Insight 31 by Highgate Wood School

Half-termly news from Highgate Wood School Issue No 31 July 2016

GOVERNING BODY UPDATE Chris Tully writes: So the final week of the school year is upon the HWS community and post exam, there is a chance to reflect before the summer break. For those of you with students coming to the end of year 7, I hope it’s been a good one. The time flies between preparing for “big” school and entering year 8 with “seasoned” campaigners. Any parents and carers reading this with children starting Highgate HWS in September 2016, rest assured that every effort is made by all the staff to ensure the transition is as smooth and welcoming as possible.

A big thank you for everyone who has helped and supported the work of Highgate Wood Schoo’s PSA this year, particularly with our quiz nights and MADFest Night which helped raise funds for a whole variety of initiatives, including the much needed canopy covering now installed in the playground. Don’t forget you can still fund raise through easyfundraising.org.uk or by buying discounted theatre tickets from http://tickets4schools.com/ highgate-wood-school The next full PSA meeting - the first of the new academic year - is on Thursday 29th September.

The governing body would like to wish all those students awaiting exam results the very best of luck, from personal parental experience it can be a tense time. I also know from experience that HWS students are very well equipped to take on post-16 and post A Level challenges with confidence, academic talent and a well- rounded view of the world; crucial attributes in fast changing economic, social and political times.

Don’t forget easyfundraising.org.uk. Visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk/hwspsa

The governing body would also like to say a big thank you to all the staff at HWS. Not only have they contributed to the on-going pursuit of academic excellence, but to the broader environment that make this the wonderful community school it is; supporting the Model UN, Debatemate, Feminist Soc. the Winter Concert, the sports teams, the arts and drama groups to name but a few highlights from the year. It is also worth noting the success of the recent MadFest and we should say a very big thank you to the organisers and PSA for enabling this annual platform of student talent to be the fantastic showcase and fundraiser it is. To those staff leaving HWS we wish you every success and happiness in the future. Finally the governors would like to say farewell and thanks to Julia Chalfen who is standing down as vice – chair. Her hard work, support and ability to ask the right questions will be much missed. In the meantime it opens up an opportunity for a new parent governor appointment in the autumn, so watch this space. We wish you all a restful summer break in the meantime.

HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY Chair of Governors: Chris Tully LA Governor: Cllr Eddie Griffith Parent Governors: Julia Chalfen • Torun Dewan • Mark Harber • Mano Manoharan Co-opted Governors: Brenda Allan • Oli Blackaby • Phil Cavendish • Phil Cocksedge • Joe Demetriou • Phil Dileo • Violet Hazelwood-Henry • Elizabeth Hess • Chris Parr Imogen Pennell • Robert Wood • Charles Wright Headteacher Governor: Patrick Cozier Staff Governors: Emily Ford If you wish to contact the Governing Body please write to the Chair of Governors, c/o Mrs K Ozturk, Highgate Wood School, Montenotte Road, London N8 8RN

Issue 31 July 2016

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER Welcome to the last edition of Insight for this academic year. As always, the year has gone so quickly. However, that’s not to say that we haven’t been incredibly busy, continuously achieving new heights and delivering excellent experiences for our students. It seems like only a few weeks ago that I was writing to you to celebrate another set of good exam results at Highgate Wood School last October. Well, given the tremendous dedication of our students and staff (and of course the fantastic support that we get from our parents/carers and governors), I am very confident that this August will see similarly impressive results to be proud of. I wish our Year 11s and Post 16 students the very best of luck! It has also been a year of many challenges, not just for HWS but for all schools. We have been trying to stay focused on teaching and learning whilst having to negotiate through the constant educational landscape shifts that have been occurring.

Assessment without Levels The government decided some time ago that student attainment would no longer be measured by National Curriculum levels. As a consequence, the onus is now on schools to find their own ways of assessing how well students are doing and to establish how progress is identified and measured. This is a significant challenge and one that schools have approached in a variety of ways. The issue is compounded by the fact that assessment in primary education has also changed, as has the way that students are being assessed at the end of Key Stage Four. We have developed our thinking about how best to do this and have come to the decision that from year 7 upwards student progress will be measured in relation to what GCSE grade we assess they are on track for. In year 7 this will be reported as a Issue 31

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range of possible outcomes, becoming more specific as students move through the school towards year 11. The positive aspect of this is that it has allowed us an opportunity to rethink how we assess in different subject areas taking into account a varied set of skills to be learnt across the curriculum. Further information about this will be shared with parents in the new academic year.

New and More Challenging Subject Specifications The government’s overhaul of the curriculum and qualifications at Key Stage 4 have meant significant changes to the specifications to be delivered to Key Stage 4 students and post 16 students. There is no question that the new specifications are harder and more challenging. On top of this the way that subjects are graded at GCSE is changing, starting with English and Maths next summer (moving from A*, A, B, C etc. to new grades of 9, 8, 7, 6, etc.). Information about this has already been shared with parents and students in Year 9 during the Options process, but more will be shared with all year groups next term.

Funding for Schools The financial climate is a challenging one, with schools having to cut costs run their schools on falling incomes, not just this year, but for the foreseeable future. The context for the years ahead would suggest that this will not change anytime soon. We are also anticipating the implementation of a new national funding formula during the life of this current government. There are no certainties about what this will bring, but all the expert opinion suggests very strongly that schools in London will be losers in the shake down. We will all be tightening our belts accordingly.

Forced Academisation The government is pushing hard for all schools to become academies. We have had to contend with two announcements on this issue during the course of the year. Initially we were told that all schools would have to become academies (whether they

wish to or not), and this was followed by another announcement pulling back from this, but still asserting the government’s intention that all school will become academies, but through a process that avoids compulsion. This is something that Highgate Wood School (like all schools who are not yet academies) is having to discuss. What would it mean for us? We are a long way off from making any decisions about this, but will obviously keep all parents/carers up to date should there be any developments in our thinking and intentions. What we are very clear about as a school and a governing body is that, whatever the educational and political landscape, we will remain true to our values as a genuine comprehensive school that serves all of its local children and families and works well as part of a local community of schools. Despite these challenges, Highgate Wood School continues to be a vibrant place for all of our students and staff with so many exciting things happening. I think you will get a sense from this issue of Insight that we are very serious about doing whatever we can to make a positive difference to our students, maintain the highest of expectations and inspire self belief. I hope that you enjoy the read!

Changes to the School Day We have been considering some changes to the school day that we believe will improve the overall experience at break time and lunchtimes for our students. These changes are: a) increase the length of break time by 10 minutes and decrease the length of lunch time by 10 minutes b) change the arrangements at lunch time so that years 7 and 8 have their lunch time earlier in the day and separate from the older year groups in the school (i.e. a split lunch) c) designated separate playground areas for year 7 and 8 students and older students. We recognise that along with the benefits we feel students will get from these changes a number of challenges will need to be overcome. The split 4

lunch arrangement in particular will present some logistical issues to be negotiated and as a result this aspect will not be implemented immediately. We will spend the first few weeks of the term reviewing the impact of the other two changes and further exploring the implications of a split-lunch before deciding if and when to proceed.

School Development Priorities for 2016/17 Priority A

Securing Outstanding Outcomes for Students I. Improve the progress of students who arrive in year 7 as middle attainers II. Further reduce the attainment gap between our disadvantaged students (especially high attainers) and other students so that attainment outcomes at the end of Key Stage 4 are broadly similar III. Improve the progress of disadvantaged students at Post 16 IV. Improve the levels of participation in extracurricular activities - including revision sessions (especially for disadvantaged students) Priority B

Securing Outstanding Teaching, Learning and Assessment I. Increase the quality of rigour and assessment within KS3 schemes of work and the consistency and impact of homework that is set at KS3 II. Provide more consistent opportunities for students to respond to staff feedback and improve III. Develop a consistent approach to the implementation of the literacy strategy within student’s work; ensuring that all staff use the editing code and spelling strategies IV. Develop each specific departments’ skills in the delivery of relevant mathematical skills within their subject areas V. Develop each specific departments’ skills in the delivery of relevant extended writing skills within their subject areas

Issue 31 July 2016

Priority C

Securing Outstanding Effectiveness of Leadership and Management 1. Improve the outcomes in the small number of subjects in which students do not make outstanding progress at GCSE 2. Improve the outcomes in the small number of subjects in which students do not make outstanding progress at AS and A level 3. Increase the involvement of governors in participating in evaluation activities through their link visits 4. Develop leadership internally by identifying the potential within our school and finding ways to support and build on this for the benefit of retaining our strongest teachers 5. Re-visit the vision for the school to ensure that it is appropriate, challenging, and ambitious for our students and staff 6. Secure the financial stability of HWS moving forward anticipating drops in funding over the next five years Priority D

Securing Outstanding Personal Development, Behaviour and Welfare I. Reduce the number of repeat exclusions and address the over-representation of particular groups of students in the figures II. Further reduce the rate of both fixed term and permanent exclusions III. Ensure that our Social Moral Spiritual Curriculum and provision is fully mapped and documented to make it easier to monitor it for participation and impact You may recognise that the four priority areas for the coming year are very similar to those of the current year. This is because we have based our overarching priorities on what Ofsted seek to judge when they inspect schools. We have made some good progress this year on all fronts and we continue to get better, but we know that we are not yet where we are capable of being, Issue 31

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so the journey continues with our development priorities now agreed and in place for September. With your continued support I am utterly confident we will get there. Uniform has improved, but we will maintain our very high expectations As you will be aware, we are very strict with our uniform expectations and we will continue to be in the new academic year too. At Highgate Wood School we have a uniform because we believe that self presentation is an important life skill and our uniform supports a sense of belonging to the school community. Overwhelmingly most students wear our uniform with pride and to a high standard now, but not all. As a reminder, our non-negotiable expectations include the following:  Blazers are compulsory, but jumpers/cardigans are not – hence if students do not wish to wear two layers on top of their shirts, it’s the jumpers/cardigans that should not be worn 

No other alternative to the school jumper/ cardigan (with the HWS Blue trim) can be worn

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Black shoes must be worn. Please note that canvass shoes and Keds, Vans and Converse are not acceptable forms of footwear for HWS; neither are leather forms of the above. Note: We have spare shoes for students who turn up wearing shoes that do not fit within our uniform code the students are expected to wear instead



Shirts for boys and girls must be worn tucked in

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Ties should be worn to a length where at least five stripes are visible on the wide part of the tie below the knot – the knot must be worn high and the top button of the shirt must be done up

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Girls skirts should not be rolled at the top and should be worn so that all four buttons down the side of the skirt should be visible

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Short sleeve shirts are a perfectly acceptable alternative to long sleeve shirts for girls and boys

We are very keen to ensure that we set and maintain the highest of expectations for our students, and this includes the way in which the uniform is worn. I want to reiterate that we do not wish to make uniform an issue, and it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be with your support in ensuring that your child adheres to this. To be clear, we will be sending your child home to get changed if they arrive back in September not in full school uniform. We thank you in advance for support with this.

Year 11 Uniform Return We are encouraging year 11 students to return any items of uniform that are in a good state of repair when they come to collect their exam results in August. We are keen to build up a stock of spare uniform that we can re-sell on to other students at a reduced second-hand rate, or that can be used on a day to day basis to resolve any issues of nonuniform compliance from September. There will be some containers available on GCSE results day on 25th August.

Behaviour Policy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Back to Zero As you will be aware, during the course of the year we launched a new behaviour policy that applied new thresholds for the accumulation of merits and demerits with rewards and interventions being implemented at each threshold. Following the implementation and a few early lessons learned, there will be some tweaking of the point allocations and the thresholds for September (which I will write to you about at the start of term). However, the important message for now is the fact that all merits and demerits accumulated this year will go back to zero. This gives almost all students a fresh start. There are a small minority of students who will continue to be monitored very closely given the large number of demerits accumulated this year, but we will be speaking to those families individually. I thank you all for your cooperation with what we are doing to improve the consistency or rewards and sanctions applied to our students to further improve the incentives to behave excellently. 6

Senior Leadership Team (SLT) Changes The main areas of responsibility are not too dissimilar to last year, but in terms of keeping parents informed, I would like to draw your attention to the SLT link on the school website (under Contact). Hopefully, this will help you in terms of approaching the right person to deal with any queries that you have depending on the nature of your query. You will no doubt be aware that one of my assistant headteachers Mrs Allaway has been absent from some time on long term sickness. We wish her a very speedy recovery. As a support for Ms Allaway, I have divided up her responsibilities amongst the rest of the Senior Leadership Team so that on her return she will have a period of re-settling back into school prior to taking up her responsibilities again. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Charlesworth for his contribution to the Senior Leadership Team over the last two years, and for the wider contribution he has made to the school as Head of Sixth Form over the last decade and a half. Mr Charlesworth has decided to step down from the post from September 2016 for personal reasons. From September Ms Pinnick will become the Head of 6th Form and will work with the 6th Form team to continue the successful work undertaken over the last decade. Mr Charlesworth will also step down from the Leadership Team to take a new role at Highgate Wood focussed on the development of the Careers and Advice and Guidance process to include all aspects of application to University and Higher Education. Mr Charlesworth will continue to oversee the provision of Alternative Educational placements for students at risk of exclusion as well as liaison with the Local Authority regarding international and residential school trips and visits. Finally, he will provide support for those co-ordinating the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme in Years 10/11 and 12/13. As Head of 6th Form Mr Charlesworth has overseen the continuous development of the 6th Form from the days of being a small provision dependent on our consortium with Hornsey School for Girls to the much larger and thriving 6th Form that we have Issue 31 July 2016

now. He has transformed the role over the years and among many things has  developed exemplary practice in student progress tracking  



introduced departmental accountability into Post 16 provision coordinated and overseen a programme of UCAS support for our students which is right up there with all exemplary practice through the above raised standards in the 6th form to a point where we have had increasingly excellent results and have always received positive feedback from Ofsted and LA monitoring visits

I am thankful for the work that Mr Charlesworth has done and am very appreciative that despite his decision to stand down, he has kindly agreed to continue working on some very important tasks and responsibilities to support the school and our students. That is the sort of commitment that sums up Mr Charlesworth’s fantastic contribution to Highgate Wood School.

Good bye and Good Luck to leaving colleagues As always, the end of the summer term is also a time for farewells. We are saying goodbye to a number of staff at the end of this term. Ms. N Abolian is leaving the Admin team after 16 years of service to the school and Mr N O'Connor is leaving the Citizenship Department after 12 years. Ms. H Hastings is leaving the Business Studies department after being Head of Department 9 years and Ms. A Daws-Knowles, the current Head of Media Studies is leaving us after 7 years of service.

Head of Social Sciences, Ms. Z Dabrowska and Head of Computer Science, Mr. D Talbert, have both been with us for three years and are now moving on. Ms. T Fenttiman from the Science Department, Mr J Pedlar from ECS, Ms. E Ugboma from Music and Mr. C Hamilton from Geography have been with us for two years and are also leaving. Mr. J Goldberg has been with the school as a cover supervisor for the past year. Also leaving after a year are Ms. O James from English, Ms. S Judge from Business Studies, Ms. O Winterton from PE, Ms. L Peteryte from Citizenship and Mr. J Ramsden, who has been working as a technician in Music and Drama. Finally Mr. D Overton is leaving the Maths department and Mr B Mertens is leaving Science having been with us for two terms. All those who are leaving have made Highgate Wood School a richer place and we are very grateful for that significant contribution. We offer our very best wishes to all for the future!

... And Finally – Thank you for your support! I would like to thank you all again for your valued and continued support. I wish you and your families a pleasant summer holiday Please remember, we return on Wednesday 7th September 2016 (please double-check the start times for each year group elsewhere in this edition of Insight). Regards Patrick Cozier Headteacher

Ms. M Mastericks is leaving the Art department after 7 years of service and Mr. N Robertson is leaving the Social Sciences after being here for six years. Pastoral Mentor, Ms. D Byfield-Grant, Science teacher Ms. B Andreas, Modern Languages teacher Ms. A Gomez and our Science Technician Ms. O Mututa are all leaving after four years at Highgate Wood School. Issue 31

July 2016

MUSIC INFORMATION Mrs Hassan writes: Music lessons for next academic year will start either on the 19th or 26th September, notification will be on the Music Board by 14th September, please ask your child to check. If you wish to cancel your lessons for September 2016 please email Mrs Hassan on tha@hws.haringey.sch.uk by the end of July.

WISEPAY ACCOUNTS

For more information about what is happening in Haringey over summer visit haringey.gov.uk/holidayfun

Mr Ashman writes: We will be expanding the use of our on-line payment system next year so it can be used not just for school meals and trips but also for purchasing items of school uniform. If you have not yet got an account for the system please request one by emailing wisepay@hws.haringey.sch.uk

The best way to predict the future is to invent it

From caring comes courage

Success comes from perseverance

73,163

73,084

73,035

so far this year

Top Merit Earners Joel Olatunji (Yr 11) Nimisha Patel (Yr 10) Rebecca Manoharan (Yr 9) Shareef Garcia (Yr 8) Eden Cavendish (Yr 7)

Top Merit Earners Madeleine Baron (Yr 11) Daniela Ismaili (Yr 10) Rory Butler (Yr 9) Hugo Clague (Yr 8) Manon Elliott (Yr 7)

Top Merit Earners Janice Makambu (Yr 11) Melisa Biner (Yr 10) George Stone (Yr 9) Zandile Mathebula-Jonah (Yr 8) Lily Bacon Darwin (Yr 7)

Thanks to all the parents\carers who have logged into e-praise, and for your positive comments. If you still need an account for the system please email data@hws.haringey.sch.uk with your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name. 8

Issue 31 July 2016

FANTASTIC FUTURES FOR OUR SIXTH FORM STUDENTS Mr Charlesworth writes: As we finish the school year we anticipate another great set of A level results, leading to Highgate Wood School sixth formers winning places at top universities and colleges across the country. Last year our students continued, and actually built on, the fantastic performance of previous years. Ranked in the top 15% of results nationally, they achieved 100% pass rate, with 85% of all exams taken resulting in grades A*- C and 56% getting the top A* - B grades. Those were the best ever results for Highgate Wood School Sixth Form and resulted in 34% of our Year 13s students gaining places at a Russell Group University. This year we hope to beat that impressive performance. This year 73% of our cohort are hoping to gain places at a top 40 university with 67 receiving offers from leading Russell Group universities. Students have received offers from Oxford to study degrees in Mathematics, History and English, from Cambridge for English and Human Sciences, from Imperial College to study Biotechnology and from UCL to study Business Management. Offers have also come from Kings College London for English and Linguistics, from Durham to study geography, from Edinburgh for Philosophy and from Warwick for History and Politics. For 2016 the top university destination of choice is Leeds to which 18 of our students are holding places, followed by Bristol with 14 offers made to Highgate Wood School students. The universities of Sussex, Sheffield and Manchester are also very popular choices. For some the pathway onto the highest quality degree begins with a Foundation course, and we are delighted to have Highgate Wood School sixth formers intending to take Foundation degrees in Art, Illustration, Animation, Fashion Design and Photography, with some gaining places on the University of the Arts programme which has centres at Chelsea, Wimbledon and Camberwell Art colleges.

As well as our delight in the successes of our students, we are also very proud of the recognition we have received as a sixth form centre, with many subjects ranked in the top quartile of national performance for a number of years. We want to promote these achievements and over the summer break you are likely to see local buses carrying information about how well your Sixth Form performs. We think we have a right to boast. Using the DfE approved ALPS analysis tool our A level History results have been in the top 10% nationally for the last four years and results in other subjects are similarly impressive. Over the past three years students taking A Level Chemistry, Biology, Government & Politics, Media Studies, and Sociology at Highgate Wood School have achieved grades will within the top 25% of national outcomes, and with the fantastic AS Level results our Year 13s have already achieved we are confident that maths, Spanish and English Language will join this elite listing of success when the results come out on 18th August. With a month to go before those results are available I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our students the very best, and thank their teachers, and families, for all the support and help they have given them.

If you have any questions about the sixth form please email post16@hws.haringey.sch.uk. This email address will be monitored over the summer. Issue 31

July 2016

PINK AND RED DIAMOND WINNERS

Ms Burniston, Mr Key and Mr Rowlands write: We are delighted we were able to use the last week of term to recognise and reward those many achievements that we have witnessed over the year by students in our Houses. We were particularly thrilled to be able to award so many Gold, Pink Diamond and Red Diamond certificates. This is the first year that these awards have been available, and we never imagined so many of our students would manage to achieve them. To get a gold certificate you need to earn 200 achievement points. That is pretty much the same as one for every single school day of the year. Amazingly 485 students have managed to reach this.

More challenging still is the Pink Diamond. For that 300 achievement points are required. One hundred and eighty-two of these have been won this year! During the last week our Chair of Governors came to school for the second time to award the almost impossible Red Diamond Certificate. This demands 400 achievement points. This year, thirty six students have managed to reach this total. More remarkable still is how two students have actually managed to beat every possible estimate for achievement. Manon Elliott and Alice Jenkins, both from Seacole House, have each earned over 700 achievement points. As a consequence they both received a special certificate and an Amazon voucher.

END OF KEY STAGE 3 AWARDS Ms Pinnick writes: It was with a real sense of pride that I was able to congratulate so many of our students for their achievements at Key Stage 3 at the celebration assembly at the end of term. We had asked teachers to nominate students for progress and effort prizes in all subjects, as well as asking tutors and house teams to make appropriate nominations for the other prizes. Time after time we heard how teachers had struggled to select just one award winner. There were just too many excellent students in contention for a prize. In the end we did have to make a final selection and those results are on the next page. 10

We do hope that every single student in Year 9 has enjoyed their Key Stage 3 experience but that they are now ready and eager to meet the challenges of Key Stage 4. Issue 31 July 2016

HOUSE AWARDS

SUBJECT AWARDS

END OF KEY STAGE 3 AWARD WINNERS

SUBJECT

EFFORT AWARD

PROGRESS AWARD

Art

Leyla Osman

Assisa Adan

Citizenship

Holly Carter

Jamie Muteba

Computer Science

Brandon Durand

Milou-Mai Law

Design & Technology

Toby Wyckoff Smith

Billie-Jo Hayden

Drama

Ella Reynolds

Aaliyah Bute Law

English

Eden Ferreira

Rory Butler

ECS

Amy Davies

Erden Gungor

Geography

Kevonte Willoughby William

Charlie Newbold

History

Grace Heron

Claire Schuman

Modern Foreign Languages

Eleanor Wetherall

Iola Elson

Music

Emer Stevens

Jacob Gryn

Maths

Olivia Birkett

Jephthah Prempeh

Hope Selby

Lukas Hartell

Science

Harry Milligan

Punyapat Williams

DaVinci

Seacole

Edison

H 4Cs Award: Isabel Pountney

A 4Cs Award: Charlie Newbold

W 4Cs Award: Sophie Kinloch

I 4Cs Award: Ella Philipps

T 4Cs Award: Melisa Siringul

D 4Cs Award: Maddie Cormican

G 4Cs Award: Rebecca Manoharen

E 4Cs Award: Jem Clift

S4Cs Award: Jeanie Cole

HoH Award: Iona Elson

HoH Award: Brandon Durand

HoH Award: CJ Williams

SPORTS AWARDS

Tony Burton Sports Award: Cerys Walker

Harry Milligan

100% ATTENDANCE AWARDS Holly Carter Nina Corney Sharjay Davies Joe Dawson Freya Dougan Tia Dyett

Eden Ferreira Polina Graciova Bonnie Grant-Pyett Rianna Griffiths Keje Koca Natalie Manoharan Issue 31

July 2016

Priscilla Nabisere Charlie Newbold Isabel Pountney Thomas Roberts Elliot Walker Kevonte Willoughby Williams

MADFEST - A GREAT EVENING Mr Harlow writes: MADfest this year reverted to a Friday night. It was a great success and the large crowd of students and parents enjoyed a huge amount of really high quality performance. There was a festival atmosphere and the organising committee of year 10 students ensured that performers were well rehearsed and confident as they took to the stage. There were stand out performances from Ty Knox, Kate and Anna Jevons, Evan Shute, Bruno Lansdown, Ruby Green and many others and the evening as a whole was a triumph. The decision to revert to an evening event was not an easy one, and we are very grateful to the PSA who, once the decision had been agreed, got behind the idea with real passion and commitment. They mobilised a whole team to help ensure things were fully planned, promoted and organised. A new MADfest logo was designed and posters and promotion, including a dedicated website, were launched. They created festival style wristbands for students and managed to obtain a whole range of fantastic raffle prizes. The preparation of the site was fantastic, with straw bales as seats, and colourful bunting. The PSA team even managed to conjure up some gazebo covering for the stage and mixing desk when it looked like rain was threatening the event. All their efforts proved worthwhile. The event attracted nearly 1,000 visitors and managed to raise more than ÂŁ6,000 to support the school through PSA projects. Along with the PSA and the Year 10 organising committee, I would also like to thank the staff in Art and Design, Design Technology and Media Studies as well as the staff in the Music Department for all their help in making the event happen and making it such a success. Everyone is now looking forward to MADFest Night 2017 12

Many thanks to all the performers and everyone involved, but particularly the organising committee: Eva Parfitt, Isobel Crompton, Isobel Murray, Jaden Bevan, Max Cowie, Noah Stoneman, Louis Rogers, Nancy Levy-Veigh, Helena Pearson and CJ McCarthy. Issue 31 July 2016

YEAR 11 CELEBRATION EVENING Mr Hartley writes: Celebration evening this year was a wonderful event in which year 11 came together to celebrate all their hard work and to look forward to their successes. There were fantastic musical performances from students and very moving speeches from tutors. Once again the Union Chapel provided an impressive backdrop for this important event and I would like to thank all the staff at the Union Chapel who made everything run so well. Once again I would like to thank all the staff at Highgate Wood School and most of all the students and parents that made the event such a pleasant evening. A special congratulations to Tolga Kale who won the 4Cs award and to Madeleine Baron who won the Noreen Ryan award for compassion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; two well deserving students among a group of so many deserving candidates. A big thanks to our excellent compares Gabriel Brown and Jace Griffiths who did a wonderful job in helping to run the evening and in keeping people entertained. Prom king was won by Joel Olatunji and prom queen was won by Horiya Ise Thank you so much everyone for all your hard work over your time at Highgate Wood School and I look forward to seeing you on results day and in September! A photogallery of Celebration Evening is available on the school website.

CLASS OF 2016 DRESS UP DAY Whilst looking through the gallery of pictures from Celebration Evening, where our Year 11s all look so proud, smart and grown up, you might also want to spend a moment considering how they looked just a few weeks before, Year 11 Dress Up Day, immediately before the last half term, had the Class of 2016 being more inventive, absurd and, in a strange way, also stylish than any Year 11 group from before. These photographs are also available on the school website. Hope you visit it soon! Issue 31

July 2016

HARRY POTTER WORLD

Fiona Cama and Ms DK write: As a reward for doing so well in Year 10 Media Studies completing two controlled assessments, three groups of GCSE students went to WB Studios in Watford, Hertfordshire to see first hand how the eight Harry Potter films were planned, filmed and edited. Travelling by feet, tube, train and HP bus there was a great atmosphere of excitement and lots of sweets consumed just like Harry, Ron and Hermione. We arrived at the studios and were given our passports and instructed to look for stamps and golden snitches. As you entered the site there are loads of images on the walls of the main character as well as a massive gift shop that sells very expensive magical toys, clothes and sweets.

GOPHER SCIENCE WORKSHOPS

Ms Andreas writes: 7H were involved in running exciting Gopher Science workshops to year 5 pupils from St Gildas's and Coleridge primary school. Year 5 learnt how to demonstrate and explain science phenomena like how snails use their slime to remain upright on a wall and how to calculate the vital capacity of the lungs and how to work out the angle of their peripheral vision. The feedback from the two schools were positive and I would like to thank 7H for their hard work and effort to make this year's event so incredible.

We rode on a broom, tried out our wand manoeuvers, and drove the blue car to Hogwarts. We went inside the Dursley's house on Privet Drive, crossed the bridge and drank butter beer. It was sweet, fizzy with a froth made of marshmallows on the surface. Delicious but weird. We saw how animatronics and props were used to create magical creatures. We learned about costumes (thousands), wigs (real human hair), beards (animal hair) and how Daniel Radcliffe kept his scar on. By the end of the day we and our teachers knew more about film production than we thought possible. We headed home tired but happy. 14

Issue 31 July 2016

BRINGING FEMINISM TO PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Mr Robertson writes: On 16th June, I was fortunate to accompany four of our Year 9 students as they returned to their old primary school. Sydney Aarons, Mia Knight, Noa Yaron and Charlotte Whelan asked if it was possible to give an assembly on feminism for students in years 5 and 6 at Coleridge, and they liaised with Ms Grimes, who was very helpful in accommodating their request. The assembly hall was filled with cross-legged, eager and interested boys and girls (many of whom will join us at Highgate Wood School next year), who listened intently as our students explained the meaning of feminism, described their feminist role models and explained how everybody; boys and girls, men and women, would benefit from a world in which both genders are treated equally. At the end of the assembly, a group of year 6 students asked the girls how they could join the feminist group when they arrive in year 7, which suggests that there is plenty of life in the group for next year and beyond.

PUBLISHED POETS AT HIGHGATE WOOD

Ms Monaghan writes: The English Department are proud to announce that over fifty HWS students have had their work published in The Poetry Trials competition. Clearly we have some really talented writers at Highgate Wood School and I'm delighted to see their work in print. I am sure they will enjoy reading their poems in years to come.

DON HENDERSON AWARD TROPHY

Ms Andreas writes: I am delighted we arranged a special presentation of the Don Henderson Award Trophy to the Erica Watkin, Lilian Vitoriano, Samia Mohamoud, Nino Geliashuli, Tia Dyett, Olivia Birkett, Libby Smithson, Dilara Kasapoglue and Rosie Ashworth. Well done for all your hard work and for completing your fantastic “teeth whitening” project.

PENDARREN TRIP—2016

Ms Zwicky writes: A photogallery from the recent Pendarren trip is available on the school website. Issue 31

July 2016

SIXTH FORM SUMMER SCHOOL

CAREERS FAIR

Ms Eisa writes: On the 1st July year 9 students took part in a Careers Fair in school to help them start thinking about the future. Nine professionals came in to speak and be available to take questions and provide advice. We were lucky enough to have a great variety of careers represented; from marketing managers, to stock brokers, musicians, IT consultants, estate agents and more. On the morning of the first day, Mr Charlesworth Every student took part in three 15 minute talks gave students the task of filling their itineraries with with different professionals. Some fantastic a range of subjects across our curriculum. Students questions were posed about the route into their also had the opportunity to attend several of our career, what they do day to day and how much extra curricular activities and study skills sessions. money they earn, and our students really did One session included our current Neck of the Woods develop their thinking about possible future writers presenting their recent publications and pathways. encouraging prospective students to carry on the mantle of producing this outstanding student newspaper next year. Members of staff also delivered sessions on Model UN, World Challenge and the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Students also had the opportunity to participate in a live Question Time event, hosted by ex HWS student Robert Peston entitled ‘EU Referenda – what happens now?’ Many students really enjoyed this session, especially after attending the Government and Politics lesson in the morning. Our year 8s have also been starting to think about Mr Pateman writes: In early July, we had the pleasure of welcoming back our Year 11 students, along with students from several other schools, to participate in a two-day summer school. The programme offered a fantastic opportunity to experience full A-level lessons, rather than just taster sessions, and a real insight into life as a Sixth Form student at Highgate Wood.

The pizza delivery at lunchtime gave staff and students an opportunity to discuss what they enjoyed about their summer school experience. The Sixth Form team would like to thank all our staff and current students who were involved in the day, and a big thank you to all you prospective students who attended. We look forward to welcoming you back in September.

careers during registration time: playing Careers Top trumps. This has helped them start thinking about average wages, job satisfaction and working hours in many different careers. The students have thoroughly enjoyed this activity and it has been a great introduction into the world of work. Well done to all the students who have applied themselves so effectively to thoughts about their potential careers and plans for the future . Issue 31 July 2016

SEND MY FRIEND TO SCHOOL

COMMENT CONFERENCE

Mr Grimmett writes: On the 1st July Catherine West MP came to our school for part of the morning to hear from students about the vital need to deliver education for the 37 Ms Wildman writes: million children who are out of school in countries In June, Amy Giles, Afsun Ozdemir, Calum Paveley, affected by war and natural disasters. Briar Brunner, Max Lancaster and I attended the Editorial Intelligence Awards at the John Cass Worldwide the numbers affected by emergencies is at Business School, in the City. There were debates on various issues in print and an all-time high, displacing digital journalism and opportunities to practice more children than ever networking with journalists. before from their homes and Thank you Julia Hobsbawn, the CEO, who kindly schools. Some of our Year 8 invited us. and 9 students wrote Max Lancaster writes: heartfelt letters to David I was really pleased to be given the opportunity to Cameron, then Prime listen to prominent individuals with experience of Minister, urging him to act and all of our Year 7's created working in the City. paper rucksacks symbolising The topics covered included current issues and print media, politics and the lack of diversity within the the journeys that children have to take when they have to flee in an emergency. They filled them with media. With the referendum due it was anticipated that this might be on the agenda, and it was. The things they would pack if they had to leave their speakers sat at the front of the room and I school behind and covered them with messages immediately recognised Katie Hopkins from The asking for urgent action to ensure that no child Apprentice. Her reputation as hard-hitting, forthright anywhere in the world is left behind on education. and extremely right-wing was soon apparent. She Catherine West said she would pass the message on seemed to want to shock the audience. to the Prime Minister to remind the UK government I was surprised about how rude and crude she could of the new goal of quality education worldwide for be. She said she spoke the views that most people every child up to 15. thought but were afraid to say. Although she stood As a school we all believe, and know, that education out for me in her strong manner, I came away feeling is an important aspect of a young person’s life and that she was perhaps just being deliberately we hope to take part in the ‘Send My Friend to provocative. She seemed more sensation over School’ project in future years substance. Issue 31

July 2016

MICROSOFT RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Jade Solinger writes: Firstly, I would like to say I am honoured to be selected as one of just ten people chosen in the UK, to try out new inventions and see the beautiful Microsoft building in Cambridge. Words cannot describe how amazing it was to talk with the people working there and discover the evolution of technology to improve people’s everyday lives. I saw technology that I hadn’t even imagined; two of my favourites were the artificial world and the Wet Lab. I was inspired to see the artificial world through dark goggles; you would not believe how real everything seemed the different colours and characters made it incredible. You have different scenes to discover on your own magical journey. In one animals were coming up close you can almost feel their breath! A different feature was when you held two controllers and you could create different patterns and walk through and choose a colour from a palette. It felt very strange, and a bit shocking, but I enjoyed it because I have never seen anything like it before. The Wet Lab used an interesting concept of biology with computer science, because it tested DNA samples with a chip. You can analyse it on a computer and see how the DNA strain moves and duplicates itself naturally. They use pipettes to insert a mixture to a different container. A robot is used to complete the process accurately, without making any errors. I would like to say a big thank you to all the friendly workers at Microsoft, and also to one of my favourite teachers, Mr Talbert. Without them I could not have gone on this trip that allowed me to see computer science in the future. It was a really exciting day and I would definitely recommend another visit to the huge building. I will cherish many memories from this opportunity. 18

ROCK ASSEMBLY AT WEMBLEY ARENA

Manon Elliot writes: On Thursday 14th July, 45 Year 7s went to a concert at Wembley Arena called Rock Assembly. The lineup included BB Diamond, Raleigh Richie, The Dixon Brothers, WSTRN, and the headline act: Lethal Bizzle! Before the concert we were allowed to go around the stalls of a futures fair where people were talking about careers and giving out freebies. The stalls included the Co-op, Nationwide, British Airways, The Transformation Trust, Facebook, Coca-Cola and more. Some were running promotions. The Transformation Trust had a prize of £300 each for two people, another stall was giving out an iPad mini and then there was a competition in which you could go an meet the different acts. Katya Dickson from 7G entered, and won. She was allowed to do back stage with two other people. At 12:30 the gates opened and we started to go in. The concert itself did not start until around 1:30pm. We had great seats on the side of the Arena so we could see everything. And, of course, we could hear everything too. All the bands were really good. My favourite act was The Dixon Brothers, but different people had different favourites. I think Mr Talbet’s favourit was Lethal Bizzle! Before too long the concert had come to an end and we all had to come back on public transport. We arrived at around 6:50pm. It was a great day out and we all had a fantastic time. Issue 31 July 2016

TRANSITION DAY 2016

WORLD CHALLENGE TO MOROCCO

Ms Spence writes: On July 12th we welcomed our new Year 7 students to Highgate Wood School. They all had a great time, getting to know their tutors and their tutor groups and becoming familiar with the school grounds as well as enjoying their first â&#x20AC;&#x153;tasterâ&#x20AC;? lesson in a secondary school. I would like to thank everyone involved in the day, but particularly the peer mentors who showed exceptional patience and consideration in helping the newcomers feel comfortable in their new school, and allowing them to find their feet. I would also like to thank everyone involved in producing the welcome to Highgate Wood School video which was such a hit with the group during assembly. That video, together with a small photogallery of pictures taken by the peer mentors during the day, is now available on the school website.

Ms Ward writes: On the 28th June 14 students set off on their World Challenge expedition to Morocco. Students engaged in a community project in the remote village Goulmima. They worked continuously for five days to help lay the foundations for a basketball court, built a sanitation area and dug an irrigation system for a local primary school. Whilst in Goulmima the students took to opportunity to engage in some fantastic cultural activities that were offered by local people. This included visiting a 600 year old Kasbah and seeing how the Nomads survived in the desert. Once the project was complete the team then took the challenge to climb the highest mountain in North Africa. Students endured gusts of 20 mph winds and after a total of 10 hours walking all managed to reach the summit successfully (4167m). Congratulations to all of those students who took part and many thanks to those who helped the students with their fundraising.

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July 2016

MEDIA MOLECULE GAME STUDIO TRIP

Mr Talbert writes: In June, 20 Year 8 students visited game studio Media Molecule. Media Molecule is the creator of the BAFTA award winning games ‘Little Big Planet’ and ‘Tearaway’. This trip was aimed at showcasing some of the many career opportunities that exist in the games industry and to help dispel the negative stereotypes of a career in the games industry. The students got to interact with staff, play never before seen games and see what a leading game studio is like.

SKILLS FOR LIFE AT THE PRUDENTIAL

Mr Talbert writes: Twelve Year 12 ICT and Business Studies students undertook an in depth programme of 90 minute lunchtime workshops from January to July 2016 at the Prudential’s Head Office in Central London. The students explored own skills and strengths, how these will be useful in their careers and how they can best communicate these to potential employers. Through the workshops, one of the students, Reece Osborne was offered a summer work experience placement at the Compass Group who is the world’s largest contract catering and support services business.

SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL: ACTIVE, RESPONSIBLE, SAFE Mr Ashman writes: We are currently Bronze Awarded with Transport for London’s Sustainable Travel Stars Scheme, but are aiming to go for Silver and then Gold. This will mean us doing a lot more to promote more healthy lifestyles amongst our school population and encourage all students and staff to make better use of sustainable means of travel like walking and cycling. Part of this campaign is to encourage parents not to drive their children to school, and certainly not drive them to the school gates. We also want to support students so they can come to school on their own, safely and confidently and are hoping to make Cycle Proficiency and Bicycle Maintenance courses available to all students next year. 20

For anyone who would like to get free training before September visit www.haringey.gov.uk/ smartertravel where you will find information on pop-up Cycle Maintenance Courses and Bikeability courses that are happening during the summer. Issue 31 July 2016

YEAR 9 VISIT THE BATTLEFIELDS OF WWI

Amy Davis writes: On Tuesday 28th June fifty Year 9 students travelled to Belgium to visit the battlefields and see the memorials of World War 1. Our trip began at an English cemetery, where 2,000 men were buried. All their memorials carried engravings, most with names and dates but some saying only known unto God. We looked at a grave belonging to a 15 year old, one carrying the Star of David and one naming a man who received a Victoria Cross. Our next destination showed us a German cemetery. Whilst the English cemetery encouraged the celebration of the dead, the German cemetery showed only loss. Each stone had multiple names on it, the cemetery itself holding 44,000 soldiers. Walking through the cemeteries it was hard not be silent and respectful of all those who had given their lives and reflect on how it must have been. It was shocking to see the numbers of soldiers who had never been found or identified. We visited a museum where they had uniforms , weapons and food from the period as well as a recreation of the bunkers and trenches. This really showed the conditions that the men were forced to live in. We laid a wreath to show our respect not only to the soldiers who had lost their lives, but to the families who had lost their loved ones. This was an incredible experience and I would hugely recommend it to anyone who has a chance Issue 31

July 2016

CHAMBER CONCERT

Ms Ugboma writes: Congratulations to all the musicians and singers who took part in the summer chamber concert on 12th July. It was a lovely evening with a varied programme and excellent performances from all. What a fantastic way to finish the year!

BIG BANG SCIENCE FAIR

Madeleine Cormican and Sophie Kinloch write: On Wednesday, 6th July, fifty Year 9 students went to The Bing Bang Science Fair at Newham College in London. The events introduced us to the wide variety of careers involving science and gave us an insight into the way the world is moving and opportunities are changing. We talked to career specialists who were extremely interesting and engaging in giving us advice for the future professions. We also got involved in a range of different workshops such as food technology, hair and skin, sport and fitness, animal research and many others, including the National Space Academy. We really enjoyeda day of hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) experiences from industry, research and education, and we are really looking forward to having the opportunity of attending more events like this in the future. 21

YEAR 7 and 8 DRAMA CLUB TOUR

Ms Stables writes: From October until very recently the year 7 and 8 Drama club have been working on an improvised play to tour the local primary schools. It is something we do every year and, for 2016, we were working on a poem called Flannan Isle by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson. The poem is about a mysterious lighthouse where three men go missing. The group went on their tour on Thursday 23rd June 2016 and they performed for Weston Park, St. Gilda’s and Rokesly Primary Schools. I was so proud of them. Their performances were great. The drama club were showing their versions of what they thought had happened on the lighthouse. There were four stories. There was a smuggler’s story, where they had to get rid of their maid because she heard too much; the family who crashed in their ship because the lighthouse keeper forgot to turn the light on. The daughter of the family became a ghost and haunted the lighthouse for ever; the men who witnessed a murder on the lighthouse and had to hide and the girl who was evil and wanted the treasure for herself and went looking for it on Flannan Isle. All the stories added to the mystery and the primary school children were intrigued to find out what happened. The play finished with lines from the poem where everyone on the lighthouse came together, surrounded by all the ghosts of the lighthouse. The drama club worked very hard each week to put the play together and I would like to say a big thank you to all of them.

FUND RAISING FOR NOAH’S ARK

Ms Harding writes: On Thursday 16th June, some students from 10T sold cakes to raise money for the Seacole House charity, 'Noah's Ark'. The students did an amazing job, and managed to raise £150.00. The money will be used to help fund a soft play area at Noah's Ark. I would like to thank students from 10T who helped on the day, and I would also like to thank staff and students who baked and bought cakes and supported this worthy cause.

SUCCESS ON THE RACETRACK

Ms Isaac writes Brandon Abraham‘s career on the racetrack goes from strength to strength. He has now won 1st place Rookie in The British Superone Karting Championships and has also joined a new racing team Litchfield Motorsports. Well done Brandon! Issue 31 July 2016

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD

Mr Frost writes: While the school was competing at sports day a selection of year 10 students were participating in training in preparation for an Expedition as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Students erected tents, discussed safety and considered requirements for self-sufficient living. On 7th and 8th July I took 4 groups totalling 26 students north of Epping Forest to put in practice some on their learning. Students were given a route covering over 10 km which they had to navigate ending up at a camping location. The weather was hot and made conditions difficult for trekking, however, all students made it successfully to camp even if one team rolled in a little later than the rest. The task of setting up tents and cooking on a trangia stove, and a game of rounders occupied them until dusk when they set about preparing for the next morning and the walk to the collection point for the return to school. A little rain did not cause any alarm as this turned again to a glorious sunny day. I can say that all students were amazing and a real credit to themselves, their families and Highgate Wood School. It was an absolute pleasure to have been involved and I look forward to seeing them complete their Qualification Expedition when we return in September. I think a special mention should go to the all-girls team for the endurance and perseverance they showed in their two hikes.

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July 2016

Holly Hart writes: Our groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience of DofE was a lot better than I expected, because even though we had to walk about 7 hours on the first day it was good as I had a great group and we took lots of breaks. We got lost but found our way back, which was fun, and we had to do the majority of it by ourselves. When we got back to the campsite, me and Katie put up our tents which wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that easy at all but we did it eventually. The next day we got chased by horses, but we were the first group back and only took 4 hours because we had learnt from our mistakes on the first day. We also learned how to use a map and compass to find our way around and we had massive heavy bags on our backs which we learned to take as little as possible and how to pack it.

DofE NEXT YEAR

The Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award was launched this year for year 10 and will be promoted in September for the new year 10. Any year 9 who wish to consider this next year wait for the launch, look at the website www.dofe.org or see Mr Frost in P14.

Portrait by Asha Oguri

ART TRIUMPHS AT GCSE AND A LEVEL

Lauren Dutton

Ms Zwicky writes: We are delighted by the standard of work students have produced at both GCSE and A Level. Visitors to the GCSE Art Show were very impressed, and the subsequent private show of A Level work confirmed the talents of our young artists. At A2-Level the students were set the theme of Truth Fantasy or Fiction, which triggered a wide range of work, much of it thought provoking and challenging. Hanna Lean created a powerful series of sculptures, highlighting the truth and experiences expressed by victims of torture. Asha Oguri wowed us with a striking portrait, which derived from an in depth journey investigating the portrayal of women and femininity. Cassie Penfold and Maddie ButtlingSmith created installation work around the theme, with Alex Mackay taking this a step further and creating another site specific piece inspired by Gilbert & George, brightening up the art corridor.

Equally our Photography students created stunning work. Michael Bull produced a very perceptive piece around how people are represented in the media today in comparison to 60 years ago, whereas Emily Mort interpreted the theme in a more personal manner where she created personal portraits of her friends representing their personal hidden personalities through delicate layering techniques. Tilly Aldhous, managed to create a very striking piece of work around phobias, working with the actual elements around the phobias, be it water, fire or maggots. We are thrilled that the efforts of these students at A Level has set them on a creative path for their futures, with many destined for top art colleges around the country. Jamie Alcantara and Alexandra Horton are planning to study animation at Bournemouth, Tilly Aldhous hopes to take photography at Brighton, whilst Emily Mort is planning on Falmouth. Maddy Buttling-Smith and Lauren Dutton intend to go to Camberwell College of Art whilst Remi Caudebec has achieved a place at UCA. Jamie Taylor-Goff is destined to study film production at East London whilst Cassie Penfold is planning to pursue product design at Northampton. We wish you all every success.

A photogallery of much of the work completed by our A Level Art & Design and Photography students is available to view on the school website. Issue 31 July 2016

MODEL UNITED NATIONS

Global Classrooms Model UN Mr Robertson writes: On 12th and 13th July, our students attended the 10th annual Model UN conference at Mulberry School for Girls. The topic focused on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3, which is tasked with “ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing for all people at all ages”. Each committee room took responsibility for examining the needs and challenges of particular regions, and this led to very varied discussions. For example, WHO Africa actively discussed maternal and infant mortality, vaccinations for malaria and the challenges of extending access to healthcare to as many people as possible. By contrast, the Western and European committees discussed the spread of obesity and increased access to mental health care. Meanwhile, on the Crisis Committee, a fictional diplomatic crisis between Pakistan and India over Kashmir led to accusations of espionage, assassinations and a world dragged to the edge of nuclear conflict. Overall, the two day event was as challenging as it was rewarding. I am delighted to report that our students keep matching the achievements of previous delegations. Of the 12 students who attended, nine delegates won awards and the other three all made incredibly valuable contributions to the success of their committees. The fact that four of those awards went to students in Year 8 is a testament to their passion, preparation and the training they have been provided by Ms Sayer. It goes without saying that they conducted themselves impeccably, in line with the ethos of the school and the values of the Model United Nations. Issue 31

July 2016

Student comments: Ella Bullard (Year 8): In my committee a big subject of discussion was education and how we should tackle communicable diseases such as HIV and cholera. As the delegate of Zambia, I argued to raise awareness of the issues and increase access to medicine Dani Weiss (Y10): In my committee we talked about the rising issue of obesity and all of the health-related issues that come with it. We also discussed tobacco use and the causes, effects and solutions to the large number of people who smoke. Tom Carter (Y9): In my committee we discussed topics relevant to the health and wellbeing of people all over Europe. This included the control of tobacco and obesity, but also refugees, violence against women, communicable diseases (such as HIV/Aids) and noncommunicable diseases (e.g. cancer). As the representative of Switzerland, I raised a number of these issues and worked with other delegates to create a resolution to solve these problems. Thank you and goodbye from Mr Robertson: This was my 15th and last Model UN conference at Highgate Wood as I am leaving to take up a role in a new school from September. Model UN has consumed an enormous amount of my time and energy over the last 6 years and it has been worth every minute; I have been blessed to work with so many inspiring, dedicated young people whose passion for global justice has never been more needed in a divided and uncertain world. I would like to thank every student who has ever participated, the teachers who taught them the skills they needed to take part, and the parents who have supported and encouraged them. And I would like to thank Miss Sayer for agreeing to take on the responsibility for future conferences. I know that future students will prosper on this programme for many years to come.

TRIP TO COLERIDGE SCHOOL

Ms Ereira writes: Congratulations to the Accelerated Readers listed below. I hope all staff and students enjoy reading some good books over the summer holidays. Let me have your reviews when we return in September! 500,000 WORDS GOLD AWARD Lily Bacon Darwin Alice Jenkins

300,000 WORDS SILVER AWARD Katya Dickson Manon Elliott Brian Li Maya Muir Daisy Murray Frederick Pegler Zoe Street Maria Tewodros Holly Tunnicliffe Fabienne Valancogne Louis Yule 100,000 WORDS BRONZE AWARD Luna Berger Eliza Buckton Celeste Clift Julia Coroama Daisy Daman Underwood Gareth Davies Olivia Dennis Emre Dogan Jenae Feisal Ruby Green James Hastings O'shea Matilda Heath Rosie Hegarty Morrish Ellie Hutchings Arisara Iglesis Barrull Zeki Jones Maya Kane Elanaz Kir

Veli Kucuk Conor McGrail Leila Mentash Migena Miftari Christopher O'Brien Latisha Rankin Sienna Santeramo Elodie Soteriou Jessy Stoneman Florence Stroud Saron Tariku Ella Taylor Alice Tolipan Nathan Travers Reece Wright 5 QUIZZES PASSED BRONZE AWARD Lily Bacon Darwin Eliza Buckton Talia Bunting Noah Gerner Ruby Green Joseph Irwin Pia Kanani Maya Kane Taulant Krasniqi Brian Li Bethany Matsuda Gaviria Isabelle McBroom Abdimajid Mohamed Maya Muir Daisy Murray Christopher O'Brien Coco Sanchez Irah Spanswick-Smith Fabienne Valancogne Reece Wright Louis Yule

Ms Ereira writes: Reading to young children is a special experience, and it’s especially exciting for the little ones to hear stories from secondary school students. On Friday 1st July a group of book club members from Years 7, 8 and 9 visited Coleridge Primary School to read picture books to the infant school children. Our students prepared carefully to ensure that the stories would engage the little ones. Some even brought cuddly toys to help act out their stories! The little ones evidently enjoyed the visit and the Highgate Wood students were sad to leave and very keen to return.

LIES WE TELL OURSELVES by ROBIN TALLEY This year for the first time the Carnegie Medal incorporated a special award, the Amnesty Cilip Honour. This recognises the book which most distinctively illuminates, communicates, or celebrates our personal rights and freedoms. Lies We Tell Ourselves is set in 1959 in the middle of the battle for civil rights. Sarah is one of the first black students at the previously all-white Jefferson High. Linda is the daughter of the town’s most highprofile segregationist. The two are meant to hate each other, but a surprising relationship begins to develop. In the words of one of the CILIP judges, it ‘portrays brilliantly the fight for the right to an education, and the human cost of asserting that right'. Come and find it in the LRC. Issue 31 July 2016

CHARLIE HIGSON VISITS THE LRC

Ms Ereira writes: How scary should a zombie book be? Charlie Higson, author of the Young Bond book series and of zombie series The Enemy, wasn’t sure. So when he was writing The Enemy, every time he finished a chapter he would read it to his youngest son at bedtime and see how scared he was. To begin with Sidney would just be grinning so the author realised it needed to be much scarier to frighten modern kids. But when Sidney woke in the middle of the night trembling and drenched in sweat, having had a nightmare about the story. Charlie’s reaction? ‘Yes! I’ve finally got him!’ At a lunchtime talk in the LRC, Charlie Higson discussed the important issue of zombies and vampires. He talked about the gender divide and how girls tend to prefer vampires while boys tend to prefer zombies. Vampires are good looking despite being impossibly old – and are highly intelligent. You could have a good conversation with a vampire. Zombies, on the other hand, would be no good for conversation. They shuffle around communicating in grunts. They’re dirty, smelly, their trousers hang off them… basically they are teenage boys. The Enemy confronts us with the true horror of zombies: the idea that our loved ones could become the monsters we fear most. In the book, a terrible disease only affects people over the age of 14. They either die immediately, or their brains are so badly rotted away that they start to behave like classic cannibal zombies. Set locally in North London, groups of kids end up living in Waitrose on Holloway Road, while others live in the Morrisons. So for a truly local dose of fear, this is definitely the right book. Issue 31

July 2016

The LRC was absolutely packed for this event, with students perched on tables at the back in order to listen to the talk. Charlie is a writer with a very loyal following and it was fantastic to hear a Year 10 boy tell him how much his books meant to him, having been reading them since the age of 9. Some students, on the other hand, were new to Charlie’s work and he made quite an impact on them too. I think he would be pleased by the reaction of one Year 7 student: ‘It was GOOOOD! I had a nightmare about zombies eating me after the talk!’

ARABELLA WEIR VISITS THE LRC

Ms Ereira writes: Arabella Weir was, in her own words, extremely naughty at school. Her parents had divorced, her older brothers were away at boarding school and she was unhappy. Starting a new school at 11, she decided that she needed to be popular and that the way to achieve this was by being funny and rude. The strategy worked – she was very popular – but she doesn’t recommend it as she didn’t pass any exams at 16. Arabella visited the LRC for a lunchtime talk, and read from The Rise and Rise of Tabitha Baird. This is the first in her trilogy of books about the life of teenage Tabitha Baird. Tabitha is very much based on the teenage Arabella, and many of the incidents in the book were real stories from Arabella’s life. ‘I really enjoyed it. It was really funny.’ – Manon ‘She was really funny’ – Olivia ‘The way she told the story was very relatable, talking how people talk in real life’ – Rory 27

KEREN DAVID writes:

CARNEGIE MEDAL LIVESTREAM IN THE LRC

It’s coming to the end of my first year as Patron of Reading at Highgate Wood School and I’m very Ms Ereira writes: pleased with the way it’s gone. On June 20th book club members from Years 7, 8 This year I’ve spoken at lots of assemblies, run and 9 assembled in the LRC to watch the livestream creative writing workshops with Year 7s, spoken to broadcast of the Carnegie Medal awards ceremony. Year 8s about writing historical fiction and met the The Carnegie Medal is the most prestigious national Year 7 and Year 8 reading groups many times. They children’s book prize. Its sister award, the even helped me write my next book by critiquing Greenaway Medal, recognises the best children’s the first chapter. book illustration. The shortlists were announced in I have loved working with the LRC staff. Ms Ereira March, and the Highgate Wood book clubs have and Ms Razi are so full of ideas, enthusiasm and been reading them since then. expertise. We worked to get more authors visiting This year’s Carnegie shortlist was particularly strong, the school. We also had the very first Highgate with a range of genres to enjoy, and many book club Wood School book award, won by Lisa Williamson’s members have managed to read them all. The Art of Being Normal, and Year 8 students The winner, One by Sarah Crossan, is an absolutely decorated a window at Pickled Pepper books to unique and original free verse novel about showcase the shortlist. conjoined twins. It was a very popular winner here, Meeting the Year 7 and Year 8 reading group made and we all enjoyed Sarah Crossan’s acceptance me realise how many strong readers there are in the speech in which she made a passionate case for school, students who gobble up books and are full both poetry and libraries. of intelligent and interesting things to say about them. I also met with another group of students, the FEATURED BOOK— ONE by Sarah Crossan sort labelled ‘reluctant readers’ at school, who would never think of joining a reading group. I Carnegie Medal Winner 2016 and found that they all actually read quite a lot, but Winner of the YA Book Prize 2016 weren’t always talking about it. One hope for next One tells the story of conjoined year is that I can do more work to engage readers twins, Tippi and Grace, as they like that, and get them to join the conversation are forced to attend high school about reading already going on in the school. for the first time. It’s a very Another hope is that parents and staff will join in moving book, written in free too. Maybe we could start a Young Adult reading verse, and has been very popular group for Highgate Wood School parents and staff? with Highgate Wood students. I’d love to involve more of you in our aim to get An exploration of identity, sisterhood and love, you everyone in the Highgate Wood School community can find this book in the LRC. It would make a great reading more. summer holiday read! 28

Issue 31 July 2016

THROUGH TO THE FINAL

INTERHOUSE TOUCH RUGBY

Mr Bomani writes: The Year 9 cricket team made it to the Middlesex plate final at the John Lyon School on Monday 4th July after beating The Swaminarayan School in the semi-final. Greenford High School were our opponents in the final. Highgate Wood took to the field first and were successful in their bowling with Cerys Walker being a notable performer, taking three wickets in five overs. There were also some great catches by Kevonte Willoughby Williams and Jack Thornton. Unfortunately we couldn’t take our good form into our batting and were left short hitting 48 runs all out with some very accurate bowling from Greenford, leaving us to take the runners up medal. The students were a credit to the school and despite not winning, enjoyed playing at a fantastic facility. Well done to all involved!

Mr Ifrim writes: The Rugby Touch Tournament on 13th July was a great success with record participation for an inter house competition. Ten teams participated (boys and girls from years 7, 8 and 9). It was a great atmosphere and everyone had a great time. Congratulations to everybody who got involved and made it happen. Many thanks to all the tutors who helped in promoting the event and encouraged their tutees to get involved. We had two coaches from the RFU who discussed with our students who are interested to take this experience even further and sign up to a local Rugby club.

OTIS McAULIFFE: NUMBER ONE TRAMPOLINIST I THE COUNTRY Mr Adam’s writes: Edison House’s Otis McAuliffe represented his Trampoline and Double Mini Trampoline Club in Liverpool at the 2016 British Championships. This is an elite of the elite event and the culmination of months of hard work from Otis. Otis performed superbly, winning the gold medal and becoming the 2016 11-12 British Double Mini Trampoline Champion. This is an extraordinary triumph for a Year 7 student, but possibly of even more significance is the way that Otis consistently represented himself immaculately, becoming a great ambassador for his club, his school and for gymnastics as a whole. He is already proving to be a popular and highly respected competitor with peers, coaches from other clubs and indeed competition judges. One of the international judges remarked upon his maturity, and his competitive yet extremely sporting attitude. Well done Otis. We are all proud of you. Issue 31

July 2016

SPORTS DAY 2016 Mr Adams writes: Sports Day 2016 was a success with record numbers of students participating in a range of track and field events. The students seemed to really get into the spirit and feel of the day, with many students even turning up with face paint and house colour coordinated clothing. The standard of competition on the day was high with many students coming very close to breaking long standing school records. There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough room on here to individually mention each of our successful students, but I would like to say congratulations to everyone who took part. I want to also say a huge congratulations to the PE department who worked diligently for weeks to put together Sports Day for the 800 students who took part.

SEACOLE: SPORTS DAY WINNER SEACOLE: HOUSE COMPETITION POINTS WINNER EDISON: PARTICIPATION NUMBERS WINNER

MIDDLESEX ATHLETICS COMPETITION

2016 SWIMMING GALA

Mr Adams writes: A huge congratulations for Kelton Ryland, Laurel Smith, Anwar Fuseini, Marlon Cambell Costa and Finlay Reed for representing Haringey in the Middlesex County Athletics competition on the 27th June. It was a great achievement for these students as they had to win previous heats by beating fellow athletes from Haringey, to be selected for the Haringey team. The Middlesex County Athletics competition was a wonderful occasion and a brilliant day. It was capped off by a winning run from Marlon in the Year 7 Hurdles, a second in Year 8 Long Jump by Anwar and 4th place out of 12 for Kelton in the Year 8 1500m. A huge well done to all 5 students and we all look forward to next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitions and taking their success further, keep training everyone!

Mr Adams writes: For the third year in a row, we have successfully retained the Year 8 boys and girls and the Year 9 girls 1st place trophy. Highgate Wood School are now considered as the school to beat, and the school with the best swimmers. We really are feared by other competitors and that is a wonderful achievement! Everyone who took part and competed against the seven other schools were fantastic. We even had other PE teachers from other schools come and congratulate us on such an impressive display. I look forward to taking Highgate Wood School to the next Swimming Gala, but this time sweeping up all the 1st places from all year groups.

Issue 31 July 2016

SPORTS DAY 2016 GALLERY

Issue 31

July 2016

School begins again for students on

Wednesday 7th September 2016 at 10:55 am for Year 7 (finishing at 1:20pm) at 2:10 for Years 8—11 (finishing at 3:10pm) It will be Week 1 KEY DATES A Level Results Day

Thursday 18th August

GCSE Results Day

Thursday 25th August

Sixth Form Enrolment

Thursday 25th August

Autumn Term Begins

Monday 5th Sept.

INSET Days

5th—6th Sept

Post 16 Parent Welcome Evening

Tuesday 13th September

Year 10 Parent Information Evening

Monday 26th September

PSA Evening

Thursday 29th September

Primary Transfer Evening

Thursday 13th October

Half term

24th - 28th October

AUTUMN 2016

SPRING 2017

SUMMER 2017

Wed 7th Sept

Term Starts*

Wed 4th January

Term Starts*

Tues 18th April

Term Starts*

24th Oct– 28th Oct

Half term break

13th Feb – 17th Feb

Half term break

29th May – 2nd June Half term break

Thurs 22nd Dec

Term Ends

Fri 31st March

Term Ends

Fri 21st July

Term Ends

The school calendar is available on-line at www.hws.uk.com

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

Insight is available on-line at www.hws.uk.com