Haggerston School summer newsletter 2018

Recorder Summer 2018 Newsletter ???????

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Playwright’s praise for students’ performance STUDENTS trod the boards graced by history’s greatest actors and won heartfelt acclaim from an award-winning playwright.

Chino Odimba said she was “changed” after watching a 26-strong cast of Year 8 and 9 pupils perform her play “The Sweetness of a Sting” at the National Theatre.

The budding actors won their place on the famous stage after wowing audiences at the Stratford Theatre in May, as part of the National Theatre’s Connections festival.

Haggerston was one of just 10 schools, and the only non-sixth form, out of 280 to make it through to the grand showcase at the South

Bank theatre. “The Sweetness of a Sting” tells the story of Badger, who runs away from his parents after they decide to return to their home country.

After watching Haggerston’s adaptation, playwright Chino tweeted: “Still one of the most joyous experiences I’ve had in theatre.

“NT Connections gave me the gift of writing a thing and tonight I watched a group of mainly Year 8s from Haggerston School take that play on in the most beautiful and loving way.

“Don’t tell me theatre doesn’t change lives. I am changed.”

Year 9 Dorcas Adelaja, who played Queen

Bee in the play, said: “I was so nervous but I knew had to get it right, so much effort had gone in.

“We had rehearsed for months and really put our heart and soul into the performance and I think that showed.

“Even though we were the youngest cast to make it to the final, we were certainly not out of place and many thought ours was the best performance.”

Fellow performer Kate Elliott said: “There are huge actors, well-known faces, who have never performed at the National Theatre and there we were, still teenagers, doing it.”

Consultation leads to school library revamp OUR students will return from their summer break to find a new-looking library.

A series of regeneration works will be carried out over the six-week holiday, which will include an increase in computer access for pupils.

The library layout will be refreshed with

modernised shelving, more comfortable seating and a major upgrade to presentation facilities.

The revamp comes after a consultation with the students, who were asked what improvements they would like to see made.

Librarian Dr Parris, said: “Much

like Doctor Who, when we return in the autumn, the library will have a completely new face.

“These exciting developments have been drawn up in response to student consultation over the past few months, so we expect all year groups will be looking forward to the improvements.”

Sixth formers inspired

by Oxford taster visit YEAR 12 Spanish students got a taste of life at one of the world’s top universities at a taster day.

The sixth formers attended lectures, took workshops and met professors and current students during the trip to the prestigious Exeter College, Oxford, in June.

Themes and topics discussed during the day included languages in a post-Brexit era, Spanish poetry, neuroplasticity and language acquisition.

Year 12 Rozerin Demirci said: “It was really inspiring. I think there is a big misconception about Oxbridge that it is impossible to get into unless you went to private school.

“Trips to places like Exeter College really do help to break down barriers and give you the confidence to go on and apply.”

Year 12 Kawtar Khatbane said: “Oxford is a really impressive place. We meet current students and it seemed to be a very nice and friendly place.”

Mr Johnson, Head of MFL Faculty, said: “The fellows of the college were impressed by the students’ engagement and language skills.

“They impressed me with their thoughtfulness about the admissions process and much wider aspects of higher education.

“They also showed they were capable of original analysis of unseen poetry in another language.”

Target: The students’ trip to Exeter College gave them confidence for the future

Olympic glory for sporting students OUR superstar athletes raced, threw and jumped to glory at the 2018 Haggerston Olympics this term.

There were stand-out performances on the track and field as students looked to build on success at the Hackney Simmons Cup. Throughout the day, long-standing time and distance records were being broken as pupils rose to the occasion.

Year 9 Nathaniel Opoku took gold for the second year in a row in the 75m hurdles.

Other winners include Year 7 Lucas for the long jump, Year 8 Joe Pearman in the javelin and Daniel Burrell, who came out on top in the 100m sprint.

It came down to the last race of the day to decide the winning ‘country’ as the nations lined up for the 4 x 100m relay.

Much to the delight of Mr Truan, it was Great Britain who were crowned champions.

Our Year 10 GCSE PE student leaders supported staff by officiating and running events.

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Head of PE Mr James said: “This year’s Olympics was the most enjoyable and successful the school has ever had.

“We hope that next year will be

the same, with even more success and excitement. I would also like to thank all staff and students who helped to make this such a successful day.

Summer 2018 Newsletter

Author Angie rounds off a great event YEAR 8 and 9 pupils are toasting victory after winning the performance award at the Hackney Schools Carnegie Shadowing Event for a second year in a row.

Our students scooped first place with a dramatic performance inspired by Carnegie Medal-shortlisted novel “After the Fire” by Will Hill.

The eight-strong cast made sure the prize returned to Haggerston with a captivating critical dramatisation of the novel at the Jack Petchey Academy in June.

Taking part were Mohammed Kaswar, Malak and Yordanas from Year 8, and Year 9 students Victor, Louis, Ellie-Marie and Fatima.

It is the second year in a row the school has won the award, having also come first last year with a performance of “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys.

One of the judges this year was awardwinning US writer Angie Thomas, author of the best-selling “The Hate U Give”, which is also shortlisted for the prize.

Year 9 Victor said: “It was very exciting to give the performance to the judges, particularly as one of them was a shortlisted author for the prize.

“It wasn’t really on our mind to repeat the

Best seller: Author Angie Thomas was one of the judges on the day success of last year but it is certainly nice to retain the title of the best dramatic performance.”

Dr Parris said: “Angie Thomas gave a

hugely inspiring speech about her life and writing. The students were thrilled to have the opportunity to perform for her, and to get their copies of her novel signed.”

Celebration to mark a key voting anniversary

BARONESS Barker was the guest of honour as the school used the 90th anniversary of gender equal voting rights to celebrate equality, diversity and tolerance.

The Representation of the People Act was passed on July 2, 1928, and to mark the occasion staff and students took part in a series of games and discussions themed around the value of democracy.

The day was organised as part of the government-backed EqualiTeas campaign, which encouraged schools and groups to hold a tea party celebrating the landmark Bill.

Among the events were tablecloth games with quiz questions about UK democracy, provided by the House of Commons.

There were debate cards available to provoke discussion and a ‘thought’ display for everyone to record their ideas about democracy and equality.

Students were also encouraged to create a graffiti wall in the library, using protest slogans relevant to the issues of today.

Year 9 library assistant Victor Lancaster was interviewed for a ‘thank you’ video (pictured) which is now available to view on the UK Parliament website.

He said: “It was a very interesting event because it gave us a chance to look at all the things that have been achieved for equality

since the bill was passed. It was also a good opportunity to look at the present to see where changes are needed and to the future, where we can hope to live in an even more equal world.”

Dr Parris said: “As well as giving us a wonderful talk about her work in the House

of Lords, Baroness Barker spent a lot of time answering student questions, both in group discussion and individually.

“The students really enjoyed being visited by someone from Parliament and had a lot of fun performing for the camera for the Parliament video!”

Summer 2018 Newsletter

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Paul’s the golden boy in science competition A LEVEL student Paul Shutter was among just a select group of students to win gold at a nationwide science competition.

Out of more than 7,500 entries, Paul was among eight per cent of students to be awarded the top score at Chemistry Olympiad.

The extra-curricular challenge lasted one hour and 30 minutes and was taken in a controlled exam-like setting at the school.

Classmate Evie Lancaster was among the 18 per cent of students to win silver and Rozerin Demirci among 38 per cent to achieve the copper award.

Paul said: “It feels good to know that I am capable of scoring high on quite a challenging test, particularly as physics is my main subject, not chemistry.

“It certainly pushed my capabilities and will look good when I come to apply for university.”

Evie added: “I wasn’t disappointed not to get gold, just surprised to have won a silver. It was a difficult test and I am glad I could do well.”

Head of Science Ms McGarry said: “This a real feat for us and a testament to all the students’ hard work.”

Impressive: Paul Shutter and Evie Lancaster both won science awards

Young librarians impress top author with their questions Students commit to Duke’s Award STUDENTS learned new skills, took part in fun activities and volunteered as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) returned to Haggerston School.

Year 10 students also walked 20k and camped overnight during an expedition to Epping Forest. Activities they have participated in include piano lessons, horse riding and air cadets. They have also been volunteering at a local youth group and church groups.

Head of PE and DofE coordinator, Mr James, said: “This was the first year students have participated in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for a number of years. Committing to these events around school work and exams has been a challenge for Year 10 but one they have risen to extremely well.”

To take part in the DofE, please speak to Mr James.

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STUDENT librarians have won praise from best-selling author Nicola Morgan after posing a series of probing questions about young people and school life.

Students quizzed the author of “A Teenage Guide to Life Online” about young people and school life for the Ask Nicola Morgan competition.

The writer expressed her admiration for our entries on her blog, describing the “excellent” questions as “well thought-out” with “range and depth”.

Our students submitted three questions that were enough to earn the school the Silver award along with a bundle of new books for the school, which were by the author, in July.

Author Nicola wrote on her blog: “Very well-thought-out questions, which I’m guessing were constructed by the group deciding the final, very polished wording, so a real communal effort.

“Polished wording wasn’t one of the criteria I used – what I liked about these questions was the range and the depth.”

The author went on to write a separate post addressing one of Haggerston’s “excellent” questions, about students being allowed to bring their own devices into schools, and

Praise: Author Nicola Morgan what rules should be in place to encourage responsible behaviour.

Dr Parris said: “Nicola Morgan’s books are favourites among students and staff, as they contain great advice for teenagers.

“Her books will be an integral part of our new wellbeing section in the library.”

Summer 2018 Newsletter

New developments will help create culture of excellence

Teen inventors go close with glasses idea THE Emirates stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club, was the setting for student success at a STEM Teen Tech fair.

The Year 8 and 9 team were tasked with coming up with a product that could help humanity and they decided to focus on health.

Their idea was motion sensory glasses, which would help blind people detect if something was in close proximity.

Their clever invention narrowly missed out on victory, coming in a highly respectable second out of more than 50 entries.

Students also got the chance to pitch ideas to science professionals, take part in experiments, and test new leading-edge technology.

Year 9 Halit Durmaz said: “We looked at health and saw that there is new technology for people with certain disabilities but very little for the blind.

“Science has done a lot for amputees but blind people are still very reliant on guide dogs and other support invented in the last century.”

He added: “It was pleasing to do so well but we really thought ours should have been the winning entry, particularly as the first-placed team had a very similar idea to ours.”

Fellow budding Year 9 inventor Thomas Goodden said: “We very much felt like inventors because it was a real process of trial and error we went through to come up with the idea. It was exciting to think that an idea you have could one day actually be made and help people.”

On the trip as a whole, Year 9 Samson

Olajide added: “I thought the trip was amazing because I want to specialise in a career in technology.”

Design and Technology teacher Ms Burke said: “All in all, a great day was had by everyone.”

Headteacher Ciara Emmerson reflects on the achievements of the last term... particular proud of our Year 8 and 9 students who rehearsed and performed a new play, ‘The Sweetness of a Sting’ in Stratford as part of the National Theatre Connections project. They were then one of only ten schools out of 280 to be invited to perform the play again on stage at the National Theatre.

It was an amazing achievement and a memorable experience for the students.

Coming to the end of the year, I feel extremely proud of the students here at Haggerston. The Year 11 and 13 students worked extremely hard in the run-up to their exams and it was a great moment to watch them graduate and celebrate at the end-of-year prom.

We eagerly anticipate their exam results in August and we will be here to support them in their decisions about the next stage of their education.

We are excited to launch a number of new initiatives for September.

Firstly, we now have school Twitter and Facebook pages which we hope will become a convenient and pragmatic communication tool for parents. I will send links to the pages in my welcome letter to parents in late August.

In the same letter, I will provide instructions on how to access and login to Classcharts, a parent app which we are launching to enable parents to track their child’s behaviour and achievements.

This will be followed by a further online assessment tool called the DPR, which we will introduce in September at Parent Information Evenings. This tool will allow students and parents to see, at a glance, how they are progressing and where their strengths and weaknesses are.

This programme is now integral to how faculties are structuring a challenging curriculum from Year 7 onwards and it will mean that the report you receive three times per year will be more detailed and specific to enable you to support your child more effectively.

I write this at the end of the first day of our new behaviour launch. Students were excellent in rising to the new expectations. Lesson transitions reduced from six minutes to three minutes and the atmosphere in corridors was much improved. We are calling this two-week period the ‘amnesty weeks’ – a time for students and staff to acclimatise to changes and talk about the new systems.

We are very confident that the changes will make a big difference to student learning and create the culture of excellence we are building here.

I wish you all a happy and restful summer break.

Summer 2018 Newsletter

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There has been so much to celebrate this term and I hope this edition of the Haggerston Recorder gives you a sense of the varied, rich experiences and prestigious achievements of our students.

Our first cohort of the re-launched Duke of Edinburgh’s Award survived their first expedition.

Mr Tranter and the Humanities team led a number of geography field trips, including a three-day residential to Norfolk.

We were delighted to win the Carnegie Award for the second year running and

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Students play a part in firm’s celebration STAFF and students helped the world’s oldest law firm celebrate its 275th anniversary.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, founded in 1743, provides mentoring programmes and work experience opportunities to our students, while our governing board includes staff from the firm.

To mark the anniversary, students who have worked with Freshfields shared their own memories as a tribute to the firm.

Year 10 Cian Wharton said: “My experience with Freshfields helped me realise law is a possible career for me in the future.

“It has also taught me ways to manage stress and to think more positively about situations.”

Year 10 Chizim Nnodi said: “The regular scheduled meetings have helped to ensure that I have maintained a focus on my academic progress.

“Being in an environment of successful professional people has really motivated me to work hard and improve and has helped me develop resilience in terms of making constant improvement.”

Smit Chauhan, Year 13, said: “The skills I developed at Freshfields were important to securing an internship at an investment bank.

“The network my mentor introduced me to played an important part in developing my knowledge of the financial sector. The jargon I picked up gave me an advantage when applying to internships.”

Mr B Lynch, Deputy Headteacher, said: “At Haggerston School we have benefitted from strong links with Freshfields and their support has been an important aspect in the success of many of our students.

“Employees of Freshfields have given up their time to help mentor and educate our students through several mentoring programmes and work experience opportunities which are now established parts of our school calendar.

“The time and effort that has been invested

by Freshfields is considerable and both staff and students are very grateful.”

Art club produces a bright window display THE distinctive work of Gilbert & George – famous for their brightly coloured graphic-style photo-based artworks – was the inspiration for a new window display in the art studio.

The art club produced a series of vibrant transparent drawings based on the stained-glass creations by the iconic art duo.

Students combined their favourite things and turned them into imaginative patterns and designs.

Ms Peryer said: “The window display certainly brightens up the art studio, especially on a sunny day!”

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Summer 2018 Newsletter

Student Voice

Daniya’s special day out at Vogue

YEAR 12 Daniya Asaid was among just 12 students from across the country to be offered a place on Vogue magazine’s fashion and journalism career day. Here she talks about her exciting day at the magazine’s headquarters in central London...

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My day at Vogue was a wonderful experience and insight into the amazing world of fashion and journalism.

When I arrived at Vogue House, it was extremely exciting to see the interior of the building. We were taken upstairs as a group and shown around the head office.

We were introduced to the journalists who sit front row at the annual fashion shows in London, Milan, Paris and New York.

We also met the team behind the Vogue website, as well as the employees who write the monthly articles and the designers who set the layout of each page.

We were then introduced to Deborah Ababio, executive assistant to the editorin-chief of British Vogue.

It was wonderful to hear her journey and of the resilience and determination she had in order to reach her goal.

One of the most exciting parts was finally meeting Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue magazine.

He was kind enough to take time out of his busy day to be pictured with us and ask about our experience at Vogue.

It was amazing to see the hard work that goes into publishing the biggest magazine companies in the world.

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Testing poetry masterclass

Memorable day: Daniya (far right) with the students who spent a day at Vogue

YEAR 7 students were given a poetry masterclass from performance artist Neal Zetter at the Barbican Theatre.

Students were tasked with writing two poems, the first about a secret and the second about superheroes in the style of Anglo Saxon and Norse poetry.

Year 7 student Rudy Hudson said: “The main thing I took from the day was learning that editing is the most important part of poem writing, and also the hardest.”

Wide range of issues explored BREXIT, immigration, mental health and gender equality were among the issues explored during GCSE drama examination pieces.

Year 10 students devised and performed their own creative, skilful and confident pieces confronting both personal stories, current events and global issues.

The performances are worth 40% of the students’ overall GCSE mark.

Students shine at the Barbican YEAR 7 students took centre stage as they performed self-composed songs at the Barbican Box Music project.

Students created their own lyrical tale of a murky News Year’s Eve inspired by this year’s theme, Having a Voice.

They used a physical box provided

by artist as the starting point to create imaginative and adventurous work.

Mr Gregory said: “Haggerston students, in their confident delivery and the high quality of work, were definitely the highlight of the event, more than holding their own against predominantly older students.”

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Wide variety of work in students’ showcase TALENTED Year 11 students had their GCSE artwork displayed at a school exhibition.

Students and their families, as well as members of staff and school governors, were invited to a private viewing in the main hall at the end-of-year showcase.

The exhibition featured a selection of work by GCSE students and included examples of preparatory studies, sketchbooks, painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed-media and sculpture.

Themes that featured in the display included ‘World Cultures’, ‘I, Me, Mine’ and ‘Fragments’.

Art teacher Ms Peryer said: “It was fantastic to see our students’ pride in their achievements, and their parents supporting them and admiring their work.

“It was a great opportunity to showcase a huge variety of inventive and original artwork.”

Lecturer gives insight into classic novel A MODERN literary classic exploring themes and perceptions of extremism was the subject of a talk by a visiting university lecturer.

Dr Rehana Ahmed from Queen Mary University discussed Mohsin Hamid’s Booker Prize shortlisted novel “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”, and the wider topic of post-9/11 fiction.

The book follows a Pakistani man who encounters an American visitor to Lahore and begins telling him about his previous life in the US. The group discussed how the novel’s use of dramatic monologue serves to remove certainties a Western reader may hold.

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Drama students’ insight into fatherhood GCSE drama students enjoyed a thrilling performance about the complexities of fatherhood during a visit to the Lyric Theatre in June.

Frantic Assembly’s “Fatherland” is a performance piece based on real conversations between fathers and sons.

Summer 2018 Newsletter