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Sixth Form Xmas Party |
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The theme to this year’s party was; What I would like to be when I am older. Posted 14/12/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Children in Need. |
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The sixth form raised an amazing total of £537 in 30 minutes on Tuesday 17th November when they made their traditional sculptures. A fantastic effort so all credit to Miss Green’s form who brought in £117.77, Miss Spillett’s form who contributed £95.35, Miss Paterson’s tutor group who collected £91.67 and Miss Reynold's form who collected £40.94 on their own. Posted 24/11/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ |
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On Tuesday November17th all Year 13 students attended the annual hard-hitting road safety campaign aimed at young drivers and passengers called ‘Safe drive, Stay alive’. This initiative run by Thames Valley Police in association with the other emergency services is designed to drive home the dangers of driving. Some comments from Year 13 students after the presentation: Posted 24/11/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Billy Elliot Trip – Thursday 22nd October 2009 |
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Forty four Performing Arts and A level students from across years 9 to 13 went to the Princess Theatre, Victoria, London to see the fantastic musical Billy Elliot. A look back at life in the north of England in the 1980’s at the time of the national miners strike. The musical was gritty, original and full of humour. The young lead character playing Billy Elliot was amazing, displaying his many talents including; singing, tap dancing, ballet, gymnastics, even flying on a trapeze wire all performed to the highest standard. The scenery was cleverly designed to be used in many different ways with an amazing revolving set which rose out of the stage to become the kitchen and bedroom of the house had a real impact on the audience. Memorable highlights from the show included the duet of Billy and his best friend Michael with the dancing dresses and the miners versus the police in the riot scene. Both were cleverly choreographed. The show fulfilled its brilliant reviews and judging by our students’ enthusiastic response to the show I hope, will continue to inspire them in their own studies. A wonderful evening and our students were a credit to the school with their immaculate behaviour throughout. Rhian Frankcom Posted 02/11/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Uniform Evening |
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It was great to have over 200 people at the uniform evening consultation on Wednesday 14th Oct. If you would like to provide feedback regarding the uniform consultation, please email webmaster.4060@gosford-hill.oxon.sch.uk Posted 26/10/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Flower Festival |
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Once again Gosford Hill participated in the Kidlington Flower Festival, which supports ‘Christian Aid’. This year our theme was ‘Learn, Lead, Inspire’. Flowers were arranged by two Year 11 students, Elise White and Abbie Bruton. Posted 18/09/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
RECORD RESULTS! |
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Posted 27/08/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Sixth Form Ball 2009 |
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The annual Sixth form Leavers Ball took place on Friday 19th June at the Barcelo Hotel on Woodstock roundabout near Wolvercote. Numerous form tutors, senior staff and subject teachers joined the Year 13 cohort to say farewell and an enjoyable evening was had by all. A buffet meal of chicken supreme or lasagne followed by bread and butter pudding and coffee with mints commenced the evening before a disco took over for the rest of the night. A special mention to the Sixth form committee in particular chair Chloe Jones who put in a massive amount of time and effort in the organisation of the event. We look forward to seeing all students again on results day in August. Posted 07/07/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Ski Course 2009 |
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The belated showing of the ski DVD from February’s course to Pila/Aosta will be on Thursday 25th June at 7pm in the main hall. All of the party and their parents are invited to attend. Copies of the DVD will be on sale after the showing priced at £5 each. Posted 15/06/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
TRAX Term 5 |
Eight students took part in our recent LSU project; a five week course Posted 22/05/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Year 13 Presentation and Awards Evening - Wed 13th May |
The annual 6th Form Presentation and Awards evening took place on Wednesday 13th May. It was a wonderful occasion which formally marked the Year 13 students leaving Gosford Hill School. The guest speaker was Michael English the former finance officer who is now retired. He addressed the large audience, which contained parents, students, teachers and many familiar faces including former head Dennis Rowley. Giving a light-hearted yet motivational speech it was a memorable for all concerned and a delight to have him back to Gosford Hill School. [view photos] [read full report] Posted 22/05/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Year 11 Ball |
Posted 11/05/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
The Randolph Hotel was a sea of colour on Thursday 7th May as the gorgeous dresses worn by the girls at the year 11 leavers ball were on display. The boys had also risen to the occasion and looked wonderful in their suits. Dancing to a band and disco followed a two course meal and the 185 students present had a fantastic time and were a credit to themselves and the school.MUNGA 2009 |
On Tuesday 10 March 8 Sixth For m students took part in the annual Oxfordshire schools MUNGA conference. MUNGA stands for Model United Nations General Assembly. Teams of students from several different schools represent the countries belonging to the United Nations to debate topics.
Delegates were allowed to speak for 90 seconds only which ensured that everyone had a chance to speak and made for a lively and fast paced debate. Miss C Drewett Posted 07/05/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Year 12 Higher Education Evening |
Student Money Matters (.ppt) Posted 07/05/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
TEAM SUPER SCHOOLS CHALLENGE MARCH 16TH 9AM – 12.15PM |
We are pleased to announce that Team Superschools, set up by Darren Campbell and Todd Bennett, will be hosting a sponsored event at Gosford Hill School on the morning of Monday 16th March with a special visit from the International athlete Larry Achike. Download further information here Updated 03/03/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Help us Give |
HUG, set up by Gosford Hill’s year 9 students, aims to help the home-less by collecting equipment and donations for Gatehouse. For further details please download a copy of the poster by clicking here. To the right, a clip of the recent broadcast on BBC Oxford News. Updated 02/03/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Ski course February 2009 Pila/Aosta |
The 2009 ski course to Pila/Aosta during February half term 2009 proved yet another in a long line of fantastic successes. Seventy three students and nine staff descended on the Italian Alps to be greeted by some of the best skiing, snow and weather conditions in recent history. Blessed by clear blue skies and sunshine with an abundance of fresh snow all groups made amazing progress during the week helped by their Interski instructors. The friendly Hotel Mont Fleury once again proved to be a comfortable base and the genial owners and waiting staff ensured a homely welcome. Posted 24/02/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
TRAX Term 3 |
Six students took part in our recent project; a six week course Posted 24/02/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Sixthform Reunion 18 December 2008 |
On Thursday 18th December we welcomed back all Year 13's who had left in the summer of 2008 for the annual reunion in the 6th form common room. It was lovely to see all the students again who were brimming with confidence and enthusiasm for their chosen courses or career paths. Posted 05/01/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Inter house 6th form mixed netball tournament |
In this inaugural event on Thursday 18th Decenber each house in the 6th form entered a mixed team and played a round robin competition followed by a final. In some fast and exciting play Windrush came out on top narrowly defeating Thames in the final while Cherwell edged out Evenlode for third place.A fun time was had by all. Next competition Inter house competition in January will be rowing. Oarsome!! Posted 05/01/2009 by GHS Webmaster. |
Ethics Conference |
On Friday 28th November 2008. The Religion Philosophy and Ethics department provided a half day Ethics Conference for year 13 students. This year the theme was “Is all life Sacred?” Posted 15/12/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
The German Exchange: 20th-28th November 2008 |
Another successful exchange with our partner school in Bonn (www.gebonn.de) took place last month. Eight year 10 and two year 12 students, together with two year 12 students from Wheatley Park School flew from Gatwick to Cologne to stay with host families for a busy week of school, trips and work experience. Activities during the week included: A Welcome Meeting with Bonn’s Town Mayor and a climb to the top of the Stadthaus; The week was a resounding success for all concerned, with many new friendships having been forged, and lots of experiences etched in memories forever. Posted 12/12/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
6th form Christmas Party |
On Thursday 4th December 2008, 6th form had their Christmas Party, the theme was ‘Winter Wonderland’, with a disco and rocking reindeer,, it was an enjoyable night had by all. Many thanks to the sixth form committee. Posted 11/12/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
TRAX Outreach Project |
A small group of year 9 and 10 boys worked with TRAX at their new location near the Peartree Park and Ride carrying out a mechanics activity (Go Karts), issue based group work and then going on to Karting Oxford for a go karting session. This project culminated in a day at Daytona, Milton Keynes where the students had the opportunity to meet Mika Hakkinen, Former F1 World Champion, and Boris Becker, Tennis Champion. The students thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic day out as did Mrs Davys and Mrs Pigneguy. Posted 04/12/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
We have worked with TRAX for a number of years now and our current project was particularly exciting.'Safe Drive, Stay Alive' |
On Tuesday November 4th all Year 13 students attended the annual hard-hitting road safety campaign aimed at young drivers and passengers called ‘Safe drive, Stay alive’. This initiative run by Thames Valley Police in association with the other emergency services is designed to drive home the dangers of driving. This is the third year the graphic show has been staged in the County and it always leaves a lasting impression with audiences. While many find it ‘haunting’ it is undoubtedly compulsive viewing and has become an established part of Gosford Hill schools’ programme. Students experience a chilling ride as a re-enactment of a crash involving a group of young people is shown on film. The film is interspersed with talks from people affected by such incidents - emergency services, victims and the bereaved – who ‘step out’ of the film to speak openly about their feelings, experiences and life afterwards. The ‘Safe Drive’ initiative aims to reduce the number of road deaths and accidents and increase this age group's awareness of the dangers that exist on our roads. It succeeds admirably in this aim. Posted 05/11/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Parent Governors |
We are happy to confirm the appointment of Mrs. Stephanie Leach and Mr. Rupert Truman to join Mr. William Boyle as your Parent Governor representatives with effect from 1 November 2008. Contact details are available from Reception. Posted 03/11/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
RED DRIVING SCHOOL |
On Thursday 16 October Andy Milne from the Red Driving School gave a talk to the Year 12 on basic driving skills. Andy’s presentation focussed on incidents and facts concerning novice drivers (those who have just passed their test). The emphasis was very much on gaining driving experience after the test and also the responsibility that a driver has towards his/her own safety and the safety of others. It was a most powerful and thought provoking presentation. After the presentation some students had the opportunity to try out the driving simulator and test their own skills as a driver. Miss Drewett
Posted 20/10/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Stratfield Brake Environmental Analysis |
On Tuesday 14th October, eighteen year 11 students ventured down to Stratfield Brake to carry out an environmental analysis. After a short pitstop for sustenance the team of Scientists arrived at the ponds. The brief rainfall didn’t dampen spirits and the groups persevered with their investigation. After using qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative analysis it was concluded that the pond had a pH of 6.9. Indicator species that were identified included nematodes, duckweed, water snails, cypris, water louse and fresh water shrimps. Obviously Stratfield Brake is a hotspot for a variety of local wildlife! The pooters yielded further indicators including spiders, woodlice and gnats. The ultimate find however was the beautiful dragonflies! All the students had a fantastic time, even whilst wearing Wellington boots! Mr O’Brien Posted 20/10/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Book Week 2008 |
Gosford Hill students went wild for reading on Friday (10/10/2008) in celebration of National Book Week. Students and teachers dressed as their favourite book characters as part of a week designed to enhance the enjoyment of reading across the school. Money raised will help set up libraires in each tutor group, which the students will put together. For further information on sponsoring books for this important initiative contact Lucy Wawrzyniak on lucyw@gosford-hill.oxon.sch.uk. Posted 17/10/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Languages Week 2008 |
The MFL department organised a Languages Week to celebrate the diversity of languages being spoken in the school and around the world. This was in conjunction with European Day of Languages which was on Friday 26th September. Multilingual signs were put up all around the school and tutor groups tackled tricky quiz questions every morning. Pupils were involved in Spellathons in French, German and Spanish and won valuable credits towards their respective Houses. Special praise goes towards these pupils who came top in their Key Stage spellathon: Susanna House (TSHY), Andreea Dumistriscu (TSWS), Holly Smith (WTME), Karen Fung (WRFM), Anna Proffitt (TSWS) and Jessica Arthur (EERE). Other events included International Food Tasting which was very well attended by the hungry masses as well as the cultured food lovers. Food came from Poland, Portugal, China, France, Germany and Spain. Many thanks to Mrs Gonzalez- Brew who made delicious tortillas! The week ended in Speed Language Learning where pupils had the opportunity to learn up to twenty different languages. Pupils were given two minutes to sample a language and then move onto the next Speed Language teacher. Some of the languages on offer included Kswahili, Punjabi, Gujurati, Polish, Croatian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese, Korean and Romanian. It was an amazing sight to see so many involved in peer teaching and even better were the variety of sounds produced from all the languages. Well done to everyone who got involved and made it such a successful and memorable week! Mrs S Williams Posted 17/10/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Youth provision questionnaire 2008 |
A survey of young people in Kidlington was carried out during July 2008 to find out what sort of leisure activities they would like to have access to in Kidlington, how much they participate in activities at the moment, and to seek their views on current provision at Gosford Hill School and the Forum Youth Centre. 391 completed questionnaires were returned, with most of these being from pupils at Gosford Hill School. Posted 29/09/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Election of Head Boy, Head Girl and Senior Students |
The first meeting of the Student Leadership Team (SLT2) resulted in the students electing Josh Mair as Head Boy and Larissa Vicavs as Head Girl. Posted 26/09/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
6th Form Icebreaker evening |
The 6th form arranged an 'icebreaker' social evening at the start of term to gel year 12 and 13 students together as well as to get to know new students to the sixth form from other schools. This is the first time such an event has been held and was organised by the Sixth form committee led by Chloe Jones. 140 students supported the event which was held at the extremely fashionable location of 'Freuds' in Jericho which was booked out for the evening by Chloe as a private function. Posted 26/09/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Summer School 2008 |
Ninety-eight students took part in a very successful Summer school. In addition to subjects such as Maths, English, and History, students had the opportunity to take part in a variety of creative subjects, including dance, drama, music and circus skills. The highlight of the week was a visit to Jardines Bowling Alley, which was followed-up with some Maths skills based on their bowling scores. Our canteen was open each day for snacks and for lunch and this really helped the students to feel that they were truly members of our school. Quotations from some of our students: “At Summer School we learnt our way round school, and learnt what Secondary school lessons are like. And it was really run going bowling with my friends and nice to meet lots of new friends.”- Rachel E Barrett 7 TJKK “The best thing about Summer School getting a head start of knowing my way around the school. Also baking the fairy cakes….mmmm, yummy!” Tori McClean 7EIWB “I really liked going bowling. I got the first strike! I also made lots of new friends”. “I really liked the cooking at Summer School, when we made fairy cakes, it was lots of fun. I really enjoyed all Summer School too!” Leah Court 7CLKI “The best thing about Summer School was bowling. I really enjoyed getting to know the teachers as well”. Celia Tezel 7ERJS “I enjoyed Summer School a lot. The best bit about Summer School was doing lots of different lessons.” Lauren Cook, 7 CASR.
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Best Ever Results |
We are celebrating our best ever GCSE results. Students beat the school target of 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Maths. “We had a target of ensuring at least half our students achieved 5 good GCSE passes including English and Maths” said Dr Bizley, Headteacher. “We surpassed that target with 52% and I am so pleased for both the students and for the staff, who work so hard to support learning at the school. We now need to build on this achievement and continue our journey in making Gosford Hill an outstanding school.” We are also celebrating the success of our overall results with 96% of students gaining 5 or more A*-G passes and a record 61% gaining 5 or more A*-C passes. Over 20 students gained at least 5 A*/A grades with William Brown, Rebbecca Coates, Oliver Wilkins, Alex Park, Taukir Tanvir, Sarah Crockett, Rachel Evans, and Natalie Fung all achieving at least eight top passes. We are proud of all our students who have made this year such a success. Posted 22/08/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
A-Level Exam Results |
Pupils taking A levels - 263 entries Posted 14/08/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Photography Course - Cameras wanted |
There will be a new course in photography
offered to students in September. The students will be
working with digital cameras as well as 35mm SLR cameras. |
PE Kit is CHANGING.... |
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The PE department at Gosford Hill School wish to make changes to the current PE kit worn at school. The new look PE T-shirt will have a collar and be a different colour to that of the school uniform shirt. This will increase smartness and give pupils an added sense of identity. At inter-school fixtures the pupils will look well-presented and ready for action. The PE T-shirt will be changed to a sky blue polo shirt which will replace the white round neck t-shirt. From September 2008 onwards we ask that if a new PE T-shirt is needed, a sky blue polo shirt is purchased. From September 2009, this will be a compulsory element to the PE Kit, all other elements will remain the same. These can be purchased from school reception from 3rd September onwards for the following price. They will be available on ILP day.
OTHER OPTIONS The micro fleece will cost £15.00 to include VAT and embroidery of the School logo, school name and PE underneath. Posted 23/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
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Former Teachers Vs Present Teachers Cricket Match - Friday 18th 2008 |
The annual cricket match between former teachers at Gosford Hill School (called All-stars) and the current members of staff (called Young guns) was held at Eynsham cricket ground last Friday 18th July. In a tense and exciting finish the ‘oldies’ prevailed for the third year running to win by 3 runs. On a cloudy afternoon Captain of the Classic All –star team Mr Catling elected to bat first while Mr Hollis took his group of Young Guns into the field. Posted 22/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Sixth form Introduction day -
Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July |
Posted 15/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
The annual Gosford Hill introduction days for prospective Year 12 students took place over two days on 2nd and 3rd July. 150 students congregated nervously on the first morning to find out their tutors and fellow tutees for the first time. This included a record number form outside Gosford Hill this year where 50 students are set to join our diverse sixth form. Over the course of the two days students enjoyed taster lessons in all their proposed AS courses and team bonding sessions led by Mr Belmont and existing Year 12 students in the common room. There was also the traditional inter form ‘Bridge building’ competition which was this year won by Miss Reynolds group with Miss Spittle’s form and Mrs Eglington’s form joint runners up. All students booked in appointment with their tutors for the first day back in September which is the Monday 1st September.Students visit Lords |
Posted 15/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Thirty three cricketers from Years 7 to 10 travelled to the home of cricket at Lords London to watch the first day of the eagerly anticipated first test match between England and South Africa.Study day at Harcourt Arboretum. |
To start off with we entered the coppice where Silver Birch, Hazel and Sweet Chestnut trees were growing. Before doing some sampling and calculating the index of diversity here, we learned about the harvesting techniques used in this area. A quarter of the trees are harvested here every year. For the trees that have been cut down, they are left to grow back but many changes take place to them. For example the trees grow back with more trunks and become less branched. This method of harvesting however is sustainable although deer and munkjacks are a problem as they like to feed on the new shoots that re growing. Further along the coppice, we learned about a different harvesting technique called Pollarding. Instead of cutting the trees low down where deer and other animals can eat new shoots, the tree is harvested further up. This then allows the land to be used for not only tree farming but for grazing animals as well without having to worry about them eating new shoots. Posted 10/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
On Monday 7th of July, Miss Kinrade and Mr O’Brien took the biology and human biology students to Harcourt Arboretum to study ecology in more depth. After the eventful journey on the way there, we finally arrived. Although the weather was not brilliant, we got started straight away. Firstly, we talked about how the gardeners at the Arboretum looked after the “Trees of the World” and how the area was kept safe for the public. This included mowing the grass, cutting back overhanging and dead branches and fencing off certain trees. We then moved on and got stuck into some field work. The whole group learned how to put a point frame together and how to use them. As well as this, we learned in which situations it was best to use the point frames and when it would be best to use the quadrats.Marlow Camp |
Posted 10/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
During Activities week 152 year 7 students went to camp at the Longridge Centre, Marlow. Students had the opportunity to take part in a range of outdoor education activities, including kayaking, sailing, raft-building, and climbing. The camp was a huge success with students demonstrating excellent behaviour and challenging themselves both physically and mentally. Thanks to Mr Cathcart and all the staff involved for an excellent week.Languages are our Business |
Mrs McGarrick Posted 08/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
Mrs McGarrick and six Year 12 students (Nick Adsett, Cassie Arnold, Hatty Barrett, Susanna Edmonds, Joe Meadham and Katherine Soroya) attended this event in the historic Taylorian Institute which houses the Modern Languages Faculty of Oxford University. Our students took part in workshops organised by the Goethe Institut and Nelson Thornes publishers, were led on a guided tour of Oxford conducted entirely in French or German and learnt to speak some Mandarin. The aims of the day were to emphasise the importance of speaking another language and to make students aware of how advantageous this is in the job market today. Our students took part in all the activities with enthusiasm and demonstrated that students at GHS are mature and open minded!Year 10s make games |
During activities week a group of year 10 students spent 2 days in an ICT suite creating computer games. They used a free piece of software called Game Maker which can be downloaded from http://www.yoyogames.com/make The games produced were of outstanding quality and much hard work and determination went into the creation of the students games. All of the finished games can be downloaded and played offline. To download the games click here.Posted 07/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
The Kidlington Day Centre Mural |
>>> See Pictures Posted 03/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
An exciting Community Art Project came together during Activities Week (Mon 23rd to Friday 27th June) between Gosford Hill School and the Kidlington Day Centre. This involved AS Level Art students working together before hand to think of ideas for a mural. Hattie Barrett created and produced the final design, and subsequently led a talented team of Year 12 students to complete the painting. Learning 2 Learn |
>>> See Pictures Posted 03/07/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
During Activities Week, years 8 & 9 explored the learning to learn programme. On Tuesday 24th & Thursday 26th July 2008 students created 3D ‘Junk’ models of the brain from recycled materials. The students had only 1.5 hours to plan & create some wonderfully colourful & informative models (along with a lot of mess!!!!). Art and Design Conference |
>>> See Pictures Posted 27/06/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
As part of Activities Week, Sixteen Year Ten students attended an Art and Design Conference at Oxford Brookes University on Thursday June 26th. The programme consisted of Publishing, Book Illustration and Jewellery Design. This was a most enjoyable day with 'hands-on workshops'Year 13 Leaver’s Ball Friday 20 June. |
Miss Drewett Posted 27/06/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
This year the Ball was held at the Four Pillars Hotel in Witney.Art Exhibition Evening 2008 |
Posted 25/06/2008 by GHS Webmaster. |
The Art Department has again enjoyed a successful year as shown by the outstanding work of our senior Art students in years 10,11,12 and 13. The recent exhibition was our fifteenth held at Gosford Hill School. Thank you to all who attended this very important event in celebrating our students' achievments.
