Chessington School Spring Newsletter

TERM

R E T T E L S W E N

MESSAGE FROM MS WILSON Dear Parents, Carers and all in the Chessington community

which is always great fun. Most parents have made payments for the trips, if you haven’t please do, so that your child does not miss out on these experiences. Financial support is available if needed.

As we near the end of another busy term here at Chessington there is so much to report on and share with you but one thing that remains the same is that I In staff news, as already mentioned, Mr Power has continue to be immensely proud of our students. rejoined the Science team in place of Mrs Hanekom who is leaving us at the end of this term. We also Year 11 students have been approaching the final have Miss Stafford-Jones joining us later this term stages of their secondary school life with a real as Head of Geography, this is a growth position and eagerness to succeed. After school revision sessions she comes to us with a wealth of experience and I have been regularly attended but most importantly know will be a huge asset to the Humanities Faculty. the 300 minutes of lessons each day are focused, We have made some internal appointments during purposeful and students are engaged in their own this term too, Mrs Gorno will be our new Assistant learning. The second set of Mock results has just Headteacher leading Inclusion, she is already been shared with parents, the focus for the working within the SEND team and has made great remaining few weeks will be on polishing the strides in improving communication and support for positives. Our staff are offering 17 different sessions our young people. Mrs Rowden has also been in the second week of the Easter holidays to ensure promoted to Assistant Headteacher and will be that the students are as ready as they can be. The leading on developing our growing Sixth Form. Both GCSEs start week beginning the 6th May. I wish them colleagues have already been working closely with all the very best for them! the leadership team and I know will continue to add value to our school through their new roles from Year 10 students have been learning a variety of September. different revision techniques during tutor time to support them with their first set of mock exams It has been lovely to see so many parents, students which start after the Easter holidays. From what I and ex-students at our production of High School have seen and heard the majority of students are Musical - it was AMAZING! The cast, crew and staff focused and preparing well for the exams. have worked tirelessly over many months to bring together what was our best production to date.

We have been fortunate to have many trips during Again, these opportunities outside of the classroom this Spring term, many of which I have written about are so important. I am proud to be Headteacher of a in previous newsletters. I am always hugely school that offers so many opportunities for our appreciative of our staff for organising these students alongside the academic support for all opportunities. The planning and preparation that round success. goes into just one trip is immense and sometimes goes unnoticed. Many more trips are coming up in Wishing you a lovely Easter break, Summer term, particularly our annual Alternative Learning Week in July. Where there are residentials Ms S. Wilson offered for Yr 7, 8 & 9 alongside some exciting day Headteacher trips and ending with our Chessington Carnival

MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNORS Thanks to all those parents who attended the Parent Forum earlier this term. Two Governors (Karen Carman & Claire Chapman) and Deputy Head Mrs Cooper & Assistant Head Ms Griffiths were in attendance. Your opinions and first-hand experiences provided invaluable feedback and we really appreciated your candour. Everything was reported back to Ms Wilson that evening and actions have already taken place in response to the feedback.

(work or personal); and those who have a general interest in education.

If this sounds like you and you can spare 2-4 hours per month then please drop me an email on kcarman@chessington.kingston.sch.uk to arrange an informal chat.

On behalf of the Governing Board, we hope you all have a fabulous Easter break & we look forward to seeing you all back for the summer (yes....it's gone that quickly) term.

Three governors (Karen Carman, Andrew Evans & Emma Turner) were interviewed as part of the Ofsted inspection. The inspectors also read through past Karen Carmen minutes to see what evidence was provided and Chair of Governors what questions were asked. It's important for the inspectors to find out if the governors, staff, parents and pupils all give the same information about the school, and that this matches not only the data, but also what inspectors see during their time on site.

This is much like being a governor, in that we have to be assured that the information we receive is matched by what we see in school and what we know from our contact with the staff, parents and pupils.

We also have to be 'critical friends' - here to support the school, but also to hold the school to account on the information we are given. The Lead Inspector was very impressed with our detailed and accurate knowledge of the school.

HEAD OF YEAR UPDATES

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT UPDATES

It's a rewarding job, and we have many different skills and backgrounds on the governing board. You DON'T have to have school or board experience to become a governor; what is most essential is good common sense, an ability not to take everything at face value but to dig deeper, and a willingness to learn (full training is given, much of which is now online).

At the moment in particular we are keen to recruit governors who understand: finance & business; health & safety; marketing; have SEN experience

PIE THE PREFECT SUMMER TERM DATES

HEAD OF YEAR UPDATES

YEAR 7 Well done Year 7, you keep going from strength to strength!

Building on your strong start in the Autumn term you have surpassed 25,000 positive class charts points, which is a fantastic collective achievement.

Your strengths still lie in your enthusiasm and ambition and I have no doubt that you will smash your 30,000 target in the first couple of weeks of the summer term!

One of the stand out highlights of this term was World Book Day, where Year 7 truly excelled in terms of their participation. We had minions, chipmunks, bikers and many more! A huge congratulations to Finley W (7ABK) who won the fancy dress competition for an unbelievably convincing Gangsta Granny. In addition, 8 out of 11 World Book Day quiz winners were Year 7 students.

It's great to see that you are all so committed to reading.

Both our boys and girls football teams continue to celebrate multiple successes, and your contribution to Chessington School's performing arts continues to grow. I felt a great sense of pride watching our school production 'High School Musical' as many Year 7 students contributed their talents and time to make the performances such a success.

This term we have been focusing on equality and equity in PDW and the importance of celebrating diversity and we are currently focusing on the 'Trustworthy' aspect of our GREAT Program. Lots of you have been making an effort to share when a student has gone out of their way to help or support you so that we are able to acknowledge their trustworthy actions. As the year progresses our year group is becoming a stronger, more cohesive community and it is brilliant to see so many of you working together positively.

I hope you all have a restful break and Happy Easter.

Mrs A. Gorno Head of Year 7

YEAR 8 It has been another thoroughly successful term for our year 8’s. Collectively they have now amassed a total of 22,435 achievement points since the beginning of the year which is a record high for a year 8 cohort at this time of the year.

Assemblies this half term have revisited our GREAT values and students have made a fantastic effort to demonstrate these when in and around school.

Congratulations to our GREAT values fortnight champions- Matthew R (Goodwill), James R (Resilience), George T (Enthusiasm), McLean K (Ambition) and Willow G (Trustworthy). There has been particular excitement within the year group around the year 8 Trustworthy competition that has taken place next over the last two weeks. The winning tutor group would receive the opportunity to go on a bowling rewards trip next term. The winners are to be announced at the end of term rewards assembly and information on the trip will be shared after the holidays.

Along with year 7 our girls represented Kingston and the London Youth Games.

As a year group we thoroughly enjoyed Alternative Learning Day with students either visiting Hampton Court or travelling over to the London Stadium in Stratford. The year 8’s were brilliantly behaved and learnt so much on the day.

Lots of sporting success this term including wins over Cobham and Three Rivers Academy in the Junior NBA tournament.

Mr C. Lucas Head of Year 8

YEAR 9 In the first half of the spring term year 9 visited the V&A museum as part of our alternative learning day.

They had a wonderful time and saw some beautiful pieces of art. I had a lot of year 9 telling me how much they enjoyed this trip.

Year 9 has been busy this term making some important choices. In PDW we have been focusing on the options process and having some really important discussions about their future and subjects they want to take for GCSE. We are thankful to Mr Cosgrove, who organised options evening on the 7th of March. We had a wonderful turnout and the option subjects were able to advise and showcase the amazing subjects we have on offer. In addition, year 9 has been having taster sessions for subjects we do not offer at KS3 and I have really enjoyed hearing their thoughts on different subjects.

On the sports front the year 9 boys football team won 2-1 against Therfield School. On the girls side we had some of our year 9 girls represent us against Oaks park. Really well done to all our sports teams.

Mrs F. Sheriff Head of Year 9

YEAR 10 In February, 60 Year 10 and 11s went to Berlin for a fantastic opportunity to explore German culture and history. We had so much fun (even though it rained a lot). Some pictures are attached of year 10 in Berlin:

Year 10 have begun to prep for their mock exams that are happening after easter. They have been doing revision sessions every week in tutor time and have been preparing a revision timetable. The information for the mocks has been sent out, please go through this with your child and make sure they are as prepared as they can be.

We will also be launching prefect applications for year 10 after the mock exams have ended- I hope we get many applications!

Miss A. Swaysland Head of Year 10

YEAR 11 Year 11 has completed another set of mocks now.

They were well behaved, acted maturely and followed exam rules, standing them in good stead for the real exams starting very soon. I am hoping this is a really positive sign moving forwards.

Easter revision sessions and Saturday interventions are being emailed and communicated home to individuals invited. We would encourage attendance at these to boost grades. Period 7 interventions are still happening daily and students are attending.

A Reminder to pay for prom on the 28th of June at Hampton Court Golf club. It's an excellent event that ends their time at Chessington with a celebration.

Hoodies will be online soon to purchase through a website, they are ordered individually, then they all get delivered here for collection on leavers assembly day.

All exam dates are on the school website. Please check for individual subjects.

Miss K. Rutledge Head of Year 11

Use the following LINK to access the full Summer 2024 timetable

SIXTH FORM In January, the year 13 students completed their University applications and have already started to receive offers of places for September 2023. Also in January, both year 12 and year 13 Sport students sat unit exams with grades published at the end of March. Both year groups are working hard with their coursework, at the end of two years they will have completed 16 units, and the qualification they achieve is equivalent to 3 A-levels.

The Child Development students continue to make excellent progress, and make use of their work experience in the onsite nursery, developing the skills needed to work in a nursery once they finish their qualification. In February, they had an excellent visit to the Childcare and Education Expo at London Olympia, benefiting from a range of talks and taster sessions, giving them ideas of how to support young children in a nursery setting.

apprenticeship opportunities. We also had a guest speaker from Chelsea Football Club talking about the work that they do, their educational path to get there, and all the different job roles available at the Football Club. It is very important that our students are aware of all the options available to them once they leave school, so they can make an informed decision on their future.

Our Basketball students have finished the season convincingly, finishing second in their division, which means they have qualified for the promotion play offs. Notable performances were five wins from five in the last two weeks of the regular season.

Our Sixth Form students are also mentoring younger students at the school. They are doing fantastic work, helping students in various capacities, for example ones who may be struggling with year 7 transition. They really are fantastic role models when doing this activity. These positive relationships extremely beneficial for the younger students who have this in place.

Both year groups have been on careers related trips during the term, including Kingston University, to look at degree options, Kingston College to look at Level 4 provision and the National Apprenticeship Fair at Sandown Park to look at

Mr S. Davey Head of Year 12 & 13

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

SUBJECT UPDATES

LANGUAGES LANGUAGES It has been another great Spring term for our linguists at Chessington School.

Students have developed their knowledge of key verbs and are now starting to manipulate the language learnt through their sentence builders to become more creative when producing language. Year 7 have been learning to talk about their hobbies in Spanish; Year 8 have been learning to talk about what they like doing in their free time and are starting to learn the past tense to talk about what they did; Year 9 have been learning to talk about their future aspirations and about living a healthy lifestyle, all while combining present, past and future tenses; Year 10 have continued their GCSE Spanish journey talking about their interests and hobbies; and Year 11 are now fully focused on their upcoming Spanish/French GCSE exams. They have just finished their last mock speaking exam in preparation for their real one straight after Easter and soon after that their lessons will focus on preparing for their listening, reading and writing exams in May/June.

Both Spanish and French students have put a lot of effort into their recent speaking exams, for which they deserve to be congratulated.

photo of speaking exam room

Our French club continues to be a success (thank you to Mr Evans-Lombe for running it!). Students have really enjoyed learning French as an extracurricular activity and we have seen some impressive progress in all students that regularly attend.

Our special mention goes to Matej (7ASI), who completed the writing part of his Spanish exam in both Spanish and French! Bon travail, Matej!

I thoroughly recommend all our linguists to continue to put their language skills into practice during the upcoming holidays with examples of real language use. Why not try watching your favourite festive films or series in the target language or tune into an international radio station online for a few minutes a day listening for gist?

Mr C. Murray Head of Languages

HISTORY HISTORY

History has had an excellent Spring Term with a number of cracking topic enquiries, a hugely successful round of Year 11 mocks, and exciting extracurricular trips.

Students in Year 7 have been engaging in a local-study by exploring the significance of Kingston in the AngloSaxon Period - please check out the Coronation Stone’ when there next.

Year 8s have been considering the bleak history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, through the experiences of a former enslaved African, Oladuah Equiano. Year 9s have also been considering the experiences of individuals, with a focus on the Holocaust.

Year 10 and 11 have been immensely focused on their GCSE studies with Year 10 finishing their learning of Medicine Through Time, with their first mock on the near horizon. Year 11 are approaching the end of their studies following a successful set of mocks please do ask your child how they are getting on!

Most importantly, this term has been a resounding success for extracurricular trips. With 126 Year 8 students going for a day out to Hampton Court Palace to explore the grandeur of the Tudors, and 60 Year 10 and 11s going to Berlin for a fantastic opportunity to explore German culture and history. Thank you to all of the students, parents, and staff for making this happen.

Mr. B. Forsyth

Early January saw the final 5 a side football Borough Competitions taking place. 1st place medals were awarded to the year 7 and year 9 girls squads. Year 7s finished top of their group accumulating 13 points. They progressed through the quarter and semi finals before meeting a strong Surbiton team in the final. Victory was sealed with a winning penalty calmly slotted into the bottom corner by Amelia W.

On Alternative Learning Day, Sports Scholars from year 7 to year 9 visited the Olympic Stadium.

The trip was a huge success with pupils undergoing a combination of a stadium tour, creating TikToks of sporting moments and collecting Bingo photos of all the surrounding landmarks. A huge thanks to Mr Sherlock who organised the trip.

Our year 7 and 8s basketball teams have been busy attending numerous fixtures. Two hard fought wins against St Andrews (46-35) and (4138). Followed by Jnr NBA wins against Cobham (29-1) and Three Rivers Academy (41-10). Stand out performances from Arthur M (Yr 8) and Jake D (Yr 7).

The Year 9 Boys football team were back to winning ways as they put past four Hollyfield.

Congratulations to Malakai O who scored all four!

This win was followed by a 2-1 victory over Therfield School. Goal scorers included Freddie C and Oliver C. Special mention to Tyler S and Kian M who were identified by Mr Davey as crucial players in both victories.

Netball continues to blossom at Chessington as the year 7 to 9 squads played fixtures against Oaks Park High and Epsom and Ewell School.

Gracie S (Yr 9) and Ellena B(Yr 7) outshined their teammates to claim POTM in these fixtures.

information as we welcome clubs like Rounders and Athletics!

Lastly, a repeated thanks goes out to our brilliant coaches and PE team who week in week out make these opportunities available for our children.

Miss E. Williams PE Teacher Extra Curricular + Sports Scholarship Programme Lead

@chessington_sch_pe

Yr 10 and 11 GCSE PE students travelled to Hillingdon Cycle Circuit where pupils underwent one of their individual practical sports assessments. Huge well done to Leo S (Year 11) who completed the 16 km time trial in the fastest time. Yr 10 GCSE students continue to work hard in theory lessons covering content from Paper 1 and Paper 2 before their mocks post Easter break.

Yr 11 BTEC students have completed all their coursework for Component 2 and are now preparing for their Component 3 exam. The Yr 10 BTEC students are currently delivering warm up sessions to the rest of the class as part of their Component 1 assessment, and also completing coursework which has to be completed by the end of April.

As we transition into the Summer Term, the availability of sports clubs will change. Please speak with your PE teacher or visit the Performance Board located in the Atrium for more

Year 7 Year 7 have been studying the stories from the Abrahamic faiths with a focus on the characters of Abraham and Moses. We learned about these individuals in detail, discussing why they are important to different religions and what makes them significant. They have also discussed what values we can learn from these stories that can be used in our lives today.

Year 8 Year 8 have been studying the stories from the Abrahamic faiths and questioning what we can learn from these stories. Students have explored qualities of trust, commitment and loyalty as well as exploring the Abrahamic teachings of God being all powerful and all knowing through some of the stories from Genesis.

Year 9 Year 9 have been studying religion and ethics this term. We have looked at different ethical dilemmas, alongside some controversial issues such as capital punishment and euthanasia. The year group handled these topics with maturity and we ended the unit with the students giving speeches on the issue they felt the most passionate about!

Year 10 This term Year 10 have been studying Islamic practices, in particular learning about each of the Five Pillars of Islam in depth. Ramadan has fallen during our teaching of this topic so we have been able to use current personal students in our teaching, as well as being able to draw on experiences of our own students. This has made this topic especially relevant this term.

Ms K. Jacob Assistant Headteacher

Build Your Own Place of Worship!

This can be made out of any material Points will be awarded for accuracy and creativity Bring YOUR entry to F8 by Tuesday 23rd April

It has been a very busy Spring term in maths. We have had assessment windows for Years 7 - 10 and the Spring mock exams for Year 11 - this was the last opportunity for Year 11s to showcase what they can do before the real exams in the Summer. There have been some fantastic improvements compared to the November mocks which should translate to even better performance in the real GCSEs. After all the assessments, your children have been doing feedback lessons where they and their teachers are pinpointing what they need to do to improve their mathematical skills and understanding. We have been primarily using Sparx Maths to help drive this using the “Independent Learning” section. Independent Learning is the bedrock of students improving their grades more rapidly and is something that we are really pushing this year with our students. This can be accessed on Sparx on the bottom tab. In addition, your child can do an “XP” Boost - this will give your child bespoke questions based on the homework that they have completed to date. The level of difficulty will be tailored to their performance and can be tweaked to make questions easier or more difficult. We strongly believe that great teaching, regular homework completed to the best standard possible and using Sparx Maths in the right way will enable your child to get the best grade they are capable of. Your child should be able to see the selections below when they login.

Mr.T. Smith

This term in computer Science the focus has been on Coding Year 7 have been making different types of games using SCRATCH whilst years 8 and 9 have been developing their understanding of the building blocks of programming (Sequence, Selection, Iteration) using the PYTHON programming language.

Learning to code is a brilliant way for students to develop their logical thinking skills and become problem solvers.

Here are some examples of what the students have produced this term...

Mr.B . Cosgrave

This term, Year 7 have studied weather and climate - an incredibly relevant and current topic given our very wet and mild winter this year! We have had lots of opportunities to discuss the connection between climate change and our weather, with students working towards answering their big topic question on how we, as individuals, can help make a difference. Year 7 has had some brilliant suggestions in lessons.

Year 8 have really enjoyed learning about UK tourism this term. They have looked at case studies across the UK, from the Eden Project in Cornwall to Mount Snowdon in Wales, and even the study of volcanoes in Scotland! Students were tasked to plan their own tourist holidays using the Chromebooks, so they have plenty of ideas ready for the school holidays!

Year 9s topic this term has been on extreme environments. From desserts to tropical rainforests we have looked at the human impact on these environments, as well as the natural impacts. We have had some passionate debates about how we should use our rainforests, and solve problems caused by desertification.

Year 10s continue to work hard on their GCSE course. This term has focused on urbanisation and sustainability, and students have studied several global case studies of cities responding to rising urbanisation and the subsequent need to be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible in an ever changing world.

In preparation for their forthcoming GCSEs, Year 11 have focused on fieldwork this term. This saw students travelling over to East London and exploring Stratford; a site which has undergone extensive redevelopment following the London Olympics. Students carried out area surveys in specific locations, practised their communication skills by interviewing local people on their views of the area, and even got to enjoy a lunch stop at Westfield Shopping Centre! It was a great experience, and students represented the school fantastically.

Ms K. Jacob Assistant Headteacher

It has been another great Spring term for our Scientists. It was British Science week 8th March17th March. This takes place annually in March and is a national 10-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths marked by schools , libraries, museums and more. Science teachers delivered a lesson to Year 7 and 8 on it. This year’s theme is Time as this year British Science Week celebrated their 30th anniversary.

In lessons we explored different ways that we measure time and learnt about different scientists who have contributed to the topic of time. We also discussed different careers in STEM. Students took part in a ‘British Science Week’ quiz on the theme time. Winners for each class collected house points.

Students have been making parachutes in Miss Wheal’s class and were set a challenge to design a parachute that would take the longest time to fall. They had to use factors taught in the ‘Forces’ topic to help them to create this i.e thinking about constructing a parachute which would provide the most air resistance (needing a large surface area).

Mrs L. Andrew Head of Science

Established in 1936, the Carnegie Medal for Writing is the UK’s longest running literary award that annually recognises one outstanding new English-language book for children or young adults.

Some of the past winners have become favourites in classrooms and libraries around the country.

This year’s longlist of potential winners has been announced.

Common themes include hidden worlds and alternate realities, forgotten histories highlighted or reimagined, and environmentalism and the power of nature.

Other themes such as self-discovery, identity, historical fiction are all represented in this selection.

Your challenge: How many can you read?

Can you review the book in 3 sentences?

Which is your favourite? Why? Miss J. Stonehouse Head of English

This term in Enterprise and Marketing year 11 were preparing and delivering their Dragons Den pitch for their ‘ Baslow’s Bag’ product that they have been working on .

This required each student to deliver a presentation of between 5 to 10 minutes to Mr Cox and an independent witness. The presentations and pitches were prepared in the lead up to the dragons den event and each student was then expected to promote their product through the use of visuals and presentation skills, they then answered questions from the panel.

This was a very useful experience for the students and the skills they learned are a big part of the course.

Year 10 are continuing to create and grow their brand.

Mr B. Cosgrave Head of Work Related Learning

Catering lessons this term……

Year 7 have enjoyed a wonderful rotation of fruit crumbles, bolognaise, jam tarts and bread rolls Year 8 have enjoyed practicals including savoury rice, french fruit tarts Year 9 have enjoyed a wonderful rotation of french fruit tarts, mac and cheese…

We are looking forward to seeing you all next term for the new food technology rotation Mrs B. Ford Head of DT Food and Catering

Over in music we have been focusing so hard on the school production of High School Musical Jr. that music club has been closed for two weeks.

We will be back open in the new term every lunchtime except Wednesday. Looking forward to hearing students rehearsing individually and in their bands. We now have several ensembles working on material and will have some showcases of their talent soon…

In class everyone has been studying ukulele in years 7, 8 and 9 whilst year 10 and 11 are working exceptionally well on their externally examined coursework. We are looking forward to some good results.

Mr JP. DuBock Head of Music

Year 11 They have now completed their non exam assessment which is 50% of the course. All students worked hard to ensure they give themselves the best chances in the real exam in June.

Year 10 The year 10 class have visited piglets to look around this half term.

Sixth form Before February half term year 12 visited the child care and education expo at Kensington Olympia. This visit was a good insight into the career path they have chosen. It gave them the opportunity to talk to other professionals. They also attended two workshops, one on sign language and the other on health eating in a setting.

Miss K. Rutledge Head of Child Development

DRAMA

ART Chessington Artwork Spotlight We are thrilled to shine the spotlight on the remarkable creation of Callum C in Year 10, a budding artist in our midst. Their artwork serves as a testament to the boundless creativity thriving within our school community.

Congratulations Callum on a stunning achievement! Your artistry inspires us all.

All you need is ART! Mrs J. Chapman Art and Textiles Teacher

The highlight of this term was a trip to Gatwick Airport to visit the newly opened STEM Centre. We visited with a small group of year 9s.

One of the aims of the visit was to raise the profile of women in STEM, as the number of women who work in STEM nationally is low. The students enjoyed making an electric vehicle (and racing it), a water filtration exercise and the runway reflection challenge, amongst other activities. We also had an excellent talk from a British Airways Engineer regarding the work that a BA employee does worldwide. Year 9’s have also had their options evening, with the knowledge that decisions they make regarding key stage 4 subjects may influence career choices in future.

The sixth form students have had various trips over the term, including a visit to Kingston University and to the National Apprenticeship show at Sandown Racecourse.

The students have also had a guest speaker from Chelsea Football Club, who gave them an insight into working for the company and the many roles available at the club, not directly linked to football.

Also, in assembly the year 8 students had a talk from Kingston College, where key terminology like BTEC, A-Level, Vocational, Apprenticeships, and University were discussed. The presentation focussed on various skills needed for jobs in the future and how these could be developed. After the Easter break, Gatwick Airport staff will visit the school to do an enterprise session with this year group.

Mr S. Davey Head of Careers

THE

This term has been a busy one for the library, with quite a few new arrivals added to our book collection, including a series of brand-new graphic novels and some exciting new YA fiction published in the past year. A further recent addition has been our dedicated ‘Student Recommendations’ wall, where readers can write reviews for a book they’d love to share with their classmates and inspire students who might not know which stories they’d like to explore next. So far we’ve had a flurry of new reviews, and some fantastic must-reads recommended by our library visitors.

A particular highlight was Chessington’s celebration of World Book Day on 7th March, which included a book-themed online quiz, games and competitions in the library, and a school-wide book character costume competition on the day. In true literary spirit, students and staff had the opportunity to come to school dressed as their favourite character from a work of written fiction, and we had an amazing turnout of creative book-inspired costumes, which was a real testament to the enthusiasm our students have for sharing the stories they enjoy the most – a massive well done everyone who took part!

Costume Competition WINNERS Some fantastic costumes all round, and thank you too to anyone who wasn't able to dress up but still took part in the spirit of the day! It was really difficult to choose winners as so much effort had clearly been put into so many outfits, but after much deliberation the ones which stood out as the best interpretations of book characters were:

WINNERS All winners received a £5 National Book Token and 10 points for their house Finley Watson (7ABK) for an unbelievably convincing Gangsta Granny Hollie Williams (8NKH) for her fantastically Shakespearean Juliette costume Maxwell Grant (8NKH) for his creative and true-to-character Hunger Games costume Jessica Ebarhart (8LRN) for dressing up as a character from a book she and her mum wrote and selfpublished when she was little!!

Sans Ayling (10GBN) for a brilliant White Rabbit from Alice and Wonderland Sam Johnson (11DWT) for his enthusiastic interpretation of Scrooge

World Book Day Quiz

WINNERS

Each winner will receive 20 House Points Each runner up will receive 10 House Points Oliver (7ASI) Dylan (7ASI) Nathan (10BCE) Rosie (11DWT) Lois (7AMN) Ellena (7CMU) Mia (7ASI) James (8JDK)

WINNER WINNER WINNER WINNER RUNNER UP RUNNER UP RUNNER UP RUNNER UP

GUESS THE NUMBER OF WORDS

WINNERS Indie (7ASI) Evie (7ASI) Georgia (7JCN)

WINNER WINNER WINNER

On Monday 4th March our Year 10 Jack Petchey finalists took part in our Assembly Final. Nathalia, Maria, Tia, Sans, Aimee, and Abbie all did a fantastic job. We are very proud of all six students who stood up in assembly and delivered their speeches to the rest of their Y10 peers. Nathalia won, with Sans as runner-up. They both did brilliantly and were given Jack Petchey certificates issued by the Speakers Trust.

Nathalia, as our winner, qualified for the Regional Final, which took place on Wednesday 13th March at Richard Challoner School. A huge thank you to Mr Ashton for supporting her on the day - she thoroughly enjoyed the experience of speaking in front of an audience in a contest that saw all winners from Kingston Borough schools perform.

Mr C. Murray Head of Literacy

MUFTI DAY On Thursday 28th March we hosted a Mufti Day to raise money for Cancer Research UK, in memory of Jane Green.

Jane Green was a teaching assistant at Chessington School for many years. She was a committed member of staff to the school and passionately supported the SEND and Maths departments.

Jane sadly passed away on New Years Day 2023 after a long and hard fought battle with cancer. We all miss her very much.

We managed to raise an impressive £750 for the charity, which will help to fund their lifesaving research. A massive thank you to all of those who contributed.

PIE THE PREFECT We hosted ‘Pie the Prefect’ on Thursday 28th March, to raise money for the Year 11 Prom. The event proved very popular, and gathered quite the crowd!

Overall, it was highly successful, and enjoyed by all.

Thank you to all of the Prefects for being such good sports! Not only did you help raise money for your Prom, but you also put a smile on everyone’s faces too!

NOTICE

Year 11 Exam Top Tips Use the following link to access a range of exam top tips, personalised to your subjects

SUMMER TERM Monday 15th April

Start of the Summer Term All students return to school at 09:30am

COUNSELLING Morag Shrafeddin is a qualified Counsellor with a Masters from Roehampton in Counselling and Psychotherapy, speciaising in work with Children, Adolecents and Families. For further information, please use the following LINK.

Thursday 25th April

Year 8 Parents Evening This event will take place between 4:00 7:00pm online

Monday 6th May

May Day Bank Holiday Students are NOT due in school on Monday 6th May

Thursday 23rd May

Year 10 Parents Evening This event will take place between 4:00 6:30pm online

Friday 24th May

Instagram: @chessington_school

School Ends at 12:00pm Half term starts Monday 27th May - Friday 31st May

Facebook: Chessington School

Monday 3rd June

Students Return to School All students return to school at 08:25am

X: @chessington_sch

Thursday 6th June

Year 9 Parents Evening This event will take place between 4:00 7:00pm online

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter!

Friday 28th June

Year 11 Prom This event will take place between 6:00pm and 11:30pm

Friday 19th July

School Ends at 12:00pm School ends for the Summer holidays