Prestigious Gold Award for History Department

Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School is celebrating the achievements of its History Department after being awarded the prestigious Gold History Quality Mark by the Historical Association.

This is a national award and it took 12 months to complete.  The award is rigorous involving a full audit of provision, the creation of a substantial portfolio of evidence across a range of different areas and an inspection visit to meet the department and observe teaching. The department was assessed in Teaching and Learning, Curriculum, Achievement, Leadership and Enrichment with each section being well regarded in the final report.

It was recognised in the report that the ‘learning and achievement in the subject is strong’ and that GCSE results in History are ‘impressively high’ at 98% A*-C, alongside A level success of 100% A*-C. This is the result of the hard work and dedication of both the pupils and teachers, supported by the wide range of resources that are used in the department to inspire and complement the teaching. In addition to this, the work that the history department does in the local community was also commended.

History continues to be a popular subject at Merchant Taylors’ and this department has strong influence on other areas of the curriculum and school life. It was acknowledged in the report that our pupils ‘understand the purpose of studying history and are highly motivated’ being guided by a strong curriculum and structured feedback.

Mr Heap, who is Head of History and Politics and a Principal Examiner for the Edexcel History GCSE, said “We are delighted to be one of the first schools in the country to achieve this prestigious award. The department as a whole has worked hard over a number of years to create an innovative History curriculum which helps our students to see how the events of the past directly shape the world in which we live. Since 2013, 29 boys have gone on to read History at university having achieved outstanding A Level results according to national benchmarks. At GCSE the department has increased the number of boys achieving an A* when the national trend has been one of sharp decline. However, this award recognises a lot more than just exam results. We help our students to develop a genuine love of the subject which will never leave them. In future years we look forward to working even more with the local community and with local schools to promote the teaching of History.”

The award was well deserved with the History department being described by the assessors as ‘well led, influential and forward thinking’. With very few secondary schools being awarded Gold so far, this is testament to the outstanding education that Merchant Taylors’ provides.

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Tom Palmer visits Boys for World Book Day Celebrations

On Tuesday 28th February 2017 we welcomed author Tom Palmer in to school to talk to the boys about his work and to start the World Book Day celebrations.

All junior school and year 7 boys loved taking part in Tom’s rugby game, which gave them the thrill of competing in a sport and reading quiz, complete with rugby post and ball, to win a trophy. Congratulations to Cameron and Charlie!

As a child Tom saw no point in reading, unless it was to find out more about sport. The first book he remembers reading was the Illustrated History of Leeds United, although he did love football and rugby magazines and sport sections in the newspapers.

Before he became a full time writer, which took 20 years, he had several jobs, like a milkman when he had to get up at 3.30am, a bookseller, and working in library reading promotion, which enabled him to organise many book related events for children, like the Summer Reading Challenge.

He now loves reading, and his favourite book is Wuthering Heights. To children, he recommends the Alex Rider books by Anthony Horowitz and Michael Grant’s Gone series. Of all the many novels he has written, which now numbers over 40, his favourite is Over the Line, as it is about real people and he was able to visit the war grave of the main character. If he had to be one of his characters he would be the Spymaster in Black Op, as he made his daughter one of the other characters.

Although many of his novels have a football or rugby theme, with the characters playing in teams, he likes to incorporate other themes, like history, in Over the Line, set in the First World War, kidnapping and trafficking of footballers, in Off Side and corruption in sport, in Dead Ball. Many of his books have exotic settings, like White Fear which takes place in the Arctic. He loves travel and enjoys visiting places that he is going to use in his novels. Magazines are also a valuable part of his research, so he used Okay magazine to find out what footballers’ houses were like inside.

Apart from watching sport, Tom’s hobby is fell running, and he has finally achieved his ambition of using it in a story. His next hero is to be a fell runner who volunteers to be a trench runner in the First World War.

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MTGS Physicists Win a Trip to Grenoble

Earlier in the year lower sixth Physicists took part in the XMaS competition launched nationwide by Warwick University with help from IGGY, Sepnet, STEMNet, Ogden Trust and the Institute of Physics.
Students were asked to write a two page essay on “What is the legacy of Kathleen Lonsdale both in terms of her scientific discoveries and for women in science?” All the girls produced fantastic entries, adding their own little touches to get themselves noticed by the judges, including a rap, sway presentation and a glittery structural model of benzene!
The prize… A four day all-expenses paid trip to visit the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble! Taking part in the Synchrotron@Schools Programme whilst touring the XMaS Beamline, meeting scientists from a range of disciplines as well as having the chance to explore the beautiful city of Grenoble.
A huge congratulations to the following girls whose essays and creativity massively impressed the judges, securing four of the 16 winning spots on this once in a lifetime trip:
Lauren Widders
Nia Almond
Catherine Magennis
Emma Pearson
The trip will take place 2nd-6th July 2017, well done girls!!
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Year 6 Perform Romeo and Juliet

Love, Fate and a Touch of Perfection – Year Six Girls Startle Crowd with a Powerful Production at MTGS Crosby as Part of Their Shakespearean Project.

There were no ‘frothy, elf-skinned hugger-muggers’ in this group of girls whose ambitious dreams became a reality on Thursday, 9thFebruary. This was when Merchant Taylors’ Year 6 girls gave a spectacular performance of Romeo and Juliet.

Prepared in just over a week, the visually stunning staging, well-cast parts and fantastic tech crew all came together to create a magnificent performance. Though some parts were memorably dark there were also many moments of humour in this astonishing production.

Stage Door Theatre Company choreographed the dances and coached the actors whilst a film director worked with the tech crew to produce a documentary about the making of the production.

During the performance no stumble or mistake was made in the acting or dancing and the tech crew did a spectacular job in the lighting box and behind the scenes.

A member of the tech crew, Elsie Manson, said: “ I really found the lighting and camera work interesting and the portrayal of all the characters was spectacular!”    

Actor Ellie Clark (Paris), commented: “It was a thrill to experience acting from behind the scenes and to see the excellent finished performance.”

Sophia Neophytou (dancer), stated: “It was inspiring to have this fascinating experience!”

Following the performance, the Year 6 girls left with a  feeling of triumph and a thirst to continue acting, dancing or working behind the scenes in the technical side of theatre and film production.

Reported by Roxanne Hallett, Year 6

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Christine Parr (1932-2015), In Memoriam

An obituary is a difficult task; writing one for a much admired colleague and later much loved friend, is a mountain to climb.

Chris (née Marsden) graduated from Girton College Cambridge in 1954 with a double first in Natural Sciences. She went on to St Thomas’ Hospital Biochemistry Dept. She returned to the North in 1956 being awarded an M.Sc by the University of London. She began work at Waterloo Park School and married Brian Parr in 1958. Christopher and Elizabeth were born in the following years.

After part time teaching she began work full time at MTGS in 1970. She was appointed Senior Mistress in 1976 and became the School’s first Deputy Head in 1981.

I first met Chris in 1987 when she ‘interviewed’ me as a candidate to succeed Margaret Davies. She was pleasant, fair, rigorous and thorough. Looking back I realise how very importantly the governors regarded her opinion.

With this ability she brought other outstanding personal attributes. One colleague wrote “among all my memories of working at MTGS, Chris stands out as someone whom I could both like and respect for every kind of reason; for her academic rigour which we took so much for granted, her constantly outstanding administration skills which she made seem entirely effortless and for her unfailing personal integrity and quiet kindness.”

Yes Chris was an outstanding Deputy Head, but, and equally important, she was a loving daughter, wife, mother and grandmother.

A friend observed “I only met Chris on a few occasions but she left an indelible impression on me. She was invariably smiling with a sense of goodwill and attentive to those around. On one occasion, at a local restaurant, I remember her surrounded by her grandchildren – the centre of attention. They were full of laughter, chatter, respect and affection. I was very struck by her place in their lives.”

In the academic year 1988-89 Chris lost both her mother and her husband, Brian, and gained her first grandchild, William. As a result she postponed her retirement which was a great benefit both to myself and to the School.

She organised some unique moments in the school’s history. The 100th anniversary which we all, pupils, parents, staff and friends shared with the Archbishop of Canterbury in Liverpool Cathedral in 1988 stands out. I later discovered Chris had managed to acquire the actual copy of the Archbishop Runcie’s speech that day – special words. She also masterminded the Royal visit of the Duke and Duchess of York in 1988.

In the many letters and cards received after Chris’s death some observations are repeated – her smile, her sense of humour, meticulous attention to detail, generosity, integrity and elegance.

During her 23 years of retirement she designed and planted 2 gardens from scratch, or should I say mud and stone!

Her determination to master all aspects of IT (putting me to shame) and her love of music – following her Grade 8 violin at school – were all aspects of these very active years, as was her regular attendance at Church reflecting her quiet Christian faith. She gained further fulfilment from being a loving grandmother to her 5 grandchildren.

She and I walked and explored the Dolomites and Drakensburg, Alps and Pyrenees, Andes and Himalayas, Arctic to Antarctic, and the Tropics. We saw many sights and sites of this wonderful world we all inhabit, all described in her detailed logs and diaries and illustrated by her wonderful photographs.

Appropriate, therefore, to finish with an appreciation from an American student who passed us on the Everest trail. As he loped past the 14 of us, he noticed Chris – who was at 79, many years older than the rest of the party. He stopped, “Excuse me ma’am; can I ask you how old you are?” On being informed, he shouted with disbelief and wonder – “God bless you ma’am, God bless you!”, and he picked her up in a big hug.

A wonderful memory of a very special daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, colleague and friend.

Jane Panton

October 2016.

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New Classrooms at Hope Preparatory thanks to Stanfield Charity

During 2016 Stanfield’s School Council organised a range of whole school charity events, including cake sales, a ‘Santa Dash’ and mufti days, in order to raise the £7000 needed to help our link school Hope Preparatory, in Sierra Leone, build a new 4 classroom build. The land had been bought by the former Headteacher, Mrs Doherty, who visited Stanfield in 2011, but who sadly passed away before her proposed idea could begin.

Building work started in November 2016, with the help of Mrs Doherty’s brother, who has taken over as the new Headteacher and Mr Power from MTGS, who has been an important link between Stanfield and Hope Preparatory School in Sierra Leone. He will fly over to officially open the school in May this year on our behalf.

 

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Our International Charity ‘The Good Life Orphanage’ puts our donations to good use!

Thanks to donations from parents and boys from the Junior School, the  children at the orphanage have new P.E. kit. They were delighted when they received the new kits and felt very smart wearing them. In a country where a school uniform is a status symbol, the pupils feel truly blessed thanks to the generosity of everyone at Merchant Taylors’ Junior Boys’ School.
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Holiday Club is in full swing…

Yesterday we were busy making delicious Margherita pizzas from scratch and Pom Pom ice creams. A busy and fun day had by all and ended with a dip in the pool
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Lee Newhall – The Tenacious Hero, In Memoriam

31/05/1991 – 5/09/2016.

MTS 2009 leaver

I distinctly remember Lee & I being shown around the amazing building that was, and still is, Merchant Taylors’ thinking “what a dream” – then being overcome with a sense of home. Sure enough Lee was successful in securing himself a place here. However, during the summer holidays, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. I really felt for him starting a new school pumped up with steroids and a nasogastric tube stuck to his face! Lee had no trouble in making friends in spite of this and his extremely quiet nature. Unfortunately this illness became progressively worse. Although his persistent absence was a worry, his health reached a crisis point and at 15 he underwent major, life-changing surgery. This was much to Lee’s annoyance as he had researched the disease and the effects of food on the body so much that he was convinced he could cure himself. He was not afraid to experiment on himself and I must admit one ‘trial’ did not cure him but certainly did not aggravate his symptoms! Maybe he was on to something! Alas, time ran out as he became extremely ill. Although this was his GCSE year, he studied at home and achieved A’s and B’s in all 10 subjects, ignoring the pleas of his teachers to drop many subjects due to falling so far behind. This was never an option for Lee.

Lee failed to complete A Level study at MTS but passed 4 A Levels at South Sefton 6th form College after several re-starts of years’ study. During these years depression had set in due to all he had been through. Following various forms of therapy, various medications and trips to A&E, rather than giving up on life, this made him determined to find effective help for himself and quickly realised many others would be in the same position.

Through this he found his passion for NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) i.e. the dynamics between mind and language and how their interplay affects our body and behaviour. He studied relentlessly, going to the very core of its original concept. He read extensively, watched lectures and studied linguistics alongside psychology and hypnosis. He wanted so much to master his craft and make a positive difference to people’s lives. He firmly believed NLP was the answer. Lee went to Croydon and achieved practitioner status in NLP and passed a Counselling Concepts course back home. He then went to York University and, whilst studying psychology, he attended another counselling course and achieved a Distinction in Chinese Mandarin but returned home following a severe bout of depression.

Lee sadly passed away on 5 September 2016. Lee’s motivation was not to seek fame and fortune but I can say that unbeknown to him, he achieved his ambition of being a positive impact on everyone he met. He practiced out his studies in real life situations with astounding success. I have numerous hand written tributes from his friends. Lee never wanted to be the centre of attention but you were always at the centre of his. We played guitar all through the night – now that is my profession. Lee would turn an average day into one you would treasure forever; Lee never failed to bring joy and laughter and would brighten any room. He was kind, funny, intelligent and considerate: his family confirm this. He always had a smile and a kind word for everyone. His friend was right when he said ‘we will all be far richer to emulate his fantastic ways.’

His Suffering made him compassionate Compassion gave him strength Strength made him positive Positivity gave him determination Determination made him a success.

His intellect and wisdom were astounding. These, along with his courageous yet caring and gentle nature, made him truly remarkable. Everlasting peace Lee – There is a light and it never goes out.

Lee Newhall, the unassuming tenacious hero, adored by everyone who had the pleasure to know him.

Prepared by Lee’s mother, Paula Newhall

 

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Y6 boys from MTJBS are AJIS Quiz Champions

Congratulations to our Y6 Quiz Team who achieved 1st place in the AJIS Quiz Competition at Bury Grammar School. Jonathan Corner, Max Whitehurst, Sam Fell and Shea Brennan were worthy winners after a formidable performance against teams from other Independent Schools in the North West. Well done boys!

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