Here at HGS our first ever culture week finished with a spectacular flourish in a non-uniform day when our students were tasked to come in their cultural dress.
Don’t they look amazing? Thank you to everyone who planned and participated in culture week. Here’s to a safe and happy half term break.
Handsworth Grammar School is proud to be working with West Midlands Police and our local Soho Road community to support the Soho Safe Haven Project, helping our students to stay confident and safe as they travel to and from school. All businesses displaying this poster are committing to offer a safe space to school pupils who are using the Soho Road, and have pledged to help contact schools, parents or the police, or even charge a phone if our young people are feeling unsafe or in need of support during their travels. This is a fantastic example of our local community working together and we thank all those involved for their support. HGS CARES!
On Monday 10th February, Mr Harvey and I accompanied our Year 12 European Youth Parliament (EYP) debate team to the University of Birmingham to debate socio-political issues with local schools. After weeks of intensive research and debate practice, the team engaged in lively debates ranging from gender equality to the economy and how they would improve these problems. The students had a great day as they got to meet students from other schools who were just as passionate as they were whilst competing to get their committee passed by the jury. Despite not passing through to the national competition, our team have learned valuable skills such as researching and public speaking, both of which will benefit them for years to come.
Our students had a great time there and found it really enriching:
Daniyal Mehmood – ‘The European Youth Parliament was an amazing opportunity to collaborate with other members from different schools to share our views on topics that effect the world and our generation. I’m glad I went and hope to be involved more!’
Malaika Shain – ‘I truly enjoyed and valued my time at European youth parliament, it was very informative, making me see different viewpoints of certain topics and helping to further my understanding of them. Overall it was a great experience.’
Princess Okereke – ‘I am truly grateful that i got the opportunity to take part in EYP, i am so intrigued by politics and the intricacies of certain motions that were mentioned. The whole experience really taught me a lot. I am so glad I went!’
Sahra Mahamed – ‘I actually really enjoyed the European Youth Parliament, it was way more engaging than I expected. it really pushed me to think critically and debate ideas on the spot, which was challenging but fun. hearing different perspectives made it a great experience, and I’d definitely love to do more of these.’
Harveer Athwal – ‘It was an extremely informative experience that allowed me to partake in mock debates that would similarly occur in European Politics.’
Chetan Dhami – ‘It was an enriching and enjoyable experience that allowed me to improve my knowledge of European politics while aiding my public speaking abilities.’
Here at Handsworth Grammar School, we have been busy celebrating Culture Week, a joint curriculum and enrichment event to celebrate the history and diversity of our community. Pupils have had the chance to see Bhangra performances accompanied by Dhol, take part in cultural quizzes, participate in a Chinese dragon dance workshop, experience ancient Egypt and Rome through virtual reality and lots more. Meanwhile lunchtimes have seen our students tucking into a range of dishes such as fajitas, bao buns, chow mein and chicken tagine. In their lessons, our younger students have focused on such diverse topics as Irish traditional music, how writers reflect cultural awareness in their stories, the contribution of different cultures to scientific knowledge and much more. The week will end on Friday with a cultural dress day and fashion show. We are really looking forward to rolling out the HGS red carpet!
Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Intermediate Maths Challenge! It’s fantastic to see such a large number of students from Years 10 and 11 engaging with the challenge.
A special well done to the 22 students who have qualified for the next round. This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to their hard work and dedication to mathematics.
And of course, a huge congratulations to Rajan Nagra for being the Best in Year 10 and to Puranjay Kumar for being the Best in Year 11 and qualifying for the prestigious Cayley Olympiad. This is an extraordinary accomplishment!
Keep up the excellent work, everyone!
On Thursday 6th February, students from year 7-9 took part in our very own “Strictly Talk Gothic” to celebrate our gothic season.
After three enjoyable and exciting weeks, our boys took part in a competition where they had to deliver a speech from a well known gothic play or poem, which was then judged by a panel of staff.
The finalists were:
| Giovanni Eliason 7H Dabeet Gil 7W | Matthew Asfaw 8G Omid Haidari 8N Mikaeil Syed 8N | Tahmid Labib 9G Sami Khan 9G Rahim Rashid 9H |
We had joint winners in Sami Khan from 9G and Rahim Rashid from 9H.
Well done to everyone who took part.
Mr Conway
On Wednesday 29th January, Ms Hurley and I accompanied our top 60 year 12 and year 13 students on our termly rewards trip to Teamworks Karting in Digbeth. The students had a great time competing for the fastest lap on the karting track, and after lunch, they enjoyed fiercely contested laser tag matches. Everyone in attendance had a great time!
Mrs Yates
On January 18th 2025, 28 students from Years 8 and 9, and 3 staff, headed off to the Dolomites in Italy for 5 days on the piste.
Hashir (Year 8) writes:
Our ski trip to Folgaria was an incredible experience filled with adventure, challenges and unforgettable moments. After an exhausting twelve-hour journey, including a one and a half hour drive to Manchester Airport, a two and a quarter hour Ryanair flight to Milan, and a further three-hour coach ride, we finally arrived at the resort on Saturday evening. The coach, although comfortable, lacked sufficient legroom, making the long journey quite tiring. Upon arrival, we were assigned rooms of two, which provided plenty of space. After settling in, we collected our ski equipment, had dinner, and prepared for the days ahead. Personally, as I eat halal, I found the vegetarian meal options were not very varied; we had been warned to expect plenty of pasta since we were in Italy! Overall, the hotel and the resort provided everything we needed.
Each morning, we were woken at around 7 a.m. by a knock on the door from our teacher. We then got ready, carried our skis and boots to the base of the mountain, and took a gondola lift to the top, where we were greeted with stunning, snow-covered landscapes. The first day was mainly focused on getting our equipment sorted and being placed into ability groups. While the more advanced skiers set off immediately, beginners, including myself, were split into two groups to allow for better instruction. At first, we practised basic snowplough technique, skiing only short distances, which felt repetitive, but I understood it was necessary to build a strong foundation. Fortunately, after the first day, we had a designated spot at the base of the mountain to store our skis, which meant we no longer had to carry them up each morning.
From the second day onwards, we began using ski lifts (chair and drag) to reach higher slopes and worked on improving our technique. We learned how to execute snowplough turns, which allowed us to navigate slopes more effectively. As we progressed, we moved onto blue slopes, where we practised parallel turns, skiing in a controlled zigzag motion by turning across the slope before repeating the process. The resort itself was enormous, with some lifts featuring heated seats, taking us even higher – sometimes above the clouds. By the fourth day, we had advanced to red slopes and began practising on race tracks, increasing our speed and control. Day five was particularly exciting as we continued racing but also embarked on a thrilling 45-minute continuous descent from the top of the mountain to the base. This was by far one of the most memorable moments of the trip, as it tested our endurance, fitness and skills while allowing us to fully appreciate the breathtaking scenery.
In the evenings, we took part in a variety of activities, which made the trip even more enjoyable. On Monday, we travelled 20 minutes by coach to a swimming pool, where we spent around two hours having fun. Tuesday evening was a quiz night before bed, while Wednesday was pizza night – a much-needed break from our usual meals. Thursday was one of the most exciting nights, as we had a karaoke evening at a restaurant, followed by arcade games like air hockey and pool. All these locations were conveniently situated near our hotel, making them easily accessible. These activities provided a great way to unwind after a long day of skiing and added to the overall enjoyment of the trip.
On Thursday evening, we packed our bags in preparation for our departure the next morning. Friday marked our final day in Italy. After breakfast, we loaded our luggage onto the coach and set off for a three-hour drive to the airport. Before our 9 p.m. flight, we spent two hours exploring a huge shopping mall just a short walk from the airport. This gave us time to eat, shop and relax before the journey home. The flight back was smooth, but unfortunately, as it was dark, we were unable to see the views of the Alps. Upon landing at Manchester Airport, we took our coach back to school, arriving at approximately 1 a.m.
Overall, the trip was an incredible experience. From learning new skills and tackling challenging slopes to enjoying the scenic beauty and evening activities, every aspect of the journey was memorable. The combination of thrilling skiing, breathtaking views and great company made this an unforgettable adventure.
Maxi Skokna from 8 Henry is the year 8 house spelling champion, after successfully spelling a number of words in front of his year group.
His wining spelling was “Effervescence”.
House spelling competitions have been taking place this week each morning in assembly.
Mr Conway
On Wednesday 29th January, 60 students from Year 10 and Year 11 took part in the Intermediate Maths challenge, a national, annually held Maths competition consisting of entirely multiple-choice questions designed to encourage critical thinking amongst high achievers. The rules were simple, the paper consisted of 25 questions starting from easier questions to insanely difficult questions towards the end and we were given 1 hour to complete this. Each incorrect answer would lose you 2 marks and this was very effective in deterring students from guessing answers. The first 15 questions were worth 5 marks and the last 10 worth 6 due to their increased difficulty. A good score in the challenge would get you through to the competitions subsequent rounds which become even more difficult.
I started the paper with high hopes speeding through the first 15 questions and all was going well until I reached the dreaded second section. This is where I needed to double the thinking power put into each one of my answers as to prevent mark deductions. Surprisingly, I found many of the questions easier than I had anticipated buy a few of them unfortunately really tested my mathematical ability. Regardless, I braved through the paper with 5 minutes left to spare where I then looked over the questions I had left out. I was still unable to do them so I had no choice but to leave them unanswered instead of guessing an answer as a mark deduction would’ve diminished my chances of getting to the next round.
Overall, the paper was tricky but fun at the same time as the satisfaction of answering a question correctly was unmatched. The thought-provoking questions were a pleasant change from the usual maths we do from the GCSE syllabus.
Adnan Wais
