From day one, these athletes pushed their limits—building patience, confidence, precision, mobility, and strength while learning the fundamentals of Olympic weightlifting.

The programme ended with the testing of each student’s max snatch attempt, resulting in a close battle across the board with much determination shown by all. Congratulations to Aden (Junior Champion) and Kian (Senior Champion). 

Olympic weightlifting now firmly established as a co-curricular activity!

A goal shooter with unerring accuracy, Jazzy is credited with a 100 per cent success rate in one of her England games.

She came into the sport around six years ago and hasn’t looked back.

Almost every night she is training or playing somewhere, either for London Pulse in East London, or school and at weekends and during ‘the netball season’ she can be found travelling the country for games or England training. There is also the S&C and following an athletic development programme to combine with studying for three A Levels in French, art and maths!

She describes herself as a “go with the flow” person but one who grabs every opportunity with both hands.  But behind every success is her mother! “mum is my team manager. She gets me to all my trainings, she’s the one that sorts out my food.”

Best Musical
Best Ensemble
Best Actress - Kate Brazendale (pictured above)
Best Supporting Actor Elliot Watson
Best Lighting Design - James West.

To hear co-Director Robbie Olden talking about Amelie in the latest Quarterly Gazette podcast, please click here.

This is what the National School Theatre Awards had to say after they had watched the production:

The student-led production featured them in not just the cast but involved in the lighting, sound, performing in the orchestra, co-directing, making props and painting scenery!

A romantic comedy, Amelie follows a shy, quirky only child, whose best friend is a goldfish and who is home-schooled after her father wrongly diagnoses her with a heart defect. She becomes a waitress in a Parisien cafe where her life revolves around helping others and in doing so, finds happiness and love.

Court 1 livestream

Court 2 livestream

Howard was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2023. Throughout this challenging time, Charles, Howard and their parents were supported by Momentum, a charity working across South West London, Surrey and Sussex to help families whose children are facing cancer or life-threatening conditions. Momentum provides a wide range of support, including special experiences, respite breaks, counselling, and creative therapies.

Having first spoken about the charity last Christmas, the brothers were invited once again to share their story on Monday — this time addressing MPs, policy makers, clinicians and funding bodies. Charles concluded his speech with the following words: “During difficult times, Momentum was there to carry some of the load when it felt too heavy to manage alone. Their support gave us exactly what we needed the most, the reassurance that we were not forgotten or alone, and that there will always be people willing to go the extra distance with you.”

In expressing her gratitude for Charles’s efforts in raising awareness, Bianca Effemy, Founder of Momentum, said: “I can see how happy Charlie is at Gordon’s school, and I wanted you to know just how proud we are of him, and how grateful we are for the support and encouragement he clearly receives from your school community.

“Recently, we asked Charlie to speak at several events, including yesterday at the Houses of Parliament. My goodness, he spoke so eloquently, with honesty and maturity far beyond his years. He doesn’t even realise the difference he is making – helping other children and families going through the same diagnosis, simply by sharing his story.

“We are immensely proud of Charles for his courage, compassion and willingness to use his voice to support others.”

To see the two of them on ITVs This Morning, click here. For more information about Momentum, click here.

Set in a family kitchen, the production centres around the conflicts of a dysfunctional family’s day to day life and the sacrifices made for the people we love. The idea came to her from reading about a conspiracy theory involving Government bunkers and led to her thinking about who she would be trapped with, in a metaphorical sense.

A committed member of the creative arts community at Gordon’s since she arrived in Year 7, this is the first time Charlotte hasn’t been on the stage for a production. Writing and directing the play, she admits, while very exciting, is very much a step out of her comfort zone.

As well as writing, studying for her A Levels and attending three one to one lessons a week as part of her scholarship, Charlotte is a keen rugby player, turning out for both the Gordon’s 1^st XV and Chobham Rugby Club. She holds down a part time job and is also co-directing on the senior production of Amelie! Oh, and she also enjoys entering writing competitions, compiles daily written observations and works on a portfolio of ideas for scripts and plays! Somehow, she manages to juggle her commitments (and a social life!) - “Writing feels like a break for me”, she says.

The play is currently taking up much of her spare time as she edits her work continually after each rehearsal, responding to new interpretations of her characters. The strength of Charlotte’s relationships with the talented and supportive cast and the environment created in rehearsal has enabled the process to be one of collaboration and genuine fun, working with a community she has grown up with for the past six years.

“I’ve done shows since the age of 11 with many of those involved in this project, it feels like working with friends. Even the teachers, I feel I know them so well.”

Charlotte’s gratitude to all involved is abundant, particularly her scholarship leads, “Their dedication and vulnerability have breathed life into the characters and the story we set out to tell… I knew I could trust every single one of them to learn their lines and do what they had to do to make the show a success.”

While there promises to be a large contingent of family and friends supporting Charlotte on the night and looking forward to seeing her creativity reach fruition, Charlotte is philosophical about her opening night: “I will just have to sit there and let it all happen”.

Where the Wind Blows promises to be “relatable in unexpected and meaningful ways” Charlotte emphasises.

There are still tickets available from the box office here for the premiere of Where The Wind Blows on Wednesday 10^th December at the Wynter Bee Theatre.