HM Letter to Parents September 2016

HEADMASTER’S LETTER

SEPTEMBER 2016

T0 PARENTS

I suspect that the start of a new school year brings a mixture of excitement, nerves and sorrow at the end of the long school holiday. I hope all Chigwell families have had a happy and fulfilling summer, and that the new school year brings plenty of rewards too. For those families and pupils who are new, I hope the first few days here go really well and that you have a long and very happy association with Chigwell. If you have any problems, remember we are here to help!

Contents Page 1

Sixth Form Centre

Page 2

Examination Results

Page 3

Staff News University Destinations Bianca Andrei

Page 4

Summer Projects Overseas

Page 5

Summer Projects Overseas

Page 6

Trips Over The Summer Breaks

Page 7

Choir Sing Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral

Page 8

Arkwright Scholarships Calendars Finally

Sixth Form Centre As you will have seen, a great deal of

but was tragically killed in a road

work has taken place to complete

accident in Peru in 2009. There will be

the Risham Sarao Sixth Form Centre,

an opening ceremony on Saturday 17th

built in memory of former student

September and I will write again with

Risham Sarao who left Chigwell in 2006

further details.

1

Examination Results On consecutive Thursdays in August,

equivalent of EPQ) and nine of these

pupils, parents and staff gathered to

gained A* grades.

celebrate public examination results. At A level, 80% of all grades were B grade or above with a quarter of students achieving grades AAA or better.

In

addition to their A levels, eight students opted to take the Extended Project Qualification and were awarded an A*.

We are very proud of all students who worked hard to achieve the best they could and we are grateful to their teachers and parents who supported them so effectively.

At GCSE, two thirds of all grades were at least an A with 35% of grades an A*.

One fifth of all pupils achieved at least seven A* grades. Eleven pupils also took the HPQ qualification (the GCSE

2

Staff News

University Destinations

We welcome a number of new colleagues this term and we hope they will be very

Of the year group of eighty three

happy here: Miss Geraldine Brien joins us

students, seven will be moving on to

a KS2 Senior Teacher (Years 5 and 6); Mr

Oxford or Cambridge, six will be studying

Adam

music

medicine, dentistry or veterinary science,

department; Mr Edward Gamwells will be

as well as a whole host of other

teaching in the Junior School, whilst Miss

disciplines.

Jennifer Ireland will be teaching French;

studying in the USA, Canada or mainland

Miss Katy Morris joins the Classics

Europe, whilst most will stay in the UK

department, and Mr Robert Richardson

with Oxbridge, Nottingham, York,

will teach history; Mr Graham Sexton

Durham, KCL, Leicester and Warwick

joins the science department as a teacher

being the most popular destinations this

of physics and Miss Flo Tellwright will be

year.

teaching religious studies.

success and happiness, and we hope they

Meanwhile, we are delighted that a

will stay in touch.

Crockatt

joins

the

A small number will be

We wish all our leavers every

number of teachers have married over the holiday. Miss Samantha Dick will

Bianca Andrei

now be known as Mrs Lawrence, having married Creag who left Chigwell at

Once again, Bianca represented the UK

Christmas last year. Miss Emma Conway

in the International Physics Olympiad

was married to Jean-Philippe in the

held this year in Zurich. She was the

School Chapel and she will now be known

only girl in the team and was one of only

as Mrs Stoker, and Miss Yasmin Peterson

twenty five girls in the whole event of

married David and she will be known as

four hundred physicists from ninety

Mrs Hizer. Also, Dr Glen Winfield married

countries. She achieved a bronze medal

Jen. We wish them all every happiness in

and will now be studying more physics

the future.

as part of her natural sciences degree at

There have been a number of internal

Trinity College, Cambridge.

staff appointments and you will see details of these in the blue book

3

Summer Projects Overseas A number of Lower Sixth Formers carried out charity work overseas during the summer break. Aaran Vijayakumaran, winner of the Tim Pruss Prize, worked in Faridabad, India, where he helped in an orphanage, a slum school, and also a school for disabled children; Aanya Gujral fundraised to provide physiotherapy equipment for a home for disabled children which she visited and she saw first-hand how this charity provides special care to help patients to become stronger.

Annie

Redmond and Brooke Newton travelled to

4

Summer Projects Overseas Kandy, Sri Lanka, where they taught English at a local school and nursery, whilst Megan Whitehead travelled to a town just outside Kathmandu, where she also taught English in a school damaged in last year’s earthquake. Tanu Kugasathan worked to up-grade an orphanage in Jaffna, Sri Lanka;

Rahul Aggarwal worked in a hospital in Kenya; and Tamra Paul worked in an orphanage in Malaysia.

Later in the term, on Wednesday 12th October, these students will present accounts of their experiences and further details will follow.

5

Trips Over the Summer Break

Twenty three scouts travelled to the Kandersteg International Scout Centre in Switzerland where they took part in a host of activities including climbing and hiking. The pupils pulled together as a group really well and they represented themselves and the School impressively.

Duke of Edinburgh expeditions took place with walking and wild camping in the Highlands of Scotland, canoeing up the Great Glen and training in North Wales. We hope that all of these challenges will have provided students with lasting experiences and memories.

Twenty boys attended a North West Pre Season football tour from Friday 2nd to the 4th September. They attended Liverpool Academy where they were put through their paces by Liverpool Academy staff. They were visited by Tony Strudwick, Head of Athletic Development at Manchester United who talked about Sports science, nutritional and pre game strategies. Finally they visited St Georges Park for recovery and hydro therapy sessions.

6

Choir Sing Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral Like me, I know that some parents were stunned at the quality of the choir’s singing on Monday evening. Very few schools are invited to lead evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral but the Chapel Choir really did rise to the occasion. We are very proud of them

7

Arkwright Scholarships Congratulations to Greg Jackson, Kavindu

assessments and interviews, the last of

de Silva and Ella Gupta who were all

which are held at Imperial College, London.

awarded Arkwright Scholarships over the

A scholar not only receives some financial

summer. The Arkwright Trust provides

support but also work experience, tailored

scholarships to the most promising future

to their future career aspirations.

engineers and selects on the basis of

Calendars

Finally

As usual, pupils will be given a copy of the

Very soon the long summer holiday will be but a distant memory as the new term gets busier and busier. I look forward to seeing you at some of the many events taking place over the next few weeks.

blue calendar with details of all events taking place this term. If you have not received a copy, please collect one from either the Junior or Senior Receptions.

With best wishes Yours sincerely

Michael Punt

8

TERM DATES 2016 / 2017 Half term: Saturday 22nd October to Sunday 6th November Term ends: Wednesday 14th December Lent Term Staff meetings and INSET on Wednesday 4th January First day: Half term:

Thursday 5th January Saturday 11th February to Sunday 19th February

Trinity Term (Easter Day is 16th April) First day: Wednesday 19th April Half term: Saturday 27th May to Monday 5th June (INSET Day Monday June 5th) Term ends: Wednesday 12th July