Design & Technology students enjoyed some of the world’s finest architecture and product design on a trip to Tuscany and the surrounding area.

The students from Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 visited many of Florence’s famous sights, including il Duomo de Santa Maria del Fiore, River Arno and Ponte Vecchio.

Later in their trip, they enjoyed a visit to nearby Pisa and also explored the more contemporary wonders of the Lamborghini and Ducati factories near Bologna.

Here is a photo gallery of their trip.

Our supremely talented Amabile choir is preparing to represent the UK at the European Choir Games in Sweden.

The event takes place from October 28 to November 5 in Norrkoping, home of the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, located 160 km south of Sweden’s capital Stockholm.

It brings together choirs from across the world for choir competitions, concerts, workshops and international exchange – in a nation that is famous for internationally acclaimed choirs and singing groups.

Amabile qualified for the the competition by winning the GSA Choir of the Year in Warwick in March.

The group has been rehearsing hard for months, including over half term, and we wish them the very best of luck ahead of their trip.

Our Head Girl & Boy team for this year are Sian and Hugh, who will be assisted by Deputy Head Girls Eleanor and Olivia and Deputy Head Boys Arjun and Ruben.

The team began their tenure at the end of the last academic year and recently spoke at our annual Speech Day which was held in the Philharmonic Hall.

Over the coming year, they will perform a number of key roles, leading the student voice, working with senior staff to influence school policy, mentoring younger pupils and representing Merchant Taylors’ at a number of formal events across the UK.

Scottish Rugby has chosen Merchant Taylors’ School as the North West hub for its Scotland Qualified Pathway Programme.

The UK-wide programme aims to identify and develop young players who live outside Scotland but are eligible to play for its national teams because they, their parents or grandparents were born north of the border.

From Sunday 24 September, boys and girls aged between 14 and 17 can take part in training and assessment sessions led by SRU coaches, with a selected group of players going on to take part in further training camps and play in a regional game series in January. Each session will be at Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School on Liverpool Road in Crosby.

Coaches from grassroots rugby clubs and other schools are invited to nominate eligible young players from their teams to take part in the programme, while players can also apply directly with support from their parents or guardians.

Rob Brierley, SQ Pathway Manager at Scottish Rugby, said: “We are delighted to be forming a link with Merchant Taylors’, a school with an excellent rugby union pedigree. The support received from staff and the use of facilities will enable us to provide high-quality coaching and opportunities for Scottish qualified players from across the North West of England.

Jonny Matthews (Glasgow Warriors and Scotland)

“Scotland has benefited at age group level and beyond from the region’s talent, with players such as Jonny Matthews (Glasgow Warriors and Scotland – pictured left), who was originally from Liverpool, and we look forward to unearthing many more new talents through the programme.

“We are also looking forward to working the Merchant Taylors’ rugby department, sharing best practice and coaching ideas with staff so that all students will benefit from our new partnership.”

Sam Cooke, head of sport at Merchant Taylors’, said: “Rugby has always been a key feature of life at Merchant Taylors’ and it remains so to this day. Our new relationship with Scottish Rugby will not only offer new opportunities for eligible players to pursue a potential international pathway with Scotland, but it will also bring fresh perspectives and experience to our own rugby coaching.

“We have a number of pupils who have already signed up to the sessions and I would encourage boys and girls from all local clubs and schools to engage with the programme if they think they qualify and would relish an exciting new challenge.”

Interested players should contact Scottish rugby by email at: [email protected]

The development of our new pavilion at Hall Road is now well advanced and we are excited to be entering the final phases of the project.

As you can see from the latest photographs, the structure is now complete and internal works are underway.

All doors and windows have now been glazed and it is possible to get a glimpse of the view that visitors will enjoy from our cafe area.

Further work to decorate and furnish internal spaces is progressing at pace, while contractors will also be working to finalise external spaces such as the car park and entrance pathways.