We continue to celebrate our 150th Anniversary this term and we are proud to be Birmingham’s oldest Grammar School. Dates for the diary include Friday 28th September Year 7 Handsworth Park 150 Mile Run and Saturday 8th December the 150th Anniversary Gala Dinner.
We welcome our new Headteacher this term. Mr Simon Bird was Deputy Head at King Henry VIII School in Coventry for 5 years and before that he was Assistant Head at King Edward VI Five Ways School in Birmingham.
At GCSE 92% of all grades were at A* to C and 97% of all students achieved 5 GCSEs including English and Maths. Over 50% of all students achieved 5 or more A* grades. At A Level we enjoyed a 98% pass rate and 50% of all grades awarded were A* to B. All of these results point to great progress year on year and an upward trend in achievement.
HGS continues to raise its levels of attainment and achievement with the SSAT grading “Outstanding Student Progress” for 2011 and 2010. This puts HGS in the top 10% of all schools nationally. This is a great achievement for all our Staff, Students’ and Parents’.
Wednesday 18th July 6:30pm
A quick reminder that the Summer concert is fast approaching. It will take place on the school site and will include the first performance of the new fifth verse of the school song.
Tickets are available from the school finance office and are priced at £3.00 for adults and £1.00 for children (16 and under). Show your ticket to receive a drink and some light refreshments. So come and join us to celebrate the 150th year of the school.
Handsworth Grammar School will be having a non-uniform day
in aid of Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis
on
Monday 16th July, 2012
Staff and Students are asked to donate £2 to come in non-uniform
Brief background to the song.
The School Song was first sung in the 1950s, with words by the then Head Teacher J. J. Walton and music composed by B. L. Page. There are four verses followed by a chorus (the original lyrics can be found below). Most of Handsworth Grammar School’s current pupils, and those who have left in the last few years, will be unfamiliar with the School Song. Equally, there will be some of you reading this who recognise the School Song and can recite a few lines or more (including some of the ‘alternative’ words that boys in the past slipped in). Whether you know the song or not, I hope you will join in the selection of a new fifth verse.
Why a new verse?
As part of the 150th Anniversary of HGS we decided to create a competition for all year 7 pupils. Their task was to create a new fifth verse that could continue, or build upon, the original 4 verses. There were more than 20 submitted and these have been narrowed down to 5. The selection of the new fifth verse rests in yours hands!
The closing date for voting will be the 1st July 2012.
Good luck choosing.
M Ward
Head of Music
The Bridge Trust Old Boys’ Society Annual dinner will be held in the Pennington Suite at the Hawthorns on Saturday 17 March 2012 at 7 pm. The cost is £32 per person
The speakers will be John Loarridge a former teacher and David Fulwood ex Special Branch who will be recounting stores about the exploits of the criminal fraternity and the police’s attempts to deal with them.
