Year 10

“Year 10 has been full of challenges; the increasing workload, the Christmas Post event and for some people their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award too. The teachers have been very supportive by helping us complete these tasks and we are very grateful. At the beginning of the year, the change in form groups seemed daunting, but as the year has progressed I think we have all managed to settle in well, with the Christmas Post event being a real catalyst for this.” Zena Logan & Emily McGrail

Silver Award

Duke of Edinburgh is a very tough process and from my experiences I can say that the most challenging thing was the sense of independence being thrown at us as we were tested on a variety of skills, including map orienteering and teamwork. However, the expedition is a very rewarding and liberating experience, teaching you life-long skills and allowing you to enjoy the weekend with your peers. From my own struggles, my advice would be not to overpack and to think about the weekend ahead logically and plan accordingly. Laweeza Ali

Oxford University Trip

Thirty excited Year 10 girls listened attentively on our tour of Pembroke College: the old buildings were beautiful, some dating from the 1600s, and they helped create a calm and tranquil atmosphere. After a detailed and informative talk about student life, we enjoyed lunch in the dining hall, reminiscent of Hogwarts. With full stomachs, we made our way to the Pitt Rivers Museum, where an enthusiastic tour guide introduced us to anthropology and the mysterious objects contained within the building. We were fascinated to discover how cultures can be analysed by examining simple objects. We met up with three Old Girls at Lady Margaret’s Hall. Cerys Baines, Alex Hopkinson and Amy Lyons gave us a tour and told us about their life at University. We were particularly intrigued by the college ‘parent’ system. We would all very much recommend the trip, even with the journey!

Christmas Post

For a Year 10 who had just been switched up into a new form, Christmas Post was a great but nerve-wracking way to bond with people I had known for three years but not really been good friends with. I will admit that there was some disagreement but eventually we all realised we had to pull through because there was no way we were going to go up on the huge stage and make complete fools out of ourselves. Thankfully it went amazingly! Christmas Post is a fantastic tradition, which I hope carries on. It is so nice that we get to do it while raising money for charities that are going to help so many people! Sophie Bracegirdle

Young Film Academy

In November of 2018, Year 10 had a day of film making with the Young Film Academy. We had sessions on fight choreography and on the history of film. We learnt how to use a camera and wrote scripts for our own ten-shot silent movie. The day ended with an ‘Oscar’ ceremony for the winning film which was ‘Snatch-a-by-baby’. This short piece followed a mother who rescued her baby after it was kidnapped. We thoroughly enjoyed learning about techniques of the film industry as well as having the opportunity to develop valuable teamwork and communication skills. Muryum Binte Fahad