Celebrating Outstanding Achievement

The Portsmouth Grammar School Celebrates Outstanding Achievements at Prizegiving 2025

The Portsmouth Grammar School gathered at Portsmouth Guildhall to celebrate pupil achievement, staff excellence and an exceptional year of progress at its annual Prizegiving ceremony.

Mrs Vivienne Chapman, Chair of Governors, opened the event by welcoming guests and noting the strong representation of the governing body. She offered particular thanks to Vice Chair Kathy Bishop, who will step down at the end of the year, acknowledging her long-standing support and contribution.

Mrs Chapman also praised the whole school community for its role in the recently published Independent School Inspectorate report, describing it as “a reflection of the hard work, dedication and spirit of PGS pupils and staff.” She added that the impressive number of prizes on stage symbolised the scale of achievement across the school.

This year saw the introduction of the first Governors’ Make An Impact Award recognising staff who make a positive impact on pupils school life. The inaugural recipients were Miss Louisa Burton, Head of Geography, and Lexie Johnson from the Sixth Form catering team, their commitment and compassion towards our pupils was warmly applauded.

Guest of Honour Ciara O’Neil, an Old Portmouthian (OP 2017) known for her large LinkedIn following and work in personal branding, delivered an inspiring address. She spoke about embracing unconventional career journeys, reflecting on her own decision to leave a law role to retrain in psychology. She encouraged pupils to value curiosity, courage and individuality, reminding them that “your career doesn’t have to be a straight line” and quoting Abraham Lincoln: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

The Head, David Wickes, reflected on the breadth of achievement across the last 12 months, from strong A Level and GCSE results to a thriving co-curricular programme. He highlighted the impact of PGS drama—praised recently by Mark Waldron, Editor of The News—and the continued excellence of the Combined Cadet Force, marked by consecutive appointments of PGS pupils as Lord Lieutenant’s Cadets.

Mr Wickes also congratulated the school’s Development Team on winning the Schools’ Award for Ambition and Progress at the IDPE Development Awards 2025, describing it as “a recognition of both professional skill and the generosity of everyone who supports the school.”

Senior Prefects shared their own reflections:

• Hugh, who volunteers at Ark Charter through the Sixth Form Community Action Workplace programme, encouraged others to embrace new experiences: “You never know – you might enjoy it.”
• Lucie celebrated the positivity and camaraderie of PGS Sport, especially netball, and spoke of the unforgettable experiences gained through CCF camps.
• Nawaf highlighted the school values of commitment and compassion, recalling the support of staff when embarking on four A Levels including Further Maths.

Mr Wickes expressed thanks to staff, governors, parents and grandparents “for making every day at PGS possible,” and praised pupils for making the school “such a special place.” The event then moved on to handing over the awards to the many pupils for their individual achievements over the last year, before concluding with a vote of thanks from Head Prefects Lucy and James.