Exploring the Legacy of WW1: A Journey Through the Battlefields of Belgium and France

On 7th-8th June, Year 8 pupils experienced a deeply moving and educational trip to the battlefields of World War I in Belgium and France. They had the unique opportunity to walk in the footsteps of soldiers who fought and died over a century ago, visiting some of the most significant sites of the Great War.

Our journey began in Belgium, where we explored the Ypres Salient. Our first stop was Bedford House Cemetery, a tranquil resting place for thousands of soldiers from the Commonwealth. The sight of row upon row of pristine white headstones was a poignant reminder of the scale of the sacrifice made by so many. At the Passchendaele Memorial Museum, we gained an insight into the soldiers’ experiences through artefacts, exhibits and the recreated trench system.

The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing left a lasting impression on us all, with its nightly Last Post Ceremony serving as a solemn tribute to the fallen. This memorial stands as a powerful reminder of the soldiers from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations who have no known grave.

Traveling to northern France, we visited several key sites in and around Arras. At the German Military Cemetery, we reflected on the shared grief and loss on both sides of the conflict. The nearby Portuguese Military Cemetery highlighted the contributions and sacrifices of soldiers from Portugal. The Indian Memorial at Neuve-Chapelle commemorated the Indian soldiers who fought on the Western Front, underscoring the global nature of the conflict.

At the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, we visited the majestic monument, which honours the Canadian Corps’ valiant efforts during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Standing atop the ridge, we felt the weight of history and the contributions of soldiers from across the world.

Our journey concluded at the Ring of Remembrance in Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. This French memorial is unique in that it lists the names of soldiers from all nations who died in the region, symbolising unity and remembrance beyond national boundaries.

Throughout the trip, we were reminded of the diverse backgrounds of the soldiers who fought in WWI. The memorials to fallen heroes from countries around the world highlighted the truly global impact of the war. This trip was an invaluable educational experience, bringing history to life and deepening our understanding of the sacrifices made by so many.

Year 10 Language Leaders run 144 workshops for primary school pupils

On Tuesday 4th June, the BHGS Modern Foreign Languages Faculty held its annual Languages Discovery Day which was delivered by 64 Year 10 Young MFL Leaders who shared their cultures, languages and linguistic interests with 120 Key Stage 2 boys and girls from Oak View and St Philip Howard RC primary schools. The primary school pupils had the opportunity to experience 20 different languages from all around the world reflecting our diverse heritages at the school. Also included were special workshops in Flamenco dance, Cyphers, British Sign Language and Egyptian hieroglyphs. The day was divided in 27 workshops with different language and cultural foci, with 9 sessions for the 16 groups of primary pupils.

Ileri A who had run an activity to share her Yoruba heritage stated: “I enjoyed making the students smile and this experience has enlightened a passion in me, even though it may not have been down my chosen career path. I also enjoyed teaching the pupils about my culture as they may not be taught it again.”

Maryam W said: “This was a first-time experience in teaching for me, and at first, I felt uneasy and unsure about how this was going to turn out. We played a short game of French ‘Guess who’ and I was filled with doubts about whether the children would actually enjoy the game or not. These doubts were cleared by the children themselves who told me they loved the game and wanted to play longer. I excitedly await the next visit, and I have many ideas of new language games to play with them.”

 

One of the local primary schools commented: ” Thank you so much to you, your staff and your Year 10 students for organising such a wonderful languages day on Tuesday. Our Year 4 children thoroughly enjoyed the activities throughout the day, which were managed so well and so enthusiastically by your students. Our children certainly came away with a greater awareness of the many different languages that are spoken around the world. ”

By all accounts the day was a great success. Special praise is due to our Young Leaders for their infectious enthusiasm which gave the event a great buzz and celebrated the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of our school!

R J Taylor, Head of Languages Faculty

BHGS travel to Copper Box Arena London for Netball Super League – London Pulse v Surrey Storm

On Friday 10th May, 53 BHGS pupils attended the Copper Box Arena to watch the Netball Super League (NSL) fixture – London Pulse v Surrey Storm.

The rollercoaster of a game was extremely fast paced and high scoring that you could not look away from the court in fear of missing a goal! At the end of Q1, London Pulse had a slim lead of 17-15. In Q2, Surrey Storm upped their game and tied the quarter keeping a gap of 2 goals with a score of 32-30. The intensity of the game did not disappoint in Q3 as everything was still to fight for with London Pulse narrowly extending their lead to 45-41 goals. In Q4, both teams showed grit and determination to win the ball and keep the scoreboard ticking over. With a crowd of 2,500 and continuous support and chants of ‘London Pulse, London Pulse’ echoing around the arena, the Pulse squad fed off this energy and increased the lead with a full time score of 58-53 goals.

All BHGS pupils were a credit to the school, making the evening an enjoyable experience for all. With the increasing coverage of the NSL, the game was televised and some of our pupils made it onto the TV! At the end of the game our pupils also had the opportunity to meet many of the London Pulse squad, receiving autographs and taking pictures with the players. It was wonderful to hear how many pupils were inspired by the level of play, to which some are now seeking clubs to join outside of school.

The trip would not have been possible without the support of staff members also giving up their free time to attend and supervise the students. A big thanks to Miss Cameron, Miss Rollings and Miss Andreone for enabling this to happen.

Here is a snippet of what one of our pupils had to say –

‘The super league netball match at the Copper Box Arena was awesome. The service was good and the game was epic. I loved the tension between the teams and you could see every bit of the game from the seats we were in. Even though the match was an hour, it felt like 5 mins as it was so fast paced!  The staff were really kind and the arena was easy to navigate without getting lost.’

 

I hope to organise more NSL fixtures in the future, so keep your eyes peeled!

Miss Nelson

Families enjoyed an evening of chemistry discovering who had ‘contaminated’ a sample of water as part of British Science Week at Bishop’s

On Friday 8th March, families enjoyed an evening performing various chemical activities for the start of British Science Week at Bishop’s. Families had to set up a mini filtration system to purify the ‘contaminated’ water and then used various techniques to identify what metal ion was ‘contaminating’ the water. Flame tests were used as well as precipitation reactions to see the colour changes and match the known colours to their water sample. The final check used electrolysis in tic-tac boxes, a great sustainable piece of apparatus, to see copper being deposited on the electrode. All the possible metal ions were linked to one of the science staff and everyone worked out that Ms Adams was the ‘culprit’! After all the chemical activities were completed, parents listened to me and 3 of her fellow Year 13 chemistry students, discussing famous environmental disasters like Chernobyl and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It was a great opportunity for us Sixth Formers to develop our confidence in presenting scientific scenarios and for local families to gain an insight into Chemistry while enjoying working with their children in a chemistry lab.

Mahi J

The Gym and Dance Showcase is back!

Our eagerly awaited BHGS Gym and Dance Showcase returned this year for 2 fantastic action-packed nights on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th of February 2024.

It had been a long 2 years since the last Showcase and since our incredible gymnasts and dancers were able to display their vast array of talents to an audience. So, understandably, the girls and staff were incredibly excited.

Girls from every year group from Year 7 up to Year 13 were represented with just under 100 pupils taking part in total.

Auditions had taken place back in November and the successful entries had been hard at work since then, spending countless hours rehearsing to get ready for the performances.

The Gymnastics acts included a finale from Ms Cameron and Miss Nelson’s Gym Club and a floor piece from a Year 11 GCSE PE trio.

The Dance acts included a Contemporary and Ballet medley, an Afrobeats and Street medley, Modern, Tap and K-Pop pieces as well as performances from Year 10 and Year 11 GCSE PE pupils. There were also solo performances from 2 of our 6th formers – Shivani Patel and Cerys Winter and finally there were also 2 acts from Miss Nelson’s Dance club (an auditioned group piece and an open Dance club piece – both certain “showstoppers”) and a tap group number choreographed by Mrs James.

There was the new addition the Showcase of 2 performances from our Musical Theatre group choreographed by Mrs James, featuring a number of the talented performers from last year’s musical Matilda but also plenty of new faces as well.

An enormous well done to all pupils involved for taking the time to audition and working so hard in preparation for the performances – you were absolutely fantastic!

A big thank you to all the families who came to watch over the 2 nights and a special thanks also go to all of the staff who gave up their time to help the Health Faculty and PE Department to run the Showcase. In particular, a huge thank you to Mr Kench, Miss Rollings and Dr Bune for running the sound and lighting for the dress rehearsal and on the performance nights and thank you to Mrs Martin for being a wonderful Stage Manager.

Finally, a massive thank you to all of the staff involved in organising this event, in particular Miss Cameron, Miss Nelson, Mrs James and Miss Graves for giving up so much of their time, supporting the girls throughout rehearsals and putting on such a wonderful Showcase.

We can’t wait for 2026 and the next Showcase already!!