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Year 11 Science ‘Big Quiz’

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

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Year 9 Science visit to Birmingham University

On the 9th September, 15 students from Year 9 visited Birmingham University, located in Edgbaston, for the ‘British Science Festival’.

The Science Festival offered a large variety of activities which included Science-related lectures and workshops, and we also visited the ‘Science and Careers Action Zone’ in the Great Hall. Here, we were made aware of the different types of scientific careers that we could pursue if we were interested. In addition, we were able to attend Science demonstrations to talk to Career Advisers, who gave us ideas about paths we could take in the future.

We stayed as a group and were taken around the campus by volunteers from the University, and the Scientists working there. Throughout the tour we took part in multiple demonstrations which included real-life situations. We were able to look at and use some of the state-of-the-art science technology available there, where we digitally bisected a tarantula and used a massive table tablet.  We also received some of the latest archaeological news from an expert.

In one scientific lecture we learnt how to survive in the Himalayas by getting tips from a Scientist (Nick) who had climbed to Mount Everest Base Camp with his team to see if, by using their own experiences, they could find treatments for patients with pneumonia. He investigated and took samples of his temperature and his blood’s oxygen content.

Altogether, we had a delightful experience and many of our students agreed that they would love to visit again.​  Thanks to the teachers who helped us on the trip as well as the volunteers from the University.

By Dhiraj Korotania and Ibrahim Kabir

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Birmingham Science Festival

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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Football season off to a good start!

The Year 10 team began their Football season in style with a 5 – 2 victory over Holt School in the Aston League. Also in the Aston League, Year 7 beat Aston Manor 5 – 1 and also Year 8 won 9 – 3 .

Congratulations!

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LAMDA coming soon to HGS!

We are going to be offering LAMDA tuition at HGS. LAMDA stands for The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and is a globally recognised institution. Exams can be taken in 3 areas: Communication (speaking and reading), Performance (acting, devising, and mime) and Group (group recitals, group acting). Key habits for learning can be developed through LAMDA such as confidence, clear speech, presentation skills and working in a team as well as having a lot of fun.

We also would like to establish an after school Drama Club.

Please collect a leaflet and letter for more details from your English teacher and why not try a taster session?

View the leaflet online

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HGS receives 5 Star Rating!

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!

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HGS maintains another consecutive year of steady progress at GCSE in light of volatile national picture

Handsworth Grammar School attained a very good set of GCSE results in the light of considerable changes as a result of the overhaul of the exam system and volatility on a national scale. The overall picture at Handsworth Grammar School is one of consistent progress and positive development. This is again due to the commitment and hard work of both staff and students alike. This year’s figures take into account the fact that we no longer offer courses such as OCR Nationals and national statistics such as the 1.9% drop in English passes this year. Nearly 40% of all entries were at A* and A grade which is 1% up on 2013 and the national figure is 21%. Nearly 75% of all entries were at A* to B grade which is up 2% on 2013 and the national figure is 43%. 93% of all entries were at A* to C grade which maintains our position from last year and we secured 92% A* to C grades including English and Mathematics which again maintains our position from last year.

32 students achieved 10 or more A* and A grades which is nearly 25% of the cohort. Some notable performances include Khubbaib Hasan who secured 13 straight A* grades, Abdikaliq Ige who attained 12 A* grades and 1 A grade, Arjun Virk who secured 10 A* grades and 3 A grades as well as Mohammed Kabel and Aadam Sufi who both secured 9 A* and 4 A grades.

So, against a backdrop of national upheaval and volatility it is fair to say that Handsworth Grammar School maintains its positive move forwards with regards to progress and development. My congratulations to all departments and students on their achievements.

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HGS enjoys success with another consecutive year of improved A Level Examination Results

HGS enjoys success with another consecutive year of improved A Level Examination Results

 

Handsworth Grammar School celebrated another consecutive year of improved A level Results. This is testament to the hard work and commitment of both staff and students. The vast majority of students were in the strong position of being able to accept their first choice University offer which has seen them being destined for top class Universities such as Kings College, Warwick, Nottingham, Leeds, Birmingham and Aston. 29% of students achieved an A* or A grade which is up by 5% on 2013 and 58% of results were A* to B grades which is also up by 5% on 2013. The overall pass rate was 98%.

 

Some notable performances include Nazem Khan who attained A* grades in all his 4 subjects and Gulfraz Ahmed who attained A* grades in all his 3 subjects. Bapinder Bansal, Prikesh Patel and Harshita Vig attained 2 A* and 1 A grade in their 3 subjects. Finally Ishmael Aqsar and Ossama El Shukri attained 1 A* and 2 A grades in their 3 subjects. Whilst at AS Level Dhanish Amin and Donte Nembhard attained 4 straight A grades whereas Manish Bains and Jaswinder Bhogal secured 3 A grades and 1 B grade in their 4 subjects.

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Congratulations to all staff and students.

 

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‘Big Bang’ Science Fair – BMC

On the 25th June, 32 students from Year 8 (comprised of students from Henry, Galahad and Alfred) visited the Matthew Boulton Campus of Birmingham Metropolitan College, located in City Centre, for their ‘Big Bang’ Fair. The Fair involved a range of subjects including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, otherwise known as STEM.

We were split into three groups and were taken around campus by volunteers from the College and their teachers. Throughout the tour we engaged in multiple activities and were able to sample some of the state of the art technology available there such as, Oculus Rift, a virtual 3D roller coaster experience, and the latest television technology.  There were TV’s where two or more people can watch two different things at once using specialised glasses (you can be playing Xbox while someone else watches TV)! We even had the opportunity to wirelessly stream games from a tablet on to a TV.

In the Science Department we learnt how to make our own ice cream using traditional ingredients and some Liquid Nitrogen (we all found it quite tasty too)! We further investigated a crime scene (no one actually died) and took samples of DNA, drugs and other forensics.

Overall we had a very enjoyable experience and many of our fellow pupils agreed that they would enjoy if they could visit again.

Ibrahim Kabir and Dhiraj Korotania, Year 8

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