BSFG Spring Highlights 2019

Artwork by kaylan kaffaf brentford art & design

Brentford school for girls

brentford 6 form th

spring highlights 2019

IMAGINE THE FUTURE BRENTFORD GIRL... she thrives on challenge and has a desire to fulfil her learning potential. she is able to think independently and is confident in her social and academic capability. she is emotionally aware and emotionally intelligent. she is capable and dependable. she is resourceful and inquisitive. she embraces the technological world as a global village and is ready to interact with others in the local and worldwide community. she accepts the welfare of others as her responsibility. she understands the need for sustainable living both locally and globally. she is ready for life in the future - whatever that may be.

She is the centre of our vision and will remain the very core of our being and purpose.

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Head teacher’s welcome

Chair of Governors’ Message

Dear Parents/Carers,

Dear Parents/Carers and Staff,

We have come to the end of a very busy term and as you will see from this edition of the highlights, it has been full of activities, experiences and opportunities.

As another very busy term draws to an end it is always good to reflect on the achievements of the students and all of the fantastic activities they have been taking part in, as always supported and encouraged by an amazing team of staff, both teaching and support.

Whilst our continued focus has been in the classroom and ensuring that your daughter continues to learn well, we are keen to continue to promote Brentford school as a community rich in opportunities which allow your daughter to develop those broader life skills. I often speak to the girls about seizing the opportunities that are available to them at school and so many of them do. However, there is always a small minority who are less interested, if your daughter is one of these please encourage her to start taking part!

The highlight for me has to be the school play, what an amazing evening and an incredible showcase of the talent we are lucky to have at Brentford. Having never seen the original I am now a ‘High School Musical’ convert and cannot wait for next year’s production. Thank you to everyone who encourages and supports their daughters to take part in what are definitely a whole school production.

We have been incredibly lucky this term to secure enough funding to provide a free breakfast for all of our students. Please encourage your daughter to take advantage of this. School is open every day from 8am, the computer rooms and the library are available to students if they would like to get on with some homework.

The students have also taken part in numerous extracurricular activities, not least World Book Day which is becoming larger every year and is a chance for everyone to celebrate all the amazing characters that can be found between the covers of a book and which definitely goes a long way to encourage the students to put down their mobiles and lose themselves in a book, using their imaginations to create their own images of the characters and the places they discover.

Thank you for your continued support of the school over the last term.

The Duke of Edinburgh students have been enthusiastically taking part in practice walks, Geography students have been on field trips and other students travelled further abroad to take up the opportunity to try their hand at skiing. I have heard that they took to the piste like naturals and all returned to Brentford safe and sound regaling tales of their adventures. A huge thank you to the staff who accompanied them on this incredible opportunity.

Wishing you all a peaceful Easter break.

Best wishes,

Headteacher

There were too many other extracurricular activities to mention them all individually but the opportunities that the students are able to experience seem to be increasing almost termly, and it is great that so many students take part in them and the chance to develop skills and experiences over and above their academic ones. As a governing body we are always proud to be associated with such a vibrant and committed student body and the staff who facilitate all of these opportunities for them.

Next term will see the annual GCSE and A-Level exams and I am sure that the students are already focussed on their revision and achieving the grades to take them onto the next stage of their lives, we wish you all the very best of luck.

I will close by wishing you all, students, parents and guardians, and school staff a peaceful and relaxing Easter break and I look forward to catching up with many of you over the coming term.

Regards, Terri George - Chair of Governors

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PET THERAPY With the current national teacher shortage and funding cuts to schools, Brentford School for Girls has started recruiting from the canine world. Cheaper than her human colleagues Lillie the 3-year-old Cavachon is happy to be paid in treats and cuddles.

Brentford School or Girls recognises the importance of positive mental health and the school has developed a mental health strategy. As part of this they are trialling Lillie to work with students who have a variety of needs. Pet Therapy has proven benefits and Brentford School for Girls is hoping Lillie can help with reducing anxiety, improving pupil motivation and developing social skills and confidence.

Ms Leenders has been very impressed with her new member of staff. “Lillie has settled really well into Brentford life. She is very popular with the girls and is doing an excellent job. Students have commented on how friendly she is and how well she interacts with them.”

We have an Autistic Spectrum Unit onsite and Lillie has been a hit here as well. Students have reported feeling comfort and joy from Lillie interacting with them. Lillie has also been working with the school Librarian Ms O’Sullivan to engage reluctant readers. Ms O’Sullivan has been bowled over by the engagement in reading when Lillie is working with this group.

Lillie currently attends Brentford every Monday and although she can’t speak for herself, her owner reports she is certainly getting a very good night’s sleep on Monday evenings!

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duke of edinburgh practice walk

woodrow high house The current Year 11 students were rewarded by attending a trip to an activity centre; Woodrow High House. This was a lovely day and the girls worked on their teamwork ability as well as working with a variety of different people within their year group. It was a shame about the weather, but the girls and staff who attended all had a great day out.

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We have a relatively small cohort of girls taking part in the ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ award this year and the first test of the year is to check their knowledge and understanding of map skills and navigation in Richmond Park. The girls used maps and compasses to direct themselves around the park to a finishing point within a certain time.

year 8 careers day On Wednesday 16th January, Year 8 pupils had a day off timetable so that they could consider their option choices in the context of the ever-changing world of work. The two morning sessions involved students taking part in an entrepreneurial activity where they used crucial employability skills including team work, presentation and research skills to solve a problem and write a tailored CV for various jobs. Pupils particularly enjoyed the business speed networking event in the afternoon, where they met local professionals and spoke to them about their careers in an informal environment. They developed their awareness of ‘Labour Market Information,’ namely what jobs are available to them in the market place.

Pupils explored some of the possible career paths by speaking to professionals like, Chris Paterson, an executive coach for ‘Smile Be Curious’, Andy Byron a trade communications and sales executive for ‘Teapigs,’ our own alumni, Amy Paterson, a junior science apprentice at the National physical laboratory and Baljit Thatti, a senior lecturer in analytical and forensic chemistry at Kingston University. The event was supported by school governors, local businesses and alumni. It was wonderful to see how many professionals gave up their time to visit the school for the event.

The students asked a wide range of interesting questions, from the hours worked to money earned! It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and inspired some of the students to consider careers in a variety of roles. The students found the whole experience invaluable in supporting the process of choosing their GCSE options.

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high school musical performance This year’s production of ‘High school Musical’ brought together 80 students from Years 7-11 to create a wonderful fast paced performance. With both shows completely sold out, it was a real testament to the students’ hard work to learn all of the dances and songs to an incredibly high standard.

Copies of the DVD will be on sale to cast members for £8.00 on Scopay.

year 11/12/13 frantic assembly workshop The Year 11, 12 and 13 students were lucky enough to work with a practitioner from the Paper Bird’s theatre company. The girls spent two hours exploring verbatim theatre and devising theatre techniques, all of which will help them in their examination pieces.

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year 12 & 13 re day

debate mate

On 24th January all 6th formers took part in the annual RE Day. The aim of this day was to explore philosophical, moral and ethical questions surrounding animals and human interaction with them. The students looked at questions like: ‘Do animals have souls?’ ‘Do humans have the right to remove animals from the wild?’ ‘Does the capture of animals save or destroy a species?’ After exploring these topics in school, we undertook an exciting trip on the train from Brentford to Camden Town. Once we arrived at London Zoo, the students independently completed some self-guided activities in groups. The standard of behaviour was excellent throughout the day. Overall, our students engaged so well in this event and they were a credit to the school.

Our debaters have been involved in two competitions over the last term. They have trained hard with their university mentors going on to battle it out with other local schools.

Their scores have been submitted to the national competition and they have been incredibly successful thus far gaining a ranking of 6th in England! We are waiting to hear back on the latest results, and we are hoping they qualify for the final which is held at the Houses of Parliament! Their next competition is the ‘Debate Mate Cup’ in April at Goldsmiths University. We wish them all the best and are incredibly proud of them!

Debate Mate is a free programme for any student in Year’s 7-10 which runs every Wednesday afterschool in the English Department.

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‘So You Want to be a...’ talks

Nhs volunteering

This term, the ‘So You Want to be a…’ lunch time careers talks continued with two interesting talks on: IT and Psychology.

On 29th January, ex-student Cat Tranfield spoke to students about the everchanging world of IT and the skills needed to succeed in this field. The talk titled ‘Girls in Tech’ was particularly pertinent considering that jobs in digital tech are on the rise. From 2014 to 2017 digital tech sector employment rose 13.2%. Its workers are more productive too. Jobs requiring digital tech skills command higher salaries, at £42,578 compared to £32,477 for those that do not (sourced from Tech Nation Report 2018). Cat’s talk was closely followed by ‘So You Want to study… Psychology,’ delivered by our Media and Marketing Coordinator, Ms Mughal, a recent Psychology graduate. Ms Mughal’s talk covered information on the different fields of Psychology, career progression routes and all aspects of university life, including student finance.

Congratulations to our Year 12 student Ella Faizi who has secured a volunteer position on the brand-new NHS youth volunteering programme. Ella made a competitive application and after ace-ing her way through various selection procedures, started her shifts last month. Ella currently works one afternoon per week at West Middlesex Hospital, working on the ward dedicated to frailty care and elderly patients. Ella has been befriending the elderly patients, taking the time to talk to them and keep them company during their time in hospital. She has also been teaching one or two patients to use a tablet (not a medicinal one)! As well as helping to explore her career interests. Volunteering is a fantastic way to develop those all-important employability skills, needed in today’s job market. If you are aged 16+ and would like to volunteer at West Middlesex hospital over the summer (a minimum 30 hours required) please see Ms Brown for further details.

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cambridge university - year 12 year 10 oxford pathways visit trip Congratulations to Year 12 student Nabieha Ahmad who secured a place on Cambridge Universities Homerton Shadowing Scheme. During the February half-term, Nabieha spent 3 days shadowing a Cambridge University Medical Sciences undergraduate student. As well as experiencing sample lectures and seminars, lab practicals, and a ‘supervision,’ Nabieha also received expert information and guidance on the university’s admissions and interview process. Nabieha also had the chance to meet other undergraduate students, experience ‘student life’ and explore the city of Cambridge.

To search for university taster days, students in Year 12 should see ‘Uni Taster Days’ website.

On one of the snowiest days of the year, Ms Minors and Ms Brown took 12 intrepid Year 10 students to Balliol College, University of Oxford, to enjoy their annual ‘Oxford Pathways Programme’. The aim of this programme is to provide information, advice and guidance on higher education. Students spent a busy day touring both Balliol and St Ann’s college and attending talks on Competitive University Applications and Student Finance. Students also took part in an interactive workshop on ‘Uni Life’ with current undergraduate students and attended a mini academic taster lecture designed to give an insight into university teaching and learning.

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a-level media trip - silent cinema study day On Thursday 31st January, the A-Level Film Studies students spent the day at the British Film Institute on the Southbank in the heart of London. This was an amazing exam focused study day on silent cinema which included a screening of Buster Keaton’s silent masterpiece; “The General” with live piano accompaniment. It is extremely rare to have the opportunity to watch silent film classics on the big screen and truly wonderful that the students could experience this. The high standard of lecture combined with the opportunity for students to ask questions and extend their knowledge and understanding of the earliest form of cinema which some still argue was its greatest.

Global cinema study day for year 11s

In stark contrast to the Year 13s, the Year 11 Film Studies students – all 27 of them – went on a very different study at the BFI to help prepare them for their exams in June.

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Their topic for the day was ‘Global Cinema’ – perspectives and Ideologies which focused on the whole range of texts offered for study by the exam board. Although the three we study here at Brentford were not the primary focus, nevertheless it was an invigorating day with lots of ‘take aways’ to think about and use in the classroom.

The students were given the opportunity to view clips from “The Wave” (Gansal, 2008), “District 9” (Blomkamp, 2009) and “Attack the Block” (Cornish, 2011) and discuss ways in which these clips can be analysed. The skills acquired are essential for success at GCSE and beyond but not only that the clips used really struck a chord for our students as they explored issues of social and political history through the clips. Probably the highlight of the day was the Q&A with Joe Cornish, director of ‘Attack the Block’ who also signed a Brentford film studies department postcard.

love literacy event

World book day

The ‘Love Literacy’ event took place on February 7th 9.30am10.30am. It was a great morning where parents and carers were able to come to the library and discuss their daughters reading success. Ms Evans (Literacy Co-ordinator) gave a short presentation on Accelerated Reader and both Ms Evans and Ms O’Sullivan (LRC Manager) talked about how to support your child with reading and choosing the right book(s).

If you had walked into Brentford on the 7th of March 2019 a multitude of fictional characters would have greeted you!

From Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Piglet, Mary Poppins, Mrs Wormwood to Gandalf, Lady of Shalott and Alice in Wonderland. Year 7 did not disappoint!

Throughout the day readings took place in the dining room and sixth form area whilst at lunch time, pupils from Year 11 and 12 organised quizzes and book treasure hunts for It was a great opportunity for parents/carers to ask questions. the younger pupils. Excitedly, the pupils had a chance to The students were able to show their parents/carers how they participate in speaking and listening activities as they had to took quizzes linked to the books they read and their progress convince the Year 11 judges, Sukhamni and Noor, that they, so far. We had a fantastic turnout with over 20 parents/ or a friend, should win the prize for the best costume, makeup carers in attendance. It was lovely to read the comments or hair in Year 7. from parents. One commented, “The focus on reading is so It was a celebration of reading and, we hope, that days such important…I’m very pleased the school invests in reading” as these will continue to inspire, motivate and encourage and “Love this idea... it helps parents feel really involved and older and younger pupils alike to read literature and love it encourages the student”. reading.

All Year 7s had the opportunity to watch a film to celebrate their success so far.

Keep reading!

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year 11 geography field trip

6th form elderly visits

A small Year 11 field trip took place in order to ensure that all Year 11 students were prepared for the paper 3 exam in June. In the morning, the students assessed the environmental quality and land use in and around Brentford high street and concluded that there was a real variety. In the afternoon, students visited Crane Park in order to assess the river characteristics there. Students enjoyed creating field sketches and measuring the velocity of the river using oranges!

“On the last day of the Christmas term, we had the opportunity to visit St Raphael’s; a local care home for adults with learning disabilities. While we were there, we gave them presents which we had accumulated as a form, which they would enjoy opening at Christmas. We also played games, such as Connect 4, and some of us also sat and coloured in pictures together, which everyone seemed to enjoy. We all got along with both the staff and residents, and at the end, we sang Christmas carols for them. It was a great way to start the Christmas period.”

Holly Jennings – 12O “I had the opportunity to go and visit Fenn House. It was an amazing experience and it was really interesting to listen to them explaining the life that they had and the stories they told are really eye opening. The person I spoke to, Joe, told me that I was the only visitor he had all year. As a form group we organised a raffle which we did when we arrived. After the raffles, we sang some Christmas carols and they joined in.

They had some treats like mince pies and drinks. This visit was a great way to spread Christmas joy.”

Melisa Farruku - 13C

year 13 field trip Year 13 and Miss Partis spent the day at an Edexcel revision conference. The speakers at the venue were extremely helpful and talked through all the key parts of the A-Level course. The students left the day feeling more prepared for their exams in May!

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ski trip On Friday 15th February, 22 students and 4 members of staff started their long journey to Austria. It began after school and a lot of pizza! We took the coach to Dover with Jack Hunt School who would be skiing with us for the week. Due to traffic, we unfortunately missed our first ferry, however this wasn’t a problem for the students as they had brought enough food to last a week! We got the ferry to Calais and then drove through the night and day to Landeck, a place we would call home for the week.

plough! Those who could ski and board went off with their guide and had a great first day taking on blue and red runs.

Over the week everyone’s skiing progressed fantastically, students who spent the first day saying they couldn’t do it were racing down the mountain by Thursday! Sometimes it was difficult for the teachers to keep up! We had some fantastic evenings including a pizza, bowling and kurling night.

Well done to everyone who was super resilient and kept going even when your feet were sore. We had the best week and as a group we made some excellent memories! I am sure we will never forget the hotel manager and his ‘fresh trim.’ A massive thank you to Ms Williams, Ms Conlan and Ms Singh for making it such a great week.

Our first day skiing was amazing, however getting organised and putting our boots on was difficult! Eventually when we had managed to get all our equipment we headed up the Gondola for the first time. Going up in the Gondola took around 10 minutes but the further up we got the more breath taking the views became. On the first day students who had never been before learnt to stand up, fall over and snow

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WOW - Women of the world festival

international womens day In celebration of the International Women’s Day 2019, every student took part in tutor time activities and an assembly celebrating the day.

On Friday 8th February 2019, fifteen ‘Hub Ambassadors’ were invited to attend the ‘WOW’ festival to celebrate International Women’s Day at the Royal Festival Hall.

This involved a panel consisting of incredibly inspirational women such as Scarlett Curtis and Gina Miller, discussing the obstacles women still face and how we can go forward in tackling these obstacles. The festival focused upon the achievements of women made over the past year but also how far the global movement has spread over 9 years of the festival’s existence. Fascinating experiences and discussions contributed towards a motivational and exciting International Women’s day.

The assemblies were based around the women whom the buildings at Brentford School for Girls were named: • Mother Teresa • Dame Vivienne Westwood • Beatrix Potter • Marie Curie • Emmeline Pankhurst • Dame Peggy Ashcroft • Julie Moles The students were informed about their beginnings, struggles and successes to become the recognised individuals they have become, and they were challenged to consider their own futures and what influence they could have on others.

Ms Leenders also gave the students an introduction to her own grandmother and the journey that she took from Jamaica to the UK and how she inspired her to become the person she has become. Ms Leenders highlighted the school vision of the future Brentford Girl and how her grandmother and women of history have embraced the attributes we promote.

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‘snap back’ meal out

year 12 and 13 v&a trip

The Year 11 ‘Snap Back’ group have been working extremely hard each morning to get themselves organised and focus on their levels of concentration. As a treat for their hard work over the past 8 weeks and 36 mornings, the girls were rewarded with a meal out. The evening was a fantastic way to de-stress and allowed the pupils to reflect on their learning. Well done girls, you should be very proud!

The 6th form textiles students went to the ‘Christian Dior’ exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum to gain inspiration for their coursework. The exhibition highlighted a huge diversity of work. It showed seven decades of fashion, from the ’New Look’ collection in 1947 up to the latest collection, including the work of Christian Dior himself but also of the chief designers since, these have included Yves St Laurent, Gianfranco Ferre and John Galliano. All of the students came away discussing their favourite dresses, how they can use the different ideas for their own work and how much they had enjoyed the exhibition.

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Free ‘magic breakfast’ for all students We are very happy to announce that we have been successful in getting involved with the ‘Magic Breakfast Club’ which is a fantastic new FREE breakfast provision! A delicious, healthy breakfast will be available every day, during term time, offering every student great fuel for learning. This is a trial at the moment until March 2020 and we are hoping that if successful that it will carry on.

Research has shown that children who have a healthy breakfast achieve more at school – make sure your child doesn’t miss out!

A range of tasty food including cereals, porridge and top quality bagels will be on offer to all students, free of charge!

And that’s not all. As well as the super food, students will be able to chat with friends and maybe make new ones.

Doors open at 8.00 am, and students can arrive any time after this, but please note we will stop serving breakfast at 8.40 am when the bell goes so please make sure your child is in school before that time!

Start date: 1st April 2019 Time: 8.00 am – 8.40 am – (any left-over from the morning will be made available at break).

Where: School Dining Hall Open to all students, and it’s totally free!

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spring Gallery

staff vs students football

ski trip

yr9 benchball

big bang trip

v&a trip

geography trip 18

world book day

y11 prefects

world book day

debate mate hosting

science - insulation houses

big bang trip

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FACEBOOK, TWITTER & INSTAGRAM

www.facebook.com/brentfordschoolgirls www.twitter.com/brentfordschool www.instagram.com/brentfordschool

STUDENT TERM DATES spring term 2019: monday 07th January - friday 5th april • 5th april: end of term • 8th april - 22nd april: easter holidays • 23rd april: inset day - school closed for students • 24th april: summer term begins • 29th april: year 8 informed of option choices, year 7 pre-public examinations begin • 6th may: may day, school closed • 10th May: deadline for option choices • 13th may: public examinations begin • 20th may: year 12 pre-public examinations begin • 27th may - 31st may: half term • 3rd june: inset day - school closed for students • 26th june: public examinations end • 2nd july: y6 induction day • 15th july: sports day • 15th july - 18th july: a-level geography trip • 15th july - 18th july: activities week • 19th July: end of term We will notify you of any changes throughout the year. These Dates can also be found on our website.

Brentford School For Girls, 5 Boston Manor Road, Brentford, TW8 0PG Tel: 020 8847 4281. Web: www.brentford.hounslow.sch.uk Email: general@brentford.hounslow.sch.uk 20