We have high capacity for each session but will stagger release availability to prevent any technical difficulties.

Thank you for your patience as we waited for confirmation that all results had been communicated before opening our booking system.

We look forward to welcoming you to Bexley Grammar next week!  

Of special note this year are the proportion of grades awarded at 7-6 (47%) and 7-5 (83%); these represent the best results achieved by students since the school became a fully IBDP sixth form, 8 years ago. If we consider grades awarded in Higher Level subjects alone, these proportions are even greater, 7-6 (53%) and 7-5 (85%). With 168 UCAS points equating to 3 A* grades at A level, you can see from the table below that our students have once again gained a qualification of great academic value.

As well as the school wide results being extremely pleasing, we also had some excellent individual results. One student, River Wattret, gained full marks - 45 points - in his Diploma. This perfect score is typically gained by less than 0.5% of all IBDP students globally, which is a phenomenal achievement. A further 8 students gained a score of 42 points or more, which would typically place them in the top 5% of IBDP students to have taken the diploma in the world this year. Ursule Goraviciute, Alexander Innes and Andy Yu all scored 43 points, while Jasreen Ghag and Summer Hewitt attained 44 points. These levels of excellence are quite astounding and the students should feel extremely proud of achieving these feats.

In destination news, the Sixth Form Team is working hard to help confirm places on many university courses and degree apprenticeships, while some students have already secured employment. So far we have 7 confirmed Oxbridge places and 9 students accepted on to Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science courses. For those in need of any advice or support in taking their next steps please do contact the Sixth Form Team via the support form sent by the Sixth Form Team.

Congratulations, Year 13!

WhichSchoolAdvisor IB Results 

Here is the link to our Just Giving page.

Thank you

Well done to everyone involved in achieving this accolade.

H.J. Gilmore 

Well done to our Year 7 and 8 basketball teams, who opened their league accounts vs Cleeve Park on Monday. The Year 8s romped to a 37-6 win, whilst the Year 7s were narrowly beaten 12-10, with a late score proving decisive for CP.

Well played!

Mr Lines, Head of PE

Girls' Football

The U13 girls' football team played against Blackheath this week. It was not the win we hoped for this evening but 100% effort was given by everyone. What more could we ask for!

Over the last few years, we’ve noticed how stress and anxiety are affecting an increasing number of people in our school. We’ve noticed how more and more students are suffering in silence. How many people struggle with these feelings but often hesitate to seek help due to societal stigma and the distorted perception that it would be a sign of weakness.

We wanted to create something that could offer comfort. That could be a starting point for those struggling to take control of their mental well-being. Something that could take the weight of anxiety off your shoulders. Something that would be the first step in the journey of mastering mental well-being, that would let you enjoy the fullest that life has to offer.

And that’s how we came up with Heavy Hugs.

We saw how weighted blankets were becoming increasingly popular in helping people with anxiety or ADHD sleep more easily and wondered if we could apply the same concept to teddy bears. Whether we could make a weighted teddy bear that would provide comfort in a more personal way.

But for heavy hugs,  it’s not simply a stuffed animal — it’s a warm friend that’s always there for you, no matter the time or situation. It’s a friend that will be there without you having to ask for it.

Research confirmed our idea through studies on the effects of deep pressure stimulation: the weight provides a calming effect, simulating a mother holding a child, activating the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. In situations of panic or high stress, pressure stimulation helps slow the heart rate, steady breathing, and ease symptoms of anxiety.

For parents, we can only aspire that our weighted Teddy Bear can be a tool for you to help comfort your children during the hard moments and offer a way for you to say that ‘Everything is going to be okay,’ even without words.

Even though our journey has only just begun, we have already learnt so much more than we expected. From brainstorming ideas to designing and testing prototypes, every step has been a learning experience.

We’re very grateful for the opportunity to learn and to make a difference and we’re determined to give it all we’ve got.

So, for us, this isn’t just about selling a product—it’s about creating a movement.

Anxiety and stress shouldn’t be obstacles to enjoying life, especially for children.

By supporting Heavy Hugs, you’re not just buying a teddy bear; you’re joining us in our mission to make a difference.

We invite you to take that step with us.

Share our message, tell a friend, or come visit us at Old Spitalfields Market on the 25th February from 9:15am - 3:30pm. If you’re interested in learning more about our bears or placing an order, contact us via our social media links below (website coming soon).  Together, we can help children — and adults — find a little more comfort in their lives. Let’s make this world a more huggable place, one bear at a time.

Keep up with us on:

TikTok

Instagram 

Young Enterprise Team, 2025

Dr Numbrere-Nmaju, Science Department

RSC TOTB Competition ~ 2024/2025

Articles:

This competition was certainly a valuable experience, I believe: to form a team, partaking in research, writing and design, and to produce something is great. In spite of a group dilemma of transition metals to choose from - with some unusual suggestions, much like throwing darts at the periodic table, there seem to also be many choices that are interesting, rather important in daily life and specific applications, extraordinary in properties, or relevant to the future, and even a combination of these. It was certainly enlightening to learn, through our investigation and presentation of a transition metal, of the extent and application of chemistry, and to delve into the subject which I find myself often fascinated by. Teamwork was also valuable, as we were all eventually tasked with our areas of research, and in simultaneously iterating and criticising our design ideas, we also linked all of our ideas together, both in presentation and understanding. The aspect of design was also a dilemma, but the result was resolved and enthusiastically completed.

Tianming Xie, Year 10

I am truly proud of what my group has accomplished within and outside the bounds of this poster: improved organisation, collective research, and great teamwork. This poster is one collection of our communication put into words and illustrations, but overall, our knowledge of chemistry has improved tremendously (to the point where we couldn't fit all our research on the poster!)

Great work everyone!

Isabelle Raphael, Year 11  
Leader of the BGS winning group

 Winning Poster

Mrs Carey, Librarian

I really enjoyed attending Book Club after school because reading is definitely my favourite hobby, and we did lots of fun activities based on books we read at the Book Club and even got to make our own imaginary movie trailers! I liked when we made a podcast the best, as we got to discuss in detail the book we chose (Dogs of the Deadlands, in my case). Making trailers was also quite fun too, as was acting out the storyboard. I also got to know new people from Year 7, because I was placed in a group where I only knew one person. 

There are definite perks to joining the Book Club, like indulging in your hobby and meeting new people, but other than that, we had biscuits at every meeting! I especially enjoyed the last meeting, because we played a Kahoot quiz and ate three kinds of cake -Victoria sponge, carrot and chocolate as well as chocolate biscuits! 

I would definitely recommend going to the Book Club; it was a fun and an easy way to settle in and make new friends!

Safaa Abdul-Aziz, Year 7

Mrs Paige, Senior Academic Mentor, Year 8

8ML

Wednesday 18th December saw the BGS EX Hide & Seek event hosted by Wellman 8ML. The event was a fundraiser for Bexley Foodbank, a charity which aids local people in crisis, offering three-day emergency food supplies. On that day, so many people were so eager to attend, excited about the opportunity and wanted to donate as they knew it was going to a good cause.

BGS EX Hide & Seek was a thrilling, fast-paced game of hide and seek, spanning across the vast school campus. Taking place for an hour after school, the game was competitive, exceeding 100 students participating from Years 7-9. The event was split into two 30-minute segments, commencing with 11 seekers from 8ML, whilst others were chosen to be hiders, and vice versa.

Alongside the main hide-and-seek event, a selection of seven students volunteered to showcase their proficient, high-level expertise in baking through a bake sale. During the bake sale, a variety of baked goods were sold, ranging from banana bread and brownies to cookies.

We are pleased to announce that with the efforts of all those who participated, we were able to raise a grand total of £158 for the Bexley Foodbank. The event not only provided a fun and engaging way for the community to come together, but also showcased the creativity and dedication of those involved in planning and executing the game. The funds raised will go towards supporting various charitable initiatives, having a positive impact on the lives of those in need. We are very grateful and appreciative of the many students who donated to the charity.

Joshua and Jake, Year 8

8LC

8LC’s social action for the First Give programme started in early December and all the money we raise from our events will go towards the amazing charity Bexley Snap, which supports disabled children and their carers.

So far, we have launched a raffle and a quiz night, and we are hoping to host two more events in early 2025. Thank you to all participants and well done to the winners of the raffle and quiz night! 

Our next event will be a movie night held on the 10th January, and the movie is voted for from the three choices on our poster. We hope to see as many people there as possible!

Thank you again to everyone who has already taken part in our events to support the worthwhile charity Bexley Snap.

Aysu, Year 8

We all came up with ideas for our own graphic novels. Evelyn in Year 8 won a free book for the most interesting idea. Thank you to Mrs Quinton for arranging this event. I can’t wait for another author to visit!  

Kendra Kukunda, Year 8

Stress can impact how memories are formed, as well as reduce retrieval. 

It’s important to recognise symptoms of stress-impaired memory, as well as what is causing this stress in the first place!  Finding the root of the problem and coming to terms with it helps to create a more focused approach to dealing with it.

Symptoms to recognise include (but not limited to):

• Forgetfulness
• Frequent confusion
• Difficulty recalling studied material

So how can we tackle this problem?

There are many coping mechanisms which we can use to reduce stress.

One simple, yet effective way to improve memory, by reducing stress, is to create a relaxation system. Whether this is a series of breathing exercises or visualising your happy place, it is important you have these systems in place and ready to use at the first sign of stress.

Many researchers (Zandi et al, 2021) have found that practising mindfulness (e.g. meditation) can help improve your memory by minimising stress, and even helping with any issues of getting to sleep.

Sleep is also an important key factor to doing well in exams, sleeping after studying helps to consolidate your learning (reinforce new information and commit them to long term memory), as well as allowing your brain to be refreshed for the next day (Diekelmann et al, 2009).

Which means you won’t end up falling asleep during your exam!

For some more information, here are some helpful links:

• How Stress Works With and Against Your Memory
• Stressors: Coping Skills and Strategies

For anyone who may need some support, here are some useful organisations:

• Mind
• Young Minds
• Mental Health Foundation

Zandi- DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_616_20

Diekelmann- doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2008.08.002.

Blaise Stokes, Year 12 Psychology Prefect

Looking at sleep from a more emotional perspective, proper sleep is crucial not just for cognitive performance, but for emotional recognition and regulation amongst school students. Insufficient sleep can impair abilities to recognise emotions in yourself and others and engage in positive social interactions. This can affect academic performance as well as social and emotional well-being.

Some impacts include:

• Impaired memory and learning: Struggling to retain and recall information, making it harder to learn new concepts and perform well in school.
•  Reduced attention and concentration: Difficulty in paying attention in class, engaging during lessons, or even following basic instructions.
•  Lower academic performance: Missing important details in lessons or making more mistakes in tests.
•  Slower reaction times: The lack of sleep can lead to slower cognitive responses, affecting abilities to complete tasks on time or respond to challenges effectively.
•  Decreased motivation and engagement: Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a lack of motivation, making students less inclined to participate in class activities or complete assignments.

It has been scientifically proven that poor sleep quality has a strong correlation with lower grades and reduced academic achievement, as it affects your cognitive abilities like memory, mood and concentration.

Some studies have shown this:

The effect of sleep deprivation and restriction on mood, emotion, and emotion regulation (Cara C Tomaso, Anna B Johnson & Timothy D Nelson et al 2020)

The effect of sleep deprivation and restriction on mood ...National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC8193556

Get a brief insight into the amygdala, what sleep debt really is and sleep deprivation and how you can avoid it (Zahid Saghir, Javeria N Syeda, Adnan S Muhammad & Tareg H Balla Abdulla et al 2018)

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6122651/

GB, Year 12 Psychology Prefect

This term, Year 7 students have shown incredible enthusiasm and dedication to netball at Bexley Grammar School. Weekly training sessions have been buzzing with energy, with an impressive number of students attending regularly to hone their skills and work as a team. Their hard work has paid off in matches, where they’ve displayed excellent gameplay, teamwork, and sportsmanship, achieving commendable results against local schools.

Special recognition goes to our Players of the Term who have stood out for their outstanding effort, commitment, and positive attitude throughout the season.

Players of the term

Well done to all involved – we can’t wait to see how you continue to develop next term! They finished this term with a Christmas tournament.

Fabulous friendly festive fun! The winners were the reindeers, closely followed by the puddings! A fantastic way to end the term. Thank you for your commitment. A massive thanks to the Year 9 leaders for assisting working on their DOFE every week.

Click on the link here to view the PE Winter Photo Gallery 2024.

Mrs Kemp, PE Department

Year 8 & 9 Netball

We regularly have 3 full courts of netballers training after school on a Wednesday.  This has been a superb commitment this term, girls!  Recent fixtures have seen convincing wins against St Catherine's. 

More to come in the new year.  Really well done and have a wonderful Christmas break ladies!

Year 10-13 Netball 

We have had huge numbers attending netball club on Wednesday nights from our Year 10 & 11 cohorts.

The teams have worked hard to develop their skills throughout the court and, individually, students have really improved.

Scores

St Matthew's
Year 10A 18-8 St Matthews A
Year 10B 6-6 St Matthews B

Chislehurst & Sidcup GS
Year 10 15-11 CSGS
Year 11 12-15 CSGS

Gravesend Grammar, Sixth Form
1st team 26-20 GGS
2nd team 13-4

Year 11 Tournament
A team - 1st place
B team - 7th place

Year 10 Tournament
2nd Place

Players of the term

Ayaka has been outstanding this term, showing real strength in the shooting circle and great versatility on court. Ayaka is highly dedicated and has a fantastic attitude.

Sophie has shown great leadership on the court for Year 10 this year. Her shooting and dominance on court has been evident in every game she has played!

A huge shout-out to Alice Black and Evie Matthews, who played in our first team against Gravesend Grammar in November. Both girls showed great experience on court and led the team to a very close win!

Well done all! 

Click on the link here to view the PE Winter Photo Gallery 2024.

Badminton

Year 9, 10, 11 Badminton Club sees a spread of year groups. Year 9, 10, 11 girls playing against Dartford Grammar with Key Stage 4 becoming victorious!

Thank you to all who have attended badminton this term that sees KS4 Badminton finish for this year. We welcome KS3 students to join us after Christmas, 7.45am in the Sports Hall, Year 8 every week A, Year 7 every week B.

Swimming

Our swimming teams have attended galas at Colfe’s school this term. Our senior team had a superb gala in November, with the girls finishing 3rd and the boys being crowned champions. The team finished 2nd overall. There were some fantastic performances, with BGS winning 15 of the 35 races.

Running Club

Every Friday, Week B at 7.45am
Around Bexley Grammar School, there are many parks and green areas. We are proud to have a running club, where anyone of any ability can run in Danson Park and enjoy the great scenery, landscape, and also some friendly faces from the school! We meet near the sports hall, then we all head off to Danson Park, where we go on our run. Please join the running club. It is a fun way to start your day and have a relaxing run.

Scott Morris, Year 7

Running club takes place every Friday, Week B in Danson Park, and is a fun way to start your day. We take a relaxed run around the park, admiring the scenery (and the baby ducklings if we’re lucky!). Everyone can come, you don’t need to be a brilliant runner!

Caitlin Mackintosh, Year 8

Girls' Football

We’ve been lucky to have Charlton Academy working alongside this group of students with more fixtures to look forward to in 2025.

Year 8 Football

The Year 8 squad have enjoyed their first season playing 11 a-side.  There have been some great goals scored alongside some impressive results, particularly the 9-0 win over Cleeve Park and the 6-3 victory against Harris Falconwood. 

The Captain has been rotated and many of the squad have stepped up and taken their turn at leading the side.  There is a great spirit within the team which will definitely prove a good foundation to build on.  I want to thank those players who are not always in the squad but have contributed so importantly this season. 

Representing BGS is something that you should all be very proud of!  Keep up the great work Year 8!

Rugby

Our rugby teams have enjoyed a busy term, and have produced some fantastic performances in their games.  The highlights for me are always the progress of new players. With a limited rugby pedigree, it’s always a real pleasure to see our players grow in confidence and understanding over the course of training and matches. There’s a lot to learn in rugby, and with our fixtures starting early, some players can feel a bit unprepared, but they quickly acclimatise and do really well.

With that in mind, our rising stars for rugby this term have been:

Year 7 - Pavel Jankulowski, Jason Rai

Year 8 - Kevin Taflaj, Aarush Upadhye, Jean-Andre Koidjo

Year 9 - Daniel Moss, Dev Prasadh

Year 10 - Alex Dimitrov, Joshua Chukwu-Ike

Performance highlights would include:

• The Year 7s won their first ever game, and clinging on for a win against Cleeve Park.
• Year 8s finally getting a win in the gloom at Bexleyheath Academy.
• The Year 9 squad beat both Langley Park and Wilmington GS with a small squad due to injuries.
• The Year 10s produced a fantastic performance to beat a very strong and experienced Buller’s Wood Boys' team.

Click on the link here to view the PE Winter Photo Gallery 2024.

On a crisp, cold December evening, an enthusiastic group of Year 11, 12 and 13 linguists visited St Dunstan’s College in Catford and were treated to a 'Careers in Languages' evening. The event was billed as a chance to attend an inspiring evening to unlock a world of opportunities with languages. Students explored the diverse and rewarding career paths that language skills can open up. They discovered many incredible opportunities listening to speakers from top organisations such as GCHQ, Military Intelligence, the Foreign Office, and the UN. They also heard first hand from a panel of current language undergraduates, who shared their experiences of studying languages at university. Additionally, they had the opportunity to take part in a fascinating taster session of Japanese, hosted by Kings Language Centre. Many BGS students came away inspired about future career possibilities of which they had not been aware prior to the evening.

Mrs Watkins, MFL Department

The trip to St Dunstan's was amazing! At the beginning of the event, we listened to a presentation by a group of people who are currently studying languages at university and using them in their jobs. It was very interesting as we also found out about different job ideas, such as working with GCHQ, MI5 and MI6. I had such a good time looking at the different stalls, where we were also given freebies too! The school was so grand and it was overall an amazing experience!

Gracie Gosling, Year 12

I really enjoyed the language trip to St Dunstan's - we enjoyed a variety of talks from a range of people using languages daily in their work and I found it fascinating to see the variety of ways that languages can be used in work. Translators aren't the only jobs, there are many others, such as GCHQ Language Analysts, Hotel Managers and many others. It gave an amazing insight into the pathway languages can give you in the future and I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to take part.

Rafael De Souza-Plans, Year 11

Tuesday brought an exciting opportunity for Bexley Grammar School MFL department, in collaboration with St Dunstan's College, who provided an amazing event on the subject of careers in languages. The night was a fantastic, information-filled evening where I got to hear from many linguists, such as a representative from the United Nations, members of the British Army - Intelligence Corps, GCHQ, university students and graduates, business owners, teachers and more. I think the most interesting moment for me was the question panel at the end!

As someone who is hard of hearing, and fascinated by sign language around the world, I thought it would be interesting to hear if any of the professional linguists had any interaction with foreign sign languages. The silence after I had asked this question was powerful, as all the best linguists that could be brought to the career evening expressed their bewilderment and interest in sign language, but none had learnt any sign in the over 300 sign languages in existence, that provide over 70 million people with communication in the world. This question also led to some fascinating personal conversations, including with some of the panellists about my experiences with language and communication. I hope this spreads awareness to all present in the evening, and those reading this, about the prevalence of sign language around the world.

Louis Luckman, Year 11

Mrs Eacott and Mrs Casling, Heads of Music

I was very shocked to find out that aerospace is one of the biggest engineering fields in the UK, especially considering I, along with the rest of my cohort, knew very little about it and how to obtain a career in this field. This made the whole experience so much more interesting and useful as we got to explore an industry that we hadn't before. The day was filled with informative talks, VR demonstrations, and we even had the opportunity to use the equipment they work with as real aerospace engineers. 

My highlight was our Q&A with a Boston Dynamics model of the robot, 'Spot'. I have been lucky enough to work with one of these before from a coding perspective, so it was very interesting to see the AI features of the model and how it could listen to our questions and give us an answer. We asked so many questions with Spot's answers ranging from ones in Japanese to explaining why he can't dance. 

A huge thank you to the physics department for this amazing opportunity. We have all learnt so much, and I definitely want to explore aerospace engineering more in the future...

Matilda Jackson, Year 12

Our dedicated team members not only organised the event, but also got involved at home to prepare all of the homemade desserts and popular traditional dishes from our cultures. We want to thank everyone for their support - every purchase has a huge impact! It was amazing to see how well-received our efforts were, and the enthusiasm with which people were willing to try something new.

“The bake sale was genuinely excellent for discovering different traditions, because I’d never even heard of half of the things they were selling, but it was surprisingly good.”
Lou Annarumma

“I liked that there were lots of cakes that I wouldn’t normally have tried, but the honey cake I did have was very nice. There was a good selection of things to choose from.”
Mr Whittaker

“The B.E.E.S. events are definitely ones that inspire ACS. Their exponential growth having just started this year is commendable, and every society should take a note out of the BEES book”  
Ify, ACS Co-President

“Being able to share traditional desserts from my Bulgarian culture was an amazing opportunity, and I’m so glad everyone enjoyed all the delicious food all the B.E.E.S. members supplied!”
Deya Dimitrova

As well as this, I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved for providing an amazing representation of our diverse cultures and backgrounds, allowing us to offer a taste of the rich history and significance behind our recipes, particularly from Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.

We are currently working with Rubikus, a charity committed to providing aid to Ukraine in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by the war. Their motivated team of volunteers directly helps to evacuate and situate refugees most affected by the conflict into newer, safer homes. The money we have raised has gone towards covering transportation costs and lodgings needed for an evacuation, offering a lifeline to someone who is suffering. Rubikus’ purpose and dedication is inspiring for us all, and we are honoured to be able to assist them in their mission. If you would like to read more about their cause, find their website here https://helpua.rubikus.de/en/#survey, and they are welcoming any donations through paypal - https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=RX494MS6H29Q2

Every donation helps towards making a massive difference in the course of someone’s life.

For any questions about future events or getting involved, please feel free to email us at bees.bgs@gmail.com!

Victoria Karasimova, President and Founder (B.E.E.S.)

Take choosing what to do on a Saturday afternoon, for example. You might decide to meet friends for lunch, but that means giving up the chance to watch your favourite TV show. In economics, this is called opportunity cost, which means that when you choose one thing, you’re giving up the next best alternative. Economists use this idea to analyse decisions on a much larger scale. For instance, when a government decides to spend more on healthcare, it might have to cut funding for education. Or when a government chooses to invest in improving roads, it might have to delay funding for expanding public transport. However, the same principle of opportunity cost applies on a small scale in our everyday decisions, even if we don’t realise it.

Imagine walking into a store and seeing a jacket marked down from £100 to £50. Suddenly, it feels like an incredible deal, even if you wouldn’t have considered buying it at £50 to begin with. This is anchoring bias, a concept from behavioural economics, which looks at how we fixate on the first piece of information we see—like the original price—and lets it shape how we judge value. Economists study anchoring to understand how it affects consumer behaviour, helping businesses set prices that feel more attractive. And we, as consumers, experience its effects every day, often without even noticing it.

Take eating chocolate, for example. The first piece might taste amazing, but by the fifth or sixth, the enjoyment starts to wear off. In economics, this is known as the diminishing marginal utility—the more of something we have, the less satisfaction we get from each additional unit. Economists use this concept to understand why people often prefer variety and why demand for a product may decrease as consumption increases. It also explains why companies introduce new flavours or limited-edition products to keep consumers interested. However, we experience diminishing marginal utility all the time, whether it’s scrolling through social media or playing your favourite game.

I hope you can see that economics isn’t just about numbers and theory: it’s something we experience every day. Whether it’s choosing what to watch or how governments spend billions, economics is constantly shaping our world in ways we don’t always notice.

If you're interested in learning more about economics, feel free to reach out to me or any economics teacher for further information.

James Orchard, Year 13

Our first and second netball teams played Gravesend Grammar Sixth Form on Wednesday. With a mix of Years 10-13 gracing the court, the teams had to adapt to lots of new combinations. The first team had a hard fought game, but managed to pull away in the last quarter, winning 26-20. Ayaka was voted as player of the match for her dynamic play and feeds into the shooters. Our second team managed to secure a 13-4 win and grew in confidence as the game progressed. Caitlin was voted as player of the match for her great work in attack.

A fantastic afternoon of netball! Well done all.

Ms Leffen & Ms Paige, PE Department

Year 7 Football ~ North Kent Cup

Year 7 played against Harris Falconwood in the North Kent Cup on Wednesday. It was a tough match, but I think the boys did their best against a good team. Harris worked well together and were a very good team. Although at times it seemed impossible, Bexley encouraged each other to keep their heads up and play to the whistle.

We caused many problems for the other team and Jayden scored a good goal in the second half after good team play, but unfortunately we couldn’t triumph over them as Harris was too strong. It was a great match and the boys will remember it as a brilliant display of skill and talent.

Neev Chaganti, Year 7

Year 7 Rugby

The Year 7 rugby team played really well after a slow start against Hurstmere. After conceding 4 early tries, the boys scored some nice tries themselves in a game that finished 30-15 to Hurstmere.

Lots of progress.

Mr Lines, Head of PE

Girls Football Years 8 & 9

Girls Football Year 7

It marks the end of the Monsoon Season in Cambodia AND it celebrates the change in direction of the Tonlé Sap River. (It is the only river in the world that flows up and downstream seasonally and is viewed as a miracle). 

To celebrate, there are: boat races with boats decorated to represent the Hindu and Buddhist gods of the Moon and River, lanterns honoring the full moon adorn the riverbanks, fireworks, traditional costumes and special food such as Ambok, a rice dish served with roasted banana and coconut.

Caitlin Gorman, Year 10

Here are some of the lanterns made by students
on display in the MFL department.

We travelled by coach to Ypres and explored many parts of the beautiful city. It was absolutely stunning, with its beautiful mediaeval architecture and rich history. The atmosphere was so vibrant yet peaceful and the local café and chocolate shops added to its charm. I was captivated by the Menin Gate, which holds such significant meaning as it is inscribed with the names of nearly 55,000 soldiers who did not return to their homes. It helps us to remember those who fought for their countries during the war. It was amazing to see what Ypres had to offer.

We also went to the 'In Flanders Museum', which was an unforgettable experience. The atmosphere brought the history of World War One to life. The museum was thoughtfully designed with its interactive exhibits. We wandered through displays filled with artefacts, letters and photographs that told the stories of soldiers and civilians impacted by the war. The emotional letters of family members writing to their sons, brothers and husbands made us feel a deep sense of respect and gratitude for those who lived through such challenging times. It was one of the highlights of the day.

Having spent some time in Ypres, another part of our visit was to Langemarck Cemetery, where over 44,000 German soldiers were buried. We were particularly struck by the mass grave where so many soldiers had been buried without being identified or individually commemorated.

After this we travelled to Tyne Cot cemetery, which is the largest site in the world commemorating Commonwealth soldiers. This cemetery was much larger than Langemark and all gravestones were the same regardless of rank - reminding us that everyone made the same sacrifice for the war.

Finally, we explored a section of restored trenches at Sanctuary Wood. Craters from shells that were all around gave us a surreal reminder of the experience of battle. The trenches were also very cramped, which demonstrated just how difficult the living conditions were.

Later, we returned home tired but with a much greater understanding of the realities of the First World War. Thank you to all the teachers who accompanied us and made our trip possible.

Victoria Lawani and Freya Savage, Year 9

We aim to raise awareness about our traditions, sharing our culture with the school community. It has been amazing to see how many students have interacted with our Balkan and Eastern European cultures, and learnt more about our countries! We are a team of dedicated Ambassadors, Creative Directors, including a Social Media Director, Finance Manager, President and Vice President, from a wide range of countries, such as Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Russia, Moldova, Serbia, Croatia, etc. 

I’d just like to say a big thank you to Victoria Karasimova for organising and forming the society and Ms Zotova for being our teacher representative!

As well as this, we aim to fundraise for many Balkan and Eastern European charities with our events. This includes our Bake Sale on the 25th of November. It will be a special opportunity to try our homemade Balkan and Eastern European desserts. We can’t wait to share this part of our culture with you. Make sure to look out for the posters and posts on our Social Media pages! @bees.bgs 

On the 14th October, we hosted a traditional dance session and learnt Bulgarian and Albanian dances. It was so great to see many people taking part in this and stepping out of their comfort zones. It was such a fun experience and a successful first B.E.E.S event! See the pictures below of this event. 

We hope to see you at the B.E.E.S Bake Sale, where all our proceeds are going to charity! For any further questions or ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out at @bees.bgs on Instagram or email bees.bgs@gmail.com! 

Deya Dimitrova, Social Media Manager (B.E.E.S)

Deya Dimitrova, Year 12

The Senior Science Society were blessed to have the privilege of hosting Alexandra Quan from Royal Holloway University of London. She gave us a deep insight into her course, Earth Sciences, and illustrated the university life we will be experiencing soon! Alexandra, being a former BGS student, deeply connected with us as she told us about her journey into Earth Sciences, starting with Biology in her first year. Alexandra also highlighted how important the practical laboratory work on her course is, emphasising how it complements theoretical knowledge and prepares students for future research opportunities in large companies, such as BP or even Thames Water. The talk was incredibly inspiring and gave us a preview of what’s to come if we followed her steps!

The entire Senior Science Society would like to thank her for taking the time out of her schedule to talk to us. Thank you, Alexandra!

Jesse Oshogwe, Year 12

First we heard from a PhD student who is exploring cutting edge nano medicine. I was particularly inspired by her masters project focussing on simultaneously diagnosing and treating diseases. We also heard from Professor Rebecca Goss, who was the first female professor of organic Chemistry at St Andrews in Scotland. It was amazing to see such an ambitious and successful woman in that position. She demonstrated to us how we can start building molecules sustainably, exploring areas of chemistry and biology. 

The Senior Science Society is a group of aspiring scientists in Year 12 who all come and meet every week. It is such a great opportunity to collaborate and fully embrace our subject. We took the initiative and booked tickets for this lecture and all attended together. It is so nice to work with like-minded students and I look forward to our meetings every week. 

Last week I had the opportunity to run a debate on the ethics behind stem cell research. I really enjoyed seeing everyone get stuck into the topic and discuss what science looks like outside the theory within our curriculum. I am really looking forward to seeing what else we will do within our society in the future… 

Matilda Jackson, Year 12

By Christmas, the soldiers on both sides were exhausted and weary of the constant warfare, with many of them having signed up in the early months & being excited by the opportunity to serve their country but now wanting to return home to their families and leave the damp and cold trenches where there was constantly the threat of having to go “over the top” into no man’s land and face almost certain death from enemy fire. The truce was spontaneous, and it began with German soldiers beginning to decorate their trenches with simple Christmas trees and to light candles and sing carols, and there were even some reports that the Germans began to shout across no man’s land, wishing the English “Merry Christmas” in broken English, and although British troops were initially hesitant they eventually began to sing Christmas carols in response being swept along by the mood of the Germans and thinking of loved ones back at home.

On Christmas Eve itself, unbelievably, soldiers from both sides along sections of the front line began to get out of the trenches & cross into no man’s land, which was an incredibly brave course of action with enemy machine guns facing them, which could have opened fire at any moment but which, at this time, did not take place leading to more fraternisation between individuals on both sides. Once the soldiers were out in no-man’s land, they exchanged greetings with one another even though in many cases they could understand each other very well and there have been reports that they shook hands and shared some of their food rations and cigarettes with the British giving the Germans some Christmas pudding and the Germans offering cigars and schnapps. There were even instances of showing each other pictures of their wives and children which they kept with them, indicating that although they were from different countries they had a great deal in common which united them.

Possibly the most famous part of the Christmas Truce were the football matches that some soldiers played in no man’s land, with there being several of these taking place in different parts of the frontline, with many of these being spontaneous, informal and quiet short rather than being organised, but they were a reflection of the shared humanity between men from different countries who wanted to put to one side the horrors of war. One German soldier later recalled the events, stating “I remember the silence, the sudden quiet of the guns and the singing. The next day, we were out there walking and talking with the Germans and some of us played football in no man’s land. It was strange, really, to have a game of football with men who only the day before had been trying to kill us”.

It is important to remember, however, that the truce was not universal along the whole of the front line and there were still areas along the front where fighting continued with commanding officers on both sides concerned that the truce would undermine their authority and the morale of the soldiers fighting in the war, and they were quite anxious that it should be brought to an end as quickly as possible. The truce where it took place did not last for a long time and in most cases, within one or two days it came to an end with soldiers being forced back into their trenches and fighting on the front line resuming. It did, however, have a lasting impact and for those soldiers who were involved it proved to be a very emotional experience as it raised questions about the futility of war & what they were fighting for, which became stronger as time passed.

There would be no repeat of the Christmas Truce in 1915, 1916 and 1917 as commanding officers in both the British and German armies were more prepared for such occurrences in subsequent years, with soldiers being ordered not to fraternise with the enemy even on 25^th December. By the end of the war, the events of 1914 seemed a very distant event, although to those soldiers involved it would never be forgotten. In spite of the Christmas Truce of 1914, which happened 110 years ago, this event, or rather, series of events, has created a lasting consciousness amongst many people, demonstrating the potential for kindness, understanding and hope even in the most difficult circumstances. Even though it was not sustained beyond one or two days and did not prevent the resumption of the conflict which would last for nearly another four years, it is still important that it is still remembered because of the values it represented at the time and which remain relevant to us today.

Mr Goodall, Head of History and Politics

Mrs Casling, Head of Music  

Year 8 ~ Gospel Workshop   

In October, in line with Black History Month and their Blues diploma, Year 8 were offered an incredible opportunity to perform with gospel singers and instrumentalists from Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir. Each form had a 50-minute workshop with Clarence, the vocal leader for the day, and was taught one part from an uplifting song. The Senior Choir and members of the ACS were then given an extended workshop in the afternoon and together, with Year 8, a massed performance was put on in assembly the very next day. The sound was incredible and the enthusiasm of some of the students was infectious. 

Congratulations to Senior Choir!    

I just wanted to say a huge congratulation to Senior Choir and Rob Humphries, who did the school proud, performing 6 times over the course of the three open mornings. Well done to all of you, you sounded great!

Year 7 concert   

October 23rd saw the first of the music department concerts, with the whole of Year 7 performing once again as an entire year group. With the usual medleys bookending the concert and some excellent class performances, we were spoilt with such a lovely array of singing, all of which was accompanied by our Year 10 band. In between the performances, we had three brave soloists - Aryan Garg, Isida Manolakou and Imogen Liddington - who each performed beautifully to the 450-strong audience in the room. Well done to everyone involved!

Mrs Eacott, Head of Music

Hattie Pigott-Denyer entered a Classics Summer poetry competition called "I sing of What I love". Her entry has been listed as a runner-up.

Ire  Awodi 

Henry  Cowen 

Isabelle  Dorney 

Omotolani  Olayemi 

Marvel  Onyekachi 

Jack  Perkins 

Congratulations to all the cast and crew on an amazing 4 nights. The quality of the performances was simply amazing, and we are still receiving compliments from audience members about just how amazing it was.

All the hard work paid off! The Mayor of Bexley who attended the Gala Night performance had nothing but high praise for all involved and the final night was full of heartfelt messages to and from our Year 13 leavers.

Now... what shall we do next year?!

Click on the link here to view the Legally Blonde Photo Gallery. 

Mrs Casling, Head of Music

The day began with an inter-form quiz, with each form contributing the questions for their own round. Students then had the opportunity to complete a 2-hour team-building session on the field, with a range of 30 different physical and mental puzzle challenges, which proved to be a great success, with all students engaging and enjoying themselves.  They also participated in a further activity with a choice of multi-sports; a bake-off challenge or a film.

Mr Gilmore & Mr Martin, with a team of staff & Sixth Form helpers, provided a BBQ lunch for the students, which was most appreciated by everyone.  The day was rounded off with a series of form group photos and a treat from the visiting ice cream van.  The team-building activity & the ice creams were most generously supported by the funding from PTA.

The students have enjoyed this opportunity to share time and complete activities with their friends and peers - a fitting end to their hard year’s work!

I wish all Year 10 students and their families a restful summer break.

Mrs Spencer, Director of Studies, Year 10

Then the jazz began. An epic three hours of repertoire, rehearsed and performed separately by Junior Jazz, Big Band and Improv Group. The talent displayed on stage was astounding and the joy that the students felt was evident in their playing; they were exuding musicality! And it didn’t stop there, with the final numbers being performed by a hybrid of past and present students all performing at once (at one point, we didn’t know whether we would have enough amps or music stands to go around!) The sound was incredible and fully appreciated by the pizza-eating audience that had gathered to support this event. It was hugely memorable and both highly enjoyable and sad in equal measure for those who have worked closely with Jez. His presence will be missed dearly but his legacy and all that he has done in the music department - and the school as a whole - will live on! Thank you for everything.

Mrs Eacott, Head of Music

The MFL2 Fest opened its doors to the entire school during break time, allowing everyone to partake in the festivities. Later, during Period 3, the event was exclusively enjoyed by the Y10 MFL2 students, providing them with a more immersive experience exclusively for dual linguists.

One of the highlights of the festival was the array of ten food stalls, each offering a taste of the food and cultures linked to the languages studied at BGS: Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian, Japanese and Chinese. The Y10 MFL prefects prepared an assortment of international delicacies, from crispy churros and mini pizzas to refreshing bubble tea and sweet tanghulu. This culinary journey around the world was a hit, bringing together flavours that delighted the palate and celebrated global diversity.

In addition to the gastronomic delights, the MFL2 Fest featured a variety of cultural activities. The cultural section was a hub of creativity and learning, with face painting, calligraphy stands, origami making, and a book stall, as well as a raffle and sticker stand.

The dedication of the Y10 language prefects, combined with the enthusiastic participation of the school community, made the festival a memorable and enriching experience for all.

Ms Giglione, MFL Department

Click on the link here to view the MFL2 Fest Photo Gallery.

Mrs T Papp, Design Technology Department

The Exhibition Through Student Eyes

As part of our Year 10 DT trip, we went to the Business Design Centre in Islington to see the Designers’ Exhibition, where we got the opportunity to see many new and innovative products, and even talk to some of the designers. We are currently in the process of developing our NEA (Non-Examination Assessment), so this was also an opportunity to take inspiration from these designs and help us with creating our own.

One of the first pieces that we saw was a portable, flat-pack grill for camping, where we got to speak with the designer and discuss his design process; he told us about his research into existing, portable grills and his dislikes with them, his initial design ideas, and even the history of grills and BBQs. His process was very similar to what we are currently doing in our NEA, and our conversation helped give us some ideas and inspiration about what our own products could be, especially as, for some of us, our chosen theme for the NEA is ‘eating away from home’. We particularly liked how the bag was designed to keep the parts of the grill separate and clean, with a smooth, silicone-like material inside to prevent stains.

Another great design we saw was a camping bag. It was a good example of containers for our brief ‘Eating away from home’, and was very versatile. It could be collapsed into a small rucksack for things where you only need a packed lunch or something, or could be expanded to become a bag for larger things such as a sleeping bag or a tent. It was good to see that as a part of eating away from home counts as camping, and so allowed for some extra thought to that area.  

INCLUSIVE DESIGN

We also came across a design called Footer by Rebecca Brown, which is a sensory kit aimed at neurodivergent individuals to help reduce stress and anxiety. The designer sought to support people with stress, depression, autism, and ADHD by encouraging safe stimming behaviours. The sensory kit is customisable, can spin, and includes various sensory textures. It's also portable, allowing those with anxiety or stress to have something to fiddle with on the go, and really inspired us as another theme some people chose for our NEA was “Educational toys and games”, and helped us consider fidget toys as a possible design.

There were so many other amazing designs that we saw that couldn’t fit into this article, but overall, we all really enjoyed this experience, as we got the opportunity to see so many creative and unique designs to take inspiration from, and talked to a lot of aspiring designers who gave us some amazing advice for when we will also be designing our own products. It was really inspiring to see these designers talk about their creations with true passion for their work, and we would really like to visit another one of these exhibitions in our own time in the future.

Lucy, Alex, Elin & Jessica 

22 BGS students took part and over half of them were awarded a certificate, including 1 x Bronze and 3 x Silver, and for the first time since 2020, we have a Gold award too!

Mrs Gradley,  Subject Leader for Biology

Special mentions to Bertie Heath for demonstrating great dedication through dressing up as Ingrid Daubechies, team Euclid for their short play re-enacting possible speculations on how he died, as well as interactive quizzes by team Euler and team Lovelace.

The winning group (decided by a whole class vote) was team Maryam Mirzakhani, detailing her groundbreaking achievements, including being the first woman to win the Fields Medal, her work on the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces, and her significant contributions to understanding the symmetry of curved surfaces. Her work has profoundly impacted theoretical mathematics and inspired many young mathematicians worldwide.

Massive thank you to 8NRC for participating and engaging fully with the group project. Fantastic work!

Miss Goh, Maths Department

Some images/messages to include from students:

Winning group - team Mirzakhani

“I enjoyed the challenge of this project, especially being able to work collaboratively with my friends on the research. My favourite part was presenting our findings to the class and winning the prize for best mathematician.”

Max Glaser-Batdorff, Team Mirzakhani

“To be honest, I was astounded at the fact that Marjorie Lee Browne is not well known and thus limited research is in my grasp. It really highlighted the difficulties black women faced during the 1900s. However, as the project went on, I found it to be a really inspiring experience, and it was a really enjoyable process working with my team.” Yatharth Agrawal, team Lee Browne

“I’m really proud of how well our group worked together, everyone contributed equally, and the presentation went smoothly. My group found these maths projects very interesting, and it was really inspiring to learn how far maths has evolved throughout the years to what it is now.”

Inesh Giri, Team Tao

“During our project, my group had the pleasure of researching Leonhard Euler. This project aided our commitment and teamwork skills as well as learning a bit about an incredible mathematician. Overall, we enjoyed the project.”

Elsie Jeffries, Team Euler

Dr Numbere-Nmaju
Subject Leader for Chemistry

The summer holidays are a great time for students to build up experiences that they do not have time for during a busy term. It can be an opportunity to develop an interest and also build up evidence of your passions. Whether a Year 8 student has an afternoon free or a Year 12 student is looking for something to add to their Personal Statement, there are lots of fantastic online resources to help spark an interest in Science. I would highly recommend students have a look at the University of Oxford’s Independent Science Magazine, which has a wealth of fascinating articles and reports from the cutting edge of scientific research. In addition, the Royal Society awards a Science Book Prize annually. The 2024 shortlist will be out over the summer, but the 2023 list is also well worth a look. It includes books for those interested in any STEM field, from Engineering to Evolutionary Biology and everything in between. Please see more details here.

Primary Science Clubs

Over the last four weeks, three local primary schools have been fortunate to be visited by our Science Leaders. The teams of Year 12 leaders have been delivering a series of Science Workshops after school to Year 5 pupils. They have been absolutely amazing and the glowing reports from the Primary Schools fill me with pride. The Science leaders represented our school really well and helped to promote a love of science.

Ms Lusted, STEM Coordinator