Message from the Headteacher 

Good Afternoon,

I hope everyone managed to have a good half-term break. 

The week here started with more guest speakers for our Sixth Formers, with Cody from the NHS and Farrah from YuLife giving a thought-provoking presentation on the varied paths that careers can take. The Sixth Formers are really benefiting from a wide range of experiences this year - it's great to see.

If your child is in Year 7, I do hope they have come home enthused about their workshops with the team from Tesco, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday.  We were fortunate enough to be the first school to experience these sessions, which gave our students an insight into the many facets of running a large company.  They also included opportunities for them to solve problems, be creative and present their ideas. 

On Wednesday night we welcomed prospective Sixth Form students to our open evening. It was wonderful to see so many of our Year 11s in attendance and I hope to see as many of them as possible staying on with us for the next stage in their educational journey.

Have a good weekend.

James Crowther

Eco Club update

Having spent a lunchtime clearing an area of our woodland for the HGS Nature Reserve a few weeks ago, our Eco Club were finally able to get back outside in the sunshine to complete the next stage - planting more than 100 bulbs of native wild garlic and bluebell. We can't wait to see them bloom next spring! 

Anti-bulling Week - Odd Socks Day

As part of Anti-bulling Week (14 - 18 November), we will be taking part in Odd Socks Day, which encourages people to think about understanding and accepting each other's differences.

On Monday 14 November our students are encouraged to wear a pair of odd socks with their school uniform to celebrate what makes us all unique.

Herts Parent Carer Involvement exists to represent the views of the parents and carers of children and young people with SEND in Hertfordshire. They are an independent parent-led organisation, who work alongside Hertfordshire health, education and social care services, to help focus the decision-makers on improving services and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

They are launching their first annual survey, to find out more about what families in Hertfordshire are experiencing. They want to know what works and what doesn’t, so that they can make sure they are concentrating on the areas that matter most to families.

The survey is open until 11 November 2022 and the information gained will help prioritise their work and importantly, give them more data to back up what they say to the education, health and social care systems that they engage with.

They don’t just want to hear from families with EHCPs or a formal diagnosis; they want to know how the system works for all families, at all stages in the process.

Library news

Take a look at our new books from BookTrust

Come and check out our display of new books that have just arrived from the wonderful charity BookTrust. There are 15 books in three categories: Future Classics, Engaging Readers and Non-Fiction. We have been sent six copies of five of these titles, including 'Fake' by Ele Fountain and 'Becoming Muhammed Ali' by Kwame Alexander - they would be great to read with a friend or a group.

Thank you for the shoeboxes!

Thanks to all the students and families who took part in this year's Link to Hope Shoebox Appeal. The 25 donated boxes have just been delivered to Walsworth Rd Baptist Church, from where they will be sent to families in need in Eastern Europe and Ukraine. 

Come and support our students taking part in this local theatre production!

Tuesday 8 November, 10am

Stephen Ashworth, University of East Anglia
Field of Expertise: General Chemistry, General Physics, Science Communication
REGISTRATION LINK

Where could STEM take me?
Career opportunities that arise from studying STEM subjects are many and varied. I will talk about both the opportunities that are available in a university and my experience of working with students embarking on STEM careers.

Tuesday 8 November, 12pm

Sally Moore, STEMPOINT East
Field of Expertise: Nuffield Research Placements Scheme (All STEM and Social
Science subjects)
REGISTRATION LINK

Nuffield Research Placements (NRP) are engaging, real-life research or development projects, where talented Year 12 students are placed at the heart of a UK host organisation. We will give an overview of the scheme including the benefits of taking part, how to apply and what the requirements are.
https://www.stem.org.uk/nuffield-research-placements

Thursday 10 November, 11.30am

Tim Newbold, University College London
Field of Expertise: Biodiversity
REGISTRATION LINK

How and why is biodiversity changing?
Which areas of the world are seeing the most changes, and why it matters for human societies. I will also talk about my path into science, from an interest in wildlife as a child, through field sampling of biodiversity in Egypt, to now analysing big data on tens of thousands of animal and plant species all over the world.

Rise Up Women in Business and Finance - In-person event

Thursday 10 November, 11am - 3pm, Queen Mary, University of London

Join us for our second on-campus introduction to studying and working in the worlds of business and finance.
 
Undergraduate Taster Event: History - In-person event

Wednesday 16 November, 1.30 - 5.30pm, King's College London

Want to experience what teaching might be like on our History degrees? Join us for this engaging taster day and experience lectures on topics taught on our actual degrees.

Webinar: Preparing for Medicine and Healthcare university interviews

Tuesday 29 November, 4.30-5.30pm

Applying for medicine or a health-related course at university might seem daunting. If you’re feeling nervous about an upcoming interview, fear not – in this session, UEA will talk you through some tips and tricks to ensure you are fully prepared when the time comes.

Calling all students who want to pursue a career in accounting, business or technology. PwC’s 2023 School and College Leaver opportunities are now open.

If you’re looking to start your career straight from school, PwC’s full-time School and College Leaver programmes are designed to help you develop your business skills through real client work, while also completing formal training and studying towards qualifications. Explore these opportunities here.

Perhaps you’re wanting the best of both worlds: the opportunity to gain a degree and kick-start your career in accounting, business or technology. PwC’s Flying Start degree programmes give you the chance to gain a degree from a leading UK university or college, whilst starting your career with paid placements. For some of the programmes, your tuition fees will be paid, in addition to a full-time salary. You can find out more here.

Ladder to Law

The Hogan Lovells Ladder to Law programme, run in partnership with Rare, is a development programme for Black African and Caribbean Year 12 students (including students of mixed race with a black heritage) wishing to pursue a career in commercial law. The programme will stretch across Years 12 and 13, and will include:

• Mentoring from Hogan Lovells lawyers
• Networking opportunities and commercial awareness exercises
• 1:1 support with applying to university and writing UCAS applications from Rare
• Work experience
• Support to make competitive applications to first-year opportunities at Hogan Lovells 

The programme is for students of Black heritage from low socioeconomic backgrounds. To apply, students must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Be in Year 12 and attend a UK state school
• Identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, or Mixed Black Heritage
• Be eligible for Free School Meals between the ages of 11 and 16 (i.e. Pupil Premium); OR
• Grew up in a household where no parent or guardian had attended university

Deadline: Sunday 27 November

Discover Economics

Thursday 17 November. 1.30 - 4pm

Academics from the University of Bristol School of Economics are organising a half-day schools event (1.30 – 4.00pm) at Bristol Cathedral Choir School.

Sudents will hear from Bank of England economists and Rupa Patel and Jack Meaning (authors of Why Can’t We Just Print More Money), and take part in an economics challenge. They will also have a chance to find out more about economics degrees.

This event is suitable for any Year 11/12 student, whether they are studying economics or not, and is part of the regular Bristol Festival of Economics. Please complete this expression of Interest form 

About Skills Gap

Skills Gap is a career accelerator that runs insightful workshops for young people aged 15-19 ­– because it’s never too soon to think about building your skills for a competitive edge in your future studies and career.

We're offering a range of intensive workshops this autumn, all designed specifically for 15-19 year olds and delivered to small groups by experienced industry experts:

AI in Finance
Saturday 12 November

The world of finance has been an early adopter of machine learning, from fraud detection to finance chat bots, yet it’s still just touching the surface of AI’s potential. Our workshop is led by Chelsea Murray, a data scientist at ING with a Masters in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence from University of Cambridge. Chelsea will introduce you to the vast range of financial AI applications and give you practical experience training a machine learning algorithm to predict credit card fraud.

NHS Allied Healthcare Work Experience

For students interested in

• Nursing
• Midwifery
• Paramedicine
• Physiotherapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Dietetics
• Radiography
• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Pharmacy

During the work experience day, students will follow two patients from their initial presentation to recovery. Students will observe the healthcare professionals as they interact with the patients and with each other. They will have an opportunity to ask questions and gain knowledge through teaching.

This will help students to make an informed decision about their career and give them the opportunity to learn how healthcare professionals work together as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Each work experience day is completely different and students will be able to build up their knowledge of NHS careers as they see different patient cases and healthcare professionals work in a variety of settings, such as in a hospital and in the community.

Students will also receive certificates as evidence of participation. Those who complete the entire five-month programme will be awarded a Highly Commended Reference from the Presidents of Medic Mentor.

 Places are £10 a day to cover administrative costs and run the tech on the day. 

Find out more and register