News from Highgate Wood School arts college
CONSIDERATION COOPERATION COURTESY CONTRIBUTION
Issue No 16
February 2014
GOVERNING BODY UPDATE The Chair of Governors, Charles Wright, writes: The Governing Body has recently been looking in detail at adjustments to the curriculum, including the change to “rolling” the timetable in September rather than June, that are part of Highgate Wood School’s response to the changing educational landscape, and also its own academic success in recent years. There are many challenges that have come with the Government’s revisions to the curriculum and to the way in which they wish to measure student and school success, but we are confident that the plans the school has in place to address these issues, as well as to meet the changing demands from universities and employers, will allow us to continue providing a broad and balanced set of options for our students and clear routes of progression for all. Furthermore, I am certain that they will also allow Highgate Wood School to maintain its unique character and ethos. I am delighted we have consolidated our excellent results in maths and science, and that we will be able to provide more opportunities for students to take triple science in future. Our success in these areas is a testimony to the hard work of the staff in these departments and I look forward to their achievements being recognised as a major strength of the school, just as our strength in the arts is recognised in the wider community. But it’s absolutely true that there’s so much more to a successful community school than exam results. I saw recently that the Education Secretary Michael Gove was saying state schools should be more like private schools, citing the wide range of extra-curricular opportunities available in the fee-paying sector. A quick glance through any issue of Insight will show just what an amazing community we have at Highgate Wood – a focus on academic achievement but also on everything from debating and chess to sports, music, drama, overseas trips and more – coupled with an ethos where all students are valued, and value others, and are encouraged to achieve their full potential in everything they do. Our thanks are due to all our staff, our students and parents for making this happen; I’m not sure we have much to learn from the private sector!
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Arabella Weir writes: Highgate Wood School's Parent Teacher Association is very actively involved in supporting the school. Many parents and carers help out at the various events we run throughout the school year but we can always use more! Talking of more — it's really worth signing up to the school lottery. It's only £1 a month and at the last draw three lucky winners got £75 plus two tickets to see Stomp! in the West End, £50 and £25. We draw the lottery three times a year so you could be one of the winners and for only £12 a year! Please contact Arabella on mrsnortonweir@mac.com for details of how to join up. LASTLY - do you have any unwanted Christmas presents? We'd love to take them off your hands! All donations will make up the fantastic stalls and Tombola at MADfest this year, so anything would be welcome. Please send any unwanted prezzies into school with your child and ask them to leave it with Noreen in the Wren Office.
HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY Chair of Governors: Charles Wright (Community Governor) Vice Chair: Imogen Pennell (Representative Governor) Representative Governors: Cllr Eddie Griffith • Oliver Blackaby • Brenda Allan Parent Governors: Diana Brown • Philip Cavendish • Elizabeth Hess • Chris Tully • Rob White • Julia Chalfen • Paul Bennett Community Governors: Phil Cocksedge • Caroline Conlon • Violet HazelwoodHenry • Chris Parr • Headteacher Governor: Patrick Cozier Staff Governors: Audra Daws-Knowles • Emily Ford • Joe Demetriou If you wish to contact the Governing Body please write to the Chair of Governors, c/o Mrs K Ozturk, Highgate Wood School,
Cover picture: The cover features the Year 7 Enrichment trip to Hampton Court Palace—with students gathering around King Henry VII. This was part of the Geography, History and ECS Enrichment Day that is reported on later in this Insight.
February 2014
MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER Welcome back to successful learning at Highgate Wood School. I wish to start this edition of HWS Insight by taking this opportunity to wish you all a very belated Happy New Year! As always however, time flies and instead of reflecting on the festivities of Christmas and the New Year celebrations, we have already reached the spring half term break. It is difficult to believe that we are already half way through the school year. So much has been accomplished, but as ever there is so much still to do! There are a couple of significant bits of thanks that need to be given. The first is to Ed Harlow (Head of Music), his staff and our fantastic students for the amazing finish to 2013 with a very high quality and entertaining Winter Concert. Though it featured on the cover of the last Insight, that edition went to print before I had seen the concert itself so was unable to comment. The standard that we set year on year is astonishing and the event at the end of last term was the most entertaining that I have had the pleasure to witness. It was a hugely impressive effort. Thank you and well done to all! In addition, I also wish to thank Michele Payton (Head of Maths) and Emily Ford (Head of English) and their teams for the amazing commitment that they have shown in preparing our Year 11 students so successfully for the November entry GCSE maths and English exams respectively. This, despite the very late change of tack following the (now sadly typical) no notice moving of the goalposts from the government. We now have the results, and they are very impressive – more details on this below. Year 11 – Getting those grades If you are the parent of a child in Year 11, you will be aware that our students sat their Year 11 Mock Exams before the Christmas break. Since we have come back, they have received their mock exam February 2014
results and as a consequence they all know on an individual level how well they are achieving – and what else they need to do to hit their personal targets for each of their subjects. All of our Year 11s are putting in the maximum amount of effort and we expect to see many of them over half term doing extra study (in addition to the after school and weekend sessions that many currently attend). It is a testament to the dedication of our staff that so many are making themselves available to help support our students beyond the school day and the school term. What is pleasing for us as a school is that both individually and collectively, our Year 11s are broadly on target to achieve and exceed what we believe they are capable of. A reminder of our results for the last eleven years and our target for 2014 is shown below. 5 A*-C (incl Eng and maths)
As can be seen, we are rightly proud that over the last three years we have taken Highgate Wood School from being a “45% to 46% school” to being a 70% school! That means that on average, just under 60 students a year additionally get five or more good passes at A*-C (with English and maths); As a result many more students at Highgate Wood School are able to study good A’ levels in the 6th form. And we believe that we can do better still! We know what our students are capable of when backed by our excellent staff and supportive parents. Let’s ensure that we continue to work together to help them achieve their best. November early entries in English and maths As you will no doubt recall, in the last issue of Insight, I commented on last minute decision by the Secretary Of State for Education to change the 3
way in which the November entry exams in English and maths will be reported and alter the ways that schools will be held to account. This was a very significant change which resulted in a range of swift responses from schools with respect to their decisions about whether to enter students for the exams as planned. At Highgate Wood School we took a balanced view and decided that we would enter those students who we were confident were ready to take the exams and achieve the best grades they were capable of. Well, we now have the results, and we are delighted! Our students did exceptionally well! 91 students sat their English exam, of whom 68% achieved an A or A* 98% achieved A*-C grades 113 students took their maths GCSE, of whom 39% exceeded their target grades 99% achieved A*-C grades We are proud of our students for achieving such outstanding outcomes, and we will do everything we can to ensure that this success is repeated by all of those students who will be taken their exams in English and maths in June. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my teachers in the English and maths departments for doing so much to prepare our students so well, under extreme pressure. HWS Sixth Form proving to be very popular I reported in the last edition of Insight that our sixth form numbers had grown from 170 students in 2011 to 264 – a 55% increase in two years! Well, I am now very pleased to report that the number of applications that we have received for September 2014 is a record high. The table below shows the break down. Number of students applying to HWS Sixth Form Students currently attending HWS in Year 11 199 External Candidates 120 TOTAL: 319 This is very good news for the school as it says that students from within and outside of the school are clear about what our sixth form can offer them. However, it also means that competition for places 4
in the sixth form and particularly for popular courses will be high. The message to our students is that they make sure that they: Work really hard between now and the summer exams to secure the very challenging grades necessary to gain access to our Post 16 courses Understand that not everyone will automatically be offered a place. The days of Highgate Wood sixth form being a ‘reserve option’ are long gone – a number of students missed out on places on courses that they wanted to enrol on through using us as a back-up offer Be committed to doing their absolute best in the sixth form which includes taking full responsibility for their learning, making learning their first priority and ensuring excellent attendance and punctuality to all lessons/study sessions Ensure that they continue to make a positive contribution to HWS as a positive reference from their tutor or their head of house is also a prerequisite for entry We also recently held a Sixth Form Taster day on Monday 10th February where our students had the opportunity to be treated like a sixth former for the day, including going to sixth form lessons and having non-teaching periods. The initial feedback has been very positive, and I hope that this will help students make the best decisions in August when we have our enrolment day. Staffing update We have recently re-structured our Learning Support department, creating a number of new posts to best meet the needs of those students requiring additional support in the context of national changes in Special Educational Needs. I will tell you more about those changes in the next edition of Insight. Unfortunately, as a consequence of these changes we have a number of members of our support staff who have left Highgate Wood during this term. We thank Ms C Lewis and Ms S Senior, Inclusion Centre Mentors, and Ms A Gya, Ms H Deghmous and Ms L Steggles, Learning Support Assistants, for their significant contribution to the school over the years and wish them the very best for the future. February 2014
The forthcoming half term. During the coming weeks the focus for many of us will be on exam preparation and coursework completion. GCSE students will be getting ready for their final mock exams in mid-March, whilst our A Level students will be coming back to school after the half-term break to receive their mock exam results. But life at Highgate Wood School is more than just examinations. Some of our A Level students will be spending the coming week on the Art trip to Barcelona. At the same time eight Year 9 students will be preparing for a Cormenius trip to Worbis in Germany. A short while later A Level Geographers will be off on their field study trip whilst some of our younger students will be going to Pendarren Activity Centre in Wales. Many of us will be looking forward to the school production this year, which is something of a change from the norm. Three different performances will take place in the first week of the new term, allowing Year 9, Year 11 and post 16 students to showcase the works they have been studying. The new term will also see Year 9s making those important decisions about their choices for GCSE courses in September. In that context I would like to take this opportunity to urge anyone able to contribute to the preceding Year 9 Careers Fair to get in touch with Ms Angove. A notice about this event occurs later in this issue of Insight. Thank you as ever for your continued support! Regards Patrick Cozier Headteacher
February 2014
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD ATTENDANCE Ms McConville writes: Research has shown that children who attend school regularly are more likely to achieve well and reach their full potential therefore improving their overall life chances. Missing school disrupts their learning and their progress. Evidence shows that a lower than 95% attendance results in underachievement. Attendance lower than 90% results in students attaining, on average, a whole grade lower in every GCSE subject. Although our overall attendance has shown recent improvements here at Highgate Wood School we still experience a high level of absence for illness. We understand that sometimes children are too ill to come to school when they experience illnesses such as flu, diarrhoea and vomiting and high temperatures. However common ailments such as minor colds and sore throats do not require time away from school. If your child’s attendance is below 95% we will need medical evidence such as a doctor’s letter, consultant’s letter or appointment card before we can authorise their absence. If you are concerned about your child’s absences due to illness please do get in touch with Mr Worth, the Education Welfare Officer or Ms D King, the Attendance Officer.
Important recent changes in regulations As of September 2013, the Department of Education has made a change in regulations regarding family holidays during term time. In essence, this means that the Headteacher can no longer authorise requests for holidays during term the school term. However, should parents require leave for exceptional circumstances they need to apply well in advance to the Headteacher who will consider their request.
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SCHOOL BEHAVIOUR IN THE NEWS Recent headlines from the Department of Education has suggested that schools should bring back more traditional punishments like writing lines and community service. Currently Highgate Wood School has no plans to amend the existing Behaviour for Learning Policy or Rewards Policy as we believe they are still very effective systems to deal with behaviour issues within the school (and we do include some sanctions that may be seen as “traditional”). Like all our policies, they are under constant review and parents will be informed should they be revised or changed. In the meantime the existing policies are available on the school website .
SAFER INTERNET Mr Ashman writes: We ran a Parent Information Evening on 11th February (Safer Internet Day). Many of the resources that were shown during the evening are still available on the school website. Find e-safety under the Student or Parent Tabs or use the QR code below. If you want any more information on how to help keep safe on-line please email: esafe@hws.haringey.sch.uk
VIVO CHARTS
SIXTH FORM TASTER DAY
Mr Charlesworth writes: Year 11 became sixth formers for the day when they took part in the “taster day” on Monday 10th February. Students picked from the wide range of subjects that we have available at A Level and were able to get a sense of what it would be like to study at a higher level than GCSE. Comments from students were overwhelmingly positive. It seems that most Year 11 students are more than ready to take their learning to the next level. The day was made more fun because we tried to replicate the real sixth form experience as well as we could. So students were not in uniform, they were able to use the sixth form common room and the sixth form study centre. They were also able to make use of the Dining Hall throughout the day, which made perfect sense as they were also given one “free” period within their six period day.
The Vivo Charts are available on the school website. The current ranking (from September 2013) is 1st Da Vinci House 45,380 2nd Edison House 44,912 3rd Seacole House 43,709
NOTICE FOR DRIVERS Please do not attempt a 3-point turn outside the school gates.
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February 2014
SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
Ms Osborne writes: Year 11 Senior Leaders for the School Council: Freya Everest and Carsel Ryan-Small (Da Vinci), Tomer Raphael and Kaz Lungah (Seacole) and Oscar Clements and Cassandra Penfold (Edison) have been involved in a whole range of activities this half term, including delivering some fantastic assemblies to the whole school. They write: We have enjoyed talking in assemblies about the positive things student leadership does. At the moment we are excited to use our ideas to raise money for our house charities during Valentines’ week and hope all students enjoy the activities we have planned. After the half-term break the whole student council is going to be involved in helping Mr Mansfield with literacy across the curriculum and we will be meeting with Mr Cozier to discuss ideas we have for improving our school environment. So far this year we are enjoying lots of opportunities to contribute to our school and try to make it a better place to learn for all Highgate Wood School students.
VALENTINES DAY FUND RAISER
Congratulations to: Abed Uddin (8I), Selin Has (8T) and Melisa Biner (8S) for producing the winning designs for our Valentines’ Day stamps. Runners up were Hubert Debowski and Nino Geliashvili (DaVinci); Elan O’Hara and Yasmine Laifa (Seacole) and Bugce Misir and Elle-Mae Netherton (Edison).
YEAR 9 CAREERS FARE—REQUEST FOR SPEAKERS
Ms Angove writes: We are running a Careers Fare for Year 9 in the afternoon of Friday 7th March, just before Options Evening. February 2014
We are looking for volunteers who would be able to come into school to give small groups of Year 9 students an insight into different career paths. We are looking for as wide a range of career possibilities as we can. The Careers Fare runs from 2014, 1.30 - 3.15pm If you are able to contribute or would like more information please email me: can@hws.haringey.sch.uk 7
HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL MASTERCHEF
Ms Went writes: Here are some of our fabulous Year 11 Food Technology students who have been busy trialling different ideas and recipes before selecting the one product they are going to take forward into full development. The theme is International Cuisine and our Year 11s must develop a dish suitable to be served in a high class restaurant.
GOOGLE HANGOUT WITH VINT CERF
Mr Talbert writes: On Thursday 16th January 2014, one of "the fathers of the Internet" Vint Cerf conducted a Google Hangout with students and staff during the lunch break at school. Mr Cerf discussed how the internet was started and how it developed as well as talking about his current work with Google as an evangelist promoting the use of the internet in developing countries. The students and staff found the experience both educational and enlightening. This was a once in a lifetime experience to meet such an important pioneer of the internet and a major figure in computing history. To find out more about Vint Cerf and his current work visit Google Research at http://bit.do/hwsvcerf or use the QR Code above. 8
MFL STUDENT OF THE MONTH
Ms Lacroix writes: All teachers in the Modern Foreign Languages department have selected a particular student from out of all of their classes to receive MFL Student of the Month Awards. Congratulations to: Sophia Doncheff (7T) (nominated by Ms Mayer); Jahidul Hussain 9G (nominated by Ms Clyne); Hazal Tapkii 11H (nominated by Ms Gomez); Julisa Tusha 9H (nominated by Ms Lacroix); Noa Yaron, 7D (nominated by Ms Johnson) and Usman Khan 11E (nominated by Ms Booth) for being our star students during January 2014. February 2014
FORTHCOMING SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS
THE PLAYS YEAR 9 DRAMA CLUB
Tuesday February 25th Noughts and Crosses: an adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s novel by Domenic Cooke of the RSC and presented by the Year Nine Drama Club (directed by Graham Contor) YEAR 11 GCSE and YEAR 13 THEATRE ARTS
Mr Contor writes: This year, the Highgate Wood School Drama Department is making an exciting departure from the normal school production routine by staging a number of plays from Key Stage Three to Post Sixteen, in its presentation of A Season of Plays in the Drum Studio Three. This studio will have a small theatre feel to it with tiered seating constructed for an audience of sixty; with an additional extra twenty seats on the floor, if required. Different plays will be showcased on each night and this should highlight the broad range of acting talent that our students possess. Also, this will increase the participation of our Year 9 students who play normally minor roles in the annual whole school play. I hope that you agree with me, this will give both the students and their parents and family friends an opportunity to witness good drama close up in an intimate performance environment. Each night’s performances commence at 7.30pm but it is imperative that the audience purchase their tickets in advance to avoid disappointment of being refused entry at the door due to the limited seats on offer. The tickets are priced at £3 per seat (adult or child) and can be purchased from Mrs Hassan in the Drum Office at break and lunch times.
February 2014
Wednesday February 26th Metamorphosis by Steven Berkoff: an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s story; presented by the Year Eleven GCSE classes (directed by Graham Contor and Kalli Stables) and Scenes from The Crucible by Arthur Miller: presented by the Year Thirteen Theatre Arts class (directed by Luke Brown and Graham Contor) YEAR 12 and 13 THEATRE ARTS
Thursday 27th February Scenes from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee presented by Year Twelve Theatre Arts students (directed by Graham Contor) and Scenes from When I was a Girl, I used to Scream and Shout by Sharman Macdonald presented by Theatre Arts students (directed by Graham Contor) and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess presented by Theatre Arts students (directed by Kalli Stables) and Monologues by Year Thirteen Theatre Arts students (self-directed) Thursday’s performance is not suitable for children under the age of 16 9
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY
Ms Burniston writes On Friday 24th January, 30 Year 9 Students attended a holocaust memorial event at the Phoenix Cinema in Finchley. They showed the upmost respect to the speaker and real empathy through their fantastic questions they asked to the holocaust survivor. Sina Nafissi writes: I had the amazing opportunity to see a film about the kinder transport, the film showed the journey that thousands children from Nazi occupied countries took to England. Being able to hear from the children that took the train and hear their stories and their experiences and how their lifes turned out, were not only saddening but also inspiring. We were also privileged listen to Agnes, who was affected by the Nazi regime, although she was only a baby and has no recollection, the effect and impact resulted in the death of her father at a later stage, caused by memories of living in a labour camp. The whole day was a humbling experience.” Ms Burniston and Mrs Georgiades would like to say how proud they are of the way the students conducted themselves. Well done!
PRIVATE PEACEFUL IN YEAR 7 Mr Pateman writes: In the Autumn Term, Year 7 students studied Michael Morpurgo’s novel Private Peaceful, a story that shows the futility of war and the horrors experienced by those who fought in World War 1 . 10
Ruth Mostyn-Dignan writes: Every year City Hall holds a memorial ceremony to reflect upon the horrors and lessons of the Holocaust. This year, as ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust, we were invited to join Boris Johnson and the other London Mayors as well as many Holocaust survivors at City Hall for the official Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony. The theme of this year HMD was “journeys” and we listened whilst survivors shared their experiences of persecution and terror. Another key message from the ceremony was lessons that could be learnt from the Holocaust and recognising the responsibility our generation has to educate others about the atrocities that millions of people endured. After the City Hall ceremony we attended another HMD event held by the Holocaust Educational Trust at the Houses of Parliament. This was also attended by many Holocaust survivors, who as ambassadors travel the country talking to school children in schools about their experiences. The day was an exceptional experience, to be able listen to the stories of people who had survived the horrors of the Holocaust, has made such an impact. You can see the City Hall ceremony as a webcast on http://bit.do/hwshmd or using the QR code above. Having finished reading the novel, they attended a screening in the School Hall to watch a film adaptation of the book and subsequently to write a film review. Many congratulations to Tyrese Nyirabega in 7E, who won a £15 book voucher for his excellent review of the film. Tyrese received particular praise for the interesting comparisons he made to the novel. February 2014
YEAR 10 ART GCSE MOCK EXAM Earlier this term Year 10 GCSE Art students took part in their first big assessment, a 5-hour mock exam. Here is some of their work, together with reflections on the day by Faye Heron
Artist: Faye Heron
Faye Heron writes: It was a whole day of concentration, precision and many amazing outcomes. Everyone’s work was a reflection of their sketchbooks and despite many hours of hard work and stress the final pieces gave a sense of completion. The brief was to create a piece of art involving any medium that would take 5 hours to reflect the theme of surfaces. For me and some others I talked to,the day was a blur. The first hour went so slowly and the prospect of another 4 was very daunting. But before long it was the last hour and all students were applying the finishing touches and admiring each other’s work. This first Art Exam was something I will always remember.
Artist: Libby Archer February 2014
Artist: Izzy Bolongaro
Artist: Deriya Inkaya
Artist: Barney Terrington
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MODEL UN CONFERENCE
On 15th March Highgate Wood School will again be hosting the North London Model UN Conference. Here Sixth Former Fionnuala Stevens, who is Secretary General, North London Model United Nations 2014, and others who have been involved in Model UN, reflect on what this means. Fionnuala Stevens writes: This years’ North London Model United Nations conference will not only be discussing the pressing and interesting topic of poverty but will be Highgate Wood School’s biggest and best conference yet. We are welcoming old and new delegates with 19 school and over 200 delegates attending. For the first time delegates, I could not suggest a better conference then our own; with experienced delegates and fantastic committee directors from Sixth Forms and universities, you will be getting involved straight away. Not only that but it will increase your confidence so you can continue attending conferences, as well as improve your leadership and debating skills along the way. 12
Jake Hamilton, Under Secretary General, North London Model United Nations 2014 In the world today, over one billion people continue to live in absolute poverty; denied of their basic human rights to shelter, sanitation, food and clean water. This devastating persistence of poverty is why we have chosen it to be the topic of this year's Model UN conference. In 2000, the UN outlined a set of global targets for eradication of poverty, to be completed by the year 2015. Since then some massive improvements have been made, as the world's average life expectancy has been raised by four years, and in 2010, ahead of schedule, the number of people lacking sustainable access to clean water has halved. Yet poverty remains, so we cannot stop here. This year's Model UN conference is all about what we do next. Ten committees full of delegates will spend the day discussing some of the most pressing issues, such as child poverty, hunger and healthcare, and the delegates will work together to come up with a plan for how the global community can unite to end poverty once and for all.
February 2014
Silas Scott writes: I can vividly remember arriving at my 1st Model United Nations conference. In all honestly, although I was definitely thrilled about the prospect of being at conference, I was daunted by the prospect of raising my placard, standing up and speaking in-front of other delegates. Looking back at that memory, it is not difficult for me to see how MUN has transformed my personality - all in ways which I would regard as positive. From being a shy, naive teenager, Model United Nations has given me confidence, taught me to see the world from the perspectives of those I would have never been able to experience, and constantly challenge me in ways I would have never expected. Now no longer a Year 9 student, but rather a Year 13, I am as thrilled as ever to have to be involved with these conferences. On a personal note, I feel I have been particularly privileged to help run training sessions for younger students and have been overwhelmed by the intellect, passion and maturity that these students clearly possess. Year 9 students participating in MUN and are not seen as ‘too young’ or too ‘inexperienced’ but rather as sensitive and intelligent individuals capable of doing themselves and the school justice, during training sessions and at conference too.
Hannah Barkhouche writes: Model UN has been an incredible experience. The conferences are challenging but the topics covered are extremely interesting and the knowledge you acquire from your research and debates is unlike anything taught at school and makes you realise just how little you knew about the experiences of other people in the world. MUN has helped me improve my confidence and has made me more aware of global issues. February 2014
Niall Kennedy writes: For me, Model United Nations has always meant a great deal. Today’s diplomatic world can seem fraught with indecision, hostility and a seeming unwillingness to reach any form of sensible agreement. But spend thirty minutes in a MUN debate and you’ll soon see just how different the diplomacy of tomorrow might be, filled with such determination, such willingness to achieve the best possible outcome as those conferences are. From teaching me the value (and sometimes unpredictability!) of alliances and compromises, to actively accessing and discussing some of the most current, poignant issues in the world today, MUN is something I am proud to have been a part of. It is and will always be a vehicle for young people to get in touch with the present state of the world and (with any luck) its future. Kate Gosschalk writes: Above all Model UN has given me so much confidence (not that I was exactly quiet before...) in both public speaking and meeting new, sometimes very eccentric, people. As an aspiring human geographer I've loved debating world issues including gender inequality, water security and eradicating poverty, and think it is only through Model UN that many young people actually get the chance to consider the devastating inequalities within our world. I would recommend Model UN to anyone and everyone and am very grateful to have been a part of it! Ellie Whitlock writes: Model UN has allowed me to develop my skills in both debate and public speaking. I've been able to discuss and learn about many different issues that people face all around the world. It has shaped my opinion of the world and also inspired me to take an interest in international political activity. And I love it!
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YEAR 7 ENRICHMENT OUTING Our Geography, History and ECS departments worked together to organise the Humanities Enrichment Trip for Year 7. Some students visited the Tower of London to discover its history, others looked at plants from around the world on the Geography outing to Kew Gardens whilst ECS went to Hampton Court Palace - the home of Henry VIII who had such a huge impact on the church in Britain.
THE TOWER OF LONDON
gruesome room with such things as the rack, in which victims were almost stretched to death. We visited the Bloody Tower in which the mystery of the two young princes, who were murdered there, unfolded. After that we had lunch by the famous ravens and took photos with the Beefeaters. Last of all we had a small tour about sieges and the castle’s defence system which was really interesting. Our trip to the Tower of London was incredible and I love having these opportunities in Year 7.
HAMPTON COURT PALACE
Isabel Pountney writes: The trip to the Tower of London was mesmerizing and I really enjoyed it. We started by boarding the underground at the already very busy Highgate station. When we got to the Tower of London we all had to squeeze through the security and duck under a very low door to penetrate the castle’s 15 feet thick walls. Our little doorway came out right by Traitor’s Gate so we started there. Traitor’s Gate was where prisoners would enter the castle. In our little groups we trundled around the castle trying not to get lost. The highlight was seeing the Crown Jewels. It was mazing, especially the Imperial State Crown and the sceptre with the huge diamond in it. We also saw many other amazing things like the Hall of the Kings with many magnificent suits of armour. We later went to the torture chamber which was a 14
Ms Burniston writes: Year 7 became ECS detectives for the day at Hampton Court Palace. Students investigated who Henry VIII was and gained an insight to his life, religion and daily routine of the Palace. Students discovered what Henry and the Tudor court liked to eat, how they were entertained, and who was always watching them in the Great Chamber. In the chapel the pupils furthered their understanding of who was married there, buried and christened in the chapel. I am extremely proud with the students’ conduct at the Palace and they made great detectives. I hope they had a great day too. Thank you to all the staff that accompanied us on the day. February 2014
“I saw loads of valuable objects in Hampton Court Palace, they were very interesting, we saw a great painting of Henry himself” Sian Walker-Evans “I enjoyed going to Hampton Court because we learnt lots about Henry VIII and his wives, it was clear that he was wealthy man, we even got to see Henry himself”. Jean Lieka “I enjoyed the maze at Hampton Court, It was smaller than I imagined, but I still managed to get lost! I loved the kitchen, looking at what would have been eaten – the day went too fast! “ Eve Cumming
KEW GARDENS
Later we went into the Princess of Wales conservatory where we had a booklet of questions about it that needed to be answered. The inside of the conservatory was gorgeous with flowers and plants that had an array of colours and shapes more beautiful than you can imagine. And it was just as magical outside: on a rock sat a grand, beautiful and dreamy looking peacock, I was examining its feathers, it had different shades of green, blue, purple and more. Later that day we had lunch at the munch box where we ate our food and begged the teacher to let us go to the park and play centre for little children. After our lunch we went to the Palm House and witnessed gargoyles and amazing plants from coconuts and henna to carnivorous plants such as pitfall traps and palm trees. The journey to Kew gardens was fun as was the journey back because we were singing, talking and enjoying ourselves.
Sophia Doncheff writes: The trip to Kew gardens was an exceptionally good trip. On the coach I sat on the chair next to the emergency exit for extra luxury leg room and enjoyment. When we got off the coach all you could hear was chaos and Mr Champion’s voice shouting at our form to ‘be quiet’ and ‘stand in a line’ in a jokey way but he helped us with our questions which was very nice of him. February 2014
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HALF-TERM REVISION \CATCHUP SESSIONS
HALF-TERM REVISION \CATCHUP SESSIONS
Mr Hartley writes: There are a number of revision\catch-up sessions for Year 11 students happening over half term. A full schedule of these is available on the school website (Go to the Exam Preparation page, off the Learning tab and also the Students tab). At the time of going to press the following sessions were agreed: Mon 17th Feb: Maths, PE Tues 18th Feb: English, Maths, Physics, Drama, Food Tech, Resistant Materials Wed 19th Feb: Maths, Drama, English Thur 20th Feb: ICT, English Fri 21st Feb: ICT, English Please note that not all sessions are available to all students. Many of the half-term sessions are targeted at specifically invited students. Sessions during the school week when we return from the half-term break, as well as those scheduled for the Easter holidays will also be available on-line on our Exam Preparation page.
Mr Ashman writes: Over the years SAM Learning has been proved to make a big difference to student success in exams. The biggest impact is amongst those students who spend 10 hours or more using it for revision across all subjects. But now it isn’t just better exam grades that you will get. Thanks to the PSA we are also able to provide some more immediate rewards to students using SAM Learning. Tickets to Celebration Evening, iTunes vouchers and other prizes will be part of a raffle to which SAM Learning users will be entered. Those students currently on an intervention list will benefit in particular from the scheme, providing that extra motivation they might need for getting into good habits of revision and preparation before the summer. We will be keeping track of Year 11 useage of SAM Learning between now and the Mock GCSEs in March. We will then have the prize draws! If you are unable to log onto SAM Learning please
WANTED: EX-HWS STUDENTS
Did you used to come to Highgate Wood School? Do you know anyone who did? If so we want to hear from you! Join the HWS Alumni Community by following the link below or using the QR code. Hear about what’s going on at Highgate Wood School and reconnect with old school friends!
http://bit.do/hwsalumni 16
February 2014
HWS CHEMISTS PASSING THE BATON
PINEAPPLES BITE BACK By Jack Coomber That stinging feeling you get when you eat a pineapple? That’s the feeling of the pineapple getting revenge; it’s eating you as you try to eat it. Pineapple contains the enzyme Bromelain, a protease which breaks down proteins in your mouth, effectively devouring your mouth from the inside! Those who worked in fields growing pineapples used to receive permanent damage to their fingers as the Bromelain converted the proteins into amino acids. It was even suggested that men lost their fingerprints due to the constant erosion of their skin. This is not something to be too concerned about though, as once the Bromelain reaches your stomach it is killed. There’s no risk of a hole appearing in your tummy! If that’s still of no help, just remember that people a couple of hundred years ago used to take pineapples to show off at parties, paying around £5000 for a single pineapple. Back then a pineapple still wouldn’t burn a hole in your body, but it would definitely burn a hole in your wallet!
Ms El-Damanawi writes: This month our chemistry students will be participating in Round One of the UK Chemistry Olympiad. The national competition organised by the Royal Society for Chemistry, is part of the selection process to find four students to represent the UK at the 10 day International Olympiad in Vietnam later this year. Round One consists of a challenging written test of chemical knowledge, where students could earn Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates. Questions centre on the essence of chemistry and are guaranteed to stimulate debate and continue to light the flame of chemistry enthusiasm amongst our committed cohort of students. The gifted few who attain a Gold award may be invited to compete in Round Two, further stretching both their theoretical and practical skills in a bid to represent the UK.
YEAR 7 VIDEO GAME DESIGN @ THE V&A Mr Talbert writes: On the 31st January, 18 Year 7 students attended the Victoria & Albert Museum to do a games design project with BAFTA award winning games designer Sophia George and Cara Williams the V&A's schools’ programme manager. This was the first session - the second session will be on 13th March. The students learnt about different disciplines and skills required in making a game, and receive expert advice on how to hone their game ideas. They explored the museum for ideas for their games. They then worked in small February 2014
groups to develop a game concept based on one of the exhibits at the museum. The themes that the students chose were China and Japan. The students really enjoyed themselves and are hard at work developing their game ideas. 17
PUBLIC SPEAKING IN YEAR 10
Ms Allaway writes: Forty-five Year 10 students took part in the Speak Out Challenge during January. This is a training event sponsored by the Jack Petchey charity to encourage students to learn the art of public speaking. The two students who will be representing Highgate Wood School at the regional finals are Sinead Duffus and Amber Paterson, with Nina Wang and Jamil Shallo as our reserves. Other students who deserve a special mention are Faye Heron and Ethan Wadsworth.
The coach for the event, Precious Babatunde, said it was a difficult choice because there were so many engaging and captivating speeches given.
COMENIUS TRIP SOON TO DEPART Mr Russell writes: We are continuing to promote different initiatives to support our reaccreditation for International School status. Before the winter break, students in Year 9 were informed about the upcoming trip to Staatliches Gymnasium “Marie Curie�, our partner school in Worbis, Germany. Securing a place on the trip was highly competitive; we received a total of thirtynine applications for only eight places! Successful applications were received from the following students: Joshua Rodney, Tre Jackson, Sam Ayres, Jahidul Hussain, Scarlett Monaighan, Ebony Walcott, Burcin Garip, Jace Griffiths. These students, alongside Ms Angove and Mr Talbert, will represent the school throughout the My World, our World, our Environment project in Worbis from 26th February to 2nd March. The focus of the trip will be to explore developments in social media and how it impacts on the lives of students across Europe. Make sure you look out for updates on the trip in the next addition of Insight.
EXCITING NEWS ON TRIP
Please see Mr Talbert or Mr Ashman about becoming a Digital Champion next term! 18
Mr Russell writes: After half term we will be organising a trip to Brussels to visit Regina Caelilyceum, our partner school in Dilbeek, Belgium. Details are yet to be confirmed but please look out for updates on the school website and during tutor registration. February 2014
A GREAT START TO 2014
Mr Goldberg writes: Another calendar year has dawned and the extracurricular sporting timetable hits full swing once again. The same sports have been on offer as before the break but with increased interest from students and the addition of further sports, the PE department is firing on all cylinders. Rugby is again proving popular, with Inter-House competitions begun during the last week of January. Inter-House netball also took place with the Sports Hall playing host to an atmosphere thick with high octane enjoyment and an advanced level of netball on show. Thank you to all those that participated as it made it another enjoyable week of Inter-House sports and helped build upon the success of Inter-House basketball. Trampolining continues to provide a great deal of excitement. Seldom are you able to reach such dizzying heights of the Sports Hall and experience the brief feeling of weightlessness at the peak of your bounce. Miss Osborne and Miss Howard have frequently commented how impressed they are with the developing ability of the students who
regularly take part. Such is the speed at which trampolining has taken off and the success and talent on show; many GCSE PE candidates are using trampolining as one of their assessed sports for the practical portion of their exam. The new activities on offer have seen our Year 7 and 8’s take part in the Haringey indoor cricket competition, coming 2nd to a good Fortismere outfit. All that took part did the school proud and conducted themselves well throughout. Handball, hockey and gymnastics have also been added to the spring term extracurricular timetable. If this is something you’re interested in please come down and take part. Football gets going again after the break with many of our sides looking to capitalise on strong positions in their respective leagues. Year 7’s in particular having it all to play for having gone the first half of the season unbeaten. However, with two top of the table clashes through the back nine, we wish them all the best of luck. Hopefully there will be welldeserved silverware in the cabinet come the end of the season.
All are welcome to our Voice Recital Evening. Monday 31st March 2014. 7.30-9.00 pm – Tickets £2 each available from Mrs Hassan. Photographs of the Winter Concert are on display in the Drum. Music Fees: Spring Term – these are due by the end of February. February 2014
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School starts again on Monday 24th February 2014
at 8:35am (Period 1) It will be Week 2 Mon 24th February
New half-Term Starts
Tues 25th February
School Production (Year 9)
Wed 26th February
School Production (Year 11 and 13)
Thur 27th February
School Production (Year 12 and 13)
Friday 7th March
Year 9 Careers Fare
Tuesday 11th March
Year 9 Options Evening
Mon 17th March
AFTERNOON INSET (School closes to students after lunch)
17th —21st March
Mock Exams 2 (Year 11)
Tues 25th March
Year 8 Parents’ Evening
Tues 25th March
Year 9 Options Form Deadline
Friday April 7th
Swimming Gala and end of term Parent Consultation Evenings 2014
SPRING 2014
Year 7
Wed 14th May
Year 8
Tues 25th March
AUTUMN 2014
SUMMER 2014
Mon 6th Jan
Term Starts
Tues 22nd April
Term Starts
Mon 1st September
Term Starts
17th Feb– 21st Feb
Half term break
27th—30th May
Half term break
27th Oct - 31st Oct
Half term break
Friday 4th April
Term Ends
Friday 18th July
Term Ends*
Friday 19th Dec
Term Ends
The school calendar is available on-line at www.hws.uk.com
* Term ends for students
Haringey Half Term Activities: Visit http://bit.do/hwsactive
Keep informed Find out what is going on at Highgate Wood School and keep up with our news visit us at our website www.hws.uk.com follow us on twitter twitter.com/highgatewood Check the school’s opening status Call 02084087508 and give the school’s DfE code: 3094030