Culture Club
Theatre Trip to the Lion King
A lovely group of Year 12s enjoyed an evening in the West End recently.
We went to watch the Lion King and were thoroughly impressed with the costume design, dancing, singing and stage design.
From the moment it began, the spectacle was enthralling.
What a brilliant way to spend a Thursday evening. Until the next one...
Mrs Moreton, English Department
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Massive congratulations to Giulia (Year 10) for achieving a distinction in her Grade 8 piano exam last week.
An amazing achievement.
Mrs Casling and Mrs Eacott
Heads of Music
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Last week, 16 talented Year 9 Linguists represented BGS in the GCHQ National Language Competition. GCHQ is a world-leading intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe, and it is one of the largest employers of linguists in the UK.
The group tackled a variety of language-themed challenges which were hosted on a virtual platform. These ranged from easy to difficult, involved a mix of different languages and even made-up languages. It is fair to say that once everyone had worked their way through the initial warm-up challenge, they quickly got into their stride and were problem-solving at a variety of levels. BGS quickly made the national leaderboard and results are due to be announced this week. It was very impressive how the Year 9s approached the tasks logically, using their linguistic skills to decode and tackle the challenges, working effectively in teams to find the solution. Have a look below for an example of the type of challenge in the competition (solution at the end of the newsletter).
Mrs Watkins, MFL Specialism
When I signed up for the NLC competition, I personally doubted that the challenge would even be hard, but when I saw the first question I was shocked! Nevertheless, my team and I persevered throughout and are satisfied with the results.
We had fun and do not regret signing up at all!
Yatharth Agrawal, Year 9
The GCHQ, NLC was really challenging, but fun. One of the longer tasks where we had to decipher a completely new language was particularly difficult. There were a couple of sentences given as examples which you then had to use to translate a different sentence. We felt a great sense of achievement. We managed to do it! We learnt some new skills about how to notice word endings using our knowledge from other languages we have learnt.
Harry Hinton & Luke Peake, Year 9
The competition was great fun, but we did spend a whole hour on one question which proved very challenging. After the session in school, we all went away and completed 3 more challenges at home as we really wanted to have a go at some more. As well as using my language skills, I learnt a bit more about different cultures too.
Freya Savage, Year 9
Scroll to the end of this newsletter for the solution!
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 We’d like to say a huge thank you to a parent who gave us an incredibly generous donation, which has enabled us to replace a number of pieces of equipment, and also to kit out our T20 cricket squads with new playing shirts. We think they look great! We’d still like to get some netball dresses and a new football kit, so if anyone else would like to contribute to the purchases please email Mr Lines any time. Many thanks.
Mr Lines, Head of PE
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Please click on the sports report below for all the latest PE news!
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 | 27 Nov 2024 RugbyThe Year 10 rugby team lost a thriller to Bexleyheath Academy 24-22 last week, in a game characterised by some awesome tackling on both sides. Sometimes you just get beaten in sport. Fair play to BA.We’ll be back!Mr Lines, Head of PEThe Year 8 rugby team spent the afte... |
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 Christmas Spirit Day, Charlton Athletic Football Club
Dear Parent/Carer
As part of our Christmas Spirit Day, Charlton Athletic Football Club, working in partnership with the London Borough of Bexley, would like to offer every child receiving or eligible for Free School Meals the chance to join us for an upcoming home fixture at The Valley (SE7 8BL) for free.
Tickets will be made available to families for the Charlton Athletic match against Mansfield Town on Saturday, December 14th or Cambridge United on Boxing Day (Thursday, December 26th). Both games kick-off at 3pm.
Families can request up to two adult tickets for each junior ticket claimed. Tickets will be supplied on a first come, first served basis. Each family must choose one of the two games to attend, not both.
To claim your ticket, we need you to fill in the form via the attached QR code. All forms must be filled in correctly and entirely in the right format or the ticket request will not be fulfilled.
 The information we need is as follows:
· Game you wish to attend
· Child’s first name
· Child’s surname
· Child’s date of birth
· House number/name and postcode
· Phone number
· Email address
· School name
· Number of adult tickets required
This form must be completed by 1pm on Wednesday, December 11th, 2024.
Tickets will only be available for collection at the stadium on the day of the game.
Best regards,
Charlton Athletic
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 Platinum Jubilee School Photograph
Don't miss out!
Last chance to order for Christmas
Deadline for orders: Sunday 1st December
Dear Parents/Carers,
As the holiday season approaches, we wanted to remind you of a wonderful opportunity to order a keepsake that celebrates the Bexley Grammar School community — the Upper & Lower School group photographs taken earlier this term.
These special photographs offers a lasting memory of your child’s time here and the friendships they've made along the way. You can view the photographs and place your order online by visiting the following link: https://htmp.st/BE1021-59BEXLEYGRAMM
All orders will be shipped directly to your home (P&P applies). To ensure your photo arrives in time for the festive period, please place your order by Sunday 1st December.
We hope this photograph will find a special place in your home and bring joy to your family for years to come.
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Year 11 Mock GCSEs
The January GCSE Mock timetable below has been issued to students this week.
Mrs Bono, Examinations Officer
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Year 11 Preparing for Revision
The Revision Booklet has recently been issued to Year 11 students. It can be viewed on the school website under the header Teaching and Learning/ KS4 or by clicking on the link here.
Thank you
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 Please click on the link here to access all our Safeguarding Updates
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Cyclists
 It's great that so many of our students cycle to and from school. Could parents and carers please remind all students to wear helmets when doing so, and ensure that they are equipped with lights now that the clocks have changed.
Kind regards,
Mr S Auckland
Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead
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News items you may have missed!
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Snow White & the Seven Dorks
13 days to go!
Is this your run-of-the-mill pantomime? 'Oh no, it isn't!'
What if the kingdom was struggling with the cost of living crisis, and the King had to marry the Evil Queen to save it?
What if Snow White was the hero who had to rescue him?
And what if this hilarious twist to the classic tale took place in a secondary school, where instead of her usual seven companions, Snow White teams up with seven social outcasts?
Join us for this fun-filled, modern reimagining of a pantomime classic that’s full of surprises, laughter, and heart! With two casts and over 120 students bringing the story to life, it’s a must-see production for all ages.
All the lighting, sound, and projection design is done by our talented students, showcasing their creativity and hard work behind the scenes.
For a taste of what's to come, click on the link here and here to watch our YouTube trailers. Or follow us on Instagram here!
Don't miss the magic of Snow White and The Seven Dorks!
Click on the link here to purchase your tickets or scan the QR code above.
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Music Department Christmas Performances
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Craft Club Donations
Craft Club runs each Tuesday during lower school lunch in H8. Pupils have the opportunity to do a variety of crafty activities, such as making clay bead jewellery and art projects. We would like to launch a charity initiative in which we make handmade hearts for the Children’s Hospital Pyjama charity. The charity provides pyjamas for children and young adults who are having an unexpected stay overnight in hospital. Within the pyjama pack, the charity also provides a pair of matching handmade hearts. During COVID, this gave children and their families a way to stay connected as one heart stayed with the child in hospital and one heart went home with a loved one. The hearts have remained a central part of the charity’s work, and so we would love to make some at Craft Club. These can be knitted, stitched or crocheted using the attached template.
We would really appreciate any unused fabric that has a child-friendly/appropriate pattern with enough material to make an identical pair of hearts. We will need roughly fabric pieces that are the equivalent to two A4 pages per pair of hearts. Please pop any donations to Reception and thank you in advance!
Mrs Boulden, Director of Studies, Year 9
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Important Information from the Attendance Office
Punctuality
Dear Parent/Carer,
The Attendance Office would like to clarify that being late for school due to traffic in the surrounding area is not classed as an 'exceptional circumstance'. The Attendance Officers will closely monitor local issues and if there is an exceptional incident, resulting in a high volume of students being late for school, we will make reasonable adjustments on these occasions.
Students are advised to be in school at 8:15am every day to ensure they have sufficient time to go to their lockers/bathroom etc.
Students attending clubs before school must still ensure they register at 8:30am. Arrival after 8:30am is considered to be late.
Should your child be late for a genuinely exceptional reason, please email the Attendance Officers and explain these circumstances.
Years 7-11 jeffery_j@bexleygs.co.uk
Years 12-13 jeffery_s@bexleygs.co.uk
The Attendance Office
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Free School Meals
Are you eligible?
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Greenwich
If your child attends a school in another borough, you will need to apply to the relevant council or school directly. APPLY TO BEXLEY.
Tower Hamlets
Children whose parents live in the borough but who attend schools outside the borough. Parents should apply to the authority where the school is located. APPLY TO BEXLEY.
Medway
Does not specify the location of the school and just has a link to applications.
https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200164/school_information/354/free_school_meals.
You may need to go via Bexley after this process.
Bromley
If your child attends a non-Bromley school, you must apply to the local authority where the school is situated. APPLY TO BEXLEY.
Dartford
If your child attends a non-Dartford school, you must apply to the local authority where the school is situated. APPLY TO BEXLEY.
When these applications are completed, a notification should be sent to the school for us to update records accordingly, but it may be worth the parents sending in the email confirmation to us too.
Bexley Application Link
https://www.bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/free-school-meals/how-apply-free-school-meals/free-school-meals-form
Don't delay, apply today!
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Lost Property
We kindly remind parents/carers to please write your child's name wherever possible on their items so that the Reception Team can return property to the correct student.
Please click on the link here to report lost property or email us directly via reception@bexleygs.co.uk.
Reception Team
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