Our Careers and Languages departments worked together to organise a virtual presentation on ‘Why Study Arab / Middle East Studies’ for Year 12 pupils studying French, Spanish & German.

Eleanor Gao, Senior Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter and Admissions Tutor at the Arab and Islamic Institute, together with current undergraduate student Sumiah, delivered the presentation.

The institute is the largest in the UK and offers pupils the chance to learn new languages alongside a degree programme which suits their specific interests. Eleanor and Sumiah talked about the variety of courses offered which can be combined with History, Politics, Languages, Sociology and Anthropology.  There is also the chance to complete work placements in the Middle East.  The range of employment which graduates have gone on to includes Deputy Foreign Editor, The Independent, Senior Policy Coordinator, The Refugee Hub, Civil Service, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and more.

This was such a superb opportunity for pupils to learn about the variety and content involved in the institute’s degree programme. They were able to understand how the degree, together with work placements, can help them to play a role in the global community.

We look forward to more combined Careers and Languages opportunities.

This term has seen the start of the Gresham’s Student Leadership Programme, in partnership with UEA. We have welcomed virtual guest speakers from a variety of organisations, including Krsna Mohnani and Kevan Williams from UEA, Chris Bushby, CEO of The Big C, our very own Ben Pienaar representing sport and Andrea Finegan representing investment. Pupils have been able to learn from our guests’ experiences and ask probing questions. Their creative skills have also been tested as they have developed their own website, branding and podcast content over the course of the term. The Lent term will see their focus turn to more hands-on leadership practice. The podcast is widely available and everyone is encouraged to listen! It is currently available on Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, Radiopublic, Overcast, Pocket Casts and Breaker.

The Rifle Club has enjoyed a relatively successful return to competitive shooting, having had far too many months away from it this year.  The British Schools Small-Bore Winter Leagues have been running since September and have been a huge success across the country. These Leagues are made up of an Under 19 Section and an Under 15 Section.

There were 37 teams (185 individuals), in the Under 19 Section, spread over 7 Divisions. Our ‘A’ team, consisting of Toby C, James D, Fergus R, Alex T and Mackenzie W, had the skills to qualify for Division 1. It was a hard fought Division and our team had to settle for 2^nd place in the end, behind a very strong Ellesmere College. Our team has much more to give and will certainly come back stronger in the Spring Leagues.

In the Under 15’s Leagues there were 21 teams (84 individuals), across four Divisions. The Gresham’s team, which  includes Georgie B, Louis H C, Harry P and Jonny W, were yet again placed in Division 1. All four have shot consistently well, throughout the term, and thoroughly deserve to have won the BSSRA U15 Winter Leagues. Georgie B, who has only been at the Senior School since September, is a massive talent and has already managed to shoot an outstanding 98 out of 100 on one of her match cards.

The final triumph of the term goes to Gresham’s Team of VIII, who have won the BSSRA T8 competition. They narrowly beat the Perse by just one point, but a win is a win!

Very well done to all members of the Rifle Club, new and experienced, on a very successful term of shooting.

When they are not out on the open water, The Navy section of CCF work on floatation training. Pupils took part in Kayak polo in the School pool, which combines boating and ball handling skills. The ball can be thrown by hand, or flicked with the paddle to pass between players and shoot at the goal. Tactics and positional play are as important as the speed and fitness of the individual athletes. The game requires excellent teamwork and promotes both general kayaking skills and a range of other techniques unique to the sport. The pupils can also work on capsize techniques as required.

Our Year 10 Drama Evening featured a range of performances of monologues and scenes from theatre and film. Pupils chose their own material simply for the love of performing! We were treated to scenes from The Witches, In the Name of the Father, Breathing Corpses, The Pitchfork Disney, The Wolf of Wall Street, Miranda and The Dark Knight.

Members of Soc(I)ety (Gresham’s Gay-Straight Alliance) have introduced themselves in Chapel assemblies this term to talk about their aims and objectives in educating and fundraising. They emphasised how important it is to be kind, considerate, fair and understanding about fellow pupils’ sexual orientation and identity; that to love, care and be supportive is so important so that you can be yourself. They will continue to fundraise for the charity, The Trevor Project that supports young people, providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ teens and young adults.