Welcome to the End of Term newsletter for Spring 2024.
The term has concluded with some really positive events in school, with our students and staff once again showing what makes them exceptional. The Years 7 & 8 Science Fair on Monday night was a tremendous success with a huge number of students presenting their projects on the theme of Colour. The range of projects, and the quality of research and presentation, were simply fantastic. All of those who took part deserve congratulating but a special well done has to go to the overall winners - Jasleen and Sonika.
On Tuesday night we welcomed Year 11 parents into school for the 'Steps to Success' event. I had a number of really positive conversations with parents and it is clear that we are all working together to support our Year 11 students with the exams that lie ahead. The Easter break will see both Year 11s and Year 13s focussing on revision for their summer exams and I wish all of them, and their families, the very best for this important stage in their careers. I have said this many times to the students, but it is important that they manage their time well and make sure they prioritise rest and relaxation too. I ask for the support of parents and carers in helping them achieve this.
Yesterday, the field miraculously dried out and we were able to enjoy Form Running. This is one of our longest-standing traditions that really is a sight to behold, and much loved by the students and staff.
In the early hours of the morning, Mrs Coe and the students and staff on the Italy Trip set off for Rome, and over the break the PE department will take students on a Sports Tour to Valkenburg, Holland. I wish all those on the trips a safe and successful journey and look forward to hearing all about them when they return.
I am looking forward to welcoming all students back on Monday 15 April, and particularly to our Culture Day on Tuesday 16 April.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank staff, students and their families for their work and support over the term. I wish everyone a restful break, Happy Easter and Ramadan Mubarak.
Take care,
James Crowther - Head Teacher
Duke of Edinburgh's Award
Over the last few months Year 11 students have been completing their Bronze D of E Award. They have given their time to various types of volunteering, physical activities and skills, as well as doing their expedition last summer. In recent celebration assemblies they were presented with their certificates and badges. Congratulations: Retaj Abouobya, Lily Broughton, Charlie Clarke, Hannah Clarke, Zara Dakin, Yasmin Debellotte, Chloe Eayrs, Rose Fausset, Molly George, Alice Grainger, Georgie Hammond, Edie Hanbury, Fran Hart, Charlotte Heath, Bethan Hughes, Annie Ironmonger, Lilah Knapman, Elodie Le Coze, Bea Lovick, Lucia Oliver, Milly Price, Zoe Reeve, Sophia Scrowther, Lucy Sheldon, Amelie Smith, Amber Thiara, Hannah Turner, Emi Williams, Hannah Woods
Some of our Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award achievers
HOUSE NEWS
Austen
In Year 7, students really enjoyed mindfulness colouring and a few represented our House in the board game competition. Esme scored the winning goal in her hockey match and Neve was part of the U13 girls' cross-country team that came 3rd in the Chiltern League. Plus Scarlett played Juliet in the QMT's production of Romeo and Juliet.
9A celebrated a lot of achievements too. Olivia earned her Brown belt white stripe in karate, and Mirelle and her cheerleading team came 1st in a competition called Jamfest in Blackpool. Last weekend, Imogen and Megan performed their dance show of Alice in Wonderland. Imogen is top of her hockey league, Bea is top of her football league and Tilly and Molly are top of their netball league by a goal difference of 55. We are very proud of the effort that's gone in to all this!
In Year 11, our students have been working hard for their exams. At the same time, Molly has completed her Grade 8 in piano, Bethan won two cup finals and Alex performed in the Senior Classics Play. Meanwhile the Sports Leaders ran a festival for Whitehill pupils and the GCSE PE classes have completed their moderation, plus Freya has completed and performed her final piece in Dance GCSE. 11A has also attended most revision sessions, meaning most are eligible to attend the prom!
The Austen Prefect Team
Curie
It has been a fast and frantic term but, as I sit down to write this report, I can’t help but feel it has seen some big changes within the House. Winning ways are in the air!!
We have seen the establishment of the House Board Games competitions across all year groups. This has yielded some minor success for Curie, but more importantly it has seen lots of participation and support from all the forms. The Curie Prefect Team hosted a fantastic quiz which got students working vertically across the years to answer a range of challenging questions. Any guesses on how many people took part in the largest game of Simon Says?
Meanwhile it’s House League finals for Years 7 and 8 towards the end of the final week of term, alongside the ever-exciting Form Running.
As it stands we sit 1st in the league tables but, as always, competition is stiff. I hope these challenges go our way and we just about hold off the competition to secure the win.
It just leaves me to thank all the Form Tutors, Prefect Team and of course all the students who took part, worked hard and had fun this term.
Enjoy the Easter break Curie House. I look forward to a Summer Term full of new challenges and opportunities.
Mr Backhouse, Head of Curie House
Frank
Frank House has had another brilliant term! As always, the Prefect Teams work well to organise, lead and support a wide range of House activities and deserve a huge well done. But every single student in Frank House has had a role in our successes this term and I continue to be impressed by their hard work and motivation.
It was the Year 7s’ and 8s’ turn to battle it out in the House League this term, competing in both netball and hockey; congratulations to 7F for getting into the fight for 1st place and 8F for the fight for 3rd. The competition is fierce!
This term saw the start of the House Board Game Competition, an opportunity for every year group to compete against each other in some of our favourite classic games. Well done to everyone who participated and congratulations to Y12 for winning their round. Also making their House proud, those who competed in the Intermediate Maths Challenge finished 4th. Well done! All year groups continue to rake in the reward points, highlighting an excellent approach and attitude to their learning.
At the start of this term, I set Frank House the goal of having a team for every House event and to take a more active role in their House; after all, it is the taking part that counts. I couldn’t be more impressed with how well these goals have been met and only hope we continue with how we started.
Once again, a huge well done to everyone in Frank House, have a wonderful Easter break and let's continue to build on our achievements next term!
Miss Mills, Head of Frank House
Jewel
I've been thrilled to celebrate another fantastic term for Jewel! From academic achievements to outstanding performances on the sports pitch, our students have consistently exemplified all of our school values. From the perseverance of our hockey and netball teams, to the positivity of our board gamers, it's been great to see so many get involved in House events. We close the term with our charity Easter egg hunt, which promises to be a great chance to find a well-earned treat and support the House charity. Will next term see Jewel finally hit the top in the House League? Only time will tell!
Mr Clifford, Head of Jewel House
Pankhurst
As the term draws to a close we are able to reflect on the achievements of Pankhurst students since January. Participation has been our key focus this term, encouraging and supporting one another to get involved with all the activities that are on offer. We’ve had events including a new regular board games competition, which saw our students representing the House in Uno, Dobble and Jenga! And Year 7 have just been crowned winners the inter-House hockey league – well done 7P!
To round off the term, we are running an Easter Egg Postal Service for students to send eggs to their friends, which is in support of Cancer Research, our chosen charity for this year. Following on from this, we will be collaborating with Bronte to host the annual staff charity football match in aid of Herts Young Homeless. Keep eyes and ears open for more details. Thanks as always to the many staff in Pankhurst too, for keeping our students motivated and informed about everything that’s going on. Have a great break!
Mr Beardmore-Crowther, Head of Pankhurst House
Teresa
This term has been a very busy and successful one for Teresa. Well done to everyone for their support for the House - Mr Pateman and the Prefect Team really appreciate your help with this. At the time of writing we were 5th in the House Cup and have everything to play for in the Summer term.
Before half-term, Teresa and Austen Houses together raised £265.50 for Herts Young Homeless through a thrifting event. Thank you to everyone who donated clothes, made cakes, helped prepare for the event or bought something! It was great to see so many people there. Any clothes that were not sold have been donated to local charity shops or to refugees who fled the Turkish earthquakes last year.
In the Summer term we are going to run our own charity event to raise money for GRIT. There will be a google form sent out so we can gather ideas - more information on this soon.
Have a lovely Easter break and we look forward to seeing you all back at school for the Summer term.
Rose, Charity Prefect
DEPARTMENT NEWS
Art & Design
This term has been busy in the Art and Design department. We had a large show of coursework for Years 11 and 13 in the Lower School Hall. This was a wonderful event, showcasing the creativity and hard work of our exam groups. Unfortunately, due to NEA rules, we cannot share images of the exhibition, but we have a lovely review by Amelie in Year 7:
I really enjoyed seeing all the artworks that were on display as they were all amazing pieces of art, and it was very inspiring to see them. I love art, and all the different pieces were so stunning and really motivated me to work more on my own art and learn more about it. Each piece was very different but it was all breathtaking and I really appreciated having the chance to see all of this astonishing artwork. A particular piece that I liked was an amazing portrait which was very detailed and realistic. I especially liked this artwork because it was very inspirational to me as I love drawing people too.
Well done to our GCSE and A Level students, and good luck for the culmination of the second components in April and May.
Our Year 12 students visited a major exhibition of the work of photographer Diane Arbus at North Herts Museum. Some of the students took part in a Tate-funded project to explore Arbus's themes through their own analogue photography. The outcomes of these will be on show soon at the Museum.
Elsewhere, students are working hard on their projects. Here are just a few examples - Year 9 paintings inspired by Cubism on the subject of board games.
Mrs Wallace, Head of Art & Design
Classics
This has been a very exciting term for the Classics department with our first Year 8 Romans in Britain Tour, visiting Chedworth Villa, Caerleon Amphitheatre and the Roman Baths in Bath. As well as learning a huge amount about everyday life in Britain under Roman occupation, we also stayed in an 800-year-old castle and a stately home (both now Youth Hostels). The trip was a huge success and we have already booked for June/July 2025 for the current Year 7. You can see our album on our website, but below are some of the highlights.
Looking ahead, we are delighted that this Easter sees the return of our annual Classics Trip to Italy; a group of students from Years 10-13 will be embarking on a two-centre tour taking in a range of ancient sites, including the Colosseum, Roman Forum, St Peter's, Pompeii, Vesuvius and Oplontis. Staff and students are all very excited as this is the first Italy Trip since 2019.
Having stunned audiences with last year’s play Hades’ Guide to Finding Love-ish, which was written and produced by our Year 13 students, the Senior Classics Society returned on 20 and 21 March with another self-written and produced triumph, Pandora.
This term we welcomed Mr Norris, a Classics trainee teacher from Cambridge University into the department. The students have appreciated his enthusiasm, knowledge and interesting activities.
Mrs Rowe, Head of Classics
Design & Technology
Mr Mason, Head of Design and Technology
English & Media
It has been another busy term in the English and Media department. Firstly, a huge well done to our Years 11 and 13 students: Year 13 English students have submitted their NEA and both year groups have had mock exams this term; they are now well underway in their preparations for their final exams. Our Year 11 lunchtime literature revision has seen excellent attendance. These sessions will be continuing right up until the exams, every Thursday at 1pm in L70.
Years 10 and 12 have also produced excellent work this term. In Media, Year 12 have been developing their practical skills and studying TV drama and magazines, and Year 10 have been focusing on TV comedy and radio. Year 10 English students are just finishing their study of Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth, and are turning their thoughts to revision for their mocks after the holiday (they will be revising An Inspector Calls and creative writing skills). Year 12 English students have been studying Othello and Frankenstein, and we were delighted to be able to take them on a collaborative English and Drama theatre trip to see an innovative new production of Frankenstein by Imitating the Dog at Watford Palace Theatre on 7 March. It was an excellent, thought-provoking evening; a big thank you to Mr Balfe for organising this trip.
Year 9 have studied poetry from a range of cultures and non-fiction to explore writers’ viewpoints and perspectives. Recently they have been preparing and delivering powerful presentations and speeches as part of their People and Places work. Year 7 have been studying their class novel, with teachers choosing from a wide range of works: we hope students have enjoyed their narrative adventures! Year 8 began the term learning about persuasive writing and speaking, and have moved on to explore the sci-fi genre, recently penning stories of their own. We have read some incredible, creative visions of the future, including ideas for films: I think we have some budding authors and film-makers in our midst. In form time, Year 8 students have also been getting creative on Wordy Wednesday. Inspired by the Young Reporter Competition that was recently launched by the BBC, they have been thinking about topics they are interested in and want to raise awareness of. Miss de Wild, English teacher and Head of Year 8, is looking forward to seeing who takes their writing further.
Mrs Bunker has reported back on more exciting creativity in Media Club this term: students have had lots of fun making lyric music videos for their favourite hits. They thought really hard about collecting images and choosing typography to match the lyrics and mood of their chosen songs. They used Adobe Express on their Chromebooks to edit their videos and add the sound.
Creative Writing Club has had a range of events running throughout March to inspire all writers at HGS, including the International Women's Day #InspireInclusion Writer's Workshops on 13 and 20 March. Ms Mani and the Club are always happy to welcome new writers!
Finally, thank you to our librarians, Mrs Goose and Mrs Woods, and Ms Pateman for organising a fun World Book Day, complete with book fair, cake sale and our very own HGS audio-book reading of Robin Stevens’ murder mystery The Mystery of Room 12. Students had great fun listening throughout the day as the mystery unfolded.
Mrs Batchelor, Head of English
Geography
Year 12 Geographers carried out a day of fieldwork in the King's Cross redevelopment site recently, where they practised using various methods of data collection. Using geospatial technologies, they measured variations in housing quality, service provision, environmental quality and traffic emissions across systematically selected locations. With the help of Geographical Information Technology (GIS), they will be able to map their data, present their findings and analyse patterns.
Students also used rephotography to take images across the area from the same locations and perspectives as a selection of historic photographs, facilitating insight into change and continuity. This, combined with a fieldwork residential in Norwich / Southwold in April and previous fieldwork experiences, will help provide an investigation toolkit for the independent investigation element of their A Level course.
Mr Sutton, Head of Geography
History
We felt privileged to welcome back Maralyn Turgel this term to recount her Polish-born father's direct experience of the Holocaust to our Year 12s and Year 9s.
Year 9s had some very positive feedback on Maralyn's telling of her father's story with photos and film clips. They found the topic was brought home to them in a real and relatable way, and they were struck by the extraordinary courage needed for small acts of resistance by individuals as well. We were grateful as always to Maralyn for sharing this personal story with our students.
Our annual Year 12 Politics trip to London took place this week, including a tour of the Houses of Parliament and a visit to Court Room 1 of the Supreme Court.
At Parliament our group sat in the public galleries of both the Commons and the Lords - the House of Lords was packed for a discussion on child poverty and free school meals.
The students also took part in a workshop led by the Parliament Education Service on democracy and participation, including the role of pressure groups, think tanks and lobbyists.
They also visited some of the key spots where Suffragettes and Suffragists protested and tried to have their voices heard, in a day of gaining a first-hand insight into our political institutions and processes.
Mr Hanse, Head of History & Politics
Learning for Life
In L4L, Year 7 are starting to learn about Growth Mindset Theory and how the brain works. We strive to ensure that all students know they can make excellent progress with a positive mindset.
Year 8 have been having lessons on 'Healthy Minds', covering topics such as wellbeing, social media and self-esteem. They have also taken part in a brilliant workshop run by Phase on resilience.
We are really grateful for all the wonderful workshops Phase bring to our students at HGS: the amazing team are currently in the process of delivering a fantastic new programme to Year 9 called 'FUEL', consisting of four sessions focussed on healthy relationships, self-esteem, emotions and wellbeing. Year10 have also had an informative and important workshop, on the dangers of pornography run by Dignify.
Year 11 have been busy completing their mocks and considering their next steps. Earlier this term they also participated in a fantastic workshop on their 'Next Steps' thanks to Herts Young Homeless, a charity we are proud to support. We are delighted to have such wonderful external partners to enhance our L4L curriculum!
Mrs Foster
Mathematics
The Maths department has been busy this year raising the profile of mathematics across the school.
Times Table Rockstars Website
Recently our Years 7, 8 and 9 students were using TTRS to brush up on their times tables during tutor time. It’s great to see everyone being so enthusiastic and confident with these important numeracy skills. Students in 7R, 7F and 7J are holding the current speed records but there is still time to set a new one! ttrockstars.com
Pi Day & International Day of Mathematics, 14 March
Our Dining Room celebrated Pi Day with a variety of pies served along with puzzles and quizzes. The significance of pi was discussed and there was a range of class-based activities. The ‘Circle Song’ is a classic that helps us remember key terms and the formulae for the area and circumference of a circle. piday.org
Y12 SUMS Day – Steps to University for Mathematical Students Enrichment Day
This day develops students’ problem-solving and teamwork skills and encourages female students to study Maths. Students work on an extended problem in small groups, quiz current students about university life, and hear from young women who use maths in their jobs. amsp.org.uk
Intermediate Maths Challenge Results
Ninety students from Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 took part in the annual Intermediate Maths Challenge. We are very proud of everyone who participated. Awards included 28 Bronze, 23 Silver and 3 Gold certificates.
In Year 11 Molly G won Best in School, Gold, and is through to the Pink Kangaroo.
In Year 10 Lila G won Best in Year and Gold.
In Year 9 Lena M won Best in Year and Silver, and is through to Grey Kangaroo.
Also in Year 9, Vega T-P won Silver and is through to Grey Kangaroo.
In Year 8, Anna P won Best in School, Gold and is through to Grey Kangaroo.
Year 7 Team Maths Challenge
The Herts Junior Team Maths Challenges give students the opportunity to tackle a variety of engaging mathematical activities while developing teamwork and communication skills. Year 7 students from Miss Pedge’s and Mrs Lingham’s classes stayed after school to compete online with other local schools. Each round was hotly contested and the focus was intense!
This year we entered three teams: 'Math Masters' - Katie L, Ariana O, Lauren P, Heather MH
'Indecisives' - Sachi B, Sargun B, Lyra T, Athena W
'Miss Pedge’s Pink Powers' - Lottie W, Grace B, Lauren R, Aashi S - who came 2nd overall with a score of 201 out of 240, only 4 marks behind the winners. This team will hopefully make it to the final… watch this space!
MFL
In Year 7 French, students have been learning how to say what sports and activities they do. As part of this, we looked at sports that are played in various French-speaking countries around the world, with a focus on Switzerland and Canada. Year 7 enjoyed the cultural aspect of this and produced some great presentations on sports and other facts about these countries.
Meanwhile our Year 9 Spanish students have had a fantastic time designing a website in Spanish to advertise their dream hotel:
Earlier in the term, Year 9 French students practised writing skills in the imperfect tense by describing what they used to do when they were younger. They enjoyed recalling what they used to eat, drink, play and watch, and we had some beautiful and fun descriptions, showcasing a fantastic range of vocabulary.
Well done to our fantastic cohort of Project Polyglot students in Year 10 who all delivered their first primary school French and Spanish lessons this term. Your teachers were full of praise and really impressed by the lessons that you led. Good luck with the preparations for your follow-up lessons next term!
Mr Dellar, Head of Modern Foreign Languages
Music
This term has been a busy one in the Music and Drama department.
After its launch and success last year, 'Live from the Hill - Gig Night' returned and showcased an abundance of commercial music performances from students of all year groups.
More recently, nearly all of our singing students participated in a solo recital evening led by our peripatetic singing teacher, Ms Ingram. It was an evening full of talent which provided students with the opportunity to show the work they have been doing in one-to-one sessions.
Year 11 GCSE and Year 13 A Level students have been working hard to complete their performance and composition coursework ahead of the deadline. We look forward to sharing some of this once it has been marked.
Key Stage 3 students have participated in a variety of practical topics; Year 7 have learnt about rhythmic notation and performed 'Stomp' style body-percussion compositions. Year 8 have developed their music technology and composition skills by spending the term studying film music and composing their own underscores on Soundtrap. A huge well done to all students involved in this work - the results have been of a high standard.
Having focused on Queen, Year 9 analysed 'I Want to Break Free' in a GCSE style. They worked as a whole class to learn instruments they hadn't necessarily played before, and then rehearsed and performed this song. Watch the result here. Well done to all Year 9s!
And well done to all students who achieved more personal successes this term:
All of our extracurricular groups have been practising weekly in preparation for the Spring Concert, which we look forward to hosting on Thursday 18 April.
Miss Atkins, Head of Music
PE
This term has been jam-packed with sporting activities and fixtures. It has been a fantastic opportunity for me to get to know so many students as I take over as Acting Head of PE. Many of you who have participated in our extracurricular activities and represented the school in friendly matches, district tournaments, and other events deserve congratulations. Please click through to our round-up of the term covering a huge range of sports and events across the year groups. We will look forward to the start of the summer sports season on our return after Easter!
To enrich the teaching of the 'Manipulating Genomes' topic, Year 13 Biologists have been able to access a range of university-level equipment loaned to us by the multinational Biotechnology company AMGEN this half-term. Students experienced many practical aspects of Biotechnology, including restriction enzyme digestion, ligation reactions and agarose gel electrophoresis using research-grade equipment, including Gilson micropipettes. As always, this required a huge amount of behind-the- scenes work by our wonderful Biology Lab Technicians.
Y7 Science Club also got in on the action by learning to micropipette, and seeing how these techniques could be used by zoologists to determine the paternity of endangered Orangutans.
This term has also seen Mrs Pearce leading teams of Year 12s entering the Cambridge Biology Challenge. Their entries were hugely successful, with many students getting involved and enjoying the process. Our teams achieved a Distinction, two 'Highly Commended' and two 'Commended', fantastic results for their first attempts. With the Challenge continuing all year we're looking forward to hearing how they get on.
Mr Buckridge, Head of Biology
Chemistry
This term in Chemistry, Year 7 students have been working hard on such topics as 'Particle Theory' and 'Mixtures'. They seem to have really enjoyed all the experiments that these topics include. Year 8 have been learning about 'Types of Chemical Reactions', which has covered many different types of reactions from oxidation to thermal decomposition. Year 9 have been looking in great detail at separation techniques from chromatography to distillation, and are next moving on to a very important topic on chemical bonding and structure. Year 10 have been working hard on C3, which is a very large topic covering equations, acids and bases, energy changes and electrolysis. And Year 11 are nearly finished, having covered topics on crude oil, life cycle assessments, the early atmosphere and how to purify water for drinking.
It's been a very busy term for the Year 12s, some of whom attend the MEDROC sessions which support their aspirations to enter the field of healthcare once they leave school. Other Year 12 students visited GSK in Stevenage for a tour and some worked on research projects to present at GSK this week.
Our annual Science Fair also took place this week, with more than 20 groups of very enthusiastic Year 7 and Year 8 students taking part. It is always amazing to see what our students create for this type of event - look out for photos at the start of next term!
Mr Horner, Head of Science / Chemistry
Physics
This term in Physics, Year 7s have completed their study of electricity and are shortly moving onto their next topic, which is all about Space and our Solar System. Year 8s have just about finished their study of Magnetism, and will be returning to the Universe in a bit more detail next, building on their Y7 knowledge. Year 9s have continued to look at waves and will be finishing the Electromagnetic Spectrum soon, and have an energy, power and light project on the horizon. Year 10s are working towards their mock examination which is coming up after Easter, and Year 11s have only one topic left until they are complete - Cosmology!
Meanwhile our team have continued to enjoy our primary school outreach sessions as well, covering topics such as light, static electricity, heart dissections and more.
