Daniel was put forward to take part in the prestigious event, for which places are highly competitive and selective, by his Physics teacher Peter Hortor, after he achieved excellent AS results, and demonstrated a superb attitude towards his physics studies. He also took an online maths and physics test.

The challenge consisted of a range of lectures, practical lab activities and ‘life in Cambridge’ experiences such as punting. Daniel also met top physics students from around the country.

“Only top physics pupils from around the country are eligible to take part in the five day event” says Peter Hortor “and Daniel thoroughly deserved his place in this select group.”
The Senior Physics Challenge, SPC, is a university access initiative directed at AS physics students, or equivalent, in schools across the UK. It aims to demystify and make physics more accessible to a wider range of students.

“I’m delighted that the Arts Council has recognised Nottingham High Junior School’s dynamic arts education programme,” said Ed Jones, Deputy Head at Nottingham High Junior School. “Our pupils have really enjoyed working in art, drama, dance and music activities and I’d like to thank all our staff for their hard work in achieving this award.”

“Artsmark is more than simply a mark of distinction to us; taking part in the scheme has enabled us to develop our arts provision and see the pupils who take part become more self confident, engaged and excited about learning. Our focus is on creating well rounded individuals, so we view the arts as just as important as sports and other academic subjects,” added Ed Jones.

Alan Davey, chief executive, Arts Council England, said: “Arts Council England believes that the earlier children are creatively inspired, the more likely they are to have a lifelong engagement with art – something that can transform lives and give young people a voice for their thoughts and feelings.”

“Artsmark, now nationally recognised as a prestigious and coveted award, sets the standard for an outstanding arts provision in schools and it’s great to see so many new schools attaining the Artsmark Award this year. This award recognises Nottingham High Junior School’s commitment to providing exciting art experiences and their belief in the power of creativity.”

Giving blood is one of the most worthwhile things we can do, and one Year 13 student from Trent College in Long Eaton has made it her goal to get as many of her teachers and peers involved in blood donation as possible.

Katie Schwarz, 18, who is coming to the end of her A Level studies at the School, organised a ‘blood bus’ from the National Blood Service to come into Trent College on Wednesday 12th May. She was encouraged to take up the challenge following an inspiring talk during a PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) lesson. Keith Sudbury came in to talk to students about his son Adrian, who died of Leukaemia last year. Adrian, a talented journalist, was famous for setting up ‘Baldy’s Blog’, through which he shared his experiences during his illness, and which has now been turned into a book. He also wanted to educate the public about bone marrow donation, even taking his campaign to Downing Street.
Katie says: ‘Mr Sudbury told us that when his son was dying, his last wish was to try and encourage as many young people as possible to donate blood and bone marrow. After the lecture, lots of people were really interested but due to our busy lifestyle at school, many people would probably not have the time to find somewhere to go and donate. Head of Sixth Form, Miss Matthews, mentioned that there are mobile buses that visit different places so I thought it would be really great if we could get one to come into School.’
It was no mean feat; Katie had to liaise with the National Blood Service, complete health and safety assessments, ensure that appropriate facilities were in place and gain enough interest for the bus to visit the School. ‘I’m really pleased that we had such a great response; everyone has been very enthusiastic and supportive about this cause. I already give blood whenever I can and it’s something I feel quite strongly about. I realise the importance of it as my Granddad had Leukaemia, and I know it requires many blood transfusions. Apart from encouraging as many people as possible to give blood now and in the future, an important outcome of the day will be making younger students aware of what is happening, so they might consider giving blood when they are old enough.’

Physics students from Nottingham High School have been taking part in a national Extreme Physics competition over the Easter holidays at Rugby School in Warwickshire.
The Nottingham High School team of Peter Hardwidge, 15, Ben Gates, 14, Christian Cummings, 15, and Chris Brenchley, 15, came fourth in the competition, which involved 24 schools from around the country. Over the course of the three days, the boys took part in a range of team and individual challenges based around various areas of physics. These included building an accurate timing device, making and launching paper rockets and measuring an unknown mass without any scales. The undoubted highlight of the competition, however, was the opportunity to experience sky diving in a wind tunnel.
The competition aimed to inspire year 10 students from around the East Midlands to study Physics beyond GCSE level. It was sponsored by the Institute of Physics and The Ogden Trust and also included lectures in the evening by the heads of science at Rugby and Oakham.
“The boys thoroughly enjoyed the experience and performed really well,“ said Peter Hortor, a physics teacher at Nottingham High School. “There was a lot of tough competition and to be placed fourth is no mean feat. It was relevant to their GCSEs, but also encouraged them to consider A Level physics as a useful and interesting course.“
Peter Hardwidge, one of the pupils commented: “I knew I wanted to work in science, but now I am sure I want to be a physicist.“

Nottingham High School pupil and professional clarinet player, Jake Hinson, 15, has gained a professional clarinet performing diploma – an almost unprecedented achievement for a person of his age.
Jake, to gain the diploma, performed a recital which included the Stamitz Clarinet Concerto No 3, Weber Concertino and Finzi’s 5 Bagatelles. He was marked on his presentation and professionalism.
Now an associate of Trinity College of Music London and Junior Exhibitor at the Royal Academy of Music, Jake has been taken under the wing of Paul Harris, the UK’s leading clarinet educator and mentor while he focuses on preparing for further diplomas including a Diploma of The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music DipABRSM in November.
“I am thrilled that all my hard practice has paid off and I am reaching my goals,” said Jake. “I can’t thank my parents enough for their support.”
Jake, who has played the clarinet since the age of eight, has secured a number of other notable achievements including coming runner up in the Nottingham Musician of the Year competition in 2009 and winning a prize at the Royal Academy of Music in a major woodwind category in 2010.
In addition, Jake, along with fellow pupils from Nottingham High School, will be travelling to New York in October as part of a Big Band Tour. There he will play Artie Shaw’s clarinet concerto on the well known jazz musician’s original clarinet to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of this great musician’s birth in the spiritual home of Jazz and Big Band.

On Sunday 7th March, Trent College’s Year 12 Art students held a Private View exhibition of their work in the Carriage Restaurant at Chatsworth House.

After an onsite educational visit in the Autumn to Chatsworth House, which involved drawing and painting in the house and grounds, artwork was then developed in the department’s studios at Trent College. It was a wonderful opportunity for the students to use the architecture and landscape of the Chatsworth Estate as a source of inspiration for their drawing, painting and printmaking.

The private view was a great success and was well attended by students, parents, alumni, governors and staff. It was also a great privilege to have owner of the Chatsworth Estate and President of Trent College, His Grace The 12th Duke of Devonshire CBE attend, spending time talking to the students about their work and techniques used. He was very impressed by the standard and accepted our gift of one of the exhibited pieces of his own choice.
From Sunday 14th March, a selection of the work will be on display for several weeks to the public within the Conservatory of the Carriage House Restaurant.

The new Bishop of Southwell & Nottingham – the Rt Revd Paul Butler, paid a visit to Nottingham High School as part of a personal seven hour ‘pilgrimage’ of Nottingham city centre.

Riding the tram from the Nottingham suburbs into the city, Bishop Paul’s journey of discovery involved a visit to a weekly market, various community projects and a supermarket before arriving at the school for a well earned lunch. He was joined by headmaster Kevin Fear and deputy headmaster Dr Paul Sibly as well as other members of staff, sixth formers and a number of boys, representing the Community Action Group.

Over a fish and chip lunch, Bishop Paul discussed the community initiative that students organise which range from school trips to charity food appeals. He was also interested in what the boys were studying, what they were hoping to do after A levels and what they liked best at the school.

“It was a great honour have to have Bishop Paul come and visit us,” said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School. “He was very interested in what life is like here at the school and the work we do. He was also thought it was clever how we were able to match the colour of the napkins with his robes. It was nice to meet him.”

Revd Caldicott, a member of the Bishop’s entourage used to be a teacher at the school – he also enjoyed revisiting scenes from his past.

The pilgrimage finished with a ride on the Nottingham Big Wheel with the Lord Mayor of Nottingham and then a visit to the new Nottingham Contemporary Gallery.

Trent College in Long Eaton are celebrating after their Girls’ Hockey Team were crowned Under 16 Champions at the National Schools Finals, held in Staffordshire. This achievement was a milestone in itself for Girls’ Hockey at the School, being the first time Trent had a team in the National Finals, and what a debut it turned out to be.
The tournament proved to be a very tough competition; Trent took ten out of a possible twelve points from their group stages; beating Ipswich and Wakefield by a single goal to none, beating Millais 7-1 and drawing two a piece with a tough Millfield side.
They met St George’s College in the final 1-0, with Harriet Livesey scoring the winning goal. Kim Leiper led the way for Trent throughout the tournament, scoring four of the seven goals against Millais.
Peter Shuttleworth, their coach, was delighted as Holly Rainford stepped up to lift the salver: ‘This will hopefully be the first of many years we will be here with the girls’ teams to challenge for the national title. This triumph was not a complete surprise as it had been obvious for a number of years that we had a talented and committed group of players, and indeed the whole squad deserve a mention. The potential was there, but they have had to work very hard to achieve their success. They had a setback at the Midlands Championships when they were beaten by a robust Oundle team, but in hindsight, perhaps this helped to keep the girls focussed and to take nothing for granted.’
This is not the only achievement for this year group; Trent’s U16 boys continued their fine hockey season at Cannock Hockey Club by winning the Midlands Schools title. This was the 7th time in eight years that Trent has won this title, an impressive achievement considering the strength of the competition in the region. This success means that the team now goes forward to play in the National U16 Tournament, due to be played on 19th/20th April.

Rugby players from Trent College in Long Eaton have discovered a novel way to fit more reading into their school day.

Books and reading play a large role in life at Trent College and its Junior School, The Elms, with all pupils encouraged to read for pleasure. With this in mind, the School’s Rugby Titans, consisting of students from Years 11 to 13, have organised a Book Club, which is held before their weekly training session. Coach Guy Hope said: ‘It’s a bit of fun and the Titans really enjoy talking about the books they’ve read.’

Keep it up, boys!

Pupils from Years 2-5 at The Elms, Junior School to Trent College, were in for a treat this week, when award winning author Andrew Cope and his dog Lara came to visit, creating a perfect start to the School’s World Book Week activities.
Lara is the inspiration behind Andrew’s bestselling Spy Dog novels, in which a specially trained secret agent dog has many adventures, chasing mega-baddy ‘Mr Big’. The real Lara cannot play computer games or drive a car like her counterpart in the books but she was very patient with the pupils who all wanted to stroke her.
Andrew, from Derby, gave an inspirational talk to the children about books and stories, explaining why reading is so important today and explained to pupils that reading encourages the imagination and makes your brain work harder than watching T.V. The pupils went away with signed copies of the Spy Dog books (Andrew even gave out some free copies) and were inspired to take part in a competition, designed to fire their imagination and improve their writing skills, by writing their own story about a pet gorilla. As an extra incentive all entries stand a chance of winning a special Spy Dog t-shirt!
Andrew’s incredibly popular books have won several awards, including a Nottingham Book Award and Redhouse Children’s Book of the Year.
Both The Elms and Trent College believe that reading is an important factor in ensuring the well-being and happiness of our children and The Elms’ wonderful new library promotes reading for pleasure in a variety of ways, one of which is through meeting an author. All pupils at The Elms have now met a writer this academic year, which has further inspired them to read and to use their imagination. And they have had a lot of fun, too!

World Book Day is always a day to remember for Trent College and its Junior School, The Elms, and this year was no exception.
Held on Thursday 4th March, World Book Day is the biggest annual celebration of books and reading in the UK and Ireland. One of its main aims is to encourage children to read for pleasure, something which is actively promoted all year round by Trent College through events, book clubs and author visits. To celebrate the day, the School’s Library Services team organised a number of fun activities involving all children from 3 – 18 years old.
At The Elms, staff and pupils came to school dressed as their favourite characters from books; there were princesses and fairies, secret agents and superheros, even the Gruffalo made an appearance! ‘Wally’ from Where’s Wally was also spotted in the crowd.
At Trent, the School Bookshop, based in the Warner Library, had some special offers for the day and long queues were forming as early as 8.30am, with children eager to spend their £1 World Book Day token on a wide selection of books. At lunchtime, live music, drinks and biscuits ensured that the library was buzzing with enthusiastic students of all ages.
With a literary theme in mind, the Trent College Catering Department prepared a magnificent lunch based on Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes book, including ‘bird pie’ complete with ‘birds legs’! Across the School, tutors devoted their PSHE lessons to reading and discussing books.
The school day ended with a literary quiz held in Warner Library. Seven teams took on the challenge of answering questions about books, authors and films and impressed the experts with their knowledge. The winning team from Year 8 went home with a big box of chocolates and even bigger smiles on their faces.
Talking about the success of the day, Annike Dase, Head of Library Services said: ‘It was a fantastic day, celebrating books and reading across both Schools. Literature plays a big part in children’s development, from language learning to higher thinking skills, and it is important to foster a love of reading from an early age. That is why Trent College and The Elms embrace World Book Day every year and make it a memorable event for everyone.’

A Year 8 pupil from Trent College in Long Eaton has earned her place in the top eight speed skaters in Western Europe, one of only two British girls to do so.

Last month, Jennifer Pickering, 13, took part in the final Star Class competition in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, finishing in 6th place. The Star Class is an international competition for elite short track Speed Skaters residing in Western Europe and the grand final, the ‘Future Champions Trophy’, will be held at the beginning of March in Budapest. Jennifer and her fellow Western European skaters will be competing against the top eight from Eastern Europe, and she is one of only five British skaters to have reached the finals of this prestigious competition.

Jennifer started skating when she was just nine years old and spent a year working her way to the highest level, from where she could concentrate on one of the four disciplines; ice dance, figure skating, synchronised skating or speed skating. After gaining gold awards in two of these disciplines, an excited Jennifer was able to start speed skating, a long term ambition. She will finish what is only her second year of competitive racing in April, and has gone from strength to strength in a very short space of time.

In her first year she won the award for most improved skater and finished the season by achieving a qualifying time that enabled her to enter the Star Class competitions. This year, Jennifer won the first international open competition in the skating calendar at Mont Blanc, following this up at home by winning almost all of the domestic competitions she entered. Also, along with three team mates, Jennifer broke the British 2000m relay record, which was a proud moment as she was the captain of the team.

From the beginning of the season it was Jennifer’s goal to make the Star Class grand final, and talking about her achievements, Jennifer’s father, James Pickering said: ‘We are very proud of Jennifer’s determination to succeed in her chosen sport, and everyone comments on her good sportsmanship and positive attitude. It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get where she is today and she still strives to improve. She has a long road ahead of her, but I’m sure she’s going to love every minute of it!’

Eight brave teachers from Trent College in Long Eaton have taken part in what is said to be the world’s most demanding one day survival ordeal, all in the name of charity.

Teachers Geoff Thompson, James Prince, Max Stevens, Guy Hope, Dan Brown, Kevan Taylor, James Marriot and Ben Ward competed in ‘Tough Guy’ during the last weekend in January to raise money for the Haiti Earthquake Appeal.
Tough Guy is an annual charity event run in Perton, South Staffordshire and claims to be ‘The World’s safest, most dangerous taste of mental and physical pain, fear and endurance’. The Tough Guy charity operates a horse sanctuary for retired/injured racehorses, which is used as a rehabilitation centre for young offenders.
The event, which was first staged in 1986, consists of an eight mile cross county run, followed by a two mile assault course consisting of 21 obstacles including high rope-climbs, barbed wire crawls, electrified obstacles, icy underwater tunnels, walls of fire, and lots of mud! Competitors even sign a ‘Death Warrant’ before the event, accepting full responsibility for their own recklessness.
Around 5000 people entered this year’s event, with just over 4000 completing the course. Design and Technology teacher Ben Ward, who organised Trent College’s participation in the event, came in a magnificent 150th place, with a time of just over 1 hour and 40 minutes. This is the fourth time Trent College have entered a staff team and they are looking to compete again next year.
Ben said: “Tough Guy is unlike any other event; the freezing temperatures really add another dimension to what is already a very challenging course. There is a fantastic camaraderie between competitors that shows just how well people can pull together when the going gets tough!”

Trent College in Long Eaton always makes a real effort for World Book Day, and this year will be no exception. In preparation for the day on Thursday 4th March, pupils at Trent College’s Junior School, The Elms, have enjoyed a visit from a local children’s author, who inspired them to get reading!

On Tuesday 9th February, children from The Elms Nursery, Reception and Year 1 classes had an exciting morning with a visit from Nottingham based picture book author and paper engineer Jonathan Emmett. Mr Emmett, who is well known for his colourful and captivating pop up books, shared a selection of his books with the children, including Emergency Rescue, Someone Bigger, Tom’s Clockwork Dragon and The Santa Trap. They even had a sneak preview of two brand new books which aren’t available in book shops yet!
After reading his stories to a captivated audience, where it was compulsory for the children to join in at the appropriate moment with animal sounds, Mr Emmett signed the story books bought by the children, resulting in happy faces all round. Both the children and the teachers had the opportunity to learn more about Mr Emmett’s job as a ‘paper engineer’ with a demonstration of how to create their very own pop-up frogs, which is not as easy as it seems.
Still to come this term, the Elms are looking forward to a visit from Andy Cope, another established, talented author who is best known for his ‘Spy Dog’ books, which are beloved by children between 6 and 10 years old. Years 2-5 will have the opportunity to take part in some creative writing with him and best of all: he’ll bring his dog!
Talking about the visit and the importance of reading at both Schools, Annike Dase, Head of Library Services said: ‘At The Elms we know how important reading for pleasure is for happiness and success in life and every pupil in the school will be meeting an author during every academic year. The libraries at The Elms and Trent College work together to encourage all of our students to read for pleasure and enjoy literature from the very first picture book up to Booker Prize winners. It has now become traditional for pupils from both Schools to join together to celebrate reading on World Book Day, and we’re looking forward to another fun day full of book related activities.’

Year 13 students, who are in the final year of their Chemistry A Level course, visited The University of Nottingham this month for a spectroscopy masterclass. Spectroscopy is used in, for example, the analysis of chemical samples, for forensic analysis purposes and for checking purity in the manufacture of new pharmaceuticals.
Head of Chemistry at Trent College, Dr Carrie-Ann Wakerley commented: ‘The visit really enhanced our students’ A2 studies as it allowed them to use apparatus that otherwise they would only read about in books. They made up discs to use on an infra red spectrometer, toured the nuclear magnetic resonance suite (where each machine cost approximately £750,000) and the mass spectrometer suite. Our thanks go to the University of Nottingham for allowing the students to experience this technology for themselves.’

Trent College students have plenty of opportunities to extend and enhance their knowledge of various subjects; English students take part in an annual Creative Writing Residential, Economics and Business students put their skills to the test in a national stock market investment competition, ‘Shares 4Schools’ and A Level artists showcase their work in an exhibition at Chatsworth House. Additionally, all students have the opportunity to take part in a range of cultural trips to locations in the UK and beyond.

Haven Roosevelt, the grandson of former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, has visited Nottingham High School to speak to its History and Politics Societies.
Mr Roosevelt, discussed his younger days, particularly those associated with his grandparents, including his grandmother Eleanor’s active work in social and welfare reform in the United Nations in the aftermath of the Second World War. He also talked about ‘Conflict or Consensus’, questioning which approach is the better method to adopt in the political arena when pushing through reforms. To illustrate this, he chose examples of his own grandfather introducing reforms as part of the ‘New Deal’ to combat depression in the United States after 1933 and also drew parallels with modern day American politics where President Obama is currently attempting to push health reforms through Congress.
“It was great to have Mr Roosevelt to come and speak to the boys”, said Peter Cramp, head of economics and politics at Nottingham High School. “Both the pupils and teachers found it fascinating to hear stories of his childhood as well as his opinions and views on current politics. It was an extremely valuable experience.”
Mr Roosevelt was on a visit to Nottingham as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the creation of the Nottingham Roosevelt Travelling Scholarship – a unique programme which enables men and women aged between 21 and 30, living and working in Nottinghamshire, to visit the USA for between four weeks and three months to investigate a work related topic of their choice.

Nottingham High School pupil and national relay orienteering champion, James Taylor, 18, has been accepted for the 2009/10 Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, (TASS), for the second year running.
James is one of twenty one British orienteers to be awarded TASS this year – a Government funded programme that represents a unique partnership between sport and higher and further education institutions. The programme facilitates a service provision for talented athletes that are committed to combining their sport and education.
James will receive a comprehensive package of support including strength and conditioning physiotherapy, lifestyle support, screening and participation in a medical scheme as well as access to coaching, sport science, nutrition and psychology services.
“This is a fantastic achievement for James,” said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School. “He has also just returned from another training session with the Great Britain squad coaches as part of the World Class Programme where he excelled once again. We are very proud of him.”

Nottingham High Junior School is the highest ranking independent boys’ junior school in the East Midlands according to the recently published Sunday Times top 250 Preparatory Schools league table.
Not only has the school been ranked 20th in the UK, up ten places on last year, but it is the 3rd highest ranking independent boys’ junior school in the country.
The table has been calculated using the aggregated scores of pupils achieving Level 5 in English, Maths and Science at Key Stage 2 in their Standard Assessment Tests (SATs)
“This is a fantastic achievement for the school,” said Andrew Earnshaw, headmaster at Nottingham High Junior School. “The result is testament to the hard work of both our staff and pupils. We now look to continuing our success this year and hopefully climbing even higher in the next league table.”
In addition, Nottingham High School was ranked 102nd in the top 425 independent secondary schools.

Two celebrated authors, Mark Wagh and Beverley Naidoo, have recently visited Nottingham High School as part of its ‘Year of Reading’. This initiative is designed to engage with boys of all ages at the school, exploring reading habits, preferences, philosophies about reading and its importance.
Nottinghamshire County Cricketer, Mark Wagh was well received by boys from across the year groups when he joined them at lunch to discuss and share his thoughts on his book ‘Pavilion to Crease…and Back’.
Pupil, Luke Robinson said, “I enjoyed listening to Wagh’s account of the process of writing such an honest and frank book. Wagh spoke of his satisfaction in producing a piece of work that represents all of his cricketing knowledge and recommended the enjoyment of writing as well as reading.”
Beverley Naidoo’s novels draw on issues connected with Racism, Apartheid and Asylum-seeking in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and the United Kingdom; ultimately, she is eager to reveal the contexts of her work through a child’s perspective and their friendships.
In preparation for Dr Naidoo’s visit, all year nine boys read her Carnegie Medal Winning novel, ‘The Other Side of Truth’. The day consisted of a presentation in the morning and a writing workshop in the afternoon for year 9 and aimed to develop creative and personal writing skills which the boys will be able to utilise, not only this year, but also as they approach their GCSEs. Year 13 students also engaged in an informal talk and reading by Dr Naidoo, who then went on to chat with many boys, from across the school, during a busy book signing.
Beverely Naidoo proved herself to be as dynamic and interesting a speaker as her books are thrilling and varied; a huge number of boys were inspired to speak to her in person about her incredible life and books. Dr Naidoo warmly commended the boys on their creative output at the close of the workshop.
“We always try and build in author visits into the school year as part of the drive to promote reading, said Kevin Fear Headmaster at Nottingham High School. These two particular visits, part of our Year of Reading which was launched in September 2009, have been very well received. Similar exercises, planned for the coming months, are all aimed at challenging stereotypes linked to reading and about who might read what. We hope the year’s events will help equip the boys with the skills to proceed successfully in their academic careers and beyond.”

Students from Trent College in Long Eaton have been taking part in food related activities as part of national Chemistry Week, stimulating their interest in science, and their taste buds!
Themed weeks are organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) every two years to promote a positive image of Chemistry. Talking about how Trent College have been involved this year, Head of Chemistry, Dr Carrie-Ann Wakerley, said: ‘Chemistry week is designed to promote the chemical sciences and show how much impact they have on our everyday lives. This year the theme is “food” so we have tried to relate the chemistry that the students are studying to food topics and have a lot of fun in the process.’
Trent College students from all age groups took part in a range of food related activities throughout the week. Year 8 Chemistry Club made gelatine air fresheners and extracted iron from cornflakes, Sixth Form students made plastic from potatoes, extracted limonene from oranges, and made ice cream with Year 5 pupils from Trent College’s Junior school, The Elms, all of whom thoroughly enjoyed tasting their finished product!
As well as conducting experiments of their own, students from the Year 9 were entertained by Graeme Jones, award winning Chemical Ecologist who is a senior lecturer at Keele University. Dr Jones’ passion for his subject emanated during his interactive and fragrant lecture ‘Sex, Flies and Smelly Sticky Tape’, where he talked to students about chemical attraction in the insect world, let them smell some potent ‘pheromones’ and encouraged them to dance like molecules!
A SENSE-ATIONAL photographic display from the Royal Society of Chemistry completed the information available to students about this fascinating subject.

Success beckons for Nottingham High School pupil, Jake Hinson, age 14, as he prepares to battle it out in the final of the Nottingham Young Musician of the Year, a national competition being held at the Djanogly Recital Hall, Lakeside Arts Centre, University of Nottingham on Sunday 8 November.

Jake, who plays clarinet, secured his place in the final after winning the woodwind class in the competition. He then went on to win the semi final, beating over 115 of the most accomplished musicians of all ages from across the region in the process. Jake will be the only woodwind player competing in the final for the national title of Nottingham Musician of the Year.

“I am really looking forward to taking part in the final, said Jake. “I came third in the competition two years ago and I hope to do even better this year.”

In addition, fellow Nottingham High School pupil Matt Glendening, age 11, secured a place in the semi final in the same competition by winning the junior piano category.

“These are fantastic achievements for Jake and Matt – they are both excellent musicians,” said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School. “We are all very proud of them here at the school and I would like to take this opportunity to wish Jake the very best of luck for the final.”

The biannual competition is broken down into three age groups – junior, intermediate and senior, and its categories include, brass, woodwind, piano, voice and strings.

Matt is also to be awarded the Nellie Greenhill Memorial Prize by the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music after achieving the highest scoring distinction at grade seven piano taken in Nottingham in the last 12 months.

Nottingham High School pupils Anthony Brown, 16, and Adam Robbins, 16,have both secured places at the final of the National Science and Engineering Competition following their wins in the Midlands regional final of the competition.

The competition is open to 11-18 year olds in the UK who have completed a project in any aspect of Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths.

Adam Robbins designed a fishometer – a device that fits in the lid of a fish tank to automatically control the temperature and lighting, and also feeds the fish. He said; “I have learnt an enormous amount through my work on this project in my design technology lessons and Young Engineers club. I hope to develop the idea further by allowing users to monitor their fish remotely over the internet.”

The second winning project, created by Anthony, was a wireless house key that is controlled by a special hand held remote.

“Many congratulations to Anthony and Adam, said Paul Gray, head of design technology at Nottingham High School. “I have been hugely impressed with their deep understanding of the latest high technology and innovative ideas. With their effort and enthusiasm each thoroughly deserves their place in the competition and we wish them luck.”
Nottingham High School’s entries will now be judged at the National Science and Engineering Competition which will take place at the Big Bang Science Fair in Manchester next March, where the boys will each be hoping to be crowned ‘UK Young Engineer of The Year.’

Nottingham High School will also be sending four more young technologists to the national final after it also won the prize for the best Young Engineers Club in the Midlands.

The competition is led by the British Science Association, an organisation supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Science.

The issues surrounding global warming are an ever present feature in today’s news bulletins, with footage of how rising temperatures, melting sea ice and crumbling glaciers are dramatically changing the landscape of the northern hemisphere. A group of Year 12 students from Trent College in Long Eaton recently had the chance to experience these scenes for themselves, during a month long expedition to East Greenland.
When most sensible people were looking forward to a few weeks lying on a sunny beach after a hard term, 12 students, accompanied by three teachers, embarked on a 26 day arctic expedition to the Angmagssalik area of East Greenland. In a vast glaciated wilderness with rare opportunities for contact with other humans, the group completed their journey in three tiring and demanding phases, all the while carrying their climbing kit, food and essential equipment. With permanent daylight the group could explore the landscape to its full potential, undertaking 12 and 13 hour mountain ascents, rock climbing and gathering data for the research aspects of the expedition.
Reykjavik provided a colourful and vibrant stop on the return journey home, with a chance for the group to regain the weight lost over the previous month and re-acquaint themselves with civilisation and luxuries, such as flushing toilets! With mostly perfect blue skies days throughout, the photograph opportunities were fantastic, providing many lasting reminders of this challenging and awe inspiring journey.
Trent College’s Expedition leader Paul Saville said: ‘The expedition was a huge success, and it is testament to the courage and determination of the students that we achieved all our objectives. Being away for such a long period of time tests character and a team’s ability to work to their full potential. From a student’s perspective it was an amazing opportunity to spend time in a real and savage wilderness where the population could not be further removed from what they are used to.’

Students from Trent College in Long Eaton were treated to a fantasy this week, with a visit from children’s author Sam Enthoven.
Sam writes books for 11-15 year olds, which he describes as ‘fantastical action thrillers’. His passion and energy for his work certainly made him an inspirational speaker for Years 7, 8 and 9 at Trent College, as well as Year 6 pupils from the College’s junior school, the Elms. Sam’s third book, ‘Crawlers’, is due for release in 2010, and students enjoyed hearing about how he became an author, the inspiration behind his ideas, as well as listening to readings of his action packed first book, ‘The Black Tattoo’. There was also a very long queue of students eager for Sam to sign their copies of his books!
Trent College is fortunate to have strong partnerships with a number of speakers from the literary world, including authors, playwrights and editors. The College is also committed to promoting the importance of a lifelong interest in reading, and as such plans are currently underway to expand the library facilities available to students.
Trent College’s old dining room will be transformed into a new library which will support teaching and learning in all its forms for everyone in the school community. Consequently, everyone who will be using the library; students, teaching and support staff, have been involved in the planning process. The new library will be in keeping with the traditions of the school, preserving the beauty and original features of the old dining room, whilst meeting the demands of a 21st Century student with the inclusion of the latest technologies. It is intended that the new library will be an imaginative and visually engaging space, which will facilitate a love of literature amongst those who study there.

A former Trent College student and International swimmer has returned to the College to share her skills with younger students.
Emma Bird, 18, left Trent College this summer after completing her A Level studies. She is now taking two years out of education to pursue her swimming career, before progressing to University. Emma has an illustrious track record; representing Great Britain at Junior, Youth and Senior Level, and she has been selected to swim for the GB Senior Team at the European Short Course Championships in Turkey this December. Her travels this year will also take her to Dubai to participate in a training camp, and to Holland with England Talent Development to prepare for the Commonwealth Trials in 2010.
Emma took time out from her training this week to return to Trent College in Long Eaton and impart her knowledge to Year 7 students. She encouraged the students with her top tips for perfecting her predominant stroke, the breast stroke, and was very impressed with what she saw!

Nottingham High School’s new state-of-the-art Sixth Form Centre and dining hall has been officially opened by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, Sir Andrew Buchanan and School Captain, James Taylor.

Governors and staff as well as other VIP guests were invited to the event which included an opportunity to take a tour of the new building.

The £4.5m centre is located in the West Quad area at the heart of the school site and boasts spacious and modern facilities for both senior school and sixth form pupils.

A 400 capacity dining hall for the senior school including new kitchen facilities is situated on the ground floor, whilst the sixth form centre occupies the first and second floors and includes a brasserie and large, bright social areas for the Sixth Formers to enjoy.

With the new centre being at the heart of the school, sixth form students are able to play a key role in school life and also provide an inspiration to younger pupils – a key requirement when the design for the new centre was originally conceived.

“We are extremely proud of our new sixth form centre and dining hall and wanted to have a special event to mark the official opening,” said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School. “Our students will be able to benefit from first class facilities, significantly enhancing their experience at the school.”

Photo: (L-R) Kevin Fear, Headmaster Nottingham High School, Sir Andrew Buchanan, Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, James Taylor, School Captain

It has been a busy summer for Nottingham High Junior School pupil Michael Fletcher, who returns to school a national chess champion after being awarded the title of Under 9 Champion, out of 67,000 entrants, at the prestigious British Land UK Chess Challenge – the largest school chess tournament in the world

Michael, representing Nottingham High Junior School, won his U9 section in the Northern Gigafinal in Oldham. In addition to being presented with a trophy by Grandmaster Stephen Gordon, he also gained an automatic qualification to the final stage – the Terafinal at Warwick School.

Michael became one of the last 66 players left in the Terafinal and in round five, with an English Chess Federation (ECF) grade of 104, found himself facing Ankush Khandelwal from Nottingham High Senior School who had an ECF grade of 211.

Once the progressive scores were worked out, the title of the U9 Champion 2009 went jointly to Michael and fellow player Matthew Wadsworth from Berkshire.

“This is a remarkable achievement for Michael,” said Andrew Earnshaw, headmaster at Nottingham High Junior School. “Needless to say, being awarded the top Under 9 prize, out of 67,000 entrants is some going. Michael is a great ambassador for the school and I speak for everyone here at the school when I say we are very proud of him.”

“We are absolutely thrilled with what Michael has achieved,” said Michael’s mother, Linda Fletcher. “He’s always had great fun playing chess since we gave him a set for his sixth birthday; but, it wasn’t until he joined Nottingham High Junior School that it really took off for him. It’s a great testament to his school that he’s been able to go from strength to strength and long may it continue as he has hopes of becoming a Grandmaster!”

Work has been completed on a new £4.5m state-of-the-art Sixth Form Centre and dining hall at Nottingham High School.

The scheme has been designed by Nottingham architects maber and constructed by Derby based contractor G F Tomlinson Building and representatives from all parties involved in the development gathered to celebrate the handover of the building to the school.

Located in the West Quad area at the heart of the school’s buildings, the centre boasts spacious and modern facilities for both senior school and sixth form pupils. A 400 capacity dining hall with new kitchen facilities is situated on the ground floor, leaving the current dining hall for junior school pupils. The first and second floors have a coffee bar and large, bright social areas for the Sixth Formers to enjoy. A bridge also connects the social area to the library.

The roof itself is an eye catching feature. Enclosing the West Quad, it is covered in translucent cushions, similar to those used on the Eden Project. Perimeter glazing between the existing high level walls and the underside of the new roof allows it to visually ‘float’ above the new walls, allowing plenty of natural light into the complex and creating a pleasant learning environment for students to study in relax in.

The materials for the new facilities include timber wall panelling, glazed balustrades and a striking white painted mezzanine, which both contrast with, and complement, the existing buildings.

To ensure that the new development is as environmentally friendly as possible, the enclosed quad maximises the opportunities for natural light and natural ventilation. It also has under floor heating which is able to run at a lower water temperature than more conventional radiators and long life construction materials have also been used.

“The completed building looks fantastic,” said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School. “The centre offers our pupils the best possible facilities alongside our excellent teaching resources. This is an exciting time for the school.”

Simon Middlecote of Maber said: “This has been a great project to have been involved in and we are really pleased with its finished design. As a practice we have a lot of experience working on projects in the education sector and feel proud that we can add this development to our portfolio. The centre provides students with first class learning facilities in a modern and fresh environment.”

Stuart Lawrence, director and general manager of G F Tomlinson Building commented: “G F Tomlinson are delighted to have been part of such a unique and prestigious project at Nottingham High School. The scheme required great care due to the interface with a live occupied school environment and the detailing of the scheme, particularly the roof construction. We have extensive experience in the education sector and are happy to utilize this to provide students with a state of the art facility that all the school can be proud of.”

Nottingham High School has an excellent reputation for delivering outstanding results at GCSE and A Level and this year has been no exception.

At A Level, for the first time a 100% pass rate was achieved, with over 82% of the grades being A or B. 43 boys got three A grades or better. Of those, 11 got four As, five got five As and one boy – Ted Pynegar – got six As! Ted is now set to continue his academic studies at Cambridge University, where he is going to study Natural Sciences.

Likewise at GCSE a 100% pass rate was also achieved with 30% of the boys gaining at least 10 A* and A grades. Pupil Kyle Lam, 16 gained 12 A* grades while fellow pupils Jethro Waldron, 16, Marcus Burton, 16, and Michael White, 16, all gained 11A* and A grades.

In addition to its outstanding academic performance, the High School has also produced many sporting success stories. Alex Monk, 16, who gained 8A* and 2As in his GCSEs and is now staying on to study his A Levels at the school, is a member of Derby County’s youth squad, and he will be combining his lessons with training sessions at the club.

Headmaster, Kevin Fear said “I am thrilled with our superb A Level and GCSE results. They are richly deserved and are very much a result of the partnership between the boys, their parents and our dedicated staff. I would like to congratulate them all.”

The whole of Year 10, along with 8 members of staff, at Nottingham High School have taken part in a Business Dynamics conference intended to equip the boys with an insight into and understanding of the world of business.

The day involved two practical workshops, for which the boys were divided up into teams. The first task was to build an eggcup out of cardboard, whereby the boys had to ‘buy’ the materials they needed by negotiating prices with the course organisers. Once the eggcups were built, they then had to try and sell them. The second task involved designing and building a miniature fairground ‘white knuckle’ ride out of cardboard and sellotape. A marble was then placed on the ride to see if it could run the course and to see which marble rode for the longest time. In a third session the boys had to review four CVs and select two for interview.

The boys were marked by a panel of judges who were looking for evidence of teamwork, delegation, creativity and enterprise skills.

“We have held similar conferences in the past and they have always proved extremely successful and popular with the boys, this year being no exception,” said John Lamb, senior careers adviser and head of year 11 at Nottingham High School. “The day provided the boys with a great opportunity to learn about the basic workings of the business world and helps stand them in good stead as they move onto A-Levels, university and beyond.”

16 boys from Nottingham High School are about to experience the trip of a lifetime with a 28 day expedition to Siberia.

The trip, organised by World Challenge, will give the boys a unique opportunity to explore the wild, unpopulated and remote areas of the Altai region in Siberia. Beginning with a day long expedition on horseback which will give them a real insight into the area, the boys then spend an exciting day rafting. This takes them to the start point of the main 12 day trek to the Beluhka range of mountains where they also get the chance to do a spot of ice climbing on the Akkem Glacier.

During the second phase of the expedition the boys will be working at a local school in the Altai region, where they will be improving the play area at the school, and helping out in the classrooms teaching English. The aim is also to forge links between the Siberian school and Nottingham High School that the boys will build on once they return home.

After all the hard work, the boys will have the chance to enjoy some cultural rest and relaxation in Moscow where they will be able to soak up the sights and learn about Russian culture before coming home.

The boys, who are all in years 11-13, were responsible for raising the funds for the trip themselves. These have included taking part in a sponsored 15k fun run, as well as various individual tasks such as car washing, grass cutting and weekend jobs.

“This is a fantastic opportunity and I speak for both myself and the boys when I say we are all really looking forward to it”, said Ian Thorpe, a design technology teacher at Nottingham High School, who is organising the expedition. “They will have the opportunity to experience a unique culture that is completely different to our own as well as seeing some fantastic sights. It really will be a trip of a lifetime.”

Nottingham High Junior School pupil Tom Walton, 9, has won the ‘Best Human Interest’ category in the 2009 UK Schools Computer Animation Competition after creating a one minute film about the Twin Towers.

Tom attended the Schools Computer Animation Festival and Awards Ceremony at The Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester where, along with 40 other prize winning students, he received a certificate and an Amazon voucher.

After the prize giving ceremony, all finalists and their guests were able to enjoy a Winner’s Lunch.

Tom’s film was chosen from over 800 applicants and was created at school using the Storytelling Alice software. However, so great was the motivation and enjoyment in creating the films, Tom and many of the boys at the school continued to work on their films at home.

“I was so excited to be invited to attend the awards ceremony in Manchester”, said Tom. “Although I knew I had won a prize, until I got there I did not know where I had been placed so it was a complete surprise to find out that I had won the ‘Best Human Interest’ category. I got my idea for the film during a brainstorming session in one of the ICT lessons. I knew the film had to be good technically, but also needed a powerful historical story. The tragedy of 9/11 seemed to be perfect and would educate boys who were too young to understand the horrific day, including myself. So I researched the facts, found music inspired from the tragedy and set to work using the characters and scenes available.”

“This is a fantastic achievement for Tom,” said Anthony Simpson, a teacher at Nottingham High Junior School. “Tom was up against some tough competition with over 800 entries and to be invited to the prize giving ceremony is no mean feat in itself. Actually winning this award is just the icing on the cake and I speak for everyone at the school when I say we are all very proud of him.”

Conservative MP Dr Oliver Letwin has visited Nottingham High School to give sixth form pupils an insight into the world of politics.

Now chairman of the Policy Review and of the Conservative Research Department, Dr Letwin held a question and answer session with the pupils and staff and discussed the parliamentary system.

Arguing that the UK system of Government is not sufficiently accountable, Dr Letwin also highlighted his party’s belief that there is a current decline in local Government power and put forward suggestions as to how his party would tackle this issue. In his words, shifting power ‘downwards and outwards’ would benefit local communities.

When asked by Nottingham High School headmaster, Kevin Fear, what the Conservatives would do to tackle the current debt situation, Dr Letwin said that they would aim to change the whole framework of public services, giving parents, pupils, patients and other service users more power and choice, in order to make public services accountable, more contestable and more efficient – in essence ‘more for less’.

“This was a great opportunity for the boys to get a real insight into politics and they asked Oliver some really insightful questions,” said Peter Cramp, head of politics at Nottingham High School. “We have organised similar visits in the past and they have always been met with great enthusiasm by both pupils and staff. We definitely plan to host more of these talks in the future. Oliver gave a valuable and interesting speech regarding the aims and workings of the Government and we were delighted to have him as our guest.”  

Science pupils at Nottingham High School have been celebrating after winning an array of awards in the first round of the International Chemistry Olympiad and the British Biology Olympiad – a national competition from which to select a team for the International Biology Olympiad.

Star pupil, Ted Pynegar, 18, gained a gold certificate in both biology and chemistry, the first gold in chemistry for four years, and received a special prize in recognition of this performance. Ted’s accomplishment in the biology competition also led to him being selected as one of four students, from over 1800 that entered, to represent the UK in the International Biology Olympiad in Japan this summer.

The International Chemistry Olympiad, run by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), saw over 2000 pupils take part nationally and involved a challenging written test of chemical knowledge, designed to stimulate debate, raise awareness of chemistry and help develop some of the skills required for university. In addition to Ted, Nottingham High School pupils Wenhao Li, 18, William Gee, 18, and Kieron Kumar, 18, walked away with silver awards.

For the British Biology Olympiad, 10 year 13 High School boys took part in round one of the competition which, like Ted, saw Richard Cassidy, 18, and Wenhao Li, 18, win gold. In addition, Simon Durrant, 18, Nick Johal, 18, and Craig Woods, 18, all gained silver while Ayan De, 18, won bronze. Having performed exceptionally well, Ted and Wenhao were then selected for round two of the competition at Birmingham University where they joined young biologists from across the UK. The three day event involved undertaking a series of theoretical and practical tests. From this stage, Ted was selected to represent the UK in Japan.

Gold, silver and bronze medal winners have been invited to receive their medals from Professor Steve Jones at Imperial College London in June.

“These are high profile competitions that attract a lot of tough competition and the boys have done both themselves and the school proud,” said Kevin Fear, headmaster Nottingham High School. “Ted in particular performed outstandingly and now faces an exciting challenge at the International Biology Olympiad. He is an asset to the school and we wish him and the rest of the UK team good luck in Japan.”

“I never imagined that I would get as far as I did in the Biology Olympiad competition, but now I have it really is a dream come true,” said Ted. “I am also interested in Japan as a country, so I am really looking forward to the international competition there in July.”

Nottingham High School Pupil Anuj Dal, 12, has been selected to join the England U16’s Indoor Cricket Squad.

Invited to attend the U16 trials after having played in the National League Indoor Games at the U19 level, Anuj’s performance took the selectors by storm and led to his inclusion in the squad.

Anuj will now have the opportunity to be trained by an international coach over the next few months and, if he continues to impress, has the opportunity to represent England at the U16 Indoor Cricket World Cup which is being played in Australia in October.

Scott Boswell, director of cricket at Nottingham High School said, “This is a fantastic achievement for Anuj and we are all very proud of him. It’s particularly exceptional because he is still only 12 and half years old. The next few months are going to be very exciting for him.”

Members of Nottingham High School’s Big Band have been celebrating after winning a silver award at the finals of the National Concert Band Festival in Cardiff, the UK’s largest wind and big band festival.

The 18 strong band were one of only five bands in the country to be selected to play, as a result of their previous successes at the regional stages of the competition, where they battled it out against 25 other groups from across the North and the Midlands.

At the final, the Big Band performed a range of music from the 1950’s through to modern Latin American compositions. Vocalist, Oliver Metcalfe, also performed “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé and saxophonist, Fergal Duggan, was presented with an ‘Outstanding Soloist’ award.

Gerald Douglas, a music teacher at Nottingham High School said; “The boys did both themselves and the school proud with a fantastic performance at the competition and thoroughly deserve their award. All the bands were of an extremely high standard and we were delighted to be amongst the elite of the UK’s top musical groups and hope to go one better next time.”

The band alternate between touring abroad – playing in Rome last year and with plans to go to Holland next as part of a musical festival, and taking part in the National Concert Band Festival.

Chemistry pupils from Nottingham High School are celebrating after becoming runners up in the national final of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s RSC prestigious ‘Top of the Bench’ competition that took place at Loughborough University.

Having won the East Midlands Regional Final in January, the four strong team; Kyle Lam, 16, David Bennett, 15, Tom Kent, 14 and Ben Gates, 14, competed against 28 teams from schools across the UK, each having qualified to represent their own region, to battle it out in the final stage of the competition.

The final consisted of two activities, a short test of factual knowledge and a practical chemical problem solving team exercise at which the High School boys particularly excelled.

Kieron Heath, head of chemistry at the school said; “This level of success on a national level, in a Royal Society of Chemistry competition, is a fantastic achievement; the boys were an absolute credit to themselves and the School.”

“The competition was very challenging, but it was also a very enjoyable and valuable experience,” said Kyle Lam. “We had the opportunity to do experiments that we don’t normally get the chance to do at school and use some really advanced equipment. We also managed to talk to postgraduate students about career opportunities.”

After finishing second the boys were awarded a plate trophy by former Olympic high jumper Geoff Parsons.

In addition, three first year sixth form students at the school; George Watkinson (17), Chris Heining (17) and Alex McDonald (17), finished third at the Midlands final of the ‘National Analyst Competition’, run by the RSC’s Analytical Division, which took place at Nottingham Trent University. Judged by Maggie Tebrake from 3M,

Graham Taylor from AstraZeneca, Adam Watkins from Innovata Biomed and Brendan Laverty from the RSC analytical division committee, the boys won vouchers for themselves and a cash prize for the High School Chemistry Department.

Nottingham High School has appointed a new director of music.

Stefan Reid joins the High School from South Hampstead High School in London. An Oxford Graduate, Stefan has 15 years experience working in Independent schools. In his new role he will be responsible for managing all aspects of the Music Department, both curricular and extra-curricular, as well as running the main orchestra, the NHS/NHSG Joint choir and the Junior Choir.

In addition, Stefan works as a conductor, pianist and organist. He has conducted most major choral works with both professional and amateur choirs and orchestras. Stefan has been Musical Director of two major London Choral Societies and has worked with groups such as The London Symphony Chorus, The Aurelian Ensemble and Eton Sackbutts and Cornetts.

“It has been a huge pleasure for me to return to the Midlands where I grew up and to work at a school with the standards, facilities and possibilities on offer at Nottingham High School”, said Stefan. “I’m looking forward to some exciting years of music making as we not only build on the success of recent years but draw in the expertise of some of this country’s leading musicians to inspire our activities in the future.”

“We are delighted to welcome Stefan to the school”, said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School. “Many of our pupils have musical talent of an extremely high calibre and Stefan’s knowledge and passion for music makes him ideal to guide and encourage even more to excel in the subject. We are looking forward to working with him.”

A topping out ceremony for the new £4.5m state-of-the-art Sixth Form Centre at Nottingham High School has taken place.

The sixth form centre which also includes a senior school dining hall, has been designed by Nottingham architects Maber and is being built by G F Tomlinson. Representatives involved gathered to mark the occasion.

Located in the West Quad area at the heart of the school’s buildings, the centre will provide spacious and modern facilities for both senior school and sixth form pupils. A 400-500 capacity dining hall with new kitchen facilities will be situated on the ground floor, leaving the current dining hall free for Junior School pupils. The first and second floors will be given over to Sixth Formers, housing a coffee bar / brasserie and large, bright social areas. A bridge link will also connect the social area to the library.

The roof itself is an eye catching feature. Enclosing the West Quad, it is covered in translucent cushions. Perimeter glazing between the existing high level walls and the underside of the new roof will allow it to visually ‘float’ above the new walls.

The materials for the new facilities include timber wall panelling, glazed balustrades and a striking white painted mezzanine which will both contrast with, and complement the existing buildings.

To ensure that the new development is as environmentally friendly as possible, the enclosed quad maximises the opportunities for natural light and natural ventilation. It also has under floor heating which is able to run at a lower water temperature than more conventional radiators and long life construction materials will also be used.

“The building is really starting to take shape and we are looking forward to its completion in June,” said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School. “The centre will offer the best possible facilities alongside excellent teaching resources for our pupils. This is an exciting time for the school.”

Simon Middlecote of Maber said: “The completion of the centre’s roof is an important milestone in this project. As a practice we have a lot of experience working on projects in the education sector and this has been an interesting scheme to be involved with. We look forward to its completion.”

Stuart Lawrence, director of G F Tomlinson Building Limited, commented: “We are delighted to be working alongside Nottingham High School and the professional team on this unique and innovative project. We will utilise our extensive experience in the education sector to successfully deliver a facility that all the schools’ stakeholders will be truly proud of.”

Photo: L-R:Simon Middlecote (Maber Architects), Kevin Fear (headmaster at Nottingham High School), Stuart Lawrence (managing director atTomlinsons)

Pupils from Nottingham High School have been celebrating after becoming national champions in the Medley relay at the English School’s National Swimming Finals.

Qualifying forth place in the heats, the U14 team, Seb Smith, Lewis Wiley, Luke Sperry and Jorge Phenix-Coyne, then went on to win the final and break the national record of 2.00.99 for the Medley relay. All four boys also swam personal bests.

In addition, not only was it the twelfth year in a row that the school has made it to the finals, but they were also the only school to be represented in all six of the boys’ events – Medley and Freestyle in the U14’s, U16’s and U18’s categories.

The U14 team also went on to make the Freestyle final – finishing seventh. Joe Mellors, another member of the U14 team, swam a personal best in this event.

The other age groups swam extremely well too with the U18’s team making the Medley final and finishing in eighth, and then going on to finish 11th in the Freestyle event.

At U16 level, the team finished in 16th place in the Medley relay and 10th in the Freestyle with a very good swim.

Swimming coach, Paul Spedding said; “This was a very successful day for the school team who have continued to impress and we are very proud of them. To be National Champions is a fantastic achievement but to break the national record whilst doing it is just out of this world!”

Nottingham High School pupil, Sam Duke, 17 has invented an award-winning media extender, the ‘Duke Box’, as part of his Design & Technology AS Level coursework.

The Duke Box will stream video and audio from any attached computer wirelessly to the user’s television. Whilst existing products need a wireless network to attach to, Sam has incorporated his own wireless technology into the device. This means that a user only needs to install the software Sam has written on to their PC to be up and running, greatly simplifying the process for the average home user.

Sam has so far raked in three awards for his invention; The Young Engineer for Britain’s Midlands Region award for the best Integration and Application of Electronics, The Sir William Siemens Medal for the most innovative Design Technology project, and a Crest Gold Award.

Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School said, “Sam’s invention is fantastic and richly deserves the awards and recognition it has received. We are all extremely proud of Sam and know that this is the start of a promising career in engineering for him.”

Sam is now hoping for a national prize at the final of the Young Engineers competition in London in March. In the meantime he is developing his next invention and looking forward to taking up his place at Cambridge next year to study engineering.

Nottingham High School pupil, Oliver Holland, 14, has been celebrating after finishing runner up in the British Junior Open Squash competition in Sheffield – the largest squash tournament in the world.

Oliver, seeded number two in the world in the under 15’s, met India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar, seeded 3/4 in the final. The match was closely fought with Mahesh finally taking victory winning by three games to one.

The match was the culmination of the long established international tournament in which Oliver fought off 5 other U15 competitors from around the world.

“I was absolutely over the moon to make it to the final but needless to say disappointed that I didn’t win”, said Oliver. “Mahesh is a great player and it was a really exciting and close match. I now have my sights set on my next tournament which will be the U18 Home Internationals in Cardiff where I will be representing England against Wales, Scotland and Ireland. After that my attention will be on the U15 British Closed competition.”

“The talent of the players taking part in this prestigious competition is of a high calibre and making it to the final was no mean feat. The fact that Oliver made it so far is testament to his skill in the sport. We are extremely proud of him,” said Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School.

Oliver is one of a long line of international sports players at the High School which includes Elite Rugby U18 squad member, Alex Lewington, GB representative in the U17 British Orienteering Start Squad, James Taylor and sailing champion, Will Twemlow.

Paul Balen has become the new chairman of governors at Nottingham High School, taking over from Nigel Tamplin who held the role for over 5 years.

Paul, who is a partner with well known law firm Freeth Cartwright LLP, has been a governor at the school for 6 years and over this period has been actively involved in the school serving on the committee which is responsible for its academic affairs.

As a former pupil of the school himself before going on to study law at Peterhouse Cambridge, Paul clearly has a long association with Nottingham High School. He also had a son at the school.

“I am looking forward to helping guide this great independent school through to its 500th anniversary celebrations in 2013,” said Paul. “Nottingham High School continues to offer an outstanding education at all ages and with the recent opening of Lovell House – our infant school, and the building of our new sixth form centre and dining hall well under way, we face the future with great optimism. With the amazing caliber of the pupils and staff I believe we are entering an exciting phase in our history.”

Kevin Fear, headmaster at Nottingham High School said: “While serving as a governor at the school, Paul has shown that he has what it takes to be a successful chairman of our governing body and I have every confidence in his leadership abilities. Paul is ideally placed to represent the school and the fact that he is an ‘old boy’ himself, makes it particularly personal to him. We are delighted that he has taken on the role.”

Nottingham High School pupil, James Taylor has been chosen to represent Great Britain in the 2008/09 under 17 British Orienteering Start Squad.

As part of his training James, 16, has recently returned from a week of extensive training in Trondheim Norway which involved running in the forest and terrains twice a day as well as reviewing race and training performance to highlight areas for improvement. This preparation culminated in the Mid-Norwegian Champs race, a three day event in which James ran with hundreds of people from all over the world, including as far away as Australia. The race comprised of a 3.5km sprint race in which James came sixth, a 8km long race which saw James come ninth and a relay race in which James team finished in 16th place out of over 50 teams.

In addition, James, a keen orienteer from the age of 12, has been awarded sponsorship from the UK Sport World Class Talented Athlete Sponsorship Scheme (TASS), following good performances on the GB team in Sweden this summer and the selection races last Spring.

James said: “I had a great time in Norway, and I am thrilled with my own personal results as well as those our team achieved. I will now be training hard and aiming to compete in the Future Champions Cup races in Spring 2009. A good performance in these races will hopefully enable me to get selected for the GB team for the Junior World Orienteering Champs. I’d particularly like to thank all the staff at my school who have encouraged and supported me all the way.”

Nottingham High School headmaster, Kevin Fear, said: “This is a significant achievement for James and we are all very proud of him. James is an outstanding ambassador for both his school and the city. He thoroughly deserves this selection and we will follow his progress with interest.”

James is also a member of the Nottinghamshire Orienteering Club and represents the East Midlands Orienteering Association.

After a decade apart, 25 members of Nottingham High School’s ‘Class of ’98’ recently had the chance to catch up on old times at a High School reunion.

The old boys, together with some of their wives and partners, gathered to reminisce about their school days and meet some of their former teachers. As well as taking a tour of the school, they also enjoyed some nostalgia with a look at photos from their time there.

Some also took the opportunity to watch a rugby match between the Nottingham High School and Trent College and had the enjoyment of seeing the High School First XV beat Trent 10-20.

Les Wilkinson, senior master at Nottingham High School, helped to organise the reunion, he said: “A good day was had by all and many of the old boys expressed an interest in organising another reunion in five years’ time, to mark the School’s 500th anniversary in 2013.”

Image: Nottingham High School’s ‘Class of ’98’, with some of their partners and formers teachers, gather on the school steps during the reunion.

Josh Mills, a pupil at Nottingham High School, has won a prestigious writing prize from Trinity College in Cambridge.

Each year colleges at Oxford and Cambridge Universities run a competition for A-Level historians to write the best historical essay.

Josh, age 17 from The Park, wrote an essay on the role of the Cold War on the demise of social segregation in the American South. He was awarded first prize out of 75 very high standard entries. He received £300 for himself and a further £300 for Nottingham High School to buy books. Josh has also been invited to Trinity College for a day.

Josh said: “I was absolutely delighted to win the prize after all of the hard work that was involved. The black civil rights course was one that I found particularly interesting and so the opportunity to research it independently was a rewarding challenge.”

Nottingham High School history teacher, Simon Williams, said: “Josh’s success is very pleasing but not a surprise because he is an exceptionally gifted history student.”