From The Headteacher
Dear Parents and Carers
2025 has already begun as an excellent year for the Nower Hill community. We started the year asking our students to make new year resolutions and we can already see some of them coming to fruition. There are stories in this edition of children going to the theatre and explaining why it had such an impact on them We hear of sporting excellence and one of our teams excelling in not just a regional, but a national competition. You can also read about our students taking on maths challenges, house challenges and pushing themselves to take up extra-curricular opportunities that they haven't tried before
In this edition you will hear of some of the early successes of our Year 13 students who are going through the university application process this year. Every student in Year 13 put in an application and we have already started to receive some very impressive offers. We also have students beginning to hear back about degree apprenticeship offers too Our students continue to be ambitious and are using the excellent foundations that their Nower Hill education gives
them to go on to achieve their dreams.
Whilst it is wonderful to hear of students winning and excelling, you will also read stories that demonstrate the fundamental commitment of our whole school community to ensure that we foster a strong sense of belonging at school. In our recent student survey 98% of students feel that our school encourages them to accept people from all backgrounds. We are very proud of our students for the part they play in ensuring that everyone is valued equally and included
I hope that you have a lovely half term with your families and I look forward to seeing the students after the break as the days get brighter and it starts to feel like spring time.
Jo Skelhorne Headteacher Nower Hill High School
NOWER HILL HOUSE NEWS
Nower Hill House System
Our House Competition continues, with King House currently at the top of the leaderboard, and Nightingale House with some work to do at the bottom! Our 6th Form House Leaders have been busy planning a range of exciting events for the next half term, which will include our very first House Activity Week from 17th-21st March and our first House Colours day on Thursday 20th March, when students will be encouraged to wear non-uniform clothes to represent their House and make a donation to their House Charity We also have the House Languages Quiz, the English Faculty's Poetry By Heart House Competition, Inter-House Sport and our Spring Charity Collection for Milman's Day Centre and the Harrow Foodbank. Keep your eyes peeled for lots of opportunities to get involved!
Nower Hill School Council
This half-term's School Council meetings have taken place in Houses, with students from each year group coming together to share their ideas with their Year 13 Head of House and Year 12 House Captains. Students proposed exciting new competitions, activities and assembly ideas to encourage as many students as possible to take part and shared important feedback on what motivates them to represent their House! Keep your eyes peeled to see these ideas brought to life in House Activity Week from 17th -21st March and in House Assemblies from 3rd March.
Achievement Points
The achievement points and behaviour points of every student contribute to the Overall Conduct competition, with the winning House engraved on the House Shield at the end of the year.
Mr Bremner
6th FORM NEWS
Year 13 – The Nower Hill Grand Totaliser = 193
UCAS is the vehicle through which Year 13 students are able to apply for courses at university. Nower Hill students got things started back in July last year during Life After Nower Hill Week and have been supported ever since by their teachers and the 6th Form Team. Deadline day was 29th January though students started receiving offers as soon as they submitted their applications. Good luck to all of our students.
Here are some current statistics for this year’s cohort. Each student can make 5 choices. This data was collected on 7th February so is already higher! Mr
6th Form Culture Day
6th Form Senior Student Leaders have worked hard, in the spirit of equality and inclusivity, to create their own Culture Day on 13th February. Students showcased their heritage with pride, by coming into school in cultural dress At lunchtime and after school, students enjoyed listening to music, exchanging food from a range of cuisines and some had mehndi done on their hands
Year 12 Mid Year Assessments
Our Year 12 students have just completed their first set of key assessments. We have been really impressed by their conduct in the examinations. It is an intense period of study and it has been noted how well the students have managed the pressures associated with this period. Well done Year 12!
Ms Abbotts
Miss Azam
6th FORM NEWS
The Student Journal is a publication created for the students, by the students From topics such as global affairs to our local school community, we ensure to provide an exciting and informative publication for your child to read We would like to encourage all students to send in submissions and pieces to contribute as well.
The January edition is out now for students to access on the School Message Board, located on the Student G-Suite. Parents and Carers, please ask your child to show you this fantastic student-run publication.
Falak
& Smita, Heads of the News and Media Committee
JACK PETCHEY FOUNDATION AWARDS
Jack Petchey Assembly Final
This year’s Jack Petchey Assembly Final was a roaring success! The English department would like to wish Nusaybah Chowdhury, Zwak Safi, Kalyani Sharma, Ayden Alam, Hussain Khan, Gracie Lewis and Aimee Dahiya, who are all in Year 10, huge congratulations on their outstanding performances during the Year 9 assembly final on Monday 20th January. After being chosen as assembly finalists during the Jack Petchey Workshops, which took place earlier this academic year, these students worked tirelessly to perfect their speeches and showcase their excellent public speaking skills
Kalyani Sharma, Ayden Alam and Gracie Lewis were chosen as assembly final winners and will progress to the next stage in the competition, the Regional Finals, which will be held at Nower Hill on Tuesday 11th March A huge well done and we wish you the best of luck for the next stage.
Miss Michaels
Jack Petchey Achievement Awards Evening
We were incredibly proud of our 2024 Jack Petchey Achievement Award winners, who were presented with their gold medallion by the Mayor of Harrow at the Harrow Arts Centre on Thursday 13th February. Students received their award in front of a packed audience and alongside 120 other award winners from across Harrow in an evening full of music, dance and celebration All students had shown fantastic personal qualities to be recognised with their awards, so congratulations to Eduard, Khadija, Dhevan, Kate, Freya, Iqra, Lyra, Yousuf and Alexandra, and to Ms Akhoundzadeh for winning the Leader Award after being nominated by students.
Mr Bremner
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY 2025
Over the last two weeks students have attended assemblies about Holocaust Memorial Day, which have focused on the theme of ‘building a better future’. One of our key messages about Holocaust and genocide has been about understanding the lessons of the past and recognising that genocides happens in systematic stages. The assembly focused on sharing how laws were introduced in Nazi Germany over time to strip away human rights for citizens.
In addition, Year 11 students have had an extended workshop on lessons we can learn from the Holocaust during their PSE lessons. During this workshop we discussed with students that this is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and why it is important to hear and keep alive the testimonies of survivors from the Holocaust Students also discussed testimonies from the Bosnian genocide as this year marks 30 years since this conflict.
We ended our assemblies with a call to action for our students to call out any forms of identity based discrimination At Nower Hill we ensure our students are aware of the impact of discrimination and are proud of how our students embody the Nower Hill value of kindness In our pupil survey 98% felt they are encouraged to accept people from all backgrounds, and the workshops and activities this week are an important part of continuing to ensure that this is the case at our school.
Ms Chaudhry
PIZZA CELEBRATION
At the start of the academic year, the Media Studies Department selected an array of students (from Years 7 to 10) to produce two short films that summarise our Behaviour Curriculum These films encompassed students explicitly modelling the correct standards of behaviour, in regards to what we expect to see in school and what would not be accepted These two films were shown to the entire school during two extended registration periods in the first weeks of term and they will be used again in the future.
The films were exceptionally well received by students and staff, and we were thrilled with the final results! To thank the students for their hard work, giving up their personal time after school and great acting skills, we decided to celebrate their efforts by holding a celebration event where our students were provided with pizza The students who were part of the video
exemplified our school motto ‘Service Not Self’ brilliantly by supporting the Media Studies Department to produce these short films. Well done students and thank you so much again
Mr Duguid
POETRY WORKSHOP & YEAR 7 TRIP
On Thursday 9th January, the English Department was lucky to welcome back Professor Daljit Nagra MBE to deliver a one-to-one poetry workshop with our school’s poet laureate, Racheyah. Following their session, Racheyah used the strategies she learned to deliver a poetry workshop to a small group of Year 9 and 10 students alongside Professor Daljit Nagra. The students who took part read poetry, discussed ideas and wrote their own pieces, drawing on their cultures and interests.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience for the students to get creative with poetry and a fantastic opportunity for Racheyah who will now deliver further workshops to our KS3 students.
Year 7 Back to the Future Trip
On Thursday 6th February we took a group of Year 7 students to watch Back to the Future at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End For many students, this was their first time seeing a largescale musical, and the impressive special effects especially the famous DeLorean time machine— kept them captivated and filled with laughter. The mix of live music, humour, and action made it an enjoyable experience for all our students The spectacle of the flying car at the end was a definite highlight, leaving them buzzing with excitement! Our aim as a school is to enhance cultural capital and enrich their school experience with opportunities beyond the classroom.This was a perfect opportunity for them to do so
Overall it was a wonderful experience and our students represented Nower Hill in a brilliant way!
Ms Zaabar
Miss Michaels
Professor Daljit Nagra MBE: Poetry Workshop
POETRY BY HEART
Poetry By Heart Club Visits Pinner Wood Primary School
On Wednesday 22nd January, members of the Poetry By Heart Club (past and present) had the wonderful opportunity to visit Pinner Wood Primary School.
During the visit, our students showcased their incredible talent and passion for poetry. Last year’s finalist, Apernah from Year 11, captivated the audience by performing the two poems she presented at the Globe Theatre in the finals last year. Following her, Juliet (Year 11) who is competing in this year’s competition, delivered an animated and engaging rendition of What the Chairman Told Tom, which the primary students thoroughly enjoyed. Sarah in Year 11, who also participated last year, gave a highly dramatic reading of The Man he Killed by Thomas Hardy, leaving the audience mesmerised.
Eleanor in Year 8 brought the whimsical language of The Jabberwocky to life with a fantastic performance and Mrinmoyee, also in Year 8, performed a beautiful and captivating reading of Casabianca by Felicia Hemans, holding the audience spellbound. Finally, Alisha in Year 10, brought a unique twist to the session by involving the primary school students in a lively call-and-response reading of Jamaican British, a stand-out moment of the visit.
We are incredibly proud of our students for representing our school so positively and inspiring the next generation with their creativity, enthusiasm, and love of poetry.
Ms Sheikh
YEAR 10 MOCK INTERVIEW EVENT
29 employers kindly gave up their time for the 1:1 Mock Interview Event for our Year 10 students. During the event, every student had a twenty minute interview with an employer and were then given valuable feedback on their performance. Each student also had to bring their CV with them, in order to make the experience as realistic as possible.
Prior to the event, students had completed a preparation programme covering CV building, interview questions, listening skills, body language, eye contact, handshake and dress code The employers were very impressed and complimentary about the array of skills and qualities our students possess They thought our Year 10 students were extremely polite, smartly dressed, punctual and answered their questions very well
Students found the day most rewarding and commented on how beneficial the event was, as for many of them, this was the first time they had ever had an interview. Some of the things they said they had learned from the event included:
‘Having the experience of an interview makes me feel more confident about the situation’
‘I need to practice asking more questions at my interview’
‘Articulacy is key: you need to be comfortable and have a proper conversation’
‘I should only put positives on my CV’
‘I need to be confident in my own achievements and abilities’
‘It’s good to be prepared and organised’
‘Very good and helpful skills gained for future life’
‘Upright posture and have a professional approach’
Employers were also impressed with the warm welcome they were given by Year 9 students, who were helping at the event.
Mrs Doshi
NOWER HILL NEWS
UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge
Well done to the students from Years 9, 10 and 11 for taking part in the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge on Wednesday 29th January. We are very proud and want to take the time to congratulate them for their hard work with the preparation for this challenge.
UKMT encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought and fluency. The problems on the challenge are designed to make students think, most are accessible yet still challenge those with more experience. We are very grateful to have had the UKMT successfully take place this year and allowed KS4 students to really test their problem solving skills nationally!
Attached below are photographs of some of the students hard at work completing their challenge. We are eagerly awaiting the results to see who has made it onto the next round, good luck!
Ms Jilka
GCSE Classical Civilisation
Over the past term, Year 10 Classical Civilisation students have been studying the art and archaeology of the Mycenaean Age.
Through making their own, they have evaluated how useful Linear B tablets and frescoes are to historians
Next term, I look forward to sharing their clay figurines and Mycenaean jewellery with you!
Mrs Pankhania
STUDENT ARTWORK OF THE TERM
Year 8 Art & Design: Thulashikan
Year 11 Graphics: Jack
Year 13 Photography: Community by James
Year 13 Fine Art: Daniel
Year 12 Fine Art: Lyra
Year 12 Fine Art: Jamaal
Year 13 Fine Art: Imogen
Year 12 Fine Art: Maia
Year 12 Fine Art: Eddi
LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH
Our Graphic Communication students brightened up our school corridors to celebrate LGBTQ+ history month with their poster designs with a brief to make all students feel welcome and supported in our environment.
Ms Weetch
SCIENCE HOUSE COMPETITION
On Monday 20th January, students from different houses came together for an exciting Science House Competition focussed on the classic egg drop challenge. Their task involved creating a protective layer for an egg, using only newspapers, tape, paper straws and cardboard. The competition was fierce, highlighting remarkable innovation and originality. Students showcased their scientific understanding and creativity, developing remarkable designs to protect their eggs. The joint winners were King, Gandhi, Shabbazz, and Nightingale, as their eggs survived the drop from a height of 10 feet without breaking. Congratulations to everyone who took part.
Ms Tshibola
Joint Winners
INCLUSION SKY STUDIOS TRIP
In January, Years 7, 8 & 9 SE went to Sky Studios in Elstree. We were able to film our own trailer using the real equipment, have a tour around the site and ask questions about careers opportunities.
Ms Shahar
YEAR 8 SPANISH
A fun and interactive play in Spanish: Year 8 students experience "Primera Cita" at Ealing Fields High School
On Wednesday, 5th February, a group of Year 8 students attended a captivating Spanish language performance at Ealing Fields High School The play, titled "Primera Cita" (First Date), brought language learning to life through an interactive romantic comedy that had our students learning and laughing The performance followed the story of Carlos and Maria, two young characters navigating the excitement and awkwardness of a first date. What made the experience particularly special was the interactive nature of the show, with our students helping to shape the story at different points during the play - all in Spanish!
Diyana, a student from 8SH, kindly wrote a detailed summary of the play in English which also sheds light on how the characters interacted with the audience: “Carlos wanted to ask Maria out on a date but didn’t know how to, so he started to ask the audience and provided them with the options in Spanish. After Carlos sent the message and Maria replied that she will go on a date with him, Carlos again asked the audience where to go, and we decided to send them to the movies.”
There were also other instances through the play when the actors playing Carlos and Maria interacted with the audience, asking them about everything from outfit choices to dating advice,
and inviting two students to join them on the stage and interact with them in the play. The students really enjoyed the experience and were pleased to use and add to their classroom Spanish learning through this experience.
Priyanka from 8BH said, “I really enjoyed the trip and I was able to understand most of the play.”
Lyla, also from 8BH said, ”I learnt a wider range of Spanish vocabulary throughout the play and had a great day.”
In addition to being a useful way to expand their Spanish learning, the students also enjoyed the play in itself. Speaking about the play, Athena from 8BH said that the plot was very funny and was glad to have watched it. Nevaeh from 8BH said, “I am so happy and grateful Mrs Calin took us.”
The performance was a great blend of entertainment and education, offering students a memorable way to improve their language skills while enjoying a fun, interactive play Special thanks to Ms Mateo for taking the time to organise this trip.
Ms Calin-Sanchez
SPORTS FIXTURES NEWS
Primary school Indoor Athletics Competition
On Friday 31st January, the PE department hosted 6 primary schools from across the local area for their Indoor Athletics Competition. This was organised by staff from West Lodge Primary School, and further facilitated with the help of our Nower Hill students. The event ran smoothly, with students from Nower Hill helping with timing, recording results and directing the primary students to their activities. Compliments were given to us by both the organiser, Mr Khalfi from West Lodge, as well as multiple members of staff from all the other primary schools. Thank you to all the students that helped with the running of the event and we look forward to running similar events in the future.
Mr Sekwalor
Students pictured: Savannah, Imogen and Chiara
Year 9 Indoor Athletics Competition
On Tuesday 14th January 2025, a team of Year 8 and 9 students represented Nower Hill at the Indoor Athletics Competition held at Whitefriars School The students performed amazingly well in a range of events including standing long jump, triple jump, speed bounce, vertical jump, shot put and various lap running events
Overall, the girls team finished 4th and the boys team finished 3rd.
Exceptional performances from the following students: Eirrah, Dylan, Leighton, Lily, Alana, Inaaya, Theodora, Shriya and Saba.
Mr Gallop & Ms Kidd
SPORTS FIXTURES NEWS
Year 7 Football Tournament
On Tuesday 4th February 2025, Nower Hill took two teams to Whitmore School to play in the last Year 7 football tournament for the year.
The Nower Hill B team started the campaign strongly, managing to keep 2 clean sheets in their opening matches, but unfortunately conceded a late goal against the winners of the tournament last time round, Park High, which meant they unfortunately did not progress to the semi-finals.
Nower Hill A team cruised through the group stages, winning all 4 of their matches and only conceding 1 goal In the semi-final, they played against a strong Salvatorian College team and beat them 2-0, which set up a final with Pinner High School A team The final was a close battle with both teams failing to score or concede a goal. They then played extra time, but after no goal was scored, were forced to go to a penalty shootout Both teams had a chance to win the shootout, but it was Pinner High A who managed to score the winner The students who played were phenomenal and kept fighting to the last whistle. They should be very proud of themselves and their performances, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they get on next year when we start to play full sided 11-v-11 matches. Outstanding effort from the following students: Aaron Sutherland, Mudassir Farhat, Colin Caban, Rishi Patel, Savannah Hodgson, Bhagath Lal, Kacper Porebski and Ayaan Ahmad.
Mr Gallop
Year 8 & 10 Football
The Year 8 and 10 Netball teams started their league campaigns this week. Both teams faced strong opposition from Bentley Wood The Year 8 team were nervous for their first game but demonstrated some excellent teamwork and communication skills on the court
The girls played brilliantly and started off their season with a 6-1 win. Player of the match goes to Mahi Nandha. The Year 10 girls faced a tough challenge in their game with both teams equally matched. The girls dug in deep but unfortunately faced a narrow 6-5 defeat. Player of the match goes to Anjela Lulbaddha.
Miss Sheppard
SPORTS FIXTURES NEWS
Year 11 Boys Basketball
Over the course of the half term, the Year 11 Boys’ Basketball team have enjoyed a variety of accomplishments in highly contested matches. Due to their success from last year, we made the decision this year to enter them into the Dynamik National Schools Competition. Although unfortunately starting off the competition with a loss against Christ's College, Nower Hill bounced back to win their next 3 matches against Park High School (34-27), Whitefriars School (59-41) and Acland Burghley School (64-40). The match against Whitefriars was also a double header, putting the team through to the semi-finals of the Borough Cup as well. The accumulation of these results in the group stages has put the team through to the knockout stages of the competition Please join me in recognising the boys' success, as well as highlighting Mr Simmonette, as the team's coach he has been instrumental in their development and the organisation of the team, ensuring they are always in the best position to succeed.
Students pictured:
Yago, Jack, Arthur, Cristian, Gabriel, Zannai, Wesley, George, Darren, Abdinoor, Pravinthe and Elmar
Mr Sekwalor
TEACH WEST LONDON TRAINEES
We were delighted to have another chance to host Teach West London teacher trainees on Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th February, as part of our role as their Harrow lead partner school. Twelve initial teacher trainees were invited to visit lessons as part of their Intensive Training and Practice week focusing on questioning. They were able to observe experienced colleagues across a variety of lessons and were full of praise for what they saw.
We are always delighted to be able to support colleagues on their training journey. It is particularly pleasurable to hear feedback that includes the following;
"Was such a good day! Thank you for being so welcoming “
“The lessons I observed were very interesting and I will take a lot from them"
"Great school with even greater staff. Felt so welcome and comfortable to ask questions“
If this news makes you think about a career in teaching because you believe that all young people deserve a great education or you are fed up of the isolation of working from home and want to work in a vibrant, young environment doing a job that really matters, you can find more information on our website https://www nowerhill org uk/3615/train-to-teach-with-us
Mrs Watson
STUDENT WELLBEING
Remember, there is always someone at school that students can reach out to.
Students can access the Student Wellbeing Page using their Google Account. A reminder that if parents/ carers need any support, you can access a range of resources on our school website
INFORMATION
Work Experience
YEAR 10
Are you able to offer one of our Year 10 students a work placement?
Year 10 go on work experience from Tuesday 6th May – Friday 9th May 2025
The placements will help our students understand the world of work, develop skills and help to motivate them at school.
YEAR 12
Are you able to offer one of our 6th Form students a work placement?
Year 12 go on work experience from Monday 23rd June to Friday 27th June 2025.
The placements will be linked to the degree course or apprenticeship they wish to study at University
If you are able to offer a Nower Hill student an opportunity to work in a professional working environment, please contact Mrs Doshi at careers@nowerhill harrow sch uk or on 0208 863 0877
INFORMATION
Hire our Facilities
Looking for a venue for your function?
Nower Hill High School is proud to offer many facilities for hire to the local community, clubs and organisations at an affordable price.
Astro Turf Pitch
Indoor Cricket Nets Hall
Dining Centre
Drama and Dance Studio Gym
Tennis / Netball Courts Classrooms
For further information on any of our facilities, including availability, please email: lettings@nowerhill.harrow.sch.uk
Did you know that you Nower Hill High School is registered with easyfundraising? which means you can raise FREE donations for the school every time you shop online. Over 7,000 brands will donate to Nower Hill when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to you.
These donations really mount up and make a big difference to the school, so we’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to sign up and support us. It’s completely free and only takes a moment. You can find our easyfundraising page at: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/nowerhillhs/