Saint Nicholas Year Book

The last time I featured in the Saint Nicholas Annual was in the 75th Anniversary edition, those who have had a long association with the school will recall that it was called Windows Magazine way back when, and I am very much looking forward to leading the school as we build towards the school’s 90th Anniversary in seven years’ time.

It has been an extremely successful year which was highlighted by an excellent inspection in January. A focused compliance and educational quality inspection is a rigorous examination of a school which includes:

• Forensic examination of all the school’s policies and procedures;

• Observation of numerous lessons, extracurricular activities and assemblies;

• Formal interviews of governors, staff and pupils;

• Meticulous evaluation of samples of pupils’ work, teacher planning and marking;

• And deep-dive analysis of pupils’ achievement, progress and personal development.

A grading of ‘excellent’ is the Independent School Inspectorate’s top grading and all involved with the school can feel very proud that, after two very challenging years, inspectors judged the quality of ‘pupils’ academic and other achievements’, and ‘the pupils’ personal development’ as ‘excellent’.

The Governing Body, Senior Leadership Team and I are ambitious for the school’s future and one of the most exciting aspects of next year will be planning the road map for the school’s strategic direction over the next 7 years. The school continues to move forward with intent and purpose, and I feel immensely privileged to be leading Saint Nicholas, and working with you all, at such an exciting period in the school’s history.

Enjoy this year’s edition of the Saint Nicholas School Yearbook.

Terence Ayres Headmaster

I am absolutely delighted to be writing the foreword for the 2022 edition of our school yearbook, as we look back on a wonderful year which has signalled a return to ‘business as usual’.

Pre-School

2021 saw the Pre-school numbers increase to the highest they have been, with 44 children registered with Little Saints.

A revised EYFS was launched in September 2021 which highlighted the importance of the key worker having an in-depth knowledge of their key children, something that the Pre-school practitioners pride themselves on.

It has been lovely to be able to welcome families back into the setting for our popular workshops and this year we have offered a Mother’s Day pamper session, a Father’s Day games afternoon as well as several Dough Disco workshops, which have been very well attended.

Our annual Race for Life event was a huge success, raising much needed funds for Cancer Research, and we have enjoyed visits to the Harlow Playhouse, Paradise Wildlife Park and Barleylands.

Our Muddy Day continues to be very popular, allowing the children the freedom to explore not only our designated muddy area, but all the school grounds. One of our new favourite places to visit is the school goat paddock, which we do often. In our weekly cooking session, the children have created bread rolls, pizzas, fruit kebabs and Easter biscuits.

A highlight of the year would be celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee, where we were lucky enough to receive a ‘royal visit’!

“A highlight of the year would be celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee, where we were lucky enough to receive a ‘royal visit’!”

lower School

Time has flown by and I have been privileged to enjoy another wonderful year, here at Saint Nicholas School. It has been enjoyable to watch the way in which the pupils have fully immersed themselves back into the normality of school life.

With restrictions removed, we have come together as a whole school once more, allowing the pupils to access a range of learning opportunities and extracurricular experiences, that have provided new and exciting challenges.

In school, the staff have worked hard to continue to plan and implement a full and varied curriculum using a cross curricular approach. It has been wonderful to observe the enthusiasm of the pupils, when taking part in many enrichment days and trips throughout the school year. Reception, visited Barleylands, where they had the opportunity to milk a cow and feed the newly born spring lambs. Year 1, turned into aliens and astronauts for ‘Space Day’. Year 2, dressed as pirates and created pirate portraits to start their ‘Land Ahoy’ topic. Year 3, learnt all about the Celts and the stone age on their trip to Celtic Harmony. Year 4, visited Mountfitchet Castle as part of their topic on the Normans. Year 5, turned into wizards and witches for their ‘Harry Potter Day’ and enjoyed a trip to the Warner Brother Studios.

Drama and music took center stage, with the Key Stage One Nativity ’A Christmas Recipe’ and the Key Stage Two production ‘The Pied Piper’. Both productions were a huge success, with the pupils impressing us all, with their acting and singing skills. Reception pupils inspired us all with their own Nativity and Mother’s Day assembly. I am always incredibly proud of the confident way in which the pupils perform during many events throughout the year, including the Nativity, Harvest Service, Carol Service and class assemblies. For some year groups, they had their first experience of delivering a class assembly. Another first this year, was the introduction of our very first ‘girl band’; the lower school pupils loved watching them perform. Pupils have had opportunities to represent the school at numerous sporting events, both at local and county levels. Pupils in Year 2, achieved first place in the track, field and athletics festival. Pupils have also achieved well in cross country, netball, football and swimming events. I was proud to see the way in which all girls within Key stage two engaged in football sessions with coaches from Harlow Town Ladies.

This year, we introduced some new enrichment opportunities for the pupils. This included Year 4 and 5 undertaking their first theatre trip to London’s West End, to see Frozen the musical. Year 5, also experienced our new water-sports club, along with an extended five day residential to Avon Tyrrell, in the New Forest. We also had our first Lower School STEM Day, run by the puzzle company.

It has been wonderful, to see pupils across the school come together for many exciting house events. Pupils loved taking part in the House Christmas and Jubilee competitions, with an incredibly special visit from the Easter Bunny, during our Easter egg hunt, being a highlight for many. One of the standout events of the year was the Jubilee celebration. Seeing pupils, across the school, join together to commemorate this special occasion was heartwarming. Pupils, young and old, gained so much from the experience and I am sure that they made memories which will last a lifetime.

Extracurricular activities continue to prove popular with the pupils in the Lower School. Some highlights this year have included Young Voices, watersports, gardening, Hip Hop, Eco, a Capella, and tennis clubs. There has also been an array of art and craft and sports clubs available. These clubs have supported the development of pupils’ confidence, resilience, and social skills, whilst at the same time widening their learning experiences.

The pupils have continued to show an awareness and desire to support and improve the local and wider community. They have supported a wide range of charities this year, through various awareness days such as Comic Relief, Mental Health awareness and World Book Day. The Eco committee has helped to raise awareness of environmental issues and involved all pupils in our journey towards gaining the green mark for Saint Nicholas School.

I would like to thank all staff for their commitment to pupils’ individual development and progress, for working hard to prepare the pupils for numerous school events and for setting high expectations for all learners throughout the year. Also, a huge thank you to all parents for collaborating and supporting the school to make these opportunities possible.

It has been another wonderful year for the Lower School and I cannot wait to see how the pupils continue to grow and achieve as we move forward into the next academic year! The calendar for next year is already packed with lots more exciting experiences. I look forward to the the new year and welcoming old and new pupils in September.

Mrs Thomas, Head of Lower School

Young voices

Casta L

It was amazing when we were at the O2 and got to watch the dancers during our show.

It was amazing and felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Jack C

It was a great experience. After all our rehearsals, it was so much fun to get to finally perform.

Dorothy M Best afterschool club ever!

Avon Tyrrell

Bubbling with excitement and anticipation, we rushed onto the waiting coach and scrambled to find our seats. The journey to our wilderness adventure had begun!

Three and a half hours flew by like seconds and, before we knew it, we were there. The landscape was breathtaking. There was every variety of tree; a huge forest filled to the brim with bird song; a large and beautiful lake and so many bunnies you could not count them!

We were greeted warmly by the staff and immediately shown to our cosy rooms with bunk beds, and, after a minor squabble, we settled on who was sleeping where. Without hesitation, we launched into our first activity, which for me was the ‘’leap of faith!’’ After climbing a pole higher than a house, we reached the small platform and … Jumped! The thrill hit me like an arrow, utterly exhilarating.

The next four days flew by with excitement, every night we went to bed exhausted from fun activities, like canoeing or pedalos, tree top trails, abseiling, zip line and many more...

We came to the end of the week with Leo’s birthday and a big disco, where we sang “Happy Birthday” to Leo to finish the night off. As the end of our trip came to a grinding halt, we were all sad to be going home but just as glad to be seeing our families again.

Dorothy M

Nativity

A Christmas Recipe

When we practised I found out I was a snowflake. Everyone bought a costume. There were snowflakes, wise men and lots more. The play was rehearsed in the theatre. There were two shows. One in the afternoon and one in the evening. It was crowded. Parents and other family members came along. It was fun, extreme and amazing!

The Show

It all started with some singing. And then Santa came in. Everyone knew when to say their lines and when to act their lines. The elves were very, very, very cheeky to Santa. Santa was very annoyed. Then some angels came in. After some snowflakes were dancing in the soft snow.

S, 2F

Amelia

Pied Piper

I would like to thank all the teachers involved with helping us with the show; this was one of my favourite things about this year.

I would like to thank Mrs Bradford and Ms Agrotis for giving me the opportunity to play the Pied Piper as this made me believe I could do it, along with giving the newer pupils a chance to shine!

Being in a show like the Pied Piper feels amazing and gives you a big boost of confidence. I loved every minute of being in the Pied Piper and enjoyed being transported to the rat-infested Hamlin in our own school theatre. It was so much fun performing in front of our friends and family for the first time since the pandemic started (two years ago). I really loved the excitement of backstage and the thought of “We did it!” at the end.

The shows that the teachers put on with us help us, as students, to bond a lot more and come together as a year group, as a Junior school and as friends! My year group are moving up to year 6 this year. Performing the Pied Piper together will be a memory that we will never forget.

Niaya 5BM

Senior School

Our pupils have had a wonderful year of achievements. The inspection report described our pupils as ‘highly articulate’ , ‘highly motivated’ and ‘confident’ with an ‘extremely strong sense of right and wrong’. The staff were so proud to see the children recognised in the report and to have our efforts acknowledged.

In addition, Year 11 faced the first public examinations to take place for two years. They showed remarkable resilience and determination, having spent much of their GCSE years in lockdown. Their attitude was excellent and we wish them the best of luck for results day.

It has been pleasing to see restrictions lift and we have spent much of the year cramming the calendar with as many events as possible. After Covid delays, Year 8 finally made it to Norfolk Lakes, where they enjoyed a residential trip at an outdoor activity centre. It was a chance to bond as a year group, build team skills and enjoy activities such as high ropes, archery, paddle boarding and canoeing.

There were several opportunities for pupil creativity this year, including a wonderful poetry soirée for Year 6 where pupils boldly presented their own poems to parents, and pupils also had the opportunity to showcase their musical talents. We were also very proud of the pupils when they performed a rousing carol concert for the local elderly. The year ended with a charity concert organised by Year 10 pupils, Olivia and Ella, featuring up and coming talent from pupils across the senior school. We must also make a special mention for Alexandria, our deputy head girl who raised a significant amount of money for charities this year. Through her determination and hard work, over £14,000 has been raised for Macmillan Cancer Care and Kidney Care UK during her time at Saint Nicholas.

The Jubilee celebrations were also a highlight of the year, a British festival of fish and chips, cream teas, maypole dancing, lawn games and live music. It was delightful to see the senior pupils helping the Lower School, coordinating events and encouraging them to join in the fun.

There were several new events added for Seniors this year, including an opportunity for pupils in the middle school to learn to flamenco dance, as part of the Spanish curriculum. Crashing castanets and stamping feet filled the arena as pupils did their best to Paso Doble like they were on Strictly Come Dancing!

We look forward to further exciting opportunities for pupils in the coming year. With residential trips and Duke of Edinburgh returning to the calendar, it is going to be a productive and inspiring year ahead.

Wilson (Assistant Head - Academic) and Mrs Howe (Assistant Head - Pastoral)

Mr

We will rock you

Wellbeing Day

Norfolk Lakes

Jubilee Garden Party

goodbye year 11

Joe

Amaan

Bella

Amelia H

Elise Evie Ella

Hanna

Charlize

Jenson Henry

Amelia Beau Alex

Olivia

Lexi

Leilani

Richard Rory

Reggie

Zach

Larna John

Zen

Sam Saffron Vincent

Nicole Neve Maisey

Louis

Meet the prefects

Heads of House

Heads of School Reggie and Amelia

Deputy Heads of School Sam and Lexi

The Leadership Team

Sports Captains

Infant sports day

Sports Day

Form Prizes

Achievement Effort

Lower school

Form RB Arthur Murphy

Form RSP Harr y Benn

Esme Fle tcher

Aleyna Galoglu

Form 1N Eloise Har vey Hughie Pierson

Form 1M Robyn Davie

Fergus Molloy

Form 2F Amelia Sharma Julia Farrell

Improvement

Jesse Biagioni

Finley Chesman

Samue l Bilmen

Ralph Daniels

Ava Weatherill

Jesse Collins Form 3D Grace Diemaker Kaila Phen

Form 2N Henr y Murphy Daisy Benn

Form 3TC Jackson Le Sage

Form 4NP Ayden Rhemtulla

Form 4CP Jacob Greenwood

Samue l Strickland

Martha O ’Shea

The odore Thomas

Form 5BM Anna Soosai Kayla Smith

Phoebe Newton

Ge orgia Clements

Uma Rayner

N ixie Ridgway

Tia Shepherdson

Form 5P Tasrea Deeplal-Govender Adam She llard Mason Chapman

Middle School

Form 6N N iamh Barker

Pippa Kennedy

Form 6S Evelyn Shirley Ella Grady

Form 7N The odore Perrin Aanya Santilal

Z ac Hardy

Christopher Koutaras

Emily Phillip s

Form 7S N iamh Edgar Annabe l Haste Max Herbert

Form 8N Maria de Viveiros

Alice Pearson-Rodriguez

Z ach Staniland

Form 8S Charlotte Litherland Charlotte Pearson-Rodriguez Delilah Gilbert

Upper School

Form 9N Abigail Barker

Jack Shellard

Form 9S Z achary Wallace Rhian Evans

Form 10N Timothy Needham Ella Shtenko

Rame en Kidwai

Yasmeen Saif

Harr y Parker

Form 10S Olivia Perrin N isha Mellow Lily Ayling

Form 11S Reggie Hamill Hanna K han

Form 11N Samue l Carrett Alex Parsons

Charlize Gotyzheva

Mather

Academic Prizes

Lower school

Shuttleworth Cup for Reading Progress

English Prize

Lucca Kavanagh

Leo Koker

Mathematics Prize Emilia Dawkins

French Prize Jacob Greenwood Art Prize Uma Rayner

Lower School Music Cup Noah Warner

Lower School Cup for Speech & Drama Jack Biagioni

Slater Prize for Endeavour Noah Fry

Lower School Cup for Initiative & Helpfulness Maximillian McGhee

Miss Jones Cup for EYFS Citizenship Arthur Jones

Miss Jones Cup for Environment and Nature Bethany Evans

Lower School House Points Plaque Maximillian McGhee

Lower School Cup for Creativity Niaya Mehta

Middle School

English Prize Maria de Viveiros

Mathematics Prize Charlotte Litherland

Science Prize Niamh Barker

Religious Education Prize Holden Foad

Blythe Cup for Middle School Speech & Drama Lucy McMillan

Middle School Language Cup Guy Derrington

Dwyer Middle School Art Cup Charlotte Pearson-Rodriguez

Norris Middle School Music Cup Lucy McMillan

Fish Cup for Middle School House Points Neriah Nuako

Middle School Plaque for Initiative & Helpfulness Wilfred Hughes

Middle School Plaque for Exemplary Conduct Charlotte Litherland

Upper School

English Prize Reggie Hamill

Mathematics Prize Hanna Khan

Biology Prize Alexandria Johnson

Chemistry Prize Hanna Khan

Physics Prize Hanna Khan French Prize Hanna Khan

German Prize Zen Rapley

Latin Prize Alexandria Johnson Spanish Prize Reggie Hamill

Geography Prize Samuel Carrett

History Prize Alex Parsons

Physical Education Prize Amelia Hendy

Design Technology Prize Elise Moody

Food Technology Prize Olivia Mather

Computer Science Prize Samuel Carrett

Art Prize Saffron Palmer

Music Cup Olivia Perrin

Bailes Cup for Upper School Speech & Drama Alexandria Johnson

Mella Cup for Sporting Endeavour Rhian Evans

Naylor Cup for Upper School House Points Freddie Butler

Alex Cheer Award

Timothy Needham

Ridler Prize for Potential Rory Ridley-Warren

Headmaster’s Shield for Special Progress Charlize Gotyzheva

Headmaster’s Prize for Exemplary Conduct John Nicholls

Governors’ Prize Amelia Nicholson

Juliet Swire Memorial Prize for Leadership Alexandria Johnson

Sports Prizes

Lower school

Active Lower School – Boys

Otis Harvey

Active Lower School – Girls Jessica James

Sports Cup – Lower School Boys George Skipper

Sports Cup – Lower School Girls Casta Lowman

Dixon Cup for Boys Cross Country Henry Lovell

Charlotte Green Cup for Girls Cross Country Emilia Tejero Fernandez

Lower School Boys Cross Country Cup George Skipper

Lower School Girls Cross Country Cup Casta Lowman

Middle School

Sports Cup – Middle School Boys

Ethan Lethaby

Sports Cup – Middle School Girls Delilah Gilbert

Girls Football Cup Mia Shtenko

Rounders Plaque Polly Easton

Keen Shield for Boys Cross Country Billy Caine Girls Cross Country Cup Alana Miller

Boys Football Cup Billy Caine

Greenall Swimming Cup Theodore Perrin

Middle School Boys Cross Country Cup Alistair Mizon

Middle School Girls Cross Country Cup Clementine Crosby

Netball Shield Rebecca Parsons

Upper School

Sports Cup – Upper School Boys Rhys Clark

Sports Cup – Upper School Girls Lyla Thompson

Boys Cross Country Cup Conor McEwen

Osbourne Cup for Girls Cross Country Larna Morgan

Stanley Cup for Swimming Jago Derrington Boys Rugby Cup Rhys Clark

Munday Boys Football Cup Vincent Wheeler

Rounders Plaque Phoebe Hussey

Netball Cup Tiffany Coward Girls Football Cup Lucy Groves

Victor Ludorum Henry Bolton

Upper School Victrix Ludorum (Peacock Cup) Lois Regan