Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 5234 Priya’s Speech to the HGS Old Boys’ Dinner on March 5th 2016: My name is Priya Badhan and I am proud to be the Head Girl for Handsworth Grammar School for 2015/16. It falls to me as Head Girl to speak about the school’s progress over the last twelve months and I am pleased to report that once again we have seen significant improvements in a whole range of areas. The school has attained some excellent examination results despite considerable volatility nationally. These results include: • At GCSE 45% of all entries were at A* or A, an increase of 5% on the previous year. • At GCSE 98% of pupils gained 5 or more A* to C GCSEs including English and Maths Both of these figures were unsurprisingly well above the national average. • At AS level the pass rate was 89% , an increase of 14% over the last two years • At A level 52% of students gained A* - A grades, which was slightly down on the previous year but 7 students gained all A* and A grades in their A2s. HGS students continued the long tradition of going to the finest universities in the country and indeed some people may recall last year’s Deputy Head Boy, Gurdeep Mal who attended this dinner last year. Gurdeep secured a place at Oxford University where he now studies French and Law. We have continued to send students to all of the major universities including Nottingham, Birmingham, Aston, Manchester, Imperial, Warwick, UCL, Oxford and Cambridge. The courses being studied by ex HGS students include Economics, French, Dentistry, Law, Accountancy, Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy, Optometry, Psychology, Chemistry, Maths and Computer Science. We have also continued our collaboration with King Edward’s Aston and we now jointly teach AS Level Art, Music, French and German with the students from our neighbouring grammar School. There have also been changes to the fabric of the school. We are now into our second year of the new 6th Form Centre, and that has been universally well received by students and staff. For those of you not familiar with the centre, it sits on the site where the old Woodbine Pub used to be ( I am sure not many of you will ever have been inside the Woodbine pub!) The recreational facilities for pupils have greatly improved with a large covered area and picnic benches now situated on the quad. We also have five new outdoor table tennis tables which are used before school, at break and lunchtimes and after school. Even the senior staff have been known to have a game with our headteacher Mr Bird challenging pupils at break time – and winning the very occasional game!! The school council were given some money to spend, and used it to purchase new flower troughs, which are situated around the outdoor areas of the school. We look forward to the Spring and Summer to see the flowers emerge, which will brighten up the school social areas. We have also seen the purchase of two brand new school minibuses and this has led to even more school trips, visits and school sports fixtures taking place throughout the year. It has been a great year for the school, and a great year to be a sixth form student at HGS. I have had two wonderful years at the school and as I look forward to going to university, Handsworth Grammar school will always have a very special place in my heart. OLD BOYS’ DINNER Head Girl’s Speech 34 Priya’s Speech to the HGS Old Boys’ Dinner on March 5th 2016: My name is Priya Badhan and I am proud to be the Head Girl for Handsworth Grammar School for 2015/16. It falls to me as Head Girl to speak about the school’s progress over the last twelve months and I am pleased to report that once again we have seen significant improvements in a whole range of areas. The school has attained some excellent examination results despite considerable volatility nationally. These results include: • At GCSE 45% of all entries were at A* or A, an increase of 5% on the previous year. • At GCSE 98% of pupils gained 5 or more A* to C GCSEs including English and Maths Both of these figures were unsurprisingly well above the national average. • At AS level the pass rate was 89% , an increase of 14% over the last two years • At A level 52% of students gained A* - A grades, which was slightly down on the previous year but 7 students gained all A* and A grades in their A2s. HGS students continued the long tradition of going to the finest universities in the country and indeed some people may recall last year’s Deputy Head Boy, Gurdeep Mal who attended this dinner last year. Gurdeep secured a place at Oxford University where he now studies French and Law. We have continued to send students to all of the major universities including Nottingham, Birmingham, Aston, Manchester, Imperial, The courses being studied by ex HGS students include Economics, French, Dentistry, Law, Accountancy, Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy, Optometry, Psychology, Chemistry, Maths and Computer Science. We have also continued our collaboration with King Edward’s Aston and we now jointly teach AS Level Art, Music, French and German with the students from our neighbouring grammar School. There have also been changes to the fabric of the school. We are now into our second year of the new 6th Form Centre, and that has been universally well received by students and staff. For those of you not familiar with the centre, it sits on the site where the old Woodbine Pub used to be ( I am sure not many of you will ever have been inside the Woodbine pub!) The recreational facilities for pupils have greatly improved with a large covered area and picnic benches now situated on the quad. We also have five new outdoor table tennis tables which are used before school, at break and lunchtimes and after school. Even the senior staff have been known to have a game with our headteacher Mr Bird challenging pupils at break time – and winning the very occasional game!! The school council were given some money to spend, and used it to purchase new flower troughs, which are situated around the outdoor areas of the school. We look forward to the Spring and Summer to see the flowers emerge, which will brighten up the school social areas. We have also seen the purchase of two brand new school minibuses and this has led to even more school trips, visits and school sports fixtures taking place throughout the year. It has been a great year for the school, and a great year to be a sixth form student at HGS. I have had two wonderful years at the school and as I look forward to going to university, Handsworth Grammar school will always have a very special place in my heart. OLD BOYS’ DINNER Head Girl’s Speech PRIYA BADHAN The responsibility of being Head Girl at Handsworth Grammar School is one which I hold with great pride and honour without any doubt. Over the past year Handsworth Grammar School has helped me grow in terms of both confidence and knowledge. This is something all students who study at HGS benefit from. Throughout my small amount of time here, the value of responsibility and the ability to work in a team have quickly become engrained into my ethic as a student, both of which are not only a requirement as a pupil but an absolute necessity in building a successful career. These are attributes which provide the foundation for my time as Head Girl. Right from year 7, alongside learning with other students, pupils at Handsworth Grammar School are given the chance to nurture their individuality and take charge of their own learning, albeit the staff and Senior Leadership Team exceed their role to provide support for students through whichever means is necessary. Whilst the school itself is continuously developing and students are prepared for their futures, the importance of over 150 years’ worth of history has not gone amiss. Hence why I hold this position in such great esteem. I am excited by the prospective challenge this role encompasses and cannot think of a more rewarding way of concluding my final year at the school. Warwick, UCL, Oxford and Cambridge. spend, and used it to purchase new flower troughs, which are situated around the outdoor areas of the school. We look forward to the Spring and Summer to see the flowers emerge, which will brighten up the We have also seen the purchase of two brand new school minibuses and this has led to even more school trips, visits and school sports fixtures taking place throughout the year. It has been a great year for the school, and a great year to be a sixth form student at HGS. I have had two wonderful years at the school and as I look forward to going to university, Handsworth Grammar school will always have a very special place in my heart. Right from year 7, alongside learning with other students, pupils at Handsworth Grammar School are given the chance to nurture their individuality and take charge of their own learning, albeit the staff and Senior Leadership Team exceed their role to provide support for students through whichever means is necessary. Whilst the school itself is continuously developing and students are prepared for their futures, the importance of over 150 years’ worth of history has not gone amiss. Hence why I I am excited by the prospective challenge this role encompasses and cannot think of a more rewarding Lions Donation to HGS The Birmingham Handsworth Lions Club very kindly donated £1001 to HGS recently – with the money going towards developing school facilities for the benefit of all our students. This link has been made possible by the generous support of Mr Dev Dalvair who is a current parent of two HGS students. All at HGS are very grateful for such wonderful support from such a prestigious global organisation as The Lions. CLUBS AND SOCIETIES