The three times a week early morning training in the cold and dark paid off! Team Gordon’s crossed the Ten Tors finish line at Okehampton Camp in 17 hours and 44 minutes after a 35 mile hike over Dartmoor’s inhospitable terrain. The six took on the challenge alongside 2,400 teenagers in 400 teams of six and were required to carry all they needed to complete the hike and camp out overnight. Congratulations all!

An opportunity to showcase the school’s Combined Cadet Corps (CCF) at the Biennial Inspection, by Lieutenant Colonel Nick Moffat. As well as watching the students parade, Lt Col Moffat met the Army, Navy and Air Force Cadets and sew them in action. Gordon’s offers a tri-service CCF for all students in Year 10, which can be continued in Years 11, 12 and 13. For further information about the CCF at Gordon's, please click here.

Wins in tennis for Harry and Aaryan who beat St George’s, Weybridge in the final of the Tier 2 Boys U18 competition at the Surrey Tennis Festival. Congratulations both!

The battle for the Longmoor and Talbot Cups took place on the Parade Square this week. Preparation for this highlight in the Inter-House competition calendar begun weeks ago with the polishing of shoes, ironing Blues and grabbing any opportunity to practise marching. Their efforts resulted in gleaming shoes and polished performances for guest judges Captain Al Wicking and Battery Sergeant Major Liam McEnvoy from Pirbright Barracks. Has Sandringham made a hat-trick performance? All will be revealed at the Annual Parade on 5th July! Thank you Cpt Wicking and BSM McEnvoy.

Interesting and thoughtful points of view, eloquently put across in the Year 7-8 Inter-House debating this week on the subject ‘This House Supports the Use of AI in Secondary Education’. The semi-finals saw Khartoum take on China and Victoria go head to head with Windsor. Those on the proposition teams felt AI to be beneficial to teaching staff as it leads to saved time, better lesson plans, more effective learning, improved digital literacy and rather than replacing imagination, unlocks it. However, in opposition, it was felt that AI presents significant risk to students, making them lazy and leading to a decline in their skills for retaining information and cognitive abilities and could never replace the profound impact of teachers on students. The winning Houses, Khartoum and Victoria will debate next week in the final.

Creative and insightful works into depression and anxiety by students Meagan and Yuvika in the 2025 Psychology Competition, as part of the school’s Mental Health Week initiative. The students created their posters to highlight key messages around self-care, resilience, seeking support and fostering a culture of compassion and understanding. Mental Health Week, running from Monday 12^th May to Friday 16^th May, is dedicated to raising awareness on mental health well-being, reducing stigma and encouraging all to take care of it. It’s also a reminder that mental health affects how we think, feel and act and is vital at every stage of life.