The English Department would like to thank all students, parents, teachers and volunteers who helped to run our very first Scholastic Book Fair. Our Book Fair was a huge success; our volunteers and all the families who purchased the vast selection of books available played a huge part in ensuring this event was a success. We raised a total of £759.50 over three days. The profits from the sale will support the English Department’s future initiatives – more news to follow!

We would specifically like to thank the following volunteers for their contributions to the event:

Mohammed Abdelrahim (11N)

Jawad Ahmed (10W)

Mustafaa Ahmed (11A)

Sadikur Chowdhury (11G)

Lewis Goddard (11H)

Bilal Ijaz (13MWA)

Arjun Kalirai (10N)

Adnan Karim (11W)

Adam Khan (10N)

Asadullah Khan (13BGE)

Daniel Olatundun (11A)

Krishan Patel (10G)

Reece Qureshi (10N)

Dharam Rana (10G)

Hussain Saif-Ullah (11G)

Aman Salan (9W)

Bhagatveer Singh (9W)

Louis Stevens (10N)

Jay Surray (10N)

Charlie Vannakorn (11W)

Finally, we could not have done it without you. There will be more events throughout the year!

Best wishes,

Mr Dubay

Mr Duck from the English Department has recently had a short story published in a science fiction anthology. Please see below for a synopsis and review.

It’s school life, but not as we know it

Handsworth Grammar School appears in a piece of retro-science fiction set in a swinging-sixties Birmingham that never was.

Found in the new collection of science fiction short-stories- ‘Scarlet Traces- An Anthology’- the tale’s protagonist is called Wilf, who finds himself in the sixth-form at the school in 1967. But it isn’t quite the HGS we are familiar with.

Wilf is an immigrant from the planet Venus, and he is struggling with the heavy expectations placed upon him by family, friends and enemies. In his world, aliens exist, the British Empire persists and Birmingham is still at the heart of industry supporting Britain’s expansion out into the Solar System.

‘Scarlet Traces’ was originally a comic-strip created by local author Ian Edginton and the artist D’Israeli as a sequel to the H.G. Wells novel ‘The War of the Worlds’. After three successful series, the story has made a transition to prose, gathering together an eclectic mix of British science fiction and comic authors, including Handsworth Grammar’s own member of the English Department, Nathan Duck. “I tried hard to incorporate ‘Easter Eggs’ for people who know the school, both past and present,” says the author, “It was fun to write.”

Cultivating Lifelong Readers

There is a wealth of evidence that links reading to academic success and emotional wellbeing but how can we help young people develop into lifelong readers? Dan Willingham, Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, suggests that there are three factors that influence a student’s engagement with reading:

1) A student needs to be a fluent decoder i.e. they are able to take print from the page to words in the mind.

2) A student needs to have a wide-ranging background knowledge about the world. The more a student has, the more likely they are to be able to understand any text they are reading.

3) A student needs the motivation which comes from a positive attitude towards reading and a positive self-image as a reader.

You can read more about this and further ideas to foster good reading habits in this recent article from The Atlantic magazine. Do make good use of the Book Fair in school at the moment and purchase some good books and enjoy reading for fun!

PM awards outstanding British Sikh history champion

The Prime Minister on 23 September, recognised Jay Singh-Sohal, from Royal Sutton Coldfield, for his exceptional service commemorating Sikh contributions to the British Armed Forces.

Jay led the successful campaign to create the UK’s only memorial to the more than 120,000 Sikh soldiers who fought during the First World War. Jay, who is an Army Reserve Captain, also works with the British Army to commemorate Sikh contributions to the British Armed Forces on Saragarhi Day, every September. The Battle of Saragarhi saw 21 Sikh soldiers fight for the British Indian Army and defend the North-West Frontier with Afghanistan against 10,000 enemy forces in 1897. While the battle has long been commemorated in India by the Indian Army, Jay was inspired to bring commemorations to the UK to serve as an opportunity to engage British Sikhs with their heritage and celebrate continued Sikh contributions to the British military today.

Jay is the latest recipient of the Points of Light award, which recognises outstanding volunteers who are making a change in their community and inspiring others. Each day, someone, somewhere in the country is selected to receive the award to celebrate their remarkable achievements. He will be presented with his award by the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street.

In a personal letter to Jay, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

“I know you do this with no thought of praise or reward, but allow me to offer my own recognition of how you have created our country’s first memorial to the 120,000 brave Sikh soldiers who fought during the First World War. It is fitting that we honour their enormous courage and sacrifice in ensuring the freedoms we all enjoy today.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said:

“I have known Jay for around three years now. He is hugely passionate about our Armed Forces and the historical contribution of Sikh soldiers in WW1 and WW2. This has led to the creation of the permanent Sikh WW1 memorial at the National Arboretum and has significantly raised the profile of the Battle of Saragarhi. He is extremely well deserving of this honour and I am pleased his work has been recognised by the Prime Minister.”

Jay said:

“I’m delighted to be receiving a Points of Light award from the Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Telling the story of shared British Sikh history through the battle of Saragarhi has been a fantastic journey working with wonderful people with the same enthusiasm for our heritage. It continues to inspire many more to serve our country in whichever way they can. I’m proud of the part I’ve been able to play in driving grassroots community activity in this way. It’s important to me, as it creates better understanding between diverse communities and gives young people confidence and encouragement in seeking to achieve their goals. I hope my award encourages many others to do the same.”