Congratulations to a number of pupils in Year 7 to 9 who have been successful in a young writers competition entitled ‘Spine Chillers’. The boys had to produce a ‘mini-saga’ based on the horror/mystery genre with the prize being publication in a text called ‘Spine Chillers – Grave Tales’.
Well done to Rory, Aarav, William, Sachin, Nikhil and Elliot in Year 7; David, Rahul, Joseph, Kevin, James, Daniel and Alex in Year 8 and Jaden, Joshua, and Raheem in Year 9.
During lockdown, some of the Upper Sixth girls took part in the Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad. Maeve O’Malley, Melissa Hennessy and Zoya Ahmed achieved a Bronze award, Ellen Marsh and Molly Dean achieved Silver.
We are immensely proud of the girls simply for having a go during these difficult times, so to have come away with an award is the icing on the cake.
Congratulations to the Eco-Committee at the Boys’ school who have received their Green Flag award after working on the Water, Marine and Biodiversity topics.
This means that Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School is now a Green Flag accredited school. The Eco-Schools Green Flag is international and recognised by organisations such as UNESCO and is a symbol of a school’s commitment to environmental education.
The members of the Eco-Committee are L-R: Tom, Methul, Thomas, Hemanth, Ethan, Roshan, Oscar and Raveen (not pictured)
We are delighted to announce that Major Paul Ennis has taken up the position of Contingent Commander, replacing Major Helen Irwin who retired in January. This is an exciting appointment for the CCF as we come out of lockdown and look to reenergise the activities of the Combined Cadet Force.
In his day job Paul is a Chartered Surveyor and the Managing Director of his own group of successful companies. He has a wide skill set and will be a fantastic role model to both cadets and adult instructors. Paul is no stranger to Merchant Taylors’ as his daughter Charlotte attended the Girls’ School up until a couple of years ago.
Paul’s association with the cadet force goes back to his own time at school where he learnt valuable skills that he has taken forward into his working life. In the 1980s he was commissioned and progressed through the ranks ending up as a Company Commander responsible for all Army Cadets in the north of Merseyside.
After a break due to work commitments he re-joined the cadet force in 2018 and has since been attached to the Royal Signals Cadet Force as the Detachment Commander.
We look forward to Paul taking on the responsibility of running the Merchant Taylors’ Combined Cadet Force as Contingent Commander and we are excited for this new chapter and for the further success of the cadets in the future.
It’s great to see a number of Old Boys and Old Girls having success in the podcast world.
Jane Garvey is the first woman to have two podcasts trending in the Podboard 100, which lists the UK’s most popular podcasts. Her new Radio 4 podcast Life Changing, joins her long running podcast, Fortunately with Fi and Jane, on the list. She can also be heard hosting the National Museums Liverpool’s podcast Re:PRESENT (Regarding the Present), in which she explores stories of today and see how they are reflected through the Museums’ collections and communities.
OC Arthur McBain appears in The Guardian’s top podcast picks of the week, with his spooky podcast ‘At Your Peril’, described as ‘Goosebumps for Grownups.’
We’ve been enjoying OC Charlie Beckett’s ‘Brew with Beckett‘ series recently, as he chats with rugby colleagues, former NFL star Jason Bell and the founders of the mental health charity Looseheadz, amongst others.
Finally, OG Kelly Cates chatted with Gabby Logan on her podcast, ‘The Midpoint‘, about career in sports broadcasting, life choices and challenges.
You can find a wide range of podcasts featuring our alumni in our podcast library.
Merchant Taylors’ School is delighted to have started a 1:1 device trial which will help the school work towards Microsoft Showcase School status.
Year 8 boys and girls are taking part in the trial, which following on from the success of our remote learning provision will see pupils use technology to further enhance their learning experiences.
The school hopes that this trial will help achieve Microsoft Showcase School status if successful. Showcase Schools create student-centered, immersive, and inclusive experiences that inspire lifelong learning, stimulating development of essential future-ready skills so students are empowered to achieve more.
We look forward to updating you on the trial shortly.
On Tuesday 23 March, Stanfield pupils wore something yellow to school to show their support for Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal 2021.
The Great Daffodil Appeal helps fund Marie Curie Nurses who are providing vital care for dying people and their loved ones. Thanks to parent’s and pupil’s generosity we managed to raise £270.63 for this worthy cause.
Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School is to become the first in the UK to offer free professional-standard N-Pro rugby headguards to all Year 7 pupils.
The pioneering project, in conjunction with Performance Teq, aims to protect younger players from concussion or other serious head injuries and will see all boys who join the senior school from September 2021 receive a headguard manufactured by world-leading sports equipment firm N-Pro.
Image: N-Pro
N-Pro’s Defentex technology reduces the energy transferred to a player’s head during a tackle by up to 75% and has been approved by the sport’s global governing body, World Rugby, for use in matches at all levels of rugby around the world.
All boys play rugby in Year 7 at Merchant Taylors’ and the new headguards will be used during training and in matches.
David Wickes, Headmaster at Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School, said: “Merchant Taylors’ has a long and distinguished history on the rugby field, with many players, including Ben Kay and Richard Greenwood, having begun their professional journeys at our school. Indeed, a recent leaver, James Harper, made his debut for Sale Sharks only this weekend in the Premiership.
“As the sport continues to develop and adjust, our commitment to it remains the same. It is therefore a real pleasure to become a partner school with N-Pro and to be working alongside Performance Teq in the coming years.
“We are always looking for ways to innovate across our sports provision and to keep the boys as safe as possible while they play the sports they love. We want to ensure we are doing everything we can to maximise safety and reassure parents that our pupils’ wellbeing is our absolute priority. Our new partnership with N-Pro is an important part of this process.”
Stuart Lock, Head of Education at Performance Teq, said: “Performance teq is thrilled that MTBS have made the pioneering decision to commit to the increased safety of their newest pupils as they embark on their own rugby journeys.
“We pride ourselves in sharing the N-Pro story and helping schools incorporate the ground-breaking headguards into their rugby programmes
“Our determination to introduce the very best modern sporting technology into the innovative, pupil-centered environment that is being created at MTBS makes this a partnership that we hope to cultivate further over the coming months and years.”
Congratulations to Old Crosbeian, James Harper, who made his Premiership Rugby debut for Sale Sharks on Sunday 21 March 2021.
James first started to play rugby when he joined Merchant Taylors’ in Year 7 and stated his love for the game began at school. Having developed a passion for the sport, he climbed up through the school teams, eventually finding himself in the 1st XV Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School.
James came on as replacement during Sale Shark’s 41-13 victory over London Irish to mark his first ever appearance in the Gallagher Premiership.
We look forward to seeing many more appearances from James in the future.
(Image: Sale Sharks)
Gary Yates, former academy director at Lancashire County Cricket Club, has agreed to become Head of Cricket Coaching at Merchant Taylors’ School.
Gary spent 30 years at the club, including a fifteen-year spell as a high-quality spin bowler, before moving on to become an ECB level 4 coach for the first and second teams and ultimately leading its academy from 2015.
During this time, he played a key role in the Lancashire Boys’ Emerging Player Programme and oversaw the development of an impressive number of talented young cricketers, many of whom have gone on to pursue successful careers at county and international level.
He joins Merchant Taylors’ for the forthcoming cricket season, replacing Simon Sutcliffe, another former first-class cricketer, who retired from his role as Head of Cricket last summer after 26 highly successful years at the school.
Gary Yates
He will work alongside Mr Stiff, Head of Cricket at the Boys’ School, and Mrs Hollyoak from the Girls’ School to further promote and expand participation in cricket among our boys and girls. This will be the first time our girls have received specialised coaching in cricket.
A renaissance sportsman, Gary is an avid runner who has completed the Manchester marathon, taken part in more than 250 park runs, regularly plays five-a-side football and enjoys discovering new walking trails with his pet dog.
David Wickes, headmaster at Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School, said: “Cricket is a major part of our school and we have invested over many years to produce high-quality teams and plenty of promising young talent, a number of whom have played for county sides at different age levels and also professionally. We hope to create even wider opportunities for pupils to play, enjoy and excel at this wonderful game.
“Gary brings with him a detailed and forensic knowledge of what it takes for those young cricketers who display a flair for cricket to reach the very top of the sport. He embodies our values of ambition, character and excellence and we are confident he will help to further develop and nurture those qualities in our pupils this year.”
Claire Tao, headmistress at Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School, said: “Women’s cricket is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world and we are excited to give our girls an opportunity to learn the game from a highly experienced coach.
“Playing cricket will allow girls to adapt and broaden the various sporting skills they already learn in school and apply them to a new and stimulating discipline.”
Speaking of his appointment, Gary said: “I am delighted to be joining the School’s cricket department for this season. Merchant Taylors’, with its excellent cricketing reputation, allows me to continue my passion for developing young cricketers. This will be an opportunity to support, guide and coach young players to reach their potential and I look forward to a busy and successful summer.”