My name is Maryam Shafiq and I am the Head Girl of the HGS. I currently study Maths, Psychology and ICT and I hope to read Biological Science at the University of Birmingham. This has been another successful year for the school which saw us join the King Edward Multi-Academy Trust, and so the school became King Edward VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys. Our A Level results were superb, despite national volatility surrounding new courses. Some of our students achieved quite brilliant results. Nearly 60% of all entries at A Level were at A* to B grade and the overall pass rate was 99.6%. Nearly 30% of all entries were at the top grades of A*/A. Nineteen students attained the top grades of A* and A in all their subjects. Two students, Rahul Patel and Zayd Saleh achieved the maximum three A* grades. Rahul has decided to work in a Chemical Engineering firm this year and has now been offered a place at the University of Cambridge to study Natural Sciences in September. Zayd is now studying Mathematics at the University of Birmingham. Mohsin Gandhi, Qasim Mushtaq and Hussein Said all gained two A* grades and one A grade and they too are now studying at the University of Birmingham. Mohsin studies Mathematics, and Hussein and Qasim both study Medicine. Indeed they were among eight students who chose to study either Dentistry or Medicine at university this last year. At GCSE level, again the school had some superb results, despite the national turmoil surrounding new courses and grading systems. I am very pleased to report that the overall picture at HGS was again one of consistent and sustained progress as well as positive development. Approximately 50% of all entries were at A* and A grade which is up on the results of the last two years as well as being well above the national figures. Overall 97% of all entries were at A* to C grade. In Mathematics 100% of all entries were at 9 to 4 grade. In English Literature 100% of students attained the new grade 9 to 4 and in English Language 99% of all entries were at 9 to 4 grade. This is a wonderful achievement bearing in mind the changes that have taken place in both of these subjects this year. 100% of all entries were at pass grade level. However, this school is not just about academic results and we continue to enjoy a range of extracurricular activities. There are a huge number of house competitions in school – from photography competitions to house spelling and house quiz competitions. We have also had our annual ski trip to the Alps, and there are plans for further overseas trips this year. The school continues to develop close links with the other KE schools, and the sixth form attended a conference at KE Fiveways for the senior students of the King Edward’s schools. This was most enjoyable and hopefully the first of many such conferences. This year we have also had a number of successful ex Handsworth Grammar School students return to the school to speak to the sixth formers about their careers after Handsworth Grammar School and this has been very enjoyable and hugely inspirational. In January we had a visit from Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, who is the UK lead on counter-terrorism. He announced his retirement from the Met only two days before his visit. He spoke warmly of his time at HGS as a pupil, and the fascinating and interesting career he has had – starting off as a police officer in Handsworth, all the way to being Chief Constable of Surrey Police, to his present role as the country’s second most senior police officer. He spoke about his high profile work including the Madeleine McCann case, and his work in counter-terrorism. As you can hear, the school continues to grow from strength to strength. HOUSE QUIZ COMPETITIONS On Tuesday 27th March we had our annual house quiz competitions in “Big School”. Competition was fierce throughout the day as our students displayed their finest general knowledge in front of their peers. The winning teams were as follows: Year 7: Galahad (Amar Aulakh and Dylan Guiney-Bailey) after a tense tie-break question. Year 8: Nelson (Reece Qureshi and Hassan Shah) Year 9: Nelson (Devjot Surmay and Craig Oshiogwe) Year 10: Henry (Raul Bhatti and Eesha Rashid) Year 11: Alfred (Sahil Mufti and Ikhlas Sayed) Sixth Form: Alfred (Muhammad Nazakat and Mohammed Mohammed). Many thanks to all who took part in this fun event. Mr Conway HOUSE COMPETITION 2017 FINAL RESULTS 1st: Galahad – 29,487 points 2nd: Nelson – 29,046 points 3rd: Alfred – 27,231 points 4th: Henry – 26,733 points 5th: William – 26,640 points Thus Galahad win for the second year in a row! Congratulations to all staff and students for another fantastic year of House activities. HEAD GIRL’S SPEECH BY MARYAM SHAFIQ... 33