We came, we had an amazing time, we loved PGL!

Year 9 had an incredible trip to PGL at Barton Hall, Devon. Despite rain and wind, all the 145 students took part in a diverse range of adventure and team-building activities. All the staff and students had a fabulous couple of days together. We even got to see Stonehenge on our journey, which was a great-added bonus!

Some of our activities included: Survivor, which saw dens built and campfires lit with a flint and steel.

We climbed up and abseiled down as well and completed the vertical challenge. Nothing would stop us reaching the top.

Student comments

A fun experience with a variety of activities and games as well as there always being something to do during free time.

Roshan Jinse, 9MPM

I loved PGL, it was one of my best experiences.

I was scared to go at first, but I'm so glad I went because I got to try so many new things and activities I would never have done otherwise. I would definitely go again!

Sophie Allen, 9FTM

It was great fun. I enjoyed participating in the activities with my friends.

Luke Martin, 9MPM

A very nice experience. Many exciting activities, such as climbing, shooting and swimming. There were decent options for food, especially for Vegetarians and Vegans, which was very good for me personally. The people treated us very well and were very helpful. The rooms included bathrooms as well. Overall, it was a great experience and kept us away from our phones. I would definitely recommend it.

Bhavin Mulchandani, 9STA

PGL was a fun and memory-creating experience that we were all very lucky to go to. The activities were engaging, including archery, swimming, rifle shooting and abseiling, with my favourite one being the vertical challenge. The afternoon activities were great, with the disco getting all of us up and onto the dance floor having a fun time with our friends. Unfortunately, the campfire was cancelled due to the rain but the teachers and PGL leaders came through with a knowledge-testing quiz to end the second day. We left for school early afternoon the next day; all of us gutted to leave an experience behind that we'll talk about for years to come. On the way back, we drove past Stonehenge, just to top it off. Overall, this trip is not one I'll forget in a while.

Dhylan Bracken, 9JMP

Click on the link here to view the PGL, Barton Hall Photo Gallery

For their MFL Diploma Year 7, students created a piece of work about themselves using the vocabulary they have learnt in lessons so far this year. Diplomas were judged on the quality of language and presentation.

This year we had some absolutely wonderful projects with examples of outstanding language and creativity. The award for Best French Diploma goes to Suriya (7JR) and the Best German Diploma to Aysu (7LC).

 

Well done to all our Year 7 students for completing this project on time and to such a high standard.

Click on the link here to view the Year 7 MFL Diploma Photo Gallery

Year 7 did brilliantly on Power Day, completing their £1 for 1k challenge, with some runners covering more than 15k! Thank you to the students for their hard work, and to everyone who sponsored them. Prizes will be announced soon.

Mr Lines, Head of PE

Click on the link here to view the Power Day, £1 for 1k Challenge Photo Gallery.

On Saturday 23rd March, a small group of Year 9 students headed to Bromley Magistrates Court for the inter-schools regional competition. The students had been working with Mrs Belton Owen and Mrs Ellis to prepare over the last half-term. This had been a big commitment from students, as they had to understand the case, take responsibility for preparing how to question witnesses as well as understand the role that they had to play in the trial. Students had the opportunity to play all the key roles, including magistrates, lawyers, witnesses, legal advisers and ushers. I was lucky enough to go into the first competition and witness them in action. I was hugely impressed with their ability to perform under pressure and respond to the witnesses' responses. The judges commented that Bexley Grammar students were well-prepared and asked very good and clear questions. Judges commented that our three magistrates were very attentive and able to speak and justify their opinions, which helped make decisions about the case.

After working very hard on our case, Kartikeya and I went up against Harris School for Girls. Their prosecution team put up a good case, but ultimately we won.

Overall, it was nerve-racking, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. As the 2nd defence lawyer, I questioned the witness on the stand. I have loved this experience overall, working with my friends and learning how to prepare a case. I am so glad I took part in this opportunity.

Yasmin Mofakham, Year 9 

Being in court the room felt surreal; being cross-examined by the opposing school prosecution was certainly more pressure than I had anticipated. When the magistrates came back in, I was sure that I would be found guilty, but we won. I would definitely do this again.

Emily Chan, Year 9

Overall, we came second against the other local schools in the competition. Feedback from the competition judges quoted

“Bexley Grammar School prosecution were excellent and presented good arguments that showed knowledge of the case”.  Also, that “the defendant was natural and confident and the court usher was clear, precise and accurate”.

My congratulations go to all the students that took part in this opportunity.

Well done, they are definitely future lawyers in the making.

Mrs Belton Owen
Director of Studies, Year 9

During their PSHCE sessions last term, Year 8 students took part in the First Give social action programme where they raised money and awareness for their classes’ chosen charity. Following this, one group from each form was voted to attend a public speaking workshop and present their charity and social action to their parents, peers and five judges. The Year 8 tutor team would like to congratulate all pupils for their hard work and dedication during this programme - every single pupil played a role! We want to give a special well done to all the groups who took part in the final and, in particular Teniola Adeosun, Ethan Hoang, Annabelle Oliver-Kingful and Krisha Shrestha from 8NEQ who won the event and £1000 for their charity Bexley SNAP. 

The extracts below are reflections written by the winning pupils about their experience:

I had the great opportunity to participate in the wonderful charity programme First Give. It taught me many skills when it comes to presenting, working in a group and to have confidence in front of a big crowd. We had the opportunity to understand more about working with charities, creating social actions and learning more about social issues. But there was a lot of work being put into the whole experience!

First, our class had to collectively decide on a social issue to focus on, allowing us to identify global problems around the world. We all decided on Mental Health as our class social issue and decided to support the local charity Bexley SNAP. Not only do they focus on Mental Health, but also strive to support young children with SEND and their families.

To support our charity, we chose to do a charity football match and a handprint mural. They were great fun to participate in and were chosen for all individuals to enjoy. In total, we were able to raise £129 for our chosen charity.

Then, we were put into groups of 4 to create presentations, which were later put into a vote for the class to decide who represents our form in the final. My group was picked to participate in the finals!

But that wasn’t the end!

We were then invited to a First Give workshop, which included the winning groups from each form. We were greeted by a volunteer at First Give, Luke, and he was able to assist us with our presentations. He gave us great tips and pointers to make our presentation the best it could be. A week later, and the competition began!

Before our group was going to perform, I was indeed feeling nervous! Presenting in front of a crowd was scary but worth it as we were doing this for the hardworking volunteers at Bexley SNAP. Luckily, after the huge sigh of relief, the judges came to their final decision and our group won! It was a rollercoaster of emotions when me, Teniola, Krisha and Ethan got up to hold the big cheque! Suddenly, all our hard work paid off, and it turned out to be a great experience.

Annabelle Oliver-Kingful, Year 8

The final was very nerve-wracking, but in the end we were able to get through it and all the presentations were amazing - as was winning the £1000! Our charity is hoping to use this money to fund trips, board games and improve facilities to further support children and their families.

Overall, this programme helped me learn to work with peers who I would usually never work with and taught me how to care for and support our community.

Krisha Shrestha, Year 8

There was a very high level of presentations at the final which resulted in 8NEQ winning the event and the £1000 for their charity. In addition, the students in 8ERR were awarded a judges' commendation for their fantastic presentation, which included contemporary dance and poetry, in aid of their charity Woolwich Service Users Project. The poem is below.

Thank you to all the students and tutors for their hard work over the course of the programme. Additional thanks go to the judges who attended the evening and to parents and guardians for their continued support.

Year 8 team

The First Give program was a really fun process for me as it helped build my leadership skills and helped me improve my ability to work in a team, particularly with people I do not usually work with. This programme helped build my confidence and resilience when working on a shared task amongst a group. Once we started the whole programme, I wasn’t really confident about the task and was reluctant to do it every week. However, that improved over time and I started to contribute more and practise my lines for the presentation.

In the final, we were the penultimate group to perform. The nerves were on, but I still managed to stay cool and once it was time to perform, all of a sudden, every single bit of doubt that I had leading up to that moment went away swiftly as I remembered all the preparation that I had put into this. I gave it my best and my best was more than enough as I was greeted with great joy and relief to find out at the end that our presentation had won 1,000 pounds for our charity. This whole experience was one that I will never forget as it was a new experience for me, working with charity and all the hard work had finally paid off!

Teniola Adeosun, Year 8