Alpesh Chauhan CBSO
Old Boy Alpesh Chauhan will be staying at the CBSO as Assistant Conductor. Please click on the link to read the full story:
http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/creative/alpesh-chauhan-stay-cbso-search-9507658
11+ Observations
11+ coaching does not help children make progress.
An increasing number of parents are choosing to give their children coaching for the 11+ exam.
As a result 11+ coaching is probably one of the few major growth industries in Birmingham post-recession. It certainly looks like lucrative business: a year-long course of two hours a week has been advertised at under £7,000 massively discounted from £10,000.
Research shows that nearly 75% of students across Birmingham have such coaching: the average boy has been coached for just under two hours a week for 14 months. A parent whose son attended a local primary school said that such coaching was the only way in which children from such schools could expect to succeed in the 11+ exam. A parent whose son had gone to one of the best junior schools said that all parents paid for coaching because every other parent was paying for coaching and they didn’t want to let their own child down.
At every open morning I stand up and say that parents should not tutor their children. The parents all nod supportively at my wisdom and then, it seems, proceed to ignore me! There is a simple reason why there should be such frenetic activity. All parents want to do the best for their children and a good education is the best gift that they can give.
However, all parents also see that the pressure for places at the selective schools is remarkably terrifying – at some grammar schools there are more than 1,000 candidates for approximately 100 places. So parents seem to have no choice but to pay. So, it’s easy to see why this coaching takes place, but it’s not easy to believe that it’s a good thing.
Such coaching limits and narrows the lives of boys and girls at the age of 8, 9, 10 and 11. They must have better things to do than practise Verbal Reasoning and Maths tests, like playing football, singing, dancing, or reading a book.
Coaching is flawed because it cannot do what it says it does: and it does not prepare children for a grammar school education. And coaching is unfair because parents are so desperate to help their children that they will pay any price for success, even, perhaps, a price they can’t afford.
However, coaching does harm above all for the reasons presented by the Sutton Trust. It can work against the forces of social mobility. This is why we at Handsworth Grammar School have established a unique Outreach and Widening Accessibility programme where we run master classes and familiarization sessions for local primary schools. We offer all of this for free and to provide gifted and talented children the opportunity to succeed in the 11+ exam. We do not charge a single penny. It is also carried out in a relaxed, friendly and fun atmosphere. The aim here is to encourage as many young people as possible from the local area to apply for a grammar school place. As a result the fantastic opportunities available at Handsworth Grammar School can be accessed by the majority of children in the local community and not just the few that currently apply. Whilst this Outreach programme cannot guarantee success for everyone we do believe it will improve all children’s abilities ensuring that they will be better prepared for their transition into whatever secondary school they attend.
Handsworth Grammar School is rooted in the community it serves and has been so for over 150 years. We serve and are responsive to the nature of our community. In particular Handsworth Grammar School is committed to making itself as accessible as possible to all students, whatever their background or circumstances. We would take this opportunity to inform parents that we do not endorse any person or organization that charges fees to coach your child. The 11+ exam seeks to identify children who are naturally gifted and talented. Our website features sample questions which your child could attempt to determine if they are potential candidates for the test. We would encourage parents to ask their child’s teacher for their predicted SATs results. As a rule of thumb children need to be working at SATs Level 5 or above in both English and Maths in their primary schools to have a realistic chance of success.
Sir Peter Lampl, the head of the Sutton Trust, is a massive supporter of selective education as the great engine of social mobility. We at Handsworth Grammar School concur with Sir Peter.
Coca Cola ParkLives
Gavindeep Samra and Maugam Purewal who are both in year 12 were on work experience last week working with “Coca Cola ParkLives”. This is an organisation sponsored by Coca Cola who promote activities in local parks for young people and indeed older people. These activities can include tennis, football or simply walking and jogging around the parks of Birmingham. This is an initiative to get more local people using the free sports facilities in our city parks.
Maugam and Gavindeep were both offered summer employment as a result of their work experience, and the picture shows them both at the Alexander stadium holding the London 2012 Olympic torch. Gavindeep is particularly keen to take a Sports Development and Coaching degree when he leaves HGS, and this experience will be invaluable to him when he applies to universities.
Sports Leaders at Athletics Festival
Our Year 9 Sports Leaders recently supported the Handsworth Primary Schools Athletics Festival. 12 of our Sports Leaders were involved and they will form part of the GCSE PE group next year. They successfully supported some 7 Primary Schools at the Festival by setting up, organising and running key events such as the Javelin and Long Jump. Our boys were a great credit to themselves and HGS and again received much praise from the Primary School and Handsworth Association staff for their kind and friendly as well as professional manner. Well done!
On a different note congratulations go to our Year 8 Cricket team who progress to the Quarter Finals of the Birmingham Cup Amiss Shield after defeating Queensbridge by 10 wickets. Good luck!
Examination Advice
Please see the information below which is useful guidance for Parents and Students alike:
Year 11 Hoodies
For those Year 11s who have ordered Leavers’ Hoodies, these will be given out after your Physics exam on Friday afternoon. Please bring the email you received as proof of payment.
Word of the Week – Mercurial
The word of the week commencing 22nd June 2015 is: Mercurial.
This means subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.
“his mercurial temperament”
The display is produced by the student librarians.
This display can be found in our Library.
Word of the Week – Modesty
The word of the week commencing 8th June 2015 is: Modesty.
This means the quality or state of being unassuming in the estimation of one’s abilities.
“with typical modesty he insisted on sharing the credit with others”
The display is produced by the student librarians.
This display can be found in our Library.
Whitemoor Lakes
On the 11th, 12th and 13th of May over 100 Year 7 students (and 11 teachers and other staff) went on a residential trip to Whitemoor Lakes, which is an activity centre near Alrewas by Lichfield. We had a great time doing numerous activities like climbing, zip-wiring, abseiling, high ropes, team games and problem-solving. These were the outdoor activities. The indoor activities were fencing and archery. In addition, there were a couple of water activities – canoeing and raft-building. During the breaks and in the evening, there were some games to play including pool, table hockey and table tennis. We enjoyed playing them! Furthermore, the food at the Centre was delicious; there was variety of food to eat including vegetarian and halal choices. On the subject of food, there were also two vending machines, one for snacks and the other for drinks. At 10:30 pm each day we went to bed. There were 4 lodges -Buttermere, Chasewater, Coniston and Derwent. In most dormitories (for 4 or 5 people), there were one bunk bed and two single beds and in other rooms there were two bunk beds and one single. There was a lot of space to store clothes in wardrobes and there was a shower room attached to each room. In each lodge, there also was a lounge with a television which had all the Freeview channels. Overall, our visit to Whitemoor Lakes was the best residential trip ever!!!
Sundeep Dhillon 7W
English Department: Looking Grim!
Once upon a time, far far away, in the glorious land of Handsworth Grammar School, a number of student Knights entered the Young Writers’ mini saga competition entitled: ‘Grim Tales’. Thousands of entries were received throughout the land of the United Kingdom but only a select number of entries would be published. Work was selected for publication based on students’ imagination, perception and creative use of language. The School was therefore delighted that 33 shining Knights’ entries were chosen for publication; this not only highlighted their creativity, command and flair in the battlefield of writing but also showed what could be achieved when the supreme Masters of Learning, the English Department, nurtured the Knights’ abilities to use their sharp, double edged sword – the pen!
The King of Handsworth Grammar School, His Majesty Mr. Bird, and the rest of the inhabitants, would like to congratulate all the student Knights who participated in the competition, particularly those Knights who had their work published.
Indeed, the pen is mightier than the sword!
Mr. Dubay
