Headteacher's Newsletter May 2024

Positive Pathways

Well done to all our students for the continued hard work and efforts with their house points! The total number of positive house points given out this academic year is now a huge 190,339!! This shows a great improvement of students exemplifying our values of Respect, Excellence and Determination. Thank you all and keep up the good work!

Mr Lewis, Assistant Headteacher

Sixth Form

Year 13 leavers' assembly

We had a thoroughly enjoyable grand farewell on Friday 17th May, it was a joyful morning, tinged with some sadness. Ms Simpson made her farewell speech to the students especially important in exploring self-respect and self-esteem in this highly competitive world.

We all then enjoyed some superb live music performances from our Year 13 band, ably supported on saxophone by Mr Joris. Their rendition of the theme tune from Friends was particularly relevant (and emotional).

Representatives from AGE UK and Smart Works accepted their cheques (£1,500 each) with real gratitude for our students' fund-raising efforts. Tutors gave warm praise to their tutees which was well received. Then it was time for cake and shirt signing!

We wish all of our Year 13 students a bright, healthy, happy future. Keep in touch and all the very best for your examinations. It has been an absolute pleasure watching you grow and develop into mature young adults with bright aspirational futures.

TWGSB KS5 Team

Sixth Form fun run 

On Tuesday 7th May the Sixth Form engaged in the TWGSB Annual Fun Run to raise money for the Head Students’ charities, Age UK and Smart Works.

Some of the highlights this year were in the form of Colin the Caterpillar, Oscar the Grouch, David Bowie, nuns and dinosaurs! They were ably assisted by the Sixth Form tutor team with a crew of pirates, Tony the Tiger and Cruella De Vil.

All students took part in an 1980s aerobic-style warm-up, followed by a lap around the course; prizes were awarded for the individual and paired best dressed from both year groups.

Overall £202.07 was raised through the event and it was a nice way to say goodbye to the current Year 13s and pass the baton to Year 12s whose senior prefects will be responsible for organising the event in 2025.

Amelia B (Year 12) wins oracy competition 

Amelia tells us about the oracy competition she entered: 

I recently entered the Gresham College Oracy Competition. I had to create and perform a speech and I answered the question, 'Should maths teaching be mandatory to the age of 18 years old?'

Initially this felt like a simple question with a simple answer of ‘yes’. However, through my research I have discovered that it is much more complex than simply ‘yes’ and I came to the conclusion of actually ‘it depends’. 

The research led me to change my thinking and my broader understanding of the use of maths beyond the classroom and how people use maths in their everyday lives. Maths is critical on so many levels: 

• on a survival level
• a society level
• and on an individual level.

So, I concluded 'yes, maths should be mandatory until the age of 18'. However, to be effective the education system must adapt to support each child and to nurture their innate sense of maths:

o We need the inventors

o We need the technology advancement

o We need the sports professionals

o But we also need people to access employment and have a practical understanding of maths. 

As a prize, I was invited to attend a lecture in London and hear Professor Lintott (professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, author and broadcaster) talk about an usual star in the Galaxy as well as give advice on how to give good speeches. The topic was interesting and very informative.

A snippet of his advice for speeches:

• Don’t do the usual 'introduction, main, conclusion' – you don't have the time.
• Don’t stand still – he went behind the podium when talking about statistics/facts then moved closer to the audience to be more engaging. 

I found the day really interesting and learnt a lot!

Amelia B (Year 12)

Year 11 Leavers' Event 

Celebrating the end of Year 11s' time at TWGSB, the leavers' assembly was a great mixture of fun, humour and emotion. The Year 11s were treated to burgers, a visit from the ice cream van and bouncy inflatables – Gladiator Arena, Bungee Run and Last Man Standing. It was a great event, much enjoyed by all who attended. 

History

Head of History takes memorable trip to Auschwitz

Mr Pratt tells us about his unforgettable trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau:

Auschwitz-Birkenau has become a place that is synonymous with the Holocaust and having recently been given the opportunity to visit through the generosity of the Holocaust Educational Trust,I was both excited and nervous with anticipation. Elie Wiesel who was an Auschwitz survivor, wrote the following, 'Sometimes I am asked if I know "the response to Auschwitz"; I answer that not only do I not know it, but that I don't even know if a tragedy of this magnitude has a response.' As I approached this trip, my thoughts were very much in the same place, how was one meant to respond and react to such a place?

Our journey started from Birmingham airport with an early morning flight to Kraków, from where we were then transferred by coach to Auschwitz, which is the German name given to the Polish town of Oswiecim. This was the first of many things I was to learn on that day. We went around the camp with a local guide who painted a vivid picture of what different individuals went through in this place.

We had the chance to reflect and discuss a whole range of ideas such as, 'What is evil?', 'How should we respond to this place?', 'How did this happen?' It certainly was thought-provoking.

Later in the day we moved across to Birkenau, which again is the German name given to a Polish village called Brzezinka. If you have ever seen photos of Auschwitz-Birkenau you will have likely seen a railway station and tracks, which led into the camp. To walk alongside these tracks was a moving moment, more than I can put into words.

Our day ended with an attempt to light candles to remember all those individuals who lost their lives in this place and although many of the candles were blown out by the wind, the spirit of remembering these people certainly lives on. I have come back with renewed enthusiasm to develop aspects of our Holocaust teaching.

Suffice to say, even having visited, I still don't know the answer to the question posed by Elie Wiesel above, but maybe that's okay, maybe that's why Holocaust Memorial Day is commemorated each year on January 27th; it encourages us to keep coming back to the Holocaust, to not forget it and to hold it in our memory. 

Mr Pratt, Head of History 

Design Technology

Wood turning 

Year 12 Design Technology students (Edward L, Lorcan E and Clovis C) have been trying their hand at wood turning as part of their experimentation with materials and processes, and have produced three distinct ideas of their own. 

All items have been keenly whisked away to give as presents, which, according to parents have been much admired.

Earlier this term Edward, Lorcan and Clovis had tried their hand at making an automata from a set plan provided to them. Although the task looks straightforward, getting mechanisms to run smoothly is a difficult venture, but all three succeeded in making their own flapping dragon.

CAD chairs 

Year 10 have been designing cardboard chairs using CAD and the task was that they had to stand the weight of being sat upon. The designs were then cut with the CNC router and assembled by the students before being tested. Below are the fantastic results.

Mr Stevens, Head of DT 

Library 

The Yoto Carnegies Shadowing team

The Yoto Carnegies Shadowing team is well on the way this year with lots of enthusiastic participants. We have had some wonderful empathic and analytical book reviews so far. Our Carnegie Shadowing team includes boys from both campuses.

These are just some of the students, reading the shortlisted books and gearing up for the annual balloon debate with Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School and The Skinners’ School, which will be held at  TWGGS in June.

We are all looking forward to the morning off timetable talking about books!

Mrs Musselwhite Steel, Library Manager

Modern Foreign Languages

Alumni visit to MFL

Dillon Hobbs (Class of 2021) is currently in his last year at the University of Cambridge as a Modern Languages undergraduate. He kindly gave up his time to come back to Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys in order to help out our MFL department for two days recently. Dillon helped the GCSE students prepare for their upcoming oral exams by doing role plays, picture cards and conversational pieces with them. I'm sure the students were very grateful for the practice with someone who excelled in his field.

Dillon told us about his placement year last year in a small university near Lyon which he had enjoyed (although it was good to be back in Cambridge!) and his 8,000-word dissertation, which he is working on about Maupassant.

Unbelievably he did all this, having run the London Marathon the day before! He managed an amazing 2hrs 31 minutes! He said he was quite stiff but determined to still come in and help out.

It is great to see our alumni still showing our school values: Respect, Excellence, Determination.

Thank you so much Dillon, we are all very grateful for giving back to your school like this and we all enjoyed you visiting us again.

Miss Allen, Head of MFL

Food & Nutrition

We have been planting up the herb garden, which the Year 10s have already started using in their cooking. The herb garden and vegetables should be coming through in July. Here you can see the mint has been used to garnish these beautiful strawberry and lemon cheesecakes and hopefully later in the year we can use our own strawberries! 

The Year 10s have also been looking at portion sizing and reducing recipes.

Mrs Humphrey, Food, Preparation and Nutrition Technician

Drama and Theatre Studies

Lord of the Flies 

The Drama Department is putting on a production of Lord of the Flies based on the William Golding book, at the Sevenoaks campus, Thursday 20th–Friday 21st June; rehearsals are well underway. Tickets go on sale Friday 7th June and cost £3.00 per person. Doors will open at 18:30 and performances will start at 19:00. A letter will go out after half-term with more details about tickets. We hope to see you there!

Mrs Rose, Assistant Headteacher, Teacher of Drama and Art

Music

Musicians have been working hard as usual in a range of music clubs. At Sevenoaks, Music Production Club is still popular and a number of devoted students have been rehearsing pop songs in Music Club and Grammar School for Noise. In Tunbridge Wells, the orchestra has been rehearsing for its debut performance at ‘Fresh Air’, an exclusively classical recital taking place, 26th June 17:00–18:00 in the Drama Studio.

Elsewhere, musicians have been preparing for the newly announced Battle of the Bands on 3rd July 18:00–20:30 in the Main Hall, Tunbridge Wells. We look forward to welcoming some of you there.

Finally, we are moments away from ordering the long-awaited piano, which will live in Practice Room 2 and serve a host of piano students over the coming years!

Mr Joris, Head of Music 

Physical Education 

Tennis 

The U13 tennis team has had a very strong start to the tennis league. The team beat Skinners' School 10-2 and most recently have beaten Norton Knatchbull 12-0. They have been given the wins for matches against two other schools who could not make the fixtures.

The players have all done very well in their singles and doubles matches in each fixture. Results have put the team in a strong position in the league. Year 10s have their first fixture against Skinners' School after half-term.

Cricket 

In a difficult term for getting cricket matches played in relation to poor weather, we have had some good results in the last couple of weeks. Year 9 started the season by beating Maidstone by 10 wickets. In the next round, they then lost narrowly to Kings School by an agonising 1 run! Ettienne S and Oliver A-R batted incredibly well but just couldn’t get us over the line.

Year 8 beat Ravens Wood by 25 runs and then beat Sevenoaks by 4 wickets. Max C and Stephan O playing exceptionally well. Unfortunately we then lost away to Judd in the next round.

The Year 10 team had to play an indoor game, which was very entertaining and resulted in us losing by just 1 wicket. This means we will now play in the plate and are awaiting our opponents. This will be played after half-term.

After three cancellations, Year 7 beat Cranbrook by 36 runs and then two days later lost to Judd by 6 wickets.

We are hoping for the tennis and cricket teams to progress in their competitions in Term 6.

Mr Boddy, Teacher of PE

Football

Year 7 inter-form football tournament 

There will be a tournament in Term 6. All ten forms will have a team. Games will be 11-a-side, preparing the boys for this format of football when they are in Year 8.

The first stage will have three groups:

7A, 7B, 7C and 7D (two teams qualify)
7E, 7F and 7G (one team qualifies)
7H, 7I and 7J (one team qualifies)

Each form will have 14 players plus two student managers, so 16 students in total. Games will be played on the 3G pitches at both campuses.

Mr Menzies, Head of Football

Trips

MFL trip to Madrid 

In April, the MFL Department took 39 Year 10 students and five Year 12 students on a residential trip to Madrid. The purpose of the trip was to enhance the students' understanding of Spanish, as well as to increase their cultural awareness of Spain and Spanish lifestyle.

The trip was a great success and the students took part in a wide variety of events which catered for different tastes. The activities ranged from a visit to the Atlético de Madrid stadium, a Flamenco lesson and a 2-hour Spanish language lesson to a visit to the bullring and a hands-on cookery class in which the students learnt how to make paella, tortilla and gazpacho.

At the bullring, students took part in a virtual reality bullfight using a special headset. Giovanni (Year 10), Lewis (Year 12) and Ms Blenkin all rose to the challenge to compete against each other. Well done to Lewis who was the clear winner!

On the final day we visited Parque Warner, which is one of the most popular theme parks in Europe, with unique rides and attractions themed to the Warner Bros. Pictures blockbuster movies, such as Batman and Superman.

In the evenings the group had dinner in local restaurants and one evening went bowling, which was fantastic fun. What a trip to remember! Visit our website for full photo album: MFL Trip To Madrid Photo Album

Ms Blenkin, Modern Foreign Languages

Ski trip 2024 to Sauze d'Oulx, Italy

TWGSB had an amazing time this Easter break on the Year 10 skiing trip to Sauze d'Oulx in Italy.

The first two days we were treated with snow then sun shone for the rest of the week, the snow was great (once you were up the mountain!) and the students had a fantastic time learning to ski; plus enjoying great Italian restaurants in the evening and karaoke! A highlight for most of the students was the laser tag evening.

Thank you to all the staff who organised such a fantastic opportunity for the students.

Miss Burdett, Teacher of PE

Well-being

Sevenoaks campus new signage 

Our campus in Sevenoaks has been beautifully decorated and wayfaring signage installed to add colour and life to the modern building, also assisting everyone to find their way around. Feedback from the students and staff has been very positive, uplifting everyone as they go about their days. In the stairwells artwork by current and former students are in pride of place, really brightening up the school: 

• The three tree pieces were created by Finlay Watson (Class of 2023)
• The pop art piece was by Gus Reading (Class of 2023)
• The abstract green print was by Freddie Saunders (Class of 2023)
• Beautiful Sunset/Face was by Findlay McKenzie (Year 13)

Many thanks to you all for your hard work and talent which will be enjoyed by TWGSB for years to come.

Each subject board was created with the Heads of Departments to represent what their subject means at this school, our curriculum and our aims. A great deal of thought and care was input by many people and has had a fantastic outcome. Tunbridge Wells campus signage is to be completed during half-term – watch this space! 

Mental Health Awareness week

Monday 10–17th May was Mental Health Awareness Week so we promoted the importance of physical activity in improving your mental health and well-being, through Tutor Time.

There is always lots of support within school, which students can access by visiting The Hub or Student Services, or by speaking to a member of staff in school whom they feel they can trust. We provide counselling and employ an emotional well-being coach who works with us full time to support the students in a variety of ways. We also work with the Kent Emotional Well-being Team who offer a range of support for students, staff and parents.

The mental health and well-being of all the members of our community is our priority and to recognise this we were awarded a Well-being in Schools Award in November 2022.

Simple tasks such as the one below can help you when feeling stressed. For other ideas visit the links on our website.

Finger breathing instructions:

• Sit or stand comfortably with your back straight
• Place one hand out in front of you, palm open
• Using the pointer finger of your opposite hand start at the base of your thumb and trace upwards as you breathe in
• Pause at the top of your finger
• Breathe out as you follow the inside of your thumb

Mrs Rose, Assistant Headteacher

Co-Curricular

Gold D of E Award recipients invited to Buckingham Palace by HRH Duke of Edinburgh

TWGSB is very proud of our students who were awarded their Gold D of E Awards at Buckingham palace recently – well done to you all! It's a massive achievement. 

Henry B (Year 13) tells us all about his most memorable moments: 

Looking back on it, I genuinely loved my Gold Award. My favourite parts were my trip to the USA for my Residential and the Assessed Expedition in Snowdonia. I lucked out with my group, all of whom made the experience the best activity I have ever done in cadets. Getting away from the busy towns and just exploring with your mates was much better than I thought it would be before I started the Award. The freedom you get with Gold is unparalleled elsewhere.  Here are my highlights:

Volunteering – Contributing to my role at 129 Squadron as an NCO, the highlight being my promotion to CWO in November.

Physical – Continuing my joy for badminton in my free time at the school's sports facilities. 

Skills – Completing my BTEC in teamwork and personal development, run by the Cadet Vocational College who visit 129 every year.

Residential – Helping the air show community for a week in Florida at the Sun 'n' Fun Air Show, which included marshalling aircraft on runways and taxi ways, running entry stands and helping the Civil Air Patrol – all of this was whilst I was on the air cadet United States Aerospace Camp. 

Expedition (Practice) – Three days and two nights in Dartmoor National Park. My team, including Maddie V and Danny W, pushed through the blistering heat and awful terrain of that weekend on spaghetti and breakfast bars. However, we learnt many valuable lessons to change before our assessment.

Expedition (Assessed) – A four-day and three-night expedition through Snowdonia National Park in Wales. Myself and my six team members, climbed Mount Snowdon on the first day in freezing rain, but luckily the three days after much less persistent in downpour. A great surprise was the RAF doing Chinook Exercises in the mountains, which was a great show, and we were greeted to hot food and a café at the end by our assessor, Steve.

Only 0.1% of 16–25-year-olds earn their Gold, which HRH Duke of Edinburgh highlighted in his speech at the palace. It feels like a great achievement, and one that I will remember for many years to come.

Henry B (Year 13)

Charlie Stoney also receiving his award at the palace: 

Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award Silver Assessed Expedition 

Hot off the back of the practice expedition in March, 29 budding Year 10 participants embarked on their Assessed Expedition, this time to the rather sunny coastal town of Dover!

Setting off from the small village of Elham, our intrepid participants were able to cover over 50 miles of footpaths, byways and grassland over the three days. Unfortunately, we were not able to see the Northern Lights from our campsites but participants did get to see a few wonders, the Channel Tunnel from above being one of them! Students had to deal with walking in very sunny weather, which did end up with a few red faces and arms! 

All participants passed the expedition section of the Award and will now finish off their other sections. We hope to celebrate their achievements in school at the start of the next academic year. 

Well done to all involved! 

Mr Hamilton, Assistant Headteacher

Clubs

Science Club

An enthusiastic group of Year 7 and 8 students continue to enjoy science club. This term they have taken on the role of detectives engaging in crime scene investigations. The various activities have enabled students to apply, consolidate and extend their scientific knowledge beyond the lesson, activities including the taking of fingerprints and chemical flame tests. Students document the results of their investigations producing an investigation file.  

The perpetrator is still at large, so following the half-term break students will be continuing their investigations and piecing together their clues. Fingers crossed they catch the culprit!

Street Dance Club

We have had sessions for Years 7–9 at the Tunbridge Wells campus in Terms 1, 2 and 3. These have been led by a specialist teacher. In Sevenoaks we had two taster sessions for Years 7–9 in Term 4 and we have had further sessions in Term 5. These have taken place after school on Wednesdays. The students have improved a lot and the sessions have been a lot of fun. We are looking to organise more sessions at both campuses in Term 6.

Ultimate Frisbee 

Recently we started an Ultimate Frisbee club after school on Wednesdays for Year 7 at the Tunbridge Wells campus. This has been very well attended with over 30 students taking part. The sessions have been led by a specialist Ultimate Frisbee coach who has coached and played for some of the Great Britain teams.

There has also been a group on Fridays after school, led by the same coach, at the Tunbridge Wells campus for Years 8, 9 and 10. These sessions have taken place in Terms 1-5.

In Term 6 we are planning some sessions for the students at the Sevenoaks campus in Years 7, 8 and 9.

Marketing, Development & Alumni Relations

Parents and students, please do get in touch if you have any news you would like to share with us. We love celebrating our students’ achievements on our website and social platforms so let us know if someone deserves a pat on the back. Simply email: feedback@twgsboys.kent.sch.uk or ltipler@twgsboys.kent.sch.uk.

TWGSB is now on four social media platforms:

TWGSB Alumni Connect News 

Some inspiring news stories have been submitted on our Alumni Portal, TWGSB Connect, from former students who tell us what they’ve been up to since leaving TWGSB, and inspiring our students and recent leavers as to what options could be available to them after leaving school. 

Alumni and former staff, please click on the stories below to explore TWGSB Connect News and join our rapidly growing community of 728 members if you haven't already done so: Join | TWGSB Connect

Thank you so much for the story contributions and please keep them coming in.

Oscar Couchman (Class of 2023) Returns to TWGSB for a Design Technology Residency	We are saddened to hear of the passing of Tim Evans, Former Head Boy of TWGSB (1972-1979)

Alumni, please follow our TWGBS Alumni CONNECT socials to hear when new alumni news is published: 

Send all your alumni news, recent releases, career updates and achievements to: connect@twgsboys.kent.sch.uk