in the sixth form. In 2012, pupils achieved A*/A in 41% of all exams and A* – B in three-quarters of exams. Pupils achieved the best-ever GCSE results in 2012 with 33% of grades at A* grade, more than 63% of grades at A*/A and 86% at A* – B grade. In 2011, pupils achieved 75% A* to B grade at A-level, with a 99.7% pass rate, and 60% As and A*s at GCSE. Extra-curricular activities Music In 2003 the school's Foundation Choir won BBC Songs of Praise Choir of the Year. It takes bi-annual trips to perform across Europe, having visited Barcelona, Levico Terme, Strasbourg, Lake Geneva and Budapest. In 2016 the choir performed in Prague. The choir and numerous bands also perform at nearby St Michael's Church. The school's music department is equipped with a recording studio and practice rooms and offers instrumental lessons to the students. The department also performs musicals such as The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes, a West End musical, in 2012. Drama The school performs two to three plays a year; one by the Boys' Division/Sixth Form, one by the Girls' Division, and one by the Juniors. Recent plays include Cinders, Arabian Nights, and The Ramayana. School trips Trips abroad are arranged by individual departments, including those by the History and Classics departments, in addition to annual foreign language exchange visits. Pupils are involved in biennial World Challenge Expeditions and recent expeditions have been to Morocco, Ecuador, India and most recently Namibia. The school's Outdoor Activities Club organises regular trips to Yorkshire or the Peak District, that include walking, climbing and caving. Sports School sports include rugby, hockey, netball, cheerleading, and cricket. Headmasters 1502–1533: William Bridges (first) 1533–1560: John Bold 1560–1588: John Brownswerde 1588–1631: William Legh 1631–1648: Thomas Bolde 1648–1662: Henry Crosedale 1662–1666: Edward Powell 1666–1674: Ralph Gorse 1674–1676: Thomas Brancker 1676–1689: Rev. John Ashworth 1689–1690: Caleb Pott 1690–1704: Timothy Dobson 1704–1717: Edward Denham 1717–1720: George Hammond 1720–1745: Rev. Joseph Allen 1745: Edward Ford 1745–1749: Christopher Atkinson 1749–1774: Rowland Atkinson 1774–1790: Henry Ingles 1790–1828: David Davies 1828: Thomas Bourdillon 1828–1837: Rev. Francis Stonehewer Newbold 1849–1872: Rev. Thomas Brooking Cornish 1837–1849: William Alexander Osborn 1880–1910: Darwin Wilmot 1910–1933 : Francis Duntz Evans 1933–1966: Thomas Taylor Shaw 1966–1987: Alan Cooper 1987–2001: Adrian Silcock 2001–2011: Stephen Coyne 2011–2020: Simon Hyde 2020–present: Jason Slack Notable former pupils Thomas Newton (born 1542; died 1607), English clergyman and poet John