Last term, the Head Girl Team, as well as the Sports and Music Captains’ of 2017, handed over their badges and responsibilities to the Head Girl Team of 2018 and wished them the best of luck for the coming year.
Last term, the Head Girl Team, as well as the Sports and Music Captains’ of 2017, handed over their badges and responsibilities to the Head Girl Team of 2018 and wished them the best of luck for the coming year.
Yesterday was National Primary Allocation Day, where parents across the UK will found out whether their children had been offered a place at their preferred primary school.
For some, this can be an incredibly uncertain time, especially for those parents whose children have not been offered a place at a school of their choosing and may be looking to secure an alternative placement.
I’d therefore like to take this opportunity to share details of our forthcoming Visiting Mornings in April and June, which will give parents and children the chance to experience our school in session, meet with myself and the team and find out what makes a Merchant Taylors’ education so special.
But don’t just take our word for it… We’ve asked some of our pupils to share what they love most about Merchant Taylors’ Primary School and have included more our favourite clips here.
The first Visiting Morning take place this Friday 20th April between 9.15 to 12 noon. The second will be hosted on Friday 15th June.
For further details or to book a personal tour, please visit our admissions page
or call our Admissions Team on 0151 949 9366
Best,
Julie Yardley
Seven MTGS Lower Sixth pupils spent the first four days of their Easter break in Snowdonia on their D of E Gold practice expedition. There was to be no gentle breaking-in; Act One, Scene One was a punishing scramble up from the floor of the Ogwen Valley, to the wildest of wild camps perched above idyllic Llyn Idwal, nestling in its mighty bowl of rock under the snow-capped crests of the Glyder mountains. Facilities comprised just meltwater from a mountain stream, with only feral goats and wild Welsh ponies for neighbours. Stunning, and all the more so under starry skies at four below zero.
Three days of strenuous trekking then ensued, beginning with the breathtaking Aberglaslyn gorge and the chocolate-box Nant Gwynant valley, where the serenity of the night’s lakeside campsite wasn’t appreciated quite as much as its provision of hot water. There followed a squelchy moorland traverse to admire moody Dolwyddelan Castle, then onward to end Day Three beside Telford’s London-to-Dublin highway at Dol-gam. Moel Siabod is accustomed to dominating the view hereabouts, but even this noble and lofty peak was upstaged temporarily by the sight of another D of E group sharing the campsite… BOYS! A 6.30 am start and some real grit and determination through more-typically wet Welsh weather saw the girls safely to an early finish, artfully framed by the rainbow over Trefriw.
Well done, girls! You conquered the Cambrians; now bring on the Cumbrians for the Qualifier in May!
For a full photo album please click here
Congratulations to Michael Neophytou, from Year Four, who scooped first place at a regional fencing championship last weekend (Saturday 14th April) and is now ranked fourth in the country for boys under the age of nine.
Michael won gold in the first event of the 2018 North West Junior Series, which was held at Manchester Fencing Centre, the largest purpose built fencing centre in the UK.
He competed in the Under 11s Boys’ Epee category and started well, fighting against a mix of ages where he secured two victories. Michael then excelled in the direct eliminations, winning his final 10-5 to take the gold medal.
He is now ranked number four in the country for fencing in the under nines category and 10th in the country for under 11s.
Michael’s sister, Sophia, who is in year 7, is ranked number two in the country for fencing in the under 13s category. She will be competing in her first international fencing competition later this month and has recently qualified for the national finals in Sheffield in May.
Well done Michael and good luck Sophia!
To celebrate British Science Week 2018, Merchant Taylors’ Primary have been busy exploring the world around us and making scientific discoveries of our own.
Year 1 made cornflour slime and had lots of fun noticing how the liquid got thicker when it was pushed or pressed down. They also investigated rainbow colour mixing using milk, washing up liquid and food colourings. They looked at paper towel colour mixing and looked at how the water moves up the paper towel because the paper is absorbent.
(put in some Y1 pictures from staff shared)
Year 2 also made colourful slime and enjoyed feeling the sticky mixture they had created. As scientists they followed instructions very carefully, measuring and combining the materials together. They looked at the life and achievements of the brilliant physicist Stephen Hawking and reflected on which topics in science they enjoyed the most.
Year Four learned about the discovery of electricity and the work of Benjamin Franklin. They created, made and investigated a variety of switches within simple electrical circuits. They discovered that when the electrical conducting material completed their circuits, the light bulb or buzzer worked! For their homework, each pupil then researched an inventor of their choice, which resulted in a variety of inventors, from the modern, such as James Dyson, to the historical inventors including Thomas Edison!
Year 5 tested the absorbency of different materials in order to design an ‘Astro-Nappy’. They used pipettes filled with water to see how much liquid it took to seep through the materials, which included plastic, bubble-wrap, fabric, cotton wool and tissue paper. Finally, they recorded their results and discussed which materials would be best for a real life ‘Astro-Nappy’.
Year 6 had great fun making chocolate fossils. They layered grated dark, milk and white chocolate to represent layers of sedimentary rock and buried a shrimp sweet deep inside. They then pressed down on the layers to form a mould around the shrimp and then put their ‘rock’ into the fridge to harden. Instead of waiting millions of years for fossilisation to occur they waited a week and then carefully excavated their fossil like real palaeontologists! For homework they each chose an area of scientific discovery or a scientist of personal interest to explore further.
James has recently been named as part of the U17 England development squad. James, who plays for the Merchant Taylors’ 1st XV and Sale Sharks, has provided us with a short interview about his career in rugby so far:
Tell us a bit about yourself:
I was born and have lived all my life in Aintree. I attended the local primary school, Aintree Davenhill, and came to the conclusion fairly early in my school life that sport really wasn’t for me as football, being the main sport on offer, had very little appeal for me. It was only upon joining Merchant Taylors’ Senior Boys’ School that my love for rugby was born. Starting in the very lowest level team in the school, I began to learn the fundamentals of what can be a very complex game.
Having developed a passion for the game, I climbed up through the school teams, soon finding myself in the starting XV of the U12’s. I then decided to join my local club Waterloo RUFC before developing over the years into Merseyside, Lancashire and Sale Sharks sides. I now play for the Sale Sharks U18 squad and am part of the England U17/U18 development squad alongside the 1st XV Merchant Taylors Boys School.
What is it that inspires you?
Things that inspire me to play rugby include my teammates and the spirit in which the game is played.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Whether a career in rugby is on the cards or not, I have an ambition to enrol in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
How do you like to relax in your spare time?
I enjoy meeting up with friends plus both playing and listening to music.
What would be your top tip for other pupils hoping to follow in your path?
Don’t set your mind on playing for a particular squad or team, whilst its great to have ambition, play for the enjoyment of the sport and opportunities will come your way.
What a fantastic achievement James, well done!
It has been a celebratory week for school as we have said goodbye to Mrs Louise Robinson after her twelve years in post as Headmistress. On Monday, Louise said her goodbyes in her last assembly to the school and the staff held their end of term tea party where it is customary to give leaving staff a sendoff, with gifts and speeches. Miss Yardley and Miss Tyndall spoke warmly of Mrs Robinson and she shared some poignant thoughts and funny anecdotes in response.
On Wednesday, the girls spoke in assembly of the many things they have valued during their time as “Robinson” girls’. Thursday evening saw the Spring Concert given to honour the Head, including as it did, readings and pieces of music special to Mrs Robinson.
Louise herself said: “I have some wonderful memories of the School: the many concerts and music competitions; joint productions and the Drama Festival; visits to Sierra Leone, events like the 100 years CCF celebrations and the Merchant Taylors’ Company dinners; Old Girls’ Association lunches as well as Old Boys’ dinners; Christmas shows and Nativity Plays; Duke of Edinburgh walks; sports’ days and swimming galas; as well as the weekly assemblies, School lunches and regular staff meetings. All of these form the backbone of the structure of the school, but it is the girls and their achievements I will remember with pleasure and pride. I will never forget the group of Upper Sixth students who sang their version of ‘Reach for the Stars’ to celebrate our ‘Reaching for Success’ statue in their tribute to their time in the School.
As you are aware it is my final day in school today before moving onto pastures new. I do hope that you will enjoy reading my final letter. May I wish you and your families the very best for the future.”
Today, as her last formal duty in post, Mrs Robinson oversaw the handover from the current Head Girl Team to the new and received a gift from the girls during the Easter Assembly.
This afternoon was the final goodbye at the end of the day, as Mrs Robinson stood for one last time at the main door, wishing everyone a Happy Easter Holiday. We hope you will join us in wishing Mrs Robinson all the best in her new ventures. There have been some tears of happiness through these events; but now is the time to say, one last time: Good bye and good luck Louise!
Mr Peter Dowd, MP for Bootle, recently visited the primary school to meet the children in an assembly. He talked about life as an MP in the House of Commons and shared some interesting, unusual facts with us. For example, when MPs appear ‘slouched’ it isn’t that they are dozing, but are actually listening to the debate through speakers built into the benches behind. The School Council, representing their classes, then asked Mr Dowd questions about life as an MP.
To finish, a group of junior girls met Mr Dowd over refreshments to speak about an area of particular interest to Mr Dowd, our links with Sierra Leone. Mr Power from MTGS, who is very involved with Sierra Leone, joined us and spoke about his extensive travels and time spent there. The girls shared with Mr Dowd their thoughts about our projects and reflected on how our links had enriched their lives.
A huge thank you to Mr Dowd for spending the morning in school with us. It is a privilege to have met him.