Skylight - Autumn 2022

Skylight Autumn 2022

Featured in this issue

Service

Headmaster’s End of Term Message

Much has changed since the last edition of Skylight, be it a new monarch on the throne or our third Prime Minister in the space of a term. Whilst I hope life at Habs has been somewhat less tumultuous, the term has seen a number of lasting and significant changes.

The new teaching blocks, named Taylor and Hinton after the former Headmasters who relocated the school (firstly from Hoxton to West Hampstead in 1898 and then out to Elstree in 1961) are now fully open and they have transformed the quality of our teaching spaces. The new Pre-Prep has been handed over and will be in use from January; its construction has enabled the first ever Reception cohort to start at Habs. They are a genuine delight! At the opposite end of the school, Habs Nexus is successfully underway, with all Lower Sixth students from the Boys’ School and Girls’ School studying at least one A Level in a co-educational setting, underpinned by a completely new timetable and a raft of new digital systems. The introduction of the Habs Diploma, in particular the Visiting Speaker Programme, has broadened our horizons to the

world beyond Elstree and the exam syllabus. It would be an understatement to describe the term as exciting, as we adapt to the changing needs of our times.

One telling feature of the school that has not changed is the sense of principle that underpins our community. I write this having just delivered a carload of donations made by staff for the Borehamwood Foodbank, and the daily contribution that our students make to local communities and charities is humbling – there is no other word. One of the highlights of the last academic year was the inaugural Giving Day, and, in recognition of that success, our Development Team were honoured to receive ‘The Development Award for an Outstanding Fundraising Achievement’, at the Independent Schools of the Year Awards this term. The commitment to providing free school places has been central to our mission ever since our founder wrote instructions in his will to create a school for 20 boys in need. Therefore, witnessing the way in which our entire community – students, parents, staff and alumni – came together last spring was exceptional.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Outside the classroom, the school remains as busy as ever and I have been proud of all that our students have experienced and accomplished this term. Our musicians continue to find new heights, with a Concerto Concert and Carol Service that will live long in the memory. Our actors delivered a moving and modern interpretation of Brief Encounter alongside students from the Girls’ School, and the arrival of students from the Girls’ School in the CCF has been a very positive and significant milestone in our collaborative journey. The sports pitch has seen rugby (in its 100th season), football, waterpolo and Donkin Cup running in full swing, with both triumphs and failures to savour. In all these fields, our students are building both character and resilience, teamwork and leadership skills, and learning to give of their best in the face of challenge and uncertainty.

Whilst the following pages showcase highlights from a wide range of activities outside the classroom, the majority of everyone’s time has, of course, been spent studying! The intellectual

endeavour that flavours life at Habs remains the most affirming feature of our school. Whether it be in a quotidian lesson, a national chess competition, a talk by a nationally renowned historian, a TedX event or in the award of an engineering scholarship, Habs is place of learning and discovery, where curious minds grow and develop in an atmosphere that fizzes with energy and wonder. It has been a super term.

I hope very much that you and your families enjoy a restful break and offer the warmest wishes of the season.

Mr A R Lock

Success Stories

Teacher of Economics wins 2022 University of Chicago Outstanding Educator award

Congratulations to our Head of Diversity and inclusion and Economics teacher, Mrs Zahid who has won the 2022 University of Chicago Outstanding Educator!

Mrs Zahid was nominated by former student, Benjamin Randall, who wrote in Monia’s letter of success: “Thank you so much for teaching me the last two years and for passing on your love for Economics. I will always remember how fun and interesting our lessons are.”

Well done, Mrs Zahid!

Two students receive prestigious Engineering scholarships

The school’s Design and Technology department is delighted to announce that two students, Matt (L6H1) and Daniel Samuel (L6J1), have both been awarded one of the prestigious Arkwright Scholarships.

Scholars are selected for their potential as future engineering leaders by assessing their academic, practical and leadership skills in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). These are assessed through a rigorous selection process comprising of an assessed application form including, teacher’s supporting reference and an interview conducted by a panel of engineers. The in-depth interview asked candidates about their career aspirations and had to discuss an engineering project they had conducted.

The Scholarships support future engineering students through their Sixth Form studies and encourage them into top universities or higher apprenticeships. The Scholarships consist of an annual financial award to each recipient and to the school, and a range of enrichment activities, such as mentoring and industry visits, that enhance their experience of engineering and technical design in a real-world context.

Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are very highly regarded by universities and industry and are one of the most prestigious accolades that a talented Sixth Form students pursuing a career in engineering can achieve.

Year 8 student represents England in World U16 Youth Chess Olympiad

Congratulations to Avy (8M1) who recently competed in the World U16 Youth Olympiad! The competition had over 34 teams playing out over a course of nine days. The England squad had four members, with Avy being the youngest. Avy had the best performance among all the players in the England team with a score of 6.5/9 (5 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss).

The England team overall had a decent performance and finished 24th.

There were some really challenging games for Avy including beating the Turkey Red team, who had only lost three games in the tournament (and were crowned Champions) including one which Avy won against them and another where he beat a titled player, a World Chess Master from Sri Lanka.

Chess success for Year 7 Habs pupil

Congratulations to Adi (7R) who won the North London Grand Prix on Sunday 16 October! Adi has now qualified for the London Junior Chess Championship in December.

Then, later in the month, Adi represented Barnet and won the U14 National Youth Chess Association with five other team members!

Well done, Adi!

VEX success at Stowe

On Wednesday 30 November, our VEX VRC teams travelled to Stowe School to compete at a regional competition. We had a terrific day of competitive robotics which resulted in three awards.

Team NonRoutine Machines - involving Faraz (L6R2), Daniel (L6J1), Alexander (11C1), Adi (L6S1) and Suren (L6H2) - won the Skills and Teamwork award which means they have qualified for Nationals in March next year! The team scored consistently well in each round, executing planned strategies in the final matches and their skills score of 116 has placed them 4th in the UK at the time of writing.

Team HABS_Involute – involving Neev (10R2), Rian (10M1), Ishan (10H2), Amar (10R2) and Isaac (10S1)presented their ideas and engineering booklet to the judges extremely well and won the Design award as a result. This is our Year 10s second VRC competition and should be very proud of their progress.

Well done to all who participated!

Middle School commendations –Autumn Term 2022

This term over 70 students have received Middle School Commendations having been nominated by their teachers for embodying our school values. From contributing to the community, being courageous when taking on new challenges or tasks or being ambitious or curious in any aspect of their life, students can be nominated for anything.

All Middle School students are encouraged to achieve all four Commendations before reaching Sixth Form. It’s fantastic to celebrate all our students’ efforts and successes, in and outside of school.

Events

Carol Service 2022

On Friday 9 December, we once again returned to St Albans Cathedral for our whole school Carol Service. We were particularly excited to welcome the Prep School (Years 2 to 6) back to this whole school event, one of the highlights in our school calendar.

We heard musical items from both our Senior School and Prep Choirs, with the whole school joining in the singing of well-known Christmas hymns. A particular joy to listen to was the Senior School Choir, accompanied by a brass ensemble, singing Hark! the Herald and the Prep Choir singing their own The Bells of Christmas Medley.

It was a terrific occasion, enjoyed by the whole school community, staff, students and parents alike.

TED x Youth at Habs

On Monday 4 July 2022, we were excited to hold the first-ever TEDxYouth@HABS event, in which students, teachers and respected external speakers were able to speak about Innovation in our world today: the theme of our first TEDx event. Click here to view the TEDxYouth@HABS homepage.

The world is changing rapidly, and innovation shapes our world. TEDxYouth@HABS focused on the applications of innovation across all subject areas, hoping to inspire the leaders of tomorrow!

Students in Year 12 were very fortunate to listen to seven TEDxYouth@HABS talks: one

student, three teachers and three subject experts who were all Imperial College London researchers. We are very grateful for all the speakers who delivered these insightful talks to our students, especially to the external speakers who made time in their busy schedules to deliver these TEDx talks.

Habs Garba 2022

On Thursday 6 October, the Haberdashers’ Elstree Schoolsmade up of Habs Boys and Habs Girls - had their second Habs Garba, organised by the Hindu Societies from both schools. The event was open to all years and all faiths.

Garba is a Gujarati folk dance performed during the nine-night festival of Navaratri dedicated to the mother Goddess, and on the full moon night of Sharad Purnima dedicated to Lord Krishna.

The night was much bigger and better than last year with 350 students from both schools

attending. The event had an amazing DJ for the night alongside our two Dhol players: Kaylan (7S) and Dylan (L6S1). The night started with Be Tali, a dance consisting of two simple claps, and as the speed of the music increased, this developed into a much more complicated movement. All the students had great fun and were able to pick it up quickly, with volunteers helping where necessary. The students then moved on to Tran Tali, a three-clap dance, followed by the Aarti (prayer) to Lord Krishna, and His Consort the Goddess Yamuna. This ceremony was performed by

student volunteers, with those not participating sitting down and listening respectfully.

After the Aarti, attendees were served food and given a chance to socialise while the musicians took a break. The students were welcomed back with a performance given by Kaylan (7S) playing the tabla and Shaurya (7J) playing the violin, performing a classical Garba song Nagada Sang Dhol which attendees enthusiastically danced to. The next dance was Dandiya Raas, where the students danced with sticks and was performed with really high energy and great enthusiasm by all the students. The final dance of the night was Ramjaniyu which, like last year, was definitely everyone’s favourite. Due to the extremely large scale of the event, we had more versions of Ramjaniyu popping up during the night, allowing everyone to learn a new dance from their peers and have even more fun.

The night was a huge successall participants were incredibly involved and energetically danced the night away. In following years, we hope this event only grows as Garba is an amazing opportunity for everyone in the school, students and staff, to immerse themselves in our rich culture.

Written by Krish (Haberdashers’ Boys’ School, U6C1) and Anji (Haberdashers’ Girls’ School, U6WM)

Historian, writer and broadcaster Dominic Sandbrook visits Habs

Habs was excited to welcome historian, writer and broadcaster Dominic Sandbrook on Monday 14 November. The author of seven history books for adults and six books for children, Dr Sandbrook also co-hosts the popular history podcast The Rest Is History.

Dr Sandbrook spoke to Year 7 students from both Haberdashers’ Boys’ and Haberdashers’ Girls’ Schools about the most recent book in his Adventures In Time series, The Fury of the Vikings.

He recounted the stories of the Viking attack on Cuthbert’s shrine on the isle of Lindisfarne, Guthrum’s wars with King Alfred, as well as other notable Vikings such as Ragnar Lothbrok, Ivar the Boneless and Harald Hardrada. After his entertaining talk, he took questions from his audience about the Vikings and a range of historical topics. There was an opportunity as well for students to have their copies of books in the Adventures In Time series signed.

In conversation with Mr Hardman, Paul (7S) and Jacob (7C), said afterwards:

“We hadn’t realised how brutal they were! Their longships allowed them to sail vast distances and when the wind stopped, the Vikings rowed. Their sails were made from woven sheep wool. They plundered other countries to increase their power and resources Viking life was not all about plundering on a full-time basis - often, Vikings would go on just one raiding offensive. Vikings did not wear horned helmets - no archaeological evidence has ever been found to support the claim that they did. The myth originated from Wagner’s opera The Ring - the costumer thought the cast would look cool if they wore horned helmets.”

After school, Dr Sandbrook spoke to the Sixth Form History Society about his passion and curiosity for the subject and took questions from a group of about 80 students from the two schools about his work on The Rest Is History podcast, his views about history and how he is able to work on such a broad range of historical topics and projects. We are very grateful to Dominic Sandbrook for taking time from his busy schedule to speak to our students with such enthusiasm.

Senior Citizens Tea Party 2022

After a three-year hiatus, this year the Senior Citizen’s Tea Party made a fabulous return. With the theme ‘The Best of British’, the Prevett Hall welcomed 120 local senior citizens to a day filled with music, afternoon tea and lots and lots of dancing. The Prevett had been transformed into a beautiful venue, complete with stunning centrepieces, a balloon arch and confetti. The Senior Citizen’s Tea Party is an annual charity event, joint with the Boys’ School, in which the committee prepare for months to organise everything from the decorations to entertainment to the quiz, raffle and bingo. On the day, each guest was paired with one of our eager volunteers, and they spent the day talking and laughing; amidst our wonderful singers and performers. But the highlight of the event was when everyone, guests and volunteers alike, came together on the dance floor and danced their hearts away. Everyone left the event with a smile on their face!

Trips summary

Stuttgart Exchange – Year 11 MFL

Cadair Idris – Staff

London Transport Museum and Museum of Brands - Year 10 Graphics

Music, Art & Drama

Jazz Summer School –August 2022

Our Jazz Summer School ran again this year, hosting students from Years 5 to 13 for a packed couple of weeks of jazz education, jam sessions and concerts.

As ever the standard of music-making on both weeks was fantastic. Students are encouraged to take risks with their music making and build trust with their bandmates. They try composing and arranging, listen to and discuss classic recordings, and take part in a massed ensemble including all the students on the course.

The final concert was a breath-taking display of talent, the Seldon Hall transformed into a jazz club for the evening. It is great to hear some of our finest jazz musicians in action as well as some of the stars of tomorrow – the perfect way to kickstart the new school year.

Stellar Strings

Our third annual Stellar Strings was held at the Girls’ School, an incredible event involving over 150 students of all ages and abilities.

After showcasing their work in smaller ensembles, the grand finale of the weekend was a memorable performance of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody, including every student on the course. The piece was written especially for us by principal

percussionist of the BBC Concert Orchestra, Alasdair Malloy – a fantastic piece of work designed to feature and celebrate all stages of string playing across the two schools.

It was wonderful to see string players from Years 4 to 13, from both Habs Boys and Habs Girls, performing alongside one another.

Click here to listen to the performance.

Abbey Road

In June 2022, our Big Band took part in a very special project, a recording at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios.

The Habs Big Band has run for 19 years and yet we didn’t have any recordings to document the ensemble. This project was an opportunity to capture this wonderful group of musicians, as well as to tell the story of the band, and our process at the studio.

The resulting video is to be released at the end of term and combines incredible music with a more

personal look at the journey of our band members, and their relationship to the music.

Abbey Road, Studio 1 has a roster of the most famous artists in the world including The Beatles, Queen, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Oasis, Tom Jones, Amy Winehouse, Adele and many more…

For our students to follow in the footsteps of iconic acts such as The Beatles by recording in this studio was very special, look out for video - it’s certainly not to be missed!

Whilst festivities for the Platinum jubilee took place, our very own Big Band spent the weekend in Studio 1! After months of dedication and ambition, two marvellous days took place recording and making the best music the band has to offer. It was truly remarkable to see our very own musicians, making their best music, in the room where world famous records came to life. We will be releasing

the full tracks on music platforms shortly. During the weekend, we were able to work a film crew to produce a short documentary of our two days. We are thrilled to be able to share this with you.

Festival ConcertOctober 2022

The Festival Concert is our first concert of the year, and one of our biggest. Featuring over 300 performers, including the whole of Year 7, this is a fantastic event for showcasing the ambition of our music school, and a celebration of our community.

Highlights of the concert included a performance of Brahms’ Festival Overture from our Symphony Orchestra, conducted by guest conductor Constança Simas, an awesome performance from our Big Band, and the incredible spectacle of Year 7 songs. We had two brand new arrangements, written especially for us by musician-in-residence Matthew Herd, showcasing the year group accompanied by full orchestra. It was a joyous and moving performance, something that all who were there will remember for a long time.

We hope that the Year 7s felt inspired by this opportunity and it will spur them on to keep practising their musical instruments and become future stars of our incredible senior ensembles.

Click here to listen to the performances.

Spotlight Concert –November 2022

The Spotlight Concert series is a celebration of our younger musicians, giving stage principally to students between Years 7 to 10. We heard a diverse programme of music ranging from film music to classical music and jazz to Indian classical music. This was the first concert for one of our newest members of staff, Mr Verma, and his tabla ensemble was a real highlight. Other highlights included Philomusica playing Pirates of the Caribbean, the Soul Band got us dancing in our seats with a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition, and our Wind Sinfonia playing selections from West Side Story.

It is a joy to see the young musicians develop, and this experience of performing on our biggest stage is invaluable towards their progress. We saw firsthand that the future of Habs music is very bright, a wonderful evening of music-making from all involved

Collaborative Chamber Group perform at Hatfield Chamber Music Festival

On Sunday 2 October, one of our chamber groups was selected for performance as part of the Hatfield Chamber Music Festival. After submitting a video recording at the end of last year, our trio was invited to perform at this youth event in the historic St Etheldreda’s Church.

Fred (10J1), Jinying (Girls’ School), and Sedona (Girls’ School) performed the first movement of Beethoven’s first piano trio, bringing great maturity and a characteristic sense of fun to this great work. It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to perform for which we are very grateful to the festival organisers.

Concerto ConcertDecember 2022

Coinciding with the official opening of the Taylor building we held our first Concerto Concert, an evening featuring virtuosic soloists from across both Elstree schools accompanied by some of our elite large ensembles. An ambitious and varied programme treated us to music from Bach, through to iconic jazz from the 1950s. The evening ended with a performance of the Bruch Violin Concerto, with three different soloists mesmerising the audience with their talent.

Behind every soloist was an ensemble of musicians who had given a lot of time and effort towards making this concert happen. The way the students supported each other and delighted in each other’s successes is a fantastic testament to our community.

The audience was blown away by the standard of the whole evening, a truly astonishing display of the phenomenal talent we have here at Habs.

Photos by Oliver (U6H2)

Darcy Turner vists Habs

The Art department were excited to welcome Darcy Turner who provided a workshop to Year 11 and 13 Art students.

Our students were fascinated by Mr Turner’s techniques and were completely absorbed all day. The morning began with an introduction from Mr Turner before students got the opportunity to look at some of his incredible sculptures. Then those involved in the workshop started assembling 3D metal sculptures, inspired by their own individual projects. This allowed students to test their ability to accurately follow instructions and problem-solve

in equal measure. Following this each student built up the form, refining detail and finally adding Mr Turner’s custom silver strip to fill the form. The process taught students to leave their comfort zone in their artwork; it is a radically different technique that showed students there are many ways to express yourself through art.

Darcy’s patient and helpful approach was extremely useful as it gave students confidence to ask questions, and accept it is okay to make mistakes! It was a brilliant day for all involved.

Senior School Play

This year, the Senior School play was a joint production with the Girls’ School and portrayed a bold retelling of Emma Rice’s lyrical and playful adaptation of the iconic Noel Coward 1945 screenplay, Brief Encounter, alongside a devised piece which celebrated the company’s exploration of what it means to fall in love.

This was a fantastic opportunity to create original work that gave voice to the company, in response to Coward’s characters and story, while still honouring the original work: a fascinating conversation spanning eight decades.

The Habs production sits a group of young people growing up in Milford today, working at a café of the same name at Milford Station. It allowed the cast to explore how relationships should look, feel and sound in 2022. Their words and thoughts - through a series of conversations, recordings and improvisations during rehearsals – were transcribed to create a new script, which interweaves with the original and explores the beginnings of a relationship between two boys. We were incredibly lucky and grateful that both Emma Rice and the Noel Coward Estate were hugely

supportive of this idea and gave special permission for us to add to the original script.

This was a bold and ambitious ensemble of storytelling and the actors showcased incredible energy, honesty and courage to explore and depict love in all its ways. This production was yet another genuine testament to the process, asking the students not simply to replicate other work that had gone before them, but to take risks, be creative and reflect their own voices; develop and take responsibility as an ensemble to tell stories.

GCSE and A Level Art and Design exhibition 2022

The last two weeks of exhibition, in the Bourne Foyer, have provided the opportunity for the whole school community to enjoy and be inspired by the amazing work of our GCSE and A Level Fine Art and Graphics Communication students. The incredible practical outcomes and comprehensive sketchbooks of preparatory studies, on display, reflected the great dedication, skill and creativity of our pupils. We congratulate each one of them on this huge achievement!

Badminton report

It has been a busy start to the Badminton season at Habs, with over 100 pupils playing regularly in the three afterschool squad training sessions and the lunchtime clubs. The sport’s popularity has been enhanced with a new coaching set up, that will only see the standard of play increase. The highlight this term was November’s Hertfordshire tournament. 26 Habs pupils entered across three age groups. The tournament was open to our players who are not in the county squad, so to do well competitors must be verging on this standard. Sannidh (8R2) U13 and Kian (9H1) U15 were particularly successful, finishing as runners up in their age groups. Kai (11H) (U18) came third overall despite having to play opponents two years his senior. Elsewhere Haofei (8S2) U13 and Sharid (L6R1) U18 won through in their plate competitions.

A recent fixture against Hitchin Boys’ School saw players from Years 7 to 10 compete against a strong team. Some excellent singles and doubles play was on display, and the Habs teams easily came out on top in the Year 7, 8 and 9 competitions, dropping just five games out of 36. The contest was tighter in Year 10, and the Hitchin team proved too much of a challenge for the Habs team in a close fought match, with some tight games.

The Inter House Badminton competition is also well underway, with contests for Year 9 and above already completed. Hendersons are well in the lead, but the other places will be decided by the Year 7 and 8 competitions in the Spring Term. Along with this and some further fixtures, it will be a busy new year.

Rugby report

It has been exactly 100 years since rugby was first taught at the school. In that time, the game has changed considerably; from being primarily focused upon the pursuit of the rugby ball after a ‘kick and rush’ in the 1920s to a multi-faceted all pitch handling game requiring players of skill, pace and understanding. What hasn`t changed is that feeling of unity when a team successfully defends its try line, doggedly repelling wave after wave of attack. I believe that the ensuing sense of kinship is what makes rugby so unique as a sport. Currently, all of our Year 7s play rugby up until around half term before other sporting options become available to the students. This allows us to foster a love for a game that few have played before and the enthusiasm of the coaching staff led by Mr Lawrence has resulted in some wonderful performances against other schools this term. Indeed, at the time of writing, our U12A team remains undefeated. The players have shown resilience and no little courage in the face of some physical challenges, most notably against Watford GS and we are very pleased with their progress.

The U13 rugby squad had a similarly enjoyable introduction to the game in Year 7 and the players have built upon these foundations to become a really tight knit group of genuine rugby enthusiasts. The numbers at training have been phenomenal and this has allowed Mr Dutta to impart his knowledge to all four of our U13 school teams. This commitment of the squad to the sport, allied to the players desire to improve their own individual skills has resulted in some wonderful performances and we are currently undefeated at A,B,C and D team level at this age group.

The games programme broadens at Year 9 to include football and we have done our utmost to facilitate the playing of both sports by offering alternate weekends of football and rugby. Sadly, this inevitably results in fewer fixtures and the U14 and U15 squads have suffered from a lack of continuity this season. Both squads are full of genuine rugby enthusiasts and I hope that we can provide more opportunities to develop their love for the game going forward. The U14s showed what could be possible with a resolute display against St Columba’s College, whilst the U15s were tremendous in winning a pulsating encounter with QE Barnet in the first round of the U15 RFU Vase.

The seniors have been bedevilled with injuries to key players yet the remaining players have stood firm in their absence. The 1XV showed perseverance in beating St Columba’s College and we were extremely unfortunate to lose narrowly to Watford GS. The U16 squad, alongside a few Lower Sixth players have entered a locally arranged 2XV competition and the players have built upon their success at U15 last year.

100 years of Rugby at Habs

Habs celebrated 100 years of rugby at Elstree on Saturday 19 November. The centurion year was brought in with an Inter House tournament and BBQ, both enjoyed by students, staff, parents and Old Haberdashers.

As expected, the tournament resulted in some fantastic and competitive matches, particularly within the Lower School, and it was brilliant to see the level of sportsmanship and community that was shown throughout.

The whole tournament was a fitting tribute to all who have played rugby for the school over the last century.

QE Barnet fixture at StoneX Stadium

A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all at the StoneX stadium on Tuesday 29 November as all three Habs teams won their respective matches against QE Barnet. On a cold and crisp evening, perfect for running rugby, our U12A and U13A teams showed just why they remain unbeaten this season with two impressive performances. Their excellent work at the breakdown ensured that possession was retained through several phases allowing our superior handling and pace out wide to come to the fore. We were delighted that both of these young teams grasped the opportunity to play at the home of Saracens with both hands.

The 1st XV repelled a ferocious start from QE Barnet to produce two pieces of rugby brilliance that proved to be the difference between two evenly matches sides. Tom (L6H2), by some way the best player on the field, chipped over the top of an advancing defence, regathered and sent another

kick deep into QEB territory. Charlie (L6C2) used his renowned football skills to add a further boot to the ball before picking it up and getting over the line. Immediately thereafter, Tom caught the re-start before feeding Malcolm (U6M2) who set off on a coruscating run upfield. An excellent pass under pressure to Max (U6H2) and one hefty hand off later and we were back over the QEB try line. The game then became atritional with QEB using their heavy forwards to carry the ball and Habs had to work extremely hard to hold them at bay. Two hard won penalties close to our try line saw us hold on, 15-10, to claim our second successive win (post Covid) against our local rivals.

U14 Tennis team finish the season in the top 4 in the South-East

Fresh from winning the England Independent Schools Tennis Championships back in July, Sam (9S1) and Kaaviyan (9J2), pictured, teamed up with Kian (9H1) and Xander (7C) to defeat the Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire winners to reach the LTA South-East Regional Finals, held in Sutton in November. The Habs team battled hard but went out in the semi-finals to Claires Court. All of the opposition they played against were part of the Delgado & Lee Academy based at the LTA’s Bisham Abbey national hub, so to compete and push them close was an incredible effort and punching above our weight. To finish the season in the top 4 schools in the South-East puts Habs tennis on the map!

Pupil represents the East Region in the IRC

Congratulations to Felix (8M2), who over the summer was selected to represent the East Region in a national triathlon competition called the IRC - Inter Regional Championships.

Felix came 7th in the heat and got into the A Finals, meaning a top 20 finish within the T2 competitors ranking! Felix then came 13th in the national final. The next day was the relays and this time competitors did a full triathlon (swim, bike and run). Felix came 3rd in the swim, with the 1st place competitor being in T2 (13 to 14 year olds). Overall, Felix’s team came 8th.

Felix also competed in the 2022 East Region Junior Series which took in 10 races (across triathlon, aquathlon and duathlon) from March to August inclusive from which each competitors’ top 5 finishes were taken as qualification. Felix competed in six Series’ events and finished in 2nd place!

Well done, Felix!

Pre-Prep & Prep

Remembrance Day

We were honoured to have our first ever joint Remembrance service with the Girls’ Junior School, to commemorate the lives of old Haberdashers’ who lost their lives in conflicts around the world. We were incredibly proud of the manner in which all of the pupils respected the meaning of remembrance whilst congregating at the school memorial, and it was wonderful to have a range of pupils and staff, from both schools, reciting a selection of poems as part of the service.

On Sunday 13 November, pupils joined again with the Girls’ School and with members of the local community in a Remembrance parade in Radlett.

Pupil representatives walked respectfully and read names of fallen soldiers. A wreath was laid on behalf of the school as a mark of respect.

Reception were busy this week learning all about Remembrance Day and thinking about the importance of the poppy. Pupils carefully made a poppy out of clay and painted it with acrylic paint. Pupils were so excited to take them home and share their knowledge with their families.

Pre-Prep Winter Concert 2022

The pupils were absolutely superb in their first ever Pre-Prep Winter concert. They enjoyed singing the traditional Christmas carols along with some Year group poetry recitals. Year 1 performed two fantastic winter dances. Well done all, we are so proud of you. Enjoy a restful holiday and Happy New Year.

Photos by Oliver (U6H2)

Prep Winter Concert 2022

The Prep Winter Concert this year showcased the widest variety of music making ever. As well as our regular offerings of choirs, Premier and Senior Strings and Wind, Brass and Guitar Ensembles, all of which were performed to memorably high standards, we welcomed Mr Verma and the Indian Music Ensemble, Mr Taylor and Prep Orchestra, Mr Herd and Composer’s Ensemble, Miss Worn and her String Quartet, Mr Bentley and a cornet duet and Miss Gozzard with the Prep choristers. A 16-strong team of Senior School students performed in the accompanying bands and orchestras. The children performed their hearts out to an appreciative and supportive audience. There was even a video made of the teachers and staff acting in versions of themselves in Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall.

You can enjoy a recording of the concert by clicking here.

Donkin Cup 2022

Thank you to all parents and guardians who came to spectate the pupils preforming in our annual Inter House cross country event, the Donkin Cup.

The Donkin Cup is a special event as it is the only Inter House competition where the whole of the Pre-Prep and Prep School are together. It was a pleasure to see the pupils cheering each other on. Well done to Davids who were this year’s winners.

Overall House Placings:

Mini Marathon

On Tuesday 11 October, Habs Boys Prep and Habs Girls Junior School joined countless other pupils from around the country by participating in the Mini London Marathon. Whether running or walking, all pupils covered the 2.6 miles distance using their physical fitness as a platform to have fun, meet new people, and possibly even learn something new about themselves.

Well done to every single person who took part, or helped to make the morning so special, it was brilliant to see Boys’ School and Girls’ School pupils come together as such an active and joyful community.

Year 3 Roman Day

Year 3 spent a fabulous day investigating various aspects of Roman life. Among the activities they experienced were army training using javelins and their fantastic homemade Roman shields, an archaeological dig searching for coins and other artefacts, as well as tasting Roman food. One pupil said: “It helped me learn more about the Romans because we took part in the activities the Romans did instead of reading it in a book.”

Year 4 Medieval Day

Year 4 were lucky to have Mr Shadrake, who was in Horrible Histories to come to help us experience life in Medieval Times. In the morning, we re-enacted the Battle of Hastings and timeline of different kings. We also had a pair quiz where we learnt new facts. In the afternoon, we got to try on and touch Medieval artefacts such as different helmets. As well as this we played Medieval board games such as bowls and three mice men. Mr Shadrake was able to answer any of our questions due to his extensive knowledge. We are looking forward to more of our History unit on the Middle Ages!

Ishaan (4MJ) said: “It was fun because you got to learn about what it was like at that time.”

Rohan (4MJ) commented: “I enjoyed trying on all the different types of helmets.”

Martin Impey visit

On Wednesday 9 November, we were fortunate to have a visit from Mr Impey, who is an incredible illustrator who is best known for his artwork interpreting Wilfred Owen’s famous war poem Dulce Et Decorum Est. He delivered a fitting whole school assembly (as it was just before Remembrance Day) about the war and encouraged pupils at Habs to explore some reading material on this. After, Year 6 stayed in the Prep Hall for a workshop. Simply, we loved the workshop!

Throughout, Mr Impey spoke in detail about his own very personal connections to World War One. His passion came through so much. It was really touching to hear how he promised his grandmother, after hearing her tales, that he would research some of her family tree. He made her proud and managed to do this! He also went through step-by-step each illustration he has created of the poem.

It was captivating to hear how he built them up slowly and the hours he spent making them so perfect. Mr Impey also guided us in a drawing workshop on how to draw a soldier with a gas mask on. Our end products looked very realistic, and it also motivated us to give sketching in our free time a go! We cannot wait for more World War One learning.

Write up by: Kamran (6SA), Veer (6SA), Rafi (6RP)

Sketch: Lucas (6RP)

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

The Prep School celebrated Neurodiversity Celebration week in November with a variety of creative activities. The purpose of this week was to inform pupils about some specific learning differences, such as Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD. In celebrating neurodiversity, pupils were encouraged to focus on the positive aspects of learning differences and to understand that we all have strengths as well as things that we find more challenging. Across year groups, poster and iMovie competition entries titled Thinking Differently were produced with entrants interviewing both eminent professionals and members of their own families.

Art projects incorporated inspirational quotes from neurodivergent celebrities; our Prep

staff gave informative presentations of their own and very personal experiences of overcoming challenges, and members of the neurodiversity society delivered an assembly showcasing the booklets they had authored.

The week incorporated sessions, book readings, code breaking and treasure hunts initiating multiple opportunities for pupils to open personal conversations about learning differences.

Habs Prep is proud to educate pupils about neurodiversity throughout the school year. The week of celebrations stimulated interesting discussions and further promoted inclusivity across the school.

Neurodiversity Art posters

Neurodiversity week was celebrated in early November at Habs Boys Prep school. Numerous activities took place, and one which caught the eye of all the Prep was when the Art department embraced a project enabling all pupils from Years 3 to 6 to participate in creating six collaborative posters. Bright, vibrant patterned and collaged backgrounds set the scene for stencilled quotes from famous persons with ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia. Greta Thunberg who has Asperger’s has said: it’s a superpower! And Ed Sheeran, undiagnosed with ADHD but probably has it, has said: everything will be alright in the end. If it’s not ok, it is not the end!

Year 3 and 5 Instrumental Music Scheme Open Day

On Monday we welcomed many parents, family members, guardians and staff to our Year 3 and Year 5 Instrumental Music Scheme Open Day. The occasion enabled those overseeing the practice routines of the children to gather insight and share their experience with others. Studies have shown that playing a musical instrument requires more parts of the brain to work together than any other discipline. Added to this, the challenge of playing together in a small ensemble demands an increased awareness of sound balance, rhythmic and tonal precision, not to mention empathetic and inclusive engagement.

Many of our leading instrumentalists in the Senior School started their journeys in the Prep Instrumental Scheme and recently performed in top ensembles at the superb Festival concert.

Pre-Prep Dino Day

Year 1 and Reception spent Wellbeing Day immersed in the Jurassic world. Reception explored their ‘dino small world’, made pasta skeletons and playdough teeth and claws. Year 1 made their very own ‘dino habitat’ for their dinosaurs to live in. All pupils created their own creatures from paper plates to take home!

We were very lucky to become fossil hunters for the afternoon, learning about different fossils and digging for them in sand. The day was finished with a very special surprise: we got to meet three real dinosaurs! What a fantastic day.

Optometrist visits Year 1

Year 1 pupils had the pleasure of welcoming Mrs Tanna, an optometrist to talk to them about how we see and how to keep our eyes healthy. She showed the pupils how she uses certain equipment to check the health of the eyes. Mrs Tanna explained how different foods contain vitamins that help to nourish the eyes. The pupils were most fascinated by the red and green 3D glasses to see if both eyes work well together. The Year 1 pupils were left inspired, and we hope to have some future optometrists in our midst!

Prep pupil speaks at Parliament

We were incredibly proud of Orson (4SH) who spoke to numerous MP’s in Parliament over half term to ask them to support and fund the lifechanging Auditory Verbal therapy programme which has helped him and other deaf children learn to listen and speak.

Orson articulately explained his own experiences and the way in which Auditory Verbal assist families across the UK. It was wonderful to watch the impact that Orson has had, which was also highlighted by ITV who interviewed him for a segment that was played on the ITV news.

Year 5 pupils visit Radley Care Home

During the Autumn Term, 10 pupils from Year 5 visited the Radley Care home in Borehamwood. The pupils’ aim was to create fun and festive artworks alongside the residents, which would have an impact to their daily lives.

The pupils certainly had to step out of their comfort zone, being exposed to residents with learning difficulties, dementia, and old age. With growing confidence, courage, and community spirit the pupils exceeded expectations.

On reflection, one pupil wrote: I have learnt to NEVER stop being kind, no matter how old or vulnerable a condition.

Year 3 overnight camp

On Thursday 19 May, Year 3 had the opportunity to camp at school. Activities included archery, fire lighting, putting up tents and team building games, including a special survival game involving the teachers! The evening ended with a delicious BBQ, smore making and an exciting talent show. After a buffet breakfast accompanied by a bushtucker trial, the pupils packed up their tents and enjoyed an engaging storyteller workshop.

Pre-Prep Jubilee celebrations

The Pre-Prep had a fantastic time celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Everyone looked wonderful dressed in red, white and blue. The pupils enjoyed a fabulous picnic lunch outside in the sunshine followed by an afternoon of singing and country dancing.

The Pre-Prep would like to thank all the staff and Sharon and the catering team for making the day so special.

Pre-Prep Wellbeing Day

On Monday 9 May, the Pre-Prep enjoyed a series of activities on Wellbeing Day. Pupils spent time reflecting during their outdoor storytelling where they heard folk and fairy tales, myths and fables. These traditional tales have been told through the ages, not just to entertain, but to explain the world we live in and teach us about ourselves.

Yoga and traditional dancing then focused the pupils’ minds and exercised their bodies.

Year 1 Picnic with Habs Girls Junior School

Year 1 pupils hosted a picnic with Haberdashers’ Girls’ Junior School. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed their picnic together and chatted about Year 1 life across both schools. After lunch, the pupils took a leisurely walk through the woodland trail and appreciated the beautiful nature along the way.

First Reception cohort at Habs

Squirrels and Hedgehogs Class have made history this term as the first ever cohort of Reception pupils at the school. We are immensely proud of them and how well they have settled into school life and are grateful to our parents, as partners in learning, for their on-going support.

Squirrels and Hedgehogs are excited by new learning opportunities and are demonstrating excellent qualities and attributes to enable them on a successful learning journey; commonly used phrases among the Reception pupils include challenges help our brain to stretch and grow and we persevere even when things are tricky.

To gain more of an insight into our first term in Reception, here is a Question and Answer with two Reception pupils, Riaan and Nishchay.

What have you been busy doing today?

Nishchay: Today I was making a card for Miss Edwards because she’s a tooth fairy and she has lost her wings, so we have made a lost wings poster for everyone to see.

What do you enjoy doing in Reception?

Riaan: PE because in PE we get a ball and pretend we’re driving a car; then Mr Barnett says something and we have to do it! It’s fun.

In Reception we do phonics. What is phonics?

Riaan: So, when you’re a grown-up, whatever job you want to be, you have to know how to read and write. Phonics is for learning how to write and learning how to read.

What is Leafy Learners like?

Riaan: It’s great! You know, yesterday we were having a little campfire and had hot chocolate!

What do you like choosing to do in the classroom?

Nishchay: I like painting and painting a sunny garden.

What are you most proud of this term?

Nishchay: I was behaving well every day and making good choices, so I got a certificate. It’s at home on my noticeboard.

We look forward to observing the children continuing to flourish as they progress on their learning journey.

Grade 2 Orange tennis tournament

Congratulations to Ari (4MJ) and Riyan (5NB) who competed at the National Tennis Centre in a Grade 2 Orange tournament. Riyan ranked 3rd place and Ari got to the final of the consolation draw. The tournament hosted some of the best players in the UK!

Pupil wins tennis David Lloyd regional finals

Congratulations to Luca in Year 3 who after success at the Club level round of matches for the Under 8 category last month, has gone on to win the David Lloyd Regional Finals Tournament to progress to the National Finals in a few weeks’ time! This was a team event and each player had to ensure they won all their matches to qualify. Luca fought hard and the achievement is well deserved!

Habs Community

Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools win prestigious national award for inaugural Habs Giving Day

The schools’ Alumni and Development department were awarded the ‘Development Award for an Outstanding Fundraising Achievement’ at the Independent Schools of the Year Awards in October! This comes as an acknowledgement to the Elstree Schools’ ambitious Inaugural Giving Day in March 2022 and, selected from more than 700 nominations, Habs were commended by the judges for an innovative and effective fundraising initiative as well as for an honest and different take on giving days and for bringing two communities together.

The Giving Day brought together both Haberdashers’ Girls’ School and Haberdashers’ Boys’ School for a major initiative and inspired 648 parents, Old Haberdashers and staff to donate with nearly 850 students and staff running in a Habs GivingDash to unlock additional ‘challenge gifts’. The money raised went on to support bursaries, greatest needs, capital projects, student projects and other priorities at the schools. Together, the Habs community raised more than £135,000 in 36 hours.

The schools would like to thank everyone who was involved, with a special mention to Nina Saurymper. A Habs parent and Senior Partner of Accenture, Mrs Saurymper accepted the award on

behalf of Habs along with Bill Friar, the Director of Development at the schools. Mrs Saurymper was a fantastic Parent Ambassador during the Giving Day, inspiring 23 Habs families, including her own, to make a gift.

Save the Date: Habs Giving Day 2023

The schools will be holding their second annual Giving Day on Tuesday 7 March 2023 and are looking for some creative and exciting ideas to involve more of our community. If you want to get involved, send our Alumni and Development team a message at foundation@habselstree.org.uk!

Habs In Conversation: an evening with Professor Turi King

The schools’ Alumni and Development team have recently introduced Habs in Conversation, a programme in which the department invites notable people within the Habs community to the school to give a talk and be interviewed to satisfy the curiosity of our students!

One evening, the school welcomed Turi King, best known for identifying that famous body in the car park as Richard III. Professor King visited the school for an on-stage interview and drinks reception.

The first in this exciting new series of events, the evening was held in the Girls’ School’s Performance space but welcomed all from both Habs Girls and Habs Boys.

Professor King started the evening with a brief synopsis of her career including how she overcame the challenges she faced as a woman in STEM and was followed by an on-stage interview and an audience-led Q&A, managed by Director of Development, Bill Friar.

The event was filled with fascinating tales of her work discovering Richard III in 2012, her life postRichard III, including uncovering the mystery of how Robert the Bruce died, trying to find the remains of the governor of the Jamestown colony and convincing Sir David Attenborough that he is descended from a long line of faithful ancestors. Professor King also discussed her collaboration with crime novelist Patricia Cornwell as they tested Cornwell’s theory that spooky British artist Walter Sickert was Jack the Ripper.

Earlier that day, Professor King also delivered the Girls’ School annual Dr Luena Hatcher Women in STEM lecture to senior school students from Habs Girls and Habs Boys. The annual event was named in the memory of Dr Luena Hatcher (OH 1994) who left a bequest of more than £320,000 to encourage the study of science at the Girls’ School. The bequest was put into the construction of a lab at the school, which is also named in her honour.

The Alumni and Development team are excited to continue the Habs in Conversation series. If you know anyone who would be a great interviewee for the future - whether they be parents, Old Haberdashers, even extended family membersplease contact them at foundation@habselstree. org.uk. The series is open to any topic so long as it inspires curiosity!

Class of 1974 reunion

On Wednesday 30 November, the Habs Class of 1974, Senior School starters of 1967 and a few Prep starters of 1963, met once again at The Bishop’s Finger at Smithfield for a reunion to celebrate their time at Habs.

Organised by Peter Cull (alongside the Habs Foundation), the event was a great success and an evening of shared jokes, stories, revelry and nostalgia was enjoyed by all.

We now look forward to an event in 2024 marking the 50th anniversary of their graduation from Habs!

Partnerships at Habs

Partnerships at Habs has been incredibly busy during the Autumn Term, and even before, as we aim to build educational opportunities through sustainable partnerships with local schools and community groups.

Over the summer, we had 70 children from five local state partner schools attend the Habs Summer School. Here, they had a wonderful time building their skills and having fun using the facilities we are incredibly lucky to have on campus.

The Community Service team (under the Partnerships group) has also been busy collecting donations for Akshaya Patra. This is a charity providing food to underprivileged children in the UK. These donations were collected during our Harvest Festival donations, through contacting local businesses and also collecting donations at Morrisons in Borehamwood.

In the term, we have been running 18 hours per week of Partnership activities with local schools and community groups. These sessions include creative writing, sports, Music, Maths, Science, swimming and even a mother-and-child group at the Refugee Hub nearby.

We have been very lucky to continue our commitment to the Afghan refugees housed in our area and we are so pleased to say that, after having run what amounted to an entire school there during 2021/22, all the children have been placed into local schools and we continue to provide wraparound provision.

Many of our sessions are led by Habs students who relish the opportunities to build their leadership, communication and teamworking skills. Their sense of enjoyment and fulfilment is so obvious and is wonderful to overhear, with one student saying to another: that was the best thing I have ever done… in my life!

F1 in Schools team search for sponsorship

Team Celestial Velocity, comprising team leader Phalgun (11R2), design and graphics manager Zakariya (11M2), finance manager Sanjhay (11M1) and manufacturing manager Krish (11S2), have recently qualified for the National Finals of F1 in Schools! The final, taking place in January 2023, comes from the team winning the Regional Finals earlier this year.

F1 in schools is a competition that not only requires technical expertise using CAD and air flow analysis, but other skills useful for life, such as pitching ideas, portfolio creation and verbal presentations. The team have spent hours honing those skills and have been rewarded!

There are 3 stages: the Regional Finals (against other North London Schools such as Harrow), the National Finals (competing against all other UK regional winners) and the World Finals, which is where a team represents the UK and competes against others from around the globe.

Team Celestial Velocity’s aspiration is to win the National Finals and qualify for World Finals in 2023!

They have an incredible passion for engineering and their career aspirations are all STEM based. F1 in Schools benefits the team hugely, providing them with opportunities to work towards their future goals. The team even got the chance to meet Pat Symonds (CTO F1) at a racing event, who provided valuable knowledge and helped guide the team on their career pathways.

Since winning the Regional Finals, the team have been improving their portfolios, team uniform, creating a wind tunnel, improving sponsor returns, creating more YouTube channel videos and many more things for their goal of winning the National Finals.

Most importantly, the team are widening sponsor proposal networks and would be extremely grateful to anyone who would be willing to help them reach their aspirations of winning the National Finals. Sponsorship for the team could include:

• Materials – such as plastics and fans for their wind-tunnel or spray paint and stickers for their car or display materials and banners for their Nationals Pit Display

• Advice – providing expertise about manufacturing the next version of the car

• Funds – covering their National Finals trip in January or even their quest to reach the World Finals later in 2023.

You can visit their website for more information: https://celestialvelocity.co.uk/

Staff News

Staff News

Leavers

Ubaid Afridi, IT and AV Support Officer - worked as a member of ICT support delivering end user support. Ubaid has decided to move on to enable him to study full-time for his Computer Science Degree and we wish him well in that pursuit.

Joanna Cooper, Teaching Assistant Senior School - has supported the Academic Support Department with Study and Chat Club this term, as well as preparing the new Academic Support Hub with informative noticeboards. She conducted learning walks, compiled learning plans and supported new pupils in settling into the Senor School. We wish her all the best in her new role.

Nicholas Geering, Teacher of German and Russian - joined us just over six years ago as we looked to offer more Russian in our curriculum. We soon discovered that in addition to being a highly proficient expert in this field, he was also an outstanding subject specialist in both German and French. It is extremely rare these days to find a modern linguist with a near-native fluency and cultural awareness in two languages, but Nick has been able to offer us this across all three languages. Pupils have been extremely fortunate to benefit from this breadth of knowledge and enthusiasm over the years although, given his fondness for incorporating pun-based humour into his teaching, it is possible that they may not always have felt fortunate! Nick’s interactions with our pupils have always been guided by his strong pastoral instincts, and so it was a natural progression for him to take on the role of Deputy Head of Calverts two years ago. Here again his pupils will have benefited from his personal warmth and his interest in their wellbeing. Nick leaves us to take on the role of Head of French at the Royal Grammar School High Wycombe, and it is fair to say that he will leave a large hole in our community. Although he will be much missed by his colleagues and pupils, we wish him every success in his new role.

Thomas Gurney, Grounds Person - joined us in March 2021 as the Grounds department started to ramp up activities after the long Covid-19 breaks. Tom used his skills and experience across many disciplines across both school sports fields, at the same time providing mentoring support to the grounds apprentice. Tom leaves to go to another school nearer his young family and we wish him all the very best for the future.

Natalie Leon, Director of Finance and Resources - joined us in January 2020 following a successful career in the charity sector, and has been a key member of the Senior Leadership Team ever since. Over the last three years she has been responsible for the financial leadership of the Elstree Schools, as well as overseeing the Human Resources and the ICT Support teams at a time of significant change. Natalie introduced a number of important initiatives over the years and assisted in building the schools’ financial strength; her strong leadership helped us to navigate the complexities of the pandemic and recent financial uncertainties, whilst her commitment to the Hardship Fund and strengthening bursary support has helped a large number of students and families. Natalie is always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done. Her thoroughness and attention to detail, combined with financial wisdom is second to none. Natalie has been a tremendous support to the Headmaster and COO and we look forward to her continuing to work with us in the short term in a strategic financial role and to support the handover to the new Finance Director.

Staff News

Leavers

Charlotte McLucas, HR and Recruitment Administrator - joined us in April 2019. She was the go-to for many staff and supported a host of HR queries; over her time with us this was an integral part of her role. She was instrumental in the recruitment of many new staff, and supported the team in ensuring we were fully compliant in our recent ISI Inspection. Charlotte was one of first colleagues to complete an apprenticeship with us, gaining her Level 3 in Human Resources. She recently moved on to join Royal Masonic School.

Rob Philips, Reprographics Officer - joined us in October 2007 and was a key member of the ICT support team delivering excellent customer service relating to print requests for over 15 years. Rob decided to move on to take a role with a much closer commute to his home. We thank Rob for his loyal and valued service, and we wish him all the very best for the future.

Helen Pritchard, Pre-Prep Music Teacher - is an inspirational teacher; her patience, enthusiasm, dedication and passion for music have enabled her to draw out the best in each child. Helen has enlivened a multitude of assemblies, co-ordinated numerous winter concerts and summer productions and has instilled a real love of music in so many children’s lives during her time at Habs. Helen has been an asset to the Pre-Prep team and to the school for the past 12 years and will be greatly missed by staff and students. We wish her every success as she leaves us to take up the role of Head of Music and Drama at Stormont School in Potters Bar.

Staff News

New appointments

Ali Alahwig Temporary Teacher of Arabic

Claire Armitt Pre-Prep Teaching Assistant

Sela Arnsberg Teacher of English

Sarah Azeez Teacher of Geography

Angela Baena Spanish Language Assistant

Miriam Bay Teacher of English

Chloe Bedford Reprographics Officer

Lindsay Burns Data Manager

Luca Capacchione Music Technician

Joanna Cooper Teaching Assistant Senior School

Rob Dunn Chief Operating Officer

Michelle Ellison Prep Specialist Learning Support Assistant

Robyn Fell SCITT MFL trainee

Amy Godsave Athletic Development Coach

Alex Howell Reporting and Data Analyst

Noor Jehan Teacher of Theology and Philosophy

Fabio Jengalau German Language Assistant

Helen Kemmett-Brooks Teaching Assistant EYFS

Danielle Kingsley KS2 Teacher Prep

Lucy Lewis Reception Teacher

Kathleen Laverick Prep Teaching Assistant

Josh Leighton-Ditchburn AV and IT Support Officer

Joanna Leveson Teacher of Biology

Kinga Lewandowska Teacher of Physics

Rebecca Mckenzie-Young Director of Human Resources

Victoria McMillan Teacher of Art

Suman Mehta Finance Assistant

Li Miller (Gu) Teacher of Design Technology and Mandarin Prep

Richard Nowak-Scase Teacher of Geography

Michael Ojo Vocal and Ensemble Coach

Natasha Pearson Reception Teacher

Devan Raval Teacher of Mathematics

Jacqueline Rumble Accounts Payable Officer

Madeeha Saad Teacher of Mathematics (Maternity cover)

Marios Savvides AV and IT Support Officer

Orly Selouk Teacher of Mathematics

Rachel Shaw Director of Admissions

Wayne Thomas Teacher of PE (Head of Football)

Adrian Udenze Teacher of CICT

Kate Umpleby Head of Prep

Alok Verma Teacher of Indian Classical Music

Isabella Wise Athletic Development Coach

Christopher Whalley Temporary Teacher of Chemistry

Dominic Worsley Teacher of Double Bass (VMT)

Staff News

Internal movements

Milo Brandon School Counsellor

Noor Jehan

Teacher of Theology and Philosophy (permanent)

Maria Karaolou Office Manager, Junior School, Girls’ School

Antony McLarin Head of the Haberdashers’ Diploma

Kirtiben Mehta Teacher of Chemistry (permanent) Hema Nalabanda IS Manager

Jon Ormston Temporary Teacher of Music