A nail-biting win for Kanishk Rao in the British National Karting Championship in Scotland, earning him fifth place in the National Championship leaderboard. The 12 year old driver, racing for Oliver Rowland Motorsport, heads to Belgium this weekend for the final round of the IAME European Championship race. Best of luck Kanishk!
With first places in the U14 Boat and Cable Wakeboarding National finals and fourth place in the WWA Cable Wakeboarding World Championships, Gordon’s Marley O’Toole now ranks top in the national rankings of the sport and eighth in the world! A fantastic Summer for Marley who only started wakeboarding four years ago!
Jubilant scenes at Gordon's this morning as students came into collect another superb set of results in which 86% achieved A* to C; 65% A* to B and 31%A*-A. BTEC results were also outstanding with 75% securing a Merit+. Gordon's Headmaster Andrew Moss paid tribute to the students and staff saying: “These are the last of four public examinations directly affected by the Covid pandemic. Congratulations to our students and staff for their hard work and commitment in achieving a set of superb results given the challenges posed by the pandemic.”
Further information on the results can be found here.
Best of luck to all our students receiving their results tomorrow. Those wishing to collect their A Level or BTEC results from school may do so from the Rec at 8am on Thursday 17th August. Results will also be emailed to students at 8.30am to their school email account.
Two self-confessed ‘overweight, unfit, old and inexperienced cyclists’ set off from the Chapel Garden at Gordon’s today on for a 580 mile heart-shaped cycle route over 19 days.
Paul and Karen Smith were waved off by family and friends including actor Brian Blessed OBE and the Mayor of Surrey Heath Cllr Pat Tedder and Gordon’s staff.
The two have undertaken the Wonky Heart Challenge to mark the tenth anniversary of their son Harry’s suicide at the age of 17. Harry, a student at Gordon’s, took his own life ten years ago today, while holidaying with his parents in France, after receiving a disappointing set of AS Level results. They have chosen to set off on their cycle ride across England and Wales, in a journey that resembles a wonky heart, in the week that A Level results are received by students. As well as raising money for suicide prevention charities, their aim is to increase awareness about mental health in the young and encourage those receiving their A Level and GCSE results to talk about their feelings and emotions.
Harry’s brother and sister, Jack and Freya Smith, also Gordonians, were there to wave off their parents and remember their brother. Around school, Harry's life is commemorated with a plaque and seat in the Chapel Garden, as well as a plaque outside his Gravesend. For further information about the challenge and for donations, www.wonkyheartchallenge.co.uk
The chance to not only play netball in South Africa and see the sights of Cape Town, but also watch the Vitality Roses win a silver medal at the Netball World Cup, for our netball players. Trips to Boulders Beach, Cape Point and Seal Island were included in their packed itinerary, as was helping in the kindergarten of the Goedgedacht Trust, a programme seeking to transform the chances of children in rural communities.
They battled torrential rain, high winds and the mountainous terrain of Snowdonia, but all passed the expedition part of their Gold The Duke of Edinburgh's Award with flying colours (and in good spirits!). Congratulations all!
More wins for Gordon’s Boat Club in the Staines Regatta, with a double success for Mimi in the Womens' Single Scull events in both the 850m and 500m. In the Open Double Sculls 850m, Ben and Tom triumphed in the J15 and Charlie and Robbie in the J14. Great performances all round, with finalists in other events, ending a fantastic season.
Tents are up, now time to plan their routes for the final expedition for their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award. The teams, who completed their practice expedition in the Black Mountains, are now in Snowdonia for five days and four nights and must organise and plan the expedition themselves. Best of luck to all of them.
Determined to leave a lasting legacy at Gordon’s, in the form of bagpipes, School Bursar Susan Meikle has achieved this, raising not only enough money for one set of pipes, but for five! Mrs Meikle, who retires at the end of August after 11 years at Gordon’s, had twice tandem-jumped out of an aeroplane to raise funds for school projects but the challenge of mastering the chanter and passing the Level 2 of the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board was her biggest test to date. Since November, she has been attending weekly lessons on the chanter (the part of the bagpipe used to create a melody), spurred on by sponsorship by parents, students, staff and friends of the School. Now, as well as passing her exam, she has learned that £2,515 has been raised – enough to buy five new sets of bagpipes for use by the school’s pipers. Mrs Meikle said: "This was an unusual challenge to set myself but one that I am proud to have achieved, particularly encouraged by such generous donations for which I thank everyone most sincerely. The Pipe Band is an iconic aspect of Gordon’s and I now have some understanding of their hard work and commitment".
Five days in the Welsh Black Mountains for these Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants, taking part in their practice expedition. The groups have organised and planned the expedition, which requires eight hours of activity each day and must be unaccompanied and self-sufficient. Best of luck to them all.
Congratulations to U14s cricketer Hridaan Kohli, who has been awarded a Bedser Scholarship. The leg spinning all-rounder, who turns out for Valley End Cricket Club; Twenty20 Community Cricket Academy; Gordon’s for the U14s and the First XI Team (as well as training at the MCC Hub!) is one of six children aged between 8 and 16 years old from Woking schools who have been identified as having the potential to become performance cricketers.
