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A match report from one of the year 10 rugby coaches Mr Robinson. "The Year 10 Rugby Squad played against Tiverton High School in a mud and rain-soaked Devon. A win in Round 6 of the U-15 Daily Mail Vase was not to be, as every member of the squad fought valiantly against a very physical opposition. Man-of-the-Match Will Sones epitomised the defensive spirit of the John Hampden team as waves of attack were repelled. Trailing 14-7 at half time following an outstanding Martin Andrews try, the Devon side were just too strong and direct, scoring freely by the final whistle. A performance to be proud of, and a Year 10 squad with many players for the future." |
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Tickets are now sold out for Friday and only a few remain for Saturday. Get your tickets now so not to miss out on this amazing production. |
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Although they failed to qualify for the semi final the U16 hockey team finished third in their group behind Trinity School and Portsmouth GS this weekend. Fine wins against RGS Guilford and Kingston GS helped overcome the disappointment of not being in the semi-final. See one of the many goals scored by JHGS at http://web.jhgs.bucks.sch.uk/Various/Goalone.jpg |
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Stuart Jordan in year 11 has won the most improved player, the Junior League Cup and an order of merit for his recent golfing triumphs at Temple Golf Club. Stuart now players off a handcap of 9 and last year won the Champion of Champions trophy for his age group in Bucks, Berks and Oxfordshire. |
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A letter has been sent home via email to all parents this morning explaining the arrangements for tomorrow. A copy can be downloaded from the Learning Gateway. |
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The report below is from Mr Robinson, the year 10 rugby coach, after an amazing win yesterday (Thursday).
After an epic afternoon in the 5th round of the Daily Mail Vase competition, the Year 10 rugby team arrived back at John Hampden having defeated Reading School by the narrowest of margins. Almost an hour of the most solid Hampden defence followed by a drop goal saw us take a 3-0 victory, clinging on to the very end. With only a few minutes to warm up in the impressive surroundings of Reading School, the opposition were well-drilled, determined and well supported by a sizeable crowd. Robust tackling, a solid scrum and some effective counter-attacking allowed us to disrupt several waves of attack until the final whistle. An unforgettable performance by Year 10. |
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The John Hampden First XI football team won in emphatic fashion against The Grange of Aylesbury on Wednesday 16th November 2011. The early passages of play were dominated by the well organised and free-flowing football that JHGS have trademarked in recent years. With Beeks, Jansons and Brown pulling the strings in the centre of the park it was just a matter of time before the oppositions defence cracked. After a period of prolonged pressure JHGS were able to set-up a dangerous set-piece Which Tomkins delivered superbly and was met by the youthful spring of Jansons to head home…1-0. With only 12 minutes on the clock JHGS were once again handed a set-piece which ‘Jonny on the spot’ Alex Jansons fired home again making it 2-0 Hampden. The Grange rarely troubled the well-oiled JHGS defence of Toudup, Collier and Dean who were marshalled well by inspirational skipper Coleman. But the odd occasion saw Hayward display his athletic shot stopping ability, much to the pleasure of former JHGS No.1 and Wycombe Wanderers pro Matt Ingram.
With Thomas coming off to a slight knock on the knee Dzangare was introduced and his direct pace caused trouble from the off. With the prolific Thomas out of the game Ansell stepped up to the mark. The former Reading starlet chested down a poor clearance and with hawk like vision spotted the keeper off his line. With precision and power Ansell unleashed a 32-yard volley which nestled in the top corner…3-0. The game was dead a buried 15 minutes into the second half when Beeks hit home a goal mouth scramble to make the score-line 4-0. The game also saw a 1st team debut for youngster Luke Barrow who replaced the tireless Tomkins up front.
The comprehensive 4-0 victory sets up the mouth-watering prospect of a Dr. Challoners and JHGS semi-Final which is due to be played at JHGS on Monday 28th November at 2pm.
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There are still a few places available for the Kenton Cool trip tonight (Thursday). This is open to students in years 9 - 13. Please ring the school and ask to speak to Mrs Head if you would like your son to attend. |
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A video and photos from one of the rehearsals are now online - click on the Beauty and Beast link on the front page of this site. Tickets are still available (£8/£5) and can be obtained from reception at break and lunch or by emailing office@jhgs.bucks.sch.uk |
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As part of going through the school archives we have discovered some work completed by students at the school in the 1920s. Some examples of this work, which is incredibly detailed and mostly created by pupils in their first year, can be found at http://web.jhgs.bucks.sch.uk/news/Pages/Archives.aspx We hope to be able to add more items like these over the coming months. |
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An amazing successful week; the Hans Woyda mathematics team defeat Berkhamsted School, the debating team win the regional English Speaking Union competition, the rugby 1st XV win against Forest School and the 1st XI footballers beat The Grange to reach the semi final of the County Cup. The year 9 rugby team also beat Beaconsfield to reach semi final of the County Cup and year 10 rugby won through to the 5th round of the Daily Mail Vase defeating The Cherwell School. |
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More information can be found by following the link on the front page of the website about the two exciting destinations on offer in 2013. These expeditions are open to pupils currently in years 10-12. |
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The beginners' concert is an opportunity for pupils who have just started learning an instrument to perform alongside some students in year 10 who are studying GCSE music. It takes place on Thursday 17th at 7pm in the school hall and is free to attend. |
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Please note that icon that looks like a cog (in the red bar above) links to the Learning Gateway. |
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The U13 and U14 rugby squads enjoyed a half-term trip to France with games organised against Douai, Lens and Roubaix. Glorious weather prevailed as both squads were victorious in all their games, with English discipline a key factor in overcoming worthy opponents. The dry conditions allowed both squads to play attacking rugby and the increased confidence, when in space, saw over thirty tries scored by JHGS.
The trip also allowed the boys an opportunity to visit the ‘Quarries’ of Arras, famous for housing soldiers in WW1, and to discover the conditions surrounding the Battle of Arras. A very informative tour of the tunnels was followed by a moving screening of both sides of this epic story of strength in the face of adversity. Students were also allowed an opportunity for some relaxation, although the highlight was a visit to a high ropes course in a forest area outside of Lille. Despite obvious trepidation all students managed to complete the difficult course, with a few tentative moments.
Thanks must go to our magnificent hosts, particularly for letting us view the World Cup final at Roubaix Rugby Club, and for their contribution to a very successful tour.
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Will Clarke, the Head Boy 2009-10, and Ben Malone have raised over £3,500 for Help for Heroes by cycling from Edinburgh to London. There was an extra piece of excitment to their trip when they had just got to The Mall in London, having cycled 400 miles, when they saw a man being chased by two security guards. The man moved to run past Will on the pavement near the Admiralty Arch, but the 19-year-old said he instinctively dropped his bike and blocked him off, managing to bundle him up against a wall. Read the full account at http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/9312064.MP_hails_bravery_of_teenage__have_a_go_hero_/ |
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On Saturday 8th October 2011 Cameron Thomas and William Hogan from 9E completed a three peak climbing challenge on the climbing wall at JHGS. The boys are currently raising funds to take part in the Slovakia Expedition in the Summer of 2012, where they will be working in an orphanage as well as completing a physical challenge. Having already raised over £1300 between them the pupils are well on their way to achieving their individual targets.
The Challenge involved Cameron and Will climbing the combined height of Ben Nevis (1344m), Scaffell Pike (978m) and Snowden (1085m). The boys traversed laterally along the JHGS wall for over 7 hours starting at 8am and finishing at 4pm. After the mammoth achievement Will and Cameron said “ We can’t say it’s been easy…but it’s been worth it!” |
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Francis Voss of Year 13 was shortlisted along with a number of other AS & A level students from Buckinghamshire schools to exhibit their work in the Obsidian Art Gallery as part of the Buckinghamshire Art Society Young Artist Competition. We are pleased to announce that Francis Voss was awarded first prize and was presented with a trophy, certificate and cheque. Congratulations to Francis in keeping up the tradition of successful artists coming out of JHGS's art department - this being the second time in succession that the school has won this award. |
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Alex Fores, who is in year 7, has been awarded the 'Henry Surtees Trophy for the most promising karting cadet racer' for the 2011/2012 competition season. The award was made following his participation in the blue ribboned Roy Mortara memorial race meeting at Camberley Kart Track on Saturday 24th September. The award was made by John Surtees, Henry’s father. John Surtees, OBE, is a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. He was 500cc motorcycle World Champion in 1956 and 1958-60, Formula One World Champion in 1964, and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. He is also the ambassador of the Racing Steps Foundation, an organisation to aid young British racing drivers in the junior categories of their careers.
John made the presentation in honour of his 18 year old son, Henry, himself a talented and promising racing driver. Henry was unfortunately killed in a freak accident whilst racing. In memory of Henry, John has set up the Henry Surtees Foundation which aims to assist people with accidental brain and physical injuries, provide education and training in technology, engineering and fitness.
Alex started his karting career participating in Buckmore Park Junior Club championship races and was delighted to secure podium finishes whilst starting to learn his craft. This season he will be competing in Camberley Kart Club Honda Cadet championship which commences in January 2012. His kart is a Project One Honda Cadet with a 160cc race tuned engine.
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As part of the research some of the year 11s are completing into the history of the school they have found a report by the Board of Education into the school. The report states that the work of the school is "distinctly creditable" and "that no better instruction could be given at any school."
The research is finding some interesting information especially from the time of World War 1 and just after and is helping to fill some of the holes in the school's archives from this time. |
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The new school prospectus was launched last week at the open evenings. It is very different from the usual and involved placing some of our present pupils alongside some of our more famous alumni. You can now see an online version on this website at http://web.jhgs.bucks.sch.uk/SitePages/Prospectus.aspx |
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Jack (Will) Turner and Alex Eaton taking inspiration from the school's Ukraine expedition, their completion of the three peaks challenge and Kenton Cool's talk last term successfully reached the summit of Mont Blanc during the summer holidays. They will now be turning their attention to even higher peaks with the possibility of Mount Kilimanjaro sometime this year. |
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The JHGS 1st Team have been back in England for a couple of weeks and I now have the opportunity to reflect on the highs and lows of the 2011 World Tour. On the field the squad felt the joys of success and also the natural disappointment of defeat.
Our first game at Greenwich High started in great fashion with JHGS going into an early 2-0 lead only to end in a 5-3 defeat. The friendly game gave the squad an indication of what its like to play in humidity and prepared us for the USA Cup Competition. The highly anticipated USA Cup delivered a fantastic experience for JHGS and the squad performed exceptionally well after a stuttering 6-4 defeat at the hands of Centro Universitario Mexico. The next two group games were won 2-1 (against State Champions the Blackhawks) and 4-3 (against NLS Premier) and JHGS secured a place in the Quarter-Finals.
The Quarter-Final resulted in a rollercoaster game in which JHGS won narrowly 6-5 on penalties. Unfortunately the weather played its part and after trailing 1-0 to Valley United Cosmos in the Semi-Final the game was called off and the Cosmos progressed to the Final where they were crowned U19 USA Cup Champions. After the disappointment of the USA Cup JHGS made their way to the West Coast for some end of tour games in which they defeated West High (3-2) and Huntington Beach High (6-2).
In terms of on-field performances the squad gave a fantastic account of themselves. To compete in a U19 competition and get to the semi-finals was an outstanding achievement bearing in mind we had players aged from 15-17. It was also pleasing to see excellent individual performances and the younger members of the squad can be proud of the way they integrated into the team.
Finally I would like to take this moment to remind everyone that JHGS sports tours are as much about the off-field development of our players as the successes on it and the 2011 Tour proved to be a great learning experience. Not only did the squad get to see New York, Greenwich, Minneapolis and LA, they also met some super families and made what I hope will be friends for life. The billets were full of praise for our boys and I can speak for all touring staff when I say that it was a pleasure to take this group of players around the world.
Greg Boult
JHGS 1st Team Coach
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2011 was another record breaking year for examination results at JHGS. In particular the GCSE results the especially pleasing; all students achieved at least 5 A* to C grades with over 64% gaining at least 5 A*/A grades, an increase of over 10% from previous years. AS results were also significantly better than previous years. At A level students achieved, on average, over one grade higher than their predicted grades (which are set nationally). |
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Robin Day, who attended the school in the 1920s, went on to become of the most influential designers of his generation. He designed the polypropylene chair, of which over 20 million have been sold, as well as all the furniture for the Festival of Britain. As part of the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain there was a programme presented by Wayne Hemingway on radio 4 about his work. It can still be listened to on iplayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b013f96m/Hemingway_Days/ |
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The teams going on expedition to Peru leave early tomorrow morning. While away they will be exploring in the Amazon rainforest, working in an Andean village and trekking in the Huayhuash (where 'Touching the Void' all happened.) On the same day the senior football team leaves for America where they will be playing in a local tournament and visiting New York and LA. Given my involvement in the former the website may not be updated quite so reguarly but there are still lots of events this term including Great Expectations (tickets still available!) Have a great summer. |
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In last Wednesday’s 1st XI cricket fixture between John Hampden Grammar School and Reading Blue Coat School, sixteen-year-old Jack Lane struck an incredible seven sixes in one over. In the 29th over of the John Hampden innings, Jack struck his first two sixes over a relatively short leg side boundary. He then tried to hook a short ball from the medium-paced Blue Coat bowler and succeeded in top-edging the ball over the wicket-keeper’s head for another maximum. The fourth ball of the over was called as a no-ball as it was a full toss above waist height, but Jack still made clean contact to despatch the ball over the square-leg boundary. A further two sixes followed over long-on, before Jack majestically struck the last ball of the over straight back over the bowler’s head to bring up his seventh six in the same over. He went on to score 80 runs out of John Hampden’s 233 for 8 wickets in their allocation of 32 overs. It set up a terrific match as Reading Blue Coat chased down these runs in the final over of their innings. |
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The final judging of the entries for this year's competition took place last night and with over 25 pictures for each award the standard was very high. All students got to hear the feedback on their photos and each picture was given a score out of 20. In the year 7-9 award both Alastair Sledge and Harry Lomas achieved full marks. Alastair's picture of beech trees was judged the winner in the end as it was felt to be a very unusual view of a wood. In the senior section Sam Lowe was judged the overall winner, scoring full marks for his photo of cherries. He narrowly beat Matt Duggins and Jack Yates who both scored 19. This was the first time this competition has run and we hope it will continue next year. Marlow Camera Club ran the competition, with the support of Mr Webber, and are also offering free membership to any student at JHGS.
The photographs can be seen at http://web.jhgs.bucks.sch.uk/SitePages/photography%20competition%202011.aspx |
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This week we are collecting old shoes in order to raise money for the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance. Old shoes can be deposited in either of the two containers in reception and outside the hall. The shoes will be re-cycled and proceeds will go to the air amulance. |
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JHGS old boy, Kevin Keen, has been appointed first team coach at Liverpool FC. Kevin who attended the school in the late 70s/ early 80s also made more than 600 appearances in a playing career that included spells with West Ham, Wolves, Stoke City, Macclesfield and Wycombe. He became Wycombe Wanderers' youngest first-team player when he made his debut, aged 15 years and 209 days, in September 1982 |
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This term's drama production is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. It will take place on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th July in the school hall starting at 7pm. Tickets are priced at £6/£4 and can be obtained from Mrs Harrison in the LRC or by emailing office@jhgs.bucks.sch.uk |
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We have discovered some old photos of the school from when it moved to Marlow Hill in 1966 up to the opening of the Sixth Form Centre in 1996. The better ones have been scanned in and can be found at http://web.jhgs.bucks.sch.uk/SitePages/Old%20Photos.aspx It is interesting to see the buildings soon after they were built and to compare them to how they are now. When the school moved to Marlow Hill unfortunately much of the old archives were destroyed. so if anyone is aware of material from this time please can you contact the school. |
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Kenton's talk will start at 5pm in the school hall. Boys may stay and work in school between 3.40 and the start of the presentation and should use the library or dining room to do homework etc.
There are a very small number of tickets remaining that can be obtained by emailing office@jhgs.bucks.sch.uk |
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Simon Burnett who left JHGS in 2001 returned on Friday to contribute to the new school prospectus. He is an Commonwealth Games gold medal winning swimmer, who is part of the GB team for the 100m freestyle. He normally trains in America but was in the UK preparing for the Olympic trials in Sheffield.
As well as appearing in a photograph for the prospectus (more about this soon) he also met members of 7E, who were able to see his medals from the Delhi games. There are some photos of Simon and 7E on the Learning Gateway. |
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Four JHGS students have been awarded the Gold Crest Award for recognition of their work as part of the Engineering in Education Scheme.
CREST, run by the British Science Association, is Britain’s largest national award scheme for project work in science, technology, engineering and maths. The Gold award, which is extremely hard to achieve, requires at least 100 hours of work and as well as external assessment of the final project.
The four students who took part, Harry Giles, Dominic Williams, Max Braham and Tim Peterson, worked with GlaxoSmtihKline to improve the product monitoring of vacuum band dryers within the manufacture of Horlicks
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Over half term we were given the keys for the new food hall. See some pictures of this exciting new facility at http://web.jhgs.bucks.sch.uk/Pages/The-new-food-hall.aspx
As one set of builders depart another arrive; parents and pupils will be pleased to hear that finally the caretakers house will be rebuilt over the next few months. |
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We have just heard that Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, has accepted our application to become an academy and this will happen on June 1st.
This gives the school greater freedoms to develop the curriculum as well as giving us greater flexability to respond rapidly to changing national and local circumstances.
The process of conversion has involved a considerable amount of work but the change of status should allow us to continue to further develop the education and experiences we offer while protecting what makes JHGS special.
More information can be found in the FAQ that can be accessed from the front page of this website. |
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We have just received the report from the OFSTED inspection that took place in geography during early May. The department have been given an outstanding rating overall which under the new OFSTED criteria is a significant achievement. The report contains some of the following comments:
Attainment is exceptionally high
Students make rapid progress
Very good use is made of multimedia and information communication technology
Excellent relationships between adults and students means that lessons proceed at a rapid pace
Teaching is underpinned by ambitious target setting which motivates students well
The full report can be found on the OFSTED page of this website and will appear on the OFSTED website soon. |
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Well done to the year 10 students who completed their assessed expedition over the weekend. I'll add some photographs to the Learning Gateway at some point this week. All equipment that was borrowed must be returned by Wednesday lunchtime at the latest to the middle school office. |
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Parents are reminded that the final day to apply for the outdoor activity weekend in North Wales is Monday 23rd May. All replies must be sent to the LTA office |
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Congratulations to the sMug team who won best presentation in the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes County Final. The school also has been selected as a Young Enterprise Centre of Excellence in recognition of the 17 years that we have been working with Young Enterprise. This award is rarely given and a reflection of all the hard work by Mr Grout (and Mr Green and Mr Spry before him) as well as all the advisors who have given their time to support the teams.
If anyone wishes to become an advisor they should contact Mr Grout at school. |
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JHGS old boy Kenton Cool has just reached the summit of Everest for a record 9th time. His latest trip was sponsored by Samsung mobile phones and as part of the deal he has made a call from the top of the mountain (and sent a tweet). He will be coming into school on Tuesday 14th June and will be giving a presentation for boys and parents. More details we will follow soon. |
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Please note that in spite of my previous email (which I checked!) the old address has been switched off again. The new links on the website will work, however you will need to add a security exception - tomorrow morning we will make the necessary changes to remove this restriction. Sorry for all the inconvenience. |
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The school has just heard that it has been awarded a second Green Flag, making it the first secondary school in Buckinghamshire to have acheived this international award. The process was entirely led by the Student Voice under the leadership of Sam Bevan. Further information can be found on the Eco Schools website. |
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Welcome to the new website for JHGS. This is an exciting time for the school with many different projects underway including becoming an academy during the summer term. Although we have checked the site before putting it online please report any errors or issues that you notice to office@jhgs.bucks.sch.uk. We expect to switch all web addresses (this site, the Gateway and the email system) to the .jhgs.bucks.sch.uk domain name in the next few days. Please note that the sports fixtures will also be added in the next day or so.
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Over Easter two teams, each of 4 Year 10 boys plus a member of staff, attended the Extreme Physics Event at Stowe School. Ten other schools were represented at the event, which consisted of 9 team challenges, 4 individual challenges, a team presentation and maintenance and completion of individual diaries.
Participants were judged throughout on their creativity, knowledge, achievement and team work. We also found time to visit an artificial rock climbing wall and Airkix, a free-fall 'flight' simulator. JHGS Team A led from the start and JHGS Team B swapped second and third places regularly with a team from a Derbyshire school. Going into the final day JHGS A was first and JHGS B were third. Unfortunately JHGS A lost their previously unassailable lead and finished second. However, JHGS B performed superbly and moved into the lead where they finished.
Team details are:
Winners: JHGS Team B
Robert Paddock - 10E
Ed Knight - 10B
Joe Longman - 10B
Jack Snellings - 10E
(Staff: Mr Bonsall)
Second: JHGS Team A
Charlie Davies - 10C
Stephen Delgado - 10D
Jonte Hance - 10D
James Piggin - 10D
(Staff: Mr Stringer)
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The school is hosting a question time event on Monday 28th March. The panel will be chaired by ITN's Alastair Stewart and it will be judged by representatives from the BBC. If we are successful the school will be asked to be involved in a producing a episode of the programme to be aired on BBC1. The event starts at 6pm and tickets, which are free, can be obtained by emailing office@jhgs.bucks.sch.uk |
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