Aged just 11 years and Year 7 student Betty Walden is already a seasoned professional of dance, having begun when just two and a half years old!

This year promises to be her most exciting to date as she has been selected to dance for the England team in the Dance World Cup in Portugal, known as the Olympics of dance.

Betty will perform in two categories, ballet and acrobatics (acro) along with other students of the Classical Ballet Centre in Lightwater.

She will travel to Braga in the Summer for what is now the largest all-genre international competition for children and young adults, competing against over 60 national teams.

No stranger to competitions, Betty competes in at least four a year and last February was part of the touring company for the London Children’s Ballet performing in schools, care homes and special needs centres to children and the elderly who would otherwise not be able to access ballet.

Her preparation for the World Cup competition has already begun in earnest and Betty practices every day, either at her dance school or home, notching up around 12 hours a week.

“It’s the fun that keeps me going and being with my friends” reveals Betty, who also enjoys modern dance, tap and jazz as well as hip hop, adding: “I just let myself be free and dance. It’s my happy place”.

Four new names inscribed on the boards in the Rec today, joining an illustrious list of Head Boys, Girls; Colour Sergeants and Sergeant Majors. Head Boy Sam Moreau, Head Girl Libby Lomas, Sergeant Major Sophie Bodell and Colour Sergeant Jack Goate, together with Deputy Head Boy Alex Perry and Deputy Head Girl Eleanor Scarlett, will take over from the current senior student leaders in January.

Tuesday 3rd - residential boarders arrive between 7.00 and 9.00 pm

Kensington’s penguins and presents stole the show in the Sixth Form Cake Off competition today, winning first prize and chocolates galore for the creators. This hard-fought competition, a test of ingenuity and creativity saw Victoria House’s penguins in second place and China’s Christmas tree in third. Congratulations all!

An opportunity to showcase music at Gordon’s to visitors from the PTI (formerly Prince’s Teaching Institute). Carolyn Roberts and Rod MacKinnon from the PTI were here on Friday as Head of Academic Music, Rachel Brazendale (pictured above with the school's jazz band, Honk) is one of three teachers nationwide to have been nominated for the Institute’s Bernice McCabe Award. This annual award, promotes and celebrates excellence in subject leadership and recognises departments that put quality subject teaching at the heart of the classroom. As well as speaking to students, the PTI were treated to a rehearsal session with Honk.

Over the past three years, Mrs Brazendale has been responsible for introducing a range of instruments and events into the music department. She has collaborated with the Careers Department to stage events for students at Gordon’s and others in the area, to make them aware of  careers in the creative arts; launched academic enrichment competitions; introduced a ‘Dine and Discuss’ Society to discuss topical musical issues and a subsidised orchestral instrument scheme for students.

In October, Gordon’s learned that the PTI had awarded the school all eight of the possible PTI Subject Leadership Marks which recognise outstanding teaching in Art, English, Geography, History, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages, Music and Science.