News from Highgate Wood School arts college

CONSIDERATION COOPERATION COURTESY CONTRIBUTION Issue No 19 July 2014

July 2014

2

Charles Wright, Chair of

Governors, writes:

We've reached the end of another

school year; I hope everyone is

looking forward to a great summer

break, and I hope the weather

holds up!

Of course we have the exam results next month, and

these are an important indicator of how we are doing

as a school, as well as for individual students. Our

exam performance has improved significantly over

recent years, and we are now securely within the top

performing 20 per cent of schools in England and

Wales.

There's no room for complacency though, and we are

determined that all our students reach their full

potential. The governing body will be looking closely

at the results when they come out, and looking at

areas for improvement as well as celebrating what

I'm sure will be individual and overall success stories.

Many thanks to all staff who have worked hard over

the run-up to the exams, and to parents, carers and

students.

Exams are just one part of what Highgate Wood is

about, and this was underlined again for me at this

year's MADfest, another great event showcasing the

huge array of talent and commitment among our

students and parents! Another thank you to all

involved in organising the day.

Governors have also been taking a look at the new

house system, as we reach the end of its first year of

operation. The system is already making a difference

on the pastoral side, and we will be considering what

improvements may need to be made in the new

school year.

A final thanks to all my fellow governors for their

work over the year, and to our hard-working staff.

Have a great summer!

Cover picture: The cover features the fantastic Madfest 2014. The weather held up, the crowds came and the entertainment was fantastic. Visitors were also able to see the spectacular A Level Art\Design & Technology show.

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 Hazelwood-

Henry • 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,

Montenotte Road, London N8 8RN (koz@hws.haringey.sch.uk)

HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY

GOVERNING BODY UPDATE

Arabella Weir writes:

A huge thank you to everyone who worked so hard

to make MADfest the fantastic school community

event that it always is. Despite patchy weather we

still managed to raise over £5,600 for the school. It

was a great day but we can always do and raise

more!

We want to make make next year's MADfest even

better, so if you have some ideas or would just like

to get involved please contact the PSA via our page

on the website.

One thought for the summer - if only ONE member

from every Highgate Wood family came to

MADfest 2015 we'd raise at least £15,000 on that

day alone!

So, please put it in your 2015 diary!

Have a very happy, well deserved summer break,

the Highgate Wood School PSA.

July 2014

3

Welcome to the last edition

of Insight for this academic

year. Yet again the year has

absolutely flown by.

However, that’s not to say

that we haven’t been

incredibly busy as always,

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 HWS 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!

You will see in this edition of Insight just how vibrant

a place HWS continues to be for all of our students

and staff with so many exciting things happening. I

think you will get a sense that at HWS 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!

School Development Priorities for Improvement for

2013/14

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER

You may recognise that the two of the four key

priorities for 2014/15 are the same as those for the

last two years. They are Priority B and Priority C. This

is no accident. We are very clear that if we as a school

are to give our students great experiences and to

ensure their most outstanding achievements at HWS,

we must ensure that they receive the very best

teaching possible; and this in turn is only made

possible if the leadership of the school is outstanding.

Therefore, we intend to keep our focus on these two

core priorities until we achieve them. In addition, and

in line with the four areas of the Ofsted criteria, we

have added Priority A and D which looks at the

progress that out students make and how well they

behave in lessons and around the school.

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, so the

journey continues. With your continued support I am

confident we will get there.

Uniform in September

We intend to be strict with our uniform expectations

when we come back to school in September. Most

students wear the uniform with pride and to a high

standard, but not all. As a reminder, our 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

Black shoes must be worn – please pay particular

attention to the section later on in this issue by Ms

Allaway on school shoes. Please note that canvass

shoes and Keds, Vans and Converse are no longer

acceptable forms of footwear; neither are leather

forms of the above

Shirts for boys and girls must be worn tucked in

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

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

Short sleeve shirts are a perfectly acceptable

alternative to long sleeve shirts for girls and boys

Securing Outstanding

Achievement and Progress Priority A

Securing Outstanding

Teaching and Learning Priority B

Securing Outstanding

Leadership and Management Priority C

Securing Outstanding

Behaviour and Safety Priority C

July 2014

4

We are very keen to ensure that we set and maintain

the highest of expectations for students at HWS, 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 won’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.

New House Ties

In order to further develop our house identities we

will be introducing new ties from September. The new

ties will have an additional coloured stripe to

represent the house colours (i.e. Da Vinci – dark blue,

Seacole – green, Edison – yellow). The first purchase

of the new tie will be free to all students in Year 8 to

Year 11 (in September) on production of their current

tie. What this means in practical terms is that we will

accept the current school tie as payment for the new

tie in the first instance.

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 in 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 non-uniform

compliance from September.

There will be some containers on GCSE results day,

21st August, where items of uniform that are no

longer needed can be deposited.

Temporary Science Huts & Boys’ Toilets

In September the number of students in year 10 who

will be studying triple science will double compared to

previous years. 120 students will be studying all three

sciences as compared with 60 in the previous years.

As a result of this, we need more science teaching

spaces.

Unfortunately, in the short term, this means that we

will have two temporary classrooms in the Main

Playground to accommodate the additional need.

This will mean slightly less playground space for

students, but in compensation for this we will make

sure that they are placed in a sensible position that

has the least impact possible.

You may also recall earlier in the year that we have

had to use temporary toilets for the boys due to a

fire in the toilets in the main building. The good

news is that the refurbishment of the toilets is now

nearly complete, so in September they will be in

operation again.

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 thought it best to include the

table below showing you who is responsible for

what. Hopefully, it should help you in terms of

approaching the right person to deal with any

queries that you have depending on the nature of

your query.

Mr P Cozier

Headteacher

School Development

Strategy

SLT Performance

Departmental Performance

Pupil Premium

Ms K

Christodoulou

Deputy Head

Staff Development

(CPD)

Performance Appraisal

Staffing &

Recruitment

Attendance

Pupil Premium (Pastoral)

Mr C Hewitt

Deputy Head

Self Evaluation

Assessment

Curriculum

Pupil Premium (Student Progress)

Ms S

Hatch

School Business

Finance & Premises

Health & Safety

Oversight of Managed Network Services

July 2014

5

Mr T

Ashman

Assistant Head

E-Learning strategy and E-Safety Officer

Communications (including PR)

Procedures & Data Protection

Student Voice

Ms L

Pinnick

Assistant Head

KS3 Coordinator

Key Stage 3 Raising

Standards Leader

Timetabling

PSHE Delivery (share)

Ms D

Spence

Assistant Head

Inclusion and intervention

Child protection lead

Pupil Premium (Inclusion)

Mr D

Mansfield

Assistant Head

Learning and Teaching

Development

Literacy Strategy

Maths Strategy

Mr A

Hartley

Assistant Head

KS4 Coordinator

Key Stage 4Raising

Standards Leader

External Complaints

PSHE Delivery (share)

Ms C

Allaway

Assistant Head

Behaviour for Learning

Community & Arts Specialism

KS2-3 transition

By keeping a note of the roles and responsibilities

above, I am hoping that it will make it easier for

parents to direct any queries or concerns directly to

the most appropriate person to deal with it.

Amazing Student – Pauline Ashbee 4Cs Award!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and

congratulate some very special students. Firstly, I

would like to congratulate Alexandra Burgess for

being awarded the Pauline Ashbee 4Cs Award at the

Year 11 Celebration Evening. This was a well deserved

award for a top student. We are proud that she is a

Highgate Wood Student.

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.

Staff Member Subject/Department Years of Service

Ms J Johnson Modern Foreign Languages 16

Mr S Brown Technology & Head of Learning 14

Ms K Smith Science 13

Ms L Sanders English as an Additional Language 12

Ms L Emery English 12

Mr G Contor Head of Drama 10

Ms K Dornan Music 6

Ms B McConville English & Head of Learning 6

Ms A Ryan Music & Deputy Head of Edison 6

Ms D Gunes Geography 4

Ms D Wilson English 4

Ms C Osborne PE 4

Mr T Russell English 3

Mr C Rodrigues Maths 2

Mr F Uddin Maths 1

Mr A Smith History 1

Ms R Darnell Drama 1

Mr P Wiltshire ICT/Business Studies 1

Ms A Yilmaz Pastoral Care Mentor 1

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 Tuesday 2nd

September 2014.

Regards

Patrick Cozier

Headteacher

July 2014

6

Haringey Council have produced a 40 page booklet

(available at http://tinyurl.com/hwssummer) listing

a whole range of activities available for young

people in the borough over the summer holidays.

Many of them are free, with some not even

requiring you to book.

Many of the activities are for younger children, but

there is also a number of events listed in that could

be great for students. These range from a Dynamic

Sports Academy at Finsbury Park Stadium and a

Tennis Camp at Downhills Park, to a Cooking Skills

course at the Muswell Hill Centre and film

screenings at the Marcus Garvey Library. There is

Boxing training for 13-16 year olds at Campsbourne

Primary School and a Driving School at Bruce Grove

Youth Centre where, for free, an Approved Driving

Instructor will give you the training required to

prepare you for your driving test (you must have a

provisional licence to qualify for this course).

More information for things

happening in Haringey over the

summer are available on the

Haringey Youthspace website:

http://tinyurl.com/hwssummer

SUMMER IN HARINGEY

MAJOR WORK TO SCHOOL ICT SYSTEMS

Mr Ashman writes:

During the summer break there will be some very

significant upgrades and changes to the school

network, together with some building work. This

will cause some impact to the smooth running of

things during the summer holidays.

The majority of the work will be completed in time

to ensure that A level and GCSE results (on 14th

and 21st August) can be provided, and for the

school will be functioning as normal for the first

day of term (2nd September). But please be aware

the school phone lines and email traffic will be

disrupted and our admin staff may not be able to

respond to enquiries and requests.

Online content on the MLE will be transferred to a

different area during August so will not be

available. However students accounts with

SAMLearning will remain active.

July 2014

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Ms Allaway writes:

As mentioned in the last issue of Insight we are

returning to the more precise and formal

requirements for school footwear that were

originally part of the school’s Uniform Code.

From September 2014 all students from Years 7 to

11, must wear shoes that offer appropriate grip

and support whilst also being smart, formal and

suitable for school.

The school specifies the following:

All school shoes need to be black leather (or

leather-look).

Boys’ shoes must be black, plain well supported

and low heeled. All stitching and laces must be

black and laces tied at all times. Trainer style shoes

(even if they are black) are unacceptable, as are

canvas gym/pump style shoes and “show off”

designer labels, logos, piping and stripes.

Girls’ shoes must be black, plain and well

supported with a low heel. They can be worn with

fastened black laces, buckles or Velcro. Trainers or

canvas gym/pump style shoes are not allowed.

Most canvas slipper/ballet style shoes provide no

support and are unsuitable for school.

We do appreciate that buying shoes, probably

more than any other item of school uniform, is

open to a range of interpretations and can be very

difficult. There have been times when parents

have bought shoes that are in the “school” range

of very reputable stores, and have then been told

GET IT RIGHT FOR SEPTEMBER!

that they are not appropriate. We can imagine that

this is very frustrating. However, it is important to

note that, whilst a shop or a manufacturer may

describe their shoes as “school” shoes” that does

not necessarily mean they are “Highgate Wood

School” shoes.

We will endeavour to provide as much guidance

through the website and elsewhere to ensure that

a clear message on shoes and the school uniform in

general is communicated, and we hope that the

picture above provide some guidance.

We feel that rather too much time and energy that

should be spent on learning is sometimes spent on

dealing with uniform issues, and we trust that from

September 2014 this will change. To help ensure

that this happens we will adopt a policy of zero-

tolerance on uniform issues in the new academic

year and will impose severe sanctions, including

where necessary sending a child home, for any

infringements of the code that occur.

As has always been the case the final decision does

rest with the Headteacher on what is the correct

interpretation of the code.

If you have any specific concerns or questions

please email them to

uniform@hws.haringey.sch.uk

This email address will be monitored throughout

the summer break.

With thanks for your continued support.

July 2014

8

Mr Talbert writes:

As part of the new computing curriculum, Year 8

students were given a homework project where

they had to work as part of a team to come up with

a concept for an app for a good cause as part of the

Apps for Good programme. Apps for Good gives

students the chance to develop an idea for an app

with the chance of it being made and sold on the

App Store and the students receiving the share of

the profits. This year Highgate Wood School was

lucky enough to have one team that made it to the

finals. Nancy Levy-Vegh (8W) & Rhea Patel (8W)

made it to the finals on the 23rd June 2014 at the

Barbican. Their app Water Works has been

developed to help tell the user whether water is

safe to drink or not while travelling abroad. Also, it

will highlight the need for clean water in foreign

countries and users can donate money to help

support this.

It was a jammed pack day with top executives from

Samsung, Facebook and Thompson Reuters judging

the app ideas and although the girls did not win

their category they had a great experience learning

about the app making process and meeting some

interesting people. They were also lucky enough to

have a tour around Facebook’s new office in

London which ended with them raiding Facebook’s

own sweetshop.

IT’S APPIN’ @HIGHGATEWOODSCHOOL

New Year 8 students be on the lookout for more

information about Apps for Good 2015 in

September so start thinking of some ideas for an

app for a good cause as it could be you that wins

next year.

HWS:A DIGITAL SCHOOL HOUSE SCHOOL

Mr Talbert writes:

Highgate Wood School are proud to announce that

we are now a Digital Schoolhouse school.

The Digital Schoolhouse project is a national and

international recognised pioneering initiative in

teaching Computing to primary school pupils.

From September Highgate Wood School will be

opening its computer suites twice a week to Year

Five and Six pupils and teachers and offering a

variety of lessons to meet primary schools

individual Computing needs as part of the new Key

Stage 2 programme of study.

July 2014

9

Mr Talbert writes:

Forty Year 8 & 9 students were treated to the BT

Rock Assembly at Wembley Arena as a result of

their work on the Apps for Good programme and

as part of the BT Digital School Champions

programme where they trained a relative how to

use Google or upload a photo.

It was a jam packed day starting with a futures fair

where the students were able to speak to

universities and organisations about future careers.

Then in the afternoon 10,000 students from across

the country were treated to the BT Rock Assembly

with performances from Angel, Misha B, Conor

Maynard and Professor Green. The students all

enjoyed themselves especially Aiesha (8S) who did

not sit down the whole afternoon as she was

singing and dancing to every song.

If you want to have a chance to go to next year’s

BT Rock Assembly on the 1st July 2015 see Mr

Talbert for more information.

HWS @ THE BT ROCK ASSEMBLY

Dr Ramon Trujillo Puig

writes:

A group of fifty-six gifted Year

9 girls visited the London

Transport Museum in Acton Depot as part of

Women in Engineering week. As well as finding out

a bit about what engineering was and interviewing

a female engineer, they also had the challenge of

constructing a 3D train track that would travel a

certain distance and stop at the 'station', without

brakes! They were each awarded a CREST

Discovery Award for their skill and resilience.

The most memorable part of the trip was the walk

around the museum looking at how modes of

transport had progressed from the horse drawn

carriages to the double decker buses and tube

trains. As well as laughing at some of the old

advertisements, students were in awe of the simple

transitions from burning horse dung to petrol, and

from spirit lamps in train carriages to electric

lighting.

WOMEN IN ENGINEERING

July 2014

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Mr Robertson writes:

On 10th & 11th July, 24 students in years 9 and 10

participated in the annual Global Classrooms

Model UN event at Mulberry School for Girls.

The topic of the conference was Sustainable

Development Post 2015. Our delegates were asked

to research what progress has been made in

alleviating poverty, hunger, illiteracy, disease and

discrimination, and to propose what the

international community must do to extend

freedom and justice to all.

This was the youngest delegation we have ever

taken to a conference but you would not know it

from the depth of their research, the eloquence of

their contributions, and the maturity with which

they negotiated with other delegates. Our students

won awards in every committee they were

assigned to, which meant that we received the

award for Best Delegation - an exceptional

achievement given their age and experience.

Every one of our students should be proud of their

achievements; for the impeccable way they

conducted themselves and for the way they cared

for and supported each other during a challenging

two day event. As a school, we are incredibly proud

of them.

MODEL UN CONFERENCE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Our delegates:

Harry Ghose-Coveny

Tommy Pegler

Emmy Budis

Rosana Salonen

Martha White

Jake Canton-Perry

Sina Nafissi

Ruby Neal

Hannah Crabb-Krivine

Lily Roberts

Sadie Goswell

Leila Kikuchi-House

Gloria Coles

Anton Beka

Lui Donaldson

Lucy Whelan

Laura Moss

Mia Clifford

Alex McLaren

Phoebe Bennett

Imogen Sheppard

Gabriel Brown

Beth Gosschalk

Patrick Hegarty-Morrish

July 2014

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MODEL UN CONFERENCE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT A LEVEL ART SHOW

Ms Zwicky writes:

This year's Art, Photography and D&T exhibition

was of an exceptionally high standard. The

students have curated a stunning show, which

included atmospheric installation pieces by Sophie

Gladstone and Sabi Newman-Chalk, as well as

countless photographic and mixed media

contributions.

Some of the work which stood out was Kami

Jogee's large scale paintings. Conrad Lee's Graphic

photography work, Natasha Faircloughs delicate

paper sculpture work, and Pip Whitelock's large

scale portrait and urban landscape photography.

We are very proud of our current cohort, and hope

their hard work pays off when they receive their

results in the summer.

Chloe Petmezas Walker

July 2014

12

Ms Allaway writes:

Highgate Wood School

students were involved again

with the Crouch End Festival

schools events for 2014.

Ms Kate Dornan and Ms Anna Ryan led our school

choir in performances outside the Hornsey Town

Hall along with performances from all the schools in

our network learning community including;

Coleridge, Rokesly, Weston Park, St Mary's, St

Aidens, Campsbourne and Hornsey School for girls.

The year 11 band "Little Folk" performed and many

of our students were performing in the Haringey big

band.

In addition to the music there was also the art. All

the schools contributed to an exhibition in the

Hornsey Library and we had a team of Year 7 and

Year 9 students led by Ms Haf Stevens, Ms Michelle

Masters, Ms Charlotte Angove and Ms Vesna

Parchet working on two joint works on the theme

of water. Hornsey Library said that it has been the

best attended exhibition that they have ever staged

and Park Road Pool have asked if the joint artworks

can be displayed at their grand reopening in the

autumn.

CROUCH END FESTIVAL

Ms Daws-Knowles writes:

On Monday 14 July our Year 10 Media Studies

students had their hard work rewarded by a trip to

Warner Bros Studios.

The students have completed two units of

coursework this year analysing and creating

magazine covers. They also wrote a 1000 word

analysis of an action adventure film and designed a

poster and trailer for their own film.

The students visited the sets of the Harry Potter

film franchise, rode broomsticks, and learned how

costumes, make up, animal actors and special

effects including animatronic monsters are used in

the films.

MEDIA STUDENTS AT HOGWARTS

MADFEST VEGETABLES!

Ms Jones writes:

Another success for the BTEC Level 2 L2 Sustaina-

bility Skills Students. They made over £100 through

the school harvest at MADFest with their school

grown produce.

July 2014

13

YPES - THE WORLD WAR I BATTLEFIELDS

Sheni Barry writes:

On Tuesday, 8th July, 4 coaches of year 7 students

went on a MFL trip to Bruges in Belgium, well that

was the plan …

Everyone had to be at school for 6.30am promptly

and there was a lot of excitement in the air. We

were put onto coaches where I sat with my best

friend and after about 10 minutes fell asleep!

Unfortunately, after waiting a few hours in the

terminal to go abroad, it was announced that the

Eurotunnel had cancelled all day trips abroad.

However, instead of going back to school we made

the most of the day and went to the beach in the

UK instead.

It wasn't Belgium, but we still had a lot of fun! it

was great that Ms Booth and Ms Johnson organised

this trip for us and made the most of a day out.

BRUGES MOVES TO SUSSEX!

Ms Kingston writes:

At the end of June, Year 9 students enjoyed a

History day trip to the battlefields of the First World

War in Ypres, Belgium.

We visited just a few of the huge number of

cemeteries and memorials in the area. The Ypres

salient was the scene of some of the most bloody

and destructive battles of the war. Our students

noticed the stark contrast between German and

British cemeteries. We also saw gravestones of

many people from the British Empire – including

Chinese, West Indian and Indian soldiers.

Students also got a feel for the war at the

Passchendaele Museum where they tried on some

of the kit that soldiers had to use. It all made for a

memorable day.

In 2009 the last surviving soldier of First World War

– Harry Patch died at the age of 111. His passing

marked the end of an era, but these visits help our

students remember what happened in the ‘Great’

War. Over the next five years there will be much

public discussion of the war as the centenary of the

war begins on 4th August 2014. Hopefully, having

visited these sites our students will have something

to add to the debate.

July 2014

14

Mr Hartley writes:

Year 11 celebration evening was a fantastic event this year (as it always is) and all the Year 11 students had a great time! It was so good to see students enjoying celebrating each other’s success and hard work. They created an amazingly positive atmosphere in the Union Chapel. Parents and staff also enjoyed the event immensely.

I was so proud of all Year 11’s achievement as individuals and as a year group and I know that Mr Brokenshire, their previous Head of Learning was very proud also. They were consistently supportive of each other throughout the year as well as being kind and considerate. All the students were a credit to themselves and their parents and to the school. I look forward to seeing everyone back in year 12.

Several people have to be thanked without whom it would never have happened. Lindsay Pinnick and Bronach McConville, Nurissa Daniels and Andy Green put huge amounts of work into the event. Also my thanks to Heads of House and Deputy Heads of House, tutors and teachers and support staff for helping make it such a memorable event. Finally I would like to thank our guests, DJ Scott Mills and Cassie Compton.

Mr Cozier

Mr Brokenshire

Cassie Compton

Find out about Cassie Compton at www.cassiecompton.com

CELEBRATION EVENING: THE CLASS OF 2014 Congratulations Alexandra

Burgess, this year’s 4Cs

Award Winner.

July 2014

15

HIGHGATE WOOD SCHOOL

CLASS OF 2014

July 2014

16

Jack Coomber writes:

We are constantly bombarded with new, exciting

propositions that humans will one day be able to

colonize other planets. Most notable of these is

Buzz Aldrin’s comment that the individuals on the

first manned mars mission should remain on the

red planet in order to begin developing a society.

Such a proposal has ironically been coined a

suicide mission, when in fact, it is designed to have

the exact opposite effect, the expansion of life.

However, we seem to overlook the fact that at the

moment, we do not know if it is even possible to

have a baby in space.

Although it seems an unintelligent question to ask,

we have to consider how human life has adapted

to the specific measures of gravity the Earth is

subject to, and therefore must note that our

reproductive systems have acquired the mutations

necessary to make sure hormones reach the

growing foetus, not to mention the additional

strain placed on the mother due to substantially

less help from gravity during the process of the

birth itself.

Although research has been promising in rats, it is

hard to generalize from such a creature to

humans. Furthermore, the aforementioned rats

were pregnant before entering space, so it is

questionable whether a sperm and an egg are

capable of meeting in such different conditions.

All in all, we must be wary of getting too excited

over the prospect of living on new planets, and

cannot assume getting there is an end in itself, as

in fact, it is only half the story.

CAN WE GIVE BIRTH IN SPACE

SCIENCE LECTURES AT IMPERIAL COLLEGE

Ms El Damanawi writes:

Talented chemists from Years 10 and 12 had their

normal everyday assumptions about the world

shattered with an evening lecture at Imperial

College. It turns out that despite its popularity on

earth, ice is most definitely strange. It floats in its

own liquid, unlike all other 'bergs' and always has a

slippery surface!.

During a brief visit to the Science Museum earlier

in the day they proved that they were more than

chemists with one group managing to use the

concept of moments to balance blocks to

championship level and another moving a series of

rings to predict the exact projectile motion of a

ball.

July 2014

17

Ms Roberts writes:

In June, the science department took Year 7

students to three different locations in central

London for their enrichment trip. The three

destinations were London Zoo, the Natural History

Museum and the Science Museum.

Staff and students had a fantastic time, whether

they were marvelling at the monkeys, discovering

about dinosaurs or being surprised by space!

A huge thank you to Ms El-Damanawi, Ms Andreas

and Mr Ward for organising such enriching trips!

SCIENCE ENRICHMENT

Maleah Drake 7E writes: The trip to the science

museum was brilliant and fun. We went to see the

rocket show which was a blast, it taught me about

Isaac Newton and rockets.10/10!”

Amelia Doyle 7E writes: The best part of the day is

that we got to run around the Launchpad. There

were activities like the one where you had to bite a

bit of straw and cover your ears and you could hear

rock music! It was great fun and it would be good

to have more opportunities to go on trips like this

again!”

Kamille Nicholson-Johnson 7S writes: ' We saw so

many animals. My favourite was seeing the the

giraffes. Our learning session was really good as we

had the chance to see skeletons and even touch a

snake! It was also fun exploring the shops. It was a

great day out'.

July 2014

18

Ms. Eisa writes:

A group of Year 7 students travelled to Pendarren

this month, where they were treated not only to

fantastic Welsh weather but also got the chance to

face some fears and carry out a diverse set of

activities.

Year 7 were lucky enough to go canoeing, caving,

climbing and walking; where they made it to the

top of three mountain peaks over 700M above sea

level.

It was a great team building experience where new

friendships were formed and new experiences

gained. The two groups were involved in a variety

of team building exercises and exhibited not only

great skill but also great sportsmanship.

YEAR 7 TRIP TO PENDARREN

Julian Block writes:

In May, the lone GCSE Resistant material class

ventured to the renowned Design Museum on the

Southbank to participate in a ‘Design Workshop’ to

inform us about varying types of lamps and explain

the key components of effective design.

Although the trip served to assist our Memphis

Milano style lamp coursework in many ways, it also

proved to be a surprisingly intriguing couple of

hours as we explored what the museum’s

YEAR 10 AT THE DESIGN MUSEUM

exhibition had to offer including a prototype of a

fully sustainable car made of everyday materials

and a model of an innovative new museum

supplied solely by natural light.

I enjoyed the experience as it helped my

understanding towards my design context (e.g.

adding ergonomic features) while

letting me explore the innovations in

modern design that could influence

the way we see world in the near

future, both on a small and large

scale, and how I could implement

these breakthroughs into redefining

my design to be unique and original.

July 2014

19

Laura Moss writes:

Over the past few months, myself and about thirty

other girls in year 9 and 10 have been attending

the feminist meetings run by Mr Robertson.

On the first meeting, we all just got to sit down

and discuss how it feels to be a teenage girl facing

sexism in the modern world; whether it was a

direct experience, something we’d heard from a

friend or picked up upon in the media. Honestly, it

was just really nice to be able to have an open

discussion where we could identify with each-

other and not feel judged or embarrassed by our

experiences and opinions.

Since then, we have discussed different aspects of

feminism and sexism and done various activities

within our meetings. One of the really interesting

topics that we discussed was sexism within the

media, which was a huge eye-opener as we take so

much of it as normal, we don’t even realise what’s

behind it. We look at a lot of positive things going

on as well, such as feminist bloggers, and anything

else that promotes equality.

We recently had a visit from a sociology professor,

who writes lots to do with girls and the issues that

young women face. She has been given funding

from Elle magazine to speak to young girls all over

Britain about feminism. It was a really amazing

experience to be able to speak to someone like

that, and it felt really good that she wanted to

hear what we had to say.

HWS FEMINISTS GROUP

The meetings have (and will continue) to be a

really positive thing to be a part of and there

something that I look forward too. Personally, I

feel like the next step is making everybody aware

of what feminism actually means; and eliminating

all of the negative stereo-types.

Mr Robertson writes:

This term, the group has spent a lot of time linking

the 'everyday sexism' they have witnessed or

experienced to examples in wider society. They have

been particularly outspoken about how women are

represented in advertising, and the way reports of

sexism are so casually dismissed or ridiculed. The

group enjoyed a visit by Jessica Ringrose, a professor

of Sociology at the Institute of Education, and she

was left inspired by their passion and idealism.

We already have lots of plans to continue the group

next year, from learning about how to use social

media in a really positive way, to encouraging boys

to attend some meetings so they understand that

feminism really is for everybody.

July 2014

20

Ms Wilson writes: Some

awesome year 7 spellers to be

congratulated - the following

students made it to the

elimination rounds:

Rugal Ozdemir, Maddie Osborn, Sophia Doncheff,

Olivia Birkett, Rosie Ashworth, Tyler Zaber, Jamie

Muteba, Ollie Freeman, Grace Heron, Alisdair Ellis,

Liliane Vettori, Jas Kumar, Agnes Szabo, Tyreek

Heerali-Campbell, Stefan Avramov, Johan Miranda-

Franck and London Smith.

The following students made it to the final:

Elif Kisa, Tia Dyatt and Priscilla Nabisere

representing Da Vinci; Louise Cole-Legate, Olivia

Birkett and Liban Abdi representing Seacole; and

Euan Escott, Charlotte Wheelan and Jack Thornton

representing Edison.

They spelled, or attempted to spell words such as

accessible, bazaar, caterpillar, assassin and bonsai.

Spellers were not given the word list in advance for

the competitive rounds.

Ms McConville writes:

I am delighted by the way Year

7s have embraced the

Accelerated Reader

programme. They have been

beavering away all year,

reading avidly and taking numerous quizzes with a

high success rate.

All students need to be congratulated, but

particularly those below:

ACCELERATED READERS

7H Wesley Haynes (40)

Priscilla Nabisere (22)

Jamie Muteba (17)

Most quizzes:

Wesley Haynes (23)

7I Thomas Roberts (24)

Aweys Aweys (22)

Sezer Ganidagli (17)

Most quizzes:

Thomas Roberts (22)

7G Rebecca Manoharan (75)

Tia Dyett (63)

Nino Geliashvili (39)

Most quizzes:

Tia Dyett (55)

7A Toby Seddon (88)

Lydia Sheppard (42)

Bruno Jakaupi (36)

Most quizzes:

Toby Seddon (88)

7T Sophia Doncheff (40)

Serhan Ercan (22)

Asmaa Sharif (17)

Most quizzes:

Sophia Doncheff (36)

7E

Natalie Manoharan (43)

Freya Dougan (30)

Matilda Horton (26)

Most quizzes:

Natalie Manoharan (35)

7W Rico Fergus (37)

Jasvinder Kumar (32)

Sasha Shute (30)Most

quizzes:

Rico Fergus (34)

7D Zackhala Francis (22)

Hugh Thomas (22)

Eden Ferreira (21)

Most quizzes:

High Thomas (20)

7S Mia Knight (51)

Kieran Thomas (30)

Marcella Holt (25)

Most quizzes:

Mia Knight (33)

HOUSE RANKINGS

1. SEACOLE

2. DA VINCI

3. EDISON

MOST BOOKS READ

STAR SPELLERS

Ms Osborne writes:

On 9th July, the student council were visited by

guest speakers Councillors Adam Jogee and Claire

West to discuss the successes of the year and to

explore other opportunities for student leadership

within the borough.

Students were keen to learn about the roles our

guests carry out and gained an insight into how

systems within local government are similar to

those within the School Council at school.

They finished the morning with a celebration of

the year and put forward some suggestion for next

year.

We look forward to working on their suggestions

to improve life in September

SCHOOL COUNCIL

July 2014

21

Ms Christodoulou writes:

At Highgate Wood School we are

proud of our long history in integrating global

themes and international foci within our

curriculum. This has been recognised by the

British Council through the bestowment of

International Schools Award in 2008 and 2011.

This year we have been collating evidence to

enable us to reaccredit for a further three years

and are looking forward to hearing confirmation

that we have once again successfully met the

criteria.

The International Schools Award formally

recognises the partnerships we have with

schools in the UK and around the world, and the

work we do to teach our students about life in

other countries and develop them as global

citizens. We have carried out a formal audit of

our curriculum to identify where each subject

area addresses global themes, we have reviewed

our International Policy and identified areas for

further development.

To apply for the award we need to demonstrate

how seven of the huge numbers of eligible

activities we have been engaged in meet the

strict criteria laid down by the British Council.

Our projects for this year’s award are:

Year 10 Food technology project with a

partner school in India

Year 7 Transition Curriculum –

Internationalism Theme

Model UN

Year 9 Exploring Our Identities project with

partner schools in Germany and Belgium

Year 8 & 9 Safe Use of Social Media

curriculum project with partner schools in

Germany and Belgium

Years 7-13 Celebrating the Cultural Heritage

of our students, linking with feeder primary

schools as part of the Crouch End Festival

Year 10 French and PE cross-curricular project

and ski trip

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARD

July 2014

22

Max Hartel and Anton Beka write:

At the start of May eight Highgate Wood students

travelled to the beautiful city of Brussels. We were

part of a project called the Comenius project which

aims to bring students from different countries

together to complete project work.

During this trip our brief was to brainstorm and

consider what education will look like in the future.

We also researched school systems of the past and

explained to our European peers exactly how a

school day in the UK worked.

When we first set foot on Belgian soil, we went to

our hotel, which wasn’t far from the Brussels North

station and then set off on a tour of the city. We

sampled food at a restaurant called the Cheese

Cake Café, then went for desert at the House of

Haagan Daas which everyone enjoyed!

The next day we visited our Belgian host’s school

located on the edge of Brussels - a suburb not too

dissimilar from Haringey. There we met with the

fellow Comenius students and gave our

presentations on what school is and was like in

England. Many of the presentations were very

interesting as the students didn’t know about what

life was like for students from the past or from

other countries.

On the third day the weather was perfect, almost

21°C and not a cloud to be seen, so we went to

Gent, a former fishing town where we had a guided

boat tour on one of the rivers running through the

town. After the boat tour, we went shopping with

the Belgian and German students. One thing we

can say is that many sweets were bought!

COMENIUS VISIT TO BRUSSELS On the final day, we went on a guided tour of

Brussels, visiting the Kings Palace and many other

famous landmarks like Manneken Pis, the famous

statue of the unknown pissing boy.

After the tour, we had a leaving party where we

were presented with awards and chocolate. We

finished our trip with a game of boys v girls

basketball, Mr Russell joined in too but didn’t put in

much effort. When it came to leaving, many tears

started flowing.

Ms Birnie writes:

Twenty Four Highgate Wood Students visited

Pembroke College, Oxford University in June, as

part of the Scholars Programme.

The scheme is a Haringey wide initiative to help

students from non-selective schools to gain places

at the Russell Group Universities, the top 30

Universities in the UK. On the day, students

participated in undergraduate style tutorials led by

PhD students, to introduce them to topics in Social

Sciences, Arts and Humanities and STEM. Following

on from this launch event, the PhD students are

visiting Highgate Wood to continue with our

students in tutorials of 4 or 5. At the end of the

programme students will then be required to

complete a 2,500 word undergraduate essay which

will be marked at a University level. All those that

complete the course will then attend a graduation

ceremony to celebrate their early triumph as

Higher Education students. This will give each and

every one of them a fantastic opportunity to boast

and demonstrate their skills and abilities on their

UCAS Applications.

SIXTH FORM SCHOLARS PROGRAMME

July 2014

23

TRANSITION DAY

Maddy Baron writes:

The 2014 transition day was a

great success. The weather was

good, the atmosphere exciting

and the new students had a

thoroughly enjoyable time.

The peer mentors loved helping

the new Year 7 students get

familiar with Highgate Wood School and secondary

school life in general, with many of us reminiscing

about our first days at Highgate Wood.

All the peer mentors did different jobs: some

helped to set up and run the day from the sidelines,

some integrated themselves in with the students

and went round with them throughout the day.

All the people involved and a great time and we are

all look forwarding to seeing the new members of

our school when they come here in September.

July 2014

24

END OF KEY STAGE 3 CELEBRATION

Leila Kikuchi-House and Bryony Hillman write:

Year 9 Celebration Evening lived up to its name.

The hall was filled with applause as people were

recognised for their achievements. Every form

went up to the front and every single student

received a certificate for completing Key Stage 3.

The peer mentors received medal and there were

House Awards and Subject Awards.

Even though some forms did not have 100% of

their students present, it did not lower the mood.

Parents and children alike were overjoyed with all

the achievements and awards.

We cannot wait for the end of Key Stage 4 Prom

and Yearbook!

Progress Prize Effort Prize Subject

Hannah Crabb-Krevine Alfie Pine ART

Sina Nafissa Tommy Escott CITIZENSHIP

Nikhil Dumree Laura Gibbons DRAMA

Tolga Kale Scarlett Monaighan ECS

D'An Greaves Jack Shaw ENGLISH

Stephanie Paixao Finley Davis GEOGRAPHY

Nikolaj Lerche Ruby Neale HISTORY

Eleanor Jones Abel Kent ICT

Barbara Bitar Sadie May LANGUAGES

Fanni Somogyi Phoebe Berman MATHS

Maddy Baron Ha-Lim Chang MUSIC

Lauren Page Remy Beckford PE

George Simson Joachim Harris SCIENCE

Ned Scott Alex McLaren TECHNOLOGY

DaVinci Head of House Award: Dennisha Edwards

Melissa Guvenler Lily Roberts Sam Ayes

Scarlett Monaighan Rafaella Stokes Tommy Pegler

Simeon Loizos James Cooper Eleanor Jones

SUBJECT AWARDS

TUTOR AND HOUSE AWARDS

HIG

Seacole Head of House Award: Marcel Agyapong ATE

Edison Head of House Award: Ruby Neal HIG

Sports Award:

Community Award:

Tommy Escott, Julisa Tusha

Madeleine Baron, Amelia Kirby,

Caylan Samuels

Congratulations to all those involved in making the

Year 9 Celebration a success. Particular thanks

must go to the Yearbook committee who managed

to put together a creditable Yearbook in next to no

time.

Those on the committee included: Harry Ghose

Coveney, Laura Gibbons, Ella Pollak-Fleming, Wilf

Webb, Scarlett Monaighan, Olivia Bassett, Nikolaj

Lerche, Lui Donaldson, Jake Hamilton, Anton Beka,

Dennisha Edwards, Herbie Lea-Bramble, Phoebe

Bennett, Phoebe Berman, Khadijo Nooh and Jace

Griffiths.

YEARBOOK COMMITTEE

July 2014

25

WHITE WATER RAFTING

Mr Goldberg writes:

On Wednesday the 9th July, eight Year 9 students

travelled to the far reaches of Lea Valley to take

part in a day’s experience of white water rafting.

Accompanied by Mr Goldberg and Ms Howard, the

eight students and Mr Goldberg donned the wet

suits and buoyancy jackets to take to the roughest

adrenaline inducing white water in all of North

London.

The early morning weather was overcast and on

the cold side but once the pumps were turned on,

glorious sunshine broke through to set scene to a

raging torrent which, seconds before, resembled a

river bed at the height of drought. With the sight of

course slowly filling up, the hearts started to beat

faster and the anticipation of a swim test and the

first of three runs made for a thrilling morning.

Once the rafting experience had finished, we had

the opportunity to have a taste of cycling, volley

ball, mini tennis and kayaking which adding to the

morning, made the day a very enjoyable

experience for all involved.

Mr Mansfield writes:

During this academic year, we completed a review

of how homework was supporting students’

learning and how we could improve it. We

received lots of feedback from students, parents

and teachers. As a result, starting from this

September, there will be some changes. We hope

that all of these will help students, teachers and

parents to use homework as an even more

effective learning tool.

Full details will be posted on the website but, in

summary:

1. Quality

Homework across the year will be made up of a

variety of different tasks, differentiated to stretch

and challenge all students.

2. Frequency and quantity

At Key Stage 3 Foundation Subjects will set one

hour a fortnight, core subjects (English, Maths and

Science) will set one hour a week

At Key Stage 4 all subjects will set one hour a

week of homework.

At Post 16 three hours per subject per week

will be set.

A fortnightly homework timetable will be

issued in September for all year groups.

3. Recording Homework

From September we will be using an

online homework system, Show My

Homework, for students in Years 7,

10 and 12. This means their homework can be

viewed on-line.

Homework for all year groups should be recorded

in the Student Planner.

4. Feedback and assessment

For most subjects homework will be assessed

within a fortnight of its submission date, and at

least one piece of homework a half term will be

assessed formatively by the teacher.

We anticipate that these changes are going to

have a really positive impact on learning and

teaching at Highgate Wood School and welcome

the support of students and parents to help make

it happen.

CHANGES TO HOMEWORK: SEPT 2014

July 2014

26

SOME SPORTS DAY HIGHLIGHTS

July 2014

27

Mr Goldberg writes:

Throughout the year each house has competed

commendably and is shown in the final scores how

competitive it was coming down to the final set of

games. Included in the Highgate Wood School

Sports Fortnight that culminated in a very exciting

day of Athletics finals on Friday 11th of July were

Badminton, Tennis, Rounders and Softball.

The final standings for the Inter-House Games

Champions are as follows.

END OF THE SPORTS YEAR

House Girls Boys Total

DaVINCI 52 43 95

EDISON 53 41 94

SEACOLE 31 46 77

The final Sports Day Totals are below:

Across the course of the afternoon each race had its

own story, its own exciting twists and turns which

showed why, when it comes to Sports, Highgate

Wood School does it right. On what was a beautiful

day on top field, the smell of the World Challenge

fund raising BBQ and the air of determination and

drive, each participant tried their absolute best.

Cheered on by the swathes of pupils that lined the

track, all the motivation required was winning for

the house. Da Vinci and Edison fought it out hard

but the level of participation during qualifiers

ensured Da Vinci had the pick of their very best.

Edison likewise has exemplary involvement and the

very best competitive spirit throughout the

fortnight of sports.

However, when it came to points, Da Vinci reigned

supreme with the number of 1st place finishes

across both track and field. Seacole were

throughout the year unfortunately the least

represented house. I however have no doubt that

with the talent that was on display, Seacole’s house

team and the lessons learnt this year far as the new

inter house sports systems runs, Seacole will no

doubt come back fighting and competing at the top

as they did so well last year.

DaVINCI 125 EDISON 102 SEACOLE 80

HOUSE LEAGUE TABLES

Top Vivo Earners

Esme Cavendish

Louise Johnson

Phoebe Berman

Luke Gosling

Amy Davis

69,846 this year

Sports points

125

DaVINCI

71,539 this year

Sports points

102

Top Vivo Earners

Luke Quarry

Florence Penfold

Lucy Whelan

Holly Conroy-House

Euan Escott

EDISON

67,608 this year

Sports points

80

Top Vivo Earners

Rahmat Ali

Jordan Dowden

Scarlett Monaighan

Alexander Diaferia

Freya Dougan

SEACOLE

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

School starts again on

Tuesday 2nd September 2014

at 10:35 am for new Year 7 who will go home at 1:10

At 2:10 pm for Years 8 to 11.

AUTUMN 2014

Term Starts

Half term break

Term Ends

Tuesday 2nd September

27th Oct - 31st Oct

Friday 19th December

SUMMER 2015

Term Starts

Half term break

Term Ends

Tuesday 13th April

25th—29th May

Monday 20th July

SPRING2015

Term Starts

Half term break

Term Ends

Monday 5th January

16th—20th Feb

Friday 27th March