When I arrived at Oxford Train Station, dragging my suit case behind me, I had absolutely no idea of what I could possibly expect from the week to come, in fact I even had a brief moment of panic where I thought that I had made a huge mistake! As I approached the growing crowd of equally nervous looking Sixth Formers wearing Oxford University Lanyards, my trepidation subsided, the diversity of the group made me realise that the week to come would be an incredible experience-and our walk to Exeter College started a week-long, accent based, debate on the pronunciation of different words! The Oxford University Summer School was undoubtedly an incredibly demanding week, as it included an intensive educational programme, daily social activities and even a field trip to allow us to appreciate the true experience of an Oxford Student.

I had chosen to study the Law course- and since I do not currently pursue any formal studies in the subject, it was an unrivalled opportunity to ascertain whether or not I wanted to study Law with French at university for four years. The legal academic programme was enriching: we attended daily lectures on rather complicated concepts of the law and we were expected to have a sufficient understanding of the cases discussed to be able to write an essay and participate in a one-to-four tutorial with a world leading professor the following morning.  Since our social activities meant that we returned to the college at 11pm, we would stay up until quite late in order to prepare what was needed for the tutorials- the atmosphere created by such dedicated and passionate students working into the night to meet deadlines was merely a taster of what awaits all prospective university students! The most memorable part of the academic programme was the moot: we were given the case, assigned sides and expected to prepare speeches and arguments for a moot which took place in a mock court room- we were all so nervous about doing something which we had never done before, however our preparation and work meant that the moots were exciting and quite passionate.

In addition to this, the links that Oxford University had were used in order to allow us to consider our possible career options: we were taken LinkLaters, one of the ‘magic circle’ law firms, in central London, where we were able to explore the different areas of law that graduates could pursue. We also had a formal dinner with prominent Oxford Law alumnus who had all had very different careers linked to law- though most of us were confused by the cutlery presented to us and were preoccupied by trying to use the correct utensils for the correct course!

The Social Programme was equally enjoyable and allowed us to experience everything that Oxford had to offer: there was a fancy dress night during which we had to choose a costume themed on the one of the letters from UNIQ (the name of the summer school), certain costumes were ingenious and we were repeatedly stopped and photographed by amused tourists, who could not understand why somebody would willingly humiliate themselves publically in such a way! For me, the most enjoyable social activity was a hilarious improv comedy show called “Hickory Dickory Muder” by “the Dead Secrets”, which included them acting out an audience member’s suggestion of “#YOLO”

All in all, the Summer School was absolutely amazing- and whilst it hasn’t made me confident of getting a place at Oxford, it has given me the confidence to apply and think that I am deserving of a place. I would advise all of the Year 12s to do some research into the “UNIQ Summer School” and “The Sutton Trust” for some truly amazing and free opportunities to see whether the courses they wish to study are truly for them.

On Thursday 11 September, 12 students from Year 11 had the joy of visiting Birmingham University and taking part in the Science ‘Big Quiz’, which was organised as part of the British Science Festival. As we excitedly filled up the school mini-bus, a few of us joked about coming in the top 3 and winning prizes, which, given the final outcome, turned out to be rather prescient. Once grouped into 3 teams, we were escorted to our seats at an extremely small desk, and sitting at it became the source of tremendous discomfort a few hours later.

The quiz comprised of four parts: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Biology. Across the three groups, Maths and Chemistry were found to be the easiest. On the other hand, the Physics section contained questions that were far more difficult to answer. Also, the Biology section offered up bizarre questions based primarily around animals that I and my fellow class mates felt had little to do with Biology. After the quiz, all the pupils enjoyed lunch and took a well-deserved break! Then the results were revealed.

The host teased us all by explaining the 2nd and 3rd places were tied … and one of our teams was involved. The four members (being Ayyan, Adyll, Ricky and Isaac) stepped up to answer the tie breaker. Thanks to my team mates we triumphed, cementing ourselves victoriously into second position. The four of us received a medal and a science kit. Equally as important, the school received a glass trophy which I proudly held aloft for all to view. Throughout the rest of the day Mr Bedi beamed with delight and, being a Chemistry teacher, was greatly impressed when we informed him we’d achieved an immaculate 100% on the Chemistry section. We were then guided to a mind-boggling presentation on how Science can support ‘Super powers’. After that, we talked to staff and students at the University regarding information on various jobs that some of us aspire to in the future.

All in all, it was a tremendous day out and a fantastically educational trip. Finally, I would like to thank Mr Bedi for inviting me to take part in the quiz.

Ayyan Sattar

Sixth Form and Year 11 students recently enjoyed a variety of Science based activities at Birmingham University as part of the Science Festival. Staff and students alike enjoyed the broad range of materials on offer and believe that they will support their teaching and learning in the classroom. The HGS Year 11 Big Quiz team won second place in the Birmingham Big Quiz out of a field of 20 teams. In fact they were only 1 point off winning the quiz!

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In its recent Real Schools Guide the Birmingham Mail awarded Handsworth Grammar School the top score of 5 Stars. This is based upon Attainment, Teaching, Attendance and Outcomes data and makes us one of the top 8 schools in the city as well as one of the top performing schools nationally. This is a great achievement and is something the whole school community can be proud of!