Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions over half term

During the first week of half term a three day Silver and a two day Bronze expedition took place in the Clwydian range in North Wales. We were fortunate to have good weather, despite a definite autumnal feel the walking bearable. However, with recent rainfall, conditions underfoot were rather muddy.

Overnight we stopped at Fron Farm, near Mold. The groups arrived in plenty of daylight to pitch tents and cook a welcome meal on the stoves. With the sun setting early it was dark by 6.30pm and the temperatures started to fall under a clear starry sky. Early nights all round to keep warm inside tents meant that we were able to have an early start the following morning. After a clear up all the groups were able to get away and complete the route by early afternoon. Tired and muddy everyone was pleased to have made it through the expedition.

At Bronze level there were 31 boys from Year 10 and 2 boys from Year 11 who successfully completed the qualifying expedition, whilst at Silver there were 5 boys who were successful.

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Feast Your Eyes On Our New School Lunch Menu

More Halal and vegetarian dishes, a greater choice of sandwiches and a wider variety of student favourites are just some of the new features on this year’s school lunch menu at Merchant Taylors’.

Our catering partner Chartwells Independent has also introduced a new culinary calendar featuring a series of theme days, special lunches and student experiences. For the first time, the food menu is now consistent across both senior schools and our primary school, meaning that siblings of different ages can enjoy the same food and experiences on the same day.

The updates to our school lunch offer have been made in response to student and parent feedback gathered by Chartwells at the end of the last academic year and they mean there is even more nutritious, tasty food to suit every palate.

Among the main courses on the menu for this half term are Beef Burgers served with Cola Onions, Quorn Hot Dogs, Chicken and Leek Pie, Thai Green Chicken Coconut Curry, Roast Turkey Dinner and a range of pizzas. For our senior girls and boys, all of this will taste that little more delicious as they enjoy our fabulous new dining spaces, which received an impressive makeover during the summer holidays.

The best part of all? Accompaniments are unlimited and everyone is welcome to seconds.
Bon Appetit!

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Young actors step up for major Hairspray production

A stellar cast of talented Merchant Taylors’ students has been announced for this year’s production of iconic musical Hairspray.

The much-loved show, which charts the rise to fame of wannabe dance star Tracy Turnblad, has won eight Tony awards and wowed audiences around the world.

It will be brought to life in a major production at the newly-refurbished Williams Hall from Wednesday 27 November and runs across the weekend until Saturday 1 December.

Samantha Harrison, a Year 13 student, has been chosen to play the role of Tracy alongside Oliver Bigley (Y11) as Link Larkin, Gus Woods (Y11) as TV star Corny Collins, Daniel Naguib (Y12) as Seaweed J Stubbs and Amelia Bennett from Year 13 as his love interest and Tracy’s best friend, Penny Pingleton.

Sassy record store owner Motormouth Maybelle is played with aplomb by Dannii Leech from Year 11, while Alex Barker-Weinberger (Y13) takes the reins as Tracy’s mother Edna and Darcey Fleming (Y13) will be in villainous form as the scheming Velma von Tussle, the mother of brattish Amber, played by Cara Ellis from Year 12.

The show comprises a total of more than 150 cast, crew and band members aged 11 to 18 and promises to be one of the biggest and best productions the school has ever seen.

Tickets are selling like hot cakes, so get your moves on! Click Here to buy tickets and get ready to sing Good Morning Baltimore!

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Merchant Taylors’ Receive International School Award

Merchant Taylors’ School has been awarded the Intermediate level of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.

The International School Award celebrates the achievements of schools that do exceptional work in international education. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need for life work in today’s world.

Merchant Taylors’ international work includes Year 10 and Year 11 students engaging in an exchange programme with our Shanghai partner school. By doing so, they either did some enhanced Mandarin lessons or researched for school lives in China. After the trip, the students have reflected on their experiences and hosted an assembly to share their learning with the whole school.

John Rolfe MBE, Schools Outreach Manager at the British Council, said: ‘Merchant Taylors’ international work has earned the school well-deserved recognition in the form of the British Council International School Award – Intermediate Certificate. The British Council International School Award celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and we are very proud of the great international work it has supported and shared.

Many thanks to everyone at the school, for all their commitment to developing international work and sharing great classroom practice and resources. This is enriching education for its pupils; and their excellent collaborative projects with partner schools overseas are bringing the world into their classrooms. This is key support for the development of skills young people increasingly need to be the globally aware citizens of the future.

Embedding an international ethos across a school can lead to full International School Award accreditation and schools looking to join this supporting and engaging network should contact us at the British Council”.

The award is now available worldwide in countries such as India, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Pakistan. The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop:
• An international ethos embedded throughout the school
• A whole school approach to international work
• Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools
• Year-round international activity
• Involvement of the wider community

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William wins Southport Music Festival prize

William Edey won the 10 and under prize at Southport Music Festival last weekend. Both his Clarinet Teacher, Mr Lock, and Merchant Taylors’ as a whole are extremely proud of his accomplishment and we are confident that this is just the first of many. Keep up the excellent work Will!

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School Trip Blogs

We currently have a number of students away on trips from both Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ and Girls’ School to both China and America, you can follow their progress on the links below.

MTGS China Trip – Click Here
MTBS China Trip – Click Here
MTGS Texas Trip – Click Here

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Positive ISI inspection at Merchant Taylors’ School for Boys

Merchant Taylors’ School for Boys is pleased to confirm that it has passed its latest regulatory compliance inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

The overwhelmingly positive report by the ISI praised the school’s determined efforts to meet and exceed the requirements of a previous inspection that identified a small number of issues as requiring improvement.
The school subsequently agreed an Action Plan, which it has delivered with measures such as new fire risk assessments, planning additional fire doors along corridors where possible, installation of enhanced emergency lighting and signage, and focused training for staff and pupils.

The ISI inspection report confirmed that the school makes all appropriate checks to ensure the suitability of its staff, including checks of medical fitness, with all checks being completed before staff begin work for all those employed since the previous inspection.

It also stressed that no safeguarding issues exist at Merchant Taylors’ School for Boys. The school effectively implements its own safeguarding procedures and provides appropriate support for pupils’ needs, including those at risk and those in need.

David Wickes, headmaster at Merchant Taylors’ School for Boys, said: “The ISI inspection earlier this year highlighted a relatively small number of historical issues and many changes had already been undertaken at that time.

“Since the initial inspection, our entire team has redoubled its efforts to ensure we are compliant in all areas and the strength of this latest report is testament to our shared determination to ensure that Merchant Taylors’ is an exemplar in every aspect.

“This is not an end-point, but merely a platform for future innovation, and we will continue to identify ways to make our school the very best it can be.”

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Ruben Raises Vital Funds for Cancer Care

We are hugely proud of Year 9 student Ruben Reed, who has helped to raise £366 for cancer care charity Macmillan.

Ruben, 13, who regularly raises funds for charity, organised a coffee morning at Ravenhead Commercial Laundry Services in St Helens.

Well done, Ruben!

ruben

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Gabriel Davidson Wins Goalkeeper of the Tournament

Merchant Taylors’ Year 5 pupil, Gabriel Davidson has won Goalkeeper of the Tournament during a recent competition in Copenhagen, whilst playing for Manchester City.

During the intense two day GFA Copenhagen tournament Gabriel and his teammates played in a number of matches and were unfortunately knocked out by German side, Borussia Dortmund, with the eventual winners coming from Russia, in the form of Dynamo Kiev. Gabriel, however, was picked by the tournament director as the best goalkeeper in the competition. Alongside five outfield players from Russia, Belgium, Scotland, Denmark and France, Gabriel was part of the ‘Tournament Dream Team’.

A massive well done to Gabriel from everyone at Merchant Taylors’!

Photo: GFA Copenhagen International U10 Tournament

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Ben Miller Claims British Championships Bronze Medal

picLast weekend Merchant Taylors’ Year 12 student, Ben Miller, competed in the British Championships in trampolining.

This is the highest level of competition in Great Britain and includes Olympians among the competitors, only the top trampolinists qualify for this event. Ben competed in the 15-16 age group. His two routines in the qualifying round on Saturday saw him into the finals on Sunday in third place.

During the high pressure finals, Ben held his place to finish in a bronze medal position, a fantastic achievement. Not only was this an amazing feat, the score he received places him in the top 20 in his age group in the world, meaning he will now be invited to a trial for the National Trampolining Squad for 2020.

A huge congratulations to Ben and best of luck for the upcoming trials!

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