Skip to content ↓

news and Announcements

Page 1

  • Storm Troopers

    Published 28/03/24

    Snow on Dartmoor as Storm Nelson joins students on their Ten Tors training. The students are camping and hiking in the national park until Monday 1st April along with thousands of other teenagers in preparation for challenge in May, which will involve a 35 mile hike across the rough terrain of Dartmoor. Best of luck to all of them!

    Read More
  • tackling rugby refereeing

    Published 27/03/24

    Diminutive, slight and softly spoken, it’s difficult to believe that Sixth Form student Natalie Gregory commands a field of towering rugby giants as a referee.

    Most recently she grabbed her whistle for the Rosslyn Park Rugby 7s Tournament – the largest school rugby tournament in the world. However, as a member of the London Society of Rugby Football Union Referees (LSRFUR), she referees for men, women and children, and she has stepped out as an assistant referee on the hallowed grounds of The Stoop and and Surrey Sports Park. The Gordon’s School A Level student is also in demand for school games!

    She grew up on the touchlines of Chobham Rugby Club, watching her younger brother play before donning the red and yellow shirt for the girls when she was eight years old (she still plays for the U18s and women’s team at Chobham!). Her parents joined in the action too, with her mother playing walking rugby and father touch rugby.

    Almost two years ago, she took the ‘Take up the Whistle’ course with the LSRFUR, then achieved her Level 2 England Rugby Referees Award (ERRA) qualification.

    Since joining the society, she has refereed all sorts of games, from U14 boys to women’s games and now even men’s games, spending her weekends and any available time on the pitch. It’s fair to say that rugby and refereeing have become her passion: “You meet so many people and there are so many opportunities for young match officials”, she enthuses, “I love the rugby culture”.

    Studying history, chemistry and Spanish A Levels, with her eye on reading law at university, Natalie is also a senior prefect at Gordon’s and going for her Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award, as well as learning to drive.

    Her father currently acts as her chauffeur to games and society meetings, in addition he deals with her match official administration. Being a Young Match Official (YMO) also means that she has a referee mentor covering every game she is officiating, to provide feedback and advice. When she’s away from the pitch she’s watching games, playing and learning the intricacies of the laws of rugby.

    She is just one of a few girls in the London Society of Rugby Football Union Referees but is very positive about her membership: “When I first joined it did feel a bit of a boys’ club of grey haired men over the age of 50 but you just have to stand up for yourself. There’s a community of girls and women in the Society – we’re still working on getting girls’ kit as the current kit is tailored to men so shorts are never in the smaller sizes!

    “Katrina Ham runs the LSRFUR YMO programme in the South West region and has been such an amazing advocate for female YMOs within the society. She’s been working relentlessly to find the right games for me, to provide the right level of challenge to enable me to progress.”

    Describing her role, she says: “There are so many things that can happen in rugby. You have to be constantly in the play, in the middle of it. You have to make sure you are in the right position while also watching the ball and the players behind your back. Lots to think about”.

    As to what qualities are important for refereeing the game, Natalie said: “Most important would be confidence. Refereeing is all about selling the decisions you are making and attention to detail, knowing every single law inside out”.

    As to whether she will take her talent further, she quickly retorts “Definitely! There are so many people fighting in my corner. I didn’t even realise. At Rosslyn Park I met Andrew Small, the RFU Match Official Development Officer, who heads the referee career pathway for England Rugby, I found out that someone within the society had told him to come and find me at Rosslyn to have a look at what I was doing and recommend pathways. You don’t even realise that people are putting in a good word. It’s so lovely.”

    She continued: “If you are a girl that loves rugby and is looking for leadership opportunities, it’s perfect!”

    Read More
  • Navy field day

    Published 26/03/24

    Having a Field Day with HMS Collingwood in Portsmouth, the school’s Navy Cadets. First up some team building with a spider’s web – every member of the team having to edge their way through the sections without touching the rope! For those caught with hands in pockets, press ups!

    All students in Year 10 join the school's tri-service CCF. For further information, please click here.

    Read More
  • The Show Must Go On..

    Published 21/03/24

    So much that could go wrong in trying to put on a play in 24 hours! In the end, the Drama Department triumphed, raising £600 for Brain Tumour Research and again proving how a thoroughly professional team can achieve anything! Just one mishap – Emily Hallett, playing a seagull, as well as a turtle, managed to badly sprain her ankle mid-way. But determined that the show must go on, she found a couple of crutches previously used as props and limped on for the rest of the performance.

    Read More
  • Rosslyn Park Sevens

    Published 18/03/24

    Not just our rugby players at the Howden Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens this week, but the Pipes and Drums! The Band kicked off the world's largest school rugby tournament, marching on to the RE1 show pitch and forming a channel. 

    Read More
  • spring concert

    Published 13/03/24

    Come and enjoy our musicians and singers in action at Christ Church in Woking on Saturday 23rd March, as we welcome in the Spring with the Spring Concert. Tickets and refreshments are bookable on the school's Box Office page. The concert will feature all the school's three jazz bands, three choirs, orchestra, two string groups and the senior trio (national chamber music finalists). Here's a taste of what's to come from last year:

     

    Read More
  • Wordsmiths win competition

    Published 11/03/24

    First, second and third places for Gordon’s students in the Woking Rotary Club’s Young Writer’s Competition on the theme of ‘Rebuilding’. The wordsmiths were presented with certificates of achievement by the Mayor of Woking, Cllr M IIyas Raja (far right) at a ceremony at the Woking District Rotary Club with President David Clayfield and Dorothy Flower. Franklyn French-Flynn, winner of the heat with his poem on the war in Gaza, will now go forward to the District Final.

    Read More
  • Top Golfers

    Published 08/03/24

    The Gordon’s team came away as winners of two competitions at the National Schools Golf competition, the individual stableford and team event at Tandridge Golf Club. Zach Mathews won the stableford with 44 points, finishing an impressive eighth in the scratch event and first in a field of 56 golfers. Congratulations all!

    Read More
  • Award for Commitment to Gender Inclusion

    Published 07/03/24

    Gordon’s has been recognised by the National Centre for Computing Education with an I Belong Certificate for the school’s commitment to encouraging gender inclusion in computer science. As part of the school’s interventions for improving gender balance in computing, a Girls’ Code Club has been introduced. And the curriculum now features an AI unit with female role models and information on careers in AI. Female students have reacted positively, reporting that they enjoyed the course on AI, feel confident about the topic and its application and found it interesting. Pictured is the Girls’ Code Club in action. For more information on Computer Science at Gordon's, please click here.

    Read More
  • A Host of Golden Daffodils

    Published 07/03/24

    Thanks to the generosity of the Flower Man in Goldsworth Park, a host of golden daffodils will be sold to students tomorrow as gifts for Mothering Sunday, with all proceeds going to Angus' Army to support Angus who is undergoing treatment at the Royal Marsden in Sutton, and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Pictured delivering the blooms is Kim from The Flower Man in Goldsworth Park.

    Read More
  • Four Nations Call Up

    Published 06/03/24

    Heading to Germany, Cara Falconer, who will be part of the Scotland team taking on England, Germany and The Netherlands in the Easter 4 Nations competition. Cara, who has played for Scotland for the past three years and is Gordon’s First XI Team Captain, has also been selected for Scotland for a series against Canada later this month. Her selection follows the news of her gaining a prestigious scholarship for Academic and Sport for the University of Massachusetts, USA. Congratulations Cara!

    Read More
  • enrichment in Iceland

    Published 06/03/24

    The amazing landforms and dramatic scenery of Iceland, were experienced by GCSE and A Level students as part of a five day enrichment trip. The group visited thermal baths, Geysir, Guilfoss Waterfall and Lake Kleifarvatn, ending the visit with a journey across Solheimajokull glacier. Here are some of the highlights:

     

    Read More