"The First Thursday Newsletter No. 17."

THERE will be a four-form entry at our school next term.

We expect to welcome about 110 boys into Year Seven this September, the first time the admission has topped 100 since 1987. This is very good news for the school, and demonstrates the high regard the school is now held in by parents throughout the
district.

The increase in our school roll follows the move to Grant Maintained status just over a year ago, which enabled us to run our own entrance tests. These are designed to assess a boy’s potential as well as his ability.

Pupils are now able to gain a place at our school by assessment through either the county’s selection test, or our own.

Our appeal committee met in March to consider appeals by parents whose sons were either borderline or who had not been automatically selected as a result of the tests.

The exact number of boys who will come to the school in September is not yet known, but it is high enough for the governors to decide to open a fourth form, in order to keep class sizes down.

The school is already advertising for more teaching staff.

Our first year as a grant maintained school has proved a great success, as we have taken more control of our own affairs.

The governors’ latest appointment is a new contractor to take over the maintenance of the school grounds. We are pleased to welcome the staff from Okelands who have already set about making the grounds more attractive.

We are grateful to them - and to our caretaker Peter Chatfield (now with his new title of Premises Officer) for the work they have done during the past few weeks.

On Tuesday, an official from the Funding Agency for Schools, the body responsible for allocating grants, and an architect from the Department for Education visited our school so that we could explain our future plans. The visit followed a meeting we had with our Member of Parliament David Shaw a couple of months ago.

Work is due to start soon on £70,000 worth of repair and maintenance work which has been given the go-ahead by the F.A.S.

IT was very much the long and the short of it when former Harlem Globetrotter Alan Cunningham dropped into the school in March to boost interest in basketball and raise money for charity at the same time.

Mr Cunningham - six feet seven and a half inches tall and with size 14 feet - towered above the boys as he showed them some of his basketball skills and gave them a chance to try a few tricks for themselves.

He also supervised a sponsored exercise session when the boys did sit-ups, press-ups and other routines.

Some of the money raised went to to the Pritt Superschool award scheme, which benefits young sports people, and the rest went to the school’s charity Lenten appeal.

All the boys who took part had their photo taken with Mr Cunningham.. . and so did teacher Mrs. Martine Hargrave!

The boys also received prizes depending on how much they had raised for the project.

Our thanks to all those who supported the last Wine and Wisdom evening which raised £310 for our funds. It was another very enjoyable evening, and we express our thanks to question-master Paul Hough and the scorers, the Moseling family, for all their work in making these events so successful.

The next P.F.A. event is the Spring Draw and Boot Fair which takes place on Saturday 13 May. Books of tickets for the Spring Draw have already been sent out, and we hope you will sell as many as possible to your friends and relatives. Pitches for the Boot Fair, which starts at 9 a.m., are £6 in advance and £8 on the day. Bookings can be
made through Dot Millard on Dover 825979.

Winners of the March draw were Mr. I. Duncan (£25), Mrs. L. Coates (£15) and Mrs. E. Seddon (£10). The winners of the April draw were Mr. J. Wills (£25), Mrs. G. Hodges (£15) and Mrs. C. Gough (£10). The draw takes place on the third Thursday of each month, so if you are not yet a member, and would like to stand a chance of winning one of the prizes, all you have to do is to send a cheque for £4 (to cover your subscription for the rest of the school year), made payable to D.G.S.B., P.F.A., 200 Club, to the 200 Club organiser, Jill Tutthill, c/o of the school. Send it in by 16 May to be included in this month’s draw.

Members of the school’s old boys’ association have been saddened to hear of the sudden death of Sid Wenhom, who was a member of the Old Pharosians’ committee. Mr Wenborn, who lived at River, collapsed and died last week while playing golf. He had been particularly involved with compiling the school archive, and was often to be found at the school with Peter Burville working away on the computer, trying to keep the archive records up to date. We were very grateful for all his work, and he will be sadly missed. The funeral service took place on Tuesday.

The Old Pharosians’ committee meets on Thursday, May 18 at 7 p.m.

The film School On The Hill, made in 1965 to commemorate the school’s Diamond Jubilee, has now been released on video. It shows the school in action in the mid- 1960s, and several copies have already been dispatched to old boys around the world.

The video is available, price £7.50 (including postage and packing). Cheques should be made payable to Old Pharosians Association, and sent to the school.

Our Year 12 computing group conducted a comparative survey of British and French computer systems by visiting the Calais store of Boulanger, the French equivalent of Comet.

The group discovered that hardware on sale in a high street shop in France was of higher specification and cheaper to buy than in England, but that was without import tax.

The software and literature support was extensive with in-store guidance from shop assistants. Overall, the French stores are better than their English equivalents.

The rest of the time in Calais was spent sampling the French culture before boarding the ferry home. The trip was very informative and was enjoyed by the whole group, reported David Hughes and John
Whitewood.

Early in March, the A level French groups spent four days in Paris, in the company of Mrs. Martine Hargrave and Dr. Alan Jackson.

The idea behind this study trip - the first venture of its kind by the French department - came from the recent introduction into A level French of a coursework component which the students have to research for themselves.

The time in Paris was to give Year 12 pupils a chance to think about the sort of topics they might explore later in the year, and begin to gather information, while Year 13 pupils could research further topics they had already begun to study. Inevitably, virtually every topic has some link or other to Paris and it was an opportunity to get to know the French capital at the same time.

The group travelled in the school minibus which was allowed to park free of charge for the four days just behind Monsieur Chirac’s Hôtel de Ville in the very centre of Paris, which was where the group’s hôtel
was.

The four days were split between group visits to such musts as the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Centre Pompidou and the Science Park at La Villette, and individual exploration of specific topics.

The whole experience was as enjoyable as it was productive and will now feature as a regular part of the A Level French course.

Years 8, 9, 10 and the 1st XI have all been entered in their respective age groups for the county cricket competitions.

This year, the 1st XI are in the East Kent League. In the first match our team was drawn against Simon Langton away.

The game resulted in a draw, our boys failing to win by just 10 runs. Simon Langton were 183 for 9 in 40 overs, and the school made 174 for 5.

Stuart Palmer made 43 runs, and Ian Matthews made 46 runs not out. This was an excellent result for the first match of the season

Yesterday (Wednesday) the team played Norton Knatchbull at home.

Today (Thursday). Year 8 are playing a cup game against Sir Roger Manwood’s at home, and Year 7 are at home to Dover College.

Our 1st XI play Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School at home next Wednesday, 10 May, at 2 p.m., and on Friday, 12 May, Year 7 play Manwood’s at home at 4 p.m.

Other fixtures this month include: Wednesday 17 May - 2pm 1st XI v Borden GS (away), 4pm Year 8 v Astor (home) Year 10 v Astor (away); Thursday 18 May - 4pm Year 7 v Astor (away), Year 9 v Astor (home); Monday 22 May - 4pm Year 9 v Manwood’ s (home); Wednesday 24 May - 2pm 1st XI v Chatham House GS (away); Thursday 25 May - 3.45pm Year 7 v Dover College (home).

Tuesday 6 June - 4pm Year 9 v Norton Knatchbull (home), Year 10 v Norton Knatchbull (away); Thursday 8 June - 1 .30pm Year 10 House Cricket Ch v Ca; 4pm Year 7 v Norton Knatchbull (away), Year 8 v Norton Knatchbull (home); Friday 9 June - 1 .30pm Year 7 House Cricket Ch v P.

AS WITH ALL SPORTS FIXTURES, PARENTS AND SPECTACTORS ARE INVITED TO COME ALONG AND WATCH. YOUR SUPPORT WOULD BE VERY WELCOME.
If you want to confirm the details of any cricket or athletic fixtures, please give the school a ring.

Our first friendly athletics match was against Brockhill (away) on Tuesday for Years 7, 8 and 9 and Years 10 and 11 combined.

On Tuesday 16 May, at 4 p.m., Years 7, 8 and 9 will be competing against Astor and Harvey GS.

The school team, Daniel Oliver, Alex Ridings and Mark Eade, played in the British Heart Foundation schools championships at Bearsted Golf Club, near Maidstone, and finished second, behind Norton Knatchbull School.

The event attracted teams from 20 schools, and our boys - as one of the top three teams to qualify - go on to the South East England event in July.

The same three boys are playing today (Thursday) at Rochester and Cobbam in the Kent Schools Golf Association Low Handicap Championships~ which is an individual event. We wish them well.

In the Dover Schools District Cup finals, our Year 7 team won by default (the opposition didn’t play!), Year 8 lost to St. Edmund’s in the semi-final, Year 9 won 4-2 against Sandwich, Year 10 won 2-1 against St. Edmund’s and Year 11 won 3-2 after extra time against Sandwich.

The Under 19s lost 3-2 to Sir Roger Manwood’s in the semi-final.

Four boys played for Kent teams at the National County Tournament at Lowestoft in Suffolk during the Easter holidays.

Grant Sanders scored for the A team, and Justin Luchford captained the B team which Chris Childs and Michael Robinson also played for.

James Wilde is now playing regularly for Dover Athletic Reserves, and Justin Luchford will receive the Under 19 League trophy at the Kent Schools Football Association dinner in Sittingbourne next week.

And finally, on the football field, the match between the staff and
the prefects ended in a 2-1 win . . . for the prefects. Congratulations to the prefects on their victory, and to the staff for completing the game!

Our table tennis trophy winners:

Chris Bailey, James Hitchcock, Simon Pellett and Richard Pellett.

Some of our table tennis players have ended up with an impressive array of trophies, despite being told they were not up to a reasonable standard earlier in the season!

The school entered four teams in division C of the Dover and District Table Tennis League, and were warned their future in the league might be in jeopardy if they did not improve their playing standard.

Now, although the final tables have not yet been drawn up, it is expected that our C team - Simon Pellett, Richard Pellett and James Hitchcock - will have finished second, just a few points off first place.

Chris Bailey, who plays for the A team, was voted Players’ Player in division C, won the Almond Cup as under 15 champion in the Deal League and was runner up for the Bushell Cup in the league’s handicap competition.

Simon Pellett won the award for the best playing average in the Dover league and is also the Dover junior under 18 champion.

James, Simon and Richard were runners-up in the singles and doubles and won an additional competition, in which the A team were runners-up.

Chris Bailey also teamed up with Paul Skelton in the Dover Handicap Doubles to knock out James and Simon in a very close game.

They went on to beat Simon Greenwood (an old boy of the school) and Roy Edgington, who had won the Handicap Doubles for the previous two years.

Chris and Paul were knocked out by Alan Tilbee and Mike Howard in the semi-finals.

Anyone wishing to register for next season, please contact Paul Skelton next term.

It has been another busy month for the cadets. Cadet Warrant Officer Anthony Dowling received the prestigious award of the Air Officer-in-Chief’s Certificate of Good Service for his efforts and
achievements.

Six RAF cadets attended an Easter camp at the Rendalen Support Unit, RAE Germany, and Cadet Richard Berridge achieved a commendable sun tan on a beach during a camp at RAF Akrotiri in
Cyrpus!

Ten cadets went flying at RAF Manston, four cadets passed their 0.22 rifle shooting tests, AB Kieran Dennard attended a sports course at HMS Temeraire in Portsmouth, and cadets attended a practice at Bisley for the competition shoot later this year.

Twelve cadets went adventure training at Dartmoor, staying at Oakhampton camp and taking part in map exercises, shooting, hill-walking and camping.

Our boys won a drill competition and received a shield during a South East area ground training competition at RAF Manston which also involved gymnasium work, aircraft recognition, target shooting and orienteering. The boys, who had practised during the Easter holidays and after school, were complimented on their presentation

Yesterday (Wednesday), there was an Army Field Day at Larkhill, and there is a Kent Schools’ rifle meeting at the Hythe Ranges on Saturday 20 May.

WE congratulate five of our boys who won a powered flight competition which was held at Dover College as part of Science Week.

Pupils from secondary schools in Dover, Deal, Sandwich and Folkestone took part in the competition. They were given a set of materials and tools and were told to design and make a free flight aircraft or glider and a launching device with the aim of making it fly 15 metres in a straight line.

Balance, shape, weight, trim and launch control all had to be taken into account during the design stage.

They had 90 minutes to complete the task, and the judges then examined the craft to give marks for design, style and quality, before the ultimate test, the launch and flight. Some just about managed to fall off the end of the launch mechanism, others shot up into the air and then fell heavily to earth, while one or two dropped to the ground and broke.

Two teams from our school took part, and our A team - Richard Warren, Christopher Odell, Chris Birmingham, Sam Donaldson and Kevin McMullan - won the prize for the greatest distance travelled.

A GROUP of Year 10 boys have made a video for a European competition.

The theme is equal opportunities, and whether the European community encourages the rights of individuals and groups.

The video looks at Dover and how it has been affected by the European dimension, and includes an interview with Dover and Deal M.P. David Shaw which was filmed during a visit he made to the school.

Another aspect of the project is that it links us with schools in other parts of Europe, and later this year the boys may have the chance to attend a conference and meet their “link” youngsters.

The pupils who took part in making the video were Chris Lightwing, Chris Brown, Paul Tutthill and Martin WaIler.

We look forward to hearing how they have got on in the competition.

WE congratulate our musicians on another excellent event on Tuesday
evening, the Choral Concert at Charlton Church.

As always, the standard was very high, and we are grateful to all those who took part for the work they had put in preparing for this occasion.

Now we look forward to our next musical event, so please make a note of the date Wednesday 19 July, at 7.30 p.m., when a Concert of Music for a Summer Evening will take place in the school hall.

We would also like to thank all those who took part in the Spring Concert which followed the Annual Parents’ Meeting in March. We are grateful to everyone who came to support them.

Tesco stores are once again issuing tokens for computer equipment for schools. Last year we gained a scanner, and this year we are hoping to acquire a better colour printer. So if you collect these tokens, please send them along to the school so that we can benefit
from them.

If you didn’t come to see the school production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, you missed a real treat.

The whole of the school halt had been transformed into the stage and the audience sat “in the round” so that they were right in the middle of the action.

The pupils who took part, from our school and the Girls’ Grammar School, performed extremely well, and the whole production was a credit to all those who were involved, both on stage and behind the scenes.

FULL details have been distributed this week about the 1995 Grand Ball which is to take place from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Saturday, 15 July. The event includes a five-course dinner, and a wide range of entertainment. Tickets are £19.50 per person. We expect there will be a great demand for tickets, which must be limited in number, so book early to avoid disappointment. Booking forms are being sent out to parents this week, and are also available from the school.

GIVE a group of boys a metal ring - an annulus - tell them to work it to specific dimensions, and then design an object around it. What do you get?

Well, a group of Year 9 and 10 boys came up with a whole host of ideas, and pictured above are just some of the top quality attractive items they made, ranging from a jewellery box to clocks of various designs. Their work has been on display in the workshops, and at Deal Library.

For safety reasons, we have had to close the school drive so that urgent repair work can be carried out.

The Governors have renewed their appeal to car drivers not to stop or park on the yellow lines or in the turning circle area outside the top gate.

Such inconsiderate parking causes difficulties for other motorists and additional hazards for boys walking in and out of this entrance.