MEET OUR LGBTQ+ Allies

My name is Paul Watson, Assistant Head and SENCO and I’m pleased to be an LGBTQ+ ally. I want all our students to feel safe, proud and confident in the person they want to be. I’m happy to be there as an ear to listen when situations arise that might cause students difficulty and to help with advice and guidance.

My name is Amy Jones and I am proud to be an LGBTQ+ ally at the school. I feel that it is important for all students to be supported, to feel safe and be heard. I would like for all people in our community to have the confidence to be true to themselves. I think this is a fantastic idea but hope that any student would find support and safety from any member of staff at our school. I am also really looking forward to getting my lanyard!

I am part of the LGBTQ+ allies support reps group because I want students to be able to see that staff active promote the safe and inclusive environment that Dorothy Stringer is so proud of. It is so important that students see their diversity visible in school in all areas including teaching staff.

Hello, I am a Pastoral Manager at Dorothy Stringer. I have seen how difficult it was for adults of my generation to feel supported whilst growing up with very little or no support from an LGBTQ+ community. My role at school is often being someone students can talk to about gender or sexual orientation to help them feel supported and represented in the school. I would like to think that advocating for them and talking to parents and signposting to other places where they can get further advice, helps students be proud of who they are and gives them confidence in becoming a respected part of the community.

Peak

The Drama Department production this year was PEAK, a self-written play that explored the teenagers and the adults in an imagined secondary school in 2023

PEAK was born after a visit to Stringer by playwright Simon Stephens. In a conversation about the lack of accessible modern plays for young actors, he challenged me to write one; the idea being that after 30 years working in secondary schools, I might have enough material! In schools around the UK and the world, there really has been a boy on a roof, a Haribo drug heist and kids with buckets on their heads They exist It happened The rest of the narrative is also true apart from the bits we’ve made up!

Despite this being a brand-new production, we played to a full house (made up of current students, parents and carers and returning Drama alumni) over three evening performances Here is some of the audience feedback – thank you to all those who sent reviews And a big thank you too to Paul Winter for the amazing production shots

Well done to the young actors, crew and the whole Drama team for their tireless hard work and creativity.

Debbie Ettinger Head of Drama

Playwright and director of PEAK

"If (my son) could be described as anyone right now, it would be Eliza Doolittle after the ball where she sang, I Could Have Danced All Night! He’s grinning and buzzing and utterly exhausted but oh so happy. THANK YOU, what an amazing production, it was brilliant!"

Write about what you know is the old adage, so when a Drama teacher with years of experience writes her first play and it is delivered with loving and detailed direction, it transcends the run-ofthe-mill ‘amateur production’ and becomes a nuanced, and hilarious at times, study of teenage issues swiped from the playground and the classroom; served up by some very fine and talented actors from across the school years and makes for a superb hour and 20 minutes of theatre I was incredibly moved as we flipped between tender 2-hander scenes to the chaos of the transition choreography of life between classes. A really stunning piece of work. Loved it!

I just wanted to say how impressed I was with PEAK this evening. A genuinely amazing script that was performed brilliantly by all of the students. The hours of dedication - by you and them - that must have gone into it, I can't imagine. Please pass on my admiration to the students as well.

Hilarious and touching in equal measure. Beautifully choreographed, it is full of energy with some uncannily accurate depictions of school life. And an unforgettable, Esther Williams-esque scene about Wales! Congratulations to all the cast and crew.

(My daughter) is rather bereft that it’s all over, but she is keen to be part of next year’s production and has been inspired to join a local drama group in the meantime.

WHAT A FANTASTIC PLAY!

It was so refreshing to see a play written about teenagers by someone who actually works with teenagers! It wasn’t patronizing; it wasn’t all ‘doom and gloom’. It was honest, funny, caring, sad and I enjoyed every minute of it! It was so brilliant to see young people performing in a play showing a range of skills and techniques that some professionals can only hope to achieve.

Thank you so much to all of you!

Wow! I am still thinking about the play today and couldn't wait to congratulate you, the drama department team and all the young actors for putting on such an incredible performance on Thursday Everything was so perfectly put together; I was really blown away.

Wow wow wow! I couldn’t quite get over the quality of the show; incredible. At its core was a powerful message that was beautifully acted by a talented (and clearly hard-working!) cast –engaging, emotional, real and funny.

Queen's Green Canopy

We are delighted to share that following the planting of a broadleaf canopy by our Eco Committee students and Mr Sandercock, the Stringer Way Avenue project has been accepted as part of the Queens Green Canopy. The trees planted by our students will now feature on the Queen’s Green Canopy map, along with many other projects across the country. Take a look here: https://queensgreencanopy.org/

Butterfly Haven Volunteer Days

In conjunction with The Friends of Liz Williams Butterfly Haven and Butterfly Conservation we held three volunteer days at the butterfly haven this term. It was an excellent opportunity for our community to come together and do something positive for wildlife in our local area and learn about countryside management techniques.

The volunteers began with some Buckthorn and Blackthorn planting, before working on some hedge maintenance and fencing removal, and then finally creating some miniature chalk scrapes. Thank you to everyone who turned out to support the work – it's lovely to see the haven looking ready for Spring!