Headmaster's Letter - October 2023

Head’s Letter to Parents

October 2023

Dear Parents I can’t believe where seven weeks have gone! You will notice from the many events described below that it has been a busy half term. I hope that you and your children have noticed the increased provision that exists this half term and I hope your children feel more enriched by it. I have been particularly pleased to see their readiness to engage with the new structure of the day, their engagement with activities outside the classroom and their enthusiasm.

I hope they find time to enjoy a well-earned break over the coming two weeks and we look forward to seeing them when they return in November.

Damian King Head dking@chigwell-school.org

Contents Page 1

Sustainability St John’s Ambulance

Page 2

University Applications Author Visit

Page 3

Theatre Trips

Page 4

Hans Woyda Mathematics Competition

Page 5

High Achievers Senior House Maths Competition

Page 6

European Day of Languages

Page 7

National Poetry Day

Page 8

Black History Month

Page 9

Boarding

Page 10

Imperial College Competitions

Page 11

Drama

Page 12

Music Music Department Dates for your Diary

Page 13

Senior Co-curricular Michaelmas Term 2023/2024

Page 14

Senior Co-curricular Michaelmas Term 2023/2024

Page 15

Senior Co-curricular Michaelmas Term 2023/2024

Page 16

Senior School Residential Trips 2023/2024

Page 17

Williams Project Silver Crest Award

Page 18

Co-curricular and Trips Girls’ Netball

Page 19

Girls’ Netball

Page 20

Girls’ Hockey

Page 21

Girls’ Hockey

Page 22

Girls’ Football £40,000+ Raised on Chigwell School’s Inaugural Giving Day

Page 23

Boys’ Football

Page 24

2024 Exam Contingency Dates Staff News

Page 25

A message from the Chaplain

Page 26

A message from the Friends of Chigwell

Sustainability Under the umbrella of the Service part of our 2029 Strategy, was a commitment to reducing our impact on the environment and improving the stewardship of the school site.

Within this context, we are working closely with Arup, a global sustainable development consultancy firm based in London, on a project to develop a shared vision and strategy for becoming a more sustainable, low carbon and biodiverse school.

The project kicked off with a fantastic walk round our buildings and grounds in September. Engagement with pupils and staff begins soon leading to a day of workshops in November to get as many ideas as possible about how we can all contribute to a more sustainable, low carbon and biodiverse future. There will also be an online survey circulated to capture the views and ideas of the whole school community.

Following the workshops, pupils and staff will be helping Arup to undertake site surveys and collect data as part of their lessons and school activities to help us design a vision and plan. Supporting this effort, the Chigwell School ‘Sustainability Committee’ will be refreshed, led by Miss Emma Thorogood. This is also an opportunity for our pupils to learn more about what sustainability, climate and nature means, from one of the world’s leading design and engineering firms. We are aiming to establish a shared vision for a more sustainable future for Chigwell School before Christmas, and the Arup team will bring everything together in a living, breathing strategy for the school by the end of March 2024.

St John’s Ambulance Unit will be taught by teachers who are about to start their training, but we also welcome any parents who want to train and become adult volunteers with the scheme. Do get in contact if you would like to get involved.

We are looking to host a St John’s Ambulance Cadet Unit at the school from January where pupils will be able to learn life-saving skills and be given the opportunity to work towards various St John’s Ambulance awards. This Cadet

1

University Applications This is the university application season for the Middle Sixth who have been completing their UCAS forms and, for the many looking to apply to competitive universities, sitting their admissions tests, most of which took place between 18th and 20th October.

All university applications should be submitted before Christmas, and pupils are expected to have their part of the application ready immediately after the progress exams the first week after half-term. We are delighted to see so many pupils applying for competitive universities and courses and wish all of our final year pupils the very best of luck in their applications wherever they are intending to go.

We continue to see growing interest in degree apprenticeship applications, following offers to last year’s cohort for engineering, financial and legal positions amongst others. Pupils interested in applying for degree apprenticeships, or who have questions about this area, should get in touch with our Head of Careers, Miss Roxanne Darkin.

On 16th November, we have an afterschool talk about a career in Law from Simone Pearlman, an experienced lawyer and legal consultant. We are looking forward to continuing our ‘Meet the Future’ talks at lunchtime and encourage pupils to attend these where of interest.

Author Visit Author Cliff McNish visited the Swallow Library on Monday 2nd October to work with Third Form pupils on their gothic writing skills as part of their English topic this term. Cliff’s multiple award-winning novels include Breathe, the gothic ghost story given to the pupils on their induction day and they were delighted to have their copy signed by the author! The workshops challenged pupils to move beyond the

clichéd ghost story by exploring motivation, setting and movement, as well as providing ideas for building tension.

2

Theatre Trips English pupils have made the most of our proximity to the West End this half term. On the first day back all A level English pupils made their way to the National to see Lucy Prebble's The Effect on which they will be writing part of their coursework. A few weeks later, the entire Upper Fifth visited The Globe

to see Macbeth - again seizing the opportunity to see a coursework set text off the page and on the stage.

These are invaluable opportunities for our pupils to enrich their understanding of literature and they were exemplary ambassadors for the school.

3

Hans Woyda Mathematics Competition On the 11th of October, we had the honour of hosting pupils from Bancroft's School for the opening round of the Hans Woyda mathematics competition. The Chigwell team put up a strong fight showcasing their robust mathematical skills and collaborating well during the team rounds. They tackled the problems with creativity and determination, all while maintaining their composure under the intense pressure of the competition. The outcome may not have been in our

favour, but our team embraced the opportunity for practice and now eagerly looks forward to Round 2 against Queen Elizabeth's School in November. A special mention must go to Karol, who not only delivered a remarkable performance during the competition but also exhibited impressive enthusiasm and dedication in organising training sessions to prepare the team for the next round.

Participating pupils were Caelan, Rayen, Karol, Rithun, and Joshua.

4

High Achievers poet Adisa launched the programme enabling pupils to write and perform their own poetry. More details of Adisa's visit can be found in the library news. Mr Edwin Aitken, Mr Howard

We are developing the opportunities we give to our pupils to re-imagine excellence in a 21st Century sense.

After half term, Mrs Nicola Jermyn will be running an excellence programme in DT with carefully selected pupils

Ebden and Mrs Emma Rea will combine forces to deliver the Arts Award next half term. We hope to celebrate achievement and engagement with as broad a curriculum as possible and are delighted with the student involvement and the parental support thus far.

competing in the UKROC competition to design, build and launch their own rockets. Mrs Emma Rea has started a Literary Society for Year 8 and 9 pupils with a special interest in literature: a bespoke workshop from performance

Senior House Maths Competition The senior house maths competition took place over the last three weeks, with each week featuring a distinct round of challenges. Lambourne took the lead in the group round, with Penn's following closely behind. Week two saw the mathematical relay race, adding a physical element to the event. Caswalls' won the junior relay with a Swallow's

victory in the senior relay. The final round consisted of quick-fire questions.

This proved rather tricky under the intense gaze of the audience but Swallow's managed to keep calm and composed leading them to win both the round and the whole competition.

Congratulations Swallow's!

5

European Day of Languages On Tuesday 26th September, Chigwell celebrated European day of languages.

This event gave our pupils the opportunity to explore the rich cultural heritage of Europe through various activities. During form periods, pupils completed quizzes related to European culture, and some classes had the chance to experiment learning new languages such as Italian, Portuguese and Polish. Also, Chartwells kindly arranged a European themed lunch which showcased some delicious dishes from France, Germany and Spain!

6

National Poetry Day As part of our celebration of National Poetry Day (5th October) we were delighted to welcome two poets to school: Adisa the Verbalizer and Laura Mucha. Adisa inspired and challenged KS3 pupils during two very entertaining presentations in New Hall. He followed these with a creative writing workshop for a small group of high achievers in English in which he sensitively guided them to write and perform a poem about an issue they are facing.

Laura Mucha visited the Prep School and performed some of her poems from her book Dear Ugly Sisters and other Poems in a vibrant and exciting way, engaging KS2 pupils to create some funny and sad poems.

7

Black History Month October is famously known as Black History Month across the world. The theme of the UK Black History Month this year is ‘Saluting our Sisters’, which focuses on the achievements of Black British women and we celebrated with various activities, all organised by the Equality Ambassadors. The whole school assembly was led by Mrs Rachelle Williams who shared with us stories from the Windrush and her own family’s experiences, and Kylan performed a poem

by Benjamin Zephaniah. Student-led societies including the Feminist Society, Culture Society, and Debating Society all turned their gaze onto Black British History. Pupils embellished their uniforms to raise money for the charity ‘Cycle for Africa’ and £510 was collected. Pupils in the Prep School were invited to dance workshops led by Senior School pupils and Pre Prep pupils spent time with older pupils who read them stories about Black History Month. We were also treated to fantastic African and Caribbean cuisine by Chartwells and this was accompanied by live music provided by Harlow Steelband.

8

Boarding The new international boarders arrived at Chigwell several days early at the beginning of their first term, in order to start settling into the boarding houses before lessons began and embarking on a busy induction programme. The weekend activities have been particular highlights of the half term and have included bowling with their mentors, day trips to London, a visit to an Escape Room and the Head's Welcome Dinner.

At the end of September, the whole boarding community enjoyed a weekend away to Othona, Bradwell on Sea, appreciating the peace and calm of the Essex coast with views over the Blackwater Estuary. We wish all boarders, whether they are travelling home or remaining in the UK with their host families, safe journeys and a welldeserved break.

9

Imperial College Competitions Chigwell is proud joint national winners of the Imperial College ‘Science in Medicine’ British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Prize ePoster competition, which fifty-seven UK schools entered this year. Our team; Middle Sixth Formers Nayan, Crystal, Guan, Nabel, Mahi and Thomas, presented their proposed health monitor invention on a poster entitled “Cardio Connect – How do we attain cholesterol count?” which was selected for the final ten entries by a panel of twenty-four judges. In the final, the team had to explain their idea in a seven-

minute, online, Teams presentation to Imperial academics, who then quizzed them live on the details. The team’s poster will be displayed at the Imperial Festival next June, and they win a £2500 prize for Chigwell’s science department. A word too on our other team in the parallel Lung competition run by Imperial. Their ‘Rapid Responder’ idea was shortlisted in the final ten out of fifty-two entries. Well done to Alina, Lily, Eshal, Maisa and Kinneri. Along with the Cardiovascular team, they too win an online mentoring session with an academic from Imperial College.

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Drama In drama we began the term with a trip for Middle Sixth drama pupils to the long running and much acclaimed production, Burnt City by PunchDrunk in Greenwich. This was a fully immersive production based around the story of the Fall of Troy and also included a Drag Queen cabaret! Next, our GCSE costume and make-up pupils attended a full day’s basic training on stage makeup by Rosemarie Swinfield, author of our text book for make-up. Upper Fifth and Middle Sixth pupils travelled to Milton Keynes for an outstanding Royal National Theatre production of the Life

of Pi based on the novel by Yann Martel and adapted for the stage by Lolita Chakrabarti. This was an amazing spectacle of puppetry, acting and multimedia technology that brought this epic tale to life. The Senior School play has got off the ground with several rounds of auditions being held and rehearsals are now in full swing. Finally, on the last afternoon of this half of term, all GCSE and A level drama pupils were treated to a visiting performance of Steve And Tobias Face Death, a touring Zombie show that was a masterclass in dark comedy and stage fighting.

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Music On Monday 25th September, Mr Simon Winters organised an informal recital for his piano pupils; fifteen pupils performed, ranging from beginners to those preparing for Grade 8. It was a lovely occasion and gave pupils an opportunity to play in public, something that young pianists often don’t get a chance to do. It was pleasing that a good number of parents came to support their children. On Saturday 7th October we welcomed over 120 pupils to our Four Schools’ Music Festival. KS2 musicians and singers from Woodford Green Prep, St Aubyn’s and Avon House joined our own pupils for a fabulous day

of music making and fun. Pupils were given the opportunity to sing in a large choir, experience a trombone masterclass, and for those who play an instrument, take part in an orchestra. In just a few hours the orchestra and choir took to the stage for a packed final concert in New Hall. The orchestra produced a colourful rendition of Samba Groove and the Nutcracker, and the choir gave a touching performance of Pasek and Paul’s You Will Be Found. It was a musical triumph and a wonderful occasion for all. Our thanks to all who came and made the day such a success.

Music Department Dates for your Diary On Thursday 23rd November we are producing a Celebratory Concert for the 60th Anniversary of Revitalise, one of our immediate local charities. The concert will be the inaugural whole school event in our new Sports Hall and will bring together instrumentalists and choirs from across the whole school community from the Prep School through to the Senior School.

House Music is scheduled for Friday 1st December at 5.30pm and will involve the vast majority of Removes to Middle Sixth; it is a short evening of immense fun, competition and camaraderie. Please save the date and keep a watch out for tickets being released. If you want to sing along, the part song, test piece (Item 1) is Story of My Life

by One Direction.

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Senior Co-curricular Michaelmas Term 2023/24 Club/Society/Activity Music Academic Enrichment Student Led Society Sport

Time

Room Year Groups

Monday MUSIC Chapel Choir MON WkA Before School

08:00-09:00 Mezz

Specific

AC ENRICHMENT 3D Pen club

12:55-13:35 DT1

7

AC ENRICHMENT Art D Shepherd Competition

12:55-13:35 Art 1

7,8

AC ENRICHMENT Poetry Society

12:55-13:35 Burford

11,12,13

CLUB Electronic Music Composition and Sound Manipulation

12:55-13:35 R5

9,10,11

MUSIC Junior Rock Band

12:50-13:35 Mezz

Specific

MUSIC Theory Club (Grades 1-4)

12:55-13:35 MR3

7,8,9,10

MUSIC Theory Club (Grades5+)

13:35-14:10 MR3

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

SLED Soc Robotics Society SLED Soc Cultural Society SLED Soc Jewish Society

13:35-14:10 ICT1 12:55-13:35 R4 13.35-14.10 RS1

Specific 11,12,13

SOC Equality Ambassadors

12:55-13:35 SFC St

9,10,11,12,13

SPORT Cross-country

13:00-13:45

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

MUSIC Guitar Ensemble

16:15-17:15 MR1

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

MUSIC Musici/Senior Orchestra

16:10-17:15 Mezz

Specific

SPORT Cricket III Form

16:15-17:30 SWC

7

SPORT Football

16:15-17:30 Out/3G

11,12,13

SPORT Hockey

16:15-17:30 Astro

11,12,13

SPORT Swimming (recreational)

16:15-16:45 Pool

7,8

SPORT Swimming (recreational)

16:45-17:30 Pool

9,10

08:00-08:30 MR2

Specific

08:00-08:30 MR1

Specific

Monday Lunchtime

Monday After School

MUSIC Clarinet Ensemble Tuesday Before School MUSIC Saxophone Ensemble SPORT Running Club

07:30-08:15 Outside 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

13

Tuesday Lunchtime

Tuesday After School

AC ENRICHMENT Junior Mythos Club WkA only AC ENRICHMENT Mandarin Club

13:35-14:15 C1 12:55-13:35 R2

7,8 11,12,13

AC ENRICHMENT Senior Debating Club

13:35-14:15 RM15

9,10,11,12,13

AC ENRICHMENT Year 8 & 9 Literary Society

12:55-13:35 RM2

Specific

MUSIC Big Band

12:55-13:40 Mezz

Specific

MUSIC Percussion Ensemble

13:35-14:15 MR1

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

SLEDSoc Criminology Society SLED Soc Feminist Society

12:55-13:35 R3 12:55-13:35 R4

9,10,11,12,13 11,12,13

SPORT Cricket 1st & 2nd XI

13:15-14:15 SWC

Specific

SPORT Yoga

13:00-13:45 SWC

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

AC ENRICHMENT: Williams Project WkA only

16:15-17:15 SFC St

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

MUSIC Symphonic Wind Band

16:15-17:15 Mezz

Specific

SPORT Basketball

16:15-17:30 SWC

7,8

SPORT Football

16:15-17:30 Out/3G

9,10

SPORT Hockey

16:15-17:30 Astro

9,10

08:00-08:30 MR1

Specific

08:00-08:30 MR2

Specific

AC ENRICHMENT ARTiculation PrizeDiscussion on Art

2:55-13:35

12,13

AC ENRICHMENT Bronze Crest Award STEM Project

13:35-14:15 P2 Sci

8

AC ENRICHMENT Pre-ARTiculation PrizeDiscussion on Art

12:55-13:35 Art 1

10,11

MUSIC Flute Group

12:55-13:30 MR2

All

MUSIC Peter Pan BIG Chorus KS3 Winter Theatricals

12:55-13:35 Chapel

7,8,9

MUSIC Senior Pop Choir MUSIC Big Band Sectional

12:55-13:25 MR1 13.35-14.10 MR1

7,8,9,10,11,12,13 Specific

RELIGIOUS Christian Union

12:55-13:35 RS1

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

SLEDSoc Bio Medical Society

12:55-13:35 R5

10,11,12,13

SPORT Basketball (3v3)

13:00-13:45 SWC

9,10

SPORT Body conditioning

13:00-13:45 SWC

9,10,11,12,13

CLUB Chess

16:00-17:15 RM11

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

SPORT Football

16:15-17:30 Out/3G

7,8

SPORT Hockey

16:15-17:30 Astro

7,8

SPORT Strength and Conditioning

16:15-17:30 SWC

10,11,12,13

Wednesday MUSIC Trombone Quartet Before School MUSIC Trumpet Ensemble

Wednesday Lunchtime

Wednesday After School

14

Art2

Thursday MUSIC Intermediate Orchestra Before School

Thursday Lunchtime

08:00-09:00 Mezz

4,5,6,7,8,9

AC ENRICHMENT French Public Speaking Elocution

13:35-14:10 JS04

7,8,9

AC ENRICHMENT Greenpower Club - building a racing vehicle

12:55-14:15 DT1

10,11

AC ENRICHMENT Psychology Society 'Why do I behave the way I do?'

13:35-14:10 R3

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

AC ENRICHMENT Python Club

12:55-1335

10,11,12,13

AC ENRICHMENT Reading Champions

12:55-13:35 Library

7,8,9,10,11

MUSIC Senior Cello Group

13:00-13:40 MR2

Specific

RELIGIOUS Islamic Society

12:55-13:45 DC

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

SLEDSoc International Relations

12:55-13:35 R5

9,10,11,12,13

SLEDSoc Journalism Society

13:35-14:15 R5

9,10,11,12,13

SLEDSoc Philosophy and Ethics

12:55-13:35 R4

9,10,11,12,13

ICT1

SPORT Strength & Conditioning Football1stXIonly 13:00-13:45 SWC

Specific

SPORT Table Tennis III Form

13:00-13:35 SWC

7

CLUB Astronomy

16:15-17:15 P2 Sci

9,10

CLUB Survival Skills Club

16:15-17:30 Out/RM3 7,8

SPORT Netball

16:15-17:30 SWC

8,9,10,11,12,13

DRAMA Applied Theatre

16:15-17:15 DC

10,11,12

Friday Before School MUSIC Chapel Choir WKB (LV-MVI only)

08:00-09:00 Mezz

Specific

AC ENRICHMENT Mandarin Club AC ENRICHMENT Law Society

12:55-13:35 R2 13.35-14.10 RS2

8,9 11,12,13

Drama Play Writing Club IV Form

13:35-14:10 DC

8

MUSIC Beethoven String Quartet

13:30-14:10 MR1

Specific

MUSIC Chapel Choir WKA and B

12.55-13.40 Mezz

Specific

RELIGIOUS Islamic Society

12:55-13:45 DC

7,8,9,10,11,12,13

SLEDSoc LGBTQ+

12:55-13:35 RS2

9,10,11,12,13

SLEDSoc Mythos Club

12:55-13:35 C2

9,10,11,12,13

MUSIC Senior Rock Band

16:15-17:15 Mezz

10,11,12,13

SLEDSoc Japanese Cinema

16:15-17:30 RM11

9,10,11,12,13

SPORT Indoor Hockey

16:15-17:30 SWC

11,12,13

Thursday After School

Friday Lunchtime

Friday After School

15

Senior School Residential Trips 2023-2024 Michaelmas Term 2023 23-24 September 19-24 October 21-25 October 23-26 October 30 October ± 3 November

Othona New York Bay of Naples Trip to Berlin Barcelona, Football Development Tour

Boarders English Classics MFL Sport

LVI, MVI LVI MVI LV, UV, LVI, MVI III, IV, REM III, IV

Computing LIVE! @ Disneyland Paris Spanish Trip to Madrid Saccidananda Ashram, Tamil Nadu, India The First World War Battlefields Iceland Hinterglem, Austria, Ski Trip Skreens Park, DofE Bronze Foot, (groups 1-5) Skreens Park, DofE Bronze Foot, (groups 6-10) NASA ± Texas Houston Fairlop Waters and River Stort, DofE Silver North Downs, DofE Silver Foot

Comp Sci MFL Charity History Geography VI Form DofE DofE D&T (STEM) DofE DofE

UV, LVI, MVI LV, UV, LVI, MVI IV, Rem, LV, UV, LVI, MVI Rem MVI, LVI LVI, MVI Rem Rem LV-UV LV LV

South Downs, DofE Silver Foot River Thames ± Oxfordshire, DofE Silver Canoe CERN Skreens Park, DofE Bronze Foot, (groups 1-5) Skreens Park, DofE Bronze Foot, (groups 6-10) Sixth Form trip to the Lake District Scotland, DofE Gold Foot (qualifying) Scotland, DofE Gold Foot (practice)

DofE DofE Physics DofE DofE VI Form DofE DofE

LV LV LVI, MVI Rem Rem LVI MVI LVI

Lent Term 2024 3-6 February 12-15 February 7-16 February 15-16 March 27-31 March 29 March - 5 April 29-30 March 30-31 March 31-March- 7 April 1-4 April 5-7 April Trinity Term 2024 7-9 May 14-16 May 16-18 May 17-18 June 19-20 June 23-29 June 30 June ± 5 July 11-16 July

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Williams Project The Williams Project is named after Sir Bernard Williams, one of the foremost British philosophers of the 20th century, and an Old Chigwellian. It provides opportunities for pupils at Chigwell School to broaden and deepen their intellectual life. Meetings take place after school every other Tuesday (week A of our timetable). This half term our pupils benefited from presentations given by Professor Tomas Cvrcek from SEES, UCL, with surprising outcomes from analysing

data from dating sites and from Professor Daniel Cavicchi, historian and psychologist from Rhodes Island University in the USA. He focused his presentation on musical audience; what makes people want to follow one specific individual or a group.

If there is anyone you wish to be invited and who could offer an academically stimulating presentation, please do get in touch..

Silver Crest Award Four of our Year 11 pupils achieved the Silver Crest Award in 2022-2023. The pupils developed their own ideas and carried out these projects gaining indepth experience of the scientific method or engineering design process.

Some pupils worked independently and others worked in groups to plan and run a project addressing a real-world problem across the fields of product design, computer science and environmental science. Kyla and Aleena investigated the best method to clean up oil spill; Eashen developed his coding skills by producing a typing test website; Isaac learned how to use a microcontroller by making a semi-automatic food dispenser for pets. Well done for all their hard work and commitment!

17

Co-curricular and Trips The new shape and timetable of the day has promulgated life to our enriching co-curricular activities, which all pupils have been actively encouraged to sign up to. These include a wide variety of student-led societies, which are rich in discussion, exploration, and provide a valuable meeting space for vertical collaboration and friendship; academic enrichment clubs; a broad spectrum of music ensembles, choirs and bands; many sporting activities fully utilising our new Sport and Wellness Centre, courts and 3G pitch and many more. There is

something for everyone. Please encourage your child to take full advantage to explore life beyond the classroom.

We are grateful to staff who are taking out trips this coming half-term. These include the English department trip to New York, the Classics trip to the Bay of Naples, the MFL trip to Berlin, and PE’s football development tour to Barcelona.

We wish everyone a safe trip and look forward to hearing the exciting stories of exploits on their return.

Girls’ Netball Even though this is not netball term, it has been a busy start to the school year with cup matches and National Schools’ competition. The U13s, U15s and U19s all drew home in their first round of ISNC matches and despite tough losses, pupils played with spirit and a determination to ensure they met their teams’ goals. Pupils were lucky enough to experience the netball facilities in the new Sport and Wellness Centre and are looking forward to more opportunities in the netball term. The U14 and U16 squads

headed to St Marks School, Harlow in early September taking part in the local round of the Nationals. Both squads enjoyed competitive games with the U16s finishing 3rd in their group just missing out on County round qualification. The U14s have progressed through to the County round which takes place in November and the U19 squad still have their county round to come, which is straight after half term.

Well done to all those who have been part of the squads and fixtures.

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19

Girls’ Hockey It has been a busy half term of hockey with Saturday block fixtures against St Edmunds, Bancroft's and Forest, as well as national competitions for the majority of our age groups. Particular highlights have been the 1st XI 4-0 victory v St Edmunds, the U15A 4-1 victory against Bancroft's and the U13s strong showing at the IAPS regionals having been drawn in a very difficult group indeed.

This season we have also entered the National Schools Indoor Hockey Championships with training being massively aided by our brand new Sport and Wellness Centre.

We look forward to block fixtures against Queenswood, Brentwood and Bishop’s Stortford College.

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21

Girls’ Football This term the U11, U13 and U16 girls have been involved in the Essex Cup Competition. This is the first time Chigwell have entered this competition and it has been a useful learning experience for us. The U16s were knocked out of the cup as we faced tough opposition, Riverside School, however the girls showed great grit and determination in their performance. The U11 and U13s are through to the second

round of this competition; the U11s face Northbury and the U13s are due to play Shenfield High School. The U18s faced Haileybury in the ISFA Cup; this was a great opportunity for the girls to play on the 1st XI football pitch. The pupils played with a huge amount of enthusiasm and spirit, which ensured they met their teams’ goals, however, Haileybury proved to be too strong on this occasion.

£40,000+ Raised on Chigwell School’s Inaugural Giving Day £40,000+ Raised on Chigwell School’s Inaugural Giving Day A special “Thank You” to all parents, Old Chigwellians, pupils, staff and friends who joined us on 26th and 27th September for Chigwell School’s first ever Giving Day. Because of your generosity, we raised over £40,000 during the 36-hour campaign for the Bursary Fund and Sport & Wellness provision. A mix of first time and previous donors gave from around the globe.

Time is running out: Reserve your personalised tribute plaque today. Be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in our Sport & Wellness Centre display.

Payment plans available. Learn more and scan the QR code.

We are looking to form a Philanthropy Expert Group to guide future fundraising, volunteering, awareness, and special event activities. If you wish to learn more, please contact Mr Scott Franssen on 020 8501 5769 and sfranssen@chigwellschool.org.

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Boys’ Football Football has continued to progress and the fixture list continues to grow with entries into ISFA Cups, trophies and Essex Cup fixtures.

The school competed in the ISFA Sixes with an extremely young and inexperienced team, and progressed to the quarter finals of the shield, narrowly losing to Brentwood, the eventual winners. It has been a challenging season for the 1XI this year. Due to the success of previous years, we have lost strong players to elite and professional environments, a victim of our own success. The 1XI could not replicate their success from previous years and have been knocked out of the Boodles Cup to Mill Hill but will play Latymer in the shield.

Lower down the school there has been a steady progression. The U15s are still in all cups at present, beating Westminster and Highgate already this year. The U14s have shown a glimpse of what they are capable of and continue to show good promise as they go into the deeper rounds of the Essex Cup. The U13s unfortunately are out of both cups. They did however progress well in the IAPS competition at Bishop’s Stortford, losing in the semifinals. The U12s is a real transition for a number of reasons; this year’s crop have again battled well and worked hard. They continue to progress in the Essex Cup

with an initial win against Woodbridge School. The U11s have had great success making both the final of ISFA, progressing to St Georges Park and the National Finals, and also in the IAPS competition, again narrowly losing in the final but progressing to the National Finals again which will be played later this year.

KS2 football club on a Thursday is as popular as ever with over eighty boys playing every week. Mr Kevin Farrant, Mr Steve Moore, Mr James Bluff and Mr Asif Mushtaq have worked hard to improve technical ability and develop the core skills of all involved.

Individually we continue to have real success, Blake – Tottenham, Maxim – Crystal Palace FC, and all boys have thrived in the professional environments and continue to develop and progress well. Congratulations also to George, Louie, Ewan, Marcus, Sahib, Rufus, 1XI Capt and Sonny for nomination to Essex Schools Representative teams. Finally, congratulations to Jordan, Louis, Oscar and Luca who have been nominated and will trial for the Essex and Herts U13 ISFA representative team.

Football at Chigwell continues to thrive and be successful across numbers, performances and fixtures.

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2024 Exam Contingency Dates If your child is taking GCSE or A Level exams in summer 2024 then please be aware that they must be available through the entire exam period including any contingency dates. Please read below the statement from the JCQ website,

disruption and that the contingency day won’t be needed. But students should be available throughout the exam period, including the contingency times listed above, in case their planned timetable is disrupted.

Please bear in mind the contingency timings when planning for any holidays/work experience in June 2024.

Should you have any further questions then please contact Mr Dilpesh Patel (dpatel@chigwell-school.org) directly.

Of course, once your child has sat all their exams they would no longer need to remain available for any of the contingency times listed above.

The 2024 timetable has set aside the afternoon of 6th June and 13th of June together with the whole day on 26th June for contingency purposes. This will be used if a significant, unexpected event arises nationally or locally during the exam period such that no students (or a large number of them) are able to take an exam when planned. Of course, we all hope there won’t be such

Staff News We have welcomed the following new members of the Sport and Wellness Centre team and we hope they will be very happy here:

• Peter Smith – Health & Fitness Assistant Manager • Becky Twiggins – Sports Centre Swim School Manager

• Alexander Coates – Sports Centre Deputy Manager With best wishes

• Zac Knowles – Sports Centre Recreation Assistant • Alice Leonard – Sports Centre Recreation Assistant

Damian King

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A message from the Chaplain Harvest – a time to be thankful and creative!

We had a wonderful Open Day at Chigwell School and as many people passed through the Chapel, they were amazed at the generosity of Harvest Gifts presented in front of the altar. I would like to express my deep gratitude to everyone who gave a donation, and we look forward to taking the produce to the local food bank. During the Harvest Services, I have been challenging our young people to think of this time creatively. I am reminded of a Church where I was a priest in the Northwest of England, St Mary’s, Nantwich, where, at Harvest, we drove a Rolls Royce down the aisle and invited the workforce to give thanks for their work and endeavour. I spoke about a charity which I have supported over the years – cycle4africa.org.uk – which promotes cycling to reduce carbon emissions, supports health, education, and environmental projects in Africa and, possibly more importantly, educates about the link between our carbon emissions and the inability for many African people to produce a Harvest

because of arid conditions as the result of climate change. Please do contact me if you would like any more information about the charity or if you would like to support it.

With best wishes Fr David The Chaplain

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A message from the Friends of Chigwell The Friends of Chigwell (FOC) is the school’s well-established parents’ association that consists of a group of parent volunteers and co-opted school members.

On 27th September the FOC AGM took place followed by the Head’s Questions.

At the AGM, the new committee for 20232024 was voted in and the achievements for the last school year were celebrated.

There are also meeting dates and event dates for your dairy below. We would love to have all parents join our meetings and events, as and when they can. Parent involvement in the FOC is the foundation of our success in creating a community within Chigwell School. Please join our WhatsApp group for more information on how you can get involved, see the QR code below! We look forward to seeing and meeting you all!

2023-2024 FOC Meetings Tuesday 21st November 2023 Wednesday 10th January 2024 Tuesday 5th March 2024 Wednesday 24th April 2024 Tuesday 4th June 2024 2023-2024 FOC Events 10th November 2023 - Fireworks Night 24th November 2023 - Year 3-6 Christmas Movie Night 12th December 2023 - Years 7 and above Christmas Movie Night (TBC) 8th December 2023 - Christmas Fayre Date TBC - Pre Loved Uniform Sale 19th January 2024 - Year 3-4 disco 3:30- 4:30pm (TBC) 19th January 2024 - Year 5-6 disco 4:45 – 6pm (TBC) 26th January 2024 - Quiz Night 7th March 2024 – Mothers’ Day Pop Up Shop 22nd March 2024 - Bollywood Dance Night

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TERM DATES 2023 - 2024

Michaelmas Term Half term: Saturday 21st October to Sunday 5th November Term ends: Wednesday 13th December

2024 Lent Term Staff meetings and INSET on Wednesday 3rd January First day: Thursday 4th January Half term: Saturday 10th February to Sunday 18th February Term ends: Thursday 28th March Trinity Term (Easter Day is 31st March) First day: Wednesday 17th April Half term: Saturday 25th May to Sunday 2nd June INSET Day Monday 3rd June Term ends: Wednesday 10th July

2024 Michaelmas Term Staff meetings and INSET on Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd September First day:

Wednesday 4th September

Half term:

Saturday 19th October to Sunday 3rd November

Term ends: Friday 13th December

2025 Lent Term Staff meetings and INSET on Monday 6th January First day:

Tuesday 7th January

Half term:

Saturday 15th February to Sunday 23rd February

Term ends: Friday 28th March