Heads of School perspectives

We would like to start by saying how much we have thoroughly enjoyed our roles of Head Boy and Girl this year; it has been both a privilege and a pleasant challenge. It’s safe to say that the second half of our school year didn’t exactly follow the little blue book. However, the positive energy has continued within the cohesive Emanuel community.

Organising our wonderful and entertaining team of prefects has been a pleasure and we feel confident that we have contributed to the smooth running of the school. Although Year 13 brings numerous challenges such as university searches, A level revision and general growing up, being part of such a resilient year group has made our final year the best yet.

A joint highlight of ours was the prefects’ dinner, which demonstrated to us how strong the bonds are between staff and pupils at Emanuel. We will both greatly miss the weekly meetings with Mr Milne and Mr Kothakota, who have helped us to develop our leadership and teamwork skills.

The combination of both of our experiences at the school highlights the range of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that Emanuel has to offer. Leaving Emanuel was never going to be easy but being Head Boy and Head Girl has meant that we can look forward with pride, knowing that we are prepared.

Siddiq Islam

(OE2012–20)

My final year is set far apart from those that came before it. It has been breathtaking to witness the bonds cementing between my fellow students, and while the memories of each individual lesson will naturally merge into one after time, what will never fade is the camaraderie felt in classrooms when carrying out recrystallisations or racing to multiply matrices on whiteboards.

This year I have watched Sixth Formers set up their own engineering society and create intelligent and humorous short films, and I am sure I have seen a stall of persistent Young Enterprise candle vendors at every school event where there was a floor to stand on. Coordinating the Sixth Form Revue proved a challenge as it came around so quickly, but the spectacular talents of George, the guitar legend, alongside some questionable dancing crews, made for a memorable evening.

Travelling to India with a vibrant team in the summer was a life-changing experience and the standout highlight of my year. The senior boys rowing squad has welcomed a brilliant bunch of enthusiastic Year 11s who will no doubt follow in the footsteps of the Year 13 candidates who competed

Jay Martin

(OE2013–20) One of the highlights of my year was the netball awards evening. Being my final one, it was even more emotional, illustrating the wholesome and cohesive nature of Emanuel’s netball community. The sports coaches at school have continued to inspire me for the past seven years with their enthusiasm and passion, not to mention the endless amounts of support and confidence they have instilled in us. The most memorable ‘classroom’ moment of mine has to be when we played blind football with the Director of Sport when studying the Olympics in PE. Dedicating endless amounts of time to A levels over the past year wouldn’t have been possible without the engaging and interactive methods of learning that the school provides. Although not arty myself, I have had the pleasure of witnessing some of my fellow students’ work, from sculptures of lemons in national trials this year. Despite the quarantine, we continued to share separate training online. The prefects and I have, on countless occasions, greeted both famous and unfamiliar guests, as well as producing an Oscar-worthy lip-sync video that will make me smile forever.

Being treated as a local micro-celebrity has felt strange to say the least, but I could confidently explain to those Year 7s and 8s who say ‘Hi, Head Boy’ in the hallway how inspiring I think the older pupils are. It has been a luxury to watch my classmates grow

into mature, driven adults. to puffer jackets made from Sainsbury’s bags. The unexpected end to the school year brought this year’s musical Oliver! off the stage and into the courtyard for a flash mob of the cast’s favourite songs. Hearing the live music from across the field as I came out of my lesson at lunch time, I was brought to tears when I ran into the crowd of students and saw everyone singing in costume. Looking up to see the aspiring Year 7s peering out of windows to watch and looking across at friends that I have grown up with, I realised that I’m not as ready to go to university as I thought. Prepared, most definitely, but not yet ready.