Haberdashers' Adams

Year 10 GCSE Geography pupils visited Carding Mill Valley on Friday to investigate the dominant processes in the formation of meanders and waterfalls.

Part of the Shropshire Hills and an area of outstanding natural beauty Carding Mill Valley is managed by the National Trust. It is an incredibly popular field study site due to its easy access to the Ashbrooke river which is a tributary of the river Severn.

After the heavy rain on Thursday we were lucky to have a dry sunny day and it was great to be able see the processes and landforms studied in class out in the field.

Sports team photos are now available for purchase. 🏉🏑⚽️🏐🏏

Links have been sent out by MCAS.

Lower Sixth enjoyed 3 days off timetable this week to start planning for life beyond Adams. Progression week included talks and workshops on UCAS applications, Oxbridge admissions, Personal Statements, employability and interview skills, LinkedIn and degree apprenticeships.

A big thank you to Lancaster University, University of Liverpool, University of Oxford, Keele University Medical School and Harper Adams Engineering department (who brought along Nigel – a humanoid robot!)

It was wonderful to welcome back so many ONs: Elwin Adhami (2024) and Toby Hassall (2025) offered current insights into University Life; Professor Armstrong (2001) provided advice on competitive STEM applications while James Croxford (2005) and Andrew Jones, former Head of DT at Adams (2003-2018) spoke about careers in engineering; Ellie Mills (2019) at CapGemini, Achie Burrows (2024) at JLR and Lizzie Hicks (2023) at Deloitte formed a panel on degree apprenticeships; and Lydia Johnson (nee Kee 2012) provided insights from the world of recruitment consultancy.

On Monday, we held the inaugural Extra-Curricular Celebration in which we recognised all those pupils in Years 7-10 who have made a commitment to the life at Adams that happens beyond the classroom.

We were delighted to welcome back ON Tom Bassett (2007) who regaled us with tales from the TV and film sets he has worked on as First Assistant Director – a role where thinking on your feet and problem solving are critical. Whilst at Adams, Tom thew himself into the CCF and it is thanks to him that the Dixon Cup has a film category – “Jedi Teachers with Lightsabers” can still be viewed on YouTube! It is these extra-curricular experiences that developed the skills that helped Tom succeed and he encouraged pupils to "keep being curious, keep trying new things, keep meeting new people and keep saying 'yes' to opportunities" - good advice for us all.

Congratulations to all who received an award.

Yesterday, seven pupils studying Business Studies A-level represented Adams at the CIPFA Sixth Form Management Games hosted by Keele University .

This year, the interactive business simulation, run by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, challenged the students to act as public sector executive management teams for a unified local council. They were required to work as a team to make financial and strategic decisions, deciding which local services to keep or reduce based on the needs and demographic, in order to balance the budget.

The Adams team did really well and produced a fabulous presentation and good responses to all of the questions and the shocks they had to deal with during the day. Sadly we didn't win, but Chris W was voted best team contributor, and we are proud of the effort they all put in to the whole day.

The rain held off and we enjoyed a lovely evening up at Longford on Friday celebrating the awarding of Sports Colours to pupils in Years 7-10.

Team and Individual Sports colours recognise the dedication and commitment of pupils to our cross country, hockey, rugby and netball teams. Congratulations to all recipients.

Over the first weekend of half term, 69 pupils in Year 10 took part in an intense weekend of outdoor activities with Gateway Outdoors in preparation for their assessed Bronze The Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition later this month.

The boys developed their map reading skills, learnt the basics of campcraft and spent the night in tents, lulled to sleep by the lowing of the cows in the next door field!

Congratulations to Alex and Utsav, both in Year 11, who have been awarded Arkwright Engineering Scholarships to support them through their A-levels. They will benefit from a combination of mentoring, funding, enrichment activities and industry visits.

The rigorous selection process included an assessed application form, an online engineering design exam and an online interview. Alex made a fully functioning wind tunnel for his application which was in addition to his GCSE coursework.

The award is named after Sir Richard Arkwright, an 18th-century industrialist and inventor, often credited with being one of the founding figures of the Industrial Revolution.

The Smallpeice Trust

A warm welcome back to an action packed seven-weeks. There are lots of exciting events and opportunities to look forward to.

Some key dates for the Diary:

Sports Colours, 5th June
Arts Evening, 11th June
Art Exhibition, 7-9th July
13 The Musical, 9-11th July
House Athletics, 14th July
Hamilton Concert, 15th July

For more information: https://www.adamsgs.uk/events/

Last chance to join Haberdashers’ Adams, a grammar school with state boarding, this September 2026.

A small number of boarding places are available in Year 9 and Year 10. For more information: https://www.adamsgs.uk/join-us-year-8-10/

Enquire now via [email protected]