HM Letter to Parents September 2018

HEADMASTER’S LETTER SEPTEMBER 2018

T0 PARENTS

Dear Parents Welcome to the 2018/19 academic year, particularly if this is the start of your son/daughter’s career at Chigwell. We hope he/she will be very happy here, busy, challenged and well-supported. We also enjoy seeing parents at some of the many events that take place here and hope that all families have a long and happy association with Chigwell.

Contents Page 1

A Level Results

Page 2

GCSE Results

Page 3

GCSE Results

Page 4

Summer Development Work

Page 5

Summer Development Work

Page 6

Stella Kearin Suli Scratchard Evan Perry News from Chigwell

Page 7

Calendars Jasmine, Emily and Isabel Iley Tom Atkinson

Page 8

Choir Tour to Catalonia

Page 9

Poppy Bradley

Page 10

Volunteering in Cambodia

Page 11

Scouts

Page 12

Hockey Tour

Page 13

Hockey Tour

Page 14

Hockey Tour

Page 15

Duke of Edinburgh Pre-season Football Training

Page 16

Twitter Staff News And Finally

A Level Results Last year’s Middle Sixth students

celebrated excellent A level results last month. 81% of results were at B grade or

above with nearly half of all grades either

A or A*, almost double the national average. A quarter of students achieved at least three A grades and the most

common grade, across all the exams sat,

was an A grade. Of the students who

chose to take the Extended Project Qualification in addition to their three or four A levels, two thirds achieved an A or A* grade.

For these students, top A level results enabled them to progress to some of the

very best universities. Three quarters will

be going to Russell Group universities

including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, Birmingham, Nottingham, and University College London.

A small

number of students will be taking up places overseas including one at Harvard.

We send our congratulations to all the students and their teachers. We wish

them all every future success and happiness and hope that they will stay in touch.

1

GCSE Results Following the A level success, pupils,

teachers and parents came together once again to celebrate the publication of GCSE results. This year results were a mixture of

number and letter grades, but both systems reflected remarkable success.

Over 73% of all grades were the

equivalent of grade 7 or above. Nearly a quarter of candidates averaged at least a

grade 8 or the equivalent in each subject and a third of the year group achieved at least eight grade 7s or more.

Ten

candidates achieved nothing less than a grade 8.

2

GCSE Results We were delighted with the students who

have worked really hard and justly deserved their success. Likewise, their

teachers have supported them tirelessly and we are very proud of all that they have

achieved together. It was particularly pleasing to see so many grade 9s amongst

the results but there were also some

students who have made tremendous progress and achieved results which really

are a reflection of their dedication. We look forward to working with them and

the new students who will join them in the Sixth Form as they continue with their education.

3

Summer Development Work

Over the summer a great deal of work

phase of the restoration of this building.

Aside from the ongoing decoration and

Friends of Chigwell, a Junior School play

Thanks in part to the generosity of the

has been going on around the site.

space has been created behind the

maintenance of various buildings and a

Sports Hall. Parents are most welcome

number of less visible capital projects,

to attend the opening of this facility at

work has been taking place to create

4pm on 5th September. Support staff

three new Junior School classrooms in

have also renovated the Japanese

the roof space; this work will continue this term.

Garden next to the art department,

The overhaul of the Old

which we hope will provide a quiet space

School roofs continues, including the

for pupils who just want to take some

complete renovation of the original

time to themselves during the busy

1629 School roof and, again, this work

school day. I am very grateful to all the

will be ongoing through the Michaelmas

staff who have managed or carried out

term. The lighting and heating in the

so much work over the last few weeks.

Chapel has been replaced in the first

4

Summer Development Work

5

Stella Kearin

Suli Scatchard

army cadet, completed part of the Lord

fifteen people in the country to be

Congratulations to Suli who is one of

Congratulations to Stella who, as an

awarded a Young Darwin Scholarship by

Dannatt Round Britain Challenge as a

the Field Studies Council. Suli attended a

commemoration of the end of World

residential course with the other scholars

War II. She sailed on the Lord Nelson from

in August, she is provided with a mentor

Edinburgh to Belfast, a really memorable

and is supported with fieldwork in biology,

experience

geography and environmental studies.

Evan Perry

Congratulations to Evan Perry who represented the U14 ISFA side at the

Oakham Academy Tournament. The side narrowly finished as runners-up in the final

to Port Vale, with the score 0-0 at full time

but ISFA lost 3-4 after the penalty

shootout. Congratulations to Evan for being selected.

News From Chigwell

The latest edition of News from Chigwell

has been produced, giving a flavour of some of the many activities that took

place at school during last academic year.

You can view the magazine here. If you

would like a copy, you are welcome to collect one from Reception.

6

Calendars

received a copy, please collect one from

As usual, pupils will be given a copy of the

either the Junior or Senior Receptions.

blue calendar with details of all events taking place this term. If you have not

Jasmine, Emily and Isabel Iley Congratulations to the three girls on their success in the British Swimming Championships. Isabel finished sixteenth in the 100m backstroke; Jasmine finished seventh in the 200m backstroke with a personal best; and Emily came third in the 200m

backstroke, second in the 100m backstroke and she won the 50m event. We are very proud of all three sisters.

Tom Atkinson Congratulations to Tom who played in the

Reid Trophy over the summer, a tournament for the best U14 golfers in Europe. Tom finished 69th out of 144

which has given him an U14 European Golf ranking of 124.

7

Choir Tour to Catalonia The Chapel Choir returned to the

Catalonian region of Spain where they performed a gruelling concert schedule in

preparation for recording a Christmas album

in

the

Michaelmas

Term.

Highlights of the tour included performing

to large audiences in Gaudi's iconic masterpiece,

Sagrada

Familia,

the

stunning Abbey at Montserrat and the Tarragona Cathedral.

The tour also

included concerts in aid of charity at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Igualada where there was standing room only, and then

two local concerts in La Palma, the second

of which was televised in a short

documentary which can be found on Youtube here. This term the choir will record a CD of Christmas music and all

profits will go to charity. Since 2013 the

Chapel Choir has helped raise more than ÂŁ150,000 for charities including Smiles with Grace, Kids Inspire and LifeBox.

8

Poppy Bradley

Sixth Form student Poppy Bradley was awarded a Nuffield placement and bursary which has enabled her to work as part of a

research team at the Lungs for Living

Research Centre at University College London over the summer.

Poppy’s

supervisor is a PhD scientist and together they have been characterising the difference

in the rate of proliferatin between adult and

paediatric basal epithelial cells, which are found in the trachea. Poppy has carried out

a variety of experiments herself, involving

cell culture, laser scanning confocal microscopy and immunohistochemistry and she has also visited Great Ormond Street

and University College Hospitals to collect samples in theatre for research. She may

also be named in a paper which is due to be published on the work. Poppy says that

“this has been both one of the most intellectually challenging and enjoyable things I have ever done and I have had a

wonderful time”. We would encourage other sixth form scientists to consider applying for a Nuffield Research Placement.

9

Volunteering in Cambodia Each year the Tim Pruss Prize goes to one

or more Chigwell students who will be carrying out volunteering overseas, which

will make a difference both to the community where they are working and to

the volunteers themselves. This year’s winners were Amarah Udat and Deetya

Patel who travelled to Cambodia over the summer and volunteered in a care centre for underprivileged children near Phnom

Penh. They will be speaking about their experiences later this term.

10

Scouts

The Chigwell School Scouts spent a sunny

week at Foxlease Activity Centre near Lyndhurst in the New Forest National

Park for the annual camp. They took part

in a variety of adventurous activities, including orienteering, high ropes and a 17 mile mountain bike ride through the New

Forest. Other highlights included visiting the Splashdown waterpark in Poole, and

Bournemouth beach. Several prizes were awarded by Mr Richard Maynes at the end

of camp, notably the Dobby Quaic Award

to Holly Hartwell for being the all-round best camper this year. All the Scouts

enjoyed a great time, and have learned solid skills for future camps such as for Kandersteg, Switzerland in 2019.

11

Hockey Tour

Pupils travelled to Singapore and Malaysia

tough, hard-fought but thrilling. Away

both the sport itself and to give an insight

many highlights including the Botanical

for a hockey tour designed to develop

from the hockey pitch, the squads enjoyed

into the different cultures in that part of

Gardens of Singapore, Sentosa Island,

the world. The tour visited Singapore,

Tiger Sky Tower, the Petronas Twin

Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang. Pupils

Towers as well as the King’s Palace in

played in some spectacular venues

Kuala Lumpur. The trip proved to be a

including the Tun Razak Hockey Stadium,

resounding success and we were delighted

Jalan Duta and the Bukit Jalil Stadium,

to hear that the behaviour of the thirty

the home of Malaysian hockey. Due to

pupils both on and off the pitch was

the humid conditions and the strong

impeccable.

opposition, the fixtures proved to be

12

Hockey Tour

13

Hockey Tour

14

Duke of Edinburgh

During the first week of the summer holidays ten students from the Lower Sixth, completed their DofE Gold Canoe

Qualifying Expedition in Scotland on the Great Glen Canoe Trail.

The group

paddled a total of 120 kilometres over four

days; this included Loch Lochy, the Caledonian Canal and finally the famous

Loch Ness, finishing in Inverness. The

group had to undertake eight to nine hours of paddling each day and wild camping at the loch edges, they also had to contend at times with the Scottish

midge and the choppy water conditions on

Loch Lochy. This will be an expedition that they will never forget.

Pre-season Football Training

An encouraging number of senior pupils came into school for pre-season training at the end

of the summer break. For boys, this included a friendly football tournament on Saturday

for the 1st XI, with the Old Chigwellian 1st XI, the OC Vets and the Old Bancroftian XI. Chigwell played well with a win, a draw and one narrow loss, meaning that they were placed second overall. We look forward to the season ahead for all school teams.

15

Twitter

with news stories and do follow up on Twitter @chigwellschool to receive regular snapshots of events across the School.

Parents receive regular messages through Chigwell Post. We also update the website www.chigwell-school.org

Staff News

This term we are welcoming a number of new staff. Mrs Heather Arrowsmith and Ms Niamh

Feeney will be joining the English department. Mrs Emma Anderson and Ms Susan Proctor will be joining the Junior School as KS2 teachers. Dr Chloe Hirst will be joining the science

department as a teacher of biology and Mrs Rachelle Williams will be a teacher of science.

Mr Stephen Hirst will be teaching psychology whilst Miss Emma Taylor is on maternity leave

and Mr Craig Peebles will be joining the PE department. We hope that all new colleagues will be very happy here.

Our congratulations go to Ms Charlotte Nairac and her husband Jamie on the arrival of their second son Sebastien.

And Finally

Like all terms, the Michaelmas term is a busy one. I hope all pupils, new and old, very quickly settle back into school life and I look forward to seeing you all over the next few weeks.

With best wishes Yours sincerely Michael Punt

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2019 TERM DATES 2018 Lent Term TermINSET on Monday 7th January StaffMichaelmas meetings and Saturday October to Sunday 4th November FirstHalf day:term: Tuesday 8th20th January Friday 14th December HalfTerm term:ends: Saturday 16th February to Sunday 24th February Term ends: Wednesday 3rd April

2019 Lent Term Trinity Term Staff meetings and INSET on Monday 7th January (Easter April) 8th January FirstDay day:is 21st Tuesday FirstHalf day:term: Wednesday 24rdFebruary April to Sunday 24th February Saturday 16th HalfTerm term:ends: Saturday 25th May to Sunday 2nd June INSET Day Monday 3rd June Wednesday 3rd April

Term ends:

Wednesday 10th July