fencing and the friends they have made. Fencing isn’t all 

about the winning, but the good fun and friends you meet 

while participating in the sport. As David Varey, our coach, 

said, “Fencing has been very successful this year as both staff 

and pupils have been enthusiastic and supportive to the club.” 

I certainly agree! 

Lara O’Donoghue (2P) 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS' FENCING CHAMPIONSHIP 

On Monday 19th March, the SGS Fencing team, consisting of 

Jamie Simpson, Edward Greaves, Arran Mackay, Ali Drabu 

and me departed for London once again. This was my fourth 

year on the trip and four of us had taken this route many times 

before. When we arrived at Crystal Palace everyone ate and 

then turned in, in preparation for fencing the next day. 

On Tuesday we competed in the foil events. Although it is not 

my favourite weapon, I was pleased to get through to the 

second round before being eliminated. On Wednesday I 

acted as water, food and weapons carrier, as I did not take 

part in the epee event, but was delighted to discover that my 

team mates got through to the second and third rounds, with 

Jamie achieving a placement in the last eight. The 

competition didn’t finish until 9 pm, after which we headed 

for a curry meal at a nearby Bangladeshi restaurant and then 

to bed, as we had an early start the next morning. 

On Thursday morning everyone was buzzing and raring to go 

as we were taking part in the sabre event, my personal 

favourite as it is fast and fun. The day started well, with almost 

everyone making it into the second round. Unfortunately Ali 

and I were eliminated in the next round and Arran and Jamie 

during the direct eliminator. After hearing the farewell 

speeches and applauding the winner, we set off for the station 

and the train back to Stockport. 

I would like to thank Alex Simpson, Jamie’s mother, for 

chaperoning us, as she has every year. I know it is a big 

responsibility but I hope that she has enjoyed it as much as we 

have. I would also like to thank Eddie, Jamie and Arran for 

being such great teammates through the years; this was our 

final year competing together through school; I hope that they 

continue to fence wherever they go. On behalf of the team I 

would also like to thank Mrs Fenton for organising the club 

and David Varey, Lee Hinegan and Peter Martland for all their 

coaching and support. 

Kim St Clair (5M) 

ARCHERY 

I’ll admit that I have never particularly seen myself as a 

‘sporty’ person and I am sure others haven’t seen me as one 

either, so I have not had any particular desire to join the 

netball or hockey teams, although I respect those with the 

talent to do so. Nothing had ever really caught my interest, 

until I was informed of a new club where my friends and I 

could practise archery with trained archers and use high 

quality equipment. The prospect of a sport that was a little 

more unusual (and that would not involve me having to run 

around a field) was exciting, so I took up the offer and joined 

the weekly sessions. The professionals were very informative 

in teaching us how to shoot, and the sport itself is enjoyable, 

104 Sport


not to mention rewarding, especially when you get a bullseye. 

It is also an individual sport, so you have not got the burden 

of letting down the team if your aim is poor. Archery is an 

activity that I thoroughly recommend, especially for any 

aspiring young Legolas or Katniss Everdeen. 

Catherine Sharples (L8) 

CLIMBING 

Climbing this year has been just as successful as previous years, if not more so. We 

have recruited many more keen climbers from all years. They have become 

valuable members of the club and have added to the climbing family. Not only 

have younger students been attracted to the sport, but also new students in the 

Sixth Form. 

The Peter Boardman Wall has provided another year’s worth of amazing climbing 

with the routes on the wall being changed more regularly by teachers as well as 

students. There has been more variety, so students can keep pushing themselves 

on harder grades, as well as never being bored. 

The climbing club is different from any other club, as students of all ages, including 

some from the Junior School, have the opportunity to climb together, challenging 

each other all the way. The sport tests several parts of the human body, developing 

stamina, strength and agility, as well as the psychological ‘fight or flight’ element. 

Climbing encourages the need to work as a team and to put trust in companions as 

well as face the challenge of the rock itself. This test of physical and mental strength 

is what attracts me personally to climbing and I think many would also agree. 

Climbing at the roperace 

QUOTES: 

‘I just like everyone being there from 

all the years! I know loads more 

people now and the teachers are 

really encouraging!!’ 

Lilia Sebouai (2Q) 

‘I would probably comment on the 

fact that the routes are changed 

regularly, making it better for pupils 

and that the teachers have even 

given students the chance to do this, 

helping us to improve and giving us 

fun things to do.’ 

Jennifer Kent (4W) 

‘I enjoy the combination of the 

physical and mental challenge. It 

also makes for good exercise.’ 

Sam Allport (U7) 

‘It’s fun and very sociable.’ 

Phil Hanson (U8) 

‘I’ve been able to improve my 

technique, whilst learning to face 

new challenges.’ 

Memona Shahid (L8) 

Sport 105


The Sixth Form group have been very busy this year, climbing 

every Wednesday afternoon as part of games and these two 

hours a week have been valuable training for all of us. As a 

group, we have managed to not only climb on our own wall 

at school, but also make use of local climbing walls such as the 

Rope Race and Awesome Walls. During the summer, we 

enjoyed some trips out, including one that turned out to be a 

lot wetter than expected! Climbing in games has been a great 

opportunity that hopefully future years will also enjoy. 

The Lower School have been climbing hard too. On average 

there are twenty five members at the Friday night sessions and 

trips out of school are often organised to give the best 

opportunities to everyone. Unfortunately the weather does 

play a big part with outdoor climbing and the most recent trip 

scheduled for outdoors actually ended up being inside. It still 

proved to be a successful day! 

The wall has been a great training ground for students to build 

up the relevant skills and fitness for them to be able to take 

part in all the amazing school mountaineering trips, including 

Snowdonia and the Alps, as well as inspiring the confidence 

to take up the sport outside of school. 

For all these amazing trips to happen, we need a committed 

group of teachers, who always support us. Great thanks go to 

Mrs Lockwood who has been involved with the club since the 

beginning, nineteen years ago, and has been an essential part 

of its success. Thanks to Mr Killey for adding the “wow” 

factor, to ‘Chez’, for her encouragement and to the ‘best 

climbing teacher ever’, (felt by many of the climbing pupils) 

Mrs Beckett, without whom none of this would happen. 

Rosie Broadbent (L8) 

SPORTS COLOURS 2011-12 

Sports Colours are awarded to those individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to their respective sport. A 

pupil’s reliability, organisation, willingness, commitment, integrity, enthusiasm, performance, team work and ability are 

all taken into account when staff select Colours winners. 

Football 

Junior (Half) 

Ciaran Collins 

Will Edwards 

Daniel Hodson 

Junior (Full) 

Matthew Brown 

Myles Cartwright 


Harry Dodd 

Alex Hurley 

Alex Jones 

Lochlann McKay 

Jack Ronnie 

Zain Saeed 

Tom Travis 

Will Travis 

Tom Wilson 

Francis Yates 

Jake Young 

Intermediate (Half) 

Joe Blashill 

Sam Carroll 

Adam Cawthorn 

Tom Clough 

Jonathan Collins 

Will Hanson 

Marcus Jones 

Mark Tordoff 

Intermediate (Full) 

Henry Betts 

Ben Gardiner 

Luke Harvey-Jones 

Brady O’Farrell 

Nikesh Patel 

Tom Stead 

George Wardroper 

Jamie Wood 

Senior (Half) 

Hameen Chowdhury 

Yahya El Asmar 

Jay Kothari 

Oliver Hall 

Sam Lightfoot 

Matthew Rowson 

Saam Zonoozi 

Senior (Full) 

Harry Allport 

Edward Appleby 

Bikesh Deb 

Tom Coombes 



Ross Holloway 

Cameron Hughes 

Sam Johnson 

Patrick Lavin 



Chris Robinson 

Matthew Schofield 

Khalid Tayan 

David Wright 

The winner of the Footballer of the Year Trophy was Tom Coombes. 

106 Sport


Hockey 

Junior (Half) 


Anna Hanson 

Erica Hukin 

Emily Plevin 

Junior (Full) 


Evie Barlow 

Georgina Dare 

Lauren Hunt 


Lily Wolstenholme 


Ellen Downs 

Alexa Holland 

Jennifer Kent 

Anna Madden 


Rachel Orr 

Amber Reece-Greenhalgh 

Niyati Takiar 

Johanna Worley 

Lizzie Worthington 


Maya Gordon 

Holly Hunt 

Meghan Myers 

Megan Smith 

Emily Spencer 

Senior (Full) 

Charlotte Bailey 

Pauline Barker 

Rachel Egan 

Madeleine Hardy 

Sarah Hindle 

Emma Lingard 

Verity Lukes-Mooney 

Sally McRoberts 

Sophie Skelton 

Angharad Smith 


Emma Woodhead 

The CLARE CUP, awarded to the player who has contributed most to hockey in the school, was won by Charlotte Bailey. 

Netball 

Junior (Half) 

Penny Bowring 

Jessie Brook 

Katie Clarke 

Georgina Dare 

Hannah Hughes 

Olivia Hurst 

Lydia Taylor 

Rosie Weeks 

Junior (Full) 


Lauren Hunt 

Ellen Mobley 




Emily Dow 

Victoria Morgan 



Leah Allcock 

Sarah Doran 

Sarah Gaskin 


Thea Hudson 

Alice Payne 

Olivia Ronnie 

Lucy Sumner 

Senior (Full) 

Holly Allcock 


Caitlin Gorman 

Elizabeth Healey 

Sofia Jassim 

Catriona Leggat 

Jennifer Logue 

Jennifer Meikle 

THE NETBALL CUP, awarded to the player who has contributed most to netball in the school, was won by Jennifer Logue. 

NETBALL REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS 

Cheshire 

Alice Payne Sarah Gaskin Olivia Ronnie 

Josie Napper 


Greater Manchester 

Megan Taylor 

Sport 107


Rugby 

Junior (Half) 

Charles Beischer 

Jaimal Brown 

Matthew Brown 


Freddie Clarke 

Oliver Finch 

Ben Hicks 

Daniel Hodson 

Harry Hunt 

Jehaad Khalid 

Richard Klomp 

Patrick Magner 

Tobias Provan 

Jack Ronnie 

Jake Young 

Junior (Full) 

Adam Bennett 

Sam Carr 


Luke Cox 

Alex Jones 

Alex Jones 

Marcus Metcalfe 

Henry North 

Will Ogden 

Tom Travis 

Will Travis 

Paul Wong 

Francis Yates 

THE BLOOD CUP, awarded to the player who is judged 

the most promising player in the School, was won by 

James Flynn. 


Tom Allport 

Joe Blashill 

Craig Bowie 

Tom Clough 

Yemi Lijadu 

Alex Mayo 

James Samarji 


Adam Cawthorn 

Samuel Clarke 

James Gilboy 

Sam Haley 

William Hanson 

Simon Howard 

Marcus Jones 

Will Jones 

Benedict Lambon-Ralph 

Adam North 

Tom O’Mahony 

Alex Provan 

Mark Ray 

Edward Robinson 

Michael Solomou 

Ben Stollery 

Senior (Half) 

Jake Lee 

Senior (Full) 

Will Chance 

Bikash Deb 

James Flynn 

Sam Fraser 

Andrew Garton 



Chris Spencer 

Alex Wetters 

RUGBY REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS 

England Clubs & Schools U18 

James Flynn 

North of England U18 

James Flynn 

Cheshire U18 

James Flynn 

Sharks Academy EPDG 

James Flynn Tom Morton Tom O’Mahony 

James Gilboy Sam Haley Louis Jones 

Tom Power 

Cheshire U18 Cheshire SoR U15 Cheshire SoR U14 

Tom Morton Tom O’Mahony Jaime Sanchez-Cappucino 

Oliver Woodside 

Sam Haley 

Megan Smith 

James Gilboy 

Cheshire U15 

Adam Cawthorn Ben Stollery Adam North 

Tom O’Mahony Sam Haley Mark Ray 

Michael Solomou Will Jones Will Hanson 

East Cheshire U14 

Ned Barlow 

Max Lederwerg 

East Cheshire U13 


Henry North 

Will Ogdon 

Lancashire SoR U14 

Louis Jones 

Tom Power 

108 Sport


Athletics 

Junior (Half) 

Joanna Brown 



Katie Clarke 

Lucy Daniels 

Georgina Dare 

Will Edwards 


Hannah Hughes 

Janet Hunter 

Alexander Hurley 

Alex Jones (2R) 

Niamh Morgan 

Henry North 

Lilia Sebouai 

Lydia Wagstaff 

Junior (Full) 


Jaimal Brown 

Juliet Downs 

Joshua Foran 

Lauren Hunt 

Patrick Magner 



Paul Wong 


Tom Allport 

Katy Bacon 


Hannah Clayton 

Emily Dow 

Sarah Gaskin 

James Gilboy 

Sam Haley 

Will Hanson 

Marcus Jones 

Will Jones 

Jennifer Kent 

Ana Krywonos 

Meghan Myers 

Adam North 


Alice Payne 

Olivia Ronnie 

Megan Smith 

Emily Spencer 

Ben Stollery 

Niyati Takiar 

Lizzie Worthington 


Ellen Downs 

Maya Gordon 

Holly Hunt 

Anna Madden 

Michael Solomou 

Liza Vul 

The winner of THE WALTON ATHLETICS CUP, awarded to the most promising athlete in the school, was Thomas Taylor. 

Cricket 

Junior (Half) 

Amay Bhamidipati 

Sam Carr 



Tom Holt 

Will Ogdon 

Zain Saeed 

Junior (Full) 

Oliver Finch 

Alex Jones (2R) 

Oliver Towle 

Thomas Travis 

William Travis 

Francis Yates 

Jake Young 


Patrick Duffy 

Joseph Ganley-Yates 

Adit Kulkarni 


James Samarji 


Henry Betts 

Sam Carroll 

Will Hanson 

Marcus Jones 

Will Jones 

Animit Kulkarni 

Alex Provan 

Ben Stollery 

Aaquib Vohra 

Senior (Full) 

Oliver Hall 

Mark Isherwood 


Matthew Schofield 

David Wright 

THE CRICKETERS’ CUP, awarded to the most promising cricketer in the school, was awarded this year to Michael Schofield. 

Swimming 

Junior (Half) 

Juliet Downs 

Harriet Lambon-Ralph 

Peter Withers 

Junior (Full) 

Georgia Burns 

Luke Cox 

Hannah Jones 


Ellen Downs 

Lucy Sumner 


Luke Berry 

Jennifer Kent 

Senior (Full) 

Joe Briggs 

Emily Parker 

Olivia Simpson 

Julia Sutherland 


Sport 109


Tennis 

Junior (Half) 

Lauren Hunt 


Juliet Downs 

Junior (Full) 


Georgina Dare 


Ellen Downs 


Holly Hunt 

Jennifer Kent 


Emily Spencer 

Niyati Takiar 

THE TENNIS TROPHY, awarded to the most promising player, was won by Savannah Whittaker. 

Climbing 

Junior (Full) 

Sam Carr 

Arisha-Jane Marsh 



Rachel Orr 

Megan Smith 

Niyati Takiar 

Joseph Trimingham 

Jenny Kent 

Ellen Downs 

Senior (Full) 

Sam Allport 

Jake Bradshaw 

Rosie Broadbent 

Philip Hanson 

Alexander McCann 

Fencing 

Junior (Half) 

George Smith 

Senior (Full) 

Arran Mackay 

As a mark of his commitment to the sport, Kim St Clair was awarded the FENCING CUP. 

SPORTS DAY 

The 2012 winners of the T.J.Anderson Trophy (awarded to the House that has accrued the most Athletics Standards points) 

was VERNON 

The Athletics Challenge Bowl for the winning House on Sports Day was won by ARDEN 

Senior House Sports Day was won by ARDEN 

1 st Year Victor Ludorum Wolodymyr Krywonos (A) 

Daniel Woodside (A) 

2 nd Year Victor Ludorum George Smith (A) 

3 rd Year Victor Ludorum Thomas Taylor (W) 

4 th Year Victor Ludorum Will Hanson (A) 

1 st Year Victrix Ludorum Morgan Hanson (W) 

2 nd Year Victrix Ludorum Lauren Hunt (A) 

3 rd Year Victrix Ludorum Georgina Blears (N) 

4 th Year Victor Ludorum Will Hanson (A) 

4 th Year Victrix Ludorum Megan Smith (V) 

Anna Madden (N) 

Holly Hunt (A) 

Senior Victor Ludorum 

Toby Jones (Arden) 

Senior Victrix Ludorum 

Sophie Skelton (Nicholson) 

Sport 110


STOCKPORT GRAMMAR JUNIOR SCHOOL 

Mr L. Fairclough, B.A. Headmaster 

Mr S. Milnes, B.A. Deputy Head 

Mrs K. Horrocks, B.A., M.A. Director of Studies 

Mrs C.A. Hampson, B.A. Foundation Stage Co-ordinator 

Miss C.E. Peake, B.T.E.C., HND Ed. Nursery Manager 

Mrs B. Cheyne 

Headmaster’s Secretary 

Mrs A. Worne 

School Secretary 

Miss C. Jones 

After School Care Manager 

Miss J. Atkinson 

Mrs N. Boothroyd N.N.E.B. 

Mrs H. C Carroll B.Ed. 

Mrs C. Chadwick B.T.E.C. 

Mrs R. Cole, B.A. 

Mrs S. Coombes B.Sc. 

Miss N. Day B.Sc. 

Miss N. Dunkerley 

Mrs C. Flaherty NVQ Level 3 

Miss M. Gay N.N.E.B. 

Mrs L. Gilmour N.N.E.B. 

Mrs N. Hurst B.Ed. 

Mrs A. Hutchinson N.N.E.B 

Mrs V. Hutchinson B.A. 

Mrs A. Johnson B.T.E.C. 

Mr M. Johnson B.Sc. 

Miss D. Koziel M.A. 

Mrs C. Kynaston Cert. Ed. 

Mrs B. Langan 

Miss D. Leonard N.N.E.B. 

Mrs H. Lightfoot N.N.E.B. 

Mr D. J. Makinson HNC Eng 

Mrs N. Massey N.N.E.B. 

Mrs J. Mercer B.A. 

Mrs J. Newhouse N.N.E.B. 

Mrs C. Nichols, B.Ed. 

Mrs K. Roberts BEd. M.A. 

Mrs R. Scott, B.A. 

Mrs H. Shanks Cert. Ed. 

Mrs L. Shepherd B.T.E.C. 

Mrs C. Smith B.A. 

Mrs A. Sullivan B.Ed. 

Mrs J. M. Swales B.A. 

Mr A. Taylor B.Sc. 

Mrs R. Torz B.A. M.A. 

Mrs H. Tunney B.Ed. 

Mrs L. J. Turner B.Ed. 

Head Boy: Oliver Marsden 

Head Girl: Maya Medagoda 

N.B. Erratum from last year, the Head Boy and Head Girl from 

2010 - 2011 were Ben Jones and Hannah Hartas-Pearson 

HEADMASTER’S REPORT 

The London Olympics and Paralympics have been an 

inspiration for many. I spent hours in front of the television 

marvelling at the achievements of the athletes. You just knew 

that once the Games were over there would be an edict from 

on high. We did not have to wait long: compulsory team 

games for all children. Not unexpected, but somewhat ironic 

I thought, given that most Olympic events are individual, 

rather than team efforts. The call should have been for high 

quality P.E. teaching in schools, providing all pupils with the 

opportunity to learn skills, improve their fitness and to 

develop an interest in a wide range of activities, one of which 

might be, playing in a team. This is something, I believe, we 

do very successfully at Stockport Grammar. 

One of the messages that came repeatedly from athletes was 

how hard they had worked over the last four years preparing 

for their events. The countless hours, spent training made the 

difference; a win or place on the podium was often measured 

in seconds or parts of seconds. We try to instil in the children 

we teach, the importance of effort and perseverance; not to 

give up when things get difficult, or mistakes are made. To 

accept that they will not always be successful, but to keep 

trying to improve in everything they do. As well as teaching 

them the things they need to know, we want them to develop 

their thinking skills, to become independent learners, to be 

creative. As they face a world of change they will need to 

solve problems yet to materialise. One of Einstein’s phrases 

seems particularly apt: 

‘We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we 

used when we created them.’ 

It is a privilege, as I often say, to share in the children’s learning 

and achievements. ‘Life should not be measured in the 

number of breaths we take,’ goes the saying, ‘but in the 

number of moments that take our breath away.’ Moments 

Junior School 111


which occur every day in school: the moment a child shares 

an excellent piece of work, or when he or she talks excitedly 

about something they have grasped for the first time, 

wonderful class assemblies, successes in music making and on 

the sports field. 

As ever, the year has been full of activity; class trips and 

residential visits. There have been the usual highlights: 

Nativities and the Carol Service and an excellent Year 6 

production of Clusical – one of the best productions in recent 

years. We celebrated the Queen’s Jubilee, which culminated 

in a street party for all the children on the playground and a 

singsong in the courtyard. Then the children participated in 

activities linked to the Olympics, with a themed Sports Day. 

You can get a clearer picture of the many activities in the 

following reports. 

We make much, quite rightly, of the importance of the 

relationship between school and home. I am grateful to all the 

parents who have come into school to help with activities, to 

assist with transporting teams or who have supported us in 

other ways. I also pay particular tribute to members of the 

SPA, who, again, have done so much for us over the course of 

the year. Even the Summer Fair, I use the description 

tentatively, was another success, in spite of the rain. 

I also record my thanks to my colleagues, teachers and 

support staff, for their hard work and dedication. They enable 

the children to enjoy success and to make progress. Early in 

the school year I asked a new pupil who had joined the 

Juniors, how he was settling in. He spoke enthusiastically 

about his teachers and how nice they were. He clearly had 

not yet had the privilege of being in one of my lessons. 

L. Fairclough 

THE QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE 

Friday 1 June will be a day that all Stockport Grammar children from Nursery to Year 

6 will remember; a day when, as a whole school, we celebrated The Queen’s 

Diamond Jubilee. The children arrived in school, dressed in red, white and blue, 

ready to enjoy their street party. The Infant children had created their own crowns. 

The playground had been decorated, music was playing, and yes, the children were 

visited by our very own Queen! In the afternoon we held a very special concert, 

with each year group performing their own song. It was a very exciting day. 

Throughout the week the children had learnt many historical facts, created their 

own coins, built castles and carriages. It was a very special week for the children, 

one they will hopefully remember for years to come. 

L. Turner 

INFANT NATIVITY 

Shine Star Shine was performed by Reception and Nursery 

children in their usual inimitable style. They entertained their 

audiences with a magical retelling of the nativity story in 

words, songs and dance. 

The big star needs to show the way to the stable where a 

special baby has been born, but there is one problem- he just 

cannot shine. Shepherds, their sheep and wise men on their 

112 Junior School


camels had to find their way to the stable in the darkness. His 

friends, the other stars, try all they can to make him believe 

that he can shine and when they lead him to the stable to see 

the baby he realises that Jesus’ love will give him the strength 

to shine again. 

It is always a delight to witness the freshness with which these 

young people perform and remind us all of the true Christmas 

message – one of peace and love. 

R. Scott 

NURSERY VISIT TO STOCKLEY FARM 

To celebrate a wonderful year together the Nursery packed up 

their wellies and went on a day trip to Stockley Farm. We 

were very excited on the coach ride there and could not wait 

to begin our day of fun filled activities. 

Children, staff and parent helpers thoroughly enjoyed seeing 

all the farm animals. We were given the opportunity to groom 

a horse and bottle feed the lambs. One of the favourite parts 

of the trip was Pets’ Corner, where we could stroke and hold 

baby rabbits and Guinea pigs. 

With the rain holding off, we managed to play in the large 

outdoor area. The children loved climbing and swinging, but 

most of all zooming down the zip wire. There were even 

diggers in the large sand pit. 

After all that hard work we had to take a break and have a 

picnic before continuing on our day with an exciting, bumpy 

tractor ride. It was then off for a forest walk where we loved 

looking for bugs! 

After a fantastic day out it was time for the journey back to 

Nursery. We were all exhausted and some children couldn’t 

even keep their eyes open and had to have a quick forty 

winks! 

C. Peake 

GARDENING CLUB 

Reception Gardening Club were delighted to harvest their 

very first crop of peas this summer. The children all took 

home some peas to taste. 

C. Hampson 

Junior School 113


WACKY WOODS VISIT 

In March the Reception children spent a 

magical day in the Wacky Woods at Adlington. 

Dressed in puddlesuits and wellingtons we 

were more than prepared for bug hunting, tree 

climbing and marshmallow toasting. On our 

arrival the children were all given a magic string 

which grew into a woodland sculpture as we 

explored the woods. 

Along the way we found many different creepy crawlies 

including stag horn beetles, centipedes and gigantic wriggly 

worms. After learning how to tell the difference between a 

centipede and millipede we all got busy building bug hotels 

and bug traps. 

The day ended with a campfire, lit with the help of a dragon’s 

breath and a few fairy wings. With tummies full of toasted 

marshmallows and crumpets we then made our way back to 

school. 

C. Hampson 

We did some marshmallows – we put them on the fire and 

when they went brown we ate them. I climbed up a tree and 

I was lying in a net. Jameson (RH) 

I had fun eating the doughnuts. I enjoyed seeing the stag horn 

beetle and I liked all the worms climbing over me and building 

the bug trap. Harry (RH) 

With Mrs Nichols we made a bug hotel with sticks and moss 

and some leaves from the tree. Niamh (RH) 

I liked playing on the rope climbing frame. Frazer (RT) 

I liked toasting my crumpet. Lucy (RT) 

I liked toasting marshmallows. Hattie (RT) 

INFANT SPORTS DAY 

After the wettest April to June period on record we all waited 

for Infant Sports Day with trepidation. The morning brought 

a deluge but then gave us a small window of opportunity to 

complete the event and avoid disappointing the exciting 

children from Nursery to Year 2. 

Each child enjoyed competing in a range of running, jumping 

and throwing activities where they could show off their skills 

and talents to supporting parents and grandparents. 

The SPA kept everyone happy with refreshments and the Year 

6 pupils, helping the Infants through their events, were a 

credit to the school with their encouragement of the younger 

children and acting as positive role models. 

The Mayor attended the event and thoroughly enjoyed 

watching the children try so hard at everything they were 

challenged with. The children worked as individuals and as 

part of their relay and House teams, earning valuable points in 

everything they did. 

The final placings were; 1 st Warren, 2 nd Arden, 3 rd Nicholson, 

4 th Vernon. 

C. Nichols 

INFANTS : OLYMPIC ACTIVITY WEEK 

The Infant children counted down the days to the Olympic 

Games with enthusiasm and excitement. Many were lucky 

enough to see the torch relay when it came to Stockport and 

we were all amazed to see three of the golden torches brought 

into school over the following weeks. 

thank you to all the parents brave enough to take part and 

make the week such a success. 

C. Hampson 

Our activity week was very busy : medals were made, new 

sports tried, London explored (with a little help from Mrs 

Hicks), torches designed and an Olympic themed ‘It’s A 

Knockout’ held for the children and parents in both Reception 

classes. A visit from a real Olympian , Rob Hayles,inspired and 

wowed the children who asked lots of questions about his 

racing bike and Olympic medals. We would like to say a big 

114 Junior School


KS1 CHRISTMAS PRODUCTION 

The Christmas Recipe had all 

the ingredients of a 

traditional Christmas – the snowflakes and red robins of a 

white Christmas, the busy cooks and Father Christmas , ably 

assisted by his elves, delivering presents. 

After reminding us of the excitement of a modern day 

Christmas, the narrators and the children, led by the twinkling 

stars, transported us back 2000 years to Bethlehem and to 

the simple stable where Jesus was born. 

The children, accompanied by a small percussion band, 

danced and sang with great enthusiasm, reminding us all of 

the true meaning of Christmas. 

R. Scott 

YEAR 2 VISIT TO THE 

LOWRY CENTRE 

YEAR 2 VISIT TO 

BRAMALL HALL 

In the Autumn Term we started our practical work with a 

visit to the Lowry Centre. There was a classroom based 

activity where the children were taught to draw their 

portraits in the style of Lowry. We were also shown around 

the gallery and there was a talk about Lowry, his life and his 

work. This was a good foundation for our follow-on work 

in school and the children really gained a lot from the trip. 

H. Shanks 

In May as part of their History topic the Year 2 children went 

to Bramall Hall to learn about how people used to live. 

They were shown how a household was run in Victorian 

times. There were lots of opportunities to see and handle 

relevant artefacts and the children were involved in role 

play. It was a very enjoyable and informative trip. 

H. Shanks 

AUTHOR VISIT - JONATHAN MERES 

Anyone glancing briefly at Jonathan’s website would be 

aware that his visit in February was not going to be 

predictable or run of the mill and, it certainly wasn’t. His 

experience of being a stand-up comedian for ten years has 

equipped him with the wit and speed of thought to keep 

any audience (even one made up of young children) in the 

palm of his hand and he definitely proved that. The 

children were captivated and enthralled from the moment 

he launched himself into the hall - they listened intently 

whilst literally rocking with laughter. 

Most author visits are quite serious and sedate affairs. They 

begin with an explanation of the writing process, continue 

with short readings taken from the author’s latest book and 

finish with a question and answer session. With Jonathan 

we had to be prepared to think again: his zany humour; his 

eloquent renditions of popular television voices; his ability 

to mimic various accents as well as his one liners that 

Junior School 115


bombarded the audience at break-neck speed, turned our 

expectations upside down. The children didn’t have to ask 

about his style of writing or where he sourced his ideas – the 

answers were obvious: from his amazing sense of humour and 

quirky approach to life. 

Everyone, children and adults, loved his performance and the 

children’s interest in his books soared, as evidence by the fact 

that his books flew off the shelves. By 3.00pm we had ‘sold 

out’ and had to ‘shut up shop’. 

J. Mercer 

AUTHOR VISIT - DEBI GLIORI 

The author and illustrator Debi Gliori visited the school in July 

to speak to the Year 1 and Year 2 children about her latest 

book ‘The Scariest Thing of All’. 

The book is about a little rabbit, Pip, who has a seemingly 

endless list of things to be afraid of such as gobblers, wood 

trolls and vast ‘hissters‘ to name but a few. By the end of the 

story Pip realises that, all the time he was really afraid of his 

own over-active imagination. 

The children loved the story and many of the adults 

recognised the source of their own irrational fears. Debi 

showed the children how the 

story evolved and we saw the 

illustrations grow from rough 

sketches to captivating pieces 

of art. Her use of colour to 

create atmosphere combined 

with her ability to illustrate 

wonderful animal characters 

had even the youngest 

members of the audience 

enthralled. 

J. Mercer 

YEAR 6 ART PROJECT – GARGOYLES 

This Art Day was about the ancient myth of ‘The Green Man’ 

and gargoyles, the stone face-carvings on the downspouts 

many old churches and other buildings. 

We began by looking at photographs of the weathered, lichencovered 

gargoyles from St Michael’s church, Winchcombe, in 

the Cotswolds, famous for its wonderful examples of this art 

form, carved by stone masons many hundreds of years ago. 

Clearly some of these are nightmarish demons from the artists’ 

imaginations and fears, but others appear to be well-observed 

portraits of grimacing real people, well-known to the sculptors. 

It is thought these were often put in place to ward off the evil 

spirits that people knew lurked under every bed, round every 

corner, and in and behind every tree and hollow… 

The first activity was to produce a drawing of these, traced 

from the A4 photographs. However, this process evolved and 

changed, even at this so-called ‘copying’ stage, into something 

personal as the pupils saw it emerging onto the paper, and 

began to emphasise elements in their photograph and on the 

drawing as it developed. 

The second activity began similarly to activity one with a 

tracing, but only as a line drawing. This was then stuck to a 

larger sheet of white paper with masking tape. This project 

then used masking tape to ‘draw’ in relief around and into the 

lines and shapes, building up a surface of layered textures as 

the tape was distorted around the lines. Once finished these 

were ‘scrumbled’ over with paper and graphite/crayons like a 

brass-rubbing to produce yet another type of drawing. 

The third activity involved clay as a medium. Having learned 

something about the history and nature of clay as a material, 

we then looked at the A4 images of the gargoyles. The pupils 

then rolled out the clay and laid it over a ‘bridge’ of cardboard. 

From here, having been shown a few simple and basic forming 

and texturing methods, their imaginations took over and, using 

the stimulus of the gargoyle pictures, developed their own 

faces. Once dry they scraped into the surface to add even 

more texture and then used acrylic and metallic paint to 

complete their ‘gargoyle’. 

These fantastic models graced the entrance hall of the Junior 

School and served to impress but also to ward off any ‘evil 

spirits’ that could have been lurking around! 

J. Mercer 

116 Junior School


YEAR 4 ART AND DESIGN DAY 

Because of a football tournament the children were divided 

into two groups: boys in the morning and girls in the 

afternoon and they were engaged in two ambitious projects. 

GAUDI AND HUNDERTWASSER. 

The group was shown images of the use of colour in paintings 

in the last two hundred years. They looked first at an early 

painting by JMW Turner which portrayed a large house on a 

hill before a lake painted in very subtle shades of grey. They 

then witnessed how Turner became much more experimental, 

working with light rather than the themes the wealthy patrons 

required. They saw ‘Sunset, Rouen’ which showed a large 

yellow disc with a ‘squiggle’ as a reflection. This, along with 

Turner’s other experimental work, was a precursor to 

Impressionism. This paved the way for much more vibrant 

work by the likes of Russian artist Kandinsky and then 

Hundertwasser. The PowerPoint presentation then went on 

to look at some work by Spanish architect and designer 

Gaudi, whose buildings have a similar vibrant quality. 

The children tried to combine these qualities in their own art. 

This was achieved by drawing exotic skylines of buildings. 

They then applied various layers of paint and ink to create a 

composition more to do with colour than a ‘realistic’ 

impression of a sky, using the legacy of Turner and 

Hundertwasser. 

LARGE FIGURE PAINTING 

We started with two large ‘canvases’ of sheets of card, stuck 

together in a 4x3 formation. In two groups of twelve the 

pupils took turns to lie on the rectangle and were drawn 

round, with the lines and shapes overlapping. Each pupil was 

drawn, and each did the drawing. The sheets were then 

separated and each pupil had their own to work on, though 

some pupils worked on each sheet as a group. We looked at 

some abstract paintings which showed how each shape could 

be developed as its own little world of colour and texture. 

The pupils then painted the background with as many types 

of blue (cold colour) and texture as possible, achievable with 

the thick acrylics. The overlapping and complex shapes, 

made by and round the pupils, were painted in yellows, 

oranges and reds (warm colours). Dots of white were also 

placed in close sequence along the edges of the shapes. 

When finished, the pictures were taped back together in the 

sequence they were when first placed on the floor, to be hung 

as a large colourful composition in which elements of the 

pupils were evident (hands, feet, heads etc), but whose main 

purpose was to develop a feeling for textured paint and a 

strong contrast of the warm reds and oranges from strong to 

light tones against blues. 

J. Mercer 

YEAR 3 ART DAY 

The plan for this Year 3 Art Day was to build a piece of work 

out of several layers into a relief, and in a variety of materials. 

The lesson began with a discussion, with examples of different 

kinds of ‘botanical’ art from scientific illustrations at the plantrecognition 

end of the spectrum, to more interpretive work by 

Georgia O’Keeffe and also other examples from Islamic art 

which were also developed into mathematical tiles from initial 

studies in that culture. The emphasis here was that we were 

not so much concerned with ‘accuracy’ as with individual 

creative interpretation. 

The starting point was observational drawing, looking at laurel 

and rhododendron branches, end-on, with their clusters of 

leaves around the point of the bud. Large drawings were 

encouraged, to fill the sheet; initially lightly sketched in pencil 

and then drawn over in coloured pencil to give a bright line 

other than black. 

The use of the transparent and textural qualities of wax 

crayons was then applied, building up a green, for example, 

using yellows and blues rather than just being satisfied with 

‘the green’ of a particular crayon. Next the pupils looked at 

A4 images of flowers and in choosing one of these, interpreted 

this image onto another sheet using oil pastel. 

Finally, the next stage was to develop large drawings of insects, 

again derived from photographs provided. ‘Brusho’ powder 

was sprinkled onto the wet designs so that the colours spread 

and merged. The flower and insect designs were cut out and 

mounted onto the original sketch using a concertina 

construction to give a 3D effect. 

J. Mercer 

SCIENCE DAY 

The children were prepared for the excitement of the day by 

a whole school assembly taken by two science boffins. There 

were roars of laughter and great excitement at activities like 

making a genie come out of a bottle, balloon piercing and 

flash paper. However, I think the favourites had to be making 

elephant’s toothpaste and the loo roll Bernoulli experiment, 

which I am sure the children will have talked about. 

Pupils then took part in various workshops with the boffins. 

Year 3 pupils had the chance to see some Dragon Chemistry 

Junior School 117


in the Senior School. Year 6 pupils were invited to Café Sci 

taken by a lecturer from Manchester University. 

Dr Cosgrove was amazed at how engaged the children were 

during her talk about cells and how they demonstrated the 

passion for learning by some of the excellent questions they 

asked. 

There was a great buzz around school from Nursery right 

through to Year 6. It was clear that pupils were totally 

engaged and enthused by their tasks. Infant activities 

included making rainmakers and a papier maché earth, 

making rockets in Alien Science and constructing robots from 

recycled materials. 

N. Hurst 

HOCKEY 

The AJIS U11 Hockey tournament is the pinnacle of every 

hockey season. The event plays host to twenty four 

independent schools in the North West and is an exciting and 

competitive occasion. This year was no exception. In the first 

round the Stockport Grammar team beat the Grange School, 

Alderley Edge School for Girls, Newcastle under Lyme and 

King Edward/Queen Mary’s to go through as winners of their 

group. 

The season started with an invitation festival to give the U11 

girls an opportunity to kick start the new Hockey season. 

They played matches against King’s Macclesfield, Alderley 

Edge School for Girls, Beech Hall and Ryleys. Whilst it was a 

non competitive event the Stockport Grammar girls enjoyed 

scoring a good many goals during the afternoon. 

In the winners’ competition our girls drew 1 – 1 with Rossall, 

lost 0 – 2 to Arnold and drew 0 – 0 with Queen’s Chester after 

a disallowed goal for Stockport Grammar in the last play of the 

match. The final result put Stockport Grammar in 3 rd place 

overall. The squad must be congratulated on some excellent 

play and great team work. 

The Year 6 girls travelled to Blackburn for their end of season 

Hockey tour on Friday 9th March. 

For the first time the House competition was mixed, a result 

of two seasons of boys’ hockey training with Mrs Carroll. The 

House Captains did a great job in getting their squads 

organised and the morning ran smoothly because of this. 

There was some lovely hockey played and in each game all 

players participated wholeheartedly. Many thanks to the 

supporters who cheered the children on. 

The results were; 

4 th Nicholson – 3 points 

3 rd Arden – 6 points 

2 nd Vernon – 8 points 

1 st Warren – 13 points 

118 Junior School


The A and B team games on Friday were against Westholme 

School. The A team started well with some slick dribbling and 

passing moves. They came close a few times, just sending the 

ball wide of the goal. Soon afterwards the girls converted a 

shot and went ahead. Having found a taste for scoring and 

really getting into a pattern of attacking play the goals flowed 

and the match ended a resounding win for the Stockport 

Grammar girls. 

The B team had a much closer game which was dominated by 

hard tackling and interceptions. The deadlock was broken by 

the Stockport Grammar girls first but Westholme battled back 

to score an equaliser and the game finished with scores even. 

Back at the hotel the girls had a good meal and were 

serenaded by the resident entertainer who gave them a 

musical history lesson from the 1950s to 70s. After enjoying 

a film at the local cinema the girls settled down for a good 

night’s sleep. 

On Saturday morning the day was started with a swim and a 

full English breakfast. The group then travelled to Bowden to 

watch the women’s premiership match between Hightown 

and Slough. The girls were amazed at the power and strength 

of the players and enthralled by the number of balls played 

high in the air. The penalty corners they saw made them 

realise the importance of slick skills and quick decision 

making. It was a positive end to a good trip with Hightown 

winning 2 – 1 and Tina Cullen, England star, having a quick 

chat with the Stockport Grammar girls at half time. 

C. Nichols 

FOOTBALL 

Team Played Won Drawn Lost Goals for Goals Agst 

U11A 39 22 6 11 72 44 

U11B 16 7 3 6 39 46 

U10A 8 3 2 3 13 9 

U10B 8 2 1 5 12 23 

The Under 11A team had an excellent start to the season 

when they shared the King’s Macclesfield 7-a-side trophy with 

Terra Nova. On a beautiful morning, they fought hard to 

knock out Altrincham, King’s Chester and Bolton, before 

drawing the final 1-1 after extra time. 

A couple of weeks later the same lads were the losing finalists 

in the IAPS 6-a-side competition held at Platt Lane. Once 

again they performed very well up to the final, but they saved 

their worst performance of the day for the last game and were 

beaten 2-0 by Altrincham, a team they had beaten in the 

group stage. 

The Stockport North Area Primary Sports Association League 

is played over the whole season with the winners being 

awarded the Holgate Shield. The standard of football and 

teams this year was as high as I can remember it. To finish 

runners up was a decent achievement. The winners were the 

newly formed Vale View from Reddish. For the first time, the 

Association decided to have finals nights, which SGS hosted. 

The top four played one night, with fifth to eighth the next. 

Both nights were very successful, with Vale View once again 

winners of the main trophy and SGS coming joint third. I 

would like to thank Tom Coombes and Harry Allport, from the 

Sixth Form for refereeing the games so expertly. 

Unfortunately we didn’t manage to make much of a mark in 

either the AJIS or Metro Cups, losing in the early rounds by the 

odd goal to Arnold and Moorfield. 

Overall I think the U11As probably under-achieved. I think 

that many of them are capable of performing much more 

Junior School 119


consistently than they did. Having said that they were a 

pleasure to take and I hope that they continue to play and 

enjoy their football for many years. 

The Under 11s were also represented at B, C and D team 

level. Although they had mixed results, they worked hard and 

need congratulating for their commitment. 

The Under 11 teams were rewarded with a short tour to St. 

Annes in the Spring term. We were joined for the first time by 

several parents ,which added a bit of a twist to the trip, 

especially when they joined in a football competition on the 

Saturday morning. 

The trip had started with matches against Bury, followed by 

the coach journey to our accommodation. A stroll on the 

beach and a meal in a fish and chip restaurant occupied us on 

the Friday night. After the Saturday morning competition held 

at Soccerdome, Wigan, we watched Wigan Athletic v West 

Bromwich in the Premier League. Although they only drew, it 

was the beginning of a tremendous set of results that once 

again saw The Latics avoid relegation. 

The Under 10As had a mixed season. They had one or two 

excellent performances and certainly showed promise. With 

more experience of playing together I’d like to think they can 

have a successful season next year. 

We also fielded other teams at Under10, U9 and U8 levels, 

which played a total of twenty games. They had mixed 

results, but I am sure with more games, they will improve their 

team play as well as their skills. The U10s and U9s took part 

in festivals held at King’s Macclesfield and Cheadle Hulme. 

Once again it has been a pleasure to be involved with the 

football teams. The enthusiasm the boys show is infectious, 

and to see them improve on a weekly bass is very rewarding. 

I would like to thank all the parents for their support and help 

with travel and the tour. Thanks also to the Grounds Staff for 

once again producing marvellous pitches to play football on 

and of course to Mr. Johnson, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Fairclough, 

who have helped throughout the season. 

D. J. Makinson 

HOUSE BIATHLON 

Well done to all Junior School pupils who competed in this 

event. It is the most demanding House event of the year, but 

one which amazes onlookers who see the children so 

determined to meet the challenge and which gives the 

children a feeling of great personal satisfaction. 

Every child who took part scored valuable points for their 

house. Vernon won the Year 3 and 4 events. Warren won the 

Year 5 and Vernon won the Year 6. When all results were 

collated the overall positions were; 

1 st Vernon, 2 nd Arden, 3 rd Warren, 4 th Nicholson. 

Top 20 places in each year group are published on the sports 

notice board. Top 3 of each year were; Year 3 – Harry Dare, 

Megan Phillips and Kia Gerami, Year 4 – Jody Peters, Sam 

Lavender and Ruby Mellor, Year 5 – Ben Foster, Harvey 

Jones and Joe Hallows, Year 6 – Scott Phillips, Joseph 

Rooney and Lukas Amstutz. 

C. Nichols 

CROSS COUNTRY 

AJIS COMPETITION 

Well done to the runners who represented Stockport 

Grammar Junior School at Rossall on Wednesday 5 th October 

2011. In each race there were twenty three schools 

competing with approximately 140 runners. 

Placings for the Year 6 pupils were; Charlotte Jones 45, Alice 

Kirker 66, Amelia Davies 72, Faye Sanders 118, Olivia Cleere 

119, Katie Bielinska 120, Scott Phillips 10, Robert Sykes 99. 

The Year 5 finishing positions were; Joe Davidson 5, Oscar 

Clarke-Williams 53, Andrew Corcoran 56, Alex Curwen 58, 

James Nichols 98, Harvey Jones 112, Daisy Hanson 14, 

Francessca Cooke 73, Ellie Carter 76, Megan Williams 80, 

Hannah Nolan 96, Shivalika Takiar 113. 

IAPS COMPETITION 

The U11 boys’ and girls’ cross country teams travelled to 

Stonyhurst for the annual Area 7 competition. The course is 

always a challenge as it takes runners around the outskirts of 

a golf course with some tough hills and rough ground. The 

Stockport Grammar teams mainly comprised Year 5 runners 

who participate regularly in the series of races at Woodbank 

Park so they were competing against pupils who were often a 

year older than them. 

120 Junior School


For the girls, captain Charlotte Jones was first to finish in 35 th 

place with the rest of her team coming in; Daisy Hanson 40 th , 

Emma Coghlan 41 st , Francessca Cooke 49 th , Alice Kirker 47 th , 

Ellie Carter 60 th . 

The boys ran a longer course with Joe Davidson leading them 

back in 7 th position followed by Scott Phillips 16 th , Oscar 

Clarke-Williams 33 rd , Andrew Corcoran 39 th , Alex Curwen 

60 th , James Nichols 73 rd . 

Well done to all runners for their efforts and we look forward 

to seeing their progress next year. 

WOODBANK PARK CROSS COUNTRY SERIES 

Boys and girls in Years 3 – 6 completed the cross country series 

of six events. Some excellent results were recorded and many 

of the runners made huge improvements in their scores as 

they went through the series. 

Year 3 and 4 girls came 8 th in the team event with excellent 

performances from Megan Phillips, Libby Wolstenholme and 

Maddy Lear. 

Year 5 and 6 girls came 6 th as a team. Notable performances 

came from Charlotte Jones, Hannah Nolan, Francessca 

Cooke, Olivia Cleere and Shivalika Takiar. 

Year 5 and 6 boys came 2 nd in the team standings. An 

outstanding result based on a strong group of boys showing 

commitment to their peers. Well done also to Joe Davidson 

who came 3 rd in the individual competition and to Oscar 

Clarke-Williams, Alex Curwen and James Nichols who made 

up the team. 

A special mention to Sam Curwen and Matthew Byle who 

completed the series but could not compete as a team 

without more boys from Years 3 and 4. 

C. Nichols 

A huge number of boys and girls turned up in early May when 

the first cricket practice took place after school. Excitement 

was in the air...a seemingly endless list of fixtures stretching 

ahead of them like an enticing row of sports shops. Britain 

was on the up, all was well in the England cricket camp and 

the Olympic Games was looming on the horizon. It was so 

exciting for sports outside football that the European 

Championships hardly got a mention! 

We have had some talented cricketers at SGJS, not least last 

year when our boys won the Reeman’s 6-a-side tournament. 

But pupils are learning that it is hard work and dedication that 

really matter and many pupils showed that sort of 

commitment early on in the season despite some tough 

matches. 

The opener of the season doesn’t come any harder than 

against King’s Chester which is where the season started. 

George Crompton and William Howard batted with 

conviction and we scored 105 in our 20 overs. King’s Chester 

played extremely well and overcame our score with only two 

overs to go. Learning from defeat is an important lesson and 

the team were keen to improve on their good first outing in 

the next match. 

Altrincham were next. They had a couple of county batsmen 

and played some excellent cricket. We battled hard but 

needed much more practice batting to get up to their 

standard. Another game lost but more had been learnt about 

batting technique. 

U11 CRICKET 

Another tough match against Merchant Taylors’ and another 

defeat for both the A and B teams but there were still lessons 

to be learnt. 

Newcastle-under-Lyme were next to visit SGS and the A team 

put in an excellent batting performance, much more positive 

and measured proving that batsmen such as Oliver Marsden 

and Taylor Entwhistle had learnt their lessons and attacked the 

ball. Taylor managed a superb half century. Maiden overs 

from Scott Phillips and Matthew Taylor made sure that 

Newcastle were never in it. 

The A and B teams lost close matches against Birkdale but 

worked hard and it was encouraging to see lower order 

batsmen put up a good fight. 

A bye in the first round of the AJIS Cup meant that we were 

straight into the quarter final against King’s Macclesfield. Rain 

stopped play just as the team was boarding the coach, but the 

match was played in the end and, as the Duke of Wellington 

once said, it was a close run thing! Unfortunately King’s 

bowlers were both accurate and fast and our batsmen 

struggled to get their bat to ball; it was King’s who went on to 

the next round. Still, there were always the 6-a-side 

tournaments… 

The IAPS tournament is one we enjoy hosting every year and 

this year a good field attended. Some strong performances 

meant that Kingsmead and Ryleys were dispatched by our 

team. However, both Altrincham and Rydal Penrhos were just 

Junior School 121


too strong in the batting department and deservedly found 

themselves facing each other in the final. Rydal only managed 

36 but Altrincham couldn’t match it and Rydal took the trophy 

back to North Wales. Our team looked forward to facing 

Altrincham again in the Reeman’s tournament to be held only 

a few weeks later. Unfortunately, however, the tournament 

could not go ahead, another casualty of a wet summer and 

our team’s season came to an end. 

So the Summer Term finished but the Summer of Sport was 

just beginning. The Tour de France, Olympics and 

Paralympics were waiting in the wings as were many other 

sporting events and trips for SGJS pupils. Those pupils, both 

boys and girls, from our cricket teams have come a long way 

and learnt a great deal. Each match was a learning experience 

and the pupils should be proud of their sporting conduct and 

willingness to learn from both success and defeat. This will 

stand them in good stead for the future. During the Olympics 

there were many examples of sportsmen and women who 

had battled adversity and learnt from their experiences before 

going on to win medals (Jessica Ennis having to change the 

foot she takes off from after an injury in 2008 being one 

example that springs to mind; there are many others). Well 

done and a big thank you to all the parents who supported 

and encouraged the teams. 

M. Johnson 

JUNIOR SPORTS DAY 

After much concern about weather forecasts the Junior School 

was blessed with a beautiful afternoon, allowing the children 

to celebrate this special year with their own Olympic themed 

Sports Day. 

Years 3 – 6 pupils all took part in the round-robin, competing 

in eight events each. Some of the events harked back to the 

original Olympics while others were taken from the original 

modern day events. Music for the event sampled a variety of 

artists from the charts between 1948 (the last London 

Olympics) and 2012. The events enjoyed by pupils were 

standing long jump, discus, javelin, tug of war, obstacle race, 

60 metres hurdles, 150 metres sprint and 600 metres distance 

event. 

The children took up the challenge and some outstanding 

performances were observed by the supporting parents and 

visitors. Whether in first or last place, the pupils tried their 

best and embodied the idea that it is the taking part and 

meeting the challenge that are the achievements. 

The celebration of sport was concluded with a chariot race 

involving pupils from Years 3 – 6 running as chariot racers or 

their horses, trying to get their House mascot round the track 

and across the finish line first. 

After a fantastic, enjoyable event the positions were; 4 th – 

Warren, 3 rd – Nicholson, 2 nd – Vernon, 1 st – Arden. Well done 

to all competitors, staff and supporters. 

C. Nichols 

ATHLETICS 

Although the season has been something of a wash out the 

Junior School pupils have managed to record some excellent 

scores in their specialist events. 

The first event of the season was a three event challenge 

against Ryleys School. Many of our athletes performed well 

and showed potential in running, jumping and throwing 

activities. 

In the next matches against Cheadle Hulme and King’s 

Macclesfield there were some fantastic competitions. 

SOME EXCELLENT TRACK RESULTS; 

Pippa Crook – Y5 600m 1 st , 80m 2 nd 

Daisy Hanson – Y5 600m 2 nd , 300m 3 rd , 

Joe Davidson – Y5 600m 1 st 

Oscar Clarke-Williams – Y5 600m 3 rd , 150m 3 rd 

Joe Rooney – Y6 600m 2 nd , 300m 3 rd , 

William Howard – Y6 600m 3 rd 

George Ross – Y5 300m 1 st , 

James Nichols – Y5 300m 2 nd , 

Annabel Tordoff – Y6 300m 3 rd , 80m 3 rd 

Emma Coghlan – Y5 150m 1 st , 80m 3 rd 

Alice Kirker – Y6 150m 1 st 

122 Junior School


WINNERS OF FIELD EVENTS WERE; 

Shivalika Takiar Y5 Torpedo 

Dora Barlow Y6 Torpedo 

Archie Tittle Y5 Torpedo 

Daisy Hanson Y5 Long Jump 

Oliver Marsden Y6 Ball Throw 

Emma Coghlan Y5 Ball Throw 

Isobel Croft Y6 Ball Throw 

IAPS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2012 

The Junior School athletes took part in the IAPS 

championships on Thursday 24 th May at Macclesfield track. 

The weather was beautiful, the complete opposite of the 

conditions athletes had become used to this season. 

Outstanding results came from Joe Davidson who won the U11 

1500 metres race and Pippa Crook who won the girls’ U11 

1500 metres race. Robert Sykes and Caitlin Barker won their 

respective U12 shot putt competitions. Charlotte Gover ran in 

2 nd in the U11 girls’ 100 metres, Annabel Tordoff came 3 rd in the 

U12 Long Jump and Kitty Taylor came 3 rd in the U12 high jump 

event. Well done to all of the children who competed. Many 

of the athletes scored new personal bests and it was a fantastic 

experience to compete on the track at Macclesfield. 

C. Nichols 

CLUSICAL 

The Year 6 production, Clusical, was the 

first ever full length-original musical to be 

performed at SGS. Scripted by Mrs 

Sullivan, with music and lyrics written by 

Upper Sixth Form pupil Oliver Mills, the 

murder mystery was set in the 1920s at 

Box Manor – the home of Duke Box and 

his wife. 

When a shocking discovery is made that 

could put the duke’s name in jeopardy, a 

mysterious chain of events is set in motion 

involving a lobster, a tea trolley, a potting 

shed and an exceedingly large cake! 

A cast over fifty Year 6 pupils played a variety of humorous 

characters from noble gentry to below stairs staff, and 

production was overseen by both the writers, along with Mrs 

Cole, who acted as musical director. 

The production took over a year in the making and followed the 

adaptation of Trolls by Mrs Sullivan and Oliver last year to cater 

for a larger cast than the show was originally written for. This 

proved very successful and gave the pair the idea to produce 

their own stage musical from scratch. A murder mystery 

appealed most to their imaginations and so Clusical was born. 

Over the following months, draft after draft was passed from 

one to the other full of dramatic confrontations, wild belly 

laughs and new, eccentric characters – not to mention, of 

course, the entirely original musical score of extravagant chorus 

numbers, romantic duets and comedic solos! 

The pupils performed Clusical to packed audiences in the 

Senior School hall, where they impressed with their polished 

dramatisation and confident vocal performances. 

Junior School 123


GRASMERE 

On Monday 11 th and 12 th June, the Year 3 children embarked 

on a residential trip to Grasmere in the Lake District. The 

children were very excited and also slightly apprehensive as 

some of them had never been apart from their parents before. 

The first stop was Brockholes where the children enjoyed 

spending time in the adventure playground before boarding 

the coach again for our next stop. 

We sailed across Lake Windermere, wrapped up against the 

biting wind and arrived at the Aquarium. The children were 

thrilled to see sharks, eels, otters and mini monkeys amongst 

many other exciting creatures. Other visitors complimented 

us on the good behaviour of the children. 

When we finally arrived at the Youth Hostel the children were 

faced with the challenge of making up their own beds! One 

hour later we had success, and dinner was served. The 

children then enjoyed playing in the garden before retiring to 

bed. 

The next day we awoke to sunshine and set off for a short 

walk around Grasmere and the lake. The children enjoyed 

helping each other through the kissing gates! We visited the 

gingerbread shop, found Wordsworth’s grave and spent the 

last of our money in the gift shops. We had a final play in the 

park where we ate our packed lunch then said our final 

goodbyes to Grasmere. 

It was a huge success and the children were disappointed 

when it was time to depart for home. 

A. Sullivan and C. Smith 

124 Junior School


KIM BRIDGES 

Kim Bridges started 

teaching at Stockport 

Grammar School in 

1981. During her 31 

year tenure at school 

she has contributed 

hugely in a myriad 

ways. As a biologist, 

Kim is an outstanding 

teacher with a great 

knowledge and 

enthusiasm for her 

subject. She has always 

had the ability to inspire 

pupils and encourage 

them to give of their 

best. Kim was often to 

be found in a laboratory 

sitting quietly with a pupil helping them with any areas of 

misunderstanding that they may have. Her classes’ results 

were always outstanding – a testament to the support she gave 

to all of her pupils. 

As Head of Middle School Kim was a tremendous team leader. 

She cared deeply about the staff with whom she worked and the 

pupils they supported through the pastoral system. As a member 

of the Senior Management Team, Kim was instrumental in 

developing our present reporting system. She was also very 

involved in supporting staff when the new information system 

database (iSAMS) was introduced. I am certain that SMT have 

been grateful for her wisdom over the years. 

Kim also provided opportunities for pupils in the Sixth Form 

to travel extensively through the World Challenge expeditions 

she organised. She organised trips to both Africa and Asia. 

Kim also supported the Grasmere activities holidays for the 

Second Year pupils and the Wasdale camps that preceded 

them. Kim has also been on innumerable Biology field trips 

and I would estimate that she has now spent a whole year on 

the rocky shores of the Island of Anglesey teaching Ecology to 

our Sixth Form pupils. Kim now moves on to a new and 

exciting period of her life, retirement. I am sure she will be as 

busy in her retirement as she has been with us. We do hope 

very much that Kim will come back and visit us often; she will 

always be very welcome indeed. 

P. Grant 

GILL LOCKWOOD 

Dedicated, reliable, always willing to help, highly intelligent 

and knowledgeable, enormous capacity for hard work, 

organised, fun sense of humour and lovely to have in the 

department; Gill Lockwood was very much an asset to the 

school from her first day in 1986. 

She was soon involved in numerous aspects of the school. 

Gill’s dedication to sport has always been apparent. 

Throughout her 26 years at SGS, she has stayed committed to 

the Third Year hockey team and many girls have benefitted 

greatly from her expertise, developing in to well drilled and 

skilful sides. She has encouraged many pupils to further their 

involvement in hockey by playing for clubs as well as for the 

school teams. Gill has 

also been committed to 

the Climbing Club for 

many years. 

Being a good climber 

was helpful in another 

major role of Gill’s; 

through stage lighting, 

she has illuminated 

numerous productions 

and concerts for many 

years. Countless Sixth 

Form pupils have been 

trained and I suspect 

many have gone on to 

find their skills of use for 

university productions. 

The school’s work experience programme was both devised 

and then managed by Gill. This has certainly kept her on her 

toes for more than a decade. Although it has been very 

demanding and time-consuming, I know that Gill enjoyed the 

jigsaw of matching pupil with both type of work and location. 

Gill was House mistress of Arden for 10 years. She organised 

and ran in the traditional final event of Sports day, the staff 

relay, and rumour has it they were undefeated. I am told that 

she was involved in Arden putting on a ‘drama’ production 

loosely based on the TV program ‘Allo! ‘Allo’ called ‘Bonjour! 

Bonjour!’ In it Gill played the role of René’s wife, who you 

might remember, was always suspicious of his shenanigans. 

When Gill came on to act her part and accused him of having 

an affair –having Gill on the receiving end the classic line ‘You 

stupid woman!’ brought the house down. 

Gill accompanied 22 ski trips, organising quite a few of those 

herself. On one trip to France the staff had issued instructions 

saying that no pupils were allowed out on the balconies of 

their rooms. Gill was walking down the street after skiing one 

day and spotted some SGS pupils out on their balcony. She 

bellowed down the street ‘get off that balcony!’. Children on 

every balcony of every hotel in the whole street cleared in 10 

seconds flat! 

There have been many more trips including Oxford trips, 

Grasmere and Wasdale. In true “Gill style”, even after the end 

of the Summer Term, she took part in two more trips over the 

next 10 days before finally retiring, one of which was my 

CERN trip: thank you very much! 

People 125


In Physics we have certainly felt the loss of Gill. Despite all of 

her other achievements, her greatest will remain being an 

outstanding and dedicated Physics teacher. She saw a few 

changes in Physics, including our new Physics building, but 

she was consistent, always working very hard and insisting on 

high standards. Her subject knowledge is, quite simply, 

phenomenal. 

Throughout her career, Gill made time for her own hockey 

commitments, playing weekly on her local team, and for her 

wonderful family. She and her husband Rick have two grown 

up sons, who are both now married, and a beautiful grandson, 

Charlie. 

Gill seems to fit an extraordinary amount into every day. 

There is no doubt that she is now, as she has been for years, 

at the top of her game. 

I can’t help thinking that, following these 26 hectic years, 

retirement may take some adjusting to for Gill, but I am sure 

that, as with all that she does, with commitment and 

thoroughness, she will manage it extremely well. 

We will miss Gill very much and we wish her a long and 

healthy retirement. 

H. Fenton 

LAURA SERVICE 

Laura arrived from Buxton Community College in September 

2003. Laura was a former pupil of the school and quickly 

settled into her new role as a teacher here. During her nine 

years at Stockport Grammar Laura was very busy. Laura was 

a Middle School form tutor and helped to support many 

pupils through the years. She ran Animal club with Dr 

Metivier and was instrumental in bringing many interesting 

animals into the department. She also was the organiser of 

our annual Second Year trip to Chester Zoo. Laura was also 

involved in the Grasmere walking trip and organising 

extensive adventures abroad taking pupils to places such as 

Namibia and Vietnam. Laura also worked as a mentor for 

Manchester University supporting their students when they 

came to do teaching placements at Stockport Grammar. 

Many readers will not be aware that Laura also gave extensively 

of her time to the local community where she worked at a 

‘Special’ police officer for the Greater Manchester Police. Laura 

has left us to work in an 

International School in 

Switzerland. There is no 

truth in the rumour that 

she has moved there as 

they are the makers of 

the finest chocolate in 

the world. We would 

like to take this 

opportunity to wish 

Laura the very best for 

her exciting new career 

abroad. We hope she 

will still find time to 

come and visit us in the 

future. 

P. Grant 

MAGGIE WILSON 

Maggie joined the History Department in January 2009 and 

has worked with us part time two days a week since then. She 

has been responsible for a large proportion of the Lower 

School teaching, which is a terrific amount of work, especially 

when marking exercise books for over 150 pupils every week 

and writing all those reports. She is an experienced teacher, 

who creates imaginative lessons, which are busy and 

stimulating for a broad range of abilities. Whilst some of us 

have been slow to adopt differentiated learning techniques, 

Maggie has shown us how it is done. She makes group work 

work. Children have clearly enjoyed Maggie’s lessons, as have 

I. Her coursework has allowed children to fulfil their potential 

and presentation and content has been some of the best I have 

seen here. She really stimulates creativity. I thank Maggie as 

well for all her help with the Battlefields trips and for running 

the History Club on Thursdays. You might know that Maggie 

is also a published author of History books which are used up 

and down the country. Maggie has travelled in from Yorkshire 

to work here, staying at 

Kim’s house; she will 

stay closer to home in 

the future. 

On behalf of the History 

Department, I would 

like to thank Maggie for 

all her hard work and 

input these past years 

and would like to wish 

her a happy retirement 

of travelling, writing and 

visiting the family. You 

are always welcome 

here. 

S. J. Smith 

126 People


JEN WATSON 

Jen joined the Geography department in September 2011. 

Formerly Head of Geography at Bolton School Girls Division 

and with a wide range of experience at other local 

independent schools, she quickly slotted into the 

departmental team. She taught across the whole age range in 

her short time at the school and quickly won the respect of 

pupils and colleagues alike. Her lessons were always well 

planned and delivered with enthusiasm and expertise. The 

well being and progress of those in her charge were central to 

her philosophy and always clearly evident in her approach. 

Similarly her cheery nature and helpful manner were personal 

characteristics that really stood out and these were frequently 

remarked upon by the wider staff body. 

Jen also contributed to 

the extra-curricular life 

of the school via 

her involvement with 

netball and was a highly 

valued individual. We 

wish her every success 

in her new post 

at Manchester High 

School for Girls. 

R. Howarth 

GERMAN ASSISTANT 

Only a few days left of my 8-months stay at SGS and I just can’t 

believe how fast the months have flown by. Before I arrived in 

England I read about the high standards, the motivated 

students and the high reputation of my future school and I was 

a bit suspicious as to whether all that could be true. 

When I arrived it all turned out to be true. Parts of the school 

reminded me rather of Hogwarts than of any German school I’ve 

seen so far. Although the Languages Department wasn’t part of 

Hogwarts, the students were very motivated, eager to learn and 

some of them as talented and hardworking as I would have 

never expected. Additionally, the black and yellow school 

uniform made them all look very smart and well behaved. 

The progress the students made in the last 8 months is truly 

remarkable. The improvements, especially in pronunciation, 

across Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Form were striking. My Lower 

Sixth managed to make even the most boring role plays about 

some rural places in Germany interesting and entertaining. 

The Upper Sixth’s level of German was so good that 

discussions on even the hardest topics happened on a regular 

basis. The outstanding performance (2 nd place – I still think 

we should have won it!) of the pupils in the Northern Schools 

Debating Competition German was just one of many 

memorable events over the last 8 months. 

Not only did the pupils 

manage to leave a 

lasting impression on 

me, but the teachers I 

worked with were 

extremely friendly, 

helpful, supportive and 

made me feel like a 

valued member of staff 

right from the 

beginning. The luxury 

of our own office, the 

delicious lunch (blue 

Friday = Salmon and 

Chips!), my fellow 

assistants and everyone 

else I met during my 

stay made me forget to write something about the beautiful 

English (or is it just Mancunian?) weather – so well done! 

Thank you everyone for making this such a memorable and 

priceless experience! 

Tschü ! 

Felix Lohmann 

FRENCH ASSISTANT 

Here ends the adventure... 

After eight months in SGS, it is time to say goodbye. 

Everything went so fast, and it’s actually hard to believe that in 

a few days I’ll be back to France and the experience will be 

over. The reason I feel this way now is because it has been an 

absolutely excellent experience to work in such a school. I 

have been really impressed right from the outset. The 

reputation of the school made me feel like I had to do the best 

I could in order to satisfy everyone’s needs. For the first few 

days, it was a little bit strange, like it always is when you start 

something new, especially in another country. 

People 127


Quickly, I started to 

really enjoy the work, as 

I became familiar with 

the school itself, the 

staff and the students. 

All the teachers I 

worked with were 

helpful, friendly and 

made all the assistants 

feel like they formed a 

vital part of the 

education process. It 

was important for me to 

feel involved, and I 

deeply thank everyone 

from the Languages 

Department. Trying to 

teach a language is never easy, especially to teenagers, and I 

think I learned a lot about that during the time I spent with the 

students and the lessons I observed. Preparing Sixth Formers 

and Fifth Years for their orals, and helping Fourth Years, was 

something I really enjoyed, because day after day, week after 

week, you obviously start to appreciate your students, and I 

believe the majority of them felt the same way. It makes it 

even more enjoyable to hear the progression most of them 

have made through the year - sometimes one or two weeks 

before the exam, and it’s great to have some nice surprises! 

Giving advice, pronunciation tips, vocabulary, etc. to pupils 

who are motivated to learn from you is one of the best feelings 

you can have. Seeing that your work gives something more to 

the students is, I think, the most important thing. This year 

helped me a lot, and definitely confirmed that I want to 

become a teacher later. Moreover, at a time where many 

people fear the new generation, I would tell them that there 

is still hope! There are still serious, motivated and mature 

pupils, and they are here at Stockport Grammar. 

The whole staff are of course something I will remember for a 

very long time. But I also want to say that the area is an 

amazing place to live. I was a bit scared when I realised that 

I would spend 8 months in the North of England (it actually 

sounded very scary): I expected rain, cold, grey sky every 

day...and well, I had rain and cold but so much warmth from 

the people; I discovered one of the best cities I have lived in 

so far and I met people from different countries who I really 

enjoyed being with. I have to give a special mention to the 

other assistants of SGS, Felix and Elena, whom I became 

friends with after a very short time - I will miss them! Now it 

is time to go back to France, to the studies. It was, of course, 

too short here, but the best things always end -that’s why they 

are good things (when I say “best things” I include the salmon 

and chips for lunch, every blue Friday). 

So, again, thanks to everybody at SGS, thanks for being what 

you are, thanks to everyone I met. I wish the best for the 

future to the staff and the students. 

And hopefully, England, it won’t be an “adieu”, but just an “au 

revoir”! 

Olivier Merle 

SPANISH ASSISTANT 

I can’t believe that the academic year is almost finished. It 

seems like only a few months ago when I first came to 

Manchester and now it’s time to leave. Time does indeed 

fly. I remember my first day at Stockport Grammar School, 

being very impressed by the excellent level of Spanish the 

students had. It was evident that this school aims to achieve 

very high standards for their students in a caring and 

supportive atmosphere. 

Working at Stockport Grammar School has been a wonderful 

teaching experience, although challenging at times, when 

dealing with complex topics. However, through students’ 

hard work and perseverance they have made great 

improvements this year. 

I was grateful to be involved in the Upper Sixth debating 

competition. I was very proud to see the students manage to 

overcome their nerves and perform under tremendous 

amounts of pressure. I thought that, in the end, they were 

unlucky not to qualify for the final, achieving third position 

overall. 

I would like to thank the 

Spanish teachers Miss 

Psaila and Mrs 

Christmann and all the 

other teachers working 

in the Languages 

Department for all their 

guidance and support. 

Finally, I congratulate all 

the students for all the 

effort they’ve put into 

learning Spanish and 

making my year so 

special. 

¡Gracias por este 

magnífico año y hasta 

pronto! 

Elena Sancho 

128 People


A WORD FROM THE OSA PRESIDENT 

On leaving the school in the late 1950s I automatically became 

an Old Stopfordian. I played Lacrosse for the Old Boys’ teams 

and attended the Stopfordian Annual Ball held in the Stockport 

Town Hall. More than fifty years later the title ’Old 

Stopfordian’ seems apt. 

Today, with technological advances and ease and speed of 

communication, our school is hardly recognisable. Noticeable 

differences are the far greater number of pupils and staff, the 

addition of female pupils, the considerably wider curriculum 

and much larger and continually expanding facilities. 

I have attended almost all of the musical and theatrical 

performances this year. They have been a delight to the ear 

and eye and confirm the school’s reputation for excellence in 

this area. Many performances are a ‘sell out’ well in advance 

and I recommend them to all Old Stopfordians. 

On 11 November 2011 more than one hundred former pupils 

and guests joined current pupils and staff in the main Hall for 

the annual Service of Remembrance and a 1930s to 1950s Old 

Stopfordian reunion. In a moving dedication we learnt of the 

visits of today’s pupils to the First World War battlefields and 

cemeteries in Belgium and France where a wreath was laid on 

behalf of the school and our association. This is an annual 

event worthy of our support. 

It remains for me to thank my fellow Stopfordians for their help 

and guidance during the past year and record my gratitude on 

the occasions when members of staff at the school have 

smoothed my way. I will be followed as President by Paul Carr. 

Paul has recently moved to the area from the south of England 

where he was very active with the London branch of the 

association for many years. Paul accepted the Presidency at 

short notice and I wish him well. 

Best wishes. 

Tom Gare 

FROM THE HELM 

Hello again to all Old Stopfordians. Last year I drew your 

attention to the first edition of Stopfordian News and asked you 

to support the venture by letting us have information about 

yourselves and your contemporaries. Well you certainly did 

that and Issue 2 was packed with exciting stories not least 

about Alex Kumar, Lucy Cotter, John Amaechi and Charlie 

Speight. 

The 1987 Quincentenary World Rugby Tour Reunion article in 

that publication deserves special mention. The photograph 

was a triumph. I was lucky enough to be able to welcome the 

arrival of these grizzled specimens of Stopfordian manhood 

(only I have the authority to say that) as they arrived in ones 

and twos at school with various items of kit. The idea was for 

a spot of touch rugby which in retrospect may have been a 

case of hope over expectation. In any event it was a hugely 

successful venture and thanks are due, in particular to Danny 

Adamson and P J Mycock. 

The External Relations Department is more than happy to 

support ideas and initiatives of this sort and to facilitate any 

Old Stop. who wants to arrange a reunion. Johnny Ormiston, 

OS 1964, even suggested to me in September his wish to try 

and get together the 1 st XV rugby team of that year. I wish him 

well with that. 

The Old Stopfordians’ Association is very keen to attract 

younger members to its committee and to encourage Old 

Stops. to use the resources and correspond with us and each 

other. In support of that it was decided to partially fund an 

Alumni Assistant to work within the External Relations Office 

and in April of this year Maili Lavin, OS 2008 was appointed 

to develop contacts with an emphasis on social media 

websites. This initiative has been very well received and 

proved to be very popular not least in Stopfordians’ reactions 

to the demolition of the black and white teaching block on the 

Woodsmoor site. Search on Stockport Grammar School 

Facebook to find out more. The OS section of the school 

website continues to give much information about the 

association and the archives. 

For some eighteen months now I have been searching through 

the archives in order to piece together the history of the school 

since the arrival of girls in 1980 and the acquisition of the 

former convent buildings. The Ball brothers in their excellent 

volume, published in time for the Quincentenary, make 

reference to these events but more details of that period have 

become available and a more in-depth examination of that 

period now prefaces a summary of the considerable 

achievements of the school over the past thirty two years. I am 

currently engaged in extending the draft to include further 

insights and views. In due course the text will be published 

and I hope will add to the accounts that already exist of the 

school’s distinguished history. 

Elsewhere you will read notices of events during the year 

celebrating 525 years of the School’s Foundation. I have 

written in other publications about the tremendous 

achievements in new building over recent years and it is fitting 

this year that the new teaching block on the site of the junior 

labs and the hall at Woodsmoor opened for business in 

September. That signalled the death knell for the black and 

white building that held so many memories for Stopfordians of 

a particular vintage, not least the teaching style of Mr S Cross. 

Ah well, time goes by. Best wishes and regards to you all out 

there. 

Stuart Helm 

Membership Secretary and Archivist. 

Old Stopfordians’ Association 129


PETER BOARDMAN OS 1969 

2012 marked 30 years since the tragic deaths of Old Stop Pete 

Boardman and his friend Joe Tasker on Everest. Both were 

accomplished and well respected high altitude climbers, Pete 

having previously reached the summit of Everest in 1975. His 

passion for climbing began at SGS and his recollections from 

his time at school, written in December 1981, can be read on 

the Old Stops’ section of the website. In 1983 the 

Boardman/Tasker literary prize was established in their 

memories and a commemorative calendar for 2013 is 

available from the school bookshop. The funds raised will 

support the prestigious prize, which in the past, has been 

awarded to successful stories such as Touching the Void by Joe 

Simpson. In November the trustees launched a new student 

prize for mountain literature as part of the Kendal mountain 

film festival. 

R. Horsford 

LACROSSE 

Winning five out of twelve league games and conceding two 

games, Stops took the season right to the wire. The final 

match against Nottingham needed a victory to retain the 

club’s place in Division Premier Two. With a full strength 

squad and confident of a positive result, Stops found it 

something of an anti-climax when the opposition failed to 

raise a team and conceded the fixture. Nevertheless, two 

valuable points ensured another season in Division Premier 

Two, avoiding relegation to a division that would have 

entailed travelling to away fixtures as far afield as Lincoln and 

Hull. The nucleus of the team remained the same, with few 

additions. In order to maintain contact with Old Stops who 

are out of the area or playing elsewhere, the annual Rebels 

game took place once again in July on the astro-turf at Disley. 

This event is always well supported and saw a turn-out of 

almost thirty players. New team captain, Phil Hall, led Stops 

to a victory against the Rebels in a well contested match. 

Finally, a review of the year 2011-12 must record that the 

season was blighted by the death of Colin Hibbert in October 

2011, already referred to briefly in last year’s article. The 

team’s continued enthusiasm and performance levels were a 

tribute to the many years that Colin had been a key part of 

Stopfordians’ Lacrosse. 

Richard Griffiths 

(OS 1969) 

OLD STOPFORDIAN GOLF SOCIETY 

Under Captain Tony Leary the Society had an enjoyable and 

successful season despite the wet weather. The Society has 

about 33 active members of whom 23 are regulars. 

There was no Founders’ Day competition this year so the 

season started with the match against Bramall Park GC (16 a 

side) at the end of April where the going was very wet under 

foot following heavy rain earlier in the day. The match was 

lost after a competitive game. 

The second match was at Gatley GC (14 a side) at the end of 

May in their centenary year; obviously it would have been 

inappropriate for us to win and we didn’t. 

Derek Morton organised the Inter-Old Boys Competition at 

Bramhall GC on 4th July in which teams of former pupils from 

seven local schools took part. Old Stops had 14 players and 

the best six scores were taken from each team. Old Stops 

finished third behind Old Wacs and the recent regular 

winners Old Maxonians (Kings Macc). Our best player was 

Peter (Fred) Maher with 32 stableford points, thereby winning 

the Inchley Bowl. 

The annual Worth Trophy match against Old Maxonians was 

played at Knutsford GC on 6th September in excellent 

conditions. Of the 16 players on each team the best 8 

stableford scores from each team were taken resulting in a 

very tight win for Old Maxonians, 255 points to 250 points. 

Old Maxonians therefore retained the Trophy but were 

admonished for 5 of their players not staying for the meal 

which is expected. 

The Oppida Cup competition should have been played on 

15th August at Stockport GC but had to be abandoned after 

torrential rain which reduced all the greens to lakes and 

obviously made the course unplayable; we still had an 

enjoyable meal. 

However, we managed to complete a rescheduling of 

the event on 17th October at Stockport GC in lovely weather 

before darkness fell, with 24 taking part including 10 

schoolboys. The results were as follows; 

OPPIDA CUP 

Winner; Jonny Reeves net 73 (handicap 10) 

Runner Up; David Withington net 75 (handicap 18) 

BEST GROSS JUBILEE CUP 

Winner; Matthew Hughes 82 (handicap 14) 

Runner Up; Jonny Reeves 83 (handicap 10) 

SCHOOL GOLF SHIELD 

Winner; Matthew Hughes net 68 (handicap 14) 

Runner Up; Elliott Galloway net 72 (handicap 19) 

130 Old Stopfordians’ Association


CENTENARY CUP (Combined Inchley Bowl & Oppida Cup) 

Winner; David Withington 62 points (30 + 32) 

Runner Up; David Oldham 58 points (31 + 27) 

Mr Dunlop; Paul Atkinson 

It was excellent that 10 schoolboys and Mr Ehegartner took 

part and they were enthusiastic about playing next year. 

Indeed more young blood is necessary in the Society generally 

as older members near retirement. 

David Withington 

Hon Secretary 

MALCOLM LINTON HALL OS 1936 

We were saddened to hear of the passing of former pupil and 

Governor of 15 years, Malcolm Linton Hall, who died in 

Tenerife, where he lived, on 19 th August 2012. A distinguished 

member of the Stockport legal profession, Malcolm founded 

his own practice later to be known as Abson Hall, served as 

Clerk to the County Justices, as a Deputy Registrar of the High 

Court and County Court and as President of the Stockport 

Law Society. A wartime commission in the Fleet Air Arm led 

to active service in Egypt, Malta and North Africa and two 

weeks shipwrecked on the desert skeleton coast of Namibia. 

In 1946 Malcolm was elected the youngest member of 

Stockport Town Council and maintained a lifelong 

commitment to public service. Malcolm leaves a son Nicholas 

and wife Diane who kindly sent us a copy of the life history 

that Malcolm had written. This is now available on the Old 

Stops’ section of the website. A Memorial Service to celebrate 

Malcolm’s life was held at St Mary’s Church, Market Place, 

Stockport on the 13 th September. 

R. Horsford 

SARA PILKINGTON OS 2009 

Sara Pilkington passed away 

suddenly on 28 th February 2012 

from a rare cardiac complication 

resulting from a viral illness. 

Sara joined the school in 2002. 

As a young girl, her obvious 

pleasure in learning was evident 

to all those teachers lucky 

enough to have her in their class. 

Her new friends, who became 

friends throughout her time at 

the school and beyond, grew to 

rely on her for support, advice and good humour. As she 

moved up through the school, she would look back on her 

days in 1Q with fondness. In the Middle School, Sara began 

to show her genuine intelligence and determination to do well 

in her chosen GCSEs. An outstanding set of grades (5 As and 

4 A*s) were deserved recognition for Sara’s hard work and 

testament to her impressive and wide-ranged ability. 

It was also in the Middle School where Sara really started to 

involve herself in music at the school. She sang at a number of 

school events with Chorus and Chamber Choir. Sara also 

played the flute in the wind bands at many different concerts. 

To every activity, she gave her skill and commitment willingly 

and reliably. Sara was particularly proud of the school’s 

production of “Les Miserables”. She thrilled at the talent of all 

involved alongside her in the cast and her enthusiasm for the 

successes of others should inspire us all. 

By the Sixth Form, Sara had become the well-rounded and 

giving young woman we remember with such affection. Her 

network of friends had now expanded to include most of her 

year, and many in other year groups whom she had met 

through music, singing or drama. Many of these friendships 

were cemented on school trips or on D of E expeditions; while 

chatting on a walk through historic Weimar, singing along at the 

back of the bus on the way to Delphi, or even shivering in a tent 

in the Peak District. To count Sara as a friend was a privilege 

shared and valued by so many. Sara continued to excel inside 

and outside the classroom achieving three A grades at A-level in 

Classics, English and History, and being awarded her Gold Duke 

of Edinburgh award in April 2010 at St. James’ Palace. 

Sara’s choice of a Combined Arts course at Durham University 

studying Classics, History and English reflected both her broad 

interest and her unwillingness to leave behind any of the 

subjects she had enjoyed so much at school. The staff and 

students at Durham responded to Sara much as we did here. 

She continued to thrive on the study of literature and history, 

making the most of the academic opportunities offered by 

higher education. Sara also involved herself fully in the wider 

life of the University, venturing to the Philippines to support 

charity and educational initiatives there and jointly organising 

a highly successful charity fashion show in her graduation year. 

She was very happy at school and in life and she sought always 

to share this enthusiasm with those who, perhaps, did not have 

as much to smile about as she did. She made the most of her 

time at Stockport Grammar School, just as she made the most 

of every opportunity at Wilmslow Preparatory School and at 

Durham University. Whenever I think back to Sara at SGS, she 

is smiling, and so are those around her. 

A. C. Thorley 

Old Stopfordians’ Association 131


Pops, Saffi, Squiggle, Pilko, Cravendale, Koala, Wolfie and, 

quite simply, Sara. 

It would be selfish to claim Sara as my best friend, when she 

made everyone she cared about feel completely unique. 

Friendship with her was effortless; she was like a sister in her 

unwavering affection, and you could always count on having 

so much fun when she was around you. 

Sara was the most amazing girl, a true friend and so very 

loving. I think she had this magical quality that made everyone 

fall a tiny bit in love with her. I know we all did. 

Aged sixteen, surrounded by her friends, she couldn’t contain 

herself: ‘I love my life!’ And at the time, I distinctly remember 

thinking, I don’t think anyone else could say that, and truly 

mean it, anywhere near as much. It was true. She was 

infatuated with life, an infatuation which was endless, 

inexhaustible and infectious. 

I think the closest to angry I ever saw Sara was when I 

confessed to having never seen Downton Abbey. (We were 

slightly fanatical about things like this, and televised period 

dramas were something not to be joked about). ‘’Right Sarah 

Howarth, this is getting ridiculous - you need to watch 

Downton!!!! You would LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO AND DO 

IT RIGHT NOW. ‘’ 

The amount of exclamation marks there is absolutely indicative 

of her personality. Her ability to be constantly full of 

excitement was undeniably impressive. Founding member of 

‘girly rave time’, Sara lived for her friends, and was a catalyst in 

all that went on around her. Her vocabulary was an endless 

source of amusement. It was as if she became fixated with a 

certain word and couldn’t get enough of it. One year it was 

‘phenomenal’; she’d take great delight in overly pronouncing 

every syllable. It’s funny that she used this word so much, 

when it’s the exact effect she had on everyone she met. 

Her time at Stockport Grammar School meant so much to her, 

to us all. She forged such close friendships with her peers and 

such strong bonds with her teachers. Sara was fearless in the 

way she threw herself so completely into everything she cared 

about, and by that I mean her studies, her endless participation 

in extra-curricular activities, and, most importantly, her 

relationships with the people around her. 

One of our favourite memories from SGS was the production 

of Les Misérables in our final year. As we sang for the last time 

on the final night, there was almost a current of electricity 

between the cast. We knew how special that moment was, 

and Sara carried that memory with her always, no matter 

where she went, listening to One Day More on her iPod as she 

travelled across Europe last summer. 

We were all so incredibly lucky to play a part in her lifetime, to 

know her. Sara was just beautiful, in every sense of the word. 

I know that we were so blessed to have known her, and loved 

her, and been able to grow up with her. I only hope that she 

knew just how much she meant to everybody, because it 

seems to me that every single one of her friends felt truly 

special, and thought of her with such adoration. That was her 

effect on people: when she came into a room, it brightened. 

She was always so pleased to see you and to hear your news, 

so infectiously happy. 

Every message or card I received from Sara was signed ‘Your 

Saffi’. I suppose that’s the best indicator of how much of herself 

she gave to all her friends, how much she invested in them, how 

much she cared. On behalf of all her friends over the years, I 

feel incredibly proud to have known Sara, and shared so many 

happy and silly and wonderful memories with her. I know she’ll 

always be a part of our lives, she couldn’t not be. 

In his much loved novel, Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie writes that, ‘To 

die will be an awfully great adventure.’ One thing is certain: if 

there is an adventure out there to be had, it will be Sara 

leading the way. Really, to try and put Sara into words seems 

like an injustice. She was effervescent in every way. One thing 

stands out though – I can’t picture her without that beautiful 

smile. And for me, that’s her legacy. 

Sarah Howarth (OS 2009) 

In memory of Sara, her family and friends are supporting the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young). For more information, please 

visit www.c-r-y.org.uk. 

DEATHS 

Gerald R Brimelow (OS 1947) 

died 19th April 2012 

Paul D Bromley (OS 1956) 

died May 2012 

Neville S Cooke (OS 1949) 

died 26th May 2012 

I K Douglas (OS 1946) 

died 3rd August 2012 

Frank Gregg (OS 1943) 

died 2012 

Frank L Hadfield (OS 1945) 

died June 2012 

Malcolm L Hall (OS 1936) 

died 19th August 2012 

Robert L Hayden (OS 1967) 

died 22nd April 2012 

Colin Hibbert (OS 1972) 

died 28th October 2011 

Ian S Magowan (OS 1950) 

died February 2012 

Sara A Pilkington (OS 2009) 

died 28th February 2012 

Herbert C Woodhouse (OS 1935) 

died 23rd November 2011 

132 Old Stopfordians’ Association

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Stockport Grammar School 

Buxton Road Stockport SK2 7AF 

Telephone 0161 456 9000 

www.stockportgrammar.co.uk

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