July 2007 - Sutton Grammar School

Dear Parents
July 2007
The summer term is dominated for many of the older students by examinations. The term has
been a trying period with the weather, especially in a year where the volume of outdoor
activities has shot up under the influence of Mr Buckley. Cricket has been badly affected by
the rain, sports day was lucky to be interrupted by just one heavy shower, and the PTA had
pretty miserable weather for their summer fair. Activities Week was busy with boys all over
Western Europe (CCF in Cumbria, lower school language trips to France, Germany and
Spain, senior artists in Paris, sixth form linguists doing work experience in France, year 9
visiting the Belgian battlefields, year 8 on an adventure holiday in Monmouth, year 10 on
work experience). The Sixth Form took part in the usual three-day Challenge of Management
Conference with the girls from Sutton High School. Lots of boys in year 9 took a certificated
first aid course, paid for from Activities Fund. The small number of boys left in school had a
programme of varied activities ranging from bell ringing to understanding why the
Millennium Bridge wobbled, with some day trips also included.
Our year 9 mathematicians impressed the judges of a competition, with a problem posed by a
northern university, using posters to show their detailed solutions. Three different teams
qualified for the final but as the dates clashed with other events in activities week a single
team made up of individuals from the three best teams went to Ormskirk to represent us in the
final judging session. We are confident that the analysis of the problem by our teams was the
best but the prize went to a simpler analysis backed up with choreographed presentation. We
thought it was a mathematics competition! Well done to all of our students for their efforts,
especially those who went so far to represent us in the final presentations.
This is the major time of the year for staff changes and there are some departures and arrivals
to tell you about.
Mr Gibson is retiring as the Deputy Headmaster after nearly eighteen years of service in this
post. It is virtually impossible to describe all the ways in which he has had an impact on the
school and on individual students over this long period. He is a polymath with degrees in
Science, Theology and Education and it is probably his enthusiasm about many of these fields
that has been so inspirational to boys who are themselves seeking the glory of Elysian fields
in their academic studies. Almost every evening of the school year Mr Gibson will have one
or more senior student with him, often well past 6 o’clock, going over books they should be
inspired by and helping them to reach new heights with their essays and projects. He has been
in charge of pastoral matters and discipline at the school for all of this time and while he can
be fierce with uncaring boys, nobody gives more time than he does to talking to students,
often making the breakthrough with edgy students that at last persuades them to be gentlemen
and scholars and shows them how to be. He has taught every boy in the school, starting with
single periods in year 7 to get to know them and then for many years teaching all of the sixth
form for general studies, lessons in which he taught them to think and to express themselves
clearly. He is unique as a personality and the school will not be the same without him. He has
been a massive influence on the style and nature of the school and I know that in retirement
he is not going to be the sort of chap to put his feet up, but will find some exciting new

projects – probably involving writing.
Also leaving is Ms Platten, our Head of Art, who is moving after nine years here to lead a
bigger department at Harrodian School in London. The art results over the years have been
stunning and her ambition and direction of senior art students has been a really important
feature in achieving this. Mr Rees, the Head of Curriculum ICT is joining his church in a full
time capacity as a trainer of youth leaders. His time in charge of ICT has coincided with the
expansion of skills teaching in KS3, with all boys now being prepared for the short course
GCSE in year 9. Mr Buckley is leaving traditional teaching to set up his own company that
will specialise in delivering the Basic Expedition Leaders Award. He joined us as an English
teacher to cover for a maternity leave but has developed several new features of our
curriculum (much of the citizenship curriculum, critical thinking in the sixth form and
massively expanded the uptake of the D of E Award and other non-CCF adventurous
training). Mr Draper has been a good teacher in the highly successful physics department and
as an electronic engineer he has brought a different set of scientific interests into his work. He
is moving to Australia. Three part-time teachers are leaving us too. Mrs Morris has been a
very good German teacher and is leaving to devote more time to her family. Mr Twells has
taught psychology and a bit of geography here and in September becomes the head of
psychology and sociology at a Wandsworth school. Finally Mrs Gray is leaving the history
department after four years. She completed her PhD recently which is a significant
achievement. Mrs Louw is expecting another baby and she will be on maternity leave at the
start of the Autumn term. Mrs Farenden, Mr Pennycook and Mr Todd are departing from their
valuable roles on the support staff.
I thank all of these colleagues for their contributions to the life of the school and wish them
well with their future plans.
New appointments are:
Mrs I Sutherland – Deputy Headteacher – with degrees from Warwick and Birkbeck,
currently Head of Sixth Form at Croham Hurst School, an English teacher by subject
specialism but also with interests in critical thinking and the PSHE curriculum.
Mr R Beaumont – Head of Science Faculty
Miss J Taylor – Director of Music – currently teaching at Coloma Convent School and with
many ideas to develop the great musical work that we do.
Mrs S Corkery – Head of Curriculum ICT – American trained and with a degree in English,
but experienced at leading ICT across the curriculum in the US, including gifted and talented
expertise, but also retrained in the UK and experienced at teaching both the sort of GCSE
courses we currently use and new modular courses too.
Ms F Brown - Head of Senior Art.
Ms A Richardson – Head of Junior Art – currently teaching in Matlock.
Mr V Patel – Science teacher specialising in physics - an electrical and electronic engineer
from UCL, currently teaching in Croydon.
Mr R Storey – Science teacher with a degree in Biological Science from Edinburgh
Ms K Winter – English Teacher, trained at the universities of Warwick and Manchester
Ms H Ager – second teacher in the drama department and also contributing to LAMDA
teaching.
Mr Shergold has completed his training to be a teacher and joins the History Department.

There are more changes than in some years, but also some growth of staffing levels and new
promotions within the school. Mr Glaister, the current Head of Science and Mr Brook, the
current Director of Music will both be able to give more time to their responsibilities as
assistant headteachers, and both will still be very actively involved in teaching and the wider
life of the school. In music we hope to have some exciting projects to announce soon
involving collaboration with Cyril Lloyd, a professor at the Royal Academy of Music, as well
as new groups that Miss Taylor will introduce. I am also pleased that Mrs Starkey is returning
to work after a long period of recovery following a serious back injury in 2006.
The PTA have given £1000 to Matthew Holland, one of our sports stars who is in the GB
Water Polo team and a potential Olympian in 2012. This grant is to help him with his
substantial expenses in training regularly in Manchester and with various matches abroad.
The PTA has a fund to help with such cases and further bids would be considered. The School
1 st XI soccer team is excited to have been invited to an international tournament in Bejing,
China in October. The other British schools competing are Eton and Dulwich College.
The School has been awarded Healthy School Status and we are very pleased about this. It is
not the end of the process and we recognise that there are improvements and changes still to
make. One area involved in the assessment was the school canteen and we have still not got
this service right yet. The new menus were warmly received but we need a higher uptake of
boys using the service and we are changing the layout to have two queues. The Schools
Council has been very helpful in discussing this issue (and others) and under Jack Noble’s
leadership the School Council looks set to make a positive mark on school life.
Jack Noble is the new Head Boy and the two Deputy Head Boys are Martyn Maskell and
Joshua Coulson. All three are splendid young men and are supported by teams of senior
prefects and prefects. The three spoke at the meeting for new parents recently and they were
great. You could feel all these parents so much hoping that their sons would one day be so
assured and confident and involved in the life of the school.
Boys should be encouraged to do a wide range of things outside of their studies, not just
dabbling in activities but doing things to a good depth and high standard. This takes
commitment and time, but it is usually worth the effort. In competitive fields, like say for
places at medical schools, there are so many applicants with very good qualifications and it is
the extra things that make all the difference. Many of our boys have a fantastic range of things
they do – perhaps taking part in musical groups, leadership roles in the CCF, participation in
sport at a high level, doing special projects and these make a difference. This year there are
seventeen boys from the school with offers for medical, dental or veterinary places. I am sure
this is a record in the history of the school.
We are still looking for a coach driver – we would be willing to train someone for their PSV
licence and then driving work could be either part-time (preferred by us) up to full time. The
job could include looking after the minibuses (fuel, daily checks, cleaning etc). Please contact
the bursar if you have any ideas or contacts.
On a coloured sheet are the key dates for next year – note the separation of the Easter
weekend from the main Spring holiday in 2008.
Have a very happy holiday
With best wishes
G D Ironside
Headmaster