A summary of some of the many activities students undertook on Field Day 2:
Art in Context
The Art in Context group had a wonderful day out in London looking at some of the most famous paintings in the world, from Titian to Van Gogh. In our period 8 lessons, we are studying oil painting and were able to view traditional techniques in the National Gallery and some more contemporary styles in the National Portrait Gallery.
CCF
Ten cadets from Fifth Form, Lower Sixth, and Upper Sixth had an advanced fieldcraft day at Bramshott common led by two regular soldiers. The cadets, now more adept, ended the day with a successful section attack led by Hugh. They acquired new skills to teach Fourth Form Cadets on the next field day.
The Fourth Form Army section trained in the morning for their upcoming field exercise. Small groups led by qualified instructors allowed for good progress, and the cadets will complete training during Monday P8 sessions. In the afternoon, they practiced basic fire and manoeuvre on a paintball training lane at Bramshott Common.
The Lower Sixth and Fifth Form RAF cadets visited Bletchley Park, the home of the WW2 code breakers. They toured historic huts where Alan Turing and others broke German Enigma codes. The well-preserved site is a poignant reminder of wartime efforts. The boys especially enjoyed technical displays explaining Enigma machines and allied computers.
26 CCF RAF Fourth Form cadets, accompanied by Mr Woodman and Mrs Busby, visited the RAF Air Force Museum in Hendon. The museum showcased new galleries exploring the first 100 years of the RAF, its current roles, and future technology.
Fifth, Lower Sixth, and Upper Sixth RN cadets tested a new CCF RN HQ training package at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth. They received small arms training Cadet Zac excelling as the top marksman. The training also included compartment clearing aboard ships, simulating real-life scenarios of drug smuggling, people trafficking, and piracy.
Fourth Form Royal Naval cadets enjoyed a day in Southampton on powerboats, guided by SWAC instructors through the PB level 1 course. Despite chilly weather, they experienced ideal conditions, avoiding any cadet overboard incidents. All fourteen successfully passed the course, earning their RYA PBL1 certificates.
Climbing
The lower risk presented to the RGS climbers at White Spider meant that they were free to try out some more demanding and athletic moves that would be truly frightening outdoors. One of the final moves on show during the day was an aggressive dyno up a few feet of overhanging boulder route.
Drama
A busy day for students, featuring a morning clowning workshop led by Kerry Frampton of Splendid Theatre. The session focused on the nuances of physical clowning, emphasizing honest communication over forced laughter. The afternoon session, led by stuntman and fight director Mark Ruddick, involved intense hand-to-hand combat and sword techniques.
First Form
The exhibits and ships of the Historic Dockyards in Portsmouth captivated both staff and boys, with particular enthusiasm for HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. The period-dressed guides added to the experience. The harbour boat tour during lunch provided scenic views, including HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Hiking
A group of 21 Sixth Form hikers embarked on the journey. The group made good progress along the Wey Navigation to Guildford.
Lifesaving
The Upper and Lower Sixth lifesaving group had a tricky time as storm Frederico hit Cornwall creating uncontrollable waves on the North coast and resulting on a trip to the south coast for refuge. None the less all had a great time and plenty of exercise fighting into the best waves and enjoying the lovely fresh wind and rain storms.
King’s Maths Project
Students from the Fifth Form, Lower and Upper Sixth were tasked to design their own Maths games. The trial run of these games in the afternoon was a big success.
Mountain Biking
The RGS Mountain Biking squad had an exciting day riding in the Hurt Wood/Holmbury Hill area. Despite challenging wet trails from recent rain, the boys rode with enthusiasm and skill. They completed all main tracks on both Holmbury Hill and Pitch Hill, finishing in great spirits.
Music Scholars
We welcomed Paul Harris, a renowned clarinettist, composer, and educator with over 600 publications. He conducted two outstanding talks and workshops, focusing on effective sight-reading approaches. Paul’s inspirational guidance enhanced students’ fluency, accuracy, and confidence in sight-reading. The high standard of musicianship impressed him.
Outdoor Pursuits
Half the Outdoor Pursuit Fourth Form cohort set off for a thrilling day of go-karting at TeamSport Crawley.
The campaign paintball cohort had a great day. Both teams showed real bravery running into paintball fire to capture flags and move the bomb towards their foe.
Fifth Form spent the day doing an exciting combination of archery tag and a high ropes course! The boys approached both activities with dexterity and enthusiasm.
36 brave Fifth Formers took on a day of mountain biking around the Surrey Hills. There were some exciting downhill runs, made even more interesting with the mud, and the e-bikes really took the sting out of getting back to the top of the hills.
Second Form
The Second Form went to Greenwich to visit the Maritime Museum, Observatory and Cutty Sark. We were able to explore the museum at our leisure before heading on up the hill to the Observatory and a lovely visit to the Cutty Sark.
Sports Coaching
The Lower Sixth Form sports coaches spent Field Day 2 delivering PE sessions for classes at RGS Prep and Sandfield Primary School. The boys experienced coaching single and mixed sex classes ranging in age from Year 2 – Year 6, and did an excellent job in adapting activities to suit the age and abilities of each group.
The 1509
The 1509 spent a productive day planning, drafting and publishing articles on topics ranging from the recent RGS Rock at the Boileroom gig to the ILA Presentation Evening. With Seb at the helm as Editor in Chief, the boys were engaged, enthusiastic and collaborative in their approach.
Conservation
74 keen students assisted Guildford Borough Council in the long-term conservation project at Chantries Woods. The day was spent clearing scrub and invasive silver birch to try and restore the Heath Land that is being lost.
Navigation
72 boys undertook a muddy 16KM hike across the Surrey Hills. The focus of the day is to develop key navigation skills that will be tested on the summer expedition later in the school year. All teams completed the day in good spirits and took away some key learning points, with some students realising that white shoes are perhaps not the best choice of colour unless you prefer brown.
View photos here.