Brining the term to an end, sixty of our younger musicians performed at our annual Instrumental Progress Evening. Big School was packed with family and friends supporting our young players. The concert started with a rousing performance on dhols by Taaj Singh and Dhanveer Mahal. We enjoyed solo items from Aman Chopra (flute), Jovan Sangar (piano), James Easun (saxophone), Luke McKinnon (French horn), Ibrahim Khan (clarinet), Aryan Nangley (piano), Yahya Akeel (classical guitar), Ali Rahaman (trumpet), Sebastian Fernando (piano), Jess Luke Bodah (classical guitar), Gurvir Singh (trumpet), Sahib Sandhu (piano), Jacob Chinnaiyan (saxophone), Ajai Singh (tenor horn), Vinayak Bansal (piano) and Ishaan Parwana (classical guitar). We also heard the beginner brass ensemble, woodwind, table and string trios as ell as the lower school woodwind ensemble and beginner keyboard ensemble. The boys did a fabulous job.

Dragos in year 7 wrote:

Instrumental Progress was an amazing evening where everyone got to express themselves through music like duets, solos and ensembles.  It was a mesmerizing concert with famous feats, classical music and pop songs! The experience was truly excellent. There was a lot of variation of instruments like strings, woodwind and brass all of the groups being led and taught by excellent music teachers! This was an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait for next year!

We look forward to hearing our boys in July in the Summer Concert. We hope you can join us too!

Martin & Leah Ward

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King Edwards VI Handsworth Grammar School for Boys have been working with Pathbuddy for almost two years now.  Ex-student, Ash Borikar and his team are developing this exciting platform.  They are currently  supporting our Year 12 cohort with post 18 applications, including university applications, gap years, apprenticeships and starting the world of work.    Once students have input their details, including areas of interest or specific apprenticeship or university courses, the platform provides them with a personalised path from which they complete activities which will prepare them for the application process for all sorts of post 18 courses.   This includes activities such as admission tests, analysing relevant case studies, interview practise and support with UCAS personal statements.   This has been augmented with group meetings when students meet a mentor to receive support and guidance with a specific discipline, and then one-to one meetings.  This is a unique approach to delivering careers information and guidance

On Wednesday this week,  our Year 12 students had another session with Pathbuddy.  This week students were supported with information and guidance for the following admissions tests:

University Clinical Aptitude Test

Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions

Law National Aptitude Test

Engineering and Science Admissions Test

Test of Mathematics for University Admissions

Sixth Term Examination Papers

These cover the main disciplines our students are interested in, but students interested in careers in aviation, teaching and psychology, were also supported.   Students engaged well with the mentors and Pathbuddy platform. They said some of the practice questions were too easy, which is typical of our very bright and aspirational students!  Pathbuddy will be back later in the summer term, with tougher questions, so students who will face admissions tests will be well supported for these which take place during the Autumn.

Cyber Hygiene Without Borders: Year 7 Students Reconnect with Wolmer’s Boys’ School

Year 7 students at Handsworth Grammar School recently took part in a second international Cyber Hygiene lesson with Wolmer’s Boys’ School in Jamaica, focused on global digital awareness. Delivered live via Microsoft Teams, the lesson brought together a new cohort of students to explore cybersecurity through shared experiences and student-led discussion, highlighting that digital risks are constant and borderless.

Founded in 1736, Wolmer’s Boys’ School is the second oldest school in the Caribbean, with a distinguished alumni community that includes a Prime Minister, 24 Rhodes Scholars, and several Olympic champions. This collaboration provides a valuable opportunity for students to connect with peers from different lived experiences, while recognising the common challenges young people face online.

A standout feature of the lesson was a student-led Q&A, led by Anania and Giovanni (8 Henry), who confidently guided discussions on school life, community, and national identity. Their leadership helped create an inclusive and engaging environment, encouraging students from both schools to contribute and share their perspectives.

The use of a live Cyber Threat Map helped students see the scale of global cyber activity in real time. Many were surprised to learn that over 14 million attempted cyberattacks occur each day, around 160 every second. As one student reflected, “the internet is always under attack,” reinforcing the importance of staying alert online.

Students also discussed how they use technology in their daily lives, from social media to communication platforms, and shared their experiences of scams and online risks. An interesting moment came when students realised that while terms such as “phishing” may not always be used universally, the risks themselves are widely understood.

The lesson concluded with practical tips to stay safe online, including the use of secure passphrases made up of random, unrelated words, and the importance of protecting email accounts as a key digital gateway. Students left more informed and more confident in how to manage their digital lives safely.

This collaboration continues to grow as a powerful example of how students can learn, connect, and lead together in a shared digital world. We would like to thank Mr King and Mrs Green for making this opportunity possible, and we look forward to continuing this important work together.

We landed in Geneva on Wednesday and didn’t waste any time. After a bus journey from the airport we dropped our bags at the hotel and headed straight out to the beautiful Old Town.  Here, we explored Saint Peter’s Cathedral and ascended the towers.  The really tight and steep spiral stairs kept going round and round in a small space so it felt a bit claustrophobic at times. You couldn’t really look down because of how the steps were constructed but we could definitely sense how high we were going. My legs were shaking but it was part of the experience and made it more memorable!  When we finally reached the top, the view was well worth our efforts. You could see across Geneva and the lake, and the famous Jet d’Eau (a very impressive fountain).

After descending, we enjoyed some free time in the Old Town, along and around the main high street, the Rue du Rhône.

We then headed back to the hotel for our evening meal which was decent enough, and it was nice to finally sit down after a long day.  Afterwards, we went out to a pool hall; this was probably one of the best parts of the day. It was such a good vibe, everyone was relaxed and it felt like we could properly enjoy ourselves after a tiring day and a lot of walking.

Thursday started with an early wake-up at around 6:45, which was brutal after the long day before.  The buffet breakfast was good and by 9am we were out of the hotel, each with a packed lunch, which was really handy since we had a lot of walking and exploring planned. We hopped on a bus to the United Nations.

The first thing we saw was the Broken Chair, which is actually huge and way more impressive in real life than in photos. It represents the suffering caused by landmines and cluster bombs and serves as a reminder to visiting politicians and diplomats. Then we went to the United Nations buildings themselves. We couldn’t enter the main conference room because there was a meeting taking place, but we got to peek through the windows on the doors, which was still pretty cool. Later, we headed up to the seventh floor where the interpreters sit and had a proper view of the conference room from above. Seeing everything laid out like that, and witnessing how the meetings actually run, was honestly fascinating.  In a meeting room we enjoyed an engaging talk about the UN from a guide whose main role is as an interpreter.

After eating our packed lunches we went by bus and tram to CERN. Here, we met some of the current scientists, who explained how some of the experiments work. We even got to see the LEAR experiment, which was pretty cool. We also saw some of the equipment they had previously used and visited rooms that famous scientists had worked in, for example, the room where Niels Bohr had worked while he was at CERN. One of the highlights was the data centre, where we learned how the experimental data is stored and interpreted.

After leaving CERN, we caught a tram to Geneva’s more modern centre and had some free time to chill and explore a bit. It was nice to just walk around, look in shops, and enjoy the city without having to rush anywhere.

After returning to our hotel to relax and freshen up we headed out to a local Italian restaurant. My pizza was one of the best I’ve ever had – and I’ve been to Italy!  After an incredible meal, we went for a long walk to a bowling alley, where we spent the rest of the evening. I actually won the first game, which felt pretty good; it was such a fun way to end what had been a very busy day.

Friday started again with a wake-up at around 6:45 and breakfast at 7:30. After eating, we took our cases downstairs and stored them in the hotel’s baggage room, which made it easier to move around the city without lugging everything with us.

We took a bus to the lake and boarded a ferry, which was so nice. The sun was blazing down on us but the breeze while the boat was moving kept us cool. It was really relaxing to just sit there, watch the water, and enjoy the views of Geneva. At one point, we went close to the Jet d’Eau, which was huge and impressive up close – seeing the water shoot so high into the sky was amazing.

After reaching the other side of the lake, we visited the Museum of Art and History, and viewed some of the impressive pieces on display including ancient Egyptian artefacts, sculptures, paintings, militaria and even some stuffed animals!

After a little more free time in the Old Town we returned to our hotel to collect our bags and then made our way to the airport for our homeward flight. Overall, it was a trip I’ll definitely remember, full of interesting sights, fun activities and just the right balance of learning, exploring and chilling.

Krish, Year 12

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Six high‑performing Year 9 French pupils represented our school on Tuesday March 10^th 2026 at the Fairtrade Fiesta event held at King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls. From the moment they arrived, staff and organisers commented on the pupils’ exceptional politeness, maturity and exemplary behaviour, setting a positive tone for the day.

As part of the challenge, our pupils were assigned the country Burkina Faso. Working alongside pupils from other schools, they were tasked with designing a Fairtrade product that represented their assigned country. This involved designing, creating, pitching and even selling their product—an exciting and immersive enterprise experience that demanded strong communication, teamwork and creativity.

During the French‑language components of the day, the group had to buy supplies and take part in market‑research activities, asking and answering questions in French as part of the challenge. They also enjoyed a Portuguese taster session, expanding their linguistic and cultural horizons even further.

A special congratulations goes to Harrison Hunter, who received an individual prize recognising his outstanding behaviour, contributions, and overall positive demeanour throughout the event.

Although the team did not win the overall competition, they were highly praised by staff and mentors. They made an excellent impression, represented the school with pride, and gained valuable insights and confidence from the experience.

The pupils’ conduct, teamwork and enthusiasm throughout the day made their teachers extremely proud.