Channing School Annual Magazine 2016 by Channing School

ANNUAL 2015-2016

Contents Headmistress’ Founders’ Day Address 4 Junior School Repor t 8 Key Stage 1 Repor t 10 Key Stage 2 Repor t 12 Beyond the Junior School Classroom 16 Beyond the Senior School Classroom 18 Middle School Repor t 20 Upper School Repor t 21 Sixth Form Repor t 22 Extended Project Qualification 25 Deputy Head’s Repor t 26 Academic Depar tments: Ar t 28 Classics 32 Computing 35 Drama 37 Economics 40 English 41 Geography 44 Politics 48 History 48 Mathematics 52 Modern Foreign Languages 56 Music 61 Spor t, PE & Games 68 Religious Education 72 Science 73 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award 74 School Charities 77 School Officers 78 Results, Prizes and Awards 80 Leavers’ Destinations 82 A tribute to Mary Burns 84 Staff and Governors 86

Founders’ Day 2 July 2016 Our founders were the Reverend Robert Spears, a Unitarian minister whose life spanned most of the 19th century and who was deeply interested in the rights of women. He encouraged sisters Emily and Matilda Sharpe in their ambitions to open a school. Their aim, back in 1885, was to set up a school where daughters of Unitarian ministers could obtain:

‘A first-class education that would enable them to go to any university, if they so desired.’ The two women devoted their lives to the development of their project. Miss Jarvis, the first Headmistress, wrote of Miss Matilda:

‘she simply would not hear that a thing could not be done, if it were needed to be done!’ Does that sound familiar? From the beginning, in 1885, the curriculum was broad and ambitious (I hope that sounds familiar, too) and Miss Matilda often invited distinguished visitors, such as the young Marconi, to talk to the pupils. Soon, Channing was formally recognised as an institution of the highest standards.

Mrs Leslie, Governors and trustees, colleagues, friends, parents and pupils: 2016 marks the 131st anniversary of the founding of this school and we gather every year to celebrate and to give thanks for our founders’ wisdom and commitment. Today we reflect on this 131st year of educating some of London’s brightest girls.

It is exactly one hundred years since Miss Matilda died, aged 86. The then Headmistress, Miss Talbot wrote, in 1916:

“She wanted the best for her girls; she would have nothing second-rate; so they must read the best books only, see the best pictures, hear the finest music, study the greatest minds of all the ages. It is good to think of her zeal, her keen interest in all the great changes going on around her, her quick sympathy with real distress and her clever, kindly humour seeing through all that was not genuine.”

I’d like to think that sounds familiar, too. Of course, her most memorable words are inscribed on a plaque which now graces our Music School:

‘Never forget: life is expecting much of you and me.’ The entire legacy of the founders, stretching back 131 years, their pursuit of excellence and the Unitarian values of tolerance for every individual in search of a spiritual, moral and ethical meaning of life, their encouragement for its pupils to ‘think outside the box’ and to stand for whatever they believe to be right, have never been more important than they are today. Channing is a community dedicated to nurturing the gifts of every individual, where the greatest competition is to improve on one’s own previous efforts, and the greatest reward is a sense of personal achievement. The legacy of the founders, these fundamental Channing values, are visible and tangible right to this day, and on those foundations, we have grown and enjoyed remarkable success. 2015-16 saw the launch of a new set of strategic objectives for Channing, after some deep soul-searching about the sort of school we are, and the sort of school we want to be for the next 5 to15 years.

and achieve their full potential (That actually autocorrected to ‘ponytail’, which is nice, but the word I need is actually potential). How Amongst many other ways, we will develop and celebrate inspirational teaching and learning; we will promote personalised learning and create excellent programmes of study, and una verdadera maravilla para el futuro, we are introducing a programme to enable all members of this community to become confident users of Spanish. The name we have chosen for the strategy is ‘Adelante’, and those of you who know Spanish will know what it means: ahead, in front, go on, go ahead, progress... onwards and upwards! • We will promote personal development, ensuring that the learning needs of every pupil are catered for; we will enhance our careers education programme; we will extend and promote pupil leadership opportunities, and we will continue to develop and deliver outstanding pastoral care. • We will embrace modern technology and use it as a means to enhance pupils’ independence as learners, and to prepare for the future.

The mission To inspire pupils to develop scholarship, integrity, altruism and independence,

• We will provide a secure, safe and healthy environment. We will continue to ensure that child protection and safeguarding are a priority; we will ensure that our provision for health and wellbeing remains excellent, and at the heart of all we do, and that staff are well equipped to advise and support pupils; We will ensure that policies, procedures and curriculum around E safety and social media are robust, relevant and up to date, and we will develop a Food for Life strategy.

I don’t think Miss Matilda and Miss Emily Sharpe would find anything out of step with their original vision for Channing School in our aims for the future .

• We will manage the school’s resources effectively, ensuring that the school is able to continue to invest in improving its provision for current and future pupils

What they might find new and exciting is the way our vision translates into objectives for the next generation.

• We will further develop opportunities in Physical Education, Sports and the Performing Arts, and

These are our commitments We are going to provide an exceptional and relevant education, free from undue pressure, that challenges all pupils to learn

• We will raise the profile of the school as a centre of excellence.

What sort of school are we? A London school for girls aged 4 - 18 with an outstanding record of personal achievement. A school where ‘Girls Enjoy Success’.

And if that sounds like the Queen delivering

her opening of parliament speech about her government’s plans, then good. This is our manifesto... and might I say, in contrast to one or two politicians I could mention, I am a woman of my word. To paraphrase the words of the great Canadian singer Brian Adams, everything we do, we do it for you... I say ‘we’, because this is very much a team effort. The Governors here on stage today, and several who cannot be with us, work together, led and guided by Mrs Leslie, the Chair of Governors, to formulate the strategic direction of the school and hold the leadership team to account. This work and responsibility is not to be underestimated, and they do it, I suspect, because they too are committed to ensuring a first class education for each and every pupil at Channing School. For that work, we thank them. My colleagues, both teaching and non-teaching professionals also devote most of their waking hours, and certainly all of their working hours (is there a difference between those two??), to inspire pupils to develop scholarship, integrity, altruism and independence. It matters more than you know that their pupils really do enjoy success. And I really do mean every person who works here: I know, for example, that all the catering and caretaking staff get particularly nervous before Founders’ Day... and this is just as much their day as ours. I extend warm thanks today to all parents of Channing pupils. Thank you for trusting us. And thank you particularly to those of you who play an active role in the Channing Association. You support us, and each other, in a wide range of activities, from Fireworks to the Year 7 and 8 prom, and most recently, last Thursday’s glorious Leavers’ Ball. The Channing Association is not primarily a fundraising organisation, although we are extremely grateful for the funds that you generously donate... and all in support of helping us to provide that exceptional, relevant education. Like our student run School council, the Channing Association often comes up with some brilliant initiatives, one of which is now firmly embedded at Channing. I salute Karen Forde, mother of Olivia Howe, whose idea of a Parents Directory to provide Channing pupils with ‘exceptional and relevant

Work Experience’ is now an integral part of our Careers programme, and if any parents here today would like to contribute, we would love to hear from you. And of course, the key team players in all our endeavours are the pupils. Without you, the pupils, there would be no Channing. Sometimes, when we get a little bogged down with the latest regulatory requirements from the Department of Education (there are now more than 400 that have to be checked and ready for inspection!), and there are sometimes when I think that ‘the most important things in the world are concrete, cranes and value engineering’... I am gently reminded by a girl enjoying success, in her A levels or GCSEs, her music, her art, her drama, her thinking, her scholarship, her integrity, her altruism and her independence, that you are the school. You are why we are here. So thank you for coming.

131 Years! Just think... In the week that marks the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, the bloodiest horror of the first World War, we would do well to remember that Channing School, despite the war, kept calm and carried on between 1914 to 1918. In 1939, with more bombs falling in north London as a second World War spread across the globe, the school was forced to evacuate – it was considered far too dangerous to stay in London, and so the school moved to the Chase Hotel in Ross-on-Wye. Numbers dropped from 180 to 100, fewer pupils than in the current Year 7, and staff voluntarily took a 10% salary cut. Can you imagine? The school here in Highgate was taken over and used by the Royal Navy. So do not worry: we are all, I think, reeling from the political

turmoil of the last few days. We have survived two world wars, and will continue, I have no doubt, for another 131 years at least! In the words of William Ellery Channing,

‘Difficulties are meant to rouse, not to discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict’. I think he means, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger...’ And we are getting stronger all the time.

Listen... Can you hear that? This is an unusual sound: the sound of silence. We have, since April, once again been living with the thud/bang/wallop of our Performing Arts Building, rising up from the hole in the ground. This time next year, it will be open. Possibly the highlight of this academic year, was the visit of HRH Earl of Wessex, who officially opened the new Sports Hall. We weren’t expecting Prince Charming, but he was, and we were delighted. I wonder who will open our Performing Arts Centre? This is the time of year when we bid farewell to colleagues whose lives are taking them in different directions. Before we do that, we offer our congratulations to Miss Jessica Bramhall, Head of Geography, on the birth of a son, Noah, in May. We were very pleased to welcome back Mrs Shoham after the birth of her daughter last year, and Miss Kate Wilkinson, after the birth of her son. We wish Mrs Gorrie well as she starts her maternity leave next week, and thank Mr Bernard Duggan and Ms Christine Heidensohn for their maternity cover work in the Geography and English departments this half term. Congratulations also to Mrs Rona McCoshindale who is getting married in August. At the Junior School, we bid farewell to Sophie Unsworth, who has taught one of our Reception classes this year. Sophie is relocating to Singapore, and she goes with our very best wishes.

Elaine Glennon leaves Fairseat for the second time! Elaine has been teaching Year 1, and is taking a career break. Who knows, Elaine – next time, you might be back for good! Thank you for all that you have done to support the girls’ learning at the Junior School. Poppy Gibson, who has taught Year 4 this year, is leaving to join Capel Manor Primary School in Enfield, which is about an hour closer to home! Poppy has made a real impact, both with her enthusiastic work with ICT and her own research, as part of her Doctorate in Education! In the middle of all that, she also had a second baby too! Poppy, I am sure your new school will welcome you with open arms to their leadership team, and we wish you every success in your new post. Hazel Younger has taught Year 6 girls this year, and has also developed the role of Director of Studies at Fairseat. Hazel has had an enormous impact on the development of Mathematics and has also been an excellent member of the Fairseat Senior Management Team. We congratulate her on her new post as Deputy Head of the Junior School at Dulwich College. From the Senior School, we bid farewell to Laura Marshall who has been a wonderful addition to the Science Department, not to mention a fantastic Year 7 tutor. Laura plans to do some more studying and travelling, and we wish her all the best in her new adventures. Congratulations to Hannah Marchant (née O’Sullivan) who got married in May. Although we will see her again in the Autumn Term, she will be joining Bancroft’s School as Head of Netball in January 2017, again a school much closer to her home. Monsieur Voiture s’en va... il va partir! Mr Daniel Carr has been Head of French since 2012. Merci mille fois Dan, for all your support in the French department, in the Modern Languages Department (as he is Herr Auto and Señor Coche too... a real polyglot), and for an immense contribution to the Duke of Edinburgh

Award, as leader of the Silver programme. Many congratulations, Dan, on your appointment as Head of Sixth Form and St Francis College, Letchworth. Bonne chance et au revoir. Jill Ogidan joined the Science Department at Channing in 2004 and has enjoyed great success in her teaching of Biology. Jill is also one of those colleagues whom I have had to replace with three others, such has been her capacity for work, and the great breadth and depth of her responsibilities. She has been a superb Head of Careers, and more recently, an outstanding Head of Upper School. When she came to tell me that she had made a tentative application for a Deputy Headship, I knew her Channing days would be coming to an end. Jill takes up the post of Deputy Head at Northwood College in September, and she goes with our thanks and very best wishes. Let me conclude by asking you to reflect on the readings from today’s service. We were all called to be thinkers. Let us look beyond our borders for inspiration. First of all, to our great friends and neighbours, the French, and that great writer of the 18th century, Voltaire.

‘No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking’ he said. Channing pupils – your mission is to think. And finally, across the globe, to the great wisdom of China. Confucius said:

‘The more we meditate upon good thoughts, the better will be our world and the world at large.’ Thank you.

Mrs Barbara Elliott

Junior School Report 2015 - 2016 Fairseat enjoyed another positive start to the year. We had several enthusiastic teachers and teaching assistants join the staff with a number of additional roles created to support the demands of a rigorous and exciting curriculum. Mr Chris Rich was appointed as the Y5 form teacher, Anne Marie Conway, the new part time Drama teacher, Caroline Jupp, joined us as the Fairseat librarian, Ruth McEwan, Monica O’Hara and Katherine Johnson joined as teaching assistants. Rona Corkindale also replaced Monique Mort as the Head of Junior School PE in January and Caroline Bolton joined as a PE assistant. We also welcomed another cohort of 41 bright and bubbly reception girls who are already full of confidence. This confidence was evident at their Christmas Nativity concert, where they performed with gusto, their meeting with Prince Edward and their Reception assemblies to the rest of the school. Several girls also joined in a number of other year groups. We are particularly pleased with how quickly the girls have settled, which is testament to the warm welcome candidates receive when they visit for an assessment and the school’s strong pastoral ethos. Following the success of the Maths and English Parent Workshops in previous years, we offered parents an ICT and Mobile Technology Workshop to provide parents with information on: key features of the teaching of ICT at Fairseat; how ICT is used to support other areas of the curriculum; advice for parents about E-Safety and cyberbulling and the use of mobile devices. It was a great success and ably delivered by Poppy Gibson (ICT co-ordinator), Sarah Lawrence(ICT assistant) and Hazel Younger (Director of Studies). It was very well received by our parents. Next year a workshop on ‘Resilience’ is planned. We also held an evening for parents called the ‘7 Secrets of Raising Girls every Parent Must Know’ by Judy Reith. This year we also successfully celebrated National Poetry Day, World book Day and enjoyed visits by the authors and illustrators, Neal Layton, Sav Akyuz, Polly Faber and Clara Vulliamy as well as the story teller Sandra Agard and a Bhuddist nun. The girls have enjoyed a number of school outings, workshops and visiting speakers to enhance their learning. We celebrated Anti-bullying

Week, Poetry Week, Maths Week and World Cultural Diversity Day. We also had a visit from the mobile Planetarium, and the artist Libby McMullin. Channing girls have taken advantage of many of the cultural and historic opportunities in London.. The girls have visited Westminster Abbey, the Neasden Temple and Sky Studios to name but a few. The girls have also taken part in workshops on the Seaside, WWII, Castles and the Egyptians and the Aztecs. Year 6 have had an engineering workshop in the Autumn term and a new Young Enterprise Programme in the Summer term. We welcomed grandparents of Year 4, 5 and 6 girls to spend an afternoon in Fairseat. The girls valued the input their grandparents contributed to their learning and grandparents gained an insight into the dynamic education at Channing School in 2016! We have continued to build on our programme of interhouse competitions, organised by Mr Rich. This has provided the Year 6 House Captains with more responsibility but also allowed more opportunity for competitive games, including netball, swimming and rounders matches as well as a KS1 interhouse games competition. Additionally we have introduced an interhouse poetry competition, house buddy reading and house buddy time, where girls are paired with other girls in different year groups to complete a range of tasks. January was a busy month with two rounds of 4+ assessments and two rounds of 7+ assessments as well. The 4+ was once again extremely successful with a large number of applicants. We now look forward to starting in September with another very bright cohort of 48 Reception girls, instead of our usual 40 so we will have two classes of 24 girls with no further need to do additional assessments at the end of KS1. This was also the first year of a formal 7+. We are delighted that we have been able to fill the nine places with strong candidates and we are looking forward to some very bright girls joining Year 3 in September. At Fairseat the girls continue to support our chosen charities. This year, Fairseat’s first charity was Médecins Sans Frontières. Fairseat held a sponsored ‘trek’ in support of the refugee crisis. The girls walked with coats and bags through Waterlow Park, around the

school grounds, finishing in the Tower room at the top of the school where they rang a bell to mark ‘the summit’. We also held a Talent Contest for the girls to raise money for the Capital Challenge, our ambitious building programme. In the Spring Term, the School Council chose to support World Wildlife Fund (WWF). We held an animal-themed cake sale, offered face painting and we dressed up with animal tails, ears and whiskers and learned about endangered animals. The Spring term ended with the annual Swimathon which 54 Fairseat girls entered. In the Summer term our chosen charity, Auditory Visual UK (AVUK), was selected by one of the pupils with a hearing impairment. Our first event was a Hula Hoop competition and Guess the Sweets in the Jar competition along with our LOUD T-shirt day. Later in the term we will hold a Make a Noise day and we plan to create a school song to raise awareness about deafness. To date Fairseat has raised £10156.12. Charity work has not just been restricted to the girls. The Channing Association have also held a Macmillan Coffee Morning in the hall, they continue to support 4 children through Action Aid and take food collected from our Harvest Festival to CARIS, a local charity. Academically, the school is thriving and the results obtained from the NFER tests and Summer Term Tests indicate that the girls continue to make excellent progress. At 11+, four girls were awarded academic scholarships to the Senior School. 20 of the 25 girls from the Junior School will transfer to the Senior School with two girls leaving for North London Collegiate, two to Highgate School and one to Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls. Musically, Fairseat continues to thrive with more girls opting to take up individual instruments with a greater uptake of the more challenging instruments such as oboe and trombone. Many girls are reaching higher grades than ever before. We have at least six girls who have reached Grade 5 or 6 and three girls currently play in the National Children’s Orchestra. Two Year 6 girls were offered a music scholarship to the Senior School and two were offered music awards. The Christmas performances, music and class assemblies, and the performance platforms for

Years 4, 5 and 6 all give the girls opportunities to showcase their talents. The girls also had the wonderful opportunity to perform at St George’s, Hanover Square, in support of KINOE (Kids in Need of Education) and the Spears Vocal Ensemble represented the school at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel as part of their anniversary celebrations. Since the appointment of Miss Conway, drama has gone from strength to strength. The Key Stage 2 production in the temporary hall was another huge success. The girls performed ‘Honk’, the story of the Ugly Duckling, on two evenings. Miss Conway’s involvement was very evident and really raised the standard of the performance The appointment of a new Head of PE at the Junior School and a PE assistant has had a dramatic effect on the level of Sport and games at Fairseat, with girls playing and taking part in a wider variety of sports and team

games. Girls have also benefitted from access to the Temporary Sports Hall, the New Sports Hall and other facilities at the Senior School. The Channing Association continue to be very active in supporting the school’s social and community aims, organising events such as the Christmas Bazaar, Channing Fireworks, Christmas parties, a whole school social and the Summer Picnic, which are just a few of the many! We have been delighted with their support of the School’s Capital Challenge, fundraising for our building project. Our open days continue to be very successful with more families than ever signing up to attend. We already have a large number of girls already registered for September 2017. We continue to be a popular choice for North London parents, which is no surprise after the very positive

review we received from the Good Schools Guide. My sincerest thanks once again go to Deputy Head, Clare Constant and Director of Studies, Hazel Younger and all the Fairseat staff who have been a supportive and dynamic team in moving the Junior School forward. Fairseat continues to thrive and we are excited about the new initiatives for next year. We will launch the Adelante Strategy, which aims to introduce all girls to Spanish language and culture; we will promote Sport and Drama further as well as develop the use of our outside space, and continue our focus on improving and raising standards, developing the girls’ individual talents and interests as well as ensuring that we attract the best girls and staff. Mrs Louise Lawrance, Head of the Junior School Summer 2016

Key Stage 1 Report Reception have had a busy first year at Fairseat. In their first term they learnt all about colour during their ‘Over the Rainbow’ topic. In the Spring Term, the girls enjoyed making wands, wishes and spells during their ‘Traditional Tales’ topic. They learnt many new facts about animals during a trip to Paradise Wildlife Park in June, but one of the highlights from this academic year, was when they celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday on Thursday 21st April. The girls were so excited to learn about her life, family and hobbies that they decided to write letters to her to find out more. Sent alongside the letters, were pastel portraits of the Queen that the girls created by looking carefully at a photograph. In the Summer Term, Reception went to Paradise Wildlife Park to learn about different animals and how they grow. We were excited to explore the ‘Big Cat Territory’ where we saw beautiful white lions, a snow leopard and a cheetah eating its breakfast! After a picnic lunch, we had a ‘Close Encounters’ workshop, where we met a ferret, a snake and a bearded dragon.

Year 1 Year 1 have had an exciting year and particularly enjoyed being palaeontologists. The girls went on a fossil hunt around the Fairseat grounds using special equipment (a toothpick) to carefully remove a fossil (a chocolate chip) from a stone (a cookie). It was careful work! During the fossil dig the girls also used paintbrushes to carefully brush away sand in a sand tray, uncovering the remains of a dinosaur. Then they, looked carefully at a key to identify what dinosaurs they had found. The girls learnt many more facts about dinosaurs during a trip

to Knebworth House and even went in a dinosaur maze. In Literacy, Year 1 loved reading read The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. In the story, The Rainbow fish learns to share by giving his friends one of his special, shiny scales. Year 1 were inspired by the moral of this story and they wrote their very own chapter book based on the theme of sharing.

Year 2 Year 2 have had a number of exciting topics this academic year with some exciting trips and workshops to enhance their learning. In the Autumn Term, Year Two enjoyed a ‘Castle Day’. They had a fantastic time learning some of the crafts of medieval period. They enjoyed making ink, weaving, they made cresset lamps and pomanders. Later on they jousted, danced and had a banquet with food from castle times such as rose water jumbles and honey cakes. In June, Year 2 went to Cuffley Outdoor Centre to support their Science topic ‘Living Things and Their Habitats’. They went on a habitat exploration, did pond dipping, looked for different trees and went on a minibeast hunt. Back in the classroom, Year 2 were on Caterpillar Watch as five tiny Painted Lady Caterpillars arrived. They looked after them until they changed into beautiful butterflies. Then we waited for a sunny day and released them in the garden. As part of their Summer Term art focus, Year 2 also looked to the outdoors when they studied Andy Goldsworthy. They enjoyed making patterns from natural resources in the outdoor environment, making their own mini eco art projects.

Year 2’s ‘Hot Air Balloon Assembly’ In May, 2G put on an excellent assembly for Fairseast and their parents. They transported us in a hot air balloon to Brazil, Kenya, Australia and finally back to Fairseat where we landed safely. We learnt about the Aboriginal people of Australia, the rainforest in Brazil and the Masaai Mara in Kenya. It was full of fantastic facts.

School Council School Council have been involved in a number of new initiatives and have helped to voice the opinions of pupils by launching the School Council Firefly Page. The ‘Litter Picker’ initiative has helped to improve the cleanliness of the school grounds and the initiative was well received by Key Stage 1 pupils. More recently, School Council have launched an initiative to improve the Fairseat ‘playhouse’. First, they went to the playhouse to take photographs of how it looked. They thought hard about what they thought needed to be done to improve the playhouse and then they sent out a whole school questionnaire to get ideas from the wider school. They soon realised, that their first step was to give the playhouse a good clean. With Marigolds on and litter pickers in hand, the girls went about giving the playhouse a deep clean. Following this, they wrote a letter to Mr Hill to ask for permission to paint the playhouse and to put some shelves up. We will be continuing the initiative in the Autumn Term. Miss Alison McLennan, Reception.

Key Stage 2 Report This school year has been perhaps our busiest and best yet, with exciting learning opportunities in (and out of) the classroom, an ever-growing list of extracurricular clubs, fascinating and talented visiting speakers, and trips all over the country.

delighted the Junior School pupils were with this. The girls left particularly enthused to try and use other languages throughout their daily routine, and several words in different languages appeared on boards and displays throughout the school over the following weeks.

International Mindedness at the Junior School

The central idea was that international mindedness can provide an insight into the beliefs and values of others, and all of the girls from Reception to Year 6 enjoyed tasting delicious foods from around the world. Girls shared their special clothing and accessories with their peers, educating others on the meanings and special symbolism of their belongings. The teachers dressed up too. We also welcomed Sandra Agard, who is the Centenary Storyteller in Residence at ‘The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre’ in Great Missenden. Ms Agard held workshops on stories from around the world with all the year groups. Traditional tales from other cultures, such as ‘Anansi the Spider and the Magic Cooking Pot’ had the girls enchanted.

The concept of ‘international mindedness’ is a relatively new one in education. It has increased in importance as our world has become smaller, travel has become more accessible and worldwide events have had more considerable impacts on our daily lives. At Channing Junior School we are delighted to welcome girls from many different backgrounds and cultures, and located in Highgate, North London, we have the perfect opportunity to explore the concept of being internationally minded and right from Reception, give our pupils the chance to see and appreciate a wider world than just their own. International mindedness is about intercultural understanding and respect, but importantly being internationally minded is not something you can teach in a lesson; it is an attitude, a way of thinking and being, of accepting other ways of thinking and doing are as valid as our own. During this past year, we have been keen to celebrate and share cultures and traditions from around the world with the girls at the Junior School. Back in September, we enjoyed celebrating the European Day of Languages with Key Stage 2 pupils enjoying learning French and Spanish in their weekly lessons, while younger pupils are introduced to Spanish songs and simple words and phrases by their class teacher. Junior School girls enjoyed an interesting assembly, which included ‘Frozen’’s ‘Let it Go’ sung in several languages. You can only imagine how

given the opportunities to create clay goods, practice mummification, and dance and act for the Royal Party, amongst many other things. A wonderful time was had by all, including many parents who also dressed up for the occasion.

Additionally, in the Summer Term, the Junior School held an international day in honour of World Cultural Diversity, where students wore their national costumes and brought along food from their family’s culture or a culture they had been learning about.

Year 4 began their History learning all about the Aztecs, with a special Aztec Day in November with the ‘Off the Page’ workshop. Year 4s had the opportunity to experience life as an Aztec thanks to ‘Moments in Time’. They enjoyed a variety of hands-on craft, learnt about embroidery and created Aztec-style jewellery. They also took part in weaving, soap carving and mosaic making activities. They learnt how to count in the Aztec language (Nahuatl) and as they completed their tasks were immersed in beautiful Aztec music.

We are proud to say that all girls show the greatest respect for other cultures and beliefs, and this is encouraged through the excellent activities such as these that we enjoy throughout the year.

Travelling through time: History Topics As well as travelling around the world, Key Stage 2 pupils have also greatly enjoying travelling through time and learning about several historical eras. To give you an idea, Year 3 study the Egyptians, Romans and Vikings; Year 4 learn about the Tudors and the Aztecs; Year 5 explore the Victorian period; and Year 6 learn about World War II and what life was like in wartime Britain. In September, Year 3 girls and teachers (do you spot a trend emerging?) enjoyed dressing up in Egyptian costume and participating in a visiting Egyptian workshop, where they were

Year 5 studied a Historical era much closer to home, with their Autumn Term and Spring Terms focused on the Victorians and the inventions, trials and tribulations of Victorian England. The girls also experienced crosscurricular artwork, creating pieces inspired by Victorian artists. Artwork included clay tiles in the style of William Morris and pastel flower pictures similar to those by Georgia O’Keeffe. In January, pupils, staff and parents were treated to Year 5’s ‘Inspiring Victorians’ assembly, with a theme of ‘Inspirational

Victorian Women’. The girls wrote, edited and practised the script with great enthusiasm and were extremely excited to perform in front of the Junior School audience. The assembly was driven by their extensive work on the Victorians in History this year, but gave them a great opportunity to learn more about a variety of influential women who shaped the modern world. Hopefully Florence Nightingale would be able to shake off Victorian sensibilities to enjoy Y5’s rap about her...

1485, at the moment when Henry Tudor had just defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. The audience gathered many interesting Tudor facts from the scene of Prince Arthur’s funeral, the famous coronation ceremony of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon and finally, Henry VIII’s

Year 6 travelled much further back in time as the start of the academic year saw them

Learning about our world: Above and Beyond

final moments with his cherished children. Year 4 performed some excellent Tudor songs and poetry, as well as a number of short drama sketches in role, as many key Tudor personalities. studying the Ancient Greeks, with a highlight being a trip to The British Museum for a special opportunity to extend their learning. The girls were delighted to dress up as Athenians and greet ‘King Darius’, who tried to convince them to join the Persian Empire. They explored the museum to find out more about what life would be like under his rule and then interrogated him to find out more. The learning didn’t stop there, however, as Key Stage 2 pupils were introduced to further

historical wonders. In the Spring Term, Year 4 pupils explored what life was like in Tudor times, presenting their findings at a special assembly. Their journey began in the year

New Library and Librarian All of this fantastic History learning was supported by a wonderful wide range of related fiction and non-fiction books, which leads on to some of the most exciting news from this academic year… the opening of Channing Junior school’s newly refurbished library and the appointment of our new librarian, Ms Jupp. Our school library was reopened by Grace, Isabella and Tallis, who cut a ribbon before the Ms Jupp welcomed other avid readers. The library has been specially decorated with Roald Dahl bunting made by Class 2P and 2G, drawings of the BFG’s bottled dreams by YR 4 and a fabulous Roly-Poly bird created by Class 1C and 1G. Ms Jupp has worked incredibly hard this year to make the library an inspiring resource, a place for Junior School pupils to discover and dream. With the library open every day, sometimes even before and after school, Key Stage 2 girls can often be found enjoying a quiet read near a bookshelf or on a comfy beanbag.

Key Stage 2 girls have also enjoyed some fantastic Scientific discoveries, and we always look forward to learning more about the world around us in our weekly Science and Geography lessons. Year 5 were particularly delighted in October when, tying in with their Science topic of Sun, Moon and Stars, the ‘Science Dome’, a mobile digital planetarium, came to visit the Junior School during ‘Space Week’, taking Junior Schools boldly ‘into space’. Reception to Y2 girls learnt about The Earth and Beyond and the KS2 girls experienced a Solar System Tour. The Milky Way, the planets and our solar system came to life and the breathtaking scenes transported the girls into space. The girls were inspired and awestruck, with gasps of awe and delight heard as the next scene in the exploration was revealed. Some girls even asked if they could forgo their break time to extend their time in the dome.

Year 3 enjoyed studying the weather in their Spring Geography lessons, learning about different cloud formations, the water cycle, and about climates around the world, and

again, led an interesting assembly on their acquired knowledge. The girls performed a fascinating ‘weatherscape’, shared some weather folklore, sung a beautiful weatherthemed song and even performed some weather poetry, and ended by giving a weather quiz to the audience.

special opportunity to visit the Hindu Temple (Mandir) in Neasden in the Autumn term, supporting their Hinduism studies in RE. After admiring the intricate wooden carvings in the

ample opportunities to be creative thinkers this year.

Year 3 then went on to learn how the weather affects plants, and the Year 3 teachers organised a Sunflower Seed Workshop. The girls had to make sure they watered and looked after their seeds and seedlings so they were sturdy enough to eventually be planted in Waterlow Park. The aim is that these sunflowers will be a part of the Waterlow Park 125th celebrations in the Autumn Term later this year. Later, in May, Year 3 pupils enjoyed a lovely (if slightly wet) day out at Kew Gardens, to link with their Science topic of ‘Growing Plants’. The trip also offered art opportunities with a ‘scriffito’ pastel workshop and a leaf sculpture activity, leaving the girls fascinated by the wonderful plants and animals they saw. One of the highlights was the baby goslings which were scurrying around on the beautiful lawns. To understand more about religions and beliefs in the world around us, Year 4 had the

Haveli, Year 4 also experienced a traditional Hindu blessing ceremony and gazed at the marble murtis (statues of deities) inside the beautiful inner sanctum.. Following the fascinating tour of the Mandir, Year 4 visited the permanent exhibition called ‘Understanding Hinduism.’ Here they learnt lots about the values and wisdom of the world’s oldest living religion, through 3D displays and traditional craftwork.

Year 3 were particularly lucky as after reading Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’ as their class reading book, both Year 3 classes enjoyed a very exciting day out, with the opportunity to visit two attractions to supplement their learning. In the morning, girls learnt some amazing

ICT and Computing: Creating Problem Solvers At the Junior School, we are proud to offer an ever-evolving computing curriculum through our weekly ICT lessons. At the start of the year, we held our Curriculum Evening for Parents, offering an interesting overview of the innovative ICT teaching that is going on by Mrs Gibson and Miss Younger. Parents were also given the opportunity to trial out games and apps on the iPads to gain a greater understanding of how mobile devices are used to support and enhance our curriculum. Some highlights of ICT this year for Key Stage 2 have been creating our own animations and games using the ‘Scratch’ programming software, and building Lego Robots with our Lego Education kits, sequencing coding block on the ‘WeDo’ program in order to control and operate them.

(and revolting!) facts about the famous author Roald Dahl at the Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden where he used to live. Did you know, for example, that on his desk he kept his own hipbone? In the afternoon, pupils explored the fascinating model village of Beckonscot, where they had to work as a team to complete a quiz which involved paying attention to detail.

Creative Thinking and Writing in Key Stage 2

Lots of poetry was also on the cards this year as in February, Mr Rich organised our first interhouse Poetry Competition, with many girls performing their chosen poems beautifully and lots of highly-coveted House Points awarded. Pupils also enjoyed a poetry assembly the following week.

Creative thinking and problem solving are key skills in ICT and computing, but we also found

Mrs Poppy Gibson, Year 3 and ICT Coordinator

Beyond the Junior School Music ‘Music for all’ is our mantra and with our Year 1 and 2 String Groups, Fairseat Orchestra, Wind Band, Brass Ensemble, Spears Vocal Ensemble and Spears String Ensemble it is no surprise that early mornings, every lunch time and after school, the playground and courtyard are filled the sounds of music making. We have been fortunate to hear the girls perform as soloists providing our entry and exit music for assembly each Monday alongside designated Music Assemblies and Performance Platforms for Years 4, 5 and 6.

All this music making goes alongside over 130 individual weekly lessons and termly ABRSM examinations in which the girls have continued to excel. With a team of 16 visiting music teachers and Mr Boxall, the Director of Music and Miss Bacon helping to inspire rehearsals, it is no wonder that we eagerly await the completion of our Performing Arts Building.

Come Christmas and the Reception girls win the hearts of all with KS1 providing some humour whilst telling the timeless tale in the musical show, ‘Whoops-a-Daisy Angel’, performed for Junior School families. Poor Whoops-a-Daisy Angel - she’s always late, always losing things, and she never gets asked to do the important jobs like polishing the stars or sweeping up the moon dust. But that’s before the Angel Gabriel appears with a very important job and all the other perfect angels are too busy to help. Whoops-a-Daisy sets out on a memorable journey to deliver the news about a very special baby. KS1 pupils were commended for learning their lines, dance moves and song words.

Miss Marisa Pepper Head of Music, Junior School.

Key Stage 2 pupils also left us inspired with the standard of their singing in St Michael’s Church at Christmas time, too, with their angelic melodies resonating in the rafters, as well as being asked to sing in the beautiful St George’s Church in Hanover Square alongside the Senior School Chamber choir. What a thrill.

The Junior School’s newly elected School Council, organised by Miss McLennan, helped with coordinating ideas for the charity events that ran throughout the year, raising a significant amount of money.

The eagerly awaited KS2 production of ‘Honk!’ proved to be a true ‘eggstravaganza’. The vitality, enthusiasm and energy the girls showed whilst telling the story of the ugly duckling, had the audience almost dancing in the aisles. Hats off, or should we say bonnets, for a truly cracking production. The KS2 summer concert at St Michaels Church had everything one has become accustomed to and would wish for. Inspiration, passion and absolutely fabulous music! Sublime singing from the Spears Vocal Ensemble, a blast of brass, exquisite precise playing from the Spears Strings and as for the finale, a

medley of songs from Mary Poppins sung with such gusto that we really were left feeling ‘Anything can happen’!

Charities, Fundraising & National Celebrations Girls at the Junior School are always coming up with creative ways to fundraise for charity. In the Autumn term the chosen charity was Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors without Borders. MSF exists to save lives by providing medical aid where it is needed most – in armed conflicts, epidemics, famines and natural disasters. We are specifically interested in supporting their work with the current refugee crisis.

At the end of November, Channing Junior School raised awareness of how to stop bullying and how to seek help during Anti- Bullying Week 2015. Girls thought about how bullying affects people and the different ways in which people might be being bullied. Every girl in the school wrote a word or a sentence that represents friendship on a picture of a musical instrument. In Art the girls created group flags that represents parts of them, putting them together to create a large class flag. On Friday of that week, we all wore blue to support the national campaign run by the charity Bullying UK. Even the school radio got involved by acting as Agony Aunts for the rest of the school.

Fairseat has Talent 2015 November saw the first Talent Show at the Junior School with the Grand Final performed in front of an eager audience of girls, teachers and five very important judges: Mrs Simpson, Mr Shenker, Mrs Anisfeld, Mrs Hutson... and special celebrity guest, ‘Rita Ora’ (who bore a remarkable likeness to Mrs Lawrance...!). The finalists had been selected from the previous week’s round, when girls from each class were offered the opportunity to audition in front of their peers, and one act was chosen to represent each class. The finals, hosted by Mrs Constant and Mrs Gibson, involved the eleven selected acts each performing with remarkable confidence. We hope to see this special and entertaining event repeated in the future.

Clean for the Queen Competition

Did you know that approximately 2 million pieces of litter are dropped on the streets of the UK every day? Or that the amount of litter on UK beaches has almost doubled over the past 15 years. To celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday, the ‘Clean for the Queen’ national initiative was launched, encouraging communities to take action against litter. Enthused by the ‘Clean for The Queen’ campaign, Junior School pupils became ‘Green Champions, organising litter picks and creating posters to promote the project, which were entered into a national competition, taking first place. The prize winners were delighted to litter pick in St James’ Park in central London, and the rest of the school were excited to host famous litter picker ‘Orinoco’ the Womble at Fairseat, who led a procession of girls to litter pick in Waterlow Park.

Classroom As well as keeping our school tidy, something else Junior School girls are very good at is finding creative ways to support charities. In January we hosted just one of our very successful Charity Cake Sales, with Year 1 and Year 3 classes both bringing in cakes and cookies to sell in aid of WWF Endangered Animals. Pupils also raised money for charity with a whole school face painting bonanza and in February, held a WWF charity day for WWF Endangered Animals. Girls accessorised their uniform with ears, whiskers and tails and several animal staff were spotted too, naturally. Mrs Gibson and her face painting team spent the afternoon painting many animal faces on the girls to raise extra money. We also had a day of animal themed lessons including animal music, animal Spanish and animal P.E.

don’t have teeth, but have hard beaks to cut through leafy greens instead? We have also been delighted to welcome many members of the Channing community who have come in to speak to the girls throughout this academic year, on all manner of topics from business, to entrepreneurship, to writing and illustrating best-selling books. Their support and expertise is greatly valued and has helped to inspire our pupils to dream big, aim high and work hard.

House Buddy Events

We have been fortunate to have lots of special people (and animals!) coming to visit us at the Junior School this year.

In the Spring Term, Year 3 enjoyed a very special day when two tortoises- Shellington and William came to visit. As the girls are learning about teeth and eating, we held some interesting discussions about how different animals have different features depending on what they eat. Did you know tortoises

At the end of Autumn Term, we sadly waved goodbye to Miss Mort as she headed off to pastures new. Excitingly, however, two fantastic P.E. teachers subsequently joined us in January; Miss Corkindale as Head of P.E. and Miss Bolton as P.E. Assistant. Girls at the Junior School have really enjoyed a fantastic range of sports clubs this academic year, including Netball, Rounders, Cricket, Tennis and Football just to name a few.

Special Visitors to Our School

In May, we welcomed Sister Tisara, a Buddhist Nun from Amaravati Monastery in Hemel Hempstead. She gave an assembly in the morning and then spent time with each year group, telling Buddhist stories and informing the girls about life in a Buddhist monastery. At lunchtime she stood with an ‘Alms bowl’ and the girls were delighted to be able to give her offerings of food. The girls were fascinated and were given a great insight into a Buddhist way of life.

(Green) in the Final and Waterlow (Blue) challenging Sharpe (Red) for third place. Sharpe got their match off to a great start and scored several goals, but then Waterlow notched three in a row to secure a tight 5-2 victory. Meanwhile, in the winners playoff, Spears and Goodwin had a very close game. With only minutes to go the score was 4-4, before Spears scored in the last seconds of the match. A deserving win for Spears, but plenty of cheering for all teams from an enthusiastic crowd.

Residential Stays This year, Mr Rich whipped up the House system by appointing teachers as Heads of House and sorting classes into House Buddy Teams, seeing several ‘House Buddy’ events throughout this academic year. In May, we held our third House Buddy event, with girls asked to think about their Houses – Sharpe, Spears, Goodwin and Waterlow – and to try and design a special crest for their House. There were many colourful designs and some wonderful teamwork took place. Year 6 House Captains have been dedicated in their weekly gathering and counting of House Points from every single class in order to help generate the annual totals.

Sport This has been a fantastic year for sport at the Junior School, with many matches played both at home and away for several sports, peaking in a wonderful, sunny sports day at Stanhope Road at the end of the Summer Term, which thanks to the amazing P.E. staff, ran like clockwork. At the start of the Autumn term, the Junior School hosted its first interhouse netball finals with Spears (yellow) playing Goodwin

Last but not least, although we have so many exciting learning opportunities in the classroom and our beautiful school grounds, Years 5 and 6 travelled further afield for some team building and soul-searching this year with residential trips to Sayers Croft in Surrey, and Osmington Bay on the Dorset Coast. Sayers Croft Year 5 also enjoyed their first residential trip of their school careers to date, and had an amazing three days at Sayers Croft. The trip, in a nutshell: coach, arrive, dormitories, making beds, unpacking, orienteering, team challenge, night walk, natural art, treasure hunt, pond dipping, shelter building, nature games, talent show, river study, sensory walk, strip beds, pack, coach, home... phew! SLEEP! Osmington Bay Year 6 recently enjoyed their visit to the PGL coastal activity centre in Osmington Bay, Dorset. Meeting at Waterloo station on Monday, the girls then travelled down to Dorset with their teachers for a fun, adventure-filled five days. The girls (and teachers) enjoyed zip-wires, giant swings, exploring rock pools, fossil hunting and orienteering. A fantastic week was had by all. Mrs Poppy Gibson, Year 3 and ICT Coordinator

Beyond the Senior School Classroom Heartstart ‘Heartstart’ is a national project in partnership with The British Heart Foundation. Its aims are to increase the number of people with Emergency Life Support (ELS) skills. As Channing’s Senior Nurse (and previously an Accident and Emergency Sister), I believe that teaching young people these ELS skills is essential and have therefore ensured that Channing School is affiliated to the ‘Heartstart’ programme. Every year I run the popular Heartstart club for year 9 girls. It is an 8 week course that covers topics such as caring for an unconscious casualty, serious bleeding, choking, suspected heart attack and CPR with and without an automated external defibrillator (AED). There is also an opportunity for students to choose any other first aid emergencies they would like training on. Although it is an assessed course, it is taught in a relaxed and fun environment. We are fortunate to have many teaching aids, including a number

of Resusi Anne resuscitation mannekins and a training AED for the girls to use.

WW1 Christmas Truce, the Georgian window tax and the Black Death.

In order to ensure everyone has some basic ELS skills, I use the PSHE programme to teach every Year 10 girl about cardiac arrests and some causes of it, how to administer CPR and using an AED.

Between the creation of traditional Venetian Carnival masks, an exceptional historical Masterchef competition and the girls’ designs for an historical fashion display that attracted many compliments at Open Evening, our Time Travellers this year have produced some wonderful work. Thank you girls!

Mrs Tas Franklin

Time Travellers’ Club

Miss Louise Hunter

Years 7 and 8 have made some fantastic historical contributions to Time Travellers’ Club this year. The year started in Ancient Mesopotamia with an examination of cuneiform script, the world’s oldest language. Inspired by the ancient Mesopotamian technique of inscribing code into wet clay, the girls proceeded to carve their own cuneiform messages into icing to produce their very own (historically accurate) cuneiform cupcakes. The girls then went about writing, directing, acting out and filming their own episode of Horrible Histories – a fantastic accomplishment that covered the

LAMDA Since LAMDA lessons were introduced at Channing in 2014, the scheme has gone from strength to strength. In September 2015 it doubled in size to provide places for more girls. The students all passed their Grade 4 Acting Combined last year with honours and continued up to Grade 5 and a new cohort of Grade 4 students joined them. From the beginning of the course in September, all the girls worked with outstanding enthusiasm, creativity and

diligence. A defining quality of this group has been their dynamic camaraderie. From the initial exciting challenge of selecting their unique monologue/duologue combination, through rehearsals to final performances the positive energy and supportive collaboration between the girls created a happy and conducive learning environment. The culmination of their creative work was two evenings of splendid entertainment in the LAMDA Showcases, where the 40 girls performed duologues ranging from Shakespeare and the Classics to Modern Drama. The audience were enthralled and effusive in their appreciation of the performances, as these comments attest: ‘the girls were so poised and professional’. ‘LAMDA has certainly developed their confidence as well as their diction’ and, echoing what I think is so important about the course, ‘LAMDA enables the girls to find their voice, make themselves heard, and become effective communicators.’ They took their exams the following week with exemplary calm and ended the year with sparkling performances at Founders’ Day. The results were outstanding with all girls passing with honours: 30 were awarded Distinctions and the rest awarded Merits. Almost all of them got full marks for the theory section. Ms Bradford and I are so proud of them all. Miss Vivienne Penglase

Creative Writing Club What other club can whisk you from anagrams to outer space? From moths to bursting rivers, from battle scars to feather boa-wearing books? Such are the incredible journeys that have been undertaken by the Middle School Creative Writing Club this year. We have experimented with new forms, been inspired by a host of poets old and new, and made marvellous creations as a group (there is nothing quite like organising the thoughts and words of ten different people into one cohesive whole, in under twenty minutes!). We are delighted with the efforts and enthusiasm of the girls who have attended and even more so by the number of pieces they have had published by ‘Young Writers’ this year. In addition, we were thrilled to be able to produce our own special end-of-year anthology: do enjoy a copy of

‘The Space Between the Planets’ where some exciting examples of this year’s writing can be found. Our first holiday competition, ‘Summertime Scribbles’ has also been launched, and we look forward to plenty of summer sonnets, poolside prose and holiday haikus when we return in September. Mrs Helen Self

Senior Creative Writing ‘A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.’ The truth of this observation by the great American poet Robert Frost has been manifest in the work of the Senior Creative Writing group this year. The dedicated band of Upper School and Sixth Form girls who meet once a week have focused on poetry this year. They have delighted me with their imagination, creativity and originality and our discussions and explorations enrich and educate us all. The workshops provide a space for experimentation and an environment in which the girls can share their work in progress and develop their ideas in an atmosphere of mutual support. Some have entered their work for various competitions and all have been inspired by poetry they have read, both by published poets and by each other. Mrs Helen Kanmwaa

School Magazine It was one of those conversations that starts innocently about a mutual enjoyment of creative writing and ends in the setting up of a whole new club, ‘Press Pack’. Head Girl, and now Editor-in-Chief, Emily Reader, efficiently mobilised the Senior School’s budding writers and began crafting what was to become ‘Skipping Out’, our first pupil voice magazine. I was very pleased to lend my graphic design skills to the project and Miss Evernden expertly proofread and offered suggestions for improvement. With topics ranging from one sixth former’s life-changing trip to Poland’s WWII memorials to ‘The Big Interview’ with a leading press photographer, with recipes and ‘Agony Sisters’ in between, there really was something for everyone. ‘Skipping Out’ was such a success that we quickly re-mobilised and, with an ever-growing Press Pack, published Issue 2 in the summer of 2016. Long may it continue. Mrs Harriett Gething

Young Enterprise Programme This academic year girls in Year 12 set up two Young Enterprise companies, Conisilum and Trinity. Both teams enjoyed tremendous success, Trinity with their squashable water bottles and Consilium with their eco friendly reusable and foldable bags. Both companies achieved substantial profits but besides that the girls gained skills, which will be useful to them as they go to University and embark on their careers. Young Enterprise is a recognised programme where participants gain and develop their skills in: • Teamwork • Communication • Organisation • Confidence • Resilience • Financial Literacy • Problem Solving and • Initiative Whilst this has been a challenging programme, the girls benefitted from talks by industry leaders and they were able to sell their products at Trade Fairs including Barnet Christmas Market and Brent Cross. The teams also presented their company reports in a Board Room at Pentland Brands. As part of the Young Enterprise National programme both teams got through to the North London Final and all participants were also awarded certificates of achievement.

TEAM CONSILIUM Created the reusable Dingbags: Emily Chen Phoebe Hart Antonia Sánchez Sima Shakib

Tara Gold Amy Morris Tanya Sassoon

TEAM TRINITY Created Aquasquash bottles: Lucy Benjamin Lisa Buckland Eloise Gibbins Hollie Gold Emmanuelle Hagopian Inayah Huda Isabella James Siun Malik Alice Murnaghan Charlotte Rees Zoe Steele Miss Helen Tranter and Miss Sophie Salmon

Middle School Report ‘How to foster greater self-esteem in our pupils in the Middle School?’; this was the question posed for the second year of our Resilience programme, designed to promote confidence, positivity and a willingness to take risks. In the constantly changing, uncertain and pressurised world our young people face today, the Middle School pastoral team have worked hard to create a less stressful environment where pupils can feel challenged and also successful. To this end, pupils in the Middle School sat examinations in the Summer term in only the core subjects, that is, English, Maths and Sciences. Other subjects continued to test throughout the year. We hoped that this might reduce stress whilst giving pupils a formal examination experience. We also felt it important that pupils should adopt a positive ‘Conabor’ attitude when faced with obstacles, whilst keeping their emotions in check, skills needed for life. We wanted them to be mindful of others as well as themselves and to strive for success through teamwork and collaboration. We hoped that daily reassurance, routine and consistency would provide the springboard needed to take that all-important leap. Through our Middle School assemblies, form time activities, ‘Thoughts of the Week’ and ‘Questions of the Week’ discussions with Sixth Form Seniors, as well as PSHE lessons, Charity Weeks, Year Forums and the wealth of extra-curricular clubs on offer, we believe that pupils have grown stronger, more resilient and more confident. We hope that, this year, we have helped them achieve more than they dreamed possible by learning to overcome problems in a calm and reasoned manner. To begin with, we focused on positive attitudes to work that were based on learning from mistakes and not from judging themselves by results. A growth mindset is the key to achievement: to ask ‘What did I do wrong?’, ‘How can I improve my understanding?’ ,‘Did I use the most effective techniques to revise?’ If pupils can recognise how they best learn and what works for each of them, then they can begin to feel safe enough to take risks and make mistakes. ‘Skills not results’ has been our focus in the Middle School. We wanted the pupils to take responsibility for their learning, to have ownership and to recognise what they need to do independently to enhance progress.

Our foundations are always The Channing Promise and the Channing iPromise. We wish to foster honourable and civilised values in the Middle School community and to nurture positive and mindful approaches to friendships. We have also tried to embed the importance of appropriate use of iPads as tools for learning and raise awareness of online safety.

our pupils have raised impressive sums of money for the school charity, Médecins Sans Frontières, in their Year Charity Weeks and there have been successful initiatives run by pupils out of school. Congratulations on their leadership to the form captains, voted twice yearly by their peers, and to all pupils in the Middle School for their achievements, great and small.

From the onset in September, our new Year 7s were welcomed into the school and mentored by our Year 8 pupils who took on the responsibility of becoming Big Sisters. They lunched with Year 7, communicated often to help overcome initial worries and, together with their Year 9 Aunties, became their reading mentors in form time. Our Stubbers Activity Day provided an early opportunity for our Year 7s to make friends across the whole year group and to step outside their comfort zone with challenges including high ropes, raft building, sailing and problem-solving activities. Pupils soon made friends and quickly discovered that they could achieve more through teamwork.

Our thanks go to our Middle School Officers, Hope Eley, Julia Hasson, Isabelle Rand and Lauren Sneade for their unwavering commitment to the Middle School during their year of office and we wish them every success in their future adventures after A levels. Thanks also go to our new Officers, Hollie Gold, Holly Morton, Sima Shakib and Antonia Sanchez for a busy term and we hope they enjoy their year of office.

With an initial workshop for Year 7 given by a visiting speaker on how to study effectively, and our rich and diverse programme of extracurricular activities, Middle School pupils threw themselves into school life with passion and commitment in the Autumn term. Many were involved in the whole school production of Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’; many have excelled in LAMDA, Art, Music, Sport and Science throughout the year, playing in matches, competitions and magnificent concerts. We have an under-13 table tennis champion, a Middlesex County hockey player, two Middlesex County Satellite Academy netball players, a County tennis player, county level swimmers and a Tottenham Ladies junior football player. Individuals have also performed at The Royal Opera House and The Royal Albert Hall, as well as exhibiting their work at The Royal College of Art. In addition,

Our congratulations go to Miss Bramhall on the birth of her beautiful son, Noah. To those leaving or who have left Channing from the Middle School, we send our best wishes for happiness and success in their new schools. Sadly, we bid farewell to Mrs Marshall and thank her for her superb care of her Year 7 form and we wish her every happiness and success in the future. My personal thanks go to Mr Underwood, the Deputy Head who leads the pastoral team, for his excellent guidance and wisdom. Finally, I would like to thank the exceptional Middle School team of tutors and co-tutors, who mentor and care for their pupils every day with such good humour, caring and dedication; and, of course, my two outstanding assistants, Mrs Bhamra Burgess and Mr Gittins, who lead Years 9 and 8 respectively with such professionalism and inspiration. Mrs Rowena Harper

Upper School Report The educational landscape is changing as is our emphasis at Channing on developing a growth mindset in the pupils of the Upper School; growth mindset by definition, places high importance on flexibility and self-belief. On entry to the Upper School, pupils are keen to embark on their chosen GCSE courses, but at the same time may be feeling apprehensive about this important stage of their schooling. Through a programme of form time activities and assemblies, we have explored the key elements of being open to challenging assignments while being able to bounce back and try again if at first you do not succeed. These focused sessions enabled pupils to move away from the elements of fixed mindset, such as reaching an end point, to being on a journey of improvement. Pupils in Year 10 began the programme by researching and presenting to other on good role models and Year 11 focused on the features of model pupils. Starting the academic year with a team-building event is important and in Year 10 our ‘Chapprentice’ competition inspired creativity, collaborative working and negotiation centred around a business enterprise theme. For Year 11s, for the first time we ran ‘Stepping Up to Year 11’, a transition event designed to develop Year 11 pupils’ problem-solving and communication skills and gave them an opportunity to think ‘out of the box’ in situations where there was no correct answer. They attended workshops, such as that on ‘Questioning’, and played a part in investigations, such as ‘The Effect of Music on Learning’. Miss Zanardo was appointed to Head of Year 10 in September and we have reaped the benefits as she breathed life into our assemblies via some different themes, including ‘Mindfulness through Colouring In’, ‘Choose Joy’ and ‘Film Music’. She has approached the role with energy and dynamism and will continue in this vein as she welcomes the new Year 10 in September. The year group have been impressive in their academic and extracurricular achievement from clubs to music to the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. Similarly, Year 11 have excelled in their efforts in working towards their GCSEs while maintaining a full complement of extracurricular interests as well. This year, in particular, the year group should be commended on taking the GCSE process

in their stride: they were unflappable and supportive of each other. The strength of the Upper School is dependent on the commitment and leadership in our Form Captain team. In Year 11: Victoria Niemic, Maddy Hookway, Tamsin Burgess, Sylvia Shosham, Gabriella Burland, Ruby Bond, Jemima Cedar and Niamh O’Carroll; and in Year 10: Lea Chehabeddine, Ava Hanna, Azra Parker, Ella Blendis, Gresa Madjuni, India Wood, Hannah Shuller and Isobel Mills. They lead their forms in activities, devised a pupil-led article discussion programme as well as being instrumental in galvanising their forms to create assemblies for us to enjoy. Not only have we been informed and entertained by assemblies which explored a variety of topics, we have heartily laughed this really is a quirky community at times! The assemblies delivered were: 10B’s ‘Advice To Your Younger Self ’, 10C’s ‘The Impact of TV Shows on Teenage Girls’, 10H’s ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ and 10He’s ‘The Development of Your Dreams and Aspirations’. Enhancing the work of our highly experienced and professional tutor and co-tutor team is the Upper School Officer team. Sixth Formers Dalia Blass, Eleanor Crawley, Eulalia Masterton and Emily Richards have brought with them a wealth of knowledge and interests across a range of A level subjects. Most notable, were their efforts in conveying what Sixth Form life

is like to Year 11 when they are making A level choices. I wish them well as they embark on their next educational stage. The prevalence and development of altruism in Channing pupils is at the forefront of fund raising for our school charity and pupils in the Upper School relish the opportunity to bring creativity and fun to this endeavour. Charity reps and pupils involved in the planning of the Year 10 Charity Hallowe’en Fair and Year 11 Bollywood-themed Games deserve a special mention for planning, organising and hosting these fun-packed events: Catherine Style, Talia Lever, Beatrice Ashley-Norman, Isabel Gold, Audrey Assouly and Chiara Ispani in Year 10 and in Year 11 Natasha Burns, Agatha Barber, Olivia Wiertelak, Rachel Shahmoon, Zoe Thompson, Saskia Steinberg and Leah Longley. And finally, having been Head of Upper School for the last three years, I also say farewell as I move onto a new school in September. I will remember my days at Channing fondly, with some favourite memories being: ‘skipping out’, the ‘Channing panto’ and the joy and reward of teaching Channing pupils. I am pleased to say that the Upper School will be left in the capable hands of Mrs MacCarthy next year and I wish her every success in the role of Head of Upper School. Mrs Jill Ogidan

Sixth Form Report The past year in the Sixth Form seems to have passed in a flurry of activities, social events, UCAS applications (congratulations to Lucy for being the first in the year group to get an offer), study leave, examinations, educational days out, and extended stays away (both here and abroad), and lessons learned.

from a Year 1 university student’ by the Senior Lecturer. Teachers at Channing were also praised, for having ‘created a learning environment where independent thinking and scholarship can thrive!’ We know this already but it is always nice to hear such a ringing endorsement from Cambridge University.

It has been a busy but I hope a very rewarding time in the Sixth Form. I am sure you have been challenged in your learning, and were at times intrigued by your chosen AS and A levels and enrichment subjects. I hope your experiences and events of the past two years have been unmatched in their enjoyment, be it participating and enjoying success in national and university competitions and challenges, winning a Hans Woyda match (well done Inayah Huda and Phoebe Ashley-Norman for winning the first match!), listening to eminent speakers and leaders in their fields, or the publication of the pupil-led magazine ‘Skipping Out’ and running your own clubs and societies.

In October, joining in the leadership and management of the Sixth Form, we were delighted to appoint Rachel Williams to the new post of Assistant Director of Sixth Form. She has since transformed the enrichment and PSHE programmes and set up a Positivity forum to promote mental and physical positivity.

The academic year started with the new Year 12 students enjoying a beginning-of-term team building exercise and barbeque with Year 13s, and all the tutors hosting. We were

delighted to welcome our fourth Hungarian Scholar, Melinda Csete, who spent the first half of this term with us, on the Gyöngyi Anghi scholarship. This exciting opportunity is offered to one student from the János Zsigmond Unitarian School Kolozsvár, each year, who has achieved outstanding results. Before submitting her UCAS form, Amaani Ahmed, received a Commendation for her entry in the Trinity College Cambridge Linguistics Essay Prize. Her essay was deemed ‘one of the very best we received, in fact of a standard that we might expect to read

benefitted from hearing from RAP (Raising Awareness and Prevention Project), which was founded by Allison Havey and Channing parent Deana Puccio. Their Altered, Airbrushed & Unrealistic programme aims to help young women (and men) recognize how they are being manipulated by the advertising industry and social media and to take control of their own responses. At the Leavers’ assembly we reflect back on their favourite memories and quite often Channing Christmas is top of the list. This year the Sixth Formers went to town decorating for Christmas for the first time in the new Sixth Form Centre. Thank you, Tash and Connie, for making Channing Christmas even more special!

Just before we broke up for the half term, Lucy Benjamin successful entered and won a Sunday Times Travel Photography competition. Channing Sixth Formers are the role models for the next generation of students, and a shining example of that was demonstrated by Leora Cohen. As from November she was number 5 in ‘Violin 1’ of the National Youth Orchestra. In early December His Royal Highness, The Earl of Wessex, came to open our new Sixth Form Centre and Sports Hall. The Earl toured the school with the Headmistress, pausing to discuss artwork with Sixth Form students Scarlett Johnstone and Charlotte Graham. He also spent time with our Sixth Form Duke of Edinburgh participants, cracking jokes and offering words of encouragement, as well as tales of his own experiences. Before leaving, Head Girls, Emily Reader and Imogen Phillips gave him a ‘Conabor’ badge. Sixth Form Drama also continues to flourish and this was best illustrated with many Year 12 and 13 students taking the leading roles in whole school Christmas production of Our Town. Just before the Christmas break we welcomed former Head Girl, Kitty Underhill, who gave a presentation on “Body Positivity” as part of our PSHE programme, to our Sixth Formers (who were in Years 7 and 8 when Kitty was Head Girl). Kitty shared her experiences of coping with a negative body image as a teenager and the strategies she used to change the way she looks at and feels about her own body. Sixth Formers have also

Fittingly the term ended with news that Emily Reader had won first place in a national poetry competition run by the Young Poets Network, in conjunction with the British Library, with her poem ‘Cat’. We returned in January with the last offers coming through from the very best universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. Congratulations to the following girls: Amaani Ahmed (Linguistics; Pembroke, Cambridge), Gaby Sklar (Engineering; St Catharine’s, Cambridge), Phoebe AshleyNorman (Biochemistry; St Peter’s, Oxford), Alicja Hagopian (Spanish & Linguistics; Oriel, Oxford), Eulalia Masterson (History of Art; St Peter’s, Oxford) and Lauren Sneade (English; Pembroke, Oxford). The vast majority of Channing students apply to the best universities in the UK, but a growing number are also applying to universities abroad. We were delighted to learn that Julia Hasson, Natasha Harris, Irene Belenova and Alicja Hagopian have all received offers from a range of US universities and have now accepted unconditional offers from UCL. Similarly, Lilian Morse has been accepted, with an

unconditional offer, into McGill University in Canada. A number of you have led whole-school assemblies, sharing your own experiences, interests and passions. In late January we were all moved by Lucy Benjamin, Mo Maynard and Isabella Palmer who coordinated the Holocaust Memorial Day assembly. Thank you also to Leora Cohen for giving a stunning rendition of ‘Remembrances’ from ‘Schindler’s List’. The audience attending the Theatre Studies practical pieces in mid March were impressed by the AS ‘More Light’, and the Year 13 devised version of ‘Bluebeard’. It is also the season for Year 13’s EPQ candidates to present (and be assessed) on their work. The EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) is worth half an A Level and is widely valued by universities. Topics have ranged from ‘Universalism v Relativism’ from Amaani Ahmed, ‘The Byzantine origins of the Humanist study of Classical antiquity during the Italian Renaissance’ from Isabella Palmer, Jo Anastasiou’s ‘What are the possible causes of Colony Collapse Disorder in the hives of Apis mellifera (Western honey bee)?’ and Rachel Brittain’s ‘To what extent do

smallscale initiatives provide sustainable solutions to food security?’ to Erick Jackaman’s ‘How have gender reassignment surgeries and hormone treatments affected the acceptance of transgender people?’ and Sophie van’t Hoff ’s ‘Evaluate Polish migration to the UK from 2004’ so far; the variety, depth and students’ independent thinking skills have been evident. This is remarkable work from our Sixth Form students.

beguiling ‘Swan’, on the ‘cello, Connie Lewis’ bubbling ‘Fantasie’ for flute. The evening rounded off with our ‘retiring’ Head Girls: Imogen Phillips’ exuberant ‘Oboe Sonata’ by Saint-Saëns and Emily Reader’s romantic interpretation of Rachmaninov’s ‘Cello Sonata in G minor’.

The Spring term ended with a ‘Mark Reading’ assembly which was filled with celebration of achievements. The highlight of the occasion is always the announcement of Channing’s new School Officers. Many thanks to the retiring team whose final assembly was outstanding!

Art A level has been really inspirational and again a reflection of your hard work and dedication – with hours being spent in the art room and A2 work exhibited was inspirational. There has also been success on the sports field, including the Senior A netball team beating Highgate 27-17. Although the Sixth Formers only won the the staff-student netball match by default!

A highlight of the Summer term is the annual Sixth Form Concert, held this year at the Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, which featured stunning performances from violinists Hannah Suh and Leora Cohen, the silky timbres contrasting with moments of pure fire from Grace Hurford’s trumpet, the impressive avant-garde ‘Eclosion’ played on the guitar by Amaani Ahmed, the vocal delights from Sophie Abrahams and Alex Moss, Beatrix Greenwood and Orla Webster on the viola and violin respectively, Elizabeth Orr’s

The Young Enterprise programme this year has been a real success; the two companies have also been inspired. After months of hard work, Year 12 students competed in the Regional Finals yesterday. Team Trinity won ‘Best Company Report’, so well done Lucy Benjamin, Lisa Buckland, Zoe Steele, Inayah Huda, Siun Malik, Hollie Gold, Alice Murnaghan, Charlotte Rees, Ellie Gibbins, Izzy James and Emmanuelle Hagopian; and Team Consilium won ‘Most Profitable Business’. Congratulations to Phoebe Hart, Sima Shakib,

Antonia Sánchez, Tara Gold, Emily Chen, Amy Morris and Tanya Sassoon. I hope this is the start of some long and successful careers as business leaders! The Sixth Form provides ample opportunities to contribute to the school community – and a number of Sixth Formers have been incredibly generous with their time, whether acting as a form senior, being selected as a House captain, Literary Society, Classics Society, Robotics Society or Fem Soc. The latter have been busy inviting in a wide range of guest speakers to address the students on a variety of issues. Recent speakers include the leader of 50:50 Parliament, Frances Scott, who spoke about speak gender inequality in Parliament. ‘Murdered by My Father’ author, Vinay Patel, visited and spoke about relationships - understanding his grandmother’s life, so very different to his own, which made him reflect upon his childhood and how he was brought up. He also spoke about his involvement in charities surrounding gender issues. And finally, Maria Ferguson, a performance poet, came in and performed a section from her new show which she’s taking to Edinburgh this summer. She also read us some of her poetry which mainly focused on the issue of body image. Channing Sixth Formers have shown a real dedication to charitable fund raising. Be it supporting the school charity, selling ribbons for world AIDS day, organising a food collection for the Allie Wylie Foundation, raising money for the Orlando victims, cutting hair or running 10Ks. They have been incredibly generous with their time, as illustrated by collectively sorting and organising 43 boxes of clothes for the Samarian Aid Appeal. So many trips have taken place from visits to the theatre, The Houses of Parliament to Calshot Activities Centre, and many of you have been fortunate in being able to attend subject specific conferences. The array of residential trips you have participated in is staggering: the Politics and Economics trip to New York & Maryland(!), Classics trip to Greece and Rome, the Music tour to Spain - there are too many to list them all... The Gold Duke of Edinburgh expeditions (both

practice and for real) must be highlighted. Huge congratulations go to Olivia Howe, Ella Margolin, Grace Hurford and Maddie Bills who have completed the Award whilst being in the Sixth Form. And finally, Year 13’s marked their final days of school with some very imaginative tributes to their teachers. Words of advice to the outgoing Year 13: Each cohort of Sixth Formers are characterised by shared events and leave their own distinctive legacy. As the class of 2014-2016, individually and collectively you have faced unique challenges and sorrows. The spirit of community and family at Channing has to be one of its greatest strengths and I believe it is that sense of belonging which allows you to achieve so much both in and out of lessons. I also hope that whilst being in the Sixth Form you will have also experienced unique opportunities and joy, and in some senses, it has been the best two years of your educational experience. Be kind, and be yourself, and where ever you may find yourself, what ever challenge you may have chosen to follow and explore - hold true to what shaped your yesterdays; acknowledge

and appreciate what you are today, and dare to be all that you can be tomorrow. And finally, let us take a moment to reflect and commemorate the late M.P Jo Cox – a true role model for us all: such a compassionate campaigner and so committed to creating a better world. You too have the ability to make people listen, and above all act. Therefore, I urge you to use your time carefully. Be all you can be. Try not to reach any stage of your life with regrets about missed opportunities and unopened doors. Continue to stretch your imaginative minds. Broaden your horizon by going beyond your comfort zone. Use your intellect and aptitudes for self-improvement, but more importantly in order to make things better for the people around you. Always think of the bigger picture – society as a whole... the world at large. In other words, make a difference. Ms Jacqui Newman, Director of Sixth Form

Dr Devlin (centre) pictured with Year 13 students paying homage to their favourite tutors

Extended Project Qualification Every year a number of sixth formers are offered the chance to undertake an independent research project, which may produce either a five-thousandword essay or an artefact or production of some kind. This is a valuable opportunity for students to work individually on a topic of their choice, to manage their own time and to learn to think for themselves. This year’s class has produced perhaps the most remarkable range of essays we have yet seen in Channing for the EPQ, many of them raising highly topical and in some cases controversial questions. The presentations, delivered to mixed audiences of teachers and pupils, were learned, illuminating, articulate and mature. Students always love presenting

to such a mixed audience, and are invariably delighted to discover, through the questions at the end, that they have become experts on their chosen theme. One or two of the presentations will, I think, have made a lasting impression on all of us who were there. It is all too easy for us, as adults and as educators, to forget how much the young have to teach us. I think we shall all remember this group of fledgling scholars with particular respect and affection. The titles in full: Amaani Ahmed: ‘Universalism v. Relativism: to what extent can the language we speak affect our perception of colour?’ Joanna Anastasiou: ‘What are the possible causes of Colony Collapse Disorder in the hives of Apis mellifera (Western honey bee)?’ Rachel Brittain: ‘To what extent do smallscale initiatives provide sustainable solutions to food security?’ Isabella Palmer: ‘The Byzantine origins of the Humanist study of classical antiquity during the Italian Renaissance’

Anna Cranitch: ‘What do concepts of motherhood contribute to Greek and Roman Literature?’ Erick Jackaman: ‘How have gender reassignment surgeries and hormone treatments affected the acceptance of transgender people?’ Sophie van t’Hoff: ‘Evaluate the effects of Polish migration to the UK from 2004’ Isabelle Rand: ‘To what extent were the onna-bugeisha (Samurai women) challenging the traditional expectations of women in mediaeval Japanese society?’ The students work hard. They and I also owe much to the staff who have advised and supported them on top of all their other commitments in the course of a particularly busy year: Mr Boardman, Miss Bramhall, Dr Coupland, Mrs Elliot, Mr Frank, Mrs Kanmwaa, Mrs. Kennedy and Miss Ramsden. Dr Nicky Devlin

Deputy Head’s Report Part of my remit as Deputy Head at Channing includes child protection as well as the leadership of the pastoral team in the Senior School. There has been a plethora of information in the press recently about the apparent increase in mental health issues among young people in the UK and certainly Channing is not exempt from the increasing numbers of mental health issues pupils currently experience. However, there are excellent support systems in operation at Channing, which ensures that pupils get the help and support they need if facing challenging or distressing circumstances. At Channing, we operate a triangulated approach to pastoral care:

PASTORAL TEAM

COUNSELLOR/ NURSES

PARENTS

The majority of pastoral issues are dealt with by the pastoral team, initially the Form Tutor and Head of Year. It is worthy to note that Heads of Year also hold weekly meetings with their tutors in which girls causing any concern are raised. The pastoral leads have weekly meetings with the Deputy Head and interventions are discussed and put in place. In turn, the Headmistress is always keen to be kept fully up to date with girls who are causing concern and the strategies that are in place to support and monitor (The Deputy Head feeds back to the Headmistress on a daily basis). One of the most significant elements of pastoral care at Channing is the ‘open door policy’ that all pastoral leads and senior staff operate and we are fortunate that being a relatively small school, very few fall through the net: staff notice and care and therefore

communicate if they feel there is a problem and ultimately, the girls are rarely reticent to ask for help and support for themselves or for a friend in need. It is important to emphasise that parents (as far as possible) are always kept in the loop and communicated with over pastoral issues and concerns. Despite the fact that teachers are in loco parentis, parents are the parents and the pastoral team believe active and early communication to be an important element of providing full and consistent support and care for pupils, especially outside of the school context. Luckily, most issues that are highlighted do not fall into the realm of great seriousness. However, some pupils do experience serious medical, emotional or mental issues and we are fortunate in having a Medical Bay with 2 qualified nurses (Tasnim Franklin and Chantal Cooper) and a school counsellor (Wendy Jones) who are both excellent supports and sources of advice to the pastoral team and more importantly, to the girls themselves. In relation to the girls that Wendy Jones has seen this year, the most common issues by far are anxiety, negative thought patterns and peer relationship or family relationship issues. It is important to note that despite the complexities of Gillick competency surrounding counselling, parental involvement, with the permission of the pupil, is seen as being key to provide the consistent support that is needed in many cases. The Medical Bay is used by the girls and the school nurses provide medical training for staff as well as pupils, as part of the PSHE curriculum. The nurses also run a certified First Aid course that is a popular extracurricular activity among Upper School pupils. They are also there as an alternative to the school counsellor and they provide advice and support to pupils and staff as well as pupil medical checks. It is a well-used resource and in the Autumn and Spring Terms, 608 girls and 412 girls respectively visited the medical bay across the Junior and Senior schools. My weekly meeting with the school nurses is another vital cog in the wheel to share (within the accepted boundaries of medical confidentiality) information and discuss possible referrals to external agencies (should the need arise), with parental support and agreement. Again, parents

are kept completely in the loop. It is important to note that medical confidentiality should and must be broken if there is a safeguarding or child protection issue that requires Borough or police involvement. Pupil wellbeing is at the heart of all we do at Channing and safeguarding is a priority for staff working in the school. Regular training takes place for colleagues and again, full Level 1 Child Protection training for all staff took place in September 2016. Staff readily pick up and share concerns about pupils and the Safeguarding Policy contains detailed appendices highlighting hyperlinks to current Department for Education advice on a range of pastoral topics. Issues of general pastoral concern are discussed at the weekly pastoral meetings that each Key Stage holds and the Senior Pastoral Management Team (SPMT) has visits from experts in their field to provide relevant and up to date continuous professional development. Speakers have included Mark Berelowitz (Royal Free Eating Disorders Unit) and Laverne Atrobus (The Tavistock). Colleagues have also attended pastoral INSET courses, the key information then being disseminated among SPMT colleagues. A second, pastoral focussed East London Consortium ‘TeachMeet’, which is open to all teaching staff, took place on 13th June at Highbury Fields Girls’ School; the major purpose being to highlight the importance of pastoral care and support within the school context. As part of our commitment to pupil wellbeing, there is now a ‘wellbeing’ section in the school library which has been advertised among the pupil body and which contains a number of books on a whole variety of topics related to emotional and mental wellbeing e.g. anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, bereavement, positive thinking. These topics are also raised as a matter of course both in the PSHE and Tutorial curriculum but also in assemblies, should the need arise. Speakers from a variety of different organisations are a major element of PSHE teaching at Channing to raise awareness, clarify misconceptions and to provide further advice and support. As a testament to the importance we place upon wellbeing, one of my key targets this year is to work with colleagues to develop a strategy for wellbeing (for staff and pupils) that will be operational next academic year. I feel fortunate to be working in an educational environment where wellbeing is placed at the forefront of all that we do. Mr Andrew Underwood, Deputy Head

Art We returned after the summer holidays to receive excellent examination results and the surprise of a newly restructured area of the depar tment and a brand new fully functional dark room, to enable the proper teaching of traditional photography. We must thank Mr Hill our Bursar, profusely for undertaking this initiative which also provides new areas for display. Traditional photography could become a neglected area and to continue this teaching is important and rewarding and that it will continue to thrive at Channing can only be enriching. Life class, attended by enthusiastic sixth formers and at times eager members of Years10 & 11, has continued to reinforce the notion that observational study is the bedrock of the curriculum that informs many aspects of what we do. It is a critical discipline, substantiating the fine art curriculum pivotally and underpinning the teaching philosophy in

the department. This academic year has seen the department enjoying an amazingly exciting and lively passage of time. The department provides a vibrant visual environment for the students in the spacious and bright studios, enjoying the airy atmosphere and unparalleled panoramic views. The teaching has been stimulating yet delivered with precision and students have responded with unequivocal enthusiasm, producing some exceptional and compelling images, raising the standards even higher for forthcoming generations. It is the Emma Sergeant studio which serves as the dynamic

force in the centre of the department, from which everything emanates. It is no accident that in November Emma, a former Channing student, was able to allow Channing staff, girls, parents and alumnae the privilege of visiting her amazing home and studio in Kensington to view an exhibition of her exacting work in order to celebrate the launch of a new publication documenting her years as an artist. Her fine drawing was in clear evidence, also demonstrating her exceptional skill as a portraitist. Drawing, especially from observation, is the fundamental activity which we believe informs the majority of our teaching and propels the creative disciplines,

giving confidence to the students in creating convincing and sophisticated works. It is also interesting that the new specifications for both GCSE and A level art maintain drawing as a fundamental and important activity to be included in all aspects of teaching. We believe in this important tradition and philosophy which is essential to the proper study of art. Clubs and societies have again proliferated, engaging students; the regular Life class has been complemented by Photography, Sewing, Ceramics, Illustration and Film. Regular open studios at lunchtimes and after school have provided opportunities for GCSE students to extend their portfolio work, with mentoring sessions organised by our art scholars to help Year 10 students develop sketchbook work. The staff in the department all practise as artists, with different specialisations; this

personal engagement really informs and enhances the teaching experience in a special way, enabling intuition and improvisation to impact the structure positively. We again welcomed back Mr. Crawford, former Head of Art, in October to curate an exhibition in the Ark Gallery. The exhibition involved the school archive and works from selected alumnae creating a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;wunderkammerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or cabinet of curiosities. This proved a huge success and viewers were stimulated and intrigued by the carefully observed and arranged juxtapositions. More recently paintings by the 6th form art scholars Scarlett Johnstone and Charlotte Graham were exhibited during the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Edward where both spoke eloquently in discussions about their work and inspiration.

We aim to provide what is a bespoke visual education which is challenging and stimulating and the again excellent examination results occur almost as a by-product of this system where students feel unencumbered in searching and working creatively. The continued teaching of History of Art for AS level proved successful and we have to thank Miss Nell and Miss Yasamee for their invaluable contributions. The inclusion of the subject in the curriculum serves to indicate how we value the tradition and diversity of studying art works and artefacts seriously as a means to inform the notion of critical and contextual study. The end of year exhibitions for both GCSE and AS and A2 students are always a pinnacle of the school year. Creative, ambitious, challenging, diverse and idiosyncratic work

demonstrated the students’ individuality and artistic maturity, each demonstrating individual and original responses. These exhibitions are significant for the department and this year the aim was to create even more professional looking exhibitions to reveal and promote the students’ talents. Both evenings were vibrant occasions with many visitors whose comments addressed the brilliance of the girls’ visual achievements. ‘Amazing’ was a frequently heard buzzword! We have yet again enjoyed success in external competitions and exhibitions: prize winners for the fifth successive year in the prestigious ‘young art’ exhibition! This exhibition serves to support Cancer Research at the prestigious Royal College of Art and is open to all schools. This year saw sixteen students from Channing exhibiting works – the most ever during my tenure, three of which were commended and a further three were highly commended. We must congratulate all the students who took part, contributing to the raising of over £80,000 for the charity. Trips and visits have continued to proliferate this academic year and amongst the highlights have been the Year 13 visit to the Wellcome trust to hear an esteemed gathering of artists and speakers presenting ideas about

art and consciousness and their individual passions in a diverse and intriguing series of seminars and installations. The ‘mist room’ by Ann Veronica Janssens was particularly enthralling. Year 12 visited the exhibition involving art inspired by gardens at the R.A. and were particularly inspired by the Monets. We subsequently visited contemporary exhibitions at Cork Street galleries, White Cube and Christies, which the students found fascinating. Year 11 were inspired by the retrospective exhibition of Frank Auerbach at Tate Britain and it was fascinating for them subsequently to compare his intense and impastoed portraits to those of the imperious Goya at the National Gallery. Year 10 students were delighted to visit the Tate Modern. The visit was preceded by a visit to Canary Wharf and a Thames boat trip to enable the students to soak up the atmosphere. As a result the year group produced some compelling paintings inspired by the experience which were displayed in Haigh House on Founders’ Day. I also took Year 12 artists to visit the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and The Royal Academy schools’ MA Exhibition.

Whereas all were impressed with the summer show – something for everyone – the Schools show proved perplexing and challenging with some cutting edge avantgrade installations and uncategorisable works on display, Stars of the future? Maybe not! Our final Ark gallery exhibition showcased the prints of artist and parent Paul Munden. An often topical selection of his work displaying intrigue, wry humour and a sophisticated and virtuoso technique. Mr Munden kindly donated some of the proceeds to the school fund and we must thank him for this engaging enterprise. The progression of students to esteemed art colleges and universities is perceived to be a logical extension of the visual education that Channing offers. This year we have seen four students continuing to art school, two to read Architecture and one to read History of Art at Oxford University. Following such a busy, innovative and involved year I must again thank my colleagues in the Art department, and all the students, for their continued support, encouragement, hard work and the essential sense of humour. Mr Andrew Haworth, Head of Art

Classics Reciting in the ancient theatre at Ostia, handling replica mor taria at Verulamium and performing in a Greek Chorus in the London Classics Reciting Competition – it’s been an active and inspiring year for Channing Classicists. their deaths. She drew our attention to the Roman poet’s phrase that appears on the 9/11 memorial in New York: “No day shall erase you from the memory of time” (“Nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo.”). Phoebe Hart, Year 12 said of the talk, “it served as an eyeopening introduction to the spectrum of relationships in the ancient world.” In November we travelled to North London Collegiate School where Year 12 and 13 Latin and Classical Civilisation students heard from Kathryn Thompson, PhD candidate and postgraduate outreach assistant at Warwick University, speaking on ‘Gender and Ambiguity in Roman Art and Literature’, with a particular focus on the fascinating and challenging concept of the hermaphrodite.

We were delighted to explore the love poetry of Catullus and Ovid with both our GCSE and A Level students this year. Pupils in Year 11 produced creative work that included a chance to hear Lesbia’s voice and an ‘agony aunt letter’ written by Catullus to Ovid. The Year 13 Latinists also studied Catullus 64, his long work portraying Theseus’ abandonment of Ariadne, and wrote expressively of his masterful use of language in depicting Ariadne’s emotions. At the other end of the school, Year 8 pupils produced inventive and informative board games on the theme of Boudica’s rebellion, while Year 9 students, in a project investigating the Greek gods, created cakes to represent Hades, Poseidon and Zeus and made Twitter accounts for each of the twelve Olympian deities. Three Year 13 students will be continuing their love of Classics at university and

hold offers from Bristol, Edinburgh and UCL. We hope they will return to visit us and speak at our weekly Classics Society meetings. These feature Dr Devlin, Mrs Elliot, students and guests presenting on a topics that have ranged from the Almeida production of Medea (Anna Cranitch, Year 13) to Women and Sexuality in the Roman World (Emily Oulton, Year 12). During the exam season we ran the popular ‘Classics Chill Out’ where students came to play Latin scrabble, grapple with mythological crosswords and enjoy a well-deserved break from their revision. In September we welcomed Rebecca Lees, a PhD student from Cambridge and one of my former students, who spoke on ‘Men At War and Men In Love in Virgil’s Aeneid’. She introduced us to the episode of Nisus and Euryalus in Aeneid 9, exploring the nature of their relationship and the poignancy of

We make the most of the world-class museums, galleries and theatres on our doorstep and made three separate visits to the British Museum this year to attend study days, view exhibitions and engage with the permanent collections. Year 13 Classical Civilisation students attended a study day where King’s College London fellows spoke on Greek sculpture and Roman mosaics, and a keen curator gave a very amusing gallery talk on Roman emperor busts. The final session of the day allowed students to handle objects. One student, on being told that she was holding a piece of one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, nearly dropped it... A group of Year 10-13 Classics, History and Art students visited the ‘Celts’ exhibition in November at The British Museum. Pupils study the Iron Age Celts in Britain as part of their Year 8 and 9 Latin studies and it was wonderful to be able to see the fascinating artefacts on display, such as the spectacular Gundestrup caulderon, Braganza brooch and Waterloo helmet. The exhibition charted the development of Celtic identity over

2500 years and its influences on music, literature, sport and spirituality today. In January, it was the turn of Year 9 to pay a visit to The British Museum and they focused on the Roman and Greek life rooms and the Roman Britain gallery. It was a ‘worksheet-free’ day in which they created Kahoot! quizzes, filmed ‘shopping-channel’ videos to sell an artefact of their choice, and devised ‘murder mystery’ films based on six artefacts. Mr Coram and I were very impressed by the calibre of the creations and enjoyed playing the quizzes and watching the videos the week after in lessons. Our second year of involvement in the ‘London Greek and Latin Reading Competition’ brought us more honours. This competition requires much hard work in preparation. The girls have to master not only the correct and accurate pronunciation of Greek and Latin but also, in the higher level entries, the metres of Greek and Latin poetry. The entries are marked by Oxford and Cambridge dons who are very exacting. This year we took our largest cohort ever (12 girls) who did so well that all came back with medals (and, we hope, a new sense of what it was to speak the language they have been learning). Catherine Butler, Sarla Murray and Khadija Rehman (Year 8) were awarded silver medals for their very funny performance of a dialogue from the Cambridge Latin Course. Madelaine Deutsch (Year 10) represented the Twilight Greek class in reading an adapted passage of Aristophanes’ ‘Clouds’ and won a bronze award. Irene Liakhovenko (Year 10) read an extract from Vergil’s Aeneid about the tragic death of a young warrior, receiving a silver medal. Her reading was full of drama and pathos but with a strong sense of the Latin metre. Phoebe Hart (Year 12) gave a blood-curdling rendition from Ovid’s Metamorphoses of a crazed mother who tears her son in pieces and cradles his bleeding head in her hands. She was awarded a gold medal. Finally, our inaugural entry into the Greek chorus section saw Tabitha Ashley-Norman, Georgia Clarke,

Eloise Gibbins, Holly Morton, Alex Moss and Emily Oulton recite from Sophocles ‘Antigone’, learning to read Greek from scratch which earned them a silver medal. Eloise said, “I thoroughly enjoyed it as we were able to listen to others’ renditions and how they interpreted what the Greek (and Latin) was telling them. It was interesting to compare how we analysed our section of the Antigone (with people taking on different roles and sections) whereas other groups presented it in chorus style (including actions!) It was great fun to try something new and step out of my comfort zone.” March saw the return of ‘Roman Mysteries’ author, Caroline Lawrence to speak to girls in Years 5 and 7 and lead them through the ‘plot beats’ of a great story. She adapts her talk every year to reflect recent film releases and Year 7 were delighted to see how the latest ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Hunger Games’ films mirrors great thinking in plot structure, characterisation and setting. In Mythologers, our Classics club for Year 7, the Summer Term meetings were spent following up her advice in a historical fiction workshop. Nura Bentata and Léonie Nöcker wrote stories set in classical Greece, Antonina Hagopian illustrated a graphic novel with an Aztec protagonist, and Anna Milsom, Anisha Perera, Yulia Wolff and Celia Gomez created a film centred around a Roman paterfamilias. Mrs Harper organised Year 8’s interactive morning at Verulamium museum where they explored the beautiful shell mosaic and charming statuette of Venus among many other intriguing artefacts. They dressed up in Romano-British outfits, adopted Roman names and shopped the ‘forum’ to explore the different objects. They quickly divined the purpose of samian ware vessels but took a little longer to deduce the function of the object that our guide revealed was a sponge-stick for use in the latrina! They also had a sniff of Roman ‘garum’, a particularly pungent sauce made from ‘ripe’ fish guts, and learnt what might be on the shopping list of a Roman

woman visiting the market in the third century AD. Emily Oulton and Stella Mackinnon in Year 12 attended a Corpus Christi Classics Study Day in which they explored aspects of the classical world that were new to them. Emily enjoyed the introduction to Plato’s philosophy and the political theories of the Republic, most notably the ‘ship of state’ analogy, while the session charting and analysing the ways in which language can develop interested Stella. The new Latin and Greek specifications will come into force next September and I hosted a meeting for Heads of Classics in schools across London. 17 schools sent colleagues to a very productive discussion of the new challenges and opportunities that the new syllabi present, as well as sharing exciting initiatives that we have developed in our schools. The Channing Classics department is looking forward to introducing the Year 9 ‘taster’ Latin literature course and expanding our Classics ‘University Challenge’ competition as an event for local schools too. This year’s competition saw Anna Cranitch (Year 13) lead her team to a well-deserved victory for their knowledge of the Iliad, Roman numerals and mythology in Renaissance art. The year ended with a successful Founders’ Day. Year 7 and 8 helpers were attired in togas by Dr Devlin and they invited visitors to sample ‘dates Alexandrine’ and cinnamon cakes, and try their hand at guessing the Disney Pixar film from the Latin. We were inundated with students and their parents coming to see the impressive work created over the year and to have a go at translating a Latin story using the Cambridge E-Learning resource. The girls’ enthusiasm and expertise in Latin, Greek and Classical Civilisation has been on display throughout the year and it was wonderful to celebrate their success with our visitors.

Classics Trip to Rome 27 Year 10 and Year 13 students travelled to Rome on the 29th March with Mrs Elliot, Mr Coram and Miss Zanardo to explore the wonders of the Eternal City. The trip started early in the morning at Heathrow with Miss Zanardo greeting our sleepy girls with a barrage of Italian phrases. We had our first chance to try these out at Ostia Antica, which was a Roman port town abandoned through loss of trade/malaria but luckily, wellpreserved. We scrambled up to the second floor of houses to wave at those down below in thermapolia, and discovered a set of remarkably complete toilets and charming mosaics. The site, framed by umbrella pine trees, is beautifully tranquil and allowed us to enjoy the Italian sunshine before heading into the bustle of Rome itself. On the coach ride to the hotel, our fantastic guide, Alessia, pointed out monuments such as Cestius’ pyramid tomb and the basilica of St Paul outside the walls. Dinner was at a local trattoria and we received a warm welcome as well as much pasta. Early on the Wednesday morning we walked down the Via Cavour to the Forum Romanum. The golden light illuminated the columns of the temple of Castor and Pollux and Year 10 were delighted to meet the Arcus Titi which they studied in Stage 29 of the Cambridge

Latin Course. After the obligatory ‘Mr Coram in the Forum’ photo, we headed up to the Palatine Hill, the residence of emperors, to marvel at the size of the Circus Maximus which can be seen from its walls. The Colosseum impressed us with its tiers and complex machinery allowing prisoners and beasts to be winched up to the arena, but it was sobering to contemplate the slaughter that took place on its sandy floor. In the afternoon we took in the sculpture of the Capitoline museums before a trip to the Trevi Fountain for a gelato break. Thursday saw us visit the Vatican and we were overwhelmed by the quantity and quality of artworks in the papal collection, from the exquisite ‘Achilles and Ajax’ amphora by Exekias to the famous ‘Laocoon’ statue group. The Sistine Chapel was busy but we were able to stand and gaze upwards at Michelangelo’s scenes of the Creation and Last Judgement. A stealthy exit through a door at the back of the Chapel allowed us to regroup outside St Peter’s Basilica where Mr Coram explained what we would see inside. Inside one of the largest cathedrals in the world, we admired Bernini’s Dove Window and Michelangelo’s Pietà, and compared the size of London’s St Paul’s whose dimensions

are marked in the marble of the floor. After lunch we walked to the Piazza Navona for a spot of shopping, but quickly moved on to the Pantheon. The Year 10 girls had studied this building in advance and knew that it had the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world. They looked out for Raphael’s tomb and the oculus in the roof (the rumour was that demons fled out of the Pantheon through this hole when the building was consecrated as a Catholic church.) Our last morning was spent around the Spanish Steps, indulging in the ice-cream, coffee and clothes shops in the area. A small group of particularly keen and energetic girls had taken an extra trip to the Museo Nazionale to admire the vibrant frescoes from the empress Livia’s house, while the rest of the group treated themselves to a lie-in and a later breakfast. Our flight home went without a hitch and there was time for students to buy arancini and Pope pencils in Fiumicino Airport before we took off. Both students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the trip and are glad that we threw coins in the Trevi fountain which should guarantee our return! Mrs Sarah Elliot, Head of Classics

Computing This has been another busy and successful year. It began with another excellent set of examination results in GCSE Business Communications. In the Summer Term we received the BBC micro:bit, a pocket-sized codeable computer with motion detection, a built-in compass and Bluetooth technology, which is to be given free to to schools across the United Kingdom. The micro:bit is the BBC’s most ambitious education initiative in 30 years, with an ambition to inspire digital creativity and develop a new generation of tech pioneers. The UK currently faces a critical skills shortage in the technology sector and the BBC and partners aim to help change that. In the 1980s, the BBC Micro introduced many children to computing for the first time and the BBC micro:bit, part of the BBC’s 2015 Make it Digital initiative, will build on the legacy of that project for the digital age. It aims to inspire young people to get creative with digital technology and develop core skills in science, technology and engineering. Year 8 classes enjoyed programming the micro:bits to perform a variety tasks and to code games using Javascript, Python and the BBC’s online block editor. Much fun was had by all.

Google Apps Google Apps is a suite of cloud computing productivity, interactive learning and collaboration software tools and software. It includes an online classroom with Google’s popular web applications including Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets and Google Sites. Google Apps is a package of cloud-based services that provide our school with a whole new way to work together online using real-time document collaborations, and more. This year, pupils from Years 8 and 10 created Google sites for Computing and Business Communications. The Business students shared and collaborated notes and resources on different topics on the syllabus with their peers. The pupils commented on how useful this was for revision for their summer examinations.

Robots to Replace Teachers in 50 Years The Year 7 pupils made the prophecy in a Girls Schools’ Association poll. Girls taking part in a survey were asked what jobs they thought robots would be doing in 2066, and “replacing or helping teachers in the classroom” was the fourth most popular choice alongside “helping with homework”. The 1,300 pupils surveyed – all 11 and 12 year olds attending independent schools belonging to the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) – also thought robots would be performing humanitarian, caring and medical roles, and working as drivers, journalists and shop assistants. The poll comes just days after another survey found that teaching was the first choice profession for a fifth of teenagers.

Henney Competition 2016

Man or machine?

The Henney Prize for computer graphics is an award open to all girls in Year 7, who produce a piece of computer art using the Fireworks drawing application. The criteria involved in judging the prize winner was the creativity shown and the ability to effectively use the graphics tools available. There were some impressive entries, with Yulia Wolff, Chiara Knorr and Lidia Lonergan highly commended. The overall winner was Phoebe Apfel.

Talia, a pupil at Channing, evoked a scenario that some teachers might already recognise after a long day. “I think they will look like humans on the outside but are a piece of machinery on the inside,” she said. “They will have built-in feelings for when a child is upset about something. They will also be good at telling off if needed”. “They will know the answer to everything because they will have Google inside their heads.” She added that the teachers would have ‘very good fashion sense’ and children would look up to them because they would be ‘so kind and friendly’. “I think they will also have a great sense of humour,” Talia continued. “Their voice will be tuned to a human voice and they won’t just smile with their mouth, they will also smile with their eyes.” Caroline Jordan, president of the GSA, said asking what robots would be doing in the future was “a great way to stimulate pupils’ thinking around philosophy, economics, design and moral issues as well as the science itself ”. Mr Martin Holmes, Head of Computing

Drama It has been another exciting year for the Drama department with workshops, theatre trips, the school plays and the GCSE and AS, and A2 practical examinations as well as normal every day lessons. Ms Penglase has written in the ‘Beyond the Classroom’ section of the magazine about the success of the LAMDA scheme which also operates under the auspices of the drama department. Suffice it to say here that we are extremely proud of all the girls who have taken part. Work on the Performing Arts Building is progressing - the hole in the ground now has a stage, an auditorium and a strange array of metal grids! Both the Music and Drama departments are awaiting the opening of the space with eager anticipation. This year’s first school play was ‘Our Town’ written by Thornton Wilder and it was performed at Jacksons Lane theatre at the beginning of December. The play celebrates small town life in North America at the beginning of the twentieth century and is framed by two stage managers (played with warmth and wit by Ella Margolin and Emily Oulton in our production) who introduced the audience to the characters living in Grover’s Corners. Our attention was drawn particularly to two families, Dr and Mrs Gibbs (ably played by Natasha Harris and Mia Gourlay) and their children George and Rebecca (played with great credibility by Maia Paterson and Lily Bea Howe) who lived across the road from Mr and Mrs Webb (wonderfully contrasted Isabella James and Una Yates) and their children Emily and Wally (played with clarity and verve by Maya Gerber and Léonie Nöcker.) The town was also peopled by police, a milkman, a drunken choir master and his choir, a gossip, factory workers, a school teacher and her classes, a gravedigger and a returning businessman, all performed by an ensemble of girls from Years 7 to 13. Comic moments were provided by Olivia Ferraro as the town gossip, and Anna Cornish as the unstable choirmaster. Wonderful backdrops taken from photographs of New England, plus Autumn leaves or Summer pink blossom set the scenes, following Wilder’s dictat that there should be “No curtain. No scenery. Minimal props”, creating the ambience of the changing seasons, the passing of the years. Ms Penglase’s design team became the backstage crew who also provided onstage sound effects. Music was created live by members of the Sixth Form chamber choir which made for apposite atmospheres. The final act was set in the cemetery on the hill, where members of the town were now the dead, waiting for human life

to be replaced by that which is eternal. Snow fell on George, now a twenty-six year old man as he lay in front of the gravestones mourning his wife Emily’s death. We were left pondering the play’s deeper meaning: that life is precious and we should live each moment with a grateful heart because our time on earth is very short. The girls rehearsed for many hours from September to December and their commitment to the play and the process of developing their characters came to fruition in their marvellous performances. Thanks from Ms Hurst and Miss Penglase to all the girls and in particular to Trini Carr, the Drama Officer, who worked tirelessly as Assistant Director and joined the technical crew to operate lights and sound. We were grateful to Dan Huckle, our lighting designer and to Ruth, Nic and John at Jacksons Lane Theatre who provided professional support. Our second school play was a fundraiser for the Performing Arts Building. The girls and I met to rehearse during the Easter holidays and then three times a week until we presented the show on the first Saturday in May. George Bernard Shaw’s classic comedy ‘Pygmalion’ was presented at an alumnae’s wonderful home on a perfect sunny afternoon. The girls performed the play on the outdoor terrace of the house, set in glorious gardens. The audience laughed at Shaw’s witty lines and joined in some well-known ‘My Fair Lady’ songs. It was a huge success! There were fantastic performances by Hannah Robinson as Eliza Doolittle, Isabella Smilg as Professor Higgins and Una Yates as Colonel Pickering. They were ably assisted by talented performers Eleanor Phillips as Alfred Doolittle, Eloise Cartwright as Mrs Pearce, Emily Oulton in the role of Mrs Higgins and Kate Kamysheva as Freddie. Mrs and Miss Eynsford Hill were enacted by Rebecca Fenner and Georgie Fernando. Other parts were played by the ensemble Chloe Phillips, Lily Bea Howe, Alia Khalouf, Tilly Sumners, Nancy Flintoff, Imogen Moody, Maja Higgins and Saskia Kirkegaard. Emily Hill and Léonie Nöcker were the very efficient stage manager and assistant stage managers for the production. Dan Huckle and John and Katie Plews from The Gatehouse theatre provided expert technical support. Ms Hurst directed the play with assistance from Miss Penglase. We are grateful to Miss Tranter and Miss Greco for organising the event and particularly thankful to Mr and Mrs Warshaw for giving us the opportunity to use their beautiful home as our venue. The school year is punctuated by preparatory and real GCSE and A level examination performances, which all require an enormous amount of work by students and staff both inside and beyond lessons.

I am pleased to say that the standard of the work continues to amaze and improve, and the very high marks awarded by examiners are a recognition of the talent and commitment of our girls. The practical examinations require students to use the style and techniques of professional historic or contemporary theatre practitioners, and at the start of the rehearsal process for each examination, students enjoyed workshops with professional theatre practitioners who taught the girls the skills they would need to incorporate into their own work. The GCSE Year 10 class started the academic year with a bang by learning the style of the physical theatre company Frantic Assembly. Members of Frantic Assembly Theatre Company - who were responsible for the choreography of the play ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’- conducted a physical theatre workshop with the girls and they learnt how to use lifts to simulate flying and how to use synchronised movements as an ensemble to communicate ideas to an audience. The girls then incorporated the Frantic techniques into their devised plays, performed at the start of November. The girls created wonderfully dynamic physical theatre pieces about the difficult topics of homelessness, anorexia and grief. Their pieces were sensitive and complex, reflecting their desire to explore serious issues through the medium of drama. This was the students’ opportunity to have a dry run before the real thing. The Year 11 GCSE class created their real examination Unit One devised performances in the Autumn term, using the practitioner Brecht as their influence. In September Scott Smith of Splendid Productions Theatre Company conducted a workshop on Brecht’s de-familiarising technique (Verfremdungseffekt) and the students created their own Epic style fairy tales. At the end of the workshop they were excited to apply all they had learnt to their own devised plays, which they performed at the end of November to a packed Founders’ Hall. The pupils understood the power of theatre to explore issues important to society and their plays dealt with complex contemporary subjects. ‘The Choice’ explored the choices women sometimes have to make between becoming a mother or pursuing a high-powered career; ‘The Social Experiment’ was about overcoming the labels people give you; stereotyping was the theme in ‘Without a Shadow of a Doubt’; and ‘Go Home’ considered the prejudice and hardships refugees face. The audience response was ecstatic. Here are some examples of the

feedback we received: “To say that I was amazed and delighted by the thought-provoking and challenging performances is an understatement”, “What a triumph last night! The girls were superb - all four plays were thought-provoking, imaginative, amusing in places and well executed.” “A thoroughly enjoyable evening with powerful performances all round. What a talented group.” The AS and A2 level performances took place in March after a period of intense rehearsals from January. The AS level students chose to perform the thought-provoking play ‘More Light’ about the concubines of the first Chinese Emperor. The play is based on the historical fact that before he died, he created a city for himself to accommodate him in the afterlife- with his terra cotta warriors and vast chambers and artefacts, he believed he would be comfortable. It is also true that all his living concubines were locked into his tomb with him, left to die, or fare as best they could. The play explores how this group of women ‘find’ themselves in the prison, and ironically feel free and liberated for the first time in their lives. The students chose the theatre company Complicite as the influence on their style of production. Meghan Treadway from Complicite Theatre Company came to Channing to teach the Drama students a range of their rehearsal and devising methods. The girls developed their abilities to work sensitively as part of an ensemble, used pushing and pulling exercises and created a script out of their physical games. In rehearsals, the girls drew on their experience of working with Meghan, youtube videos of Complicite’s work, and their education resources to craft their production of ‘More Light’. Emily Hill, Isabella James, Isabel Smilg and Una Yates transported the audience to 221 BC, the tomb of the first Chinese emperor where his wives decided to survive rather than die alongside him. Dressed in bright red Chinese robes, they used Complicite’s physical theatre techniques to tell the story of their journey from uniformity to a sense of personal identity. It was beautiful. The A2 students also performed a physical theatre piece, a creative adaptation of the nineteenth century fairy tale of Bluebeard. Bluebeard was a widower who married a poor young woman and he invited her sisters to join them in his castle. Before he left to go on a journey, he gave his wife the keys to every room in the castle, and told her she could go wherever she liked, but must not enter one particular room. Her curiosity overcame her, she unlocked the door to the forbidden room and discovered the corpses of his former wives. Rousing stuff! The girls were delighted to learn sword-fighting skills from the brilliant RADA stage-combat director Rob Leonard, and incorporated a hairraising fight into their play. The staging for the play was impressive, as the girls transformed

Founders’ Hall into a series of rooms in Bluebeard’s castle, including a chamber of horrors. Katrina Carr, Maya Gerber, Mia Gourlay and Natasha Harris all produced outstanding performances, which was a credit to their creative imagination and hard work. Responses from the audience included: “gripping and exciting’”, “tonight was riveting and kept one on the edge of one’s seat”; “The girls were amazing – their teamwork, their focus - all stunning”. At the start of the Summer Term, Year 11 GCSE Drama pupils performed duologues from plays for their Unit 3 examination in front of the WJEC examiner. They performed extracts from ‘Top Girls’ by Caryl Churchill; ‘Bronte’ by Polly Teale: ‘Waiting for Godot’ by Samuel Beckett and from Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream, plus there were two special duologues from ‘Hedda Gabler’ by Henrik Ibsen and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde. For these, both actresses were exquisitely costumed – Molly Tackaberry and Fay Franklyn had made impeccable nineteenth century dresses from scratch. The audience of parents, friends and the examiner were thoroughly entertained by the comedies and moved by the tragedies. The examiner laughed in all the right places so fingers crossed that he was as impressed as the rest of the audience! Congratulations to Agatha Barber, Isabella Bloom, Natasha Burns, Daisy Delaney, India Denne, Cate Gaddas, Madison Hookway, Tayeeba Hussain, Cara Johnson, Emily Josyfon, Niamh O’Carroll, Eilís Rooney, Olivia Ryb and Saskia Steinberg for their wonderful portrayals that had both power and subtlety. Finally, Year 10 GCSE pupils performed extracts from ‘Our Town’, their set text as their end of Year 10 practical examination. What a pleasure it was to see their thoughtful, accomplished performances. They captured the humour, joy and sorrow of the play and portrayed their characters with great attention to the vocal qualities and physical mannerisms of each one. Their attention to detail augers well for the real practical examination next April. Congratulations to Athena Anastassopoulos, Eloise Cartwright, Megan Demeritt, Georgia Fernando, Justine Gilbert, Ava Hanna, Sacha Houghton, Amelia Little, Zahra Malik, Maya Morse, Olivia Staunton, Willow Stokoe and India Wood. As well as the workshops provided to support practical examination performances, Channing students enjoyed working with other inspirational professional theatre makers. The playwright Miran Hadzic met with Year 11 GCSE students to analyse his award-winning play ‘Feral’ about the London Riots. He led them in practical activities which explored epic theatre techniques for structuring stories on stage. The Sixth Form Drama students attended a conference at the National Theatre about their set text ‘Our Country’s Good’ and were privileged to hear the author Timberlake Wertenbaker speak about ‘the redemptive power of theatre.’ In the afternoon the assistant director

and two actors rehearsed a scene and asked for alternative suggestions from the Sixth Form audience. It was a fascinating insight into how professional theatre makers work. Year 7 spent a wonderful day in June with the theatre company State of Play. They learnt mime, physical theatre and mask skills throughout the day and ended with an opportunity to share their work. The workshop leaders commented that the girls were marvellous - sharp, bright, inventive and focused. We are fortunate to live in the theatre capital of the world and students have the chance to see great actors and examples of imaginative staging. This year, we have taken trips to see ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’, the award winning Simon Stephen’s creative adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel. We were very proud in the interval as the girls diligently wrote notes and analysed their favourite moments, and all agreed that the live puppy at the finale was a scene stealer. Sixth Form drama students joined the English department’s trip to see Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet which was a real treat. The National Theatre’s production of ‘Our Country’s Good’ was another memorable evening and Year 12 students went to see Eugene O’Neill’s ‘The Hairy Ape’ at the Old Vic theatre. They felt the full force of this expressionistic masterpiece which had a blazing central performance by Bertie Carvel, and an unforgettable frieze of images. The sixth form drama students also had the wonderful opportunity to see the amazing founder of Complicite perform in his one man show Encounter about an American journalist who was lost in the Amazon in the 1950s. Each member of the audience was given a set of headphones so we each felt isolated in our own head as we walked through the experiences with the actor on stage. It was an amazing performance. To conclude another year of great drama, there were charismatic performances by LAMDA students from Years 8 and 9, and amusing interpretations of Shakespeare’s ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’ by Year 7 girls in Founders’ Hall for Founders’ Day. The audience of parents and friends of Channing commented on the poise and professionalism of the girls. Finally, a number of Channing girls have taken on professional acting work. Congratulations to all of them - particularly Maya Gerber who could be seen in the TV production of Cider with Rosie. I have loved every minute of working with Channing’s talented students. I know Mr Boxall and I have hardly noticed the (extremely noisy) building works taking place beneath the windows of Founders’ Hall, excited in the knowledge that the construction of the Performing Arts Building is underway. Hopefully this time next year we will be in! Ms Karin Hurst, Head of Drama

Economics As I write this article, the A2 Economists are (I hope) writing and composing their responses for the synoptic module, ‘The Global Economy’. Such is the topical nature of the subject, they have been asked to explore the effects of globalisation, the impact of migration of workers and the effects of global and financial crises on the economies of countries such as Zambia. It is also worth noting that I am writing this article following the result of the EU referendum and like the rest of the nation, watch the news as the Brexit fallout continues. Political and economic turmoil, and financial jitters, as the value of the £ and FTSE100 falls by unprecedented amounts... Brexit has forced all of us to consider the economic ramifications and our students are considering the following: How growth, trade and migration will be affected by a split with the EU? What trade deals will replace EU membership? Can Britain cut migration significantly? Do migrants reduce UK wages? What about the ‘£350m a week’ sent to Brussels? This year, following curriculum changes, the Economics course became linear (public examinations to be taken at the end of the two years) and the course content changed. The new topic areas includes exploring the role of the financial sector in the real economy and in developing and emerging economies, the role of the central bank and financial regulation. To support the delivery of the new topics we were delighted to welcome two very distinguished guest speakers. In January, we had the unique privilege and opportunity to listen to Dame Nemat Shafik, the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England. Dame Nemat explained the role of the Bank of England and IMF and the operation of monetary policy. She

explained her role in the quantitative easing programme and also outlined her own career path and a typical day working at the Bank of England. She was an inspiration to us all. In April we were honoured to welcome Ms L Cristie, Senior Policy Advisor, HM Treasury (and another brilliant role model). She spoke about Fiscal Policy and government targets and strategies to reduce deficits. She also shared with us her career path and her experience of working with the Chancellor. We offer our congratulations to Miski Jimale (Year 13), who was awarded a place on the Goldman Sachs ‘A Level Girls Inspire Programme’. It is a significant achievement to be selected as it is a national competition and Miski had to submit her CV and a covering letter as well as answer a challenging round of questions to qualify. The day-long event featured presentations from experts, skills sessions, networking opportunities and a panel discussion with representatives from across the firm. Looking back to October, Mrs Bhamra Burgess and I were delighted to lead the New York & Washington trip, which proved to be for many a high point of being at Channing School. Highlights of the trip included a moving visit to the National September 11th Memorial Museum. This offered the opportunity to reflect upon the impact and continuing implications of the events of 9/11. This was followed by Mrs Bhamra Burgess’ guided tour of Wall Street and a short walk across part of Brooklyn Bridge. At the Open Society Foundations Headquarters – an organisation established by philanthropist George Soros, the students had the opportunity to learn more about the Public Health Programme and the talk focused on issues such as access to essential medicines, but also touched on many other things - HIV/AIDS, patent laws, the World Health Organisation and the use of social media to give citizens a voice. It was a fascinating insight into what Open Society Foundations does in order to try and make governments more accountable in terms of providing basic health care. The students found it extremely interesting and were able to ask lots of thoughtful and considered questions – they even asked

about the possibility of an internship. Waking up early, we took advantage of the early morning sunshine and walked along the High Line, accessing the forgotten frieght rail line at 16th Street, after breakfast at Chelsea Market. We observed the evidence of urban regeneration of the Meatpacking District and enjoyed watching New Yorkers making their way to work on Manhattan’s West Side. In Washington, we enjoyed a twilight on–off bus tour of the US capital. A very enthusiastic tour guide provided an insightful commentary to the White House, US Capitol Building and the numerous memorials we stopped at. Finally, we had the unique opportunity of visiting the World Bank. After learning about the history, role and functions of the World Bank and possible career opportunities within the organisation and other financial institutions, we had a tour of the institution (and the infamous restaurant which caters for every cuisine in the world, apparently). How lucky our students are to hear from such inspirational speakers. Following the return to lessons post the internal summer examinations, Year 12 were invited to watch the film ‘Boom, Bust, Boom’ and meet one of the producers for a Q&A session. The film investigates the worldwide economic crash of 2008 and how we can avoid another global collapse in the future. Analysing the direct link between the unstable financial system and our reliance on mainstream economics, the film puts a spotlight on the mistakes of the past some politicians and central bankers would like us to forget. We are all looking forward to the next academic year, and whilst the economy remains jittery and the economic climate remains uncertain, Channing’s Economic Department can be assured of continued economic growth! Finally, we would like to wish all departing Economists the very best for the future and we particularly wish the students reading Economics (or an Economics related degree) at university, every success. Ms Jacqui Newman, Head of Economics

English As you probably know, there are many curriculum changes dominating education currently and this is cer tainly true in English. What is and isn’t in vogue changes with the whims of politicians. Luckily, in our subject, the one thing that never changes is the joy of studying literature and this is what keeps the English depar tment enthused. Whether it’s Mrs Kanmwaa’s love of John Donne’s linguistic gymnastics, or my long, serious relationship with Jane Austen, our passion for the texts that we teach endures. People often ask me if I get bored of ‘Pride and Prejudice’, which I think I have now read about twenty-five times, but the truth is that I don’t. Each time you read a text of real quality, you discover something new in it. Reading a book at different ages also throws new light on it. When I was younger, it used to be a novel of simple romance, but now it feels like a meditation on a quieter, less dramatic, but more meaningful kind of love. Michael Gove may shun American texts, but we certainly do not. To judge novels, poetry and plays purely on their place of origin is to fail to understand the universality of literature and its exploration of the human condition and experience. Anyone in Year 9 who has been inexpressibly moved by the friendship of George and Lenny in Of Mice and Men or Eddie’s inner turmoil in ‘A View from the Bridge’ understands that. Year 12 students have been reading widely for the new A Level course: Larkin and Duffy’s poetry and two great plays, ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, have engrossed us in lessons. We also have also been exploring texts written between 1918 and 1939, giving us a chance to read a range of great writers from Steinbeck to Woolf independently and then discuss them at lunchtimes. Our literary studies have been aided by a number of valuable talks. We attended an enlightening study day on ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ and were lucky enough to hear academics who visited us to give bespoke talks: Dr Nick Shepley from UCL spoke on the concept of time in literature between the wars, Dr Andrew Rudd from Exeter University introduced us to Keats and Dr Hannah Crawforth from

Kings College London spoke on Milton. It was par ticularly gratifying that all three visitors commented on how insightful the girls’ comments and questions were. The students’ own talks to the Literary Society are always interesting and a valuable insight into their independent reading. We heard a real range of thought-provoking presentations, such as Honor Munden talking about the concept of Englishness and Rosamond Styles-Vickery sharing her enthusiasm for Yeats. Year 8 enjoyed a visitor from Red Hear t Theatre, a one man performance of First World War literature that focuses on the life and work of Wilfred Owen. Hearing the poems spoken aloud made them all the more powerful and moving. Year 8 were also fascinated by how one person could learn so many words. However, we also proved how possible this was with our Poetry By Hear t competition again this year. Every English student in Years 10-13 learnt a poem and recited it to their class. Par ticular congratulations go to Emanuelle Mar tin who went on to represent the school in the Nor th London final and did fabulous recitations of her two poems, ‘What the chairman told Tom’ and ‘You are old, Father William’. An ever-popular event is the Christmas House Debating competition, which is hotly contested on the last day of the Autumn term. This year Goodwin and Spears argued over the motion ‘This house believes that the traditional Christmas needs a makeover’. Georgia Clarke’s spirited defence of tradition threatened us with such horrors as a Christmas dinner of goji berries, kale and quinoa, whilst Amy Morris condemned the elitism of the nativity play. After much consideration, Goodwin were crowned the winners.

There are new things on the horizon for next year, as we start a new GCSE course with Year 10. We are launching our study with William Golding’s classic novel, ‘Lord of the Flies’, a text that made such an impression on me when I first read it that I can still remember finishing it, sitting on the floor of my bedroom, back pressed against the radiator having been unable to put it down for hours. However, for anyone fearing missing out on Mr Darcy, don’t worry! He’ll be getting out of that lake in Year 11.... We will also be studying Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ and plenty of poetry. Coursework is now a thing of the past at GCSE, so we will be sharpening up our exam skills. We continue to be impressed by the creative work that girls produce. Enjoy the poetry that we have included from some of our younger writers. We run creative writing clubs for all age groups, so pupils, please come along and nur ture your talents! This year we have been lucky enough to have had two excellent teachers to cover Miss Wilkinson’s maternity leave. Mrs Birbara’s Aussie calm and humour was much appreciated by the depar tment and, latterly, we have benefitted from Ms Heidensohn’s enthusiasm for English. It will be nice to have Miss Wilkinson back again in September, intimidating us all with her super-organisation. For now though, we look forward to a lovely summer. My favourite thing to do in the holidays is to sit outside in the sun and read my book; I hope you will be joining me - perhaps not actually joining me in my back garden, because it’s pretty small and I think that would break some rules of professional conduct, but cer tainly joining me in spirit. Miss Polly Evernden, Head of English

Poems ‘A Gram of &s’ or ‘Anagram poems’ were devised by the poet Terrance Hayes, inspired by the puzzle section of the morning paper on his way to work. All the end words of an eleven-line poem derive from some of the letters in the title.

How Not to Get the Job

Libraries

So, I want the job. All the printing and talking and chatting and coffee and this and that. Ahhhh, all the lunch breaks. I love food, Especially bagels. You know the ones that have seeds on the top? From Lidl? Anyway, I looked you up on Wikipedia. Apparently you have four children: Milo, Zanzibar, Moon and Phil. Wise choice there (Although Zanzibar is a bit weird) I wanted a kid called Pluto, but my wife said no. Also, you have two spaniels. I love animals. I have a gecko called Colin. He’s great. You live in Birmingham. I do too, Well, outside Birmingham, you know, near Kate’s Bakes. Oh! have you tried her cake? I love cake; the red velvet is gorgeous. Apparently, it contains beetroot. Who would have thought? Right, now we are friends, I was thinking that, when I get the job, I could be second in command. (I’d like that) I would like to work in the office next to you. I could drive you there in the morning! I would go right past your house. Anyway, I can’t wait to start. (By the way, I know where you live)

I always go when I’m able. The books themselves feel so real No reason to bail Alone I sail Far away, off the rail I get that feeling, so rare I feel it rise Whether I’m in the school lab Or waiting for Dad to leave the bat I’ll always have books. Even Siri Recommends libraries.

EMILY GRAY, YEAR 9

EDEN LEVY YEAR 7

The Book was a Woman The book was a woman, telling her tales. The pages were edged with gold from the depths of humanity. Looking grand, standing tall, it comes to me, just in front of my face, mesmerising. The words sing to me, gathering the prose, rolling it around on my tongue. It is sound. It smells sweet, like she is breathing beside me. It feels warm; she is listening. She was written by a precious man named John. The books looks scared, uninviting. John loved the woman, turning her pages admiringly. Her story was unreal. The delicate pages of lust. He kissed her, in all her glory and mystery. You have to imagine her to realise she’s gone. Soy un libro. The book took off its feather boa and sang once more, telling tales from a lost woman, a gone woman. NATASHA RUBINS, YEAR 9

Dandelion Heart (after Simon Armitage)

His hair was a tumbleweed, unsure where it was going And his forehead was piece of paper not so perfect anymore And his eyebrows were bushes, overgrown and unloved And his eyes were history books full of torture and defeat And his mouth was a bursting river source, too full to hold in. His missing teeth were lost children And his words were lost, hungry vipers And his nostrils were secret coves with plants growing outwards And his mole was a battle scar, old and wrinkled And his neck was a canon in a museum. His laugh was the space between the planets And his cough was a stampede of Bulls And his swallow was deeper then any ocean And his shoulders were dense barrels And his arms were tree trunks. His chest was an armchair, attacked by cats And his belly button was a black hole And his hips were rusty hinges And his legs were puny pens And his feet were shrivelled leaves. His heart was a fragile dandelion, filled with unimaginable sorrows And unforgettable misery.

Fictional Picking on her prey, carried on the wind like a falcon, her words whip, as does a tail. That look: piercing your eyes with a nail. She acts strong, leading her pride, a lion, but when flipped is the coin and she senses her fail her face is no longer lit inside she falls like a clattering tin, dropping down to a lower ranking faction. Now she falls prey to her own fiction – what always wins is fact. ANNA WESTERN, YEAR 9

BRIDIE MILSOM, YEAR 9

Remembering

Embarrassing

Do you remember the day by the mere? Drinking strong coffee and eating brie. You gave me a warming book over the brim of your cup. Then you thought it would be funny to gibe a key member of a very large hive. That bee that stung you, but that didn’t take away your grin as you pulled out the ring! That’s what I love remembering as I touch the gem when I’m grim.

Why is my life so embarrassing? Like when I have to sing, or when my brother stole my bras, and that time I slipped over again and went to school covered in grass, or when I couldn’t sleep without my teddy bear. An easy day is really quite rare because even if I managed to remember my bag and give my mum a ring I will always be being me. Make sure to let me know if there is a low beam.

ANNA MILSOM, YEAR 7

FLORENCE WRIGHT, YEAR 9

Geography I have just finished reading a wonderful book called ‘Geography – Ideas in Profile’ by Danny Dorling and Carl Lee. In it Dorling argues that; ‘the great challenges of the 21st century are geographical in their formulation, analysis and consequence, and they transcend the physical/social divide’. And I know he is right. The world is facing huge changes; (I am writing this 7 days after the EU Referendum results). When I went to university a few decades ago, Geography was in the academic doldrums. People argued that its problem was that it was split between the science of the physical world and the social science of humanity. A subject with no core. Little more than a bunch of unrelated topics assembled under the banner of place and space. Yet it is increasingly clear that Geography has never been more important than it is now. Humans have never been more networked and we have never known so much about the natural world, its biodiversity, and the consequences of our actions on the environment. The linking of all these things is at the heart of Geography. The subject is enjoying a global renaissance.

Needless to say, Geography has always been popular at Channing, though there are still some colleagues who (jokingly) pander to the lazy narrative that Geography is ‘all about colouring in’. So what are these forces that are catapulting Geography onto the world stage? It is complicated, but what follows is a brief outline of things I have learnt this year that reveal why Geography is essential: 1. Geography is academic, indispensable and challenging I have been incredibly impressed by the commitment of the Senior Geography Society this year. We have had the great privilege to attend a number of talks at the Royal Geographic Society. In September we heard Professor Danny Dorling from the University

of Oxford lecture on why social inequality still persists. We learnt that the reasons for inequality and the solutions to it are far more than just economic, (sorry Ms. Newman!). We learnt that in the UK there is a bigger gap between rich and poor now than at any time in the last 100 years. Depressing stuff! However, it was heartening to be told that academic Geographers are playing an important role in contributing to wider debates about these unacceptable inequalities. In November we attended a 21st Century Challenges panel discussion where we learnt that we are living in a rapidly changing world. We were asked to consider how our communities could become more resilient to physical, environmental and social changes. It is clear that Geographers have a role to

play in exploring the important adaptation lessons from the past so we can apply them to the future.

opportunities it can give you in terms of careers, experiences and transferable skills. In essence; where geography can take you.

The recent events surrounding the referendum illustrated how we seem to be living in a divided Britain. Some see the processes and issues surrounding gentrification as a visual manifestation of this division. In December we heard Professor Chris Hamnett, an expert on London’s housing market, explore the history and development of the ever-extending gentrification of London, asking if the poor are being squeezed out of the city and looking at the social consequences.

In the evening they were joined by the rest of the Year 12 Geography cohort, Geography teachers and a couple of (lucky) non-geographers (though aren’t we all Geographers at heart?) for a stimulating talk by Professor Katie Willis, from Royal Holloway, University of London. Professor Willis is an expert on employment, migration and development. She explored the history and development of the Millennium Development Goals and their relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals.

graduate, he helped to create an awardwinning national cycling network that became the subject of his first book. Since then he has written another 10 books and presented over 80 geographically-related BBC radio documentaries and films, including Coast, Map Man, Great British Journeys, Britannia and Town. Nick talked to a packed Lecture Theatre of over 50 girls from all years about his passion for Geography, and his love of coasts. Did you know that the rocks that give Britain’s coast its character span something like three billion years of Earth’s history, and they’ve been baked, squeezed, folded, frozen and, finally, eroded by the sea into fantastical shapes? Wondrous stuff indeed!

In June a number of Year 12 Geographers who are considering the subject as a university option, attended a fun and exciting day at the Royal Geographical Society. The day provided the students with an enthusiastic and relevant representation of what it is like to study geography at university, along with an insight into the wide

2. Geography can take you anywhere; opening wondrous doors The highlight of the Society’s year was the visit of Nick Crane, the President of the Royal Geographical Society. Nick’s CV is one that puts most Geographers to shame. It also illustrates that there is more than one route ‘post-A levels’. As a young Geography

3. Geo-awareness is an increasingly important life skill The world faces complex challenges that are global in nature but also increasingly affect individuals’ everyday lives. These challenges, long fundamental to what geographers studied, have now become a part of the public consciousness and everyday conversation. In

the Summer Term Year 7 all worked very hard to enter our annual Year 7 CBM award. Once again this competition focused on the theme of sustainability. The girls worked in groups and planned sustainable cities of the future. A sustainable city offers a good quality of life to current residents but doesn’t reduce the opportunities for future residents to enjoy. We look forward to announcing the 2016/17 winners next term and would like to thank Catherine Budgett-Meakin for sponsoring this award. For the record, in 2015/16 the following girls were commended: Aimee Fluet, Lucy Narunksy, Lili Kyriacou, Freya Thompson, Lydia Edmonds, Emma Zinkin. The overall winners were Amelia Jackson, Melissa Redman, Khadija Rehman and Lara Dailey. We certainly have some budding urban planners amongst our young Geographers. Also in June the Year 12 Geographers entered the Royal Geographic Society’s Young Geographer of the Year. The title this year was ‘How is Britain changing?’ and given recent events this proved to be very intellectually challenging. They explored geographical change from many different perspectives, at both local and national scales, including whether the changes they identified locally are representative of changes taking place on a national scale and the geographical processes that are driving change. We will announce the winners in September. 4. Geo-enablement and Geo-technologies are vital and incredibly powerful Societies are rapidly moving to an era where everything in everyday life will be geo-enabled. From smartphones to tablets, from webcams recording traffic, bird counts or parking spaces to Earth-imaging satellites and sensors recording water quality, seismicity and weather, these devices transmit location. Today, millions of maps and satellite images are viewed hourly. Geographic tools, maps and spatial data become instantly available and these digital maps have become among the most common type of 21st century media. As data from geo-enabled devices and objects is mapped, the public is becoming conscious of the value of maps in their everyday lives. Geographical Information Systems are becoming increasingly common in our curriculum as well. The Department had the pleasure of accompanying Year 10 to Slapton for our annual GCSE Field Trip. They used a program called GE-Graph that allows you to generate graphs from kml files saved by GoogleEarth. This meant they could locate the data for their Cost Benefit Analysis on a map. High level Geographical Information Systems!

4. We really should value Geo-literacy Each of today’s issues of concern to the public is fundamentally a geographic one, tied to space and place. To grapple with these issues requires a geo-literate populace that can use geographic information to make wise decisions. In January the British Cartographic Society visited Channing and held a Restless Earth workshop for Year 9 and Year 11geographers which was based around the 2011 Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Working in small teams and each taking on a different role, the girls had to analyse a variety of maps at different scales, some of which were in Japanese. They produced their own map to support the disaster recovery effort. The team from the British Cartographic Society assessed all the maps the girls had created and were extremely impressed by the quality of their work. Well done to the members of the winning teams: Ruby Bond, Emmanuelle Martin, Natasha Burns, Ella Shindler, Eliane Carter, Inka Blaubach, Jasmine Saville, Emily Poncia and Eleonora Megaro. In the Autumn Term, the Geography department launched a ‘Read Around the World’ competition to try to encourage wider reading and for girls to engage with a variety of books set in different countries around the world. The library created a fantastic display in Brunner House and girls were able to add their names to luggage tags around a giant world map as well as annotating a map in their books. Ruriko Ojima and Abigail Ornadel ‘travelled’ to a host of different locations through their reading. It was exciting for the Department to be able to mentor the Extended Project Qualifications of Rachel Brittain and Sophie van Hoft, two Year 13 students (who are going on to study Geography at university). They both produced very academically interesting projects. Rachel investigated the extent to which small-scale initiatives provide sustainable solutions to food security. Sophie conducted an in-depth evaluation of Polish migration to the UK since 2004. All this and no colouring in! 5. Geography is, arguably, the main academic subject that also focuses on the outdoors Fieldwork is not just an important part studying of Geography; it also offers a wonderful way of seeing the world, and a chance for personal development. Doing fieldwork can make a difference to your life and future career. It allows you to see Geography and theories come to life,

to develop skills, to appreciate the environment. It helps young Geographers to understand other people and cultures and it allows them to take responsibility for their learning. This year saw Year 12 attend our annual trip to Calshot to investigate the biotic and abiotic changes in a salt marsh. This year no one got stuck in the mud! I have left it to the girls to tell you about other trips. September 2016 sees some major and exciting changes to GCSE and A Level Geography. One of which is a revamp of our Fieldwork. The list of places Channing Geographers will be visiting is impressive: The Olympic Park, Brick Lane, Iceland, The Lake District, Cadbury’s World and Flatford Mill in Constable country. Phew! 6. Geography is about far more than facts The real essence of Geography isn’t ‘the facts’, but the ability to join them together to create something greater than the sum of the parts. Geography is about feeding the imagination that is required to join up all the disciplinary dots. In this spirit Year 9 geographers entered the Young Geographer of the Year competition in September, run by the Royal Geographical Society. The question for the competition coincided with the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, which aimed to complete the first crossing of Antarctica. Despite failing in his original plans and being stranded on pack ice for over a year, Shackleton and his men returned safely and the expedition is recognised as one of the most remarkable feats of leadership and endeavour. The competition was an opportunity for students to explore why Antarctica still matters today. There were some excellent entries including those from Geraldine Glaser, Natasha Gough, Riana Chandaria, Alexandra Chong, Bridie Milsom, Laura Cipolotti-Ranieri, Isabella Atkinson, Lola Cavill, Afzaa Altaf, Evie Haward, Saskia Lonergan, Martha Sayer, Abigail Summerfield, Anna Biro, Anna Western and Cecily Neil. They were all sent off to the RGS and commended by the Geography Department. 7. Geography (and geographers) do not stand still; they embrace change Finally this has been a year of change for the Department. Ms Bramhall gave birth to the wonderfully named Noah Chudley congratulations to all three of you – I

have met Noah and he is gorgeous! I should at this point also thank Ms Bramhall for the uber-organised way she handed over the Department – huge geographical shoes to fill! Miss Salmon has worked tirelessly all year, even more so once she got her hands on the staple gun left by Ms. Bramhall – many thanks for your efforts Miss S! All that and getting engaged as well – another congratulations. This term we are saying goodbye (or should that be ‘slan abhaile’) to Mr Duggan. He has ably covered the first part of Ms. Bramhall’s maternity leave. I am incredibly appreciative of his energy, calmness and humour. Good luck with your new job Mr D. I hope this dispatches has allowed you to join the dots and convinced you that our subject is more than just colouring in! Hundreds of Channing Geographers can’t be wrong! Mr Andrew Boardman, Head of Geography

Year 8 Trip to Hampstead Heath At the beginning of the year the whole of Year 8 were taken on a field trip to Hampstead Heath. On the trip we were split into groups to work together to investigate and complete a few activities. Most of us have never carried out these experiments ourselves so it was very interesting and especially exciting to be doing them for the first time in groups with our friends. On the first activity we were told to measure the percentage of tree coverage we could see above us. For this we were given a quadrant to lift above our heads. Next we were told to calculate the light intensity by using an app on our iPads that helped us measure and record the results. Lastly we were told to investigate different species found growing in the grass. For this investigation we were given the quadrant again. We had to put it on the floor and analyse the species of life that were alive and record it. During the experiments we discovered different tactics that were helpful to us. However we also discovered a couple of things that could be going wrong in our experiments and used that knowledge to improve our accuracy and results. Overall I found this trip very useful and relaxing as when learning, I was also in a very friendly environment and I got to talk to new people I have never spoken to before. Yelena Hill 8S

Year 10 Trip to Slapton Sands On the weekend of the 24th of June, Year 10 geographers were swept away to the windy coastline of South Devon. We had the privilege of visiting four beautiful seaside villages and examining their coastal defences. We analysed the defences in these towns as part of our controlled assessment coursework. We set off on the Friday, meeting at Paddington. We then endured a three hour train and coach journey to our destination, Slapton Ley field centre. After lunch, we packed our bags and made our way to the beach. On our way we passed the Ley (Devon slang for lake), observing a very contrasting ecosystem to the one we would later encounter on the coastline, a lucky few even managed to see some freshwater otters. At the beach, we were introduced to the area and methods by which we could measure certain processes. We were taught how to take a beach profile, which measures longshore drift. Back at the field centre in the evening, we planned how to measure our individual experiments. These were conducted to measure a process and we were able to use whatever equipment suited our choice. The next day we began our studies with a lesson, given by the centre’s instructors, Graeme and Emily. We were then driven to Start Point, a headland, where we would start an eight mile walk to gather our data. Our first checkpoint was South Hallsands, a quaint fishing village where we witnessed the impacts of coastal erosion in storms. Where once stood 37 houses, now stood only two. Our next destination was North Hallsands and here we conducted our Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and our individual methods, if necessary. This hamlet had riprap (piles of norwegian granite) as its defence, a not very successful operation as part of the road had

fallen into the beach. We then continued our journey to Beesands, a heavily defended village with a sea wall and rock armour to protect the high economic value of the community. We again conducted our CBA and had lunch. We had a short stay at the tiny hamlet of Sunnydale, whose main defence was gabions, beautifully strewn with poppies. We measured the effectiveness of this defense through our bipolar analysis which gave us a high result. Our last destination was Torcross, the largest of the villages we visited. We were lucky to enjoy some lovely Devon ice cream here, which was delicious. Much like Beesands, Torcross had a sea wall and rock armour. However, it had not been so successful as the sea wall was starting to crack, a major worry for the community. Again we conducted our investigations. On our final day, we gathered our data and were taught various methods of presenting it correctly. For example we created a graph on google earth. Our trip to Slapton Sands was very informative and interesting, despite the sunburn. We thank the teachers for taking us on such an important expedition. Lucy Faber & Miriam Simler, Year 10

Globetrotters Globetrotters is fun, educational and all round great! I have done a range of activities this year from watching films, decorating cakes in tropical rainforest style to tasting exotic fruits. Meetings are at 1pm, Wednesday lunchtimes. The best thing about it is that it is only for Year 8s, so you meet a lot of new people who share the same interests as you. My favourite activity was fruit tasting. There were five or six different fruits and we were able to try each one and guess what it was called. Our team lost, but it was great fun anyway! Saskia Kirkegaard 8S

Politics By the time you read this article, Theresa May will have been Prime Minister for a few months. The Labour Party may also have a new leader if Jeremy Corbyn follows the wishes of his MPs and resigns, although he is showing little sign of stepping down. It is too early for anyone to predict the fallout from Brexit. And, who knows, we may even have a new England football coach! Back in the less volatile world of Channing, the Politics department welcomed three new teachers – Dr Coupland and Miss Hunter joined me in teaching Year 12, while Mrs Garrell replaced Ms Newman to teach Year 13 alongside yours truly. Ms Newman and I were delighted with the A level results from last August and we wished girls well as they set off to university to study Politics or International Relations. I am always so pleased to hear how they fare at university and it was lovely to see some of my ex-pupils at the recent Founders’ Day. Time flies, as I remember teaching them and now they have graduated! The number of girls taking Politics at A level continues to grow and I have been delighted with the enthusiasm of Year 12 as they embarked on their AS course. Government and Politics has yet to be reformed as an A level, so the Year 12s have enjoyed probably the most interesting (and tumultuous) year in the world of British politics since I started teaching. The students visited the Houses of Parliament early in the Autumn Term, taking part in a democracy workshop and touring both the Houses of Lords and Commons. As you can imagine, we have had some very lively (and loud) discussions on all aspects of British politics and we teachers have been so impressed with the knowledge and range of opinions of all the girls. Many of them have spent a lot of their spare time taking part in demonstrations, attending meetings and emailing their local MPs to air their views. I have sometimes been rendered speechless during my lessons with the passion that the girls have shown for Politics and I was very proud of them when they welcomed Catherine West, Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, to the recent Founders’ Day. The whole-school assembly that the Year 12s gave on the EU Referendum was informative and humorous and I look forward to their take on the American presidential elections this November. We shall certainly be having some more lively discussions! Meanwhile, the Year 13 groups were tussling with events across the pond; many of them are planning to study Politics or International Relations at university and I would like to praise them for their enthusiasm and hard work as they tried to keep up to date with the complicated and rather alien electoral system in the US. Although studying Politics obviously involves keeping up to date with current affairs, recent events have tested the most enthusiastic student (and teacher), and Mrs Garrell and I have sometimes sat scratching our heads at the rapid pace of change in the US. I am particularly delighted that Julia Hassan and Natasha Harris are planning to study in America in the autumn. I would also like to congratulate Tara Gold, Amy Morris and Emily Oulton in Year 12 for running Politics Society so professionally and for enthusing girls across all Year groups in Politics. I was in Burgundy with Year 8 when the EU referendum was held and their reaction to ‘Brexit’ was both informed and very interesting, although those who worried that we were no longer in Europe needed to be corrected! There is no doubt that the political landscape will continue to shift and it is the Politics department’s job to reflect these changes. It is so important that young people are both educated and enthused about current affairs and I am delighted that Channing pupils, particularly those in the Sixth Form, are so keen and engaged in Government and Politics. Now we just need to find a good England football coach! Ms Wendy Devine, Head of Politics

History It was a year of new beginnings for the History department as Channing bid fond farewell to Mr Thompson and Miss Wilkinson last summer and at Christmas when Mrs Hannan left to become Head of Sixth Form at Roedean School. New teachers Miss Hunter, Dr Coupland and I were welcomed warmly into the Channing community and continued to build on the excellent work of our predecessors with the help, support and patience of Mrs Devine. There were of course new beginnings for the pupils too as Year 7 were introduced to History at Secondary level, Year 10 began their GCSEs and Year 12 began studying the department’s new A Level course. Year 7 were welcomed to the school with a short unit entitled ‘What is History?’ before moving on to apply their new found skills in a unit about the Medieval era. It certainly seems like there are some very keen and budding historians in Year 7 as best demonstrated by the amazing creativity of the Junior Historians in ‘Time Travellers’ Club’ (about which you can read more elsewhere in the magazine).

Talks and Visits

A passion and enthusiasm for History runs through all years of the school and, indeed, the staff room. Throughout autumn and into winter, students from years 10 to 13 were treated to a series of History talks in the school’s lecture theatre from a variety of History Professors, historians and authors. Year 12 also had the opportunity to attend an outside lecture in February given by leading Tudor Historians, Professors John Guy and Richard Rex from Cambridge University. The return of the warmer weather was very welcome in May when Year 9 visited the World War One Battlefields and Year 8 made their way to the midlands to visit the Black Country Museum. Both trips were really successful with the students learning a lot and having an enjoyable and informative experience. Year 7 visited Hampton Court Palace accompanied by 10 staff and enjoyed a day learning all about the inner-working of the Tudor Court.

Notable Achievements

The History department as a whole is very proud of the excellent work of all the students. Special mention should go to Sophie Jones

who was awarded the Channing Prize for History, especially when considering the superb fellow Year 13 Historians she was up against. Year 12 students Emily Oulton, Lucy Hill and Lisa Buckland achieved the highest scores in the Year 12 exam for which we congratulate them. We would also like to highlight Year 11s Olivia Ryb, Saskia Steinberg and Hessa Akram for their excellent Year 11 Mock scores and abilities throughout the year. In Year 10 Amelia Little, Gabrielle Dowsey, Marni Granek and Sarah Woodburn did exceptionally well in the end of year test and should feel rightly proud of themselves. There were numerous examples of fantastic work across Key Stage Three but we’d like to especially congratulate Emily Sinclair, Anna Tefoglou, Marlena Jackaman, Georgia Walsh, Chiara Lewis, Phoebe Morse and Hana Shimizu-French for their achievements in various assessments.

Changes in History

Aside from the changes in staff, the biggest change this year has seen the introduction of the new AQA A-Level History qualification. One of the changes is that it is now compulsory at A-Level for students to cover a time period of at least 200 years. Year 12 has adapted well to the new courses and enjoyed the combination of 16th Century and 20th Century History.

The Way Ahead For 2016-17

We are very excited to be introducing the new History GCSE in September. Following extensive government changes to the History curriculum the new GCSE now involves no Controlled Assessment (I know there

will be some very envious Years 11-13 History students reading that!) and instead is assessed by three papers at the end of Year 11. We have introduced several new topics including the Russian Revolution, the Cold War, Crime and Punishment, and the Norman Conquest in keeping with the government’s hope for a broader and more diverse curriculum. We are introducing the new Year 13s to the new coursework unit from September which, unlike the old A Level coursework, is no longer restricted to just one topic and allows them much greater freedom to select, research and write about an area of history of their particular interest.

History is philosophy teaching by examples.

We are also excited to be sprucing up the main History classrooms with new displays, new timelines and new resources which will not only benefit the students learning it will also help make their working environment even more enjoyable.

History is a novel for which the people is the author.

Final word

I’d like to take the final part of my section to say an enormous thanks to the department for all their incredible efforts. We three newcomers are especially grateful to Mrs Devine who has been superb at welcoming us, and supporting us in finding our feet. I’d also like to extend congratulations to Miss Hunter on passing her NQT year and Dr Coupland on her recent engagement. For myself, by the time you read this, I will have just been married and will be looking forward to jetting off on my honeymoon.

Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War

Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters. African Proverb

History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days. Winston Churchill

Alfred de Vigny, Réflexions sur la Vérité dans l’Art

Each time history repeats itself, the price goes up. Author Unknown

Random History Facts: • In 1915, the lock millionaire Cecil Chubb bought his wife Stonehenge. She didn’t like it, so in 1918 he gave it to the nation. • The shortest war ever fought was between Britain and Zanzibar on August 27, 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes. • The Nazis made it illegal on pain of death for apes to give the Heil Hitler salute

Mr Peter Philips, Head of History

Mathematics A couple of years ago, in a rash, unguarded moment I said to the members of the Mathematics Department that, if Channing failed to win a Hans Woyda match in the next three years, I would leave as a matter of principle, much like Roy Hodgson (strangely, not one of them tried to dissuade me). Those of you still reading may be curious about who or what Hans Woyda is. It’s a little known but highly prestigious Mathematics competition (named after a former Head of Maths at Kingston Grammar School) that involves 64 teams of four pupils, one each from Years 7-9, 10-11, 12 and 13. There are individual, paired and team rounds with questions on algebra, geometry, calculus and probability, areas of traditional mathematics at which Channing girls excel. However, success has been conspicuous by its absence, this despite the heroic efforts of Mrs Williams. Readers of ‘Peanuts’ will be familiar with Charlie Brown’s attempts to punt a football held in position by Lucy only for the ball to be whipped away prior to contact. Such has been the lot of Mrs Williams: complete faith in her Hans Woyda team but always with the same outcome. The reason: each round is a race. We, at Channing, who like to take the time to craft a perfect solution and then check it are unlikely to achieve greatness in a contest that rewards intuition and impulsiveness.

However, the Conabor spirit permeates the Mathematics Department. Realising that we boast a master of mathematical impulsiveness in Mr Riggs-Long, Mrs Williams coerced the boy wonder (as he is known in the department) into joining her gruelling lunchtime training sessions. The result? Hans Woyda glory ensues and I get to keep my job a while longer. The names of past HW team members read like a roll call of Channing mathematical excellence, but the four that participated in our first victory have passed into legend (at least in Room B11). They are Afzaa Altaf, Kailai Xiong, Inayah Huda and Phoebe Ashley-Norman. Each deserves a fuller tribute than space allows here. The theme of Maths Week this year was Magic. We were delighted to welcome back Mathemagician Dr Katie Steckles, who first visited Channing two years ago. She dazzled Year 11 students with her card tricks and, breaking the magician’s code, she explained

the secrets lurking behind them. She also spoke to Key Stage 3 students and stunned them with a collection of neat mathematical devices and objects such as smoke rings and the Mobius strip. The real star of Maths Week is Ms MacCarthy who is responsible for all the quotations, problems and jokes that appear daily. Topping this year’s leader board by a mile was Ana Bauer with honourable mentions (as usual) for Soraya Hussein, Gaby Sklar, Daria Hall and Isobel Mills and for rising stars Chiara Saacke and Blanche Lefort. I have lamented in previous magazines that, despite the huge pool of mathematical talent at Channing, very few go on to take degrees in Mathematics or closelyrelated subjects. Among our guest speakers this year were some excellent examples of women for whom mathematics has launched exciting careers. Harriet Mills ran an inspirational session to Year 10 on how mathematics is used to control the spread of diseases and then spoke about her career: undergraduate mathematician through doctorate in the mathematical modeling of epidemics to involvement with the World Health Organisation’s Ebola response, helping the countries most affected to evaluate the situation and put effective interventions in place. Equally compelling were Kay Fleming and Ilze Lapsina from Ringway Jacobs currently working on the Archway Gyratory Project (you’ll thank them when it’s completed!) who marked National Women in Engineering Day by speaking to girls from several year groups about their successful careers. Hopefully, many will follow Gaby Sklar, Year 13, who has an offer to read Aeronautical Engineering at Cambridge. And Ms Sklar and her talented peers seem like a good way to finish. I have praised previous year groups for their collective mathematical achievements but this year’s departing Year 13 all combined an appetite for the subject offers with joy and humour, the more challenging it became. Thank you. Mr Peter Williamson, Head of Mathematics

Mathematical Challenge Competition Results The Individual Mathematical Challenges are run by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT) website: www.mathcomp.leeds.ac.uk/individual-competitions/ or follow the link from the Mathematics page of the Channing School website www.channing.co.uk. The senior challenge is 90 minutes long and the intermediate and junior challenge papers are 1 hour long. All made of multiple-choice style questions with some negative marking for incorrect answers to the most challenging questions in the second half of each paper. No calculators, lined paper or measuring equipment are allowed but lots of rough working paper is needed! The Senior Challenge for Sixth Form students takes place in November, the Intermediate Challenge for GCSE pupils is in February and the Junior Challenge for Year 7 and 8 is in April.

Senior Mathematical Challenge In November 2015, all pupils taking A-Level Mathematics and some brave pupils from Year 11 took part in the UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge. The following pupils were awarded certificates: Year 13 Gold Certificate:

Year 12 Silver Certificates:

Year 11 Silver certificate:

Soraya Hussein* - Best in School & Best in Year

Antonia Sanchez - Best in Year

Sophie Sondhelm - Best in Year

Gabrielle Sklar*

Eve Denayer Emmanuelle Hagopian

Year 11 Bronze Certificates:

Year 13 Silver Certificates:

Indya Akinrinlola

Erick Jackaman

Year 12 Bronze Certificates:

Grace Hurford

Tabitha Ashley-Norman

Rachel Chataway-Green

Year 13 Bronze Certificates:

Ana Bauer

Fay Franklin

Sophie Abrahams

Lucy Benjamin

Victoria Niemiec

Emily Chen

Amaani Ahmed Joanna Anastasiou Phoebe Ashley-Norman Anjum Aziz Ella Barnes Hedyeh Farid Julia Hasson Constance Lewis Ella-Jay Osborne Emily Reader Funmi Soji-Akinyemi

Leora Cohen Hollie Gold Inayah Huda Scarlett Johnstone

Hessa Akram

*Soraya Hussein also qualified for the followon Olympiad paper. *Gabrielle Sklar qualified for the Silver Kangaroo paper.

Alice Murnaghan Charlotte Rees Tanya Sassoon Sima Shakib Zoe Steele Jesse Wise

Hunnah Suh Camilla Torres

Intermediate Mathematical Challenge In February 2016, all of Years 10 and 11 and one class of pupils from Year 9 took part in the UKMT Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. The following pupils were awarded certificates: Year 11 Gold Certificates:

Year 10 Gold Certificates:

Year 9 Silver certificates:

Hannah Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donohoe* - Best in Year

Kailai Xiong* - Best in School & Best in Year

Martha Sayer - Best in Year

Fay Franklyn*

Olivia Dugdale*

Shehnaz Cuerdo

Year 11 Silver Certificates:

Year 10 Silver Certificates:

Natasha Gough

Indya Akinrinlola

Eloise Cartwright

Hessa Akram

Hannah Cioci

Year 9 Bronze Certificates:

Helena Bills

Jessica Cooper

Silvia Allan

Amelia Khavari

Lucy Faber

Afzaa Altaf

Victoria Niemiec

Daria Hall

Elena Binns

Sophie Sondhelm

Isobel Horton

Riana Chandaria

Molly Tackaberry

Sacha Houghton

Agnes Delaney

Year 11 Bronze Certificates:

Zoe MacKinnon

Rose Marshall

Agatha Barber

Ella Marsden

Ellen McDonald

Isobel Mills

Matilda Sumners

Ella Sunnocks

Anna Western

Marnie Brittain Tamsin Burgess Natasha Burns Mia Byrne

Sarah Woodburn

Maisie Cartmell

Year 10 Bronze Certificates:

Rachel Chataway-Green

Athena Anastassopoulos

Natasha Dangoor

Nazan Arslan

Mia Denny

Amy Bartlett

Claudia Hagen

Ella Blendis

Anjuli Hookway

Amy Davis-Brown

Darcey Hookway

Isabel Gold

Madison Hookway

Serena Grover

Anouska Levy

Eleanor Hesketh

Leah Longley

Evelyn Kelly

Lorna Miller

Amelia Little

Sarah Moorhouse

Azra Parker

Rachel Narunsky

Elsa Proudlove

Anna Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Leary

Naomi Rosenfeld

Mia Shindler

Miriam Simler

Sylvia Shoshan

Hannah Whiterow

Jemima Wickham Sophia Wilson

Rebecca Tolley

Elen Kurpjei

*Hannah, Fay, Kailai and Olvia all qualified for the follow-on Pink Kangaroo rounds. Kailai was awarded a Merit certificate, a significant achievement. Well done, Kailai!

Junior Mathematical Challenge In April all Year 7 & Year 8 pupils took part in the UKMT Junior Mathematical Challenge. The following pupils were awarded certificates: Year 8 Gold Certificate:

Year 7 Silver Certificates:

Niamh Walter - Best in School & Best in Year

Lisa Scheerlinck - Best in Year Phoebe Apfel Elizabeth Armstrong Nura Bentata Josie Comins Jemima Eskenazi Lilia Foster Eliza Goldstone Lucia Groves Stella Hastings Charlotte Kendall Blanche Lefort Anisha Perera Freya Randall Hana Shimizu-French Harriet Sumners Charlotte Woolley

Year 8 Silver Certificates: Anika Anand Megan Dearden-Hellawell Aimee Fluet Anita de Arruda Campos Higgs Marlena Jackaman Sui-Lin Le-Carson Xanthe Melikian Inara Merali Sarla Murray Rayna Rowe Audrey Scher Hannah Schlenker Gabriella Shahmoon Hannah Sondhelm Cocoa Wagner Year 8 Bronze Certificates: Amy Abrahams Mia Abrams Charlotte Bradbery Amelia Chan Amy Claypoole Julia Conti-Gemes Hannah Davis Lydia Edmonds Rebecca Fenner Olivia Ferraro Charlotte Free Juliet Freeman Yasmin Ghobadian Daria Greshneva Chloe Grossmith-Dwek Lily-Blue Harper Maja Higgins Katerina Kamysheva Isabella Khavari Kit Lampi Isabella Lowe Lucy Narunsky Melissa Redman Clara Slater Moselle Solomon Rebecca Treganna Anna Vershkova Georgia Walsh Annika Woodward Emma Zinkin

Year 7 Bronze Certificates: Grace Abrahams Tori Akinrinlola Ella Begley Emilia Charalambous Laylah Daulatzai Niamh Eisenberg Nancy Flintoff Flora Froment Celia Gomez Alice Gray Antonia Hagopian Lili Herrgott Ella Jones Lidia Lonergan Amelia Marriott Jessica McDonald Alexia Miller Imogen Moody Sophie Murray Maria Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Carroll Eva Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill Abigail Ornadel Constantina Papadopoulos Jasmine Patra Sasha Rozanov Lara Sassoon Gemma Selby Cicely Stokes Isabelle Warren Charlotte Wilcox

Modern Foreign Languages The Modern Foreign Language year started with fantastic news of excellent examination results at both GCSE and A Level (100% GCSE Spanish at A* or A!), but not to rest on the laurels of our success, we kicked off this academic year by launching the annual European Day of Languages Poetry competition in September. October saw the joint History and German trip to Berlin and Potsdam, with visits to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Berlin Wall Memorial, East Side Gallery and the Jewish Museum, which was designed by Daniel Libeskind. This thought-provoking trip provided a greater depth of empathy and knowledge for pupils working on these topics. An exciting programme of events and trips for Sixth Form Spanish students began in October with a trip to watch ‘Misa Fronteriza’ (‘Border Mass’) at Rich Mix, a play in Spanish on the topic of immigration between Mexico and the USA. This was followed by a visit to the National Gallery to view some magnificent Goya portraits and in February, a spectacular Flamenco show at Sadler’s Wells in Islington. Much ‘duende’ all around. In March Sixth Formers enjoyed watching ‘Bodas de Sangre’, a play by Federico García Lorca. A special mention must go to Sophie Karim, Year 11, who undertook a one week course in Law and Languages at the University of London in June. Back to German, and in November, a successful German exchange took place, with girls from the St. Leonhard Gymnasium, Aachen, staying with Channing families for

a week. The cohort took part in assemblies and lessons at Channing, as well as taking advantage of London, with sightseeing tours and other educational experiences. Channing girls then travelled to Aachen to return their visit as part of the exchange programme. This exciting trip included a visit to the German History Museum in Bonn and the cathedral in Cologne, as well as studying the history of Charlemagne in a guided tour of the Centre Charlemagne and the cathedral in February 2016. As Aachen is a spa town, the girls (and accompanying teachers!) enjoyed an afternoon in the ‘Carolus Therme’ - the famous spa in the town centre. It has also been a busy year in the French department. The girls’ performance has gone from strength to strength with excellent results across IGCSE and A Level. We would particularly like to congratulate Audrey Assouly, Gabby Dowsey, and Naomi Rosenfeld who completed their IGCSE in French at the end of Year 9, and all achieved an A* grade. Outside of the classroom, the girls have enjoyed many extracurricular pursuits. All of Year 8 have recently returned from a busy week of activities in Burgundy, whilst at Easter, Mr. Carr and Mrs. Zuluaga de la Cruz led a highly successful visit to Montpellier, where

Year 10 girls increased their competency in the language through regular lessons and cultural visits, whilst several Year 12 girls completed a week-long work placement in a variety of locations including a toy shop, a music shop, and even a dog grooming salon! Alongside this, the Year 12 students also took part in an AS French student conference, as well as attending a showing of the French film ‘Un homme idéal’ at the Institut Français. Along with the rest of the MFL team, we are looking forward to implementing our exciting new Spanish language strategy ‘Adelante’, which means ‘onwards’. Our aim is to foster a deep appreciation and understanding of Spanish language and culture, with plans to encourage pupils, teachers and staff to gain proficiency in Spanish. The new Year 7s arriving in September, along with much of the Junior School, will be learning Spanish as their ‘first’ second language and an exciting programme of co- and extracurricular activities will follow. Mrs Elliott and I have already made some exciting connections with school Colegio Laude de Ganda in Oviedo. Back in London, we excitedly tried our first Skype-type connection with pupils in Oviedo via Google Hangout, which we hoped would spark some new friendships with Channing pupils and Spanish pupils, but unfortunately technology didn’t quite match our levels of enthusiasm! We will try again in September. We are also looking forward to a study trip for Maths and Spanish pupils to Andalusia Easter 2016, as well as implementing our new French and Spanish linear A Level courses for Year 12 students, following the curriculum changes. In German, we are looking forward to our Exchange Pupils visiting in September after three months of exchanging emails and the annual Berlin trip in October will include a visit to Dresden. We are also looking forward to December’s Christmas Market trip to Aachen. Señora Yolande Rabet

Sollen Mütter berufstätig sein? Meiner Meinung nach sollen Mütter nur arbeiten, wenn sie es wollen. Wenn Frauen ein Baby haben, gibt es viele, die ihre Stelle aufgeben, weil es für sie eine lohnende Aufgabe ist, ihre Kinder zu erziehen. Aber es gibt auch Frauen, für die die Karriere die oberste Priorität ist, und für diese Frauen gibt es auch viele Optionen, zum Beispiel eine Tagesmutter zu haben oder nur Teilzeit zu arbeiten. Obwohl es wichtig für Frauen ist, unabhängig von ihren Männern zu sein, müssen Frauen auch an das Wohl ihres Kindes denken, weil es klar ist, dass es besser für ein Kind ist, jeden Tag mit seiner Mutter zu verbringen als mit einer

Tagesmutter. Für viele Frauen ist die beste Option, einen Kompromiss zu finden, zum Beispiel, dass sie nur am Morgen arbeiten, so dass sie den ganzen Nachmittag mit dem Kind verbringen können oder dass der Mann seine Arbeit aufgibt, so dass die Frau weiter berufstätig sein kann. Aber für viele Frauen ist die Arbeit eine Notwendigkeit, weil sie das Geld brauchen, weil zum Beispiel der Mann keine gute Stelle hat. In dieser Situation können Frauen einen Job finden, wo es Dienstleistungen für berufstätige Eltern gibt, zum Beispiel gibt es Arbeitsplätze, die einen Kindergarten haben, so dass Frauen oder Männer ihre Kinder zur Arbeit mitbringen können, und das ist oft

billiger als eine Tagesmutter zu bezahlen; deshalb ist es sehr nützlich für Familien, die finanzielle Probleme haben. Frauen, die arbeiten wollen, sollen ihre Arbeit nie aufgeben, bis sie die anderen Optionen ausprobiert haben. Obwohl die Arbeit sehr wichtig für viele Frauen ist, müssen sie immer daran denken, dass sie jetzt eine grosse Verantwortung haben, ihre Kinder zu erziehen. Die Zeit, die sie mit den Kindern verbringen könnten, sollte deshalb eine grosse Priorität sein, wenn sie eine Entscheidung zwischen Familie und Beruf treffen. Eve Denayer, Year 12

Wie hat Hannas Analphabetismus ihr Leben bestimmt? Bernhard Schlink, Der Vorleser Obwohl wir von Hannas Analphabetismus erst während des Prozesses erfahren, können wir vermuten, dass er die Ursache von vielen ihrer Handlungen im ersten Teil des Buches ist. Erstens konnte Hanna nicht den Begriff “sitzen bleiben” verstehen; sie fragte “Wo bleibst du sitzen?” Diese mangelnde Kenntnis des Schulsystems lässt vermuten, dass sie keine formale Bildung erhalten haben muss. Zweitens scheint Hannas Analphabetismus sie sehr abhängig zu machen. Während der Radtour in den Osterferien hat sie alles Michael überlassen – das Kartenlesen und die Bestellungen im Restaurant – wegen ihres Analphabetismus. Eines Morgens, als Michael das Gasthaus verlässt und einen Zettel hinterlässt, um seine Abwesenheit zu erklären, den Hanna nicht lesen kann, wird Hanna sehr wütend,

und sie schlägt Michael. Dabei zeigt Schlink, wie die Abhängigkeit, durch Hannas Analphabetismus verursacht, zu Frustration und Gewalt führen kann. Am Ende des ersten Teils verlässt Hanna die Stadt, obwohl ihr eine Beförderung angeboten wurde. Mit dem Wissen, dass sie Analphabetin ist, können wir vermuten, dass sie die Beförderung vermeiden wollte, weil sie für diese Arbeit des Lesens und Schreibens hätte mächtig sein müssen. Viele von Hannas Handlungen, die wir im ersten Teil des Buches nicht verstehen können, sind eigentlich Folgen ihres Analphabetismus. Während des Prozesses erfahren wir von ähnlichen Taktiken zur Vermeidung. Hanna ist in die SS “geraten”, um eine Beförderung, die die Fähigkeit zu lesen und zu schreiben voraussetzte, zu vermeiden. Daher könnte man argumentieren, dass

ihre Zeit als KZ-Aufseherin eine Folge ihres Analphabetismus ist. Ausserdem gibt Hanna vor, den Bericht geschrieben zu haben, einmal wieder, um die Bloßstellung ihres Analphabetismus zu vermeiden. Diese Entscheidung bestimmt den Rest ihres Lebens, den sie im Gefängnis verbringen muss. Abschließend sei gesagt, dass Hannas ganzes Leben von Scham bezüglich ihres Analphabetismus beherrscht wurde. Die größten ‚Entscheidungen’ ihres Lebens waren passiv – infolge des Bedürfnisses, die Bloßstellung ihres Analphabetismus zu vermeiden, ohne eine andere Gegenleistung. Wie wir während der Radtour gesehen haben, kann diese Passivität zur Gewalt führen. Hannas Entscheidung, die Stadt zu verlassen, schadet Michael, und noch gravierender hatte ihre Entscheidung, der SS beizutreten, furchtbare Konsequenzen. Rosamond Styles Vickery, Year 13

Wie gross war Hannas Schuld und wie gerecht war ihre Strafe? Bernhard Schlink, Der Vorleser Hanna war unstreitbar schuldig, aber wie gross war ihre Schuld, und ist die Strafe dem Verbrechen angemessen? Einerseits wissen wir, dass Hanna vor Gericht zugegeben hat,, dass sie freiwillig zur SS gegangen ist. Außerdem erfahren wir, dass ihre eine Beförderung bei Siemens angeboten wurde, was zeigt, dass sie sich anders hätte verhalten können. Wir wissen auch, dass Hanna und die anderen Angeklagten für die Toten der Bombennacht verantwortlich sind. Die Gefangenen wurden in die Kirche gesperrt, und die Aufseherinnen haben die Kirchentür nicht aufgeschlossen, um die Gefangenen vor dem Feuer zu retten. Ferner hat Hanna einige Frauen aus dem

Lager zum Vorlesen gewählt, was, wie man argumentieren könnte, grausam war, weil es falsche Hoffnungen geweckt hat. Andererseits könnte man den Standpunkt vertreten, dass Hanna nicht mit böser Absicht gehandelt hat. Vor Gericht sagte sie, dass sie sich nicht anders zu helfen wußten. Sie wollte die Gefangenen nicht töten, aber dachte, dass sie keine andere Wahl hatte. Ebenso könnte eingewandt werden, dass Hanna nicht zur SS gehen wollte, sondern eher, wie Michael vermutet, die Bloßstellung ihres Analphabetismus vermeiden wollte. Ein weiterer Punkt ist, dass Hanna als Analphabetin den Bericht der Bombennacht nicht geschrieben haben konnte. Ferner hat Hanna nie vor Gericht versucht, ihr Verbrechen zu verstecken, während die anderen Angeklagten sogleich die Schuld

auf Hanna geschoben haben, um sich selbst zu retten. Trotz dieser Tatsachen hat Hanna die längste Haftstrafe bekommen. Auf diese Weise ist Hannas Strafe selbstverständlich ungerecht. Man könnte allerdings sagen, dass es ihre eigene Entscheidung ist, die Verantwortung für den Bericht zu übernehmen, und somit hat sie ihre Strafe über sich selbst gebracht. Abschließend kann man sagen, dass Hanna ohne böse Absicht gehandelt zu haben scheint. Ihr Sinn für Ordnung und ihr Bedürfnis, ihren Analphabetismus zu verstecken ist für sie wichtiger als ihr Verantwortungsgefühl für andere Menschen. Dadurch ist Hanna unstreitbar schuldig. Rosamond Styles Vickery, Year 13

Music As I write this review of Channing’s musical journey through the past year I hear drilling, banging, pumping; noises that are seriously irritating many of my colleagues. I think of it as music, music because those ‘sweet’ sounds mean that when I am writing this review next summer it will include details of our first performances in the long awaited performing ar ts building! But let us firstly focus on this year. In September we welcomed Miss Rachel Chapman to our singing faculty. Rachel has already proved herself a popular teacher of singing and recently organised a most successful Music at Lunchtime event. This now brings our singing faculty to six teachers in total, teaching well over 120 singing lessons each week! The Year 11 Concert was the first event of the year and they treated us to a number of accomplished musical performances culminating in the Year 11 acapella medley. The Autumn Concert just before half-term in October was dominated by music that we were about to take on our music tour to central Spain. Certainly the two highlights of that event were Amaani Ahmed’s beautiful rendition of Castelnuovo’s Guitar Concerto (a Channing first, I think!) and Leora Cohen’s solo performance (accompanied by orchestra) of Lalo’s ‘Symphonie Espagnole’. This concert was certainly the largest this year with the audience standing in the aisles and it presented a bit of a logistical challenge for myself with the 200+ performers that we had on the stage that night! We pride ourselves on incredibly high musical standards, but Channing Music is also huge! Over the half-term break Miss Pepper, Miss Zanardo, Mr Coram, Mr Jacobs and myself took 40 musicians to Madrid, Toledo and

Segovia. I have to say that this was one of the most successful trips I have ever taken with respect to the audiences and the quality of the music making. I will say no more about it here but I do urge you to read the separate report on the trip in this magazine. Following half term we had the Showcase Recital for Years 8-10, held in the Founders’ Hall. There were many memorable performances from some of our most talented musicians in these year groups. We particularly enjoyed Catherine Style’s Bach Violin Concerto and Gabrielle Dowsey’s interpretation of her Chopin piece. Towards the end of the term we performed on behalf of the KINOE charity in St George’s Church, Hanover Square. It was a privilege to perform in such an historic church and the girls of Key Stage 2 and the Senior Chamber Choir sang beautifully, impressing and delighting the assembled audience. Key Stage 2 shone again in their Christmas Celebration the following Friday at St Michael’s Church. Again, led by the amazing Miss Pepper, they provided an uplifting and memorable series of Christmas songs, carols and readings. The Senior School’s Carol Concert took place just three days later. This was a particularly special edition in which readings and carols were all from around Europe in both their original language and a translation. The poignancy of such an event alongside the immigration crisis was not lost on those attending. The Spring Term is traditionally the Music School’s busiest and this was no exception. The Channing Chamber Music Evening on the 8th February was our first major event of 2016 and we held it at the Unitarian Chapel at Rosslyn Hill. This is a superb venue, if a little challenging in terms of access! The chapel was also delighted to host their local unitarian school. The concert began with a performance of Karl Jenkins’ ‘Palladio’ given by the Strings Plus Ensemble directed by Miss Pepper in the presence of the composer himself! This was the first of a wonderful evening of chamber music from the Brunner Show Choir, String Quintet, Wind Octet, Clarinet Crew, and many other small ensembles. This year’s Jazz Evening surpassed all others in its variety and quality. There was

a performance of Alex Moss’ AS composition, as well as one by Senior Brass (assisted by Mr Hurford, Grace’s father), the Jazz Band itself, Mr Travis’ amazing professional quartet and of course our superb vocalists, topped by Mia Gourlay’s showstopping performance of ‘Do Right Woman’. Later in March we visited St Joseph’s again for our annual Choral and Orchestral Concert. This year the choirs were girls only (parents it will be your turn again next year!) in a gripping performance of Schubert’s Mass in G accompanied by orchestra. The Brass Ensemble began the event with a Gabrieli ‘Canzona’ played from the balcony. This was followed by Grace Hurford’s sublime trumpet playing of pieces by Purcell and Hovhaness accompanied by organ. Senior Strings played Holst’s ‘St Paul’s Suite’ and the chamber Choir appealed to the masses with their performances of ‘Simple Gifts’, ‘Let it be’ and ‘Close to you’. It was, however, the Symphony Orchestra’s exciting rendition of Copland’s ‘Hoe Down’ and Wagner’s incredibly powerful ‘Rienzi Overture’ that was the highlight. The sense of ensemble created by this orchestra and the feeling of oneness that they achieve is, I believe, superb for a school. We are immensely proud of their achievement. ‘Honk’ was the title of the KS2 production and what a spectacle this was. It was a hugely ambitious project for a Junior School but they pulled it off and it was full of fun, excitement and enthusiasm. The music in particular was a triumph, ably directed and rehearsed by Miss Pepper. The Sixth Form Concert was also held in Rosslyn hill Chapel at the beginning of the Summer Term. This always promises to be a special event and an opportunity for our Year 13 leavers to perform their swan song. They did not disappoint, but I want to mention three performances that were particularly special, that of Leora Cohen’s Mozart ‘Adagio’, Hannah Suh’s Vitali ‘Chaconne’, and Emily Reader’s Rachmaninov ‘Sonata’. The Summer Concert, at its earlier date of 8th June, was again in St Joseph’s Church. The Junior Choir, led by Miss Szreter, were fabulous and the Concert Orchestra’s ‘Star Wars’ certainly hit the mark! The concert concluded with a sparkling performance of

Bizet’s ‘Carmen Suite’ given by the Symphony Orchestra. The girls were completely soaked when the heavens opened on the short walk from school to church for rehearsal but they did not let that dampen their enthusiasm or their ability to entertain their parents, teachers and friends in the audience that evening. The KS2 Concert held in St Michael’s had the highest quality String Playing I have heard from Junior School. The concert also included a Brass Group performing a 12 Bar Blues in which they all played a solo. The KS2 choir finished the event with a magical medley from Mary Poppins. Another Miss Pepper triumph! The Year 7 Concert held in the Sports Hall on Monday 27th June was one of the best we have had. There are a large number of highly talented girls in this year group and not even the intrusive drilling heard during Talia Nabarro’s poised performance of Corelli’s ‘Preludio’ could detract from a number of excellent performances from soloists and ensembles. The entire year group concluded the concert with songs from South Africa and a trio of Howard Goodall theme tunes, such as Blackadder and Mr Bean! The ABRSM and Music Theatre examinations taken throughout the year again numbered in the hundreds with many spectacular results. Many do need to focus a little more on their supporting tests, as weakness in this area prevents candidates from achieving that merit or distinction. Throughout the year we have had a wonderful series of Music at Lunchtime events held most Fridays in the Founders’ Hall at 1.05pm. An innovative theme we introduced this year was a ‘Siblings’ concert. This was a heartwarming event and exposed much sisterly talent! These concerts are an excellent opportunity for girls to showcase their talents in an informal setting at whatever level they are, be they beginner or diploma level pupil. Sadly we had to say goodbye to Mr Stuart Allen our clarinet teacher of 17 years this term. Mr Allen will be sorely missed; he has given excellent service to Channing and inspired many young clarinetists in their studies. The special ‘Allen’ sound though, will live on, as his replacement Mrs Kate Collier, is actually a past pupil of Mr Allen. We wish him and his wife Eileen all happiness in their retirement. Finally I would like to thank Mrs Helen Daniels for her amazing work behind the scenes ensuring the wheels keep on turning on the Music School machine! Thanks are also due

to Miss Zanardo for her work as Assistant Director of Music, particularly with the Concert Orchestra and the Clarinet Crew. Miss Pepper gives me enormous support and her efforts at both the Junior and Senior School deserve special thanks. We now look forward to the future, to new and exciting opportunities with our new performing arts building, but for the present the banging and the drilling (with its irregular time signature and complete pantonality) goes on! Mr Peter Boxall, Director of Music

Music Tour to Madrid, Toledo and Segovia By Leora Cohen, Alexandra Moss, Elizabeth Orr and Beatrix Greenwood, Year 12.

22nd October Arrival day Frantically reviving the remains of our memories of GCSE Spanish, we arrived in Madrid, welcomed by the afternoon sun. After going straight to the hotel, we were left to find some lunch in central Madrid and soon gathered back at the hotel to make our way to rehearse in the Catedral d’Alcala de Henares. The stunning surrounding town provided a calming evening walk after such a long day of travelling and rehearsing. The weather was perfect and we soon found ourselves singing in a courtyard together with a gathered audience of the public. 23rd in Segovia with a concert at Segovia Conservatoire of Music Following a very indulgent hotel breakfast, we left the hotel for Segovia. On the coach, Year 12 cellist Lizzie, had realised she’d forgotten her concert wear for the concert that day. The ancient city of Segovia was where we spent the morning, exploring and sightseeing, until we found ourselves in a glorious Cathedral lined with gold and old Spanish catholic artefacts, including a very interesting piece of manuscript showing the ancient way of notating music. Once we had departed this Cathedral, we found ourselves on our daily lunch mission, with an extra quest of buying Lizzie some concert wear which proved slightly difficult as it was siesta. Our concert at the conservatoire that evening was our debut performance in Spain. 24th in Madrid and performing in the Catedral d’Alcala de Henares We began the day with a little cultural enrichment, with a visit to the Museo del Prado, which housed a great host of great

artwork, including the work of Velazquez, Goya and Bosch. This was, of course, after having to wait for over an hour whilst Mr.Boxall rushed to the hotel and back to get our passports which were required for entry to the museum. After some persuasion from Ms.Pepper, Leora got out her violin and began to busk outside the museum, before a very stressed Mr.Boxall arrived to find that the museum couldn’t be bothered to look at our passports and ended up letting us in without them! We then had a bus tour of central Madrid and ate in a shopping mall - with little choice and a reluctance to try foreign food, many decided on McDonald’s for lunch… After some time in the hotel to relax we travelled to Henares where we had enough time to rehearse and explore the town a little before giving what was arguably our best and most well-received concert of the tour. It took place in the beautiful Catedral d’Alcala de Henares, which was completely packed with members of the public (though who knows if this impressive turnout was partly due to the mistake of the festival organisers in confusing our Mr. Coram with the famous organist, David Coram!); we even received a standing ovation at the end! Though the fact that we were being filmed was slightly nerve-racking and it was quite tempting to look at the large projector screen behind us, it was a very enjoyable experience, and we all went for a late dinner with a feeling of accomplishment. 25th Toledo and the concert in Santa Maria Church, Colmenar de Oreja We started the day bright and early with the delicious breakfast in which we were spoilt for choice between various cheeses, hams, pastries and even British cereals! We then departed for Toledo where we were able to do some sightseeing. Entranced by the beautiful buildings situated in breathtaking scenery we had some time to explore. We were all fascinated by the old towers and the cobblestone streets that paved the city. Whilst here, we had the chance to see the famous ‘El Greco’ painting which was such a privilege, and its popularity showed by the crowded viewing area. After a lunch of authentic paella we left to travel to our next concert. On the way we stopped to see the Royal Palace of Aranjuez which had us all in awe; unfortunately the Year 12s were a bit late to see this amazing landmark, having woken up to an empty coach and having to run to catch up! We then continued our journey to Colmenar, being entertained all the way by our amusing coach driver. It was a quiet, very small town but very beautiful with white stone buildings reminding some of us of the

‘Mamma-mia!’ film. The concert venue was an old building, very ornate with lots of gold around the altar and a lovely place to play. After receiving a standing ovation at our concert with a full audience, we headed for dinner in Restaurant de Checa which had a friendly atmosphere and a lovely end to the evening.

girls were paired up with students at their school, to have lunch in a nearby cafe. This was an experience to say the least. The students were very quirky, and very curious about our lives. All the people were open and very sweet and we loved learning about their culture and what Spanish teens do.

26th in Madrid with a Concert at Santa Maria del Pilar School After a short journey on to the Santa Maria del Pilar School, we arrived. We were welcomed like celebrities to their school. We were hustled into the school chapel to begin rehearsals. The chapel was beautiful, with a large multi-coloured stained glass window at the back of the chapel, beautiful in the evening. The acoustics were lovely.

This concert stood out to me the most. The hall was filled with over 500 children and parents. Unlike the rest of the concerts the crowd was very rowdy when applauding and this tended to put off the performers a bit.This was definitely the biggest crowd so far and Charlotte and Orla’s performance on the ukulele was very well received.

To welcome us to their school and to get a taste of the Spanish culture all the Channing

After a fantastic and very memorable week of concerts all over Madrid we got back on to the coach for the last

adventure of the week. We finished with a visit to the the Sofia Reina Museum, where we saw a collection of drawings and sculptures by Pablo Picasso, as well as paintings by Salvador Dalí. This was a fantastic end to the week, leaving us feeling very cultured. 27th Returning home After clearing our rooms and checking out of the hotel, we were left with a few hours for shopping around the Plaza del Sol, where many were excited to find their favourite high street shops and even a Taco Bell restaurant for lunch! We then returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage (and hurriedly packing everything we’d bought, some with more difficulty than others), and travelled to the airport, reluctant to leave Madrid but ready to catch up on some much-needed sleep when we got home! What an amazing trip!

ABRSM Results Year

Name

Instrument

Grade

Result

Nina Sydee

Piano

Prep

Sasha Butler

Clarinet

Pass

Ava Kormind

Trombone

Pass

Orla Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;neill

Clarinet

Pass

Noluthando Tebe

Singing

Pass

Yi Di Wang

Clarinet

Pass

Ruby Awenat

Piano

Merit

Ella-Marie Davies

Violin

Merit

Eve Edwards

Cello

Merit

Natasha Freedman

Piano

Merit

Georgina Grossman

Clarinet

Merit

Eliza Jacob

Flute

Merit

Amelia Marriott

Voice

Merit

Molly Shenker

Viola

Merit

Tamzin Silver

Flute

Merit

Zainab Alam

Violin

Distinction

10He

Talia Engel

Violin

Distinction

Alethea Foster

Viola

Distinction

Daria Greshneva

Piano

Distinction

Madeleine Hjelt

Singing

Distinction

Chloe Hommel

Violin

Distinction

Saskia Kirkegaard

Voice

Distinction

Sophia Mirchandani Whiteside

Violin

Distinction

Lydia Mistry

Violin

Distinction

Isabella Preston

Viola

Distinction

Lisa Scheerlinck

Alto Saxophone

Distinction

Hana Shimizu-French

Flute

Distinction

Lara Simler

Flute

Distinction

Catherine Butler

Singing

Pass

10H

Madelaine Deutsch

Flute

Pass

12Mb

Eloise Gibbins

Alto Saxophone

Pass

Eliza Jacob

Flute

Pass

Chiara Knorr

Piano

Pass

Charlotte Mirchandani Whiteside

Violin

Pass

Sarla Murray

Voice

Pass

Grace Nash

Flute

Pass

Arissa Raja-Hussain

Piano

Pass

Khadija Rehman

Clarinet

Pass

Emily Silver

Violin

Pass

Zainab Alam

Violin

Merit

Florence Angel

Cornet

Merit

Isabella Barber

Saxophone

Merit

Hana Dean

Violin

Merit

Alacoe Frost

Voice

Merit

Alice Gray

Clarinet

Merit

Georgina Grossman

Piano

Merit

Katerina Kamysheva

Voice

Merit

Julie Martinez

Cello

Merit

Siya Narayan

Flute

Merit

Jasmine Patra

Trombone

Merit

Year

Name

Instrument

Grade

Result

Simran Tulsiani

Violin

Merit

Lily Waltasaari

Singing

Merit

Anika Anand

Alto Saxophone

Distinction

Yasmin Campbell

Cello

Distinction

Eve Cronkshaw

Double Bass

Distinction

Chloe Hommel

Violin

Distinction

Alia Khalouf

Singing

Distinction

Sui-Lin Le-Carson

Voice

Distinction

Matilda Mistry

Harp

Distinction

Imogen Myatt

Violin

Distinction

Sofia Rehman

Theory

Distinction

Adele Ryan

Viola

Distinction

Florence Wright

Voice

Distinction

Amy Abrahams

Voice

Pass

Julia Bispham

Singing

Pass

Tia Crown

Flute

Pass

Charlotte Free

Violin

Pass

Flora Gillis

Cello

Pass

Lucia Groves

Piano

Pass

Isabella Jain

Violin

Pass

Sofia Mastrogiacomo

Viola

Pass

Eleonora Megaro

Voice

Pass

Anna Milsom

Voice

Pass

Tiana Parti

Singing

Pass

Lucille Robinson

Singing

Pass

10H

Miriam Simler

Voice

Pass

Clara Slater

Singing

Pass

Anna Tefoglu

Voice

Pass

Simran Tulsiani

Violin

Pass

Mia Apfel

Clarinet

Merit

Antonie Benkert

Double Bass

Merit

Hannah Davis

Voice

Merit

Agnes Delaney

Singing

Merit

Maeve Gallagher

Flute

Merit

Yelena Hill

Guitar

Merit

Maddie Leviton

Voice

Merit

Saskia Lonergan

Voice

Merit

Mischa Tabori

Cello

Merit

Sienna Thompson

Flute

Merit

Beth Warren

Singing

Merit

Natasha Freedman

Recorder

Distinction

Imogen Myatt

Violin

Distinction

Adele Ryan

Viola

Distinction

Lily Bea Howe

Flute

Pass

Elena Binns

Flute

Pass

Catherine Butler

Piano

Pass

Alexandra Cronkshaw

Piano

Pass

Alexandra Cronkshaw

Bassoon

Pass

Megan Dearden-Hellawell

Clarinet

Pass

Antonina Hagopian

Violin

Pass

Year

Name

Instrument

Grade

Result

Charlotte Kendall

Piano

Pass

10H

Amy Lee Hills

Singing

Pass

Hermione Lobb

Flute

Pass

Saskia Lonergan

Violin

Pass

Charlotte Marshall

Flute

Pass

Xanthe Melikian

Voice

Pass

Anna Mitchell

Horn

Pass

Amy Reeves

Clarinet

Pass

Madeleine Rymer

Trombone

Pass

Mia Abrams

Voice

Merit

Riana Chandaria

Voice

Merit

Marlena Jackaman

Clarinet

Merit

Eleanor Phillips

Voice

Merit

Hana Shimizu-French

Piano

Merit

Matilda Sumners

Voice

Merit

10He

Kailai Xiong

Violin

Merit

Rebecca Fenner

Singing

Distinction

Talia Nabarro

Voice

Distinction

Poppy Oliver

Singing

Distinction

Constantina Papadopoulos

Bassoon

Distinction

Noluthando Tebe

Violin

Distinction

10C

Sarah Woodburn

Voice

Distinction

Millicent Angel

Flute

Pass

11W

Alexandra Cross

Theory

Pass

11W

Annie Glinert

Voice

Pass

Annabel Gotto

Piano

Pass

10C

Amelia Little

Theory

Pass

10C

Gresa Madjuni

Singing

Pass

10C

Anne Moorhouse

Piano

Pass

10C

Anne Moorhouse

Theory

Pass

12Sf

Hannah Robinson

Voice

Pass

12Rw

Zoe Steele

Violin

Pass

13Rw

Rosamund Styles Vickery

Singing

Pass

Abigail Summerfield

Violin

Pass

Yuki Wu

Theory

Pass

10M

Beatrice Ashley-Norman

Alto Saxophone

Merit

Jemima Eskanazi

Theory

Merit

Lilia Foster

Cello

Merit

10He

Daria Hall

Oboe

Merit

10He

Daria Hall

Theory

Merit

Stella Hastings

Theory

Merit

Isabel Lesser

Theory

Merit

Charlotte Marshall

Theory

Merit

Gayatri Sabharwal

Violin

Merit

10C

Ella Cronkshaw

Theory

Distinction

Isabel Lesser

Violin

Distinction

10C

Sarah Woodburn

Singing

Distinction

10C

Ella Cronkshaw

French Horn

Pass

Natasha Gough

Violin

Pass

10C

Amelia Little

Violin

Pass

Year

Name

Instrument

Grade

Result

10C

Anne Moorhouse

Bassoon

Pass

Anna Biro

Flute

Merit

10H

Ella Blendis

Flute

Merit

10C

Francesca Browett

Singing

Merit

11M

Jemima Cedar

Voice

Distinction

Abigail Ornadel

Trombone

Distinction

13Sf

Imogen Phillips

Alto Saxophone

Distinction

13Ab

Amaani Ahmed

Piano

Pass

12Wd

Lucy Hill

Flute

Pass

12Sfr

Lucia Matano

Violin

Pass

12Rw

Zahra Sayeed

Singing

Pass

10C

Georgia Fernando

Oboe

Merit

Charlotte Woolley

Violin

Merit

12Ah

Alexandra Moss

Alto Saxophone

Distinction

12Ah

Alexandra Moss

Voice

Distinction

10He

Kate Pennington

Singing

Distinction

12Ab

Tabitha Ashley-Norman

Trombone

Merit

12Pb

Leora Cohen

Piano

Merit

13Sf

Imogen Phillips

Oboe

Merit

12Km

Orla Webster

Violin

Merit

12Pb

Leora Cohen

Violin

Distinction

12Ah

Alexandra Moss

Singing

Distinction

Music Theatre Examination Results Name

Form

Grade

Result

Lucy Narunsky

Distinction

Saskia Kirkegaard

Distinction

Yuki Wu

Distinction

Sophia Baum

Merit

Lara Dailey

Distinction

Nancy Flintoff

Merit

Flora Froment

Distinction

Zara Levy

Distinction

Alexia Miller

Merit

Julia Conti-Gemes

Distinction

Madeline Damberg-Ott

10B

Distinction

Lucy Faber

10HE

Merit

Maddie Leviton

Distinction

Saskia Lonergan

Distinction

Anastasia Pendlebury

Merit

Sasha Rozanov

Merit

Tabitha Cartmell

Distinction

Evie Mellman

Distinction

Eleanor Phillips

Distinction

Florence Wright

Distinction

Saskia Lewis

10H

Distinction

Sport, PE & Games PE Department

Our brand new, state of the art Sports Centre has, this year, given us the opportunity to build on the enthusiasm and spirit for sport and physical activity at Channing. In the PE Department we have been busy planning new curriculum concepts, sports clubs and strategies to increase the amount of competitive opportunity we are able to offer our students. This has resulted in an increase the range and number of sports we are able to offer both in PE lessons and in extracurricular clubs. We have worked hard to develop the competitive spirit and commitment in the girls and we are looking forward to building upon this in the years ahead.

Athletics

The girls have enjoyed and excelled in a full season of athletics this year. The season commenced in the Autumn Term with the Haringey Schools Cross Country league where our squad came second overall. Later in the term, a Year 7 and 8 squad were selected to compete at the Lee Valley Indoor Athletics Cup. The Year 7 Squad, comprising Amelia Crane,

Alexia Miller, Sofia Lejonvarn, Eva O’Neill and Charlotte Woolley, showed exceptional performances, competing against some of the best athletes in the country, over 3 consecutive weeks, to reach the Finals. They came a very respectable second place, the best performance in this event thus far. Our Year 7 and 8 Squads then competed in the Haringey Schools Sports Hall Athletics League, the Year 8’s finished third and Year 7 team finished second. Finally, to the Outdoor season, girls from Years 7-9 represented Channing at the Haringey Outdoor Athletics League. Again, there were some outstanding performances with both teams finishing in second place. With these exceptional results we can look forward to a very promising season next year. Well done to all girls who have shown a commitment to Athletics training and competing this year.

Netball

In 2015-16 Channing Netball team’s performances improved across all age groups. Our teams competed against Highgate School, City of London School For Girls, South

Hampstead High School, Frances Holland and Westminster. The Year 7 team were unbeaten in all school fixtures. The Year 8, 11 and the Senior teams won all but one of their matches, and the Year 9 team won one of their matches against City of London School for Girls. This year, we entered two teams from Years 7 and 8 into the Middlesex County Schools Tournament. Matches were competitive and we performed well. We were disappointed that the Year 7 team narrowly missed getting to the finals, losing two of their matches by only one goal. A number of girls have been selected for the Middlesex County Satellite and County Academies. Mali and Tori Akinrinlola and Inara Merali were selected for the Middlesex County Satellite Academy. In addition, Indya Akinrinlola represented London and SouthEast in the Regional Academy. Channing also now has its first qualified young Netball umpire. We are delighted that this

Netball Squad year, Zoe Thompson passed her C Award, making her one of the youngest umpires in the county.

Ski Trip 2016

In February this year, 45 Year 10 and 11 students departed Channing School on the Channing Ski Trip. Everyone was filled with excitement of the heavily anticipated trip to Saalbach Austria, accompanied by six very brave teachers (Miss Della-Porta, Mr Riggs-Long, Miss Zekan, Mrs Marchant, Mrs Smith and Mr Williamson). After a long plane journey, multiple coaches and taxis, we were all silenced by the sheer beauty of the snowy mountains, that we would very soon call home. The first day started with by organising every skier and snowboarder with their equipment for the following week, before promptly separating into three groups: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. After a long day of skiing, we were all treated to a trip to the local ice-rink in Saalbach. Throughout the week there were many evening activities arranged, such as Curling, Pizza evening, Ice Skating and with the help of our two maths teachers, some Maths drop-in sessions were organised! Après-ski became very popular for all the teachers and girls and we were always very disheartened to hear that the taxis had arrived to shuttle us back to our Hotel. Throughout the week the three groups would re-group at lunchtime in restaurants dotted around the mountains and exchanged many funny moments that had happened in the few hours we were all separated. The ski trip to Saalbach will always be a treasured memory filled with friends, laughs and personal achievement. Chiara Ispani, Year 10

Sports Day 2016

Much to our delight, Mother Nature was kind to us and decided to keep Sports Day dry, albeit chilly! There were several members of staff who didn’t expect such a cold day and they came running to the Sports Hall for spare jackets. I know we have lost property but normally it’s the pupils who come foraging through the pile! The procession commenced with Bursar, Mr Hill, leading the way to Parliament Hill

Athletics Track. Events began with the 75m Hurdles and if you blinked you would have missed the speedy Alexia Miller, Year 7, with a time of 12.1 seconds. The field events were well under way during the sprinting races with some impressive throws from Mia Carlisle, Year 10 in Shot Put and Willow Stokoe, Year 10 in Javelin. Running, or rather sprinting the 800m, Sofia Lejonvarn, Moselle Solomon and Martha Sayer all placed first in their age groups, crossing the line in well under 3 minutes. A special mention to Eve Denayer, Year 12, placing first in the 200m, 300m and 800m races. Also well done to Head Girl, Georgia Clarke, for staying upright during the 75m hurdles. As a tradition, the teacher’s race finished off the day with the most support and cheering from the crowd. It was inspirational seeing Dr Devlin and Mrs Derbyshire competing for their houses. Thank you to the Sports Officers Ellie Gibbins and Alice Murnaghan, and Year 12 for their enthusiasm, participation and assistance during the day and thank you to all of the participants, teachers and support staff that made the day so successful.

Sports Leaders

The introduction of Sports Leaders Level 2 has increased the interest level of girls in Year 11 with over 20 students successfully completing the course this year. Three of them deserve a special mention for assisting and leading activities at the Junior School Sports Day. These three girls came back after their exams, on their day off, to support such a fun event. Thank you Indya Akinrinlola, Leah Longley and Lydia Phillips. A new cohort of Year 10 Leaders have emerged this year, delivering events for pupils at the Junior School as well as their peers. We have seen the introduction of pupils leading and assisting with extracurricular clubs for the Middle School at lunchtimes and after school. We are looking forward to making more links with the community and extending the Sports Leadership Programme at Channing in 2016/17.

Under 12 girls who competed Eva O’Neill Caroline Cornish Mali Akinrinlola Gemma Selby Charlotte Parrott Mitzi Robinson Millie Crane Sophia Baum Zara Coles Lidia Lonergan

Charlotte Woolley Eden Levy Tori Akinrinlola Alexia Miller Lily Hergott Julia Bispham Phoebe Morse Layla Daulatzai Jess McDonald

Under 13 girls who competed Jessica Berlin Giulia Galli Maddie McCleod Sefia Merali Lottie Simmonds Niamh Walter Xanthe Lelikian Juliet Freeman Bella Lowe Georgia Walsh

Eve Edwards Amelia Jackson Inara Merali Anna Mitchell Freya Thompson Rachel Fenner Yasmin Ghobadian Bella Khavari Lydia Edmonds

Under 14 Squad Tabby Cartmel Charlotte Marshall Tally Hugo-Butler Eliane Carter Shehnaz Cuerdo

Elena Binns Megan Khan Martha Sayer Laura Cipolotti-Ranieri Rebecca Hjelt

Under 15 girls who competed Ella Cronkshaw Bianca Stapleton Marnie Granek India Wood Ella Blendis

Amelia Little Georgia Schraff Chiara Ispani Megan Williams Amy Davis-Brown

Under 16 girls who competed Olivia Banks Indya Akinrinlola Zoe Thompson

Romilly King Ruby Bond Maisie Cartmell

Seniors who competed Abi Sidwell Alice Murnaghan Olivia Howe

Hannah Teeger Lottie Taylor Georgia Clarke

Athletics

Haringey Cross Country New River

Athletics

St Thomas More

Talia Lever

Sophie Collins

Alexia Miller

Talia Kanerick

Eva O’Neill

Charlotte Wooley

Sophie Murray

Moselle Solomon

Eva O’Neil

Anisha Perera

Jessica Berlin

Millie Crane

Antonia Hannon-Thresh

Aimee Fluet

Sofia Lejonvarn

Daisyboo Oliver

Gemma Selby

Kate Lipton

Moselle Solomon

Megan Dearden-Hellawell

Jessica Berlin

Martha Sayer

Eve Edwards

Silvia Allan

Kate Kamysheva

Clementine Butler Brown

Daisyboo Oliver

Emily Rea

Inara Merali

Natasha Burns

Daria Purik

Indoor Athletics Lee Valley Alexia Miller

Maddie Macleod Beth Warren

Athletics

Eva O’Neil

New River

Amelia Crane

Alexia Miller

Sofia Lejonvarn

Eva O’Neil

Charlotte Woolley Moselle Solomon Daisyboo Oliver Jessica Berlin Maddie Macleod Beth Warren Inara Merali Eve Edwards Charlotte Marshall Anna Biro

Amelia Crane Sofia Lejonvarn Lily Hergott Charlotte Parrot Gemma Selby

Lydia Edmonds Clementine Butler Brown Isabella Atkinson Charlotte Marshall Eryn Gold Sofia Mastrogiacomo Hannah Barta Holly Williams Mia Carlisle Maddie Damberg Ott

Rounders Under 12 Girls who competed Amelie Lawlor Phoebe Morse Sophia Baum Eva O’Neill Alexia Miller Antonia Hannon-Thresh Chiara Knorr Lulu Hardy

Lilia Foster

Gemma Selby

Charlotte Wooley

Lara Himoff

Antonia Hannon-Thresh

Charlotte Woolley

Julia Bispham

Lidia Lonergan

Daisyboo Oliver

Hannah Percival

Moselle Solomon

Cicely Stokes

Amelia Jackson

Connie Papadopoulos

Eve Edwards Silvia Allan Anna Biro Eleanor Phillips Anna Cornish Emily Sinclair

Swimming

Amelia Marriott Zara Levy Antonina Hagopian Zara Coles Evie Walters

Under 13 Girls who competed

Under 14 Girls who competed

Sefia Merali

Charlotte Marshall

Dasha Purik

Eliane Carter

Jessica Berlin

Abigail Summerfield

Amy Abrahams

Anna Western

Alexandra Cronkshaw

Lola Cavill

Giulia Galli

Anna Wickens

Sarah Haskell

Miriam Hammell

Asha Persaud

Elena Binns

Beth Warren

Riana Chandaria

Chloe Grossmith-Dwek

Charlotte Free

Bella Lowe

Annika Woodward

Niamh Walter Nadeen Jumah Rebecca Hjelt Ella Shindler

Religious Education It has been an exceptionally busy year in the Religious Education department. The curriculum has been remodelled with a focus on religious pluralism, in line with the drive to promote core British values such as tolerance and a celebration of cultural diversity.

supported the pupils in developing advanced evaluative and reasoning skills as well as an appreciation of the importance of absorbing and responding to the perspectives of their peers in a supportive atmosphere of mutual tolerance and understanding.

themselves, their families and the school. A new, two year GCSE course commences this September alongside other subjects and this will be studied in curriculum time and encompasses many exciting and challenging areas of study.

Upon completion of Year 8, pupils have spent a full term investigating the teachings and practices of each major world faith with a focus on the experience of religious believers in twenty-first century Britain. Areas of study have included; investigations into the nature of God, studies of holy texts, and an assessment of the importance of festivals and ceremonies in promoting harmony and unity within the community as a whole.

The effort that the Upper School pupils have put into the Religious Education portion of the carousel has been outstanding. Year 10 have investigated the major issues raised by both abortion and euthanasia, whilst Year 11 have taken a more philosophical route, considering the variety of arguments for and against the potential existence of a life after death. Reincarnation, Holy texts and the potential existence of ghosts have all been discussed and hotly debated!

The Sixth Form enrichment classes have focused on religion and art, assessing the symbolism of a variety of pieces and considering whether there should be boundaries within the discipline when it comes to dealing with religious themes or should freedom of expression be complete and limitless?

Philosophical and ethical enquiry has formed the basis of study in the Middle and Upper School. Students in Year 9 have considered arguments concerning the existence of God and the eternal problem of evil â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if there is an all good and all powerful God, why would he allow his creation to suffer in such a desperate manner? Could there be a purpose to human suffering? Debating such issues has

The twilight one year GCSE course has been in operation for its second year and I would like to take this opportunity to praise the pupils who have dedicated so much time and energy to the subject on top of their other commitments, both academic and extracurricular. They are a credit to

As the academic year draws to a close, I wish one and all a very happy and restful summer break and to end on this note:

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; My religion is very simple. My religion is kindnessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Dalai Lama XIV. Mr Giles Headey, Head of R.E.

Science The year started on a very positive note with the news that over two-thirds of the grades awarded for IGCSE Triple-Award Science subjects were A* and there were also some very pleasing A-Level results. In the Science Department, we offer our students a wide range of opportunities to become involved in science beyond the classroom and, to this end, we organise, amongst other things, science clubs, day

conferences, competitions, summer camps and discussion groups. One of the highlights of the calendar is Channing Science Week and, last November, we were fortunate enough to have two guest speakers who gave fascinating talks relating to Women in Astronomy. Professor David Wolfe (Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of New Mexico) gave us an insight into the lives of Henrietta Leavitt and Vera Rubin and Professor Jay Farihi (Ernest Rutherford Fellow Lecturer at the University College, London) spoke about some of the pioneers of Astronomy, including Annie Jump Cannon and Jocelyn Bell Burnell. To give a flavour of what Channing Science students get up to, here is an account written by India Capper, who is one of our Year 12 students, of Medical Discussion Group: “Medical discussion group is a society for aspiring medics in the Sixth Form, including doctors, vets, pharmacists and psychiatrists. Medical discussion group is far from just preparation for applying for medicine at university; it aims to cultivate an interest in medicine amongst its members, which aids the application process and inspires enthusiasm for the subject. This year we have explored the clinical side of being a doctor, comprising of group discussions as well as interactive

ways to understand this aspect of medicine. One of these ways was role-playing as a doctor and patient (a slightly more sophisticated version of when we were younger), enacting difficult consultations. In this way we were able to identify problems that may arise and possible solutions to them. Preparation for applications extends to attempting UKcat questions in order to practise for the clinical aptitude tests that we will sit at the end of this summer. We have also reflected upon the ethical conflicts involved in medicine. At the start of the year we prepared and delivered debates on certain ethical issues facing healthcare professionals, exploring both sides of the argument. Two topics that we delved into were E-cigarettes and their health benefits, and the ethics surrounding the Junior Doctors’ strike. These are both controversial topics that allowed us to build informed opinions on current issues in medicine. Sessions often include the discussion of current affairs relevant to medicine. This informs us of recent medical events and provides us with an opportunity to discuss what we have read in medical journals, such as the BMJ or the Lancet. Not only is this fascinating and informative, but it also provides material for a medical application. Throughout the year we have had various speakers come in. One visitor was Dr Su Laurent, a consultant Paediatrician, and the mother of a former Head Girl at Channing. She spoke to us about medicine as a career, giving us an honest outline of the qualities and traits of a successful doctor. Dr Siobhan Cooke, an interviewer on the panel at UCL, gave us useful advice for the interview and what medical schools are looking for in a candidate. We also had a visit from Catherine Van’t Hoff, a former Channing girl who has recently graduated. She discussed studying medicine at university, and the transition from medical school to the world of work. Medical discussion group evokes interest and passion for medicine. It has been an informative way of preparing us

for the application process and has given us insightful points of discussion and introduced us to the realities of medicine.” Another mainstay of the year is the Biology field trip with students carrying out fieldwork in Epping Forest. Enthusiasm for science spreads throughout the school and we were delighted by the winning entries to our annual Middle School Science Competition. Constance Froment, Natasja Collis and Saskia Lonergan demonstrated how an iPad can be used to make a hologram and Coco Ellenbogen, Sophie Collins, Charisse Bajaj, Sasha Rozanov and Charlotte Woolley in Year 7 gave an impressive talk on black holes. On the last week of the Summer term Channing hosted a Year 12 Chemistry conference and we also had a ‘Tasty Science’

food-themed science morning for Year 5 students from Fairseat and four local primary schools. These very successful events brought the year to a close on a high note. We were very sorry to lose Mrs Ogidan and Mrs Marshall from the Science Department and we thank them for all that they have done for Channing Science and wish them well for the future. We also thank Veronica McCormick, who has spent the year with us as Biology technician and wish her well in the future. Mr Robin Jacobs, Head of Science

The Duke of Edinburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award The Duke of Edinburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award is intended to introduce wor thwhile leisure activities and voluntary service, as a challenge to the individual to discover the satisfaction of achievement and as a guide for those people and organisations who would like to encourage the development of their younger fellow-citizens. The Award is organised into 4 sections: Volunteering participants give practical service to individuals and to the community; for example, mentoring younger pupils, assisting at a charity shop or helping to maintain footpaths in the countryside. Skill participants follow and make progress in a skill of their choice; for example, playing an instrument, learning a new language or attending a cooking class. Sport participants follow and make progress in a sport of their choice; for example keep-fit, swimming or martial arts. Each section must be attended once a week for an hour and should total between 3 and 18 months, depending on which Award is followed. Expeditions participants must undertake one practice and one assessed expedition of walking and camping. Bronze expeditions take place in

the New Forest in June and the Chilterns in September. Silver expeditions take place on Box Hill at the start of the Summer Term and the South Downs at the end of the summer term. The practices for the Gold expeditions take place in the Black Mountains in October half term, the assessed expeditions in either Exmoor, Galloway or The Peaks at the end of the summer term. Residential for the Gold Award, participants must also undertake a Residential. This involves spending 5 days and 4 nights away from home on a shared residential activity with people you have never met before. Channing School is its own Operating Authority and offers the Award at all 3 levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. The Bronze level starts in the Spring term in Year 9, Silver in the Spring term in Year 10 and the Gold in the Autumn term in Year 12.

The Bronze Award

The Silver Award

The Gold Award

Millicent Angel Sophia Apkarian Isabella Atkinson Atifa Aziz Hannah Barta Elena Binns Anna Biro Inka Blaubach Clementine Butler Brown Tara Campbell Eliane Carter Tabitha Cartmell Lola Cavill Riana Chandaria Laura Cipolotti-Ranieri Natasja Collis Hannah Conyerd Anna Cornish Poppy Critchlow Shehnaz Cuerdo Agnes Delaney Amy Eden Hannah Fernando Constance Froment Geraldine Glaser Eryn Gold Natasha Gough Emily Gray Sofia Halim Miriam Hammell Evie Haward Rebecca Hjelt Dunya Kadar Megan Khan Elen Kurpjel Jessica Langan Maddie Leviton Sophie Lewis Saskia Lonergan Rose Marshall Charlotte Marshall Sofia Mastrogiacomo Una Maynard Ellen McDonald Eleonora Megaro Evie Mellman Talia Midgen Bridie Milsom Lily Neil Poppy Oliver Tiana Parti Chloe Phillips Eleanor Phillips Emily Poncia Emily Rea Anouska Reeback Lucy Robinson Aybala Rose Natasha Rubins Alice Ryb Martha Sayer Sophie Scott Eshanika Sharma Ella Shindler Nikita Steinberg Abigail Summerfield Alice Summerfield Matilda Sumners Petra Turville Underwood Anna Tefoglou Jiawei Wang Anna Western Anna Wickens Holly Williams Florence Wright Leila Yusifli Anjuma Zaman Carly Ziff

Beatrice Ashley-Norman Nazan Arslan Amy Bartlett Ella Blendis Grace Browett Eloise Cartwright Lea Chehabeddine Ella Cronkshaw Maddie Damberg-Ott Amy Davies Brown Meg Demeritt Gabrielle Dowsey Olivia Dugdale Lucy Faber Jusatine Gilbert Serena Grover Ava Hannah Rebecca Hehir Eleanor Hesketh Isobel Horton Sacha Houghton Chiara Ispani Vera Kamysheva Talia Kanerick Maya Katz Evelyn Kelly Kate Leventhal Amelia Little ZoĂŤ Mackinnon Maya Morse Kate Pennington Elsa Proudlove Symran Saggar Hannah Schuller Olivia Staunton Katie Style Shyamala Toyne Isabella Turnbull Juliette Wander Hannah Whiterow Megan Williams India Wood Kailai Xiong Rosie Ziff

Maia Paterson Abi Sidwell Sophie Marshall Tabitha Ashley-Norman Phoebe Hart Ambar Khosla Eva Kyriacou Honor Munden Holly Morton Emma Hagopian Ellie Gibbons Zoe Steele Lisa Buckland Sima Shakib Eve Denayer Charlotte Graham Jesse Wise Alex Moss

This year we had nearly 80 girls follow the Award scheme. Every girl has organised the first three sections; volunteering, skill and sport. Mrs Marchant, Ms Della-Porta, Ms Zekan and Mrs Smith have been training these girls every week to ensure that they are fit and ready for their expeditions. The girls have completed both expeditions and should be submitting all of their evidence on to their eDoE account. If they are considering the Silver Award, they should aim to complete the Bronze Award by February half-term.

We have had over 40 girls from Year 10 follow the scheme at the Silver level. All girls have completed their expeditions on Box Hill and the South Downs and should be finishing the other elements of the Award. Mr Carr, Ms Zanardo along with the D of E Team enjoyed the training day with the girls earlier this Spring and everyone rose to the challenge. If girls are considering the Gold Award, they should aim to complete their Silver Award before they reach 16 years of age.

This year we have had 18 girls from Year 12 follow the scheme at Gold level. All girls have completed their expeditions in Brecon and Exmoor. Mr Hill and Ms Sharma-Yun have been training the girls every Tuesday lunchtime tweaking and fine tuning their skills in preparation for their expeditions. Girls have until age 25 to complete the Gold Award. Once all sections have been approved, an invitation to St Jamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or Buckingham Palace will be posted out within 12 months. This is a very special occasion and one that they and their guest will never forget!

Channing and the D of E Team are very grateful to all those people who give up their time to help the participants in this very worthwhile scheme. Mrs Monica Sharma-Yun, DoE Manager & Gold Leader

Channing Development and Alumnae On 2nd December 2015, the School was delighted to welcome HRH Prince Edward KG, GCVO, CD, ADC to officially open our brand new New Sports Hall and Sixth Form Centre.

final phase: to help fund a centre for the Performing Arts. Over the academic year a series of exciting events have been held, with a Performing Arts focus. These have included:

Escorted by Mrs Elliott, His Royal Highness toured the School, meeting many special guests, governors, pupils and staff before unveiling an official plaque to mark this special occasion. This was the first time a member of the British Royal Family has visited the School, and the event helped celebrate the huge development that Channing is currently undertaking in investing in new facilities for all the girls.

• ‘Channing’s got talent’ at the Junior School.

The Capital Challenge The fundraising appeal to help finance the building programme has now raised just under £2 million. This achievement is solely due to the kindness and generosity of the Channing community. Pupils, Parents, Alumnae, Staff and Governors as well as the wider community have all played their part in helping us raise these funds, and we cannot thank them enough for their support and help. Without fundraising the School quite simply would not be able to invest in these new facilities. And with the New Sports Hall and refurbished Music School open and now in use the campaign has moved into the

• A production of ‘Our Town’ at Jacksons Lane Theatre. • A production of ‘Honk’, a take on the classic ‘The Ugly Duckling’, at the Junior School. • A performance of ‘Pygmalion’ on the terrace and in the grounds of Inverforth House. This is in addition to the huge range of wonderful music concerts and recitals held throughout the year. Our goal is to raise a total of £3 million by the time we officially open the Performing Arts Building in 2017 and we hope that with the help and continued generosity of the Channing Community we will reach this ambitious goal.

The Alumnae Association The Alumnae Association now has over 2200 active members and we are always very keen to hear from our network of former pupils who range from girls aged 18 – 101. Led by a committee of 14 members the Association organise a number of reunion events each year, oversee the

School Archive collection, produce a biannual magazine called ‘Channing Chatter’, contribute towards the alumnae social networking groups and also help fundraise in support of the School. Reunion events over the least year have been very well attended and have included: • A reunion for the Class of 2005 in Highgate on 16th January. • A reunion for the decade of the 1990’s held in Highgate on 12th March. • A Family Day in the grounds of Fairseat on 14th May. • A 70th birthday event on 25 June held in Highgate Village. • Founders’ Day 2016 held on 2nd July 2016. All of these events provide a wonderful opportunity for our members to meet each other again, perhaps after only a few weeks of last seeing each other and sometimes after many years. It is always a pleasure to hear about days gone by at Channing and welcome our alumnae into School for lunch and an official tour of the buildings, many of which are much the same as they were when the School was first founded in 1885. Miss Helen Tranter, Director of Development

School Charities Charity fundraising and community involvement has always been at the forefront of what we do at Channing and it is one of the things that makes Channing such a special environment in which to work. Every form has an elected charity officer and Senior School pupils vote on the charity they wish to support during the forthcoming academic year. The charity that the senior school elected to support during the academic year 2015/6 was Médecins Sans Frontières (www.msf.org.uk), an international association that provides various forms of assistance to victims in distress, irrespective of gender, race, religion, creed or political conviction.

The Senior School fundraising for this worthy cause was led by our charity officers, Phoebe Ashley-Norman and Erick Jackaman. It is fair to say that their sheer energy, enthusiasm and positivity really inspired the Senior School community in raising funds for this worthy endeavour. As well as the usual cake sales, fairs, talent competitions and bucket rattles, the Charity Officers worked closely with the House Captains to ensure that there was an element of keen competition as part of the mix. Both Erick and Phoebe were keen to extend the senior school charity efforts beyond the purely financial and in addition, the senior school provided Christmas foodstuffs for

local families in need (co-ordinated by the Alexandra Wylie Tower Foundation), a used clothes collection for refugees as well as a number of other initiatives. I am delighted to report that Senior School pupils raised the following amounts for charity during academic year 2015/6: MSF £6,692.65, other charities £3,305.73 and a further £2,517 was raised at the Swimathon for the Capital Challenge. I would like to congratulate the pupils, staff and Charity Officers on this truly superb effort to help those who are in need. Mr Andrew Underwood, Deputy Head

School Officers 2015 - 2016

Head Girls:

Sixth Form:

Upper School:

Middle School:

Charities:

Eco:

Art:

Science:

Sports:

Emily Reader and Imogen Phillips

Hope Eley, Julia Hasson, Lauren Sneed and Isabel Rand

Ella Margolin, Hannah Suh and Katrina Carr

Natasha Harris and Connie Lewis

Phoebe Ashley Norman and Erick Jackaman

Soraya Hussein and Sophia Abrahams

Dalia Blass, Eulalia Masterton, Emily Richards and Eleanor Crawley (not pictured)

Joanna Anastasiou and Madeleine Bills

Lottie Taylor and Olivia Howe

Results, Prizes & Awards

Prize

Name

Form

The Mrs Sydney Martineau Prize and The Alice Lucas Prize for Service to the School (Combined)

Imogen Phillips and Emily Reader

Y13

The Emma Ann Howard Prize for services to charity

Phoebe Ashley-Norman and Erick Jackaman

Y13

The Atkinson Prize for Classics

Anna Cranitch

Y13

The Bailey Prize for Physics

Hollie Gold

Y12

The Bell Prize for Mathematics

Soraya Hussein

Y13

The Bennett Cup for German

Lucy Murphy

Y13

The Mary Boyle Prize for Chemistry

Miski Jimale

Y13

The Brunner House English Cup

Hannah Davis

The Catto Prize for Art

Scarlett Johnstone

Y12

The CBM Sixth Form Award (Joint)

Joanna Anastasiou and Madeleine Bills

Y13

The Channing Prize for French

Dalia Blass

Y13

The Channing Prize for Geography (Joint)

Rachel Brittain and Sophie v’ant Hoff

Y13

The Channing Prize for History

Sophie Jones

Y13

The Channing Prize for Politics

Róisín Ní Chionna

Y13

The Channing Prize for Spanish

Hope Eley

Y13

The Channing Prize for Sport

Amelia Chan

The Draper Prize for Art

Rebecca Crowley

Y13

The Fraser and Russell Prize for Economics

Nikita Tuli

Y13

The Gemma Hannan Prize for Research

Amelia Little

Y10

The Giles Prize for Improvement in Maths

Rosie Ziff

Y10

The Greedy Goblet Middle School History Prize

Emily Sinclair

The Harvard Club Prize for Scholarship and High Character

Emily Oulton

Y12

The Hayball Prize for Biology

Olivia Howe

Y13

The Henney Prize for Computer Graphics

Phoebe Apfel

The Hines Trophy for Physical Education

Olivia Howe

Y13

The JP Howe Prize for Singing

Anna Cornish

The Hurst Cup for Drama

Maya Gerber

Y13

The Linguists’ Cup (Joint)

Rosamund Styles Vickery and Erick Jackaman

Y13

The Madame Millar Prize for Languages

Eloise Gibbins

Y12

The Frances Macrae Prize for English

Lauren Sneade

Y13

The Mellor Prize for Art (Upper School) (Joint)

Anne Moorhouse and Molly Roylance

Y10

The Anne Mendoza Prize for Music

Grace Hurford

Y13

The Merritt Cup for all-round contribution to the school community

Ella Blendis

Y10

The Shurman Prize for Creative Writing

Emily Gray

The Sonneborn Prize for Singing

Hannah Fernando

The Spears Travel Award

Katrina Carr

Y13

The Stanley Shield (Middle School)

Matilda Sumners

The Strong Prize (Music)

Amaani Ahmed

Y13

The Sutherland Smith Prize (Middle School Science)

Isabella Atkinson

The Chris Thomas Memorial Cup for Swimming

Madison Hookway

Y11

The Alexandra Wylie Cup for all-round Amazingness

Jasmine Thompson

Y13

Leaversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Destinations 2015

Candidate

Subject

University

Bendien, Lucy

Gap Year

Bill, Jessica

Civil Engineering

Sheffield

Brown Whittingham, Kamaria

Gap year

Burgering, Rosie

Music

Gap year

Cartiglia, Lucia

Economics

Bocconi, Milan

Chan, Jessica

Mathematics & Finance

City

Chenevix Trench, Alexandra

Spanish

Leeds

Chhabra, Latika

Politics

Exeter

Collins, Maia

History

Bristol

Costa, Laura

Materials Engineering

Sheffield

Courtney, Emma

Geography

Gap year / deferred place at Exeter

Crowther, Olivia

Psychology

Birmingham

Cullen, Amanda

Economics

Durham

Harris, Lucy

History of Art

Edinburgh

Hassan, Maymun

Gap year

Heffernan, Isabelle

History & Archaeology

Nottingham

Hill, Iona

Veterinary Science

Liverpool

Hommel, Talya

Education Studies & Psychology

Nottingham Trent

Hoque, Aisha

Pharmacy

Reading

Hutchison, Anya

English Literature

Oxford

Jiang, Xiyun

Biomedical Sciences

UCL

Johnson, Chloe

Classics

Oxford

Jordan, Olivia

Gap year

Khaitan, Smiti

Gap year

Kotsis, Paraskevi

Classics

UCL

Leach, Kathryn

Natural Sciences

Cambridge

Leigh, Sophie

Classics (deferrea)

Durham

Leon, Carmen

Spanish

UCL

Levin, Isabelle

Education & Sociology

Brighton

Levy, Martha

Politics

Nottingham

Lonergan, Isabella

Mathematics & Economics

Exeter

Lucas, Kate

Politics

Sussex

Margolis, Juliette

Politics

Birmingham

Martin, Daisy

Economics

St Andrews

Mason, Amy

History

Exeter

Meller, Nicole

Sociology

Nottingham

Morgan, Tara

English Literature

Warwick

Candidate

Subject

University

Moss, Saskia

Politics

Birmingham

Niemiec, Anna

Mathematics

Brighton

Nuh, Sainab

Pharmacy

Kings

Parkes, Alicia

International Business & Spanish

Edinburgh

Phelops, Frederica

History

Nottingham

Porter, Elysia

History

Exeter

Randolph, Lucy

Chemistry

St Andrews

Rayment, Abigail

Natural Sciences

Bath

Reynolds, Georgia

Politics

Birmingham

Routley, Isabella

Drama & Theatre Arts

Kent

Russell, Colette

History

Sheffield

Sandor, Isabella

Gap year

Schewitz, Kimberly

French & Spanish

Gap year â&#x20AC;&#x201C; deferred place at Bristol

Skok, Tara

Natural Sciences

Exeter

Smith, Isabel

Psychology

Oxford

Steeds, Natasha

Natural Sciences

Durham

Steinhouse, Emily

Art Foundation

City and Guilds

Townshend, Kirsten

Medicine

Nottingham

Tye, Chloe

Gap year

Vanhaesebroeck, Eva

Psychology

Gap year â&#x20AC;&#x201C; deferred place at Manchester

Vishnick, Ruby

Creative Arts

Emerson College, Boston

Wang, Shiyun

Preparatory Programme

UCL

Yonga, Ashley

Medicine

Bristol

Post Award Applications

Collins, Emma

Natural Science

Cambridge

Elmer, Lucy

Electrical & Electronic Engineering with Management

Nottingham

Fletcher, Natasha

Neuroscience

Bristol

Gelson Thomas, Amelia

Medicine

Bristol

Gerber, Chiara

Marketing and Management

Queen Mary, London

Molloy, Sasha

History & Russian

Nottingham

Polin, Gabrielle

Media & Communications

Sussex

Ponte, Sophia

Veterinary Medicine

Cambridge

A tribute to Mary Burns Mary Burns, Channing alumna and later Chair of Governors from 1965-1975, sadly died this year aged 101. Friend and former Channing Headmistress, Isabel Raphael, gave the following tribute to our close friend at her funeral service in Highgate. I knew Mary for only the last thirty years of her long life, but in those thirty years there grew a friendship between us unrivalled in my experience. And it was based on Channing School. Without Mary I might never have returned after my happy initiation there into teaching. But when in 1984, Channing - at rather short notice – was looking for a new Head, Mary asked our mutual friend Betty Radice, ‘What’s Isabel doing now?’ This was twenty years after I’d had the pleasure of teaching Alison Latin and Greek, but somehow Mary had remembered me. I applied; amazingly I got the job. And so Mary changed my life, and became my good angel.

Channing had changed her life, too: just one of the many things we found we had in common. We discovered, for instance, that neither of us had really met our fathers until we were five: hers out in Burma in the First World War, accompanied by her mother, mine in England during the Second while my mother, sister and I were evacuated to the USA. That sort of thing has a profound effect on a child’s relationship with a parent – and in Mary’s case, this applied to both parents. She had grown up as a tomboy with her older brother, learning from their carer about trees and plants in the countryside – which gave her an abiding love of all natural things – and just the basics of the Three Rs. (I can’t imagine Mary not always able to read.) But when her

Channing companions, especially Frances Rowe and Elizabeth Strachan, who was later to introduce her to her beloved Robbie. (Elizabeth’s husband was working with Robbie in London, and knew he was lonely, so they fixed up a tea party for him to meet a suitable girl. But Mary happened to drop by, and ‘That,’ said Lady Melville as Elizabeth became, ‘was that!’) Mary’s memories of those happy years remained vivid; I wish I had recorded all the stories she told me about them. She must have been such a delight to those teachers – a bright, lively pupil who drank in everything they had to offer, and paid it all back doubly in interest and achievement. mother returned to claim her little daughter, expecting to dress her in pretty clothes and take her round to tea-parties, she found a child who would rather be running wild out of doors, and who already very clearly knew her own mind. I think Mary and her mother never really saw eye to eye. Maybe that is what made her such a supportive and understanding parent herself; and such a loyal and interested friend to everyone she came across in her long life. But when Mary, aged 11, arrived to board at Channing, her life really did change. Doors flew open, and she discovered a passion for learning which she never lost. In this tiny community, staffed with encouraging and stimulating teachers, where the Headmistress kissed every boarder goodnight, Mary was instantly valued and filled with the best kind of ambition. She made enduring friendships with both girls and teachers. I was thrilled when in 1985 she took me to meet the brilliant Isabelle Grainger whose French teaching had smoothed Mary’s path to Oxford nearly 50 years before. In the holidays Mary would often stay with her

It wasn’t surprising that she and Robbie returned to Highgate to bring up their family. Mary had become Channing’s youngest Governor in 1942, and she served in that capacity until 1986 – with eight years as Chairman of Governors – and only retired when she had handed on the baton to Malcolm. How much Channing benefited from Mary’s wisdom and devotion cannot be calculated. Miss Matilda Sharpe, the indomitable woman who, with Mary’s great-grandfather Robert Spears, founded Channing, wrote: ‘Never forget, life is expecting much of you and me.’ Mary never forgot that, or Miss Matilda’s chosen motto for the school, Conabor: I will try. She was a dauntless trier. She had a phenomenal memory, not only of everyone she had ever known and the times they had spent with her, but of her wide reading and scholarship. She and I talked about everything under the sun. She would amaze me with recollections of her studies at Channing and at Somerville. She relished comparing the Latin I was teaching with the Medieval French she had read at

Oxford, pointing me to texts she had carried with her to the Mary Feilding Guild, and when we were talking recently about Sophocles’ ‘Antigone’, she asked, “What was the sister’s name?” “Ismene,” I replied. “Of course,” said Mary, “The first line of the play is ‘Ismene, sister Ismene.’ We acted that at Channing.” That must have been 85 years ago. It would be easy to make Mary sound too good to be true. Her Somerville contemporary, the novelist Penelope Fitzgerald, once said, ‘A day never passes without Mary Burns doing good,’ and from that sharp lady that was praise indeed. But I never spent time with Mary without laughter. Together with her deep Unitarianbased seriousness and commitment to family, society and the world at large, she had a mischievous sense of humour, and of the ridiculous. I remember her getting stuck, in an impossible position, sitting halfway down the spiral staircase in the Southwood Lane house, shaking with laughter as together Lindsay (her favourite of the home-visiting carers) and I tried desperately to get her either up or down. She had a delightful light musical laugh which Alison has inherited, something very special to hear. One of Mary’s Channing stories was about a Saturday expedition to Maldon to see the site of the great Anglo-Saxon battle: 40 boarders with picnics and swimming gear taking the train into Essex with just two teachers – no Health and Safety restrictions then – and a day of pure delight, lovingly remembered. Some years ago I came across a quotation from an ancient description of that battle, and with Mary in mind, I copied it down: ‘Thought shall be keener, heart stronger, courage greater as our strength grows less.’ That was Mary in these later years. Right to the end she had a loving spirit and a merry heart. She was a great lady, who will remain my inspiration, though my Tuesday afternoons will never be the same without her. May all the girls at Channing make as much of their lives as Mary Goodland Burns.

Senior Leadership Team Headmistress: MRS B M ELLIOTT MA (Cantab) Modern Foreign Languages Bursar: R K J HILL OBE MA ACMA Deputy Head: MR A J UNDERWOOD MEd (Cantab) Theology Director of Studies: MRS K THONEMANN MA (Oxon) Mathematics Head of Junior School: MRS L LAWRANCE B. PRIM. ED (Hons) (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) Director of Sixth Form: MS J NEWMAN BA (Leicester) Director of Marketing: MRS H GETHING BA (Glam) Director of Development: MISS H TRANTER BA Hons PGCE (Herts)

Senior School Academic Staff NAME

Ms S BEENSTOCK

BA (Leeds)

English

Mrs G BHAMRA BURGESS

BA (London)

Economics, Assistant Head of Middle School (Year 9)

Mrs M BIRBARA

BA (Sydney)

English (Maternity Cover)

Mr P BOXALL*

GRSM ARCO (Royal Academy of Music)

Director of Music

Mr A BOARDMAN

BA (Durham)

Geography, Assistant Director of Studies

Miss J BRAMHALL*

BA (Oxon)

Head of Geography

Dr M BREMSER

DPhil (Oxon) English & Critical Thinking, Oxbridge Programme

Coordinator : part-time

Mr D CARR*

BA (Southampton)

Head of French

Mr D CORAM

BA (Dunelm) MA (London)

Classics

DR B COUPLAND

PhD (Exeter)

History

Mr P DAURAT

BEd (Huddersfield)

Mathematics

Ms A DERBYSHIRE

MA (Goldsmiths)

Art : part-time

Mrs W DEVINE*

BA (Reading)

Head of Politics, Publications Manager

Ms S DELLA-PORTA*

BEd (Australia)

Head of Physical Education

Dr N DEVLIN

MA, DPhil (Oxon)

Classics : part-time

Mrs S ELLIOT*

BA (Cantab)

Head of Classics

Miss P EVERNDEN *

MA (Cantab)

Head of English

Miss L FEILDEN

BA (Brighton College of Art)

Art : part-time

Mr S FRANK*

BSc (Birmingham)

Head of Biology

Miss S-L FUNG

BSc (Coventry)

Physics

Mrs C GARRILL

BA (Leicester)

Politics

Mr P GITTINS *

BA (Wolverhampton)

Art, Head of PSHE, Assistant Head of Middle School

Ms S HARDING

BSc (London)

Biology : part-time

Mrs G HANNAN*

MA (Cantab)

Head of History

◊ left Channing

◊ APR 2016

◊ DEC 2015

NAME Mr G HEADEY*

MA (Kent)

Head of Religious Education

Ms C HEIDENSOHN

BA (Birmingham)

English

Mrs R HARPER

BA (Kent) ALAM

English, Head of Middle School

Mr A HAWORTH *

MA RCA

Head of Art

Mrs B HERNANDEZ

BA (Alicante)

Spanish, French

Mr M HOLMES*

BSc (City of London Polytechnic)

Head of Information and Communication Technology

Miss A HOSSEINI*

BSc (London)

Head of Chemistry

Ms K HURST

BA (Nottingham)

Head of Drama

Miss L HUNTER

BA (London)

History

Mr R JACOBS *

BA (Oxon)

Head of Physics, Head of Science

Mrs H KANMWAA

BA (Oxon)

English

Mrs A KENNEDY

MSc (London)

Chemistry

Miss C LONG

MA (London)

French

Ms T MacCARTHY

BSc (Edinburgh)

Mathematics : part-time

Mrs S MAHMOOD

BSc (Alberta)

Chemistry : part-time

Mrs L MARSHALL

BSc (Edinburgh)

Chemistry

Miss T NELL

MA (Cantab)

History of Art

Ms J NEWMAN*

BA (Leicester)

Head of Economics, Head of Sixth Form

Mrs J OGIDAN

BSc (Liverpool)

Biology, Head of Careers, Head of Upper School

Miss H O’SULLIVAN

BSc (Birmingham)

Physical Education

Mr P PHILLIPS*

BA (Leicester)

Head of History

Miss V PENGLASE

BA (London)

Drama and Theatre Studies : part-time

Ms Y RABET*

BA UHB (France)

Head of Modern Foreign Languages, Head of Spanish

Miss I RAMSDEN

MA (London)

Librarian

Mr D RIGGS-LONG

BSc (London)

Mathematics : part-time

Miss S SALMON

MA (London)

Geography

Ms M SHARMA-YUN

BSc (London)

Mathematics : part-time

Mrs D SHOHAM

BSc (Birmingham)

Biology : part-time

Dr C SPINKS

PhD (Manchester)

Chemistry

Miss H STACEY

BA (Nottingham)

English : part-time

Ms A STÖCKMANN*

MA (Westfaelische Wilhelms)

Head of German

Miss M WILKES

BA (London)

Spanish and French

Ms K WILKINSON

BA (East Anglia)

English, Assistant Head of Upper School

Mrs R WILLIAMS

BSc (London)

Mathematics : part-time

Mr P WILLIAMSON*

BEd (Huddersfield)

Head of Maths

Miss A YASAMEE

MA (Manchester)

Librarian

Miss L ZANARDO

BA-MUS (Australia)

Assistant Director of Music

Ms N ZEKAN

BEd (Australia)

Physical Education

Mrs D ZULUAGA DE LA CRUZ

MA (France)

French : part-time * = Head of Department

Junior School Academic Staff

Miss C BOLTON

BA (Northampton)

Junior School Physical Education Assistant

Mrs C CONSTANT

MA (Greenwich)

Deputy Head (Year 6)

Mrs A CONWAY

BSc (Birbeck)

Drama : part-time

Miss R CORKINDALE

BA (Glasgow)

Head of Junior School Physical Education

Mrs P GIBSON

MEd (London)

Classroom Teacher

Miss E GLENNON

BA (Manchester)

Classroom Teacher (Year 1)

Miss K GOLDSTEIN

BA (Birmingham)

Classroom Teacher (Year 2)

Mrs S GORRIE

MA (Glasgow)

Spanish, French

Mrs I HAWKINS

BEd (London)

Classroom Teacher (Year 3): part-time

Ms C JUPP

MA (London)

Junior School Librarian : part-time

Mrs T LUXFORD

BA (Middlesex)

Classroom Teacher (Year 3): (part-time)

Ms R MCGINNETY

BA (Cantab)

Classroom Teacher (Year 4)

Miss A MCLENNAN

BA (Leeds)

Classroom Teacher (Reception)

Ms M MORT

BA (Sydney)

Head of PE

Miss L PANTON

BA (Southampton)

DT & Drama, Art, ICT

Miss M PEPPER

LTCL

Head of Music (Junior School)

Miss A PHIPPS

BEd (Middx Polytechnic)

Classroom Teacher (Year 2)

Mrs C RAND

Certificate in Education

Classroom Teacher : part-time

Mr C RICH

MA (St Andrews)

Classroom Teacher (Year 5)

Miss S SNOWDOWNE

BEd (Plymouth)

Classroom Teacher (Year 5)

Ms S UNSWORTH

BA (Bath Spa)

Classroom Teacher (Year 1)

Ms H YOUNGER

BA (Oxon)

Director of Studies – Junior School & Classroom. Teacher (Year 6)

Mrs S AHMED

Teaching Assistant (Year 3) (part-time)

Ms A BEASLEY

Teaching Assistant (Years 4-5) (part-time)

Mrs A DONE

Teaching Assistant (Year 2) (part-time)

Miss B DRAYTON

Teaching Assistant (Reception)

Mrs D GALLI

Teaching Assistant (Year 2) (part-time)

Mrs K HADJIPATERAS

Teaching Assistant (Reception) (part-time)

Miss M HOLMES

Teaching Assistant (Year 6) (part-time)

Ms S IBREKIC

Teaching Assistant (Reception) (part-time)

Miss J HUDSON

Teaching Assistant

Miss K JOHNSON

Teaching Assistant (Year 2) (part-time)

Miss S LITIU

Teaching Assistant (Reception)

Ms R McEWAN

Teaching Assistant (Year 2)

Miss M O’HARA

Teaching Assistant (Reception)

Miss L NELSON

Teaching Assistant (Year 1)

Mrs R PIERI

Teaching Assistant (Year 3) (part-time)

◊ DEC 2015

Visiting Teachers Mr S ALLEN

ARCM

Clarinet

Miss J BACON

BA, PGDip

Voice

Mrs H BENNETT

BMus (Hons)

Trumpet

Miss S BIRCUMSHAW

GRSM (Hons)

Violin (Junior)

Mrs M BRADBURY-RANCE

Voice

Mr A BROWN

DipTCL

Percussion

Mrs P CAPONE

AGSM

Piano

Miss M CARROLL

BMus

Double Bass

Miss R CHAPMAN

Singing

Mr N HARRISON

GRSM, SRCM

Bassoon

Miss J HERBERT

Cello

Mrs H JOLLY

GRSM

Flute

Ms M KEOGH

ARAM

Harp

Mr A KHAN

LTCL

Guitar

Mrs L KNIGHT

Singing

Mrs P MALLOY

LRAM, ABRSM

Violin/Viola

Miss N MYERSCOUGH

ARAM

Violin

Miss C PHILPOT

LRAM

Oboe

Miss J RAYNER

LAMDA

Miss E ROSSITER

PGDip, MMus

Piano

Miss L SEDDON

DipABRSM, BMus (Hons)

Cello

Miss H SHIMIZU

BMus

Piano

Miss A SZRETER

Singing

Ms A THOMAS

BMus

Flute

Miss C THOMPSON

LRAM

Violin

Mr T TRAVIS

BMus

Saxophone

Miss S VIVIAN

LTCL, Dip

Singing

Miss J WATTS

FRCO, GRSM, LRAM

Piano

Mr A WHITE

MMus, MA

Lower Brass

Non-Teaching Professionals and Staff

Mr R HILL

Bursar & Clerk to the Governors

Ms L CARRERAS

Headmistress’ PA

Mrs H DANIELS

Database Manager & Music Administrator

Mr M ELWIN

Junior School Administrator

Mrs H GETHING

Marketing Director

Ms G GRECO

Development Assistant

Mrs C HESKETH

Facilities Manager

Mrs D HESKETH

Administrative Assistant : (part-time)

Miss M HYNES

Accounts Administrator

Ms E INGRAM

Senior School Secretary

Miss S KAUR

School Secretary

Ms S LAWRENCE

ICT Assistant – Junior School (part-time)

Ms E LISMORE-BURNS

Bursar’s Assistant

Ms G LUSH

Careers Assistant (part-time)

Mrs M McHARG

Registrar

Mrs J MATTHEWS

Admissions Assistant (part-time)

Mrs E MCBAREK

Administrative Assistant : (part-time)

Mrs T MCCARTHY

Administrative Assistant : (part-time)

Mrs L McINERNEY

Junior School Secretary

Mrs M MOONEY

Financial Controller

Ms C PETERS

Senior Academic Assistant

Ms H TRANTER

Development Director

Miss R WHITE

Bursar’s Assistant

Mrs C WILLIAMS

Academic Assistant : (part-time)

Miss H WILMER

Network Manager

Mrs T FRANKLIN

Senior School Nurse : (part-time)

Ms C COOPER

School Nurse : (part-time)

Miss W JONES

School Counsellor : (part-time)

Ms C DODSWORTH

SENCO : (part-time)

Mrs J HIBBERT

Catering Manager

Mrs E SMITH-MODU

PE Assistant and Sports Coach

Mrs V QUINTON

MFL Assistant

Mr A McCARTHY

Head Caretaker

Mr S DOREY

Caretaker

Mr S PROSPERE

Caretaker

Mr M HOUNSOME

Caretaker

Mr T McCARTHY

Groundsman

◊ DEC 2015

◊ APR 2016

Technicians Miss H ARCHER

Art Technician (part-time)

Miss V McCORMICK

Biology Technician

Mrs J SHAH

Chemistry Technician

Mrs T McCARTHY

Art Technician (part-time)

Mr C MURPHY

Media Resources Technician

Mrs S WHITEHOUSE

Senior Science Technician

Governors Ms C LESLIE

LLB (Bristol) (Chair)

Mr J ALEXANDER

FCA

Mr G ALGAR-FARIA

MSc (Durham)

Mr A APPLEYARD

BSc (Reading) (Vice Chair)

Mrs J BURNS

BA (Southampton)

Rev D COSTLEY

BA (Open University)

Mrs J DE SWIET

MA (Cantab)

Ms M JAYAWEERA

MA (Cantab)

Miss D PATMAN

FRICS ACIArb

Ms B RENTOUL

MA (Yale)

Mr W SPEARS

MBA (London)

Dr A SUTTON

MRCGP

Mrs A THOMAS

PGDE (Cambridge)

Mr C UNDERHILL

MNAEA

Dr I WASSENAAR

MA, DPHIL

Dr R WILLIAMS

BSC, MSc, PhD

Independent Day School for Girls aged 4-18

Headmistress: Mrs B M Elliott MA (CANTAB) The Bank, Highgate, London N6 5HF Tel: 0208 340 2328 Email: admissions@channing.co.uk Contact the Registrar on 0208 340 2328 or email admissions@channing.co.uk for all admissions enquiries