Charters Review 2018 Our Diamond Anniversary Year Charters 1958 — 2018
Mr R Pilgrim, Headteacher
Fond Farewells
Diamond Anniversary Gala Dinner April 2018
Mr Martyn Parker , Headteacher retired
On behalf of the whole Charters community, I would like to thank my colleagues who have given outstanding service to the school over many years particularly my fellow Headteacher, Martyn Parker, who is retiring after eighteen years.
Our Diamond Anniversary year is drawing to a close. Amongst a host of special events, two will be remembered for a long time, The Diamond Anniversary Gala Dinner in April and, of course, our Summer Celebration at the end of June where we welcomed current and former staff, students, parents and our Guest of Honour, HRH The Duke of Kent. It really was a marvellous day and a privilege to meet some of ‘The Originals’ who taught at Charters in 1958.
We also say goodbye to Fran Hall, Gill Pennells, Juliet Ball, Jane Boon, Kirsty Metson, Sue Leigh, Jenny Powlesland, Sarah Garry, Mike McKenna, Julian Hill, Grace Rodgers, Sian Gates, Sabina Kozicka-Pacciano, Clint Confait, Tania Langlands and Gareth Roderick.
HRH The Duke of Kent meets staff and students
New Horizons for STEM
well with 83% of the year group achieving this standard. Additionally the number of GCSE passes at grade level 7,8 and 9, equivalent to the old A* and A grades was a record-breaking 40%. I will let you know how these figures compare to the local and national context as information becomes available during the year.
National and International Success It has been a tremendous year in which our students have been recognised for their achievements in a variety of disciplines.
A new STEM classroom showing one of the Learning Walls funded by the Big Give and generous Corporate Donations
I would like to pay tribute to the Mathematics Faculty who have endured many years in less than ideal accommodation. The new STEM block was handed over in August and we could not be prouder of the new opportunities that it will bring in inspiring future generations of students. We negotiated this building and the extension to the Dining Hall as part of RBWM’s secondary school expansion strategy. I am grateful for the Local Authority’s support, to project manager Bob Needham and Dawnus, our contractors, who have been superb throughout. The official opening will be held in November. The space previously occupied by the Maths buildings is being re-designed by our Sixth Form Council. Called “The Oasis”, it will feature space for students to relax and enjoy each other’s company as well as an amphitheatre for outdoor learning.
In April, our girls’ Cross Country team represented England at the ISF World School Cross Country Championships in Paris. They were placed 9th in the world in an unforgettable event.
Examination Results Once again, we are proud of our students’ success in at the end of both Key Stages Four (GCSE) and Key Stage Five (A level). The examination courses are more demanding this year and with the absence of coursework in many subjects, we have worked hard to help students manage the demands placed on them. I am delighted to report that 63% of A-Level entries were awarded at grades A*,A or B. The pass rate overall was 98% and these results compare favourably with students’ outcomes in recent years. In the Basics measure of grade level 9-4 in English and Mathematics GCSE, our students also performed really
Charters at The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
Earlier in the year, we formed a link with a research group at Imperial College at Silwood Park investigating the effect of climate change on freshwater ecosystems. We were very proud to have been selected as the only school in the country to participate in this year’s Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition alongside twenty-one of the UK’s leading universities
Tyr Abad before redecoration ...
Young Citizens Mock Trial Competition National Final
In June, our budding lawyers reached the national final of the Young Citizen’s Mock Trial Competition in Birmingham and came third out of two hundred and sixty initial participating schools. Warmest congratulations go to all the teams for their pursuit of excellence.
Our supportive family teams hard at work.
Unity, Respect, Excellence In many ways, what characterised the previous year was the feeling of being united in the face of very challenging financial circumstances in common with all schools. The energy, skill and enthusiasm of our Board of Trustees must not go unmentioned particularly in the support for Tirabad, now known under its Welsh spelling of Tyr Abad. The inaugural Tyr Abad maintenance weekend was championed by Trustee Denis Raymond with spectacular results. The centre has now been re-constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and this along with the cosmetic uplift provided by the team of school families will help us to attract more schools to become members of the Trust.
The splendid newly decorated exterior.
Finally, we are aiming to end our Diamond Anniversary year of celebration by displaying sixty pieces of artwork around the school to brighten up our corridors and communal spaces. The starting point has been the outstanding piece in the main stairwell comprising forty-two individual panels representing the shapes and architecture of the site and embedding our motto of Unity, Respect, Excellence.