G&L School Magazine 2022-23

BUILDING FOR OUR FUTURE

Welcome

A warm welcome to our School Magazine which captures and celebrates many of the highlights of the 2022-23 school year. Trying to reduce a year of Godolphin time into one publication does of course border on the impossible; but I hope you will find here happy reminders of some of the events and endeavours which we all enjoyed. Represented here you will find extracurriculars, trips and speakers, and I am sure you will be struck by the huge range of activities that our students enthusiastically throw themselves into. What also shines through, I think, is how supportive they are of each other and of the wider community. You will, for instance, learn about our collective effort to run, walk and row to raise funds for the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal; about students volunteering with a whole host of charities and organisations, and devising social impact projects; and Sixth Formers supporting staff to run our Bridge outreach programme.

The backdrop to this academic year has been the major building project at the centre of our site, whose ambition is to support our commitment to modern and innovative teaching, and student and staff wellbeing. From the start of the Autumn Term there was a sense of anticipation with the arrival of

our temporary library and classrooms on the front lawn; after many months of planning, it was exciting to get our site development under way. One of the most positive legacies of the pandemic has been our ability to adapt quickly to new challenges, and these included one-way systems, a rehoming of the Sixth Form in the Bishop Centre, and other adaptations to our usual routines. It was fascinating to see the building work progress over the course of the year, and we were delighted that the extended Sixth Form Centre opened just in time for the start of the September term - with the new dining facilities and Library to follow shortly. The project has also allowed us to make better connections between existing buildings enabling students and staff to move more efficiently around the campus.

I look forward to seeing how our new facilities will enrich the life of our community and where our collective energy and imagination will take us next!

With all good wishes

Dr Frances Ramsey, Head

Evolution of a Dolphin

from the Head Girls Team

Pre-school routine: Googling whether Tescos is open before school in an effort to get last minute ingredients for food tech that you have P1 and P2 in the morning! Extra points if a parent reminded you NOT TO FORGET THEM but you still did.

Y7

Break: Lost property search because you have lost your hoodie for the nth time this term and suddenly everyone has your initials so it’s impossible to find. Extra points if it isn’t labelled.

Lunch: Where do we start? Trying to go to all the sports trainings, going to all the societies (just for the free food from the Sixth Formers of course), maybe a music lesson or speech and drama OR sitting in recluse in your form room playing 2024 cupcakes on the iPad in breaktime because you are an iPad kid.

Post-school shenanigans:

Asking your teacher to leave the lesson five minutes early because you have an away sports fixture. They reluctantly agree but tell you you should have emailed in advance.

Pre-school routine: Sending an email to the P.E. department explaining that you need to miss the morning sports training due to an unexpected commitment (you actually just slept through your alarm).

Break: Applying your new concealer in the school toilets to try and cover up the eye bags that resulted from binge watching Netflix. Sprinting to the hall for those white chocolate chip cookies.

Lunch: Having political debates at lunchtime because you are trying to convince yourself you are ‘engaged in the world’.

Post-school shenanigans: watching every YouTube video on how to survive GCSEs.

Pre-school routine: Meeting your friends at the broadway at 8:00am to try and ambush as many unsuspecting St Paul’s boys as possible on their way to school.

Break: Race to the tuck shop to grab a cookie before they run out (standing in the queue and death staring any person who came out with more than two before you reach the front) then doing homework due period 3 that you told yourself you’d do the night before but ‘forgot’ (you chose to ignore your impending doom).

Lunch: Making tik toks with your friends in the Lower School changing room, as you are trying to become an influencer.

Post-school shenanigans: Packing up two minutes before the final bell only to be sternly asked by the teacher to unpack everything because ‘there’s still plenty of time for learning’. Then racing to the broadway to grab bubble tea with your friends before the line becomes too long.

Y8 Y9 Y10 Y11 6F

Pre-school routine: Trying to memorise the entire GCSE specification before your period 1 topic test.

Break: Debriefing about said topic test, only to realise that you got entirely different answers from your friends. Finally accepting defeat, and rushing to the tuck shop for a 20p curly wurly.

Lunch: Attending all the new clubs you just joined because it just hit you that you need to build your personal statement (don’t worry we have all been there).

Post-school shenanigans: Taking a 20 minute power nap to reenergize yourself. Scrambling to complete the never-ending homework tasks. Finally sleeping to escape the GCSE chaos, only to have nightmares about results day.

Pre-school routine: Waking up only five minutes before you have to leave because the GCSE stress has not hit yet. Pairing the iconic air force one trainers with your school uniform even though they are not allowed under the dress code.

Break: Asking anyone that walks by if they can buy you a snack from the tuck shop because you spent all of your money on depop buying y2k clothing

Lunch: Catching up on all of the latest gossip. Common topics include St Paul’s boys, fashion trends and gossip girl fanfiction.

Post-school shenanigans: Trying to perfect the latest tik tok dances instead of learning your language vocab.

Pre-school routine: Doing homework the morning that it’s due aka becoming a ‘morning person’ despite the fact that no teenager is a ‘morning person’

Break: Going to the tuck shop because you NEED that sugar rush of the delicious cookies that remind you of simpler times in Year 7 (when you used to take about 3 each as if they were the last edible resources on earth). However, going to the tuck shop also requires getting past the herds of Lower School girls (you were one of them not so long ago).

Lunch: Going out to get emergency coffee from Pret (RIP to bank account)

Post-school shenanigans: Procrastinating about the ungodly amount of work you have to do.

Binge watching ‘Below Deck’.

A Message from the Head Girl

From collectively completing an astounding 3468km in our sponsored run, to frantically navigating the labyrinth construction site, it is safe to say Godolphin has embraced the last year and everything it has offered. Despite any challenges that have arisen, we have stayed true to our path and haven’t let them diminish our spirits. For me, that is what truly defines a Godolphin student, and there is no doubt in my mind that we will approach the new academic year with even more resilience.

During the year, I was amazed to witness the many ways in which the school community came together. Students in the Middle School and Sixth Form spent hours collaborating on various social impact initiatives aiming to bridge the inequity of education. Those involved in the school play worked together to perfect their whimsical and dynamic performance of Mary Poppins Jr which transported all of us back to the Edwardian era!

As I head into my final year, I’m constantly thinking about the shape of my future and how to make the most of all that comes my way. But I’ve come to realise that any insights into the future are best gleaned from reflecting on my incredible journey at Godolphin. Memories come flooding back –the embarrassing number of attempts at making a lemon meringue pie in Year 7 food tech, and the countless hours I dedicated to the netball squad under the illusion I would make it on the A team (spoiler: I never made it past the E team). But what really stands out are the remarkable friendships and connections I’ve been fortunate enough to make at every step of the way. Through united participation in debating competitions and adventurous escapades with the Sixth Form at Flatford Mill, I’ve learnt I can truly rely on my fellow Dolphins. They uplift me during tough times, push me to take new opportunities, never fail to make me laugh.

In Lower Sixth, I took on new roles coaching debating and captaining the gymnastics team. Whilst each role demands different skills, there is one thing they have in common – they serve as a constant reminder to me of the potential in every single Godolphin student. Every week I witness someone mustering up the courage to deliver a speech in front of their peers, or trying an acrobatic skill they never had dared before. The ambition and spirit that each girl has is so inspiring, and I count myself lucky that I can be a small part of their journey. As a Head Girls Team, our role really begins with recognising what we can do to create an environment for each student to pursue their goals. We strive to create mentoring structures that can help assist the transition into Middle School and Sixth Form, and continue to use our platform to support social change beyond the confines of our school.

So as we look ahead into the new school year, I can’t promise that making lemon meringue pies will become any easier. Nor can I promise that those tuck shop cravings will disappear. But what I can assure our student community is that it will be a year filled with optimism, endless opportunities, and new challenges which we will tackle together.

Sanaya Mittal, Head Girl, 2023-24

Awards and Accolades Sunday Times IB School of the Year 2023

We were delighted to be named as the Sunday Times International Baccalaureate School of the Year 2023. Our students’ outstanding IB, A Level and GCSE results in 2022 positioned us fourth in the overall Sunday Times national league table for independent secondary schools. Helen Davies, editor of the Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide commented, ‘The trends may not be new, but they are reinforced: ... singlesex girls’ schools are continuing to excel and those schools that push extracurricular activities and wellbeing are thriving inside and outside the classroom.’

Top IB School in the UK

We were the top school in the UK and fourth in the world for our 2022 IB results. This was testament to the hard work and success of our Class of 2022 IB students who have gone on to study a range of exciting courses at universities in the UK and overseas.

Innovation in Education Award

The academic year began with the fantastic news that we had won Talk Education’s inaugural Innovation in Education award for Thinking Beyond the Curriculum. The award was in recognition of our In-house Internships which were launched at the beginning of 2022 to help students develop important skills such as teamwork, adaptability, creative thinking and analytical skills.

Independent School of the Year Awards

The academic year ended with the announcement that we had been shortlisted in the Independent School of the Year Awards 2023 for both our contribution to social mobility – through our Bridge and bursary programme – and as London Independent School of the Year

AND ACCOLADES

Top 20 School for Girls’ Cricket

We were once again bowled over to be named as one of the top 20 all-girls schools for cricket by The Cricketer’s Schools Guide 2023. Entries were judged against an extensive set of criteria, which included a compelling commitment to cricket in the curriculum, facilities, fixture programmes and coaching.

Junior Sports Person of the Year Award

Kate Price, Upper Sixth, was presented with the award for Junior Sports Person of the Year by Olympic swimmer Mark Foster at the Hammersmith & Fulham Sports Awards. This is a highly prestigious award that recognised the outstanding performances and commitment Kate had shown over many years representing the borough in athletics and cross country running. Athletics and Cross-Country Captain, Kate represented the school on many occasions and was an inspiration to our younger athletes.

Winning Inventor Invited to COP27

As part of a team that invented a machine that uses algae to tackle climate change, Frida, Year 10, was invited to be part of a COP27 live panel event alongside representatives from the UN, Ambassadors for Climate Diplomacy, climate advisors, activists and young inventors. Her team’s invention was realised in 3D with the help of a digital artist for an exhibition at the Palais des Nations in Geneva for a UN conference.

Community, Partnerships and Outreach

Bridge Programme

In December our 2022 cohort of 80 children from 35 primary schools took part in their graduation ceremony to celebrate everything they had achieved over the last twelve months. They had shown brilliant commitment to their Saturday sessions and holiday courses and we loved getting to know each and every one of them. We are really delighted that the majority went on to apply for academically selective schools and that five of these students are joining Godolphin in September 2023 following in the footsteps of the Bridge students who joined us in 2022 and 2021. Over 80 students have enrolled in the 2023 programme.

Bridge Seniors

Towards the end of the Summer holidays we welcomed over twenty Year 10 students to our inaugural Bridge Seniors programme of talks and workshops.

Students joined us from Cumberland Community School, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, Fulham Cross Girls School, Ark Acton, Ark Putney, Saint Thomas Moore Language College, and Saint Gabriel’s College.

Running over five afternoons, the programme provided a series of talks and workshops from Godolphin teachers to enrich and extend understanding across a range of disciplines, and also offered support to students and parents who are considering applying for a bursary to join the Sixth Form.

Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank

In December our school community raised £3,912 for the Hammersmith and Fulham Foodbank. In addition, the PTFA donated £1,550 through profits from sales at the Festive Fair. The money raised went towards the prevention and relief of poverty in and around our local borough and to provide emergency food parcels to those in need.

Sleep Out to Help Out

On a chilly October night, Sixth Form students and staff slept out on the school grounds to raise money for local homelessness charity Glass Door. Armed with sleeping bags and woolly hats, the venture raised a fantastic £1,500 for Glass Door which will fund approximately 48 nights in a shelter with breakfast.

Christmas Collections

The Social Impact Committee amassed an impressive collection of Christmas gifts and vouchers for teenagers from the most vulnerable families in our local area. Thanks were due to everyone who donated so generously and to Ms Afifi and the Year 10 students who boxed up the gifts for distribution by Hammersmith and Fulham Family Services and the Salvation Army.

COMMUNITY, PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH

DEC TurkeySyria Earthquake Appeal

Shocked and moved by the terrible news of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and the resulting humanitarian disaster, we collectively ran, walked, jogged, skipped and rowed 3,333km, the distance from Godolphin to the epi-centre of the earthquake, and raised over £16,000 for the Save the Children DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal. Our School Birthday mufti-day raised an additional £2,615.00.

TRAID

Second-hand Clothes Sale

Our Sustainability Committee organised two second-hand clothes and accessories sales with profits totalling over £1,000 going to the anti-fast fashion charity TRAID.

DofE

Students taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh awards programme contributed 5434 hours of volunteering with a social value of £26,137 over the last year. This year 120 students took part in the Bronze award; 70 in the Silver award; and 19 in the Gold award and we were delighted to run expeditions to the Chilterns, New Forest and Brecon Beacons.

Social Impact Prize

The Social Impact prize sets out to inspire students to explore the power that social enterprise has to change the world for the better.

Due to the high standard of entries there were two winners in each category:

Senior Social Impact Prize: Feeding the Future by Dia Khosla, Fleur Kirkland, Lila Carr and Beatrice Mills, Art Asaurus by Emmie Gilbert, Sofia Carr, Charlotte Long and Tilly McLean

Junior Social Impact Prize: Children’s Awareness by Leila Corcoran and Arabella Sharma

The Maximus Project by Ariane Ataullah

The judges also commended Aliana and Saira’s Pets in Need and Mariella Hafalla and her project Literature for our Future.

Congratulations to Polina, Year 9, who was invited to speak about her experiences volunteering at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s Libraries and Archives at a special reception celebrating volunteers at Kensington Town Hall.

PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH

Fundraising for Macmillan

For World Cancer Day, staff and students ran and rowed to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. The event was organised by the Head Girls Team, and staff and students of all ages completed a 5k around Ravenscourt Park after school, with some opting to complete their 5k on rowing and cycling machines. The collective efforts of the school community saw over £1,000 raised for Macmillan.

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

Year 9 students Eden, Monica, Sienna, Emma, Corrin, Gracie, Grace, Mila, Milly and Olivia raised over £15,000 walking in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The cause is particularly close to Eden’s heart as she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes two years ago. Eden said that thanks to her friends at school, she has always felt understood and supported in her daily battle with the disease.

Old Dolphins’ Day

On Saturday 24 September we had the pleasure of welcoming former pupils back to the school for our annual Old Dolphins’ Day. It was a happy reunion of old friends spanning the generations with the most senior Old Dolphins present having left the school in 1947. At the other end of the scale, it was exciting to welcome back about 50 younger ODs who had left in 2017 and were therefore celebrating the fifth anniversary of their leaving.

Around the School

Bonding Days

Our Year 7s spent their first day at Godolphin navigating every corner of the school with their special orientation Treasure Hunt before getting together for ice-breaker sessions and bonding activities. The following week they soaked up the last of the summer sun, discovered new friendships, and enjoyed a range of problem-solving and leadership activities in their new form-groups. A few days’ later our newbies met up with their Year 8 buddies to share advice and hear about all the fantastic opportunities on offer at Godolphin.

Clubs and Societies Fair

At the beginning of the academic year students flocked to the Bishop Centre for the Clubs and Societies Fair and the opportunity to sign up to a whole host of amazing studentled activities. From debating to discussing foreign literature, programming robots to learning British Sign Language, most are run by our Sixth Formers who are keen to share their enthusiasm with younger pupils.

Sixth Form Enrichment Programme

Our Sixth Formers launched straight into their enrichment programme which this year was themed around ‘Movements and Migrations’ with lectures that included: British Feminism and the Revolt Against the Contagious Diseases Act; A Global Perspective on the History of Modern Science; The Impact of the Ukraine Invasion on European Migration; How and Why the Modern Medicine Movement Fails Women; The Legislative Journey of the Victories and Vacillations in the Feminist Movement; The Impact of the Irish Famine on the Rise of Nationalist Movements and on Irish Migration; What DNA Tells us About the Journey of Human Migrations; French Youth and Counterculture in the 1960s; Linguistics of English Vowels and the Origin of Accents and Dialects; Trends in Migration in the Spanish-Speaking World.

Black History Month

At the beginning of October the Diversity Committee presented the first in their series of assemblies to mark Black History Month. The Committee shone a light on the remarkable contribution that members of the Black community have made to our society from inspirational civil rights activist and writer Maya Angelou, Dr Paul Stephenson who led the bus boycotts until the ‘colour ban’ was revoked, to Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, the founders of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Screening of Kaur

The Diversity Committee welcomed Old Dolphin Dr Parvinder Shergill (Class of 2006) for a screening of her film Kaur, a film about a British South Asian Sikh woman’s decision to wear a turban and the impact it has on her family. An award-winning filmmaker who balances being a full-time NHS doctor in mental health, Dr Shergill also played Kaur’s protagonist Avani.

Upper Sixth Celebration Evening

In November we were delighted to welcome so many families to the Bishop Centre for the Upper Sixth Celebration Evening. This was a joyful occasion on which parents and staff were able to congratulate the students on the completion of their Extended Essays and Projects and to celebrate their hard work, resilience and positivity in getting to this important staging-point. The girls spoke with great enthusiasm, eloquence and insight about their research which covered an extraordinarily extensive array of subjects. Students spoke about how undertaking this undergraduatelevel work has brought them great fulfilment as well as helping to hone their academic interests more specifically than is possible in their syllabus work. We wish them all well-deserved success on their Upper Sixth journey.

In-house Internships

This year’s programme was launched in November and for Year 9s the In-house Internship became a formal part of their curriculum with students working directly with the Hammersmith and Fulham Council to encourage more eco-friendly travel choices in the borough. At the presentation of their ideas, Mark Thomlinson, Climate Engagement and Behaviour Change Lead at Hammersmith and Fulham Council commented, ‘it is wonderful to see the Godolphin girls engage with these issues so intelligently and to develop ideas that will resonate with other young people in the borough’. Team Repair – set up by three Imperial College engineering students –worked with Years 10, 11 and Lower Sixth, showing them how to fix a Game Boy and setting them the challenge of creating a new product. Meanwhile, Lower Sixth students took part in the LSE Generate Mentorpreneurship programme which began with a day at the LSE in November, when students drew inspiration from workshops and presentations by LSE mentors. Teams went on to develop their ideas and then pitch them to a panel of social entrepreneurs in March. One of the winning ideas was Feeding the Future, which combines cookery lessons for students, run by our brilliant team from Chartwells, with providing hot meals for the Earls Court Community Hub.

Remembrance Assembly

The whole school community gathered in the Bishop Centre for our Remembrance assembly where we honoured the memory of the millions of people who, since the start of the First World War, have lost their lives in war. Ms Triccas gave a thought-provoking talk about diversity in the British Army during the First World War, drawing attention to the significant role played by volunteer soldiers and auxiliary workers from India and Africa. The Chamber Choirs’ beautiful rendition of Will Todd’s ‘The Call of Wisdom’ was particularly poignant as it was first performed in 2012 for the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. This was followed by the ‘Last Post’ played by Cassie Wigoder, and the two minutes’ silence.

Queen Elizabeth Assembly

At the end of November we commemorated the life of Queen Elizabeth II with a special assembly organised by members of the School Council. With the help of Ms Triccas, students had prepared presentations on aspects of the late Queen’s life of service and spoke of her dedication to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth. This was a more celebratory occasion that followed the very sombre assembly in September when the school community came together after the death of The Queen to reflect on the ending of an era defined by her reign. As part of our commemorations the school opened a Book of Condolence which was bound together by Miss Ockenden from our Art department to form a commemorative volume.

Christmas Festive Fun

We had a fantastic end to the Autumn Term with a full programme of seasonal Christmas fun, with everything from giant inflatable assault courses, to students snapping sELFies in our pop-up photo booth. The school was amazingly transformed into a winter wonderland by our brilliant PTFA who got us into the Christmas spirit with mulled wine and mince pies for parents and a range of Christmas stalls for a spot of festive retail therapy!

LGBTQ+ History Month

We marked the start of February’s LGBTQ+ History Month with a special Middle School assembly from members of the school’s Gay/ Straight Alliance. Students reflected on the past and present of the LGBTQ+ community and what the lessons of history can teach us for the future.

Holocaust Memorial Day

On Holocaust Memorial Day we remembered the millions of people whose lives were lost to genocide with a series of moving assemblies run by members of the Godolphin Jewish Society.

Children’s Mental Health Week

In February we marked Children’s Mental Health Week with a full programme of activities including special assemblies and form-time sessions, a student vs staff basketball match, and talks from It Happens and Satveer Niijar, plants for students to nurture and a wellbeing corner. Our Sixth Form team produced a Feel Good News Zone and Sixth Formers took part in activities that included poker, macrame, mindfulness, stretch class, fivea-side-football, a walk in the park, coffee and board games, and a musical quiz: Fiendish Intros.

Year 7 Tenner Challenge

As part of the G&LFutures Programme, Year 7s took part in the Tenner Challenge, generating ideas for products and/or services to pitch to their peers, their form tutors and parents. They received advice from economist and organisational psychologist Isar Bhattachargee before heading off to Spitalfields market which provided rich pickings to help hone and develop their ideas.

The two most convincing ideas from each form were chosen to receive an investment of £30 and go forward to the Tenner Challenge Market Day for the teams to sell their products and services to fellow students and parents. Isar also came along and was very impressed and his three take outs were:

1. The Bonsai Kisses are a super cool product - a lot of my green fingered friends would buy that! Great product which builds off real market appetite

2. The pairing of the hair wrap and lemonade was really good user centric designupselling to their captive audience just like a cinema chain

3. It was great to see people revise pricing as they saw what demand was like - one table doubled their price and were still nearly sold out

Many congratulations to our Year 7 entrepreneurs who, as a year-group, from an initial investment of £300, made a profit of £1063.30 to support the bursary programme.

International Women’s Week

International Women’s Day became International Women’s Week with a number of fantastic talks from inspiring guest speakers. Upper Sixth students Alex, Orla and Edie presented on a range of topics linked to the global challenges facing women in Iran, Afghanistan and Mali. Parent, Leigh Burns, with Eva and Caroline from Year 11, discussed the war in Afghanistan and the volunteering programme they are involved in supporting Afghan refugees in the UK. Narguess Farzad delivered a fantastic talk to Year 10 and above on the current campaigning for women’s rights in Iran. There was also a screening of He Named Me Malala.

World Book Day Fashion Show

We celebrated World Book Day with a literary fashion show for Year 7 students. Organised by the Head Girls Team, the Sports Hall was filled with colourful costumes lifted straight from the pages of works ranging from The Cat in the Hat to Mr Men.

STEM Week

STEM Week coincided with the national British Science Week 2023 and we were delighted to welcome Peter Childs, Professorial Lead in Engineering Design and founding Head of the Imperial Dyson School, who spoke to Year 8 students about creative thinking and the importance of the women who have successfully pursued careers in engineering. Alongside the usual weekly meetings of the BioMed Society, Chemistry Club and Dissection Club, there was the return of the STEM Daily Maths Challenges in the Daily Dolphin for students to sink their teeth into. There was a Year 8 periodic table treasure hunt; Year 10 periodic table cake competition; and we were delighted to see so many Year 7 and 8 students and their families take part in the STEM family house challenge.

Kate, with Beany the hearing dog, were loved by all of the students and we also welcomed a menagerie of incredible visitors from Animals UK organised by our Biology department. The girls were introduced to a little owl, a Burmese python, Incy-Wincy the tarantula, Amy the fennec fox, and a mesmerising, colour-changing chameleon! All in all, it was an incredible week for inspiring the next generation of Godolphin scientists, engineers, zoologists and all of the other science, technology and maths-related professions.

House Competitions

Throughout the year, an array of spirited House competitions unfolded, showcasing the talents and camaraderie of Bassi (purple), Lovelace (green), Maathai (red), Naidu (orange), Quinn Brown (blue), and Sheppard (yellow). From House Quoits, Just Dance, netball, MFL spelling and translation bees, and Masterchef finals at the start of the year, to music festivals, debating, basketball, hockey, cricket, the Lip Sync Battle, the Big Draw Street Party, and STEM week challenges in the Spring and Summer Terms – to name but a few! – each event was fiercely contested and thoroughly enjoyed.

Our House Drama Festival launched a new format with ‘Signature’, ‘Technical’, and ‘Showstopper’ performances. All Houses put on a truly entertaining show, but special congratulations go to Naidu for their reinterpretation of Disney’s Inside Out, and to overall winners, Sheppard, for their (among other hits) hilariously improvised sketch ‘in the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant’.

The Lip Sync Battle saw some much-anticipated and enthusiastic performances, with Naidu emerging victorious with their impeccably well-rehearsed and choreographed rendition of Meghan Trainor’s ‘NO’. The Talent Show was similarly hard-fought, with Panya earning a win for Maathai with her comedic magic trick performance.

House Winners

2022-2023

1st: Quinn Brown - 191 points

2nd: Bassi - 184 points

3rd: Sheppard - 177 points

Debating

There was a very full and busy debating programme throughout the year led by Miss Halifax. In November, 25 Godolphin debaters and students from our partner school, Kensington Aldridge Academy, honed their debating skills under the expert tuition of Debate Mate.

Our Year 7 and 8 debaters then went on to enjoy great success in the online Debating for Everyone competition. Our Year 8s dominated the competition and came away triumphant, having decisively won both their debates. Congratulations go to Melody, Annabel, Karishma, Myra and Alice for their sterling performance.

Year 11 students Antara and Franny represented Godolphin in the EnglishSpeaking Union (ESU) Schools’ Mace second round. They brilliantly opposed the motion that ‘this House would use proportional representation in UK national elections’ but unfortunately missed out on the semi-finals by one mark.

In March nearly 60 Year 8s attended the second Debate Mate workshop and they followed this up with a very evenly matched ‘friendly’ with West London Free School with the Godolphin girls just coming out on top.

At the end of March our fabulous Year 11 debating team, Antara and Franny, competed at the Durham University Debating Schools Competition against top teams from across Scotland and England. Motions ranged from the gig economy, to MPs staying through their term, to whether programmes such as Mock the Week are beneficial. Anatara and Franny finished first for the novices.

Meanwhile our Sixth Form students Sophie and Giulia competed in the Spanish Debating Competition at North London Collegiate School accompanied by Miss Coto Diaz debating tough motions including whether the monarchy should be abolished, public toilets should be unisex, and whether artificial intelligence causes more problems than solutions. Our girls were just one point shy of making the semi-finals.

Model United Nations

Model United Nations, led by Miss Bailey, is hugely popular with our older students as it covers a whole range of academic disciplines and interests. Students from Year 10 to the Upper Sixth took part in a training conference organised by Saona, Siena, Delara and Katie in the Upper Sixth discussing the issues of humanitarian assistance and nuclear disarmament, both incredibly relevant topics to the current geopolitical situation.

The first MUN conference of the academic year was at the London Oratory School in Fulham and covered topics from the rights of asylum seekers to the prevention of armed conflict in space. Godolphin represented Cuba, Senegal and Brazil. Noor in Year 11 and the Cuba delegation were awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the General Assembly debate, and Sophie in the Lower Sixth was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ representing Cuba in the UNODC committee.

At the MUN Conference at St Paul’s School students debated and negotiated over topics as varied as lunar colonisation, Arctic exploration and women’s rights in Afghanistan. Upper Sixth MUN veterans Flo and Katie were selected to be Chairs and Frida in Year 10, one of the youngest students at the conference, was awarded Best Speaker on the Development Committee.

During the February half-term we took part in Westminster School’s biennial MUN conference which focused on the important theme of ‘Human Rights for All’. Godolphin represented Brazil and South Africa, and over two days, students researched and discussed a huge range of interesting and relevant topics such as human rights for conscious AI and climate refugees. Participants were also fortunate enough to hear from Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas BoydCarpenter, whose wide-ranging talk shared his expertise on the role of the UN and NATO in preventing and resolving conflict.

The bilateral conference with St Paul’s Girls’ School was organised by the MUN captains at both schools including Sophie, Noor and Giulia. Issues of global significance such as the Gender Pay Gap and the Israel Palestine Conflict were discussed and Tally and Francesca were awarded certificates in their committees.

Classics

At the Classics Reading Competition at Westminster School our classicists competed in the Greek and Latin categories with Frida in Year 10 earning a bronze medal for her reading in the Pre-GCSE Latin category.

In November our Sixth Formers took part in the Classics Conference at Harrodian School. They attended lectures on a range of topics, some pertinent to their courses – Homer, Virgil, and Athenian civic identity in Greek tragedy – and some extensions beyond our course material – such as transgender identity and understanding in antiquity.

West London Politics Conference

At the end of June, Lower Sixth Politics and Global Politics students attended a stimulating series of lectures and discussions with other schools in West London, seeking to answer the question ‘Can politics save the environment’? Speakers included Sian Berry, Vince Cable, Tim Crosland, Andrea Wilson and Anne-Marie Trevelyan, representing a broad range of political positions.

Languages Week

Languages Week at Godolphin and Latymer, with its focus on the linguistic diversity of our school and the promotion of cultural understanding, is always one of the highlights of the school calendar and this year was no exception.

The week began with a most extraordinary and mouth-watering array of cakes, biscuits and pastries created by our young star bakers and proudly celebrating the nations and cuisines represented by our school community.

Throughout the week pupils variously learnt Spanish flamenco and South American salsa dance routines, enjoyed Vietnamese and Dutch taster sessions, created a Greek and Latin word tree, familiarised themselves with German music, poetry, and board games, enjoyed Chinese art, Mandarin karaoke and lunch in China Town, discovered Spanish art at the Tate Modern and were involved in a host of assemblies, conversation clubs, workshops, films, quizzes and (with particular thanks to the catering team) enjoyed delicious food from around the world.

German Cultural Exchange

In September we celebrated the arrival of our German exchange partners, both teachers and students, from the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums in Hamburg. The programme began over 70 years ago between the German school and Latymer Upper School and it is now the 44th year that Godolphin students have been involved and we value very highly the friendship and educational opportunities it offers. Our visitors, warmly hosted by Godophin families, enjoyed sharing lessons and visiting the sights of London including the Tower of London, Hampton Court, Greenwich, and Sir John Soames House.

Modern Foreign Language Spelling Bee

During the Easter holidays, Year 7 students took part in the Regional Final for the MFL Spelling Bee at Rokeby School, battling it out against students from schools across London. They all performed brilliantly in what was a nerve-wracking experience where they had 60 seconds to translate and spell as many words as possible into French, German or Spanish and we were delighted that Tharushana and Héloïse achieved second place for German and Spanish, respectively. This saw them go through to the National Final of the MFL Spelling Bee in Cambridge in June, battling it out against 30 of the top spellers in each of their languages. Tharushana came third in the country for German and, whilst Héloïse didn’t place for Spanish, the competition was particularly fierce and she did an amazing job!

National Mathematics Competitions

In the Autumn Term Godolphin mathematicians took part in two national mathematics competitions. The UK Mathematical Olympiad for Girls (MOG) is a challenging proposition with students having two and a half hours to solve five problems. Our top mathematicians did tremendously well at the UK Mathematical Olympiad for Girls with four Merits and eight Distinctions –the latter going to Lexy, Emmie, Jessica, Athena (Lower Sixth) and Lulu, Lillian, Annika and Ingrid (Upper Sixth). At the UKMT Senior Mathematics Challenge (SMC) 29 of our Sixth Formers received a Bronze award and 39

received a Silver. Amelie, Fleur, Athena, Immy, (Lower Sixth) and Lulu, Lillian and Indigo (Upper Sixth) received a Gold award and progressed through to the followon Senior Kangaroo.

Emily, Polina, Milo, Jaya (Year 9) and Alicia, Matilda, Lyla and Teah (Year 8) competed at the St Paul’s School Maths Competition with pupils from Christ’s School, Fulham Boy’s, Hammersmith Academy, St Paul’s, St Paul’s Girls and West London Free School. Our students joined different teams working with pupils from other schools to compete against each other on some challenging problem-solving. Congratulations

to Milo who was part of the victorious team.

At the Junior Olympiad, Year 8 student Lucy Vernor-Miles earned a Distinction and a Silver Medal placing her among the country’s top 100 participants. Lucy’s classmates, Camilla and Ilioni, also secured Merits in the competition.

55 students from Year 7 and Year 8 qualified for the Junior Kangaroo with Amanda (7FS), Daisy (7FS), Florence (7FT), Yasmin (7NT), Lily (7PT), Jiexi (7PT), Arya (8AD), Matilda (8DN), Siena (8DN), Sidney (8GS), Victoire (8GS), and Sasha (8HK) awarded merits.

Cyber Security Competition

Year 10 Computing students Emily, Catherine, Raphaela and Minh-Vy finished in sixth place in the ‘Senior All Girls Category’ of the annual Cyber Centurion Competition. The students participated in three gruelling six-hour online sessions over three weekends, attempting to discover all the security vulnerabilities within various operating systems. Topics included identifying policy violations in the form of various types of malware and implementing defensive countermeasures such as firewalls and encryption.

IRIS Conference

At the end of June, 20 students presented their research to the IRIS Conference at Friends House in London, as part of our Futures initiative. Following up on some preliminary work last year, the team examined how weather and traffic affected daily air pollution (specifically NOx) levels in London, while other groups investigated links with pollution and borough population or wages. The final group, using data from the US, looked for connections between types of air pollution and lung cancer rates. They discussed their work alongside fellow students from other schools, as well as academics and scientists from the Natural History Museum, Google’s Deep Mind team, and Professor Alan Barr from CERN and Oxford.

Art and Design

Lower School Art and Design Show

Based on the theme of ‘takeaway’, this year’s exhibition included imaginatively interpreted kebabs, pizzas, Chinese takeaway, sushi, wraps, cupcakes, and wedding cakes, with some of the displays ingeniously exploring miniature table settings requiring a magnifying glass for closer inspection. It was a unique and joyous exhibition which demonstrated the girls’ artistic ability, imagination and knowledge of their subject matter through the use of a diverse range of mixed-media and 2D and 3D specialist approaches and techniques.

The Art and Design department was delighted to present both the GCSE Exhibition and the A Level Exhibition, celebrating the achievement of the students over the last two years. For GCSE, each student had produced a wealth of inventive and individual work, and the breadth of approaches to creative making on display was wonderful to see. It was such a pleasure to see so many students at the exhibition as they had the opportunity to see all their work displayed at its best. At A Level the sheer scale and breadth of experimentation and expression on show was

really impressive: each student has pursued their own project, throughout the course, and the individuality of responses was inspiring.

The following pages show a selection of their work.

GCSE

Aimee Black

Amber Parrish

Amelia Seaton

Anabelle Nash

Anna Hall

Charlotte Stokeld

Ava Pontidas

Annika Bjerregaard

Caroline Burns

Chloe Bowles

Cordelia Partridge

Eliza Bradford

Daisy Walsh

Elena Maddocks

Elizabeth Hobson

Ella Bareham

Emily Courtney

Emily Farrell

Emma Nesterova

Eva Ellis

Francesca Cray

Francesca Durham

Freya Fasanya

Francesca Macbeth

Ella Palmer

Ellie Smith

Gabrielle de Heinrich

Giorgia Verdun di Cantogno

Iris Cool

Isabel Chan

Isabel Lenior-Emanuel Kimberley Campbell

Jessica Potel

Jenifer Sumner

Jemima Adams

Lily West

Maya Sutaria

Megan Rimington

Niamh Holder

Nina Freudenheim

Princy Kakde

Rania Singh

Tigerlily Vyse

Rania Firoozye

Marina Maurino

Meira Gerasimovaite

Olivia Knight Sinnott

Reem Kodmani

Ruichu Guo

Shaanya Bhuchar

Sofia Grimaldi

Sofia Lahnborg

Tara-Mae Devine

Youan Sohn

Tatiana Sandmann

Violet Whitehead

A-Level

Alex Carroll

Alexandra Shiatis

Annabelle Hart

Eli Slesinger

Ellison Dunn

Estelle Qin

Helena Doran

Lyla Arazi

Lyla

Mathilda Paisner

Nadya el Keilany

Nadya el Keilany

Serena Jabre

Serena Murjani

Sofia CullInane

Virginia Radcliffe

Alex Bobolakis

Alex Bobolakis

Year 9 Bake-Off

We welcomed back Old Dolphin Ines ElliotGranger (Class of 2021) University of Cambridge, to judge the annual Year 9 House Bake-Off final. A former winner of the Bake Off competition herself and of the Hammersmith and Fulham Young Chef competition in 2018, Ines set the theme of ‘Bake a cake inspired by your favourite place’ and after a very difficult decision, Lucy Bingham was chosen as this year’s overall winner, with a fabulous cake inspired by the Snowdonia landscape. Congratulations to Lucy and to all the Bake-Off finalists!

Year 7 Masterchef

Another year and another fantastic Masterchef competition! Congratulations to Teah Hade who very much impressed the school’s Head Chef, Max Matsak, with her chicken risotto and won this year’s title. Later in the academic year the Godolphin community was delighted to taste her awesome dish when it was served up for lunch in the students’ and staff dining rooms. The Year 7 G&L Masterchef competition is now very much established on the school calendar and provides a fantastic opportunity for pupils to demonstrate the skills, techniques and creativity they have learnt throughout their first year at the school.

Drama

Senior Production: This Restless House: Agamemnon’s Return

Based on the Oresteia, but reworked with women as the central characters, this tale of sacrifice, bloody revenge, murder and madness was produced and performed by our older students, brilliantly led and directed by the Theatre Captains Lyla, Helena and Alexandra.

Year 7 Production: Scrooge

During the second half of the Autumn Term, Year 7 students spent their Drama lessons learning lines to Scrooge, the musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas tale, which culminated in an entertaining and energetic adaptation performed by the whole of the year-group. Students worked as an ensemble throughout the production, and nothing exemplified this collaborative spirit more than by having each form performing a scene, with five different Scrooges, four Bob Cratchits and four ghosts of Christmas all sharing stage time. For many students it was the first time they had performed in front of a large audience in a theatrical production.

Lower School Production: Mary Poppins Jr

During the second half of the Autumn Term, the Lower School production of Mary Poppins Jr – which we started planning way back before the Covid-19 pandemic – was brilliantly performed, sung and produced by a large cast of talented actors, musicians and crew who had thrown themselves into the endeavour with energy and passion. Among the standout actors were Hermione, who played our Mary Poppins, and Milo, who captured the essence of Bert with genuine emotion. Reflecting on the success of the production, one cannot help but recall Mary Poppins’ iconic line, ‘Anything can happen if you let it!’. The magic and enchantment created by the students on stage will not be quickly forgotten and anticipation is already building for next year’s production.

Trinity College Speech and Drama

We were delighted to once again be awarded Trinity College Champion status, which reflects creative teaching and high standards across a large cohort of students entering grades 3-8 in Speech and Drama. A total of 44 Year 11 students took their Grade 7 exams (all performing an advanced programme of three pieces) in April, with all receiving a Merit or Distinction. Approximately 275 students entered for Speech and Drama exams in June.

Music

Choral Evensong and Church Concerts

Our choirs enjoyed the wonderful experience of singing choral evensong and concerts for congregations at a number of beautiful locations.

In October the combined chamber choirs sang choral evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral in a programme that included ‘The Call of Wisdom’, composed by Will Todd for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee service.

During autumn half-term, members of our Junior and Senior Chamber Choirs performed alongside West London Sinfonia at the St John’s Smith Square concert hall. The programme included Holst’s Planets Suite – in which there is a six-part female chorus in the final movement, Neptune – which our girls sang beautifully from the gallery.

In January the Junior Chamber Choir sang choral evensong in the incredible setting of Southwark Cathedral and later in the year the Senior Chamber Choir had the remarkable experience of singing in Westminster Abbey, alongside the tenors and basses of Radley College. The programme included Collegium Regale canticles by Howells and the anthem ‘My Beloved Spake’ by Patrick Hadley.

150 students performed in various vocal ensembles at St Paul’s Church, Hammersmith with a programme ranging from Herbert Howells to Tim Minchin, Gabriel Fauré to Elton John. The concert concluded with the massed choirs, including parents and staff, and instrumental ensemble combining to perform John Rutter’s ‘Requiem’. Solos from Eleni Fraser and Maya Martin, and instrumental solos from Josie Russell, Inez Karlsson and Mariella Brooke were quite breathtaking.

In the Summer Term, Year 7 and 8 members of the Junior Chamber Choir joined forces with Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in a quite fabulous performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers at St James’ Church, Spanish Place.

At the end of the year the combined Junior and Senior Chamber Choirs sang evensong at St Albans Cathedral performing challenging repertoire to a very high standard.

School Concerts

Our Autumn Music Scholars’ Concert featured a fabulously accomplished programme of Mozart, Debussy, Franck, Accolay and Mendelssohn. Particular highlights were Francesca in Year 7 performing the 1st movement from J-B Accolay’s Violin Concerto ‘off-copy’, and Isabell Karlsson, Upper Sixth, who closed the concert with a rendition of the 3rd movement of Mendelssohn’s famous Violin Concerto.

Over 220 students performed in the Autumn Concert in the Bishop Centre with pieces ranging from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, performed by the Symphony Orchestra, to the Year 7 Choir performing the main theme from The NeverEnding Story

In the final week before the Christmas break the Bishop Centre was filled with beautiful choral singing, musical accompaniment and yuletide readings from the girls at our Festival of Lessons and Carols. Our Lower School choirs also brought festive cheer to the local community singing carols in Lyric Square.

At our Senior House Music Festival students performed a range of challenging repertoire from Rachmaninoff to The Scarlett Pimpernell in categories ranging from Jazz and Popular Song to Instrumental Ensemble. Around 50 girls from Years 7 to 9 took part in the Junior House Music Festival and the winner was Isabel with a breathtaking performance of Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto with a brilliant runnersup performance from Emily with Chopin’s ‘Grande Valse Brillante’.

The String Ensemble opened our delayed Spring Instrumental Concert with Max Richter’s take on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, followed by the Philharmonia’s rendition of The Barber of Seville. The concert concluded with highly polished performances of Haydn, Schubert and Loesser (Guys and Dolls) by the Symphony Orchestra.

Winter, Spring and Summer Jams

At our termly Jam Concerts, students from all years came together to perform a plethora of songs from iconic artists Arctic Monkeys and ABBA to The Beautiful South and Regina Spektor, as well as original compositions written by the students themselves. The series has gone from strength to strength thanks to the generous funding from the PTFA and a parent donor which allowed us to purchase top quality guitar and bass amps.

Sport and PE

Hockey

As another school year draws to a close it’s been fantastic to see so many pupils playing hockey, with some taking up the sport for the first time. The teams competed in friendlies, county tournaments, the Independent School Hockey Cup (ISHC) and the England Hockey Championships.

It’s a daunting experience for the new Year 7s joining Godolphin and having the choice of so many sports to pick from in their first few weeks at the school. There is nothing better than having a large group of players who are keen and enthusiastic about learning a new sport. Both the As and Bs qualified for the London Finals, with the As finishing 5th overall and the Bs playing well against other schools’ A teams.

The Year 8s had a good season overall with more players starting to play club hockey. Having been placed in a very tough pool alongside Surbiton and KGS, they stepped up and competed against the best and narrowly missed out on making the London Finals. Good progress was made by all players in this age group and it will be exciting to see how far they can go next year.

Year 9 is a transitional year for the players as they move from seven-a-side to eleven-a-side hockey. It took our squads some time to get to grips with playing on the full pitch and having so much more space. The group were fully committed and trained hard twice a week throughout the season and the progress they made was reflected in the steady improvement in their results. The top players in this group would also represent the U15s in their ISHC competition.

The U15s reached the semi-finals of the ISHC Plate, losing a closely fought match against the overall winners. The progress made by the group over the last few seasons has been solely down to their hard work and dedication. U16s progressed through to the quarter finals of the tier 1 plate and made it through to the London Indoor finals. They played some great hockey along the way and have set the foundations to go further next season.

The 1st and 2nd teams are the pinnacle of hockey at Godolphin and the players work tirelessly to balance sport and education. The 1st team had a very successful season and competed against the best schools in the South. They finished 3rd in the tier 1 league and went unbeaten for the indoor season, missing out on a place at the National Finals on goal difference. The 2nd team performed to a very good level, playing fixtures against local 1st teams. We hope that many of these girls will continue to play club and university hockey.

We also extended congratulations to Emmie who stepped up to play for England U18s at the European Championships in Germany where the team narrowly missed out on a bronze medal. Emmie went on to be presented with the ‘Pursuit of Excellence’ award.

Congratulations also to Monica who was selected for Spain’s U16 training squad and to Dakota who played at the England Hockey Talent Academy Festival.

Netball

It has been a phenomenal netball season this year for the girls. As ever, they have all shown great grit and determination when training, which has paid dividends and enabled them to really enjoy playing with their team-mates in matches and competitions.

Our U12s had a good season, especially the A team making it to round three of the SnS National Cup competition. This was a fantastic achievement for the girls who had come together as a newly created team for their first year at Godolphin. All six squads enjoyed multiple fixtures throughout the season with many victories. The U13s started the season in good form placing 3rd at the Girls’ School Association netball tournament and they continued this momentum throughout their season. The U14s and U15s achieved a great deal this year with a highlight being their victories at Middlesex School Finals and the accolade of best in the county.

The U14s and U19s both reached the regional round of National Schools. Unfortunately both teams placed 3rd and therefore just missed out on advancing to the National Finals. However, there were many fundamentals that were learnt from this highly contested competition.

The U16s had a very intense season which helped the team build on their team spirit. They are all very much looking forward to continuing netball as they transition into seniors next year.

This was the last season for many of our Upper Sixth players and they balanced their academics and sporting commitments so well. They won both the Ibstock and Harrodian tournaments which was a great opportunity for working on different combinations and building bonds in units. Unfortunately, after all the hard work and sacrifices made, the girls just missed out on bringing back the Middlesex County Champion shield placing 3rd.

We are looking forward to another successful netball season in the next academic year and working with our talented and driven sports women.

Rowing

The Boat Club has had a fantastic year with many great performances and highlights.

Our First VIII had a great row to finish 2nd in category at the Schools’ Head of the River Race in March, and our Second VIII finished 6th in their race.

At the National Junior Sculling Head at Eton Dorney our J15 A-octo had an outstanding race to finish 3rd and win bronze. This was the first time we have ever won a medal at the Scullery, so history was made!

Easter saw a successful rowing camp in Belgium at Ghent which laid the foundations for the Wallingford Regatta in April where the J15 VIII and the J18 A four were 3rd in their finals.

At the Poplar Regatta the J16 4+, W2- and J18 2x finished 3rd, and the J15 VIII and J18 4+ won their events and overall, the Boat Club finished 3rd in the Victrix Ludorum.

The National Schools’ Regatta is a huge event and all of our squads competed, from J14 to J18. The J14 A octo had a brilliant race to finish 3rd in their C-final, and the J14 B octo showed their competitive spirit to finish 3rd in their B-final. The J15 A VIII won their C-final and the J15 B VIII had a great row to finish 3rd in their B-final. The J15 A four rowed exceptionally to make the A-final for their category where they finished 5th. Saturday saw our J16s and J18s race. The J16 four and J18 four both qualified for their A-finals. The J16s had a gutsy race, gaining a bronze medal! Later, the J18 four put in a huge effort, to gain a silver medal in the Ch 4+. On Sunday, the Ch 2-, had a great row to make the A-final for their event, where they pushed on again to gain a bronze! All in all, the National Schools’ Regatta was a great success for our relatively small boat club.

At the Henley Women’s Regatta our J16 four did exceptionally well to qualify in the top 8 of 20, but unfortunately came up against Surbiton in round one. The 1st VIII qualified 2nd fastest in the time trial and drew St George’s College in round one. The crew had a great race and won by 2 lengths. In the next round we drew Surbiton (again!), silver medallists from NSR. Our crew put in a very gutsy row, to go down by 1 ¼ lengths. However, it was on the back of this strong performance that the crew pre-qualified for Henley Royal Regatta, an amazing achievement! In the meantime, we were very pleased to be able to cheer on Old Dolphin Emily Lindberg (Class of 2017), a GB U23 rower, who won the Redgrave Cup representing UCL in the Women’s Pair.

At Henley Royal Regatta we drew Shrewsbury in the first round. It wasn’t our day, but we are all very proud of the grit and determination our rowers demonstrated.

Other notable rowing success for our Old Dolphins was Alex Riddell-Webster (Class of 2020), who was our first ever GB rower at school, and who rowed at 3-seat in Cambridge’s winning Women’s Blue Boat at the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Well done to all our rowers, coaches, supporters, and Old Dolphins for a fantastic year of rowing.

Cricket

Delighted to be named as one of the top 20 girls’ cricket schools by The Cricketer magazine, our provision is going from strength to strength. We have increased our hard ball provision over the summer season with girls from all year-groups being able to access hard ball training. As we have practised more hard ball cricket, so the number of hard ball fixtures has also increased for both the U15 team and also the U13s which the girls have thoroughly enjoyed. The U15 team were entered into both the School Sport Magazine T20 competition where they progressed to the third round, losing out to Emanuel School, and also a newly formed Middlesex Cup competition where they reached the finals with the match due to take place in September.

Many girls also enjoyed indoor competitions over the Autumn and Spring Terms; we had two U12 teams playing in the London Schools’ tournament where one team made it through to the semi finals. The U13 and U15 Lady Taverner competition brought some fierce competition for our girls but in both age groups we were crowned inner London champions.

Cross-Country and Athletics

This academic year was one of our most successful cross-country seasons to date, which is a testament to the hard work on display at Wednesday morning training in Ravenscourt Park. Two age-groups qualified again this year for the cross-country cup regional round, with our intermediate team making it through the national final, involving a trip up to Leeds Grammar School! Maeve, Arabella, Kyra, Rose, Siena, and Alice showed incredible team spirit, placing 11th. The success continued at the London Championships with bronze team medals for our Junior Girls ‘A’ Team and Junior Girls ‘B’ Team. Not to be outdone, our intermediate squad led by example coming home with a silver team medal. The stand out performance on the day was from Maeve as she qualified for nationals. Maeve enjoyed making her debut for London around a very hilly course in Wollaton Park, Nottingham at the English Schools National Cross Country. To round the season off, the annual Harrow XC also saw more success, we were the most decorated girls’ school by a (muddy) country mile! Throughout the season Godolphin and Latymer students have made up the bulk of the Hammersmith and Fulham team at the prestigious mini marathon competition, London Youth Games cross country and Year 7 and 8 Borough Championships.

The athletics season has been jam-packed with competitions, from friendly to national finals and the squad has shown depth in talent throughout. A flurry of Godolphin girls qualified to represent Hammersmith and Fulham at the Year 7 and 8 Borough Championships, alongside the main London Championships. Marianna, Year 8, came away with a silver medal in the 100m and Violeta, Year 9, with a bronze in the 200m, demonstrating the exciting young talent we have coming through. Maya, Year 11, has gone from strength to strength, whilst sitting her GCSEs this year, Maya had an outstanding run at the London Championships which secured her a place at nationals. Sofia and Maeve competed at the combined event London finals, coming 2nd and 3rd respectively. At the ESAA Regional Combined Athletics Championships Sofia earned a 15th-placed position overall and an impressive 2nd place among the talented athletes from London. We also said farewell to Kate Price, our athletics and cross-country captain. Kate has been an inspiration to younger runners, and we wish her the best of success on her athletic scholarship to Columbia University!

Extra-Curricular Clubs

Students continue to be offered a wide array of sporting activities as part of the co-curricular programme, with over 45 opportunities to get involved each week, in over seventeen sports from athletics through to kickboxing, with volleyball being added to the timetable this year.

The success of the programme can be seen by the sheer numbers of students taking part and their enthusiasm every single week, but we’ve also been able to celebrate some amazing results in different disciplines. Fencing, in particular, has grown in popularity, so much so that we have now added an additional lunch time session for complete beginners. At the other end of the spectrum, some of our students have gone on to compete at the highest level and successes have included: the Public Schools’ Fencing championships where Ines U14 was mount haes foil champion; Ella Iliffe was bronze medalist in epee; and Victoria 3rd junior foil, to name a few.

The fixtures programme for trampolining, badminton and football is also growing and in particular thanks go to Brentford Football Club who have taken over the coaching of our football club, which continues to grow in popularity across all year-groups, buoyed on by the success of our national women’s team!

Many parents and friends joined us for the fantastic Extra-Curricular Display in March when they enjoyed a spectacle of dance, trampolining, gymnastics, kickboxing and karate.

Sports Day

Despite the soggy weather, we were fortunate to have a vibrant atmosphere on the penultimate day of the academic year, with everyone out on the astro for the annual Godolphin Sports Day.

All students from Years 7-10 fearlessly embraced the track and field events, representing their Houses in the hurdles, short and long distance running, high jump, long jump, triple jump, javelin, shot put, and discus.

The rain put paid to the day after lunch, and so the whole school was delighted to pour out once more on the final morning to cheer on the old favourites: the relays. Everyone was in high spirits, and the Lower Sixth were particularly excited to get involved by putting together teams at short notice.

Well done to everyone for showcasing the best of Godolphin athletic talent.

Sports Day Results Points

Individual Cup Winners

Year 7

3rd Maia Colquhoun

Year 8

1st Marianna Dimitriou

2nd Henrietta Westin

3rd Bea Cazenove and Alicia Quélin

Year 9

1st Maeve Minielly and Sofia Symonds

2nd Arabella Nichol

3rd Izzy Brett

Year 10 1st Kyra Gulamhuseinwala

Madeleine

3rd India Hale

Lectures and Guest Speakers

Conflict in Ukraine Lectures

Sixth Form Politics students joined a virtual series of insightful lectures on the Ukraine conflict from a range of leading academics including Professor Roy Allison from Oxford University, Dr Ramus Nilsson from UCL and Dr Joanna Szostek from Glasgow University.

Drug Awareness Workshop and Webinar

Bob Tait from Drug Education UK (DRED UK), and former member of the Royal Navy Drugs Education Team, delivered interactive workshops to our Year 11s and Lower Sixth, followed by an insightful webinar to parents on drug awareness.

Show Racism the Red Card

Year 7 and 8 students attended interactive anti-racism workshops with discussions about the causes and consequences of racism, and how to recognise and challenge racism and discrimination in modern society.

It Happens

Students attended a series of interactive workshops by It Happens, a team of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) specialists who don’t just say ‘no’, they say ‘it happens…let’s talk about it’. The topic of each talk was appropriate for each yeargroup and included relationships, consent, harm reduction, substance misuse as well as the changing adolescent body, digital relationships and how to stay safe online.

Geography Lectures

The Geography Book Club Lectures included talks by Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health at UCL and author of Disaster by Choice, and author and journalist Dipo Faloyin who spoke about his book Africa Is Not A Country: Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa. The Geography Society welcomed Coco Huggins (Class of 2015), second year PhD student at the University of Cambridge, and advisor to the Government Department for Work and Pensions.

Inclusivity and Diversity Workshop

Years 8 and 9 students heard first-hand accounts from LGBTQ+ and ally role models about their lived experience, which shed light onto the importance of embracing diversity.

Politics Society

It has been a fantastic year for the Politics Society with an impressive roster of prolific speakers including:

Old Dolphin Aphra Brandreth (Class of 2006), Vice Chair of the Conservative Women’s Association, speaking about the challenges and opportunities for women in politics.

Professor Roger Eatwell, University of Bath, expert on fascism, populism, democracy and the shifting attitudes towards politicians that have characterised the post-Brexit and Trump era.

Sir Vernon Bogdanor, Research Professor at King’s College and former Professor of Government at Oxford University focusing on the political changes 18951914 including Liberalism, the Liberal Party, women’s suffrage movement and Home Rule in Ireland.

Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for Hammersmith, talking about local issues such as housing and Labour’s priorities should they win the next General Election.

Giles Wilkes, former political advisor to Theresa May during her time as Prime Minister, providing insights into the workings of No 10 Downing Street and the role of the Special Advisor.

Alastair Campbell, journalist, Downing Street Press Secretary and Director of Communications for Blair’s Labour government, and The Rest is Politics podcast with Rory Stewart, speaking about his experiences at the heart of government and how young people can make a difference.

Guto Harri, former Mayor of London and Downing Street Director of Communications, sharing thoughts and insights on the rise and fall of Boris Johnson.

Old Dolphin Sophia DyvikHenke (Class of 2019) who has just finished studying Human, Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge, specialising in Politics and Anthropology, and now planing to become a barrister specialising in environmental issues.

Aphra Brandreth

Giles Wilkes

Roger Eatwell

Sir Vernon Bogdanor

Andy Slaughter

Sophia Dyvik-Henke

Drug and Alcohol Awareness

Peter Hall used his own personal experiences to stimulate awareness and discussion around drug and alcohol addiction with our Upper Sixth students.

The Science of Creativity

Educational psychology expert, Dr Jonathan Firth, University of Strathclyde, ran a workshop for our Lower Sixth Student Learning Community introducing students to the idea that creativity applies across all subjects, and exploring the links between creativity, problem solving and critical thinking.

Hibo Wardere: #NoFGM

Hibo spoke very poignantly to our Sixth Formers about her own experiences and the plight of an estimated 200 million girls who have suffered because of the cultural, religious and social practices in their communities.

Year 9 Holocaust Education Workshop

Representatives of the Parkes Institute, the University of Southampton’s centre for the study of Jewish/non-Jewish relations across the ages presented a moving and thought-provoking workshop, drawing on their own research and personal family histories, on the devastating impact of the Holocaust and its aftermath.

Lower Sixth Gender Awareness Workshop

Students took part in a thought-provoking session by Turn of Phrase which delved into the important subjects of gender equality, feminism, and sexism.

Out and About

London is our classroom and we enhance the learning of our students with everything that is on offer on our doorstep. Educational trips and cultural visits enrich our students’ learning and this year have included:

Year 9 English trip to Highgate Cemetery to explore the world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Year 10 Art and Design visit to the British Museum to experience the different ways environment, historical events and culture shape our identity.

Sixth Form Politics trips to the Houses of Parliament to tour the Palace of Westminster, including Westminster Hall, and the Houses of Commons and Lords.

Sixth Form Geography trip to Spitalfields to support studies in changing places, regeneration, gentrification and migration.

Years 8, 10 and 11 Mandarin trips to China Town for students to immerse themselves in Chinese culture.

Spanish students’ visit to the Royal Academy of Art to explore the vast collection of treasures from the Hispanic Society Museum and Library.

Year 7 Design and Technology

cultural exploration of the ‘Offbeat Sari’ exhibition at the Design Museum

Year 7 Philosophy and Religion

Studies visit to the captivating Saint Francis of Assisi exhibition at the National Gallery

Year 7 biologists walking over the bridge to Barnes to explore the amazing biodiverse habitat of the London Wetlands Centre

Year 7 Geography trip to explore the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford and evaluate the sustainability of its urban regeneration.

Year 10 Classics visit to the British Museum to see the Parthenon sculptures and the frieze from the Temple of Apollo at Bassae.

Around the UK

Students ventured beyond the capital to explore further afield in the UK on both residential and non-residential trips.

Year 8 geographers soaked up some October sunshine and studied the workings of a deciduous woodland ecosystem when they visited Burnham Beeches

During October half-term,Year 9 hockey players and netballers enjoyed a packed four-day sports tour to Northern Ireland. As well as playing extremely competitive hockey and netball matches they had a fabulous time visiting the Giant’s Causeway, the Titanic museum, the home of the Northern Ireland parliament, Stormont, as well as challenging themselves on high ropes, toboggan rides and Ireland’s longest 700m zip wire.

Sixth Form artists spent a day of sketching at Worthing beach and esplanade. The aim of the day was for students to record through their art how the natural world and urban environments intersect and co-exist.

Sixth Form biologists visited Juniper Hall Field Studies Centre and immersed themselves in the stunning surroundings of the Surrey Hills, exploring the diversity of nature and the human activity that threatens it.

Year 7 headed to St Alban’s Cathedral as part of their History studies on mediaeval England completing pilgrim and monastery trails around the cathedral and engaging in workshops on brass rubbing and illuminated lettering.

At the beginning of the Summer Term Year 7 set out on the Classics department’s annual trip to Cambridge. There they visited the Cast Gallery in the University Classics Faculty, and the Fitzwilliam Museum including

the Antiquities Gallery and the Islanders exhibition which took them on a journey across ancient Crete, Cyprus, and Sardinia.

Lower Sixth geographers investigated the history of glacial environments in the Borrowdale Valley in the Lake District conducting geomorphological mapping and honing their navigational skills as they raced across the drumlins like Olympians!

Before the May half-term, the Classics department organised a fabulous Year 8 trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace in Sussex where they learnt about the realities of daily life in Roman Britain.

Margam, a country park in South Wales, was a fantastic location for the Year 10 Geography Field Course in June. Highlights included hiking to the ‘Bro Stone’ with sunset views of Port Talbot, sand dunes and the Atlantic beyond, river studies on River Ogmore, and a trip to Cardiff for studies in urban regeneration.

Year 8 students visited the amazing Marwell Zoo, home to hundreds of exotic and endangered animals, as part of their Biology studies.

In June, Year 9 visited Legoland and spent the day riding roller coasters, workshopping with the Legoland Learning Academy and taking in the sights at Miniland.

Also in June, Lower Sixth A Level Biology students embarked on a practical-filled trip to Epping Forest expanding their biological knowledge and honing their mathematical and statistical skills through data analysis.

OUT AND ABOUT

Overseas Trips

Year 11: Paris

In October half-term, 20 Year 11 students visited Paris to soak up some French culture and hone their linguistic skills. The trip was a real success with lessons in the mornings and cultural visits in the afternoon; one of the highlights was a visit to the sumptuous Opéra Garnier where students were lucky to see some rehearsals for Listz’s Mayerling on stage. Students stayed with host families where they experienced authentic French family life and hospitality.

Hamburg Orchestral Exchange

Over February half-term, 20 students from the Godolphin Symphony Orchestra travelled to Hamburg to perform alongside students from Latymer Upper and Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums for our 42nd annual orchestral exchange. Players from all three schools rehearsed and performed works by Schubert, Beethoven, Sibelius and Loesser. The girls were hosted by students from the Johanneum and enjoyed a programme of social activities including a bus tour of Hamburg, as well as some time exploring Berlin before the flight home.

German Language Exchange to Hamburg

During the Easter holidays, Year 10 German students took part in the historic Hamburg Exchange alongside students from Latymer Upper and our partner school in Germany, the Johanneum. The group attended German school in the mornings, starting early at 7.45am, before heading out on exciting trips to local attractions such as the Elbphilarmonie, the city of Lübeck, and the Karolinenviertel. In the evenings and over the long Easter weekend, the students spent time with their host families exploring further afield. We are all looking forward to the 45th anniversary of the exchange next year.

Year 10: Granada

In February, Year 10 Spanish students spent the week marvelling at the unmissable architecture of the Alhambra and practising their Spanish in the beautiful city of Granada. Mornings were spent in Spanish lessons and afternoon activities included a fascinating tour of the city, a flamenco lesson and a visit to an Arabic tea house. They also enjoyed a flamenco show in the Sacromonte caves followed by an evening stroll to the Mirador de San Nicolás to take in the majesty of the Alhambra by night.

Sixth Form History of Art: Florence and Rome

Sixth Form History of Art students enjoyed a wonderful six-day Easter trip to Florence and Rome to see many of the paintings, sculptures and buildings they study in the ‘Italian Renaissance’ unit of their A Level. They saw some of the most famous and admired works of art in European history, including Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Other highlights included Donatello’s sculptures and the Pantheon in Rome - and sampling some of the finest ice creams in the world!

Rowing Camp in Ghent, Belgium

The Easter rowing camp in Ghent, Belgium, was an invaluable opportunity to sharpen rowing skills before the UK summer racing season, balanced with supervised revision for exams. Based in accommodation above the rowing club Koninklijke Roeivereniging in Ghent, this was a perfect setting for training, revision, meals and sleep. Our Sixth Form rowers had the opportunity to row in an eight with four Belgian rowers, and had a great outing. The J15s, J16s and J18s all improved their race readiness for summer racing, including the National Schools’ Regatta for all squads.

Geography Field Trip to Norway

Over the Easter break, Sixth Form Geography students spent five days based in Kinsarvik in Norway. Highlights included exploring the fjords; their snowshoeing expedition; learning about the Folgefonna glacier; the Norway in a Nutshell excursion; a trip on an electric ferry through the UNESCO protected Nærøyfjorda; and a ride on Europe’s top scenic railway.

On their last morning in Kinsarvik, students woke to snow on the ground before heading to the Hardangervidda plateau and then up to 1,245m above sea level and -6oC temperatures! They visited the Simi Power Plant, Norway’s second largest hydroelectric power station set deep within a mountainside and on their last morning the students enjoyed a walking tour around snow covered Bergen.

Year 8 Languages Trips: France, Germany and Spain

Straight after the Summer half-term Year 8 French, Spanish and German students all set off on their respective language trips. German students based themselves in the town of Hellenthall to explore the beautiful Eifel region in the west of Germany with an exciting itinerary of cultural trips and opportunities to practise their language skills in the typical cafes sampling traditional Käsekuchen and Apfel-Streuselkuchen.

Spanish students spent five fantastic days based in El Puerto de Santa María, practising their Spanish and discovering one of Spain’s most beautiful regions. The mornings were spent in Spanish lessons, and afternoon visits included the mediaeval castle in El Puerto, the beautiful hill town of Ronda, a boat trip to Cádiz and the splendid city of Seville.

French students set off on their trip to the south of France where they explored Antibes, Nice, and Grasse, immersing themselves in the local culture and embracing every moment whether they were in lessons, climbing trees, or kayaking. There were plenty of opportunities to practise their French with the locals and deepen their understanding of French culture.

Higher Education and Careers

Working Lunches

In February and March our Higher Education and Careers department ran its annual series of Working Lunches. Old Dolphins, parents and friends of the school from a range of professions joined us for informal lunchtime seminars to talk about their work experience, career journeys to date, and to offer invaluable insight and advice to our students. Professions represented included film, NHS, banking, consultancy, PR and marketing, games development, landscape design, aeronautical design and engineering, fashion publishing, and e-commerce.

Undiscovered Subjects Lecture Series

In February and March 2023 we ran our series of lectures on subjects not studied in school but which students may be considering for study at university. Lectures were presented by academic staff from leading universities and we were joined by students from Cardinal Vaughan, West London Free School, Lady Margaret School, Kensington Aldridge Academy and Greenford High School. Subjects covered included:

Computer Science; Sustainable Development; Criminology; Engineering; History of Art; Materials Science and Engineering; Environmental Sciences; Sociology; Pharmacy; Business; Archaeology; Philosophy; Law; Anthropology; Creative Writing; Biomedical Sciences; Linguistics; Political Theory; Psychiatry; Social Anthropology and the Human Sciences.

Ayesha Singh

Andrew Martin

Nathalia Chubin

Serena Hood

Charlotte Rowe

Overseas Admissions Talks

We were delighted to welcome senior admissions staff from a wide number of overseas institutions who provided our students with excellent advice and insights into studying abroad. These included:

Lunchtime talk by the Deputy Director of Admissions and Director of Undergraduate Outreach at the University of Chicago, Ms Katie Quille Chaszczewski.

US information evening with the Admission Directors from five leading US colleges and universities: Duke, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt.

Lunchtime talk from the Senior Admissions Officer at McGill University, Montreal, Ms J’bari.

Lunchtime meeting with the Regional Admissions Representative at Bocconi University in Milan, Ms Valeria Pinti.

Visit from Old Dolphin Cecilia Colao (Class of 2022) who spoke about studying at Yale University.

Talk from the Associate Director of Admissions at IE University, Ms Dianna Brittian Meagher. The university has campuses in both Madrid and Segovia.

Evening talk from the Director of Admissions and Vice Dean at The University of Pennsylvania, Jordan E Pascucci to over 250 students and parents.

Talks by the Admissions Directors from Cornell and Tufts.

Virtual lunchtime meeting with the Directors of International Admission at Yale University and Columbia University.

Higher Education Preparation

Our Higher Education Preparation Programme included:

Lower Sixth Higher Education Forum where students heard from Old Dolphins about the range of undergraduate options available and also about the support the school provides for aspiring medics, Oxbridge applications and students applying to Europe, the US and Canada.

Year 10 Future Focus Week where students developed their skills and thinking about Sixth Form choices, university courses and career pathways.

Old Dolphins Mouki, Flavia and Alice (Class of 2016) returned to Godolphin to talk to our current Upper Sixth about their career pathways since leaving university.

Lower Sixth students took part in a series of Higher Education preparation activities - supported by talks from the Universities of Bath and Sheffield – with guidance on personal statement writing, US, Oxbridge, Russell Group, Medic, and Law applications, EPQ and EE workshops, plus a talk about the benefits of study abroad.

The Higher Education Supper Club brought together our Lower Sixth students, Old Dolphins and students from Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School and West London Free School for an evening of freeflowing and thought-provoking conversation.

US Applications

More and more of our students are considering studying in the US after Godolphin and our students received early acceptances from a range of top US institutions, including Barnard, Brown, Colorado College, Georgetown, Harvard, Northeastern, Notre Dame, Tufts, Tulane University’s Honours Programme, University of Southern California, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt and Yale.

From both regular and early applications, our students received offers from the following institutions (in alphabetical order):

Barnard College (2)

Bates College

Boston University (2)

Brown University

Colorado College

Columbia University (2)

Connecticut College - Dean’s Scholarship

Dual BA between Columbia University and Trinity College Dublin

George Washington University

Georgetown University (2)

Harvard University

New York University

Northeastern University

Northwestern University

Tufts University (3)

Tulane University - Honours Programme

University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, San Diego (3)

University of California, Santa Barbara

University of Chicago

University of Colorado Boulder - Honours

Programme

University of Notre Dame

University of Pennsylvania

University of Southern California (2)

University of Virginia - Jefferson Scholarship & Echols Scholarship

Vanderbilt University (2) - one student awarded the Crescere Aude Scholarship

Wesleyan University (2)

Yale University

Particular congratulations go to Henrietta who was one of 38 recipients of this year’s prestigious University of Virginia Jefferson Scholarships.

Class of 2023

Sixth Form Leavers’ Reception

This was a special occasion with champagne and canapés to celebrate and thank this remarkable year-group for the many contributions they have made to school life over the past seven years, and to wish them every success as they become Old Dolphins. They will be much missed, but we look forward to staying in touch and hearing about the things they will go on to.

Leavers’ Destinations

Staff Leavers

Mixed emotions always abound at the end of the school year as we see colleagues leaving the school and moving on to new adventures. In particular we sent off with a huge debt of gratitude Mrs Anna Paul who as Senior Deputy Head since 2014 oversaw the pastoral life of the school with compassion and vision. She has now taken up the headship of South Hampstead High School but is remembered for her dedicated leadership and for the many wonderful initiatives which she launched here, including Challenge Your Limits.

Mrs Harsha Mason had taught Philosophy and Religion at Godolphin since 1997, an astonishing 26 years! She was the most committed of teachers and engaged many hundreds of students with her thoughtful and caring approach over her time here. We wish her all the very best for a very happy and fulfilling retirement.

Miss Emma McLaren arrived as a new graduate in 2016 and taught Chemistry here for seven years. She took on a number of significant pastoral roles, notably Deputy Head of Middle School and acting Head of Middle School during Miss Smart’s maternity leave, and was a popular and caring role model for the girls. We know she will be a huge success in her new post at St Mary’s School, Ascot.

Miss Kandis Nelson and Miss Marina Newland both joined our staff in 2018, to teach PE and Mathematics respectively. They proved very talented teachers and were also dedicated and caring Form Tutors. Good luck to them in their new schools.

Although not a member of the teaching staff, our long-serving Assistant Librarian Mrs Mary Fei touched the lives of many students since she came to Godolphin in 2007. We miss her reading recommendations and her acute sense of humour! We also said farewell to Mr Marek Gerlach from our Premises team who had been so instrumental in setting up and training our student basketball teams. And we thanked our receptionist of eight years, Mrs Virginia Southon, who was such a welcoming first point of contact for many parents and visitors to the school.

A number of teachers spent only a year or two with us, but nevertheless made a very considerable impact on the lives of our students in all kinds of positive ways. They were: Mr Alex Osiatynski (interim Director of Music); Mr Harry Castle (Assistant Director of Music); Miss Katie Hunn (History and Politics); Miss Claire Pearce (Biology); Mr Thomas Wong (Physics). Particular thanks here are due to Mr Osiatynski who led our Music team with energy and passion, and was so much more than a mere caretaker despite being an interim appointment.