Headmaster’s Letter to Parents
Dear Parents
I write this letter looking onto a Top Field covered in snow, where pupils are playing with snowballs and five impressive snowmen are under construction. Though last week’s snow proved to be much more significant than anticipated, the school worked hard to ensure that the cold weather did not interrupt the final days of the Michaelmas term, with shows, Christmas lunches, concerts and services all taking place as planned.
It has been a pleasure to see for the first time a second half of a Michaelmas term. I am pleased to report that is has been as busy as the first, and I am sure both pupils and staff are greatly looking forward to the Christmas holidays. Below is an overview of some of the highlights of the past few weeks.
Damian
King Damian King Head dking@chigwell-school.org
Best wishes
Contents
Page 1UCAS Early Applications
Children In Need Charlie
Page 2 Themed Weeks
Page 3ARTiculation Drama Chigwell Chatter Page 4Music Page 5 Music Page 6 Hockey Page 7 Hockey Page 8 Netball Londoon Marathon André
Page 9 Dive England Page 10 Old Chigwellians
Page 11 Chigwell Remembrance Service Bad Weather
Page 12 Football Page 13 Football
Page 14 Driving and Parking on Site Message from the Chaplain
Page 15 Staff News O.C. Mitre Lent Term
Page 16Public Examinations 2023
Page 17 A Message from Philanthropy Friends of Chigwell
Page 18 Christmas Present Ideas From the Swallow Library
UCAS Early Applications
Middle Sixth pupils this term have been full steam ahead for their Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science applications. As in every year, Chigwellians have applied for an impressive range of courses, with Oxbridge applications for Medicine, Classics, Land Economy and Engineering to name only four. Preparation over the past three academic terms has been intensive for these most competitive and sought after courses, with opportunities including: mock interviews with local independent schools, buddying up with local state schools to support and share best practice (our Medic and Dentist interview morning at Woodford County High for Girls at the beginning of the half term was a particular highlight, with medics and dentists from hospital trusts and universities including Birmingham, King’s, Imperial and University Colleges –London, Leicester and Leeds) and a series of interviews and personal statement sessions given by Chigwell parents and Old Chigwellians who have generously given up their time to support our pupils in what is a highly enriching but equally daunting pathway. We remain very grateful that so many in our community want to actively support our young people, with the network growing year on year.
Children In Need
KS2 pupils organised a bake sale and, along with dress-up donations and sponsored activities, they raised a total of over £1000 for Children in Need. Very well done to all.
Charlie
We send our congratulations to Charlie (UV) on winning ‘Essex Golfer of the Year’. He is the youngest person in the history of Essex Golf Union to win the award, and this is a marvellous achievement.
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Themed Weeks
This term the Equality Ambassadors have organised events throughout the School to celebrate Black History Month and Culture Week. The Senior School ambassadors led assemblies and tutor sessions alongside the new Fourth Form Equality Ambassadors. They in turn led sessions with Lower and Upper Two. In November, they organised a celebration of Black and Caribbean artists’ culture through music and food. The evening was a tremendous success, raising a total of £800 for our two charities which are Sari and Black Minds Matter.
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ARTiculation
Sebastian (MVI) has been selected by the art department to represent the School for next year’s ARTiculation competition. The Roche Court Educational Trust’s ARTiculation Prize is a nationally acclaimed annual event for school and university pupils aged 16-19, promoting the appreciation and discussion of art.
Sebastian will be delivering a ten minute talk on Richard Dadd’s painting “The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke” at the Regional Heat at the Whitechapel Gallery on January 12th, 2023.
Drama
In drama this half term we have been working hard on our GCSE and A Level devised and scripted performances. The Lower Fifth performed three 15 minute devised pieces in week 12. These are pieces of drama that the students have created themselves through improvisational techniques. Themes covered included family, respect for women, parenting and work/life balance. The performances were well attended by GCSE and A Level students, who were able to support their fellow dramatists and learn from their work.
Chigwell Chatter
The inaugural, student-led magazine ‘Chigwell Chatter’ will be sent shortly, which we would highly encourage you to read. It is the brainchild of several Lower Sixth pupils who wanted to create a forum for student voice, and to empower Chigwellians to engage in the world around them on a variety of topics within school, locally, nationally and internationally. Supported by Ms Charlotte Nairac (Assistant Head of 6th Form) and Mr Steve Davis (Reprographics & Design Manager), these students have dipped their toe into the world of writing copy and all due processes accompanying such an endeavour with keenness and aplomb. The pupils would welcome future contributions and suggestions from more members of the Senior School community –please email Ms Charlotte Nairac (cnairac@chigwell-school.org) for further information.
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Music
We had a wonderful evening of music, food and drink, celebrating black artists with music from the School’s Big Band, Modern Music Ensemble and Senior Rock Band with Jocey Compton headlining. The Key Stage 3 Winter Theatricals, ‘Oliver!’, was a fabulous success and gives great testament to the dedication and willingness of pupils and staff to promote opportunities for mass participation in our co-curricular provisions. The show had a cast of
over one hundred and all performed with great dedication to sell out audiences over the four nights. We thank Miss Ciara McCarthy in particular, for her vision on this.
The Senior School Michaelmas Term Concert, surrounded by the snowy fields of Christmas, was an apt way to sign off the term with exciting music from the Clarinet, Saxophone and String Quartets, Chapel Choir, Wind Band, Senior Rock Band, Modern
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Music Ensemble, Musici, Flute Ensemble and Sixth Form soloists Melody (MVI), Vivisha (MVI), Luke (LVI) and Beth (UV). Our thanks to the music staff for their daily contributions to the musical life of the School.
Our final evening of performances were delivered by the Chapel Choir, Junior Chamber Choir and Second Form Girls’ Choir in the School Carol Service. The first sold out Carol Service for many years and it was lovely to hear Christmas carols sung so affectingly, especially the ones towards the end of the service in candlelight.
Next term brings back the opportunities for mass singing in the rehearsals on Thursdays after school, as we prepare for the Choral Concert on Monday 27th March at Cadogan Hall. All are welcome, no singing experience or ability to read music is necessary, as help will be provided.
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Hockey
Girls’ hockey has continued to progress since the half-term break. The U16 girls’ team narrowly missed out on qualifying for the semi-finals at the East of England Regional Competition, with most of the squad managing exams and revision that week.
At the end of the first week back, there was also a considerable challenge for the U18 and U16 squads as they travelled to Queenswood for indoor matches. Both Chigwell sides played with real quality, having embraced the different tactics of 6-a-side and adapted quickly to the speed of the game. The girls were a huge credit to themselves and the School.
In the ISHC Plate competition, the 1st team were edged out by a strong Forest School side. Chigwell again played with drive, courage and determination. The 2nd and 3rd XI competed well in their fixtures, illustrating the strength in depth within the three eldest year groups.
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The U13 and U11 girls competed in fine form at the Essex County tournament but struggled to score enough goals to progress further.
The U12 girls’ continued their development, refining their teamwork, tactics and goal-scoring to comfortably win the Essex County tournament on home turf. At the East Regional tournament they struggled in
the first match against a strong Cambridgeshire side, but immediately bounced back and won their remaining four matches to finish second in the group. The playoff match ended in a 1-1 draw and the match was settled with penalty flicks, which went in favour of their opponents. A further draw led to a 3rd equal finish. Their final tournament was the IAPS qualifying and national finals hosted by Clifton College. The girls began their preparation with a jog across Clifton Suspension Bridge and gave their all throughout the day.
The U11 girls fielded four teams when hosting Belmont and, a week later, the U10 girls mirrored the arrangement, ensuring that the opportunity to represent the School was available to all in those year groups.
Thank you to all of the dedicated pupils, staff and parents that have made girls’ hockey as successful as it has been this term.
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Netball
This half term has seen the U14, U16 and U19 squads all compete at the county round of the nationals. The U19s took place at Felsted School and the U14s and U16s on a Sunday at Highwoods, Colchester. All three squads experienced a high standard of competitive match play with each squad securing two wins in their relative groups. It has been pleasing to see so many pupils enjoying their netball this term and to see the squads compete at this high level, hopefully taking the momentum with them into next term.
The Junior School has had netball club for L1/U1 on Mondays and on Thursdays for LII/UII. The clubs have been more ‘fun’ based with pupils practicing their ball skills as well as some small-sided games. Next term we are looking forward to continuing to build on the skills acquired so far.
London Marathon
We are currently working with Revitalise, a charity adjacent to the school site, which offers holidays for disabled adults. These breaks include 24-hour care provision, ensuring that individuals and their families can access revitalising, and often desperately needed holidays. The charity have offered the school 10 London Marathon tickets, which may be taken up by any member of the Chigwell community over the age of 18, subject to covering the registration fee of £100, and raising at least £1,750 in sponsorship. Please get in touch if you are interested in taking up this opportunity.
André
Congratulations to Andre (LVI), who competed in the 12th WUKF (World Union of Karate-Do Federations) championships in Florence, Italy earlier this month. He came in third in KUT-19 Kumite Team (Shobu Sanbon Cadets A - 16 - 17 yrs All Belts). We are inspired by André's lifelong passion for karate, which he has been practicing since he was 5 years old
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Dive England
Freya (III Form), Esme (LI) and Riva-Mai (LII) went along to the London Aquatics Centre to take part in a coaching session and experience the diving boards. They very much enjoyed the experience and were able to meet Kyle Kothari, who brought along his Commonwealth and European Championship medals for them to see.
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Old Chigwellians
We were delighted to hear that Sonali Ohrie’s (O.C.) winning photograph ‘A Mother’s Journey’ was included in the global Female in Focus award at Photofusion London. The Female in Focus award was launched in 2019, in response to the gender imbalance in photography. Many congratulations to her.
We welcomed Old Chigs Quentin Wu (2015) and Laurence Brooks (2016) for ‘Meet the future’ careers talks this halfterm. Quentin is a trainee solicitor, having studied PPE and done a law conversion course and a Masters in International Law. Laurence is an Output Producer with Sky News, having completed an initial degree in Broadcast Journalism followed by a Masters in Television Journalism. It was fascinating to hear about their experiences since leaving Chigwell, and how much they enjoy what they do.
We were also delighted to welcome back medical students Julia Spaczynska OC, Paul Turner OC and Bhavini Bhatt OC, who ran a session on the medical interview process for our Sixth Formers interested in studying medicine. As always, we are grateful to all Old Chigwellians, and other members of our community who give up their time to assist current pupils.
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Chigwell Remembrance Service
On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, both the country and our school community came to a standstill to mark Armistice Day. We observed a whole school two-minute silence – our boys and girls took time to reflect and were deeply respectful honouring those who lost their lives for our freedom. Our pupils and staff then moved to St Mary's Church, where we held a service of Remembrance during which our Head of School and the Head read the names of Old Chigwellians who died in WWI and WWII. It was a deeply moving service, providing an opportunity to reflect on war and conflict, and pray for peace in our world.
Bad Weather
In the event of heavy snow or ice, please consult the school website (www.chigwell-school.org) and social media for confirmation of arrangements for the school day. We would be very reluctant to close the School but we are mindful of the safety of pupils and staff..
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Football
Football has made a roaring comeback this year. We have had over 100 fixtures, spread across eighteen groups of boys. We have added to the fixture calendar with a return of the historic Eton College fixture and Alleyn’s School. The Independent Schools Football Association has also added to its competitive programme, further increasing the number of cup competitions we have entered.
It has been a challenging year for the 1XI this year. Due to the success of previous years we have lost strong players to elite and professional environments, a victim of our own success. Though the 1XI struggled to replicate historic stellar performances, we would like to thank them for their efforts this year and wish them every success in the future.
Lower down the school there has been a steady progression. The U15s have continuously built and battle on all cup fronts going into the new year. The U15A go into the new year still in the cup and we look forward to watching their progression. The U14s have shown a glimpse of what they are capable of but have struggled with consistency. The U13s show real promise, and their season has been littered with good results. The U13A will play Thorpe House
in the new year to progress in the ISFA cup. The U12s have again battled well and worked hard. The U11s have had an unlucky run in both the ISFA and IAPS competitions being knocked out in both despite excellent play, alongside conducting themselves admirably.
The Barcelona Tour 2022 took place over half term and this year, for the first time, twenty-five girls joined to tour as well. The tour group were based at Futbol Salou, the training base of the Catalan FA. The students experienced training sessions with Catalan Federation coaches and training sessions with RCD Español academy coaches at their first team complex. We also enjoyed visits to the Nou Camp & Estadio Cornellà-El Prat Stadium Tours. A huge thank you to all staff who gave up their time to support this amazing tour. For more information and
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pictures of the tour please visit @chigwellschoolfootball on Facebook.
KS2 football club on a Thursday is as popular as ever with over eighty boys playing every week. Mr Micky Payne, Mr Kevin Farrant, Mr Stephen Moore, Mr Luke Keeble and Mr Asif Mushtaq have worked hard to improve technical ability and develop the core skills of all involved. Individually, we continue to have real success; Will (MVI) trialled at Leyton Orient FC and has now signed, and is playing for, Harlow Town 1st team; Sonny (LV) continues to thrive at Ipswich town and will stay to compete for an U18 contract next year; another notable success is Blake (Rem)Tottenham. All boys have thrived in professional environments, and continue to develop and progress well. Congratulations go also to Ethan, Syon, Bieant, Archie and Felix (IV Form) who have been nominated and trialled for Essex and Herts, Under 13 ISFA representative team.
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Driving and Parking on Site
I am grateful to parents for the feedback provided in respect of the new parking arrangements, and I shall send a separate email summarising these results and the changes that we will make prior to the start of Lent term. However, as a brief reminder of what is set out in the Parents’ Handbook, it is important that everyone follows the arrangements below:
•you should not stop or park on the High Road, the various approach roads or the pedestrian crossing to the Junior School, and you may not use the car park of St Mary’s Church;
•parents are requested to park responsibly to make the best use of the space available, without blocking other cars. In particular, parents must not block exit routes and the yellow hatched areas should be kept clear at all times;
•Please do not exceed the 5 mph driving speed limit while on site, and be particularly vigilant of pedestrians as the afternoons become darker;
•parents are asked to minimise the time they make use of car parking spaces, and they should not leave their car in any of the car parks during the School day unless they are attending a School function or meeting;
•parents should turn left as they leave the School site, and use the nearby roundabout to head back towards Chigwell village if necessary. Avoiding turning right on to the High Road will have a marked positive effect on traffic flow around the School, to the benefit of all who use it.
Message from the Chaplain
As the days get darker and the shortest day approaches, school and Chapel become very different places. The Chapel provides a place of warmth whilst our pupils work with great resolve despite the grimness all around! There is, therefore, a need for light amongst the background of darkness - Christmas is close at hand. The twinkling of the Christmas lights and the hope that is amongst us can bring cheer to this time. As a Christian, I have always deeply enjoyed Christmas; firstly, as a child who liked to open his presents around the tree and more recently, as a man, I found the greatest present in the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I recognise that Christmas can mean different things to different people and we all celebrate in different ways. Therefore, whatever you are doing this Christmas time I wish youa Merry Christmas. Fr David (Chaplain)
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Staff News
Congratulations go to Mr Chris Anderson and Mrs Emma Anderson on the arrival of their baby son, Harry. We also congratulate Mr Tom Crowder, who married Alice during the half term break.
We are delighted to welcome Miss Maya Frampton who has joined as the School Archivist, Mrs Lisa Mina as Philanthropy Officer, and Mrs Elaine Miller who is our new Purchase Ledger Administrator. We hope they will all be very happy here.
Sadly, we bid farewell to three members of the teaching staff at the end of term. Mr Chris Anderson will be joining the Police Force, Mrs Heather Arrowsmith is moving on to a different school, and Mrs Rosalyn Phillip is retiring after thirteen years at the School. We also say goodbye to Mr Ron Spicer, who returned from retirement to help with the teaching of economics this term and to Mrs Giovanna Hutcheon who has been covering a maternity leave in the MFL department. We thank them all for their contribution to the School, and hope that they will stay in touch. Also leaving us at the end of term is Mrs Kerry Horn, who has worked for the School for the past thirteen years, latterly as Pre Prep Secretary. We send her our thanks and very best wishes for the future.
Though it is not quite time to say farewell yet, two members of the Senior Management Team have announced their retirement. Mr David Gower (Deputy Head) and Mr Andrew Stubbs (Head of the Junior School) will retire at the end of the academic year. There will be time to say a proper good bye to them both as we approach the end of the school year, and we will make sure they have a celebration to thank them for their many years of service to the School.
O.C. Mitre
All Old Chigwellians automatically become members of the Old Chigwellian Association, which organises events throughout the year. The O.C. Mitre magazine is published annually, and we invite you to read the 2022 edition, which will published on our website from the end of December.
Lent Term
We are pleased to launch a new online calendar for next term. This will be in addition to the blue book that will be ready at the start of next term, however the online calendar will be kept up to date with any last minute changes. The calendar is found on our website at the following address: http://calendar.chigwell-school.org
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Public Examinations 2023
If your child is taking GCSE or A Level exams in summer 2023 then please be aware that your son or daughter must be available through the entire exam period, including any contingency dates. Please read the statement below from the JCQ website:
The 2023 timetable has set aside the afternoon of 8th June and 15th of June together with the whole day on 28th June for contingency purposes. This will be used if a significant, unexpected event arises nationally or locally during the exam period such that no students (or a large number of them) are able to take an exam when planned. Of course, we all hope there won’t be such disruption and that the contingency day won’t be needed. But students
should be available throughout the exam period, including the contingency times listed above, in case their planned timetable is disrupted.
Please bear in mind the contingency timings when planning for any holidays/work experience in June 2023. Should you have any further questions then please contact Mr Dilpesh Patel, Examinations Officer, directly. Of course, once your child has sat all their exams they would no longer need to remain available for any of the contingency times listed above.
Please note that A Level results will be published on Thursday 17th August and GCSE results will be published on Thursday 24th August.
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A Message from Philanthropy*
In this season of gift giving, please consider giving a donation to a charity.
Ways of Giving
To learn about unique personalised plaque opportunities, visit: www.chigwell-school.org/tribute-plaques or scan this QR code:
To donate online visit: www.chigwell-school.org/onlinedonations or scan this QR code.
Contact Mr Scott Franssen, Director of Philanthropy on +44(0) 208 501 5769 and sfranssen@chigwell-school.org for additional information.
* Philanthropy, from ancient Greek origins, means ‘love of humankind’. At Chigwell School, we consider philanthropy to be ‘people helping people.’
Friends of Chigwell
The annual fireworks night and Christmas fair took place this half of term, and it was a pleasure to see so many of the community joining us for both occasions. These events were an excellent opportunity for the community to come together whilst also raising valuable funds for the promotion of educational activities at the School. We are grateful to the many volunteers who gave their time so generously in order to make these events possible.
A message from the Friends of Chigwell regarding old Uniform: Please feel free to donate all of your old style, non-logo uniform to local charities. For items of clothing which have the Chigwell crest on them, the school's sustainability committee will be looking at creative ways to repurpose these, so please hold onto them for the time being, and we will come back to you with a solution. Thank you for your support in this process.
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If you’re looking for book presents for your children or other family members, you might like to consider our suggestions below.
Christmas Present Ideas From the Swallow Library Books with a Christmas theme
All the jingle ladies – Beth Garrod (new Young Adult novel)
Let it snow: three holiday romances – Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle (Young Adult)Christmas dinner of souls – Ross Montgomery (9+ Adventure/horror genre)
Twas the nightshift before Christmas – Adam Kay (A humorous account of Christmas on front line duty in the NHS)
Non-fiction
Bright new world – Cindy Forde and Bethany Lord (8+ Positive ways in which we can build a better future based on real advances in technology and amazing ideas)
Become an app inventor : the official guide from MIT App Inventor – Karen Lang, Selim Tezel (12+)
Dream like me: South Asian football trailblazers – Manisha Tailor
Migrations : a history of where we all came from – Kathryn Hennessy (Published by DK)
Fiction
October, October – Katya Balen (9+ Winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022)
Until the end – Derek Landy (The latest book in the popular Skulduggery Pleasant series)
Traitor – Amanda McCrina (Young Adult: An account of lives caught up in the turbulent history of Poland and Ukraine in 1944)
Books by Onjali Q Rauf have been popular this term with Year 7!
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Wishing you a relaxing festive period and a Happy New Year.
Damian King
TERM DATES 2023
Lent Term 2023
Staff meetings and INSET on Monday 9th January
First day:Tuesday 10th January
Half term:Saturday 11th February to Sunday 19th February
Term ends:Wednesday 29th March
Trinity Term 2023 (Easter Day is 9th April)
First day:Wednesday 19th April
Half term:Saturday 27th May to Sunday 4th June INSET Day Monday 5th June
Term ends:Wednesday 12th July