Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
A Specialist Language College
Newsletter
Issue 32 – July 2015
Available on our website: www.crgs.org.uk
Dear All
We are ending a very successful academic year with a very busy few weeks indeed. In the last three
weeks we have again been reminded of the outstanding talents of our students and staff with our Music
Festival, Sports Day, Sports Awards Evening and the outstanding drama performance of Hamlet. Our
students have thoroughly enjoyed the Sixth Form and Year 11 proms and in the last week of term we
have held our Year 10 A Level taster days, the Year 10 and Sixth Form Ethics, Philosophy and Religion
Conference and the Sixth Form Management Conference. The Main School activity programme has
included a variety of trips and visits in England and abroad as well as amazing opportunities and
experiences in school. Thank you to all the members of staff who have made these activities possible
and thank you to the students who have embraced the challenges and opportunities.
Sadly, we say goodbye to a number of excellent and long-serving members of staff. Mrs Hollingsworth
(Head of Art and Design), Mrs Burns (Art and Design), Mrs Woollam (English and Head of Year) and
Mrs Fern (Chemistry), are all leaving after a combined 96 years of service to our school.
We also say goodbye to Mrs Humphreys (Spanish), Mr Seggie (Head of Design Technology), Mrs
McVey (Business Studies), Mr Spooner (Chemistry and Swing Band Leader), Mr Goring (Technology),
Mr Tharme (History) Mr Lowe (Psychology) and Miss Taylor (Science).
Each of these members of staff has made invaluable contributions to our school and I know that you will
want to join me in wishing them all the best for the future.
We started the year with the grand opening of our new Sports Hall and end the year with the
refurbishment and extension of study space in our Sixth Form Library. It may seem odd at a time of
fiscal constraints in education that we are able to go ahead with this project. We are very fortunate
indeed for a substantial legacy from the estate of a former student, Mr Arthur Smithies. Mr Smithies
attended Clitheroe Royal Grammar School from 1930-1937. We are delighted that our school is held in
such esteem by former students and will name the Library after our generous benefactor.
As this is the final newsletter of the academic year, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate,
in advance, all our students who have taken external examinations this summer. They have worked
hard and been well-prepared for the examinations. We wish them every success.
Thank you for your support of the school throughout this academic year and I hope you have a relaxing
summer. I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all the new students and their families and wish
them a happy and successful time at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.
Yours sincerely
Judith Child
Headteacher
New Staff
We are delighted to welcome the following new members of staff who are to join us in September.
Mr Matthews
Mrs Richards
Mr Herbert
Miss Fox
Miss Fijalkowski
Mrs Williams
Mrs Anderson
Head of Art and Design
Art and Textiles
Design Technology
Chemistry
French Assistant
Spanish Assistant
German Assistant
We are certain that they will be a super addition to the existing team.
Mrs Smith begins her maternity leave in September and we look forward to hearing her news.
Mr Hutchinson is getting married during the summer break. Miss Prince is also getting married over the
break and will return as Mrs Gardiner in the new academic year. We send our congratulations and best
wishes for the future.
Head Boys and Girls
We are delighted to introduce our new student leaders:
Main School
Head Boy – Sam Naughton-Baldwin
Head Girl – Imogen Lalude-Haworth
Deputy Head Boy – George Barnes
Deputy Head Girl – Andrea Johnson
In addition, our Leadership Team consists of Prefects and Senior Prefects, Peer Mentors and Teaching
and Learning Ambassadors.
Sixth Form
Head Boy – Jamie Scott
Head Girl – Charlotte Bush
Deputy Head Boys – Sam Bradshaw, Abdul-Hadee Zafar
Deputy Head Girls – Megan Naylor, Chloe Richardson
Senior Prefects – Charlotte Clews, Lillian Dummer, Helena Fearnley-Brown, Katie Handford, Frances
Lamburn, Menahel Sajjad, Emily Wade, Junaid Iqbal, Benedict Rogers, Matthew Smith
63 Peer Mentors have been trained to support Year 12 students in making the important transition from
GCSE to A Level and to help them settle in to our school.
Student Achievements and Activities
Please see our website for news articles celebrating the achievements and activities of many of our
students: News
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PE / Sport
Please follow this link for our latest PE newsletter containing details of our students’ very many fantastic
achievements: PE Newsletter
For sports events and news please continue to follow @crgspe.
Mathematics
In the Mathematics Open Challenge 2015, we are proud to announce that James Walsh came second,
Matthew Walsh came joint fourth, Sinead Foley came joint sixth and Sebastian Ellis was also awarded
a certificate. These are some outstanding achievements, given that the competition was across the
North West.
112 of our students took part in the Junior Maths Challenge. We are delighted to announce that our
students received 18 Gold Awards, 37 Silver and 28 Bronze. Seven students qualified for the follow-on
round, the Junior European Kangaroo paper.
The Clitheroe Royal Grammar School Swing Band
Praise for the Swing Band appeared in “Longridge News” when the band played at the Grimsargh Field
Day in June. The performance was excellent and the students were a credit to our school.
Spring Concert
Thank you to all involved in our Spring Concert which took place on Wednesday 22nd April. Once again,
it was a great opportunity to see many of our talented musicians performing – many in more than one
ensemble / band.
Music Festival
On Friday 3rd July we held our annual CRGS Music Festival in Chatburn Road Hall. Our adjudicator
was international concert organist and choral conductor, Dr Gordon Stewart from Derbyshire.
We had a great day of music making with over 160 students taking part in the Festival.
Dr Stewart wrote very helpful comments on each performance he heard and he spoke eloquently about
the music, giving very useful musical advice to the performers.
We had classes in Orchestral Strings, Woodwind, Classical Guitar, Brass, Singing, Chamber Music,
Piano and a special class in which the four Year 7 forms each played a different descant recorder piece
in their form groups.
All performers provided us with enjoyable and inspiring performances. The day enabled all
who participated to present a piece of music in public, demonstrating their considerable skills. Well
done indeed to all students who took part. Please follow this link for full details of the event: Music
Festival
Sabden Rose Queen
On Saturday 6th June Hannah Bettess (Year 7) was crowned Sabden’s new Rose Queen in a ceremony
in church. The following day Hannah led an annual procession around the village accompanied by the
Earby Brass Band.
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Summer Holiday Activities
Due to its success in previous years, funds have been provided to District Councils to coordinate a
programme of activities for the summer holidays, under the umbrella of Lancashire CYP Trust.
The Children's Partnership Board has produced booklets summarising the activities on offer in the area
which can be accessed on the Lancashire CYP Trust Website.
Start of the 2015-16 Academic Year
Years 7 and 12
Years 8, 9, 10 and 11
Year 13
Wednesday
Thursday
Monday
2nd September 2015
3rd September 2015
7th September 2015
8.50 am
8.50 am
8.50 am
Sixth Form
Extended Project Qualification
67 Year 12 students successfully applied to take part in the Extended Project Qualification in 2015/16.
Members of staff have volunteered to act as their supervisors to guide the students through their course.
The students took part in a special EPQ Day designed to prepare them for the course. They also visited
the John Ryland Library at Manchester University, where they were allowed to research into their topics.
A number of the EPQ students are also taking part in the AQA Baccalaureate in which they fill in an
online diary outlining at least 100 hours of activities involving their personal development, community
activities and work.
UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) - University Applications
This year we welcomed representatives from Sheffield and Lancaster Universities as part of our Higher
Education Day. Students also enjoyed the opportunity to visit Leeds or Liverpool University to get a real
feel for university life and the facilities on offer.
Students should have now started to complete the initial sections of their UCAS form and have received
guidance on writing the first draft of their personal statement, which they should bring when they return
to school in September. Help and guidance can be accessed via the school Moodle and the UCAS
website.
Students who are applying to Oxford / Cambridge or to study Medicine / Dentistry / Veterinary Medicine
need to have completed their Personal Statements as soon as possible. The school deadline for these
early entries is the end of September 2015. The school deadline for all other entries is Friday 4th
December.
Year 13 Prom 2015
This event took place on a very warm Tuesday 30th June at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel. The occasion ran
very smoothly and there was a very happy, relaxed and jovial atmosphere. Well over 200 students
attended and it was nice to see everyone looking so well turned-out and celebrating what has been a
thoroughly enjoyable two years in the Sixth Form and for around a third of students, the culmination of
seven happy years at CRGS. We would like to thank the 2014-15 Student Leadership Team and Prom
Committee (and some parents) for all of their efforts in organising this event. We wish everyone an
enjoyable summer and look forward to seeing everyone on A Level Results Day, Thursday 13th August
2014.
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Oxbridge Visits and Prospective Applications
A thoroughly enjoyable and informative visit took place to Oxford and Cambridge from 1st – 3rd July.
Students had the opportunity to visit a number of colleges, stay overnight in a college at each university
and attend a series of sessions to learn more about the rigorous application process and experience
subject talks/lectures. They have also had time to look around the respective cities and gain a feel for
what it would be like to live there.
A number of our students are participating in Oxbridge summer schools this summer.
AS and A Level Results Day 2015
A reminder that results will be issued on Thursday 13th August 2015. Specific details with regard to
timings have been sent to all students. A Level results will be available in the Sixth Form canteen, from
8.00am and AS Level results from 11.00am at the Sixth Form. Please contact the Sixth Form reception
(01200 423118) if you have any questions.
GCSE Results Day 2015
A reminder that results will be issued on Thursday 20th August 2015. Specific details with regard to
timings have been sent to all Year 11 students. Results will be available, in the Sixth Form canteen,
from 8.00am. In the Sixth Form students will then be able to enrol on their Post-16 Study Programmes
once they have received their results. Uniform suppliers will be in our Quad allowing uniform to be
purchased on the day. Please contact the Main School reception (01200 423379) if you have any
questions.
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