With their A Levels now behind them, the Year 13s were able to enjoy a special evening with each other and the staff who may have taught them for the past seven years. A beautiful sunny evening on which to catch up and make more memories.
Students in Gordon's School Pipes and Drums had a once in a lifetime opportunity as they performed at Windsor Castle for His Majesty The King, the school Patron this week. The school is the National Memorial to General Charles Gordon and in this, its 140th anniversary year, the Pipes and Drums are commemorating the event by performing in places associated with General Charles Gordon. Windsor Castle holds General Gordon’s Bible, which was given to Queen Victoria by his sister Augusta in March 1885. The Bible, now on display in the castle, was given to General Gordon on the day of his birth by a relative of his mother and on the flyleaf are the names and dates of each of his postings. Students were able to see the Bible in the King’s Drawing Room in the State Apartments.
For the special performance, Drum Major Lucy Carter led the Pipes and Drums through the George IV Gateway and into the Quadrangle of the Castle, watched by hundreds of tourists. There the students played a number of traditional Scottish melodies, including tunes that are said to be among His Majesty’s favourites! The drummers performed Drummers’ Beating.
After the performance, The King spoke to all 52 members of the Pipes and Drums and joined them for a photograph. His Majesty also greeted many of the parents and staff.
Two of the students, Harry Gordon and Logan Green, together with the Senior Pipe Major Iona Scotson, composed music for the bagpipes to mark the occasion, called Gordon’s Crown, a copy of which was presented to His Majesty.
Afterwards, The King’s Piper, Pipe Major Paul Burns told the student band: “The King thoroughly enjoyed it. The sound of it inside the quadrangle was absolutely fantastic, so well done everybody, keep up the hard work!”
Headmaster Andrew Moss spoke of his pride at seeing their performance, adding: “This is probably the most unique thing you have done, so keep it, treasure it and look after it. The King said ‘I do hope the Pipes and Drums keeps going forever’.
The school was originally opened as a home for ‘necessitous boys’ in 1885 at Queen Victoria’s insistence that a fitting National Memorial be created in honour of General Gordon. It became a school in 1943 and is now one of the most successful state boarding schools in England, rated ‘Outstanding’ by OFSTED both for boarding and academic. Queen Victoria became the first in an unbroken line of Sovereign Patrons of the school, with HM King Charles III accepting the Patronage last year.
Since its inception it has boasted a Pipes and Drums Band. Today around 50 students play for the band on either the bagpipes, snare, tenor or bass drums.
As well as taking part in the school’s annual Whitehall Parade in London, the Pipes and Drums compete in the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships and have played for the Last Post Association at Menin Gate in Ypres, the Lord Mayor’s Parade and the Tartan Parade in New York. In 2022 the school was partnered with the National Piping Centre, a national and international centre of excellence for bagpipes.
As part of the Pipes and Drums celebration for the school’s 140th anniversary, they are performing in places associated with General Gordon. Included is St Paul’s Cathedral; Westminster Abbey, Chatham, Gravesend and Rochester Cathedral.
On track for a great career in long jump, Caleb Kuwana, whose jump of 6.10 metres in the South East Regional Inter-Counties Schools’ Athletics Championships has earned him a place in the English Schools’ Athletic Association’s National Championships in Birmingham next month. Caleb, representing Surrey, is now ranked fifth in the UK for U15 long jump. Congratulations Caleb!
Taking to the skies above Gloucestershire, the RAF CCF cadets with 612 Volunteer Gliding Squadron at Little Rissington. Particularly special for our cadets as one was flown by Gordonian Liz Mockeridge, whose father, Squadron Leader Peter Mockeridge has been involved in Gordon's RAF section for many years. Thank you 612 Volunteer Gliding Squadron!
A stunning celebration of strings in the Chapel last night as individuals, trios and the senior string orchestra joined to perform for the Summer String Soiree. The event featured new talent as well as music scholars playing a range of pieces including ones by Mozart, Bach, Elgar and Shoskakovich.
The end of their GCSE exams – finally! As the last papers were handed in for the majority of the Year 11 students, they took up their indelible markers and congregated on the Front Field to sign each other’s shirts. Congratulations to all of them for their hard work and determination in their public exams. The year group will reunite on July 1st to celebrate properly with their Prom.
Sixty eight students trekking along the Jurassic Coast for three days and two nights for their silver Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The expedition part of the award, requires the groups to to be unaccompanied and self-sufficient to to have planned the route as well as their menus! For further information on the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme at Gordon's, please click here.
Special additions to the usual Patron’s Parade format today, in this, the school’s 140th anniversary year. The Parade honours the school’s Patron His Majesty King Charles, who accepted the Patronage of the school last year, continuing an unbroken line of sovereign patrons since Queen Victoria. Two new banners for the pipers! One featuring The King’s Cypher and another sporting the Royal Engineers crest. During the march on to the Parade Square, the Pipes and Drums formed the figure of 140 (pictured below), later the drummers performed Drummers’ Beating. Guest of Honour today was Colonel Gareth J Boyd, Commander of the Mission Ready Training Centre Bassingbourn, who inspected the Parade, which was led by Sergeant Major Alisha Limbu. The Drum Major was Lucy Carter, the Pipe Major Harry Gordon and the trumpeters were Jess Fowler and David Brocklebank. Presentations were made in music to the trio who reached the semi-final of the Pro Corda National Chamber Music Competition; Gold, silver and bronze medallists from the UK Schools Music Festival; the U18 Football team, winners of the Surrey Sixth Form League Cup Final; the Ten Tors team; the U15 netball squad who finished third in the country in the Sister n Sport Cup and the golf team who were placed fourth nationally in the ISGA National Final.
Founder’s Day Parade at the Royal Hospital Chelsea today and nine lucky Year 8 students, are attending! The students, dressed in their ceremonial Blues uniforms, have been chosen for their marching skills for this annual event, with His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh reviewing the Parade of the Chelsea Pensioners. The Parade remembers King Charles II who issued a Royal Warrant for the foundation of the hospital and commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to design it. It is also known as Oak Apple Day, the oak leaves symbolising King Charles’ escape after the Battle of Worcester in 1651 when he hid in an oak tree.
They sprinted, ran, walked, hobbled or just cheered….and raised over £6,000 for Cancer Research UK Race for Life! No obstacle was too muddy or wet for Gordon’s staff, who took on today’s Pretty Muddy 5k at Windsor Racecourse. The group decided on the fundraiser to support a colleague currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Great fun had by all for a fantastic cause (and they’ve vowed to do it again next year!).
Three of the four Woking Young Musicians Trust awards were made to Gordon’s students this year. The awards aim to encourage aspiring young musicians in the area and are made after an audition and interview with the panel of trustees. On Sunday at St Peter’s Church, Old Woking, Kate Brazendale (voice); Daria Hudson (piano) and Audrey Man (harp) performed at a celebration concert in the presence of the Mayor of Woking, Cllr Amanda Boote.
One hundred students trekking across the Surrey Hills this weekend in pursuit of their residential section of their Bronze The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The Year 9 group, split into 16 teams, must walk 16 kilometres per day carrying their tents and sustenance. Best of luck to all of them!
