In early October, students from the Afro-Caribbean Society (ACS) leadership team: Elvis Ekeh, Rhianna Parry, Ifunaya Ayodele, Bradley Olateju and I were invited to an interview, facilitated by Ms Hanington and Ms Adeaga, with the Director of Education of the Schools, Students and Teachers’ Network (SSAT), Angelina Idun.

Angelina was particularly impressed by the work we do in the ACS and the interview provided a platform to inform others about the great work that has been done by students at Bexley Grammar School. The ACS provides an opportunity for Black and Ethnic minority students to share their experiences and, as a student-led group, it has been very successful; it has been running for the past four years and has continuously garnered the interest of many.

Angelina delved into the origins of the Club, our challenges, the skills we’ve gained, upcoming events and how the Club has significantly had an impact on us, individually. I found this interview insightful in helping us to consider ideas for our upcoming project: a podcast entitled ‘To The Misinformed’. We were proud of our ability to share with Angelina the value of this club to our school community and the passion we share in maintaining its success.

Overall, we are appreciative of Angelina for taking the time to interview us; she recognises the importance of student-led projects within the school and commended us for our hard work and organisation.

Angelina has written numerous articles for the SSAT and they are available here. Please check out the blog post featuring our interview here.

Don’t hesitate to join the Afro-Caribbean Society - it is every Wednesday after school in the SFC.

Oluwalano Adebayo, 13MCS

Business and Economics News

Students Attend Bloomberg's “Discover Apprenticeships” Event

On the 13th October 2023, the Business and Economics department was presented with the opportunity to attend an apprenticeship insight event at Bloomberg. The event aimed to give a unique insight into the work environment alongside the opportunity to learn more about the Apprenticeship programme at Bloomberg.

The afternoon session at the Bloomberg offices started with an introduction of Bloomberg’s ethos, work culture and core values and their importance as the standard of work expected from their existing and prospective employees; to “Innovate”, “Collaborate”, “Know your customer” and “Do the right thing”. These values, when built upon, usually help the employee to become successful in providing their financial services to others over other financial institutions. We were informed about how the workplace operates - the two sides of financial institutions, the ‘sell-side’ and the ‘buy-side’, which was explained to us through an interactive game hosted by the presenters. The explanation of the diversity of the workplace was enlightening, as not every employee had a background in finance, and it was encouraging to see how the different qualifications all have a place in Bloomberg.

The aspect that intrigued me about Bloomberg’s work culture was their investment in philanthropy, as every month all the employees (apprentices included) were required to dedicate a specific number of hours to volunteering, with donations going to a charity of their choice.  By encouraging volunteering, it helps the employee to develop the qualities of a well-rounded person.
A helpful segment was the question and answer (Q&A) session with the current apprentices. The questions were mainly about their reasons for doing an apprenticeship, their experience in Bloomberg and their future career pathway. This session was important in getting a better understanding of the degree apprenticeship programme and how it differs from going to university.
The event ended with the apprenticeship coordinator's advice on how to structure and improve our CV and what to expect in the apprenticeship application process.  Advice was given on what employers look for and the 'Dos and Don'ts' of interviews.  This segment was, in my opinion, the most important, as, essentially, we were given a formula on how to best present ourselves at the different stages of the apprenticeship application process. This information was useful even if we do not choose to do an apprenticeship.

Overall, this experience was very enlightening as I now have a better understanding of what apprenticeships are and a better understanding of my options after Sixth Form.

Joelle Tettey, Year 13

Our trip to Bloomberg was such a surprising insight into how many employees view their jobs and apprenticeships and helped all of us to gain a clearer understanding of how we want our future to look.  First, we were introduced to the company, told a bit about the apprenticeship scheme and given the best ways to apply to the company this year. We were then given the opportunity to ask questions of a panel of current apprentices, which was very useful to see how they are all enjoying their time at Bloomberg and inspired us to take a similar path. Overall, we all enjoyed the experience very much because it was very enjoyable to see how the business theory we learn is applied in real life!

Roxie Leech, Year 13

PE News

Year 7  Rugby

A first game win! Well done to the Year 7 Rugby Team, who beat Beths 20–15 thanks to tries from Jean-Andre, Ryan and Kevin (2). For 15 of the 16 player squad, it was their first ever rugby match.

Congratulations and well done!

Year 10 Rugby

A tough defeat for the Year 10 rugby team away at Bennett Memorial on Wednesday. The boys scored a couple of great tries and fought hard, but it wasn’t their day. 

Mr Lines, Head of PE

Girls' Football

The U13 girls were back in action on the last day of term for a friendly game against St Catherine's to help learn the offside rule. It was brilliant to see them learning the ropes, grabbing the flag and putting it into practice. Practice makes perfect! Hopefully, we will have some more friendlies to look forward to this year. 
 
Mrs Kemp, PE Department

Football

A brave and battling performance from our Year 7 football squad in the North Kent Cup. We lost to Welling School 2-0 in a very entertaining match. Well done to all involved and congratulations to those players representing BGS for the first time.

Mr Mackle, PE Department

MFL News

Japanese challenge

In our alphabet, letters stand for sounds. Japanese is different. Most Japanese words are written in characters called ‘kanji’, which the Japanese adapted from Chinese. Kanji characters represent meanings, not sounds. For example, 火 means ‘fire’ and is generally pronounced hi. In borrowings from Chinese, however, it is pronounced ka: ‘Tuesday’, for instance, is 火曜日 ka-you-bi (‘fire day’, after the

Chinese philosophy of the Five Elements). 

Here are some more Japanese words in kanji with their English translations (and literal translations in quotation marks in brackets).

Answer Q1 & Q2 :)

Get in touch with Ms Giglione for the solutions! giglione_m@bexleygs.co.uk

Annual Poppy Day Appeal

On Sale Now!

Paper Poppies, enamel badges, snap rulers, pencil sharpeners, wristbands and knitted poppies are available to buy at the Reception from now until Friday 10th November.

Please support the Royal British Legion.

Thank you

PA News

30 Nov 2023
Quiz Night ~ Save the date!
Read more
23 Nov 2023
Nordmann Fir Christmas Trees For Sale ~ Deadline to order 23/11/23!
 
Read more
17 Nov 2023
Pre-Loved Uniform Sales
Read more
07 Nov 2023
BGS PA Annual General Meeting Tuesday 7th November 2023
Read more

PA Events

PA Annual General Meeting ~ All Welcome!
7:00pm – 9:00pm
07
November
Pre-Loved Uniform Sales (Canteen)
3:15pm – 3:45pm
17
November
Pre-Loved Uniform Sale (Canteen)
9:00am – 10:30am
18
November
Deadline to order Christmas Trees
until 7:00pm
23
November
Quiz Night (BGS Hall)
7:00pm – 9:30pm
30
November

A Message from the Examinations Office

Year 13 Mock Timetable 

The Year 13 mock examination timetable below can also be found on the school website via the link here.

GCSE Examination Timetable Summer 2024

The GCSE timetable for examinations to be taken in 2024 is now available on the school website or by clicking on the link  here. 

GCSE Contingency Days Summer 2024

Please note, contingency days are timetabled for the afternoons of 6th and 13th June, as well as Wednesday 26th June 2024. These contingency days are designed to be used in the event of national or significant local disruption to examinations.

This means that all exam candidates must be available to sit exams from the date of their first exam until Wednesday 26 June 2024.

This decision is not a school decision and does apply to all candidates in all schools.

Mrs Bono, Examinations Office

News items you may have missed

Clothes Donations

We are organising an event to highlight sustainable fashion.

From 17/10/23 to 2/11/23 we would like students to donate any old clothes that are no longer being used to the reception.

We will not accept underwear, socks and shoes.

While there is no formal limit, please bring any amount
(within reason).

The clothes will be resold at school the week after the half-term holiday.

We hope this encourages sustainability when it comes to fashion and the responsibility each of us have for our planet.

We also hope to raise awareness of the industrial
causes of climate change.

All proceeds will be donated to charities fighting for sustainability in the fashion industry.

Thank you 

Greenwich

If your child attends a school in another borough, you will need to apply to the relevant council or school directly. APPLY TO BEXLEY.

Tower Hamlets 

Children whose parents live in the borough but who attend schools outside the borough. Parents should apply to the authority where the school is located. APPLY TO BEXLEY.

Medway

Does not specify the location of the school and just has a link to applications. 

https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200164/school_information/354/free_school_meals. You may need to go via Bexley after this process. 

Bromley 

If your child attends a non-Bromley school, you must apply to the local authority where the school is situated. APPLY TO BEXLEY.

Dartford 

If your child attends a non-Dartford school, you must apply to the local authority where the school is situated. APPLY TO BEXLEY.

When these applications are completed, a notification should be sent to the school for us to update records accordingly, but it may be worth the parents sending in the email confirmation to us too.

Bexley Application Link

https://www.bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/free-school-meals/how-apply-free-school-meals/free-school-meals-form

Don't delay, apply today!

Lost Property

We have a high volume of coats, trainers and PE kits from last term.  Please ask your child to come to the Reception if they have informed you that something is missing.

Please click on the link here to report lost property or email us directly
reception@bexleygs.co.uk.

Reception Team

Dates for your Diary

Year 13 IB Mock Examinations
8:00am – 4:00am
From 31 Oct until 08 Nov
31
October
Year 11 Support & Succeed Parents/Carers Information Evening
5:30pm – 7:30pm
08
November
Remembrance Day ~ Don't forget your poppy!
All Day
10
November
Sixth Form Open Evening (booking required for time slots at either 6pm or 6.30pm)
6:00pm
14
November
Year 11 Progress Review Evening (letter to follow soon)
4:00pm – 6:30pm
21
November
14 Nov 2023
Sixth Form Open Evening - Tuesday 14th November from 6pm
Our Open Evening provides prospective Sixth Form students with the opportunity to visit Bexley Grammar School and learn about the world-class International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.
Read more

GCSE Advance Notice

GCSE Contingency (afternoon)
12:00pm – 6:30pm
06
June
GCSE Contingency (afternoon)
12:00pm – 6:30pm
13
June
GCSE Contingency Day
8:00am – 6:30pm
26
June