Gresham’s pupil selected for UK Cadet Rifle team

The Rifle Club have recently returned from a wonderful Easter training week at Bisley. The team performed fantastically, and the weather was the best the team had seen in many years for the event. 

In total, sixteen members of the team headed to Bisley for the week. Four pupils had arrived earlier to take part in ‘Maple Taste’, a training/selection weekend for forthcoming GB cadet rifle team tours. Margie G was training with the British Cadet Rifle Team ahead of their August tour to the Channel Islands, and Ilana B, Grace S and Alastair S were all hoping for selection to the UK Cadet Rifle Team for their tour. By the end of the Rifle Clubs week at Bisley, the UKCRT team selection had been announced. Grace was selected for the team and Alastair was announced as a reserve – a big well done to both. After their weekend with the GB cadet training, three of the four pupils joined the rest of the Gresham’s team for the remainder of the week.

The team had an excellent week of shooting, with glorious weather. Although the sun shined every day, they also had exceptionally high winds throughout the week, which made the shooting conditions challenging. The first weekend was spent shooting at short range (300 and 600 yards) and involved classroom work in the evenings for the newer members of the team. There is no shooting on Mondays, so this was used as an opportunity to set up on the military CTR rifles, in preparation for Wednesday and Thursday. 

The team enjoyed a hugely competitive Easter egg hunt in the afternoon, followed by an equally competitive game of bowling in the evening. On the Tuesday, the team spent the day at long range (900 and 1000 yards) still in very tricky wind conditions. Shooting is not just about firing the perfect shot, there is also a lot of personal admin and record keeping that needs to be done. Some evenings were spent continuing to learn the skills of plotting and coaching, which are both necessary skills, as the wind can have a massive effect on a bullet, even at short range. 

For the final two days of shooting, the team switched to the Cadet Target Rifle and trained alongside several other schools. There was an informal match on the Thursday, in which the Gresham’s team managed to finish third in the Clayton Challenge, out of 17 teams taking part.

The new members of the Rifle Team did particularly well during the week, despite the challenging wind. The team were also pleased to have a couple of parents in attendance, who came along to support and to learn about the sport their child is competing in.

Cadet Clay Championships 2025

At the beginning of April, two teams of Gresham’s cadets travelled to Cambridge Gun Club for the National Clay Target Shooting Championships.

There were four separate competitions in the CCF category and Edgar A, Will N, Jack K and Alf S in the Gresham’s A Team, won the team gold medals in every single one of them – an astonishing success! This meant that they brought home the trophies for the ‘Down the Line’, ‘Sporting’ and ‘Inter-Services Skeet’ competitions, in addition to continuing the unbroken pedigree of Gresham’s victories in the ‘Flurry’ competition, with a clear margin of victory in this section of 10 clays from their nearest rivals.

Team Captain Will N won individual gold in the ‘Down the line’, with Jack K taking bronze. Alf S won individual gold in the ‘Sporting’ which was part of his unprecedented haul of six medals, including five golds in total.

Toby W, Alec A, Toby A and Max C in Gresham’s B Team also achieved success with bronze medal position in several of the CCF competitions, and Max C was awarded an individual bronze in the ‘Sporting’ section.

This was another outstanding performance at national sporting level for the clay target shooters.

Year 9 and 10 shine in ‘Education, Education, Education’ Drama Production

In the Lent Term, pupils from Year 9 and 10 worked tirelessly on the production ‘Education, Education, Education’, a play about a failing school in the ’90s.

Set in May 1997, the play transported the audience to a time when Tony Blair has just won the election, Katrina and the Waves had taken home the Eurovision crown, and Channel 5 was just a month old. In this pre-Harry Potter era, Britain is undoubtedly the coolest place on earth. 

Education, Education, Education raises thought-provoking questions about a country in crisis, examining what we’re taught, why, and who ultimately bears the responsibility.

The energy, dedication and talent of our pupils – both on stage and behind the scenes – has been truly inspiring. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the production and the audience that came to support us. 

‘Page to Stage’ GCSE exam peformances

This term’s Page to Stage evening showcased the GCSE Drama pupils’ exam performances. The event transported viewers through a variety of settings—from a kitchen via the local pub, ending in a cocktail bar.

Pupils impressed not only with their acting talent but also with their skills in set, costume, and sound design, creating an immersive theatrical experience. Their hard work and creativity were on full display, making for a memorable and engaging night for all in attendance.

The Last Five Years: A memorable two-night run at the Auden Theatre

Over two nights, audiences at the sold-out Auden Theatre enjoyed The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown’s innovative two-person musical. The production featured two casts, with Rory and Jemima performing on the first night and Milan and Naomi taking on the roles of Jamie and Cathy on the second.

The musical tells the story of a five-year relationship between a novelist and an actress, using an unusual structure where Jamie’s story is told chronologically, while Cathy’s moves in reverse. Their timelines cross only once, at their wedding, creating a reflective and thought-provoking narrative.

Accompanying the cast was an all-pupil band who tackled Brown’s intricate score with confidence, providing a strong musical foundation for the production. Their performance, along with the split staging and digital back drop, brought out the emotional depth of the piece.

The production was a great showcase of the talent and dedication of the pupils involved, both on stage and behind the scenes. The Last Five Years was a rewarding experience for all who took part and a well-received event in the school’s performing arts calendar.

Sixth Form pupils attend Sacré Théâtre production of Chasseur français

On Wednesday 26th March, a group of 17 pupils in Years 11 and 12 went to the UEA Sacré Théâtre production of Boris Vian’s Chasseur français. Boris Vian (1920-59), writer, film actor, engineer, jazz musician and translator, is best known for the antiwar song “Le Déserteur”.

Sacré Théâtre at the UEA is the UK’s longest-running permanent French language theatre company and they are a permanent fixture in our calendar. The play was fast, fun, full of innuendo and slapstick comedy, and the pupils found it immensely enjoyable. Watching a live performance enhances listening and speaking skills, improves cultural knowledge and provides cultural references; vital to learning a language. We are so lucky to have them on our doorstep.

Pupils involved were Pablo B-G, Amelie B, Cerys D, Elie G, Tim H, Romilly H, Alice H, Lottie H, Amelie H, Raffy K, Ted K, Amelia M-L, James M, Ruby P, Ella S, Mia W and Aina Z. 

Annual Chapel Easter Egg hunt

The Senior School took part in their Annual Chapel Easter Egg hunt just before the end of term. This joyful event took place in the woods with pupils searching for a share in a thousand chocolate eggs, and other goodies that had been carefully hidden.

Pupils had a brilliant time running to find them!

Year 10 and 11 Inter-House Debating Final 

Well done to Farfield’s proposition team—Will B, Connor M, and James C—and Woodlands’ opposition team—Isaac B, Ulysses O’D, and Johnnie O—for an outstanding performance in the Year 10 and 11 Debating Final. The competition took place in the Reith Lecture Theatre, where pupils debated the motion, This House supports the UK government’s plan to introduce inheritance tax at 20% on inherited agricultural properties worth more than £1m from April 2026.

Both teams handled a divisive motion with aplomb and delivered a passionate, but very well-informed, debate before a packed house. In a rare outcome, the judges declared the debate a draw, meaning both teams will share the O’Connell Trophy. Fittingly, they continued to debate the motion even after the contest was over.  

This year’s competition also saw Edinburgh and Oakeley reach the semi-finals, rounding off an exceptional term of debating.

Pupils encourage action for Earth Hour in Chapel talk

At the end of last week, members of the School’s Environmental Leadership Team, Emilia P, Sophia P, Ruby P, and Tilly L, delivered a Chapel talk, encouraging fellow pupils to take part in Earth Hour on 22 March.

The team urged their peers to switch off unnecessary lights and electrical devices for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30pm, to reduce energy consumption and reflect on our impact on the planet.

During the talk, the girls gave a brief history of how Earth Hour came to exist and quizzed the School on their knowledge of the impact we have on our planet. They asked questions around the global energy use, rates of deforestation, the time it takes discarded items, such as plastic bottles, to decompose, and much more.